ArcaMax

A slashing Kurt Richer attack which all chess players should remember. The game started out (40) Richter - Abramavicius [C13] Hamburg Hamburg, 1930

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 e6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.Bd3 0–0 9.Qe2 c5 10.0–0–0 cxd4 11.g4 g6 12.h4 Bg7 13.h5 Re8 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.g5 e5 16.Rh4 Nf8 17.Rdh1 Bf5 18.Qf1 Rc8 (SEE...

A very interesting for opening theory game that ends rather drastically with a mating attack. It started out Pollock - Allies Buffalo, 1893

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Qf5 9.Nxe4 Be6 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 h6 12.b3 a6 13.Bb2 a5? 14.Rad1 f6 and White now announced mate in 5. SEE DIAGRAM

From an actual game—Kristev-Tringov, Skopje, 1961

This game contains one of the all-time great saves in the history of chess. You are Black and in deep trouble as you can see in the diagram. What’s your plan?

Steinitz polished off Chigorin in this game from their exciting match

Here’s a cute Tal finish and an example of what else was in the position.

From a game Janowski-Schallop, 1896. Both White rooks are threatened by the Black queen, but White has a solution.

A real change of pace. Black moves first and teams up with White to produce a stalemate of Black’s team. It’s a fun challenge for kids for learn term planning education.

There are a couple of ways to achieve a mating attack here.

I just pulled this game up from 1973 when cleaning my files. It was a match game I played, and it is after Black just played 18…a6. What did I play here to win the game?

W. Cohn reached this position at Cologne in 1898 against W. Steinitz, who held the world championship for almost three decades. With a mating attack right there on the board, Cohn missed it and ended up drawing. What did he miss?

This is a position reached by Bird against Steinitz. He did win, but missed a mate in three.

This is a great attacking game by Steinitz. It went

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 4.d4 e6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bd3 Be7 7.0–0 0–0 8.Be3 b6 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.f4 Nbd7 11.Qe2 Nd5 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Rf3 f5 14.Rh3 g6 15.g4 fxg4 16.Rxh7 Nxe5 17.fxe5 Kxh7 18.Qxg4 Rg8 19.Qh5+ Kg7 SEE DIAGRAM At this point try and figure out the whole attacking plan in your head. ...

A Paul Morphy classic mating attack.

From Rohacek-May, Bad Sliac, 1932. Black played 8...Qxe1+ 9.Rxe1 Bxh3 which loses to 10.Rb3. How could Black have avoided loss?

This is one of those wild and wooly 19th century King’s Gambit games where Black, for a change, ends up mating White.

A great grandmaster missed this mating attack for Black.

A hint for those who know. This is an example of a switchback theme from problem composition.

This is a little variation on the Lucena mating theme.

From a game against an amateur won by Capablanca. It’s a theme that has shown up several times in chess games. Not a lot, but worth knowing.