Games
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![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/292/29270/2927051.jpg)
White to Play
A great weekend puzzle here. Black is going to queen a pawn, so what can White do here? I mined this gem of a composition from Paul Motwani’s S*T*A*R* CHESS book. He intersperses the games he goes over with wonderful problems. His whole series is spectacular.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/292/29239/2923920.jpg)
White to Play
Bronstein beat Korchnoi in this finish in 1962. Major pieces roaming the board are always dangerous.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/292/29200/2920083.jpg)
White to Play
In a seemingly secure position, Black will be convinced to resign in two moves.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/291/29106/2910668.jpg)
Black to Play
The legendary David Bronstein always came up with wild moves when needed.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/290/29072/2907247.jpg)
White to Play
A great Memorial Day weekend puzzle. You have a chance to outthink a genius! At Moscow in 1957, arguably the most dangerous attacking player in chess history, Mikhail Tal, missed a win in this position against Antoshin and only drew the game.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/289/28977/2897774.jpg)
White to Play
White found a unique way to use the threat of a back rank mate in this game which was played in the USSR in 1946. I’ll bet they were happy just to be playing chess after years of war.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/289/28975/2897567.jpg)
White to Play
Today is do better than Boris day. In this position at Baku in 1961, he did find a winning continuation, but he overlooked a mating attack. Can you do better?
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/289/28940/2894013.jpg)
White to Play
GM Levon Aronian won the recent American Cup in St. Louis with terrific fighting play—and a little luck! In one game, his opponent, Sam Sevian, reached this position and missed a winning continuation. Aronian had missed it, to, obviously. Aronian would go on to win the game. Can you find what two elite GMs missed?
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/289/28915/2891593.jpg)
Black to Play
This is one of those positions you probably won’t be able to figure out; HOWEVER, if you want to get better, set up the position on a board, look at the answer, then cover the answer and try to imagine how to do it over the board you’ve set up. Excellent training.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/288/28848/2884842.jpg)
White to Play
Chess Tricks, Part II Black went Nh5 to threaten to take the bishop, but White had a trick up his sleeve.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/288/28821/2882162.jpg)
Black to Play
I was looking through my first chess book (The Game of Chess by Golombek)and found a section on “tricks.” We’ll do some tricks this week. Here, Black surprised White in what seemed like a stable position.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/287/28791/2879195.jpg)
White to Play
OK, suitable for a weekend puzzle, this is a long sequence with a central theme of attacking along the diagonal from a2-g8. See if you can work it out all the way to mate at the end.
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/286/28696/2869679.jpg)
White to Play
Here’s a game I played on the Internet Chess Club this morning. I played an opening system I mentioned in my Openings for Amateurs books and have played hundreds of games with this line. It started out like this: ptamburro(a) - guest [C41] ICC Internet Chess Club, 2024 (10 minute game). 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 Bd7...
View solution![](https://resources.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/w200/286/28663/2866380.jpg)
White to Play
This game was won by Dennis Waterman in 1974 out California way in a tournament at the legendary Mechanics Institute in San Francisco.
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