ArcaMax

For a Mate in Two Monday, we took this from the exceptionally instructive and entertaining classic, The Mammoth Book of Chess by Graham Burgess. Should be on everyone’s bookshelf.

An unknown game with a mating attack.

A famous Fischer position from 1960 against Letelier

An easy mate in four for your day off today.

A good many chess puzzle sites give mating challenges that are of a few moves. I do that, too. However, I also like to throw in one like today’s puzzle. This is what I call a “step back” puzzle. I take what could be a challenging mating attack and then go back some moves before that to challenge you to find how the first steps took place. ...

This is one pretty composition and one that is instruction as well with regard to promotions.

We stick with the sublime main line instead of the ridiculous hopeless defenses Black could offer.

You know Black is in trouble here. His major pieces are all gathered on the queenside. His castled position is very airy. White realized one other thing—the importance of the d8-h4 diagonal. Once you see why, you are about to produce a mating attack.

Won by Kis in 1974.

Won by Levy in 1969

A weekend bonus problem from 1846. Whether it is White or Black to move, it’s a mating attack.

This looks like a tough endgame, but there is even a chance for a mate and at least a way to win Black’s bishop.

In my Openings for Amateurs series of books, I wrote about isolated queen pawn attacking formations. I just ran across a game I hadn’t used in the books. It is White to Play and Win. What would your plan be?

King and pawn endings require planning. Here, White has a win, but the first two moves decide whether White wins, draws—or even loses!

Are you in the mood for some fun? It looks as though the Black king is personally leading his forces against the White king, who has his brave knights defending him. In fact, White has a forced mate.

This one is a WOWSER!!

Grandmaster Nick Rossolimo was one of my favorite GMs. His flair for attack was right there with the best of them. I was fortunate to meet him in the late 1960s in his chess studio in Greenwich Village. This game he played against an amateur in 1944 has a gem of a finish. My favorite move was his fourth move, which had to be one of the nastiest ...

One hint: you don’t have to be concerned about any rooks check on a1.