Pattern Recognition Roundup Week of 3/16

Welcome back to your main spot on “The Stack” for instant-pattern-recognition-level tactics.

Hopefully, you are all getting some value from this. Solving four of these won’t make you much better, but if you use this to inspire yourself to solve hundreds more, then you’re getting somewhere.

First, it’s fun to solve and get almost everything correct. It feels good, and there’s a use when you’re trying to embed these in your psyche.

Also, please note that I like to use some of Martin’s puzzles for this. If you want to get a big jump on your peers, you can buy that book here: Tactics Ladder - Beginner II: 800 Rated

Other puzzles here are from The Manual of Chess Combinations 1a

OK, first, let’s go over last week’s answers.

Pattern One - White to Move and Win

1.Qc3# is mate.

Pattern Two - White to Move and Win

Here, we need a second move. 1.Qh6+ Bh7 2.Qxg7#

Pattern Three - White to Move and Win

While White is one move from disaster, it’s White’s move. Therefore, 1.g5+ Kh5 2.Rxh7#

Pattern Four - Black to Move and Win

1…Rxf1+ 2.Nxf1 Rxf1#

Now, let’s look at some new patterns.

Black to Move and Win

White to Move and Win

Black to Move and Win

White to Move and Win

OK, let’s solve about 200 more of these each and meet back next Monday.

Til next time,

Chris Wainscott