How good is your thinking?

A bit of a plug for Ray Cheng's Practical Chess Exercises

Puzzles in books, particularly tactics puzzle books, have a flaw: you know the answer is there somewhere.

There are some ways to help you find the answer:
i. look at every check, every capture, every threat
ii. make a list of all the moves that might be useful
iii. look at every move a little way at least
iv. try things in a different order

When you hit on the answer, you usually know.

A position in your chess game isn't like that. You can waste a lot of time looking for a tactic that isn't there.

Also, you can get used to tactics not being there, and stop looking, and miss your chances. Worse, you can miss chances for your opponent, and get walloped!

There are some clues that can alert you that a tactic might be around:
A. exposed king
B. loose pieces
C. patterns that seem familiar (two pieces on the same colour square --> knight fork?)

But really, you have to get into good habits of thinking, starting with:
1. what is my opponent threatening? (are there clues?)
2. do I have a tactical shot? (are there clues?)
3. what is my opponent trying to do? can I stop them?
4. what am I trying to do? where do my pieces want to be?

Then you can start choosing a move:
a. make a list of all the moves that might be useful
b. look at every move a little way at least
c. choose a move but don't play it
d. check it! you might give your opponent a new threat!

Tactics puzzle books bypass the first and last stages of thinking, so you don't get practice in them.

Are there any books that might help you practice good thinking habits? Yes, now there is a book by Ray Cheng.

Let's look at these:

1.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1rr3k1/2q2pbp/1p1p2p1/n2Pp3/R1P1P3/2NQ2P1/5P1P/2R2BK1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

2.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2rr2k1/1p1bppbp/pBqp1np1/4n3/N1P1P3/1P3P2/P1NQB1PP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

3.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2B1k2r/4bp1p/pq1p1p2/1pn1p3/4P3/2P1N3/PP1N1PPP/1K1R1R2 b k - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

 1. *

4.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/8/7p/1k4p1/1P6/2K2P1P/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

5.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r3rk1/2q5/3p1pp1/n1pPp1n1/ppP1P3/1P4N1/P1BQ1PKR/7R w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

6.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/1b3p1p/p2p1np1/1pqPp3/P1p1Pb2/2P2NNP/1PB1RPP1/RR4K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *


ANSWERS

1.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1rr3k1/2q2pbp/1p1p2p1/n2Pp3/R1P1P3/2NQ2P1/5P1P/2R2BK1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

1.

Did you start with, what are my opponent's threats? You should have done!

In fact, there aren't any, so you can go to the next step: do I have any shots?

No one-movers, it seems:

...Bh6 is met by e.g. Rc2
...Nb3 is also met by e.g. Rc2 or Rb1
...b5 can be met by cxb5.

Piling up on the c-file by somehow getting in ...Rbc8 seems easily met, although that will improve your position.

Doubling on the open a-file is also not decisivem, but will improve your position.

The thing that might unlock this position is: where do my pieces want to be?

The Bg7 might want to be on c5 - nice idea, but it's not happening.

The Na5 might also prefer to be on c5 -- ooh, forking Queen and Rook!

So, 1...Nb3 2.Rc2 Nc5 -+ winning the Exchange.

You could have spotted that pattern earlier, but I can't tell you how to spot things earlier.

2.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2rr2k1/1p1bppbp/pBqp1np1/4n3/N1P1P3/1P3P2/P1NQB1PP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

2.

Any threats for my opponent? No.

For me? 1.Bxd8!?

Can't be bad! Although you have no eopen files for your Rook, and the Black dark-squared bishop will breathe fire down the long diagonal.

If you see a good move, sit on your hands!

1.Nb4! or 1.Nd4! wins.

1.Nb4 Nxe4!? 2. Qe3 still wins.

3.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2B1k2r/4bp1p/pq1p1p2/1pn1p3/4P3/2P1N3/PP1N1PPP/1K1R1R2 b k - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

 1. *

3.

Any threats? No.

Any shots? No.

What are you, and what is your opponent, trying to do?

You should be swapping off your opponent's best pieces, making use of your Q vs RB advantage.

Your opponent should be using their pieces as actively as they can -- with something like Nd5 and Bf5.

You can't stop Nd5.

You CAN stop Bf5 with ...Ne6. Actually, ...Ne6 forces Bxe6 at some point, because ...Qc6 traps the Bishop.

In fact, 1...Ne6 2.Nd5 Qc6 3.Bxe6 fxe6 and the Knight is driven out of d5... so, even if you thought you couldn't stop Nd5, you can respond to it.

4.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/8/7p/1k4p1/1P6/2K2P1P/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

4.

Any threats? No.

So, we should be trying to advance the b-pawn, and/or running over to win on the King's-side.

Useful moves include Kd2, Kd3, Kb2.

Analysing Kd2 and Kd3 shows that they only draw.

So Kb2 must be tried.

1.Kb2 Kb5 2.Kc3 Kc6 3.Kd3 Kb4 and you get to the King's-side one move faster, winning.

5.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r3rk1/2q5/3p1pp1/n1pPp1n1/ppP1P3/1P4N1/P1BQ1PKR/7R w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *


5.

Looks like the sort of position where we can jump straight into looking for a tactical kill:

1.Rh8+ Kf7 2.R1h7+ Nxh7 3.Rxh7+ Ke8 4.Rxc7 hurrah!
1.Rh8+ Kg7 2.R1h7+ Nxh7 boo...

It takes some clear thinking to spot a check on move 4 and solve the main line:

1.Qxg5! fxg5 2.Rh8+ Kf7 3.R8h7+ Ke8 4.Rxc7 and you're winning
1.Qxg5! fxg5 2.Rh8+ Kg7 3.R1h7+ Kf6 4.Rxf8+ Rxf8 5.Rxc7 and you're a piece up

6.

[Event "Practical Chess Exercises"]
[Site "Cheng, Ray"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/1b3p1p/p2p1np1/1pqPp3/P1p1Pb2/2P2NNP/1PB1RPP1/RR4K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

1. *

6.

Hmm, not much to do here.

But the question: what are my opponent's threats? has an important reply: ...Bxg3!
You can move the King or the Knight, and Nf1 is probably best.