Chess Puzzles

In the previous move, White made a knight charge to d7, which looked like a mistake. However, Black spotted the trap, and didn’t capture the knight. Can you find the best line for White if the knight was captured?

Black’s defense looks solid, and the pieces around the king formed pretty strong ramparts. Still, there is a weak point that could have been exploited by White. Will you find it? The player in the real game didn’t, and eventually lost the game.

The material is even, and Black’s knights are getting closer to the white king’s fortress. However, White has a great move to take control of the situation, and enforce the victory. What move is it?

White is down a pawn, the white king is under attack, Black threatens to join the fight with the other bishop and the rooks, so the overall situation doesn’t look too optimistic. However, in the position below, there was a move that could have ensured White’s victory. In the real game, the player didn’t find it. Will you be more successful?

White is down a knight and two pawns, but the passed pawn threatens to promote soon. Black could simply capture it with a rook, let White capture the knight, and win the endgame with two extra pawns. But there is a faster and more effective way to ensure the victory. Can you find it?

Two moves before this position, Black made a reckless charge with the queen, and was forced to pull back. White’s forces are now coordinated for the ultimate attack. But how should White do it? What would be the best move?

Okay, the title somehow gives a hint about the right solution. However, this time the puzzle is rather easy, so it’s not a big deal. What is the best move for White?

The white king doesn’t feel too safe behind the leaky ramparts, and Black is regrouping their army to attack. However, White currently threatens with a checkmate at h7. What should Black do now?

At the position on the diagram, White is up two pawns, but the bishop is pinned and under attack of two black pieces. White didn’t see a way to save it, and resigned because they expected that after the bishop falls, the remaining white pawns would become an easy target of the black pieces. However, there existed a move to save at least a draw, and most likely to win the game after all. Can you find it?

White is up a pawn, and both players have a passed pawn very close to the respective promotion rank. However, the white king is less guarded, and Black has a chance to make a surprise move to reach a winning position. Can you find it?

What did White do to punish Black for their last move?

The last White’s move Rf2 seriously weakened the already weak and vulnerable king’s fortress. What is the Black’s best way to exploit it?

Black’s position is underdeveloped, and White has a lot more space to maneuver, so the game is already won from the strategic perspective. However, instead of applying the positional advantage, White has a chance to perform a tactical strike to devastate the black army in several moves. Can you find it?

Black’s position was more solid, and now they threaten to capture the pawn d5, get a material advantage and conquer the center. However, the last move h6 was a mistake. How can White exploit it to win?

I would like to use this new category to present the most interesting situations from my chess database, and do it in a form of puzzles. Everybody likes puzzles or not? 😎 Thanks to the huge BrainKing.com collection of more than half a million chess games, there would always be a lot of material to choose from. Let’s start with something simple. The game looked more or less balanced, until the last Black’s move ♛d6, that is actually a blunder. What was the White’s follow-up?