Last week’s puzzle created quite a bit of interest with Chess Kids coach Tim Broome finding a mate in 6, only to be trumped by someone else have found a very beautiful mate in 5.   Have a look in the comments to Puzzle #48 if you missed it.

This week’s puzzle is from Magnus Carlsen, the world’s highest rated player, who finds a nice tactic in a Rook and Knight endgame.   See how quickly you can spot it.

White to play and win

ANSWE...

Each week I go to great lengths to try to find you a new position, hopefully something a little bit different, so I hope that you haven’t seen this position before. (See Diagram).   It looks vaguely familiar to me.

I used this position in one of my classes today.   The students’ task was to find a way for Black to mate in 6 moves by promoting a pawn to a R.   One rotter managed to do it in 5 moves so I had to come up with something ...

Everyone makes mistakes.  I remember back in 1974 when I was the newly crown Australian Chess Champion and was about to play in the first round of the A Grade Interclub competition.  Eddy Malitis stood up and made a short speech congratulating me on my win; everyone clapped; then we sat down to play our games.  I was paired against John Hanks and I had decided to try an new opening with 1…b6.   Five minutes and 12 moves later I had b...

I was talking to my friend Sam the other day.  He’s trying to make a come-back to chess after a 10 year break.   He’d just blundered horribly against Rujevic and was bemoaning his new-found tactical ineptitude.   “I just make so many mistakes” he complained.   I know the feeling.   As you get older your brain does not want to analyse variations and tends to lack its former decisiveness.

The worst type of positions we oldies coul...

Chess, like life, is all about decision making.   We have a number of options, but which do we choose?  How do we decide how we make decision – what are the criteria?   What if we make a mistake?

It’s all pretty difficult, so today I thought you might like a chance to fine tune your decision making skills.

Have a look at the position below.  White has just played 1.e6+ and now Black must decided between 1…Nxe6 to get his pawn back; ...

Playing a top player is always a thrill and gives you a chance for a moment of fame should you pull off an upset.

10 year-pld Karl Zelesco had his moment of fame in round one of the Lidums Checkmate Open in Adelaide last week when he was paired with IM James Morris in the first round.  James was the exchange ahead in winning comfortably even though his rook was not yet in play.   Karl was desperately trying to find some...

If you are no good at tactics you are no good at chess.  I’ve just come back from a private chess lesson where my student showed me some of her games and several times she had chances for an immediate win but she missed the tactic.  I suggested that she should play some lightning (5 minute) chess to help develop her ability to spot those tricky combinations.

Chess Kids now has it’s own on-line chess games site where you can play lig...

In the 1960′s the Melbourne Chess Club occupied a small premises in Finders Lane in the city.   It was very much an old-world gentleman’s club with old books, leather armchairs, crusty old men and lots of smoke!    In 1965 my school chess team played one of our Interschool matches in the MCC as it was a “central venue” and we were playing a team from the other side of town.

I have only dim recollections of that day.  I can remem...

Being a good chess player is all about choosing the right alternatives.

Firstly you must choose what the alternatives (candidate moves) are in any given position, then you must evaluate them and choose which one is best.

Today’s puzzle is taken from an article titled “the Most Entertaining Game Ever?” which will appear in the next issue of the new chess magazine “On The Move“.

Your puzzle today is to select 3 candidate moves fo...

Imagine that you are Sam Stosur, playing in the French Tennis Open against World No. 1 Serena Williams, and you have two match points!   You are in a winning position but can you put away your higher ranked opponent?   You can feel the pressure!

Carl Gorka was in a similar position in the Victorian Teams Competition playing against IM James Morris, Australia’s rising chess star.   Carl (playing White) was a pawn ahead and his opponent�...

What’s the most thrilling thing that you can do in chess?   To play a former World Champion or a famous grandmaster must go close.   In Australia we are a bit isolated so these opportunities are rare.  Of course grandmaster Ian Rogers, himself once a top 100 player, has played many of the world’s better players, but what about the result of us?

I’ve played Euwe (World Champion 1935-37) in a simul in Melbourne in the early 1970′s...

Who is the leading chess person in Melbourne?   It would be hard to go past Carl Gorka, Secretary of the Melbourne Chess Club and full-time chess coach.   Carl moved to Australia from England 5 years ago and has rapidly become a vital part of the local chess scene.   He is an active chess players and organiser and, along with Grant Szuveges, has played a big part in the rejuvenation of the Melbourne Chess Club.

One of...