Some sweet chess puzzles

Below a selection of my favorite chess puzzles out of those I have submitted in the Internet Chess Club.

ICC # 5943 (a bit improved, created by myself out of one of my games):

White mates in 3

The most difficult in this puzzle is to find the first move.
Black king is obviously trapped but how to kill him ? Highlight the text below to read the solution.


Solution : The first move is Rh8! Thanks to this move, now White threatens immediate mate by Rg5#. Yes, and the pawn on h6 cannot take the rook on g5 because it is pinned by the rook on h8! Now blacks only move to avoid the mate on g5 is to advance its f pawn to f6 to defend the g5 square. Now white has only to move its e pawn : e7. And black has nothing else to do than watch how he is being terminated...b1=Q. White mates whether with a queen e8=B# or even better with a bishop e8=Q#!

In summary : Rh8 f6 e7 b1=Q e8=Q# (or e8=B#)

Below the final position :







ICC #5976 (Jung - Szabados, 1952) :

White wins

In this puzzle the amazing move come after the first move. I found this amazing problem on the internet while surfing around. To see the solution highlight the text below :


Solution : White can draw easily after Bf6+ Kxf6 Qxh4 or Bh6+ Kxh6 Qxh4. However there is a winning line for white that is very tricky to see : Qxh4 Kxh4. Now White is basically a queen down. How to win ? Bf6+ and black's only move is g5. Now comes the amazing move :

Bc3!!

By moving the bishop to c3, white puts black in a terrible zugszwang, one of the nicest I have seen :
- If black plays g4, White mates immediately by Bf6#.
- Therefore, only possible move for black is with the queen. If black leaves the 2nd rank, white mates immediately with g3#.
- If black queens leaves the neighboring of e1 square while remaining on the 2nd rank, for instance by playing Qc2, then White mates with Be1 Qf2 Bxf2#.
Therefore, only possible move for black is Qf2. But the zugzwang isn't over yet !

Position after Be5

After Qf2, white has a simple move : Be5, threatening again a mate on g3. Now black has no choice, the only square that would have save black is f2, but the queen is already on f2...all the other squares are bad or lead to mate. Any move on the 2nd rank, apart from Qxg2, leads to immediate mate by Bg3#. If the queens goes to e1 then g3+ Qxg3 Bxg3#. So what can black do here ? Sac the queen would be a thought. Let's see : Qxg2 Kxg2 and black's only move is g4...Bf6#. Same story with Qxf3 : gxf3 g4 Bf6#. Only one move left : Qg1+. And after Kxg1 g4 f4 g3 f5 Kg5 f6 there is nothing left for black except to resign.

In summary : Qxh4+ Kxh4 Bf6+ g5 Bc3 Qf2 Be5 Qg1+ Kxg1 1-0

Final position :






ICC # 6208 (my creation out of one of my games) :

White mates in 3

A very complex position. The similar position that occured to me was not very far from this one but I did simplify it a bit. The first move is rather shocking...Highlight the text below to read the solution.


Solution : White starts by a bulldozer attack : Qxh7!. After this black's only illusion is in Rxh7 which refuted by Re8+ Kxb7 and beautifull ending Rb8#. There are several other lines apart from Rxh7 but I do not lead to a better fate of the black king.

In summary : Qh7 Rxh7 Re8+ Kxb7 Rb8#

Final position :