Daily Chess Puzzle #10: Anastasia's mate, Sacrifice, Attack on f7 and Discovered attack

Four puzzles, four patterns: the anastasia’s mate, the sacrifice, the attack on f7 and the discovered attack. Each position below comes from a real game in the open Lichess database and is engine-verified. Set the position up, give yourself the same five seconds the video does, and only then read the solution. Best for players rated about 1000 to 2600.

Puzzle 1: Anastasia’s mate (beginner, rated 1019)

White to play. Black has just played queen takes on b2. It wins a bishop, or so it seems. Can you see the check that starts it all?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02242. It was rated 1019 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Ne7+ — White: Knight to e7, check.
2. Kh7 — Black: King to h7.
3. Rh4+ — White: Rook to h4, check.
4. Nh5 — Black: Knight to h5.
5. Rxh5# — White: Rook takes on h5, checkmate.

Knight to e7, check. Black has to move the king. King to h7. And now, rook to h4, check. The rook attacks the king on h7 and the knight on f4 at the same time. So Black has just one move: knight to h5. Rook takes on h5, checkmate.

The pattern. Anastasia’s mate. A knight takes away the king’s flight squares on one side, and a rook arrives on the open file to finish. Knight first, then the rook slides in.

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Puzzle 2: Sacrifice (intermediate, rated 1440)

White to play. Black has just played pawn takes on d3. It wins a pawn, or so it seems. The black king on g8 is short of squares. The winning move gives up material. Can you see why it works?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00Pr6. It was rated 1440 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qxf7+ — White: Queen takes on f7, check.
2. Rxf7 — Black: Rook takes on f7.
3. Re8+ — White: Rook to e8, check.
4. Rf8 — Black: Rook to f8.
5. Rfxf8# — White: Rook from f takes on f8, checkmate.

Queen takes on f7, check. We give up the queen for a pawn. Black takes. Rook takes on f7. And now, rook to e8, check. The rook attacks the king on g8 and the bishop on c8 at the same time. Black’s only move is rook to f8. And now, rook from f takes on f8, checkmate.

The pattern. A sacrifice is not a gift. We give up material because what comes next is worth more: a mate, a winning attack, or the material back with interest. Always calculate to the end of the line first. If you were tempted by queen takes on d3, Black answers queen to a5 and the chance is gone.

Puzzle 3: Attack on f7 (advanced, rated 2031)

White to play. Black just played knight takes on e5. It wins a pawn, or so it seems. Something can be taken here. Can you see what, and why?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/03JjV. It was rated 2031 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Bxe5 — White: Bishop takes on e5.
2. Bxe5 — Black: Bishop takes on e5.
3. Qd5 — White: Queen to d5.
4. Bg4 — Black: Bishop to g4.
5. Qxf7+ — White: Queen takes on f7, check.

Bishop takes on e5. That wins the knight. Black accepts. Bishop takes on e5. Queen to d5. The queen attacks the bishop on e5 and the bishop on d7 at the same time. Black tries bishop to g4. Queen takes on f7, check. We give up the queen for a pawn.

The pattern. We win the pawn for a queen. An attack on f7, the weakest square in Black’s camp, guarded only by the king at the start of the game. Development with a purpose, aimed at one square.

Puzzle 4: Discovered attack (master, rated 2541)

White to play. Black has just played queen to d8. It looks safe. It is not. The winning move gives up material. Can you see why it works?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/01rCa. It was rated 2541 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Nxh6 — White: Knight takes on h6.
2. Qxe7 — Black: Queen takes on e7.
3. Nf5+ — White: Knight to f5, check.
4. Kg8 — Black: King to g8.
5. Nxe7+ — White: Knight takes on e7, check.

Knight takes on h6. We give up the knight for a pawn. Black takes. Queen takes on e7. Now, knight to f5, check. The knight steps aside, and our rook on h3 now looks straight at the black king on h8. Black steps out of check. King to g8. And now, knight takes on e7, check. The knight attacks the king on g8 and the knight on g6 at the same time.

The pattern. We win the queen for a knight. A discovered attack. One move creates two threats: the piece that moves attacks something, and the piece it uncovers attacks something else. Your opponent can only meet one of them. If you were tempted by rook takes on g7, Black answers queen to d2 and the chance is gone.

One puzzle at a time

Each puzzle is also a 60-second Short if you want to try one on the phone:

• Anastasia’s mate that 1000s miss
• Sacrifice that 1400s miss
• Attack on f7 that 2000s miss
• Discovered attack that 2500s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 02242, 00Pr6, 03JjV, 01rCa from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.