Daily Chess Puzzle #14: Morphy's mate, Discovered attack, Hanging piece and Intermezzo

Four puzzles, four patterns: the morphy’s mate, the discovered attack, the hanging piece and the intermezzo. 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 few seconds the video does, and only then read the solution. Best for players rated about 900 to 2500.

Puzzle 1: Morphy’s mate (beginner, rated 989)

Black to play. White has just played knight takes on b6. It wins a queen, or so it seems. The white king on h2 is short of squares. There is a forced mate here. Can you see how it starts?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/01yBt. It was rated 989 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rf2+ — Black: Rook to f2, check.
2. Kh1 — White: King to h1.
3. Bf3# — Black: Bishop to f3, checkmate.

Rook to f2, check. The king cannot go to g1, because our rook on g8 controls that square. White has no choice. King to h1. And now, bishop to f3, checkmate.

The pattern. Morphy’s mate. A bishop on the long diagonal gives the check, and a rook on the neighbouring file takes the last escape square.

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Puzzle 2: Discovered attack (intermediate, rated 1324)

Black to play. White just played king to h1. The white king on h1 is short of squares. There is a check here that changes everything. Can you find it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00Lh9. It was rated 1324 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Ng3+ — Black: Knight to g3, check.
2. Kg1 — White: King to g1.
3. Rxe1# — Black: Rook takes on e1, checkmate.

Knight to g3, check. The knight steps aside, and our rook on e8 now looks straight at the white rook on e1. White’s only move is king to g1. Now, rook takes on e1, checkmate.

The pattern. A discovered attack. If you were tempted by knight to f2, check, White answers king to h2 and the chance is gone.

Puzzle 3: Hanging piece (advanced, rated 2102)

Black to play. White just played pawn takes on h6. It wins a pawn, or so it seems. And the white knight on h4 has nothing defending it. Which capture wins material?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/024AF. It was rated 2102 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Bxh4 — Black: Bishop takes on h4.
2. hxg7+ — White: Pawn takes on g7, check.
3. Kxg7 — Black: King takes on g7.
4. Rdg1+ — White: Rook from d to g1, check.
5. Kh7 — Black: King to h7.

Bishop takes on h4. White takes. Pawn takes on g7, check. King takes on g7. That wins the pawn. White tries rook from d to g1, check. Now, king to h7.

The pattern. We come out two pawns ahead. A hanging piece: undefended, and free to take. Before every move, look at every piece on the board once and ask whether it is protected.

Puzzle 4: Intermezzo (master, rated 2427)

Black to play. White has just played knight to g6. Notice the white king on f2 and the white queen on e4, close together. Which capture wins material?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/097kn. It was rated 2427 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qxg6 — Black: Queen takes on g6.
2. Qxg6 — White: Queen takes on g6.
3. Rf8+ — Black: Rook to f8, check.
4. Ke2 — White: King to e2.
5. Nxg6 — Black: Knight takes on g6.

Queen takes on g6. White takes back. Queen takes on g6. Rook to f8, check. The king cannot go to f1, because our bishop on h3 controls that square. White steps out of check. King to e2. And now, knight takes on g6. That wins the queen.

The pattern. An intermezzo, the in-between move. If you were tempted by queen to f6, check, White answers king to g1 and the chance is gone.

One puzzle at a time

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

• Castle - Morphy’s mate that 1000s miss
• Fossil Dig - Discovered attack that 1300s miss
• Treehouse - Hanging piece that 2100s miss
• Coral Reef - Intermezzo that 2400s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 01yBt, 00Lh9, 024AF, 097kn from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.