Daily Chess Puzzle #17: Opera mate, Clearance sacrifice, Trapped piece and Queen fork

Four puzzles, four patterns: the opera mate, the clearance sacrifice, the trapped piece and the queen fork. 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 1100 to 2500.

Puzzle 1: Opera mate (beginner, rated 1100)

White to play. Black just played rook to d3. The black king on a8 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/00LNB. It was rated 1100 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rxa6+ — White: Rook takes on a6, check.
2. bxa6 — Black: Pawn takes on a6.
3. Ra7# — White: Rook to a7, checkmate.

Rook takes on a6, check. We give up the rook for a pawn. Black’s only move is pawn takes on a6. Rook to a7, checkmate.

The pattern. The opera mate. A rook on the back rank, protected by a bishop on the long diagonal, and the king’s own pawn blocking the escape.

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Puzzle 2: Clearance sacrifice (intermediate, rated 1657)

Black to play. White has just played bishop to f1. Notice the white king on e1 and the white queen on d2, close together. Two targets, one move. Can you find the fork?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02GrY. It was rated 1657 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qe4+ — Black: Queen to e4, check.
2. Be2 — White: Bishop to e2.
3. Rc2 — Black: Rook to c2.

Queen to e4, check. The queen attacks the king on e1 and the knight on f3 at the same time. White tries bishop to e2. Rook to c2. The rook attacks the queen on d2 and the bishop on b2 at the same time.

The pattern. A clearance sacrifice. A piece gets out of the way, with check or with a threat, so that another piece can use the square or the line it leaves behind.

Puzzle 3: Trapped piece (advanced, rated 2065)

White to play. Black has just played pawn to e5. And the black queen on b2 has nothing defending it. One of Black’s pieces has run out of squares. Can you find the move that wins it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02na8. It was rated 2065 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Bc1 — White: Bishop to c1.
2. Bb4+ — Black: Bishop to b4, check.
3. Kf1 — White: King to f1.
4. Qxa1 — Black: Queen takes on a1.
5. Nxa1 — White: Knight takes on a1.

Bishop to c1. Black tries bishop to b4, check. Now, king to f1. Black takes. Queen takes on a1. Now, knight takes on a1. That wins the queen.

The pattern. A trapped piece. It has nowhere safe to go, and it falls.

Puzzle 4: Queen fork (master, rated 2413)

Black to play. White has just played king to f2. And the white rook on h1 has nothing defending it. Where can our queen land to attack both at once?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/0B6Qc. It was rated 2413 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qd2+ — Black: Queen to d2, check.
2. Kg3 — White: King to g3.
3. Qxc1 — Black: Queen takes on c1.
4. Bxa6 — White: Bishop takes on a6.
5. Qxh1 — Black: Queen takes on h1.

Queen to d2, check. The queen attacks the king on f2 and the rook on c1 at the same time. White steps out of check. King to g3. And now, queen takes on c1. White takes. Bishop takes on a6. Queen takes on h1. That wins the rook.

The pattern. A queen fork. The queen attacks two undefended targets at once, often with check, and only one of them can be saved.

One puzzle at a time

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

• Castle - Opera mate that 1100s miss
• Fossil Dig - Clearance sacrifice that 1700s miss
• Treehouse - Trapped piece that 2100s miss
• Coral Reef - Queen fork that 2400s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 00LNB, 02GrY, 02na8, 0B6Qc from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.