Daily Chess Puzzle #24: Opera mate, Removing the defender, Discovered attack and Bishop fork

Four puzzles, four patterns: the opera mate, the removing the defender, the discovered attack and the bishop 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 1000 to 2800.

Puzzle 1: Opera mate (beginner, rated 1066)

Black to play. White has just played pawn to b3. The white king on g1 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/00vl5. It was rated 1066 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qf1+ — Black: Queen to f1, check.
2. Rxf1 — White: Rook takes on f1.
3. Rxf1# — Black: Rook takes on f1, checkmate.

Queen to f1, check. We offer the queen, and the king cannot take it, because our rook on f8 protects it. White’s only move is rook takes on f1. Rook takes on f1, 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: Removing the defender (intermediate, rated 1334)

White to play. Black has just played queen to c5. Take a moment to look at the whole board. The target has exactly one defender. Can you find the move that removes it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00SyL. It was rated 1334 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qxc5 — White: Queen takes on c5.
2. Bxc5 — Black: Bishop takes on c5.
3. Bxc6 — White: Bishop takes on c6.

Queen takes on c5. The queen attacks the knight on c6 and the bishop on e7 at the same time. Black takes back. Bishop takes on c5. Now, bishop takes on c6. That wins the knight.

The pattern. Removing the defender. The target is guarded by exactly one piece, so we capture or drive away that piece and the target falls.

Puzzle 3: Discovered attack (advanced, rated 1953)

Black to play. White has just played knight to g4. Notice the white king on g1 and the white queen on d4, close together. Two targets, one move. Can you find the fork?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/01w6U. It was rated 1953 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Nf3+ — Black: Knight to f3, check.
2. Kxg2 — White: King takes on g2.
3. Qxd4 — Black: Queen takes on d4.
4. Rxd4 — White: Rook takes on d4.
5. Nxd4 — Black: Knight takes on d4.

Knight to f3, check. The knight attacks the king on g1 and the queen on d4 at the same time. So White has just one move: king takes on g2. And now, queen takes on d4. The queens come off. White takes back. Rook takes on d4. Knight takes on d4. That wins the rook.

The pattern. A discovered attack. If you were tempted by knight takes on g4, White answers pawn to d7 and the chance is gone.

Puzzle 4: Bishop fork (master, rated 2784)

White to play. Black has just played rook to c2. It looks safe. It is not. There is a check here that changes everything. Can you find it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/0FyCP. It was rated 2784 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qe8+ — White: Queen to e8, check.
2. Kh7 — Black: King to h7.
3. Bd3+ — White: Bishop to d3, check.
4. f5 — Black: Pawn to f5.
5. Rf1 — White: Rook to f1.

Queen to e8, check. The king cannot go to f8, because our queen on e8 controls that square. Black’s only move is king to h7. Bishop to d3, check. The bishop attacks the king on h7 and the rook on c2 at the same time. Black tries pawn to f5. And now, rook to f1.

The pattern. A bishop fork. Two targets on crossing diagonals, one bishop between them.

One puzzle at a time

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

• From a real 10-minute game: mate in 2
• Rated 1334: the removing the defender
• The obvious move fails: Discovered attac
• Find the bishop fork in 3 seconds

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 00vl5, 00SyL, 01w6U, 0FyCP from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.