ArcaMax

Register for your free account:

Subscribe to any feature and receive your newsletter directly in your inbox.
Easy email subscription management.
Claim your rewards from the Reader Perks section!

White to Play

Pete Tamburro on Oct 10, 2025

Last time out, I showed you a finish to a 5-minute game I played. From the same game, I had an earlier opportunity to play a much better move. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 (The Boden-Kieseritsky Gambit)Nxc3 5.dxc3 Bd6 A surprise and not good, but what to do with the clock ticking. I decided to just castle here and then attack, but I had a better move here. What was it and what would be the follow up continuation? SEE DIAGRAM

I should have remembered this attacking pattern, which brings up the point I made in the last column. 6.Ng5 0–0 6...Qf6 7.Nxf7 Rf8 8.Nxd6+ Qxd6 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qxh7 Qf6 11.Bd3 d5 12.Bxg6+ Kd8 13.0–0 with an easy win 7.Qh5 h6 8.Nxf7 Rxf7 9.Qxf7+ Kh8 10.Bg5 hxg5 11.Qh5 mate

Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.

More Chess Puzzles

White to Play

Chess Puzzles / October 08, 2025

From a 5-minute game I played yesterday. With a few minutes or seconds left on the clock in any 5-minute game, it becomes important to recognize quickly mating patterns. In this position, the importance of the pin on the ...Read More

White to Play

Chess Puzzles / October 06, 2025

Here we have an example of Black playing the first moves well and achieving equality, but then he starts to go astray with the usual result. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 d5 4.Qa4 f6 5.Bb5 Nge7 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.0–0 Bd7 8.d4 e4? (...Read More

White to Play

Chess Puzzles / October 03, 2025

Chess games are not infrequently decided by one player not paying attention to little details that are actually a big deal. This game is an example of that. It starts out calmly enough. 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 Bf5 5...Read More

White to Play

Chess Puzzles / October 01, 2025

The particular line Black chose through move ten is still very popular. On move 11, however, he shuts out his bishop to give a square for his queen, and it starts to go downhill.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5....Read More

White to Play

Chess Puzzles / September 29, 2025

Here are the opening moves of a game that are familiar to most players up to move seven. Then it gets interesting-- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 0–0 6.Bg5 h6 7.h4? hxg5! 8.hxg5 Ng4 9.g6 Nxf2?? (See the ...Read More

White to Play

Chess Puzzles / September 26, 2025

The Classical French is known as a tough nut to crack, but White does a demolition job on it. The game starts with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 0–0 8.c3 Nd7 9.Bd3 b6 10.h4 h6 11.Qc2 ...Read More