Hello all,
Chess literature will suggest there are 10 tactical tools.
Recent personal experience of studying positions from Grand Master play
suggests there are 16 tools available, and this number could further increase
as the study continues.
Perhaps there is some curiosity about which extra 6 tools have been included?
The newcomers to the party are: Barrage, desertion, destruction, line clearing,
unleashing, x-ray attack.
Yes, many of these concepts are already known, but for some reason do not
receive inclusion in the list of tools.
Find below 7 more positions from the games of Judit Polgar.
Diagrams, marked with double hash signs, are given in 2 formats, choose
whichever you find more convenient.
The solution with analysis is given with each diagram.
Paul Benson.
* * *
Judit Polgar On The Attack!, Part 05, (005).
List of tactical tools.
#01. Barrage.
#02. Battery.
#03. Deflection.
#04. Desertion.
#05. Destruction.
#06. Discovered attack.
#07. Double attack.
#08. Fork.
#09. Interference.
#10. Line clearing.
#11. Overloading.
#12. Pin.
#13. Skewer.
#14. Undermining.
#15. Unleashing.
#16. X-ray attack.
FEN diagram: White pieces upper case, black pieces lower case, top line is the
black back rank, bottom line the white back rank.
## 29. Yasser Seirawan vs Judit Polgar, Monaco, 1993.
Black to play.
White pieces: Kg1, Qc1, Ra1, Rd1, Bb3, Be3.
White pawns: a2, c3, e4, f4, g3, h2.
Black pieces: Kg8, Qh3, Rb8, Rf8, Be6, Ne5.
Black pawns: a6, b6, f7, g6, h7.
1r3rk1/
5p1p/
pp2b1p1/
4n3/
4PP2/
1BP1B1Pq/
P6P/
R1QR2K1
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. ... Nf3+.
(A). 1. ... Nf3+ 2. Kh1 Qxh2+ mate.
Black uses a 2-move barrage to give checkmate.
(B). 1. ... Nf3+ 2. Kf2 Qxh2+ 3. Kf1 Bh3+ mate.
Black uses a 3-move barrage to give checkmate.
(C). 1. ... Nf3+ 2. Kf2 Qxh2+ 3. Kxf3 Bg4+ 4. Kxg4 Qh5+ mate.
Black uses a 4-move barrage to give checkmate.
Black uses a desertion, the f3 knight is left unguarded, to draw the white king
forward into mate.
## 30. Judit Polgar vs Boris Gulko, Dos Hermanas, 1994.
White to play.
White pieces: Ke5, Rb6, Nf5.
White pawn: e6.
Black pieces: Ke8, Rd1, Bg4.
Black pawn: b4.
4k3/
8/
1R2P3/
4KN2/
1p4b1/
8/
8/
3r4
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Rb8+.
(A). 1. Rb8+ Rd8 2. Nd6+ Kf8 3. e7+ Kg7 4. exd8=Q, white has won the black rook
while promoting to a queen, decisive material advantage.
White uses a 4-move barrage to gain a decisive material advantage.
White uses a checking deflection, Kf8, to force away the defender of the black
d8 rook.
White uses a checking fork, pawn e7+, to win material.
(B). 1. Rb8+ Rd8 2. Nd6+ Ke7 3. Rb7+ Kf8 4. e7+ Kg7 5. exd8=Q, white has won
the black rook while promoting to a queen, decisive material advantage.
White uses a 5-move barrage to gain a decisive material advantage.
White uses a checking deflection, Kf8, to force away the defender of the black
d8 rook.
White uses a checking fork, pawn e7+, to win material.
(C). 1. Rb8+ Rd8 2. Nd6+ Ke7 3. Rb7+ Rd7 4. exd7 Bxd7 5. Rxb4, white has won
the black rook in the trading, decisive material advantage.
## 31. Judit Polgar vs Alexei Shirov, Amsterdam, 1995.
A couple of options for this puzzle.
The game itself is of value, so first comes the game moves, pay attention at
the following points.
White move 12 is quietly surprising, move 15 is a shock which activates some
passive units, move 21, the puzzle position, is very counter-intuitive.
If you do not wish to play through the game just arrow down to find the
diagram.
J. Polgar (2635) - A. Shirov (2695), Amsterdam 1995.
1. e4 g6
2. d4 Bg7
3. Nc3 c6
4. Bc4 d6
5. Qf3 e6
6. Nge2 b5
7. Bb3 a5
8. a3 Ba6
9. d5 cxd5
10. exd5 e5
11. Ne4 Qc7
12. c4 bxc4
13. Ba4+ Nd7
14. N2c3 Ke7
15. Nxd6 Qxd6
16. Ne4 Qxd5
17. Bg5+ Ndf6
18. Rd1 Qb7
19. Rd7+ Qxd7
20. Bxd7 h6
21. Qd1
1-0.
White to play.
White pieces: Ke1, Qf3, Rh1, Bg5, Bd7, Ne4.
White pawns: a3, b2, f2, g2, h2.
Black pieces: Ke7, Ra8, Rh8, Ba6, Bg7, Nf6, Ng8.
Black pawns: a6, c4, e5, f7, g6, h6.
r5nr/
3Bkpb1/
b4npp/
p3p1B1/
2p1N3/
P4Q2/
1P3PPP/
4K2R
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Qd1.
Sometimes the way to make progress is to retreat a piece.
In all these lines white uses a desertion, Qd1, permitting black to capture the
g5 bishop.
(A). 1. Qd1 hxg5 2. Qd6+ Kd8 3. Bb5+ Kc8 4. Bxa6+ Rxa6 5. Qxa6+, white has won
a rook in the trading, decisive material advantage.
White uses a checking discovered attack, Bb5+, to create a double attack on the
black a6 bishop.
(B). 1. Qd1 Ra7 2. Qd6+ Kd8 3. Bb5+ Kc8 4. Bxa6+ Rxa6 5. Qxa6+, white has won a
rook in the trading, decisive material advantage.
White uses a checking discovered attack, Bb5+, to create a double attack on the
black a6 bishop.
There might be some way of exploiting the white f3 queen x-ray attack on the
undefended black a8 rook, but if, 1. Nxf6 Nxf6, connects the black rooks, the
target a8 rook is now defended from h8.
## 32. Judit Polgar vs Vasily Ivanchuk, Monaco, 1995.
Material imbalance, white is an exchange down.
White to play.
White pieces: Kg1, Qh3, Rf7, Bf1, Ng5.
White pawns: a5, b2, c2, g4, h2.
Black pieces: Kg8, Qe1, Rd8, Re8, Be7.
Black pawns: a6, b7, c5, g6, h5.
3rr1k1/
1p2bR2/
p5p1/
P1p3Np/
6P1/
7Q/
1PP4P/
4qB1K
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Qb3.
In all these lines white sets up an x-ray attack, Qb3, to either achieve
checkmate or gain a decisive material advantage.
(A). 1. Qb3 Kh8 2. Rh7+ mate.
(B). 1. Qb3 Bxg5 2. Re7+ Kf8 3. Qf7+ mate.
White uses a checking discovered attack, Re7+, to either achieve checkmate or
gain a decisive material advantage.
(C). 1. Qb3 Bxg5 2. Re7+ Kh8 3. Rxe1 Rxe1 4. Qc3+ Kh7 5. Qxe1, white emerges
with a queen plus bishop against a rook plus bishop in the trading, decisive
material advantage.
White uses a checking discovered attack, Re7+, to either achieve checkmate or
gain a decisive material advantage.
White uses a checking fork, Qc3+, to pick off the undefended black e1 rook.
Note the, "prongs", of a fork can power both forwards and backwards.
(D). 1. Qb3 Rd1 2. Rh7+ Kf8 3. Qf7+ mate.
White uses a checking discovered attack, Rh7+, to achieve checkmate.
(E). 1. Qb3 Qe4+ 2. Nxe4, this line is offered as backward knight captures are
so easy to overlook, decisive material advantage.
## 33. Judit Polgar vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Monaco, 1995.
Note: This position is incredibly similar to diagram 32, but since the finish
is instructive it will be considered to be real and so is included.
White to play.
White pieces: Kh1, Qc4, Rf7, Bf1, Ng5.
White pawns: a5, b2, c2, g4, h2.
Black pieces: Kg8, Qe1, Rc8, Re8, Be7.
Black pawns: a6, b7, g6, h5.
2r1r1k1/
1p2bR2/
p5p1/
P5Np/
2Q3P1/
8/
1PP4P/
4qB1K
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Rf8+.
(A). 1. Rf8+ Kxf8 2. Qf7+ mate.
White uses a doubly-checking double attack, Rf8+, to permit the queen to enter
the black kingside to achieve mate.
Note when a king receives a double check it must move, options of capturing the
checking unit or blocking the check are not available.
(B). 1. Rf8+ Kg7 2. Qg8+ Kh6 3. Nf7+ mate.
White uses a doubly-checking double attack, Rf8+, to permit the queen to enter
the black kingside to achieve mate.
## 34. Ljubomir Ljubojevic vs Judit Polgar, Monaco, 1995.
Material imbalance, black is a piece up for 2 pawns.
Black to play.
White pieces: Kh2, Qf1, Ba5, Bg2.
White pawns: c4, f5, h4.
Black pieces: Kc2, Qd3, Bb7, Ne4, Ne5.
Black pawn: d6.
8/
1b6/
3p4/
B3nP2/
2P1n2P/
3q4/
2k3BK/
5Q2
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. ... Ng4+.
In all these lines black uses the barrage to force mate.
(A). 1. ... Ng4+ 2. Kg1 Qe3+ 3. Kh1 Ng3+ mate.
Black happens to use a checking royal fork, Ng3+, though winning the white
queen for the price of the knight was not the purpose.
Note a royal fork is where the opposing king and queen are the targets of the
tactic.
(B). 1. ... Ng4+ 2. Kg1 Qe3+ 3. Qf2 Qxf2+ 4. Kh1 Ng3+ mate.
(C). 1. ... Ng4+ 2. Kh1 Ng3+ 3. Kg1 Qe3+ 4. Qf2 Qxf2+ mate.
Black happens to use a checking royal fork, Ng3+, though winning the white
queen for the price of the knight was not the purpose.
Note how knights work well when they sit on the opposite shades of light and
dark squares.
## 35. Judit Polgar vs Jun Xie, Monaco, 1996.
Material imbalance, white is a piece down.
White to play.
White pieces: Kg1, Qe7, Rc3, Bb1, Bd4.
White pawns: a2, b3, f2, g2, h3.
Black pieces: Kg8, Qb6, Rd8, Bh6, Bb7, Nc5.
Black pawns: a6, b5, d6, f7, h4.
3r2k1/
1b2Qp2/
pqnp3b/
1pn5/
3B3p/
1PR4P/
P4PP1/
1B4K1
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Note: There are 2 key moves here.
Key moves: 1. Bh7+, or, 1. Rg3+.
In all these lines white uses a barrage to achieve mate.
(A). 1. Bh7+ Kxh7 2. Qxf7+ Bg7 3. Qxg7+ mate.
White uses a checking deflection, Kxh7, to draw away the defender of the black
f7 pawn.
(B). 1. Rg3+ Bg5 2. Rxg5+ mate.
Note how bishops on parallel diagonals distantly control flight squares of the
black king.
(C). 1. Rg3+ Bg7 2. Rxg7+ Kh8 3. Rh7+ Kg8 4. Rh8+ mate, also, 4. Qxf7+ mate.
White uses a doubly-checking double attack, Rh7+, to achieve mate.
* * *
