Trainings
95 trainings graded 1–10. Log in to track what you complete.
Calculation 8
Blunder check: three questions before every move
Most games below master level are decided by blunders. A fixed three-question routine before every move removes the majority of them.
Forcing sequences I: check, then take
Two-move combinations where a check or a threat forces the reply and the next move wins material.
Counting captures: who wins the exchange sequence?
Count attackers and defenders, capture with the least valuable piece first, and know when the recapture costs your opponent more than it is worth.
How to calculate: candidate moves and the tree
A method for calculating variations: list candidate moves, examine forcing lines first, and evaluate the final position before you move.
Find the only move
Defensive puzzles with exactly one saving resource: stalemate tricks, underpromotion and the opposition. Every other move loses.
Forcing sequences II: three-move combinations
Sacrifices and deflections where every move forces the reply: Boden's mate, Anastasia's mate, Legal's mate and a queen sacrifice into a knight fork.
Quiet moves and zugzwang
Not every winning move is a check or a capture. Pawn breakthroughs, the opposition and Reti's famous king walk show the power of a quiet move.
Long combinations
Forcing combinations three to five moves deep: smothered mate, Damiano's double rook sacrifice and queen sacrifices that open the h-file.