Learn Chess
the
Right Way
Book 1
Must-know Checkmates
by
Susan Polgar
with Paul Truong
2016
Russell Enterprises, Inc.
Milford, CT USA
Learn Chess the Right Way
Book 1: Must-know Checkmates
© Copyright 2016 Susan Polgar
ISBN: 978-1-941270-21-9
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-941270-41-7
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book maybe used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any manner or form whatsoever or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Published by:
Russell Enterprises, Inc.
PO Box 3131
Milford, CT 06460 USA
http://www.russell-enterprises.com
info@russell-enterprises.com
Cover design by Janel Lowrance
Front cover Image by Christine Flores
Back cover photo by Timea Jaksa
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1Checkmate in 1 with a Queen
Chapter 2Checkmate in 1 with a Rook
Chapter 3Checkmate in 1 with a Bishop
Chapter 4Checkmate in 1 with a Knight
Chapter 5Checkmate in 1 with a Pawn
Chapter 6Checkmate in 1 with a Pin
Chapter 7Checkmate in 1 with a Discovered Check or Double Check
Chapter 8Tricky Checkmates in 1 Move
Chapter 9Various Checkmates in 1 Move
Chapter 10Simple Checkmates in 2 Moves
Questions and Answers
Solutions
Introduction
Ever since I was four years old, I remember the joy of solving chess puzzles. I wrote my first puzzle book when I was just 15, and have published a number of other best-sellers since, such as A World Champion’s Guide to Chess, Chess Tactics for Champions, and Breaking Through, etc.
With over 40 years of experience as a world-class player and trainer, I have developed the most effective way to help young players and beginners – Learn Chess the Right Way. By understanding the most common and critical patterns, it will help you improve much quicker.
In this series of Learn Chess the Right Way, I will show you the most effective way to learn and improve through pattern recognition.
In volume 1, you will be introduced to 500 must-know checkmate ideas. In the first half of the book, there are 60 puzzles in each chapter sorted by the piece giving mate: queen, rook, bishop, knight and finally pawn (40 puzzles). Each chapter will start with a few introductory examples and explanations about what to look for in the puzzles which follow.
Those are followed by more complex checkmate patterns. Two of the most common and powerful tactical tools in chess are pins (chapter 6) and discoveries (chapter 7). There are times when you need those special tools to enable the checkmate and win a game.
In chapter 8, you will find a dozen examples of special “tricky” mates, which include, pawn promotion, castling, and en passant to achieve the goal of checkmating the enemy king.
In chapter 9, you will find one hundred checkmates in one move, with no hints, and without knowing which piece is giving the mate or if a pin or discovery is involved.
Finally, in the last chapter, you will find 60 examples of simple checkmates in two moves, building upon the knowledge acquired in the previous chapters.
In some examples it will be White to move (to checkmate), while in others you will have to try to find the winning move for Black. Also please note that under each diagram you will be able to record the amount of time it took you to solve each puzzle. As you go through and solve the puzzles again, your speed recognizing the checkmate patterns should improve.
In chess, pattern recognition is a very important part of playing better chess. Therefore, my suggestion is to try to solve the puzzles multiple times, or until you feel that you can recognize the correct solutions within a minute per page (4 puzzles). Initially you may want to set up the pieces on the chess board as shown in the diagrams (make sure every piece is exactly as shown!), but by the second time around I would surely recommend to try to solve the puzzles just from the diagram.
Wishing you enjoyment on embarking on the road “Learning Chess the Right Way!”
Susan Polgar
March 2016