Tactics Analysis #5

Current Puzzle rating: 2264 (-44)
Current puzzles completed: 1210 (+110)

Position #1

https://lichess.org/training/Z8sI6
There are two tactical ideas I think are key to finding the best moves in this position. One is the possibility of a pawn fork on d5; the other is the possible pin on the knight once we clear the c-file. Combining these ideas give us the first move 1. Nd5 (with the idea that if Nxd5 2. exd5 wins a piece). From here we need to spot a new tactical idea - the fork following Nxe7+.

SOLUTION

1. Nd5 Qb7 2. Rxc6

Position #2

I failed to solve this because I miscalculated the defenders of d4. I saw 1. ... Nxe3 as removing a defender of d4, leaving just the queen defending against knight and bishop attacking. That's a pretty trivial error, as the rook on d1 is right there and makes two defenders.

Instead the idea is another very basic tactical idea - the White king and queen are lined up along the c1-h6 diagonal.

SOLUTION

1. ... Nxd4 2. Bxd4 Bh6 3. Qxh6 Nxh6

Position #3

https://lichess.org/training/OW75F

I tried looking at RxR or Qd4+ but couldn't see how these gave me any advantage. I wondered if we could treat the f5 rook as pinned, but it's not easy to pin a piece with a copy of itself (if nothing else, the pinned piece can capture his opposite). The solution is to create an extra threat by Nh4 (threating eventual mate on Qxg2 - this is why Ne7 to threaten the rook does not work).

SOLUTION

1. ... Nh4 2. Ne6 Rxf5 3. Nxg7 (to prevent mate) Rxf1 4. Rxf1 Kxg7 5. Rf4 Ng6 (and the Black position is protected and up a piece)

Position #4

https://lichess.org/training/BiTEL

One thing I seem to be good at is looking for complicated solutions where easy ones exist. My initial ideas in this position were to look for complicated capture chains. A quick scan of the position should show that White has various pieces en prise, and two ways to remove the biggest threat (Nxe5 or dxe5). Nxe5 has no follow-up threat, so dxe5 it is.

1. dxe5 Qxb6

From here, White must still deal with the threat to the rook on c1, and if he wants to be able to also exploit the threatened Black knight on f6 there's only one way - capture the rook first to force a recapture.

SOLUTION
1. dxe5 Qxb6 2. Rxc7 Qxc7 3. exf6