STUPID TACTICS TRAINING

I found such a solution from the Chessbase's Playchess, Tactics Training: 1...Rg3+!!

White to move

Playchess's Tactics Training (similar to Chess24's, for example)—I seriously dislike such a fever.

They are trying to train you to be a superficial robot. 

Some stupid psychologists probably invented such a system.

Instead, I recommend using, for example, Chesstempo's tactics training. It trains you to calculate difficult, complicated positions and see nuances. 

On Chesstempo, you have to start by understanding the material balance of the position and its structure. It is important to know if you are a pawn down, etc., because the rightness of the solution depends on the final material balance.

I have received a rating above 2400 on such training systems. True, I often had to waste 30 minutes to find the right solution.

Let's return to Playchess's system. My tactics rating there is below 1800, and I will probably not use that system anymore.

Often, they give only 30 seconds to "solve" the problem.

Often, I have made the "right move" without having time to understand whether the final position's material balance and structure are good enough. After the "successful" solution, a new problem is immediately presented, while your brain is dissatisfied and still wondering whether the "right" solution was indeed right.

Often, I have lost time because I am still counting the dissipated pawns and exchanges.

Obviously, they are training you to be a blitz-idiot.

In a real game, the player remembers how many pawns and exchanges one has sacrificed!

BREAKTHROUGH

On the platform Chess Mail, where the chess engines are prohibited, I had white pieces against Telemaque in correspondence chess. I thought I had a winning position but could not break through. The opposite-coloured bishops were on the board, and my opponent had built a fortress. 

Making the move 1 Ra5-a1, I gave up my hopes of breaking through on the queenside by making some sacrifices.

I was ready to offer a draw if my opponent plays 1...Kf5-e6.

Suddenly, my opponent made a grave mistake 1...Kf5-g4??

It is White to move and win. 

And do not say you will win if you make the second-best move in that position. Whatever the chess engines are telling you.

White to move and win

In the present post, the Apronus chess software was used.

YOUR STRONGEST POINT MIGHT BE WEAK

Black to Move

My opponent on Playchess did not do it.

Check your solution on Apronus:

BLACK WON IN 23 MOVES - TWO KNIGHTS DEFENCE

In the Two Knights Defence, the variation 4 Ng5 is very sharp. White wins a pawn, but Black gets the initiative. The slightest mistake can cost a game for White.

I had black pieces in the game Krasotkin - Nanomaser on the platform ChessOK, 15 minutes per game. The game lasted only 23 moves.

Krasotkin - Nanomaster, ChessOK, 2024

You can analyze the game here:

Some comments on this game

Position after 10...Bd6

After 10...Bd6, 11 Nc4? was a mistake. White lost time to exchange one's centralized knight for Black's knight on the board's edge.

The correct moves were 11 d4 or 11 f4, defending the knight on e5. 

For example, after 11 d4 exd4 12 Nxd3, White's knight is close to White's king, while Black's knight is still on the edge. The disturbing central pawn on e4 has been exchanged. White's queen on d1 and bishop on c1 have gained some space.

The move 13 0-0?? was a final mistake. The correct move was 13 d4, after which White still has a bad position.

After 13 0-0??, Black has a winning combination. 

Position after 13 0-0

This combination is typical. First, Black sacrifices the bishop on h2: 13...Bxh2+. Then, Black plays 14...Ng4+. Then, depending on circumstances, Black plays 15...Qh4, 15...Qg5 or 15...Qd6.

Note that in the diagram above, White's queenside is entirely undeveloped. 

Worse, White's bishop on c4 also does not participate in the battle that will start around White's king. That bishop does not protect the crucial square g4 and, thus, does not deter the threatening move Nf6-g4.

With the move 12 Be2xc4, White's bishop abandoned the square e2 and landed on a seemingly more active position on c4. Unfortunately, the bishop on c4 alone does not threaten the well-defended pawn on f7.

White's position would be bad but much better than in the game if, on the diagram above, White's bishop would be on e2 instead of c4, as shown in the diagram below:

The position from above, if the bishop on c4 is on e2 instead

In the present post, the Apronus chess software was used.

BLACK WON IN THE TWO KNIGHTS DEFENCE

I had black pieces in the game on the platform ChessOK. Time control 15 minutes per game. The game

vugar79 - Nanomaster (0-1)

lasted only 17 moves:

vugar79 - Nanomaster, 2024

Some comments on this game

After the game move 9...Be6, the following theoretical position is on the board:

The game move 10 Neg5 grabs back the pawn, but it is a loss of time. 

Better is 10 Bg5, continuing the development and hindering Black from castling to the queenside. After 10...h6?, there is a tactical reply 11 Bf6!

After the game move 12...Bd6, the following position is on the board:

Black threatens with the combination 13...Bxh2+ 14. Nxh2 Qxd1. 

Unfortunately, White had to play 13 Qd3. 

After the game continuation 13 Bg5?, the following position is on the board:

White's bishop on g5 is hanging. The knight on f3 is overloaded. In the game Bohm - Reshevsky (Amsterdam 1977), Black used it to play 13...Bxh2+! 

However, when grabbing the pawn on e6, White managed to open the f-file for Black's rooks.

In the present game, and in the game De Abreu - Harshavardhan (Chess.com INT 2020), Black used the half-open f-file to attack with 13...Rdf8!

In the present post, the Apronus chess software was used.

WHITE TO MOVE

On the ICC (Internet Chess Club), there was an interesting game Nanomaster - PaulMuadDib. 

I had the white pieces and managed to win with an impressive combination.

White to move

The full game can be seen here. 

WHITE TO MOVE

White to move

Check your solution on Apronus.

THE GAME LASTED ONLY 10 MOVES

Gegonz - Nanomaster 
Chess-mail, 2023-2024

I had black pieces.

It is not a fork

If Black takes the knight a5, then White takes the knight d2.

If 10...Bxa5, then 11 Kxd2.

The position after 10...Ne4!

After the move 10...Ne4!, two White's pieces are attacked at once.

However, this is not a fork because two Black's pieces are involved in the combination.

Such a combinatorial motif seems common in chess but has not received due attention. Such a tactical motif does not even have a name (or well-known name).

Yes, it is zwischenzug.

However, here, it is a particular kind of zwischenzug. Zwischenzug is used here to defend against the opponent's threat and create a new threat - so that, in sum, two threats against the opponent will appear on the chessboard.

And no, it is not the roentgen motif.

In the case of the roentgen motif, two opponent's pieces are suddenly attacked after one move, while the attacker's two pieces are involved. However, in our example, one of the opponent's pieces was under attack from the very beginning.

Thus, it is neither a fork nor a roentgen. And it is too general to say that it is a zwischenzug merely. But after one move, two opponent's pieces are simultaneously under attack, similarly to a fork or a roentgen.

BLACK TO MOVE

From the analysis of the game 

EintaluJ — Manuel Vicioso Sanchez 2, 

Red Hot Pawn, 2021 

Game Id 14628913 

Check your solution on Apronus: 

 

WHITE TO MOVE

This puzzle is a difficult one...

The following position is from the analysis of the game

EintaluJ — Sushant Rath (Red Hot Pawn, 2021)

Game Id 14585672

FEN 

r2q1r1k/1b1n1pp1/1p2p3/3nP3/1p1PB2b/P6Q/4R1PP/1NB2RK1 w - - 0 22

In the game, Black immediately lost after 21...Bg5-h6??

After 21...Bg5-h4!, it initially seems that Black is able to deter White's attack and obtain equality.

However, White has a winning idea. What idea is this?

Check your ability to win that position on Apronus:

If the diagram above does not function, click here. 

BLACK TO MOVE

This is the position from my game on RedHotPawn (Game Id 14590391).
Black starts and wins: 

FEN
r4rk1/ppq1bppp/2p1pnb1/8/3PN3/1BP1QP2/PP2N1PP/3R1RK1 b - - 0 16 

Check your solution on Apronus: 

You can also use the link to the Apronus puzzle: 

https://www.apronus.com/chess/puzzle/?p=1r4rk1Xppq1bpppX2p1pnb1X8X3PN3X1BP1QP2XPP2N1PPX3R1RK1_b_-_-_0_1&N=0&w=AaGwEwUEA&h=%3Ch3%3EBlack%20to%20play.%3C%2Fh3%3E

BLACK TO CHECKMATE IN 7 MOVES

Diagram: 

Check your solution on Apronus: 

WHITE TO START AND WIN

Diagram:

Check your solution: