Chess lessons › Famous chess games
Chess problems
Three mates in two, each with one key: a quiet move, a waiting move and a try.
The idea
Mate in two: one quiet key, a threat, and a try that fails.
- A queen on g2 would be taken by the pawn on h3.
- From g1 the queen aims at g7, which the king on f6 guards.
- If Black’s king steps to h6, the queen mates on g6 instead.
In a game: In a mate in two, try quiet moves that set up a threat, not only checks.
How the lesson begins
A chess problem is a position made up by a composer, with a task for the solver. In the problems here White moves first, and White’s second move must mate, whatever Black plays. The position does not come from a game; it only has to be one that a legal game could reach.
The first move of the solution is the key. In a good problem there is only one key, and it is often a quiet move, not a check or a capture. Sam Loyd (1841–1911), an American, was one of the best-known composers of problems and puzzles.
The three problems below were found by computer search for this lesson, not by a named composer.
Find the move
White to move and mate in two. Find the key.
A hint
Put the queen on the g-file, where the pawn on h3 cannot take it.
Show the answer
1. Qg1 Kh8 2. Qg7#
1.Qg1! The queen aims at g7, which your king on f6 guards, and 2.Qg7# is threatened. Whatever Black plays, a mate follows.