Block Party Part Two
Guten Morgen! Welcome to part two of BLOCKING TACTICS. Last week you learned how to prevent the king from escaping by putting his own army in the way! Haha, silly king.
Now for harder puzzles with Mrs Jessica E Prescott (aka BoundingOwl). Plus, see the difference between "blocking", "attraction", and "distraction" at the end. Along the way, click on the underlined links to try other puzzles or if you don't remember what a word means!
Please complete all the puzzles from last Wednesday first! Now you're ready to try this mate in two. Notice that one of black's pieces is very useful in stopping our checkmate threats. But he can't stop both! End with a back rank mate. The knight blocks the king's escape! (Psst: Queen sac!)
This is a mate in three! You can do it!
Remember, you need to stop the king from escaping. Force one of black's very own pieces to block him from running away. Look at both of black's choices.
Mate in two. Use some fantasy chess...There is an annoying black piece which is preventing checkmates from happening. Bring him closer to the king with a brilliant sacrifice! Pretty knights!
Now a quick look at "attraction" and "distraction". Attract means come toward; distract means look away. Have you ever played with magnets? Have you ever been distracted?
Attraction
Start this puzzle with a sacrifice. It is also a forcing move. Once the king is closer, you have a lovely rook and bishop mate! You attract the king to danger. They say you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink---but in chess, you can!
Distraction
Finally, try a "distraction" puzzle. You thought I was going over *there*? NOPE! Look over here! Confuse the black queen in this mate in two for white. End with a swallow's tail mate, my favourite!
Excellent work! Now you have three concepts under your belt:
- blocking
- attraction
- distraction
Do you think you could define them by yourself?
Until next time, keep tacticsing!
Tip of the week: always keep your eyes on the prize...the king!