The Hook and Ladder Trick

Hi friends!  It's Mrs Jessica E Prescott, aka BoundingOwl, again!  I first saw the Hook and Ladder in a Chess Life magazine, but it reminded me of the rook deflections we've seen before.  This tactic is an excellent way to win a queen.  And even GMs fall for it!  Concepts you will need to know:

Watch the example below.

Imagine the black queen as being on top of a ladder and the rook at the bottom supporting her.  If you take a hook and pull the support away, the queen falls!

 

 

 

 

 

The point is to be patient and not just trade everything in sight!

Try this position with GM Aronian and GM Svidler.

 

 

 

 

Now what should black play?

 

 

 

 

 

In this position, you have to set up the hook and ladder.  It takes two moves to get the black queen to the top of the ladder.

 

 

 

 

 

Great!  Now that you are set up, what's the final deflection?

 

 

 

 

 

Last puzzle, GM Tarjan loses with 22…Qc2??  What does GM Keene play next?  

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent work!  I hope you like this hook and ladder trick.  Beware the backwards battery!

Tip of the week:  Patience, hard thing!  Don't go for the immediate trade.