Solves from 50 Checkmates Flashcards
White moves to win Q

54) White moves Even having the f7-pawn defended is no guarantee of safety. With 1 Rh8+! Kxh8 2 Nxf7+ Rxf7 3 Qxd8+ White wins queen and pawn for rook and knight.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

77) White moves For a white bishop on f6, different rules apply. 1 Rg5 mate is correct – but not 1 Rxf7+? Kg8 2 Rg7+ Kh8 3 Rg5+? Rxf6 and Black wins.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Whtie moves

40) White moves Control of the g8-square allows White to force open the h-file by sacrificing the knight. There follows 1 Ng6+ hxg6 2 Qh3+ Bh4 3 Qxh4 checkmate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

41) White moves After 1 Ng6+ hxg6 2 hxg6 Black has a free move to defend, but to no avail. He is helpless to prevent White’s killer check with 3 Qh5+ next move.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves

27) Black moves If 1…Nf2+ White escapes with 2 Rxf2, but does Black have anything better? In fact the startling 1…Qg1+ 2 Rxg1 Nf2 is a typical semi-smothered mate. DEADLY
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves

73) Black moves After 1…Bxh2+ 2 Kxh2 Qh4+ 3 Kg1 Bxg2 the second bishop can be declined with 4 f3. But Black wins by 4…Qg3, preparing a discovered check.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

62
Boden’s Mate
Here 1 Qa6 is the spectacular winning move, as Black cannot defend the a7-pawn. If 1…bxa6, 2 Bxa6 is mate, and 1…Nh5 loses to 2 Qxc6+!.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves

42a) Black moves This was the magical Karpov-Taimanov game. After 1…Ng3+! White captures with 2 hxg3 (42b) (because 2 Qxg3 allows 2…Rxb1). The h-file is now open.
42b) Black moves There follows the brilliant rook retreat 2…Ra8!. Black wins, as White has no defence to 3…Rh8+ next move.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves to take rooks then gets beat by White

70a) Black moves 1…Bxc3+ 2 bxc3 Qxc3+ forks king and rook, but White happily ‘falls into the trap’. After 3 Qd2 Qxa1+ 4 Ke2 Qxh1 (70b) the black queen is out of play.
70b) A massive assault on Black’s king now decides the game: 5 Bb5+ Bd7 (5…Ke7 6 Qb4+ Kd8 7 Qd6+ Bd7 8 Qxd7 mate) 6 Qxd7+ Kf8 7 g6! hxg6 8 Ng5 and mate with Qxf7 follows.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves

23) Black moves It looks like Black is in trouble, but a stunning decoy sacrifice unpins the black knight and turns the tables. 1…Qg1+ 2 Rxg1 Nf2 mate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

85) White moves After 1 Bg8 the white queen penetrates decisively to h7. For example 1…Rxg8 2 Qh7+ Kf8 3 Qxf7 mate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves

Other Queenside Mates
66
A potential combination is signalled by the rook on the b-file, and the bishop on the h7-b1 diagonal. Black plays 1…Qxc3+ 2 bxc3 Rb1 mate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

81) White moves The usual discovered checks fail (as Black threatens …Nxb2). But another motif emerges: 1 Rg8++! (double check) 1…Kxg8 2 Rg1+ Qg5 3 Rxg5 mate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves for see-saw

44a) Black moves 1…Re2! exploits a pin on the white queen, which cannot take the rook. After 2 Qxb6 Rxg2+ 3 Kh1 (44b) the mighty See-Saw is ready to begin.
There follows 3…Rxc2+ 4 Kg1 Rg2+ 5 Kh1 Rxb2+ 6 Kg1 Rg2+ 7 Kh1 Rxa2+ 8 Kg1 axb6 and Black has won four pawns.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves to a Q/K fork

52) Black moves The absence of a pawn on f2 makes no difference (although the idea is perhaps harder to visualize). 1…Rh1+ 2 Kxh1 Nf2+ forks the white king and queen.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

86) White moves Here the queen and bishop alone can force mate. After 1 Bg8 (threatening Qh7) Black must capture with 1…Rxg8. White then mates by 2 Qh6.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

36a) White moves Once again, both white rooks are sacrificed for a single tempo. With 1 Rh8+ Bxh8 2 Rxh8+ Kxh8 (36b), Black’s king is decoyed onto the h-file.
36b) White moves Now comes yet another forcing move: 3 Qh2+ (with check), and Black still has no time to defend. 3…Kg8 and 3…Kg7 are both met by 4 Qh7 checkmate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

31) White moves If 1 Qh7+ the black king can safely move to f8 or f7, so White inserts the killer decoy sacrifice 1 Rh8+. After 1…Kxh8 comes 2 Qh7 checkmate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

74) White moves Even an obstructive pawn on g5 does not rule out the sacrifice: 1 Bxh7+ Kxh7 2 Qh5+ Kg8 3 Bxg7 Kxg7 4 Qh6+ Kg8 5 Rg1! with Rg4-h4 to follow.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

74) White moves Even an obstructive pawn on g5 does not rule out the sacrifice: 1 Bxh7+ Kxh7 2 Qh5+ Kg8 3 Bxg7 Kxg7 4 Qh6+ Kg8 5 Rg1! with Rg4-h4 to follow.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
Black moves to take Q

53) Black moves This very pretty version features two decoy sacrifices: 1…Bf2+! 2 Bxf2 Rh1+ 3 Kxh1 Nxf2+ and again White loses the queen.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

18) White moves Although Black has some unpleasant threats, White can force mate with checks: 1 Qxf8+ Kxf8 2 Re8+ Kg7 3 Rg8 mate.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.
White moves

82a) White moves This was the amazing Pillsbury-Lee game. The stunning sacrifice 1 Qf3! deflects the black queen from the g-file. After 1…Qxf3 White plays 2 Rg1+ (82b).
82b) Black moves 2…Kh8 is forced, when 3 Bg7+ Kg8 4 Bxf6+ forces mate next move. A perfect illustration of the mate when White’s bishop starts on the h6-square.
Chandler, Murray. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess . Gambit Publications. Kindle Edition.








































































