Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Perils of Pauline (Chess Homeschool, Day 1)

Good morning, class!

The silent films heroine Pauline was always in a life-threatening predicament, but somehow always managed to escape.  Even the corny movies of the 1940s found Pauline's perils a little bit too unbelievable:



Experienced players may find the following ten positions a little corny, too.  But if they help beginners and intermediate players learn new mating patters, that's OK.

You have the White pieces and it's your move. Black is threatening checkmate in one move, so you'd better find a way to escape! Some have suggested that the best defense is a good offense.

1) White to play and win
2) White to play and win
3) White to play and win
4) White to play and win
5) White to play and win
6) White to play and win
7) White to play and win
8) White to play and win
9) White to play and win
10) White to play and win
If you're stumped, remember that Black is threatening mate. You must look at all forcing moves (moves that Black has to answer), no matter how silly they seem!

Too easy? Go for extra credit.

Too hard? If you're having trouble, ask questions in the comments.

2 comments:

Frederick Rhine said...

That was 15 minutes of home-schooling? More like 15 seconds! OK, some of the extra credit looks more challenging. But hey, I was double-promoted from second to fourth grade, so I'm a quick study.

Bill Brock said...

Yes, but you're a master. Learning these mates is like learning your times tables. And if some smart teenager, nine-year-old, or adult is stuck on one or more of these, he or she shouldn't be discouraged.

I created these problems from scratch a few months ago, and I admit that one of them had me baffled for a good twenty seconds.