Attacking the King
Checkmates, Attacks and Defence · by Yatish Chandra Shukla
The mating patterns that appear again and again in real games, how to bring your pieces to the enemy king and when a sacrifice works, and how to keep your own king safe and defend calmly when you are the one under attack. Every exercise is graded with one, two or three stars.
Lessons
- Part 1 · Mating patterns
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1
Checkmate Fundamentals — What every attack is aiming forOpen →
The exact meaning of checkmate — and the three ways out of check; the king's box: how to count escape squares; the two jobs in every mate: the checker and the guards; how to mate a lone king with queen or rook — and how not to stalemate it. With 7 examples and 24 exercises.
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2
Mates with Rooks and Queens — Ranks, files and the back rankOpen →
The back-rank mate and why it decides so many games; the ladder: two heavy pieces on neighbouring lines; mates along open files; how to spot when a back rank is weak — yours or your opponent's. With 6 examples and 24 exercises.
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3
The Queen and Her Partners — One check, one helperOpen →
Why the queen needs a partner to mate next to the king; mates with queen and bishop, queen and knight, queen and pawn; the epaulette mate; how to bring the partner into position before the queen arrives. With 6 examples and 25 exercises.
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4
Knight Mates — The check that cannot be blockedOpen →
Why a knight check is so dangerous to a boxed-in king; the smothered mate and Philidor's legacy; the Arabian and Anastasia's mates; how the knight teams up with rooks and queens. With 6 examples and 25 exercises.
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5
Bishop Mates — Attacking from the other side of the boardOpen →
How a bishop gives mate along a long diagonal; Boden's mate with two bishops; Morphy's mate with bishop and rook; double checks and pawn mates. With 5 examples and 25 exercises.
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6
Mating Traps in the Opening — Short games, long lessonsOpen →
Why the king is most vulnerable in the first ten moves; the weak squares f7 and f2; seven classic traps, from Fool's Mate to the Kieninger Trap; how to avoid falling into a trap yourself. With 7 examples and 22 exercises.
- Part 2 · The attack
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7
When to Attack — Count before you chargeOpen →
The three signals that an attack on the king is justified; how to count attackers and defenders around the king; why a closed centre helps the attacker — and an open one hurts; when to stop attacking and play normally. With 6 examples and 24 exercises.
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8
The Greek Gift: Bxh7+ — The oldest sacrifice in the bookOpen →
What the Greek Gift is and why it works; a five-point checklist to decide whether the sacrifice is sound; the three king moves after ♗xh7+ — and how to answer each one; how to recognise the positions where the sacrifice fails. With 6 examples and 24 exercises.
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9
Attacking f7 and f2 — The weakest square in the campOpen →
Why f7 (and f2) is a natural target; typical sacrifices: ♗xf7+, ♘xf7 and ♕xf7+; attacks along the open f-file after castling; how the king is drawn out and hunted. With 6 examples and 23 exercises.
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10
Removing the Defenders — Take away the guard, then strikeOpen →
How to identify the key defender of the king; capturing, exchanging and deflecting defenders; sacrifices that destroy the pawn shelter; why the knight on f6 is the king's best friend. With 6 examples and 24 exercises.
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11
Open Files and Rook Lifts — Bringing the heavy piecesOpen →
Why rooks need open files to join an attack; the rook lift: ♖e3–g3 and ♖f3–h3; doubling rooks, and the queen in front of the rook; mates along the edge of the board. With 6 examples and 24 exercises.
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12
Pawn Storms and Opposite-Side Castling — When pawns become attackersOpen →
Why pawns can attack when the kings castle on opposite sides; how a pawn storm opens files towards the king; the race: who gets there first?; the hook: attacking a pawn that has moved forward. With 6 examples and 26 exercises.
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13
The King in the Centre — Punishing a king that did not castleOpen →
Why a king on e8 (or e1) is in danger once the centre opens; opening the e-file with pawn breaks and sacrifices; pins against the king, and checks that gain time; hunting the king across the board. With 6 examples and 22 exercises.
- Part 3 · Defence
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14
King Safety — Prevention is the best defenceOpen →
The healthy pawn shelter and why every pawn move matters; making luft — an escape square — at the right moment; keeping a defending knight near the king; how to see your opponent's mate threat before it is too late. With 5 examples and 24 exercises.
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15
Stopping an Attack — Five ways to defendOpen →
Capturing the most dangerous attacker; blocking lines and covering key squares; exchanging queens — the defender's best friend; bringing new defenders and the counter-sacrifice. With 5 examples and 25 exercises.
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16
Refuting a Sacrifice — Not every sacrifice is soundOpen →
How to check a sacrifice calmly instead of panicking; accept or decline? The key questions; choosing the right king move after ♗xh7+ and ♘g5+; giving material back to kill the attack. With 6 examples and 24 exercises.
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17
Counter-Attack and Perpetual Check — The best defence is sometimes an attackOpen →
When to stop defending and counter-attack; the perpetual check: saving a lost position with endless checks; how to recognise a perpetual: an exposed king and a mobile queen; when not to take the draw. With 6 examples and 26 exercises.
- Test yourself
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18
Test Yourself: Mixed Puzzles — 240 positions from every part of the bookOpen →
Puzzles from all three parts — mates, attacks and defences mixed together; no chapter titles to give away the theme; your progress is saved as you solve. 240 positions to solve on the board.
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19
Solutions to the Mixed PuzzlesInside Lesson 18
On this website every puzzle in Lesson 18 has its solution built in: solve it on the board or press “Show solution”.
- Reference
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20
Glossary — Attacking terms and mating patterns explainedOpen →
Glossary of chess attacking terms: Anastasia's mate, Arabian mate, back rank, battery, Greek gift, smothered mate, perpetual check and more.