Chess Calculation Training For Kids and Club Players: Level 1: Checkmating

Chess Calculation Training
for Kids and Club Players
Level 1:
Checkmating
First edition 2020 by Thinkers Publishing
Copyright © 2020 Romain Edouard
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re-
trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from
the publisher.
All sales or enquiries should be directed to Thinkers Publishing, 9850 Landegem,

Belgium.
Email: info@thinkerspublishing.com
Website: www.thinkerspublishing.com
Managing Editor: Romain Edouard
Assistant Editor: Daniël Vanheirzeele
Typesetting: Mark Haast
Proofreading: Ian Marks
Software: Hub van de Laar
Cover Design: Iwan Kerkhof
Graphic Artist: Philippe Tonnard
Production: BESTinGraphics
ISBN 9789492510693
D/2019/13730/14
Chess Calculation Training
for Kids and Club Players
Level 1:
Checkmating
Romain Edouard
Thinkers Publishing 2020

Key to Symbols
! a good move ⩲ White stands slightly better

? a weak move ⩱ Black stands slightly better
!! an excellent move ± White has a serious advantage
?? a blunder ∓ Black has a serious advantage
!? an interesting move +- White has a decisive advantage
?! a dubious move -+ Black has a decisive advantage
□ only move → with an attack
N novelty ↑ with initiative
⟳ lead in development ⇆ with counterplay
⨀ zugzwang ∆ with the idea of
= equality ⌓ better is
∞ unclear position ≤ worse is
© with compensation for the + check
sacrificed material # mate
 White to move
 Black to move
Table of Contents
Key to Symbols ..................................................................................................... 4

Preface ................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter 1 – Check & Mate .................................................................................... 9

Solutions............................................................................................................. 23
Chapter 2 – Check, Check & Mate ....................................................................... 29

Solutions............................................................................................................. 45
Chapter 3 – A Few Checks & Mate ...................................................................... 53

Solutions............................................................................................................. 65
Chapter 4 – Trap Your Opponent’s King .............................................................. 73

Solutions............................................................................................................. 83
Chapter 5 – Hit the Defender .............................................................................. 89

Solutions........................................................................................................... 101
Chapter 6 – A Nasty Double Threat ................................................................... 109

Solutions........................................................................................................... 115
Chapter 7 – An Unexpected Blow...................................................................... 119

Solutions........................................................................................................... 129
Chapter 8 – A Few More Problems.................................................................... 135

Solutions........................................................................................................... 145
Preface
I spent quite some time in recent years writing the Chess Calculation Training series,
which was aimed at experienced players. People were pleased with the format of
the books and I also enjoyed writing them, so I’ve decided to launch a series for kids
and club players, with exercises of a more modest level.
Most tactics and training books are good for boosting your calculation ability, but
they do not teach you how to calculate. This is the difference I want to make with
my own books, by arranging the exercises in different categories so that the
thinking process more closely resembles the one we have during a game.
Level 1 of my new series consists of learning how to checkmate your opponent. The
first three chapters consist of mostly standard tactical exercises, then things get
harder. In Chapter 4, you have to trap your opponent’s king; in Chapter 5, you have
to win by eliminating your opponent's key defender; in Chapter 6, by using a
decisive double threat and in Chapter 7, with an unexpected winning sacrifice.
Chapter 8 consists of a few other problems, each with brief instructions.
You should go through the book chapter by chapter. The complexity of the
examples increases as you progress, and covers the full thinking process you should
have when trying to mate your opponent, or when your opponent's king looks
exposed. As with all training, there is a warm-up, a tough phase, a break, a relaxing
phase, then another tough phase. Follow the order of the book to make sure that
you derive the maximum benefit from it, and are 100% ready for Level 2.
After you have completed all 276 exercises in the book you definitely won’t let your
opponent’s king escape when it shouldn’t. Reading it should pay off quickly in terms
of results! And this is exactly what I wish you.
All the very best,

GM Romain Edouard
Chapter 1
Check & Mate
In all the positions in this chapter you have to find a

mate in two, the first move being a check, and the
second, whatever the opponent replies, a checkmate!
If you take more than two moves to checkmate your

opponent, you have failed to find the solution and
should think again!
10 Chess Calculation Training for Kids and Club Players
 1  2
Rosenthal, S. – Allies Berger, J. – Fröhlich
 15.? +–  10.? +–
 3  4
Donisthorpe, W. – Mundell Nimzowitsch, S. – Neumann
 
 15.? +–  16.? +–
Chapter 1: Check & Mate 11
 5  6
Tartakower, S. – Reti, R. Alekhine, A. – Vasic
 
 35.? +–  10.? +–
 7  8
Kholmov, R. – Klavin, J. Nezhmetdinov, R. – Kotkov, Y.
 
 20.? +–  25.? +–
12 Chess Calculation Training for Kids and Club Players
 9  10
Kuzmin, A. – Vladimirov, Y. Ivanchuk, V. – Ivanovic, B.
 
 32.? +–  53.? +–
 11  12
Adams, M. – Comas Fabrego, L. Wang Zili – Steingrimsson, H.
 
 28.? +–  29.? +–

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Chess Calculation Training

for Kids and Club Players

All sales or enquiries should be directed to Thinkers Publishing, 9850 Landegem,

Managing Editor: Romain Edouard

Assistant Editor: Daniël Vanheirzeele

Typesetting: Mark Haast

Proofreading: Ian Marks

Software: Hub van de Laar

Cover Design: Iwan Kerkhof

Graphic Artist: Philippe Tonnard

Thinkers Publishing 2020

! a good move ⩲ White stands slightly better

Key to Symbols ..................................................................................................... 4

Chapter 1 – Check & Mate .................................................................................... 9

Chapter 2 – Check, Check & Mate ....................................................................... 29

Chapter 3 – A Few Checks & Mate ...................................................................... 53

Chapter 4 – Trap Your Opponent’s King .............................................................. 73

Chapter 5 – Hit the Defender .............................................................................. 89

Chapter 6 – A Nasty Double Threat ................................................................... 109

Chapter 7 – An Unexpected Blow...................................................................... 119

Chapter 8 – A Few More Problems.................................................................... 135

All the very best,

In all the positions in this chapter you have to find a

If you take more than two moves to checkmate your

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