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Winning with Tactics

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Defeat your opponents with incredible tactics!

Would you like to improve your attacking abilities? Have you ever analyzed one of your games and discovered that you missed a cool tactic? Then this course is for you! By learning these tactical themes and attacking patterns, you will increase your tactical abilities and crush your opponents!

Here is what you will learn:

How to sacrifice in order to win
Discovered attacks, discovered checks, and double checks
Deflections, decoy tactics, and desperado sacrifices
Smothered mate - one of the coolest checkmates!
Zwischenzug!

Sacrificing to Win

Don't be afraid to give up your pieces if it ultimately leads to winning the game. Pay particular attention to checks, captures, and threats.

4 min

5 Challenges

Trapped Piece

With the right pawn moves, you can take away your opponent's safe squares. Even queens are vulnerable to being trapped because any trade for a lesser piece is dangerous.

2 min

5 Challenges

Discovered Attack

A discovered attack occurs when you move one piece to reveal an attack from a piece behind it. These moves can be very powerful because the opponent can only move one piece at a time.

3 min

5 Challenges

Discovered Check

The discovered check is a powerful type of discovered attack. Because the attack is against the king, you get a free move with the piece you are moving to attack or capture an opposing piece.

3 min

5 Challenges

Double Check

A double check is the most forcing move in chess. You make a double check by using a discovered check and also checking with the piece that you move.

2 min

5 Challenges

Remove the Defender

Often the opponent defends against a threat with one piece, but that piece can be captured or threatened. If you can capture a defender, then what it was guarding will no longer be protected.

2 min

5 Challenges

Smothered Mate

When a knight checkmates a king, which is surrounded by its own pieces, it's called a smothered mate.

5 min

5 Challenges

Deflection

Deflection is the tactic of removing a defender by making it move to another square. Often this involves a sacrifice that will be worth it for checkmate or greater material gains.

3 min

5 Challenges

Decoy

Decoy is a tactic where you force a piece to a square that it doesn't want to be on. This can be used to remove a defender, lure a piece into a fork or even lure a king into checkmate.

2 min

6 Challenges

Desperado and Zwischenzug

Zwischenzug is German for "in-between move." Desperado is a sacrifice of a piece that’s going to be captured anyway. Watch the video for more details.

3 min

5 Challenges

Winning with Tactics

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