Devastating Chess Tactics


Double Attack    Pin
Deflection           Decoy
Line Opening     Line Blocking
Loose Piece        Trapped Piece


Double Attack

Double Attack
1. Qe5
if 1... Qxe5 2. Rxf8#

Double Attack
1... Qd1+ (a decoy) 2. Kxd1 Nxf2+ and 3... Nxe4, winning a pawn.


Pin

    Oskam-Euwe The Hague 1919
Pin
10. Bb5!
The pin that does in the future Fifth Modern World Champion, a title Euwe achieved seventeen years later.
10... Rb8? 11. Bxc6+ Qxc6 12. Ne5+ 1-0
Better but still losing is 10... Bb4+ 11. Nc3 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Qd6 13. Ne5+ piling on the pinned piece +-

    Baginskaite-Calotescu Turin 2006
Pin
32. Re8+ 1-0
Black's Ng7 is pinned against the threat of 33. Rf8#


Deflection

    Rest of the World-Karpov 1996
Deflection
32... Rc1!! -+
if 33. Qg2 Nxg2 34. Rxh4 Nxh4

    Botvinnik-Keres Moscow 1966
Deflection
27. Rb8 +- Qxb8? allowing mate in seven or less
  28. Qxh4 Qb2+ 29. Kh1 Rb8 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Qh8#
    Black could delay the inevitable with purposeless checks such as
    29... Qh2+ 30. Kxh2 Nf3+ 31. Bxf3 Ng5 32. Bxg5 Rb8 33. Qh7+ Kf8 34. Qh8#
  Better but still losing is 27... Qe8 28. Rxe8 Bxe8 29. Rg1 +-


Decoy

    Mills-Churkina ICCF 2020
Decoy
The situation on White's kingside looks dire, but he escapes by drawing out the Black king with
48. Ra7+ Kxa7 49. Qc7+ with perpetual check

    Réti-Tartakower Vienna 1910
After 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6
  5. Qd3 e5 6. dxe5 Qa5+ 7. Bd2 Qxe5 8. O-O-O Nxe4??
Decoy
9. Qd8+!! Kxd8 10. Bg5+ Kc7 11. Bd8#
    if 10... Ke8 11. Rd8#

    Schiffers-Chigorin St Petersburg 1897
Decoy
24... Rh1+!! 25. Nxh1 Bh2+! 26. Kxh2 Rh8+ 27. Kg3 Nf5+ and 28... Rh4#

    Mills-joe8813 blitz 2014
Decoy
24. Rh7+ Kxh7 25. Qh3+ Kg7 26. Qh6+ Kg8 27. Rh1 +- Qa7+ 28. Ke2 f6 29. Qh8+ Kf7 30. Qxf6+ Ke8 31. Qxe6+ Qe7
    if 31... Kd8 32. Rd1+ winning the Black queen and then mating in ten more moves
  32. Qxc6+ Qd7 33. Qxg6+ Kd8 34. Rd1 Qxd1+ 35. Kxd1 intending 36. f5 +-
24... Kg8 25. Qh3 Qa7+ 26. Kf3 f5 27. Rh1! Rad8 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Qh7+ Ke8 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. Qh8+ Ke7 32. Rh7#


Line Opening

    Fischer-Myagmarsuren Sousse 1967
Line Opening
White mates in three with 31. Qxh7+!!
31.... Kxh7 32. hxg6+ Kxg6 33. Be4#
    32... Kg8 allows the basic R+B mate 33. Rh8#

    Taimanov-Petrosian Zurich 1953
Line Opening
37. Rxg6+!! hxg6
    37... Bxg6 38. Qxe6+ Bf7 39. Qf6 Qxe5 40. fxe5 Bg6 41. Qg7#
        38... Kh8 39. Qf6+ Kg8 40. Qg7#
    37... Ng7?? 38. Qxg7#
38. Kf2!!  The White king opens the first rank so his queen's rook can enter the fray with decisive effect.
    on 38... Rb8, White mates with another line opening: 39. h7+! Kxh7 40. Rh1+ Kg8 41. Rh8#
    on 38... Kh7 39. Qxf7+ Kh8 else mate next move 40. Bf6+ Ng7 41. hxg7+ Kh7 42. Rh1#


Line Blocking

    Milos-Yrjola Salonika 1984
Line Blocking
Black mates impressively by blocking White's lines of defense with
39... Ne2!! 40. Bf4 Qxg2#
    if 40. Nf7+ Bxf7 and mate on h2 or g2 follows

    Portisch-Johannessen Havana 1966
Line Blocking
White forces massive loss of material or mate with 24. Bg8! Rf7 25. Bxf7 +-
    24... Nf6 25. exf6 Rf7 26. Bxf7 Qf8 27. Qh5+ with mate next move
    24... Rxg8 25. Qh6#
    24... Bxh4 25. Qh7#


Loose Piece

    Parker-Pert Birmingham 1999
Loose Piece
32... Rh1+ 33. Kxh1 Nxf2+ 34. Rxf2 Qxc3 -+

    Bernstein-Capablanca Moscow 1914
Loose Piece
29... Qb2!! -+
    30. Qxb2 Rd1#
    30. Rc8 Qb1+ 31. Qf1 Qxf1+ 32. Kxf1 Rxc8 -+
    30. Qe1 Qxc3 -+

    Episenko-Carlsen Wijk aan Zee 2021
Loose Piece
17. Ncxb5! axb5 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Qc3! +-


Trapped Piece

    Tal-Uhlmann Herceg Novi blitz 1970
Trapped Piece
White takes advantage of the absolute pin on the d7, chasing and trapping the rook with
13. Nb6 Ra7 14. Bb8 1-0

    Steinitz-Bird London 1866
Trapped Piece
White begins with the chase and trap of the Black queen:
9. h3 Qxg2 10. Rh2 Qxh2 11. Nxh2 Nxd4? 12. Bb5+ and Black resigned in the face of the threat of mate on d8

    Bokar-Menéndez Rodríguez ICCF 2023
Trapped Piece
Black easily traps the bishop with 30... g4 -+