August Blitz 'n' Memes
By saying "without any further ado" you just further adoed a little. ~ Unknown Malcontent.
Welcome, everyone to another intoxicating edition of Blitz and Memes. If you're a fan of puzzles taken from amateur online blitz tournaments, then you have come to the right place, because that is what I do.
As always, the tactics have been selected from the Japan Chess Federation's monthly blitz tournament: TGIF Blitz. The tourney takes place on the 3rd Friday of every month, 21:00 JST, right here on chess.com. It consists of seven rounds of blitz, with a time control of 3+2; and is open to all JCF club members.
The memes on the other hand, have been gathered from the infinite corners of the InterWebs...
I think only one of these puzzles is easy, three are hard, and the last...well, it will take some effort, that is for certain. Good luck getting all 5 correct on the first attempt.
So, without further ado...lets get to the Blitz and Memes.
The Corridor
We start off with a tactic from the 6th round. IM rnanjo, playing White, is up a full piece, and with the right moves can end things quickly.
Hint: The Corridor Mate is also known as...?
The Best Defense is...
Our next tactic brings us to the 3rd round, JamMasterInsane, playing Black, chooses to offend rather than defend.
Hint: targeting the f2 pawn is a good start.
Heavy Piece Hailstorm
Another tactic from the 6th round and another tactic from JamMasterInsane, this time playing White, there is only one good move in the position, but it leads to devastating consequences if Black misplays the reply...which he will.
Hint: One of Black's squares is particularly weak.
The Simple Things
The penultimate tactic is from the 1st round, CM Shiki_chess, playing White, simply does the simple things correctly, which is easier said than done.
Hint: there are four moves, all four are the only good moves in the positions...simple, right?
She's Got No Squares
And at last, we come to the end of things, in the 7th round, IM rnanjo, playing White, sets up a diabolical attack.
Hint: take your time...
And that was it, that was August Blitz 'n' Memes.
Congratulations to IM rnanjo who won with a perfect 7/7 score. And a special congratulations to you few puzzle warriors who were able to get all 5 tactics correct on the first attempt, you truly are the best of us.
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to share these puzzles with your friends down at the library or shooting range.
Cheers, SheldonOfOsaka.
P.S. Click on the link below in order to check out my chess merchandise shop. T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, shower curtains...if you can put a print on it, then its available at the shop.
