The hardest positions in our collection: very long lines, quiet moves and only-move defences. This is a tactics course with 9 lessons and 60 interactive exercises, suited to players rated around 2400 (advanced players). Every exercise is played on a real board with feedback after each move, there is nothing to install, and it is free.
Lessons in Real-game tactics 10: Grandmaster calculation
Calculation: long lines – Forcing sequences of four moves or more. Picture the board after every move.
Quiet moves – Not every winning move is a check or a capture. A quiet move can create a threat that cannot be met.
Saving defence – Sometimes the best result is a draw. Find the only move that holds; the natural moves lose.
Sacrifices that win – Giving material is fine when you get more back. Calculate the line to the end before you let the piece go.
Deflection – Force a defender to leave its post, often with a sacrifice it has to take.
Calculation: three moves deep – Combinations of three moves or more. See the whole line, with the opponent's best replies, before you play.
Mate in three or more – Longer mating combinations: keep checking, keep the king boxed in, and count every reply.
Rooks and queens on the 7th – A rook or queen on the 7th rank eats pawns and traps the king on the back rank.
Decoys: lure the king – A sacrifice that drags the king onto a bad square, where a check, a fork or mate is waiting.
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