Are you still smarting from the blunder that made you lose your game against another amateur in your chess club? You would surely wish that you got to play against Nimzovitch or Rubinstein, two of the stalwart Grandmasters in the field of chess, as you might fare better if the following position is any indication!
Both the players made moves before and after this position was reached, oblivious of the fact that a mate in two existed (1. Qxf7+ Kh8 2. Qxg7#)!
The occurrence of these blunders is all the more startling in view of the fact that the players were competing for the first position in a tournament and this game would decide the winner!
Chess problems as appearing in newspapers, magazines, books etc. are generally composed by experts to highlight certain chess tactics, though situations from actual play are also used sometimes if they serve to exemplify those tactics. Some of these problems specify the number of moves in which the player with the move has to mate the opposite King (these types are designated as ‘Chess Problems’), while others simply say that White (or Black) to play and win (these types are correctly known as ‘Chess Studies’). Many beginners find it difficult to solve these problems, especially the latter type, as they find these too complex to find the starting move and to analyze all the possibilities!
With a view to alleviate the pessimism of such beginners, we give below a composition where White has to play and win and challenge any beginner to claim that he was NOT able to solve it!
If all IMs and GMs were listed by the initials of their full name, who do you expect to head the list? I am not sure but my money would be on Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine as he would appear as A.A.A.!
