M.Blokh - Combinational Motifs

pages: 304, Moscow

This chess exercise book is written by an experienced coach, international Grandmaster of ICCF. It contains more 1400 exercises that are arranged very precisely after various combinational motifs. This cleverly implied approach facilitates the process of developing the reader's combinational vision and enables the usage of the books as a chess manual. The exercises are ditinguished with a tense fight, and usually there is only one way to the goal.

The book is designed for common schools and colleges as well for special chess groups; it can be also used for self-teaching. In both cases, a certain initial chess knowledge is supposed.

English, Spanish and Russian languages.
Foreword in English, Spanish and Russian.

INDEX

• 1. Geometrical motifs
• 2. Weakness of files or diagonals
• 3. Opposing
• 3.1 Open attack
• 3.2 Exploiting a pin
• 3.3 Decoy into a pin
• 3.4 Counterblow by a "pinned" piece
• 3.5 Conjunction of methods
• 4. Weakness of a square (squares)
• 4.1 "The hole" of the fianchettoed bishop
• 4.2 Invasion of a file
• 4.3 Other cases
• 5. A piece is overloaded
• 5.1 A bishop is overloaded
• 5.2 A knight is overloaded
• 5.3 A rook is overloaded
• 5.4 A queen is overloaded
• 6. Poorly protected pieces
• 6.1 Elimination of defence
• 6.2 Distraction
• 6.3 Decoy
• 6.4 Distraction with decoy
• 6.5 Other cases
• 7. Misplaced pieces
• 8. Passed pawn
• 8.1 Pawn breakthrough
• 8.2 Distraction
• 8.3 Interception or blocking
• 8.4 A pawn is promoted to a knight
• 8.5 Forcing necessary exchanges
• 8.6 Both opponents have dangerous passed pawns
• 8.7 Passed pawn supports the piece invasion into the back rank
• 8.8 Passed pawn takes part in the attack on a king
• 8.9 Conjunction of methods
• 10. Cramped king position
• 11. Poorly protected king
• 11.1 A king is defended by fianchetto
• 11.2 One pawn protects the king
• 11.3 Two pawns protect the king
• 11.4 Three pawns protect the king
• 11.5 A king is protected by the pawns placed on the sixth and fifth ranks
• 11.6 Typical methods of attack in a Q-side castling position
• 11.7 Piece attack on a king
• 11.8 Attack on a king undefended by pawns
• 11.9 Attack on an uncastled king
• 11.10 Attack on a king in an endgame
• 12. Conjunction of combinational motifs
• 12.1 Combinations which are not connected
• 12.2 Mate threats combined with other threats