Hello chess players,
Attacking a single target generally does not achieve much if your opponent is paying attention.
So it is now time for you to go about things more cunningly. Fortunately, there are many ways to win material. First comes the most clever weapon of all: the “Double Attack”.
In the above diagram, you can see the queen is giving check and attacking the rook. That is a clever way to attack. The queen attacks two targets at the same time: the double attack. Black must get out of check.
Attacking from far away
The queen can also attack from a great distance. Here both targets are very far away, but that makes no difference.
How should the queen attack?
Of course, the queen can attack the king diagonally or in a straight line. The queen must always attack a rook diagonally and a bishop in a straight line. If we swap the bishop and the rook places, then the queen move to b4 would not be all that bright.
Look for double attacks
How do we find a double attack during a game?
Answer: we look for targets to attack.
In this position, it doesn’t take long to find our trail. The king and the bishop are the only opposing pieces. So we have to look for squares from which the queen can both give check and attack the bishop.
Two good options
The queen can carry out a successful attack on two squares. Get used to not always playing the first good move you see. First, look and see if there are any other possibilities.
The moves with red arrows also attack two targets. The moves are certainly not a double attack. The attack has to be safe.
Extra Knight
This position is almost the same as the previous one. Black has an extra knight. There are now even three targets. The black pieces are both unprotected.
Candidate thinking
Looking for several moves that seem feasible is called “candidate moves”.
Let’s solve it out by yourself now
Puzzle 1
Puzzle 2
Puzzle 3
