Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Chess Tactics Books

A grand library with endless bookshelves holds a chessboard mid-game, bathed in sunlight.  This image evokes the vast knowledge and strategic thinking required to master chess.

From Beginner to Brilliant:
Free Chess Tactics Books & Courses to Supercharge Your Skills


       Chess tactics are the secret weapons that separate good chess players from great ones.

This repository is your one-stop shop for absolutely FREE resources to hone your tactical skills!

Whether you're a complete newcomer or a seasoned player looking to sharpen your edge, this guide has something for everyone.

We'll explore free downloadable chess tactic books, online courses packed with puzzles, and even hidden gems from the internet archive.

 


FREE PDF Downloads


Chess Tactics Art - 538 Pages of Chess Tactics Knowledge - This massive resource delves deep into the world of chess tactics, offering a wealth of knowledge for players of all levels.

Course In Chess Tactics - 195 Page PDF - Structured and engaging, this PDF provides a step-by-step approach to mastering tactics, making it ideal for beginners and intermediate players.
 
Tactics in the Chess Opening - 97 Page PDF - Learn how to exploit tactical opportunities that arise from common chess openings with this focused guide.

Chess Tactics and Combinations - 84 page PDF - This comprehensive PDF dives deep into the world of tactical motifs and combinations. With 84 pages of content, it offers a valuable resource for players looking to identify and exploit tactical opportunities in their games. (Target audience: Beginner to Intermediate)


 Free Chessable Tactics Courses

Take your tactics training to the next level with these interactive courses on Chessable! Chessable's unique spaced repetition system ensures long-term knowledge retention, making it a powerful tool for sharpening your tactical skills.

Free Chessable Tacics Courses -  Latest Post With List 3/9/2023  (Includes List of all the Tournament Tactics Courses)


Basic Checkmate Patterns - 34 paterns to Learn

Everyone's First Chess Workbook: Free Lesson - 42 fork Problems to train

Typical Tactical Tricks: 500 Ways To Win! - 500 tactics problems from Beginner to Intermediate

Bishops on the Attack -202 Tactics involving Bishops
Queen on the Attack - 225 Tactics involving the Queen
Pawns on the Attack - 200 tactics Involving Pawns
Rooks on the Attack - 200 Tactics involving the Rook
Knights on the Attack - 200 knight Tactics

Cool & Forcing Combinations - 45 Forcing Combinations Lesson

Basic Chess Patterns - 50 Tactical Patterns to learn from Combinations to Mating

Tactics Madness - 55 Tactics from user submitted games
 
Train Anytime, Anywhere! Access all these courses for free and utilize Chessable's Movetrainer feature for spaced repetition practice (like the Woodpecker Method). Run up to 5 courses simultaneously for Free and sharpen your tactics to your heart's content!


 Chess Books on the Internet Archive

Unearth hidden gems! The Internet Archive offers a vast collection of free chess books, including classics and lesser-known treasures. Whether you're a beginner seeking foundational knowledge or a seasoned player looking for a specific tactic, you might find the perfect resource here.


How To Calculate Chess Tactics- 178 Pages 
 
Mastering Chess Tactics - 97 Page
 
A Course in Chess Tactics - 193 Page 
 
Coffeehouse Chess Tactics: An astonishing trip into the world of competitive chess - 136 Page
 
Chess Tactics - Volume 2 - 151 Pages (Beginning Text Russian - Most of book just Diagrams)
 
Chess Tactics for Advanced Players by Yuri Averbakh - 327 Page
 
Chess Visualization Course - Book 1: General Tactics by Ian Anderson - 328 Page
 
The Chess Combination from Philidor to Karpov - Learn Tactics from the Great Champions by Raymond Keene - 91 Pages
 
Chess Tactics for Champions - A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Tactics and Combinations the Polgar Way - Judit Polgar 360 Pages
 
Chess Exam and Training Guide: Tactics - Rate Yourself and Learn How to Improve! by Igor Khmelnitsky - 209 Pages
 
Chess Puzzles Book Compilation (Spanish) - 238 Page
 
1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices And Combinations - 1115 Pages (One on each page)
 
A Modern Guide To Checkmating Patterns Vladmir Barsky - 1104 Pages


 

Tip: Explore the specific tactics or openings you're interested in on the blog sidebar! You might find free PDFs ranging from 4 to 50 pages directly linked on those pages. These resources offer focused dives into that particular topic.


A Stack of Ancient Looking leather bound Books with two chess pieces sitting atop them.


Removing Defender - Chess Tactic


 "Removing the Defender" (Removing The Guard) Chess Resources
Unlock Hidden Attacks


Forget brute force attacks! The "Removing the Defender" tactic, also known as "Removing the Guard," is a sneaky chess weapon that lets you exploit weaknesses and snag valuable pieces.

 Imagine a heavily guarded treasure chest – by eliminating the guard (the defender), you open up a path to capture the riches within (the valuable piece). This tactic doesn't rely on overpowering your opponent, but rather exploiting their defenses for a material advantage.

Mastering it will sharpen your tactical vision like a laser, leading to more wins and improved overall chess skills.


Undermining (chess) Wikipedia Page

Undermining (also known as removal of the guard, or removing the defender) is a chess tactic in which a defensive piece is captured, leaving one of the opponent's pieces undefended or under-defended.


BOOKS (FREE)

Chess Tactics and Combinations - 84 page PDF - Really Nice PDF Created By the Exeter Chess Club on tactics.

Internet Archive




Removing the Defender Chess Articles

Removing The Defender - Chess.com Article - with Explanations, Examples , Famous Games w/ Remove the defender Tactic and puzzles to test you knowledge at the end.

How to Identify and Remove a Defender in Tactical Combinations - ChessFox -Nice In-depth Article (Teaches two ways to remove defenders w/ multiple examples of each)

Removing The Defender: What It Is and How To Do It - Chess journal Article - Teaches Capture, Distract, Block or Interfering.

Removing the Defender - IM Mateusz Bobula
- Blog Post - 4 Puzzles w/ 6 Min Embedded Video Lesson by Him.



LiChess Studies


New to Lichess studies? These interactive tools allow you to explore chess concepts and variations move-by-move, perfect for testing your understanding and deepening your knowledge.



Games Databases

Chessgames.com

15 OTB Exercises - From Historic Games 

Deflection/Undermining Tactics-- OTB Examples - 21 games


Tactics & Puzzles


Capture The Defender Lichess Tactics - 30,000 + Puzzle Tactics Under this Heading

Chess Tactical Motifs - Removing the Guard Exercises - 5 Exercises to Practice


Remove The Defender Chess Video Lessons


Chess Kid Series


Chess Tactics: 2 Removing the Defender 
 - 4 Min Video 

Chess Tactics: Removing the Defender - 6 Min - IM David Pruiss - 
presents the important "Removing the Defender" tactic, and all of its different facets. (New - 5/30/24)

Remove the Defender! - Chess Middlegame Strategies Tutorial - 13 Min - Jozerv's Chess Channelchess tutorial videos with the subject of removing defenders to gain great attacking possiblities.

Removing the Defender | Chess Beginner Tactics 13 Min - IM Astraneh - What is removing the defender? Removing the defender is a chess tactic in which a defensive piece is captured/ removed, leaving one of the opponent’s pieces or squares undefended or under-defended. Video below
 




Gambit Links Updated for 2022

 

Added New Videos ( Lot More Videos of Games) Videos More Organized

Added New  Articles To all the Gambits
Added New Links to Free Books and PDF Articles on the Gambits
Added Lichess Studies to several of the Gambits

Added the Newest Gambit to the Sidebar  The Stafford Gambit

Stafford Gambit (C42): A Complete Resource Guide ♟️

 

 Stafford Gambit Chess Resources

Looking for a sharp, aggressive opening to surprise your opponent?

 The Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6)
might be perfect for you!

 This gambit offers traps and tactical possibilities, but requires precise play to maintain an edge.

The Stafford Gambit is a fascinating chess opening that arises from the
  Petrov Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6).

  Within this popular opening, White sacrifices a pawn early on (3.Nxe5) for quick development and attacking chances. The Stafford Gambit offers rich tactical possibilities for players who understand its nuances. Learn how to play both sides of the gambit with this curated list of high-quality resources!




BOOKS (Free)

700 Opening Traps - 59 Page PDF - Free Book from Bill Walls Site on Opening Traps.


Stafford Gambit Articles

The Stafford Gambit a Complete Guide - Long Chess.com Article By IM Rosen

Bulliton no45 -  The Stafford Gambit -  Very Solid Article showing the 7 traps, refutation, how to play against it etc.

Stafford Gambit – How to Play as White and Black - Chessable Blog Opening Guide (Very well done) General Over view, mainlines, traps, and play for Black

Stafford Gambit | The Refutation - Chessmood Article - GM Grigoryan -
See move-by-move how to crush it, along with all the ideas and the traps to avoid!


Stafford Gambit Lichess Studies

New to Lichess studies? These interactive tools allow you to explore chess concepts and variations move-by-move, perfect for testing your understanding and deepening your knowledge.


Listudy Site 

Stafford Gambit -  
  Several Videos on The Stafford
  6 Lichess Studies On The Gambit
   - Allows you to practice against with it against Stockfish


Stafford Gambit Videos

Stafford Gambit Traps  - 17 Video Playlist  - Chess Traps


IM Rosen

ChessKid (Beginner)

Why We Play the Stafford Gambit - 24 Min GM Nakamura - Hikaru hosts a Stafford Gambit Viewer tourney and shows us how to play it with white and black.

On Eric Rosen's Beloved Stafford Gambit - 22 Min GM Nakamura -
Eric Rosen uses the Stafford Gambit against Hikaru, and Hikaru uses it against him.

Learn to Play NEW Stafford Gambit Trap! More Stafford Theory - 9 min -
go over a recent opening novelty discovered by Eric Rosen as he pulls off a checkmate against a 2445 ELO in only 15 moves!

Stafford Gambit Accepted - 17 Min Video - Chess Website -
discusses strategies for both sides, focusing on the accepted line where White captures the knight on c6.

WIN FAST with Stafford Gambit : All Traps included | Complete guide - 18 Min - ProChessIndia - ProChess Head Coach, Sarthak, analyses all the variations of Stafford Gambit. (New - 5/29/24)

Rufuting The Stafford


Game Videos w/ Analysis

STAFFORD GAMBIT Chess Tournament! - 47 Min - IM Rosen -  I host a thematic Stafford Gambit Blitz Chess tournament in which every game starts as a Stafford Gambit Accepted. (12 Games)

An Easy Solution to the Stafford Gambit | Climbing the Rating Ladder vs. 1821 - 53 Min - IM John Bartholomew 


"There is no substitute for playing gambits.
You must play them, win with them, and lose with them." - Ken Parr