The Bain Rating Tactics Quiz

Quote of the Month: You don't want to be able to solve easy tactical patterns; you want to be able to recognize them! One of the first tasks of an improving player is repetitive study of easy tactics problems. The goal is to recognize both the pattern and solution in a fairly short time. The ability to solve any easy tactic quickly is helpful, but recognition is much better. Consider the following analogy. It is nice to have the ability to add up six sevens quickly, but knowing that six times seven is forty-two is not only faster but subject to less error. One of the best books for repetitive basic tactical study is John Bain's Chess Tactics for Students (see Tactical Sets and Goals). In Bain's book almost all the problems are practical, without such fluff as too many rarely encountered queen sacrifices. The level of the material is also fairly balanced. I suggest doing these easy problems repetitively, as you would the multiplication tables, la Michael de la Maza's "The Seven Circles" (from his book Rapid Chess Improvement). However, setting the number of repetitions to exactly seven as he recommends is not necessary. Instead, I recommend doing the problems until you can achieve approximately a score of eighty-five percent within fifteen seconds. Many players who believe they are too good for these easy problems and would not benefit from them are misleading themselves. See the key Novice Nooks A Different Approach to Studying Tactics and The Most Common and Important Use of Tactics. In A Tactics Quiz, I presented twelve problems, along with a formula for estimating your basic tactical "recognition" rating. This time I am also presenting twelve problems, but all are from Chess Tactics for Students. Use the same directions as in the earlier Novice Nook quiz: 1. This is a timed test the faster you do the set, the higher your score. You need to time the test and record the total time taken for all twelve problems. For this reason don't record your answers during the test. That will add time and greatly distort your result. Instead, do all twelve problems consecutively. As soon as you are fairly sure you have the right answer, proceed to the next problem. After the final problem return to each one and recognize/remember the answer before checking to see if it is correct. Of course, don't change your answer when you return to the problem even if you spot an error. Stick with the solution you found when you initially finished the problem. 2. Don't take more than sixty seconds on any problem that's the limit! This was the most commonly misunderstood (or missed) direction in the previous quiz. Many test takers tried to average less than sixty seconds, or had other misconceptions. Have someone time you or use a one-minute timer. However, if sixty seconds expire before you have an answer, count that problem as wrong, and proceed to the next problem. If you follow this direction, your total time taken for the entire test will be less than twelve minutes or exactly twelve if you time out on every problem. 3. You must get the full answer for the right reason(s) to count the problem as correct. No sense counting an answer where you happen to guess the right move, or miss a key line that is necessary to show that your answer is correct in all variations. If the answer requires seeing five ply deep, you can't just

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have the first move correct. If you grant a higher score than you deserve, you are only hurting yourself. You may end up bypassing important basic tactical study that will serve you well when you play actual games! 4. "X to play and win" may only require winning a pawn with a good position, or it might be a mate. If you need more information to understand the above, please read Understanding Chess Puzzles before you take this quiz. The point of "Play and win" is to find a move sequence that will force a position where, if a high rated computer were playing itself, it would essentially win every game. Three of the problems are not play and win. These three are clearly marked; two are "Play and draw" and one is to find the simplest win. Once you are finished, with the amount of time taken for all twelve problems and the number of correct answers, use the following formula as a rough guide: Bain Tactical Rating 600 + (150 * Number of Problems Correct) 2 * (Total Time 90 seconds) For example, if you get eight correct in 305 seconds: Approximate Bain Tactical Rating 600 + (150*8) 2*(305-90) = 600 + 1200 430 = 1370 If you have to "solve" most of the problems by calculation instead of using recognition, then that will take time and your score will be rather low. However, I suspect that good players will recognize the solutions to most problems almost instantly (perhaps slightly less so this time than in the first quiz, which was more generic). In the first quiz, I estimated that any player rated over 2400 would be able to complete the entire quiz perfectly in ninety seconds or less. This elicited the following humorous email from a highly rated reader: "I tried; ninety-three seconds for all twelve correct results, that means 2394; actually I'm 2389." The answers are provided after the twelve problems. Get your timer ready and good luck! 1. Black to play and win

[FEN "r1br2k1/ppb1qppp/1np2n2/8/P2NP3/ 2N4P/1PQ2PP1/R1BR1BK1 b - - 0 1"]

2. White to play and win

[FEN "r5k1/5ppp/5n2/6r1/p5q1/8/ P3RP2/1B2RK1Q w - - 0 1"]

3. White to play and draw

[FEN "1k1r4/pp3QRR/8/2n5/8/8/ PP1q1r1p/1K6 w - - 0 1"]

4. White to play and win

[FEN "3r3Q/pb1qkpp1/1p2pb1p/8/3N4/ P3B3/1P3PPP/1Br1R1K1 w - - 0 1]

5. White to play; find the easiest win

[FEN "5k2/6b1/2p4p/P1pr4/2Q5/ 1P4P1/2P4P/7K w - - 0 1"]

6. White to play and win

[FEN "r4bkr/pppq2pp/2n5/1B1pp3/8/ 2NP4/PPP2PPP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 1"]

7. White to play and win

[FEN "1k3r2/1pp5/pb2Q2P/4R3/ 1P6/P5BP/5P1K/5q2 w - - 0 1"]

8. Black to play and draw

[FEN "8/8/3p1K2/3P3k/5P2/ 2P5/3Q4/5q2 b - - 0 1"]

9. Black to play and win

[FEN "r1b1k2r/ppp1bppp/2nq4/8/2B3n1/ 2p2N1P/PP2QPP1/RNB2RK1 b kq - 0 1"]

10. White to play and win

[FEN "r4n1r/pn4kp/4p1p1/3p4/3P4/ 1N4P1/P3RPBP/R5K1 w - - 0 1"]

11. White to play and win

[FEN "3Q4/5knp/1nN3p1/2p5/5P2/ 1q6/1P4PP/6K1 w - - 0 1"]

12. Black to play and win

[FEN "2r3k1/pp2ppbp/3pbnp1/q7/2rBPP2/ 2N2B1P/PPP3PK/R2QR3 b - - 0 1"]

Answers to Problems (tactical motif in parentheses) 1. (Double threat) 1Rxd4 2.Rxd4 Qe5 threatens 3Qxd4 and 3Qh2#, so Black wins material. For example, 3.Bf4! Qxf4 (much better than 3Qxd4 4. Bxc7) wins two pieces for a rook. You don't need to foresee 3.Bf4 a good defensive move for full credit. Not immediately 1Qe5?, when White defends with 2.Nf3 or 2.f4. 2. (Back-rank mate) 1.Qxa8+ This "simple" problem tests diagonal board vision. For more on the three types of chess "vision," read the article on that topic in my book A Guide to Chess Improvement. 3. (Draw by perpetual check) 1.Qxb7+ Nxb7 2.Rxb7+ Ka8 (2Kc8?? 3. Rhc7#) 3.Rxa7+ will draw by threefold repetition of position. 4. (Double check) 1.Nf5+ exf5 2.Bc5#. 5. (Pawn promotion) White is winning on any reasonable move, such as 1.a6. Thus, this does not qualify as just a "Play and Win" problem. Clearly easiest is Bain's answer 1.Qxd5 cxd5 2.a6 and the pawn cannot be stopped.

6. (Pin) White picks off a clean pawn and ruins Black's center with 1.Nxd5 since 1Qxd5?? allows 2.Bc4. 7. (Discovered check) Bain's intended (and easiest) solution is 1.Qxb6 and if 1cxb6 2.Re1+ king-any 3.Rxf1 winning a piece. A student found, verified by the computer, another winning but more complex line: 1.Qxb6 cxb6 2.Re8 + (similar is 2.Rf5+) 2Ka7 3.Rxf8 (or 3.Bb8+ first) when White's dual threats of Bb8+ (with possible mating threats on the dark squares) and pushing the h-pawn give him a winning position. Give yourself full credit for the more difficult solution. 1.Rf5 also wins, but is a longer, convoluted forcing line, and not an "easy tactic." 8. (Stalemate) Down two pawns, Black is happy to force a draw with 1Qxf4 + when the double attack (check and queen) forces 2.Qxf4 with stalemate. 9. (Removal of the guard) 1Nd4 is a combination double attack and removal of the guard on h2. If White moves his queen anywhere aside from the hopeless 2.Qxe7+, then 2Nxf3+ and 3Qh2#. Instead, 2.Nxd4 allows the immediate 2Qh2#. Finally, 2.hxg4 stops mate, but allows 2Nxe2+, so the White queen is lost. This well known pattern also appears in a trap in the Morra Gambit and was featured as a basic pattern in my book Back to Basics: Tactics. 10. (Double attack) 1.Bxd5 and White has Black in trouble, as 1exd5 2.Re7 + king-any 3.Rxb7 wins a pawn and invades with the rook. If Black does not take, the e-pawn is hanging, as White has a double attack on b7 and e6; 1 Nd8?? allows 2.Bxa8. White has a good game after 1.Rc1, but that's not the tactic. 11. (Skewer) 1.Ne5+ Ke6 2.Qg8+ skewers the king and queen, allowing 3. Qxb3. This is perhaps the least "obvious" pattern among the twelve, so it may take a few extra seconds to find the forcing line that works. 12. (Discovered attack) 1Rxd4 snares the bishop, since if 2.Qxd4 Ng4+ wins the queen. If you scored yourself strictly and

achieved a Bain rating over 2000, your recognition score is very good, especially if your FIDE/USCF rating is distinctly below that. achieved a Bain rating well above your normal slow rating (USCF or FIDE equivalent), that's a sign that your tactical study is paying benefit. scored much lower than your rating, then additional basic tactics study is likely to yield good results. got more than ten of the twelve in fifteen seconds or less, you don't need to study more Bain. Instead, continue with basic problems in books, such as my Back to Basics: Tactics or others mentioned in Tactical Sets and Goals. Once you have mastered them as well (repetitious study not always required), promote to intermediate texts like Jeff Coakley's terrific Winning Chess Exercises for Kids.

Online, a popular tactical server seems to be chesstempo.com. For similarly easy problems at that site set the problem rating level to 950 (min) to 1250 (max). Once you master easy tactics, you should notice a distinct improvement in your play, especially if you consistently use this skill to determine whether your own candidate moves are safe!

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