#TacticsMadness Contest

There are tactics, and then there are tactics.

Sure, a nice discovered attack or smothered mate is always enjoyable. But what we really live for as chess players are those off-the-wall combinations – those tactics that make your jaw drop and leave you with no words except “Nooooo way!”

Something like this beauty by World Champion Magnus Carlsen. It’s White to play – see if you can find how Magnus saved both his queen and rook in glorious style:

Drumroll please…

Here, Carlsen played 1.Qf5!!

Now Black’s rook and queen are attacked, and if Black plays 1…Qxf5, White has 2. Rxb8+ with mate to follow shortly! Black will lose a queen, a rook, or the game no matter what.

So, inspired by tactics like this one, this week we’re honoring the great tacticians of the chess world – pro and amateur alike – for their most magnificent triumphs.

How to Participate

Now through Friday, March 18, you can share epic tactics for a chance to win an epic prize.

Here’s how it works: just share a picture of the starting position of an incredible tactic – either from your own game or a master game – on social media @chessable with the hashtag #TacticsMadness, with the moves of that tactic. For example:

@JoeChessPlayer

@chessable Check out this insane tactic by Tal! White played 1.Nd5! cxd5 2.Qd5+ Nf7 3.Qxa8 Bc6 4.Bb6!! #TacticsMadness

Prizes

At the end of the week, we’ll select the five coolest tactics people submitted in two categories:

1. Tactics from your own original game
2. Tactics from master games

The five winners of each category will get a free Chessable course, plus have their tactic featured in a special Chessable course which will be free to all users! (we’ll be featuring some of the best submissions as we get them too – even if they are not chosen as winners).

Winners can choose from the following list of prizes:

1. The Woodpecker Method
2. Checkmate Patterns Manual
3. Tournament Ready: Tactics
4. The Best Chess Moves of All Time
5. Brutal Chess Tactics

Other Contest Rules and Notes

1. Participants must be Chessable members to claim their prize
2. No cheating! Please don’t try to pass off a master tactic as your own, or steal tactics from other people’s games if you are entering a tactic for the first category
3. Submissions will only be accepted from Sunday, March 13 to Friday, March 18.
4. No more than one submission for each category will be considered
5. Winning tactics will be decided by the end of March and featured in a future Chessable blog post. Prizes will be distributed shortly after.