Greetings perishable soul! It is time to scare the living Bejebus out of your opponents!Inside this free little mini-course there are 13 Halloween themed tactics puzzles created especially for this 2019's Halloween celebration.
Playing chess on Halloween just got scarier...
This mini-course covers the dreaded Halloween Gambit for White which starts after
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 Nxe5. It is a gambit so vile that no Grandmaster has yet dared to try it by the light of a serious over the board tournament. But... make no mistake - in the depths of the deep dark internet it has been known to snare many an unwary denizen.
If you can scare them, you can beat them
There is also a chapter on the bloodcurdling Frankenstein-Dracula variation played by the Black side in the Vienna Game which arises after
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4. This variation defies easy explanation. In fact, even our silicon monsters tend to require quite a bit of time before they recognize the hidden dangers within, waiting until the witching hour to come to the foregrond and haunt our opponent!
Supplementing your opening study by learning the surprise tactics your opponents can unleash on you is key to getting a better understanding of them. Especially in faster time controls the above two variations can be a real headache to face.
As the authors FM Martin Voigt and IM Dirk Sebastian (2442 Fide) stress, learning an opening isn't just memorizing variations and understanding the general strategical ideas: you need to spot opportunities.
Perfect for prep before games
The key point is: You best amplify your knowledge in openings and structures by internalizing common tactical motifs.
This course provides everything you need to do just that. All a quick warm up from both the White and the Black side.
By learning these motifs you will not only win games effortlessly or stop your opponent's tactical ideas, but you'll also strongly reinforce your understanding of positions arising from these this dangerous gambit by White and this tricky variation by Black.
Thematic Tactics is the easy prep you need to go out and nail those tactics if you see them in your games. If you have a pre-match routine, we advise adding a quick burst.
A few words on our approach to finding good and scary positions. We've developed technology and sophisticated algorithms to automatically find correct and interesting puzzles for various topics. We handpick the best ones and cast an evil spell on the solutions. That means these puzzles are carefully selected and have a clear and carefully jinxed solution.
- from the Foreword by FM Voigt and IM Sebastian
Thematic Tactics: Halloween edition will give you a rock-solid grasp of all the tactics and hone your ability to spot them.
Check out all FM Voigt and IM Sebastian's other Thematic Tactics opening trainers here.
