You think you have seen enough checkmating combinations? I find it staggering how many checkmates are missed (by both sides) in games by the top players, let alone by us mortals. Recognising the early outlines of mating patterns is a vital skill, not just for an attacker, but for a defender too: surviving wave after wave of threats can be discouraging for your opponent. Very often we see these checkmates when they are put before our eyes: on a puzzle page in a chess magazine, for example. But then we must ask ourselves, why do these kind of mating combinations occur time and again in games � at all levels? In an actual game, when we are distracted by other factors � positional, strategic, tactical and psychological, not to mention our old friend time pressure � it is all too easy to miss these mating combinations. No one stands behind us whispering �Stop! It is mate in 3� (unless you are cheating and someone has flicked onto Fritz.) Moreover, these critical moments often occur late in the game � generally near the time control. Therefore it is vital that we are able to recognise these patterns � quickly! There is no excuse: now is the time to revise and rehearse those mating patterns. |