Solving the Predicament!
Almost every game you play will present similarly demanding situations as those presented in Problems #1–3. Your complete attention is needed in order to discover the critical move that solves the predicament!
In each of the following positions, Black has just played a move that threatens to win material. White has to hunker down and look close, but there is a way out! What this means to you, the problem solver, is that you are looking for a simple but infallible answer that maintains the material balance. In the case of the bonus position —Problem #4 — the best answer is one that requires careful calculation!
- First, identify the primary and secondary threats.
- Next, examine all the possible ways to counter the threat.
- Decide which one really works! If your answer does not maintain the "material balance" … it is not the right one!
- Write down the solution – your key move, any significant answers that Black might try, and your response to each of them. With the exception of Bonus Problem #4, your variations should not be more than two moves deep!
#1 #2
#3 #4
