Mating attacks: converting the attack
Most attacks at club level are not lost because the attack was wrong. They are lost because the moment came and went.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 446–2293
- Section: Attacking
- 5 levels
The conversion problem
Building an attack and finishing one are different skills. Building is positional -- bring pieces, open lines, count. Finishing is pure calculation, and it usually requires a move that gives away material at the exact moment the position is ripe.
The specific failure is hesitation. The attacker plays one more developing move, the defender brings a piece back, and the position that was winning is now merely pleasant. In a mating attack, tempo is the resource that runs out.
How to spot it
- Look for the mating picture first: which square, which piece.
- Then find the forcing move that gets there. Checks and captures only -- if the sequence needs a quiet move, the defender gets a move too.
- Count the king's flight squares after every candidate check. A check that opens a square is usually the wrong one.
- If your attack needs one more attacker, look for the move that brings it with tempo rather than the move that brings it.
Three mating attacks
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
18...Kxh7 19.Rh3+ Qh4 20.Rxh4#
The line ends in checkmate. The attacking pieces are already in place, and the move shown converts rather than prepares.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 566 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
Black to move. Find the best move.
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32.h3 32...Qxh3+ 33.Qxh3 33...Rxh3#
The line ends in checkmate. The attacking pieces are already in place, and the move shown converts rather than prepares.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1326 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 3
Black to move. Find the best move.
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21.Kg3 21...Qxg5+ 22.Kf2 22...Qe3#
The line ends in checkmate. The attacking pieces are already in place, and the move shown converts rather than prepares.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1903 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
The habit that costs these
Playing the strong-looking move rather than the forcing one. In a mating attack, a move that improves your position gives the defender a free move to improve theirs, and defensive moves are worth more in that situation than attacking ones.
If you cannot find a forcing continuation and the position looks overwhelming, that is exactly the moment to spend the time. Attacks expire.
Questions people ask
How do I finish an attack instead of losing it?
Calculate forcing lines only -- checks, captures and immediate mating threats -- and be willing to give up material to keep the sequence forcing. An attack that pauses for a developing move usually stops being an attack.
What is a mating net?
A configuration where the enemy king has no escape even though it is not yet in check. Building one is often stronger than checking, because checks that do not mate can drive the king to safety.
Nearby patterns
Mating Attacks sits in Attacking. The rest of that section: