1001 chess exercises for beginners - Tactics workbook

Nov 2, 2026

Uploaded by asba

A tactics-focused chess workbook designed for beginners and club players, built around the idea that improvement comes from tactical vision. It systematically trains immediate recognition of mating patterns and material-winning motifs through essential mate-in-one and mate-in-two exercises, followed by key tactical themes such as double attacks, discovered attacks, checks, pins, skewers, deflections, decoy sacrifices, and pawn promotion. Chapter introductions explain the underlying ideas, and guidance encourages setting up harder positions to solve like a real game. Includes solutions, glossary, and chapter-based practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Mate in one

Mate in two

The missing piece

Double attack

Discovered attack

Discovered check

Double check

Skewer

Deflection

Decoy sacrifice

Pawn promotion

Drawing tactics

Mixed motifs: White

Mixed motifs: Black

Mate in three

Mate in four

Curiosities

Solutions

Glossary

Introduction

Chess is 99% tactics

Training tactical building blocks

Solving without and with a board

Chapter introductions for key motifs

Use as a course textbook

Discovered attack (chapter examples)

Franco Masetti and Roberto Messa 1001 chess exercises for beginners The tactics workbook that explains the basic concepts, too New In Chess 2012 odntents Mate in one .................................................................... 7 Mate in two .................................................................. 13 The missing piece .......................................................... 25 Double attack ............................................................... 29 Discovered attack .......................................................... 35 Discovered check ........................................................... 39 Double check ................................................................ 43 Pin .............................................................................. 47 Skewer ........................................................................ 53 Deflection ..................................................................... 57 Decoy sacrifice .............................................................. 61 Pawn promotion ............................................................ 65 Drawing tactics ............................................................. 71 Mixed motifs:White ........................................................ 75 Mixed motifs:Black ........................................................ 93 Mate in three .............................................................. 109 Mate in four ................................................................ 117 Curiosities .................................................................. 121 Solutions .................................................................... 125 Glossary ..................................................................... 144 Introduction Chess is 99% tactics! If this celebrated observation is true for the master, how much more so for the beginner and club player. By far and away, the quickest and most effective way to improve your chess performance is to increase your tactical skill so that at a glance you are able to see the typical mating patterns and material-winning tactical motifs that so often decide a game. There is no doubt that the best way to acquire good tactical vision is to do exercises that teach you to recognise the tactical building blocks that make up every combination. This book focuses on the crucial positions that every chessplayer must know. It cannot be stressed enough that a knowledge of strategy is of little use if you have not first mastered the fundamentals of tactics. This book starts with hundreds of essential mating positions that train immediate visual recognition; first there are the easier mate in one or two move exercises; then there are exercises for various crucial tactical motifs that must be mastered by any aspiring chess player; these are followed by more demanding positions where these various motifs are often combined. While the easier problems can be solved without a chess board, we suggest that for the more difficult ones you set up the positions on aboard and try to find the solution as if you were playing a real game. You should therefore not touch or move the pieces before having made your decision, perhaps writing down the possible variations before you check the solutions at the back of the book. The introductions to each chapter are particularly instructive. It is here that we explain the ideas behind crucial tactical motifs such as double attack, the pin and skewer, as well as pawn promotion, drawing techniques, etc. This book is intended not only for personal use, but also as a course text book. We have thus consulted leading teachers and masters with extensive training experience working in chess academies and club courses so as to best identify the most productive positions and exercises to use. Franco Masetti and Roberto Messa Discovered attack White to move Solutions

FAQs

What is the main goal of the workbook for beginners?

To improve chess performance by building tactical skill so players can recognize typical mating patterns and material-winning tactical motifs quickly.

How does the book suggest solving easier versus harder problems?

Easier problems can be solved without a board, while more difficult ones should be set up on a board and solved as in a real game, checking solutions afterward.

What is a discovered attack according to the book?

A discovered attack is a type of double attack where one piece moves to attack another while unmasking an attack by a second piece.

Nov 2, 2026

Uploaded by asba