Chess Tactics Art 3.0

This program is the 3rd revised and expanded edition of the ever popular Chess Tactics Art by the Russian GM of Correspondence chess, Maxim Blokh. The material was chosen for a wide variety of player strengths from 1600 Elo to 2300 Elo. The focus of the difficulty of the examples is on amateurs but even masters will find themselves challenged by the hardest ones.

Features of the program include:

No less than 1217 main examples with over 1000 supplementary ones are classified according 3 criteria:

Tactical methods (Annihilation of Defense, Distraction, Decoy, Open attack, Opening of a file, Space clearance, X-ray attack, Interception, etc);
Combination motifs (Geometrical motif, Weakness of a file, rank or diagonal, Opposing, A piece is overloaded, Bad position of the pieces, Limited material, etc);
Difficulty – Select the Elo range of the positions you wish to be tested with.

More than 300 carefully chosen instructive positions to play out and train against the computer.
Numerous text and visual hints to help the student find the solution if they don’t at first. Help features include: marking the most important squares, illustration of ideas with more simple examples (more than 1,000 subsidiary exercises). In some cases, an extra board is presented.
Shows the pattern behind the combination, further enhancing the student’s pattern recognition.

Optional change of colors and sides increases the number of exercises four times
Generates the student’s ELO and statistics in easy-to-read bar graphs, based on students' success rate with the exercises, helping them keep track of their progress.

Built-in chess playing program Crafty to learn with or play against.
Multiple user profiles are possible, with independent ratings and all other individual information.
Good for teachers: keeps track of the time and score of each position for each student.

Several languages are supported: English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish.

No additional software is required.

Tactical methods

1. ANNIHILATION OF DEFENCE

1.1. Annihilation of the pieces defending other pieces
1.2. Annihilation of the pieces defending the back rank
1.3. Annihilation of the pieces defending the king, the most important squares and files
1.4. Annihilation of the pawns defending the most important squares and files
1.5. Annihilation of the pinning pieces

2. DISTRACTION

2.1. Distraction of the pieces defending other pieces
2.2. Distraction of the pieces defending the back rank
2.3. Distraction of the pieces defending the most important files
2.4. Distraction of the pieces defending the most important squares
2.5. Distraction of the pawns
2.6. Unblocking the pawns with the help of distraction
2.7. Distraction of the pinning pieces
2.8. Distraction of the pieces carrying out the dangerous threats

3. DECOY

3.1. Decoy of a king to a mating net
3.2. Decoy to a knight fork
3.3. Decoy to a queen double attack
3.4. Decoy to a file blow
3.5. Exploiting an open attack
3.6. Decoy for a pin
3.7. Other cases of decoy

4. OPEN ATTACK

4.1. Execution of an open attack
4.2. Removal of obstacles
4.3. Decoy to an attacked file
4.4. Decoy to a blow dealt by the piece moved away
4.5. Placement of the attacking piece to the file for attack
4.6. "Mill"
4.7. Exploiting an open attack in the attack on a king

5. OPENING OF A FILE

5.1. The h- (a-) file
5.2. The g- (b-) file
5.3. The f- (c-) file
5.4. The d- and e-files
5.5. Ranks
5.6. The a1-h8 (h1-a8) diagonal
5.7. The a2-g8 (h7-b1) diagonal
5.8. Other diagonals
5.9. Conjunction of files, ranks and diagonals

6. SPACE CLEARANCE

6.1. File clearance
6.2. Rank clearance
6.3. Diagonal clearance
6.4. Clearance of several files
6.5. Square clearance

7. X-RAY ATTACK

8. INTERCEPTION

8.1. Execution of interception
8.2. Interception of potentially important files
8.3. Double interception
8.4. Interception with distraction
8.5. Interception with decoy
8.6. Interception with open attack
8.7. Interception with space clearance

9. BLOCKING, ENCIRCLEMENT

9.1. Smothered mate
9.2. Other methods of blocking a king
9.3. Blocking of the pieces and pawns protecting a king
9.4. Encirclement

10. DESTRUCTION OF THE PAWN SHELTER

10.1. The king is defended by fianchetto

10.1.1. The bishop is absent
10.1.2. The fianchettoed bishop defends a king
10.1.3. "Sieve" structure. A bishop is outside the "fianchetto"

10.2. One pawn protects the king
10.3. Two pawns protect the king
10.4. Three pawns protect the king

10.4.1. The pawns are on f7, g7 and h6
10.4.2. The pawns are on f6, g7 and h7
10.4.3. The pawns are on f6, g7 and h6
10.4.4. The pawns are on f7, g7 and h7
10.4.5. Other pawn configurations

10.5. A king is protected by the pawns placed on the sixth and fifth ranks
10.6. Peculiarities of the attack in a Q-side castling position
10.7. Attack on an uncastled king

11. PAWN PROMOTION

11.1. Pawn breakthrough
11.2. Distraction from a passed pawn
11.3. Interception or blocking
11.4. A pawn is promoted to a knight
11.5. Forcing necessary exchanges
11.6. Both opponents have dangerous passed pawns
11.7. Passed pawn supports the piece invasion of the back rank
11.8. Passed pawn takes part in the attack on a king
11.9. Conjunction of methods

12. INTERMEDIATE MOVE. WINNING OF A TEMPO

12.1. Intermediate move
12.2. Winning of a tempo
12.3. "Ignoring" the threat

13. PLAY FOR A STALEMATE

14. RESTRICTING OF A MATERIAL

15. PURSUIT

15.1. Pursuit of a king
15.2. Pursuit of a queen

16. CONJUNCTION OF TACTICAL METHODS

16.1. Exploiting a passed pawn
16.2. Exploiting a double attack

16.2.1. Knight double attack
16.2.3. Rook double attack
16.2.4. Queen double attack
16.2.5. Conjunction of double attacks

16.3. Exploiting an open attack
16.4. Exploiting a pin
16.5. Counterblow by a "pinned" piece
16.6. Attack on a king

16.6.1. Threats along the back rank
16.6.2. Threats along the h-file
16.6.3. Attack on a king unprotected by the pawns
16.6.4. Attack on an uncastled king
16.6.5. "Dragging the king out"
16.6.6. A king is protected by fianchetto
16.6.7. One pawn protects the king
16.6.8. Two pawns protect the king
16.6.9. Three pawns protect the king

16.7. Combinations to win material
16.8. Conjunction of threats to attack the king and to win material

16.8.1. Conjunction of threats to attack the king and the queen
16.8.2. Conjunction of threats to attack the king and to attack the other pieces

Combinational motifs

1. GEOMETRICAL MOTIF

1.1. Knight forks

1.1.1. Removal of defence
1.1.2. Decoy
1.1.3. Square clearance
1.1.4. Conjunction of methods

1.2. Files (ranks)
1.3. Diagonals

1.3.1. Removal of obstacles
1.3.2. Opening of a diagonal
1.3.3. Decoy
1.3.4. Two diagonals

1.4. Pawn forks
1.5. Conjunction of geometrical motifs

2. WEAKNESS OF A FILE

2.1. The back rank

2.1.1. Annihilation of defence
2.1.2. Distraction
2.1.3. X-ray attack
2.1.4. Interception
2.1.5. Conjunction of methods

2.2. The seventh rank
2.3. The h-file

2.3.1. Mate to a "cramped" king
2.3.2. The g6-pawn
2.3.3. Attack on a fianchetto
2.3.4. Opening of a file
2.3.5. Decoy

2.4. The g-file
2.5. Central files
2.6. Diagonals
2.7. Conjunction of files, ranks and diagonals

3. OPPOSING

3.1. Open attack

3.1.1. Execution of an open attack
3.1.2. Opening of a file
3.1.3. Unblocking a pawn
3.1.4. Removal of defence
3.1.5. Decoy to the opposing file
3.1.6. Decoy to the blow dealt by the piece moved away
3.1.7. Placement of the attacking piece to the opposing file
3.1.8. "Mill"

3.2. Exploiting a pin

3.2.1. Attack on a pinned piece
3.2.2. Distraction of a pinned pawn
3.2.3. Other ways of exploiting a pin

3.3. Decoy for a pin

3.3.1. Attack on a pinned piece
3.3.2. Attack on a piece wich lost its defence

3.4. Counterblow by a "pinned" piece
3.5. Conjunction of methods

4. WEAKNESS OF A SQUARE(S)

4.1. "The hole" of the fianchettoed bishop

4.1.1. The h-file
4.1.2. The back rank
4.1.3. The pawns on f6,h6,a6 and c6
4.1.4. The others

4.2. Invasion of a file
4.3. Other cases

5. A PIECE IS OVERLOADED

5.1. A bishop is overloaded
5.2. A knight is overloaded
5.3. A rook is overloaded
5.4.A queen is overloaded

6. LACK OF DEFENCE OF THE PIECES

6.1. Annihilation of defence
6.2. Distraction
6.3. Decoy
6.4. Distraction with decoy
6.5. The others

7. BAD POSITION OF THE PIECES

8. PASSED PAWN

8.1. Pawn breakthrough
8.2. Distraction
8.3. Interception or blocking
8.4. A pawn is promoted to a knight
8.5. Forcing necessary exchanges
8.6. Both opponents have dangerous passed pawns
8.7. Passed pawn supports the piece invasion of the back rank
8.8. Passed pawn takes part in the attack on a king
8.9. Conjunction of methods

9. LIMITED MATERIAL

9.1. Play for a stalemate
9.2. Further restricting of material and building a fortress

10. CRAMPED KING POSITION

10.1. Removal of defence
10.2. Square clearance for the attacking knight
10.3. Blocking
10.4. Creating of a mating net

11. LACK OF A KING DEFENCE

11.1. A king is defended by fianchetto

11.1.1. The bishop is absent
11.1.2. The f7-g6-h5 pawn chain without a bishop
11.1.3. A king on h6
11.1.4. The fianchettoed bishop defends a king
11.1.5. Enlarged fianchetto

11.2. "Sieve" structure (e6,f7,g6,h7) A bishop is outside "the fianchetto"
11.3. One pawn protects the king
11.4. Two pawns protect the king

11.4.1. The pawns are on g7 and h6
11.4.2. The pawns are on g7 and h7
11.4.3. The pawns are on f6 and g7
11.4.4. The pawns are on f7 and g7
11.4.5. The f- and h-pawns

11.5. Three pawns protect the king

11.5.1. The pawns are on f7, g7 and h6
11.5.2. The pawns are on f6, g7 and h7
11.5.3. The pawns are on f6, g7 and h6
11.5.4. The pawns are on f7, g7 and h7

11.6. A king is protected by the pawns placed on the sixth and fifth ranks

11.6.1. "Dragging a king out"
11.6.2. Breaking the shelter

11.7. Typical methods of attack in a Q-side castling position
11.8. Piece attack on a king
11.9. Attack on a king undefended by pawns
11.10. Attack on an uncastled king

11.10.1. A king is on e8
11.10.2. A king is on f8
11.10.3. A king is on e7
11.10.4. A king is on another square

11.11. Attack on a king in an endgame

12. CONJUNCTION OF COMBINATIONAL MOTIFS

12.1. Combinations which are not connected with mate threats
12.2. Mate threats combined with other threats

12.2.1. Mate threats combined with threats to attack a queen
12.2.2. Mate threats combined with activity of a passed pawn
12.2.3. Threats along the back rank
12.2.4. Exposed king
12.2.5. Uncastled king
12.2.6. The others

Grades by difficulty

1. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 10

2. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 20

3. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 30

4. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 40

5. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 50

6. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 60

7. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 70

8. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 80

9. STUDIES WITH DIFFICULTY LEVEL 90

System requirements:

Essential:IBM-compatible PC with Pentium 75 CPU, 12 MB memory (RAM), Hard Disk (4 MB of free disk space for the program), VGA graphics, Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0, CD-ROM drive, Microsoft-compatible mouse.