Author Description

German chess master Siegbert Tarrasch wrote "A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only not difficult, but almost a matter of course" So, checkmate simplifies the concept of the sacrifice. From a survey of thousands of mate puzzles, 30% of those surveyed were seen to contain the sacrifice element. It's arguably the most important tactic in the chess player's toolbox. Here is a collection of over a thousand chess puzzles from games played from 1960 to the end of the century. Each ends in mate (mate in 2, 3 or 4) and each contains a sacrifice of material to reach that goal. The players represent a Who's Who of the chess world of their time. Solutions are found at the back of the book.