Tactical Patterns for the 1200 player

 11/30/2025

Answer: Bg5!! Brings a situation for a checkmate! The following moves shows how the game went!

11...Qxb2  12 Rxe7+  Kf8  13 Qxf7 # game is over! but I did not do that. I missed the checkmate and worried about my defense. I played 13 h3  Qxa1  14 Nd2 Kg7 (trying to save himself from checkmate) 15 Qf4 still missing checkmate! 15 ... Qb2  16 Bh6+  Kg8  17  Re8#

What I am trying to say is that I missed the checkmate in two (forced) but I played the right starting move! I simply missed the checkmate and I had more than one opportunity to checkmate the fellow but I missed them. However, the other player did have a couple of opportunities in which he possibly could fight back but I did try to put myself positionally so the opponent did not have the ability to get out of trouble by attacking me! It was not elegant but by proper positional play I was able to put my opponent away even though my opponent did not get checkmated on move 13 like he was supposed to!

I must admit that I was not playing a positional game at the beginning of the game. However, I was forced to play positionally after I made a move that most positional players would never make. I won but in the process I lost my rook (after taking his) and fought to prevent him from taking the game out of my hands which I must admit I have done such a thing in the past. I am still < 1200 player and I make mistakes but I have found myself in a dilemma should I safeguard myself positionally and possibly forgo those moves that could win me the game quickly by (perhaps giving my opponent too much credit) and play "safe" chess. I know this game seems to say to me that I should play a competitive style of chess, and play positionally after gaining a lead and not letting up which is what I did. I know I must go back to the drawing board and do more chess puzzles, but still I am looking to improve my game and I want to play an offensively competitive game. Please feel free to comment what you think. However, I am trying to play to the best of my ability and I still miss the mate in two sometimes!

Here is a game that I played which I was inspired by a chess puzzle that I had solved once!

This is the position in which was inspired by a chess puzzle I had solved earlier. I was white and up in material but wants to put away my opponent quickly! What was the move inspired by a chess puzzle?