Unusual And Instructive Chess Tactic

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I came across this unusual tactic whilst working through VISUALWIZE exercises and I thought it’s worth sharing!

In the position below it is white to move. Can you spot the tactic?

Unusual and instructive chess tactics 1
White to move. What would you do?

Scroll down to see the solution.

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Solution

Unusual and instructive chess tactics 1 solution
1.Ra8! Rxa8 2.Bxd5+ followed by Bxa8.

Now let me ask you: How long did it take before you considered the move Ra8 in this position? Did you even consider it at all? I ask this because if you followed the 5-step calculation method (as presented on Day 1 of the 10-Day Chess Challenge), then you would have known pretty soon that 1.Ra8 should be calculated (since it creates a threat – Rxa6).

This example proves again how important it is to work on your calculation skill and study tactics if you want to become a strong chess player. It is almost impossible to find such tactics in your own games if you have not seen and trained these tactical motifs beforehand.