Chess960 puzzles: Queen trap
The strongest piece ventures too far — and cannot come back.
A queen trap catches the strongest piece after it ventures too far and finds no way home. The usual story is a queen grabbing a distant pawn — the classic poisoned pawn. The warning signs: the queen has few retreat squares, and enemy minor pieces cut them off one by one, gaining tempo with every move. Before your queen snacks on a pawn in enemy territory, count her escape routes — fewer than two means stay home.
100 puzzles
Attack on the uncastled king: knight to c7 (b5·20)
Attack on the uncastled king: knight to c7 (d5·18)
Attack on the uncastled king: knight to c7 (d5·20)
Winning blow: pawn to b6 (c5·5)
Winning blow: king to a2 (a3·3)
Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to a8 (e4·8)
Winning blow: queen to b6 (c6)
Winning blow: rook to d7 (d1·9)
Attack on the uncastled king: knight to b7 (c5·16)
Attack on the uncastled king: queen to d2 (d1·3)
Attack on the uncastled king: rook to a3 (b3·2)
Attack on the uncastled king: knight to f3 (e1·2)
Winning blow: bishop to h6 (e3)
Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to g5 (e3·4)
Attack on the uncastled king: knight to c6 (e5·11)
Attack on the uncastled king: king to e1 (d1·3)
Winning blow: knight to b5 (c3·11)
Attack on the uncastled king: rook to h4 (h1·22)
Winning blow: knight to a4 (c3)
Winning blow: bishop to g6 (f5·3)
Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to f4 (d2·4)
Attack on the uncastled king: knight to b6 (d5·2)
Attack on the uncastled king: rook to e1 (a1·2)
Winning blow: bishop to f4 (c1·3)
Tactics
BatteryCheck chaseClearanceDecoyDeflectionDiscovered attackDiscovered checkDouble checkWinning exchangeBishop forkKnight forkPawn forkQueen forkRook forkRoyal forkHanging pieceInterferenceOverloadAbsolute pinRelative pinWin the pinned piecePromotionQuiet moveRemove the defenderSacrifice attackSkewerTrapped pieceUnderpromotionWinning blowX-rayZwischenzug