Now we move on to the positions for solving. The first twenty-five positions are intended as warm-ups for novices, and should not take too long to solve, but don’t worry if you get stuck on a few – we all have mental blocks now and then. I have provided some rather generous clues, to some of the positions, in the above diagrams. If all else fails, consider every legal move.
As a rough guide, strong players should solve each position in just a second or two, while ordinary club players should not take long either.
If you have problems solving them, set the position up on a board and concentrate as though you were playing a game.
In the solutions, I note any tactical themes that occur in the positions. These ideas constitute an armoury of checkmating ideas that will help you throughout your chess career.