BOOK 10 - MATE COMBINATIONS
A combination has been defined in a number of ways. Perhaps the best known is that it is a forced sequence of moves with sacrifice(s). It should be noted that these moves are usually spectacular and often unpredictable. The aim of each combination is to gain a material or positional advantage, or a draw in the case of seemingly lost positions. In this book, and when dealing with mate combinations, it is clear that the target is the king.
Mate combinations have been studied in Chess School (chapters 5 and 7), and especially in Mate Combination Technique, the first volume of the Encyclopedia of Tactics, as it is the monographic subject of the book.
In this book I've tried to offer the best mate combinations of the last eight years.
There is only one known formula for progress in chess: play as many games as possible, together with theoretical study and analysis of the games themselves. The ideal complement to this formula, as many great masters recommend, is for the player to develop and perfect his tactical and strategic skills by solving numerous exercises, specially selected for their usefulness. Like the ones we offer here.