Tactic Workbook 2

Informant’s Collection of Instructive Tactics and Studies

• 500 carefully selected puzzles
• 5 levels of difficulty
• 60 instructive, prizewinning studies
• Study, practice and improve with our selection of tactical jewels!

Dear Informant readers, the book you are holding in your hands is a logical continuation of our efforts to provide you with the most topical and instructive material for self-study and teaching.

Last year we decided to produce Tactic Workbook by putting together best features from our “Puzzle Quest” and “Endgame Maze” manuals. So, now we continue in the same spirit once again adding an appendix with 60 most beautiful studies composed in 2022. We are convinced that solving chess studies enriches every player’s understanding of piece coordination and game as a whole.

Of course, the book is aimed at motivated amateur and club players, all the way up to the grandmaster level, since the main objective is to teach diligent evaluation of any given position, meticulous calculating, and overall decision making. We kept the organization of the exercises according to their relative level of difficulty (one * indicating the simplest exercises, ***** indicating the most difficult positions), since is proved to allow smooth browsing through the material. However, exercises are not organized in sections according to any particular type of tactical motif or combination, since our intention is to create puzzles which are able to mimic a real game of chess. Therefore, in some examples the solution consists of a devastating sacrifice that leads to swift mate, while some other examples may require finding the correct strategic plan and most efficient way of execution. Also, upon receiving generous feedback from our readers we tried to include more * and *****

examples in this book, since those were sparse in Tactic Workbook 1. Of course, “level of difficulty” is often rather subjective, especially because not all chess players are equally skilled in all tactical themes and motifs.

To summarize, “Tactic Workbook” consists of 500 most instructive middlegame and endgame examples (puzzles) from the games played during 2022 and 60 prizewinning studies which complement the puzzle section thus making this manual truly comprehensive and indispensable. We decided to expand studies section after receiving numerous demands to include more instructive study positions in our books and manuals.

We hope that you will find the material of great practical value and useful for your chess progress. Last but not least, we wish you many pleasant hours while solving the exercises and also many happy returns to this book!