For all chess-players, from beginners to world champions, from kids to seniors, delivering checkmate is the greatest thrill the game has to offer. The ability to spot checkmates is a vital skill - and this easy-to-use book shows you how it is done. With the help of Grandmaster John Nunn, you will be ready to shock your next opponent with a deadly checkmate, whether in a school match, a club tournament - or even a championship game!

By focusing exclusively on positions from real games, ranging from junior events to grandmaster encounters, Nunn ensures that the mates featured are those which arise most often in real life. He also highlights themes and ideas that are often missed in practice. While solving these puzzles, your all-important 'mental library' of patterns will grow, leading to an immediate increase in your playing strength.

All 1001 puzzle positions have been carefully checked, and are graded by theme and difficulty. Points are awarded for finding the checkmate, so you can measure your skill. Most of the puzzles are suitable for novice and junior players. The last chapter challenges you with 'extreme checkmates', but don't worry: you'll be ready for them!

Dr John Nunn is one of the best-respected figures in world chess, having numbered among the world's leading grandmasters for nearly twenty years. He has won four gold medals in chess Olympiads, and has three times been crowned World Chess Solving Champion. Nunn's playing style is notoriously aggressive, with sacrifices, king-hunts and checkmates featuring in many of his finest wins.

Content:
004 Symbols and Notation

005 Preface by Murray Chandler

006 Introduction

008 1) Elementary Mates

031 2) Back-Rank Mates

046 3) Mate in the Endgame

071 4) The Lethal Long Diagonal

082 5) Pawn-Promotion Mates

092 6) Mates with Rook and Minor Piece

107 7) Deadly Doubled Rooks

117 8) Destroying the Defences

131 9) Death on the Rook's File

146 10) Queen Sacrifices

170 11) Mate by Line-Opening

184 12) Mate by Blocking Squares

192 13) Mate Involving Discovered or Double Check

217 14) Hunting the King

224 15) Miscellaneous Mates

261 16) Mate Revision Test

278 17) Extreme Mate Challenge

296 Final Score-Chart

297 Index of Players