oday we are celebrating the 1 year birthday of the Tactics Time e-mail newsletter!  I decided to do something different in honor of this, and give you a "Mate in 3" composed problem that I saw in the April 2012 issue of Chess Life, page 42, which was created by Tom Rogalski, and appeared in "Benko's Baffler's", 1983.

 

   In the position on the right it is White to move -  Mate in 3. 

 

   Answer below. (Has to be a mate in 3!)

   Today is the one year anniversary of the very first Tactics Time e-mail newsletter that I sent out!

 

   At the time the first newsletter went out, I only had 4 subscribers - Anthea Carson, Fred Spell, Randy Reynolds and myself lol :-)

 

   Since that time - I have grown to over 700 subscribers and have sent out thousands of newsletters to different chess friends!

 

   So thank you so much for subscribing, and for helping me to spread the word about the newsletter!  I really appreciate that!

 

   It has been quite a lot of fun for me to write this newsletter, and I have really enjoyed hearing from people from literally all over the world who find value from it.

 

   I have had lots of people e-mail me, send me messages on facebook, and come up to me at chess tournaments and tell me that the newsletter has helped them win games, and gain rating points, which to me is what chess is all about!

 

   Writing this newsletter has been a lot of fun for me, and has helped me in my own games as well! 

   So thank you again, and Happy 1st Birthday to the Tactics Time Newsletter!

   Answer:

 

   The only mate in 3 involves the under promotion move 1.e8=B! Kg8 (if 1...Kh8 2. Rf8+ Kh7 3. Bg6 mate) 2. Kg6 Kh8 3. Rf8#

 

 

   Happy Tactics!

 

   Your Friend,

 

   P.S.   Be sure and tell all of your chess friends about the Tactics Time Newsletter, so this time next year we can have even more people at the "party" :-)