Combinations are the central element in chess; they make the game so magical and captivating. The beautiful point of sacrificing a queen, the strongest piece, in order to checkmate with a lowly pawn brings a smile of joy to all chess lovers. Virtually all chess games possess a combination, either one hidden in the shadows of analysis carefully avoided or one that provides a decisive blow. Winning Chess Combinations is a unique work that doesn't merely repeat the wonderfully rich and vast numbers of combinations, asking readers to solve a particular diagrammed position; it is a work that is far more realistic. A combination involves a sacrifice upsetting the balance of forces, but will it work or tragically boomerang? The reader is invited to solve this critical question by identifying the advantages that a specific position holds which might make the combination successful.

The chess combinations fill the heart with creative pleasure. We admire the beauty of combinations in which the most fantastic ideas are embodied in the most fantastic battle of white and black pieces. A chess player can only consider himself a true artist if he has managed to discover the secrets of deep combinational ideas and to become a creator of this unique world. However, the path of learning is thorny. It is possible to get closer to the goal only through constant and serious training in the practical struggle. By reading this book, the reader will be able to witness the training sessions of my students at the Riga Chess Club, where I try to familiarize them with the most important combinational ideas. Especially important are the self-training sessions for the students in our practicum. This training should accelerate the process of development of combinational vision, to teach how to think independently.