Its all in the first move ...

OK, it seems obvious that white should move his king to give a discovered check, but which square to move to, and does it really matter? Yes, it does - so choose carefully!



Answer to the last (easy) endgame - a nice 'staircase' manoevre. There have been many variations on this theme in later studies, but this is one of the simplest examples.
1. Qa8 Kg1 2. Qa7+ Kh1 3. Qb7 Kg1 4. Qb6+ Kh1 5. Qc6 Kg1 6. Qc5+ Kh1 7. Qd5 Kg1
8. Qd4+ Kh1 9. Qe4 Kg1 10. Qe3+ Kh1 11. Qf3 Kg1 12. Qf1#