'Tactics in the Najdorf'



Here are some chess puzzles from the Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line (ECO B99).



1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8 Qf3.Qc7 9.O-O-O Nbd7



Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.


a)
White mates in 7.
Wlodzimierz Schmidt vs Ryszard Drozd, Poznan, 1962
r1b3kr/1pqnB1p1/p3p1Qp/4P3/8/2N5/PPP3PP/2KR3R w - - 0 1
[ Ne4 if Qxe5 Nf6+ Nxf6 Rd8+ ]

b)
Ernst Walther vs Martin Voigt, corr., 1971
r1b2k1r/3n1ppp/3N4/q3pPb1/4P3/5Q2/PPP4P/1K1R1B1R w - - 0 1
[ Qb3 if Ke7 Qxf7+ Kd8 Nb7+ ]

c)
T Cieszkowski vs H Ardiansyah, Buenos Aires, 1978
1rb2rk1/2q2ppp/3p4/2n2PP1/1p1R4/5Q2/1PP3BP/1NKR4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bb7 if Qg3 Bxg2 Qxb2 Nb3# ]

d)
White mates in 6.
Carsten Brumm vs Lothar Olzem, Germany, 1981
2r2k1r/1b3ppp/p1q2n2/1p3NB1/4R3/5Q2/PPP3PP/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Qa3+ if Kh8 Ne7+ ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Terje Wibe vs Alberto Mascarenhas, Gausdal, 1987
r1b2k1r/2q1b3/p3ppBp/2n3B1/1p6/2N4Q/PPP3PP/2KRR3 w - - 0 1
[ Bxh6+ if Kg8 Bf7+ Kxf7 Qh5+ ]

1b)
Ernst Walther vs Martin Voigt

B99 Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.

a)
Richard Valenti vs Richard Jean, Paris, 1989
rqb2k1r/3nbpp1/3Np2p/4P3/5PPP/2N2Q2/PPP5/2KR3R w - - 0 1
[ Nxc8 Qxc8 Rxd7 if Qxd7 Qxa8+ ]

b)
Alexander Naumann vs Neto Fachini, Warsaw, 1991
2kr1b1r/1b1n1p1p/1q1p1p2/1N2pN2/4PP1Q/8/PPP3PP/2KRR3 w - - 0 1
[ Nbxd6+ Kc7 Nxf7 ]

c)
Paul Liebhaber vs Gabe Kahane, California, 1995
r1b5/1p2k3/p3pnr1/4p3/2q1N3/5Q2/PPP3PP/2KR1R2 w - - 0 1
[ Qa3+ Kf7 Nd6+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Antti Pyhala vs Markku Pukkila, Finland, 1995
r1br1k2/2qnbp2/p3pn1p/1p2p3/3N1P2/2NB2RQ/PPP3PP/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6+ if fxe6 Qxh6+ or if Ke8 Nxc7+ ]

e)
Geoffrey Gelman vs Hector Perez, Boylston, 1996
r3k2r/2qnbppp/p2pp3/1p2P1B1/3NbP2/6Q1/PPP1B1PP/2KR3R w - - 0 1
[ Bxe7 if Kxe7 exd6 Qxd6 Nf5+ or if dxe5 fxe5 Kxe7 Qh4+ ]

f)
White mates in 3.
Vitali Koziak vs Vladimir Buturin, Lvov, 1997
r1bb2rk/2q2p1p/p2p1n2/2nP1NB1/1p3P2/3B2Q1/PPP3PP/2KRR3 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf6+ Bxf6 Qxg8+ ]

2f)
mate in 3
Vitali Koziak vs Vladimir Buturin

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