Here are some chess puzzles taken from the games of Larry Christiansen.
White to move and win.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.
a)
Christiansen vs D. Krystall, Pacific SW open, 1972
[ Bb7 ]
b)
Christiansen vs C. Madsen, USA, 1975
[ c4 ]
c)
Christiansen vs Pavel Blatny, Thessalonika (ol), 1988
[ g6 hxg6 Ng5 mates ]
d)
Christiansen vs Peter Mack, Germany, 1987
[ Nc6 w/Ba3 if Rfe8 Rfd1 ]
e)
Christiansen vs Kamran Shirazi, USA, 1985
[ Ra4 ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Christiansen vs Istvan Csom, Lucerne, 1982
[ Rxf8+ ]
b)
White Mates in 5. Christiansen vs Edhi Handoko, Surakarta, 1982
[ Qd4 ]
c)
Christiansen vs Robert Zysk, Germany, 1987
[ Bd4 ]
d)
Christiansen vs A Wurzel, Porz, 1991
[ Nd5 if Bxb5 Ne7+ mates or if Qg7 Qd8+ w/Nf6+ ]
e)
White Mates in 5. Christiansen vs J Watson, USA, 1976
[ Rf7+ ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Christiansen vs Sedamanos Bravo, Buenos Aires, 1975
2r2rk1/pp4pp/4p3/1bbpNq2/3p1P1P/P2P1NP1/1P2R1K1/2R1Q3 w - - 0 1
[ Rec2 b6 Nxd4 ]
b)
Christiansen vs Peter Cleghorn, Lone Pine, 1976
r1b2rk1/pp2nppp/2n1p3/8/4P3/PN4P1/1q1B1PBP/2RQ1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bc3 if Qxa3 Ra1 ]
c)
Christiansen vs Oscar Castro, Torremolinos, 1977
3r1r1k/1pp3bp/1n2q1p1/5b2/p7/P1N1B2P/1P3PP1/2QRRBK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd8 Rxd8 Bg5 ]
d)
White Mates in 3. Christiansen vs T Ebrahimi, USA, 1977
6r1/2Q3q1/p7/3k4/3NN3/P1K5/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qc5+ Kxe4 Qf5+ ]
e)
White Mates in 2. Christiansen Vs Paul Van Der Sterren, Amsterdam, 1978
1n6/p3q2p/2pNk3/1pP1p3/1P2P2Q/2P3P1/6K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qh3+ ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win.
a)
Christiansen vs Walter Browne, Greenville, 1980
r1q2rk1/pb3pp1/1p3n1n/5Q1p/1PBN4/P5B1/5PPP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7 if Kxf7 Rc7+ Kg8 Qg6 ]
b)
Christiansen vs Jan Timman, Linares, 1985
6k1/1r4p1/R2rNp1p/1p6/p1n2P2/5P1P/1PR2KP1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ra8+ if Kf7 Nd8+ or if Kh7 Nf8+ mates ]
c)
Christiansen vs Cifuentes Parada, Dubai, 1986
q2r3k/1r3pb1/2R1p2p/p4p2/2QN4/1P2P1P1/5P1P/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ra6 ]
d)
Christiansen vs Michael Wilder, Estes Park, 1986
8/pp1rpk1p/3r1pp1/8/2P2P2/2B1K3/P3B1PP/2R5 w - - 0 1
[ c5 if Re6+ Kf3 ]
e)
Christiansen vs Slim Bouaziz, Szirak, 1987
r1r4k/1p3pb1/4b2p/4p1p1/4P1P1/2q5/1Q2BPP1/2NR1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 4. Christiansen vs Glenn Flear, Szirak, 1987
n2q1r1k/4bp1p/4p3/4P1p1/2pPNQ2/2p4R/5PPP/2B3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6 if Bxf6 Qe4 ]
b)
White Mates in 8. Christiansen vs Daniel Rodriguez, Saint John, 1988
2b1r3/r5pk/2p1pq1N/1pP1N2P/pP1PpP2/P3P1Q1/6R1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qg6+ Qxg6 hxg6+ Kh8 Nhf7+ Kg8 Rh2 ]
c)
Christiansen vs Anthony Ker, Wellington, 1988
6k1/4bpp1/1pq1r2p/p2RP3/2p1QP2/P1N5/1P4PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ f5 if Bc5+ Kh1 Re8 Rd8 ]
d)
White Mates in 7. Christiansen vs Juergen Graf, Germany, 1989
2Q5/3q1r1k/3pNB1p/n3pp2/7P/5P2/P5PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nf8+ ]
e)
Christiansen vs John Peters, Los Angeles, 1989
7R/2r1k3/pNp1Pp2/1pPn1Pp1/1P4K1/8/P7/8 w - - 0 1
[ Na8 ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part VI. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Christiansen vs Tibor Tolnai, Lucerne, 1989
2rr2k1/1p3pp1/p6p/3N4/3Q4/6P1/PP1nqP1P/2R1R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ gxf6 Qxd8+ ]
b)
Christiansen vs Niaz Murshed, New York, 1989
3r3r/2b1k2p/1p2n1p1/p1p1p1P1/2P2N1N/P1K1P3/1P3P2/3R3R w - - 0 1
[ Nxg6+ if hxg6 Nxg6+ ]
c)
Christiansen vs Nikolai Andrianov, New York, 1990
rn2kb1r/2q2p2/p1b2p1p/2p5/2B1pP2/1Q2N3/PP4PP/2KR2NR w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7+ Qxf7 Rd8+ if Ke7 Nf5+ ]
d)
Christiansen vs Jan Smejkal, Novi Sad, 1990
4nnr1/pp1b1qbk/2ppr2p/5p2/2PP1P1B/2N1P2R/PP2B3/2KNQ2R w - - 0 1
[ d5 cxd5 cxd5 Rg6 Bh5 ]
e)
Christiansen vs Robert Huebner, Europe, 1991
2r5/p1r3k1/1p3pp1/7q/3P3Q/7R/5PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf4 if Qa5 Qh6+ mates or if Qg5 Qh2 ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part VII. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Christiansen vs Karel Mokry, Vienna, 1991
r3r3/1bq3bk/p1p3p1/4p3/Pp2PnN1/5Q2/BPP1NP2/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxf4 if exf4 Qh3+ mates ]
b)
White Mates in 2. Christiansen vs John Nunn, Vienna, 1991
4rk2/pp2N1bQ/5p2/8/2q5/P7/3r2PP/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6+ ]
c)
Christiansen vs Judit Polgar, Vienna, 1991
2R5/pp2qk2/6p1/5p2/3prn1Q/1P3N2/P5PP/7K w - - 0 1
[ Rc7 Qxc7 Qh7+ ]
d)
Christiansen vs Gregory Kaidanov, Long Beach, 1993
6k1/6pp/1Rnbqp2/3p4/1Bb5/4P2P/5PP1/1Q4K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd6 Qxd6 Qa1 Qc7 Qa8+ ]
e)
Christiansen vs Ferenc Arnold, Biel, 1994
1R2n1k1/3q1p2/3p2p1/2p3B1/p1P3bQ/3P4/r4PB1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf6 Bh5 Bh3 ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part VIII. White to move and win.
a)
Christiansen vs Martin Borriss, Germany, 1994
1rrq2k1/3b1p2/6pb/1pnpP3/1n1B4/1PN5/1Q2N1PP/1B1R1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxc5 if Rxc5 Qa3 ]
b)
Christiansen vs Robert Kuczynski, Germany, 1997
r1r3k1/pp3p1p/4bBp1/2R5/1q1PQ2P/8/5PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe3 w/Qh6 ]
c)
Christiansen vs Giancarlo Franzoni, Switzerland, 1997
8/r1q5/3k1rp1/2p1p1b1/P3P3/1Q1P3R/P6P/3R3K w - - 0 1
[ Qd5+ w/Rh7+ ]
d)
Christiansen vs Ivan Nemet, Switzerland, 1997
rq2k2r/p2nppbp/2R2np1/B2p4/Q2P4/3B1N1P/PP3PP1/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bc7 if Qxb2 Rc2 ]
e)
Christiansen vs Jorge Armas, Merida, 1998
6k1/5p2/1p2nPpQ/3r4/2p1q1B1/P5PK/5R1P/8 w - - 0 1
[ Re2 if Ng5+ Qxg5 ]
Christiansen Puzzles, Part IX. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 5. Christiansen vs Boris Gulko, Salt Lake City, 1999
5r2/7p/3pn1k1/1p3R1N/1P6/8/1rq2QPP/3R3K w - - 0 1
[ Rf6+ if Kxh5 Qf3+ or if Rxf6 Qxf6+ ]
b)
Christiansen vs Frederick Kleist, Sackville, 2001
r4rk1/pq1bbppp/2n5/1B2p3/4PB2/5N2/1P2QPPP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd7 Qxd7 Nxe5 ]
c)
Christiansen vs Chen Zhu, Seattle, 2001
4rr1k/pbppb1p1/7p/2p1Pp2/2P2P1q/P2B2R1/1P1B2PP/3Q1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Be1 if Bd8 Rxg7 ]
d)
White Mates in 4. Christiansen vs Saidali Iuldachev, Bled, 2002
8/pp3r2/5p2/kPR3p1/3Q4/4P3/q5PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ b6+ if Ka6 Qd3+ ]
e)
Christiansen vs Jesse Kraai, Seattle, 2003
5rk1/5p2/4p2p/5q1Q/1b2R3/5NP1/Pr5P/3R3K w - - 0 1
[ Rg4+ if Kh7 Ng5+ Kg7 Nxf7+ ]
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