Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Hou Yifan.
White to move and win except where noted.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
a)
Hou vs Boris Khvan, Heraklio, 2004
8/p1Q1p1kp/4P1p1/5pq1/2n2N2/6PP/P4r2/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ h4 if Qf6 Nd5 or if Qg4 Qxe7+ mates ]
b)
Black to move and win. Ray Robson vs Hou, Heraklio, 2004
1k6/1b1qb3/p4p2/P2PpP2/1pp2r2/8/1PPQ3P/3RR1BK b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd4 if Bxd4 Qxd5+ Kg1 Qh1+ mates ]
c)
Hou vs Sun Xinyue, Xiapu, 2005
3k2r1/1b5p/p1rbp3/2n2pN1/1p1B1P2/3P4/PP2N2P/K1R2R2 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc5 if Bxc5 Rxc5 ]
d)
Hou vs Siranush Andriasian, Jinan, 2005
6k1/2r4p/3p2p1/3P1p2/P7/1BnK3P/6P1/R7 w - - 0 1
[ Rc1 if Nb5 Rc6 ]
e)
White Mates in 8. Hou vs Ju Wenjun, Wuxi, 2006
4Q3/qp3rk1/2r4p/p2p2p1/4P3/P3N1R1/1bP5/1K5R w - - 0 1
[ Rxg5+ Rg6 Nf5+ Kf6 Nd4 Kg7 (if Rxg5 Qe6+) (if Qxd4 Rf5+) Rxg6+ Kxg6 Rg1+ Kh5 Qxf7+ Kh4 Nf3+ Kh3 Qd7# ]
Hou Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Hou vs Gu Xiaobing, Wuxi, 2006
r4rk1/1b1R1p1p/pp3Pp1/3n4/PP2p1B1/1q2N3/6PP/4QR1K w - - 0 1
[ Nxd5 Bxd5 Qd2 if Qc4 Be2 w/Qh6 ]
b)
Hou vs Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Yerevan, 2006
3r2k1/pnq3pr/1p1b1pNp/5Q2/1P3p2/8/PBP3PP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Re7 if Qc4 Rd5 or if Qxe7 Nxe7 Bxe7 Rd7 ]
c)
Black Mates in 7. Zullkafli Nur Shazwani vs Hou, Turin, 2006
6k1/1p1B1p2/6pp/2PRp1n1/PB1bP3/7P/6PK/5r2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bg1+ if Kh1 Nxe4 Be1 Be3+ or if Kg3 Nxe4+ Kh4 g5+ ]
d)
Black to move and win. Sophie Milliet vs Hou, Turin, 2006
r3r1k1/p1Q2ppp/1p3q2/3p1n2/3n1B2/2P3N1/PP3PPP/3R1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re7 ]
e)
Hou vs Vasilios Kotronias, Moscow, 2007
r1b1k1r1/pq2ppbp/2pp4/4n3/N3PB2/1BQ4P/PPP3P1/R4RK1 w q - 0 1
[ Bxe5 if Bxe5 Bxf7+ Kd7 Qxe5 ]
Hou Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Hou vs Irina Krush, Istanbul, 2008
2r2rk1/5pbp/p2p4/3BpP1Q/2Pn4/N7/Pq4PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ f6 Bxf6 Be4 Rfd8 Qxh7+ Kf8 Qh6+ ]
b)
Hou vs Tiberiu Georgescu, Gaziantep, 2008
5r1k/7p/p2p1p2/1p1BrRbP/3qP3/3P2Q1/P5PK/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Qxg5 if fxg5 Rxf8+ mates ]
c)
Hou vs Prasad Arun, Gaziantep, 2008
2rk1b1r/3n1pp1/p6p/1b1Np3/q3P3/2Q1BN2/1PPK2PP/3R3R w - - 0 1
[ Bb6+ Nxb6 Nxb6 Rxc3 Kxc3+ ]
d)
Hou vs Humpy Koneru, Nalchik, 2008
8/7Q/3knpp1/p3p2p/1pPqb2P/1PbN2N1/P3BPP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ c5+ if Kd5 Qb7# or if Nxc5 Nxc5 Kxc5 (Qxc5 Nxe4+) Qc7+ ]
e)
Hou vs Tatjana Vasilevich, Beijing, 2008
r2r2k1/1p3ppp/p7/q2n4/8/5B2/PQ3PPP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe5 ]
Hou Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 5. Hou vs Sebastien Feller, Cap d'Agde, 2008
6rk/1R4b1/pn1q3p/3p1B1Q/1P2pn2/6RP/3B1P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rbxg7 if Rxg7 Qe8+ ]
b)
Hou vs Francisco Vallejo Pons, Wijk aan Zee, 2009
r1b1r2k/pp3n1p/2p1qpp1/2B4N/2Q5/8/PPP2P2/2KR2R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rge1 if Ne5 Qxe6 Bxe6 Nxf6 ]
c)
Hou vs Roi Reinaldo Castineira, Zuerich, 2009
4R3/p5bk/1ppqb1pp/8/PP3n1N/2P5/2B3P1/2Q3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf4 ]
d)
Hou vs Guliskhan Nakhbayeva, Ha Long City, 2009
r1r2b1k/q4ppp/3p1N2/pp2pPP1/3nP3/1P1BQ3/PP5P/1K1R2R1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxh7 Nxf5 Qh3 ]
e)
White Mates in 3. Hou vs Marie Sebag, Ulan Bator, 2010
1r2krQ1/2q5/p7/5P2/4p3/1n6/PPP4P/1K1R2R1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe6+ ]
Hou Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Hou vs Wang Yu, Shanghai, 2010
4Q3/2p2ppk/p1n2q1p/1pNn1N2/3P4/2P4P/PP4P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe4 g6 Qxd5 gxf5 Nd7 ]
b)
White Mates in 4. Hou vs Marie Sebag, Hangzhou, 2011
1rr2b2/p2R1P2/4pk1p/4p1pQ/1pq1P3/2N4R/PPP4P/2K5 w - - 0 1
[ Qxh6+ Bxh6 Rxh6+ Kg7 f8/Q+ ]
c)
Black Mates in 2. Aliaksandra Khudaya vs Hou, Kemer, 2007
r4rk1/p2q2p1/1p1p1p2/2pPp1np/2P1P1PK/2PB1P2/P1Q2R2/1RB5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxf3+ ]
d)
Black Mates in 3. Viktor Laznicka vs Hou, Gaziantep, 2008
8/2PRnk2/6p1/8/5pPK/2q5/1R5P/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qh8+ Kg5 Qf6+ ]
e)
Black Mates in 3. Khaled Mona vs Hou, Nalchik, 2008
5rk1/p6p/6p1/1Q1nP1N1/3P2R1/1P3p1K/P4q1P/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf4+ Rxf4 Qg2+ ]
Hou Puzzles, Part VI. Black to move and win except where noted.
a)
Black Mates in 3. Zhao Xue vs Hou, Beijing, 2008
2r2rk1/1bq2ppp/p3p3/N1P5/4n1n1/2N4Q/1P4PP/R1R2B1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Nef2+ Kg1 Nxh3+ ]
b)
Irina Krush vs Hou, Beijing, 2008
8/pB1Qnpkp/3R2p1/2r1q3/8/4P2P/5PP1/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rc1+ Rd1 Rc7 ]
c)
Humpy Koneru vs Hou, Cap d'Agde, 2008
2r5/1q3pkp/p1N2np1/1pQ1p3/1P2P3/7P/P4PP1/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nd7 Qd5 Nb8 ]
d)
Stanislav Novikov vs Hou, Moscow, 2010
4r3/5qpk/7p/pQ3P2/3b4/6P1/1B4KP/5R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re5 ]
e)
Thi Hoang vs Hou, Guanzhou, 2010
5rk1/p4q1p/1p1b2p1/4Nn2/2rPQ3/P1p1P1P1/2P4P/R1BR2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxe5 if Qxe5 Nxd4 ]
Hou Puzzles, Part VII. Black to move and win except where noted.
a)
Ding Yixin vs Hou, Guanzhou, 2010
3N2k1/5R1p/6p1/4p3/3b2P1/5P2/r6P/4K3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bc3+ Kf1 Rd2 ]
b)
White Mates in 5. Li Xueyi vs Hou, Guanzhou, 2010
2r3k1/5pp1/1b1p4/1p1P4/1P2P1b1/1Q1Bq2p/5RPP/2r2RNK b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxf2 ]
c)
Black Mates in 4. Humpy Koneru vs Hou Yifan, Tirana, 2011
7k/1pp3pp/p1b5/5r2/2B1n3/P1B5/1P1r2PP/2R1R2K b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng3+ hxg3 Rh5+ ]
Other Chinese GMs
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