Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Alexandra Kosteniuk.
White to move and win except where noted.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.
a)
Kosteniuk vs CP Gouw, Wijk aan Zee Res, 2000
[ Ng5 w/Qh5 ]
b)
Kosteniuk vs Xu Yuhua, Moscow, 2001
[ Bb5 ]
c)
Kosteniuk vs X Yuanyuan, Shanghai, 2001
[ b4 ]
d)
Black to Move and Win. A Skripchenko vs Kosteniuk, Moscow, 2001
[ ...Qc2 ]
e)
Black to Move and Win. V Macek vs Kosteniuk, Bled (ol-w), 2002
[ ...Qh3 w/...Qf5 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Kosteniuk vs Ian Rogers, Wijk aan Zee 'B', 2003
[ Ba3 ]
b)
Black to Move and Win. A Stefanova vs Kosteniuk, Calvia (ol-w), 2004
[ ...Bxg5 if fxg5 Rxc2+ mates ]
c)
Kosteniuk vs Alexander Riazantsev, Moscow, 1997
2r3k1/p4p1p/2q1p1p1/8/2rR4/7P/P1Q2PP1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc4 if Qxc4 Rd8+ ]
d)
Kosteniuk vs Ilze Berzina, Paris, 1998
3rnrk1/ppNq1ppb/2pP3p/2P2P2/1PB1p1P1/P3Q2P/8/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne6 ]
e)
Kosteniuk vs Salomeja Zaksaite, Paris, 1998
4r1k1/1p1r1ppp/p3q3/4bR2/2PpP1Q1/3B4/PP4PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe5 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 7. Kosteniuk vs Antonina Trofimova, Sochi, 1998
1r3r2/8/p6p/1p5k/4B2P/3P2P1/P6K/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Kh3 Rg8 (if Rxf1 g4#) Rc1 Rxg3+ Kxg3 Rg8+ Kh3 ]
b)
White Mates in 3. Kosteniuk vs Irina Zakurdjaeva, Sochi, 1998
2r3rk/Q5pp/5p2/8/4P3/1PR2P2/P3qP1P/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Qxg7+ ]
c)
White Mates in 4. Kosteniuk vs Tina Mietzner, Dresden, 1999
7r/p3R3/BpkP4/2b1P1p1/8/1K2n1B1/P5P1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bb7+ Kb5 a4+ ]
d)
Kosteniuk vs Sergey Kudrin, Port Erin, 1999
2r3k1/p4p1p/1pb3p1/8/nPN5/5pP1/5P1P/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd6 if Rd8 b5 w/Rxa4 or if Rc7 Rdc1 b5 Nxb5 ]
e)
Kosteniuk vs Luben Popov, Wijk aan Zee, 1999
3r1k2/2p2p1Q/4rp2/8/8/1q1P2R1/6PP/4RK2 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe6 Qxe6 Qh6+ w/Re3 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 7. Kosteniuk vs Mersudi Hamzabegovic, Lausanne, 2000
2r3kr/pp1b1p1p/5Rp1/2qPQ3/2P4R/3B4/P5PP/7K w - - 0 1
[ Bxg6 if fxg6 Rxg6+ mates or if hxg6 Rxh8+ mates ]
b)
Kosteniuk vs Evgeny Kulikov, St Petersburg, 2000
r7/8/Pp1pp2p/1P1bkp2/1PB5/5PP1/5K2/2R5 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd5 Kxd5 Rc6 Bb8 Rxb8 ]
c)
White Mates in 3. Kosteniuk vs Anna Ushenina, Minsk, 2001
3r3k/pp4p1/3qQp1p/P1p5/7R/3rN1PP/1B3P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh6+ ]
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