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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)
Black to move and win. Monika Gedvilaite vs Kosteniuk, Baile Herculane, 1994
r1bq1rk1/pp1pnpbp/2n1p1p1/2p5/2B1PP2/2NPBN2/PPP3PP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...d5 ]
b)
Black to move and win. Olga Druzhinina vs Kosteniuk, Volgograd, 1996
r5rk/1bq1bppp/p2p1n2/1p2nP2/3NP3/2NBB1Q1/PPP4P/R5RK b - - 0 1
[ ...b4 if Nd5 Nxd5 exd5 Bxd5+ ]
c)
Black to move and win. Dmitry Svetushkin vs Kosteniuk, Moscow, 1996
3rr2k/pp4pp/8/2N1bp2/2Q2P2/6qP/PP4P1/2R2R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd2 if Rg1 Bxf4 ]
d)
Kosteniuk vs Alexander Riazantsev, Moscow, 1997
2r3k1/p4p1p/2q1p1p1/8/2rR4/7P/P1Q2PP1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc4 if Qxc4 Rd8+ ]
e)
Kosteniuk vs Salomeja Zaksaite, Paris, 1998
4r1k1/1p1r1ppp/p3q3/4bR2/2PpP1Q1/3B4/PP4PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe5 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 6. 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
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 III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Black to move and win. Natalia Kiseleva vs Kosteniuk, Kragujevac, 2000
5rk1/B5pp/4p3/1pN2p2/nb6/6P1/P3PP1P/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ba3 if Rc2 Rc8 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
b)
White Mates in 6. 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 ]
c) White Mates in 3. Kosteniuk vs Anna Ushenina, Minsk, 2001
3r3k/pp4p1/3qQp1p/P1p5/7R/3rN1PP/1B3P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
d)
White Mates in 7. Kosteniuk vs John Bick, Foxwoods, 2003
1r3k2/2q1bb1p/2Bp2p1/3P1QP1/p2B1pR1/2P2P2/P1PK3R/1r6 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf7+ Kxf7 Rxh7+ Kf8 Rh8+ Kf7 Rxf4+ ]
e)
White Mates in 4. Kosteniuk vs Yvette Nagel, Dieren (simul), 2003
4rqk1/1bp2r1p/1p1p2pQ/3P1p2/P1P5/2B3RP/2B3P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg6+ if Qg7 Rxg7+ Kf8 Rxf7+ ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 2. Kosteniuk vs Tatiana Shumiakina, Kazan, 2004
5R2/6k1/3K4/p6r/1p1NB3/1P4r1/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ne6+ ]
b)
Black to move and win. Brian Kelly vs Kosteniuk, England, 2004
3r2k1/8/p3rbpp/PpP5/2b2p2/5P1P/1qBB1QP1/2R1R2K b - - 0 1
[ ...Bd4 if Qh4 g5 Qh5 Rxe1+ ]
c)
Black to move and win. Alisa Galliamova vs Kosteniuk, Kazan, 2004
2r3k1/p4pp1/n2b2p1/3P1q2/Pp1Nr3/1Q4P1/3R1PKP/2BR4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd4 if Rxd4 Rc3 Qb2 Rc2 ]
d)
Black to move and win. Svetlana Matveeva vs Kosteniuk, Samara, 2005
3r1rk1/pp3ppp/2p5/2n1p3/PbNq2b1/2N1B1Q1/1P4PP/2R1KB1R b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxc3+ bxc3 Qd1+ Rxd1 Rxd1+ Kf2 Ne4+ ]
More Russian GMs
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