King-pawn Opening Series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Jonathan Speelman.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.

a)
White mates in 4.
Jonathan Speelman vs Anthony Miles, England, 1975
3r1r2/pb3p1k/1p2p1p1/2p1P1Q1/3PpRp1/2P5/PP1q2PP/5R1K w - - 1 0
[ Rxf7+ ]

b)
White mates in 2.
Jonathan Speelman vs Victor Knox, Morecambe, 1975
1q2r2k/p5Rp/2n1N3/1p3ppP/3p1N2/P6R/1P3PP1/3K1B2 w - - 1 0
[ Ng6+ ]

c)
Jonathan Speelman vs Eamon Keogh, Amsterdam, 1978
r6r/pp1kb1pp/2n5/1N2ppB1/8/8/PPP2PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rad1+ if Kc8 Bxe7 Nxe7 Rxe5 or if Ke8 Nc7+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Jonathan Speelman vs Joaquim Durao, London, 1978
r6k/bp2QPpp/p2p2bn/2pP2N1/1nB5/7P/2q2PP1/1NB1R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qe8+ Rxe8 Rxe8+ ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Jonathan Speelman vs John Peters, Hastings, 1979
1rn2rk1/ppq1pp1p/7Q/P2B2p1/7R/2N3P1/1Pb2P2/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Be4 if Bxe4 Rexe4 ]

1e)
mate in 5
Jonathan Speelman vs John Peters

Jonathan Speelman Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Jonathan Speelman vs Nigel Short, London, 1980
5rk1/Q2R2pp/1r2pp2/2b5/4PPq1/5N2/5P1P/4RK2 w - - 1 0
[ Ng5 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Jonathan Speelman vs Daniel King, Brighton, 1984
3R2R1/2r1kp1p/r3p1p1/p3N3/n4P2/2P1PKPP/8/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rge8+ Kf6 Ng4+ ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Jonathan Speelman vs Sergey Kudrin, Hastings, 1984
r3nrk1/pb1p1pp1/1p2pq2/2nP3R/2P5/2N3P1/PPB1QP2/3RK3 w - - 1 0
[ Bh7+ Kh8 Bg6+ Kg8 Rh8+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Jonathan Speelman vs Leonid Yudasin, Leningrad, 1984
2r1r1k1/p3Bppp/1p6/4R3/2q3Q1/8/P4PP1/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bf6 ]

e)
Jonathan Speelman Dan Barbulescu, Dubai, 1986
3rkn2/pp3r2/8/4Pp1Q/2q5/2P3R1/P4PPP/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ e6 Nxe6 Rg8+ Ke7 Rxd8 ]

2c)
mate in 5
Jonathan Speelman vs Sergey Kudrin

Jonathan Speelman Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Jonathan Speelman vs Julian Hodgson, New York, 1990
2bq1rk1/p3r2p/1p2ppp1/3n4/2BPN3/P5P1/1P2QPP1/2R1R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bxd5 if exd5 Nxf6+ or if Qxd5 Rxc8 ]

b)
Jonathan Speelman vs Alon Greenfeld, Tilburg, 1992
2q1r1k1/3Rbppp/pp6/5Qn1/7P/PP4P1/1B3P2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxe7 ]

c)
Jonathan Speelman vs Ilya Gurevich, Hastings, 1993
r1b2k2/p3q1bp/np1N2p1/2n1p3/8/Q3P1BP/PP3PP1/2R2RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxc8 Rxc8 b4 ]

d)
Jonathan Speelman vs Markus Stangl, Altensteig, 1994
4kr2/1p1r3Q/2p1pp2/8/p6R/PqN4P/1P3PP1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qg6+ Kd8 Rb4 ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Jonathan Speelman vs Charles Cobb, Hove, 1997
6rk/pb3Rpp/np1pB2B/2pPp3/1PP5/6P1/P1Q3KP/4q3 w - - 1 0
[ Bxg7+ Rxg7 Rf8+ ]

f)
White mates in 2.
Jonathan Speelman vs Dirk Poldauf, Germany, 1998
r4rk1/4q3/p3n2Q/1p1b4/P3pp2/7R/1P4P1/3B1NK1 w - - 1 0
[ Qh8+ ]

3c)
Jonathan Speelman vs Ilya Gurevich


More English GMs

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