'English Opening' by wtharvey.com
Here are some chess puzzles from the English, Symmetrical, Benoni Formation (ECO A31).
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
White to move and win.
a)
Rag De Graaff vs M Scheeren, Netherlands, 1980
r1bqkb1r/pp2pp1p/2np2p1/3nP1B1/2Np4/5N2/PPP2PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Nxd6+ if Kd7 Nxf7 ]
b)
Lev Gutman vs Francis Meinsohn, Clermont-Ferrand, 1984
1rr3k1/1pq2pp1/p4n1p/4pb2/1Q6/2P1B1P1/P3PPBP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bb6 if Qc4 Rd8+ ]
c)
Hans-Peter Fecht vs Johan Escher, Liechtenstein, 1988
r1bqn2r/pp1pbpkp/2nN2p1/4p1B1/2P5/2N1P3/PP2BPPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 1
[ Bh6+ Kg8 Nxf7 if Kxf7 Qd5+ mates ]
d)
Vitalijus Majorovas vs Smaranda Lupu, Chalon sur Saone, 1991
r1b1k2r/pp2ppbp/2np2p1/2P5/1q6/1N2B1P1/P3PPBP/2RQ1RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ cxd6 if exd6 Rxc6 bxc6 Bxc6+ or if 0-0 d7 ]
e)
P Munster vs A Demeirleir, Huy, 1992
r3kb1r/pp3pp1/2nnp3/q1N2b1p/2p4N/6PP/PPP2PB1/R1BQR1K1 w kq - 0 1
[ Nxb7 if Qc7 Qf3 or if Nxb7 Bxc6+ ]
1b)
Lev Gutman vs Francis Meinsohn
A31 Puzzles, Part II.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
F Grey vs Sabine Schermuly, Weilburg, 1995
r1bqnrk1/1p1p2pp/p1nN4/4pp2/2P1N3/4P3/PP1Q1PPP/R3KB1R w KQ - 0 1
[ Qd5+ Kh8 Nf7+ ]
b)
Jan Wagner vs R Smolensky, USA, 1996
rnbqkb1r/pp3ppp/8/1N1np3/8/8/PP2PPPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Qxd5 Qd5 Nc7+ ]
c)
Caroline Cochet vs Laura Ross, Cannes, 1997
r6r/1pk1ppbp/p1n1b1p1/8/2N5/1N4P1/PP2PP1P/R1BR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf4+ if Kc8 Nb6# ]
d)
White mates in 3.
Le Thanh Tu vs Thi Thanh An Nguyen, Dong Thap, 1997
r2q1rk1/pp3pp1/2n5/3p1b2/2P4R/2B1Q1P1/PP2P3/R3K3 w Q - 0 1
[ Rh8+ Kxh8 Qh6+ ]
e)
Arturo Vidarte Morales vs Josep Cortes Mamblona, Sants, 1999
3r1rk1/p2q2pp/1pnp1n2/3Npb2/2P5/1P2B1P1/P4PBP/2RQ1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxf6+ if gxf6 Qd5+ ]
2e)
Arturo Vidarte Morales vs Josep Cortes Mamblona
A31 Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Valerij Bronznik vs Nicolas Brunner, Val Thorens, 2002
rnQ2b1r/3pkp1p/4pnp1/q2PN3/1p6/8/PP3PPP/R1B1KB1R w KQ - 1 0
[ d6+ Kxd6 Nc4+ ]
b)
Lukasz Cyborowski vs Nikolai Aliavdin, Trzcianka, 2013
r1bqr1k1/1ppnppbp/1n4p1/pP6/2BP4/B3PN2/P2N1PPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 1 0
[ Bxf7+ Kxf7 Ng5+ if Kg8 Ne6 or if Kf6 Nde4+ Kf5 g4# ]
c)
Ratmir Alchakov vs Alena Vorushilo, Armavir, 2014
r1bq1rk1/pppnpp1p/6pb/4P2n/8/2N2N1P/PPP2PPB/R2QKB1R w KQ - 1 0
[ g4 if Ng7 g5 or if Nf4 g5 ]
d)
Josef Neiss vs Witalij Nikitin, Dresden, 1993
2rq1rk1/p2nppbp/1p1pn1p1/3N2B1/2P5/1P2PN2/P4PPP/2RQ1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxg5 Nxg5 e6 ]
e)
D Zigouras vs Konstantinos Prentos, Greece 1994
r1b2rk1/1p1n1ppp/p2b4/3Bq3/3Np3/1Q2P3/PP1B1PPP/R3K2R b KQ - 0 1
[ ...Nc5 if Qc4 b5 ]
3a)
Valerij Bronznik vs Nicolas Brunner
A31 Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Teodor Anton vs A R Saleh Salem, Kemer, 2009
r4rk1/pp4pp/n7/2bPpp2/4n1Pq/2N1P2P/PPQ2PB1/R1B1K2R b KQ - 0 1
[ ...Nb4 Qe2 Nd3+ Qxd3 Qxf2+ Kd1 Qxg2 ]
b)
Georgiy Vyalov vs Darya Gorovenko, Astrakhan, 2013
3rk2r/ppq2ppp/1nn1b3/1P2p3/8/4P3/PBN1QPPP/2R1KB1R b Kk - 0 1
[ ...Na4 if Nb4 Qa5 or if Ba1 Qa5+ ]
c)
Paul Sike vs Nicholas Kordahi, Cammeray, 2015
rnb1k2r/pp1pppbp/1q4p1/8/3N3B/PPn1P2P/2PN1PP1/R1Q1KB1R b KQkq - 0 1
[ ...Bxd4 exd4 Qe6+ ]
d)
Robert Fischer vs Kapil Chandran, Greensboro, 2015
r3kb1r/pbQppppp/1p6/2n5/2Pn4/8/PP3PPP/R1B1KB1R b KQkq - 0 1
[ ...d6 if Be3 Nde6 ]
e)
Elefteris Vlachopulos vs Tadeas Balacek, Valasska Bystrice, 2015
3rk2r/pp2bppp/8/3bp3/3n4/P3P3/1P1B1PPP/R1NK1B1R b k - 0 1
[ ...Bb3+ if Nxb3 Nxb3 or if Ke1 Nc2+ ]
a)
Soren Obando Guzman vs Cristhian Barros Rivadeneira, Guatape, 2016
n1bq1rk1/4ppbp/p2p2p1/2pP4/4NB2/4N3/Pr3PPP/R1Q1KB1R b KQ - 0 1
[ ...Qa5+ if Kd1 Qa4+ Nc2 Qxe4 or if Nd2 Rxd2 Qxd2 Bc3 ]
4c)
Paul Sike vs Nicholas Kordahi
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