Tactics in the B40s Sicilian

Here are some chess puzzles from the Sicilian, Kan (ECO B42).



1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3


Download the B42 Opening Database.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
White to move and win except where noted.

a)
Ricardo Calvo Minguez vs Viktor Korchnoi, Habana, 1966
r1b1k2r/b2pnppp/p1n1q3/2p5/2N1P3/1N4P1/PP2B2P/R1BQ1RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ Nd6+ if Kf8 Bc4 Qh3 Rxf7+ mates or if Kd8 Bc4 Qh3 Nxf7+ ]

b)
Eddy Hartmans vs Regis Hoffmann, Europe, 1978
rn3rk1/bbq2ppp/pp3n2/4p3/P3P3/1NNBB3/1PP1Q1PP/R4R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6 if gxf6 Bh6 ]

c)
Kari Tikkanen vs Esko Salomaki, corr., 1982
2b1k2r/3p1ppp/4pn2/qB2Q3/1b3B2/2N5/1PP2PPP/5RK1 w k - 0 1
[ Qb8 if 0-0 Bc7 or if Kd8 Be3 ]

d)
Petar Popovic vs Philipp Schlosser, Brno, 1992
r1b1k2r/bp1pnppp/p3p1q1/4n1B1/4P2Q/1NNB4/PPP2PPP/R4RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ Be2 w/Bh5 ]

e)
Inna Gaponenko vs Irina Zak, Hradec Kralove, 1992
r1b2rk1/1p1q1pbp/p5p1/3N4/8/1B2R3/PP3PPP/2RQ2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc8 Raxc8 Ne7+ ]

f)
Nikolaos Panagopoulos vs Bozidar Pintar, Wuerzburg, 1992
r2qkb1r/1b1n1pp1/pp2p2p/3Np3/Q1PN1P2/3B4/PP4PP/R3R1K1 w kq - 0 1
[ Nxe6 if fxe6 Bg6# or if Qc8 Ndc7+ ]

1b)
Eddy Hartmans vs Regis Hoffmann

Sicilian, Kan (B42) puzzles, pt. ii.
a)
Snezana Micic vs Constanze Jahn, Athens, 1997
r3k2r/1p3ppp/p1pb1qn1/4p3/P1B1P3/4B1Pb/1PP2P1P/RN1QR1K1 w kq - 0 1
[ Qh5 if Bd7 Bg5 ]

b)
Daniel Carlsson vs Erling Mortensen, Copenhagen, 1998
rnbqkb1r/1p1n3p/p3p1p1/3pP2Q/8/3B4/PPPN1PPP/R1B1K2R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Bxg6+ hxg6 Qxg6+ Ke7 Nc4 w/Bg5+ ]

c)
Lajos Nadasi vs Lajos Kovacs, Hungary, 2000
r1b2rk1/2q1bppp/p3pn2/6B1/8/2NB4/PP2QPPP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf6 if Bxf6 Qe4 or if gxf6 Bxh7+ Kg7 Qg4+ Kh8 Rd3 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Viktor Laznicka vs Pavel Rozumek, Czech Republic, 2001
rn3rk1/2qp2pp/p3P3/1p1b4/3b4/3B4/PPP1Q1PP/R1B2R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxh7+ Kxh7 Qh5+ Kg8 Rxf8+ ]

e)
Jean-Pierre Le Roux vs Simon Kuemin, Patras, 2001
r1b2rk1/1pq3pp/p1p2p2/4n3/8/2NB2Q1/PPP3PP/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ Bc4+ if Kh8 Qxe5 ]

f)
Olle Algars vs Sampsa Nyysti, Stockholm, 2001
rnb1k2r/1p1p1ppp/p3pn2/2b5/3NP3/2PBB3/Pq3PPP/RN1Q1RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ Nb3 if Bxe3 fxe3 Nc6 Rf2 ]

2a)
Snezana Micic vs Constanze Jahn

Sicilian, Kan (B42) puzzles, pt. iii.
a)
Edson Kenji Tsuboi vs Axel Bachmann, Sao Paulo, 2004
r2qk2r/2bbnppp/8/pB2p3/1p2P3/NP3Q2/2P2PPP/R1B2RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ Rd1 if bxa3 Rxd7 Qb8 Bxa3 ]

b)
Peter Kuehn vs Eckhard Schwarz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 2007
r1b2rk1/4qppp/p3pn2/1p6/4N3/3B4/PPP1QPPP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxf6 if Qxf6 Qe4 ]

c)
John Murray vs John Loughran, Dublin, 2007
r1b1k2r/bpq1nppp/p7/2pPp3/8/1N1BB3/PP3PPP/R2Q1RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ d6 if Qxd6 Bb5+ ]

d)
Alexey Khruschiov vs Shamil Arslanov, Moscow, 2008
r1bq1r1k/b4pp1/p2p1n1p/1p3pB1/4P2Q/1NNP4/PP4PP/R4R1K w - - 0 1
[ Nd5 ]

e)
Alexei Shirov vs Sergey Fedorchuk, Khanty Mansyisk, 2009
r1bqk2r/1p2nppp/p1n1pb2/3p4/2N1P3/1NPBB3/PP3PPP/R2QK2R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Bb6 if Qd7 Nc5 ]

f)
Leonel Figueredo Losada vs Abigail Romero Echeverria, Habana, 2010
r1bqr1k1/5ppp/p1n1p1n1/1pB1b2Q/8/1NNB4/PPP3PP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg6 ]

3b)
Peter Kuehn vs Eckhard Schwarz

Sicilian, Kan (B42) puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Thorsten Burkhard vs Volker Hubig, St. Ingbert, 1988
r2qk2r/1b1nbppp/p2ppn2/1p4B1/3NPP2/P1NB4/1PP3PP/R2Q1RK1 b kq - 0 1
[ ...Qb6 Be2 e5 fxe5 dxe5 Kh1 exd4 ]

b)
Alberto Laurencena vs Julio Perez Cascella, Rosario, 1992
r1bqk2r/1p3pp1/p1p5/2b1pP1p/2P1P1n1/3B4/PP2Q1PP/R1BN1R1K b kq - 0 1
[ ...Nxh2 if Kxh2 Qh4# or if Re1 Nf1 Nf2 Ng3+ ]

c)
Alija Muratovic vs Dragan Solak, Kladovo, 1996
r1b1k2r/1p2qp2/p1p5/2b1p1pn/4P2p/2NB1P2/PPP1QBPP/R3R2K b kq - 0 1
[ ...Ng3+ if Bxg3 hxg3 h3 Bxh3 gxh3 Qe6 or if hxg3 hxg3+ Kg1 gxf2+ ]

d)
Robert Agar vs Frank Scherfke, corr., 1997
r3k1r1/3p1p1p/p1b1p3/4b3/7q/1Pp1B1P1/P1P2P1P/R2QRBK1 b q - 0 1
[ ...Bxg3 if fxg3 Rxg3+ mates or if Bg2 Bxf2+ Kf1 Bxg2+ ]

e)
P Schunselaar vs M Montenegro, Vlissingen, 1998
2rqkb1r/1b1n1ppp/p2ppn2/1p6/1P1NPP2/2NB4/P1PB2PP/R2Q1RK1 b k - 0 1
[ ...Qb6 if Be3 Rxc3 or if Nce2 e5 fxe5 dxe5 ]

4a)
Thorsten Burkhard vs Volker Hubig

Sicilian, Kan (B42) puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Javier Medina vs Marcos Antonio Sustach, Arequipa, 2002
r3k2r/1b1p1pp1/p1q1pn2/1p5p/3bPP2/1P1B1Q2/PBPN2PP/1R3R1K b kq - 0 1
[ ...Bxb2 Rxb2 Qc3 ]

b)
Maria Demidowicz vs Michal Pazdziora, Rewal, 2006
r3kb1r/1bq2pp1/pp1p3p/2n1pPB1/2P1P1n1/2NB1N1P/PP4P1/2RQ1RK1 b kq - 0 1
[ ...Nxd3 if hxg4 Qc5+ or if Qxd3 Qc5+ Kh1 hxg5 ]

c)
Seregey Vertkin vs Alexander Stripunsky, Foxwoods, 2007
r3k2r/1b1p1pp1/ppq1pn2/2b4p/2P1PP2/1PNQ2NP/P5PK/R1B1R3 b kq - 0 1
[ ...Ng4+ if hxg4 hxg4+ Nh5 Bf2 or if Kh1 Nf2+ ]

d)
Rafael Pacheco Bubi vs Francesc Ruiz Manchon, Barcelona, 2007
r1b1r1k1/1pq2pb1/p2p1np1/8/3N4/3PB3/PP1N1QPP/4RRK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng4 if Qf3 Rxe3 Rxe3 Bxd4 or if Qf4 Bh6 ]

e)
Stefan Lupor vs Florian Mayr, Bad Wiessee, 2008
r4rk1/1b1pQ1pp/ppq5/5p2/2Pb1P2/2NB1R2/PP1B2PP/3R3K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxf3 ]

5a)
Javier Medina vs Marcos Antonio Sustach

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