'Tactics in the Najdorf'



Here are some chess puzzles from the Sicilian, Najdorf (ECO B90).



1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6



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)
Robert Fischer vs Kate Sillars, Cicero, 1964
r2r4/1p2kppp/p1n1b3/b3p3/4N1P1/P3B2P/1PP2PB1/2KR3R w - - 0 1
[ Bc5+ Ke8 Nd6+ if Kf8 Nxb7+ ]

b)
A Hentati vs M Soussi, Lugano, 1968
2rr2k1/1pqbbppp/p2pp3/n2nP3/P4P2/2N1BN1P/1PP1B1P1/3RQRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd5 if exd5 Nxd5 Qxc2 Nxe7+ ]

c)
Arne Vinje-Gulbrandsen vs Rodolfo Araujo, Ybbs, 1968
r1bqkb1r/4pp1p/p1p2np1/4p3/2B5/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ Bxf7+ Kxf7 Qxd8 ]

d)
Mauro Scacco vs Grandi, Italy, 1975
r4rk1/3bqppp/p7/1p2p3/4N3/5Q1P/PPP2P2/2KR3R w - - 0 1
[ Rxd7 Qxd7 Nf6+ if gxf6 Rg1+ mates ]

e)
Deen Hergott vs Carlos Alejandro Martinez, Copenhagen, 1982
2r2r1k/1p2b1pp/p1np1n2/4p3/P1B1P1q1/2N1B3/1PP1Q1PP/3R1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6 if Qxe2 Rxf8+ ]

1a)
Robert Fischer vs Kate Sillars

Sicilian, Najdorf (B90) puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Konstantin Aseev vs Alvis Vitolins, Borzhomi, 1984
r1b1k3/3n1pb1/3pp3/q3P3/pp1NPQpB/8/1PP3P1/R3KB2 w Qq - 0 1
[ Qg5 if Kf8 or Bf8 Rxa4 Qxa4 Qd8# ]

b)
Jens Kristiansen vs Daniel King, Copenhagen, 1984
r3r1k1/1q2bppp/p2p1n2/2nP4/8/P3B1N1/2P1BQPP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc5 if dxc5 d6 Bd8 Bf3 Ne4 Bxe4 Rxe4 Qxe4 Qxf7+ mates ]

c)
Ralf Lau vs Jean-Pierre Boudre, Bad Lauterberg, 1986
2r2nkr/1bq1b1p1/pp2p3/3p2N1/P3P1Q1/2N1B3/1PP4P/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf8+ if Kxf8 Nxe6+ or if Bxf8 Qxe6+ ]

d)
White mates in 8.
P Knick vs H Fuchs, Germany, 1988
r1b1kr2/1p2bpQp/4p3/8/p5P1/1N1RBP2/qPP4P/2KR4 w q - 0 1
[ Bc5 if Bxc5 Rd8+ or if Bd7 Bxe7 Kxe7 Rxd7+ ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Dan Lee vs George Trammell, USA, 1995
r4kr1/1p2Rp2/p2p4/3N1Ppp/3Q4/5P2/qnP2BPP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf7+ if Kxf7 Qf6+ or if Ke8 Qe4+ ]

2b)
Jens Kristiansen vs Daniel King

Sicilian, Najdorf (B90) puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 2.
Alyona Goreskul vs Elli Sperdokli, Rimavska Sobota, 1996
2r2k1r/1pbR1p1p/p1n3p1/4p1B1/4N1P1/7P/PPP2P2/2K4R w - - 1 0
[ Bh6+ w/Nf6# ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Manuel Schuster vs Andreas Bertram, Germany, 1997
1rbq3r/3kbpNp/ppnp1n2/3Np3/P3P3/4BB2/1PP2PPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 1 0
[ Bg4+ if Nxg4 Qxg4+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Francisco Sanz Alonso vs Jesus Baena, Cala Galdana, 1999
r6r/1bq1bpp1/p1nppP1k/6N1/8/3Q4/PPPp1PPP/4RR1K w - - 1 0
[ Nxf7+ Kh5 g4+ Kxg4 Qg3+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Ray Robson vs Todd Andrews, Washington, 2008
5rk1/3R1ppp/p2Q4/3B1P2/4N1P1/7P/1qr2P1K/8 w - - 1 0
[ Bxf7+ if Rxf7 Rd8+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
F Hlavsa vs Ivo Buzek, Tibor, 2009
r3kb1r/1pnq2pp/3pN3/p2Pp3/8/5Q2/PPP3PP/R1B2RK1 w kq - 1 0
[ Qxf8+ Rxf8 Rxf8+ Ke7 Bg5# ]

The Sicilian Scheveningen: 641 Puzzles



Sicilian, Najdorf (B90) puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 5.
Simon Frangez vs Andrej Grilc, Slovenia, 1992
r4rk1/1bq2ppp/p2bp3/P6n/4P3/2N2P1P/2PBB1P1/R2QR1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bc5+ if Kh1 Ng3+ Kh2 Nf1+ or if Kf1 Ng3# ]

b)
Black mates in 2.
Balazs Hajdu vs Tibor Farkas, Hungary, 1998
2r2rk1/1b3pp1/ppq1pn2/7p/P1PQ1P1P/1P4PB/5B1K/R3R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng4+ ]

c)
Black mates in 2.
Ondrej Mraz vs Tibor Antal, Mureck, 2008
rn1qk2r/1p3ppp/p3bb2/4p3/3pP3/1NN2P2/PPPB3P/R2QKB1R b KQkq - 0 1
[ ...Bh4+ Ke2 Bc4# ]

d)
Black mates in 5.
Alexey Shalin vs Leonid Nozdrachev, Kaluga, 2013
r4rk1/4bppp/2qpbnP1/4p1BP/1p2P3/p7/PPPNB2Q/1K1R3R b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxa2+ Kxa2 Qxc2 if Nc4 b3+ or if Rb1 axb2+ ]

e)
Black mates in 4.
Mats Beeck vs Max Mueller, Hannover, 2013
2r3k1/1p2b1pp/3pb3/p3p1Pn/Pn6/1qN1BQ2/1P1R3P/K4B1R b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxa4+ if Nxa4 Rc1# or if Kb1 Qa2+ Nxa2 Bxa2+ ]

Tactics in the King's Indian



Sicilian, Najdorf (B90) puzzles, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 5.
Jose Eustaquio Osorio vs Yago De Moura Santiago, Vitoria, 2014
r1b4r/1p1k1p2/p2Np3/4n3/P3Pnpq/5N2/1PP2PB1/R2QR1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxf3+ Bxf3 Qh2+ Kf1 Qh1+ ]

b)
Black mates in 5.
Zrinka Deur vs Kleanthis Vafiadis, Chalkidiki, 2015
1r3rk1/4qppp/p2p4/8/2n5/2pB2B1/P1P1Q1PP/K2R3R b - - 0 1
[ ...Qb7 Rb1 Qb2+ Rxb2 cxb2+ ]

c)
Black mates in 4.
Eelke De Boer vs Max Warmerdam, Vlissingen, 2015
4k2r/1p2bppp/p2p1n2/4pP2/1n2P3/1PP1B2P/q1P1Q1P1/2KR1B1R b k - 0 1
[ ...Nxe4 ]

d)
Black mates in 4.
Richard Vedder vs Geert Van Der Stricht, Netherlands, 2016
r1r3k1/4bppp/3pq3/4p3/b2N1n2/3B1P2/PP1Q1BPP/K2R3R b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxa2+ Kxa2 Bc2+ ]

e)
Black mates in 3.
Ricardo Pedro Dias vs Helio Sousa, Lisbon, 2017
r5k1/4bppp/pN1p4/3rp3/1p4P1/5P2/PPP4P/2K2B1R b - - 0 1
[ ...Bg5+ ]

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