Tactics in the King's Knight Openings
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Here are some chess puzzles from the Four Knights (ECO C48).
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 w/o 4...Bb4
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)
White mates in 2.
Johannes Zukertort vs Adolf Anderssen, Breslau, 1865
r1b2k1r/ppp1bppp/8/1B1Q4/5q2/2P5/PPP2PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ ]
b)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Alekhine vs Forrester, Glasgow, 1929
r1b1k2r/p1pp1ppp/1p2Pq2/bB6/3Q4/B1P5/P1P2PPP/R3K2R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Bxd7+ if Kd8 Ba4+ Qxd4 e7# ]
c)
White mates in 2.
Posch vs Derr, Vienna, 1958
r1b2rk1/ppppbpp1/7p/4R3/6Qq/2BB4/PPP2PPP/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxg7+ ]
d)
Bohuslav Skacel vs Ivan Achimsky, Brno, 1968
r3qr1k/pp3ppp/2p2n2/2b1pNB1/8/5Q2/PPP2PPP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxg7 if Kxg7 Qxf6+ mates ]
e)
Nikolay Gusev vs A Arakelov, Leningrad, 1970
r1b2rk1/pp2Qppp/2pp1q2/8/8/BP6/P1P2PPP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf8+ Kxf8 Rxd6 if Be6 Rd8# ]
1b)
mate in 3
Alexander Alekhine vs Forrester
Four Knights (C48). Puzzles, Part II.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Liafbern Riemersma vs Patrik Lyrberg, Gausdal, 1993
r4r1k/ppp1Npnp/6p1/4Q3/5P1q/8/PPP2P1P/2KR2R1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxg7+ Kxg7 Nf5+ ]
b)
White mates in 6.
Lenka Hajkova vs Jarmila Koziorkova, Plzen, 1995
r3kb1r/pp1n1p1p/4b1p1/4N3/Qq3B2/2N5/PP3PPP/3RR1K1 w kq - 0 1
[ Qxd7+ Bxd7 Nxd7+ if Kd8 Nxf8+ or if Be7 Nf6+ ]
c)
White mates in 4.
Lauriane Ducasse vs Celine Carenco, France, 1996
r4r1k/pppq1p1p/3p4/5p1Q/2B1Pp2/3P3P/PPn2P1K/R5R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg7 Kxg7 Qg5+ Kh8 Qf6+ ]
d)
Riccardo Ianniello vs Roberto Ludovici, Vitinia, 1996
r3k2r/pppq1ppp/3p4/2bPn3/8/1NP5/PP3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ Nxc5 dxc5 Re1 f6 f4 ]
e)
White mates in 2.
Ronald Bancod vs Richard Forster, Weilburg, 1996
r1b1k2r/1p2bppp/p3q3/1p2p1B1/8/3Q1N2/PPP2PPP/3R1RK1 w kq - 0 1
[ Qd8+ ]
2c)
mate in 4
Lauriane Ducasse vs Celine Carenco
Four Knights (C48). Puzzles, Part II.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Adriano Caldeira vs Rodrigo Valente, Jundiai, 1998
r1b2rk1/pp1p1ppp/2pb4/4q3/8/2PBB1P1/PPP2P1P/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf4 Qd5 Bxd6 if Qxd6 Bxh7+ ]
b)
White mates in 4.
Bart Michiels vs Juhana Siljander, Mureck, 1998
r1b1kb1r/1pp3pp/p1p5/q7/4N3/8/PPP2PPP/R1BQR1K1 w kq - 0 1
[ Nd6+ Kd7 Nf7+ if Bd6 Qg4+ ]
c)
M Ortegel vs M Baur, Pfeddersheim, 1998
r3nrk1/1ppb1pp1/p1np2qp/3Np3/B3P3/P2P1N1P/1PP2PP1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc6 if Bxc6 Ne7+ ]
d)
John Curdo vs James Allan Anderson, Manchester, 1999
r1b2rk1/ppp2ppp/3p4/2bP1n2/4N2q/3B4/PPP3PP/R1BQ1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rf4 if Qe7 Nxc5 dxc5 Bxf5 ]
e)
White mates in 5.
Patrick Le Febvre vs mathieu Tournier, Cannes, 2000
r1b2rk1/ppp1bppp/3pq3/7R/8/2BB4/PPP2PPP/R2Q2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxh7+ Kh8 Bg6+ Kg8 Rh8+ ]
3b)
mate in 4
Bart Michiels vs Juhana Siljander
Four Knights (C48) puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Roman Dzindzichashvili vs Georgy Borisenko, Krasnodar, 1966
r5k1/pp2q1pp/2p5/5rb1/3p1N2/3P2QP/PPP3P1/4RRK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf7 if Ne2 Be3+ or if Re4 Rf8 ]
b)
Anton Afanasiev vs R Kagirov, Prokopjevsk, 1998
r5k1/p2b1ppp/5n2/3pq3/Np6/1B1PQ3/PPPBn1PP/R6K b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng4 if Qxe5 Nf2# ]
c)
Claus Braunschlaeger vs Miroslaw Grabarczyk, Bad Wiessee, 1999
r1b2rk1/1p2bppp/1q3n2/pB1p4/P4B2/3P1Q2/2P1NPPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bg4 if Qe3 Qxe3 or if Qg3 Bxe2 Rfe1 Nh5 Bc7 Qe6 ]
d)
Neslie Dijoux vs Patrick Demery, Reunion, 2004
r7/pppqnp1k/3p2rp/4R3/8/2NQ4/PPP2PPP/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg4 ]
e)
Black mates in 3.
Elton Joseph vs Martyn Del Castilho, Nassau, 2006
r3r1k1/pp3ppp/2p5/3p1b2/B2Q4/2P3Pq/PP3P1P/R1B2RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxf1+ Kxf1 Bh3+ ]
4e)
mate in 3
Elton Joseph vs Martyn Del Castilho
Four Knights (C48) puzzles, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Piotr Sobolewski vs Stanislaw Kolinski, Srem, 2009
r5k1/pp4pp/4p3/1qp1Q2N/3pPBPb/7P/PPr5/R5KR b - - 0 1
[ ...Rg2+ Kxg2 Qe2+ ]
b)
Black mates in 2.
Andre Breuer vs Harald Hicker, Lienz, 2013
3r1qk1/ppp2p1p/2r5/4p1PQ/3nP3/2P4P/bP1N1P2/2KR2R1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxc3+ bxc3 Qa3# ]
c)
Black mates in 2.
Alfredo Capeleti vs Dimmer Mendonca, Porto Velho, 2013
r3r1k1/ppp2ppp/2pb1n2/7q/2Q4N/2NP2Pb/PPP2P1P/R1BR2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxd1+ Nxd1 Re1# ]
d)
Daniel Fernandez Noci vs Alvaro Garcia Bellido, El Rompido, 2014
r2q1rk1/ppp1bppp/2np1n2/1B1Np1B1/4P1b1/3P1N2/PPP2PPP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxd5 exd5 Nd4 Bxe7 Qxe7 Ba4 Nxf3+ gxf3 Bh3 Re1 Qg5+ ]
e)
Rauf Karimov vs Oliver Wartiovaara, Batumi, 2014
r3rbk1/ppp2ppp/2pq4/6B1/3P2b1/2P2N1P/P1P2PP1/R2QR1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxe1+ Qxe1 Bxf3 gxf3 Qg6 f4 h6 ]
5d)
Daniel Fernandez Noci vs Alvaro Garcia Bellido
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