'Tactics in the Sicilian' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Oscar Castro
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 6.
Oscar Castro vs Miguel Cuellar Gacharna, Bogota, 1970
3k1b1r/6p1/pq1BQ2p/1p6/3N4/2r5/PnP3KP/3R1R2 w - - 1 0
[ Bc7+ Kxc7 Rf7+ Be7 Rxe7+ Kb8 Qxb6+ ]

b)
Oscar Castro vs Angel De La Casa, Nice, 1974
r4k1r/1b1p1pp1/1pnq3p/3p1Q2/1p1P4/P4N2/5PPP/R1B1R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bf4 Qf6 Qxd7 Qxf4 Qxb7 ]

c)
Oscar Castro vs Jose Ortega Ruiz, Costa Brava, 1976
r2q3r/pp1bppk1/n4npb/1N1pN2p/3P1B1P/2P5/PP1Q1PP1/R3KB1R w KQ - 1 0
[ Bxh6+ Rxh6 Qxh6+ Kxh6 Nxf7+ ]

d)
Oscar Castro vs Gerardo Lebredo, Lublin, 1977
3rq2k/p1b4p/1p2b3/2p2rp1/5BQ1/P1P3P1/1P5P/R3RBK1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxf5 Bxf5 Rxe8+ Rxe8 Bxc7 ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Oscar Castro vs M Parrado, Osuna, 1991
1rbq1r2/6kn/p2p2p1/2p1p1Q1/4P2P/2PP2N1/P4RB1/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Nh5+ Kh8 Rxf8+ Qxf8 Rxf8+ Nxf8 Qf6+ ]

1c)
Oscar Castro vs Jose Ortega Ruiz

Oscar Castro puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Oscar Castro vs Jan Hansen, Manila, 1992
5r1b/1q2Np2/pp1r1P1k/2p2Q1P/7p/2P2R2/1P6/6RK w - - 1 0
[ Rg6+ if Kh7 Rg7+ ]

b)
Black mates in 7.
Jaime Diaz vs Oscar Castro, Merida, 1992
2b3k1/2p2rp1/7r/2Q1p3/1P1pq3/8/P1P2PPP/4RRK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxg2+ Kxg2 Rg6+ Kh1 Bb7+ f3 Rxf3 Rf2 Rxf2+ ]

c)
Oscar Castro vs Alejandro Rios, Manizales, 1999
4kn1r/2bN2pn/pp2p1p1/4N3/3PQ3/1q5P/1P3BK1/7R w k - 1 0
[ Nxf8 if Nxf8 Qc6+ Kd8 Nf7+ or if Rxf8 Qc6+ Ke7 Bh4+ mates ]

d)
Oscar Castro vs Jaime Alexander Cuartas, Fusagasuga, 1999
3r1r2/p2kqP1p/1p2p1p1/4Q3/3PN3/3P4/P5PP/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ d5 if exd5 Nf6+ or if Rxf7 dxe6+ Qxe6 Qxe6+ Kxe6 Ng5+ ]

e)
Oscar Castro vs Francisco Hernandez Basante, Guayaquil, 2005
1rbqk2r/p3np1p/2npp1p1/2p5/4PP2/R2PNNP1/1bP3BP/2BQ1RK1 w k - 1 0
[ Bxb2 if Rxb2 Qa1 Qb6 Nc4 ]

f)
Black mates in 2.
Milena Herrera vs Oscar Castro, Medellin, 2010
6k1/1b2p3/p1qpP2p/1p2b3/8/P4N1P/2P1nBP1/R4R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxf3 ]

g)
Luis Rapouso Ricardo vs Oscar Castro, Praia da Pipa, 2014
1r4rk/p4Qpp/4Nn2/3q4/3P1p2/5P2/PP4P1/R3R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rb7 if Re5 Rxf7 ]

2e)
Oscar Castro vs Francisco Hernandez Basante


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