"Tactics in the Queen's Gambit" by wtharvey.com



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Valentina Gunina.
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)
Odd Mikalsen vs Valentina Gunina, Kalottumeringen, 1999
4rrk1/ppp2ppp/2qb4/5Q2/3P1n2/4NN2/PP3PPP/2R1R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne2+ ]

b)
Valentina Gunina vs Tamara Chistiakova, Toljatti, 2000
3r3k/1p4pp/p7/5p2/3n4/P3QP1P/BP3P1q/2R1K3 w - - 0 1
[ Qxd4 ]

c)
Valentina Gunina vs Denis Safonchikov, Vadso, 2000
6k1/5pb1/pq6/1p2r1Rp/3N4/2P5/PP3QP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7+ if Kxg7 Nf5+ ]

d)
Lija Kucherenko vs Valentina Gunina, Toljatti, 2000
8/1p1b4/3P4/2N5/2PR1k2/5p2/4r3/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Kg3 if Ne4+ Rxe4 or if Rd1 Bc6 ]

e)
Black mates in 5.
Laura Ross vs Valentina Gunina, Heraklio, 2002
7k/1b4b1/pQ1p2pp/3q1p2/p2P2r1/8/1P1B1PPP/2R2B1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxg2+ Bxg2 Bxg2+ Kg1 Be4+ ]

1e)
mate in 5
Laura Ross vs Valentina Gunina

Valentina Gunina Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 4.
Maria Sarquis vs Valentina Gunina, Heraklio, 2004
1k2r3/7p/1p6/2p1r1nP/p1Pp1Np1/3K2P1/PPR2P2/2R5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re3+ fxe3 Rxe3+ Kd2 Nf3+ ]

b)
Elizaveta Bronnikova vs Valentina Gunina, Samara, 2005
1k6/2b5/p3q3/1p6/7P/P1P5/1P3QR1/3r1N1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf1+ Qxf1 Qh3+ Kg1 Bb6+ ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Valentina Gunina vs Anna Muzychuk, Gaziantep, 2012
5k2/p4p2/4b2p/4N1pN/P7/4K3/1r5P/3R4 w - - 1 0
[ Rd8+ ]

d)
Valentina Gunina vs Bela Khotenashvili, Batumi, 2012
2r1r1k1/1pq2pb1/b5pp/2nBp3/4P3/PQ2BNPP/1R3P1K/3R4 w - - 1 0
[ Bxc5 Qxc5 Bxf7+ ]

e)
Valentina Gunina vs Qian Huang, St. Petersburg, 2012
6k1/1p1Rrp1p/p1p1n1p1/2P3q1/1P6/2Q5/P4PP1/5BK1 w - - 1 0
[ f4 ]

2b)
Elizaveta Bronnikova vs Valentina Gunina

Valentina Gunina Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Valentina Gunina vs Eesha Karavade, Istanbul, 2012
2N3k1/6pp/p3pp2/P2n4/1rR1P3/6P1/5P1P/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rc1 ]

b)
Zoja Severiukhina vs Valentina Gunina, Sochi, 2012
2r3k1/1p1n1pp1/p5p1/1q2B3/3p2QP/8/PPP2PP1/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...f5 ]

c)
Black mates in 6.
Kateryna Lahno vs Valentina Gunina, Batumi, 2012
3r2k1/6pp/8/2Nq1p2/1P6/6Q1/4p1PP/r3R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qd4+ if Kh8 Qf4 ]

d)
Jilin Zhang vs Valentina Gunina, Hangzhou, 2012
2rqr1k1/1p3ppp/5n2/p1nPp3/3b3N/PP3NPP/R1Q2PB1/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nce4 if Qb1 Nc3 or if Qd3 Nxf2 Rxf2 Bxf2+ Kxf2 e4 ]

e)
Masha Klinova vs Valentina Gunina, Eilat, 2012
6k1/p4p1p/1p4pb/4P3/P7/3Q3P/1B2nPPK/5r2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bf4+ g3 Rxf2+ Kh1 Bxg3 if Qd8+ Kg7 e6+ f6 ]

3e)
Masha Klinova vs Valentina Gunina

Valentina Gunina Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Doudou Wang vs Valentina Gunina, Hangzhou, 2012
6k1/1p3pp1/p3q2p/3p1b2/3P4/BPb5/P1r2PPP/2RQ1BK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd2 if Qh5 Bxd4 or if Qe1 Qxe1 Rxe1 Bxd4 ]

b)
Valentina Gunina vs Wenjun Ju, Astana, 2013
3Rr1k1/pp1nr2p/2p1bRpB/4n3/1qP1P3/2N5/P2QB1PP/7K w - - 1 0
[ Nd5 if Qxd2 Nxe7+ mates or if Qc5 Qa5 ]

c)
Valentina Gunina vs Baira Kovanova, Nizhnij Novgorod, 2013
6k1/p4q2/3R3p/6p1/1pQ5/4rPP1/P6P/5K2 w - - 1 0
[ Rd8+ Kg7 Qd4+ Qf6 Rd7+ ]

d)
Valentina Gunina vs Inna Gaponenko, Rhodes, 2013
3kr3/2p2R1p/4B3/5b2/8/B7/4K2P/b7 w - - 1 0
[ Rd7+ Kc8 Re7+ Kd8 Rxe8+ ]

e)
Valentina Gunina vs Julia Novkovic, Rhodes, 2013
1rb4k/1p2n3/p2p2pb/3PpP2/4P2q/4Q3/PP2NN2/2R1KB2 w - - 1 0
[ Qa7 Bxc1 Nxc1 ]

4c)
Valentina Gunina vs Baira Kovanova

Valentina Gunina Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Valentina Gunina vs Eva Kulovana, Warsaw, 2013
5R1Q/5r2/p1r1k1p1/1p3p2/1Pq5/4PP2/n5PP/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf7 if Kxf7 Rd7+ ]

b)
Valentina Gunina vs Alexandra Kosteniuk, Beijing, 2013
r4bk1/5p2/2q1b2p/pp4pB/1P1Qp3/P3P1BP/5PPK/3R4 w - - 1 0
[ Qf6 if Qb7 Be5 or if Bg7 Bxf7+ ]

c)
Valentina Gunina vs Antoaneta Stefanova, Beijing, 2013
2k5/1pP2pp1/p1n1p3/3r4/1P3B1P/4Q1PK/q7/2R5 w - - 1 0
[ Rxc6 if bxc6 Qa7 mates ]

d)
Valentina Gunina vs Pia Cramling, Beijing, 2013
3r2k1/1brn1p1p/pN1q2p1/P1pP4/1p3P2/1P4PP/5QB1/3RR1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nc4 Qf6 d6 ]

e)
Black mates in 3.
Anastasia Bodnaruk vs Valentina Gunina, Nizhnij Novgorod, 2013
1r4k1/2PQ1ppp/1b2p3/3b4/5P2/8/r5PP/2R2K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxg2+ Ke1 Bf2+ ]

5e)
mate in 3
Anastasia Bodnaruk vs Valentina Gunina

Valentina Gunina Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Kateryna Lahno vs Valentina Gunina, Beijing, 2013
4B3/r4p2/2p5/2k1pN2/1p1pP3/3P4/2P1nP2/RKb5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nc3+ ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Valentina Gunina vs Vlada Sviridova, Khanty Mansyisk, 2014
r6R/4k3/r3B1p1/3PB2p/8/6P1/5PKP/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rh7+ if Ke8 d6 ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Valentina Gunina vs Lela Javakhishvili, Plovdiv, 2014
2rRR3/5pk1/1n4p1/p5P1/1r1N4/5P2/4PK2/8 w - - 1 0
[ Ne6+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Valentina Gunina vs Irina Len, Bilbao, 2014
5nk1/pp3Npp/8/4r2n/3r4/1P1B4/b4RPP/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ ...Nh6+ ]

e)
Black mates in 3.
Tadeas Kriebel vs Valentina Gunina, Novy Bor, 2015
2k2r2/ppqn4/4p2p/2p1P2P/Q2pKP2/3B3b/PPP3rN/2R2R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf4+ if Rxf4 or Kxf4 Qxe5+ ]

6b)
mate in 4
Valentina Gunina vs Vlada Sviridova

Valentina Gunina Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Valentina Gunina vs Sopio Gvetadze, Rome, 2015
1rr3k1/2QN1p2/6p1/3P2P1/2P2B2/4PPK1/4q3/7R w - - 1 0
[ Nf6+ Kf8 Qd6+ Kg7 Rh7# ]

b)
Black mates in 3.
Sabina-Francesca Foisor vs Valentina Gunina, Rome, 2015
8/p2b1kp1/5p2/N1Np4/1P1P2qp/P2Q4/5PPK/4r3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf4+ if Qg3 hxg3+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Valentina Gunina vs Zhansaya Abdumalik, Chengdu, 2015
1r2rk2/p1Q1Np1p/6p1/2P1b1N1/6n1/1P1RB3/P3KP1P/q7 w - - 1 0
[ Nxg6+ if Kg7 Qxf7+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Valentina Gunina vs Ayah Moaataz, Chengdu, 2015
5rk1/p5r1/2p1R2p/1p1q1B1Q/7P/5NP1/5P1K/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxh6 if Rh7 Bxh7+ or if Rg4 Rh8+ ]

e)
Valentina Gunina vs Irina Krush, Huai'an, 2016
r2r2k1/1p4pp/5p2/p2p4/2n3P1/1B6/P4RPP/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxd5 if Rxd5 Bxc4 Rad8 Rf5 or if Rdc8 Rc2 b5 Rxb5 ]

7a)
mate in 3
Valentina Gunina vs Sopio Gvetadze

Valentina Gunina Puzzles, Part VIII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Valentina Gunina vs Tingjie Lei, Moscow, 2016
3R4/1pr1rkpp/p4q2/5p2/5P2/P3R2P/1P4PK/3Q4 w - - 1 0
[ Qd5+ Re6 Rxe6 Qxe6 Rf8+ ]

b)
Valentina Gunina vs Nana Dzagnidze, Huai'an, 2016
1r2r3/5k2/1q1pp2p/p1p2p2/P1P2P2/1P3QPP/2nNR3/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qh5+ if Kg7 Rxe6 mates ]

c)
Valentina Gunina vs Antoaneta Stefanova, Hancheng, 2016
5rk1/pQ2Rp1p/1p4pB/8/3q2nP/2r5/P4PP1/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf7 if Nxh6 Rxf8+ Kxf8 Qe7+ or if Rxf7 Re8+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Valentina Gunina vs Anna Ushenina, Hersonissos, 2017
4r3/1r2BpkP/6p1/p1P2bN1/1q1p3Q/7P/P4P2/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Bf6+ Kxf6 2.Ne6+ g5 3.Qxg5# ]

e)
White mates in 2.
Valentina Gunina vs Marie Sebag, Saint Louis, 2019
r3k2r/1b3RQ1/7p/2qnp3/2n1P2P/1p5B/PP5K/3R4 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Rf8+ ]

f)
White mates in 2.
Valentina Gunina vs Iulija Osmak, Monaco, 2019
r5kr/p5p1/1p2PRQp/3p3P/2qn4/P1Pp4/3B2P1/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qf7+ Kh7 2.Rxh6# ]

g)
Valentina Gunina vs Alina Kashlinskaya, Izhevsk, 2019
2kr4/pp4p1/1qn2b1p/2p5/2Pp2bP/PN1Br3/1PP2QPB/2K1R2R w - - 1 0
[ 1.Bf5+ Bxf5 2.Qxf5+ Rd7 3.Nxc5 ]

8d)
mate in 3
Valentina Gunina vs Anna Ushenina

Puzzles by Russian GMs
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