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Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Mikhail Kobalia.
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)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Alexander Riazantsev, Moscow, 1996
r6k/1p1R2pp/2p5/p3q2n/P4p2/5P2/BPP3PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ Qe8 Rxe8+ Rxe8 Bf7 ]

b)
White mates in 5.
Mikhail Kobalia vs Logman Guliev, Moscow, 1996
r4rk1/2q2pp1/p2pbbRQ/2BBp3/4P3/2p5/PPP2P1P/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7+ Bxg7 Rg1 ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Mikhail Kobalia vs Laurent Fressinet, Calicut, 1998
4rk2/p3Np2/b3p1Bp/n3Q3/2qP4/2P5/P4PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf6 if e5 Nf5 ]

d)
White mates in 7.
Mikhail Kobalia vs Tigran Nalbandian, Moscow, 1999
3brrnk/p1nq1p1p/1pp5/2PpPPp1/3P1NR1/4B2Q/PPB4P/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Qxh7+ Kxh7 f6+ Kh8 Rxg5 ]

e)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Goran Cabrilo, Pula, 1999
4k2r/p4p2/qp2p1p1/3pPnB1/3P3p/1P3Q1P/PbrN1PP1/1R1R2K1 w k - 0 1
[ Rxb2 Rxb2 Qc3 if Rxa2 Qc6+ Kf8 Qa8+ ]

1a)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Alexander Riazantsev

Mikhail Kobalia Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Olli Salmensuu, Linares, 2001
5rk1/1p4pp/4p3/p3n3/2Q2P2/PP2p2P/5qP1/2B2R1K w - - 0 1
[ Qb5 ]

b)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Alexander Vaulin, St. Petersburg, 2001
Black has just played f7-f5
R7/1r2b1p1/3p4/3PkpP1/2P1Np2/2K2P2/8/8 w - f6 0 1
[ Nf2 Bxg5 Rf8 ]

c)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Pavel Eljanov, Kharkov, 2002
3r4/p2P2kp/b3p1p1/8/2p5/5N1P/P5P1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd4 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Mikhail Kobalia vs Valeri Yandemirov, Tomsk, 2004
r3rk2/p3bp2/2p1qB2/1p1nP1RP/3P4/2PQ4/P5P1/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg8+ Kxg8 Qg3+ ]

e)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Pavel Tregubov, Internet, 2004
5rk1/pp2q1p1/4p3/3pPpN1/6b1/3Q4/PPP2P2/2K3R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg4 ]

2b)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Alexander Vaulin

Mikhail Kobalia Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Ernesto Inarkiev, Sochi, 2008
q2r2k1/4bp1p/p5p1/4B3/P4Q2/4R1NP/1P3PbK/R2r4 w - - 0 1
[ Nf5 if Rxa1 or Bf8 Nh6+ ]

b)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Imre Hera, Budva, 2009
4nrk1/pp1b2p1/3bR3/2p2PN1/2Pp4/1P1B4/P4Q1P/q3B1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh4 if Nf6 Rxd6 ]

c)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Gaioz Nigalidze, Tbilisi, 2009
5rk1/1q2bp2/6p1/p1p1r3/1p1Rp1B1/1P4QP/P4PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd7 if Qb8 f4 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Mikhail Kobalia vs Loek Van Wely, Tromsoe, 2010
r4rk1/1q2bp1p/5Rp1/pp1Pp3/4B2Q/P2R4/1PP3PP/7K w - - 0 1
[ Rh3 h5 Qxh5 ]

e)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Alexander Shabalov, Moscow, 2010
2b5/3p1kpp/p1r1p1n1/2b4r/PpN5/3BB3/1PP2PPP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ g4 Rh4 Bxg6+ hxg6 Ne5+ ]

3d)
mate in 4
Mikhail Kobalia vs Loek Van Wely

Mikhail Kobalia Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Mikhail Gurevich, Konya, 2012
3qn1k1/pp3p1p/6p1/1Q1N1N2/8/2P2P2/P5PP/3n2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nfe7+ if Kg7 Qe2 or if Kf8 Qb4 Qd6 Qd4 ]

b)
Black mates in 5.
Zulzaga Byambaa vs Mikhail Kobalia, Khanty Mansyisk, 2013
6k1/5ppp/1q6/3npQ2/8/2P2P2/KP4PP/2r2B1R b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxc3+ if bxc3 Qa5+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Mikhail Kobalia vs Ivan Rozum, St. Petersburg, 2015
2r1r3/1bq1k3/p3p1pQ/1p6/2nPNR2/P7/BP3PPP/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qg5+ Kd7 Rf7+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Mikhail Kobalia vs Alexander Morozevich, Tula, 2019
7R/3Q2p1/5rkp/8/p2p4/3q2P1/3n1PK1/7R w - - 1 0
[ 1.R1xh6+ if 1...gxh6 2.Rg8+ or if 1...Kg5 2.Qd5+ ]

e)
Black mates in 4.
C R G Krishna vs Mikhail Kobalia, Qingdao, 2019
2r3k1/5pp1/4p1p1/BP6/2Nb2r1/1P1K4/2Q2q2/3RR3 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Rg3+ 2.Re3 Rxe3+ 3.Kxd4 Qf4+ ]

f)
Mikhail Kobalia vs Jan Lundin, Budva, 2019
2kr3r/nq4n1/1p2pp2/1Q1p3p/2pP1B2/2P4N/2P2PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Rxa7 if 1...Qxa7 2.Qc6+ ]

4e)
mate in 4
C R G Krishna vs Mikhail Kobalia

Other Russian GMs
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