'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Alexander Koblencs.
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)
P Herman vs Alexander Koblencs, Brno, 1937
4b3/q5pk/r2p1p1p/2pPpP2/p1P1P1P1/1P4R1/Q1N1K2P/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...axb3 Qxb3 Ba4 Qc3 Bxc2 if Qxc2 Ra2 ]

b)
Alexander Koblencs vs Viacheslav Ragozin, Moscow, 1945
2B2R2/1pp5/k2p4/q7/3B3p/8/5N1K/8 w - - 1 0
[ Bd7 ]

c)
Black mates in 2.
Vladimir Alatortsev vs Alexander Koblencs, Moscow, 1945
2k4r/pp1bn3/2pb4/3p1p2/1P1P1Ppq/1RQ5/P2BP1Br/4NRK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh1+ ]

d)
Nikolay Kopylov vs Alexander Koblencs, Leningrad, 1950
5R2/6pk/p4p1p/rPp2P2/4qN2/1QP2bPP/P6K/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...c4 if Qb2 Rxb5 Qd2 Qb1 ]

e)
Black mates in 3.
Mikhail Tal vs Alexander Koblencs, Latvia, 1952
6k1/5p2/1p2p1p1/2qPP2p/8/5Q1P/2r5/3RK3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg1+ ]

1d)
Nikolay Kopylov vs Alexander Koblencs

Alexander Koblencs Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Alexander Koblencs vs T Zeids, Riga, 1955
rn6/p3kpQ1/qpp2n2/3p4/3P1P2/P1N5/1P3P2/R1B3K1 w - - 1 0
[ f5 if Qd3 Bg5 Qxf5 Re1+ or if Nfd7 Bg5+ mates ]

b)
L Konovalov vs Alexander Koblencs, Moscow, 1959
r2qkb1r/pp1b2pp/2n2n2/1B1p2B1/3Np3/2P5/PPQN1PPP/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 1
[ ...Nxd4 if Bxd7+ Nxd7 cxd4 Qxg5 ]

c)
David Dzhanoev vs Alexander Koblencs, Palanga, 1961
3R4/p4p1p/4bkpB/4b3/P7/r7/5PPP/3B2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ra1 Kf1 Ke7 if Rd2 Bc3 ]

d)
White mates in 2.
Alexander Koblencs vs Janis Klovans, Riga, 1964
6k1/ppp3r1/4P2p/b5pP/2P5/1K1QP1q1/P5P1/1R3R2 w - - 1 0
[ Rf8+ ]

2c)
David Dzhanoev vs Alexander Koblencs


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