'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Konstantin Landa.
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.
Konstantin Landa vs K Raag, Pinsk, 1989
3r1bk1/1qrb1ppp/p2p1P2/2pP4/6R1/1P2BB2/P4QPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7+ if Bxg7 or Kh8 Qg3 ]

b)
Black mates in 5.
O Grizak vs Konstantin Landa, Leningrad, 1990
2r3k1/3QRp2/6pq/1p6/1P4p1/5nP1/5P1P/5N1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxh2+ Nxh2 Rc1+ ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Konstantin Landa vs Michal Horak, Mlada Boleslav, 1994
5kr1/1b1r1p2/p1p1p3/1nP1P3/3P3B/6R1/1P2BPK1/R7 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg8+ Kxg8 Bf6 ]

d)
Konstantin Landa vs Csaba Horvath, Oberwart, 1996
r4r1k/pp2Qp1p/1q4p1/5b2/8/P1N3P1/P3PPBP/b1BR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Be3 w/Qf6+ or Rxa1 ]

e)
Valeri Yandemirov vs Konstantin Landa, Omsk, 1996
8/r2bk1p1/2B5/p2p3p/P2Nn3/4R3/1P4PP/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rc7 ]

1b)
mate in 5
O Grizak vs Konstantin Landa

Konstantin Landa Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Konstantin Landa vs Francisco Fernandez Barrera, Ubeda, 1999
r4b2/pp1k4/3n4/2pPQp1r/2P1pP1P/qP2B3/P4P2/1K1R2R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg7+ Bxg7 Qxg7+ if Kd8 Qf6+ ]

b)
Snorri Bergsson vs Konstantin Landa, Halkidiki, 2002
8/1p3p2/p2r1b1k/7p/5p2/1P1b1P2/P4BPP/2KR1N2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rc6+ Kd2 Bb5 if Rc1 Rd6+ Ke1 Re6+ ]

c)
Konstantin Landa vs Juergen Lisek, Germany, 2003
R1rb1k2/1p1q3r/3ppp2/5n2/2PP4/5NP1/5PB1/1Q2R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc8 Qxc8 g4 ]

d)
White mates in 8.
Konstantin Landa vs Evgeny Shaposhnikov, Sochi, 2005
3rr3/p2nb1k1/qpp1pn1p/7P/PPPP4/3Q1N2/3B1PP1/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxh6+ Kh8 Bg7+ if Kxg7 Qg6+ Kh8 Ng5 or if Kg8 Qg6 ]

e)
Cas Zwaneveld vs Konstantin Landa, Vlissingen, 2005
r5k1/1bq1br2/p3Q1p1/3pn2n/Pp2P2p/1N1BB2P/1PP1N1P1/R4R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng7 Qb6 Qxb6 Bxb6 dxe4 ]

2e)
Cas Zwaneveld vs Konstantin Landa

Konstantin Landa Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Ramon Koster vs Konstantin Landa, Netherlands, 2006
5rk1/q4pbp/3p2p1/4p3/p1B2P2/PrBPn1P1/1P1QP2P/1R3R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qb7+ Rf3 Nxc4 dxc4 Rxc3 if Qxc3 e4 ]

b)
Konstantin Landa vs Zhu Chen, Bad Wiessee, 2006
r4rk1/pp2bppp/1np1p3/3q4/3Pb3/1QP3P1/P3PPBP/R1BRN1K1 w - - 0 1
[ c4 if Nxc4 Bxe4 ]

c)
Black mates in 3.
Denis Rombaldoni vs Konstantin Landa, Regiio Emilia, 2007
2Q5/6pk/5b1p/5P2/3p4/1Rr2qNK/7P/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf1+ ]

d)
Leif Johannessen vs Konstantin Landa, Germany, 2013
2rr2k1/1b6/1p4p1/pB1pB1p1/3N1PPp/PP2q2P/1Q3nK1/2RR4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxh3+ if Kxf2 Qh2+ or if Kg1 Qh1+ ]

3a)
Ramon Koster vs Konstantin Landa


Other Russian GMs

Back to the Index