'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Joel Lautier.
White to move and win except where noted.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.

a)
White mates in 4.
Joel Lautier vs Jean-Rene Koch, Lyons, 1990
3q4/1p3p1k/1P1prPp1/P1rNn1Qp/8/7R/6PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh5+ Kg8 Rh8+ Kxh8 Qh6+ ]

b)
Joel Lautier vs Richard Meulders, Lyons, 1990
r6r/2pq4/3b1k1p/1p1PpPn1/Pp2P1Q1/4B3/3N1K2/1R5R w - - 0 1
[ Rxh6+ Rxh6 Qxg5+ ]

c)
Joel Lautier vs Leon Piasetski, Manila, 1990
3qr1k1/1pp2pnp/1r2Pnp1/3P4/1P6/5N2/B2Q2PP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ exf7+ Kxf7 d6+ Kf8 Rxe8+ if Kxe8 Qe2+ Kf8 Qc4 or if Ngxe8 Qh6+ Ng7 Ng5 ]

d)
Joel Lautier vs Evgeny Bareev, Paris, 1991
2r1r1k1/3q2pp/p1n1p3/1pBn4/1P1PB3/5P2/P2Q3P/2R3RK w - - 0 1
[ Qh6 if g6 Bxg6 ]

e)
White mates in 6.
Joel Lautier vs Andras Adorjan, Polanica Zdroj, 1991
3R4/r3pp1p/p1b3pk/1qPB4/p2Q4/7P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf4+ if g5 Rd6+ f6 Rxf6+ ]

1e)
mate in 6
Joel Lautier vs Andras Adorjan

Joel Lautier Puzzles, Part II.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Joel Lautier vs Ivan Sokolov, Correze, 1992
1r2r1k1/2q2p2/3bbn1p/p1pp2p1/N7/2PQR1B1/PPB2PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe6 Rxe6 Rxe6 fxe6 Bxd6 Qxd6 Qg6+ Kf8 Qxh6+ ]

b)
Joel Lautier vs Andrei Sokolov, France, 1992
3q1k2/5p2/pp1ppP2/7p/5Pr1/1PQ3RK/r7/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd6 if Qe8 Qd3 ]

c)
Joel Lautier vs Gerald Hertneck, Tilburg, 1992
8/5Qpk/3p1n1p/4q3/5R1P/6P1/2r2PB1/4rRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6 ]

d)
Joel Lautier vs Peter Leko, Cap d'Agde, 1994
3rb2r/1R4pp/2nNp1k1/p4p2/6Pb/P3B3/4PPB1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ gxf5+ exf5 Rb6 Rb8 Ra6 Bf6 Nxe8 ]

e)
Joel Lautier vs Vladimir Epishin, France, 1994
6k1/6p1/b3r2p/4p3/1B2QP2/P2p3P/1qrR2PK/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Qd5 if Bc4 Qxc4 ]

2d)
Joel Lautier vs Peter Leko

Joel Lautier Puzzles, Part III.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Joel Lautier vs Leonid Yudasin, Lyons, 1994
3q1rk1/3nRp2/2p2Qp1/3p4/3P4/3BP1P1/5P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh4 Kg7 Qg5 ]

b)
White mates in 6.
Joel Lautier vs Loek Van Wely, Groningen, 1995
r7/pp2R1rk/2b2qp1/7p/7P/4Q1R1/PP1B2PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qh6+ Kg8 Rxg7+ ]

c)
Joel Lautier vs Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Monte Carlo, 1996
R4bk1/3q3p/3p2p1/1p1rpn2/8/Q1BB2P1/2P2P1P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf8+ if Kxf8 Qa8+ Kg7 Qxd5 ]

d)
Joel Lautier vs Anatoly Karpov, Monte Carlo (blindfold), 1996
3qrnk1/5p1p/3b3R/p2P4/1p6/5Q2/1PBB1PP1/1K6 w - - 0 1
[ Bxh7+ if Nxh7 Qg4+ Kh8 Qf5 or if Kg7 Qg4+ Ng6 Bxg6 ]

e)
Joel Lautier vs Pia Cramling, Yerevan, 1996
6k1/r4pp1/Pp1pb2p/1q2p3/4Q3/4P1PP/5PB1/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qb7 if Qd7 Qb8+ Kh7 Bb7 ]

3c)
Joel Lautier vs Ljubomir Ljubojevic

Joel Lautier Puzzles, Part IV.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Joel Lautier vs Ivan Sokolov, Yerevan, 1996
4r3/1br2pbk/p5pp/1q2p3/2p1n3/P1P1P2P/BP2Q1PN/3RBRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 if Rxf7 Bxc4 Qb6 Bxf7 ]

b)
Joel Lautier vs Alexander Beliavsky, Belgrade, 1997
1r4k1/1b1p1p2/4p1p1/1PN4p/1n1qn3/7P/1P1B1PP1/R2Q1BK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe4 if Qxe4 Ra4 or if Bxe4 Bxb4 w/Ra4 ]

c)
Joel Lautier vs Vadim Milov, Biel, 1997
3Q4/kpr4p/p2b2p1/q3Nn2/2B2P2/4P3/7P/1R5K w - - 0 1
[ Nc6+ ]

d)
Joel Lautier vs Curt Hansen, Malme, 1998
2b2rk1/3n1pp1/p3p2p/1p2P1b1/3N1B2/P7/1P3PPP/2R2BK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg5 hxg5 Nc6 if Bb7 Ne7+ Kh7 Rc7 or if Re8 Na7 ]

e)
Joel Lautier vs Peter Svidler, Tilburg, 1998
3r4/3Pqp1k/2Q1P1pp/p4p2/8/5P1P/5P2/4RK2 w - - 0 1
[ Qc7 if Kg7 Qxd8 or if Ra8 exf7 ]

4a)
Joel Lautier vs Ivan Sokolov

Joel Lautier Puzzles, Part V.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Joel Lautier vs Viktor Bologan, Enghien, 1999
r1bqkb1r/1p2pppp/p4n2/3nN3/3P4/2N5/PP3PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Qa4+ if Bd7 Nxd7 Qxd7 Bb5 ]

b)
Joel Lautier vs Watu Kobese, Las Vegas, 1999
3r2k1/prN4p/2Rn1b2/1P4p1/3p1p2/3B1P2/P5PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne6 if Rdd7 Nc5 ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Joel Lautier vs Loek Van Wely, Monaco, 1999
rn3rk1/1p3pB1/p4b2/q4P1p/6Q1/1B6/PPp2P1P/R1K3R1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf6+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Joel Lautier vs Meelis Kanep, Goteborg, 2005
7k/2R5/pp1p1r1p/3B1P2/P1n3pN/2p5/1b5P/7K w - - 0 1
[ Ng6+ ]

5c)
mate in 4
Joel Lautier vs Loek Van Wely

Other French GMs
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