King-pawn Opening Series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Luke McShane.
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 2.
Luke McShane vs Aiden Leech, London, 1994
5b2/q4r1p/p3k1p1/2pNppP1/1P6/3Q1P1P/P7/1K1R4 w - - 0 1
[ Nf4+ exf4 Re1# ]

b)
Luke McShane vs Marina Costagliola, London, 1997
r1bk3r/pppp1ppp/5q2/1B2n3/3p4/3P4/PPP2PPP/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh5 if Nc6 Bg5 ]

c)
Luke McShane vs Anders Bering, Copenhagen, 1999
5rk1/pp1bBp1p/3p2p1/4b3/4R3/1B3Q1P/P1Pq1PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe5 if dxe5 Bxf8 or if Bc6 Qf6 ]

d)
Luke McShane vs Johan Furhoff, Stockholm, 1999
4k3/2p3p1/p2p2Np/1p1P4/6qP/2PB4/Pr3BP1/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bg3 if Qxg3 Rf8+ mates ]

e)
White mates in 7.
Luke McShane vs Andrea Cocchi, Arco, 2000
2rr3k/1p1b1p1p/p2ppp2/5n2/PqP1P2Q/1P2B2P/6P1/2R2R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf5 Rg8 Qxf6+ Rg7 Bh6 ]

1e)
mate in 7
Luke McShane vs Andrea Cocchi

Luke McShane Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Luke McShane vs Ramon Koster, Brussels, 2000
8/p3bpk1/2pNpNp1/2P1P1P1/r2p4/1r1b4/2R2PK1/2R5 w - - 0 1
[ Rh1 if Bxf6 Ne8+ Kf8 Nxf6 ]

b)
White mates in 2.
Luke McShane vs Bart Michiels, Brussels, 2000
4nr1k/1bq3pp/5p2/1p2pNQ1/3pP3/1B1P3R/1PP3PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Luke McShane vs Daniel Pedersen, Brussels, 2000
8/7p/4Nppk/R7/6PP/3n2K1/Pr6/8 w - - 0 1
[ g5+ if fxg5 hxg5+ ]

d)
Luke McShane vs Roy Phillips, England, 2000
r2q1bk1/3n1p1p/1p1r2p1/2p1p3/1PB5/P1B5/4QPPP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf3 if Rf6 Rxd7 or if Nf6 Bxe5 or if Qe8 Rxd5 Bxd6 Bxf7+ Qxf7 Qxa8+ ]

e)
Luke McShane vs Jonathan Speelman, Internet, 2000
2kr3r/1ppqb2p/p3pn2/1n1p1bp1/Q2P4/B1P5/P3BPPP/RN2NRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxb5 if Qxb5 Qxb5 axb5 Bxe7 ]

2a)
Luke McShane vs Ramon Koster

Luke McShane Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Luke McShane vs Robert McFarland, Millfield, 2000
2b2r2/1nR2pbk/p2p2pp/P2P3q/Br2Pp2/5N1P/3N1PP1/3QR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc8 if Rxc8 Bd7 Rc5 Bg4 ]

b)
Luke McShane vs Holger Ellers, Germany, 2001
r4k1r/1p3p1p/p1n3q1/3pR3/3pbQ1P/1N6/PP3PP1/K4B1R w - - 0 1
[ h5 if Qg7 Nc5 Rd8 Ne6+ ]

c)
Luke McShane vs Mark Hebden, Southend, 2001
8/6b1/3p2pk/7r/1pPp1P2/1PqN1Q2/6P1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ g4 if Rh4 Qg3 or if Ra5 g5+ ]

d)
Luke McShane vs Cristian Salas, Bled, 2002
4qr1k/1b1npprp/p2p1b1N/1p5P/2pPP3/P1P1B3/1P2QRP1/1B3RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf5 if Rgg8 Bh6 ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Luke McShane vs Peter Roder, Copenhagen, 2002
3b2r1/5Rn1/2qP2pk/p1p1B3/2P1N3/1P3Q2/6K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7+ if Rxg7 Qh3+ ]

3a)
Luke McShane vs Robert McFarland

Luke McShane Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Luke McShane vs Arkadij Rotstein, France, 2005
7k/p1rr1q1p/4p1R1/1p3p2/3p3Q/3P1P2/PPP3RP/5K2 w - - 0 1
[ Qf6+ Qg7 Rxg7 Rxg7 Qd8+ Rg8 Rxg8# ]

b)
Luke McShane vs Henrik Danielsen, Reykjavik, 2011
8/pp3k2/2p2p2/3p1q1r/2pP3n/4P3/PP1K1Q2/5RR1 w - - 1 0
[ Qg3 Qd3+ Kc1 if Ng6 Qf3 or if c3 Qg8+ mates ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Luke McShane vs Andrei Istratescu, London, 2013
6rk/p3R1p1/2bq1rB1/2pp2QP/8/8/PP3Pp1/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qh6+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Luke McShane vs Zaven Andriasian, Katowice, 2017
2R5/5pkp/4n3/4Pp2/8/q2PQ1NP/1r4BK/8 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Nxf5+ Kg6 2.Qh6+ ]

e)
Black mates in 4.
David Howell vs Luke McShane, Hull, 2018
8/5pk1/p2p4/4b3/2R1QB1p/PP2q2P/3r2PK/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg3+ Bxg3 hxg3+ Kg1 Rd1+ ]

4e)
mate in 4
David Howell vs Luke McShane


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