King-pawn Opening Series



Sometimes they get away.
Find the mates Grandmasters missed.

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

a)
White mates in 2.
William Winter vs Jacob Gemzoe, Folkestone, 1933
r3q3/ppp3k1/3p3R/5b2/2PR3Q/2P1PrP1/P7/4K3 w - - 0 1
[ Qf6+ ]

b)
Black mates in 2.
Leonid Stoliarov vs Eduard Gufeld, Kiev, 1958
4rrk1/1bB4p/p7/1pbP1pp1/4n2q/NBP2Q1P/PP4P1/3RRK2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nd2+ ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Sergey Smagin vs Viktor Kupreichik, Minsk, 1985
6k1/3r3p/p1q3pP/1p1p4/3Q4/4R1P1/P4PK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qh8+ ]

d)
Black mates in 3.
Max Walter vs Emmanuel Lasker, Ostrava, 1923
4r1k1/3n1ppp/4r3/3n3q/Q2P4/5P2/PP2BP1P/R1B1R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rg6+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Andras Adorjan vs Predrag Ostojic, Olot, 1974
3qr3/pp1b1p1Q/3pp1p1/4k3/2rN2P1/2N5/PPP5/2K2R2 w - - 0 1
[ Qh2+ Kxd4 Qxd6+ ]

1e)
mate in 3
Andras Adorjan vs Predrag Ostojic

Missed Mate Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
John Nunn vs Miroslaw Sarwinski, Naleczow, 1987
4r2k/4R1pp/7N/p6n/qp6/6QP/5PPK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qb3 if Qb5 Qg8+ or if gxh6 Qf7 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Anatoly Karpov vs Jaan Ehlvest, Reykjavik, 1991
[ Nh6+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Ivan Cheparinov vs Branko Macanga, Vukovar, 2001
2b1r2r/2q1p1kn/pN1pPp2/P2P1RpQ/3p4/3B4/1P4PP/R6K w - - 0 1
[ Qf7+ Kh6 Rxf6+ ]

d)
Black mates in 3.
Nico Vink vs Teimour Radjabov, Wijk aan Zee, 2001
8/5p1k/3p2q1/3Pp3/4Pn1r/R4Qb1/1P5B/5B1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxh2+ Kg1 Bf2+ Kxh2 Qg1# ]

e)
Black mates in 4.
Alexander Meek vs Paul Morphy, New Orleans, 1855
Q7/p1p1q1pk/3p2rp/4n3/3bP3/7b/PP3PPK/R1B2R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxg2 Qh8+ Kxh8 Bg5 Qxg5 b3 Nf3# ]

2d)
mate in 3
Nico Vink vs Teimour Radjabov

Missed Mate Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Max Judd vs DM Martinez, New York, 1889
5rbk/2pq3p/5PQR/p7/3p3R/1P4N1/P5PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf5 if Rf7 Rg4 ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Gideon Stahlberg vs Moishe Lowcki, Jurata, 1937
8/Q7/5pkp/2n1q3/8/1B5P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf7+ if Kf5 Qh5+ or if Kg5 Qg8+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Vassily Smyslov vs Mario Bertok, Zagreb, 1955
r7/1p3Q2/2kpr2p/p1p2Rp1/P3Pp2/1P3P2/1B2q1PP/3R3K w - - 0 1
[ Rxc5+ if Kb6 Qc7+ Ka7 Rxa5+ Qa6 Bd4# if dxc5 Qd7+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Predrag Nikolic vs Stefan Djuric, Yugoslavia, 1983
1q1N4/3k1BQp/5r2/5p2/3P3P/8/3B1PPb/3n3K w - - 0 1
[ Be6+ Ke8 Qd7+ Kf8 Bh6+ ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Jaan Ehlvest vs Rafael Vaganian, Skelleftea, 1989
6bk/1p2R1Rp/r1q5/p2p1p2/2pP4/2P2Q2/2PK3P/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg8+ Kxg8 Qg3+ ]

3e)
mate in 4
Jaan Ehlvest vs Rafael Vaganian

Missed Mate Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 4.
Susan Polgar vs Yasser Seirawan, Monte Carlo, 1993
7r/pRpk4/2np2p1/5b2/2P4q/2b1BBN1/P4PP1/3Q1K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bd3+ if Qxd3 or Be2 Qh1+ ]

b)
Black mates in 4.
Vladimir Kramnik vs Garry Kasparov, Moscow, 2001
8/5p1k/4r1p1/2PP1p2/1Q6/1p3bbP/1B2pqP1/R5RK b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxg2+ Rxd2 Qf1+ ]

c)
Black mates in 4.
Jakub Zeberski vs Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Poraj, 2003
k2r4/pp3p2/2p5/Q3p2p/4Kp1P/5R2/PP4q1/7R b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd4+ Kxe5 Qg7+ Kf5 Qg6+ ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Heinrich Wagner vs Ehrhardt Post, Frankfurt, 1923
q2nkr2/2R4p/1p1rpp1Q/4p3/4P2N/1P4RP/5PPK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qxh7 Nf7 Rg8 Rd7 Rxf8+ Kxf8 Ng6+ ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Ortvin Sarapu vs Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren, Sousse, 1967
3nr1k1/pp4Bp/4N3/2bQ4/6P1/2PK4/PP5q/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Nxd8+ Re6 Qxe6+ Kxg7 Qf6+ Kg8 Qg5+ ]

4c)
mate in 4
Jakub Zeberski vs Radoslaw Wojtaszek

Missed Mate Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Nigel Short vs Leonid Yudasin, Yerevan, 1996
2Rrk1r1/1p4p1/3PPn2/p4Q1q/8/8/P4P1P/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxh5+ if Nxh5 R1c7 ]

b)
White mates in 5.
Almira Skripchenko vs Claudia Amura, Shenyang, 2000
6k1/3R2pp/2p1bp2/p1q1pN2/4P3/Pr6/5PPP/2Q3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7+ Kh8 Rxh7+ Kg8 Rg7+ Kf8 Qxc5+ ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Nigel Short vs Utut Adianto, Internet, 2000
1r5r/5R1p/2Q1ppkq/8/2B5/7P/P1P2PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe4+ if Kxf7 Qxe6+ ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Julia Galianina-Ryjanova vs Maria Manakova, Elista, 1997
r3r2k/1b1Rb1pp/pq2B1R1/1p2p2Q/4P3/2N5/PPP2P1P/2K5 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7 if Kxg7 Qg5+ ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Jaan Ehlvest vs Lewis Eisen, New York, 2003
2nk1r1r/2R5/pp1p1p2/3Np1qp/P7/1Q6/1PP3PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc8+ Kxc8 Qc4+ Kd7 Nxb6+ ]

5d)
mate in 5
Julia Galianina-Ryjanova vs Maria Manakova

Missed Mate Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Vladimir Baklan vs Andrei Belozerov, Sochi, 2006
4kr2/3r2bp/2QPp3/1p2q3/8/2P3P1/PP5P/1K1R1R2 w - - 0 1
[ Qa8+ Rd8 d7+ Ke7 Qa3+ ]

b)
Black mates in 5.
Adolf Anderssen vs Johannes Zukertort, Breslau, 1868
3q2k1/p5pp/2p5/5pR1/3P1P1K/2Q4P/P1P1r1r1/1RB5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxg5+ fxg5 Re4+ ]

c)
White mates in 6.
Lajos Portisch vs Svend Hamann, Buenos Aires, 1978
1Q5R/2r2p2/2r2k1p/2p2Np1/1p4P1/1P3P2/3n1qPK/2R5 w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ Ke5 Re8+ if Kf4 Qxd2+ ]

d)
White mates in 6.
Michael Adams vs D Sedgwick, London, 1984
7k/p1r2b2/4pq2/1p1p1nR1/5P2/P2B4/1P2Q2P/1K4R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rh5+ if Bxh5 Qxh5+ Qh6 Qe8+ or if Nh6 Rxh6+ w/Qe5+ ]

e)
White mates in 6.
Monica Socko vs Olga Sikorova, Calvia, 2004
6k1/2p2p2/1p6/p1qB1Np1/5b2/P1PQR1PP/1P4K1/r7 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7+ if Kxf7 Qd7+ Qe7 Rxe7+ Kg6 Qg7+ ]

6a)
mate in 5
Vladimir Baklan vs Andrei Belozerov

Missed Mate Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Gregory Kaidanov vs Peter Bereolos, Saint Paul, 2000
r1b5/p3N1kr/3p4/q1pPbpB1/7Q/7P/P1P2PP1/1R2R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf6+ if Bxf6 Qg3+ or if Kf7 Qxh7+ ]

b)
White mates in 7.
Wolfgang Unzicker vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Oberhausen, 1961
7r/3rkp2/1R5p/p3Pp2/P1pP1q2/2P5/2P3QP/1R5K w - - 0 1
[ Re6+ if fxe6 Qg7+ Kd8 Qxh8+ or if Kxe6 Qc6+ Ke7 Qf6+ ]

c)
White mates in 7.
Anatoli Karpov vs Miguel Quinteros, Buenos Aires, 1980
2r4r/2q2kbR/bp2p1p1/3pP3/p2P1PB1/P5Q1/1n2NBK1/7R w - - 0 1
[ Bxe6+ if Kxe6 Qxg6+ or if Kf8 Rxh8+ ]

d)
White mates in 7.
Valentina Golubenko vs Olga Girya, Peniscola, 2002
1n2RNk1/3p4/2p4p/r2P2p1/8/p4R2/5PPP/q4BK1 w - g6 0 1
[ Ne6+ Kh7 Re7+ Kg6 Nf8+ Kh5 Rh3+ Kg4 Rf7 ]

7d)
mate in 7
Valentina Golubenko vs Olga Girya

Back to the Index