'Best Chess Puzzles' series from wtharvey.com


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Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Hikaru Nakamura.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.

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

a)
White mates in 4.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Mohamad El Mikati, Cannes, 1997
r1b1Q3/p1p3p1/1p3k1p/4N3/8/2P5/PP3PPP/2K4R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Qf7+ Kxe5 f4+ Ke4 Re1+ Kd3 Qd5# ]

b)
Joshua Friedel vs Hikaru Nakamura, Washington, 1999
r1b2rk1/1p5p/p2p2p1/3Nbp1n/P3PB1q/1NP2Q2/1P4PP/R4R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...fxe4 if Qxe4 Ng3+ ]

c)
Danny Goldenberg vs Hikaru Nakamura, Budapest, 2000
1r1r2k1/5ppp/pqN1p3/3pP3/bb3P2/3PQ3/1PR3PP/1KRN4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxe3 Nxe3 Bxc6 Rxc6 Bd2 ]

d)
Dagur Arngrimsson vs Hikaru Nakamura, Oropesa, 2000
1k1r4/4b1p1/7p/3qP3/P5PP/1Np1B3/2P5/2K2Q2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rf8 if Qe1 Qc4 Bf2 Bxh4 ]

e)
Olzhas Khamiz vs Hikaru Nakamura, Oropesa, 2000
2r1k2r/2qb1p2/pn1p1bpp/4p3/1p2PPP1/1N1Q1B1P/PPPRN3/1K5R b k - 0 1
[ ...Nc4 Rdd1 Bb5 if Qd5 Ne3 ]

1e)
Olzhas Khamiz vs Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Romuald Jovan, Bled, 2001
rn3rk1/p4pp1/2pN3p/3bN3/3P2nq/3B4/PPQ2PPP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bh7+ w/Nexf7+ ]

b)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Pavol Hanko, Bled, 2001
r5k1/3b2p1/p2qp3/1p1Np3/4PbB1/7Q/PPP4P/1K3R2 w - - 0 1
[ Nxf4 w/Rd1 & Rxd7 ]

c)
Black mates in 2.
Gennadij Sagalchik vs Hikaru Nakamura, Buenos Aires, 2003
2b5/k2n1p2/p2q4/5R1B/2p4P/P1b5/KPQ1R3/6r1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxa3+ ]

d)
Maurice Ashley vs Hikaru Nakamura, Seattle US-CH, 2003
3k3r/3r2p1/p3B2p/1pq2Q2/5P2/8/PPP3PP/2K1R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf2 ]

e)
K Chris vs Hikaru Nakamura, Internet, 2003
2r1k2r/2qnbpp1/3p1n2/4pPB1/pp2P2p/3P3P/PP1Q2P1/1KNR2NR b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxe4 if dxe4 Bxg5 Qxg5 Qc2+ mates ]

2b)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Pavol Hanko

Hikaru Nakamura Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Sergey Karjakin, Cuernavaca, 2004
5rk1/2R2pp1/3q3p/2bN1Q2/3p4/6P1/P4P1P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc5 if Qxc5 Nf6+ ]

b)
Hikaru Nakamura vs S Muhammad, San Diego, 2004
1r6/2k3pp/2bb1p2/2p5/2B5/4BP2/1P4PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd6 if Kxd6 Bf4+ ]

c)
Hikaru Nakamura vs L Bruzon, Wijk aan Zee, 2004
1n1r2k1/2N3pp/1rP2p2/3p4/3P4/1n2P2P/5PP1/1RR3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxd5 if Rxd5 c7 ]

d)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Friso Nijboer, Wijk aan Zee, 2004
5r2/1p5k/p2b2b1/2pPp1Qn/P1q5/2N2Rp1/2P3P1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Re4 if Bxe4 Qxh5+ mates ]

e)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Robert Hess, New York, 2004
1R6/2p5/p1Ppk3/Pn1Np3/1P2r3/7P/5K2/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxb5 axb5 Nxc7+ Kf5 a6 ]

3e)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Robert Hess

Hikaru Nakamura Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Alexander Stripunsky, New York, 2004
br2r1k1/3qb2p/4p1p1/4p2n/p5Q1/3BN3/PP2N1PP/2R2R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxg6 if Ng7 Bxh7+ Kxh7 Rf7 ]

b)
Nana Dzagnidze vs Hikaru Nakamura, Lausanne, 2005
r1b3k1/5pbp/p3p1p1/3rP3/1BR5/5N2/P3KPPP/3R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...a5 if Ba3 Ba6 ]

c)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Alexander Grischuk, Turin, 2006
5rk1/1Q6/p4Rp1/1p5p/3r1p1P/PPp4K/2q5/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf8+ if Kxf8 Qb8+ winning the rook ]

d)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Giorgi Kacheishvili, Internet, 2009
4r1k1/pp2qp1p/6p1/2P2p2/QP6/P1b1rN1P/6P1/2R1R2K w - - 0 1
[ Rxe3 Qxe3 Rxc3 ]

e)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Andrey Zhigalko, Ohrid, 2009
2q1r2b/kp3n2/p5Rr/2p1p2p/2N1Qp2/2BP4/PPP2P1P/1K2R3 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh6 Nxh6 Nd6 ]

4d)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Giorgi Kacheishvili

Hikaru Nakamura Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Peter Heine Nielsen vs Hikaru Nakamura, Oslo, 2009
1r1qk2r/Qp2bppp/2p1p3/3nP3/3P4/3bBBN1/PP3PPP/R2R2K1 b k - 0 1
[ ...Ba6 w/...Ra8 ]

b)
Vassily Ivanchuk vs Hikaru Nakamura, Monaco, 2011
r1n3k1/1p1r1p2/2p1bq2/PpB1p1p1/1P2P3/2PB1PPp/2QNR1nP/5RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qd8 ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Krishnan Sasikiran, Istanbul, 2012
8/r1p5/2kpQ3/2p4p/2P4P/5P2/1P1q4/1K2R3 w - - 1 0
[ Qe8+ Kb7 Qb5+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Andreas Moen, Eilat, 2012
4rNk1/pp4b1/2p3p1/8/1BPqrp2/3Pn3/PP5Q/1K4RR w - - 1 0
[ Qh7+ Kf7 Qxg6+ Kg8 Rh8+ ]

e)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Liren Ding, Beijing, 2012
4r1k1/5p1p/2r3p1/3Nn3/p2pP3/P7/5PPP/2R2RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxc6 Nxc6 Nf6+ ]

5d)
mate in 4
Hikaru Nakamura vs Andreas Moen

Hikaru Nakamura Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Levon Aronian, Saint Louis, 2013
3r1rk1/5p2/p5pp/1qN2n2/8/2P2P2/4Q1PP/3RR1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxb5 axb5 Nd7 if Rfe8 Nf6+ ]

b)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Fabiano Caruana, Elancourt, 2013
r1br2k1/1ppqppb1/pn4p1/8/3nP3/2N1BP2/PP1Q2P1/2KR1BNR w - - 1 0
[ Bxd4 if Qxd4 Qe1 or if Bxd4 Qh6 Qd6 Qxh7+ Kf8 Rxd4 ]

c)
Viswanathan Anand vs Hikaru Nakamura, Zuerich, 2014
8/k1p3p1/Ppp3r1/1p1q4/7p/2P1P2Q/1P2N2K/R7 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qd2 if Qf1 Rf6 Qg2 Qxe3 Rf1 h3 ]

d)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Martijn Dambacher, Bilbao, 2014
1k6/1pp5/1p4q1/rN2r2p/PQP1p1pP/1P6/1KP2RP1/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rf8+ if Re8 Qe7 ]

e)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Baku, 2014
3R1nk1/1r1b1ppp/1p6/p1p5/4r3/P4NBP/1P3PP1/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ Re1 if Rxe1+ Nxe1 f6 Bd6 ]

6a)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Levon Aronian

Hikaru Nakamura Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Jonathan Hawkins, London, 2014
r1b1k2r/pp1n1ppp/4p3/8/1b1P1B2/1B1Q1N2/PqP2PPP/1N3RK1 w kq - 1 0
[ c3 Be7 Bc1 Qa1 Qc2 ]

b)
White mates in 2.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Anish Giri, London, 2014
6rr/p2QPN2/1k6/2p5/1pp2B2/2qb2P1/5P1P/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Re6+ ]

c)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Sergey Karjakin, Zuerich, 2015
2b1r1k1/r6p/2pb4/p1p1np1N/2Pp1B1q/1P1P3P/P5PN/R2QR2K w - - 1 0
[ g3 Qd8 Nf3 ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Levan Pantsulaia, Doha, 2016
7r/2q5/1R6/3pppk1/P7/4P1P1/1Q3PK1/8 w - - 1 0
[ f4+ exf4 Qf6+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Alexander Grischuk, Moscow, 2018
7R/1pr2pk1/4p3/p3P3/4pPK1/b5P1/8/7R w - - 1 0
[ 1.f5 if 1...exf5+ 2.Kxf5 ]

7d)
mate in 3
Hikaru Nakamura vs Levan Pantsulaia

Hikaru Nakamura Puzzles, Part VIII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Internet, 2018
2r3k1/pp1q1pbp/3Pp1p1/6B1/4P3/8/P1Q2PPP/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxc8+ Qxc8 d7 ]

b)
Black mates in 5.
Jorge Baules vs Hikaru Nakamura, Batumi, 2018
3r1rk1/pQ2Rppp/4p3/4qn2/2p5/P4P1B/5P1P/2B2KR1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd1+ Kg2 Nh4+ Kh1 Qe1 ]

c)
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Hikaru Nakamura, Internet, 2018
2r2bk1/pp3ppp/2r5/1q2P3/3P1P2/PP1R2PP/1B5K/2RQ4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxc1 Bxc1 Rxc1 ]

d)
Hikaru Nakamura vs Axel Bachmann, Douglas, 2019
6k1/5ppp/1BBnp3/8/4P3/1P6/n5PP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Bc5 if 1...Nc8 2.Bb7 ]

8b)
mate in 5
Jorge Baules vs Hikaru Nakamura

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