'Tactics in the Sicilian' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Illya Nyzhnyk.
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)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Aleksej Poljakov, Nikolaev, 2004
5rk1/r3qp2/1p1p2pb/pPpPp3/P1P1P1BP/5RP1/5R1K/5Q2 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 Rxf7 Rxf7 Qxf7 Be6 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Sergey Baranovsky, Alushta, 2004
3R1nk1/5ppp/1p6/8/1P6/q4BQ1/6K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf8+ Kxf8 Qd6+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Vitaliy Bernadskiy, Nikolaev, 2006
3q4/6R1/6n1/4pNk1/4P1P1/1Q3P1n/P7/5K2 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg6+ Kxg6 Qe6+ ]

d)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Alexander Yukhno, Ilyichevsk, 2007
2r1r2k/1pbb2pp/p2Npnq1/4R3/P2B4/1B5Q/1PP3PP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rg5 ]

e)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Xing Chua, Kemer, 2007
4k2r/1pr1b1pp/p2pQ3/P2Pp3/8/N1q1B3/4nPPP/R4R1K w k - 0 1
[ Nb5 axb5 a6 if Rc8 axb7 Rb8 Ra8 or if bxa6 Rxa6 ]

1c)
mate in 4
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Vitaliy Bernadskiy

Illya Nyzhnyk Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Luka Petovic, Budva, 2009
r3k2r/2p2ppp/p1nq2b1/1pbnp1B1/6P1/1B1P1N1P/PPP2P2/RN1QR1K1 w kq - 0 1
[ d4 if Nxd4 Rxe5+ or if Bxd4 Nxd4 ]

b)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Branko Damljanovic, Budva, 2009
8/4r2k/8/4qRp1/pp1p2Q1/7P/PP2p1P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh5+ Kg7 Qxg5+ ]

c)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Andrey Baryshpolets, Kiev, 2009
2rr2k1/3R2p1/p2RnpQp/1p2p3/1Pq5/P4P2/1BP3PP/1K6 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe6 Rxd7 Re8+ Rxe8 Qxe8+ ]

d)
Arman Pashikian vs Illya Nyzhnyk, Budva, 2009
2rrn1k1/1b3ppp/pp2p3/2b5/3NP3/P3BP2/1P2BKPP/2RR4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd4 ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Maxim Borisenko, Kiev, 2010
bq2r3/2R4p/6p1/1P1pQn2/4p1kP/6N1/5PP1/1B4K1 w - - 0 1
[ f3+ exf3 Bxf5+ ]

2e)
mate in 4
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Maxim Borisenko

Illya Nyzhnyk Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Lenka Ptacnikova, Reykjavik, 2010
4rqk1/p2n1pp1/1p1brn1p/2p1N3/2QP4/1P3NP1/PB3PKP/2R1R3 w - - 0 1
[ Ng6 if Rxe1 Rxe1 b5 Nxf8 bxc4 Nxd7 ]

b)
White mates in 5.
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Jan Gustafsson, Reykjavik, 2011
r6r/1R6/4p3/4p2k/6R1/4B2K/P5P1/3n4 w - - 0 1
[ Rg5+ Kh6 Rbg7 Ra4 R5g6+ Kh5 Rh6+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Manuel Bosboom, Vlissingen, 2012
6k1/3p1pp1/3Q3p/1r1n4/3B4/P4P2/P2KR2P/6Nq w - - 0 1
[ Re8+ Kh7 Rh8+ ]

d)
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Joseph Gallagher, Plovdiv, 2012
2r5/2R2p2/4bkp1/n2p3p/1p1N1P2/1P3BPP/P4K2/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6 ]

e)
Black mates in 2.
Rogelio Barcenilla vs Illya Nyzhnyk, Saint Louis, 2017
1r4k1/p3Rpp1/6qp/4Q3/2r5/P5P1/1B3P1P/K7 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Rc1+ ]

f)
Alexander Katz vs Illya Nyzhnyk, Las Vegas, 2019
5r1k/pp1Rq2p/2n2p2/1N3Qb1/4p2N/7P/PPP3P1/1K6 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Rd8 ]

g)
White mates in 4.
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Joshua Sheng, Sturbridge, 2019
6k1/p6p/p2P2p1/4p3/6P1/P2Q1R2/1P2KPq1/7r w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qd5+ if 1...Kg7 2.Qxe5+ Kh6 3.Qf4+ or if 1...Kh8 2.Qa8+ ]

3c)
mate in 4
Illya Nyzhnyk vs Manuel Bosboom


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