'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Richard Rapport.
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)
Richard Rapport vs Guillaume Lamard, Herceg Novi, 2006
2Q5/1p2rpp1/p5kp/8/P1Bqb3/8/1PP3PP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7+ if Kg5 h4+ mates or if Rxf7 Qg4+ ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Richard Rapport vs Volker Stauber, Bayern, 2008
3R4/r4p1p/6p1/4p3/p3k3/P3P3/4KPPP/8 w - - 0 1
[ g4 ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Richard Rapport vs Ioannis Stavrianakis, Szombathely, 2009
3r1k2/2q2p1Q/p1pbbp1p/1p6/1P1P4/P3R3/3B1PPP/1B4K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe6 if fxe6 Bxh6+ ]

d)
White mates in 2.
Richard Rapport vs Zlatko Ilincic, Budapest, 2010
3k4/p2bqp2/B6r/3pNnp1/8/2Q5/PP6/K1R5 w - - 0 1
[ Qc8+ ]

e)
Richard Rapport vs Denes Boros, Budapest, 2010
2r2nk1/r4ppp/8/p1PP1q2/QpN1n3/5BP1/5PKP/R1R5 w - - 0 1
[ Qc2 if Nxg3 Nd6 ]

1c)
mate in 5
Richard Rapport vs Ioannis Stavrianakis

Richard Rapport Puzzles, Part II. The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 10.
Richard Rapport vs Niclas Huschenbeth, Chur, 2010
2rk1b1r/qb2p2p/2p3p1/1BN4Q/2pP4/2P5/5P1P/2B1KR2 w - - 0 1
[ Qd5+ if cxd5 Ne6# or if Kc7 Bf4+ Kb6 Nd7+ or if Ke8 Qd7+ Kf7 Bxc4+ Kg7 Qe6 ]

b)
Richard Rapport vs Jan Banas, Hungary, 2010
2r1r1k1/5p2/p2ppPn1/8/2p1B2q/1P2P2Q/P3R3/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Qxh4 Nxh4 Rh2 Ng6 Bxg6 fxg6 f7+ ]

c)
Richard Rapport vs David Adelberg, Porto Carras, 2010
5bk1/8/p4p2/r7/1p1R2P1/8/1P1B1PK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8 if Ra2 Bxb4 or if Kg7 Rxf8 ]

d)
White mates in 6.
Richard Rapport vs Davor Rogic, Austria, 2010
3r1r2/4N1kp/p3Q1P1/q2P2B1/1p6/3n4/1P3P1P/7K w - - 0 1
[ Bh6+ Kxh6 gxh7+ Kg5 Qg6+ ]

e)
Richard Rapport vs Julian Geske, Austria, 2011
2b2rk1/q6p/p2p4/8/P2Np3/6P1/5P1P/2RQ2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc8 Rxc8 Qg4+ if Kf7 Qe6+ ]

2e)
Richard Rapport vs Julian Geske

Richard Rapport Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Richard Rapport vs Eduard Hagara, Austria, 2011
4rk2/pr3pbQ/1p1R4/2p1q3/5p1B/2P5/P5RK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rd5 Qxc3 Rdg5 f5 Rxf5+ Rf7 Qg6 Rxf5 Qxf5+ Kg8 Bf6 ]

b)
Richard Rapport vs Arthur Pijpers, Groningen, 2011
8/3bpp1k/3p3p/q1pPbPp1/2B5/7Q/6PP/1R5K w - - 0 1
[ f6 if Bxh3 Bd3+ Kg8 Rb8+ ]

c)
Richard Rapport vs Johannes Zwanzger, Germany, 2013
3r1bk1/2q2Npp/4p3/1r4PQ/1n3P2/3pP3/6RP/BR4K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nh6+ if Kh8 Qf7 or if gxh6 gxh6+ ]

d)
Richard Rapport vs Ogulcan Kanmazalp, Rhodes, 2013
r4rk1/1p3p2/2p2Rp1/p2qP3/P7/8/5QPP/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ e6 if Qe5 Rxf7 Rfe8 Qh4 Qh5 Qf6 ]

e)
Richard Rapport vs Matej Sebenik, Austria, 2013
r3r3/3Nk1pp/p1p5/2P2n2/4b2q/1PQ5/PBP1N3/1K4R1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg7+ Nxg7 Qxg7+ if Ke6 Nd4+ mates ]

3e)
Richard Rapport vs Matej Sebenik

Richard Rapport Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Jean-Luc Roos vs Richard Rapport, Haguenau, 2013
6k1/p5p1/2p2r2/1pbp4/4q1QP/1PP1N3/1P3PP1/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxe3 ]

b)
Richard Rapport vs Alejandro Ramirez, Reykjavik, 2014
3rk3/1p5R/5p1p/p2r1Pp1/P3p1P1/BP1nK2P/3R4/8 w - - 1 0
[ Re7+ Kf8 Rd7+ ]

c)
Black mates in 3.
Benjamin Bok vs Richard Rapport, Riga, 2014
5Bk1/1p3pp1/2p2n1p/4rq2/P3p3/2Q2nP1/BPP1RPKP/5R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qh3+ Kxh3 Rh5+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Richard Rapport vs Ottomar Ladva, Yurmala, 2015
7r/p5r1/2p1p3/3kPpNp/1PRP1n1P/R7/8/1K6 w - - 1 0
[ Rc5+ Kxd4 Nf3+ Ke4 Rc4+ ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Richard Rapport vs Aryan Tari, Gibraltar, 2015
r1q2rk1/pb1nb3/1p2ppp1/2p3P1/P2PpB2/2P1PN1R/1P1K1PP1/R6Q w - - 1 0
[ Rh7 w/Qh6 ]

4d)
mate in 4
Richard Rapport vs Ottomar Ladva

a)
Richard Rapport vs Mikhail Al Antipov, Monzon, 2016
1r3b1k/p5pn/4p1R1/3q1p2/3B4/Pb1QP3/4KP1P/6R1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg7 Bxg7 Bxg7+ Kg8 Qxd5 Bxd5 Be5+ ]

b)
Richard Rapport vs David Hoeffer, Karlsruhe, 2017
1r2r1k1/1p1n1pb1/p2p1np1/3P4/1q1BP3/2N2PPp/4B2P/R2Q1R1K w - - 1 0
[ Ra4 Qb2 Nb1 ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Richard Rapport vs Daniel Malek, Karlsruhe, 2018
3br1Q1/pp2k3/2p1pp2/2N5/P1P5/3P4/1qN4P/7K w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qg7+ Kd6 2.Ne4+ Ke5 3.Qg3+ ]

d)
Deimante Cornette vs Richard Rapport, Reykjavik, 2018
r5k1/4bppp/4n3/1bp5/r3PP2/5R1P/P2RN1P1/1NB4K b - - 0 1
[ 1...Bxe2 2.Rxe2 Nd4 ]

e)
Black mates in 4.
Santosh Gujrathi Vidit vs Richard Rapport, Hengshui, 2019
5r2/2p4k/1p1P2p1/3P3p/pPP5/P3rpq1/3Q4/1R2RKN1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...f2 2.Rxe3 Qxg1+ 3.Ke2 f1/Q+ ]

5c)
mate in 4
Richard Rapport vs Daniel Malek

Richard Rapport Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Richard Rapport vs Samuel Shankland, Saint Louis, 2019
6k1/p4p1p/Bp1N1qp1/2nQ4/3b4/6PP/P4PK1/8 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qa8+ if 1...Kg7 2.Ne8+ ]

b)
Richard Rapport vs Samuel Shankland, Saint Louis, 2019
1k1r3r/1pp5/p7/5B2/7p/P1Pnq3/2Q3PP/R4R1K w - - 1 0
[ 1.Rf3 if 1...Ne1 2.Rxe3 Nxc2 3.Bxc2 ]

c)
Samuel Shankland vs Richard Rapport, Saint Louis, 2019
r5k1/2pq2p1/1p1p1bpp/3P4/1PP2P2/1r2B1PP/R2Q2K1/4R3 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Rxa2 2.Qxa2 Rb2+ ]

6b)
Richard Rapport vs Samuel Shankland


Hungarian GMs
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