"Tactics in the Queen's Gambit" by wtharvey.com



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Polina Shuvalova.
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)
Irina Alekseeva vs Polina Shuvalova, Dagomys, 2009
2rq1rk1/pp1bppbp/3p1np1/8/2BQP3/2N1BP2/PPP3PP/1K1R3R b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng4 if Qxa7 Nxe3 Qxe3 Rxc4 ]

b)
White mates in 5.
Polina Shuvalova vs Dulma Vanchikova, Moscow, 2012
r1b2rk1/1p2Rn1p/p4qpP/2B2p2/2B5/5Q2/PP4P1/6KR w - - 1 0
[ Qc3 Qxc3 Bxf7+ Kh8 bxc3 Rxf7 Re8+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Polina Shuvalova vs Alexandra Obolentseva, Budva, 2013
k2rr3/P5pp/8/3q4/3p1b2/5Q2/1PR2PPP/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rc8+ ]

d)
Ekaterina Goltseva vs Polina Shuvalova, Budva, 2013
5Q2/6rk/4b3/1N2p3/4P1p1/4q1P1/5R2/5BK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rf7 ]

e)
Polina Shuvalova vs Stella Sankova, Porto Carras, 2015
1r3rk1/pbq1npb1/4p1pp/2p1n3/2PpNB1P/1P3NP1/P4PB1/R2QR1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxe5 if Bxe5 Nf6+ or if Bxe4 Nxg6 ]

1b)
mate in 5
Polina Shuvalova vs Dulma Vanchikova

Polina Shuvalova Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Evgeny Klimentov vs Polina Shuvalova, Voronezh, 2015
4r3/7k/8/p2P4/8/1P2p3/P1RrR1PK/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxc2 ]

b)
Polina Shuvalova vs Mariya Muzychuk, Vysoke Tatry, 2018
3n3r/ppk1p1bp/4q1p1/4P3/4N3/P4N1Q/5PPP/1R4K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxb7+ if Kxb7 Nc5+ or if Kc8 Qxe6+ Nxe6 Rxe7 ]

c)
Polina Shuvalova vs Jane Mukhina, Sochi, 2018
8/p1p2p2/1pb3pK/2pNk2p/4Pn1P/1PP1NP2/P5P1/8 w - - 1 0
[ Nc4+ ]

d)
Natalija Pogonina vs Polina Shuvalova, Vysoke Tatry, 2018
2r1k2r/pb3p2/1ppbp3/4qp2/3N1Q2/4PB2/P1P2PPP/1R3RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc5 if Nb3 Bxf4 Nxc5 Bxh2+ Kh1 Bd6+ ]

e)
Irina Bulmaga vs Polina Shuvalova, Vysoke Tatry, 2018
8/pQ5p/3b2pk/8/3P4/r4B2/5PPq/3R1K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ra2 ]

f)
White mates in 6.
Polina Shuvalova vs Anna Afonasieva, Mumbai, 2019
r4rnk/4qpbn/p7/4pP2/1p2B3/8/PPP2B1Q/6RK w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qxh7+ Kxh7 2.f6+ Kh6 3.Be3+ Kh5 4.Bf3+ Kh4 5.Bf2+ ]

2f)
mate in 6
Polina Shuvalova vs Anna Afonasieva


Russian GMs
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