King-pawn Opening Series
Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Wesley So.
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) 
Wesley So vs Josef Strasser, Bad Wiessee, 2006
5rk1/pp1R1ppp/4n3/5Q2/7P/1BP1q1P1/PP5K/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 ]
b) 
Vladimir Burmakin vs Wesley So, Bad Wiessee, 2006
4r1k1/pp1n1pp1/2p2np1/3p4/PP1P1qP1/1NP1rP2/4RRKP/2Q2B2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxg4 fxg4 Qxg4+ Kh1 Rxe2 ]
c) 
Gerhard Niebergall vs Wesley So, Bad Wiessee, 2006
4k3/p4pb1/6p1/3pP3/3P1n2/2N2qQ1/Pr3P1R/R4K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxg3 ]
d) 
Black mates in 3.
Chan Wei-Xuan vs Wesley So, Singapore, 2007
8/6k1/3p1rp1/3Bp1p1/1pP1P1K1/4bPR1/P5Q1/4q3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rf4+ Kxg5 Bb6 ]
e) 
Wesley So vs Ahmed Adly, Dubai, 2008
r1b5/1p6/p1kqp1Q1/3Np3/4P2b/3B2p1/PPP5/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Qe8+ if Kc5 b4+ or if Bd7 Qxa8 or if Qd7 Bb5+ ]
1a) 
Wesley So vs Josef Strasser
So Puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
Wesley So vs Prasad Arun, Gaziantep, 2008
4k1r1/2qb1p1p/4pP2/pQ6/4P3/1R4P1/PPP4P/2K5 w - - 0 1
[ Qb8+ Qd8 Qa7 if Bc8 Rb8 Rg6 Rxc8 ]
b) 
Wesley So vs Rolando Nolte, Dapitan, 2009
3r1rk1/1p1b1ppp/4n3/p3PB2/Pn1pN2q/2B5/1PP3PP/R2Q1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Be1 Qe7 Qh5 g6 Qh6 Nd5 Bh4 ]
c) 
Wesley So vs Gao Rui, Subic Bay, 2009
r3b3/4b2k/p1p1p1p1/2P2p2/5P2/2B5/PPK1B3/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Rh1+ Kg8 Bc4 Bd8 Bxe6+ Kf8 Rh7 ]
d) 
Friso Nijboer vs Wesley So, Wijk aan Zee, 2009
2R5/8/3N4/6P1/3kp3/3n4/2K4P/6r1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rc1+ Kd2 e3+ Ke2 Nf4+ Kf3 Rxc8 ]
e) 
Wesley So vs Dmitry Bocharov, Moscow, 2010
6k1/5p1p/pBq3p1/3p2P1/6b1/1N1n4/PPP4P/1K2Q3 w - - 0 1
[ Qg1 if Nb4 Bc5 or if Ne5 Bd4 ]
2a) 
Wesley So vs Prasad Arun
So Puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
White mates in 5.
Wesley So vs Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Tagaytay City, 2010
q7/4R2p/p5pk/2QR4/P1p2r2/7P/2r3P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rh5+ gxh5 Qd6+ ]
b) 
Erik Kislik vs Wesley So, Reykjavik, 2013
5k2/p3ppbp/bp4p1/8/4PP2/2N5/PP1rNKPP/3R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxc3 ]
c) 
Wesley So vs Viktor Laznicka, New Delhi, 2011
3b2rk/p6p/4br1Q/qp2N3/2p1PNP1/3p3P/PP6/1K1R3R w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6 ]
d) 
Wesley So vs David Navara, Wijk aan Zee, 2011
8/3qpk1p/1p1rp1p1/2p5/5Pn1/4PNP1/PPQ4P/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ h3 ]
e) 
Laurent Fressinet vs Wesley So, Wijk aan Zee, 2011
8/5p1k/5r2/2P2Pr1/4K3/6Rp/P5R1/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxg3 if Rxg3 h2 ]
3a) 
mate in 5
Wesley So vs Jan Emmanuel Garcia
Wesley So puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
White mates in 2.
Wesley So vs Marcin Dziuba, Reykjavik, 2013
2r2k2/2P2pp1/4pN2/8/1P1R4/6P1/5P2/2q2BK1 w - - 1 0
[ Rd8+ if Ke7 Ng8# ]
b) 
Black mates in 6.
Maxim Rodshtein vs Wesley So, Biel, 2010
6rk/p6p/1p1R1p1q/4nP1N/4b2Q/7P/P5P1/5B1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxg2+ if Bxg2 Qc1+ Kh2 Nf3+ ]
c) 
White mates in 2.
Wesley So vs Elshan Moradiabadi, New York, 2014
1rbq1r1k/2p4n/ppn1p3/2Pp2R1/1P1P1P1p/P3P3/1BQ5/2K4R w - - 1 0
[ Qxh7+ ]
d) 
White mates in 2.
Wesley So vs Conrad Holt, Internet, 2014
6k1/6rp/p1R2Q2/8/1P4qP/P2p2P1/5P1K/8 w - - 1 0
[ Qd8+ ]
e) 
Black mates in 2.
Albert Hernandez vs Wesley So, Las Vegas, 2015
N1br4/pp2ppbp/4k1p1/2p5/2P5/3N2Q1/1qnKPPPP/5B1R b - - 1 0
[ ...Bc3+ Kd1 Qb1# ]
4b) 
mate in 6
Maxim Rodshtein vs Wesley So
Wesley So puzzles, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
White mates in 2.
Wesley So vs Kayden Troff, Saint Louis, 2015
8/R7/3n1kp1/4N2r/1P2P2p/4KN2/6PP/5b2 w - - 1 0
[ Ng4+ ]
b) 
Wesley So vs Ivan Saric, Wijk aan Zee, 2015
3nr1k1/2p2pp1/7p/1pPbNq2/1n6/1B5P/1P1Q1PP1/2B1R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ g4 if Qg5 Qxb4 or if Qf6 Bxd5 ]
c) 
Wesley So vs Hikaru Nakamura, Saint Louis, 2016
r4rk1/pb3p1p/1p2p1p1/5n2/3P3q/P1PQ2R1/2B2PP1/R1B3K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bg5 if Qh5 Bd1 ]
d) 
Wesley So vs Alan Merry, Douglas, 2016
1rb5/2qnpkr1/p1B2pp1/P1pPp2p/2P1P2P/1RpNQP2/5KP1/1R6 w - - 1 0
[ Bxd7 if Rxb3 Be6+ ]
5a) 
mate in 2
Wesley So vs Kayden Troff
Wesley So puzzles, pt. vi.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
Wesley So vs Anish Giri, Internet, 2017
8/R2b1r1p/3P3k/1p2Q3/2p2Pq1/6P1/6BK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxd7 Rxd7 Bh3 if Qg7 Bxd7 Qxd7 Qg5# ]
b) 
Wesley So vs Matthias Bluebaum, Tbilisi, 2017
4rrk1/1pp1n1p1/p4pb1/3p2qp/3P2PN/P1N1R2P/1PPQ2P1/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nf3 if Qf4 Rxe7 ]
c) 
Wesley So vs Yifan Hou, Wijk aan Zee, 2018
4rrk1/pp3pp1/1np3b1/4P1Np/3P2qP/6Q1/PPBR1P2/2K3R1 w - - 1 0
[ Bxg6 if fxg6 Qb3+ or if Qxg3 Bh7+ ]
d) 
Wesley So vs Bryan Tillis, Internet, 2019
2q1r3/4npk1/2pR2p1/2QpN2p/3P2P1/4P2P/5P2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rd7 if Nf5 Rxf7+ ]
e) 
Liren Ding vs Wesley So, Kolkata, 2019
4R3/5ppk/pp1b4/3rN1P1/1P2pK2/P3P3/5P2/8 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Rxe5 2.Rxe5 f6 ]
6a) 
Wesley So vs Anish Giri
Wesley So puzzles, pt. vii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
White mates in 3.
Wesley So vs Ameet Ghasi, Internet, 2019
5k2/3R4/p2P2Bp/1p6/1P1p2N1/4n2P/4r1PK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rf7+ ]
b) 
Wesley So vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Internet, 2019
3r3k/1b5p/pp1p2pP/1NpPrp2/8/8/PP4B1/2KRR3 w - - 1 0
[ Nxd6 ]
c) 
White mates in 5.
Wesley So vs Anton Korobov, Bucharest, 2019
6rk/5q1p/1p6/pPp2r2/P1Pp3Q/1N1Pp1BP/5nRK/6R1 w - - 1 0
[ Be5+ Rxe5 Rxg8+ ]
d) 
Wesley So vs Vladislav Artemiev, Internet, 2019
r3rn1k/pp1qb1pp/2p3b1/P2pPp2/3P1P2/3BB2Q/1PPN3P/R5RK w - - 1 0
[ Rxg6 Nxg6 Bxf5 Qd8 Bxg6 ]
7d) 
Wesley So vs Vladislav Artemiev
Wesley So puzzles, pt. viii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
e) 
Wesley So vs Grigoriy Oparin, Internet, 2020
r2qr1k1/1bp2pbp/p1n2np1/1p4B1/3pN3/P1P2N2/1PB2PPP/R2QR1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxf6+ Bxf6 Rxe8+ ]
b) 
Wesley So vs Magnus Carlsen, Internet, 2020
r6r/p2q2k1/1pp1p1np/P2p1ppQ/3P4/1P1NR3/2P2PPP/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxg6+ Kxg6 Ne5+ ]
c) 
Wesley So vs Sergei Zhigalko, Internet, 2020
r1b4r/2q2pk1/pp1bpNp1/8/2Pp4/3P4/PP1BBPPn/R1Q1R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bh6+ if Rxh6 Ne8+ or if Kxf6 Qg5# ]
8b) 
Wesley So vs Magnus Carlsen
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