Characteristic Puzzles in the Openings



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of 2012 Russian Team Championships.
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 "print edition" is available for this page.

a)
White mates in 2.
Dmitry Kurukin vs Vitaly Bachin, Sochi, 2012
4kn1r/pp4p1/q1r1p1p1/3pQ1B1/6P1/P4R1P/5P2/2R3K1 w k - 0 1
[ Qb8+ ]

b)
White mates in 2.
Valeri Yandemirov vs Andrey Uzhva, Sochi, 2012
3r2k1/3r1pp1/pq5p/1p1pQ3/2bR4/P1PB1P2/1P2R1PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe8+ ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Rail Makhmutov vs Tamara Cheremnova, Sochi, 2012
1r1qk3/pb1n1pb1/4r3/1p1pp3/1B4Q1/3BP3/PP3PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxe6+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Alexandr Predke vs Andrei Borisenko, Sochi, 2012
2rnk1r1/p2R1p2/1qn1pBp1/p3P2p/2p2N1P/2P5/3Q1PP1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Re7+ Kf8 Qd7 ]

e)
White mates in 9.
Pogos Nakhapetiane vs Valentin Lyaskovsky, Sochi, 2012
5Nrk/b1q4p/6p1/p3RQ2/Pp6/7P/1PP3P1/7K w - - 0 1
[ Qf6+ Qg7 Re7 Be3 Rxg7 Rxg7 Ne6 Bh6 Nxg7 ]

1e)
mate in 9
Pogos Nakhapetiane vs Valentin Lyaskovsky

2012 Russian Team Championships Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Anish Giri vs Andrey Zontakh, Sochi, 2012
4k2B/1p3p2/1rp5/p5p1/P3n3/4P1P1/1P3P2/3RK3 w - - 0 1
[ f3 if Nc5 Bd4 Nxa4 Bf6 or if Nxg3 Bf6 mates ]

b)
Pavel Maletin vs Valentin Lyaskovsky, Sochi, 2012
4rr2/R1b4k/1p1q2pp/1R1Bpp2/2P5/4PQP1/5P1P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ c5 if bxc5 Rxc7+ ]

c)
Ivan Popov vs Alexander Morozevich, Sochi, 2012
6n1/1p5k/5p2/p3pPrp/4P3/1P4PP/2qNQRK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nf3 ]

d)
Inna Ivakhinova vs Aleksandra Goryachkina, Sochi, 2012
4r2k/1p1r2pp/2p5/p1P3q1/PbQR4/4nPP1/1P3B2/1B1R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd3 ]

e)
Ekaterina Rassokhina vs Inna Ivakhinova, Sochi, 2012
1r4r1/2R2Rn1/1p1Np1k1/4Pp2/pp1P1ppP/8/P4KP1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rf6+ Kh5 Nf7 ]

2b)
Pavel Maletin vs Valentin Lyaskovsky

2012 Russian Team Championships Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Alexej Gorbatov vs Nikita Khoroshilov, Sochi, 2012
3rr1k1/1bq2pbp/ppp2p2/4p3/2P1P1Q1/1BN4P/PP1R1PP1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd7 Rxd7 Rxd7 Qb8 c5 ]

b)
Boris Grachev vs Aleksandr Poluljahov, Sochi, 2012
5rk1/2r2ppp/p1N1pb2/1p2N3/4n3/6P1/PP2PP1P/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd7 if Re8 Ne7+ ]

c)
Maxim Matlakov vs Denis Khismatullin, Sochi, 2012
5rk1/8/1p4p1/3P1B1R/1p3Q2/8/r3q2P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rh8+ if Kxh8 or Kg7 Qh6(+) or if Kf7 Bg4+ ]

d)
Jakov Geller vs Alexej Lojko, Sochi, 2012
3r3k/p4qpp/1pPb1n2/8/4r3/P4QPP/5BB1/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxb6 if axb6 Qxe4 or if Rde8 c7 ]

e)
Sergey Grishchenko vs Vladimir Dobrov, Sochi, 2012
r5k1/4ppbp/1r1p2p1/3P4/4P3/P3B2P/1PqN1PPK/R4Q2 w - - 0 1
[ Rc1 if Qxb2 Nc4 ]

3b)
Boris Grachev vs Aleksandr Poluljahov

2012 Russian Team Championships Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Ildar Ibragimov vs Alexey Dreev, Sochi, 2012
r3rk2/pp3ppQ/1q2nb2/1P6/3n1P2/2p4P/P1B2NP1/R1BR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ba3+ if Nc5 Nd3 or if Be7 Qh8# ]

b)
Alina Kashlinskaya vs Marina Romanko-Guseva, Sochi, 2012
6r1/p1q2p1k/1p4p1/4PpRp/3P1N1P/5P2/P2R1QPK/1br5 w - - 0 1
[ Nd5 Qc8 Nf6+ ]

c)
Viktor Lyaskovsky vs Beniamin Galstian, Sochi, 2012
5rk1/2r2pbp/1q1p2p1/1P1Q4/R1B1P3/7P/6P1/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Ra8 if Qc5 Rxf8+ or if Rxa8 Qxa8+ Bf8 Qd5 Qb7 Rxf7 ]

d)
Tatjana Molchanova vs Ekaterina Rassokhina, Sochi, 2012
4k3/5p1p/5Bp1/4p3/1n1pP3/3P2P1/1b1r1P1P/R4BK1 w - - 0 1
[ Ra7 if Nxd3 Re7+ Kd8 Bxd3 Rxd3 Rb7+ ]

e)
Daria Charochkina vs Alexandra Makarenko, Sochi, 2012
1r5k/1r5p/Rn1Q4/2p2B2/6P1/4q2P/6K1/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Qf6+ Kg8 Be6+ ]

4d)
Tatjana Molchanova vs Ekaterina Rassokhina

2012 Russian Team Championships Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Olga Matveeva vs Olga Petrova, Sochi, 2012
r3r1k1/pq1n1p2/6pB/1p1R1b2/1Pp1p3/P3P3/4BPPP/2Q2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qc3 f6 Rxb5 Qc6 Bxc4+ ]

b)
Olga Petrova vs Aleksandra Goryachkina, Sochi, 2012
1Q1r2k1/P4pp1/4p3/3qN3/5n2/1P5p/K1R2P2/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nc6 if h2 Ne7+ Kh7 Nxd5 ]

c)
Beniamin Galstian vs Kirill Alekseenko, Sochi, 2012
5rk1/6p1/3P3p/1pb1q3/2p1Q3/1P5P/2B3P1/3RK3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc3+ if Ke2 Rf2# or if Rd2 Qg3+ Ke2 Rf2+ Kd1 Rf1+ ]

d)
Alisa Galliamova vs Ekaterina Ubiennykh, Sochi, 2012
r2q1rk1/1p1b2pp/1nn1p3/p2p1p2/Pb1P1P2/1Q1BPN2/NP1B2PP/R4RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxd4 if Nxd4 or Qe1 Bxa4 ]

e)
Vladimir Dobrov vs Dmitrij Sitnikov, Sochi, 2012
4r1k1/1p1q1prp/p1p5/3nP2P/1P2Q3/P3PP1b/1BR3B1/4RK2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxg2+ Rxg2 Qh3 if f4 f5 ]

5e)
Vladimir Dobrov vs Dmitrij Sitnikov

2012 Russian Team Championships Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Alexander Moskalenko vs Dmitry Andreikin, Sochi, 2012
2q1r1k1/1p3p2/p2p3Q/2pPr3/2P1p3/PP2Pn1P/1R1N1PK1/7R b - - 0 1
[ ...Rg5+ Kf1 Rg6 Qh5 Re5 ]

b)
Pogos Nakhapetiane vs Konstantin Landa, Sochi, 2012
5r1k/3n3p/3N4/1P1q2p1/1Q1P1p2/8/r5PP/2R3RK b - - 0 1
[ ...f3 if h3 g4 Nf5 gxh3 ]

c)
Alexej Lojko vs Artem Iljin, Sochi, 2012
3q2k1/4rpp1/6np/p1Nr1R2/P2P2Q1/6P1/7P/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne5 if Qe2 Rxd4 Rff1 Nd3 or if Qe4 Rxc5 ]

d)
Vladimir Potkin vs Dmitry Andreikin, Sochi, 2012
4B1k1/5p1p/5np1/2p3Q1/r4p2/4q1P1/P6P/R2R3K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf3+ Kg1 fxg3 if Qxg3 Rg4 ]

e)
Varvara Saulina vs Vera Nebolsina, Sochi, 2012
4r1k1/5p1p/3p2np/3P2q1/R2Q4/2P2B2/1P1R2PK/4r3 b - - 0 1
[ ...R8e4 if Bxe4 Qh4# ]

6a)
Alexander Moskalenko vs Dmitry Andreikin

2012 Russian Team Championships Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Vladimir Nevostrujev vs Ildar Ibragimov, Sochi, 2012
4r1k1/1p3pp1/5q1p/1R1N4/2nN3P/2n3P1/P1P2P2/3Q2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxd4 Qxd4 Ne2+ ]

b)
Ramil Hasangatin vs Sergei Rublevsky, Sochi, 2012
6k1/4bp1p/4p3/1R6/3PpP2/r3P3/7P/4B1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ra1 Kf1 Bh4 ]

c)
Alexej Lojko vs Alexandre Danin, Sochi, 2012
2r3k1/1p2ppbp/6p1/1Q1bq3/3N2r1/4B1P1/PP1R1P1P/5RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe4 if Nf3 Bc6 ]

7a)
Vladimir Nevostrujev vs Ildar Ibragimov


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