Characteristic Puzzles in the Openings
Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Vasil Spasov.
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) 
Vasil Spasov vs Andrei Istratescu, Budapest, 1993
4rrk1/4Rpp1/p2p1n2/3P2p1/P2q4/3B3Q/6PP/5R1K w - - 1 0
[ Rxf6 if Qh4 Qxh4 gxh4 Rfxf7 or if gxf6 Qh7# ]
b) 
White mates in 5.
Vasil Spasov vs Marijan Petrov, Kavala, 2001
1q6/3kb1R1/2bpp3/8/1p2r2P/8/PPP2Q2/1K4R1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxe7+ Kxe7 Rg7+ Kd8 Qf6+ ]
c) 
White mates in 3.
Vasil Spasov vs Yakup Erturan, Izmir, 2002
r3r2k/1pp4p/1n3n1B/pP4p1/P2P4/2q1p1QP/B3R1P1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bg7+ ]
d) 
White mates in 2.
Vasil Spasov vs Dimitar Marholev, Kyustendil, 2010
N6r/Bk2ppbp/2R3pn/1B2P3/5P2/7P/bP3KP1/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rc7+ ]
e) 
White mates in 3.
Vasil Spasov vs Sasho Nikolov, Bankja, 2011
3r4/p4R2/6pk/3BNb2/8/8/PPr2P2/3KR3 w - - 1 0
[ Rh1+ if Kg5 Nf3+ or if Bh3 Rxh3+ ]
1b) 
mate in 5
Vasil Spasov vs Marijan Petrov
Vasil Spasov puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
White mates in 4.
Vasil Spasov vs Mitar Saranovic, Cetinje, 2012
r4k1r/1p6/p4NB1/4pQ2/5qp1/8/PPP2P2/1K1R4 w - - 1 0
[ Nh7+ Kg7 Rd7+ ]
b) 
Vasil Spasov vs Radoslav Cosic, Zagreb, 2017
r1b2r2/p7/3Pqpk1/1p4nN/nP2p1P1/P2Q4/2P2RB1/3R3K w - - 1 0
[ Nf4+ Kf7 Nxe6 exd3 Nxg5+ Kg6 Bxa8 ]
c) 
Black mates in 2.
Orce Dancevski vs Vasil Spasov, Skopje, 1998
2r3k1/p3q1b1/6Bp/1p1P2p1/3P1pb1/1P1K1PN1/P2Q2P1/2r2R1R b - - 0 1
[ ...R8c3+ ]
d) 
Black mates in 4.
Kivanc Haznedaroglu vs Vasil Spasov, Istanbul, 2001
3B4/k6p/6p1/2pn4/Bp2N1PP/2b2P2/K1P5/7r b - - 0 1
[ ...c4 if Nxc3 Nxc3+ ]
e) 
Ilarion Dorfanis vs Vasil Spasov, Kavala, 2001
1q4k1/5p2/3p1Ppb/p1RNn2p/Q3P3/P6P/RP4PK/1B1r4 b - - 0 1
[ ...dxc5 if Qxd1 Nf3+ Kh1 Qh2# ]
2a) 
Wmate in 4
Vasil Spasov vs Mitar Saranovic
Vasil Spasov puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
Black mates in 3.
Ivan Hernandez Rios vs Vasil Spasov, La Laguna, 2007
3rk2r/1b2p1bp/p5p1/P4p2/NpB4q/1P5P/2P1Q1P1/4RR1K b k - 0 1
[ ...Qxh3+ Kg1 Bd4+ ]
b) 
Black mates in 4.
Jacobo Gonzalez Marrero vs Vasil Spasov, La Laguna, 2007
5r1k/2R3bp/1B1P2p1/2Pqp3/3np3/4R3/5rPP/1Q4K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qa2 ]
c) 
Black mates in 4.
Ljudmil Nenkov vs Vasil Spasov, Sunny Beach, 2015
7r/5pk1/3r1q2/1Qp1p1n1/4P1B1/P5P1/1PP2PK1/2R1R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh2+ Kxh2 Qxf2+ Kh1 Rh6+ ]
3c) 
mate in 4
Ljudmil Nenkov vs Vasil Spasov
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