'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series
Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Alexander Stripunsky.
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)
Black mates in 3.
Mihail Saltaev vs Alexander Stripunsky, Miedzybrodzie, 1991
8/6pk/p3q2p/3R4/3Q1p2/P5P1/6KP/5r2 b - - 0 1
[ ...f3+ Kxf1 Qe2+ ]
b)
Black mates in 3.
Zbigniew Szymczak vs Alexander Stripunsky, Karvina, 1992
5k2/5p2/8/Q5P1/1p2p1qP/1Pn1P3/P4P2/5K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qh3+ ]
c)
White mates in 5.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Konstantin Vshivkov, Moscow, 1994
5rkr/1pR2n2/5QP1/p2Pp2p/4R3/7P/2b2P1K/2q5 w - - 0 1
[ g7 if Qh6 gxf8/Q+ Qxf8 Qg6+ Qg7 Rc8+ ]
d)
White mates in 5.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Oleg Loskutov, Briansk, 1995
1k5r/1b3p2/2Q1p3/1B1p3p/5P2/4q3/P1P3PP/1R5K w - - 1 0
[ Bf1 Qa7 Ba6 ]
e)
Black mates in 3.
Michail Feygin vs Alexander Stripunsky, Nikolaev, 1995
1Q5R/6p1/6kp/2b1p3/2p1P3/6K1/2q4P/4R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf2+ if Kg4 Qg2+ ]
1a)
mate in 3
Mihail Saltaev vs Alexander Stripunsky
Alexander Stripunsky puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 5.
Lenar Murzin vs Alexander Stripunsky, Minsk, 1996
2rr4/pB3pkp/4p3/Q1b5/2q3b1/8/PP3PPP/5RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxf1+ Kxf1 Rd1+ Qe1 Rxe1+ Kxe1 Bb4+ ]
b)
Maurice Ashley vs Alexander Stripunsky, New York, 1998
8/4q1kp/1p3rpN/3p4/1n1P1BPb/pP3R2/P2Q2KP/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe4 if Qe3 Qxe3 Bxe3 Rxf3 Kxf3 Nxa2 ]
c)
White mates in 5.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Alejandro Vergara, Port of Spain, 1999
2b1rk2/1p3prR/2p2b2/p3pPp1/P3P3/2N1B1KQ/B1q5/7R w - - 0 1
[ Bc5+ Re7 Rh8+ Rg8 Rxg8+ ]
d)
Alexander Stripunsky vs Vasik Rajlich, Washington, 1999
8/2r1pQ2/p2pPqpp/3P1p1k/7P/4P1R1/6PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qh7 w/Rg5+ ]
e)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Diego Adla, Internet, 2001
3b3r/Qpk5/3R1p2/7p/8/RK1P4/1P2r1qP/8 w - - 1 0
[ Qb6+ ]
2a)
mate in 5
Lenar Murzin vs Alexander Stripunsky
Alexander Stripunsky puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Alexander Stripunsky vs Richard Francisco, Virginia Beach, 2001
4k3/2r5/3QBp1r/1pp4p/4q3/R7/P1P3PP/7K w - - 1 0
[ Ra8+ Qxa8 Qxc7 ]
b)
White mates in 4.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Larry Kaufman, Seattle, 2002
3q4/k1p2pp1/p1Bp1b2/P1p5/2P2P2/1R3Q1p/KPP2P2/4r3 w - - 1 0
[ Rb7+ Ka8 Rxc7+ Kg8 Qb3+ ]
c)
Black mates in 3.
Rafal Furdzik vs Alexander Stripunsky, New York, 2003
4r2k/8/2Q4p/7q/3p1p2/1P1P1R2/P2K1B2/7r b - - 0 1
[ ...Qa5+ ]
d)
Dean Ippolito vs Alexander Stripunsky, New York, 2003
2r1rbk1/6pp/p4p2/1p6/4nP2/1P4P1/PBR2N1P/2R4K b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxf2+ Rxf2 Rxc1+ Bxc1 Re1+ ]
e)
Harris Appelman vs Alexander Stripunsky, New York, 2004
3r1rk1/pp2qppp/1bp2nb1/8/2QBP3/2N2P2/PP2B1PP/3R1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd4 Rxd4 Rd8 Rfd1 Rxd4 Rxd4 Qd6 ]
3d)
Dean Ippolito vs Alexander Stripunsky
Alexander Stripunsky puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Walter Browne, Stillwater, 2007
4r1kr/6qp/p2pP2Q/6P1/5R2/4p3/P6P/5R1K w - - 1 0
[ Rf7 ]
b)
Sergey Vertkin vs Alexander Stripunsky, Foxwoods, 2007
r3k2r/1b1p1pp1/ppq1pn2/2b4p/2P1PP2/1PNQ2NP/P5PK/R1B1R3 b kq - 0 1
[ ...Ng4+ hxg4 hxg4+ Nh5 Bf2 ]
c)
White mates in 5.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Oleg Zaikov, Philadelphia, 2009
3r1r2/p4pk1/2p4p/4R3/2b1NQ1P/3q2P1/PP3R2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rg5+ hxg5 Qxg5+ Kh7 Nf6+ ]
d)
Black mates in 2.
Seth Homa vs Alexander Stripunsky, Arlington, 2013
4r2k/5Qp1/R7/3p4/2p2P1p/4qn1P/1P2N1P1/7K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc1+ ]
e)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Cameron Wheeler, Arlington, 2015
r4r1k/1p1b4/2n1p1Q1/p2pP1N1/7q/8/PP4PP/R4R1K w - - 1 0
[ Rf7 ]
f)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Stripunsky vs Daniel Gurevich, Internet, 2015
6R1/7p/5p1k/R3r3/6P1/6PK/P1rp3P/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxe5 fxe5 g5+ Kh5 g4# ]
g)
Black mates in 4.
Thomas Bartell vs Alexander Stripunsky, Internet, 2015
4r1k1/pp3pp1/6p1/1q1p2P1/1b1P1Q2/nP1R1P2/P6P/K2R1B2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxd3 Rxd3 Re1+ ]
4f)
mate in 3
Alexander Stripunsky vs Daniel Gurevich
More US GMs
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