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Here are some chess puzzles from the games of the 2015 USA Championship.
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)
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)
White mates in 3.
Sabina-Francesca Foisor vs Apurva Virkud, Saint Louis, 2015
r1k5/1b3pn1/4pNp1/1Q2P1p1/6P1/q7/5P1P/1B1R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rd8+ if Kc7 Rd7+ ]

c)
Black mates in 3.
Jennifer Yu vs Katerina Nemcova, Saint Louis, 2015
2k5/p1p4p/1p6/6p1/2PK2PP/2P1r3/P3r3/1R4R1 b - - 0 1
[ ...c5+ Kd5 Kc7 Rbd1 Re5# ]

d)
Black mates in 3.
Apurva Virkud vs Rusudan Goletiani, Saint Louis, 2015
r5k1/3n1pp1/5n1p/1P3q2/2R5/r3pP2/2Q3PP/1K2BB1R b - - 0 1
[ ...Rb3+ Kc1 Ra1+ ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Irina Krush vs Tatev Abrahamyan, Saint Louis, 2015
5bk1/3N1p1p/4p3/4Q3/4P3/qp3PPK/7P/8 w - - 1 0
[ Nf6+ Kh8 Qh5 ]

1c)
mate in 3
Jennifer Yu vs Katerina Nemcova

2015 USA Championship Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 5.
Alisa Melekhina vs Irina Krush, Saint Louis, 2015
8/p4pkp/1p2p1p1/8/b3Q3/2q2B2/P4PPP/2r2RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf1+ Kxf1 Bb5+ ]

b)
Conrad Holt vs Hikaru Nakamura, Saint Louis, 2015
r5k1/ppp2rb1/3pB3/3PpN2/2P1q3/3b2P1/PPnQ1P2/R1B3KR b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne1 if Nh4 Qg2+ Nxg2 Nf3# ]

c)
Apurva Virkud vs Irina Krush, Saint Louis, 2015
8/k4p2/pp1qp3/2n5/3NbP2/P1Q2BPp/1P5P/2K5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxd4 Qxd4 Nb3+ Kd1 Bxf3+ ]

d)
Conrad Holt vs Kayden Troff, Saint Louis, 2015
2r2k2/5P1p/1q1R4/6p1/8/1B2n1PK/P2Q3P/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...g4+ Kh4 Nf5+ ]

2c)
Apurva Virkud vs Irina Krush


2016 USA CH

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