'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series
Here are some chess puzzles from the US CH 2010-.
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.
Irina Krush vs Ashritha Eswaran, Saint Louis, 2014
2n5/q1r1k1pp/p3Pp2/2P1p3/4P3/6PP/P2Q3K/3R1B2 w - - 1 0
[ Qd8+ Kxe6 Bc4# ]
b)
White mates in 2.
Ray Robson vs Elshan Moradiabadi, Internet, 2020
3r2kr/1b1n3p/2nPp1q1/1N2P1Q1/Pp4N1/1P6/2P3PP/4RRK1 w - - 1 0
[ Nh6+ ]
c)
White mates in 3.
Joel Benjamin vs Levon Altounian, Saint Louis, 2010
6k1/pp4pp/8/5N2/1P2rQ2/3R3P/1qr2B1K/7R w - - 1 0
[ Ne7+ Rxe7 Rd8+ ]
d)
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 Kxd8 Qd7# or if Kc7 Rd7+ ]
e)
White mates in 3.
Irina Krush vs Tatev Abrahamyan, Saint Louis, 2015
5b1k/5p1p/4pN2/4Q3/4P3/qp3PPK/7P/8 w - - 1 0
[ Qh5 ]
1a)
mate in 2
Irina Krush vs Ashritha Eswaran
Puzzles from the US Chess CH 2010-, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Anna Sharevich vs Maggie Feng, Saint Louis, 2019
rn4k1/1b6/1p1N2pB/p4r2/3pp2Q/2P1P2P/qP3P2/2KR2R1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg6+ Kh7 Bg5+ ]
b)
Black mates in 3.
Yuri Shulman vs Benjamin Finegold, Saint Louis, 2013
6k1/4R3/p5q1/2pP1Q2/3bn1r1/P7/6PP/5R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng3+ ]
c)
Black mates in 3.
Jennifer Yu vs Katerina Nemcova, Saint Louis, 2016
5k1r/1p3pp1/p1ppq3/8/2Pb1P2/1P2rNP1/P2R2K1/3R1Q2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re2+ if Rxe2 Qh3# ]
d)
Black mates in 3.
Ray Robson vs Samuel Sevian, Saint Louis, 2019
5rk1/Q1p3pp/2pb4/3n4/2NP3B/P2q3P/1r3PK1/R3R1N1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rfxf2+ Bxf2 Qg3+ ]
e)
White mates in 4.
Tatev Abrahamyan vs Iryna Zenyuk, Saint Louis, 2013
3qr1k1/3bp1b1/3pN3/3P1nPQ/pp6/8/PPP1N3/1K5R w - - 1 0
[ Qh7+ Kf7 Qxf5+ Kg8 Qh7+ ]
2a)
mate in 3
Anna Sharevich vs Maggie Feng
Puzzles from the US Chess CH 2010-, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Timur Gareev vs Ray Robson, Saint Louis, 2019
r4r2/pp2bpkB/2p1np2/3p4/2P2N2/1P2PP2/1P3K2/2R4R w - - 1 0
[ Nxe6+ fxe6 Rcg1+ Kf7 Bg6+ ]
b)
White mates in 4.
Sabina-Francesca Foisor vs Anna Zatonskih, Internet, 2020
2r2rk1/p2R4/Np4p1/n7/4p3/2P1P1b1/qP2B1P1/2KQ3R w - - 1 0
[ Rh8+ Kxh8 Qh1+ ]
c)
Black mates in 4.
Abby Marshall vs Alisa Melekhina, Saint Louis, 2010
5rk1/ppp2r1p/2q3p1/2b5/2p1p3/6PQ/PPPBR2P/4R2K b - - 0 1
[ ...e3+ if Qg2 Rf1+ or if Kg1 exd2+ ]
d)
Black mates in 4.
Agata Bykovtsev vs Irina Krush, Saint Louis, 2016
8/4k3/3p2p1/p2Rp2p/1p2P1nP/1P4NK/P1r1R1P1/2r5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rc3 ]
e)
Black mates in 4.
Sabina-Francesca Foisor vs Nazi Paikidze, Saint Louis, 2018
3r4/1p2kp1Q/p3bp2/4b3/BP6/P1NR4/q5PP/3K4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bg4+ if Ke1 Bxc3+ or if Kc1 Bf4+ ]
3a)
mate in 4
Timur Gareev vs Ray Robson
Puzzles from the US Chess CH 2010-, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 4.
Anna Zatonskih vs Jennifer Yu, Saint Louis, 2019
5rk1/1p2q1pp/2p5/p7/P6P/1bB3K1/1P1QP1B1/R7 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc7+ Kg4 Be6+ Kg5 Qg3+ ]
b)
White mates in 5.
Sabina-Francesca Foisor vs Akshita Gorti, Saint Louis, 2018
4b1rk/1p2q1p1/p4p2/4rPp1/3pPNQ1/3B3P/PP4P1/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Ng6+ ]
c)
White mates in 5.
Nazi Paikidze vs Anna Sharevich, Saint Louis, 2018
2Rbk2r/pp3pp1/8/3rqN1p/5pP1/Q6P/P7/3R2K1 w k - 1 0
[ Qa4+ b5 Qxb5+ Kf8 Rxd8+ ]
d)
White mates in 6.
Hikaru Nakamura vs Robert Hess, Saint Louis, 2012
4r2k/3R2p1/4p2p/p1r1P3/2P1Q3/4R2P/q5PK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg7 Kxg7 Rg3+ if Kh8 Qg6 ]
e)
Viktoija Ni vs Rusudan Goletiani, Saint Louis, 2012
2kr3r/p7/1p1n2p1/2pR2Nn/6p1/1P2P3/P1P2PB1/2K4R w - - 1 0
[ Ne6 if Rd7 Rhd1 ]
4c)
mate in 5
Nazi Paikidze vs Anna Sharevich
Puzzles from the US Chess CH 2010-, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Irina Krush vs Robert Hess, Saint Louis, 2010
6rk/p3r1p1/2P2nRp/2p2q2/2P1pN2/P7/6QP/6RK w - - 1 0
[ Nd5 if Rf7 Nxf6 or if Nxd5 Rxh6+ ]
b)
Rusudan Goletiani vs Camilla Baginskaite, Saint Louis, 2012
8/pQb1qk1p/5pp1/1p2p3/5PP1/P1B1P2P/1P4K1/8 w - - 1 0
[ Bb4 Qd7 Ba5 ]
c)
Anna Zatonskih vs Anjelina Belakovskaia, Saint Louis, 2013
6k1/p4pp1/2P5/3p3p/3PrQ2/2P5/P3r2n/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxe4 if dxe4 c7 or if Rxe4 c7 Re8 Rb1 ]
d)
Irina Krush vs Camilla Baginskaite, Saint Louis, 2014
r3r2k/ppbqnQpp/5p2/6N1/4p3/1P2P2P/PB3PP1/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Bxf6 if Rg8 Qh5 mates ]
e)
Tatev Abrahamyan vs Sabina-Francesca Foisor, Saint Louis, 2016
5q1k/4r1pp/3p4/1p1PpN2/2p1P1Q1/2P3P1/1P3P2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxe7 if Qxe7 Qc8+ ]
5d)
Irina Krush vs Camilla Baginskaite
Puzzles from the US Chess CH 2010-, pt. vi.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Varuzhan Akobian vs Awonder Liang, Saint Louis, 2018
6k1/p1r1rpp1/B2qb2p/1P1p4/2n2N2/3QP2P/2R2PP1/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxc4 ]
b)
Emily Nguyen vs Thalia Cervantes Landeiro, Internet, 2020
r4rk1/1b2bpp1/p3p2p/4q1NQ/P7/1PpBP3/5PPP/2RR2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bh7+ Kh8 Nxf7+ Rxf7 Qxe5 ]
c)
Iryna Zenyuk vs Anna Zatonskih, Saint Louis, 2013
2r3k1/p4pp1/1p2p3/4P1qp/8/1QP2b1P/P4R1K/4RB2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf4+ Kg1 Qg3+ Bg2 Bxg2 Rxg2 Qxe1+ ]
d)
Benjamin Finegold vs Alexander Shabalov, Saint Louis, 2013
2br1rk1/p1p3b1/2Q3pp/4p3/2P1Pn1q/NN2B3/PP3RPP/5RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne2+ if Kh1 Rxf2 or if Rxe2 Rxf1+ mates ]
e)
Conrad Holt vs Hikaru Nakamura, Saint Louis, 2015
r5k1/ppp2rb1/3pB3/3PpN2/2P1q3/3b2P1/PPnQ1P2/R1B3KR b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne1 ]
6b)
Emily Nguyen vs Thalia Cervantes Landeiro
Puzzles from the US Chess CH 2010-, pt. vii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Varuzhan Akobian vs Samuel Sevian, Saint Louis, 2019
5r2/2p3pk/p2p2qp/2nQ1b2/2P2P2/PPN3P1/1B3PK1/4R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nd3 if Re4 Bxe4+ ]
b)
Irina Krush vs Anna Zatonskih, Saint Louis, 2019
r4rk1/6p1/2pq1p1p/1P1p1P1P/1R1P4/4PP2/3Q1K2/2R5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ra2 Qxa2 Qh2+ ]
c)
Emily Nguyen vs Carissa Yip, Saint Louis, 2019
2q1r1k1/pp1b2b1/7p/3P1p2/n2np1p1/B5P1/PP3PBP/2RQNRK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxc1 Qxc1 Ne2+ Kh1 Nxc1 ]
7c)
Emily Nguyen vs Carissa Yip
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