'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Francisco Vallejo Pons.
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 9.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Silvio Danailov, Leon, 1996
3q2rk/R4p1p/3p3Q/1p3P2/1P6/1P6/2r4P/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Rxg8+ (if Rxf7 Qa8+ mates) Kxg8 f6 ]

b)
White mates in 7.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Miguel Andres Terrado, Spain, 1997
4R3/p1kr3p/P1pN3p/1p1q4/1Qpp1p2/8/2P2PPP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nb7 ]

c)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Zhao Zong-Yuan, Yerevan, 1999
3r1kr1/2p2p2/1p6/1Pp1PQ2/p5Nq/P1B1K3/1P2B3/8 w - - 0 1
[ e6 if Qg5+ Qxg5 Rxg5 e7+ Kxe7 Bf6+ or if Qe7 Bf6 ]

d)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Andrea Drei, Saint Vincent, 2000
4r1k1/7p/1p3Bp1/p1p4q/1b2P3/4Q1P1/7P/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qb3+ Kf8 Rf1 if Qe2 Be7+ mates or if c4 Qxc4 Qc5+ Bd4+ ]

e)
White mates in 6.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Raul Garcia, Andorra, 2002
r1b1r1k1/1p3ppp/p1pB1n2/8/2B4q/2Q5/PPP3PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe8+ Nxe8 Rxf7 ]

1e)
mate in 6
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Raul Garcia

Francisco Vallejo Pons Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Paul Motwani, Bled, 2002
r1bb1rk1/pp1pR3/2p2qB1/2n5/8/2P2NP1/PPQ2PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bh7+ Kh8 Nh4 Bxe7 Rxe7 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Oleg Korneev, Sanxenxo, 2004
4k3/4n3/3R2P1/7N/5P2/2r5/5K2/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ng7+ Kf8 Ne6+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Fernando Peralta, Albox, 2005
1r3r1k/2R4p/q4ppP/3PpQ2/2RbP3/pP6/P2B2P1/1K6 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ Kxh7 Qd7+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Manuel Leon Hoyos, Cuernavaca, 2006
4r2k/2pb1R2/2p4P/3pr1N1/1p6/7P/P1P5/2K4R w - - 0 1
[ Rh7+ Kg8 Rg7+ ]

e)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Michael Roiz, Cala Mayor, 2008
2r2rk1/pb1n1pp1/3bpn2/1P1p2N1/3q4/2N4P/PPQB1P2/1K1R1BR1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6 fxe6 Bh6 if Qh4 Rxg7+ Kh8 Qg6 Rg8 Bd3 ]

2e)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Michael Roiz

Francisco Vallejo Pons Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Julio Granda Zuniga, San Sebastian, 2009
7R/1k1q4/pp2p3/2P1Pp2/1PQ1nPP1/P7/3r4/K7 w - - 0 1
[ c6+ if Qxc6 Rb8+ ]

b)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Alexander Onischuk, Reggio Emilia, 2011
4rrk1/p1p1bp1p/2p2Qp1/3pP1N1/2q5/7R/PP3PP1/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxh7 if Qg4 Qxe7 ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Ioannis Papaioannou, Aix les Bains, 2011
2b1kb1r/5p2/1Q2pP1p/2N3p1/4N2q/6n1/PPP5/R1K5 w - - 1 0
[ Nd6+ Bxd6 Qc6+ ]

d)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Lenier Dominguez, Beijing, 2011
1r3rk1/pp1qn1bp/2np1pp1/2pNp3/1PP5/3P2Pb/P1NBPPBP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 1 0
[ b5 if Nd8 Nxe7+ ]

e)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Ruslan Ponomariov, Melilla, 2011
5rk1/6pp/2N5/Q2p4/4q1n1/6P1/5P1P/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne3 if fxe3 Qxe3+ mates ]

3d)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Lenier Dominguez

Francisco Vallejo Pons Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Bachana Morchiashvili vs Francisco Vallejo Pons, Baku, 2011
8/p7/5p2/3Rpk1p/2p4P/4PqP1/P2R1P2/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...c3 if R2d4 c2 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Alessio De Santis, Condino, 2012
3b1rk1/r7/3R3R/pp2pN2/2p4P/P7/1PP2P2/2K5 w - - 1 0
[ Rdg6+ Kf7 Rg7+ Ke8 Nd6# ]

c)
Black mates in 4.
Robert Rabiega vs Francisco Vallejo Pons, Germany, 2012
6r1/1p3p2/4bk2/3p4/BQP2n1q/5PnP/P1P2RP1/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxh3+ if gxh3 Ne4+ or if Kh2 Ng1+ ]

d)
Black mates in 3.
Sebastian Siebrecht vs Francisco Vallejo Pons, Germany, 2012
3Q4/5r1k/R5p1/8/2pn1PKP/6P1/8/5q2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf4+ if Kg5 Rg4+ or if gxf4 Qg2# ]

e)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Vladislav Tkachiev, Legnica, 2013
8/1pp2p1k/3p1Prp/7Q/5P2/1P6/1p5P/1K2b3 w - - 1 0
[ Qd5 if Rxf6 Qe4+ ]

4b)
mate in 3
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Alessio De Santis

Francisco Vallejo Pons Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Dmitry Svetushkin, Linares, 2013
3b1r2/R1r2p2/2b3kp/1pp1pNp1/4P3/1BPP2P1/5PKP/1R6 w - - 1 0
[ Rxc7 Bxc7 Ne7+ ]

b)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Carlos Suarez Garcia, Linares, 2014
r6k/ppR4r/4p3/n3Pp2/b7/4B1R1/P3B1P1/4K3 w - - 1 0
[ Bg5 if Rxc7 Bf6+ Kh7 Rh3+ Kg6 Bh5+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Angel Espinosa Aranda, Madrid, 2015
r3kr2/pp6/3Q4/3n1P2/3P4/3B3b/PP6/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bb5+ Kf7 Qg6+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs A Raes, Baku, 2016
3r4/1p2q1bn/pNpr1kpp/4N3/2Q1P3/2P3P1/PP3PK1/3RR3 w - - 1 0
[ Ng4+ Kg5 f4+ ]

e)
Black mates in 3.
Julio Suarez Gomez vs Francisco Vallejo Pons, Linares, 2016
r3r1k1/1p1B2pp/1Q1p1b2/3P1p2/P3nB2/1N3KP1/1Pq4P/R6R b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng5+ Bxg5 Qe2+ ]

5e)
mate in 3
Julio Suarez Gomez vs Francisco Vallejo Pons

Francisco Vallejo Pons Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Dorsa Derakhshani, Munich, 2016
1qr2rk1/1p1b2pp/p2bp3/2nn1pN1/2N5/4B1P1/PP2PPBP/1QR2RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Bxd5 exd5 Nb6 ]

b)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Roman Lovkov, Tallinn, 2016
4b1k1/5pp1/nrqr1n1p/4p3/1p2P2P/4QPPB/1N2N3/1R1R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxd6 Qxd6 Nc4 ]

c)
Black mates in 3.
Jure Zorko vs Francisco Vallejo Pons, Tallinn, 2016
3k4/7p/1p1P4/p3np2/P3qp2/1P4Pb/1Q5P/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf3+ ]

d)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Robert Rabiega, Germany, 2017
r5k1/1p3pp1/2pR2r1/p4q1p/P2Bb3/6QP/1P3PP1/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg6 if fxg6 Qc7 or if Qxg6 Rxe4 ]

6b)
Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Roman Lovkov

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