King-pawn Opening Series
Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Xue Zhao.
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) 
Xue Zhao vs Irina Petrovich, Cala Galdana, 1996
r1bq1rk1/pppp2pp/2n2n2/1Bb1p1B1/4P3/5N2/PPP2PPP/RN1Q1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf6 if Qxf6 Qd5+ ]
b) 
White mates in 5.
Xue Zhao vs Andrei Volokitin, Groningen, 1999
2R2rk1/5Nbp/4Qn2/p7/P3P3/q6P/3p2K1/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Nd6+ Kh8 Rxf8+ Bxf8 Qxf6+ Bg7 Qd8+ ]
c) 
Xue Zhao vs Tamara Chistiakova, Oropesa, 1999
5r1k/rN4bp/pq1P1p2/1p1Q4/1Pp2p1P/8/P4PKP/3R1R2 w - - 0 1
[ d7 Rxb7 d8/Q Qxd8 Qxd8 Rxd8 Rxd8+ Bf8 Rxf8+ ]
d) 
Xue Zhao vs Sebastien Peter, Budapest, 2000
q1rrn1k1/p4ppp/1pbpp3/8/2P1PPP1/bP1QB3/P3N1BP/1R1R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ b4 ]
e) 
Xue Zhao vs Zhou Guijue, HeiBei, 2001
2r2rk1/pp5p/6nq/2p5/2PbN3/3P4/PP4QB/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ Nd6 Rxf1+ Rxf1 Rf8 Qd5+ Kg7 Qxb7+ ]
1b) 
mate in 5
Xue Zhao vs Andrei Volokitin
Zhao Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
White mates in 6.
Xue Zhao vs Ioulia Makka, Goa, 2002
rnn3k1/pr2q1b1/2p1P1Q1/R5Np/1p1P3P/1P2B3/1P3PP1/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rf5 Qxg5 Qe8+ Kh7 Rxg5 ]
b) 
Xue Zhao vs Evgenia Meshcheriakova, Heraklio, 2002
2rq1rk1/p3bppp/bp3n2/3N1Q2/2p5/1P1n1NP1/PB3PBP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ng5 if g6 Bxf6 w/Nxe7+ or if Re8 Bxf6 w/Qxh7+ ]
c) 
Xue Zhao vs Yuan Jun, Wuxi, 2005
br1r2k1/5p2/pp1ppq1p/6p1/1PPPn3/P5P1/1Q2BPP1/1R1R1NK1 w - - 0 1
[ f3 ]
d) 
Xue Zhao vs Chunhong Ning, China, 2012
4Qbk1/1p4pp/6n1/2pq4/8/p5PP/4R2K/1B6 w - - 1 0
[ Rf2 if Qd6 Ba2+ mates ]
e) 
White mates in 6.
Xue Zhao vs Sharmin Sultana, Istanbul, 2012
7k/pp3pb1/q1r1b2p/2Pp4/1P6/6QP/P3RPP1/1B2R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxe6 if fxe6 Qb8+ or if Rc8 Re8+ Bf8 Rxc8 ]
2a) 
mate in 6
Xue Zhao vs Ioulia Makka
Xue Zhao Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
Black mates in 4.
Yixin Ding vs Xue Zhao, Jiangsu Wuxi, 2012
5rk1/6p1/2p4q/4p1n1/P1P1P1p1/2NR2P1/1r3PK1/2Q2R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qh3+ Kg1 Nf3+ ]
b) 
Eesha Karavade vs Xue Zhao, Istanbul, 2012
5k2/3b1p1p/pp1q1bp1/2np4/1N1N4/P2BP2P/1PQ1KPP1/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...a5 if Na6 Nxd3 Qxd3 b5 or if Nbc6 Bxc6 Nxc6 Qxc6 b4 ]
c) 
White mates in 6.
Xue Zhao vs Kevin Roser, Gibraltar, 2013
3r1k2/5p2/6p1/pRpN3p/P3QN1P/6P1/1P3P2/3qn2K w - - 1 0
[ Qe7+ if Kg8 Qxf7+ Kxf7 Rb7+ or if Kg7 Ne6+ ]
d) 
Xue Zhao vs Alexandra Kosteniuk, Beijing, 2013
rr2q1k1/1pp3pp/5p2/2PnP3/pR6/Pb4P1/1Q3PBP/R3B1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxb3 axb3 Bxd5+ Kh8 exf6 Qd7 fxg7+ mates ]
e) 
Nafisa Muminova vs Xue Zhao, Tashkent, 2013
3N1rk1/1b3pb1/1p2p1pp/1B6/1P6/q1r5/P2Q1PPP/3RR1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bd5 ]
3d) 
Xue Zhao vs Alexandra Kosteniuk
Xue Zhao Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a) 
Black mates in 2.
Antoaneta Stefanova vs Xue Zhao, Tashkent, 2013
4r1k1/pBN2p2/Qp5p/3N2p1/PP6/6Pb/1q2n2P/4KR2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc1+ ]
b) 
Viktorija Cmilyte vs Xue Zhao, Beijing, 2013
2rr2k1/2b2pp1/2P1pn1p/8/4Pq2/3B4/5QPP/2RR2BK b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd3 Qxf4 Bxf4 ]
c) 
White mates in 4.
Xue Zhao vs Natalia Zhukova, Teheran, 2016
5b2/6pk/1p2Q2p/8/1P3P1q/1B2P2P/5PK1/4r3 w - - 1 0
[ Qg8+ Kg6 Qf7+ Kh7 Bc2+ ]
d) 
Xue Zhao vs Lilit Mkrtchian, Huai'an, 2016
5rk1/p6p/3p4/3q4/2p2p1N/5PPB/P3r2P/1RQ4K w - - 1 0
[ Bf1 if Ree8 Bxc4 ]
e) 
Wenjun Ju vs Xue Zhao, Huai'an, 2016
rr4k1/4ppbp/1BRp2p1/3P4/2Q1P3/1P3P1P/q5P1/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxb6 Rxb6 Qa7 Qc6 Rb8 ]
f) 
Xue Zhao vs Kateryna Lahno, Huaian, 2017
r4r1k/pp2Npp1/5b2/3p4/4n2p/1P2P1Pq/P3NP1P/1R1Q1RK1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Nf4 if 1...Qd7 2.Qh5# ]
g) 
Black mates in 4.
Zhansaya Abdumalik vs Xue Zhao, Hengshui, 2019
8/p5pk/6rp/8/3N2q1/4Q3/Pr3PPP/6RK b - - 0 1
[ 1...Qxg2+ 2.Rxg2 Rb1+ ]
4c) 
mate in 4
Xue Zhao vs Natalia Zhukova
Other Chinese GMs
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