'Tactics in the Sicilian' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Andrey Zhigalko.
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)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Hans Tikkanen, Oropesa, 1999
2rqk2r/4ppbp/p3bnp1/np2N3/8/BPPB4/P3QPPP/RN2R1K1 w k - 1 0
[ Nxf7 Bxf7 Bxe7 Qd7 Bb4+ Be6 Qxe6+ ]

b)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Leonid Kernazhitsky, Pardubice, 2000
3q1rk1/6rp/p2p1n2/1p5Q/2b1B1N1/2P5/PP5P/R5RK w - - 1 0
[ Nxf6+ Qxf6 Bxh7+ Kh8 Bd3+ Kg8 Qh7+ Kf7 Rxg7+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Blaz Bratovic, Budva, 2003
r6r/2q1b1p1/3p1kP1/4nB2/pp4P1/1N2B3/PPP4Q/1K1R4 w - - 1 0
[ Qf4 if Nxg6 Bxg6+ ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Dmitrij Novitzkij, Minsk, 2004
3r1k1r/2p3pp/p2pRp1B/1p2nP1Q/8/1BPq3P/P5P1/5R1K w - - 1 0
[ Rxf6+ Ke7 Qf7+ Nxf7 Rxf7+ ]

e)
White mates in 6.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Sergei Zhigalko, Minsk, 2005
4r2r/pb2nkpp/np3p2/2p1Q3/2q5/2B2N2/PPB2PPP/2KRR3 w - - 1 0
[ Ng5+ if Kf8 Qxe7+ Rxe7 Rd8+ ]

1b)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Leonid Kernazhitsky

Andrey Zhigalko puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Alexandre Danin, Minsk, 2005
7k/7p/1r2bPp1/8/1P1R4/6P1/6BP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rd8+ Bg8 f7 Kg7 f8/Q+ ]

b)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Bogdan Grabarczyk, Warsaw, 2005
2r1kb1r/4nppp/p2p4/3bp1P1/p1nRPP1P/1NqBQ3/1PP5/1KB4R w k - 1 0
[ Rxc4 ]

c)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Alexander Mokriy, Minsk, 2006
1r6/2q1k1p1/r2p1p1p/2nRpP2/1p2P1P1/2P4P/QR4BK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxc5 ]

d)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Virginijus Grabliauskas, Fuegen, 2006
2r4r/4kpp1/1q5p/3RpP2/7P/2bR4/1NP3Q1/1K6 w - - 1 0
[ Rd7+ if Kf8 Rxc3 Rxc3 Qa8+ mates or if Ke8 Rb7 Qc6 Qxc6+ ]

e)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Vladimir Grabinsky, Pardubice, 2007
1rbr2k1/5ppp/p1nQp3/q5P1/Np2PP2/1Pb1B1R1/P1P4P/1K1R1B2 w - - 1 0
[ Qxd8+ if Nxd8 Bb6 ]

2a)
mate in 4
Andrey Zhigalko vs Alexandre Danin

Andrey Zhigalko puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Ivan Rozum, St. Petersburg, 2007
rn4k1/6p1/1n1Np1N1/p1p3P1/2PP3P/5R2/1P6/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Ne7+ Kh7 Nf7 if g6 Ne5 ]

b)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Andrei Kochanov, Minsk, 2010
3q1rk1/p2bp1bp/4p1p1/1ppnP3/6P1/1PN2P2/P1PQ3P/1K1R3R w - - 1 0
[ Nxd5 exd5 Qxd5+ Kh8 Qxd7 ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Tornike Sanikidze, Plovdiv, 2010
r2q1r1k/1p2bB2/n6B/p1pp3p/P2P4/1PPQ3P/6K1/4R3 w - - 1 0
[ Bg7+ Kxg7 Qg6+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Vladimir Dzhangobegov, St. Petersburg, 2012
2r3rk/pp3Qbp/3p1P2/6P1/5q2/P1N5/KP5R/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxh7+ ]

e)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Vitaly Teterev, Minsk, 2013
2brr1k1/1p4b1/2pp1pp1/P3n1n1/2P1P1P1/2QNNPB1/q3B1KR/7R w - - 1 0
[ Nc1 if Qa4 Bd1 or if Qb1 Bxe5 dxe5 Bd3 ]

3b)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Andrei Kochanov

Andrey Zhigalko puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Mishra Swayams, Padova, 2015
r3kq2/1bp1nr1p/p2pQB2/1p5B/2nPP3/6RP/PP3PP1/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rg8 ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Andrey Zhigalko vs Martin Ballmann, Zurich, 2017
rn2r1k1/1p3p1p/4p1pQ/3pPB2/p3n2R/7P/PP4PK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Bxg6 if Ng5 Bxh7+ or if fxg6 Qxh7+ ]

c)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Andrey Tsvetkov, Cheliabinsk, 2019
1r3rk1/3b1ppp/pp1Np3/q1p1n3/8/PP4P1/3RPPBP/3Q1RK1 w - - 1 0
[ f4 if Nc6 Nc4 Qb5 Rxd7 ]

d)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Zhamsaran Tsydypov, Kazan, 2021
1b6/4P1pp/2R2p2/8/1p1k1P1P/1P4P1/3p2BK/4r3 w - - 1 0
[ Rc4+ Kd3 Bf1+ Rxf1 e8/Q ]

4d)
Andrey Zhigalko vs Zhamsaran Tsydypov


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