Gambit puzzles by wtharvey.com



Here are some chess puzzles from the Benko Gambit (ECO A59).



1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6 6.Nc3 d6 7.e4



Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.

a)
White mates in 3.
Michael Haygarth vs Gerald Bennett, England, 1974
4nrk1/rR5p/4pnpQ/4p1N1/2p1N3/6P1/q4P1P/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxf6+ Rxf6 Qxh7+ ]

b)
Steven Odendahl vs Lawrence Klein, Philadelphia, 1987
2n1r1k1/Q6p/3p2pB/2p2p2/7P/1Pq3P1/5P1K/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Qd7 Qe5 Re1 ]

c)
Albert Blees vs Markus Stangl, Tel Aviv, 1987
r3n2k/6bp/3pQpp1/2pP4/5B2/1P3N1P/2R2PPK/3q4 w - - 0 1
[ Ra2 Rb8 Ra7 h6 Qf7 Kh7 Bxd6 ]

d)
K Ramm vs Johann Wimmer, corr., 1988
4Qbk1/5p1p/6p1/2pq1n2/Nr3B2/1P3PPP/P5K1/R7 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf4 if gxf4 Qd2+ Kg1 Nh4 mates ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Campbell vs D Spigel, USA, 1989
r3rk2/6b1/q2pQBp1/1NpP4/1n2PP2/nP6/P3N1K1/R6R w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7+ Kxg7 Rh7+ Kxh7 Qf7+ ]

1e)
mate in 4
Campbell vs D Spigel

A59 Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Jonas Barkhagen vs Stefan Sievers, Sas Van Gent, 1990
r4rk1/3nppb1/3p2p1/3P2P1/2pBP3/q1N3P1/P4PK1/1R5Q w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7 if Kxg7 Qh6+ mates ]

b)
Black mates in 8.
Dana Nutu-Gajic vs Szidonia Vajda, Bucharest, 1994
r4rk1/4p3/q2p1bPB/2pP3Q/2n1P3/2N2p2/PP3P1P/R3K1R1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxc3+ if bxc3 Ne5 or if Kd1 Nxb2+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Charles Van Buskirk vs Gregory Kaidanov, Reno, 1994
1R2n1k1/r3pp1p/6p1/3P4/P1p2B2/6P1/5PKP/b7 w - - 0 1
[ Bh6 ]

d)
Black mates in 2.
J Liger vs Alexander Scetinin, Cappelle la Grande, 1995
q5k1/5rb1/r6p/1Np1n1p1/3p1Pn1/1N4P1/PP5P/R1BQRK2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qh1+ ]

e)
Erik Hedman vs Mikael Jonsson, Borlange, 1995
q1r2rk1/6bp/3p2p1/3n2P1/4NPP1/1Q2R3/PP4K1/R1B5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rb8 if Qc4 Rfc8 Qe2 Nxe3+ Qxe3 Re8 ]

2e)
Erik Hedman vs Mikael Jonsson

A59 Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
D Metzger vs Hans Wegener, Mainz, 1995
r5k1/2n1ppbp/3p2p1/P1pP4/Rrq1PP2/2N3P1/1PQB2KP/3R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxc3 if Rxb4 Qe2+ or if Bxc3 Rxa4 ]

b)
Georgios Trikaliotis vs Dimitrios Vandoros, Greece, 1996
rr4k1/3nppbp/q2p2p1/2pP4/4P3/1PNn1N1P/P3RPPK/1R1QB3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxe1 Nxe1 or Qxe1 Bxc3 ]

c)
Patrik Lyrberg vs Joost Hoogendoom, Lyngby, 1996
r3qr2/4p2k/1n1pn1p1/2p3Pp/3b1P1N/3Q4/PP2N1KP/R1B1R3 w - - 0 1
[ Nxd4 Nxd4 Nxg6 if Qxg6 Rxe7+ mates or if Nf5 Rxe7+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Danny Schmidt vs Martin Januszewski, Wiesbaden, 1996
5k2/r3pp1p/6p1/q1pP3R/5B2/2b3PP/PQ3PK1/R7 w - - 0 1
[ Qb8+ Kg7 Bh6+ Kf6 Qf4# ]

3d)
mate in 4
Danny Schmidt vs Martin Januszewski

A59 Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Anna Akhsharumova vs Silvia Aleksieva, Yerevan, 1996
2r3k1/3nppbp/r2p2p1/2nP4/PR1NP1P1/2N4P/3B1PK1/R7 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxd4 Rxd4 Nb3 ]

b)
Jacob Aagaard vs Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, Berlin, 1997
q1r3k1/5pbp/1n1p2pB/r2n4/2p5/2N2NPP/PP1QRPK1/3R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxc3 if bxc3 Rd5 Qc2 Bxh6 ]

c)
Igor Kirillov vs Vitaly Shinkevich, Perm, 1998
1r4k1/4pp1p/3p2p1/1npPn3/q3PB2/5PPP/P1N1Q1K1/R7 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nc3 Qd2 Rb2 Rc1 Nxa2 ]

d)
Jonas Udmark vs Bjornar Byklum, Copenhagen, 2003
q5k1/3nppbp/3p2p1/2pP4/2Q1P3/P1B2NPP/1r3PK1/7R b - - 0 1
[ ...Nb6 if Qd3 Rb3 Rc1 Qxa3 ]

4b)
Jacob Aagaard vs Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu

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