Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Henry Bird.
White to move and win except where noted.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
a)
Bird vs James Mason, New York, 1876
7k/p3r2n/5N1R/8/3p2N1/6R1/2q2PK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ne5 if Qa2 Ng6+ ]
b)
Bird vs Adolf Anderssen, Paris, 1878
r3r1k1/bQ3R2/p5p1/4p3/3p2nq/1P1B2N1/PBPP2PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ h3 Nf6 Rg7+ Kh8 Rxg6 Rg8 Rxf6 ]
c)
Bird vs H Gifford, Paris, 1878
6r1/4BQ2/1p2p2k/p2pP2p/P2P2qN/1P4P1/7K/4q1R1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf8+ w/Qxf8+ & Rxe1 ]
d)
White Mates in 4. Bird vs Claus Pitschel, Paris, 1878
b1r1q2k/2r4p/3QpPPn/p1BpNp2/pp1P1P2/3PP3/3KB3/2R3R1 w - - 0 1
[ g7+ if Kg8 Qf8+ ]
Bird Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Bird vs Alexander Sellmann, London, 1883
r2n1r2/pb1qbkpp/1p2p3/2p1Pp2/2BP1N1P/PQ3N2/1P3PP1/2R1K2R w - - 0 1
[ d5 if exd5 e6+ Nxe6 Ne5+ or if Kg8 e6 ]
b)
White Mates in 3. Bird vs NN, London, 1886
rnb1k2r/ppppbN1p/5n2/7Q/4P3/2N5/PPPP3P/R1B1KB1q w - - 0 1
[ Nd6+ ]
c)
Henry Bird vs David Baird, New York, 1889
r4n2/7p/2p4k/p1NpP1br/P2P1p2/1P3P2/3BK1R1/6R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg5 if Rxg5 Bxf4 ]
d)
Black Mates in 3. NN vs Bird, England, 1850
N1bk4/pp1p1Qpp/8/2b5/3n3q/8/PPP2RPP/RNB1rBK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne2+ w/Ng3+ or Rxf1+ ]
e)
Black Mates in 3. William Steinitz vs Bird, London, 1866
3r1rk1/p1p4p/8/1PP1p1bq/2P5/3N1Pp1/PB2Q3/1R3RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Be3+ if Rf2 Qh2+ ]
f)
Claus Pitschel vs Bird, Paris, 1878
2b5/8/2pk4/3pp3/8/1R2KP2/P1P1B2r/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...d4+ Kd2 Ba6 ]
g)
Constant Burille vs Bird, New York, 1889
2r3k1/pb1p2pp/1p2p2r/5pn1/2PP1B2/PPQB1PN1/5KPq/4RR2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nh3+ Ke3 Nxf4 Kxf4 Rg6 ]
Thx to Gunnar Andre Mo for his cook.
Can't see the solutions?...Click here.
Other English GMs
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