"Tactics in the Queen's Gambit" by wtharvey.com



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Nino Khurtsidze.
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)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Artur Kogan, Oakham, 1992
2r1k2r/p4ppp/b1n2n2/1N1q4/Pbp5/5NP1/1B3PBP/R2Q1RK1 w k - 1 0
[ Nfd4 Qd7 Nxc6 ]

b)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Elena Kharkova, Moscow, 1992
2r1k2r/2B2ppp/3Qp3/p2b3q/P1p5/6P1/1P3P1P/3R1RK1 w k - 1 0
[ Rfe1 if Rxc7 Rxd5 ]

c)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Johanna Paasikangas-T, Calicut, 1993
2r5/2P3kp/p5p1/N3p3/4n3/6P1/5P1P/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nb7 Kf6 f3 if Ng5 Nd6 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Kiti Grosar, Matinhos, 1994
6k1/7p/p2p2p1/3P1P2/5P2/1n4P1/2q3BP/4Q2K w - - 1 0
[ Qe8+ Kg7 f6+ if Kxf6 Qf8# or if Kh6 Qf8+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Alda Carvalho, Halle, 1995
br2R3/1r2Bp1p/2p4k/p2p2pP/3b2P1/1P6/P4PB1/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bf8+ Bg7 Re6+ ]

1e)
mate in 3
Nino Khurtsidze vs Alda Carvalho

Nino Khurtsidze Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Natasa Bojkovic, Ulcinj, 1997
8/8/1p3pp1/p1pRrk1p/P1P5/1P3PP1/5KP1/8 w - - 1 0
[ f4 Rxd5 cxd5 g5 Ke3 gxf4+ gxf4 h4 Kd3 ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Ekaterina Kovalevskaya, Nova Gorica, 1999
7k/5p1p/pqrQ1n2/5P2/1pPR4/1P6/P4P1K/4R3 w - - 1 0
[ Re8+ Ng8 Rxg8+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Pia Cramling, Hyderabad, 2002
3qrn2/1p3p2/pQp1k1pR/3pP3/3P1pP1/3B1P2/PP6/1K6 w - - 1 0
[ Bf5+ Ke7 Qc5+ ]

d)
Nino Khurtsidze vs D Tishin, Alushta, 2004
r1R2rk1/pp5p/3q2pQ/3p4/3P2p1/8/PP3PPP/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Re6 if Qb4 a3 ]

e)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Jovanka Houska, Chisinau, 2005
3r3k/3P1ppp/8/2p2P1r/2N1p1q1/8/P4PBP/1R1R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Ne5 if Qxf5 Rb8 or if Qh4 Nxf7+ Kg8 Nxd8 ]

2b)
mate in 4
Nino Khurtsidze vs Ekaterina Kovalevskaya

Nino Khurtsidze Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Mariya Muzychuk, Porto Carras, 2011
5r1k/pp1br1qp/5np1/6N1/2B1p1P1/8/PPP4Q/2K2R1R w - - 1 0
[ Rxf6 if Rxf6 Nxh7 or if Qxf6 Qxh7+ ]

b)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Valentina Gunina, Batumi, 2012
2rr2k1/p4pp1/1pB3p1/6b1/Q2P4/2R3Pq/PP3P2/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bd7 ]

c)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Xue Zhao, Batumi, 2012
r6k/5R1p/np6/p3q3/8/8/Q4PPP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qb1 ]

d)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Maka Purtseladze, Batumi, 2012
rr4k1/4b1p1/4pn1p/pq1p4/3P4/1Q2BN2/1P3PPP/R1R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rc8+ if Kh7 Qxb5 ]

e)
Black mates in 2.
Andreu Sos vs Nino Khurtsidze, Caleta, 2012
5rk1/pr2bpp1/2p5/2Pp4/3Pp1Pp/RPN1PqP1/Q4P1K/R3B3 b - - 0 1
[ ...h3 ]

3d)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Maka Purtseladze

Nino Khurtsidze Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Sopiko Guramishvili, Tbilisi, 2013
2nR1b2/2q3kp/1p2prp1/1P2p1Q1/2B1P3/4BP1P/6P1/7K w - - 1 0
[ Qh6+ Kg8 Bxe6+ ]

b)
Black mates in 5.
Zoja Schleining vs Nino Khurtsidze, Belgrade, 2013
6k1/pp1n2p1/2b5/5q2/2pPp2Q/P1Pr4/2K1RB2/R7 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ba4+ Kb1 Qb5+ Rb2 Rd1+ ]

c)
White mates in 6.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Adriana Nikolova, Plovdiv, 2014
8/ppNB2kp/8/2p3p1/Pb6/8/1PK3Pr/5R2 w - - 1 0
[ Ne6+ if Kh6 Be8 ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Alexandra Vakhania, Tbilisi, 2015
4r3/p3rk2/1p3nRB/n1pP4/P1P5/2P2N2/7P/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Ne5+ Rxe5 Rg7+ ]

e)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Ana Kuchava, Tbilisi, 2015
2r5/1p5k/p1q1p1pp/4Pn2/4b1Q1/P1BR4/1P3PP1/1B4K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxe4 if Qxe4 Re7+ ]

4d)
mate in 3
Nino Khurtsidze vs Alexandra Vakhania

Nino Khurtsidze Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 2.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Ketevan Khomeriki, Kutaisi, 2015
3r1rk1/p1q2ppp/bpp1p3/4P2Q/3PNn2/7P/PPB2PP1/3RR1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nf6+ ]

b)
White mates in 6.
Nino Khurtsidze vs Nino Melashvili, Kutaisi, 2015
4b2k/6rp/q3BQ2/p3P1p1/Pb3P2/2p1P1P1/7P/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rd7 Bxd7 Qd8+ ]

c)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Meri Arabidze, Lagodekhi, 2016
r2r1bk1/1p3ppp/4p3/pB6/4n2q/P2PP2P/1B3PP1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Qa4 ]

d)
Nino Khurtsidze vs Nino Khomeriki, Tbilisi, 2017
r1b3k1/5ppp/p1Q2n2/8/1P1Pq3/8/5PPP/2R2RK1 w - - 1 0
[ d5 if Qxd5 Qxc8+ or if Rb8 Qd6 Ra8 Rfe1 ]

e)
Elena Cosma vs Nino Khurtsidze, Hradec Kralove, 1992
r5k1/3bb1pp/2npp3/1q4P1/1p2P2P/1P1P4/3QN1BK/B4R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxa1 if Rxa1 Qe5+ ]

5e)
Elena Cosma vs Nino Khurtsidze

Nino Khurtsidze Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Kanying Qin vs Nino Khurtsidze, Leon, 1996
r5k1/1b3ppp/3p4/1Pp2PP1/2P1P2P/1Q1p1Bb1/q2B4/1R1K4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxb3+ Rxb3 Ra1+ Bc1 Bf4 ]

b)
Black mates in 2.
Roman Kozel vs Nino Khurtsidze, Ukraine, 1999
6rk/p6p/8/PP3p1Q/3pq2P/3pb1PK/2r5/1R2NR2 b - - 0 1
[ Qg4+ ]

c)
Black mates in 3.
Mikheil Jamagidze vs Nino Khurtsidze, Batumi, 2003
5r1k/Q2b2p1/5n1p/8/3N4/5BKP/PR2RPP1/1q5r b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg6+ if Bg4 Nh5+ or if Kf4 Qg5# ]

d)
Robert Biedekoepper vs Nino Khurtsidze, Essen, 2004
q1r3k1/1b3ppp/5r2/1p2p3/4Pn2/1P2Q1N1/P4RPP/1BR4K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxc1+ Qxc1 Nd3 ]

e)
Max Oberhofer vs Nino Khurtsidze, Bad Woerishofen, 2005
2rq1rk1/p2nbppp/b4n2/3pp3/2P5/3N2P1/PB1NPPBP/1QR2RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...dxc4 Ne1 c3 Bxc3 Bxe2 ]

6e)
Max Oberhofer vs Nino Khurtsidze

Nino Khurtsidze Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Almira Skripchenko vs Nino Khurtsidze, Rijeka, 2010
8/2r2ppk/4p2p/3nP3/R4PP1/R4N1K/2P2r1P/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rc3 Rxc3 Nxc3 if Rc4 Rxf3+ or if Kg3 Rxf3+ ]

b)
Vera Nebolsina vs Nino Khurtsidze, Rijeka, 2010
5r1k/6np/p1N5/1p2pp2/1P5Q/3p2P1/7P/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...d2 ]

c)
Nani Unapkoshvili vs Nino Khurtsidze, Tbilisi, 2014
4r2k/6qp/5R2/1p6/nB6/2Ppr1P1/7P/3Q1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxg3+ hxg3 Qxg3+ Kh1 Qh3+ Kg1 Rg8+ ]

d)
Oliwia Kiolbasa vs Nino Khurtsidze, Chakvi, 2015
4q1k1/1bp3b1/pp1p3p/3P2p1/P1BN1rPn/2N1Qp1P/1PP2P2/3R3K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe5 if Bf1 Rxd4 or if Ne6 Qxe3 fxe3 Rxc4 ]

e)
Black mates in 4.
Nino Batsiashvili vs Nino Khurtsidze, Teheran, 2017
8/p1p3rk/1p5p/5R2/2P1bn1q/3B1N2/PP1Q4/5K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qh1+ Kf2 Qxf3+ ]

7e)
mate in 4
Nino Batsiashvili vs Nino Khurtsidze


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