Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Alexandra Kosteniuk.
White to move and win except where noted.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.
a)
Kosteniuk vs CP Gouw, Wijk aan Zee Res, 2000
[ Ng5 w/Qh5 ]
b)
Kosteniuk vs Xu Yuhua, Moscow, 2001
[ Bb5 ]
c)
Kosteniuk vs X Yuanyuan, Shanghai, 2001
[ b4 ]
d)
Black to Move and Win. A Skripchenko vs Kosteniuk, Moscow, 2001
[ ...Qc2 if Ne2 Nd3 w/...Nxf2 ]
e)
Black to Move and Win. V Macek vs Kosteniuk, Bled (ol-w), 2002
[ ...Qh3 w/...Qf5 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Kosteniuk vs Ian Rogers, Wijk aan Zee 'B', 2003
[ Ba3 ]
b)
Black to Move and Win. A Stefanova vs Kosteniuk, Calvia (ol-w), 2004
[ ...Bxg5 if fxg5 Rxc2+ mates ]
c)
Kosteniuk vs Alexander Riazantsev, Moscow, 1997
2r3k1/p4p1p/2q1p1p1/8/2rR4/7P/P1Q2PP1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc4 if Qxc4 Rd8+ ]
d)
Kosteniuk vs Ilze Berzina, Paris, 1998
3rnrk1/ppNq1ppb/2pP3p/2P2P2/1PB1p1P1/P3Q2P/8/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne6 ]
e)
Kosteniuk vs Salomeja Zaksaite, Paris, 1998
4r1k1/1p1r1ppp/p3q3/4bR2/2PpP1Q1/3B4/PP4PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe5 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 7. Kosteniuk vs Antonina Trofimova, Sochi, 1998
1r3r2/8/p6p/1p5k/4B2P/3P2P1/P6K/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Kh3 Rg8 (if Rxf1 g4#) Rc1 Rxg3+ Kxg3 Rg8+ Kh3 ]
b) White Mates in 3. Kosteniuk vs Irina Zakurdjaeva, Sochi, 1998
2r3rk/Q5pp/5p2/8/4P3/1PR2P2/P3qP1P/6RK w - - 0 1
c)
White Mates in 4. Kosteniuk vs Tina Mietzner, Dresden, 1999
7r/p3R3/BpkP4/2b1P1p1/8/1K2n1B1/P5P1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bb7+ Kb5 a4+ ]
d)
Kosteniuk vs Sergey Kudrin, Port Erin, 1999
2r3k1/p4p1p/1pb3p1/8/nPN5/5pP1/5P1P/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd6 if Rd8 b5 w/Rxa4 or if Rc7 Rdc1 b5 Nxb5 ]
e)
Kosteniuk vs Luben Popov, Wijk aan Zee, 1999
3r1k2/2p2p1Q/4rp2/8/8/1q1P2R1/6PP/4RK2 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe6 Qxe6 Qh6+ w/Re3 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 7. Kosteniuk vs Mersudi Hamzabegovic, Lausanne, 2000
2r3kr/pp1b1p1p/5Rp1/2qPQ3/2P4R/3B4/P5PP/7K w - - 0 1
[ Bxg6 if fxg6 Rxg6+ mates or if hxg6 Rxh8+ mates ]
b)
Kosteniuk vs Evgeny Kulikov, St Petersburg, 2000
r7/8/Pp1pp2p/1P1bkp2/1PB5/5PP1/5K2/2R5 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd5 Kxd5 Rc6 Bb8 Rxb8 ]
c) White Mates in 3. Kosteniuk vs Anna Ushenina, Minsk, 2001
3r3k/pp4p1/3qQp1p/P1p5/7R/3rN1PP/1B3P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
d)
Kosteniuk vs Yuri Meshkov, Moscow, 2002
r7/3nk2p/P2p1np1/1r1b1p2/3BpP2/2P5/1qP1B1PP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 1
[ c4 if Qb4+ c3 ]
e)
White Mates in 7. Kosteniuk vs John Bick, Foxwoods, 2003
1r3k2/2q1bb1p/2Bp2p1/3P1QP1/p2B1pR1/2P2P2/P1PK3R/1r6 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf7+ Kxf7 Rxh7+ Kf8 Rh8+ Kf7 Rxf4+ ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Kosteniuk vs Dorian Jaeggi, Silvaplana, 2003
r2q1rk1/ppp3bp/3p2p1/2nPpbN1/2P1n1P1/2N5/PP1BBP1P/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Ngxe4 Nxe4 Nxe4 Bxe4 f3 ]
b)
Kosteniuk vs Lev Milman, Philadelphia, 2003
3q4/r2nNpk1/3Q2p1/1p6/1Pr5/8/6PP/1R3R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7+ Kxf7 Rf1+ if Ke8 Qxg6+ mates ]
c)
White Mates in 4. Kosteniuk vs Yvette Nagel, Dieren (simul), 2003
4rqk1/1bp2r1p/1p1p2pQ/3P1p2/P1P5/2B3RP/2B3P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg6+ if Qg7 Rxg7+ Kf8 Rxf7+ ]
d)
White Mates in 2. Kosteniuk vs Tatiana Shumiakina, Kazan, 2004
5R2/6k1/3K4/p6r/1p1NB3/1P4r1/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ne6+ ]
e)
Kosteniuk vs Betul Cemre Yildiz, Beijing, 2008
r2qrbk1/1b3ppp/p1n5/1ppnp1N1/P7/2PP2N1/BP3PPP/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh5 if h6 Qxf7+ Kh8 Bxd5 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part VI. Black to move and win except where noted.
a)
Monika Gedvilaite vs Kosteniuk, Baile Herculane, 1994
r1bq1rk1/pp1pnpbp/2n1p1p1/2p5/2B1PP2/2NPBN2/PPP3PP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...d5 ]
b)
Olga Druzhinina vs Kosteniuk, Volgograd, 1996
r5rk/1bq1bppp/p2p1n2/1p2nP2/3NP3/2NBB1Q1/PPP4P/R5RK b - - 0 1
[ ...b4 if Nd5 Nxd5 exd5 Bxd5+ ]
c)
Dmitry Svetushkin vs Kosteniuk, Moscow, 1996
3rr2k/pp4pp/8/2N1bp2/2Q2P2/6qP/PP4P1/2R2R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd2 if Rg1 Bxf4 ]
d)
Veronika Werner vs Kosteniuk, Dresden, 1999
6k1/p4ppp/4p3/1p6/2n1Q3/1PP3P1/P2q1PBP/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qd1+ (or ...Qc1+) Bf1 Qxf1+ ]
e)
Natalia Kiseleva vs Kosteniuk, Kragujevac, 2000
5rk1/B5pp/4p3/1pN2p2/nb6/6P1/P3PP1P/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ba3 if Rc2 Rc8 ]
Kosteniuk Puzzles, Part VII. Black to move and win except where noted.
a)
David Sedgwick vs Kosteniuk, Port Erin, 2000
r1r3k1/3nqppp/bp2p3/3pP3/pn1P4/4Q3/PPBN1PPP/2KRN2R b - - 0 1
[ ...Bd3 if Nxd3 Nxc2 Qf4 Na3+ ]
b)
Brian Kelly vs Kosteniuk, England, 2004
3r2k1/8/p3rbpp/PpP5/2b2p2/5P1P/1qBB1QP1/2R1R2K b - - 0 1
[ ...Bd4 if Qh4 g5 Qh5 Rxe1+ ]
c)
Alisa Galliamova vs Kosteniuk, Kazan, 2004
2r3k1/p4pp1/n2b2p1/3P1q2/Pp1Nr3/1Q4P1/3R1PKP/2BR4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd4 if Rxd4 Rc3 Qb2 Rc2 ]
d)
Svetlana Matveeva vs Kosteniuk, Samara, 2005
3r1rk1/pp3ppp/2p5/2n1p3/PbNq2b1/2N1B1Q1/1P4PP/2R1KB1R b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxc3+ bxc3 Qd1+ Rxd1 Rxd1+ Kf2 Ne4+ ]
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