Here are some chess puzzles from the games of George Alan Thomas.
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)
Thomas vs Frederick Yates, Hastings, 1922
r1bqnrk1/ppppb1pp/2n2p2/1B2P3/3p4/5N2/PPP1QPPP/RNBR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc6 if dxc6 Rxd4 or if bxc6 Nxd4 d6 Nxc6 Qd7 Qc4+ w/e6 ]
b)
Thomas vs Frederick Yates, London, 1927
r3r2k/ppq4b/3n1R2/2p4Q/2P1p3/6PP/PP2P1BK/R7 w - - 0 1
[ Rd1 if Red8 Qe6 ]
c)
Thomas vs Alfred Brinckmann, Budapest, 1929
r5k1/2p4p/p3R1p1/1p1p4/3N1q2/2P2P2/PP3P1P/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ Re8+ if Rxe8 Rxe8+ & if Kf7 Rf8+ w/Ne6+ ]
d)
Thomas vs Arpad Vajda, Budapest, 1929
3r1r2/2p2pkp/4pnp1/p1q5/7Q/2P5/PP1NRPPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf6+ w/Ne4+ ]
e)
White Mates in 4. Thomas vs Vera Menchik, Carlsbad, 1929
2r3k1/pp3ppp/1qr2n2/3p1Q2/1P6/P2BP2P/5PP1/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxc8+ ]
Thomas Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Thomas vs Vera Menchik, Hastings, 1934
r1r2knR/P4p2/3p2p1/1ppPp1P1/4P1N1/1P3P2/3K4/7R w - - 0 1
[ Nf6 if Ke7 Ra1 ]
b)
Thomas vs G Norman, Hastings, 1934
2rkn2r/p7/1qBp1p2/2p5/1p4R1/3P3P/PPP3Q1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxe8 if Rxe8 Rxe8+ mates (if Kxe8 Rg8+ Kd7 Rg7+ w/Qd5) ]
c)
Thomas vs Andrew Thomas, Hastings, 1937
r2q3r/ppp2k2/4nbp1/5Q1p/2P1NB2/8/PP3P1P/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ng5+ if Nxg5 Rd7+ ]
d)
Thomas vs P Ursell, Southsea, 1949
2r4k/2rb2pp/1p6/pP1pnP2/P7/8/2R3BP/2B2R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxc7 w/Bf4 ]
e)
Black to move and win. Friedrich Saemisch vs Thomas, Carlsbad, 1923
r5k1/ppp2p2/2bp3p/4rNpq/2PQP3/PP3PPP/5K2/R3R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf5 if exf5 Qxf3+ mates ]
f)
Black to move and win. Theodore Tylor vs Thomas, Margate, 1936
2r2r1k/p5pp/7q/2Pn4/2N5/5P2/PP2pR1P/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf4 Kh1 Nd3 ]
g)
Black to move and win. R De Mendoza vs Thomas, Buenos Aires, 1939
1r4k1/5pp1/2p4p/p1q1p3/2PbP3/2B2P2/P3Q1PP/2R2K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxc3 ]
Can't see the solutions?...Click here.
More English GMs
Back to the Index
