Tactics you can use from wtharvey.com



Here are some chess puzzles from the Old Benoni Defense (ECO A44).



1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5


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.
Leonid Kavalenia vs Alexey Filimonov, Smolensk, 2001
1r1q1rk1/p2bb1n1/3p1nQ1/1ppPp1N1/2P5/PP4N1/5PPP/R1B2RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Nh5 ]

b)
Niels Christensen vs Johann Fischer, Bayern, 2003
2k4r/pp1r3p/3p2pb/2pPp1N1/2P1P1n1/6PR/PP1B1P2/R3K3 w Q - 1 0
[ f3 if Nf6 Rxh6 or if Bxg5 Bxg5 ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Miroslav Maslik vs Erik Oprea, Slovakia, 2008
rnq4r/1p2b1p1/3pNk1p/1ppQpP2/2P3PP/8/PP3P2/R1B1K2R w KQ - 1 0
[ Ng5 if Qxf5 Qf7# or if hxg5 hxg5# ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Tjapko Struik vs W Van Der Berg, Leeuwarden, 2009
r1b2Rnr/pp1k2q1/n7/2pPp1pp/4N3/3QB3/PPP3PP/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qb5+ Kc7 d6+ Kb8 Rxc8+ Kxc8 Qe8# ]

e)
Cristian Andres Hernandez vs Juan Esteban Zuleta, Medellin, 2009
rn4k1/pp2n1pp/5q2/2pPp1Q1/2P1B3/2N3Pb/PP2N2P/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qh5 if Bf5 Qe8+ Qf8 Qxf8+ Kxf8 Rf1 g6 g4 or if Bd7 Qxh7+ Kf7 Rf1 ]

1d)
mate in 4
Tjapko Struik vs W Van Der Berg

Puzzles in the Old Benoni Defense (A44), pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Glenn Flear vs Hans Karl, Ticino, 1992
r2qn1k1/p3n2p/1p1p2p1/1bpPp1Q1/P1N1P1B1/8/1PP3PP/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Be6+ Kh8 Rf8+ Kg7 Rf7+ Kg8 Qh6 ]

b)
Leonid Khodakov vs Viktor Moskalenko, Cheliabinsk, 1957
r4rk1/1pnqb1pp/p2p2n1/P1pPp3/2P5/2NQBN2/1P3PPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf3 gxf3 Qh3 Kh1 Nh4 if Rg1 Qxf3+ ]

c)
Friedrich Baumbach vs Wolfgang Pietzsch, Bad Liebenstein, 1963
r4r1k/pp1bqpnp/3p1npQ/P1pPp3/2N1PP2/2PB2NP/1P4P1/4RRK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng8 Qg5 f6 Qh4 g5 ]

d)
Black mates in 4.
Astrid Froehlich-Dill vs Erich Zweschper, Frankfurt, 2010
1n3k1r/1p3pp1/r2p2n1/2pPpRq1/4P1p1/2P1b1P1/PP1NN2P/R1BQ3K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxh2+ Kxh2 Qh6+ ]

e)
Nadya Toncheva vs Petar Orev, Sofia, 2015
r4rk1/pp4bp/3N1np1/2pPp3/2PnN2B/7P/PP3P2/R2K3R b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxe4 Nxe4 Rf4 Bg5 Rxe4 Be3 Nf5 ]

a)
Edvaldo Da Cruz Costa vs Israel Kruger, Joao Pessoa, 2018
r1b2k1r/pp2qppp/3p4/1QnP4/2P1n3/2N2N2/P3BPPP/2R1K2R b K - 0 1
[ ...Nd3+ if Kf1 Nxc1 Nxe4 Qxe4 or if Bxd3 Nxc3+ ]

b)
Elina Danielian vs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Internet, 2019
r1bq1rk1/1p1nbppp/p2p4/2pPN2n/P3P3/2NB4/1PP2PPP/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxe5 Qxh5 Bg4 ]

2e)
Nadya Toncheva vs Petar Orev

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