'The Closed Sicilian' from wtharvey.com
Here are some chess puzzles from the Sicilian, Closed (ECO B23).
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White mates in 4.
Thomas Casper vs Reinhard Postler, Frankfurt/Oder, 1977
r1bq2k1/pp2n1p1/5r2/2p2pNQ/3p4/3P4/PPP2PBP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe7 if Qxe7 Qh7+ ]
b)
Annett Michel vs Sabine Gratias, Frankfurt, 1977
2b2rk1/ppq2ppp/4p2n/3rP2Q/3NN3/3R4/PPP3PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ if gxf6 Rg3+ mates ]
c)
Alexander Pauli vs Walter Borkowski, Germany, 1980
r1bq1rk1/1p1p1p2/p1n2pp1/2p1n1N1/2B1P3/2NP4/PPP3PP/R1B1Q1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh4 ]
d)
Pavel Blatny vs Michael Werner, Altensteig, 1988
rnb1k2r/pp2bppp/4p3/2p5/4B3/3PB1P1/q1P1NP1P/1R1QK2R w Kkq - 0 1
[ Rxb7 if Bxb7 Bxb7 0-0 Bxa8 or if 0-0 Rxe7 ]
e)
Joerg Hickl vs Heinz Wirthensohn, Aosta, 1988
r2qk2r/3n1pbp/p2pp1p1/1ppN4/4PP2/3P1R2/PPPB2PP/R3Q2K w kq - 0 1
[ Ba5 Qc8 Nc7+ ]
b)
Annett Michel vs Sabine Gratias
B23 Puzzles, Part II.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Alexandra Van Der Mije vs Manfred Schweizer, Cattolica, 1993
r4rk1/1bq1bppp/ppnp1n2/2p2QN1/P3P3/2NP3P/BPP3P1/R1B2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd5 ]
b)
White mates in 4.
Martin Oudejans vs Sybolt Strating, Haarlem, 1993
r1bqr1k1/pp2np1p/2np1Bp1/2p5/2B1p2Q/3P1N2/PPP3PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7+ if Kxf7 Ng5+ ]
c)
Joerg Pape vs Josef Seiler, Untergrombach, 1993
r1b2rk1/1p4bp/p2q2p1/2pn1pN1/5P2/2PP4/PP1B2BP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qb3 if Rd8 Bxd5+ Qxd5 Re8+ ]
d)
White mates in 4.
Eric Gaudineau vs Ergin Mollov, Orange, 1994
r1bq1rk1/4np1p/1p3RpB/p1Q5/2Bp4/3P4/PPP3PP/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe5 if Nf5 Rxf5 ]
e)
White mates in 5.
Gyorgy Rabovszky vs Janos Sipos, Zalakaros, 1995
rqb2k1r/pp1p1pbp/3NP1p1/2p1n3/2B5/5R2/PPPP2PP/R1B1Q1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7+ if Nxf7 e7+ Kg8 Bxf7# if Kg8 Rg7+ Kf8 Qxe5 ]
b)
mate in 4
Martin Oudejans vs Sybolt Strating
B23 Puzzles, Part III.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Rene Borngaesser vs Johannes Blaskowski, Germany, 1995
1rb2rk1/pp2qppp/3b1n2/2p5/8/2P3P1/PPQ1NPBP/R1BR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd6 if Qxd6 Bf4 ]
b)
Winston Mello vs Carlos Wolff, Sao Bento do Sul, 1995
r1bqkbnr/3pnppp/p7/1ppP4/5P2/2N2N2/PPP3PP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 1
[ d6 if Ng6 Qe2+ ]
c)
Georg Bonstingl vs Silvia Kopinits, Feldbach, 1996
rn1qrbk1/1p3ppp/p4n2/3p1N2/P4P2/2N3Q1/1PP3PP/R1B2R1K w - - 0 1
[ Nh6+ ]
d)
Harald Kraenzle vs Rudolf Wild, Germany, 1996
r1bq1rk1/pp2npbp/6p1/n1pP1p2/2B4Q/2NP1N2/PPP3PP/R1B2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bg5 if f6 d6+ Nxc4 Qxc4+ or if Re8 Bb5 ]
e)
Andrea Rapcsak vs Valerija Koroljova, Rimavska Sobota, 1996
2rqkb1r/pp2pp1p/5np1/1N2Q3/8/8/PPP2PPP/R3K1NR w KQk - 0 1
[ Rd1 if Qb6 Nd6+ or if Qa5+ c3 ]
3a)
Rene Borngaesser vs Johannes Blaskowski
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