'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Irina Bulmaga.
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)
White mates in 5.
Irina Bulmaga vs Pauline Mertens, Heraklio, 2002
3r1bk1/1pqr1ppp/p1bp1p2/5N2/4P3/2NQ2R1/PPP2PPP/2KR4 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg7+ Bxg7 Qg3 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Irina Bulmaga vs Bika Bulatkhanova, Halkidiki, 2007
4r2k/1ppR4/1b2Pq1p/5Bp1/p1Q5/7P/PP3PP1/7K w - - 1 0
[ Rh7+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Irina Bulmaga vs Alina Kashlinskaya, Kharkov, 2007
1Q5r/3b1k1r/2p2p2/1p1q1P2/p2p2pN/3P4/PPP1RKP1/7R w - - 1 0
[ Re7+ Kxe7 Ng6+ Kf7 Rxh7+ ]

d)
Irina Bulmaga vs Carla Heredia Serrano, Chennai, 2011
6k1/3q1pp1/1Q5p/8/8/7P/r4PP1/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qb8+ Kh7 Qb1+ ]

e)
Irina Bulmaga vs Paula Craciun, Brasov, 2011
rnb1k2r/1pqpp2p/p4ppn/8/1PNQP3/2P2N2/P4PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 1 0
[ Nb6 if Ra7 Nd5 ]

1c)
mate in 4
Irina Bulmaga vs Alina Kashlinskaya

Irina Bulmaga Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Irina Bulmaga vs Maria Leconte, Porto Carras, 2011
8/1p2r1qk/p2Qp3/P2p1bp1/2pP2N1/2P4P/2P3P1/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf5 exf5 Nf6+ if Kg6 Ne8+ or if Kh8 Qd8+ ]

b)
Irina Bulmaga vs Daria-Ioana Visanescu, Baile Olanesti, 2013
4r1k1/p5np/2prp1p1/3p4/2P2P2/2N3P1/PP5P/2RR2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Ne4 if Rdd8 Nf6+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Irina Bulmaga vs Iselin-Amanda Lolici, Calimanesti, 2013
b3r2k/R7/5p1p/6p1/3pN3/3Q1P1q/3N4/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rh7+ Kxh7 Nxg5+ ]

d)
Black mates in 6.
Dorina Florea vs Irina Bulmaga, Brasov, 2011
5rk1/pp3ppp/2P5/q3n3/P7/1Q2PP2/3r2PP/2R3KR b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxf3+ Kf1 Qg5 Rg1 Qh4 ]

e)
Dariana-Gabriela Didiliuc vs Irina Bulmaga, Sarata Monteoru, 2012
2R1rnk1/bb3pp1/p3qn1p/8/8/1P1p2PP/PB1N1P2/2RQNBK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxf2+ if Kxf2 Qe3# or if Kh2 Qd6 ]

f)
White mates in 3.
Irina Bulmaga vs Sarah Hoolt, Erfurt, 2017
3k2r1/pp3q2/5p2/1P1p1b1r/3P1Q1P/P1R3P1/1B6/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qd6+ Ke8 Rc8+ ]

g)
White mates in 4.
Irina Bulmaga vs Natasa Bojkovic, Subotica, 2019
7r/1k5p/p1p1pb2/5p2/PB4n1/6P1/5P1P/1R4KB w - - 1 0
[ 1.Bd6+ if 1...Kc8 2.Bxc6 ]

2c)
mate in 4
Irina Bulmaga vs Iselin-Amanda Lolici


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