'Best Chess Puzzles' series from wtharvey.com


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Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Fabiano Caruana.
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)
Fabiano Caruana vs Jose Guerra, Bogota, 2003
r1b1kbQ1/ppp1n3/3p4/5pPq/5P2/2N3K1/PPPB3P/4R3 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe7+ Kxe7 Nd5+ w/Nf6+ ]

b)
Fabiano Caruana vs Josko Mukic, Arco, 2005
r1q2rk1/1p2bpp1/2p1p3/p1P1N3/1PP4p/P2R1QP1/5P1P/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd7 w/Nb6 ]

c)
Fabiano Caruana vs Javier Vallejo Diaz, Madrid, 2006
r2r2k1/1p1n1pbp/2p1p1p1/1qP5/1P1P1R2/1Q4PP/1B3PB1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 Kxf7 Bf1 if Qa4 Qxe6+ mates ]

d)
Fabiano Caruana vs Maurizio Diotallevi, Porto Mannu, 2007
r4r2/1pq2pk1/p2b2pp/4p3/5nb1/1BP1QNB1/PP3PPP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf4 if exf4 Qd4+ or if Bxf3 Bxh6+ ]

e)
Zlatko Ilincic vs Fabiano Caruana, Budapest, 2007
8/5pk1/1p1p2p1/3Pp2r/2P1P1q1/PQ2R1P1/5PKn/2R3Nr b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf1 if Kxf1 Rxg1+ mates ]

1a)
Fabiano Caruana vs Jose Guerra

Fabiano Caruana Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Pierluigi Piscopo vs Fabiano Caruana, Martina Franca, 2008
3r2k1/2q2r1p/p4bp1/8/1p1B4/1P2Q3/P1P1R2P/1K1R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re7 ]

b)
Fabiano Caruana vs Jan Werle, Wijk aan Zee, 2009
8/2p2p1k/p1q4p/P2nbNpP/1p1p2P1/1P1P1Q2/2PB1P2/7K w - - 0 1
[ Qe4 ]

c)
Fabiano Caruana vs Mikhail Klenburg, Budva, 2009
3q1bk1/2r3pp/4R3/1p1bN3/p1p5/P6P/1PB1QPP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxh7+ if Kh8 Qh5 or if Kxh7 Qh5+ Kd8 Re8 Qd6 Ng6 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Fabiano Caruana vs Peter Vavrak, Rogatska Slatina, 2009
R2r3r/2k1qp1p/1p2p1p1/1Pnp4/Q7/1p2B3/5PPP/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qa7+ Kd6 Bf4+ ]

e)
Black mates in 6.
Sergei Rublevsky vs Fabiano Caruana, Dagomys, 2009
8/6pk/1p2pr2/1Q2b2p/P4q2/1P3b1P/5RP1/3R1K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxg2+ ]

2d)
mate in 4
Fabiano Caruana vs Peter Vavrak

Fabiano Caruana Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Fabiano Caruana vs Dmitry Andreikin, Moscow, 2010
r2r4/5kpp/1np1p3/4Pp2/1qBQ4/pP1R3P/2P2PP1/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxe6+ ]

b)
Fabiano Caruana vs Boris Gelfand, Moscow, 2010
r4rk1/ppq2pbp/5R2/2ppp1B1/7Q/8/PPP3PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd3 Rfd8 Bh6 Bxh6 Qxh6 e4 Rg3+ ]

c)
Fabiano Caruana vs Hikaru Nakamura, Moscow, 2010
4rr1k/p4R1p/b1p4N/8/P5PP/3pq3/5Q2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf8+ Kg7 Nf5+ ]

d)
Fabiano Caruana vs Alexander Areshchenko, Olginka, 2011
5r1k/p3p2p/1p2Pn2/3PBQ2/7q/3B4/4KP1P/8 w - -0 1
[ d6 ]

e)
Fabiano Caruana vs Dmitry Jakovenko, Poikovsky, 2011
6k1/6p1/3p1p1p/p1p2Pr1/P1P2QP1/1q4PK/5P1R/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qe4 w/f4 ]

3c)
Fabiano Caruana vs Hikaru Nakamura

Fabiano Caruana Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Damian Lemos vs Fabiano Caruana, Caleta, 2011
2r4k/2n4p/5b2/pp3P1Q/2p5/P1P1q1rP/6B1/B2R1R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxg2 Kxg2 Rg8+ Kh1 Rg3 ]

b)
Jean-Christophe Olivier vs Fabiano Caruana, Switzerland, 2011
8/5pk1/2Q3p1/1P4q1/7p/3B3P/3n1rP1/3R3K b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf3 Bf1 Qg3 ]

c)
Fabiano Caruana vs Nikita Vitiugov, Reggio Emilia, 2012
k1r5/qpr2p1B/n2Qp2p/R2pP3/5Pp1/8/P1P3PP/1R5K w - - 1 0
[ Rb6 Rc6 Raxa6 if bxa6 Rxc6 or if Rxd6 Rxa7+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Fabiano Caruana vs Nils Grandelius, Malme, 2012
1Q6/5pk1/4p2p/2PpP1Pp/6P1/6B1/5RKP/r3q3 w - - 1 0
[ gxh6+ ]

e)
Irina Krush vs Fabiano Caruana, Reykjavik, 2012
5b1k/2p5/1q4pp/4p3/4P3/2PQ4/1r2N1PP/R6K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf2 ]

4b)
Jean-Christophe Olivier vs Fabiano Caruana

Fabiano Caruana Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Fabiano Caruana vs Gata Kamsky, Thessaloniki, 2013
4R1n1/6rk/3p4/1p4p1/1P1q3p/3PN2P/6P1/3Q2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qh5+ Nh6 Re6 ]

b)
Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen, Zuerich, 2014
1n1r4/5pk1/p4qp1/Pp5p/1N1N1P1P/2Q3P1/6BK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Nd5 if b4 Nf5+ mates ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Fabiano Caruana vs Anish Giri, Stavanger, 2014
1q2b1k1/5p1p/6p1/3Np2P/3pP3/Q2P1RP1/P1r2PK1/4bB2 w - - 1 0
[ Nf6+ Kg7 h6+ Kxh6 Qf8+ Kg5 Rf5+ ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Fabiano Caruana vs Baadur Jobava, Dubai, 2014
r1bk3r/pp3pq1/2p1pN1p/8/2B3p1/5RP1/P1P1QPP1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qd2+ if Kc7 Qf4+ or if Ke7 Qb4+ ]

e)
Alexander Grischuk vs Fabiano Caruana, Stavanger, 2014
8/7k/3p2pb/3P1p2/3q3P/1rrN1BP1/Q3PPK1/7R b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd3 if exd3 Rb2 ]

5c)
mate in 5
Fabiano Caruana vs Anish Giri

Fabiano Caruana Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Fabiano Caruana vs Ruslan Ponomariov, Dortmund, 2014
3q4/k1p2pr1/1pQ1b1P1/p2pR3/P2P4/1P1B4/K1P5/8 w - - 1 0
[ gxf7 if Bxf7 Re7 Qxe7 Ba6 mates ]

b)
Black mates in 2.
Laurent Fressinet vs Fabiano Caruana, Paris, 2016
1k4r1/1r6/Q3p3/3pq3/4n3/3N4/P1P4P/5R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxh2+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Fabiano Caruana vs Wesley So, Saint Louis, 2016
7k/5Bp1/2p2nP1/p3p1q1/P2bP3/5Q2/2P2P2/4BK2 w - - 1 0
[ Qh3+ ]

d)
Black mates in 2.
Yifan Hou vs Fabiano Caruana, Internet, 2017
r1b1k2r/pp3p2/2P3p1/4b3/4p3/4N1q1/PP1QPRB1/R2N2K1 b kq - 0 1
[ 1...Rh1+ ]

e)
Luka Lenic vs Fabiano Caruana, Tbilisi, 2017
8/1p1r2k1/2p2pp1/P3pn2/1P5P/2Qq1NP1/2R2P2/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Qd1+ if 2.Ne1 Nd4 or if 2.Kg2 Rd3 ]

6a)
Fabiano Caruana vs Ruslan Ponomariov

Fabiano Caruana Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Fabiano Caruana vs David Navara, Saint Louis, 2017
2r3k1/4pp1p/4n3/3p1Q2/8/7P/Pq3PP1/4RBK1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Rxe6 if 1...fxe6 2.Qxe6+ or if 1...Rc1 2.Rxe7 ]

b)
Black mates in 3.
Georg Meier vs Fabiano Caruana, Karlsruhe, 2018
8/4bk2/Q3Rp2/8/2p1P1p1/6P1/P4q2/7K b - - 0 1
[ 1...Qf1+ 2.Kh2 Qh3+ 3.Kg1 Bc5# ]

c)
Fabiano Caruana vs Sergey Karjakin, Saint Louis, 2018
r5k1/pp4pp/2n1br2/1NP2p2/4p3/P3P3/5PPP/3RKB1R w K - 1 0
[ Nc7 Raf8 Nxe6 Rxe6 Bc4 ]

d)
Black mates in 3.
Alexander Grischuk vs Fabiano Caruana, Saint Louis, 2018
3k4/1pq1n3/2n2p2/1BPp4/3P1bQ1/P1B4r/3N2p1/R3R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Be3+ if Rxe3 or Kxg2 Qh2+ ]

e)
Levon Aronian vs Fabiano Caruana, Saint Louis, 2018
5rk1/p4ppp/1r4q1/3Q3n/3Pp3/1NP2n1P/PP3PP1/R3RB1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng3+ fxg3 Qxg3 if gxf3 Rg6 mates ]

7b)
mate in 3
Georg Meier vs Fabiano Caruana

Fabiano Caruana Puzzles, Part VIII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Wesley So vs Fabiano Caruana, Saint Louis, 2018
6k1/1p4p1/2p3pP/p2pn1r1/3Q1q2/PP1P1NnP/1BP3BK/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxf3+ Bxf3 Nf1+ ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Fabiano Caruana vs Paul Ezra, San Francisco, 2019
r1n3k1/1p1b2P1/3Pqp2/1Pp1p3/2P5/2N5/2B1Q3/6RK w - - 1 0
[ 1.Bh7+ ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Fabiano Caruana vs P Harikrishna, Saint Louis, 2019
7r/2R2Bk1/bp5p/p1pP2r1/P2qP2Q/8/6PP/5R1K w - - 1 0
[ 1.Be6+ Kg6 2.Bf5+ Kf6 3.Bh7+ ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Fabiano Caruana vs Haik Martirosyan, Internet, 2019
5b2/4k2q/4p1r1/1Q1bNp1P/1p1P1P2/pP6/P1PB4/1K6 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qxb4+ Ke8 2.Qb8+ Ke7 3.Bb4+ ]

e)
Black mates in 6.
Zaven Andriasian vs Fabiano Caruana, Internet, 2019
r5k1/P3r1b1/3N4/1bKP3B/2pPpp1p/2P4P/1q6/R2Q2R1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Rc7+ 2.Kb6 Ba4+ if 3.Kxc7 Rxa7+ 4.Kc8 Ra8+ ]

f)
P Harikrishna vs Fabiano Caruana, Saint Louis, 2019
2B2k2/pp5p/3npr2/3p2p1/3P2P1/5P2/PP4P1/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Ke8 2.Rc7 Kd8 ]

g)
P Harikrishna vs Fabiano Caruana, Saint Louis, 2019
3rrbk1/1p3ppp/2p1b3/p7/P2BP3/1q2Q1P1/1P3PBP/R2R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...c5 ]

8c)
mate in 5
Fabiano Caruana vs P Harikrishna


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