'Tactics in the Sicilian' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Jean-Marc Degraeve.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.

a)
White mates in 3.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Christian Lecuyer, France, 1988
1r2nr2/2q3kp/p2pQ1pR/4n1P1/Np2P3/1B6/PPP4P/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ Kxh7 Qh3+ ]

b)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Omar Petrone, Groningen, 1989
r3r1k1/1p2p1b1/p2p1pQp/3P4/1P3q2/6N1/P5PP/R3R2K w - - 0 1
[ Qxg7+ Kxg7 Nh5+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Loek Van Wely, Arnhem, 1990
3r2k1/2q3p1/2b3P1/p2nRQ1p/1p3P2/8/PPP4P/2KR4 w - - 1 0
[ Qe6+ Kf8 Rf5+ Nf6 Rxd8+ ]

d)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Pogorelov, Paris, 1992
8/3q4/QP2p3/R3bk2/8/3P4/6pr/3KB3 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe5+ if Kxe5 Bg3+ ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Alexander Volzhin, Oakham, 1992
1q3r2/5b2/5N1k/1p2P1p1/p2Q1R1p/P7/BP4PK/2r5 w - - 1 0
[ Rxh4+ gxh4 Qxh4+ Bh5 Qxh5+ ]

1a)
mate in 3
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Christian Lecuyer

Jean-Marc Degraeve puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Piotr Murdzia, Cappelle la Grande, 1993
6k1/5pP1/p2rrP1p/1p2p3/2p1P2K/1P6/1PP3R1/5R2 w - - 1 0
[ Rg6 if fxg6 f7+ or if Rd7 Rxh6 ]

b)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Roman Slobodjan, Montpellier, 1993
1r1r1b1k/pppq2pp/2n2pn1/4pN2/4R1Q1/1BBP3P/PPP2PP1/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxg6 ]

c)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Carlos Cruz-Lopez Claret, France, 1995
r5k1/1pp1rp1n/p3q1pB/2b1p2Q/4P2N/1PP4P/1P3P2/R3K1R1 w Q - 1 0
[ Nxg6 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Zoltan Gyimesi, Groningen, 1995
5n1k/ppp1Nppp/1b6/6P1/2qp1PQ1/P7/1PPr4/1K5R w - - 1 0
[ Rxh7+ Nxh7 Qc8+ Nf8 Qxf8+ ]

e)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs D Bandot, London, 1996
r3k2r/pp1bppbp/1q1p1np1/1NpP4/Q1P1P3/3B4/PP1B1PPP/R3K2R w - - 0 1
[ Ba5 ]

2d)
mate in 4
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Zoltan Gyimesi

Jean-Marc Degraeve puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Robert Schuermans, Le Touquet, 1996
6k1/ppp2p1p/2n5/5prN/2q5/P1P2Q2/1P3PPP/2KR4 w - - 1 0
[ Qxc6 ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Alexander Kulagin, Saint-Affrique, 1997
1r2nr2/5kbQ/q2p2pR/2pP1pP1/p1b2P2/4R1N1/1PK5/2B5 w - - 1 0
[ Qxg6+ Kg8 Qh7+ Kf7 g6+ Kf6 Nh5# ]

c)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Luciano Moran Rodriguez, Zaragoza, 1998
1r1b2k1/5pp1/ppr1n1q1/4pN1p/P3P2P/1PP2PP1/8/3RRQ1K w - - 1 0
[ Rxd8+ if Rxd8 Ne7+ ]

d)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Natalia Kiseleva, Cappelle la Grande, 1999
2rr2k1/1p3ppp/p1qpp3/4n3/P1P1P3/1PN3Q1/3R1PPP/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qxe5 dxe5 Rxd8+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Lothar Arnold, France, 2001
6rk/p1p2p1p/1p3P1Q/2n2N2/3r2P1/5q1P/PPP5/1K2R3 w - - 1 0
[ Qg7+ if Rxg7 fxg7+ ]

3e)
mate in 3
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Lothar Arnold

Jean-Marc Degraeve puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 6.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Sebastien Maze, Saint-Affrique, 2003
4r2k/p3Npbp/6p1/3bB3/5Q1P/3q4/5PP1/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qf6 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Herve Daurelle, Proville, 2007
8/3bQ2p/2q3k1/P1p1B3/4p3/7P/1PP3PK/8 w - - 1 0
[ g4 ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Alexandre Desboeufs, Saint Chely d'Aubrac, 2007
5k2/1p3rn1/7R/p2pP3/P2P1p2/1P5Q/1Bq2P2/4K3 w - - 1 0
[ Rh8+ Ke7 Ba3+ ]

d)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Pascal Duffau, St-Chely d'Aubrac, 2009
1r1q2k1/5p1p/2nr2p1/1pNp4/8/2P3P1/1P2RPP1/R3Q1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nb7 ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Aleksandr Karpatchev, Saint-Affrique, 2009
3r4/1p5k/p1p3nN/P5P1/4RB2/2P2p1b/1PB2P2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Re7+ Kh8 Be5+ ]

4e)
mate in 3
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Aleksandr Karpatchev

Jean-Marc Degraeve puzzles, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Augusto Caruso, Vienna, 2011
r1b1Rrk1/pp1p2pp/2pb4/3p1P2/8/q1NB3Q/P5PP/4R2K w - - 1 0
[ f6 if Kf7 Qh5+ or if g6 Qh6 ]

b)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Aurelien Gallant, Marseilles, 2011
2rr2k1/6pp/1q2P3/1b1pnN2/6P1/2b4P/R5B1/2BRQ2K w - - 1 0
[ Ne7+ if Kh8 Nxc8 Rxc8 Qxc3 or if Kf8 Ba3 Ke8 Nf5 ]

c)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Yoann Lefeuvre, Saint-Affrique, 2013
r2qk1nr/2p2pbp/p3b1p1/1p1pn3/4P3/2P2N1P/PPB2PP1/RNBQ1RK1 w kq - 1 0
[ Nxe5 Bxe5 exd5 Bxd5 Re1 Qd6 f4 ]

d)
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Remy Degraeve, Espalion, 2016
4rrk1/bpp2pp1/p1np1q2/4p2p/3PPnbP/1BP1BN2/PP3PPN/R2QR1K1 w - - 1 0
[ d5 if Bxe3 fxe3 ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Olivier Touzane, Chartres, 2017
R7/6p1/4prbk/4Np1p/5P1P/P5R1/1P1r2PK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rh8+ Bh7 Rg6+ Rxg6 Nf7# ]

f)
White mates in 3.
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Philippe Brochet, Agen, 2017
8/8/2R4p/4pppk/4Q2P/3P4/2P2PPK/r1q5 w - - 1 0
[ g4+ fxg4 Qg6+ ]

5e)
mate in 3
Jean-Marc Degraeve vs Olivier Touzane

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