'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the 2015 European Championship.


Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
The color of the disk indicates who moves first.

a)
White mates in 3.
Matan Gorodetzky vs Or Bronstein, Jerusalem, 2015
5n2/2k3p1/p1PR1p1r/2K1p2p/7P/5P2/P5P1/4B3 w - - 1 0
[ Ba5+ ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Vladimir Potkin vs Michael Vaisberg, Jerusalem, 2015
r7/1R3bkp/2pBpb2/2Pp2p1/3P2B1/q3P2P/2Q3P1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf7+ Kxf7 Qxh7+ Ke8 Qg8+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Nijat Abasov vs Arkady Shevelev, Jerusalem, 2015
rn6/p1k3p1/2pN4/1pNnP1Br/3P1p2/1B6/PP3KPq/R2Q4 w - - 1 0
[ Ne8+ if Kc8 Qg4+ or if Kb6 Bd8+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Emre Can vs Luka Draskovic, Jerusalem, 2015
r3n3/6pp/pn2pp2/1k3N2/4PB2/1P3PP1/6KP/2R5 w - - 1 0
[ Nd4+ Kb4 Bd2+ Ka3 Bc3 ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Camelia Ciobanu vs Sofia Toporkova, Jerusalem, 2015
1n2q2k/3r2b1/1BQ3Rp/P1Ppp3/4Pp1P/5P2/P7/K5R1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxh6+ if Kg8 Rxg7+ Kf8 Qf6+ ]

1d)
mate in 4
Emre Can vs Luka Draskovic

2015 European CH Puzzles, Part II.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White mates in 4.
Mads Andersen vs Nathan Birnboim, Jerusalem, 2015
4n2k/1r3p1p/4pP1Q/p3NP2/1qP5/4P3/8/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qg7+ Nxg7 Rd8+ ]

b)
Black mates in 4.
Dan Drori vs Dmitry Svetushkin, Jerusalem, 2015
4rrk1/R1Q2pp1/B5p1/4p3/3p1nKP/3R4/P1P2PP1/6q1 b - - 0 1
[ ...f5+ Kg5 Ne6+ Kxg6 Rf6+ ]

c)
Black mates in 4.
Vlastimil Babula vs Evgeniy Najer, Jerusalem, 2015
2b2rk1/7p/3Q4/1NpPp1q1/2P1P2P/4np2/7P/R4B1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg2+ Bxg2 fxg2+ Kg1 Rf1+ ]

d)
Black mates in 4.
Itay Westreich vs Camelia Ciobanu, Jerusalem, 2015
5r1k/pp4q1/8/2RQp3/6pr/6B1/PP4P1/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh1+ Kxh1 Rf1+ ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Mikhail Al Antipov vs Arkadij Slonimskij, Jerusalem, 2015
2b1r1k1/r1q2N1p/p1n1P2Q/1p1p4/2pP4/2P4P/P4PP1/R3R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qf6 Kf8 Nh6+ Qf7 e7+ ]

2e)
mate in 5
Mikhail Al Antipov vs Arkadij Slonimskij

2015 European CH Puzzles, Part III.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Tal Baron vs Avraham Rave, Jerusalem, 2015
r2q1rk1/2p1bppp/p1n2n2/1p2p2b/3Pp1P1/1BP1BN1P/PP1N1P2/R2Q1RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxe5 if Nxe5 dxe5 ]

b)
Jan-Krzysztof Duda vs Omer Kali, Jerusalem, 2015
rr3bQ1/2n2qn1/b2p2k1/Rp1Pp3/1P2P2P/3B4/3B1PP1/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ h5+ Kf6 Bg5+ Kxg5 Qxf7 ]

c)
Sune Berg Hansen vs Shlomit Vardi, Jerusalem, 2015
1r2r1k1/pp2ppbp/nq2b1p1/1Np5/1P2P1n1/P1N3P1/1B2QPBP/R2R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Na4 Qc6 e5 Qc8 Nxa7 Qc7 Nb5 Qc8 Nb6 ]

d)
Ogulcan Kanmazalp vs Ante Brkic, Jerusalem, 2015
4r1k1/pp3b2/2p3p1/5P2/2P2R1Q/1B2q3/P3r2P/5R1K w - - 1 0
[ fxg6 Bxg6 c5+ Kg7 Rf7+ ]

e)
Pinchas Kantarji vs Mark Travinsky, Jerusalem, 2015
2r5/1p5p/pn2bkp1/2Rp1p2/3P1N2/1P2PBP1/5P1P/5K2 w - - 1 0
[ Nxe6 Kxe6 Bxd5+ if Kd7 Bxb7 ]

3c)
Sune Berg Hansen vs Shlomit Vardi

2015 European CH Puzzles, Part IV.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Karen Grigoryan vs Viktor Laznicka, Jerusalem, 2015
2r5/3q1p2/p2b1pk1/2pP1Nrp/1pP1Pp2/5Q1R/P5PP/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxh5 if Rxh5 Qg4+ Rg5 Nh4+ ]

b)
Mateusz Bartel vs Quinten Ducarmon, Jerusalem, 2015
r4rk1/p4ppp/1p1p4/3QpnN1/6q1/P1R3P1/1P2PP1P/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxf7 if Rxf7 Qxa8+ or if Qh5 Nd8+ ]

c)
Evgeny Romanov vs Gudmundur Kjartansson, Jerusalem, 2015
8/ppn2k2/6bQ/2p1P3/4P2R/1P4PK/P2r1r1P/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rf4+ ]

d)
Gabriel Sargissian vs Robert Kempinski, Jerusalem, 2015
5r2/p3P1kp/3P2p1/1pr3p1/8/P1nB3P/5PP1/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ d7 if Rcc8 exf8/Q+ Rxf8 Rc1 ]

e)
Ivan Saric vs Danny Raznikov, Jerusalem, 2015
2Q2bk1/1N3np1/p1p2p1p/4p3/Pq2P2P/4B1P1/5P2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bc5 ]

4a)
Karen Grigoryan vs Viktor Laznicka

2015 European CH Puzzles, Part V.
White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Marco Codenotti vs Vladimir Chubar, Jerusalem, 2015
3rrnk1/pp3ppp/1qpbp3/3nN3/3P4/1BP3B1/PP2QPPP/3RR1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nc4 ]

b)
Igor Berenboym vs Ori Kochavi, Jerusalem, 2015
rr3k2/2q2p1Q/p1b1pp1p/8/8/2NB4/PPP3PP/4R2K w - - 1 0
[ Rxe6 ]

c)
Mark Travinsky vs Leonid Samarin, Jerusalem, 2015
5r1r/p3q1k1/1pp1p3/4Pb2/P2P1Rp1/2PB2Q1/6P1/R5K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg4+ if Bxg4 Qxg4+ mates ]

d)
Vitaly Sivuk vs Moshe Gal, Jerusalem, 2015
6k1/p3pp1p/2p3p1/4P3/5QP1/1b2R2P/q2r1P2/4R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxb3 ]

e)
Ante Brkic vs Grzegorz Gajewski, Jerusalem, 2015
1rkbN3/6pp/2b5/1B2p1P1/4P3/P7/8/1R4K1 w - - 1 0
[ Ba6+ Bb7 Bxb7 if Kd7 Bc6+ Kc8 Bd7+ ]

5e)
Ante Brkic vs Grzegorz Gajewski

2015 European CH Puzzles, Part VI.
The color of the disk indicates who moves first.
a)
Arad Zak vs Ilay Abend, Jerusalem, 2015
rn1qk2r/pbp2ppp/1p1ppn2/6B1/1bPP4/2N1PN2/PP3PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 1 0
[ Qa4+ Nc6 d5 ]

b)
Sune Berg Hansen vs Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, Jerusalem, 2015
3q1k1r/rpb2pp1/pN2p2p/3p1b2/Q2P4/4P3/PP1B1PPP/2R1K2R w K - 1 0
[ Qd7 if Qxd7 Nxd7+ Ke7 Rxc7 Kd6 Ba5 ]

c)
Yuri Vovk vs Alexey Dreev, Jerusalem, 2015
2rr1b1k/3N2p1/p6p/1p3Q2/2q5/P4P2/1P1R4/1K1R4 w - - 1 0
[ Nf6 gxf6 Qxf6+ Kg8 Rxd8 ]

d)
Axel Rombaldoni vs Zaven Andriasian, Jerusalem, 2015
2k1b3/r1p1b3/pr2q1pp/N2RP3/1P1Q1P2/P1R5/2P3P1/2K5 w - - 1 0
[ Rd6 if Bxd6 Qxb6 Ra8 Rxc7+ or if Rxd6 Qxa7 ]

e)
Nikita Vitiugov vs Aleksandr Shimanov, Jerusalem, 2015
4rb1k/1ppb3p/3p1P2/3P4/8/1P3QN1/q5PP/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ f7 if Rd8 Qc3+ or if Re7 Qf6+ ]

6c)
Yuri Vovk vs Alexey Dreev

2015 European CH Puzzles, Part VII.
The color of the disk indicates who moves first.
a)
Igor Berenboym vs Robert Hovhannisyan, Jerusalem, 2015
2k4r/ppqn1Q2/2p1p3/8/3PRnp1/2P3N1/PPB2PPr/R5K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne2+ if Kf1 Nxg3+ or if Rxe2 Rh1+ mates ]

b)
Lior Duek vs Gabriel Battaglini, Jerusalem, 2015
1r2r1k1/1p1nqpb1/p2p3p/2pP4/P3P1n1/2N2P2/1PQB2P1/R3RBK1 b - - 0 1
[ Bd4+ Be3 Nxe3 if Rxe3 Bxe3 or if Kh2 Qh4# ]

c)
Boris Kantsler vs Maxim Matlakov, Jerusalem, 2015
r5k1/2R2pp1/1p2qn1p/1P1b4/4pP2/r1B1P1N1/6PP/1Q3RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne8 if f5 Qd6 ]

d)
Eden Vaturi vs Mads Andersen, Jerusalem, 2015
4r1k1/p4p2/8/2p3bp/4q3/1P4P1/P1R1NP2/3Q2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd8 if Qb1 Rd2 ]

e)
Vladimir Pogosian vs Rail Makhmutov, Jerusalem, 2015
1rr3k1/2qn1pp1/4p2p/p2pP3/P2P4/1B2RN2/1n3PPP/RQ3K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxb3 Rxb3 Qc4+ ]

7e)
Vladimir Pogosian vs Rail Makhmutov

2015 European CH Puzzles, Part VIII.
The color of the disk indicates who moves first.
a)
Arkadius Georg Kalka vs Kiril Georgiev, Jerusalem, 2015
5rk1/1q1n1ppp/4p1n1/p3P3/1rN3P1/2N1R3/1PP1Q2P/2K1R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf4 Qf1 Ng2 ]

b)
Gabriel Battaglini vs Yuri Vovk, Jerusalem, 2015
r5k1/5p1p/4p1pq/2Q5/2Pr2B1/5PP1/P1R5/5KR1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe3 if Qb4 Rd1+ mates ]

c)
Vladimir Shtivelband vs Roei Sassoon, Jerusalem, 2015
r2r2k1/pb2ppbp/n5p1/qpp1P2P/3P2P1/2PBB2N/P2Q1P2/R4RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...cxd4 if Bxd4 Rxd4 ]

d)
Itzhak Kfir vs Lev Lukovski, Jerusalem, 2015
6k1/3bnp2/p3p2p/1p1pP1p1/1n1P2P1/1P3N1P/P1NR1PK1/1Br5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nbc6 Na3 b4 ]

8c)
Vladimir Shtivelband vs Roei Sassoon

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