'Tactics in the Sicilian' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Rustam Kasimdzhanov.
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)
Andranik Matikozian vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Szeged, 1994
4r2k/p4rp1/1pb3qp/3NB3/2P1Q2n/1P1R4/1P4PP/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxe5 if Qxh4 Qxd3 or if Qxe5 Qxg2# ]

b)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Khaled Kalandar, Macau, 1996
2b3k1/r2r1pp1/p3p2p/1pq1P3/4B2Q/2P5/P4PPP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ Rxd8 Rxd8+ Qf8 Bh7+ ]

c)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Matthias Duppel, Bad Wiessee, 1997
1qr1n1k1/5ppp/p1b5/Np2p3/4P3/P2PQ1NP/1P4P1/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Nf5 if Qc7 Nxc6 Qxc6 Ne7+ ]

d)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Patrice Verdier, Bastia, 1997
5r2/pR2Npbk/3p2pp/2pP4/P4QP1/2q1P3/5PK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nxg6 ]

e)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Richard Forster, Groningen, 1997
r4r2/5pk1/2NN1np1/pQ1b2q1/5p1p/P4P2/5RPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne4 if Qf5 Ne7 ]

1b)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Khaled Kalandar

Rustam Kasimdzhanov puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Eremeevich Vul Arkadi, Cappelle la Grande, 1998
r7/pp4k1/3q3p/5Q2/2pPP3/2B1P2P/PP4Pb/7K w - - 0 1
[ d5+ Kg8 e5 ]

b)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Boris Alterman, Wijk aan Zee, 1998
3nr1k1/q5pp/2bB1p2/3Np3/p1PnP1BP/2QP2P1/8/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Nc7 ]

c)
Black mates in 3.
Jakob Heissler vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Germany, 1999
8/ppR2pk1/8/6p1/4q3/P6p/1P3R1P/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg4+ ]

d)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Mikhail Gurevich, Batumi, 2001
5rk1/3q1ppp/1p3r2/p1bp4/2b5/2N2NP1/PPQ1PP1P/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne4 if Rc6 Neg5 g6 Ne5 ]

e)
Klaus Bischoff vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Germany, 2001
5bk1/p1P2p2/8/6p1/P1Q5/4PKPq/8/2R2Nr1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf5+ if Ke2 Rg2+ ]

2d)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Mikhail Gurevich

Rustam Kasimdzhanov puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Mihail Golubev, Germany, 2002
r6k/7p/1Qp2rpq/p3p3/2B1P3/2B2P1n/P5PK/1R6 w - - 0 1
[ Qb8+ if Qf8 Qxe5 w/Kxh3 or if Rxb8 Rxb8+ Kg7 Rg8# ]

b)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Filippos Kouvatsos, Rethymnon, 2003
R1r2kn1/2qr1pb1/4p1p1/1pp1P1B1/3p3Q/3P1NP1/1Pn2PB1/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ R1a7 if Qxa7 Rxc8+ mates or if Qc6 Qe4 ]

c)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Hans Koch, Vlissingen, 2004
4q3/1pr2k1p/1N1R1pn1/P4p2/2p5/2P1Q2P/6P1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf6+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Dmitry Bocharov, Internet, 2006
rr2n1k1/p1p2p2/3p1pq1/1pnP2P1/3N3R/5P1Q/PP5P/2KR4 w - - 1 0
[ Rh8+ Kg7 Nf5+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Maxim Korobkin, Internet, 2006
2R5/5p2/p1Pk1p2/3Bp3/4P2p/6rP/4q1P1/6QK w - - 1 0
[ Rd8+ w/Qa7+ ]

3d)
mate in 3
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Dmitry Bocharov

Rustam Kasimdzhanov puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Etienne Bacrot, Bastia, 2006
r1b1r1k1/1p4b1/p1p3Qp/2Pp3N/N2nq1P1/7P/PP6/1K1R1B1R w - - 1 0
[ Qxe4 if Rxe4 Nc3 ]

b)
Nikita Vitiugov vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Tallinn, 2006
5r1k/1pp3p1/p3q2p/2P1Q3/1P1p4/P4NP1/4nPKP/5R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf4+ if gxf4 Qg4+ Kh1 Qxf3+ Kg1 Rxf4 or if Kg1 or Kh1 Qc6 ]

c)
Aleksej Aleksandrov vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Mainz, 2006
1b3rk1/1b3pp1/p3p2p/2p5/q3n2Q/P1B1P2P/1P1NBPP1/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxc3 ]

d)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Sabina-Francesca Foisor, Mainz, 2010
2r3k1/1p1b1p2/r3p1p1/P2nP2p/1p2N3/1B6/1PP3PP/1K1RR3 w - - 1 0
[ Bxd5 exd5 Nf6+ ]

e)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Mohammad Khademi, Mashhad, 2011
r3b2R/7R/r1pkn1p1/4Np2/2Pp1P2/p2P1BP1/1PK5/8 w - - 1 0
[ b4 if a2 Rxe8 or if R6a7 c5+ Nxc5 Rxe8 ]

4d)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Sabina-Francesca Foisor

Rustam Kasimdzhanov puzzles, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Henrik Teske, Germany, 2011
1r1Nbk2/2n4p/5P1p/1p6/p7/8/P2R1KPP/2rBR3 w - - 1 0
[ f7 if Bc6 Rd6 Bd5 Rxd5 or if Bxf7 Nxf7 Kxf7 Bh5+ ]

b)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Suren Petrosian, Germany, 2012
2r1k2r/pp2ppbp/3pbn1q/3Nn1p1/2P1P1PP/5PB1/PPN3B1/1R1QK2R w Kk - 1 0
[ hxg5 Qxg5 Bh4 Qg6 Nf4 ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Karol Jaroch, Trzcianka, 2015
5nk1/4R3/rp3B1p/3P2p1/1nP5/8/7P/6RK w - - 1 0
[ Rg7+ Kh8 R7xh5+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Alexander Moiseenko, Alma-Ata, 2016
4rr2/p4pkp/3p1ppN/4n3/3BPQ2/2p4P/q1P3PN/5R1K w - - 1 0
[ Qxf6+ Kxh6 Be3+ ]

e)
Evgeny Degtiarev vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Douglas, 2017
1r4k1/5p2/p6p/4b3/7R/P7/1r1N1PP1/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Rxd2 if 2.Rxd2 Rb1+ mates ]

f)
White mates in 4.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Evgeny Bareev, Khanty Mansyisk, 2019
8/1p2qp1p/1kn2R2/pN6/P2p1Q2/1r5P/1P4PK/8 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qxd4+ Qc5 2.Qd8+ Ka6 3.Qa8+ Kb6 4.Qa7# ]

g)
Paul Hoffmann vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Germany, 2019
r6k/1pp2Rp1/6rp/3Np3/1B2P1q1/2P5/6PP/5QK1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Ra1 ]

5c)
mate in 4
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Karol Jaroch


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