King-pawn Opening Series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of James Mason.
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)
Black mates in 4.
Henry Bird vs James Mason, New York, 1876
6rk/7p/pp3b2/2pbqP2/5Q2/5R1P/P6P/2B2R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe2 Rg1 Bxf3+ Qxf3 Qxf3+ Rg2 Qxg2# ]

b)
White mates in 5.
James Mason vs Joseph Noa, Berlin, 1881
b1r1kb2/7R/B4qr1/4pp2/1Q4p1/B3P3/P5PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bb5+ Bc6 Bxc6+ Rxc6 Qb8+ ]

c)
James Mason vs Carl Wemmers, Berlin, 1881
2b1qr1k/p1n2pb1/1r5p/3pP1BQ/2p5/P2N1BR1/1P4PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf6 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
James Mason vs Isidor Gunsberg, Nuremberg, 1883
2q2r2/5rk1/4pNpp/p2pPn2/P1pP2QP/2P2R2/2B3P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxg6+ if Kxg6 Rg3# ]

e)
Joseph Noa vs James Mason, London, 1883
4rrk1/ppq2ppp/2pb1n2/3p1B1b/3P4/3Q1N1P/PPP2PP1/R2NR1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxf3 if Rxe8 Rxe8 gxf3 Re1+ Kg2 Nh5 ]

1e)
Joseph Noa vs James Mason

James Mason Puzzles, Part II. The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 6.
James Mason vs David Baird, New York, 1889
q3r1rk/2p3p1/2p1b1Qp/p1B2P2/P1PNp2P/1P6/6RK/8 w - - 0 1
[ f6 ]

b)
James Mason vs Mikhail Chigorin, New York, 1889
1rb4r/pp2kppp/4p3/qBb5/8/2n2N2/PPPQ1PPP/R3K2R w - - 0 1
[ Qg5+ Kf8 Qxc5+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
James Mason vs Jean Taubenhaus, New York, 1889
1r4r1/5Q2/3q4/3pk3/4p1p1/6P1/PP4BP/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ Rd1 Rg5 Rxd5+ Qxd5 Qf6# ]

d)
James Mason vs Henry Bird, Hastings, 1895
2r5/1p1qbpk1/p5pr/3pPp2/3N2Q1/P1P5/1P2R1PP/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ e6 if fxe6 Nxf5+ exf5 Rxe7+ Ke7 Qb4 ]

e)
White mates in 8.
James Mason vs Amos Burn, Hastings, 1895
4rk2/1b4qp/6pN/pp6/2B2b2/P1n1B2Q/5PPP/4RK2 w - - 0 1
[ Bc5+ Bd6 Bxd6+ Re7 Qd7 ]

f)
James Mason vs Jacques Mieses, Hastings, 1895
r6k/3Rn1b1/p6p/1p2qp1Q/2p1pN2/2P4P/PPB2PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh4 Bf8 Qxe7 Bxe7 Ng6+ ]

g)
White mates in 4.
James Mason vs NN, London, 1900
r4r1k/ppp2qpp/1b1p4/3NnP1Q/1PB1PR2/8/P6P/R6K w - - 0 1
[ Qxh7+ Kxh7 Rh4+ Qh5 Rxh5+ Kg8 Ne7# ]

2g)
mate in 4
James Mason vs NN

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