'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from games of 1916.
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)
White mates in 2.
Charles Watson vs NN, Melbourne, 1916
rnb2b1r/p3kBp1/3pNn1p/2pQN3/1p2PP2/4B3/Pq5P/4K3 w - - 0 1
[ Qxd6+ Kxd6 Bxc5# ]

b)
White mates in 2.
A C M Pritzel vs Fr Bengtsson, Copenhagen, 1916
4r2k/2p3p1/Q6p/4Bp2/3q1P2/8/2P1K1PP/8 w - - 1 0
[ Qxh6+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Alekhine vs S Wainstein, Odessa, 1916
r3q2k/1bn2p2/p4P1p/1pPp2R1/3P4/P1N1Q3/1PB3PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg8+ Qxg8 Qxh6+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Gessner vs Whitaker, Chicago, 1916
r1b2r2/pp3Npk/6np/8/2q1N3/4Q3/PPP2RPP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ gxf6 Qxh6+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Alekhine vs Sorokin, Kiev, 1916
5r1k/p1p2ppB/8/np4N1/4Q3/2q2Nbb/P5P1/3R3K w - - 1 0
[ Nxf7+ ]

1a)
mate in 2
Charles Watson vs NN

Chess puzzles from games of 1916, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Arturo Reggio vs Luca Morelli, Milan, 1916
5R2/6kr/1n1N1pNp/pb1p1B1P/3n1K2/P7/6P1/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rf7+ Kg8 Ne7+ ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Jose Raul Capablanca vs NN, New York, 1916
r4rk1/pb5p/1p2Pq1B/3pQ3/8/3R4/PP3PPP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rg3+ Kh8 Bg7+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
MH Read vs James Erskine, Melbourne, 1916
8/kpn4r/p2R4/4Q3/7r/2P3N1/PP3P2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qc5+ ]

d)
Black mates in 3.
M Schroeder vs Albert Hodges, New York, 1916
5r1k/2p3pp/3p4/3N4/P7/2P4K/1Q3p2/R4Bq1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rf3+ Kh4 Qg3+ ]

e)
White mates in 4.
Karl Berndtsson vs Fr Bengtsson, Copenhagen, 1916
r5nr/pp1nq1kp/8/1p6/4PQ2/2N1P1P1/PPP4P/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Qg4+ Kh6 Rf5 ]

Chess puzzles from games of 1916, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Alberto Batori vs Luca Morelli, Milan, 1916
r1b1k3/1R4Q1/p3p3/3pNrPP/3P1P2/q7/8/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Qg6+ if Kf8 Rf7+ ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Dawid Janowski vs Oscar Chajes, New York, 1916
r3r3/3R1Qp1/pqb1p2k/1p4N1/8/4P3/Pb3PPP/2R3K1 w - - 1 0
[ g4 g6 h4 if Rh8 Qh7+ ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Orla Krause vs Gustav Nyholm, Copenhagen, 1916
r1b2r2/p4Pk1/7p/q2Nb1B1/2B1Q1n1/4P3/PP3PP1/2K4R w - - 0 1
[ Bxh6+ if Kxf7 Qh7+ Bg7 Qxg7+ or if Nxh6 Qxe5+ Kxf7 Qf6+ ]

d)
White mates in 7.
Goldschmidt vs Preinhalter, Prague, 1916
rn1qr1k1/pbpp2p1/1p2pbN1/7Q/3P4/2N5/PPP3PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh8+ Kf7 Ne5+ Ke7 Qxg7+ Bxg7 Rf7+ Kd6 Nb5+ Kd5 c4+ Ke4 Re1# ]

e)
Estaeban Canal vs NN, Alla Cieca Lipsia, 1916
2kr3r/1pp2ppp/pb6/1RN1q3/2Q1P1n1/B1P3P1/P4P1P/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxb6 if cxb6 Nxa6+ Kd7 Rd1+ mates ]

3d)
mate in 7
Goldschmidt vs Preinhalter

Chess puzzles from games of 1916, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Efim Bogoljubov vs Alexei Selesniev, Triberg, 1916
rnb1rnk1/pp2qpp1/3p1b1p/PNpPp3/2Q1P3/4BN2/BPP2PPP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc5 if dxc5 d6 Qd7 Nc7 ]

b)
Siegbert Tarrasch vs Jacques Mieses, Berlin, 1916
r4rk1/p1B1bpp1/1p2pn1p/8/2PP4/1q1B1P2/1P2QP1P/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bc2 if Qxb2 Bh7+ or if Qb4 Ra4 ]

c)
Siegbert Tarrasch vs Jacques Mieses, Berlin, 1916
2br4/kpq1rpbp/pRp5/QPP2p2/P2P4/5p2/2B2PPP/1K1R4 w - - 1 0
[ Rxa6+ bxa6 b7+ ]

d)
Edward Lasker vs Holbrook, Chicago, 1916
3q1r2/p3bp1k/2p1p1p1/1p1N4/4PP2/1P1Q4/1B4PP/7K w - - 1 0
[ Qh3+ if Bh4 Bf6 ]

e)
Karl Berndtsson vs Egil Jacobsen, Copenhagen, 1916
r4rk1/pp3ppp/1q1p4/2p2P2/4b3/6R1/PPPQB1PP/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qh6 if Qxb2 f6 ]

Tactics you can use from wtharvey.com



Chess puzzles from games of 1916, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Michael Marchand vs Johannes Giersing, Copenhagen, 1916
r1b1k2r/p4ppp/2p5/q5B1/4p3/2P3P1/P3PP1P/R2Q1RK1 w kq - 1 0
[ Qd6 if Qxg5 Qxc6+ ]

b)
Giovanni Cenni vs Annibale Dolci, Milan, 1916
r1b1r1k1/3pn1pp/1BpQp3/5p2/p1B1P3/2q2P2/P1P3PP/1R1R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bd4 if Qxc4 Qe5 mates or if Qa5 Rb5 cxb5 Qe5 ]

c)
Jacob Bernstein vs Abraham Kupchik, New York, 1916
r3k2r/1b1n1ppp/p3p3/2b1P1Bq/Pp1p4/5N2/1P2BPPP/R1Q1K2R w KQkq - 1 0
[ Nh4 ]

d)
Dawid Janowski vs C Jaffe, New York, 1916
r1bq1r1k/p2nbppB/1p2p2p/3n2N1/3P4/5N2/P1QB1PPP/1R2R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bg8 if N7f6 Nxf7+ ]

e)
Walter Coultas vs GF Harrison, Melbourne, 1916
4r1k1/5pp1/p2p3p/1p3NqQ/2rb4/4P2P/PP2R1P1/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxh6+ if Qxh6 Qxf7+ ]

Chess puzzles from games of 1916, pt. vi.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
E Olson vs Jac Brekke, Copenhagen, 1916
4r1k1/p4p2/1p3qp1/7p/1PPQ4/6PP/P3rP2/1R1R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re1+ ]

b)
Johannes Giersing vs Lowenborg, Copenhagen, 1916
r4rk1/6pp/p3P3/1pR3b1/1n1P4/1P1B1P2/PB2Q2q/4KR2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxd3+ if Qxd3 Qxb2 ]

c)
Albert Fox vs Alan Perkins, New York, 1916
4rrk1/p6p/1p1p2p1/1Rp1qNQ1/2PpP1n1/3P2P1/P1P4P/5RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne3 if Rf3 Kh8 ]

d)
G Bernstain vs Albert Fox, New York, 1916
1Q3qk1/6p1/p1p3P1/P1Pp4/3P4/4P1p1/3r4/1R4K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd1+ if Kg2 Rxb1 ]

e)
Jose Raul Capablanca vs JW Brunnemer, New York, 1916
8/1pk2pp1/p1n1p2p/4N3/4K3/4P3/PP3PPP/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...f5+ Kf4 g5+ ]

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