See 2, 3 or 4 moves ahead



Here are some chess puzzles from notable games of 1881-5.
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.
Joseph Blackburne vs Smith, Simul, 1882
r1nk3r/2b2ppp/p3b3/3NN3/Q2P3q/B2B4/P4PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd7+ Bxd7 Nxf7# ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Joseph Blackburne vs Smith, Simul, 1882
r1nk3r/2b2ppp/p3bq2/3pN3/Q2P4/B1NB4/P4PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nc6+ Kd7 Na5+ Kd8 Nb7# ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Joseph Blackburne vs Wilhelm Steinitz, London, 1883
r1n5/pp2q1kp/2ppr1p1/4p1Q1/8/2N4R/PPP3PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh6+ Kg8 Rf8+ ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Szymon Winawer vs Fritz Riemann, Berlin, 1881
2krb2r/R1pn1qp1/1p1pnp1p/1P5P/2N1P1B1/2P1B1Q1/5PP1/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxd6 if cxd6 Nxd6+ or if f5 Qc6 ]

e)
White mates in 4.
James Mason vs Isidor Gunsberg, Nuernberg, 1883
2q2r2/5rk1/4pNpp/p2pPn2/P1pP2QP/2P2R2/2B3P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxg6+ if Kxg6 Rg3# or if Kh8 Bxf5 ]

1b)
mate in 3
Joseph Blackburne vs Smith

1881-3 Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Szymon Winawer vs Louis Paulsen, Nuernberg, 1883
b4r2/p4qbk/3pR1Rp/1p3p1Q/3p1p2/1B1P4/PPP4P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh6+ if Kg8 Reg6 Qxb3 Rg5 or if Bxh6 Qxh6+ ]

b)
White mates in 5.
Wilhelm Steinitz vs Louis Paulsen, Vienna, 1882
1k5r/pp2r3/8/P1bB4/2Pq1PQ1/1R4RP/1P6/7K w - - 0 1
[ Qg8+ if Rxg8 Rxg8+ Kc7 Rxb7+ Kd6 Rd8+ ]

c)
White mates in 5.
Siegbert Tarrasch vs Theodor Von Scheve, Nuernberg, 1883
6r1/pp3p1k/4qBbr/3p4/2pP2P1/2P2R2/P1PQ2R1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxh6+ Kxh6 Rh2+ Bh5 Rxh5+ Kg6 Rg5+ ]

d)
White mates in 6.
Joseph Blackburne vs Jaques Schwarz, Berlin, 1881
4r1k1/p1qr1p2/2pb1Bp1/1p5p/3P1n1R/1B3P2/PP3PK1/2Q4R w - - 0 1
[ Qxf4 if Bxf4 Rxh5 ]

e)
White mates in 7.
Mikhail Chigorin vs Pavel Otto, St Petersburg, 1884
r1b1rk2/ppp2q1p/3p1B2/5PQ1/4PN2/8/PPP1B1P1/3K4 w - - 0 1
[ Ng6+ if hxg6 Qh6+ mates ]

2c)
mate in 5
Siegbert Tarrasch vs Theodor Von Scheve

1883 Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 7.
Alexander Fritz vs NN, Germany, 1885
r1bqkbnr/pppp2np/5pN1/7Q/2B1P3/8/PPP2PPP/RNB1K2R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Bf7+ Kxf7 Ne5+ Ke6 Qf7+ Nc4+ Kc5 Qd5+ ]

b)
H Von Schuetz vs Carl Schmid, Berlin, 1881
rn2k2r/pbp1bppp/1p2pn2/3q2B1/3P4/3B1N2/PPPN1PPP/R2QK2R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Bxf6 if Bxf6 Be4 ]

c)
Szymon Winawer vs Johann Berger, Berlin, 1881
3q2k1/1p1rb1pp/p4p2/8/1P3N2/2B1R3/PKP1QPPP/3r4 w - - 0 1
[ Qc4+ if Kh8 Ng6+ mates or if Kf8 Ne6+ ]

d)
Joseph Blackburne vs James Mortimer, London, 1883
r4rk1/3p4/b2Pp1qp/p1PpR2R/3Q4/1P4p1/PB3PK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Reg5 if hxg5 Qh8+ Kf7 Rh7+ mates ]

e)
Johannes Zukertort vs Jaques Schwarz, Berlin, 1881
4kr2/p1b5/2p4p/4n3/2B5/P7/2KN2PP/4R3 w - - 0 1
[ Nf3 if Rf5 Bd3 ]

3a)
mate in 7
Alexander Fritz vs NN

1883-5 Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
E Crespi vs C Salvioli, Milan, 1881
r2n1rk1/pp1b1ppp/1b1p4/3P1nNq/4N3/1Q1B4/PB3P1P/R5RK w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ gxf6 Ne4+ Qg6 Nxf6+ Kh8 Nxd7+ ]

b)
Mikhail Chigorin vs Artur Skipworth, London, 1883
rn3k1r/p1pnqpp1/1p2p2p/3pP3/2bP1NQ1/3B4/P1P2PPP/R1B1R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc4 dxc4 Qf3 if Kg8 Qxa8 or if c6 Ng6+ ]

c)
Joseph Blackburne vs Wilfried Paulsen, Nuernberg, 1883
5rk1/2RR1rpp/p3p3/q3P1Q1/1p6/6PK/2P2P1P/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 Rxf7 Qd8+ Rf8 Rxg7+ ]

d)
A D'Aumiller vs L Casalini, Venice, 1883
5rk1/pp1r1pp1/2q3np/8/8/1BP3QP/PP3RP1/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rf6 if Rd1 Bxf7+ Rxf7 Rxf7 ]

e)
Alexander Solovtsov vs Mikhail Chigorin, Moscow, 1884
5rrk/4q2p/2n5/pp1pPB1R/2pP2Q1/8/PP5P/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Bxh7 Rxg4 Be4+ Kg8 Bxd5+ ]

f)
Siegbert Tarrasch vs Adolf Schottlaender, Hamburg, 1885
2r1r2k/pp2q2p/2p1Pbp1/4BpQn/8/1B6/PPP3PP/3RR2K w - - 0 1
[ Rd7 if Qf8 Rf7 or if Kg8 Rxe7 Bxg5 Rxe8+ mates ]

4c)
Joseph Blackburne vs Wilfried Paulsen

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