'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Eltaj Safarli.
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)
Eltaj Safarli vs Sanan Guliyev, Chalkidiki, 2001
3r2k1/1p3p1p/3p2p1/R1PPp3/1P2P3/2n3PB/7P/7K w - - 0 1
[ c6 ]

b)
White mates in 5.
Eltaj Safarli vs Konstaninos Liodakis, Heraklio, 2002
1q3k1r/5p2/Q2R1N1p/2p5/8/8/P1r2PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd7+ if Kg7 Rg6+ fxg6 Re7+ ]

c)
Eltaj Safarli vs Janez Kavcic, Peniscola, 2002
2rq1b1k/pp3pp1/1n3n1p/3pB3/3P1Q2/2NB1P2/PP3P1P/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Qf5 if Rxc3 Bxf6 ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Eltaj Safarli vs Ruben Miguel Pereira, Halkidiki, 2003
6n1/4q1k1/p2p2Pp/1p1Pp3/1Pn1B2Q/8/2P5/2B3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxh6+ if Kh8 Bf8+ ]

e)
Eltaj Safarli vs Ronald Ducalang, Dubai, 2004
r1b1nr1k/bp1pNppp/p1nq4/4p1B1/4P3/1N4P1/PPP2PBP/R2Q1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Qxd6 Nxd6 Nxc6 dxc6 Be7 ]

1e)
Eltaj Safarli vs Ronald Ducalang

Eltaj Safarli Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Eltaj Safarli vs Raphael Delivre, Heraklio, 2004
5rk1/pp2ppbn/3p2pp/n2P4/1r4PP/4BP1B/PPP1N3/1K1R3R w - - 0 1
[ c3 if Rb5 a4 ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Eltaj Safarli vs Sergei Simonenko, Abudhabi, 2005
4r1k1/3r1p1p/bqp1n3/p2p1NP1/Pn1Q1b2/7P/1PP3B1/R2NR2K w - - 0 1
[ Rxe6 if fxe6 Nh6+ ]

c)
Eltaj Safarli vs Bjoern Bente, Dubai, 2006
5r1k/1q1n1p2/4pP1p/2rpP1pP/1p1N2P1/2PQ4/1P3R2/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6 if fxe6 Qg6 Nb6 f7 ]

d)
Eltaj Safarli vs Kateryna Lahno, Moscow, 2007
r5k1/1Rnb1pp1/p2N4/3Pp1B1/4P1p1/7P/2r2P2/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rc1 ]

e)
Eltaj Safarli vs Stelios Halkias, Moscow, 2007
4nrk1/p1q1br1p/6p1/1p1PQ1pN/2p1P1B1/2P5/PP3RP1/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Qe6 if Nd6 e5 Nf5 d6 ]

2b)
mate in 4
Eltaj Safarli vs Sergei Simonenko

Eltaj Safarli Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Eltaj Safarli vs Sergei Zhigalko, Kirishi, 2007
3rr3/1R4pk/p5bp/P1pNN1b1/2B1pB2/3P4/6K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg5 if hxg5 Nf6+ mates ]

b)
White mates in 2.
Eltaj Safarli vs Bela Khotenashvili, Baku, 2008
5r2/7p/3R4/p3pk2/1p2N2p/1P2BP2/6PK/4r3 w - - 0 1
[ g4+ hxg3+ Nxg3# ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Eltaj Safarli vs Aydin Duman, Kocaeli, 2008
2r1r2k/1q3pb1/p3b2p/3p3Q/3n3B/2pB2RP/PP3PP1/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf6 if Nf5 Bxf5 ]

d)
Wesley So vs Eltaj Safarli, Moscow, 2009
4rbk1/1b3pp1/p5qp/1p6/1PPpr3/P6Q/B2B1PPP/R2R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh4 if Qg3 Rg4 ]

e)
White mates in 9.
Eltaj Safarli vs Babu Lalith, Delhi, 2010
r4rk1/ppBbbpp1/2q1pn2/6Rp/3P4/P4N2/1P3PPP/RBQ3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7+ Kxg7 Qg5+ Kh8 Be5 ]

3c)
mate in 4
Eltaj Safarli vs Aydin Duman

Eltaj Safarli Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Eltaj Safarli vs Baadur Jobava, Dubai, 2014
r5k1/1p3pp1/1qpQ3p/p3p1b1/P1B1P2n/BP5b/2P1NPP1/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bc5 ]

b)
Alexander Seyb vs Eltaj Safarli, Doha, 2014
2q3k1/Q4pp1/p2p1b1p/1p1P1P2/2n5/7P/PPP5/1KBR4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Na3+ if bxa3 Qc3 or if Ka1 Qxc2 mates ]

c)
Eltaj Safarli vs Lucas Van Foreest, Basel, 2017
R7/3bk2p/5ppB/2Nr4/1n6/7P/5PPK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Bf8+ Kf7 Nxd7 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Eltaj Safarli vs Alexander Donchenko, Basel, 2017
r1b3rk/1p3ppp/pnq1p3/7N/8/6Q1/PPP2PPP/2KR1B1R w - - 1 0
[ Rd8 if g6 Qe5+ ]

e)
Eltaj Safarli vs Reddy Chakravarthi, Dubai, 2018
3r1r2/8/1k5p/1bb3pP/2p1N3/5R1B/5PP1/1R4K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf8 if Bxf8 Nc3 or if Rxf8 Bd7 ]

4c)
Eltaj Safarli vs Lucas Van Foreest

Eltaj Safarli Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Eltaj Safarli vs Ioannis Papaioannou, Rio Achaia, 2018
5bk1/1p3p1p/3p2pP/3P1rP1/4Q3/PqB5/1P6/1K2R3 w - - 1 0
[ Qe8 if Rf2 Qxf8+ Kxf8 Bg7+ ]

b)
Boris Markoja vs Eltaj Safarli, Batumi, 2018
8/5pk1/3b1rp1/3B3r/q1P5/6P1/5RQP/1R5K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf2 Qxf2 Rxd5 cxd5 Qe4+ ]

c)
Eltaj Safarli vs Velimir Ivic, Batumi, 2018
6k1/1q1nrpp1/7p/prR1P3/8/4Q1P1/2B2P1P/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qd3 ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Eltaj Safarli vs Manuel Petrosyan, Skopje, 2019
1Q6/Bp6/2kb1p2/5n2/1P4p1/1B1q2P1/P4PK1/8 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qc8+ Bc7 2.Qe8+ Qd7 3.Qe4+ ]

e)
Eltaj Safarli vs Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis, Skopje, 2019
2rq2n1/r4p1k/1p2b3/p2pPppN/P2P4/6R1/1P1Q1PPP/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Nf6+ if 1...Nxf6 2.Qxg5 mates ]

5b)
Boris Markoja vs Eltaj Safarli


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