King-pawn Opening Series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Alexander Tolush.
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)
Alexander Tolush vs Isaak Boleslavsky, Kiev, 1944
6k1/5p1p/p1b1q1p1/1p6/1Q2P3/4BP2/P4KPP/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bh6 Qe8 Qd4 ]

b)
White mates in 5.
Alexander Tolush vs Vladimir Alatortsev, Moscow, 1944
5k2/1p2q1p1/p4NQp/P6P/8/2B3PK/1P6/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bb4 if gxf6 Qxf6+ ]

c)
Alexander Tolush vs Gavriil Veresov, Moscow, 1944
2r3k1/5pp1/4p2p/p2b4/qp1P2NP/6Q1/1P1b1PPK/1B2R3 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ Kh8 Nh5 if Rg8 Qd3 or if g6 Qe5+ ]

d)
Alexander Tolush vs Semyen Furman, Leningrad, 1946
5rk1/bpq1rppb/p2N1n1p/4N3/3p4/PB1P4/2P1Q1PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6 if gxf6 Qg4+ Kh8 Ndxf7+ ]

e)
Alexander Tolush vs Viacheslav Ragozin, Leningrad, 1947
r4k2/5ppp/Ppr2n2/8/5P2/6N1/3R2PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ Rxd8 Rxd8+ Ke7 a7 ]

1b)
mate in 5
Alexander Tolush vs Vladimir Alatortsev

Alexander Tolush Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Alexander Tolush vs Alexander Kotov, Moscow, 1948
1rb2r1k/5pb1/pp2qBp1/2pNp2p/4P2Q/2P4R/P4PPP/1R4K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qg5 if Bxf6 Nxf6 Kg7 Rxh5 Rh8 Rxh8 mates ]

b)
Alexander Tolush vs Vasily Panov, Leningrad, 1951
2r1r3/3b2kp/3Q4/1pn2q2/4pP2/P5P1/BP3P1P/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd5 if Re6 Qxd7+ ]

c)
White mates in 6.
Alexander Tolush vs Vassily Smyslov, Moscow, 1952
6rk/1p1r1pnp/2q5/p3Pp2/Pn3N1R/3p2QP/1P5K/1B4R1 w - - 0 1
[ e6 if fxe6 Ng6# ]

d)
White mates in 4.
Alexander Tolush vs Gosta Stoltz, Bucharest, 1953
3r4/6kp/1p1r1pN1/5Qq1/6p1/PB4P1/1P3P2/6KR w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ if Kxh7 Nf8+ Kg7 Qh7+ ]

e)
Alexander Tolush vs Efim Geller, Moscow, 1955
6k1/3R1p1p/6p1/p4P2/1n1brB2/4N1P1/Pr5P/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ Kg7 Rxd4 Rxd4 Be5+ ]

2e)
Alexander Tolush vs Efim Geller

Alexander Tolush Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 6.
Alexander Tolush vs Alexander Blagidze, Yerevan, 1956
r5rk/1b2bp1p/1qp5/1p3P2/nPnPPN2/7R/6BP/2BQ1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ Kxh7 Qh5+ Kg7 Ne6+ ]

b)
Alexander Tolush vs Lev Aronin, Moscow, 1957
3k1r2/2rbb2p/pQqpp3/1pN5/1P6/P2R3B/2P4P/1K1R4 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6+ if Bxe6 Rxd6+ or if Kc8 Qxc6 or if Ke8 Nxc7+ ]

c)
White mates in 7.
Alexander Tolush vs Semyen Furman, Moscow, 1957
r3r3/1p4p1/p3Pq1p/P1p3k1/2BbR1p1/8/2Q2P1P/1K5R w - - 0 1
[ Rxg4+ if Kh5 Rh4+ Qxh4 Qf5+ Qg5 Be2+ or if Kxg4 Qe4+ Qf4 Rg1+ ]

d)
Alexander Tolush vs Yuri Averbakh, Kislovodsk, 1960
5k2/5p1p/2b1nPp1/1r6/p2p4/P2Pb1B1/2P3PP/1R3R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxb5 Bxb5 Rb1 if Be8 Bd6+ ]

e)
Alexander Tolush vs Gheorghe Mititelu, Warsaw, 1961
r3rnk1/p1bq1pp1/5n2/1p1p2N1/2pP4/2N1PQ1P/PP1B1P2/2K3RR w - - 0 1
[ Qxf6 if gxf6 Nge4+ Kh8 Nxf6 ]

f)
White mates in 3.
Alexander Tolush vs Gedeon Barcza, Leningrad, 1962
2r3k1/1p1r1p1p/pnb1pB2/5p2/1bP5/1P2QP2/P1B3PP/4RK2 w - - 0 1
[ Qh6 if Bf8 Qg5+ ]

3a)
mate in 6
Alexander Tolush vs Alexander Blagidze

Other Russian GMs
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