'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Luc Winants.
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)
White mates in 4.
Luc Winants vs Simen Agdestein, Salonika, 1984
5k2/6r1/p7/2p1P3/1p2Q3/8/1q4PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ Ke7 Qh4+ or if Kf7 Qf5+ ]

b)
Deen Hergott vs Luc Winants, Salonika, 1984
4rrk1/1pp5/p2p1qpp/2PP1B2/1PN2p1n/8/P1R2PPP/3QR1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg5 if g3 Rxe1+ or if Ne3 gxf5 ]

c)
Luc Winants vs Detlef Heinbuch, Amsterdam, 1987
2b5/bpRr1nkp/p2Bpp2/7B/1P2NP2/6PP/P5K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7 if Rxc7 Bxc7 Kxf7 Nd6+ ]

d)
White mates in 6.
Luc Winants vs Marinus Kuijf, Budel, 1987
8/r2b1kp1/2p3N1/rp1p1P2/3P2P1/4R1K1/8/4R3 w - - 0 1
[ Kf4 if Ra2 Re7+ Kg8 Re8+ or if Ra8 Re7+ w/Rh1 ]

e)
Luc Winants vs Henk van Maaren, Netherlands, 1987
r3r1k1/pp4pn/2pq1pQ1/3pNb2/3P1Pn1/2N1P3/PP4PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf7+ Kh8 Qxe8+ if Rxe8 Nf7+ Kg8 Nxd6 Bd7 Nxe8 ]

1e)
Luc Winants vs Henk van Maaren

Luc Winants puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Hendrik Hoeksema vs Luc Winants, Dieren, 1987
6k1/p7/1p1p2p1/2pPb2p/4q2P/4P1P1/QP5K/5R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxh4+ ]

b)
Black mates in 2.
F Sharaibi vs Luc Winants, Salonika, 1988
2k1r3/1p3p1p/2p5/p1nr2p1/P1KN1pb1/2P5/BPP3PP/R1B5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re4 w/Be2# ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Luc Winants vs Norbert Stull, Lyons, 1990
1r3k2/3Rnp2/6p1/6q1/p1BQ1p2/P1P5/1P3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh8+ Ng8 Rxf7+ ]

d)
Luc Winants vs Bruno Carlier, Rotterdam, 1990
6k1/1bpr2pp/1pn1p1q1/4Qp2/1PP1n3/4PN2/4BPPP/B2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd7 Nxe5 Rd8+ Kf7 Nxe5+ ]

e)
Luc Winants vs Pia Cramling, Barcelona, 1991
2Q5/1r3q1k/8/5pR1/1p6/8/4PP2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qc6 w/Qh1+ ]

2d)
Luc Winants vs Bruno Carlier

Luc Winants puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Luc Winants vs Oscar De La Riva Aguado, Barcelona, 1991
6Q1/2nq4/2bp3k/5p1p/4p1pP/4P1P1/5P2/B4BK1 w - - 1 0
[ Bf6 if Ne6 Bg5+ ]

b)
Black mates in 4.
L Vaes vs Luc Winants, Belgium, 1992
r5k1/1pp3pp/3p4/1n2p1q1/pK2Q1b1/P2P1rP1/1PP2p1P/R1N2B1R b - - 0 1
[ ...Qd2+ if c3 Qxb2+ or if Kxb5 Ra5+ ]

c)
Gerald Grodent vs Luc Winants, Geraardsbergen, 1992
6k1/5pp1/4p1b1/1p1pQ3/3Pq2P/5BP1/4PPK1/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxe5 dxe5 b4 ]

d)
Black mates in 3.
Gozewijn Van Laatum vs Luc Winants, Ostend, 1992
7k/p2r2pp/1pN2n2/3b4/Q1p2q2/2B4P/PP4B1/6RK b - - 0 1
[ ...Ng4 ]

e)
Luc Winants vs Elena Cosma, Cappelle la Grande, 1993
rb1qr1k1/3b1ppp/2p2n2/1pP5/pPnNN3/P5P1/1BQ2PBP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxc6 Bxc6 Nxf6+ gxf6 Bxc6 ]

3e)
Luc Winants vs Elena Cosma

Luc Winants puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Herman Grooten vs Luc Winants, Wijk aan Zee, 1993
2r3k1/1p2qppp/2P3r1/Q2p1bn1/3P4/4P3/3NBPPP/2R1R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nh3+ if Kh1 Nxf2+ Kg1 Qxe3 or if Kf1 Rxg2 Kxg2 Qg5+ ]

b)
Luc Winants vs Kremer, Amsterdam, 1996
r2qr1k1/1p4pp/p2b2n1/5p2/8/5PR1/PB1QBP1P/6RK w - - 1 0
[ Bc4+ if Kf8 Qd5 Qd7 Ba3 or if Kh8 Rxg6 ]

c)
Vladimir Chuchelov vs Luc Winants, Brussels, 1997
1r4k1/8/p1pR1q1p/P1P2p2/2N1pPn1/6Pb/2Q4P/6KB b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc3 if Qxc3 Rb1+ mates or if Qd1 Qxc4 ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Luc Winants vs Erika Sziva, Belgium, 2000
2r3rk/p2q1pb1/1p2pp1p/3P1n2/3N2Q1/P1N3RR/1P3PPP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxf5 if exf5 Qf4 Kh7 Rxg7+ ]

e)
Mathieu Renaudin vs Luc Winants, France, 2001
8/p1ppkpp1/b6p/8/2P4P/P1R1P3/5PP1/1r3BK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...d5 ]

4d)
mate in 5
Luc Winants vs Erika Sziva

Luc Winants puzzles, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Luc Winants vs Gerhard Schebler, Belgium, 2002
2n3k1/pb1r3p/4Nrp1/3pRp2/2p4P/2P2P2/PPB2KP1/4R3 w - - 1 0
[ Nc5 if Rc7 Re8+ Rf8 Rxf8+ Kxf8 Ne6+ or if Rdf7 Re8+ Kg7 Ne6+ Kh6 Nd8 Rd7 Nxb7 ]

b)
Zoltan Almasi vs Luc Winants, Calvia, 2004
8/2pk2p1/Q1pb4/3p1P2/3q4/1KP1r3/PP1NR1P1/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qg4 if Rxe3 Qd1# or if Nf3 Qc4+ ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Luc Winants vs Roeland Pruijssers, Netherlands, 2010
3Q4/6Bp/2q3p1/p5N1/n4kP1/2b4P/5P2/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qd3 if Kxg5 Qe3+ ]

d)
Amdreas Moen vs Luc Winants, Rhodes, 2013
3rr1k1/6pp/2pB1Q2/1pP5/p3PP2/1q2R1R1/bP4PP/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxe3+ Rxe3 gxf6 ]

5c)
mate in 4
Luc Winants vs Roeland Pruijssers

Back to the Index