CONTENTS

Contents

Introduction 4
Basic Tactical Ideas 5
Symbols 8
Difficulty Ranges for Each Chapter 8

Part 1: With Hints, Questions and Tasks

1 Warming Up 9
2 Checkmate 28
3 Your Choice 36
4 Getting Tricky 56
5 Endgame Exercises 74
6 Tough Nuts 93
7 Tough Choices 111

Part 2: No Clues!
8 Not Too Hard 123
9 Tricky Tasks 141
10 Endgame Challenges 155
11 Nightmare! 175

Index of Themes 191

60 600 MODERN CHESS PUZZLES

r+-+-+k+ -+-+-+-+
199 +-+-+pz- 202 +-+-+-+k
W P+-+-+-+ W p+-w-+pz
+L+p+-+n +-+p+-+-
P+-ZnZ-z N+-zn+-+
V-+-+-wP +P+-+-v-
-+R+-+P+ P+Q+-+-Z
+-W-+-M- +-+-T-M-
White’s next move in the game allowed perpet- Black has just landed a blow on the kingside.
ual check. Show how he could have avoided Your task is to find an accurate defence for
that and won. White.

-+-+-m-+ -+-+-tk+
200 +q+-s-+p 203 +-wp+pzp
W p+-z-+p+ B r+-+-s-+
Z-zP+-+- +-+-z-+-
-+-+-+-+ NT-+P+-+
+-+Q+-Z- Z-+-WP+-
-+-+-ZKZ -Z-+-+PZ
+-+L+-+- +-+-M-+R
White has a very promising position, but there’s White’s king is still in the centre. Can Black
only one way to win right away. take advantage of this?

-+-+-tk+ -t-t-+-+
201 +psl+-vp 204 +-+-+pmp
W -w-z-+p+ B -+lS-z-+
+-zPz-Z- +pz-+P+-
-sP+Pz-Z -+p+P+-+
WP+L+P+- +nZ-M-+-
N+-SKV-+ -Z-+L+PZ
+R+-+-+- +R+R+-+-
White would clearly like to remove the black How can Black secure a big advantage?
knight from b4. But think carefully about how
to do so.
 GETTING TRICKY 61

r+-t-+k+ -+-+-+-+
205 z-+n+pvp 208 +-+-+pm-
B -+-Vp+p+ W -+p+-+p+
+Pz-Z-+- Z-+-z-+-
-+-+-+-+ q+-zP+-+
+-+-+-Z- +-+-+P+-
-+-+-ZLZ -+-W-MP+
+R+-+RM- +-+l+N+-
It looks like Black must lose an exchange. But How can White strengthen his position?
maybe it’s not so bad?

-+-+-+-+ -tl+kv-t
206 +-+-+p+- 209 +-+p+pzp
W r+q+kz-+ W p+-+pZ-+
+-T-+-+- +-+-+-+-
-W-zP+-+ Nz-w-Z-+
+-+-+PZ- +-+-+Q+-
-+p+-+KZ PZPV-sPZ
+-+-+-+- +-MR+L+R
How should White press home his advantage? Find the best move and carefully calculate the
variations that follow.

-+-+-+k+ r+-+-+k+
207 zp+-+pz- 210 +-z-+pz-
B -wpS-v-z W r+-+-+q+
+-+-s-+- Z-TP+-+-
-+-+PZ-+ -T-W-Z-z
+P+-+-+P Z-+-VlZ-
PV-+-+P+ -+-+-+-Z
+K+Q+-+- +-+-+-M-
It seems necessary to retreat the knight from e5. Black is trying to create counterplay. How
But to where? should White react?
 GETTING TRICKY 69

199) Zhang Xiao – Nie Xinyang The first step is to reduce Black’s attacking po-
Tianjin 2018/19 tential, and the knight is the obvious target.
White must first secure his king, and only then 34 Îxe4!
think about pushing his a6-pawn. 34 hxg3? loses to 34...Ëxg3+ 35 Êf1 d3! 36
35 Íb4! Ëg2 d2 (as played in the game) 37 Îd1 Ëe3 ø+
After 35 Íc6? Ìxf4 36 Íxa8 Ìxh3+ the and White has no good defence against the
game ends with perpetual check: 37 Êf1 Ëd3+ knight check on g3.
38 Êe1 Ëg3+ = or 37 Êh1 Ìef2+ 38 Îxf2 34...dxe4 (D)
Ìxf2+ (the game was drawn here) 39 Êg1
Ìh3+ = (or 39...h3 40 Ëc8+ Êh7 41 Ëf5+ =). -+-+-+-+
35...Ìxf4 36 Íe1 Ìxh3+ +-+-+-+k
36...Ëg5 37 Ëe3 +ø.
37 Êf1 W
p+-w-+pz
Black’s attack is over, and next move White +-+-+-+-
will take the knight. Not 37 Êh1? Ìef2+ ø+. N+-zp+-+
37...Ëh2 38 gxh3 Ëxh3+
38...Ëh1+ 39 Êe2 +ø.
+P+-+-v-
39 Êg1 +ø P+Q+-+-Z
+-+-+-M-
200) Lu Miaoyi – Li Haoyu (variation)
Tianjin 2018/19 35 hxg3
45 Íe2! Now the position is close to a draw. For ex-
45 Íf3? Ìf5 is unclear, while after 45 ample: 35...Ëxg3+ (35...d3 36 Ëf2 d2 37 Ìc3
Ëf3+?! Êg7 46 Ëc3+ Êf7 White has a large =) 36 Êf1 (36 Ëg2 Ëe5 37 b4! = also secures a
advantage, but Black retains chances to hold draw) 36...Ëf3+ (36...d3 37 Ëf2 =; 36...e3 37
the position. Ìc5 =) 37 Ëf2 Ëh1+ 38 Êe2 Ëh5+ 39 Êf1 =
45...Ëxd5+ and the game will end with perpetual check.
Or 45...Ìxd5 46 Íf3 Ìb4 47 Íxb7 Ìxd3
48 Íxa6 +ø. After 45...Ìf5 46 Ëxa6 Ëxd5+ 203) Ruiz Castillo – Taghizadeh
47 Íf3 Ëa2 48 h4 +ø Black’s threats are over, Burlingame 2019
as he gains nothing from 48...Ìe3+ 49 Êg1 After 20...Îxa4! 21 Îxa4 Ëc2 (as played in the
Ëa1+ 50 Êh2. game) Black will win one of White’s rooks, and
46 Ëxd5 Ìxd5 47 Íxa6 the game: 22 Îb4 (22 0-0 Ëxa4 ø+) 22...Ëb1+
Material is equal, but White has a decisive 23 Êf2 Ëxh1 ø+.
advantage because of his passed a-pawn. For
example: 47...Ìc7 48 Íb7 Êe7 49 a6 Ìb5 50 204) P.Almagro – Kravtsiv
Íc6 Ìa7 51 Íd5 +ø. Madrid 2012
25...Îd7! (next move Black will attack the
201) Lyrberg – Murzin d6-knight, which has nowhere to go) 26 Íf3
Stockholm 2018/19 Îbd8 27 e5 Íxf3 28 Êxf3 (the game ended
24 Ëxb4! (24 Ìxb4? is wrong because before 28 Ìe8+? Îxe8 29 Îxd7 Íc6 0-1) 28...fxe5
recapturing, Black can drive the white queen 29 Ìe8+ Êf8 Æ with an extra pawn and good
away by 24...Îa8! 25 Ëb2 Ëxb4 Ã) 24...Ëxb4 chances to win.
25 Ìxb4 cxb4 26 c5 (as played in the game)
gives Black a hopeless position because the 205) Javakhadze – Eswaran
g7-bishop is out of the game. For example: Burlingame 2019
26...dxc5 27 Íxc5 Îa8 28 Íxb4 +ø. Black can clearly get the white e5-pawn for the
exchange, but must also hold on to the c5-
202) Pranav – A.Liang pawn.
Stockholm 2018/19 23...Îac8!
70 600 MODERN CHESS PUZZLES

After 23...Ìxe5? 24 Íxc5! Îac8 (24...Íf8!?) denying the white queen the g5-square, and so
25 Íxa7 +ø (as played in the game) White’s leaving the knight uselessly placed on g3.
b-pawn is too strong. 46...f6 47 Ìg4 Êf7
24 Íb7 47...g5?! 48 Ëe1! Íb3 49 Ëh1 +ø.
Or 24 f4!? Íf8 25 Íb7 Íxd6 26 Íxc8 48 a6!
Íxe5!, with unclear play. with a large advantage. While Black is deal-
24...Ìxe5 25 Íxc8 ing with the a-pawn, White will bring his queen
25 Íxe5 Íxe5 26 Íxc8 Îxc8 =. into the attack on the other flank. For example:
25...Îxd6 48...Êe6 (48...g5?! 49 a7 Íb3 50 Ëb2 +ø) 49
with a playable game, and near-equality. Êg3 c5 50 Ëh6 Ëxa6 51 Ëxg6 æ.

206) Training position 209) C.Murphy – Leenhouts

Rather than taking the black queen, the priority Hastings 2018/19
is to neutralize the dangerous pawn on c2. 16 Íc3!
1 Ëb3+! Only this move is good enough; otherwise
After 1 Ëc4+? Êd6! (1...Êd7? 2 Ëxc2 +ø) White loses. 16 c3? bxc3 17 Íxc3 Ëxd1+ ø+.
2 Ëxd4+ Êc7 Black achieves a draw thanks to 16...Ëxd1+ 17 Ëxd1 Ìxd1 18 fxg7
his strong passed pawn: 3 Ëc3 Ëxc5! 4 Ëxc5+ 18 Íe5? Ìf2 ø+.
Îc6 =. 18...Íxg7
1...Êd6 2 Îxc2 +ø 18...Îg8? 19 gxf8Ë+ Êxf8 20 Íd4 +ø.
19 Íxg7 Ìf2!
207) Røyset – J.Trevelyan 19...Îg8? 20 Íd4! (20 Íe5? Ìf2) 20...Íb7
Hastings 2018/19 21 Îg1 +ø.
37...Ìg6! 20 Íxh8 Ìxh1 21 Íe5 À
The more natural 37...Ìd7? is a mistake due White has a slight advantage thanks to the
to 38 e5 Íe7 (38...Íd8 39 Ìxf7 +ø) 39 Ìf5 bad knight on h1.
+ø, as played in the game.
38 e5 210) Kalavannan – A.Taylor
38 Íxf6 gxf6 is unclear. Hastings 2018/19
38...Íe7 34 f5!
Other squares for the bishop are less fortu- In the game 34 Êf2? hxg3+ 35 hxg3 Ëh5 Æ
nate: 38...Íd8? 39 f5 Ìf4 40 Ìc4! Ëc7 41 gave Black a dangerous attack.
Ëg4 +ø or 38...Íh4?! 39 f5 Ìf4 40 a3! with an 34...Ëxf5 35 Ëf4
attack; e.g., 40...Ëf2 (40...Ìd5 41 f6 æ) 41 An exchange of queens will kill Black’s at-
Ìxf7. tack, leaving the a5-pawn as a decisive advan-
39 f5 Ìf4! tage.
39...Ìf8?! 40 Ìc8 Ëc7 41 Ìxe7+ æ gives 35...Îf6 36 Ëxf5 Îxf5 37 Îf4 Îxf4 38
White a large advantage. Íxf4 +ø
40 Ìc8
40 Ìc4?! Ëf2 Æ. 211) Zelesco – Kravtsiv (variation)
40...Ëc7 Al Ain tt 2012
with an unclear position. Next the knight 20...f4!
will go to d5. Not 20...Ìxd4? 21 Íxd4 Íxd4 22 Ìge2 À.
21 Íxf4 Îf8 22 Ìce2 g5
208) A.Barton – M.Chapman Black wins the bishop and the game. 23 d5
Hastings 2018/19 doesn’t help in view of 23...Ìxf4 24 dxc6
46 Ìh2! Ìxh3+ 25 gxh3 Ëxd1+ ø+.
On g4 the knight will create serious problems
for Black. 46 Ìg3? (as played in the game) 212) Kravtsiv – Abergel (variation)
should have been answered with 46...f6!, Cappelle-la-Grande 2013