I quite enjoyed watching games from the tournament played in Moscow at the end of 2014, so here are some sample puzzles that can help you train your positional and attacking skills.
Scroll down to see the solutions.
Artemiev, Vladislav -- Morozevich, Alexander
Nutcracker Rapid 2014.12.25 0-1 A05
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. g3 g6 4. b3 Bg7 5. Bb2 d6 6. Bg2 e5 7. d3 O-O 8. O-O Re8 9. Nbd2 a5 10. a3 Nh5 11. Qc2 c5 12. Ne4 Nc6 13. e3 f5 14. Nc3 Nf6 15. Rad1 h6 16. Nd2 Be6 17. Nd5 Bf7 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Nb1 d5 20. cxd5 Bxd5 21. Bxd5+ Qxd5 22. Nc3 Qf3 23. Nb5 h5 24. Nc7 h4 25. Rfe1 h3 26. Kf1
- Black to move:
Aleksey Dreev -- Daniil Dubov
Nutcracker Rapid 2014 2014.12.25 1-0 E32
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 b6 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Bb7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. Qc2 c5 12. e3 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Qf6 14. Rd1 Na6 15. f3 Nxg3 16. hxg3 d5 17. cxd5 Rac8 18. Qd2 Rfd8 19. Bxa6 Bxa6
- White to move:
Alexander Morozevich -- Daniil Dubov
Nutcracker Rapid 2014 2014.12.25 1-0 B72
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Be6 11. Kb1 b5 12. Bf3 Rc8 13. Nxb5 a6 14. Nc3 Rc4 15. e5 Nd7 16. Bd5 Rxd4 17. Qxd4 Bxe5 18. Qe3 Nb6
- White to move:
Fedoseev, Vladimir -- Dreev, Aleksey
Nutcracker Rapid 2014.12.25 1-0 B12
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. O-O Ne7 7. Nbd2 h6 8. Nb3 g5 9. Ne1 Qc7 10. Nd3 Bg7 11. f4 Ng6 12. fxg5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 f6
- White to move:
Solutions
Artemiev, Vladislav -- Morozevich, Alexander
Nutcracker Rapid 2014.12.25 0-1 A05
26. ... Nd4!? 27. Qc4+ Kf8 28. Qxc5+ Kg7 29. Qd5 Qxd5 30. Nxd5 Nf3 31. Nc7 Rec8 32. Rc1 Nxe1 33. Nxa8 Rxc1 34. Bxc1 Nxd3 35. Bd2 Bd8 -/+
#
36. Ke2 e4 37. Bc3+ Kf7 38. Bd4 Nc1+ 39. Kd1 Nxb3 40. Bb6 Bxb6 41. Nxb6 Ke6 42. Kc2 Nc5 43. Kd2 Nd7 44. Nc4 Ne5 45. Nxa5 b6 46. Nb3 Nf3+ 47. Ke2 Nxh2 48. a4 Ng4 49. Kf1 h2 50. Kg2 Nxf2 51. Kxh2 Ng4+ 52. Kg1 Nxe3 53. a5 bxa5 54. Nxa5 Kd5 55. Kf2 Nc4 56. Nb3 g5 57. Nc1 f4 58. gxf4 gxf4 59. Ne2 Ke5 60. Nc3 Ne3 61. Nb5 Ng4+ 62. Kf1 f3 63. Nc3 e3 0-1
Aleksey Dreev -- Daniil Dubov
Nutcracker Rapid 2014 2014.12.25 1-0 E32
20. e4 exd5 21. e5! Re8
- ( 21. ... Qxe5+ 22. Kf2 # would leave White with great compensation for the pawn as the black bishop is nicely constrained by the white knight and black pawn on d5.
22. ... Qf6 23. g4 += and White develops initiative by threatening Nf5. )
22. f4 Re7 23. Qe3 Rce8 24. Kd2 Qg6 25. Rh2 h5 26. f5 Qh6
- #
27. e6!? fxe6 28. fxe6 Rxe6 29. Nxe6 Rxe6
- White to move
30. Rxh5!
- Black must have overlooked this shot.
30. ... Rxe3 31. Rxh6 Rxg3 32. Rd6 Rxg2+ 33. Kc3 +/- Rg3+ 34. Kd4 Kf7 35. Re1 g4 36. Ke5 Bc4 37. Kf4 Rb3 38. Kg5 d4 39. Rd7+ Kf8 40. Rd8+ Kf7 41. Rxd4 Rb5+ 42. Kh4 Be6 43. Rf4+ Rf5 44. Rxf5+ Bxf5 45. Rc1 Ke6 46. Rc7 Kd5 47. Rxa7 Kc4 48. Ra4+ Kc5 49. Rf4 Be6 50. Kg3 Bd7 51. Re4 Kd5 52. Kf4 Be6 53. Re5+ Kd6 54. Rg5 Bd7 55. Ke4 Bc8 56. Kd4 Be6 57. Rg6 b5 58. Ke4 Ke7 59. Ke5 Bd7 60. Rg7+ Ke8 61. b3 1-0
Alexander Morozevich -- Daniil Dubov
Nutcracker Rapid 2014 2014.12.25 1-0 B72
19. Bxe6! fxe6 20. Qxe5! dxe5 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Kc1 +/-
- # White returns the exchange, but leaves Black with a horrid pawn structure and a position that is really hard to defend in a practical game.
22. ... Nd5 23. Rd1 Kf7 24. Ne4 Rc8 25. b3 h6 26. c4 Nf4 27. g3 Ne2+ 28. Kb2 Nd4 29. h4 Ke8 30. Kc3 Kd7 31. f4 Kc6 32. fxe5 Nf3
- #
33. b4 +-
- White's queenside pawns begin marching forward, and it is really hard to stop them.
33. ... Nxe5 34. a4 Kb6 35. a5+ Ka7 36. Nc5 Rf8 37. b5 Rc8 38. Kb4 Ka8 39. Rd4 axb5 40. cxb5 Rb8 41. Re4 1-0
Fedoseev, Vladimir -- Dreev, Aleksey
Nutcracker Rapid 2014.12.25 1-0 B12
14. Rxf5 exf5 15. Bh5 O-O-O 16. Bxg6 fxg5 17. Bxf5
- # After the pseudo exchange sacrifice, material is even, but White has a dominating position and soon converted.
17. ... Kb8 18. Qg4 Nb6 19. Nbc5 Qe7 20. Ne6 Rdg8 21. b3 Rh4 22. Qg3 Bh6 23. Rf1 a6 24. Bg4 Bg7 25. h3 Bh8 26. Ndc5 Ka7 27. Qf3 Nd7 28. Nxd7 Qxd7 29. Qf7 Qxf7 30. Rxf7 Rh6 31. Re7 Kb6 32. Kf2 Rc8 33. Nc5 1-0
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