Three star exercise from chapter 13

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 13 (the double bishop sacrifice) completed! Interesting chapter, I did not know this pattern and also that Lasker was the first to discover it! #chesspunks

T.Petrosian - M.Botvinnik World Ch (15), Moscow 1963

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 12 (dont be too hasty!) This endgame chapter was challenging and in this particular ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle, the author expected me to find a move that even the great Petrosian could not find 🫠🫠🫠 To my relief, I played the same as he, even if its not the best #chesspunks

A. Yusupov - A. Balshan Amsterdam 1978

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 11 (black against the Reti, white against the King’s Indian) completed with good score! 😎 This time I’m a little pissed: my idea in this puzzle, Nb5! is not even considered as a possibility in the authors solution and SF even prefers it! #chesspunks

A.Karpov - A.Yusupov Bugojno 1986

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 10 (the lawn phalanx) completed! Luckily the author also features some game he lost, even if they were against such legends as Karpov! White to move and win, not easy at all! #chesspunks

A. Yusupov - L.Aagaard Stockholm 2002

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 9 (better pawn structures) completed! 😎 Can someone explain why in this game of Yusupov vs Aagaard Bg5 wouldn’t be a valid answer? SF only considers it slight worse to Bf4 🤔⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

L.Blumenoff - P.Keres Estonian Ch, Tallinn 1933

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 8 (calculating short variations) completed with Excellent score! 😎 This and the previous chapters were very tactical and fun, I guess my calculation is improving? Let’s see if it shows up in this Saturdays league game 🤞🏻 black to play ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

I.Gutierrez Castillo - R. Vera Gonzalez Bayamo 1989

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 7 (exploiting weaknesses) completed! 😎 This chapter was very interesting and felt very practical, some of the moves required first identifying the weakness and then calculating a way to exploit it, which happens very frequently in real games!! ⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

A. Alekhine - O.Chajes Karlsbad 1911

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 6 (a lead in development) completed! Another difficult chapter, most of the exercises were taken from Alekhines games! 🫠 (come on there’s no way I can calculate like him…) white to play in this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle I failed. Agadmator would have succeeded! #chesspunks

C.Lutz - T.Luther German Ch, Bremen 1998

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 5 (don’t allow counterplay!) completed. 😎 This was a very difficult endgame chapter, lots of calculation involved and I spent like 4 hours on it and also pulled up SF to check my solutions. Failed this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle, black to play and hold the draw #chesspunks

I.Timman - .Lautier Malmo 1999

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 4 (opening repertoire against 1.c4) completed with good score! 😎 These QGD positions are not my style but at least the ideas are not that difficult. I’m happy with the symmetrical English for now. I failed this ⭐️ puzzle which is not that easy! #chesspunks

E.Torre - V.Hort Nice Olympiad 1974

#YusupovChallenge update: book 6, chapter 3 (attacking the king) completed! 😎 I almost nailed all the exercises in this chapter, except for the ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzles like this one where I would find the first move, but not the best defense by the opponent (thus missing the remaining points)! #chesspunks

Ask for the game PGN if you are interested

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, final test completed with good score! 😎 I failed this ⭐️⭐️ endgame puzzle for white. Now onto the final book of the blue ones and ready to push to 1800 FIDE! 🚀 #chesspunks

(Elo 1448) - (Elo 1859) 11th training tournament 2006

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 24 (typical mistakes in the endgame) completed! 😎 This was the last chapter of the book, and next week onto the final test! 💪🏼 Endgames require calculating precisely and are very good practice, I failed this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle, black to move and draw! #chesspunks

A. Yusupov - A.Panchenko Vilnius 1978

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 23 (Reti/English Opening) completed! 😎 I played through every game in the exercises and now I have a better understanding of the middle game and some tactical ideas, might play the English some time to have some variety in my repertoire! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

L. Poluvsky - R.Nezhmetdinov Sochi 1958

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 22 (dragging the king out) completed with excellent score!! 😎 The training continues! 💪🏼 This chapter was very difficult but a lot of fun! I needed to calculate very long but forcing variations, the only one I failed was this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, black to move #chesspunks

A.Kotov - S.Gligoric Zürich Candidates 1953

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 21 (blockade) completed! 😎 This chapter was really difficult, not only being about positional play but also with lots of ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzles! I’m glad I passed it since tomorrow starts my next tournament! Wish me luck! Black to play #chesspunks

R.Kholmov - E.Geller Vilnius 1957

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 20 (endgame technique) completed! This chapter was nice and definitely harder, I feel like you need to calculate like a machine to properly play endgames! 🤖 But I’ll get there, hopefully 🤞🏻 White to play in this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle #chesspunks

A.Shashin - Kolevit Moscow 1974

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 19 (line clearing) completed with excellent score! 😎 Either I’m getting used to the difficulty of the blue books, or this chapter was easy. I just missed a couple of important moves, like the last move of the sequence in the following ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle #chesspunks

T.Petrosian -J.Kozma Munich Olympiad 1958

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 19 (closed openings) completed with good score! 😎 I’ve never studied the Torre Attack before but it was an interesting chapter, another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle in what is known to be an opening mistake, white to move #chesspunks

V. Smyslov - M. Tal, Moscow 1964

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 17 (good and bad bishops) completed with good score! 😎 This puzzle I failed is sooo difficult Yusupov gives it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! It comes from the game V. Smyslov - M. Tal, Moscow 1964. black to move #chesspunks

A.Bisguier - R.Fischer New York 1965

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 16 (removing the defence) completed with good score! 😎 Not gonna lie these puzzles were trickier than I thought, even if they are “only” ⭐️⭐️ stars! I failed the 2nd part of this one and it turned out to be one of Fischer’s games! Black to move #chesspunks

E. Williams - D.Harrwitz London(8) 1852

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 15 (common mistakes calculating variations) completed! 😎 this chapter could have been called “find your opponents resources” but this is something I really need to work on 💪🏼 white to play in this difficult ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle, the most obvious move loses! #chesspunks

A.Miles - R.Hübner Wijk aan Zee 1984

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 14 (the bishop pair) completed with excellent score! 😎 After a successful tournament the grind never stops 💪🏼 Here is the only puzzle I failed from this chapter, white to move ⭐️⭐️ funnily enough I found the 3 star exercises in the chapter easier! #chesspunks

A.Pytlakowski -J.Szukszta Katowice 1952

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 13 (blocking combinations) completed with perfect score! 💯😱 long time without one of those and first in the blue series! have a tournament tomorrow & hope the training shows up!🤞🏻 Loved the tactic from the below position, white to move and win ⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

White: king in b3, pawn in b4, rook on a1 Black: king in e5, rook on b8

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 12 (simple rook endgames II) completed! 😎 very interesting chapter, I did not know the rule of 6 and many other interesting positions like the Vancura defense, I hope I’ll be able to play better my next rook endgame! White to play and win ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

J. Granda Zuniga - A. Yusupov Moscow Olympiad 1994

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 11 (opening repertoire for black against 1.d4) done! 😎 I really liked this chapter, strategically its really interesting and I didn’t know the QGD Lasker variation, although I’m having too much fun lately with the KID to consider anything else⭐️⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

H.Muñoz - H.Salazar Novi Sad Olympiad 1990

#YusupovChallenge update: Happy International Chess Day! ♟️ Also, book 5, chapter 10 (line blocking) completed! 😎 I only missed two puzzles of ⭐️⭐️ which were quite obvious in hindsight but ok, at least I feel my calculation and tactics are improving! 💪🏼 Black to play and win #chesspunks

A. Alekhine — V. Mikenas, Folkestone Olympiad 1933

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 9 (weak squares) completed with Excellent score 17/19! 😎 This felt easier than expected, either it really was easy (I’d want @wmiltti.bsky.social to do this chapter) or indeed reading the Naroditsky book helped! 🥹 I only failed this ⭐️⭐️ puzzle #chesspunks

B.Gurgenidze - R.Nezhmetdinov Moscow 1957

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 8 (calculating short variations) completed! 😎 I really enjoy this chapters to improve my calculation skills, however, Nezhmetdinov must have been a calculation beast to play this move! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #chesspunks

The end of a study by A. Gurvitch 1959

#YusupovChallenge update: book 5, chapter 7 (trapping pieces) completed! 😎 could have scored way more points but was not feeling 100% well, I loved to learn the solution to this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ puzzle though, white to move and win (I failed) #chesspunks