The four winners of the Arctic Chess Challenge 2009 all played some very nice games. You do not have to be a winner of a   tournament to make some brilliant moves, however. We have selected a few decisive combinations from the ACC 2009.

 Can you find five of the beautiful moves which were played in the Arctic Chess Challenge? Solutions at the end!

1. Aleksandar Wohl - Timo Porrasmaa

  

White to play and win

 2. Katrine Tjølsen – Harald Groetz

 

White to play and win

3. Yuri Drozdovskij - Kalle Kiik

 

Black to play and win

4. Nicolai Getz – Julian Radulski

 

Black to play and win

5. Kalle Kiik – Erlend Mikalsen

 

White to play and win

SOLUTIONS:

1. White punished black for his risky opening play with 12.Nxd4! Qxd4 and now the thematic 13.Nxe6! which exploits the fact that black’s queen is unprotected. After 13…fxe6 14.Bg6+ black resigned. A nice miniature. 1-0 

2. Katrine made her second WIM-norm in this tournament. She finished IM Groetz off with the effective 42.Rxd5! Black resigned. A fork on f4 follows: 42...Nxd5 43.Qxd5! Qxd5 44.Nf4+. 1–0 

3. Kalle Kiik knows how to make combinations. He brutally decided his game against his GM-opponent with  42…Rh1+! with mate in few moves. 0-1 

4. Nicolai Getz made an excellent tournament in Tromsø. In this game he was nevertheless beaten by his experienced opponent. Black played 22…Bxd4! Black takes advantage of white’s weak back rank. After 23.Qxd4 Red8 Getz was forced to resign. 0–1 

5. Once again Kalle Kiik shows tactical skills. Black comes under crossfire and after 24.Bxf5! Rxd1 25.Rxd1 exf5 26.Rd8+! white delivers mate: 26…Kf7 27.Qg7+ Ke6 28.Ng5# 1–0