Alexander Alekhine's Winning Moves

Here are some chess puzzles taken from the games of Alexander Alekhine.
White to move and win except where noted.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.

a)
Black Mates in 4. A Giese vs Alekhine, Moscow, 1905
2k4r/ppp2p2/2b2B2/7p/6pP/2P1q1bP/PP3N2/R4QK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bh2+ Kxh2 Qf4+ ]

b)
Black to move and win. Benjamin Blumenfeld vs Alekhine, Moscow, 1908
3r1b1k/pp4p1/2p1Qp2/5N2/PP2Pp2/2Pq4/5PKP/5R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...f3+ if Kg1 Qxf1+ ]

c)
Alekhine vs F. Kohnlein, Dusseldorf, 1908
r1b2r1k/ppp3pp/3b4/4Npq1/2B5/8/PPP2PPP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxd6 ]

d)
Alekhine vs Max Euwe, The Hague, 1921
[ Bxe5 w/Bc4+ ]

e)
Black Mates in 5. Alfred Brinckmann vs Alekhine, Triberg, 1921
7r/1bp1kpp1/pp6/5q2/1NP1p1n1/1P2P1P1/P3QPBr/R2R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh1+ ]

1938 Radio Interview with Alekhine



Alekhine Puzzles: Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Black to move and win. Ernst Gruenfeld vs Alekhine, Pistyan, 1922
2r3k1/3Q1pp1/4p3/p2n4/P2P1b1p/5B1P/1Bq2PP1/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf6 if Qb5 Rb8 ]

b)
Black to move and win. Torres vs Alekhine, Sevilla, 1922
5r1k/1b4p1/p6p/4Pp1q/2pNnP2/7N/PPQ3PP/5R1K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxh3 if gxh3 Nf2+ mates ]

c)
Alekhine vs NN, Madrid, 1922
[ Ng5+ ]

d)
White Mates in 5. Alekhine vs O. Blaut & Prils, Antwerp, 1923
[ Rxf6+ ]

e)
Alekhine vs Edmund Spencer, Liverpool, 1923
[ Be5 w/hxg5+ ]



Alekhine Puzzles: Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Alekhine vs George Thomas, Carlsbad, 1923
[ Nf6+ w/Nd5+ & Qxe6 ]

b)
White Mates in 3. Alekhine vs Freeman, New York, 1924
[ Nh6+ ]

c)
Alekhine vs Manfred Schroder, New York, 1924
[ Nc4 traps the Q ]

d)
Alekhine vs F Casciato, Philadelphia, 1924
[ Rxe5 w/Bxd7+ ]

e)
White Mates in 3. Alekhine vs K Meck, Basel, 1925
[ Bg6+ ]

Alekhine vs Rubinstein, 1923


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Alekhine Puzzles: Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Alekhine vs Edgar Colle, Paris, 1925
[ Qxd7 ]

b)
Black to move and win. Karel Opocensky vs Alekhine, Paris, 1925
1k1n3r/1pp5/p4p2/3p1qp1/PP1P4/2P2NPp/4QP1P/4R2K b - - 0 1
[ ...Re8 ]

c)
Black to move and win. Jacques Davidson vs Alekhine, Semmering, 1926
r3r1k1/pp3p1p/2p3p1/8/4P3/3BB2q/PPQ2P1b/R3R2K b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf3+ if Kxh2 Re5 ]

d)
White Mates in 5. Alekhine vs Pita, Buenos Aires, 1926
[ Bf6 ]

e)
Alekhine vs Wechsler, Brooklyn, 1929
[ Rxe7+ w/Ba3+ ]

Alekhine vs Nimzowitsch, San Remo, 1930



Alekhine Puzzles: Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 4. Alekhine vs Goluvsky, Belgrade, 1930
[ Ne6+ w/Qe7+ ]

b)
Alekhine vs Vasic, Graz, 1931
[ Qxe6+ ]

c)
Alekhine vs M Hawley, Chicago, 1933
[ Nf6+ ]

d)
Alekhine vs NN, 1933
[ Qxg7+ w/Rg3+ ]

e)
White Mates in 5. Alekhine vs Emanuel Lasker, Zurich, 1934
[ Nf5+ w/Qxg6 ]

Alekhine vs Saemisch, 1923



Alekhine Puzzles: Part VI. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Alekhine vs Max Euwe, Netherlands, 1935
[ Nxd4 w/Bf3 ]

b)
Alekhine vs Koutny, Prague, 1935
[ Qh5+ if Kxh5 Nf7+ mates ]

c)
Alekhine vs Samuel Reshevsky, Kemeri, 1937
[ Rxb8+ if Kxb8 Qxe5+ mates ]

d)
Black Mates in 5. Ernesto Rotunno vs Alekhine, Montevideo, 1938
6k1/1p5p/2P1p3/pP1pN2q/P2Qpr2/7b/5R1P/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe2 if Nf3 Rg4+ ]

e)
White Mates in 2. Alekhine vs Fahardo, Montevideo, 1939
[ Rxf6+ ]



Alekhine Puzzles: Part VII. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Alekhine vs Navarro, Madrid, 1940
[ Ne4 ]

b)
Alekhine vs Oldrich Novotny, Prague, 1943
[ Nxh6+ w/g7 ]

c)
Black to move and win. Friedrich Saemisch vs Alekhine, Prague, 1943
6r1/1bp2k1p/3r4/1p2pp2/pP6/2P2P2/RPN1RKPP/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bd5 Ra1 Bc4 ]


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