Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Nick De Firmian.
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)
De Firmian vs Mikhail Tal, Moscow, 1990
[ Qe5 if f6 Qxf6 ]
b)
White Mates in 2. De Firmian vs Edward Formanek, Philadelphia, 1987
[ Rxh7+ ]
c)
De Firmian vs Nikolai Minev, USA, 1989
[ e6 if fxe6 f7+ ]
d)
De Firmian vs Edhi Handoko, Dubai, 1986
[ Nxc2 w/Qxf5 ]
e)
De Firmian vs Mark Ginsburg, 1989
[ Rxf8+ if Kxf8 Bd6+ w/Bxh3 ]
De Firmian Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
De Firmian vs Nicholas Patterson, London, 1978
r4r2/1p1bbpk1/p1n4p/3pP3/1q5B/1N1B4/P1PQ2PP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf6+ Bxf6 exf6+ if Kg8 Qxh6 mates ]
b)
De Firmian vs Leif Ogaard, Gausdal, 1982
3bnrk1/1n1b1qpp/3p4/4pPP1/1p2P3/1P2B1NB/7K/2NQ1R2 w - - 0 1
[ g6 if hxg6 fxg6 Qxg6 Bxd7 or if Qe7 Qd5+ ]
c)
De Firmian vs David Friedgood, London, 1982
1r1qr1k1/5b1p/1n3Pp1/2bpn1P1/1p3NQ1/1P4N1/1BP3BK/R4R2 w - - 0 1
[ Bxe5 ]
d)
De Firmian vs James Tarjan, Greenville, 1983
7k/1p2p1rp/p2pPr2/5p1R/3QbNq1/1P5R/2P3PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ R3h4 if Qf3 Ng6+ ]
e)
White Mates in 4. De Firmian vs Alexander Chernin, Tunisia, 1985
k1b4r/1p6/pR3p2/P1Qp2p1/2pp4/6PP/2P2qBK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxa6+ bxa6 Qxd5+ ]
De Firmian Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 8. De Firmian vs Predrag Nikolic, Tunisia, 1985
q3r3/1b2bkp1/5N1p/1pp5/1n4N1/3Q3P/1P3PP1/2B1R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxh6+ gxh6 Qh7+ Kxf6 Qxh6+ Kf7 Qh7+ Kf6 Bg5+ ]
b)
De Firmian vs Zsuzsa Polgar, New York, 1986
2n1r1k1/5pbp/6p1/p2N3n/1pP1p3/1P4P1/PB2RP1P/4N1K1 w - - 0 1
[ g4 ]
c)
White Mates in 4. De Firmian vs Anthony Miles, Cambridge Springs, 1988
r4n1k/ppBnN1p1/2p1p3/6Np/q2bP1b1/3B4/PPP3PP/R4Q1K w - - 0 1
[ Qf7 Nf6 e5 ]
d)
De Firmian vs Thomas Ernst, Lugano, 1989
4r3/p1r2pbk/3QN1pq/3NP2n/1p5P/5P2/PPb5/K2R3R w - - 0 1
[ Ng5+ if Kg8 Qxc7 ]
e)
De Firmian vs Alexander Chernin, Moscow, 1990
2rn2rk/pp2Qp1p/1q6/5p2/5P2/P1P3R1/1P4PP/1R5K w - - 0 1
[ Qe5+ f6 Rxg8+ Kxg8 Qe8+ w/Qd7+ ]
De Firmian Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
De Firmian vs Aleksa Strikovic, Novi Sad, 1990
4rr2/3R1p1k/1pp1n1pp/p1q1pN2/P3P1Q1/2P4P/1P3PP1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd6 ]
b)
De Firmian vs Burt Izumikawa, California, 1993
2r5/1pq1bpkp/r2p2n1/p2B2P1/4PB2/8/PPP1Q3/1K1R3R w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ if Kxh7 Qh5+ mates or if Kf8 Qh2 ]
c)
De Firmian vs Wolfram Von Alvensleben, Hamburg, 1993
2krr3/pp2R3/3P1p2/2p1np2/1P6/5BP1/P4P2/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ d7+ ]
d)
De Firmian vs Dore Sheppard, Las Vegas, 1993
3r1bk1/r5pp/pp3q2/3p1P2/3P1B2/1P2R1QP/5RPK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bg5 if Bd6 Bxf6 Bxg3+ Rxg3 ]
e)
White Mates in 3. De Firmian vs A Caresana, Ticino, 1993
4r1k1/pp3p2/3p1P1p/3PbR2/1P1p2PQ/P2P3P/2q5/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg5+ ]
De Firmian Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
De Firmian vs Michele Cordara, Ticino, 1993
r2q1k2/p1p2p1p/b1r2PpN/2Pp4/n7/B5Q1/P1P3PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Re7 if Rxf6 Rxf7+ mates ]
b)
White Mates in 3. De Firmian vs Robert Huebner, Polanica Zdroj, 1995
r1bq2rk/pp1n1p1p/5P1Q/1B3p2/3B3b/P5R1/2P3PP/3K3R w - - 0 1
[ Rg7 ]
c)
De Firmian vs Johann Hjartarson, Bermuda, 1997
4r1k1/5r1p/pp1pNb1Q/5Pp1/Pnq1b3/4BB1R/1PP4P/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Bxg5 if Bxg5 Qxg5+ mates or if Bxf3+ Rxf3 Bxg5 Rxg5+ Kh8 Rg7 ]
d)
De Firmian vs Per Andreasen, Roskilde, 1998
r3k2r/3qn3/4p1pb/pp1pPnN1/2pP4/P1P4R/1PB2P1Q/R1B1K3 w - - 0 1
[ Nf3 if Ng8 Bxf5 ]
e)
De Firmian vs Casper Rasmussen, Copenhagen, 1999
2b1k2r/1R3ppp/p2Qp3/3n4/8/2q2BP1/P1P2P1P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd5 Bxb7 Bxb7 Qe1+ (if Qa5 Bc6#) Kg2 f5 Qb8+ ]
De Firmian Puzzles, Part VI. White to move and win.
a)
De Firmian vs Nikolaj Borge, Gausdal, 1999
1rb1kn1r/1p4p1/pNp2p2/2P1p3/3bP3/6P1/PP3P2/2BRR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd4 if exd4 Bf4 ]
b)
De Firmian vs Markus Hochgraefe, Hamburg, 1999
8/8/2k5/pp1rRP2/b1pP2q1/P1P5/1KPQ4/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qh6+ if Rd6 Rc5+ mates ]
c)
De Firmian vs John Fedorowicz, Oak Bridge, 2000
r4r2/1p3pk1/2r1pNpp/p3P3/P5RQ/8/1q4PP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Nh5+ if Kh7 Rxg6 or if Kg8 Qf6 ]
d)
De Firmian vs Stellan Brynell, Copenhagen, 2001
2r3k1/p2b1p2/1p3P2/3p4/8/2PB4/P2K1P2/7R w - - 0 1
[ Bh7+ w/Bf5 ]
e)
De Firmian vs Pavel Cech, Copenhagen, 2002
4r2r/p1N1n2q/1pbB4/k2p1P2/2p5/P1P4P/2P2QB1/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ a4 w/Bb4+ ]
De Firmian Puzzles, Part VII. White to move and win.
a)
De Firmian vs Torbjorn Hansen, Copenhagen, 2002
2Q2bk1/1pp4p/p1nqN1p1/8/3P4/2P1BP2/6KP/8 w - - 0 1
[ d5 ]
b)
De Firmian vs Ivo Timmermans, Copenhagen, 2002
r4r1k/2p2ppp/pb3N2/1q2P1B1/3n4/8/1P3PPP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh5 if h6 Bxh6 mates or if Qd3 Re4 ]
c)
De Firmian vs Pontus Carlsson, Stockholm, 2002
2b5/2q2pk1/p1P2np1/7p/B2Qp3/4N2P/1P3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf6+ ]
d)
De Firmian vs Lucien Van Beek, Germany, 2003
r5k1/5p2/3R1Pp1/p3p3/qpQ1P2p/P6P/1P4PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rc6 if Rd8 b3 ]
e)
De Firmian vs Ole Jakobsen, Malme, 2003
6rk/rb3p1p/pq3p1Q/2p1pP2/1pB1P3/5R2/PPP3PP/3R3K w - - 0 1
[ Be6 if Rg7 Rg3 ]
De Firmian Puzzles, Part VIII. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 5. De Firmian vs Hjortur Johannsson, Reykjavik, 2003
1r1r2k1/2qn2bp/3N1p2/PpP1pPp1/1P6/4BQ1P/3R2P1/3R3K w - - 0 1
[ Qd5+ Kh8 Nf7+ ]
b)
White Mates in 9. De Firmian vs Throstur Thorhallsson, Selfoss, 2003
3rqbk1/5ppp/p2p4/1p1Nr1P1/2P1P2R/1P6/1P4QP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ gxf6 gxf6+ Kh8 Rg1 Bh6 Rxh6 ]
c)
De Firmian vs Johan Eriksson, Stockholm, 2004
1rb3k1/5ppp/p1B1p3/8/PB3Pn1/6P1/1P5P/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bd6 if Rb6 a5 Rxb2 Bf3 ]
d)
De Firmian vs Esben Lund, Copenhagen, 2004
2Q5/8/ppn2r1p/k1q5/P1pp1B2/2P3P1/2P2P2/1R3K2 w - - 0 1
[ Rb5+ ]
e)
De Firmian vs Allan Holst, Copenhagen, 2004
4nrk1/5p2/p1p1p3/4P2p/2P3rP/2Q2RP1/q1B2PK1/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Rf4 if Rxf4 gxf4 w/Ra1 ]
f)
De Firmian vs Alexander Beliavsky, Copenhagen, 2004
3r2k1/1R4p1/p1p2p2/P1qPp3/2b1P1P1/4P3/2Q3K1/3B4 w - - 0 1
[ d6 if Rxd6 Be2 ]
g)
White Mates in 6. De Firmian vs Christian Bleis, Copenhagen, 2005
5rk1/p3pp2/q2p2pQ/7n/2rNP1P1/2P2P2/PP6/1K5R w - - 0 1
[ Rxh5 if gxh5 Nf5 ]
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