for players who like to win with black (not only draw)." Peter Klembara
Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Boris Gelfand.
White to move and win except where noted.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.
a)
Gelfand vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Yurmala, 1985
1k5r/3bb1p1/p2pN1p1/1p2r3/4qN2/2R5/PPP2Q1P/1K5R w - - 0 1
[ Qb6+ Qb7 Qxb7+ Kxb7 Rc7+ ]
b)
Gelfand vs Alexei Shirov, Riga, 1987
6k1/3q2p1/3p2np/1p1nrN2/1Pp1P3/4R2P/1Q3PP1/3B2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bg4 if Nxe3 Nxh6+ or if Qf7 exd5 Rxf5 Qb1 ]
c)
Gelfand vs Ilia Smirin, Vilnius, 1988
r2r2k1/Bbqnbp1p/6p1/1P1pp3/R3P3/1N3P2/5QPP/R4BK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rc1 Qd6 Na5 if Bc1 Nc6 & Bc5 ]
d)
White Mates in 5. Gelfand vs Lubomir Ftacnik, Debrecen, 1989
r1b3k1/p7/1p1q2B1/2pP4/2P4p/6R1/PB4PK/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Bh7+ Kxh7 Rf7+ Kh6 Bc1+ ]
e)
Gelfand vs Eric Lobron, Munich, 1991
7Q/3rkb2/2pqp2p/pp6/P1pPB2P/8/1P6/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bg6 if Bxg6 Qf8# or if Qd5+ Kh2 ]
Boris Gelfand Simul, Chicago, 2005
Gelfand Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Gelfand vs Viktor Korchnoi, Tilburg, 1992
6k1/R4RB1/1p5p/r6n/2r4P/p5P1/5P2/5K2 w - - 0 1
[ Rf8+ w/Rh8+ Rxh6+ & Rxh5+ ]
b)
Gelfand vs Zdenko Kozul, Biel, 1993
5rk1/n3ppbp/1q4p1/r2PP3/p1Q2BB1/7P/5PP1/2R1R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bd2 if Ra6 Rb1 or if Rb5 Be3 ]
c)
Gelfand vs Predrag Nikolic, Munich, 1994
3N1r1k/3R2qp/8/p1Q1r3/1p3n2/8/PPP3p1/1KR5 w - - 0 1
[ Nf7+ if Rxf7 Rd8+ ]
d)
White Mates in 6. Gelfand vs Vladimir Kramnik, Sanghi Nagar, 1994
4r3/1k2rp2/7R/Q7/1nqp4/8/5PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe7+ Rxe7 Qb6+ Kc8 Rh8+ ]
e)
Gelfand vs VAlery Salov, Madrid, 1996
4rk1r/3Qbppp/pq6/5p2/5B2/1N6/PP4PP/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ Rxe7 if Rxe7 Bd6 ]
Gelfand Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 6. Gelfand vs Vladislav Tkachiev, Groningen, 1997
6k1/R4p2/3rpB1p/6p1/8/5N1P/5PPK/1r6 w - - 0 1
[ Ra8+ Kh7 Ne5 ]
b)
Gelfand vs Maxim Turov, Internet, 2004
3rr3/p3kn1p/1pp1p1p1/2NnP3/5P2/1P4P1/P3K1BP/2RR4 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6 if Kxe6 Rxc6+ w/Bxd5 ]
c)
Gelfand vs Bartlomiej Macieja, Merida, 2005
1q2rrk1/pb3ppp/1p1b4/1NpPnQ2/5B2/1P4P1/P4PBP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Be4 if g6 Qf6 Be7 Qxe5 ]
d)
Gelfand vs Sergei Tiviakov, San Sebastian, 2006
2r2b1k/p2q1Bpp/1p1p4/8/3B2P1/P4Q1b/1P3P1P/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bh5 if Qe7 Bc3 Qh4 Re3 ]
e)
White Mates in 5. Gelfand vs Maxim Rodshtein, Natanya, 2009
1rb1rq1k/p1b2ppp/8/1pnB1N2/8/1Q6/PB3PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7+ ]
f)
Gelfand vs Sergey Karjakin, Moscow, 2009
8/1p4k1/p2r3p/3n1P1R/4BPP1/8/4K3/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd5 if Rxd5 f6+ ]
g)
White Mates in 4. Gelfand vs Rauf Mamedov, Moscow, 2010
5Q2/1p3p1N/2p3p1/5b1k/2P3n1/P4RP1/3q2rP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf5+ if g5 Qxf7+ ]
Top 20 GMs in the World
Other Israeli GMs
Back to the Index
