New from Mongoose Press !!

Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Vassily Ivanchuk.
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)
Ivanchuk vs Boris Gelfand, Arnhem, 1987
4n1k1/1R1b1pbp/6p1/8/2BB4/r4NPP/5P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd7 if Rxf3 Bd5 & if Rf5 g4 ]

b)
Ivanchuk vs Valery Chekhov, Frunze, 1988
3rk1r1/5p1p/p4Q2/2pqP3/1p1n4/2b2R2/P4PPP/1BB2R1K w - - 0 1
[ e6 ]

c)
Ivanchuk vs Yuri Kruppa, Frunze, 1988
5b1k/2r3p1/3p1N1p/1q1b4/2p5/P5RP/1B3PP1/Q5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qb1 if gxf6 Bxf6+ & Qxb5 ]

d)
White Mates in 2. Ivanchuk vs Bozidar Ivanovic, New York, 1988
3n4/1R6/p5k1/2B5/1P3PK1/r7/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ f5+ ]

e)
Ivanchuk vs Dragoljub Velimirovic, Lucerne, 1989
1r3r1k/p2q1pR1/3p3p/1bpP1p2/P1N5/8/2P3PP/3Q1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qa1 ]

Kamsky vs Ivanchuk, Linares, 1991



Ivanchuk Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 6. Ivanchuk vs Yury Dokhoian, Yerevan, 1989
3r2k1/pp3p1p/2n3p1/2Q2P2/6r1/2P2N1q/PP2RP1P/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ Re8+ w/ Rxe8+ Qf8+ & Re6+ ]

b)
Ivanchuk vs Artur Jussupow, Brussels, 1991
8/pp4bk/3p2p1/q2N1r1p/3B3P/1PR2bP1/P2Q1P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7 if Kxg7 Rc7+ & Qxa5 ]

c)
White Mates in 5. Ivanchuk vs Zuniga Julio Granda, Biel, 1993
3qk3/3n1Rbp/pp6/3B2rP/2P2Q2/6N1/PP6/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rf8+ w/Qxg5+ ]

d)
Ivanchuk vs Rafael Vaganian, Lucerne, 1993
3qrnk1/7p/p1bp2p1/2p2p2/2Pr1PN1/1PQ5/P3R1BP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe8 if Bxe8 Rxe8 ]

e)
Ivanchuk vs Kiril Georgiev, Tilburg, 1993
5r2/pp1b2k1/3p2p1/6r1/3NP3/5Pn1/PP2B2R/1K4R1 w - - 0 1
[ Bb5 if Bxb5 Ne6+ ]



Ivanchuk Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Ivanchuk vs Ralf Akesson, London, 1994
r4rk1/1bq1bppp/p2ppn2/2p1P3/5P2/2NBBQ2/PPP3PP/R4R1K w - - 0 1
[ Qh3 if dxe5 fxe5 Qxe5 Rxf6 ]

b)
White Mates in 4. Ivanchuk vs Alexander Morozevich, Amsterdam, 1996
1q2b2k/1p2b3/1pn1N1Br/3RP2p/1P3P2/P5Q1/2P4P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf7 ]

c)
Ivanchuk vs Veselin Topalov, Wijk aan Zee, 1996
6b1/1p5k/1N1q3p/1P6/3pP3/5r2/3Q3P/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Qg2 Qf8 Qg6+ Kh8 Nd7 Qf7 Qxh6+ if Qh7 Nf6 or if Bh7 Ne5 ]

d)
Ivanchuk vs Jaan Ehlvest, Yerevan, 1996
7k/pb4q1/1p5p/3n4/3Q4/P6P/1P4P1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Re8+ Kh7 Qe4+ Qg6 Rh8+ ]

e)
Ivanchuk vs Alexander Beliavsky, Belgrade, 1997
4n1k1/1pnrqp2/3p2p1/3P2Pp/1PNNPQ1P/2K2R2/5R2/1r6 w - - 0 1
[ Nb6 if Rd8 Qxf7+ ]

Ivanchuk vs Kasparov, Linares, 1991



Ivanchuk Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Ivanchuk vs Maia Chiburdanidze, Lucerne, 1997
3q1k1r/r2p1pp1/p1nN4/2P1P2p/3p4/5PP1/P5KP/R2Q1R2 w - - 0 1
[ Qb3 if Qe7 Nc8 Qxc5 Rac1 Qxe5 Nxa7 Nxa7 Qb7 ]



b) White Mates in 3. Ivanchuk vs Josif Dorfman, Cap d'Agde, 1998
4rk2/p5p1/1p2P2N/7R/nP5P/5PQ1/b6K/q7 w - - 0 1

c)
Ivanchuk vs Vadim Zvjaginsev, Elista, 1998
5r1k/2r3qp/1Q2B3/5p2/1P3p2/6Pn/3R3P/3R3K w - - 0 1
[ Rd8 if Ng5 Bb3 ]

d)
Ivanchuk vs Jamshed Isaev, Elista, 1998
3r4/ppp2kbR/1n4p1/3Pp3/4NrP1/1KN2P2/PP6/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Ng5+ if Kg8 Rxg7+ Kxg7 Ne6+ ]

e)
Ivanchuk vs Loek Van Wely, Frankfurt, 2000
1r1nkb1r/4pppp/1p6/p1p5/1nN5/1P4P1/PB1PPPBP/R2K3R w - - 0 1
[ Be5 ]

Ivanchuk Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win.
a)
Ivanchuk vs Loek Van Wely, Prague, 2002
br2q1k1/2Q3pp/P3pn2/8/8/2NpB3/1P3RPP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6 if gxf6 Bh6 ]

b)
Ivanchuk vs Ruslan Ponomariov, Wijk aan Zee, 2003
5rk1/1b3ppp/pB1rpn2/n6q/Pp2P3/3B1N2/1PQ2PPP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qc5 ]

c)
Ivanchuk vs Tigran Kotanjian, Yerevan, 2004
6k1/1p3rpp/1q6/p2pn3/1B6/1Q5P/PP3PP1/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ Rxe5 if Qxb4 Re8+ Rf8 Qxd5+ Kh8 Qf7 ]

d)
Ivanchuk vs Leif Johannessen, Saint Vincent, 2005
1r5k/1P4pp/3p4/2q5/4b3/3pN2P/RQ3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ra8 if Qc7 Qb6 ]

e)
White Mates in 6. Ivanchuk vs Alexander Onischuk, Beer-Sheva, 2005
8/3b1p2/7p/4Q3/4P3/1r3qPP/R4P1K/2k5 w - - 0 1
[ Qa1+ Rb1 Qd4 ]

Ivanchuk Puzzles, Part VI. White to move and win.
a)
White Mates in 5. Ivanchuk vs Levon Aronian, Morelia, 2006
5rk1/1R1R1p1p/4N1p1/p7/5p2/1P4P1/r2nP1KP/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 ]

b)
Ivanchuk vs Lacasa Diaz, Barcelona, 2006
r1bRr1k1/pp3pp1/5n2/Q3pq1p/8/BP4P1/P3PPBP/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe8+ Nxe8 Qd8 if Qe6 Be7 or if Qd7 Rd1 ]

c)
Ivanchuk vs Viswanathan Anand, Monte Carlo (blindfold), 2007
r3r1k1/pp3pp1/8/2P1n2p/1P3q2/P1Q5/5PBP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Re4 w/Rae1 ]


Top 20 World Grandmasters
More Ukrainian GMs
Back to the Index