Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Lajos Portisch.
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)
Portisch vs Jozsef Pogats, Budapest, 1956
5rk1/2Qb4/1r5p/3Pnp1B/1pp2R2/4q2P/1P2N1P1/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ R1f3 ]
b)
Portisch vs Istvan Hacsak, Debrecen, 1956
R4bk1/1r1n1p1p/1p2p1pB/8/2B5/2P2P1P/1P4P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bb5 if Rb8 Rxb8 ]
c)
White Mates in 5. Portisch vs Tibor Florian, Balatonfured, 1959
3Q4/2R3pp/1p2p1k1/5p1N/q7/r3PP1P/B4P1K/6r1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7+ if Kxh5 Rxh7+ or if Kh6 Rxg1 ]
d)
White Mates in 10. Portisch vs Laszlo Navarovszky, Budapest, 1959
7r/2Bnkp2/R2Np3/2p1P2p/5P2/3B4/1P4rP/3n3K w - - 0 1
[ Nf5+ exf5 Bd6+ Kd8 Ra8+ Nb8 Bb5 ]
e)
Portisch vs Lothar Schmid, Leipzig, 1960
2bq3k/r4p2/3p1Ppr/2pPn1R1/1p3N2/1P2Q1RP/P7/1B4K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe5 if dxe5 Ne6 ]
Portisch Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win.
a)
Portisch vs Wilfred Attard, Madrid, 1960
r5nk/4n1bp/6p1/p2Pp1P1/Np2P1B1/q7/P4B1P/R2Q3K w - - 0 1
[ Nb6 w/Nc4 & Rc1 ]
b)
Portisch vs Tigran V Petrosian, Bled, 1961
8/1r2r1k1/p2p2p1/Q1pP1bq1/B1P2N1p/1P1n3P/6P1/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ Nxd3 Bxd3 Qc3+ ]
c)
Portisch vs Emil Orendy, Budapest, 1961
r5k1/1nb1qpp1/1p2p1n1/p2rP1N1/P2pQPPp/1N1P4/1P1B3P/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ f5 if Nxe5 f6 ]
d)
Portisch vs Svend Hamann, Halle, 1963
r6k/2p1rp1p/1p1q1Np1/3PnbP1/7P/PR6/4BP2/Q4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ f4 if Nd7 Ne8+ ]
e)
Portisch vs Per Ofstad, Halle, 1963
r2k4/pq1bpn1p/1p1p2p1/3P4/5P2/1PQ4P/P3B1P1/B4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qg7 Be8 Bg4 w/Be6 ]
Portisch Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win.
a)
Portisch vs Pal Benko, Amsterdam, 1964
4rk2/pp1r1p1Q/2pnp3/8/P2b1BqP/6P1/1PB2P2/2R1R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rcd1 if Bc5 Bh6+ Ke7 Bg5+ or if e5 or c5 Rxd4 ]
b)
Portisch vs Silvino Garcia Martinez, Habana, 1964
8/p4prk/1p3Rp1/2pBQ2P/8/P7/1P3PPK/1b1q4 w - - 0 1
[ h6 if Kxh6 Bf6 w/Qh5# or if Bf5 Rxf5 ]
c)
Portisch vs Hugo Santa Cruz, Habana, 1964
2r1k2r/p5pp/1p3p2/n1bB4/3B4/4P1P1/P4P1P/1RR3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc5 if bxc5 Rb5 ]
d)
Portisch vs Erich Eliskases, Tel Aviv, 1964
2r1r1k1/3q1p2/p1n2Pp1/1p6/4Q3/P1BB4/1P2KP2/6RR w - - 0 1
[ Rxg6+ fxg6 f7+ Kxf7 Rh7+ ]
e)
Portisch vs Vladimir Bagirov, Beverwijk, 1965
2q1r2k/pprb1Qbp/4p1p1/3nN1B1/8/P1P5/B3RPPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxg6+ w/Re4 ]
Portisch Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Portisch vs Tigran V Petrosian, Santa Monica, 1966
2b1rk2/1n1rq1bp/1R1p2p1/p1pP1p2/2P1NP2/2B1P1P1/PQ4B1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7+ Qxg7 Nf6 ]
b)
White Mates in 4. Portisch vs Gyorgy Szilagyi, Budapest, 1968
r7/1q3nk1/3p1Np1/1p1P4/1Pp4Q/7P/5PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh7+ ]
c)
Portisch vs David Bronstein, Monte Carlo, 1969
4kb1r/1p2q2p/pB2npp1/1N3Q2/8/8/PP3PPP/3R2K1 w k - 0 1
[ Nc7+ if Nxc7 Qc8+ w/Rd7 & Bc5 or if Kf7 Qd5 w/Re1 ]
d)
Portisch vs Jan Adamski, Raach, 1969
r5k1/pp5p/3p1Qb1/1N1P1qBp/2p2P2/P7/1n2r1PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf5 Bxf5 Nd4 ]
e)
Portisch vs Jorge Rubinetti, Palma de Majorca, 1970
3qr2k/1p4p1/p1b3Qp/P2p2nP/1BpP2P1/2P1P3/8/1B3R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rf7 Rg8 Be7 ]
Portisch Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Portisch vs Gyula Sax, Budapest, 1971
1r1r2k1/ppNn1pbp/2nNbqp1/8/8/1P2B1P1/3RPPBP/3Q1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6 if Qxe6 Nxf7 or if fxe6 Nxb7 ]
b)
Portisch vs Anton Deze, Vrsac, 1971
2r1k2r/p2npp1p/2npb1p1/qBpN4/4P3/2P1BP2/PQ4PP/R4RK1 w k - 0 1
[ Bxc6 if Rxc6 Qb7 ]
c)
White Mates in 4. Portisch vs Shimon Kagan, Petropolis, 1973
6rk/3b3p/p2b1p2/2pPpP2/2P1B3/1P4q1/P2BQ1PR/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ ]
d)
White Mates in 5. Portisch vs Samuel Reshevsky, Petropolis, 1973
2rqrnk1/1p2p3/3p1bp1/3P2B1/2P4Q/1P5R/6PP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6 exf6 Qh8+ w/Rh7+ ]
e)
Portisch vs Gennadi Sosonko, Biel, 1976
r4rk1/pn2bppp/1p6/1Pq1B3/8/P2Q1N2/5PPP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd7 if Na5 Bd4 ]
Portisch Puzzles, Part VI. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 6. Portisch vs Svend Hamann, Buenos Aires, 1978
1Q5R/2r2p2/2r2k1p/2p2Np1/1p4P1/1P3P2/3n1qPK/2R5 w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ Ke5 Re8+ ]
b)
Portisch vs Jan Timman, Wijk aan Zee, 1978
r1br2k1/pp1n1pp1/5n1p/5B2/2P5/BN2R3/P4P1P/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Be7 Re8 Bxf6 Nxf6 Rxe8+ Nxe8 Rd8 ]
c)
Portisch vs Mikhail Tal, Tilburg, 1980
b1r5/p4ppk/7p/2Nnr2P/4p3/2R1P3/qPQ1BPP1/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe4 if Nxc3 Nf6+ mates ]
d)
White Mates in 3. Portisch vs Lubomir Kavalek, Amsterdam, 1981
3q2rn/pp3rBk/1npp1p2/5P2/2PPP1RP/2P2B2/P5Q1/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Rg6 ]
e)
Portisch vs Ulf Andersson, London, 1982
rrb2nk1/2R2p2/4p3/1P5p/p3P3/R3KBP1/7P/B7 w - - 0 1
[ e5 w/Bc6 & Bc3 ]
Portisch Puzzles, Part VII. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Portisch vs Larry Christiansen, London, 1982
3q2k1/1b3p1p/p3pbpP/4N3/2pPPQ2/P1B5/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ba5 if Qe7 Nd7 ]
b)
Portisch vs Vlastimil Hort, Lucerne, 1982
2r3k1/R4pb1/1r3n1p/1pNpq1p1/1P5B/3QP2P/2R2PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd7 ]
c)
White Mates in 11. Portisch vs Yasser Seirawan, Mar del Plata, 1982
r3q3/kp1nb1R1/p1p2r2/Q1P2P1p/2B1p1pP/4B1P1/PP3P2/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd7 Qxd7 Qb6+ Kb8 Rg8+ Bd8 Rxd8+ Qxd8 Qxd8+ Ka7 Qb6+ w/Bd2 ]
d)
Portisch vs Vladimir Kovacevic, Jakarta, 1983
7r/2RR4/7k/p3pK2/8/Pr2P3/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rc6+ Kh5 Rc8 if Rh6 Rd1 ]
e)
Portisch vs Jorge Freyre, Salonika, 1984
2rb1rk1/1q4np/p1Np1ppB/1p1Pp3/nP2P1P1/3B1Q1P/P1R2P1K/2R5 w - - 0 1
[ Nxd8 if Rcxd8 Rc7 or if Rfxd8 Qxf6 w/Rc7 ]
Portisch Puzzles, Part VIII. White to move and win.
a)
Portisch vs Viktor Korchnoi, Wijk aan Zee, 1990
r1n1rb2/6pk/7p/5p2/p2N1B2/q5P1/Q3PP1P/1R1R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxa3 Bxa3 Nb5 ]
b)
Portisch vs Constantin Ionescu, Moscow, 1994
1R6/2r2qk1/1Q1p2pp/5p2/5P2/2p1P2P/1b4P1/4B2K w - - 0 1
[ Qd4+ if Qf6 Rg8+ ]
c)
Portisch vs Spyridon Skembris, Tilburg, 1994
1n2n1rk/r3q1bp/1p1pP1p1/pPpP1p2/P1P1NP2/3N3R/1B4QP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rxh7+ Kxh7 Qh3+ Bh6 Ng5+ ]
d)
Portisch vs Joerg Hickl, Jakarta, 1996
1r2nnk1/4bpp1/p1Q1p3/4N1q1/3P4/2N1P3/P4P2/B4K1R w - - 0 1
[ Rh8+ w/Nxf7+ ]
e)
Portisch vs Zdenko Kozul, Yerevan, 1996
2r3k1/1p1n1r1p/p2p1b2/3Pp3/3q1pP1/2NB1P2/PPQ4P/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ Bf5 if Rc7 Be6 or if Kh8 Bxd7 w/Qf5 ]
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