Here are some chess puzzles taken from the games of Mark Taimanov.
White to move and win.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.
a)
White Mates in 3. Taimanov vs Grigory Goldberg, Leningrad, 1947
1r1b1n2/1pk3p1/4P2p/3pP3/3N4/1p2B3/6PP/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nb5+ Kc6 Na7+ ]
b)
Taimanov vs Oleg Moisieev, Moscow, 1951
2r2rk1/4p1bp/n1p2pp1/B2n4/2NPB3/Pq4P1/4QP1P/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rb1 if Qa4 Bc2 or if Nc3 Qd3 ]
c)
Taimanov vs Tigran Petrosian, Zurich, 1953
r1n1q1k1/5rpp/4b3/p2pPp2/2pP1P1Q/B1P2R2/2B3PP/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ba4 ]
d)
Taimanov vs Thorbjorn Gravseth, Lyons, 1955
r6r/1pq3pp/2pb2k1/p3p1N1/P5PQ/8/1Pb1PPBP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Be4+ Bxe4 Rxd6+ Qxd6 Ne4 w/Qh5# ]
e)
Taimanov vs Bogdan Sliwa, Moscow, 1956
r3n1k1/p2R1ppp/1p4b1/q1p1Q3/2P1P3/P4P2/1B2BPKP/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qd5 if Rb8 Be5 Rc8 Qb7 ]
Taimanov Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Taimanov vs Petar Trifunovic, Leningrad, 1957
1rbqr1k1/1p5p/p2b1np1/P1p1p3/1nN5/2N2Q1P/1P4P1/RBB2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxd6 Qxd6 (if Rf8 Bh6) Ne4 if Nxe4 Qf7+ mates ]
b)
Taimanov vs Lajos Portisch, Budapest, 1959
2r3k1/4ppb1/pn3q1p/1p1PnNp1/4P3/1P4B1/3Q1PPP/2R2BK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc8+ Nxc8 Nxg7 w/Qc3 ]
c)
Taimanov vs Yuri Averbakh, Tbilisi, 1959
6k1/p4rnR/1pp2BB1/4Pb2/P2P2p1/2P5/8/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf5 ]
d)
White Mates in 4. Taimanov vs Osvaldo Bazan, Buenos Aires, 1960
R4rk1/4r1p1/1q2p1Qp/1pb5/1n5R/5NB1/1P3PPP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ng5 ]
e)
White Mates in 2. Taimanov vs Erich Eliskases, Buenos Aires, 1960
5b2/1p3rpk/p1b3Rp/4B1RQ/3P1p1P/7q/5P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxh6+ ]
Taimanov Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Taimanov vs Yuri Sakharov, Leningrad, 1960
r7/5qk1/r3p1pp/p1Rn3P/Pp1P1p1B/8/1PQ2PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd5 if exd5 Re7 ]
b)
Taimanov vs Gyula Kluger, Budapest, 1961
1k2q3/p1ppP2p/1pn2B2/2nQ1p2/2P2P2/4P3/P3B2P/5K2 w - - 0 1
[ Bh5 if Qxh5 Qg8+ ]
c)
Taimanov vs Josef Rejfir, Oberhausen, 1961
3r4/R2r1k2/R3ppp1/2B1P2p/1P3n2/7P/6PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bb6 ]
d)
Taimanov vs Maximilian Ujtelsky, Rostov on Don, 1961
2b4r/1q2npk1/4p1p1/2QpN3/pp1P1PP1/3BP3/PP6/1KR5 w - - 0 1
[ Ba6 Qxa6 Qxe7 if Qb7 Rc7 or if Rf8 g5 ]
e)
White Mates in 6. Taimanov vs Viktor Korchnoi, Tallinn, 1965
3r4/2Rb4/1Rn3rp/3kp3/4NPP1/2PP3P/7K/8 w - - 0 1
[ f5 ]
Taimanov Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Taimanov vs Vladas Mikenas, Tallinn, 1965
3k4/4nR2/pq1b4/5BQ1/3P3P/2r3P1/5PK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe7 if Bxe7 Qg8+ mates ]
b)
White Mates in 6. Taimanov vs Svend Hamann, Kislovodsk, 1966
r1b2r2/pp4k1/5Np1/6Pp/3B3Q/P2q1P2/4RK1P/8 w - - 0 1
[ Re7+ Rf7 Nd7+ ]
c)
White Mates in 4. Taimanov vs Eldis Cobo Arteaga, Habana, 1967
3q1r2/2n5/p4pkp/3PrN1p/1pP2Q2/1P4BP/P4PP1/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxh6+ if Kxf5 Qh7+ or if Kf7 Qxh5+ ]
d)
Taimanov vs Alexey Shamis, Kharkov, 1967
8/1pb5/1n1rk1p1/1R1p3p/P6P/1P4P1/3BK1B1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bf4 ]
e)
White Mates in 6. Taimanov vs Antonio Medina-Garcia, Venice, 1969
8/1R6/3r2pk/3pN2p/1Q2nP2/4q2P/6PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nf7+ w/Ng5+ & Rb8+ ]
Taimanov Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Taimanov vs Mario Bertok, Vinkovci, 1970
4b3/q1n2nkp/3p1pp1/1p1P4/r2NPPB1/2R3NP/1Q4PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ndf5+ gxf5 Nxf5+ Kf8 Rxc7 if Qxc7 Qxf6 mates ]
b)
Taimanov vs Lubomir Neckar, Brno, 1975
3r1nk1/p1r3p1/2p1p3/N1PpPnNP/bP5q/P2B2R1/3Q2K1/4R3 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf5 if exf5 Rh1 ]
c)
White Mates in 6. Taimanov vs Juan Bellon Lopez, Bucharest, 1979
4r1k1/1p5p/5RpP/1q1P4/r3n3/P6P/1B1Q2K1/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg6+ hxg6 h7+ Kxh7 Rf7+ ]
d)
Taimanov vs Aivars Gipslis, URS, 1980
k3r3/qp1N3p/p1n1p3/b4p2/2Q1p3/1N2P3/1P3PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxa5 if Nxa5 Qc7 ]
e)
Taimanov vs Joao Cordovil, Sezimbra, 1987
2r4r/ppnbkppp/3bp2q/8/4P3/1P3N2/PB2NPPP/2RQ1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxd6+ ]
Taimanov Puzzles, Part VI. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Taimanov vs Klaus Kolnsberg, Bad Woerishofen, 1992
r1b2rk1/1pq1ppbp/p2p2p1/8/2PQ2n1/1PN3P1/PB2PPBP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxg7+ ]
b)
Taimanov vs Efim Stoliar, Bad Liebenzell, 1995
1R3nk1/6p1/5p1P/3q4/8/6P1/p3QP1K/3rB3 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf8+ ]
c)
Taimanov vs German Kochetkov, Minsk, 1995
7k/1pq3rp/p1p1r3/2P1Np2/1P3P2/2Q4P/P6K/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ ]
d)
Taimanov vs Viatcheslav Osnos, St. Petersburg, 1995
4bnk1/p2r2q1/1p2r1p1/3pPp2/P1pB1P1Q/2P1P2P/4B1RK/6R1 w - - 0 1
[ e4 if fxe4 f5 or if dxe4 Bxc4 ]
e)
White Mates in 7. Taimanov vs Jorgen Dalmau, Stockholm, 1995
2b2rk1/r5b1/pq2P1R1/3P1R2/2p1N3/PP2p3/1B2Q1K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7 Rxf5 Nf6+ Rxf6 Bxf6+ Rg7 Rxg7+ Kf8 e7+ Ke8 Qh5+ Kd7 e8/N# ! ]
Taimanov Puzzles, Part VII. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 4. Taimanov vs Vladimir Onoprienko, Vienna, 1995
8/1p2N1k1/p5NR/P1Q5/2P1b1P1/5pP1/1q3P1K/3r4 w - - 0 1
[ Nf5+ if Kf7 Qe7+ or if Bxf5 Qf8# ]
b)
Taimanov vs Nikolai Mishuchkov, St. Petersburg, 1997
8/R1Rb1rkp/3r1pp1/1p1Pp3/1P1nP3/4N3/3N1PP1/5K2 w - - 0 1
[ Nec4 if bxc4 Nxc4 ]
c)
Taimanov vs Heikki Lehtinen, Stockholm, 2000
r5k1/1p2q2p/2p2pp1/4p1n1/1PP5/P3Q1P1/1r3P1P/R2R1BK1 w - - 0 1
[ h4 if Ne4 Qc3 ]
d)
Taimanov vs Boris Tchetchelnitski, Bad Zwischenahn, 2003
6r1/2p2rk1/1p1pRpq1/p2P1R1p/2P1Q2P/1P4P1/P5K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rg5 ]
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