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Here are some chess puzzles taken from the games of Mikhail Botvinnik.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.
a)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Nikolai Grigoriev, Leningrad, 1927
5rk1/p1nnqr1p/1p1p4/3Pp2Q/5p1N/1P4PB/P2R1P1P/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf5 if Qf6 Nh6+ ]
b)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Khrisogon Kholodkevich, Moscow, 1927
2b3k1/3qp2p/pP1p2p1/P2P1p2/8/4Q1P1/5PBP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe6+ if Kf8 Qxd7 Bxd7 b7 ]
c)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Pianov Pavlov, Moscow, 1927
4qr1k/2Rr1npp/p3b3/1p2Pp2/1Q3B2/P4N2/5PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd7 Bxd7 e6 if Bxe6 Rxe6 ]
d)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Viacheslav Ragozin, Leningrad, 1927
r5k1/pp5p/4R1n1/3q1r2/1P4Q1/3p4/1B3PPP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg6+ hxg6 Qxg6+ Kf8 Qg7+ Ke8 Re1+ Kd8 Qe7+ Kc8 Rc1+ ]
1b)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Khrisogon Kholodkevich
Mikhail Botvinnik Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs P. Sharov, Leningrad, 1928
1rb2nk1/p1r1qppp/4p3/2P5/4B1N1/P5Q1/5PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ Kh8 Ne8 Qxe8 Qxc7 ]
b)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Grigory Goldberg, Leningrad, 1929
2r5/1b2rk2/p2Rn1pp/q1p1Pp2/Pp3P1P/4P3/BP1Q2P1/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe6 if Rxe6 Qd7+ ]
c)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs V Breitman, Leningrad, 1931
r4rk1/1n2qpbp/2bp1npB/1p2p2P/1P2P1P1/2N2PN1/P2Q2B1/2R1K2R w - - 0 1
[ Nf5 if gxf5 Qg5 ]
d)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Vladimir Alatortsev, Moscow, 1931
r4rk1/p1p1n1b1/1p1p2p1/3Pp1Pn/2P1P1q1/1P2B1N1/P2QN1B1/2K4R w - - 0 1
[ Bh3 Qf3 Rf1 Nxg3 Be6+ ]
e)
White mates in 4.
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Victor Goglidze, Moscow, 1931
2bk4/6b1/2pNp3/r1PpP1P1/P1pP1Q2/2rq4/7R/6RK w - - 0 1
[ Rh8+ Bxh8 Qf8+ ]
2a)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs P. Sharov
Mikhail Botvinnik Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Nikolay Sorokin, Leningrad, 1933
rnb1k2r/pp3ppp/6q1/b1pp4/3P1B2/1QP1PP2/P5PP/R3KBNR w - - 0 1
[ Bxb8 Rxb8 Qb5+ ]
b)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Vladimir Nenarokov, Leningrad, 1933
5rk1/2pBn1qr/1p1p3p/p4Pp1/2PQ2P1/P1P2KP1/7R/7R w - - 0 1
[ Be6+ if Kh8 Rxh6 mates ]
c)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Vera Menchik, Hastings, 1934
r2rnk2/5ppp/pp2p3/3bPP2/3N4/PB4P1/1P3K1P/2RR4 w - - 0 1
[ fxe6 Bxb3 e7+ if Kxe7 Nc6+ ]
d)
Viktor Goglidze vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow, 1935
r1r3k1/5p1p/pQ4p1/N2b4/3Pp3/R3P3/4qPPP/5RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rab8 if Qd6 Qxf1+ Kxf1 Rc1+ Ke2 Rb2# ]
e)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Rudolf Spielmann, Moscow, 1935
r1b1kb1r/pp2pppp/5n2/3P2B1/Nn1P4/8/q4PPP/2RQKBNR w - - 0 1
[ Bc4 if Qa3 Rc3 or if Bg4 Nf3 ]
3a)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Nikolay Sorokin
Mikhail Botvinnik Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Viacheslav Ragozin vs Mikhail Botvinnik, URS, 1936
1k1r2r1/ppq4p/4Q3/1B2np2/2P1p3/P7/2P1RPPR/2B1K3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf3+ if Kf1 Rd1+ ]
b)
Isaak Mazel vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Leningrad, 1938
r1bqkb1r/pp3ppp/8/2ppP3/1n3Pn1/PQN2N2/1P1P2PP/R1B1KB1R b KQkq - 0 1
[ ...c4 if Qa4+ Bd7 Qd1 Qb6 Qe2 Nc2+ ]
c)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Alexander Chistiakov, Leningrad, 1939
4qrk1/rpBbb1pp/pN2p3/3pPp2/4n3/3BP3/PPQ2PPP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bb8 Ra8 Nxa8 Qxb8 Qc7 ]
d)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Iosif Rudakovsky, Moscow, 1940
rq1r2k1/3bbppp/p1nppn2/1p6/N3PP2/1N2BB2/PPP2QPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nb6 if Ra7 e5 ]
e)
Black mates in 6.
Mark Stolberg vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow, 1940
5bk1/1p4p1/pP3p2/Pq1pnP2/8/1r5P/RN1Br1P1/2QR3K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxh3+ if gxh3 d4 Kg1 Qd5 or if Kg1 Rxg2+ Kxg2 Qe2+ Kh3 Qg4+ ]
4b)
Isaak Mazel vs Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Igor Bondarevsky vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow/Leningrad, 1941
6k1/pp1q1ppp/2p5/3n4/Q2P4/PPr4P/3NnBPK/5R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxh3 if gxh3 Ndf4 ]
b)
Black mates in 7.
Vassily Smyslov vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow/Leningrad, 1941
8/5p2/1pkBq1Pp/3pPn2/2pP1R2/2P1R2Q/2P1KP2/3r2r1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxd4+ if Rxd4 or cxd4 Rge1+ w/...Qxh3+ ]
c)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Aberic O'Kelly de Galway, Groningen, 1946
8/2R1brkp/2p1p3/p1p1P1p1/4N3/P1P1P3/6KP/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nd6 if Bxd6 exd6 Kf8 d7 Ke7 d8/Q+ Kxd8 Rxf7 ]
d)
Hermann Steiner vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Groningen, 1946
6rk/pp1bb2p/2p1p3/3pP2q/1PP3rn/P3NN2/3QPPBP/4R1RK b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxf3 if exf3 Rh4 Nf1 Bg5 Qc3 Bf4 or if Bxf3 Qxh2+ ]
e)
Tigran Petrosian vs Mikhail Botvinnik, URS, 1952
2r3k1/p7/1b2b2r/1BqpN2p/8/PQ3RP1/1P4P1/3KR3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc1+ Ke2 Rc2+ Kf1 Qd2 if Be2 Qd4 or if Re2 Rc1+ ]
6b)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Harry Golombek
Mikhail Botvinnik Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 5.
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Miguel Najdorf, Moscow, 1956
r5k1/4PR2/6Kp/8/6p1/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rf6 Re8 Rd6 Kh8 Rd8 Rg8+ Rxg8+ ]
b)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Harry Golombek, Moscow, 1956
r1q2r2/p3ppkp/1p1p2p1/1n1P4/4PP2/1P4P1/P2Q2BP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rc1 Qd7 a4 if Nc7 Qc3++ ]
c)
Mammed Nurmamedov vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow, 1959
3qn1kr/pp3pb1/1r2p1p1/2Qp2Pp/P1nP1N2/2P2P1B/1P5P/R1B1R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bf8 ]
d)
White mates in 6.
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Mikhail Tal, Moscow, 1961
2r5/R7/1kpB1p1p/8/3Pr3/2p5/5KP1/R7 w - - 0 1
[ Bc5+ Kb5 R1a4 ]
6a)
mate in 5
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Miguel Najdorf
Mikhail Botvinnik Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first..
a)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Semyen Furman, Leningrad, 1963
8/3rb2p/pR4p1/2pp1k2/5B2/2P5/P3KPPP/8 w - - 0 1
[ Kf3 if h5 h3 w/g4+ ]
b)
Mark Taimanov vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow, 1963
r3n1k1/1br3pp/1p3p2/p7/P1RPq1N1/4P3/1B2Q1PP/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxc4 if Qxc4+ Bd5 Qe2 h5 or if Rxc4 Ba6 Qc2 Qxg4 ]
c)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Jan-Hein Donner, Nordwijk aan Zee, 1965
8/6pk/1p6/8/PP3p1p/5P2/4KP1q/3Q4 w - - 0 1
[ Qf1 w/a5 ]
d)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Paul Keres, Moscow, 1966
3q1rk1/r5p1/2bpn1P1/p1pN1p2/P1PnP2p/3PB2P/5Q1K/1R1B1R2 w - - 0 1
[ Rb8 if Qxb8 Qxh4 mates ]
e)
Eleazar Jimenez vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Palma de Majorca, 1967
6k1/4b2p/p3p1p1/1p2p3/2p1P3/P1PqBPP1/1P1Q3P/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bc5 if Qxd3 cxd3 Kf2 d2 ]
7e)
Eleazar Jimenez vs Mikhail Botvinnik
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