'Characteristic Puzzles in the Opening' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Boris Grachev.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.

a)
White mates in 5.
Boris Grachev vs Valerij Shchelkunov, Moscow, 1997
4qk2/3nbrpp/p1RpQ3/1p2p3/1P6/PB5P/1B3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rc8 if Bd8 Rxd8 ]

b)
Boris Grachev vs Yuri Khramiankov, Mureck, 1998
3r2qk/1br3pp/1n1N1p2/pB1np3/P7/Q1NR1P2/1P3KPP/3R4 w - - 0 1
[ Nxb7 Rxb7 Nxd5 Rxd5 Rxd5 Nxd5 Bc6 ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Boris Grachev vs Sergey Chapar, Chalkidiki, 2001
1rb2k2/pp3ppQ/7q/2p1n1N1/2p5/2N5/P3BP1P/K2R4 w - - 0 1
[ Qg8+ ]

d)
Boris Grachev vs Ivan Akimov, St. Petersburg, 2001
r1b1r1k1/1p1n1pb1/2ppn1p1/p6p/1qP1P3/1PN1B1PP/P1Q1NPB1/1R2R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ a3 Qxa3 Ra1 ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Boris Grachev vs Varuzhan Akobian, Moscow, 2009
7k/1pqr2p1/1R2Q2p/r2p4/6R1/4P2P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qe8+ Kh7 Rxh6+ ]

1b)
Boris Grachev vs Yuri Khramiankov

Boris Grachev Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Boris Grachev vs Evgeny Bareev, St. Petersburg, 2009
r2r2k1/5p1p/1q3bp1/2p5/4QB2/1P3N2/n4PPP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd6 if Rxd6 Qxa8+ ]

b)
Boris Grachev vs Ernesto Inarkiev, Moscow, 2011
6k1/pp3pp1/3rpnp1/5q2/2P5/1P1R1N1P/P1Q2PP1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxd6 if Qxc2 Rd8+ mates ]

c)
White mates in 6.
Boris Grachev vs Dmitry Kryakvin, Taganrog, 2011
r2q3r/pp1b1kpQ/4n3/1n1N4/5b1P/5RP1/PB2PPB1/5RK1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf4+ Nxf4 Qxg7+ Ke8 Qxh8+ ]

d)
Robert Kreisl vs Boris Grachev, Aix les Bains, 2011
1k6/ppp4r/8/5B2/3Pn1p1/2B1P1br/PP3PK1/R6R b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh2+ Rxh2 Rxh2+ if Kg1 Nxf2 ]

e)
Boris Grachev vs Aleksandr Poluljahov, Sochi, 2012
5rk1/2r2ppp/p1N1pb2/1p2N3/4n3/6P1/PP2PP1P/2RR2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nd7 if Re8 Ne7+ ]

2c)
mate in 6
Boris Grachev vs Dmitry Kryakvin

Boris Grachev Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Boris Grachev vs Oleg Zilbert, Moscow, 2012
8/p2r1qpk/1p6/3bQp2/5P1P/6R1/PB3KP1/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxg7+ if Qxg7 Qxf5+ ]

b)
Black mates in 2.
Sergey Volkov vs Boris Grachev, Nakhchivan, 2012
1k5r/1p6/p6q/1p1P2p1/5b1r/2RR1Q2/P4PK1/5N2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rg4+ ]

c)
Vasily Papin vs Boris Grachev, Moscow, 2012
2rq1rk1/1b2bppp/p1n1pn2/1p1pN3/3P1B2/1QN3P1/PP2PPBP/2RR2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Na5 Qc2 b4 ]

d)
Boris Grachev vs Zdenko Plenkovic, Bol, 2014
r2r4/ppp2pkp/6p1/4p3/2QnP1q1/5NP1/PP2PP1P/2R2R1K w - - 1 0
[ Qxf7+ Kxf7 Nxe5+ ]

e)
Black mates in 4.
Deep Sengupta vs Boris Grachev, Basel, 2014
3r2k1/6p1/p6p/2P3r1/8/4pp1P/1P5P/R1R2K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd2 if Rxa6 Rf2+ ]

3d)
Boris Grachev vs Zdenko Plenkovic

Boris Grachev Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 4.
Alexander Riazantsev vs Boris Grachev, Vladivostok, 2014
6k1/5p2/5Pp1/4p1Pp/4P2P/3r3q/7N/Q6K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd2 if Qg1 Rb2 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Boris Grachev vs Alexander Riazantsev, Moscow, 2014
2Q5/p3qpkp/1p2pNp1/3nn3/8/1P3N1P/P4PP1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qg8+ Kxf6 Qh8+ Kf5 Qxe5# ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Boris Grachev vs Alexander Moskalenko, Moscow, 2014
5R2/6kp/3BBpp1/p7/8/2q2N1P/3N1PPK/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rg8+ Kh6 Bf8+ Kh5 Bg4# ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Boris Grachev vs Boris Savchenko, Moscow, 2015
2rq1rk1/1p2bpp1/p3pn1p/1b1pN1N1/2nP1B2/2P4P/PPB2PP1/RQ2R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bh7+ if Kh8 Ngxf7+ ]

e)
Boris Grachev vs Viacheslav Mikhailov, Moscow, 2016
1nrqrk2/pQ5p/1p1p1bp1/5p2/1PN5/P2B1P2/6PP/4RRK1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxe8+ Kxe8 Qxc8 Qxc8 Nxd6+ ]

4c)
mate in 3
Boris Grachev vs Alexander Moskalenko

Boris Grachev Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
O T Anilkumar vs Boris Grachev, New Delhi, 2016
5r1k/6p1/pp5p/3RP2q/1P2Q3/4PNK1/P5P1/7r b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf3+ if gxf3 Qh3+ ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Boris Grachev vs Aleksandra Goryachkina, Sochi, 2017
r1bq1rk1/pp2bpp1/4p3/2ppn3/3P4/2P1P1P1/PPBN1PP1/R2QK2R w KQ - 1 0
[ 1.Rh8+ ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Boris Grachev vs Pavel Potapov, Sochi, 2017
7k/p3qrRp/2p1pn1Q/1p3p2/2pP4/4PP2/PP5P/6RK w - - 1 0
[ 1.Qxh7+ ]

d)
Alexandr Truskavetsky vs Boris Grachev, Sochi, 2018
4r3/p2k2pp/2p5/8/3P4/bPp3P1/P1Br1R1P/3R2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd1+ Bxd1 Re1+ Rf1 Rxd1 Rxd1 c2 ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Boris Grachev vs Ramil Faizrakhmanov, Sochi, 2019
4rr1k/1pb1R2p/p4p2/2P3N1/1P4Q1/P7/1B1q1PPP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Nf7+ Rxf7 2.Rxe8+ ]

5d)
Alexandr Truskavetsky vs Boris Grachev

Boris Grachev Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Boris Grachev vs D Gukesh, Moscow, 2019
3r4/p3q2p/bp3R2/3P2pk/3Qp3/8/PP4PP/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.g4+ if 1...Kxg4 2.Qd1+ ]

b)
Boris Grachev vs Swaminathan Soumya, Moscow, 2019
3r2k1/R4p1p/1pBr2p1/1P1n4/8/6P1/3R1P1P/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Ra8 ]

c)
Boris Grachev vs Sergei Lobanov, Moscow, 2019
r3k2r/pbq2ppp/Q3p3/3p4/1PPN4/8/P4PPP/R4RK1 w kq - 1 0
[ 1.Nb5 if 1...Qxh2+ 2.Kxh2 Bxa6 3.Nc7+ ]

d)
Boris Grachev vs Daniil Lintchevski, Sochi, 2019
4rrk1/p2q3p/1p1Pppp1/8/3P4/5Q2/P4PPP/2R1R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ 1.Rc7 Qxd6 2.Qb7 ]

e)
Artem Chernobay vs Boris Grachev, Sochi, 2019
6r1/4bp1k/3p3p/p2Rnp1P/6rP/P1RB2PQ/NP3q2/K7 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxd3 if Rcxd3 Rxg3 Rxg3 Qe1+ Nc1 Qxc1+ Ka2 Qc4+ ]

f)
Boris Grachev vs Vladimir Onischuk, Riga, 2019
8/2Rr1pb1/4k1pp/8/1r3BPP/4PK2/2R5/8 w - - 1 0
[ 1.R2c6+ if 1...Ke7 2.Bd6+ Ke6 3.Bxb4+ or if 1...Kd5 2.e4+ Rxe4 3.Rxd7+ ]

g)
Gadir Guseinov vs Boris Grachev, Riga, 2019
r7/2Rpk1pp/4pp2/8/b4P2/3B2P1/PP5P/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Bc6 2.b4 Kd6 ]

6e)
Artem Chernobay vs Boris Grachev


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