Tactics you can use from wtharvey.com



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Vladimir Kramnik.
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.
'Print Edition' available for this page.

a)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Igor Saric, Leningrad, 1991
2r5/pp3k2/2q1br1p/3pQ3/3P2P1/1P2R3/P7/1B2R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf6+ Kxf6 Rxe6+ Qxe6 Rxe6+ Kxe6 Bf5+ ]

b)
Black mates in 4.
Michail Brodsky vs Vladimir Kramnik, Kherson, 1991
8/4k2p/5p1b/q2bpP2/4B3/8/1PK4P/3QR3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qa4+ Kb1 Ba2+ ]

c)
Zurab Sturua vs Vladimir Kramnik, Moscow, 1992
2r1r1k1/5b1p/2q2ppb/1p2p3/p2pP3/PP1Q2PP/1BPN1P1K/2R1R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bc4 bxc4 bxc4 Qe2 c3 ]

d)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Felix Levin, Dortmund, 1992
r1r5/p3p1kp/n1q2pp1/PNp1n3/2QN4/4P2P/3P1PP1/1RR3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxc6 Nxc4 Nbxa7 ]

e)
White mates in 6.
Vladimir Kramnik vs Robert Huebner, Biel, 1993
3R3Q/7r/6rk/6pp/1q2P3/p5P1/3R1P1K/8 w - - 0 1
[ R2d7 Rg7 Qe8 if Rg6 Qe6+ ]

1a)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Igor Saric

Vladimir Kramnik Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Ognjen Cvitan, Munich, 1994
2rqnrk1/1p1bppbp/p2p2p1/n3P3/P4P2/1NN1B3/1PP1B1PP/R2Q1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Nxa5 Qxa5 Nd5 if Qd8 Bb6 or if Rd8 b4 ]

b)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Judit Polgar, New York, 1994
1rbr2k1/2Rnbppp/4p3/q2pP3/3B4/2RB1N2/P3QPPP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ra7 if Qb4 Rb3 ]

c)
Black mates in 6.
Leonid Yudasin vs Vladimir Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee, 1994
kb3R2/6Qp/q1p5/3p3N/1P1rr3/P3p1P1/7P/4KR2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd1+ Kxd1 Qd3+ Kc1 Rc4+ Kb2 Rc2+ ]

d)
Leonid Yudasin vs Vladimir Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee, 1994
r5k1/ppQ2p1p/6p1/1N1Prn2/P4q2/2P1R3/1P3PPP/6RK b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxe3 if fxe3 Ng3+ mates ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Vladimir Kramnik vs Jaan Ehlvest, Riga, 1995
3k3r/p1rb1p2/5P1b/q1p3B1/1pp1Q3/6P1/PP3P1P/2KRR3 w - - 0 1
[ Qa8+ Rc8 Rxd7+ Kxd7 Qd5+ ]

2c)
mate in 6
Leonid Yudasin vs Vladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Veselin Topalov vs Vladimir Kramnik, Belgrade, 1995
2r1k3/5pbp/p3P1p1/1pB5/1K6/1N1B2n1/PqP5/R3Q3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bc3+ Qxc3 a5+ ]

b)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Nigel Short, Horgen, 1995
5k2/2R2np1/8/3P1p2/B2K1P2/6r1/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rc8+ Ke7 Re8+ Kd6 Re6+ Kc7 Re7+ w/Rxf7 ]

c)
Boris Gelfand vs Vladimir Kramnik, Berlin, 1996
1r4k1/p5pp/4q3/2Q2pP1/3N4/Prn1P3/1P1B1P1P/KR6 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxb2 if Rxb2 Qa2+ ]

d)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Melody Amber (blindfold), 1997
rr4qk/3P2b1/4Np1p/4pQp1/8/p3R3/5PP1/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxa3 Rxa3 d8/Q ]

3b)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Nigel Short

Vladimir Kramnik Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Loek Van Wely, Wijk aan Zee, 1998
4rrk1/p3pqbp/1pnp3B/3N1p2/2P5/5P2/PP1Q2PP/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7 if Kxg7 or Qxg7 Nc7 ]

b)
Jan Timman vs Vladimir Kramnik, Dortmund, 1999
5r1k/6b1/2bqpnnp/Qpp3p1/4P3/1NP3P1/1P2BN1P/2B2RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ra8 if Rd1 Qb8 or if Qb6 Nd7 ]

c)
White mates in 4.
Vladimir Kramnik vs C Houze, Lyons, 2001
r1b2k2/1p4pp/p4N1r/4Pp2/P3pP1q/4P2P/1P2Q2K/3R2R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ if Ke7 Re8+ or if Kf7 Qc4+ ]

d)
Garry Kasparov vs Vladimir Kramnik, Internet, 2001
4r1k1/5p2/5np1/1pRp1b1q/1P6/4PPQ1/6BP/2B4K b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne4 if fxe4 Qd1+ mates ]

e)
Vladimir Akopian vs Vladimir Kramnik, Moscow, 2002
r5k1/bp3pp1/p1n1p2p/Pr6/4NP2/R4NP1/RP2P1KP/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nb4 ]

4d)
Garry Kasparov vs Vladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Evgeny Bareev vs Vladimir Kramnik, Monte Carlo, 2004
4rbk1/3qr1pp/pp1n1p2/2pP1N2/PnP5/2N1P1PP/5R1K/B3RQ2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxf5 Rxf5 Nc2 ]

b)
White mates in 8.
Vladimir Kramnik vs I Sokolov, Wijk aan Zee 'A', 2005
5r2/6R1/2nN1p1p/1p2pP1k/8/1r3P1P/5P1K/6R1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne4 Rxf3 R1g4 Nd4 Ng3+ ]

c)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Loek Van Wely, Monte Carlo, 2005
7k/1r5p/3Q4/pP2r3/2B1pqbp/2P1N3/8/4K2R w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ Kg7 Qg8+ if Kh6 Rxh4+ or if Kf6 Nxg4+ Ke7 Qxh7+ ]

d)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Veselin Topalov, Monte Carlo, 2005
4rb1k/3R1p2/p4P2/1p2P2p/1Pr2BR1/5P2/8/7K w - - 0 1
[ Rg5 if Kh7 Rxh5+ Kg6 Rg5+ Kh6 Be3 or if Rxf4 Rxh5+ Kg8 Rd1 ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Vladimir Kramnik vs Ruslan Ponomariov, Moscow, 2008
r1qr1k2/p3p3/1p3b2/2pn1N1Q/7R/1PP4P/1P3PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nh6 ]

5a)
Evgeny Bareev vs Vladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Sergei Movsesian, Moscow, 2008
r1b2rk1/pp2R1pp/1n5q/4Q3/5pP1/2N2P2/PP4B1/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Rd6 if g6 g5 ]

b)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Peter Leko, Moscow, 2009
r2r4/1bq1bpk1/2p1p1pp/2N1P3/p7/4Q1P1/PP3PBP/2R1R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxb7 if Qxb7 Bxc6 ]

c)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Moscow, 2009
1rb2rk1/p6p/1p1N1p2/2p1n3/2Pp1R2/3P2qP/PP1Q2B1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxc8 Rbxc8 Rxe5 fxe5 Rg4+ ]

d)
Evgeny Bareev vs Vladimir Kramnik, Moscow, 2009
2r2rk1/p4ppp/1pn2q2/3p1b2/4n3/PP1BPN2/3N1PPP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nc3 Qc2 Nb4 axb4 Ne2+ ]

e)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Arkadij Naiditsch, Dortmund, 2010
8/2r2kp1/n4p2/N4P2/rP1R2Pp/P7/KB5P/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rc4 if Rxc4 Nxc4 Nc7 Na5 w/Kb3 ]

6c)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Vassily Ivanchuk

Vladimir Kramnik Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Alexander Galkin vs Vladimir Kramnik, Moscow, 2011
2r3k1/p4p2/Bp4p1/q2P4/4r3/1Qb1p2R/N1P3P1/1K1R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rb4 if Bxc8 Rxb3+ cxb3 e2 ]

b)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Teimour Radjabov, London, 2013
4r1k1/4ppbp/p1N3p1/3rP3/1R6/6PP/q4P2/2Q1R1K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxe7+ if Rxe7 Qc8+ Bf8 Rb8 ]

c)
White mates in 2.
Vladimir Kramnik vs Alexander Morozevich, Moscow, 2013
r6k/2p2R1p/1p1pn2B/3Np1p1/p1P5/P5P1/7P/7K w - - 1 0
[ Nf6 ]

d)
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Vladimir Kramnik, Tromsoe, 2013
r4rk1/p4ppp/1bpp2q1/4nb2/2P4R/2N2B2/PP1B1PPP/3Q1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bc2 if Qxc2 Nxf3+ or if Qe2 Bd3 ]

7b)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Teimour Radjabov

Vladimir Kramnik Puzzles, Part VIII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Viswanathan Anand vs Vladimir Kramnik, London, 2013
2rr2k1/4q1pp/3bp3/5p2/1P2b3/4PN2/1Q2BPPP/3R1RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rc2 Qb3 Rxe2 Nd4 Bd5 Qd3 Qh4 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Vladimir Kramnik vs Sophie Milliet, London, 2014
3k4/pb3p2/1p3N1Q/nP1P2p1/8/n5PP/r3qPB1/3R2K1 w - - 1 0
[ Qf8+ ]

c)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Hikaru Nakamura, London, 2014
r1b1k2r/1pp4p/2np1qp1/1P2bp2/p1P5/Q3P3/PB2BPPP/RN3RK1 w kq - 1 0
[ Nc3 if Ne7 f4 ]

d)
Wesley So vs Vladimir Kramnik, Leuven, 2016
8/p2r1kp1/4bp2/1R6/3N4/R3P1r1/P2KP3/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd4+ ]

e)
Yusup Atabayev vs Vladimir Kramnik, Baku, 2016
1k6/2p3p1/bp3p1p/2n4P/1p2P1P1/qP1rRQN1/P7/1K1R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Na4 if bxa4 b3 axb3 Qxb3+ ]

8b)
mate in 3
Vladimir Kramnik vs Sophie Milliet


More Russian GMs
Back to the Main Index