Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Joel Benjamin.
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)
Benjamin vs Walter Buehl, USA, 1977
[ Nxg5+ ]

b)
Benjamin vs Guido Kaspret, Dortmund, 1980
[ d5 if Qd8 dxe6+ & Ba4+ or if Qc5 Ba4+ ]

c)
Benjamin vs V Maeki, Graz, 1981
[ Ne8 ]

d)
White Mates in 6. Benjamin vs Carter, London, 1982
[ h5 Qa5+ Kf1 Qxd5 hxg6+ Kg8 Rh8+ Kxh8 Qh3+ Kg8 Qh7# ]

e)
Benjamin vs Nigel Short, London, 1983
[ Rxh5 if Kxh5 Qf6 mates ]

Benjamin Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 6. Benjamin vs Oleg Romanishin, Moscow, 1987
4q3/5rkp/2b2Rp1/r1PQn3/1p3B2/1P5P/2B3P1/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxe5 if Kh6 Qd2+ or if Bxe5 Rxf7+ ]

b)
Benjamin vs Maxim Dlugy, New York, 1988
2r1n2r/pp2k3/1b1pp3/7p/2P1P1N1/1P6/P6P/2BR1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Ne5 if dxe5 Bg5+ or if Nf6 Ng6+ or if Rh7 Bg5+ ]

c)
Benjamin vs Eugenio Torre, Salonika, 1988
2k4r/1pp1Bp2/2p1bN2/r1b1P3/2P3Pp/1P6/3R1P2/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxc5 if Rxc5 Ra1 Kb8 Rda2 ]

d)
Benjamin vs Justus Kurth, Berlin, 1989
4r3/pp3kp1/2p3q1/6n1/3P4/2P3Q1/P5BP/2R4K w - - 0 1
[ Rf1+ w/h4 ]

e)
White Mates in 6. Benjamin vs Manuel Apicella, Paris, 1989
1q5r/6R1/2n1pP1P/3pP3/kp1P4/1p2B3/1PbNQ2K/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qa6+ Na5 Rg1 ]



Benjamin Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 5. Benjamin vs John Brooke, San Mateo, 1989
r1bk2nr/pp1p1p1p/3Np1p1/8/2B2P2/B1P1P3/P5qP/R2QK2R w - - 0 1
[ Nxf7+ Ke8 Qd6 ]

b)
Benjamin vs W Hook, Philadelphia, 1990
4b3/p2q2kp/n2p2p1/P2Pp1Q1/2N1P2P/1r1N2P1/8/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf6+ Kh6 Rf5 if Rxd3 Rh5+ mates ]

c)
White Mates in 4. Benjamin vs Mihai Suba, Reykjavik, 1990
3q1r2/6k1/p2pQb2/4pR1p/4B3/2P3P1/P4PK1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rg5+ if Kh6 Qf5 ]

d)
Benjamin vs Alexandre Lesiege, Toronto, 1990
8/1p1rrk2/pR4n1/P1pPp1Pp/K1N1Pp1P/5P2/7R/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nd6+ ]

e)
Benjamin vs Emir Dizdarevic, Manila, 1992
5b2/2r2k1p/p2p3P/1p1P1r2/2P1Np2/1P3K2/P7/3R2R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg7+ Bxg7 Nxd6+ Kg6 Nxf5 Kxf5 d6 ]

Can't see the solutions?...Click here.
More US GMs
Back to the Index