Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Boris Gelfand.
White to move and win except where noted.

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

a)
Gelfand vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Yurmala, 1985
1k5r/3bb1p1/p2pN1p1/1p2r3/4qN2/2R5/PPP2Q1P/1K5R w - - 0 1
[ Qb6+ Qb7 Qxb7+ Kxb7 Rc7+ ]

b)
Gelfand vs Rainer Knaak, Halle, 1987
8/4r1pk/nppRB2p/8/p1PBp3/P2n2P1/1P3P1P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf5+ Kg8 Bg6 ]

c)
Gelfand vs Ilia Smirin, Vilnius, 1988
r2r2k1/Bbqnbp1p/6p1/1P1pp3/R3P3/1N3P2/5QPP/R4BK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rc1 Qd6 Na5 if Bc1 Nc6 & Bc5 ]

d)
White Mates in 6. Gelfand vs Alexander Delchev, Arnhem, 1989
r4r2/p4k2/4p2Q/1p4R1/2P1q3/P1B5/1P3P1P/K7 w - - 0 1
[ Rg7+ Ke8 Qh5+ Kd8 Ba5+ & Qc5+ ]

e)
White Mates in 5. Gelfand vs Lubomir Ftacnik, Debrecen, 1989
r1b3k1/p7/1p1q2B1/2pP4/2P4p/6R1/PB4PK/5R2 w - - 0 1
[ Bh7+ Kxh7 Rf7+ Kh6 Bc1+ ]

Boris Gelfand Simul, Chicago, 2005



Gelfand Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win.
a)
Gelfand vs Alexander Beliavsky, Reggio Emilia, 1992
5r1k/1p2r1p1/pq4Bp/5P1Q/8/7P/PP1BnPP1/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxh6 gxh6 Qxh6+ Kg8 Bh7+ ]

b)
Gelfand vs Viktor Korchnoi, Tilburg, 1992
6k1/R4RB1/1p5p/r6n/2r4P/p5P1/5P2/5K2 w - - 0 1
[ Rf8+ w/Rh8+ Rxh6+ & Rxh5+ ]

c)
Gelfand vs Igor Stohl, Tilburg, 1992
4rr2/p7/1p1P1q1k/2p2Ppp/3nP3/5PQ1/P3B3/3RK2R w - - 0 1
[ Rxh5+ ]

d)
Gelfand vs Zdenko Kozul, Biel, 1993
5rk1/n3ppbp/1q4p1/r2PP3/p1Q2BB1/7P/5PP1/2R1R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bd2 if Ra6 Rb1 or if Rb5 Be3 ]

e)
Gelfand vs Predrag Nikolic, Munich, 1994
3N1r1k/3R2qp/8/p1Q1r3/1p3n2/8/PPP3p1/1KR5 w - - 0 1
[ Nf7+ if Rxf7 Rd8+ ]



Gelfand Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 6. Gelfand vs Vladimir Kramnik, Sanghi Nagar, 1994
4r3/1k2rp2/7R/Q7/1nqp4/8/5PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe7+ Rxe7 Qb6+ Kc8 Rh8+ ]

b)
Gelfand vs Michael Adams, Wijk aan Zee, 1994
8/1rR1bpk1/1P2p3/4P3/3Bqp1p/1Q5P/6PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qf3 ]

c)
Gelfand vs Vadim Zvjaginsev, Biel, 1995
4r2k/R4ppp/1p3n2/8/2Bp4/5QP1/Pq3PKP/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ra8 Qb4 (if h6 Rxe8+ w/Qxf7 mates) Rxe8+ Nxe8 Qa8 Qe7 Bb5 ]

d)
Gelfand vs Ivan Sokolov, Wijk aan Zee, 1996
8/3R4/p3p3/2k1Np2/5P2/2n1p1P1/r6P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rc7+ if Kb4 Nd3+ or if Kd4 Rc4+ ]

e)
White Mates in 6. Gelfand vs Vladislav Tkachiev, Groningen, 1997
6k1/R4p2/3rpB1p/6p1/8/5N1P/5PPK/1r6 w - - 0 1
[ Ra8+ Kh7 Ne5 ]

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