'Tactics in the Sicilian' series
Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Pal Benko.
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)
Pal Benko vs Edith Keller-Hermann, Graz, 1947
6k1/1p2q2p/p2pPrp1/2p5/P1P5/1PQ3P1/6KP/4R3 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf6 Qxf6 e7 ]
b)
Black mates in 2.
Eugenio Szabados vs Pal Benko, Budapest, 1951
2R5/1n1r3p/1B3Qpk/p7/Pp3p1P/3q1p2/1P3PP1/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf1+ ]
c)
White mates in 2.
Pal Benko vs Erno Gereben, Budapest, 1954
1r2q3/1R6/3p1kp1/1ppBp1b1/p3Pp2/2PP4/PP3P2/5K1Q w - - 0 1
[ Qh8+ Qxh8 Rf7# ]
d)
Sigurgeir Gislason vs Pal Benko, Hafnarfjordur, 1957
r5k1/6bp/1nb1q1p1/2p2pn1/1pP2N2/1B2PP1P/1P2Q2B/3R1NK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxf3 if Nxe6 Nxh3# ]
1c)
mate in 2
Pal Benko vs Erno Gereben
Pal Benko Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Pal Benko vs Alberto Foguelman, Buenos Aires, 1960
2R1n3/1p2r1k1/r3pp1p/3p2p1/3P2P1/3NP2P/q4PK1/1QR5 w - - 0 1
[ Rxe8 Rxe8 Qxb7+ Kf8 Rc7 ]
b)
White mates in 5.
Pal Benko vs Romero Miguel Colon, Boston, 1964
r1b3rk/5ppp/p3p3/7N/q1p2P2/P5Q1/1PP3PP/2KRR3 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8 if Bb7 Qxg7# ]
c)
Pal Benko vs Robert Byrne, San Juan, 1965
4b1k1/1n4rp/3pP3/2p2pq1/p1P5/P1Q1P2P/6BN/1R5K w - - 0 1
[ Bxb7 Rxb7 Rg1 Bc6+ e4 Bxe4 Nf3 ]
d)
Black mates in 3.
Duncan Suttles vs Pal Benko, New York, 1965
2n4r/1k4b1/R2p2p1/4p3/1P2q3/2P2rP1/3QNB2/R5K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh1+ if Kxh1 Rxf2+ or Rxg3+ ]
e)
Pal Benko vs Arthur Bisguier, New York, 1967
2rr2k1/pb2qpp1/nppb3p/4N3/3PNP2/1Q4P1/PP4BP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bh3 Rc7 Nxf7 if Qxf7 Be6 ]
2c)
Pal Benko vs Robert Byrne
Pal Benko Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Anton Deze vs Pal Benko, Novi Sad, 1972
rr4k1/1q2ppb1/3p2pp/1N1P4/nQ1NP3/R7/1P3PPP/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxd4 if Rxa4 Bc5 or if Qxd4 Qxb5 ]
b)
Pal Benko vs William Martz, Vrnjacka Banja, 1973
2r3k1/R4pbp/1p2b1p1/1q1p4/3P1N2/2Q1P1P1/5PBP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxe6 if Rxc3 Ra8+ mates ]
c)
Pal Benko vs Israel Horowitz, New York, 1968
r1q2rk1/1p2bNpp/8/p2n1Q2/8/P5P1/1B2PPBP/n4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nh6+ if gxh6 Bxd5+ mates or if Kh8 Qxd5 ]
d)
Pal Benko vs Donald Byrne, Palma de Majorca, 1968
8/1p2k3/1n4pp/4B3/1bp5/p1N1P1PP/P1K2P2/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bd4 if Nc8 Nd5+ ]
e)
Pal Benko vs Fernando Visier Segovia, Palma de Majorca, 1968
1r1q1r2/5pkp/6p1/1np3N1/p7/2PP2PP/P2Q2b1/1R3RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 if Kg8 Ne6 or if Rxf7 Ne6+ ]
3e)
Pal Benko vs Fernando Visier Segovia
Pal Benko Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Herbert Avram vs Pal Benko, USA, 1968
3r2k1/7p/3qp1p1/8/4QPP1/6KP/3R4/8 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qa3+ (if ...Qxf2 Qxe6+ is a draw) if Kh4 Qe7+ w/...Rxd2 ]
b)
Pal Benko vs Milan Vukcevich, USA, 1969
r5k1/pp3R1p/2pp2p1/6q1/1PPN1Rn1/3Pr3/P2Q2PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf3 if Rxf3 Rf8+ ]
c)
Predrag Ostojic vs Pal Benko, Monaco, 1969
r6r/pp1kpp2/1q1p3p/5Pp1/3RPn2/2NP1N2/PP3QPP/2K4R b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxd3+ ]
d)
Hans Ree vs Pal Benko, Wijk aan Zee, 1969
8/3nr1k1/B4pp1/2q1p1p1/Pp2P1P1/1P1R3P/5Q2/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxf2+ Kxf2 Nc5 if Rd6 Nxe4+ ]
e)
Pal Benko vs Walter Browne, Nethanya, 1971
3rr1k1/1p3ppp/p1bq1b2/2Np4/PP1Bn3/4P1P1/5PBP/2RQR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ b5 axb5 axb5 Bxd4 Qxd4 Bxb5 Nxb7 ]
4a)
Herbert Avram vs Pal Benko
Pal Benko Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Pal Benko vs Radolfo Cardoso, Reggio Emilia, 1971
1rr3k1/1p1n1ppp/p2p4/P1pP4/4PPq1/R1B5/1PQ3PP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7 if Kxg7 or Qxg7 Rg3 ]
b)
White mates in 9.
Pal Benko vs Burkhard Malich, Skopje, 1972
r3qn2/1p2rnk1/2ppBp2/pNbPp1pR/2P1Q3/PP2P1P1/1B3PK1/7R w - - 0 1
[ Rh7+ Nxh7 Rxh7+ Kf8 Qg6 ]
c)
Pal Benko vs Momir Trifunov, Sombor, 1976
8/1b6/1r2pnk1/p1Np3r/5R2/1PPP2B1/5PB1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6+ ]
d)
Pal Benko vs Armin Kapetanovic, New York, 1987
2kr2r1/p1nq1p1p/1p2b1p1/8/N2Q4/1P2P1P1/P4PB1/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxb6+ if axb6 Qxb6 Qd6 Bc6 Rd7 Qb7+ Kd8 Bxd7 ]
e)
Pal Benko vs David Ross, New York, 1988
q6k/6p1/4Q2p/p6b/1pBp1P2/1P1P2P1/P4K2/8 w - - 0 1
[ g4 ]
5d)
Pal Benko vs Armin Kapetanovic
More US GMs
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