'Tactics in the Sicilian' series



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Gata Kamsky.
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

a)
White mates in 6.
Gata Kamsky vs Fikret Sideif Zade, Pavlodar, 1987
6k1/4rb1p/5RpB/1P1Bp3/1r1p1n2/7P/5RP1/7K w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 Rxf7 Rc2 ]

b)
White mates in 6.
Gata Kamsky vs Theodore Tsorbatzoglou, Innsbruck, 1987
4rqk1/2r2ppp/p1b2n2/1p2NB2/1P1p3Q/P3R1R1/2P2PPP/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxh7+ if Nxh7 Rh3 or if Kh8 Bg8+ Kxg8 Rh3 ]

c)
White mates in 6.
Gata Kamsky vs Gogoladze, USSR CH-JR, 1988
1qr1r1k1/1n1R4/p1n2p1p/Pp2p2P/2p1P3/P1Q3PB/5P2/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qf3 if Re7 Be6+ Kg7 Qg4+ or if Ne7 Be6+ Kg7 Qg4+ ]

d)
Gata Kamsky vs Igor Khenkin, Borzhomi, 1988
3rq1k1/2p1npbp/1p4p1/3B4/r1P5/PQB3P1/5P1P/1R1R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7+ Kxf7 c5+ Kxf8 Rxd8 ]

e)
Black mates in 7.
Alexei Shirov vs Gata Kamsky, Ivano-Frankovsk, 1988
3r1k2/6b1/6Q1/pp2pP2/1np5/5q2/PP2N3/2KR3R b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe3+ Kb1 Qe4+ if Ka1 Nc2+ Kb1 Na3+ ]

1d)
Gata Kamsky vs Igor Khenkin

Gata Kamsky Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Patrick Wolff vs Gata Kamsky, New York, 1989
8/4R2p/3p2pk/3Ppq2/8/2P1RNPP/5P1K/1r6 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc2 Kg2 Rb2 ]

b)
White mates in 6.
Gata Kamsky vs Francois Leveille, Buffalo, 1989
3q2k1/p4p2/3rp1p1/4P1Q1/3r4/2pp4/P4RP1/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf7 if Qxg5 Rf8+ ]

c)
Alonso Zapata vs Gata Kamsky, Manila, 1990
q2r3k/5pb1/2p1b2p/1pP1N1pP/1P2P3/r3R1Q1/4BPP1/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxe3 if fxe3 Qb8 ]

d)
Gata Kamsky vs Jon Vidarsson, Reykjavik, 1990
b2q2k1/5p2/rpp3p1/3nR2p/P1NP3P/1Q4P1/5PB1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd5 cxd5 Qb5 if Bb7 Re8+ ]

e)
Gata Kamsky vs Viswanathan Anand, Tilburg, 1991
5k2/1R3p2/4b3/4K3/4P3/1p3rp1/3R4/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8+ Kg7 Rbb8 if Kg6 Rg8+ mates ]

2d)
Gata Kamsky vs Jon Vidarsson

Gata Kamsky Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 6.
Gata Kamsky vs Luc Winants, Tilburg, 1992
5k2/5p2/2p5/1pP5/1qb2N1Q/5P2/6PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ Kg7 Nh5+ Kh7 Qf6 ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Gata Kamsky vs Vasil Spasov, Tilburg, 1992
5r2/R4Nkp/1p4p1/2nR2N1/5p2/7P/6PK/1r6 w - - 0 1
[ Nh6+ ]

c)
Ruben Rodriguez vs Gata Kamsky, Manila, 1992
4Bk2/2qQ1pb1/p3p1p1/2P5/5p2/P5N1/1r5P/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...fxg3 if Qxc7 Bd4+ Kf1 g2+ mates ]

d)
Gata Kamsky vs Yasser Seirawan, Moanaco, 1994
7r/1nr2p1k/pp1p3p/2pPqP1Q/2P1p1R1/1P2P3/P5PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg6 ]

e)
Black mates in 5.
Paul Van Der Sterren vs Gata Kamsky, Wijk aan Zee, 1994
2R2b2/pQ5p/2pr3k/5p2/N6n/1P5P/P4PP1/q4BK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf3+ gxf3 Rg6+ Kh2 Bd6+ ]

3e)
mate in 5
Paul Van Der Sterren vs Gata Kamsky

Gata Kamsky Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Gata Kamsky vs Valery Salov, Sanghi Nagar, 1995
3r3k/r4p2/p1Rbpp1p/3q4/5P2/4P1RP/1PQ3P1/4B1K1 w - - 0 1
[ e4 Qd4+ Bf2 Qb4 Rb6 Qa5 Qd1 Rad7 Qg4 ]

b)
Gata Kamsky vs Julio Granda Zuniga, Buenos Aires, 2005
2r3b1/1p2p1kp/p2p1p2/P3r1pq/1PPQP3/4RP2/1N4PP/2R3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd3 if Re6 f4 gxf4 Nxf4 ]

c)
Gata Kamsky vs David Pruess, Minneapolis, 2005
6k1/3n1p2/1q4pQ/p2pPp2/1p1p2N1/3P4/Prr4P/4RR1K w - - 0 1
[ e6 if Re2 exd7 fxg4 Rxe2 Rxe2 Rc1 or if fxe6 Qxg6+ Kf8 Rxe6 ]

d)
Robert Hess vs Gata Kamsky, Foxwoods, 2007
R7/5ppk/4p3/P6p/6n1/6P1/r2r1PKP/3N1R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxd1 Rxd1 Ne3+ ]

e)
Black mates in 7.
Ernesto Inarkiev vs Gata Kamsky, Baku, 2008
4r3/7k/3R4/1p1P3n/3B3q/2P3Pb/1P2rP2/R5QK b - - 0 1
[ ...Bg2+ Kxg2 Qxg3+ Kf1 Qh3+ Qg2 Ng3+ ]

4e)
mate in 7
Ernesto Inarkiev vs Gata Kamsky

Gata Kamsky Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Gata Kamsky vs Viktor Bologan, Ohrid, 2009
8/6k1/QR5p/2q1prp1/1p1n3P/1P6/6P1/2B3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qa7+ if Rf7 Rg6+ ]

b)
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Gata Kamsky, Baku, 2010
4r1k1/3r1p2/Qnp4p/5qp1/1P1b4/P1N3BP/5PP1/2RR1K2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bxc3 if Qxb6 Rxd1+ Rxd1 Qd3+ ]

c)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs Gata Kamsky, Mainz, 2010
8/8/p2r1k2/P3R3/3p4/1n1N3P/6P1/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nc1 ]

d)
Boris Gelfand vs Gata Kamsky, Kazan, 2011
2r1qrk1/1p1n1pbp/2b1p1p1/p1p3B1/1n6/PQNP1NP1/1P2PPBP/2RR2K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...c4 if dxc4 Nc5 or if Qxc4 Bxf3 ]

e)
Gata Kamsky vs Quang Liem Le, Amsterdam, 2012
7r/1p1qk1pp/p2p1p2/n1rB3Q/2P2R2/2P3P1/P3P2P/1R4K1 w - - 1 0
[ Rxf6 if gxf6 Qf7+ Kd8 Qxf6+
or if Kxf6 Rf1+ Ke7 Rf7+ Kd8 Qg5+ Ke8 Rf4 ]

5b)
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Gata Kamsky

Gata Kamsky Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 3.
Gata Kamsky vs Mateusz Bartel, Eilat, 2012
3r1br1/2pk3p/Q6P/3pP1p1/4q3/2P1P3/1P3P2/2B1KB1R w K - 1 0
[ Bb5+ if c6 Qxc6+ ]

b)
Gata Kamsky vs Peter Leko, Beijing, 2012
r7/3P4/1p6/1P3kp1/4N3/5PKP/8/8 w - - 1 0
[ Nd6+ Ke6 Nc8 if Kxd7 Nxb6+ ]

c)
Gata Kamsky vs Kaido Kulaots, Gibraltar, 2013
1r6/R3b2p/4knpP/2p1p1B1/2P5/4NP2/8/4K3 w - - 1 0
[ Nd5 if Nxd5 cxd5+ or if Bd8 Bxf6 Bxf6 Ra6+ ]

d)
Gata Kamsky vs Lenier Dominguez, Thessaloniki, 2013
3k4/4p3/pR1b2p1/P7/1P1B1p1r/2P2K2/8/8 w - - 1 0
[ Rxd6+ exd6 Bf6+ ]

e)
Gata Kamsky vs Dmitry Jakovenko, Khanty Mansyisk, 2013
2r5/Pk2r1b1/1p2p1Qp/1N1pq3/2p2pP1/2P2B2/5PP1/R4K2 w - - 1 0
[ Re1 if Qg5 Nd6+ Ka8 Qxg5 hxg5 Nxc8 ]

6d)
Gata Kamsky vs Lenier Dominguez

Gata Kamsky Puzzles, Part VII.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Alexander Grischuk vs Gata Kamsky, Beijing, 2013
1k3nr1/1p3P2/p1pNp3/2RpP3/1P1P4/P2P1Qpq/7r/R5K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh8 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Gata Kamsky vs Hayk Manvelyan, Las Vegas, 2014
4rk2/Q3b1Rp/3B2p1/3p1q2/3P2N1/8/P3NPb1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Bxe7+ Kxg7 Bf6+ ]

c)
Mikhailo Oleksienko vs Gata Kamsky, Philadelphia, 2014
5r1k/1p3qnp/2p1p1pQ/p1Pp4/P2P2N1/1P3r1P/4R3/2B1R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rf1+ Kh2 Qf3 Rg2 Rxe1 ]

d)
Gata Kamsky vs Ivan Sokolov, Stockholm, 2017
4R3/1p3Nk1/1n3b1p/1B1p1bp1/1q5P/2r2N2/P2Q1PP1/6K1 w - - 1 0
[ Nxh6 if Kxh6 hxg5+ ]

e)
Igor Lysyj vs Gata Kamsky, Sochi, 2019
2rr2k1/1p2bpp1/2q1n3/1NPn3p/1P2pP2/1Q4P1/1B2B2P/4RRK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nxb4 if f5 or Qxb4 Bxc5+ ]

7b)
mate in 3
Gata Kamsky vs Hayk Manvelyan

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