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Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Ratmir Kholmov.
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)
Ratmir Kholmov vs A Shumakher, Zhdanovichi, 1946
n4rr1/4qppk/p2p2Rp/1ppPpP1P/4P3/1PP1Q3/P4PR1/3B3K w - - 0 1
[ f6 if Qd7 Rxg7+ ]
b)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Dmitri Grechkin, Tbilisi, 1949
6k1/5pb1/p1r1b1pp/2prR3/P4P1P/2B5/4Q1PK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd5 if Bxd5 Bxg7 Kxg7 Qe5+ ]
c)
White mates in 2.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Y Kliavinsh, Vilnius, 1955
r5rk/pp1np1bn/2pp2q1/3P1bN1/2P1N2Q/1P6/PB2PPBP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxh7+ Qxh7 Nf7# ]
d)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Peter Dely, Balatonfured, 1959
7k/4r1p1/q4p1p/2p5/2r5/P4Q2/5PPP/1R3RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rb8+ Kh7 Qd3+ if Ree4 f3 or if g6 Qd8 mates ]
e)
White mates in 3.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Alexei Suetin, Leningrad, 1963
3Q3R/4rqp1/6k1/p3Pp1p/Pp3P1P/1Pp4K/2P5/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qd1 if Rxe5 fxe5 ]
1b)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Dmitri Grechkin
Ratmir Kholmov Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Georgi Tringov, Leningrad, 1967
6k1/R4r2/1p1r2pp/2pq1p2/P4P2/2P1R3/7P/4Q1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Re8+ Kg7 Rxf7+ ]
b)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Vasily Panov, Skopje, 1967
2R2bk1/1p1rqp1p/p5p1/3p4/3P1Q2/4B2P/PP3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qb8 h5 Bh6 ]
c)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Edmar Mednis, Budapest, 1976
rn2k2r/pp3ppp/1qp1pn2/b3Nb2/2BP4/1QN1P3/1P3PPP/R1B1K2R w KQkq - 0 1
[ Rxa5 Qxa5 Qxb7 ]
d)
White mates in 7.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Burkhard Malich, Halle, 1978
2r3k1/5q1p/1R4nP/P4p2/4p3/1Q4P1/1B3P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg6+ if hxg6 h7+ ]
e)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Vitaly Tseshkovsky, Ordzhonikidze, 1978
2R5/5Bpk/7p/5r2/3bpP1P/6PK/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Bg8+ Kg6 Rc6+ if Bf6 g4 Rxf4 h5+ mates or if Rf6 h5+ ]
2d)
mate in 7
Ratmir Kholmov vs Burkhard Malich
Ratmir Kholmov Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Jan Sikora-Lerch, Trencianske Teplice, 1979
r5k1/4ppbp/1r1p2p1/3q4/1P4n1/2BB4/1P3PPP/R2R1QK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bc4 if Qb7 Bd5 ]
b)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Alex Gofman, Planernaya, 1980
q2n3k/p4rbp/2Pp2p1/3P1p2/4r2Q/4B3/4B1PP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxe4 if fxe4 Rxf7 Nxf7 c7 Qc8 Ba6 ]
c)
White mates in 4.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Kuntsevich, Planernaya, 1980
r2nr3/p2k2pp/4p3/3pP3/1QnN4/2P5/PP4PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rf7+ if Nxf7 Qb7+ or if Kc8 Qc5+ ]
d)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Sergei Terentiev, Volgograd, 1980
6k1/5R1p/p5p1/1p6/8/6B1/r2r1RKP/8 w - - 0 1
[ Rf8+ Kg7 Be5+ Kh6 Bf4+ ]
e)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Stanislaw Kostyra, Warsaw, 1989
5bk1/6pp/p4p2/3R4/P2B4/r4P2/6PP/5K2 w - - 0 1
[ Rd8 if Rxa4 Bc5 ]
3d)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Sergei Terentiev
Ratmir Kholmov Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
White mates in 4.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Alexander Filipenko, Cheliabinsk, 1991
2Rr1qk1/5ppp/p2N4/P7/5Q2/8/1r4PP/5BK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf7+ Qxf7 Rxd8+ Qf8 Bc4 ]
b)
White mates in 7.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Henryk Dymerski, Wisla, 1992
r1qrb1k1/2p1bp1p/1p2p1pB/p1n1P2N/2P2Q2/8/PPB2PPP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ Kh8 Qh4 if Rxd1 Bg7+ ]
c)
White mates in 4.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Mikhail Ivanov, Moscow, 1996
6k1/p2r1p2/3Np1pQ/2pnP3/qP6/P5RP/5PPK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ne8 if f5 Rxg6+ Kf7 Qh7+ ]
d)
White mates in 3.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Leonid Totsky, Pardubice, 1996
3r1knR/r4p2/p3p1p1/1p1qN1P1/3p1Q2/1PP2p2/P4K2/7R w - - 0 1
[ Qf6 ]
e)
White mates in 4.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Nikolai Kushch, Marganets, 1999
R6R/2kr4/1p3pb1/3prN2/6P1/2P2K2/1P6/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ra7+ Kc6 Rc8+ if Kb5 Nd4# ]
4a)
mate in 4
Ratmir Kholmov vs Alexander Filipenko
Ratmir Kholmov Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Dmitry Vdovin, Moscow, 1999
r5k1/ppp3p1/1b1p3p/3Nprq1/PPP5/2P2Q1P/5PP1/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf5 Qxf5 Ne7+ ]
b)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Yuri Shabanov, Rowy, 2000
1r3b2/5k2/p1n2p1p/4p1p1/N1N1P3/P1P2PB1/1Pr3PP/1R3K2 w - - 0 1
[ Be1 Rd8 Ne3 ]
c)
White mates in 4.
Ratmir Kholmov vs Jan Turner, Pardubice, 2001
3r2k1/3N3p/4p1pQ/3p1p2/3P4/6BP/q4PPK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Nf6+ Kf7 Qxh7+ Kxf6 Be5+ ]
d)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Vladimir Doroshkievich, Tula, 2003
rq1bb1k1/5pp1/npn1p2p/pN6/2P1B3/P3BN2/1P2QPPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nfd4 if Qc8 Nd6 Qd7 Bxa8 ]
5d)
Ratmir Kholmov vs Vladimir Doroshkievich
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