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Here are some chess puzzles from the highest rated games of 2008.
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)
White mates in 2.
Peter Svidler vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Moscow, 2008
8/k1p1q3/Pp5Q/4p3/2P1P2p/3P4/4K3/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qc6 ]

b)
White mates in 3.
Vassily Ivanchuk vs Gata Kamsky, Moscow, 2008
1n1N2rk/2Q2pb1/p3p2p/Pq2P3/3R4/6B1/1P3P1P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nxf7+ Kh7 Qc2+ ]

c)
White mates in 3.
Vassily Ivanchuk vs Boris Gelfand, Moscow, 2008
3R4/1r3pkp/3Np1bp/n3P3/2B5/7P/6P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne8+ if Kg8 Nf6+ ]

d)
White mates in 3.
Ruslan Ponomariov vs Evgeny Alekseev, Moscow, 2008
8/8/p3B1bk/b1P3pp/3QP3/1KN3q1/8/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qh8+ Bh7 Qf8+ ]

e)
White mates in 3.
Evgeny Alekseev vs Sergey Karjakin, Moscow, 2008
5rk1/4Rp1p/1q1pBQp1/5r2/1p6/1P4P1/2n2P2/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxf7+ Rxf7 Re8+ ]

1d)
mate in 3
Ruslan Ponomariov vs Evgeny Alekseev

2008 Puzzles, Part II.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 3.
Sergey Karjakin vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Moscow, 2008
6k1/2r4p/p3b1PP/1pq5/4P3/P5Q1/1P2B3/1K3R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc2+ Ka1 Qc1+ ]

b)
White mates in 4.
Sergey Karjakin vs Loek Van Wely, Nice, 2008
1n3k1r/r2b2p1/1q1P1pPp/p7/1p3Q2/4R2P/PPP2PB1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qc4 if Bc6 d7 or if Bb5 Qc8+ ]

c)
Black mates in 5.
Alexander Morozevich vs Sergei Movsesian, Moscow, 2008
2kb2r1/5Q2/b1P1p2p/1q2P2N/8/1p1r4/6P1/RR5K b - - 0 1
[ ...Rh3+ if gxh3 Qd5+ or if Kg1 Bb6+ Qf2 Bxf2+ Kxf2 Qe2+ ]

d)
White mates in 5.
Vladimir Kramnik vs Ruslan Ponomariov, Moscow, 2008
r1qr1k2/p3p3/1p3b2/2pn1N1Q/7R/1PP4P/1P3PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nh6 if Kg7 Qf7+ ]

e)
White mates in 5.
Veselin Topalov vs Ivan Cheparinov, Sofia, 2008
r1q2r1k/5Rb1/p2P2pp/3Qp1N1/P1B2p1P/8/2b2PP1/4K2R w K - 0 1
[ Rxg7 if Kxg7 Qxe5+ Rf6 Qe7+ ]

2e)
mate in 5
Veselin Topalov vs Ivan Cheparinov

2008 Puzzles, Part III.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 5.
Sergey Karjakin vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Moscow, 2008
2bQ4/5ppk/4q1np/1pB1p2n/1Pp1P2P/2P3P1/2B2PK1/5N2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nf4+ if gxf4 Nxf4+ Kg1 Qh3 ]

b)
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+ ]

c)
White mates in 8.
Alexander Grischuk vs Vladimir Kramnik, Moscow, 2008
6kr/1R4b1/p2Nq3/Qp1pP3/5Pp1/4P1p1/PP4P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ Kh7 Qh4+ Kg8 Rb8+ ]

d)
Veselin Topalov vs Boris Gelfand, Wijk aan Zee, 2008
3r2k1/pp3pp1/2np3p/3p2qB/3P2N1/2Pb1PQP/P5P1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ f4 if Qxh5 Nf6+ ]

e)
Levon Aronian vs Teimour Radjabov, Wijk aan Zee, 2008
5r1k/7p/1n2Br1P/1PpP2p1/2p5/R5P1/8/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ra6 if Nc8 Bxc8 ]

3b)
mate in 7
Ernesto Inarkiev vs Gata Kamsky

2008 Puzzles, Part IV.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Michael Adams vs Loek Van Wely, Wijk aan Zee, 2008
8/2r2p2/3kp2p/1B1b4/5Pp1/P1N3Pn/1P1R3K/8 w - - 0 1
[ Be2 if Nf2 Nb5+ or if Kc5 Bxg4 ]

b)
Levon Aronian vs Loek Van Wely, Wijk aan Zee, 2008
4B1Q1/7p/5p1k/p3b3/1p1r2Pn/8/PP2K3/8 w - - 0 1
[ g5+ fxg5 Qe6+ ]

c)
Sergei Rublevsky vs Vadim Zvjaginsev, Sochi, 2008
2b4k/3r1pbp/p1p3p1/q1p5/2B1P3/3QN3/P1P2PPP/1R4K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxd7 Bxd7 Rb8+ Bf8 Rxf8+ Kg7 Rxf7+ ]

d)
Alexander Grischuk vs Evgeny Alekseev, Moscow, 2008
2b5/7p/3k2pP/1p1p1pP1/1P1P1K2/8/5P2/3B4 w - - 0 1
[ Bh5 gxh5 g6 Be6 gxh7 ]

e)
Alexander Grischuk vs Magnus Carlsen, Moscow, 2008
1r1q2k1/5pp1/pn1b3p/2pP1N2/8/r5P1/4QPBP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qb2 ]

4c)
Sergei Rublevsky vs Vadim Zvjaginsev

2008 Puzzles, Part V.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Vladislav Tkachiev vs Ruslan Ponomariov, Moscow, 2008
r1b1r1k1/ppb2pp1/2nq3p/3p4/3P4/3BBN1P/PP3PP1/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf4 if Rxe1+ Qxe1 Qd7 Bxc7 ]

b)
Veselin Topalov vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Bilbao, 2008
2RrBrk1/3P2p1/5b1p/1p6/p6P/6P1/8/4R2K w - - 0 1
[ Re6 if a3 Rxf6 ]

c)
Ivan Ivanisevic vs Predrag Nikolic, Sibenik, 2008
2r5/5k1n/1pp1b3/p2p2p1/3P2N1/P7/1P1K1PP1/3BR3 w - - 0 1
[ Nh6+ if Ke7 or Kf6 Rxe6+ w/Bg4+ ]

d)
Dmitry Jakovenko vs Evgeny Alekseev, Moscow, 2008
r1b2k2/1p4qB/2n2r1R/1pbp1p1Q/8/2P5/P1PB2P1/R3K3 w Q - 0 1
[ Rxf6+ if Qxf6 Bh6+ Ke7 Bg5 ]

e)
Evgeny Alekseev vs Michael Adams, Motril, 2008
8/Rrk2r2/3p1N1R/2p2P2/3n2P1/8/6K1/8 w - - 0 1
[ Ne8+ if Kd8 Ra8+ or if Kc6 Rxb7 Rxb7 Rxd6+ ]

5d)
Dmitry Jakovenko vs Evgeny Alekseev

2008 Puzzles, Part VI.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Boris Gelfand vs Levon Aronian, Wijk aan Zee, 2008
3r2k1/bb3rp1/p5R1/1p6/5PP1/3p2NP/PP1B4/2RK4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Bf2 if Ba5 Bf3+ Kd2 Bxg3 Bxd8 Bxf4+ ]

b)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Viswanathan Anand, Nice, 2008
7r/1b5r/1QP3k1/2Pp4/P4qp1/8/2R2PB1/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qf3 if cxb7+ Kf5 Bxf3 gxf3 ]

c)
Alexander Grischuk vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Moscow, 2008
4nrk1/1pqR1ppp/p3p3/2r1P3/P7/2N1Q3/1PP3PP/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxc3 if Rxc7 Rxe3 ]

d)
Evgeny Alekseev vs Pavel Eljanov, Moscow, 2008
5rk1/p5pp/1pp5/3p1r2/3Pb1q1/5PB1/PP1Q2PP/4R1RK b - - 0 1
[ ...Qxg3 if fxe4 Rh5 h3 Rf2 ]

e)
Levon Aronian vs Teimour Radjabov, Bilbao, 2008
2k1n1B1/1p6/2pp4/8/2P2PPQ/1P3rNP/6RK/r2q4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rf2 ]

6a)
Boris Gelfand vs Levon Aronian


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