'Tactics in the Sicilian' series
Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Miguel Najdorf.
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)
Miguel Najdorf vs Szapiro, Lodz, 1928
r4bkr/pbp4p/1p1qnp1B/7Q/2BP4/8/PPP2PPP/R5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Re1 if Bc8 Qe8 ]
b)
Black mates in 2.
Glucksberg vs Miguel Najdorf, Warsaw, 1935
r4rk1/pp4pp/2p3n1/3p2N1/2P2PK1/3B2P1/PP5q/R1BQ1RN1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Ne5+ fxe5 h5# ]
c)
Miguel Najdorf vs Gedeon Barcza, Budapest, 1936
1b2r3/5k1p/p3p1pP/4P1B1/7K/1B6/P4Pb1/4R3 w - - 0 1
[ f3 if Bxf3 Rf1 or if Kg8 Kg3 ]
d)
Miguel Najdorf vs Jiri Pelikan, Mar del Plata, 1944
5bk1/1rQ4p/5pp1/2pP4/3n1PP1/7P/1q3BB1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ d6 if Rxc7 dxc7 ]
e)
Black mates in 2.
Carlos Guimard vs Miguel Najdorf, Mar del Plata, 1944
3Q4/pb1N1pkp/1p2p1p1/8/2P1nP2/1P2K3/P5PP/3q4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe1+ if Kf3 Nf6# or if Kd4 Qc3# ]
1b)
mate in 2
Glucksberg vs Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf puzzles, pt. ii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Miguel Najdorf vs Carlos Hounie Fleurquin, Mar del Plata, 1946
1nb1rk2/p3q1pp/1n3p2/1p1p1N2/2pP1PQ1/1PP3P1/P5BP/R1B1rRK1 w - - 0 1
[ Ba3 if Qxa3 Qxg7# ]
b)
Miguel Najdorf vs Carlos Maderna, Mar del Plata, 1946
r1b3k1/pp2q1p1/8/2p1p2r/2P1B1RP/3Q4/PP1R1P2/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd8+ Qxd8 Rxd8+ Kf7 Rxc8 Rxc8 Bg6+ ]
c)
White mates in 6.
Miguel Najdorf vs Christian De Ronde, Buenos Aires, 1945
rn3rk1/6np/3q2p1/3P4/1pBB2P1/pPp2Q1P/P7/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxf8+ Qxf8 d6+ Ne6 Bxe6+ Qf7 Rxf7 ]
d)
White mates in 7.
Miguel Najdorf vs Enrique Falcon, Buenos Aires, 1945
3q1nb1/r6k/p6B/1pp2p1P/4pP2/PP2P3/2P1B1R1/Q5K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg7+ Kxh6 Rxa7 if Ne6 Qh8+ ]
2d)
mate in 6
Miguel Najdorf vs Christian De Ronde
Miguel Najdorf puzzles, pt. iii.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Black mates in 5.
Luciano Camara vs Miguel Najdorf, Buenos Aires, 1948
5brk/2pb3p/1p1p4/p2P1B1q/2PN1Pr1/1P2BK2/P4QP1/5NR1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxf4+ Kxf4 Bxf5 if g4 Rxg4+ or if Nxf5 Qg4# ]
b)
White mates in 5.
Miguel Najdorf vs Gudbjartur Gudmundsson, Amsterdam, 1950
3r1k1q/pbn5/1pp2NB1/3p1P2/2P2bQ1/1P6/P5PP/1K2R3 w - - 0 1
[ Nh7+ if Qxh7 Bxh7 Be3 f6 or if Kg8 Bf7+ ]
c)
White mates in 8.
Miguel Najdorf vs Yosef Porath, Amsterdam, 1954
2rr1k2/p4p1Q/1pq2bpp/3N4/8/P2R3P/1P3PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Ne7 if Bxe7 Qh8# or if Be5 Nxc6 h5 Rxd8+ ]
d)
White mates in 2.
Miguel Najdorf vs Rodolfo Kalkstein, Montevideo, 1954
4r3/2q1rpk1/p3bN1p/2p3p1/4QP2/2N4P/PP4P1/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh7+ ]
e)
White mates in 5.
Miguel Najdorf vs Enrique Reinhardt, Buenos Aires, 1955
r2q1rk1/pbR2p2/1pnQ2p1/8/1P6/P1N5/4B1PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rfxf7 if Rxf7 Qxg6+ ]
3a)
Black mates in 5.
Luciano Camara vs Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf puzzles, pt. iv.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Miguel Najdorf vs Boris Spassky, Goteborg, 1955
3n2k1/1pp1Bp2/r4bp1/3P3p/8/4P1P1/r4PBP/1R1R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ d6 if Rxd6 Bxf6 ]
b)
Black mates in 3.
Fernand Wantz vs Miguel Najdorf, Moscow, 1956
3b2k1/6pp/3p2q1/1pnP4/2p1NP2/R1Pn1r1P/1P2QP1K/5R2 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxh3+ Kxh3 Nxf4+ ]
c)
Rene Letelier vs Miguel Najdorf, Rio de Janeiro, 1957
r1r2bk1/3R1p1p/5qp1/3N4/n7/P2Q1P1P/1P4P1/1KB1R3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rxc1+ Kxc1 Qxb2+ Kd1 Nc5 ]
d)
White mates in 5.
Miguel Najdorf vs Aleksander Matanovic, Mar del Plata, 1960
2r1rn1k/2q3pp/pp1b3N/3b4/6Q1/3B4/PB4PP/3R1R1K w - - 0 1
[ Rf7 ]
e)
White mates in 6.
Miguel Najdorf vs Miroslav Filip, Varna, 1962
4q1k1/7p/p1b1p1pB/1p1nPpQ1/7P/P5P1/1P3PB1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd5 if Bxd5 Qf6 or if Qf7 Bxc6 Qf8 Bd7 ]
4c)
Rene Letelier vs Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf puzzles, pt. v.
The color disk on the diagram indicates who moves first.
a)
Miguel Najdorf vs Julio Bolbochan, Buenos Aires, 1965
r1br1nk1/pp2qpbp/1npp2p1/5P2/1PP1P3/1NN1B3/P2QB1PP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ f6 if Bxf6 Rxf6 Qxf6 Bg5 ]
b)
Miguel Najdorf vs Herman Pilnik, Mar del Plata, 1972
2br2k1/4bpp1/p3p2p/2N5/1P2Q2P/2q1PBP1/5P2/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd8+ Bxd8 Qc6 ]
c)
Miguel Najdorf vs A Seidler, Buenos Aires, 1977
4qnk1/2Q2p2/4rP1p/6p1/3R4/2P1p1BP/6P1/7K w - - 0 1
[ Rd8 if Qc6 Qe7 ]
d)
Miguel Najdorf vs Arnold Denker, Groningen, 1996
rr4k1/5p1p/1ppq2p1/3Nn3/P3PQ2/8/1P4PP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxc6 if Qxc6 Ne7+ ]
5a)
Miguel Najdorf vs Julio Bolbochan
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