Copyright

Copyright* 1978, 2002 by Michaer Stean All rights reserved.

Bibliographical N»te

This Dover edition, first published in 2002, is a new aiaebraic edition of tlie work first published in descriptive notation by Faber A Faber. London, in 1978.

Fted Wilson translated the original 1978 text into algebraic notati»« for this edition. The present edition was designed a.n4 formatted by Jill Meadows,

Library of Congress Cataloging-m-fubiication Data

Steam, Michael.

Simple chess / Michael Stean.—New algebraic ed. / edited and translated into algebraic notation by Fied Vdlson. p. cm. Previous ed.: London : Faber & Faber, 1978. ISBN 0-486-42420-0 (piik.) 1. Chess. 1. Wilsoo, Fred, H. Title.

GV1449.5.S73 2002 794.1—ttc2I

Manufsctured in the United States of America •over Publications, Inc., 31 Iiast 2nd Street, Mineola, N.Y 11501

SIMPLE CHESS

Michael Stean

.Simple Chess is an introduction to chess strategy aimed primarily at those players for whom strategy in chess is an almost impenetrable mystery. By isolating the basic elements and illustrating them through a selection of master and grandmaster games. Simple Chess attempts to break down the mystique of chess strategy into plain, clear, easy-to-understand ideas. The book assumes only a knowledge of chess terminology from the reader.

Simple Chess is not solely a lesson in chess fundamentals, it also represents a style of chess playing which is becoming increasingly prevalent and successful throughout the world. Almost all the games in the book are illustrative of this style which involves a slow-build-up, gradually accumulating small but permanent advantages, with the concept of attack being shelved for the later stages of the game. It is indeed the spread and success of this style of play that prompted the writing of this

Michael Stean, bom in 19S3, is one of this counby's outstanding younger players. £n 1973 he was third in the World Junior Championship; in 1975 he became an International Master; and in 1977 he achieved the supreme accolade of a Grand Master title. Stean retired from competitive chess in 1982 and currently practices as a tax accountant.

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Outposts 17

3. Weak pawns 39

4. Open files 66

5. Half-open tiles: the minority attack 82

6. Black squares and white squares 103

1. Introduction

Don't be deceived by the title—chess is not a simple game—such a claim would be misleading to say the least—but that does not mean that we must bear the full brunt of its difficulty. When faced with any problem too large to cope with as a single entity, common sense tells us to break it down into smaller fragments of manageable proportions. For example, the arithmetical problem of dividing one number by another Is not one that can in general be solved in one step, but primary school taught us to find the answer by a series of simple division processes (namely long division). So, how can we break down the 'problem' of playing chess?

Give two of the uninitiated a chessboard, a set of chessmen, a list of rules and a lot of time, and you may well observe the following process: the brighter of the two will quicldy understand the idea of checlcmate and win some games by 1. e4 2. Bc4 3. QhS 4. Qxf? mate. When the less observant of our brethren learns how to defend his f7 square in time, the games will grow longer and it will gradually occur to the players that the side with more pieces will generally per se be able to force an eventual checkmate. This is the first important 'reduction' in the problem of playing chess—the numerically superior force will win. So now our two novices will no longer look to construct direct mates, these threats are too easy to parry, but will begin to learn the tricks of the trade for winning material (forks, skewers, pins, etc.), confident that this smaller objective is sufficient. Time passes and each player becomes sufficiently competent not to shed material without reason. Now they begin to realize the importance of developing quickly and harmoniously and of castling the king into safety.

So what next? Where are their new objectives? How can the problem be fuither reduced? If each player is capable of ^uick development, castling and of not blundering any pieces away, what is there to separate the

two sides? This is the starting- point of Simple Chesi. It tries to reduce the problem still further by recommending various positional goals which you can worit towards, other things (i.e. material, development, security of l(ing position) being e^ual. Just as our two fictitious friends discovered that the one with more pieces can expect to win if he avoids any mating traps. Simple Chess will provide him with some equally elementary objectives which if attained should eventually decide the game in his favor, subject to the strengthened proviso that he neither allows any mating tricks, nor loses any material en route.

Essentially, Simple Chess alms to give you some of the basic ideas for forming a long-term campaign. It also shows you how to recognize and accumulate smaii, sometimes almost insignificant-looking advantages which may well have little or no short-term effect, but are permanent features of the position. As the game progresses, the cumulative effect begins to make itself felt more and more, leading eventually to more tangible gains. This style of play is simple and economical both in its conception and execution. Combinations and attaclcs are shelved for their proper time and place as the culmination of an overall strategy. Given the right kind of position it is not so difiicult to overwhelm the opposition with an avalanche of sacrifices. The real problem is how to obtain such positions. This is the objective of Simple CJiess.

Undoubtedly the best way to improve your chess is by studying master and grandmaster games. Por this reason I have used a selection of such games as a medium through which to put across the fundamental principles of simple chess. These games are mostly not of the type to capture the limelight of chess literature because they are too simple and unsensationai, but for tliis very reason they are suitable for showing off clearly the basic ideas I want to convey.

As a preliminary to splitting the elements of simple chess into an array of recognizable objectives, as will occur In the ensuing chapters, I want to give you

something of the flavor of what is to come in the form of three introductory games containing most of the concepts and strategies to be elaborated later on. The first is a victory by ex-World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik over the Hungarian International Master Szilagyi in Amsterdam, 1956. One of the truly great masters of strategy, Botvinnik gives a typically powerful and very instructive display. We pick up the play in diagram I with Bttvinnik (While) to move:

a b c d e f

h

The position may at first sight seem quite good for Black. His pieces occupy good squares in the center, his king is very safe and he has a lead in development having already connected his rooks on the back rank while White is a l«ng way fr«m doing so. However, positionally he has problems arising from the exchange of his Qjjeen's Bishop for a Knight. In the long run he v\1ll find difficulty in defending his White squares. We shall see what this means in more tangible terms as the game progresses.

12. b4

A space-gaining move. The center is fixed and White

does n«l want to advance on the Kingside for fear of exposing his own monarch, so the logical zone for expansion is on the CLueenside.

12. ... Bb6

13. a4 Rfd8

Black dare not hit back withl3...a5 because of 14. BaS followed by Nc4 or Nb3 with lots of dangerous possibilities on the a3-f8 diagonal.

14. Q.C2 Rac8

Black already finds himself lacking a good plan. A better idea has 14...Nf8 followed by Ne6 and aS trying to get a grip on c5 or d4. Black's difficulties stem from the fact that he has no good outpost for his pieces.

15. Be2

In contrast Botvinnik's advance has given him a nice square on c4 which he can occupy with either a Knijht or a Bishop.

15. ... cS??

Two question marks for a move which does not actually lose any material may seem a bit harsh, but I want to emphasize the point that before 15...c5 Black merely had problems, but now he is lost.

16. bSl

" m m m. r

^ ^'fm '^'wm '^'w'

% ■ mx ...... mmfi m

?ri? ?LJ? ^^ rl CjLJ

abcdefgh

Why is Black lost? Material is equal and White hasn't got a piece beyond the second rate. The answer lies in the Pawns. White has two beautiful squares •n c4 and d5, plus a mobile Pawn roller on the left flank, whereas Black's Pawns constrict his own pieces terribly, particularly the Bishop. Botvinnik now treats us to a vigorous exhibition of technical chess as he converts these advantages into a win.

16. 17. 18.

Ne8 Nc4 Nd6 BgSl

A surprise tactical shot, but its aims ar* positional. 18. ... f6

The point of the combination. Black is forced to weaken yet another White square (e6) in the heart of his position. Refusal t» fall in with White's plans is even more unpalatable;

(i) 18...axg5 19. Nxd6 Rb8 20. Bc4

(ii) 18...Nf6 19 Ne3 followed by Nd5

20. Bxc4+Kh8

21. aS Bc7

22. Rfdl Nf8

An exchange•f R«olcs will not heal Black's wounds. On the other hand, neither will anything else.

23. aa2 Rxdl+

24. Rxdl Rd8

25. Rxd8 BxdS

26. a6

Conquering }'et another White square (c6) and simultaneously releasing the Q.ueen from her defense of the a Pawn in preparation for more active service.

26. ... b6

27. Kg2

White's control of the position is s* great that he could inscribe his initials on the b«ard with his King if he wanted. Being rather less self-indulgent, Botvinnifc contents himself with one preparatory King move before embarking on the wimUng process On general principles, his King will fsel safer on a White square.

At last an attack, but there's no need for any excitement. The outcome is a mere formality. With a Bishop having the mobilit}' of a tortoise with rheumatism, Black is In no position to offer any real resistance.

29. ... Ne7

30. ac4 h6

31...Qxb5 loses a piece to 32. Qf8+ Kh7 33. QxdS Qxbi 34. Q^eT.

32. Bc4 ad6

33. h4

Botvinnik now weaves a mating net on the Wiiite squares.

3 3. ... adl

34. Q.e8

With tiie threat of Bf7, hS, followed by Bg6+, etc. There's no defense.

34. ,.. f5

35. exfS NxfS

36. Bg8+ Kh8

3 7. Bf 7 + and mates next move.

A perfect illustration of what is known as a White square strategy, something we will explore in more depth later on. For the moment, however, I merely want to draw your attention to the effortless simplicity with which Botvinnik established and drove home his advantage. With the possible exception of 18. Bg5!, none of his moves could in any way be described as surprising or difficult to visualize. They were all really rather obvioas. So why cannot everybody play like that? Well, they can providing they recognize and understand the importance of stnicture. The most important .single feature of a chess position is the activity of the pieces. This is absolutely fundamental in all phases of the game (opening, middlegame and especially endgame), a theme which I hope will become increasingly apparent as the bools progresses. The primary constraint on piece's activity is

the Pawn structure. Just as a building is constructed around a framework of iron girders, a ciiess game is built around an underlying structure of pawns. The difference lies in the fact that the iron framework is fixed, whereas the chessplayer has a certain amount of flexibility with his Pawns.

The job of the chessplayer must therefore be to use his skill to create a Pawn set-up which will allow his own pieces the optimum freedom and stability, while denying his opponent's similar scope. This is the problem of structure, which will be dealt with in some depth.

^ m.

?i^ X ^P ^P X Wi X

,, w^ i

abcdefgh

To take an example, let us go back to the position of ■iagram 2 and examine it from a structural point of view. Removing the pieces from the board, but leaving the pawDS, we have Diagram 3. From this we see very strong stuares or tvtposVs for his pieces on c4 and d5. They are strong because neither can be challenged by a Black Pawn. In contrast, Black has no outposts at all. So arithmetically .speaking White had a 2-0 lead in outposts, a very healthy state of affairs. Bearing this in mind, notice the vital role played by the White Pawn on c3 guarding Black's natural outpost on d4. If White were ever to play the positionally

abysmal c4? he would not only give Black his long awaited outpost, but would also smotber his own c4 square, thus equalizing the outpost score to 1-1 at a stroke. Moreover the damage would be irreversible. Pawns cannot move backwards. if you inadvertently put a piece on a bad square, you can always retract it at the cost of some time (and face), bur in the case of a Pawn you are lumbered with it for the rest of the game. Think twice about Pawn moves, especially in the center.

m

■ 'm m,. Wi

W 'f<^( W!i f&^

a b c d e f

Returning to Diagram 3, is there any way for Black to improve matters, structurally speaking? Certainly. If he could advance cS-c4. the world would suddenly be a much happier place for him. L»ok at Diagram 4. Biack now has three excellent squares cS. d3, and b3, while White has to be content with one (dS). So we see that White's c4 square is strategically the focal point of the position. Just as the outcome of a real battle may depend on c»ntr»l of a high point or mountain dominating the surrounding terrain, a chess game can hinge around the struggle for control of one key square. In this case it is the square c4. Do you recall B«tvinnik's 15th move Be2? It may not have seemed terribly significant at the time, but in fact shows that he

had already fully recognized the strategic Imiiortance •f the c4 square. Clever fellows these Russians'

We now turn our attention to an even more strilcing demonstration of the power and importance of structure, this time given by the great master of defence Tigran Petrosiaxi. The ninth game of his Candidates' Match with Lajos Portisch (Black) started 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 c5 5, g3 d6 6. Bg2 e5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Nc3 0-» 9. d3 NhS 3,0. Nd2 Bg4 11. a3 Bh6 reaching the position of Diagram 5.

5.

9 7 i 5 4 3 2 1 I)

m 1*1 iJm w

m mtMMM

abcde fgh

At a glance the Blaclc pieces may seem to be menacingly poised for a Kingside attaclc. On the other hand a quick lo*k at the Pawn structure reveals that Whitt has an excellent outpost on dS, but how does that help? It certainly has no immediate value, as 12. NdS Nd4l 13. Bxd4 exd4 would allow Black to develop a lot of pressure on the e-file. However, the dS square is there to stay and if it cannot be profitably utilized at present, it is nevertheless a good Investment for the future. With this in mind Petrosian chose.

12. b4!

The classical way to exploit a structural advantage in the center is with a thrust on the flank, but here accurate calculation is also required. In the event of 12...cxb4 T3. axb4 Nxb4 White plays 14. Ba3! (but not 14. Bxb7 Nxd3!) with three possibilities:

(i) 14...Nxd3? IS. h3 now wins a piece.

(ii) 14...Nc5 15. N(d2) e4 winning the d pawn.

(iii) 14...aS 15. Rbl regaining the Pawn with advantage as 15...Nxd3? still fails to 15. h3.

One might reasonably asl< if it was not similar to drive away Black's Bishop with 12. Ii3 before playing b4 so as to avoid all the above complications based on the pin on White's e Pawn. The answer is that White does not want to make any Pawn move in front of his own King until it is absolutely necessary, as it merely provides Black with a ready-made target t» attack. For instance, 12. h3 Bd7 13. b4 f5 and ...f4 could wej! be dangerous for White.

12. ... Nd4

Black has some very dangerous threats. Not only is

13. .Bx4.Z and 14...Nb3 winning the exchange in the cards, but the Tal-like sacrifice 13...Nf4! 14 gxf4 Bxf4 followed by Qh4 is also in the air.

13. h3!

A sense of timing is the key to good defensive play. Here Petrosian accepts the weakening of his Ringside Pawns as he realizes that he can thei-eby completely repulse the attack.

13. ... Be6

14. e3 cxb4

An anti-positional capture, but he has no ahernative. After 1-4...Nc6 IS. bxc5 dxc5 16. Nb3 Qe7 17. Na4 he simply loses a Pawn for nothing.

15. axb4 Nc6

16. b5 Ne7

17. Bxb7

Another well-calculated litOc venture which increases White's positional advantage still further.

17. ... Bxh3

18. BxaS Bxfl

18...Qxa8 19. Qfi is very much the same as the game.

19. Kxfl Cixa8

20. Qf3!

A very strong move, if an equally obvious one. After 20...Qrf3 21.Nxf3 not only is Black struaurally quite lost, but he has not even enough time to defend his a Pawn in view of the threatened g4 and g5 winning a piece.

20. ... Q.b8

This leads to the immediate and rather quaint loss of a iiiece, but there is nothing better to recommend. If you are wondering why Black is so abjectly lost, compare the Pawn structures.

21. g4 Ng7

22. Qf6!

The double threat of Qxcl and Qh4! is decisive. After the further moves 22...N(g7)f5 23. gxfS Nxf5 24. e4 Ng7 25. Kel Nh5 26. Qh4 fS 27. Nd5 Black resigned.

A resoundingly decisive game to win again a World Championship contender, but Petrosian didn't have to work all that hard. His Pawns in their own quiet way did all the work for him.

In both of the preceding games. Black's structural

deficiency has taken the form of weak squares rather than the Pawns themselves be ing weak. In most cases these two effects (weak squares, weak Pawns) go hand in hand, as we shall see. For the moment, here is a game in which White uses the presence of weak Pawns in the enemy camp to tie d«ivn the Black pieces and so launch a mating attack, despite the absence of Qyeens.

Adorjan-Mukhin, Luhacovice, 1973

1. e4 eS 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. 0-0 f6 6. d4 Bg4 7, dxeS Q^cdl 8. Rxdl fxeS 9. Rd3 Bd6 10. Nbd2 Nf6 11. Nc4 Bxf3 12. gxf3 0-0-0

Jk 3^<S ^ ?^^ ■/Ji^'^ ^J^i

f g h

The position is tense. Black's Pawn on e5 is weak, but that is his only weakness. The doubled c Fawns are not weak, not yet at any rate. On the other hand, White's double Pawns could well become weak as they are on an open file. Moreover, Black has an outpost on f4 and if given time for Nh5 and RhfS could easily seize the advantage, so...

13.

BgS

Immobilizing the Knight and threatening Radl, which wins a Pawn.

13. ... b5

The only way to meet the threat of 14. Radl. The life expectancy of 131acic's e Pawn would not be increased by 13,,,h6 14, Bh4 with Eg3 in prospect.

14. Na5 c5

15. c41

Fixing the Black cS Pawn on a vulnerable square before it marches on to the safety of c4.

15. ... RdfS

He needs to unpin the ICnight. lS...b4 woitld allow White to start an attack on the a file with 16. a3, while 15...bxc4 16. Nxc4 is contrary to all Black's aims.

16. cxbS

!n general terms White does not want to life the blockade of the c5 Pawn , but here he has a particularly incisive follow-up.

16. ... axbS

17. a41

The point. White recaptures control of the \ital c4 square by force, for if now 17...c4 then simply It. Rddl and the Pawn on c4 cannot be held.

17. ... bxa4

This lets the White Rooks loose, but 17...b4 18. Nc4 Ne8 is also dreadful for Black. It is no accident that White's

conquest of the c4 square is rapidly followed by the collapse of Black's game.

18. Nc4 Ne8

19. Rxa4

Black's tortuous maneuvers (the Rook has moved to enable the Knight to defend the Bishop which defends his Pawns!) have maintained material equality, but left his King out in the cold. A typical example of the necessity to defend weaknesses drawing the defending forces out of position.

19. ... Kb7 What else?

20. f4l

The attack begins in earnest. If now 20.. .exf4, then 21. e5 Rf5! 22. Bxf4! Be7 (22...Rxf4 23. Nxd6+) 23. NaS+ gets to grips with the Black King.

Or 22...Nxd6 23. Rb3+ Kc8 (23...Kb3 24. NeS mate) 24. NeS winning.

23. Rb3+ Kc8

24. Ra7

Black is helpless against the threat of Rbb7 followed by Nb6+ mating. His pieces are mere spectators.

24. ... d5

25. exdS Resigns.

The moral behind this trilogy of games should be clear: Look after your Pawns and your pieces will look after themselves. To 'look after' one's Pawns is not the most difficult thing in the world, and the next few chapters illustrate how this can be done and how the pieces can be made to cooperate with their Pawns.

2. Outposts

We all like to attack. There is a streak of sadism running through every chessplayer that helps him to sit back contentedly sipping a cup of tea while his opponent, head in hands, tries frantically to avert mate in three. But where do attacks come from? The mere action of pushing one or two pieces in the general direction of the enemy King does not constitute an attack. In general a successful attack can only be launched from a position of strength in the center of the board. This 'posiMon of strength' can take various forms, the simplest being an outpost.

As the name suggests, an outpost is a square at the forefront of your position which you can readily support and from where you can control or contest squares in the heart of the enemy camp. To be useful an outpost must be firmly under control and so should ideally be protected by a Pawn. Conversely your opponent should not be given the opportunity to deny you access to your outpost, so in particular itmustbe Immune to attack by enemy pawns.

This last condition is far and away the most important and can indeed almost be taken as the defining property of an outpost.

So as not to blur the issue with too many words let us l»ok at some examples of outposts purely in terms of Pawn structure. In Diagram 7, there are plenty to be seen. White, from a structural point of view, ha.<; outposts on dS, b6, b4, g4. One might also regard c4 and a4 as outposts, for although they are not supported by Pawns, they certainly are immune from attack by them. Black has supported outp»sts on f4, g3, and unsupported ones on gS and hS. You may have noticed that all of White's outposts are on the Qiieenside, Black's on the Kingside, so with such a Pawn structure one would normally expect to see White attacking on the left (lank, and Black on the right.

This is all very theoretical and hyp«thetical, far from the stark realism of practice. For example, one rarely encounters the plethora of outp»sts seen in Diagram 7. You often have to be satisfied with one, or less!

abcdefgh

Tal-Bronstein, 26th Soviet Championship, Tiflis 1959

I. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. BbS a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Rel b5 7. BbS d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 cS

II. d4 Nc6 12, Nbd2 Qb6 13. dxc5 dxc5

8.

« m±m±

abcde fgli

A quick look at the Pawn structure reveals that White has one outpost (on d5), Black has none. However, life is not quite so simple, as White is not the master of his c4 square, so Black can at any time create an outpost on d3 by playing c4. A typical state of affairs in these Ruy Lopez positions.

14.

Nfl

This Knight is tht obvious candidate for residence on d5, and so heads for the jumping-off square e3, from where it incidentally also eyes the f5 square.

14. 15. 16.

Be 6 Ne3 RadS ae2 g6

a b c d e f

For the moment Bronstein has everything under control. White's outpost on d5 is well covered and his Knight has also been denied the fS square. So what is there for White to do? The answer must be to harass the defenders of the dS square.

17. Ng5 C4!

Black quite rightly refuses to be bullied into retreating his Bishop. He fully realizes the importance of White's outpost on dS, and so is willing t» allow his Pawns to be shattered by

18. Nxe6 fxefi in order to take it away from him forever,

18.

a4

Unable to make any further headway In the center, Tal creates a diversion on the wing. In doing so he slightly weakens his own (lueenside (Black now has an outpost on b3), but this is acceptable as the latent power of his dS outpost prevents Black from undertaking anything active on the Queenside. If, for example, Black tries the natural 18...Nd7, heading for cS and his own outposts on d3 and b3.

White's game suddenly springs to life with 18. axbS axbS 1?. NdS!

18. ... Kg7

A useful move, improving his King position and waiting for White to show his hand.

19. axbS axbS

20. Rbl

Preparing to challenge Black's Queenside supremacy with b3. The dissolution of Blade's c Pawn would destroy his outposts before his pieces ever got near them.

White's maneuvers on the Queenside are not so much aimed at improving his own position as at eroding his opponent's—a sort of sabotage campaign.

20. ... NaS

To discourage b3.

21. Nf3!

A good time to admit that his Knight is serving no useful purpose on gS. As already pointed out, there is no future in taking the Bishop as Black recaptures with the Pawn and White's proud outpost is no more.

21. ... Qcl

22. Nd51

The moment we've aJl been wasting for, not to mention the White Qjieen, Rook and Bishop who have been patiently queuing up behind the e Pawn for some time. White's decision to play his trump card is now prompted by the fact that Black's Knight has been drawn out of play to aS. This may not seem to be very significant, but with the rapid opening up •! the position which must surely follow, the absence of even a single piece from tlie central field of battle will cause great difflculti^ for Black.

22.

BxdS

The alternative 22.,.NxdS 23. exdS BxdS 24. NxeS give."! White a dangerous attack as he not only threatens to win a Pawn with 25. Nxg6, but also to launch a direct assault on the {Slack King with 2S. Ng4 or 25. Qe3. A good example of an attack arising naturally from a "position of strength in the center", the position of strength in this case being the d5 square,

23. exdS Rt'eS

A flexible move. He wants to see which way White 22

will take the e Pawn before deciding how to capture the d Pawn.

24. QjceS Q;£e5

25. NxeS NxdS

26. Ral

White's position is beginning to flow very smoothly.

26. 27. 28.

Nb3 Bxb3 cXbS Bh6+!

11.

akcdefgh

A stunning blow. If 28...Kxh6, then 29. Nxf7+ Kg7 30. NxdS RxdS 31. Ra5 and Black is under great pressure. In tl>e endgame an active Rook and a Pawn often outweigh Bishop and Knight, particularly so in this case as Black's Queenside Pawns are very vulnerable, e.g. 3]...Rb8 32. Re.S BdS 33. Ra3! (33. Ra7+ Nc7 may hold) picking off a second Pawn.

Notice the tremendous energy which has been released from the White position from 22. Nd5!.

2 8. ... KgS

Plagued by time trouble, Bronstein tries to play safe and runs into worse trouble. Grim tliough it may be, he must take the Bishop.

29. Nc6 Rc8

30. Radl Rxc6

31. Rxd5

There is no defense to the double threat of Rxe7 and RxbS. The game concluded 3 l...f6 32. RxbS g5 33. Rxb3 Kf7 34. Rb7 Re6 35. Rxe6 K.xe6 36. h4 Rg8 37. f4 BcS+ 38. Kfl gxh4 39. RbS Rc8 40. f5+ Kd6 41. b4 h3 42. RxcS h2 43. Bf4+ resigns.

An instructive and exciting display of outpost play.

Particularly noteworthy was the terrible restraining influence exerted on Black by the continual 'threat' of NdS. Having completed his development very harmoniously, Black found it extremely difficult to undertake any aaive plan without allowing the inevitable NdS. Indeed, he only has to decentralize one piece (20...Na5) and the White Knight jumped down his throat.

We have just seen how an attack can spring from a central outpost. More obviously, an outpost in the vicinity of the enemy King is an excellent platform from which an offensive can be launched.

Benko-Najdorf, Los Angeles 1963

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 cS 3. dS d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Be2 0-0 7. Nf3 eS 8. BgS h6 9. Bh4 gS 10. Bg3 NhS 11, h4 Nf4 12. hxgS hxgS X3. Bfl Bg4 14. (Ic2

abcdefah

Black has mishandled the opening. True, he has firmly established his Knight on f4, but in doing so he has also given White an outpost on fS. An eye for an eye you might well say, but White's eye is dangerously near the Black King while the White King still has the right of abdication to the Queenside.

14.

Bxf3?

A further misconception. Black needs this Bishop to have any chance of contesting the f 5 square.

15. 16.

gxf3 Nd7 0-0-0

With the disappearance of the White King, Black's impressive-looking outpost on f4 bears little relevance to the position compared to White's. The one thing White must avoid is taking the Knight, as Black would gleefully recapture with the e Pawn thereby releasing his Bishop and giving himself outposts on eS and d4.

16.

Re8

25

Preparing to defend his Ringside wiih Nf8. 17. Bh3!

13.

«i^^^."^^

a,£^S;*» ^

a b c d e f

lound for fS. If tlie lishop is not taken, White can simply close his eyes and play I[5,Rh2,Rtlhl, Ndl-e3. When he opens them again, he is sure to find a win fairly quickly.

Blacls is condemned to total passivity, whereas White can maneuver almost ad inlinitum for an opening. Such positions are invariably lost for the defender in the long run, but here White immediately produces a neat and incisive finale.

24. f4

14.

f 8 li

24. ... exf4

25. ahSl Ne5

If 25...ficg3, then 26. teg6 and ihere is no way to avoid Rh8 mate, while 25...Kf? 26. Q.h7 Rg8 27. Nh6+ also wins out of hand.

26. CUi7 +

Black resigns on account of 26,.,Kf7 27. Qxg7+ Ke8 28. gxf8+ Kxf8 29.Rh8+ and 30. Rxd8

in most cases outposts, or potential outposts, are cleaily apparent from the Pawn structure, but occasionally, a keen strategical eye is needed to realize the importance of a certain .square. The Lord gave Botvinnik two very keen strategical eyes.

Botvinnik-Donner,

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 dS 4. Bg2 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. b3. b6 7. Bb2 Bb7 8. cxdS NxdS 9. d4 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nbd2 Nd7 12. a3 N<S)f6 13. b4 Be7

The center of the board appears to be a demilitarized zone and there is certainly no sign of any outposts. While's next move adds a new dimension to the position.

14. Nd4!

Sensing that c6 can be made into an effective outpost for the Knight, as he can support it with a tiraeJy Pawn move tobS.

14.

Bxg2

If he tries to cover the c6 square with 14...Nd5, then White replies l.S. e4 N(5)f6 (l.S..,Nc7 16. Rcl secures the vital square) 16. eS Nd3 17. Nc4 and White suddenly has an outpost on d6.

IS. 1«.

Kxg2 Q.C7 Q.b3 Rfc8

The right Rook to put on c8, as he may later want to challenge a White Pawn on b5 by a6.

28

17. 18.

Rfcl Q.b7+ Qf3\

An exchange of Queens would suit White very nicely— 18...tKf3+ 19. N(Z)xf3 followed by Nc6, Rc2, Racl with a complete stranglehold on the game.

If White can ever establish his Knight on c6, the Black Rooks will be suffocated.

18.

Nd5!

A Clever defensive maneuver designed to defend ilie c6 square by blocking the long diagonal.

19. 20.

e4 bS

N(5)f6

16.

a b c d e f g li

The struggle is reaching a critical point. Butvinnik has completed his preparations for Nc6, so the question arises: Can Black engineer enough exchanges to nullify the smothering effect of Nc6? Let us look at some tries:

(i) 20...R.XC1 21. Hxcl Rc8 22. Nc6! Bc5(or f8) is precisely the kind of thing Black is trying to avoid. White

can follow up with Zi. Nc4 and 24. Rdl, the advanced Knight rendering Black helpless against the build-up on the d file.

(ii) 20...Ne5(!) 21. Qel Rxcl 22. Rxcl Rc8 23. Rxc8 QxcS 24. f4 Ned? 25. Nc6 Bf8, when grabbing a Pawn with 26, Nxa7 would be reckless on account of the reply 27...Qe2!. Instead 26. Nc4 maintains White's initiative, but the total exchange of Rooks had eased the defense a little.

In the game, Donner tries a different approach which Involves exchanging all the Rooks •n the a file, but is surprised by White's 2.'>th move.

20. ... a6

21. Nc6 Bf8

22. a4 axbS

23. axbS Rxal

24. Rxal RaS

17.

25.

Rdl!

A deep move. Botvinnik realizes that his opponent can do little on the a file (25.,.Ra2 26. ti53 or even 26. Nc4) and that he needs a pair of Rooks on the board to make full use of his outposts.

A symptom of White's pressure. His Queenside advance has left Black with an outpost on c5, but the immediate occupation with 25...Nc5 loses a Pawn after 26. Bxf6.

26. Nc4 Nc5

27. e5

Unveiling some deadly tactical possibilities on tiie long diagonal, which lead Black in viitual zugzwang, viz.

(i) 27...NC7 28. Rd7! Nxd7 29. Ne7+ winning the Q.ueen,

(ii) 27...Na4 28. Ne7+! Quel 29. Qxa8

(iii) 27...Ra4 28. Rd8 Rxc4 29. Rxc8 with the deadly threat of Ne7+.

(iv) 27..jai8 (to cut out the Nc7+ possibilities) 28. Nxb6! Qxb6 29. Qxfl and the Bishop is lost ( 29...NC7 30. Rd8!).

You may wonder why all these combinations are suddenly bouncing into the picture. The answer is that combination possibilities almost invariably accompany an overwhelming positional superiority, such as Ihe one White has here.

27. ... Rc8

28. Ral

Wins! The threat is Ra7 winning the Queen, and 28...Ra8 loses to 29. Rxa8 Cica8 30. Ne7+, a familiar theme.

28. ... Rc7

Or28...Qc7 29. Ra7 Nb7 30. Bd4 BcS 31. Bxc5 bxc5 32. N(c6)a5

29. Ra7 Q;ca7

30. Nxa7 Rxa7

31. Nxb6 Resigns.

31

Thus far we have seen h»w an outpost can act as a pivot about which the game swings to and fro. Rather like the truiilc of a tree, an outpost is a central pillar from which branches of attack grow naturally. Vou only have to be careful that you do not choose a branch that breaks off as you crawl along it. Fine, but what happens when >'ou sit at the board and you have n« outpost? You can build one.

Fischer-Gadia, Mar del I'lata 1960

1. e4 cS 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. BC4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. 0-0 Bb7 9. f4 Nc6? (9...Nbd7) 10. Kxc6 Bxc6

18.

a b c d e f g h

White has no outpost and his e Pawn is hanging, but he d»es have a lead in development. If he tries to utilize this by blindly hacking his way through the center with 11. e5? he will not be impn>ssetl with the result after ll,..dxeS 12. fxeS BcS+ 13. Khl Qxdl 14. Rxdl Ng4. A bit more subtlety is required—he needs an outpost, so...

11. fS!

e5

M.

Giving way witliout a fight. Less obliging is 10...Q.«I7, though after 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Q.d4! Be7 13. Bg5 White has an en«luring initiative, if no outpost as yet.

Blaclc's most interesting move here is 10...b4 trying to drive the Knight well away from d5 hefore conceding the square, i.e. 10...b4 11. Na4 e5! and White's outpost is a little useil to him as he cannot occupy it. This idea would worlc very well for Black were it n«i that he is mauled by the piece sacrifice 10...h4 11. fxe6! bxc.^ 12. exf7+Ke7 (12...Kd7 13. e5) 13. Qel! Some sample lines:

(i) 13...cxb2 14. Bxb2 (threatening e5) Nxe4 15. Rf4 d5 16. Rxe4+! dxe4 17. Ba3+ with a savage attack.

(ii) ]3...Qb6+ 14. Be3 Qb7 15. e5! dxeS 16. Qxc3 etc.

(iii) 13...QC7 14. axc3 Nxe4 15. ah3 an«l Black has terrible problems.

1 give these lines to illustrate the role played by White's lievelopment advantage. It is not in itself sufficient to force home a mating attack, but it does force Black to make positional concessions (conceding the d4 square) in order to avoid meeting a grisly end. Attacking play and positional play are not incompatible opposites. On the contrary, they go hand in hand.

12. ad3

His positional goal (an outpost) attained. White must return to more mundane affairs namely the defense of his e Pawn.

12. ... Be7

13. Bg5!

When an outpost has been setup the next and most logical thing t« do is chase off, exchange, or harass defending pieces which cover the square in question. Here White takes the opportunity to trade his Black-square Bishop (which can never itself control d5) for the enemy Knight which does control dS, thereby making his outpost an absolutely permanent feature of the position. Black could and probably should have prevented this with 12...h6.

All according to plan.

15. ... Bxf6

16. BdSI

BeaurifuUy simple. The last defender of dS is eliminated.

The final preparation for Nd5 which if played at once could be met by 18...Qcl4! 19. %>:d4 exd4 and Black has good chances to save the endgame as the White e and c Pawns are rather weak.

±BHii M ■ "■■"tH^PiB

mXm

abcdefgh

"This is tlie kind of position 1 get in my dreams," was Fischer's comment on reaching a position similar to this one as White in a skittles game against the late Russian Grandmaster, Leonid Stein. Fischer then proceeded to prove that even he is human by losing it. In fact, the position Fischer remarked upon was much less favorable for White than this one. Here, the White Knight seemingly dominates the whole board and is completely unassailable. Black cannot exchange it off for anything less than a Rook, but can undertake nothing while the tyrannical beast rules.

20. 21.

Be7

Ral!

What bridge players term a s a safely play. White can virtually win this position as he pleases, but Fischer characteristically chooses the line ol minimum risk. His plan is simply to play a4 and Black's Queenside fawns will prove to be indefensible.

A more adventurous, but less scientific, approach would be 21. fi Bxf6 22. Kxfft!? gxf6 23. Kfl with a strong attack.

35

f6

This loses, but so does everything else, e.g. 21...Bf8 22. a4 bxa4 (22...RbS 23. Nb4 Rcb6 24. aS R(6)b7 25. Nt6) 23. Rxa4 and the a Pawn soon falls.

22.

a4

Rb8?7

Black is losing a Pawn at least, but evidently not one to do things by halves, he gives away a Rook instead.

23. Nxe7+Resigns

On account of 23...Q;<e7 24. Qsl5+.

We have so far seen illustrations of how to set up, secure and exploit outposts, but no clue has been given as how to play against an outpost. The most usual way to counter an enemy outpost is to cover it with as many pieces as possible so that when he occupies it with a piece, you can capture enough times to force him eventually to recapture with a Pawn.

20.

^fjn:^ mi^ w&. jv %(v^

m im

'«T±??W.«

abcdefgh

For example, in Diagram 20, White has an outpost on 36

eS, but NeS can always be met by NxeS and after recapturing with the Pawn, his oatp»st is gone. Clearly he needs to bring another minor piece to bear on eS, so White to move would play 1. Bg5 and follow It up with Bh4 and Bg3. If on the other hand Black is on the move, he would seek to prevent this. I..,h5 is the obvious way, but a more active solution is preferable—namely l...Qe8 (so as to meet 2. Bg5 with 2...Clh5! threatening llxfS) or l...Q!.i6. Either move gives Black a fine position.

21.

abcdefgh

If you are unable to cover your opponent's outpost, then extremely active harassing tactics are needed. Kagram 21 shows a marked structural resemblance to Diagram 19, but the position features a vital difference—the White Knight has not yet reached d5. Indeed it is at least four moves away. This gives Black some breathing space, which he must make good use of. After the Knight reaches d5 he is lost.

The diagrammed position occurred in the game Unzicker-Fischer, Varna 1962. Fischer continued:

1.

Ra4!

Immobilizing the Knlghl (2, Nd2? Rd4).

2. c3 aa6

Not falling to the trap 2...Rfa8 3. Qxa8+!

3. h37

Relieving the non-existent back rank threats. He should pJay 3. Radl, threatening Ncl, Nd3, and Nb4.

3. ... RcS

4. Rfel h6

5. Kh2

White Is playing planlessly. He may have been intending 5. Rxa4faxa4 6. Ncl, but 6...a3 sees Black breaking through on the Qjieenslde.

5. ... Bg5

Black's position i s looking very good.

6. g37 Q^7

7. Kg2 Ra2l

With the double threat of Rxb2+ and Rxc3. Surprisingly there's no defense.

8. Kfl Rxc3!

Resigns, as after 9. Rxa2 (9. bxc3 QfZ mate) Rf3+ 10. Ke2 Rf2+ 11. Kdl Qxa2 his position is wrecked. The poor Knight never even moved!

The lesson to be learned here is that structure alone is not quite everything. The pieces must be able to coordinate with the Pawn structure. After all, what use is a body without a soul?

3. Weak Pawns

In the previous chapter we looked at Pawn structure from the point of view of outposts and how an outpost acts as a pivot, about which the pieces can swing into action. Without such an outpost as foundation, pieces tend to lack the stability necessary for a successful assault and are liable to be driven back in confusion. It is sheer folly to try to attack directly a well coordinated and developed position. Many players underestimate the defensive resources inherent in such positions and will in game after game bash tlieir heads against a brick wall instead of using their heads to first weaken the cement. The point ihey repeatedly fail to appreciate is that a very definite superiority in force is needed to ensure that an attack will be successful. This superiority can take either one of two forms:

(1) Better development. Ihis is simply a case of superiority in numbers, the aggressor being able to feed more pieces into the attack than the defender has available to fight them off.

(ii> Better coordination. This is a much more subtle form of advantage which one must workhard to build up. The idea is to disarm the defense by first tying its pieces down to the defense of certain points, so that when the storm does break they have veiy little scope or opportunity to react.

Here we concern ourselves primarily with the second condition. Outposts provide the necessary stability for the attacker, but something must also be done to destroy the defender's coordination. This is where the second aspect of Pawn structure, weak Pawns, comes in. If the defending forces can be reduced to the menial task of protecting Pawns, they will not be able to offer much opposition to a full-scale offensive.

So what exactly is a weak Pawn and how is it recognizable? The answer is both simple and logical. A weak Pawn is one which cannot be protected by another Pawn and so requires support from its own pieces. Note

that the criterion is the Ability to be protcctcti by another Pawn, not the existence of such protection. Take the example of two adjacent Pawns on, say, d4 and c4. Neither protects the other but each has the ability to be guarded by the other, by advancing. We must therefore say that the weakness or strength of two adjacent Pawns depends on whether or not they are able to advance if the necessity arises.

22.

mXm ■%»

abcde fgh

Diagram 22 gives us an example of adjacent Pawns (d6, c6) which are very definitely weak, because neither can move. dS is never feasible, as it leaves the e Pawn in the soup after the reply exdS (note for this purpose the power of the White Rook on el), while c5 leaves Black riddled with holes. The continuation of the game Hedit-Forintos illustrates well the combination of outpost play (f 5) and the exploitation of weak Pawns.

1.

BgS

A simple developing mo'/e which exerts great pressure on the Black Pawns. White has many threats to win a Pawn, including the spectacular 2. NxeSI

Hack has no choice but to defend passively. If he tries to iron out his weaJinesses with l...Bxg5 2. Nxg5 d5, he merely tees himself up for the knockout punch, viz. 3, %h5 h6, and now White can win spectacularly by 4. N.xhG-r gxh6 5. Q.xh6 RfeS (forced) 6. Re3! with a winning attack for the piece, or settle for the methodical 4. Nxf7 #.xf7 5. Qxg6! Q)(g6 6. Ne7+ Kh7 7. Nxg6 Kxgfi 8. exdS winning a Fawn.

Athought White cannot hope to achieve success by a direct Ringside attack. Black's frantic attempts to cover up his weaknesses could well set something up for him.

2. Rcl

Turning the focus of attention to the c Pawn (he threatens to win it by capturing twice on e7), while preserving the harmony of the White position.

2. ... Rac8

3. Rc3!

A multipurpose move illustrating clearly the maleffects of weak Fawns. White creates options to double on the c file (with Q!:2), double on the d file (Rd3) or possibly transfer the Rook to g3 at some later date. Black has no opportunity to reciprocate, but must on every move be prepared to meet each contingency. We see a definite rift between the mobility of the two armies opening up. When the gap becomes wide enough White will be able to bludgeon his way through the Black position without encountering much resistance.

3. ... BxgS

4. Nxg5 Nf4

5. g3 BhS

I f S...Ne6, 6. Qg4 i s extremely unpleasant for Black.

41

6. QdZ Ne6

7. Nxe6 Q;«e6

8. OgS

Suddenly it's all over. There arc three different threats (dxg? mate, Qxh5 Ne7+) and no defense to all of them.

The speed of capitulation should make it abundantly clear that pieces tied to the defense of weak Pawns are often unable to defend themselves.

The most common form of Pawn weakness encountered in practical play is the isolated Pawn—one which has lost its neighbors and stands alone in face of the enemy. Such a Pawn has two basic deficiencies: firstly it requires defense, and secondly the squares immediately in front of it make ideal outposts for the other player. To see in more tangible terms what this means, let us look at a famous game Fischer won on his road to the World Championship against an ex-World Champion Tigran Petrosian.

White: Fisher, Black; Petrosian Candillate's Match (Game 7), Buenos Aires 1971

abcdefgh

Black has built up a very solid-looking Pawn center, but only at the cost of neglecting his development. Fischer uses the time he has gained, not to launch any violent offensive (Black's position is quite solid enough to absorb anything like that), but to break up the Black center before its pieces have the chance to support it. A Pawn center must be adequately supported by pieces to be effective, else it merely becomes a target to attack.

8. ... Nf6

Under no circumstances can Black consider recapturing away from d5, as this would leave him with 'split' Pawns on a6, c6 whose weakness would plague him for the rest of the game. A plausible alternative was 8...d4, trying to keep the center dosed, but yet another non-ieveloping move must be regarded with some suspicion.

9. cxd5 cxd5

10. exdS exdS

Ideally Black would prefer to recapture with the

4.^

Knight, but after the reply 11. Be4! he would in the long run be unable to avoid the isolation of his Pawn owing to the pin on the diagonal.

Having successfully saddled Black with two isolated Pawns, Fischer now gives us a perfect lesson in how to go about taking full advantage of tliem.

11. Nc3 Be7

12. aa4 + !

A deep move. Given time to castle, play Bb7 and d4, Black would be very happy. Remember, weak Pawns are only a handicap if they result in the pieces being driven to bad or passive squares in order to defend them. Now however, 12.-.i5d7 13. 0.(14 gives the White Queen a dominating view of the world while leaving the Black pieces hemmed in behind the d Pawn. Rather than submit to this, Petrosian sets a cunning trap.

12- ... ad7l?

13. Rell

Fischer does not allow his vision t o b e biurred by a lust for materialism. He could win the exchange by 13. Bb5 axbS 14. (i(a8, but after 14...0-0, ,.,Bb7and ...d4 Klack's whole position suddenly springs to life and White finds himself in trouble. Always be wary of grabbing material at the cost of the coordination of your pieces.

13. ... 0^*4

14. Nxa4 Be6

15. Be3 0-0

± "■'"■■ "■"""■"'■■'"■■ ""'" ^ '^ ^

abcde fgh

A convenient time to stop and reassess the situation. The exchange of Qpeens has helped White somewhat, in that without Queens less can happen to interrupt or obscure the basic flow of the game. Nevertheless White's overall strategy remains unchanged. He must use the weakness of the two isolated Pawns to tie down the Black pieces while maximizing the activity of his own.

16.

Bc5

One of the secrets of endgame play is to realize which pieces to exchange, which to retain. Here White wants to tradeoff the Black-squared Bishops for two reasons:

(i) As the weak Pawns stand on White squares, the Black-squared Bishop is the only piece which cannot be tied down to their defense.

(ii) White wants to use the c5 square as an outpost for his Knight.

45

The next logical step in the chain. Having just traded the 'right' pair of Bishops, he doe.'i not want the Black Pawns to run away onto Black squares, for in that case he will have traded the wrong Bishops! Now White can always meet ...a5 with b5 and the massive passed Pawn must prove decisive. ThLs process of fixing weaknesses on squares where they are most readily assailable is particularly common and should always be borne in mind when playing against weak Pawns.

It is also worth noting that b4 establishes the outpost on c5. Whether you approach the position from the point of view of outposts or weaknesses, the move 18. b4! cries out to be played.

18. ... Kf8

In endgames the King is a very powerful piece and should be used as such. The immediate value of this move is to unpin the Bishop, but in the longer term Black would like to bring his King to d6 from where it would probably cement his position together.

19. NcS Bc8

20. f3

White also need.sto use his King. Despite the fact that each of his pieces is more actively placed than its opposite number there is no immediate ft'ay to break through, so the King must be used to increase the pressure.

Mistaken would be 20. Rxe7 K>:e7 21. KeU Kd6 when Black can probably hold the position, it is important not to allow the Black King across the e file. Once on the %ieenside it can to some extent release the pieces from their task of defending Pawns for more active service.

20.

A very curious move, but its motivation is worth closer study. There are no points in the White position to counter attack, so Blacli must seek some method of 'improving' his own position. The obvious try is to bring the Kinf to d6, but Che only available route Ke8, Kd8, Kc7, Kd6 is both long and hazardous. The other possibility is to transfer the Bishop to a more active defensive p«st. At the moment the Bishop effectively defends the a Pawn, but piays no further part in the game, other than interfering with the Rooks' coordination and generally getting in the way.

It could fulfill its duties much more efficiently from bS, but the problem is how to get there. The normal tsy would he 2»...Nd7 21. Nb3 (exchanges help the defense) 22. Bfl Bd7 intending BbS on the next turn. At this point however the weakness of the d Pawn takes Its toll, for after 23. Redl (not 23. Radl BbS 24. RxdS? Nxf3+!) Black must abandon his plan in order to save the Pawn. Petrosian's move has the same idea (Bd7, BbS) in mind.

21. ReS Bd7

47

According to plan.

22. Nxd7+

A slightly surpri.<;ing decision in that one would not normally want to trade such a dominating Knight for a struggling Bishop, but here the exchange enables Hscher to penetrate with his Rooks. It is really a question of trading one advantage (superior minor piece) for another (superior Rooks).

22. ... Rxd7

23. Rcl Rd6

To try to free the other Rook f r«m the defense of the a Pawn.

24. Rc7 Nd7

25. Re2 g6

Black has been totally starved of constructive moves. Let us examine the position in detail to see why:

(a) rf the Knight moves, there comes Ree7 winning.

(b) King moves also allow Re7.

(c) If Black tried to trade off his passive Rook with 2S,..Re8, White would complete the tying-up process by 26. Rxe8+ KxeS 27. Ra7 Nb8 28. bS! (There are other ways to win, but this is the neatest) 28...axbS 29. BxbS+ Kf8 (29...Nd7) leads to a lo.<;t King and Pawn endgame after 30. Kf2 Kd8 31. Bxd" Rxd7 32. Rxd7i- Kxd7 33. Ke3 Kd6 34. Kd4 etc.) 30. Rb7i RdS 31. Kf 2 and Black has no moves at all. White simply blockades the d Pawn with his King and Qjjeens the a Pawn.

(d) Obviously t!)e Rook on d6 cannot move.

(e) 25.,.a5 26. EbS N moves 27. Ree7 etc.

The neces.sity to guard two isolated Pawns has reduced Black to Pawn moves alone. White now only has to add one more weight, namely his King, and the scales must tip.

27. f4

With the idea Kg3, Kli4, K.g5 and fS.

The King has been denied an entrance on the Kingside, but the chessboard is a b>% piace. There is plenty of room on the other side.

29. ... d4+

Naturally Kd4 must be prevented.

3t. Kd2 Nb6

Rather than wait for the King to ooze in, Petrosian malces a final bid for some counteiplay. Purely passive defense would lose t«, inter alia, the plan of Bc4, Kd3 and Re6.

31. Ree7 Nd5

32. Rf7+ Ke8

33. Rb7 Nxf4

34. Bc4! Black resigns.

49

SW^ . ^

wMMJmJM

^..■•i.s^

abcde fgh

A quaint final position wtiich shows the immense power of even a small coordinated force. Despite having a Pawn more, Black is quite helpless in face of the threat of Rg7 and Rg8 mate. E.g. 34...g5 35. Rg7 Rf6 (35...Ng6 36. Bf7+) 36. Rg8+ Rf8 37 Bf7+.

A truly classic game, one worth continual restudy. It shows with perfect simplicity all the steps necessary to transform a superior Fawn structure into a win. The one underlying theme running through the whole game is the way the Black pieces are systematically deprived of all mobility.

5«

'■' 'W, ''^M W

W WmW

a b c d e f

h

Next we look at doubled Pawns, a subject littered with common misconceptions. Contrary to popular belief, doubled Pawns are not invariably weak but in many cases are definitely advantageous. Naturally doubled isolated Pawns are to be avoided, but there is no reason to fear having doubled Pawns when no isolation of Pawns occurs.

For example, in the following line of the Vienna Opening 1. e4 eS 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nc6 4. d3 Bb4 5. Nf 3 d6 6. •-• Bxc3 7. bxc3 NaS 8. Bb3 Nxb3 9. axb3 •-• U. c4 (»iagram 27), the only effect of the doubled Pawns is to give White a small but unquestionable advantage. Why? Basically because White has more central Pawns than his opponent (he leads by two c Pawns to one). In the opening and middlegame center Pawns are more valuable than flank Pawns. Moreover the White Pawns provide a very effective barrier against the enemy Bishop without any way impeding their own Bishop. Above all there is no question of White having any weak Pawns—they all protect each other, cxcBpt for the 'base' at c2 which is completely unas.sailable. There is of course very little wrong with the Black position either, but the Danish Grandmaster Bent Larsen has been able to turn White's slender advantage into a win. It requires infinite patience and perfect technique, but it is possible.

51

The pros and cons of doubled Pawns may be thought of in tenns of a military line along which forces are evenly distributed. One can reinforce a certain part of the line only at the cost of weakening another. Naturally the value of the policy depends on how serious the weakening effect is. To translate this notion into chess terms consider the Pawn complex e3, f3, f2, h2. The Pawn triplet on e3, f3, f2, is by itself quite strong as it controls a lot of central squares without exhibiting much to attack. The weakness lies with the isolated h Pawn and the squares in front of it. Returning to the context of our analogy we can say that the center has been strengthened at the cost of weakening the flank. If the latter effect turns out to be inconsequential then the doubling of the Pawns must be reckoned to be a good thing.

Aron Nimzowitsch was maybe one of the first to have a deep understanding of doubled Pawns. A great chess thinker and experimentalist, he pioneered what is nowadays generally considered to be the 'perfect' defense to 1. d4, namely 1.. .Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4—the Nimzo-Indian. Black's basic strategy is to take the Knight at the right moment, doubling White's c Pawns and then try to prove that they are weak. Naturally this idea has received many ramifications over the years, but it can still be made to work even at the highest levels.

White: B. Spassky, Black: R. J. Fischer Sth Match Game, Reykjavik 1972

Having traded off his Bishop to double the Pawns,

Black must be careful to contain tht tncmy Bishop on cl. This he does by selling up his central Pawns on Ulack square.'! to reduce the Bishop's scope.

Preparing t o open lines for his Bishops with f4. He can meet 10..,Ng6 with 11. NfS

10. ... h6

11. f4 Ng61

Black is himself willing to accept doubled fawns to open lines for his pieces. In a few moves we shall see exactly why.

12. Nxg6 fxg6

13. fxeS?!

This helps Black. Better is to keep the tension with 13.

t-0.

S3

abcdefgh

Black has given himself a backward b Pawn, an Isolated e Pawn and doubled g Pawns. Why? T» keep Che position blocked. The White Bishops are badly hemmed in by their own Pawns and without prospect of ever breaking out. We have here a new source of 'weakness'. White's Pawns are bad not so much because they require defense, but simply because they get in the way. In some sense one can think of them being weak because the pieces cannot avoid defending them,

17. Rbl Bd7

18. Rb2 Rb8

19. Rbf2 ae7

20. Bc2

White has already run out of constructive ideas. Although his pieces are all very well placed, they have no effect because they cannot cooperate with the Pawns. The game has already been reduced to a question of whether Black can create enough threats to win. White can only watt.

20.

g5

54

21. Bd2 ae8

22. Bel ag6

23. Qd3 Nh5

The first attempt to make progress. Black's Knight heads for a semi-outpost on (4. I use the term semi-outpost because White can defend that point with a Pawn (g3), but does not want to unless absolutely necessary because it leaves a hole for Black's Bishop on h3 in dangerous proximity to the King.

24. Rxf8+Rxf8

25. Rxf8+Kxf8

26. Bdl Nf4

27. dcZ??

29.

a b c d e f

An outright blunder losing immediately. He must play 27. Qbl when the White position is bad, but difficult to crack. H»wever, the psychological effects of having to hold a prospectless position for what might seem an infinite amount of time does nothing to aid the defender's concentration.

S.S

27. ,.. Bxa4!

White resigns. After 28. Q,xa4 %<e4 he loses everything. A game decided by Pawns, not pieces.

Of course one cannot play the Nimzo-lndian with the idee fixe of doubling White's c Pawns at all costs. An auxiliary strategy is needed, as White can always decide not t« accept double Pawns if he so wishes.

White: S. J. Hutchings, Black: R. D. Keene Woolacomb 1973

White is a little confused by Black's unusual move order (2„.b6) and has allowed transposition into a Nimzo-lndian in which he is committed to fianchettoing his fl Bishop, llie King side tianchetio is not altogether desirable against the Nimzo, us (tie White Pawn on c4 lacks support with the Bishop on g2.

6. Bd2

Opting I • avoid the double Pawns, but only at the cost of some time.

6. ... cS

Plan B. Black utilizes the time he has gained to switch to an attack on White's center, using the power of the fianchettoed Bishop.

7. a3

Although this simultaneously acquires the two Sishops and succeeds in defending the center, it also represents a further loss of time. Less ambitious but safer was 7. dxc5 and 8. Bg2.

7. ... Bxc3

8. Bxc3 Ne4!

Back t o Plan A. The prospect ofdoubledc Pawns i s just as unpalatable as before, so White is tempted to waste still more time to avoid being saddled with them.

9. 10.

ac2 Nxc3 Q.xc3 Qt6

30.

m m m^M

a b c d e f

There is something vaguely symphonic about this course of this game. We are given the first subject (threat to double c Pawns), second subject (attack on d4), then the first again and now we have both of them together! The threat is ...HxfS winning a Fawn and White dare not capture away from d4 because of the double Fawns he would have t» endure after ...(lxc3+.

11. Rdl Bxf3l

A fine move that tells us much about doubled Pawns. Black is not doubling White's f Pawns in order to attack them, but to create an outpost for his Knight on d4. The quartet of Pawns on f2, f3, g3, h2 in itself forms a very strong Pawn complex, but the metamorphosis of White's e Pawn into an f Pawn means that he can no longer control his d4 square. We can see exactly the same idea in a game Karpov-Browne, San Antonio 1972, which opened 1. c4 c5 2. b3l? Nf 6 3. Bb2 g6?! 4. Bxf6! exf6 .S. Nc3 and White has a beautiful outpost on d5. Recall the analogy with the military line. The effect here of doubling the Pawns is to strengthen the flank, but weakens the center.

1 2. t,xf 3

Still determined to avoid the dreaded doubled c Pawns. Understandably so, as after the alternative 12. exf3 Nc6 13 i d5 Qxc3+ 14, bxc3 Na5 his Pawn structure does have a very unkept appearance.

But this is a serious mistake. Admittedly 14. d5 Nd4 is good for Black because of his powerful Knight, but it at least does not offer him any obvious point of attack. The text move however opens the b file and so leaves White with a backward b Pawn open to attack along the file. The fact that it opens the d file for White is irrelevant here as the Black King comfortably thwarts any aspirations he might have in that direction.

58

mMm. mXm

P'jS'S ivmf ?2i<? A S2iS

a b c d e f g h

Displaying the second feature of a backward Pawn on an open file, namely that the square in front of it makes a splendid outpost. With an advanced outpost for his Rook, one for his Knight, and a backward Pawn to attack Black has, p«sitlonally speaking, everything he could ever ask for.

17.

Kdl

White's only hope is to try and hold the b file with his King. Incidentally, his last move sets a little trap. Black can apparently now pick up a Pawn with 17...Ne5. Indeed so, but after 18. Kc2 Nxf3 (or ... 18. Nxc4) 19. Kxb3 Nxd2+ 20. Kc3! White picks up a Knight.

Black is also capable of setting traps, but this one is much more subtle. The autcimatic choice of move here is 19...Rhb8, but first he creates a diversion. We shall presently see why.

20. h4

Why not. prevent ...h4? It can't do any harm, can it?

20. ... Rhb8

21. Bfl

The penny drops. Black is threatening to pull off the coup21...Rxg3!! 22. fxRi Nb3+ 23. Kdl Nxd2 24. Kxd2 Rxb2+ and 25...Rxg2. To set this combination up he had to lure the h Pawn away from h2, so that ...Rxg3 could not be recaptured with the h Pawn, in which case he would unable to pick up the Bishop at the end.

21. ... Rf3

Decisive infiltration. The threat is simply 22...Nb3+.

22. Kdl Rxa3!

Another elegant blow (23.bxa3 Rbl mate) and indeed the last one, as Wliite resigns at this juncture to avoid any further humiliation.

In recent times theie has been a trend to go to almost any lengths in order to weaken enemy Pawns, especially to inflict doubled isolated Pawns. The first victim of this trend was the previously much revered fianchettoed g2 or g7 Bishop. For example: 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Kg7 3. Nf3 c5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Nc2 Bxc3+! (the classical chess theorist might advocate exchanging this piece for nothing less than a Rook!) 7. bxc3 Nf6 followed by going to work on the Pawns with ... d6, ...Be6, ...Rc8, ...Ne5 (or a.S) etc. A double-edged idea as Black's Ringside is severely weakened by the loss of its Bishop, but one that seems to work well enough in practice.

Similarly Petrosian's idea in the English opening: 1. C4 Nf 6 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 dS 4. cxdS Nxd.S 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. d3l (delaying the development of his gl Knight so that he can

give up his Bishop for the Black Knight when it comes out of hiding) 6...Bg7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Bxc6+! bxt6 9. %:1.

Even the Rook is sometimes called up»n to lay down its life to split up some Pawns. For example, in the following well-known line of the Dragon-Sicilian: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 i. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7, f 3 Nc6 8. Qjl2 0-0 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. h4 hS 11. 0-0-0 Hc8 12. Bbi Ne5 13. Bh6, Black nonchalantly continues with 13...Bxh6 14. ^,<h(> Rxc3! 15. bxc3 Q.C7 with a perfectly good game despite having a whole exchange less.

To conclude this section we look at a complex struggle between a World Champion and ex-World Champion which highlights the tendency of weak Pawns always to have the last word, even when there seems to be some counterplay about.

White: A. Karp«v, Black: B. Spassky Spartakiad 1975

Black must challenge the center before e 4 comes. The alternative 7...c5 is less good as White can counter with the following ingenious maneuver: 8. d5 exdS 9. Ng5! (White wants to recapture on dS with a piece so as to make an outpost there) 9...Nc6 10. Nxd5 g6 11. Q.d2 and White stands better because of his outpost on d5. Playing the Black side of this in his match against Korchnoi, Karpov continued ll.,.Nxd5 12. BxdS RbS? overlooking the winning combination 13. Nxh7 (the Knight cannot be taken because of 14. Q)i6+ Kg8 15. axg6+ Kh8 16. Q)i6+ Kg8 17. Be4 fS 18. Bd5+Kf7 19. Qg6+).

A well-timed exchange, as l».„Bxd5 11. e4 Bb7 12. Rdl gives White an impressive center. Consequently Black decides after a!! to block his Bishop by recaptuiing with the Pawn.

10. 11.

exdS

Rdl

32.

abcdefgh

Anticipating the freeing move ...c5, Karpov envisages that the Black Pawn on dS may well become wealc. There is at the moment no compulsion for Black to breakout with c5i but he will find it difficult to avoid forever.

11. ... Nf6

12. Ne5

Now, however, White threatens to establish an outpost on c6, so Black has little choice in the matter.

12. ... c5

13. dxcs Bxc5

Spasky avoids the so-called 'hanging Pawns' which would result from 13...bxc5. Generally speaking hanging Pawns are strong so long as they can be maintained together (i.e. on cS, dS), but if one is forced to advance, the rear one becomes very weak. Here White would be immediately able to break up the hanging Pawns (after 13...bxc5) by 14. e4 d4 15 Nc4 obtaining an outpost for the Knight. On the otiier hand, the isolated Pawn Black now acquires Is an obvious target, moreover a stationary one on account of the pin on the long diagonal (g2 b7).

14. Nd3 Bd6

15. Bf4

We have seen before (cf. Fischer-Petrosian) this idea of exchanging Black's active Bishop, leaving only the passive defender on the board.

15. ... Re8

16. e3 Ne4

17. Bxd6 Qxd6

18. Nf4

A very good square for the Knight. The pressure on Black's d Pawn is obvious, but he is not without some counterchances based on his own well-placed Knight.

18. ... Rac8

19. Q.a4 Q.e7

With the sacrificial possibility, ...NxfZ in mind. Black must resort to tactical sorcery to keep his game alive.

QXa7

33.

: ^ f<^i fj^

I m. m fM

±m

abcde fgh

A bold decision requiring very delicate calculations, but a correct one,

20.

Nxf2!

If he tries to preface this sacrifice with 20...d4 to open the diagonal, there comes 21...exd4 Nxf2 22. Rel! and Black is left with hanging pieces, an undesirable alternative to hanging Pawns.

21.

Nxd5!

21. Kxf2 would lose to 21...%^e3+ 22. Kfl Rc2.

21. 22.

Bxd5 tl;ce7 Nxdl!

The best chance. After22...R.xe7 23. RxdS Vv'hite has a winning endgame, not so much in view of his extra Pawn which is rather sicl<, but because of his 2-1 Pawn majority on the (lieenside and his powerful Bishop.

64

23. Rcl!

Prettily exploiting tlie back rank weakness to get his last piece into play witii tempo. The quaint point is that this move is only possible because of the Knight on dl which prevents the Rook being taken with check.

23. ... Rb8

24. Q.b4 Bxg2

25. Kxg2 Nxe3 +

26. Kgl

And While eventually converted his material advantage into a win: 26...Re6 27. Qf4 Rd8 28. Q.d4 Rde8 29. Q.<17 Ng4 30. Rc8 Nf6 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 32, Qb7 Re6 33. Qb8+ Ne8 34. a4 g6 35. b4 Kg7 36. QJb7 h5 37. Kg2 Kf6 38. h3 Rd6 39. a5 bxaS 40. bxaS Re6 41. a6 Nc7 42. a7 Re7 43. ac6+Ke5 44. Kf3 Resigns.

4. Open Files

'Put your Rooks on open files' is a piece of advice cw^ry beginner receives, and a very sound piece of advice it is. Bur lil<:e all pieces of sound advice, it can prove to be inadiitiuatc, or worse.

34.

^ '^^ Wi^/ ^^ ^

tvf KMwfS v^9*y wK««/ **•*

m m 'm

^'■'M'A ^

abcde fgh

Look at Diagram 34. An innocent-looking position, but If Black (to move) dutifully seizes the only open file with l.,.Rad8 he quickly runs Into trouble after 2. Be3:

(i)2...a6 3. Bb6 Rd7 4. Rhdl Ree7 (or 4...Rde7

5. Bd8! Re6 6. Rd7 with decisive penetration) 5. Bc5 Rxdl

6. Rxdl and the White Rook reaches the scN-enth rank (6...Rc7?? 7. Rd8+ Kh7 8. Bd6 wins the Rook!).

(ii) 2...b6 (to prevent the Bishop driving Black off the dfile) 3. aS! c5 (forced) 4. axb6 axb6 5, Ra7 followed by Rhal with a winning position, e.g. 5...Ra8 6. Rhal Rxa7

7. Rxa7 Re6 8. Rb7 an* Kb3-c4-b5 mopping up the Qyeensidc Pawns.

Why the storm from a clear sky? Because files do not always operate on the first come, first served system. If you look back at variation (i) you will see that Black ran into trouble on the d file, despite having first option on it. So where did he go wrong? Firstly, he failed to appreciate

the disparity in strength between the Bishops. The VSTiite I3ishop was able in variation (i) to drive the Black Rooks off the d file singlehandedly, and in variation (ii) enabled VVTiite to open the a file for his own Rooks. In both cases the Black Bishop was a spectator. And secondly, Black had no reason to occupy the d file anyway. Occupation of an open file is of no value unless there is a chance of penetration. Here the White King prevents any possible insurgence on the d file. In particular the entry square on the seventh rank, invariably the most important, is also guarded by the White Bishop, making the d file an entirely prospectless avenue for Black. If the Black King were on, say, e6 rather than gS, the d file would be just as worthless for White.

Returning to the diagram, the correct treatment by Black is 1... Kh7!, preparing to tradeoff White's dangerous Bishop, and after 2. Rdl (threatening of course Rd7) 2.,.Red8 (not 2...Rad8? 3. Be3 gaining a tempo by the attack on the a Pawn) 3. Be3 Bh6!, because the Pawn-grabbing attempt 4. Rxd8 Rxd8 5. Bxa7 allows Black in on the seventh rank (5...Rd2-^). Better is 4. Bc5 threatening to seize control of the file with Be7, but Black can defend with 4...BgS to be followed by bringing his King across to e6. (However, after 5. g3 [threatening 6. h4) 5...h4 [forced] 6. Bd6! will either win the e Pawn or allow White to establish a Rook on the 7th rank after 6...Bf6 7. Bc7, when Black is still in serious difficulties. Also, if 6...ReS 7. Bc7! Re7? 8. Bd8 wins,—editor) It must be stressed that open files only have value as a means of feeding Rooks (or possible %ieens) into the enemy position, so that a file has no value unless there is somewhere along it an entry point, i.e. an advanced point on which a Rook can safely land. The ideal entry point is on the seventh rank or the second rank (i.e. d7 or d2 on the d file, etc.). Every Rook secretly dreams of landing on the seventh or second ranks, making a 90-degrec right (or left) turn and eating its way through the enemy lines. There is something magical about the number seven for a While Rook. Alternatively, points of entiy on the eighth, sixth, or even fifth rank can be Just as eifective. But there must be one, otherwise the file is u.'seless. In this respect

the King can play an important role. In the endgame, there is no piece better equipped to defend entry points than the King. I'or example, a King on e2 simultaneously covers three entry squares on the d file (dl. d2 and d.^), a feat which no other piece (apart from the Queen of course) can perform. This makes the location of the opposing King a vital factor i n assessing the value of an open file in the endgame. The basic rule is the further from the King, the better. Returning to our example, we can see that the d file was not a useful commodity for Black because of the proximity of the While King, yet the very same file was potentially lethal in White's hands as the Black King was far away.

We can see this principle operating in the following variation of the Sicilian Defense, the so-called Maroczy Bind: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6, Nc3 Nxd4 7. axd4 d6 8. Be3 Bg7 9. f3 0-0 10. ad2 Be6 11. Rcl Q.a5 12. Nd5 Qxd2+ 13 Kxd2,

35.

Theory assesses this position as very favorable for White. Why? Because the c file is going to be opened and the White King is much closer than the Black one. As a result White is able to take control.

BxdS

'i'here is no choice but to take the Knight, and 13.,.NxdS 14. cxdS Bd7 15. Rc7 is immediately decisive, so the text move is forced.

14. cxdS Rfc8

Everything seems okay with Black, as 15. Rxc8+ Rxc8 16. Bxa7 achieves nothing in view of 16...Ra8 regaining the Pawn at once, but the favorable position of the White King presents him with other possibilities.

IS. 16.

Rxc8+Rxc8 g3l

36.

, flw i,

"^ m m.tm

^m m m m

mm: mm m'"- -■ —" --

f g h

The key move. White intends to drive the enemy Rook off the file with Bh3. He Is only able to employ this strategy of conceding the open file, then playing to regain it, becau.se the Black Rook has no point of entry.

Let us analyze the position a little to see just how serious the threat of Bh3 can be:

(i) 16...Kf8 (bringing the King across to bolster the

69

aueenside)17. Bh3 Rc4 18. b3 Rc7 19. Bxa7. White has won a Pawn for nothing (19...Bh6+ 20. Kd3).

(ii) 16 ...a6 (tokeepthePawnoutof harm's way) 17. Bh3 Rc7 18. Rcl! (Simple chess. The idea is lo win a Pawn with BcS) 18 ...Ne8 (or 18...Rxcl 19. Kxcl b5 20. b4! and 21. Bc8) 19. b3 Bb2 20. Rxc7 Nxc7 21. Bc8 bS 22. Bb6 winning at least one Pawn.

(iii) 16...Nd7 17. Bh3 Rc7 18. Bxd7! Rxd7 19. b3 a6 20. Rcl. Winning the file and probably the game as well.

Although this does not exhaust Black's defensive possibilities, it does show that he has problems to solve. These problems arise primarily out of his inability to contest White's h3-c8 diagonal and the consequent difficulty in holding on to the c file.

The minor pieces play a major role in determining who controls open files. The side with the more active minor pieces can generally count on gaining access to any files that may open up. This is basically what happened in our previous examples. Naturally, outposts too have their part to play. This is better illustrated by Diagram 37 than by words alone.

37.

Hm m m^ m m m§, fSSki w

^ siim^ mm .A ins ^

b c d e f g h

The main features of ihe position are an open c file and a White outpost on b6. The latter enables White to win the file in a veiy straighiforward manner: I. Na4 RacS 2. Nb6 Rxcl 3. Rxcl Rb5 (what else?) 4. Rc7 Ne8 (what else?) 5. Rd7 and Black has been totally run out of moves. The winning procass for White is to centralize his King and then win the d Pawn w.ith Nc4. In the meantime Biaclc has only waiting moves at his disposal.

Chess is very much a team game. The pieces rely heavily tn each other's help and cooperaHon, so if one does not pulJ its weight it lets the whole side down. If you look back you will see that in no example so far has one side lost out on a file because his Rooks were badly placed. In each case the team has been dragged down by the inability of some Bishop or Knight to match its opposite number. There Is an old chess maxim: 'If one piece is bad, the whole position is bad.' How true. Maybe this will explain why there is so much talk of Bishops, Knights and Kings (alas no cabbages!) in a chapter on open files.

38.

a b c d e f

There are, however, times when the major pieces have the right to determine their own destinies, and in these cases the first cotne, first served principle does

operate. Diagram 38 shows a position structurally similar to a |

previous example of ours, but the presence of Queens adds a

new dimension.

1. NdS

As before White uses this move to force open the c file, but this time simply because his heavy pieces are much better placed to cantest the file than his opponent's. In particular, the Black Queen is horribly out of play on h5.

1. ... NxdS

Again there is little choice in the matter. The White Knight is too strong to be allowed to stay on the board.

2. cxdS Rac8

3. Rc3!

Ensuring control of the file. The bleak position of the Black Queen means that White can dominate through sheer weight of numbers.

3. ... Bxd2

4. Rxd2 ah6

Scuttling back into play, but the file is already lost.

5. Rdc2 QJf8

6. a4

Superfluous. The immediate Rc7 is called for

6. ... ae8

7. Rc7! Rxc7

8. RxcT Rb8 The power of a Rook on the seventh rank. It ties down

both the Black major pieces single-handed.

72

9. Q,c3

A multi-purpose move. White consolidates liis grip on the file, at the same time threatening Q.b4 which stretches Black's defenses to the limit.

9. ... Q.d8

10. eS

Opening new avenues of attack. White can afford the luxury of this aggressive, but weakening move only because the opposing forces are totally immobilized.

10. ... a6

Preparing to open some lines for his own pieces with ... bS. If Black could ever break out of his strait-jacket, White's King would be a sitting duck.

11. h41

With h 5 and h 6 i n mind. Black lacks the manpower to defend both his Pawns and his King.

11. ... bS

12. Rc6

Seizing upon the negative aspect of Black's quest for freedom. White gains the use of the c6 square as an outpost.

12. ... bxa4

13. bxa4 dxeS

14. QxeS Rc8

The a Pawn i s taboo. 15. Rxa6? Rc2+ 16. K h 3 QcS-i-. As already remarked, White must keep a firm grip on the position because his King is potentially vulnerable-

g4!

Turning the vague possibility of Ii5 and h6 into reality.

Notice White's use of c6 as an outpost. Black dare not trade Rooks because the resulting passed Pawn would soon Queen. As a result the White Kook can enjoy permanent residence there without fear of removal or exchange.

15.

e6

39.

abcde fgh

A desperate try to undermine the Rook. He otherwise lacks a good defense to h5 and h6.

16. ac3! Rxc6

Equivalent to resignation, but there is no alternative.

16. .Rb8 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Rc7 leads to mate or win of Queen.

17. dxc6 Kf8??

And now a simple blunder, but after the forced

74

17...Of? 18. a.-S (threatemng Qc5 followed by Q.b6} W8 19. Qb4+ KeS 20. Qb7! KdS (20...Q^a5 21. c7 Qd2+ 22. Kh3) 21. %ca6, White must win,

18. c7 ac8

19. Q.h8+ and Black resigned.

One of the dangers of falling behind in development in the opening Is that the enemy Itooks will be first on the scene and will take possession of the open Hiss before your own can be scrambled into action. Rooks are notoriously difficult to bring into play quickly, so any loss of time incurred early on is liable to postpone their development still further. Man}' games have been won or lost because of this, but few display this motif with subtlety of the following encounter.

White: U. Andersson, Black: R. Knaak CapablaniR Memorial Tournament, 1974

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 c5 5. 0-0 g6 6. b3 Bg7 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Nc3 Ne4 9. ac2 Nxc3 10. Bxc3 Bxc3 11. Qxc3 4571

a b c d e I

h

The exchanges Initiated by Black's eighth move have iefl him slightly behind in development. As a result he should tiy to keep the position closed with 11...d6. White now takes the opportunity to open up the game, which in turn enables him to be first to the central files with his Rooks.

12. d4l cxd4

13. Clxd4 dxc4

14. Q.XC4 Nc6

15. Rfdl

In simple near-symmetrical positions the advantage of the move can be considerable. Here Black has problems finding a hideout for his Qpeen, e.g. lS...Q.c77 16. Nd4 RacS 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Racl RfdS 19. Nxc6 Rxdl+ 20. Rxdl Qxc6 21.Rd8+!

15. 16.

Q.e8

Qf4l

The strongest and aesthetically most pleasing moves

76

in chess are often very quiet ones. This innocent-looking Queen move suddenly renders Blaclc's position most precarious. With possibilities of an invasion on c7 or h6. Black must tread warily.

16. ... Rc8

Eliminating one of the threats, while 17. (ih6 can be met by f6. 16...e5 was unfortunately impossible because of

17. Nxe5!

17. Rd2!

Another mouse-like move with the strength of a lion. White doubles on the d file because he can see an entry point on d7.

17. ... Kg7

Clearly worried about the constant 'threat' of Qh6. The alternative, 17...f6 (threatening e5 and e4), is hardly inviting after 18. Bh3! RdS 19. Be6+ Kg7 20. Radl Rxd2 21. Rxd2Nd8 22.Nci4.

18. Radl Ba8

Finally threatening e5 and e4, but White has a very simple reply.

19. Ne5 NxeS

20. (Ixe5 + f6

Or 20...Kg8 also sees While's major pieces penetrating in classic style: 21. Bxa8 Kxa8 22. Rd7 e6 23. Qf 6! followed by Re7 and Rdd7.

21. ae6 Bxg2

22. Rd7l

b c d e

The triumphant entrance! We now see the immense power of a Rool< on the seventh row.

22. ... Rf7

23. Kxg2 Rc5

He cannot avoid losing a Pawn. His position after 23...Ra8 24. Rc7 and Rdd7 would be laughable.

24.

Rxa7 b5

An amusing alternative is 24...Re5 2.S. Q.xb6 Rxe2 26. Rdg! checkmating the Queen.

25.

e3

At this point Black acknowledged the hopelessness of his cause by resigning, hardly a premature decision as he ha.>i a Pawn less and no constructive moves at all. A possible continuation would be 25...Re5 26. Q.b6 (threatening lidS) Rf8 27. Rdd7 and Qs7.

To summarize, the use of open files can be broken down into three parts:

78

(i) Take control of the file.

(ii) Find a point of entry (this is the important part; without an entry point a file has no value).

(iii) Penetrate via the entry point.

Obviously no steadfast rules can lie laid down about what to do after stage (iii). You just have to play it by ear. In the majority of cases, however, the right plan is readily apparent. To round off our discussion of open files, we look at an endgame from Karpov-Uhlmann, Madrid 1973, which exhibits a very common product of open file play, doubled Rooks on the seventh rank.

42.

^1 w Wi^'W'

abcde fgh

Here White (to move) controls the e file, because of his powerful Bishop outpost on bS. Indeed his entire advantage can be ascribed to the superiority of his minor piece tver its opposite number. The Black Bishop has no outpost as it can be driven away from e4.

1. 2.

f3 Re7

Bg6

The entry p»int.

3. Rael

More accurate than 3. Rb7 Rc2. He gives Black no chance to counter-penetrate by exploiting the back row weakness (3...RcZ?? 4. Rc8+).

3. ... h6

4. Rb7 Rd6

Passive defense. More competitive but insufficient is 4 ..Rc2 viz. 5. Rce7 (The b Pawn is not Important. What is important is to prise open the seventh rank for his Rooks.) 5...Rxb2 6. Be8 Rc8i(also playing for doubled Rooks on the seventh) 7. Bxf7+ Bxf7 8. RxH Rcc2 9. Rxg7+ Kf8 10 Kh21 (were he to allow his King to be trapped on the back rank, White would be unable to win) 10...Rxg2+ 11. Kh3 and White's King can now escape the checks and his own Rooks triumph, e.g. ll...Rh2+ 12, Kg3 Rhg2+ 13. Kf4 Rb4 14. Rh7! Kg8 (14...Rxd4+ 15. Ke5!) 15. Rhd7 and wins.

5. Ree7 hS

This time 5...Rc2 loses a Pawn to 6. Rb8+ Kh7 7. ReeS Rcl4- 8. Kh2 Bbl (forced to avoid mate) 9. Rh8+ Kg6 10. Rhd81,e.g. 10...Rxd8 11. Rxd8 Ba2 12. Rd6+.

6. gxhS BxhS

7. g4 Bg6

8. f41

In order to open the seventh rank for his Rooks, White must drive the Bishop from its defense of f7. The direct 8. Be8 can be met by Rf6.

80

He can no longer hold the f7 point—10...Rf6?? 11, f5 Bh7 12. Re8 mate.

11. Rxf7 Rg6

12. gS Kh7

The immediate 12...Rxb2 leads to much the same result after 13. Rfe7 threatening Re8.

13. Rfe7 Rxb2

14. Be8

Clearing the final obstacle t o White's total domination of the seventh rank.

14. ... Rb3 +

15. Ke2 Rb2 +

16. Kel Rd6

The checks won't last forever, e.g. 16...Rbl+ 17. Kd2 Rb2-f 18. Kc3 Rc2+ 19. Kb3.

17. Rxg7 + Kh8

18. Rge7 Black resigns.

When the checks run out White's mating threats (Rb8 and Bishop moves) are unstoppable.

5. Half-open files: the minority attack

The open file is a double-edged weapon. Although a way to feed the major pieces into the heart of the opponent's position, there is always the danger of it being seized and used to reciprocal effect by the enemy. In short, it is a two-way road for Roolcs. The chessplayer, not being an unselfish advocate of equality of opportunity, naturally prefers a oneway system. The half-open file is precisely this. We do not have to so very far (three moves to be exact) to find an example of one: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. cxd5 exdS.

43.

M 'f4f w

rm mxmMM

abcdcfgh

White has the half-open c file. Black the half-open e file. So what does this mean? Cannot Blaci, always erect a granite wall on the c file by c6 and White do similarly on the e file by e3? Yes of course, but the point is that the Black Pawn chain b7, c6, dS can by challenged by White with b4 and bS. When b5 comes, there is no way Black can avoid being left with a weak Pawn. If he captures away from c6, the d Pawn is left isolated, while allowing an

exchange on c6 will leave the c Pawn backward. These are the simple mechanics of the minority attack. It is no more nor less than a method of weakening an otherwise sound Fawn set-up by advancing Pawns at it. The process is quite long and slow, the payoff at the end relatively small (one weak Pawn to aim at, two maybe if you are lucky), but its value is undeniable. Moreover, it cannot easily rebound on you. An open file can change hands, a half-open file cannot. Indeed it cannot even be challenged. Imagine the contortions Black would have to go through to oppose Rooks on the c file in front of his Pawns in a position akin to that of Diagram 43. Out of the question. The minority attack has a certain inevitability about it. Though cumbersome, once the mighty wheels have been set in motion, the opposition has no way to apply the brakes.

So much for extolling the virtues of half-open files, but going to Diagram 43 we see that Black has the e file. Surely, he too can launch a minority attack in due course? Not so easy. A minority attack on the e file would involve advancing his f and g Pawns. But where is he to put his King? Certainly not on the Queenside in the path of White's attack. On the other hand it is not the height of expediency to castle Kingside and then send your Ringside Pawns scampering off into the distance to create just one weak Pawn in the enemy camp. The final reward is simply not worth the risk. In general one cannot afford to mount a minority attack in front of a castled King. These attacks only usually work on the other side of the board.

Let us look at a couple of examples of play from Diagram 43 to see how the minority attacks work out in practice.

I. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. cxd5 exdS 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 c6 7. Qc2 0-0 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. Nf3 Re8 10. 0-0 Nf8

II. Rabl

ir^#B^ tlitl

d e f g h

This is a standard position in the so-called (for obvious reasons) Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit. White's method of development is both simple and economical, and ™th his last move he prepares to set the minority attack in motion, by M. Black's method of play has been a little more contorted (ReS, Nf8), the reason being that not having a worthwhile minority attack of his own, he wants to channel as many pieces as possible over to the Ringside in order to create some diversionary threats there.

•ur first example, Van den Berg-Kramer 1950, proceeded:

11. ... g6

So as to play Ne6 without losing a Pawn to Bxf6.

No need to rush things with 14. Bxf6 Kxf6 15, bS. In

84

fact after 15...axb5 16. axbS c5! 17. dxcS NxcS Black is becoming quite active (lie threatens Nxd3 and Bf5).

Black's lengthy maneuvers have been designed to exchange this piece, always a problem child in the dueen's Gambit.

17. bxc6 bxc6

18. NeS

Beginning to harvest the fruits of his CLueenside campaign.

18. ... Rc8

19. Rb7

A useful fringe benefit. White has first crack at the newly opened b file. Notice the way his pieces have gained momentum in the wake of the advancing Pawns.

19. ... Bxd3

20. Q;cd3 Rc7

White was threatening 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. NxfT.

21. Rxc7 Q^c7

22. Rcl

With the new threat 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. NxdS.

22. ... (ib7

23. dbl! Q.a6

23...Q!(bl 24. Nxbl wins a Pawn. 85

24. Na2

And White is winning the c Pawn, e.g. 24...Rc8 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Nb4 etc.

If Black is unable to throw any tactical spanners i n the works, the well-oiled, mechanical minority attack will generally swallow up a Pawn sooner or later.

Our second example shows how to create counterplay against the minority attack. Resuming from the position of Diagram 44:

16. b5

Bg4

45.

a b c d e f

Black is feeding pieces over to the Kingside much more efficiently than in the previous example. White must now proceed with caution. On 17. Nd2?, there comes 17...Nxd2 18. Qxd2 Nh4!. The powerful threats 19...Bh3! and

19...Bf3! leave White at a loss for a reasonable reply, e.g. 19. f3 Q.xe3+! 20. Qxe3 R.xe3 21. fxg4 Rxd3.

Even here, however, White can extract something from the position by Judicious play, i.e. 17. Bxe4! dxe4 18. Nd2 BfS 19. bxc6 bxc6 20. Ne2 with threats of Q>cc6 or Ng3. The two Knights do a good Job here, hopping in and out of the weak squares created by White's Queenside advance. The minority attack is not purely geared to producing weak Pawns, but creates outposts as well (c5 in this case).

Given that a minority attack runs more smoothly away from the central files (we saw in our previous examples that White could operate a minority attack with some effect on the c file, whereas Black found it difficult to get going on the e file), and the startling criterion that a Pawn minority is needed for a minority attack, it is not difficult to appreciate that the best place to acquire a Pawn majority is in the center. A surplus of Pawns in the middle necessarily means a deficit somewhere else (assuming of course both sides do have equal Pawns). Remember the old rule 'always capture towards the center' applying to a choice of Pawn captures. The advantage of the central Pawn majority is the raison d'etre for this piece of advice. The hidden implication is: accumulate Pawns in the center and you can start minon'ty attacks on the flanks.

Take the following variation of the English Opening: 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxdS NxdS 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7.

mtM TillMi

g ^#@ mn

b c d e f a h

By recapturing the Knight 'towards the center' (i.e. with the b Pawn rather than the d Pawn), White has given himself an extra central Pawn. The offshoot of this is a half-open b file which can later on in the game be used for a minority attack. To this end he does well to adopt a solid but purely passive Pawn set-up in the center (say Pawns on e2, d3, c4) so as to be able to direct all his fire-power to the left flank later on. Diagram 47 shows the type of position tliat might occur later on after some exchanges. White is ready to launch his minority attack.

^II ;er ^Xl IS Z

^m mXm m |n| '""" '"''''" ""''

w, ^sg

b c d e f g h

a4

e6

Black wants to hold his Queenside together by Nd7 without allowing a While Knight to jump Into dS.

2.

a5

Nd7

Taking the a Pawn would split up Black's Pawns loo much, e.g. 2.,.bxa5? 3. Nb5 Q.e7 4. Rxa5 and the other a Pawn will not last long either.

axb6 axb6 Rba3

With an obvious invasion threat o n the seventh rank. Despite only having one file and one weakness to work on, White can make life very uncomfortable for his opposite number.

4. ... Q.c6

The passive 4...Rb8 5. Ra7 Rb7 is hopeless \'iz. 6. Nb5 Q.b8 7. Rxb7 axb7 8. Ra7 Qc8 9. Nd6 adS 10. Rb7 followed by

89

QbS will win the b Pawn with the pr»spect of more to come.

5. Ra7 Ra8

6. Ne4

The tremor o f White's queenside activity is gradually beginning to be felt right across the board. The immediate threat is 7. Rxd7! followed by Nf6+. It is very interesting the way a single weakness can spread disease throughout the entire position {as a result of one backward Pawn on b6, Black now finds his King under direct threat).

6. ... Rxa7

Against the immediate 6...f 5, White can win a Pawn as follows: 7. Rxa8 RxaS 8. Rxa8+ *xa8 9. Q.b5 fxe4 (9...Qd8? 10. Qxd7!) 10. Qxdl (ial+ U. Kg2 QeS 12. Q{i8+Kg7 1.^. Qxb6.

7. Rxa7 fS

The Knight must be dislodged. 7...Ra8 8. Rxa8+ Q.xa8 9. Qb5 sees Black going down without a fight (9...Qd8? 10. Q!id7!).

8. NgS h6

9. QbSl QxbS

10. cxbS hxgS H. Rxcl7

The dust clears leaving White with a superactive Rook which should lead to the win of at least a Pawn in the ensuing endgame, e.g. ll...Ra8 12. Rd6 or 1 l...Rb8 12. Re7.

So what part, if any, d»es the central Pawn majority play in the minority attack? A considerable part. Ilie plan of seeping into the Black position via the Queenside is essentially slow and nonforcing. It only succeeds because Black has no point to counterattack, and this in turn is due to the impervioui; White center. Minority attacks must l'>e

built on the foundation of a firm centraJ position. The victory may be won on the flanlc, but ultimately it is created in the center.

Minority attacks derive from the Pawn structure, Pawn structures derive from the opening. Go back to the eras of Capablanca and Alekhine and you will see dueen's Gambits, hoards of them, with hoards of minority attacks descending from them. Nowadays* the Sicilian Defense is all the rage. Sicilians here, Sicilians there, Sicilians absolutely everywhere. Why this saturation with Sicilians? Does the Mafia's influence really extend this far? The answer lies in the minority attack. The whole idea of the Sicilian is for Blade to trade his c Pawn for the d Pawn. White almost invariably obliges: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 (or d6 or eft or g6) 3. d4 cxd4, when Black immediately arrives at a minority attack Pawn structure. Half-open c tile, extra central Pawn, 2-3 minority on the Qiieenside; these are all the necessary ingredients. Sounds infallible, so Where's the snag? Why doesn't Black win every game? The problem is of course that White has a lead in development in the early stages, which may prove difficult to survive. Black's prospects lie later in the game when the winds of White's initiative have blown themselves out.

White: L. Vogt, Black: U. Andersson Havana 1975

I. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 S. Nc3 e6 6. Be2 a6 7. f4 Qui 8. 0-0 Be7 9. Khl Nc6 10. Be3 Nxd4

II. Clx;d4 0-0 12. Radl bS

*Written in 1972. By 20t2 liicic has c.ianjred.

p ± r p ■

abode f

A fairly typical Sicilian position. White has more space and better development, but Black is solidly placed. His last move does give a hint of the minority attack one day to come, but his primary concern for the moment is to complete his development before a tactical accident befalls him.

13. e5

Trying to precipitate an accident.

13. 14.

dxeS

axes

A devious attempt to exploit Black's lag in development. The idea lies in 14...Qxe5 IS. fxeS Nd7 16. Bf3 KbS 17. Ba7 slaying the Rook in its bed. However, Black has an equally devious response up his sleeve.

14.

absi

She who turns and runs away save.'i her lionk for later play. Now 15. Bf3 can be simply met by Bb7.

92

15. *xb8

White suddenly finds his box of tricks empty and so submits to an exchange of <ueens, but the endgame gives Blacli an excellent opportunity to play his minority attack.

A good time to compare the relative values of open and half-open files. White has the d file (his Bishop on b5 sees to that), but no entry point, no threats, no pressure. Black has the half-open c file. He threatens ...Bxa3, undermining the Knight. The Knight cannot move away because it is 'pinned' in front of the c Pawn. Half-open files do not need entry points. They naturally generate pressure.

19. BaS

Bolstering the threatened Knight.

19. ... g6

A useful little move. White's Pawn o n f4 is something of a liability and Black Intends to keep it there as such.

20. h3?

The psychological effect of a waiting move pays immediate dividends. As in trench warfare, the worst part of defending against a minority attack is waiting for it to come. White wants to Iree his back rank from possible threats later on, but in doing so weakens his Kingside Pawns too much. Better is 20. Bb4.

hSl

Heading for h4 to isolate the weal< Wliite f Fawn from tlie g Pawn. This advance ensures tliat Blaclc will liave targets on both sides of the board to aim at.

21. Bf3 Bxf3

22. Rxf3 h4!

23. Rd2 Rc4

49.

ihb w, pi mm psBfi ' mm, mtm

abcde fgh

Showing yet another feature of the half-open file, the outpost on c4. Not an outpost in the strict sense of Oic word as White can drive the Rook away, but only at the c»st of severely weakening his defenses on the c file.

24.

b3

Undesirable, but forced. There is no other way to counter the plan of ...RacS (pinning the Knight in front of the c Pawn) and ...NhS winning the f Pawn . Notice the way Black uses a Pawn weakness on the Kingside (f4) to engineer a weakening of the <.ueenside (b3).

94

The minority attack has done its job. White is left with a baclcward c Pawn.

27. c4

This solves liis problems on the c file only to create a fresh wealiness on the b file. The logical way to defend is to try and trade Rooks by 27. Nd4 Rc3 28. Pxc3 Pxc3 29. Rd3 Rxd3 30. ■id3, but e\'en this fails to save White za his Pawns are too split, viz. 30...Nd5 31. Ne2 Kg7, and if 32. Kgl Bc5+ 33. d4 (or 33. Kfl Ne3+1) 33...Bd6 when White cannot bring his King to f 3 because of 34. Kf 2 Bxf4 35. Nxf4 Nxf4 36. Bxb4? Nd3+.

27. ... bxc3 e.p.

28. Rxc3 Nd5

29. Rxc6 Rxc6

50.

The beginning of a new phase. White has two weaknesses (f4, b3), one as a result of the minority attack,

one as a result of his own ineptitude (20. h3?). Blaclc'stask is now to atiaclc each in turn and thereby completely tie down the White forces. There is no counterplay to reckon with, the dominating Knight sees to that.

3». Rb2

A doomed attempt to straighten his Qjieenside out with b4.

30. ... Bf6

31. Ra2 Rc8

To transfer to the b file. Although it may appear that Black had a faster winning combination with 31...Nxf4 (?) 32. Nxf4 Re]+ 33. Kh2 BeS 34. Bd2 Rdl, with the twin threats of ...Rxd2 and ...g5, this concept is flawed because of 35. g3! hxg3 36. Kg2. Andersson's method is correct.

32. Bd2 Rb8

33. Ncl Nb4

34. Bxb4 Rxb4

The outpost in front of the backward Pawn.

35. Rf2 Be7

36. Rf3 Bd6

37. Ne2

Everything miraculously still defended, but White is reduced to total passivity.

37. ... Re4

38. Rd3

Again the only way to avoid immediate material loss (38. Rf2 BcS).

The time is ripe for the King to march in. All the White pieces are amusingly trapped, like a bicycle wheel in a tramline, only able to go backwards and fonvards.

41. Ngl

Rather than submit to the humiliation of idling his King to and fro while the Black monarch strides in and mops up. White surrenders a Pawn to free his pieces, but to no avail of course.

41. ... Rxf 4 and Black soon won.

The Pawn structure, or rather distribution in this endgame, is well worth remembering. Black had a 4-3 majority on the King side (e, f, g, h Fawns, V3. f, g, h Pawns) and White a 3-2 surplus on the Queenslde (c, b, a Pawns v^. b and a Pawns). This distribution is fundamentally favorable for Black, firstly because of his first extra central Pawn (which in the game provided him with a powerful outpost on dS for his Knight), and secondly because of the Qjieenside minority attack. There is also a third ads'antage not apparent from our last game: four Pawns protect a King better than three. How many times have you lead that Black's classical freeing move in the Sicilian is ...dS without understanding why? If Black can swap his d fawn for White's e Pawn he reaches the 4-3 V5. 2-3 distribution advertised above. Of course, if White can meet ...dS with e5, it's a diifeient story...

The Sicilian is not the only opening geared to reach this Pawn distribution. For example, the following line of the Caro-Kann 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. (J«2 Nb6 8. Bd3 h6 9. N(5)f3 c5 sees Black liquidating the White d Pawn to achieve the desired

Pawn set-up. Similarly in the French Defense after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. NfS Ngt6, Black soon gets in c5. I'hese openings have failed to supersede tlie Sicilian in popularity only because they are m»re difficult t» handle.* Although Black obtains the Pawn formation he wants much faster, he can experience great difficulties in developing his Queenside. This is always the price paid for freeing your game too quickly in these openings. If Black can, however, succeed in bringing ail his pieces into play unscarred he is assured of an equal game—at least. The stiiiggie to develop can lead to very sharp play.

White; M. Stean, Black: AJ. Mestel 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exdS Q;cd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Nb3 Nf6 9. NbKd4 Nxd4 10 Nxd4 Bd7 11. Bb3 ac7

51.

m 'im.

iibcdefgh

A now famiUar Pawn set-up, but Black's many Queen moves have left him dangerously behind in development. His last move however prepares ...Bd6 bringing a piece into play with tempo. If he can safely castle, Black will stand well.

'Interfslingly enttigh, during cht tvi-enty or so years since the •^igir^at text was written such variations of the Car»-Kann and French bssK incrcasttl in popularity.

12. Bg5

Crossing Black's plans, 12...Bd6 U met by 13. Bxl'6 gxf6 (13...Bxh2+ 14. Khl gxf6 IS. g3 wins a piece) 14. OhS and tire Black King has no safe liaven.

12. ... Ne4

A bold reply. The quiet 12...Be7 fails lo solve all the problems in view of 13. Re 1 0-0 14. NfS!

13. Bh4 Bd6

14. Qg4!?

Striving hard to keep the initiative. The more conservative 14. Nf3 #-015. Rel NcS allows Black the type of position he is aiming for.

14. .., Bxh2+

15. Khl Qf4!

16. Q:xg7

The only consistent continuation, but it runs the gauntlet of Black's dangerous attack,

16, ... Q;th4

17, Q;ch8+ Ke7

Tlireateiis both mate aiid the Qiieen. Maybe White has overplayed his hand?

18, Nf31

Temporary salvation at least,

18. ... tjl6

The startling 18...%if2 works after 19. Kxf2 Nxf2+ 99

2i. Kxh2 RxhS, but after the simple 19. QxaS Black has amazingly enough no mate.

19. Qxa8

52.

'f'&^. ^^ ^^ es ^^f-@

&' w ^M a ^^v?

abcde fgh

Into the valley of death, or so it seems. But where is the mate? 19...Bd6+ 20. Kgl Nd2 21. Rfdl! Nxf3+ 22. gxfS Qh2+ 23. Kfl Bb.S+ 24. c4 and Black has only one more check for his huge mateilal deficit. Could It be that the whole attack Is nothing more than an optical illusion and that White has been winning all along?

19. ... Ng3+! Not quite.

20. fxg3 Bxg3+

21. Kgl 0.63 +

22. Khl Q.h6+ Draw!

An entertaining miniature typical of the modem trend. Complications not for complication's sake, but to preempt the minority attack which would certainly have

later come, had Black been given time to consolidate by castling.

The one aspect of the half-open file not properly covered to date is the outpost on the half-open file. This i.s best explained by an example. 53.

^' wM 'M'm: w/m

m i

m

abcdefgh

Diagram 53 shows another typical Sicilian Pawn structure. Black has the half-open c file. White the d file. Each has an associated outpost. White on d5. Black on c4. Outpost is something of a misnomer here, for as you may remember an outpost was originally defined as a square that could not be challenged by an enemy Pawn. Here Black can play e6 and White b3 challenging the respective outposts, but only at a cost. b3 weakens the c3 square and so makes the c Pawn more difficult to defend. Correspondingly, e6 weakens the Black d Pawn, so these moves can only be made in exceptional circumstances. The squares d5 and c4 are therefore effectively outposts, if not technically so.

These considerations explain a couple of points about the Sicilian Defense that may have been puzzling you:

(i> Why does Black so often develop his f8 Bishop passively with e6 and Be7 when he can give it a beautiful

diagonal by g6 and Bg7? Because e6 and Be7 deprive White of his dS outpost without leaving the d Pawn too weak. After g6 and Bb7 Black can rarely consider e6 as well.

(ii) Why is the Maroczy Bind (Pawns on e4 and c4) considered so effective for White against the Sicilian? Because with a White Pawn on c4 Black can have no outpost there, and Black can generate very little play on the c file.

Strategical problems are l)orn in the opem'ng, which is why it is so important to understand the openings you play. Hopefully this chapter has given you some insight into the workings of the Sicilian Defense and related openings as well as the minority attack.

6. Black squares and White squares

Pawns are quite happy to defend pieces (outposts), yet pieces do not enjoy being tied to the defense of Fawns (weak Pawns). Bear these simple principles in mind and you are well on the way to mastering one of the fundamental problems of chess—cooperaUon between pieces and Pawns. This harmony between worlcers and management so to spealc is not solely the responsibility of the shop floor. There is no such thing as the 'perfect Fawn formation, because different pieces react in different ways to the same Pawn skeleton. One of the arts of chess strategy is to recognize which of your pieces fit in well with the Pawn structure, and to exchange off the ones that do not. In this context we are referring primarily to minor pieces (i.e. Bishops and Knights).

Recognition of pieces which do or do not fit in well with the Pawn structure centers mainly around the concept of 'good' and 'bad' Bishops. If most of your central Pawns become blocked on Black squares, say, the future for your Black-squared Bishop will be very limited. The White-squared Bishop on the other hand will be completely unimpaired by its Pawns. Moreover, Pawns on Black squares do not protect White squares, so the Bishop is also needed to help cover the 'gaps'. Knights are less likely to be brought up before the Race Relations Board for color consciousness. They are quite happy to hop from Black squares to White and back again.

m m m m ^*^ "^^ "*?/%? ^^1

abcde fgh

Diagram 54 is a typical case of good Bishop vs. bad Bishop. The Fawn structure is entirely symmetrical, but White's Bishop is compatible with his Pawn structure whereas Black's is a prisoner in his own camp. White wins without effort;

2.

Q.d5+ QxdS exdS

He recaptures this way to vacate e4 for his King.

Bd6

Black would like to release his Bishop with 2...e4, but the threat ot Bd2 (yet another Pawn on a Black square) precludes this.

3. Kf3 Kf7

4. Ke4 Kf6

5. Bd2 Bc7

6. Bc3

Not the only way t o win. Equally efficient i s 6. d6 104

Bxd6 (6...Bd8 7. Kd5 etc.) 7. Bxa5 any 8. Bc3 any 9. a5 any 10. a6 BbS 11. Bxe5+! making a new Q,ueen.

6.

h6

Slack has only waittng moves.

7. h3 h5

8. h4

Zugzwang. Any move by Black loses at least a Fawn.

Many people reason if i put my Fawns on the same colored squares as my Bishop, i can defend them there'. If you commit hara-kiri instead, you won't have to defend them at all. The two solutions are roughly equivalent, give or take the problem of cleaning the blood off the board. The real fallacy in the argument is that if you put all your Pawns on squares of the same color, say Black, there is no defense against enemy penetration on the VVlilte squares. Look at Diagram 55.

55.

^■fp'^fc

m WM

a b c d e f

There is only very scanty material left on the board and Black has only one Pawn to keep protected. Yet his

position is hopeless because he cannot prevent the White King penetrating on the light squares f5, e6, d7:

1. Bf2l (Amazingly, as pointed out by Mike Senkiewicx, one of the world's top backgammon players and a noted chess master. 1. Bg5!! wins on the spot. For if l...Bxg5

2. b6 and White queens by force, —editor)

A quiet move typical of these endgames. White could win a piece by 1. Ba7 Kf6 2. Bb8 Ke6 3. b6 cxb6 4. c7, but this only leads to a draw—4...Bxc7 5. Bxc7 dS.

1. ... Kg7

Black Is forced to give way. Any Bishop move is answered by 2. b6 cxb6 3. c7, while l.,.Kf6?7 loses the Bishop (2. Bh4+).

2. KfS Kf7

The second line of defense.

3. Be3

Once again forcing a King move in reply, Bishop moves being met by i>6.

3. ... Ke7

Or 3...Ke8 4. Ke6 and Black is in zugzwang again.

4. Bg5+ Keg

5. Ke6!l

5. Bxd8 also wins, but the text move is both more thematic and more aesthetic.

5. .,. BxgS

b6

And While gels a new Queen for Christmas; 6,..c>;b6 7. c7or6...Bd8 (nrKd8)7. b7.

This is what we are talking about when we saw things like '...and Black is weak on the White squares.' We mean there i.i a danger that a King (in the endgame) or a Queen (in the late middlegame) will be able to penetrate into the position. Using bridge parlance, he has a duplication of honors. His Pawns cover Black squares, his Bishop does the same, so that after suitable exchanges there will be little more than overworked King to guard the other thirty-two.

Naturally the less material on the board, the dearer the bad Bishop syndrome. This is why we started the section with two examples of pure Bishop endgames. With Rooks on as well however the overall strategy is much the same.

56.

a b c d c f g h

Diagtiim 56 is an endgame ('i'arrasch-Teichmann, San Sebastian, 1912) which all exponents of the French •efense should try to avoid. Black has a bad Bishop and weak Black squares. The execution runs as follows:

1»7

g4

I'he key to the White position is his King's outpost on d4. Because Black has no minor piece able to operate on Blacl< squares, he cannot usurp the While monarch from its throne and moreover must l<eep a Rook permanently stationed on the c file to prevent his majesty from walking in. You may remember that the 'weakness' of weak Pawns was that pieces could be Med down to their defense. Similarly the 'weakness' of weak squares is that defending pieces must keep them permanently covered to prevent infiltration. To exploit this constraint on the mobility of the Black Rooks, White must bring his own into the game. This he does by a general advance on the Kingside which will eventually lead to the opening of some lines there. He chooses the extreme right flank for this action to stretch the defense as much as possible. In endgames you should try to introduce 'width' into your play, i.e. create trouble on two widely-spaced fronts.

1. ... Bc8

2. h4 g6

Trying to keep the Kingside closed. Against purely waiting tactics White would continue Rgl and gS, meeting ...h5 with g6.

3. Rhl Kg7

4. h5 Rh8

He cannot barricade the Kingside by4...g5 because of

5. fxgS hxgS 6. h6+ Kg8 7. Rh5 etc.

5. Rfh2 B<17

6. £5

Opening the King's wing by force, thus enabling his Rooks to get their teeth into Black's position.

7. fxgS gxhS

8. RxhS Rxh5

9. RxhS

57.

abcdefgh

A good point for a brief resume on the state of play. White has secured an open file plus an entry point (h7), while the Black Rook is still playing the role of nightwatchman. Initially White had the better Bishop, now he has the better Rook as well.

Opening up the seventh rank for his Rook.

11. 12

fxg6 Bxg6 b4

In principle the right idea—establish Pawns on Black squares wherever possible—but here it hardly helps at all.

109

13. Rh7 + 7

A mistake. Ite should not encourage the Black King to run over to the Qjieenside where it can relieve the Rook from its jobs of custodian of the Black squares (c5 in particular). Correct is the immediate 13. Bd3 leaving the Black King hemmed in on e7.

13. Kd8

14. Bd3?

He still had time to rectify his previous error by 14. Rh8+ and 15. Bd3.

14. ... Rc37

There are good drawing chances after 14...Rc6! (vacating c7 for the King) 15. Rh8+ Kc7 16. Ra8 Kb7.

15. a31

The vital difference. Black's a Pawn is drawn foiward to a5 where it is indefensible.

15. ... as

16. Rh8f Ke7

Or 16...Kc7 17. Ra8 Kb6 18. Ra6+ wins the Pawn anj'way.

17. Ra8

and Black resigned a s h e is losing a Pawn without any improvement in his position.

The natural corollary to these endgames is that if you have a Bishop of one color, it is imperative to establish Pawns, particularly central Pawns, on squares of the other color. It can make the difference between a win and a los,=;.

^ ^ iiP' 'f-ft^l

abcdefgh

For example, Diagram 58 shows a position from the game Burn-Marshall, Ostend 1907. White (to move) has a strong central passed Pawn, or is it strong? The answer depends on whether or not he can advance it. On d5 it merely obstructs the Bishop, on d6 it is a giant. After the natural 1. d6 c4 2. bxc4 bxc4 3. Q.e7 (threat 4. d7!) Re8 4. Q.c7 White has all the chances. Instead, Burn chose the incomprehensible...

Qc3? Qxc3 Rxc3

...allowing his Pawn to be blocked on a White square.

2. ... NeSI

Now Black is clearly in the driving seat. He is effectively at least half a Pawn up, as the White d Pawn is blocked and useless. Moreover the Black squares are weak in as much as White ha.? little to counter the Black King marching to eS.

3. Kfl Kf8

111

4. Be2 Nd6

The ideal square for the Knight, In a sense the White d Pawn 'protects' the Knighl from harassment on the d file.

5. Rc2 Ke7

6. Ra2

The only way to activate the Rook is round the back through the tradesman's entrance, but it's very slow.

Underlining the sad decline in the fortunes of the once proud d Pawn, now a miserable weakness.

A better chance is 13. Rc6 using his outpost, the one remaining value of the passed Pawn, After 13...Kd4! however. White is still in difficulties:

(i) 14.KC2 Na3+ IS. Kcl RbSl

(ii) 14. RxcS KxcS 15. Kc2 Nd4+! 16. Kxc3 Nxf3 17. gxf3 KxdS and White loses the King and Pawn endgame because of his broken Pawns viz. 17. Kd3 KeS 18. Ke3 gS! iugswang,

13. ... Nd4

14. d6

A Black square at last—but too late. 112

15. Ra3 Rb 5 and Black wins by force viz. 16. Rc3 Rbl+ 17. Kd2 Kxd6 18. Be4 c \/Q_+ 19 Rxtl Nb3+!.

The most powerful piece in any endgame is tiie King, and the While square/Biack square strategy is aimed to can'e out a route into the enemy camp for it. You can see the reason for stationing Pawns on squares of color opposite to that of your Bishop by the following little exercise. Set up a White Bishop on e4 and Pawn on d4 opposed by a Black King on d6. The King wants to cross the fifth rank. To do so, it must traverse as far as the g file in •ne direction (Ke6, f 6, gS) or the a file in the other direcion (10:7, b6 at which point White can transfer the Bishop to d3, but now Ka.S). Thus we see that a White-squared Bishop in conjunction with a Black-squared Pawn provides a pretty wide barrier against an enemy King. Now transfer the Pawn on d4 to a White square, any White square (e.g. dS, c4, d3), and the King walks straight through. So in assessing how bad a bad Bishop is, or equivalently how weak a weak square complex is with a view to the endgame, the main criterion must be: how easily can the opponent's King break in? Let us look at an exceptional example (Diagram 59).

113

tl El El il

'm»r w.

a b c d e f

Black has the worst Bishop the world has ever seen and four sick Pawns to defend, yet he cannot lose! Why not? Because the White King can never enter. White can only attack various Pawns with his Bishop, at most two at a time, but the threats are easily parried. Without a King there is no way to win. Now remove the White Pawn from eS. Despite now being a Pawn down, White wins easily because his King can play its part:

1. KeS Ke7

2. Bd3 Kf7

3. Kd6

The Black squares!

As a final example to emphasize the power of the King in the ending, we turn to one of Tal's early games, again.st Lisitsin in the 1956 Soviet Championship.

114

b c d e f

In Diagram 60, Tal (White, to move) has all sorts of problems to solve with his ragged Kingside PawTis, but his opponent has some Black square holes in the center. The only way to play such endgames is to exploit your own advantages as vigorously as possible, even if it means total capitulation elsewhere. Here Tal decides to abandon his Kingside to avoid being drawn into passive defense and concentrate all his efforts on the weak Black squares.

1.

f5!

Naturally he chooses the most uncooperative method of surrendering the Kingside.

1.

gxfS

Winning a Pawn, but compromising his Pawn structure to do so. He should instead be willing to fathom the murky depths of l...Ng3 2. f6! Re6 3. Rf3 Ne4.

2. Rfel Rfe8

3. Rxe7 Rxe7

4. Kd2l

115

The beginning of the royal tour. Naturally the full consequences of such an adventure are not calculable, but calculation is not needed. Have faith in your King.

T o create an entry point o n e 2 for his Roolt. Blaclc has a Pawn more and his pieces are very active, but he Ls playing without his King.

7. Rd2 Re6

Or 7...Bxd3 8. cxd3 Re2 9. Rxe2 Nxe2+ 10. KcS mopping up in the center.

Nc5 KeSI

Rh6

The h Pawn is going coo, but no matter. The important point is that Black has no passed Pawn to deflect the invading monarch.

9. ... Bxd3

10. cxd3 Rxh4

11. Kd6 Rh6+

12. Kc7 Nf5

13. Kb7

Threatening to promote his a Pawn no less!

13 14.

Nd4

Rf2

Denying Black the chance to make any pa.ised pawns by ...f3. (If 14. Kxa7? Rh2!, threatening 15...f3, causes White problems. — editor)

14. ... aS

15. Rxf4 Ne6

16. Rg4+ Kf8

17. Kxc6

His majesty now has the audacity to walk into a discovered checlc. This is in fact the beginning of the end. White has recovered all his material and still has much the more active King.

17. ... Nxc5+

18. KxcS Re6

19. KxdS and the rest is technique:

19...Rb6 20. b4 axb4 21. axb4 Ke7 22. Kc5 Rf6 23. Rd4 RfS+ 24. Kb6 Rf6+ 25. Kc7 RfS 26. Re4+ Kf6 27. Kc6 Rf2 28. g4 hS 29. gxhS KgS 30. bS fS 31. Rb4 f4 32. b6 f3 33. b7 Black resigns.

Before the endgame God made the middlegame and an opening to lead into it. Here the seeds of these color strategies are sown. As soon as the central Pawn set-ups crystallize into some sort of permanent structure, the respective good and bad Bishops become self-evident. For example, the French Defense usually creates the Pawn centers d4, eS (White) v. d5, e6 (Black) in which cases each side has a 'bad' Queen Bishop. Hence the opening variations: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 dS 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. BgS Be7 5. eS Nfd7 6. Bxe7 trading his bad Bishop for Black's good one: or 1. e4 e6 2. d4 dS 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. eS b6 preparing Ba6. Here Black is willing to meet 5. Qg4 by ,..Bf8, losing two tempi to secure the exchange of his bad Bishop without giving up the good one (i.e. the King Bishop); another idea is 1.1'4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 followed by ...BbS. Black's idea is always a White square strategy, i.e. exchange his Queen Bishop for the opposing King Bishop and later infiltrate on the White square. White's plan is the exact opposite (exchange Black-squared Bishops and come in on the Black

squares). Lo«k back at the Tarcasch-'l'eichmann ending (Diagram 56). That arose from a French Defense in which White managed to trade Kiack-squared Bishops early in the gaine.

To look in some detail at tlie mechanics •f a color strategy in the opening/middlegame we shall turn our attention to the King's Indian Defense. Structurally speaking the K.I.D. is merely a French Defense seen through a mirror, but for some reason or other King's Indian strategy always seems more involved than its reflected counterpart. The f»ll«wing White-square strategy worked out by Petr«sian is b«th subtle and Illuminating: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. BeZ 0-0 6. Nf3 eS 7. dS .

61.

a b c d e f

Classically these dosed King's Indian positions lead to a race. White plays for <;5, Black counters with ...fS and may the best man win! fetrosian's idea is to maneuver for control •f the White squares so as to take the sting out: of Black's ...fS counter before launching his •wn Queenside operations. After all the cS attack is inherent from the Pawn structure and so wlU never disappear. Let us see how his idea operates by following a game Petrosian-'Vuchtman:

7. ... N a 6 (7,..a5 is the standard move here nowadays, —editor)

If 7...Ne8 to piay ...fS as quickly as possible, there comes 8. h4 fS 9. h5 opening the h file against Black's castled King position. This is one I'eason for White clasing the center (7. d5) before castling himself.

8. Bg5!

The key move. Superficially the motivation is obvious—Black cannot play ...f 5 without moving the Knight and cannot move the Knight without losing his Queen—but the pin is easily broken. Under the surface lies the idea to weaken the White squares.

8, ... h6

9. Bh4 g5

So what has been achieved? This Bishop has been driven into oblivion and Black is now ready to move ...f5 anyway. But he has made the vital concession ...gS. As every Russian schoolboy knows, when you play ...f5 and White replies exf 5, Black must recapture with the g Pawn to prevent White gaining an outpost on e4. Now there is no g Pawn with which to recapture—it has been drawn out of position in pursuit of the Bishop. This means that ...fS can now never be played without presenting White with a beautiful outpost on e4.

10 Bg3 NhS 11. Nd2 Kf4

Securing an outpost for himself. White can never contemplate Bxf4 in view of the reply ...exf4! liberating the throttled Bishop. White's whole strategy is to leave Black with a dummy Bishop on g7.

ll.,.Nxg3 12. hx«3 f5 would have played ri)!hl into

White's hands—13. exfS BxfS 14. Nde4 and 15. Bg4. White would later castle Queenside and launch a direct mating attack based on the White squares and the h file.

12. 0-0 Nc5

Talcing Che other Bishop w»uld not help Black's cause either: 12... Nxe2+ 13. Q<e2 f5 (13...Nc5 14. b4) 14. exfS Bxf5 15. Nde4 and White can then start thinking in terms of Kacl, a3, b4 and c5, because there is no counterplay.

13. Bg4

The exchange of White-squared Bishops is the next logical link in the chain of White's strategy.

13. ... a57

Squandering his only chance which play in 13...Bxg4

14. Qxg4 h5! 15. QfS h4, as pointed out by Petrosian. White is then forced to free Black's Bishop from its self-captivity by 15. Bxf4 exf4 and Black can later hold his damaged Kingside together by ...Qf6.

14. f3l

...„„ ._ JiS

abcdefgh

Heralding the successful complication of White's opening strategy. He has completely disarmed Black's Ringside, ., ,f5 being met by taking and following up with Nde4, while the Bishop on g3 now has a cosy retreat to f2 in the event of ...h5,h4. He can now begin his Qjieenside buildup with the utmost leisure. The race has been reduced to a one-horse alfair—he only has to complete the course to win.

14.

Ncd3

An invasion into thin air. but there 1 s no constructive plan to be found. If 14,,.aKg4 15. {xg4 and White gels a super outpost for his Knights on iS.

15. dcZ c6

16. Khl h5

17. Exc8 Rxc8

18. a3 cxdS

19. cxdS Nc5

19.

There is no way to maintain the Knight on d3, e.g. .Qfi7 20. Bxf4 Nxf4 21. a4 followed by b.^, Nc4, Nb5 etc.

121

20. Bf2 g4

21. g3 Ng6

To put the other Knighl on d3 would serve no useful purpose. dS is not a good outpost for Black—there is no Pawn to support it. The veiy most a piece can hope for on such an isolated square is survival.

22. fxg4 hxg4

23. Be3

Still no hurry. Black's whole position is built on sand. He has White-square holes but no Bishop to defend them, no capacity to expand or counter-attack. His present position may well be his optimal one, so give him some rope and...

23. ... bS?

...he might sacrifice a Pawn for nothing.

24. NxbS Qb6

25. a4 aa6

Admitting the futility of his 23rd move. The rest is painful. 26. Nc4 fS 27. RxfS RxfS 28. exfS Qb7 29. Qg2 Nb3 30. Nbxd6 Q.d7 31. Rfl Black resigns.

There are essentially two types of White-square strategy. The first is as above: given a fixed Pawn structure in which the enemy Pawns are already on Black squares, you exchange White-squared Bishops with a view to setting up outposts or penetrating on White squares. The second is the same idea back to front: given a more fluid Pawn set-up and that your opponent already ha.s relinquished his White-squared Bishop, you try to draw his Pawns onto Black squares. The objective is the same—to give the opponent a Black-square Pawn formation, with no Bishop to plug the gaps, but the build-up is different.

akcde fgh

The position in Diagram 63 arose from ttie opening of the game Stean-Planinc, Moscow 1975. There is as yet no question of bad Bishops or weak squares. Indeed, neither player can reasonably daj'm to hold the advantage, though White's next move does set one or two problems.

1.

Nac4

With threats to invade on b6 as \\/ell as the attack on the e Pawn. Black can now maintain the balance with l...Nd7, but instead mistakenly resolves to eliminate the annoying Knight.

1.

2.

Bxc4

Bxc4

2. Nxc4 would leave the e Pawn hanging, so why was Black's last move a mistake? Because his Bishop on e6 was a good piece, too good to swap for Knight. If White can now find some way to lure the Black Pawns onto Black squares, he has all the makings of a succesiiful White-square strategy.

123

2. 3.

ad7

f3

To prevent the annoying...Ng4 and also bolster the e Pawn in preparation for Bb3 and Nc4.

3.

4. g3

NhS

Keeping the Knight out of f4. There is no reason to fear 4 ..Q.h3 in view of 5. Rf2 followed by Bf 1 and Nc4.

4. 5.

RadS

Bb3l

64.

El

^^ '^ f^i W& \

m m, m m*

a b c d e f

So far White has been defending, but this move marks the turning of the tide. Black has reached the top of the hill and is about to roll all the way down again. Without his White-squared Bishop he has no way of making any further impression on the White position, but instead must meet the threat of 6. Nc4 followed by Bb6 winning the a Pawn. The only way to do so Involves the weakening of his White squares.

5. ... C5

6. Q,e2

Of course not 6. Bxc5?? CM2. White can afford to take things veiy calmly. His daninatton of the White squares is probably already a winning advantage.

8...Nd3? loses a piece to 9. Nc4.

9. Nc4 Nf6 10 Na3

White has a number of good outposts for his pieces (all onWhite squares!). The Knight has sniffed out one on bS,

10. ... NaT

11. ac4 Rfe8

12. Kg2 h6

abcde fgh

Having posted all his pieces (including his King) on good squares, White now has to tackle the problem of how to infiltrate. There is no obvious way to seize the open file, so lie trades Rooks to create more free space.

The first hint of penetration. There is an immediate threat of 19. Nc4 winning the b Pawn (Black no longer has Nc8 as a defense), together with the long-term idea Qd5, QaS, and Bb7 winning the Knight on a7.

18. 19.

Nd6

adS! NeB

He certainly cannot afford the further White-square weaknesses brought on by ...f6, e.s. 19...f6 20. Nc4 NacS (20,..Nxc4? 21. Bxc4 and mates) 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4 with winning threats.

126

Nc4 Nf6

Losing a Pawn, but he has no good defense anyway. This time 20...f6 makes a spectacle exit viz. 21. Nxb6! Qxb6 22. Rc4 QxbZi 23. Kh3 with unstoppable mating threats. Objectively best is 20...Bd6, though he lacks a reply to 21 b4! axb4 22. cxb4, e.g. 22...cxb4 23. Bxb6 etc.

21. Q^ceSand White won.

In conclusion, a warning to those who would willingly accept a bad Bishop and a few weal<; squares in return for the slightest glimpse of an attack. As stressed earlier in the book, attacks must be built on the basis of a definite superiority in your position, either in development or in structure. To try to conjure up an attack out of thin air by artificial means is simply asking for trouble.

66.

sK| f4^4 fm ^ Wf pt^ iS^ w

"S Q ■ t i

abcdefgh

The position in Diagram 66 is dead equal, however, in the game Petrosian-Mecking. Palma 1969. Black {to move) allowed himself to be carried away by dreams of an attack:

127

Nonnal would be l...Rf d8 with the bookmakers giving 3 to 1 on a draw.

2. Bf4 e5?

3. Bell

Typical Hetrosian. Bf4 was played with the sole intention of provoking the reply ...eS. Mission accomplished, he has no scniples about going back to square one. The Bishop maneuver has made two gains: (i) Black's King Bishop is becoming 'bad"; (ii) an outpost on dS. Moreover the Bishop retreat lures Black into a false sense of optimism about his attacking chances.

3. ... Kh8

4. BdS

Exchanging off Black's better Bishop.

4. ... Bxd5

5. exdS f5

Black would b e better advised to fi x White's Queenside on Black squares by 5...c4, but he is stili dreaming of winning a great victory on the Kingside.

6. c4 Rae8

7. Rdl f4?

Taking one step too many in the wrong direction He must free his Bishop with 7...e4 when Black's prospects are still not too bad, e.g. i. axb6 axb6 9. d6 Q.c6 10. Ra7 Bd4! 11. Bf4 with chances for b»ih sides, though maybe a few more for White than for Black.

8. axb6 axb6

9. Qe4l

128

Hl£i

% '^. '^, W^i 'f4?> W^ f^ Wi mi « MB w^'

a ^1]

abcdefgh

Compare Diagram 67 with Diagram 66. White has made all kings of positional gains: outpost on e4, good Bishop V. bad Bishop, protected passed Pawn etc. And Black? He has been telegraphing his intention to deliver mate for some time, but has grossly underestimated his opponent's defensi%'e possibilities.

9. 10.

ad7

Rel

N o need to panic. The secret of good defense i s to l;eep calm and have faith in the inherent soundness of your position. In particular, don't be afraid of ghosts, i.e. don't maJte your opponent's threats out to be stronger than they actually are. For example, in this position. Black has two dangerous-looking plans; (i),..f3 and ...Qh3; (ii)...(3^3 and ...RfS, RhS but a simple calculation reveals them to be innocuous:

(i) 10 ...f3 11. Ra3 brings the attacl^ to an immediate halt, as Black must defend his Pawn.

(ii) 10,..Q.h3 11. Ra3 RfS 12. Bxf4! Rh4 13. Qg2 and VVhite has won a Pawn for nothing.

129

10. ... Qf7

Now trying his hand on the f file, but again there is a simple defense.

11. Re2

To meet ...fxg3 with hxg3 and there is no way in.

11. ... gS

12. g41

Not only sealing up the Kingslde, but also fixing yet another Pawn on a Black square.

12. ... Q.d7

Or 12...f3 13. Rel h6 14. Ra3 and White can later round up the stray Pawn.

13. f3

Completing his defensive program. We now see the difference between strategy and attack. Attacks can be repulsed, but positional advantages do not suddenly vanish without trace. Petrosian's quiet but logical play has left him with a stranglehold on the White squares which he will be able to exploit now that Black's threats have dried up.

13. ... Ra8

14. RxaS Rxa8

15. Bd2

Stage one o f the winning plan: tie Black's pieces to the defen.se of his e Pawn.

16. Bc3 ad6

17. Rel

Stage two: switch to the a file.

17. ... h6

18. Ral Rf8

19. Ra7 Re8

20. QfS

Stage three: penetrate on the White squares, tt couldn't be simpler.

20. ... bS

OrZ0...Rf8 21. Qd7 Qxd7 22. Rxd7 (threat Re7) Re8 23. Rb7 etc.

21. Rd7 afS

22. Q;(f8+Rxf8

23. cxbS Rb87?

A blunder in a hopeless situation. 2 4. Rxg7 Black resigns (24...Kxg7 25. Bxe5+)

131

7. Space

The essence of simple chess is mobility. Pieces need to be liept active and used economically. All the objectives of simple chess tan be traced back to this underlying notion. Outposts are springboards from which pieces can generate activity, weak Pawns hamper mobility because they require protection, 'bad' Bishops are bad because their movements are restricted. However, the single most important factor in determining mobility must be space, but what is space? Terms like 'White has the freer game', 'White has greater control', 'Black is cramped', crop up frequently in annotations, but what do they really mean and how is space apportioned?

Unlike the ideas expressed so far in this book, space is not an easily definable or recognizable concept. The visual impression you obtain by glancing at a position and estimating who seems to have the lion's share can be misleading. The following is nearer the truth. Any given Pawn structure has a certain capacity for accommodating pieces efficiently. Exceed this capacity and the pieces get in each other's way, and so reduce their mutual activity. This problem of overpopulation is easy ro sense when playing a position—it 'feels' cramped. To take an example, compare Diagrams 68 and 69.

■ 11 pip

&m wMMtm

iHi rat ■

abcde fgh 69.

■ If m±i

abcdcffih

They do, of course, repre.seni the .same position, but with two pairs of minor pieces less in the second ca.se. In Diagram 68 Blaclc is terribly congested. There is no way he is ever going to be allowed to play ...b5, while alternative methods of seeking some breathing space by (after due preparation) ...e6 or ...fS would compromise his Pawn structure considerably. White on the other hand can build up at leisure for an eventual eS, safe in the knowledge that so

133

long as he avoids any piece exchange, his adversary will never be able to free his game. Diagram 69 is quite a contrast. The site of Black's forces is here well within his position's 'capacity'. As a result there are no spatial problems at all and Black can very quickly seize the initiative by ...a6 and ...b5, or even by ...bS as a Pawn sacrifice, e.g. 1. ..b5 2. cxbS a6 3. bxa6 Rxa6 with tremendous pressure. We see from this pair of positions that Black's structure is very good, but his capacity is small. Visually White has a spatial advantage in both cases, but in the second the eye flatters to deceive. In fact, he is grossly overextended. A vast empire requires an army of equal proportions to defend it.

Space is the most difficult element of chess strategy to understand. As we have just seen in Diagram 68, a position can be structurally very sound but actually very bad because of spatial problems. The real test of our insight into the mechanics of an advantage in space comes when confronted by a completely sound (structurally), solid but cramped position. How do you exploit such an advantage in space? Fischer provides all the answers.

White: R.J. Fischer, Black: F, Gheorghiu Buenos Aires 1970

1. e4 eS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. NxeS d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 S. d4 Be7 (5...dS is the standard move today.—e(J(t«r) 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. h3I 0-» B. 0-0 Re8 9. c4 Nc6 10. Nc3 h6

mXm mlim

bn

^ ^1 B ^1S 8 6^ ^'#»BS@

abcde f)?h

Black's position is very solid and devoid of weaknesses, yet he has some problem because his modest setup is not equipped to hold a full complement of pieces. Put yourself In While's shoes and you might ask how you can possibly make any Impression on the Black position, but that is the wrong approach. For the time being, White should maintain a low profile and concentrate on simple harmonious development, rather than which way he ought to be pointing his battering ram.

11.

Rel Bf8

Naturally eager to swap oft Rooks.

12. Rxe8 dxeS

13. Bf4 Bd7

14. Q.<12 Q.C8

There is no immediate danger, yet Black's position is uncomfortable. He wants to bring his Rook to e8 but is unable to do so because of his pieces are so constricted. For example, if 14...Q,e7 (to prepare ...Re8), then 15. Rel and the Q,ueen must go back again. The only way to relieve the

135

situation is by exchanges so Black prepares ...Bf 5 to exchange Bishops, thus liberating the d7 square for his ^jieen which in turn allows the Rook a clear path to e8. For White's part it is sufficient to prevent this plan. When you have a spatial advantage there need be no hurry to form an active pliin, that will come in due course. The important thing is to keep your opponent bottled up and put the onus on him to create active play. To do so he will be forced to weaken his own position somewhere. Only then do you pounce on him.

IS. dS

White would prefer to hold his Pawns on d4 and c4, but this advance in conjunction with Nd4 is the only way to prevent Black's freeing plan.

15. ... Nb4

16. Ne4I

A neat finesse to preserve his King Bishop and gain time for Nd4, as the doubled Pawns after 16...Nxd3 17. Nxf6+ are naturally unacceptable for Black.

i iigp,_^ ......

abode f

Completing the hemming in maneuver. Now Black needs some fresh ideas. He can buy some space with 18...c3, but this saddles him with some sick Pawr.s after 19. dxc6 e.p bxc6. One of the main ideas in playing for space is that the opponent will some time 'trade ofr his spatial inferiority for a structural one. Instead he elects to build an outpost on c5 for his Knight.

18. ... Nc5

19. Bc2 a5

20. Rel Q.d8

21. Re3!

The King's file is itself of n o use t« White because he has no entry p»int, but it does enable him to put his Rook into active service on the third rank.

21. 22.

b6

Rg3

White's greater command of space now transforms Itself into a concrete attack. The justifications for startling a direct offensive lies in the fact that Black's forces are

1.37

concentrated on the Queenside and are unable to transfer across to aid the defense.

22. ... Kh8

The immediate threat was Bxh6.

23. Nf3

Vacating the d 4 square for the Queen. If Black seeks to anticipate this with 23...<.f6, there comes 24. Be3 and the Bishop takes up the lease on d4 with murderous effect.

23. ... ae7

24. ad 4

72.

'Wi f^'i ^ f^i

'm, m S m

The culmination of White's play. Black's Kingside is raked by a crossfire of pins from which there is no shelter. Note that White is attacking with his entire army while Black is defending with but two pieces (Qiieen and Bishop), the rest being unable to communicate with the defense.

24.

Qf6

The only defense lo the threat of 25. Bxh6 {24...f 6 25. Nh4 would be extremely gruesome).

25. tofe gxf6

Now it's back to Chapter 3. The weaknes,;, of the shattered Pawns is fatal. To begin with. White now has a juicy outpost on f 5.

26. Nd4 Re8

27. Re3

Confident thai his structural advantage is sufficient to win a minor piece ending. After 27...Kxe3 28. Bxe3 Kg? 29. Nf5+ Bxf5 30. BxfS the win is only a matter of time.

27. ... Rb8

Black shares his confidence. The remaining moves are desperation.

H e can i f h e prefers I o l«se the Pawn o n h 4 vis. 3 0... hS 31. Ng3 h4 32. Nf5.

31. Nxh6 Rb4

32. Rg3!

With two separate mating threats.

So we see how easy it can be (or rather seem to be) to squeeze an opponent to death without any recourse to violence. The strategy behind playing to exploit a space advantage is twofold:

(i) Deprive the opponent of any counterplay, avoiding exchanges whenever possible. The psychological pressure of being permanently hemmed in may well induce him to wealcen himself in order to gain some freedom.

(ii) If no wealcnesses are forthcoming you must be prepared to attaclcon eifii^rwing. Greater space control gives you better communication between flanks, so you naturally want to exploit this fact to build up against the adversary's weaker front. In our last game, Fischer chose to attack on the Ringside because of the sparsity of Black forces in that region. Had the Black pieces been concentrated on the Kingside he would have resorted to a Q.ueenside advance (b4 and c5). Flexibility of thought is needed to make use of flexibility on the board.

73.

abcdefgh

You have doubtless seen the move sequence; 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Rel b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5

11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 (Diagram 73) leading to the old main lines of the Ruy Lopez. Never in the history of chess have so many moves been repeated so often so quickly by so many people who didn't really understand them. Have you ever examined these well tried and trusted moves with a critical eye? Why, for example, should White spend twelve moves to develop just four pieces? Why waste four of these moves to preserve a Bishop which will In all probability later become 'bad' when White blocks the center with d5? By answering these questions, we can gain a lot of insight into Wliite's overall strategy in the Lopez.

The first and most primitive idea behind 3. Bb5 is to lay seige to Black's e Pawn which will subsequently be liquidated by «I4, thereby opening the floodgates for the White Pawn cffnter t« scatter the enemy forces with the allied pieces following up to rout the broken army—no prisoners taken. Black cannot however be forced to surrender the center. By keeping his own e Pawnfinnly defended Black can thwart all White's aspirations of con<uest in the center, but this will lead to a rather cramped position. So the offspring of White's plan is an advantage in space due to the necessity for his opponent to maintain a firm central barricade. This spatial plus however is not very big and the only way to maintain it is by avoiding any exchange of pieces. Black's position (Diagram 73) has sufficient 'capacity' for three minor pieces, but not clearly enough for all four of them. This explains why White is willing to invest so much time early in the game (Bb5, Ba4, Bb3, Ic2, h3) purely to avoid exchanges. If his spatial sti'ategy is to succeed he must leave Black with four minor pieces. These dosed Ruy Lopez positions are some of the most subtle and complex in the whole opening repertoire. It is probably no coincidence that nearly all the great players of recent times have been deadly exponents of the Ruy Lopez. In the hands of Fischer or Karpov 3. BbS sometimes appears to win by force. For example, Karpov-Westerinen, Nice 1974. 1. e4 e5 2. NfS Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. 0-0 Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. c3

Be7 8. Nbd2 0-0 9. Rel Re8 10. Nfl h6 11. Ng3 Bf8 74.

?Ui VH •■f.

'tm<^!m.

HI ±1

S X 'm,Mx X ml ■ ^ ?j!i?; r-m.

M m I

a b c d e f

Here Black has adopted a less common form of defense. The idea is the same—to strongpoint his e5 Pawn.

12. Bd2

An unpretentious move, but White is not so much interested in promoling his own position as in containing iiis opponent's.

12. ... b5[7]

Better is 1 Z,..g6, depriving White of the fS square, —editor

13. Bc2 NaS

14. b3 c5

15. dS!

HP

'""MlkMiM-

Xs m^'i m- m

a b c d e f

This in conjunction with liis last move Iceeps the Knight on a5 firmly out of play. If now 15...c4, then 16. b4 Nb7 17. a4 gives Wtiite a clear structural advantage on the Queenside because he can open the a file at a time of his choosing, whereas Black can never resolve the position by ...bxa4 leaving himself with isolated Pawns everywhere.

15. 16.

Nh7

h3

To meet ...Ng5 by Nh2 avoiding an exchange of

Knights.

16.

17.

Be?

Nf5

Confronting Black with a nasty dilemma. He needs to exchange some pieces to relieve his spatial problems, but ...BxfS gives up his best minor piece. Were he to take the Knight, he might well later fall victim to a White-square campaign, as his three central Pawns all stand on Black squares.

143

Nb7

B y bolstering the defense of his d Pa» n, Black now threatens to trade off his 'bad' Bishop with ...Bg5.

18. a4

bxa4?

He clearly has not seen White's reply or he would have continued according to plan 18...Bg5 19. NxgS hxgS.

19.

b4!

76.

H

B ^X1 S M

m mX W @§ '9 ^^9 S

abcde fgh

A surprise, but an entirely logical one. With this Hawii thrust he keeps the Black Knight bottled up on b? while laying down the foundations for a positive strategy. By recapturing on a4 with his Bishop White can start to get to work on the White squares. For example, he suddenly acquires an outpost on c6. From the hazy depths of a purely spatial strategy we begin to see some concrete ideas emerging. It is very reasonable to assume that any position with an advantage in space will offer scope to translate the spatial plus into a structural one.

144

Black struggles hard to free himself by liqiiidating the Queenside, but the idea of opening up the position is fraught with danger as the Black pieces are much less mobile than their counterparts.

20. Bxa4 axb4

21. cxb4 Bf8

Changing plans in midstream is bound to be fatal, but so is the logical complement of Black's play 21...cxb4 on account of 22. Bxd7 and now;

(i) 22...Qxd7 allows the bolt from the blue 23. Nxe5, as after 23...dxe5 24. Qg4 the double threat of mate and Nxh6+ will cost Black his Queen, while 23...Rxal 24. Qg4! Rxel+ 25. Bxel has similar effect.

(ii) 22...Rxal 23. Q,xal Qxd7 24. Bxb4 leaves Black powerless to prevent White's Qiieen penetrating on the a file, e.g. 24...Qb5? 25. NxeS (again!) Q,xb4 (or 25...dxe5 26. Nxe7+) 26. Nc6 threatening mate on g7 as well as the Queen and Bishop.

22. Bc61

Now Black is smothered. He cannot trade Bishops because the Knight on b7 would then have nowhere to go, so he must allow the establishment of a protected passed Bishop in the midst of his tiieenside encampment.

22. ... Qc7

23. b5 Nf6

Black's moves from this juncture are, essentially, irrelevant. There is no way he can in the long run hope to hold his Queenside position, which has the look of Custer's last stand about it. Although he has only one vulnerable Pawn {d6). Black's pieces are so starved of space that they

145

are themselves becoming targets of attack. After all, we only normally choose to attack Pawns because of their inability to run away, but when the pieces themselves have no escape squares why not go in search of bigger game? 24. Q.C2 RebS

BcS

Be7

Q.d8

77.

mtm msmm m

Making use of his latest acquisition, an outpost on a7! It is now only a matter of time before Black is pushed off the edge of the board.

28. ... Nd7

29. Q.a4 Rxa7

30. bxa7 RaS

31. Q.a6 ac7

32. Bxd7

Winning by force. The entry of the Wliite Knight on b6 is decisive.

Or 3 2...Bxd7 33. Nb6 winning at least a Rook.

33. Nb6 N48

34. aall

Very artistic. If now 3 4...Q<a7 35. %(a7 and 36. Nxc8, or 34...Pxa7 35. Nxd7 Rxal 36. Rxal Bxd7 37. Ra7 winning some more, so Black resigned.

Undoubtedly the most diificult game in the book to understand. One can only really begin to appreciate the idea of converting spatial advantages into structural ones when the latter have been fully absorbed and understood. The closed Ruy Lopez positions represent a very fine balance between space and structure which only becomes apparent after many years of experience with them. When you understand the Lopez, you have mastered simple chess.

Our brief excursion into the Ruy Lopez has scratched the surface of some of the deeper aspects of chess strategy, but we will proceed no further in this direction. The idea of this book is to keep things simple, so let us look at some of the more direct consequences of spatial advantages. Space, or lack of it, is generally used as a way of persuad'mg the opponent to make structural concessions. Let us take for example a (quite common) Pawn structure, Diagram 78.

147

abcde fgh

Black's set-up is very sound but its 'capacity' is low, so given a position with some major pieces and a fe// minor pieces each, he would have some spatial problems. Structurally speaking he has P.vo ways to combat them:

(i) Undermine White's center by ...bS. This is the positionally correct method, but is, in practice often difficult to organize as White can usually keep quite a strong grip on the b5 square (with, say. Knight on d4, c3. Bishop on fl-a6 diagonal). An added problem is that moving the b fawn gives White an outpost on c6 for his Knight.

(ii) Challenge White's Pawn wedge by ...e6. But this creates structural weaknesses. The Black d Pawn is left very weak after White exchanges Pawns on e6 and th* Black Kingside is also weakened somewhat.

Practice has shown that Pawn structure akin to Diagram 78 are very favorable for White providing that Black's minority attack ...bS can be prevented. In this case the exploitation of White's spatial advantage is not all difficult to understand, lie can utilize his greater control and communication between wings to launch a direct Kingside attack.

148

White: L. Portisch, Black: S. Reshevsky Petropolis 3973

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. e4 Nc6 4. Nf6 6. Nc3 Nxd4 7. Q;td4 d6 8, 0-0 10. Bd3

79.

d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 BgS Bg7 9. Q.dZ

abcde fgh

We do notyet have the Pawn structure ofDiagram 78, but White can some day plant his Knight on dS, and recapture with the e Pawn when Black takes it off. Of course, the whole plan can be prevented by Black playing ...e6 at almost any stage, but this would leave him with a very sick d Pawn on an open file. Simple chess always requires flexibility of thought. The opponent can always avert one form of weaknesses or disadvantage by accepting another somewhere else.

10

aS

Acknowledging from the start that he will never be permitted to play ...bS, since after the natural plan of 10...Rb8 and ll...Bd7 there comes a4 by White and that's the end of that. Instead, Black aim.'; to steal some space on the Qiieenside to offset his lack of it in the center.

11. •-0 a4

12. Racl

To keep Black guessing. White could be intending to play Nd5 and recapture with the c Pawn. You never can tell—

12. ... Be6

13. Q.C2

He can of course play Nd5 immediately, as after 13.,.NxdS 14. exdS Bd7 15. Rfel White stands better, but Nd5 can never be prevented so why not probe a little f iret?

13. ... Nd7

An indirect defense of the a Pawn (14. Nxa4? (Ia5 hitting tv«) pieces). The natural 13.,.Q35 would make 14. Nd5 correspondingly stronger:

(i) 14...Nxd5 15. exd5 and Black's e Pawn is hanging.

(ii) 14...Bxd5 IS. o:d5 (you never could tell!) and White controls the c file with an entry point on c7.

14. f4

A signal of the impending Ringside attack. F»r the moment the threat is f5 winning the Bishop.

14. ... Rc8

15. b3 axb3

16. axb3 Nf6

Very passive, but alternatives are hardly more palatable:

(i) 16...NC5 17. f5 Nxd3 IS. avd3 Bd7 19. NdS leaves Black in terrible trouble (19...Re5 2». f6!).

(ii) 16... f5 17. Reel and the pressure on the e file is felt right the way back to Black's e Pawn.

17. 18. 19.

Khl Q.a5 fS Bd7 NdSl

80.

•■gMi'i^m,

W& f'^i i^< * i

m m M X i

f g h

The moment we've all been waiting for. After 19,..Nxd5 20. exdS, White has through his spatial advantage very good attacking chances against the Black Kiing, e.g. 20...Rfe8 21. Reel QdS 22. fxg6 hxg6 23. Bxg6! f)«6 24. Qxg6 Rf8 25. Bh6 forcing mate.

19. ... ad8!

A good defensive try, i n that 20. Nxf6+ Bxf6 21. Bxf6 exf6 leads nowhere for White as he is left with a bad Bishop and many Black-square weaknesses. The correct way to pursue the attack is by increasing the pressure without permitting too much simplification.

20. 21.

Qf2 Bc6 Qh4 BxdS

The presence of the Knight on d5 has eventually proved too much for Black lo tolerate, but now White obtains the Pawn formation he has been seeking all along.

22. exdS Re8 :;

23. Rf3 Nd7 J

24. Rcfl Bf6 I Black would like t o establish h i s Knight o n the outpost |

ateS, but then there would come 24... Ne5 25.Rh3 hS 26. fxg6 j

fxg6 27. Bxg6! Nxg6 28. Qxh5 Nf8 29. Qf7 mate. Instead he 1

hopes to trade Bishops and erect a defense on the Black .1

squares, but in doing so he is destroyed by a combination. t

I

25. Rh3 Nf8 I

26. fxg6 fxg6

27. Bxg6! hxg6

28. Rxf6!

and Black resigned as it is mate after 28...exf6 29. CUi8+ *

Kf7 30. Rh7+ Nxh7 31. Q?ch7+ Kf8 32. Bh6 mate. ?

Another game in which correct nursing of a spatial plus results in a direct attack:

White: V. Smyslov, Black: K. Gudmundsson Reykjavik 1974

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 0-0 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 cS 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. dS NaS 9. c4 a6 10. Nbd2 bS 11. e4 Rb8 12. Bc3 Q.c7 13. eS Ng4 14. exd6 exd6 15. Bxg7 Kxg7

H

Wm 5Wf

J. ^ '^M'i ^1X

abcdefgh

It is immediately obvious that Wliite has more space because of ills Pawn wedge on dS, but Black has obtained an aggressive set-up on the Queenside by ... bS. Indeed, one might even venture to say that Black has a slight structural superiority because he has some pressure on the base of White's Pawn center (c4) and first option on the b file, whereas the counteipressure against the base of Black's center (d6) is not evident. Once again the trouble with Black's position is with communications. His Qijeenside position is a favorable one, but lacks contact with the rest of the war effort. If White can successfully conduct a holding operation on the Q.ueenside, some of Black's pieces {particularly the Knight on aS) will be left very much out of play.

16. Rel f6

To increase the piessure on White's c Pawn by establishing a Knight on e5. In the event of an exchange there. Black wants to recapture with the f Pawn. The immediate 16...NeS 17. NxeS dxeS not only gives his adversary a strong passed Pawn, but also weakens his own c Pawn, e.g. 18. Rcl threatening 19. cxbS axbS 20. b4!

153

17. aci

Sounder than Qc2 which might some time allo%v an embarrassing ...BfS. Besides, with his central Pawn confiRuraf ion on White squares he wouid prefer his Qyeen on a Black square as a matter of principle.

17. ... Ne5

18. Bfl

Completing his consolidation of the Qucenside, For the moment White's position looks to be the more passive, as indeed it is. But at this point the spatial consideration begins to take over. Black's position has already almost reached its peak. He has no capacity to expand or exert more pressure without creating weaknesses in his own camp. On the other hand, the White forces although temporarily at a low ebb, have plenty of opportunity to drive forward in the longer term because of the greater space potentially available to them.

18. ... Kg4

In essence the right idea—Black would like to force some exchanges—but his mission turns out to be singularly unsuccessful. He would do better to trade Knights while he still has the chance, e.g. 18 ...Nxf3+ 19. Nxf3 bxc4 20. bxc4 Rb4 possibly followed by the maneuver Nb7, Nd8 Nf7, NeS. Black is willing to expend a great deal of time and energy to provoke the exchange of the second pair of Knights. His position is fundamentally quite sound, but simply lacking in space.

19. Nh4I

Very instructive. Wliite wants to avoid exchanges, so an.v old square will do for the Knight as long as all the pieces stay on.

The great wheel of fortune begins to turn in White's favor. As he expands his own position the Black pieces will start to tread on each other'."! toe."; for lack of space.

21. ... Nf7

d7 would be a better .^quaj-e for the Knight, but this would excommunicate the Bishop {22. h3 etc.).

22. Q.c3

The threat to win a Pawn by 23. Ne4 Qj18 24. Nxf6 Q}<f6 25.(i<a5 now induces a full-scale retreat.

Compare this with White's modest position some ten moves ago. His conquest of space has brought him a decisive Kingside attack (the threat of gS is unstoppable) almost as an incidental by-product.

26. 27.

h6

Bd3

Smyslov chooses the most elegant methoil. Naturally the cruder 27. g5 is also very strong.

27. 28.

gS

Ng3!

The point of his previous move. While can give up a piece for a mating attack. The subsequent helplessness of the Black forces is «[uite remarkable.

28. ... gxli4

29. Nh5+ KfB

30. Nxf6 Ba4

What else? There is nothing to be done against 31. NhS ani32.Qg7 mate.

156

31. Nh5 NeS

32. fxeS and Black resigned.

Playing on the basi.i of a spatial advantage is in a sense a question of blind faith. You see no targets in the enemy position and no way to force any weaknesses, but merely attempt to fortify your own position allowing simplification only when absolutely necessary or clearly favorable in the belief that your opponent will some time fee! obliged to make concrete concessions in terms of Pawn weaknesses or outposts in order to avoid suffocation. The difficult part of a spatial strategy lies not in the execution which is relatively simple, but in the recognition of the fact that you actually do have an advantage in space. As already mentioned, the vital criterion is not necessarily whether you 'appear' to control more of the board. This is undoubtedly a yardstick, but not always an accurate one. The real criterion is whether your opponent has more pieces than can comfortably fit in with his Pawn structure, and this you can only really expect to assess correctly on the basis of experience. From your own games and by studying master games you can gradually acquire a feeling for the 'capacity' (as I earlier termed it) of certain Pawn structures. Space is not an easy concept to define with precision or understand with clarity, but time and practice will sharpen your awareness of it as a factor in chess. 1 have tried throughout the book to lay down principles and put forward ideas that relate to all phases of the game, opening, middlegame, and endgame, and space is no exception. The role played by space in the endgame is in fact much more straightforward than in the middlegame. In the endings the King assumes greater power and, consequently, value. The advantage of being first to occupy the center with your King is considerable. He who commands more space has more squares for his King, it's as simple as that. More space means a potentially stronger King.

White; T. Petrosian, Black: L. Portisch Candidate's Match (Sth Game) 1974

fa-//

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2-»g-7 5. 0-0 e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 0-0 9. Rdl Nc6 10. Of 4 Qb8 II. e4(!) Qxf4 12. Bxf4 RfdS 13. eS Ne8 14. Nd4 NaS 15. b3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 gS?! 17. Be3 Kg7

83.

a b c d e f

h

White has more space on account of his advanced Pawn on e5 which in turn gives him a very gooil square on e4 for his King, while Blaclc through lack of space has no central squares available for his own leader.

18.

f4

A surprising move in that White voluntarily places his Pawns on squares of the same color as his Bishop, but Petrosian reckons his grip oo the center to be more important.

Against the natural 20. Kf3 there comes 20...f5 barring the White King from e4, but now 20 ..fS can be met by 21. Nxc6 dxc6 22. Nd4 winning a Pawn.

20. ... Nxd4

21. Nxd4 Bc5

Continuing with his policy of exchanges. If 21...Rac8 White has the strong continuation 22. NbS a6 23. Bxb6! axbS 24. BxdS Rxd8 25. cxb5 netting a Roolc and an impressive array of passed Pawns for two pieces.

22. Kf3 d6

23. Rd21

A remarkably strong move after which the Black King suddenly finds himself in trouble. He could of course abdicate his responsibilities and seek refuge on some godforsaken edge of the board where he would be relatively safe, but Chen the rest of the position would crumble through lack of his support. For example, White threatens Radl followed by NbS with decisive threats on the d file. Black's only chance of survival is to bring his King into the center to bolster his defenses.

23. ... dxeS

24. fxeS Bxd4

Again Portisch seeks to relieve his position by exchanges, but this still does not help his King to find a satisfactory square in the center.

25. Bxd4 f6

Desperation, but if 25...Kf8, then 26. Radl leaves lilack defenseless viz.

(i) 26...Ke7 27. cS RabS (27...bS 28. c6!) 28. cxb6 axb6 29. Bxb6! Rxd2 30. Bc.5+.

(ii) 26...Ng7 (orc7) 27. Bxb6! RxdZ 28. BcS!. (iii) 26...Rdc8 27. Be3 followed by Bh6+ etc.

26. exf6+ Nxf6

27. Rfl

Threatening to win a piece by 28. Ke3.

27. ... Kh6

28. Rel

Winning the e Pawn as 28...Re8 unpins the Bishop allowing 29. Bxf6, while 28,..Rd6 loses to 29. B€3+. The rest is very one-sided: 28...Ng8 29. Rxe6+ Kh5 30. Re5+ Kg6 31. Rg2+ Kf7 32. Re4 Nf6 33. Rf4 Rd6 34. RgS Rad8 35. Rd51 Black resigns (Forif 35.. J?xd5 36. Rxf6+ Ke7 37. cxdS RxdS 38. Rf4).

T une to Com piete: 9 hrs 4 mill

A CATALOG OF SELECTED

DOVER BOOKS

IN ALL FIELDS OF INTEREST

SIMPLE CHESS

New Algebraic Edition

Michael Stean

Edited and Translated into Algebraic Notation by Fred Vtllson

WrLtl«i by a youiig Grand Master, this inir»ducn«n t« chess siratpgj-is aimed primarily al players lor \vham a ifune plan is utterly enigmatic- Ry fs»fa(>ng the hask: dnrrtrms and iltLLstt^lini; them thrau^ a selection ol Master and Grand Master saiiies, Si/npte Cltess breaks dawn the mystique of strategy into plain, easy-t*-understanri ideas, (•nly a kii^wledije «f basic chrsK if nminolnify is iuisj]ine<).)

Movt: than a k^son in chess luntlamentals. this b«oV: illustrates an increasingly prevtileilt and successkil slyle af play—a mnthnd that t}e{rins by slowly accumulalini} small but pcnnanent ailvantages, sav-ire the outright attack kir later in the game. Newly cmrverted mtc the i'urreitt^lg^hraic chess notation, thin r<)ition nl ^/n^ie Cfiess offers a Slrateskr weafxin for players at every level of e^Tjeriise.

Daver (2002) algebraic editiaii of the woilc flrsr published by Fstier & Faber. Lorxlon. IS^. IntroductioiL 176p|). S^a x BVi. Paperfcound.

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