THE ATTACK AGAINST THE KING

WITH CASTLES ON THE SAME SIDE (II)

THE PAWN ASSAULT

It is known that the pawn assault against the opposite castle is a typical procedure in positions
with castles on different sides. In case when both players have made the castle on the same side,
this procedure is also used, but it requires some additional premises. This happens because in
this case the pawn assault against the castle is realized with the own castles pawns, depriving the
king of their protection.
In general, the pawn assault may be realized also when the castles are on the same side, in case
when the center is blocked or if the attacker has a strong pawn center that protects the own king
of an eventual counter attack.
Before starting the game, we would like to remind you the objectives of a pawn assault:
1. To obtain space advantage on the side where we want to attack, in order to increase the
mobility of the own pieces on that side and to create a local superiority of forces
2. To estrange the opposite pieces from that zone by attacking them with our pawns. In
this case, the defending pieces of the castle are sent away, weakening in this way the protection
of the opposite king.
3. To provoke pawn exchanges in order to open some attacking lines for our pieces. The
pawn exchanges lead of course also to the weakening of the protection of the opposite king.
Now lets start the illustrative game, played in the World Youth Championship under 10. The
player with white pieces had become world vice champion in that edition.
Jianu,V - Le Tien Dung
World Youth Championhip <10 Szeged (6), 1994
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3
The Queens Gambit is one of the most often used openings in all the levels. Generally, the game
is balanced and the fight is rather strategic.
5...c6 6.Qc2 Be7 7.Bd3
White has chosen a less used order of moves. Usually it is developed first the knight on g1
because if Black takes on c4, White plays Bf1xc4 by a single move, without losing a tempo with
Bd3. Of course, Black is not forced to take immediately on c4, but he can wait until the bishop is
developed on d3.
7...00 8.Nge2
I think White has muddled the variations, but this is admissible for a ten-year-old boy. Normally
White has to play either 8.Nf3 entering the main variations, or 8.cxd5 exd5 and only now 9.Nge2,
entering a typical position of the Exchange variation of the Queens Gambit. The move in the
game has the disadvantage that it diminishes the control over the e5-square. This aspect has a
great importance because Blacks main problem in this variation is the development of the bad
bishop on c8, one of the maneuvers which improves his qualitative value is to advance the e6pawn, which reduces his mobility.

8...dxc4
Interpolating the move 8h6 may be useful because it eliminates the battery attack Qc2+Bd3
over the h7-pawn, for instance: exemplu 9.Bh4 dxc4 10.Bxc4 e5! with equal position.
9.Bxc4 b5?!
Better would have been 9e5, solving immediately the problem of the bishop on c8, or 9...h6
10.Bh4 e5.
10.Bd3 b4?
Once again, the move 10h6 was necessary to get free from the attack over the h7-pawn.
11.Ne4!
Suddenly Black has major problems. There are two threats: 12.Qxc6 and 12.Nxf6 Nxf6 13.Bxf6
Bxf6 14.Bxh7. Now you can see why it was better for Black to play h6 at one of the previous
moves.
11...Nd5

QUIZ

Is it good for White to play 12.Qxc6?

12.Bxe7?
White shouldnt have feared to capture the c6-pawn. If after 12.Qxc6 Black answers 12...Bxg5 it
follows 13.Qxa8. It is possible that White was afraid of the move 13...Qb6 which threatens to
catch the queen, but after 14.Nxg5 g6 (Weaker is 14...Bb7 15.Bxh7+ Kh8 16.Qxf8+ Nxf8 17.Bd3
and White has two rooks and two pawns for the queen, which is a decisive advantage) 15.00
Bb7 16.Qxf8+ Nxf8 17.Ne4 With two rooks and a pawn for the queen, Whites position is clearly
superior.
12...Nxe7 13.00 h6 14.f4!?
Taking profit from his development advantage and from the fact that Black has a bad bishop on
the queenside, White starts the offensive on the kingside. The move 14.f4 has here a double role,
both to impede the liberating move e6-e5 and to gain space for maneuvering the rooks.
14...Nb6
Blacks main problem is, as we said before, the bad bishop on c8. The best for Black would have
been 14a5 with the idea Bc8-a6, exchanging the bad bishop for the one in d3, which may be
useful for White in his attack. Even in this case, Whites position is preferable due to the better
pawn structure and to the superior position of the pieces.
15.Rf3! Nbd5 16.Raf1
The white rooks strengthen the offensive gadget.
16...Nf5 17.Qd2
Capturing the c6-pawn was even now possible, but White prefers no to set free the bishop on c8,
which would have occupied in this case the h1-a8 diagonal, focusing his attention on the
kingside.
17...Qb6 18.Nc5 Rd8 19.g4!
White advances the g-pawn too, sending away the knight on f5 and preparing the opening of the
files on the kingside. Whites plan is totally justified because his rooks are already in the attack
zone, while the black rooks are far from the kingside. A mistake would have been 19.e4?
because of 19...Nxd4!! 20.Nxd4 Qxc5 and Black has advantage.
19...Nfe7 20.Rg3!
White uses the space advantage (created by advancing the pawns) to place his pieces on optimal
positions for the attack. No matter which file will be opened on the kingside, White is prepared
to use it.
20...Nc7 21.f5
This move is principled correct, but here it involves a pawn sacrifice. White could have prepared
this pierce by playing 21.Qc2.
21...exf5 22.gxf5

QUIZ

Find the best move for Black

22...Nxf5! 23.Bxf5 Qxc5!

It is likely that White missed this move when he played 21.f5. Now Black gets rid of the first
attack. In fact the main achievement for Black is not that he won a pawn, but he gained the
possibility to bring the queen in the defense.
24.e4!
White is not impressed and continues the attack. In fact the consequences of the pawn assault on
the kingside are not bad for White at all. The rooks occupy threatening position on the open files
and the black king has only the protection of the castle pawns. Through the last move, the c1-h6
diagonal is opened, White bringing in this way the queen into the attack. The threat is 25.Qxh6.
24...Bxf5
The best defense would have been 24...Qd6 in order to answer at 25.e5? with 25...Qxe5!! and
Black manages to defend the position: 26.Bh7+ Kf8 27.Rgf3 Be6 28.Bg6 Kg8. However White
can play better 25.Qe3, getting out of the pin and maintaining a very strong attack upon the black
castle.
25.Rxf5!
25.Qxh6 seems to be winning because it threatens checkmate on g7 and capturing the queen, but
Black has an excellent defending resource: 25...Bg6!! After 26.Qxg6! fxg6 27.dxc5 the endgame
is better for White, but the move in the game is better.
25...Qd6 26.e5! Qe6

QUIZ

Find the best move for White

27.Rf6!
The black queen is sent away from the defense, leaving the king alone against the Whites major
pieces.
27...Qxa2
After 27...Qc4 28.b3 Qd5 29.Qxh6 or 27...Qd5 28.Qxh6 White wins in the same way as in the
game.
28.Qxh6 Ne8?
More resistance would have offered 28...Qb1+! 29.Rf1 Qh7! Even if White has a clearly better
position both after 30.Qxh7+ Kxh7 31.Rxf7 and 30.Qxc6
29.e6!
Destroys completely the black kings protection.
29...fxe6

QUIZ

Find the quickest way to win for White

30.Qh8+!! Kxh8 31.Rf8+ Kh7 32.Rh3+ Kg6 33.Nf4+ Kg5 34.Rg3+

And Black resigned because of the mate on h8 at the next move.
10
CONCLUSIONS
In spite of a hesitant play in the opening stage, the game is a very instructive example of using
the pawn assault in case of castles on the same side. As a consequence of the successful pawn
assault, White obtained a clear superiority of forces on the kingside, opening at the same time the
files for the major pieces. The beautiful final combination is the wreath of the Whites strategic
plan.