understanding the sacrifice sacrifice your way to success Angus Dunnington EVERYMAN CHESS Everyman Publishers ple www.everymanbooks.comFirst published in 2002 by Everyman Publishers plc, formerly Cadogan Books ple, Gloucester Mansions, 140A Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HD Copyright © 2002 Angus Dunnington The right of Angus Dunnington to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 1 85744 312 8 Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 480, 246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480. All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Gloucester Man- sions, 140A Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HD tel: 020 7539 7600 fax: 020 7379 4060 email: chess@everymanbooks.com website: www.everymanbooks.com EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES (formerly Cadogan Chess) Chief advisor: Garry Kasparov Commissioning editor: Byron Jacobs Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton. Production by Book Production Services. Printed and bound in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press Ltd., Trowbridge, Wilt- shire.CONTENTS Ceordrauna wD Preface Introduction The Importance of Structure The Colour Complex Pieces for Pawns Rampant Knights Bishops at Work Exploiting Key Squares The Exchange Sacrifice The Vulnerable King The Restrictive Sacrifice The Queen Sacrifice 20 51 65 75 86 99 109 121 128 137PREFACE There are numerous ‘puzzle’ books available that feature spectacular combinations involving one sacrifice after another, the victim obligingly accepting an army of pieces on the way to finding his king being caught in the heart of enemy territory. These examples are indeed entertaining and can be quite instructive, but they also take us a step further from an area of the game about which many players are al- ready rather apprehensive — positional chess. In fact if weighing up the implications of isolated or doubled pawns (or — even more complex — weak squares) can be in- timidating, then the subject of the positional sacrifice might seem alien to some players. In order to maximise our chances it is important to study the positional aspects of the game to such an extent that we are able to develop an internal alarm system designed to alert us to weak squares, pawns and structures as soon as they are cre- ated. In this way we are open to (our own) sacrificial suggestions when the oppor- tunity arises, material investment sometimes being the only way forward. Many players are handicapped by a lack of confidence in their ability to accurately assess the positional characteristics of a sacrificial variation, and/or (equally impor- tant) their ability to conduct such situations properly if and when they happen. The result is, of course, countless missed opportunities. This book is aimed at helping those players who rarely contemplate a positional sacrifice, with sixty examples providing a reasonably detailed, practical guide to the pros and cons of investing material for positional gain. Angus Dunnington, Castleford, June 2002INTRODUCTION Because positional sacrifices revolve around one or more specific aspects of the game the net result is a new situa- tion that must be accurately evaluated in advance — otherwise material has been given away for nothing. By reminding ourselves of the fact that the ‘points score’ is just one factor in the chess equation it should become a natural part of our thinking process to consider this or that positional motif as standard pro- cedure, just as strong players do. Marshall-Ed.Lasker New York 1924 Let’s start with a few introductory examples. White has an-extra pawn but Black has a good bishop pair against two knights in a faitly open position. In fact 1 Ae3 Wet seems to favour Black, while 1 @c3 We5 2 @d2 runs into 2...8xc3 3 bxc3 &xh3! due to 4 gxh3 We5+, picking up the remaining knight with a decisive structural advantage. Instead White used a well-known sacri- ficial. idea in an effort to convert his current material lead into an albeit modest positional advantage. 1 e5! &xe5 1... Wc5 2 b4 would be embarrassing, while dropping back to b8 or d7 re- moves Black’s compensation. 2 Wxe5 cxd5 And certainly not 2...Wxe5? 3 e7+. 3 Wxd6 Exd6 4 c5! The point. The game has undergone quite a transformation, with Black find- ing himself with an isolated pawn and without the luxury of the bishop pair (the surviving bishop is the poorer of the two). Meanwhile White has controlUnderstanding the Sacrifice of the traditionally desirable d4-square and the advance of the c-pawn has cre- ated what is effectively a 3-2 queenside pawn majority. Of course these add up to only a slight edge for White, but this is never- theless considerably more preferable to the alternatives facing White when we joined the game. There followed: 4...Ha6 5 a4!? 2d7 6 Hfd1! Bxad 7 Exa4 2xa4 8 Ha1 (part of the grand plan) 8...2c6 9 Exa7 He8 10 b4 White has something to bite on here, although Black managed to hold the draw. Pethaps 5 “d4 Had 6 Hfd1 is a more patient continuation, planting the knight in the centre and reminding Black about the target on d5. Knights can be difficult creatures at times and the search for a decent resting place is a common problem. Strong players think nothing of parting with a pawn (or more) in return for an influen- tial outpost. As the next example dem- onstrates, such a policy is quite normal even as the ending approaches. Gelfand-Markowski Rubinstein Memorial 1998 Both sides have minor weaknesses on d6 and e4 but White’s main problem is the prospect of Black’s knight coming to the perfect e5-square. For example 22 Hd2 AeS 23 Hed1 G68 24 Bxd6 Hxd6 25 Hxd6 @e7 is fine for Black. On the other hand, 22 c5?! dxc5 23 e5 HB 24 €6 addresses ...De5 in aggressive fashion and seems very good for White, but Black can ignore the challenge to his d-pawn with the thematic 22...Ae5l, when 23 cxd6 &g4 24 Re2 Lxe2 25 Hxe2 Hd8 offers sufficient compensa- tion thanks to White’s broken pawns and the superior knight on 5. How- ever, White has another resource avail- able which effectively turns the tables 10Introduction on his opponent. 22 e5!! Now 22..Axe5 23 Des Hrs 24 @xd6 leaves White clearly better, e.g. 24.07 25 Dxc8 Haxc8 26 Hd7 Con- sequently Black’s next is forced. 22...dxe5 23 Ded Far from establishing his knight on e5, Black has had to watch as White ‘steals’ his plan and achieves exactly the same posting! There is no longer a pawn on d6 but the square itself is still a concern for Black, and he has yet to sort out the queenside pieces. Mean- while the ‘extra’ e5-pawn is a long-term weakness that will probably be mopped up at some stage. It is safe to conclude that White has more than enough com- pensation. 23...2f7 23.068 24 Dd6 Dl6 25 Hxe5 gives back the pawn without a fight and White is left with the more active forces. The text prepares to defend the pawn from e7 in order to free the knight and complete the development of the queenside. 24 c5 Standard, although 24 b5!? has been suggested, However, the text steps up the pressure by clamping down on d6 and making c4 available for the bishop. 24...8g7 25 &c4 He7 26 a4 Expanding and ruling out ...b7-b5. Also possible is 26 Hd6, e.g. 26...b5 27 2b3 2b7 28 Hedi D8 29 Hd8, when it is arguable whether Black’s bishop is. better than before, or 26...a5!? 27 b5 b6 28 cxb6 Dxb6 29 LFl and White re- stores material parity with advantage. 26...2¢8? A lesser evil is 26..b6 27 Bd6 bxc5 (27...&b7 28 a5) 28 bxc5, when Gelfand evaluates the position after 28.08 (28...2b7 29 a5) 29 Bxc6 &b7 30 Bd6 Hc8 31 Bd5 Qxd5 32 Hxd5 as clearly better for White. 27 Bf1 Be7Understanding the Sacrifice If 27..8f8 then 28 Bxf8 Yxf8 29 elt. 28 Bd2 bS An instructive line is 28..a5 29 Edf2 axb4 30 Hf7+ Ext? 31 Bxf7+ Pho (31..@h8 32 Ags) 32 g4 g5 33 &d3 Bxa4 34 Dd6 The above diagram represents a pleasant culmination of White’s overall positional approach! 29 axb5 cxb5 30 2d5 1-0 a e a Tt seems that not a great deal has happened during the last ten moves, but White’s fantastic knight has restricted Black’s forces to such an extent that there is now no adequate defence to the threat of an invasion on f7 after 30..b8 31 Hdf2 etc. Ibragimov-Shchekachev Russian Championship, Moscow 1999 This time White already has well posted knights, but he wants more. Black is behind in development, his kingside pawns are suspect, he is slightly cramped and only the rook is keeping the king company. With these factors in mind White’s opener is rather easy to appreciate. 23 g4! The problem with the fixed pawns on £5 and e4 is their susceptibility to such a pawn break. White decides to strike now while Black’s queenside pieces are yet to join in the fun. 23...fxg4 24 £5 12Introduction Cutting the communication between the bishop and g4-pawn and adding to White’s already greater control of the e6-square. 24...h5 25 h3! gxh3 26 Lh2 Y Now White will be able to combine the idea of Ae6 with a build-up on the g-file. 26...247 After 26..0c5 27 De6+ Lxe6 28 fxe6 &g7 29 Df5+ Lh7 the situation is not clear, but 27 &xh3 presents White with sufficient compensation in the form of his more active forces, the e6- square, the g-file and the ‘isolated’ h- pawn. 27 De6+ &f7 27...&xe6 should benefit White after either recapture. 28 fxe6 gives White one impressive pawn island whereas all of Black’s kingside pawns appear vul- nerable, Perhaps 28 dxe6 is the more accurate of the two, however, giving White two connected, protected passed pawns. Again Black’s kingside is in ruins and White can offer further support to his own pawns by lodging the king be- hind on £4. 28 gi Hg8 29 Hxg8 &xg8 30 8g1+ @h8 31 &xh3 White is only a pawn down and each of his pieces - including the king - has an important role to play in exerting pressure on the kingside. Black has sit- ting ducks on e4 and h5, while the c7- pawn is also under attack. Consequently Black now seeks some activity of his own. 31...ab4 32 Sh4 Ad3 33 Sxhd Bf7 34 &g5 Unfortunately for Black the knight on ¢6 is as much trouble off the board as it is on, since a replacement pawn will be even more deadly. 34...Df2? This accelerates proceedings, but with 5-f6 and the introduction of the other knight to come, Black’s days were anyway numbered (34..8xe6 35 Bhi+). 35 Ef1 Dd3 36 Bh1+ Bh7 Or if 36...22g8 then 37 Dg4 Vxe6 38 dxe6 Hg7+ 39 G6 Exg4 40 e7 is deci- sive. 37 Exh7+ &xh7 38 Df8+ 1-0 Another uncomplicated example, where a combination of Black’s struc- ture, vulnerable kingside, tardy devel- opment and the massive e6-knight proved decisive.Understanding the Sacrifice Ehlvest-Markovic Elista Olympiad (Men) 1998 Here the removal of Black’s dark- squared bishop coincides with the po- tentially damaging advance of pawns in front of the king, with g6 and hé in par- ticular (and h5 in some cases) attracting our attention. 15 ga! Again a lead in development affords White the facility to sacrifice a pawn in favourable circumstances. 15...cxd5 The alternative is less desirable: 15...fxg4 16 Hxf8+! (16 Rxe4 Bxfl+ 17 xf cxd5 18 De3 e6 permits some sort of consolidation) 16..Wxf8 17 Bxp4 cxd5 18 &xc8 Wxc8 19 Wh5 &g7 20 Hel leaves Black terribly ex- posed. 16 gxf5 2xf5 17 2g4! White wants to maximise his options on the light squares as well as eliminate a defender. Now 17...e6 18 &xf5 exfS 19 Wb3 Wad7 20 Wxd5+ &g7 21 Hae (21 Dc4 BF6) 21..Ac6 22 Heb and 17..Wd7 18 Bxf5! Bxf5 19 We2 e6 20 RxfS exf 21 HA Ac6 (21..f4 22 We6+) 22 Wxts WxfS 23 HxfS see White win back the pawn with interest, so Black prefers to keep the move. 17...2.xg94 18 Wxg4 ‘— aim \ ie | Oi0 eee Ba sige W gS 18...Dc6 Planning ...Wc8. Otherwise Black could consider 18..Ad7 in order to send the knight over to the kingside after 19 Bxf8+ Axf8. Then 20 h4 e6 21 De3 WEG 22 hxg5 hxgs 23 Dxes Weo 24 Hfl is awkward for Black, eg. 24.,.dhe8 25 Wh4 He7 26 Ded! etc. 19 h4 Wc8 20 Bxf8+ &xf8 20...Wxf8 21 fl We7 (21...We8 22 Wh5) 22 We6+ h8 23 HE7 wins for White, 23..Ad8 24 Expg7 Axe6 25 Eixe7 giving the rook too much fun. 21 Wi3+ White is ready to collect. 21...97 1421...8e8 22 hxg5 hxg5 23 Wxd5. 22 hxg5 We6 22...hxg5 23 Wxd5. 23 gxh6+ Wxh6 23...8xh6 24 Wi4+ Sg7 25 Eft is also very pleasant for White. 24 Eft! Ue, Ass), "se With Black’s defences having been stripped away it is not surprising that this is possible. Obviously 24...Wxd2 loses to 25 We4+ h6 26 Kes. The game ended 24...Hg8 25 Hf2 Phs (25...We5 26 Df!) 26 Wxd5 e5 27 Df Wg6 28 g3 exd4 29 cxd4 He8 30 Hf4 He7 31 Hf8+ 1-0 Our next example is a good illustra- tion of why we should be alert to posi- tional sactifices during each stage of the game, even if it seems that the opening is yet to warm up. Chatalbashev-Todorov Krynica Zonal 1998 Black has just played the sensible looking ...e6-e5, seeking to undermine White’s already modest influence on the dark squares by winning control of the c5-square. However, White has the other colour complex in mind. Introduction 12 c5! Always look for the most uncom- promising continuation! This is particu- larly important when the opponent has a specific, thematic plan in mind, for in these circumstances only those moves that seem positionally natural or forced tend to be considered. Here, for exam- ple, d4-d5 is almost automatic, keeping the centre closed for the knights as well as shutting out the b7-bishop, but the text is strong indeed. 12...dxc5 ESS, Son! The other way to accept the pawn is 12...exd4 when, after 13 cxd6, Black must be careful as 13...2xd6? 14 e5! @xe5 15 Axe5 Rxe5 16 Dc4 wins for White, while 13..Wxd6 14 5 Wb6 15 15Understanding the Sacrifice a5 is excellent for White, who is ready to push the e-pawn. 13...cxd6 is forced, leading to a clear advantage to White after 14 Db3 (rounding up the d4-pawn as well as threatening @a5) 14..0e5 (14..Ac5 15 e5!) 15 Dfxd4. Hoping to side-step any trouble with 12...S2e7 runs into 13 c6! &xc6 14 Hcl. 13 dxe5 Dxe5 14 Dxe5 Wxe5 15 Deca oka a pate em ate ote a tae ae Moy pei} BY The game has undergone quite a transformation, with two important black pawns having been removed from the centre, Not surprisingly this is part of White’s strategy, the chief aim of which is to take control of the light squares, 15...We6 15..Wd4 looks a bit too active, 16 We2 leaving White with a5, Had1, e4- e5 etc. 16 Dad Whe Unfortunately for Black he will suffer on the light squares with or without his bishop, as 16...2c8 17 &c4 is strong. 17..Wb6? loses to 18 Wd5, so Black must choose between 17..Wd6 18 Whs!? (18 WE WF) 18...26 19 WE or 17..Wg6 18 &d5 Sg4 19 Mxf7+!? Wxt7 20 Wxg4, with a clear advantage to White in either case. 17 Dxb7 Wxb7 18 e5! Black’s extra pawn means absolutely nothing. The light squares and Black’s exposed king are enough to give White a decisive lead. In fact damaging Black’s structure and chasing down the light- squared bishop has resulted in there being no safe haven for the king. Cas- tling long, for example, loses on the spot to 19 2f5+. 18...2e7 A fitting finish would be 18...%d8 19 6 Wd5 20 exf7+ Gxf7 21 Lcd! YW Y, ,_, Une) me 4 fo Gala A * Returning to 18...2e7, with Black just one move away from relative safety it is imperative that White strike while the iron is hot... 19 e6! Also very good for White is 19 Se4 c6 20 WE3 Hc8 21 e6 0-0 22 exf7+ Hxf7 23 25 Hd8 24 Le6 &£6! but the no- nonsense text really hits Black hard on the light squares. 19...0-0-0 19...0-0 20 exf7+ Exf7 21 &c4 is quite unpleasant, while 19..fxe6 20 Bg6+! BB 21 Led c6 22 WH+ nets White a rook. 20 exf7 2f6 21 We2 16Introduction Now Black does not even have a pawn to show for his troubles, and there is nothing he can do to contest the light squares. 21...2b8 21...2d6 defends one rank at the cost of another: 22 &xa6! Hxa6 23 We8+. 22 2xa6 Wd5 22...Miic6 23 SLb5 is a lesser evil, al- though the route to inevitable defeat is an unenviable one. 23 Wb5+ 2a7 24 Wad Wd6 24..@b8 25 Hadi! &d4 (25...Wxd1 26 Wb5+) 26 He7 and the end is nigh... 25 He6 1-0 . A nice thematic move with which to end the game, accentuating White’s total control of the light squares. Now 25..Wixe6 26 Sc4+ is final, which leaves 25...WE4 26 Wxc5+ &b8 27 Wos+. Pawns make the most important con- tribution to every game, and the subject of structural strengths and weaknesses can be found throughout this book. Here Black drastically alters the land- scape in a symmetrical and ostensibly drawn ending. Zalkind-Finkel Israel 1998 31...h4! With two face-offs there are obvious concerns for White on the h2-b8 diago- nal. 32 gxh4 gxf4 33 exf4 In the space of two moves White has seen his hitherto healthy looking mass of united pawns break into three pawn islands, each requiring a certain level of protection as the ending unfolds. Meanwhile it is true that Black has a backward e-pawn but, in this situation, at least there is no danger of losing it. 33...2h5! Of course Black is now looking to exploit the structural weaknesses he has 17Understanding the Sacrifice inflicted upon his opponent, and from h5 the bishop reminds White about his other weakness on b3. Note that Black need not be so concerned about b6 as White will be too occupied defending d4 and £4 to have the time to attack. 33..Wxh4?! recaptures the pawn but after 34 Wy3+ Wxg3+ 35 xg3 2h5 White can go for a shut-out with the sequence 36 &£3 &xf3 37 Sxf3 with a draw. 34 &g3 34 Wy3+ @h7! 35 Wes Wxgs? 36 hxg5 &d1 37 &f1 &xb3 38 &bS clearly favours White thanks to his repaired pawns, but 35...S2d1! is enough to main- tain Black’s advantage, e.g. 36 Wp3 WE6 37 We3 Wh6 38 Bh1 Sg8 39 Rc LE7, when White must keep on his toes. 34...Wg7+ 35 &h2 WG 36 We3 Sf7 37 2e1 Vi, Y For the pawn Black has assumed the initiative and, consequently, put his opponent under pressure, the positional advantage therefore bringing with it a psychological plus. With best play White should be okay, but such a task is far from easy in practice, particularly when the nature of the game changes so rapidly, unexpectedly and under the opponent's circumstances. 37...Wh8! 38 2f2 Wbs! Vety nice. The targets on d4 and £4 afford Black the luxury of moving the queen backwards and forwards, a strat- egy that also puts the onus on White to make accurate decisions when defend- ing. 39 293? Natural but practically losing. Im- perative is the mote awkward looking 39 p3, eg. 39...Wip8+ (39...Wc7 40 23) 40 Gh2 We8 41 2G Rxf3 42 Wxf3 Wel 43 &p3 dp6 44 h5+, when progress seems unlikely for both sides. Now the queenside will be a problem for White. 39...We7 40 Wd2 2b4 Finkel gives 40.61? 41 &f1 Sb4 42 Wd3 Wel 43 &p2 242. 41 Wd3 We3 42 Wxc3 42 Wb5 Wxd4 43 Wd7+ Se7. 42...2x03 43 Rf2 2d1 a The absence of White’s most flexible defender structural weaknesses, and the defensive roles of White’s remaining pieces has left the bishops passive, dominated by the in- vaders. 44 2f1 &xb3 45 2b5 2d! accentuates his 18Introduction Monitoring both a4 and h5, 46 293 2d2! 47 291 47 &c6?! Re2! 48 Rei Be7 49 Re2 £d8! 50 Sg1 b5! 51 axb5 a4 52 b6 a3 is very nice indeed. 47...8e7 48 2f2 Sd8 49 291 &hS 0-1 The latest plan is ...2e8 to trade bish- ops and create a deadly passed pawn with ...b6-b5, Meanwhile White’s bishop is cornered by its opposite number. 19CHAPTER ONE The Importance of Structure No matter how many combinations and tricks we play through, or how many moves of the most tactical variations of our favourite openings and defences we learn ‘by heart’, all this means nothing if we have never sat down and looked at the immense practical significance of pawns. The pawn structure is the skele- ton of the position on which the pieces are the flesh — if the skeleton is dam- aged in some way, then freedom of movement can become severely re- stricted. Doubled pawns, for example, seem not to concern many players, who believe such a minor inconvenience will play little or no part in a game that is sure to be decided by some other, more important (short-term) factor. Such thinking, of course, is quite wrong — pawns are the soul of chess and, as such, determine the roles of the other pieces (whether good or bad). Weak pawns tend to automatically lead to weaker pieces, while generally weakened formations can even render a whole army practically redundant. Another important by-product of 20 imperfections in pawn formation is weak or vulnerable squares, which are also featured in this chapter. McShane-Comp P ConNers Lippstadt 1999 With his last move White ignored the attack on his h3-pawn by threatening to damage Black’s kingside structure. Sit- ting on Black’s side of the board most of us would at least think twice before grabbing the h-pawn because we have learned to respect our king (we castle into safety, after all). However, this is not the electronic way of playing (pawnsmean points), so instead of the sensible 13,..$e7! , when the continuation 14 exd5 @xd5 15 Mxe7 Hxe7 16 Bxe5 Rxh3 17 Hxe7 Dxe7 is an entirely logi- cal means of exploiting the hanging h3- pawn, Black went ahead anyway. 13...2xh3?? 14 &xh3 Wxh3 15 Rxf6 gxf6 16 De3 We6 17 Dns Sh8 18 Sg2 Uy Suddenly Black’s king is beginning to look rather lonely over there... 18...2g8 19 Hh1 B95 20 Hh4 Ad7 21 Wh1 Af8 22 Wh2 dxe4 23 Zh1 &g8 24 dxe4 Ha7 Who said computers don’t have a sense of humour? 25 2g4 Ha8 26 Dgh6+ Lhs 27 @Dxd6 1-0 Marin-Shirov Spanish Team Championships, Barcelona 2000 We reach the first diagram position after the opening sequence 1 c4 D6 2 DAc3 g6 3 g3 2g7 4 &g2 0-0 5 d4 dé 6 DF3 Dc6 7 0-0 a6 8 h3 e5 9 dxe5 dxe5 10 £e3 Re6 White took the threat to his c-pawn The Importance of Structure as a sign, and offered Shirov the pawn. 11 Dg5 &xc4?! 11.25 and 11..2d7 must be bet- ter. 12 b3 Re6 12...h6 13 bxc4 hxg5 14 Sxg5 is at least a little better for White, who is in possession of the bishop pair, the h1-a8 diagonal and the b-file, while the d5- square might come in handy, too. Nev- ertheless, this could be preferable to the text, which is about to get rather ugly (at least from where Black is sitting). 13 Dxe6 fxe6 14 2xc6! bxc6 Even those of us who shiver at the thought of surrendering our g2-bishop would be happy to make this trade on 6, resulting as it does in leaving Black 27Understanding the Sacrifice with four pawn islands, two of which comprise doubled, isolated pawns. The fact that Black has an extra pawn is ir- relevant here (we might call it an extra weakness), for the structural weaknesses ate long-term and White is sure to at least redress the balance eventually. 14..Wxd1 15 Hfxd1 bxc6 16 Bact Ad5 17 Rd2 a5 18 Dad is very good for White. 15 Wxd8 Efxd8 16 295 Black’s knight looks more useful to him than his bishop at the moment, so this pin makes sense, giving White time to trade on £6 if he so desires. In fact Marin checks out 16...2d5 just in case. After 17 &xd8 Dxc3 18 Rxc7 e4 19 Bael Axa2 20 Bd1 Dc3 21 Bd2 Dds 22 &d6 he evaluates the position as clearly better for White. Black has a pawn for the exchange but a few vul- nerable pawns remain. 16...a5 17 Kaci &f7 18 Hc2 Ha6 19 Efcl Se8 at mS Os Onm@re LY bal Having doubled on the attractive looking c-file White is ready to step up the pace. This is certainly not the kind of position one would expect Shirov to be playing, being reduced to waiting until White helps himself to a pawn or two — serious structural weaknesses that Black could have avoided. 20 Dad! There is no need to voluntarily take on f6. Better to wait until Black has spent a tempo with ...h7-h6, while the pin also serves as another inconven- ience about which Black can concern himself. Having said that, 20 &xf6 Rxf6 21 Det Le7 22 Bxcé Bxc6 23 Exc6 Hdi+ 24 &g2 Sd7 25 Hab Bas does look quite promising for White, although Black’s ‘bad’ bishop is not so bad. The text simply keeps the pressure on and is therefore more accurate. 20...2e7 After 20...h6 21 &xf6 Rxf6 22 Dc5 Hb6 23 Axe6 Hd6 24 Ac5 White pock- ets a pawn and continues to dominate. 21 Sg2 Ed5 22 e3 e4 22...h6 23 Rxfo+ Rxf6 24 Sf3 and we might even see White’s king take up a royal residence on e4 — hence the de- fence of the d4-square with 22 3. In pushing the front e-pawn Black accepts that it could soon fall, but this way the bishop is given some breathing space. 23 Qxf6+ 2xf6 24 Dc Hb6 25 @Dxe4 Bb4 Unfortunately for Black his endeav- 22ours to generate activity for his forces ultimately fails because there are too many weak pawns to protect, most no- tably the one on c6. 26 Dc! The flexible knight is the ideal minor. piece with which to exploit both vul- nerable pawns and squares. Able to op- erate on either colour complex, the knight can hop in and out of enemy territory, often picking up a pawn or two along the way. Marin’s latest pre- pares to return the knight to a4, the edge of the board, ironically, acting as a perfect base from which to carry out aggtessive operations (the a5-pawn is also prevented from advancing, thus denying Black a desirable simplifying exchange of pawns). Consequently 26 Dxf6?! Sxf6 27 Hxc6 a4 28 Bxc7 axb3 29 axb3 h5 30 &7c3 Hdb5 might well lead to a double rook ending that is un- pleasant for Black, but the game con- tinuation is worse for the defender. 26...2e5 27 Dad g5 28 Bxc6 From a positional point of view 28 g4 seems appropriate in order to fix a cou- ple of pawns on the most suitable (for White) colour squares. However, with 28...h5!? 29 gxh5 g4 Shirov’s rooks threaten to generate annoying counter- play. Of course this should not be enough to genuinely trouble White, but it is not necessary to allow such a possi- bility. Anyway, the text bags a pawn. 28...94 28...h5 is an alternative, but any kind of counterplay on the kingside cannot compensate for the broken pawns on the other flank. 29 hxg4 Exg4 30 6c2!? 30 £4 2d6 31 $63 h5 32 Dc3 HES 33 The Importance of Structure Det is clearly better for White. 30...h5 31 £4 2d6 32 of3 05 33 Bc3 Bec5 Not 33...8d3 34 ed, 34 Ded BbS 35 Bh1 exf4 36 gxf4 Bg8 37 Bch2 Bh8 38 Dg3 mm Vy Wh, Ms, ee Jung My Y GEG of Vth, Y), ONG Y ag White rubs salt in Shirov’s wounds, the irony being that he now hunts down a weak pawn that was cteated as a result of Black’s efforts to shift attention away from the shattered queenside! White eventually conyerted the full point on the 57th move. Bacrot-Topalov Bosna SuperGM 2000 1 d4 d6 2 Df3 g6 3 c4 &g7 4 Dc3 5 5 dxcS Perhaps White wanted to avoid the tricky system characterised by the moves 5 d5 &xc3+ 6 bxc3 £5, when Black has surrendered his prized bishop for a knight in order to later exert con- siderable pressure on White’s (fixed) broken queenside pawns. If this is the case, then Black’s reply is a shrewd psy- chological ploy! 5...2x63 +!? Anyway! 23Understanding the Sacrifice 6 bxe3 dxc5 7 Wxd8 + Whether the queens are involved or not makes no difference to White’s c- pawns. 7...8xd8 8 De5 Re6 9 g3 Ad7 10 @xd7 &xd7 11 &g2 Df6!? 27 Y Y QB Offering the b-pawn on the grounds that 12 &xb7!? Hab8 13 Ra6 Ded of- fers Black ample compensation. White’s ¢-pawns are going nowhere and Black can always target the c4-pawn by drop- ping back to d6. 12 Hb1?! Not impressed with the variation in the previous note White declines the offer, but now Black makes available an even bigger prize... 12...b6! ay Ya, 24 The latest is an offer that White could not refuse even if he wanted to, for the c4-pawn cannot be saved what- ever happens, whereas Black is without such a weakness. 13 &xa8 Hxa8 14 3 DeB 15 RFA Rxe4 It is always nice to have a neat and tidy pawn structure when your oppo- nent is busy keeping his intact, and such a luxury certainly facilitates the decition- making process when it comes to con- templating a positional sacrifice. In the diagram position Black can focus on his opponent’s queenside pawns (which are still pretty weak) in the knowledge that White has nothing to attack. Meanwhile Black’s forces will be better placed than White’s, the rooks unable to join the game in more than a defensive role. 16 Hb2 &xd6?! Ribli believes 18 @£2 to be more ac- curate than this committal exchange, although we can appreciate the wish to alter the pawn formation in the hope of opening up the game for his rooks. 18...exd6 19 2F2 19 e4 £5 20 exf5 gxf5 is fine for Black according to Ribli, although I prefer this Sc6 17 Hd2 Ad6 18The Importance of Structure to the game continuation because here White’s kingside pawns remain intact. 19...d5 20 e4 dxe4 21 fxe4 He8 22 Hel £6 23 f3 &b5! flu, L ky Lea pigs, ge ie OW Ge Y La y a Black has a couple of juicy targets on one flank and no weaknesses on the other, something that gives him excel- lent practical chances in this ending. 24 &f4 &c4 25 He3 a5! z Y,,_ Ua 26 &g5 b5 27 Sh6 b4 28 cxb4 axb4 29 @xh7 Ha8 30 &g7 Sbd Preparing the advance of the passed pawn. Notice how the bishop serves dual roles of holding the kingside to- gether and putting pressure on White’s queenside. 31h4 I guess Topalov was hoping for the following pretty finish: 31 Hee2 c4 32 BEG c3 33 Bc2 Bxa2! 34 Hxa2 Bxa2 35 Bxa2 b3 Now even two pawns beat a rook! 31...c4 32 g4 c3 33 Bg2 Exa2 0-1 Yet another case of a minor piece be- ing more than a match for a rook. This happens more often than we think, but we tend to spend more time looking at the points value of the pieces than the actual value of weak pawn structures. Movsesian-Kasparov Bosna SuperGM, 2000 We have already seen how a mistake that leads to doubled pawns in front of a castled king can be disastrous. Here is a typical example of the exchange sacti- fice ..ixc3_ in the Sicilian Defence, Kasparov demonstrating in his own inimitable style just how difficult life can become for White if he has castled queenside. 1 04 cB 2 D3 dé 3 d4 cxd4 4 @xd4 DG 5 Dc3 a6 6 Le3 e6 7 £3 b5 8 Wd2 Abd7 9 0-0-0 2b7 10 94 Dv] 11 WF2 Dfd7 12 Sb1 BcB 13 &d3 25Understanding the Sacrifice WS Cy Ri Sp With his knights ready to pounce, this positional sacrifice seems all the more attractive for Black. Not surpris- ingly this specific position had been played before this game, and Kasparov has an improvement ready on Black’s previous play. 13...2xc3'? 14 bxc3 Wc7 15 De2 &e7 16 g5 0-0 Castling into an attack, perhaps, but White already has serious weaknesses in front of his own king, so Black needs to bring his rook into the game in order to maximise the potential of his attacking force. 17 h4 Dad! An earlier game went 17...d5 18 h5 dxe4 19 Bxe4 Bxe4 20 fred Dc4 21 26 &cl b4 22 cxb4 &xb4 23 Hh3 with the better chances to White in Zagrebelny- Lingnau, Berlin 1993. 18 &c1?! The new situation has confused White, who should play instead 18 h5 De5 19 h6 g6, which Ftacnik assesses as unclear. 18...De5 19 h5 d5! 20 Wh2 White is not willing to commit with 20 h6 g6,-eg. 21 Wy3 2d6 22 We2 c8, when each of Black’s pieces have a role to play. 20...2d6 21 Wh3 7 ‘pl EU, LY a ans Looking at the diagram position Black seems spoilt for choice as to how to continue his offensive but, with ad- vancing enemy pawns approaching his king, Kasparov needs to conduct the rest of his attack with some precision. It is significant that the exchange sacrifice afforded Black an extra minor piece in a situation where White’s rooks play little or no part (given the opportunity, of course, White will use his to help deliver the deadly blow should he succeed in prising open Black’s kingside). 21...Axd3 22 cxd3 ba! Note that this and the previous move serve to force the doubled c-pawns outof the way in order to facilitate an inva- sion by the queen. The point is that, apart from the fact that doubled iso- lated pawns are sitting ducks waiting to be picked off, here Kasparov has re- moved them through deflection, whether this be a recapture (on d3) or a forced capture. Their weakness does not have to be demonstrated by actually ‘winning’ them, rather exploiting their powerlessness by forcing the issue. Less clear is 22...xc3+ 23 Axc3 Wxc3 24 &b2 Wh4 25 g6, which even gives Black an opportunity to lose the game in the event of 25...dxe4? 26 h6! Re5 27 d4 etc. Instead Black should play 25...8%e5, when 26 d4 &£4 27 gxf7+ Sxf7 28 Wy4 Lh6 results in the usual ‘unclear’ Sicilian. 23 cxb4 White’s position is quite loose after 23 4 dxc4 24 h6 g6 25°axc4 Hc8. 23...2c8 24 £a1 Ftacnik gives 24 Wf1 dxe4 25 fxe4 We2+ 26 Bal Re5+ 27 d4 Lxed 28 Ra3 Rd5. 24...dxe4 25 fxe4d Forced in view of 25 dxe4? Re5+ 26 Dd4 Qxdd+ 27 Hxd4 Wxcl+. 25...2xe4! The Importance of Structure The rest of the game is clinical: 26 g6 26 dxe4 Be5+, or 26 Bhgl We2 27 Dd4 Led 28 We3 Bd5. 26...2xh1 27 Wxh1 gxf7 + 28 pxh7+ @h8, 28...2f8 29 Wg2 Bb8! 30 2b2 30 Rd2 La3 31 Kcl Rxct 32 Bxct Wh6 33 Ac3 Axc3. 30...Axb2 31 Ada 31 Sxb2 Rd2+ 32 Sal Rc3+. 31...Dxd1! 32 Dxe6+ &xf7 0-1 xb4 28 33 Wxp7+ (33 Axc7 2.c3+) 33...2xe6 34 Wixc7 (34 Wh6+ 265) 34...2c3+. Markowski-Bunzmann Rubinstein Memorial 1999 27Understanding the Sacrifice Black’s best here is 13...8d7 followed by ...Had8, supporting the centre. In- stead Bunzmann chose the traditional Old Indian Defence approach of queenside expansion. 13...b5?! RR 14 cB! The idea behind this thematic pawn offer is to undermine Black’s centre by challenging the base of the mini d6-e5 pawn chain. White hopes to exploits the absence of the dark-squared bishops as well as Black’s slightly tardy develop- ment. 14...dxc5 14...exd4 15 cxd6 dxc3 16 dxe7 cxd2 17 exf8W+ Gxf8 is slightly better for Black, if anyone, but 15 @xd4 15...dxc5 16 Axc6 followed by e4-e5 is promising for White. 15 dxe5 Wxe5 16 £4 Wh5 17 e5 After only a few moves Black’s cen- tral presence has all but disappeared whereas White suddenly has.a powerful, mobile kingside majority led by the strong e-pawn. Meanwhile Black’s queenside majority enjoys no such ac- tivity, and if the undefended c-pawn falls he will no longer have a pawn to show for his troubles. 17...b4 After 17..Ad5 18 g4 White defends the h3-pawn out of the firing line be- fore taking on d5, while 17..6d7 18 &xc6 levels the ‘points’ scofe but oth- erwise gives White the advantage. 18 Dad 18 exf6 bxc3 19 Axc3 LKxh3 20 fxg7 is unclear and unnecessary. The text focuses on Black’s sorry queenside structure. 18...0d5 19 g4 19 Axc5 Bxh3 20 Ad4 Hac8. 19...Wh4 20 Axc5 Black has a backward c-pawn that can be attacked from both d4 and down the c-file, a useful and secure outpost on c5 and more space. This explains 28Black’s next, with which Bunzmann aims to disrupt White’s kingside pawns. 20...h5 21 Adal? 21 &xd5 cxd5 22 Wxd5 Ha7 leaves White exposed on the light squares, although White seems to be better any- way. ed 2, 21...hxg4 22 Axc6 Wg3! 23 Wxd5 gxh3. And now White should have played 24 Dxb4 Hb8 25 Abd3 with what will soon be an extra pawn. Notice that Black’s 4-2 queenside ma- jority has now become a minority(!) thanks to the weakness of both c- pawns. The spoiler When in possession of the inferior structure we should be on the lookout to level the score by inflicting similar damage to our opponent’s pawns, Adams-Shirov Sarajevo 1999 In the diagram position White is in danger of being left with a sorry looking queenside pawn complex after a pawn trade on d4 or e5. With this is in mind Black improved his position. The Importance of Structure 14... Bae8 Incidentally 14...exd4? is too early, eg. 15 Wxd4 Df6 16 Wh4 Se7 17 c5! (unleashing White’s second bishop) 17..bxc5 18 Ags h6 19 De4 Axes (19..2d5 20 We4) 20 Wxe4 2d6? (20...fe8 is the necessary lesser evil, when White’s bishops have the advan- tage and Black’s extra pawn is worth- less) 21 We6!. 15 c5! A nice spoiling tactic. White forces his opponent to place a pawn on c5 before Black can use the square as an ideal outpost for a piece. 15...bxc5 16 dxe5 Axe5 17 Axe5 xe5 18 &xe5 Exe5 19 Wd2! Highlighting another _ positional 29Understanding the Sacrifice downside to Black’s new structure, for now the a5-pawn needs protection. 19...Bfe8 20 Exe5 Wxe5 21 Hb1! c4l? Black returns the pawn to restore equality in all departments. 22 &xc4 2c8B %-% General Damage The next seven examples feature vari- ous kinds of general structural damage that are encountered on a regular basis in practical play. Kirillov-Garagulya Russian Team Championships, Smolensk 2000 queenside Black seems to be doing quite well, with the lever thrust ...b7-b5 an obvious candidate... 15...b57! Swayed by the general pressure on the c-file, but now White engineers a near decisive structural advantage. 16 Ad4! bxc4 17 Axe6! fxe6 18 b4 Black’s protected passed pawn is ir- relevant here. What matters is the e6- pawn and the general vulnerability of the light squares created by the removal of the bishop. 18...Qb7 19 £4 After embarrassing the b7-knight White rules out ...De5. Black’s best now is 19...€h8, when 20 e5 d5 21 &g4 sees White ready to start his pawn collection. With his forces aimed directly at the 30Unfortunately for Black 21...21c6 runs into 22 Rxe6 Exe6 23 Wxd5 etc. Instead Black played 19...We7 and now White missed a very promising continuation in 20 &g4! Ad8 21 e5! according to Tsesarsky, e.g. 21...d5 22 @xd5! etc. Yevseev-Kokarev Moscow 1999 iB bs Pe, Pi Wa, A [aren al am yi ek ZO Somehow Black has managed to send his bishop all the way into d4, which may or may not be a good thing. In any case, an albeit temporary sactifice should have left Black’s structure decid- edly suspect. 13 d6!? Wxd6 I’m not sure Black is too worse if he turns down the offer with 13...WE7, as 14 Bb5 Ac6 should be okay for the second player. The problem, of course, is the d6-pawn, which is probably why Black thought he had no choice but to remove it. Nevertheless I prefer ... WE7. 14 Db5 Woe The game continued in entertaining fashion. 15 Ad5?! Axd5 16 cxd5 Dab Not 16...d6 17 Dxd4 cxd4 18 Wxb6 axb6 19 Hd1. The Importance of Structure 17 d6+ &h8 18 g4!? With the sacrifice taking on a restric- tive character on the queenside White turns to the other’ flank, undermining the defence of the e4-pawn in order to open up the kingside. 18 @xd4 cxd4 19 Wap6 axb6 20 Hdt Abd! 21 a3 Ac6 still favours White according to Tyom- kin. 18...Re5! 19 Wd5! rn Better than 19 gxf5 &xd6 20 Dxd6 Wxd6 21 Hd1 We6 22 Wed d5!, when Black comes out fighting. 19...2xh2+ 20 &xh2 WxbS 21 We5! Wxe2 a ke vy ws ws = 22 &h3 22 Sho? Wxp4 23 Bh3 Wo 24 2£4 D4. 37Understanding the Sacrifice 22...fxg4 23 @h6 g3+ 24 &g1 gxf2+ 25 &h2 Bg8 26 Bact Ab4 27 &xg7+ Bxg7 with a draw in view of 28 We8+ &g8 29 We5+ and so on. While White succeeded in thwarting his opponent’s queenside development by twice(!) putting his own pawn on d6, Black reacted energetically. In fact White would have guarantetd himself a nice advantage had he concentrated more on the long-term positional possi- bilities created by the initial sacrifice. Instead of jumping into d5 in order to lodge a second pawn on d6 White could have played 15 @xd4! cxd4 16 Wxb6 axb6 17 Bd1 Acé6 18 b3 " D In this way White patiently rounds up the d4-pawn to emerge with the supe- rior structure and the two bishops. With the remaining isolated d-pawn to go with the vulnerable b-pawns Black can expect to experience further structural difficulties later in the game. Like the fable of the hare and the tortoise, this form of positional sacrifice is guaran- teed to present White with a definite advantage that has long-term potential, whereas White’s choice in the game, 32 while clamping down on the queenside and the dark squares, was based on a more speculative, attacking foundation, with resourceful defence from Black effectively diffusing White’s initiative. Kasparov-M.Gurevich Bosna SuperGM 2000 Black hopes that the bishop pair compensates for his imperfect pawn formation. Kasparov’s next threatens to spoil his opponent’s strategy on both fronts, 16 Af An aggressive retreat, threatening to exploit the pin on the d-file after BDe3xd5, simultaneously ridding Black of a good bishop and inflicting serious structural damage in view of the forced -€6xd5. 16...We7 Escaping the pin. However, with the benefit of hindsight Finkel’s suggestion of 16...8d6!? also makes sense, since the thematic exchange sacrifice here leads to an unclear position after 17 Bxd5 (17 De3 Red) 17..exd5 18 De3 Hes 19 Dd4 £4 20 We4+ Shs. 17 Exd5!? Based purely on structural, positionalgrounds, this is White’s only means of trying for an advantage. Otherwise Black's pieces enjoy too much activity. 17...exd5 18 De3 It is easy to appreciate what White has for the exchange. The £7-e6-f5 pawn cluster has been broken, leaving Black with two very weak pawns, and the fall of the bishop pair has resulted in Black now being rather vulnerable on the light squares. On the other hand, of course, Black has more material to compensate for his structural difficul- ties, so the game is balanced. However, Kasparov prefers this kind of ‘balance’ because there are problems to be solved. 18...216 Black can expect to see one of his pawns fall but he must be careful how he addresses the situation. For example the plausible looking 18...Bad8?!_ can easily lead to difficulties after 19 Ad4, eg, 19... fe8 20 Adxf5 We5 21 Wye4+ Ph8 22 £4 etc. 19 Ad4 19 Dxd5 Wd6 20 Ad4 Hae8 is suffi- ciently active for Black, while 20 Axf6+ Wxf6 does not look like a good idea for White as the front f-pawn can always be The Importance of Structure dealt with by ...f5-f4. 19...2xd4! i Black parts with the second bishop on his own terms. 20 cxd4 De4 21 Axd5 Wd6 22 De3 Wf6 23 Wh5 23...Had8! I like the way Black has coped with his crumbling pawns since Kasparov’s attempt to unsettle him with Exd5. Here 23...Wxd4!? is tempting, eg. 24 Wrxf5 Bae8 25 Hd1 We5 26 Wxe5 Bxe5 27 Dgs Bes 28 Dho+ &p7 29 Rxe4t Sxh6 30 Bd6+ &g7 31 Hxa6 and the ending is even. However, Kasparov might well have opted instead for 24 @xf5!? Wxf2+ 25 Shi Wxb2 26 Het This is just the kind of position 33Understanding the Sacrifice White would be looking for when em- barking on this route. Black’s bishops have disappeared, leaving White’s survi- vor with the run of the light squares, White has an enormous knight where Black’s pawn once stood, his queen could not be more aggressively posted and even the rook is well placed on the f-file. Whether this furnishes White any- thing real is another question, but not one that Gurevich would like to ask! 24 Axf5 Dd6 25 De3!? 25 @xd6 Hxd6 might help Black since White has little influence on the dark squares. 25...Wxd4 26 Hd1 Wg7 Again there is a more adventurous possibility in 26..Wxb2l? but Black is more interested in safety. 27 Bd5 Shs a ZZ J me no Black has succeeded in trading his original liabilities on d5 and {5 for White’s c3-pawn which, considering the extra exchange, is a reasonable deal. The positional theme has continued, though, since Black still has a potential problem in the a6-pawn (a8 is not available for defensive purposes) and his kingside pawns are separated. It is interesting that White’s forces seem less menacing once the main targets have gone. All in all the situation is level, and a draw should result with careful play from both sides. Ironically Black’s game plan later changed quite drastically — here is the rest of the game — instructive and entertaining: 28 Wd1 @b7 29 b4! Exd5!? 30 Wxd5 @d8 31 Wd6 De6 32 Wxa6 QDd4 33 h4 #5 34 Add De2+ 35 Sf1 £4! 36 Sxe2 fxg3 37 Wd6!? Wb2+ 37..Exf2t+ 38 @d3 Hxp2 39 Wd8+ We8 is equal. 38 éd3 38...2xf2? 38...l/b1+!? should draw, eg. 39 ed4 Wh2+ 40 &c5 Wxf2+ 41 Bxb5 We2+ 42 Sb6 (or 42 &c5 Wh2+ 43 Sco We2+ 44 Sb7 He7+ 45 kbs Wxp2) 42..WE2+ 43 &c6 We2+. 39 Wb8+ &g7 40 Wxg3+ @h8 41 Wb8+ g7 42 Wc7+ Sf8 43 We7+ &g8 44 Wg5+ Gh8 45 ge! We2+ 46 &d4 Wd2+ 47 &c5 Wxg5 48 hxg5 Hxa2 49 &xb5 He2 50 Ac3 He3 51 wc4 Bg3 52 bd Bxg5 53 b6 1-0 I wonder if Kasparov would argue that his original positional exchange 34The Importance of Structure sactifice even contributed to Gurevich’s sudden rush of blood? Probably. Never- theless White’s approach offered good practical chances. Our next game is different in that Black’s positional sacrifice, aimed at crippling White’s queenside pawns, in- volves voluntarily allowing damage to his own pawns on the kingside. Artashes Minasian-Ara Minasian Armenian Championship, Yerevan 1999 1 e4 AFG 2 e5 Add 3 d4 d6 4 c4 @Db6 5 exd6 exd6 6 Ac3 DAc6 7 d5!? De5 8 f4 Ded7 9 Wd4!? Hoping to hinder Black’s develop- ment by hitting the g7-pawn. Offering a queen exchange with 9...Wf6 might leave Black’s queenside vulnerable while 9..f6 is probably one knight move too many. Anyway, Black has other, completely different ideas. 9...2e7!1 10 Wxg7 Consistent. 10...2f6 11 W94 The alternative is 11 Wh6, when after 11. We7+! 12 @d1 (12 Re2 Axc4 13 DEB De3) 12,..Kxc3 13 bxcd Dc5 14 We7 Hee 15 Df3 &£5 Black has more than enough compensation for the pawn in terms of White’s queenside weaknesses. and Black’s lead in devel- opment and active forces. 11...2xe3+ 12 bxe3 This is the point of Black’s play. It might seem strange to part with the g- pawn and then take three moves with the bishop only to surrender it for a knight, but the resulting damage to White’s queenside structure is signifi- cant. In fact these weaknesses seem even more serious when we look at the location of Black’s knights, which could not be more appropriately placed to deal with White’s weaknesses. Of course Black’s kingside has also been broken, although White is not in as good a position to exploit it. Moreover the e4-square could be a problem for White thanks to the eatly advance of the f£-pawn. 12... Wf6 13 2d2 Oddly enough White plans to castle long, After 13 W£3 Dc5 14 2a3 LFS 15 Rxc5 dxc5 16 We3+ Wd8 Black doesn’t get to castle at all but I prefer his chances nevertheless. 35Understanding the Sacrifice 13...Ac5 14 Wg5!? Wxg5 15 fxg5 RF5 Zo ee, Be YW Black has obvious structural compen- sation for the pawn as well as a lead in development, factors which combine to maintain the balance. Now 16 Af Dd3+ 17 Rxd3 Rxd3 18 c5 dxc5?! 19 De5 Ba6 20 0-0-0 Axd5?! 21 Hhel is a touch better for White, but 18...Axd5 19 cxd6 cxd6 20 £2 Bd7 21 Bhel Ehe8 is level. Instead White sticks with his plan. 16 0-0-0 Ad3+ 17 &xd3 2xd3 18 cd! Again we see White return the pawn on his own terms rather than Black’s. ‘The point is that after 18...dxc5 19 S.f4 4 20 Rxc7 Dxd5 21 Le5 0-0 22 AB a 36 few of the centre pawns have been cleared away and it is the bishops of opposite colour that become the most important factor, steering the game to- wards a draw. The game continuation is even sim- pler. 18...Axd5 19 cxd6 cxd6 20 Dh3! Hc8 21 Af4 Axfa 22 Axf4 Bxc3+ 23 &b2 Or 23 Bd2 He4 24 Bxdo Led 25 Hct Hxcl 26 Hxct Ld7 27 Red ete. 23..Hc2+ 24 Sb3 Hf2 25 Exd3 Exf4 2-%2 Black’s fun initiated by the offer of the g7-pawn did not last too long thanks to a realistic and accurate re- sponse from White, particularly the c4- c5 idea, which should be remembered since Black cannot then avoid simplifi- cation or (minor) damage to his own pawns. In the next example White sees his op- ponent’s early erection of a c5-d6-e5 pawn centre as an invitation to embark on sacrificial positional play. Romanishin-Maksimenko Ordzhonikidze Zonal 2000 1 c4.c5 2 g3 g6 3 292 &g7 4 Ac3 Ac6 5 a3 d6 6 Df3 e5 7 0-0 Age7 8 b4!? Black’s pawn centre is designed to provide a solid barrier and more space, and this pawn offer already threatens to diminish this strength considerably by tempting the c5-pawn away. The main idea, though, is to then exert pressure on the backward d6-pawn and, perhaps, exploit White’s extra command of thehi-a8 diagonal afforded him by this early advance of Black’s centre pawns. 8...cxb4?! Ribli believes that Black should re- fuse the sacrifice, but not with 8...2e6?, when 9 Dg5! &xc4 10 d3 (D) has been seen in a couple of Ftacnik games. 10...cxb4 11 axb4 Re6 12 Axe6 fxe6 13 b5 Dd4 14 3 We7 15 Rd2 Ddés 16 bol? Wxbo 17 Wa4+ £7 18 Hfb1 was excellent for White in Ftacnik-Danner, Vienna 1986, while 10...2e6 11 Axe6 fxe6 12 bxc5 d5 13 e4 0-0 14 We4 was no improvement for Black in Ftacnik- Rogers, Groningen 1977. It seems il- logical to part company with the light- squared bishop with an essentially fixed centre comprising pawns on c5, d6 and The Importance of Structure 65. Instead 8...e4 makes sense, e.g. 9 Det Re6 10 Hb1 cxb4 11 Axed Lxc4 12 axb4 d5 13 Dc3 a6 14 &b2 d4 15 De4 0-0 16 d3 &d5 17 Ass Who 18 2a3 Hfds 19 Wd2 AS with chances for both sides in Podzielny-De Firmian, Essen 1999, 9 @el £5 is rather loose and worked out well for White in Sura- jev-Mijailovic, Belgrade 1991, where 10 Rb2 ReG 11 d3 exd3 12 Axd3! Rxc4 13 bxc5 0-0 14 a4 £7 15 Bxg7 Sxg7 16 Df4 d5 17 Hb left Black busy defending weak pawns and squares. 9 axb4 Axb4 10 2a3 Apart from the obvious strategic benefit to White of the target on d6, Black also suffers here from losing time in collecting the pawn. 10...Dec6 10...bce6 11 @b5 is pleasant for White but 10.26 11 Ded c5 leads to complications. Martinovic-De Fir- mian, Bor 1984 continued 12 Afg5 (12 Dxc5 dxc5 13 &xc5 e4) 12...We7 13 Dxd6+ Wxd6 14 Det Dxe4 15 Lxd6 Dxd6 16 Wa4+ B68 17 Wh4 Dc8 18 Rxb7 a5 19 Rxc8 Hxc8 20 Hxa5 1-0. Black’s minor pieces are tiny. 11 Wa4 Dab 37Understanding the Sacrifice 11..e4 is unpleasant for Black after either 12 Dh4 g5 13 Mxb4 gxh4 14 Dxe4 or 12 Rxb4 exf3 13 Kxf3, with a clear advantage for White in both cases. 11...a5?? is even worse in view of 12 &xb4, exploiting two pins. 12 Ded 12 Dxe5 Bxe5 (not 12...dxe5 13 Rxc6+ Bd7 14 &xd7+ Wxd7 15 Db5) 13 Sxc6+ Qd7 (13..8f8 14 Bd5 and 13...bxc6 14 Wxc6+ &d7 15 Wxa6 are poor for Black) 14 &xd7+ Wxd7 15 WbS is enough to put White in charge, while 12 Dg5 0-0 13 Age4 is more in- teresting. The text is the most enterpris- ing of White’s choices. 12.28 Another possibility is 12..Ac5!? 13 @®xc5 dxc5 14 Bxc5 e4 15 Del Bxal 16 Wxal Hg8 17 &xe4 Wxd2 18 Ass 2s a, oe by WY By now the invested pawn has be- come an exchange, the compensation also altering to take the form of an at- tack on the king — predictably, in view of the fact that Black’s king was still uncastled when White hit out with 8 b4. In fact Black is in danger of being over- run here. 13 d4 Black’s latest could not really be met with anything else! With only two knights ‘developed’ now Maksimenko is susceptible to an opening up of the po- sition, especially with his king still at home. 13 c5 is another way to prise open the central barrier, so White is in fact spoilt for choice. 13...215 Black needs to introduce his forces into the game and this does so while challenging the powerful knight. Oth- erwise Black can address the pin imme- diately with 13..2d7, when 14 dxe5 dxe5 (14..Axe5 15 Wb3 fails to allevi- ate the pressure) 15 2xf8 GxfB 16 Bfd1 introduces a new pin. 14 De3 &d7 15 Abd White will not be denied his original plan of focusing on the d6-pawn, and the knight has been chased to another useful square. Now 15...exd4 16 &xd6 is understandably not to Black’s liking so he endeavours to keep the centre closed. 15...e4 16 Ad2 £5 When the smoke has cleared after 16..0xd4 17 Axes Lxb5 18 cxb5 Dxe2+ 19 hl Black is losing. 17 e3 White has a nice and healthy pawn 38The Importance of Structure mass and near full development. Black hasn’t. 17... WH6 17..cT 18 Dxd6+ Kxd6 19 Kxd6 @xd4 20 Wh4 is very good for White. 18 £3 White has a practically decisive lead and therefore keeps matters simple, although 18 Sxe4!? fxed 19 Dxe4 seems strong. 18...exf3 19 2xf3 e7 20 2d5! After all this effort Black cannot be allowed to castle, although White will make an exception for 20...0-0-0 in view of 21 &xc6 Bxc6 22 Dxa7+ and 23 Dxc6 ete. 20...95? Black’s best is 20...We5, when both 21 Wb3 and 21 Hae1 both put the ball firmly back in Black’s court. Unfortu- nately the text loses immediately.— 21 De4 21...Wg6 22 Aexd6+ 1-0 If the owner of an isolated pawn has nothing to compensate his liability the defensive task can be difficult at any stage of the game. White takes this one step further in the following example. Marciano-Apicella French Championships 1999 Black has just taken the opportunity to trade knights on d4 at a time when recapturing with the c-pawn seems 39Understanding the Sacrifice forced in view of the fact that Wxd4 leaves the bishop insufficiently pro- tected in the event of ...Axh3+ (or the same problem after 22 Hxd4 Ke6 etc.). However, the d5-pawn is Black’s only weakness, yet this will lose relevance once White’s own pawn stands on d4. With this in mind White found a logical and effective resource that doesn’t let Black off the positional hook so readily. 22 Wxd4! This must have come as an unpleas- ant surprise to Black, who was no doubt waiting to shake hands after 22 cxd4 He6 23 Wb3 Hb6 etc. 22...axh3+ 23 $f1 lay Yq y . mem Black has won his pawn, as per plan, but his structural weakness remains on d5 (at least until White decides to cap- ture itl). Moreover the inevitable ex- change of queens will accentuate White’s advantage in the resulting end- ing thanks to his long-range bishop (the knight would work better with a queen than without). 23...0f4 23...Wxd4!? 24 Hxd4 Dg5 25 Hxd5?! Dxf3 26 Hxd6 Dxe1 27 Bxel He8&+ 28 Sd2 Bf8! looks okay for Black, but 25 Rxd5 Deb 26 Rxe6 Hxe6 27 Bd7 makes a vital difference and is another — unfavourable — prospect altogether for the defender. 24 Wxf6 Bxf6 25 g3 Dh3 After 25..De6 26 &xd5 b6 27 Bp2 White threatens to help himself to the seventh rank, and 27...8d8?? 28 Hxd8+ @xd8 29 He8 mate is not a nice way to go. Note that here the fall of the d- pawn clears the long diagonal, thus at- tracting unwelcome attention to the queenside pawns. 26 &g2 ay a me ohne ah sg vale me i Both minor pieces reside on the king- side but bishop can enjoy a change of scene in one move. 26...h6 27 Bd2 Freeing the bishop by defending £2, although the immediate 27 He7!? could be more accurate. Nevertheless Black’s pawns ate weak anyway, and White will soon have a majority that is more dan- getous than Black’s rather tame lot on the kingside. 27...2d8 28 He7 b5 29 Exa7 Ag5 30 Exd5! White’s patient but incisive treatment of his opponent’s weaknesses has led to a decisive advantage (this would not have been the case had White accepted 40The Importance of Structure his dull fate and automatically recap- tured on d4 with his c-pawn). Not sur- prisingly White soon picked up the b5- pawn and, eventually, the full point. We have seen instances where a seti- ous disadvantage can be directly attrib- uted to the presence of doubled pawns. However, such a weakness can be equally significant even if located away from the ‘action’ area. Rowson-Turner Redbus Knockout, Southend 2000 In the diagram position Black’s dou- bled pawns on the queenside afford White a sacrificial possibility on the kingside, the point that the investment of a pawn on that flank will still leave Black without a majority. Black has just pushed the h-pawn with a view to un- dertaking active operations against White’s king. That this weakens the g5- square seems irrelevant at the moment for the f6-pawn provides protection, but after White’s next Black has cause to regret ...h7-h5. 23 e5! With one multi-purpose move White is able to contemplate the following: generating possibilities on the al-h8 diagonal, obstcucting Black’s bishop on the h2-b8 diagonal, using the g5-square for the knight or queen, introducing threats on the e-file and using the e4- square as an outpost. Of course these are strategic, positional considerations rather than must-do tasks, but each tepresents a potential problem that Black must address in one form or an- other. 23...axe5 Now 23...fxe5 24 Wy5 WE7! 25 Axe5 Rxe5 26 Kxe5 h4 27 Kc3 Hes 28 We3 keeps Black’s disadvantage to a mini- mal, albeit uncomfortable level, whereas 24..e4 25 Ad2 is clearly better for White, who can also try 24 Ag5!? here. Rowson believes that 23...Sxe5 is best, offering the variation 24 @xe5 fxe5 25 We5 (25 Hat!?) 25...h4 26 £4 Wo 27 Wxf6 pxf6 28 fxe5 hxg3 (28...fxe5 29 Hd e4 30 Hd6) 29 dxg3 Axes 30 Rxe5 fxe5 31 Edi V/, ie i Se reg “@ | a aM Pins Wa ean GU He puts White in charge here thanks to the more active king and rook, Black’s extra pawn not exactly impor- tant. Note that the pawn ending is los- ing for Black due to White having the outside passed pawn. 41Understanding the Sacrifice 24 Axed fxe5 24.,.S0.xe5? 25 £4. 25 Wg5 Already the h5-pawn is a problem, eg. 25...g6 26 £4 e4 27 Whé or 26...Ed8 27 Rxe5 Hd2+ 28 Bei Rxe5 29 fxed etc. 25...Wh6 26 Wxh6 gxh6 “, WA z Za eeia me Yi, Gor 4 Black’s new doubled pawns are at least as significant as those on the queenside, and his pieces are busy de- fending the e-pawn, which White now makes sure to immobilise. 27 Hea! 27 £4 is tempting but premature, and after 27..e4 28 Re5 Lxe5 29 Hxed Ed8! 30 fxe5 Hd2+ 31 £3 Hxa2 32 e6 £8 Black could even be in front ac- cording to Rowson. 27...8f7 28 S43 Sg6 29 Se2 St5 30 Hh4 dg6 31 2c1 White is content to move to and fro for a while given that Black is unable to begin anything of his own. However, the text does threaten to push g3-g4 now that White has both rook and bishop ready to pounce on h6. 31...2d8 32 He4 2c7 33 Hh4 2d8 34 Hea Purely psychological - White has no 42 intention of kindly acquiescing to a draw. 34,..2c7 35 2d2 Xe6 36 f3 He8 37 Rel He6 38 &c3 38...2f7 Not 38..2d6 39 f4 Sf 40 26 exf4?? 41 g4+. 39 e3 He8 40 2f2 Be6 41 Het Sg6 42 Le3 SF5 43 g4+ Sg6 43.895 44 Bhi! Bfo 45 Bd2 Sh4 46 Be1+ Sg5 47 Bet hxg4 48 hxg4 hS 49 Bhi Hho (49...hxg4 50 &h4+) 50 ed is exactly what White is looking for. 44 be4 Bf6 45 2d2 Bd6 46 23 Bd7 47 He2! Introducing the option of contesting the d-file. 47...2e7 47.2467 48 Hd2!? h4 49 &£2 S95 50 Re3+ Sg6 51 Bd1 He7 52 ci HE7 53 Bd3 He7 54 Qb2 bg5 55 ¥e3 and now 55...h5?! 56 ed hxg4 57 fxg4 HET 58 Sclt+ Sg6 59 B63 appears to be close to winning for White, but 55...@6 56 Bat dg5 57 &c3 Sg6 58 Bel Bd7 59 e4 He7 60 bd3 He7 61 He3 Hea 62 Be2 SF6 63 Rel Hg5 64 Bc3 BE 65 Rd2+ Hy6 66 He3 Hed 67 c3 HF6 68 Hd3 Be6 69 Mel b5!? leads to an un-The Importance of Structure clear position according to Rowson. 48 Bg2 at, Uk w@ “Yy GR GAL H mes ad me ni GY A key difference between the two sides here is that White enjoys the lux- uty of being able to ‘casually’ group and regroup his forces without incurring tisks. Unfortunately for Black he cannot avail himself of the same facility, as we are about to see. 48...2d7?? 48...h4 is imperative, with similar play to the previous note. 49 g5! Winning. The game ended as follows: 49...nxg5 50 Hxg5+ f6 51 Bxh5 &d6 52 Hh6+ &g7 53 h4! bd 54 hS a5 55 Xg6+ Lh7 56 a4! bxad 57 bxa4 Hd8 58 2g5 Hd7 59 Bh6+ g7 60 Hg6+ £h7 61 He6 28 62 Exc6 Hd4+ 63 2f5 e4 64 fxe4 Hd7 65 Ha6 297 66 e5 Hf7+ 67 2f6 2f8 68 Hxa5 og8 69 Ha8 Hh7 70 e6 Exh5+ 71 &g4 1-0 It should not escape our attention that, yet again, the player on the receiv- ing end of a positional sacrifice is set numerous strategic and practical prob- lems which tend to grow in gravity as the game progresses and which, ulti- mately, are increasingly difficult to ad- dress. Triplets The next three examples feature in- stances in which the fate of doubled pawns is exacerbated by the arrival of a fellow foot-soldier on the same file! Chernyshov-Ovetchkin Russian Tean Championship, Smolensk 2000 1 d4 Af6 2 Dc3 d5 3 2g5 2f5 4 Rxf6 gxf6 5 e3 e6 6 2d3 2g6 7 f4 A tather cheeky advance since it ne- glects the e4-square and invites Black to clamp down with 7...f5. In fact this leads to a tenable position for Black, as does the preliminary trade on d3. In- stead Black sought to punish his oppo- nent’s latest by seeking to undermine White’s influence on the dark squares now that the committal f2-f4 has also neglected the e3-pawn. 7...c57! Failing to spot White’s response sug- gests that Black was in too positive a mood here, the one distinction about the text being that it is a theoretical 43Understanding the Sacrifice novelty. 8 f5! Le, y 4 £47 “2 Very “yy Rather than White being guilty of se- riously weakening his dark squares, Black’s neglection of his light squares is the real crime. 8...exf5 Black has to accept his three f-pawns anyway, and by keeping the bishop in the game the light squares should be easier to defend. After 8...2xf5 9 &xf5 exf5 10 W£3 White’s position is even mote pleasant than in the game. 9 WE3 DAc6 10 Age2 10...Wd7 Black is eager to send his king over to the queenside, away from the embar- rassment. Otherwise there is an alterna- 44 tive in 10...cxd4 11 exd4 &b4. Then 12 0-0 &xc3 13 Axc3 0-0 14 Wxd5 Axd4 15 Wxb7 sees White shift his attention to the queenside, while 13..0xd4 14 Hacl+ @f8 can lead to an interesting situation after the following sequence: 15 Wxd5 Wxd5 16 @xd5 Hd8 17 De3 Hg8 18 c3 AB+ 19 Hxf3 Bxd3 20 Bf2 BS, WY a Ironically the feature of which Black is not too proud has survived intact! Unfortunately the future of the f-pawns is anyway in White’s hands, which is where the pawns will be eventually! White can also play 12 &xf5 &xc3+ 13 bxc3, which accepts imperfection in White’s own structure, although Black is hardly in a position to exploit this. 110-0 11 @xd5!? looks good, Black’s best being 11..2g7 12 c4 with an obvious advantage to White, rather than 11...0-0- 0 12 Dxf6 Web 13 d5 Wxf6 14 dxc6 etc. The text is simple and takes aim on the f-file. 11...0-0-0 11,..d8 is a suggestion of Tsesarsky, who gives 12 &xf5 12...Rxf5 13 Wxf &h6 as only slightly worse for Black, although White seems clearly better to me, Even better for White is 12 Df4The Importance of Structure cxd4 13 AfxdS Be7 14 exd4, eg. 14... Axd4 15 We3 Deb 16 Rb5 Bcd 17 Dxfo+ Se7 18 Wxc5+ Dxc5 19 Axd7 @xd7 20 Bael+ Now both 20...2f6 21 De4+ dg7 22 @d6 and 20..@d6 21 Hdi+ &c7 22 Qxd7 Exd7 23 DbS+ Sd8 24 Dxa7 are decisive. 12 &xf5 One down, two to go... 12...2xf5 13 Wxf5 DAb4 13..We6 14 Wxe6+ fxe6 15 Bxf6 &g7 16 Bf7 Bho 17 BB. 14 Wi2 "Black has-a terrible position after the obvious 14 Wxf6 2e7 15 WE2 Axc2 16 Hact Ab4 17 Wxf7 or 17 Df4. 14... Dxc2 Or 14..2h6 15 Df4 cxd4 16 exd4 with a clear lead to White. Black’s re- maining f-pawns and the d5-pawn are simply too weak in all these lines. 15 Hact Db4 16 Atai? 16 Wxf6 Hg8 17 dxcS We6 18 Wrxe6+ fxe6 19 Df Sd7 20 a3 Dc6 21 b4 is an extra pawn. 16...cxd4 17 exd4 &b8 18 a3 Ac6 19 Dfxd5 No comment. 19...Wg4 20 Hed1 2h6? 20...$g7 21 b4 is an unpleasant lesser evil. And now instead of 21 Bfe1? £5 22 b4 f4!, which is hardly earth-shattering but a tad inconvenient, White could have effectively ended the game imme- diately with 21 Dxf6! Wg6 22 dB etc. M.Gurevich-Shirov Bosna SuperGM, 2000 ALE White is happy to accept doubled e- pawns here because this will then open the d-file and allow him to pin the knight, in turn exerting pressure on the e5-pawn. 18...2xe4 And Black is happy to oblige... 19 dxe4 2f6 20 Had1 Forcing the win of a pawn. 45Understanding the Sacrifice 20...We7 21 &xd7 Hxd7 22 Exd7 Wxd7 23 fxe5 2d8 Remember that White was intending to reach this position when we joined the game. White’s 5-3 kingside pawn majority sounds better than it looks, but at least a number of squares are covered by this bizarre centre. However, the pawns are going nowhere and, should Black win the e5-pawn, the material balance will be restored only to leave White with doubled isolated pawns. 24 &g2 &c7 25 Ad4 a6 26 We3 He6 Preparing to get the queen and rook the right way round for an assault on the e5-pawn. 27 Ef3 We8 28 Ed3 The d-file beckons as 28 Ef5 g6 will force the capture of the e5-pawn any- way. The text also means that Black must spend a tempo creating an escape square for his king, as 28,..S2xe5?? 29 Rxe5 Bxe5 loses to 30 Wxe5. 28...h6 29 Wd2 Lh7! So nudging the h-pawn forward was doubly useful — this time 29...&xe5?? 30 &xe5 Bxe5 runs into 31 Bd8. 30 &c5 Exe5 31 Ed7 Again White will have had this pre- pared much earlier. Nevertheless Black’s prospects are the more promis- ing, e.g. 31...b6 32 Exc7 bxc5 33 bxc5 Hxe4 and the third e-pawn also comes under pressure. In fact this is preferable to Shirov’s next, which is a nice way of exchanging rooks but should result in a level game. 31...Bd5!? 32 exd5 Not 32 Hixd5 Wxe4+. 32...Wxd7 33 Wd3+ 2g8 34 d6?! Vs Zs Aye Having given Black targets on the e- file White now presents his opponent with something to aim at on the d-file. Better is 34 e4 with a draw the probable result. Now the passed pawn is in dan- get of meeting the same fate as the e5- pawn. 46The Importance of Structure 34...2d8 35 h3 We6 36 e4 G27) 36 d7 £5 followed by ...&£7 favours Black. 36...b6 Evicting a defender in preparation for the coming approach of the king. 37 2f2 Sf8 38 g4 38 d7? Be7. 38...e8 39 Sf3 Vs, 07 7 OA a AY g ye Yi Ag — GRY x Y 39...b5! 39...2d7?! 40 Wxa6 gives White un- necessary counterplay. 40 £3 40 &c5 &d7. 40...Wi6 +! Ruling out the annoying Wd4 before slotting the king in front of the pawn. 41 %e2 2d7 42 2d4 Wy6! 43 Le5 h5 44 WF3 44 gxh5?? Wxh5+. 44...hxg4 45 hxg4 White’s latest weakness can’t survive much longer... 45...2f6 46 2x6? Understandably going for the queen ending rather than inviting 46 S£4 &d4, although retaining the bishops offers better chances of survival. 46...Wxf6 47 We3 Trading queens is obviously out of the question. 47... Wxd6 47... 2xd6 48 We5+ Sd7 49 Wa7+. 48 Wa7+ Ye6 49 Wxa6 de5 It is fitting that the king acts as final executioner for the last if the e-pawns. 47Understanding the Sacrifice The game ended: 50 Wa7 We6 51 2f2 51 £3 Wb3+ 52 We Wxe3+ 53 Sxe3 g5 and White must surrender ter- ritory and the game. 51...Wa2+ 52 &g3 52 $63 Wb3+. 52...exe4 53 Wc5 Wd5 54 We1 54 We2+ Wd3+. 54...95 55 Wel+ 2d3 56 a4 bxad 57 Wd1+ &c3 58 Wxa4 58 Wxd5 cxd5 59 b5 a3 60 b6 a2 61 b7 alW 62 b8W We1+ 63 £3 (63 #h3 Wei+ 64 Sp3 We4+) 63..WeEi+. 58...Wd3+ 0-1 The final checking move with the queen, ...Wc2+, is next and so White decides to call it a day. Finally, here is a simple endgame demonstration. Ponomariov-Topalov FIDE World Championship 1999 G Ww GY A a L, ates y Ee “i oa as ees Aim wy aa 7 31 Dg4 Sc7 The alternative 31...%g7 runs into 32 Wrxg5 Wxa2+ 33 @h3 &xc3 34 Wxe7, eg. 34..Wd2 35 e5! and the c5-pawn drops. 32 e5!? &xe5! 32..dxe5 33 @f2 closes cages the bishop behind a wall of pawns and leaves White ready to cement his knight on e4. 33 Dxe5 dxe5 34 We2 Sd6 35 c4 “« “y ai ioe A If Black does not pay attention here he will find himself trying to hold back the tide on both flanks after White sends his king on a mission to capture the g5-pawn. 35...e4! Very good — Black has enough e- pawns to go around. Now taking with the pawn lets Black’s king stroll in to e5 for what would be a tremendous out- post, so White parts with his a-pawn instead. 36 Wxe4 Wxa2+ 37 2h3 Wb2 38 eg4 Now, instead of 38...Wf2?? 39 f4!, forcing a decisive passed g-pawn in view of 39...gxf4 40 Wxf4+ Wxf4+ 41 &xf4, Black could have drawn with 38...Wf6! 39 GhS WFS!, eg. 40 g4 Wt7+ 41 oxg5 Wi6+ 42 oh5 Wh8-+ etc. In the following instructive example White needs a sacrifice to actually get at his opponent’s weaknesses. 48Shirov-Short Bosna SuperGM 2000 CZ mt YW In the diagram position White already has a considerable positional advantage in that Black’s pawns all occupy the same colour complex as the bishop(s). But thus far Black is managing to hold everything together with the aid of his ‘bad’ bishop, offering the e6-pawn (and, if necessary, the g6-pawn) support. If only White could find a way in to Black’s dodgy queenside... 50 294 He8 51 h5! | Ironically White’s sacrifice is aimed at loosening Black’s ostensibly iron grip of the £5-square; the reason why will soon be revealed. 51...gxh5 52 &2h3 h4+ 53 Sh2 The Importance of Structure Thus far White seems only to have lost a pawn and simultaneously pre- sented Black with a passed pawn, but White’s active pieces are ready to ex- ploit the location of Black’s king which, wete the position to open, might be a problem. For example after 53...&hg8 54 £5 exfS 55 HxfS+ dp7 56 Hy2+ 68 57 Hef2 He7 58 Hf6 Black’s weak queenside comes into play, e.g, 58...a7 59 Re6 Hg7 60 Rxd5 and White will emerge from the subsequent multiple exchanges on f7 with a winning pawn ending. Alternatively 58...g7 59 Exa6 spells the beginning of the end for Black. Instead Black anticipates the coming advance. 53...Be7 54 f5 Hhe8 55 Eg2! 298 Or 55...exf5 56 Hxf5+ de6 57 Hg7 Rg8 58 Het7+ Ld6 59 Hxe7 Hxe7 60 Exg8 etc. 56 Bg6+ &f7 57 Egxe6 (see following diagram) White is winning. 57...8f8 57...2ixe6 58 fxe6+ Bf6 59 Bxd5 &xe6 60 Hd6 again leads to the decisive pawn ending after 60.27 61 Bxe6 Exe6 62 Rxe6+ Sxe6 63 Hh3. 49Understanding the Sacrifice 60...8xf6 61 &c8 being the first nail in the coffin. Black has no time to defend the b-pawn because the a-pawn will run .. RK ¢ oon a come 58 Exe7 Exe7 59 Exe7 &xe7 60 f6+! 1-0 Finally White will be able to exploit his opponent’s queenside pawns, with 50CHAPTER TWO The Colour Complex During the opening phase in particular we might concentrate on just one col- our complex with’a view to later launch- ing an offensive or stepping up the pressure exclusively on, for example, the dark squares. Alternatively the change in location (or removal) of one or more pawns, or an ostensibly unim- portant trade of pieces can alter the power-sharing of a colour complex considerably, in turn changing the na- ture of the general struggle. Such fac- tors, since they concern practically 50% of the board, can be decisive, which is why opportunities to exploit a shift in control of a colour complex tend not to arise too often. In this chapter we will look at exam- ples in which one player endeavours to create favourable circumstances on a specific colour complex with the aid of a sacrifice. Not surprisingly the advan- tages of a sacrifice designed to claim more than a fair share of this or that colour squares in one or more sectors of the board can be significant. More- ovet, opponents are usually on the lookout for the more obvious destruc- tive or short-term sacrifice, so this posi- tionally oriented investment often comes as a surprise, the implications of which might still remain unclear until it is too late. Bagirov-Temirbaev Manila Olympiad (Men) 1992 An inspection of the diagram posi- tion highlights White’s light-squared bishop as a useful piece, offering much needed support to both flanks, particu- larly the kingside which, as a result of White’s efforts to undermine the de- 51Understanding the Sacrifice fence of the e4-pawn, looks a bit ex- posed. The d5-pawn also attracts our attention, being protected only by the queen. With these factors in mind, and with his forces well posted, Black now changed the pace of the game to his advantage with a positional sacrifice aimed at taking over the light squares. 22...Ad3! Interference. Already White’s lines of communication with both c4 and d5 have been cut. Of course the knight cannot be allowed to stay on d3, so White must part with his bishop. 23 &xd3 exd3 24 b3 fxg4 Increasing the range of his light- squared bishop before executing the key part of the plan. 25 hxg4 Exc4!l? 26 bxc4 Wxc4 a Jue Vy WY Black’s exchange sacrifice is by no means uncommon. Since rooks move along ranks and files they tend to have litle to do with a particular colour complex and, as such, make for good sacrificial candidates in these situations. Moreover, the colour oriented posi- tional exchange sacrifice often serves to lessen the worth of the opponent’s rooks, which cannot, of course, con- tribute in the fight for diagonals or col- lections of squares. 27 Ed2 Df6!? 27..Mile4+ is also possible, meeting WE3 with ...Wxa4. As long as Black now undertakes aggressive action on the light squares he will cause considerable damage. This would not be the case were Black to trade on b5 — the whole point of the play since we joined the game has been to over-run White on the light squares. 28 xd6? A mistake in an anyway hopeless po- sition which, as far as White is con- cerned, has fallen apart. After, for ex- ample, 28 Exd3 We4+ 29 Ygi Black crowns his strategy with either 29...Axe4 30 2b6 30 Sct Wxh1+ 31 Sxh1 Af2+) 30...Bxf4 or 29...Lxe4 30 Wa2 We6 etc. After 28...Wxd5+ 29 g1 Wxd6 30 Bxd3 We6 31 g5 hxg5 32 fxg5 Mg4 33 Bh3 De5 White soon threw in the towel. Movsesian-Dizdar FIDE World Championship 1999 Here we have a French Defence which is quite pleasant for Black, whose two main candidate moves are castling 52The Colour Complex and ...@h4, the latter seeking to under- mine White’s support of the backward d4-pawn which can be a problem for White in some variations. Instead Black opted for a more provocative continua- tion. 17...804 18 Wd1 Eb4 Part of the plan, but the rook seems to be heading for trouble in enemy terri- tory. 19 2d2 Exploiting the fact that 19..&xb2 20 &c3 traps the rook, 20...Hxé2 21 Wxe2 Sxa4 22 Hxad Wh3 23 Ha2 Wrxc3 24 Whb2I? seeing White win one of the pawns back after 24...Wxb2 25 Exb2 b5 26 Hal or 24..We8 25 Hct! Wd7 26 Bb1. 19...Axd4! The point. Black will part with the exchange but this version pockets the far more important d4-pawn and, sig- nificantly, trades the rook for the dark- squared bishop, a consideration which assures Black full positional compensa- tion for the modest material investment. 20 &xb4 Dxf3+ 20..Dxe2+ 21 Wxe2 Wxb4 is an- other possibility, but Black is concen- trating his efforts on operating on the dark squares and the text leaves White with only the ‘wrong’ bishop. 21 2xf3 Wxb4 22 b3 0-0 For the rook Black has a potentially powerful dark-squared bishop (that cannot be challenged) and an extra (passed) centre pawn. He is also without structural weaknesses whereas White, in contrast, needs to worry about the pawns on b3 and e5 (and later, perhaps, the h5-pawn). The game continued 23 Wd3 &c5 23...d295 suggests itself, keeping an eye on cl when the c-file offers White the only means by which to use his ‘ex- tra’ rook. Instead Black is happy to give his bishop a more ‘hands-on’ role in 53Understanding the Sacrifice proceedings. 24 Hact 2d4 25 Efe1 &2b2 ‘The criss-cross pressure on e1 and e5 means that White must anyway aban- don the c-file. 26 Eb1 Hc8! Bringing the rook into the game and guaranteeing Black full compensation and, with it, at the very least a level game. 27 He2 244 Psakhis proposes the more impres- sive looking 27..&ct!? 28 Wd1 (28 Hc2? Welt) 28.24, when 29 g3 meets with 29...Wc3! (hitting £3 and e5), e.g. 30 Bxd5 exd5 31 gxf4 Bp4 32 Hed Rxdi 33 Hxc3 Bxc3 34 Bxd1 Bxb3, when Black seems to have the better of the resulting rook ending. 28 Ed1 2c3 Although there is nothing wrong with this move it appears that Black has in + mind a faulty. plan. The alternative 28...8.a7!? was probably discarded be- cause the bishop looks less ‘busy’ on a7. However, after the natural 29 Ec2 Bxc2 30 Wxc2 &b8 both e5 and b3 are under pressure. It is worth noting that Black’s greater influence over the dark squares is such that he is able to work from more than one sector of the board. Thus far we have seen the dark-squared bishop ap- pear (in total) on g5, c5, d4, b2, cl, £4, a7 and b8! Incidentally, in the diagram position 31 Wb2 runs into 31...2xa4 etc. 29 Ec1 And now Black had to push with 29...d4! With the bishop and d-pawn success- fully closing out the rooks Black is do- ing fine here. Unfortunately for Black he went for the tactical 29...Wxb3? 30 He3 d4 but walked right into 31 Wxd4! &xd4 32 Exc8+ 2xc8 33 Exb3 ‘The game ended as follows. 33...Rxe5 34 &xb7 &xb7 34...Sd71? 35 Hb4 a5 36 Bcd 2.66 37 Rc6! Lxc6 (37...Lc8 38 Be8'2b7 39 Hc7) 38 Excé is a lesser evil, although White’s win will inevitably come even- tually. 35 Exb7 a5 36 Sf1 Sf8 37 Le2 g6 38 hxg6 fxg6 39 2d3 hS Or 39...2d6 40 &c4 He8 41 Sb5 Rb4 42 Bg7. 40 Ha7 1-0 54The Colour Complex Grischuk-Markowski European Team Championship, Batumi 1999 eafiits Wa iyo ae am an oy 4 ‘The diagram position arose after the opening moves 1 e4 c5 2 Df3 g6 3 d4 g7 4d5 Df6 5 Ac3 d6 6 Lc4 0-07 0- 0 Sg4 8 h3 xf 9 Wxf3 Dbd7 10 Wai De8 11 Het Dc7 12 a4 12...f52! Having already parted company with his light-squated bishop Black is taking a risk with this aggressive thrust, which® weakens his light squares considerably. 13 exf5 Bxf5 Now 14 2a2 Db6 15 g4 HE7 16 a5 @ad7 17 Ded is enough for a slight pull, but White wanted to punish his oppo- nent for having too little respect for an important colour complex. 14 De4i? Effectively calling Black’s bluff by taking his eye off the d5-pawn. 14...Db6 The only consistent follow-up. Other- wise Black will have practically surren- dered the e6-square for nothing. 15 &d3!? Again White can secure an edge with 15 94 EB 16 Wd3 Dxc4 17 Wxc4 Wd7 18 Ha3 (18 Axc5 dxc5 19 d6+ @h8 20 dxc7 Wxc7 21 Se3 b6 is only equal). After 15 &d3, on the other hand, White simply challenges Black to dem- onstrate that his plan to pressure the d5-pawn has been worth the positional ptice-tag. Black has a choice herer 15...04 Giving the rook some breathing space along the. rank. Let us see what might happen if Black captures on d5 immediately. 15..Dbxd5 16 Ags Bed leads to a comfortable advantage to White after either 17 &e4 Dfo 18 Rxb7 Exel+ 19 Wxel Hb8 20 Dc6 Dxe6 21 Wxe6+ Bh8 22 263 or 17 Exe5 dxe5 (17...Rxe5 18 &c4 is a sim- ple illustration of what can befall Black) 18 &c4 55Understanding the Sacrifice Black’s extra e-pawn might even be a liability here because it hinders his only bishop, while the light squares are safely in White’s hands. 15...Acxd5 and (even worse) 15..—xd5 both invite 16 5, when White is clearly better. 16 &f1 A typical active retreat. Obviously White wants to keep this very relevant piece in play. After 16 a5?! cxd3 (16..Abxd5 17 &xc4) 17 axb6 Axd5 Black, who no longer has to worry about his vulnerable light squares, stands better, e.g. 18 bxa7 dxc2 19 Wrxc2 &d4 or 18 Hxa7 dxc2 19 Wexc2 bs. 16...8xd5 17 Wg4 Bad 17.0465 18 a5 Dd7 19 Bxc4+ d5 20 &b3 e6 21 Ags He7 22 c3 favours White, with two pawn islands to Black’s three, targets on the centre files and — still — the potentially influential bishop pair. 18 Ags Y ‘Ys GRG BSG Black has gone to great lengths to capture the d5-pawn. His rook is out on a limb on a5 and there is now a definite problem on the light squares — no won- der White was content to go along for the ride rather than drop his bishop back to a2 earlier. Black’s best now is 18...c3 19 b3 KFS 20 a5 AbdS 21 d3 Be5 22 Exe5 and now, rather than 22...8xe5 23 &c4, when the pin is deci- sive thanks to 23..g7 24 S&xd5 Axd5 25 De6+ or 23...We8 24 WE3, Black can at least limit his plight to just a slight disadvantage with 22...dxe5 23 &c4 etc. Instead... 18...Wc8? ..was aimed at contesting the light squares at the cost of a pawn, but after... 19 Hxe7 Wxg4 20 hxg4 Bc8 21 Rd2 Bed 21,.Etxa4 22 Hxad Dxa4 23 Bxcd+ 5 24 &b3 Ac5 (24...Axb2 25 B4 h6 26 &xc7 hxg5 27 Rxd5+) 25 Bc3 &xc3 26 bxc3 h6 27 D€7 SFB 28 Ado Sxe7 29 Axc8+ LF6 30 Axa7 or 25 a2 Axb2 26 Rf4 R627 Hxc7 Bxc7 28 Axc7 Rxg5 29 Bxd5+ LEB 30 £4, with an advantage in both cases. 22 De4 Bc6 23 2c3 Axc3 24 Axc3 White stood better. Adams-Comp Fritz 6 Frankfurt-West Masters (rapid) 1999 Zo Y 4 iG AY Y Yay) GRG YY 3 7/ SA For some reason I always like to see computers lose. Unfortunately in this game super-GM Michael Adams man- 56aged only to draw against the machine, although he did succeed in engineering a nice winning possibility along the way. Black’s rather tardy development on the kingside, combined with White’s well placed forces and — significantly — the b-file, inspired Michael to make a fur- ther, aggressive positional pawn sacti- fice. 18 d6!! Opening the long diagonal to home in on b7, freeing the d5-square for both bishop and knight and generally taking over the light squares en masse. 18...exd6 Now White, understandably, contin- ued 19 &d5? but after 19...Wa6 20 Ebi c6 21 Hb3 &xd5 22 Axds Lbs 23 We7 We6 24 c4 Wd7 25 Wes We8 26 Heb1 Hd7 Black put up sufficient resis- tance to eventually hold the draw — a pity, in my opinion, particularly when one looks at Michael’s smooth posi- tional approach, which deserved more. Anyway, it seems that... 19 Eb1! ..would have offered White excellent winning chances according to Karsten Miller. 19...Wa6 runs into 20 S2c4, while 19...2c6 20 &e6+ Hd7 (20...8c7 21 Dd5+) 21 &xd7+ Yxd7 22 Bxb7+! S&xb7 23 Wxb7+ dB 24 Kbit! is deci- sive. Miiller also gives 19...e4!? 20 Wxe4 Rc6 21 &d5 Wa6 22 Bb3 Rxd5 23 @xd5 We 24 Heb1 with a Promising attack. This leaves... 19...Wa5 20 2e6! Wc7 21 Abs Ws. 21...Wb6 22 Axd6+ Rxd6 23 Hxbo axb6 24 25. 22 Wt7 Black is in dire straits on the light The Colour Complex squares. Best play now seems to be the following variations (based on analysis by Miller). YEG AOR 22...2xe6 22...a6 23 Hxe5! axb5 (23...dxe5 24 Bat) 24 Bxd7+ Hxd7 25 He8+ Bus 26 Bxd8+ Sxd8 27 Bel Me7 28 Bxe7 Wc8 29 Hixb7 He8 30 Sf1! AS AY ic ga ee a ZB Very nice. Black will soon run out of moves... 23 Wxe6+ Hd7 24 We8+ Bd8 25 Exe5! 2e7 25..a6 26 Exc5+! dxc5 27 We6+ Hd7 28 Hd wins for White. 26 Wxe7 Ed7 26..dxe5 27 We6+ Bd7 28 Hdt Ehds 29 Hd5! b6 30 We6+ Hc7 sets up a textbook finish. 57