RB Ramesh Book PDF

Fundamental
Chess: Logical
Decision Making
GM Ra1nesh RB
METROPOLITAN CHESS PUBLISHING

First Published in the US by Metropolitan Chess Publishing
Copyright© 2015 Metropolitan Chess
lst Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form without written permission from the Publisher.
ISBN- 13: 978-0-985628 1-6- 1

ISBN- 10: 0-9856281-6-2
Cover by Jyoti Vishnoi Rastogi

Edited by Gabriella Kay
Printed in the US by Lone Star Press
Metropolitan Chess Publishing is an imprint of Metropolitan Chess, Inc
Metropolitan Chess, Inc. , PO Box 251 12, Los Angeles, CA 90025-01 12

email: info@metrochessla.com
website: www.metrochessla.com
METROPOLITAN CHESS PUBLISHING

Commissioning Editor: Ankit Gupta
Editor-in-Chief: Gabriella Kay
Assistant Editor: Alex King
Table of Contents
Preface 5
Introduction 6
PART ONE: Logical Reasoning 9

Ch 1 Assessment of the Position 18
Ch 2 The Problem of Choices 66
Ch 3 Choosing Between Active and Passive Defense 91
Ch 4 Exchanging Pieces 104
PART TWO: Practical Chess Play 123

Ch 5 Initiative 125
Ch 6 Converting an Advantage 144
Ch 7 Maintaining Tension 156
Ch 8 Improving the Position of Pieces 168
Ch 9 Playing on Colors 208
Ch 10 Prophylactic Thinking I The Drawback Principle 225
PART THREE: Fundamentals of Chess Training 232

Ch 11 Studying the Opening 234
Ch 12 Tournament Preparation 247
Ch 13 Essential Endgame Principles 256
Ch 14 The Importance of Results and Ratings 265
Ch 15 Self Analysis and Self Control 270
Ch 16 Learning and Unlearning 275
Ch 17 Using Computers 278
Conclusion 281
Index of Games 284
Bibliography 287
Symbols
! Good move
!! Excellent move
? Bad move
?? Blunder
!? Deserves attention
?! Dubious
# Checkmate
D Forced; the only move
00 Unclear position
= Equal position
;!; Slight advantage for White
+ Slight advantage for Black
± Distinct advantage for White
+ Distinct advantage for Black
+ White is winning
-+ Black is winning
t with the initiative
with the attack
00
insufficient compensation for the material
00 sufficient compensation for the material
with counterplay
with the idea . . .
better i s. . .
Novelty
Time pressure
Preface
H ten, I have had an interesting j ourney with chess. I have experienced my

aving been a chess player for over twenty years and a coach for around
fair share of ups and downs - hopes raised high one moment, only to fall flat
the next. As a young player without the assistance of a coach, I had to rely on
books (the computer era hadn't yet begun), tournament play, and analyzing
with friends to learn the nuances of the game. I have made many mistakes
in my chess career but I did a few things right, too. I could not have asked for
more from this wonderful game.
In this book, I will try to share the lessons I've learned from my own
chess career, from my chess friends who have represented India at top-level
competitions around the world, from the books I have read and from working
with players of different levels as a chess trainer.
I hope this book will provide a practical approach to chess understanding
and provide a slightly different perspective on chess improvement.
Ramesh RB
Chennai
October 2015
Preface 5
Introduction
I becoming a grandmaster in 1988. My priority at the time was to win every

started playing chess at the age of twelve, inspired by Viswanathan Anand
game I played. I lived for the thrill of beating my opponents, who were mostly
friends and neighbors. Once I started playing in tournaments, I realized
that mere passion and silly tricks alone would not be enough to win and I
undoubtedly needed to upgrade my skills and understanding of the game. I
was a very aggressive player by nature and I enj oyed surprising opponents
with my knowledge of opening theory. This approach enabled me to score quick
wins against opponents who were not tactically sharp or equipped with a deep
understanding of opening theory. After a few years, I had achieved a decent
rating and soon realized that my opponents were not falling for opening tricks
and unsound attacks as frequently as they did in the past. Thus began the
journey of slogging long hours in front of the chessboard.
The lack of proper coaching facilities and information accessible at the
time forced players of my generation to learn chess by drawing upon their own
past games and from reading the few good books that were available in India
back then. There was often a limited supply of competitions, coaches, chess
literature, and prize money, among other things, that players today may take
for granted. As a result of these limitations, my approach to learning consisted
of asking relevant questions about various aspects of my games, and thinking
deeply about the problems I faced. Eventually, I came up with answers I felt
comfortable with and later verified with other experienced players. Finally, I
attempted those ideas in my tournament games and the whole process began
again. This trial and error method, which I practiced in my formative years
in India, meant that progress in chess was slow and time-consuming but the
lessons learned were the bedrock of my chess understanding.
Later on, I gained access to many good books, especially those written by
Mark Dvoretsky. This discovery proved to be a turning point in my career. For
6 Introduction
the first time, I learned how a chess professional needs to think about different
aspects of the game, but more importantly, how to be mentally tough to handle
the many ups and downs in one's chess career, which are bound to come, no
matter what.
I became an International Master within a few years of starting to
play the game, but it took me eight long years to graduate to the next level
of becoming a Grandmaster. There were many frustrating and rewarding
moments that shaped me as a chess player in those eight years. Progress
in chess involves continuous self-introspection, learning new skills and un
learning bad qualities in our thinking process. In this book, I will frequently
use terms like "stronger player" and "younger player" to denote a chess player's
level. The term "younger player" is not meant to be derogatory, but will be used
to refer to someone struggling to improve to the next level in the upcoming
player category (from roughly 1500 to 2400 ELO rating). By the term "stronger
player", I refer to players with a 2550+ ELO rating. All others will fall under
the "intermediate level". In addition, I will use the male gender in this book to
describe a chess player, which is purely a matter of convenience.
This book is aimed at players who wish to improve their overall
understanding of the game. We will attempt to learn how to look at and
evaluate a position, which patterns to watch out for, which factors we ought
to consider before finalizing our move, and much more. For this, we need to
have some basic knowledge of key chess principles, which I mention repeatedly
throughout the text. There are many contradictory principles at play in various
positions and I have tried to explain how to choose the appropriate principle
using logical reasoning.
This does not in any way negate the importance of calculation and
concrete thinking in chess. We will try to stick to positions where decisions can
be made with the help of logical thinking. I have tried to put my thoughts into
words without hiding much from the reader, on the topics covered in this book.
I thank Ankit Gupta of Metropolitan Chess for presenting me with this
opportunity to write a book on the topic of my choice. My special thanks to the
editors Gabriella Kay, Alex King, and Kostya Kavutskiy, who have done an
excellent job of making sense of what I am trying to say, and giving the shape
to this book.
I thank all those who have been present throughout my chess career -
chess friends, fellow chess players, tournament organizers, arbiters, coaches,
and authors of chess books I have read. I would especially like to thank Mr.
Dakshinamoorthy, who was my patron from my youth, and all others from
whom I learned most of what I have written in this book.
Special thanks to my wife Aarthie, my daughter Varsha and son Karthik,
my parents and in-laws, who have all been very patient with me while I was
writing this book. Thanks for your understanding and support.
To the readers, let us begin our journey towards understanding chess in
a logical way!
Introduction 7
PART ONE:
Logical Decision Making
Wmore and more concrete as players rely heavily on deep analysis of

ith the advent of computers, especially the engines, chess is becoming
complex variations to make decisions. Making decisions based on what I call

"logical reasoning'' has taken a back seat especially with young players who
want to calculate by brute analysis.
AB a coach, I sense an alarming change in the approach to the game
among younger players. They make decisions after intense effort by calculating
hundreds of variations in almost every game. Young players are able to solve
many important challenges with this approach, but they also must incorporate
logic and common sense, backed up by sound knowledge of important principles.
A good chess player makes use of concrete variations and logical
reasoning to make decisions at the board. The structure of the position
on the board should dictate which kinds of moves the player should look for.
A sharp position should dictate the player to make active moves, whereas in
a slower position, the player must try to maneuver his pieces, regardless of
whether he generally prefers to play "actively" or "strategically".
To play good positional chess, it is essential to have a working knowledge
of the main chess principles at your disposal to use in different circumstances.
We should know the principles for playing with a good pawn structure,
capitalizing on weak squares and pawns, exploiting our opponent's bad bishop,
playing with the bishop pair, handling minor pieces in the endgame, winning
with a passed pawn, conducting attack and defense, and countless others.
Quite often it happens that after playing a tough game in a tournament,
we show the game to a stronger player and he immediately comes up with
better suggestions we never even suspected. How does he do this? What does
he see that we don't? How does he calculate so quickly and eliminate irrelevant
moves?
Part One: Logical Reasoning 9

We must learn to identify the important moves and take certain factors
into consideration when assessing a position. Not only does a stronger player
see more, he also seems to find the best moves with less time and effort. He
goes to the heart of the position and comes up with an appropriate solution.
The rules are the same for both sides but the stronger player evaluates and
decides differently!
These were some of the many ideas that used to go round and round
in my head when I was an upcoming player. In this book, I will share how I
handled these questions and the conclusions I came to.
Strangely enough, the answers to the questions are not as important
as asking the questions, thinking them over, drawing your own conclusions,
learning from others' experiences and trying to apply these principles to our
games. This might sound illogical considering the fact that most, if not all, key
principles in chess have more or less already been found, or at least, that is
what we all believe to be the case.
If the guiding principles are already known, why do I need
to rethink them? Can't I just apply them to my games and reap the
benefits? Chess principles tell us what needs to be done on the board in certain
situations. They help us decide what is most important in a given position. For
these principles to become an automatic part of the thinking process, a player
can't merely know these principles at the theoretical level; he must understand
the basis of these principles. This understanding comes from the personal
experience of applying these principles in games and in training. Following
the right principle at the right time, and also knowing when to break the rules
at the appropriate moment is the hallmark of an experienced professional.
Principles guide us by giving direction but we should realize that there will be
exceptions to the rule, and we must approach each position with fresh eyes to
find our own path in the checkered jungle.
What does it take to be a good chess player? There are many
aspects to this question and we can never give one correct answer that fits all
cases. A good player should obviously have the basic talent and aptitude for the
game, sound knowledge of the various principles, and the skill to apply them
over the board. He has seen the most important games and has the capacity to
learn from his mistakes. His intuition comes from experience and knowledge,
and he puts the required time and effort into studying the game. A good chess
player has the humility to accept his shortcomings yet find the determination
to overcome them. He is motivated to get better, is hungry for success, and
constantly aims higher. By no means is the above list complete. There are
many other attributes required to become a strong chess player, but we get a
fair idea of just a few of the requirements. Studying chess is not the difficult
part, it is rather having the right mindset and attitude to learn.
10 Part One: Logical Reasoning

The Twin Tracks of Calculation and Lolic
Playing chess, in many ways, is like driving a train on the two tracks of
calculation and logic. Even though chess is becoming more concrete, especially
after the arrival of analysis engines, I believe there is still a lot of scope to find
the best moves in a position with the help of sound logic and understanding.
Ideally, calculation should justify the logical thinking of the player.
In this book, we will focus on trying to understand the game and the
various concepts behind it by using logic and common sense. Every sphere of
chess has its own set of important principles, which tell us how to handle a
certain aspect in the position. For example: bishops are good in open positions,
rooks are good on open files, etc. These are simple principles, self-explanatory,
understood without difficulty and quite easy to apply in practice.
But there are more complex principles that are difficult to apply in our
games. To go from knowing these principles to applying them in our games,
we need to make them a part of our thinking process and maintain a firm
belief in them. For example, we say, "Sometimes it's a good idea to sacrifice
a pawn in order to make our pieces more active." Knowing this principle and
understanding the logic behind it is easy, but if we don't have a firm conviction
in the principle, it is really difficult to give up a pawn "just" to activate a piece.
Carlsen - Aronian decision on the board is weighed in

Bilbao Grand Slam Final 2008 the prism of an engine's perception.
In my opinion a move does not have to
be completely correct to be played. If
it feels comfortable in the mind of the
player playing it, and if it has been
analyzed reasonably well and without
flaws, that should be enough reason
to play it.
Carlsen came up with the
surreal move 15.d5 ! ! to open up the
dark-squared bishop and to create
attacking chances against the Black
king, temporarily stuck in the center
of the board. It is not unusual for
strong players to give up a pawn for
the initiative. But would the mere
15.d5/!N knowledge of this principle convince
I remember checking this position us to play this move in an actual
with an engine and 15 .d5 was its 31st game? I think not.
choice! Does this make d5 good or 15. . . Nxd5
bad? I believe such questions should Apart from the chess reasons
not stand in the way of the pure joy of in favor of 15.d5, the psychological
seeing moves like 15 .d5 played in an benefits should also not be ignored.
actual game. These days every human Black was probably a bit under shock

upon seeing such an audacious pawn 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Qxc6+ Ke7
sacrifice. He also needs to calculate 20. Rfdl
the various possible recaptures and White has regained one pawn and
evaluate the resulting positions denied Black the right to castle. He
correctly, which will take up time on obviously has enough compensation
the clock. for the pawn but Black only needs to
15 . . . cxd5? is clearly the worst develop his queen, bring his rook on
choice: 16.Bb5+ Nd7 17.Ne5 Bc8 h8 into the game and take his king to
18 .Qh5 g6 19.Qf3+- safety - then White's advantage will
15 ... exd5 would be answered by only be symbolic.
16.Nd4� with ideas of Qa4 and Nf5, 20. . . RcB 21. Qf3 Qb6
with good compensation for White. With idea of Rhd8, with a solid
White also seizes the initiative defense, so White must act fast.
after 15 . .. Qxd5 16.Ne5 Bb4 (Or 16 . . . 22. Bd4 Qb8 23. Ba6 Rcd8
Bd6 17.e4 Qc5 18.Rcl t) 17.Qa4 0-0 Now the king's rook is denied the
18. Rfdlt dB-square. Hence bringing in the
16.Ne5 Nf6 rook will be one additional concern
Preventing White's queen from for Black, along with his king safety.
reaching g4 or h5, but also spending 24. Bb7!?
a valuable tempo. Preparing Bb6.
After 16 ... Be7 17.Qh5 g6 18.Qh6 24 . . . h5 25. h3
Bf6 19.e4 Nb6 20.Rablt Black has a
difficult defense.
1 7. Qa4
The immediate 25.Rabl was

probably stronger with the idea
of sacrificing the exchange on b4,
White brings a new piece into the followed by Bc5+. 25 . . . Ng4 (25. . .
game with a threat on every move. e 5 26.Rxb4! exd4 27.Rbxd4 Rxd4
17. . . Bb4 28.exd4±) 26.h3! White's king has
Black cannot wait anymore by nothing to fear: 26 . . . Qh2+ 27.Kfl Ne5
playing defensively and tries to 28 .Qe4 Ng6 29.Bxg7±
complete his development as soon as 25. . . h4 ?!
possible.

25 ... e5! could have neutralized After 29 . . . Rd2 White wins with
White's initiative, with the following 30.Ra6+ (Or simply 30.RaB+-) 30 ...
computer line: 26.Bb6 Rd6! 27.Bxa5 Kd7 31 . Bxb4!+-
Rxdl+ 28.Qxdl Qxb7 29.Rbl Nd5 30. Bxd6 Kxd6
30.e4 Ra8! 31.Qxd5 Qxd5 32 .Bxb4+ 30 . . . Qxd6 31.Ra6+-
Qd6 33.Bxd6+ Kxd6= With the help 31. Qc6+ Ke7 32. RaB
of an engine this line is not that White wins the rook and with it
difficult to find, but for a human the game. All that remains is the
under pressure it is asking a bit too matter of Black's b-pawn.
much. 32 . . . Qd6 33. Qxd6+ Kxd6
26. Rabl t e5 2 7. Rxb4! 34. RxhB b3 35. Ba6 Nd7 36. Rxh4
Removing the defender of the 36 . . . Nc5 1 - 0
dark squares. 3 6 . . . Nc5 37.Bc4+-
27. . . axb4?
27 . . . exd4 was necessary, where
Black is much worse.
28. Bc5+ Ke6
28 . . . Ke8 leads to forced mate:
29.Bc6+ Rd7 (29. . . Nd7 30. Qf5 Qc7
31. Qg5+- Threatening mate on e7.)
30.Rxd7! Nxd7 31.Qf5 Qc7 32 .Qg5 f6
33 .Qxg7+-
29. Ral!+ -
With idea Ra6. When we are

attacking, we need to take care not to
exchange too many pieces and be left
with nothing to attack the opponent.
29. . . Rd6
Giving back some of the material,
a common defensive strategy, though
it is already too late.

Nprinciple to having conviction in the principle? The answer: by applying it
ow this begs a question: how do we go from having mere knowledge of a
in our games. It is imperative that a player successfully applies these principles

to his own games and training. This alone will give him complete belief in the
principle and thus it becomes a part of his thinking process. This is easier said
than done. In practice, players often find it difficult to come out of their comfort
zones, to take that leap of faith, and carry out a bold plan.
I strongly recommend that readers attempt my "logical reasoning"
process rather than know the theory and not apply it in practice. Patience and
persistent effort is required on a long-term basis to become a successful chess
player.
In this book, we will try to understand the position, find the relevant
moves, and analyze them using logic as the key tool. We will not be covering
positions which require deep calculation, sacrificial attacks or concrete play.
Before we delve into the meat of the book, let us consider how we should
study chess at home. I have noticed that most players, even at the level of
International Master, tend to believe that seeing games will be sufficient in
itself to improve their skill. Unfortunately, this is not the case. When we study
games, we become familiar with a few patterns related to those positions. But
it's not necessarily improving our analytical and problem-solving skills, which
are essential for strong players. When we watch top-level games, we should
always guess the move first in our mind, taking anywhere from 30 seconds to
five minutes for each move (unless the move is forced, then we can just make
a quick guess). If we feel the position requires more thought, we can study it
with deeper analysis later.
Concrete Thinkinl{ vs. Intuition
W a solution in a position. Either the player relies too much on concrete

hen it comes to young players, we see two extreme approaches to finding
calculation or he moves intuitively, without doing the necessary background

checks to ensure a safe position.
Since the arrival of computers, chess has become more concrete.
Openings that were considered bad have become popular again. Positions that
were thought to be risky have become playable. Grandmasters used to stop
the analysis at some point, with an evaluation, that one side is slightly better
or the position is equal. But these days, almost everyone uses a chess engine
before passing judgment on any position.
In the era of Kasparov, we saw more reliance on gaining an advantage
in the opening. Players preferred positions where things were known and well
analyzed at home. They avoided unknown positions in the opening stage and
fought fewer endgame battles. In many interesting endgame positions, we saw
players agreeing to draws all of a sudden.

The emphasis was clearly on getting an advantage out of the opening.
Failing to do so, many players did not want to pursue the fight in an equal
middlegame and would agree to a draw, go back to the drawing board and
continue analyzing with the engine to find an advantage in a given opening.
Initially, this approach worked well for many players. Grandmasters
who started using this technology early on for opening preparation, over a
period of time, collected vast amounts of theoretical knowledge. Many lines
that were known to have clear refutations became suddenly unclear with the
aid of computer analysis.
Over a period of time, new problems arose. As engines started getting
faster and stronger, and as the software became more and more advanced,
the old engine analysis started becoming obsolete. Many positions that were
considered += or even +/- were newly assessed as equal.
And so the quest began for many top players to identify the best engine
among the many available. They ran computers against each other to get that
"perfect analysis". The engines suggested creative new ways to gain advantages
in many well-known openings. As this process continued, the data collected
became a problem in itself. Against every opening, computers suggested
numerous approaches to get an advantage; and each approach had many more
pages of analysis. This started to test the memories of chess players.
These days, we need to study pages of analysis and games to prepare
just one sideline. Players today are trying to overcome this problem by using
a variety of memory devices to remember opening lines. For example, some
players create opening trees of their material using database programs.
Technology makes our preparation easier and more complex at the same
time. New resources are constantly being found for both sides in every major
opening, making the volume of work extremely large for a professional player
to be well-prepared.
In recent years, most of the important theoretical ideas in the opening
have been discovered with the help of engines. Comparatively, the endgame
stage requires players to look for all possible resources by themselves, and
try to find the best moves over-the-board. Players like Carlsen use this aspect
of the endgame to outplay very strong opponents and maximize their results.
While engines have exposed openings to massive scrutiny, endgame positions
are relatively untouched by the machines, except for tablebases which can now
solve positions with up to seven pieces on the board.
As we have seen, opening preparation has become more concrete than
ever before and it is constantly subjected to computer analysis. As a result,
some players are moving towards offbeat sidelines and variations that were
never taken seriously by top players of the past. Contemporary players like
GM Baadur Jobava and GM Richard Rapport successfully play untested lines
at the top level in order to avoid deep computer preparation.

My understanding of intuition is that it is the output of our knowledge,
experience and confidence at that point in time. When we are more confident,
we boldly make intuitive decisions. When we lack self-belief, we tend to play
cautiously rather than rely on our intuition. The success rate of our intuitive
decisions depends upon our accumulated knowledge and experience in similar
situations. Thus, to improve our intuition, we should work on accumulating
more knowledge and experience in various types of positions. For example, if
someone has not studied rook and pawn endings, their intuitive suggestions
are bound to be in the wrong direction in most cases. But the same person,
having studied rook and pawn endings, will be able to spot a correct idea
quickly, thanks to his developed intuition. An expert driver will have a more
accurate intuition in traffic-related issues than a new driver would have.
The former world champion Mikhail Tai is well known for his tactical,
attacking, risk-taking skills and his phenomenal calculative abilities. His
intuitive decisions are far more likely to be accurate in tactical positions, than
in say, a quiet ending. This is because his knowledge and experience in quiet
ending positions is likely to be far less when compared to his experience and
knowledge in complex, tactical positions.
Even though chess is becoming more and more concrete with the influence
of computers, players like Carlsen are showing that chess at the highest level
is not only concrete, but also demonstrates the importance of logical, intuitive
thinking.
Since chess is still largely played over the board in tournaments around
the world, the importance of logical thinking and intuition is indisputable.
Calculation and logical thinking are like two tracks of a train. Both are
necessary for the train to run its course without accident.
To calculate everything in every position is an impossible task for any
non-computer. Add to this: time constraints, human limitations in memory,
concentration and capacity; we must rely on other methods for making decisions
on the board. We cannot use brute calculation alone. There are positions where
complex variations are relatively easy to calculate and there are other positions
that are so complex, even days of analysis will not bring us any closer to the
truth. A player's ability to come up with the best move continuously depends
on a large number of factors like age, experience, knowledge, concentration,
stamina, skill, form, the type of position, etc.
There are many positions where calculating variations should be the
last thing we do. In positions where forcing moves are absent, we need to rely
on logical thinking to make decisions. An absence of any pawn breaks in the
position is also an indication that we should approach the position from a
logical viewpoint.
In many positions, all we have to do is simply improve our badly placed
pieces, clear the back rank of weakness, prevent our opponent from realizing
his ideas, improve our pawn structure, etc. Such decisions do not require too
much analysis other than a good understanding of the needs of the position.
It is always advisable to calculate all the necessary variations in any
given position. We also need to take into account the time available on the clock

before we decide how long to spend in calculating variations. When we have
more time on the clock, we should try to make a decision after completing the
calculation, if it is within our capacity to calculate. If it is too complex for our
ability, or if we don't have sufficient time on the clock, then we have to make
decisions trusting our intuition.
Part One: Logical Rea soning 17

Chapter 1
Assessment of the Position
Wthought process when considering a position:

hen we observe closely, the following are the most important steps in our
• Assessment of the position;

• Identifying the ideas and drawbacks of the opponent's move;
• Making a list of possible moves or ideas available to us;
• Analyzing our options as efficiently and correctly as possible;
• Finishing the analysis with an appropriate evaluation;
• Deciding on a move based upon the evaluation; and
• Managing the time on the clock while doing all of the above.
Each step above has its own set of principles and methods. A broad
knowledge of various chess concepts is thus a necessary requirement for a
player to understand and assess the position before making the right decision.
At the beginning levels, a player may still win if he breaks these principles
unknowingly, but an intermediate player must learn increasingly complex
principles as he progresses in strength. Later on as an expert, he will learn to
break the rules to gain advantages based on the unique characteristics of the
position.
Just like a doctor needs to closely monitor the symptoms of a patient's
body to successfully diagnose the disease, a chess player has to learn to study
the various important features of the position to come to a correct assessment. A
correct diagnosis goes a long way in identifying a cure for the disease. Similarly,
a correct assessment of the position lets us narrow down the path we need to
take to identify the best possible move(s) in a given situation. The assessment
of the position is generally done prior to identifying moves or analyzing specific
variations, much like the doctor must assess his patient before discussing
18 Chapter 1 : Assessment of the Position

specific treatment plans. The evaluation of the position comes at the end of the
analysis process, as does the proper diagnosis and cure.
One of the key attributes necessary to be a good chess player is to know
how to assess which elements in the position require more attention. This will
narrow down our area of focus to just the essential elements in that position.
Not only will this method guide our thinking process, it will save time on
the clock.
The six most important elements when assessing a position are:
king safety, activity of pieces, material, pawn structure, space and
weaknesses. We will cover each element in this chapter.
Here are some of the most commonly used terms among chess players:
passed pawn, open file, pair of bishops, outpost, space advantage, strong
center, good pawn structure, weak squares, weak pawns, cramped position,
prophylaxis, etc. Many of us know these terms and more, but are some more
important than others?
Let's try to prioritize the most important elements for a proper

assessment of the position:
1) KING SAFETY
The aim in chess is to deliver checkmate to the opposing king, which we

attempt in a variety of ways, either by winning material, promoting a pawn,
launching a ferocious attack, obtaining small positional advantages or by
meticulously building a substantial advantage with good technique.
Everything ultimately leads to checkmate, but as we have seen in the
short list above, the ways in which players reach that destination are varied.
Hence, king safety gets paramount consideration when evaluating a position.
A safe king frees other pieces from the responsibility of having to defend
their king from an opponent's attack. Our now unburdened pieces can gather
small positional advantages or go after our opponent's king. On the contrary, a
weak king denies our pieces space and the opportunity to play an active role in
the game. They are condemned to play the passive role of defending the king.
How to Keep the King Safe
In general, it is advisable to keep one minor piece in front of the king

and have three pawns nearby in order for the king to feel secure from a frontal
attack. The attacking units of our opponent (including pawns and pieces)
should never outnumber the defensive units near our king by more than three.
In such a case, our king could come under serious attack.
Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position 19

Krasenkow - Garcia Ilundain 28.Bxf6 Rxf6 29. Qe4+
Las Palmas 2003
29... Kf7
We need at least one minor piece There is no way for Black to escape
in front of our king to reduce the heavy material losses.
possibility of a successful frontal 29 . . . Kd7 30.Qh7+
attack by our opponent. Black's pieces Or 29 . . . Kd6 30.Qe5+
are crowded mainly on the queenside 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Qxa7 1 - 0
with little influence on the rest of And White converted the material
the board. The presence of White's advantage convincingly.
two bishops and the queen pointing
towards Black's kingside indicates the
possibility of tactics in the position.
24.Bxf71 Kxf7 25. Qh7+
The reason behind the need to
have at least three pieces in an attack
is to be able to give up one to open
up the opponent's king and use the
remaining two to either deliver mate
or win material.
25 Ke6
•..
25 . . . Kf6 would lose even more

quickly after 26.Qxh6+ Kf7 27.Qh5+
Ke6 28.QxeS+ Kxd6 29.Qxc8+-
26. Qg6+ Nf6 2 7. Be5
Notice how one forcing move leads
to another in an attack.
27. . . RfB
27. . . QdS can be met with 28.Bxf6
Rg8 29.d5+! Kd6 30.Qxh6 Qe8
31.Bxg5+ Rg6 32.Qh4+-
20 Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position

Al Masshani - Sasikiran 20. . . Bxfl 21. Rxfl Qd5 0-1
Asian Nations Cup 2014
And Black converted his extra

When we compare king positions exchange into a win without any
in this diagram, we can see that problems.
Black's king has lost the right to
castle while White's king looks
happily out of danger. But looks can
be deceiving at times. White's pieces
are all arranged on the queenside
and while his king has three healthy
pawns for protection not a single piece
is nearby. Sasikiran exploited this
wonderfully with
17. . . Bd5! 18. Qa6 Bxg2!
Once again, when we have three
pieces available for an attack we
should try to sacrifice one of them in
order to destroy the opponent's pawn
cover, followed by using the other two
to execute the attack.
19. Nc4
After 19.Kxg2 Qg5+ 20.Khl Qf4-+
White is getting mated. The pieces on
the queenside are mere spectators to
the action on the kingside.
19. . . Bc7 20.(4
20.Kxg2 Qg5+ 21.Khl Qf4-+ does
not change anything.

T least one minor piece as well as three pawns in front of our king for the
he pivotal lesson from the above examples demonstrate the need for at
king to really be safe. In case of the absence of a minor piece in front of the
opponent's king, we should try to launch a frontal attack with pieces.
Andreikin - Topalov With calm moves White has

FIDE Candidates 2014 completely neutralized Black's
activity and now the "active" pawns
on the kingside look more like a
weakness than a strength.
1 9. . . Re8 20. Ka2!
Now the king is in safe territory
and the rooks are connected. Once
White posts his rooks on reasonable
squares, Black will have nothing to
show for the pawn deficit and the
kingside weaknesses.
20. . . Ra7
Getting the rook into the game.
21. Radl
Developing the rook and
strengthening the blockade of the d5-
18. Kcl! pawn.
Black has sacrificed a pawn to 21 . . . Kf8 22. Rhfl!
keep White's king in the center of the
board and hopes to exploit it with an
attack by opening up the position. But
as we can see, Black can only open
the position on the kingside as the
center and queenside are reasonably
securely held by White. But this may
not be the case in the long run, hence
White should act with urgency to
bring his king to safety before Black
can successfully open up the position.
18 . . . BcS
18 . . .g4 can be met with 19.hxg4
hxg4 20.Kbl! A fantastic idea. At the
cost of a piece White's king will become
perfectly safe while Black's king will A deep prophylactic move. How
:find himself in great danger. 20 . . . gxf3 does one :find such moves? The logic
21.gxf3 Ng5 22.Ka2+- Followed by f3- could go something like this: In the
f4 & Ragl , with a winning attack. opening, we try to develop our pieces
19. Kbl! as fast as possible and in the process
some of our pieces may not land on the
22 Chapter 1 : Assessment of the Position

best squares. In the middlegame, we
try to improve such pieces by moving
them to better squares. After this, the
best way to continue improving our
position is to either change the pawn
structure or activate our pieces even
further.
In this position, all of White's
pieces are well placed except the rook
on hl, which can only become active
if Black plays g5 -g4, which seems
unlikely as of now. Since all of White's
other pieces appear to be on good
squares, we can think of changing the
pawn structure. In that sense, h3-h4 This multi-purpose move aims
is the only good pawn break available to clear the f4-square for the knight
to White, as it would secure the f4- on e2 (improving the piece) and also
square for one of White's knights. But exploits Black's weaknesses on the
after h4 Black would play g5 -g4 and kingside.
the f2-pawn would fall. Hence Rhfl 25 . . . g4 26.Nf4/ KgB 27. Nxd5 1 - 0
defends the pawn on f2 in advance. White has won a second pawn and
22 . . . Kg7 Topalov saw no reason to continue the
Black indicates the absence of any game.
active plan and is waiting for White After 27.Nxd5 Rxd5 28.Rxd5 gxf3
to show his plan. In such situations, simplest is 29.Qxe4+- with a decisive
we can delay our own plan for a little material advantage.
while and make all the useful moves
available to us first.
23. Kal Bf8 24.Ne2
Though the knight on d4 was well
placed, it was blocking the d-file. By
attacking the d5-pawn with a tempo,
White has the option of rerouting the
knight to another good square as can
be seen in the game:
24 . . . RdB 25. h4/
F safe. Black tried to exploit the presence of White's king in the center by
rom the above game, we learned the importance of keeping our king
advancing his pawns and opening up the position.

White clearly understood the need to get his king to safety before it
became too late. The maneuver involved some loss of time, which Black was
not able to exploit successfully.

Anand - Topalov
2nd M-Tel Masters 2006
In this way, Topalov managed to

take his king to safety and create
some pressure of his own against
In this complex position, Topalov White's king at the cost of a pawn.
opted for activity with Here the evaluation of the position
21 ... Rc6! is heavily influenced by the relative
The more sedate 2 1 . . .Qc5 22.Qxc5 safety of the kings and the activity of
Nxc5 23.Racl Nb7 24.b3;!; would allow the pieces. Black's pieces are better
White to use the c-file before Black coordinated, as the d7-knight and
can activate his king and rook on h8. f8-rook can quickly become active.
22. Qb7 Anand was unable to find the best
Threatening Qa8+ and keeping defense and went on to lose the game.
the knight on d7 and a6-pawn under
attack.
22 . . . Rc2!
Avoiding the simplifying 22 ... Qb6
23 .Qxb6 Rxb6 24.b3 Ke7 25.Racl
Ra8!?= with the idea of advancing
the a-pawn to create queenside
counterplay, where chances are equal.
28. Qxa6 0 - 0 t

Keeping our king safe is the most important task we seek to achieve in
each and every game. To make this happen, we must sometimes compromise
on piece activity and retreat to defend our king. Other times, we are forced
to compromise and turn down free material to protect our king. Often, it is a
matter of compromising our pawn structure, i.e. voluntarily breaking our pawn
structure if it is required to keep our king safe. Every once in a while, we must
play in a slightly cramped position, or have weaknesses in our position like
deficient pawns or vulnerable squares - all this and more just to keep our king
safe.
Our opponent's priority is to keep his king safe, too. We can go to any
extent to make our opponent's king unsafe by weakening his pawn structure,
by sacrificing pieces (provided we have enough material left near his king to
have a decisive attack!), and so on. We can use our knowledge of how to keep
our king safe to compromise our opponent's king safety.
2) ACTIVITY OF PIECES
We might assume that the same pieces have the same power in all
situations. For example, two different knights or two different queens of any
color on any chessboard should have the same power in all possible positions.
It is not so! A piece that is actively placed is much more powerful than one
passively placed. To understand this better, we should know when a piece is
considered active or passive.
We only have pieces and pawns on the board and we know that pieces
are the more powerful of the two. So, we can conclude that playing with active
pieces is more important than having a good pawn structure or playing with an
equal number of pawns. If we are given two options:
a. Play with equal material but have passive pieces; or

b. Play with less material, say a pawn, but have active pieces.
We should choose option b! Active pieces easily compensate for a slight

material deficit. Knowing this rule of thumb is easy, but sacrificing a pawn
"just" to improve our pieces in a tournament game is not easy at all. Knowing
is NOT doing!

Korchnoi - Beliavsky 17.Qxc3 RcB 18. Qb4 Bd3-+) 15 . . . Bd7t
Leon 1994 With ideas of Rc8, Bb5, etc.
After 14.Be2, interesting is 14 . . .
l.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 b5!
5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 0 - 0
8. Bb2 '11 e 5 9. cxd5 cxd5 1 0. dxe5
Nxe5 ll. Be2 Nxf3+! 12. Bxf3 d4!
This is not suggested by the

computer. The idea is to pour more
fuel onto the fire, threatening b4 and
White delayed castling in order facilitating the development of Black's
to first develop his queenside bishop light-squared bishop to the more
and achieve a grip over the d4-square. active b7-square.
Beliavsky understood that if White a) 15.0-0?! Qc7+ Hits the pawn
was allowed to castle and bring both on h2 and prepares b5-b4, winning a
rooks to the c- and d-files then due piece.
to the isolated pawn on d5 he would b) 15.Nxb5?! Grabbing the pawn
quickly fall worse. Hence he acts with cannot be recommended. 15 . . . Bg4
alacrity and sacrifices a pawn in order 16.f3 Rc8 17.Qd2 (17.Nc3 Nd5 18. 0-
to expose the enemy king and disrupt 0 Qh4 19.g3 Bxg3-+ is crushing for
White's plans. Black.) 17. . . Ne4! A beautiful shot,
13. exd4 targeting the bishop on e2 . 18.fxe4
13.Ne4 was another option, after Rxe4 19.Nc3 Rxc3! 20.Bxc3 And
which 13 ... Bb4+ leads to excellent Black wins after 20 . . . Qh4+ 21.Kdl
counterplay for Black: 14.Kfl Nxe4 Rxe2 22 .Qxe2 Bxe2+ 23.Kxe2 Qe4+
15.Bxe4 dxe3 16.fxe3 (16.Bxh7+?! KhB 24.Kd2 Bf4+-+ Followed by Qd3+, etc.
17.fxe3 f5! 18.Bg6 Qg5-+ and Black c) Best is 15.a3 where Black has a
threatens f5-f4 in addition to winning choice of 15 . . . Bb7 (and 15. . . Bg4, both
White's bishop.) 16 . . . Qh4t with full compensation.)
13 . . . ReB+ 14. Kfl 14 . . . Qa5
Black would get good compensation
against White's other tries as well:
14.Ne2 Bb4+ 15.Kfl (15.Bc3 loses
by force after 15... Bf5! 16. Qd2 Bxc3

When we are in the process of In positions with opposite color
attacking, we should often try to bring bishops, the side with positional
new forces into the game. Trying to domination or the side with an
attack with pieces that are already attack has a huge advantage over his
developed can be less efficient when opponent. This is because opposite
compared to involving the rest of our color bishops increase the intensity of
pieces in the attack. an attack.
15. Qdl Bb4 20. a4 RacB
15 ... Bf5 was another good Eliminating the only good
possibility, provoking White to play defensive piece in White's position, a
g2-g4. typical attacking theme.
16. Rcl Bd7 1 7. a 3 21.(3 Rxc3 22. Bxc3 Re3+ 23. Bal
17.Bxb7? i s a blunder i n view of 23.Qd2? would run into 23 ...
17... Bxc3 18.Bxc3 Qb5+-+ Rxf3+! 24.gxf3 Qxf3+ 25.Kgl Bh3
17. . . Bxc3 18. Rxc3? 26.Qf2 Qxc3-+
18.Bxc3 was necessary, where 23 . . . Rxb3 24. Kf2 Bxa4
after 18 ... Qxa3 19.Bxb7 Rab8 20.Ral The two pawns on the queenside
Qe7 21.Bf3 Ne4+ Black is clearly and the vulnerable White king ensure
better due to the lack of harmony in Black's winning advantage.
White's position and undeveloped 25. Rel f61
rook on hl. This relieves the back rank
18. . . Nd5 weakness and also follows the
Much stronger was 18 ... Ne4! for principle which says we need to keep
instance 19.Bxe4 Rxe4 20.Rcl Rae8 the pawns near our king on the same
21.a4 Qa6+ 22.Kgl Bh3! The most color as the opponent's bishop.
direct win. 23.gxh3 R4e6! With the 25 ... Rb2+?? would spoil everything
deadly threat of Rg6+, winning. And after 26.Bxb2 Bxdl 27.ReS# !
if 24.f3 Re2-+ White cannot stop Qg6+ 26. Qcl Bc6 2 7. Qf4 h5
19. Bxd5
19.Rc5? Bb5+ 20.Kgl Rel+-+
19. . . Qxd5
Chapter 1 : Assessment of the Position 27

Anand - Vallejo Pons
7th Bilbao Grand Slam Masters 2014
1 . d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 8. e4 Nc6 4.Nf8

Bg4 5. d5 Ne5 6. Bf4
White is not afraid of having
doubled pawns on the kingside in
case Black captures on f3 as it will
strengthen White's center.
6. . . Ng6 7. Be8 e5 8. Bxc4 Nf6
9.Nc8 a6 10. Be2 Bd6
Since Black is not able to use his

pieces alone to increase the intensity
of the attack, he involves the h-pawn
to put more pressure on White's
position.28. h4 Ra8
En route to a2.
29. Kg8 Ra2 80.Bc8 Qf7 81. Qf5?!
A final blunder.
More stubborn would have been
31.Kh2 Qg6 32 .Qg3 Qxg3+ 33.Kxg3
a5-+ where Black should eventually
win with his outside passed pawns.
81 . . . Qc7+ 0-1 A bishop can become a bad bishop
And in view of 32. Kh3 Bd7, White if there are pawns fixed in the center
resigned. on the same color as that bishop. In
In the above game, Black that sense, the bishop on d6 and the
understood the long term problems bishop on e2 are both potentially bad
associated with having an isolated bishops.
pawn, hence he opted to sacrifice 11.Nd2
a pawn to open up the center and White correctly transfers his
activate his pieces. knight to c4 and offers an exchange of
his worse bishop.
1 1 . . . Bxe2 12. Qxe2 0 - 0 18. 0 - 0
Qe7 14. Rfdl
Even though the d-file is currently
blocked, Black might have to
challenge White's space in the center
with the c7-c6 break sooner or later.
At that time, the move Rfdl will come
in handy. It is essential to foresee
to some extent how play might turn

out in the future and place our rooks the d-file and a potential to attack on
accordingly. the kingside using the f5-square for
14 . . . RacB 15.g3 his knight.
Restricting the knight on g6 21 . . . Qb4 22. Nf5 Rc4 23. Nd6 Rc6
and making luft for the king. It is 24. a3
important to note that Black is not in When we have such a superior
a position to exploit the weakness on position, we should often try to
the light squares as a result of g2-g3 . improve our position to the maximum
15. . . h6 16. Racl extent before undertaking any active
White has completed his operations. 24.a3 disturbs the Black
development and is ready to increase queen, as it was the only active piece
his pressure on the queenside with causing any trouble.
moves like Nd2-c4-a5 and a2-a3 & 24 . . . Qb3 25. R5d3 Qb6 26. Nf5
b2-b4, etc. Black must do something Re8 2 7. Rd7
to activate his pieces. White wants to play h4-h5 shortly
16. . . c6 1 7. Nc4 cxd5 18. Nxd5 without allowing Ne7. The threat of
Nxd5 19. Rxd5 Nf5-d6 is also real, as the rook on d7
Here we can see that all of White's pressures the pawns on b7 and f7.
pieces are in active positions while 27. . . Rf6 28. Qg4 Qc6 29. h4!
the same cannot be said for the Black
pieces. His knight, bishop, queen,
and rook on f8 are all playing passive
roles. Since both kings are currently
safe and White has the more active
pieces we can say that White is clearly
better.
19. . . Bc5 20. Rcdl Bxe3 21. Nxe3
A standard attacking motif

targeting the knight on g6. Black is
helpless to the attack.
29 . . . h5 30. Qxh5 Qxe4 31. RdB
Qc6 32. Qg5 Qe6 33. Rld6 1 - 0
I n this game we saw that all
the White pieces were well placed
while the same cannot be said about
Black has succeeded in exchanging Black. Restricting the opponent's
his bad bishop but is now faced with pieces while improving our own is an
other problems. The knight on g6 is a important strategic skill.
terrible piece, White has control over

How to Spot an Active Piece:
In the eyes of a novice, it is easy to spot an active piece. An active piece

is one that attacks some target like a pawn or another piece, or controls open
lines or squares. When seeking active piece placement, we aim to place a rook
on an open file, a bishop on a long-range diagonal, a knight on an outpost, an
advanced king in the endgame, etc.
How to Spot a Passive Piece:
Let us now see how to identify a passively placed piece. There are several
criteria for a piece to be deemed passive:
Position 1 Position2
White's bishop and rook are blocked Even though the bishop on g2 and
by the e4 pawn, hence they are rook on e l are on an open diagonal
very passive. White should try to and file, respectively, with no pawns
advance the pawn in such cases, or blocking their path, the knight on e4
alternatively move the bishop and slightly restricts their activity, so they
rook to a more active square. can be labeled as a little passive.
30 Chapter 1: Assessment of the Positi on

Position 3 Position 5
The knight on f3 is dominated by the The knight on f3 is restricted by our

opponent's pawns on c5 and ffi, and is own pawn on d4 and the opponent's
thus passive. pawn on m.
Position 4 Position 6
The knight on f3 is restricted by White's pieces are all limited in

our own pawns and is performing activity as they are attacking a pawn
a defensive role, which makes the which is defended by another pawn. In
knight even more passive. such cases we should aim for a pawn
break on either c5, d4, or f4 in order to
break apart the opponent's structure.
Chapter 1: A ssessment of the Position 31

WWe should never play with passive pieces in our position and should take
e have now learned under which circumstances a piece becomes passive.
urgent measures to activate them at the first opportunity. Any delay can make
our position go from bad to worse.
We will see more on this theme in the chapters on "Active Defense" and
"Improving Pieces."
Gabdrakhmanov - Yusupov Now we have a typical situation.

Riga 1977 Black can either defend the pawn on
e5 and play with passive pieces, or he
This position is given in one of can trust in his potential piece activity
Dvoretsky's articles on the Chess and sacrifice a pawn. Yusupov choses
Cafe website. Since the position is the latter.
instructive, I am republishing it here 2 . . . Qb:J!
with some added analysis.
This is a normal decision for strong

1 . . . Bc7! players but a difficult pawn sacrifice
Black has an awful position due to to make for others!
his very bad bishop. But even positions 2 . . . Qd6?! 3.f4±
like this may be defended successfully. 2 . . . f6? Apart from being a defensive
The queen must be set free for active move, this also weakens Black's
play. We must remember that playing kingside too much. White wins after
with active pieces down a pawn is 3.Qd7+ Kg8 4.Bd2 Qd6 5.Qe8+ Kg7
easier to handle than a position with 6.Bh6+! Kxh6 7.Qh8+ Kg5 8.h4#
equal pawns but passive pieces. 3. Bxe5+ Bxe5 4. Qxe5+ Kg8!
l...Be7 fails in view of 2 .Qxe5+ Bf6 4 . . . Kh7 leaves the f7-pawn
3.a5! The key move. 3 . . . Qc6 (Or 3 . . . Qbl hanging which White could attack
4.Bh6+! Kxh6 5.Qxf6 Qa2+ 6.Kh3 later to gain an important tempo.
Qxc4 7.Qh8+ Kg5 8.f4#) 4.Qd5± For example 5.Qxc5 Qc2+ 6.Kh3 Qe2
2.Bc:J 7.Qe5! Qxf3 8.Qf4!+-
5. Qxc5 Qc2+ 6. Qf2

White is forced to give back one of Taking away the d2 and d4-
his extra pawns. squares away from White's queen. As
6.Kh3 Qe2! = And Black has much as possible, it is important to
enough counterplay to survive. centralize your queen in this kind of
6 Qxc4
..• endgame.
In queen and pawn endgames, 8. Qa2
having a passed pawn is more 8.Qb6 Qd2+ 9.Kh3 Qd7+=
important than most other forms of 8 . . . Qel= % - %
advantage. So taking the pawn on c4 White i s unable t o improve his
is more relevant than taking the a4- position as the king is exposed and
pawn. his queen must prevent checks and
7. a5 Qb4! defend the a5 -pawn simultaneously.
3) MATERIAL
It is easier to play with more material unless, of course, your opponent

has successfully sacrificed for activity. When we have more material, we
should try to exchange pieces to reduce our opponent's chances of creating
complications, activity, attack or initiative. We must understand that to keep
our king safe (or to weaken our opponent's king position) we can give material
away, as previously discussed. We can also play with less material (e.g. a pawn)
to keep our pieces active.
The three factors mentioned above (King Safety, Activity of Pieces,

Material) are, in my opinion, the most relevant when assessing a position. We
will now look briefly at other factors as well, to understand how they affect the
position.

4) PAWN STRUCTURE
Having a good pawn structure is an asset. Some common examples of

bad pawn structure are: isolated pawns, hanging pawns, backward pawns,
doubled pawns, tripled pawns, over-advanced pawns, having too many pawn
islands/chains, etc.
Strong players sometimes voluntarily choose to have a bad pawn
structure to keep their king safe or to have active pieces. Again, we see that
king safety and active pieces take precedence over everything else.
Bacrot - Sargissian some risk and fight for the initiative.

2nd lnventi Chess 2009 When we feel our opponent has lost
time or has played unnaturally in the
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 opening, then I believe it is correct
4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Bc4 Nxf3+ 6.gxf3/ to be willing to take a risk for the
initiative.
After 6.Qxf3 d6 7.d3 Be7 8.0-0
0-0, White does not have much of an
advantage.
6 . . . Bc5 7. Rgl
While playing for the initiative,
one should try to punish the
opponent's every move by identifying
its drawback and exploiting it. 6 . . . Bc5
weakened the g7-pawn and White is
quick to put pressure on it.
7. . . Nh5?/
Stronger was 7 . . . g6 where play
might continue 8.d3 c6 9.f4 d5!
Following the principle of striking
Here we can see White willingly back in the center when the opponent
ruined his own pawn structure in is attacking on the flank. 10.exd5 cxd5
order to fight for the initiative in the l l .Bb5+ Bd7 12.Bxd7+ Nxd7 13.Nxd5
opening. Not only is the e4-pawn 0-0� With good compensation for the
secured but Black's knight on f6 is sacrificed pawn, as White is now far
suddenly passive and White also gets behind in development.
the open g-file as well. This idea was 8. d4/?
first introduced by GM Evgeniy Najer An enterprising sacrifice, opening
against GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov up the bishop on cl.
in the 2005 World Cup. Even stronger was 8.f4!
Now comes the question: When
should we make such risky decisions?
Black lost time moving his knight
three times to take on f3, and this was
enough provocation for White to take

This move poses immediate And now:
problems for Black to solve. a) 9 . . . Nxf4 10.Rxg7±
8 ... Nxf4 is met with 9.d4!, opening b) 9 . . . exf4 10.Nd5 0-0 11 .b4! Bd4
even more lines! (But not 9.Rxg7?! 12 .c3 Bb6 13.d4± Threatening Qxh5
Qf6! 10.Rxf7 Bxf2+ 11.Kfl Qh6t & Nf6+ as well as just capturing the
where White is in trouble.) pawn on f4, with a huge advantage.
a) 9 . . . exd4 loses instantly after c) 9 . . . Qxf4 10.Qg2! White is
10.Bxf4 dxc3 ll.Bxf7+! Kxf7 winning, but it's not easy to judge
12.Rxg7+! Kxg7 13.Qg4+ Kf7 14.Qh5+ this position correctly without the
Kg8 15.Ke2 !+- And the second rook help of an engine, which may explain
enters the game to deliver mate. why Bacrot chose 8.d4 instead of 8.f4.
b) 9 . . . Bxd4 10.Bxf4 Bxc3+ 1 1.bxc3 White threatens both d2-d4 and Nd5-
exf4 12 .Qh5!-+ With a powerful -the following lines are fun to analyze:
attack, as 12 . . . 0-0? allows a simple 10 . . .Qf6 (10. . . Qh4 11.d4! exd4 12.Bg5
but decisive combination: 13.Qh6 Nf4 13.Bxf4 Qxf4 14.Nd5 Qe5 15.{4+-)
g6 14.Rxg6+! hxg6 15.Qxg6+ Kh8 l l . Nd5 Qd6 12 .d4! Bxd4 13 .Qf3 ! Nf4
16.Qh6+ Kg8 17.0-0-0+- 14.c3 Bb6 15.Rxg7+- With a winning
Black's best try is 8 ... Qh4 though attack.
he is still in trouble after 9.Qf3! 8 Bxd4
. . .

initiative, though objectively the
position is balanced.
Worse is ll . . . Qf6 12.Bxg5 c6
13 .Qa5 threatening mate on d8 in
case Black's queen moves away. 13 . . .
b6 14.Bxf6 bxa5 15.Be5;!; and Black
will have a hard time dealing with
White's dark-squared bishop.
9. Ne2 ?!
8 . . . exd4 seems to be a better

alternative than the move played in
the game. Now play could proceed:
9.Rg5 ! Be7 10.Qxd4!? A dynamic
exchange sacrifice. (In case of 10.Rxh5
dxc3 11. Qd4 0-0 12. Qxc3 d6 13.Be3
Bf6 14. Qb3 c6 Black is doing fine.)
10 ... Bxg5 11.Qd5!
The wrong square for the knight.

9.Nb5! was more precise, not
giving Black the resource 9 . . . Qe7. 9 . . .
d 5 10.Bxd5 c 6 ll.Nxd4 cxd5 12.Rg5!i
which transposes to the game.
9. . . d5?!
Missing 9 . . . Qe7! 10.Nxd4 Qb4+
l l .Qd2 Qxc4 12.Nf5 g6+ where White
is struggling to equalize.
1 0. BxdS c6
Black also plays actively, not
wanting to defend a passive position.
After both 10 . . . Bb6 ll.Rg5;!;
This in-between move is the point And 10 . . . Qf6 ll. Nxd4 exd4 12.Bg5
of 10.Qxd4. Qb6 13 .c3 ! White gets the upper
After 1 1 ...0-0 12.Bxg5 Qe8 hand. 13 . . . Qxb2 (13 ... dxc3 14.Bc6+!
13.Bh6! is the nice point, followed by QdB#)
a) 13 . . . Nf6? 14.Qg5+- 14.cxd4± with a strong center and the
b) 13 ... gxh6 14 .Qxh5� With decent two bishops.
compensation for the exchange. 11.Nxd4
c) 13 . .. Qe6 14.Qxh5 Qxh6 15.Qxh6 ll.Bb3 0-0 12 .c3 Bb6 13.QxdS
gxh6 16.Nb5!� With a continuing Bxd8= and Black is all right.

11 . . . cxd5 12. Rg5/ 1 6. Bb2 g6
16 . . . Rfd8 leads to 17.Qd2 Rac8
18.Rdl!± The d4-pawn is lost. (But
not 18. 0-0-0? d3�)
1 7. Bxd4 Qc 7'1'1
More stubborn was 17 ...Qd8 where
White retains a large advantage after
18.Rc5 b6 19.Rc3±
18. Bf6/ 1 - 0
A key move, attacking everything

along the fifth rank.
12 . . . exd4 13. Rxd5/
This intermediate move is
important.
But not 13.Re5+ Be6 14.exd5 0-0
15.dxe6 Qh4!+
13 Qb6 14. Rxh5;!;
••.
White has won a pawn but things Black resigned a s there's no good
are not so simple, as his king may way to prevent White's queen from
become vulnerable after a future f7- reaching h6 .
f5. 18.Bf6 Qf4 19.Be5!+- is an
14 Be6'1/
••• important point - Black's queen is
Better was 14 . . . 0-0 15.b3! The trapped.
only way to fight for an advantage.
15 .. .f5! Black should try to exploit
White's king on el. 16.Bb2 fxe4
17.fxe4 Qg6 18.Qxd4 Bg4 19.Re5;!;
Houdini assesses this position to be
slightly better for White, though for a
human it is very risky to play.
15. b3/±
Developing the bishop to the
perfect square, taking aim at the
d4-pawn and controlling the long
diagonal.
15. . . 0- 0 '1/
Black's king would be safer on
the queenside: 15 ... 0-0-0 16.Bb2 g6
17.Rh6 f5 18.Qd3±

Ponomariov - Gashimov on improving our pieces to directly
FIDE Grand Prix Astrakhan 2010 impact the position in our favor.
21 . . . Bc6
21...RacB fails in view of 22.Bxb7
Nxb7 23.Rxb7 Qxc3? 24.Qxc3 Rxc3
25.Nf3+- And the bishop is lost.
22. Nxc6 Rxdl+ 23. Rxdl Nxc6
Here Black has the better pawn

structure but his kingside does not
have a defender, which means that it
can come under pressure in the near
future. Moreover, all of White's pieces
are active (except the rook on fl), After every exchange w e should
giving White a preferable position. try to assess the situation with fresh
19. Rfdl eyes and take into consideration the
Now all White pieces are actively capabilities of each piece in the new
controlling files, diagonals, and position.
key squares (like b5 and f5). In 24. Bd5
such a scenario, having a slightly Usually the side with the better
compromised pawn structure is an pawn structure should try to exchange
acceptable risk. pieces and simplify the position. Black
19. . . Na5 in that sense has been successful to
Black tries to relieve the pressure some extent by exchanging a pair of
on b7 by either playing Rac8 and b7- rooks and a set of minor pieces. White
b6 or by playing Bc6 and exchanging should activate his remaining pieces
a set of minor pieces. as much as possible.
20. Be4! 24 . . . ReB 25. c4
White exploits the lack of defenders Securing the bishop on d5 and
on Black's kingside, trying to provoke opening up the third rank for White's
a weakness. major pieces.
20. . . g6 21. Qf3 25. . . Qe7 26. Kg2
It is instructive how Ponomariov Since the e2 -pawn is not actually
keeps rearranging his pieces and hanging, defensive moves like e2-e3
creates one problem after another should be postponed until they are
for Black. Instead of worrying about necessary. Instead, we should play
which plan to follow, we can focus moves that improve our position and

create new problems for our opponent. White's pieces are in full control,
26.Kg2 keeps the king a little safer putting pressure on Black's entire
from any possible checks and also position.
gives White the option to use the 29 . . . Qd7 30. a3!
h-file. Since White has improved all ofhis
26 . . . h5?! pieces to the maximum, he can afford
Psychologically this move is easy to make preventive pawn moves like
to understand. Threatened with this one. Black's pieces are slowly but
the possibility of action along the surely running out of good squares.
h-file Black preempts it with a slight 30. . . QdB 31. Rb3 Qd7 32. e4
weakening of his kingside. The threat of e4-e5-e6 adds more
Instead 26 ... Ne5 27.Qf4 b6;!; pressure on Black.
would keep White's advantage to a 32 Qe7 33. Qd2!
. • .
minimum. The threat of Qb2 forces further

27. Rd3 concessions from Black.
When we play with a bishop versus 33 . . . Kh7 34. Qb2 Nd8 35. Rf3!
knight along with major pieces, we Switching back to the f7-pawn.
should try to place our heavy pieces 35. . . Nc 6
on the opposite color squares of the 35 . . . b6 36.a4± gives an additional
bishop. White's plan is now to play idea to White in a4-a5 & Ra3, though
Qf4 and Re3. objectively it would have been a better
27. . . Kg7 choice for Black.
27 . . . Ne5? would be met with 36. e5!
28.Qe4! Nxd3 (28 . . . b6 29.Re3±)
29.Qxg6+ Kf8 30.Qh6+ Kg8 31.exd3
h4 32.Be4± with a large advantage,
as White will pick up the h4-pawn
next.
28. Qf4! Rf8 29. Re3
Now threatening e5-e6.

36 . . . a5
This pawn is now no longer
hanging on a7 in certain lines, but
this doesn't save Black.
36 . . . Qxe5 37.Qxb7 Nd8 38.Qxa7+
is hopeless.

Perhaps Black's only chance With the strong passed pawn on
was 36 . . . Nxe5 37.Re3 f6 38.f4 Qc5 e6 and the vulnerable enemy king,
39.Qxb7+ Kh6 40.Qb4! A key idea, White was able to win without any
which had to be seen in advance. 40 . . . problems:
Nd7 41.Qxc5 Nxc5 42 .Re7± With a 41 . . . g5 42. Bxc6!
likely winning endgame for White. Finally exchanging to gain
3 7. e6! decisive control over the 7th rank.
A nice breakthrough. 42 . . . bxc6 43.Rd7 Qf6 44. Rf7 Qg6
3 7. . . (5 45. Qe5 f4 46. Rf5 f3+ 4 7. Kh2 1 - 0
37 . . . fxe6? 38.RxfB Qxf8 39.Qxb7++-
38. Qb6
38.Rb3 Nd8 39.Qe5+- was another
way to proceed.
38 . . . ReB 39. Re3 Rc8 40. Rd3 Kg8
41. Qe3+-
Wcircumstances. When
e already know that pieces are more powerful than pawns under normal
our opponent gets into a bad pawn structure
situation, whether intentionally or not, we should immediately try to exchange
his most active pieces to prevent him from gaining compensation for the bad
pawn structure in the form of active pieces. Having active pieces will naturally
lead to an initiative or attack.
Tip: It follows that when we have a good pawn structure, we should try
to exchange down to reach a simplified position. Do not allow your opponent to
get active pieces and create counterplay.

Mikhalchishin - Beliavsky It was better to sidestep with
Moscow 1981 17 . . . Qb6 but White can still apply
pressure after 18 .Qa6!? with the idea
1.Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4.Nc3 of Na4. And if 18 . . . Qb8 then 19.Nb5!;!;
Be7 5. Bf4 0 - 0 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Nc6 is annoying to meet.
8. cxd5 exd5 9. Be2 Bxc5 10. 0- 0 18.Nxa4
Be6 11.Ne5!
White went on to convert this

11... Bd6?! advantage in an instructional
Better was l l . . . Ne7 after manner. We will see the rest of the
which 1 2 . Bf3;!; gives White a small game in Chapter 6: Converting an
advantage. Advantage.
12.Nxc6
White is willing to alter the
pawn structure since he'll be able to
favorably exchange two minor pieces.
The result will be a simplified position
where Black's weak pawns will be the
main feature of play.
12 . . . bxc6 13. Qa4
The bishop exchange can hardly
be avoided by Black, so White is not in
a rush to take on d6 and concentrates
on developing his pieces instead.
13 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 c5 15. b3
..•
Effectively fixing the hanging

pawns.
15. . . Qa5 16. Racl RacB 1 7. Qa4
White offers the exchange of
queens to exploit his superiority in
pawn structure.
17. . . Qxa4 ?!

5) SPACE
The chessboard is divided into eight ranks and eight files. It is natural
to assume that each player would want to control as many files and ranks as
possible with his pieces. In the starting position, both white and black have
control of four ranks each. In such a situation, neither player gets a space
advantage. But when one side's pawn crosses over into the 5th rank, then that
side gets a small space advantage. The more space we have under our control,
the more freely our pieces can move and infiltrate our opponent's position. The
player who controls the fewest ranks can only move his pieces within first three
ranks. With less ranks, we have less useful squares available to our pieces. We
call this a cramped position.
The player who gets more space in the center of the board has a slightly
better chance in the game. The center of the board is like the capital of a nation
- power flows from the center to the rest of the board!
Naiditsch - Timman 1 7. h8
Dortmund 2002 Also possible was 17.d5 Ne5 18.h3;!;
with the same structure as in the
1 . e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3 . d4 d6 4 . c4 game.
Nb6 5. exd6 exd6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Bd3 1 7. . . g6 18. d5;!;
0 - 0 8.Nge2 Nc 6 9. 0 - 0 Bf6 1 0. b3 Naiditsch seizes space with this
Bg4 1 1 . Be3 Re8 12. Qd2 Nb4 central thrust.
18. Bbl Bxe2 14. Nxe2 c5 15. a8 18 . . . Ne5 1 9. Qcll
Nc 6 16. Ra2 White has more space for his
pieces. When we have a long-term
advantage such as extra space we
should not rush to come up with a
winning plan or resort to drastic
measures to increase our advantage.
The important thing to do is to not let
our opponent get counterplay and at
the same time gradually improve the
position of our pieces. With 19.Qcl
Naiditsch clears the 2nd rank for
his rook which could later come to e2
and also denies Black any chances to
create complications with Nxc4.
The immediate 19.a4 was also
possible as after 19 ... Nbxc4 20.bxc4
16... Qe7?/ Nxc4 21 .Qd3 Nxe3 22.fxe3± Black
After 16 ... cxd4 17. Nxd4 d5 18 .c5;!; cannot take on e3 due to his hanging
White retains a small advantage bishop on f6 .
because of the weak d5 -pawn. 19. . . Bg 7 20. a4

White threatens to advance the Better was 22 . . . Nf6!? keeping
a-pawn all the way to a6, followed by Black's dark-squared bishop on the
Nc3-b5, putting pressure on the a7- board. White retains a small plus
pawn. after 23.Re2 Qd7 24.Rfel Nf7 25.Bf4
20. . . Nbd7 21. Nc3 Rxe2 26.Rxe2 Re8 27.QeH
23. Bxf6 Qxf6
Or 23 . . . Nxf6 24.Re2 Qd7 25.RfeH
Followed by f2-f4 and Re6.
24. Re2
With idea Re2 , harassing Black's

queen along the e-file.
21 . . . (5
Such "active" reactions with pawns
inevitably weaken important squares 24... Re7?!
in one's position. With passive pieces Black had to prevent White's plan
it is better to refrain from pseudo with 24 . . . f4! though White is still
active pawn advances and instead go better after 25 .f3:t
for active pawn breaks. 25.(4!
Or, if there are no active pawn Gaining control over the e-file.
breaks as in the present case, then 25. . . Nf7 26. Rxe7 Qxe7 2 7. Rel
a quiet regrouping of pieces should Qh4 28.Re6 NfB 29. Re2 Nd7
be preferred, for instance 21...Nf6 30. Kh2!
22.Re2 Qc7 (22 ... Qd7? 23.{4+-) 23.Nb5 Planning to push Black's queen
Qd8 24.Rfel a6 25.Nc3 Ned7;!; White back with g2-g3 .
retains his advantage but Black has 30. . . a 6
stayed solid and is not making it easy 30 . . . Nf6?! would leave Black's
for his opponent. queen stranded after 31 .g3 Qh5
22. Bg5!? 32.Kg2 Re8 33.Rxe8+ Nxe8 34.Qel±
White's plan is to play f2-f4 at 31.g3 Qf6 32. Kg2 Rd8 33. Qe3
some stage. Qd4 34.g4
22.Re2:t is good as well. Not so bad was 34.Qd3 !?± followed
22 . . . Bf6?! by Re6 or Re7.
Trading bishops leaves Black with 34 . . . Nf6 35. Qf3 ?
dark-squared weaknesses around his
king.

Blundering a pawn. One important tool which many
The simple 35.Kf3 !± would have lower-rated players and especially
kept White's advantage. young players dislike is simplification
35 . . . fxg4 3 6. hxg4 RfB? - in this case, exchanging queens.
Timman either misses o r refuses For a strong positional player,
to accept the gift. simplifying the position to a slightly
Turning the tables was 36 ... Nxg4! better endgame is like going on a
taking advantage of the hanging picnic. He just loves it! If I remember
knight on c3. 37.Re4 (37. Qxg4 correctly, GM Sasikiran once told me,
Qxc3 38.Bc2 + is the lesser evil, with "The easiest way to defeat a young
compensation for White as he still player is to take him to an endgame."
controls the e-file.) 37. . . Qg7 38.Re7 Lesson to the young players: don't
Nf6 ! 39.Rxb7 Re8+ neglect endgame work at home!
3 7. Ne4 Nxe4 38. Qxe4 Qc3 39. Bc2 43 . . . Qxd3 44. Bxd3 NdB 45. Kg3
Qal 40. Rel Qc3 41.g5/ Black's knight has absolutely zero
Restricting the knight on f7. active prospects. White eventually
41 . . . RbB 42. Re2 wins by breaking through on the
This move releases White's queen kingside:
from defending the bishop and 45. . . a5 46. Bc2 Rf7
protects the 2nd rank. 46 . . . Kg7 would lose instructively
42. . . RfB after 47.Kg4 h5+ 48.gxh6+ Kxh6
42 . . . b5 was not possible: 43.axb5 49.Re7 b6 50.Be4! A very nice
axb5 44.cxb5+- and Rxb5 loses to zugzwang. 50 . . . Rf6 51.Re8 Nf7
Qe8+. 52.RbB+-
43. Qd3/ 4 7.(51 gxf5 48. Kf4 KfB 49. Bxf5
Black now has two weaknesses:
the h7-pawn and d6-pawn. With
such passive pieces this position is
practically indefensible.
49. . . Rg7 50. Rh2 KgB 51. Rh 6 Nf7
52. Be6/

55. . . Kd7 56. Kh5 Ke7
Otherwise Rf6.
57. Re6+
Now this move comes with check,
and White's king invades.
57 Kd7 58. Kh6 1-0
.•.
And Black resigned in view of

58.Kh6 b6 59.Rf6 Re7 60.RfB+
Followed by Rh8 with an easy win.
Simplifying again, this time into

a completely winning rook endgame.
52. . . KfB 53. Bxf7 Rxf7+ 54. Kg4
Ke7 55. Kh41
A precise move.
55.Kh5 Kd7 56.Re6?! would allow
56 ... Rf3 !+±
Wrank, for example, we should keep as many pieces on the board as possible
hen we have more space, when our pawn has crossed over into the 5th
in order to advance further up the ranks into enemy territory. The contrary is
also true. When our opponent has more space, our goal is to exchange pieces
(preferably our passive pieces for his active pieces ! ) to free up the position for
our remaining army.
Imagine four people inside a phone booth and one person at a six-seat
dinner table. Which is more comfortable and why?
We realize that the cramped feeling has to do with how many pieces are
fighting for that available space. Too many pieces fighting for a small region of
the chessboard leads to a cramped position. If there are fewer pieces fighting
for that same space, the position won't feel so cramped. More pieces with more
space - yummy!
Tip: When your opponent's pawn reaches the 5th rank, try to meet it with
a pawn break to fight for space. This will open up the position for our pieces.

Topalov - Mamedyarov
FIDE Candidates 2014
Black's pressure along the c-file

is quite strong. 21.Qd4+?! (Better is
21.Kbl {5?. and Black is not worse,
White has more space in the center with ideas of b5-b4 and Bb5.) 21...KgS
and better control over the d4-square. 22 .c3 b4! 23.c4 It looks like White has
Black's knight on a5 and bishop on d7 closed down the queenside, but this
are both are passive along with his is just the beginning: (23. Qxb4 RbB
rook on f8. To activate his pieces from 24. Qa3 Bb5+) 23 . . . Ba4! ! White cannot
this cramped position, he will need to be given time to consolidate with Kb2 ,
utilize a pawn break soon. hence the urgency. 24.Kb2 (24. bxa4
16 . . . Rfe8 1 7. Rhfl e6/ Nxc4 25.Kbl Na3+- +) 24 . . . Nxc4+!
Mamedyarov challenges the pawn 25.bxc4 Bxdl 26.Rxdl Qxc4 27.Qxc4
on d5 and creates dynamic potential Rxc4+ With a rook and two pawns
for his pieces. against two minor pieces, Black is
18. Rf2/ clearly better.
This mysterious move protects 18 Nc4!
. •.
the knight and the pawn on c2

prophylactically, which will be
important as the game progresses.
18.dxe6? would be a grave error due
to 18 . . . Rxe6 (Perhaps even stronger is
18... Bxe6 19.Kbl Bc4!t) 19.Bd4 Qxc2+!
20.Qxc2 Rxc2+ 21.Kxc2 Rxe2++ and
Rxg2 .
Black gets great counterplay after
18.Bd4 e5 19.Bb2 (19.fxe5?? Bh6!-+
would be a bolt from the blue!) 19 . . . e4
20.Bxg7 Kxg7

This piece sacrifice looks suspect a series of engine suggested moves
but seems to work with accurate play Black maintains the balance: 25 . . . e5!
from Black. 26.fxe5 dxe5 27.Bxc3 Qc5 (27... Bb5
After 18 ... b4 White has to walk 28.Bel! Bc4 29.Nc3 Qd6 30.Rbl ± And
a narrow path to get an advantage: White consolidates his pieces, beating
19.Kbl exd5 20.Bd4! Trading off back Black's attack.) 28.Rf3 e4 29.Rg3
Black's best piece and securing the Bb5 30.Nd4 Bd3! The last saving
d4-outpost for the knight. 20 . . . Bxd4 resource. 3 1 .Rgxd3 exd3 32 .Rxd3 Qa3
21.Nxd4 Qc5 protecting the weak 33.Ne2 Qa4 34.Nd4 Qa3 With a draw
pawns and preparing Nc6. 22.f5! by repetition. 35.Ne2 Qa4=
Nc6 23.Nxc6 Bxc6 24.h4;!; Now Black 20 . . . c3/ 21. Qxc3 Qxc3 22. Nxc3
should try to bail out into the endgame Bxd4 23. Rxd4 Rxc3 24. dxe6
with either Qc3 or Qe3 . Despite being Rxe6 25. Rfd2 Rg31=
a pawn down, White is better since
he'll soon win back either the b4 or
d5-pawn, and then have a healthier
structure.
19. bxc4 bxc4
Keeping the rook active until the

end!
26. Rxd6 Rxd6 2 7. Rxd6 Bxg4
28. hxg4 Rxg2 29.g5 R'(2 30. Rd4
f6 31. a4 fxg5 32.fxg5 Rf5 % - %
Black's compensation comes from
his powerful bishop on g7, open b-file
and potential threat of c2-c3.
20. Bd4
The safe choice, allowing a drawish
endgame.
The critical line was 20.Qb4!? Rb8
21.Qa3 Bb2+ (21 ... c3 looks scary but
is answered with 22.Rd3!+-) 22.Qxb2
Rxb2 23.Kxb2 c3+ 24.Kal Rb8 25.Bd4
Initially this position looks winning
for White since he has a rook and
two pieces versus the queen, but with

Wojtaszek - Kazhgaleyev This move prepares the b2-b4
French Team Championship 2014 break but it should not be executed in
haste.
1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 1 6. . . NfB 1 7. Qe2
When a pawn reaches the 5th rank Putting some pressure on the h5-
it can be considered a gain of space. pawn and also allowing for a possible
Here White gets more space in center. Nh3-f2-d3 maneuver later on.
3 . . . e5 4.Nc3 d6 5. e4 Be7 6.g3 17. . . Qc7
Nbd7 7. Nf3 Nf8 8. Bg2 Ng6 9. Qd3 When one makes a move within
h5 10. h4 Bd7 1 1 . a4 b6 12.Ng5 a6 the first two ranks it is mainly to
13.Bh3 vacate that square for another piece.
From this we can deduce that the idea
behind Qc7 was to clear the d7-square
for one of Black's knights.
18.(3
Black has a potentially bad bishop

on e7 due to the presence of his central
pawns on d6 and e5. In this situation,
White should try to exchange off
all the other minor pieces and leave As we can see, White has the
himself with a strong knight against option of breaking with both b2-
the passive bishop. b4 and f2-f4. But Wojtaszek delays
13 . . . RbB 14. Bd2 this decision until Black manages to
Due to White's extra space, Black create a plan for himself. Currently
has a cramped position. In this kind all Black can do is shuffle, as the b6-
of scenario we need to focus on two b5 break is not possible. This gives
things: 1) Preventing the opponent White the freedom not to rush, and
from executing a pawn break that he can patiently improve his position
will give him activity. 2) Preparing first.
our own pawn break and executing 18 . . . N8d7 19. Nf2 Kf8 20. Kdl
it at the right time. You should first By placing his king on c2 White
improve your position to the maximum reveals his intention to play on the
before attempting to breakthrough. kingside with either f3-f4 or g3-g4.
14 . . . Bxh3 15. Nxh3 Qd7 1 6. Rbl Just because he played 16.Rbl does
not mean he has to follow through

with b2-b4! Having extra space gives Rg8 2 7.fxeS
you the luxury of switching between Since Black cannot recapture
plans. with the knight, White makes this
20. . . g6 21. Kc2 Kg8 exchange now.
Black has finally come up with a 2 7. . . Bxd2
plan - exchanging his dark-squared After 27 . . . Nxe5 28.Qxf6+ Bg7
bishop with Bf8-h6 . Facing this idea, 29.Qg5 Bh6 The queen is trapped but
Wojtaszek correctly decides it is time White has already captured one piece
to press forward. and can now take two more: 30.Qxh6!
22.f4/ Rxh6 31.Bxh6 Nxc4 32 .g4!+- The
rook and two minor pieces are more
powerful than the queen and Black's
king is under serious pressure as well.
28. Kxd2 dxe5 29.Nh3 Rf8
Prophylactically defending the f7-
pawn to enable Ng4.
29 . . . Ng4 is met with 30.Ng5±
30. NgS Rh6 31. Rfl Kg7 32. Qd3
22... BfB 23. Qf3

Showing nuanced positional chess.
Since White has slightly weakened
the e4-pawn one would expect Black
to play Re8 at some point, when
the queen on e2 would not feel very
comfortable. This move improves the
queen and strengthens the idea of f4-
f5. Black is getting ready for Ng4
More to the point was 23 .f5 Bh6 which should be challenged by Ndl-e3
(23...gxf5 24.exf5-+ and the g3-g4 break or Ndl-f2 , both of which would allow
will open up Black's king.) 24.Bg5 !-+ the b6-b5 break. Qd3 discourages this
Followed by preparing g3 -g4, with an and facilitates the knight maneuver
impending breakthrough. to the kingside.
23 . . . Bh6 24.Rhgl 32 . . . Qd6 33. Ndl ?I
Again we see patience and slow This makes the win much harder
preparation by White. Black does not for White, but does not spoil the
have an active plan so White should advantage.
improve his pieces as much as possible It was better to play 33.Rgf2 , not
before opening up the position. allowing the knight on f6 to move. By
24. . . Rh7 25. Rg2 Kh8 26. Rbgl doubling the rooks on the f-file White

ensures that both of Black's knights
cannot move and a rook needs to be
present on f8 to defend the f7-pawn.
White should then prepare the g3-
g4 break by tripling his major pieces
on the f-file and rerouting his knight
to e3. Since Black is left without any
active counterplay, White can also
afford the time to secure the safety
of his king as well. For example 33 . . .
Rhh8 34.Rf3 Rb8 35.Rlf2 Rhf8 36.Kel
Rb7 37.Kfl Rbb8 38.Kg2 Rb7 39.Qfl
Rbb8 40.Ndl Rb7 (40... b5 41.axb5
axb5 42.cxb5+- Gives Black nothing.)
41.Ne3 Rbb8 42 .b3 Rb7 43.Kh2 Rbb8 A crucial move, as otherwise
44 .Qh3 b5 45.g4+- And the opening of Black will establish a full blockade
the kingside is decisive. after Qd6. Now White can use the d5-
33 . . . Ng4 34. Ne3 Ndf6 square for his major pieces.
Exchanging a pair of knights 42 . . . ReB
makes Black's defense somewhat Taking the pawn is inadvisable:
easier, as he is the one lacking space. 42 . . . Qxd6+ 43.Rd3 Qe6 44.Kcl f5
35. Nxg4 Nxg4 36. Rf3 RhhB 45.Rfl f4 46.Qd2± And White's extra
3 7. Qe2 Qd7 38. b3 a5 exchange should eventually decide.
Indicating that Black has no 43. Kc2
ambitions to execute b6-b5, and will Clearing the d-file for the major
instead try to hold the kingside. pieces. The only way for White to win
39. Rgl f6!? is to combine the pressure along the d
A very interesting decision to and f-files and look for an opportunity
sacrifice the exchange and attempt to to break with either g3-g4 or even b3-
create a blockade. b4.
Instead after 39 ... Kg8 40.Rgfl f6 43 . . . Re6 44. Rdl Nh 6
41.Ne6 Rf7:t it is unclear if White has Black has no intentions of
a winning plan/breakthrough. capturing the pawn and handing the
40.Ne6+ Kh 7 41.NxfB+ RxfB d-file over to White. He must stay put.
42. d6! 45. Rfd3 ReB 46. R3d2 Kg7 4 7. Qd3
Nf7 48. Rgl Nh 6 49. Qd5
Instead 49.Kb2 !? preparing the
b3-b4 break looks very strong:
49 . . . Ng4 50.Rel Kf7 51.b4 ! !

A powerful breakthrough, opening All of a sudden Black is now ready
lines on the queenside. to capture on d6.
a) 51...Qxa4 52 .bxc5 bxc5 53.Rbl+ Instead 50 ... Nh6 would again run
and White's rook will infiltrate along into 51 .b4!+-
the b-file. 51. Qa8 Rxd6 52. Rxd6 Nxd6?
b) 51...cxb4 52 .Qd5+ Kg7 53.c5+ Throwing the game away.
is also winning. Note how Black's After 52 . . . Qxd6 Black threatens
knight on g4 is simply sidelined. to invade with his queen. 53.Qd5 (Or
c) 51...axb4 52.a5! bxa5 53 .Qd5+ 53.Rg2 Qd7 54.Kc2 Qd4=) 53 . . . Qxd5
Re6 54.Qxc5+- White has broken 54.exd5 (54. cxd5 f5 55.Rel Kf6 looks
through. like a solid fortress for Black.) 54 . . . f5;l;
49 ... Re6 50.Rgdl Nf7 51.Qf3 And it's highly unlikely White will be
Taking the pawn now would leave able to win this position, as the knight
Black in a devastating pin. 51...Nh6 will defend nicely from d6.
52 .Rd5 Ng4 53 .b4! cxb4 54 .Qe2+ 53. Qd5 Qh3 54. Ka3 Nf7 55. Qc6
White has ideas of either c4-c5 or 1-0
Rb5, and his extra exchange should With the queenside falling Black
be decisive. is completely lost.
49. . . Nf7 50. Kb2 Re6!

6) WEAKNESSES
First, we should know what is meant by the word "weaknesses". Any

positional concession, or anything that is wrong in a position, can be described
as a weakness. For example: weak pawn(s), weak square(s), an opponent
possessing a passed pawn or a pair of bishops, a weak king, etc. Remember -
our opponent's strength is our weakness!
Weaknesses can be short-term or long-term and potential or actual. Let's
discuss this in detail.
Short-Term and Long-Term Weaknesses :
An uncastled king in the opening stage, undeveloped pieces, and hanging

pieces are short-term weaknesses. The moment the uncastled king is castled
into safety or the undeveloped pieces are developed or the hanging piece is
defended/moved away, then that particular weakness vanishes. From this we
can infer that when an opponent has short-term weaknesses, we must act
immediately to try and exploit the weakness before it is corrected. When our
opponent has an uncastled king or undeveloped pieces, we must try to open the
position (preferably in the center) even at the cost of a pawn to create threats
and win space or material.
When our opponent has a passed pawn, better pawn structure or a pair
of bishops, or when we have a defenseless king, weak pawns, and weak squares,
these weaknesses are long-term in nature. Long-term weaknesses mean long
term problems. The side with long-term advantages should try to play a quiet,
uncomplicated game by exchanging pieces at correct moments to simplify the
position.

Kramnik - Leko on a6, followed by Ke2 to connect
Miskolc Rapid 2007 the rooks.
18 . . . e5 19. e3t..
1.Nf3 Nf6 Kramnik also gives 19.Ne4 Kb6
Some of Kramnik's analysis from 20.Nc5 Bc8 21.e3;t with an edge for
Chess Informator is shown and White.
indicated as such in this game. 19 . . . Kb6
2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc 6 4.g3 d5 5. d4 19 . . . f5 could be met with 20.e4!?
cxd4 6. Nxd4 dxc4 7. Nxc6 Qxdl+ according to Kramnik. 20 ... fxe4
8.Nxdl bxc6 9. Bg2 Nd5 10.Ne3 e6 21.Nxe4 Kb6 22.Nc5 Bc8 (22 . . . Bb5?
11.Nxc4 Ba6 12. b3 Bb4+ 13. Bd2 23. a4+-) 23.Ke2 Bg4+ 24.f3;t
Bxd2+ 14. Nxd2 Nb4 15. Kdl 20. Bfl
0- 0 - 0 20.Nc4+ was also possible 20 ...
Bxc4 21.Rxc4 Rd6 22.Ke2 Rhd8
23.RhcU but Kramnik decides the
knight would be better suited to
target Black's weaknesses.
20. . . Bb5 21. Bc4
Here we can see a typical battle

of a good pawn structure versus
initiative and piece activity. If White
manages to neutralize all of Black's
threats and at the same time bring
his pieces to good squares then he To enable Ke2 next. We can
will have a long term advantage in see that Black has lost most of his
the form of a better pawn structure. initiative and White is consolidating
Black should strive not to allow White his advantage. Black's broken pawn
to consolidate his position and try to structure will soon become a liability.
keep White busy with new threats on 21 . . . f6 22. Ke2 Rd7 23. Rc2 a5
every move. 24.Rhcl Ne 7 25. BxbS
16. a3 Nd5 1 7. Rcl Kb7 18. Kell Even stronger was 25.a4! Bxc4+
Kramnik finds a strong way to 26.bxc4! Rhd8 (Or 26. . . RbB 27.Rbl+
neutralize Black's pressure in the Kc7 28.RxbB KxbB 29.Nb3 Ra7
center. He is planning to play e2-e3 30.Rd2± where White has a lot of
and Bfl to exchange the active bishop pressure.) 27.Rbl+ Kc7 28.Rcb2±

Followed by Ne4. Black's knight on
e7 is especially passive.
25. . . cxb5 26. a4!t
Black is left with two weak pawns

on the kingside.
83 . . . RcB 84. Rd2!
It is important for White to keep
Mere control of the c-file is not as many pieces on the board as
enough for White - he is trying to possible to be able to create threats
combine it with threats against the and pose problems for Black.
Black king. 34.Rxc8 Nxc8 35.Rxg5 Re7± is
26. . . RhdB 2 7. axb5 Kxb5 28. Ne4 somewhat easier to defend for Black.
Ra7 84 . . . Nc6 85. RxgS a4
Other moves do not help Black Desperately trying to trade off all
either: the pawns.
28 . . . Kb6 29.g4± 86. bxa4 Rxa4 8 7. Nd6
28 . . . Nd5 29.Rc6t with idea Rlc4, 37.Rb2+! Rb4 38.Rxb4+ Nxb4
trapping Black's king. 39.Rxe5+- was stronger.
29.g4! 8 7. . . Rc7 88. NeB
When there are knights on the Since this is a rapid game, it
board, seizing space by advancing is understandable that there were
pawns is an important method of mistakes in this stage of the game
pressing an advantage. from both sides.
29. . . h6 30. h4 Kb6 31.gS 38.Rg6! Rb4 39.Ne8 Rc8 40.Nxg7
31.Rc4± should also come into was more precise.
consideration, keeping more pawns 88 . . . Rca7 39. Nxg7
on the board and planning Nc5-a4 to 39.Kf3 Ra2 40.Rxa2 Rxa2 41.Nd6
harass the Black king. Kc5 42 .Ne4+ Kc4 43.Rxg7± would
81 . . . hxgS 82. hxgS fxg5?1 also give Black less saving chances
Maybe 32 ... f5 was better: 33.Nc5 than the game.
Nd5 34.Nd3! Re7 35.Rc6+ Kb7 89 . . . Ra2! 40. Rxa2 Rxa2+ 41. Kf8
36.Rg6± Kc5 42. NfS Nb4! 48. Ng8 Kd5
83. Rgl! 44.Ne4 Ra8 45. Nf6+ Ke6 46. Ng4
Nd8 4 7. Rg6+ Kf5 48. Rf6+ Kg5
49. Rd6

50. Kg3+ -
Now it's all over. Black loses his
last pawn by force.
50. . . e4 51. Rd5+ Rf5
51...Kg6 52 . Ne5+ Nxe5 53.Rxe5+-
52.f4+/ Kg6 53. Rd4 Nc5 54. Ne5+
Kg7 55. Rc4 Nd3 56. Nxd3 exd3
57. Rd4 l - O
49... RfB+?
49 ... Nc5! would have likely saved
the game for Leko. 50.Rd5 (50.Nxe5
R{B+ 51.Ke2 Rx'{2+! 52.Kx'f2 Ne4+
53.Kf3 Nxd6=) 50 ... Rf8+ 51.Kg2
Kxg4 52 .Rxc5 Re8;!; with a drawn
rook endgame.
Potential and Actual Weaknesses:
Let's imagine a position where our opponent has a pawn without any
other pawn support. This means he has a potential weak pawn. When this
potential weak pawn comes under direct attack, it becomes an actual weakness .
A potential weakness does not necessarily turn into an actual weakness. Only
when a potential weakness is under attack, does it become an actual weakness.
From this, we can learn that we must strive to attack our opponent
where he is weak to take advantage of the potential weak areas in his position.
If we don't attack where our opponent is weak, then we aren't acting on our
strengths or exploiting his weaknesses. We must constantly watch out for
potential weak areas in the position both for ourselves and for our opponents.
We need to expect our opponent to exert pressure on our weak spots and take
precautionary measures against possible attacks.

Geller - Boleslavsky 20. Bxe6 Nxe6 21. Nc4
USSR Championship 1952
1 . c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 4.d4

Bg7 5.(3 0 - 0 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2
Nbd7 8. Qd2 c6 9. 0 - 0 - 0 Qa5
10. Kbl a6 1 1 . Ncl ReB 12.Nb3
Qc7 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. c5!
White's knights dominate all the

weak squares in Black's position.
White also controls the d-file and the
dark-squared bishop is bad due to the
central pawn on e5. All this ensures
White has a clear advantage.
21 . . . Nc 7 22. Nab6 Ne6 23. b4
With this move White seizes more Nf4 24. Rd2 RbdB 25. Rhdl
space on the queenside, gains the c4- Rxd2 26. Rxd2 Bg7 2 7. Na5! RbB
square for his pieces and also fixes 28. Bxf4 exf4 29. Nd7!
the b6 and d6 squares as weaknesses. White simplifies into a technically
White will try to use these squares winning position.
while Black will try to use d4 and f4 . 29. . . RdB 30. Nxf6+ Bxf6 31. RxdB+
14 . . . NfB BxdB 32. Nxb7+ -
With idea to play Ne6 and either
Nd4 or Nf4.
15. Qd6!
When we have a positional
advantage, we should try to go to an
ending where it is easier to exploit our
long-term pluses and make it harder
for Black to achieve counterplay.
15 . . . Ne6 16. Bc4 BfB 1 7. Qxc7
Nxc7 18.Na5
Because of his passive position
Black is unable to gain anything from
his control over the d4 and f4 squares.
18 . . . RbB 19. Na4 Be6
Exchanging a piece to relieve some
pressure.

The rest is simple. White just be weakened after f7-f6, and the
needs to bring the king in and create plan does not improve the position of
a queenside passer. Black's other pieces.
32 . . . Bc 7 33. Kc2 K(B 34. Nd6 Ke7 After the more solid 27 ... Kh8
35. Nc4 Ke6 36. Kd3 h5 3 7. Nd2 28.Rb4 a5 29.Rb5 Rde8;!; White's
Be5 38. Nb3 Kd7 39. Nd4 Bf6 advantage is kept at bay.
40.Kc4 Be5 41.a4 Bf6 42. b5 28. Qe7
cxb5+ 43. axb5 a5 Exploiting the drawback of Ne8 -
43 ... Bxd4 44.bxa6!+- the knight on d7 is under tremendous
44.Nc6 1 - 0 strain now.
28 . . . Ng7?1
Keres - Gligoric 28 . . . f6
Zurich 1959 29.Rb4? Rf7 30.Qe6 Nc5 31 .Qxc4
Rxdl+ 32.Bxdl Nd6 33 .Qe2 a5
34.Rbl Ba6t Black has seized the
initiative and even ends up having
the better position.
29.Nfl Rf7 30.Qa3 Nf8 31.Rxd8
Qxd8 32.Ne3± The c4-pawn is weak
and Rdl is next.
29. Nfll
27. Qg5/
The position looks complicated
and not very clear at first glance.
Going by the king's position, we can
see that White's king is safer as the
dark-squares near Black's king are
weak and can be exploited. We can
also notice that the open b- and d-files
are under White's control, leading to Since Black does not have any
the assessment that White is better threat or idea worth preventing,
in this position. White focuses on improving his
27. . . NeB ?I worst placed piece to a better square.
Black plans to reinforce the e5- This combination of prophylaxis
pawn with f7-f6 and reroute the and piece improvement can help us
knight to e6 via g7. The drawbacks handle most positions without pawn
with this plan are the following: it breaks reasonably well.
involves a loss of time, the d5-square 29 . . . Ne6 30. Ne3 Nf4
is left unguarded, more squares will

Controlling the d5-square and 38.Kxfl?? Rf8+ 39.Kgl Qc5+
threatening Ne2+. would let Black off the hook
31. Kfl completely.
Stopping Black's threat.
31 . . . (6 ? Topalov - Ivanchuk
Preparing Rf7 and securing the Las Palmas 1996
e5-pawn, but this is too weakening.
White is clearly better after 31...
Rfe8 32 .Qh4 (Or 32. Qd6±)
32.Ng4!+ -
There is no defense against
White's threat of Nh6-f7, winning an
exchange.
32 . . . Nd3 33. Rxd3!!
26.Bg7?
This throws away most of White's
advantage.
26.Rd7! would have decided the
game in White's favor. 26 . . . Rc7 (26...
Bc7 27.Re7!+- Active prophylaxis!
Black was threatening Bc6 to chase
the active White rook away from the
A direct attack on Black's king 7th rank. Now 27. .. Bc6 is met with
finishes the game in White's favor. 28.Ba6!) 27.Rd8+ Kh7 28.Bg7 Rc8
33 . . . cxd3 34.Bb3+ Kh8 35. Nxf6! 29.Rd7 ! An important move, forcing
The key point to White's Black's rook to the 7th rank. (The
combination. immediate 29.Rdl is met with 29...
35. . . Rxf6 36. Ng5! g5) 29 . . . Rc7 30.Rdl Threatening
Black's queen is hanging on c7, Rhl+. 30 . . . g5 (30... Bh4 31.RdB RcB
so there is no way to defend the h7- 32.Rd7+-) 31.Rd8!+- and Bd3+ is
pawn. coming next with mate. This winning
36 . . . Rxf2+ 3 7. Kgl! triangulation with the rook is quite
Precision until the end. impressive.
37.Kxf2 Qc5+ 38 .Qxc5 Nxc5 26. . . g5!
39.Nf7++- is also winning, but Keres Facilitating the Black king's
wants to force mate. escape.
37. . . Rfl+ 38. Kh2! 1 - 0 2 7. Rd7?
And mate can n o longer be 27.Rhl is met with 27 . . . Bh4!=
stopped. Another important point of g5.

Best was 27.c4 a5 28 .b4;!; Black has seized the initiative
27. . . Bc6/ and went on to win the game:
lvanchuk rightly goes for piece 29. a4 Be5 30. a5 Rd2 31. Bc4 b5
activity at the cost of a pawn, 32. Bb3 Bxf3 33. Re7 Rd6 34. ReB+
although here he really did not have Kh7 35. Bf8 Rdl+ 36. Ka2 Bxf6
much of a choice! 3 7. a6 g4 38. c4 Rd2 39. cxb5 g3
Also possible was 27 . . . Bd5!? 40. b6 g2 41.Bc5 Bxb2 0-1
28.Rxa7 Bc4!�
28. Rxa7 Rd8/'f.
T plays the crucial part in the assessment of the position and subsequent
he two previous games show us the importance of king safety. This element
play.

Potkin - Filippov 17.Nf7 would be answered with
Russian Team Championship 2003 17 . . . Bxb5 -+
1 7. . . Bc5?!
This move is based on either a
miscalculation or a misjudgment.
The correct way to proceed was
17. . . Be8! defending the f7-square
while putting pressure on d4. 18.Ne2
Kb8 19.Khl Bd6 ! (Black should not
touch the b5-pawn 19... Qxb5?! in view
of 20.Rbl t) 20.Nf7 (20.Nc4 Qxb5
21.Nxd6 Rxd6 22.Nc3 Qd7! 23.Nxe4
Rxd4- + and Black is just two pawns
up.) 20 . . . Bxf7 21.Rxf7 Rhf8! Activity
is more i mportant than counting
pawns in this position. 22.Rxg7 Rf2
23.Rbl e5+ White's position is under
White's kingside pawns are huge pressure due to his passive
broken but going by king safety queen and knight.
we can see that Black's king is in 18.Na4 Bxd4+ 1 9. Khl Qd6
much more danger of coming under 20. Nf7 Qd5 21. NxhB RxhB�
attack. This single factor decides the
assessment of the position in White's
favor.
15. . . Bd7!
Black is up a pawn, and he
understands that any danger for him
here is due to the unsafe position of
his king. Hence he tries to castle
queenside as soon as possible.
16. 0- 0
16.Qh5+?! g 6 17.Nxg6 i s far too
optim istic: 17 ... 0-0-0! 18.Nxh8 Qxd4
and White is busted. 19.Ra2 Bxb5!-+
After 16.Nxd7 Kxd7 17.0-0 Rd8
18.Nc3 Kc8+ Black is able to castle
artificially anyway. Black has given up an exchange
16. . . 0 - 0 - 0 + but has two bishops and the passed
Now that both kings are e-pawn which gives him adequate
reasonably safe, piece activity will compensation.
be the main factor that decides 22. Nc3!
the assessment of the position. In Bringing the corner piece into
addition to the extra pawn, Black can the game immediately, using simple
also put lots of pressure on White's tactics. This was possibly missed by
d4-pawn. Black, who was perhaps relying on
1 7.Nc3 playing against the offsides knight.

22 . . . Bxc8 28. Qc2 Landa - Khismatullin
White wins the piece back by force. Russian Team Championship 2014
28 . . . Qd2
23 . . . Qc5 24.RacH 1 . d4 Nf6 2.g8 d5 8. Bg2 c6 4.Nf8
24. Racl Qxc2 25. Rxc2 Bxb5 Bf5 5. c4 e6 6. Nc8 Nbd7 7. Qb8
26. Rf7 Rd8 2 7. Rxc8+ Bc6 28. Kgl Qb6 8. c5
%-* This advance, seizing space, is
typical in this kind of structure.
8 . . . Qa6
More common is 8 ... Qxb3 9.axb3
where White will try to put pressure
on Black using the open a-file and
potential b4-b5 advance.
9. Bfl!
Black has a rook, bishop and three

pawns against White's two active
rooks. Usually the side down the
exchange should not want to trade
off their own rook but in this case
28 . . Rd7 is necessary to defend the
.
kingside pawns. After this, Black

should have enough counterplay to An unexpected retreat to harass
hold and the game was soon drawn. Black's queen on a6, threatening e2-
In this example we saw that the e4. This move exploits the drawback
important roles played by king safety of Black's last move.
and piece activity take precedence 9 . . . Be4
over other factors. 9 . . . Ne4 could be met with 10.e3
b5 l l . Nh4!;t with ideas of f2-f3 and
capturing on f5, giving White an
unopposed light-squared bishop.
10. Nxe4 Nxe4 1 1 . Nd2!
Exchanging the opponent's most
active piece immediately. Never
ignore a strong enemy piece for long.
l l . . . Nxd2
l l . . . Qa5! leads to interesting
variations: 12 .Qxb7?! This is not a
pawn White should take. (Better is

12.{3 Nxd2 13.Bxd2 Qc7= with a close For improving players, the
to equal position, as Black will play presence of pawns on c5 and b6 would
e6-e5 soon with counterplay.) 12 . . . be unnerving and they would try to
Rb8 13 .Qxc6 Bxc5! ! The only way release the tension immediately by
to punish White's pawn grab. Black playing cxb6. This exchange will
must proceed energetically. 14.Bg2 give Black's rook on a8 an open file.
(14. dxc5 Ke7! 15.e3 Nexc5t White is We should avoid exchanges that
in huge trouble, Black threatens both improve our opponent's pieces or
RhcB and Ne5, winning the queen.) pawn structure in a significant way
14 . . . Nxd2 15.Bxd2 Bb4 16.Bc3 Ke7!t unless the exchange leads to some
With Rhc8 coming, Black has seized concrete benefit.
the initiative. After the calm 15.Bd3 Be7 16.0-
12. Bxd2 b6 0 0-0 17.Rfel Bf6 18.Be3;!; White's
When lacking space, it is advantage is minimal.
important to challenge advanced 15. . . Be7 1 6. Rel
pawns and fight for space with a Preventing Black from castling.
break. This move also facilitates 1 6. . . Nf6
the queen's retreat when she comes While on the offensive, you should
under attack by the bishop on fl. look for all forcing moves and try to
13. e4! exploit the drawback of each of your
Fighting for the initiative. Note opponent's moves. Here the knight
how strong players don't always react has left the queenside and no longer
immediately to pawn breaks. Pawn controls c5.
exchanges should be made only when 1 7. cxb6!
they benefit us directly. The right moment to exchange, as
13 . . . Qb7 14. exd5 Bb4 is a very serious threat.
Opening up the center for the 1 7. . . 0 - 0
two bishops and the e-file to target Forced.
Black's king. GM Landa has probably 17 . . . axb6 loses after 18.Bb4 c5
seen his next few moves in advance. 19.Bxc5 !+-
14 . . . exd5 15. 0 - 0 - 0! 18. Rxe7!

Dramatically changing the rooks cannot achieve much against
character of the game. For the White's bishops and b-pawn.
exchange, Black will have to deal 22. Bf4 g5?!
with a passed pawn on b7 and This weakens the Black king.
White's pair of bishops. 22 . . . Qxd4 23.Be3 Qf6 24.Bxa7±
18.Ba6 Qxa6 19.b7 Raes 20.Bf4 28. BxbB Rxb8 24.(8 Nd6
Nd7+ does not lead to anything for 25. Re5+ ·
White.
18 . . . Qxe7 19. b 7
19.Bb4? runs into 1 9. . .c5! 20.Bxc5
Qel++ and White has to grovel with
Qdl.
19. . . RabB 20. Ba6 Ne4
20 . . . Qe4?! winning a pawn doesn't
work: 21.Rdl Qxd4 22.Be3 Qe5
23.Bxa7±
20 . . . c5 Trying to open up the
queenside is interesting, but White
is better after 21.Rel Qd7 22.Bf4 Qc6
23.BxbS Rxb8 24.Qa3 cxd4+ 25.Kbl
Ne4 26.Re2 !± followed by Rc2 .
21.Rel ?I
Natural but a mistake. Now White has an extra pawn
Stronger was 21.Bb4! Nd6 (21 . . . c5 and the more active position.
is met with 22.dxc5 Qd7 23.{3! Qc6 25. . . h 6 26. Qb4 QdB 2 7. a4 Kg7
24.fxe4 Qxa6 25. exd5 Qxb7 26.Ba3!±) 28. Kbll
22 .Qa3 which leads to the following Securing the king to avoid any
line with best play: 22 . . . RfdS 23.Rel tricks.
Qf6 24.Bxd6 Rxd6 25 .Qc5 Qxf2 28 . . . Qf6
26.Re2 Qfl+ 27.Kc2 Qf5+ 28.Bd3 28 . . . Qc7 29.Qc5 Nxb7 30.Qxa7
Qd7 29.Qxa7 Black's back-rank 29. Ka2! Qd8 80. h4
weakness prevents him from being Only after ensuring the safety
able to capture on b7. 29 . . . Qc7 30.Re7! of his king does White embark on
Qd8 31.a4! Kf8 32.Re3 Qc7 33.Ba6± direct action.
21 . . . Qf6?! 80 . . . gxh4 81.gxh4 Qc7 82. Qel!
Returning the favor.
Black's best defense was 2 1 . ..Qc7!
threatening Nxd2 and Qa5+. 22.Rxe4
(22.Bf4?? Qa5+ with a double attack
against White's rook and bishop.) 22 . . .
dxe4 23.Qb4 Though White i s down
two exchanges, the b7-pawn is strong
and Bf4 will win back some material.
23 ... RfdS 24. Bf4 Qb6 25 .Qxb6 axb6=
A complicated endgame that should
be drawn with best play. Black's

White missed a good chance in
21.Bb4, which could have allowed
him to play for the advantage, and
Black returned the compliment by
playing a mistake himself with 21 . . .
Qf6? Once White's advantage was
clear, he took care to keep his king
safe before undertaking any active
operations to try to convert his
advantage into a win.
Switching sides, Black's king is

too vulnerable and soon falls to a
decisive attack.
82 Qb6 88. Qg8+ Kf8 84. Qf4
• . .
Kg7 85. Rh5 f6 86. Rxh6 Qd8

87. h5 Ne8 88. Qg4+ Kf8 89. Qe6
1-0
I n this game, Black played the
provocative move 9 . . . Qa6 and White
took up the challenge courageously
by playing the non-regular move
10.Bfl ! In the opening phase, if we
wish to fight for the initiative or
advantage then we must seize our
chances that come our way by means
of provocative, unusual moves from
our opponent.
Just when it looked like black

has solved his opening problems and
had neutralized White's initiative
by playing 18 . 0-0, White added
..
more fuel to the fire by going for

complications with 19.Re7! In
positions with the initiative, it is
important not to lose it completely
by playing quiet moves but we
must take further risks to keep the
initiative going failing which there is
a danger that the initiative will pass
on to the opponent.

Chapter Summary
Using the factors we have discussed, we can assess who is better in any
given position, what the strengths and weaknesses are on both sides, on which
side of the board we should base our play, whether we should play with a quiet
or action-packed approach, and much more.
You may have noticed that I have devoted less space to the factor of
pawn structure (including space and weaknesses), even though it is quite an
important aspect of the evaluation of any position. This is because I believe that
king safety, piece activity, and material balance play a larger role in influencing
the assessment of a position. It's only when these three factors are relatively
balanced, or not in huge favor of one player, that the structure starts playing a
much bigger role.
Now that we know the different factors that need to be considered to
properly assess a position, we can use this skill during our games/analysis when
trying to choose between multiple continuations. As you'll notice, this chapter
is much larger than other chapters, simply for the reason that assessment is a
vast and extremely important topic!
Chapter 1 : Assessment ofthe Position 65

Chapter 2
The Problem of Choices
Wlook for on the chessboard, we should be ready to pay the appropriate

e usually want to have our cake and eat it too! For every advantage we
price. If we want to launch a kingside assault, then we may be forced to leave

ourselves vulnerable to attack on the queenside or in the center. If we want
to gain a space advantage by advancing our pawns, then we are temporarily
ignoring our development in that phase of the game.
In his book How Life Imitates Chess, Kasparov discusses evaluating a
position by three criteria: time, material, and quality. "Tal," he says, "valued
time over all. When his attacking genius was in full flight, his pieces seemed to
move faster than his opponents."
" WHEN ATTACKING, BEING A MOVE AHEAD IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN

MATERIAL , BUT HOW MUCH MATERIAL FOR HOW MUCH TIME? " -KASPAROV
The beauty of chess lies in the fact that there is no single correct solution
to most positions in our games. There are, of course, thousands of positions
where there is only one correct path. Yet in most other positions, there is much
scope for creativity and adjustment. There are so many approaches at our
disposal. We can use our own preferences, tastes, likes and dislikes regarding
our style of play. We can take into consideration our current form on that
day, the demands of the tournament situation, an opponent's playing style,
his strengths and weaknesses, and countless other factors that influence our
judgment to help us find an optimal solution to the problem at hand.
66 Chapter 2: The Problem of Choices

Some other examples of the problem of choices are:
• Choices in move order;

• Choices regarding openings;
• Choices in plans or approach;
• Choices in exchange;
• Choices in choosing the correct file for rooks;
• Choices in maintaining tension;
• Choices regarding quality, quantity and time;
• Choices between playing it safe and taking risks ;
• Playing moves which give us more choices on our next turn; and
• Playing necessary moves over good-looking moves.
It is easier to play a move if it is more or less forced than when we are

presented with a choice of options. The problem of choices arises when we have
more than one reasonable looking move or idea but we can only choose one to
pursue.
In a chess game, we are constantly in the process of making decisions,
either consciously or unconsciously. It is important to realize that we have
choices before us, in many situations. We must not get carried away by the first
move that comes to mind. It's impossible to make a mistake when your move
is a forced move, but it is easy to choose an incorrect move from among many
options.
In some ways, playing a game of chess is like trying to cross a turbulent
river filled with crocodiles and rocks that look alike. If we are equipped with
only a stick in our hand, it is important to poke the rock-like object with the
stick to ensure it is a rock, and not a crocodile, and only then do we place our
foot on it. This process has to be repeated until we reach the other side of
the river. The rocks and crocodiles represent the correct and the good-looking
moves, respectively. The good-looking moves need not mean they are always
correct. The analogy of poking with our stick represents the analytical process
in our mind. Using our analysis, we are able to find out and confirm that our
move is the right one.
Lasker has famously expressed this process, ''When you see a good
move, look for a better one". This teaches us that there are good-looking moves
and there are good moves. Our analysis alone should establish the difference
between the two - not our likings or prejudices. We may like to move our
pieces around the board in a certain way, and we should analyze these moves
first, but this should not be a factor in deciding the final move that is played. It
is essential to be as objective as possible without curbing our natural instincts.
Not an easy task, but entirely possible!
It also teaches us the importance of the "searching" quality that is
required to be a good player. We are constantly searching for the best move,
even after we spot moves that appear "logical" or "forced".
Once we have established that our move is not forced, we first need to
survey the options available to us. For this, I strongly suggest employing the
Chapter 2: The Problem of Choices 67

"scanning technique" to make a list of possible good-looking moves, what we
call "candidate moves".
To employ the scanning technique, first scan the board from the a-file to
the h-file, starting with the pieces and then the pawns. Try to find all possible
good-looking moves for each piece and make a mental list. Then do the same
for all the pawns. Now we have a complete list of all the candidate moves in the
position. We can then proceed to follow any of the approaches below:
• Remove bad-looking moves from the list by process of elimination;

• Analyze the most forcing continuations (checks, captures, threats and
pawn breaks) to see if they work; or
• Analyze the move you like most and if it looks like it won't work, follow
the process of elimination to discard bad ideas or search for the most forcing
continuation.
W in a book whose name I cannot recall. The author's brilliant concept

hen I was an up and coming player, I read about the scanning technique
helped me identify all the good-looking moves in a position.

Kotov's "Tree of Analysis" from the book Think Like a Grandmaster was
improved upon by GM Nunn in his book Secrets of Practical Chess. GM Tisdall's
book Improve Your Chess Now and GM Krasenkow's article "Wandering in the
Jungle" in Dvoretsky's Attack and Defense have all tried to explain and unravel
the art of analysis and calculating variations. To anyone who is interested in
studying the art of analysis, I recommend the above books.
When we are presented with choices of moves, we must realize that
it is important to choose the most practical. We should postpone making a
committed decision between the options and play a move that is more or less
forced, or should be played anyway. This way we avoid making an incorrect
choice, especially when a more practical option is available.
Contradictory principles occur all over the board in any given position.
We need to choose the principle appropriate to the position at hand in order to
find the best move or a decent plan.
In each of the following examples, one or both of the players will have to
face the problem of choices. I advise the reader to pay careful attention to each
example with awareness of the theme at hand:

Theme: Development positions, and intuition to make an
or King Safety? appropriate decision.
12. h4 a5 13. h5 a4 14. BdS b4
• When we develop our pieces, we 15. Bxf6 exf6 1 6. Ne2 f5 1 7. hxg6
are ignoring the castling of our hxg6 18. exfS/
king. When we castle, we are not A previous game saw 18.Bxa8
developing our pieces. Qxa8 19.Qxd6 Bb5 20.Nf4 Rd8 21.Qb6
fxe4� where Black had excellent
compensation in Mamedov-Guseinov,
Yu Yangyi - Bu Xiangzhi Shamkir 2014.
13th Asian Continental 18 . . . Bxf5 1 9. BxaB Qxa8 20. Rdll
Championship 2014 Bringing the rook into the game.
20 . . . RcB 21. Qxb4 Rxc2 22.Rd2!
1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6
7.Bc4 0 - 0 8.Bb3 d6 9.fa Bd7
10. Qd2 Nxd4 1 1 . Bxd4 b5
Very precise, trading off Black's

most active piece.
22.Rxd6? Rxb2-+ would give
Black a winning attack.
This is a critical position in the 22.Qxd6?! would also give away
Accelerated Dragon Variation of the the advantage: 22 . . . QeS 23 .Rd2 Rcl+
Sicilian Defense. White has basically 24.Rdl Rc2=
two main options here: To go for the 22 . . . Rxd2 23. Qxd2±
kingside attack immediately with After perfect play in the opening
12 .h4 or to play on the queenside and early middlegame, White went
with 12.a4. As is apparent, these are on to convert his advantage into a
completely contrasting approaches. win.
A player often has to choose between
various plans not just in the opening,
but in the middlegame and endgame
as well. It is not easy to decide when
we have such a choice; we have to rely
on calculation, knowledge of similar

Hou Yifan - Shirov
FIDE World Cup Tromso 2013
1 . e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 g6 4.d4

cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4
0 - 0 8.Bb3 d6 9.(3 Bd7 10. Qd2
Nxd4 1 1 . Bxd4 b5
15 . . . Bxa4 (The point of 15.Rf2

becomes apparent after 15... RfbB ?!
16.Bxf6! Bxf6 17.Nd5;!; and there is no
check for Black's queen.) 16. Rxa4 Qb7
l7.b3 Rfc8 18.Ndl e5 19.Bb2 d5 20.exd5
Nxd5 21.Rxa5 and here Black's best
chance seems to be 21...Bh6!? 22 .Qel
Rxa5 23.Qxa5 Ra8 24.Qel f6 25 .g3;!;
As in the previous game, White with good compensation, although
has to choose between queenside play in the long term White can hope to
with 12.a4 and kingside play with consolidate and convert his material
12 .h4. advantage if Black does not manage
12.a4 bxa4 to create enough concrete threats.
Another option is 12 . . . b4 e.g. 13.Nd5 15. . . RfbB ?!
Nxd5 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.exd5 Qb6 A better try was 15 . . . Bxa4 16.Rxa4
16.h4!-+ as in Kokarev-Kovalenko, Rfb8 17.b3 Rb4 with counterplay.
Khanty-Mansiysk 2012. 1 6. Bxd7 Qxd7 1 7. b3 t.
13. Bxa4 a5 14. 0 - 0 Qc7 White has stabilized her advantage
A logical alternative was 14 . . . RbS and went on to win
Perhaps 15.Bb3!? is an
improvement: 15 ... Rb4 16.Be3 Bc6
17.Ne2 Qc7 18.Nd4 Bd7 19.Qc3 Qxc3
20.bxc3;!;
15.Bxd7 Qxd7 16.b3 Qc7 17.Rf2
e6 18 .Qd3 d5 19.exd5 Rfd8= Vallejo
Pons-Topalov, Leon 2012.
15. Rfdl
15.Rf2 !? was also possible:

Theme: Development fighting for a lead in development, it
or Initiative? is just as important not to allow our
opponent easy development as it is to
• When an opponent deviates from develop our own pieces.
recognizable opening principles, 8 .cxd5! is the clear-cut way to
how do we react? Do we calmly punish Black's play. White should
develop our pieces or do we take focus on completing his kingside
some risk in trying to open the development quickly and castling in
position and launch an attack so order to create problems for the Black
that we don't lose the opportunity? king stuck in the center. 8 . . . Nxd5
9.Bc4 Nxc3 10.bxc3
Monnisha - Quek
World Youth U16 Olympiad Gyor 2014
1. e4 c5 2.Nf8 e6 8.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4

a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc8 d5?/
White has managed to exchange

Black's only developed piece while
simultaneously completing the
development of his own kingside. 10 . . .
Be7 (10... Qe7+ 11.Kfl! Nd7 12. Qa4
Qc5 13. Qb3 Ne5 14.Bd5 leaves Black's
Black deviates from normal position hanging together by a thread,
opening theory. How should White for example 14 . . . Bd6 15.{4±) 11.Qf3 !
react? Developing with tempo. (11.0-0
7. exd5! allows the annoying 11 ... Qc7!) 11 . . . 0-
7.cxd5?! exd5 8 .e5 Ne4 9.Bd3 Bc5 0 1 2 .Bf4! Preventing Black from
10.Be3 Bxd4 ll.Bxd4 Nc6 gives Black developing his queen to c7. 12 . . . Nd7
adequate counterplay. 13.0-0;!; Next, White should occupy
7.e5?! Ne4 is nothing special for the open files with his rooks. White
White either. should have a pleasant advantage,
7. . . exd5 8. Bg5?! since it will not be easy for Black to
Even though this move is activate his pieces.
developing with tempo (since the d5- 8 . . . Be7
pawn is under attack) it also allows
Black to develop easily. When we are

With simple moves, Black is 10.Bxc4?!
progressing towards equality. It was better to delay this
9. Be2 capture in favor of king safety and
There were two serious development.
alternatives: 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Qe2+!? Better was 10.0-0! and if Black
Kf8 11.Rdl (Less good is 11.0-0-0 tries to hold on to the pawn with 10 . . .
Nc6 and opening the b-file looks even b5?! then ll.Be3! preventing Ra7.
less appealing for White with his king 11 . . . 0-0 12 .Bf3! Ra7 13.Ne6! Bxe6
on the queenside.) ll . . . Nc6 12.Nxc6 14.QxdS Rxd8 15.Bxa7± White is up
bxc6 13.cxd5 an exchange for a pawn.
a) Worse is 13 . . . cxd5?! 14.Nxd5 10 0 - 0 11. Qd2 ?!
• • •
Bb7 15.Qc4! Kg8 16.Be2 Rc8 17.Qb3 The queen is not particularly
Qa5+ 18.Kfl Bxd5 19.Rxd5 Rcl+ useful here, and furthermore will
20.Bdl Qc7 21 .h4! h5 22.Rh3! g6 run into a subsequent pin on the
23.Rhd3± d-fi.le.
b) 13 . . . RbS! Only this move 1 1.0-0 was absolutely necessary.
gives Black counterchances. As we 1 1 . . . Qc7 12.Bb8
see time and again, activity and
initiative are very important in open
positions. Even a tiny loss of time can
be enough to throw everything away.
14.dxc6 Qa5 15.Rcl Bg5! 16.Rdl
Bf6=
The other option was 9.cxd5 Nxd5
10.Nxd5 Qxd5 (but not 10 ... Bxg5?!
11. Qe2+ Be7 12. Qe5! K{B 13.0-0-0±)
11.Bxe7 Kxe7 12 .Qa4 Rd8 13.Rdl
Nc6 14.Nxc6+ Qxc6 15.Qxc6 Rxdl+
16.Kxdl bxc6;!;: with only a small
structural edge for White.
9. . . dxc4

And here after Theme: Endgame or
12 . . . RdB! - + Middlegame?
• Should we transpose to an
endgame or keep the queens on the
board and take our chances in the
middlegame?
Yusupov - Sokolov
Tillburg 1987
Black could have posed White

serious practical problems. Instead
Black played 12 ... Bd7?! and the game
ended in a draw after many more
mistakes from both sides in time
trouble. In this game we saw that
after Black's unsound opening play,
White did not react forcefully enough
to create problems for Black.
24.Bc7!
Because White has the two
bishops and Black's d4-pawn is very
weak, Yusupov decided to head for an
ending to convert his advantage.
White would also have been better
in the middlegame after 24.Be5!?
Bc5 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Racl± but his
decision to enter the endgame is
instructive.
24 . . . Qc5 25. Qxc5 Bxc5 26. Racl±

In open positions and especially 28.Bxb6 axb6 29.Rxd4± was also
in the endgame, the bishop pair is good, but the text is even stronger.
very effective. The a8-rook is not 28 . . . Re7 29. Bc6/ RfB
playing an effective role here and The only move.
the d4-pawn is weak as well, giving If 29 . . . Rc8 30.Bxb6 axb6
White a clear advantage. 31.Bxe4+- and White wins a piece.
26 . . . Ne4 ? 30. Bxb6 axb6 31. Rell f5 32.f3
A better defense was 26 . . . Bb6 d3/
but White retains his advantage: The best defense, threatening
27.Bxb6 axb6 28.Rxd4 Rxa2 29.Rb4 33 . . . d2 .
h5 (29. . . RbB 30.Rxb6! highlights 33. Rcdl d2 34. BdS+ Kh8
another problem in Black's position: 35. Rxd2/
the weakness of his back rank.) Avoiding the final trick 35.Re2?
30.Rxb6 Ng4 (30. . Re2 31.Bf5! again
. Nc3 !
takes advantage of the back rank.) 3 5. . . Nxd2 36. Rxe7+ -
31.Bfl Ne5 32 .Kg2±
27. BfS/
Accurately calculated.
27. . . Bb6 28. Bd7/

White has won a pawn, while
the d2-knight remains cut out of the
game.
36 . . . g6 3 7. Re2 Nbl 38. Rel Rd8
39. Rdl! 1 - 0
Black resigned, since there is
no defense to the plan of Kf2-e3-d4,
winning the bl-knight.
Theme: The Power of Files
• Which file is more important?
Van Wely - Lautier

Wijk aan Zee 1997 was Black's best chance for
counterplay. 30.h3 ! Usually we should
not play on the side where we are
weak, especially with pawns, but this
is a concrete exception. (Worse would
be 30.Rce2?! Qh5 31.{3 Ne3�) 30 . . .
Qg6 ! (As i n the game, retreating with
30. . . Nf6?! allows White to maintain
control after 31. Qb3! Qh5 32.Kg2t.)
31 .Qb3?! allows the dangerous idea
31...Ne3! 3 2 .fxe3 Qxg3+ 33.Kfl f3 and
now White has to find the difficult
defensive move 34.Rdl! Qxh3+ 35.Kel
Qg3+ 36.Rf2t. and Black probably
does not have sufficient compensation
for the piece, although the position is
29.Rel! still dangerous.
Pressuring the weak e6-pawn and 31.Qc3 ! Nf6 (Now if 31 ... Ne3?
preparing to open the center with a 32.fxe3 Qxg3+ 33.Rg2+- and the
timely d4-d5 breakthrough. el-rook is defended.) 32.Rce2 fxg3
Of course not 29.Re2? Nxh2! 33.fxg3 Rc7t. When compared to the
30.Kxh2 Qh5+-+ game, White's kingside is much more
but 29.Qel!? vulnerable here.
and 29.Qb3 !? were good 3 0. Qb 3 ?!
alternatives.
29. . . Nf6?
Ending all hopes of a kingside
attack.
Instead 29 . . . f4!

The queen adds more indirect Black resigned due to the variation
pressure on e6 and supports d4-d5, 37.Recl Kf8 38.Rxb7 Rxb7 39.Rc8+
while also retaining the option of Kf7 40.Rc7++-
swinging over to f3 if needed.
However, more accurate was Alatortsev - Capablanca
30.Rce2! Ne4 31 .Qb3± followed by f2- Moscow 1935
f3, kicking the knight.
30 . . . Qc6 ?
The best defense was 30 . . . Qf7
31.Rce2 Ren and if 32.Rxe6? Ne4!
33 .d5 Nc5 34.Qb5 Nxe6 35.dxe6 Qe7
White has no more than sufficient
compensation for the exchange.
31. d5!
The start of a forcing sequence
that solidifies White's advantage.
31 . . . exd5 32. cxd5 Qd7
Of course not 32 ... Qxd5?? 33.Rdl!+
winning immediately.
33.d6+ Qf7 34. Rc7! Qxb3 35. axb3
Rd7
No better was 35 . . . Rbb8 36.Ree7+ 19.Rfbl?!
or 35 . . . Rxc7 36.dxc7 Rc8 37.Bxf6 The correct plan was 19.Rabl
gxf6 38.Re7+- Rfc8 20.a5!= eliminating White's only
3 6. Bxf6 gxf6 1-0 weakness and equalizing the position
completely. Now 20 . . . b5? does not work
as after 2 1.Qxb5 there is no check on
the back rank as in the game.
1 9. . . RfcB+ 20. h 3
Now if 20.a5?! Black responds 20 ...
b5!+ Exploiting White's back rank
weakness to create a passed pawn:

21.Qxb5? (or 21.Rxb5? Rcl+-+) 21...
Qxb5 22.Rxb5 Rcl+ 23.Rxcl Rxcl#
20. . . a6/
23.Qg3
The point is seen after 23.Kxf2
Rc2+
24.Kg3 Rxg2+ 25.Kf4 Rf2+ 26.Kg5
Now, whenever White plays a5 Qg2+ 27.Kh4 g5+ 28.Kh5 Qxh3+
Black can respond with b6-b5. 29.Kxg5 Rf5#
21. Qa3 Rc21 24.Kel Qxg2 There is no defense
Seizing the second rank. to the threat of Qe2#. White has
22. Qd6? only a few spite checks: 25.QbS+ Kg7
White's position was already 26.Qe5+ f6-+
unpleasant, but this allows a 23 Re2 0-1
• • .
combination that ends the game White's resignation in this

immediately. position was perhaps a bit premature,
22.Ra2? would also lose to 22 .. . although it is easy to understand
R8c3! 23.Rb3 (23. Qb4 a5!-+) 23 . . . why he felt the position was hopeless:
Rcl+ 24.Kh2 Qc7+ 25.f4 (25.g3 Qc6!- + Black is up a clear pawn with much
Threatening mate on hl.) 25 . . . Rxb3 more active pieces.
26.Qxb3 Rc3 27.Qb2 Rxe3-+
But after 22 .Rb2 ! Rcl+ (22 ...
R8c3?! 23.Rxc2! Rxa3 ?! 24.Rxa3�)
23.Rxcl Rxcl+ 24.Kh2 Qc7+ 25.f4 Rc3
26.Rb3+ Black's advantage would be
kept to a minimum.
22 ... Rx'f2/

Yusupov - Van der Wiel Neither 18.Ng5? Nxd3 19.Rxd3
25th Olympiad Lucerne 1982 Rc8 20.Qh4 h5+ nor 18.Nf6+? Bxf6
19.exf6 Nxd3 20.Rxd3 Qxf6 21.Bg5
Qf5+ promise White anything.
18 . . . ReB
Now if 18 ... Nxd3 19.BxfS Qxf8
20.Rxd3+- there is no skewer with
Ba6 as there was after 17.Radl.
19. Bb5!
With the g6-pawn well defended,
White looks for better opportunities
for this bishop.
19 . . . Bc6
If 19 ... Nc6 20.Racl Rc8 Black
is completely tied up and White
has several good continuations, for
example 21.Qf4 followed by 22.Nd6,
17.Rfdll with a clear advantage.
17.Radl?! looks like the natural 20. Bxc6 Nxc6
choice, so that 17 . . . Nb4 can be met
with 18.Bbl But here (If 18.Bh6 as
in the game, then 18. . . Nxd3! 19.BxfB
QxfB 20.Rxd3 Ba6!= winning back
the exchange.) 18 ... Rc8 gives Black
sufficient counterplay.
1 7. . . Nb4
Of course 17. . . Nxd4? loses to
18.Bxd4 Qxd4 19.Nf6++- winning
the queen.
18. Bh6!
21. Rabll±
Prophylaxis to prevent Nb4-d5.
This is another reason why 17.Rfdl
was the correct rook to move.
21.Qf4?! would allow 21...Nb4!
22.Ng5 Bxg5 23.Bxg5 Nd5! 24.Qh4
Qd7 25.Qh6 f5 26.exf6± and Black
has slowed down White's attack at
the cost of a pawn.
But 21.a3± was equally as good as
the text.
The only way to continue. 21 . . . Qd5?

This move loses a tempo, which
usually spells doom in a dynamic
position where each move counts.
Best was probably 21 . . .f5 but after
22 .exf6 Bxf6 23.Qf4-+ White would
still retain a dangerous attack.
22. Qf4
Threatening 23. Nf6+.
22 . QdB 23. Rb3!
..
The dl-rook keeps White's center

intact and the other pieces focus on
the attack.
A beautiful alternative was
suggested by former World Champion
Mikhail Tal: 25.d5! exd5 26.Rxd5 !
Qxd5 27.Nf6+! Bxf6 28 .Qxf6 Qxe5
29.Re3 !+-
25. . . Rf8
No better is 25 . . . Bxh4 26.Nd6+
In any attack it is important to threatening Nxe8 and Nxf7.
involve as many pieces as possible, 26. BxfB Qxf8+-
even ones which are far from the White is up an exchange for no
action. compensation.
23 . . . RcB 24. h4!? 2 7. d5!
White is not in a hurry, as Black
has no counterplay. This adds more
fuel to the attack while also making
luft.
More direct was 24.Rf3 24 . . . Rf8
is forced, giving up an exchange.
24. . Rc7 25. Rf3
.
Improving White's least active

piece: the dl-rook.

27. . . exdS 28. RxdS Nb4 29. Rdl While returning the pawn
Rc6 30. Nd6 Nxa2 31. Qa4! 1 - 0 with 17. . . Bd6 18.Qxb5 Nc7
further highlights White's edge in
development: 19.Nxc7 Qxc7 20.Racl!
Theme: Kingside. Queenside Bxh2+ 21.Kfl Qb8 (Worse is 2 1...
or C enter Play? Qe5 22.Rc5 Qe4 23.Bg5 Qg6 24.g3±)
22 .g3 Bxg3 23.fxg3 Qxg3 24.Qf5;1; and
• On which side of the board although material is equal, White's
should we play? pieces are fully mobilized and he
should have the better chances.
18. Radl Bxe3 19. Rxe3 �
Leko - Gelfand
FIDE Grand Prix Nalchik 2009
White's lead in development and

centralized pieces give him chances
White has sacrificed a pawn in for a kingside attack. Also, even in
the opening for the initiative. How the case of simplifications it will be
should he continue? hard to imagine Black making much
17. Be3! use of his extra pawn, since it is
At the time, this was a theoretical doubled.
novelty. White centralizes his pieces 19 . . . QaS
and completes development before Again, the slow move 19 ... a6?!
undertaking any concrete action. would allow White to develop a
Meanwhile Black will also need some dangerous initiative after 20.f4!
time to complete his development. Kh8 (20... Qa5? is strongly met with
1 7. . . BcS! 21. Qc2! threatening 22.Ne7+ KhB
Indirectly protecting the b5- 23. Qxh7+! 21 ... RfeB 22.{5 NfB 23.Ra3!
pawn, since now 18.Qxb5? would QdB 24.Nc7+-) 21.f5 Nc5 22 .Qc3 Rc8
leave the d5-knight hanging. 23.Qd4t with threats of 24.b4 or
The slow move 17 . . . a6? would be 24.f6. It would be very difficult for a
punished by 18.Nb6! Rb8 19.Redl human to defend accurately in this
Bd6 20.Qd5! Bc7 21.Nd7+- position.
20. Qc2!

With the threat of 21.Ne7+ Kh8
22.Qxh7+! forcing a thematic mate.
20 RfeB
..•
20 . . . RfdB? 21.Ra3!+- and the

Black queen is trapped!
21.f4/
Surprisingly, this is just a brief

stop for the queen on her way to the
kingside!
24 . . . Qc5+ 25. Kfll
This is actually a safer square for
White's king than hl, since it is less
vulnerable to a back-rank mate.
In order to justify his sacrifice, 25 Qb5 26. Qg3
. • •
White has to keep up his initiative With this queen transfer, White
by adding more fuel to the :fire. has mobilized all of his pieces for
21 ... b4 decisive action near the Black king.
Creating space for the queen. 26 Ne5'1
. • .
Black's queen would again end up Although the d3-rook i s pinned,

trapped after 21...RadB? 22.Ra3 Nd4 Black will not even have time to
23.Qf2+- capture it.
22.f5 Nf8 A better defense was 26 . . . RacB!
The attempt to trade pieces with 27.f6 g6 28.Ne7+ Rxe7 29.fxe7
22 ... Qc5? 23.Qf2 NfB would fail after and now 29 . . . Ne5! wins back the
24.Nf6+! gxf6 25.Rg3++- exchange, although Black's position
23. Red3/ will still be difficult to play, due to
White does not want to exchange White's far advanced passed e-pawn.
rooks, which would only ease Black's 2 7.f6/
defensive task.
23. . . Nd7'11
After the game, it was determined
that 23 . . . Re5!? was a better defense,
although White retains sufficient
compensation after 24.f6�
24. Qc7/

After a long series of forcing
moves, White finds the final blow to
transition into a winning ending.
34 . . . Rxg7 35.fxg7+ Kxg7 36. Rxf5
gxf5
No better is 36 . . . Ne3+ 37.Kel! gxf5
38.NxaB Nxdl 39.Kxdl+-
3 7. NxaB Ne3+ 38. Ke2 Nxdl
39. Kxdl Kf6 40. Kd2 Ke5 41.Nc7
f4 42. Kd3 a6 43.NaBI 1-0
The final attack starts.

27. . . g6 28. Qg5
Indirectly pinning the e5-knight
(due to the possibility ofNe7+, winning
Black's queen) and also threatening
29.Qh6 followed by mate on g7.
28 . . . KhB 29. Qh6 RgB 30. Nc 7/ Qc4
31. b3/ Qg4
Another thematic mate can be
seen after 31...Qxc7? 32.Qxh7+! Kxh7
33.Rh3#
32. Rd4/ And the knight escapes, leaving
And the rook escapes. White with a decisive material
32. . . Qf5+ 33. Rf4 Ng4/ advantage. A fantastic performance
by Leko.
34. Qg7+/I

Theme: Timing of Action 19.Nf3
Moving a piece toward the kingside
• Should we advance our pawns and clearing the second rank for the
now or after adequate preparation? rooks and queen.
19 Qc7
. • •
If 19 ... Nf8 then White is ready for

Kramnik - Serper immediate operations: 20.e4! g6 2 1.e5
Dortmund 1993 Bg7 22. Nh4 Kf7 23.g4 Qb6 24.Qf2
followed by f4-f5 with a winning
attack.
20.g4/
Black's queen, b6-knight and

a8-rook are stuck on the queenside
and unable to generate any threats.
Meanwhile, White's pieces are all Since Black is unable to generate
developed toward the center and any threats on the queenside or open
kingside. Kramnik finds a concrete the center for counterplay, the White
way to proceed. attack proceeds, unchallenged.
16.Bxe6/ fxe6 1 7. Bxf6/ Bxf6 20. . . Nf8 21.gSI hxg5 22.fxgS Be7
18.(41 23. e4/
White restricts Black's remaining White acts energetically before
minor pieces and closes the center, Black has a chance to consolidate his
preparing for a pawn storm on the position.
kingside. 23 . . . dxe4
18 . . . Nd7 Or 23 . . . Rad8 24.exd5 exd5 25.Qf5!
Black tries to transfer his pieces to and after 25 . . . Qd7 26.Qxd7 Rxd7,
the kingside to prepare for the coming White retains a clear advantage even
attack. without the queens: 27.h4 a6 28.Kg2
Another defensive possibility was b5 29.Ne5 Rd6 30.Rf5 Ne6 31.Nf3±
18 . . Nc8 19.g4 Nd6 20.Qg6 Qd8 21.Nf3
. 24. Qxe4
Nf7 trying to prevent g4-g5. Here Although White's kingside is
White could continue 22.Re2! followed slightly compromised because of the
by Rg2, to enforce the advance of the advance of the g-pawn, Black is in no
g-pawn. position to exploit this.

Theme.. The Problem
of Exch ange
.
• Should we ke ep our b ls hop or our
.
knight in certam positions?
Fischer - Petrosian
71
.
Buenos Aires 19
�
If 26. . b5 then 27. Ne 4 threatenmg
.
:
28 Nf6+ ls goo d for White.
·
27.Ne5! 1- O
.
Black has no defense agamst
White's attack.
;
For instanc 27 Ne5 Qb6 28.Qhwi 51 12.. . Qd7?!
Qxd4+ 29.Kg B d 6 30.Qf7+ K It was b etter to keep more pieces
31. Rf4+- on the 0
0-0 14. e
: �r.: �\
e
ith 12 . . . Bd7 13 . Qd4
5.Bf4 ;J;
13. Rell±
13.Bb5 lS only slightly bett"sr
.
fior White after 1 3 . . . axb5 14.Qxa
0-0± But F"lSCher choo ses positional1
. . .
pre S;ure over w1nn1ng mater1a ·
13 Qxa4 14. Nxa 4 Be6 15. Be3

• . .
0 - 0 1 6. Bc 5
84 Chapter 2·. The Problem o{ Choices

22.Nxd7+!
22.a4 is possible of course, but
Fischer had a preference for bishop
over knight which is apparent from
his games. And he exchanged his
excellent knight for the "bad" bishop.
According to him, what remains on
the board is more important than
what leaves the board!
22 . . . Rxd7 23. Rcl±
All the White pieces are in
dominating positions while all the
Black pieces are mere spectators to
what is going on.
Because of the d5 -pawn, the 23 . . . Rd6 24. Rc7
e6-bishop is a potential bad bishop. Exploiting a drawback of Rd6 and
Fischer is trying to exchange the threatening to double on the seventh
other minor pieces, especially the rank.
dark-squared bishops, which will 24 . . . Nd7 25. Re2 g6 26. K(2
ensure White complete control over
the dark squares.
16. . . RfeB 1 7. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. b4!±
Fixing the a6-pawn and the dark
squares. Whenever black plays a6-a5
White will get a strong passed pawn
with b4-b5.
18 ... K(B 19. Nc5 Bc8 20.(3
Restricting the f6-knight,
facilitating Kf2 when required and
clearing the back rank weakness.
20. . . Rea7 21. Re5! Bd7
Time and again we see strong

players putting their king to good
use in endgames. White's position
is clearly better and he should not
worry about winning the game as
quickly as possible.
26. . . h5 2 7.(4 h4 28. Kf3 (5
29. Ke3!? d4+ 30. Kd2+ -
Now the king is centralized and
controls a few key squares.
30. . . Nb6 31. Ree7 Nd5 32. R(7+
Ke8 33. Rb7 Nxf4

33 . . . Nxb4 34.Bc4 12.Bh6! RfdB 13. Bxg7 Kxg7
34.Bc4 1 - 0 14. Ng5 Nxc3?1
Simply giving up too much for too
little.
Better was 14 . . . h6 15.Nxe6+ Qxe6
16.e4 Nf6 17.Qe3 Nb4 18.Re2 Ng4
19.Qd2 c5 20.d5;t
Or 14 . . .Nac7 15.e3 Nf6;t
15. bxc3
White's center is more secure,
he has more control over the dark
squares and he gets the b-file as well.
15 . . . Bc4 16. Bh3!±
The bishop proved superior to the

knight!
Meier - Sanikidze
French Team Championship 2011
Exploiting the drawback of Bc4

and provoking more weaknesses on
the dark squares. This will play a
crucial role in deciding the outcome
of the game.
16 . . . e6 1 7. Nf3!
The knight has done its job on g5,
and now f3 is the ideal spot to probe
the dark-square weaknesses in the
11. Qcl Rac8 center.
Black had exchanged his d-pawn 1 7. . . Qe7 18.Ne5 b5
for White's c-pawn. The presence If 18 ... c5 19.Nxc4 cxd4 20.Ne5
of the d4-pawn gives White more dxc3 21.Nd3 then White should be
control over the dark squares able to use the extra piece to his
around it. White wants to exploit advantage.
the weakened dark squares more 19. Bg2!?
effectively by exchanging the dark Never miss an opportunity to
squared bishop. improve the position of your pieces.

The bishop had also done its job by
provoking the weakening e7-e6 by
Black. Now White returns the bishop
to the good square g2 , which wins a
tempo by attacking the c6-pawn.
19.a4 was also quite strong: 19 . . .
Nb8 20.axb5 cxb5 21.e4 b 4 22.d5±
19. . . NbB
Now the c4-pawn will be the

target for White's pieces. He has to
use the b-file effectively toward this
purpose.
25. . . Rc7 26. Re5
Improving his pieces.
26. . . Nd7 2 7. Ra5 Nb6?
A natural but passive move.
27 . . . e5! would have given Black
20.Nxc4?! adequate counterplay: 28.dxe5 Nc5
Better was 20.a4! c5 21 .Qb2 cxd4 29.f4 Rd2�
22.axb5! dxc3 23.Qxc3 Bxb5 24.Qb2 ! 28. Rbb5± Rdd7 29. Kfl!
a6 25.Nc6++-
20. . . bxc4 21. Rbl c5
Almost the only move for Black.
He must eliminate one of his weak
doubled c-pawns.
22.Qa3?!
Though positionally this
move is understandable, White
underestimated Black's counterplay
as a result of 27 ... e5!
22 .e3 Rc7 23.Rb5 Nd7 24.Qa3;!;
would be a better way to exploit the
weaknesses in Black's position.
22 ... Rc7 23.e3
Strengthening the center.
23... cxd4 24. Qxe7 Rxe7 25. exd4 The king is on its way to b4!
29. . . h5 30. Ke2 Kf6 31. Kd2 Ke7
32. Be4 NcB 33. Bf3 Nd6 34.Rc5
Rxc5 35. Rxc5 KdB

If 35 ... RdB 36.Ra5 Rd7 37.h4 Sasikiran - Yu Yangyi
White maintains his grip on the 13th Asian Continental
position. Championship 2014
36. Kc2 Rc7 3 7. Ra5
Rook and bishop is generally
better than rook and knight. Hence,
White is willing to keep one pair of
rooks to attack the distant pawn
weaknesses in Black's position.
87. . . NcB 38. Kb2 Kd7 39. Ka3 Kd6
40. Kb4 Nb6 41.Rc5 Re7 42. a4!
e5
Now it's too late!
48. dxe5+ Rxe5 44. Rxe5 Kxe5
45. a5 Nd7 46. Be2 Kd6 4 7. Bxc4+-
14.Rel
It is important to note some small
details here. The cl-bishop has a
wide choice of decent squares (b2 ,
f4, g5). In such cases, it makes more
sense to keep the options open and
develop a piece that doesn't have
such a wide choice.
14 . . . Nd6 15. Bf4 ReB 1 6. h3
Fixing the back-rank weakness
and restricting the f6-knight.
16. . . BfB 1 7. Be5
4 7.. ; {6 48.h4 Nc5 49.(3 g5 50.Kb5 When our opponent has a
a6+ 51.Kb6 gxh4 52.gxh4 Na4+ cramped position we should keep as
53.Kxa6 Nxc3 54.Kb7 Na4 55.Bb5 many pieces on the board to not give
1-0 him space to maneuver his forces.
17. . . g6 18. Re3
Doubling rooks is often a good
way of increasing the pressure.
18 . . . Nh5 19. Rael

Concrete calculation takes over
as soon as pawn tension is introduced
into the game.
23 . . . Rxe3 24. Qxe3 Bxd6 25. Qh6
With the idea of Ng5 .
25 . . . Be7
No better is 25 ... KhS 26.Ng5 Qg8
27.gxf5 Nxf5 28.Bxf5 gxf5 29.Khl+-
26.gxf5 Nxf5 2 7. Bxf5 gxf5
28. Khl! Bf6 29. Rgl+ Kh8
30. Nh4! 1 - 0
White has completed development

and holds an overwhelming
positional advantage.
19. . . Ng7 20.g4
Sasikiran uses his pawns to
restrict Black's knights - an
important positional technique.
20 . Bb7 21. Qd2
..
The White queen considers

moving to the kingside to exert more
pressure there.
21 . . . a6 22. a4
Preventing Black's active plan of Due t o the threat of 31.Ng6+,
b6-b5. Black resigned.
22 .. (5
.
23.Bxd6

Chapter Summary
Good players make moves that keep their options flexible on the next
tum, and postpone making committal decisions if it is not necessary to do so
right away. It also makes sense to play moves that give a wide range of options
to your opponent, to complicate the position so they possibly make a wrong
move.
In addition to the problems related to choosing various paths in a
position, we also face similar choices with regard to our preparation methods.
What should I prepare? Which aspects of the game do I need to work on first,
and which ones can wait until later on?
There are multiple paths (choices) available to us to help us solve our
many problems in chess. Our individual creativity has a lot of scope and can
take full advantage of the multiple options available to us. Each of us needs to
nurture and enrich our individual qualities and identify, accept and overcome
our weaknesses. We will explore the topics of individual improvement and
tournament preparation in great detail later on in this book.

Chapter 3
Choosing Between Active and
Passive Defense
Wfor example, our instinctive reaction is to defend it immediately. We

hen our opponent attacks a weakness in our position, like a pawn,
have seen in previous lessons that a defensive piece is a passive piece. In

Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position, we learned that once our king has
castled into safety, the activity of the pieces plays a decisive role in measuring
the outcome of the game. It is very important not to play with a passive piece
for too long, or even temporarily.
Imagine a patient going to a doctor with complaints of stomach pain, and
the doctor suggests that surgery be done the next day! Is it normal? Shouldn't
he have done a thorough and proper diagnosis, prescribed relevant medicines,
or even advised his patient to change food habits? Only as a last resort should
he suggest surgery.
In chess, we should see defensive moves as something of a surgery. It
should only be done as a last resort. If this is the case, how are we supposed to
react when our opponent threatens a pawn in our position, for example?
1) A strong counter-attack is the best defense. Try to attack something in

your opponent's position instead of passively defending.
2) Try to defend yourself indirectly - maintain pressure, using tactical
means. If he takes your pawn, he should lose something else.
3) Sacrifice the attacked material in exchange for piece activity, initiative,
an attack or positional compensation.
4) Postpone playing a defensive move by at least one move. This is a
significant improvement over defending it immediately.
5) If none of the above work, only then should we defend directly.
Chapter 3: Choosing Between Active and Passive Defense 91

Bu Xiangzhi - Movsesian 21 . . . RadBI 22. RxdB Rxd8 23. Ra4
Pearl Spring 2008 23.Qxb7? Rxdl+!-+ Exploiting the
back rank is the point behind 21. . .
Rad8.
23 . . . Qc7 24. Rc4 Qa5 25. h3=
By temporarily ignoring the threat
to his b7-bishop and seeking active
counterplay, Black got a satisfactory
position, although he later misplayed
it and ended up losing.
The bishop on b7 is under attack.

What is your first instinct?
I by initiative. To make it simple to comprehend, the one who gives threats

nitiative is the essence of any sport. Let us try to understand what we mean
has the initiative and the one who responds to threats is on the defensive.
Right from the opening, there is a struggle for initiative. Both sides should
ideally develop their pieces early on, castle their king to safety and prevent
their opponent from doing the same, whenever possible. We should also try to
put our opponent on the defensive right from the start. We will see more about
initiative in a later chapter. Suffice it to say, when we play defensive moves we
are handing the initiative over to our opponent on a silver platter.
What's wrong with playing a defensive move? The defending piece
becomes passive and initiative shifts over to our opponent. His pieces will
become active and flourish, while our position will stay passive and cramped.
Defending passively against every threat is a common problem for
many upcoming players. It is essential that they change this defensive
mentality to improve in their chess strength. If we analyze deeply why
a player plays defensively, we can understand that the root causes
are: giving undue importance to material, a "safety first" approach to
chess, an unwillingness to take risks, overestimation of the opponent,
underestimation of ourselves, lack of trust in our ability to calculate,
and fear of making a mistake. These are some of the main causes that
make a player play defensively. To play strong, active chess, we must improve
ourselves in the above areas.
Imagine two lions in a jungle. The first lion roars ferociously at the second
lion. Hearing this, the second lion runs away. What do you think of the second
lion? Doesn't the first lion get a psychological advantage over the second lion?
92 Chapter 3: Choosing Between Active and Passive Defense

What does it tell us about the second lion's estimation of its own capabilities?
Can this lion be a worthy King of the Jungle? When we play defensive moves,
we are putting ourselves in the position of the second lion. Is that what we
really want?
Many young players don't hesitate to play defensive moves like h2-h3
and a2-a3 for White or h7-h6 and a7-a6 for Black in the early stages of the
opening, fearing a pin from their opponent's bishop. Such moves, however,
involve a loss of time. We often see in a young player's games a willingness
to retreat to defend against threats. Such play should be avoided, unless
it's forced. We should move our pieces forward and resist the temptation to
defend passively.
Now let's see how strong players react to threats in an active manner:
Mamedyarov - Bacrot Similar moves don't lead to the

FIDE Grand Prix Elista 2008 same result. This is one such example:
41...Kg6? 42.Rxb4! f3+ 43.gxf3 gxf3+
44.Kxe3! f2 45.Rb6+ This check is
now possible (unlike in the game),
and White wins after a series of very
precise moves: 45 . . . Kh7 46.Rxh5+
Kg7 47.Rg5+ Kh7 (47. . . KfB 48.Rb8+
Ke7 49.Rb7++-) 48.Rb4! Threatening
mate on h4 - active defense! 48 . . .
Rf3+! A last trick i n a desperate
position. (48 . . . Kh6 49.Rg2+-) 49.Kd2!
Not allowing the pawn to promote
with check. 49 . . . Rh3 (49. . . Kh6 50.Rg2
Kh5 51.Rb8+-) 50.Ke2+-
42. Rxb4
42.Rdl leads to difficulties after
The position looks hopeless for 42 . . . Rc7!+±
Black, being an exchange down Most ambitious was 42 .Rg5+ Kh6
with his knight and kingside pawns 43.Re5 f3+ 44.gxf3 gxf3+ 45.Kfl Nc200
hanging. But it is in such tough with a very complicated position.
situations that one should not lose 42 (3+ 43.gxf3 gxf3+ 44. Kfl
. . •
hope and keep looking for chances to

create counterplay and make life as
difficult as possible for the opponent.
The stronger grandmasters have this
ability to pull themselves up when it
is most required and it is a quality one
should try to cultivate when young.
41. . . Kg7/I
A highly unexpected resource.

h4 59. b6 h8 60. b7 Kg2 61. bBQ h2
62. QgB+ Khl 68. Qg8 1h - 1h
From this example we can see

that having the ability to calculate
well is an important quality for a
strong chess player. Many resources
and ideas would be impossible to find
over the board without improving
your calculation. Solving tactical
puzzles from many different sources,
solving endgame studies, analyzing
complicated games and studying
the games of dynamic players will
44.Kel?? would be a huge blunder: help immensely in improving our
44 . . . f2+ 45.Kfl e2+-+ calculating ability.
44 . . . Rc7!
44 . . . Rd7 leads to the same. Panchanathan - Ramesh
But not 44 . . . e2+? 45.Kf2 Re7 Training Game 2001
46.Rg5+ Kh6 47.Rgl+-
45. Ra7
The only move to prevent mate.
45. . . Rxa7 46. Re4
What should Black do here to gain

counterplay?
28 . . . b4!?
It is clear that White has most of
Black's efforts have resulted in an the long-term advantages: an extra
endgame with excellent chances to pawn, better control of the dark
survive, which Bacrot managed to do: squares, the bad bishop on b7, three
46. . . Kf6 47. Rxe8 Rxa4 48. Rxf8+ to-one pawn majority on the kingside,
Kg5 49. Ke2 Ra2 50. Rb8 Kg4 and reasonably active pieces, while
51. Kd2 Ral 52. Rg8+ Kh4 58. Rg2 Black has a slightly weakened king
Kh8 54. Re2 Rbl 55. Kc2 Rhl position. But Black has an important
56. b4 Rxh2 57. Rxh2+ Kxh2 58. b5 factor in his favor: it is his turn

to move! Time could be a crucial
element in any dynamic position and
Black is obliged to complicate the
position for him to have any chances
for survival.
Worse is 23 ... Qh6 24.Nd4.
Another reasonable try is 23 . . . d4!?
24.Rxd4 Rxd4 25.Nxd4 b4! 26.Kal
bxc3 27.bxc3 Nd5 although here the
Black king is also very exposed.
24. Qe3
If 24.Nxb4 d4!t
Or 24.Kal bxc3 25.bxc3 Qc7
26.Qe3 Rc8 27. Nd4 Qxc3++
24 ... Qxe3 25. Nxe3 bxc3 26. bxc3 Black survived i n this game
Rd(B! because he realized in time that
his long-term prospects were
bleak and he was therefore obliged
to do something immediately to
complicate the position and gain
counterplay. This sense of timing is
very important.
Gavrilov - Amonatov
Moscow Championship 2007
By attacking the weak pawns

in White's position, Black gains
comfortable equality.
27.Rdfl
Worse would be 27.Rhfl fxg4
28.Bxg4 Rxh2=
27... RcB 28. Rcl
28.Kb2 would be met with 28 . . .
Rh6! 29.Rcl R f8 30.Rcfl Rc8=
28 . . . Rc(B 29. Rcfl RcB % - %
38. Qxd6!
Playing actively is the only way to
survive. We should always look first
for forcing moves in any position, and

only when those don't work in our
favor should we look at quiet moves.
38.Qxc3? loses to 38 . . . Qg3+
39.Khl Re5-+
38.Qf2? is not much better. Such
passive defense rarely works and
often makes things worse: 38 . . . Re5
39.Bf4 (Or 39.Rdl Bb4 40.Rd4 Bc5
41.Rh4 Rg5+!-+J 39 . . . Rh5 40.Qg2
Bd4+-+
88 Rxe8 ?
. • .
and Black has nothing more than

a perpetual:
41 Qg8+ 42. Khl Qh8+ 48. Kgl =
. • .
Rivas Pastor - Adams

Las Palmas 1993
Correct was 38 . . . Bg7! keeping

the Black king safe and threatening
Rxe3. 39.Bd2 Qh4! Enabling Bd4+
on the next move. (But not 39 ... Kh7?
40.Rf2 Re5 41.Rg2?) 40.Rf2 ! ? Qd4!
41.Qh2! Re2 42 .Kfl Re5 43 .Qg3
Qal+ 44.Kg2 Rh5 45.Rfl Qxa2
46.Qd6 Kh7 47.Qd3+ and White still
has to suffer to make a draw.
89. QbB+I
In the game, White got into a lost
position after 39.Qxg6+? Bg7 40.Rdl What should Black play?
Rxf3 41.RdS+ Rf8 42.RxfS+ Kxf8-
+ 43 .Qe4 Qd7 44.b4 Qd4+ 45.Qxd4
Bxd4+ 46.Kg2 Bc3 47.a3 Ke7 48.Kf3
Bb2 49.a4 Bc3 50.b5 c5 51.Ke4 Kd6
52 .Kf5 Ba5 53.Kf6 h5
89 Kh7
• . .
Or 39 . . . Kf7 40.Qf4+!
40. Qa7+/ Kg8 41. Qxe8

29. . . Nd6/ Overlooking Black's clever trap.
For Black the f8-rook and c8- Best was again 31.b4! ! after
knight are horribly placed and his which Black should ignore the
priority should be to get them into the material with 3 1 . . .f5! ! which leads to
game at the earliest possible moment, a perpetual: (31 ... Qxe7 32. bxc5 Nfl
even at the cost of temporarily 33.Ra3! Rxa3 34. Qxa3 Kg7 35.Rb5±
sacrificing a pawn. Apart from and White's connected passed pawns
having two passive pieces, Black's are quite strong.) 32 .bxc5 Nxe4
pawn structure also leaves a lot to be 33.d6 Nxf2 34.Kgl Nh3+ 35.Khl f4
desired. Hence drastic measures are 36.Qc3! The only move, and Black
called for. should repeat moves with 36 . . . Nf2+=
80.Nxe7?/ Followed by Nh3+, etc.
White makes a common mistake: 31 Nxe4/ 32. Rxe4 Qxd5 33. Qc4
• • .
going for material without proper Qxc6+

calculation of variations. In the
process, he loses all of his positional
advantages.
Best was 30.Nxd6 ! exd6 31.b4!
By taking a risk in a difficult

position, Black managed to
complicate things enough to induce a
mistake from his opponent and even
This gives life to the White rooks end up with a better position. Despite
and opens the position for his queen tough resistance, Adams was able to
as well. When we have a positional convert his advantage and win the
advantage, it is usually better to game.
keep it rather than trade it in for
a small material gain. 31...cxb4
32 .Qc7 Qb8! 33.Qc4 Qa7 34.Rxb4
Kg8!? (34 ... Qxe3 35. Qxa2±) 35.Qb3
f5 36.Rb7 Qa6 37.Rb8!± and Black's
weak king and numerous structural
weaknesses make White's position
clearly preferable.
80 . . . Qd7 31. Nc 6 ?

Movsesian - lvanchuk And surprisingly White's position
Nanjing Pearl Spring 2008 is completely lost, since next is Rxf2
and Rxb2.
30. . . exf4
Black is uncoordinated but if he

is able to activate his pieces White
will be in trouble. How should White 31.e5/
defend this position? 31 .Qd6+! is another way to force a
30.(41 draw: 31...KeS 32 .Qd4 Rc7 33 .QhS+
Black has a material advantage Ke7 34.Qxh4+ Ke8 35.Qh8+=
and if given time he will consolidate 31 . . . Re2 32. Rxd7+ Rxd7 33. Qf6
his position and play for a win. So %-%
White should find a concrete solution.
Many of my students preferred
30.c4? failing to sense the practical
danger of the position: 30 . . . bxc4
31.Rxd7+ Rxd7 32 .Qc5+ Kf6 33 .Qc6+
Kg7 34.Qxd7 Bb6 35.Qc6 Bd4-+
With a draw by perpetual.

Karpov - Sveshnikov and 26 . . . Bf6 27.Qxd6+- both leave
USSR Championship 1973 White with a decisive advantage.
2 7. Rxd7
Karpov has just played 24.b5,

attacking Black's knight. 27... NcBI 28.Rc7 Bd8/ 29.Rc6
24 . . . BxdSI 29.Rc5?! would allow 29 ... Nb6
The most obvious move in the 30.Ral Nxc4 31.Rxc4 Rxb5=
position 24 . . . Ne7?! is actually not 29. . . Nb 6 30. Rb4 Nxc4 31.Rcxc4
good for Black and would get him Bb6/
into difficulties. When we want to
play defensive moves or when we
are planning to retreat a piece,
that moment is crucial. We should
pause our thought process and ask
ourselves if we can avoid playing
such a passive move and instead
try to go for an active continuation
- even if we have to calculate some
extra variations and make more
effort than playing the obvious easy
move. 25.Nxe7!
25 . . . Qxe7 26.Ra7 Qe8 27.Bfl Bb3
28.Qc3 Qe6 29.Rd3!±
No better is 25 ... Bxe7? 26.Ra7 Qc8
27.Rxe7 Qxc4 28.Ne3 Qa2 29.Qc3+ 31 . . . Ba5?! is the move suggested
where in both cases Black's king is by most of my students, and it is
very vulnerable. illogical. We should not disturb our
25 . . . Bxc4 is relatively best. 26.Nc6 opponent's badly placed piece even if
Bxb5 27.NxbS Rxb8 28.RaS± we gain a tempo in doing so. 32.Rbl
25. RxdS Ne7 26. QxeS+ dxe5 Rfd8 33.g3±
26 . . . Rf6 27.Rdl+- 32. Kfl ?
Not the most testing.

Instead White should have tried Caruana - Baramidze
32.Rbl! Rfd8 33.Rc6! Rd5 (If 33 ... Mitropa Cup 2008
Rd2?! then 34. Ne3 f4? 35.Rxb6!+- is
a nice trap.) 34.Kfl Rd2 35.Kel! Ba5
36.Ral! Rxc2+ 37.Rxa5± although
Black may still be able to draw this
with precise play.
32 . . . RfdB
With the idea of 33 . . . Rd2 .
33. Ke2 Ba5! 34. Rb3 Rd2+
What should Black do to save the

position? In the game Black did not
calculate properly and quickly got
into a lost position after
27. . . Qxb4?
Also bad would be 27. . . Kg8? when
White has to find 28.Be7! Bxd7
29.Bf6 g6 30.Qh4+- and mate is
By playing aggressive chess unstoppable.
and seeking counterplay Black has Correct was 27 . . . Bxd7! 28 .Qd3+
managed to create serious problems
for White and in the end was able to
hold the draw:
35. Ke3 f4+ 36. Ke4 Rxf2 3 7. Kxe5
Rxg2 38. Nd4 Rxh2 39. Rc6 Bb6
40.Ne6 f3! 41. Rxf3 Rh5+ 42. Kf6
Rxb5 43. Rd6 Rb2 44. Ke 7 Ba5
*·*
a) 28 . . . g6? 29.Qxd7 Qxb4

30.Qxf7+ Kh6 (30. . . KhB 31. Qf6+ Kh7
32.Re3+-) 31.Qf4+! Kh7 32.Re3 Qe7
33.bxa4 Rf8 34.Rh3+ Kg8 35 .Qd2±

and Black is struggling to find
sufficient compensation for his two
pawn deficit.
b) 28 . .. KgB! 29.Qxd7
And White would be forced to

give a perpetual: 32.Qxf7 (Or 32.Re3
Rxd2 33.Rh3+ Kg6 34.Rg3+ Kh7=)
32 . . . Rxd2 33.Qh5+ Kg8 34.QeB+ Kh7
35.Qh5+=
I believe that Black saw this far 28. Rxf7 Rg8
and rejected the line, as the a4-knight
and c8-rook are under attack at the
same time. But if he had analyzed
correctly and found that all other
continuations are bad for him, he
would have persisted here and found
the correct continuation: 29 . . . Rxc4!
We have to calculate forcing moves
first and that will save lot of time.
This counter-shot would have saved
the day for Black. As long as there
are forcing moves to be calculated,
we should not stop our analysis
midway and come to a conclusion.
When the forcing moves run out, we
can stop our analysis, evaluate and 29.Qh3+ Kg6 30. Qxe6+ Kh7
decide whether our idea works or 31. Qf5+ Kh6 32.Re3 1-0
not. 30.Bd2 (The rook is untouchable:
30.bxc4 ?? Qxb4+ 31.Kc2 Qb2+ 32.Kd3
Nc5+-+) 30 ... Rd4 31 .QeB+ Kh7

Abergel - Vachier Lagrave
French Championship 2008
27. . . Qdl+ would lead to a draw by

repetition after 28.Ka2 Nd5 29.Ng5
Nc3+ 30.bxc3 hxg5 31.Rxg5= where
26... Qd7! Black is forced to give a perpetual.
Black understands that the g7- 28. Ka2 Nd5
pawn does not need immediate The point of playing 27 . . . Qd3
protection and :finds the most instead of 27. . . Qdl is now obvious -
effective way to launch a counter White doesn't have Ng5.
attack. 29. Rg4 Nc8+! 80. bxc8 Qc2+
White comes out on top 81. Kal
after 26 ... Nd5 27.Rxg7 Ne3 (27. ..
Nc3+ 28. bxc3 Qxc3 loses to 29.Rh7+!
Kxh7 30.Ng5+) 28.Ng5!± where
Black's counter attack does not land
in time.
Similarly 26 ... Qb7 also falls short:
27.Rxg7 Qe4+ 28.Ka2 Nd5 29.Ng5!
This is an important resource for
White in many variations. 29 . . . hxg5
30.Rxg5 Qh7 31 .Qf3 !+-
27. Rxg7?
White had to safeguard his king
with Ka2 .
27. . . Qd8+!
At :first glance it looks like a

draw, but Vachier Lagrave has no
intentions of giving a perpetual. . .
8 1 . . . Qxc8+ 82. Ka2 Qc2+ 88. Kal
Qcl+ 84. Ka2 Rc8! 0-1
And White resigned since Nd4 is
met with Qd2+, followed by mate.

Chapter Summary
1) Try not to play "automatic" defensive moves for every threat made by the
opponent. Playing defensively can be seen as a "bad habit".
2) Offence (or counterattack) is the best form of defense in many cases.
3) We should not be lazy to do some complex calculation when it comes to

choosing between active or passive defense.
4) We should reject the impulse to defend passively by constantly looking for

active moves.
5) Passive pieces lose most of their power while remaining in passive positions;
do not condemn a piece to passivity by playing defensive moves.
6) A defensive move usually hands over the initiative to the opponent, so

avoid them as much as possible.

Chapter 4
Exchanging Pieces
0 ne common habit among many players is exchanging pawns or pieces

immediately, on auto-mode, at the first opportunity they see.
Exchanging pieces brings an immediate clarity to the position which is
tempting, but we have to keep certain points in mind:
• Not all exchanges are equally favorable to both players. Usually, an

exchange favors either White or Black, by a slight margin. We should agree
to an exchange only if it favors us more than our opponent.
• Sometimes, even if the proposed exchange favors us more than our
opponent, it can be advantageous to delay the exchange by even one move
(in order to put psychological pressure on our opponent and try to induce
a mistake), so long as the proposed exchange cannot be avoided by the
opponent.
• If an exchange is favorable to our opponent, it would be in our interest to
avoid or delay exchanging.
• If our opponent gains anything from an exchange, it would be in our
interest to avoid or delay exchanging.
Exchanges should not be made on auto-mode, and if an exchange does

favor us, the where-when-how questions should also be considered before
making a decision.
It is important to remember that as per Fischer, "What goes off the
board is less important than what remains on the board after an exchange".
Rubinstein was excellent in the art of exchanging pieces. I would strongly
recommend readers to study his games keeping this point of view in mind.
Exchanging pieces can be an important tool in the hands of an
experienced player who likes to play endgames. Exchanging the right pieces
104 Chapter 4: Exchanging Pieces

can transpose us to an advantageous ending or to an endgame where we have
fighting chances to win or draw, based on what our position calls for.
Tip: It is better to avoid exchanging pieces when you have a space

advantage or when you are trying to launch an attack on your opponent's king.
Conversely, it is desirable to exchange pieces when you are under an attack, or
when your position is cramped from a lack of space.
As we saw in a few examples in Chapter 1, it is better to exchange pieces

when we have a superior pawn structure and avoid piece exchanges when our
pawn structure is worse. The presence of central pawns on one particular color
can make the bishop of that same color passive. To exploit this weakness in
your opponent's position, exchange all the other minor pieces and leave him
with that particular color bad bishop.
Ramesh - Mohota Or 14 ... RbS 15.Qe2 c4 16.a5 Nbd7

Pune Open 2004 17.bxc4 bxc4 18.Nbd2 Nc5 19.Nxc4±
Azarov-Sevian, Rockville 2014.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 15. bxa4;!; a5?!
Nf6 5. 0 - 0 Be7 6. Rel b5 7. Bb3 Voluntarily weakening the b5-
d6 8.c3 0-0 9. h3 Na5 1 0. Bc2 c5 square is not advisable, especially
11.d4 Qc7 12. d5 Nc4 13. b3 Nb6 when White has easy access to the
14. a4 square with Na3 .
16. Na3 Ba6 1 7. Be3!?
The text threatens to play Bd3,
after which c5-c4 can be met with
Bxb6, winning a pawn for White.
Also playable was 17.Rbl Rfb8
18.Nb5 Bxb5 19.Rxb5 but I wanted to
include Be3 and tempt Black to play
Nc4.
17. . . Nc4 ?
A bad choice of exchange by Black.
The e7-bishop is potentially bad
because of the central e5- and d6 -
pawns fixed on dark squares. When
the opponent has a bad bishop, we
should try to exchange all the other
14... bxa4 minor pieces and aim for a good
Other options include 14 . . . Bd7 knight versus bad bishop ending if
15.a5 Nc8 16.c4N g6 17.Nc3 Nh5 possible. In light of this, Black should
18.Ne2 Re8 19.Ra2 Bf8 20.g4 Ng7 have kept as many minor pieces on
21.Ng3 f6 22.Nh2 Re7 23 .h4 Rf7 board as possible.
24.f4;!; Topalov - Shirov, Linares 2004 Better was 17 . . . RfbS 18.Nd2;!;
18. Nxc4 Bxc4 19. Bd3!
Chapter 4: Exchanging Pieces 1 05

19... Bxd3 Seizing the open file. All of
No better was 19 . . . Bxd5!? 20.exd5 White's pieces are better than their
e4 21.Bb5 exf3 22 .Qxf3± leaving counterparts, and White went on to
White with a pair of powerful win the game.
bishops.
20. Qxd3 R(bB 21. Nd2/ Smyslov - Tai
White's pieces are rushing to take Candidates Tournament Bled 1959
control over the light squares.
21 . . . Nd7 22. Rebl h6 1 . e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4
Not just making luft for the king, 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5
but also threatening to trade the 7. Nb3 Be7 8. 0 - 0 0 - 0 9. Be3
problem bishop with Bg5 . Qc7 10. a4 Be6 11. a5 Qc6 12. Bf3
23. Nc4/? Rxbl+ Nbd7 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5 Qb5
If 23 . . . Bg5 24.Bxg5 hxg5
25.Qg3 f6 White can now exploit
the weakness of the light squares
created by the moves h6 and f6:
26.Qg4! Nf8 27.Rb5! Rxb5 28.axb5+
The result of all this is that White's
minor piece advantage has now been
converted into a different form: more
space and more active pieces. Black's
a-pawn is doomed and the position is
untenable.
24. Rxbl Rb8 25. RxbB+ NxbB
26. Qbl ±
The e7-bishop is passive because

of the d6-e5 pawn chain. White's
trumps include the two bishops, a

queenside pawn majority and more Probably better was 18.Nd2! to
space in the center. But Black's pawn activate the awkward knight as soon
structure is without any apparent as possible, for example 18 . . . Nc5
weakness and White is unable to 19.Bxc5 Rxc5 20.Rxc5 dxc5 21.Nc4;!;
advance his queenside pawns to 18 . . . Rxc3 1/
exploit his advantage there. Black, Further transforming the pawn
if given time, would like to move the structure in White's favor.
f6-knight and start advancing his A better defense was 18 . . . Bd8;!;
kingside pawns forward with tempo. with only a small edge for White.
Before Black has time to organize 19. bxc3 Rc8 20. c4
this plan, White should create his Now White threatens to improve
own threats. his rook with Ra4-b4 so Black decides
15. Qd3/ to force things immediately.
An unexpectedly strong move. By 20 . . . e4/ 21. dxe4 Rxc4 22. Nd2
exchanging the queens and doubling Rc2 ?/
the d-pawns, White simultaneously A more stable square for this rook
opens the queenside and slows was 22 . . . Rb4
down the advance of Black's e- and 23. Bdl Rc3 24. Kfll
f-pawns. Additionally, White's bishop Never forget the king in the
pair will likely gain in effectiveness endgame!
in the endgame. 24 . . . NcS 25. Bd4 Rd3
15. . . RfcB
Preventing White from playing
c2-c4.
16. Rfcl
Reinforcing the threat and
obliging Black to exchange.
16. . . Qxd3 1 7. cxd3;!;
26.BxcSI dxc5 27.Ke2 Rxd2+/?

An interesting attempt to sacrifice
the exchange and make it difficult
for White to convert his material
,,,,,� advantage, as White's bishop will
/
not have any target to attack and
his rook will not have any entry
White has achieved a favorable point on the b-file. White will have to
structural transformation. show fantastic technique to win the
17... g6 18. Rc3 ?1 resulting unbalanced endgame.
Chapter 4: Exchanging Pieces 107

More solid was 27 . . . Rd4 but after
28.Bc2 Kg7 29.f3;t sooner or later
the central pawns will start rolling
forward.
28. Kxd2 Nxe4+ 29. Kc2
Now White is ready to create an

outside passed pawn.
If instead 37 . . . fxg6 38.Rf8 Bxa5
39.Rh8 Ke7 40.Rxh7+ Kf6 41.Rd7
Ke5 42.Bxg6± the resulting pawn
race should be in White's favor.
29... Nd6 38. Ral Ke7 39. Ra2 Bb4 40. h4!
Of course not 29 . . . Nxf2? 30.Bf3! Less accurate would be 40.g4?! in
and the knight is trapped: 30 . . . f5 view of 40 ... g5! impeding the creation
31.Rbl Bd8 32.Rxb7 Bxa5 33 .d6+- of a passed pawn.
30. Be2 Bf6 31. R bl KfB 32. Kb3 40. . . Kf6 41.g4 Bel 42. h5 Kg5
Ke7 33.Bd3 43. Ral Bd2 44. Rhl gxh5
An ideal place for the bishop, 45.gxh5
dominating the d6 -knight. Now that
White has stopped all threats on
the queenside, he can try to create
an open file on the kingside by
advancing his pawns there.
33 . . . Kd7 34.f4 Bd4 35. Rfll
White wants to play f4-f5 and
take on g6, forcing Black to take back
with the h-pawn. White will then try
to create an outside passed pawn on
the h-file.
35. . . Be3
35 . . . f5 36.Rel! would give White
an entry point on the e-file. He can
then prepare the advance g2-g4 in
order to open the kingside in his 45... c4+?!
favor. More stubborn was 45 . . . Kh6 but
36.f5 Bd2 3 7.fxg6 hxg6 still after 46.Ka4 c4 47.Be2 Kg7
48.Rdl c3 49.Bd3 Kh6 50.Rhl f5

51 .Kb3+- White should be able to Carlsen manages to come up
win this without much trouble. with all kinds of setups in the
46. Bxc4 Kh6 47. Rfl Kxh5 opening to get positions that his
48. Rf6 1 - 0 opponents least expect and feel most
uncomfortable with, and at the same
time suit himself well. Spassky was
a specialist in such structures.
7. . . Nge7 8.(4
Here is an example of Spassky's
handling of the same opening: 8.0-0
0-0 9.f4 exf4 10.Nxf4 Ne5 ll.h3 Be6
12 .Qd2 Qd7 13.a3 Rae8 14.Kh2 b6
15.g4;!; Spassky-Franke, Germany
1981.
8 . . . Nd4 9. 0 - 0 0-0 10. Qd2 Bd7
1 1 . Ndl
Moving the knight to the kingside
for a later attack while also preparing
to drive out the powerful central d4-
Having activated his rook, White knight with c2-c3.
won quite easily from here. 1 1 . . . QcB 12. Nd'[2 Ndc6 13. c3 b5
14.fxe5 Nxe5 15. Bh6/
Tip: if possible, exchange off
the best defender of the opponent's
king to make your attack stronger.
Carlsen - Wojtaszek
41st Olympiad Tromso 2014
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 Nc6 4. Bg2

g6 5. d3 Bg7 6. Be3 e5 7. Nh3
Exchanging the main defender

of Black's kingside. Once this bishop
is exchanged, White should try
to launch an attack on the dark
squares. However, the center is not
fully closed so White needs to be
careful about Black trying to open
up the queenside and center.
15 . . . N7c6 1 6. Bxg7 Kxg7 1 7. Nf4

QdB 18. Radl cut off from the game.) 27.Rxa3 Qb6
White has completed his 28.Rfal Rc7 29.Ra6;t
development. He is getting ready to 26.g4/?
play d3-d4 with maximum effect.
18 . . . RcB 19. Qe2
Threatening to win the e5 -knight
after d3-d4.
19. . . h5
This creates more weakness on
the kingside. White slowly creates
problems with subtle threats without
being in a rush to actually execute
them.
20. d4 cxd4 21. cxd4 Ng4 22. h8
Nxf2 28. Qxf2
26.d5± was also quite strong,

preparing to play Qd4 and go after
Black's queenside, but Carlsen
prefers to break through with a
kingside attack.
26 . . . hxg4 27. hxg4 Bb5
27 ... Bxg4? would lose immediately
to 28.Rg3 Bd7 (or 28... Qd7 29. Bh3!
Bxh3 30.Nh5++-) 29.Nh5++-
28. Rel QdB
After 28 ... Rh8 White wins with
29.d5 ! , for instance: 29 . . . Qd8 30.Qd4+
The dark squares around the Kg8 31.Qf6 Rh7 32.Nh3+- followed
Black king are slowly getting more by Ng5 .
and more vulnerable. 29.g5 Qb6 80.Bh8 RcdB
28 . . . Ne7
To stop White from playing Nd5,
but this blocks Black's queen from
covering the dark squares on the
kingside.
24. Rd8 b4 25. Rf8 QeB ?
25 . . . Kg8 was the only way for
Black to put up real resistance. White
can now switch his attention to the
queen's flank: 26.a3! (But not 26.d5?
Qb6!) 26 ... bxa3 (If 26... a5 then now
27.d5! is strong, as Black cannot play
Qb6. The point is that the e7-knight is

31.Be6! 16. a5!
The final stroke - Black's The exclam is for White's
position collapses. creativity.
31 ... BeB 32. Nd5 Nxd5 33. Bxd5 16 . . . Bxa5 1 7. Ng5 Re8 18. Qf3
1-0 Nf8
Here Black resigned as White 18 . . . Re7 would be met with
is threatening to double his major 19.Nxe6! Rxe6 (or 19. . . Nxe5 20. Qh3!+
pieces on the h-file and deliver mate, and Black's queen, knight, and bishop
which is essentially impossible to are all under attack.) 20.Qxd5+- with
prevent. a double attack on a5 and e6.
19. Qf7+ Kh8 20. Qxb7 Qb6
21. Qxb6 Bxb 6
Apawns
bad bishop defending important
or important squares
is sometimes considered a "useful
bad bishop". It is important not
to exchange useful bad bishops so
we don't lose control of important
squares or pawns.
L'Ami - Van Kampen

Dutch Championship 2010
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3

dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4
Bb4 8. 0 - 0 0 - 0 9. Qe2 Nbd7
10.e4 Bg6 11.Bd3 Bh5 12. e5 We have reached an interesting
Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Qe3 Bg6 ending. White's dark-squared bishop
15. Bxg6 fxg6 is potentially bad because of the d4
and e5 pawns. The b2-pawn is also
potentially weak for White. Black's

rooks have better chances to control move as it is purely defensive in
the b- and c-files than White's nature. Instead he can use that time
rooks. Black is also threatening h7- to improve the position of his other
h6, g6-g5, and Ng6, not to mention pieces.
the current attack on the d4-pawn. 25 Nd7 26. RfaU/
• • .
Despite all these factors in Black's This may have been taking things
favor, White has certain advantages. too far.
If he can get his "bad bishop" to c3 Now looks like a good time for
then most of his problems on the 26.Bc3
queenside will be solved. The c-file 26 Kf7'1/
• . •
would be neutralized and the b2 and After 26 . . . Rc2 ! 27.Bc3 White

d4-pawns would be well-protected. would like to play 28.Nel Re2 29.
He could then use the kingside Kfl driving the rook away. However
pawns to create chances there. both players missed 27 . . . RfB ! = and
22. Nf8 now the knight cannot move and
White wants to be able to meet h6 leave the f2-pawn hanging, so the
with h2-h4. active rook on c2 remains safe.
22 . . . RecB 23. Bd2 h 6 24. h4/ 2 7. Kfl NbB 28. Ke2 Nc6
Preventing the opponent's ideas is Black has managed to improve
often more important than executing his minor pieces but his rooks are
our own ideas. not so active.
24 . . . KgB 29. Kda RabB 30.Bca KeB
25.Ra4 31.g3/
When I show this game to my White wants to put his knight
students almost everyone prefers on d3 so he protects the h4 pawn
25.Bc3 here. That gives a secure in anticipation of Black's maneuver
feeling that the queenside pawns Bd8-e7-b4.
are safe and the Black rook cannot 31 . . . Kd7 32. Ke2
penetrate on the c-file. Of course Clearing d3 for the knight. Also
White also considered 25.Bc3 but by not playing Nel first White masks
decided to postpone making that
1 12 Chapter 4: Exchanging Pieces

his intentions and keeps all options
open.
82 . . . Bd8 33. Nel Be7 34. Nd3
Just in time to prevent the
exchange of his "bad" bishop on c3,
which is in fact performing a vital
role by protecting the b2- and d4-
pawns.
84 . . . Ke8 35. Rhl!
When we have put all our pieces
on optimum squares it often happens
that we still cannot find a direct
way to further improve our position.
In such cases we can either change
the pawn structure or relocate some White has ideas of Nf4 and Rfl to
of our good pieces to even more put pressure on Black's pawns on e6
aggressive posts. and g6.
85 . . . Kf7 36. h5! 43 . . . Rg7 44.Ral!
Following the principle of two This is the advantage of creating
weaknesses: the a7-pawn is weak, weaknesses on both sides of the board
but Black has it sufficiently defended, - we can jump from one weakness
so now White aims to create a second to the other and keep our opponent
weakness on the kingside. on his toes, in the process likely
86 . . . gxh5 3 7. Rxh5 Rh8 38. Ral provoking more concessions.
Relocating the rook to the 44 . . . Rb8 45. Rh6!
kingside where the action is heating Diverting the bishop to g5 so that
up. c5 becomes available for White's
88 . . . g6 39. Rh3 h5 40. Rahl Rhg8 knight.
41.(8! 45 . . . Bg5 46. Rfl+ Kg8 4 7. Rh2
Threatening to play g3-g4 and Re8 48. Rfhl Kf7 49. Nc5 Ke7
open the f-:file after a trade of pawns 50. b4!
on g4.
41 . . . Rbf8 42.g4 hxg4 ?
Falling in with White's plans.
Black had to try to keep the
kingside closed with 42 . . . h4! 43.f4 g5 !
after which it is not so easy for White
to break through.
48.fxg4±

Continuing to play on both sides. Less cooperative would have been
White now has a winning positional 13 . . . Bd7
advantage. 14. Bxc4 Qxc4 15. Bg5! RfeB?!
50 ... RbB 51. Rh 7 Rbg8 52. b5 NdB Defending the bishop, but putting
58. Ral! KeB the rooks "forking distance" apart,
53 . . . Rxh7 54.Rxa7+ Ke8 which Smyslov immediately takes
55. Rxh7+- is equivalent. advantage of.
54. Rxa7 Rxa7 55. Rxa7 1 - 0 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 1 7. Nd5!±
Black resigned a s the b-pawn is
unstoppable.
E exploit
xchanges can also be used to
weak squares in an
opponent's position.
Smyslov - Rudakovsky
USSR Championship 1945
1.e4 c5 2.Nf8 e6 8.d4 cxd4

4.Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc8 d6 6. Be2 Be7
7. 0 - 0 0-0 8. Be8 Nc 6 9.(4 Qc7
10. Qel Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 12. Be8
Be6 White already has a strategically
won position. In addition to the minor
piece imbalance in White's favor,
Black also has a weak backward
pawn on d6 and is potentially
vulnerable to a kingside attack.
1 7. . . BdB
17 . . .Qxc2 loses an exchange
after 18.Rf2 ! (But not 18.Rcl ?! Qxb2
19.Nc7 Qxa2 and Black gets too many
pawns for the exchange.) 18 . . . Qc5
19.Rcl Qd4 20.Nc7 Bg5 21.Rdl Qb6
22.Nxa8 Rxa8 23.Khl Rc8 24.Re2±
and White should eventually
consolidate and convert his material
advantage.
18.(5 18. c8!
White is aiming to trade off all Stopping any possible queenside
the minor pieces except for his good counterplay connected with b7-
c3 -knight and Black's bad e7-bishop. b5-b4.
18 . . . Bc4 ?! 18 b5 19. b8 Qc5+ 20. Khl Rc8
• . .
This falls in line with White's 21. Rf8 KhB

plan.

T in
he side with small advantages
the endgame should try
to defend his weak pawns and
successfully attack and capture his
opponent's weak pawns. The side
playing with a disadvantage, on the
other hand, should try to exchange off
weak pawns to lessen the number of
weaknesses he must defend. In other
words, the side with the advantage
should keep weaknesses alive, while
the side trying to save an endgame
should exchange off weaknesses.
22.(61
Having prevented all counterplay, Tiviakov - Karjakin
Smyslov now switches over to a Wijk aan Zee 2006
devastating kingside attack.
22 . . . gxf6 1 . e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4.Nf8
No better is 22 ... Bxf6 23.Nxf6 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4
gxf6 24.Qh4+- followed by 25.Rh3 . Nb6 8.Bb5 Bd7 9.Nc3 dxe5
23. Qh4 RgB 1 0. dxe5
23 . . . f5 would be met with 24.Nf6+-
24.Nxf6 Rg7 25. Rg3 Bxf6
26. Qxf6 Rcg8 2 7. Rdl+ -
10... a6?/
The main line is 10 . . g6 11.0-0
.
Bg7
Black has n o moves and is 11. Be2/
completely lost. After ll.Bd3 Nb4 (or 11 . . Bg4!?)
.
27. . . d5 28. Rxg7 1 - 0 12 .Be4 Bc6 Black would get some

activity.
1 1 . . . Bg4 ?/

Black wants to play e7-e6 with Black can no longer avoid the
his bishop outside the pawn chain, upcoming sacrifice: 14 . . . Bh5 15.e6
but this results in a loss of time fxe6 16.Ng5 Bxe2 17.Kxe2±
and White exploits this by playing Or 14 . . . Bf5 15.g4 Bg6 16 .e6±
actively and aggressively. 15. e6!
12. Be3! Qxdl+ 13. Rxdl Nd7
This is the move that justifies

White has a big lead in White's entire concept.
development with five pieces versus 15. . . fxe6
three for Black, and it is White's Much easier for White would be
turn to move! But despite such 15 . . . Bxe2?? 16.exd7+ Kd8 17.Bb6#
an overwhelming superiority in 1 6. Bxf3 t
development, White is in danger of By sacrificing a pawn White has
losing the e5-pawn. This is a common damaged Black's pawn structure
irony in chess: when we play all the while also gaining the two bishops
correct-looking moves continuously, and an active position. Black will
we still end up with positions which find it difficult to complete his
demand an even greater degree of development while simultaneously
accuracy from us. The stakes are tending to his weak pawns.
raised when the opponent plays 16 . . . RdS 1 7. Bxc6!
uncompromising moves (which may Cashing in a bishop to further
even be mistakes) and the only way ruin Black's pawn structure.
to punish them is by continuing to 1 7. . . bxc6 18.Ke2!
play principled and with precision. The White king will feel
14. h3! completely safe here.
After 14.Nd4?! Bxe2 15.Kxe2 18 . . . g6 19. Na4 Bg7 20. Rd2 Rc8
Ndxe5 16.f4 Nxd4+ 17.Bxd4 Nc6 21. Rcl Be5!
18.Nd5 Rc8 19.Bb6 e6 20.Nc7+ Ke7+ Black correctly shifts his bishop
White lacks coordination and Black to d6, where it will control some weak
will soon wriggle out of the current squares and neutralize the pressure
mess and develop his kingside pieces. on the d-file.
14 . . . Bxf3 22. Rdc2 Nb8 23. Ba7 Kf7 24. b3

Bf4 25. Rdl Rc7 26. BxbBI 32.a4! was White's last chance
Trading in the other bishop in to retain his advantage. 32 . . . Rb4
order to remove the knight, which 33.Rxb4 Bxb4 34.Rf8+ Kd7 35.Ng5
was defending Black's weak pawns. h6 36.Ne4±
26. . . RxbB 2 7.NcS 32 . . . cSI?
White has simplified into a Although this appears to make

position where his knight is very Black's bishop even worse, Black is
effective in pressuring Black's weak preparing some combination of a5-a4
pawns. Nevertheless, the bishop and c5 -c4 to open up the queenside
should not be underestimated and and create counterplay.
Karjakin defends very well. 33. RfB+ Kd7 34. RhB a4! 35. Re3
2 7. . . Rb6 28. Rd3 After 35.bxa4 Rb4 36.Rxb4 cxb4?
Since Black has no counterplay or The b-pawn will quickly become very
pawn breaks, White can slowly but dangerous.
steadily improve the position of his 35. . . axb3 36. axb3 h5 3 7. NfB+
pieces. Kc7!
28 . . Bd6 29. Rf3+ Ke8 30. Nxe6±
. An accurate move.
White has won his pawn back Worse was 37 . . . Kc6?! 38.Nxg6 c4
while retaining the better pawn 39.RcS+! Bc7 40.Nxe7+±
structure and active pieces, but 38. Nxg6 c4! 39. bxc4 Ra2+
Black has brought some semblance 40. Kf3 Rbb2 41. RxhS Rxf2+
of order to his pieces. 42. Ke4 Rxg2
30. . . Ra7
Aiming to advance the a-pawn to
activate the rooks.
31.Rc4 ?!
Correct was 31.g3 ! limiting the
bishop and preparing to meet 31.. .a5
with 32.a4! as in the next note.
31 . . . aS 32. Re4 ?!

Karpov - Kramnik
Vienna 1996
Black's counterplay has

succeeded and although he is now
down a pawn, his active pieces
provide sufficient compensation and 21. Bxf6/ gxf6 22. Rfel/
the reduced material means that the Usually a bishop is better than
draw is clearly in sight. a knight when there are no central
43. Ne5 Ra5 44. Kf3 -* · -* pawns and there are pawns on both
flanks of the board. But here White
is better because of his more active
pieces and Black's doubled pawns
on the kingside. Also, unlike in the
Tiviakov - Karjakin example, here
White makes sure to trade one pair
of rooks in order to limit Black's
chances for counterplay.
22 RfeB
• . . 23. Radl Rxel+
24. Rxel RdB 25.g3/
White places his pawns on the
same color as his opponent's bishop
in order to limit it.
25 . . . Rd7 26. Re2
White first prevents any active
counterplay, and only then proceeds
to improve the position of his pieces.
26. . . Kg7 27. Nh4 Rd5 28. Re7 Rc5
29. Rd7 b5 30. b41

king to create threats against the
Black king.
Black could have also aimed for
a pure rook ending with 34 . . . Bd4
35.Rxa6 Bxe3 36.fxe3 Rc2+ 37.Kh3;!;
but this would have involved
suffering passively for the rest of the
game, and Black was understandably
hoping for more active counterplay.
35. Nd5 Bd6 36. a3/
It is not going to be easy for Black
to attack White's a-pawn.
36. . . Kf5 3 7. Ne3+
But not 37.Rxf7? Ke6 38.Rxf6+
Although this fixes another Kxd5 39.Rxh6 Rc3+
pawn on the color of Black's bishop, 3 7. . . Kg6 38. Kf3/?
where it could potentially become a Playing for the attack.
target of attack, it also fixes Black's 38.f4!? was an attractive
a- and b-pawns on squares where alternative.
they can only be defended by the 38 Be5?/
• • •
rook, thereby tying it down to their A better defense was 38 . . . f5

defense. Meanwhile, White will focus 39.Nd5 Kg7
on improving his position on the 39. Nd5 Kg7 4 0. Ne7/
kingside.
30 Rc2 31. Nf5+ Kg6 32. Ne3
•••
Rcl+ 33. Kg2 Be5 34. Ra71

Less accurate would be 34.f4 Bc3
35.Nd5 Rc2+ 36.Kf3 Bel+±
34 :Rc6
..•
Restricting the mobility of the

Black king.
40 . . . Rc3+
Black finally abandons passive
defense and goes for active
counterplay.
Mission accomplished. Now If Black sits tight with 40 . . .
White can try to use his knight and Re6 then White would play 41.Kg4

followed by h2-h4-h5 and Nf5+, 52 . . . a5 53. h5 a4 54. h 6 Rh2 55. h7
trying to force the Black king away Kd8
from the defense of f7. After 55 . . . a3 White wins by
41. Kg4 Rxa3 42.f4 Bc3 43. Kh5! setting up mating threats: 56.Nd6+
White leaves his queenside for Kd8 (56 ... KfB 57.Rf7#) 57.Kf5! a2
dead in hopes of queening a pawn on 58.Ke6 Re2+ 59.Kd5 Rh2 60.Kc6+
the kingside. And Rd7# will follow.
43 . . . Bxb4 44.Nf5+ Kg8 45. Ra8+ 56. Nh4 f5
Kh7 46. Ra7 Kg8 4 7. Nxh6+ Kf8
48. Rxf7+ Ke8 49. Kg6!
57.Rxb4!
Eliminating Black's queenside
Clearing the route for the h-pawn counterplay. The bishop must stay on
to advance. Minor pieces are usually the long diagonal.
ineffective defenders against passed 57. . . Rh3 58. Rxa4 Rxg3+ 59. Kxf5
rook pawns. 1-0
Of course not 49.Rxf6?! allowing
49 . . . Bc3 and the bishop is well-placed
for both attack and defense.
49. . . Bc3
The passive 49 . . . Be7? would fail
to the sudden 50.Nf5 Bd8 51.Nd6#!
50. Nf5!
Keeping the f6-pawn blocking
Black's bishop.
50. . . b4 51. Rb7!
As usual, rooks belong behind
passed pawns. White also has ideas
of creating a mating net around the
Black king with Nd6+ followed by
Kf7-Ke6 and Rd7#.
51 . . . Ra2 52. h4
Nothing can stop this pawn now.

Chapter Summary
1) Not all exchanges are equally beneficial for both players; most exchanges
favor one side more than the other, so one should carefully weigh the pros and
cons before agreeing to an exchange of a pawn or piece.
2) Even for exchanges which would be in our favor, we can choose to delay the
exchange by one or more moves and maintain tension for the time being, so
that we can potentially extract more advantage by delaying or try to induce a
mistake from our opponent.
3) When we have a long term positional advantage we should try to reduce

the number of pieces on the board to deny the opponent any active counter
chances.
4) When we are under attack it makes sense to exchange pieces (but not the
ones in front of our king! ) so that the opponent's attack loses its venom.
5) Having a good pawn structure is also grounds for exchange pieces in order
to neutralize the opponent's counterplay in the form of active pieces.
6) When we are playing for the advantage in the endgame, it is better to

defend our weak pawns while trying to win the opponent's weak pawns. While
defending a slightly worse endgame, however, it is ideal to trade off our weak
pawns to increase chances for a draw.
7) When the opponent has a potentially bad bishop, it is good to exchange all
the other minor pieces and aim for a good knight versus bad bishop endgame.

PART TWO:
Practical Chess Play
I facilitate logical thinking in our games. We learned how to assess the factors
n the previous section, we saw many key concepts that will enable us to
most relevant to evaluating a position, how to make certain decisions during

a game, when to exchange pieces, and why active defense is almost always
preferable to passive defense. These are broad methods to successfully play
using logic and common sense.
Now we will take a look at practical elements that will help us apply
logical reasoning in our thinking. We'll cover the concepts of initiative, how
to convert an advantage, improving the position of our pieces, prophylactic
thinking, the drawback principle, and playing on a specific color.
In any sport, the concept of initiative is important. Not letting our
opponent dictate the terms ensures we can bring in our own ideas into fruition
in the game. Holding the initiative ensures we have sufficient control over
the direction and outcome of the game. Through initiative, we aim to create
weaknesses in the opponent's position which we can then convert to bigger
advantages either through direct attack or through sustained pressure and
improvement of our pieces.
A common problem for players below the grandmaster level (sometimes
even for many grandmasters) is the technical conversion of a positional
advantage into a well-deserved win. Exploiting the weaknesses in the
opponent's position requires a lot of nuance and perseverance on our part. Not
allowing our opponent to improve his position, at the same time strengthening
our own position requires a special set of skills along with a heavy dose of
patience. With good technique, we can score crucial half points from slightly
better positions (by converting a small advantage into a win) or from worse
positions (by saving them from defeat).
In every game, we play moves with good intentions containing ideas
which we think are good. Sometimes it turns out that our executed moves and
Part Two: Practical Chess Play 123

ideas were good , while in other cases our play turns out to be incorrect in varying
degrees. From this we can infer that every move has its own advantages and
drawbacks. This is true for our opponent's moves as well. Thus it makes sense
to spend several seconds after every move made by the opponent to figure out
his intentions/ideas and to also search for any drawbacks to his last move. If
the opponent's idea is preventable and worth preventing then we can do so; or
if his move has some drawback we can try to punish it.
In the following part of the book we will also be looking at the concepts
of maintaining tension and playing on colors. Briefly, the idea of maintaining
tension suggests that we should release the tension of a potential exchange
only if it favors us or if we have a concrete follow up. Otherwise, it makes
more sense to maintain the tension for at least one more move (if only to put
pressure on the opponent or aim to induce a mistake).
Lastly, on a chess board there are only two colors of squares - light and
dark. The bishops' job is to control them. When one of the bishops leaves the
board, then the squares it was guarding become weak. How we play to gain
control of the weakened squares or prevent our opponent from gaining control
of them is discussed in Chapter 9: Playing on Colors.
124 Part Two: Practical Chess Play

Chapter 5
Initiative
I unless we possess the ball firsthand. Similarly, in chess, we need to create

nitiative is the essence of any sport. In soccer, we cannot hope to score a goal
threats at various stages of the game to have any chance of playing for a win.
There will be moments in a game when one side makes threats and the
other side must respond to, react against, or defend those threats. The side
that gives the threats is said to possess the initiative and the side reacting/
defending/responding is said to have lost the initiative.
One of the primary indicators of a successful opening is when a player
gets possession of the initiative early on. As long as both players are developing
their pieces, fighting for control of the center, castling their king into safety and
trying to complete an early development, neither player usually possesses the
initiative. In most games between younger players, however, one side or the
other fails to do all of the above. One player may unnecessarily make too many
pawn moves, fail to develop pieces on one side of the board, move the same
piece many times over without a valid reason, leave the king in the center for a
bit too long, or he may try to win material at the cost of development. In other
words, when one side breaks some opening principle, at that exact moment, the
initiative is likely to change hands if the player is willing to take advantage of
his opponent's errors.
When we realize that our opponent has made an unusual move or has
broken an important opening principle, we should try to seize the initiative
with forceful moves. Play forcing moves (checks, captures, threats, or pawn
breaks) in succession and avoid making passive, defensive or quiet moves.
When one side gives a threat or attacks something, like a pawn, the other
side should try not to defend against that threat directly for as long as possible.
As mentioned earlier, counterattack is the best form of defense. When one side
plays defensively, the other side should keep giving threats. With every move,
Chapter 5: Initiative 125

we seek to put the defending side into a defensive position, forcing him to give
concessions to the side with the initiative.
There is always a struggle for initiative in any given position. One side
wants to dictate the terms of the game, to decide the direction in which the
game should proceed, and the other side tries to do the same. The one who
blinks first (or the one who starts playing passively) loses the initiative to the
opponent. The signal that you should start playing for the initiative by using
forceful moves is when your opponent makes an unusual or passive move.
The struggle for initiative begins from the very first move. We can see
in numerous games that a player will sacrifice material (typically a pawn) to
complete his development quickly, to put the opponent on the defensive, to
strand the opponent's king in the center of the board, or to delay the opponent's
piece development.
We must understand the nature of the initiative in order to handle it
better. Initiative usually lasts only a few moves and then it subsides, in most
cases. Generally, a series of quiet moves follow before threats and counter
threats suddenly erupt again, followed by more quiet moves. What explains
this shift from active play to quiet play and back again?
Strong players play for initiative to exploit their opponent's passive
moves, mistakes, or on the mere suspicion that the opponent has played a
suspect move.
It is easy to get confused between an attack and initiative. An attack
should have an object of weakness on which we focus our efforts. The presence
of a weakness in our opponent's position is mandatory for an attack to succeed.
It could either be a weak king, a weak pawn(s), a weak square(s), etc. An attack
can be developed slowly over time if the opponent does not have any active
counterplay in return. To gain an initiative, on the other hand, there is no
need for the presence of a weak target. Initiative is the reflection of a sense of
urgency in the position. The initiative's aim is the creation of weakness. Once a
weakness has been created in our opponent's position, we can exploit it quickly
(if it is a short-term weakness) or in a slow manner with good technique, if the
weakness is long-term in nature.
126 Chapter 5: Initiative

Gupta - Sokolov
40th World Open 2012
25... Ba4
Black could try 25 . . . Bxb2 26.Rabl
Ba4!? but White can still generate
21. h3 counterplay: 27.Rd5 Bf6 28.Rxc5
From here onward, White uses Rae8 29.Ng300 with very active
the initiative to neutralize Black's rooks to compensate for Black's two
long-term advantage of the bishop bishops.
pair and better pawn structure. Each 26. Rd2 Bf6 2 7. Nc31 Bc6 28.Nd5=
White move is a forcing move (check,
capture, exchange, threat or pawn
break) and exploits the drawback of
Black's previous play.
21 . . . Be6 22.fSI Bd7
22 ... Bxf5?? 23.Re5+-
23. d4/
Exploiting the hanging d7-bishop.
23 . . . Bxd4
23 ... Bd6 would be met with
24.Ne4 Bf4 25.Nc5 Bxf5 26.Nxb7±
24. Redll
But not 24.Radl? Bxc3 25 .bxc3
Bxf5+
24 . . . cS 25.Ne21
With a series of forcing moves
White has equalized the position and
went on to make a draw:
28 . . . BgS 29. Re2 Rfe8 30. Rael
Kf8 31. Nb 6 Rxe2 32. Rxe2 Rd8
33. Bxc6 bxc6 34. Kg2 Bf6 35. b3
Rd3 36. Na4 Bd4 3 7. Nb6 Bf6
38. Na4 Bd4 % - %

Berkes - Bogner White. Berkes finds a good way
Bundesliga 2012 to seize the initiative by playing
forcefully instead of trying to defend
the position passively.
34... hxgS
34 . . . Be6 is met with the strong
35.f5 ! , exploiting the drawback ofBe6.
35 . . . Bd7 36.f6+! And White is clearly
better after 36 . . . Kxf6 37.Rxf'7+ Kxg5
38.Rxd7 Rxa3 39.Rxb7 Nf4 40.Rg7+
Kf6 41.Rc7±
35. h6±
This advanced passed pawn
creates a lot of problems for Black.
35 BfS
•••
After 35 . . . Nf6 36.fxg5 Bf5 , even

stronger than capturing on f6 is
32 Nc7'11
••• the following forced sequence: 37.e4
Black's best chance of converting Bg6 38.Rxg6! fxg6 39.gxf6+ Kxf6
was 32 . . . Bf5! aiming to trade off 40.d4!+- Surprisingly, Black's rook
White's strong knight: 33.Rxg7 Kf8 cannot defend against White's passed
34.Rgl Bxe4 35.Bxe4 Rxa3+ pawns, for example 40 . . . Rxa3 41.e5+
33. Rxg7 Nd5'1 Kf'7 42.e6+ Kf6 43.h7 Kg7 44.e7 and
Once again best was 33 . . . Bf5 White wins.
34.RgS Bxe4 35.dxe4 Rxa3 36.RhS;t 36. e4
where White's h-pawn will be hard to
deal with.
34. NgSI
36 Nxf4'1/
•••
36 . . . g4 37.Bxg4+-
The best defense was 36 . . . gxf4
White was about to lose the pawn 37.exf5 Nf6 38.h7 Nxh7 39.Rxh7 Rxf5
on f4 or a3, when Black's queenside 40.Bh5± with some minor drawing
would pose a serious threat for chances for Black.

37. exf5 Kf8 is very important while executing
37. . . Kf6 38.Rg8 Nxd3+ 39.Kg3 our idea.
Ra4 40.h7 Rh4 41 .hSQ+ Rxh8 14 . . . Nf6
42.Rxh8+- is a simple win for White. 14 . . . Kxg7 15.Bxd5 exd5 16.Qc3+
38.{6 1 - 0 Qf6 17.Qxc5 Bc6 18.Be3± White's a
clear pawn up and has potential to
attack on the dark squares.
Kramnik - Naiditsch 15. Bh6+-
37th Olympiad Turin 2006
1.Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 8.g8 d5 4. d4

cxd4 5. Bg2 e6 6. 0 - 0 dxc4
7.Nxd4 Nd5 8. Qa4+ Nd7 9. Qxc4
N7b 6 10. Qb8 Bd7 11.Nc8 Bc5
12.Nxd5 Nxd5
White has won a pawn and

caused a permanent weakening of
Black's kingside. He clearly stands
better thanks to the forcing sequence
of moves starting with 13.Nf5 .
15 .Qc4!? was also strong: 15 . . .
Rc8 (Or 15... Be7 16.Bh6 KhB 17.Nh5!
13.Nf5/N Nxh5 18. Qg4! Qa5 19.Bf3!±) 16.Qh4
After 1 3 . Bxd5 Bxd4 14.Bxb7 Rb8 Kxg7 17.Bh6+! Kh8 18.Bg5 Be7
15.Rdl± White wins a pawn here 19.Be4! The only way to get an
too but the pin on the b-:file and advantage. 19 . . . Nxe4 20.Bxe7 Qe8
the fact that Black has reasonably 21.Bxf8 Qxf8 22.Qxe4+-
active pieces means White has to be 15. . . Qe7
careful. This would be acceptable if 15 . . . Ng4 is met with 16.Nh5!
in fact White did not have a better Nxh6 17.Qc3 Nf5 18.Qxc5+-
way to play the position in 13.Nf5! 1 6. Qf8
13 . . . 0 - 0 14. Nxg7/ Transferring the queen to the
Starting with 14.Bxd5 exd5 scene of action - the kingside.
15.Nxg7 (15. Qxd5 RcB�) runs into 16 . . . Bc6 1 7. Qf4 KhB
Bh3!00 That is why White should 17 . . . Bxg2? 18.Nf5!+-
not take on d5 :first! We can see that 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Racl
playing the correct sequence of moves

Kramnik - Sadvakasov
Astana 2001
19... Bd6
19 . . . Nd5 20.Qf3 Bd4 21.Nh5+
followed by e2-e4.
20. Qh4 Ng8 21. Qxe7 Bxe7 13... e4
21...Nxe7 22.Nh5+- is no better, With this move Black is trying
White is up a pawn with more active to seize the initiative if White plays
pieces. passively.
22.Nxe6 Nxh6 23. NxfB Bxf8 White is clearly better after a
24.Rxc6+- "normal" move by Black: 13 . . . Qe7
14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxd5 Bg4 16.Qc4±
or 13 . . . Bg4 14.h3 Bh5 15.g4±
14.Ng5/
It is natural to react defensively
when the opponent makes a threat,
but sometimes it is better to go
for a counter-offensive. Of course,
this must be supported by accurate
calculation.
14 . . . Bd6?1
Black should have continued
actively with 14 . . . Bg4! valuing
development over material. 15.Nd5!
Again, counterattack is the best
defense. (15.{3?! is quite good for
The rest was simple technique for Black after 15 . . . exf3 16.gxf3 RaeB!
Kramnik: 1ZNge4 Nxe4 18.Nd5 QdB 19.fxg4
24 . . . RdB 25. Rfcl Kg7 26. Rlc2 Qg5+) 15 . . . Bxe2 16.Nxc7 Bxdl (16...
Nf5 27. e3 a5 28. Ra6 Rd5 29. e4 Bxc4 17. bxc4 RacB 18.Nd5 Nxd5
Rdl+ 30. Kg2 Nd4 31. Rc7 Nb5 19.cxd5±) 17.Nxa8;!;
32. Rb7 Nd6 33. Rd7 1 - 0 15. Nd5/?

Kramnik sacrifices the h2-pawn At the cost of a pawn, White has
to maintain the initiative. managed to get most of his pieces
15.h3 Bf5 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.Bxd5 crowded around the Black kingside.
Raes 18.Qc4 Bh2+ 19.Khl Be5 18 . . . Bf5?
20.Bxe5 Rxe5 21.Nxe4± was another Black could have survived into an
path to a clear advantage. endgame with 18 . . . h6 19.Nxf7! Rxf7
But not 15.Nxf7?! Bxh2+ 16.Kh l 20.Rxe5! (But not 20.Bxe5 Qe7!) 20 . . .
Rxf7 17.Nd5 which just barely falls Nxe5 21.Bxe5 Qe7 22.Bxf7+ Qxf7
short after 17 . . . Nxd5 18.Bxd5 Be5! 23.Qxf7+ Kxf7 24.Rcl±
19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qh5+ Ke7 21 .Qg5+ 19. Nxf7!
Kf8 22.Bxe5 Qxe5 23.RdS+ Kf7 Much less convincing is 19.Nxh7
24.Qxe5 Nxe5 25.Rcl Nc6 26.RhS = Bxh7 20.Bxe5 Nxe5 21.Rxe5±
15 . . . Nxd5 16. Rxd5 19 Rxf7
• . •
Black's king is defended only by

its pawns, which will be no match for
the combined power of White's entire
army.
16. . . Bxh2+
16 ... h6 would be met with 17.Qh5!
hxg5 18.Bxg7! Kxg7 19.Qxg5+ Kh7
20.Qh4+ Kg7 21.Rg5+ Kf6 22.Rh5+
Kg7 23 .Qg5#
17.Khl Be5 18. Qh5
No better is 19 . . . Qxf7 20.Rxe5+

or 19 ... Bxb2 20.Rxf5 g6 2 1 .Qh6!
gxf5 22.Nd8+!+-
20. Qxf5!

Again Kramnik is not satisfied EJjanov - Sokolov
with "only" a clear advantage Sarajevo 2009
after 20.Bxe5 Nxe5 21.Rxe5 Qxe5
22 .Qxf7+ Kh8 23.Rdl Bg6 24.Qd5
Qe7±
20. . . g6
The other possibilities were
20 . . . Rxf5? 21.RdS#
and 20 . . . Bxb2 21.Rd7! Kh8
22 .Qxf7 Qe5 23.Radl+- with an
extra exchange.
21. Bxe5 1 - 0
12. e4/
White's e3-pawn is potentially a
long-term headache since it is on a
semi-open file. Thus, White correctly
decides to seize the initiative by
playing aggressively.
12 . . . b4 13.Na4 dxe4 14.Nb6 Ra7
15. Qb3/
Since the c8-bishop is hanging,
White does not have to worry about
After 21.Bxe5 Black has n o way the d4-pawn.
of continuing the game: 2 1 . ..gxf5 15. . . Re7 16.NxcB Qxc8 1 7. Bf4±
(21 ... Rxf5 22.RdB#) 22.Bxc7 Rxc7 By temporarily sacrificing a
23.Rd7++-. In this game, Kramnik pawn to open the position, White has
seized the initiative at the right activated his pieces and trapped the
moment by taking the appropriate Black king in the center.
risk and not shying away from 1 7. . . (5 18. 0 - 0 - 0
calculations.

22 . . . Nd5?? would now lose to
23.Bxd5 cxd5 24.c6+-
23.g4!'1
23.Be6 Qb7 24.d5! would have
won more quickly, but the game
continuation is also instructive.
23 . . . Nd5
23 . . . Nxg4 would allow the
breakthrough 24.d5! after which the
game might end as follows: 24 . . . Ne5
25.Bxe5 Bxe5 26.dxc6 Rc7 27.Rd5
Bf6 28.Rd6 Be5 29.Re6++-
24.gxf5 gxf5 25. Bxd5 cxd5
26. Rhfl+ ·
18 Nd7 19.Bd6 Nf6 20.Bc4
•.•
Eljanov is not in a rush to recover

the sacrificed pawn; instead he is
focused on the initiative and piece
activity.
20 . . . Rd7 21. Kbl!
Before beginning the final attack,
Eljanov first ensures the safety of his
king.
21 . . . Qb7
With the threat of 22 ... Nd5,
blocking the diagonal of White's
bishop.
22.Qa4!
During an attack, prophylaxis is
still an important technique. Black's pieces are all tied up and
22 . . . QaB from here the end is swift.
26 . . . KdB 2 7. Rxf5 Re8 28. Qxb4
Re6 29. Rdfl KcB 30. RfB+! BxfB
31. RxfB+ RdB 32. Qb6 1 - 0
Chapter 5 : Initiative 133

Negi - Berg 16... QcB
Politiken Cup Helsingor 2009 16 . . exd5 would be met with
.
17.Bxd5 Rc8 18.Bxf7+ Ke7 19.Bxg6+

with a winning attack.
1 7. Qf2
Now the Black queen cannot
defend f7.
1 7. . . (5
17. . . exd5 18.Qxf7+ Kd8 19.Bxd5+
again gives White a decisive attack.
18. exf6 exd5 19. Bxd5 Bd6
13. e5!
White is castled and fully
developed except for the hl-rook.
Black's king is stuck in the center and
his pieces are all awkwardly placed.
White opens the center in order to
gain access to the Black king.
13 . . . dxe5 14.fxe5 Nh7
If 14 ... Qxe5 then 15.Bxb7 Rb8
16.Nc6+- 20.Bf4
15. Rhfl More forcing was 20.f7+ Kd8
Bringing the last piece into the 21.Ne6+ Bxe6 22.Bxc4!+-
action. 20. . . Qc7 21. Bxd6 Nxd6 22. Qe3+
15 . . . Nc4 16. Nd5!! Kd8 23. Qe7+ KcB 24.Ne6 Qb6
25.(7 Qe3+ 26. Kbl Qe5 2 7.fBQ+
Rxf8 28. RxfB+ 1- 0

Negi - Nielsen 22.Rxe6 fxe6 23.Bf4;!; where White
Politiken Cup Helsingor 2009 has only a pleasant positional edge.
21. Qf3 Ne5 22. Qxb7
Sometimes greedily taking a
pawn is the only way to play for the
advantage.
22 . . . RbB 23. Qa7
Keeping the Black queen tied to
the defense of the b8-rook and also
attacking the a4-pawn.
23 . . . Nc6 24. Qxa4 Nd4 25. Qc4±
19.d5/
Even in apparently quiet
positions, strong players are always
looking for chances to seize the
initiative.
After 19.Nf5?! Qf8 White does not
have a good follow-up.
19. . . Qd6
19 . . . Nxd5 would be met with
20.Bxh6! gxh6 21.Rxd5 Nf6 22.Rd3 White has consolidated his
and the Black king is too exposed. queenside and stands clearly better
20. dxe6 Rxe6?/ with the extra material. Black pins
his hopes on a desperate attack, but
it ends up not being enough:
25. . . NdS 26. Rxe6 Qxe6 2 7. Ba5
Qe5 28. Rel Ne2+ 29. Rxe2 Qxb2+
30. Kd2 Qxa3 31. Qxd5 Qxa5+
32. Ke3 Rd8 33. Qe5 Qa3+ 34. c3
Qcl+ 35. Kf3 Rd3+ 36. Re3 Qdl+
3 7. Kf4 Rd6 38. Nf5 Rf6 39. Kg3
1-0
The lesser evil was 20 . . . Qxe6

21.Qxe6 (21. Qb5 Qa2 +!) 21...Rxe6

Korchnoi - Karpov
Alekhine Memorial Moscow 1971
After a series of forcing moves

Black has firmly taken control of the
game.
15.Ne5?! 21. Bfl!
Better was 15 .Qd2= Exchanging Black's strongest
15 . . . Bxe5! piece.
The start of a series of forcing 21 . . . Bxfl ?!
moves in order to seize the initiative. Releasing the tension and making
16. Bxe5 f6 1 7. Bf4 Rac8 18. Qa4 ?! White's task significantly easier.
Not sufficiently appreciating the Correct was 21. . .Qb4! 22.Qxb4
upcoming danger. Nxb4 23.Bxe2 Nc2! 24.Bxd3! Nxel
Better was 18.Qd2 ! g5 19.f3! 25.Be2 Nc2 26.Rbl Nd4 27.Bg4
Bd7 (19...gxf4 20.fxg4 fxg3 21. hxg300) Rc2 28.Be3 Nb5+ Black has won
20.Bxg5! fxg5 21 .Qxg5+ Qg6 an exchange for a pawn, although
22.Qxe700 Such a concrete approach White has significant compensation
is more commonly seen in today's because of his pair of bishops and
computer era. good pawn structure.
18 . . . g5! 19. Bcl 22. Rxfl Rc2 23. Be3 Nc5
The previous moves clearly
established that Black was the one
making the threats while White was
only reacting to those threats by
playing defensive moves.
After 19.Bd2 Qxb2+ White does
not have much to show for the pawn
deficit.
19 . . . Be2 20. Rel d3

24.Qd4?! 28.Rxc2
Removing the dangerous pawn on Korchnoi realized that after
d3 should have been White's priority: 28.Qxd3 , Black has the shot
24.Qa3 !? Rc8 25.Bxc5 R8xc5 26.Qxd3 28 . . . Nxf2 ! 29.Rxf2 Rxcl+ 30.Bxcl
Rxb2+ Rxcl+ 31. Kg2 where Black has good
24 ... e5 25. dxe6 Qxe6 26. Racl ?! winning chances after 31 . . . Kg7+
A better defense would have been It is interesting to see how simple
26.b4 Nxe4 (26 ... Rc4 2 7. Qd5 Qxd5 tactics come to our aid when we are
28.exd5 Na6 29. b5 Nb4 30.Radl in apparent problems but have active
Nxd5 31.Rxd3=) 27.Qxd3 Rc3+ pieces.
although Black can hope to generate 28 . . . dxc2 29.Rcl b6 30.(8 Nd6
threats against the White king using 31. Qd3 Rc6!
the weakened light squares.
26 ... RcB 27. b4 ?!
Just as White thinks about
winning the d3-pawn, tactics come
to Black's aid. That is because White
postponed taking concrete action
against the dangerous d3-pawn for
too long.
Better was 27.f3+
27... Nxe4!
The c2-pawn is taboo for now, so

Black uses this time to defend his
knight and free his queen for active
operations.

32. a4 Qc4 White has long term positional
Aiming for simplifications. advantages in the form of the
33. Qd2 Nf7 34.{4 g4 35. b5 Rc8 bishop pair and Black's hanging
36. Qd7 h5 3 7. Kf2 Qc3 38. Qf5 pawns, but Black is on move and can
Re8 0-1 create concrete threats to seize the
initiative.
15 . . . Rxel+
The start of a forcing sequence.
16.Nxel Ba6 1 7. Qdl Re8 18.Nd3
After 18.Be3 Black would play
18 . . . Ne5 threatening both 19 . . . Neg4
and 19 . . . Nc4.
18 . . . Qb6+
Making it difficult for White to
develop his cl-bishop. With a series
of forcing moves Black has put White
on the defensive.
19. h3
This loses time but secures the
back rank.
19 . . . h6!
McShane - Rapport
Bundesliga 2014
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4 . c3
c5 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. Qe2
Qc7 8.Ngf3 0- 0 9. 0 - 0 Nbd7
10. Bc2 b6 11. exd5 exd5 12.Nb3
Re8 13. Qd3 a5 14. Nxc5 bxc5
15. Rel
Since White is finding it difficult

to develop his queenside, Black solves
his own back rank problem. The
timing factor is very crucial here:
when should one play such quiet
moves which eliminate/protect our
own weaknesses? It is appropriate
to make this kind of move when
we are keeping the pressure on our
opponent and he does not have an

obvious way to solve his problems or
generate threats of his own.
20. Rbl Bc4 '1/
The most forcing way to keep up
the pressure on White was 20 . . . Ne4
21.Bf4 (21.Be3 d4!) 2 1 . . .g5! 22.Be3
d4! 23.cxd4 cxd4 24.Bd2 Ndf6 25.Bel
Nd5+
21. a4 '1/
24. Qf3
White's king is hopelessly exposed
after 24.Kxf2 c4+ 25.Kfl cxd3-+
24 . . . Nxd3 25. Qxd3 c4+ 26. Qd4
Re2 - +
Black is up a pawn with a winning
position.
2 7. Rdl Qxb2 28. QxdS Qc2
29. Bf4 Rxg2+ 30. Khl Re2 31. Rgl
Qd3 32. Qxd3 cxd3 33. Bxh6
Missing a chance to gain d2 34. Rxg7+ Kh8 35. Rgl Ne5
counterplay. 36. Bf4 Nf3 0-1
After 21.b3! Ba6 22 .c4! dxc4
23.bxc4 Qe6 24.Be3 Qxc4 25.Rcl !?
White has managed to activate his
pieces and will win back the c5-
pawn.
21. . . Ne4
Black again seizes the initiative.
22.Bd2 '1' 1
A n unsurprising blunder given
that White was under serious
pressure.
Best was 22 .Be3 d4 23.cxd4 cxd4
24.Bf4 Ndf6+
22 . . . Bxd3 23. Bxd3 Nxf2/

Sakaev - Eljanov
Russian Team Championship 2009
24.Kd2?!
White understandably tries to
head to the safety of the queenside,
White has a dream position with but there was a much better way to
the bishop pair, the open g-file, and a neutralize Black's initiative, albeit
mobile pawn center. Black has only not without risk.
one tempo to try to take advantage The engine suggests 24.Kfl! f6
of White's uncastled king. 25.Bg3 Nxg3+ 26.hxg3 Qh2 27.Bc4
21 . . . c5! Bxc4+ 28 .Qxc4+ Kf8 29.Qd3! Taking
A pawn break is an important control of the e3-square. 29 . . . RadS
tool to open up the position to gain 30.Rg2 Qhl+ 31.Rgl= and White
access to the opponent's king in the survives.
center. 24 . . . Qh6+ 25. Kc2 f6 26. Bg3
22. dxc5 Rad8
After 22.Qxc5 Rac8 23 .Qb4 Rc2+
Black gets his last inactive piece into
the game with tempo.
22 . . . d4!
Eljanov correctly takes a risk
to open up the center and exploit
White's weak king position.
23. exd4 Qh4+
With each move Black poses

concrete problems for White.
2 7. Radl Bf7?!

Instead, the greedy 27 . . . Ne3+!
28.Kbl Nxdl 29.Rxdl Bf5+ 30.Bd3
Re3!+ 31.Qc4+ Be6 32 .Qc2 Qh5+
would have given Black a clear
advantage.
28.Bd3 Ne3+
28 . . . Re3?! would allow White
the possibility of 29.Bxf5!? Rxc3+
30.bxc3;;
29. Kbl Nxdl 30. Rxdl Re3
And Black soon went on t o win.
Vaganian - Farago
World Student Team
Championship Graz 1972
1 . d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4 .a3

Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. e3
Nbd7
31.Bd6?/
Even after the best move 31.f4
Bg6 32.Qc4+ Kh8 33.Bxg6 Qxg6++,
Black has good winning chances.
31 . . . QhS 32. Qc2 Qd5/
Despite his long journey, the
White king still does not feel safe on
the queenside.
33. Bh7+ KhB 34. Be4 Qa2+
35. Kcl Bb3 - +
8.cxd5
Even in the opening, White
begins a forcing sequence of moves to
seize the initiative.
8 . . . Nxd5
8 ... exd5 9.Bd3;t has given White
good results in practice.
9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. NxdS Bxd5

10 . . . exd5 1 1.Qa4;!; with a similar 14.Bb5?!
structure to the previous note. Starting from move 8, White has
11. Rcl played consecutive forcing moves
and obtained a clear advantage but
falters here by choosing the second
best continuation.
14.dxc5! would have continued
the string of forcing moves and led to
a White advantage:
14 . . . Qxc5 runs into 15.Qd2! Qe7
16. Rc7+-
14 . . . bxc5 15.Bb5;!;, followed by Rdl,
would give White a clear structural
and development advantage.
14 . . . Nxc5 15.Bb5+ Bc6 16.e5! Qc7
17.Bxc6+ Qxc6 18.0-0±
14 . . . 0- 01=
With each move White is either

creating threats or bringing new
pieces into the game.
11 Qd6?!
•••
Too passive.
Instead Black should have tried
ll . . . c5 although perhaps he was
worried about 12.Bb5!?
12. Qc2!'1 c5
Finally Black gets in the much
needed break, but it is one move too
late.
13. e4 Bb7
After this move, Black obtained

sufficient counterplay although he
later misplayed the position and lost.

Chapter Summary
We have seen some examples which taught us about the need to seize the
initiative by playing forcing moves, by generating threats and thereby putting
our opponent on the defensive. In the opening, all developing moves, castling,
fighting for the center, etc. can be considered "initiative moves". Any move that
wastes time, is passive or defensive in nature usually hands over the initiative
to our opponent.
An unusual move made by the opponent is an invitation for us to seize
the initiative through risky, active moves. The initiative is short term in nature
and can disappear in a few moves. Within this short time we should play
as forcefully as possible to extract a positional or material concession from
the opponent - which we will later try to exploit to our advantage once the
initiative fizzles out.
Thus the aim of the initiative phase is to create a weakness in the
opponent's position that we can exploit later. During the initiative phase we
should avoid playing quiet, defensive moves. Exchanges should also be avoided
unless they serve a particular purpose in our favor. Each move should come
with a threat and put our opponent further on the defensive. If we have to
sacrifice some material towards this objective, so be it!
Initiative often changes hands between the players during the game.
When a player plays defensive/passive/unusual moves, the initiative goes to
the opponent, provided he takes the risk to seize it by playing forcefully. So we
should always be on the lookout for seizing initiative!
Stronger players like to play with the initiative in their hands and
sometimes even sacrifice a pawn or destroy their own pawn structure towards
this objective. And they often extract larger concessions from the opponent in
the process.
If we have many long term advantages (defined in Chapter 1) and our
opponent possesses the initiative, we should be very careful and work hard
to neutralize his activity at the earliest possible moment so the opponent's
pieces cannot cause extensive damage to our position. If we are successful,
then we can work on increasing our long term positional advantages with good
technique.

Chapter 6
Converting an Advantage
There are three kinds of advantages in chess: material advantage,

attacking advantage, and positional advantage .
The nature of these advantages can either be short-term or long-term.

Some examples of short-term advantage are: a lead in development, the
opponent's king stuck in the center, the opponent ignoring the development of
his queenside, an opponent's piece temporarily stuck on a bad square, etc. Such
advantages will disappear within a few moves if we don't act forcefully. Time is
of the essence in such positions.
Most other advantages are long-term in nature. In positions with long
term advantages, we should try to keep the game relatively quiet with as few
complications as possible.
Material Advantage
It is generally easier to play with a material advantage in most cases,

as the side with the material advantage seeks to simplify the position to deny
the opponent any chances of a successful counterattack. Exchanging pieces
is the easiest way to prevent counterplay or activity for your opponent as
compensation for the material deficit.
Attacking Advantage
In this book, we try to look at situations either positional or strategic

in nature and not positions which are dynamic or complicated that require a
more direct handling. Still, to complete the topic under discussion, let us look
briefly at how to handle a position in which one side has chances of launching
an attack.
144 Chapter 6: Converting an Advantage

To be successful, we need to carefully consider the following issues when
deciding on an attack. We must consider the object of attack (the target), with
what to attack (pawns or pieces), the timing of the attack (now or later), the
pace of the attack (slow or rapid), and the approach of the attack (with equal
material or with sacrifices) .
Some things w e need to keep i n mind while attacking are:
• Attack with more material. Try to exceed your opponent's defensive

resources by a ratio of 3 : 1 ;
• Always calculate simple variations at the lower level and complex
variations at the higher level;
• Give your attention to forcing moves in calculation. Look for checks,
captures, threats, and pawn breaks;
• Identify the weakness in your opponent's position and aim your attack
there. It could either be a pawn or a square;
• Use your imagination and try to find unusual or unexpected ideas that
will throw your opponent off guard. Just make sure the idea is reasonably
safe; and
• Do not be hesitant to give up material for a long-term attack or for
reasonable compensation, either in the form of active pieces or a vulnerable
king for your opponent.
Positional Advantage
This is the most common form of advantage a player gets in games, and
the most difficult to handle in practice. Some examples of positional advantage
are: possession of a passed pawn or pair of bishops, good pawn structure,
safe king, space advantage, the presence of weak squares or weak pawns in
an opponent's position, control of files or long diagonals, a strong center, an
advantage in endgame, etc. Positional advantages are mostly long-term in
nature.
We now return to the game Mikhalchishin - Beliavsky, which we started

analyzing back in Chapter 1, on page 40.
Chapter 6: Converting an Advantage 145

Mikhalchishin - Beliavsky
Moscow 1981
This is the ideal pawn structure

for White as it restricts both of
Black's minor pieces and also enables
18.Nxa4 c4 19. bxc4 dxc4 White to bring his king to d4.
20. RfdU Rfd8 ?! 25. . . Nd7 26. Kf2 Nb 6 2 7. Nc3 f5
Better was either 20 . . . Nd5 21.Rd4 28. Ke3 fxe4 29.fxe4
Nb6 22.Nc3 Rfd8 23.Rcdl Rxd4 White now gets a passed pawn as
24.Rxd4;t; well.
or 20 . . . Rc7 21.Nc3 Rb8 22 .e4 g6 29. . . KfB 30. Rbll
23.RbU Since the c-pawn is well blockaded
21. RxdB+ by the c3-knight, White improves the
Exchanging one pair of rooks position of his rook.
is an important strategy when 30. . . Bd7 31. Kd4 Ke 7 32. Rb4
exploiting a positional advantage in Also possible was the immediate
the ending. Retaining one rook helps 32.a4 Nxa4 33.Nxa4 Bxa4 34.Rb7+
in attacking the opponent's pawn Bd7 35.Bxc4±
weaknesses. 32 . . . RdB
21 . . . RxdB 22. Nc51± Bd5
Worse would be 22 . . . Rd2 23.Bfl
Rxa2 24.Nxe6 fxe6 25.Bxc4±
23.(3 Rc8 24.Na4 Be6 25. e4

33.Bxc4/ Bh3+ 34.Nd5+ Nxd5
35.exd5 Bxg2 36.KeSI+· Rd7
37.RbB! 1-0
The final continuation might be
37.Rb8 Bf3 38.Rg8 g6 39.d6+ Rxd6
40.Rg7+ Kf8 41.Rf7++-
Miles - Larsen
Tillburg 1978
This goes to show that even in

endgames where one side has a clear
advantage, you need to be alert for the
opponent's chances for counterplay.
The main point to be understood in
this position is this: the only open
file in the position, the c-file, is not so
useful as White can control the entry
points cl and c2 with his king on d2 .
In such positions it is better to keep
one rook so as to play on both sides
Here we have an endgame where of the board. Since Black already has
White is clearly better due to Black's one weakness on d5, White wants
doubled pawns on the d-file, the bad to create a second weakness by
bishop on b7, and the passive knight advancing his pawns on the kingside.
on d7 (as of now). 22 .h4?! would be answered with
18 . . . g6 19.f3 22 . . . h5!
Sending the active knight on e4 22 .b4?! also doesn't promise White
backwards. The weakening of the much after 22 . . . b5
e3-pawn is not of great consequence a) 23.a4 Rxcl 24.Rxcl and Black
as it cannot be easily attacked and is just in time to equalize: 24 . . .bxa4
can be supported. The White pawns 25.Ral Bc6 26.Bxa6 Rb8 27.b5 Bxb5
on f3-e3 -d4 restrict the Black knights 28.Rbl a3 =
wonderfully. b) 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.a4 bxa4
19 Nef6 20. Nxf6+ Nxf6 21. Kf2
••• 25.Rxa4 Rc6;!;
Kf8?/ 22 . . . Ke7
21...h5! should have been played 22 . . . g5 23.Ne2 followed by Ng3-f5,
immediately. Though White retains h3-h4, etc.
a clear advantage even here, his job 23. h4
becomes significantly tougher. White wants to advance h4-h5 and
22.g4! have the option of opening the h-file
for his rook. He also wants to increase

the pressure on the d5-pawn by assist the Bc2-b3 maneuver. We see
improving his bishop with Bc2-b3 , that White is steadily improving
threatening g4-g5 . the position of his pieces and doesn't
23 . . . b5?! allow his opponent to do the same.
28 . . . Kf6 29. Kd2 Kg7
Black takes his king away from
the center to control the entry points
on the h-file, and now White exploits
this fact with the unexpected . . .
30. Rcl!±
The Black king has gone too far
away from the queenside and White
exploits this change in circumstance
to trade off the rooks and clear the
White king's path to the a5-square.
30 . . . Rxcl 31. Kxcl Kf6 32. Kd2
Black wants to go Nd7-b6-c4.

Since this is not such a serious threat
(it can be parried easily with b2-b3
later on) White carries on with his
intended idea. From this we learn
that it is essential to see all of the
ideas behind the opponent's move but
it is not mandatory to prevent all of
his ideas. It is important to also note
that the a5-square is weakened with
this move.
24. h5 Nd7 25. RxcB
Exchanging one pair of rooks and 32... b4
maintaining another to exploit the Black tries to prevent White's
weaknesses in Black's position on king from becoming active. Let's
both sides of the board. see what could happen after other
25. . . RxcB 26. Rhl NfB potential defenses:
26 . . . Nb6? 27.hxg6 hxg6 28.Nxg6+ 32 . . . Bc6 hoping to play a6-a5
is an example of how we should and b5-b4 is met with 33.a4!+
never stop calculating and looking Prophylaxis against Black's plan,
for concrete variations right until and White breaks through on the
the end, especially when we are in queenside.
technically won or advantageous 32 . . . Ke7 leads to an instructive
positions. 28 . . . fxg6 29.Rh7++- line: 33.Kc3 Kd7 34.Kb4 Kc7 35.Bc2!
27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Ke2 Nd7 36.Nh3! Targeting all the weak
The king heads to d2 to cover the pawns in Black's position. Playing for
entry points on the c-file and also more weaknesses in the opponent's

camp is more effective than focusing Englisch - Steinitz
on only one weakness. 36 . . . NbS London 1883
37.Ng5 Nc6+ 38.Kc3 Nd8 39.Nh7±
32 . . . Kg5!? 33.Ng2 Bc6 34.a4 Ne6 1 . e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.d4
35.axb5 axb5 36.Kc3+- and White exd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6
should win this endgame. 7.Nc3 0 - 0 8. 0 - 0 Ne7! 9. Qd2 d5
33. Kc2 a5 34. Bb5! 10. exd5 Nexd5 ll.Nxd5 Qxd5
12. Be2 Ng4
Prophylaxis!
After 34.Kb3 Bc6 White would With this move Black ensures he
have a hard time breaking through. will be getting the advantage of the
34 . . . Ne6 35. Nxe6 fxe6 36. Kb3 pair of bishops, which is something
The White king has a free hand to play for a win with.
on the queenside, which proves 13. Bxg4 Bxg4+ 14. Nb3 Qxd2
decisive. The two bishops are just as useful
36. . . Kg5 3 7. Ka4 e5 38. Kxa5 (if not more so) in the endgame as in
exd4 39. exd4 Kf4 40. Bd7! the middlegame.
Trapping the Black bishop. 15. Nxd2 RadB
40. . . Ke3 41. Kb 6 BaB 42. Ka7 Simple development. When we
Kxd4 43.(4 1 - 0 already possess certain positional
advantages (pair of bishops in an
open position, in this case) we should
not strive to increase our advantage
in a hurry, but patiently improve
our position, while preventing our
opponent from doing the same
wherever possible. A mixture of
"sword and shield" policy.
15 . . . Bxb2 16.Rabl Be5 17.Rxb7
Though Black retains some advantage
here too, White manages to activate
his pieces to a considerable extent.

When converting advantages, we knight is trapped. 22.Rd6 would be
should choose paths which ensure met with 22 . . . BfB.
that the opponent's pieces are kept 19 . . . c5
as passive as possible, rather than go Further restriction. With simple
for concrete lines where the enemy but effective moves, Black improves
pieces become active. his position little by little. White is
16. c8 Rfe8 not able to do the same.
Completing development. We 20. Bg5 (6
don't need to do anything special
in most cases, just follow the
basics properly and be alert for the
opponent's counter chances when we
decide to act proactively.
1 7. Nb8 b6
Usually we should not block our

own piece with a pawn like this but
here is an exception. The bishop on g7
was already restricted by the b2-c3
pawn chain and f6 would not hurt it
any more. Moreover, f6 enables Black
Restricting an enemy knight to bring his king out towards the
with our pawns (without creating center. At the right moment, Black
a new outpost for the knight in the should improve his bishop.
process!) is an important positional When we have the pair of bishops,
tool of preventing activity. activating them is not the priority
18. h8 Be6 in the early stages, but rather in
18 ... BcS Pulling bishops back so the later stages of realizing the
they don't stand in the way of other advantage. This explains why in
pieces is also possible, but instead some cases we see top players pull
Steinitz wants to put pressure on their bishops back with moves like
White's knight and a2-pawn. Bfl, Bel, etc.
19. Rfdl 21. Bf4 Kf7
19.Nd4 Bc4 20.Rfdl c5 21.Nc6 Improving the king.
Rc8 ! It is very important to precisely 22.(8 g5
calculate such short variations in The principle of creating a second
endgames. 22.Nxa7 Rc7-+ White's weakness: it is becoming tough to
further improve our pieces without

making concessions in the position,
so Black decides to play for a second
weakness in the opponent's position
by initiating a pawn advance on one
flank. This is a typical method which
should be remembered in endgames.
Care should be taken that the pawns
do not get fixed when we play with
bishops, as bishops prefer flexible and
mobile pawn structures. It is knights
that do well in fixed pawn structures.
For those who are wondering what is
the first weakness of the opponent, it
is our pair of bishops! Our strength
is our opponent's weakness too! Exchanging one bishop at the
23. RxdB Rxd8 24. Be3 h 6 right time - Black will infiltrate
Preparing f6-f5 and opening up with his rook on the d2-square.
the bishop again. 32. Bxg5
25. Rel f5 Similar to the game is 32.Ke3
Continuing with the principle of Re8+ 33.Kf2 Bxf4 34.gxf4 Rd8
creating a second weakness. 35.Ke3 Kg6 36.Rgl+ Kh5-+
26.(4 32 . . . hxg5
26.g4 f4 27.Bcl Rd3 28.Kf2 Bd5 Black has demonstrated another
is hopeless for White. 29.Nd2 Bxa2-+ important principle while playing
26. . . Bf6 with the pair of bishops, which is
Keeping the pawns flexible. the option to exchange one or both
27.g3 a5 the bishops at the appropriate
Pushing a rook pawn for space is moment. The point is to transfer the
another effective tool when we have advantage of the pair of bishops to
the pair of bishops in an endgame. another kind of advantage, which
28. Ncl a4 29. a3 may ease the technical process of
Though it looks like the conversion. Here, Black's rook and
queenside pawns are fixed, Black bishop are far stronger than White's
can still prepare b5-b4, opening up rook and knight.
the queenside at the right moment. 33. Ke3 Kf6
The benefit of advancing the pawns Do not hurry, improve your pieces.
is obvious: White's pieces are being 34. h4
pushed back steadily.
29. . . Bc4 30. Kf2 gxf4!
The play becomes more concrete
and forcing now. This shows that
Steinitz was alert to the tactical
possibilities in the position.
30 . . . Rd5 preparing b5 -b4 is also
very good.
31.Bxf4 Bg5!

Kg3 0-1
An excellent illustration of how
to use the pair of bishops advantage
in the endgame. Playing such a
beautiful game in 1883 makes it all
the more special!
Short - Kasimdzhanov
Wijk aan Zee 2009
Now with simple but correct

calculation, Black wins the game
by force. Try finding the winning
continuation here for Black:
34 . . . gxh4
34 . . . f4+ 35.gxf4 gxh4-+ is also
winning but not as simple.
35.gxh4 Re8+ 36. Kf2 Rxel
37. Kxel Ke5!
In this position, White has a

structural advantage due to Black's
doubled f-pawns. But Black's pieces
are reasonably active, so White
should try to exchange at least
one pair of rooks to neutralize the
opponent's activity.
26. . . Rd3 2 7. ReB+
White now comes up with a quick
and precise variation by which he
neutralizes Black's pressure on the
f2-pawn and gains control of the
e-file.
27. . . Kg7 28. Ke2! Rd7 29.{3
Now the h4-pawn is lost. Nice The rook on f5 is temporarily
centralization by Black. jobless and the weakness on a5 will
Neither 37 ... Kg6 38.Kf2 f4 39.Ne2 keep one of Black's pieces tied to its
Nor 37 ... f4 38.Ne2 Kf5 39.h5 defense until Black can play b7-b6.
would lead to a clean victory for 29. . . Bgl
Black. Allowing for the b-pawn to
38. Ne2 Bxe2 39. Kxe2 Kf4 40. c4 advance to either b6 or b5.
Kg4 41.Ke3 f4+ 42. Ke4 f3 43.Ke3 30. Rd2!

Exchanging one pair of rooks to 33 . . . fxg4 34. hxg4 b6 35. Ne4 Bh2
neutralize Black's pressure. 36. Rf5
30 . . . Rfd5 31.g4
Preventing Bf4.
White aims to fix the pawns on 36. . . Re 7?1
h6 and f6 (the same color as Black's 36 ... Bd6! was absolutely necessary,
bishop) and get access to the f5 and preventing b3-b4. 37.Rd5 Re7 38.Kd3
h5 squares for his knight. Be5 39.Rb5! (39. b4 axb4 40.cxb4 c6
31 . . . Rxd2+ ?1 41.RdB Ra7!-+t.) 39 . . . f6!;!; Freeing the
This voluntarily gives up one pair rook from defending the bishop and
of rooks along with control of the 5th threatening to activate via Rd7.
rank. Although Black has a bad pawn
Much stronger was 31...f5! A structure and White has a potential
good way to fight for initiative, not passed pawn on the queenside,
releasing the tension by exchanging Black's activity gives him hopes for
on d2 . After the critical line 32.Rxd5 survival here.
Rxd5 33.Re5 Rxe5+ 34.Nxe5 Kf6 3 7. b4 Re5?
35.Nc4 b6 36.b4 b5! 37.axb5 a400 Exchanging the rooks puts Black
Black would have certain drawing in a passive position with no chances
chances. for counterplay.
32.Nxd2 f5 Better was 37 . . . axb4 38.cxb4 c6
Black gets rid of his weak pawns 39.a5 Bd6! (39... Rd7 40.axb6 Rb7
at the earliest moment before the 41.Rh5 Bf4 42.Kd3 Rxb6 43.Kc4
bind is complete. White retains pressure.) 40.b5 bxa5
32 . . . Rd6 33.Re7 Rc6 34.Kd3± and 41.bxc6 Bb4 42 .Rb5 Rc7 43.Rb6;!;
White slowly makes progress. With some winning chances for
33. Re51 White.
Nice centralization. White takes 38. Rxe5 Bxe5 39. bxa5 bxa5
control of the important 5th rank, 40. Ke3 c6 41.f4 Bc7 42. Ng3!
which will activate his rook and
prevent Black from exchanging more
pawns.

Not allowing Black the possibility And Black resigned as 50.c4 Kf7
of creating a passed pawn by means 51.c5 Bd8 52 . Nd4 Be7 53.Nxc6 Bxc5
of a pawn sacrifice like f7-f5, followed 54.Nxa5 is winning without trouble
by h6-h5. for White.
42 . . . Kg6 43. Ke4 Bd6 44.Nf5 Bc5 In this game we learned that
45.Nh4+ Kg7 46. Nf3 although the position was difficult
White's aim is to attack the for Black visually, he could still put
c6-pawn and induce it to advance up a good fight by relying on active
to c5, creating more weaknesses in counterplay and by calculating precise
Black's position. variations when in trouble.
46. . . f6 47.Nd2
With the idea of Nc4.
47. . . Bb6 48. Kf5 Kf7 49. Nb3! Kg7
49 . . . Bc7 50.Nd4 c5 51.Nb3 Bb6
52 .c4+- And Black is in zugzwang.
He must either give up a pawn or
allow White's king to penetrate.
50. c4 1 - 0

Chapter Summary
One of the key attributes distinguishing a good player from a very strong
player is the ability to win better positions more often. These days, chess
players make fewer mistakes than in the past and most common defensive
techniques are widely known. So one cannot reasonably expect the opponent
to make mistakes and make our job easier. Hence, the ability to convert small
advantages into more tangible ones is vital to scoring crucial points.
When converting an advantage, two things should go hand in hand - we
improve our position and prevent our opponent from doing the same. Apart
from these two aspects, other weapons like the principle of two weaknesses,
being patient, seizing the initiative, activating the king, zugzwang, etc. also
play important roles. The book Endgame Strategy by Mikhail Shereshevsky is
a good one to start with for covering these topics.
If preventing the opponent from improving his position while improving
our own position is all one has to do to better one's technique, then why is it
so difficult to apply in practice? It is because once we attain an advantage, we
tend to think about winning the game and start building castles in the sky.
In the process, we fail to pay attention to the small but important things.
Improving the position means playing simple moves like g2-g3 and Kg2, which
on their own will not win the game on the spot, but will increase the quality
of our position.
When we reach the endgame, inexperienced players usually feel the end is
very near but an experienced hand will know that there is still a lot of work to
be done and will pay appropriate attention to what's happening on the board.
Though we don't have to spend as much time thinking in the endgame as in
complicated middlegame positions, we still have to be ready to play a large
number of moves to get the point home.
Patience is a virtue in quiet endgames. But that does not mean we stop
calculating variations. We can calculate relevant variations and still play
quiet moves which improve our position bit by bit.

Chapter 7
Maintaining Tension
I equally advantageous to both players. In most exchanges, one side benefits

n Chapter 4: Exchanging Pieces, we learned that not every exchange is
more than the other. The same goes for pawn exchanges. It is often a test of
"who blinks first?" Lower rated players are not comfortable in situations where
there is some kind of tension, so they are eager to simplify the position by
trading. A higher rated player has more capacity to withstand tension in the
position for a longer period of time.
By maintaining the tension, we add pressure to the opponent
psychologically and we also gain certain concrete advantages in the position.
It is easier to make a mistake when we have a choice than when we don't have
one. So by keeping pawn tension a little longer, we give our opponent a chance
to make the incorrect decision among the choices available. We should release
the tension only when we:
• Get something concrete in return, like control of a file, a passed pawn,

initiative, the pair of bishops, better pawn structure, etc.;
• Cannot postpone releasing the tension, as our opponent will release the
tension in his favor on his turn; or
• See that no useful purpose is served by keeping the tension.
Now let us look at some examples where one side, or sometimes both
sides, keeps the pawn tension longer. When possible, strong players add fuel to
the fire by introducing more pawn tension.
156 Chapter 7: Maintaining Tension

Leko - Carlsen 24.Bxe5 Bxe5 25.Racl Bc3 26.Redl
Wijk aan Zee 2008 d4iii With excellent compensation for
the exchange.
20. Nxe4 Bxb4 21. Bxb4 Bxe4
22. Bxa5 Bxd3 23. Qxd3 e4 24. Qc4
exf3
No better is 24 . . . Nb6 25.Bxb6 cxb6
26.Ne5±
25. Bxc7 Qc8
17. . . b4 18. Qc2

White keeps the tension a little
longer. Black is doing well after
18.cxb4 axb4 19.d5 c6 20.dxc6 Bxc6
21.Bc4 Nb6?
18 d51?
..•
Black adds to the tension!

More solid was 18 ... bxc3 19.Bxc3;t 26.BxbB?
19. cxb4 The correct move order was
White releases the tension now, 26.Rxe8+! Nxe8 27.Bxb8 Qxb8 28.a4±
as maintaining it is no longer in his 26 . . . QxbB 2 7. RxeB+ Qxe8?
favor.
White is unable to maintain the
tension with 19.Radl because of 19 . . .
dxe4 20.Nxe4 Nxe4 21.Bxe4 Bxe4
22.Rxe4 f5? followed by e5-e4.
Also fine for Black is 19.exd5 bxc3
20.Qxc3 Nxd5 21 .Qxa5 exd4!= with
the threat of Nc5.
19 ... dxe4 ?!
In any position with pawn tension,
there is a great deal of pressure on
both sides to play accurately in order
to survive. Here Black wrongly aims
for a long forced sequence.
Better was 19 . . . axb4 when play
might proceed 20.Bg5 (20.exd5?! exd4 Compared to the previous note,
21.RxeB Nxe800) 20 . . . c5!? 21.Nxe5 here Black's queen and f6-knight are
Nxe5 22 .dxe5 Rxe5 23.Bf4 Bd6 ! much more active.
Chapter 7: Maintaining Tension 157

28. a4! exposed king should give Black
Knights defend poorly against a sufficient counterplay.
passed rook pawn. White uses this 82. Qc7 Qxd4 88. Rel Qb4! 84.Re7
effectively by quickly advancing his Qxb8 85. Kxg2 Qd5+ 86. Kgl
dangerous passed pawn with the Qdl+ 8 7. Kg2 Qd5+ 88. Kgl Qdl+
support of his rook. 89. Kh2
28 . . . fxg2
The combination of queen and
knight can be deadly in an attack
on the king. Black uses this fact to
obtain counterplay on the kingside.
29. aS Qe4!
Black's survival depends fully
on whether he can create dangerous
threats quickly enough against the
White king.
80. a6 Nb6
89... Qf3?
One move before the time control...
The best defense was 39 ... Qd4!
40.Qg3 Qd5 41.Qf4 although White
still retains some chances as long as
the a7-pawn is alive.
40. Qxb6 Qf4 + 1 - 0
Having reached the time control
with a lost position, Black resigned.
The checks run out after 40 ...
Qf4+ 41.Kg2 Qg5+ 42 .Kfl Qcl+
81.a7?! 43.Rel Qc4+ 44.Kgl+-
All the earlier calculations have
taken their toll in the form of time
trouble and White nearly drew the
game with this mistake.
Correct was 31.Qc5! Nfd5 32.a7
Kg7 33.a8Q Nxa8 34.Rxa8±
81 . . . Kg7?
Black could have reached a
holdable ending after 31...Qf3 !
32.a8Q+ Nxa8 33 .Qc8+ Kg7 34.Rxa8
Nd7! 35.Qxd7 (Or 35. QhB+ Kh6
36. QeB Kg7! repeating the position.)
35 . . . Qxa8 36.Qd6;!; and White's

Movsesian - Wang Hao Nf4 would give Black decent
Sarajevo 2009 compensation for the piece.
20. . . Bf6 21. Ne3 Kg7 22. a4�
17.g4!!
It is this kind of decision that a The remammg moves of the
player with weaker nerves would game do not relate to the topic under
find very difficult to make on the discussion so we will not examine
board. With this pawn sacrifice them closely. White soon challenged
White obtains a protected passed the blockade on a5 and opened the
pawn and gets tremendous positional queenside in his favor, while Black
compensation - the Black pieces could not do the same successfully on
won't find any active roles, while the kingside:
White will be able to slowly improve 22 . . . Ng8 23.Bc3 Bd8 24. Nb3
the position of his pieces and create Nxb3 25. Qxb3 Nf6 26. a5 Qb7
active play on the queenside. 2 7. axb6 Bxb6 28. Qdl Qe7
17. . . fxg4 18.(5 Bf7 19. Qdl l? 29. Bd2 Rg8 30. Ra6 Kf8 31. Qcl
Movsesian chooses to keep the Rb8 32. Ndl Nh7 33.(6 Qd7
Black pieces under control and 34. Ne3 Rg6 35. Nf5 Rb7 36. Be3
retains the possibility of improving Be6 3 7. Ra2 Kf7 38. Raf2 Bd8
his pieces and slowly creating play 39. Ng 7 g3 40. hxg3 Bg4 41.Nf5
on both sides of the board. Bxf6 42. Bf3 Bxf3 43.Rxf3 Kg8
After 19.f6 Ng6 20.fxg7 Kxg7 44.R3f2 Bd8 45. Kg2 Qe6 46. Bd2
21.Nb3 Nxb3 22.Qxb3 Nf4 23.Nc2 h5 Rd7 4 7. Ne3 Rf6 48. Nf5 Rg6
24.Ne3 Be6� it is not easy for White 49. Qdl Nf6 50. Ne3 Rh7 51. Rf5
to open the position in his favor. g4 52. Qal h4 53.gxh4 g3 54. Rhl
Black has decent compensation for Ng4 55. Nxg4 Rxg4 56. h5 Rf7
the piece and his kingside pawns 57. Qdl Rgg 7 58. Rhfl Qe7 59. h6
could pose serious problems for Qh4 60. Rhl Rxf5 61. Rxh4 Rf2+
White if he is not careful. 62. Kgl g2 63. Qg4 1 - 0
19. . . h5 20.Nc2
Again 20.f6 Bxf6 21.Rxf6 Be6
22.Rxf8+ Rxf8 23.Nc2 Ng6 24.Ne3

Hammer - Huschenbeth he will do something harmful to his
38th Olympiad Dresden 2008 own position.
22 . . . RdB 23.Nc41
1 7. . . f5
Black has introduced tension into Before the final assault, White
the position. brings his last piece into the action.
18. Bg2 23 . . . b5 24. Nce3 b4
Coolly developing a piece. Always At last Black goes for active
remember that piece development counterplay but it is already too late.
comes before everything else in the His pieces are struck on the kingside
opening (except king safety). so this attack on the other side is
18 . . . Rf7 doomed to failure.
Because of the pawn moves g7-g6 25. cxb4/
and f7-f5 the dark squares around For the first time White releases
Black's king have been weakened the tension - and wins a pawn!
considerably. So he plans to maneuver 25. . . RbB 26. a3 Nd4 2 7. hxg6
his bishop to g7 to cover the dark Gaining an open file is another
squares and release his queen from concrete reason to release tension.
having to protect the bishop. 2 7. . . hxg6 28. Qxa61
19. 0 - 0 - 0 Bf8 20.(41 The main reason for this
Introducing more tension and additional pawn grab was to stop
trying to open up the kingside Black's idea of opening the b-file with
20 . . . Bg7 21. h5/ a6-a5.
Even more tension! 28 . . . Nb5 29. Qc6 Ra7 30. Rd3/
21 . . . QfB 22. Kbll
When our opponent remains
passive we should not hurry in
trying to finish him off. We should
improve our own position slowly.
This will in turn make our opponent
desperate for counterplay and in this
desperation there is a good chance

A simple but effective combination.
The immediate 34.Bd5+ was also
winning: 34 . . . Ne6 35.Nxe6! Rxcl+
36.Rxcl+- but the text continuation
is simpler.
34 . . . Be6
34 . . . exd4 loses to 35.Bd5+
As does 34 ... Raxc7 35.Bd5+
35. Rc4 1 - 0
Vachier Lagrave - Harikrishna

3Bth Olympiad Dresden 2008
White has a large material

superiority - in such positions
where we are clearly winning in
the long term, it is very important
not to try to win immediately by
doing something hasty. The first
priority is to prevent the opponent's
counterplay, and only then should we
start thinking in terms of concrete
action.
30 Nd4 31. Qcl Bd7 32. exfS
•.•
Opening the diagonal for the g2-

bishop.
32. . . gxfS 33. Nc 7/
Now the newly freed bishop is 1 7. . . c6
threatening to come to d5 with check. Black introduces tension.
33 . . RcB 34. Rxd4/
. 18.c4
And White adds to it! Keeping
the e4-d5 pawn chain restricts the
b7-bishop and other pieces indirectly,
as well. White will maintain a space
advantage and Black will find it
difficult to find decent squares for
his pieces.
18 . . . Nb6 19. Qe2
Maintaining the tension,
defending the c4-pawn and
connecting the rooks.
19 . . . bxc4/?
Black releases the tension with
the hope that the pressure on the
Chapter 7: Maintaining Tension 1 61

c4-pawn will give him adequate 24 Nac5 25. Bfl Rf8 26. Rdll
• . .
counterplay. Patience ! When our opponent

19 . . . cxd5! would have been a more has no active counterplay we should
active way of releasing the tension. improve our position slowly. Since
20.cxd5 Nbxd5! The concrete follow White has calculated that 26 . f5 is
. .
up. 21.exd5 Nxd5� It may not be not possible, he puts more pressure
immediately clear what Black has on the d6 -pawn.
achieved from his sacrifice, so here 26. . . a4
are some sample lines: 22.Racl (22. All pawn moves create weak
Be4?! Nc3 23. Bxb7 Nxe2+ 24.Nxe2 squares, and this is no exception, as
d5! 25.BxcB Qxc8+ and Black gains now b4 is weakened.
the upper hand because of his strong 26 ... f5? would be met with 27.dxc6
central pawns and the uncoordinated Rxc6 28.Qd5++-
White pieces.) 22 . . . Nxe3 23.fxe3 (Or 27. Nel/�
23. Qxe3 d5�) 23 ... e4 24.Nd4 Qg5
25.Nfl Bxd4 26.exd4 f5� Black's
protected passer will be a constant
annoyance in White's position.
20. bxc4 a5 21.Rabll
Heading for the weakened b4-

square.
2 7. . . h5 28.f3
Black was threatening to play h5-
h4 and win the e4-pawn. We should
This is the drawback of Black make pawn moves only with a clear
releasing the tension with 19 . . . bxc4: reason, otherwise focus on piece play.
with the pawns still on b3 and b5, 28 . . . ReB 29. Nc2
Rbl would have made less sense. 29.dxc6 Rxc6 30.Nc2 was also
21 . . . Nfd7 22. Bd3 very good for White.
Again just calmly improving his 29. . . BfB 30. Nb4±
pieces without releasing the tension. Mission accomplished.
22 . . . Ba6 23. Recl Na4 24. Qd2/ 30 . . . Bb7 31. Ne2
Keeping the pressure on the a5- Another knight heads to the
pawn, and also retaining the option queenside where all the action
of pulling the bishop back to fl if is taking place. Both sides are
Black plays Nc5.

maintaining the tension - Black out
of necessity and White by choice.
31 . . . QaS 32. Nc3 Ba8
Again maintaining the pawn

tension because e4 cannot be taken
due to the pressure on the d7-knight.
41 . . . fxe4 42.fxe4 Rb8 43.Bb4
33.dxc6! Red8 44. Rfl!
Here the concrete reason for Again we see the drawback of
releasing the tension is that now Black releasing the tension! With the
the d6-pawn is weak and White will pawns still on f5 and f3 this move
seize the d5 and b5 squares. would make no sense.
33 ... Bxc6 34.NbS Re6 35. NdS 44 . . . KgB 45. Bxd7
Qxd2 36. Bxd2 Bxd5 3 7. cxdS Releasing the tension, but
Ree8 38. Nc3! winning a pawn.
Backward moves are very difficult 45. . . Nxd7 46. Bxa3
to make psychologically. White is
making way for his bishop to come
to b5.
38 . . . Kh7 39. BbS a3 40.Bc6 f5
41. NbS!
And White won the game easily

from here:
46 . . . RdcB 4 7. Bxd6 Ra8 48. BxfB
Nxf8 49. Rf2 Rcb8 50. Rfb2 Nd7

51. Nc3 Rc8 52. Rb7 Nc5 53. R 7b6
R a 3 54. Rc6 Rxc6 55. dxc6 Rxc3
56. RbB+ 1 - 0
Naiditsch - Ponomariov
Dortmund 2014
25.h4/
To restrict the e6-knight, create
some attacking chances on the
kingside and give the fl-bishop a
square on h3.
25. . . Bg7 26.Bh3 c5/
Strong players are not afraid to
increase the pawn tension and often
22.Rcl welcome the opportunity to do so.
Maintaining the tension. Black would fall slightly worse
If 22 .e5 then 22 ... Nf4 with the after 26 . . . dxe4 27.Nxe4 c5 28.Ne5
idea of c6-c5 gives Black good Bxe4 29.Rxe4 Nf6 30.Reel cxd4
counterplay. 31.Rxc8 Qxc8 32.Bxd4;!;
22 . . . Nf4 2 7. dxc5 Bxb2 28. Qxb2 Ndxc5?
22 . . . dxe4 would be met with This is a serious mistake which
23.Nxe4 threatening d4-d5. 23 . . . gives White a clear advantage. When
Nhf6 24.Nxf6+ Nxf6 25.Ne5± there is pawn tension for a long period
Followed by Bc4. of moves, it can induce mistakes even
23. Bfl Qb8 from very strong players.
23 ... dxe4 24.Nxe4 Nd5 25.Ne5;!; 28 . . . Nexc5 was necessary, where
leaves Black with a weak c6-pawn. after 29.Bxd7 Nxd7 30.Rxc8 Qxc8
24.g3 Ne6 31.e5;!; White has a small advantage.
29.Ne5/±

White maintains the tension of 34 Bhl?
..•
the e4 and d5 pawns a little longer This active-looking move ends up

and tries to exploit the downside backfiring on Black.
of the move Ndc5. The e5-knight is Best was 34 . . . h5! 35.Nh6+ (Also
headed to g4 in order to target the unclear is 35.Nf6+ K{B 36. Qe5 Bhl
abandoned dark squares near the 37.Nde4 Bxe4 38.Nxe4 Qd5'f!) 35 . . .
Black king. K f8 and surprisingly after 36.Qf6
29. . . RedB 30. Bxe6/ (or 36.Rel Qb7 37. QhB+ Ke7 38. Qc3
Releasing the tension for concrete Qc6=) 36 . . . Qb7!;!; White has no
reasons. knockout blow.
The point of Black's previous 35. Nf6+ Kf8 36. Nxh7+ Kg8
move was 30.Ng4? d4! and now Nf6+ 3 7. Nf6+ Kf8 38.(31 Bxf3 39. Qa3+
does not win the exchange on e8. Kg 7 40.Nxf3 Kxf6 41. Qb2+ Ke7
30. . . Nxe6 42. Ne5
Black's king is too exposed after After a long forcing sequence,
30 .. .fxe6? 31.exd5 exd5 32.Ng4+- White can again claim a clear
31. Rxc8/ Qxc8 advantage due to Black's exposed
Not 31...Rxc8? 32.Nd7+- king.
32. Rcl ?I 42 . . . Nd4 43. Rfl f5?
Stronger was 32 .exd5! Bxd5 (32 ... The last chance was 43 . . . Qd5±
Rxd5?! 33.Ng4+-J 33.Ng4± 44.Rel+-
32 . . . QaB 33. exd5 Bxd5 34. Ng4

Black has no longer any chances
to survive:
44 . . . Qd5 45. Qb6 Rd6 46. Qc7+
Kf8 47. Nxg6+ Rxg6 48. Qe7+ Kg8
49. QeB+ 1 - 0

Chapter Summary
Chess is not a game where only the strength of the moves (or lack thereof)
alone decides the outcome of a game. It is also partly psychological and one
should try to get as much of the upper hand as possible over one's opponent.
We should try to add to our opponent's mental pressure by using specific tools
in chess; and maintaining tension is one such important tool. Playing quickly,
playing with a good amount of display of confidence, even banging the clock
assertively can be weapons which could work in our favor at the lower levels.
But as a player progresses in chess, he should add more on-the-board tools
which can add pressure to our opponent. Playing for a win every game, playing
for a win in equal positions, having good opening preparation, voluntarily
creating complications, transposing to an endgame when the opponent is not
comfortable in endgames, and taking on a lot of risk to play for the win are
such tools.
Maintaining tension between pawns and pieces also falls under this
category. Young players often release tension as soon as it appears on the board
either by fixing the pawns or exchanging the pawn creating the tension. Strong
players, on the other hand, relish maintaining tension between pawns or pieces
for as long as possible and release it only when it is clearly in their favor, or if
continuing to maintain the tension could lead to problems.
By maintaining tension, we constantly keep our opponent under
pressure by forcing him to consider at each turn, "What will happen if I release
the tension on the next move?" He has to be alert and calculate move to move
and cannot play casual or intuitive moves. By giving concrete problems for our
opponent to solve, we increase the probability of our opponent making a mistake
in calculation - or we force him to play an intuitive move without carefully
considering the consequences, and then try to exploit it to our advantage.

Chapter 8
Improving the Position of Pieces
M I am at a loss of what to do. How do I form a plan?" One simple suggestion

any chess players often ask the question, ''After the opening stage is over,
is to ask yourself, "Which is the worst-placed piece in my position?" Your goal is

then to set about improving it.
" IN SITUATIONS INVOLVING STRATEGIC MANEUVERS (WHEN THE TIME

FACTOR IS NOT OF DECISIVE IMPORTANCE ) , LOOK FOR THE PIECE WHICH
STANDS WORSE THAN THE OTHERS . MAKING THIS PIECE MORE ACTIVE
WILL OFTEN TURN OUT TO BE THE SUREST WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR
POSITION AS A WHOLE " - KosIKOV, SECRETS OF POSITIONAL PLAY
In the opening, we mainly focus on developing our pieces quickly but

sometimes we don't put them on the right squares. The early middlegame is
the time to set them right. When we improve the position of a single piece, we
also improve our position as a whole, in the process. Good positional chess is
about improving our position bit by bit and at the same time taking care not to
allow our opponent to do the same. Thus, prophylaxis and improving our pieces
play a crucial role in positional play.
We can see many players complaining that they get good positions but
are unable to win them. Combining prophylaxis and improving one's pieces
will surely help to overcome this problem in technique.
We often find young players too enthusiastic about advancing pawns
in their games. While in a sense it shows that the player likes to play active,
aggressive chess, which in itself is a good thing, pawn moves are not always
advisable. In positions where we have long-term positional advantages, and in
positions without pawn breaks, it is more important to play calm, quiet chess.
A combination of prophylaxis and piece improvement would be a better way to
handle such positions.
168 Chapter 8: Improving the Position of Pieces

Whenever we feel the urge to make a pawn move, we can try asking
ourselves if a better piece move is available in the position; and given a choice
between a pawn move and a piece move, choose the latter. Not for nothing do
they say, "Once a pawn moves forward, it cannot be taken back."
Pawn moves are advisable when we are trying to launch a pawn attack
on our opponent's kingside, for seizing initiative, for advancing our pawn
majority to create a passed pawn, for seizing space, for advancing a passed
pawn, and for controlling the center or an important square.
In positions where pawn tension is already present on the board and
where forcing moves (checks, captures, threats and pawn breaks) are possible,
calculation is a necessity. In positions where forcing moves are absent and
there are no present pawn breaks, using logical thinking with knowledge of
various chess principles will be the ideal way to find the best continuation.
To play logical chess, as I mentioned earlier, a sound knowledge and
understanding of chess principles is necessary. I strongly suggest to readers:
give importance to prophylaxis along with the drawback principle, improve
your pieces and when all your pieces are improved, change the pawn structure
in the position.
We will explore the topic of prophylaxis in the tenth chapter. Regarding
improving pieces, we need to know how to identify active and passive pieces
first. This has been handled in Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position, under
the section "Activity of Pieces".
Now that we know how to identify active and passive pieces, we should
prioritize the order in which they should be improved, in case more than one
passive piece is present on the board. I was taught the following order in a
FIDE trainer's camp a few years back, which I find very useful:
The Order of Improvinl{ Pieces
1) WORST PIECE
2) QUEEN
3) RooK
4) KING
5) MINOR PIECES
The logic is simple to understand. Let us assume three patients come to

a doctor at the same time for treatment. One has a migraine, one has a fracture
in his hand, and one has a severe head injury. In which order should the doctor
treat the patients? Obviously, the one with the head injury gets top priority,
followed by the one with a fracture in his hand, then finally the one with a
migraine headache.
Similarly, in any position where logical thinking is required, we need to
make use of prophylaxis more. If that is not required, then we need to focus
on improving our passive pieces. We have already seen how a passive piece
varies according to the situation. An undeveloped piece, a piece in the corner
of the board, a piece attacking a pawn which is defended by another pawn, and
Chapter 8: Improving the Position of Pieces 1 69

a knight restricted by pawns of either color are usually are the worst placed
pieces in any position. They should always get top priority when you're trying
to improve your position. If there is no "worst piece" in the position, then the
biggest piece gets priority. Given an option between playing with a bad bishop
or a bad queen, playing with a bad bishop is preferable. By the same logic,
after improving the queen's positioning, we need to focus on the rooks. After
the major pieces have found better squares, we have a small twist. We need to
improve our king position first, and only after, do we seek to improve the minor
pieces.
When we improve our major pieces, sometimes the king position becomes
vulnerable due to the presence of a back rank weakness. To avoid this, first
clear the back rank of any weaknesses by moving a pawn near the king. (When
your opponent has only one bishop, it is better to keep the pawn(s) near our
king on the same color as the bishop to eliminate checks) Now, we are ready to
reposition the minor pieces. Even in endgames, given an option to improve our
king or minor pieces, we should improve the king first. The exception is if any
of the minor pieces is the "worst piece," then it should get priority.
We should not blindly follow this order, of course. It is only a guiding
principle. But it works say 80% of the time, which is a very good success rate!
When we identify the worst piece and improve it, we must be cautious
of our opponent's reply. If his reply makes any of our pieces the "worst piece",
then again, we have to fix the position of this piece before moving down the list
to the queen. At every move we should ask ourselves, which is my worst piece?
Only when there are no ''worst pieces" present, do we move to the next in the
order.
When we use prophylaxis and the drawback principle (Chapter 10),
we're denying our opponent the opportunity to improve his position. When we
employ the improving pieces method we improve our position as a whole. This
combination of denying our opponent a chance to improve his position while
we improve ours increases our advantages to win. If we learn to get better in
the art of improving pieces and in prophylaxis, our positional play will improve
significantly.
1 70 Chapter 8: Improving the Position of Pieces

Grachev - Popov
Biel 2009
Instead of automatically
recapturing, White puts two more
What is White's worst-placed pieces en prise!
piece? The c3-bishop looks bad but is 27. . . hxg5 28. Rxd7!
fulfilling an important function by Neither 2 8.Rd3? Nxe5
defending the a5 and e5 pawns. The nor 28.Bd3? Kg8 are sufficient for
knight on f3 is somewhat restricted White.
but is also well-placed for defense as 28 Qxd7
• • •
well as a potential kingside attack. After 28 . . . Rxd7 White wins with

In this position White chose to ignore 29.Qh5+! Kg8 30.Bxe6+ Kf8 31.QhS+
the attacked pawn on a5 and played Ke7 32 .Qxg7++-
25. Qc2! 29. Rxd7 Rxd7 30. Qh5+ Kg8
Declaring his intention to attack 31. Bxe6+ Kf8
Black's king.
25. . . Bxa5
25 . . . Nxa5? 26.Bxe6+-
26. Qg6! Bxc3 2 7. Ng5!

82.Bxd7 Lysyj - Stubberud
Perhaps even stronger was European Club Cup 2010
32 .bxc3!?+-
82. . . Bxe5 83. Qxg5 Rd8 34. Qf5+ 1 .Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7
Bf6 85. h3 4 . e4 d6 5. d4 0 - 0 6. h3 e5 7. d5 a5
8.g4 Na6 9. Be3 Nc5 10.Nd2 Bd7
11. Be2 c6 12. h4 cxd5 13. cxd5 a4
14. a8 Qa5
From here White went on to

convert his material advantage:
85. . . Ne7 36. Qg4 g5 3 7. h4 gxh4
88. Qxf4 Kg7 39. Qg4+ Kh6 Black threatens to capture on e4.
40. Qf4+ Kg7 41. Qe4 b 6 42. b3 15. Kfl! b5 1 6. h5! Raes
a5 43. Kfl Ng6 44. Qb7 Ne7 16 ... b4 would be met with 17.Nc4!
45. Qc7 Nd5 46. Qc6 Ne7 4 7. Qb7 Qc7 18.axb4 Ncxe4 (18 . . . Nb3 19. h6!
Bd4 48. Qe4 Bf6 49. Qc4 Kh6 BhB 20.Bb6 QbB 21.Ra3±) 19.Nxe4
50. Qf7 Rxd7 51. Qxf6+ Ng6 52.{4 Nxe4 20.Rcl Qb7 21.Kg2 Nf6 22.Nxd6
Kh7 58.{5 Nh8 54. Qxh4+ Kg8 Qxd5+ 23.Bf3 Qxdl 24.RhxdU
55. Qg5+ 1- 0 1 7.g5 Ne8 18. hxg6
White didn't want to allow 18.Kg2
f6!+t
18 . . . fxg6 19. Kg2 Rf7
Again if 19 . . . b4 20.Nc4! Qc7
21.axb4 Nb3 22.Nb6+- and White's
pieces are dominating.
20. Rh4!

Intending Nel-d3 , taking
control over the b4-square and also
supporting a later f2-f4.
25. . . RcB 26.Nel Rc7 2 7. Nd3
Rc2 28. Bdl Rc7 29. Ndb4! Nc5
30. Nc3!
White's knights work together to
lock up the queenside.
30 . . . RcB 31. Be2 RbB 32. Nc6!
Bxc6 33. dxc 6 Nc 7 34. Nd5 Nxd5
35. exd5+-
Since for the moment Black's

counterplay with b5-b4 is under
control, White continues with his
own play on the kingside.
20. . . BfB 21. Qhl Rb8 22. Na2!?
Spending another move to stop
Black's counterplay.
Stronger was the straightforward
22 .Qh2! b4 23.Nc4 Qc7 24.axb4
Rxb4 25.Rhl Bc8 where White has
the beautiful breakthrough 26.Nxe5 !
dxe5 27.d6! Bxd6 28.Nd5 Qb7
29.Nxb4 Qxb4 30.Rxh7+- 35... Na6 36.Bd3
22 . . . Qd8 23. Qh2 Na6 24. Rhl± With the idea of Bxg6.
36. . . Rg7 37. Qg3 Qf7 38. Qf3
Qxf3+ 39. Kxf3 Nc7 40.Rb4 Nxd5
41. Rxb5
Of course not 41.Bc4? Rf7+!+
41 . . . Rxb5 42. Bxb5 Nxe3 43.fxe3
1-0
24... Qe7 25.Nf3
Chapter 8 : Improving the Position of Pieces 1 73

Geller - Keres
Petropolis Interzonal 1973
1 . c4 c 6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3

e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3
Nd7 8. Bd3 Bb4 9. 0 - 0 Qe7 10. a3
Bxc3 11. bxc3
Stepping out of the potential pin,

connecting the rooks and preparing
a later Qa3 or Qb4.
15. . . Bd7
Of course now 15 . . . Bg4 can be met
with 16.Ne5
16. Rfbl Rab8 1 7. Qa3!±
Timing is everything: White
11 ... 0-0? goes for this exchange only after the
It was better to start with developing move Rfbl.
ll.. .dxc4 12.Bxc4 and then castle: 1 7 Qxa3 18. Rxa3 c5 19. Ra2!
•••
12 . . . 0-0;!;; White wants to double on the

12. cxd5 exd5;!;; b-file but could not play 19. Rab3 due
White has the semi-open b-file to c5-c4.
and can put the b7-pawn under 19. . . RdcB 20. Rab2 Rc7 21. h3!
pressure. The dark squares in the After improving the rook, White
center and queenside are weak for eliminates his back-rank weakness.
Black and White can hope to gain 21 . . . Ne6 22. NeS BcB 23. Bf5
control of them with correct play. It
is very difficult for Black to generate
his own counterplay on the kingside
or in the center which means he will
be doomed to passive defense.
13. a4!
White aims to play a5 and fix
the pawn weakness on b7, and also
clears the a3-square for a possible
later occupation by his queen.
13 . . . RdB 14. aS NfB
Threatening Bg4, trading off the
bad bishop.
15. Qa4!

28 . . . Nc7 would be met with 29.Rc3
29. Nc 6 Rb7 30. Bxd5 Bd7 31. Ne5
Ba4 32. Bxb7 Bxb3 33. Nd3 Ke7
34.Nxb4 Kd6 35.(3 f5 36.Bc8 g5
3 7. Bxe6 Bxe6 38.(4 gxf4 39. exf4
Bc4 40. Kf2 Be6 41.Kf3 Bb3
42.g4 Ke6 1 - 0
Landa - Svane
Politiken Cup 2010
We can clearly see the difference

in the activity of the pieces for both
sides.
23 . . . Kf8 24. Bg41
Rerouting to f3 to target the d5-
pawn.
24 . . . cxd4 25. cxd4 Rc3
Black has to go for active
counterplay.
25 . . . Ke7 is insufficient after
26.Bf3 Kd6 27.Rb5+-
26. Rb3/ Black is ready for the freeing
Preventing all counterplay by pawn break c6-c5.
exchanging Black's only active piece. 1 7. Bfll
26. . . Rxb3 27. Rxb3 b5 28. Bf3+- Prophylaxis against c5.
17. . . Ne7
17 . . . c5 would be met with 18.c4!
Ne7 19.d5±
18.c4
Again preventing c5.
18 . . . Rfd8
The fight continues, by covering
the d5-square Black again threatens
to advance his c-pawn.
19. c5/ Rd7
Intending to double rooks on the
d-file and play Nf5 to put pressure on
the d4-pawn.
20. Bd3 ?/
20.Ng5 !? was stronger: 20 . . .
The rest is easy. bxc5 (20... h 6 21.Ne4±) 2 1.dxc5 Rd5
28 . . . b4 22.Bc4±

20 . . . RadB 21. Qc2 h6
26.Bc2?!
26.Bxd5!? was a serious
22.Bh7+! alternative, since Black has just
A typical idea, driving the king to made the weakening pawn move
the corner where it does not protect b4, giving White the option of
f7 and is farther from the center in switching plans and playing to open
case of an endgame. the queenside with a2-a3: 26 . . . Rxd5
22 . . . KhB 23.Be4 Nd5 24.Rcl 27.a3 bxa3 28.Ral±
Since Black has doubled on the 26. . . Nc3 27. Qd3 g6 28. h4
d-file, White does not want to remain Again strong would have been
in an indirect pin, so the rook to first throw in 28.a3!? a5 29.axb4
moves to the c-file where it protects axb4 and then 30.h4 as White can
the c5 -pawn. White also prepares hope to later make use of the open
to create mating threats with the a-file.
maneuver Qe2, Bbl and Qe4. 28 h5 29. Bb3
• • •
24 . . . b5 25. Qe2 Defending the a2-pawn and also

Another point of 24.Rcl is that preparing a possible sacrifice on e6.
now Black cannot play Nc3 . 29 . . . Qa5
25.g4 is an interesting way
to play for a direct attack on the
kingside, but White does not want to
complicate the situation and instead
slowly prepares an attack, since
Black has no obvious counterplay.
25 b4
. • •

30.Qe3?! The final breakthrough.
Stronger was the immediate 45. . . Nc3 46.gxhS! Nxe4 47. Qxe4
breakthrough 30.Ng5! Rf8 31.Bxe6! Rd5 48. hxg6 fxg6 49. hS Rf7
fxe6 32.Qxg6 Qxa2 33.Rc2 ! Qb3 50. Qxg6+ KfB 51. h6 Ke7 52. Qg5
34.Qh6+ Kg8 35.Nxe6+- 1- 0
30. . . Kg 7 31. Qg5 ReB 32. Qf6+
KgB 33. Qf4! Koneru - Kononenko
Gaining a tempo due to the threat Women's European Club Cup 2010
of Qh6 and Ng5.
33 . . . Kg7 34. Rc2 QdB 1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4.Nc3
A better defense was 34 . . . Ba6 but a6 5. Qc2 b5 6. b3 e6 7. Nf3 Nbd7
still after 35.Re3 Ndl 36.Rd2! Nxe3 8. Be2 Bd6 9. 0 - 0 0 - 0 10. e4 dxe4
37.fxe3± Black will not be able to 1 1 . Nxe4 Be7
defend the kingside.
35. Bc4 a5 36.Rd2 Qe7 3 7. Qe3
RaB 38. Qd3 QdB 39. NgS Nd5
40.g3 Nc 7 41.Ne4 Ba6 42. Bxa6
Rxa6 43. Nf6 Nb5 44. Re4! Raa7
45.g4+-
12.Bf4
Highlighting the drawback of
Black's previous move.
12 . . . Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Bb7 14. Rfdl

This makes it more difficult for 1 7. Ne5 a5
Black to achieve the standard c6- If now 17. . . c5 then 18.dxc5 Qa5
c5 or e6-e5 pawn breaks. In many 19.c6! Bxc6 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 21.Bf3±
openings, especially with the Black With the pair of bishops and a
pieces, it is important to achieve a protected passed pawn, White is
certain pawn break in the center clearly better.
at the right time, or else risk being 18. Bf3
stuck with a passive position.
14 . . . RcS 15. a4!
By keeping pressure on the
b5 -pawn, White inhibits the c5 pawn
break. Without playing c5 Black will
be doomed to passivity. To enable
this break, Black has to drive the
queen on e4 away or defend the b7-
bishop and release the tension on the
queenside with either b5 -b4 or by
capturing on a4 or c4. In the latter
case, White would gain control of the
b-file.
15 . . . Nf6 16. Qbll
There is no pawn break for White

in the position, so White should keep
an eye out for Black's ideas and also
continue improving his own pieces.
18.Ra2 !? Qb6 19. Rad2 was
another way to handle the position,
followed by Bf3 . This is another
advantage of 16.Qbl over 16.Qc2 .
18 . . . Qb6
Defending the b7-bishop and
threatening c5.
19. Qc2 ?!
19.c5! Qa7 20.Qc2± was the
correct move order.
16.Qc2?! would feel uncomfortable 19. . . RfdS ?!
opposite the rook on c8 and also after 19 . . . c5! was Black's last chance for
a pawn trade on c4 White would not this pawn break, which would give
already have control over the b-:file: his pieces some space to breathe:
16 . . .bxc4 17.bxc4 c5!+t 20.d5 Bd6 21.Bg3 Rfe8! with the
16 . . . b4 threat of 22 . . . exd5 would have given
After 16 ... bxc4 17.bxc4 the Black adequate counterplay.
b7-bishop is now under attack. 20. c5! Qa7 21. Nc4!
17 ... Ba8 18.c5! and Black's bishop
looks terrible.

Although this knight was looking Black has only one good piece, the
very good on e5, it was blocking the knight on d5, so White removes any
diagonal of the f4-bishop. possible target for it. Even if Black
21 . . . Nd5 22. Be5! plays Nc3 , it will not attack anything.
Provoking f7-f6, which would 25 . . . {6
weaken the e6-pawn and also Black decides to finally do
prevent Black from later playing Bf6. something, but it ends up weakening
22 . . . RfB his position anyway.
Black indicates that he does not 26. Bd6 Bxd6 2 7. Nxd6 Bd7
have an active plan and is struggling 28. Be4!
to find good useful moves. As we Provoking further weaknesses in
have learned in previous chapters, Black's kingside.
in such situations we should not try 28 . . . {5 29. Bf3
to force things, but instead slowly Also completely crushing would
improve our position and only after be 29.Bxd5 cxd5 (or 29. . . exd5
all our pieces are in the best positions 30.Re7+-) 30.f4+-
should we play more concretely. Keep 29 . . . Qc7 30. h4
in mind that it is more difficult Clearing the back rank and
to defend such positions than to further cramping Black on the
"prosecute" them. kingside.
23. Rel 30 . . . Rf6 31. Rd2 Bc8 32. Rde2
Trying to improve both rooks. Bd7 33. Qc4 Ra8 34.Re5
23.Bxd5 cxd5 24.Nd6± was Slowly increasing the pressure.
also possible but as I mentioned 34.Rxe6? would be unnecessary
earlier, we should not force things and ineffective: 34 . . . Bxe6 35.Rxe6
in dominating positions where the Rxe6 36.Bxd5 cxd5 37.Qxd5 Rae8
opponent has no counterplay. 38.NxeS Qf7-+
23 . . . RcdB 24.Radl Bc8 25. Rd3! 34 RafB 35. Qa6 Rb8 36. Nc4+-
. • .

Muminova - Hou Yifan
Women's FIDE Grand
Prix Sharjah 2014
I . e4 c5 2. Nf8 Nc 6 8.Bb5 g6
4. 0 - 0 Bg 7 5. c8 Nf6 6. Rel 0 - 0
7. h8 Qb6 8.Ba4 R d B 9.d8 d5
IO.e5 Nd7
White wins a pawn and with it

the game.
86 . . . BcB 8 7. Qxa5 Qb7 88. Bxd5
cxd5 89. Nb6 Qc6 40. Qxb4 Ba6
41. Qa5 BcB 42. Qb5 Qc7 48. a5 f4
44.f8 h6 45. Qe2 RfB 46. b4 QdB
47. h5 Bd7 48. b5 BeB 49. Rxe6
Bxh5 50. Re7 Bf7 51. Nd7 Qxa5
52. NxbB RxbB 58. Rxf7 Kxf7
54. Qe6+ KfB 55. Qd6+ 1 - 0 II.d4
Bad would be 11.e6? fxe6 12.Rxe6
Nde5+
11 . . . NfB
Note that Black has not exchanged
pawns on d4, which would only free
the c3-square for White's knight.
12.Na8
12 .dxc5 Qxc5 is possible but
would leave White's e5-pawn weak.
12 . . . cxd4!
Now that Nc3 is not possible,
Black exchanges on d4.
18. cxd4 Bf5

makes some preparatory moves in
this direction. 18 . . . Kh8 allows Rg8,
preparing a later g6-g5 .
19.BbS Bh6 20. Be2 Ng7 21. NbS
Nf5 22. Nc3 e6
Defending d5 and freeing the d8-
rook for an active role later on, as
well as vacating the e7-square for the
c6-knight.
23. Bg4 Nh4 24. Khl RgB 25. Rcl
BfB
Black's pieces are noticeably more

comfortable than White's.
14. Be3 Ne6/
Tying White's queen to the
defense of the d4-pawn.
15. Qd2 Be4 16. Radl Bxf3
Even stronger was 16 . . . f6! 17.exf6
Bxf3 ! 18.fxe7 (Or 18.gxf3 Bxf6+) 18 . . .
Nxe7 19.gxf3 Nf5 20.Khl Rf8+
17.gxf3 RacB 18.f4 KhB
In order to drive away the g4-

bishop with h7-h5 and cover the
weak c5 and d6 squares if White's
knight tries to access them later.
26. Redl QdB 2 7. Qe2 Rg7/
Preparing h5.
The immediate 27 ... h5?? would
run into 28.Bxh5!
28. Na4 h5 29. Bf3 Nf5 30. Bg2
Both players have completed

development and there are no pawn
breaks in the position. Hence both
players should try to improve the
position of their pieces. Black wants
to relocate the e6-knight to f5 via
the moves Bh6 and Ng7, so she
Chapter 8: Improving the Position of Pieces 181

Qh4 31. Qd2 Be7 32. Nc5 g5!- + Carlsen - Mamedyarov
Gashimov Memorial Shamkir 2014
Just when White manages to

create some threats on the queenside Black threatens b6-b5 to control
Black strikes on the kingside. the light squares.
33. Nxb7 gxf4 34. Bxf4 Rcg8 16. c4!
35. Bg3 Rxg3! 36.fxg3 Nxg3+ Gaining space, opening the third
37. Kgl Bg5 38. Qf2 Bxcl 39. Rxcl rank for the c2-rook, and blocking off
Nxd4 40. Rel Ngf5 41.Nd6 Black's queen from the center. White
can also now meet 16 . . . c5 with 17.d5!
16. . . RfeS
After 16 . . . b5 17.c5!± White should
be able to generate threats on the
kingside, since Black's pieces are
completely cut off from that area of
the board.
1 7. Rdl
Now that White has completed
his development, he can focus on
creating a kingside attack, since
Black's pieces are far from that side
of the board.
17. . . cS 18. d5! exd5 19. Rxd5
19.cxd5 was also worth
41 ... Nf3+! 42. Qxf3 Qxel+ 0-1 considering since after 19 . . . Nxe5
White did not make any major 20.Nxe5 Rxe5 21 .Qxe5 Qxc2 22.Relt
mistakes in this game but Black's White's d-pawn is quite strong.
play was very impressive. She found 19. . . NfS 20. h4!
the right squares for her pieces and
chose the correct flank to focus her
play on.

The Black kingside is looking
more and more exposed. His rook and
knight are passively placed while
his bishop and queen are almost
completely out of the game.
2 7. . . Qc6
27 ... Qxa2? would be suicidal:
28.Qd7 Kf7 29.Ng6 Qa6 30.Rdl! Qxc4
31.Rd3 a5 32.Bd2! Bxd2 33.Rf3++-
28. a3 Ba5 29. Rdl Qc7 30. Ng6
Nxg6 31. Qxg6 Qf7 32. Rd3/
Helping both the kingside attack

and the defense of White's first rank.
20. . . h6 21. Be3 Ng6 22. Qd3/
The immediate 22 .h5 would allow
22 ... Ne7 23.Rd6 Nf5 so White first
plays the prophylactic Qd3 .
22 . . . Re6 23. h5 Ne7 24.Rd6 Bb4
25. Rcll
Relocating the rook to the d-file.
White ignores the threat to his a2-
pawn, putting more faith in his own
threats on the kingside and center.
25. . . Re8 Not allowing Black's bishop to
25 . . . Qxa2? just loses to 26.Rd8+ emerge on c3.
Rxd8 27.Qxd8+ Kh7 28 .Qf8+- 32 . . . a6
26. Rxe6 fxe6 2 7. Nh4/± Trading queens does not bring
Black much relief: 32 . . . Qxg6 33.hxg6
Kf8 34.f4±
33. a4 Rf8 34.g4/ Qe8 35. Rd6
Qxa4
Allowing a wmnmg
breakthrough, but Black was losing
anyway.
36. Qxe6+ Kh8 37. Bxh6/

Salgado Lopez - Caruana
lBth Pamplona International 2008
Now Black's only hope is a

perpetual.
87. . . Qal+ 88. Kg2 Rxf2+ 89. Kxf2
Qel+ 40. Kg2 Qe4+ 41. Kh8 18 . . . eS 19. Qe8 Nf6
Qhl+ 42. Kg8 Qel+ 48. Kf4 Bd2+ Controlling the d5-square and
44. Rxd2 Qxd2+ 45. KfS gxh6 putting pressure on the e4-pawn.
After 45 ... Qd3+ White's king 20. Rd2 RacB 21. Bf8 ?!
escapes: 46.Kg5 Qe3+ 47. Kg6 ! Qxh6+ Correct was 21.f3, after which
48.Kf7 Qxe6+ 49.Kxe6 and White the b7-bishop and f6-knight become
wins the queening race: 49 . . . a5 passive, so Black should immediately
50.Kf7 a4 51 .e6 a3 52 .e7 a2 53.Kg6 ! play 21...d5! 22.exd5 Nxd5 23.Nxd5
alQ 54.eSQ# Rxd5 24.Rxd5 Bxd5= with equality.
46. QeB+ Kg7 4 7. Qe7+ 21 . . . RcS 22. Radl
and Black resigned without Threatening 23 .Qxc5!
waiting for 22. . . Qc7
47. . . KgB 48. Kg6 1 - 0 Queen behind rook is a more
active configuration than rook
behind queen.
28. Qe2
Stopping Black's threat of a6-a5
and b5-b4.
28 . . . Kg7
Black cannot move the dB-rook
because of the weak d6-pawn, so
instead he simply improves the
position of his king.
24. h4 h5!

28. c8 bxc8?!
Again better was 28 . . . a5+
29. Nxc8 Be6 80. Qe8 Bb8 81. Rel
Qb4 82. Bdl Be6 88.(4 exf4
84.gxf4 d5! 85. exd5 Nxd5 % - %
As usual, it is correct to fix the

pawns near our king on the same
color as the opponent's bishop.
A thematic idea in such positions
is 24 . . . Rxc3?! although here it does
not offer enough compensation:
25.bxc3 Qxc3 26.Rxd6 Rxd6 27.Rxd6 Black i s clearly better here, but
Qxa3 28.Rb6 Bc8 29.Qd2± for some reason the players agreed
25.g8 Bc8 to a draw.
25 ... Bc6 was also possible, with
the idea of pushing a5 and b4, but
perhaps Black did not want to block
the path of his queen.
26. a4 b4+
27.Na2 Qb6
Better was 27. . . a5 28 .c3 b3 29.Ncl
Rc4 30.Nxb3 Rxa4+

Grachev - Filipovic
Hilton Basel Chess Festival 2013
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nc3 Bb7

4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3
Nxc3 7. bxc3 g6 8. e4 Bg7 9. Bb5+
c6 10. Bc4 b5?
Maintaining the tension. White

wants to capture on b5 only when he
feels he will gain the most from it.
1 6 Qc7
• . •
Black now wants to break with

e7-e5.
1 7. Bh4/
Further prophylaxis.
11.BdB?I 1 7. . . e6
White could have immediately Black is unable to execute one of
launched an attack with ll.Bxf7+! his main pawn breaks.
Kxf7 12.Ng5+ Ke8 13.Ne6 Qd7 17 e5 18.Bg3 Nd7 19.Rfdl±
•••
14.Nxg7+ Kf7 15.Bh6 Rg8 16.0-0 leaves Black tied up.

Rxg7 17.f4! Rg8 18.f5+- and 17 c5 18.Bg3 Qd7 19.axb5
•••
1 1 . . . 0- 0 12. 0 - 0 Nd7 13. Bg5 a6 axb5 20.Ne5 Bxe5 21.dxe5 Na4

22 .Qe3;!; also looks attractive for
.
Black wants to play c6-c5.
14. a4 White.
Preventing c5 by adding pressure 18. Rfdl
on b5.
14 . . . RcB 15. Qe2/
More prophylaxis.
15.Radl?! would be a sign that
White is not paying attention to
Black's idea: 15 . . . c5! 16 .axb5 cxd4
17.bxa6 Ba800
15. . . Nb 6 1 6. Bc2/

White has completed his Black has problems on all sides of
development and has a strong center the board.
which is the main feature of the 2 7. . . Rd7 28. axb5
position. After strengthening our The right time to open the
center to the maximum, we should position!
switch our attention to a flank, 28 . . . axb5
preferably the kingside, and start an Black loses a pawn after 28 . . . cxb5
attack there. 29.Nc5 Rc7 30.Nxb7 Rxb7 31.Rxa6+-
18 RfeB 19. Bg8 Qe7 20. Ne5
.•. 29.Bb8 Rf7 80. Nc5 Bc8 81. RaB
This knight can go to either Nh5 82. Bg5 h6 88. Be8 Kh7 84. e5
d3 to eye the dark squares on the It is very instructive how White
queenside, or g4 to do the same thing quietly improved his pieces and
on the kingside. Also the White denied Black the opportunity to do
queen is now freed up to access the the same.
kingside. 84 . . . Nf4 85. Bxf4 Rxf4 86. Bxe6
20 . . . Nd7 21. Nf8 Nb6 22. h4/ Qh8 87. BxcB Rxc8 88. Ra7
White obviously does not want to Qe8 89. Ne4 Qe6 40. Qe8 Rff8
repeat and take a draw. This move 41.Nf6+/ 1 - 0
attacks the kingside while making
luft for White's own king.
22 . . . Nd7 28. h5± Nf6 24.Bh4
Threatening 25. e5.
24 ... QfB 25. hxg6 fxg6 26. Ne5
Rcd8 2 7. Nd8+ -

White mates after 41.Nf6+ Kh8
42 .Qxh6+! Bxh6 43.Rh7#
Maneuverina- of Pieces
We have seen how to improve the position of our pieces. Now let us
briefly take up the subject of maneuvering our pieces. When we are improving
pieces, we usually manage to do so within a move or two, saving precious time.
Anything that involves more time to move a piece from a bad square to a good
square, we call maneuvering.
Bu Xiangzhi - Svidler Black's main problem is his king

Nanjing Pearl Spring 2008 preventing the h8-rook from entering
the game. He should find a way to
drive away White's queen without
losing time.
15 . . . NdB! 1 6. Qe3 Nf7 1 7. Rfdl
Kg 7
Black has consolidated his
kingside and the open d-file should
result in the exchange of all of the
rooks.
18. Rd5 b6!
So that the a7-pawn does not hang.
19. b3 Rhd8 20. Radl Rd6=

plays for the advantage of a passed
pawn.
23. exd5! Qxe2 24.Bb3 a5 25. d6
a4 26. Bd5±
Black has equalized and the game

was soon drawn.
Topalov - Aronian
Narijing Pearl Spring 2008
With a large positional advantage,
White was able to eventually win the
game.
22. Bc2!
White has restricted Black's
bishop, knight, and e8-rook with
his pawns on f3 and e4. It is time
to improve the d3 -bishop, which is
blocked by the e4-pawn, and also to
clear the d-file for the major pieces.
22 . . . Bd5!?
Black tries to do the same - this
bishop will be better on e6 than on
b7. But now White changes track and

Svidler - Bu Xiangzhi
Nanjing Pearl Spring 2008
1 . d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3

e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. c5 b 6 7. cxb6 Nbd7
8. Bd3 c5 9. b3 Nxb 6 1 0. Ba3 Nfd7
1 1 . 0 - 0 Bb7 12. Rcl RcB
In the time it took Black to castle,

White has brought his rook from f1
to the very useful c2-square.
15. . . cxd4 1 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 1 7. exd4t.
13.Rel/
Improving his worst piece, the
rook on fl. Black still needs a few
more moves to develop his bishop
and castle, so White uses that time
to maneuver his rook to an active
square. The long-term problems
with Black's position are that the b6-
knight is restricted by the pawns on
b3 and d5, while the light-squared
bishop is also blocked by the d5 -
pawn. It is not going to be easy to White has secured a pleasant
activate those pieces any time soon. edge, since Black's cramped
Of course not 13.Qe2?? c4 queenside remains a problem.
or 13 .Qd2?? cxd4 which both lose
a piece for White.
13 . . . Be7 14. Re2/
14.e4?! 0-0 15.exd5 would only
help in improving Black's passive
minor pieces. 15 . . . Nxd5 16.Nxd5
Bxd5 = 17.Bxa6?? Ra8-+
14 ... 0- 0 15. Rec2

Aronian - Svidler Eljanov - Alekseev
Nanjing Pearl Spring 2008 FIDE Grand Prix Elista 2008
White stands a bit worse, so 1 1 . Bd3 h6 12. Bxf6

Aronian found a nice equalizing After 12.Bh4 Black could seize
maneuver: the initiative with 12 . . . g5! 13.Bg3
20. Rb2! Nh6 21. Rc2 Ne7 e4!? 14.Bc2 (14.fxe4 Ng4 15.Nf3 Nxe3
21...f5?! would be met with 16.Kf2 Ng4+t) 14 . . . Re8t
22.Rxc6 ! Rdc7 23.Rxc7 Rxc7 12 . . . Qxf6 13. Be4!
24.N4c3± White tries to create an
22. Rc3 = imbalance in the position so that
With his maneuver, White solved he can continue playing for a win,
the problem of his passive bl-rook although in this case it is with
by adding protection to the d3-pawn some risk, as his king is still in the
while putting pressure on Black's center and he will need some time
weakness on c6. The game was later to complete development and castle.
drawn. Strong players know when they are
extending too much and when their
play is within a reasonable limit of
playing for win - at least, most of
the time!
13.Ne2 would lead to equality
after 13 . . . Bf5 14.Bxf5 Qxf5 15.Ng3
Qe6=
13 . . . Bf5 14. Bd5

Polzin - Svidler
Bundesliga 2008
l4.Bxc6 Qxc6 15.Qxe5 Bg6iii leaves

Black with plenty of compensation
for the pawn.
14 . . . Ne7?! 22 . . . Na4
Black should have tried the more Can you guess the destination of
testing 14 . . . Qg5!? 15.Kf2 e4 16.fxe4 this knight?
(16.Ne2 ?! exf3 17.gxf3 Qh4+ 18.Ng3 23. Rd2 Nc5 24. Qg2 ?!
RfeB't) 16 . . . Bxe4! 17. Bxe4 Qh4+ Correct was 24.Bxc5 Qxc5
leading to a perpetual after 18.Kf3 25 .Qe3t
Qh5+ 19.Kg3 Qg5+ 20.Kf2 Qh4+= 24 . . . Nd3 25. a4 Qb7 26. Qe4
15.Ne2 Nxd5 1 6. cxd5 Qd6 1 7. e4 Threatening b2-b4! followed by
Bd7 18. 0 - 0 '! Rda2!
26. . . Nf4/«J
The protected passed pawn o n d5

gives White an advantage, and he This knight took quite a long
went on to win. journey to come to the outpost on f4!
Black is certainly not worse now.

Balogh - Kempinski Objectively stronger was 29.Rdl
Bundesliga 2008 Qe7 30.Qxe7 Bxe7 31.Rg4 h5 32.Rg3±
29 . . . Bg7
29 . . . dxe4? 30.Bxf7+-
30. Qg5 Rxe4 31. R exe4 Rg8?
Black had nothing to be afraid
of after 31...dxe4! 32.f6 Bf8= where
White has nothing better than a
perpetual.
32.f6+-
23. Rd41-+ KgB

23 . . . Ne4? would lose to 24.Bxe7
Qxe7 25.Nxd5
23 . . . h6 24.Rh4 Kg8 transposes to
the game.
24.Rh4
This maneuver suddenly exposes
just how weak the Black king is.
24 . . h6 25. Bxh6 gxh6 26. Qg3 + U
. 32 BfB 33. QfS+ Rg6 34.Rel 1-0
•••
26.Rxh6 Kg7 27.Re3+- would have

finished the game more efficiently.
26. . . Kh7 2 7. QgS Bf8 28. Qxf6
28 ReB 29.Ne4?!
•.•

Delchev - lbrayev Kramnik - Carlsen
38th Olympiad Dresden 2008 Wijk aan Zee 2008
15. Nb3! 14 . . . Ra7

This thematic shot exposes the This shifting of the undeveloped
restricted position of Black's queen. a8-rook to d7, to cover the d6 -pawn
15 . . . Qa6 and later advance the kingside
15 ... cxb3 16 .axb3+- and the queen pawns, changes the dynamics of the
is trapped! position in Black's favor, as will soon
16.Nc5 Qa5 be seen.
After 16 . . . Bxc5 17.Bxf6+ Kxf6 15. Bb2 Rd7 1 6. R acl Nc 7 1 7.Nf3
18.dxc5 Bxh3 19.gxh3 White wins f5! 18.Nc3 g5
the d5 -pawn, with a large advantage. After defending his central
1 7. Bxc8 Raxc8 18. Nxb7 Qa6 pawns adequately, Black advances
19. Nc5± his kingside and seizes the initiative.
1 9. Qd2
No better is 19.Qe3 g4 20.Nd2
Bg5! 21 .Qxb6 Qa8 22.f3 Rb8 23 .Qf2
Ne5� with good compensation in the
form of active pieces.
1 9. . . g4 20. Nel
20.Nd4 would be met with 20 ...
Bg5 ! 21 .e3 (21.Nxc6? Bxd2 22.NxdB
Bxcl 23.Nxe6 Bxb2 24.NxfB Kx{B- +)
21...Ne5+
20. . . Bg5! 21. e3 Rff7 22. Kgl Ne8"'
With this knight journey, White

gained a pawn and went on to win.

Bartel - Lov1' k
a1ovi
. "k Open 2008
20. Ra3!±
White first douhies his rooks on
the a-file, and th�n improves the
.
position of the b2-b1shop.
20. . . Nb 6 2 1 . R�al
I' Qd7 Jill Bell
·
Rfb8 ? -
Necessary was 22 Rab8 2 3 Be3

··· ·
Bd8 24.axb5 axb5 25.Ra6±

3 Be3
JI
:
This man ver breaks the
•
.
coordination Black's pieces
completely.
23 . . . B dB 24 ' Bxb6 Bxb6
25. axbS+-
And Wh1"te soon won.
.
Chap te r 8 . Improving
· the Position
. . of Pieces 195
Djuric - Yusupov
Sarajevo 1984
42.b6
42 .Rh5 would be met with
42 . . . Bg3!-+
Black is about to lose his d5 -pawn 42 ... Rxb6 43. Bh4 Rbl+ 44. Kg2
but he finds a good way to relocate Rb2 45. Kfl Kg6- +
his pieces and exploit White's weak With his king ready to join the
king position and uncoordinated action, Black was able to convert his
forces. advantage.
36. . . ReB!+ 3 7. Rxd5
If 37.Rb7+ then 37 . . . Kf6 (or
even 37. .. KgB!? 38.Bh6 Nf5 39.Bg5
RaB+) 38.Rb6 Ne4 leads to Black's
advantage, for instance 39.Bf4 Re6
40.Ne2 Kf5 41.Bg3 Nf6! 42.Rxd6
Rxe2+ 43.Kfl Re3 44.Be5 Ne4
45.Rxd5 Rxc3+
37. . . Ne4 38. Bel Rh8!
The White pieces lack harmony,
while Black's coordinate perfectly
and are poised to exploit the
weaknesses in White's position.
39. Kfl
The best chance was 39.Nf3 !?
gxf3+ 40.Kxf3 Re8 41.b5 Kf6 42.b6
Ng5+ 43.Kg2 Nf7+ but Black retains
good winning chances.
39. . . Rh2 40. b5 Rb2 41.Ne2 Rbl!

Sorokin - Ramesh Ramesh - Kunte
Commonwealth Chess Goodricke Open Kolkata 2001
Championship Sangli 2000
40. Bd3 Nh5 41. Bc2! h6 42. Bb3±

20.Nfl b4 21. Ne3 Qg5 22. Qe2! This maneuver has helped White
White has the better pawn improve his "bad" bishop on e2 and
structure but all of Black's pieces put pressure on Black's kingside.
are active (except for the a5 -knight). 42 . . . Nf4 43. Bxf4 exf4 44. e5!
He needs to coordinate his pieces Securing the d6-square for the
and cover all his weak spots while White rook.
focusing on Black's weak d6 and 44 . . . g5
b4 pawns. That is achieved by the White's idea was 44 . . . Bf5
regrouping starting with 22 .Qe2 . 45.Rd6 !±
Also interesting was 22 .h4!? Qc5 45. Qc2!
(22 ... Qf6 23. Qg4±) 23.Re2!± with a Exploiting the drawback of
potential threat of Ndf5 . Black's previous move.
22 . . . Qc5 23. Qd2± 45 . . . Be6 46. Bxe6 Rxe6 47. Qf5
Black's weak pawns on d6 and Be7 48. h4!+ -
b4 give White a clear advantage,
although he later misplayed the
game and only drew.

Capablanca - Yates
New York 1924
Breaking the kingside completely

open. Black is defenseless.
48. . . Qa7 49. hxg5
Even stronger was 49.Nd4+- This is a famous game from the
49 . . . hxg5 50. Nxg5 Qal+ 51. Kh2 past in which the White knight plays
Bxg5 52. Qxg5+ Kh7 53. Qxf4 the starring role:
Rh6+ 54. Kg3 Kg7 55. Rd6 Qc3+ 40. Nc3! Rc5 41.Ne4 Rb5 42. Ned6
56. Qe3 Qxe3+ 57.fxe3 Rh5 Rc5 43. Nb7 Rc7 44.Nbxa5+·
58. Rxc6 Rxe5 59. Kf4 1- 0 Bb5 45. Nd6 Bd7 46.Nac4 Ra7
4 7. Ne4 +·
And White went on to win.

Shomoev - Le
Russian Team Championship 2013
41.Ne5
If 41.d7 Qe6! 42 .Qxe6 fxe6 43 .dSQ
Bxd8 44.NxdS h3-+ and the pawn
32. . . RcB! promotes.
The rook was badly placed and 41 . . . Qe6!
Black immediately takes care of it. After the exchange of queens
33. Rf3 1! Black's h-pawn decides the game.
The engine suggests 33 .Qb4= 42. Qxe6 fxe6 43.Ng4 Bd4 44.Kb3
challenging Black's blockade. 44.d7 also falls short: 44 . . . Bb6
33 . . . RhB 34. Rd3 Rh5n. 45.Kb3 Kf7 46.Kc3 Ke7-+
Suddenly the position is turning 44 K(B 45. Kb4 Ke8 46.Ka5 Bxb2
• • •
in Black's favor. The seemingly 4 7. Kxa6 Bxa3 48. Kxb5 Bxd6 0-1
formidable c6-knight is in fact
not contributing much in terms of
concrete action and may prove to be
a mere spectator. The Black rook is
aiming for the g3-square and also
keeps White's pieces tied to the
defense of the d5-pawn.
35. Qb4 Qd7 36. Qe4 Rg5 3 7. d6
Rgl+ 38. Ka2 Rg3 39. Qd5 Rxd3
40. cxd3 Qxh 3 - +

Centralization of Pieces
One of the important principles in the opening phase of the game is to

fight for central control with pawns and with pieces. The player who controls
the center has better chances to realize his plans in the game. The central
squares on a chessboard are like the capital of a country. It should be firmly
under our control. Usually in the middlegame and in the endgame, it is not
possible to keep control of the center with only pawns. Central pawns get
exchanged in many cases and it becomes necessary to fight for central control
with our pieces.
Tip: A piece in the center controls more squares than it does from other
areas of the board. A piece in the center can spread its influence in all directions.
Let's see some examples to understand how the centralization of pieces

works in practical situations:
Nakamura - Bauer Qxa4 and although White can try

French Team Championship 2009 39.Bb6!? Black is safe after 39 . . . axb4
40.Qxc7+ Ke8 41.Qd8+ Kf7 and White
has nothing better than a perpetual
with 42 .Qc7+=
38. Kh2 axb4 39. Bxb4±
White has kept his extra outside
passed pawn.
39. . . Nd6 40. Bxd6!?
Also fine was 40.Qd4
40 . . . cxd6?
37. Qe4!
This poses serious problems for
Black, forcing him to find tough "only
moves" to survive (which he fails to
do).
37. . . Qg5+?
After 37. . . Qa3! Black can win the
a4-pawn thanks to the pin on White's
b-pawn. However, sidelining the
queen is not an easy decision. 38.Qb7

A better defense was 40 . . . Kxd6 and are scattered on the queenside.
although after 41.h4± the two passed If he can successfully bring harmony
rook pawns give White good winning to his pieces, then he should win the
chances. game without major problems.
41. Qb 7+ Kd8 42. QbB+ Ke7 34 NeS?
•••
After 42 . . . Kd7? White wins with After 34 Bd6? White simplifies

•••
43.Qb5+! Qxb5 44.axb5+- favorably with 35.Nb4! Bxb4

43. Qc7+ 1- 0 36.Rxd7± and here 36 . . . Rc3? can be
met with 37.a6!+-
Best was probably 3 4 Rc3 ••.
35.Rxd7 Rxb3;!; where White still has

some work to do.
35. RdSI
Centralization!
The text is much stronger than
35.Nb8? Rc3 ! 36.Rbl Bd6 37.Nd2
Rc8! 38.Na6 f5 and White has made
no progress toward untangling his
pieces.
35. . . Nc4
After 35 . . . Rxa6 36.Rxe5 Bd6
37.Rd5± White has coordinated
his pieces while Black is doomed to
Winning a second pawn, after passivity.
which the position is hopeless. 36. NbB Rc8 3 7. Nd7 Be7 38. Nb6
Karpov - O'Kelly
Caracas 19 70
White has almost finished

coordinating and here Black
blunders:
34. Rdl! 38 . . . Rc6?
Although White has an extra It was necessary to take on b6 and
pawn, his pieces lack coordination try to bring the king in for defense.

39. Nxc4 Rxc4 40. a6 Ra4 41.Ra5
1- 0
Black will have to give up his
bishop for the a-pawn.
Gustafsson - Beliavsky
Bundesliga 2009
We see from this game that

centralization at the right time
will naturally lead to an overall
improvement of the position.
Rudd - Jones
European Union
Championships 2008
20. Qd4!
Centralization!
20 . . . b5 21. cxb5 Bxb5?
Better was 21...axb5 22.Bxf6
Qxf6 23.Qxf6 gxf6 24.Nd4 Bxg2
25.Kxg2 Rxcl 26.Rxcl Nd6 27.Rc7
Rd8;t although Black still has a very
passive position.
22. Qb6 d5 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Nd4
The difference in piece activity
for both sides is noticeable. Black's
weak pawn structure is not helping
him either.
24 . . . Nd6 25. a4 Rb8 26. Qa5 Bd7
2 7. Qxa6 1- 0
24 . . . QeB!
Using White's back-rank
weakness to gain a tempo, Black
transfers his queen to the central e5-
square.
25. Qdl ?
Completely missing Black's idea.

After the best move 25.Rffl, Black of the b6-pawn gives Black counter
keeps firm control of the position chances.
with 25 . . . Qe5 26.c3 Ne3 27.Rel g3+ 34 . . . BfB
25. . . QeS 0-1 Also possible was 34 . . . Qxa2
35.QdS+ Kg7 36.Qxb6i In positions
with pawns on the same side, the
side with an extra pawn has better
chances to play for a win if he has
a knight in his possession. It is also
well known that a queen and knight
usually give more attacking chances
against the enemy king than a queen
and bishop combination.
35. Qd2 Qe4 36. Kh2 Bc5 37. Ncl
Kg7 38. Nd3
Winning a piece outright.
Karpov - Vaganian
Budapest 1973
In many positions with a knight

against a bishop, the knight is ideally
placed on a very specific square: the
square of the opposite color of the
opponent's bishop, on the third rank
of a central file. Here that square is
d3, since Black has a dark-squared
bishop. (If Black had a light-squared
34. QdS"t. bishop then White's knight would
White centralizes his queen be best placed on e3.) From d3, the
which is a good strategy to follow in knight can defend his pawn on f2
technically superior positions. and it is also ideally placed to shift
Worse would be 34.QeS+ Kg7 attention to the weakened Black
35.Qe5+ Kg8 36.Nd4 Qbl+ 37.Kh2 kingside. White does not want to
Qxa2 38.Nf5 Bf8 and the presence advance his f2 pawn since, as we
have seen earlier, we should keep

the pawns near our king on the Karpov - Grigorian
same color as the opponent's bishop USSR Championship 19 73
in order to limit opportunities for
checks.
88 . . . Qd4 89. Qe2 Bd6 40. Kh8
The immediate 40.Nf4 Bxf4
41 .Qg4+ Kh7 42 .Qxf4± was also
possible.
40. . . Qd5 41. Nf4 Bxf4 42.gxf4±
80.Qe4!?
Another approach to the position
would be 30.Rb2 Bf5 31.Qcl Qe5
(White was threatening to play
32 .Rb4 with tempo to protect his rook
and release his bishop from the pin.)
(Worse would be 31 . . . a5?! 32. Qc7 Qxb2
From here Karpov showed 33. QxbB+ Kh7 34. Qf4 Be6 35.Be4+
good technique and won the game g6 36. Qe3± with centralized pieces
comfortably: and an extra pawn. White should try
42 . . . KfB 48. Kg8 b5 44. Qb2 Qd8+ to advance his h-pawn in the near
45. Kh4 Qd8+ 46. Kg8 Qd8+ future to create attacking chances
47. Kh2 Kg8 48. a8 Qd6 49. Qb4 against the Black king while also
Qf6 50.f8! Qh4+ 51. Kgl Qh5 keeping the pressure on the a5-pawn
52. Qe7 Kh7 (the principle of two weaknesses.))
52 . . . Qf5 would lead to a winning 32.Rb4 a5 33.Qf4!? Qxf4 34.Rxf4;!;
pawn ending after 53.QeB+ Kg7 80 Qdl+ 81. Kh2
. . •
54.Qe5+ Qxe5 55.fxe5 Kg6 56.f4 Kf5

57.g3+-
58.g4 Qh8 1- 0
After 53 ... Qh3 Black resigned
before White could play 54.Qxf7+
But Black had nothing better:
53 . . . Qg6 would be met with 54.Qe4+-

31 Be6?/
•.. 33 Qxa3?!
•••
Correct was 31. .. Qd6+! 32.f4 (32. Black should have gone for 33 ...
g3 is met with 32 ... Qe6! exploiting Bd5! 34.Bxd5 Rxb2 35.QeB+ Kh7
the fact that h3 is now weakened. 36.Qxf7 where White has two pawns
33.Rd2 Qxh3+=) The more difficult and the initiative for the exchange,
line to spot (without the help of with a roughly balanced position.
an engine) is Bxh3 ! 33.gxh3 Rxb7! 34. Qe5
34.Qxb7 Qxf4+ 35.Kg2 Qg5+ 36.Kf3 Centralization again!
Qf5+ 37.Kg3 (37.Ke3 Qe6+) 37 . . . Worse would be 34.Qf4?! Re8
Qg5+= This variation does not take 34 RdB 35. Be4!
• . •
any credit away from White's play. Another centralization. The

It happens sometimes that when White king will feel safe on g2 while
we are in pursuit of ideal positional Black's king safety is much more of
moves we tend to overlook some an issue.
tactical variations which go against 35 KgB 36. RbB Qe7
..•
us, but that is more of an exception

rather than a rule.
32. Rb2 ?
The nice 32.Qf4! Rxb7 33.Rd2!
Qh5 34.RdB+ Kh7 35.Qe4+ would
have won the exchange.
32 . . . Qd6+ 33.g3
37. h4?

Correct was 37.Rb7 Rd7 38.Rxa7 !
(Less convincing is 38. QbB+?! RdB
39.Rxe7 RxbB 40.Rxan) 38 . . . Rxa7
39.Qb8+ Qf8 40.Bh7+! Kxh7 41 .Qxf8
The extra pawn on the kingside
empowers White to play for a win
with confidence here.
37. . . a5!?
In queen and pawn endgames,
possession of a passed pawn is
an important advantage which
can compensate for a shortage in
material. Here it will be Black's sole
source of counterplay.
38. Qh5
No better is 38.Rb5 a4 39.Ra5
Qb4
38 . . . {5! 39. RxdB+ Qxd8 40. Bxf5
Bxf5 41. Qxf5 a4 42. Qc2 Qa5
-* · *
White has nothing more than

a perpetual, as his pawns are not
yet ready to support the queen in
creating any serious threats around
the Black king.

Chapter Summary
Often times we hear players complaining that once the opening is over
they are at a loss in regard to what to do from then onwards. "I am not able to
make a plan - there are so many things happening that I am confused as to
where to start. What should I do?"
Once the opening is over (when all eight pieces are developed), it is a
very good idea to stop what we are doing, have a pause, and assess what has
happened so far. Has our opponent completed his development as well? Are
both kings safe? Are the pieces well placed? What about the pawn structure, are
there any weaknesses or targets to attack? Asking such questions internally
could tell us something more about the position and guide us to where we
should focus our attention.
Another way to handle an unknown situation, or a normal position
without an obvious plan, is to ask ourselves which of our pieces are badly
placed and try to improve their positioning. When we improve the position of
one badly placed piece, we actually improve the quality of our entire position.
Playing with a single passively placed piece can harm our whole position in
the long run and often in the short run too. When more than one piece is badly
placed, then the worst placed piece should take priority, after which the priority
shifts from the most powerful pieces to the minor pieces. Removing the back
rank weakness is an easy way to improve the king's position.
When all of our pieces are well placed, even if we fail to anticipate a
possible tactical combination from our opponent, more often than not we will
have a way out due to the strong placement of our forces. Who knows, the
tactics may end up in our favor as well! On the contrary, if any of our pieces
are badly placed then any complications initiated will tend to end up in our
opponent's favor.

Chapter 9
Playing on Colors
0 n a chessboard we have squares in only two colors - white and black;

and we have 32 squares of each. We are given two bishops to control these
squares adequately. It often happens that one or more bishops are exchanged
off during the course of a game. We need to adapt our play according to the
bishops that get traded off the board. If we manage to gain control of one
particular color of squares, then it gives us control of over half the board!
Ai3 soon as any one bishop leaves the board as a result of an exchange
of pieces (or sometimes as a result of sacrifice) then, at that same moment, we
should decide on which color we are going to play for the rest of the game. If
a disappearance of another bishop happens, in this case, we will return to the
color principle to guide us.
When we want to gain control of a particular color, we usually do so by
putting all our pieces on that same color. Of course, if we put our pawns on one
color then all the squares of the opposite color become weak.
Here is a general guide for knowing on which color to play on, depending
on the situation:
1. Same colored bishops for both sides: Only the bishops should focus
on their colors. All the other pieces should play on opposite colors. For exam
ple: if both sides have dark colored bishops, we should put all our other pieces
on light squares.
2. Two bishops versus bishop and knight: The side with the two bishops
should play on the colors where the opponent does not have a bishop. The side
with the bishop and knight should play on the color of the bishop.
3. Opposite colored bishops: Both sides should play on the colors of their
bishops.
208 Chapter 9: Playing on Colors

4. One bishop versus one knight: The side with the knight should play
on the opposite color of the opponent's bishop. The side with the bishop should
utilize his other pieces on the opposite color of the bishop.
5. Both sides have both bishops: When the central pawns are fixed on
a particular color, we should play on the opposite color of our opponent's
centralized pawns, and try to exchange the opponent's bishop of that same
color. For example: if the opponent's center pawns are fixed on light squares,
then we should exchange the dark colored bishops and fight for the dark
colors with other pieces.
Polzin - Motylev could consider keeping his king in

Bundesliga 2008 the center or even sending it to the
queenside if necessary.
1 6. axb5 cxb5 1 7.f4 Qb6 18. Nd2
If White tried to launch an attack
immediately with 18.g4 then Black
would have adequate resources: 18 ...
a4 19.Nd2 Qc6 20.f5 gxf5 21.gxf5
exf5+ and Rxf5 is impossible in view
of Qg6+.
18 . . . Qc6 19. Nf3 a4+
14 . . . Nc4
Both sides have dark-squared
bishops, so they should try to put
their other pieces on light squares.
15. Qe2 b5
White at some point could kick the
c4-knight with b2-b3, so Black aims
to put his pawn on a4 to stabilize the
c4-square for his knight. Moreover,
if Black castles on the kingside, With a small advantage, Black
where he does not have as many went on to win from here. In this
defenders, it is possible that White example, Black not only used his
could launch a direct attack with pieces but also his pawns to gain
f2-f4, g2-g4 and f4-f5. Hence Black control over the light squares on the
wants to secure adequate counterplay queenside.
on the queenside before he makes
the decision to castle short. If things
get too hot on the kingside, then he
Chapter 9: Playing on Colors 209

Stenersen - Tiviakov
Giovik Open 2008
When we have a positional

advantage, we should try to keep
more pawns on the board (even if
29 . . . RacB 30. Qd3 they are slightly weak) and try to win
30.Qe2 would allow 30 . . . a3 ! our opponent's weak pawns, thereby
30 . . . Rc4 ':i= transforming our weak pawns into
Since White does not have any passed pawns. The defender, on
pawn breaks, Black can slowly bring the other hand, should be trying to
his pieces to their optimal squares. exchange as many pawns as possible.
Here he wants to put the rook in 33 . . . b4?! 34.cxb4 Bxb4 35.Bf2
front of the queen on the c-file. would only ease White's defense.
31. b3 axb3 32. Rabl 34. Qe3 Bd8
White has created a weakness Since White has no counterplay,
for himself on c3 but also one for Black keeps improving his pieces.
Black on b5. An important defensive Note the order in which he improved
technique is to exchange as many his pieces: first the undeveloped
pawns as possible on the side where a8-rook, then the queen to c6, then
we are defending and aim for a the rook to d5 and finally the minor
position with pawns on only one side piece. His final task will be to tend to
of the board. the back rank.
32 . . . Qc6 33. Rxb3 Rd5 35. Rd3 h6!
Keeping the pawns near the king
on the same color as the opponent's
bishop in order to limit potential
checks.
36. Qe4 Ba5 3 7. Qe3 Ra4 38. Rdl
Qc4 39. Rdbl Ra2+

Ni Hua - Zhou Jianchao
Chinese Championship 2009
Complete domination on the light

squares! Black soon broke through
and won the game convincingly:
40. Qcl h5 41.gxh5 Rxh5 42. Rlb2 In this position White has the
b4 43. Rxa2 Qxb3 44. Qal Bb6 better pawn structure, with two
45. Ra8+ Kh7 46. cxb4 Qe3+ pawn islands versus Black's three.
47. B'f2 Qh6 48. Bel e5 49. Qbl+ A better pawn structure means
f5 50. Ra3 Bxd4+ 51. Kfl Qg6 we can exchange more pieces if
52.g3 Rhl+ 53. Ke2 e4 54. b5 Qh5 required. The only issue for White
55. Qb4 Qh2+ 56. Kdl B'f2 57.fxe4 is his kingside pawns which are on
Bxel 58. Qxel fxe4 59. Re3 0-1 the wrong color. They should ideally
be on dark squares in order to limit
the activity of Black's bishop. Also
because of the presence of the dark
squared bishops, both sides should
aim to control the light squares as
much as possible.
25 . . . Rf8 26. Qe4
Prophylaxis: Black was threatening
to play Rf5 , but now it is not possible
since the a8-rook would be hanging.
White makes sure to centralize his
queen on a light square and also
increases the pressure on the e7-
pawn.
26. . . Rae8 2 7. Rcdl Rf5
By playing 26.Qe4 White gained
one tempo by obliging Black to play
Rae8 and only then Rf5. Such small
things matter a lot in positional
play. White is not afraid of the rook
exchange and he now plays to create

a second weakness by advancing his
pawns on the queenside.
28.a4!
37.aS!
At last! The weakness on the
queenside will prove decisive.
37. . . bxaS 38. RxaS Rb8 39. RbS
If White plays a4-a5, then one Ra8 40. R b 7 a5 41.gS Bc3
of the Black pawns will become a 42. Rxe7+ Kg8 43.Ba7!
weakness on the queenside. However, A very instructive move - White
this could also weaken White's prevents Black from activating his
b3 -pawn if Black opens the b-file rook and generating counterplay.
with bxa5 , so any further advance 43 . . . Bd2 44. Bd4
should be done only after sufficient Shifting the target now to
preparation. Black's king and h7-pawn while also
28 . . . Bf6 29. RxfS gxf5 30. QdS+ indirectly defending the g5 -pawn.
Kh8 31.g4! White's piece activity is decisive.
White has a firm grip on the 44 . . . RbB 45. Rg7+ Kf8 46. Rxh7
position so he can afford to make 1-0
this risky but sound pawn break
on the kingside. It does weaken his
king, but Black is not in a position
to exploit this and moreover Black's
king could become just as exposed.
31 . . . fxg4 32. hxg4 Rg8 33. Kg2
Qe8 34. QfS Qg6 35. RdS Qxf5
36. RxfS Kg7

Short - Karpov
Dos Hermanas 199 7
25.Nc2
After 25 .f3 Nd6 !+ we see the point
of 22 . . . f4 and 24 . . . Rce6: the knight
20 . . . Rc4 21. Bd4 QbB/ cannot be taken due to the pin, and
Useful prophylaxis - see the now f5 is available for Black's knight.
explanation in the following note. 25. . . Qb7
22. Rd3 Defending the d5-pawn so Nb4
After 22.Nd2 Nxd2 23.Rdxd2 can be met with a6-a5.
Bxe5+ we would see the difference 26.(3 Nd6 2 7. b3 Nf5
between 21... Qc7 and 21... Qb8: the Black could have also grabbed the
rook on e8 is now defended by the e-pawn: 27 . . . Bxe5+
queen. Again we see how strong 28. Qd2 h51+
players pay attention to such small
but important details. If we cannot
do the small things well, it becomes
difficult to do the bigger ones well!
22. . . (4/'f. 23. Qdl Rc6/ 24.Nel ?/
24.Qb3!? should have been played,
not giving Black time to organize his
pieces with Rce6.
24. . . Rce6
All of Black's pieces have taken

up positions on light squares. Karpov
does not defend his f4-pawn with
g5, which would weaken the light
squares. Instead, 28 . . . h5 does not

commit Black to any one particular 37. . . Re3/ 38. Rxe3 fxe3 39. Qdl
plan. He simply retains the option to 39 . . . Qxc3 0-1
play for an attack with g5-g4 in the After 39 . . . Qxc3 40.Nxf5 gxf5 41.f4
future. Kg6 42 .h3 Qd2 43 .Qf3 h4!-+ Black's
For example, after 28 . . . g5 29.g3!? e-pawn is unstoppable.
fxg3 30.Qxg5 gxh2+ 31 . Khl!? the
position would be somewhat unclear.
29. Rel Malakhov - Mamedyarov
Of course not 29.Qxf4?? Bh6-+ 49 th Spanish Championship 2005
29. . . a5 30. Kfl Qc7 31. Kgl Kh7/
Black's last two moves were 1.Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4. Bg2
instructive. White made it clear that c 6 5. 0 - 0 0 - 0 6. d4 d5 7.cxd5
he does not have any active plan and cxd5 8. Ne5 Ng4 9. Nxg4 Bxg4
is content to wait for Black to declare 10.Nc3 Nc6
his intentions. In such situations,
even if we have a good plan at our
disposal, we can often postpone
executing it and instead make small
improving moves, a technique in
which Karpov is unparalleled.
32. b4 a4 33. Kfl Qc4
ll.Be3?/
Better was 1 1 .h3 Be6 12 .e4 Nxd4
13.exd5 Bd7=
1 1 . . . e51+
With this move Black seizes the
initiative.
12. Nxd5
Black has seized complete control 12 .dxe5 also led to a clear
over the light squares. advantage for Black after 12 ... d4
34. Kgl Bxe5/ 13.Bxc6 dxc3 14.Bxb7 Rb8 15.Be4
Finally, once all of Karpov's cxb2 16.Rbl Qxdl 17.Rfxdl Bxe5+
pieces are positioned optimally, he in Wang Yue-Vachier Lagrave,
wins a pawn and with it the game. Lausanne 2006.
35. Bxe5 Rxe5 36. Rxe5 Rxe5 12 . . . exd4 13. Bcl
37.Nd4 ? After 13.Bf4 Black has 13 ... g5!
Somewhat simplifying Black's 14.Bd2 d3 15.f3 Be6 16.e4 Bxd5
task.

17.exd5 Qxd5 18.f4 Qc5+ 19.Khl 28. Kfl Qd7
Rae8+
13 . . . ReB 14. Rel RcB 15. h8
Once again Black has complete

domination on the light squares.
Although this is technically a 29. Nf4 Nxf4 80. Bxf4 Bf6!
novelty, I don't think White prepared Black is still calmly improving his
this position at home. On the highest pieces. White's kingside is somewhat
level, insufficient opening knowledge airy and Black correctly takes aim at
is a huge disadvantage. it.
15. . . Bf5 1 6. a8 Qd7 1 7. Kh2 Be4 81. Qd2 Bxh4! 82.gxh4 g5!
18. Nf4 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Ne5+ Throwing everything onto the
The battle for the light squares fire! Always involve as many pieces
begins. White is going to find it very and pawns as possible in the attack.
difficult to get his pieces out and It is tempting to attack only with our
fight for the light squares at the strongest pieces but it is usually well
same time. worth it to use all the resources at
20. Nd8 Nc4 21. Bd2 our disposal, even if it takes an extra
21.b3 would seriously weaken the tempo or two.
c3-square: 21...Nd6+ 32 . . . Qh3+ 33.Kgl Qxh4 34.Bg3
21 . . . Qb5 Qh3 35.Qh6 h4 36.Rd3 Qg4 37.Kg2
Also interesting was 2 1 . . .b5 hxg3 38.Rxg3 Qf4 would leave Black
22 .Rcl a5 followed by a5-a4, securing with "only" an extra pawn.
c4 for the knight. 88.(8
22. Rbl h5 28. h4 Re4 24. Bf4 33.hxg5 would now be met with
RceB 25. Qc2 Nb6 26. Rbdl Nd5 33 . . . Qh3+ 34.Kgl Qg4+ 35.Bg3 h4
27. Bcl b 6!? 36.Qd3 R8e5!-+
As we've seen before, when the 88 . . . Rxf4 - +
opponent has no active plan, it is
often a good idea to make useful
improving or prophylactic moves
instead of rushing into something
concrete.

L'Ami - Nakamura
Wijk aan Zee 2011
1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 8. Nc8 Bb4

4. Qc2 0- 0 5. a8 Bxc8+ 6. Qxc8 b5
7. cxb5 c6 8. Bg5 cxb5 9.e8 Bb7
10. Nf8 h6 1 1 . Bh4 a6 12. Bd8 d6
18. 0 - 0 Nbd7 14. Rfcl
White's king is now hopelessly

weak and Black won without any
trouble:
84. Kg2 Qf5 85. e4 dxe8 86. Rxe8
Rxe8 87. Qxe8 Rxh4 88. RdB+
Kh7 89. Qc8 Qh8+ 40. Kf2 Qh2+
41.Kfl Qhl+ 42. Kf2 Rh2+ 48. Ke8
Qgl+ 44.Ke4 Rh4+ 45. Ke5 Rf4
46. b4 Qg8 4 7. Qd8+ Rf5+1 0-1
White should usually try to play
f2-f3 in such structures in order to
control the e4-square and restrict
Black's bishop and knight on f6. At
the right moment he can also advance
with e3-e4, as in the following game:
14.Qb4 Qb6 15.Bg3 Be4 16.Be2!
Rfc8 17.Rfcl Ne8 18.Nd2 Bb7 19.Qb3
Bd5 20.Qd3 Ndf6 21.f3 Bb7 22 .Bdl
Rxcl 23.Rxcl Rc8 24.Rxc8 Bxc8
25.Qc3 Bb7 26 .e4± So-Moradiabadi,
Lubbock 2013.
14 . . . Qb6 15. Qc7 Rfc8 16. Qxb6
Nxb 6

Now White should play on the Taking away the fl-square from
dark squares since Black does not White's king.
have a dark-squared bishop. Black, 23.(3 f5 24.Nc2 Ke7
on the other hand, should play on Nakamura uses his king to
the light squares since he has only a defend the weak d-pawn, freeing the
light-squared bishop at his disposal. c8-knight for a more active role.
17. Bg3 Rxcl+ 18. Rxcl Rc8 25. Kf2 Nb 6 26. Ke2 Nb3 27.Nb4
19. Rxc8+ Nxc8 20. h3 Na5 28. Bc2 Nac4 29.Nd3 a5
It was more natural to play 30. Bg3 Nd5 31. Bf2 g5+
20.Nd2 in order to gain control over
the e4-square, followed by f2-f3 when
White can hope to eventually play
for a small advantage. However the
drawback of the immediate Nd2 is
that Black has the possibility of 20 . . .
Nh5! = eliminating White's bishop
pair advantage.
20. . . Ne4!
If Black delayed this even by one
move then White would permanently
stop it with Nd2 .
21. Bh2 Kf8 22. Nel ?I
After this error Black gets to take
over the light squares.
White could have maintained The tide has clearly shifted in
the balance with 22.Kfl Ke7 23.Ke2 Black's favor. White's pieces are
Nb6 24.Nel= followed by f2-f3 and serving purely defensive roles, and
keeping Black's pieces at bay. he is stuck with multiple pawn
22 . . . Nd2! weaknesses on b2 and e3.
32.g4 a4 33. e4 fxe4 34.fxe4 Ndb6
35. eS?I

35.d5! was White's last chance: Landa - Burmakin
35 . . . Nd7 (35. . . exd5 would be met with Russian Championship
36.e5!?) 36.Bd4 exd5 37.exd5 Bxd5+ Higher League 2009
35. . . Be4!
1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4. Qb3
e 6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6.Nc3 Be7 7. e3
0 - 0 8. Bd3 a6 9. 0 - 0 h6 1 0. Bh4
Ne8 1 1 . Bg3 Bd6 12. Racl Bxg3
13. hxg3
Another picturesque domination

of the light squares.
36. exd6+ Kxd6 3 7. Bg3+ Ke7
38. Kdl Bxd3 39. Bxd3 Nxb2+
40. Ke2 Nd5 41. Be4 Nc3+ 42. Kf3
b4 43. Bel Nbdl 0-1 The fight for the dark squares has
begun.
13 . . . Qe7 14. B bl Nef6 15. e4
dxe4 16.Nxe4 Nxe4 1 7. Bxe4 c5
18. RfdU
Completing development and
maintaining the tension.
18 . . . cxd4 19. Rxd4 Nf6 20. Bbl
Qc7 21. Qe3!

32. Rd2!
Eying the central dark squares.

21 Rd8 22. Qe5'1!
. • .
Stronger was 22.Qf4, leaving the White has managed to keep

e5-square for the knight. 22 . . . Qe7 his dark square control and some
23 .RxdB+ Qxd8 24.Ne5± measure of positional advantage
22 . . . Qe7 23. Rcdl Rxd4 24. Qxd4 intact.
Bd7 25. Ne5 Be8 26. Qb6! 32 . . . Kf8 33.g4 '1!
Keeping control over dB, This weakening of the kinsgide
pressuring the b7-pawn, and keeping was not necessary.
the Black queen away from the Better was 33.Re2 Nd7 34.Nd3 b6
queenside. 35.Rd2!
26. . . Rc8 2 7. b4 Qc7'1! 33 . . . b5'1!
A better defense was 27 . . . Ba4 Giving White a protected passer
28.Rd4 (If 28.Rcl then 28 . . . Nd5!+ was also not necessary.
wins the b4-pawn.) 28 . . . Qc7 29.Qxc7 34.c 5 Nd5 35.g3 Qa7 36. Kh2
Rxc7 30.RdB+ Be8 31.c5 Kf8� where Qa3'1
Black can follow up with Ke7 and After the best defense 36 . . . QbB
Nd7, with a holdable position. 37.Nf3 Bc6 38.g5 hxg5 39.Nxg5 Nf6!
28. Qd4 a5 29. a3 axb4 30. axb4 Black's position is just slightly worse.
Ra8'1! 3 7. c 6!± Qa7 38. Bb3! Qxd4
Better was 30 ... Qe7;!; to keep 39. Rxd4 Ra7 40. Bxd5 exd5
pressure on White's queenside 41. Rxd5+-
pawns.
31. Bc2'1!
Best was 31.b5!;!; keeping both of
Black's minor pieces restricted.
31 . . . Ra2
After 31.. .Ba4 32.Bxa4 (Of course
not 32.Ral ?? RdB!- +) 32 . . . Rxa4
33 .QdB+ Qxd8 34.RxdB+ Kh7 35.b5!
White keeps good winning chances
thanks to his more active pieces.

lpatov - Eljanov
European Individual
Championship 2014
1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4

4. Nf3 b6 5. Bg5 Bb7 6. Nd2 h6
7. Bh4 Be7 8. e4 d6 9. Bg3 0- 0
10. Bd3 Nc 6 1 1 . Nb3 Nb4 12. Bbl
c5 13.d5 e5
And the rest was simple:

41 . . . (6 42. Nd7+ Ke7 43. Rxb5
Ra2 44. Rb7 Kd6 45. b5+- Rxf2+
46. Kgl Rf3 4 7. Kg2 Rc3 48.NbB
g6 49. Nd7 f5 50.gxf5 gxf5 51. Nf6
Bxc6+ 52. bxc6 Rxc6 53. Nh5 1 - 0
With this move the pawn

structure in the center becomes fixed,
which will decide the potential plans
available to each side. Black has two
pawn breaks to play for: f7-f5 and b6-
b5. Similarly, White can aim for f2-f4
or b2-b4 to open the position for his
pieces. The structure also dictates
the color both sides should focus
on: White's central pawns are on
light squares, which makes his dark
squares somewhat weak, while the
opposite is true for Black - his light
squares are somewhat vulnerable.
14. a3 Na6 15. 0- 0 g6
With the idea of 16 . . Nh5, gaining
.
the pair of bishops.

16.(3 Nc7

Black still does not know which Once White plays Nb5 then the
flank will be opened first, therefore bishop would not be doing anything
he does not yet commit his rooks and productive on a6. Also now the a8-
instead simply improves his worst knight can reposition itself with Nc7-
placed piece. a6-b4.
17. Ncl 24.Bb3 Nc7 25. Nb5!? a6 26.Nc3
Freeing the b-pawn to either Even though White lost time with
break with b2-b4 or defend the c4- Nb5 and Nc3 , his aim was to prevent
pawn with b2-b3 if necessary. The Black from playing Na6-b4. White
knight will go to d3, where it will is now threatening to play a4-a5
support both the f4 and b4 pawn and use the a4-square either for his
breaks. knight or bishop.
17. . . Ba6 18. b3 b5 19. Ba2 Rb8 26 . . . a5!
20. Nd3 Nh5 Otherwise White will play a5
Now that the queenside pieces himself.
have been improved and no progress 2 7. Nb5 Na6 28. Bc2 Nb4 29.Bbl
can be made there, Black switches
his attention to the other side.
21. Bf2 bxc4 22. bxc4 Na8!
As usual, when our opponent has
no active threats or pawn breaks it
is usually a good idea to improve our
pieces as much as possible before
going for concrete play.
23. a4 Bc8!
29... Nxd3?!

After 29 . . . Bg5 Black may have Threatening 44 . . . Nxg2 !
been unduly worried about the 44. Bxf4 ?!
speculative sacrifice 30.Nxc5!? dxc5 Better was 44.Bfl, where Black
31.Bxc5 but here Black can return has no immediate way to break
some material with 31...Nf4!+ and through.
seize the initiative. 44 . . . exf4 45. Rel Qe5 46. Qc3 Bf6
30. Bxd3 Nf4 31. Bc2 h5! 4 7. Qxe5 Bxe5+
Fighting for dark-square control
on the kingside.
32. Bel h4 33. Qd2 RaB 34. Bf2
Bg5
48.Bfl RbB 49.Ka3 Kf6 50.Rc2 g5

51.Ka2 g4!?
Black is slowly growing his

advantage on the dark squares.
Meanwhile, White has control of the
light squares on the queenside but
has yet to create any serious threats
there.
35. Be3 Kg7 36. Rf2 RhB!
Bringing the rook into the game
via h5.
37. Kfl Qf6 38. h3 Bd7 39. Kel
Rh5
Black continues to slowly improve
his pieces on the kingside, while
White is starting to fall into a Perhaps Black's only chance to
defensive position. win the game.
40. Bd3 Bh6 41. Kdl Rg5 42. Kc2 52. hxg4 ?
Rg3 Simply losing the game on the
Black has achieved domination of spot.
the dark squares. Necessary was 52 .fxg4 Kg5
43. Kb3 Bg5 53.Rf2 = which would leave both

sides without a good way to make
progress.
52 . . . h3! 53. Rf2 Bxb5! 54. cxb5
Bd4 55. Rc2 h2 56. Bd3 Bgl 0-1

Chapter Summary
In chess we should strive to control the position on the board through
various means such as: gaining more space, attacking the opponent's king,
having a better pawn structure, etc. Fighting for domination on one particular
color is also an important tool to use in the fight for control over the board. If
we gain control over, say, the important light squares of the position where our
opponent is weak, then we effectively control the lifeline of the position. We
can completely dominate the whole board by planting our pieces on the critical
light squares and squeeze our opponent out of the game.
When we avoid placing any of our pieces on the same color as our
opponent's bishop, we are denying that bishop an effective role in the game. In
the absence of bishops, the pawns play the crucial role of controlling a particular
color of squares. By placing our pawns on light squares, we can gain control of
the light squares but we directly weaken the dark squares at the same time.
So handling our pawns without weakening our squares is important. In the
presence of weakness on one color of squares, the bishop of that particular color
is crucial to our position. We should not agree to the exchange of that bishop
at any cost.

Chapter lO
Prophylactic Thinking and
The Drawback Principle
T appear in many different positions, as these

hroughout this book, we have seen the themes of prophylaxis and drawbacks
ideas are important and
universal in chess. In this chapter, we will get a better understanding of both
prophylactic thinking and the drawback principle. Previously this has been
said about the topic of prophylaxis:
" GENUINE POSITIONAL PLAY COMBINES THE CONSISTENT CARRYING

OUT OF YOUR OWN PLANS WITH SIMULTANEOUS COUNTERACTIONS
AGAINST THE OPPONENT'S IDEAS " - NIMZOWITSCH
"A MEASURE WHICH IS TAKEN WITH THE AIM OF PREVENTING SOMETHING

WHICH IS UNDESIRABLE FROM A POSITIONAL POINT OF VIEW " - NIMZOWITSCH
" THE ESSENCE OF POSITIONAL PLAY IS IN THE ENERGETIC AND PLANNED

EXECUTION OF PROPHYLACTIC MEASURES " - NIMZOWITSCH
" PROPHYLACTIC THINKING IS THE HABIT OF CONSTANTLY ASKING YOURSELF

WHAT YOUR OPPONENT WANTS TO DO, WHERE HE WOULD GO ON HIS MOVE , THE
ABILITY TO FIND A REPLY TO THE QUESTION THAT HAS BEEN POSED AND TO
TAKE IT INTO ACCOUNT IN YOUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS " - DvoRETSKY
We know man is a selfish animal. This is especially true in chess as well.

We all want to win games and increase our rating points without paying any
attention to our poor opponent or how he would feel after a loss. This is how it
should be in any sport.
Not paying attention to your opponent's feelings is one thing, but not
paying attention to your opponent's ideas is a different thing altogether. It
directly affects our "selfish" plans of winning the game at our opponent's cost.
Chapter 1 0: Prophylactic Thinking and the Drawback Principle 225

Chess principles are universal. What applies to one, applies to everyone
else, too. We cannot say, if my opponent puts his rook on an open file, it is
useless; but when I do the same, it matters a lot. It doesn't work that way.
All the moves we make in our games are played with the impression/
assumption that they contain some good ideas, sound logic and have good
intentions. So if we play a game with such moves, then logically we should
win that game. Isn't it so? But it doesn't happen that way all the time. This
is because most moves have good and bad elements in them. Only the ratio
varies. In some moves, the good elements are on the higher side; and in other
moves, the bad elements are on the higher side. Depending on the percentage
of bad elements in a move, we call that move dubious, a mistake or a blunder.
When there are more good elements than bad, the move becomes interesting,
good or excellent.
Imagine making a bad move against a stronger player. It is likely that
the punishment will be swift. This is mainly because he notices a mistake
has been made, and he reacts accordingly. In games between younger players,
mistakes are made on both sides quite often but the punishments don't come at
the right time or sometimes not at all. The one who makes the biggest mistake
in the end loses the game! This happens when younger players don't realize
that a mistake has been committed on the board, either by himself or by the
opponent.
When we describe a coin, if we talk only about the head and leave out
the tail, we don't get the complete picture of a coin. Similarly, when we talk of
prophylaxis, we should also talk about the drawback of the opponent's move.
Both are present in every move.
The Drawback Principle
To understand a move in its totality, we need to know how to identify the

ideas and drawbacks behind our opponent's move. Let us learn how to pinpoint
the drawbacks in our opponent's moves.
When a piece remains on one square, it is doing a certain job from that
square. It could be controlling diagonals, squares, files or ranks. When it moves
to another square, it is controlling a different set of squares, diagonals, files or
ranks. The squares, diagonals, files or ranks it abandons become the drawbacks
of that piece's move. If we can exploit some weakness in those areas, it means
we have taken advantage of the drawback of our opponent's previous move.
When a pawn moves from one square to another, the adjacent squares
become weak. When a pawn moves two squares, all four adj acent squares
become weak. (See Diagrams 3 and 5 on the following pages. )
226 Chapter 1 0: Prophylactic Thinking and the Drawback Principle

Diagram 1
In Diagram 1, we can see the squares controlled by the queen on dl

highlighted by arrows.
Diagram 2
In Diagram 2, the squares highlighted are the squares the queen

abandoned when she moved from dl to e2. Black can now exploit the drawback
of White's queen move by infiltrating with pawns or pieces.

Diagram 3
In Diagram 3, when White played e3, the d3 and f3 squares became 50%
weaker (as the pawns on g2 and c2 are still covering those squares).
Diagram 4
In Diagram 4, after White played e3 followed by g3, the h3 and f3 squares

became 100% weaker, while the d3 square is now 50% weaker.

Diagram 5
In Diagram 5, after White played e4, the d3, d4, £3, and f4 squares became
50% weaker, as White's c- and g-pawns could potentially cover those squares
when required.
Prophylaxis
Usually, prophylaxis is defined as identifying an opponent's idea and

then preventing it. I would prefer to treat it in a different way, without meaning
any disrespect to the legends who have propounded this theory.
We can include the following in our understanding of prophylaxis:
• It is asking ourselves, what is our opponent's idea? (Regarding the move

he just played on the board)
• It is asking ourselves, what he will do on his next move? What is his
general plan of action in the next few moves?
• It is asking ourselves, is there something wrong with his move? Is there
a drawback to his move or idea?
• It is realizing that a certain variation cannot be played under the
circumstances, as there is some problem at the end of it. Let's say I win a
pawn in a long variation, but I am getting mated because of a back rank
weakness. I realize this purely using calculation. Now, instead of rejecting
this variation or idea, I find a move that will allow me to use the previous
idea on the next move. So in my position, let's say I play h3, so there is no
back rank weakness and I can win the pawn using the lengthy variation on
the next move if my opponent doesn't see it.

• It is looking for the drawback of our intended move or variation. On
our turn, we must ask if there is a drawback to the move or idea which the
opponent can exploit.
• It is being aware ofyour opponent's perspective on the position. It is seeing
your opponent's move in totality with its advantages and disadvantages. It
does not necessarily mean we have to "prevent" all his ideas. Just being
aware is good enough. Whether we have to prevent his idea or not, we must
decide on a case-by-case basis.
When our opponent's idea has three moves, we can try to prevent
his moves in stages. If we fail to stop the first move, we can try to prevent
the second move of the idea, and so on. This is also considered prophylactic
thinking; andOnce we realize that our opponent's idea is not so good, it is better
to permit his idea and punish its drawback.
I would prefer to understand prophylaxis (for lack of a better term) in the
above-mentioned manner. In the traditional understanding of prophylaxis, the
preventive role gets the utmost attention. The danger with this approach is, in
my opinion, young players tend to play very passively after misunderstanding
prophylaxis to mean only prevention.
With such a narrow understanding of the term, I have seen many young
players automatically try to prevent ALL of their opponent's ideas, and in
the process, become players who only react. This could make them fear an
opponent's every idea; and they would stop assessing their opponent's idea
objectively. Not all of your opponent's ideas will be good. If there is something
wrong with an opponent's idea, we should willingly (or cunningly! ) allow it to
happen and then punish him.
We rarely get an opponent's perspective on the position; however, by
using prophylaxis (including the drawback principle), we get a complete picture
of the position on each turn.
Tips: After every move your opponent makes, spend ten seconds to find
all the different ideas behind the move. Spend the next ten seconds finding
problems with or negative aspects of his move. The next ten seconds should be
spent making a list of ideally three candidate moves, one of them tactical, if
possible. Only after this preliminary work has been done, should we start the
analysis process. With experience, we can learn to do the above process in less
than 15 seconds. Train using this method during your home preparation to get
better at this process.
Remember, prophylaxis is being aware of your opponent's ideas and

drawbacks and using prevention only when necessary.

PART THREE:
Fundamentals of
Chess Training
M days. Easier because there is now more access to information, training,

aking progress in chess has become both easier and more difficult these
tournament opportunities, more support from parents and schools, etc. At the
same time making progress is tougher, because there is too much of all of the
above, which turns out to be a big negative if one is not able to effectively
handle the excess of everything.
It is common to see many coaches and the students preferring to teach/
learn sidelines against most openings. Learning the main lines involves
assimilating a lot of information, spending more time and energy, whereas
learning sidelines involves going over fewer games comparatively, thus saving
time, effort, and energy.
When solving puzzles, it is easier to get the answer by moving pieces on
the board. When calculating variations, it is easier to stop the calculation at
the earliest possible moment than to carry it further into the position. Playing
intuitively is easier than playing after careful analysis. Working on areas we
are already comfortable with is easier than working on areas which don't come
naturally to us.
In worse positions, playing for some cheap tricks and hoping our opponent
will fall for them is easier than finding difficult moves to prolong the struggle
by means of tougher defense. Releasing the tension is easier than maintaining
tension, and studying chess by casually going through games is easier than
studying chess in a systematic manner. To get upset after a loss and giving
up in subsequent games in the guise of bad form is easier than making the
effort and finding the strength and resolve from within to make a comeback in
subsequent rounds.
When we lose a couple of games arising out of a particular opening, it is
easier to move to another opening than to dig deeper and find improvements
that allow us to continue with the same opening. Similarly it is easier for the
232 Part Three: Fundamentals of Chess Training

parents to blame the child for lack of effort or seriousness in the game than to
nurture the child's abilities and interest and guide the child towards effective
performance.
The malice runs much deeper and into the most basic of issues. The
result is being given too much importance over substance and the struggle
towards improvement. The ideal approach to success should be to first get to
a point where we deserve success rather than to achieve it by the easiest of
methods. The freedom to make mistakes and learn from them is often denied
to most kids. Losing a game or doing badly in a tournament is frowned upon so
much so that it is as if something tragic has happened that should never have
happened, when in reality losses and learning from losses is an integral part of
the improvement process.
A player is judged on a daily basis by the rating points he gains or loses
after every game. Every tournament becomes crucial and there is no opportunity
to try new things, to experiment with one self, to try other approaches to the
game. A good result is like a shadow behind the person to whom it belongs-in
our mad rush towards a good result and short term success, we constantly
chase the shadow and end up going nowhere, frustrated.
Instead of result the focus has to be on our effort. Instead of doing things
which are easier to do, we should aim to do the tougher things that are more
beneficial in the long run (studying main lines, calculating deeper, etc. )
We prepare at home not only for the reason that it will help in our
upcoming tournament but also to learn new things, to learn about ourselves
(our good and bad qualities), to appreciate the beauty of the game, learn to be
creative, to improve our analytical ability and to simply have fun with chess.
We should not lose focus on the larger things in life in our mad pursuit
towards success. Success should not be pursued directly as we will lose out on
many important aspects in the process. Success should be earned through hard
work and determination.
Our preparation at home should make us a better player, who has good
chess ethics. It should make us confident in our skills, and should prepare us
for the tough battles that invariably will come our way.
Part Three: Fundamentals of Chess Training 233

Chapter l l
Studying the Opening
T opening preparation in a player's progress in chess. In my understanding

here are different schools of thought with regard to the importance of
of the Soviet school of thought, the study of classics, analyzing one's own games,
and endgame preparation are given more weight than opening preparation.
A player goes through different stages in his chess career. Initially, he is a
beginner who learns the basics, gets a rating, competes in various tournaments,
increases his rating, achieves norms and titles like Candidate Master, FIDE
Master, International Master, and Grandmaster.
There is no disagreement that a strong chess player should have good
mastery in all departments of the game. But there is no general agreement on
whether a player should focus so heavily on opening preparation. How important
is opening preparation for players below, say, 2400 ELO? Or below 2000 ELO?
And so on. There are players who have achieved the level of Grandmaster with
a slightly above-basic knowledge in openings, and there are many players who
have phenomenal opening knowledge even at the level of 2300 ELO or less.
We have seen players who invariably get into some kind of mess in the
opening, but with their middlegame and endgame skills, they manage to turn
the initial disadvantages into decent positions or better against reasonably
strong opponents. There are players whose approach to chess is theoretical,
those who hate memorizing and learning vast amounts of theory, and those
who are neither here nor there!
Until a player reaches a FIDE rating of around 1800-2000, he should
focus not on openings, but on the middlegame. Specifically, he must learn to
calculate well, learn the basic principles of chess, learn how to develop properly
and quickly, how to play for the initiative, learn the value of the pieces, the art
of attack, play games in tournaments and in training, learn that passive play
can't always be avoided, study the classics, analyze his own games, solve a lot of
puzzles, and read books on past champions as well as middlegame thinking and
234 Chapter 1 1 : Studying the Opening

basic endgames. Until a player has reached this stage, learning the principles
of the opening is more important and building up a basic opening repertoire is
enough.
Once a player reaches around 1800-2000 ELO, he might focus a little
more on openings. He needs to build a long-term plan of choosing the openings
he would like to play when he reaches a level of 2400, and start working
towards it in a structured manner. Ideally, he should play openings that suit his
current style of play. After a player has crossed 2000 ELO, he can experiment
with openings that give him positions slightly contrary to his playing style.
This plan should be complemented by working on appropriate middlegame
positions as well.
Over the years, theory has evolved much, especially after the advent
of computers and analysis engines. In most openings, we are fast reaching
a point (or have already reached it! ) where it is not possible to remember
all the analysis that has been made or all the important games played in a
particular variation. This is a big deterrent, even for many young players, to
take a theoretical approach to the game. More and more, we see a trend where
young players prefer to learn sidelines instead of main lines as part of their
repertoire. Even the so-called "sidelines theory" is vastly expanding. Openings
like the Sicilian Rossolimo Variation, the Sicilian Alapin, the Center Counter
and Giuoco Piano were considered sidelines 20 years ago. Today, they have
evolved into main lines, with their own databank of theory. Similarly, many
openings considered to be the main line years ago have fallen out of favor
among the current generation of players.
Up until 10 or 15 years ago, players used to feel that some openings
were "good" and others "bad" for no concrete reason. But with the advent of
analysis engines, players are boldly experimenting with lines that have a "bad"
reputation, proving they are becoming playable openings.
What a player expects from an opening has also undergone a vast
change. In earlier days, anything a player played was a new and fresh idea. As
theory started evolving, new openings were found, theory developed in different
directions, many openings were tried, tested and discarded, only to be revived
later on. Some openings developed a good reputation among the top players
and some openings developed a bad reputation. Huge theoretical debates like
the case of the Sicilian Polugaevsky Variation became the norm.
Kasparov took opening preparation to a new level of importance in a
player's repertoire of study. In his era, getting an advantage right out of the
opening was of paramount importance. For a period of time, playing sidelines
was considered "chickening out," or even bad for a player's overall chess growth.
Players who courageously played cutting-edge main lines were looked upon as
role models and young players took up this approach to chess. I remember the
theoretical battles of then-young players like Grischuk and Volokitin in many
sharp Sicilian lines in the early 2000s.
Discovering novelties and obtaining small to large advantages in the
opening was in flavor until the beginning of the 2 1st century. Magnus Carlsen
has taken an approach of bringing his opponents into new positions early on,
Chapter 1 1 : Studying the Opening 235

with the plan of grinding down his opponents in simple positions, often times
extending the match into the endgame. Players like GMs Baduur Jobava and
Richard Rapport choose openings considered oftbeat by the theoreticians, yet
they are quite successful at the 2700+ level.
Even at the top level there is a huge change taking place, with players
finding it increasingly difficult to remember long variations. At times, the
critical moves that need to be remembered sometimes come as late as move 20
or 30. Add to this the multiple variation branches that need to be remembered
and the need to be able to play many different openings during the same
tournament in order to avoid the opponent's preparation. I have personally
seen 2600+ players prepare an opening in the morning and forget critical
lines during their afternoon game. These issues are not uncommon even in the
2700+ levels. Opening theory has in many ways extended beyond the human
capacity to memorize all possible variations.
As a result, getting an advantage (based on the computer's evaluation)
is becoming secondary as a growing number of players are revisiting their
expectations from the openings. Guiding your opponent into unknown
variations, getting positions familiar to you but not your opponent, finding a
new idea, being unpredictable with larger repertoires, and adding more oftbeat
lines have all become the aims of a player when preparing openings.
As far as experimenting in the opening is concerned, there are many
players, prominent among them are British grandmasters Tony Miles and
Jonathan Speelman.

GM Tony Miles as White
GM Tony Miles has played over 1000 games from the White side with
1.d4, over 300 games with 1.d4 or 1 .Nf3, and over 200 games with 1 .e4, apart
from random experiments with 1 .b3, 1 .b4, 1 . a3, 1 .g3 , 1.f4, 1 .e3, and the like.
Miles as Black a1ainst 1.d4
N % Av Perf
782 49.2 2517 2459
l . . .Nf6 452 50.3 2512 2457
l . . .d5 126 55.6 2517 2416
l . . .e6 84 46.4 2529 2473
l . . .d6 69 32.6 2567 2596
l . . .Nc6 30 50.0 2578 2495
l . . .b6 16 53 . 1 2239 2 182
l . . .b5 2 50.0 2545 2483
l . . .g6 1 0.0 2 133 2242
l . . .c5 1 50.0 2240 2310
l . . .Na6 1 50.0 2630 2635
Chapter 1 1: Studying the Opening 237

Miles as Black a&"ainst 1.e4
N % Av Perf
922 42. 0 2480 2454
1 . . .c5 403 41.1 2391 2400
1 . . .Nc6 152 30.9 2582 2608
1 . . .c6 15 1 46. 7 2522 2468
1 . . .e5 76 55.9 2533 2374
1 . . .Nf6 60 41.7 2573 253 1
1 . . .d6 31 56.5 2495 2348
1 . . .b6 22 27.3 2433 2460
1 . . .e6 15 43.3 2396 2324
1 . . .g6 6 83.3 2466 2 121
1 . . .a6 3 0.0 2545 3003
1 . . .d5 3 50.0 2040 2000

GM Jonathan Speelman as White
With the White side, Speelman has played l.Nf3 and l.d4 with around
500 games each. He has played l.e4 and l .c4 with around 150 games each.
Speelman as Black aeainst 1.e4
N % Av Perf
593 42.2 2565 2544
1 . . .c6 277 42. 1 2579 2566
1 . . .e6 109 49.5 2585 2519
1 . . .c5 104 40.4 2466 2455
1 . . .g6 35 32.9 2552 2524
1 . . .e5 29 44.8 2592 2607
1 . . .d6 20 35.0 2623 2635
1 . . .d5 11 27.3 2596 2625
1 . . . Nffl 5 40.0 2561 245 1
1 . . .Nc6 2 75.0 2569 2404
1 . . . b6 1 0.0 2370

Speelman as Black a1ainst l.d4
N % Av Perf
577 47. 1 2582 2550
1 . . .NfO 256 50.6 2566 2514
1 . . .e6 126 34.9 2592 2612
1 . . .d6 111 50.9 2607 2548
1 . . .d5 52 55.8 2582 2529
1 . . .g6 22 45 . 5 2565 2601
l . . .Nc6 6 8.3 2550 283 1
l. . . f5 4 50.0 2612 2636
B repertoire as White and Black and are quite successful with both colors.
ased on the diagrams above, we can see that these players have a broad
There are other players too, who took a very creative, non-restrictive approach
to opening theory by trying out the so-called offbeat sidelines, especially with
black, with success in their games. Still, the idea of playing side variations
did not capture the imagination of the general chess playing masses. In the
pre-computer era, players looked to world champions to set the trends for
popular openings. These days, with a larger player base of strong players,
with more tournaments, and with easy access to information, players are
increasingly experimenting with non-main lines.
The moment opening (preparation) ends and the middlegame begins has
also undergone changes. Traditionally, an opening ends and the middlegame
begins when all the pieces have completed their development. In some ways,
current opening theory ends when our memory inevitably fails us, or when we
are met with a position that is new to us in a game. Since players often don't
mind remembering long variations, opening preparation can extend well into
the deep middlegame or, in many cases, even the endgame too.
Every player needs to choose which approach he wants to take, as far as
building a long-term opening repertoire is concerned. Some of the issues that
should be considered before choosing a repertoire are: the style of the player,
the personality or age of the player, the short-term and long-term ambitions of
the player, the time available for tournament preparation, and how active or
inactive the player is.

Advantages of Playing Main Lines:
• We are able to see more games and learn all the nuances of the opening,
which increases our knowledge and understanding of the opening concerned.
• Since most of the top players from the past preferred to play main lines,
we have a long history and a giant database of main line openings. These
lines are not easily refuted with a single powerful novelty, though it is
possible in rare cases.
• We have access to a supply of good quality games with strong players
trying new ideas. Studying these games will enrich our chess thinking.
• We learn to explore new ideas in well-known and already well-tested
positions.
• Since modern opening theory is so closely related to the middlegame,
we learn many instructive middlegame themes when we learn main lines.
• We learn the habit of persistent work. We shouldn't give up on an
opening after a few damaging losses in a particular variation. Instead, we
learn to dig deeper and come up with refinements. We can discover original
ideas through tactical resources that we never suspected at the outset.
• We can keep ourselves up-to-date on opening theory. We need to study
chess on a daily basis so we don't miss out on new ideas. Basically, it keeps
us on our toes !
Drawbacks of Playing Main Lines:
• Vast theory is accumulated over the years, stretching our memory to its
limits.
• It is very easy to forget key ideas or confuse the move order in certain
lines.
• Choosing the best continuation out of many options that suits our style
of play can be a very demanding task.
• New ideas are constantly tried out on a weekly or even daily basis in
topical openings. Keeping oneself updated requires a player to study games
and examine the ideas on a frequent basis. This is often a difficult task for
amateur players who have commitments in life other than chess.
• With new games being played by top players on a regular basis, it is easy
to miss key developments in some lines, which could prove costly at times.
Advantages of Playing Sidelines/Offbeat Lines:
• Since sidelines are not often part of a very strong player's repertoire,
we have comparatively fewer games from which to learn the opening. As a
result, it does not take much time to learn these openings, which is a boon
for players who have less time for chess preparation.
• It is easier to remember these lines as compared to the huge amount of
theory that comes with main lines.

• Better chances for scoring upsets. Stronger players, in general, are
well-prepared in principled lines. It is easier to catch them off guard with
sidelines, at least in the opening.
• Since there is considerably less theory that needs to be remembered in
a sideline, we can prepare several different sidelines to make it difficult for
our opponent to guess which opening we will be playing on a particular day.
Drawbacks of Playing Sidelines/offbeat lines:
• Since we have fewer games to study, our understanding of the structures

that arise from the opening will be correspondingly minimal.
• By playing sidelines, we are in some ways taking a shortcut to preparing
our openings. If we aren't careful, it is likely that we may find ourselves
taking a similarly lazy approach to understanding other parts of the game,
as well. The tougher-to-learn things in chess may not find their place in our
preparation.
• If our repertoire is not broad enough, it is easier for our opponents to
guess our opening choice for the game and prepare against us.
• If it is easy for us to prepare a sideline, it is equally easy for our opponent
to prepare a refutation against the line.
• It is possible that sidelines can be refuted, or at least neutralized, with
some good ideas that have not been tried before.
• Playing more than a few games in the same line makes the opening
lose its surprise value. We must constantly be on the lookout for greener
pastures all the time.
Nature of the Openings:
When I attended a FIDE trainer course some years back, one of the faculty
members warned that it is not advisable to teach young players the Caro-Kann
Defense as Black because the young player will not learn to appreciate the
value of fighting for the center with pawns. Another coach remarked that it is
not advisable to teach the Dutch as Black, since the young player won't learn
the importance of king safety. Some say the Sicilian Dragon is too risky, the
Petroff is too solid, the Grunfeld is too theoretical, the Scotch Gambit is too
drawish, the Berlin defense is too boring, etc.
Every opening has its own natural characteristics that define the
type of positions that may arise from that opening. Though these positions
are being constantly changed by human endeavors, they still contain certain
characteristics. While a player's natural style exists in his training and
tournament games, it is our goal to become a well-rounded player in all styles
and be able to play all positions.
In the short run, it makes sense to choose openings that match up with
our playing style at that point in time. In the long run, however, we should add
openings contrary to our natural playing style after doing enough middlegame

and endgame work to feel confident about our understanding once we have left
the opening.
If a player, by nature, likes to play aggressively, he may choose openings
that will give him active positions with more pieces on the board, and with
some element of risk involved. For a player's overall growth in the long run ,
after achieving some good results in tournament games over a period of
time, he must learn to work on areas that do not come naturally to him. The
aggressive, active player needs to learn to play strategic, positional chess, and
learn to handle endgames correctly. After considerable work is done in the
areas contrary to a player's style, he should add openings that will give him
the appropriate positions to learn from actual playing experience.
If such an approach is not taken from a young age, then it is likely that
the player will be stuck with a one-dimensional way of thinking in chess. He
will struggle in all other areas in which he is not well-versed.
In general, it is advisable for young players to play sharp, open lines
so the player develops risk taking abilities, learns to play for initiative, and
appreciates the real value of pieces (as opposed to evaluating the position by
simply counting the material on the board). If a player does not learn to take
risks from the start, it is likely he may never truly master this important
attribute in the later part of his chess career. It is easier for an aggressive
player to learn positional chess than vice versa. If a player develops a fear of
attacking and sacrificing at young age, it is likely to stick with him throughout
the entirety of his chess career, curbing his creative thinking in open positions.
Preparing an Opening
There are many approaches to preparing an opening. I know some

grandmasters who did not pay much attention to preparing openings in the
early part of their career. They focused more on calculation, attack, endgames,
improving their positional understanding, studying games of world champions,
analyzing their own games, etc. Other grandmasters felt they needed to devote
a significant amount of time to opening preparation. Both approaches seem
to have worked respectively for them, which leads me to believe that there
are many paths to success. What is important is not the path, per se, but the
approach, attitude, talent, ability, work ethic, commitment, and discipline of
the player, among other traits along the path that decide the success of a chess
player.
Different people prepare openings differently. Some common methods
are:
• Study the games of one or two experts in that opening and follow their
exact move order. This is suitable for novice players who are unaware of the
subtleties in a particular opening.
• Prepare openings from books and encyclopedias of chess openings,
databases, DVDs, online materials, etc.
• Get material from an expert or coach.

• Use a database software such as Chessbase, and learn an opening
through the Reference, Search, and other functions of the program.
To prepare an opening on our own, we need to do the following:
• Identify which opening we want to prepare based on our style, personal

preference, and time availability.
• Identify the main line and sidelines that need to be prepared, and make
a brief "move order tree." Keep this as the base for searching lines.
Semi Slav Basic Key

·
[GM Ramesh]
1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3 . Nf.3
[3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 (6. Nf.3 )]
3 . . . Nf6 4. Nc3
[4.e3 Bf5 4. Nc3 (5. Qb3 Qc7) 5 . . . e6 6. Nh4 Bg6
[4. Qc2 g6]
[4. Qb3]
4 . . . e6 5.e3
[5.g3]
[5. Bg5 dxc4 6. a4 (6.e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7)]
5 . . . Nbd7 6. Qc2)
[6 . Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 b5 8. Bb3 (8. Bd3 Bb6; 8 Be2 Bb7)]
6 . . . Bd6 7. Bd3
[7.b3]
[7.g4}
In the diagram above, we can see an example of a basic key for the
Semi-Slav Defense from the black side. We can build on this key as we prepare
our study materials. We will also use this key to search for games in each
variation. We can find high quality games of players rated above 2500 for each
variation, and merge the selected games separately for each variation. This
will be the basic material for our preparation.
244 Chapter 1 1: Studying the Opening

The list in the database should look something like the diagram below:
White Black ECO
1 Semi Slav Basic key
2 Semi Slav 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 035
3 Semi Slav 4.g3 EOl
4 Semi Slav 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 044
5 Semi Slav 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.a4 EOl
6 Semi Slav Exchange variation with Nf3 0 14
7 Semi Slav Exchange variation without Nf3 010
8 Semi Slav 4. Qc2 g6 093
9 Semi Slav 3 . Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 012
10 Semi Slav 3. Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.cxd5 012
11 Semi Slav 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4 045
12 Semi Slav 6.Qc2 Bd6 7 .b3 045
13 Semi Slav 6.Qc2 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 046
14 Semi Slav 5.e3 6.Bd3 dxc4 7 .Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 046
15 Semi Slav 5.e3 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Be2 047
16 Semi Slav 5.e3 6.Bd3 dxc4 7 .Bxc4 b5 8.Bb3 047
Ai3 you can see, organizing your openings this way makes it easier to
locate the exact line or variation you want to prepare.

Using the key, you can also:
• Go over the games by guessing the moves for the side you are preparing.
Guessing the moves will help you remember as much as possible, especially
the initial moves.
• Add analysis and edit material by removing irrelevant variations.
Make your notes concise and relevant with the help of arrows and text
commentaries.
• Prepare a brief opening key based on the material you have prepared
separately for each variation. This is very useful to review the opening on
short notice, before a tournament game or at home.
• Update the material often to be aware of recent developments.
• Revise on a regular basis.
Tips:
• You may keep the move you want to play as the main line (in case there
is more than one option at any point). This can be altered when a newer,
better line is found, simply by promoting that move to the main line.
• Explain ideas using text commentary or arrows. This way, when you
review the material, the ideas behind the moves are easily understood at
a glance.
• Highlight important moves in a variation to mark their importance
(right click on the move, go to "special annotation", then choose the "critical
opening/middlegame/endgame position" option. )
• Once the material has been prepared, it i s important t o change the date
of the game so that we will know when the material was last updated or
revised. It becomes easier to update material by limiting the search criteria
to specific dates.
• Since going over the material for the entire opening will take a long
time, it is advantageous to make a brief opening key for each variation and
keep them saved separately to make the revising process easier. Ideally,
this key should be remembered by heart.
• Make a spreadsheet with a list of openings in your repertoire for both
sides. Add the date next to the opening name to keep track of the last time
a particular opening was played against you, to see how often you have
prepared an opening, and to identify the openings you have neglected to
study. A lot can be easily tracked with a little organization.

Chapter 12
Tournament Preparation
"To ME THE VERY ESSENCE OF EDUCATION IS CONCENTRATION OF THE

MIND, NOT THE COLLECTING OF FACTS . . . " - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
M prepare before a tournament. Preparation for the tournament can be

any young players are curious, and sometimes clueless, about how to
seen from three perspectives:
1 ) PRE-TOURNAMENT PREPARATION
2) PREPARATION DURING THE TOURNAMENT
3) POST TOURNAMENT ANALYSIS
Pre-tournament Preparation
Fifteen to thirty days before a tournament is to begin, we should use

this time to prepare ourselves chess-wise and otherwise for the upcoming
tournament. We should aim to be in our peak physical and mental form by the
time the tournament starts. This won't happen all the time. If many players
improve their form as the tournament progresses, the opposite must sometimes
be true for others !
With regard to physical preparation, for players under the age of 18,
being physically active in some sports activity should be sufficient in itself. For
adults, consider vigorous sports activities or working out in a gym. Working
out helps remove stress and improves our stamina and confidence levels. It
also gives us more energy during chess games to handle over the board stress.
Mental preparation means being able to handle the strenuous situations
that might arise during the course of a tournament. We should be mentally fit
Chapter 12: Tournament Preparation 247

to handle our constantly changing emotions in a mature manner throughout
the ups and downs of a tournament.
Handling losses in a tournament is never going to be easy and it is
important that we are able to recover from the loss of a game without crushing
blows to our self-esteem.
The pre-tournament mental preparation can be in the form of self
suggestions, visualization, regularly thinking about the tournament and
keeping the mind in a state of positive expectations and hope. It is not
uncommon to see players going into a tournament with fear, doubts, feelings
of inadequateness and disquiet, or they're unsure about themselves and not
satisfied with their preparation. With a negative state of mind, it is likely that
their performance will reflect their fears and sense of hopelessness.
Pre-tournament chess preparation is clearly very important. An
experienced player usually has a good idea about his strengths and weaknesses
as far as playing chess is concerned. Whether he is able to do something about it
constructively varies from person to person. On the contrary, an inexperienced
player is not sure where his strengths and weaknesses lie. An experienced
coach or trainer can play a useful role in both of these cases.
Every player should analyze his game twice: once, briefly, immediately
after the game is over; and once, extensively, after the tournament is over. With
the help of engines it is easy to spot where we have made a big mistake, just
by looking at the change in evaluation of the position after each move. For very
young players, it is better if they can analyze their game with a coach or parent
who can point out the important moments, suggest better moves and identify
any repeated mistakes (such as being too eager to exchange or not looking for
tactical combinations). A parentJcoach can then offer helpful suggestions to
overcome the student's errors for future games.
The mistakes young players make are very common and can be easily
identified and explained.
Common Mistakes in the Opening Stage:
• Not developing pieces quickly enough;

• Not developing pieces to good squares;
• Making too many pawn moves, especially defensive ones like a2-a3 ,
h2-h3, a7-a6 and h7-h6 when not necessary;
• Waiting for the opponent to castle his king before castling ours;
• Blocking the path of our pieces with other pieces;
• Not playing for the initiative when the opponent has played unusual
opening moves;
• Not punishing the opponent's mistakes;
• Making routine developing moves on auto-mode;
• Not paying attention to the opponent's moves and ideas;
• Bringing out the queen too early;
• Pawn-grabbing at the cost of king safety and development; and
• Choosing the wrong opening.
248 Chapter 12: Tournament Preparation

Common Mistakes in the Middlegame:
• Playing passively with our pieces;

• Readily moving our pieces backwards at the first sign of aggression
from the opponent;
• Weakening the kingside pawn structure under the impression of
attacking the opponent;
• Being too eager to defend against imaginary threats;
• Blindly exchanging pieces whenever it is offered or forcing unwanted
exchanges to clarify the position;
• Ignoring possible counterplay in the center or on the other flank for
fear of an opponent's attack on the side where we are weak;
• Playing too fast when it is important to ponder over the position
a little longer;
• Thinking too much when it is not really necessary;
• Not calculating variations thoroughly;
• Not showing enough interest or inclination to find the best move
in every position;
• Having a lethargic approach, a casual approach, or a "let me handle
it after the problem comes" approach;
• Not paying attention to the opponent's ideas and threats;
• Not paying attention to the opponent's potential mistakes and missing
the moment to punish them;
• Playing too many pawn moves in the name of activity, thus weakening
the position;
• Incorrect exchange of pawns and pieces;
• Failure to identify and exploit the opponent's weaknesses;
• Moving pieces aimlessly;
• Poor time management;
• Lack of basic plans; and
• Bad evaluation or misunderstanding of the position.
Common Mistakes in the Endgame:
• Playing for attack when the attack is non-existent or can be easily

refuted;
• Ignoring the improvement of the king;
• Losing precious tempi by making too many pawn moves;
• Exchanging the wrong piece at the wrong time;
• Not watching out for our opponent's ideas, especially counterplay
possibilities;
• Not being content with subtle improving moves when the
situation warrants it, instead going for pseudo-active moves which
spoil the position;

• Lack of patience; and
• Not dedicating enough time to studying endings at home!
There is usually a pattern and repetition to the number of mistakes a

player makes. A player generally does not make too many different kinds of
mistakes but rather makes a few of them quite regularly in his games.
A coach or parent (who knows chess, of course) can help the player
identify common mistakes he is making in his games and work on fixing the
hole(s) in that player's game.
Once a recurring weakness is identified, the player may set his mind
to work towards overcoming it during home preparation before the next
tournament. An experienced coach once told me, "It is better to be good at
calculation and tactics but weak in positionaVstrategic play, than weak in
calculation and tactics but strong in positionaVstrategic play."
When faced with such generalizations, I suggest asking around to get
different perspectives. Use your own experience and understanding, along
with the guidance of trainers, strong players or other coaches, to find your own
path/solutions to these issues.
B efore a tournament, I would suggest a player work on solving puzzles
and studies. Additionally, review problematic openings or the openings that
appear most often in his games, especially with the black pieces. A mistake
with black could easily tum out to be more costly than a mistake made with
the white pieces.
It is important to be fit physically, mentally and chess-wise before the
tournament is about to begin. One school of thought is to stop studying chess a
couple of days before the tournament to give the mind the rest and relaxation
it needs to maximize its full potential when the tournament starts. The other
school of thought is to keep studying up until the tournament, so the mind
will not become too complacent before the event begins. I leave it to you to
experiment and find out which approach is suitable for you.
We need to test out different approaches to our preparation so that
we remain flexible and can adjust as per the needs of the situation for that
tournament. When something does not seem to be working out in our favor
despite several attempts, then we should try alternative approaches. Otherwise,
we will be repeating the same mistakes in our games and in our approach to
chess because the cause is not rectified.

Preparation Durin.r the Tournament
My suggestions in this topic are mostly for those players who play in
tournaments with a single round or, in some cases, two rounds per day. Today,
most tournament games are played in the afternoon (post lunch) and go until
late in the evening.
In such cases, a player has time between rounds to enter the game into
his computer and save it for more thorough analysis after the tournament is
over. While entering the game, it is advisable to tum on the analysis engine
to identify missed tactical chances/opportunities and also to identify how the
play could have been improved in different situations. It is also advisable to
compare our opening preparation to what arose in the actual game. If we forgot
the opening theory or played a new move unknowingly during the game, it is
best to immediately review the opening material. It sometimes happens that
one of our competitors takes notice of our opening slip and aims to catch us in
that line in a later game, either in the same tournament or a future one, even
though he may not play that line regularly.
Once we have analyzed the game, we have to draw some conclusions
about where our mistakes were and how they can be avoided in the remaining
rounds. We must be careful not to expect ourselves to play every game perfectly
without any mistakes whatsoever. That is not going to happen and we are
bound to slip here and there. Instead, we should aim to play as perfectly as
possible while allowing a little room for the rare, occasional mistake.
During a game some of the most difficult moments are when we realize
we have missed a good move, or when we realize we have made a mistake,
or when our opponent makes a good move that we completely missed in our
preceding analysis. In such moments, it is vital to immediately accept that what
has happened has happened and worrying about it will not change anything.
We must take a deep breath, drink some water or juice, go to the washroom or
take a short walk and use that time to compose ourselves. It is best to become
slightly philosophical in such situations in order to calm ourselves down.
Otherwise, we could further damage our position with more mistakes if our
mind is still upset over what has already happened.
During the game and throughout the tournament as a whole, we should
forgive ourselves for our mistakes. In post-tournament analysis, however, we
should go over our games in detail and be ruthless in searching for mistakes or
weaknesses in our play.
Once we have analyzed our game after the round, it is time to relax and
have dinner. Some players prefer to play sports, swim, take a long walk or
relax in any other way that suits the player before having dinner. By this time,
we should be getting the pairings for the next day's game. We can quickly go
through which openings our opponent is likely to play the next day and come
up with a mental plan before going to bed.
The next morning (after breakfast) it is time to prepare for the · day's
round! We should search for our opponent's games and pay special attention
to games from the last few years, as it is likely he will play those openings

rather than older ones. We can make a small tree of the openings he plays to
get an idea of which openings he plays most often. Some players play certain
openings when they are playing for a win and other openings when they are
not in the mood to take a risk and go all-out for a win. Similarly, some players
play certain opening variations against lower rated players and other openings
against higher rated players. Based on these kinds of observations, we can
often make a reasonably good guess about which opening is likely to be played
that day. Then we set about to prepare the openings.
Ideally, every player should have separate databases (prepared material)
for every opening they play as both white and black. Using the database, we
can review what our opponent has played before and also check for any new
games in those variations. If there are new games in that opening, we can
analyse them using an engine and try to come up with an improvement at the
earliest possible moment to take our opponent out of his preparation and into
our preparation.
Many young players make the mistake of trying to "punish" or "exploit"
their opponent by playing openings that they believe their opponent will not
handle well. In the process, they rarely stop to think about their knowledge,
experience and understanding in the opening they are going to play. It so
happens in this case that all the player manages to achieve is a completely
unknown position both for themselves and their opponent.
It is better for young players to play openings they know well rather than
trying to surprise their opponent with rare sidelines. Scoring important wins
with your main opening will give you valuable confidence and experience in
that opening for future games. Once a player shows progress in his ratings and
results, then he can slowly add more openings to his repertoire. This should not
be done in a hurry or for short-term results alone. This is the way repertoires
are built in the long run.
After preparing for the game, especially after reviewing all the openings
our opponent is likely to play, we should also be mentally prepared to handle
any surprises our opponent might have in store for us. Our opponent has a
right to play any opening of his choosing. Hence, it would be prudent on our
part to expect the unexpected and not get overwhelmed by our opponent's
opening choices.
When our opponent plays a new opening or an opening we don't know
well, then we should follow the basic opening principles, which are the same for
all openings. We can still aim for a decent, active position. After all, openings
alone do not decide the result of the game. There is always the middlegame and
sometimes the endgame, where we can show our skills and decide the outcome
in our favor. Over the board, we should be ready for anything and everything.
Many payers make the mistake of expecting only good things from the game.
They want good positions in every game and when they don't get them all the
time, they begin to doubt themselves and become overly critical.
We cannot always avoid unpleasant positions or difficult opponents, but
we should ask for the ability, skill and toughness to handle any position or
opponent. If we are mentally tough, then we can handle anything unpleasant or

unwanted; granted, sometimes successfully and sometimes not so successfully.
Our preparation should make us tougher by the day, and we cannot become
tougher by doing easy things all the time.
"THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ORDINARY PERSON AND A GREAT PERSON

LIES IN THE DEGREE OF CONCENTRATION . . . " - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
B etc. we learn to handle these challenging dynamics and get better in

y playing unknown openings, difficult positions, unpleasant opponents,
the process. So let us open our heart to difficult things and turn them into
opportunities, instead of losing our hope and the will to fight back and learn.
We should learn to handle the tournament one round at a time. Any
negative feelings we might have developed in previous rounds should not be
carried over into upcoming games. I know of one player who is usually very
good when it comes to calculation. In one tournament, he missed some moves
in his calculation and lost the game. He started complaining, "My calculation
is very bad and I am missing simple things." This negative feeling became
strongly entrenched in his mind and in the rounds that followed, his prognosis
became true. He began making silly mistakes in calculation and his attitude
got even worse. A cruel cycle can eat away at our confidence slowly, if we let it.
Later, I made him solve a few easy tactical positions and slowly we
moved to tougher positions. He found to his "surprise" that he was actually
calculating well! He got his confidence back but in the process lost a few crucial
games in his career. The lesson to be learned is not to react too negatively to the
mistakes we make during the course of a tournament. As mentioned earlier, we
need to be more forgiving of ourselves for our mistakes. After the tournament
is over, we can face the issues and find real solutions.
During the tournament, we have to keep a record of the difficulties we
faced in our games, round by round. It should contain the kinds of positions
where we struggled to find the right move. For example, in closed positions I
find it difficult to come up with a plan, or while calculating I miss my opponent's
resources, or after getting a good position, I allowed too much counterplay and
failed to win the game, etc. Your record should also contain all the openings
where you had problems or where you did not make use of the time well.
At some point in the game, we might have played too fast or took too much
time to come up with a decision, whether good or bad. Additionally, if there is
an opening we have been playing repeatedly for a matter of months and we
suspect our main competitors are also aware of this, then we should make note
of that as well. An accurate record such as this will help greatly in identifying
our problem areas and will allow us to make changes accordingly.

Post Tournament Analysis
Now that the tournament is over and we have spent a few days away
from chess relaxing our mind, it is time to get back to work.
We need to analyze our games from the recent tournament round by
round, and this time, more slowly than the analysis done during the tournament.
We have to examine each move critically and try to find improvements for both
our opponent and ourselves. It is important to try to find improvements for
our opponent at every tum because we might have gotten into more trouble
had he played better. A stronger player would have tested us more critically.
By using this method to find improvements, we are also learning to critically
and objectively analyze a position without our biases or prejudices. Usually,
younger players tend to ignore their opponent's better possibilities and focus
only on their own moves. That is not analyzing objectively and we won't learn
as much as we can about the position from analyzing this way.
I know of one very strong grandmaster whose typical way of analyzing
his games is like this: he keeps the same time control on his chess clock and
replays the game over! The opponent's move will be the same as was played
in the actual game, but when it is his tum to move, he approaches the position
fresh, as if it was a new game, and tries to find the best move. He writes down
his analysis but makes the move he actually played in the game. He continues
this way until he reaches the end of the game. At some points the moves in the
game and at home will match up and at other points in the game, the moves
will vary. He approaches the position objectively this way. Seeing the same
position with fresh eyes and without tournament pressure can help to get a
different point of view of the same position.
We have to meticulously analyze how we played every part of the game
- opening, middlegame and endgame, if it went that long! Some common
questions which are purely chess related that we need to ask ourselves are:
• Did I get the opening I prepared for?

• Did I remember the opening moves or did I forget something?
• If it was an unknown opening, did I react well?
• Did I develop my pieces properly or could it have been done better?
• Did I play the middlegame well?
• Did I calculate accurately?
• Did I take advantage of all the attacking opportunities I encountered?
• Did I use my pieces well?
• Did I defend well?
• Did I play passively?
• Did I handle the ending well? etc.
Apart from the purely chess angle, we also need to ask ourselves about
the psychological part. Questions like:
• Did I manage my time well?

• Did I play too fast or too slow at some point in the game?
• Did I get distracted over some incident during the game?
• Did my opponent's antics/board mannerisms distract me?
• Did I concentrate well for most part of the game?
• Was I scared or overconfident about my opponent?
• Did my opponent's higher or lower rating have a negative effect on me?
• Did I sleep well the night before the game?
• Was I worried too much about losing rating points or the game itself
during the game?
• Did the result of my previous encounter with my opponent affect me
negatively? etc.
Once we identify the areas of improvement, we can devise a plan and

work towards overcoming the weakness.

Chapter 13
Essential Endgame Principles
Wfelt very uncomfortable) was the endgame. It was always a mystery to me

hen I was a young player, one of the areas I hated about chess (or at least
why God sometimes kept the endgame between the middlegame and a win?
This was a mystery I was forced to investigate as I progressed in chess.
One common complaint from young International Masters on the verge
of becoming Grandmasters is, "Many times, I get good positions but I don't
know how to win them, especially against higher rated players. They always
come up with something that denies me the win."
In chess terminology, this process of winning a won (or advantageous)
position is called "technique." It is also one of the areas deeply underestimated
or altogether ignored by most young players. Simply because a player feels,
"Once I get an advantage I'll win somehow" - this "somehow" habit does not
encourage a player to learn the important art of "technique." The player feels
it is necessary to get an immediate advantage out of an opening or get a large
positional advantage out of the middlegame, but after getting the advantage,
he must do "something" and win the game. It is only after failing to win
numerous advantageous positions doing "something'', that a player realizes
the importance of improving his technique.
To develop good technique, the study of endgames is crucial. In the
middlegame, we have many pieces on the board and the value of each piece is
not always apparent. It is in the endgame that the value of each piece becomes
the crucial factor in deciding between a win, a loss or a draw. Since there are
fewer pieces in the endgame when compared to the middlegame, we must
handle every pawn and piece carefully and optimally. Sometimes the "trick" is
in not using them, especially the pawns, keeping them in reserve for the very
end of the endgame.
When we ask young players, "Can we work on endgames?" the most
common answer we get is a resounding: "NO!" It is very rare for young players
256 Chapter 13: Essential Endgame Principles

to show any interest in studying endgames. The reasons are not difficult to
guess. In every game we play, we have to handle the opening and middlegame.
Endgames, however, don't always appear; and many times, we never reach
the endgame at all. Add to this, the absence of ferocious attacks or sacrificial
combinations and the need to show mature thinking qualities like patience,
slowly building the position, and paying attention to your opponent's ideas -
no wonder so few players like endings!
Despite the apparent lack of flashy action, endgames are extremely
interesting to a properly trained mind. "One of the best ways to defeat lower
rated players is to take them into the endgame," so said a strong grandmaster;
and I agree with him to a large extent. Many young players are so focused on
openings and playing aggressive chess that they take a long time to come to
the endgame department. Until they do, it is very likely that they will not have
too much skill to show in endgames. Of course, there are many exceptions to
this generalization, and I personally know of many young players who are very
strong in playing endgames. But we are not talking about exceptions here.
Here are in my opinion the five most important concepts to understand
about the endgame:
• Prophylaxis (preventing the opponent's counterplay)

• Improving Pieces (including the king)
• The Principle of Two Weaknesses
• Initiative
• Zugzwang
The above are the chess qualities we need to understand in order to play
good endgames. The following are the mental qualities we need to play better
endgames:
• Patience (do not hurry)

• Alertness
• Self-belief
We will now discuss each of these qualities in turn:
Prophylaxis
We covered this topic extensively in the tenth chapter. In the middlegame,

there are many pieces on the board and it is not possible to identify and
prevent all threats all the time. In the endgame, however, the number of pieces
is drastically reduced, thus it is possible to identify our opponent's important
ideas beforehand and prevent threats in advance, provided we have the patience
to think in terms of our opponent, and also provided we are alert enough not to
miss our opponent's counterplay.
The prevention of our opponent's counterplay is crucial to having good
endgame skills. To achieve this, let us first try to understand what is meant by
Chapter 13: Essential Endgame Principles 257

"counterplay." To put it simply, anything that is good for the opponent can be
termed as counterplay. We must constantly ask ourselves, does my opponent
have any good ideas? Can he improve his position on his next move? If the
answer is yes, then it is necessary to prevent it beforehand.
Here are all the ways a player can create counterplay in the endgame:
• By exchanging off his bad piece(s);

• By exchanging off his weak pawn(s);
• By advancing his weak pawn(s);
• By improving the position of his bad piece(s);
• By improving his king position;
• By attacking our weak pawn(s);
• By creating passed pawn(s); and
• By creating threats with his pieces against our king.
T when we have a slight positional advantage. When our opponent has a

hese are the things we need to watch out for while playing endgames
slight advantage in the endgame, we need to achieve the above points to create
counterplay. On our turn, we must ask ourselves what our opponent can do next
on every move (with the exception of forced moves, which can be skipped, of
course). This is difficult psychologically, as it is more natural to be concerned
about what we should be doing rather than worrying about our opponent's
plans and ideas. This is a good quality of a strong player - a quality which we
all should learn to cultivate despite our initial apprehensions.
Improving Pieces
We have investigated this topic as well, in depth, in Chapter 8. When our

opponent has made his move, we must first ask ourselves, "Can my opponent
do something good on his next turn?" If the answer is negative, if he does not
have any direct threats, it is time to ask ourselves, "Which of our pieces is badly
placed?", and try to improve them. We have already seen the order of improving
pieces earlier: the worst pieces get priority, followed by the heavy pieces (the
queen and rooks), then the king, and finally the minor pieces. It makes a lot
of sense (when we watch closely) how stronger players handle their pieces. In
the endgame, they never ignore their king. Many times simple maneuvers like
g2-g3 and Kg2 are closer to the needs of the position than any pseudo-active
move.
The Principle of Two Weaknesses
We saw in Chapter 1 what a weakness means. A weakness is anything

that is wrong with the position, any positional concession. Though there are
many things that can be called a weakness, there are two crucial weaknesses
that play vital roles in the endgame: weak pawns and passed pawns.

When there is only one weakness in the opponent's position, it is not
possible to get a big advantage, as he can easily summon resources to defend
the lone weakness. But when he has more than one weakness, it is harder
for him to defend those weaknesses with the limited material on the board.
Defense becomes even more difficult if the weaknesses are far apart from each
other. It stretches the defensive resources across the board.
Many endgames are won by attacking the opponent's weak pawns,
eventually winning at least one of them, or by creating a passed pawn. Hence,
as soon as we reach an endgame position, we should identify the potential
weak pawn(s) in both our position and in our opponent's position. We also
need to identify the potential passed pawns for both sides. If we have a pawn
majority on either flank of the board, we should aim to eventually advance our
pawns there and create a passed pawn. If there is no pawn majority on either
flank, we need to attack his weak pawns, win them and create a passed pawn
for ourselves. We have already learned that a passed pawn in the endgame
should be blocked by the king.
If our position is slightly worse in the endgame, we should aim to get
rid of our weak pawns either by exchanging them off or even sacrificing them
to activate our pieces, seeking counterplay in the form of activity. If, on the
contrary, we have a slightly better position in the endgame, then we need to
defend our weak pawns (preferably with our king) and put pressure on our
opponent's weak pawns, putting him on the defensive and winning material in
the process.
Now that we have a good idea about which kinds of weaknesses are
important in an endgame, let us tum to the Principle of Two Weaknesses.
Once an endgame starts, we must ask ourselves on each turn if our
opponent has any possible counterplay. If we don't find any good ideas for our
opponent, then we slowly go about improving the position of our pieces, including
the king. We also identify our opponent's weakest pawn and attack it with our
pieces. Our opponent will likely defend his weak pawn (first weakness) and in
the process his pieces become passive. We have seen in previous examples that
defending pieces are passive pieces. Now, we have active (attacking) pieces and
our opponent has passive (defensive) pieces. If we do the above in the proper
manner, we will soon reach a position where all of our pieces are in the best
position and no further improvement is possible. This is the exact moment we
should strive to create a second weakness. We do this by advancing our pawns
on one flank.
Why do we advance our pawns after improving all of our pieces? It is for
the simple reason that there is nothing else to do other than move our pawns!
This leads to another question: On which flank do we advance our pawns?
We should advance our pawns on the flank farthest from the opponent's first
weakness. When two weaknesses are near each other, it is easier for the
opponent to defend them. But when the weaknesses are farther apart, it is not
so easy to defend them both adequately.

What do we aim to achieve by advancing our pawns? How does advancing
our pawns create a second weakness? When we advance our pawns, our
opponent has two ways to react to it:
1) He may try to stop our pawns from advancing by advancing his own
pawns to block us. It is important to remember that when our pieces are not
actively placed, any pawn move made can lead to new weaknesses or a further
worsening of the position. By virtue of attacking our opponent's weak pawn, we
will usually force his pieces to become passive. So if the opponent tries to stop
our pawn advances by advancing his own pawns (e.g. meeting h2-h4 with h7-
h5), he will create new weaknesses in his position-either a weakened pawn or
a weakened square that we can use to infiltrate with our king.
2) He may let us advance our pawns and just wait and watch. In this
case, we must continue to advance our pawns forward to cramp him completely,
preventing any of his pawns from moving. Since his pieces are already tied
down to their defensive roles, he will soon be left with no useful moves and
will likely fall into some kind of zugzwang. He will be forced to move and make
some kind of concession. This will be the second weakness.
To summarize: we identify a weakness in the opponent's position -

attack it - make the opponent's pieces passive by defending the first weakness
- prevent the opponent from getting any counterplay by foreseeing it - improve
the position of our pieces, including the king. Once all the pieces are improved,
then advance pawns on the flank farthest from the first weakness - create a
second weakness - penetrate the opponent's position, win material or create a
passed pawn - Zugzwang - win the game! If only life was so simple.
Initiative
Since there are fewer pieces in the endgame, it is not always easy to
get the initiative in this part of the game. Still, there will be a point when
all of our pieces are mobilized, (or in the process of mobilizing) that playing
for initiative, which means giving one threat after another, is the only way to
take the positional advantage to the next level. This could result in material
advantage or in some rare cases, an attack on the opposing king. This method
could be more relevant when there are very few pawns left on the board. With
fewer pawns, drawing chances are higher for the defending side, so initiative
should be used in positions by the side with the advantage.
Zugzwang
Zugzwang positions are those in which one side is forced to make a move
that will worsen his position. If any move we make worsens our position, it
is because in the current position all our pieces and pawns are in their best
possible places, and any move will give a concession to our opponent. It is quite
rare to see Zugzwang positions in the middlegame (though there are exceptions

to everything, of course) as there are more pieces on the board. But in endgame
positions, it is quite common to get Zugzwang positions. In mutual Zugzwang
positions, whoever has to make their move must compulsorily worsen his
position. In king and pawn endings, Zugzwang themes are quite common.
Patience (do not hun:y)
When we have a slightly superior position in the endgame, it is natural to

want to increase the advantage quickly and try to win the game at the earliest
moment. I normally tell my students the following scenario: Imagine a game
between a strong player and an inexperienced player. They have just reached
an endgame. What will be the mindset of both players?
The inexperienced player will think that since they have reached an
"end" game, the game is going to "end" very soon. As an analogy, if he finds
himself with a little quantity of juice left in his bottle, he won't bother refilling
it or get a new one. Instead, he will think this amount should be sufficient for
the remainder of the "short" game. The stronger, experienced player prepares a
new bottle of juice for the endgame. In short, the inexperienced player sees the
"end" in the endgame while the stronger, experienced player sees the "game"
that still remains in the endgame.
The inexperienced player will be dreaming about the "chicken biryani"
(CB - a famous food item in India) he is planning to eat on the way home after
the game, while the experienced player will be settling down to play a long,
grinding endgame that needs to be won with patience and perseverance. This
mindset is very important to play a quality endgame. The absence of patience
is, as I call it, "chicken biryani syndrome" (CBS).
Only a patient mind can be content with making small improving
waiting moves, instead of doing something silly in the rush for CB ! When a
younger player sees endgames for the first time, he will be astonished to find
that stronger players often make mysterious quiet moves "without any plan."
This confuses the younger player because he has been taught or he thinks that
each move should contain a "plan", or involve some form of planning in it. "You
cannot just 'make a move' without any plan" is the common refrain. I believe
someone once said, "A move without any plan is worse than a move with a bad
plan," or something to that effect. In an endgame, it doesn't work that way.
There is a big difference between making quiet, positional, improving
moves and playing passive, plan-pointless moves. We should do the former and
not the latter. Once we understand this important difference, it will be easier
to understand what stronger players are doing in endgames.
We have to play patiently because the position may be only slightly
better for us, and our opponent has the opportunity to make further mistakes
and worsen his position before we can think about converting the advantage
into a win. By playing in this quiet manner, paying careful attention to his
ideas and preventing them in advance, and by slowly and steadily improving
our position, we are putting tremendous pressure on our opponent. Psychology
plays a BIG part in chess. We must never forget that.

No one likes to play passive, lifeless, inferior positions for too long. By
maintaining the pressure a little longer with our patience, we are giving our
opponent just that little extra bit of rope to hang himself with in desperation,
hurry and disgust. This works amazingly well in most games! Try it!
When an inexperienced player gets a small advantage in the endgame,
he immediately rushes to win by playing direct moves with direct ideas. A direct
approach will not work most of the time - "Patience is a virtue in endgames".
When the younger player sees no direct win or any direct way to improve the
position, he becomes desperate, panics and assumes that there is no win and
that the game is inevitably drawn. He may blunder and throw away all his
advantages and in some cases, even manage to get into a worse position.
We must learn the art of "doing something without doing anything." By
this, I mean playing quiet, small, innocent looking, "idea-less" but useful moves.
We might have already played a long, hard fought game only to reach a
slightly better endgame after move 45. We may already be tired by this point
and hoping to finish the game soon. All the same, we must have the patience
and energy to be ready to play an additional 40 or 50 moves to win the game. It
is a battle of nerves, patience, energy and determination. Rise to the occasion
and learn the art of technique. It is worth it!
It takes a long time to find the best moves in the middlegame but for
experienced endgame players, it does not take too much time or energy to
play the correct moves in endgames. It comes "naturally" to them. Be mentally
ready to play another 40 or 60 moves in the endgame. But, don't worry; it won't
take as much time as playing 40 or 60 moves in the middlegame. We must be
prepared to play longer games in terms of the number of moves and a shorter
game in terms of the time it takes to make so many moves. We will eventually
reach a point where endgame moves come naturally to us. Believe in this, and
work hard at home studying endgames by stronger players.
Tip: When preparing for a tournament match, make sure you have
enough chocolates, cookies, dry fruits, fresh juices, tea, coffee, snacks, or
whatever else suits you, to dig in for long haul.
Alertness
Another virtue in the endgame is "alertness". Though many good

endgames will look deceptively simple and without any apparent action, an
alert mind hides behind every game. We need to constantly be on the lookout
for active counterplay from the opponent at each turn. Despite the attitude
that it is not necessary to calculate variations in endgames, it is important to
know that calculating small, precise, multiple variations is essential for good
endgame play. In the middlegame, we need to calculate lengthy variations in
critical positions. Sometimes the variations cannot be calculated completely,
as the position could be too complex. In the endgame, it is rare to get such
complicated positions. Nevertheless, we must be constantly on the alert for
small trick shots that can come out of the blue. We need to consider move

order tricks, where any slight change in the move order could result in drastic
change in the assessment of the position.
If we notice carefully, all endgame experts will also be extremely strong
in calculations. The endgame is like a spider slowly weaving its complex web
and then patiently waiting for its prey to make the first mistake. If the spider
were jumping up and down, and constantly running all over the web, the prey
would never come near the web.
Here, quoting Kramnik's view on Karpov's endgame skills will not be out
of place.
Self-Belief
Although self-beliefis important for every chess player in all departments

of the game, it is especially crucial in endgames. Players are exposed to openings
and the middlegame very often in their games, so they don't feel over whelmed
by them despite not being good in all aspects. But endgames come rarely in
young players' games for the simple reason that they avoid endgames at any
cost. It is not rare to find that younger players, when offered an exchange of
queens, run away with their queen as though it were under attack!
A few reasons for avoiding the endgame could be: fear of their perceived
"bad" endgame skills, the endgame is an unknown entity for many (and
anything unknown can invoke revulsion in our mind), the false impression
that all endgames are drawn, a strong feeling that endgames are boring (hence
should be avoided), a lack of endurance to play long games, bad experiences
from painful past endgame losses, etc.
I have experience working with students who, despite putting hours
and serious effort into studying endgames, still lack the courage to play them
against good players. When asked why, their reply is that they are still not sure
about their abilities.
It is important that we experiment in our games with what we've learned
in our home preparation, otherwise we won't know how well we have learned a
certain endgame topic and what may need to be changed in our approach. An
experienced player will be so sure of his endgame skills that he will be happy to
get an equal position with a reasonably good player and still be confident that
he has good winning chances.
If we look closely at Carlsen's wins against Anand in the 2013 World
Championship match, especially the first couple of wins, they were both in
endgames where the position was more or less equal for a very long time. All
of a sudden, Anand made a blunder and lost the games immediately. Despite
the fact that the positions were equal, Carlsen was playing for a win in those
games - not a draw. And remember, Anand is not a pushover. Such is Carlsen's
self-belief in his own endgame skills, that no matter who or what the opposition
is, and no matter what the position is, as long as there is some life left in the
game, Carlsen is going to play for a win. He is a good example for others to
follow.

Tips: Set aside 10 to 20 days once every few months for your endgame
preparation to improve your skills. You can start with basic endgame positions
from any good endgame book. Then, study a lot of good endgames played by
strong players like Rubinstein, Capablanca, Petrosian, Karpov, Vladimirov,
Carlsen, Kramnik, Harikrishna, Sasikiran, and many others. Take any one
player at a time, look at all his games with endgames, and guess the moves
from his side. There are, of course, so many good endgame players; you can
choose anyone you like.
Try to see how these Grandmasters think once an endgame appears.

Guess their moves first before seeing what they played in the game. We can
lean a lot using this method. There will be many similarities in their games.
Try to make a list of them in a notebook. Pay attention to how they apply the
principles we have seen above, and try to do the same in your games.

Chapter 14
The Importance of
Results and Ratings
"You ONLY HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR ACTIONS , NOT OVER

THE RESULT " - KRISHNA IN THE B HAGAVAD GITA
T any kid who has just started playing chess what his or her ambition is,
he above is an apt piece of advice for every chess player. When we ask
the instant reply is often - "World Champion!" "Grandmaster!" or "National

Champion!"
Not all those kids go on to become World Champions, Grandmasters or
International Masters. In fact, many players don't even reach 2300 ELO in
their lifetime. Most ches s players' careers taper off at a much lower level.
A person must make precious sacrifices to become a really strong chess
player. Missed birthdays, missed festivals, holidays and weddings, being away
from family when traveling to tournaments, compromises/adjustments to
getting an education, eating hotel food instead of home cooked meals, and the
list goes on. This is not meant to scare young kids from taking up chess, but
to share with them that special dedication and commitment are required to
become a strong player. For those who accept the challenge, the reward is sure
to come and it is more than worth all the sacrifices that were made.
For me, chess is not just a game; it is a journey where the final destination
is not known. It is a life-long love affair. It enriches us along the way with its
share of ups and downs, challenges and opportunities. Successes and failures
in chess come when we least expect them. It takes us to the pinnacle of glory
one day, and dumps us into the pits of gloom another. If we persist with hard
work, flexibility, learning, and self-belief, it is the best journey of our life!
Long ago, when I was an upcoming player, I got a chance to meet Anand
over a dinner with other chess friends. The important message I got out of
that dinner was that no matter what, we should love the game first and
foremost, and only then do other things follow. Anand's passion for chess is
Chapter 14: The Importance of Results and Rating 265

legendary - it is obvious from the fact that I started playing chess after Anand
became a grandmaster and I have been retired from tournament play for the
last six years while Anand is still one of the top players in the world! Anand
emphasized that chess should be fun. If we don't enjoy the playing-practicing
learning-struggling process, then it is going to be a difficult journey indeed.
Playing chess well can bring popularity, money, titles, friends all over the
world, an opportunity to cut classes in school and many other benefits. But it is
a player's passion for the game that keeps him going, because the life of a chess
player includes disappointments in addition to successes.
When we are young and unrated, we dream of getting a rating, then we
dream of getting a higher and higher rating, and along the way we want to win
various titles, and so on. There is nothing wrong with any of these aspirations
and that is how it should be. But when this becomes the only reason and
motivation to play the game, and our preparation is solely for this purpose,
then we are just chasing a mirage. Results in chess are like railroad cars. The
cars always follow the engine, which alone carries the whole train forward.
Without the engine, the cars lose their purpose. Similarly, passion for the game
and learning are the engines that carry everything else forward in chess.
Apart from openings, middlegames and endgames, we also learn a lot of
important qualities from chess that make us better people in life, if we learn
the right lessons, that is. The player should not look at chess through the prism
of ratings and results alone.
Once we give more importance to results and rating than they deserve,
then learning takes a back seat. Without learning, our results won't favor us
in the long run.
Many young players, even at the ages of 7 or 8, are so afraid of losing
rating points that they lose even more games than they normally would, just
because of fear. The vicious cycle of fear and despair feeds bad results, which in
turn feed more fear and despair.
I know of many young players around the age of 10, whose parents
often complain that their son or daughter is playing well against higher rated
players but he or she plays poorly against lower rated players, losing games
often. The reason is obvious - the kid is not worried about the result when
playing against a higher rated player because even if he loses the game, it
won't affect his rating too much. But a loss against a lower rated player means
a drop in rating points, which the kid sees as unacceptable.
The kid learns to think this way either on his own, from peers, from
his coach or parents. Thus, the role of coaches and parents is vital here. They
should steer the attention of the player away from results and towards positive
effort and action, which in turn will fetch us what we deserve without fail - a
Wln.
There is a famous cricket player in India, Sachin Tendulkar. In cricket,
if we score 100 runs it is called a century, and it is something every batsmen
would like to achieve. Sachin said when his score reaches the 90s, he will stop
watching the scoreboard and focus only on the game until he gets the 100. When
he comes close to scoring 100, Sachin knows that the feeling will automatically
266 Chapter 14: The Importance ofResults and Rating

come: "I must score a few more runs to get that century," and that's when most
batsmen get out.
When there is too much emphasis on the result, I want something from
this , then somehow the desire to win seems to prevent full concentration.
Seeking a result creates a division in concentration.
When we throw a ball at a wall, anything can happen to the ball: it can
hit the wall hard and come back fast, it can stop just short of hitting the wall,
or it can hit the wall and come back slowly. It all depends on how hard we
throw the ball in the first place. How we throw the ball is the action (cause).
What happens to the ball is the result (effect). If we want the ball to come back
harder, then we'd better throw the ball with all our might. We can control the
ball only though our actions and not by our emotions.
It is possible that despite throwing the ball harder, the ball may not even
touch the wall because either the wall is too far away, or we are too weak or a
strong wind is against us. Any external factor can affect our plans negatively or
positively, and we have absolutely no control over it whatsoever. We only have
full control over how hard we throw the ball. Whether our effort is sufficient or
not is beside the point. But no external factor should ideally stop us from giving
our best shot. Let's give our best effort first and then handle the repercussions
later.
If my fears and lack of confidence are preventing me from giving my best
shot, then that is not good at all. I am not playing to my full potential. Similarly,
in chess, we just need to find the best possible move with our best possible
effort. In such a case, we will have done our part. We should be satisfied. If our
effort is not good enough, then during home preparation we need to improve
our skills so our effort meets our expectations. If the effort is good, then we will
surely get what we deserve and not what we wish for.
This relationship between effort and result should be understood and
accepted, so that we can understand clearly what we should focus our attention
on during training, and during a tournament. Imagine this scenario: We put
a piece of paper on the street on a bright, sunny afternoon. What will happen
to the paper? At best, it will get warm. Now let us introduce a focal lens in
between the paper and the sun. What happens now? It is the same paper and
same sun as before, but now the paper starts burning within a few seconds.
Why? Initially, without the focal lens, the heat energy of the sun is scattered all
over the paper. But once the lens is introduced, the heat energy is focused on a
particular point and voila! The paper burns.
In chess, our attention is often scattered because we worry about many
different factors at the same time in a game. We are focused on gaining or losing
rating points, we worry too much about winning or losing during the game,
we fear our opponent, we are influenced by our past results against the same
opponent or our result in the previous round, we are focused on tournament
points, overall standings and prize money, or whether we are playing the black
or white pieces, etc.
Instead, if we worry about these things before or after the game, then
during the game we can focus our full attention on finding the best possible

moves. That is living in the present moment. That is what we are supposed to
be doing.
In the Indian epic, Mahabharata, an incident occurs. There is a great
archer, Arjuna, who learns archery from his guru Drona. One day, Drona gives
all his students in the class a challenging test: a revolving dead bird is tied to
a rotating wheel on top of a tree. The students must take aim and hit the bird's
eye with their arrows. Everyone fails and only Arjuna succeeds. When Drona
asks the students what they saw before they shot their arrows, everyone gives
different answers. Some say they saw the tree and the bird, some only saw
the bird, some saw the sky, and so on. Arjuna, however, saw only the bird's eye
before he shot his arrow, and he alone succeeded and passed the test. We need
to focus on what we are doing and nothing else. We need to learn to keep our
thoughts and emotions in control while playing chess.We need to have mental
endurance on the object of our concentration, block all distractions from our
mind, maintain our concentration for as long as our situation demands, and
then act.
In the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, written in 1990, there are
certain parts of the book that I will now quote which I feel will help all chess
players:
"The author has been studying for over 20 years the states of optimal
experience - those times when people report feelings of concentration
and deep enjoyment. These investigations have revealed that what makes
experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow--a state
of concentration so focused that it amounts to absolute absorption in an activity.
Everyone experiences flow from time to time and will recognize
its characteristics: people typically feel strong, alert, in effortless control,
unselfconscious, and at the peak of their abilities. Both a sense of time and
emotional problems seems to disappear, and there is an exhilarating feeling of
transcendence."
Mihaly describes the state of flow in the following manner:
• Completely involved in what you are doing - focused, concentrated;

• A sense of ecstasy - of being outside everyday reality;
• Greater inner clarity - moment to moment knowing what needs to be
done, and how well we are doing;
• A sense of serenity - no worries about oneself, and a feeling of growing
beyond the boundaries of the ego;
• Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces flow becomes its own reward; and
• Timelessness - thoroughly focused on the present, hours seem to pass
by in minutes.
268 Chapter 14: The Importance of Results and Rating

The phenomenology of enjoyment has eight major components. When
people reflect on how it feels when their experience is most positive, they
mention at least one, if not all of the following:
1. We confront tasks we have a chance of completing;
2. We must be able to concentrate on what we are doing;
3. The task has clear goals;
4. The task provides immediate feedback;
5. One acts with deep, but effortless involvement, that removes
from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life;
6. One exercises a sense of control over their actions;
7. Concern for the self disappears, yet, paradoxically the sense of
self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over; and
8. The sense of duration of time is altered.
T is so rewarding that people feel expending a great deal of energy on their

he combination of all these elements causes a sense of deep enjoyment that
craft is worthwhile, simply to be able to feel the flow.
"YOGA IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST SYSTEMATIC

METHODS OF PRODUCING FLOW " - C SIKSZENTMIHALYI
If we become a slave to our thoughts and emotions while the game is in

progress, then we cannot focus our limited concentration on the game.
If someone asks us to throw a ball high in the air and catch it, we can do
it easily. Now if we are asked to do the same with two balls, it becomes slightly
more challenging. If we have to throw three balls in the air and catch them,
it becomes impossible unless if we are a professional juggler. The reason is
simple: we can focus our mind only on a certain, small number of things at a
time. If we have to focus on more things than we can handle, our concentration
becomes scattered and distributed to all those things, and as a result our
output is very poor.
We should learn to leave our fears, self-doubts, and worries just outside
the tournament hall, along with our mobile phones ! Do not carry them with
you to the game. Negative emotions take up a crucial part of our limited
concentration and leave us short of energy to analyze the position and find the
best moves during the game.
Truly understanding this concept means that we need to keep our minds
free of worries, fears and all other negative emotions, in order to bring out our
best effort, which in tum will give us the result we deserve. To achieve this, we
must know about ourselves a little more and in the process, learn to control
ourselves better. We will examine this further in the next chapter.

Chapter 15
SelfAnalysis and Self Control
"As THE MIND, SO THE MAN " - SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA
L philosophy in this chapter.

et me confess at the outset that I am borrowing heavily from Indian
Sometimes we realize, despite switching off all the lights in the room,
that we still cannot get to sleep at night. This is because our mind refuses to
switch itself off. So, for the person to get a good night's sleep, he could take a
sleep-aid medication or better, he can control his mind so he can sleep without
being disturbed by a mind acting on its own. Similarly, we should learn to
control our mind during a chess game, so it does not get lost in the jungle of
thoughts and emotions, which will disturb our concentration.
In an Indian village, it is said, there once was a farmer who had a buffalo.
Every morning, he goes to the farm, ties the buffalo with a rope, gives the
buffalo some grass to eat and goes to work. In the evening, he unties the buffalo
and takes it home. One morning, he found that the rope was missing. He did
not know what to do, so he went to an old man and asked to borrow some rope.
The old man said, "I don't have a rope, but I have a solution for your problem."
He told the farmer to go and tie up the buffalo with all the usual actions with
his bare hands and no rope. The farmer did this; and to his surprise, the buffalo
did not try to run away, though it easily could have. In the evening, the farmer
asked the buffalo to move, but it refused. He again went to the old man with
his new problem. The old man said, "Now do all the usual actions you perform
daily with your hands to untie the buffalo." The farmer did as the old man said.
Again, to his surprise, the buffalo moved this time. The old man and the farmer
knew there was no rope, but the buffalo did not! It had been brain washed
so many times that the mere act of pretending to tie and untie the rope was
enough to fool the buffalo.
270 Chapter 15: SelfAnalysis and Self Control

Now, we all might laugh at the buffalo for its stupidity, but we are in
many ways similar to the buffalo in the story. When we feel, "I am so worried
about today's game, I am worried I am going to lose today;" we don't realize
that we are putting ourselves in the buffalo's position. If we believe we can
never stop worrying, we really cannot stop worrying! If we think, "I should stop
worrying and I can stop worrying," then you can. As the mind - so the man.
Our fears and worries take a life of their own if left unchecked. We
convince ourselves that our position is worse, lose all hope, and gift the point
to the opponent in some games without putting up much of a fight. Later, when
we analyze that game with a chess engine, we realize our position was not
so bad after all! It was just our negative mindset that led us to believe our
position was worse than it actually was. I am sure this must happen (and has
happened) to many players.
One teenage boy was walking by the road to his house when he saw a
beautiful girl in a swimsuit walking past him. He also saw a monkey climbing
up a tree. When he went home, he slept and he dreamed of someone knocking
at the door. When he opened the door in his dream, he saw a monkey in a
swimsuit. See what ideas a human mind can come up with!
Our own mind is our best friend and our own mind is our worst enemy.
We are what our mind is.
I It was mostly self-analysis, discussions with friends, and reading some

n our generation, we did not rely too much on coaches for learning the game.
rarely available chess material that helped us become better players. The
competition was not so tough, either. In the first four rounds, most good players
had 4/4 points. It was only then that the actual tournament started. But these
days, even in the first round, no one is sure if they'll win their game. Chess has
progressed in certain areas so much over the years, and so have the players.
These days, even an 8-year-old can have good calculation skills and decent
opening knowledge in multiple openings. Intense competition has its own
merits and demerits. It keeps us on our toes all the time, as we are constantly
in the process of upgrading our skills to keep up with the competition. In a way,
this is good. But on the flip side, players these days rarely have the habit of
sitting quietly and contemplating how things are going with their chess career.
We need to periodically ask ourselves the following questions (and more):
• In which direction has my chess career been progressing?

• Am I happy with the way things are turning out?
• Am I putting in enough effort?
• Am I learning the right things?
• Do I have short, middle, and long-term goals reasonably defined?
• Is there something I should change about my approach to the game?
• Is my current approach yielding the results to my satisfaction?
• At this rate, will I reach my goals?
Chapter 15: SelfAnalysis and Self Control 2 71

• What changes do I need to make in my preparation to make it more
effective?
• Am I spending enough time on chess, corresponding to my ambitions?
• Am I afraid of playing against lower rated players or higher rated
players?
• Am I getting good positions from the openings I play?
• Do I like the positions I get out of my openings?
• Is my calculation skill good enough?
• Are my endgames better?
• What are my strengths and weaknesses in chess?
• What more do I need to do to get better in the game? etc.
W that we should be doing but are ignoring or postponing. Self-introspection

hen we contemplate how good or bad our chess is, we realize a lot of things
teaches us that our chess is 1) good, 2) not good, and 3) not good enough! All at
the same time!
We can find solutions to most of our questions just by thinking about
them deeply. In many cases, we already know what needs to be done but the
"doing" part is where the real problem lies. Many chess players simply don't
put enough time into their chess preparation at home. We need to plan our
work in such a way that our preparation covers all the important themes of
chess over a period of time.
For those questions where we don't have an answer, we should get in
touch with strong players and get their opinions and suggestions to fix our
problems. Alternatively, we can contact an experienced coach and try to solve
our issues with their guidance. We can also read and learn from good books
that cover the topics in which we are interested. For those who don't have
access to good chess players or coaches in their area, explore taking lessons
online. There are many websites offering training material.
The point is, when we identify a problem with our chess, or with our
approach to chess, we should not just drift away and leave things as they are.
We need to take corrective steps as soon as possible. Progress in chess is about
learning, playing, identifying our mistakes, making corrections, playing again,
and so on.
Helpful Suggestions to Improve Time Management Skills:
• Play more blitz games to improve reflex and intuition, which will help
during time trouble.
• One top GM suggested advancing pawns when in time trouble.
• Try not to get into time trouble in the first place by playing quickly when
you have to, and by not taking too much time making normal decisions.
• Learn openings thoroughly so the initial 10 or 15 moves can be made
quickly. This will leave more time for the middlegame and endgame later
on.

• Do not think before making forced or only moves. Just make them and
press the clock.
• Do not think more than you have to. Once you make a proper evaluation,
stop the analysis at that point and make a decision. For example, once you
know in a certain position that you have good chances to continue playing
for a win, then go for that continuation if there is nothing better. Don't try
to continue the analysis further.
• Do not check your lines more than once or twice before making a move.
Some players keep checking and rechecking their analysis because they are
not sure if they've missed something important in their analysis.
• Try to have good concentration during the thinking time. If you find
that your concentration is wavering, then do something different like: go
for a short walk, keep telling yourself to focus, splash your face with cold
water, have something to drink or eat, or give yourself a pep-talk to boost
confidence and concentration.
• Do not panic when unexpected things happen on the board. Learn to
accept them and try to make the best practical decisions without giving up
hope. If we panic, we make bad decisions and we often take up too much
time making those bad decisions.
• Repeat moves wherever possible twice to gain time, but do it quickly!
• Play training games with say, 10 minutes on the clock in complicated or
simple positions to teach yourself to make quick decisions under various
circumstances.
• Give yourself 10 or 20 minutes on the clock and try to solve as many
problems as possible in that limited time.
Helpful Suggestions to Improve Calculation:
• Solve studies/compositions. Some good composers include: Kubbel, Afek,

Gurgenidze, Smyslov, Wotawa, Kasparian, Dobrescu, Gurvitch, etc. Try to
solve the easy ones first then go on to the tougher ones. The time to solve
each study could be anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes, so don't lose hope and
get frustrated if you don't get the answer immediately.
• Solve puzzles from practical games. Many good puzzle books and
databases are available.
• Play out training games with complicated positions using a limited time
on the clock.
• Analyze complicated positions on your own without making the moves
on the board and write down your analysis in a book. Compare your analysis
with the comments from a book/database.
• Analyze positions with a friend without looking at a chessboard. Have
fun calculating simple positions to begin with.
• Analyze complicated positions with a player who is strong in calculation
and you will learn a lot about how they think. Try to do the same.
Chapter 1 5: SelfAnalysis and Self Control 273

Helpful Suggestions to Improve Positional/Strategic Play:
• Read books on the topic; there have been quite a few fantastic works on
the subject of positional chess.
• Play through games by players like Karpov, Capablanca, Smyslov,
Kramnik and Yusupov, etc. Of course, there are many other strong players
out there just waiting to teach us with their great games. Explore and
enjoy! (Remember, always guess the moves first. )
With regard to openings and endgames, I have covered these subjects

under previous chapters in this book.

Chapter 16
Learning and Unlearning
" I F WE STOP LEARNING, WE STOP IMPROVING " - KA SPAROV
" W HEN ONE WORKS WITH CONCENTRATION , LOSING ALL

CONSCIOUSNESS OF ONESELF , THE WORK THAT IS DONE WILL
BE INFINITELY BETTER " - S WAMI V IVEKANANDA
W to learn. Passion for the game, curiosity and the determination to succeed
hen we want to learn something, we first need to have a strong motivation
are the ideal motivations for a chess player. Without proper concentration,
however, there can be no learning.
One of the areas a normal player and a strong player differ is in the
realm of creativity. As a coach, I have seen that a majority of young players do
not have much of a problem calculating simple variations but they often have
trouble spotting more complex variations requiring intermediate moves or a
profound tactical shot. Talented tactical players rarely miss such moments. To
be more creative, we need to overcome our inhibitions about taking risks and
enter unchartered territories in our thinking process.
When I was young, I remember asking myself what I hate most in
chess. The answer came easily: the Dutch Opening! I could not understand
how a good player would obligingly play a move like 1 . . . f5 on move one and
weaken his own king? So, I decided to study the Dutch with the black pieces
to overcome my hatred for the opening. After all, there has to be some validity
to l . . . f5 , otherwise many strong grandmasters would not play it. It is through
overcoming our fears and inhibitions in certain areas of chess that one's way
to progress lies.
When we are young, we are taught in life that certain things are good and
other things are bad; some behaviors are acceptable and ought to be pursued
while others are not acceptable and should be shunned. In chess too, we learn
Chapter 1 6: Learning and Unlearning 275

that some moves or ideas are good and others are bad. For example, we learn
that being a pawn down is not good and we should not give away pawns for
free. Then we learn to develop an attachment to playing with equal pawns.
We learn we should attack our opponent's king and go for mate. We learn that
playing with the pair of bishops is good. We learn all rook and pawn endings
are drawn. We learn a bishop is better than a knight, we learn to play openings
like the London and Colle systems, we learn gaining rating points is important,
we learn losing hurts more than winning, we learn to respect higher rated
opponents, we learn things from others, we learn to think before moving and
not play hurriedly, etc.
Over a period of time, we learn many other different aspects of chess. Our
knowledge, experience, skill and rating get better as we progress as students of
the game. In this proces s of learning, however, we develop certain phobias and
convictions in our mind.
The lesson: "We should not carelessly give away free pawns" becomes
the fear: ''We should never give away any pawns." As a result, playing with
equal pawns becomes an aim for many players until they reach the endgame.
"Attacking the opponent's king is good" becomes the fear "The opponent will
attack our king." "Playing with the pair of bishops is good" becomes giving up
hope when our opponent gets the bishop pair. "A bishop is slightly better than
a knight" becomes "A bishop is much superior to a knight." The drawing nature
of rook and pawn endings and opposite colored bishops endings become "All
such endings are drawn." When we learn sidelines like the London or Colle
Systems, we learn to ignore main lines as we grow as a player in strength, age
and rating. Respecting higher rated opponents becomes fearing higher rated
opponents. "Think and play without hurrying" becomes time trouble problems.
"Leaming from others" becomes "Not learning through one's own work/coach
dependency." We learn to calculate but forget to think logically. Trying to gain
rating points becomes fear of losing rating points. Love for attack becomes
hatred for quiet positions and endings. And so on.
As we can see, when we learn certain aspects of the game, over a period
of time, we develop rigid qualities and form opinions about everything. And
this becomes our undoing later on. This is how we develop weaknesses in our
game and in our thinking.
While we learn about various principles in chess, it is essential to
remember that there are exceptions to everything and that guiding principles
work in most situations but not in all situations. We need to "unlearn" the
negative perceptions we develop over time. This ability to change our opinions
is one of the hallmarks of a successful player. It is easy to go from one extreme
opinion to the other extreme. We should strive to maintain a balance between
extreme opinions .
We should strive to learn when i t i s beneficial and when i t is bad to give
away pawns. We should learn how to attack and how to handle our opponent's
attack. We should learn how to play with and against the pair of bishops. We
should learn how to play with a bishop versus a knight and vice versa. We
should learn when certain endings are drawn and when we can play for a win.
276 Chapter 1 6: Learning and Unlearning

We should learn how to slowly migrate to main lines from the sidelines we
played in our youth. We should learn to overcome our fear of playing against
higher rated players. We should learn to manage our time better so we use
most of the allotted time, without getting into chronic time trouble in every
game. We should learn to gain rating points by playing good quality chess.
Along with attack, we should learn how to play quiet positions and endings.
For the above to be possible, we must unlearn our misconceptions and
unlearn our weaknesses. We should progress from opinionated, rigid thinking
to balanced, flexible thinking.
When I was young, I was not good in quiet positions and endings. Over a
period of time, I started developing a fear of such positions and avoided them
at all costs. I started to lose more games when the position became quiet or
had reached an ending. I realized this could not go on any longer, otherwise my
progress in chess would be seriously affected. So I started to unlearn my hatred
and fear for quiet positions by studying the games of players like Karpov,
Capablanca, Petrosian and others. I started reading books on positional play
and endgames. Slowly, I developed confidence in those areas and my overall
playing strength improved.
I have seen many players who are unable to reverse their fears
and opinions. Players with time trouble remain players with time trouble
throughout their chess career. Players who miss simple tactics in good positions
will forever complain, "I get good positions all the time, but I miss some small
tactic and lose the game." Someone who is not good at calculation or in endings
or who defends badly remains the same and even gets worse over a long period
of time. The ability to learn good things and unlearn bad things is essential
and every player should strive to do both to reach their true potential in chess.
Chapter 1 6: Learning and Unlearning 277

Chapter 1 7
Using Computers
C viewing, analyzing, and searching of information in chess. We have reached

omputers have played a crucial role in the storing, accumulation, ease of
a stage in chess history where it is practically impossible to be a strong player

without the help of computers. We have come a long way from times when
there was a shortage of chess information, to the opposite extreme today, where
it is becoming increasingly difficult to sort through the mass of information
available, to find what is right for us and how to use that information for our
chess progress.
There are many popular programs like ChessBase and Chess Assistant,
which are used by most players around the world for their preparation. These
programs are used mainly for storing information and searching through huge
databases by different criteria, as per the requirements of the player.
Apart from the above-mentioned programs, we also have plenty of
analysis engines. Komodo, Stockfish, Houdini and Rybka are among the
popular ones available today, which are used to store and analyze positions
and games as well as playing against them.
Chess DVDs provide instructive lectures on all aspects of the game by
many of the top grandmasters around the world.
There are popular websites which allow users to play games 24/7,
solve puzzles online, watch world-wide tournaments live with or without
commentary, download the latest games for free, buy chess literature, provide
online training, provide opening databases for a fee, and so on.
There are many mobile phone apps coming out to meet the demands of
a traveling chess player.
Add to this, "traditional" books, periodical magazines, and tournament
bulletins by authors on varying topics. We have vast amounts of information
available everywhere.
278 Chapter 1 7: Using Computers

It is imperative for a player to know how to process this information to
get the most out of it to aid in his chess progress.
Since I use the ChessBase program, I will restrict myself to preparing
chess using this software. Similar methods may be replicated using other
programs as well.
First, we should organize our material properly so that when we need
something, we know where to look for it. I have seen many young players, in
their eagerness to collect databases, clutter their screen with so much useless
information that it becomes near impossible to find what they want.
To avoid this, I suggest the following method: we can create a folder
called "Chess Data" (or whatever you prefer) to hold all of your databases,
electronic books, other resources, etc. Within your folder, we can create as many
sub-folders as we want. One simple way to organize the folders is like this:
• Openings
• Middlegame
• Endgame
• Bases
• My games
• E-books
• DVDs
All opening materials can be stored in the "openings" folder, all

middlegame-related material goes into the middlegame folder, and so on.
Organization makes it easier to retrieve the material we want faster.
When we want to search for a particular player's games or a specific
position, we need to have a source from which the search can be made. The
common sources for searching games are: Mega Database (it changes with each
year), Informator (it contains games analyzed by strong players) and TWIC
( www.theweekinchess.com). TWIC comes once a week and contains games
from the latest international events, up to date. All the above databases can be
put into the "bases" folder we created earlier. Now it is easy to search all three
databases at the same time just by clicking on the folder and calling for the
search mask (ctrl+F).
Finally, the folders can be accessed from the ChessBase main screen by
right clicking on the screen and choosing "add folder shortcut". For TWIC, the
download can be copied into the TWIC database inside the "bases" folder every
week so we remain updated with the latest games.
It is important to create separate opening databases inside the "openings"
folder for each opening we play. These databases should contain our opening
material, which we can create on our own (as explained in the chapter on
Opening Preparation). The TWIC database can be used to keep us up-to-date
with the latest development in opening theory and for learning from the most
current games of the world's top players.
While seeing the material, it is better to turn on the training mode (on
the notation side, we can see the "training" button) and guess the moves before
Chapter 1 7: Using Computers 279

seeing the move that was actually played in the game. This is a simple and
effective way to prepare openings and learn from games in general.
Some parents are worried about their child if he only plays and studies
chess on a computer and does not prepare chess on a physical board using
pieces. While there is no hard and fast rule, I would recommend any serious
work be done using a real chessboard, as we might have to stare at a board
for a long period of time in a game. Working in short sessions should not be
a problem, but long hours in front of a computer could strain the child's eyes.
280 Chapter 17: Using Computers

Conclusion
General Suuestions
Trying to become a professional chess player is not as easy as one might

think. It requires parents who are supportive and understanding, a school
which can accommodate the irregular attendance of the child, availability
of an effective coach, regular participation in good tournaments, financial
stability, and more. Apart from these external factors, the player should be
reasonably talented, interested in learning despite the inevitable ups and
downs, hardworking, etc.
What we like versus what is good for us-progressing to liking

what is good
It is in the nature of humans to do what we like to do more than what is

better for us in the long run. Climbing a flight of stairs is tougher, takes longer
and strains the body more than going up in an elevator. But the former is more
beneficial to us from a health perspective than the latter, which is quick, easy
and comfortable. Someone who is very health conscious should ideally prefer
the stairs over the elevator for shorter climbs.
Similarly, it is easier to make a move intuitively without calculating
the critical variations and spending time and effort. It easier to play through
games casually than to sit and analyze them deeply. Calculating a study until
the end is tougher than solving it midway and checking the solution to see the
remaining moves. It is not pleasant to sit and defend a bad position during a
game against a good player; it is easier to just give up. But all these things have
to be done whether we like it or not because it is good for our development to
do so. An aspiring chess player should learn to do the difficult things (calculate
deeply, defend stubbornly, etc. ) which other players would avoid doing simply
because they are tough to do.
Effort over Result
Players, coaches, and parents can sometimes focus too much on the
results, and in the process the effort on the part of the player (both on and off
the board) is ignored. Being successful should not be measured only in terms of
ratings and titles, but also by how much a player has learned about the game
and about himself. Unless there is progress made in how a player thinks, how
well he calculates/concentrates/fights back in tough situations, how well he
converts the advantage, the results will suffer in the long run. The sacrifice and
effort that goes into becoming a better player should not be underestimated or
compromised.
When a player is not happy with a result, he should first accept and take
responsibility for it. It is because he did certain things wrong that he got that
Chapter 18: Conclusion 281

particular result - a result that maybe he doesn't like but deserves. One should
analyze the game objectively (which is not easy at all ! ) after the tournament
is over, draw important lessons, work on rectifying the weaknesses in one's
thinking, and apply the lessons learned in future games before repeating the
whole process over and over again.
For Parents and Coaches
Focus on the child's interest in the game-encourage and enhance his

hardworking capacity, keep monitoring his interest in learning the different
aspects of the game. Provide emotional support when the child is going through
tough times (there will be many such moments) . Teach him how to handle
successes and failures with proper perspective, not to focus too much on rating
gain or loss in the short-term, and handle pressures from school-related issues
like attendance, homework, and exams. The child should be given the opportunity
to play in good tournaments, and have a decent training environment at home,
at the chess club, etc. The child should not be criticized too much after losses.
Parents should not look at the time, effort and money they spend in the process
as mere investments to gain monetary returns but rather as an investment in
the child's overall growth, well-being and personality development.
A good coach should teach all that he knows to the student, plus
learn more himself and teach them new things as well. Keeping the child's
motivation to learn more and perform high is a full-time j ob. Good coordination
between the coach and parents will go a long way in fulfilling this objective.
The child should be encouraged to make full use of the technology available
for his progress. Reading instructive books, watching good videos/commentary
about chess, solving puzzles regularly, analyzing games, learning the classics,
working on chess independently, and playing/watching games online should all
be encouraged.
The entire process of learning and competing, the associated successes
and losses, losing hope and confidence, the occasional frustrations and doubts,
the excitement of winning, the fear of playing against stronger players,
losing to lower rated players, meeting an unpleasant position over the board,
defending bad positions, coming back from a losing position to win, regaining
one's confidence back through hard work and determination, and so on are
all part and parcel of the journey to become a good chess player. Enjoy the
whole package of the professional chess career, not only the elements that are
convenient and pleasant. Enjoy the j ourney.
282 Chapter 18: Conclusion

Index of Games Page #
Carlsen - Aronian 11
Krasenkow - Garcia Ilundain 20
Al Masshani - Sasikiran 21
Andreikin - Topalov 22
Anand - Topalov 24
Korchnoi - Beliavsky 26
Anand - Vallejo Pons 28
Gabdrakhmanov - Yusupov 32
Bacrot - Sargissian 34
Ponomariov - Gashimov 38
Mikhalchishin - Beliavsky 41
Naiditsch - Timman 42
Topalov - Mamedyarov 46
Wojtaszek - Kazhgaleyev 48
Kramnik - Leko 53
Geller - Boleslavsky 56
Keres - Gligoric 57
Topalov - lvanchuk 58
Potkin - Filippov 60
Landa - Khismatullin 61
Yu Yangyi - Bu Xiangzhi 69
Hou Yifan - Shirov 70
Monnisha - Quek 71
Yusupov - Sokolov 73
Van Wely - Lautier 75
Alatortsev - Capablanca 76
Yusupov - Van der Wiel 78
Leko - Gelfand 80
Kramnik - Serper 83
Fischer - Petrosian 84
Meier - Sanikidze 86
Sasikiran - Yu Yangyi 88
Bu Xiangzhi - Movsesian 92
Mamedyarov - Bacrot 93
Panchanathan - Ramesh 94
Gavrilov - Amonatov 95
Rivas Pastor - Adams 96
Movsesian - lvanchuk 98
Karpov - Sveshnikov 99
Caruana - Baramidze 100
284 Index of Players

Abergel - Vachier Lagrave 102
Ramesh - Mohota 105
Smyslov - Tai 106
Carlsen - Wojtaszek 109
UAmi - Van Kampen 111
Smyslov - Rudakovsky 114
Tiviakov - Karjakin 115
Karpov - Kramnik 1 18
Gupta - Sokolov 127
Berkes - Bogner 128
Kramnik - Naiditsch 129
Kramnik - Sadvakasov 130
Eljanov - Sokolov 132
Negi - Berg 134
Negi - Nielsen 135
Korchnoi - Karpov 136
McShane - Rapport 138
Sakaev - Eljanov 140
Vaganian - Farago 141
Mikhalchishin - Beliavsky 146
Miles - Larsen 147
Englisch - Steinitz 149
Short - Kasimdzhanov 152
Leko - Carlsen 157
Movsesian - Wang Hao 159
Hammer - Huschenbeth 160
Vachier Lagrave - Harikrishna 16 1
Naiditsch - Ponomariov 164
Grachev - Popov 17 1
Lysyj - Stubberud 172
Geller - Keres 174
Landa - Svane 175
Koneru - Kononenko 177
Muminova - Hou Yifan 180
Carlsen - Mamedyarov 182
Salgado Lopez - Caruana 184
Grachev - Filipovic 186
Bu Xiangzhi - Svidler 188
Topalov - Aronian 189
Svidler - Bu Xiangzhi 190
Aronian - Svidler 191
Eljanov - Alekseev 191
Polzin - Svidler 192
Balogh - Kempinski 193
Delchev - lbrayev 194
Kramnik - Carlsen 194
Index of Players 285

Bartel - Lovik 195
Djuric - Yusupov 196
Sorokin - Ramesh 197
Ramesh - Kunte 197
Capablanca - Yates 198
Shomoev - Le 199
Nakamura - Bauer 200
Karpov - O'Kelly 201
Gustafsson - Beliavsky 202
Rudd - Jones 202
Karpov - Vaganian 203
Karpov - Grigorian 204
Polzin - Motylev 209
Stenersen - Tiviakov 210
Ni Hua - Zhou Jianchao 211
Short - Karpov 213
Malakhov - Mamedyarov 2 14
L'Ami - Nakamura 216
Landa - Burmakin 218
Ipatov - Eljanov 220
286 Index of Players

Bibliography
Books and Periodicals:

How Life Imitates Chess Garry Kaspaorv
-
Positional Play Mark Dvoretsky

-
Chess Informant
Online Resources:
The Week In Chess
ChessCafe
Software:
ChessBase
Mega Database 2015
Engines:
Stockfish 6
Komodo 9
Bibliography 287

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Fundamental

METROPOLITAN CHESS PUBLISHING

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

ISBN- 13: 978-0-985628 1-6- 1

Cover by Jyoti Vishnoi Rastogi

Metropolitan Chess Publishing is an imprint of Metropolitan Chess, Inc

Metropolitan Chess, Inc. , PO Box 251 12, Los Angeles, CA 90025-01 12

METROPOLITAN CHESS PUBLISHING

PART ONE: Logical Reasoning 9

PART TWO: Practical Chess Play 123

PART THREE: Fundamentals of Chess Training 232

H ten, I have had an interesting j ourney with chess. I have experienced my

I becoming a grandmaster in 1988. My priority at the time was to win every

Wmore and more concrete as players rely heavily on deep analysis of

complex variations to make decisions. Making decisions based on what I call

Part One: Logical Reasoning 9

10 Part One: Logical Reasoning

Carlsen - Aronian decision on the board is weighed in

Part One: Logical Reasoning 11

The immediate 25.Rabl was

12 Part One: Logical Reasoning

With idea Ra6. When we are

Part One: Logical Reasoning 13

in our games. It is imperative that a player successfully applies these principles

Concrete Thinkinl{ vs. Intuition

W a solution in a position. Either the player relies too much on concrete

calculation or he moves intuitively, without doing the necessary background

14 Part One: Logical Reasoning

Part One: Logical Reasoning 15

16 Part One: Logical Reasoning

Part One: Logical Rea soning 17

Wthought process when considering a position:

• Assessment of the position;

18 Chapter 1 : Assessment of the Position

Let's try to prioritize the most important elements for a proper

The aim in chess is to deliver checkmate to the opposing king, which we

How to Keep the King Safe

In general, it is advisable to keep one minor piece in front of the king

Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position 19

25 . . . Kf6 would lose even more

20 Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position

And Black converted his extra

Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position 21

Andreikin - Topalov With calm moves White has

22 Chapter 1 : Assessment of the Position

advancing his pawns and opening up the position.

Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position 23

In this way, Topalov managed to

24 Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position

a. Play with equal material but have passive pieces; or

We should choose option b! Active pieces easily compensate for a slight

Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position 25

This is not suggested by the

26 Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position

Chapter 1 : Assessment of the Position 27

1 . d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 8. e4 Nc6 4.Nf8

Since Black is not able to use his

28 Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position

A standard attacking motif

Chapter 1: Assessment of the Position 29

In the eyes of a novice, it is easy to spot an active piece. An active piece

How to Spot a Passive Piece:

30 Chapter 1: Assessment of the Positi on