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published in 2019 by Gloucester Publishers Limited, London.

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 About the Author
Neil McDonald became a grandmaster in 1996 and a FIDE trainer in 2017. He is
a regular coach of the England Junior team at international events. Neil has
written numerous books on openings, endgames, tactics and strategy as well as
biographies of famous players. He lives in Gravesend in Kent, England.

Also by the Author:

Break the Rules!
Catalan: Move by Move
Chess Secrets: The Giants of Power Play
Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy
Concise Chess Endings
Concise Chess Middlegames
Concise Chess Openings
Dutch Leningrad
French Winawer
How to Play against 1 e4
Main Line Caro Kann
Modern Defence
Play the Dutch
Positional Sacrifices
Practical Endgame Play
Rudolf Spielmann: Master of Invention
Starting Out: 1 e4
Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Declined
Starting Out: The Dutch Defence
Starting Out: The English
Starting Out: The Réti
The King’s Indian Attack: Move by Move
The Ruy Lopez: Move by Move
 Contents
About the Author
Introduction

1 Immunizing Yourself Against Blunders

2 Training Your Tactical Imagination
3 Teaching Yourself to Calculate
4 Judging the Right Moment to Use a Combination
5 Supercharging Your Feel for the Initiative
6 Know Yourself: Diagnosing Positional Mistakes
7 Learn How to Shut a Piece out of the Game
8 Getting Full Value from Your King
9 Wearing Down the Opponent’s Pawn Structure
10 Practice Planning on a Grand Scale
11 Mastering Pawn Breakthroughs in Endgames
12 Understanding the Essentials of the Endgame
13 Making Good Opening Choices
 Introduction
Along with the excitement of competition and the pleasure of social activity that
chess brings to our lives, there is also the joy of intellectual challenge. We all
want to get better at it. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing our
skill and knowledge grow.
The aim of this book is to show you everything you need to be working on to
become a better player. Tactics, strategy, and the endgame are covered in detail,
and you are offered guidance on subjects such as calculation, analysing your
games, and choosing your openings.
Don’t expect to understand everything straight away as some of the material
is hard: fiendishly hard. It is meant to get you thinking and pushing forwards at
the limits of your understanding. But just as the Romans trained with heavier
weapons than those used in battle, your task in your own games will seem much
lighter after analysing the combinations and strategy of the great players.
It’s not my intention to be a lifestyle guru. But we both know that exercise, a
balanced diet, and a regular routine during tournaments will be of benefit to your
chess. When world champion Magnus Carlsen was asked by an interviewer if he
was afraid for his title because an upcoming player was spending sixteen hours a
day or more studying chess, he replied laconically: “He should get more sleep.”
There are many games by the great Magnus presented here, but that is the most
useful thing you will learn from him.
I hope that this book will spur you on to devise your own study plan. This
will mean making time not only to look at openings, but also to solve chess
puzzles, annotate your own games, learn about chess history and the great
masters, read books about the endgame, practice calculation by selecting
complicated positions to analyse to death, and so on. The more work you put in
the better (while remembering Carlsen’s admonition!).
Let me wish you luck in your quest to learn more about the mysteries of chess.

Neil McDonald,
Gravesend, Kent,
February 2019
Chapter One
Immunizing Yourself Against Blunders
Blunders and Traps
A one-move blunder involves the instant loss of a pawn or piece or some other
disaster which you didn’t have to let happen. Happily, such misfortunes should
vanish almost entirely from your games once you start working at your chess. I
say almost entirely as everyone has lapses where they give away their queen, etc.
But outside of blitz games and extreme time trouble they should be so rare as to
be front page news.
Two-move blunders are more common and might be described as traps, as
you have to fall into them rather than just leave something hanging. Again, their
occurrence should shrink away as your chess expertise increases. The best way
to avoid a trap is to have seen the idea in a puzzle or previous game, studied it,
and added it to the list of chess poisons in your unconscious chess mind.
When you are coaching yourself you’ll need to spend a fair amount of time
looking at puzzles (more on that in Chapter Two). Here we’ll examine some of
the blunders and traps you’ll have to learn to sidestep – or with luck get to use
against your opponents.

Ma.Carlsen-G.Jones
Wijk aan Zee 2018

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 Nc6 8 Qd2 0-

0 9 0-0-0 d5 10 Qe1 e5 11 Nxc6 bxc6 12 exd5 Nxd5 13 Bc4 Be6 14 Kb1 Re8
15 Ne4 f5 16 Ng5 Bc8
Here the world champion casually played 17 g4?? , offering a pawn to open
lines on the kingside.
 He didn’t
intend to offer a piece, but after 17 ... f4! his bishop was hanging and the defence
of his knight on g5 was cut off. Carlsen quickly pulled himself together and
gained some extremely faint compensation for the piece after 18 h4 fxe3 19
Qxe3 . He even won, when his opponent faltered under the pressure of having a
winning position against the world champion.
Curiously, Magnus had lost a piece to the same type of tactic some years
earlier.

Ma.Carlsen-A.Giri
Wijk aan Zee 2011
 Black has just played 19 ... e4, attacking the knight. White has a rotten
position as 20 Nd4 Qxd5 would leave him a pawn down, but even so this was
preferable to the game move 20 Ng5?? , when – I hope you are getting the hang
of this! – 20 ... e3! cut off the defence of the knight on g5.
It’s not quite as simple as in the previous example. The game finished 21
Qb2 Qxg5 22 Bxe3 (we’ll examine 22 Qxb6 below) 22 ... Qg4 0-1 .
The rook on d1 is hanging so White can’t take the knight. After 23 f3 Nc4!
(rather than move his queen right away Black counter-attacks against the white
queen; this is often described as a zwischenzug , which is German for “in-
between move”) 24 Qb3 Qd7 25 Qxc4 Rxe3 White remains a piece down.
The most instructive line is if Carlsen had recaptured the knight with 22
Qxb6.
 Then Black has a winning sequence of forcing moves: 22 ... e2! (threatening
the rook so White can’t take the queen) 23 Re1 Qxc1! 24 Rxc1 e1Q+ 25 Rxe1
Rxe1+ 26 Bf1. Black has only a rook and bishop for the queen, but now comes
26 ... Bh3!. The threat is mate on f1 and it can only be averted by 27 Qb5. But
then comes 27 ... Bxc3 (why not take the chance to grab a pawn as White is
paralysed?) 28 d6 Rxf1+ 29 Qxf1 Bxf1 30 Kxf1 Kf8 and Black wins the
endgame with his extra piece.
You can see how complicated it gets once you start looking at tactics. Giri’s
basic idea was to win a piece with 20 ... e3, but he also needed to know about the
technique of the zwischenzug (see 23 ... Nc4 above) and be ready to sacrifice his
queen. He was undoubtedly familiar with the pattern behind shutting in the
bishop on f1 and playing ... Bh3.

Notice that in the Jones game the move to win a piece is with the f-pawn (17 ...
f4), while in the Giri game it is the e-pawn (17 ... e3). White’s personnel has also
changed, as in one game a bishop gets cut off from its defensive task and in the
other the queen. But the basic pattern is the same . You need to be aware of the
essence of the trap, not its outward appearance, so that you can see through any
“disguise” it might be wearing. For example, it might appear in one of your
games as the chance to advance a white pawn to c6 to cut off the defence of a
black knight on d5 by its bishop on b7.

Your Tactical Radar

Sometimes a two-move blunder is, well, a three-move blunder and so on. In those
cases we have committed ourselves to a forced sequence of moves from which
we can’t escape.

D.Lekic-V.Burmakin
Zürich 2003

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 g6 4 h3 Bg7 5 Nf3 dxe4 6 Nxe4 Nd7 7 Bd3 Ngf6 8 c3

Nxe4 9 Bxe4 0-0

Here White played 10 Be3 with the idea of building up an attack with 11
Qd2, followed by 12 Bh6. When Black played the unobtrusive 10 ... Qc7 White
ignored it and carried on with his plan of 11 Qd2 .
Now comes a familiar piece-winning thrust but with a preliminary move to
set it up: 11 ... f5 wins a piece after 12 Bc2 (12 Bf4 e5 leaves both white bishops
hanging) 12 ... f4 .

Rather than being cut off from the defence of a piece as in the Giri game
above, here the white queen is blocking the bishop’s retreat. White made a
valiant attempt to gain counterplay but the game didn’t last long:
13 Bb3+ e6
More precise is 13 ... Kh8, denying White any more than a pawn for the
piece, as if 14 Ng5 fxe3 15 Qxe3 Nf6 16 Nf7+?! (or 16 0-0-0 Nd5) 16 ... Rxf7
17 Bxf7 e6, White has another bishop trapped since 18 Bxe6 Bxe6 19 Qxe6 Re8
wins his queen.
14 Ng5 fxe3 15 Qxe3 Nf6 16 Bxe6+ Kh8 17 Bxc8 Qxc8 18 0-0 Qf5 0-1
With only two pawns for the piece and facing a kingside attack to boot,
White resigned.

In these cases we need a tactical radar, something that can warn us not to fly into
a deadly storm while we still have the chance to avoid it. In Chapter Three we’ll
discuss how to increase the range of your calculation. But it is also possible to
learn to smell danger a long way ahead. In the example above, for instance, it
should make White uneasy that his pieces are bunched together in the centre and
vulnerable to attack. Removing the only retreat square from his bishop on e3
should give him food for thought. Finally, working on tactical puzzles will alert
you to tactical possibilities both for yourself and the opponent.

Don’t Fall for the Same Trap Twice!

There is an English proverb that goes “fool me once, shame on you: fool me
twice, shame on me”. Anyone can be tricked once, but you should learn from the
experience. You can only blame yourself if you are tricked in the same way
again.
To be fair, with regard to chess it’s not easy to avoid falling for a trap or
tactical sequence more than once. That’s because, like a virus that mutates to
avoid the body’s defences, the same basic trap can escape your detection by
appearing in widely different forms and settings. And, if I may continue the
analogy, your chess immune system is most likely to succumb when it is at its
weakest: that is, when you are tired or in time trouble or overconfident or in an
unfamiliar pawn structure.
Still, it is surprising that the great Rubinstein fell for the following trap twice
in two years . To add to his chagrin it has become known as the Rubinstein Trap
(though I’m sure we’d all accept this in return for history remembering us as the
winner of the Polish Immortal game in Chapter Four).

M.Euwe-A.Rubinstein
Bad Kissingen 1928

1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 e6 3 d4 Nf6 4 Bg5 Nbd7 5 e3 Be7 6 Nc3 0-0 7 Rc1 c6 8 Bd3 a6 9

cxd5 exd5 10 0-0 Re8 11 Qb3 h6 12 Bf4
The best traps wheedle the opponent into playing a natural move which
promises positional or material gain. Rubinstein played 12 ... Nh5 with the idea
of exchanging off White’s good bishop and freeing his game. He was hit by 13
Nxd5!! .
 The point that looks the most solid in Black’s centre collapses as he loses the
queen after 13 ... cxd5 14 Bc7. Rubinstein had to make do with 13 ... Nxf4 14
Nxf4 (it’s a neat part of the trap that the knight can recapture and save itself from
loss, though 14 Nxe7+ Rxe7 15 exf4 is also great for White) 14 ... Bd6 . Despite
a long resistance Black resigned on move 55.

A.Alekhine-A.Rubinstein
San Remo 1930

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 Bg5 Nbd7 5 e3 Be7 6 Nc3 0-0 7 Rc1 Re8 8 Qc2 a6
9 cxd5 exd5 10 Bd3 c6 11 0-0 Ne4 12 Bf4
It’s always a good idea to watch out for tactical traps against Alekhine. But
Rubinstein wasn’t suspicious of the white bishop on f4 and strengthened his
knight on e4 with 12 ... f5 .
 You’ve guessed it: 13 Nxd5! Bd6 (once again the black pieces are too
bunched together in the centre for the sake of Her Majesty’s health after 13 ...
cxd5 14 Bc7) 14 Bxd6 (White is understandably content to take his present and
leave without any fuss, but 14 Qb3! was even stronger) 14 ... Nxd6 15 Nf4 and
White won on move 46.

Rubinstein’s demise reminds us that it’s not enough to solve a chess puzzle by
finding the right moves. You might have stumbled on them accidentally or for
the wrong reason. It’s like picking the murderer near the start of an Agatha
Christie whodunit and thinking you are cleverer than the author when you are
proved right at the end. In reality you made a lucky guess because the
information available to you at an early point in the story would have suggested
another character (or characters) being the most likely culprit(s). She wouldn’t
be Agatha Christie otherwise.
You need to become aware of the mechanism behind the tactical device.
Then you can avoid falling for it in your own games, or replicate it if the
opportunity arises to make the combination yourself. Only by extracting the
repeatable pattern from a puzzle – whether tactical or strategic – will you be
making yourself a better player.

Watch out for a Hopping Knight

For less experienced players it can be hard to keep an enemy horse under
control. It’s not always easy to see that after a couple of plausible moves,
especially exchanges, two of your pieces will be separated by the distance of a
knight fork.
Sometimes the threat is concealed enough to catch out grandmasters.

Y.Zherebukh-D.Navara
FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2011

Here White played:

20 Bd3
What could be more solid and sensible? Rather than exchanging on a6
(actually the best move) the bishop goes to d3 to bolster the centre, after which
20 ... Bxd3 21 cxd3 would drive the black knight from e4. Alas for White, there
followed:
 20 ... Bxd4 21 Qxd4 Bxd3 22 cxd3
If 22 Qxd3 Qb6+ 23 Kh1, Black has a choice between picking up material
with 23 ... Qxb2 or 23 ... Nf2+ 24 Rxf2 Qxf2.
22 ... Nd2!
And Black unexpectedly won the exchange, threatening both 23 ... Nb3 and
23 ... Nxf1. The d2-square clearly didn’t feature on White’s radar.

If there is tension in a position with pieces attacking each other, even if they
appear to be safely defended, play out various exchanges in your head to make
sure there’s no sting at the end of the tail. And make sure your preparation
includes a fair number of puzzles featuring knight forks.

Beware Backwards Knight Moves

Continuing our theme of knights, their backwards moves are notorious for
catching out even great players. Petrosian, in a strategically winning position,
left his queen en prise against Bronstein in the 1956 Candidates tournament.
Karpov, with the better game, allowed a winning knight retreat by Kasparov in
Game 11 of their 1987 match.

Ma.Carlsen-Y.Pelletier
European Team Championship, Reykjavik 2015
 It’s Black to play. Magnus Carlsen is probing for a win and has made some
progress in the form of the passed a-pawn.
44 ... Kc7
Now he decided the next step should be 45 Rg8 to force Black to weaken his
pawns with 45 ... g5, since 45 ... Rd7 allows a knight fork after 46 Nc5 Re7 47
Rxg7! Rxg7 48 Nxe6+ and 49 Nxg7, leaving White two pawns up.
45 Rg8??
To the world champion’s dismay Pelletier played a third move:
45 ... Ne7!
Black suddenly wins a piece as both d3 and g8 are hanging.
46 Rxg7 Rxd3+ 47 Kc4 Rd7
 Black consolidated his material advantage and won in another 12 moves.
To what can we attribute White’s blunder? Besides what seems a human
block against seeing backwards knight moves, it’s worth noticing that the three
world champions (or future world champion in Petrosian’s case) fell for the trap
in positions where they were pressing for a win. It’s easy to lose your sense of
danger. Referring to the Carlsen game, we might assume he saw a combination
for himself involving a knight fork, got excited by his chances and this blinded
him to a similar tactic by the opponent.

Capablanca included a section in Chess Fundamentals called “the dangers of a

safe position”. Remember, you are at your most vulnerable to falling for a trick
when the game has been plain sailing and your vigilance is low. And look out for
those pesky knight retreats – if you take care it will be you that gets to make
them, not your opponents.

The Best Ever Trap?

A specific tactical device has claimed at least three scalps at international level –
probably a lot more, as it comes in various forms.
 It has all the features of a great trap: it’s 100% lethal, the winning move is
totally counter-intuitive, and the moves leading up to it by the victim are entirely
natural.
I’ll give you a go at finding it. Let’s start with a game between two Indian
grandmasters.

D.Sengupta-S.Narayanan
Kolkata 2018

1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 d5 3 e3 c6 4 Bd3 Bg4 5 Ne2 Nbd7 6 f3 Bh5 7 0-0 Bg6 8 c4 e6

9 cxd5 Bxd3

Now 10 Qxd3 cxd5 is about equal, but rather than recapture on e2

immediately White preferred the zwischenzug 10 dxc6 , as he saw he would be a
pawn up after 10 ... Bxe2 11 cxd7+ Qxd7 12 Qxe2.

Question: What had he missed?

It’s tricky to see. But if you haven’t found it I can give you a nudge by
showing the same pattern in another game.

V.Doroshkievich-V.Tukmakov
USSR Championship, Riga 1970

1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Nf3 f5 4 d4 e4 5 Bg5 Nf6 6 d5 exf3 7 dxc6 fxg2

Here White played 8 cxd7+ , ready to answer 8 ... Bxd7 or 8 ... Qxd7 with 9
Bxg2. To his horror Black replied 8 ... Nxd7!! , after which he immediately
resigned as 9 Bxg2 Qxg5 costs him a piece, while 9 Bxd8 gxh1Q leaves him a
rook down.
White fell for exactly the same trap in Y.Razuvaev-V.Kupreichik, Dubna
1970. Feeling emotional (I guess), he played on for a few moves: 9 Bxd8 gxh1Q
10 Bxc7 Qc6 11 Bg3 Bb4 12 Qb3 Bxc3+ 13 Qxc3 0-0 14 e3 Nf6 15 Be5 Be6 0-
1.
In a third game, G.Mohr-M.Zube, Nuremberg 1989, White also preferred to
resign at once.
We are so accustomed to thinking that a piece pinned against its queen has
lost its power we forget that it can burst free under the right circumstances.

Answer: Well, if you didn’t manage to see what to do in the Narayanan game,
I hope these examples have helped. You simply have to transfer the tactical
device to a new setting. After 10 dxc6? Bxe2 White resigned at once, not even
trying 11 cxd7+ (if 11 Qxe2 bxc6, he remains a piece down) as he knew 11 ...
Nxd7! was coming, when 12 Qxe2 Qxg5 or 12 Bxd8 Bxd1 will leave him minus
a bishop.

Another Example of ‘Explosive’ Unpinning

Even the great Capablanca could be seduced into thinking that the pin against a
queen is inviolable.

J.R.Capablanca-C.Jaffe
New York 1913

Here it is White to move. He could play 28 Bxf4 with a good game, but he
was thinking strategically and devised the following build-up: Bb2 to put the
bishop on the long diagonal and pin f6, then Qxf4 to get the pawn back, and
finally Ng4 to put more pressure on f6, followed by doubling rooks on the g-file
with Rg2 and Rag1. Then, with ideas of e4-e5 in the air, Black’s position looks
as if it will crumble quickly.
You would think this is going to be one of Capa’s best positional squeezes,
culminating in an attack on the king on h8. But let’s see what happened:
28 Bb2?! Rg8 29 Qxf4??
He has to make do with 29 Qe2 and about equality.
29 ... Nh3!!
The black queen is immune because of mate on f2. It turns out the white
bishop is well placed on b2 for future strategic operations but it is sorely missed
in a tactical emergency on the kingside.
30 Rxg8+
Giving up the exchange with 30 Qf3 Nxg1 is a slower death.
30 ... Rxg8 31 Qf1 Qe3 0-1
There’s nothing to be done about the deadly knight check on f2. If White had
tried 31 Qf3 instead, then 31 ... Rg3 32 Qe2 Qg5! threatens mate in two on g1.
When the queen stops it, the road is open for the knight to go to f2 again after 33
Qe1 Qf4 or 33 Qf1 Qe3.
Capa was a legendary defender and might well have been able to hold a bad
middlegame or draw a rotten endgame versus Jaffe. But his tactical oversight
cost him the game without giving him any chance to fight back. And that’s a
man who went eight years without losing a game!

Above All, Look After Your Queen!

Vl.Fedoseev-A.Ledger
European Cup, Porto Carras 2018

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Bf5 4 Nd2 e6 5 Nb3 Nd7 6 Nf3 Ne7 7 c3 Ng6 8 Be3 Nh4 9

Nxh4 Qxh4 10 Be2 Qe4 11 h4 h6 12 h5
 Here 12 ... Qxg2? would allow the queen to be trapped by 13 Bf3, so the best
move might be 12 ... Qc2, forcing the exchange of queens, after which White
would only have a small edge due to his space advantage.
Instead, Black played the natural developing move 12 ... Be7?, when 13
Rc1! closed off the c2-square and left his queen suddenly trapped. The threat is
14 Nd2 Qxg2 15 Bf3, and 13 ... Bh7 14 Nd2 Qf5 15 g4! also does the business
for White (what an ignominy for a queen to be trapped by a peasant!).
In the game Black could find nothing better than giving up the knight for two
pawns with 13 ... Nxe5 14 dxe5 Qxe5 . Fedoseev was remorseless in pressing
home his advantage (one of the signs of a top player is that they don’t relax once
they have gained material):
15 Qd4 Qxd4 16 cxd4 Bb4+ 17 Bd2 Bd6 18 g4 Bh7 19 Rh3 Kd7 20 Na5
Rab8 21 Rb3 Kc7

Question: Can you see the most precise finish for White?

The game concluded 22 Ba6! bxa6 23 Rxc6+ Kd7 24 Rxd6+! 1-0 , since 24
... Kxd6 25 Bf4+ (skewering the black king against the b8-rook – there’s more
on this theme in Chapter Two) 25 ... Kd7 26 Bxb8 is too much for Black to bear.
Fedoseev’s 22nd move, laying the foundation for the
combination which followed, was inspired. Don’t worry
if you didn’t see it. The purpose of the next chapter is to
introduce you to various tactical themes so that you can
start planning your own combinations.
Chapter Two
Training Your Tactical Imagination
It might seem strange to talk about training the imagination, but it will soar
highest when it has a firm platform from which to make its flights of fancy. Once
you have studied thoroughly all the tactical themes involving pins, skewers, the
back rank, discovered check, etc, you’ll be able to dredge them up from your
unconscious mind at just the right moment.
Some years ago the grandson of one of my friends was going through a
chess-obsessive phase (something from which some of us never recover). I was
asked if I could lend him a book to help improve his game before the coming
season’s school matches. I chose The Art of Checkmate by Georges Renaud and
Victor Kahn from my collection. It is full of games such as what they call
Legal’s Pseudo-Sacrifice:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bc4 Bg4 4 Nc3 g6?

 5 Nxe5! Bxd1? 6 Bxf7+ Ke7 7 Nd5 mate

There are also puzzles of this type:

White wins with 1 Qxc6+! bxc6 2 Ba6 mate (Boden’s Mate).

That’s just what a bright nine year old needs, I thought. He’ll get to see some
amazing combinations (what child doesn’t like combinations?) and “by
accident” he’ll learn loads of tactical patterns. His opponents next season won’t
know what hit ’em!
When I next saw him a couple of months later I asked what he thought of the
book. As expected he had enjoyed playing through the combinations. But what
he said next left me taken aback: “Unfortunately, the games weren’t of any use
to my chess. That sort of thing never happens in my own games . ”
That got me thinking. When was the last time I sacked my queen to mate
with two bishops? Or played a Legal’s Mate? If I had a piece set up close to one
of these mating patterns there was always a fly in the ointment that meant the
combination didn’t quite work (and if you are giving up your queen, being close
is the same as resigning). Notice how in the Legal’s Mate example Black is
made to play the appalling 4 ... g6 by the authors to allow the combination to
work, as almost all natural developing moves would “accidentally” prevent it.
But that’s missing the point. You probably won’t ever get Legal’s Mate, but
by studying the pattern you are improving your ability to co-ordinate the pieces.
You are giving yourself a quicker sight of the board and a feel for the initiative.
Of course this is rather abstract and difficult to explain to a young player.
There are combinational features in almost every game you play, but they
aren’t usually like the ones in books, which have been selected from thousands
of games for their neat, striking, and instructive features. We could even say: if
you wish to see run-of-the-mill combinations in your own games, study brilliant
combinations in books!
You should play through games and puzzles at every opportunity to soak in
ideas and teach yourself how to use combinations. What follows are examples of
some, but by no means all, tactical themes which might occur in your games.

Trapping a Piece

S.Karjakin-V.Anand
Stavanger 2018
 It is Black to move. The threat to trap a piece can be of decisive value in
dynamic situations. Here Anand employs it as part of a cold-blooded defence of
his beleaguered king.
Karjakin has his queen and knight on menacing squares and, given the
chance, his rooks will break through on the d-file. But the former world
champion swatted away the danger with 26 ... Ne5! , threatening 27 ... Ng4, when
the white queen is boxed in and lost.

Question: Can you see what Anand had prepared against 27 Rd8 - ?
This looks pretty lethal as 27 ... Ng4 allows 28 Rxe8+, deflecting the black
rook from the defence of h7, when 28 ... Rxe8 29 Qxh7+ will mate on f7.

27 Nf3
A sad retreat for the 2016 World Championship challenger. Things go from
bad to worse for White as not only was his queen threatened with 27 ... Ng4, his
rooks have the misfortune to be a target of a subsequent ... Ne3 fork.
Answer: Alas for him, after 27 Rd8 Black has the unexpected and killing
riposte 27 ... Qxd1+!. This relieves the pressure on the d-file, whereupon 28
Rxd1 Ng4 traps the queen just the same. White emerges a piece down if he then
takes twice on h7.
27 ... Qe4+ 28 Ka2!
Giving up the c4-pawn with check is the best chance as 28 Ka1 Ng4 29 Qc1
Ne3 wins the exchange, and 30 R1d4 Nc2+ doesn’t help White.
28 ... Qxc4+!
In contrast to the previous note, after 28 ... Ng4 29 Qc1 Ne3 White can avoid
losing the exchange with 30 R1d4!, as with his king on a2 there is no knight fork
on c2 with check.
29 Ka1 Ng4 30 Qc1 Qxc1+ 31 Rxc1 Kg7

A pawn down in a bad position, there isn’t much hope against the Indian
grandmaster. Demoralized, White lost another pawn with 32 h5? Nf6 and then
resigned as 33 Rd4 Nxh5 is too much to bear. The black knight was no friend of
Karjakin in this game.

Skewer
We have already seen an example of a skewer in the Fedoseev game of Chapter
One. Basically an important piece is attacked and has to move out of the way,
allowing a less important piece hiding behind it to be captured. In this sense it is
the reverse of a pin, where a less important piece is attacked and can’t move
away without losing the more important piece behind it – or if that important
piece is the king, the piece in front is paralysed, meaning the pin is absolute.

Y.Pelletier-Ma.Carlsen
Biel 2005

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 d5 5 cxd5 c5 6 dxc5 Nxd5 7 Bd2 Bxc5 8

Nxd5 Qxd5 9 e4 Qd4 10 0-0-0 Nd7 11 Bb5 0-0

Question: What is White’s best move?

I guess I should apologize to Magnus for showing three of his losses to
Pelletier in this book, including two games when he was 15 and 16 years old.
But I find the early struggles of players like Alekhine, Kasparov, and Carlsen not
only instructive but also enthralling: you can see the spark of creativity in their
play fighting against their inexperience.
 Answer: After 12 Bc3! White won a piece due to the skewer on the d-file.
The game finished:
12 ... Qxf2 13 Qxf2 Bxf2 14 Bxd7 Be3+ 15 Kc2 Rb8 1-0
The main interest in the puzzle is the fact that 12 Be3? looks more natural
but proves a false trail after 12 ... Qb4! 13 Bxd7 (White should bail out with 13
Qc4, though 13 ... Bxe3+ 14 fxe3 Qxc4+ 15 Bxc4 Ne5 is still unpleasant for
him) 13 ... Bxe3+ 14 fxe3 and White is in deep trouble as after 14 ... Bxd7 he
can’t capture the bishop since 15 Rxd7 Rac8 16 Rc7 Qe1+ leads to mate.
It turns out that 11 ... 0-0 was a bad mistake. Black can hold things together
with 11 ... Be7!, removing the bishop from danger as well as clearing c5 for a
queen retreat.
Carlsen had prepared an excellent response to 12 Be3 but missed the power
of 12 Bc3. He was half greenhorn and half genius in this game.

Overloading a Piece
Sometimes a piece has two jobs to do and can’t cope when it is required to do
both at the same time. We’re going back more than 100 years for our first
example.
Imagine you reach a position in a tournament game where a combination is
lurking. If you find it you’ll win the game in two or three moves. You’ll get
some rating points and a rest before the next round. Otherwise, the game will
plod on with time pressure looming and all the risks that entails.
The problem is that the combination is short but contains an unusual move
you wouldn’t normally consider in your calculation of variations. Nonetheless,
after a few minutes’ thought you go ahead and play it. How did you find it? It
was easy: the configuration of pieces reminded you (probably unconsciously) of
a similar idea you had seen in a previous game.

Em.Lasker-T.Von Scheve
Berlin 1890
 Black is a pawn down but has every piece on an active square. His bishop
looks powerful on d3. White’s light squares are slightly shaky on the kingside
and his knight is poorly placed on a3. Trusting in the strength of his position Von
Scheve played 24 ... c5 , a iming to harass the white knight with 25 ... b4.
I’m sure the great German world champion sensed a combination was
possible before von Scheve had even finished putting the pawn on c5. The white
queen is suddenly attacking a8, so the rook on d8 has to do two jobs: guard a8
and d3. Can it be overloaded? Lasker shows how:
25 Rxd3! Qxd3
Or 25 ... Rxd3 26 Qxa8+.
26 Re8+! 1-0
And 26 ... Kh7 27 Qh5 is mate, though even if Black had a pawn on h6 to
rule this out White would pick up a rook with 27 Qxd3+ Rxd3 28 Rxa8, leaving
him with an extra piece. (The way the rook on a8 drops is the most valuable
lesson to be learned from this example. It is a useful pattern, whereas the mate
on h5 is somewhat accidental.)
Note how the rook on d8 wasn’t able to do both jobs: defend the back rank
and keep whatever piece was on d3 (first bishop, then queen) guarded. It was
overloaded.
I’m hoping that seeing the pattern in this example will give you a clue to
finding Carlsen’s combination 128 years later.

Ma.Carlsen-V.Topalov
Shamkir 2018

Question: It’s White to play. Can you find a strong move for him? The piece
to be overloaded is once again the rook on d8, but it requires preparation.

As with the previous game this seems a decent position for Black. His pieces
appear strongly centralized on the d-file. White’s queenside pawns are broken up
and c4 is hanging. But Carlsen showed that appearances can be deceptive:
Answer: 27 Be4!
So that if 27 ... Bxe4 then 28 Rxd6 Qxd6 29 Re8+!. Once again the rook on
d8 is overloaded as it can’t do its duty on the d-file and the back rank at the same
time. After 29 ... Kh7 30 Rxd8 the white queen and rook defend each other
through the black queen (a so-called X-ray defence), or 29 ... Rxe8 30 Qxd6 and
the queen dominates the black pieces. There is a similar sequence in the game
but Black at least has the c4-pawn as well to cheer him up.
This is the basic structure of White’s combination. Congratulations if you
found it. There are a couple of other responses by Black to consider:
a) 27 ... Be2 (a counter-attack by Black’s bishop!) 28 Rxd6 Bxd1 29 Rxd7
Rxd7 30 Bxc6 Rc7 31 Be4 and White is a pawn up with well-placed pieces. Not
a position to defend against Carlsen!
b) 27 ... Kf7 28 Qh5+ Kf8 29 Bxd3 Rxd3 30 Rde2! gives White fierce
pressure down the e-file. For example, 30 ... Kg8 31 Re7 planning 32 Qf7+ wins
at once; or 30 ... Rxc3 31 Re7! Qxe7 32 Rxe7 Rc1+ (to escape a fork on e5 next
move) 33 Kg2 Kxe7 34 Qe5+ Kd7 (going to the f-file allows a fork on f4) 35
Qxg7+ Kc8 36 Qxh6 Rcd1 (36 ... Rxc4 37 Qe6+ is a third fork) 37 Qxc6+ Kb8
38 h5 and the passed pawns roll through.
c) 27 ... Kf8! forces White to find a neat continuation: 28 Qf3+ Kg8 29
Bxc6! Qxc6 30 Qxc6 Rxc6 31 Rd5!

(the point – both d3 and d8 are hanging and after Black captures on d5 the
rook on c6 is attacked) 31 ... Rxd5 32 cxd5 Rd6 33 Rxd3 b5, when White is a
pawn up but it won’t be at all easy to win because d5 will become weak after
Black brings forward his king.
It’s possible that Carlsen had seen the incredible idea 31 Rd5! in line ‘c’
above before playing 27 Be4 – after all, he was rated 2843 at the time! But I
think he probably trusted his intuition that there must be a good line for him after
27 ... Kf8 – there was no risk as White can hardly be worse with the black king
moving to such an exposed square. Therefore calculation of 27 ... Kf8 could wait
until he saw whether Topalov actually played it. Not surprisingly, the Bulgarian
former world champion baulked at having his king on f8, especially if he had
looked at 27 ... Kf7 first and saw it got trounced.
Carlsen probably didn’t waste any time and energy trying to find a win after
27 ... Kf8. It is interesting to speculate if he would have found 27 ... Kf8 himself
as Black in this position.
The game continuation was 27 ... Bxc4 28 Rxd6 Qxd6 29 Re8+ Rxe8 30
Qxd6 Rxe4 31 Qxc6 and there was still a tough fight ahead, but thanks to his
material advantage Carlsen eventually won on move 56. The conclusion of the
game is examined in Chapter Twelve.

Pin
The nature of a pin has been described under “Skewer” above. If you have
played through the sections “The best ever trap?” and “Explosive unpinning” in
Chapter One you might think it can be treated with impunity. Not so: its normal
range of strength is from mildly irritating to lethal.

V.Anand-F.Caruana
Wijk aan Zee 2018
 It’s Black to play. White’s threats include 42 Rd8 Rxd8 43 Qxg7 mate. So
Caruana tried 41 ... Qc4 , hoping against hope for an exchange of queens.

Question: Can you see Anand’s reply?

Answer: 42 Rd6! and Black resigned. If 42 ... Qxf7 43 Rxh6 is mate, while
42 ... Kh7 gives White the choice between 43 Qg6+ Kh8 44 Qxh6 mate and 43
Ng5+!? hxg5 (or as before 43 ... Kh8 44 Rxh6 mate) 44 Qh5 mate.
To be a strong player you have to train yourself to see resources like 42 Rd6
in a flash. That doesn’t mean you have to be able to judge instantly that they are
good for you (they might not be), but you have to aware of the possibility.

Decoy Plus Pin

Bent Larsen has used the expression “magnetic sacrifice” to describe the type of
tactic on move 31 below. A piece is decoyed or dragged to an unpleasant square
by an irresistible force.

Ab.Gupta-V.Ivanchuk
Gibraltar 2018

Gupta broke through Black’s fragile defences with:

29 d5!
Now 29 ... exd5 30 Rxe7 Qxe7 31 Qxf5 (threatening 32 Nf7+) 31 ... Rd7 32
Re3! (a notable change of front) 32 ... Qg7 33 Re8 Kg8 34 Rxf8+ Qxf8 35 Qxd7
wins a piece for White. A neat sequence. So Ivanchuk replied:
29 ... Rxd5
Here 30 Rxe6 Rxe6 31 Qxd5 is obviously strong for White, but the Indian
grandmaster preferred:
30 Nxe6

Question: What had he planned after 30 ... Rxe6 or had he just gone crazy?

Answer: 30 ... Rxe6 31 Rg8+! was Gupta’s splendid idea. The black king is
decoyed to the g8-square where it becomes part of a fatal pin on e6. After 31 ...
Kxg8 32 Qxd5 and now 32 ... Kf7 33 Qxf5+ Rf6 34 Qxh7+ Bg7 35 Qh5+ Rg6
36 Rxe8, White pockets the queen for only a piece.
Ivanchuk tried 32 ... Qb5 but resigned after 33 Qxe6+ Kg7 34 Rd1 1-0 .
Going back, the only way to play on was 30 ... Qc6!, guarding d5 and
leaving the knight on e6 in a pin, though 31 Qe2! is then decisive due to the
threat of 32 Qb2+. For example, 31 ... Bg7 32 Rxg7 Rxe6 (after 32 ... Rxg7 33
Nxg7 Kxg7 34 Qe7+ Kg8 35 Qxa7 Black is a pawn down and has a weak king)
33 Rxh7+! (an example of a desperado – White gives the doomed rook up for as
much as possible before recapturing on e6) 33 ... Kxh7 34 Qxe6 Qxe6 35 Rxe6
and White has every chance to win the endgame.

Back Rank: Standard Style

When White castles kingside he expects to be snug behind his wall of pawns on
f2, g2 and h2. But snug can turn to suffocating if a black queen or rook manages
to break through his back-rank defences. Any unopposed check from such an
invader could spell checkmate.

M.Tal-F.Olafsson
Las Palmas 1975

Question: It takes something special to outwit Tal in a combination.
Can you see how Olafsson achieved this rare feat as Black?

Answer: The Icelandic grandmaster (and future FIDE President) played a
splendid combination based on the theme of a weak back rank:
21 ... Bxd2! 22 Qxd2
After 22 Rxd2 White drops the rook on c7.
22 ... Qf4! 23 Re7
Of course 23 Qxf4 Rd1+ mates, while 23 Qe1 Rxe4 24 Qf1 Bxf3 and 23 Nd4
Qf6! 24 R7c4 Rxe4 (winning the knight) are gruesome for White.
 23 ... Rf8!

Coolly played. The rook can afford to go passive as it leaves White’s rook on
e7 as a game-losing target.
24 Qa5
Here are two other ways the e7-rook proves a fatal liability: 24 Qe1 Bxf3 25
gxf3 Qg5+ or 24 Qe2 Bxf3 25 Qxf3 (again, if 25 gxf3 Qg5+) 25 ... Qd6! with a
double threat on the rook and the back rank.
24 ... Rd1+ 25 Ne1 Qg5! 0-1
The black queen is immune because of mate on e1. Meanwhile, the white
queen and rook on e7 are hanging – it’s all too much (26 Qb4 Qxe7!).

Back-rank Mate: Weird Style

Every strong player is aware of a tactical theme in its standard pattern, but it can
still take them by surprise if it “mutates”.

A.Karpov-A.Shirov
Tallinn (rapid) 2006

Question: Shirov is a pawn up but under strong pressure from White’s
bishop pair and rook. He tried to exchange off a bishop with 29 ... Na5 .
What is the best response?

Black should have tried 29 ... f6 and only then 30 ... Na5. Besides the
exchange on c4, the black knight would also have ideas of ... Nb7-c5 to defend
d7 again. Shirov’s actual move was strategically a good one. The problem was
that it lost tactically on the spot:
30 Bb5! 1-0
Black had to resign as 30 ... Bxb5 31 Rd8 is mate, and 30 ... Nc6 31 Bxc6
doesn’t help.
It’s easy to overlook that a back-rank mate is lurking in the position, partly
because of the limited material but also because it is of a rather unusual form.
It’s easy to forget that the black king is boxed in on e8 (compare the Rubinstein
Trap in Chapter One where it is the black queen who is unexpectedly shut in).

Destroying the Defender, Plus Back Rank

F.Sanz Alonso-J.Magem Badals
Seville 1993

It is Black to play. As we shall see, the position is ripe with tactical

possibilities.
26 ... Rd4!
Preparing his next move without allowing Qxa4 in reply.
27 Qf3 Bd2!
According to how dramatically it is carried out, the elimination of a vital
defensive piece is either called removing or destroying the defender. Black wants
to exchange on c1 then mate on b2. At the same time the f4-pawn is hanging.
28 Qa3
28 Qb3 Rb4! 29 Qa3 Rxf4 transposes.
28 ... Rxf4!
Now the theme is the back rank.
29 Rxf4 Bxf4 30 Qxa4
White will be mated upon 30 Bxf4 Qg1+. However, he missed a tactical
theme of his own with 30 Ng6!?. If 30 ... Bxc1? then 31 Qf8+ will mate, while
after 30 ... fxg6 31 Qxa4 Black had better avoid 31 ... Bxc1? as White can mate
again, this time with the pretty 32 Qe8+ Kh7 33 hxg6. But 31 ... e5! does the
trick as it directly defends the bishop and also uncovers a defence of g6 by the
black queen. White remains a pawn down as the black bishop remains taboo
because of mate on the back rank.
30 ... Bxc1 31 Qe8+ Kh7
White would mate with 32 Ng6, if only Black didn’t get in first on b2.
32 Nc4 Bxb2+!

Once again exploiting the back rank. After 33 Nxb2 Qg1+ 34 Nd1 (the only
move) 34 ... Qxd1+ 35 Kb2 Qxh5, you shouldn’t exaggerate but White is
millions of pawns down.
33 Kb1
Has Black blundered a piece?
33 ... Qb4!
No, the weak back rank trumps the knight fork.
34 c3
Or 34 Nxb2 Qe1+ etc.
 34 ... Bxc3+ 35 Kc2 Qxc4 36 Qxf7
A last gasp try, aiming for perpetual check on g6 and e8.
36 ... Bf6+ 0-1
After 37 Kd2 Black can stop the perpetual with 37 ... Qe4.

Thorn Pawn Plus Back Rank: Classic Example

In the game above, if White had taken his best chance for counterplay at move
30, he might have mated the black king with a pawn on g6 (admittedly, Black
would have had to be very careless). There doesn’t seem to be a technical name
for such pawns which inveigle their way into an opponent’s defences and cause
them problems, both in the middlegame and endgame. And yet they feature in
many games; for example, we’ll see such a pawn in a more positional setting in
Sokolov-Wang Yue in Chapter Ten. As they stick painfully in a king’s side, here
I’ve called them “thorn pawns”.

P.Keres-T.V.Petrosian
Candidates Tournament, Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1959

Immersing yourself in the great games of chess history is the perfect way to
sugar the pill of chess study. You might think you are just having fun and
relaxing but you’ll pick up loads of essential ideas “by accident”. The 1959
Candidates tournament decided who would challenge Mikhail Botvinnik for the
world title. It was a mammoth event won by Mikhail Tal, who finished 1½ points
ahead of Paul Keres after 28 rounds. Tal went on to beat Botvinnik in their 1960
match. This game is one of the precious points that Keres dropped in his race
with Tal.
 It’s White to move.
47 b4 Rg3!
Rather than retreat his knight, Petrosian puts his rook en prise.
48 hxg3?
You have to believe in yourself as a player. If you can’t see why winning a
rook is bad but decline to take it, then clearly you don’t trust your intuition or
your powers of calculation. The only valid reason to ignore the offer might be if
you are very short of time: putting safety first makes sense when you don’t have
the leisure to work things out.
Tigran Petrosian offering you a rook in 1959 is the equivalent of a solid
super-GM like Giri doing so more recently. It gives you pause for thought:
would they really miscalculate and just lose a rook? What am I missing? You
would have to be thorough in your analysis. But ultimately if you can’t see why
to refuse a gift, you must take it. It’s important to have what Capablanca called
“the courage of your convictions”.
The position remains balanced after 48 Qc1! Nd3 49 Bxd3 Rxd3 50 Rbd2!.
Black is active and has space but he is also loose on the dark squares.
48 ... hxg3 49 Rfd2?
 White can keep the balance with the inspired defence 49 Rf3! Qh4 50 Be2!.
The point is to keep f4 guarded by the rook or sheltered by the knight after 50 ...
exf3 51 Nxf3. But Keres hasn’t captured a rook with the intention of handing it
back on the next move.
49 ... Qh4 50 Be2 Rh7 51 Kf1?
The only chance was 51 Bh5!, clearing the e2-square for the king with gain
of time by temporarily blocking the mate on h1. Then after 51 ... Rxh5 52 Kf1
Nd3 Black has a strong initiative but White is still kicking.

Apparently, even at this point Keres hadn’t seen the mate and thought he was
winning. There came a rude awakening.
51 ... Qxf4+! 0-1
Since 52 Qxf4 Rh1 is mate.
This game introduces or reinforces two tactical motifs. Firstly, the power of a
pawn on g3 for Black (or the equivalent on g6 for White) to cause the defender’s
king enormous problems. Secondly, we see another variation on the theme of the
back rank.
Added to this, surely some of the flair of 47 ... Rg3! will rub off on us. Such
a striking idea, culminating in 51 ... Qxf4+!, is going to remain somewhere in
our unconscious mind ready to be retrieved at the right moment. The next time
our opponent attacks one of our pieces we might think twice before playing a
drab retreat. It could be a totally different setting with strategy and tactics and
psychological factors having nothing to do with Keres-Petrosian, but its invisible
hand will still be guiding us.

Thorn Pawn Plus Back Rank: Modern Example

G.Kasparov-I.Nepomniachtchi
St. Louis (rapid) 2017

It’s White to play. Kasparov was making one of his rare forays into
competitive chess after retiring in 2005. He was a little rusty.

Question: With 35 Bf7 the former world champion threatened both e8 and
g6.
Can you see the wily Nepo’s reply and work out the variations to the end?

 Answer: After 35 Bf7? Re3! Black wins in all lines. If the rook sacrifice is
declined with 36 Qxg6 then 36 ... f3+ 37 Kg1 (or 37 Kf1 Re1 mate) 37 ... Re1+
38 Kh2 hxg6 wins. Or if 36 Qd1 then 36 ... f3+ 37 Kh2 (or 37 Kf1 Re1+ 38
Qxe1 Bxe1 39 Kxe1 Qc1 mate) 37 ... Re2 38 Qf1 Bd6! (threatening mate in one
on g3) 39 Qh3 (or 39 Rg1 Rxf2+ 40 Qxf2 Qh5 mate) 39 ... Rxf2+ 40 Kg1 Rg2+
41 Kf1 Qc1 mate. The game ended 36 fxe3 Qxg3+ 37 Kf1 f3 and Kasparov
resigned. He has no good way to stop mate on both e1 and g2, apart from
entering an endgame a piece down with 38 Rxh7+ Kxh7 39 Qxg6+ Qxg6 40
Bxg6+ Kxg6.
Note the attacking power of Black’s bishop and the pawn on f3. Opposite-
coloured bishops might spell a draw in the endgame, but they often enhance
dynamic opportunities in the middlegame.

Forceful Clearance of Lines

T.Radjabov-O.Bortnyk
World Rapid Championship, Doha 2016

1 Nf3 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 g3 g6 4 Bg2 Bg7 5 b3 0-0 6 Bb2 Bf5 7 c4 Qc8 8 h3 c5 9

Nc3 Nc6 10 Rc1 Bh6 11 d5 Bxc1 12 Qxc1 Nd4 13 g4 Bd7 14 Qh6 Nxf3+ 15
Bxf3 Ne8 16 Ne4 f6 17 h4 Bxg4 18 h5 gxh5
Some pieces are of great strategic and tactical value as they form the
backbone of an opening system. Therefore you have to think very carefully
before you allow their exchange. The “Indian” bishop springs to mind. When
Black is deprived of his bishop on g7 in the King’s Indian, Benoni, Grünfeld,
and other similar openings, he often suffers. The only “equal” exchange is
usually for White’s own dark-squared bishop.
Here we see the aftermath of a promising exchange sacrifice by Radjabov to
be rid of Black’s key bishop. His queen has been able to take up residence on the
h6-square and all the white pieces are poised for an attack on the beleaguered
black king.

Question: What is the best way for White to continue his kingside attack?

Answer: 19 Ng5!
Now the game finished:
19 ... fxg5
To stop mate on h7.
20 Qxg5+ Kf7 21 Qxh5+!
A beautiful move.
21 ... Bxh5 22 Bxh5+ Kg8 23 Rg1+ Ng7 24 Rxg7+ Kh8 25 Rxe7+
But not 25 Rg3+? Rf6.
25 ... Rf6
A grim necessity, as with the e7-pawn removed 25 ... Kg8 26 Rg7+ Kh8 27
Rg3+ now mates.
26 Bxf6+ Kg8 27 Rg7+ Kf8 28 Rxh7 Qf5 29 Rh8 mate
Note that 19 ... Qf5 was no good as 20 Be4 pins the queen against the mate
on h7. But 19 ... Rf7! was an unlikely fighting chance, when 20 Nxf7 Qf5! holds
things together for Black. After a forcing sequence 21 Qe3 Kxf7 22 Be4 Qg5 23
Qxg5 fxg5 24 f3 Bd7 25 Rxh5 Nf6 26 Rxg5 Rg8 27 Rxg8 Kxg8 28 Bd3, White
has a clear advantage due to his powerful bishops which can support a build-up
in the centre beginning Kf2 and e2-e4. Still, it’s something of a moral victory for
Black to have survived to the endgame.

Forceful Clearance of Lines and Discovered/Double Check

When breaking open a position, keep your eye out for ways to gain time by
harassing the enemy king. As Chernev remarked, even the laziest king has to run
away from double check.

S.Hilton-M.Dyer
Scotland 2006

In this double-edged position Black would be slaughtered down the h-file

after 20 ... hxg5? 21 hxg5+, but he can defend adequately with 20 ... Bxd4 21
Qxd4+ Qf6. The black queen proves an able replacement for the Indian bishop
and, besides, White is also missing his dark-squared cleric. Instead, Black played
20 ... Nd3+? with the idea that, after 21 Bxd3 Bxd4, White has no less than three
pieces hanging: the knight on g5, rook on g1, and bishop on d3. But Stephen
Hilton crossed his plans.

Question: What is the best continuation for White?

Answer: 21 Qxd3! exd3 22 Bxg7+ Kxg7 23 Ne6 +
Regaining the queen thanks to the discovered and double check.
23 ... Kh7 24 Nxd8 Raxd8
After 24 ... dxe2 25 Nxb7 Ra6 26 c5! White’s knight will escape via c5,
leaving him two pawns up once he captures the weakling on e2.
25 Bxd3
White’s combination has left him a sound pawn up. He forced resignation on
move 49.
 Chapter Three
Teaching Yourself to Calculate
Most of the time players are focusing on their plans. As they carry them out they
might look a couple of moves ahead to make sure they aren’t going to fall for
any of the traps outlined earlier in this book. Similarly, they will be alert to any
unexpected tactical chances if their opponent slips up. But the emphasis is on the
role of calculation, if it occurs at all, as a kind of blunder check. It reassures
them that the path they are taking is a safe one.
That changes when we reach scenarios like those discussed in the previous
chapters. Tactical sparks begin to fly when the two armies are locked in close
combat. The pieces will fight to the death to defend their king and will employ
all the tricks at their disposal. Suddenly calculation is not only necessary, you
have to find something special. You can’t rely on common sense any more.
Usually there is a key move on which the success of a combination depends.
We have to use our powers of calculation to find it. Five factors come into play:

1. How unusual or otherwise difficult to see is the key move?

2. How far down a variation is the key move concealed?
3. How long is the combination?
4. How forcing is the combination?
5. How many other variations are obscuring the line with the key move?

In order to find the key move you need both tactical vision and imagination. It
doesn’t matter if you can calculate ten moves deep if the winning idea escapes
your attention because it is counter-intuitive.

The Key Move is Right There, but Difficult to See

V.Anand-F.Caruana
Stavanger 2018

Question: It is White to play. After the game Anand regretted his next move
and suggested to his opponent that “36 g3 would have been about equal.”
What did Caruana have great pleasure in telling the Indian grandmaster
was his intended reply? (See below for the answer – it’s something special!)

Let’s see how the game actually continued:
36 Ra8
Aiming to reduce the pressure on the e-file, but:
36 ... Qf4!
A deadly infiltration and much better than 36 ... Rxa8 37 Kxe1.
37 Rxe8+ Rxe8 38 Qd1
To meet the threat of 38 ... Qh4+ and also stop 38 ... Qc1.
38 ... Qxh2
Now the white king was in danger and gradually driven out and mated.
Anand resigned on move 51.
Answer: After 36 g3? Black has the pretty queen offer 36 ... Qf5!. Then 37
Qxf5 R8e2 is mate, while if 37 Be4 (what else?) 37 ... Qxa5 38 Kxe1 d5, Black
wins the bishop.
The refutation of 36 g3 is easy to calculate once you have become aware of
Black’s first move. But leaving the queen en prise isn’t intuitive and takes
tactical imagination.

The Position is Cluttered with “Other” Variations

Wei Yi-Yu Yangyi

Danzhou 2017

It is White to play. Another reminder that there is more to chess analysis than
calculating variations: flair and imagination play a vital part. Before reading on,
you might like to analyse the diagram position and try to find the best move for
White.

If I was shown this position and asked to find the best move a lot of thoughts
would run through my head. My stream of consciousness might be something
like this:
 “White’s bishop is hanging ... the black king would be mated by Nd7 if his
bishop on f5 was eliminated or deflected ... the black knight is helping to defend
f5 but is pinned and can be attacked again by the rook on e3 with gain of time by
Nf3 as the knight attacks the black queen ... Qc4 to attack f7 might be good for
White ... or Rg3 ... or some trick with Nxf7 ... or Rf3 ... or first Bxf5 Qxf5 Rf3
but then Qb1+ ... is f4 any good ... ?”
After seeing whether any great idea leapt at me I would attempt to calculate
some variations. I’d look at 22 Rg3 but be scared of 22 ... Qd2!, threatening
mate, and think I was lost after 23 Kg1 Bxh7 (but actually 24 Nd7+ Kg8 25
Nf6+ Kh8 26 Nxe8 Rxe8 27 Re3 pins the knight on e7 and leaves Black with
nothing better than forcing a draw with 27 ... Qxb2 28 Rxe7 Rxe7 29 Qxe7 Qc1+
30 Kh2 Qf4+ 31 Kg1 Qc1+ etc).
I’d also try to understand 22 Nf3 Qf4 23 Rxe7 and wonder whether I’m just
picking up two pieces for a rook after 23 ... Rxe7 24 Bxf5 or does Black have a
trick (answer: yes, he does, namely 23 ... Bxh7!, when White’s discovered check
is nothing special after 24 Rxe8+ Kxe8 or 24 Rxc7+ Kg8; White is definitely not
better).
Alternatively, 22 f4?! Qf6! is less than nothing for White (but not 22 ...
Qxf4+ 23 Rf3, when Black is in trouble down the f-file). Also 22 Qc4 is brushed
away by 22 ... Be6. And finally, if 22 Rf3 Bxh7 23 Rxf7+ Kg8 24 f4 (aiming to
trap the black queen after 24 ... Qg3 25 Rh3), it turns out that White has played
like a genius just to get a lost game: 24 ... Qxe5! 25 fxe5 Bd3+ 26 Kg1 Kxf7
leaves him too much material down for the queen.
That’s a big jumble of words and numbers. But all the calculation in the
world won’t find you the best continuation in the position unless you hit on the
right first move. And if you do hit on the right move, then hardly any calculation
is required. Some moves are fiendishly difficult to spot but very easy to work
out. And such is the case here with:
22 Rh5!!
The rook on h1 was almost completely forgotten about in the analysis above.
If Black moves his queen to f6 or f4, simply 23 Rxf5 wins a piece. If he counter-
attacks with 22 ... b6 then 23 Rxg5 (and not 23 Qb4?? Qxh5) 23 ... bxc5 24 Rxf5
is tragic for Black, who can’t even take on f5 or d4 because of 25 Nd7 mate.
22 ... Qxh5 23 Nd7+
The point of the combination.
23 ... Bxd7 24 Qxh5
 Black has nominal material compensation (rook, knight and pawn), but in a
middlegame situation where White has the initiative the queen is undoubtedly to
be preferred. Still, Black is fairly solid and White only prevailed on move 64
after a stubborn resistance.

It’s difficult to judge how many moves you should look at in a given
position. Your experience or chess erudition will tell you (often unconsciously)
to weed out (and so avoid wasting time calculating) moves which have no
capacity to be good. The danger is that you do too much pruning of possible
moves and so never even consider the one which you needed (again, this is
likely to happen unconsciously, making it an even harder fault to overcome).
As always with improving facets of your calculation, the way to get the
perfect balance between too much and too little pruning is practice, practice, and
more practice. In a forcing situation the number of potentially good moves is
often low. But even here, too much pruning can make you miss the key move.

D.Navara-N.Grandelius
European Cup, Porto Carras 2018
 It is White to play (yes, there really is a black knight on f1!). Navara tried 22
Re1 but eventually lost after 22 ... Kh8! 23 Bb1 Nd2 24 Qd1 fxe6 25 Qxd2 Qf6
26 g3 Qc3.
Instead, the Czech grandmaster had the spectacular alternative 22 Qg6 . The
white queen throws herself at the black defences with the threat of mate in one.

Question: Before reading on, can you list all of Black’s possible replies and
work out what the result should be?

Answer: How many possible replies did you examine? The threat of mate on
g7 cuts down Black’s options. You might begin your analysis by noting to
yourself all the pieces hanging: White’s queen, knight and rook; and Black’s
rook on f8, knight on f1, and g7-pawn. The black rook on c8 isn’t hanging but is
in a standoff with the white rook.
First of all, we should try the move we’d like to make:
1. It turns out the queen can’t be accepted: 22 ... fxg6 23 Nxf8+ Kh8 (23 ...
Kxf8 24 Rxc8+ Qe8 25 Rxe8+ Kxe8 26 Kxf1 leaves White a piece up, while the
heroic 23 ... Rc4 fails to 24 Rxc4, when the threat of a queen-winning discovered
check is decisive) 24 Rxc8 leaves Black defenceless due to mating threats
against his king. For example, 24 ... Qe1 (saving the queen from a fork on g6
and threatening mate in one) looks at least okay for Black until you see the
mating pattern 25 Nd7+ Kh7 26 Bg8+ Kh8 27 Bf7+ (getting the bishop to f7
where it will guard the knight on g6 with gain of time) 27 ... Kh7 28 Nf8+ Kh8
29 Nxg6+ Kh7 30 Rh8 mate. Moving the queen to other squares than e1 doesn’t
help; e.g. after 24 ... Qb7 White has 25 Re8! Qc6 26 Nd7+ Kh7 27 Bg8+, mating
as in the sequence above.
2. If we can’t have the queen let’s stop mate by taking on e6 with the pawn:
22 ... fxe6. This turns out to be totally inadequate after 23 Bxe6+ (White can also
enter a winning endgame with 23 Qxe6+ as he will take on c8 and emerge a
pawn up) 23 ... Kh8 24 Rxc8 Rxc8 25 Bf5! (an instructive zwischenzug: the
threat of mate forces the black king to g8 where it becomes susceptible to a
check on e6) 25 ... Kg8 26 Bxc8 and White is a pawn up with strong pressure. If
26 ... Qe1, White wins with a mating attack beginning 27 Be6+, or else 27 Qe6+,
exchanging queens then picking up the knight. But imagine if the black king
were still on h8; i.e. White played 25 Bxc8 at once. In that case 25 ... Qe1 leaves
him with nothing better than a draw after 26 h3 Nd2+ 27 Kh2 Nf1+ etc.
3. Unable to stop mate on g7 by taking queen or knight, it seems we are
reduced to defending the square with 22 ... Qf6 (if 22 ... Qg5? with the same
idea, then 23 Nxg5 wins as the f7-pawn is still pinned). This is dismal too,
though it’s a much better chance to draw for Black: 23 Qxf6 gxf6 24 Rxf1! and
the rook on f8 is hanging, so 24 ... fxe6 25 Bxe6+ Kg7 26 Bxc8 Rxc8 is pretty
much forced. After 27 f3 White has fair chances of winning the endgame a pawn
up.
Well, 22 Qg6 is looking good for White. But have we considered all of
Black’s possible moves?
4. There is one we have overlooked: 22 ... Qxe6!.
 Black’s queen also puts herself en prise. This even wins for him after 23
Bxe6 Rxc1. The threat of mate gives White no time to save his bishop: 24 f3
fxe6 25 Qxe6+ Kh8 and with two rooks and a knight for a queen and a pawn,
plus a rampant attack on the king, Black wins easily.
I guess Navara had planned 22 Qg6 some way ahead but pruned his
calculations one move too much in not considering 22 ... Qxe6!. He therefore
had to swerve with 22 Re1, when it was too late to save the game. A rare lapse
for such a brilliant player.

The Key Move is Two Moves Deep, and Difficult Enough to Fool a World-
class Player

V.Anand-A.Grischuk
Moscow 2018

Question: It’s White to play. Black has just moved his rook from d8 to g8.
Can you find the short but great combination which clinched for
Anand the game (and also the tournament)?

There is a video of Grischuk’s face at this point. He looked totally bemused after
Anand’s next move as he hadn’t seen the idea behind the knight sacrifice. Well,
he didn’t have long to wait in a rapidplay game to find out:
Answer: 27 Ng5+! hxg5 28 Rxf7+! Qxf7
Otherwise the queen is lost.
29 hxg5+ Kg7 30 Qh6 mate
Note that you can’t play the moves in the order 27 Rxf7+? Qxf7 28 Ng5+ as
Black then has 28 ... Rxg5! 29 hxg5 h5.
The hard move was 28 Rxf7+!. Most players would notice the possibility of
27 Ng5+ hxg5 but look at no alternatives other than 28 hxg5+?, when 28 ... Kg7
leaves White with nothing for the piece. It takes imagination to see that, despite
only having the queen and a pawn on g5 left to attack with, White can mate on
h6: the black king is boxed in by his own queen on f7 and rook on g8.
Even the strongest players miss resources for themselves and their opponents
when they calculate variations. There is a limit to what is humanly possible and
factors such as time pressure and anxiety – or its opposite, overoptimism – make
perfection even less likely. Unless your opponent puts up no resistance you are
surely going to overlook some things, even in games you win. So don’t be too
hard on yourself. Everyone makes “inexplicable” oversights. Instead of kicking
yourself during a game for missing something, accept this as an inevitable part
of chess. Well, I’m giving all this “wise” advice but I have to admit I’m usually
less than philosophical when I realize I’ve made a terrible blunder. It’s
something we all have to work on.
In the next example the key move is lurking on move two and is also hard to
spot.

Ding Liren-V.Topalov
Shamkir 2018

 Question: It’s Black to play. Before you read on, without moving the pieces
have a look at 42 ... Ng4. Try to work out some variations. The move is
discussed further below.

Returning to the diagram position, the blocked nature of the pawn structure
means that Ding Liren’s bishop pair is distinctly underwhelming. Topalov has a
bind on the light squares, a protected passed pawn, and a magnificent knight on
e4 which can’t be evicted by f2-f3 as g3 would drop. It’s time for him to strike at
the white position.
First of all, Black could try 42 ... Qb1, when he has the massive threat of 43
... c3, taking the b2-square away from the white queen, followed by 44 ... Qc2
with fatal pressure on f2. However, White can force the exchange of queens with
43 Qb2! Qxb2 44 Bxb2. It remains a bit uncomfortable for White but he will be
able to edge his king closer to the passed c-pawn with Be2 and Kf1 (or if Black
stops Kf1 with ... Nd2, then f2-f3 and Kf2). It should be a draw.
Instead, the sacrifice 42 ... Nxf2? was played in the game. Black’s attack
proved good enough for equality but no more:
43 Kxf2 Ne4+ 44 Ke2 c3+ 45 Ke1 Qb1 46 Bg2!
Ding Liren saves himself by exchanging off the black knight.
46 ... Qc2 47 Bxe4+ dxe4 48 Kf1 Kg6 49 Kg1 Kh7
A sensible decision. Topalov can force a draw by perpetual check any time
he wants due to the light square holes in the white position, but he can’t do
better. He would love to get his king to h3 to mate the white king, but 49 ... Kf5
50 Qf8+ Kg4 51 Ba3 only gives White winning chances as 51 ... Kh3? fails to 52
Qf1+.
50 Kh1 Kh6 51 Kg1 Kg6 52 Kh1 Qd1+ 53 Kh2 Qe2+ 54 Kg1 Qd1+ 55
Kh2 Qe2+ 56 Kg1 Qe1+ 57 Kg2 Qe2+ ½-½

Answer: The best move for Black is 42 ... Ng4!
Have you analysed it? White can’t let the f2-pawn drop for nothing, so he
has to accept the piece offer:
43 f3 Qb8!
 Did you manage to see this tremendously strong retreat by the queen? Now
the g3-point collapses, leaving the white king threadbare.
44 fxg4
He has to take the knight that controls the h2-square, otherwise 44 fxe4
Qxg3+ 45 Bg2 Qe1+ 46 Bf1 Qf2+ 47 Kh1 Qh2 would be mate.
44 ... Qxg3+ 45 Bg2 Qf2+ 46 Kh2 hxg4!
In the game Ding Liren was able to exchange off his bishop on g2 for the
knight on e4 and avoid having his king attacked by any pawns on the kingside.
Here his monarch is being mobbed by the black queen, horse, and rampant pawn
on g4. The finish might be:
47 Qb4 g3+ 48 Kh1
Or 48 Kh3 Qf5 mate.
48 ... Qe2!
White can do nothing about a killer check on d1.

The Combination is Long, but the Key Move is Right There and the Play is
Forcing
In some cases a variation is long but calculation is helped by the forcing nature
of the play. When there are captures , checks and direct threats they simplify
your task as they reduce the number of options you need to analyse.
As a young player keen to improve my analytical ability I gathered together
a lot of puzzles from P.H.Clarke’s column in the Sunday Times (you might know
him as an author of books on Tal and Petrosian). Here is one of the examples I
tried to solve:

B.Perényi-L.Barczay
Hungary 1979

This is the culmination of an attack by Béla Perényi, a Hungarian IM who

died tragically young in a car accident in 1988.

Question: It’s White to move. The black king is trapped in the centre –
how to finish him off? It had better be with some checks, or else Black
will get in first with a big check of his own.

I still have “stream of consciousness” notes I made on the
position when I was 13 or 14 years old. (I treated it like a
real game and didn’t move any pieces in trying to solve
the puzzle.)
It’s clear I was weak both in spotting moves and in choosing the correct
order to analyse them. For example, I noticed that Black was threatening 25 ...
Ra1 mate. Therefore I began my analysis with the “obvious” 25 bxa3 and spent
time looking at 25 ... Qb3+ 26 Ka1 Qxa3+ 27 Kb1, when Black can force
perpetual with 27 ... Qb3+ or grab material with 27 ... Qxd3+ and 28 ... Qxe3
with unclear play.
It is totally wrong to begin the analysis with these lines . Instead, I should
have started with forcing moves: 25 gxf7+, 25 Rc8+, and the queen sacrifice 25
Qxd7+.
If one of them turns out to be winning there is no need even to consider 25
bxa3, which is a draw at best for White. You can’t afford to waste time and
energy during a game. Always start with the forcing moves .
When (much too late) I got onto the attacking moves I began with 25 gxf7+.
One line I analysed was 25 ... Kxf7? 26 Qxd7+(?) Be7 27 Qe6+ Kf8 28 Rc8+
and White mates. In my notes I seem pleased with myself for finding this
combination, and justifiably so as it’s four moves long. But here we see a
prejudice in favour of playing moves that capture pieces. Instead, 26 Qe6 is an
immediate mate. My only (and quite valid) excuse is that I had never seen a mate
of this kind at the time.
So far so good, but after 25 gxf7+ I couldn’t crack 25 ... Kd8!. And I still
can’t all these years later. I very much wanted to give up my queen: 26 Qxd7+
Kxd7 27 Bf5+ Ke7 28 Rc7+. I could see a mate after 28 ... Kd8?, namely 29
Rd7+ (here I was very pleased to have the pawn on f7 stopping the king going to
e8) 29 ... Kc8 30 Rc1+ Kb8 31 Ba7+! Ka8 32 Rc8 mate. I remember working
out the chase of the black king to a8 very slowly and carefully, making sure there
was no way for him to slip out.
But 28 ... Kf6! frustrated me. The black king had found a safe refuge.
Next I looked at playing 25 Qxd7+ straight away. Then, after 25 ... Kxd7 26
Bf5+ Kd8 27 Rc8+ Ke7 28 Rc7+, it dawned on me that Black no longer had a
bolt hole on f6 as 28 ... Kf6 29 Rxf7 would be (a pretty) mate. And if 28 ... Kd8
29 Rd7+, Black can’t go 29 ... Ke8 as 30 gxf7 is mate, while 29 ... Kc8 30 Rc1+
Kb8 31 Ba7+ will mate on c8 as in the line above.
The move 25 gxf7+? is a blunder because, as discussed above, either the
pawn wants to take on f7 (29 ... Ke8 30 gxf7 mate) or the rook (28 ... Kf6 29
Rxf7 mate). You have to keep both options open. That’s why you should begin
with 25 Qxd7+!. (Actually 25 Rc8+ Ke7 26 Qxd7+! Kxd7 27 Bf5+ comes to the
same thing. It’s interesting to verify this alternative move order in analysis, but
remember once you’ve found a forced win during a real game it’s a bad habit to
look for alternatives.)
Answer: In the game Barczay resigned at once after 25 Qxd7+! .
My analysis in 1981 was far from perfect, but that didn’t matter. I was
picking up tactical patterns and learning to calculate variations, including the
order in which you should consider moves in a sharp position. I hope you also
develop the habit of solving puzzles. A few a day could make all the difference.

The Key Move is a Number of Moves Deep but the Play is Forcing
In the next example Black blunders into a combination by his opponent. The
winning move is not too hard to see but it is a fair way down the variation.
White’s task is aided by the forcing nature of the play. As in the Perényi game
there are checks, captures and direct threats.

Ma.Carlsen-R.Wojtaszek
Shamkir 2018
 It’s Black to play. The game continued 27 ... Rh1? 28 Rxh1 Bxh1 , when
Carlsen nonetheless played 29 Rh2! .

Question: What had Black missed?

At move 27 Wojtaszek must have thought as follows: “I’ll exchange rooks
with 27 ... Rh1 28 Rxh1 Bxh1. This leaves White’s queen and remaining rook
tied down to the e5-pawn, as 29 Rh2?? Rxe5 wins for Black, since moving the
white queen allows 30 ... Re1+.”
 Answer: Alas for him, the finish was 29 ... Rxe5 30 Rh8+ Ke7 31 Qa7+! 1-0
.
Black hadn’t seen this check way down the board on a7. After 31 ... Kd6 32
Rd8+ Kc6 33 Rc8+ White wins the queen, (33 Qxa6+ is even quicker, with mate
looming in a couple of moves.) Or 31 ... Kf6 32 g5+! (to deflect the rook from
e5 to rule out ... Re1+ after White’s next move; the simple 32 Qf2+ and 33 Rxh1
is also winning – you don’t need to see further than that in your earlier
calculation) 32 ... Rxg5 (if 32 ... Kxg5 then 33 Qe7+ Kf4 34 Qh4+ Ke3 35 Qxh1
is crushing) 33 Rxh1, which leaves White a piece up with a winning attack.
Going back to the position after 29 Rh2, if instead 29 ... Bb7 then White’s
play is totally forcing: check, check, check, and checkmate: 30 Rh8+ Ke7 31
Qg5+ Kd7 (or 31 ... f6 32 Qxg7 mate) 32 Qd8+ Kc6 33 Qd6 mate.
The move 27 ... Rh1 doesn’t help Black at all, but even after 27 ... Rc7 he is
facing an attack with 28 g5 etc. An illustration of how players tend to blunder
under pressure – and when you are playing Carlsen the pressure starts a long
time before move one!

G.Jones-B.Adhiban
Wijk aan Zee 2018

Question: I’d like you to set this position up on a board or play it “blind”
from the diagram. Or switch to the training tab if you are using ChessBase.
Whatever your method, without moving the pieces try to work out what
happens after 34 Qc6 h4 .

Black is attacking your bishop, but do you see a way to pick up the exchange
by giving a check? (Well, as White has only one check on the board, I hope you
see it!) After you take the exchange and Black moves his king out of check, it
gets more difficult. If you move your bishop from g3, Black has ... Nxf2,
threatening ... Qh1 mate. That looks bad, so you could play Qxf7 instead – that
is, sacking the bishop. After Black then plays ... h4xg3+ and you recapture
f2xg3, can you see White’s threats, or has it grown too misty? Have a go and
then read on.

Answer: The game went 35 Nf6+! Bxf6 36 Qxe8+ Kh7 37 Qxf7 hxg3+ 38
fxg3 .
Now, please could we have another diagram.

This is the position we’ve been trying to work out. Did you manage to see
that White has the double threat of 39 Qxf6 and 39 Qh5+ Kg8 40 Ra8+, mating
on the back rank? Well done if you did so. If not, don’t worry as you’ve only just
started your self-coaching journey.
I think seeing this sequence would be good enough to win most games, but
Adhiban is a top player and found a way to stay alive.

Question: Again without moving the pieces , from the diagram above or on
your chessboard, imagine after 38 fxg3 Black has played 38 ... Qb8! , d
efending
the back rank and hitting the rook.

It seems as if the white attack has been stymied, as if ever Qxf6 then ...
Qxa7. But Jones has seen further. Can you find a way, after Qxf6 and ... Qxa7, to
pick up the loose knight on d3? Again, have a go before reading on.
Answer: The game continued 39 Qxf6! Qxa7 40 Qh4+! Kg8 ( similarly, if 40
... Kg6 then 41 Qe4+ Kf6 42 Qxd3 wins the knight) 41 Qd8+ Kf7 42 Qxd3 ,
when White is two pawns up with a safe king and a passed pawn. Jones forced
resignation on move 55.
Did you see the forced win of the knight in both variations? I think 40 Qh4+
is hard to spot as it isn’t immediately obvious that a cross-check will then win
the horse.
Returning to the position after 33 ... Re8, it is quite possible that a mega-
brain such as Gawain’s calculated everything as far as the win of the knight
before playing 34 Qc6. But it wasn’t necessary. Once you get to 38 fxg3 in your
head you know you have at least a draw by perpetual on f7 and h5. And if
you’ve kept an awareness of the material balance, you know that you have a
rook and a couple of pawns for two pieces. Your king is safe while Black’s is
exposed; the whole situation feels promising for White. The fact that you then
discover you can swap off to a winning endgame is a gratifying bonus.
Once again, play through the moves in your head from 34 Qc6 (see the
diagram before last) to 42 Qxd3. Eight moves deep! How hard or easy was it?
This is the sort of thing you need to work on if you aspire to being an
international-level player. Note that captures and checks greatly aid the
calculation process. That’s partly because they reduce the number of replies
available to the opponent. But it’s also the case that we see them more readily
than other moves – perhaps because they tend to spell opportunity or danger, so
we are unconsciously looking out for them.

The Combination is Long and Forcing with the Key Move Buried Deeply

M.Bluebaum-N.Vitiugov
Karlsruhe/Baden Baden 2018
 It’s Black to move. After 24 ... Ne4+! White immediately blundered with 25
Kg1 .

Question #1: Can you find the reply that made him resign straight away?
(Remember both the rook on a1 and king on g1 are potential targets!)

Question #2: In an interview after the game Vitiugov said he had expected
25 Bxe4, when he intended 25 ... Qh4+ 26 Kg1 Qxe4 with about equal
chances. Well, can you find a better continuation for Black? I’ll give you
the first move: 25 ... Rc7!.

Answer #1: After 24 ... Ne4+ 25 Kg1? , Black can crowd the white queen off
the a7-g1 diagonal with 25 ... Ra3!! . White resigned as 26 Qxa3 (26 Rd1 Qxd1+
27 Bxd1 Rxa7 leaves Black a rook up) 26 ... Qd4+ 27 Kh1 (or 27 Kf1 Qf2 mate)
gives Black the pleasant choice between 27 ... Qxa1+, with a back-rank mate to
come, or the smothered mate 27 ... Nf2+ 28 Kg1 Nh3+ 29 Kh1 Qg1+ 30 Rxg1
Nf2 mate.

 Answer #2: 24 ... Ne4+ 25 Bxe4 Rc7! is much more difficult to calculate.
Now 26 Qa5 and 26 Qb6 both lose the queen to a discovered attack with 26 ...
Rc2+. After Black nabs the queen on a5 (or b6) the white rook and bishop will
be unable to co-ordinate themselves to avoid further material losses as their king
is also exposed. Instead, 26 Qe3 or 26 Qa3 allows 26 ... Qf6+, forking the white
king and rook.
So White has to pin the black queen with:
26 Qa8
Black’s reply is also forced:
26 ... Rc8

27 Qb7
The queen has to keep attacking the black rook, as if she goes to d5 or a3
then 27 ... Qf6+ picks up a1. If she goes to a6, Black can exploit the fact that she
doesn’t defend the bishop with 27 Qa6 Qd4+ and then:
a) 28 Kf1 loses the rook with check.
b) 28 Ke2 Qxe4+ 29 Kf1 Rc2! leaves White with no good way to defend g2.
c) 28 Kf3 Rc3+ (the white king is driven forwards) 29 Kf4 Qe3+ 30 Ke5
Rc5+ 31 Kd6 Qd4+ is a quick mate.
 d) 28 Kg3 Rc3+ 29 Bf3 g5! (a key move; the threat of 30 ... Qh4 mate forces
the white king backwards) 30 h3 Qe5+ 31 Kf2 (going to g4 allows mate in two)
31 ... Rc2+ 32 Kg1 Qxa1+ wins.
27 ... Qd4+ 28 Kg3
After 28 Ke2 Re8 the double threat to a1 and e4 is lethal. Or if 28 Kf3 then
28 ... Rc3+ 29 Kf4 (or 29 Ke2 Re3+ 30 Kf1 Qf6+! 31 Bf5 Qxa1+) 29 ... Qd6+
30 Kg4 f5+! (notice how here, and in line ‘d’ of the previous note, the black
pawns have to do some work when the white king goes to the g-file) 31 Bxf5
gxf5+ 32 Kxf5 Rc5+ with a quick mate.
28 ... Rc3+ 29 Bf3
Now comes an insidious move which is hard to spot when calculating
variations back at move 25:
29 ... Rc4!

The double threat of 30 ... Qxa1 and mate on h4 is decisive. Without this
move Black would have to call it a draw with 29 ... Qe5+ 30 Kh3 Qh5+ 31 Kg3
Qe5+ etc.
Despite the limited material on the board, this was a tough nut to crack.
Working through the analysis is an excellent way to strengthen your grasp of
discovered attacks and double threats. It also reminds us of the need to utilize
our pawns when necessary.
It’s interesting to speculate whether Vitiugov would have found the win if
Bluebaum hadn’t blundered. He had the luxury of waiting to see if White played
25 Bxe4 before committing himself to the mental effort of calculating the long
lines – he was taking no risk as he always had the safe 25 ... Qh4+ if necessary
to get the piece back. Still, if you don’t really believe in it then it is difficult to
make 25 ... Rc7 work.

Analysing Positions ‘to Death’

Mastering calculation is a question of practice, practice, practice. In his famous
book, Think Like a Grandmaster , published in 1971, the USSR grandmaster
Alexander Kotov presented a logical framework for finding the right
continuation during a game: you survey the position in front of you, decide on
“Candidate Moves” (i.e. what moves are worth looking at), then go through the
list of moves in your head one at a time. You should only look at each move
once and make your decision about it there and then – no going back to
reinvestigate the second option after looking at the fifth option on your list as
that shows indecision and sloppy thinking.
In reality, I doubt if anyone thinks as methodically as that during a game. I
would also dispute the “rule” about not returning to earlier moves in your
shopping list – what if you discover a clever tactical idea when looking at option
seven which would work much better after option three, but you are forbidden to
analyse it in the earlier context?
Some years ago I grumbled about the artificial and rigid nature of this
thinking scheme to IM Bob Wade. He replied that you have to start somewhere
when you are trying to teach people to be logical in their thinking. I guess he
was right.
However, during a game I think most players have a flexible, not to say
haphazard, thinking methodology. A good idea from one variation is transferred
to another. There might be an internal dialogue about the best plan. Distracting
or irrelevant thoughts might be filling the vacuum while the unconscious mind
works out what to do.
The ancient rule “Know thyself!” still applies. If you find
you can trust your intuition when it feels sure a move is
right, don’t bother calculating a lot of other moves. Just
go ahead and play it. Save your thinking time and energy
for later moments in the game when no move is strongly
suggested to you and you need to do things the hard way.
(Though you have the right to object that I’ve gone too
far in the other direction from Kotov.)
Nonetheless, analysing a position from a sharp game between, say, Kasparov
and Topalov – listing all possible moves and going through them one at a time –
is a useful training exercise before a game. It is also valuable when studying
your previous games. If you list every reasonable move available to you at a key
point in a game you lost, you might stumble upon something exciting: “I never
knew using my queenside pawns was the right plan in this set-up, but there it is
at move 12 in my list!”
You will learn all about the initiative if you select complicated positions and
analyse them to death.

S.Mamedyarov-S.Karjakin
Stavanger 2018
 It’s Black to move. He has two magnificent bishops and powerful pressure
on f2. It all seems over for White. But no: he is attacking h6 and, besides, the
black kingside has some holes. Worst of all for Black is that his queen is a bit of
a spectator on a5, while the white queen is in the thick of the action.

Question: This is a chance to practice your analytical skills. You’re allowed
to move the pieces if you wish. Which of 22 ... Bxf2+, or 22 ... Rxf2, or 22 ...
g5
should Black play? Have a go at delving through the complications before
checking the comments below.

Black can grab a rook with 22 ... Bxf2+? 23 Kh1! (better than 23 Kh2 as
Black then has the resource ... Bxg3 with check – see below for an example) 23
... Bxe1, but then the white attack is too strong: 24 Qxh6+ Kg8 25 Qxg6+ Kh8
26 Nh5! and the black king can’t survive; e.g. 26 ... Rf7 (instead, 26 ... Rg8 27
Qh6 is an epaulette mate – see the Socko game in Chapter Four) 27 Bg5 and
Black has no good answer to the renewed threat of mate on g7 with 28 Bf6+
Rxf6 29 Qg7, for if 27 ... Rg8 then 28 Qh6+ Rh7 29 Bf6+ Rgg7 30 Bxg7+ is
crushing.
It is too late in this sequence, after 23 Kh1, to try to hold the kingside with
23 ... h5, as 24 Qg5! wins. If White’s king were on h2 Black would have 24 ...
Bxg3+ to slow down the attack. But with the king on h1, after 24 ... Bxg3
(without check) White decimates the black kingside with a series of checks: 25
Qh6+ Kg8 26 Qxg6+ Kh8 27 Qxh5+ Kg8 28 Qg6+ Kh8 29 Qxg3. Or if 24 ...
Rf7 then 25 Nxh5! gxh5 26 Qxh5+ Kg8 27 Rxe5 Rg7 28 Rg5! gives White a
winning attack against the denuded black king.
The alternative 22 ... Rxf2 initially looks very strong. It sets up the threat of a
discovered check with 23 ... Rf4+, winning the black queen, or two kingside-
ripping discovered checks with 23 ... Rxg2+ 24 Kh1 (or 24 Kf1 Rf8+) 24 ...
Rxg3+. But White can play 23 Qxh6+ Kg8 24 Qxg6+ (we’ll return to this
moment below), when 24 ... Kf8? is asking for trouble after 25 Bh6+ Ke7 26
Rxe5+ Kd7 27 Qg4+! Kd6 (or 27 ... Rf5+ 28 d4) 28 Ne4+! Kxe5 (if 28 ... Bxe4,
it’s mate in one) 29 Bg7+ Rf6+ 30 d4+! and White has won the battle of the
checks.
So, instead of 24 ... Kf8, Black has to settle for a draw by repetition with 24
... Kh8 25 Qh6+ Kg8 26 Qg6+ etc. Notice that White has no time to create any
threats with, say, 25 Bg5 due to 25 ... Rf6+. That is annoying. If only his queen
weren’t vulnerable to the discovered check ...
This gives us an idea. White doesn’t have to play 24 Qxg6+ in the sequence
above. The move looks obvious as it grabs a pawn with check, but it has the
drawback of exposing the white queen to loss by ... Rf6+. Instead, he has the
very subtle moves 24 Ne4! and 24 Re4!. Neither block a discovered check by the
black rook on the f-file, but the white queen is safely tucked away on h6 so the
check lacks force. But they do block 24 ... Rxg2+ by shutting out the bishop on
d5. They also bring another piece – a knight or a rook – into White’s own attack.
Let’s look at some lines:

a) 24 Ne4! and after any of 24 ... Bxe4 25 Rxe4 Rf6+ 26 Be3, or 24 ... Rf6+
25 Kh2 Bxe4 26 Rxe4, or 24 ... Re2+? 25 Kh2 Rxe1 26 Qxg6+ Kf8 (if 26 ... Kh8
27 Bg5) 27 Bh6+ Ke7 28 Rxe1 White is winning “on points” as well as having
an attack
b) 24 Re4! Bxe4 (immediately retreating the rook to f6 or f7 is close to
losing but the only chance) 25 Nxe4 Rf7+ 26 Kh2 Be7 27 Qxg6+ Rg7 28 Qe6+
Rf7 29 Bh6 with a decisive initiative for White.
All Black’s troubles were caused by White avoiding 24 Qxg6+ and not
exposing his queen to the ... Rf6 discovered check. This is the vital clue to
Black’s saving defence:
Answer: He can prevent the queen hiding from his rook with the
zwischenzug 22 ... g5!! . This was the game continuation. After 23 Bxg5 Rxf2 24
Qxh6+ Kg8

there is no time for White to play 25 Ne4 or 25 Re4 because of 25 ... Rf6+.
Therefore he had to agree to a draw by repetition with 25 Qg6+ ... Kh8 26 Qh6+
Kg8 27 Qg6+ Kh8 28 Qh6+ ½-½
It is quite possible that the players had independently prepared the whole line
before the game and were merely checking to see if their opponent had done his
“homework”.
 Chapter Four
Judging the Right Moment to Use a
Combination
One of the skills every chess player needs is an awareness of when to look for
combinations. For example, how can you tell if it’s the right moment to switch
from sensible developing moves to searching for a killer blow, perhaps involving
a sacrifice?
A puzzle book will show you a position and tell you to look for mate in
three. No one is whispering that knowledge to you during an actual game (or at
least I hope not). However, if you have fine-tuned your chess intuition, it should
give you a hunch or inkling that something might be on the cards.
This chapter is part of that fine-tuning. I’ve listed the various scenarios that
should make you sense a combination is in the offing. If they could be
summarized in a sentence it would be “the player who makes the combination
has the superior dynamic chances.” But first we should take things slowly and
methodically in order to learn how to judge the dynamic balance in a position.

An Advantage in Firepower on one Part of the Board Inspires a

Combination

E.Safarli-A.Donchenko
Basel 2017

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 dxe5 5 Nxe5 Nbd7 6 d4 cxd4 7 Qxd4 e6 8

Be3 Bc5 9 Qd2 Bxe3 10 Qxe3 Qc7 11 Nc4 0-0 12 0-0-0 a6 13 Qg3 Qc5 14 Nd6
Nb6 15 Nce4 Nxe4 16 Nxe4 Qc6
 A sound response to Black’s previous move would be 17 Bd3, developing
the bishop and defending the knight. Instead, Safarli started looking for a forcing
line to decide the game. How did he know it was time to look for a concrete
tactical sequence?
The Azerbaijan grandmaster had realized the positional requisites were in
place. Black has four pieces – queen, knight, bishop, and rook on a8 – bunched
together on the queenside doing nothing to defend their king. Meanwhile, White
has a queen and knight available for the attack, and they are often a deadly duo
as their powers complement each other. White also has a rook controlling the d-
file. The way to make the combination work is to combine the power of this rook
with the machinations of the queen and knight. But how?
If you trust your intuition and it has told you that there ought to be a win,
then you have to try out different sequences of moves until you find the killer
one. If you find nothing, then it’s back to the solid move 17 Bd3. Safarli hit the
nail on the head: White needs to attack the g7-point.
17 Nf6+ Kh8 18 Nh5! Rg8
You don’t need to see further than 18 ... g6 19 Qe5+ f6 20 Nxf6 to know that
White has a crushing game. You can refine this to 20 Qxf6+! Rxf6 21 Rd8+ and
mates on the back rank.
19 Rd8! 1-0
That’s it: White solves the conundrum of how to get the rook working with
the queen and knight. The g7-point is now collapsing. When a computer tells
you the best move is 19 ... Qc3!?, it’s time to resign. Instead, 19 ... Rxd8 allows
mate in one, while 19 ... g6 is mate in two after 20 Qe5+.

C.Monroy-F.Bindrich
Chur 2010

It’s Black to play. Monroy is evidently planning an assault based on Qxa7

and Ba5 to try to get at the black king. However, his own king is short of
defenders, while Black has his queen, bishop and rook on h8 all poised for the
attack. Bindrich’s intuition told him that he should be looking to finish the game
with an attack, but what is the best way?

Question: You might like to work this out before reading on.

 Let’s analyse: 16 ... Qe5 17 f4 exf3 18 Bxd7+! (one of the golden rules of
defence is to exchange off the attackers; after 18 Rxf3 Qh2+ 19 Kf2 Ne5 the
black knight joins the attack on the white king and hits the white rook, whereas
the bishop on b5 is a bystander, so it’s better to exchange off at once) 18 ... Rxd7
19 Rxf3 is not very cheerful for White. Looking more deeply, Black can
continue 19 ... Qh2+ 20 Kf2 Be7! with the strong threat of 21 ... Bh4+, when the
white king will be forced away from the defence of the g2-pawn as 22 Kf1 Qh1+
picks up the rook on a1. White’s best reply would be 21 Rf4.
It would be very tempting as Black to not look any further than 16 ... Qe5.
After all, it threatens mate in one and the above calculation shows that he gets a
strong attack.
Nonetheless, it is annoying in the variation above that the white rook
becomes actively involved in the defence of its king on the f-file. It would be a
cleaner kill if the rook stayed passively on f1, sitting behind the pawn on f2.
Answer: With a bit of imagination, we can see further than the obvious 16 ...
Qe5 and sacrifice a rook instead:
16 ... Rxh3!

Well done if you saw this move when analysing the position.

Question: Now what is the quickest mate after 17 Qxa7 - ?

17 gxh3
Answer: After 17 Qxa7 Black has 17 ... Rh1+! 18 Kxh1 Qh4+ 19 Kg1 Qh2
mate. The rook sacrifice wins time for the entry of the black queen with check.
You need to know this pattern as it is very common.

Question: After the sequence 17 Rfc1 Qh4! (threatening mate on h1)
18 Bxd7+ Rxd7 19 gxh3 Qxh3 20 Qxa7, can you see how Black forces
mate?

17 ... Qg5+
Answer: Upon 17 Rfc1 Qh4 18 Bxd7+ Rxd7 19 gxh3 Qxh3 20 Qxa7, Black
mates with 20 ... Bh2+ 21 Kh1 Bg3+ 22 Kg1 Qh2+ 23 Kf1 Qxf2. This is another
essential pattern. All good players know it: you give a check with the bishop on
h2, then a second check to get the bishop to g3 to attack f2 with gain of time,
then you are ready to mate on f2 with ... Qh2+ and ... Qxf2. All experienced
players will see it in a flash without doing any conscious calculation.
18 Kh1 Qh5!
 Threatening 19 ... Qxh3+ and then mate, or if 19 f4 then 19 ... Qxh3+ 20 Kg1
Qg3+ 21 Kh1 Rh8 mate. Note that we are avoiding 18 ... Qe5 so that other white
pieces can’t come to the aid of their king after 19 f4 exf3 20 Qf4! (better than 20
Rf2 which allows 20 ... Qg3). The last thing Black wants is for the white queen
to join the party.
19 Kg2
This doesn’t help but White’s position was beyond saving.
19 ... Qf3+ 20 Kg1 Qxh3 0-1
For if 21 f4 then 21 ... Qg3+ 22 Kh1 Rh8 mate. A practical demonstration of
the wise saying that “if you see a good move, you should look for something
better.”

Ding Liren-J.Duda
Batumi Olympiad 2018
 White to play. A dramatic situation has arisen on top board in the match
between China and Poland at the 2018 Olympiad. Ding Liren has sacrificed a
piece and a pawn to reach the diagram position. Incidentally, this encounter was
part of a 100-game unbeaten streak by Ding Liren – the longest in top-level play.
He obviously wasn’t afraid to risk it ending!
Without deciding whether his sacrifice works or not, let’s try to gauge the
possible nature of White’s compensation. What positional and tactical features
attracted the Chinese super-GM to play like this? And what features cast doubt
on his idea? You might like to make a (mental) list of your own before reading
on.

Firstly, it has to be admitted that Duda has an overwhelming advantage in
firepower on the queenside and a looming passed pawn on c4. On the other
hand, the two knights and rook on b8 have limited influence on events in the
centre. They are even further from coming to the aid of their king. Of the
queenside pieces only the bishop on c8 is involved in the centre fight through its
attack on the e6-pawn. Should the pawn advance to e7 then the bishop will have
increased influence on the kingside.
 Secondly, White has every piece actively placed in the centre or available for
an attack on the black king. So the conclusion is that, while Black has an extra
piece, he is outgunned in the centre and on the kingside.
Thirdly, White has a passed pawn which can be advanced to e7. Black would
be obliged to block it with 27 ... Re8. His back rank might then be vulnerable as
his bishop is still on c8. If only White could nudge the rook away from e8, he
might win.
Fourthly, we see that the black queen can be harassed by White’s bishop with
Bb2 (though ... c4-c3 appears to block this in an effective manner) or Bg5. Next,
we notice we can use our control of g5 in another way: Ng5 would carry the
threat of Qxh7 mate.
We might say as a general rule: Any move which contains a threat which
must be immediately parried should be considered at once when attacking.

Now if you are happy to read a chess book “blind”, using the diagrams as a
memory aid, that’s fine. Otherwise, you might like to set up the position on a
chessboard or on your computer screen or phone and play the moves:
27 e7 Re8 28 Ng5
 This is the game continuation. What tactical possibilities can you unearth?
Either move the pieces around on your board or screen or, if you are confident
enough in your powers, work things out in your head – but believe me, it is
trickier than it seems! When you are ready read on.

Well, at some point we realize it isn’t just 28 ... Qh6? that falls for a knight
fork on f7, so does 28 ... h6 29 Rxd6 Qxd6? 30 Nf7+. That is exciting: it seems
like the black queen can be attacked with impunity by the rook on d6. The rook
is therefore able to bust through the d6 barrier and can go to d8 to challenge the
blocker of the e7-pawn. But it looks even better than that: after 29 Rxd6 it dawns
on us that the queen can’t run away; for example, 29 ... Qa1 might threaten mate
with 30 ... Qxc1+ etc, but we get in first with 30 Rxh6+! gxh6 31 Qxh6+ Kg8 32
Qh7 mate! Nice work by the white pieces.
But now comes the really hard part. It’s all a mirage. After 28 ... h6 29 Rxd6
Black has a winning move. Can you find it before reading on?

Well, 29 ... f4!! attacks the white queen, when 30 Rxf6 Bxh3 leaves White a
piece down with two pieces hanging. Notice that in capturing on h3 the black
bishop has also neutralized the threat of 31 Rf8+ by uncovering the rook on b8
as an extra defender of the back rank.
After 29 ... f4 White could try 30 Qh5!? which on the face of it looks strong:
Black’s queen is hanging and there is the threat of mate by 31 Qxe8+. But once
again the pesky black bishop ruins the attack with 30 ... Bg4!!, hitting the white
queen and neutralizing the threat to the back rank. Whatever White plays, his
attack is busted; for example, 31 Rxf6 Bxh5 or 31 Qxg4 Qxg5 or 31 Nf7+ Kh7
32 Qxg4 Qxf7.
But that’s not the end of the story. After 28 ... h6 White doesn’t have to take
on d6. He has the move 29 Qh5!!. If then 29 ... Rxe7, White has a back-rank
mate beginning with the stylish 30 Qe8+. Black has no good alternative, as if 29
... Bd7 30 Rxd6! (only now!) White wins upon 30 ... Qxd6 31 Nf7+ or 30 ... Qa1
31 Rxh6+ (ideas already discussed above), as this time there is no 30 ... f4
defence attacking the white queen as she has already run away to h5 with gain of
tempo.
That was some heavy analysis with incredible resources both for the defence
and attack. Don’t worry if you missed most of it; the important thing is to be
exercising your powers and developing your feel for tactical possibilities.
In the game Duda evidently saw these variations and, instead of 28 ... h6,
tried:
28 ... Qg6! 29 Rxd6!
Someone took a photo of the Polish Board Two in the match at this point. He
gave a mighty grimace of disgust. It all seems over, but Duda kept it going with:
29 ... f4!
Opening an escape hatch for the black queen by attacking her opposite
number.
30 Qh4! Qb1
 31 Re1?!
As Black has avoided ... h7-h6 there is no instant way for White to break
through on the kingside. According to the computers, there was a complicated
forced win for White beginning with 31 Qxf4, while the game move allows a
tough defence with 31 ... Bd7, keeping the white rook out of d8. Naturally, in a
game between humans it’s no surprise that, despite his material advantage, Black
is unable to co-ordinate his scattered pieces both to safeguard his king and
prevent the passed pawn being pushed through.
31 ... Bf5? 32 Rd8! Bg6
In order to prevent 33 Rxb8 Rxb8 34 e8Q+.
33 Rxb8 Rxb8 34 Qxf4
Attacking the rook and also threatening a killer check on f8. The e7-pawn is
now unstoppable.
34 ... Rg8 35 Nf7+ Bxf7 36 Qxf7 Nd7 37 e8Q Nf6 38 Bg5 1-0

Knowledge of a Mating Pattern Gives an Endpoint to a Combination

It will simplify your task during a game if you have all the mating patterns at
your fingertips. Here, for example, is a so-called Epaulette Mate .
 White can make the black rook an accomplice in the execution (by
suffocation) of his own king:
1 Bg8! Rxg8
There’s no good way to stop mate on h7.
2 Qh6 mate

Let’s see how White used the concept of the epaulette mate to guide his play in a
game between two strong Polish grandmasters.

B.Socko-R.Wojtaszek
Polish Championship, Opole 2007
 24 Rxe2! dxe2
Black trusts in his passed pawn, as 24 ... gxh6 25 Bxd3 doesn’t leave him
with much for his two pawn deficit.
25 Bh7+ Kh8 26 Bxg7+!
Another sacrifice to get our queen and bishop into position.
26 ... Kxg7 27 Qg6+ Kh8
And now all is ready:
28 Bg8! Rf7
Black returns the rook to stave off mate.

Question: Now should White take on f7 with his queen or bishop?

Answer: 29 Qxf7!
If 29 Bxf7? then 29 ... Qxd2! stops mate on h6 and threatens to promote the
e2-pawn. White would have to call it a draw with perpetual check by 30 Qh5+
Kg7 31 Qg6+ Kh8 (not 31 ... Kf8?? 32 Qg8 mate) 32 Qh5+ etc. If you blunder
with 29 Bxf7? then do call it a draw, don’t lose your objectivity because you’ve
thrown away the win. Throwing away the whole point will hurt much more than
half a point. I know.
29 ... Qd3!
The most fighting response. It stops mate on h7 and prepares to recapture on
g8 with the rook. After 29 ... Qxg8 30 Qxe7 White is two pawns up and will
neutralize the passed pawn.
30 Qxe7 Rxg8
If 30 ... Qxd2, it’s still mate on h7. But now White’s knight and pawn on h3
are both hanging.
31 Qh4+ Kg7 32 Qg4+ Kh8 33 Qf4!
 With a series of deft checks, Socko has won time to defend his knight and
threatens not an epaulette mate with 34 Qh6+ but the next best thing: a forced
exchange of queens with a winning endgame.

Question: How do we reply to 33 ... Qxh3 - ?

33 ... Nb3
A last lunge.
Answer: If instead 33 ... Qxh3, then 34 Qf6+ Kh7 (or 34 ... Rg7 34 Qxg7+!)
35 Qf7+ Kh8 (or 35 ... Rg7 36 Qxg7+! again) 36 Qxg8+! Kxg8 37 gxh3. White
breaks the pin on the g-file and then takes the queen. This type of sequence is
very common. In particular, always be on the look-out for it as a defensive
measure if your opponent is using a pin to throw all his pieces at your king.
34 Nxb3 Qd1+ 35 Kh2 Rg6
 Chess is the tragedy of one tempo, as Grandmaster Tartakower once said. At
the critical moment in his counter-attack Black has to lose a vital tempo to stop
mate on h6.

Question: You need to find a difficult move to win the game. Have a go!

Answer: 36 Rc1!
A sudden white counter-attack to exploit the weakness of Black’s back rank.
36 ... e1Q
Black has two queens and is threatening mate in one move. Normally, that is
good enough to win a couple of games.
37 Qf8+ 1-0
After 37 ... Kh7 38 Rc7, mate follows in a couple of moves, while 37 ... Rg8
38 Qh6 is our old friend the epaulette mate.
This was a very complex game, so don’t worry if you didn’t understand
everything. There was a lot of 2600-level mastery on display. But if Socko
hadn’t know the pattern of the epaulette mate he might not have figured it out
during the game. You need to know all the patterns, not rely on calculation to see
everything. Otherwise chess is too hard – unless you are a computer!

The Combination has the Structure of the Greek Gift

The Greek Gift is a celebrated tactical device. When carried out by White it
usually involves an assault on a kingside castled position which has become
vulnerable because it has no knight guarding (or ready to guard next move) the
h7-pawn. It begins with a bishop sacrifice on h7 (that’s the treacherous gift) to
gain time for a powerful entry by a knight on g5 and the queen, typically on h5.
Here’s the basic blueprint:

White plays 1 Bxh7+! Kxh7 2 Ng5+ Kg8 (moving the king to g6 or h6 is

perilous) 3 Qh5 with a strong attack. Note that if Black can defend the h7-square
with ... Nf6 or some other move after the sacrifice, he will often refute the attack.

Once you know the basic pattern you can “riff” on it. Let’s see an example
from a real game.

J.H.Donner-L.Portisch
Wijk aan Zee 1968
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 c5 5 Bd3 0-0 6 Nf3 b6 7 d5 Bb7 8 e4
Here 8 ... d6 would be a safe move. Instead, Portisch made an ill-advised
attempt to demolish the white centre:
8 ... b5? 9 e5!
Clearing the way for the bishop to attack h7 and driving the knight from f6:
two of the prerequisites of the Greek Gift.
9 ... bxc4 10 Bb1!
Not being sidetracked by the pawn on c4.
10 ... Nxd5

Now come the three moves in our blueprint:

11 Bxh7+! Kxh7 12 Ng5+ Kg8
After 12 ... Kg6 13 h4! White has a decisive attack. For example:
a) 13 ... f5 14 h5+ Kh6 15 Nxe6+ wins Black’s queen.
b) 13 ... Nc6 14 Qc2+ f5 (Black is mated upon 14 ... Kh6 15 Qh7 or 14 ...
Kh5 15 g4+ Kxg4 16 f3+ Kg3 17 Rh3) 15 h5+ Kh6 16 Nxe6+ again wins the
queen.
c) 13 ... Nxc3 14 Qg4! Ne4+ (14 ... Nc6 allows mate on g7 following 15
Nxe6+) 15 Kf1 Nxg5 16 hxg5, and now 16 ... Rh8 is refuted by the pretty 17
Rh6+!! gxh6 18 gxh6+ Kh7 19 Qg7 mate, while 16 ... Rg8 17 Rh4! stops
Black’s king ever escaping to e4 and leaves him with no good way to parry 18
Qh5+ Kf5 19 g6+ and mates.
13 Qh5 Qxg5
Black will only get two pieces and a couple of pawns for the queen, but if 13
... Re8, White can force mate with 14 Qxf7+ Kh8 15 Qh5+ Kg8 16 Qh7+ Kf8 17
Qh8+ Ke7 18 Qxg7 mate.
14 Bxg5 Nxc3 15 a3 Ne4+
More resistance is offered by 15 ... Ba5 16 Bd2 Na4 17 Bxa5 Nxb2 18 0-0
Nd3.
16 axb4 Nc6 17 Be3 Nxb4 18 0-0

To add to Black’s woes his knight on e4 is threatened with capture by 19 f3,

so he is forced to open lines and simplify in a way favourable to White.
The remaining moves were:
18 ... Nc2 19 Rac1 Nxe3 20 fxe3 Bd5 21 Rf4 f5 22 exf6 Rxf6 23 Rcf1 Raf8
24 Rxf6 Nxf6 25 Qe5 Ne4 26 Rxf8+ Kxf8 27 Qb8+ Kf7 28 Qxa7 Bc6 29 h4
Kg6 30 g4 Kh6 31 Qb8 Kh7 32 Qf8 Nf6 33 g5 Ne4 34 Qf7 1-0
 You might be wondering why a leading player like Portisch would fall for
the Greek Gift as he was undoubtedly aware of the theme. Either his calculation
or his intuition let him down, but the temptations were admittedly great: the
chance to dismantle half of White’s centre and threaten ... Nxc3 when the white
king is still in the centre.

The Greek Gift doesn’t always work – I’ve seen games where it fails miserably
or the attacker sensibly rejects the chance to play it. The point of learning a
tactical theme is to become aware of a possibly winning opportunity which you
might otherwise never have noticed. It doesn’t mean it is automatically good just
because it happens to be a feature of the position.
Here is a highly sophisticated version of the Greek Gift:

I.Nepomniachtchi-S.Sjugirov
Russian Team Championship 2016

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 c4 Be7 6 d4 0-0 7 Bd3 Ng5 8 Nc3
Black could avoid the danger with 8 ... Nxf3+ 9 Qxf3 Nc6, but he was
understandably tempted by:
8 ... Bg4?
Surely there won’t be any Greek Gift sacrifice with the white knight pinned?
But look what happened:
9 Bxg5! Bxg5
Black loses a pawn after 9 ... Bxf3 10 Qxf3 Bxg5 11 Qxb7.
10 Bxh7+! Kxh7 11 h4!!
 An amazing move. Black is a piece up and the enemy king is still in the
centre, but he can’t even return the material to escape to equality.
The basic point is that after 11 ... Bh6 White can unpin the knight by
checking with 12 Ng5+ and then answer 12 ... Bxg5 with the second check 13
hxg5+, gaining time for 14 Qxg4, after which he is a pawn up. If in this
sequence Black tries 12 ... Qxg5 then 13 hxg5 Bxd1 14 Rxd1 Nc6 15 gxh6 gxh6
16 Rh4, with the plan of 17 Kd2 and 18 Rdh1, leaves him with a terribly weak
pawn on h6. Still, this is Black’s chance to resist. (Instead, 16 Nd5 looks strong
for White at first glance, which might be why Sjugirov rejected the line, but here
Black has the very clever defence 16 ... Ne7!, regaining the piece after 17 Nxe7
Rae8, while 17 Nxc7 Rac8 gives him counterplay.)
After 11 ... Re8+ 12 Kf1 White maintains his threats. Also grim for Black are
11 ... Bxf3 12 hxg5+ Kg8 13 Qxf3 and 11 ... Bxh4 12 Qd3+ Kg8 13 Rxh4 f5 14
Rh2 with a strong attack for White, but not 12 Rxh4+? as Black has the brilliant
riposte 12 ... Qxh4 13 Qc2+ (expecting to take the queen next move and win, but
... ) 13 ... Bf5!! 14 Qxf5+ g6 and White has nothing better than 15 Nxh4 gxf5 16
Nxf5 with equality.
Taken by surprise, Sjugirov tried:
 11 ... Bd2+ 12 Qxd2 Re8+ 13 Kf1 Bxf3
But White had a “clean” way to stay a pawn up:
14 Qd3+! Kg8 15 Qxf3 .

Nepo’s technique was more than adequate to win, though Black made it a bit
easier for him by playing loose pawn moves on the queenside in search of
counterplay.
The game finished:
15 ... Nd7 16 Rd1 Qf6 17 Qxf6 Nxf6 18 f3 d5 19 c5 b6 20 cxb6 axb6 21
Kf2 b5 22 a3 b4 23 axb4 Rab8 24 b5 c6 25 Rhe1 cxb5 26 Rxe8+ Rxe8 27 Rc1
Ra8 28 Nxb5 Ra4 29 Rc8+ Kh7 30 g4 Rb4 31 Nd6 Rxd4 32 Kg3 1-0 .
This game also demonstrates the power of a theoretical novelty. If you come
to a game armed with an improvement – or at least a tricky move which is a
surprise to your opponent, even if it is well known among opening experts –
there’s a good chance they will crumble under the pressure.

The Time Factor Suggests that the Moment is Ripe for Action

J.Guidoreni-S.Longson
European Cup, Porto Carras 2018

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 d3 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5 7 h3 d6 8 c3 h6 9

Qe2 Bb7 10 Nbd2 Nh5 11 Nf1 Qf6 12 g3 0-0 13 Nh4 Nf4 14 gxf4 Qxh4 15 f5
Ne7 16 Qf3

White has left his king in the centre in order to speed up his kingside
initiative. Given a quiet life he will pursue his attack down the g-file with 17
Rg1!, followed by Qg2 or the pawn ram f5-f6. And we mustn’t forget that the
black queen is short of squares. We could imagine Rg4 chasing her to f6, after
which Ng3 and Nh5 would close the trap. Even if Her Majesty slipped out to
safety, the g7-point would be sure to collapse, to say nothing of a breakthrough
with Bxh6.
But all this is for the future. There are no white pieces menacing the g7-
square. The knight is slumbering on f1, not leading the charge on h5.
Meanwhile, the black queen is hunter rather than hunted on h4, as she puts
pressure on f2.
In these sorts of double-edged positions time is of the essence. If the white
rook gets to go to g1 in a safe manner then White is for preference. So Black
must act at once:
16 ... d5!
In the game White collapsed quickly:
17 Rg1?
This makes no sense when the centre is falling apart.
17 ... dxe4 18 Qg3 Nxf5 19 Qxh4 Nxh4
The threat of a fork on f3 destroys any hopes of an attack.
20 Nh2 exd3 21 Bxh6 Ng2+ 22 Rxg2 Bxg2 0-1

The main interest is in what WFM Sarah Longson planned after 17 exd5
Nxd5! 18 Bxd5 Bxd5 19 Qxd5 Qxf2+ 20 Kd1.

Question: Can you see the point of her combination?

Answer: Black can blast open the centre for her rooks with 20 ... e4!, which
also introduces the threat of 21 ... Qf3+, picking up the white rook on h1. Then:
a) 21 dxe4 opens the d-file, so 21 ... Rad8 wins the queen.
 b) 21 Qxe4 opens the e-file, so 21 ... Rfe8 is fatal as moving the queen
allows mate on e1.
c) 21 d4 tries to keep it closed but gives Black a pleasant choice: 21 ...
Bxd4!? 22 cxd4 (or 22 Nd2 Rad8 with 23 ... Be3 to follow if the queen moves
away) 22 ... Rad8, intending to break through with ... Rxd4+. White will soon
have to give up his queen to avert a massacre on the d-file.
It shows the strength of Black’s initiative that there is an alternative win with
21 ... Qf3+. Then 22 Kd2 Qxh1 wins on material, while 22 Kc2 Qd3+ 23 Kb3
Qd1 is mate! That leaves 22 Ke1, after which the quiet 22 ... Be7! prepares a
check on h4 and the threat of ... Qxh1 is decisive. If White saves his rook with
23 Rh2 then 23 ... Bh4+ wins at once in view of 24 Kd2 Qd3 mate. Note that
White can’t escape after 23 Be3 Qxh1 by castling queenside as his king has
already moved to d1 and then back to e1!
d) 21 Nd2! is the only way for White to fight on. After 21 ... e3 22 Kc2! exd2
23 Bxd2 Rad8 24 Qe4 Rfe8 25 Qf4 Qxf4 26 Bxf4 Re2+ 27 Bd2 Be3 28 Rad1, he
remains in a bad way, though there is no knockout blow. This saving line is
typical of the way computers play, but few humans would find such a cold-
blooded defence.

The Opponent has Played Overly Passively

Xie Jun-L.Brunner
Bern 1995
 22 f3?
This is too insipid when your opponent is about to push a queenside pawn
avalanche on your king’s head. White should at least deflect the black rook from
a8 with 22 Rxd8 Rxd8 before going 23 f3. But the time-honoured recipe of
defusing an initiative by offering the exchange of queens also applies here. After
22 Qf3!? Qxf3 23 gxf3 White has doubled pawns, but the women’s world
champion can point to the open g-file and the chance for activity with a future
f3-f4-f5 pawn advance. Black could decline the queen exchange with 22 ... Qb6,
but at least White no longer has a hanging g2-pawn and can offer more
exchanges with 23 Rxd8 Rxd8 24 Rd1.
22 ... Rxd1+!
Black is happy to cede the d-file as he doesn’t want to give White a second
chance to exchange on d8.
23 Rxd1 a5
It’s already looking grim for Xie Jun. The a3-pawn is a ready hook for
Black’s pawn storm.
24 Qd2 b4 25 axb4 axb4 26 Bxb4 Qa6 27 Ba3 Na4!
Direct and simple. The white bishop is holding the defence together by
blocking the a-file and guarding b2, so Brunner exchanges it off.

28 Qd4
Or 28 Bxf8 Nc3+! and mates.
28 ... Bxa3 29 bxa3 Qb5+ 30 Qb4 Nc3+ 0-1
After 31 Kc1 White loses the queen to a fork on a2.

A Similar Combination has Occurred in a Well-known Game

E.Sutovsky-Z.Varga
European Cup, Budapest 1999

1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 g6 4 c4 Nb6 5 c5 Nd5 6 Bc4 c6 7 Nf3 b6 8 Nc3 Nxc3 9

bxc3 Ba6 10 Bb3 bxc5 11 Ng5 c4 12 Qf3 f6 13 exf6 exf6 14 0-0 Be7 15 Bc2 f5
16 Re1 0-0
 It is White to play. GM Sutovsky has sacrificed a pawn for the initiative
which includes a sizeable lead in development – the black knight is stalemated
and his bishop on a6 has no influence on events in the centre or on the kingside.
17 Qe3
Defending the knight and attacking e7.
17 ... Bf6

Question: Now what is White’s best reply?

It might seem strange that Sutovsky offers Black the opportunity to exchange
queens and he declines it. However, if 17 ... Bxg5 then 18 Qxg5 Qxg5 19 Bxg5
gives White decisive pressure. He is dominant on the dark squares and on the e-
file. And worst of all for Black, he has no good way to develop his queenside;
for example, if 19 ... d5 then 20 Re7 Rf7 21 Rae1. Here is how the game might
unfold against Black’s toughest defence: 19 ... c5 20 d5! (keeping the knight out
of c6) 20 ... Bb7 21 Rad1 Na6 22 Ba4! (gaining the e6-square for the rook) 22 ...
d6 23 Re6 Nc7 24 Rxd6 Rf7 25 f3 Rc8 26 Bf4 a5 27 Bd7 Ra8 28 Bc6! Bxc6 (or
28 ... Ne8 29 Rd7) 29 dxc6 Rff8 30 Rd7 Ne6 31 Be5 a4 32 c7 and the passed
pawn decides the game. That was a lot of moves. In a real game, rather than look
so far ahead, you’d assess the position after 19 Bxg5 as winning and remove all
the obstacles Black put in your path as you met them.
Basically with 17 Qe3 White is saying: “Okay, you can avert direct threats to
your king by exchanging queens, but the price you’ll have to pay is your dark-
squared bishop.” It proves to be a good bargain for White in the lines we saw
above.
Answer: 18 Nxh7!
A sacrifice to break up the pawn cover in front of Black’s king.
18 ... Kxh7 19 Qh6+ Kg8 20 Qxg6+ Bg7

I expect Grandmaster Varga had seen this far when he allowed 18 Nxh7 and
thought he had everything covered, but now comes a nasty surprise.
21 Bg5! 1-0
It would be strange to call a move that attacks the enemy queen a “quiet
move”. Nonetheless, after the captures and checks of the last couple of moves, it
makes that impression. Black resigned as 21 ... Qc7 22 Re7 mates quickly. It was
difficult to foresee that disaster would befall Black on the e7-square when he
played 17 ... Bf6.
As always, the surest way to spot a tactical device is to have seen it before.
Many years ago I remember playing through the games of the 1974 Candidates
Final match which decided who would face Fischer for the world title. One of
the games was particularly striking.

V.Korchnoi-A.Karpov
21st matchgame, Moscow 1974

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 g3 b6 4 Bg2 Bb7 5 c4 Be7 6 Nc3 0-0 7 Qc2 c5 8 d5 exd5 9

Ng5 Nc6 10 Nxd5 g6 11 Qd2 Nxd5 12 Bxd5 Rb8?

13 Nxh7! Re8
After 13 ... Kxh7 14 Qh6+ Kg8 15 Qxg6+ Kh8 16 Qh5+ Kg8 (or 16 ... Kg7
17 Bh6+) 17 Be4! f5 18 Bd5+ White wins, as 18 ... Kg7 19 Qh6 is mate.
14 Qh6 Ne5 15 Ng5 Bxg5 16 Bxg5 Qxg5 17 Qxg5 Bxd5 18 0-0
But not 18 cxd5?? Nf3+. Incidentally, at this point in the game Korchnoi
asked the arbiter if it was legal for him to castle kingside – of course he can as
the rook on h1 is attacked but the king doesn’t pass through check.
 18 ... Bxc4 19 f4 1-0
A knight on g5 sacrifices itself for a pawn on h7 to clear the way for the
entrance of the queen on h6. Who could forget this pattern if they had seen it in a
dramatic 19-move game from a match that (since Fischer forfeited) decided who
would be world champion? If you are interested in chess history you will
“accidentally” pick up a lot of ideas while doing what you enjoy.

The Piece Deployment is Similar to a Classic Game

G.Rotlewi-A.Rubinstein
Lodz 1907

It is Black to play. Rubinstein is about to unleash a barrage of tactics which

will earn this game the title of the “Polish Immortal”.
21 ... Qh4!
Defending the knight and threatening mate on h2. Before we look at the
combination, what are the positional features that justify a sacrificial attack?
Firstly, Black has both rooks bearing down on open files. In contrast, the
white rooks are playing no role in the centre struggle, conceding Black a massive
advantage in firepower there. Secondly, Black has bishops aligned on diagonals
pointing at the white kingside – so-called raking bishops. White has tried to
neutralize one by putting his light-squared bishop on e4, but Black’s dark-
squared bishop is dominant on the a7-g1 diagonal, preventing the white king
ever escaping from h1 and ready to support the knight in an invasion on e3 or f2.
A third advantage for Black is his queen and knight being posted so
threateningly near the white king. Finally, White’s kingside is vulnerable, not
just because of the long dark square diagonal but because the knight on c3 and
bishop on b2 are doing nothing to help its defence. If the horse had been on f3
then the black queen would have been kept out of h4.
With every black piece ready to attack, Rubinstein is able to exploit his
opponent’s poor piece deployment and loose kingside.
22 g3
Hoping to gain time by attacking the black queen, but now that the a8-h1
diagonal is open as well, the position is ripe for a spectacular combination.
Instead, after 22 h3 Rxc3! 23 Bxc3 (or 23 Bxb7 Rxh3+, forcing mate) 23 ...
Bxe4 24 Qxg4 (or 24 Qxe4 Qg3! 25 hxg4 Qh4 mate, showing the power of the
bishop on b6) 24 ... Qxg4 25 hxg4 Rd3 (threatening mate on h3) 26 Kh2 Rxc3
27 Rac1 Rc4!, with two bishops for a rook, Black wins.
22 ... Rxc3!
The position might look maddeningly complicated but it can actually be
broken down into simple parts. If now 23 Bxc3 Bxe4+ 24 Qxe4 Qxh2 mate, or
23 Bxb7 Rxg3, planning 24 ... Rh3 with decisive pressure on h2 as well as
threats of 25 ... Nf2+. Therefore White has little choice other than to take the
queen.
23 gxh4 Rd2!!
 This isn’t too hard to work out either, as long as you believe in the sacrifice
and are willing to work through some not particularly long variations. If 24
Qxg4, it is easy to see that 24 ... Bxe4+ wins at once for Black; 24 Bxb7 Rxe2,
threatening mate on h2, is also decisive; or if 24 Bxc3 then 24 ... Bxe4+ (a bit
faster than 24 ... Rxe2) 25 Qxe4 Rxh2 mate.
24 Qxd2 Bxe4+ 25 Qg2 Rh3! 0-1
Since 26 Qxe4 Rxh2 is mate. A visually stunning display by one of the artists
of the game.

Jumping ahead 106 years, let’s see how a modern masterpiece was inspired by
Rubinstein’s pyrotechnics.

The Indian Immortal

L.Aronian-V.Anand
Wijk aan Zee 2013

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6 5 e3 Nbd7 6 Bd3 dxc4 7 Bxc4 b5 8 Bd3

Bd6 9 0-0 0-0 10 Qc2 Bb7 11 a3 Rc8 12 Ng5
With his knight foray Aronian expected Black to lose time attending to the
threat to h7, but he was rocked back.
12 ... c5!! 13 Nxh7 Ng4! 14 f4
Blocking the attack on the h2-square. If instead 14 Nxf8, then 14 ... Bxh2+
15 Kh1 Qh4 creates decisive threats against the white king.
14 ... cxd4 15 exd4

Do you notice similarities to the Rubinstein game above? We have a flimsy

white kingside weakened by the move f2-f4. There is a knight hovering on g4 in
the same menacing way, and it can be supported by ... Qh4. Black has also been
the first to get a rook to an open file where it pins White’s knight and makes his
queen uncomfortable. Black has a familiar bishop on b7 cutting into White’s
weakened kingside. Anand would love to have raking bishops like Rubinstein by
getting his dark-squared bishop to the a7-g1 diagonal, but the way is barred by
the white pawn on d4 – right?
15 ... Bc5!! 16 Be2
White has no time for 16 Nxf8 because of 16 ... Bxd4+ 17 Kh1 Qh4 18 h3
Qxh3 mate. If 16 dxc5 Nxc5, the bishop on d3 is hanging and the way is opened
for a check by the black queen on d4. Here are some possible variations:
a) 17 Be2 Qd4+ 18 Kh1 Nf2+ 19 Rxf2 Qxf2 and there is no good way to
stop mate on g2 or on the back rank.
b) 17 Rd1 Qb6! (a quiet but deadly move, setting up the threat of ... Nxd3+)
18 Kf1 (18 Kh1 allows a fork on f2 after 18 ... Nxd3) 18 ... Nxd3 19 Rxd3 Be4,
threatening 20 ... Bxd3+ 21 Qxd3 Qf2 mate. White is busted.
c) 17 Bxb5 is also met by 17 ... Qb6. Notice how the black queen is playing
the part of Rubinstein’s dark-squared bishop!
d) 17 Nxf8 (sometimes it’s best to grab material and hope for the best) 17 ...
Nxd3 18 h3 Qd4+ 19 Kh1 Ndf2+ 20 Rxf2 Nxf2+ 21 Kh2 Nd3 22 Nxe6 (the
knight was trapped) 22 ... fxe6 and the black attack continues.
16 ... Nde5!!
Another powerful blow. Anand threatens 17 ... Qxd4+ 18 Kh1 Qg1+! 19
Rxg1 Nf2 mate, while 17 dxc5 Qd4+ 18 Kh1 Nf2+ is similar to line ‘a’ in the
previous note.
17 Bxg4 Bxd4+ 18 Kh1 Nxg4

Now Black only needs to play 19 ... Qh4 to complete his homage to
Rubinstein. But Aronian isn’t quite finished yet.
 19 Nxf8 f5!
In my opinion, one of the hardest moves to find in the whole game. Anand
sees that the key to clinching the win is to shut the white queen out from h7. If
he had played the obvious 19 ... Qh4 then 20 Qh7+! forces Black into a most
unwelcome exchange of queens. After the game move White has a breathing
space but, despite his extra rook, he is lost as he can only delay, not prevent, the
arrival of the black queen on the h-file.
20 Ng6 Qf6 21 h3
After 21 Ne5 Black has 21 ... Nxh2!, when 22 Kxh2 Qh4 is mate. Curiously,
this is the only way for Black to continue, as if 21 ... Qh4 22 Nf3!, White
defends successfully (and wins) as 22 ... Bxf3 23 gxf3 allows the white queen to
guard h2.
21 ... Qxg6 22 Qe2 Qh5
Threatening ... Qxh3+.
23 Qd3
The only way to carry on was 23 Rf3, but the endgame is hopeless for White
after 23 ... Nf2+ 24 Kh2 (if 24 Rxf2 Qxh3+ and mates on g2) 24 ... Bxf3 25
Qxf3 Qxf3 26 gxf3 Bxc3 27 bxc3 Rxc3 28 Kg2 Rc2 etc.
23 ... Be3! 0-1
 Blocking off White’s queen and so leaving him with no good way to meet
the threat of 24 ... Qxh3 mate.
Even if a chunk of this was home preparation it was still a tour de force by
Anand, in the spirit of Rubinstein’s immortal game.
Chapter Five
Supercharging Your Feel For the Initiative
The initiative has been defined as the power to make threats. If you have the
initiative it means that you are harrying your opponent, forcing him to think
defensively and respond to your ideas rather than carry out his own.
It is a great thing to have the initiative, and you should make a big effort to
keep it or seize it from the opponent. Sometimes this means making sacrifices or
finding a key tactical line. In general, we aren’t talking about instant knockout
blows of the type we have seen in earlier chapters. Instead, we are looking to
maintain the superior dynamism or power of action of our pieces and pawns and
gradually increase it.
If we are successful, the energy will drain away from the opponent’s
position. Then, when he is at his lowest ebb, there will be the chance to conclude
the game with a straightforward winning plan or perhaps a combination in the
style of the previous chapters. But until then, we will be using our tactical
knowledge in support of the overall plan which our possession of the initiative
dictates.

Seizing the Initiative by Depriving the Opponent of a Plan

As you become stronger at chess you’ll start to appreciate advanced strategic
themes, such as the power of an outpost, positional sacrifices, and prophylaxis
(that is, preventive play). You’ll learn to combine advantages on both sides of
the board, not rely on pressure on one wing to decide the outcome.
You’ll also start to be more practical minded and play useful preparatory
moves, rather than rush to complete your plan. You’ll look for the cleanest way
to win, rather than one that might be faster but contains tactical risk. You’ll learn
to be less gung-ho and only hit the opponent where he is weakest (in a chess
sense of course – always be nice to him!).
All the qualities above are demonstrated by Karjakin in the following
masterpiece. His immensely strong opponent would have escaped his grasp if he
had been lacking even one of them.

S.Karjakin-F.Caruana
Candidates Tournament, Berlin 2018
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3 Nxc3 6 dxc3 Nc6 7 Be3 Be7 8
Qd2 Be6 9 0-0-0 Qd7 10 a3 h6 11 Nd4 Nxd4 12 Bxd4 Rg8 13 Be2 c5 14 Be3
d5 15 f4 0-0-0 16 Bf3

Black has a solid position but it is rather defensive in nature with the white
bishops pointing at the c5- and d5-pawns and his own bishops having to guard
them. White, meanwhile, has the plan of gaining space on the kingside with a
well-engineered g2-g4 advance (once ... Bxg4 is ruled out as a reply). Perhaps
Black should anticipate this by playing 16 ... f5!? with mutual chances though
still a nagging edge for White. Instead, Caruana sought to alleviate the pressure
on his d5-square by exchanging off light-squared bishops:
16 ... Bg4?
But Karjakin crossed his plans:
17 Bxd5! Bxd1 18 Rxd1
In return for the exchange White has a pawn and a dominant light-squared
bishop with no black rival. While commentating on the 2018 World
Championship match, Messrs Grischuk, Svidler and Giri happened to discuss
this sacrifice. The first two esteemed grandmasters thought it was obviously
good for White and expressed surprise that a player like Caruana had allowed it.
Giri said its strength wasn’t so obvious to him (at least at first glance). When the
other two continued to claim it was simple in nature, he remarked half-jokingly
that to be certain of its power you had to have been brought up in the Soviet
School of Chess!
Indeed, I can imagine maestros of heavyweight positional chess, such as
Botvinnik and Smyslov, drumming into their pupils in Moscow or Leningrad the
value of a bishop on a centre outpost – so much dominance of the light squares
for a minimal material investment.
18 ... Qc7 19 c4!

Cementing the bishop on d5. Its power points in two directions: towards b7
(making the black king feel insecure) and towards f7, where after some
prevaricating Caruana is forced to use one of his heavy pieces to defend the
pawn.
Karjakin now has a strong initiative. For the rest of the game Black will be
responding to his opponent’s manoeuvres. He will be threshing around trying to
escape the positional straitjacket in which he finds himself. He has no
counterplay – all he can do is try to keep his pieces in good order and wait for
White’s attack.
 Notice in the moves that follow that Karjakin’s priority is to keep Black’s
pieces boxed in to prevent his initiative slipping away.
19 ... Rge8 20 Qf2 b6
Not a pretty move as the a8-h1 diagonal now looks airy. But Caruana wants
to put his bishop on f6 where it is more active and facilitates the queen’s defence
of f7.
21 g4
Here’s how White could throw away the initiative: 21 Bxf7?? Rxd1+ 22
Kxd1. It is a well-known precept that if you are the exchange up, you should try
to exchange off your opponent’s remaining rook. Conversely, if you are the
exchange down you should avoid the exchange of your remaining rook.
Remembering this rule will save you points and half points.
The health of a player’s position suffers much more when it is deprived of
the support of both rooks, one reason being that it lacks a piece able to act on
both wings at short notice.
But here it would get even worse for White: following on from the exchange
of rooks, Black has 22 ... Bh4! 23 Qxh4 Qxf7. Deprived of the light-squared
bishop White is close to losing.
Karjakin isn’t going to beggar his rich position to gain a miserable pawn.
Instead, he plans in the long term to advance his kingside pawns to open lines of
attack and harass the black bishop with g4-g5 once it goes to f6.
21 ... Bf6 22 Kb1!
 Care is needed: after 22 h4? Black has 22 ... Bxh4 23 Qxh4 Rxe3 or, even
better, 22 ... Qe7 23 Rd3 Bxh4.
White’s plan of a kingside advance doesn’t need to be hurried. First of all,
Karjakin takes the sting out of any counterplay by Black down the e-file based
on the doubling of rooks with ... Rd7 and ... Rde7. He gets his king off a dark
square to reduce any tricks by the black bishop, and eventually puts him in
complete safety on a2. The rook goes to d3, the most flexible square for action
on either wing, where it also guards e3.
These types of precautions and preparatory moves are often described as
“jockeying for position” or “consolidating a position”. You could also say that
White is engaging in prophylaxis (that is, prophylactic or preventive measures)
by anticipating and diminishing the power of Black’s plan of doubling rooks on
the e-file.
Whatever the phrasing, it shows the hand of a marvellously skilled chess
technician. Most less experienced players are in too much of a hurry to force
matters. They miss the chance to improve their general piece configuration
before taking action.
22 ... Rd7 23 Rd3 g5
 Caruana decides to block the further advance of White’s kingside pawns,
even if it means leaving holes in his structure. But the alternatives weren’t
cheery.
If he waits with 23 ... Kb8, White can advance 24 h4, intending 25 g5 to
dislodge the black bishop.
The try for counterplay with 23 ... Rde7 encourages the immediate 24 g5!.
For example, 24 ... Bd4 (after 24 ... hxg5 25 fxg5 Be5 26 h4 White is gaining
ground on the kingside, as 26 ... Bg3?! 27 Qf3 Bxh4? fails to 28 Bf4 with a
decisive attack) 25 Bxd4 cxd4 26 Qxd4 hxg5 27 fxg5, when 27 ... Qe5 28 Qg4+
Kb8 29 h4 keeps up the pressure, while upon 27 ... g6 we see the danger that
Black faces on both wings: 28 c5! bxc5 (or 28 ... Qxc5 29 Rc3; the best chance
is 28 ... Rd7, albeit desperate) 29 Qg4+ Re6 (29 ... Kb8 30 Rb3+ wins at once)
30 Rb3 and White has a big attack and will be a pawn up to boot if he plays
Bxe6. We see Karjakin’s astuteness in putting his rook on d3 before playing
actively.
24 Ka2
The white king is absolutely safe here, while his opposite number is feeling
draughty.
24 ... Ree7 25 Qf3!
 White’s next few moves don’t make a striking impression, but they are
manoeuvring play of the highest class. Karjakin’s basic idea is to get his rook to
h3 to attack the h6-pawn. It follows a principle that you should attack the
opponent where he is weakest. Black’s queen and rooks are busy holding the
centre and warding off any danger to their king. In contrast, there are few
defenders near the h-file, and Black can’t answer Rh3 with ... Bg7 without
dropping the g5-pawn.
Very well, Rh3 is the move. So that means the bishop on e3 must get out of
the way of the rook. But how can it do so without allowing Black any
counterplay? Karjakin’s prophylaxis began with 24 Ka2, tucking the king safely
away just in case there is an invasion with ... Re1 while he is carrying out his
plan. (Unlikely? Yes, but why risk it?) Next, he puts his queen on the f3-square,
blocking the rook but no matter: he wants to play Bd2, after which she is on an
active square to dissuade Black from seeking counterplay. Finally, he retreats the
queen to f1 and is ready for Rh3, all the time having kept maximum control of
the position. Let’s see how it unfolds in the game.
25 ... Kd8 26 Bd2 Kc8 27 Qf1!
Now all is ready for 28 Rh3. Caruana doesn’t wait for the breakthrough there
and gives up the g5-pawn at once.
27 ... Rd6 28 fxg5 Bxg5
Or 28 ... hxg5 29 Bxg5! Bxg5 30 Qf5+ Rdd7 31 Qxg5, transposing to the
game.
29 Bxg5 hxg5 30 Qf5+ Rdd7 31 Qxg5

31 ... Qe5
Black remains hampered by his weak king. If he could get away with 31 ...
Qxh2 he’d be okay, but after 32 Qg8+ Kc7 (or 32 ... Rd8 33 Be6+ Rxe6 34
Qxd8+ Kb7 35 Rd7+ with a quick mate) 33 Qa8 his king’s defences collapse;
e.g. 33 ... a5 34 Rb3! (there are other ways to win but I like the rook’s dexterity
in this sequence; the threat is 35 Qc6+ Kd8 36 Rxb6 etc) 34 ... Qd6 35 Rh3! and
the invasion with 36 Rh8 will be decisive, as if 35 ... Rd8 then 36 Qb7 mate.
In the game the black king is safe for now, but the pawn on h2 will become a
strong passed pawn.
32 Qh6 Kd8
Instead, 32 ... f6! looks the last chance, when the rooks can get involved in
holding the kingside.
33 g5!
 Not giving Black another chance for ... f7-f6.
33 ... Qd6 34 Qh8+!
Exchanging queens would be a big mistake as the misery of the black king is
still a big part of White’s advantage. So Karjakin carries out another manoeuvre:
the queen drags the black rook to a worse square, en route to h4 and g4 where
she supports the advance of the h-pawn.
34 ... Re8 35 Qh4 Qg6 36 Qg4 Re5 37 h4 Ke7

38 Rd2
Instead, 38 Rf3 looks pretty deadly, as if 38 ... Kf8? 39 Qxd7 or 38 ... Kd8
(to guard f7) 39 Qg3! Re8 (upon 39 ... Qd6 40 Bxf7 the passed pawns soon
decide matters) 40 Qb8+ Ke7 41 Re3+ ends the game. Returning the exchange
with 38 ... Rdxd5 is the best idea though clearly hopeless.
But as always Karjakin is in no rush and intends to take an extra move to
threaten f7 with 39 Rf2.
38 ... b5
Caruana doesn’t wait for 39 Rf2 with similar lines to the previous note.
39 Bxf7!?
Perhaps not the fastest way to win (there is still 39 Rf2!, and 39 Qg3! is also
effective) but it is the surest. Karjakin knows that the endgame must be winning
for him with connected passed pawns on one wing and the chance to gain more
pawns with c4xb5 on the other.
39 ... Qf5
The only way to save the queen and meet the threat to d7.
40 Rxd7+ Kxd7
Or 40 ... Qxd7 41 Qg3! and the g-pawn advances.
41 Qxf5+ Rxf5 42 g6
The threat of 43 g7 gains time to defend f7 and so pick up b5.
42 ... Ke7 43 cxb5 Rh5 44 c4 Rxh4

So h4 has fallen, but Black won’t be able to hold back the strong pawn on g6
as well as the potential passed pawn that will emerge from White’s 4-2 majority
on the queenside.
45 a4 Rg4 46 a5 Kd6 47 a6!
Threatening to promote with 48 b6! axb6 49 a7, so the black king will have
to stay near the a-file.
47 ... Kc7 48 Kb3 1-0
With the black king tied down, White’s own king can move to f3 (or f2 after
48 ... Rg3+ 49 Kc2 etc) and then push back the black rook which dare not leave
the g-file. The king will eventually reach f6 and shepherd the passed g-pawn
home.

Seizing the Initiative by Disrupting the Enemy Pieces

Chess strategy isn’t just about increasing the harmony among your own pieces.
If you can wrong-foot the opponent’s pieces by unexpectedly opening lines you
will spread disorder in the enemy camp. In the next game IM Alina
Kashlinskaya shows us how to convert material into dynamism.

A.Kashlinskaya-S.Sevian
Isle of Man 2018

1 d4 d6 2 Nf3 g6 3 c4 Bg7 4 e4 Nd7 5 Be2 e5 6 0-0 Nh6 7 Nc3 0-0 8 h3 c6 9

dxe5 dxe5 10 Be3 f6 11 c5 Nf7 12 Bc4 Qe7 13 b4 Re8 14 Qb3 Nf8 15 Rad1
Be6
The centre is fixed, with a white pawn on e4 locked to a black pawn on e5,
and an open d-file. This quiet balance suits Black as, given the chance, he will
unclutter his cramped position with 16 ... Bxc4, followed by 17 ... Ne6 and 18 ...
Rad8. However, it is White to move.

Question: Try to work out what Kashlinskaya did to cut across Black’s plans.

Answer: 16 Nd5!! cxd5 17 exd5
The piece sacrifice has changed the fixed centre into a mobile centre. Black’s
pieces remain congested and are going to be harassed by the advancing white
pawns. Still, it’s a piece for a pawn, so Black can hope to give the material back
to free his game at an appropriate moment.

Question #1: How would you continue after 17 ... Bc8 here?

17 ... Bf5

Question #2: And here work out how to press home your initiative as White.

Answer #1: If instead 17 ... Bc8, the white pawns can roll forwards with 18
d6 Qd7. Notice how much damage it does to Black’s co-ordination that his
queen has to go to d7 to keep f7 defended. Indeed, the pressure from the white
queen and bishop on c4 against the pinned black knight is what makes the
sacrifice with 16 Nd5 of decisive strength. Here, for example, White can pile
through with 19 b5, already threatening 20 c6 bxc6 21 bxc6, when the black
queen is crowded out from guarding f7. White would win easily after 21 ... Qxc6
22 Bxf7+. If Black tries 19 ... Ne6 to block the attack on f7, then 20 c6 bxc6 21
bxc6 Qxc6 gives White the pleasant choice between winning the rook on a8 with
22 Bd5 or, the better option, the rook on e8 with 22 Bb5 Qb7 23 Bxe8.
Answer #2: 18 g4!
 Kashlinskaya continues her strategy of harassing the black pieces with her
pawns. The loosening of her kingside caused by this move is of no concern as
long as she keeps up the initiative. What really matters is that the shrinking black
camp doesn’t have enough space to accommodate a whole set of minor pieces.
18 ... Be4
We’ve already seen (in the note on 17 ... Bc8) what might happen if the
bishop returns home. Sevian is willing to return the extra piece to avoid that fate.
19 Nd2 f5 20 d6 Qd7

Question: Here White can regain the piece with 21 f3 Bc6 22 b5, followed
by 23 bxc6 with good chances. But can you see a better plan leading to a
winning breakthrough in a couple of moves?

Answer: 21 Nxe4!
Did you find this move? It’s coolly played. Facing an opponent rated 2634 a
lot of players would grab the piece back. At first sight it appears that exchanging
on e4 lessens the pressure on Black, but in fact it allows White to open another
avenue of attack.
 21 ... fxe4 22 b5
With the familiar threat of 23 c6 bxc6 24 bxc6 Qxc6 25 Bxf7+.
22 ... Rec8 23 f3!
This is the reason for the exchange on e4. Black can’t prevent the opening of
the f-file, after which the white rook on f1 will add its pressure to f7. There is no
way Black can avoid the loss of the knight, so Sevian gives it up straight away.
23 ... Kh8 24 Bxf7 exf3 25 Rxf3 e4 26 Rf2

Planning 27 Bd5, followed by 28 Rf7, when Black faces disaster

everywhere: queenside, centre and kingside. Therefore he tries a last lunge at the
kingside, but White’s centre soon crashes through.
26 ... Qd8 27 Qd5 Qh4 28 Kg2 h6 29 c6 bxc6 30 bxc6 Nh7 31 d7 Rf8 32
c7 Nf6 33 Qe6 Nxd7 34 Rxd7 Rac8 35 Qxg6 Be5 36 Qxh6+ Qxh6 37 Bxh6 1-
0

A similar sacrifice was offered in the next game.

Seizing the Initiative by Opening Lines of Attack

Vl.Malakhov-B.Predojevic
Croatian League 2017

1 Nf3 d5 2 e3 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 d4 b6 5 b3 Bb7 6 Bd3 Nbd7 7 0-0 Bd6 8 Bb2 0-0

9 Nbd2 Ne4 10 cxd5 exd5 11 Ne5 Qe7 12 f4 Nxd2 13 Qxd2 Nf6 14 Qe2 Ne4
15 Bxe4 dxe4 16 f5 Qg5

Malakhov has to decide how to build up his initiative. The advanced pawn
on f5 and aggressively placed knight would indicate a kingside attack as the best
plan. However, upon 17 f6 g6! (not 17 ... gxf6? 18 Nd7 and Black’s kingside is
compromised), it is difficult to see how White can make any progress. The pawn
on f6 looks impressive but there is no follow-up. Malakhov found an
enterprising rook lift:
17 Rf4! f6
Perhaps Black should try the radical 17 ... h5!? to stop White’s next move.
18 Rg4

Question: How does White continue after either 18 ... Qh5 or 18 ... Qxf5,
as his knight and rook seem in a tangle?

18 ... Qh6
Answer: 18 ... Qh5? 19 Rxg7+ wins the queen, while upon 18 ... Qxf5 19
Qc4+ Kh8 you have to find 20 Ng6+! (20 Nf7+? loses to 20 ... Rxf7, as g4
hangs), when 20 ... Qxg6 (or 20 ... hxg6 21 Rh4+) 21 Rxg6 hxg6 is good for
White.
19 Rg3!
Completing an elegant manoeuvre to get the white rook into the forefront of
the attack.

Question: If now 19 ... Bd5, to rule out Qc4+, White has a strong reply which
wins material. Can you see it?

19 ... fxe5
Answer: 19 ... Bd5 20 Rh3 Qg5 21 Rh5 traps the black queen. I think
Predojevic must have missed or underestimated this threat in his earlier
calculations. Since 19 ... Bxe5 20 dxe5 gives White a huge attack, Black has no
choice but to accept the piece offer.
20 dxe5
As compensation for the piece White has mobile centre pawns which abet a
huge attack on the black king. Once he advances e5-e6 the bishop on b2 will
come alive and join with the rook on g3 in besieging g7.
20 ... Bc5

Question: Which of his centre pawns should White push?

21 f6!
Answer: 21 e6 is too hasty as it allows 21 ... Rxf5! 22 Bxg7 Qxg7 23 Rxg7+
Kxg7, when Black is ready to answer 24 Qg4+ with 24 ... Kf6 25 Qh4+ Ke5!.
He has a rook and two bishops for the queen. His king is floating around in the
centre but looks safe enough. White wants to keep both his mobile pawns.
Note that after 21 f6! g6 22 e6, it’s all over due to the threat of 23 f7+, when
Black has to give up a rook for the two pawns, leaving him material down with
his king fatally exposed.
21 ... Bd5
 Such is the irrelevance of Black’s dark-squared bishop it almost feels like a
position with opposite-coloured bishops in which White’s monster on b2 is
battling the bishop on d5.
Black now survives after 22 Rxg7+ Kh8, since if 23 e6 Bxe6 24 f7, he can
sacrifice (similarly in style to the 21 e6 note) with 24 ... Qxg7 25 Bxg7+ Kxg7 to
break the force of the attack. For example, 26 Qb2+ Kxf7 gives White no
convincing continuation.

Question: Returning to move 22, can you see what White can play right
now to ensure that after 26 Qb2+ Kxf7 (as in the above analysis) he will
pick up a black bishop?

Answer: 22 b4!
Did you manage to work it out? Black’s bishop is enticed to the vulnerable
b4-square.
22 ... Bxb4 23 Rxg7+ Kh8 24 e6 Bd6
Predojevic sees that, thanks to the brilliant 22 b4!, there is no hope in 24 ...
Bxe6 25 f7 Qxg7 (Black has no alternative as White’s rook intends to move from
g7 and give mate) 25 Bxg7+ Kxg7 26 Qb2+ Kxf7 27 Qxb4.

Question: Now what square should the white rook retreat to in order to
threaten 25 f7+ followed by mate?

Answer: 25 Rg3!
Blocking the attack on h2. After 25 Rg4? it is Black who wins with 25 ...
Qxh2+ 26 Kf1 Be5!!.
25 ... Rxf6
If instead 25 ... Bxg3 26 f7+ Qg7 27 Bxg7+ Kxg7, the simple 28 hxg3 is
good enough, but 28 Rf1! is much stronger, intending 29 Qb2+ Kg6 30 Qf6+
with a quick mate. After 28 ... Be5 29 Qg4+ Kh8 30 Qf5 Bg7 31 Qxd5 White
wins very easily.
Don’t be in a hurry to grab material. You can usually save a lot of time and
effort if you find the most precise way to finish off a game – though if you see a
fairly comfortably winning move, don’t try to be a perfectionist in time trouble.
That is usually asking for trouble.

Question: Now what is the quickest winning move?

Answer: 26 Qh5! 1-0
A pretty finish to an excellently played attack. 26 ... Qxh5 27 Bxf6 is mate,
while 26 ... Bxg3 27 Qxh6 is too much for Black to bear.

Seizing the Initiative by Shutting in the Enemy Pieces

J.Gstach-P.Sadilek
Vienna 2014
 It is Black to play. White has an extra pawn with a solid-looking structure.
His rook controls the only open file on the board. The black pawn on a7 is a
fixed target on the same colour square as White’s bishop. It can be attacked with
moves like Rb7 or Bb8. Black’s pawn on d5 is potentially vulnerable. To add to
Black’s woes his queen is apparently tied down to the defence of his rook.

Question: So what does Black do to cheer himself up?

Answer: Remember that tactics always come before strategy. We can talk all
we want about nice pieces and nice pawns, but if a position fails tactically it is
usually the end. Here Black has 37 ... Qxd6! with the very nice point that 38
exd6 allows 38 ... Re1+ 39 Kf2 Nd3 mate. Or if 38 Qxe8 then 38 ... Qa3 wins for
Black – the threat is to pick up the rook with check by 39 ... Qa1+ and 40 ...
Qxb2+, to say nothing of the looming mates. For instance, 39 Rb8 Qc1+ 40 Kf2
Nd3+ 41 Ke2 Qe1 mate; or 39 Rb1 Qa2, attacking both b1 and g2; or 39 Qb5
Qxc3 (threatening mate on e1) 40 h3 Qxd4+ 41 Kh2 c3 42 Ra2 Qxe5 and Black
wins easily with his connected passed pawns plus strong attack.
I hope I haven’t given the impression that White held all the positional aces
in the diagram position and a winning combination appeared for Black by a
sheer fluke. Of course you might blunder in a winning position, but most of the
time when a combination appears it has a sound positional basis. White’s king
has no defenders nearby; there are loose light squares around him; the black
knight is hovering menacingly over him. It’s no great surprise that a combination
appears for Black.
In the game Black missed his chance and played 37 ... Nd3 . Once again we
see the lure of natural, strong-looking positional moves blinding us to tactics.
Black puts his knight on a lovely outpost square with gain of time by attacking
the white rook.
White replied 38 Rb1 .

White is dominating the queenside, but Black still has the makings of a
strong initiative on the kingside. His horse is unassailable on d3 (a knight dreams
of a centre post in the enemy camp where it is well supported and can’t be
attacked by a pawn – admittedly, it would rather have gone there with 39 ... Nd3
mate in the variation above!). Secondly, the pawn on h4 can be used to ram the
white king’s defences. It is also significant that Black’s king is safe from attack
on h7, so he can get on with his initiative without worrying about his own
monarch becoming the unwitting centre of attention. Another factor is that
White’s bishop is a long way from lending a hand with the defence and can’t
fight for control of the light squares. Finally, Black has what David Bronstein
called the strongest weapon in chess: the next move!
38 ... Qh6!

Question: What happens if White plays 39 Qxe8 - ?

39 Qc2
Answer: The queen retreats to cover the second rank as 39 Qxe8 Qe3+ 40
Kh1 (or 40 Kf1 Qf2 mate) 40 ... Nf2+ 41 Kg1 allows mate in two ways. The
fastest is on the back rank with 41 ... Nd1+ 42 Kh1 Qe1. However, most players
would be looking at 41 ... Nh3+ 42 Kh1 Qg1+! 43 Rxg1 Nf2 mate. This is the
celebrated and extremely well-known Smothered Mate . It tends to be etched into
a chess player’s brain at an early point in their chess career.
This shows the power of pattern thinking in chess: once we know the ...
Qg1+! idea we find the win with a minimum of effort, despite the complexity of
the combination. But the effect is so strong that it excludes us from seeing a
faster win. It doesn’t matter here because both methods win. However,
sometimes a pattern doesn’t work and yet makes such a strong impression on our
thinking that it blocks us from finding a win that requires other, less obvious
moves.
The same fault can appear in your positional thinking. You carry out a plan
that is inappropriate because you’ve seen it played before in a game with a
similar pawn structure. You’ve been led to believe it must always be the right
way to handle that structure. This is sometimes called “stereotyped thinking”.
39 ... Qe3+ 40 Kh1 h3!
Black needs to utilize all his weapons of attack.
41 Rf1 Re6!
Now the rook joins in the fray.
42 g3
 Letting the pawn on h3 live means that his king is forever insecure, but
White is in a horrible tangle after 42 gxh3 Rg6. Note that his bishop can’t move
without allowing 43 ... Rxa6.
42 ... f5?
It’s unnecessary to give White counterplay based on his e-pawn. The best
approach was to undermine the white centre with ... f7-f6; i.e. 42 ... Kg8!
(getting the king out of the way) 43 Qa2 f6 and then:
a) 44 f4 weakens White’s light squares further. The black rook can slowly
but surely manoeuvre its way to the b-file: 44 ... Re8! 45 Qc2 Rc8 46 Qa2 Rc6
47 Qc2 Rb6, and there is no defence against 48 ... Rb2 as 48 Rb1 Rxb1+ 49
Qxb1 Qe4+ mates on g2.
b) 44 Qc2 fxe5 45 dxe5 Nxe5 46 Bxe5 Rxe5. Black has cashed in his
powerful knight to clear the way for ... d5-d4 when he will create a passed c-
pawn. This will soon decide matters as White is tied down by the pawn on h3.
It’s almost too easy; e.g. 47 Qb2 Qe2! (spurning 47 ... Qxf3+ as White fights on
with 48 Kg1) 48 Qxe2 Rxe2 49 Rc1 d4! 50 cxd4 c3 51 d5 c2 52 d6 Rd2 and 53
... Rd1+ wins.
If upon 42 ... Kg8 White tries the same bishop manoeuvre as in the game,
then 43 Ba3 Rxa6 44 Bc1 Nxc1 is a trivial win after 45 Qxc1 Qe2 with a deadly
threat to g2, as 46 Rg1 Qxf3 mates; similarly, 45 Rxc1 Ra2! 46 Qd1 Qf2 is
decisive, while 45 Qf5 Re6! puts a stop to any notion of perpetual check and
leaves Black a piece up.
43 Ba3 Rxa6 44 Bc1
Now, in contrast to the 42 ... Kg8 variation above, 44 ... Nxc1? allows White
to escape with perpetual check after 45 Qxf5+. Peter Sadilek finds a spectacular
way to keep pressing for the win.
44 ... Ra1!! 45 Bxe3 Rxf1+ 46 Bg1

Black has only a rook for the queen but the white king is boxed in on h1, the
bishop is stuck on g1, and the white queen can’t wander beyond the second rank
unless it is with check as otherwise ... Nf2 is a smothered mate. But the question
is whether Black can win the game. The key will be the advance of the a-pawn
combined with a breakthrough on the kingside to create a second passed pawn. It
has to be delicately done – a false step could allow White’s queen to escape from
her jail and inflict a perpetual check.
46 ... Re1 47 g4 f4 48 g5 Kg6 49 e6
White sells the e-pawn to gain freedom for his queen. The game now ended:
 49 ... Rxe6? 50 Qa4 Re1
It looks as if the white queen has to return to its torment on c2, but ...
51 Qc6+ Kh5 52 Qg6+! Kxg6 ½-½
It turns out that the white pieces are a little too restricted for Black’s liking as
it’s stalemate.
Could Black have done better? Sadilek analyses this game on the
chesspublishing.com website and gives the line 49 ... a5 50 Qa2 a4 51 e7 Kxg5
52 e8Q (there’s no respite for White in 52 Qc2 Rxe7 53 Qxa4 Re1) 52 ... Rxe8
53 Qxa4 Re1 54 Qc2 Kh5 55 Qd2 g5 56 Qc2 g4 57 fxg4+ Kg6 58 Qa2 f3 59
Qd2 (or 59 Qa6+ Kg5) 59 ... Re2 and wins. (After 59 ... f2!? 60 Qg5+ Black can
actually evade the stalemate, but let’s not risk it!)

The finish might be 60 Qd1 Kg5 61 Qf1 Kxg4 62 Qd1 Kf4 63 Qf1 Rg2 64
Be3+ Ke4 65 Bg1 f2 66 Qe2+ Kf4 67 Qd2+ Kf5 etc.
An exciting struggle.

Seizing the Initiative Through Superior Dynamism

It very important to be able to distinguish between the static and dynamic factors
which govern a position and assess their relative importance. Generally
speaking, if the dynamic factors favour you it is the right time to launch an
attack.
Then your task is to preserve the momentum of your initiative by weaving
together a succession of tactical themes. In the game that follows I especially
like the way Ding Liren exploits potential knight forks.

Bai Jinshi-Ding Liren

Chinese Team Championship 2017

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Nf3 0-0 5 Bg5 c5 6 e3 cxd4 7 Qxd4 Nc6 8 Qd3
h6 9 Bh4 d5 10 Rd1 g5 11 Bg3 Ne4 12 Nd2 Nc5 13 Qc2

If White is able to complete his development with 14 Be2 and 15 0-0, he will
have a good game. Black will suffer due to his fractured kingside and the pawn
on d5 which can be targeted by the rook on d1 and knight on c3. Note too the
awkward position of the black queen sitting on the same file as the white rook.
Another of Black’s positional defects is the passive bishop on c8.
This is a static assessment of the position. Long term Black’s structural
weaknesses and inert bishop spell trouble for him. But by whisking the king to
g1 with 14 Be2 and 15 0-0 before making our assessment we have ignored a
vital dynamic factor: White’s king is stuck in the centre and at least two moves
from castling.
If the centre was closed, or at least quiet, then static considerations would
dominate. But it is still volatile. Ding Liren is able to exploit this to the
maximum with his incredibly energetic play.
13 ... d4!
The pawn that is meant to be a target, according to a static evaluation, leads
the attack.
14 Nf3
It looks like the impetuous d4-pawn is facing certain death.
14 ... e5!
Black is planning to sacrifice his queen, but he sees that he doesn’t have
enough oomph to make it work after 14 ... dxc3? 15 Rxd8 cxb2+?! 16 Rd2,
when static features (material) trump dynamism. Therefore, he first of all throws
the e-pawn into the hat to deflect the white knight from f3 where it helps defend
the key d2-square. At the same time a line is opened for the bishop on c8.
15 Nxe5 dxc3! 16 Rxd8 cxb2+
 17 Ke2?
A natural move, but now White is losing. Instead, 17 Rd2 Rd8 18 Nf3 Bg4 is
very active for Black – so much for the “inert” bishop on c8. Still, this is how
White should play. After 19 Qxb2 Ne4 20 Qxb4! Nxb4 21 Rb2 it remains
balanced. White is a pawn up but Black can continue to attack with 21 ... Nc3,
threatening mate. During a practical game it would have been very hard for
White to find this cold-blooded way of returning material.
17 ... Rxd8 18 Qxb2
Statically speaking, White is doing well with a queen and two pawns for a
knight and rook. Dynamically he is lost: he has a rook entombed on h1 and a
bishop shut in by his own king. His queen can’t hold the line against the black
pieces which are swarming in for the attack.
18 ... Na4!
No time must be given to White to develop his kingside. On every move
either his queen or his king has to be attacked – and if possible both.
19 Qc2 Nc3+ 20 Kf3
Has the white king escaped the attention of the black rook by running to the
kingside?
20 ... Rd4!!
 Threatening 21 ... g4+ 22 Nxg4 Bxg4 mate. We learn about knight forks and
are capable of seeing that the white king and queen are separated by the right
distance for the rook to be inviolable on d4. But sometimes it takes flair and
imagination to implement the most basic of tactical ideas.
21 h3 h5!
Almost every attack requires the use of pawns at some point. Ding Liren
renews the threat of mate in two with 22 ... g4+.
22 Bh2 g4+ 23 Kg3
Once again the white king seems to be slipping away. But note that the
squares d2 and g3 are separated by the distance of a knight fork ...
23 ... Rd2!
Exploiting the potential fork to keep up the momentum of the attack. The
white queen is obliged to let the black horse jump into e4.
24 Qb3 Ne4+ 25 Kh4 Be7+ 26 Kxh5
In this book there are some inspired king marches up the board to attack the
enemy king at home. Unfortunately for White, this isn’t one of them.
26 ... Kg7!
With ideas of 27 ... Bf5 and 28 ... Rh8 mate. Black needs all his resources to
carry out a successful attack – including his pawns, his king, and his rook on a8.
27 Bf4 Bf5 28 Bh6+
Disturbing the black king to stop a quick mate with 28 ... Rh8.
28 ... Kh7 29 Qxb7!
We should give Bai Jinshi some credit for making his opponent work hard.
Now a8 and c6 are both hanging.
29 ... Rxf2!
Threatening mate in one on g3.
30 Bg5 Rh8!

The rook finally reaches this deadly square. After 31 Qxc6 Kg8+ 32 Qh6 (or
32 Bh6 Ng3 mate) 32 ... Rxh6+ 33 Kxh6 (or it’s mate in one again) 33 ... Bxg5+
34 Kh5 f6, defending the bishop on g5, there is no way to ward off the
“perpetual” idea of mate on g3.
31 Nxf7!
Still refusing to say die.
31 ... Bg6+ 32 Kxg4 Ne5+!
Deflecting the white knight from its attack on h8. White sportingly plays on
to mate.
 33 Nxe5 Bf5+ 34 Kh5 Kg7+ 35 Bh6+ Rxh6 mate
I’m sure you’ll agree that was a great game, one of the best of the modern
age. Ding Liren built his magnificent attack on his knowledge of a host of
tactical themes.

Seizing the Initiative over the Whole Board

A.Fawzy-P.Maghsoodloo
Abu Dhabi 2017

1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 d6 4 f4 a6 5 Nf3 b5 6 Bd3 Nd7 7 e5 Bb7 8 0-0 c5 9

Ng5 Qb6 10 Be4 Bxe4 11 Ncxe4 d5 12 Nc3 e6 13 Be3 cxd4 14 Bxd4 Qc6
Given a free move Black will develop with 15 ... Ne7, followed by 16 ... 0-0
and 17 ... Rfc8, with ideas of ... b5-b4 to put pressure on the backward pawn on
c2. He won’t face any real danger on the kingside and can build up an initiative
on the queenside. So Fawzy has to act fast. Any moment of hesitation will hand
Black an easy and advantageous game – not something you want to do when
facing a brilliant young player rated 168 points above you.
It is now or never for the white attack. He has to hit Black while his king’s
knight is sleeping on g8. The immediate 15 f5 is tempting, but 15 ... gxf5 16 Qh5
Nh6 looks unclear at best for White. He needs to widen the struggle to both
wings to take full advantage of Black’s temporary lack of development. He
began with:
 15 a4 b4?
The natural and ambitious reply. 15 ... bxa4 is safer, though Black would no
longer have promising play on the queenside. White can put pressure on a6 with
16 Rxa4, then 17 Qe2 and 18 Rfa1.
16 Nb5!
Courageous play is the only option. Now the threat of 17 Nd6+ obliges Black
to accept the gift.
16 ... axb5 17 axb5 Qb7
After 17 ... Rxa1 18 bxc6 Rxd1 19 cxd7+ Kxd7 20 Rxd1 Ne7 21 g3!,
guarding f4 to threaten Nxf7 without allowing ... Rf8 and ... Rxf4, White keeps
an edge.
18 Rxa8+ Qxa8 19 f5!
 The second wave of White’s attack is on the kingside. Having given up a
piece he has to do or die.
19 ... Nxe5
Instead, 19 ... exf5 20 e6, attacking f7 and exposing g7 to capture, is lethal.
Meanwhile, after 19 ... gxf5 the white queen has access to h5 with devastating
effect: 20 Qh5! Nh6 (he has to guard f7) 21 Nxe6 with the double threat of
checking on c7 and taking on g7. The knight also prevents Black from castling
kingside. In this line we begin to see the value of White’s queenside prelude to
his assault on the kingside: the fact that the black queen is vulnerable to a fork
on c7 gives White’s initiative an extra oomph.
20 fxe6 f6 21 Bxe5 fxe5
Black is only one move away from 22 ... Nf6, followed by castling with a
winning game, so White must keep on playing energetically.
22 Rf7!
Actually 22 Nf7, intending Nxh8 before Black can castle, is good enough for
an edge, but invading on f7 with the rook is far stronger.
22 ... Bf8
 23 Nxh7
It’s not surprising that errors creep into such a double-edged game. Here 23
Qf1! is a forced, if complicated, win: 23 ... Nh6 24 b6! (threatening mate in two
with 25 Qb5+ etc) 24 ... Qc6 25 Nxh7 Nxf7 26 Qxf7+ Kd8 27 Qf6+ Ke8 28
Qxg6+ Ke7 29 Qf6+ Ke8 30 Qxh8 and White wins as his king walks up the
board to evade checks from the black queen.
23 ... Bc5+ 24 Kh1 Ne7
The machines say Black can fight on with the quixotic king manoeuvre 24 ...
Kd8 25 Qf1 Kc8. Even here 26 b6! remains very strong for White. But in a
practical game what human would play these king moves rather than develop a
piece?
25 Qf1!
Threatening mate in two on f8, or if 25 ... Kd8 then 26 Rf8+ wins the black
queen.
25 ... Nf5 26 b6!
White gets full value for his preparatory attack on the queenside. Not only is
27 Qb5+ mating a threat, the passed b-pawn will prove a nail in Black’s coffin.
26 ... Qc6 27 b7 Ba7
 It seems that Black has everything in order. The b-pawn is held back, his
king is sheltered by his centre pawns, and his queen, knight and rook are all
active. Now if 28 Nf6+ Kd8, Black has his first threat of the game and it’s a big
one: 29 ... Ng3 mate! But Fawzy has a killer move up his sleeve.
28 Qxf5!!
I should point out that 28 Nf6+ Kd8 29 Qxf5!! is just as good. A marvellous
sacrifice as it not only destroys Black’s potential mate threat on g3, it also leads
to mate in 14 according to the computer.
28 ... gxf5 29 Nf6+ Kd8 30 e7+ 1-0
Since 30 ... Kc7 31 e8Q+ Kb6 32 Qxh8 wins.

Seizing the Initiative Proves too Expensive

One of my chess friends told me he regretted having a lot of short and
uneventful draws when he was young. It seemed natural to him at the time to
share the point with an equal or stronger opponent if nothing much was
happening after the opening phase. An effortless draw with Black even seemed
something of a moral victory.
But a quick draw isn’t just a question of a half point gained or lost. It is a
missed opportunity to improve your tactics, strategy, and possibly endgame skill
through engaging in a long and full-bloodied struggle.
One of the secrets of Magnus Carlsen’s rise to the top is that in his formative
years, whether he won or lost, he always got full value from each game he
played. He played out every game until all the chances had been exhausted. He
still pretty much has that habit today. When Carlsen offered a draw to Caruana in
Game 12 of their 2018 match after a “mere” 31 moves because it suited his
match plan, the spectators and commentators were shocked. Giri has had many
draws with Carlsen, but he said he had never heard the Norwegian offer a draw;
Carlsen would just indicate with his hand when the position was dead drawn and
Giri would shake it!
I was once part of a group of young players that was privileged to be
coached for a weekend by IM Robert Wade. (Bob once got a draw with Fischer
and also had the Wade Defence 1 d4 d6 2 Nf3 Bg4 named after him.) I
remember him saying to us sternly (but softened by a gleam of fun in his eyes)
“The next time you think about offering a draw, ask yourself if you would dare
offer Karpov a draw in the position. If not, play on.”
Tournaments are your happy hunting ground. You can try out new openings
and different styles of play, or you can stick to your familiar stuff and see how
well you do “at full power”. The choice is yours. But please don’t offer any
draws. Well, I’ll let you have a draw if it wins you the tournament or a title or a
medal or qualifies you for something, as that’s mission accomplished. If a draw
wins you a nice prize that might also be okay (though what about trying to win
for a bigger prize!?). But the overall message is: get full value like Magnus from
every game .

Ma.Carlsen-Y.Pelletier
Biel 2007

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 0-0 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 Qxc3 b6 7 Bg5 Bb7 8 e3

c5 9 dxc5 bxc5 10 Ne2 a5 11 Bxf6 Qxf6 12 Qxf6 gxf6 13 0-0-0 Rd8 14 Nc3 d6
15 Bd3 Kf8
 As Pelletier has pointed out, 16 Be4 Bxe4 17 Nxe4 Ke7 is the safe approach
for White. However, it is safe for Black as well. The result would probably be an
uneventful draw.
If our aim is to learn as much as possible, then it is better to take a risk to
keep the game alive. Here Magnus played:
16 Bxh7
This reminds me of Fischer entombing his bishop in the first game of his
1972 match with Spassky. It’s not entirely unfair to say that only a genius or a
beginner would make such a move. Most of us somewhere-in-between would
see our bishop is getting trapped and avoid it. But Carlsen is seeking adventure
and exercising his creative powers. He wants the initiative even at the cost of a
piece.
16 ... f5 17 e4 Kg7 18 exf5 Kxh7 19 fxe6 fxe6 20 Rhe1
Carlsen has two pawns for the piece and is attacking the e6-pawn, which
can’t be saved by 20 ... e5? as 21 Rxe5 dxe5 22 Rxd8 favours White.
20 ... Bxg2!
 A very good and courageous decision. If White is allowed to pick up a third
pawn for the piece and also keep his kingside structure intact with f2-f3, then he
has good winning chances. Instead, Pelletier captures on g2 and leaves the value
of White’s f2- and h2-pawns diminished. An obvious move? Well, Black had to
calculate that his king won’t fall under a mating attack.
21 Ne4?
This was Carlsen’s plan, but 21 Rg1! offered more chances as if 21 ... Bb7??
then 22 Rd3 will mate on the h-file. Also 21 ... Bh3 is well answered by 22 Ne4;
e.g. 22 ... Kh6 (to stop the fork on g5) 23 Nxd6, gaining another pawn and
keeping up the initiative. Or if 21 ... Bf3 22 Rd3 Rf8 23 Ne4!, White has a useful
initiative seeing that 23 ... Bxe4 allows mate in one and meanwhile he threatens
24 Ng5+.
Black’s best move is therefore 21 ... Rg8!, when after 22 Rxd6 Ra6! (22 ...
Nc6 23 Rxg2! Rxg2 24 Rxc6 should lead to a draw) 23 Rd2 e5 24 Na4 Rag6 25
Nxc5 Nc6 26 b3, Black has all his pieces co-ordinated with undoubtedly the
better game, but White has three pawns for the piece and should hold on.
21 ... Bxe4 22 Rxe4
White is threatening 23 Rg1 and 24 Rh4 mate. Carlsen must have thought
that he was going to pick up both the d6- and e6-pawns, when he could hardly
lose. But Pelletier sees a way to stop the mate and keep hold of the d6-pawn.
22 ... Ra7!
Now 23 Rg1 is met by 23 ... Rg7.
23 Rxe6 Rad7

Preserving the d6-pawn keeps Black’s queenside structure in good shape. He

now has a vital breathing space to develop his knight, after which the game is
essentially decided. But Carlsen fights to the end as always and manages to
present his opponent with some technical problems:
24 Rd3 Nc6 25 Rh3+ Kg8 26 Rhh6 Ne5 27 f4 Nxc4 28 b3 Nxa3 29 Rhg6+
Kh8 30 Rh6+ Kg8 31 Rhg6+ Kh8 32 Rh6+ Rh7 33 Rxd6 Rxd6 34 Rxd6
Rxh2 35 Ra6 Nb5!
A vital recentralization.
36 Rxa5 Nd4
 A key facet of Black’s winning plan has been seeing way in advance that 37
Rxc5? Nxb3+ wins the rook.
37 Kb1 Nxb3 38 Rb5 c4 39 f5 Kg7 40 f6+ Kxf6 41 Rf5+!?
Well, why not have a go?
41 ... Ke6 42 Re5+ Kd6 43 Rd5+ Kc6 44 Rd6+
Or 44 Rc5+ Nxc5.
44 ... Kc5 45 Rc6+ Kd5 46 Rd6+ Ke4 47 Re6+ Kd3 48 Re3+ Kd2 0-1
The black king blocks the stalemate, so White resigned. An annoying defeat
no doubt for the 16-year-old Carlsen, but would he have learned much from the
game if he had avoided the bishop sac and it had ended as a lifeless draw?
Instead, he received another great lesson on his way to becoming a legend.

Seizing the Initiative with a Pawn Sacrifice in the Opening

So far we’ve looked at examples in which a player has been willing to sacrifice a
piece or more to gain the initiative. A more common investment is a pawn, as
seen in opening gambits (though most so-called gambits involve a delayed
recapture of a pawn rather than a permanent offer). Here is an example of a
pawn sacrifice in the Caro-Kann. There are some questions included to help you
practice your analytical skill.

M.Kaminski-G.Timoshchenko
Yerevan Olympiad 1996

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 dxc5 Nc6 5 Bb5 e6 6 Be3 Nge7 7 c3 Bd7 8 Bxc6

Nxc6 9 Nf3
Here 9 f4 looks a better idea for White, in order to secure the e5-pawn. After
the game move Black is able to get good play by making his pawn sacrifice of a
permanent nature:
9 ... Qc7 10 Bd4 Nxd4 11 cxd4 b6! 12 cxb6 Qxb6 13 Qb3

Question: How should Black continue?

Timoshchenko has sacrificed a pawn for the following compensation: the
bishop pair, open lines on the queenside for his rooks and queen, and the
discomfort of the enemy king which is still in the centre.
On the other hand, his initiative will decline if White evacuates his king from
the centre and complete his development. Then Kaminski could consolidate his
extra pawn and even claim that the closed centre means the position suits his
knights more than the black bishops. There really is only one logical move.
Answer: 13 ... Qa6!
Preventing the white king from castling kingside. Black is also avoiding the
exchange of queens which would diminish his initiative.
14 Nc3 Be7 15 Qc2

Question: White’s positional threat is 16 Qe2 which would secure the
right to castle kingside. How best to counter this?

Answer: 15 ... Rb8!
Now if 16 Qe2, Black can exchange queens and capture on b2 with the rook.
16 Rb1

Question: White defends b2 and again plans 17 Qe2. How to deter
him once more?

 Answer: 16 ... Bb4!
So that 17 Qe2? Bxc3+ wins a piece due to the pin on b2.
Going back a move you might have thought that the immediate 15 ... Bb4
was better than 15 ... Rb8, when 16 Qe2? indeed fails for White after 16 ... Bb5!
(even better than 16 ... Bxc3+ 17 bxc3 Bb5). However, White is more secure on
the queenside without the interpolation of the moves ... Rb8 and Rb1. He could
even try rerouting his other knight to the e2 blocking square with 16 Ng1!? and
17 Nge2. Such a plan would be far less viable in the game position, as after 17
Ng1 Black can at least regain his pawn by 17 ... Qxa2 with a good game and has
other promising moves as well.
17 a3

Question: How should Black meet the attack on his bishop?

Answer: 17 ... Ba4!
This zwischenzug (in-between move) forces the white queen to a bad square.
In contrast, after 17 ... Bxc3+ 18 bxc3 0-0 19 Rxb8 Rxb8 20 Kd2! Qxa3 21 Rb1,
White has gotten his rook into the game and avoided the worst.
 18 Qc1 Bxc3+ 19 bxc3
It might seem strange to recapture this way, but after 19 Qxc3 0-0 White is
helpless against an invasion down the c-file with ... Rfc8 and ... Rc2, combined
with ... Bb5 etc. The rook on h1 is a mere bystander. At least after the game
move White can contest the open b-file and, very importantly, the pawn on c3 is
a useful shield for his king when sitting on d2, which allows him to activate the
rook on h1.
19 ... 0-0
Now with the queen forced to c1 by 17 ... Ba4 White no longer has the
option of exchanging rooks on the b-file, followed by Kd2 and Rb1 (as in the 17
... Bxc3+ note above), because the queen is in the way of the rook on h1.
20 Kd2

Pretty much forced. Still, White looks pretty solid on the dark squares.
Meanwhile, Black remains a pawn down, but he knows that his initiative is
unlikely to end anytime soon. The white king is going to be floating around in
the centre, not tucked away on g1.

Question: And the best attacking move for Black is?

Answer: 20 ... Qc4!
The queen will infiltrate on a2 or assail the c3-pawn.
21 Rb4!
A fine defensive move. In fact it’s so good that, given an extra tempo, say
after 21 Re1?, Black would have prevented it with 21 ... a5!.
21 ... Rxb4 22 cxb4
With this recapture White dislodges the black queen from her strong post on
c4 and secures the c3-square for his own queen. On the other hand, the d4-pawn
is weakened and the white king will be exposed to checks on the third rank
which the pawn on c3 would have blocked. But I guess Kaminski didn’t like his
passivity after 22 axb4. He can’t do much, while Black can prepare methodically
for a breakthrough with moves like 22 ... h6, 23 ... Ra8 and 24 ... a5. If the white
king runs away, then ... Rc8 will attack the c3-pawn.

Question: After you check on a2 and the white king goes to e3, how do
you continue your attack?

 22 ... Qa2+ 23 Ke3
On 23 Ke1?, the neatest winning move is 23 ... Bd7!, preparing 24 ... Rc8.
23 ... f6?
Very logical, but it turns out to be the wrong moment to open the f-file as the
black queen is short of squares.
Answer: 23 ... Bd7! is still very strong; for example, 24 Qa1 (getting the
queen out of the way before ... Rc8 comes; other retreats drop the a3-pawn) 24 ...
Qb3+ 25 Kf4 Qc2 and the white king remains in danger.
24 exf6 Rxf6?
Objectively speaking, it was best to call it a draw with 24 ... Qb3+ 25 Kf4
Rxf6+ 26 Kg3 (threatening to sneak into safety with 27 h3! and 28 Kh2, which
Black can’t tolerate as he is a pawn down) 26 ... Rg6+ 27 Kf4 Rf6+ 28 Kg3
Rg6+ and perpetual check.

25 Qc8+?
A highly instructive reversal of fortunes is about to occur. Basically,
Kaminski donates a precious tempo to his opponent in a highly double-edged
position. This is enough to swing the game from winning for White to winning
for Black.
 After the immediate 25 Qc3! (with the threat of 26 Ra1, forcing Black into a
lost endgame after 26 ... Qc4 27 Qxc4 dxc4), Black’s centre break with 25 ... e5
is ineffective as his rook hangs after 26 dxe5. Thus 26 ... Bb5, threatening mate
on e2, fails to 27 exf6 and the white king escapes to f4. Alternatively, Black
would be forced into another fatal queen exchange after 26 ... d4+?! 27 Qxd4
Qxa3+ 28 Qd3. The best try is 26 ... Rc6, but 27 Qd3 leaves White well on top.
25 ... Rf8 26 Qc3
The same plan as 25 Qc3 in the note above but with Black’s rook now on f8
rather than f6, which makes a drastic difference.
The best way to fight on was 26 Qxe6+ Kh8 27 Qa6, but only computers
would consider such a variation which leaves the white king wide open.
26 ... e5!
A crushing opening of lines against the white king.
27 dxe5 d4+ 28 Qxd4 Bb5!!

This lethal attacking move is possible because, unlike in the 25 Qc3 line, the
black rook isn’t sitting on f6 and attacked by the e5-pawn. As Tartakower
remarked: “chess is the tragedy of one tempo.”
29 Re1
 Stopping the mate on e2, but now the white king is unable to escape to the
kingside.
29 ... Qb3+ 30 Kd2 Qa2+ 31 Ke3 Qxa3+ 32 Kd2 Qa2+ 33 Ke3 Qb3+ 34
Kd2 Qa2+ 35 Ke3 Qb3+ 36 Kd2 Rc8!
After some repetitions Black finally finds the decisive blow. The threat is 37
... Rc2+ and mate next move. White can only stop it at the cost of a rook.
37 Rc1 Qa2+ 38 Ke3
Trying for a last swindle.
38 ... Rxc1 39 Qd8+ Kf7 40 e6+!?
And why not.

Question: What happens after 40 ... Kxe6 now?

40 ... Qxe6+
Answer: After 40 ... Kxe6?? White wins the queen with the skewer 41 Qg8+.
41 Kd2 Qc8
It still wasn’t too late to blunder with 41 ... Rc8??, when 42 Ng5+ Kg6 43
Nxe6 Rxd8+ 44 Nxd8 leaves Black in an endgame a pawn down. Instead, 41 ...
Qh6+ 42 Ng5+ Kg6 43 f4 still leaves some swindle tries.
42 Ng5+ Kg6 43 Qd6+ Kh5 44 g4+ Qxg4 45 Kxc1 Qxg5+ 46 f4 Qg1+ 47
Kb2 Qxh2+ 48 Ka3 Qg3+ 0-1
A great fighting game.

Seizing the Initiative by Depriving the Opponent of Counterplay

Besides opening lines of attack for your pieces, a pawn sacrifice can be used to
block lines and so prevent a challenge to your initiative.

A.Mansoor-D.Bonciu
European Under-14 Championship, Mamaia 2017

It’s White to play.

Question: How do you assess the position? What is White’s best move?

White has attacking chances on the kingside. Black misses having a dark-
squared bishop to plug the holes in his pawn structure there: it is awkward that
his queen has to do guard duty on f8, protecting the h6-pawn against a looming
attack from the white queen and rook.
Nonetheless, the black defences are more or less holding firm. He has his
queen and rook on g8 helping out. His bishop on d7 is bolstering the f5-pawn
against any ideas of a sacrifice with Nxf5. I hope in your assessment you noticed
that the black knight is out on a limb on a5. But given time it can return to the
centre with ... Nc6 etc, which would leave White’s d4-pawn hanging.
Black might also gain counterplay with ... c5xd4 and, after the reply c3xd4,
then ... Rc8. In fact, if White loses the initiative Black might gain attacking
chances with a future ... Bc6, hitting g2. If the focus of the battle switches to the
queenside and centre, White might rue that he has decentralized three pieces on
the h-file: his queen, his rook and his knight.
So what is White’s best move? A sacrifice on f5 promises nothing. The
gallant 21 g4! is certainly possible, especially as 21 ... Rxg4+ just drops a rook
to 22 Qxg4. White will get 22 g5 in with more pressure on h6. But Black will
still have his counterplay with 21 ... cxd4. We don’t need to allow him this:
Answer: 21 d5!!
1. This closes the centre and so rules out any Black counterplay with ...
c5xd4 and ... Rc8.
2. It stops ... Nc6 returning the knight to the fray with an attack on d4.
3. It rules out ... Bc6.
4. White is ready to answer 21 ... exd5? with 22 Nxf5 and a crushing attack.
Now after 21 ... Rd8 White can play 22 g4!, intending 23 g5 and 24 Kf2 and
25 Rg1, building up all his forces against the black king.
Also possible is 22 d6!? with a huge positional advantage. On the other hand,
it is a slightly “lazy” move: why give Black’s pieces access to the c6-square
without being forced?
Conclusion: White’s advantage depends on the twin pawn moves d4-d5 and
g2-g4. Without them his game will gradually run out of energy. Would you be
able to find these moves? Or would you be focused entirely on the kingside and
not see the chance of d4-d5 in the centre? Or would you be deterred from g2-g4
by the fact that your own king becomes open? If you can learn to look at the
whole board and be prepared to loosen your king’s defences, you will advance as
a player.
This is how the game concluded:
21 ... c4 22 Bc2 Qc5+ 23 Kh1 Qxd5

Question: It’s White to play and win.

I’m curious to know if you are thinking about 24 Nxf5, clearing the way for
25 Qxh6 mate. In that case it is indeed mate next move, but for Black! The g2-
square is now undefended and 24 ... Qxg2 mate follows. So White has to be
more subtle:
Answer: 24 Qxh6+! Kxh6 25 Nxf5+
The move we want to play now comes with double check.
25 ... Kg6 26 Rh6 mate
An elegant finish.
As a general rule, if you have two lines which seem equally good, choose the
one which does things with check – you are less likely to overlook a hidden
resource for the opponent if he has to attend to his king on every move.
Chapter Six
Know Yourself: Diagnosing Positional
Mistakes
If your eyes are the windows to your soul, your games are the windows to your
chess soul. They reveal your style and temperament, your likes and dislikes,
your strengths and weaknesses.
How about you make the following deal with yourself. For the next two
years you’ll write notes to your match and tournament games – every one of
them , including horrible defeats or seemingly uneventful draws. It is easy to
“accidentally” lose a scoresheet if you have had a nasty defeat. But you
shouldn’t miss out a single game. You can write the notes on paper or on a
computer, as you please. In my youth I self-penned a collection of my own
games with the hopeful title “My Best Games of Chess”, though it included all
my games, including miserable losses. I undoubtedly learned a lot by talking to
myself in those pages. It’s very easy to think after a game “I lost because I put
my knight on a bad square at move 12, well, I won’t do that again”, and never
look any more deeply into the causes. But in doing so you are denying yourself
the chance to get better at chess.
Of course your notes to your games will show your current limitations as a
player. At times you will get the assessment of the position wrong or not really
understand why you lost. But that’s okay. Your annotations will improve as your
playing strength improves, and your playing strength will benefit from the
feedback it gets from your annotations.
If you make the pact to analyse every game then, after two years, you’ll
know a lot about your thinking processes and be a much better player.

A Checklist for Writing Notes to your Games

It’s best to write notes to a game as soon as possible after you’ve played it. Then
it will be fresh in your mind. Try to reconstruct your feelings at various points
during it.

1. Any obvious blunders? What moves by the opponent surprised you? What did
you miscalculate? (Be honest.)
2. What were the turning points in the game? For example, when did it go from
being equal to a slight or decisive advantage for one of the players? Did the
game swing backwards and forwards?
3. How did you stand after the opening? Did you have a good position but then
dip in the middlegame? If there was an endgame, how well did you handle it?
4. How well did you handle the clock? It’s important to take note of how much
time you had at various points in the game. Otherwise you might draw the wrong
conclusions, such as “I’m bad in rook and pawn endgames”, when you
blundered at the end because you had one minute for ten moves.
5. If you had a post-mortem after the game, what did your opponent say? Include
anything interesting in the analysis.

If you are detailed and objective in your comments then, after you’ve analysed a
batch of your games, some patterns should emerge.

Possible Conclusions after Annotating some of your Games

1. Keep falling for tactics? Then brush up by doing puzzles.

2. Keep getting lousy positions after 10 moves? Work more on your openings.
3. Keep getting great positions after 10 moves, then it goes downhill? You need
to improve your strategy.
4. Keep getting bad results with a certain opening? You might do well to ditch it.
But beware here. It’s easy to think the grass is always greener on the other side.
If you think an opening as Black gives you a nice safe game from the start, as
well as chances of counter-attack, you have either never played it or only played
it against lower-rated players!

In this chapter we’ll investigate a lot of typical positional mistakes. This will
show you the sort of thing you should be looking for when you are annotating
your own games.

An Example from my Personal Annotations

The British Championship at Edinburgh in 1985 was by far the strongest
tournament I had played in up to that point. My opponents included (if I recall
correctly) five IMs and I achieved a credible 5½/11. But there was a lot of room
for improvement. I rigorously analysed my games. I was looking not so much
for errors specific to one game, but for recurring patterns behind a series of
mistakes spread over two or more games.
Take the following two examples:

J.Hawksworth-N.McDonald
British Championship, Edinburgh 1985

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nd7 4 Nc3 Ngf6 5 e3 Be7 6 Bd3 dxc4 7 Bxc4 c5 8 0-0 0-

0 9 e4 cxd4 10 Nxd4 Ne5 11 Be2

Here 11 ... Bd7, preparing to answer 12 f4 with 12 ... Nc6, is fully

acceptable, as is the sharper 11 ... Qb6. Instead, I played 11 ... Nc6? , self-
inflicting damage on my pawn structure. After 12 Nxc6 bxc6 13 Qxd8 Rxd8 14
Be3 Bb7 15 f3 , Black was left with weak pawns on the queenside and a hole on
c5.
Well, you might think I was spooked by the idea of 12 f4 and 13 e5 and
played 11 ... Nc6 to evacuate the knight against my better judgment. A
reasonable conclusion. But to test this we need a second so-called data point.
Here is another one of my games from the same tournament.

J.Horner-N.McDonald
British Championship, Edinburgh 1985

1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 Be2 0-0 6 0-0 Nc6 7 d5 Ne5 8 Nxe5
dxe5 9 Be3 e6 10 Bc5 Re8 11 Bc4 exd5 12 exd5

Here I played 12 ... c6? , when after 13 dxc6 bxc6 14 Qxd8 Rxd8 15 Rfd1
Rxd1+ 16 Rxd1 Black has voluntarily broken up his queenside pawns, leaving
targets on a7 and c6. If that wasn’t generous enough, he has opened a line of
attack for White down the d-file.

I doubt I could remember my thought processes of games played so long
ago. But as I said above, I had the very good habit of writing notes to all my
games. Shortly after the tournament I reconstructed my thoughts in both games.
Here is my train of thought before playing 12 ... c6 in the Horner game:
“White’s minor pieces are excellently placed (the way the bishops shot to c4
and c5 reminds me of Karpov-Kasparov where Karpov scored a crushing win –
that would be in game three of the 1984 match). White is playing for queenside
pressure. As his pieces are better placed than mine there is no possibility of
countering on the kingside, since any attack there must be less efficient than
White’s initiative on the queenside. White’s main asset is his d-pawn. Therefore
I will liquidate it and relieve all the pressure. Yes, play 12 ... c6!.”
Even back in 1985, having written the above and looked at the position in the
cool light of analysis, I realized my reasoning in the paragraph above was, well,
completely bonkers.
Firstly, for White’s queenside attack to be dangerous he needs to advance his
c-pawn – and his “excellently placed” pieces are blocking it in! And why should
Black’s kingside initiative be less efficient? Here 12 ... Bf5 is a decent
developing move. More subtle is 12 ... b6!, pushing the white bishop back from
c5 and making it choose which diagonal it wants to stay on. Then 13 Be3 Ng4
gives Black the initiative, while 13 Ba3 e4 etc leaves the bishop on a3 out of the
action. Black is at least okay.
White’s “excellently placed” minor pieces are a long way from defending
their king. At the moment (prior to 12 ... c6), White has nothing to attack on the
queenside. Whereas after 12 ... c6? the situation is far different: Black is left with
a wretched pair of queenside pawns.

Don’t Delude Yourself with Psychological Explanations when your Faults

are Technical
Let’s try to draw some conclusions from the blunders in these two games. We
might suggest that I believed in my ability to defend bad endgames, whereas I
was frightened of being outplayed by my higher rated opponents in a complex
struggle. I wanted clarity straight away, to know what my task was (even if it
meant defending a bad endgame), rather than take my chances in a complex
fight.
My play became much sharper in the years following this tournament. This
implies that I had learned the right stylistic or psychological lessons from my
first British Championship. No more voluntary defending of bad positions:
fighting play from the start!
The conclusions above sound neat and logical (and a bit self-aggrandizing!),
but are they true ? The most valuable lessons in your games are almost always
technical rather than psychological. It’s taken me a long time to learn what
follows so I want to put it in italics:
It is a big mistake to blame your losses on something abstract like not
playing with enough creativity or not trying hard enough or feeling under the
weather or distracted.
Theses excuses are a way of hiding from the bitter acceptance of the
technical inferiority of your play.
The brutal truth is that you will normally lose games against higher-rated
players even if you get all the psychology and mood stuff right. It’s different if
you can find a technical reason why you lost a game. Then in your next game
you can face a higher-rated player with the fully reasonable hope that correcting
your fault has given you the chance to win this time.
If we return to the comments I wrote about the Horner game at the time, we
see the lines:
“White’s main asset is his d-pawn. Therefore I will liquidate it and relieve all
the pressure.”
This isn’t the same as thinking “I know that 12 ... c6 leads to a poor endgame
but I’m willing to defend it as I don’t want to play a middlegame.” There is a
fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of a space advantage. I thought that
the d5-pawn was strong in itself and once it was removed Black was closer to
equalizing. But part of the process of exploiting a space advantage is to use it to
open lines in a favourable way. This can be by breaking through and creating a
passed pawn, or, as in both the Hawksworth and Horner games, giving the
opponent broken pawns which can be attacked along open lines. In effect, my
mistake was doing my opponents’ work for them.
My weaknesses in these games were in my judgment of positional play. They
were certainly influenced by psychological factors. But there’s no need to make
errors in handling a pawn structure just because it’s a blustery day in Scotland!

Assessing a Position
Being able to assess positions correctly is an essential skill. If you believe you
are better when you are actually worse, you might omit a vital defensive
manoeuvre. A crazy attack can follow from the delusion that your opponent has
left his king with insufficient defenders. Or, say, you have a space advantage in
the centre and the opponent’s pieces are cramped. In your assessment you
observe that most of your pieces are on the kingside, so you plan a direct assault
there. But it happens that most of the opponent’s pieces are also on the kingside.
Your assessment should have emphasized the superior mobility of your pieces.
Then you would have chosen to open lines on the queenside to exploit the fact
that your pieces are more dextrous – this is an example of the rule that you
should always attack your opponent where he is weakest.

M.Boskovic-M.Rohde
New York 1979
 It is Black to play.

Question: How do you assess the position? What is Black’s best move?

I showed this position to four players and asked them who stood better. Their
answers were:
Player rated about 1400: White has chances to win because he has a passed
pawn which he can try to queen.
Player rated about 1500: White is better because he can bring his rook on h3
into the centre more easily than Black, whose rook is stuck on h8.
Player rated about 1800: I would prefer to play Black because he has a strong
bishop.
Player rated about 2100: Black has a clear advantage because the opposite-
coloured bishops mean the f2-pawn is a target.
Personally I would be disappointed if I didn’t win this position as Black. I
would also expect whoever was Black to win it in a game between Carlsen and
Caruana.
Answer: White faces a highly unpleasant defence due to the difference in
power between the opposite-coloured bishops. I’ll say more about this below.
First, let’s see what happened in the game:
24 ... Qf4! 25 Bf3
The f2-pawn is very hard to cover: 25 f3? Qe3 invades on the dark squares;
25 Bd3 Qg5 attacks both g2 and h5; and 25 Rf3 Qh4 is also horrible for White
due to his weak back rank and hanging pawn on h5.

25 ... e5
Black presses home the attack on f2 by utilizing his pawns. He threatens to
win at once with 26 ... e4, as White dare not move his bishop. We shall return to
this moment and consider White’s best reply in the analysis below.
26 Rd2
T he obvious response, clearing the d1-square for the bishop.
26 ... e4 27 Bd1 Rg8
Now the attack moves to the g-file.
28 g3
He should try 28 Kf1, not leaving a dark square target on g3.
28 ... Qe5 29 Re2
And here 29 Kf1 was essential.
 29 ... Bc3+ 30 Kf1 Qd4!
White’s bishop is stalemated by its own pieces. It can only be saved from
capture by giving up the exchange, since 31 Kg2 Qxd1 32 Qxc3 Qxe2 wins.
31 Re1 Bxe1 32 Kxe1 f4!

Players often relax after they win material, but Rohde plans to finish off the
game in style.
33 Rh4
Hoping for 33 ... fxg3?? 34 Rxe4+, winning the queen, but:
33 ... Rxg3 34 fxg3 Qg1+ 35 Ke2 f3 mate!
A convincing attack with an energetic finish.

As I say above, the key feature of the initial position was the presence of
opposite-coloured bishops and the fact that Black’s was by far the superior piece.
Thanks to opposite-coloured bishops a player can attack a point in the enemy’s
camp with essentially an extra piece – here Black could pile up on f2 with the
help of his bishop, and White couldn’t keep the balance by directly defending it
with his own bishop. In an endgame opposite-coloured bishops often increase
the likelihood of a draw, but in the middlegame they create more dynamic
chances for the player with the initiative.
But we should return to the position at move 25. One of the golden rules of
defence is: exchange off the queens . After 25 ... e5 White had the chance to
avoid an attack on his king with 26 Qc1!. After 26 ... Qxc1 27 Rxc1 it would be
a huge mistake for Black to allow the exchange of bishops with 27 ... Bb2? 28
Rc2 Bxa3 29 Bxc6+ bxc6 30 Rxa3 Rxh5 31 Rxc6, as it is then equal. Instead, 27
... e4 28 Bd1 Ke7 keeps a nice edge for Black, but it is nowhere near as
dangerous for White without queens on the board.
Instead of 25 ... e5, Black could have taken things more slowly with 25 ... 0-
0!?; for example, 26 Qc1 Qe5+ 27 Kf1 Kh7, stopping the white queen going to
h6, when Black has safeguarded his king who is well sheltered by White’s pawn
on h5. (Sometimes an enemy pawn is the best protection for a king. The attacker
might be desperate to open lines against the king, but you can’t sacrifice a pawn
or piece to remove your own pawn!) Black can then build up with ... Rg8 etc,
when his piece co-ordination is much superior to White’s. The bishop on f3
remains a poor piece only good for defence as it can attack nothing.
For the rest of the chapter we’ll examine typical mistakes made by less
experienced players (or very strong players having an off day). When you
annotate your own games, see if you can spot any of the errors being repeated
there. They will come in various disguises, but if you look carefully and keep an
open mind you will be able to see the underlying theme and eradicate it from
your games.

Typical Mistake One: Disregard of the Centre in an Eagerness to Attack

K.Lie-B.Avrukh
European Team Championship, Heraklio 2007

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 c5 4 exd5 Qxd5 5 Ngf3 cxd4 6 Bc4 Qd6 7 Qe2 Nf6 8

Nb3 Nc6 9 Bg5 a6 10 0-0-0 b5 11 Bd3 Bd7 12 Kb1 Be7 13 Rhe1 Rd8 14 h3
Nd5 15 Bxe7 Qxe7 16 Nfxd4 Nxd4 17 Nxd4
 Even if the theme is positional, you have to watch out for tactics. Remember
that no plan, however desirable, should be carried out unless it passes the tactics
test. The only exceptions would be when you are in a desperate situation and
have to take your chance with a unsound plan to confuse the issue, or the tactical
refutation is buried deep and you decide your opponent probably won’t see it –
an enterprising but risky approach, which has most validity in time pressure.
Here 17 ... 0-0 is crying out to be played: it whisks the king away from the
centre and completes Black’s development. A quick tactical check shows that 18
Qh5, with the double threat of mate on h7 and 19 Qxd5! exd5 20 Rxe7, winning
a piece, can be answered by 18 ... Nf6, dealing with both threats. Likewise if 18
Qe4, again attacking h7 and planning 19 Qxd5, Black has 18 ... Nf6. So it seems
that 17 ... 0-0 is tactically sound.
However, this is not the case as White has 18 Bxh7+! Kxh7 19 Qh5+ (or 19
Qe4+ with the same idea) 19 ... Kg8 20 Qxd5. With the temporary piece
sacrifice on h7 White was able to prevent the ... Nf6 defence by forcing Black to
move his king out of check.
In the game Avrukh created a double threat of his own:
17 ... Qb4! 18 Nb3
 Saving the knight from capture and also stopping the deadly 18 ... Nc3+ fork.
But now the black queen has moved from the “danger” square e7 and White’s
combination will no longer work. Therefore it is safe to castle.
18 ... 0-0
Black can also be pleased that he has compelled the white knight to retreat
from its post in the centre.
19 Be4 Nf6 20 Rd4 Qe7

21 Bd3?!
It’s easy to get carried away with your own plans and forget that chess
strategy is also about stopping the opponent playing good moves.
More natural was 21 Bf3, which would have prevented Black from putting
his bishop on an active centre square next move.
White isn’t thinking about central control, however. He is planning an all-out
attack on the black king. Therefore he puts his bishop on d3 where it points
toward h7. Such a strategy can’t possibly succeed against sound play when there
are no structural defects in Black’s kingside and he has all his pieces well placed
in an open centre .
21 ... Bc6 22 Rh4?
 The consistent move, but more flagrant decentralization. Remember what we
said about tactical blunders being of more consequence than poor strategic
decisions? We could forgive White his manoeuvre if Black now played 22 ...
Rd7??, missing 23 Bxh7+ Nxh7 24 Qh5 and White wins as the knight on h7 is
pinned against mate on h8.
22 ... g6
The alternative was 22 ... h6. With the game move Avrukh restricts the
bishop on d3 and puts another guard on the f5-square as a measure against a
possible Nf5 – see White’s next move. The black queen is also given the option
of ... Qf8 and ... Qg7 should it become necessary to bolster the kingside.
23 Nd4 Bb7 24 Qe3
White’s pieces continue to make threatening noises against the black king,
but it is essentially bluff.
24 ... Rd5

Preparing to double rooks on the d-file and also protecting f5 once again.
25 g4
White could go all-in with 25 Nf5 gxf5 (25 ... Rxf5 26 Bxf5 gxf5 is good for
Black too) 26 Qg5+ Kh8 27 Rxh7+!? (a spectacular move but it shows the
inferiority of White’s strategy that the best he can hope for is perpetual check) 27
... Kxh7 28 Qh4+ (the white queen looks threatening but Black has an extra rook
and knight, and his king can slip out of the checks) 28 ... Kg6 29 Qg3+ Kh5! 30
Be2+ Kh6 31 Qh4+ Kg6 32 Qg3+ (after 32 Bh5+ Kg7 White is no longer able to
check on h4 with his queen) 32 ... Ng4! (in line with the principle that you
should give back some of your extra material to break an attack) 33 hxg4 f4 34
Qxf4 Qg5 and Black wins with his extra rook.
25 ... Rfd8 26 Nf5 Qc5!
Wisely not getting involved in 26 ... gxf5. Instead, Avrukh continues his
powerful centralization with an unwelcome offer to exchange queens.
27 Nh6+
White decides to do or die. After 27 Qxc5 Rxc5 his pieces are terribly
clumsy, as if 28 Ne3? then 28 ... g5 29 Rh6 Kg7 corners the offside rook.
27 ... Kg7 28 Qd2 Rd4!
Stopping White from playing 29 g5 due to the pin on g4, and clearing the
way for the bishop to enter the battle next move.
29 f4 Be4
The co-ordination of the black pieces in the centre trumps White’s wing
attack. The knight on h6 and rook on h4 are cut off from the rest of his pieces.
 30 Re3 Bxd3 31 cxd3 Ne4
It’s no surprise that Black’s attack is crushing when he is essentially playing
with an extra rook and knight
32 Qe2 Rc8
White’s back rank is going to collapse.
33 Qd1 Nf2 34 Qd2 Rxd3 35 Rxd3 Nxd3 0-1
The knight is immune due to mate on c1. If 36 a3 then 36 ... Qg1+ 37 Ka2
Nc1+ 38 Kb1 Nb3+ wins the white queen with mate soon to follow.

Do you notice any similarities between White’s demise and what happens in
your own games? Maybe you are being too impulsive and neglecting the centre.
Perhaps you are too focused on your own plans and not paying enough attention
to your opponent’s dynamic chances. (Grandmaster Kjetil Lie is a sharp and
ingenious attacking player. He just happened to be in an experimental mood in
this game.)

Typical Mistake Two: A Good-looking Idea Proves a Luxury You Can’t

Afford
When you study middlegame positions arising from your openings you’ll learn
that certain ideas and plans are typical of the pawn structure. This knowledge is
of great value in guiding your strategy. However, it can also lead you astray. An
otherwise highly desirable manoeuvre can damage your chances because it uses
up too much time or misplaces a key piece.

D.Campora-A.Morozevich
Moscow Olympiad 1994

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+ gxf6 6 c3 Bf5 7 Nf3 Nd7 8 g3

Nb6 9 Bg2 Qd7 10 0-0 h5 11 a4

Now Black could prevent White expanding further on the queenside with 11
... a5. However, Morozevich decided to exchange off White’s important light-
squared bishop:
11 ... Bh3 12 Bxh3! Qxh3
A lot of players get nervous when their opponent’s queen is near to their
king. But Campora has correctly judged that the black queen can’t do any
damage on h3, whereas her absence from the centre does a lot of harm to Black.
In contrast, after 12 a5 Bxg2 13 Kxg2 Nd5 Black is more secure.
13 a5
White’s initiative will grow ever stronger until the end of the game. Yes,
Black’s idea of getting rid of the bishop on g2 was good in the abstract, but the
decentralization of his queen is too high a price to pay.
13 ... Nc8
White also has a big attack after 13 ... Nd5 14 c4 Nc7 15 Qb3 0-0-0 as he can
sacrifice to open lines against the black king with 16 a6! Nxa6 17 d5 c5 18 Bf4,
when 19 Rxa6 bxa6 20 Ra1 is already looming. Don’t worry if you don’t quite
comprehend this: basically, after 20 Ra1 it’s the white queen, rook and bishop
attacking a wide open king with no defenders. Meanwhile, if Black tries to
attack the white king with ... h5-h4 at some point, it doesn’t threaten anything as
h2 is defended even after the exchange ... h4xg3 and recapture f2xg3.
14 a6!
“Your eye on the wings, your mind on the centre, that is the deepest meaning
of positional play,” said Nimzowitsch. Here the strategy is seen in very sharp
form.
Ramming the b7-pawn provokes Black’s next move. Then the centre thrust
which follows has extra power as c6 is no longer defended. Furthermore, should
Black manage to castle queenside, the pawn on a6 and the light square
weaknesses along the a8-h1 diagonal will make it an inhospitable refuge for his
king.
14 ... b6 15 d5!
This breakthrough is only possible because the black queen has been enticed
to h3. If she were still on d7 then ... Qxd5 is a complete answer.
15 ... c5
Morozevich does his best to keep lines closed.

Question: How can we renew the threat of a breakthrough?

Answer: 16 Re1 !
Threatening 17 d6. This is much better than 16 Bf4 with the same idea, as
Black can relieve some of the pressure with 16 ... Bh6! to exchange bishops.
16 ... Qd7

Question: The return of the black queen has prevented a further pawn
advance in the centre for now. So what is the next step? How do we
increase the pressure on the centre?

Answer: 17 Nh4!
You might have noticed that the white knight wasn’t doing much on f3. It
was denied the d4-, e5- and g5-squares by the black pawns. On the other hand,
f5 is a plum square for it. The knight can’t be driven away by ... e7-e6 without
Black exposing his king. Meanwhile, it would put pressure on e7 and support a
further d5-d6 pawn advance. The knight can be supported there by a preliminary
18 Qf3, which incidentally would threaten 19 Qxf6, so Black wouldn’t have 18
... Qg4 as a response.
17 ... Qg4
Morozevich forestalls 18 Qf3. If instead he gets his king away from the
centre with 17 ... Nd6 18 Bf4 0-0-0, then White can bust open lines with 19 b4!.
For example, 19 ... c4 (trying to keep it closed, as after 19 ... cxb4 20 cxb4 White
can build up on the c-file) 20 Qd4! and Black’s position crumbles after 20 ... b5
21 Ra5 Rg8 22 Qc5+ Qc7 23 Bxd6 exd6 24 Qxb5, leaving him a pawn down
and in a ghastly mess, or 20 ... Qc7 21 Bxd6 Rxd6 22 Nf5 Rd7 23 Qe4! (a key
move in this game) 23 ... Kb8 24 Nd4! h4 25 Nc6+ Ka8 (if 25 ... Kc8, simply 26
Qxc4) 26 d6! (preparing a discovered check to win the exchange) 26 ... Rxd6 27
Nd4+ Kb8 28 Nb5 Qd7 29 Nxd6 exd6 30 Qe8+ Qxe8 31 Rxe8+ Kc7 32 Ra8 and
Black can resign.
These are long lines, but I’ve given them to show that, with his light square
holes on the queenside, shaky centre and abject bishop, Black can’t survive
against the fleet-footed white knight and the white queen once she latches onto
the deadly diagonal with Qe4!. In such positions you have to take it on trust that
a winning sequence will appear for you when your opponent tries to break out
from the positional bind. You can’t calculate everything. Of course, in some rare
cases there will be an incredible saving move, but it’s safe to say in this
particular game that if Morozevich couldn’t find it then it doesn’t exist.
18 Qc2!
White should only exchange queens in such a position if he sees a clear win.
Instead, the queen prepares to support the knight on f5.
18 ... Qd7
Or 18 ... Nd6 19 Bf4, threatening 20 Bxd6 etc.
19 Bf4
 19 ... Bh6
Black is being annihilated after 19 ... Nd6 20 Bxd6 Qxd6 21 Nf5 Qd7 22
Qe4!. The white knight completely dominates the black bishop. There is no way
for the black king to escape the centre, as after 22 ... 0-0-0 23 d6! (threatening
both mate on a8 and 24 dxe7, winning a piece) is decisive. Don’t be fobbed off
with the win of a pawn by 23 Nxe7+? Bxe7 24 Qxe7 Qxe7 25 Rxe7. It’s true it’s
still winning for White, but 25 ... Rd7 resists. And it’s an absolute bargain for
Black to exchange his terrible bishop for the wonder knight at the cost of a mere
pawn. Remember the rule that if you see a good move, look for a better one. An
extra thirty seconds looking for 23 d6! might save you hours trying to win a rook
and pawn endgame.
If after 22 Qe4 Black tries 22 ... Rc8, he remains paralysed. For example, 23
Rad1 (White has absolutely no need to rush; Black can do nothing to improve
his position) 23 ... Kd8 (the threat was 24 Nxe7 Bxe7 25 d6, or if 24 ... Qxe7
then 25 Qf5) 24 Qf4 Rg8 25 Nxe7 Bxe7 26 d6 Bf8 27 Qxf6+ and wins.
20 Ng6!
So the knight doesn’t go to f5 after all. The familiar build-up for White with
20 Bxh6 Rxh6 21 Nf5 Rg6 22 Qe4 etc is also very strong, but humans like
variations which are more clear-cut and lead to a win of material.
20 ... Rg8
20 ... fxg6 21 Qxg6+ Kd8 22 Bxh6 is miserable for Black, while 20 ... Bxf4
21 Nxh8 is gruesome.

Question: How do we finish off the attack?

21 Nxe7!
The knight gets to strike its blow against e7.
21 ... Nxe7 22 d6 1-0
The rook crashes through after 22 ... Bxf4 23 Rxe7+, when Black will have
insufficient material for his queen, plus a hopelessly placed king.

Do you sometimes carry out a typical plan in an opening or pawn structure

which went wrong because it used up too much time or misplaced a key piece?

Typical Mistake Three: Thoughtless Exchanges Release the Tension too

Early
G.Varchenko-Ed.Andreev
Alushta 2005

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Ba6 5 b3 Bb4+ 6 Bd2 Be7 7 Bg2 c6 8 0-0 d5

One of the biggest faults of less experienced players is that they are in too
much of a hurry. They don’t like tension in the centre: if they see an exchange
they’ll make it. Here is a case in point, as White played:
9 cxd5?
Aronian, Topalov, Svidler, Giri, So and other top players have all reached the
diagram position as White. They tried moves like 9 Ne5 or 9 Qc2 or even 9 Bc3
(when 9 ... dxc4 10 Ne5 would be poor for Black). But you wouldn’t catch them
taking on d5 here.
9 ... cxd5
Now Black no longer has a pawn on c6 which can be attacked by Ne5. His
bishop on a6 has been given an open diagonal. His knight on b8, which normally
has to make do with d7, has the more active c6-square cleared for it. The black
rook on a8 has been granted the open c-file. And all free of charge! White has
not asked for any positional or material compensation for his generosity.
10 Ne5 Nfd7
A good idea, but perhaps it should wait until after 10 ... 0-0 because now
White can speculate with 11 e4!? Bxf1 12 Qxf1, sacrificing the exchange for a
certain initiative, when 12 ... dxe4 13 Nxf7! Kxf7 14 Bxe4 is murky. White,
however, is content with an insipid exchange of knights.
11 Nxd7 Qxd7 12 Re1 0-0 13 Bc3 Nc6 14 Nd2 Rac8
Black already has a pleasant initiative as his bishop on a6 is more active than
the white bishop on g2 and he has been the first to get a rook to the open c-file.
15 Nf3 Bb4!
At first it seems strange that Black should wish to exchange dark-squared
bishops when his own appears the more active. However, his plan is to exert
pressure down the c-file and the white bishop is an obstacle. If he delayed one
move White would have time for 16 Qd2, ruling out the possibility.

16 Qd2
If 16 Ne5 then 16 ... Qd6 keeps control, while after 16 Bxb4 Nxb4 the black
knight joins the attack.
16 ... Bxc3 17 Qxc3 Rc7
 Now Black builds up on the c-file and prepares to infiltrate.
18 Qd2 Qd6 19 Rac1 Rfc8 20 Red1 Qb4!

Another inspired offer to exchange pieces on the b4-square.

21 Rc2
White would like to avoid the exchange of queens with 21 Qb2, but this falls
for a combination: 21 ... Nxd4! 22 Nxd4 (or 22 Rxc7 Nxf3+ 23 Bxf3 Rxc7 and
Black is a pawn up) 22 ... Rxc1 23 Rxc1 Rxc1+ 24 Qxc1 Qxd4 and White can’t
get his pawn back with 25 Qc7 h6 26 Qxa7? because of 26 ... Qd1+ 27 Bf1 Bxe2
and Black wins.
There was nothing lucky about there being a combination favouring Black in
the position. Once the dynamic balance has been disturbed too much in one
player’s favour it’s no surprise that the tactics favour him. If you often get caught
by a tactic in your games it could be nothing to do with a lack of tactical
awareness. Perhaps your strategy isn’t quite right – say you are attacking when
it’s not justified, or being haphazard in the co-ordination of your pieces, or
handling your pawn structure in a loose manner. All this means giving your
opponent too much dynamism which is the happy hunting ground for
combinations.
 21 ... Qxd2 22 Rdxd2 Nb4 23 Rxc7 Rxc7
Andreev’s methodical build-up has left his rook in control of the c-file, while
the white rook is tied down to the defence of a2 and e2. The bishop on g2 is
asleep and (spoiler alert) will remain slumbering until the end of the game.
24 h4 Rc1+ 25 Kh2 Ra1 26 e3
When the pieces are bad the pawns become targets. After 26 a4 Rb1 the b3-
pawn is lost.
26 ... Kf8
Here 26 ... Nxa2? is a bad idea because of 27 Rc2!. Black could take on a2 at
once with the rook, but Andreev is in no hurry.
27 g4 Ke7 28 Kg3 Rxa2

Finally cashing in. You’d expect the queenside pawns to win the game for
Black, but the game ends abruptly on the kingside.
29 Rxa2 Nxa2 30 Nd2 Bd3 31 Kf4 Nc3 32 g5 a5 33 f3 Ne2+ 0-1
White will be mated: 34 Ke5 f6+ 35 gxf6+ gxf6 mate or, more prettily, 34
Kg4 Bf5+ 35 Kh5 Ng3 mate.

Looking at your games, do you see any sloppy exchanges of pawns or pieces?
Do you miss the chance to keep up the pressure because you are looking for
clarity? And what about your piece co-ordination? Do you find your pieces get
split up, with some having to defend things (such as the rook having to protect
a2 and e2 in the game above) while some of your pieces are inert (like the bishop
on e2).
If it feels like your opponent has a lot more pieces than you do, despite material
being equal, it probably means you aren’t co-ordinating them properly.

Typical Mistake Four: A Careless Pawn Move Weakens the King’s Defences
Every pawn exchange you make has to be carefully scrutinized. Piece
manoeuvres can often be reversed if you change your mind. In contrast, there is
no going back once you’ve opened a file or removed a pawn from the defence of
your king. Careless pawn moves (not just exchanges) are one of the most
obvious signs of inexperience. The greatest players can also get it wrong, but
rarely and usually because they have made an error in calculation. They would
trust their intuition and avoid a loosening pawn move unless they believed they
could justify it tactically.

F.Caruana-V.Anand
Batumi Olympiad 2018
 20 f4
Caruana has the initiative due to his mobile centre pawns and the looseness
of the black kingside. Meanwhile, Black’s 3-2 queenside majority is contributing
nothing to his game beyond the fact that d5 is guarded by the c6-pawn. Be that
as it may, Black could try to tough it out with 20 ... Bxd4+ 21 Rxd4 Rad8!. Then
22 fxg5? is well answered by 22 ... Qc5 23 Rd1 hxg5. So play might have
continued 22 e5 Qc5 23 Rd1 Nh5 and Black is still fighting.
If you have a poor game, bring all your pieces into the struggle and hope for
the best .
In the game Anand played:
20 ... gxf4?
Eroding his kingside defences and missing the chance for counterplay based
on ... Bxd4+, followed by ... Rad8 and ... Qc5, as above.
21 Bxe5 Qxe5 22 gxf4 Qc5+ 23 Kh1
Now White controls the d-file so the rook on a8 remains passive. Even worse
for Black, with his g5-pawn gone there is the threat of 24 f5 and 25 Qxh6, as
well as the white rook swinging across to the g-file as occurs in the game.
23 ... Nxe4
 Of course tactics come before strategy and if Black could remove the e4-
pawn without being punished, his decision to play 20 ... gxf4 would be
completely reasonable. However, under pressure, the many times world
champion has missed something in his analysis.
Note that 23 ... Bxe4 fails for Black after 24 Nxe4 Nxe4 25 Bxe4 Rxe4 26
Qg2+ and White wins a rook.
24 Nxe4 Rxe4 25 Rg3!

Naturally, 25 Bxe4?? Bxe4+ would be dreamland for Black. But now his
rook is hanging and there is also the threat of 26 f5, winning a piece.
25 ... Rd4
Or 25 ... Kh7 26 Rxg6!, destroying the defender of e4.
26 Qe3! 1-0
Did Anand miss the strength of this move? After 26 ... Kh7 27 f5 Bxf5 28
Rxf5 Rd1+ (or 28 ... Qxf5 29 Qxd4) 29 Rf1 Black is just a piece down.

Typical Mistake Five: Persisting with a Plan Your Pieces Can’t Support
Here is an instructive example of someone overplaying their hand.
D.M.Adams-C.N.Ross
National Counties semi-final, Leicester 2018

1 e4 c5 2 c3 d5 3 exd5 Qxd5 4 d4 e6 5 Nf3 Nf6 6 Be2 cxd4 7 cxd4 Nc6 8 Nc3

Qd6 9 0-0 Be7 10 Bg5 0-0 11 Qd2 b6 12 Rac1 Bb7 13 Rfd1 Rac8 14 Bh4 Nd5
15 Bg3 Qd8 16 Nxd5 Qxd5 17 Bc4 Qa5 18 Qe2 Bf6

White now advanced 19 d5? . This feels like the logical culmination of his
strategy: he has put his rooks on c1 and d1 and now breaks in the centre. You can
find many games by Kasparov and others where they bashed their opponent with
d4-d5 in an IQP set-up. But is it the right plan here? We should ask ourselves
whether White is opening lines to the benefit of his own pieces or the opponent’s
pieces? After all, every black piece, apart from the rook on f8, is in action and
prepared for the pawn advance.
19 ... exd5
 A critical moment.

Question: White can capture on d5 with the rook (attacking the black queen)
or with the bishop (pinning the knight on c6). Can you work out Black’s
best response to these moves?

20 Bxd5
Answer: Following 20 Rxd5, White’s rook on c1 is undefended which allows
Black to utilize the theme of a weak back rank with 20 ... Qxd5! 21 Bxd5 Nd4!.
Now White will lose his queen back and remain a rook down after 22 Nxd4+
Rxc1+ etc, as d4 is also hanging. If White saves his queen from capture and uses
her to defend the rook with 22 Qd1, we have a second theme: a knight fork with
22 ... Rxc1 23 Qxc1 Ne2+. Finally, the heroic 22 Qc4 fails to 22 ... Ne2+ 23
Qxe2 (or 23 Kf1 Rxc4 24 Rxc4 Bxd5 and wins) 23 ... Rxc1+ 24 Ne1 Bxd5 and
White is under crushing pressure.
20 ... Nd4!
You should never take a pin for granted, unless it is an absolute pin against
the king. As with 20 Rxd5 Qxd5! above, the theme is the weak back rank
stemming from the vulnerability of the rook on c1. We see that the rook on d1
has become overloaded: it can’t both guard squares on the d-file and keep the
rook on c1 defended. Black’s “explosive” unpinning move introduces these
themes by opening the c-file to expose the rook on c1 to threats.
21 Nxd4
White has no choice, as d5 and e2 are both hanging.
21 ... Qxd5 22 Nc6
Trying to mix things, as White is lost after 22 Nf3 Rxc1 23 Rxc1 Qxa2.
22 ... Qxa2 23 Ne7+ Bxe7 24 Rxc8
He had to fight on with 24 Qxe7.
24 ... Rxc8 25 Qxe7

Now White has two big threats: 26 Rd8+ with a back-rank mate, or 26 Qxb7.
Is he winning after all?
25 ... Qd5! 0-1
Black co-ordinates his pieces in style. The queen stops mate on d8, defends
her bishop, threatens one-move wins on g2 and d1, and forces White to resign as
26 Rxd5 Rc1+ decides the battle of the back ranks in Black’s favour.

 Why was White’s punishment for the plausible-looking 19 d5 so drastic? For
some reason I’m reminded of Sherlock Holmes telling a detective that the key to
a case was “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” The detective
replied: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” “That was the curious
incident,” remarked Holmes.
We have hardly mentioned one of White’s pieces in the analysis above. Nor
did it make any move. I’m referring to the bishop on g3. It was staring into space
while the battle was being lost on the queenside and in the centre. If the bishop
had been sitting on e3 not only would the d4-square have an extra guard but,
critically, the rook on c1 would have a second defender.
With 19 d5 White opened the c-file and the a8-h1 diagonal to the advantage
of the black pieces, not his own, because lacking the help of the bishop on g3
they became the target of tactical blows.

Typical Mistake Six: Failure to use Pawns

At a recent international junior tournament I went into the playing hall and saw
one of my fellow chess coaches looking very content with life. His player as
White had a healthy queenside pawn majority and a well-centralized king in a
bishop versus knight endgame. White’s plan was obvious: push the queenside
pawns with the support of the bishop and king to create a passed pawn. This
would virtually have decided the game.
When I came back an hour and a half later to look at the game, the player
still had his queenside pawn majority ... sitting on the squares a2, b2 and c3, with
the bishop placed for safety in front of them on b3. Meanwhile, his opponent’s
king and knight were supporting a massive advance of Black’s kingside pawn
majority, which was about to break through to the sixth rank.
Needless to say the game was soon lost for White and his coach was pulling
his hair out. White had done nothing for the last 15 moves while his opponent
had improved his game step by step. There are some players who are great at
marking time and cajoling their opponents into overpressing (Ivanchuk, for
example). But in most situations the opponent has useful moves to make, and
that means you are going backwards.
It happens all the time that out of complacency (“my position is solid, there’s
no danger in not having a plan”) or – the exact opposite – fear (“if I push my
pawns I’ll weaken myself”), a player drifts into passivity.

S.Belkhodja-R.Vaganian
FIDE World Championship, Moscow 2001
 It’s important to consider the difference in rating between the players here:
White is an excellent 2489, whereas back in 2001 Black is world class at 2650.
For this reason White seems content to have a draw, but this is best achieved by
playing the most potent moves rather than waiting.
Here White can drive the black knight from its excellent post with 27 f4.
Then 27 ... gxf4 28 gxf4 Ng6 29 Rxe7+ Rxe7 30 Kf3 Nh4+ 31 Kf2 Kf6 32 Rg1
(planning to invade on g8) 32 ... Ng6 33 Kf3 Rg7 34 Ne2 is nothing for Black. If
after 30 Kf3 Black decides to keep the tension with 30 ... Kf6, hoping to seize
the g-file with ... Rg7 and ... Nh4+, White has the same response: 31 Rg1 Rg7 32
Ne2. White would hold his line with no advantage at all for Black.
I guess White didn’t want to loosen his pawns with 27 f4 gxf4 28 gxf4 even
though, as we have seen, there was no danger, nor expose his king to (an entirely
harmless) check with 28 ... Ng6 29 Rxe7+ Rxe7 30 Kf3 Nh4+.
In the game he pays a huge price for wanting to avoid even the ghost of a
risk.
27 Rd4?! Kf6 28 Rc2?
Here 28 f4 still looks safe.
28 ... h5
 While White prevaricates Vaganian improves his king and pawns.
29 Ne2
Now 29 f4 doesn’t hit the mark; e.g. 29 ... gxf4 30 gxf4 Nd7! (on the way to
e4) 31 Re2 Rxe2+ 32 Nxe2 Nc5 33 Kf3 Ne4 34 Rd1 a5!, when Black has a
dominant knight and the chance to undermine White’s queenside and perhaps
open up the a-file for his rook with ... a5-a4 combined with ... Ra8.
29 ... g4!

Seizing the chance that White has given him. Now 30 hxg4 hxg4 31 f4 Nf3
is horrendous for White, as Black’s rooks invade on the h-file with ... Rh7 etc.
30 fxg4 hxg4 31 h4
Or 31 hxg4 Nxg4+ 32 Ke1 Rh8 and Black invades on h1.
31 ... Nf3
With an excellent post for the knight and domination of the e-file.
32 Rd3 Re4 33 Rb2 R8e7 34 a4 a5 35 Nc3
White allows the black rook to infiltrate to e1, but if he carries on waiting he
is eventually ground down; for example, 35 Rc3 b6 36 Rd3 Ne5! (rerouting the
knight to c5; see how Black’s manoeuvre contrasts with White’s shuffling of the
rook) 37 Rc3 Nd7 38 Rd3 Nc5 39 Rc3 R4e5 (threatening a fork on e4) 40 Ke1
Re3 and White’s game collapses; e.g. 41 Rxe3 Rxe3 and b3 drops, or 41 Kd1
Rxc3 42 Nxc3 Re3 43 Ne2 Ne4 (even better than taking on b3) and 44 ... Nxg3
wins.
35 ... Re1 36 Re2 R7xe2+ 37 Nxe2 Rb1 38 Nf4 Rb2+ 39 Ke3 Ne1!
With his rook so dominant over White’s Vaganian realizes that the way to
clinch the win is to exchange off knights, when an ... f5-f4 breakthrough is
possible.
40 Rc3 Ng2+ 41 Nxg2 Rxg2 42 Kd4
After 42 Kf4 the simplest way to win is 42 ... Re2! 43 Re3 (to stop mate on
e4) 43 ... Rf2+ and mates next move.
42 ... f4!
A classic breakthrough.
43 gxf4 Kf5
Now Black has the superior rook, king, and passed pawn.
44 c5
Much too late to change anything.
44 ... Kxf4 45 cxd6 cxd6 46 Rc7 Rd2+ 47 Kc3 Rxd5 48 Rxb7 g3 49 Rg7
Kf3 50 b4 axb4+ 51 Kxb4 Rd4+ 52 Kb5 g2 0-1
Black intends 53 ... Rg4, so White resigned.
A superb example of Vaganian’s technique. Study it, understand it, admire it,
and make it part of your technique. And remember, every position needs a plan!

Typical Mistake Seven: Criminal Passivity

One reason to study classic games is that the art of defence was at a much lower
level, so you often get to see plans carried out in their entirety. This is of great
instructional value. Nowadays, a top player will do their absolute best to confuse
and obfuscate the strategic flow of a game if it’s not in their favour. In old games
the play of the winner is frequently smooth and elegant because their opponent is
meekly awaiting their fate. By all means examine old games, but don’t let the
passivity of the loser infect your handling of inferior positions.

J.Van den Bosch-J.R.Capablanca

Budapest 1929
 The f4-pawn is hanging and White defended it with:
26 Qd2?
This doesn’t do any fatal damage, but it is symptomatic of White’s inert play.
26 Kc2! would show that he is alert to the danger. Then 26 ... Qxf4? 27 Qe6!
activates the white queen and attacks both d5 and f6. White has at least a draw
by perpetual check: in fact it is Black who must be careful. Instead, 26 ... Qa6 (in
the style of the game) can be met by 27 Qg3!, refusing to be tied down to
defence: after 27 ... Qe2+ 28 Kc1 Black does best to concede a draw by
perpetual in view of the hanging g6-pawn. Finally, if 26 ... Kd7 27 Qg3 g5 28
Qh3!, Black should again settle for a draw by perpetual with 28 ... Qe6 29 Qxh5
Qe2+, as 28 ... Qxf4 29 Qxh5 looks good for White.
In these lines the white queen targets the black king with a potential
perpetual check and also hits the kingside pawns, in particular g6. There is no
idle defence of pawns.
26 ... Qa6 27 b3?
Another miserable move. White thinks it is good enough to sit still with
everything defended, but that is the way to fall into a bind. After 27 Qe1! White
is still okay: 27 ... Qxa2 28 Qe6 is an easy draw, while 27 ... Kd7 28 Qg3! once
again obliges Black to look for a perpetual check as g6 is hanging.
27 ... Qf1+ 28 Kb2 Kd7
Suddenly the position is unpleasant for White as his queen is tied down to
g2.
29 Qc2 b5
Clamping down on any attempt to break out with c3-c4.
30 a4 a6 31 axb5 axb5 32 Ka3
White is still okay after 32 Qd2! Kc6 33 Qe3! Qxg2+ 34 Ka3. Black has a
passed pawn but is unable to exploit it as his king is exposed to perpetual check.
For example, 34 ... Kd7 (to guard the e-file) 35 Qd3 h4 36 Qxb5+ Ke7 37 Qc5+
and Black should agree to a perpetual with 37 ... Ke6 38 Qc6+ Ke7 39 Qc5+ etc,
as 37 ... Kf7? 38 Qxd5+ is too risky for him.
32 ... Kc6 33 Kb4?
White finally does something active and it proves to be a fatal mistake. After
33 Kb2 he could answer 33 ... Qe1 with 34 Qd3!, when 34 ... Qf2+ 35 Ka3 Qxg2
36 Qe3 gives counterplay as in the previous note. Probably Capa would have
preferred to carry on tormenting him with 34 ... h4, though 35 Ka3 holds on.
33 ... Qe1! 0-1
The game ends abruptly due to the threat of mate in two with 34 ... Qe7+ 35 Ka5
Qa3 mate. There is no way for the white king to escape the net, as 34 Qa2 Qe7+
35 Ka5 Qa7+ wins the white queen, while 34 Ka3 Qa1+ leaves White with the
grim choice between 35 Kb4 Kb6, when mate on a5 is unstoppable, or 35 Qa2
Qxa2+ (35 ... Qxc3 wins as well) 36 Kxa2 g5, when Black queens with ... h5-h4
and ... g5-g4 etc, as the white king is too far away.
Chapter Seven
Learn How to Shut a Piece Out of the Game
When it comes to planning a win in the middlegame, an important strategic
device is to shut an enemy piece out of the game. Tarrasch once remarked that
“if one piece stands badly the whole game stands badly.” This is a useful
reminder to look after all our pieces and to think carefully before starting an
attack with one piece or more still sleeping. But like all chess precepts there are
plenty of exceptions. A player might well tolerate having one poorly placed
piece if other features of the position favour him. And many attacks succeed for
White without, for example, the rook on a1 taking part.
Nonetheless, everything else being equal, it can be a highly effective strategy
to deprive the opponent of the help of one of his pieces. We’ll start by looking at
a classic game to see the idea in a pure form.

Shutting a Bishop out of the Game: Classic Style

W.Winter-J.R.Capablanca
Hastings 1919

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 Bb4 5 0-0 0-0 6 Bxc6 dxc6 7 d3 Bd6 8 Bg5
h6 9 Bh4 c5 10 Nd5 g5 11 Nxf6+ Qxf6 12 Bg3 Bg4 13 h3 Bxf3 14 Qxf3 Qxf3
15 gxf3 f6 16 Kg2 a5 17 a4
At first glance the position looks about equal. Comparing the bishops we
might say that Black has the “bad” bishop as seven of his pawns are on dark
squares. In fact, White is lost. His bishop is in a permanent trap on g3, as any
attempt to free it with moves like Bh2, f3-f4 and f2-f3 followed by Bg1 would
leave White a clear pawn down with a weakened structure.
Well, it wouldn’t be so bad for the bishop if it is allowed to show its worth as
a defensive piece; for example, if Black arranged an attack on the kingside. But
Capablanca is having none of that. He will arrange an attack on the queenside
where the bishop can’t make any contribution. White will lose every battle for
space or squares on that side of the board as Black will essentially have an extra
piece. And Black’s “bad” bishop? It’s enclosure by his pawns is purely
temporary. Once they advance it will be able to play a leading role in his
initiative.
 The game continued:
17 ... Kf7
It makes sense to centralize the king before starting active operations on the
queenside.
18 Rh1 Ke6 19 h4 Rfb8!
Showing complete disdain for White’s attempt to gain counterplay on the h-
file as there is nothing to attack there.
20 hxg5 hxg5 21 b3 c6 22 Ra2 b5 23 Rha1 c4!

Breaking up White’s pawn structure.
24 axb5
Black regains his pawn after 24 dxc4 bxc4 25 bxc4 Rb4. His general plan
then could be ... Rab8, ... Rxc4, ... Rbb4, ... Bc5 and ... Bd4 to win the a4-pawn.
23 ... cxb3 25 cxb3 Rxb5 26 Ra4
A desperate bid to free the entombed bishop, as 26 Rb1 a4 intends 27 ... a3
and 28 ... Rab8, crashing through on b3.
26 ... Rxb3 27 d4 Rb5 28 Rc4 Rb4!
Capa swaps the c6-pawn for the d4-pawn so that the last hope for the bishop
is crushed.
29 Rxc6 Rxd4 0-1

Jumping forwards almost a century we can see a modern example of a bishop

being immured.

Shutting a Bishop out of the Game: Modern Style

M.Panelo-K.Grigoryan
Barcelona 2014

It is Black to play. White has three of his pieces working together as his
rooks are doubled in support of their knight. So far so good. But as in the game
above, he is playing without the help of his bishop which is stuck behind a wall
of black pawns. Once again Black’s “bad” bishop dominates its rival. Here the
affliction of White’s bishop is of a less permanent nature as, given a couple of
moves, it can re-enter the fray with f2-f3 and Bg1. So Grigoryan doesn’t have
the luxury of building up slowly. He should try to put White under immediate
pressure.
31 ... Nf7
Two minor pieces were sitting on the h-file, but how much easier it is for the
knight to enter the battle than the white bishop! There is the threat of 32 ... Nd6,
winning material, so White retreats his own knight.
32 Nd3 Rxc4 33 Rxc4
Giving up the e4-pawn. After 33 bxc4 Nd6 34 f3 Rb7 it gets very ugly for
White. He can’t resist the pressure from Black’s pieces when he is receiving zero
help from the bishop:

a) 35 Rc1 Be3 forces the rook to give up the c-pawn to keep the back rank
defended.
b) 35 Ke2 Rb1 36 c5 Nb5 37 c6 Bb6 stops the c-pawn and threatens a fork
on d4. The bishop on h2 looks entirely abject now as it could even become a
target to ... Rh1.
c) 35 Bg1 Rb1+ 36 Rc1 (or 36 Nc1? Bb2) 36 ... Rxc1+ 37 Nxc1 Bxg1 38
Kxg1 Nxc4 and Black is a pawn up with an easy win in the knight endgame.
33 ... Nd6 34 Rc6 Nxe4 35 Nxe5?!
White’s position was already pretty hopeless so we shouldn’t be too hard on
this mistaken combination. Still, it’s obvious that White can’t win a tactical
battle when it will be his rook on its own fighting against a rook, knight and
bishop.
35 ... Bxe5 36 Re6 Nd2+ 37 Ke2 Bc3
Ensuring he stays a piece up.
38 h4 Nxb3
Threatening to fork on d4.
39 Rb6 Nc5 40 hxg5 Be5
 Guarding f4 and threatening 41 ... f3+.
41 f3 Rb7 42 Rc6 Rb2+ 0-1
If 43 Kf1 Bd4 44 Bxf4, the white bishop finally sees daylight but its pleasure
is short lived after 44 ... Rf2+ 45 Ke1 Nd3+ or 45 Kg1 Rxf3+.

In the next game we see the idea of shutting in the bishop in a more subtle
form. It is one of several important factors in the position which guide Black’s
play.

Shutting a Bishop out of the Game: Subtle Style

D.Stellwagen-A.Timofeev
Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad 2010

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 d6 4 0-0 Bd7 5 Re1 Nf6 6 c3 a6 7 Ba4 b5 8 Bc2 Bg4
9 d3 e6 10 Nbd2 d5 11 h3 Bh5 12 a4 Be7 13 axb5 axb5 14 Rxa8 Qxa8 15 Nf1
0-0 16 Ng3 Bxf3 17 Qxf3

Question: Before reading on, you might like to take the chance to assess
the position. What is the best way for Black to resolve the pawn structure
in the centre?

Answer: 17 ... d4!
Timofeev blocks the centre and leaves the bishop on c2 shut in behind its
own pawn on d3.
Here is a possible assessment: Black’s queenside pawns are doing something
– they are mobile and can strike at White’s structure. In contrast, White has a
space advantage on the kingside, so you’d expect him to create counterplay
there, but his pawns are doing nothing . We might also mention that the white
knight is poorly placed on g3 where it neither attacks nor defends anything.
18 Qd1
The queen retreats to bolster the queenside and clear the way for a future f2-
f4 to get White’s own pawns working.
18 ... Rd8!
An excellent square for the rook as it is in the middle of the strategic fight
that follows.
19 Bd2

Question: How does Black get maximum value from his pressure in the
centre?

Answer: 19 ... dxc3!
Black’s control of the d4-square means that he doesn’t need to maintain a
pawn there to keep the bishop on c2 passive. Therefore he can set about accruing
other positional advantages.
20 bxc3
Instead, 20 Bxc3 leaves a big hole in White’s centre on d4. Besides, the
direct 20 ... c4 to exploit the pin on d3 looks dangerous.
20 ... b4
White’s pawn on c3 comes under attack as it is leading his resistance on the
critical d4-square.
21 Qc1
After 21 c4 White is left with a backward pawn on d3 and a horrendous hole
on d4. Meanwhile, Black has a protected passed pawn on b4.
Instead, 21 cxb4 cxb4 leaves Black with a strong passed pawn and control of
d4, as well as the c5-square for his bishop. Despite the exchange on b4, White’s
bishop on c2 remains a wretched piece; indeed, things have grown worse for it
as the opening of lines means it will eventually fall under direct attack.

21 ... Nd7!
With the strong threat of 22 ... Nde5, when d3 is under intense pressure. Note
that Black doesn’t exchange with 21 ... bxc3? 22 Bxc3 and then plonk the knight
on d4 with 22 ... Nd4. This is where many players go wrong. In such situations
you have to keep the tension. Rushing to put the knight on the beautiful d4-
square throws away most of Black’s advantage. The exchange 21 ... bxc3 has
uncluttered White’s position, and 22 ... Nd4 makes the d3-pawn safer than it
should be, as it is shielded by Black’s own knight. Another important
consideration is that Timofeev keeps the option of a passed pawn on the b-file,
which vanishes after 21 ... bxc3.
22 f4
Not an attacking move, rather a defensive measure to keep the black knight
out of e5.
 22 ... Bh4!
Further disruption to the co-ordination of the white pieces.
23 Re3
Played in order to unpin the knight and allow it to return to the centre.
Nonetheless, stouter resistance was possible with 23 Kh2, though 23 ... Qa2 etc
looks powerful.
23 ... Qa3
With the white rook enticed to e3, the way is open for Black to break through
on the queenside. After 24 Qxa3? bxa3 25 Kh2 Rb8, with ideas of 26 ... a2 or 26
... Rb2, the passed a-pawn would soon cost White a piece.
24 Ne2 Ra8 25 Qd1

Question: Which piece is holding together White’s resistance?
So what should we do?

Answer: 25 ... Qa1!
The exchange of queens soon decides the game.
26 Kh2 Qxd1 27 Bxd1 Ra1 28 Bb3 Na5!
 Things have grown even worse for White’s bishop than being shut out of the
game. Now it is under direct attack, and its removal will clear the way for the
passed b-pawn to run through.
29 Bc4 Nxc4 30 dxc4 b3 31 Bc1 Rxc1! 0-1
The pawn promotes after 32 Nxc1 b2 – another instance of how poor a
knight is against a passed pawn.
Notice how Timofeev increased his positional advantage step by step. First,
he shut in White’s bishop on c2. Then he put pressure on the d4-square. But he
didn’t rush to get a knight to d4. Instead, he manoeuvred to penetrate with his
queen and rook on the queenside, after first tying up White a bit more with 22 ...
Bh4. Then his potential passed pawn on b4 broke through to finish off the game.
White was rated 2635, Black 2690 at the time. Ask yourself which of Black’s
moves you might have found, which ones would have been beyond your
comprehension at the moment. How might you have been sidetracked or messed
up the win? Be honest with yourself.

Shutting the Queen out of the Game: Violent Style

Things are especially bad if it’s the queen that is shut out of the game. Left
alone, the other pieces become inert and fearful; the pawn structure wilts under
pressure from the enemy queen; no plan proves effective in her absence.

R.Bates-N.Vitiugov
European Cup, Porto Carras 2018
 An exciting position from the European Club Cup. We see that White has
three pawns for a piece, a well-placed knight, and active rooks. But
unfortunately for him his queen is cut off from the rest of his pieces. Try putting
her on d3 and White’s position looks healthy. But with the strongest piece shut
out of things even the solid-looking white pawn centre proves to be flimsy.
IM Richard Bates tried to mix things up with:
31 Nxg6!?

Question: Now can you work out the best reply for Black?

Not 31 ... fxg6? 32 Rc7, winning the black queen, though even here it
remains double-edged after 32 ... Qxc7 33 Rxc7+ Kg8 due to White’s awkward
queen.
Answer: Instead, 31 ... Nxe3!? is strong for Black. However, 31 ... Rxd4! is
absolutely crushing. The theme is mate on the back rank – notice how Black’s
knight is barring the white king from h2. If White stops ... Rd1+ with 32 exd4,
the white rook on c1 is overloaded by 32 ... Qxc6! 33 Rxc6?! (but 33 Rf1 fxg6
leaves White two pieces down for three pawns) 33 ... Re1 mate. White’s pieces
and pawns were easy prey because he is essentially a queen down in the central
battle.
In the game Vitiugov preferred:
31 ... Qxd4?
An aesthetically pleasing move with an aesthetically unpleasing question
mark attached. Black is hoping for 32 exd4 Re1+, mating. Also, White’s knight
on g6 is now hanging “for real” as there is no Rc7 pin on the queen after ...
f7xg6. So far so good for Black. But this move squanders Black’s fundamental
advantage: the bad situation of the white queen. Bates can be rid of her for
Black’s fine lady with 32 Qxg4! (destroying the mate threats by giving his king
access to h2) 32 ... hxg4 33 exd4 fxg6 34 Rxa6 Rxd4 35 b5, when White has
good chances to draw the endgame. In the game he missed his chance:
32 Nf4? Rxe3!

The only way not to be worse, but it decides the game in Black’s favour.
After 33 fxe3 Qxe3+ 34 Kh1 (or 34 Kf1 Qf2 mate) 34 ... Qe1+! etc, we have
another back-rank mate.
33 Nxh5+ Kf8 0-1
It’s all over after 34 Rf1 Re1, threatening mate in two with both 35 ... Rxf1+
and 35 ... Qxf2+.

Shutting the Queen out of the Game: Positional Style

Even in a quieter struggle it can be disastrous to have your queen unable to co-
ordinate her action with that of the other pieces. Plans rarely succeed unless
under the watchful eye of the strongest piece. The following game illustrates the
difference in fortunes between a player whose queen is boxed in and one whose
queen is at the forefront of the action.

Vl.Malakhov-E.Sedina
Porto San Giorgio 1999

You might not know much about the Russian grandmaster Vladimir Malakhov. I
happened to play him many years ago in a tournament in Hungary. He was aged
about 14 or so and I hadn’t seen any of his games (it was still early days for
chess databases). I got a very slightly worse ending and offered him a draw. He
politely declined and then tormented me for the rest of the game until, with some
relief, I realized it was time to resign.
If I’d been acquainted with Malakhov’s style I would have chosen to play
more sharply in our game: a tiny endgame advantage is the sort of thing he must
dream about. He has become one of the best grinders in the world. Although he
has never quite managed to break into the absolute world elite (he did reach
2732 in 2010), you can learn a lot from his games.
1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 Bg4 5 Be2 c6 6 0-0 Bxf3 7 Bxf3 dxe5 8
dxe5 e6 9 Nd2 Nd7 10 Re1 Qc7 11 Nc4 N7b6 12 Qd4 Nxc4 13 Qxc4 0-0-0 14
a3 Qa5 15 Qe4 Be7 16 Rb1 Nb6 17 b4 Qb5

Question: Stop and examine the position and make a little assessment
if you wish.

Answer: Here’s an assessment: The diagram position looks fairly balanced.
White has the two bishops and a space advantage, but Black is solidly
entrenched and controls the d-file. With kings on opposite wings you might
expect a race between pawn attacks. But no: Malakhov sees that the black queen
is poorly placed on b5. He doesn’t want her to gain a useful role in a full-
bloodied struggle on the queenside. Instead, he intends to leave her stewing there
while he starts an attack as far away from her influence as possible. He therefore
begins by probing the black kingside.
18 Qf4!
After 18 Qg4 Black can activate the queen with 18 ... Qc4!, when 19 Qxg7
Qxc2 20 Be3 Qg6 defends f7. Or equally if 20 Bh6 then 20 ... Qg6. Malakhov
finesses in order to prevent an exchange of queens.
18 ... Rhf8
The alternative 18 ... Rdf8 relinquishes control of the d-file. Then 19 Be2
Qa4 20 c4 deprives the black knight of the d5-square and leaves the black queen
awkwardly placed on a4.

Question: After the game move 19 Be2 is no longer so good. Can you see
why?

19 Qg4!
The queen edges another square sideways to attack g7. Now we see a fine
point of the zwischenzug 18 Qf4, cajoling the black rook to f8. If 19 ... Qc4 20
Qxg7 Qxc2 then 21 Bh6! follows and Black no longer has the resource 21 ...
Qg6 as 22 Qxg6 hxg6 23 Bxf8 wins the exchange. Unable to swap queens, Black
would remain under pressure after 21 ... Nd5 22 Be4.
Answer: After 19 Be2? we no longer care about a badly placed black queen.
IM Edina Sedina would thank her lucky stars and play 19 ... Qxe2!, winning a
piece because of the back rank.
19 ... g6
Upon 19 ... Rfg8 20 Qh5 g6 21 Qxh7 White has brazenly stolen a pawn.
Black doesn’t have the piece power to exploit the open h-file, especially with f7
hanging.
20 Bh6
White is also able to exploit the rook on f8 here as he gains time in playing
this developing move.
20 ... Rfe8
Now Black is ready to play 21 ... Qc4, offering an unwelcome exchange of
queens.
21 Re4!
Important prophylaxis which keeps the black queen and knight out of the c4-
square.
21 ... Bf8 22 Bg5 h5?
A tougher defence was 22 ... Be7, when 23 Be3 keeps up some pressure.
Black might have feared 23 Bxe7 Rxe7 24 Qh4, hitting both the rook on e7 and
the pawn on h7, but then 24 ... Red7 is fine for her, as 25 Qxh7? is a blunder due
to 25 ... f5, attacking the white queen and rook on e4.
23 Qh4 Rd7 24 Be2

24 ... Qa4
It is curious that the black queen is “checkmated” in the centre of the board
upon 24 ... Qd5 25 c4!. Even the desperate 25 ... Nxc4 still leaves her trapped
after 26 Bxc4.
25 Rb3!
Now the black queen is only “stalemated”. But to have such an important
piece entirely shut out of the action is bad news.
25 ... Be7 26 Bxe7 Rexe7 27 h3
Making an escape hatch for the white king is a necessary precaution as
Black’s rooks are going to control the d-file.
27 ... Re8 28 Qf4 Red8
The rooks look imposing but their queen can’t give them any help. Black is
hopelessly outgunned in the centre and on the kingside.
29 Qf3!
This unobtrusive retreat clears the way for extra pressure to be exerted on the
f7-pawn. Life is easy when your opponent is playing without their queen.
29 ... Kc7 30 Rf4 Rf8
It’s a bad sign when a rook has to renounce an open file and sit behind a
pawn to guard it.
31 Rf6
 The pressure on the f-file has spread sideways. Either 32 Rxe6 or 32 Rxg6 is
on the cards and Black can’t stop both.
31 ... a5
At last the black queen gets to see some daylight, but the battle has already
been fought and lost in her absence.
32 Rxe6 axb4
Now a new foe will appear on the scene: a passed white pawn. The ending
after 32 ... fxe6 33 Qxf8 axb4 34 Qxb4 Qxb4 35 axb4 Rd2 36 Bd3 is grim for
Black, but it was the only chance.
33 Rf6!
Malakhov doesn’t waste time recapturing on b4. He has calculated the short
combination which decides the game.
33 ... Nd5 34 e6! Nxf6 35 Qxf6 1-0
After 35 ... Rd2 (or 35 ... R7d8 36 e7) 36 Qe7+ Black loses the rook on d8 with
check, as 36 ... Kb6 37 Rxb4+ costs her the queen.
Chapter Eight
Getting Full Value from Your King
If you want to discover a great plan you need to have somewhere in your mind a
store of plausible ideas. They might not be consciously remembered, but will
make their presence felt when a suggestion for handling the position suddenly
pops into your head. This might be described as your chess intuition guiding
you. Normally, more than one idea will come to mind. You have to sift through
them until you find something that fits the position in front of you. The concept
has to be promising, be capable of implementation, and pass the test of your
calculation.
Imagine, for example, you are in a middlegame position when your mind
suddenly suggests that the right plan is to manoeuvre your king to the other
flank. At first it seems crazy to transit the king across the centre when there are
many enemy pieces lurking around. But the more you consider the plan, the
more you like it. The inspiration for this bizarre decision seemed to come from
nowhere. But maybe years ago you looked at the games of world champion
Tigran Petrosian who carried out just such a plan on several celebrated
occasions. The Petrosian games made an impression on you, and you filed the
idea away somewhere in your brain. And here at last your unconscious suggests
it’s the moment for it to be used (or more precisely, either carried out or rejected
if it doesn’t pass the test of a rational examination).
In this chapter we’ll see some awesome use of the king and the games that
might have been their inspiration.

His Majesty goes for a Stroll

R.Mamedov-S.Shankland
Batumi Olympiad 2018
 The diagram position was reached after 40 moves in the match between
Azerbaijan and the USA at the 2018 Olympiad. It is Black to play.
White’s pieces are tied down to the defence of the backward pawn on d3. It
is a miserable state of affairs for any self-respecting rook or queen. But their
discomfort isn’t enough on its own for Black to win the game. He has to create a
second weakness so that the superior mobility of his pieces begins to tell.

Question: Can you see another potential target? And how would you attack
it?

Well, the pawn on g4 is poking out invitingly on the kingside. It can be
rammed by a black pawn with ... h6-h5 (also ... f6-f5 rams it, but this is
problematical to arrange with a white rook on f3 and, besides, it would
undermine Black’s own pawn on e5). If White responds to a well-prepared ... h6-
h5 with g4xh5 and Black recaptures the pawn – say he has played ... Qf7 and is
ready for ... Qxh5 – White’s kingside pawn structure has been split and his king
is opened up. Alternatively, if after ... h6-h5 White avoids g4xh5, say he defends
the pawn with Rg3, then the exchange ... h5xg4 and recapture h3xg4 leaves the
white pawns once again looser.
After this initial undermining of the white kingside it would be great to start
a second attacking wave. But hold on! It’s all very well pushing the kingside
pawns at the white king, but what about the black king who is being denuded of
his defences?
Shankland (perhaps with a little help from Petrosian!) came up with an
exceptional solution: there isn’t going to be a black king sitting on the kingside.
Answer: 40 ... Kf7!!
White’s pieces have formed a defensive line on the third rank, but they are
unable to advance any further up the board to attack the black king as it crosses
the centre towards the safety of the queenside.
41 Kf1 Ke7 42 Ke2 Qc6 43 Qc3 Kd7

44 Qc2
The white king doesn’t follow its opposite number to the queenside. If it
moves to c2 via d2, Black can whittle away at its defences there with moves like
... a5-a4 and ... b6-b5. The white rooks wouldn’t be able to do much to shield
their king as they are stuck on e3 and f3, guarding the d3-pawn. In contrast, the
superior mobility of Black’s pieces means that they can attack the enemy king or
protect their own king in any sector of the board.
44 ... Kc8 45 Kf1 Kb7
Mission accomplished. The next task is to arrange the ... h6-h5 advance in an
optimal manner.
46 Rg3 Rf4 47 Kg1 g5!

Fixing the g4-pawn as a target and ensuring that ... h6-h5 can’t be answered
by g4xh5, threatening Rxg7.
48 Re1 Qe8!
Shankland makes superb use of his queen over the next couple of moves.
49 Kg2 h5
 Finally, the key advance after nine moves of preparation.
50 Re4 Qc6 51 Rf3
If 51 gxh5?, Black wins with 51 ... f5, so the white rook is cajoled from g3 to
f3.
51 ... Qd7!
But now the attack on g4 wins time to get the queen to the h-file.
52 Rg3 Qh7
The queen’s nimble footwork compels White to dislocate his kingside as
conceding the h-file could lead to a quick disaster; for example, 53 Qe2 hxg4 54
Rxg4 Rxg4+ 55 hxg4 Rh8 56 Kf3 Qh3 is mate.
53 gxh5 Qxh5 54 c5 Rd4 55 b4
Giving up a pawn to relieve the pressure. Upon 55 cxb6 cxb6 White has no
good way to hold his defensive line. For example, 56 Rge3 g4 breaks through on
the kingside, while 56 Rg4 Rdxe4 57 dxe4 Rxg4+ 58 hxg4 Qxg4+ drops a pawn.
Meanwhile, Black’s pawns carry the day on the queenside after 56 Kg1 Rfxe4 57
dxe4 Qd1+ 58 Qxd1 Rxd1+ 59 Kg2 Rd2 60 Rf3 Rxb2 61 Rxf6 Rxb3 62 Rg6 a4
63 Rxg5 a3 etc.
55 ... Rxb4 56 Rxb4 Rxb4 57 Rf3 Qf7
 It’s time to recentralize the queen.
58 Kg1 Qe6

Black is a pawn up with the much safer king. Shankland converted his
advantage, though it took another 38 moves to force White’s resignation.
Awesome positional play by the US grandmaster, combined with enormous
patience. His queen was dextrous and his king courageous in making its long
journey.
In years to come you might forget you looked at this game. But if you reach
a position where you have tied up your opponent’s pieces and want to attack his
king, but your own king is in the way, you might suddenly think: “What!? It
looks absurd, but should I move my king over to the other wing?” If the plan
proves good then, congratulations, you will have scored a bullseye with your
intuition!

For the record here is the game which might have inspired GM Sam Shankland:

T.V.Petrosian-W.Unzicker
USSR-East Germany match, Hamburg 1960
Having built up a dominant position on the queenside and tied down the black
queen and rooks there, Petrosian realized the time was ripe to start a direct attack
on the underdefended black king. But flinging his pawns forwards there would
expose his own king to attack. Therefore he began by removing his king from
the show towards a safe haven on the queenside:

29 Kf1! Kg8 30 h4 h5 31 R1c2!

Clearing c1 for the king.
31 ... Kh7 32 Ke1!
Now the king travels by express, as Nimzowitsch might have said.
32 ... Kg8 33 Kd1 Kh7 34 Kc1 Kg8 35 Kb1 Kh7 36 Qe2
The white king’s journey is over; now after a bit of jockeying Petrosian
advances his kingside pawns.
36 ... Qb7 37 Rc1 Kg7 38 Qb5 Qa8 39 f4 Kh7 40 Qe2 Qb7
 41 g4 hxg4 42 Qxg4 Qe7 43 h5
The opening of lines on the kingside wrong-foots the black defenders.
43 ... Qf6 44 Ka2!
After all the effort of moving the king to the queenside it would be a great
shame if it spoilt White’s attack after 44 hxg6+? Qxg6+, when Black gets to
exchange queens.
44 ... Kg7 45 hxg6 Qxg6 46 Qh4 Be7 47 Qf2 Kf8 48 Nd2 Rb7 49 Nb3 Ra7
50 Qh2 Bf6 51 Rc8 Rad7 52 Nc5!
The white pieces close in for the kill.
52 ... b3+
A desperate move, but 52 ... Rxc8 53 Nxd7+ wins the rook on c8, while after
52 ... Rd6 53 f5! White threatens both the queen and 54 Qxd6+.
53 Kxb3 Rd6 54 f5! Rb6+ 55 Ka2 1-0
The queen is attacked, and 56 Nd7+ and 57 Nxb6 is also looming. A
masterly display by Petrosian.

I hope I’m persuading you of the value of examining classic games. Besides
the fun element, studying the old masters is an excellent way of learning both
positional and tactical chess. In the following example, the intention is very far
from getting the monarch away from tactical danger: the king is the tactical
danger.

Using the King as an Attacking Weapon

T.Hillarp Persson-T.Laurusas
Batumi Olympiad 2018

It is White to play. When Hillarp Persson embarked on his epic king odyssey
he had the ghosts of previous games strengthening his resolve and telling him he
hadn’t gone crazy.
30 Kf4! Qxf2+
An obvious response as it wins a pawn with check, but 30 ... Qa1! was the
best defence.
31 Kg5
White’s plans include 32 Kh6 and then 33 Qxf8+! Kxf8 34 Re8 mate! A
charming example of the king as an attacking piece, but there is a lot more to
come.
31 ... Kg7
Keeping the white king out of h6 and threatening mate in one. White
responds by shutting out the black queen.
32 Rf4 Qxh2
Black renews the threat of mate, this time in three moves with 33 ... Rxg3+
etc. But White can carry out his own attack with checks:
33 Qf6+ Kh7
Or 33 ... Kg8 34 Kh6!.
34 Qxg6+!

Looking at attacking games in my youth I came up with a rule which seemed

to have been overlooked by older chess writers: if a player dominates squares of
one colour, the winning breakthrough almost always occurs on a square of the
other colour.
34 ... Kh8
After 34 ... fxg6 White wins with a flurry of checks: 35 Re7+ Rf7 36 Rexf7+
Kg8 37 Rf8+ Kg7 38 R4f7 mate, or 35 ... Kg8 36 Bd5+ Rf7 37 Re8+ (but not 37
Bxf7+? Kf8 38 Kf6 Qxe2! and Black survives) 37 ... Kg7 38 Rxf7 mate.
 35 Kh6! 1-0
It’s aesthetically pleasing to see the white king and queen having a picnic
together on the sixth rank. 35 ... fxg6 36 Rxf8 is mate, so Laurusas resigned.
They don’t shower the board with gold coins these days, but Hillarp Persson
received a trophy for the Best Game of the 2018 Olympiad.

Here are two earlier king voyages which might have inspired the Swedish
grandmaster.

I.Jelen-Be.Larsen
Ljubljana/Portoroz 1977

Larsen’s king looks perilously placed, but he is actually threatening mate in

two different ways, beginning with 36 ... Rg2+ or 36 ... Qxf1+!. But it is White
to move and Jelen rose to the occasion:
36 Qc8+!
Now Black has only one clever way to save his king from mate next move.

 Question: You might like to examine this position before moving on.
Should the game finish as a win for White, a win for Black, or a draw?

Upon 36 ... Rxc8? White mates with 37 Ng5. Similarly, 36 ... Rf5? 37 Ng5 is
mate (but don’t grab the queen with 37 Qxc4? as then Black escapes by 37 ...
Rg2+ 38 Kh1 Rxh2+ 39 Kg1 Rg2+ with a perpetual). So Black’s only move is:
36 ... Qg4!
T his seems to do the trick as 37 fxg4 loses to 37 ... Rg2+ (giving the king
more freedom by eliminating the h2-pawn before taking the queen) 38 Kh1
Rxh2+ 39 Kg1 Rxc8 40 Ng5+ Kxg3 41 Ne4+ Kh3 42 Ng5+ Kxg4 43 Kxh2
Kxg5 and Black is four pawns up.
However, in the game Jelen deflected the white rook first:
37 Ng5+! Rxg5
Forced.
38 fxg4 Rg2+ 39 Kh1
Now Black could force a draw by taking on h2 and checking on g2. But
Larsen is a great fighter. He first of all tried:
39 ... Rc5!
To see where White puts his queen. Now 40 Qd7 would compel Black to call
it a draw by checking on h2 and g2, as White’s threat of 41 gxh5+ is too strong.
Instead, Jelen was tempted by:
40 Qd8?
Threatening mate on h4.
40 ... Rxh2+ 41 Kg1 g5!
 Blocking the mate. Amazingly, this left White with no good defence against
the threat of 42 ... Rcc2 and 43 ... Rcg2 mate.
Jelen played 42 Rb1 and resigned (0-1 ) during the adjournment.
After 42 Rb1 Rcc2 the threat of 43 ... Rcg2+ 44 Kf1 Rh1 mate is decisive.
Other moves for White also lose; for example, 42 Qe8 Rcc2 43 Qxh5+ Kxg3 or
42 gxh5 Rcc2 43 Qd7+ g4, and in both cases a killer check is looming on g2.
There are various ways for White to give up his queen for a rook to avert mate,
but all lead to hopeless endgames.

Finally, here is what is perhaps the most famous attacking king march in the
entire history of chess. (I hope Nigel Short regards it as flattering to be called
“an old master”!)

N.Short-J.Timman
Tilburg 1991
 Black’s pieces are paralysed and his dark squares on the kingside are wide
open. After seeing the two games above, I hope you can spot how Nigel Short
decided the game:
32 Kg3! Rce8 33 Kf4 Bc8 34 Kg5 1-0
Timman resigned before the white king reached h6. If 34 ... Kh7 then 35 Rxf7+
is decisive, but I think the most pleasing finale is 35 Qxg6+ (a move Hillarp
Persson borrowed!) 35 ... Kh8 36 Qh6+ Kg8 37 Kf6 and mate on g7.
Chapter Nine
Wearing Down the Opponent’s Pawn
Structure
You might be thinking it’s all very well looking at examples of how to exploit an
advantage, but what if there is no advantage to begin with? Well, you have to
find a good plan and probe until the seeds of an advantage appear. This requires
logic and inventiveness on your part and at least some help from the opponent. If
he continues to play strong and accurate chess, you have to keep up with him
until he presents you with a chance. The chance may never come, but
determination coupled with high-class moves is often rewarded.
In this chapter we’ll look at various ways you can give yourself something to
build upon by undermining the opponent’s pawn structure. We’ll end with
examples of the perennial battle between dynamic and static features in a
position.

Swapping a Tempo for a Hole in the Opponent’s Centre

Spassky once remarked that Karpov was great at positional play because he was
also an avid stamp collector. A philatelist knows how to get the best of a deal by
swapping, say, a Buenos Aires 1851 one pence stamp for a Benjamin Franklin
1867 stamp. In the same way Karpov knows how to get the better of any deal on
the chessboard, whether it involves an exchange of pieces, or conceding a pawn
weakness in return for the bishop pair, or giving up the exchange to gain a
dominant knight plus a couple of pawns.
In the following game Gelfand turns out to be a stamp collector at heart, as
he is willing to concede a tempo to create a hole in Black’s centre – a brilliant
swap, as we shall see.

B.Gelfand-R.Edouard
European Team Championship, Heraklio 2017

1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 g3 d5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 Bg2 Nb6 7 0-0 Be7 8 a3
0-0 9 b4 Be6 10 Rb1 f6 11 b5 Nd4 12 e3 Nxf3+ 13 Bxf3 Rb8 14 d4 exd4 15
exd4 Qd7 16 Re1 Rfe8 17 a4 Bf7 18 a5 Nd5 19 Nxd5 Bxd5 20 Bf4 Rbc8
 It’s White to move. His advanced queenside pawns and the chance to exert
pressure on the c-file are favourable features for him, but these are balanced by
the defect of the IQP (Isolated Queen’s Pawn). Chances appear equal. But
Gelfand found a way to turn the IQP into an asset when he played:
21 Bg4! f5
No choice.
22 Bf3
Back again, but this isn’t a tacit offer of a draw as Edouard can’t move his
pawn back to f6. Therefore the e5-square has become available to the white
pieces and they exploit it straight away.
22 ... Bf6
On the subject of swapping, 22 ... Bxf3?! 23 Qxf3 Qxd4 24 Qxb7 is
obviously bad for Black, who is left with weak pawns on the queenside.
23 Be5!
The d4-pawn is no longer a mere static weakness but a pillar that provides
the bishop with a central post.
23 ... Bxe5?
The transformation of the IQP is complete as it becomes a well-supported
passed pawn. Edouard s trengthens the white pawns as he has evidently missed
Gelfand’s 26th move. He should try to stand his ground with 23 ... Re6, though
an exchanging sequence would increase White’s edge: 24 Bxd5 Qxd5 25 Bxf6
Rxf6 26 Re7 with pressure.
24 dxe5 Rcd8 25 Bxd5+ Qxd5
Black probably thought that after 26 Qxd5+ Rxd5 27 f4 Kf7 his active rook
on d5, which controls the open file and ties the rook on b1 to the defence of b5,
would compensate for White’s excellent e5-pawn.

26 Qc2!
Gelfand also knows how to profit from not exchanging. The point is that 26
... Rxe5 fails to 27 Red1! and Black loses a rook due to the skewer on his queen.
Meanwhile c7 and f5 are both hanging. Once the black queen retreats to defend
them, her opposite number will wreak havoc on the queenside.
26 ... Qf7 27 a6!
The correct pawn advance as it opens up c6 for the white queen and fixes c7
as a backward pawn.
27 ... b6 28 Qc6 Re6 29 Qb7
The infiltration by the white queen looks like it should end the game quickly,
but the French grandmaster uses his last chance to gain counterplay.
29 ... f4!

30 Rbc1!
Upon 30 Qxa7 fxg3 31 hxg3? Rf8! White is suddenly in huge trouble, as 32
f4 (if 32 Rf1 Qf3 33 Qb7 then 33 ... c6! and the threat of 34 ... Rh6 and mate on
h1 is decisive) 32 ... Rg6! 33 Kf2 (or 33 Re3 Qxf4) 33 ... Qa2+ 34 Kf3 Rxf4+!
35 gxf4 Qg2+ leads to a winning king hunt. Instead, 31 fxg3! is the correct
recapture, when after 31 ... Rd2 32 Rf1 Qh5 33 h4 Qxe5 34 Qa8+ Re8 35 Qf3 h6
36 Rf2 White has warded off the attack and stands to win.
So 30 Qxa7 wins with best play, but for a human rather than a computer it’s
unappealing to have the queen out of action on a7. Handing over the initiative to
the black pieces, even if the attack can be neutralized with precise moves, is not
a clean way to finish matters. Gelfand keeps his queen in the daylight and aims
to reduce the power of Black’s assault by putting a rook on the seventh rank. The
a7-pawn can wait.
30 ... fxg3 31 hxg3 Rf8 32 Rf1 Qh5 33 Rxc7 Rh6?
The attack on the h-file is easily beaten off. 33 ... Qxe5! offered more hope,
though after accurate play Black is forced into a horrible endgame: 34 Rd7! Rg6
35 Rfd1 Qxb5 36 Qd5+ Qxd5 37 R1xd5 Ra8 38 Rd8+ Rxd8 39 Rxd8+ Kf7 40
Rd7+ Kf6 41 Rxa7 Rg5 42 Rb7 Ra5 43 Rxb6+ and who would want to defend
this against Gelfand?
34 Qd5+!
If you see a good move, look for a better one. The intermediate check on d5
means that Black’s back rank becomes an issue. 34 Rxg7+?? Kh8 was to be
avoided, as White can’t stop 35 ... Qh2 mate without playing 35 Qg2 which loses
the rook on g7.
34 ... Kh8 35 Qg2

Now the white king is secure and the a7-pawn will drop to the rook.
35 ... Qxe5 36 Rxa7 Qxb5 37 Ra8!
We see here how wise it was to weaken Black’s back rank with 34 Qd5+!.
37 ... Rhf6 38 Qb7!
Accuracy to the end. After 38 a7 Qa6! Black can resist.
38 ... h5 39 a7 Qa5 40 Rc8!
The white queen has done some great things along the a8-h1 diagonal, such
as saving her king from mate and now forcing the passed pawn through.
40 ... Kh7 1-0
 Having reached the time control Black resigned, as White can promote the
pawn at once.

Exchanging Pieces to Accentuate the Weakness of a Pawn Structure

Mad.Andersen-J.Aagaard
Danish Championship, Skorping 2014

It’s Black to play.

Question: Can you see how the Danish grandmaster forced a series of
exchanges to get rid of White’s strong knight on e5 and gain control of the c-
file?

Answer: 23 ... Bb2! 24 Rxc6
The d4-pawn hangs if White retreats his rook. Strategy is built on small but
crucial tactical elements such as this.
24 ... Rbxc6 25 Nxc6 Qxc6
 Completing the first stage of his plan.
26 Be3

Guarding the c2-square and attacking the black bishop.

Question: What do you think Black should do now?

Answer: Black’s next step is to exchange off bishops.
26 ... Bc1!
This is a good idea for several reasons. The c1-square becomes a potential
invasion point on the c-file, as the white rook has its hands full defending the
second rank. Secondly, both the isolated d4-pawn and the f4-pawn lose a
defender. There remains one fewer piece to protect them as well as carry out
other tasks. As a general rule, it becomes more laborious to defend pawn
weaknesses as the number of pieces on the board declines. Finally, the chance of
White gaining any counterplay with a kingside assault is reduced by exchanges.
27 h3
The only active move. 27 f5 can be met by 27 ... Bxe3+ 28 Qxe3 Ng4,
planning 29 ... Qc1+, when White is in a bind. Therefore he defends the g4-
square.
27 ... Ne4!?
The third step is to occupy e4 or force another favourable exchange. But
perhaps 27 ... h5! was even stronger, intending to drive the white knight away
before putting his own horse on e4. For example, 28 Kh2 h4 29 Nf1 Ne4 leaves
White in a terrible mess.
28 Nxe4?
Capitulation. Once Black gets a protected passed pawn on e4, it’s essentially
over.
White is understandably demoralized by his miserable position. But I recall
Carlsen getting a vital draw in a World Championship match after messing up,
and then – in his own words – “switching to full grovel mode”. Here full grovel
mode could be implemented with 28 Re1! Bxe3+ 29 Qxe3 f5 30 Ne2, though to
be honest 30 ... Qa6! 31 Rc1 Rxc1+ 32 Nxc1 Qa3 looks pretty horrible for
White.
28 ... dxe4 29 Qd1 Bxe3+ 30 Rxe3 f5

Black has a host of positional advantages: control of the c4 file, protected

passed pawn, and targets on d4 and f4.
 31 Re2 Qd6
Eyeing both d4 and f4.
32 Rf2 Rc3!
The threat of 33 ... Rd3 means that White can’t hold onto both his loose
pawns. Aagaard’s main task now is to ensure he forces the win without giving
his opponent the semblance of counterplay.
33 Qh5 e3
After 33 ... Rc1+ 34 Kh2 e3 35 Rf3 e2 36 Qe8+ Kh7 37 Rg3 White mates in
two with 38 Qg6+ etc if the pawn queens. Black can win with 37 ... e5!,
guarding g6 before queening. But why give White the chance to threaten mate
when he can be kept passive?
34 Rf1 Qxd4

Here 34 ... Rc2 first is cleanest. For example, 35 Qf3 (or 35 Re1 Qxf4,
threatening mate in two) 35 ... e2 36 Re1 Qxd4+ 37 Qf2 Qd2 (threatening 38 ...
Rc1) 38 Kh2 Rxa2, when White is two pawns down and paralysed by the passed
pawn.
35 Kh2
Now it all ends smoothly for Black. White should try 35 Rd1, when he at
least has the d-file if the queen moves away. He even escapes all his troubles
after 35 ... Rd3? 36 Rxd3 Qxd3 37 Qe8+ Kh7 38 Qxe6. However, Black has a
forced win with 35 ... e2+! 36 Rxd4 e1Q+ 37 Kh2 Qg3+ 38 Kg1 Rc2! 39 Qf3
(the white queen has to defend g2) 39 ... Rc1+ 40 Rd1 Qxf3 41 gxf3 Rxd1+ and
White must resign. Still, I would recommend you avoid using long variations to
clinch winning positions when you have simpler methods at your disposal, just
in case there is a flaw in your calculations.
35 ... Kh7 36 Qf3 Qd2 37 Rd1 Rc1! 0-1
A neat sham queen sacrifice. After 38 Rxc1 Qxc1 there’s nothing for White
to do about 39 ... Qd2 and 40 ... e2.
A great game by GM Jacob Aagaard.

Undermining the Opponent’s Structure on Both Sides of the Board

Ni Hua-Zhou Jianchao
Chinese Championship, Xinghua Jiangsu 2009

It’s White to move.


Question: Take the chance to assess the position. The pawn structure
favours White. Can you give me three reasons why?

Answer: Firstly, White has more space due to his centre pawn being on c4
while Black’s centre pawn is on d6. This means he has been able to place his
rook on d5, whereas no black piece can get that far up the board. As a rule more
space means more flexibility and dynamism for the pieces. It’s simply a case of
having more squares available.
Secondly, the white pawns are split into two groups or
pawn islands, while the black pawns are split into three
groups. As a general rule, the fewer pawn islands the
better for your structure. If a pawn front is continuous, it
has more dynamism and the pawns can support each
other. It leaves fewer gaps for the enemy pieces to invade
and presents fewer targets. As Grandmaster Tartakower
once said: “an isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the
board.” A pawn structure that is becoming disjointed is
approaching that melancholy state.
The third advantage is more specific to the actual game position. Compare
the bishops. Black’s bishop controls a wide open diagonal, but so what? There is
nothing to attack along it. It is staring into space. It is difficult to see how it will
co-ordinate its action with the other pieces in any plan Black devises.
Now look at White’s bishop on e3. It has a ready-made target in the pawn on
b6 and beyond it the pawn on a7. It can co-ordinate its action with the other
pieces in arranging the pawn advance a2-a4-a5. Then Black will be left in
Tartakowerian gloom with a weak pawn on a7 after the exchange ... b6xa5 and
recapture Rxa5, or on b6 if he allows the exchange a5xb6 and ... a7xb6.
Naturally, White would have to do a lot of preparation to engineer a2-a4-a5 in an
effective way; for example, he doesn’t want his pawn on b3 to become a target
after the response ... b6xa5 and then ... Rfb8.
The pawn on b6 is like a hook that White can latch on
with a2-a4-a5. Needless to say you should be looking for
ways to exploit exposed pawns in your games. And when
you are the defender you should do your best to avoid
presenting your opponent with targets like this. A
thoughtless pawn move can be costly. Though in this
instance it’s fair to say that, if the black pawn were back
on b7, then White has another hook available to him: c4-
c5 to attack d6.
Let’s see how Ni Hua goes about exploiting his advantage.
26 Qe4

A good way to start. The queen is centralized and 26 ... Rf5?? would now
drop a rook to a discovered attack on a8 after 27 Rxf5. So Black replies with a
natural centralizing move of his own, though this means his queenside has few
defenders.
26 ... Rae8 27 Rcd1!
When you have a clear plan in mind which can’t be stopped by the opponent,
the first step is to prevent any counterplay. Here after 27 a4 Black could try a
break out with 27 ... e6 and then, after 28 Rdd1, he has 28 ... Rf5 or even 28 ...
d5, activating his game – the point of the latter move is that the white bishop
hangs on e3 after an exchange on d5. White doesn’t need to get involved in any
of this mess. With the game move Ni Hua stops 27 ... e6 as 28 Rxd6 is a trivial
win of a pawn. He also ensures that he can replace his well-placed rook on d5
with the other one after Black’s next move.
27 ... Rf5 28 a4 Bf6
Black solidifies. If now 29 a5, he can just take the pawn. Ni Hua found
another solution.
29 Rxf5 gxf5 30 Qd5+ Kh8

An interesting moment. After 31 a5 bxa5 32 Qxa5 Black can generate some

counterplay with a sequence such as 32 ... Rb8 (enticing the white rook to a
more vulnerable square) 33 Rd3 Qe6 34 Qxa7 Rg8. If it were Black’s move he
would now be winning after 35 ... f4, as neither 36 Bxf4 Qe2, hitting the white
rook and also g2, nor 36 Bf2 Qxh3 leaves White any hope. Of course it is White
to move, but even so why would he choose to give Black such an active
position? Instead, Ni Hua wants to clean up the kingside, so to speak: he doesn’t
want Black to have any local counterplay there. White wants to be the one with
the initiative on the kingside, not Black. He therefore played:
31 g4!
The elimination of the black f-pawn ensures there is no
future ... f5-f4 to disturb White. It also means that
White’s queen and rook are in contact with the kingside,
so Black can’t plot any counterplay there. In fact, it is
White who can build up an attack there. Jumping ahead
to the endgame, it will be seen that the mobile g-pawn is
also key in White’s winning plan.
31 ... fxg4 32 hxg4 Rg8 33 Kg2
The white king easily escapes the checks after 33 ... Rxg4+ 34 fxg4 Qxg4+
35 Kf1. Meanwhile, if Black waits with 33 ... Qc8, then 34 Rh1 already threatens
35 Rxh7+ Kxh7 36 Qh5+ Kg7 37 Bh6+ Kh7 38 Bf8 mate, while after 34 ... Rg7
35 Kf2 White has a strong kingside initiative to add to his other pressure. He can
turn the screw with moves like 36 Rh6 and 37 g5. Zhou Jianchao therefore
hastens to exchange queens.
33 ... Qe8 34 Qf5 Qg6 35 Rd5!
Once again White has a rook on d5. The simplification that Black undertakes
to ward off threats to his king will leave him helpless on the queenside.
35 ... Qxf5 36 Rxf5 Kg7 37 a5
The long-awaited breakthrough. Black’s resistance on the queenside is all the
weaker because Ni Hua took time out to crush potential counterplay and create
threats of his own on the kingside.
37 ... bxa5 38 Rxa5 Rb8

Question: What is White’s best move?

Answer: 39 Rb5!
Reducing the enemy rook to passivity as the a7-pawn is indefensible after 39
... Rxb5 40 cxb5.
39 ... Ra8 40 Rb7
Here we see the reward for Ni Hua’s circumspect play on the kingside. Black
can’t both save the a7-pawn and prevent White’s next move.
40 ... a5 41 g5 Bc3 42 Rxe7+ Kg8 43 Ba7
An elegant way to prevent the activation of the rook with 43 ... Rb8.
43 ... Bd2
Making things a bit easier for White, but it was already hopeless.
44 Bd4
Seizing the key diagonal, as Black loses the bishop if he takes on g5.
44 ... Rb8 45 Rg7+ Kf8 46 Rxh7 1-0
 Black loses his rook after 46 ... Bxg5 47 Rh8+, while upon 46 ... Rxb3 47 g6
the pawn is unstoppable. Note how the g-pawn has the last word.
Going back to move 31, a lot of players would have focused on the
queenside, but Ni Hua’s global play made the win a lot easier. This was a
strategic masterpiece by the Chinese grandmaster. You might not have
understood everything that happened, but you are feeding your chess
understanding some great positional ideas.

Combining Threats to the Enemy King and a Pawn Weakness

F.Caruana-S.Mamedyarov
Batumi Olympiad 2018
 Next up is a game between mega-minds: two 2800 Elo rated players battling
it out at the Olympiad. It is White to move.

Question: As usual, you might like to assess the position and try to find the
best move for White before reading on.

Answer: This is an example of a compromised pawn structure causing a
player serious problems. If you shift Black’s pawn from c4 to b5 and put his f-
pawn back on f7 then it is equal. But as things stand the f-pawn has abdicated its
duty of defending the black king’s second rank, and the isolated pawn on c4 is
also a potential target. If Black only had one of these flaws in his pawn chain, he
could defend without too many problems: for example, by itself the pawn on c4
isn’t much more of a weakness than White’s pawn on b2. It is only when it is
added to the issues that Black faces defending his king that it becomes a serious
problem.
Nonetheless, it will take inspired and determined play for Caruana to win
this game. He only has a queen and rook to attack Black’s king, and his own
king could become a victim if he is careless. Also, the exchange of either rook or
queen should surely lead to a draw unless White acquires a material or big
positional advantage in the process. Let’s see how the 2018 World
Championship challenger grinds down a very worthy opponent.
41 h5!
Instead, 41 Rd8+ Re8 achieves nothing for White. The correct first step is to
exchange on g6. There are two reasons:
1. It leaves g6 unprotected by a black pawn. This will tie down the black
queen or rook to its defence. Heavy pieces hate having to defend pawns.
2. White will in the future be able to use the open h-file for an attack.
41 ... Re8 42 hxg6 hxg6
After 42 ... Qxg6 43 Qf4 Black has an exposed king as well as four isolated
pawns.
43 Kf1!!

I love this simple move. If 43 Rd4??, White is mated in two moves by 43 ...
Re1+. So Caruana slides his king one square to guard his first rank and free his
rook for action. It doesn’t make a loud impression but how many players would
even have considered moving their king here?
43 ... Re6 44 Qh4!
 On this square the queen combines her role of attacking the king with
pressure on the c4-pawn. Definitely not 44 Qg5?? Qh1 mate, while 44 Rd4 is too
early in view of 44 ... Re4, as Black has good drawing chances in the queen
endgame after 45 Rxe4 fxe4 (but not 45 ... Qxe4? 46 Qxg6+). He faces a lot
more problems being attacked by both the white queen and rook.
44 ... Re8 45 Rd4!
Much stronger after White’s previous move. The c4-pawn is hanging and 45
... Re4 no longer works due to 46 Rd8+, when 46 ... Kf7 47 Qh7+ gives White a
decisive attack and – the crucial point of 44 Qh4 – 46 ... Re8 drops a pawn to 47
Rxe8+ Qxe8 48 Qxc4+.
45 ... Rc8
The upshot of Caruana’s skilful manoeuvring is that the black rook has been
forced to a passive square to keep his first rank and c4-pawn covered. This
means that White has time to get his pieces aligned for an attack down the h-file
without being obstructed by a defensive move like ... Re4.
46 Qh6! Qe6
Mamedyarov prepares to run with his king as he can’t stomach 46 ... Re8 47
Rh4 etc.
47 Rh4 Kf7 48 Qh7+ Kf6 49 Rd4
 White’s plan has been a success. The black king has been driven out of its
shelter and all Black can do is defend grimly against the threats. The next phase
sees Caruana probing until the black defences finally crack.
49 ... Qe7 50 Qh6 Kf7 51 Qd2!
A change of front. Caruana wants his rook on the h-file while the queen
infiltrates via the queenside. The overtaxed black pieces aren’t able to cope with
their fast-moving attackers.
51 ... Rc7 52 Rh4 Kf6 53 Qd4+! Qe5 54 Qb6+ Kg7 55 Qb8 Kf6 56 Qh8+
Ke6 57 Qg8+ Kf6 58 Rd4!
Having broken through to g8 with the queen, White now brings his rook to
invade on the d-file.
58 ... Qe7 59 Rd8 Kg5
After 59 ... Rd7 White has at least 60 Rxd7 Qxd7 61 Qxc4 with a winning
queen endgame. But now comes a tactical finish.
 60 f4+! Kh5
Both 60 ... Kg4 61 Qxg6+ and 60 ... Kh6 61 Rd2!, threatening mate on the h-
file, are hopeless for Black.
61 Rd2
Planning 62 Rh2+ Kg4 63 Qxg6+ etc.
61 ... Qg7 62 Rh2+ Kg4 63 Kg2!
A neat sham queen offer, intending 64 Rh4 mate. As White has so few pieces
to attack with, he has to use all his resources – including the f-pawn on the
previous move and here the king.
63 ... g5
Now how to end the game?
64 Qe8! 1-0
Threatening mate on e2, or if 64 ... gxf4 then 65 Qh5 mate.
This finish – with a mate either in the centre or on the kingside, according to
Black’s sad choice – is exemplary of the struggle that preceded it. The extreme
flexibility of the white queen and rook was too much for the passive black pieces
and their weakened structure. One of Caruana’s best games.
Converting Control of an Open File into Something More Tangible

I.Nepomniachtchi-I.Smirin
World Rapid Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2013

Question: Take a look at the diagram. How do you assess the position?
What is White’s best starting move?

Answer: White has the advantage due to his control of the d-file.
Nonetheless, Black looks very solid. The invasion point on d7 is well guarded by
the black knight, and White’s own horse on c3 is kept out of the b5- and d5-
squares by the pawn on c6.
Exchanging off pieces is often the way to escape pressure, and Smirin only
needs to get in ... Ree8 and ... Red8 to begin the process. Furthermore, given the
chance Black could play 23 ... Qb6!, threatening the b2-pawn and putting his
queen on a fruitful diagonal where it ties down the white queen to f2.
With these things in mind, Nepomniachtchi played:
 23 Qe3!
The white queen stops 23 ... Qb6 and takes control of the a7-g1 diagonal. In
general, a queen is often best placed on the third rank. There she is in the thick
of the action, where she needs to be if a plan is to be successful, but not too
exposed to attack as she would be further up the board. I called such a queen the
“Goldilocks Queen” in one of my previous books, as she isn’t too hot or too cold
on such a square. Former world champion Alekhine was particularly adept at
finding such safe but aggressive posts for his queen.
In his book Think Like a Grandmaster Kotov had another name for such a
move: “a creeping move”. He says it alters the position almost imperceptibly but
leads to a change in the assessment. Here the white queen has only moved one
square, but she has denied the black queen her own Goldilocks square on b6.
What’s more, should Black exchange off both pairs of rooks then the white
queen can go to c5 or a7, probing the black queenside. There might not be any
winning move for White, but it remains unpleasant for Black to defend.
23 ... Rae8
Smirin renounces the fight for the d-file. If 23 ... Ree8 24 Qc5 b6 (24 ...
Red8 drops the e5-pawn after exchanges on d8) 25 Qd6! Qxd6 26 Rxd6, White
maintains his grip and the c6-pawn is hanging.
24 Kg1!
One of the golden rules of position play is: do not hurry! White has no need
to rush as Black can’t neutralize the d-file. So Nepo improves his king’s position
slightly. Perhaps the opponent will get frustrated and weaken himself.
24 ... Qe7
The Israeli grandmaster decides to activate his own queen on b4. It is a
visually impressive square. But there is the drawback that the queen can be
harassed. Instead, Black could leave her sitting on c7 and defend quietly. But
how many players can bear to do that? Let your opponent stew in their own juice
when you have them in a positional grip. They might well do your own work for
you.
25 b3 Qb4 26 f3 g6
 27 Qd2!?
Abandoning the Goldilocks square. All of White’s pieces are excellently
placed, apart from the knight which has little scope. So the Russian grandmaster
devises a plan to bring it to c4, where it will attack both a5 and e5 and in some
cases hop into d6.
But there was actually a better post available for it on c5. After 27 Na2! Qe7
28 Qb6 Ra8 White has 29 R3d2!, freeing the d3-square, with the plan of Nc1-d3-
c5 and huge queenside pressure. If instead 27 ... Qa3 then 28 Nc1 Qb4 (to keep
the white queen out of b6) 29 R3d2! follows, with the same plan of Nd3-c5.
Perhaps Nepo missed the strength of R3d2 in these lines, clearing the way for
the knight’s manoeuvre.
27 ... Kg7 28 Nb1
The knight retreats as part of its journey via d2 to c4.
28 ... Qc5+ 29 Qf2 Qb4
After 29 ... Qxf2+? 30 Kxf2 Rc8 31 Na3! (aiming to go to c4 without
obstructing the rooks on the d-file) 31 ... b5 (so that c2 drops if White takes
twice on b5) 32 Rd8! Re8 33 R8d6 bxa4 34 bxa4 with 35 Nc4 looming, Black’s
queenside pawns are fatally weak.
 30 Nd2 b5!

As we have seen in the previous note, it is bad news for Black if the white
horse gets to c4. So Smirin guards the square and attacks a4.

Question: How do we keep control as White?

Answer: 31 Ra1!
Necessary restraint. It’s all about Black’s a-pawn. Nepo wants to keep it
fixed on a5 as a target. The exchange 31 axb5? is entirely wrong, as after 31 ...
cxb5 the pawn is suddenly dynamic and threatens to become a passed pawn with
32 ... a4.
31 ... Ra8
The battle has switched to the a-file.
32 Nb1?
Now that c4 is denied it the knight returns to c3. It is a better square than
before as there is now a pawn on b5 in attacking range. Besides, White wants to
secure the a4-pawn so that the rook on a1 can return to the open d-file.
Nonetheless, the quiet 32 Kh2!, intending 33 Qb6, 34 Nf1 and 35 Ne3, looks
a more troublesome plan for Black to face. Note that if 32 ... Ree8 33 Qb6 bxa4
34 Qxb4 axb4 35 bxa4, White keeps the initiative as his passed pawn can be
secured with 36 Nc4 and 37 a5. After the immediate 32 Qb6 Black can generate
counterplay with 32 ... h4! and 33 ... Nh5, intending 34 ... Nf4. Playing 32 Kh2
first cuts out a subsequent 35 ... Ne2+ if Black tries this line. But it is curious
that, after 32 Kh2, Black is also in a kind of zugzwang if he wants to keep the
plan of ... h5-h4 and ... Nh5 in place. For instance, 32 ... Ree8 33 Qb6 attacks c6
as it is no longer defended. Even a waiting move such as 32 ... Kg8 or 32 ... Kh7
puts the black king on a significantly worse square.
I hope you are starting to realize how difficult it is to find the best moves in
apparently “simple” positions. Overall, Nepo played brilliantly in this game, but
there are a couple of inaccuracies thrown in as well.
32 ... Ree8 33 Nc3 Reb8?
Black finally cracks. He was understandably worried about the b5-pawn, but
now was the chance to contest the d-file with 33 ... Red8!. For example, 34 Rad1
Rxd3 35 Rxd3 and:

Question: How does Black free his game?

Answer: A key move is 35 ... Nd7!, threatening 36 ... Nc5, when the a4-pawn
would drop. After 36 Rxd7 Qxc3 37 axb5 cxb5, in view of Black’s advancing a-
pawn White should call it a draw with 38 Qb6 a4 39 Rxf7+! Kxf7 40 Qb7+ Kf6
41 Qxa8, when Black gives perpetual with 41 ... Qe3+ 42 Kh2 Qf4+.
The move 35 ... Nd7 is a fairly simple tactic: White takes on d7, Black
recaptures on c3. Or if 36 Na2 then 36 ... Qe7 defends d7 with the better game.
But how hard to see it when you have been under pressure the whole game and
are perhaps in time trouble.
34 Rad1
Now White has his grip on the d-file again. Black can’t break through on the
queenside as 34 ... bxa4 35 Nxa4 just leaves him with broken pawns.
34 ... Rb7 35 Qe3
Back to the Goldilocks square. Nepo refuses to hurry. He is giving Black
every opportunity to lose his nerve.
35 ... h4?
And here is the mistake. Black’s frustration spills over. Instead, he should
continue defending with 35 ... Rc8 or 35 ... Qe7. The game move creates a
weakness on h4 and does nothing to defend his vulnerable third rank.
36 Rd6
Nepo immediately pounces.

Question: Can you see a clever but flawed way for Black to win the
exchange?
And what is White’s best response?

36 ... Rc8
Answer: Black can break the connection between the white rooks with the
interference move 36 ... Nd5. If you didn’t see it, you might like to think about
White’s reply before reading on. Remember this neat riposte if your opponent
has a pair of rampaging rooks.
After 37 exd5 Qxd6 38 Ne4 or 37 R6xd5 cxd5 38 Nxd5 White has the
initiative for his material, but it’s not clear. Instead, he has a powerful desperado
move – that is, he can sell the doomed rook on d6 for as much as he can get
before capturing on d5. This is done with 37 Rxg6+!, when after 37 ... fxg6 38
exd5 there is the threat of 39 Qxe5+, to say nothing of 39 dxc6. Or if 37 ... Kxg6,
then 38 exd5 leaves the black king horribly exposed. White has far too much for
the exchange. Note the power of the desperado move. Learn to give up anyway
doomed pieces for as much as possible. Even a pawn is better than nothing.
 37 Kh2
Note that 37 axb5 cxb5 38 Rxf6, to set up a knight fork after 38 ... Kxf6 39
Nd5+, is answered by 38 ... Qxc3.
However, the power of the third-rank or Goldilocks queen would have been
demonstrated in majestic style after 37 Na2! Qa3 38 Qc3!.

Now 38 ... Qxa2 39 Qxe5 is decisive as the knight is fatally pinned. Black is
losing a horde of pawns since a quick mate is looming on h8 after 39 ... Qxc2 40
Qxf6+ Kh7 41 Rd8. If instead 38 ... Re8, then 39 Rxf6! sets up a double attack
on b7 and f6 after 39 ... Kxf6 40 Qxc6+, or if 39 ... Qxa2 White can win a pawn
with 40 Qxc6 or even play the dainty 40 Kh2, keeping all his threats alive.

Question: Black’s most hard to crack defence is 38 ... Re7!.
How should White continue?

What follows is very complex. Feel free to move the pieces as part of your
training. You’re exploring ideas.
White builds his tactics on three threads:
1. The collapsing black queenside which gives White the chance to create a
passed pawn
2. The fact that, after Black plays ... Qxa2, there is the chance to trap the
queen with Ra1.
3. The latent pin on the black knight on f6 after Rd6 or Qxe5.
Answer: White can begin with 39 axb5! Qxa2 (what else? – the c6-pawn is
pinned). Now 40 Ra1? is a tragic mistake due to 40 ... cxb5!, when Black breaks
the pin and wins after 41 Qxc8 Qxa1+ or 41 Qe1 Qxc2 (fans of the desperado
tactic described above will at least play 41 Qxe5 to have a pawn for the doomed
queen after 41 ... Rxe5 42 Rxa2).
So White should play 40 Rxc6! Rxc6 (no choice) 41 bxc6. Now the threats
of 42 Ra1, trapping the queen, or 42 c7, winning loads of material, can only be
averted by 41 ... Rc7. I hope that, having seen the tragic 40 Ra1 above, you’ll
also see that 42 Ra1 falls for the same idea after 42 ... Rxc6!.
But with the black queen still out of the game on a2, and the black rook tied
down to stopping the passed pawn, White can switch to his third combinational
strand, namely the knight on f6: 42 Rd6!, threatening 43 Qxe5.

Moving the knight is hopeless: 42 ... Ne8 43 Qxe5+ Kf8 44 Rd8 Re7 45 Qh8
mate; or if 42 ... Nh5 43 Qxe5+ f6 then 44 Rxf6! Nxf6 45 Qxc7+ Kh6 46 Qe5
Nh7 47 Qc3 and the passed c-pawn sails through.
However, Black does have one tricky defence, namely 42 ... Qb1+ 43 Kh2
Re7!. Now upon 44 c7?? Nh5!!

White is suddenly lost as 45 c8Q Ng3 leaves him with no good way to stop
mate on h1. However, White can win with 44 Rxf6! (eliminating the danger
from the knight) 44 ... Kxf6 45 c7 Rxc7 (after 45 ... Qc1 46 c8Q Qf4+ 47 Kg1
Qc1+ 48 Kf2 there is no perpetual check) 46 Qxc7 and Black has a lost endgame
as he can’t avoid the loss of a second pawn; e.g. 46 ... Qa1 (to meet the threat of
47 Qd6+, winning the e-pawn) 47 Qd8+ Kg7 48 Qxh4.
It would have taken an extraordinary feat of calculation for Nepo to work out
all these winning lines. He would have had to rely on his intuition – a gut feeling
that his queenside passed pawns, plus the offside black queen and the weak
black king, would have amounted to a winning game for him. Very sensibly he
avoided the risk in the game and settled for the solid 37 Kh2.
37 ... Nd5
 Smirin hopes the interference move will work now.

Question: Should White continue with the desperado 38 Rxg6+ which
worked so well in the note to 36 ... Rc8 above?

38 exd5!
Answer: After 38 Rxg6+ Kxg6 39 exd5, due to his king sitting on h2, there is
now a nasty surprise for White: 39 ... Qf4+! exchanges queens, when White is
struggling to draw the exchange down after 40 Qxf4 exf4. The exchange of
queens can often break an attack. Always be watching out for this resource
whether you are the attacker who needs to avoid it or the defender looking for a
lifeline.
38 ... Qxd6 39 Ne4 Qb8 40 d6
 White is the whole exchange down, but he has a strong passed pawn, a well-
centralized rook and a beautiful knight which can act powerfully with his queen.
In contrast, Black has two passive rooks and a queen a long way from giving any
help to her monarch. It is no wonder that the black king’s already flimsy
defences soon crumble.
40 ... bxa4 41 Qg5 axb3 42 cxb3 Rb5
Black has managed to get one rook defending something. If 42 ... Rxb3 then
43 d7 Rd8 44 Qf6+ Kh6 45 Nd6 Rxd7 46 Nf5+ and mates next move.
43 Qf6+ Kg8 44 Qxh4 Kg7 45 Qf6+ Kg8 46 h4
 The humble h-pawn becomes a tiger.
46 ... Rd5 47 h5! gxh5
If 47 ... Rxd1 then 48 h6 will mate on g7 or h8 as Black chooses.
48 Qg5+ Kf8 49 Qh6+ 1-0
It’s mate in two beginning 49 ... Ke8 50 Nf6+.
A fine game by Nepomniachtchi and a great lesson in tactics and strategy.

The Initiative Versus the Superior Pawn Structure

Earlier in the book we’ve seen the power of the initiative. However, other factors
such as material balance and long-term positional chances can outweigh the
superior activity of one side’s pieces. And that is especially true when the
position has become simplified.
What follows is an extreme example of the adage that in order to break an
attack you should exchange queens.

Ba.Jobava-V.Topalov
Baku Olympiad 2016

Question: How do you assess the pawn structure, king safety, and piece
activity?
If either the queens or rooks were exchanged off, how would this alter your
evaluation? Who has the better game?

Answer: At first glance it might appear that Black has the better of the pawn
structure as White has an ugly hole on c4 and a backward pawn on c2. However,
if Jobava succeeded in exchanging off either the rooks or the queens there would
be no more danger to his king. In that case the pawn on b5 would be an
accessible target. Black’s doubled pawns mean that he is essentially a pawn
down in any struggle to create a passed pawn. In contrast, the white king would
be at hand to engineer a c2-c4 advance. So much for the weakness of the
backward pawn!
So Topalov should aim to keep the rooks and queens on the board. After 29
... Rc8, stopping 30 Re3 (as c2 would drop), the position looks balanced. Black
is a little passive, and White could try advancing his kingside pawns to expose
the black king. But here the doubled pawn, which is at a disadvantage in a battle
to create a passed pawn, shows its worth in adding an extra layer of defence to
the kingside. Therefore the position seems equal.
Instead, there came:
29 ... Qc4?
Topalov doesn’t want to wait quietly. He seeks an attack on the white king
via the eighth rank.
30 Re3!
Taking the chance to activate the rook. Now it is too late for 30 ... Rc8, as 31
Rc3 forces Black into an entirely hopeless pawn endgame. Or if 30 ... Rd2 then
31 Rc3 and b5 drops.
30 ... Qf1 31 Re2!
Nimble footwork by the white rook, which defends g2 and blocks the black
queen’s defence of b5.
31 ... Rd1
It has to be admitted that the black attack is looking dangerous, but GM
Jobava has everything under control.
32 Qxb5 Rb1+ 33 Kc3

 Question: If 33 ... Ra1 then 34 Re8+ exchanges queens and wins. But Black
also
has 33 ... Qc1, planning moves like 34 ... Qxa3+, 34 ... Qb2+, or 34 ... Rb3+.
How should White deal with this?

33 ... Kg7
Answer: A queen exchange would be absolutely fatal for Black, as White’s
queenside pawns would march forwards. After 33 ... Qc1 34 Re8+ Kg7 35 Qe5+
f6 (or 35 ... Kh6 36 Qe3+) 36 Re7+, Black will be mated or have to accept the
fatal exchange of queens with 36 ... Kh6 37 Qe3+.
34 Qe5+ Kh6 35 Qe3+ Kg7 36 Qf2!
Another unacceptable offer to exchange queens.
36 ... Qh1
The queen is driven to a ridiculous square, but 36 ... Qd1 37 Qd4+ again
exchanges queens, and 36 ... Qc1 37 Qd4+ is the same old story. Black will end
up mated unless he submits to 37 ... Kh6 38 Qd2+ etc.
37 Qd4+ Kh6 38 Re7!
My computer wants to play 38 Qf4+ Kg7 39 Kc4 Qf1 40 Qe5+ Kg8 41 Kc5,
but for a human it is much simpler to force the exchange of queens and rely on
the passed pawns.
 38 ... Qxg2
After 38 ... Ra1 39 Rxf7 Rxa3+ 40 Kc4 Qf1+ 41 Kc5 Black will be mated.
39 Qd2+
The long-desired queen swap.
39 ... Qxd2+ 40 Kxd2 Ra1 41 Re1!
Very nicely done. Jobava knows that a rook belongs behind a passed pawn.
41 ... Rxa3 42 b5 1-0
The pawn is unstoppable after 42 ... Ra2 43 Rb1.

The Initiative Versus an Extra Pawn – a Draw!

F.Caruana-Ma.Carlsen
St. Louis 2017
 It is Black to play.

Question: Have a go at finding his next move before reading on.

Our assessment might be that Black has a superior pawn structure but his
queen looks shut out of things on c5 and isn’t working with her rook. Let’s see
how Carlsen improved the co-ordination of his pieces.
Answer: 30 ... b3!
Black aims to clear the barriers in the way of the black queen. If now 31
cxb3? then 31 ... Qc1+ 32 Qf1 (after 32 Kh2 Rxf2 Black has an irresistible
attack) 32 ... Qxb2 gives Black a near winning endgame thanks to the protected
passed pawn on d4 and the white targets on b3 and f2.
31 Qxb3 d3
The point of his previous move: an attack is exposed on f2.
32 cxd3
Instead, 32 Qg8+ Kg6 33 Qe8+ is playing with fire for White, as after 33 ...
Kg5 there are no more good checks and f2 is going to fall to the black queen.
Caruana might even be able to use his king as an attacking weapon in the style of
Hillarp Persson (see Chapter Eight).
32 ... Qxf2+
Black has the satisfaction of probing for a win knowing that he can always
give perpetual check if necessary.
33 Kh2 Qf4+ 34 Kh1 Qc1+ 35 Kh2 Qf4+ 36 Kh1 Qg3
Threatening mate, but Caruana is prepared.
37 Qg8+
Active defence rather than 37 Ra1 Rf2 38 Rg1, when 38 ... Rd2 will regain
the pawn, leaving Black with whatever chances there are to win.
37 ... Kg6 38 Rf8
Defending f1 through the black rook: an X-ray defence. Now Caruana has to
submit to perpetual check.
38 ... Qxd3 39 Rxf6+ Kxf6 40 Qf8+ Ke6
Be a little careful with the king’s health. Going to g6 is mate in one, going to
g5 is mate in two.
41 Qe8+ Kf6 42 Qf8+ Ke6 43 Qe8+ ½-½

The Initiative Needs to be Restrained with Preventive Measures

V.Topalov-A.Giri
Shamkir 2018

It’s Black to play in a tense position. If Black allows the exchange of queens
then his attacking chances against the white king will dry up and his structural
weaknesses on a5 and c7 will be the main factor. Notice how, after 30 ... Qxa3?
31 Rxa3, the white king can no longer be described as a potential target on c2
and instead becomes a stout defender of the b3-pawn in the endgame.
 Giri has a keen sense of danger. He is aware that he must play actively or
eventually perish. The best way is 30 ... Qc6! 31 Nxa5 Qe6, when the queen is
well centralized on her Goldilocks square (see the Smirin game above). White
has an extra pawn but it is extraordinarily difficult to exploit it in the face of
Black’s dynamic pieces.
Black tried a different way to get counterplay but, unfortunately for him, he
miscalculated something.
30 ... a4?
Hoping for equality after 31 Qxc5? axb3+ 32 Kb2 Rxc5.
31 bxa4 Rb4
 This is Giri’s imaginative idea.

Question: Can you see how it can be refuted?

32 Rb1!
Cold-blooded defence. Topalov brings his passive rook into the game, after
which the pin on b4 means that Black loses the exchange for insufficient
compensation. It’s a different story after 32 cxb4? Rxb4! (but not 32 ... Qxc4+?
33 Qc3), when the white knight will fall, giving Black plenty of counterplay. In
fact 33 Kd1! then looks the best response for White, agreeing to a curious draw
by repetition after 33 ... Qg1+ 34 Kc2 Qc5! 35 Kd1.
32 ... Qxc4
Of course 32 ... Rxc4 drops the rook on b8.
33 Rxb4 Rxb4 34 Qxb4
The exchange of both of Black’s rooks has depleted his dynamism. But Giri
hasn’t given up yet.
34 ... Qa2+ 35 Qb2
He has to hand over the a-pawn as the white king can’t escape the checks
after 35 Kc1 Qa1+.
35 ... Qxa4+ 36 Qb3 Qa6 37 g3 Ne6

Question: Can you find the best move for White? (Topalov couldn’t!)

The exchange down without even a pawn for it is a big deficit in a simplified
position. Black has the following straws to cling to: White doesn’t have a passed
pawn; a queen and knight are a potent force attacking an exposed king; and (I’m
speculating here as I don’t know for sure) time trouble was afflicting Topalov.
After White’s next move another factor comes into play.
38 Qd5?
A very interesting moment. The Bulgarian grandmaster puts his queen on d5
to bar the black knight from c5.
Answer: With 38 h4!! he would be ready to answer 38 ... Nc5 with an attack
of his own: 39 Rd8+ Kh7 40 Qg8+ Kg6 41 h5+! Kxh5 42 Qxg7, when there is
no good way to stop mate on g4. After 42 ... Qa4+ 43 Kd2 or 42 ... Qa2+ 43 Kd1
Black will run out of checks in a couple of moves and have to resign.
Instead, after 38 ... Kh7 Topalov can dominate the black knight with 39
Qd5!, the difference being that it can’t go to g5 as in the game. Having deprived
his opponent of counterplay he could then improve his position at leisure. We
might describe 38 h4 as a high-class prophylaxis move.
38 ... Ng5!
Snatching his only chance to stay dynamic.
39 f4 Nf3 40 Rd1?!
After 40 Rf2! White is doing well, objectively speaking, but Black is fighting
hard with 40 ... exf4 41 gxf4 (not 41 Rxf3? Qe2+, picking up the rook) 41 ... c6!
42 Qb3 Ne1+ etc.
40 ... Qe2+ 41 Kb3?
There was still an edge for White with 41 Kc1 Qe3+ 42 Kb2.

Question: Can you see how Black now equalizes?

Answer: 41 ... Nd4+!
Cutting the intersection between White’s queen and rook. Therefore he has to
return the exchange, after which the queen endgame proves drawn.
42 Rxd4 exd4 43 Qxd4 Qxh2 44 Qd8+ Kh7 45 Qd3 Kh8 46 e5 fxe5 47 fxe5
Qg2 48 Qd8+ Kh7 49 Qd3+ ½-½
Chapter Ten
Practice Planning on a Grand Scale
In this chapter I’d like to show you how to think schematically. We’ll look at
some heavyweight strategy in games by Carlsen, Kasparov, Capablanca, and
others. The emphasis is on simplified positions with rooks as these offer clarity
as well as scope for deep planning. Once you understand the basics of schematic
thinking you can start applying it in your own games. I recommend looking at
the games of Karpov and other great players for more examples.

An Example of Step by Step Planning

I.Sokolov-Wang Yue
Nakhchivan 2011

White, to move, has a substantial positional advantage. His pawns are in two
compact groups while the black pawns are in four sickly clumps. His rook is
active while the black rook is going to have a miserable existence tied to the
defence of weak pawns. GM Ivan Sokolov carried out a masterful positional
plan which can be broken down into thirteen stages. Let’s see how he does it.
Step one: tie down the black rook to the defence of the c6-pawn.
31 Rc2 Rc7
Step two: prevent Black from getting rid of his weak e7-pawn with 32 ... Kf6
and 33 ... e5, or gaining more space for his rook with ... c6-c5.
32 Rc5!
Here the rook exerts maximum pressure both forwards and sideways.
32 ... Kf6
Step three: begin to activate the white king.
33 Kc2 Ke6
Step four: support the rook on c5 so it can’t be driven away by 34 ... Kd6.
34 b4!
A little care is needed: after 34 Kc3 Kd6 35 Kd4?! (35 b4! still keeps
control) 35 ... Rb7! 36 b3 Rb4+, the black rook has some freedom.
34 ... Kd7
Step five (moves 35-37): bring the king to the centre and consolidate White’s
grip on the queenside.
35 Kc3 Kd6 36 a3 e6 37 Kc4
 37 ... a6
If Wang Yue carries on waiting, Sokolov will manoeuvre his rook on a6.
Then Black will either lose to zugzwang or be forced into a hopeless pawn
endgame. For example, 37 ... Rc8 (37 ... Kd7 38 Ra5 Kd6 39 Ra6 transposes) 38
Ra5 Rc7 39 Ra6 Rb7 (after 39 ... e5 40 fxe5+ Kxe5 41 Kc5 the c6-pawn falls) 40
a4 Rc7 41 Kd4 Rb7 (or 41 ... Ke7 42 Kc5 Kd7 43 h3! and Black will run out of
pawn moves faster than White, after which he will have to concede the a7- or c6-
pawn) 42 b5 Rc7 43 Rxc6+! (stronger than playing to win a pawn with 43 bxc6
Rxc6 44 Rxa7, though White can change his mind with 44 Rxc6+!) 43 ... Rxc6
44 bxc6 Kxc6 45 Ke5 Kd7 46 Kf6 and White wins the pawn endgame.
To avoid these lines Black erects a new line of defence which keeps the
white rook out of a6.
Step six (moves 38-40): tie the black rook down to the a6-pawn and further
centralize the king to e4 where it guards f4.
38 Ra5 Ra7 39 Kd4 Ra8 40 Ke4 Ra7
Step seven (moves 41-43): with the f4-pawn safe from attack by ... Rf8,
advance the g-and h-pawns to gain space on the kingside.
41 g4 Ra8 42 h4 Ra7 43 g5 Ra8
 Step eight: manoeuvre the king to g4 to support the further advance h4-h5.
44 Kf3 Rf8

45 Kg4!
If you have your opponent in a bind, you should never allow him to muddy
the waters. It would be an abysmal decision for White to grab a pawn with 45
Rxa6? as after 45 ... e5 46 b5 Rxf4+ 47 Kg3 Kc5! 48 bxc6 Rf7 White’s c-pawn
is stopped, his king and rook are awkwardly placed, and Black has the passed e-
pawn for counterplay. Why give Black’s pieces any joy when you can keep them
tied down to defending pawns?
45 ... Ra8
Step nine (moves 46-47): advance the h-pawn to h6 where it fixes the h7-
pawn as a target and makes all pawn endgames hopeless for Black.
46 h5 Ra7
After 46 ... gxh5+ 47 Kxh5 Ra7 48 Kh6 Black is in a neat zugzwang. If he
moves a pawn, he loses it; if he moves his king, then h7 drops; and a rook move
costs a6 or h7. Black won’t get any real counterplay with 48 ... Rf7 49 Rxa6
Rxf4 50 Kxh7 as the g-pawn is too strong.
47 h6 Ra8
 Step ten (moves 48-50): having done its job in supporting the h-pawn the
white king is recentralized to e3.
48 Kg3
The immediate 48 Kf3 looks just as good, unless I’m missing a subtle finesse
here. In any case Sokolov has no need to hurry.
48 ... Ra7 49 Kf3 Ra8 50 Ke3 Ra7
Stage eleven: advance the a-pawn to threaten b4-b5.
51 a4

51 ... Rb7
Black jettisons the a-pawn as he sees no good way to stop 52 b5. Instead, 51
... Kc7 52 Kd4 Kb6 53 Ke5 Rf7 54 Rc5! is horrid for him. Here we see the
enormous strength of the pawn on h6. A possible finish is 54 ... Rf5+ 55 Kd6!
Rd5+ (or 55 ... Rxf4 56 Rxc6+ Kb7 57 Rc7+ and 58 Rxh7) 56 Kxe6 Rxc5 57
bxc5+ Kxc5 58 f5 gxf5 59 g6 hxg6 60 h7 and White wins.
Stage twelve (moves 52-55): win the a6- and h7-pawns in return for the
white ones on b4, f4 and a4. This is strategically a great bargain as g6 will soon
fall as well.
52 Rxa6 Rxb4 53 Ra7 e5 54 Rxh7!
 A very instructive decision. 54 fxe5+? would be a bad mistake, as after 54 ...
Kxe5 the black rook could get behind the h-pawn with ... Rh4 and the black king
can go to f5 to defend g6 and attack g5. It’s much better to give up f4 to leave
the white kingside pawns out of range of the black pieces.
54 ... exf4+ 55 Kf3 Rxa4
Stage thirteen (moves 56-64): create passed pawns, evade checks by the
black rook, and then promote the h-pawn.
56 Rg7 Ke5 57 Rxg6 Kf5 58 h7!

The decisive move, just at the moment when it looked like Black might be
getting some counterplay.
58 ... Ra3+ 59 Kf2 Ra2+
Black’s problem is that 59 ... Rh3 (or 59 ... Ra8 60 Rg8) 60 Rh6! blocks off
his rook and shepherds the pawn home. Therefore the white king can approach
the rook because his pieces on the kingside don’t need any help from him.
60 Ke1 Ra1+ 61 Kd2 Ra2+ 62 Kc3 Ra3+ 63 Kb2 Kxg6 64 h8Q 1-0
If White didn’t have a g-pawn it would be worth fighting on – see our section
on fortresses and rook versus queen in Chapter Twelve. Here, however, after 64
... Rg3 65 Qf6+ Kh7 (or if 65 ... Kh5 66 Qh6+ Kg4 67 g6, the g-pawn will also
cost Black his rook) 66 Qh6+ Kg8 67 g6, the black king is a mating target and to
save him Black will have to part with his rook.
A smooth positional masterpiece by Ivan Sokolov.

Getting a Winning Blueprint from a Great Player of the Past

Magnus Carlsen is an avowed fan of chess history. When asked which player
was nearest to him in his chess outlook he cited Reuben Fine, a leading US
grandmaster of the 1930s. However, I’d like to show you how it was Capablanca
who provided the Norwegian with just what he needed for a game played 76
years later.

I.Kan-J.R.Capablanca
Moscow 1936

It is Black to play. Capablanca could press on the queenside with 29 ... b4,
opening lines for his rooks, but all the white pieces are ready for this localized
breakthrough. If the defence is going to be stretched, the struggle has to be made
more global with action on both the kingside and queenside. So the former world
champion began with:
29 ... g5!
A famous strategic device is the minority attack . A numerically superior
pawn chain is rammed at an exposed point by an enemy pawn. The pawn
targeted is usually on a half-open file where it can be further harassed by an
enemy rook or the queen. Here it is on f3.
30 h3 h5
Now all is ready for ... g5-g4 at a good moment, when the three defenders on
f3, g2 and h3 are besieged by the g-pawn and h-pawn.
31 Rh1
Hoping to use the h-file in the event of ... g5-g4 and the exchange h3xg4 and
recapture ... h5xg4. Naturally, Capa doesn’t rush. He probes for a while.
31 ... Rd4+ 32 Ke2 Rg8 33 Rd3 Ra4 34 Rhd1
Giving up the attempt to deter the minority attack. If instead 34 Rd2, Black
could advance in the centre with 34 ... c6 35 Rhd1 Rd8, intending 36 ... d5. Or
he could whittle away at the queenside with 34 ... b4 35 axb4 Rxb4 36 b3 c4 37
bxc4 Rxc4, giving White an isolated c-pawn.
34 ... g4 35 hxg4 hxg4 36 Ke3 Rh8!
 37 Rb3
After 37 fxg4? Rg8 Black is sure to regain the g4-pawn, leaving White with
a double weakness on e4 and g2 rather than a single weakness on f3. It is almost
never the right idea to split the pawns up when facing a minority attack. Note
that 38 Kf3? makes things worse for White as 38 ... Rf8+ 39 Ke3 Rf4 costs him
the vital e-pawn at once.
37 ... Rh2! 38 Rd2
After 38 Rxb5 Rxg2 White’s structure is collapsing on both sides of the
board.
38 ... Rd4!
Intending 39 ... Rxd2 40 Kxd2 Rxg2+.
39 Re2 c6 40 Rc3

40 ... g3?
I recall Alekhine saying, in a critique of his great rival, that when
Capablanca met a long and determined resistance he sometimes missed his way.
Here on the last move of the time control he makes a slip which might have
thrown away all his good work up until this point.
Instead, after 40 ... Rh4! 41 Rd3 d5 (planning 42 ... gxf3, attacking e4, so
Kan is forced to capture on d5 sooner or later) 42 exd5+ cxd5 43 Rb3 gxf3 44
Kxf3 b4 White is being squashed by the black rooks and pawn centre.
41 Rd3?
The weakness of the g3-pawn gives White just one moment when he could
escape the worst with 41 f4!. Then 41 ... Rh4 42 fxe5 Rhxe4+ 43 Kf3 Rxe5 44
Rxe5+ Kxe5 45 Re3+ Kf5 46 Re2! seems to hold, as 46 ... Rg4 47 Re7 Rg6 48
b3 c4 49 bxc4 bxc4 50 a4 gives White counterplay, while 46 ... Rd1 47 Kxg3 c4
48 Kf3 also seems good enough for a draw.
41 ... Rh1!
Capa won’t give the white king a second chance to cross the f-file and nab
the g3-pawn.
42 f4 Rf1
Just in time. Now that it is safe from attack the advanced g-pawn is a
powerful asset for Black’s initiative.
43 f5+ Kf6 44 c3 Rxd3+ 45 Kxd3 d5!
Black’s centre finally flexes its muscles.
46 b3 c4+ 47 bxc4 bxc4+ 48 Ke3 Ra1

The rest is just a carve up.

 49 Kf3 Rxa3 50 Kxg3 Rxc3+ 51 Kh4 Rc1 52 g4 Rh1+
Stopping White’s only chance of counterplay with 53 g5+.
53 Kg3 d4 54 Ra2 d3 55 Kg2 Re1 56 Kf2 Rxe4 57 Kf3 0-1
After 57 ... Rd4 and 58 ... c3, the pawns roll through.

T.Radjabov-Ma.Carlsen
Moscow 2012

It’s Black to play. I hope you see the structural similarity between this
position and that in the Capablanca game above.

Question: Having had the chance to study that game, how do you evaluate
the position here? What should be the plan for Black?

Answer: The position might appear fairly even at first glance, but Black has
some significant pluses. Ironically, the centralized white rooks are passive, while
the black rooks are ready for action on their starting squares. Black’s bishop also
has more scope than its opposite number: the hole on b3 is an attractive post for
it.
As we learned in the previous game, the pawn structure favours Black. The
doubled c-pawns do him no harm: on the contrary they mean that White is
outnumbered when it comes to pawns in the centre. Black has a cluster of four
pawns between the c-file and f-file, whereas White only has three. And it is even
worse for White than this sounds, as Black also has a useful pawn on b5 to
utilize in a centre push. If the pawns become mobile White will be in serious
danger.
Carlsen began with:
22 ... h4!
He wants control of the h-file. Besides, if he delays this advance, White
could play 23 Rh1 and double his rooks with 24 Rh2 and 25 Rdh1, when the h5-
point becomes vulnerable to a strike with g3-g4.
23 gxh4
Hoping to relieve his game by the exchange of a pair of rooks. After 23 g4
g5 the pawns are fixed in a favourable manner for Black on the kingside. He can
switch to playing on the queenside and in the centre while always keeping an eye
out for a breakthrough with ... h4-h3 if the chance occurs.
23 ... Rxh4 24 Rh1 Rah8 25 Rxh4 Rxh4 26 Rc1 Rh2
Carlsen wants his rook on h8, its most flexible square, where it controls the
h-file and is also ready to go to the queenside. Before putting it there he takes the
chance to force the white king back a square.
27 Kf2
Not 27 Bf1 Rh1 with a pin.
27 ... Rh8 28 Ke3
Often in chess books, the defenders in these type of positions are described
as “ content to wait”. This suggests that they are oblivious to all danger and are
making quiet moves without a care in the world, until Capablanca or Carlsen
shows them the error of their Panglossian ways. In reality, I don’t think anyone
facing a genius of positional play ever feels complacent when they are reduced
to passive to-ing and fro-ing. If Radjabov could see a good and active plan for
White there would be no more waiting.
28 ... g5
Increasing his grip on f4 and preparing to ram f3 with ... g5-g4 at a good
moment.
29 Bd3

Question: How would Black like to rearrange his pawns to threaten a
break through in the centre on the d4-square? What preliminary king
manoeuvre is necessary to accomplish this? (Don’t worry if this is difficult
to fathom. I’m expecting you to play like Capablanca and Carlsen here!)

Answer: Black would like to get his formidable clump of centre pawns
rolling with the moves ... c6-c5-c4, ... c7-c6 and ... d6-d5. Then, with the help of
his king on c5 and rook on d8 (required if White has his king on e3 and rook on
d1, guarding d4), he can force through the advance ... d5-d4+, creating a
protected passed pawn. However, 29 ... c5 allows 30 Bxb5. He could defend b5
with 29 ... Rb8, planning 30 ... c5, but White would at once grab the open file
with 30 Rh1. Therefore it is the king who needs to carry out the defensive duty
on b5.
29 ... Kd7! 30 Ra1 Bb3!
Not allowing White any freedom after 30 ... Kc8 31 a4.
31 Rc1 Kc8 32 Kf2
Radjabov’s defensive task remains unpleasant after 32 c4, but that looks the
best try. For example, 32 ... Bxc4 33 Bxc4 bxc4 34 Rxc4 Kd7 35 Rc1 c5 36 Kd3
Rb8 37 Kc3 g4! 38 a4 (or 38 fxg4 Rg8 and 39 ... Rxg4) 38 ... Kc6 39 b3 Rh8.
Black maintains the pressure, but the passed a-pawn is a glimmer of hope for
White.
32 ... Kb7 33 Kg3
Again 33 c4 was worth a go, rather than waiting for Carlsen to demonstrate
his marvellous technique.
33 ... Be6 34 Ra1 Kb6 35 Rc1
Finally, the b5-pawn is defended and all is ready for the black centre to
unfurl – see the comment to 29 Bd3 for an outline of Black’s plan.
35 ... c5 36 Ra1 c4 37 Bc2 Kc5 38 Re1 c6 39 Bb1

After shuffling around, the rook decides to remain on e1 as a deterrent

against ... d6-d5, when the pawn swap e4xd5 and recapture ... c6xd5 would
allow Rxe5.

Question: So what is the next stage in Black’s plan? That is, how can he
get ... d6-d5 in without the problem of e5 hanging?

 39 ... Kb6!
The black king heads off on another walk, this time to f6. There it will
defend e5 and so facilitate the ... d6-d5 centre break.
40 Bc2 Kc7 41 Kf2 Kd7 42 a4
White can’t stand the slow death any longer and seeks counterplay on the a-
file.
42 ... bxa4 43 Ra1 Rb8!
But Carlsen is having none of it. He ties down the white rook to b2 before it
has the chance to break out.
44 Ra2 d5
With the white rook gone from e1 Black can power through the centre with
no more preparation.
45 exd5 cxd5 46 Bxa4+ Kd6 47 Bc2 d4

At last Black’s patient strategy has been rewarded with a protected passed
pawn.
48 Be4
After 48 cxd4 exd4 Black can play 49 ... Rb6 (to stop Ra6+) with the threat
of ... c4-c3, uncovering an attack on the white rook. Then b2 would drop.
 48 ... Rb6 49 Ke2 g4 50 fxg4
This leads to collapse as the white bishop loses the support of the f3-pawn in
holding the centre. The only chance was 50 Kd2 and 51 Kc1 to relieve the rook
of defending b2. Black might play 50 ... g3, when the advanced pawn stretches
the white defences further – even moves like ... Bh3 are in the offing. But I
suspect Carlsen would regard the pawn move as too hasty, and begin a third king
manoeuvre to g5 and try to infiltrate on the dark squares there.
50 ... Bxg4+ 51 Kd2 Be6!
Back again. A bishop exchange will open the way for the black juggernaut.
52 Kc2
Now Black gets connected passed pawns in the centre. After 52 Kc1 he’d
win by penetrating with the rook on the kingside and advancing his king: 52 ...
Bd5 53 Bxd5 Kxd5 54 cxd4 exd4 55 g4 Rf6 56 Ra8 Rf1+ 57 Kd2 Rf2+ 58 Kc1
Ke4 59 Rh8 Rg2 60 Rh4 Ke3 61 Rh3+ Ke2 (intending 62 ... d3) 62 Rh1 Rxg4
and the black rook and king will shepherd the passed pawn home.
52 ... Bd5 53 Bxd5 d3+!
An important in-between move (or zwischenzug). White is denied the chance
to shorten the pawn front after 53 ... Kxd5? 54 cxd4.
54 Kd2 Kxd5 55 Ke3 Rg6!
 Overstretching the white king, which can’t defend g2, stop the centre pawns,
and keep the black king out all at the same time.
56 Ra5+ Ke6 57 Ke4
Or 57 Rc5 Rxg2 58 Rxc4 d2 and queens, while 57 Kf2 Rf6+ 58 Ke1 Rf4,
intending 59 ... Re4+ and 60 ... Re2, is similar to the game.
57 ... Rg4+ 58 Kf3 Rf4+ 59 Ke3 Rf1 0-1
After 60 g4 Re1+ 61 Kd2 Re2+ 62 Kd1 e4 63 Rc5 Rxb2 64 Rxc4 Ke5, the
passed pawns annihilate White in a couple of moves.

I hope you see the value of studying classic games. Sometimes they are good for
inspiration, sometimes for a tactical idea or strategic nuance, and sometimes they
show you everything you have to do to win a game!

Planning a Breakthrough with Pawns

Chapter Eleven will be dedicated to the endgame concept of breaking through
the enemy defences to promote a pawn. Carlsen foresees such an outcome while
his pawns are no further advanced than the fourth rank.
B.Adhiban-Ma.Carlsen
Wijk aan Zee 2018

It is White to play.

Question: How would you assess the position? Who has the better pieces
and pawns?

Answer: At first glance the position looks good for White. He has a rook on
the seventh rank and Black has broken kingside pawns. Overall, the black pawns
are divided into four groups or pawn islands, while the white pawns are more
compact in only two groups.
However, all Black’s pieces are well placed and he has a target on b3. This
can be rammed with the pawn thrusts ... a5-a4 and ... c5-c4. The latter is
particularly potent as it will also attack White’s bishop. If Black succeeds in
breaking through the b3-point, his rook will have access to the seventh rank on
b2. Furthermore, Black’s centre pawns are mobile which facilitates the creation
of a passed pawn.
 Having looked more closely at the position we see that White’s rooks aren’t
well co-ordinated. The rook on e7 is cut off from the other white pieces and the
rook on f1 is rather passive. Also, White’s pawns are inert, just sitting there
waiting to be attacked or else doing nothing on the kingside.
This last thought suggests a way to improve White’s position. What about
playing 22 f4 to activate the kingside pawns?
Then if Black pushes his pawns too hastily he could get into trouble. For
example, 22 ... c4 23 Be2 a4 24 bxc4 dxc4 25 f5 Bd5 26 Rd1 c3 27 a3 and Black
is overextended. The white pieces are working together, the c3-pawn is
potentially weak, and 27 ... Rb2? now fails to 28 Bf3 with a pin on the d-file.
A better try for Black is 22 ... Kf8 23 Ra7 Ra8 24 Rxa8 Rxa8, preparing to
push on the a-file. But White can gain more space on the kingside with 25 g4,
when there might follow 25 ... a4 26 f5 Bd7 27 Kf2 axb3 28 axb3. Black has the
open a-file and can continue to try to make ... c5-c4 work, while White might
have to play Rc1 at some point. Still, with his king available to defend the
queenside pawns if necessary, Adhiban doesn’t seem to be in much danger.
22 Rd1
White delays utilizing his pawns: a risky approach.
22 ... c4 23 Be2 a4
Note the power of Black’s pincer-like attack on the b3-pawn.
24 bxa4
 Adhiban hopes that the passed a-pawn will give him counterplay. He is ready
to answer the invasion 24 ... Rb2? with 25 Bxc4!, exploiting the pin on the c-file.
24 ... Bf5?
And now it is the world champion who is too slow in using his pawns. Black
should press ahead with 24 ... d4!, after which his bishop defends the c4-pawn so
that 25 ... Rb2 becomes possible. It would then be imperative for White to start
pushing his pawns for counterplay: 25 f4! f5 (25 ... Rb2 26 f5! Bxf5 27 Bxc4
favours White) 26 g4! and here 26 ... d3! 27 cxd3 c3 is unclear but balanced:
Black is very active and has a dangerous passed pawn, but White is two pawns
up. You might like to analyse this line out as an endgame exercise.
25 Bf3?
White hopes his passed a-pawn will combine well with his bishop and rook
on the seventh, and so he permits Black’s next move.
Nonetheless, he should put a brake on Black’s pawns with 25 c3!. Perhaps he
feared 25 ... d4 (not 25 ... Rb2? 26 Bxc4 again), but then 26 Bxc4! dxc3 27
Rxd8+ Rxd8 28 Bb3! favours White (please don’t get sidetracked by the pawn
on f7!) after both 28 ... c2 29 Re1 (unluckily for Black two white pieces oppose
a rook invasion on d1) and 28 ... Rc8 29 Re1. The black passed pawn is (just)
stopped, so White has the better chances. Instead, Black could keep the tension
with 25 ... Ra8 or 25 ... Be6, though in the latter case it means White has got in
the useful move 25 c3 “for free”.
I hope you are beginning to see that a “simplified” position is not the same as
a “simple” position! Having a great feel for strategy doesn’t guarantee the
avoidance of mistakes, especially if moves have to be backed up by the
calculation of long variations.
25 ... d4
After the little blip everything is plain sailing for Magnus.
26 a5
Giving up c2 is rather desperate, but retreat with 26 Re2 looks unpleasant for
White after 26 ... Rb2.
26 ... Bxc2 27 Rc1 Rb1!

Whether this was mostly intuition or calculation, it’s a superb decision.

White’s advancing a-pawn looks scary, but Carlsen sees that his connected
passed pawns will have the last word.
28 Rxb1 Bxb1 29 Rc7
After 29 a6 Black can give up his rook for the passed a-pawn if necessary as
his pawns are queening: 29 ... c3! (first pushing the pawn which the white bishop
doesn’t oppose on its promotion square) 30 a7 c2 31 Rc7 d3 and 32 ... d2 will
win.
29 ... c3 30 Bd1 Ra8 31 Rc5 Bxa2
With White’s passed pawn going nowhere Black can afford to play slowly.
His bishop manoeuvre to e6 prepares another excellent exchanging move.
32 Bc2 Be6 33 Kf1 Rc8!

Now after 34 Rh5 (not 34 Rb5? Bc4+) 34 ... d3 35 Bxd3 Black doesn’t even
have to go in for 35 ... c2 36 Bxc2 Rxc2, as 35 ... Bc4! ensures that the pawn
promotes after either 36 Bxc4 c2 or 36 Ke2 c2!.
34 Rxc8+ Bxc8 35 Ke2 Ba6+
White’s passed pawn is neutralized and his king can’t get close enough to the
black passed pawns.
36 Kf3 d3 0-1

A Genius of Attack Versus a Genius of Defence

G.Kasparov-V.Anand
Linares 2003

It’s Black to play in a clash between world champions at the top of their
game.
White has a substantial space advantage on the kingside. This can be
increased by the pawn advance f3-f4-f5. His bishop has more potential as it can
support the kingside pawns. Besides, the black bishop is at least temporarily tied
down to the a5-pawn. If Black plays ... b7-b6, his queenside structure is fixed on
dark squares and could become a target of the white bishop.
Black has no constructive pawn breaks, while White has a clear plan of
advancing on the kingside. Therefore Anand came up with a time-honoured
recipe: reduce the pressure by exchanging off pieces .
28 ... Rxd1! 29 Kxd1!
Unfortunately for Black, Kasparov knows the rule too. Let’s consider 29
Rxd1?! Rd8 30 Rxd8+? (despite his previous move White can still keep chances
for an advantage by moving the rook away from the d-file) 30 ... Bxd8 31 f4 b6
32 Kd3 Kh7 33 Ke4 Kg8 34 f5.
 The position is visually impressive for White, but how do you break
through? The king is shut out. The bishop would love to get at the pawn on b6,
but as long as Black is a bit careful there is no way to reach it. For example, if 34
... Kh7 (34 ... Bg5 is simpler) 35 f6, Black should avoid 35 ... gxf6?? 36 exf6 as
the white bishop now has the e5-square. After 36 ... Bc7 37 Be5 Bd8 38 Bf4!
Black is in zugzwang. If the king moves then 39 Bxh6 creates an outside passed
pawn which will eventually win the day, while after 38 ... Bxf6 39 Bc7 the white
bishop will chop two black queenside pawns to create a passed pawn over there.
Instead, Black can keep the white bishop out with 35 ... g5. Other moves will do,
but this clarifies things straight away, as after 36 hxg6+ Kxg6 White can’t even
pretend to be making progress.
It’s very important to be aware of the concept of an unbreakable fortress. In
his Good Move Guide , Bent Larsen calls the total blocking up of a position
“shop shutting”. You might get an endgame with same-coloured bishops where
you have a great bishop because all your pawns are on the opposite colour to it,
while your opponent has a horrendous bishop with all its pawns on the same
colour. No matter: if the pawns are all locked together with no way through, it
can be a dead draw. Sometimes your bishop is too “good” for your own liking!
 You will find more examples of a fortress, including a stunning save in a
bishop endgame, in Chapter Twelve.
29 ... Rd8+
You might be wondering what the difference is between White recapturing
with the king and then having to move it away from the d-file and recapturing
with the rook and then moving it away after 29 ... Rd8. The next move provides
the answer.
30 Ke2!

Kasparov wants his king in the centre rather than on the queenside. It will be
nearer the action both as a defensive and attacking piece. If there is one golden
rule in the endgame, it is use your king .
30 ... Rd7 31 f4
It’s time for a kingside pawn advance.
31 ... Bd8!
Anand is a brilliant defender. He is adept at anticipating the plans of his
opponents and responding to them before they have even happened! The point of
this move is to put his bishop on g5. But will it be en prise there to the pawn on
f4? Not after Kasparov plays the move his strategy requires.
 32 f5 Bg5
The manoeuvre of the bishop has brought it to an active square just in time
before it is shut in by White’s next move.
33 f6!
A well-supported white pawn on f6 is often a thorn in Black’s side in the
middlegame where it creates direct threats to the king’s safety. In the endgame
the risk of mate has usually diminished, but such a pawn can incapacitate a king
by forcing it to stay in a passive role to prevent a breakthrough. After all, the
pawn is only two squares away from queening. White is definitely winning the
battle of the kings and pawns here.
Still, Anand has a rook and bishop on useful squares. Already we see activity
for him after 33 Bxa5? Rd4, hitting both c4 and g4. He can also hope that his
position proves to be an unbreakable fortress.
33 ... b6

Question: What is the next step in White’s plan?

Answer: 34 Ra1!
 An equally splendid response to the manoeuvre ... Bd8-g5. The rook will
attack b6 via a3 and b3.
Less experienced players might have casually played the pawn move b2-b3
at some point earlier in the game, thinking it looks neat and tidy and can’t do any
harm. Then later on they are deprived of the chance to activate their rook on the
b3-square. You should always avoid thoughtless pawn moves. You never know
how much they will cost you later in the game.
Here Anand sees there is no hope in trying to defend the queenside. Once
White’s rook gets to b3 he can’t reply to ... Rb7 or ... Rb8 with Bxa5, due to the
pin on the b-file.
34 ... Rd8!
Not a waiting move but the start of counterplay. Anand wants his rook to
have potential access to the e-file. Therefore, as the pawn on f6 prevents ... Re7,
he retreats it to d8 to have e8 available.
35 Ra3 gxf6!
Striving to gain maximum benefit from the white rook’s absence from the
centre.
36 Rb3!
After 36 exf6 White would win if he had Rd1 available to exchange off
rooks – remember our discussion at move 29 above about how the fortress fails
if the white bishop has access to f6. But here Black’s idea is to answer 36 exf6
with 36 ... e5!!, when 37 Bxe5? Re8 wins a piece (see now the value of 34 ...
Rd8!). If 37 Rb3, the black rook can defend b6 adequately with 37 ... Rd6 as
White no longer has a pawn on e5 . Finally, White has no time for Ra1 and Rd1,
rerouting the rook, because f6 is hanging.
36 ... Bf4
Another alert move. After 36 ... fxe5 37 Rxb6 Black’s central counterplay is
too slow.
37 Rxb6
Instead, 37 exf6 Rd6, intending 38 ... e5, is a solid defence for Black.
37 ... Bxe5
 38 Bxe5?!
The exchange of bishops eases Black’s game because his rook gets access to
the d4-square. Besides, as we know, all rook endings are drawn.
The way to cause Black the most problems was 38 Rc6 Bd4 39 Kd3!, getting
maximum value from the active king. Then 39 ... Bf2+ 40 Kc2 Kg7 41 Ra6 e5
42 Rxa5 e4 43 Ra6 Bd4 44 Be1! keeps the edge. Naturally, in probable time
trouble it would be hard even for Kasparov to work all this out. One slip and the
black e-pawn might even have put White in danger of defeat.
38 ... fxe5 39 Rb5 Rd4 40 Rxc5 Rxg4 41 b3 Rg3
Not allowing White three connected passed pawns with 42 Rxa5, though I
must admit Black’s pawns are as terrifying as White’s after 41 ... e4 42 Rxa5 f5.
42 Rxe5 Rxb3 43 Rxa5 f5 44 Ra8+
The white king is distracted from coming to the support of its pawns in view
of 44 Kd2 f4, while keeping the black king restrained with 44 Ra7 allows 44 ...
Rc3 45 Rc7 Ra3 46 Ra7 Rc3 with a draw. If White gives up either pawn, Black
takes it and then puts his rook behind the remaining pawn. As a general rule,
rooks belong behind passed pawns, whether they are their own or the
opponent’s. A rook is often uncomfortable when stuck in front of a passed pawn,
either defending it or stopping it advancing.
Bearing these thoughts in mind, the next few moves become easy to
understand.
44 ... Kg7 45 c5 Rc3 46 Rc8 Ra3 47 c6!
Kasparov sees the only chance is to give up the a-pawn.
47 ... Rxa4

Question: After 48 c7 Rc4 White can make no progress, but if the black king
were on f7 rather than g7 can you see a win for White after these moves?

48 Re8!
The rook frees itself from c8 and will be able to defend the c6-pawn from e6
where it also picks up the e6-pawn. At the same time it will tie down the black
king to the defence of h6. You can’t accuse Kasparov of not trying to the bitter
end!
Answer: If the black king were on f7 then, after 48 c7 Rc4, White has 49
Rh8! Rxc7 (or the pawn queens) 50 Rh7+, winning the rook through a skewer.
This trick is definitely worth knowing. It explains why Black chooses to keep his
king on g7 or h7 in this type of scenario, not giving the white rook the space to
go Rh8. As a general rule, pick g7 for your king and avoid going to f7 or the
third rank.
48 ... Rc4
Not 48 ... Kf7? 49 c7 or 48 ... Ra7? 49 Rxe6, which would win because the
black rook is badly placed – remember a rook should go behind a passed pawn.
49 Rxe6 f4
Black has just enough to hold despite the difference in activity of the kings.
50 Rg6+ Kh7 51 Kd3 Rc5 52 Kd4 Rc1 53 Ke4
If 53 Kd5 f3 54 Rf6 Rd1+ 55 Ke4 Rc1! then 56 Kxf3? loses to 56 ... Rf1+,
while 56 Rxf3 Rxc6 is a dead draw. So the key line is 56 Kd5 Rd1+ 57 Kc5
Rc1+ 58 Kb6 Rb1+ 59 Ka7 (or 59 Kc7 Rf1! 60 Kc8 f2) 59 ... Ra1+ 60 Kb8
Rb1+ 61 Kc8 Rf1! 62 c7 f2 and draws, since 63 Kd7 Rd1+ checks the king away
from the c-pawn, after which Black plays ... Rc1, or if the white king goes back
in front of the c-pawn, Black just queens. Note that the saving move for Black
here is 61 ... Rf1!, putting the rook in front of the pawn. Clearly there are
exceptions to every rule about where you should place your rooks!
53 ... Rc4+?
The way to draw was 53 ... Rc5! 54 Kxf4 Rxh5 55 Rd6 Rc5 – compare this
with the notes to 57 ... Kh8 below.
54 Kd5 Rc3
 55 Kd4?
It was time to reroute the rook to stop the advance of the f-pawn with 55
Rg1! f3 56 Rf1 Kg7, after which the king can advance: 57 Kd6 Rd3+ 58 Ke6!
(not obstructing the c-pawn) 58 ... Rc3 59 Kd7 Rd3+ 60 Kc8 Rc3 61 c7. Now if
the black rook leaves the third rank, then Rxf3 is simple. If it leaves the c-file,
say 61 ... Rd3, then 62 Rc1! prepares to move the king and then queen the pawn.
With the white rook defending the c-pawn, if Black starts checking, the white
king can simply approach the rook and capture it if necessary. Finally, if Black
waits with 61 ... Kh7, then 62 Rd1 (allowing the king to go to d7 without being
forced back in front of the pawn by a check) 62 ... f2 63 Kd8 wins after 63 ...
Rd3+ 64 Rxd3 f1Q 65 Rd7+ Kh8 66 c8Q.
55 ... Rc1 56 Ke4 Rc4+ 57 Kf3 Kh8?
A drastic collapse. Here 57 ... Rc5 would hold the draw; for example, 58 Kg4
f3 59 Kxf3 Rxh5 or 58 Kxf4 Rxh5 59 Rd6 Rc5 60 Ke4 (or 60 Re6 Kg7) 60 ...
Kg7 61 Kd4 Rc1 and the black king can head towards the c-pawn to block it;
e.g. 62 Re6 Kf7 63 Rxh6 Ke7.
58 Rxh6+ Kg7 59 Rd6 Kh7 60 Kg4 Kg7 61 Rd7+
 61 ... Kf6
It’s a straightforward win for White after 61 ... Kh6 62 c7 f3+ 63 Kxf3 Kxh5
as the black king is too far away from the passed pawn. For example, 64 Ke3
Kg6 65 Kd3 Rc1 66 Ke4 Kf6 67 Kd5 Rc2 68 Kd6 Rd2+ 69 Kc6 Rc2+ 70 Kb7
Rb2+ 71 Kc8 Rh2 (hoping for 72 Kd8?? Rh8 mate!) 72 Rd6+ Ke7 73 Rb6
(making a shelter for the king on the b-file) 73 ... Rc2 74 Kb8 Kd7 75 Rb7! and
the threat of promoting with double check decides.
62 c7 1-0
White can push the h-pawn after 62 ... Ke6 63 Rg7 Kf6 64 h6, when Black
would already be in zugzwang and have to give up the f-pawn.
I hope you can see how extraordinarily difficult it is to play rook and pawn
endgames. Overall, Kasparov and Anand played superbly, but they both made
big mistakes.

Keeping Control with Pragmatic Decisions

Ma.Carlsen-V.Potkin
European Cup, Porto Carras 2018
 It is Black to play. It appears that Potkin is doing pretty well against the
world champion. His queen and rook are active and the knight is hanging
ominously over the white kingside.
28 ... h5?

Question: Can you find White’s best reply and give some positional reasons
for playing it?

The march of the black pawn to h4 is visually impressive as it cramps
White’s kingside and prevents him from driving back the knight with a well-
timed g2-g3. However, Carlsen is able to show that it is an irrelevance. The
action is going to take place in the centre and on the queenside. Besides, in a
couple of moves the black knight is going to leave f4 voluntarily.
But the decision to play 28 ... h5 isn’t just bad because it is pointless. When
assessing the value of a move don’t just take into account what it does or doesn’t
do. Ask yourself which move is it taking the place of. Here we could substitute
the defensive 28 ... b6!, which stops White’s next move. We can sympathize with
Potkin not wanting to put the pawn in range of the white knight after a future
Nd5. However, White can’t establish his knight uncontested on the central
square; for example, if 29 Kh2 (intending g2-g3 at some moment – though that
itself would be double edged as it leaves a big hole on f3), then 29 ... Nd3 30
Nd5 Qd6+ 31 Kg1 Nb4! neutralizes the danger. After 32 Nxb4 cxb4 33 Qb2
Qc5! 34 Qxb4?! Rd1+ 35 Kh2 Black at the very least has 35 ... Rxb1 36 Qxb1
Qxf2 with equality.
Answer: 29 a5!
White creates an outpost for the rook on b6 and fixes the b7-pawn as a target.
He will also drive the black queen from her “Goldilocks square” (see the notes to
the Smirin game in Chapter Nine) on c6 where she puts pressure on g2.
29 ... h4?!
There is a proverb I’ve seen in Russian chess books that runs “when two men
do the same thing, it’s not the same thing.”
Notice that both players have pushed rook’s pawns. White is using his a-
pawn as part of a plan involving all his pieces. In contrast, Black has no follow-
up to the advance of the h-pawn: it proves a waste of precious time that could
have been used to shore up the queenside.
 30 Rb6
A sensible and pragmatic move. The white rook takes up its desirable
residence and evicts the black queen from her own pad on c6. A computer
program will tell you that 30 Qf5 gives White a bigger advantage, but perhaps
Carlsen was put off by 30 ... Ne2+ 31 Kh1 Re8, when Black has counterplay –
notably there is the threat of 32 ... Rxe3 33 fxe3 Ng3+. The computer is
unperturbed by all this and will continue 32 Nd5, ready to answer 32 ... Nd4
with 33 Qf4 followed 34 Qxh4, punishing the black pawn’s impulsive march by
capturing it. There are other tricky lines after 30 Qf5 as well. Carlsen doesn’t
want anything to do with it. Why speculate when he has a clear plan to increase
the pressure on the queenside? He keeps his queen back to defend the first and
second ranks.
30 ... Qd7 31 Qb2
Once again the computer suggests 31 Qf5. But besides 31 ... Qc7, Black
could try the line 31 ... Qxf5 32 Nxf5 Rd1+ 33 Kh2 Rd2 34 Rxb7 Rxf2 with
counterplay. It might not work for Black but it is messy and unnecessarily
forcing. The world champion prefers to probe to see whether his opponent
makes a positional blunder. He has cunningly placed his queen on b2 as bait for
the black horse.
31 ... Nd3
What could be more natural than transferring the knight with gain of time to
b4 to plug the open file? But as we shall see, the knight is badly placed on b4
and the pressure on b7 continues. 31 ... Qc7 was more resilient, so that if 32
Rxb7? then 32 ... Qxa5 equalizes, though White could respond with the same
plan as in the game.
32 Qb1!
 Carlsen has studied chess history in depth. I’m sure he has observed
Karpov’s speciality of bossing the opponent by keeping the queen on the first
rank.
32 ... Nb4?
Potkin is feeling the heat here and rushes to block the attack on b4. Instead, a
computer will say that 32 ... Qa4 is equal. But then 33 Rb5 leaves the black
queen shut in with only two squares available to it. Nor can the black knight
move as 34 Rxc5 follows. “No problem,” says the computer totally unperturbed:
“33 ... g6 is okay!” Nonetheless, it’s no surprise that a human player is unwilling
to have his queen boxed in on the a-file.
33 Qe4!
The barrier on b4 is bypassed. Black has no good way to defend b7, as if 33
... Nc6 then 34 a6 is decisive. Nor can Black afford to immobilize his rook as 33
... Rb8 34 Nf5 will give White a withering attack on his king (34 Qxh4 is also
good enough).
33 ... Qd4
Black’s last hope is that the adage “all rook endgames are drawn” proves
true. It doesn’t inspire you with much confidence when facing Magnus Carlsen!
 34 Qxd4 cxd4 35 Rxb4 dxe3 36 fxe3

36 ... Rd1+
If Black defends passively by keeping his rook on d7, White can put his king
on e2 and then play to swap his c-pawn for the b7-pawn to create a passed pawn
on the a-file. His task would be helped by c4-c5, exposing an attack on the h4-
pawn.
If the black rook opposed this by going to the c-file, the white king could
advance further to support the queenside pawns.
37 Kf2 Ra1 38 Rb5!
Keeping the dangerous a-pawn. After 38 Rxb7? Rxa5 Black would have
more hope as his king isn’t as far away from the c-pawn.
38 ... Ra2+ 39 Kf3 g6 40 c5 Kg7
It looks as if Black has set up a stout defence with the white king tied to g2
and the white rook having to guard a5.
41 Ke4!!
 One exclamation mark for courage, the other for exact calculation. It is the
final ignominy for Black’s plan of 28 ... h5 and 29 ... h4 that, even in the
endgame, the h-pawn proves irrelevant.
41 ... Rxg2
The only way to obtain counterplay. Waiting is hopeless with the white king
joining the show on the queenside; e.g. 41 ... g5 42 Rxb7 Rxa5 43 c6 Rc5 44 c7
Kf6 45 Kd4 Rc2 46 Kd5 etc.
42 Rxb7 g5
Or 42 ... Ra2 43 c6 Rxa5 44 c7 Rc5 45 Kd4 Rc1 46 Kd5 etc. The white king
goes up the board to support the passed pawn. If he is checked to c8 then Kb8
will allow him to promote next move as the rook on b7 shields him from further
checks.
43 c6 g4 44 c7 Rc2 45 Kd3
Here 45 a6 wins in the style of the game, but it’s a sensible precaution to get
the king away from a potential promotion on h1 with check.
45 ... Rc1 46 Kd2!
This move, however, is now vital. White has to force the black rook off the
eighth rank, as after 46 a6? gxh3 it is White who has to think about how to draw!
(It can be done with 47 Rb4!.)
46 ... Rc6 47 a6 gxh3 48 a7 h2 49 Rb1! 1-0

Black has run out of counterplay.

A strategic masterpiece by Carlsen. He kept probing throughout the
middlegame, setting his opponent problems on every move and never giving him
any chance for lively counterplay. And in the endgame he was supreme.
Yet, playing through the game with a computer program, you get the
impression that he let Black off the hook on several occasions. Computers don’t
understand the practicalities or the psychology of a struggle between two human
minds. We build our strategy on positional considerations, not relentless and
infallible calculation. If there is a bizarre-looking saving move for one of the
players buried in a sea of otherwise losing variations, it doesn’t mean that the
position between humans is equal. Likewise, certain strategic ideas, such as
burying our queen in enemy territory (see the comment to 32 ... Nb4 above)
seem too risky or make a bad impression, even if a computer assures us they are
fine.
Computers are great for finding the blunders and errors in calculation in your
games, but they don’t play like humans. Potkin was sliding downwards from
move 28 in the game above, but the computer will insist “nah, it was equal if he
had found 32 ... Qa4.” If you use a computer program to analyse one of your
games, be sceptical about its evaluation of the turning points – for example,
when it indicates the position goes from a small advantage to a big advantage.
The flow of a game for a human isn’t always the same as that for a computer.

Don’t Forget Tactics!

Just in case the discussion of strategy above has blunted your eye for a
combination, here’s a reminder that you can still be mated in the endgame.

Ding Liren-R.Mamedov
Shamkir 2018

It is White to move. Black is a pawn down but his rooks are poised to
conquer the f2-square. Ding Liren played the tricky 37 Ra7+ .

Question: As we shall see, 37 ... Kh6 loses for Black. Perhaps you would like
to
 work out how White wins before reading on.

Not 37 ... Rf7? 38 Rxf7+ Kxf7 39 Rxe4, which leaves Black two pawns
down. So the only good move is 37 ... Kf6!. Black has enough activity to hold on
after 38 Rf8+ Kg5 39 Rxf4 (or 39 Ra5+ Rf5) 39 ... Kxf4 etc, or if 39 h4+ then 39
... Kg4! is safest, keeping up the pressure on f2. Here 38 Kg3 Rf3+ 39 Kg4
Rfxf2 is also okay for Black.
In the game Mamedov played the natural:
37 ... Kh6?
Black was too trusting in his pressure on f2 to see him through. It’s also
possible he was in time pressure. There followed:
Answer: 38 Kg3!

38 ... Rf6
If 38 ... Rfxf2 39 Rh8+ Kg5 40 h4+ Kf6 41 Rf8+ Ke6 42 Rxf2, White has
won a rook. The same thing happens after 38 ... Rbxf2 39 Rh8+ Kg5 40 h4+ Kf6
41 Rf8+ Ke6 42 Rxf4, and again in the line 38 ... Kg5 39 h4+ Rxh4 40 Ra5+
Kh6 41 Kxh4. Otherwise, Black is mated after 38 ... g5 39 Re6+ Kh5 40 Rh7, or
similarly 38 ... Rf3+ 39 Kg4 g5 40 Re6+ etc.
 39 h4!
The h-pawn proves a deadly foe to the black king. The threat is mate on h8.
39 ... g5 40 Rh8+ Kg6 41 Rg8+ Kf5 42 Rxg5+ 1-0
It gets even worse than dropping g5, since 42 ... Ke6 43
Re5+ Kd6 44 Ra6+ wins the rook on f6.
 Chapter Eleven
Mastering Pawn Breakthroughs in Endgames
When all is said and done, there are only two chess strategies: checkmate the
enemy king or wear down his pieces and pawn structure so that you can
eventually queen a pawn. Of course checkmate should be the end of the second
strategy as well, but the game doesn’t usually get that far. In this chapter we’ll
look at techniques for guiding a pawn through the enemy defences.

A Direct Combinative Method

If there are queens on the board, a passed pawn might be pushed to its queening
square with the help of deft tactical play.

S.Volkov-N.Grandelius
Stockholm 2014
 It is White to play. Volkov forced his passed pawn through with:
33 Rc1! Qxa6 34 Rxc4
Removing the bishop to prevent 35 ... Be6 after his next move.
34 ... bxc4 35 Qh3!
The point.
35 ... c3 36 c8Q Qd3 37 Qhd7 e4 38 Qcb7 1-0
Note that there was a nasty trap to avoid: 33 Rd8?? Qxa6 34 c8Q Qa1+ and
White will be mated on f1! Don’t get carried away with your own ideas and miss
tactics for the opponent.

The Power of an Advanced Passed Pawn Supported by its King

A.Naiditsch-M.Nikolov
European Cup, Plovdiv 2010

It’s Black to play.

Question: How do you assess the position? Have a go at calculating some
 variations and then decide what you think is the best move for Black.

A possible assessment
Well, the first thing we ought to do in this imbalanced position is check the
number of pieces and pawns to see if either player has a material advantage. It
emerges that White is a piece and a pawn up. Incidentally, a strong player can
usually see at a glance if a player has an extra piece or more. It normally requires
a moment’s thought to realize a player is the exchange up or down. But the
number of pawns generally has to be checked, especially if there is a non-
symmetrical pawn structure, as here.
The next thought is, what pieces are hanging? Here White’s rook and the
black pawn on a6 are directly attacked.
What features are good for White? Obviously, his large material advantage!
He also has a passed pawn on e5 and a protected passed pawn on c4. Even if
Black gets all his material back, he faces disaster on the queenside in any
simplified endgame.
What features are good for Black? His bishop is able to capture the rook to
regain some material. He has a passed pawn way up the board supported by his
king and rook. It’s useful that the king can’t be immediately attacked and driven
away from its defence of the pawn by any of the white pieces.
Looking more closely, we see that the rook on e6 is paralysed: if it moves
from e6, say to f6, then ... Bxh3+ forces the f-pawn through and wins for Black.

Some calculation to find the best move

The white king is precariously placed on f1. We’ve seen that ... Bxh3+ is one
way to get at it if the white rook moves. What other ways are there? Well, if our
rook can get there, ... Re1+ would be mate. Let’s look at 38 ... Bxe6 39 Nxe6
Re8 to try and break through on the e-file. Alas, 40 Bd5! shuts us out from both
the d-file and e-file. (Alternatively, 40 Nd4 Rxe5 41 Ne2+ Kxh3 42 b4 is good
enough too. With the black king cut off from defending f2, there is no longer any
counterplay against White’s queenside pawns.)
Well, the e-file didn’t work for us. Let’s try to get through on the d-file with
38 ... Rd8. The threat is 39 ... Bxe6 40 Nxe6 Rd1+, queening the pawn, and 39
Rd6? Bxh3+ wins for Black. Nor does 39 Ke2 help White, as 39 ... Bxe6 40
Nxe6 Rd1! forces the pawn through. White only has one good response, namely
the familiar line-closing move 39 Bd5!. In this case Black can fight on with 39 ...
Rc8!, though White will win in the end if he plays precisely: 40 Bg2! (guarding
h3 to free his rook, which means that 40 ... Rd8 can be answered by 41 Rd6
since ... Bxh3+ is no longer on the cards) 40 ... Rxc7 41 Rd6 Bf5 42 Rd2 Rf7 43
e6! (giving up the e-pawn to allow his rook to drive the black king back and
eventually pick up the f2-pawn) 43 ... Bxe6 44 Rd3+ Kh4 45 Bd5! (another
instructive move which forces a very fast passed pawn to tie down the black
rook) 45 ... Bxd5 46 cxd5 g5 47 d6 Rd7 48 Kxf2 and White will win the
endgame by advancing his queenside pawns.
Well, the white bishop did a great job in all these lines by blocking the d-file
with Bd5!. Is there any way we can get the black rook into action on the d-file
without being obstructed by the bishop?
Having thought deeply, the solution suddenly dawns on us:
Answer: 38 ... Rf4!

There is no good way to prevent ... Rd4 and ... Rd1+.

Question: How does Black win after 39 Bg2 - ? You have to find a killer
idea!

39 Bd5
This time the bishop doesn’t shut out the black rook.
Answer: After 39 Bg2 Rd4 40 Rd6, it appears that White is holding, but
disaster strikes from another direction: 40 ... Rxd6 41 exd6 Bf5!!, when there is
no good defence to the check (actually mate!) on d3, since if 42 Ke2 then 42 ...
Kxg2 etc.
It is possible that Naiditsch lost because he missed this change of direction of
attack by the black bishop in his earlier calculations.
39 ... Rd4 40 Rf6 Rd1+ 41 Ke2 Re1+ 42 Kd2 Bf5! 0-1
An elegant interference move, after which the pawn will queen. Note that it
wasn’t too late for Black to lose after the impetuous 42 ... f1Q?? 43 Rxf1 Rxf1
44 e6 etc.

Exploiting the Weakness of a Bad Bishop

W.Burchert-D.Krause
Dortmund 1987

Question: Perhaps you’d like to try to find White’s winning plan before
reading on?

Here Black has the proverbial “bad” bishop whose freedom of movement is
impeded by his pawns being on the same colour it runs along. Still, White has to
find a plan to exploit the bishop’s lack of mobility as, although passive, it is
defending the base of Black’s pawn chains on both the queenside (a4) and
kingside (f7).
The white king is doing a good job on b4, attacking the a4-pawn and
preventing the black king becoming active. So we should leave him there. After
41 h3 Bb5 42 g4? (there’s still time to revert to the winning plan described
below) 42 ... h4!, Black fixes the white pawn on h3 and even threatens to win it
(and the game) with 43 ... Bf1. So much for the “bad” bishop! White could guard
against this with 43 Bg2 but after 43 ... Bd7, just waiting, he can’t make any
progress. White’s strategy has suffered a debacle because he has given himself a
weak pawn that his own bishop is tied down to.
Answer: The correct way to plan the win is:
41 h4!
At first this feels somewhat odd as, following his next move, White will have
an isolated h-pawn. But this is only temporary. The game continued:
41 ... Bb5 42 g4 hxg4 43 Bxg4 Bd7 44 h5 gxh5 45 Bxh5 Be8
Now we see the point of Burchert’s plan. He has removed all the barriers to a
direct attack by his bishop on f7. Now he clinches the win by adding further
pressure to the pawn:
 46 f5! Bd7
Or 46 ... exf5 47 e6 fxe6 48 Bxe8 and wins.
47 Bxf7 1-0
We finally get our pawn breakthrough after 47 ... exf5 48 e6, when the pawn
will cost Black his bishop.
Looking at the initial position you might think the win could prove difficult,
but it runs like clockwork once White finds the plan of 41 h4! and 42 g4.

Quality not Quantity of Pawns wins a Knight Endgame

De.Wagner-St.Berger
German Bundesliga 2013
 It’s Black to play. With very good judgment he returned the extra pawn:
53 ... g3! 54 hxg3

Question: Now what is Black’s best move?

Answer: 54 ... Ng4+!
Not so much to guard f2 as to keep the g3-square blocked. Thus 54 ... h3? 55
Kf2? Ng4+ 56 Kg1 Ke5 wins for Black, but White can save himself with 55 g4!,
clearing the way for both his knight and king to fight the advance of the h-pawn;
e.g. 55 ... Nxg4+ 56 Kf3 h2 57 Kg2 or 57 Ng3 draws.
55 Kf3 h3 !
White’s pawn on g3 is a liability as it denies his king and knight the square
they need to attack the h-pawn.
 56 Nd4

Question: After 56 Nd6, does 56 ... Ne3 win for Black?

Answer: After 56 Nd6 Ne3? White has the defence 57 e5+! Kxe5 58 Ne4; for
example, 58 ... h2 59 Nf2 Kd4 60 g4 Nd5 61 Kg3 Ke3 62 Nh1 and 63 Kxh2 with
a draw.
Instead, the careful 56 ... Ne5+! grinds out the win: 57 Kf2 Ke6 58 Nb7 g4
59 Nc5+ Kd6 (the black king advances towards the e4-pawn, which can’t be
defended by the white knight in the long run) 60 Nb7+ Kc6 61 Na5+ Kc5 62
Nb7+ Kd4 63 Nd6 Nc4! (forcing the knight away as the pawn endgame would
be intolerable for White) 64 Nf7 Kxe4 65 Nh6 Ne3 66 Kg1 Kf3 67 Kh2 Nf1+ 68
Kg1 Nxg3 and wins.
However, I should mention that knight plus pawn on the seventh rank is only
a draw in a scenario such as 69 Nxg4 Kxg4 70 Kh2 Nf5?! 71 Kg1 Kg3 72 Kh1
Nd4?! 73 Kg1 h2+?? 74 Kh1 and the best Black can do is stalemate. Be careful
of pushing the pawn too fast!
Black has various ways to win, by ousting the king or mating, if he keeps the
pawn on the sixth rank for a while. For example, instead of 73 ... h2+, he could
get the knight into position covering the h1-square: 73 ... Nc2 74 Kh1 Ne3 75
Kg1 Ng4 76 Kh1 and now 76 ... Nf2+ 77 Kg1 h2+ wins.
56 ... Ne3 57 e5+

Question: Should Black take the pawn?

57 ... Kg6!
Answer: No, as 57 ... Kxe5? 58 Kxe3 g4 allows White to escape with 59
Nf3+! gxf3 60 Kxf3 and draws. But now there’s nothing for White to do.
58 Kxe3 h2 0-1

Exploiting the ‘Colour Blindness’ of a Bishop

F.Caruana-Hou Yifan
Karlsruhe/Baden Baden 2018
 In knight versus bishop endgames when there are pawns on both sides of the
board, the bishop often shows its strength in outpacing the short-stepping knight.
But in endgames with pawns only on one side of the board the inability of a
bishop to control half of the squares can be a serious drawback.
The women’s world number one was very close to victory in the diagram
position. White has just played 64 Bb7 , attacking the a6-pawn. In the game Hou
Yifan responded with the obvious 64 ... a5 which looks pretty good, but
somehow Caruana succeeded in scraping a draw. (You can’t afford to miss any
chance against a 2800 player!)

Question: See if you can work out a win for Black after the
moves 64 ... Kd2! 65 Bxa6 .

Answer: It’s psychologically difficult to give back an extra pawn unless you
see a completely forced win. However, Black can break through the white
defences with 65 ... Nd3+! .
If now 66 cxd3 then 66 ... d4! and Black will promote on the c-file whether
or not White takes on d4; while after 66 Kb1 Ne1! the white king and bishop
don’t have enough squares and end up tripping over each other as they try to stop
Black creating a passed c-pawn. For example:
a) 67 Kb2 Nxc2 68 Bxb5 d4 69 cxd4 (or 69 Bxc4 dxc3+ 70 Ka2 Nd4 and the
pawn gets through) 69 ... c3+ 70 Ka2 (other squares don’t help, as you can
verify) 70 ... Nb4+! 71 axb4 c2 and wins.
b) 67 Bxb5 Kxc3 68 Ba4 Kd2 69 Kb2 d4 70 Kb1 Nxc2! (not the only way to
win but the simplest) 71 Bxc2 d3 72 Ba4 c3 and a pawn will queen.
In these variations the knight completely dominates the bishop.

The Weakness of the Knight Against an Advanced Rook’s Pawn

Mi.Matuszewski-C.Sandipan
Warsaw 2014

It is White to play.

Question: You might like to treat this as a puzzle before reading on, in which
case I’d like to ask: what happens after 55 Na6+ and can White do better
 with another move?

First of all, let’s see the way the game ended:
55 Na6+? Kxc6 56 Nxb8+ Kxb7 57 Nd7

57 ... Kc6!
Stopping the knight returning to b3 to head off the a-pawn. But take heed of
the important comment to 57 ... Kc7? below.
58 Ne5+ Kc7! 0-1
Going to c7 is the only way to stop any saving check or potential fork; for
example, 58 ... Kb7 allows 59 Nd3! a2 60 Nc5+ Kb6 61 Nb3, or similarly 58 ...
Kb5 59 Nxf3! a2 60 Nd4+ Kc4 61 Nc2.
Note that after 57 ... Kc7? (or other variations above where the knight gets
back to b3 or c2) White has a drawing method it’s a good idea to know: 58 Nc5
a2 59 Nb3 Kc6 60 Kxf3 Kd5 61 Ke3 Kc4 62 Na1 Kc3 63 Ke2 Kb2 64 Kd2!
Kxa1 65 Kc1 stalemate!
A knight is notoriously bad against an advanced a-pawn or h-pawn. It finds
itself short of manoeuvring squares when the action is at the edge of the board.
We saw above against the inferior 57 ... Kc7? that it still needed the help of a
stalemate defence to hold back the a2-pawn – if the white king had been further
away the horse wouldn’t have been able to cope.
Generally speaking, a bishop usually shows itself to be superior to the knight
in endgames with pawns on both wings, especially when the pawns are split up
and vulnerable to attack. However, in the initial position above we also see a
weakness of the bishop: if White could give up his knight for the a-pawn and
also play Kxf3 he could sit his king on h1 and it would be a draw. Even if he
then lost all his pawns it wouldn’t matter: the queening square is the wrong
colour for the bishop, so the king could only be stalemated, never driven from
h1. Most players know this book draw, but they often don’t notice the possibility
of simplifying into it from a more complex situation.
But how does the knight give itself up for the a-pawn? We’ve already seen
its ineptitude against a pawn on the edge. But as with the stalemate defence
above, the knight can rise to the occasion with help from the king:
Answer: 55 Nc2! a2 56 Kxf3 Kc4 (56 ... Kxc6 57 Nb4+ Kxb7 58 Nxa2 is a
simple draw) 57 Ke2 Kc3 58 Kd1 Be5 59 Na1 (59 Kc1 is also good enough) 59
... Kb2 60 Nc2 Bf4.

It looks like Black is winning due to zugzwang but White can save himself
with 61 c7! Bxc7 62 Kd2 (vital space for the king) 62 ... Be5 63 Kd3 Bf4 and
now the bishop is back again on f4, hoping for a new zugzwang, but White
escapes it with 64 Ke4!, when 64 ... Kxc2 65 Kxf4 a1Q 46 b8Q is a draw, while
64 ... Bb8 65 Kd3 is the same old story.
A very instructive endgame. Note that White went after the wrong piece in
the game: he should have targeted the dangerous a-pawn rather than Black’s
bishop. In the endgame the value of pieces can be turned upside down.
Admittedly, it’s always tempting to win a piece with a check.

Saving a Bad Endgame with the Threat to Promote

A.Valsecchi-N.Pert
Batumi Olympiad 2018

Question: First of all have a look at the position and decide on the
assessment.
What would you play as White?

Answer: It’s one of those occasions where it pays to keep it simple. After 52
Rxc4 White has every chance to win. His king and knight are well placed to stop
the passed h-pawns. Meanwhile, White’s monster passed d- and e-pawns are
poised to roll forwards.
The game might end 52 ... Bc6 53 Rb4+ (making the black king go away
from the passed pawns) 53 ... Ka7 54 Kh2 (no rush) 54 ... b6 55 Rd4 Kb7 56 e6
b5 57 d7 and 58 e7 will win, as 57 ... Bxd7 58 exd7 Kc6 59 Nd3! Rxd7 60 Ne5+
etc is hopeless for Black.
Instead, Valsecchi tried to be clever:
52 Ne6
After the black rook moves White intends to take on c4 as above with an
easy win. But he was shocked by the reply:
52 ... Bc6!!
Now Black is winning after 53 Nxd8 c3, as White’s rook is cut off from
attacking the c-pawn, and the king and knight are too far away to stop it.
White could still hold the balance with 53 Nd4 c3 54 Kh2, as occurs in the
game by transposition. But as usually happens when a player makes one mistake,
he follows it up with another:
53 Kh2? c3?
The adage “passed pawns must be pushed” usually works well, but here 53
... Re8! was the way to punish White, who either loses the e5-pawn or is obliged
to exchange rooks and enter a lost bishop versus knight endgame. Thus after 54
Nd4 Rxe5 55 Nxc6 bxc6 56 Re7 Rd5 Black will win with his extra material. Or
if 54 Re7 Rxe7 55 dxe7 c3, Black will win thanks to his active king, his widely
spaced passed pawns on the c- and h-files (which mean that the white king and
knight can’t combine their powers to hold them back, whereas the black king
and bishop can work together to oppose White’s clump of centre pawns), and the
superiority of the bishop over the knight. For example, 56 Nd4 Be8 57 Kxh3
Kc5 58 Nc2 Kd5 59 f4 Ke6 60 Nb4 Bg6 61 Kh4 Kf7! (but not 61 ... Kxe7? 62
Nd5+ Ke6 63 Nxc3, when Black has lost his star pawn) 62 e6+ Ke8 63 Na2 c2
64 Nc1 Kxe7 65 Kg5 Be4 66 f5 h4 67 Kxh4 Bxf5 68 Kg3 Kxe6 69 Kf4 b5 and
Black wins with his extra pawns.
54 Nd4
Now the game transposes back to 53 Nd4 c3 54 Kh2. There follows a
curious draw by repetition.
54 ... Kc5 55 Ne6+ Kb6 56 Nd4 Kc5 57 Ne6+ Kb6 58 Nd4 ½-½
Grandmaster Nick Pert had to endure a long and demoralizing defence in this
game, but it didn’t blunt his will to survive. He was alert to his one and only
saving chance 52 ... Bc6!!. You mustn’t give up hope in bad positions.

Breakthrough with Material Imbalance

D.Shahinyan-V.Golod
Poti 2014

It is White to move. In this double-edged position Black has a rook and a

pawn to balance the two white minor pieces. His rooks control the open d-file
and he has a strong protected passed pawn on c3. Meanwhile, White’s rook is
passive on c2, although it is guarding the second rank. The jury is out on
whether White’s passed pawn on f5 is strong or weak. It is isolated and
vulnerable to attack, but it might become strong if White can get his minor
pieces working with it.
If it were Black’s move he could invade with 48 ... Rxc2 49 Bxc2 Rd2 and
win a piece for the pawn after 50 Bb3 c2. Therefore White guarded the d2-
square again and attacked the black rook:
48 Ne4 a4!
 An unexpected breakthrough. Most players would be looking to utilize the
active rook with 48 ... Rd1+, but Golod sees that he can create passed pawns on
the queenside.
49 Bxa4
After 49 Rxd2 cxd2 50 Bd1, the breakthrough continues with 50 ... b3! 51
axb3 a3! (even better than 51 ... axb3) 52 Nc3 Re8!, when the white king is cut
off from approaching the pawn on d2. After 53 Kf2 Re1 the knight is overloaded
in its need to defend d1 and stop the a-pawn advancing; for example, 54 b4 Rxd1
55 Nxd1 a2 and wins, or 54 Be2 Rc1 55 Na2 Rc2 (simplest, as queening is
threatened as well as the knight).
49 ... Rxc2 50 Bxc2 Ra8 51 Ke2
Getting nearer the c-pawn, as if 51 Bb3 then 51 ... Rxa2!.
51 ... Rxa2 52 Kd3 Rb2

53 Ba4?
After this move the rook is able to show what it does so much better than a
knight or bishop: namely switch instantly to the other wing to attack pawns.
Instead, 53 Nc5! keeps the rook boxed in and should hold on with best play,
though it is an unpleasant task as the black king can be activated. Note that if
Black tried to get his rook over to the kingside immediately with 53 ... Ra2? then
54 f6! Ra1? 55 Bb3 is suddenly close to lost for him as the white minor pieces
are perfectly aligned to support and push their passed pawn.
After 53 Nc5! a possible line is 53 ... Kg7 (not 53 ... Kf7? 54 Na4! and the
rook is trapped, as if 54 ... Ra2?? then 55 Bb3+ wins) 54 Na4 Ra2 55 Nb6 Ra5
56 Kd4! Rb5 (ready for 57 ... b3, but White is prepared; if 55 ... Kf6 then 56
Nd5+ Kxf5 57 Nxb4 draws) 57 f6+! Kxf6 (or 57 ... Kf7 58 Bb3+) 58 Nd5+ Kf7
59 Kc4 Ra5 60 Nxb4 with a draw.
You can see from these lines that White has to use his knight not only to fight
Black’s queenside pawns but also to create counterplay with the pawn on f6. It
can be done, but it’s not easy.
53 ... Rh2 54 f6 Rxh3
The white pieces are too stretched to deal with black passed pawns so widely
apart.
55 Ke2 Rh2+ 56 Kd1 Ra2 57 Bb3 Ra5!
An excellent rook manoeuvre (from h3 to a5) by Golod. Now his rook
defends g5, allowing the h-pawn to advance. It is also well placed to prevent
Nc5 by White, which might have activated the f6-pawn.
58 Ke2 h5 59 Kd3 h4 60 Be6 Re5 61 Bg4 Rb5 62 Be6 b3!
 Another breakthrough. It leads to the exchange of the c3-pawn for f6, when
White no longer has any hope of counterplay.
63 Nxc3 Rb6 64 Bg4
Or 64 Bd5 h3.
64 ... Rxf6
Already threatening 65 ... h3!.
65 Kd2 Kg7 66 Kc1
Losing quickly, but 66 Na4 Rc6, followed by bringing the black king
forwards, is hopeless for White.
66 ... h3!
The final pawn breakthrough.
67 Bxh3 Rxf3 68 Ne4 Rxh3 69 Nxg5 Re3! 0-1
If the horse could join the king it would be a draw, but it is cut off and lost; e.g.
70 Kd2 Kg6 is good night to the knight.
Chapter Twelve
Understanding the Essentials of the Endgame
A knowledge of fortresses, the opposition, and other quirks of the endgame will
gain you a lot of unexpected points and half-points. On the very day that I’m
writing this a world-class player resigned in a drawn position because he had
overlooked the saving resource of a “book draw”.

A Book Draw with the Bishop

A.Giri-S.Shankland
Wijk aan Zee 2019

It is Black’s move. Giri has just played 45 b6.

Seeing that his knight is trapped and will be lost after 46 Kg4, Black
resigned . I expect Shankland knew it was a book draw if he could get his king
to a8, as it could never be driven out, only stalemated. But after 45 ... Kd6 46
Kg4 Kd7 47 Kxh3 Kc8 White can stop the king getting to a8 with 48 Bf4. Then
he can bring his own king up, drive the black king away and win the b7-pawn.
Or can he?! It turns out the position after 48 Bf4 is a draw. Black’s king can
go back and forth on the c8- and d8-squares, and any attempt to prevent him will
result in stalemate or allow his king to go to b8 and then a8 with another
inevitable stalemate.
Remember this scenario!

Mating with Knight and Bishop Against King

It’s possible you’ll never have to demonstrate any knowledge of this in your
entire chess career. Nonetheless, it’s worth practicing as it is excellent training in
the co-ordination of the pieces.
Grandmaster John Nunn got a round of applause from the spectators when he
managed to checkmate with knight and bishop against king with one minute on
his clock at a weekend tournament in England. Though, to be honest, a three-
time problem-solving world champion could probably work out a couple of
help-mates and self-mates at the same time.
GM Ray Robson also had to show his technique in the 2018 US
Championship:

R.Robson-V.Akobian
US Championship, St. Louis 2018
 The first step is to use the king, bishop and knight to force the black king to
the side of the board. With such an advantage in firepower this isn’t too hard to
achieve.
118 Kd4
A good start, taking the c5- and e5-squares away from the black king.
118 ... Kc6 119 Nc4 Kd7 120 Bg5 Kc6 121 Bf4
White has co-ordinated the action of his king and minor pieces and is now
ready to push the black king further back.
121 ... Kb7
Akobian knows that a checkmate can only be forced on the edge of the board
where the corner square is controlled by the bishop . Here the squares are a1 and
h8. If Robson had a light-squared bishop it would be a8 and h1. Therefore the
black king is quite happy to sit on a8 as it can never be mated there.
122 Kd5 Ka7 123 Kc6 Ka8 124 Be3!
 White’s next task is to drive the black king from the safety of a8 to a square
where it can be mated – i.e. a1 or h8. Robson has selected h8. According to a
computer, mating on a1 is faster. But, practically speaking, for a human it is
much more comfortable to look straight up the board as you prepare a mate on
h8 rather than having to gaze sideways and lower down to the a1-square. (I
recall the Romanian GM Mihai Suba moving his chair to the side of the board
when defending an endgame with king and rook versus king, rook and bishop.
All the pieces were grouped sideways on the left-hand side of the board. Suba
apologized to his opponent for disturbing him but said looking at the board from
the side was the only way he could see how to defend the position!)
Having chosen h8 for the mate, Robson takes the a7-square away from the
black king to stop him going forward. He has also avoided a perennial danger in
this endgame: 124 Kb6?? blocks in the black king too much as it’s stalemate.
Driving the king from the safe corner to the losing corner is a hard task.
That’s why you should stay in the centre but always head for the safe corner if
you are defending this endgame. Your opponent might not have the technique to
chase you to the other wing.
The difficulty here is that at some point the attacking king is going to be
lagging behind the fleeing king. This means the white knight and bishop are
going by themselves to have to ensure the black king doesn’t escape the mating
net until the white king catches up. You have to co-ordinate the action of knight
and bishop with some precision to achieve this. If not, the king will slip out into
the centre and you will have to start all over again. And don’t forget you only
have 50 moves to do it before the game is declared a draw.
124 ... Kb8
The white king and bishop are on good squares. What follows is a very
instructive manoeuvre to get the knight involved in the chase.
125 Nd6 Ka8 126 Nb5 Kb8 127 Nc7!
The knight bars the black king from a8. We have completed the first stage of
driving the king from a8 to h8.
127 ... Kc8
Now how do we stop the king returning to b8?
128 Ba7! Kd8
The bishop has done its job, but it can’t control the c8-square. Therefore we
need the help of the knight again.
129 Nd5! Ke8
It might seem as if this helps White’s task. But after 129 ... Kc8 130 Ne7+
Kd8 131 Kd6 the black king is forced along: 131 ... Ke8 132 Ke6 Kd8 133 Bb6+
Ke8 134 Nf5 (I hope this knight manoeuvre to oust the black king from a light
square is becoming familiar to you) 134 ... Kf8 135 Bc7! (just waiting to give a
check on g7 after Black’s next move) 135 ... Ke8 136 Ng7+ Kf8 137 Kf6 Kg8
138 Kg6 Kf8 139 Bd6+ Kg8 140 Nf5 Kh8 141 Be7 (notice again the power of a
waiting move by the bishop) 141 ... Kg8 142 Nh6+ Kh8 143 Bf6 mate.
In this sequence the black king never escaped the attentions of the white
king. This made the win relatively straightforward. Instead, Akobian’s king
voluntarily moves to e8 to try to outrun the enemy monarch and escape back into
the centre.
130 Kd6 Kf7
 A key moment. If White is at all careless then 131 ... Kg6 will follow, when
the black king breaks out to f5 or g5.
131 Ne7!
Another perfectly decent, though less efficient, way to erect a barrier is 131
Bf2 Kg6 132 Ke5 Kg5 133 Ne3! (notice how the white pieces are covering f4,
g4 and h4 to keep the black king locked into a group of squares near h8) 133 ...
Kh5 134 Kf5 Kh6 135 Nc4! (the black king has no way out on the h-file so the
knight is redeployed to e8 to drive him back from h5) 135 ... Kg7 136 Nd6 Kh6
(or 136 ... Kf8 137 Kf6) 137 Ne8 Kh5 138 Ng7+ Kh6 139 Kf6 Kh7 140 Kf7
Kh6 141 Be3+ Kh7 142 Ne6 Kh8 143 Bd2 Kh7 144 Nf8+ Kh8 145 Bc3 mate.
131 ... Kf6 132 Be3!
The only move as otherwise 132 ... Kg5 breaks free. But now the white
knight and bishop imprison the black king.
132 ... Kf7 133 Bg5!
A further restriction: the king is denied all squares on the third rank.
133 ... Ke8
Or 133 ... Kg7 134 Ke6 Kf8 135 Nf5! Ke8 136 Ng7+ Kf8 137 Kf6 Kg8 138
Ne6 with mate in a few moves.
 134 Nc6
The next step is to deny the king the f7-square.
134 ... Kf7 135 Ne5+ Ke8 136 Ke6

The hard work has been done. Thanks to some nimble knight moves and
good bishop placement, the black king hasn’t been able to break out before the
arrival of the white king. Therefore he is inexorably driven to his death cell on
h8.
136 ... Kf8 137 Kd7
Taking away the e8-square.
137 ... Kg7 138 Ke7
And now the f8-square.
138 ... Kg8 139 Bh6
And there goes g7.
139 ... Kh7 140 Bf8 Kg8 141 Ng4
The knight removes the last light-squared resistance.
141 ... Kh7 142 Kf7 Kh8 143 Bg7+ Kh7 144 Nf6 mate
A slightly unusual finish in that mate usually takes place with the bishop –
see the notes to moves 129 and 131 above.
Rook Versus Pawn

A.Gara-I.Krush
Batumi Olympiad 2018

White to play. Sometimes a king and pawn can draw against a king and rook
if the circumstances are right.

Question: Can you work out how this position (from Hungary versus USA at
the 2018 Women’s Olympiad) should end with best play?

Answer: White is winning. IM Anita Gara began with:
107 Ke5
This is good enough but it makes the win quite tricky. Whereas 107 Rg8! is
much easier as the black king is restricted: 107 ... Kh2 108 Ke5 h3 109 Kf4 Kh1
110 Kg3 h2 and now 111 Rh8 picks up the h2-pawn, though 111 Ra8 followed
by mate in one is faster.
 107 ... Kg3 108 Rg8+?
Now Black escapes. After 108 Ra3+! Kg2?! 109 Kf4 h3 110 Ra2+ Kg1 111
Kg3 White wins straightforwardly, but 108 ... Kg4! offers more resistance as it
keeps the white king out for the moment. Then 109 Ra4+! is the only way to
win.

Now 109 ... Kh5 110 Kf4 is trivial, while after 109 ... Kg3 White can edge
her king down the board: 110 Kf5 h3 111 Ra3+ Kg2 (or 111 ... Kh4 112 Kf4 h2
113 Ra1 Kh3 114 Kf3 Kh4 115 Kg2) 112 Kg4 h2 113 Ra2+ Kg1 114 Kg3
(threatening mate) 114 ... h1NN+ 115 Kf3 and White wins the knight next move.
The best chance is 109 ... Kg5. In contrast to the game, checking from g8
with the rook will now win. Black’s king has been pushed back to g5 and so the
white king can keep up with him in the race down the board: 110 Ra8! Kg4 111
Ke4 Kg3 112 Ke3 h3 113 Rg8+ Kh2 114 Kf2 Kh1 and now 115 Kg3 h2 116 Rh8
wins the pawn, while 115 Rg1+! Kh2 116 Rg3 mates next move.
Another way to begin is 108 Kf5! h3 109 Ra3+ etc.
In summary, White’s winning procedure involves first checking the king
from the side. If it goes forwards nearer its pawn, then it opens up a gap for the
white king to edge nearer and stop the pawn in time. If the black king keeps
going backwards to block the white king’s approach, it loses time. Therefore
White can switch to checking on g8, as her king will be able to keep up with the
black king in a new race forwards.
108 ... Kf3!
GM Irina Krush finds the only drawing move. The white king has to be kept
from approaching. Thus 108 ... Kf2? 109 Kf4 wins in the style of the previous
note: 109 ... h3 110 Ra8 h2 111 Ra2+ Kg1 112 Kg3 h1N+ 113 Kf3 Nf2 114
Ra1+ wins the knight.
109 Rh8 Kg3 110 Ke4
White’s king needs to be on e3 already for it to be winning.
110 ... h3 111 Ke3

111 ... Kg2!

Again the white king must be kept out. Black loses after 111 ... h2 112 Rg8+
Kh3 as the white king enters the fray: 113 Kf2 h1N+ (113 ... h1Q 114 Ra8+ wins
the queen) 114 Kf3 Kh2 115 Rg7 with zugzwang – moving the knight loses it,
moving the king allows mate.
112 Rg8+ Kf1!
Not 112 ... Kh1? 113 Kf2.
 113 Rf8+
Or 113 Kf3 h2 114 Rh8 Kg1.
113 ... Kg1 114 Ke2 h2 115 Rg8+ Kh1 116 Ra8
White can only stalemate with 116 Kf2, not checkmate.
116 ... Kg2 117 Rg8+ Kh1 118 Kf2 ½-½
There were only four pieces on the board, but it was very easy to go wrong.
That’s why you have to have some idea of endgame technique before you sit
down at the board. You are also likely to be short of time and/or exhausted when
you reach such a position – as you can see, this game was well over 100 moves
long!

The Lucena Position and Philidor’s Draw

There are two theoretical rook and pawn endgames it is vital to have studied.
The first is the Lucena Position .

The black pieces are doing a good job keeping the white king stuck in front
of the pawn. But the blockade can be broken if you know the key idea:
1 Rf1+
Chasing the black king away to gain access to e7 for his own king.
 1 ... Kg7
If 1 ... Ke6, the white king slips out at once with 2 Ke8. After 1 ... Kg7 White
gets nowhere with the immediate 2 Ke7 as 2 ... Re2+ 3 Kd6 Rd2+ will keep
checking until the king is forced back in front of the pawn. But playing the rook
to the fourth rank will provide the king with the shelter it needs to escape the
checks:
2 Rf4! Rc1 3 Ke7 Re1+ 4 Kd6 Rd1+ 5 Ke6 Re1+ 6 Kd5 Rd1+ 7 Rd4!
The point: the rook shelters the king, enabling the pawn to promote.

That was relatively straightforward. More complex is Philidor’s Draw .

A.Stefanova-N.McDonald
British League 2013

Here Black has to defend with some precision to achieve a draw. He starts by
moving his king to the e-file to block the passed pawn:
46 ... Kf7 47 Rc6 Ke7 48 Rc7+
The optimum placement for the rook, where it restricts the black king to the
back rank.
48 ... Ke8 49 e4 Ra6!
The key to the defence. Black restrains the white king by preventing it from
advancing to its sixth rank. This becomes important once the white pawn has
reached e5.
50 Kf5 Rb6!
Black will keep the rook on the third rank until White plays the pawn to e6.
51 e5

51 ... Ra6
Reaching the standard Philidor’s draw position. Continuing to wait is the
simplest.
Black can also draw with 51 ... Rb1 52 Kf6 Re1! (if in doubt, go behind the
passed pawn) 53 Ke6 (after 53 e6 Rf1+ the rook keeps on checking as in the
game) 53 ... Kf8 54 Rc8+ (or 54 Ra7 Re2, waiting) 54 ... Kg7 55 Kd6 Kf7!,
stopping 56 e6+, and White can’t make progress.
This secondary defence of going behind the pawn is well worth knowing in
case you reach a scenario where your opponent’s king has already reached the
sixth rank. For example, after 52 Kf6 here, it’s too late to draw by putting the
rook back on b6 as the white king has already broken through. Thus 52 ... Rb6+?
would lose to 53 e6, when White has got the pawn to e6 and the king to f6
without the black rook being positioned to check his king from behind. After 53
... Kd8 (or 53 ... Rb8 54 Rh7) 54 Ra7 Rb8 55 Kf7 the e-pawn will promote.
52 e6 Ra1!
Not 52 ... Rb6? or 52 ... Ra8? which both lose to 53 Kf6.
53 Kf6 ½-½
And a draw was agreed. Because the white king can no longer hide on e6
there is no good way to escape from continuous checks by the black rook; e.g.
53 ... Rf1+ 54 Ke5 Re1+ 55 Kd6 Rd1+ etc.

The Vancura Draw

N.McDonald-Z.Varney
British League 2018

Here White wins easily with 57 Rd6!, taking the chance to free his rook from
the awkward square in front of his passed a-pawn. For example, 57 ... Ra3 58 a6
Kg8 59 Kd2 Kh7 60 Kc2 Kh8 61 Kb2 Ra5 62 Kb3 and the white king will
advance up the board to queen the pawn.
Instead, I carelessly played:
57 Kd2?
And this is the way the game ended:
57 ... Ra3? 58 Kc2 Kh8
If 58 ... Rf3, I hope I would have seen sense and played 59 Rd6!.
59 Kb2 Ra4 60 Kb3 Ra1 61 Kb4 Kh7
Or 61 ... Rb1+ 62 Kc5 Rc1+ 63 Kb6 Rb1+ 64 Kc7 Ra1 (if 64 ... Rc1+ then
65 Rc6 shelters the king and White wins by pushing the a-pawn) 65 Ra8+ Kh7
66 a6 Kxh6 67 Kb7 Rb1+ 68 Ka7 Kg7 69 Rb8 Ra1 70 Kb7 Rb1+ 71 Ka8 Ra1
72 a7 Kh7 73 Kb7 and wins.
62 Rd6 Rb1+ 63 Kc5 Rb2 64 a6 Rb1 65 a7 Rc1+ 66 Kb6 Rb1+ 67 Kc7
Rc1+ 68 Kb7 Rb1+ 69 Rb6 Rc1 70 a8Q Rc7+!?
Hoping for 71 Kxc7?? with stalemate.
71 Ka6 1-0

With 57 ... Ra3? Black made a fundamental mistake in putting the rook
behind White’s passed a-pawn. This allowed the white king to approach and
push it backwards with a trivial win.
Instead, 57 ... Rh5!, attacking the pawn from the side, would have drawn.
 White’s rook is tied down to the a-pawn (as it is with 57 ... Ra3), but this
time the black rook can check the white king from a distance. If White could
play his king to b4, defending the pawn, and then free his rook with Rc6 or some
such move, he would win easily. But it can’t happen if Black checks at the right
moment: 58 Kc3 Rf5! (it makes sense to realign the rook away from the h-file
and g-file so that there are no obstructions to checking on the second rank if
necessary) 59 Ra8 Rb5! (the rook keeps waiting) 60 a6 Rb6! (once again
attacking the pawn from the side) 61 Kc4 Rf6 and White can’t win.
If he plays 62 Kb5 then Black must check him away, as he threatens to free
the rook with 63 Rc8. But 62 ... Rf5+ 63 Kb6 Rf6+ leaves the white king with
nowhere to hide from the checks. If the king retreats back with 64 Kc5 then 64 ...
Rf5+ 65 Kd4 Rf6 etc holds the draw. Note that if White plays 66 a7, the defence
of keeping the rook to the side no longer works as 66 ... Rf7 67 Rh8+ Kxh8 68
a8Q+ wins. So the rook has to go behind the pawn with 66 ... Ra6. This draws as
the white king no longer has the a7-square to escape the checks of the black rook
(compare 68 Ka7 in the note to move 61 in the game). After 67 Kc5 Ra1 68 Kb6
Black can check the king away from the defence of b6 and put the rook back
behind the pawn.
 The drawing method of attacking the pawn from the side is called the
Vancura Draw . I was aware of the mechanism in positions with one pawn but
was made complacent by the fact that I had two pawns. But the pawn on h6 was
pretty irrelevant. Black would use the same drawing method if White didn’t have
this pawn. Fischer also stumbled into a version of this draw from a winning
position against Botvinnik at the 1962 Varna Olympiad.

Knight and Pawn Versus Knight

F.Caruana-Z.Izoria
US Championship, St. Louis 2018

One benefit of studying endgames is that they teach us to break down our
strategy into stages. Black to move is winning in the diagram position, but he
had better find a good sequence of moves or White will bring his king and
knight back to head off the advance of the h-pawn.
74 ... Kf4!
A good first step: White’s king is cut off from approaching the pawn.
 75 Nc4 h4
Now he pushes the pawn as far as safely possible.
76 Nd2 h3 77 Nf1
The white knight is tied down. In the next stage of his plan Izoria
manoeuvres his own horse to g4 so that he can play ... Kg2 without allowing
Ne3+ in response.
77 ... Nd8! 78 Kd4 Nf7

79 Kd5
Or 79 Kd3 Kf3 80 Kd2 (if 80 Nd2+ Kg2, the pawn goes through straight
away) 80 ... Kf2 81 Ne3 (or equally 81 Nh2 Ne5) 81 ... Ne5 82 Nd1+ Kf3 83
Ke1 Nd3+ (stopping the white knight going to f2) 84 Kf1 h2 and wins.
79 ... Ne5 80 Kd4 Ng4
The knight completes its journey. The final two stages in Black’s plan are to
advance his king to f2 to win the white knight and then queen the h-pawn.
81 Kd3 Kf3 1-0
Caruana had seen enough and resigned.

Beware of Stalemate
Always be on the look-out for stalemate when material is depleted, your
opponent’s king is short of squares, and he has no or very few pawn moves
available. Even strong players get duped because it is such an unusual drawing
technique – we are conditioned to a player looking after their pieces, not
suddenly flinging them away.

Never say die. At a recent tournament where I was coaching, White played
the impulsive 1 b7+?? . After any other move he’d be winning, but upon 1 ...
Kb8! he had to accept a draw, as he has to allow stalemate or give up the b7-
pawn.

K.Balajayeva-A.Sargsyan
Batumi Olympiad 2018
 The chance for stalemate sometimes occurs in unlikely settings. Here it’s
Black to play. Anna Sargsyan, rated 2331, has an extra piece. She played 59 ...
Qf3 to attack the g3-pawn.

Question: How should White reply?

60 Qb1+?
Answer: WIM Khanim Balajayeva misses the chance to force stalemate with
60 Qg7+! Kh5 61 Qg5+.
60 ... Kh6?
Offering a second reprieve to White. After 60 ... Qf5, correcting her mistake,
there is no stalemate and Black should win with the extra piece.
61 Qg6+ Kxg6 ½-½

King and Pawn Endgames: the Opposition

King and pawn versus king, club game 1980
 As a child I watched a friendly club game end as follows:
1 ... Kc7 2 Kb5 Kb7 3 c5 Kc7 4 c6 Kc8!
A good defensive move if chosen by accident. Instead, 4 ... Kb8? 5 Kb6 Kc8
6 c7 Kd7 7 Kb7 wins for White. Black has to keep “the opposition” – that is,
when the white king advances to b6 the black king has to be ready to face him
with ... Kb8 – with White being to move. The opposition is explained further in
the next game.
5 Kb6 Kb8 6 c7+ Kc8
At this point White saw that 7 Kc6 was stalemate and said: “Oh I seem to
have messed up.” His opponent, a kindly fellow, replied: “I’ll give you the game.
You should have won.”
I then told them that the position was actually drawn after 1 ... Kc7. I had
learned about king and pawn endgames and the opposition and was pleased to be
able to share my knowledge.
The player of White turned to me and, shaking his head in a dismissive way,
gave the worst piece of endgame advice that is ever going to be printed in a
chess book: “There is always a way to force the pawn through in this type of
endgame.”
A.Giri-Hou Yifan
Wijk aan Zee 2018

Black to play can draw, but it takes a little care as White has the better
chances. His pawns are split into two groups, rather than Black’s three, which in
a general way constitutes an advantage. His pawns are also further advanced,
with the pawn on a5 creating the latent threat of b4-b5 to create an outside
passed pawn. Thus if Black plays 55 ... Ke6? then 56 b5 already wins. This
means that the black king can’t go after the f6-pawn. Therefore the f6-pawn is a
strong feature for White, not a target, as it is only two squares from queening.
We could imagine a scenario in which the black king is distracted by events on
the queenside, allowing White to slip his king into g7, capture on f7, and then
queen the f-pawn.
Let’s see how the game unfolded.
55 ... Kc6? 56 c4! d4
After 56 ... dxc4+ 57 Kxc4 White has the opposition – that is, the kings are
face to face and the player to move has to give way. (By the way, opposition can
also be with kings diagonally opposed.) After 57 ... Kb7 58 b5 axb5+ 59 Kxb5
White wins very easily as he has the outside passed pawn . This means that he
has the passed pawn which is farthest from the remaining pawn(s) on the board
(here f7 and f6). It is usually a tremendous advantage to have such a pawn.
White’s winning process is very simple; e.g. 59 ... Kb8 60 Kc6 Kc8 61 a6 Kb8
62 a7+ Kxa7 63 Kxc7. Because Black’s king has been driven further away in
dealing with the respective passed pawns, it is unable to get back in time before
the white king gobbles up the f7-pawn.
57 Kc2
Heading towards the d4-pawn, but White also has to avoid a huge pitfall.
57 ... Kd6

58 Kd2!
After 58 Kd3? c5! 59 bxc5+?? Kxc5 White would even lose. It is mutual
zugzwang. Whoever has to move will drop their pawn and with it the game. This
type of scenario is well worth looking out for in pawn endgames. Instead, White
would have to play 59 b5, when the two passed pawns will cancel each other
out. Both players would be reduced to marking time by keeping their kings near
the enemy pawns.
 A similar situation arises if Giri had played 58 b5, when 58 ... c5! is equal
after 59 b6 Kd7, while if 59 bxc6 Kxc6 White has to avoid putting his king on
d3 as it would be zugzwang after ... Kc5, while Black has to avoid playing ...
Kc5 as she would be zugzwanged by Kd3. So both kings would dance around
the deadly d3- and c5-squares with 60 Kd2 Kd6 61 Ke2 Kc6 62 Kd2 Kd6 etc
with a draw.
58 ... c6
Hou Yifan plays her only good waiting move. 58 ... c5 59 bxc5+ Kxc5 60
Kd3 is the fatal zugzwang. Black would be much too slow in the race to queen;
e.g. 60 ... Kb4 61 Kxd4 Kxa5 62 c5 Kb5 63 Kd5 a5 64 c6 a4 65 c7 a3 66 c8Q
and wins. If instead 59 ... Kc6, inviting White to make the blunder 60 Kd3??
(when 60 ... Kxc5 wins for Black), the cunning 60 Kc2! leaves Black with no
more good waiting moves. She is doomed after 60 ... Kxc5 61 Kd3 or 60 ... Kc7
61 Kd3 etc.
59 Ke2!

Once again 59 Kd3 fails to 59 ... c5, when White must call it a draw with 60
b5. But the game move does the trick as Black has no more waiting moves. She
is hampered by the fact that her king can’t go to the e-file as 59 ... Ke5 or 59 ...
Ke6 both allow the breakthrough 60 b5. Therefore she concedes the d4-pawn.
59 ... Kd7 60 Kd3 Kc7 61 Kxd4 Kd6 62 Kd3
White could win with the plan of putting the king on a4 and playing b4-b5,
but Giri wants to decide things with zugzwang.
62 ... Kc7 63 Ke4 Kd6
After 63 ... Kd7, the simplest win is 64 b5 cxb5 65 cxb5 axb5 66 Kd5, when
White picks up the b5-pawn.
64 Kd4 1-0
After the king retreats White has 65 Kc5 and 66 b5.

Returning to the initial position, Black could have drawn with 55 ... Kd6!
(rather than 55 ... Kc6?). Then after 56 c4 dxc4+ 57 Kxc4, it isn’t good enough
to try 57 ... Kc6 with the opposition as White can break through with 58 b5+!
axb5+ 59 Kb4 Kb7 60 Kxb5 and wins as we saw above. But 57 ... c6! holds the
balance, when Black keeps the opposition after 58 Kd4 Kd7! (not 58 ... Kc7? 59
Kc5 and White wins, as the black king must give way and allow the white king
into b6 or d6) 59 Kc5 (or 59 Kc4 Kd6) 59 ... Kc7 and White can make no
progress.
Perhaps Hou Yifan put her king incorrectly on c6 to guard the b5-square as
she was spooked by 55 ... Kd6 56 b5!? axb5 57 Kb4. However, Black can hold
on by a tempo: 57 ... c6 58 a6 Kc7 59 a7 Kb7 60 Kc5 b4! 61 Kxb4 Kxa7 62 Kc5
Kb7 63 Kd6 d4 64 Ke7 c5 65 Kxf7 c4 66 Kg6 d3 67 cxd3 cxd3 68 f7 d2 69 f8Q
d1Q with a draw!

A Classic King and Pawn Endgame

M.Taimanov-M.Botvinnik
USSR Team Championship 1967
 It is White to move.

Question: The kings are locked in a mutual zugzwang position. What is
the result?

White is going to run out of pawn moves first, which you would imagine is
bad news for him as he will have to concede the h5-pawn. However, one of the
moves that Black is obliged to play (otherwise g5 drops) will be to put a pawn
on e5. It then becomes a target of the white king. It seems the game will be a
draw as both players will queen, but Botvinnik has spotted a sting on the tail. As
usual in those days, the game was adjourned at the end of the first playing
session and Taimanov sealed a secret move in an envelope. It was 42 e4 .
However, the game was never resumed as Taimanov tore up the envelope after
Botvinnik showed him his winning plan:
Answer: After 42 ... a5 43 a4 e5 44 Kf5 Kxh5 45 Kxe5 g4 46 Kf4 (he has to
slow down the advance of the g-pawn, as 46 Kd4 g3 47 Ke3 Kh4 48 e5 Kh3 49
e6 g2 50 Kf2 Kh2 wins) 46 ... Kh4 47 e5 g3 48 e6 g2 49 e7 g1Q 50 e8Q , both
sides have promoted, but now 50 ... Qf2+ 51 Ke5 Qe1+ wins the white queen
with a skewer.
How did Botvinnik know that the endgame was going to be good for him?
Was it simply his positional genius? Perhaps. But after the game he told
Taimanov: “I lost a similar ending thirty years ago in my match with Levenfish.
Now I have mastered the way to play such endings.” Studying the classic games
was of value to Botvinnik, even when they were his old games!

Queen Versus Rook: an Unsuccessful Attempt at a Fortress

Ma.Carlsen-V.Topalov
Shamkir 2018

We have already analysed the earlier stages of this game in Chapter Two. It
is White to play.
Topalov had sacrificed his bishop to try a last ditch defence. He isn’t too far
from succeeding, as the position would be a draw if White didn’t have a pawn on
f5. You can remove the white pawn and verify this for yourself. Black has an
unbreakable fortress as his rook can swing backwards and forwards from f6 to
h6. It is always safely defended by the pawn, which in turn is protected by the
king. The white king has no way of breaking through. Remember this
surprisingly common drawing technique – I watched the brilliant Russian GM
Viktor Kupreichik use it to frustrate an opponent in a simul, who foolishly
exchanged off all the pieces from a completely winning middlegame.
Carlsen has been astute enough to keep a pawn as well, so the fortress can be
broken:
54 Kf4 Rf6 55 Ke5 Rh6 56 Qe6! 1-0
This move was enough to cause Topalov to resign. If now 56 ... Rxe6+ 57
fxe6, the white pawn soon queens, which is also the case after 56 ... Rf6 57 Qxf6
gxf6+ 58 Kxf6 or 56 ... Kh8 57 Qxh6+ gxh6 58 Ke6! Kg8 59 Ke7! and 60 f6.
(Note that in this last variation the impulsive 58 f6?? throws the win away, as 58
... Kg8 59 Ke6 Kf8 stops the white king going to e7.)
However, we should look at what happens if Black moves his rook away
from the third rank. For example, 56 ... Rh2 57 Qg6+ Kh8 (after 57 ... Kg8 58 f6
there is no good way to defend g7, as 58 ... Rh7 allows 59 Qe8 mate) 58 f6 gxf6
59 Qxf6+ (there is a faster win with 59 Ke6, but I’d like to consider the “pure”
endgame of queen versus rook – it still requires some work).
 Here the situation is very favourable for White as the black king is already
on the edge of the board and the defender’s pieces are split up. The winning
process requires some skill and patience as Black’s rook must be neutralised.
That is, White needs to put the queen in a position where she prevents the rook
checking her king: 59 ... Kg8 60 Qg5+ Kh7 61 Qf5+ Kg7 62 Qg4+ Kh7 63 Kf6!
Rf2+ (to stop mate on g7) 64 Ke7 and now the queen stops a check on e2, while
the white king has moved from e5 to e7 so that the way is open for the white
queen to give a cross-check, picking up the rook; e.g. 64 ... Ra2 65 Qh5+ Kg7 66
Qf7+ or 64 ... Rb2 65 Qh5+ Kg7 66 Qe5+ etc.

Nevertheless, if you get the queen versus rook endgame as the defender, you
should play on to the bitter end. You’ll probably accidentally lose your rook to a
queen fork even if your opponent has no idea how to win the position, but you
never know, especially if he is short of time. I recall that Jansa defended
heroically against Sveshnikov in the 2018 World Over-65 Championships. It was
tantalizingly close: he resigned when he was going to lose his rook only three
moves short of being able to claim a draw under the 50 move rule. I know a lot
worse things happen in life than losing a chess game, but that takes some beating
on the frustration scale.
 Black resigned as the rook is lost after 117 Ka7 Qh7+ or 117 ... Qa2+.

Building a Fortress in More Complex Endgames

K.Berg-D.Navara
Morso 2002
 An example of a fortress/shop shutting. After 28 ... g5! a draw was agreed.
Say White goes 29 h5. Then he has a beautiful protected passed pawn in the
centre, while Black has an ugly structural defect in the shape of a backward
pawn on an open file. But it doesn’t matter a jot. The pawn structure is too
blocked to allow White to make any progress. Only a blunder would help him;
e.g. 29 ... Bc5?? allowing 30 Bxe5 would do very nicely. But as long as the
bishop stays on d6 there’s no way for White to get through. You could even offer
Carlsen a draw in this position.
Of course White doesn’t have to play 29 h5, but 29 hxg5 hxg5 needlessly
gives Black the open h-file, even if it’s still a total draw after 30 Ke2 Rh3 31
Kf3.
If the pawn is left on h4, Black can just put his king on g7 to make sure there
is never the ghost of a threat of White seizing the h-file after a future h4xg5 and
Rh1. It is only Black who could benefit from the h4-pawn being left where it is,
in the unlikely event he gets to play ... g5xh4 and ... Rg8 to put pressure on g4.

An Amazing Fortress Defence

A.Sarana-D.Khismatullin
Russian Championship, Satka 2018

It’s White to play. The position looks lost for Sarana as 51 Ba2 Rc2+ is
immediately fatal, while 51 Bd1 Rc4 52 Ke3 b4 53 Be2 Rc2 54 axb4 Rxb2 55
b5 a3 is also horrible for him. But he found a striking drawing resource:
51 Rc1!! Rxc1 52 Kxc1 axb3 53 Kd2
Black has no way to break into White’s position. Khismatullin decided not to
test his opponent too much and the game finished quickly:
53 ... b4 54 a4!
This is the only move. After 54 axb4? Black’s king can head for b5 – he can
afford to give up the b3-pawn – when, with the help of the bishop, the white king
will be put in zugzwang and forced to give up the b4-pawn. Thereafter the black
king will infiltrate the defences. If White pushes the b-pawn at any point then
zugzwang is again the tool to round it up.
54 ... Bg2
Black’s bishop has to threaten to go to f1 to hold back the passed pawn as the
king is too far away. He even loses after 54 ... Kf6?? 55 a5 Bg2 56 a6, when the
pawn queens.
55 Ke2 Bf3+

The bishop can’t escape the attentions of the white king.

56 Ke3
Or 56 Kf2 Be4 57 Ke3 (to stop 57 ... Bd3) 57 ... Bg2 58 Kf2 with a draw.
56 ... Bg2 57 Kf2 Be4 58 Ke3 ½-½
Going back, if Black tries 53 ... Kf6, White replies 54 Kc3 and then:
 a) 54 ... Ke6 55 Kxb3 Kd6 56 Kc3 b4+ (after 56 ... Kc6 57 b4 it’s all stodged
up) 57 Kxb4 Kc6 58 Kc3 (or 58 Ka5) 58 ... Kb5 59 b3 and Black has no way
through if White waits with his king guarding the b3-pawn.
b) 54 ... Bc2 55 Kb4 Ke6 56 Kxb5 Kd7 57 Kb6 Bd3 58 a4 and the white
king can’t be pushed back from its active position by zugzwang. After 58 ... Kc8
59 Kc5 Bc4 60 Kd6, intending 61 Ke6 to win either the d5- or f5-pawn, Black
needs to take care to hold the game.

Another fortress involving a bishop is discussed in Chapter Ten in the game

Kasparov-Anand (see the notes to 29 Kxd1).
 Chapter Thirteen
Making Good Opening Choices
Identifying Your Chess Style
The purpose of this chapter is to help you make the best opening choices
according to your style of play , style of thinking , and approach towards learning
theory.
Let’s start by thinking about your style of play . Do you like to attack the
king directly or are you more comfortable in a strategic battle? Be honest with
yourself. Maybe you love playing through Alekhine’s dynamic games but your
instinct is to build up your position methodically like Carlsen. Or vice versa:
you’re a big fan of Magnus and always look out for his new games, but at heart
you prefer to seize space and try to attack from the start of the game.
We should also consider your typical thinking style during a game. Do you
try to understand what is going on by talking to yourself in words in your head,
or is your first impulse to calculate variations? If you look at the game
annotations of Karpov you’ll see he often evaluates things in words, while
Kasparov uses reams of variations.
Finally, I should ask if you like studying theory. Do you enjoy going through
lines in books and watching opening videos? Or is the opening phase an
unavoidable nuisance you have to get through before the middlegame?
If you like studying theory, want to attack from the start,
and think mainly in variations, then sharp openings like
the King’s Indian (versus 1 d4) and the Sicilian Najdorf
(versus 1 e4) would be good choices for you as Black.
And as White playing the main lines after 1 e4 can be
recommended. Alternatively, if you don’t like to learn
theory, prefer to build up slowly looking for a long-term
edge, and think mainly in words, then the Queen’s
Gambit (against 1 d4) and the Ruy Lopez (versus 1 e4)
seem sensible choices. As White you could play either 1
d4 or 1 e4, and in both cases choose solid set-ups which
avoid critical main lines.
Of course it’s never as simple as that. For example, you might enjoy
attacking but have no inclination to study long lines in the Sicilian Defence. You
need to find a balance between what can be conflicting impulses.

Play Main Lines or Dodge Theory?

After Magnus Carlsen captured yet another world title at blitz, the Hungarian
GM Peter Leko remarked that “he has the perfect chess openings for a fast time
control”. What he meant was that Magnus is an expert at avoiding critical
opening lines. He manages to keep out of theoretical battles or any long
variations his opponent has prepared. This puts the emphasis on the middlegame
where his positional instinct and fast reactions give him an edge over his
opponents.
This approach to the openings is often used by Carlsen at all time controls. It
is central to his chess philosophy.

Ma.Carlsen-A.Dreev
FIDE World Cup, Tbilisi 2017

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bb5+
By checking on b5 White sidesteps the complexities of the Najdorf or
whatever other theory-fest Black was planning after 3 d4.
3 ... Nd7 4 a4
Magnus is already planning to put pressure on Black’s queenside.
4 ... Ngf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 a5 Bg7 7 a6
 Investing three moves in pushing the pawn to a6 means that White doesn’t
have the rapid development necessary to build up an attack in the centre or on
the kingside. But no matter: Carlsen is happy to inflict a structural weakness on
the black queenside. He trusts that his genius for exploiting small advantages
will do the rest.
7 ... 0-0
If 7 ... b6? then 8 Bc6 Rb8 9 Nb5 would win the a7-pawn, so Black can’t
keep his queenside structure intact.
8 0-0 e6 9 d3 Qb6 10 axb7 Bxb7 11 Re1 Rfd8 12 Ba4 h6 13 h3
A simple move, taking the g4-square away from the black knight. It doesn’t
force Black to do anything, as Carlsen wants to give his opponent full rein in
choosing a bad plan! (Fischer liked to quote Tarrasch’s dictum: “If you don’t
know what to do, wait until the opponent gets an idea. It’s sure to be wrong!”)
13 ... d5?
Dreev is impatient for counterplay and gives away important dark squares in
the centre. It was better to wait with a move such as 13 ... Rac8.
14 e5 Nh7 15 Bxd7!
An excellent positional decision. Not everyone would want to give up the
“good” bishop for a knight.
15 ... Rxd7 16 d4

This is the idea. After 16 ... c4 White’s knight can invade with 17 Na4 and 18
Nc5, when it is on a fine outpost square.
16 ... cxd4 17 Ne2!
There’s no rush to recapture the pawn as the white horse is heading for d4.
Not wanting his bishop on b7 to be shut in by an unassailable knight, Dreev
sacrifices a pawn, but his counterplay proves inadequate.
17 ... d3 18 Qxd3 d4 19 Nexd4 g5 20 c3 Nf8 21 Nh2!
Clearing the way for the queen to go to g3 to break the pin on d4 and create
attacking chances against the weakened black kingside.
21 ... Ng6 22 Qg3 Nh4
The threat to g2 is the high point of Black’s initiative. From now on White
assumes control and finishes the game with a mating attack.
23 Nhf3 Nxf3+ 24 Nxf3 Rd3 25 h4! gxh4 26 Qxh4 Bxf3 27 gxf3 Rxf3
 It might appear that Black is getting counterplay, but the loss of the h6-pawn
soon decides his king’s fate.
28 Bxh6 f5
White also wins after 28 ... Bxh6 29 Qg4+ and 30 Qxf3.
29 Bxg7 Kxg7 30 Kh1! 1-0
Clearing the g1-square. Black will be mated after 30 ... Qxf2 (or 30 ... Rh8
31 Rg1+) 31 Rg1+ Kf7 32 Qh7+.

Magnus made it look easy. But not everyone has the temperament or the innate
ability to outplay their opponents from “simple” positions. Even top players have
stylistic differences. In the next game we see another Anti-Sicilian, but this time
White is more overtly aggressive and concrete in his approach. He has come
armed with an opening improvement or theoretical novelty .

F.Caruana-B.Gelfand
Batumi Olympiad 2018

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 d3 Bg7 6 h3 Nf6 7 Nc3 0-0 8 0-0
Ne8 9 Be3 b6
According to my database 10 Qd2 had been played 78 times here, with the
second most popular move, 10 a4, a long way behind at 18 times. Other moves
had also been tried a couple of times.
So when Caruana unleashed:
10 e5!

It was a big surprise for Gelfand. He is normally excellently prepared so it

must have been a shock to his system to have to solve opening problems so early
(for him!) in the game.
10 ... f6
Instead, 10 ... Nc7 at once looks like a solid alternative, intending 11 ... Ne6
and maybe 12 ... Nd4.
11 Re1 Nc7 12 Qd2 fxe5?!
Gelfand has seen the chance to sacrifice the exchange. It appears tempting,
but if he had had the opportunity to examine the position before the game, he
would have realized it’s not quite good enough. Instead, 12 ... g5!? is double
edged.
13 Bh6 Rxf3 14 Bxg7 Kxg7 15 gxf3 Bxh3 16 Rxe5 e6 17 Rg5
 The white rook will go to g3 to defend f3 and also nudge the black bishop
away from h3, after which White will be able to build up an attack on the h-file.
17 ... Qf6 18 Rg3 Bf5 19 Kg2 h5?
Black is solid if slightly worse after 19 ... Nd5 20 Rh1 Kg8, ready to answer
21 Qh6 with 21 ... Qg7.
20 Rh1!

Question: In his earlier calculations Gelfand had probably thought that
20 ... h4 would be a good reply. What had he missed?

20 ... Rh8
Stopping 21 Rxh5.
Answer: If 20 ... h4? then 21 Ne4! Bxe4 22 dxe4 hxg3 23 Qd7+ is strong for
White: 23 ... Qf7? 24 Rh7+ wins the queen, while 23 ... Kf8 24 Qd6+! (to be a
strong player you have to be alive to subtleties; after 24 Qxc7 gxf2 Black has
some hope) 24 ... Kg8 25 Qxc7 is great for White, as 25 ... gxf2 26 Qh7+ Kf8 27
Qh8+ wins a rook.

 Question: White wants to get his queen into the action with 21 Qf4.
Why isn’t this a good idea? How can we prepare it?

21 Ne4!
Answer: After 21 Qf4? Bh3+ Black wins the queen. So Caruana offers the
b2-pawn in order to gain entry for his queen.
21 ... Qxb2 22 Qf4 Nd5 23 Qd6

23 ... e5
This leads to a quick collapse. After 23 ... h4 24 Rg4! Bxg4 25 fxg4 White
has given the exchange back and is two pawns down. However, c6 and e6 are
hanging and the black king is terribly exposed. The immediate threat is 26 c4,
dislodging the knight. Caruana is always willing to convert a material advantage
into strong pressure.
24 Rh4
Even stronger is 24 Rg1!, intending 25 Kh1, aiming all the pieces at g6.
24 ... Qd4 25 Kg1!
There is now the ghastly threat of 26 c3!, when 26 ... Nxc3 27 Qe7+ Kh6 (or
27 ... Kg8 28 Nf6 mate) 28 Rxh5+! mates next move on g5 or g7. If 25 c3? at
once, Black escapes with 25 ... Nf4+. Hence the quiet king move.
25 ... Rf8 26 Rxh5
This breakthrough means the end for Black’s position.
26 ... Bxe4 27 Qd7+! Kf6
After 27 ... Rf7 28 Rh7+ Kxh7 29 Qxf7+ Kh6 30 Qf8+ it is mate next move.
28 Qxc6+ Kg7 29 Qd7+ Kf6 30 fxe4 Nf4

Question: Can you find the forced mate?

Answer: 31 Rf5+! gxf5 32 Qxf5+ Ke7 33 Rg7+ 1-0
In view of 33 ... Ke8 34 Qc8+ Qd8 35 Qc6+ and mates.

It’s worth remembering that if you make things easier for yourself in the
opening by avoiding main lines, you are usually making things easier for the
opponent as well. You’re saving yourself a lot of preparation time and avoiding
the need to memorize a lot of moves. On the other hand, the main lines are main
lines for a reason: they are tried and trusted means to keep the initiative.
“Caruana Seemed too Happy”
Svidler had spent many hours studying the variation in the following game
before playing it against Caruana. Nonetheless, he said he should have avoided
the most critical line as during the game “Caruana seemed too happy. ”
If you decide to play sharp theoretical lines you’ll get the chance to attack or
counter-attack. Your pieces will have freedom and space. Sometimes you’ll get
to conclude the game with a pretty sacrifice. But remember, you won’t always be
celebrating like Caruana: sometimes you’ll be rueing your decisions like Svidler.
But that’s okay if it’s your chosen style of play. You’ll have a lot of fun. And
remember, points-wise you’ll have fewer draws playing aggressively than in a
solid style, and this will balance the occasional extra defeat.
I would offer one piece of advice though. Choose lines which give you space
and the chance for the initiative, but don’t go for the very sharpest or trendy
lines. Unless, of course, you love keeping up with the latest wrinkles of theory.

F.Caruana-P.Svidler
Stavanger 2014

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Be3 a6 7 Qd2 Nf6 8 0-0-0
No tame kingside castling: both players are willing to plunge down one of
the sharpest variations of the Sicilian Taimanov. In the Carlsen game above we
were leaving theory round about this point. Here the memory exercise is just
beginning.
8 ... Be7 9 f3 b5 10 Kb1 Ne5 11 g4 b4 12 Na4 h6 13 Rg1 d5
 Black refrains from castling kingside to avoid White’s ready-made attack
down the g-file. Instead, he seeks counterplay in the centre, after which the big
theoretical question is whether the opening of lines favours the white or black
pieces.
14 Bf4 dxe4 15 g5
Caruana goes for broke. The enemy king is an inviting target, but if the
attack fails he will be left with a smashed centre.
15 ... hxg5 16 Rxg5 Nfd7 17 Rxg7 exf3 18 Nxe6! fxe6 19 Bd3
 The black king is feeling the heat. White’s piece sacrifice has gained his
bishop the g6-square, removed the barrier on f7 to his rook, and cleared the d-
file for his queen.
19 ... Bf6?
Svidler decides to give up his queen to remove a couple of the attacking
pieces, but White’s initiative remains strong. I guess his pre-game preparation
had ended by this point.
The following year Black’s play was strengthened in I.Popov-M.Mozharov,
Chennai 2015, with the manoeuvre 19 ... Rb8 20 Qe3 Rb5!. The rook bolsters e5
and if White removes it with 21 Bxb5? axb5, his attack is deprived of the
bishop’s help and the knight is hanging on a4. Instead, 21 c4! was played in the
game, leading to continuing complications and an eventual draw.
20 Bg6+ Nxg6
After 20 ... Kd8 the game ends quickly: 21 Bxe5 Bxe5 (or 21 ... Qxe5 22
Rxd7+ Bxd7 23 Qxd7 mate) 22 Qg5+ Bf6 23 Qxf6 mate. Meanwhile, 20 ... Kf8
21 Rf7+ Kg8 22 Rg1 will splat the black king.
21 Bxc7 Bxg7 22 Qd3!
An excellent move which attacks the knight and aims to put the queen on e4
where she attacks a8 and e6.
22 ... Nge5 23 Bxe5 Bxe5
After 23 ... Nxe5 24 Qd8+ Kf7 25 Qc7+ White has a decisive attack.
24 Qe4 Ra7 25 Nc5!

The entrance of the knight is decisive as Black loses at once after 25 ... Nxc5
26 Qxe5.
25 ... Ke7
25 ... Bf6 26 Qxe6+ Be7 27 Qg6+, followed by 28 Ne6 mate, would be a
neat finish.
26 Rf1!
The decision of a world-class player. Black has counterplay after 26 Nxd7
Rxd7 27 Rxd7+ Bxd7 28 Qxe5 Rf8. Therefore Caruana starts by removing his
rook from d1 to avoid the exchange of rooks. He sees that Black can’t save the
piece as 26 ... Nxc5 27 Qxe5, attacking c5 and h8, is hopeless for him, or if 26 ...
Bg7 then 27 Qxe6+ Kd8 28 Qd5!, planning 29 Ne6+, gives White a crushing
attack.
26 ... Rf8 27 Nxd7 Rxd7 28 Qxe5 Rd5 29 Qe3
Because of his 26th move White is able to block the passed f-pawn with his
queen and infiltrate with his rook down the g-file. The remaining moves were:
29 ... Rdf5 30 Qf2 a5 31 b3 Bd7 32 Rg1 Bc6 33 Kb2 R8f7 34 Rg8 Rf8 35
Rg4 R8f7 36 a3 bxa3+ 37 Kxa3 Kd6 38 Rc4 Bd5 39 Rc8 1-0
White’s threats include 40 c4!, when the bishop has no safe squares to go to;
for example, 40 ... Be4 41 Qd4+ wins.

Changing Your Chess Style

It could be that you are thinking about changing, or at least broadening, your
chess style. Here’s what a former world champion had to say about taking such a
step in his youth:

“I began my first chess steps as a positional player, but when I was fourteen I felt
there was something wrong with this approach. I felt a revolution – I didn’t like
my old way. I came to understand that chess has something extra besides sound
strategy – attacks, sacrifice, creative ideas.”
— Boris Spassky in Spassky’s 100 Best Games by Bernard Cafferty,
interview with Leonard Barden.
The consequence of Spassky’s realization was that he switched trainers to
Alexander Tolush, who was an excellent attacking player. He wanted to learn all
the secrets of dynamic play. In Chess is My Life Korchnoi repeats a story that,
during one of their first tournaments working together, Tolush ordered Spassky
not to come to see him if he hadn’t sacrificed something in his game the day
before. Spassky denies this is true, but whatever the training method it worked
perfectly: Spassky was later admired by Karpov and others for the universality
of his play. He was at home both in tactical battles and when exploiting small
positional advantages.
You don’t have a Russian chess trainer? Well, if you want to play more
dynamically then make a great attacking player your mentor. If you play through
the best games of Mikhail Tal for sheer pleasure, you can’t help but sharpen your
tactical mastery and improve your handling of the initiative. You’ll begin to
notice how combinations fit together and when it is right to sacrifice. It’s best to
play through the games slowly and pause to think and read the annotations, but
even if you bash out one great attack after another you’ll be learning something.
Similarly, an evening spent with Botvinnik will deepen your strategy. Unlike
with Tal, you should definitely be reading his annotations as you go through the
games. He’ll talk you through his ideas mostly in words rather than variations –
how to exploit a hole or when to exchange and things like that.
If you are looking for other tactical games to study I’d recommend Alekhine
or the young Kasparov. And among modern players I find the games of Kramnik
very instructive as regards planning.

Learning a New Repertoire

If you feel like changing your openings, then go ahead and do it. Variety is the
spice of life. There are various repertoire books available nowadays. Or you
could build your own repertoire using a couple of books. Keep it as simple as
possible to start with, but make sure all variations are covered and you know
what to do in any very sharp lines – or at least how to avoid them.
If you play a new opening, you have to be aware of the tactical tricks that it
contains. Some are so insidious that they would be easy to miss during a game if
you weren’t forewarned. The most common way to lose quickly is by
overlooking a double attack by the queen; for example, 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 c6 3
e3?? Qa5+ and White drops a piece.
The following trap in the French Defence has claimed over 100 victims,
according to my database:

D.Baratosi-F.Nemeth
Romanian League 2015

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Be7 5 Nf3 Nf6 6 Bd3 Nbd7 7 Qe2 Nxe4 8
Bxe4 Nf6?
 It looks entirely natural to get the black knight to a decent square with
apparent gain of time by hitting the white bishop. But now 9 Bxb7! wins a pawn
after 9 ... Bxb7 10 Qb5+ Qd7 11 Qxb7 .

Don’t Ignore Unfashionable but Tricky Sidelines

In your preparation you neglect checking out lines that “no one ever plays” at
your peril. Thus if you open 1 e4 e5 as Black, you had better be ready for the
Danish Gambit with 2 d4 exd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Bc4 and various other “ancient”
sidelines.
Or if you take on the Sicilian as White, don’t spend all your time looking at
the Najdorf, Sveshnikov and other trendy lines, and ignore the Pin Variation:
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Bb4 . Now the only way to
keep an edge is with 6 e5! and after 6 ... Ne4? (Black has to make do with 6 ...
Nd5 7 Bd2, when he is somewhat worse), you need to play 7 Qg4! .
 A long variation demonstrates a clear edge for White. But would you be
happy leaving c3 hanging like this if you hadn’t prepared the line before the
game?
Likewise, 1 d4, 2 c4 players need to be ready for the Budapest Gambit 1 d4
Nf6 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 with both 3 ... Ng4 and the tricky Fajarowicz with 3 ... Ne4.

As a boy I once fell for a common trap in the Albin Counter-Gambit:

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 d4 4 e3? Bb4+ 5 Bd2 dxe3 6 Bxb4? exf2+ 7 Ke2
 7 ... fxg1N+! 8 Ke1
White loses his queen after 8 Rxg1 Bg4+.
8 ... Qh4+ 9 Kd2 Nc6
And White is entirely lost. I remember my opponent told me after the game
“I shouldn’t say this because you’re a kid. But you played much too fast.” Rather
harsh, as if you’ve never faced the Albin before, 4 e3 sees a plausible move.
White can limit the damage with 6 fxe3, but that was the only chance.
Incidentally, I recall I also made a psychological mistake to which many
inexperienced players are prone: my opponent was playing instant moves, and I
was provoked into playing instant moves to keep up with him. After 5 ... dxe3 I
needed to break the rush of moves: maybe think about something not to do with
chess for a couple of minutes. After that the mind could be refocused on the
chess position.

Also regarding theory, be careful you aren’t tricked by a move order. After 1
d4 d5 you could avoid the Albin by 2 Nf3 and only then 3 c4. Fair enough. It’s
going to be a Queen’s Gambit structure whichever way and presumably you are
happy with it. But say you are facing someone who has played the Budapest and
you decide to stop it with 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3. Your opponent might shrug his
shoulders and continue 2 ... g6. It is then you realize to your horror that the line
you always play against the King’s Indian, which normally begins 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4
g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 (the Sämisch), is unavailable to you as your knight is
sitting on f3.

Should you Fianchetto on g7?

One of the key decisions of your sporting life is: after 1 d4, do I want to put my
bishop on g7?
In the Queen’s Gambit and Slav Black is focused on equalizing space by
putting a pawn on d5. His bishop will normally go to e7 or d6 or even b4, rather
than g7. Likewise, in the Nimzo-Indian with 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 Black
usually challenges the centre quickly with ... c7-c5 or ... d7-d5 or both moves.
He is delaying occupying the centre with his pawns, not renouncing the idea.
In contrast, in openings where he puts the bishop on g7, such as the King’s
Indian, Grünfeld, Benoni, and Benko, we could say that Black concedes a space
advantage in the centre in return for the dynamic chances he generates by
attacking it.
Would you rather have the security of a d5-pawn and equal space (even if
you remain slightly worse as the pawn can be targeted by c2-c4) or would you be
happy to concede space in the interests of counterplay? The answer to this
question goes a long way to defining your style and temperament. Do you have a
lot of energy for a tactical battle ( ... Bg7!) or would you prefer a more quiet
manoeuvring life? (1 ... d5!)? Do you have plenty of time to learn opening
theory ( ... Bg7!) or do you want to know just enough to get by (1 ... d5! – and no
Semi-Slav Botvinnik System please!)?

Should you Play Solid or “Crazy” Openings?

A grandmaster once said to me of a colleague who was also a grandmaster:
“When he was young he always had crazy tactical games – and always lost. Now
his games are just as tactical and crazy, but he always wins.”
Certain openings are more likely to lead to double-edged tactical games.
Examples are the mainline King’s Indian and many lines of the Sicilian (say the
Dragon or Sveshnikov). If you play them as White or Black, you might lose
some games to start with, but once you master their complexity you’ll find you
can usually navigate your way through their murky waters much better than your
opponents. The dynamic intensity means that every decision throughout a long
series of moves can mean a win or loss. The need to “do or die” with little
margin for error helps highlight the difference in your understanding and that of
your opponent.
In contrast, if you play the solid Queen’s Gambit as Black, then even after
you’ve mastered them it’s hard to outwit the opponent. He can make some small
imprecisions and still be okay. Basically, the stakes aren’t high enough: the
difference between the “best” move and the “second-best” move isn’t great
enough.
If you play a crazy opening there is a particular need to know all the tricks
and traps associated with it.

And.Green-C.MacQueen
Cesenatico 2011

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 0-0 8 Qd2

Nc6 9 0-0-0 Bd7 10 g4 Rc8 11 h4 Ne5 12 Kb1
Now Black offered a pawn:
12 ... b5 13 Ncxb5 Rb8
Here 14 c4 looks safe, though Black has typical Dragon counterplay. Instead,
White played:
14 Nc3?
 After
which he was swept away by:
14 ... Nxf3!
Undermining the defence of e4.
15 Nxf3 Nxe4!
Unleashing the Dragon bishop against the b2-square.
16 Nxe4 Rxb2+ 17 Kc1 Rb1+! 0-1
Winning time for the queen to get to the b-file with check. White resigned, as
after 18 Kxb1 Qb8+ Black mates in a few moves.

It is quite possible that MacQueen had learned all these moves before the game.
After all, if you give up a pawn, you want to know what compensation you have
for it. White never had a chance. Please don’t venture into a sharp opening
without being fully prepared. If you do, don’t make any risky pawn grabs if you
have a decent alternative. And if you have to play into your opponent’s sharp
preparation, be careful. You are walking through a minefield.

Keep Looking for Openings that Support Your Style

You should examine various openings until you find one that suits your taste.
Korchnoi relates that when he was a young player he was looking for a new
defence to 1 d4. He copied out a hundred or so Grünfeld Defence games and
studied them. He writes in Chess is My Life : “I gained the feeling that in any
variation of the Grünfeld I could gain the advantage as Black.” What a
wonderful realization for any player!
More than 30 years after Korchnoi’s experience, I was also a young player
looking for a new defence, this time to 1 e4. There were only magazines and
books then, not computers, so I copied out all the games I could find which had
been played in the French Defence ... by Korchnoi. I modelled my own play on
his variations and tried to grasp his ideas. I too felt I could get an advantage in
every line as Black. And all these years later the French is still my staple
response to 1 e4.
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing your openings.
Whatever suits you is best. However, I would point out that almost all the great
players since, say, the 1950s have been able to play the White or Black side of a
mainline Sicilian, and are often adept with it as both colours. Similarly, the Ruy
Lopez as White or Black is a mainstay in their games. If you want to test your
play in the most intricate lines that chess has to offer, then the Ruy Lopez and
mainline Sicilian are the perfect training grounds. Of course you can study these
openings in books without actually playing them. But if you are attracted to the
Sicilian or Ruy Lopez as either colour, you should definitely consider them for
your repertoire.

How Many Openings?

How many openings should you play? Ideally, two defences or more versus both
1 e4 and 1 d4. But until your games start appearing in databases and your
opponents begin preparing for you, one defence should be enough. When trying
for GM norms and devoting a lot of time to theory I added the Sicilian to my
defences to 1 e4. Nowadays, I mainly just use the French. If you only have one
defence and are playing against prepared opponents, it’s better not to use the
same line all the time. You need to mix the variations to make it harder for them
to know what to expect. Thus after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 I’ve played 3 ... Bb4, 3
... Nf6 and 3 ... dxe4, and versus 3 Nd2 my choice is between 3 ... Nf6 and 3 ...
dxe4 and 3 ... Be7. Hopefully that’s enough to keep my future opponents
guessing!

When Should I Diverge from my Preparation?

Imagine a game begins and your opponent is playing his moves instantly and
confidently. Like Svidler’s observation of Caruana above: he seems too happy.
You suspect he’s looked up your games and has prepared against your usual
opening. Should you stick to what you know or do something different to
surprise him? A difficult question. If you decide to diverge you have to ask
yourself:
Am I tricking my opponent out of his preparation, or am I tricking myself?
You have the pleasure (perhaps relief is a better word) of breaking the
sequence of his instant moves. He thinks a while and then plays his next move.
Are you better off in this new position than following your tried and trusted
theory? Of course he might have prepared some deadly new move. He will at
least have spent some time familiarizing himself with the nature of the struggle
in the line he expected. But after your new move and his reply, you are also all at
sea and need to work out what to do.
In my experience it is more dangerous to go out of your repertoire to avoid a
prepared line than stick to your guns. Often the opponent has nothing in
particular prepared. He might even be hoping to spook you with his fast play
into avoiding your favourite defence. Only in rare cases will he have a deadly
weapon to unleash.

Preparing Your Opening Repertoire

If you have a weekend free and want to make a big effort to sort out your
opening repertoire, you could spend seven hours on Saturday looking at your
White openings, and seven hours on Sunday looking at your Black openings.
You only have to do this once to sort out a basic repertoire. After that you can
add to it one hour here and one hour there.
You’ll feel a sense of pride at having devised a complete opening repertoire.
It’s your baby. And it’s exciting to anticipate your upcoming games when you
get to try out your new ideas.
Or you could prepare it for three hours on Saturday afternoon and four on
Sunday morning, spread over two weekends. It’s no worse than revising for
exams or the mad rush to complete a project at work. At least chess is something
you enjoy doing. One busy weekend to be better forever in your openings – that
sounds a great deal.

It’s time to say goodbye. Best of luck with your opening preparation and have
fun and success with your plans to become a stronger player.