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    Oscar Estay T.
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    14 views2 pages

    Chess Life & Review 1975

    Uploaded by

    Oscar Estay T.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    The Theory of Szen by Peter Tamburro CoFditor, Atlantic Chess News Note: This article appeared in slighily different form in the first issue of Atlantic ‘Chess News én 1973. It appears here with the permission of the author. In the September 1972 issue of Chess Life & Review, 2 reader asked Larry Evans about the following position: Evans pointed out that White must lose because the Black King eventually blockades the three pawns, thus forcing the White King to move and allow the promotion of the KRP. What the reader didnot know and Evans probably did ‘not have room to point out was that the ‘of the position dates back to the early’ 19th century (or even the early With century in a study by Greco—but Greco had a mistaken conclusion about it, ag you will see below). The thematic position is now known as tho, “little game of chess” and is set up as follows: Key Posi Whoever moves first wine Th the 1940s George Walker thought so much of the possibilities of this sition that he included a full-page dis- ram of it onthe frontispiece of his k, A New ‘Treatise on Chess. Later In the book he gave'a Short hisiory of origin: “When M. Szen, the celebrated Hun- garian Chess Professor, visited Paris and London a few years bsck, ne introduced 2 very difficult Pawn position to. the Rotice of the Chess world: which ex: cited the more interest from M. Szen's jthholding the solution, “and winning for atime, agains! the first players of the day. ‘Walker's interest in the Szen Position resulted in a study of hundreds of pos: sible positions from which he formulated the’ general principles explaining, why fhe player having the move wins, James Mason, in his tumof-thecentury Prin- ‘ciples of Chess (ith ed), devoted ten pages to a summary of ‘Walker's princi- ples. a2 The practical use of the Szen prinei- ple ithe endgame is obvious from. the first diagram. Even world champions haye shown need of remembering. the inciple, It Max Euwe had not over- joked the Szen principle in the penul- timate round against Botvinnik at Not- tingham 1936, the reigning World Cham. jon (Buwe) would have tied with Capa. lanea for first place, displacing Bot- In this position Euwe played 56 P-K6, Botvinnik replied 56... K-Q8, and a draw Was agreed, In his notes Alekhine points out that after 56. K-NS! “White ad only to take into serious considera tion ‘the answer 6... GN4_ which would leed to the foliowing forced var- intion: 57 P-K6 P-B5ch 58 K-R2 N.N3 59 PRT CBS 60 PKT K-G2 61 BBG PBS 61 KN1 (obtaining the classical position in which the King stops the three passed pawns) 62.) KK 63 PKS RBZ 64 Pk6ch KY 65 BNS NRL 68 ERE NB 67 BBG and wins.” However, it is very important that you understand how the principle works, for it is extremely easy'to go astray, it is important because a haphezard shifting of the King will most likely result in 2 pawn vielory for the other side (as this writer “discovered, ‘much to. his disinay, while trying to demonstrate the Position, to a, beginner some time ago). "The “trick” ‘in. the Szen_ position is twofold: 1) a lone King cen stop three connected passed. pawns; 2) whoever ‘moves first wins. The following general principles appl 1) White (having the first move) has two ways to win: by following the known theory of pushing passed pawns hough not too soon or too far}, or by first blockading the opposition ‘pavns. 2) If you choose to move. the pawns, make sure your King has positioned him: fell jn front of the Black pavns, 6, PRK? RQ? 2 KBs KES SPR PRE 4 PIBE PB, ‘The Black King will be forced to stop your pawns before ad. vaneing his own and will soon find himself in zugawang, as both of the final Ddlockading positions allow. no further moves for the Black King (Black King on NS, White pawns on QBS, QN4, ‘QRS; or Black King “on QN3,’ White Dawns on QR4, QNS, QB4). After White's Bayms have been stopped by the, Black ing, White sets out. to blockade the Black pawns, and this, once accom: pshed, eaves Black ‘with'# move he joes not want 3) ‘The same thing happens if White elects to blockade the Black pawns first. Once accomplished, the advancing White pawns force the Black King to, move apain For example: 1 12 12 2 1S ‘B38 PRA P-Ré 4 PLB PRA § CNS K- N36 PNG PNG GE 8. - EN? 7 PRS) 7 PRSch KR3 8 >B5 P-RSch 9 HRS KN4 10 ICR2 IF 9 "| PBS 10 PRG (not 10 KN4?? “KNA" and Black wins) 10... PB6 11 PNbch ICRZ 12 PBT PANoch’ 13 KR2KNZ 1¢ PNG P-Néch 18 KN and White wins by a tempo. ‘There are several general rules in the maneuvering which are sritical to the Outcome of the game: 1) The pawns ‘will defeat the King's defense if two of the pawns can reach the fifth rank unattacked while the re- maining pawn must be on its original square. 2) The KN3 square is the best square for the White King to meve to (starting from the Key Position) in order to pre- pare the defen: '8) In maneuvering the

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