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Attacking Technique
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Attacking Technique
Colin Crouch
ISBN 0 7 1 34 7898 5
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Contents
Symbols 6
Introduction 7
1 Basics of the Kingside Attack 9
2 Technical Chess and Fighting Chess 24
3 Sacrifices and Combinations 38
4 Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry 53
5 Piece Mobility: The Centre and the Flank 61
6 The Initiative 69
7 The Attack Goes Wrong 76
8 Quizzes 86
Solutions to Quizzes 92
Index of Players 104
Symbols
+ Check
++ Double Check
# Mate
Good move
!! Excellent move
? B ad move
?? Serious blunder
!? Interesting move
?! Dubious move
1 -0 White wins
0- 1 Black wins
1/Z-lf2 Draw
Ch Championship
Echt European team championship
Wch World championship
Wcht World team championship
OL Olympiad
Z Zonal
IZ Interzonal
Ct Candidates event
corr Correspondence game
(n) nth match game
(D) Diagram follows
Introduction
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10 Basics af the Kingside Attack: The Three-Piece Rule
13 ... 1.g7? W
The decisive mistake. Burn for
gets that one of the essentials of 17 l:lb8+! 1-0
defence is to have the king sup . . . and again one of them is sacri
porting the defensive pawn cover. ficed to bring the king out into the
1 3 . Ai'g7 ! was es sential, although open. Black resigned in view of
White 's advantage in development 17 . . .<t>xhS 1 8 'ilh7#.
still gives him the better game. It always requires at least two
14 l.xg6! pieces to checkmate the king. Even
Three pieces in the attack; one the most powerful piece on the
of them sacrifices itself to get the board, the queen, requires help. In
king into the open. those cases where one piece can
14 ... fxg6 give mate unassisted by friends
15 'it'xg6 (most notably the 'back-rank mate'),
Now there are only two pieces in it requires that the flight squares of
the attack, and this will be insuffi the king be blocked off by its own
cient to mate B lack. It only takes a pawns or pieces. But how is such a
single move though to introduce checkmate to be arranged? Not,
the third piece, the knight on f3 , unless the defender makes a gross
and this makes all the difference. blunder, by one piece acting alone,
15
•.. liJd7 but rather through the concerted
White is helped by the fact that activity of several pieces leading to
the queen may not be challenged: the possibility of a mating combi
15 ... 'ilf6? 1 6 'ilxeS+, etc. nation.
Basics of the Kingside Attack: The Three-Piece Rule 13
Charousek - Chigorin
Budapest 1896
1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
W 3 i.c4 liJc6
Charousek and Chigorin eventu
The three-piece rule applies ally tied for first place in this tour
whether the defending king is still nament, and in the play-off match
in the centre, or hiding in his castle (eventually won by Chigorin) , the
in the comer. We are usually in Russian was to prefer 3 . . . dS 4
formed that it is dangerous to leave i.xdS 'ti'h4+ S �f1 gS .
our king in the centre as it then be 4 d4 liJf6
comes vulnerable to attack, but this 5 e5 d5
still only applies if the attacker has 6 i.b3 i.g4
enough pieces to get close to the 7 �d3 liJh5 (D)
king. If the king is in the centre, it is
usually well protected by pieces,
but is likely to suffer from rela
tively poor pawn cover, since it is a
strategic necessity to create some
sort of pawn centre (even if only a
' small centre ' ) in the opening, and
this involves moving pawns away
from the king. When a player cas
tles , his king is generally regarded
as being more secure than in the
centre, and this is mainly because
of the extra pawn cover on the
W
flanks. However, it must be re
membered that if the king is in the In such positions White is better,
comer, it is often difficult to bring by reason of his central control, if
pieces from the other side of the he can regain the pawn painlessly.
Basics o/the Kingside Attack: The Three-Piece Rule 17
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20 Basics of the Kingside Attack: The Three-Piece Rule
30 'iVh6+ 1-0
since if 23 exd5 cxd5 24 ':xd5 .te6 pretty complicated game with both
25 'ile5 ? then Black gains the ad players attacking hard, yet in the
vantage by means of 25 .. .f6 ! . 25 end White wins quickly and ex
l:.e l ! is better, with the tactical pos tremely convincingly. It looked like
sibility 25 . . . l:1ad8 ? 26 'iVe5 f6 27 a hard fighting game until about
'ilxe6+ ! 'iix e6 28 1 be6 winning a move 24, but the finish was sud
piece. 25 . . . f6 resists, but it is a mis den. Without a massive blunder at a
erable defensive task for Black. late stage, we must conclude that
22 .te2! White had been much better for
Now the knight is also in danger. rather longer than at first appears.
22 dxe4 Our suggestion is that, in grand
23 fxe4 'it'xe4 master terms at least, the game had
24 'ii'g5 been 'technical' since around move
Always thematic. If 24 . . . 'ii'x g2, 1 2 or 1 3 . With 1 3 h6 ! White was
then 25 'ii'f6 'i!Vxh l + 26 lldl and able to inflict massive damage on
White wins. the dark squares around Black's
24 tDd5 king, and this proved to be the deci
25 llxd5 'i¥xd5 sive weakness. White 's basic plan
26 'i¥f6 <it>f8 was to attack this weakness with
27 .tc4 (D) vigour, and totally uncompromis
ingly. He allowed Black to start a
few skirmishes on the queenside,
but these were little more than a
distraction given that Black was
attacking a ' normal' castled king's
position, rather than an already
weakened position. Everything ap
peared complicated, but White op
erated on the general principle that
if you enter complications with a
positional advantage, you should
emerge from complications with a
B positional advantage. Quiet play
would have allowed Black into the
1-0 game.
In view of 27 . . . 'i¥f5 28 .ta3+ c5 Earlier, Morozevich won with
29 .txc5+ 'iVxc5 30 'iVxf7#. another kingside attack, when his
So how does this game illustrate opponent neglected to play a cru
our theme? At first sight it looks a cial anticipatory defensive move.
30 Technical Chess and Fighting Chess
Morozevich - Arakhamia
London, Lloyds Bank 1994
Sicilian, Rossolimo
1 e4 e5
2 00 lbe6
3 .ib5 e6
4 0-0 lbge7
5 .:tel a6 B
6 .in lbg6
7 d4 exd4 White has a space advantage,
8 lbxd4 .ie7 but it is nothing special. With his
9 .ie3 0-0 last move, White signals the possi
10 e4 d6 bility of redeploying his bishop to
11 lbe3 .td7 (D) g2. but again this is nothing terrify
ing. as such a move would weaken
z_ � _.-�"'� � the pawn on c4. There is, however.
another possibility. of which Black
_._.i._
� � ••• , ,,,,,,!<:,
remains oblivious .
.-�-.-�- 18 ... b5?
- - - - A mechanical move, underesti
mating the perils on the kingside.
_8�8_ - � 1 8 . . . .:tfc8 ! is much better. again
- � m - pressurising the c-pawn. but also
80� - m�: � �� 80�
, , !& �
leaving the knight a valuable re
a _-.aii.=
z �""
,z , z !<:'
treat square on f8. White could still
continue with the attack. but its
W success is still not guaranteed if
Black defends carefully. Play might
12 lbb3 lbaS for example continue 1 9 h4 h6 (it is
13 lbxa5 'iVxa5 inadvisable to allow a white pawn
14 a3 'fie7 to land on h6) 20 h5 lbf8 2 1 g4
15 .:tct b6 lbh7 22 'iWd2 lbf6 ! . and by giving
16 b4 l:.ab8 herself room to manoeuvre Black
17 f4 'itb7 has secured significant counter
18 g3 (D) play against the white pawns. The
Technical Chess and Fighting Chess 31
g5 push by White still needs prepa attack, but he has good central con
ration, and at some stage Black trol and the better minor pieces,
may well be able to anticipate this while Black's weakness on g7 will
with ...�f8 (f8 comes into use not run away.
again!), meeting g5 with ...tLlg8. Just because you start to build
19 h4! your positional advantage with a
Black has only slightly mistimed kingside attack, it doesn't mean
her counterplay, but already falls that you always have to carry on
into deep trouble. It is now a matter with a kingside attack. Sometimes
of technique, attacking technique, it is better to fix a weakness and
for White. then concentrate your play else
19 .•• :fc8 where.
A move too late, but after 19 ...h6 22 bxg7 cJi;xg7
20 h5 the knight is forced to the 23 'ii'hs (D)
dreadful square h8 whence it may
never emerge unless Black is pre
pared to make a weakening move
with the f-pawn.
20 hS lbf8
21 h6
Since White is not worried about
Black's ... bxc4, there is no need to
give Black an open line by insert
ing 21 cxb5?! axb5.
21 ... bxc4?
Now it is simple. 21...g6, erect
ing a few hedgehog spines, is B
tougher. The obvious 22 'iWd4?! is
met by 22...e5! 23 fxe5 iLle6, when The black king is now seriously
Black is fully in the game. Neither exposed, and White can readily
does 22 c5?! dxc5 23 i.xc5 i.xc5 bring his dark-squared bishop and
24 bxc5 work because of 24...'fla7! a rook into the attack.
when White's dark-squared weak 23 ... i.e8
nesses turn out to be as important 23 ...i.f6 24 e5 solves nothing,
as Black's. but 23 ...f6 would resist for longer.
The correct way to treat the po 24 fS!
sition would be quietly and posi Pawn prods are often an integral
tionally. After 22 cxb5 axb5 23 i.d4! part of a kingside attack. 25 f6+ is
White has no immediate mating now a genuine threat, while another
32 Technical Chess and Fighting Chess
diagonal is opened for the bishop Even holding only a slight advan
on e3. tage, it is still possible to play tech
24 4Jd7 nically, quietly regrouping pieces,
25 lle2 4Jf6 threatening to attack a weak point
26 J.h6+ �h8 (D) every so often, never letting the op
ponent attack, and gradually build
ing up an initiative. Having only a
slight edge, attacking an opponent
too early and over-vigorously will
let him or her back into the game. It
is better at such an early stage to
concentrate on developing the co
ordination of your pieces and at
tacking, hard, only when there is a
genuine target to aim at.
Morozevich - Petursson
B London, Lloyds Bank 1994
Sicilian, Rossolimo
27 't\ig5 1-0
Frighteningly quick once the at 1 e4 c5
tack had started rolling. 2 4Jf3 4Jc6
3 J.b5 d6
So, two deadly Morozevich king 4 0-0 i.d7
side attacks focusing on g7 . In the 5 l:.e1 ltJf6
Hebden game, a sharp opening was 6 c3 a6
more one- sided than it looked. In 7 i.n i.g4!?
the Arakhamia game, an apparently 8 d4 cxd4
slight defensive slip had enormous 9 cxd4 (D)
consequences . Vigorous exploita 9 d5? !
tion of your opponent's mistakes is After this, the initiative stays
the key to winning tournaments ! with White. It seems inconsistent
Our third Morozevich example that, having sacrificed a tempo to
shows White playing the early mid play . . . i.g4, Black does not inflict
dlegame in what might be termed doubled pawns on White with
'technical style' . White achieves 9 . . i.xf3 10 gxf3 . True, 1O . . e5 11
. .
no big advantage early on, but still d5 gives White attacking chances,
keeps a nagging pressure, the im but the strange-looking 1O . . g5 ! ?
.
portant ' advantage of the move ' . could be considered, with the idea
Technical Chess and Fighting Chess 33
more time. Given that the position play, Black always has queenside
is blocked, mere loss of time is not castling in reserve.
vital; what is necessary is to ensure So long as Black keeps his op
that the opponent has as little as tions open for his king, and so long
possible to attack. as White has no overwhelming po
17 :a2 (D) sitional advantage on any part of
the board, what we have is fighting
chess. All White can play for is
small positional gains, maybe a lit
tle gain of space on the queenside,
maybe some favourable redeploy
ment of pieces in the centre, and
hope that he can ultimately accu
mulate a few advantages. Black,
meanwhile, can concentrate on
keeping his defences secure, on
improving the co-ordination of his
still slightly cramped pieces, and
B on blunting the force of White's in
itiative so that in any endgame
17 ... O-O? ! which arises, White's pawns might
It might seem a little harsh to prove to be overextended and
criticise castling on move 17 as be therefore weak.
ing premature, but such is the case Once the black king reaches the
here. It is handy for the defender in far part of the kingside however,
a blocked position to be able to White knows exactly where to at
keep the king unmoved in the cen tack. To make things worse for
tre, as it makes it very difficult for Black, White's advanced pawn on
the attacker to know where to at e5 acts as a superb spearhead from
tack; in one move the black king the attack. White now has a clear
could appear at either c8 or g8! If and strong plan: to gain space on the
for example White were to try to kingside, with the help of a general
amass everything for a queenside pawn advance, in the full knowl
attack, Black could simply wait, edge that when some space has
get on with his game, and dance been gained the ultimate reward
away with his king to g8 (by cas will be a formidable attack against
tling) when things got tough on the a cornered king. We thus quickly
queenside. On the other hand, if move from fighting chess to a dis
White went all-out for kingside play of attacking technique .
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Technical Chess and Fighting Chess 35
25 ... b6
26 tiJd3 (D)
Not 26 tiJxa6?? 'fIc4, spearing a
piece.
29 ... gxh5
30 llli'4 Ibe3
30 . . . g6 would have been a futile
B gesture after 31 ttJxh5 gxh5 32 ttJh4
followed, in some order, by 'ifh5,
26 ... 'it>g8 ltg2lh2, etc.
27 h4 Sacrificing a piece to destroy an
White's knight manoeuvre on opposing king 's pawn cover is
the queenside (tiJd2-b3-c5-d3) has standard technique, and is gener
brought the knight closer to the ally a low-risk strategy if the de
kingside (tiJf4 is now possible), fender has diffic ulty in bringing
and so White again switches his across pieces to cover the king.
attack. The quick succession of a4 31 tiJxh5 'ifc6 (D)
and h4 is appealing, and gives a 32 tiJf6+
clear indication that White's king A second knight sacrifice to il
side attack is part of a broad posi lustrate our theme. Black cannot
tional strategy rather than just permit the g-file to be opened;
crash-bang-wallop. 32 ...gxf6 33 gxf6 i.xb4 gives White
27 ... 'ii'd7 any number of winning lines, the
28 g5 most straightforward of which is
Fixing Black's g-pawns, so that the continuation 34 ltg2+ <ifi>h8 35
h5 cannot be met by . . . g5. tiJg5.
28 ••• ltc3 (D) 32 ••• i.xf6
29 h5! 33 gxf6 g6
White's impressive manoeuvring So Black has avoided the open
sets up the final breakthrough. ing of the g-file, but the f6-pawn is
Technical Chess and Fighting Chess 37
35 'it'c1 (D)
1 lDf3 lDf6
2 c4 c5
3 lDc3 lDc6
4 d4 cxd4
5 liJxd4 e6
6 a3! ? (D)
15 lDd5 !
A standard sacrificial idea in this
type of position. Often in the Sicil
ian this piece sacrifice is 'unclear
but promising', with White hoping
(after ...exdS; exdS) for an attack
B against the uncastled king as com
pensation for his sacrificed piece.
Otherwise ... i.b4 might be an- Here, though, there is no real sacri
noying. fice, as White regains the piece im
6 ... lDxd4 mediately after l S ...exdS 1 6 exdS.
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40 Sacrifices and Combinations
Black's position is already very du can be played without any qualms
bious; he could have side-stepped whatsoever.
the knight blow with 14 . . ..i.fS. 21 cxb4
15 .txd5 22 axb4 .txb4 (D)
16 exd5 e5
17 'ild3 lbd7
18 .th3 l1d8 (D)
23 e6!
W However, this is a much more
difficult position to judge. When
19 f4 writing the first draft of this book, I
Vigorously assaulting Black's was sceptical of this sacrifice, be
centre. lieving that the acceleration of the
19 ... b5 attack did not quite justify the sac
So that Black can meet 20.i.xd7 rifice of the exchange. I felt that the
by 20 . :iVa7+! followed by . . :i'xd7,
. quieter 23 l:te2 would have been
when Black stays in the game. How stronger, when there can be little
ever, White has something sharper doubt that White has excellent
in mind. compensation for the pawn. Black
20 c5! dxc5 gains an extra tempo for defence,
21 fxe5 but White can still build up his at
A pawn centre like this, backed tack systematically, aiming to fo
up by the powerful bishop pair, is cus his attack on f7 (l::tf l , e6, etc.).
worth the investment of a remote Black would undoubtedly have
queenside pawn, especially given enormous difficulties in defending,
that Black's pieces are passive and and White, having sacrificed only a
his kingside open to attack. A posi pawn, is taking no real risks. My
tional pawn sacrifice such as this opinion of Speelman's move has
Sacrifices and Combinations 41
B
W
The threat is simply 29 :e8+,
a) 24 exd7 i.b4 25 'i!fd4 (alter (29 i.e8 is also deadly) and after
natively, 25 i.xg7? ! 'i!fb6+ 26 i.d4 28 . . . :xd7 (there is nothing better)
..tc5) 25. . . ..tf8 and Black is secure. 29 lle8+ �g7 30 'i!fg4+ �h6 (or
b) 24 .fbe l fxe6 (24. . . tDf6 25 30 . . .�xf7 3 1 'i!fg8#) 3 1 'ifh3+ �g7
..txf6 gxf6 26 e7 should win) 25 (3 1 ...�g6 32 J:lg8+ mates) 32 'i!fxd7
..txe6+ (25 dxe6 ! ?) 25 . . .'�h8 26 'it'xd7 33 f8'i!f+ and White emerges
'il'c3 'i!fa7 + ! (a key zwischenzug) a rook up.
27 �h l tDf6 and if 28 'ifxf6? then So your annotator, trying very
28 . . . gxf6 29 i.xf6+ there is no hard to be stern and classically
mate since Black has 29 . . . 'iVg7. minded, relents. 23 e6 ! is strong,
c) 24 exf7+ ! is critical . Since and I would not wish to deny any
24. . . �xf7? 25 'i!fxh7 gives White a one, amateur or grandmaster, the
winning attack, Black's only reply type of finish given in line 'c'. It is
is 24. . . �h8 . After 25 .l:.xel , White's still worth reminding the reader not
42 Sacrifices and Combinations
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Sacrifices and Combinations 45
25 ..txn + <tJxn
26 g4
Now if 26 . . . lbf6? 27 .u.xf4 White
has the position he wants . How
ever. . .
26 ... �d7!
The counterattack starts . After
27 gxhS? �g4+, possibly followed
by . . . ..txh4, all Black's pieces will
be rushing towards the naked king.
27 �f3 ..tf6! (D)
W
0-1
If this were a textbook on defen
sive play, the above game would be
an excellent example to use. Black
played calmly when he had to, and
counter-attacked vigorously when
he had to, not being afraid to sacri
fice material to take over the initia
tive. Just when White played what
might have appeared to be his win
W ning combination, it turned out that
Akesson, his pieces well placed for
Once the defender's pieces are defence, was ready with strings of
more active than the attacker's, it is tactics with which to refute the
clear that the attack has failed. combination.
28 ..txf6?! In a book on attacking tech
Blunder? Time trouble ? White is nique, it is as well to remember that
still worse after 28 gxhS ..txb2 29 in chess attack and defence can be
hxg6+ (or 29 �xf4+), but can play very finely balanced. In a position
on. where you are level or have only a
28 ... .l:.e3 slight edge, to attempt to launch an
29 �xe3 uncompromising attack involves
29 �d l .u.g3+ 30 <tJh2 ':'xg4 3 1 an element of risk. The sort of
..tgS h6 3 2 ..txh6 .u.xh4+ is one of questions you must ask are:
several winning lines for Black. •
Am I ignoring too much the de
29 ... Wixg4+ (D) fence of my own weak spots ?
46 Sacrifices and Combinations
15 ••• cxd5
16 d4 exd4
Excusably missing some deep
tactical points. 1 6 . . . e4, with a more
closed centre, looks better, and if
1 7 cxd5 , 1 7 . . . li)xd5 ! ( l 7 . . . .txd5 ? !
1 8 'fIb5 favours White) 1 8 �e4?!
i.xh3 ! and Black stands well.
1 7 c5 provides better chances .
White closes the centre, and play
switches to the flanks . White has
B better prospects on the queenside
than Black has on the kingside. It
12 'iVe2 c6 helps White greatly that, in con
13 i.e3 .te6 trast to various French-type posi
14 .:tadl d5 (D) tions, the e3-square is not occupied
by a pawn.
17 lbd4 li)d7 (D)
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50 Sacrifices and Combinations
worst. All the pieces disappear af For example if Black tries an im
ter 28 lild6+! i.xd6 29 llxe6 lIxe6 mediate 29 .....xb4, White has 30
30 i.xe6+ <iftxe6 31 llxd6+ 'iixd6 lId7+ �f6 31 lIf7+ <ite5 (31...<itg5
32 i.xd6 <iftxd6, and White is a 32 f4+ <ifthS 33 lIf5+! gxf5 34 i.f7#
pawn up in a king and pawn end would give the spectators more
ing, which he wins with, for exam pleasure) 32 lild3+ <itxe6 33 lilxb4
ple, 33 f4. <iftxf7 34 lIh1. The resulting end
It is therefore a win, but not an game is not difficult to win; Black's
easy win. And if one's opponent's queenside pawns need never be
defence is strong, then it often re come dangerous, while White has
quires imagination as well as plod his extra knight and a useful extra
ding accuracy to convert a winning pawn on the kingside.
position. 29 ••• lidS
27 i.xe7 r3;xe7 Black hopes very much for sim
28 lilc5 'ii'xa3 plification. If he can exchange
29 i.xe6 (D) rooks and also win the b-pawn, he
should be able to draw.
30 lIe2?!
Chess is not an easy game, and a
narrowly winning position can be
difficult to convert, particularly if,
as I would suspect in this instance,
there is a fearsome time scramble
going on. One line of argument
supporting the move played is that
because White's advantage is in
his piece co-ordination and his at
tack, he should keep pieces on the
B board, rather than head towards an
endgame-like position with a rook
It is quite likely that Black had exchange. The counter-argument,
deliberately aimed for this position which is more persuasive in this
at move 26, since he is not too far particular case, is that the text
behind in material and will have a move, which contrary to appear
dangerous pair of passed pawns if ances threatens nothing, wastes a
he can find time for ...'iVxb4. Black tempo.
has unshackled his pieces, but 30 lIxd8! <iftxd8 31 lid1+ is a
White is still too well coordinated mating attack, despite the reduced
to allow the defence to succeed. material. There might follow:
52 Sacrifices and Combinations
The final game of the previous the defender's pieces cannot co
chapter showed White sacrificing operate and often seem anaesthe
his queen for a decisive advantage tised. It is remarkable how quickly
in piece mobility. Black had no real the defence can collapse in such
weaknesses as such ; instead the positions. If you are attacking, just
main point was that White's pieces get your pieces as active as possi
were incredibly active and could ble. Do not worry about your oppo
drive Black's less agile pieces all nent's apparent solidity; if your
over the place . It is interesting to pieces are active enough, weak
note that after White had sacrificed nesses will soon be forced.
his queen, he played only one
pawn move (24 b4) and the sole Mestel - Kinsman
reason of that was to prod the black London, Lloyds Bank 1 994
queen. Furthermore, during this Semi-Tarrasch Defence
critical stage of the game, all of
White 's pawns were in his own 1 c4 lDC6
half; there was absolutely no reli 2 g3 d5
ance placed on the standard method 3 adS lDxd5
of fixing a critical weakness by ad 4 J.g2 e6
vancing a pawn, as we saw in the 5 00 J.e7
Morozevich games earlier; instead, 6 d4 0-0
everything was done by piece play. 7 0-0 c5
Sheer piece mobility can win 8 a3 lL\c6
games, even if the defender appar 9 dxc5 J.xc5
ently has no real weaknesses. This 10 b4 J.e7
is shown with greatest clarity by 11 J.b2 J.C6
examining positions containing 12 'it'b3 J.d7
symmetrical pawn structures. In 13 :d1 J.xb2
such positions the defender has 14 'ii'xb2 'ii'C6
no more weaknesses than the at 15 'ifxf6 ttJxr6
tacker; rather the problem is that 16 lL\c3 (D)
54 Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry
B B
20 i.e8 3 c4 i.g7
21 :tac1 �f8 4 lLlc3 d5
22 f4 5 g3 dxc4
Consolidating his grip on the 6 'it'a4+ c6
dark squares. Not, however, 22 7 'iWxc4 0-0
:c7 ? in view of 22 . . lLldS.
. 8 i.g2 lLla6
22 lLld7 9 0-0 i.f5
23 lLldxt7 (D) 10 lLle5 'it'c8
11 ':d1 i.h3 (D)
B
W
1-0
Black must lose material. This position is hardly a model
of symmetry ; indeed there is con
Our next example features an siderable tension. White has a se
other game with an almost sym cure pawn centre and more active
metrical pawn structure in which the pieces, but Black is slightly ahead
player with the more active pieces in development, and needs to take
overruns his opponent with a king advantage of that lead in develop
side attack, despite there being ment.
relatively few pieces on the board. His last move indicates a stand
ard plan against the king 's fian
Lodhi I. Gurevich
- chetto ; the move g3 (or . . . g6)
London, Lloyds Bank 1994 leaves some weak squares in front
Griinfeld Defence of the king, and these may in cer
tain circumstances be open to at
1 d4 lLlf6 tack, particularly if the defending
2 lLlf3 g6 bishop can be exchanged.
56 Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry
Here B lack' s excursion with the reasoning that the position drifts
bishop is a means of keeping the into indeterminacy after 1 7 'ii'c 2
balance; only later, when the cen (although maybe White is very
tral pawn structure has been clari slightly better) , whereas after the
fied, does Black start a genuine text he has a genuine space advan
attack against the king. tage, and perhaps the chance to de
12 i.h1 velop an initiative.
A slight concession which need 17 adS
not concern White too much at the 1S exdS i.g4
moment; he is still better in the 19 l:.d2 lbes
centre. 20 lbe4 lbd6!
12 lbc7 A promlsmg square for the
13 e4 lbd7 knight. White feels obliged to ex
14 lbxd7 'ii'xd7 change.
15 i.e3 lUdS 21 lbxd6 exd6 (D)
16 'tWb3 .too (D)
W
W
Now we have a nearly symmet
17 dS? ! rical pawn structure, with the main
17 'it'xb7?? l:.db8 is a beginner's imbalance being that White 's d
trap, but this is a more sophisti pawn is further advanced than
cated error, which I suspect a mas Black's. One might naIvely assume
ter is more likely to make than a that this means that the position fa
club player. Most players would, vours White, who has more space .
quite correctly, be wary of the iso In fact, the reverse is true:
lated pawn that White is allowing 1 ) White 's pawn on d5 blocks
himself, but Lodhi is presumably his king 's bishop, whereas Black's
Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry 57
28 h4
This, however, is a more conse
quential weakening. It is an un
pleasant move to make, but White
is terribly passive, and at least he
now has a bolt-hole for his king on
h2. The position is quiet, but in dif
ferent ways for each player; the
black pieces creep stealthily for
W ward, whereas White 's pieces are
asleep. White has absolutely noth
24 %:tac1 %:txc4 ing to compensate for Black's con
25 :xc4 ':c8 trol of the open c-file and the long
26 %:txc8+ dark-squared diagonal.
26 i.xa7 ? ltxc4 27 "iYxc4 b5 28 ••• i.e5
wins the bishop. The outpost.
26 ••• 'iWxc8 29 �h2
58 Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry
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60 Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry
to attack unless you are more ac attack, and, as we have seen, such
tive, but when you have become attacks can be surprisingly effec
more active it would be folly not to tive.
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part of the board. If you control the London, Lloyds Bank 1994
centre, and your pieces are well an Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer
chored there, you are well placed
to attack on either flank, and well 1 e4 c5
placed to defend on either flank. 2 lbf3 d6
Conversely, if your opponent has 3 d4 cxd4
full control of the centre, you will 4 liJxd4 lill'6
find it difficult to attack, and diffi 5 M ttJc6
cult to defend against your oppo 6 i.g5 e6
nent's attacks. 7 'ii'd2 i.e7
Despite the importance of the 8 0-0-0 0-0 (D)
centre, games are decided com
paratively rarely by a central at
tack. What happens more often is
that players battle for control of the
centre, and once they have accom
plished such control, they try to
create and look for weaknesses to
attack. Such weaknesses are usu
ally on the flank, in a comer. There
fore the battle for central control
and the flank attack are linked. If
you see that your opponent has a
weakness on one side of the board, W
don' t j ust charge in regardless.
Your attack against the castled king A thematic Sicilian Defence po
will be much stronger if you are se sition, and of course one thor
cure in the centre than if your op oughly familiar to theory. White
ponent is in control of vital central has castled queenside, which al
squares. lows him to throw pawns forward
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62 Piece Mobility: The Centre and the Flank
order not to be overrun on the king exposed; move the black king to gS
side. White's attack is still not over; and the rook to eS, and Black's po
he can bring pawns into contact on sition would become comfortable.
the kingside, and thereby force the The essential question is whether
black king into the open. White can mobilise his pieces be
24 g6 liJf6 fore Black can consolidate.
25 Ibd8+ i.xd8 28 ••• i.e7
26 gxt7+ ct;xt7 If 2S . . . .l:.eS , White could con
27 fxe6+ lbe6 (D) tinue the attack with 29 :tn , while
29 .. .'itgS 30 liJhS ! liJxhS 3 1 'iVdS+
ct;hS 32 'iVxhS gives White sub
stantial kingside pressure. In this
line the white queen makes good
use of the centre to switch from
flank to flank.
29 liJd4
Despite the lack of pawn an
chorage, the critical central squares
all seem to be falling to White.
29 lIb6
30 .:tel �d8 (D)
W
28 'iVa8 ! !
One of the most paradoxical cen
tralising moves you are likely to
see ! The queen in the corner influ
ences events both on the kingside
(the back rank is breezy) and on
the queenside (Black' s . . . a4 is pre
vented) while still covering vital
squares on d5 and e4. This is exactly
the all-over effect that one would
desire from a fully centralised piece, W
and yet White's queen is in the cor
ner, where it is less exposed to at 31 �f3!
tack than on any central square. A more conventional form of
White' s one real advantage in centralisation. The possibility of
this position is that Black' s king is 'ili'b3 adds to Black's difficulties,
Piece Mobility: The Centre and the Flank 65
1 d4 lbf6
2 c4 g6
3 lbc3 i.g7
4 e4 d6
5 f3 0-0
6 i.e3 c5 (D)
This is not a misprint ! Experi
ence shows that after the continu
ation 7 dxc5 dxc5 8 'iix d8 l:xd8 9
w i.xc5 lbc6 Black's superior devel
opment and dark-square control
34 :e7+! �g7 provide give good compensation
35 :'xg7+ �h8 for the gambited pawn.
36 lbe7 'iWc4 7 lbge2 lbc6
36 . . .'ii' xd4 37 l:Ig8+ lbxg8 3 8 8 d5 lbe5
'i!fxg8#. 9 lbg3 a6
37 b3 lbde4 10 a4 e6
38 'iWg2 lbc3+ 11 i.e2 exd5
66 Piece Mobility: The Centre and the Flank
W W
6 T he Initiative
The initiative is to fighting chess as in, but it does not look too serious.
the attack is to technical chess. Morozevich, however, keeps the
Thus, when you are clearly better initiative so superbly, even though
you may attack your opponent's the play is often complicated and
weaknesses, with excellent pros tactical, that the ailing bishop never
pects for success. When you do not gets back into play, even when we
have this significant advantage, are well into the endgame. As you
and are maybe only slightly better, play through the game, note how
you can still try to press your oppo even when the queens are off,
nent hard, to try to force him or her Morozevich gains time by harass
into some form of mistake which ing the enemy king. Any mating
may be transformed into a perma threats are incidental; what is im
nent advantage for you . If you have portant is that by using the initia
the initiative, you are the one forc tive to create a series of threats, one
ing the pace in all the little tactical player has time to co-ordinate his
and positional battles that come pieces, while the other can under
under the heading of fighting take nothing but passive defence.
chess. If you have the initiative,
you must try to gain the upper hand A.kesson - Morozevich
in all these battles. The main objec London, Lloyds Bank 1994
tive of in itiative play is not so much Queen's Gambit, Chigorin
to force the win (your opponent
must make a mistake for this to be 1 00 ttJc6
possible) but rather to prevent your 2 d4 d5
opponent from equalising. 3 Jtf4 Jtg4
Initiative play is an essential 4 e3 e6
aspect of grandmaster and master 5 c4 �b4+
play. Our illustrative game comes 6 liJc3 liJge7 (D)
from Alexander Morozevich's out All very much based on the
standing winning run at the Lloyds great nineteenth-century pioneer
B ank Masters . His opponent's de of Russian chess, Mikhail Chigo
velopment is a little slow, with one rin. Black's development (e.g. the
of the bishops being mildly hemmed knight on c6) looks almost naive,
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70 The Initiative
W W
and he has paid minimal attention make a valuable pawn break in the
to building a pawn centre, but at centre.
least his pieces are out quickly. Black has the initiative, but only
White can try to gain time by at for as long as White is behind in
tacking the bishops, but the spirit development. Black must therefore
of the Chi gorin method is to be try to keep White tied down by
prepared to exchange bishop for threats .
knight if this is necessary to main 14 dS lLla5
tain the flow of development. See 15 ':c3 c6
for example Black's 9th and 1 2th 16 dxc6
moves. Of course not 16 b4?? cxdS 1 7
7 h3 .ihS bxaS 'ii'xaS 1 8 �d2 d4, when Black
8 %:tel 0-0 wins.
9 a3 .ixc3+ 16 ... fuc6
10 :xc3 dxc4 17 .tc4 lLlh4? !
11 :'xc4 lLlg6 Such pin-prick threats can b e an
12 .ih2 .ixf3! important part of the process, so
13 'ilNxf3 e5 (D) long as one is moving pieces to
Already we can suggest that genuinely more aggressive posi
Black is slightly better. Somewhere tions . Even so, I strongly suspect
along the line (maybe 1 1 ':xc4) that the immediate 17 . . . �h8 ! , pre
White has misassessed the pace of paring . . . fS while keeping the
the position, and now finds that his knight closer to the centre, would
bishop pair is of no great use to have been preferable ; see the next
him, while Black is better devel note.
oped and has already been able to 18 'iVg4 <ii?h8 (D)
The Initiative 71
19 l:r.d3?
This does not gain time because
it forces the black queen to de
velop, allowing the black rooks to
be connected. However, 19 O-O? f5
is not very effective either; Black
has a powerful kingside attack
building up. The correct solution
must surely be 1 9 e4 ! . This con W
cedes a minor weakness on d4, but
in compensation gives White an 23 i.d5!
outpost for his bishop on d5 . A White too must fight for the in
more important gain for White is itiative . In the event of 23 gxh3 ? !
that Black's kingside initiative is lLlf3+ 24 We2 l:tad8 Black's rooks
stopped dead. If Black should ever and knights are perfectly coordi
be forced to backtrack with . . . lLlg6, nated, while no two of White's
White is probably better. pieces are working together prop
Morozevich at age 1 7 did not erly. Play might continue 25 11f7
quite have perfect positional touch, Ihf7 26 i.xf7 e4 ! 27 i.g3 :d2+
but such things can improve very 28 Wfl lLlce5 , leaving White under
quickly. severe pressure.
19 ••. it'e7 ! 23 hxg2
Black fights hard for the initia 24 llg1 l:lac8
tive ; the 'safe ' 1 9 . . 'iff6 renounces
. 25 We2
the possibility of an early . . . f5 . The pawn cannot yet be taken:
20 lld7 25 i.xg2 ? lLld8 26 lIb4 %:te l + 27
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72 The Initiative
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The Initiative 73
rook to the seventh, Black's king useless through the rest of the
would be more vulnerable than be game. The white rooks are active,
fore; but all they can attack is the a
3) Playing ...h6 allows the knight pawn. Meanwhile Black's rooks
a square on g5, which in some cir are nicely placed ; he has one rook
cumstances might be useful. on the seventh rank, while the other
32 �g6 'it>h7 can attack either along the rank or
Black's king is now much more the file, White 's king being ex
secure. posed to the crossfire. The knight
33 l'ta6 llc2+ may also join in the attack, while in
34 �f3 lld7 (D) the longer term a gradual advance
of the kingside pawns will cause
trouble for White.
Morozevich, by keeping hold of
the initiative when the position was
wild, now has the prize of the in
itiative (can we say attack?) in a
quiet technical position. It is inter
esting to note that since White is no
worse in terms of pawn structure,
what Black is making use of his su
perior piece activity. Black is the
one who controls the centre, after
W all.
35 .tg3 h5
The position has started to stabi Black at some stage would like
lise, and for the first time we can to play . . . h4 to stop the bishop pro
speak of ' static ' , or rather semi tecting the f-pawn, the main weak
static, features. White has no real ness in White 's position.
pawn weakness of consequence, 36 l'ta5
and indeed Black has the two White is regrouping his rooks
weakest pawns on the board, on a7 for a queenside assault. The cen
and e5 . Despite this, Black remains tralising 36 �e4 is too slow, e.g.
clearly better, because his advan 36 ... g5 37 f4 h4 ! 3 8 fxg5 hxg3 39
tage in piece activity has taken on a g6+ �g7 40 gxf7 Ihf7 (simpler
permanent aspect. White 's bishop than 40 . . . g2 41 IIg6+) and Black's
on h2 has no active play (apart passed pawn runs through. A line
from mild pressure on the black e such as this demonstrates that it is
pawn) , and is destined to remain difficult for White to defend both
74 The Initiative
12 O-O!
So far, so good. This is the cor
rect plan; White has no need to
waste time by moving his bishop,
and instead completes his develop
ment, rushing another piece into
the attack. W
12 ••. ltJxc4
12 . . . .te6 Iooks more principled, 15 ltJxf4 c6
but in fact White keeps a dangerous A necessary precaution, since
attack with 1 3 .tb5+ ! c6 14 'ii'g3 ! . 1 5 . . . 1'ie7 ? is met by 16 ltJd5, but
White's last two moves would then now Black is very seriously behind
have reduced the tension on his in development and should prob
own pieces, while adding to the ably lose.
threats against Black. In particular, 16 e5!
78 The Attack Goes Wrong
Spot on. An attack needs open further Black's piece activity; ... lLlh6
lines. If now 16 . . . fxe5, 17 lLlg6. is thus ruled out.
16 f5 After 1 8 .:td6 ! the rest of the
17 l'%ad1 '¥!ie7 (D) game would be a matter of simple
attacking technique; no brilliancies,
no combinations even, but just a
few straightforward blows, e.g. :
a) 1 8 ...'iVxe5 (on principle White
should not be scared of this, as it
opens another file in front of the
king) 19 ':'fdl �e7 20 .:td8 lLlh6 2 1
l:1xh8 'i'xh8 22 'i'e2+ �f6 (22. . .�
23 'fIh5+ rJilg7 24 'iVg5+) 23 .:td6+
rJilg5 (23 . . . rJilg7 24 'iVe5+) 24 lLlh3+
rJilh4 25 l:txh6#.
b) 1 8 . . . .td7 1 9 %lfd l 0-0-0 20
W 'i¥d4 (the most brutal) and Black's
position will topple in a couple of
The position has clarified. White moves.
has sacrificed a piece but has com Nothing flashy, just normal forc
pleted his development, while ing play. Instead there followed:
Black is still undeveloped with his 18 'ii'c3? ?
king pinned down. What we have Wholly anti-positional; a s we
reached is a very technical posi have seen, there is no need to pro
tion. White's positional compensa tect the e-pawn. Meanwhile, by not
tion for the piece is so strongly activating his own pieces, he al
evident that there is no need to seek lows Black to activate his . White
any tactical justification for the has surrendered his chance to con
sacrifice . White can play it as a trol Black's development squares
matter of technique. on h6 and e6, and is guilty of culpa
The correct move is 1 8 l'%d6 ! , ble neglect of the centre.
followed by ':'fd l , completing the 18 ••• lLlh6!
centralisation process. The princi Everything has changed in an
ple of centralisation is highly im instant. Black is now ready to cas
portant in chess strategy, especially tle and escape with his extra piece.
so when the opposing king is stuck 19 'ii'h 3
in the centre ! Note also that White A totally decentralising move;
is using his control of the d-file to even so, the only way to keep the
establish an outpost which restricts attack alive.
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The Attack Goes Wrong 79
26 h3 lDe3
27 .:tel 'iixc2
28 %lgl 'ii'e4
29 'iif6 b5
30 'iWd6+ rJi;b6
31 'iVdS+ rJi;a6
W 32 'iic7 .tb7
33 lDe7 lilhS
You only need to compare this 34 rJi;h2 'iWf4+
diagram with the last to see how 35 rJi;hl 'iWe4
White 's position has regressed. A 36 rj;h2 lbg4+
few moves ago he had plenty to at 37 rJi;hl lilxh3#
tack along the d-file, and along the 0-1
a2-g8 diagonal, but now what on We have seen how a single anti
Earth can he do with the g- and h positional move can ruin even the
files ? Indeed the one big threat in most powerful of attacks. Our next
the position is Black's . . . 'iVc5+. and final example again shows
22 'it'h5 hxg6 how much can be missed in grand
23 'ii'xhS+ rj;d7 master chess, particularly when
24 lbxg6 'iWc5+ tournament pressure is running
25 rj;h1 rJi;c7 (D) high. It was not just the initiative
Now that the black king is safe, that swung back and forth in this
the rest is easy. Black spends a bit game, it was also the advantage.
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80 The Attack Goes Wrong
Psakhis King - 12 as
London, Lloyds Bank 1994 13 lIbl .l:.e8
Queen's Gambit Declined 14 e4 lLlfS
15 0-0 lLlg6
1 d4 lLlf6 16 i..e3 axb4
2 c4 e6 17 axb4 (D)
3 lLlf3 d5
4 lLlc3 i.e7
5 i.. f4 0-0
6 e3 lLlbd7
Generally reckoned as slightly
passive; 6 . . . c5 is usually preferred.
7 'iWc2 c6
8 lMl a6
9 a3 dxc4
10 i.. xc4 b5
11 i.. d 3 i.b7
12 b4! ? (D)
White wants to stop Black free B
ing himself with . . . c5, and is pre
pared to allow some weakening of White has achieved his pawn
his queenside pawn structure to centre, and if allowed will advance
achieve this. The prevention of with e5, meeting . . . lLld5 by lLlxd5 .
. . . c5 gives White time to build up After this, any recapture will be in
his pawn centre with e4, with a White's favour. Thus, . . . cxd5 would
possible kingside attack in prospect. leave the b-pawn weak, . . . 'ii'x d5
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The Attack Goes Wrong 81
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82 The Attack Goes Wrong
e-pawn, so I must defend it' . The that Black has set in motion the big
pawn sacrifice has always to be con attack against the white king, there
sidered in such circumstances, and is no need to waste a move on the
it is a matter of both positional and queenside merely to restore the
tactical judgement (here mainly material balance. When checkmate
positional) in deciding whether the is at stake, the flow of the attack is
pawn sacrifice is good or not. worth more than a stray pawn.
22 %:tf8 After 26 . . . 'iWg5 , 27 f3 ltle3 wins
23 .tg3 .th4! Black the exchange, while 27 .th7+
24 llbel .txg3 �h8 28 'fi'g6 cxb4 is also favour
Forcing White to accept the same able for Black, now that White has
undesirable kingside pawn struc abandoned the queenside.
ture that we saw earlier in Moroze Black's position seems almost
vich-Petursson. jinxed after 27 .te2, as all his most
25 hxg3 c5! plausible attacking attempts get re
26 ltlxb5 (D) futed in startling fashion. For ex
ample, 27 . . . ltlxf2? allows 28 llxf2
'iWe3 29 'iWxc5 ! , winning for White;
the 'brilliancy ' with 29 . . . :txf2 30
'iWxe3 llxg2+ 3 1 �f1 1:tf8+ fails af
ter 3 2 'fi'f4 ! . On the other knight
sacrifice, 27 . . . ltle3 ? 28 fxe3 'iYxe3+
29 �h2 :tf2, which appears to force
a win, White has the astonishing
resource 30 i.d3 ! ! when two pins
suddenly become two discovered
attacks, with an X-ray defence of
g2 as well.
B All very aesthetic and frustrat
ing, but Black' s position is totally
26 ••• cxb4? acceptable, indeed better, after
The game has turned round to 27 . . . cxb4. What is the difference
tally in the last few moves, and between this and taking the pawn a
now Black has a standard attack move earlier? Essentially it is that
ing position. As soon as the black Black has inserted an active at
queen gets to h5 , White is mated ! tacking move, while White has had
I find it a mystery why Black did to play a passive defensive move,
not play 26 . . . 'iWg5 here; it is surely withdrawing one of his pieces from
the technically correct move. Once his own attack. As a consequence,
84 The Attack Goes Wrong
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8 Qu izzes
1 3
B.Lalic - Pein Danielczyk - Lyons
Isle of Man 1 994 Isle of Man 1 994
2 4
Maggs - Koshy Bailon - Howell
Isle of Man 1 993 Isle of Man 1 994
5 7
G.F1ear - Wolstencroft McNab - Welling
Isle of Man 1 994 Isle of Man 1 993
6 8
Crouch - S.LaIic Sher - Bech Hansen
Isle ofMan 1 994 Isle ofMan 1 994
9 11
S.Lalic - B.Kristensen K.Arkell - Kumaran
Isle ofMan 1994 Isle of Man 1993
10 12
Ward - Fenn Rossiter - Crouch
Isle of Man 1 994 Isle ofMan 1993
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90 Quizzes
13 15
Nunn - Howell Nicholson - Mol
Isle ofMan 1 994 Isle of Man 1 994
14 16
Crouch - Quillan Howell - Crouch
Isle ofMan 1 994 Isle ofMan 1 993
17 19
Emms - Gayson E.Sakhatova - Wolstencroft
Isle ofMan 1 994 Isle of Man 1994
18 20
Ellison - Koshy Conquest - Crouch
Isle of Man 1 993 Isle of Man 1994
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92 Solutions to Quizzes
2. Maggs-Koshy
Sol utions to Qu izzes So many of the sacrifices that
get played during the course of an
1. B.Lalic-Pein attack are not 'brilliancies' , merely
It is perhaps a little surprising routine technique. And so it proves
that White has anything at all ; it is here. 31,..lDxh4 32 gxh4 'ii'xh4 is
amazing that Black lasted only two nothing special in terms of imagi
more moves ! There is a tempting native genius, but is rather the
target on h7, but the immediate 30 natural continuation of the attack.
'iWe4 lilf7 3 1 :hfl lile7 leaves noth All that Black has to make sure of
ing clear. White cannot decisively is that White cannot escape with
strengthen his attack without al the extra piece before the black
lowing Black time for . . . lDb5 , for breakthrough is complete . It turns
example 3 2 :f2 lDb5 3 3 �a1 (33 out that White, passive, has nothing
:tcfl ?? lDc3+) 33 . . :ii'b 6. against . . . g3, e.g. 33 lDe l g3 ! 34
30 :hn ! ! cuts across this defen lDxf3 gxf2#, or 33 %:tcd2 g3 34
sive plan; if, for example, 30 . . JH4, i.xf3 (34 gxf3 %:txg3+ 35 .tg2
then 3 1 :'xf4 gxf4 32 'iVe4 'iVe7 33 f2+) 34 ... gxf2+ 35 ..tt f l :gl + 3 6
d6 when Black is no longer able to ..tte 2 :e1 + 37 ':xe 1 fxe 1'ii'# . I n the
cover both e5 and h7 . 30 . . . 'ii'xh6 3 1 game, White declined the knight
%:th1 is also fruitless for Black, and sacrifice with 32 ..ttn lDg6 33 ..tte 1
30 . . . ':xfl 3 1 %:txfl leaves Black no h4, but Black had simply won a
defence in the long run, the most pawn and broken through on the
aesthetic variation being 3 1 . . .'ii'e7 kingside.
32 l'lf7 'ii'xf7 33 'ii'x e5+ :'g7 34 31,..lDf4 is effective if White
'ii'x d4. Black tried 30,..b5, perhaps takes the knight, but if White
fondly thinking he could weasel moves his knight away, for exam
out by playing a later . . . 'ii'xd5 with ple 32 lDe 1 , then neither 32 . . . lDe2+
out allowing .tc4, but after 31 'iVe4! nor 32 . . . lDh3+ does anything to de
he was compelled to resign. A sur stroy the kingside. The proper tar
prising paralysis. get is h4.
30 l:thS? is basically irrelevant; Black can of course mess around
aggressive defence with 30 . . Jlf4 with 31,..cith7, or any other reason
leaves Black well placed. able waiting move, but why bother?
Solutions to Quizzes 93
Black ultimately has no better plan in breaking White 's centre with a
than to play . . . lDxh4, and the proper timely ... fS . White is slightly better
amount of preparation is exactly in the centre, but Black is attacking
that which allows the sacrifice to hard on both flanks.
be most effective; no more, no less. The pawn on h3 screams out to
Scores: be taken; 24 ... i.xh3 ! and if 2S
(a) 3 1 . . . lDf4 - 7 points gxh3 ? Black wins two vital pawns
(b) 3 1 . .. lDxh4 - 10 points with 2S . . . 'ii'xh3+. White had pre
(c) 3 1 . Ai'h7 - 7 points pared instead 25 lDxb5, which
maintains material equality. Even
3. Danielczyk-Lyons so, the absence of the h-pawn is se
White has paralysed Black on verely felt by White, who has lost
the kingside, and can thus manoeu his grip on the g4-square, and finds
vre a bit before hitting with a final himself exposed on the h-file as
attack. There is therefore no hurry well. Black promptly took advan
for 21 fxg7+ j.xg7 22 ':xf7 ; Black tage of these two weaknesses with
gains immediate counterplay with 25 ... i.g4 26 i.xg4 hxg4! 27 'iid3
. . . :d2. 21 i.c2? :d2 22 i.bl lhb2 lDf5 28 lDe2 g3 29 lDbc3 j.h8 30
is even worse; Black is prepared to lDxg3 'ti'h7+ 31 j.h2 lDg4 0-1.
hit back with . . . ':'xb1 . Very thematic.
The correct plan is to block the Can Black try the refinement of
long diagonal with 21 :f3!, thereby playing 24 ... b4! ? , avoiding even
unpinning the knight and threaten White 's lDxbS idea? There is ap
ing 22 fxg7+ j.xg7 23 lDgS . After parently a nasty tactical trap that
that, Black could not hold back White can set, namely 2S lDe4
White 's attack: 21 ... 'iVc7 22 i.c3 i.xh3 26 lDxf6+ i.xf6 27 fS ! ?, but
it'e5 23 fxg7+ it'xg7 (23 . . . i.xg7 Black has the counter-resource
24 lDgS) 24 .:tg3 it'e5 25 'i¥xh6 27 . . . 'ii'xfS ! 28 iixh6 j.gS, winning
i.xe4 26 :'xe4 'ii'xe4 (one last try : the queen (29 j.e4 .tg2+) . White
27 j.xe4?? walks into 27 . . . lir.dl#) could try instead 26 lDxd6, but Black
27 'iWf6+ 1-0. is much better after 26 . . . j.g4, for
Scores: example 27 i.xg4 hxg4 28 :e6
(a) 2 1 fxg7+ - 6 points ':'a6. The win would, however, be
(b) 21 j.c2 - 4 points much more long-winded than in
(c) 2 1 1H3 - 10 points the game, and this in practical
terms means more chances for
4. Bailon-Howell Black to go wrong.
A thematic B enoni-type posi 24 .. Jle8 is steady and sound,
tion in which Black has succeeded challenging White 's pawn centre
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94 Solutions to Quizzes
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Solutions to Quizzes 95
a slight but steady positional ad knight is more subtle, but White's
vantage with 16 .txc5 .txf4 (or king dance is subtler still after 2 1
1 6 . . . dxc5 1 7 tbe6) 1 7 .td4, but %lfe 1 tbg4 22 h 3 tbf2+ 2 3 �h2
sees that with more active play he tbg4+ 24 'iitg 1 ! . Black's attack again
can drive Black's pieces into a ter fails to make contact after 22 . . . .ta6
rible tangle. 23 c4.
96 Solutions to Quizzes
and j oy of his position, and should 1 6 .i.c4 LDes 1 7 .i.xf7+ ! LDxf7 (or
not be exchanged so readily. 17 17 . . . �f8 1 8 iVxhS) 1 8 cxb7 'ilxb7
.i. a3! secures the position of the 1 9 'ilxb7 and White has broken the
horse by forcing the exchange of main force of the attack.
dark-squared bishops. The only way It seems therefore that Black
that the knight could then be dis was sensible in preferring the quiet
lodged is by . . . f6, but then the ex move 15 bxc6. If now 1 6 1le l , then
•••
want to avoid holding things up for <ifi1hl Ilb8 19 'ilf3 .i.b7 20 .i.e4
the sake of a queenside pawn, but .i.xe4 21 'ii'xe4 lDxf2+ 0-1 .
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100 Solutions to Quizzes
into the open. He now faces a criti 25 lLlf4 26 'ifg4 does not have
•••
cal choice: to regain his material, the same sting; the black queen is
or to play on for an attack. out of the attack.
25 lLlxel+ 26 l::tx el regains the
••• Scores:
exchange and indeed leaves Black (a) 25 ... lLlxe l + - 5 points
a pawn up, but White's king is safe (b) 25 . . .lLlf4 - 4 points
and his pieces could become dan (c) 25 . . . i.d7 - 10 points
gerou sly active . It is easy to en
visage a situation in which White 17. Emms-Gayson
plays his king to bl and then takes This is a position with several
control of the bl -h7 diagonal, with tempting attacking possibilities.
problems for Black, who would Indeed White, a pawn down, is
rather have this diagonal for him obliged to press for a kingside at
self. tack, because he will be worse if he
Black's sacrifice in material is simply tries to restore material par
relatively small, and it is too early ity with 20 "iVxd7 ? (20 . . . l:adS ! ?;
for him to be panicked into regain 20 . . . "iVe2 ! ?) .
ing the material; it is after all easier Black's main weaknesses are on
to play a position the exchange the dark squares around his king,
down with active pieces than a po and White found an attractive com
sition a pawn up with indifferent bination involving a queen sacri
piece co-ordination. If the material fice. He played the surprising 20
sacrifice is small, it is usually better c4 ! f5 (the only move ; 20 . . . lLle3 ?
to think about keeping the flow of 2 1 lLlf6+; 20 ...'ti'xc4?? 2 1 lLli6+) 21
the attack, rather than about restor exf6 (2 1 l:xg6+? �hS ! ) 21 'ilxc4
•••
sacrificed his own queen instead, showing the positional point of the
but did not have enough material rook move) 19 lbe6! lbh4? 20 'iVf6
compensation to enable him to lthgS (20 . . . 'it'xe6 2 1 'i'dS ! finishes
save the endgame . White wrapped nicely ; 22 "ilc7# is threatened, and
up with 23 :it'xe4 24 'ii'xe4 lbxf6
•• if 2 1 . . .'iVd7 22 "ii'b6# or 2 1 . . :ifn
2S Ilxh7+ lbxh7 26 'ii'd 4+ lbf6 27 22 "ii'x cS+) 21 lbd8+ 1-0 (2 1 . . .�cS
ltn <3i;gl 28 g4 (a luxury ! This not 22 b4+ r3;d4 23 lbb6+) . Even so,
only pushes a passed pawn, but this attractive finish is not wholly
also aids White 's kingside attack) convincing in that Black can es
28 <3i;g6 29 'iVd3+ �gl 30 'i'fS
••• cape into an unclear endgame with
lbds 31 'ifxd7+ �h8 32 l:.xf8+ 1 9 .. :ifxf7 ! 20 lbdS+ 'it>d7 2 1 lbxf7
ltxf8 33 'it'xc6 lbf4 34 h4 r3;gl 3S ltd4 22 lbxhs lbxhS 23 lbb6+ (it is
�h2 lbg6 36 r3;g3 lbeS 37 'iVc7+ advisable to remove the bishop
lbf7 38 'iVxa7 �g6 39 'iVb6+ �h7 pair) 23 . . . �dS 24 lbxcs <3i;xcS.
40 gS �g7 41 hS ltd8 42 'i'f6+ Summing up the position that has
�h8 43 h6 1-0. been reached, White is nominally
Other moves allow Black a good ahead in material O:.+�+� v i.. +lb)
defence. 20 lbf6+ is logical and di and has a big queenside pawn ma
rect, but after 20 . . . lbxf6 2 1 exf6 cS jority, but Black's minor pieces are
White will not find it easy to set up well placed either to blockade or to
his mating net, for instance 22 'iVf4 counter-attack. There is no reason
:abS 23 l:US �hS , with unclear to believe that White is better.
play. 20 'iVhS �hS is a dead end; if The problem White faces is that
21 'it'h6 then 2 1 . . .'iVe2. having sacrificed a piece for two
Scores: pawns to expose Black's king, he
(a) 20 lbf6+ - S points must now find a way to disentangle
(b) 20 c4 - 10 points his knights to give him time to re
(c) 20 'iVhS - 3 points group his pieces and prepare per
haps to push his pawns into the
18. Ellison-Koshy attack. The move I liked at first was
It is always an impressive 18 lba8 ! ?, when 1 s . . . lbxdS ?? al
achievement for a county player to lows 19 'iVxd5#. Even here 1S ... 'it>b7
beat an 1M in twenty moves, and it 1 9 lbab6 'it'dS 20 lbxcs :g7 ! is less
gives great encouragement to the than totally clear, though White
ordinary player - even though such can still probably claim some sort
a prospect scares the living day of edge after the continuation 2 1
lights out of the average 1M ! Play 'ili'f6 �xcS (2 1 . . .'ii'x cS ? 22 lbxe7
continued 18 ltfc1 lbg6 ( 1 S ... lbxdS leaves no safe recapture) 22 lbxe7+
1 9 cxdS+ keeps White in control, 'ii'xe7 23 'ili'xfS+ 'iWd7 24 'iVd3 .
102 Solutions to Quizzes
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