WINNING CHESS How to Perfect Your Attacking Play by IRVING CHERNEV and FRED REINFELDby Irving Chernev LOGICAL CHESS: MOVE BY MOVE PRACTICAL CHESS ENDINGS THE CHESS COMPANION (EDITED BY) by Irving Chernev and Kenneth Harkness INVITATION TO CHESS by Fred Reinfeld IMPROVING YOUR CHESS by I. A, Horowitz and Fred Reinfeld FIRST BOOK OF CHESSAbout the Authors Irvinc CHerNev has written many successful chess books, in- cluding the best-selling chess primer Invitation to Chess, which he co-authored with Kenneth Harkness. Chernev is a deep stu- dent of the game, but he writes about it in a witty and enter- taining manner; his scholarly approach is combined with a light touch. Frep REINFELD is credited with being the world’s most prolific chess writer. He has also defeated many of America’s leading masters in tournament competition. After annexing the In- tercollegiate Championship in his undergraduate days, he won the New York State Championship twice and subsequently be- came the titleholder of both the Marshall and Manhattan Chess Clubs. Botu Chernev and Reinfeld have a phenomenal knowtedge of chess literature. They can (and do!) spend hours discussing the details of hundreds of master games without bothering to consult any texts or sources. Their love for ihe game is enor- mous, and, they hope, contagious.WINNING CHESS How to perfect your attacking play BY Irving Chernev AND Fred Reinfeld Methodical thinking is of more use in chess than inspiration —PurbY FABER AND FABER 3 Queen Square LondonFirst published in 1949 by Faber and Faber Limited 3 Queen Square, London W.C.1 First published in this edition 1969 Reprinted 1972 and 1975 Printed in Great Britain by Whitstable Litho Ltd., Whitstable, Kent All rights reserved ISBN 0 571 09231 4 CONDITIONS OF SALE This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaserThe Language of Chess Bcuess NOTATION is as useful as the alphabet, and much easier to learn. It is the magic key that opens the door to the entire wealth of chess literature. By its use you can play over the exciting games of the masters for sheer pleasure, or study their comments on the various moves to improve your own playing ability. Notation is simply a brief way of describing what happens on the chessboard—where the pieces move, or what captures they make. These are the symbols for the pieces: King Queen Rook Bishop Knight Pawn FOR wAe The pieces at the right of the King are called the King Bishop, the King Knight and the King Rook. Abbreviated, they are KB, KKt and KR. The pieces on the Queen’s left are, in chess shorthand, QB, QKt and QR. The Pawns too, are given distinctive names. Starting at the left, the Pawn in front of the Queen Rook (QR) is the Queen Rook Pawn (QRP). At its right is the Queen Knight Pawn (QKtP), then the Queen Bishop Pawn (QBP) etc. The pieces set up at the be- ginning of a game. The bot- tom row from left to right is the first rank. The White Pawns stand on the second rank. The row above the second rank is the third rank, and so on to the last row, which is the eighth rank.viii THE LANGUAGE OF CHESS All the squares on the first tank are square one (1). Thus, the QR stands at QRI, the QKt is on QKtl, the QB on QBI, etc. All the Pawns occupy square two (2). The QRP stands on QR2, the QKtP is on QKt2, the QBP on QB2, the QP on Q2, the KP on K2, etc. Suppose we moved the KP two squares as our first move, how would we describe this move in chess notation? We could write it KP—K4 (which would be read, King Pawn to King four). The full name of the Pawn, though, would be unnecessary, as no other Pawn but the King Pawn could go to K4. The move should then be written P—K4. The four is clear: it is the fourth square on the row of squares starting from K1. One more thing remains in recording a move, and that is its number. Since this is White’s first move, it is scored this way: | P—K4. Position after 1 P—K4. The row of squares on which the KP stands leading from K1 to K8 is called a file. The files are named after the pieces occupying the first rank. The Pawn therefore stands on the King file. A few more abbreviations, and we will be ready to follow a game score. Check is shortened to ch; a capture is scored by an x (PxP means Pawn takes, i.e. captures Pawn); a cap- ture en passant is e.p. Castling on the King-side is indicated by O—O, while Queen-side castling is written O—O—O. Replace the King Pawn at his original square (K2), and we will try reading a chess short story: WHITE BLACK R. Reti S. Tartakover I P—K4 P—QB3THE LANGUAGE OF CHESS ix Notice that Black counts from his side of the board. The square QB3 from Black's side of the board is QB6 from White's side. It is unnecessary to specify which Pawn goes to QB3, as only the QBP can move there. 2 P—Q4 P—Q4 3 Kt—QB3 PxP White's and Black’s second moves are clear, as in each case only one Pawn (the QP) could go to Q4. White’s third move distinguished between his two Knights. Had the move read 3 Kt—B3, it might have been interpreted as a move of the King Knight which can also go to a B3. Black's third move would be read Pawn takes Pawn, the “x”’ signi- fying a capture. It can hardly be misunderstood, as only one of his Pawns can capture an enemy Pawn, and only one of White's Pawns can be captured by a Pawn. Com- pare the position on your board with the next diagram. Position after Black’s third move. Note that Black has two Pawns on his King file. In switching to the King file, Black’s Queen Pawn now becomes a King Pawn. 4 KtexP Kt—B3 Excess description is omitted. White’s Knight could have captured only one Pawn, the KP. Black did not specify which Knight should go to B3. Only his KKt could have gone there. Nor is it necessary to say which B3, as QB3 is occupied by a Pawn.x 5 Q—Q3 6 PxP 7 B—Q2 This is the state of affairs: THE LANGUAGE OF GHESS P—K4 Q—R4ch QxKP It would be misleading to record Black's last move as + + - QxP, as he could have captured White’s QRP. The move might be silly on ac- count of the reply 8 RxQ, but it is a legal move. KtxKt The position now deserves a diagram, as White’s next move is startling. 9 Q—QBch!! 10 B—Kt5 dbl ch 11 R—Q8 mate White forces a mate in three moves, beginning with a beautiful Queen sacrifice. KxQ K—Kl Had Black on his last move chosen his only alternative to escape the double check and moved his King to B2, White would have finished him with 7/ B—Q8 mate.Table of Contents The Language of Chess How to Use This Book to Advantage—Your Advantage 1. FROM GOOGOLS TO TACTICS Chess is as much a mystery as women—PURDY 2. WINNING WAYS Tactics is the most important element in the middle-game—TARRASCH 3. A SPADE IS A SPADE IS A SPADE ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. “It seems very pretty,” she said when she had finished it, “but it’s rather hard to under- stand!” (You see, she didn’t like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn’t make it out at all.) “Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don’t exactly know what they are!” —LEWIS CARROLL 4. THE PIN The defensive power of a pinned piece is only imaginary—NIMZOVICH 5. THE KNIGHT FORK He was a verray parfit gentil knight. But for to tellen yow of his array, His hors were gode, but he was not gay—CHAUCER 6. DOUBLE ATTACK All combinations are based on a double at- tack—FINE xi vit xu 29 308. 9. 10. 1. 12. 13, CONTENTS DISCOVERED ATTACK He who has imagination without learning, has wings and no feet—JouBERT DISCOVERED CHECK Discovered check is the dive-bomber of the chessboard—FINE DOUBLE CHECK At the basis of every combination there shines an idea, and though combinations are with- out number, the number of ideas is limited— ZNOSKO-BOROVSKY THE OVERWORKED PIECE If the student forces himself to examine all the moves that smite, however absurd they may look at first glance, he is on the way to becoming a master of tactics—PpuRDY REMOVING THE GUARD We must exploit opportunities for combina- tion whenever they are offered. Here, there is only an illusory guard, there, our opponent has a man quite unguarded, or a double at- tack is possible. Over and over again there occur tactical maneuvers .. . and these op- portunities must frequently be created by a@ Sacrifice—TARRASCH “NO RETREAT” The idea of the combination does not have to come to us like an inspiration from heaven. I maintain that in every position that arises, we should deliberately search, among other things, for any pieces which have no retreat. If we see one, we automatically look to see if it can be netted—purvy THE SKEWER The Middle Game is chess in excelsis, the most beautiful part of the game, in which a 67 80 85 89 99 110 118