I was reading through John Watson’s magnificent book “Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy” ”

and one of his remarks on opposite-colored bishops tackled my curiosity: “(Mikhail) Tal had a
few classic victories in opposite-coloured bishop endings which raised eyebrows”…If John
mentions it, then there should be more than one or two examples in Tal’s practice. I wanted to
take a look at them and eventually found one in an old magazine.

Tal - Radulov, Skopje Olympiad 1972

The diagram shows white to make his 55th move. This game is not included in the book “The
Life and Games of Mihail Tal”, but Viktor Korchnoi mentions in his “Chess Is My Life -
Autobiography and Games” that Soviet team expected a draw after analyzing the adjournment
(around 40th move) - Tal probably improved the position upon resumption.

At the first sight, the ending appears to be drawish. Bc5 is protecting queenside pawns and black
king is close to defend weak h6. But looking deeper, we can see that black is horribly weak over
the light squares. White’s better mobility and space advantage will allow him to push black king
into the corner. And then, since black bishop is limited by its own pawns, zugzwang decides the
outcome. A natural start is…

55. Bc4+ Kf6

The king goes to defend h6 pawn. A different tactics will fail because f8-h6 is a diagonal too
short for bishop - 55…Ke7 56. Kf5 Ke8 57. Kg6 Bf8 58. Kf6 Be7+ 59. Kg7 Bf8+ 60. Kg8! with
next Bb5+ (or Bf7+) and finally Kg7.

56. Kd5 Kf7 57. Ke5+ Kg7 58. Bd5 Kh7

White king remains in contact with pawn d4 in order to tie the black bishop and force a king
move.

59. Kf6 Bf8

Pawn d4 is free at the moment and bishop rushes to cover h6. Still, the diagonal is too short and
now white forces black king to h8.

60. Be4+ Kg8 61. Kg6 Bg7 62. Bd5+ Kh8 63. Be6 Bf8 64. Bc4 Bg7 65. Kf7 Kh7 66. Bd3+
Kh8 67. Be4!

Finally a zugzwang! Now black has to move the bishop to the only available square and white
will win tempi by attacking this piece to reach for deserted queenside pawns.

67…Be5 68. Ke6 Bg7

68…Bf4 also loses a pawn, 69. Kd5! Be3 70. Bd3! and 71. Kc6.

69. Kd5! Bf6 70. Kc6 Bd8 71. Kd7 Bf6 72. Kc7! Be7 73. Kxb6 Bb4 and black resigned at the
same time, because 74. Kb5 Kg7 75. Kc4 Bc3 76. b4! Bxb4 (76…axb4 77. Kb3! and 78. a5 is
unstoppable) 77. Kxd4 Kf6 78. c3 is hopeless.

Trully wonderful technique!

.

Anyway, while browsing different magazines, I ran into another cute ending which featured
nowadays already famous motif.
 Minogina - Grosh, 1979

47…Kd6 48. Bd8 Ke6?

Black believes that he can make a draw by playing on autopilot, but his carelessness will cost
him dearly. 48…Bf7 first and then Kd6-c6 was the right way to go.

49. Be7

Now black is forced to push c-pawn and leave bishop out of play. The problem is that 49…Kd5
covers the diagonal and white has 50. f7.

49…c4

The king is alone and tied for f6 pawn. White will march his own king to the queenside.

50. Ke4 Ba4 51. Bb4 Bd1 52. Kd4 Bb3 53. Kc5 Ba4 54. Bc3 Kf7

And now the marvelous…

55. b3!!

The point is that black cannot take 55…Bxb3 because 56. Kxb5 gives white another passed pawn
and this is already too much to handle. Concurrently, 55…cxb3 completely locks black bishop…

55…cxb3 56. Bb2! Ke6 57. g4

Now we have a “pawn ending” where white simply clears black king away thanks to the passed
f-pawn. Or black can try…

57…b4 58. axb4 Be8 59. b5 where white gets a second passed pawn and this is why black gave
up.
.

The reference book “Fundamental Chess Endings” of Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht
(2001) contains John Nunn’s composition based on his game from a 1977 simultaneous
exhibition. All notes by Muller and Lamprecht.
1. Kf6 Bh4 2. Kf5 Kd6 3. g3!! fxg3

3…Bxg3 4. Kxg5 Be1 5. h4 Ba5 6. h5 Ke7 7. Kg6 Kf8 8. Bd5 (…Kg8 must of course be
prevented) 8…f3 9. h6 f2 10. h7 f1Q 11. h8Q+ Ke7 12. Qe5+ Kf8 13. Qg7+ Ke8 14. Bf7+ Kd8
15. c7+ Bxc7 (15…Kxc7 16. Bc4+ +-) 16. Qf8+ Kd7 17. Be8+ +-

4. Bg2 g4

4…Kc7 5. Ke5

5. hxg4

5. Kxg4? Bd8 6. h4 Ke6 7. h5 Kf6 8. Kxg3 Kg7 leads to a draw due to wrong rook’s pawn.

5…Bd8 6. g5 Ba5 7. Kf6 +-

.

Earlier I wrote “famous” because the same motif might had been used in recent heavyweight
battle Carlsen - Pelletier in Biel. Norwegian prodigy, however, used a different plan and scored a
full point. I commented this game live on Chessdom.com, so I will just copy the notes and you
can explore it further on your own board.

Carlsen - Pelletier, Biel 2008

53.Bc4

53.b4!? cxb4 54.Bb3 is a very interesting attempt to create zugzwang, but black can probably
hold with timely b6-b5 (when white king is on e5 or similar) and then Bf2-Bxg3-Bxf4 because
bishop is controlling promotional square b8.
(Addition: The main difference compared to the previous examples is that white still doesn’t
have a passed pawn on the another flank and his pawns are also blocked on the dark squares.)

53…Ke7 54.Kc6 Kf6 55.Bd3 Kf7?!

55…Ke6 looks safer because the king is still with the f5-pawn. If 56. g4, black should be able to
use the passed g-pawn as decoy and contain white pawns.

56.h5! gxh5 57.Bxf5

Now white has excellent winning chances because h5 is very weak.

57…Kf6 58.Be4!

The king will be tied for h5-pawn.

58…Kg7 59.Bf3 Kh6 60.Kb5! Kg6 61.Bd1 Kh6 62.Be2 Kg6 63.Bf3 Kh6 64.Bc6!
Final finesse! Now black will be brought into zugzwang after Be8-f7 and lose the h5-pawn. With
the bishop unfortunately locked on a5, the resulting endgame is winning for white - Pelletier
realised this and threw the towel. It will be interesting to analyse the position after 53. b4!?,
maybe this was winning as well.

Article by GM Alex Finkel

Hey guys. Some time ago Goran talked me into writing some stuff for his blog and frankly
speaking I’m quite thankful to him that he did! Some of you might know me from WCN, others
might know me from Chessbase, most of you probably never heard about me In any case this
column isn’t about me, it’s about improving your understanding of chess and providing you
some tools to do that!

I keep saying all the time that in order to become a decent player all you have to do is to learn
basic strategic rules and to follow them (not a very easy task by itself!), however if you want to
become a really good player it’s not enough just to follow the rules - it’s even more important to
know how to break them at the right moment!

This statement is especially true at the era of “computer chess”, when most top players have
adapted a very concrete approach to the game, based mostly on a very deep calculation rather
than on a pure positional play. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not calling to neglect learning of basic
chess strategy, it’s an absolutely vital part of chess education, but you have to remain open-
minded and remember that none of strategic rules stands above the Game…
One of the cornerstones of chess strategy is a fast development of the pieces and a quick castle -
in most cases it’s highly recommended (I’d even say necessary) to accomplish development of
the pieces and put a king in the safe place before starting any active operations. There are
countless examples of severe punishment in case one of the sides had left his king in the center
for the middlegame. However, under right circumstances, delaying castle and starting an active
piece play could be very rewarding. The next game perfectly illustrates what I mean…Enjoy it!

Maxim Sorokin - Alexander Evdokimov

Krasnoyarsk, 2003

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 0-0?!

Very risky move allowing white to start an attack right away. More solid is 5…d6.

6.e5 Ne8
This move is a bit passive. Leaving the centre unchallenged for just one move gives white a
chance to launch a dangerous king-side attack. On the other hand 6…Ng4 is met with 7.Ng5!
Nxe5 8.f4, all of a sudden black knight is trapped in the middle of the board! 8…f6 9.Nxh7 Kxh7
10.fxe5 fxe5 11.Bd3 with fantastic attacking chances.

7.h4!

Intending to open up an h-file as quickly as possible. Black pieces are very passively placed so
starting an active play on the kingside is perfectly justified.
7…d6 8.e6!?
Typical sacrifice for this kind of positions.White’s idea is to weaken square g6, which could be
crucial after h5. Immediate 8.h5!? was deserving attention.

8…fxe6 9.h5 gxh5

This move isn’t as bad as it might look. A capture on d5 is defnitely an option, but white queen
plays quite important role in the attack in that case. If 9…exd5 10.hxg6 hxg6 11.Qxd5+ e6
12.Qe4 [12.Qd3 Rf5 13.Nh4 Nc6 (13…Rh5? 14.Qxg6+-) 14.Nxf5 gxf5 15.Bh6± Yermolinsky -
Khmelnitsky, Modesto 1995] 12…Rf5 13.Qg4 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Qf6 15.Bd3 white had strong
initiative in Svidler - Malakhov, Elista 1997.

10.dxe6
Thus far white tried only 10.Ng5, but move in the game is even more dangerous for black.
10.Ng5 exd5 11.Nxh7 Kxh7 12.Qxh5+ Kg8 13.Qh7+ Kf7 14.Bd3 Rg8 15.Nxd5 e6 16.Qh5+ Kf8
was unclear in De Vreugt - Malakhov, Lausanne 2000

10…Bxe6?!
This move doesn’t look good. By taking the pawn on e6 black allows his opponent to achieve
pretty much anything he was hoping for. More in the spirit of the position is 10…Nf6 11.Ng5
[11.Bc4 Nc6 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5 Qe8 14.c3 Rf6 unclear] 11…d5 with complicated struggle.

11.Ng5 Bf5?
If black’s previous move was inaccuracy, this one is decisive mistake after which nothing can
save black against white’s attack over an h-file. It was necessary to play 11…Qd7 12.Qxh5 Nf6
13.Qh4 Bf5 14.Be3 Nc6 15.0-0-0 even though white has more than sufficient compensation for a
pawn as black king is very vulnerable.

12.Bc4+ e6 13.Nxe6 Bxe6 14.Bxe6+ Kh8 15.Qxh5

15…Nf6?!
More persistant was 15…Bxc3+!? letting the queen to protect a pawn on h7. 16.bxc3 Qe7
17.Be3 Nf6 18.Qh3 Nc6± but it would be pretty tough for black to deal with g4-g5-g6 anyways.

16.Qh3 Nbd7 17.Be3 Re8 18.0-0-0+-

White have finally accomplished development. Black is helpless against Bf5 followed by g4-g5.

18…Nf8 19.Bf5 b5 20.g4 b4 21.Na4 Rxe3 22.fxe3 Qe8 23.g5 Ng4 24.Qxg4 Qxa4 25.Bxh7!
Very powerful performance by talented Russian grandmaster who died in the car accidence a
couple of months ago. 1-0

Hanging pawns are, alongside with isolated d-pawn and Karlsbad, one of the most complex
pawn structures that demands careful study. In this post, we will see some basic examples. For
deeper exploration, I suggest reading “Pawn Structure Chess” by GM Andrew Soltis and
“Understanding Pawn Play in Chess” by GM Drazen Marovic.

Let’s mention some of the main characteristics of hanging pawns. The pawns are standing on c4
and d4 (or c5 and d5 for Black), without friendly pawns on adjacent files and without opponent’s
pawns on the “c” and “d” files.

The advantage of having hanging pawns is the control over large number of important central
squares and certain limitation of opponent’s pieces. They give wonderful e5 (e4) outpost and
ability to create strong heavy pieces’ pressure along the “b” file. The hanging pawns’ advance
can carry huge energy and rip off the opponent’s center and castle after opening of files and
diagonals. But be careful, the pawns’ advance can be double-edge (next paragraph).

The main problem with having hanging pawns is that they have no support from the other pawns
and the pieces might be tied for constant defence, which is seriously limiting mobility. Moving
any of the hanging pawns might create serious weaknesses in the center, by giving good outposts
for opponent’s pieces and allowing him to block the pawns. In addition, the backward pawn can
be vulnerable to attack. Very often, opponent doesn’t have to wait for pawns’ advance, he can
provoke it by pushing and even sacrificing “b” or “e” pawn. This plan is usually connected with
the wonderful pieces’ play over the freshly available squares.

I will use few examples that IM Sasha Belezky presented in his lecture on the WCN.

First example is from the game Radjabov - Anand, Dubai 2002. White started with

26. Rb1

But the plan fails after tactical continuation

26…Rxc4! 27. Rxb8 Rc1+ 28. Bf1 Rxb8 29. Bc3 Rbb1

Where Black has wonderful advantage thanks to the pressure on the first rank and passed a-
pawn.

30. Qd3 a3 31. Qxa6 a2 32. g4 Rxf1+ 33. Qxf1 Ne4 34. Ba1 Nd2 0-1
How did this happen? Obviously because of the weakness on back rank, but also because
White’s hanging pawns were not adequately supported, allowing Rxc4.

We continue with position from the game Euwe - Reshevsky, Zurich 1953. In the early phase of
the game, White tried direct kingside attack instead of over-protecting his hanging pawns. Later,
he changed his mind and tried to support the pawns, but it was already too late, pawn c4 will be
lost.

32…Nd5 33. cxd5 Rxc3 34. Rxc3 Qxc3 35. Bb2 Qb3 36. Bxa6 Rc2 37. d6 Rxf2 38. d7 Qd5
39. Kxf2 0-1
Next game is good example on usage of open b-file. Bertok - Fischer, Stockholm 1962.

14…Qb7 15. Qa3

15. b3 would be exactly what Black wanted. He can continue with Nd7-Nb6-a5-a4 or a5-Qb4.

15…Nd7 16. Ne1

Idea to prevent a5-Qb4 and press against c5 pawn.

16…a5 17. Nd3 c4!

Excellent move! White can’t play b3 anymore and pawn is nailed on b2. Note that c4 is allowing
wonderful outpost for White on d4, but he can’t reach it within acceptable time, because Knight
has moved from f3 to d3.

18. Nf4 Rfb8 19. Rab1

Better was 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Rab1 hoping for some e4 breach. After 19. Rab1, White is lost.

19…Bf5 20. Rbd1 Nf6 21. Rd2 g5! 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Bxc4 Be6 24. Rfd1 Nxe3 25. Qxe3
Bxc4 26. h4 Re8 27. Qg3 Qe7 28. b3 Be6 29. f4 g4 30. h5 Qc5+ 31. Rf2 Bf5 0-1

Finally, the long awaited second part of Hanging Pawns trilogy. We will present another
example of counterplay on b-file and plans for undermining on the hanging pawns. The 3rd and
final part will display the huge attacking potential that sometimes goes with this kind of pawn
structure.

One feature added after readers’ feedback. You can now replay the lesson in your browser or
download PGN file for your own game viewer. Enjoy.

Akiba Rubinstein - Aron Nimzovich

Karlsbad 1907

A position very similar to Bertok - Fischer from previous lesson. Again, Black is pushing c4 to
nail b2 pawn on its starting position. Possible drawbacks were mentioned before - White gets d4
square for its pieces and Black can be vulnerable to e4 breach. Still, playing c4 here makes
perfect sense because White will be busy defending b2 pawn and he won’t be having time to
reach d4 with the Knight.

16… c4 17. Be2

It takes away desired e2 square for Nc3, but White wants to organize counter-pressure against
backward d5. 17. Bc2 with idea Ne2-d4 Rab8 18. Rb1 a5 19. Ne2 Qb4 20. Nd4 Rb6 with Ne4
and Rfb8

17… a5
17… Rab8 18. Rc2 Bf5 19. Rd2 is holding. a5 is always useful move for Black in similar
situations, idea is Qb4 and if White takes, Black will recapture with the pawn.

18. Rfd1 Qb4 19. Rd4 Rfd8

Premature is 19… Qxa3 20. bxa3 Rab8 21. Bf3 Rfd8 22. Rcd1 because even if with doubled
pawns, White has eliminated his only weakness and is ready to press strong against d5. White
will also get b-file while Black Rooks are tied for defence.

20. Rcd1 Rd7 21. Bf3 Rad8 22. Nb1?

A mistake which drops bind on d5 and allows Black to regroup. Better was 22. Kf1 h5! with idea
g5-g4 to kick the Bishop off the long diagonal and release one of the pieces tied for d5 (22… g5
23. g4). Had pawn g3 been on h2, White would be able to prepare g3-Bg2. Small details can be
of huge impact

22… Rb8 23. R1d2 Qxa3!

23… Rdb7 might be too slow because Knight goes back to c3 24. Qc3! Qxc3 25. Nxc3 Rxb2 26.
Rxb2 Rxb2 27. Bxd5 Nxd5 28. Nxd5 Rxa2 29. Rxc4 g6 30. e4 and White keeps some chances.

24. Nxa3 Kf8

But no 24… Rdb7 25. Nxc4 dxc4 26. Rd8+

25. e4 dxe4 26. Rxd7 Nxd7 27. Bxe4 Nc5 28. Rd4 Nxe4 29. Rxe4 Rxb2 30. Nxc4 Rb4 31. Nd6
Rxe4 32. Nxe4 Bxa2 and Black won this endgame.

Mikhail Botvinnik - Max Euwe

AVRO 1938

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. b3 Nf6 4. Bb2 Be7 5. e3 c5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. d4 b6

This is the first crossroad. Black can continue with 9… Be6 and allow isolated d5 pawn. This is
completely different (and probably more complex) field and we won’t dive in it for the time of
being. The other possibility is b6 like in the game, which allows White, if he wants, to creat
hanging pawns in Black’s camp. It is important to emphasize that none of the two solutions can
be considered as “better”. Each of them can drive the game into different strategy waters, and
which plan to choose depends solely on player’s preference.

10. Nc3 Bb7 11. Rc1 Ne4

A very useful move in similar positions. Queenside Knight (on c3) is usually the worst enemy of
the hanging pawns (pressing d5, supporting e4, possible Na4), and Black wants to eliminate it.

12. dxc5 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 bxc5 14. Qd2 Qd6 15. Rfd1 Rad8 16. Bf1
Black pieces are well developed and he has no problems with supporting hanging pawns. With
his last move, White wants to relocate Bishop to g2 and attack on d5 once more. We will see that
Black has sufficient counterplay. Other possible plan was Ne1-d3 with idea to attack c5 pawn,
but Black can defend. For example 16. Bb2 Nb4 17. Ba3 a5

16… Qh6 17. g3 Bc8 18. Ne5

18. Bg2 Bg4 with nasty Qh5 next. White is forced to reductions.

18… Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Bg4 20. Be2 Qh5 21. Bxg4 Qxe5 and game was drawn on move 40.

Viacheslav Ragozin - Aleksandar Tsvetkov

Chigorin Memorial 1947

Now examples of undermining the hanging pawns. This method is justified only if you can
achieve active pieces’ play after the opponent accept the sacrifice.

14. b4!
White wants d4 for his Knight.
14… Nbd7
14… cxb4 15. Nd4 wins tempo and with next Nf5 and Nd2-b3, White pieces would be holding
wonderful attacking positions. Black decided to develop one piece instead of taking the pawn.

15. bxc5 Bxc5 16. Nb3 Rfc8 17. Nxc5 Rxc5 18. Qb3 Qb6 19. Bd4 Qxb3 20. axb3
White has pair of Bishops and possible control over the “a” and “c” files, while Black is left with
weak pawn d5 and passive Bb7. White went on to win the game.

Robert Fischer - Boris Spassky

World Championship Match 1972

Another game from Fischer’s practice and good example on timely e4 strike.

19. Nxe6! fxe6 20. e4! d4

Now Black’s pawn structure has to be compromised. 20… Nf6 21. exd5 exd5 22. Bf3 is a dream
position for White, because besides necessity of defending hanging pawns, Black also has to
worry about the weak a6. White gets strong attack after 20… c4 21. Qh3 Qf7 22. Bh5 Qe7 (22…
g6 23. Bg4!) 23. exd5 exd5 24. Rfe1 with Bg4 or Re6 next.

21. f4 Qe7 22. e5 Rb8

22… Nb6 23. f5! (threat is f6) exf5 24. Qb3+ wins a piece.

23. Bc4 Kh8 24. Qh3 Nf8 25. b3 a5 26. f5 exf5 27. Rxf5 Nh7 28. Rcf1
White has established firm advantage and Fischer went on to win on move 41.

If in previous lesson we saw how the things could evolve by changing hanging pawns
configuration pushing c pawn, in today’s lesson we will analyze what happens after we push d-
pawn. And as example I would like to show you the game Korchnoi - Karpov, Merano 1981. The
opening was a Queen’s Gambit and after 12 moves we reached the position presented in the
diagram:

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 0-0 7. e3 b6 8. Rc1 Bb7 9. Be2 Nbd7
10. cxd5 exd5 11. 0-0 c5 12. dxc5 bxc5

We have a typical position with hanging pawns for Black. For the moment the situation is still
complex because there are still many pieces on board. So White will try to simplify position and
Black will try to complicate game and to prolong middle game as long as possible. As we can
see, those hanging pawns controlling d4 and e4 central squares leaves White with less space for
maneuver, that’s why White is a bit limited in moves. In this game Korchnoi tried a series of
maneuvers to double rooks on d-file and to press over pawn d5, but we will see it won’t be
enough. The game continued:

13. Qc2 Rc8 14. Rfd1 Qb6 15. Qb1

To be honest, playing against hanging pawns is not easy at all, I faced it on my own skin many
times in practice. But Qb1 is a rather dubious move. It’s true that Korchnoi wanted to flee with
his queen from c-file, but there were other moves that could have been considered, for example
15. Bb5 Re8 16. Bxd7 Nxd7 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 and this simplified position is easier to play for
white.

15…Rfd8 16. Rc2 Qe6!

A very nice move! Black realizes a great collaboration of all his pieces: d5 pawn is defended
once more, the bishop from e7 is protected so the knight from f6 is free to go, that queen from e6
can easily support an attack on kingside and the most important thing, it actually prevents Rcd2
move which would lead to material loses for White after 17. Rcd2 Ne4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Bxe7
exf3! 20. Bxd8 fxe2 21. Rxd7 Qg4!

17. Bg3 Nh5!

Although Black is supposed not to trade pieces, sometimes it is important to know which pieces
to trade in order to get a positional advantage. So this is a good time to exchange white’s active
bishop which will give Black’s hanging pawns a greater dynamic potential.

18. Rcd2 Nxg3 19. hxg3 Nf6

Also possible was 19…Nb6 in order to leave f6 square for the bishop.

20. Qc2
Very late, White’s queen is trying to improve its position heading for a4 to exploit the weak
position of Black’s pawns.

20…g6 21. Qa4 a6 22. Bd3 Kg7 23. Bb1 Qb6! 24. a3?
This is a serious mistake that gives Black possibility to break in the center with d4 after a long
preparation. Now we can see the point of Qb6 move which supports d4 break at the right
moment. All Black pieces are ready for attack and they wait for a signal. And that signal came!!

24…d4! 25. Ne2

This is forced, anything else except Ne2 was losing. For example if White captures on d4 let’s
see what happens: 25 exd4 Bc6! 26. Qc2 Bxf3 27. gxf3 cxd4 28. Na4 Qb5 and Black stands
better.

The game continued:

25…dxe3 26. fxe3 c4!

A great move by Karpov that activates his bishop from e7, prevents movement of b2 pawn which
can become a target in the future, creating a big hole on b3 and attacking weak e3 pawn. Adding
that Black has bishop pair in an open position and better pawn structure we can conclude that
Black stands really great here and Karpov proved that by winning this game at move 43. I won’t
provide the whole game since it’s not part of our topic. I hope this game and my comments
would help all of you to have a better view of how to use the dynamic potential of hanging
pawns. For the serious players I recommend study of following games:

When evaluating position, we should consider factors with their static (absolute) and
dynamic (relative) value. So, counting pawn islands, weak squares, pieces’ placement, safety of
the kings etc is the first step to be taken. Next is to reconsider each of the assessments in respect
of their correlation with other factors, both static and dynamic, and time potential. Time potential
means how fast can factor change, to better or worse, and how can this influence with other
factors. This is where chess becomes hard and we have to make choices on what is the (most)
important feature in the given position.
Let’s see what are the factors in diagrammed setup. White has three pawn islands, black only
two. White has to take care of c4 and possibly a2 pawns, while black keeps eye on c7. Pawn a2
is potential passer and both kings seem to be safe at the moment. Nd5 and Bd4 are wonderfully
anchored in the center, Bh4 is not that bad either, Rb1 is on the open file, Re8 is on the semi-
open file, while black pieces on the a-file might be a bit misplaced.

Now it is important to revise everything said above and see how these factors behave in the real-
time, ie next couple of moves. With locked pawn structures, real-time can be extended to 15 or
more moves.

Black could be threatening c6, kicking away beautiful Nd5. In such case, he might have new
problem with backward d6 pawn and non perspective Ba4. Another possibly promising idea for
black could be Rb7 with next Reb8, where b-file is challenged and Kh1 might feel
uncomfortable with backrank threats. See how factor of king safety can be changed quickly.

White cannot really do anything to take the advantage of passed a-pawn or open b-file because
black bishops are controlling lots of squares. This is a good moment to repeat one of the advices
given in early lessons when we were dealing with exchange issues - “Always try to exchange
opponent’s most active pieces with your less important ones”. This is good hint to take a look
at what’s happening if black Bd4 is traded.

With dark-squared bishops off the board, suddenly entire complex of dark squares becomes
weak. Furthermore, white Queen and Knight are in good position to combine the power and
break in enemies camp. Now we understand that earlier remark about black king’s safety was
solely depending on the strong Bd4, but alas, that piece can be exchanged by force. In real-time,
it turns out that black king is extremely vulnerable.
1. Bf2!

Offering exchange of unemployed piece for opponent’s guardian. Black cannot really avoid the
trade, because 1…Bf6 2. Nxf6 Kxf6 3. Bh4+ or 1…Be5 2. f4 Bf6 3. Nxf6 would expose the king
to deadly attack. We can also revise earlier note about black pieces on a-file and say that they are
badly misplaced as the main course of events with happen on the other side of the board and
black pieces cannot support the king in real-time.

1…Bxf2 2. Rxf2 Qa5

Black is trying to prevent Qc3.

3. Qe2!

Still, white has another option and black can’t do anything against it - b2 square. Therefore, he’s
trying to build a fortress.

3…f6 4. Qb2 Rf8 5. g4!

But pawn f6 is pinned by Qb2 and white will add more power to attack by advancing to g5.
There is no time for 5…c6 as 6. Nxf6 Rxf6 7. g5 ends the game.

5…h6 6. f4 g5 7. h4

Pawn g5 is overwhelmed and black is forced to give up on it.

7…gxh4 8. Nxf6! with next g5 and black resigned within next few moves.
Looking only at the static factors, everything seemed fine for black. But once we included
relative and real-time consideration, and correctly identified key factors, white was able to
demolish black in less than 10 moves.