The Chess Course

pp� �·
FIDE INSTRUCTOR (FI)

Creating Chess Cult

Student Name: -------

Trainer:

Center:
 All Rights Reserved
Copyright @ Praful Zaveri

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or

transmitted in any form b y any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.

Praful Zaveri asserts the moral authority to be identified as the author of this
book - 'The Chess Course'.

The author shall be glad to receive reader's opinion of the book, as well as
suggestions for the future publications. Please send your comments to:

Author:

Praful Zaveri,
E-Mail: prafulzaveri@ indianchessschool.com
website: www.indianchessschool.com

Page Layout: Satish Swarnkar

Cover Page: Aman Shah

Bulloverhead Communications, Mumbai
E-mail: aman@boh-com.com
Website: www.bohcommunications.com

Printed in India: St. Francis ITI Printing Press, Mumbai.

Revised Edition: 2014

ISBN: 978-81-7525-816-7

Rs.500/·
 Introduction

''The Chess Course" has completed the journey of thirteen wonderful & exhilarating
years since the first edition of this book was rolled out in November,19991

The book is basically a culmination of the systematized training program, which is

being successfully used to train students at my chess school - the 'Indian Chess
School'.

It is really satisfying to note that this book is not only used by our students but also by
thousands of children across the country!

The FIDE trainers' seminar at Singapore in the year 2007 turned out to be the
'breaking ground' for it opened up new horizons of chess training! I firmly started
believing after the seminar that a trainer has two lives - one before attending the
trainers' seminar and one after thatl The 2 life has brought more passion, more joy
...

and more dedication to the training and, for this I am indebted to FIDE and our
seminars' trainer,IM & FST Jovan Petronic. Thank you,Sir Jovan!

The new training ideas helped me release my next book- 'Mastermind Chess' in the year
2008. In the meantime,the student's base at the Indian Chess School started growing
at a frantic pace beyond my expectations and this called for developing new contents
for our students so that they can achieve chess excellence. This gave birth to the idea
of developing a 'Chess Syllabus to substantiate this book'l!

This quest & pursuit for developing the syllabus began in October 2012 and culminated
in July 2013 when five news books were released. 'The Chess Course' has now a family
of its ownl These books demanded concentrated attention over an indefinite stretch
of time- an eternity! But, all this is worth if the end result satisfies the author and, I
admit that nothing has given me more satisfaction that these books I

The credit for layout of the book goes to Mrs. Deepali Bhide for earlier editions and
later on to Mr. Satish Swarnkar. Similarly, the credit for cover page goes to Pradip
Mistry and later to my dear friend and a chess player, Mr. Aman Shah. He has worked
wonders with colour combination and effects! I would also like to thank my alma mater,
St. Francis ITI Printing Press for the beautiful printing and binding job of the book.
With each passing year they are getting better and better!

As for the readers, I hope the efforts put in will enlighten them, which offers deep
insights into "Chess"- this wonderful invention of humans from my country�!

FI. Praful Zaveri

How to go through this book ...

Welcome to the 'The Chess Course'. The book before you is nothing but a
training manual and owes it origin to the chess lessons imparted by in my 'Chess
School'.

This book is an 'Easy-to-Use' program for self-study or can be used as syllabus

for teaching chess. Being a 'Primer', an attempt has been made to cover
lessons, which are necessary to master. the basic principles and concepts of
chess.

The basic features of this book are as follows:

+ Each of the chapter is explained in detail with illustrative examples and

diagrams.

+ The chapters are followed by the 'Test'.

The suggested method of going through the book is as under:

1. You are required to obtain the understanding of the basic principles and
concepts of the chapter presented by the trainer.

2. Once you are confident that you have grasped the contents of the
chapter, you will be required to solve the test positions following the
chapter.

3. The answers are to be recorded in pencil in the space provided before

each of the questions. Make a point to ensure neatness and clarity of
your answer.

4. Once the chapter has been completed, your trainer will check the
correctness of the answer and will allot marks as per scoring pattern
for each of the chapter.

5. The trainer would be recording the total marks scored for each of the
chapter in the 'Test Score-Chart' provided at the end of the book.

6. After you have completed this book, the total marks scored by you will
give you a fair idea as to whether you have understood the concepts and
fundamentals of this course.

7. So, with good luck to the aspiring chess players, on with 'The Chess
Course'.

FI. Praful Zaveri

 CONTENTS
Page

1. INTRODU.CTION TO CHESS

• The Game of Chess 1

• The Origins and History of the Game 1

• Chess is Easy 2

• Nature of the Game 2

2
.

• Chessmen

• Chessboard 2

• Obj ect of the Game 2

• Placement of the Chessboard 2

• Number of Chessmen 2

• Type of Chessmen 2

• Let us arrange the Chessmen 3

• Understand the Chessboard better 3

• Rules for Moving and Capturing 4

• Act of 'Moving' & 'Capturing' 5

• Rook 5

• Capture with the Rook 5

• Bishop 6

• Capture with the Bishop 6

 CONTENTS
• Queen 6

• Capture with the Queen 6

• Knight 7

• Capture with the Knight 7

• Pawn .
7

• Capture with the Pawn 8

• Pawn's Special Power - 'Promotion' 8

• I Under-Promotion I 8

• King 9

• Capture with the King 9

• Chess Notations 10

• Algebraic Chess Notations 10

• Files 10

• Ranks 10

• Symbol (Names) for Pieces 11

• Notation for Movement of a Piece 11

• Notation for Movement of a Pawn 11

• Notation for Capturing with a Piece 12

• Notation for Capturing with a Pawn 12

 CONTENTS
..

• Notation for Pawn Promotion 13

• Test Your Chess Notations 13

• Recording Ambiguous Moves 14

• Identical Pieces on the Same Rank 14

• Identical Pieces on the Same File 14

• Recording the Move of Castling 15

• Recording End Result of the Game 15

• Special Chess Moves 15

• Castling 15

• Is Castling important 16

• Position after Castling 17

• Castling Rules 17

• Executing Castling 19

• Notations for Castling 19

• The 'En-Passant' Pawn Capture 19

• Rules for En-Passant Pawn Capture 20

• Notations for En-Passant Pawn Capture 20

• ·checking· the King 21

• How to Get out of Check 22

 CONTENTS
• Checkmate 23

• Relative Value of Pieces 24

.

• Exchange of Pieces 25

• 'Exchange-Up' and 'Exchange Down' 25

• How a Game is Won 27

• How a Game is Drawn 28

• Scoring System in Chess 28

• Competition Rules 28
.

• Recording of the Game 28

• Chess Clock 28

2. ELEMENTARY MATES 32

• Elementary Mate with Two Rooks 33

• Elementary Mate with Queen 35

• Elementary Mate with One Rook 37

• Elementary Mate with Two Bishops 39

• Elementary Mate with Bishop and Knight 41

• Impossible Checkmates and Exceptions 44

3. SIMPLE CHECKMATES 45

• Mate in One 45

• Mate in Two 50

• Mate in Three 55
 CONTENTS

4. GENERAL OPENING THEORY 58

5. TYPICAL MIDDLE GAME COMBINATIONS & TACTICS 67

• Pin 68

• Knight Fork 76

• Double Attack 84

• Skewer Attack 92

• Back Rank 1 00

• Discovered Attack 108

.

• Discovered Check 116

• Destroying the Defender 1 24

• Decoying 132

• Deflection 140

• Overloaded Piece 145

• Line Opening & Line Closing 150

• Square Vacation 155

• Passed Pawn 160

• X-ray Attack 165

• Zwischenzug - the Intermediate Move 169

• Draw by Repetition & Stalemate 173

• Smothered Mate 178

• Windmills 1 82
 CONTENTS
6. THE ENDGAME 184

• Opposition 185

• Berger's Rule of the Square 187

• King and Pawn Endings 189

• ··King behind the Pawn 190

• King 1-square in front of the Pawn 190

• King 2-squares in front of the Pawn 191

• King on the 6th rank in front of the Pawn 192

• Ropk Pawn Exception 192

• King against Connected Pawns 193

.

• King against Disconnected Pawns 193

• Ending with several Pawns 194

• The Concept of Triangulation 194

• Bishop and Pawn versus King 196

• Kinght and Pawn versus King 197

• Queen versus Pawn 198

• Knight versus Pawn 200

• Rook versus Pawn 201

• Queen versus Rook 202

• Philidor's Drawn Position 206

• Lucena's Winning Position 208

7. SOLUTIONS 209

8. TEST SCORE CHART 226

 CHESS SYMBOLS
,_.

+ White Stands Slightly Better

-
-
-
+ Black Stands Slightly Bett�r

+ White Has The Upper Hand

-

-
+ Black Has The Upp�r Hand

+- White Has A Decisive Advantage

-+ Black Has A Decisive Advantage

- '
- Even

00 Unclear

.' A Very Good Move

"
.. An Excellent Move

? A Mistake

7? A Blunder

!? A Move Deserving Attention

?! A Dubious Move
\

6 With The Idea

D Only Move

0 Zugzwang

X Capture

+ Check

# Checkmate
 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
The Game of Chess:
Chess is a magical word that brings with it
an intense joy and generates immense
passion in any Chess player. The
magnetic power of this game is such that
even a layman is bound to become a hard
core fan and a life time addict.
Fortunately, this addiction has no vices
but thankfully, lot of spices. Quite
possibly the most popular board game in
the universe, :·its popularity ca.n be
measured that from the fact that it can be
enjoyed by one and all, irrespective of
their caste, creed_, gender literacy level,
age; playing strength and last but not
least, the social status. In short, Chess is
a game for all! John Keats had quoted that
"A thing of beauty is joy forever", in same
vein, one can say "A game of Chess is joy
forever" ! The game of Chess unfolds a
mystery in the opening through suspense
& thrills associated with surprises,
novelties, traps, pitfalls, romanticism
through combinations in the middle­
game, ecstasy in a hair raising chase in an
opposite flank attack and agony through
defeat after a hard fought game. A truly
Rollercoaster ride for the mind! The
biggest advantage of Chess is that it helps
develop a logical, methodical and
consequential thinking process. Chess
initiates players to plan strategically and
to understand complicated manoeuvring.
Chess, above all, gives wings to
imagination, to soar higher and higher.
Chess imbibes that wins & defeats are a
part of life and one should strive to fight
his way out of difficult positions. Chess
teaches you to appreciate good moves
and call spade a spade!
The Origins and History of the Game:
The honour of the invention of chess
undoubtedly goes to India. The famous
Chess historian and eminent author,
H.J.R Murray, in his book - 'A History of
Chess' ( 1 9 13) has stated categorically
that Chess originated in India around 570
AD during the reign of Gupta dynasty.
Well, this is modern history. But, I can say
with pride that the game is known here
since times immemorial by its Sanskrit
nomenclature 'Chaturanga'. The exact
meaning of Chaturanga can be
ascertained by breaking the word into
two: Chatur (four) and Anga (Parts of the
INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
bodies) . Thus, Chaturanga signifies the
war game with ·four species of forces
namely; Elephants, Horses, Chariots and
Foot-Soldiers, which, in the native
Sanskrit language means Hasty, Aswa,
Ratha and Padatum .
The fact that the game of Chess is indeed
the oldest, can also be ascertained from
one more classic 'Chess History and
Reminisces ( 1893) by the famous English
player, Henry Edward Bird (1830 - 1908).
The author has quoted the research made
by the famous scholar of ancient Indian
language, Sir Williatn Jones (1746 -
1794)'!
One of Sir WiUiam Jones' Brahman
correspondents, Radha Kant, informed
him that it is stated in an old Hindu law
book, that Chess was invented by
.Mandodari, the wife of Ravan - the
Monarch of Lanka (present day Sri Lanka)
to amuse him with an image of war, when
his kingdom was besieged by Lord Ram in
the second age {Treta Yuga) of the world!
This is the only tradition which takes
precedence in date of the Hindu
Chaturanga.
To substantiate the claim of Sir William
Jones, Henry Bird has quotes of Duncan
Forbes, L. L. D., Professor of Oriental
languages in King's College, London, who
is the next great authority on Chaturanga.
In a work of 400 pages published in 1860,
he has proved that the game of chess was
invented in India and nowhere else, in
very remote times or, as he finally puts it
at page 43 : "But to conclude I think from
all the evidence I have laid before the
reader, I may safely say, that the game of
chess has existed in India from the time of
Pandu and his five sons down to the reign
of our gracious Sovereign Queen Victoria
(who now rules over these same Eastern
realms), that is for a period of five
thousand years and that this very ancient
game, in the sacred language of the
Brahmans, has, during that long space of
time retained its original and expressive
name of Chaturanga."
The Chaturanga is ascribed to a period of
about 3,000 years before our era. So, we
can easily presume that the game is 5000
years old!
Tracing back the development of Chess
after 5 AD, we see Persian (present day
1 THE CHESS COURSE
Iran) traders bri ng the game to their
co u ntry d u ri n g the reign of G reat
Kh usra u , the Sassan id emperor, and we
see the game becoming popu lar over
there .
From Persia, the game spread to the Ara b
world in the 7th centu ry a nd w e see thei r
immense contri bution to propel the game
to new heig hts .
Fu rther, the game reached Russia and
Western Europe around 9th centu ry AD to
the enti re E u rope i n a nother 1 00 yea rs .
Th e mod ern g a me wa s d eve l o ped
e x te n s i v e l y i n E u ro p e a n d t h e i r
pioneeri ng efforts su rpassed everyone i n
creati ng a mass appea l .
Chess Is Easy:
Chess is rea l ly a n easy game to lea rn
provided you ta ke a l i king . However, it
does ta ke a good time to master the
game. You ca n j ust have a go at lea rn i n g
the ru les that fol lows i n t h i s cha pter. It
wou ldn't ta ke m�ch ti m e ! Once you are
th roug h with this cha pter, the mag netic
a ppea l of chess will make you sit down to
play the fi rst game of chess ! So . . . on
with the game ! !
Nature of the Game:
The game of Chess is a wa r fou g ht (not
physica l ly ! ) between two players with a
set of Chessmen each on a sq uare boa rd
ca lled a "Chessboard".
Chessmen:
The chessmen as a whole are the forces
engaged i n the com bat.
Chessboard:
The board represents a battlefield i n the
form of 8 x 8 = 64 sq uares, alternately
coloured l ig ht and d a rk and trad itiona l ly
ca l led 'Black' and 'Wh ite' sq uares .
Object of the Game:
Chess is a wa r a nd , as i n a ny wa r, the
prime object is to force ca pitu lation of
you r enemy's King . Therefore, the object
of the game of Chess is to 'Checkmate
the Opposing King'. The 'Checkmate'
is a position on the chessboa rd when the
King ca n n ot esca pe ca ptu re on being
attacked by a n enemy chessma n . The
side that declares 'Check' & 'Mate' wins
the game. We sha l l learn more a bout the
word 'Check' & 'Mate' in the next few
pages .
THE CHESS COURSE
Placement of the Chessboard:
The chessboa rd is placed between the
players in such a way that there is a
White or Light-Coloured square on the
right-hand corner. Diag ra m 1 shows
how the Chessboard is placed at the sta rt
of the game.
White Sq uare on the right-hand corner
Black Player
c d e f
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
c d e f
White Player
Wh ite Square on the rig ht-hand corner
If later d u ri ng a game it is observed that
the chessboa rd has been wrongly placed
(Black or Dark-Coloured square on the
rig ht-hand corner), the players are
req u i red to tra nsfer the boa rd position
reached to a correctly placed chessboa rd
a n d , the game sha l l be conti n u ed
thereafter.
Number of Chessmen:
The game of Chess is p layed with a tota l of
32-Chessmen, which are d istri buted
evenly at the sta rt of the game - each
side has 16-Chessmen. I n other words
the Wh ite- player and the Black- player, at
the sta rt of the ga me, has 1 6-Chessmen
each at thei r d isposa I. The Chessmen as a
whole a re referred as 'Material '. Leavi ng
a pa rt the Pawns, the rem a i n i ng Chessmen
a re ca lled 'Pieces'.
Type of Chessmen:
The type of Chessmen at the d isposal of
each side consists of a : King, Queen,
Rook, Bishop, Knig ht a nd Pawn. The
brea k-u p of the 1 6-Chessmen for each of
the player is as per the fol lowi ng chart :
2 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Chessmen White Black Figurine
King
1 1 � •
Queen 1 1 � 'it'
Rook M of their own colour'.
2 2 .I
Bishop � -*-
2 2
Knight ctJ � game i . e. the White King on Black
2 2
Pawn
8 8 8 i
16 16
Let us arrange the Chessmen:
Now that you know how to place the
Chessboa rd correctly, the nu mber and
type of Chessmen at you r d isposa l, it's
ti me to lea rn arrangement of Chessmen
on the Board at the sta rt. This is rather
simple and you wi l l absorb the pattern i n
n o ti me. The basic poi nts to be
remembered are as u nder:
1. The Pieces are set u p i n the 1 st row
of sq uares on each side of the
player.
2. The Pawns are set up in the 2nd
row of sq uares on each side of the
player.
In keeping with the above, let us arrange
the Chessmen . We shal l sta rt arrang i ng
from the corner sq uares and then proceed
towards the center i n the order given
below :
1. Each of the Rooks will occu py the
corner sq ua res. Accord i ngly, the
player with White pieces will place
his Roo ks on the two available
corner sq uares at his left and right­
hand side. The player with Black
pieces wil l place both his Rooks
simila rly.
2. Each of the Knights will occu py
the sq uare next to the Rook .
3. Each of the Bishops w i 11 occupy
the sq uare next to the Knight. After
arranging the Bishop you will fi nd
that Knights a re placed between
the Rooks and Bishops.
INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
4. The White Queen will occupy the
White or Light-Colou red sq uare
and the Black Queen stands on
the Black or··o a rk-Colou red sq uare.
To make it more sim ple, remember
this : 'Queens occupy the square
5. Natu rally, the King sta nds on
reverse colour at the start of the
or Da rk-Coloured sq uare and the
Black King on Wh ite or Light­
Colou red sq uare.
6 . The Pawns a re placed on the 2 row
..
of squares i n front of the Pieces.
If you have correctly arra nged the
Chessmen in accorda nce with ru les
detailed above i n serial '1' to '6', the
position on you r Chessboard should
confi rm to diag ram 2:
a b c d e t h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
The ru les fu rther state that if during a
game it is found that the initial position of
the pieces was incorrect, the game shal l
be ca ncel led and a new game shal l be
played .
Understand the Chessboard better:
Duri ng the cou rse of you r lea rn ing, you
w i l l co m e a c ro s s va rio u s C h e s s
term i nolog ies. Let u s sta rt learning some
of the termi nologies perta i n i ng to the
Chessboard.
3 THE CHESS COURSE
The half of the Chessboa rd ( 32-squares)
on wh ich the Wh ite Chessmen sta nds is
ca l led the 'White Side' and the half with
the Black Chessmen on it is ca lled
the 'Black side'. Th is is indicated i n
Diagram 3:
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 �------� 4
3 3
2 2
1 ��------· 1
a c e g h (]]
If we a re to draw a line vertica l ly down the
middle of the Chessboa rd , the left-half of
the Chessboa rd on the side of the player
with Wh ite pieces is called 'Queen-Side'
a n d r i g h t - h a l f t h e 'K in g-Sid e'.
Remember, the W h ite's King-Side is
always on h is right and the Black's King­
Side always on his left. Th is is shown in
Diagram 4.
a b c d e f h game. The player is req u i red to
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
[1]
Rules for 'Moving' 8t Capturing:
Now that we have lea rnt to a rrange both
the Chessboa rd and the Chessme n , it's
THE CHESS COU RS E
rea l l y te m pt i n g to sta rt a g a m e
straightaway. However, there i s n o fu n i n
playing u n less w e lea rn the ru les for
' Movi ng' and 'Captu ri ng'. Th is is the next
step of our learn i ng process . Let me
i ntrod uce you to the following general
ru les govern i ng the sa me :
'Moving':
1. A ' move' i n the game of Chess means
moving a Chessman from the sq uare
on wh ich it is sta n d i ng to another
sq uare .
2 . Th e pla ye r h a v i n g t h e 'Wh ite'
chessmen ma kes the first move,
wh ich is followed by playe r havi ng the
'Black' chessmen . Then the players
moves alternately.
3 . U n l i ke other boa rd games, a player is
obliged to make a move on his tu rn
and he ca n not 'Pass'.
4. A player is not allowed to make two
consecutive moves.
5. A player is not allowed to move a
Chessma n to a square which is
already occu pied by one its own
Chessma n . In other words, two
Chessmen of the same colour
ca nnot occu py the same square at
the same time.
6 . A player is sa id to have made an
'Illegal Move' if the move made is not
i n accorda nce with the ru les of the
retract it and make a different move
with the same chessman, provided
that is lega l . If it is not possi ble to
make a legal move with the said
chessma n , he is free to make a legal
move with a ny other chessma n .
'Capturing':
1 . 'Capturing' i n Chess means moving a
Chessman to a sq uare occu pied by the
o p p os i n g s i d e 's C h e ss m a n . The
opponent's Chessman so ca ptu red is
re m ov e d fro m t h e b o a rd a n d
su bstituted with the Chessman doi ng
the ca ptu ri ng on that sq uare . The
ca ptu red Chessman no longer ta kes a
further part i n the game. Th us, the
n u mber of Chessmen in a game of
Chess always decreases and never
i ncreases.
2 . 'Capturing' i n Chess is always an
optional more and not compulsory.
4 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Act of 'Moving' 8t 'Capturing':
While playi ng friend ly games we often
ta ke back the move if it is found that the
move actually made on the chessboa rd
loses ! However, i n tou rnament Chess we
are required to follow a l l the ru les.
Here I wou ld l i ke to acqua i nt you with the
following competition ru les perta i n i ng to
'Movi ng & 'Captu rin g ' :
1 . Each move must b e made with one
hand on ly.
2. If a player on the move desi res to
adj ust one of more pieces on thei r
squares, he must express h is i ntention
to the opponent by sayi ng "I adjust"
before touch ing the chessman to be
adjusted . Such adj ustment shou ld be
made only i n the presence of h is
opponent.
3. If the player having the move touches
on the chessboard, with the intention
of movi ng or ca ptu ri ng one or more of
his own pieces, he must move the first
piece touched that can be moved .
4. If the player havi ng the mov� touches
on the chessboa rd , with the i ntention
of movi ng or ca ptu ri ng one or more of
his opponent's pieces, he m u st
ca ptu re the fi rst piece touched that
ca n be ca ptu red .
5. For the fi rst completed 'Illegal Move'
made by a player, the opponent sha ll
be awarded extra thi n king time o n his
clock. However, for the second
completed illegal move by the sa me
Rook:
The movement of Rook is very easy to
lea rn - It's a 'Straight-Li ne' piece ! It
moves only i n a straight line to any of the
vaca nt square,· horizontal ly or vertical ly,
on the fi le or on the ran k on wh ich it
stands, u n less its way is obstructed . On
the basis of the above ru le, the Wh ite
Rook ca n move to any of the 14 squa res
indicated i n diagram 5:
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 ��-��!""'""----� l:-���--t 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h�
Capture with the Rook:
T h e Ro o k ca ptu res th e o p p o s i ng
Chessman i n the sa me way as it moves. In
Diag ram 6 Wh ite's Rook is attacki ng
Black's Kn ight and Pawn and has option of
ca ptu ri ng either of them :
b d f g h
a c e

player the arbiter shal l declare the 8 8

game lost.
7 7
Movi ng ahead , we sha l l now learn the
movement of each of the 6-types of 6 6
Chessmen available to a player. In
add ition , we sha l l also learn how to 5 5
ca ptu re with these Chessmen . Before we
proceed , please make a note of the 4 4
following :
3 3
1. The 6 different types of Chessmen
2 2
have its own way of moving,
disti nct from each other. 1 1
2. The Chessmen of the same type
move i n the same way. a c e g h[§J
INTRODUCTION TO CHESS 5 THE CHESS COURSE
Bishop:
The way in wh ich the Bishop moves is
opposite to that of the Rook. While the
Rook moves straig ht along the fi le or the
ra n k, the Bishop may move to any of the
vaca nt square of its own colou r on a
diagonal, forward or backwa rd , u n less its
way is obstructed . In diag ram 7 White's
Bishop ca n move to any of the 1 3
sq uares :
a b c d e f h 27 sq uares the Queen ca n reach :
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
b g
a c d e f h
[I]
The i m porta nt rule to remember is that
the Bishop is the only Chessman whose
movement is restricted to its own colour!
Capture with the Bishop:
The Bishop ca ptu res the opposi n g
Chessman i n the sa me way a s i t moves .
In Diag ram 8 Wh ite's has the option of
either ca ptu ri ng the Kn ight or Pawn :
a b c d e f g h
Queen:
Designated as the 'Strongest' piece on the
chessboa rd, the Queen may move to any
sq uare - straight or d iagonally un less its
path is obstructed . Si m ply put, the 'Al l­
Powerfu l ' Queen comes in a combo
package of a ' Rook' and a ' Bishop' with
g reat destructive abilities and speed more
than Fl raci ng ! Diag ra m 9 shows all the
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 ��-��-��-��!""""-----� 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h [ID
capture with the Queen:
I n diagram 10 the Black's Queen has a
pleasa nt choice of ca ptu ri ng White's
Bishop on the follow i ng move after Wh ite
get his King out of Check :
a b c d e f h
8

8 8 7

7 7

6 6 5

5 5 4 4

4
3

3
2

1
2

1 a b c d e f h

[![]
THE CHESS COURSE 6 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Knight:
The Knig ht's moves a re d isti nct as
compared to other pieces . It's the o n ly
Chessmen w hich ca n j u m p over its own or
the opposi n g Chessmen . The Knight
m oves two sq uares vertica l ly a n d then
one sq uare horizonta l ly or two sq uares
h o rizonta l l y a n d t h e n o n e sq u a re
vertica l ly. Confused? Need not be l You
have to si m ply rem e m ber the pattern
th at Kn i g ht m oves i n a form of
a l phabetical l etter 'L'. Trad itionally, we
say that " Knig ht moves 2112 squares".
To ensure that you a re m oving the Kn ight
in a correct way, keep i n m i nd that the
square from which the Knight moves a nd
the one on wh ich it lands a re of o pposite
colour, not a djo i n i n g , b ut separated by
one square. Th us, a Knight sta n d i n g on a
Wh ite sq uare w i l l move to a Black sq uare
a nd the Knight sta nd i n g on Black sq uare
w i l l move to a W hite sq uare .
In d iagra m 1 1 the K n i g ht may move to
a ny of the 8 sq uares i nd icated by a circl e :
8 l i m ited to m oving i n a forwa rd d i rection
7 The movement o f Pawn, either 1 -sq uare
6 1 3:
a b c d e f h
8
7
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h
Pawn: [ill
I n com pa rison to other Chessmen, the
Pawn has a d i stinct way of movi ng ,
ca ptu ri n g . Let us lea rn th is :
• The Pawn , un less its path is obstructed ,
ca n move o n ly one sq uare forward
(straig ht) on its file at a tim e .
• A s a n exception to th is ru le, each o f the
Pawn , in the starti ng position, u nless
o bstructed , a re a l so a l lowed to move
two sq uares at once.
• The Pawn is the only Chessmen that is
a nd is not a l lowed to move backwa rds .
or two-squares is i l l ustrated i n diagra m

5 5 a b c d e f h
4 8 8
3 7
2 6 6
1
5 5
a c e g h 4
[ill 3 3
Capture with the Knig ht: 2
In d i a g ra m 12 the Knight has the choice 1 1
of either ca ptu ring Black's Bishop or a c e h
Pawn :
g
[IT]
[NTRODUCTION TO CHESS 7 THE CHESS COURSE
Capture with the Pawn: Pa ris 1 9 1 3, wherein White is a l l set to
U n l i ke the way it moves, Pawn captures i n promote h is dB pawn to a Queen . Black
a d ifferent manner - only one square follows su it with promotion of h is h l Pawn
diagonally forward to its left or right. to a Queen:
In d iag ra m 14 the Wh ite's Pawn has a a b c d e f
choice of either capturi ng the Bishop or
Knight : 8
a b c d e f
8 6
7 5
6 4
5 3 3
4 2 2
3 3 1 1
2 2 c e g h
1 1 cm
'Under-Promotion •:
a c e g h
S o m eti mes t h e p os i t i o n o n the
[ill Chessboa rd demands that the Pawn be
promoted to a Rook, Knight or Bishop
Pawn's Special Power - 'Promotion':
instead of a Queen ( mostly to avoid
Stalemate or to create a ' Kn ig ht-Fork' or a
Si nce the Pawns ca nnot move backwards
' Double Attack' ) . Th is is ca lled 'Under­
and its capturing zone l i mited to just one
Promotion'. The most nota ble exa mple
sq uare d iagona l ly to the left or rig ht, it is
of a necessa ry U n d er- Promotion is
con sidered as the wea kest of a l l
i l l ustrated in Diagra m 16.
Chessmen . However, i t has got one
unique characteristic, which has not been a b c d e
given to the Pieces :
8
When a Pawn reaches end of the
Chessboard, it ca n transform itself either
7
to a Queen, Rook, Bishop or Knight of the
same colour I I Th is is known as 'Pawn
6
Promotion'. 5 5
In vast majority of cases the Pawn would 4
be promoted to a Queen as it is the most
powerfu l Piece on the Chessboa rd . In 3
such case the promotion is a lso ca lled
'Queening'. 2
D iag ra m 1 5 i l lustrates a typica l 'Pawn 1 1
Promotion' or 'Queening' - from a a c e g h
game between Lasker versus Alekh i ne ,
ill]
THE CHESS COURSE 8 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Th is position was h itherto considered as
' d rawn ' fo r nearly 2 0 0 -yea rs ! ! The
winning idea was suggested by the
S pa n ish Pri est, Reve re nd Fe rn a n d o
Saveed ra ( 1849 - 1 9 2 2 ) a nd is know n a s
'Saveed ra's Position'� To w i n the game
Wh ite has only one move - promote h is c8
Pawn to a Rook ! ! To real ize the bea uty of
th is move, ask you r chess tra i ner and he
will expl a i n you as to why the normal
promotion to a Queen wou ld only resu lt in
a Stalemate!
You have to a lso keep i n m i nd that there is
no restriction placed u pon the n u m ber of
Pawn Promotions. Theoretica l ly, it is
possible to have n i ne Queens on the
Boa rd if you are a ble to promote all you r
Pawns a n d you sti l l have the original
Queen ! ! The choice is a l l you rs! !
However, at the top level of Chess
tou rnaments there a re not more than one
or two promotions d u ri ng a game. So the
pecu l iarity of the Pawn is that w h i l e it's
the least mobile of a l l Chessmen, it has
potential to transform itself i nto the most
powerfu l Piece ! !
King :
The King's movement is very sim ple to
remember. It moves only one squ a re i n
a ny d i rection . Diagra m 1 7 i nd icates a l l
the a-squares, which a King ca n move to .
a b c d e f h a
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h a
[ill
INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Some exceptions to the K i n g 's movement
a re :
1 . The King is not a l lowed to move to a
sq uare, wh ich is a l ready i n control of
enemy Chessma n .
2 . It a lso means that as soon as the King
is attacked by a n enemy Chessma n i . e .
put i nto Check, i t is req u i red to get out
of it i m med iately on the move . If it
ca n not get out of 'Check' the game
ends i n victory in favou r of the player
who had del ivered the l ethal Check.
3. The ru les of the game a lso provide that
the King is not a l lowed to move to a
sq u a re adjacent to h is opposite King .
Accord i n g ly, both the K i n gs a re
req u i red to sta nd at l east one sq uare
apart.
Captu re with the Ki n g:
The King's ca ptu ri ng zone is l i m ited to just
one sq uare i n a ny d i rection - i n the sa me
way as it moves .
In Diagra m 18 Black's King ca n ca ptu re
W h ite 's Pawn on g4 but not the Pawn on
hS {To re-ca p of what we have l earnt, the
King is not allowed to move to a sq uare,
w h ich is a l ready in control of enemy
Chessma n. The h S Pawn is u nder
protection by the g4 Pawn and hence the
King ca n not ca ptu re it):
b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
c e g h
cm
9 THE CHESS COURSE
Chess Notations: Fi les:

Chess notation is the term for va rious The a-vertical rows of sq ua res going from
systems, wh ich has been devised to left to rig ht (from the bottom l eft-hand
record a game of chess . corner of the Wh ite player) a re ca lled
'Files'. They are i nd icated by sma l l
It is only because of chess notations that alphabets :
we are a ble to go throug h the vast
a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h . ( Diagra m 19)
treasu ry of chess games, wh ich oth erwise
would have been lost. a b c d e f h
Lea rn i ng chess notations is a bsol utely 8 8
essential for the fol lowi ng two reasons :
7 7
1 . The laws of Chess sti pu late that a
player is req u i red to record his own 6 6
moves (It is forbidden to writes the
moves in adva nce ) , and those of h is 5 5
opponent i n the correct man ner, move
after move, as clearly and leg i bly as 4 4
possible while playing a tou rnament
game. 3 3
2 . You wi l l be able to go th rough chess 2 2
books and chess software very easily.
1 1
Therefore, when you sta rt lea rn ing chess
syste m a t i ca l l y, y o u s h o u l d a c d e f g h
simu ltaneously learn chess notations.
Develop a habit to write down the moves
[ill
as neatly and correctly to every game you
Ranks:
play - whether it's a tou rna ment or The a- horizonta l rows of sq uares going
tra i n i ng game. Remember, writing the u pwa rds (from bottom to top side of the
moves is noth i ng but a sort of video Wh ite's side) are ca l led 'Ranks' and they
record i ng of a game, which w i l l hel p you are i nd icated by n u m bers :
go th rough you r game agai n . Make a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 . (Diag ra m 20)
poi nt to replay you r own ga mes so that
you (and you r tra i ner! ) can fi nd out the a b c d e f h
strong a nd wea k poi nts of the ga me,
wh ich in u lti mate ana lysis will hel p you to 8 .-��--��-� 8
become a good chess player!
7��--��--��-. 7
Algebra ic Chess Notation:
6 .-�------�--�� 6
Of all the systems devised to record a
game of chess, a lgebraic chess notation is 5 �--��--�---�--· 5
recog n ized by FI DE laws of chess .
It was i ntrod uced by the legendary Syrian 4 .-.-----..----��----� 4
player, Phil ipp Sta m ma ( 1 705 - 1 75 5 ) ,
who i s considered to b e t h e pioneer of
3��--��--��_. 3
modern chess .
2 ......--......--��--��
. 2
Th is method of record i ng the game scores
a bove other system because of its 1 �----�----· 1
simpl icity a n d sa ns a ny la ng uage ba rrier!
a b c d e f g h
�
THE CHESS COURSE 10 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
W ith this d ivision, each of the 64-sq uares The Pawns are not indicated by their
on the Chessboa rd gets a u n iq ue name by first alphabet, but rather by the
a com bi nation of a letter (File) and a
n u m ber ( Ra nk) as i l lustrated i n Diag ra m
absence of it.
21 : Notation for Movement of a Piece:
Black Player
The notation for movement of a Piece from
a b c d e f h one sq uare to a nother is recorded i n the
8 8 following ord e r :
1. Sym bol of piece, wh ich is movi ng .
7
2 . The sq uare of its a rriva l .
6 6 3 . In case it's Check or Checkmate,
the respective sym bo l '+' or '#'.
5
For exam ple i n d iagra m 22, if a Bishop
4 4 stand i ng on al sq uare is moved to eS
sq uare, it is recorded as 1 . Be5:
3 a b c d e f h
2 2 8 8
1
7 7
a b ·c d e f g h
White Player [1I] 6 6
For exam ple, you ca n see that the sq ua re
i n the bottom left-hand corner of the 5 5
Wh ite player is na med as 'a l' and so on .
4 4
Please remem ber that ' Ranks' are a lways
n u m bered from W h ite's side . As such , the 3 3
Wh ite's Pieces sta nd on the 1st Ra n k a nd
the Black's Pieces sta nd on the 8th Ra n k at 2 2
the sta rt of the game.
The 'Fi les' a re a l so l ette red a - h , 1 1
beg i n n ing from Wh ite's left- h a nd corner,
wh ich means the 'a' fi le is on left- ha nd a c e g h
corner of Wh ite but on rig ht-hand corner
of Black . cm
Sym bol ( Na mes) for Pieces: Notation for Movement of a Pawn :
The Pieces a re represented by its fi rst The notation for movement of a Pawn is
al phabet a n d they a re a lways recorded in recorded i n the fol lowing order:
Ca pita l ( U ppercase) letter as follows : 1. The sq u a re of its a rriva l.
Chessmen Sym bol ( Name) 2. In case it's Check or Checkmate,
King K the respective sym bol '+' or '#'.
Queen Q Please note that u n l ike other Pieces,
R
no initial letter has been given to
Rook
Pawns.
Bishop B
Fo r exa m p l e , i n d i a g ra m 23 the
Knight** N movement of W h ite's Pawn from e2 to e4
** ( Si nce both the King & Knight sta rt sq uare is si m ply recorded as 1 .e4 . The
w ith the l ette r 'K', the K n i g ht is movement of Black's Pawn from bS to b4
represented by its 2"d letter ' N' so as to sq uare is recorded as 1 b4 : •••

avoid a m bi g u ity).
I NTRODUCTION TO CHESS 11 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h Wh ite's possi ble captu res are:
8 8 1 Qxe6+
.

7 7 1 . Rxd7
6 6 1. Bxf&
1 . Bxd7+ ('+ ' sign indicates a Check)
5 5
4 4 Notation for Captu ri ng with a Pawn :

3 3 The notation for Pawn captu re is recorded

in the fol lowing order:
2 2
1 . The 'File' from wh ich the Pawn
1 1
.

departs.
�a���c����e�--�g�--�
h 2. The symbol of captu re - i nd icated by a
sma l l 'x'.
ern
Notation for Captu ring with a Piece: 3 . The arriva l square of the Pawn after
capture .
The notation for ca ptu re with a piece is
recorded in the fol lowi ng order: 4. In case it's Check or Checkmate, the
respective symbol '+' or '#'.

1 . Symbol of piece doi ng the ca ptu ring . Black's possible Pawn ca ptu res are
2. The symbol of ca ptu re - indicated by a i l l ustrated i n Diagram 25:
sma l l 'x'.
3. The sq uare on wh ich the ca pture is a b c d e f h
being made. 8 8
4 . In case it's Check or Checkmate, the
respective symbol '+' or '#'. 7 7
Diagram 24 i l l ustrates the possible 6 6
ca ptures by Wh ite:
a b c d e f h 5 5
8 8 4 4
7 7 3 3
6 6 2 2
5 5 1 1

4 4 a c e f g h
3 3 [1iJ
2 1 • ••• exfS
2
1 . . . gxfS
1 1
.

a c e g h When Black is on the move, it is customa ry

to put th ree dots after move num ber:
1241
THE CHESS COURSE 12 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Notation for Pawn Promotion: a b c d e f h
The notation for Promotion of a Pawn is
recorded i n the following order:
8 8
1. The square of a rriva l of the Pawn . 7 7
2. The sym bol of ca ptu re - i n d icated by a
6 6
smal l 'x- i n case the arrival is th roug h a
captu re . 5 5
3 . T h e '=' ( eq u a l ) s i g n i n d icat i n g
4 4
Promotion (customary, thoug h not a
FIDE sta nd a rd ) . 3 3
4 . The sym bol of the Piece to which the
� 2
Pawn is promoted .
5. In case it's Check or Checkmate, the 1 1
respective sym bol '+' or '#'. a c e f g h
Diagram 26 i l lustrates the resu lta nt
Move No White Black
cm
position after W hite has promoted his e7
Pawn to a Kn ight by moving it to e8. The 1 es Qxa l+
move wou l d be recorded as u nder:
2 Ke2 Na6
l.eS=N+ 3 Nxg7+ KdS
a b c d e f h 4 Qf6+ Nxf6

8 8 5 Be7#
You h ave passed the exa m if you r boa rd
7 7 position matches d iagra m 28 below :
6 6 a b c d e f h
5 5 8 8
4 4 7 7
3 3 6
2 2 5 5
1 1 4 4
3
2
Test Your Chess Notations:
Now that you h ave lea rnt the algebra ic 1 1
system of chess notations to record the a c d e f h
ga me, I am presenti ng you a sma l l exam ,
g
wh ich wi l l hel p me to j udge a s to whether ill]
you have u nderstood th is cha pter. J u st to en rich you r knowledge, the
i l l ustrated moves a re from the game
Al l that you are req u i red to do is to set- u p
the position on you r chessboa rd as per between Adolf Anderssen (Wh ite) versus
d iagram 27 and play th rough the five Lionel Kieseritsky ( Black) , 1851 wh ich is
moves presented below it : recog n ized as the 'The Immortal Game'
of Chess !
INTRODUCTION TO CHESS 13 THE CHESS COURSE
Recording Ambiguous Moves: W hite to play i s a bout to m ove h i s Rook on
By now you m u st h ave mastered the a1 to d 1 , which wou ld be recorded as
a l g e b ra i c c h e s s n ota ti o n a n d c a n 1 . Rad 1 , i n d i cati ng that the Rook on 'a' fi le
confidently record a g a me o r g o throug h a has m oved to the d1 sq u a re .
game presented i n a book o r other format
I f the other Rook were to m ove, i t wou l d
of chess I ite ratu re . However, as a
beg i n n i n g player you a re l i kely to face be recorded as 1 . Rfd 1.
confusion when two identica l pieces - Identical Pieces on the Same File:
either Rooks, Kni g hts or Queens {after
promotion with orig i n a l Queen sti l l on the When both the Rooks a re sta nd i n g on the
boa rd ) a re in a position to capture on the sa m e 'Rank', the notation is recorded in
sam e sq u a re or m ove on to the sam e the fol lowi ng ord e r :
sq u a re . I n s u c h cases, we w i l l be req u i red
to remove the a m big u i ty otherwise it 1 . Sym bol o f t h e Rook - 'R'.
wou l d not be clea r as to w h ich of the 2. The 'Rank' from w h ich the Rook
identica l piece has m oved . Let us has d epa rted . If the m ove i nvolves
u ndersta nd as to how this a m bigu ity ca n
ca ptu re, please m a ke a note to
a rise a n d how do we record the move
correctly : i nsert the ca ptu re sig n 'x' after the
'Rank' n a m e .
Identical Pieces on the Same Rank:
3 . T h e squ a re o f its a rriva l .
When both the Rooks a re sta n d i ng o n the
sa m e 'Rank', the notation is recorded in 4 . I n case it's Check o r Checkmate,
the fol lowi ng orde r : the respective sym bol '+' or '#'.
1. Sym bol o f the Rook - 'R'. D ia g ra m 30 i l l u stra tes the co rrect
2. The 'File' from wh ich the Rook has record i ng of notation :
departed . If the m ove i n volves
ca ptu re, please m a ke a note to a b c d e f h
i nsert the captu re sig n 'x' after the
'File' n a m e .
8
3 . The sq ua re o f its a rriva l . 7
4 . I n case it's Check or Checkmate,
the respective sym bol '+ ' or '# '. 6
D i a g ra m 29 i l l u strates the co rrect 5
record i n g of notation :
a b c d e f h 4
8 8 3
7 7 2
6 6 1
5 5 a b c d e f g h
4 4 ill]
Black to play is a bout to m ove h is Rook on
3 3 gS to g7, w h i ch wou l d be recorded as
1 R8g 7 , i n d i cati n g that the Roo k
•••

2 2 sta nd i ng o n the '8th' Ra n k has moved to

1 1 the g 7 sq uare .

a b c d e f h I f the other Rook were to move, i t wou ld

g be recorded as 1 ... R5g 7.
cm
THE CHESS COURSE 14 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
The record i ng of moves i n case of
Knig hts, wh ich ca n be m oved to the sa m e
sq uare, fol l ows t h e sa m e pattern as
deta i l ed p reviously.
a b c d e f h executed by the Knight o n c4 it wou l d be
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h 2. If Black w i ns the ga me,
[ill
I n d iag ra m 31 the ca ptu re of Black's Pawn
on cS by W h ite's Kn i g ht on d7 sq uare
wou l d be recorded as 1. NdxcS. If
ca ptu ri ng is done by the K n ig ht on e4,
you ca n record it a s 1. NexcS .
Th e pattern of record i n g move of both the
Knig hts sta n d i ng o n the sa m e fi le, wh ich
ca n be m oved to the sa m e sq uare, a lso
fo l l ows t h e sa m e patte rn . T h i s is
i l l ustrated i n Diagra m 32 :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 extensively i n Eu rope a ro u n d 15th centu ry
6 everyon e i n creati n g a mass a ppea l .
3 3
2 a n d E n - Passa n t Pawn Ca ptu re .
1 1
a b c d e f g h
ill]
I NTRODUCTION TO CHESS
S i n ce Black's Knig hts a re sta n d i ng on c2 &
c4 sq uare, the ca ptu re of W h ite's Pawn on
a3 by the Black's Knight on c2 is recorded
as 1... N2xa3. If the captu re was
recorded as 1 N4xa3.
•••
Recording the Move of Castling:
We sha l l cover th is aspect i n the next
cha pte r on Castl i ng .
Rt;!cording End Result of the Game:
Once the ga m e has ended , you a re
req u i red to record resu lt of the g a me as
u nder:
1 . If Wh ite w i ns the game, it is
recorded as 1-0 .
it is
recorded as 0-1 .
3. The resu lt 1/z-1/z i n d i cates that the
game has e nded in a d raw.
Special Chess Moves:
I n this section we sha l l lea rn two specia l
m oves at t h e d isposa l o f a player:
1. Castl i n g
2. En - Passa nt Pawn Ca ptu re.
CASTLING:
I n o u r i n itia l cha pter o n 'The Orig ins &
H istory of Chess', we have seen that the
modern g a m e of chess was developed
a nd thei r pioneeri ng efforts su rpassed
The su ccess of m od e rn chess ca n be
attri buted to i m p rovisation over the old
ru les of a n cient I n d i a n Chatu ra nga:
a l low i n g Paw n s to adva n ce two-sq uares,
g iv i n g more powers to certa i n pieces and
i ntrod uctio n of s pecial moves, Castl i ng
I n t h e a ncient I n d i a n Chatu ra ng a , the
K i n g d id not have the privi lege of Castl ing .
H owever, it was perm itted , once i n a
g a m e, to m ove l i ke a Knig htl {Th is
15 THE CHESS COURSE
privilege wou ld be lost once it is 'Checked '
though the King might not have moved .
However, if the King moves on its own , he
retained the rig ht to move l i ke a Knig ht) .
In modern chess, this move of the King
(movi ng l i ke a Knight) was mod ified by
i n trod u cti on of a ' Special ' move
'Castling' wherein he is a l lowed to move
joi ntly with one of h is Rooks !
Th is may sound confusing to a beginn ing
player because we have also learnt that a
player ca nnot move two pieces at once .
But th is being a 'Specia l ' move, it permits
movement of you r King and Rook at once !
Now let us understa nd the definition of
th is special move 'Castling' in a very
-
simple language: '
'Once during the cou rse of a game, the
King is a l lowed to make a joint move with
one of its Rook d u ring which they pass
over each other'.
In other words, Castl i ng is a combined
move of the King and either Rook,
cou nti ng as a 'Single' move and executed
as fol lows :
The King is transferred from its
original square; two squares towards
either Rook on the same Rank, then
the Rook concerned is transferred
over the King to the square that the
King has just crossed.
Diag ram 33 i l l ustrates the position before
Castl ing :
a b c d e f h 2
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
cm
THE CHESS COURSE
Whereas diagram 34 & 35 shows the
resu lta nt position after White has castled
Ki ng-side and Black on the Queenside:
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a g h
[E]
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Is Castling important? [ill
Though castl ing is an optional move, this
strategy is employed by both the sides in
majority of games beca use:
1. The King is more likely to be
exposed to attack in the centra I
files of the Boa rd . As against th is,
castl ing provides the King a safe
shelter beh i nd the barrier of Pawns,
away from the center.
2 . The Rook, wh ich is castled with , is
automatical ly brought in a good
active position towa rds the center.
16 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Position after Castling: Black) is u nder attack.
To ensure that you learn the execution of To ela borate these ru les d eta iled i n 1-6
th is m ove correctly, d etai led below is the a bove, we seek help of i l l ustrations in
position of Ki n g a nd Rook after castl i ng : d ia g ra m s 36 to 4 1·:
'King-Side' Castling :
a b c d e f h
White King: moves from e l to g l
White Rook: m oves from h l to fl 8 8
Black King: m oves from eS to gS 7 7
Black Rook: moves from h8 to fS
6 6
'Queen-Side' Castling :

White King : moves from el to cl

5
White Rook: moves from a l to d l 4 4
Black King: moves from ea to ea
Black Rook: moves from aS to dS
3 3
Castling Rules:
2 2
A p layer ca n castle only if the fol lowi n g 1 1
cond itions a re satisfied :
a b c d e f g h
1 . Cast l i n g is perm itted o n ly if neither the
Ki ng nor the Roo k conce rned has Condition No. 1 :
00
moved previously.
2. Al l the squ a res between the King a n d I n Diagra m 36 Wh ite has lost the rig ht to
the Rook with which a player desires to castle since his King has a l ready moved
to fl .
castle m ust be em pty.
3. The sq u a re on Ki n g 's on w h ich the Ki ng A good strategy is to ensure that you
sta nds at the sta rt of the ga me, e l for reta i n the ri g ht to castle by not moving the
White & eS for Black (We ca n refer to Ki ng and the concerned Rook p rior to
th is as K i n g 's 'Starting Square') castli n g .
should not be u nd e r attack . It mea ns a b c d e f h
that the Ki ng should not be in Check .
castl i ng is not a l lowed for the pu rpose 8 8
of getting the Ki ng out of Check .
7 7
4 . The sq u a re, wh ich the Ki n g is g o i n g to
pass over, f l , d l for White & fS, dS 6 6
for Black (We ca n refer to this as
King 's 'Crossing Square') , should not 5 5
be u nder attack by the opposi n g piece .
4 4
5 . The Ki n g 's a rriva l sq uare after castl i n g ,
g l , c l for White 8t gS, c 8 for Black 3 3
(We ca n refer this as K i n g 's 'Arrival
Square') shou ld not be u nder attack 2 2
by the o pposing piece.
6 . However, a p l ayer is a l l owed to Castle if
1 1
the Rook's sq uare or the sq uare, wh ich a b c d e f g h
is the Rook is going cross over - a l, b l
& h l for White & a S, b S & h S for ill]
INTRODUCTION TO CHESS 17 THE CHESS COURSE
Condition No. 2 : Condition No. 4 :
I n Diagra m 39 Black is tem porari ly
I n Diag ra m 3 7 Black i s tem pora ri ly
prevented from castl i ng on the Queen­
prevented from castl ing on the Queen ­
side si nce the Crossing Square of its
side beca use one of the sq u a res between
King dB is u n der attack by the Wh ite's
Bishop on g S :
the King and Queen's Rook is occu pied by
-

a Piece - a Knig ht on bS.

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c d e f g h a b c d e g h
� l 4o l
Condition No. 3: Condition No. 5 :
I n Diag ra m 38 Wh ite ca n not castle since I n Diagra m 40 Wh ite is tem porarily
the Starting Square of the Wh ite King's ­ prevented from castl i ng on King-side as
el is u nder attack by the Black's Bishop
- the Arrival Sq uare - gl on wh ich the
on b4. It mea n s that the Wh ite Ki ng is in King would land after castl i ng is u nder
Check. Castl ing is not a l l owed for the attack by the Black's Queen on b6 .
pu rpose of getti ng out of Check.
a b c d e f g h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 ·4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c d e g h a b c e g h
cm [ill
TH E CHESS COURSE 18 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Condition No. 6 :
I n Diagra m 41 Black can castle o n the
Queen-side though the b8 square, which
the Rook is going to cross over, is under
attack by the White's Bishop on d& :
From above we see that, a player
cannot Castle during a game, which
may either be of permanent or
temporary nature:
A) Permanent Loss of Castling:
1. A player ca n not castle if h is King has
a l ready moved .
2 . A player ca nnot castle with a Rook
wh ich has a l ready moved .
B) Temporary Prevention of Castling:
1. If a piece between the King . and the
Rook with wh ich the Castling is to be
effected has not yet moved .
2. If the King's 'Starting', 'Crossing' or
'Arrival' sq uare is u nder attacked by
o p p o s i n g s i d e 's o n e or m o re
chessmen .
Executing Castling:
Si nce Castling is basical ly the Ki n g 's
move, it is executed as u nder:
1. The player intend i ng to Castle is
required to touch h is King fi rst and
then the Rook.
2 . If a player touches his Rook fi rst and
then his Ki ng, he is not a l l owed to
castle .
3 . I f a player touches the King a n d then a
Rook with a n intention to castle a n d
fi nds that castl i ng with this Rook is
i l legal , his is requ i red to m a ke another
legal move with his King, which may
i ncl ude castl ing with the other Rook.
4 . If the King has no leg a l move, the
player is free to make a ny legal move .
Notations for Castling:
The Algebra ic Chess Notation for castl ing
is as u nder:
1. T h e K i n g - s i d e C a s t l i n g ( ' S h o rt
Castl i n g ') is recorded as 0-0 ( as there
a re 2 sq uares between the King and
the Rook) .
2 . T h e Q u ee n - s i d e Castl i n g (' Lo n g
Castl i n g ' ) is recorded a s 0-0-0 (as
there a re 3 sq uares between the King
a nd the Rook) .
INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
The 'En-Passant' Pawn Capture:
The Laws of Chess d efi nes the En-Passant
Pawn ca ptu re as fol lows :
A pawn occu pying a sq uare on the same
ran k as and on an adjacent file to an
opponent's pawn wh ich has j ust adva nced
two squares in one move from its original
sq uare may ca ptu re th is opponent's pawn
as thoug h the latter had been moved on ly
one sq uare . Th is ca ptu re is only legal on
the move following this adva nce and is
·ca l led an 'en passa nt' ca ptu re.
For a beg i n n i ng p layer such defin ition
com pou nds confusion . As such , let me
present it in very si m ple words :
Besides its usual ca ptu re, a Pawn ca n
ca ptu re h is opponent's Pawn ( but not a
P i e c e ) E n - Pa s s a n t . T h e fo l l o w i n g
i l lustration wi l l m a ke the rule crysta l
clear:
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e f h
g
1 42 1
In Diag ra m 42 Black has advanced h is
Pawn two-sq uares forward from d7 to dS,
by-passing the White's Pawn on cS, now
Wh ite to move, has the rig ht to ca ptu re
this Black's Pawn on dS En-Passa nt with
his cS Pawn . To do th is, Wh ite removes
the Black's Pawn on dS from the boa rd
a nd places his cS Pawn on d&.
Diag ra m 43 shows the position after
Wh ite has ca ptu red Black's Pawn En­
Passa nt :
19 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c d e g h a c e g h
ffiJ l 4s l
Ru les for En-Passant Pawn Captu re:
Now let us u ndersta n d this ca ptu re from
I n keeping with the above, l et me
Black's side :
i l l ustrate a l l the cond itions when the En­
a b c e f h Passa nt Pawn ca ptu re is possible :
8 8 1 . The ca ptu ri ng side's Pawn m ust be on
its fifth ra n k . As per a lgebra i c chess
7 notations, Black's 5th Ra n k means the
4th Ra n k .
6 6 2 . T h e pawn to b e ca ptu red m ust b e on a n
adjacent fi l e and m u st have just
moved two sq uares from its sta rti ng
position i n a si ngle move .
3. The ca ptu re ca n now be executed on
the m ove i m med i ately after the
opposi n g Pawn ma kes th is two sq uare
2 advance. The ru le does not a l low the
ca ptu re to be postponed u nti l later i n
1 the game.
a b d e g 4 . If the player chooses not to ca ptu re
E n - Passa nt, h e loses the option for
that pa rticu lar Pawn .
I n Diagra m 44 Wh ite has adva nced h is N otati o n s fo r E n - Pa ssa nt Pawn
Pawn two-sq uares forwa rd from g 2 to g4, Ca ptu re:
by-passing the Black's Pawn on f4 . Now
Th is ca ptu re is recorded l i ke a normal
Black to move, has the rig ht to ca ptu re
Pawn-Ca ptu re however; it is suffixed with
th is White's Pawn on g4 E n - Passa nt with
the word e . p . to i nd i cate that it was an En­
h is f4 Paw n . To do this, Wh ite removes
Passa nt Pawn Ca ptu re . Going back to
the Black's Pawn on g4 from the boa rd
Diag ram 42 & 44 :
a nd places h is f4 Pawn on g 3 .
1 . White's ca ptu re would be recorded as :
Diag ra m 45 shows t h e resu lta nt position
1. cxd& e . p .
after Black has ca ptu red Wh ite's Pawn En­
Passa nt: 2 . S i m i la rly, t h e Black's ca ptu re wou ld be
recorded as : 1 • • • fxg3 e . p .
T H E CH ESS COURSE 20 I NTRODUCTION TO CHESS
Checking the King :

Now that you know how to move each a nd

8 8
every Chessma n , ca ptu re a nd Castle, you 7 �£�------�� 7
are ready to play rea l Chess ! ! However,
before p roceed i ng fu rther you m ust know 6 6
what is 'Checki ng ' the Ki ng a nd how to get
the Ki ng out of ' Check'. 5 5
1 . The king i s sai d to be i n Check' if it is 4 4
attacked by one or more of the
opponent's pieces . 3 3
2. The 'Check' g iving pieces a re Queen, 2 2
Rook, Bishop Knight & Pawn .
1 1
3 . A Ki ng ca nnot itself d i rectly 'Check' the a c e g h
opposi ng Ki ng, since th is wou ld place
the fi rst Ki ng i n Check as wel l .
1 47 1
Diagra m 47 shows Wh ite Rook g 1v1ng
4 . I t i s obligatory for the King i n 'Check' to Check to the Black King from the a7
get out of the sa me i mmediately. sq ua re .
a b c d e f g h
5 . It is il legal for a pl ayer to ma ke a move
w h i ch places or leaves his king i n 8 8
'Check'.
7 7
Different exa m ples of the King i n 'Check'
by a l l the 'Check' g iving p ieces are 6 6
i l l ustrated i n d i ag rams 46 to 50 :
5 5
a b c d e f h
4 4
8 8
3 3
7 7
2 2
6 6
1 1
5 5
a c e g h
4 4
I 4B I
3 3 Diagra m 48 shows White Bishop g iving
2 2 Check to the Black Ki ng from the b2
sq uare .
1 1
a b c d e f g h
1 46 1
Diag ra m 46 sh ows Wh ite's Queen giving
Check to the Black King from the g8
sq uare .

IN TRODUCTION TO CHESS 21 THE CHESS COURSE

 a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
Diag ra m 49 shows Wh ite Knight g iving
Check to the Black King from the d3
sq uare .
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h []QJ
Diagra m 50 shows Wh ite Pawn g iv i n g 7
Check to the Black Ki ng from the f4
sq uare .
How to get out of 'Check' :
Once you r Ki ng is i n Check it becomes
o b l igatory on you r pa rt to get out of it
i mmed iately because the ru les of the
ga mes does n ot a l low the Ki ng to be left
o n the ta ke . If a player leaves h is King i n
Check a nd ma kes a ny other move, i t is
considered 'Il legal M ove' a n d , accord i n g
to the Laws of Chess i t should b e retracted
and a n other move made.
There a re th ree pri nci ple methods of
getti ng the Ki ng out of Check :
THE CHESS COURSE
1. The King should be moved to a sq uare,
wh ich is not u nder attack by a ny of the
opponent's Chessmen . We ca n term
th is p ri nciple as ' Move' . In Diagra m 5 1
Wh ite's Bishop i s Checking the King
from the h6 sq uare . He ca n get out of
Check o n ly by ' Moving' h is Ki n g to g S.
a b c d e f g h
8 � 8
7 7
6 6
5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h [[!J
2. The King ca n be shielded from Check by
placi ng one's Pi ece or Pawn between
the King a nd the opponent's Piece
g ivi n g Check. We ca n term this
p ri nciple as 'Block' . I n Diag ra m 52
Black's Queen is Checki ng the King
from the h4 sq uare . Wh ite ca n remove
th is Check o n ly by ' Block' - interposi ng
with the Queen move from f3 to h3 :
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
[ill
22 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
3. By Ca ptu ri ng the Chessman g iving the a b c d e f h
Check, either with the King or with 8
another Chessma n . We ca n term th is
8
pri nci ple as 'Capture' : 7 7
In Diagram 53 White's Queen is Checki ng
the King from the b8 sq uare. Black ca n 6 6
remove th is Check only by 'Captu re' -
the Black's Kn ight on d7 is required to 5 5
ca ptu re Wh ite's Queen :
4 4
a b c d e f h 3 3
8 8 2 2
7 7 1 1
6 6 a b c d e f g h�
5 5 a b c d e f h
4 4 8 8
3 3 7 7
2 2 6 6
1 1 5 5
a c e f g h 4 4
l s3 1 3 3
Checkmate:
2 2
We have seen that a Ki ng i n Check is
req u i red to get out of the sa me 1
im med iately by application of any of the
th ree principles of Move, Block and
a c e g
Captu re. a b c d e f h
However, if it ca nnot get out of Check, the
situation is descri bed as 'Checkmate'
8 8
and the game ends immed iately in victory 7
for the player g iving the Check as the
7
defend i ng side (the King in Check) is not 6 6
i n a position to make any legal move .
You have to remem ber that a Checkmate 5 5
to the King ca n be del ivered by an enemy
Piece or Pawn excepti ng the other Ki ng . 4 4
Diagra m 54 to 58 shows position where 3 3
the King is Checkmated . M a ke su re that in
each case you understa nd why it is a 2 2
Checkmate :
1 1
a b c d e f g h�
INTRODUCTION TO CH ESS 23 TH E CH ESS COURSE
 a b c d e f g h
In view of the a bove, it becomes
8 8 necessa ry for us to know the worth of each
of these 6-pieces so that it becomes easier
7 7 for us to eva l uate the position on the
chessboa rd to decide whether or not it is
6 6 good to excha nge or ca ptu re a chessman .
5 5 F u rt h e r, t h e va l u e s a ss u m e g reat
i m portance as its ca lcu lations p rovide us
4 4 an idea as to who is enjoyi ng su periority in
materia l . The side enjoying materi a l
3 3 adva ntage norm a l ly w i n s t h e g a m e .
2 2 Th rough a system ca l led ' Relative Value
of Pieces', poi nts has been assigned to
1 1 each of the 5-pieces (excepting the K i ng ) .
a b c d e f g h I n reckon i ng the Relative Va l ue of the
Pieces, Pawn, wh ich is the wea kest of a l l
ill] the Chessmen, is t o b e counted as '1-
a b c d e f h Unit'. The Relative Val ue of the remai n i ng
Chessmen (exce pti ng the Ki n g ) can be
8 assessed i n m u ltiples of Pawn as u nder:
7 Chessmen Value
6 Queen 9

5 Roo k 5
Bishop 3
4 .,.

Kn ight 3
3 Pawn 1
2 Here I wou l d l i ke to stress a n i m porta nt
poi nt that the exact va l ues depends on the
1 position reached in a game a n d is bou nd to
a b c d e f g h differ from the ' Relative Va l ue' g ive a bove .

Relative Value of Pieces:

[][]
I n the i n itia l cou rse of o u r lea rn i ng , we
have seen that a game of Chess has 6-
type of Chessmen . We have also seen that
each of them have been endowed with
d ifferent speed a n d power. For exa m ple;
by now you m u st have now judged that
Queen is the strongest of a l l Chessmen
w h i le Pawn i s the wea kest.
W h e n t h e battl e co m m e n ce s , t h e
c h ess m a n m oves fro m th e i r sta rt
positi o n s a n d ru s h es tow a r d s t h e
opposi ng forces . W h e n they a re near to
each other, a h a n d -to- h a n d com bat ta ke
p lace resu lti ng i n exchange of pieces .
You have a lso to remember that havi ng
more mate rial than you r o pponent d oes
not entitle you to clai m a w i n ! The fi nal
goa l is to ach ieve Checkmate !
Let us exa m i ne each of the chessmen to
fi nd out the reason fo r bei ng endowed
w ith particu l a r poi nts :
Queen :
The Queen is worth 9 - poi nts beca use of its
two-fold powers to move l i ke a Rook and
the Bishop . However, its a b i l ity to dou ble
up either as the W h ite or Black coloured
Bishop at a ny point of ti me ma kes Queen
much more va l ua ble tha n the tota l va l ue
of these two Pieces ( 5 + 3= 8 ) .

THE CHESS COURSE 24 INTRODUCTION T O CHESS

Rook :
The Rook is worth 5 - points. It assu mes
g reat attacki ng power when placed on
'Open' fi les and ra n ks . It is more va lua ble
tha n a Bishop or a K n i g ht but wea ker tha n
the Queen .
The Queen and Rooks are referred to as
' Major Pieces'.
Bishop :
The Bishop a nd Knight a re reckoned to
be of the sa me strength a nd a re va lued at
3-poi nts each however; a Bishop is very
s t ro n g i n o p e n p o s i t i o n s w i t h
u nobstructed d iagona ls on w h ich to .
operate. At master's level, g a i n i n g a
Bishop against Knight is a ki n to winn ing a
' M i nor Excha nge'.
Kn ight :
Though the Kn ight is com pa ratively
slower to Bishop, it is strong in closed &
blocked positions. Also, a Kn ight ca n
move to both the White a nd Black
coloured squares whereas a Bishop is
restricted to its own colour.
The Bishop a nd Knight are referred to as
' M inor Pieces'. They a re wea ker tha n the
Rook but stronger than the Paw n , which is
the wea kest.
Pawn :
Thoug h the Paw n is the wea kest u n it of a l l
the Chessmen, i t is the o n l y chessman
with the power to promote itself.
King :
S i nce the King is the only Chessmen that
ca n not be ca ptu red , no va l ue has been
assig ned to it.
Excha nge of Pieces:
Now that you a re awa re of the Relative
Va lue of Chessme n , it wi l l become easier
for you to u ndersta nd the rules for
exch a n g i ng or Ca ptu ring a Chessm a n .
If you exchange you r Queen for you r
opponent's Queen, Rook for Roo k, Bishop
for Bishop or Knig ht, Pawn for Pawn, it is
j ust an exch a n g e . But if you win you r
opponent's Queen, say by j u st giving
away you r Bishop and two Pawns, you
have g a i ned considera bly as you r Bishop
and 2 Pawns put together a re equa l to 5
INTRODUCTION TO CH ESS
poi n ts whereas you r opponent's Queen is
worth 9 poi nts - a g a i n of 4 poi nts !
' Exchange-Up' a nd ' Excha nge Down' :
I f you exch a nge your Bishop o r Knight for
you r opponent's Rook, you a re sai d to
have 'Won the Exchange' or you are
con s i d e red ' Excha nge-U p'. W hereas
you r opponent, who loses his Rook
aga i nst you r Bishop or Kni g ht is sa id to
h ave ' Lost the Exc h a n g e ' o r i s
' Exchange Down'.
M a ke su re not to lose material wh i le
making exchange of Chessmen . Captu re
a nd reca ptu res should be made by
keeping the Relative Va lue of Chessmen i n
m i n d . Let us u ndersta nd th is process with
the help of i l lustration i n diagra m 59 with
W h ite to play :
a b c- d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f h
g
�
W]lite d esires to ca ptu re Black's Kn ight on
fS and he has two choices :
1 . QxfS
1 . BxfS
If he ca ptu res with his Queen , it wou l d be
a bad choice beca use Black w i l l re-captu re
the Queen on fS with his Pawn a nd wou ld
emerge better on material cou nt (White
has lost Queen [9] a nd j ust got a Kn i g ht
[ 3] i n retu rn , a net loss of 6- poi nts. As
such, the correct choice for White is
1 . Bxf5 :
To restore m ateri a l b a l a n ce, B l a ck
ca ptu res the Bishop on fS with h is Pawn
on e& :
25 THE CHESS COURSE
Let us exa m ine one more exa m ple
( d iag ra m 60) :
a b c d e f h aS Roo k by moving it to b8 .
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c d e g h
[]Q]
The materi a l is even on the chessboa rd
with each side having two Rooks, one
Bishop and 6-Pawns each .
Wh ite ca n win Black's Pawn on e4 but
here aga i n Black ca n restore parity by
ca pturi ng W h ite's Pawn on b6 .
As such , W h ite played 1 . b7 ( d i a g ra m 6 1 )
and now Black has to ta ke a d ecision :
a b c d e f h when deci d i n g a series of exchanges
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h
WJ
Of cou rse, Black ca n ca ptu re W h ite's
Bishop on f3 a nd i n process g a i n 3-poi nts
however, that would a l low W h ite to
ca ptu re Black's Rook on aB to w i n 5-
poi nts a n d thereby gain d ecisive materi a l
THE CHESS COURSE
adva ntag e of 2 - poi nts ( 5-3 = 2 ) . So, the
correct d ecision for Black is to protect his
N ow W h ite went a head · on the material
cou nt by captu ri ng the e4 Pawn with h is
Bishop but Black aga i n restored material
eq ual ity by ca ptu ri ng the b7 Paw n w ith his
Rook on b8 ( d i a g ra m 62) :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h
[]I]
We sha l l now have a look at i l l u stration i n
d ia g ra m 6 3 to lea rn sim ple ca lcu l ations
(ca ptu res) :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h
[]I]
Black to play, has attacked Wh ite's Pawn
on d4 twice with his Queen on d6 a nd
Rook on dB whereas it is just defended
26 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
once by W h ite's Rook on d 1 . It a ppea rs
that Black ca n win a Pawn but is it a good
ca ptu re?
Certa i n ly not, if you can make these
s i m ple ca lculati o n s :
1... Qxd4
2 . Rxd4 Rxd4 ( d iagra m 64)
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c e f g h The basic ru le for determ i n ing whether a
1 64 1
And, we see that Black has l ost his Queen
( 9 poi nts) for j ust a Rook and Pawn of
Wh ite ( 5+ 1 = 6 poi nts) , a net loss of 4-
poi nts .
a
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
� opponent declares he resig ns .
THE CHESS COURSE
Here Black ca n easi ly emerge better on
material cou nt by w i n n i ng the Pawn :
1... Rxd4
2 . Rxd4 Qxd 4 (diagram 66)
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
[@
materi a l cou l d be won by a series of
exchange on a pa rticu lar sq u a re is
summarized below :
1 . Cou nt the n u m ber of Chessmen
attacking that sq uare .
2 . Cou nt t h e n u m ber o f opponent's
Chessmen d efend i ng that square .
3 . If t h e n u m be r o f Chessmen
attacki ng the sq uare i n q u estion
are more than the n u mber of
Chessmen d efend i ng that sq uare
by one u n it, the material cou ld be
won on that pa rticu lar sq uare . Th is
is aga i n subject to the tota l of
Relative Va lue of the attacki ng a nd
d efend i ng Chessmen .
How a game is Won :
1 . The game i s won by the player who has
checkmated h is o p ponent's king .
2 . The game is won by the player whose
27 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
How a Game is Drawn :
As per the FID E Laws of Chess a game
is considered drawn :
1. The game is d rawn when the player
to move has no legal move and h is
King is not i n Check. The game is
sa id to end i n 'Stalemate'.
2 . The game is drawn when a position
has arisen in which neither player
ca n checkmate the opponent's
ki ng with any series of legal
moves . The game is sa id to end in a
'dead position'.
3 . T h e g a m e i s d ra w n u p o n
ag reement between the two
players d u ring the game.
4 . The game may be d rawn if a n
identica l position is a bout to
appear or has appeared on the
chessboa rd at least three times .
5. The game may be drawn if each
player has made at least the last
50 moves w ith out t h e
movement of a ny Pawn a nd
without a ny capture .
Scoring System in Chess:
The norm a l scori ng system in chess is as
under:
1. A player who wins the game score
scores one ( 1) poi nt.
2. Players d ra w i ng the i r g a m e a re
awa rded ha lf-a- point (1/2) a piece .
3 . A player who loses his game does not
score a ny poi nts ( 0 ) .
Com petition Rules:
We concl ude th is cha pter with few but
important 'Chess Competition Ru les' as
detai led in FI DE Laws of Chess . I am
sa ngu i ne that knowledge of these ru les
w i l l come i n ha ndy when you start playi ng
Chess tou rna ments .
THE CHESS COU RSE
Record ing of the game:
1. In the cou rse of play each player is
requ i red to record h is own moves a nd
those of his opponent i n the correct
manner, move after move, as clea rly
and leg i bly as possi ble, in the a lgebraic
notation on the score-sheet prescri bed
for the com petition.
2 . It is forbidden to write the moves in
adva nce, u n l ess the player is cla im ing
a d raw.
3. A player may reply to h is opponent's
move before record i ng it, if he so
wishes . He must record h is previous
move before making a nother.
4. Both players must record the offer of a
d raw on the score-sheet {The offer of a
d raw sha l l be noted by each player on
his score-sheet with a sym bol ' = ') .
5. The score-sheet sha l l be used only for
record ing the moves, the ti mes of the
clocks, the offers of a d raw, and
matters relati ng to a claim a nd other
releva nt data .
6. At the concl usion of the game both
players sha l l sign both score-sheets,
i ndicati ng the resu lt of the game. Even
if i ncorrect, th is resu lt sha l l sta nd,
u n less the arbiter decides otherwise .
Chess Clock:
1. Chess clock' means a clock with two
time d isplays, con nected to each other
in such a way that only one of them can
ru n at one ti me. 'Clock' in the Laws of
Chess, means one of the two time­
d isplays. Each ti me d isplay has a 'flag'.
' Flag fa l l ' mea ns the expiration of the
a llotted time for a player.
2 . A player must stop h is clock with the
same hand as that with wh ich he made
his move. It is forbidden for a player to
keep his fi nger on the button or to
' hover' over it.
3. The players must hand le the chess
clock properly. It is forbidden to pu nch
it forcibly, to pick it u p or to knock it
over. Improper clock hand l i ng sha l l be
pena lized .
28 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS
 I ntrod uctory Test

Origin, Chessboard, • the Chessmen : 1 6. One Bishop is placed between King

and Knight a·nd the other Bishop
1 . The game of Chess has origi nated
between and
from -----
Knight at the
(India/USA/Eng land ) .
sta rt of the game
2. Chess is a game played between ( Rook/Queen/King/Pawn ) .
____ Players 1 7 . The Wh ite King i s placed on
( Five/Two/Th ree) .
____ colour at the sta rt the
3 . There are sq uares on a game (Wh ite/Black) .
chessboard (8/ 1 6/32/64) . 18. The Wh ite Queen is placed on
4. The Chessboard is always placed ____ colou r at the sta rt the
with a colour square on game (Wh ite/Black) .
the rig ht-hand corner sq uare nearest 1 9 . The Black King is placed on
a player (Wh ite/Black) . ____ colou r at the sta rt the
5 . The player playi ng with the ___
game (Wh ite/Black) .
colour Chessmen makes the fi rst 20. The Black Queen is placed on
openi ng move i n a game of Chess ----
colou r at the sta rt the
(Black/White) . game (Wh ite/Black) .
6 . There are types of Chessmen 2 1 . The Chessman, wh ich moves on ly in
in a game of Chess (4/6/2 ) . a straig ht li ne to any of the vacant
sq uare, horizontally or vertica l ly on
7 . Each player has got _ King at the
the file or on the Ra nk on which it is
sta rt of the game (3/2/ 1 ) .
standing is named as
8. Each player has Queen at the
__

start of the game (3/8/ 1 ) . ( Ki ng/Queen/Rook/Bishop/Knig ht/Pawn ) .

9. Each player has __ Rooks at the 2 2 . The Chessma n, wh ich moves to any
start of the game ( 4/2/8) . of the vaca nt sq uare of its own
1 0 . Each player has __ Bishops at the colou r on a d iagonal is named as
sta rt of the game (2/4/8) .
( Ki ng/Queen/Rook/Bishop/ Kn i g ht/Pawn ) .
1 1 . Each player has Knig hts at the
23 . The Chessman, which moves like
__

start of the game ( 16/8/4/2) .

Rook and Bishop is na med as
1 2 . Each player has __ Pawns at the
sta rt of the game (8/ 1 6/32) . ( Ki ng/Queen/Rook/Bishop/Knig ht/Pawn ) .
1 3 . Each player has got a tota l of __
24 . The Chessman, which moves in a ' L'
Chessmen ( 1 6/ 1 2/8 ) . sha ped pattern of 'Two sq uares
straig ht' followed by 'One square
1 4 . Rooks are placed i n the
side-ways' or vice-versa is na med as
_______ squares at the
start of the game (Centre/Corner) .
( King/Queen/Rook/Bishop/ Kn i ght/Pawn ) .
1 5 . The Knig hts are placed between 2 5 . The Chessman, which moves only i n
&
a forward direction o n the fi le on
at the start of the game (Rook &
_______ ______

which it sta nds is na med as

Ki ng/Rook & Queen/Rook and
Bishop) .
( King/Queen/Rook/ Bishop/Knig ht/Pawn ) .

INTRODUCTION TO CHESS 29 THE CHESS COURSE

26 . The Chessma n , wh ich moves only The sym bol for ' Rook' is __

one sq uare in a ny d i rection is ( N/R/K/B/Q) .

named as ___________
The sym bol for 'Bishop' i s __

( Ki ng/Queen/Rook/Bishop/Knight/Pawn) ( N/R/ K/B/Q) .

27 . is the only Chessmen, The sym bol for ' Kn ight' i s ___

wh ich moves and ca ptures and i n a ( N/R/K/B/Q) .

d ifferent way
3 5 . The sig n of Captu re is
( Pawn/Bishop/Rook/Ki ng/Queen ) .
____

( +/x/=/# ) .
28. When a pawn reaches the end of the
36. The sign of Check i s
Chessboa rd it must be excha nged as
_____

( +/#/x ) .
pa rt of the sa me move on the sa me
sq uare for a new queen , rook, 37. The sig n of Checkmate is
bishop or knight of the same colour ----- ( +/#/ + -/x ) .
(True/Fa Ise) . . Castling :
29 . You ca n d o Pawn Promotion only 38. Castl i ng is a combi ned move between
once i n the game (True/False) . the and _____

Chess Notations: ( Kn ight/Queen/Bishop/Pawn/King/Rook) .

30 . The game of Chess is recorded i n 39. The King moves sq uares
------
notation towa rds the Rook while castl ing
(Aigebraic/Geometric/Eng l ish ) . (8/6/2/4) .
3 1 . As per a lgebraic notation the 40 . Ca n a player get his Ki ng out of
chessboa rd is divided into __ fi les Check by Castl ing? (Yes/No)
a nd __ ra n ks ( 16/32/8/64 ) .
4 1 . Can a player Castle if King's
3 2 . What is the colour of each of the 'Crossing Square' is attacked by the
fol lowi ng sq uares? ( Use W = Wh ite opponent's Chessma n? (Yes/No)
& B = Black) :
42. Ca n a player Castle if the square on
a1 : f7 : __ b2 : __ h6 : __
wh ich the King is going to land after
c8 : d1 : __ e4 : __ g1 : __ Castling - ' Landing Squa re' is a l ready
h4 : g3 : -- a6 : -- b7 : -- u nder attack by the opponent's
Chessma n ? (Yes/No)
f4 : e7 : -- c3 : -- d 6 : --
43. Ca n a player Castle if h is King has
3 3 . Write name of the squares on wh ich a l ready moved ? (Yes/No)
the fol lowi ng Pieces a re located at
the start of the game? 44 . Ca n a player Castle with a Rook
wh ich is under attack? (Yes/No) .
White King: ___ Black King:
45. Castl ing is al lowed ------
in
White Queen: Black Queen:
___

the game (Once/Twice)

White Rooks: Black Rooks:
46. King-side or 'Short Castl ing' is
___

White Bishops: Black Bishops: ___

recorded as ( 0-0 or
White Knights: Black Knights: ___
0-0-0) .
34. Write down the sym bol of Pieces as 47. 'Queen-side' or ' Long Castl i ng ' is
per algebraic notation from the recorded as ( 0-0
alternatives g iven : or 0-0-0) .
The sym bol for ' Ki ng ' is __
En-Passant Pawn Capture:
( N/R/K/B/Q) . 48 . An ' En - Passa nt' ca ptu re is a special
The sym bol for 'Queen' is _
______ ca ptu ri ng move
{ N/R/ K/B/Q) . ( Piece/Pawn ) .

THE CHESS COURSE 30 INTRODUCTION TO CHESS

49 . For an En-passant Pawn ca ptu re, the 6 1 . The method of removi ng Check by
Pawn doi ng the ca ptu ri ng must be on
ran k ( 1 st I 3 rd I 5th I 7th ) .
ca ptu ri ng the Chessman g iving the
its Check, either with the King or with
SO . An ' En-Passa nt' ca ptu re ca n be a nother Chessma n is termed as
made if the Pawn to be captured has
advanced squ a res from
( Move/Biock/Ca pture) .
Relative Values of the Chessmen:
its ori g i n a l sq u a re (Two/One) .
5 1 . An ' En - Passa nt' Pawn Ca ptu re is
_______ move ( Not a 6 2 . Write down ' Relative Val ue' of a l l the
Co mpulsory/Compu lsory) . Chessmen from the a lternatives

5 2 . The option to ca ptu re E n - Passant g iven :

must be exercised by the ca ptu ring .Q ueen has ____ points (9/5/3/ 1 ) .
side on its very first move fol lowi ng
Rook has poi nts (9/5/3/ 1 ) .
such two-sq uare adva nce of the
opponent's Pawn (True/Fa lse) . Bishop has poi nts (9/5/3/ 1 ) .
Kn i g ht has poi nts ( 9/ 5/3/ 1 ) .
5 3 . If the player chooses not to captu re
E n - Passa nt, he loses the option for Pawn i s g iven ____ point
that pa rticu l a r Pawn (True/Fa lse) . (9/5/3/ 1 ) .
Checking the King : 63 . The va l ue of King i s ' Pricel ess'
54. The King is sa id to be i n 'Check' if it (True/Fa l se) .
attacked by one or more of the 64 . If you w i n you r opponent's Rook ( 5 -
opponent's pieces (True/Fa l se) .
poi nts) b y g iv i ng u p your Bishop or
5 5 . The basic ru le of Chess is that Knight ( 3 - poi nts), you a re sa id to be
whenever a player's King is put i nto _____ ( Exchange-
Check, he ca n get his King out of U p/Excha nge- Down )
Check even after few moves
Miscellaneous:
(True/False) .
65. is the Chessman which
56 . A player is a l l owed to m a ke a move,
ca n never be ca ptu red
w h i ch places or leaves his King i n
( Queen/King/Rook) .
'Check' (True/Fa lse) .
66 . If only two Kings a re left, the game
5 7 . As per ru les of the g a me, A King
is declared as
ca n n ot itself d i rectly 'Check' the
_____

opposi ng Ki n g . Hence, the two Kings ( W i n/ Loss/Draw) .

must stand at least one sq u a re
apart (True/Fa l se) .
5 8 . There a re pri nci ples of
getti ng the King out of Check
( 1/2/3/4) .
5 9 . The method of removing Check by
movi ng the Ki ng to a sq uare, wh ich
is not u nder attack by any of the
67 . i s a situation o n the
Ch essboard where the player, on his
turn to move, has no legal move to
m a ke and h is King is not u nder
Check. (Checkmate/Sta lemate) .
6 8 . A Sta lemate is cou nted as a
( D raw/Wi n/Loss) .
____

opponent's Chessmen is termed as 69 . The move wh ich i s not i n accordance

with the ru les of the g a me is ca l led
( Move/Block/Ca pture ) . move
as
60 . The method of removing Check by ( Lega i/II I ega I/ Good ) .
70 .
placing one's Piece or a Pawn
ca n n ot b e ca ptu red but it
between the King a nd the Piece
g iving Check is termed as ca n on ly be _______

(Queen/Ca ptu red/King/Checkmated ) .

( Move/Block/Ca ptu re) .

INTRODUCTION TO CHESS 31 THE CHESS COURSE

 ELEMENTARY MATES
Once you have figured out how a l l the
chess pieces move, what is the next step
u p t h e c h e s s l a d d e r ? S t a rt i n g
checkmati ng ! !
In th is section we wi l l learn 'Elementa ry
Checkmates', which dea ls with positions
when the lone king is checkmated by the
opposing side with one or more pieces .
Such situations are common and bound
to arise when one of the sides enjoys an
overwhel m i ng material advantage.
The easiest way of converti ng th is
material advantage i nto a victory is to
red uce the opponent's material to a lone
King and then del iver checkmate.
Learn ing and mastering the tech niques of
' Elementa ry Checkmates' will enhance
your skil l and will bui ld a very sol id chess
foundation on you r road to hig her
ach ievements.
The ' Elementa ry Mates' ca n be ach ieved
with the fol lowi ng :
1. King + Rook + Rook versus King
( Elementary Mate with Two Rooks)
2. King + Queen versus Ki ng
( Elementary Mate with Queen)
3. Ki ng + Rook versus King
( Elementa ry Mate with One Rook)
4. King + Bishop + Bishop versus King
( Elementa ry Mate with Two Bishops)
5. King + Bishop + Knight versus King
( Elementary Mate with Bishop and
Knight)
We sha l l also have a look at 'Im possible
Checkmates' and exceptions. Here we
wou ld be covering the following :
1. King + 2 Knig hts v/s Ki ng
2. Ki ng + 2 Knig hts v/s Ki ng + Pawn
3. King + Knight v/s King a n d Pawn
Co m i n g b a c k to t h e e l e m e n ta ry
checkmates mentioned above, i n stricter
sense, Two Rook's Mate is not an
THE CHESS COURSE
elementary checkmate because we ca n
also del iver checkmate with a single Rook
however; it is essentia l to learn this
ending because lays the fou ndation to
learn i ng Queen and one Rook Checkmate .
I may add that prior to Two Rook's mate ;
you ca n a l so try Queen + Rook
checkmate, which of course is the easiest.
The suggested learn i ng method of
mastering the Elementa ry Checkmates is
as .u nder:
1. You have to learn these checkmates in
the order suggested . Please do not
j u m p the order by learning difficulty
checkmates prior to the easy one. For
exam ple, it is recommended that you
leam Bishop and Knight checkmate
only after you have mastered the
previous fou r elementary checkmates.
2. Please u ndersta nd the checkmating
pattern used fo r each of these
Elementary Checkmates .
3. Try to visua l ize the fi nal checkmating
position for each of these checkmates.
Say, for exa mple, if somebody asks
you : "Construct the fi nal checkmati ng
position with King + Queen versus
King ". You ca n visua lize as follows : The
opposi ng King in the corner on aS, my
Queen on b7 su pported by my King on
b6 . Easy ! Isn 't it?
4. G o t h ro u g h t h e s e e l e m e n t a ry
checkmates by setting up the start
position on the chessboa rd and going
th rough the moves.
5 . You are also required to go th rough the
va riati o n s offe red i n t h e g i ve n
positions.
6. You ca n sti mu late these checkmates by
setting up d ifferent positions and
ensu re that you a re able to del iver
ch eckm ate fro m t h e most
unfavoura ble positions.
Sta rt chec k mati ng !
Good Luck! !
32 ELEMENTARY MATES
 ELE M E NTARY MATE WITH TWO ROOKS

Checkmating with two Rooks is the lea rn to del i ver the checkmate is
easiest of a l l ' Elementary Mates'. As per i l l ustrated i n d iagra m 2 :
the theory of chess endi ngs, checkmate
with two Rooks can be del ivered i n at a b c d e f g h
m o st te n m oves fro m the m o st 8
u nfavou ra b le pos i t i o n h owever; i n
general can be done m uch more qu ickly. 7
The basic mating pattern to a i m for is
1:
i l l ustrated i n diagra m 6
a b c d e f g h
5
8
7
3
6
2
5
1
4
3
2 As per our plan 1 , we will push the Black's
King to the 8th Ra n k .
1 1 1. I Ra4! I
(diagram 3)

Checkmating Pattern • Pla n :

a b c d e f h
1 . I t i s easy to ach ieve checkmate on the 8 8
last ra nk or fi le of the chessboard . As
such, push the lone defend ing King to 7 7
the last ra n k or fi le by the coord inated
action of you r two Rooks (The on ly 6 6
problem you are l i kely to encou nter
while fol lowing th is pattern is when the
5 5
defend ing King is able to attack one of 4 o·�.---�.---�.-----• 4
the Rooks . Such problems ca n be
solved by bri n ing you r other Rook to 3 3
support the Rook u nder attack) .
2. Once the Ki ng has been forced to the 2 2
last ra n k or fi le, place one of you r
Rooks nea rer to the fi le or ra n k on
1 1
wh ich the defend ing King so as to cut­ a c e
off its esca pe.
3. Del iver Checkmate with the other With the text move of the Rook, the Black
Rook . King is now cutoff from the 4th rank.
The Execution : 1. ... KfS
The typ ica l position from wh ich we will 2. RhS+

ELEMENTARY MATE WITH TWO ROOKS 33 THE CHESS COURSE

W h i le the Rook on a4 holds the 4th ra nk,
now it's tu rn of the other Rook to g ive I 3. 1 RaaS!
Check from the 5th Ra n k, th us forcing the W ith the text move ( d ia g ra m 5 ) , the
King to the 6th Ra nk. The n , the Roo k Rooks not o n ly support each other but
sta n d i ng o n 4th ra n k w i l l check the King also force the defend i ng King to move
from the 6th ran k and so on . Th us, by away from the Rook. You ca n now
moving the Rooks a lternately and i n l i ne conti nue the pattern of contro l l i ng the
on which they a re standing, the defend i ng escape of King with one Rook and
King ca n be pushed to the last ra n k .
checking with the other so as to force the
1 2· I ... I Kg& I King backward s. This is not only one of the
sim plest patterns of checkmati ng the King
(diagra m 4)
with two Rooks but is also very easy to
a b c d e f h
remember!
8 8 3. .. . Kf6
7 7 4. Rh6+ Kg 7

6 6 5. Raa6
Got the trick? Yes. It's easy !
5 5
5. . .. Kf7
4 4 6. Rh7+ Kg8
3 3 7. Raa7 Kf8

2 2 8. Rh8# ( d iagram 6) :
a b c d e f g h
1 1
a b c e g h e±] 8 8
We have a d iffi cu lty on our hand I As 7 7
mentio ned i n plan 1 , the only problem you
a re l i kely to encou nter while fol lowi ng this 6 6
pattern : when the defend ing King is able
to attack one of the Rooks. Wel l , such
5 5
problems ca n be solved by b ri n i ng you r 4 4
other Rook to su pport t h e Rook under
attack 3 3
a b c d e f
8 2 2
1 1
7
a b c d e f g h [§J
6
The mating tech n ique with the two Roo ks
5 is known as the ' Li nea l M ate' whereby the
Rooks method ica l ly cover every l i ne on
4 the boa rd , forcing the King to the edge of
the boa rd .
3
Master this tech n iq u e with d ifferent
2 positi o n s u nti l you feel co m p l ete ly
confident that you will be able to deliver
1 Checkmate .
a c e

THE CHESS COURSE 34 ELEMENTARY MATE WITH TWO ROOKS

 E LE M E NTARY MATE WITH QU E E N

Queen Mate: Checkmating Pattern ll Pla n :

Checkmati ng the lone King with a Queen 1 . Use you r Queen to p u s h t h e lone King
is d ifficu lt as com pa red to two Rooks . to the corner of the boa rd . This can be
However, you have to remem ber that done by contro l l i ng the nearer ra n k or
Queen is the strongest piece a nd hence is fi le to which the defend i ng King is
in a position to decl a re checkmate very sta nd in g a nd then sq ueezing the
q u ickly. sq uares avai lable. Do not waste .You r
Queen moves b y g iving u n necessa ry
Accord ing to the theory of end i ngs the
Checks .
mate ca n be forced in ten moves from a ny
position, but i n genera l can be done m uch 2 . Once the King has been restricted to
more quickly. The basic mati ng pattern to the corner, look out for sta lemate trap,
1
a i m for is i l l ustrated i n diagra m & 2 : wh ich w i l l only lead to a d raw. Ti l l then,
a b c d e f h a l low freedom of 2-sq uare to the
defend i ng King in the corner.
8 3. The final step requ i res advance of your
King nea rer to the opponent's King so
7 7 as to su pport you r Queen in del ivering
the checkmate .
6 6
4 . Deliver Checkmate with the Queen .
5 5 The Execution:
4 4 The typica l position from wh ich we will
l e a rn to del i ver the checkmate is
3 3 i l lustrated i n d iagram 3 :
a b c d e f g h
2 2
8 8
1 1
7 7
a g h
m 6 6
a b c d e f h 5 5
8 8 4 4
7 7 3 3
6 6 2 2
5 5 1 1
4 4 a b c d e f g h (l]

1 1. I
3 3 Qg4!
2 2 Here we see the power of Queen - With
one single stroke the Black King is cutoff
1 1 from the 4th ra n k and, is now confined to
a b c d e f h the box created by the White's Queen !
g ( Diagra m 4) :
ITJ
ELEMENTARY MATE WITH QUEEN 35 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h sta lemate l To sum u p, the Black King
should be cornered however; he shou ld
8 be a l lowed at least two leg a l sq uares to
move i n .
7
Now w e come to the fi n a l step of o u r plan
6 ( Ru l e # 3), w hich is just a very sim ple
m atter of adva ncing you r Ki n g to hel p the
5 Queen i n del iveri n g the fi nal blow. So . . .
4 10 . Kd 2 Kb8
1 1. Kc3 Ka8
3
1 2. Kc4 Kb8
2 13. KcS Ka8
1 14. Kb6 Kb8
15. Qb7#

1 1 . I ...
(diagram 5):

If 1 Kf& then 2. QhS, ta king control of

•••
a b c d e f h
the 5th Ra n k . Memorize th is pattern ­ 8
recog n ition tech n iq ue of g a i n i n g control
of the ran ks a nd fi les vacated by the 7
defend i ng King .

1 2. 1 Qt4 6
The box becomes smal ler. 5
2. ... KcS
4
3. Qe4 Kd6
4. QfS 3
With this move Wh ite ta kes control of the 2
sth ra n k, wh ich has been vacated by the
Black King . 1
4. ... Kc&
s. QeS Kb6
I n fol lowi ng th is pattern we see that not a
6. Qd S Ka& single check was g iven th roug hout the
7. QcS Kb7 whole seq uence of corneri ng the King . The
6th m o st i m p o rta n t l e s s o n to l e a rn ,
The Black King is forced to vacate the i rrespective of the n u m ber of moves
ran k so its now ti me to ta ke control of the ta ken , is to trap the King by this Queen
sa me. ma noeuvre .
7. Qd6 Ka7 A s you r playi ng strength i ncreases, you
8. Qc& KbS will a utom atica lly learn that checkmate
9. Qd7 Ka8 ca n be achieved faster by march i n g your
Now bewa re of the sta lemate tra p ( Ru l e # K i n g towa rd s t h e o p po n e nt's K i n g
2 ) l u rking i n the backg rou n d l If you try i m mediately without resorti ng to such
restricting the Black King fu rther with 10. Queen manoeuvre, H owever, the key to a
Qc7??, he has no more l eg a l sq uares to strong fou ndation is to g rasp th is s i mple
move i n a n d , he is not u nder check . It's a
checkmati ng pattern to perfection .
THE CHESS COURSE 36 ELEMENTARY MATE WITH QUEEN
 ELEMENTARY MATE WITH ON E ROOK
M ate with one Rook ca n be achieved only
on the last ran k or fi le of the board . The
tech n iq ue of push ing the lone King to the
last ra n k or fi le of the board is the sa me as
i n case of checkmatin g with the Quee n .
H owever, since the Rook is a Queen m in us
the power of a Bishop, it wou ld be
a tta c ke d by t h e o p po n e n t 's Ki n g
d iagonal ly a n d , a s such ; more ti me is
requ i red to del iver the checkmate . The
theory of endings says that Checkmate
ca n b e a c h i ev e d fro m t h e m o st
u nfavou ra ble position with i n 1 7 moves.
1
There are two matin g positions to a i m for
as i l lustrated i n d i a g ra m & 2 :
a b c d e f h of the two Checkmati ng patterns
8 The Execution :
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c d e f g
[]
a b c d e f h 2
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h [Il
ELEMENTARY MATE WITH ONE ROOK
Checkmating Pattern :
1. Use you r Rook to take control of the
i m mediate fi le/ra n k near to which the
enemy King is sta nd i ng .
2 . Since the Rook wou l d be attacked by
the defendi ng Ki ng, bri ng up you r King
to suppo rt the Rook so that you can
reta i n the control of the fi le/ra n k .
3 . Use the Roo k to create a box confi n i ng
the defe nd i ng King with i n this box.
4 . M a ke the box sma ller at the fi rst
available oppo rtu n ity
5 . M a ke a wa iti n g move with you r Ki ng if
you ca n 't ma ke a ny prog ress .
6 . O n ce the defendi ng King has been
forced to the last ra nk or fi re, go for one
d etai led i n d ia g ra m 1 & 2 .
The typica l position from wh ich we w i l l
l e a rn t o d e l i v e r the checkmate i s
i l l u strated i n d ia g ra m 3 :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1
a b c d e f g h (]]
1 1. I Rh41
The Black Ki n g is sta n d i n g on 5 th ran k . So,
o u r i m med iate plan is to ta ke control of
the 4th ra n k. With th is move the Black Ki ng
is cutoff from the 4th ra n k .
1 1 . I ... I KdS I
It is i m possible to del iver checkmate i n
the m i d d le o f the board . A s such, the next
step i n o u r plan is to adva nce the King so
as to help the Rook in d riving the Bfack
King backwards towa rds the edge of the
boa rd .
2. Kd2 KeS
3. Kd3 KdS
37 THE CHESS COURSE
I n this p osition the Kings a re sa id to be i n
'Opposition' i . e . in the sa m e l i ne, sa me
1 13.1 Rf7
colour a nd sepa rated by one sq uare . A With the text Roo k move, White has now
good ru l e to remember i n this position is restricted the Black's King to the last ra n k.
to g ive check, wh ich wi l l a lways d rive the
King backwa rds .
1 1 3. 1 • • •
I Kh8 I
Now bewa re of the sta lemate tra p l u rking
4. Rh5 + Ke6 i n the backg round ! Any fu rther attem pt to
5. Kd4 Kf6 corner the King with RrJ7 is s i m ply a d raw.
Al l v. ou need to do is 1 m prove the King's
Checkmate is even q u i cker i n this position position .
if Black prefers s Kd6, for exa mple :
•••

&.Rh&+ Ke7 7 . Kd5 Kd7 8. Rh7 + Ke8 1 14. 1 Kg& I Kg8

9 . Kd 6 Kd8?? 10.Rh8#
a b c d e f h
1 Ia
&. ReS
b
I
c a e
I f h 8
8 8 7
7 7 6
6 6 5
5 5 4
4 4 3
3 3 2
2 2 1
1 1
a c e g h[i] l 1 s. l Rf1 !
I n th is position i f the Rook was sta nd i ng on
The Rook now creates a box ( d iagra m 4 ) , a ny fi le from a to e, check from the ra n k
confi n i n 9 the King to only 9 sq uares . wou ld b e mate so, you just need t o m a ke
Learn th1s restriction tech niqu e ! one last ' Wa iti ng' move r
06. ... Kf7 1 1 5. 1 .
.. IKh8 I
07. KdS Kf& 1 6 . Rf8# (diagra m 5 ) :
The beg i n n i ng players a re most l i kely to a b c d e f h
lose their track i n this position by g iving
a n u n necessa ry Check with OS. Re& + a na 8 8
a l lowing the defend i ng Ki ng to esca pe
however; th is is not correct. As ca n be 7 7
seen, it is not possible to � a i n a ny fu rther
co ntrol of the ran k/fi le w1th the Rook, as
such ; the trick here is to advance you r 6 6
King !
08. Kd& 5 5
08. ... Kf7 4 4
09 . Re&
The box becomes sma l ler. 3 3
09. Kf8 2 2
10. Re7 Kg8
1 1. Ke& Kf8 1 1
1 2. Kf& Kg8 a c e g h [§J
THE CHESS COURSE 38 ELEMENTARY MATE WITH ONE ROOK
 E LEMENTARY MATE WITH TWO BISHOPS

The King + Qu een/ Rook ca n Checkmate a b c d e f h

the opponent's lone King a nywhere along
the last ra n k or fi l e . H owever, w ith two
8 8
Bishops, the checkmate ca n be d eclared 7 7
by push i n g the King i nto a corner. The
basic mating patte rn to aim for i n
1.
i l lustrated i n d ia g ra m
6 6
5 5
a b c d e f h 4 4
8 8 3 3
7 7 2 2
6 6 1 1
5 5 a c e
4 4
1 1. I Bd3
3 3 W h i l e checkmati ng w ith Queen or Rook
the idea is to cover ra n ks a nd fi les, here
2 2 you wi l l learn how to control d iagonals
with the two Bishops so as to confi ne the
1 1 adve rsa ry Ki ng .
a c e g 1 . . .. Kd4
2. Ke2 KeS
See how both the Ki ng a re stationed i n 3. Be3!
the fi nal position - at a ' Kn i g hts Sq u a re'
With th is m ove the two Bishops now
d ista nce - Th is in fact is the position you
create a wa l l on the long d i agona ls, w h i ch
have to a i m for i n a l l the elementa ry
the Black King ca nnot cross - d ia g ra m 3 :
mates excepti n g the two Rook's m ate :
Checkmating Pattern 8t Pla n : a b c d e f h
1. Re s t r i ct t h e d e fe n d i n g K i n g 's 8
movement by creati ng d iagonals wa l ls
w ith both the Bishops. 7
2. M a ki n g the wa l l smal ler, push the 6
d efe n d i n g King to one of the corner
squ a res . 5
3 . Bri ng u p you r Ki ng to close the escape
route . 4
4 . Del iver the checkmate . 3
The Executio n :
2
The typica l position from wh ich w e w i l l
lea rn t o d e l i ver the checkm ate i s 1
i l l u strated i n d i a g ra m 2 :

ELEMENTARY MATE WITH TWO BISHOPS 39 THE CHESS COURSE

 3. . .. KdS 1 14. 1 Bf4!
4. Kf3 KeS The 'drea m ' move to force the Black King
s. Be4 to eS !
The n u m ber of sq uares ava i la ble to the 14. ... Ke8
Black King becomes less a n d less .
15. Bc7 !
s. . .. Kd6
The Ki ng loses the access to dB sq uare.
6. Bd4 Ke6
15. . .. KfB
7. Kf4 Kd6
8. KfS Ke7
16. Bd7 !
9. BeS Kd7 The eS sq uare. Got it?

10. BdS Ke7 1.6 . ... KgB

1 1. Be& Kd8 17. Kg& Kh8!
12. Bd6 KeS In case Black plays 17 Kf8• • he is
• • -

13. Kf6 Kd8 checkmated in three moves sta rti ng with :

18. Bd6+ KgS 19.Be6+ Kh8 19.Be5#
(d iagra m 4)
In fact, th is is a lso Black's last try to l u re
a b c d e f Wh ite i nto the Stalemate tra p - hoping for
8 18. Be&?? - a Stalemate ! H owever, Wh ite
is a lert!
7 l 1s.l Bd&!
6 See the uti l ity of this move - Th is Bishop
ma neuver prevents the esca pe of King to
5 f8 square !

4 18. ••• KgS

3 19. Be6+ Kh8

19. BeS #
2
( d iag ra m 5) :
1
a b c d e f h

N ow comes the d ifficult part of push ing

the King to the hB sq ua re. Th is difficu lty
ca n be removed by learn i n g to make the
'Wa iti n g ' move ! 6
To make it sim pler, just imagine that if 5
Black is on the move, he ca n only go the
e8 sq uare. Th is a l lows you to ga i n control 4 4
of the dB sq uare with Bc7 . Fu rther, th is
move forces the King to fB and you can 3 3
conti n ue push i n g h i m i n the corner with
Bd 7 . So, the wa iti ng move is any move of 2 2
eithe r of the Bishops without leaving the
control of either the c7, c8 a nd d 7
1 1
sq u a res ! a c d e f g
THE CH ESS COURSE 40 ELEMENTARY MATE WITH TWO BISHOPS
 E LEM ENTARY MATE WITH BISHOP AN D KN IGHT

Of a l l the elementary mates, this is the The basic mati ng pattern to a i m for is
most d ifficu lt case beca use of the i l l u strated in diagra m 1 :
d ifferent natu re of the Bishop a n d Knig ht,
which do not lend co-ord i nation between
these two Pieces . H owever, it is essential
to lea rn th is end i n g as it occu rs
freq uently ; u n l i ke the end-game with two 8
Bishops, wh ich p ractically never occu rs.
To su bstantiate this, I sca nned the ' Big 7 7
Data base 20 1 1 ' a nd the sea rch revea led
1005 games ! ! 6
Accord i ng to the theory of end i ngs
Checkmate with a Bishop a nd Kn ight ca n 5 5
be done from the most u nfavou rable
position with in 34 moves. Here I have to
4 4
rem i nd you of the ru les of the ga me, 3 3
wh ich states that the game wou ld be
declared . a ' Draw' if you violate the ' 50 2 2
move' ru le. As such, ach ieving th is mate
req u i res precise play. The fact that this 1 1
mate is rea l ly d ifficult ca n be seen from
the fact of the 1005 games, 14 had ended
a c e f g h [I]
i n a d ra w ! And , a mongst these, the most
nota ble exa m ple is of a GM rated 2550+
fa i l ing to wi n ! !
As ca n be seen the mate ca n o n ly occur on
The legend a ry former World Chess
the sa me corner sq uare, as the colou r of
Cha m pion M i khail Ta l had q uoted a
fa mous trag icomic i ncident of the Chess the Bishop - on aB and h l with Wh ite
Master Poliak from Kiev, who had fa i led to colou red Bishop a nd on a 1 and hB with
ach ieve mate in the p rescri bed fifty the Black coloured Bishop. Therefore the
moves and the game ended in a d raw. defend i ng King w i l l a lways rush towa rds
the wrong corner (other tha n the colou r of
Amongst the a mused spectators, one of the Bishop) from where it is not possible to
h is friends asked h i m "Why d id n 't you d ecl a re checkmate . As such , more
d rive the enemy King i nto the proper i m porta nt i s to learn the tech n i q ue of
corner?" d riving the enemy King from the wrong to
"Oh, I d rove him there, but he wou l d n 't the correct corner.
stay" answered the d ismayed master! ! Checkmating Pattern :
By now you have learnt that while mati ng 1 . Drive the King to the edge of the board .
with a Queen/Rook or two Bishops, it is
very easy to create an insurmou nta ble 2 . Fu rther, the King i s to b e d riven to the
correct corner sq uare as of the Bishop.
wa l l in front of the enemy King a nd d rive
h i m back to the corner or edge of the 3. The Bishop, Kn i g ht a nd King will create
boa rd . But, with a Bishop and Knight it is a cordon to cutoff a l l the esca pe routes .
4 . Checkmate the lone King .
difficu lt to corner the King . However, we
wi l l lea rn to ach ieve co-ord i nation with a
perfect d ivision of job between the th ree The typica l position from wh ich we w i l l
pieces to deliver checkmate . l ea rn t o del iver the checkm ate is
i l l ustrated i n d ia g ra m 2 :

ELEMENTARY MATE WITH BISHOP AND KNIGHT 41 THE CHESS COURSE

 a b c d e f h As such , now comes the most d ifficu lt pa rt
.----,.,.,.,.,.,.,...-..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..
. -....,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,...�,.,.,.,.,.
.. ,.
of forci ng the Ki ng into the su itable corner
8 8 sq uare - in our case the aS sq uare . To do
7 7 this the White Pieces m ust make the
fol lowing moves :
6 6 1 . The Wh ite King moves only a long the
6th ra n k. Therefore, he wi l l take the
5 5 path : Ke6, Kd6, Kc6 and Kb6.
-

4 4 2 . Unti l the Black King is pushed into the

correct corner, the Knight has to make
3 3 fou r zigzag moves - Nf7, NeS, Nd7 &
NcS. We ca n say that Knight moves i n
2 2 a 'W' formation
3 . The Bishop wi ll p revent the access of
1 1
King to the Wh ite sq uares and, i n
a c e g addition, he w i l l make a wa iti ng move
whenever it is not possible to i m prove
1. Nf3+ Kf4 the position .
2. Kf2 Ke4 With th is pattern of moves, the three
pieces w i l l force the Ki ng to the correct
3. Bc4 Kf4 corner - in o u r case the aS sq uare .
4. Bd3 Kg4 10. Nf7+ Kg8
5. Ke3 KhS 11. Be4! Kf8
6. Kf4 Kh6 12. Bh7 Ke8
7. Ng5 Kg7 13. NeS KfS
8. KeS Kg8 14. Nd7+ KeS
9. Kf6 Kh8 15. Ke6 KdS
The King makes for the wrong corner - a
sq uare different to the colour of the
16. Kd6 Ke8
Bishop - (diagram 3) from where it is The King th reatens to esca pe via f7
i m possi ble to del iver checkmate. sq ua re .

a b c d e f h 17. Bg6+ Kd8

18. BhS!
8 A wa iti ng move to force the King to ea.
7 18. . .. KcS
6 19. Nc5 Kd8
20. Nb7+ Kc8
5 21. Kc6 Kb8
4 22. Kb6 KcS
3 23. Bg4+ Kb8
24. Bh3 Ka8
2 25 Nc5 Kb8
1 26. Na6+ Ka8
27. Bg2# ( d iagra m 4)

THE CHESS COURSE 42 ELEMENTARY MATE WITH BISHOP AND KNIGHT

 a
����--��-��
b c d e f h esca pe sq u a res - cS a n d b6. M a ke a n ote
that there i s n o cha ng e i n the checkmati ng
8 pattern m entioned a bove .

7 7 15. . .. Kb7
16. Bd3! Kc6
6
17. Be2!
5 5 Agai n a ' Wa iti n g ' m ove ! Th i s pattern of
m oves leads to the m a i n va riati o n d eta i led
4 4 a bove .

3 3 1 17. 1 ••• I Kc7

2 {If 17 Kb7 18.Kd6 Kc8 19. Nc5 Kd8
2 20. Bh5 Kc8
•••

21.Bg6 Kd8 22. Nb7+ KcB

1 1 . 23. Kc6 KbB 24.Kb6 Kc8 2S. Bf5 + Kb8
26. Nc5 Ka8 27. Bg4 Kb8 28.Na6+ KaB
a b c d e f g h � 29. Bf3#)
We sha l l now exa m i ne the va ria tion
18. Bf3 Kc8
13. ••• KdB! w h ich presents m o re 19. Kd6 Kd8
d iffi cu lty tha n the eventua l 13 KfB KcS
20. BhS
• •••

( d i a g ra m 5) . The check mati n g tech n i q ue

is rea l ly worth l e a rn i n g as we see how the 21. NcS Kd8
Black K i n g , wh ich a p pe a rs ru n n i n g away 22. Nb7+ KcS
to freed o m , is cordo n ed by the tro i ka of
W h ite's K i n g Bishop a nd K n i g ht ! !
23. Kc6 KbS

1 13. 1 ... I KdB 24. Kb6 KcS

It now a ppea rs that n o n e of the W h ite's

25. Bg4+ Kb8
pieces ca n stop the esca pe of t h e B la ck 's 26. Bh3 KaS
K i n g - D i a g ra m 5:
27. NcS Kb8
a b c d e f h 28. Na6+ Ka8
8 8 29 . Bg2#

7 d i a g ra m 6:
a b c d e f h
6 6 8
5 5 7
4 4 6
3 3 5 5
2 2 4 4
1 1 3 3
a b c d e f g h [ID
2 2
14. Ke6 Kc7
15. Nd7 ! !
1 1
Bri l l i a n t ! ! The K n i g ht controls the vita l
a c e f g h
[ID
ELEMENTARY MATE WITH BISHOP AND KNIGHT 43 THE CHESS COURSE
 IM POSS I B LE C H EC KMATES & EXC EPTIONS

King + Two Knights Versus King: a b c d e f h

The theory of Chess End ings states that
with correct defense, two Knights can not
mate a long King . It wi ll always be a
sta lemate.
The possi bil ity of Checkmate arises when
the King is unfortunately sadd led with a
Pawn as its extra move prevents
Stalemate . However, such fi nishes are
ra re in tournament play. Nevertheless, we
sha l l see two i l l ustrations :
The position in d iagram 1 is from the
game between Valei nte and Hernandez,
Brazil, 199 1 :
a b c d e f h 2
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h [!J
Black achieves maximum of push ing the
King to the corner but has to content with
a draw as a ny fu rther corneri ng with
1 Nf3 or 1 Ng4 w i l l only lead to
••• •••
sta lemate :
The position in d iagram 2 is from the
game between Mokcsay and Boricsev,
Hungary, 1993 : In this position Black is
thankfu l to Wh ite for reta i n i ng the Pawn,
b e ca u s e i t s m ov e m e n t p re v e n t s
Stalemate and thereby al lowing Black to
i nfl ict checkmate :
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1
a c e f g h [l]
King + Bishop or Knight versus King
The King and a minor piece (either Bishop
or a Knight) is not in a position to
checkmate the lone King .
As an exception to the rule, here is a
beautiful com position by Ph il ipp Stam ma
( 1 705- 1755) of a Kn ight being able to
checkmate the Black King because of its
own Pawn ! ! (diag ram 3) :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1
a c e g

[2.h6 Nc3 3.h7 Nd4 4.h8Q Nc2#] 1 Ng3+ Kh2

2. . .. Nfd4 2 NfS Kh1

3. h6 Nc2 3 Kf2 Kh2

4. h7 Na3+ 4 Ne3 Kh1

5. Ka1 Nd4 5 Nf1 1 h2

6. hS=Q Ndc2# 6 Ng3#

THE CHESS COURSE 44 IMPOSSIBLE CHECKMATES & EXCEPTIONS

 SI M P LE C H ECKMATES
Our last section was devoted to lea rn i ng
' Elementa ry Mates' wherein we have
learnt the a rt of del iveri ng checkmate
with one or more pieces.
I a m sure that you must have experienced
g reat thri l l in del iveri ng checkmate ! Yes !
Checkmate i s the u ltimate tri u m ph of one
player over the other i n th is battle of
nerves and the winner is defi nitely bou nd
to fee l a sense of accompl ishment when
he declares a mate on the opponent !
Moving on, we sha l l now lea rn to del iver
'Sim ple Checkmates' in a g iven position .
This lesson is fu nda menta l i n every sense
i n view of the fact that to become a good
chess player, the first req u i rement for you
is to develop a ski l l to spot every possi ble
checkmate .
Th roug h th is cha pter you w i l l be hon i ng
th is ski l l to spot checkmate .
The positions you would be solving a re at
ra ndom and does not confi rm to a ny
recu rri ng checkmati ng pattern . However,
such checkmati n g com bi nations a re
bou nd to i m prove you r ca lcu l ati ng a bi l ity
and fi n d i ng you r way throug h the j u n g l e
o f variations !
MATE IN O N E
a b c d e f h a
�--��--���-�
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
1 . White to Play
r """
M ove
WH ITE B LAC K
No.
\.. � \.
SIMPLE CHECKMATES 45
One of the easiest ways to solve such
problems is to look for a l l the possible
checks . Check is. a forci ng move and, the
opponent has no option but to remove
check. Next, you w i l l fi nd out whether the
defend i ng side has a way to get out of
check. If not, you have ach ieved you r a i m !
We w i l l start with mate i n one (questions :
1 - 1 8 ) , fo l l o w e d by m a te i n t w o
( questions : 19-38) and fi na l ly, mate in
three (39- 50 ) . The fi rst few positions wi l l
be easy to solve, succeed i ng positions
becom i ng harder. If at a l l you a re not a ble
to solve certa i n difficu lt positions i n your
fi rst attem pt, do not worry. Make a n
atte m pt a g a i n a n d I a m sure you wi l l reach
to the log ica l concl usion .
Before you proceed , I have to state that
more tha n 95°/o of the positions i l l ustrated
a re from actua l ga mes p layed u nder the
strict tou rna ment ru l es . So, by solvi ng
these problems you a re certa i n to feel the
sense of ach ievement experienced by the
player decla ri ng the checkmate ! ! Good
Luck.
b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
2. Wh ite to Play
r "'
Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
�
THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
3. White to Play 4. White to Play
r � r �
Move Move
WH ITE B LAC K WH ITE B LACK
No. No.

' � \.. ..1

a b c d e f h a b c d e f g h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
5. Wh ite to Play 6. Black to Play
r '""' I' '""'
Move M ove
WH ITE B LAC K WH ITE B LAC K
No. No.

\. ..1 \.. ..1

THE CH ESS COURSE 46 SIMPLE CH ECKMATES

 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2
1 1 1
a b c e g a c e g
7. White to Play 8. Wh ite to Play
/ "' / "'
Move Move
WH ITE B LACK WH ITE B LACK
No. No.

\.. ..) ' ..)

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g

9. Wh ite to Play 1 0. White to Play

/ """'� / "'
Move Move
WH ITE B LACK WH ITE B LACK
No. No.

'- � \.. ..1

47
 a b c d e f h a b c e f g h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c d e f g h a c e f g
1 1 . Wh ite to Play 1 2. Black to Play
r "" , ""
Move Move
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

\.. ...) "' �

a b c d e f h a b c d e f g h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e f g a c e g
1 3. White to Play 1 4. Wh ite to Play

r " r ""
Move Move
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

' ...I \.. �

THE CHESS COURSE 48 SIMPLE CHECKMATES

 a b c d e f h a b c d e f g h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a b c d e f g h
1 5. Black to Play 1 6. B lack to Play
r "" r """
Move Move
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

'- ...1 ' ..1

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7
6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g

1 7. B lack to Play 1 8. Wh ite to Play

r """ r '""
Move Move
WH ITE B LAC K WHITE BLACK
No. No.

' � ' ..1

SIM PLE CHECKMATES 49 THE CHESS COURSE

 MATE IN TWO

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
19. White to Play 20. White to Play
r "" r "'
Move Move
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

' � ' �

a b c d e f h a b c d e f g h
8 8 8 I,;:..
8
�-�'"/�;�/
7 7 7 �>
0/ %�/
· . /�:f� •
i�
7
.?{/:'/;
6 6 6 • • /� 6
5 5 m
�-- . � ��
%o �/�-:��.·�0/�
/:
/
5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
21 . White to Play 22. White to Play
r "' r "'
Move Move
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

' _.I "' _.I

THE CHESS COURSE so SIMPLE CHECKMATES

 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
23. Black to Play 24. Wh ite to Play
r """' r """
Move Move
W H ITE B LAC K WHITE B LACK
No. No.

' ..I ' ..1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
25. Wh ite to Play 26. Black to Play
r " r "
Move Move
W H ITE BLAC K WH I TE B LACK
No. No.

' ..1 ' �

SIMPLE CHECKMATES 51 THE CHESS COU RSE

 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1
a c e g h a c e g
27. Black to Play 28. B lack to Play
/ "' , """'
Move M ove
WH ITE B LACK W H ITE BLACK
No. No.

\.. ..1 \.. ..1

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c d e f g h a c e g
29. White to Play 30. White to Play
/ � / �
Move Move
WH ITE B LACK W H ITE B LACK
No. No.

\... .) \.. ..1

THE CHESS COURSE 52 SIMPLE CHECKMATES

 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
31 . Wh ite to Play 32. Black to Play
r "' r "'
Move Move
WH ITE B LACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

' ...I ' ..I

a b c d e f h a
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
33. B lack to Play
b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
34. B lack to Play

r "" r """"'
Move Move
W H ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

' � ' �

SIMPLE CHECKMATES 53 THE CHESS COURSE

 a b c d e f g h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
35. White to Play 36. Wh ite to P lay
r "' r """
Move Move
W H ITE B LAC K W H ITE B LAC K
No. No.

\... .I ' ..)

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
37. Wh ite to P lay 38. White to Play

r ""' r "'
Move Move
WH ITE B LAC K W H ITE BLAC K
No. No.

' ..) \... ..I

TH E CH ESS COURSE 54 SIMPLE CHECKMATES

 MATE I N TH REE
a b c d e f h a b c d e f h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

Wmtt
/ ,·.

6
•
0 .%
6 6 6

5
/.�:. •
�(.·/.-:>�-�-'/
5 5 5

4
%1@
, ;;:(, 0/
'//,• /% 4 4
:;,//�
. ;0/�

3 %%;:
_::_ _ ::,,;;
�)-: �; �
_.'/// 3 3 3
//��

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a c e g h a c e g
39. White to Play 40. White to Play
r Move """ r Move ""
WHITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

" ..I ' �

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6

5 5 5

4 4 4

3 3 3

2 2

1 1 1

a c e g a c e g h
41 . White to Play 42. White to Play
r Move """" r Move """
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No . No.

" ..I ' ..I

SIMPLE CHECKMATES ss THE CHESS COURSE

 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a c e g a c e g
43. Black to Play 44. White to Play
r Move "" r Move �
WH ITE B LACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

' � ' .)

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a c e g a c e g
45. White to Play 46. White to Play
"" r Move """
r Move
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE B LACK
No. No.

' ./ ' �

TH E CHESS COURSE 56 SIMPLE CHECKMATES

 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h

8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
47. Black to Play 48. Black to Play
r Move "" ""
�' Move
WHITE BLACK WHITE BLACK
No. No.

' � ' �

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g
49. White to Play 50. White to Play
"' ""
r Move r Move
WH ITE BLACK WH ITE BLACK
No. No.

' � ' �

SIMPLE CHECKMATES 57 THE CHESS COURSE

 G E N E RA L O P E N I N G TH E O RY
You a re now acq u a i nted with the ru les of
play, sta rti ng with setting u p of the boa rd ,
chessmen, thei r movement, castl i n g , en­
passa nt, relative va l ue of the pieces to
u ndersta nd exchang e, notation to record
the game a n d fi na l ly the object of the
game - 'Checkmate' . Its' now ti me to play
a rea l game of Chess ! I n th is cha pter we
w i l l have a look at few of the g u i d i ng
pri nci ples to sta rt a game.
Before we have a look at some of the ways
to sta rt a ga me, let us try to u n de rsta n d
the i m po rta nce o f t h e ' Center' of the
Chessboa rd .
There a re fou r center sq u a res on the
chessboa rd, na mely, d4, dS, e4 a nd eS
( d ia g ra m 1 )
h control the center is by moving the Pawn
a b c d e f
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f 9 h
ITJ
The center of the chessboa rd is i m porta nt
beca use pieces g a i n i n strength a nd ra nge
when they a re i n or nea r the center. A
piece sta n d i ng i n the center has got
access to maxi m u m n u m ber of sq u a res
a n d , it ca n be effectively tra nsferred to
a ny poi nt on the boa rd . On the contra ry, a
piece becomes wea ker if it is away from
the center. For exa m ple, a Queen
sta n d i ng i n the center of an open chess
boa rd com mands 27 sq u a res . Now put
that Queen on any of the corner sq u a re
a n d you w i l l fi nd that its ra nge is red uced
THE CHESS COURSE
by 6 sq u a res - it has control over only 2 1
sq u a res . Si m i la rly, a Bishop controls 1 3
sq uares from the center a nd o n ly 7
squ a res from the corner. The Knig ht ca n
control 8 squ a res from the center a nd only
2 sq u a res from the corner.
If one player e njoys control over center, it
a utom atica l ly means that h is opponent
has less space for the use of h i s chessmen
and he is bou n d to experi ence d ifficu lty
both i n attack a n d defense. Therefore,
from the beg i n n i ng itself, experienced
players com pete for possession of the
center. So, rem e m ber the fi rst ru le -
" Control the Center".
The next q u estion before us is how to
control the center? Wel l , the best way to
on the centra l 'd' and 'e' fi les two sq uares
forward . Let us u n dersta nd th is idea
th rough som e exa m ples :
O pen i n g Move for Wh ite : 1 . e4 ( d ia g ra m
2) :
a b c d e f h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a c e g h
m
Th is is real ly a good move . As you can see,
the Pawn ta kes possession of the centra l
sq uare - e4, controls a n other centra l
sq u a re - d S a n d a side-sq uare - fS
(co m m only known as ' Expanded Center' ) .
I t a lso releases the Bishop o n f1 , wh ich
58 GENERAL OPENING THEORY
now has control over the f1-a6 d iagona l .
The Queen i s a lsa-- released a nd has got
control over 4 sq uares on the d1-h5
d iagona l .
Now com pa re the move 1.e4 with a move
1.h4 (diagra m 3).
a b c d e f h 1. d4 (1 .. es or 1 .. dS for Black) a re
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
ITJ
Th is pawn move has no bea ri ng on the
center and second ly, the Rook is opened
only 2 sq uares . Th is move is certa i nly a
waste of ti me and ca n a lso turn out to be
ha rmfu l .
From th is exa m p le w e lea rn that pawns
shou ld be moved in the ope n i ng for two
reasons :
1 . To get mobi l ity for the pieces so that
th ey a re a ble to assu me com mand of
more sq uares .
2. To sta ke a cla i m i n the center.
After maki ng the fi rst correct move and
ta king possession of the center with the
move, say 1. e4, the next q uestion before
us is how to conti nue fu rther? I have
mentioned ea rl ier that Chess is noth ing
but a wa r and, to win a wa r, you need to
ensu re ra pid mobi l isation of the a rm i es at
your d isposa l a nd ensure harmon ious co­
operation amongst them .
GENERAL OPENING THEORY
Th is ca n be done by ad heri ng to the
fol lowing general p ri nci ples - 'Golden
Ma ntras' - d u ring the opening phase of the
game :
1 . Adva nce you r central Pawns to the
center of the boa rd . Moves l i ke 1. e4 or
. . . .
p re fe ra b l e . T h i s Pa w n a d va n ce
occu pies one center sq uare and control
another sq uare . Besides that it opens
the way for the Bishop a nd Queen .
2 . Put you r M i nor Pieces i nto action . Here
a ga i n , develop you r Knights before the
Bishops. The natu ral sq u a res for the
Knig hts are c3 a nd f3 ( c6 a nd f6 for
Black) from where they control two
centra l sq u a res .
3 . The Bishops should be posted to a
sq uare from where it ca n com mand
two open Diagonals.
4. Get castled as q u i ckly as possible.
Si nce castl ing is al lowed only once in
the cou rse of ga me, the perma nent
loss of rig ht to castle is a serious
d isadvantage. The refore, it is usual to
castle at the ea rl iest a nd ta ke the
Ki ng to safety beh i nd the barrier of
Pawns.
5 . Castl ing a lso helps you to connect you r
Rooks. Bring you r Rooks to d 1 and e1
(dB and e8 for Black) from where they
have a say in the center. The other
option is to place Rooks on the 'Open
Fi les'.
6 . Do not develop Queen i nto play ea rly.
Being the most powerfu l piece, it is
prone to attack by opponent's wea ker
pieces, wh i ch wou ld develop freely
without a ny loss of time while the
Queen is chased fro m one sq uare to
a nother.
7 . In the opening you should make only
few pawn moves, just as many a re
necessa ry for the development of
pieces . Avoid movi ng the f2 or f7 Pawn
in the ope n i ng as it w i l l leave the King-
59 THE CHESS COURSE
 side exposed . Fu rther, avoid push i ng
Pawns on the edge of the fi les (a, b, g
& h fi les) without any need .
8. Do not move the same piece twice
un less you have moved every other
pieces at least once . You have to
remem ber that besides King, there a re
seven other pieces to play with !
We sha l l now have a look at some of the
ga mes to u ndersta nd these pri nci ples
better. By studying these short but
instructive ga mes, you wi l l also become
a w a re of t h e c o m m o n m i sta k e s
committed by a beg i n ner in t h e open i ng
stages of the game.
Game No. l:
We commence th is section by havi ng a
look at the theortica lly shortest possible
game i n chess !
1. f3? eSI
2. g4?? Qh4#
Po p u l a rly known as ' Foo l 's M a te ' !
Game No. 2:
One more popu lar va ria nt of the so ca lled
Fool 's Mate :
1. e4 eS
2. QhS?
Th is is the most common Queen thrust,
wh ich must have been tried by a l l Chess
players at some stage of their ca reer and,
they wou l d not hesitate to repeat this
move if they smell mate ! The reason for
th is Queen's sortie is the a ppa rent
wea kness of f2/f7 sq uare, protected on ly
by the King and they try to ta ke adva ntage
of this wea kness i m mediately with the
help of their strongest piece. But th is is
not correct.
I 2. 1 ... Ne&!
Always make a ha b it to put a question
before you rself when it is you r tu rn to
move : " What is my opponent threaten ing"
Black has got correct answer! Wh ite is
trying to win h is eS Pawn for noth ing.
However, most of the beg i n ners fea r a
d i rect attack on the King and the i r reply to
th is Queen move is d i sastrous 2 g6??,
• •••

(diagram 4) Wh ite lost beca use he al lowi ng Wh ite to win a fu ll Rook th rough a
ignored ru le No. l & 7 . Dou ble Attack 3.Qxe5+ (diagra m 5)
fol l owed by 4. QxhS.

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c e f g h a b c d e f g h
m rn
THE CHESS COURSE 60 GENERAL OPENING THEORY
1 3- 1 Bc4! Nf6??
Black is now attacki ng Wh ite's Queen on
hS with his Knight but he has overlooked
the threat (d iagram 6) :
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h
m Our rule 6 states that ' Do not move the
Game No. 3:
In the previous game we had seen that
Black had lost beca use he overlooked the
simplest of mate th reat. However, in this
game he is wel l prepared and refutes the
sa me pla n :
1. e4 eS
2. QhS? Nc6!
Black protects his eS Pawn and develops
his Knight - Combining defense with
development !
Wh ite threatens mate in one, as i n
previous exa m ple.
Th is is what Black m issed i n the previous
example and got mated . Here he sees the
threat and prevents it by closi ng l i ne of
the Wh ite's Queen to the f7 sq uare .
GEN ERAL OPE NING TH EORY
Wh ite again threatens mate in one with 5 .
Qxf7 #.
I Nf&l
Black has once aga i n seen this sim ple
threat of checkmate a nd he wa rds off the
sa m e by c o m b i n i n g d efe nse w ith
development. Th is method shou ld be
employed i n the open ing, wherever
possible.
I s. I Q b 3? I
Wh ite goes on attacking f7 at the cost of
development. He has made 3 Queen
moves in the first 5 moves. It is aski ng for
trouble !
I s · I ... I Nd4! I
sa me p iece twice u nless you have moved
every other pieces at l east once• .
However, strong players do break the
ti me-tested sta ndard pri nciples if the
move wa rra nts the requ i rements of the
specific position . Black ig nores attack on
f7 and ca ptures the centra l d4 sq uare
with a tem po by attacking the Queen .
1 6· 1 Qc3
Why has Wh ite a bandoned h is plan of
ca pturi ng the f7 Pawn? Wel l , he rea lized
the tra p laid by Black on capturing the
Pawn : - 6. Bxf7+? Ke7 7. Qc4 - the only
square from which the Queen can su pport
Bishop . 7 . ... b S! and the Bishop on f7 is
lost.
I dS!
Black acts fast i n the center so a s to
develop h is pieces on active squares
without loss of ti me.
7. BxdS NxdS
8. exdS BfS!
61 THE CHESS COURSE
Threatens 9 . ... Nxc2+, Forki ng the Rook. This openi ng is named as ' Damiano's
Defense' after one of the ea rl iest Chess
1 9 . I d3 ?? I Bb4!! I masters, Ped ro Da miano ( 1480- 1 544)
from Portuga l . Ra rely seen at the top-level
Decoying the Queen to a sq uare from of Chess, Da miano is a d u bious open ing
where it can be forked by the Black's choice for Black wherein he defends his eS
Knight - d iagra m 7. pawn with the f6 a nd thereby exposing his
a b c d e f g h King .

8 8 The genera l openi ng princi ples states that

K n i g ht sh o u l d be d eve l o ped fi rst .
7 7 Accord i ng ly, Black shou ld have defended
Pawn either with 1 . ... Ne& or he could
6 6 the
have opted for 1 . .. . d6 ( Ph i l idor's
Defense) or the cou nter-attacking 1
5 5 Nf6 ( Petroff's Defense ) . The text move
• • • •

4 4 wea kens the Ki ng's position .

3
2 By sacrificing the Knight, White gets an
i rresistible winning attack (diagra m 8).
1 a b c d e f h
e g 8 8
l 1 o. l Qxb4 I 7 7
Forced or else Black will play 1 0. . .. 6 6
Bxb4+ .
10. ... Nxc2+ 5 5
11 . Kd1 Nxb4 4 4
The Queen is lost after which the win is 3 3
elementary for Black.
2 2
Black won the game quickly because he
gai ned time to develop his pieces whereas 1 1
White l ost lot of ti me by repeated ly a b c d e f h
moving h is Queen without a ny p u rpose .
g oo
From this game we lea rn that we shou ld
make the best possible use of rig ht to
move a nd must not waste a sing le move. 1 3. 1
· _....
'-- _ _ ..
...
__....
_ _ .
I fxeS?
____,

Accepti ng the sacrifice, Black fa lls i nto a

Game No. 4: trap. Better is 3 . ... Qe7 4. Nf3 Qxe4+
Th is game i l lustrates the exploitation of
Be2. But sti l l Black's position i n this case is
not good d ue to premature development
m ista ke made by Black i n a pplyi ng of his Queen whereas two m i nor pieces of
i ncorrect defensive techn iq ue i n the ea rly White have developed freely.
stages of the game :
1. e4 eS
Wh ite should a lso be ca refu l to avoid a
pitfa l l i n th is l i ne : 4. QxhS+? looks very
2. Nf3 f6? tem pting but 4 . ... g6! 5. Nxg6 Qxe4+
forks the Knight.

THE CH ESS COURSE 62 GENERAL OPENING THEORY

1 4. I Qh S + I Ke7
a b c d e f h

Here 4. g& is not possi ble as 5 .

• • •
8 8
QxeS nets the Rook .
7 7
5. QxeS+ Kf7
6 6
6. Be4 + Kg &
5 5
On 6 d S there fol l ows 7. Bxd S + Kg &
• •••

8 . h4 h& 9 . Bxb7 ! Bxb7 1 0 . QfS # . 4 4

7. QfS + Kh& 3 3
8. d4+ gS
·2 2
9. h4!
1 1
The Rook on h l joins the acti o n . a b c d e f h
g
9. .. . Be7
5. ... Qxg 2
[]]
10. hxg S + Kg 7
6. Rfl Qxe4 +
1 1 . Qf7#
7. Be2 Nf3 #

Game No. &:

Game No. 5 :

In th is game w e sha l l exa m i n e a very Our next g a m e is the study of a nalysis by

commonly occu rri ng trap, which was one of the ea rl i est ch ess m a ste r,
popu la rized by the Serbia n Grand master Gioach ino Greco ( 1 600 - 1 634) from Italy.
Borislav Kostic ( 1 887 - 1 96 3 ) which have The l i ne, aptly na med as the 'Greco's'
ensnared many a beg i n n ing players ! va riation can be fou n d in most of the
Chess l iteratu re . In th is game Black gets
1. e4 eS
p u n ished for g ra bbing materia l at the cost
2. Nf3 N e& of development a nd kee p i n g the King i n
the center. The a nalysis b y Greco i s very
3. Be4 N d4?
i nstructive and sti l l rel eva nt today I
Movi ng the sa me Kn i g ht aga i n , Black sets
up a trap by offeri ng his eS pawn free 1. e4 e5
however; this is not a good move .

1 4. I Nxes? l 2. Nf3 Ne&

3. Be4 BeS
Wh ite fa lls i nto the tra p ! Whereas, a
si m ple 4. 0-0 g ives W hite a lasti ng
The Gu ioco Piano or the Ita l i a n Ope n i ng is
adva ntage .
the fi rst Chess ope n i ng a beg i n ner should
4. ... Qg 5 ! get accustomed to .

5. Nxf7?

Compo u n d i ng the error!

Prepa ri ng to take control of the central d4
diag ra m 9 . sq u a re .

GENERAL OPEN ING THEORY 63 THE CHESS COURSE

 4. ... Nf6 l u · l Bxf7 + I Kf8
5. d4 exd4
D isaster sta rts for Black

1 1 2. 1 Bg S
6. cxd4 Bb4+
Greco had sa id that " Free Pieces W i l l Win :
7. Nc3 Free Diagonals for the Bishops, Free Fi les
for the Rooks"! !
The sharp ' Mol ler' va riation of this
open ing - popularized by the Da n ish 1 2. ... Ne7
player, Jorgen Moll er.
13. Ne5 Bxd4
7. ... Nxe4
Black is eati ng, Wh ite is mati ng ! .
8. 0-0 Nxc3?
14. Bg6 d5
Theory g ives 8 . . . . Bxc3 as the correct
conti nuation for Black. 15. Qf3 + Bf5
16. BxfS BxeS
1 9. I bxc3 I Bxc3 ? I 17. Be6+ Bf6
Black ca n not resist the offer of g rabbing 18. Bxf6 Ke8
Bxg7 Resigns
Pawns.
19.
l 1 o . l Qb3! I Game No. 7 :
The present theory advocates 10. Ba3 ! ! ,
wi n n ing with force for Wh ite . One of the fa mous tra p i n the Stein itz
Defense of the Ruy Lopez Ope n i ng is the
I Bxa l I ' Noa h 's Ark Tra p'. Before we move a head,
one genera l point a bout the Tra ps i n Chess
Black is a fu l l Rook u p - diagram 10, but. . . - the losing move looks a bsol utely
natu ra l . As such, there is no harm in trying
for tra ps beca use you do not have to make
d u bious moves to reach the tra pping
position !
8 8
Beca use of the knowledge of th is tra p, the
7 7 former World Chess Cha m pion, Jose Ra ul
6 6 Ca pablanca ( Black) q u ickly won h is game
aga i nst End re Stei ner (Wh ite) :
5 5 1. e4 eS

4 4 2. N f3 Ne&
3. BbS a6
4. Ba4 d6
3 3
2 2 5. d4 bS

1 1 6. Bb3 Nxd4

a 7. Nxd4 exd4
h
8. Qxd4?
c e g
[@]
THE CH ESS COURSE 64 GEN ERAL OPENING TH EORY
 8. Bxc& Bxc6
1 1 ) , h oweve r; h e d oes n ot see
W h ite is i n a h u rry to reca ptu re the Paw n

the tra p ! Co rrect i s 8. Bd 5 ! or 8.c3 ! H e

( d ia g ra m

9. dxe5 dxe5
l oses materi a l b y force .

a b c d e f h 10. QxdS Raxds

8 8
The res u lt w ith 10 Rfxd8 is m o re or l ess
10 Rfxd8 1 1 . Nxe5 Bxe4
•••

7 7
the sa m e
1 2 . Nxe4 Nxe4 1 3 . Nd3 f5 14. f3 Bc5 +
- •••

1 5 . Kf1 ! a nd W h ite o bta i ns wi n n i ng

6 6

5 5 positi o n .

4 4
· 1 1. Nxe5 Bxe4

1 2. Nxe4 Nxe4
3 3

13. Nd3 f5
2 2

14. f3 BcS +
1 1

a c e g h
15. N xc5 Nxc5
IT!]
8. ... c5 ! 16 Bg 5 Rd 5
Qd5 Be&
•

17. Be7 ReS

9.
10. Qc& + Bd7
1 1. Qd5 c4 18. c4

The tra p is s h ut - B l a ck w i n s the B i s h o p !

( d i a g ra m 1 2)
Game No. 8 :
O u r next g a m e i n th i s section i s the
a b c d e f h

fa mous •Ta rrasc h 's Tra p ' , w h i ch i s very 8 8

i nstructive :

1. e4 e5
7 7

2. Nf3 Ne&
6 6

3. Bb5 d6 5 5

4. d4 Bd 7 4 4

5. Nc3 Nf6 3 3

6. 0-0 Be7 2 2

7. Re 1 0-0? 1 1

a c e f g h
7 exd4. He n o w l oses
H e re B l a ck m u st su rre n d e r the ce nte r
b y playi n g
materia I by force .
[ill
• • • •

B l a ck loses mate ri a l by fo rce .

GEN ERA L OPENING THEORY 65 THE CH ESS COURSE

Game No. 9 : 7. BbS+ Bd 7
At the beg i n n i ng stage of you r learn ing 8. Qxg4
Chess, I would l i ke to advice you not to
memorize and play ' book' ope n i ngs Game No. 10:
without understanding its idea and log ic. We concl ude th is cha pter with a tra p i n the
The correct method is to keep in m i nd the 'Accelerated Dragon ' from the fa mous
'Genera l Opening Theory' and, on ly after Fischer - Reshevsky m i niature, New York
you have played a good number of 19 58 :
ga mes, you shou ld go through the books
or software on 'Chess Openings; and try 1. e4 cS
to fi nd how the book move has differed 2. Nf3 Ne&
from you rs. 3. d4 cxd4
The fol lowing tra p i n the Sici l ia n Dragon 4. Nxd4 g6
Open i ng will make my poi nt clea r : s. Nc3 Bg7
1. e4 cS 6. Be3 Nf6
7. Bc4 o-o
2. Nf3 d6
8. Bb3 NaS?
3. d4 cxd4 Th is bitter loss made Reshevsky to come
4. Nxd4 Nf6 u p with i mprovement i n thei r 1961 match
with 8 Ng4. • • • •

s. Nc3- g6
9. eS Ne8
6. Be3 Ng4?
10. Bxf7 + ! Kxf7
(d iagram 13) 1 1. Ne&! !
a b c d e f h (d iag ram 14)
8 8 a b c d e f
7 7 8
6 6 7
5 5 6
4 4 5
3 3 4
2 2 3
1 1 2
a b c e g h 1
[TI]
The Black player in th is l i ne is normally
worried about the White's sortie of 11 .dxe6 loses the Queen to ·1 2.Qxd8
. . .

exchanging the da rk-coloured Bishop as i n the actua l game whereas 1 1 .

with Be3, Qd 2 followed by Bh6. Si nce Kxe6 leads to mate i n 6 by hunting
• • •

the Bishop on g7 is the key to whole of down the Ki ng to the middle of the board
Black's defense and attack, he tries to sta rti ng with : 1 2.Qd5+ KfS 13.g4+
swap-off th is Bishop with Ng4. However, Kxg 4 1 4 . Rg 1 + K h 4 ( 1 4 K h 5 • • •

this is an outright blu nder. Correct is 6. 15.Qd 1 + Rf3 16.Qxf3 + Kh4 17.Qg4# )
Bg 7. Black now loses a piece by force .
. • •
1 5 . Bg 5+ Kh5 16.Qd 1 + Rf3 17. Qxf3#

THE CHESS COURSE 66 G E N ERAL OPENING THEORY

 Typica l M id d le G a m e Co m b i n ati o n s And Tactics
We now move on to one of the most
interesti ng stage of chess learn i ng - the
' M iddle Game' in chess !
The m i d d le game in chess is basica l ly a
seg ment between the open ing phase and
endgame stage (though there is no sharp
l i ne of demarcation ) .
One of the main aspects of the m iddle
game is tactics, wh ich i n fact, is the most
enjoya ble pa rt of the game. Tactics
i nvolves com bi nations and sacrifices a nd ,
a s such , is a g reat enterta i ner!
The tactics covered in th is seg ment of
book is detai l ed below :
•
Pin
• Knig ht Fork
• Dou ble Attack
• Skewer Attack
• Back Ra n k
• Discovered Attack
• Discovered Check
• Destroying the Defender
• Decoy
• Deflection
• Overloaded Piece
• Li ne Open ing & Li ne Closing
• Squa re Vacation
• Passed Pawn
• X-ray Attack
• Zwischenzug
• Draw by Repetition & Sta lemate
• Smothered Mate
• Wind m i l ls
From tactics arises a com bination ! So our
next q uestion is "What a com bi nation is
and how to recogn ize a com bi nation?
Acco rd i ng to the l eg e n d a ry Wo rl d
C h a m p i o n , M i k h a i l B o t v i n n i k , "A
com bi nation is a forced maneuver of
maneuvers com bi ned with a sacrifice as a
"TYPICAL MID DLE GAM E CO MBINATIONS AND TACTICS
result of which the active side gains an
adva ntage".
Th �e re nowned fo rm e r world chess
cha m pion, Alexa nder Alekh i ne summed
u p the i m porta nce of com b i nation i n just
one l i ne " Combi nation is the Sou l of
Chess"!
Now the most i m porta nt q uestion - Can
we study the a rt of maki ng combi nations?
The a nswer is 'Yes'!
The fol low i n g tra i n i ng methods a re
suggested to solve th is pa rt of the book :
1 . The themes i n th is section have been
broken down i nto 19 si m ple, basic and
easily recog n iza ble elements of the
game of chess (detailed on the left­
hand side of th is page) .
2 . Yo u a re re q u i red to stu d y the
i l lustrative exa m ples by setti ng up the
positions on the chessboa rd and going
th rough the moves .
3 . After u nderstanding the examples, the
next step i nvolves solving ensu i ng test
positions for each of the cha pter in the
following order : Pa rt- I, Pa rt-11 and Pa rt­
I l l . Please make a note that themes
from Deflection to Wind m i l ls a re not
bifurcated and they are to be treated as
' Pa rt- I ' only.
4. The test positions a re to be solved by
sett i n g u p the pos i t i o n o n the
chessboa rd however; you shou ld not
move the pieces.
5 . You ca n move the pieces if at a l l you
experience difficulty in solving the
puzzles.
6 . Write down the sol utions in the space
provided aga i nst the test positions. If
the position offe rs possi b i l ity of
variations, do make a poi nt to record
the sa m e .
67 THE CH ESS COURSE
 PI N

You a re sa id to be creati ng a ' Pi n ' when O u r next i l lustratation of Absolute Pin is

one of you r piece a i ms at the opponent's throug h a very fa mous m i niatu re played
stronger or i m porta nt piece, which is
between GM Joh n Nunn & GM Kiril
being shielded by one of the other
opponent's chessma n . Georg iev, Li n a res, 1 98 8 .
Thus, the piece shieldi ng the stronger 1 .e4 c& 2.d4 d S 3.Nd 2 dxe4 4. Nxe4
piece is sai d to be u nder ' Pi n ' beca use its Nd7 S.NgS h&? &. Ne& QaS + (Here & • •••

moving will lead to the captu re of the

fxe&?? is n ot possible i n view of 7. QhS +
stronger piece. If the stronger value
beh i n d the pin ned chessman is the King, g&. 8 . Qxg& #) 7.Bd 2 Qb& (to g u a rd the
it's i l legal to move the pi n ned piece. Th is is c7 sq u a re) 8.Bd3! fxe&?? ( Black was
explained i n d iagra m 1 . u nd e r the i m pression that he has
a b c d e f h outthought W h ite si nce there is no
8 8 Checkmate with the King having an outlet
on dB squ a re . However; he m issed the
7 7 W hite's poi nt of 8 . Bd31 ) 9.Qh5+ Kd8
6 6 [9 • • • g& lO.Bxg&+ the idea behi nd 8.
-

Bd3 1 ] 10. Ba5 ( d iagra m 2) . The Wh ite

5 5 Queen gets to stay on hS to help h is
4 4 Bishop create a Pin from the ' Long Ra nge'
and thereby wi n n ing the Queen ! !
3 3
2 2 a b c d e f h
1 1 8
a b c d e f g h 7
DJ 6
Black's Kn ight o n e4 is pin ned by the
Wh ite's Roo k on e 1 . The Knight is not in a
position to move as this wi l l expose his
King to a check. Black's o n ly a lternative to
defend the helpless Kn ight is by moving
h is Pawn to 1 • • • • d S however; W h ite wins
the Knight easily with 2. d3 .
You have to make a note that pin ca n be
created only by the Queen, Roo k a n d
Bishop on the fi le, ran k or d iagona l . a b c d e g h
For pattern recog n ition purpose, you wi ll
fi nd three pieces on the same l i ne :
rn
1 . The chessmen doing the p i n n i ng
The power of Absol ute Pin i n a more
2 . The in-between ' pi n ned' chessma n .
com plex setting is d emonstrated i n the
3 . The stronger val ue o r i m porta nt piece game between Edwa rd Lasker a n d Ava l la ,
beh i n d the p i n ned piece . played i n t h e yea r 1947 (diagra m 3 ) :

THE CHESS COURSE 68 PIN

 a b c d e f h Espig, fol lowing Las ker's Maxim "One of
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h famous ' Legal Mate'
rn
Seeing that Black is lagg i ng be� i nd i n
development with its King stranded i n the
centre, Lasker played 1. Qa4+ Black's
forced reply is 1 • • • • Qc& as 1 • • • • Kf8 wou l d
have allowed W hite to force mate i n 2,
with 2. Bh&-f:" . Black was now p raying for
exchange of Queens to end a l l his woes
but Lasker d estroyed th is hope with a
harsh 2. Rd8 + ! !, forcing 2 • • • • Kxd8. The
Queen's a ble defender, the Knight on e7 is
now p i n ned , a l lowi ng W hite to win the
Black's Queen with 3. Qxc& .
O u r next exa m ple i n d ia g ram 4 is from the
game between Espig - Knaak from the
East German Cha m pionsh i p 1973 :
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h who goes in for p i n n i ng without a ny
w pu rpose.
PIN
the Secrets of Chess is never to make a
move which is purely d efensive. It shou ld
always i nvolve a th reat, no matter how
slig ht", had moved his Rook to c4 with a
th reat of 2. Rc7 + . Black swiftly brought a
pin with 1 • • • • Rxf1 + 2. Kxfl Ba& (got the
idea ! ) 3 . b3 d5!
When the piece of g reater val ue behi n d
the pi n ned chessman is not the K i n g , i t is
ca l led ' Relative Pin'. Here the pin ned
chessman reta i ns its rig ht to move but, at
the ris k of losing the man of g reater va l ue
placed beh i nd it.
Thoug h , the Relative Pi n is also effective,
you should avoi d i nd iscri m i nate pi n n i ng
( Relative) as the pin ned Chessman can
always ' U n p i n ' ! The best exam ple of
· ' U n pi n n i ng ' is one of the va ri a nt of the
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d & 3 . Bc4 Bg4 ( Here
comes the Pin ! ) 4. Nc3 g&? ( Better was
4 • • • • Nf&, d eveloping a n d d efend i ng the
Bishop) 5. Nxe5! ! (Wh ite brea ks the
shackles - the Relative Pin has gone bad ! )
5 . • • • Bxd 1 ?? ( Black sho u l d have
m i n i m ized loss with 5 • • • • dxe5 but the
offer of Queen was too tem pting to resist!
Now the d eath is swift and s u re) &. Bxf7+
Ke7 7. Nd5#
a b c d e f h
The checkmating pattern i n d iagra m 5 is
na med as ' Legal Mate' i n honou r of its
o riginator, the French player, M . de
Kerm u r Sire d e Lega l ( 1702- 1 792), who
d efeated his opponent, Sai nt- B rie with
the a bove idea .
This idea of ' Un p i n n i n g ' i s sti l l releva nt
today and is used by experienced players
as a th reat or trap aga i nst the opponent
69 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-1
a b c d e f h
1 . White to Play
8 8
.•

, ""
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
2. White to Play
8 8
, ""
7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a c e
a b c d e
3. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b c d e f g h
TH E CHESS COURSE 70 PI N
 a b c d e f h
4 . Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " ..)

a c e g
a b c d e f h
5. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " ..)

a c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
6. White to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
PIN 71 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-11
a b c d e f h
7. White to Play
8
, "'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
9. Wh ite to Play
8
r "'
7 7 Move
WH ITE B LACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a b c d e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 72 PIN
 a b c d e f h
1 0. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No. ...
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- �

a c e
a b c d e h
1 1 . White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '" �

a c e g
a b c d e h
1 2. Black to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a c e g
PIN 73 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-Il l
a b c d e f h
1 3. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
1 4. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "'- �
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
1 5. White to Play
8 8
, """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .)

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 74 PIN
 a b c d e f h
1 6. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' ..)

a b c e g
a b c e f h
1 7. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' ..)

a c e g
a b c d e f h
1 8. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' ..I

a c e g
PIN 75 T H E CHESS COURSE
 KNIG HT FO RK
In Chess, the term ' Fork' mea ns a Dou ble
Attack agai nst two or more chessmen at
the sa me ti me. Accord ing ly, a Knight Fork
means an attack by a Knight on two or
more chessmen .
Al l chessmen ca n bri ng a bout a Fork
however; the Queen a nd Knig ht's Fork
are common and freq uently appea ri ng . Of
cou rse, Queen is the cha m pion of Dou ble
Attack beca use of its a b i lity to del iver
hefty blows in the form of both Rook and
the Bishop. But, the hardest type of Fork
for the beg i n ner to see is the Kn ight Fork
beca u se of t h e st ra n g e n e ss a n d
appa rently u n-geometrica l character of
its movement. The fa mous American
si nger, writer a nd actress, Cou rtney Love
sums u p the i ncred ible power of Kni g ht :
"It's the horsey-shape piece that moves
i n an ' L' shape . It's what makes chess
complicated , and why stu pid people ca n't
play chess . Go play checkers I Kn ig hts a re
the fi rst piece you look at. They elevate
the game" ! !
As such , beg i n n i ng players fea r enemy's
Knight and tries to ca ptu re it with thei r
Bishops at the first ava i lable opportu nity.
However, th is fea r can easi ly be removed
if you ca n study the pattern of Knig ht's
movement - a Knight ca n never attack
both the l ig ht and dark sq uares at the
sa me !
If a Knight is sta nd i ng on a l ig ht square, it
can on ly attack a l l the dark sq uares
a round it and vice versa . Th is knowledge
w i l l help you in deciding the best sq ua re
for your chessmen agai nst the th reat of
you r opponent's Knig ht. Now let us have a
look at some of the exa m ples of Knight's
Fork.
The basic position of the Knight Fork is
i l l ustrated in diagra m 1 :
The materia I is even on the boa rd but one
hop step and j u m p by the Wh ite's Knight
on bS send the Black's a rmy packi ng .
With 1 . Nc7 + , Wh ite's Knight Forks no
less tha n 4 Chessmen at the same ti me.
We ca n say, 'Roya l Fork' or ' Fa m i ly Fork' at
its best!
TH E CHESS COURSE
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h
ITJ
An i nstructive exa m ple of the tri umph of
Black's Kn ight agai nst the m ig ht of
White's Queen is i l lustrated i n d iagra m 2
from the game between Hassler -
Scheichel , Groni ngen 1 972 .
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e f g h
rn
Both the Black's Knig hts have breached
the enemy's fortress however; Wh ite
a ppears to have successfu lly closed the
esca pe route by attacking them with h is
Bishop on b2 and g 2 . With the Knight on
h4 a lso attacking the Bishop on fS,
White was sure of g a i n i ng material
adva ntage but, he had never i mag i ned
76 KNIGHT FORK
that he wou ld g et enta ng l ed by these check with 1 . Nf6+ The forced King
Kn i g hts ! retreat 1 ••• KhS or 1 Kf7 was fol lowed
•••

by bri l l ia nt 2.Qxg7+ ! ! After B lack King

Black played 1 Nxg3! d i scoveri n g a n
• • • •

ca ptures the Queen Ca n you fi nd out now

atta ck on W h ite's Queen with h is Bishop
from where the Kni g ht Fork will come?
on fS. Th is forced i m m ed i ate resig n ation
Easy, isn't it?
si nce 2. Qxc3 or Qxg3 is a nswered by
2 Nxe2+ 1 forki n g the Quee n . No better
•••
a b c d e f h
is 2. NxfS when W h ite w i l l h ave to pa rt
with h is Queen to avoid Checkmate by 8
2 Ncxe2+ .
•••

The K n i g ht Fo rk i n a more com pl ex
position ca n be seen i n the g a m e between
Chernykov a nd Belyuch i k1 Lod z 1 9 53
( Diag ra m 3) .
a b c d e f h 4
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h rn
Black is secu re i n the know l edge that
Wh ite's K n ig ht has no access to the vita l
f6 sq u a re a s it g u a rd ed by h i s own K n i g ht
on d7 but th is tu rn s to be i l l usion as W h ite
dea l t a h a m mer b low with 1 . Qxd7!! After
the forced 1 • • Bxd7 1 K n i g ht's wa r
• •
d a n ce sta rted w i th 2. Nxf6+ KhS
3.Nxe8+ fol l owed by Nxc7
It is a lways better to kick a strateg ica l ly
placed o p ponent's Knig ht but you have to
be very ca refu l as it is l i kely to boomera ng
i n som e positions a n d th e u nassu m i ng
Kn i g ht com es back to the strategic
s q u a re s t ri u m p h a n t l y ! Th i s w a s
d iscovered to the d isbel ief by Black i n the
game between D uckste i n - Johansson ,
M oscow 1 9 56 ( Di a g ra m 4 ) .
Black has j ust g iven a kick to the centra l ly
placed W h ite's Knig ht on dS a nd is
expecti n g its retreat o r a h a rm less check
from f6 sq u a re with no fu rther threat. But
the i nventor of the K n i g ht's move had a
hea rty l a u g h as the K n i g ht gave a sma l l
K N I G HT FO RK
7
6
5
3
2
1
We concl ude thi s section with a position
fro m the g a m e b e tw e e n M e m o -
M a cg ova n Moscow 1 9 5 6 ( D ia g ra m 5 ) w ith
a repeated a d vice that a centra l ly p laced
K n i g ht shou l d n ever be ta ken l i g htly no
matter how u nassu m i n g it a ppears to you :
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h [[J
With a bri l l ia nt Queen sacrifice Wh ite
succeeded i n b ri n g i ng B lack's Ki ng a nd
Queen i nto a d i rect ' Kn i g ht-Sq u a re
Rel ationship' : 1 . QfS+ !! Rxf8 2. Rxf8+
KxfS.
The stage is set for the K n i g ht to retu rn
with a h a n dfu l of ca ptu re sta rti ng w ith :
3.Nxd7+
77 THE CHESS COURSE
 Pa rt- I
a b c d e f h
1 . White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..J

a c e g
a b c d e f h
2. White to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..J
a c e g
a b c d e f h
3. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..J

a c d e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 78 K N IGHT FORK
 a b c d e f h
4. B lack to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a
a b c d e f h
5. Black to Play
8
r """
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6
5
4
3
2
1 " �

a
a
6. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b c d e f g
KNIGHT FO RK 79 THE C HESS COURSE
 Part-11
a b c d e f
7. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' ..I

a c e
a c d e f
8. White to Play .
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
9. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 \... �

a c e f g

THE CHESS COURSE 80 KNIGHT FORK

 a b c d e f h
1 0. B lack to Play
8 8
, ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a b c d e f h
a b c d e f h
1 1 . B lack to Play
8 8
, ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \... �

a c e f
a b c e f
1 2. Black to Play
8 8
, ""'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a c e f g
KN IGHT FORK 81 THE CHESS COURSE
 Pa rt-Ill
c d e f h
1 3. White to Play
8
" ""
7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6
5

3
2
1 1 " ...!

a c e g
b c d e f h
1 4. White to P lay
8
" ""
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6
5

3
2
1 1 ' .)
a c e
c d e f h
1 5. B lack to P l ay
8
r "'
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2
1 1 ' ./

a c e

TH E CHESS COURSE 82 KNIGHT FORK

 a b c d e f h
1 6. Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a b c e g
a b c d e f
1 7. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .)

a c e g
a b c d e f h
1 8. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .)

a b c e g

KNIGHT FORK 83 THE CHESS COURSE

 DOU BLE ATTAC K

In this cha pter we sha l l see the exa m p les a b c d e f h

of Dou ble Attack by every p i ece excepti ng 8
Kn ig ht, wh ich we have lea rnt i n the last
8
cha pter. 7 7
Going back to the d efi n ition of Dou ble 6 6
Attack, when a move resu lts i n two enemy
p i eces bei ng attacked si m u lta neously, it is 5 5
ca l led Double Attack. The attack a lso
ta kes place if a mate is threatened 4 4
si m u lta neously with an attack on a piece
or a pawn with i n the operati ng zone of the 3 3
attacki ng piece .
2 2
For a Dou b l e attack to be successfu l , the
two attacked enemy pieces, or m o re
precisely, the two o bjectives shou l d not
be a b l e to move away by p rotecti n g each
other.
B l ack resig ns as h e ca n not avert the th reat
Beg i n n i ng players w i l l q u ickly learn that a of mate w ithout losi n g the K n i g ht.
si m ple attack a g a i n st o n ly one chess m a n
A si m i l a r Dou b l e Attack by the Queen a lso
ca n easily b e cou ntered i n a va riety of
a rises in French Defe n se :
ways . Therefore, the better a lternative is
Dou ble Attac k - a lways look out for the 1. e4 e6
move that attac ks two sq u a res or two
objects si m u lta neously. 2. d4 dS
We sha l l now have a look at few of the 3. Nc3 Nf6
i l l ustrative exa m pl es to u n dersta n d the
conce pt of Dou b l e Attack. 4. BgS dxe4
1. e4 eS s. Nxe4 Nbd7
2. Nf3 Ne& 6. Nf3 Be7
3. Bc4 BcS 7. Nxf6+ Nxf6
4. c3 Nf6 8. Bd3 0-0
s. d4 Bb6? 9'. Qe2 b6??
Correct is 5. •••exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ Black's eagern ess to develop the ' French'
however, after t h i s retreat Black loses
Bishop on c8 i nvites Wh ite's Queen to a
materi a l by force .
pa rty ! Correct is 9 cS.
1 6. I Nxe4 I
• •••

I dxe5
10. Bxf6 Bxf6
Or else Black loses Pawn without a ny
com pensation . 1 1. Qe4!
1 7. 1 Qd5! Attacks the Roo k on aS a nd th reatens
m ate i n one go ( d i a g ra m 2) .
Diagra m 1

THE C HESS COURS E 84 DOU BLE ATTACK

 a
..
b
...,.�""'"
c
. ....,.,.,
,.,.,.,..._
d e f
""" ....,.,.,.h
..,. .,.,.,.,..____,�""""_ "'"' 1.,_-�-:+-�-�-�-;-�--+-d_x_e_5--t
8 8
Black ca n not avert loss of either h is e5 or
7 7 f7 Pawn - Diag ra m 3 .
,../��
I f i n stead of 5• Nxe5, Black rep l ies 5
• • • • • • •

6 6 dxe5, 6.Qd5 d ecides the i ssue .

We conclude th is section by having a look
5 5 at the Double Attack i n the Ruy Lopez
4 4 openi ng :
1. e4 e5
3 3 2. Nf3 Ne&
3. Bb5
2 2
I n a ug u rati ng the 'Ruy Lopez' ope n i n g ,
1 1 wh ich is na med after a S pa n ish clergy, Ruy
Lopez de Seg u ra ( 1 530 - 1 580 ) . W ith the
a b c e f g text move, W h i te is th reaten i ng to win the
The attack on two fronts is also seen i n Pawn on e5 by destroying the defend i ng
Ph i l idor's Defense : Knight on c6 .
I 3. 1 ... I a&!
Black ign ores the th reat a nd q u estions the
Bishop .
Th is ope n i ng is cred ited to the unofficia l
World Chess Cha m pion, Francois-An d re I 4. 1 Ba4! I
D a n ica n P h i l i d o r ( 1 72 6- 1 79 5 ) , w h o A beg i n n i ng player wou ld be su rprised as
suggested 2 d6 fol lowed by 3 f5
• • • • • • to why the Wh ite player has not gone for
( known as Ph i l idor's Cou nter-Gam bit) . material adva ntage of a Pawn with 4.
Bxc6 fol l owed by 5 . Nxe5 . However, after

I !: I ::4 I :::? I
The text move a ppea rs to be natu ra l so as
4. Bxc6, dxc& 5 . Nxe5 Qd41 ( Diagra m 4)
- Black s i m u lta neously attacks K n i g ht on
e5 a n d Pawn on e4 a n d recovers the sa me
to avert the th reat of 5 . Ng5 however; th is after retreat of the Knig h t : 6. Nf3 Qxe4+
is not correct as it a l lows materi a l gain for 7 . Qe2 Qxe2+ Black obta i ns the ' Double
W h ite th ro u g h a ' Double Attack. The Bishops' adva ntage - a m i n i m a l 'Open i ng
correct d efense is 4 c6 . • • •
Adva nta ge' or w i n n i ng a ' M i nor Excha nge'
I 5 . I dxe5 I Nxes I at the master's l evel .
a b c d e f h a b c d e f h

8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c e f g h [I] a b c d e f g h [f]
DOUBLE ATTACK 85 T H E CH ESS COURS E
 Pa rt-I
a b c d e f h
1 . Black to P lay
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. .,1

a c e
a b c d e f
2. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .,1

a c e g
a b c d e f g h
3. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 86 DOUBLE ATIACK
 a b c d e f h
4. Black to P lay
8 8
r """'
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b c d e
a b c d e f h
5. White to P lay
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
6. White to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b e f g h
DOUBLE ATTACK 87 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-11
a b c d e f h
7. White to Play
8 8
, ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8. White to Play
8 8
, ""
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' ...)

a c e g
a b c d e h
9. Black to Play
8 8
, "''
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " ...)

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 88 DOUBLE ATTACK
 a b c d e f h
1 0. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a c e h
a c e h
1 1 . Wh ite to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
No.
WHITE B LACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' ..)

a c e g
a b c d e f h
1 2. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE B LAC K
No.
./
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. - �

a b c d e f g h

DOU B LE ATTACK 89 THE CHESS COURSE

 Pa rt-Ill
a b c d e f h
1 3. Black to Play
8 8
r "''
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e f g
a b c d e f h
1 4. White to Play
8
r "''
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6
5
4

2
1 \.. .I

a b c d e f h
a b c d e f g h
1 5. Wh ite to Play
8
r """
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6
5 5

3
2 2
1 1 " �

a d e f g h
THE CHESS COURS E 90 DOU BLE ATTACK
 a b c d e f g h
1 6. B lack to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WH ITE B LACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- ..,1

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h
1 7. Wh ite to Play
8
r "
7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..,1

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
1 8 . Black to P lay
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE B LACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .I

a b c d e f g h
DOUBLE ATTAC K 91 THE CH ESS COURSE
 SKEWER ATTACK
In th is cha pter, we sha l l learn the 'Skewer
Attack' . In simple terms, you a re said to
be S keweri ng, when you attack two of
you r opponent's chessmen on the sa me
l ine, forci ng the m ove of 1st chessma n
nea rest t h e attacker, followed b y the
ca ptu re of the 2"d chessma n . Th is tactic
ta kes place on a diagonal by the Queen or
Bishop, or on a ran k/fi le by the Queen or
Rook .
Ta king a closer look, you w i l l notice that a
Skewer is noth i ng but a Pi n i n reverse !
With a Pi n , the idea is to win the p i nned
piece or the more val uable piece behi nd it.
With a Skewer the idea is to th reaten the
more valua ble chessman, forci ng its
move, a l lowing the ca ptu re of a piece
beh ind it.
The basic position is i l l u strated in diagra m
1:
a b c d e f h from where the mate cou ld be effected .
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
g h []]
The check from Bishop on a 2 S kewers
Black's Ki ng since his Queen is a lso
exposed in sa me l i ne on the a2-g8
d iagona l . The Bishop will ca pture the
Queen on the next move after Black King
gets out of Check.
The position in d iagra m 2 was reached by
the two players ( N . N . ) at the National
U nder- 1 2 Cham pionsh i p at M u m ba i in
199 5 with Black to play.
THE CHESS COURSE
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
rn
He had weaved mati ng net a rou nd White's
Ki ng but was frustrated for not being a ble
to deliver the final blow as Queen was
guard i ng the vita l squares, h 1 a nd h7,
Having ru n out of i deas, Black played 1 . ...
RgS? with the i ntention of m ati ng from
hS. However, the game was drawn after
2. QeS+ . H e was not i n a position to stop
the checks from the Queen who sta rted
throwi ng her weig ht a ro u n d . The player
with Black sta rted crying when he was
shown in the postmortem ana lysis that he
had thrown away a va lua ble ha lf-point
with the ca reless 1 . . RgS? Instead 1 . ...
. .
Rh 1 + 1 or 1 . . . . Rh7+ 1 wou ld have done
the trick. After the forced ea ptu re of the
Roo k by the Queen, the other Rook in
waiti ng S kewers the King . Therefore,
before m a king you r move, be sure that
yo u h ave n ot m i ssed a nyth i n g .
Nevertheless, this ru le i s often forgotten
even by the Gra ndmasters ! !
The next S kewer idea ( Diagra m 3) is from
the one of fi rst book on Chess - 'Questo
Li bra e da I m para re Giocare a Scach i et de
li Partiti ' w ritten by Pedro Dam ia n o ( 1480
- 1 544) from Portuga l . The enti re Chess
fraternity is i ndebted to th is forefather of
modern Chess, w h o has made a n
i m mense contrib ution with h i s ideas,
some of wh ich a re sti l l a ppl ica ble today !
92 SKEWER ATIACK
 a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c d e g h a c e g h [1]
rn
We have a 1 00 meter dash for the Queen W h ite's Bishop 2. . . . Kxd7 3 . Bg4+ and
promotion with Black to play : Black ca n not avoid heavy loss of material .
We conclude th is chapter with the
1. . f4
i l l ustration i n d iagram 5 from the game
. .

2. as f3 between Ostoj ic - Popovic, Belgrade,

1966 :
3. a& f2 a b c d e f h
4. a7 f1 = Q 8 8
s. aS=Q 7
Both the players have reg istered same 6 6
ti m i ngs for the promotion however; the
poor placement of the White King al lows
5 5
Black to unleash the Skewer attack : 4 4
s. ... Qb 1 + 3 3
6. Ka S Qa 1 + 2 2
O u r next position i s from the game 1
between Ki kovic - Fori ntos, Buda pest, a c e g
1 9 5 7 ( Diag ram 4) w ith W h ite to play.
Black holds material advantage but h i s W h i te b ro u g h t Black's Ro o k in a
pieces are g l ued to its 1 st ra nk whereas,
Skeweri ng position by d ragg ing away its
White' Rooks have ta ken com manding
position on the open fi les . Wh ite crashed defender, the Queen on dB, with an
th roug h with : 1. RxcS + ! Rxc8 ( 1 • exchange-sacrifice : 1 . Rxe7 ! After the
. . . KxcS? al lows S kewer attack with forced ca ptu re 1 . . . . Qxe7 White ended
Rxe8+ ) 2 . d 7 ! Th is sa crifice d rags Black's agony with 2. Qh8 +
Black's Ki ng d i rectly i n l i ne with the

SKEWER ATTACK 93 THE CHESS COURSE

 Pa rt-I
a b c d e f h
1 . White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 "' ..)

a c e
a b c d e
2. Black to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 "' ..)

a c e g
a c d e f h
3. White to Play
8 8
r
7 7 Move
No.
WH ITE BLACK

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " �

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 94 SKEWER ATTACK
 4 . White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..1

a c e g
a b c d e f g h
5. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..1

a c e g
a b c d e f
6. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 \.. ..1

a c

SKEWER ATTACK 95 THE CH ESS COURSE

 Part-11
a b c d e
7. Wh ite to Play
8
r ""
7 Move
No. WH ITE B LACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a c e f g
a b c d e f g h
8. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .)

a b c d e f h
a b c d e f h
9. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE B LACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. .I

a b c d e f g
THE C HESS COURSE 96 SKEWER ATTACK
 a b c d e f h
1 0. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1 "' ..I

a c e g
a b c d e f h
1 1 . White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. ..)

a c e g
a c d e g
1 2. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' .)

a c e g
SKEWER ATTACK 97 T H E CHESS COURSE
 Pa rt-Ill
a b c d e f h
1 3. White to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .J

a c e
a b c e
1 4. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE B LACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .,I

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
1 5. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. _.J

a c e g
TH E CHESS COURSE 98 S KEWER ATTACK
 a b c d e f h
1 6. White to Play
8 8
, ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \._ �

a b c d e f g
a b c d e f
1 7. White to Play
8 8
r '
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \._ �

a b c d e
a b c d e f
1 8. Black to Play
8 8
/' "
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1 \._ ..J

a c e f g h
S KEWER ATTACK 99 THE CHESS COURSE
 BACK RANK
Of a l l the mating ideas, 'Back Rank'
checkmate is very easy for a beg i n ner to
understand . The letha l check is given
either by a Rook or Queen to the
opponent's Ki ng on its 1st ran k . Due to the
presence of Pawn Ba rrier in front of the
King on its 2"d ra n k, the King has no
sq uares to escape and its' checkmate.
This theme is a freq uently seen motif in
the ga mes played at a l l levels from
beg i n ners to masters for the sim ple
reason that the esca pe squares of the
defend ing King on the last ran k of the
boa rd a re very few. That is the reason why
it usual ly becomes necessa ry to g ive the
protecti ng King an esca pe sq uare on the
second ra nk by push ing forwa rd one of the
pawns in the ba rrier.
The theme of Back Ran k weakness has
given us several beautifu l combinations,
which gives us a bu ndant pleasu re to go
th rough aga i n and agai n . We sha l l
examine few of them in this section .
a b c d e f h of the defender - either the Rook on cS or
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
[]]
The Black's Rook on eS is attacked twi ce
however, it is a lso defended twice and
hence the exchanges wi l l not yield a ny
material gai n . But, just imagi ne that if one
the Queen on d7 is driven away, White wi l l
be a ble to infl ict checkmate . Th is becomes
the motif of this bri l l iant combi nation,
carried out through a series of amazing
Queen sortie :
1 I
1. Qg4! I
The concept is si mple!

4 4
1 1 . I ... I QbS!
If 1 . . . . Qd8 2. Qxc8 Qxc8 3. Rxe8 +
3 3 fol lowed by mate. The excla mation mark
for the Black's text move is i n view of the
2 Back Ra n k threat created with the idea : 2.
••• Qxe2! 3.Rxe2 Rcl + 4.Ne1 Rxe l+
1 S.Rxe1 Rxe1#
a b c d e f g 1 2. IQc4! I
Thwa rting Black's idea ! The Wh ite Queen
is untouchable. If Black ca ptu res the
Diag ram 1 is the basic i l l ustration of this Queen with h is own Queen or Rook he is
theme from a game between Streck - mated in two moves.
Ba rrasch, 1 9 1 2 after White's stunning
1 .Qg5! ! If Black accepts the Queen 2. ... Qd7
sacrifice, it's a mate in two, starting with 3. Qc7! QbS
2.Rf8 Now the Wh ite Queen is also
threaten i ng mate with 2.Qd8# Black 4. a4!
resigned as mate ca n be avoided only by With an idea to gain control over the a4-
giving away Queen for nothing . d8 diagonal by decoying the Black Queen
Our next exam ple i n th is section is dubbed to a sq uare on which it can be attacked by
as the 'Com bi nation of the 20th Century' . the White's Rook.
The position arose in the game between 4. ... Qxa4
Adams - Terre, New Orleans, with white to
play (Diag ram 2) . 5. Re4!

THE CHESS COURSE 100 BACK RANK

Both 5. Qxe4 a n d 5 . . . Rxe4 is
. .• .
answered by 6. Rxe4 and 6. Qxc8+
respectively.
s. ... QbS
6. Qxb7 ! !
Ki l ler! We see White Queen offering
herself for six consecutive moves ! Black
did his best to avoid captu re so as to
thwa rt the ' Back Ra n k' checkmate .
However, the last move has enable White
to ta ke a bsol ute control on a l l the squares
on the a4-e8 d iagona l . Black resig ned .
The n ext i l l ustration appea rs to be a close
clone of Ada ms - Torre ( Diagra m 3) from
the game between Rovner - Ka m ishov,
U SSR 1 9 25 .
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 seen from the game between Petrov and
6 a
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h []J
White destroyed the g u a rd with :
1. Qa 7! QaS
2. Qxa6! Qc7
3. Qa7 !
Demolition over!
No chapter on Back Ra n k is complete
without the ' Bronstei n 's Move' ! The
position from the game between M i kenas
- Bronstein ( d ia g ra m 4) , 1965 is a
standard work found i n a l most a l l the
books. Wh ite a ppea rs to have defended
Back Ra n k wea knesses with Queen ready
to block the u n pleasa nt checks from f1 -
sq uare . However, 1 . . . Rxa3! ! is KO !
2. bxa3 Qxa 1 + 3 . Rb 1 Re 1 + 4.Rxe 1
Qxe 1 + S.Qf1 Qfl# While 2.Qxa 3 Qe1 +
3 . Rxe 1 Rxe 1# and fi na l ly 2.Rxa3 Qe1 +
3.Qf1 Qxf1 # U nfortu nately, Bronste i n
b i d adieu to t h i s world i n 2 006 b u t the
' Bronstein's Move' w i l l l ive on !
BACK RANK
a b c d e f h
8
7
7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
.1 1
�������--��
a c e g h GJ
Sometimes the threat of Back Ra n k ca n
come from u nexpected q ua rters as ca n be
M i rkovich , Moscow 1 970 (diagra m 5 ) .
b c d e f g h
8 .. 8
7 • 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e f g h [[J
Black has a l ready sta rted pla n n i ng his
victory celebrations as his Rook and
Queen a re attacking the Wh ite's Queen . If
Queen retreats to safety, Black wi 1 1 mate
by ca ptu ri ng the Bishop on f1 . But
' Natu ral Disaster' struck in the form of
1 . Rd 4 ! ! a n d noth i n g ca n p reve nt
catastrophe for 1 . ... Rxe l al lows
2 . Rd8# and 1 . Rxd4 leaves the Black
• . .
Queen to be S kewered by the White's
Q u e e n . Fro m t h e c h e s s p ro b l e m
com poser's a rtistic point of view, h e wou ld
prefer Black pawn instead of a White pawn
on eS ! ! For 1 •exd4 wou ld have
•••
a l l owed Wh ite to d e l iver mate by
2.Qe8#! !
10 1 THE CHESS COURSE
 Pa rt- I
a b c d e f h
1 . Black to Play
8
r "'
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
2. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..)

a c e g
a b c d e
3. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No .
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 102 BACK RANK
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 '- �

a c e
a b c e f
5. Black to Play
8
r ""
7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6
5

3
2
1 1 "' �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
6. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 �

a c e g
BACK RANK 103 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-11
a b c d e f h
7. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WH ITE
No. BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " """

8. Black to Play
8
r "'
7 7 Move
No. WH ITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. .J

a c e
a b c d e f h
9. Black to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ...!

a b c d e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 1 04 BACK RANK
 a b c d e f h
1 0. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
·'

WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' .,)

a b c d e f h
a b c d e f h
1 1 . Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' ...1

a c e g
a b c d e f h
1 2. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b c d e f g h
BACK RAN K 105 THE CHESS COURSE
 Pa rt-Ill
a b c d e f h
1 3. B lack to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' ..I

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h
1 4. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
1 5. B lack to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
WH ITE B LACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \... ..I

a c e g
THE C H ESS COURSE 106 BACK RANK
 a b c d e f h
1 6. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHFrE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " .J

a c e
a b c d e
1 7. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' .J

a c e 9
a b c d e
1 8. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WH ITE BLACK
No .
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. .)

a c e 9
BACK RANK 107 T H E CHESS COURSE
 DISCOVE RE D ATTAC K
Discovered Attack ta kes place when one a b c d e
of the piece moves out of the way a n d , in
doing so, ' D iscovers' a n attack on the 8 8
enemy by a nother piece in 'Wa iti ng ' . The
piece in 'Wa iti ng' is either the Queen, 7 7
Rook or Bishop w h ich does most of the
d a mage. Howeve r, this attack a lso offers 6 6
l uxury of g a i n i ng material a dva ntage or
creati ng dea d ly th reats from the m oving
piece ! 5 5
For tactic recog nition pattern, you w i l l 4 4
fi nd th ree pieces on t h e sa me l i ne - two
pieces of the attacki ng side, whi ch is
u n leash i ng the Discovered Attack and 3 3
one of the defender - the victim !
The si m p le trap laid by Wh ite i n ' French
2 2
Defense is a good exa m ple to sta rt this
section : 1 1
1. e4 e& a c e g h [l]
2. d4 dS After 1.Re5 Black suddenly fi nds that h i s
3. eS cS Queen has only o n e safe sq uare on d3
(1 Qg4 a l lows 2.h3 a n d t h e Queen i s
4. c3 Ne& • • •

tra pped ) . The Queen is n o w i n l ine of

5. Nf3 Qb& W hite's Queen on b3, wh ich a l lowed h i m
to bri ng a bout a Discovered Attack with
6. Bd3 cxd4 2.Rxe7+ Kxe7 (eq u a l ly hopeless is Kf8
7. cxd4 Nxd4? or Kd8) 3.Nxd5+ NxdS 4.Qxb3 w i n n i ng
the Queen .
8. Nxd4 Qxd4??
The position i n d ia g ra m 3 a rose i n the
Black thi n ks that he has won White's d4 g a m e between Trifu novich - Aa ron 1 962,
Pawn for nothing but does not see the
tra p ( Diagra m 1 ) : a b c d e f g h
1 9. I BbS+ I 8
D iscovers a n attack on the Black Queen
on d4, wh ich is u n protected . 7
a b c d e f h
6
8 8
5
7 7
4
6 6
3
5 5
2
4 4
1
3 3
2 2 Black's last m ove of moving the Rook to
b& from b8 was a n error. Now the Black's
1 1 Roo k on dB is u nder fi re from White's
dou bled Rook and to d iscover an attack,
a b c d e f g h []J Wh ite only needs to move the Bishop to a
fJOOd sq u a re . W h ite played 1. Bg8! There
Diag ra m 2 i l l ustrates basic exa m ple of 1s no way for Black to defend d ual threat
Discovered Attack from a game between of 2. Qh7# or the heavy loss of materi a l
Bronstein - Geller, Gothenburg , 1 9 5 5 : after 2. Rxd8.
THE CHESS COURSE 108 DISCOVERED ATTACK
A simi lar e rror by Ragozi n ( Black) i n
leavi ng h i s Queen u n p rotected a l lowed
Bench Osmolovsky (Wh ite) to bring the
game to a swift end to the i r game played
in the yea r 1 9 5 1 (diag ra m 4) .
a b c d e f h 1 1 . I Rxe7+ ! Kxe 7 I
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e f g h [1)
Seeing that Black King has no esca pe
sq uare, Wh ite need to del iver only one
fata l check from e7 . However, it appea red
that he had no access to thi s sq uare but
the u n protected Black Queen on aS
Black has material adva ntage but better
development a nd the i n secu re position of
enemy King provided W h ite the counter­
play to lau nch a Discovered attack. Wh ite
smashed th roug h the open e-file w ith :
I
The Wh ite Queen now ta kes her position
in l i ne of the Black Queen with a tempo
ga i n i ng move :
I Kd8
I 2. I Q e4 +
The job is done. Now only the Knig ht has
to be l ifted to d iscover a n attack.
3. Ne&+ B xc&
4. Qxb4 BbS
B l a ck tri e s to s e a rc h e n o u g h
compensation for the Queen but
I s. I Qxd &+ I Resig ns . l
The term ' Double D iscovered Check' is
now fam i l i a r to u s but ra rely do we come
across ' Double Discovered Attack' . H ere is
a n exa mple from the game between Jones
- Dueba l l 1 9 74, N ice Olym piad ( d iagram
6 ) . Al l honour to its orig i n a l ity ! Black's
K n ight has made deep i n roads i nto the
enemy's ca mp with the Rook on ea
control l i ng the open e-file. Black played :
1 • Rel!! and sudden ly the W h ite's
•••

hel ped the ca use . White simply played 1. ca mp is th rown i nto d isa rray. 2.Rxe1 is
NdS! Mate ca n only be averted by giving out of q u estion as the Knight forks the
up the Queen . Black resig ned . Queen from f2 by 2. Nf2 + . After the
• ••

forced 2. Bxel Nb2! attacks the Queen

Our next example of Discovered Attack
from the ga m e between Ku i ndzh i - Jansa ,
Lvov 1 9 60 is a good i l l u stration o f how to
bri ng about th is form of attack on the
unprotected piece ( d iagram S ) .
and the Black Queen too d iscovers an
attack on the now u n protected Rook on
f1 . Wh ite is bou nd to lose materia l . He
gave u p the Queen w ith 3. Bc3 Nxd 1
4.Rxd 1 But 4. Qe2! clea ns up
• ••

everyth i n g .
a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6
5 5 5 5
4 4 4
3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a c d e f g h [[J a c e g h e§]
DISCOVERED ATTACK 1 09 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-I
a b c d e f h
1. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " ..I

a c e g
a b c d e
2. Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " .../

a c e g
a b c e
3. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " ..)

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 10 DISCOVERED ATTACK
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
5. White to Play
8 8
, ""'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " _)

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
6. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE
No. BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b c d e f g h
DISCOVERED ATTACK 111 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-11

7. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a b c e
a b c e f h
9. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a b c d e f g

THE CHESS COURSE 1 12 DISCOVERED ATIACK

 a b c d e f h
10. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
BLACK
No. WHITE

6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
11. White to Play
8 8
/ """"�
7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a b c e g
a b c d e f h
12. White to Play
8 8
r """"�
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a b c e g
DISCOVERED ATTACK 1 13 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-Ill
a b c d e f h
13. Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- �
a c e g
a b c d e f g h
14. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
15. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .I

THE CHESS COURSE 1 14 DISCOVERED ATTACK

 a b c d e f h
16. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �
a c d e g
a b c d e f h
17. Black to Play
8 8
7 r """'
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
18. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE
No. BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �
a b c d e f g h
DISCOVERED ATTACK 115 THE CHESS COURSE
 DISCOVERE D C H ECK
Th is section deals with ' Discovered a b c d e f h
Check' , wh ich is noth i ng but an extension
of 'Discovered Attack' ! 8 8
A ' Discovered Check' is broug ht a bout 7 7
when on moving a piece, a check is
' Discovered' on the opponent's King by
a nother piece in 'Wa iti ng ' . 6 6
Si nce the Check m ust b e dealt a t once, 5 5
the attacki ng side normally wins material
th rough the moving piece by captu ri ng
the opponent's material . 4 4
For pattern recog n ition purpose, we fi nd 3 3
th ree pieces on the sa me l i ne - two of
a �tackers and the helpless defend i ng
� �n � . The attacki ng side's piece i n hiding '2 2
IS e1ther the Queen, Rook or Bishop.
1 1
We see m o re d a n g e ro u s fo rm of
D i scove red C h e ck - the ' D o u b l e a c e g h [IJ
Discovered Check' - when both the piece
which moves out of the way and as a lso :
the piece uncovered g iving Check at once ! Th is Discovered Check a l lows Wh ite to win
Black's Queen j ust for a Knight. Th is l ittle
The side in Dou ble Discovered Check is i n
combi nation is successfu l for the sim ple
a h o pel ess position beca u se it is
i m possi ble to remove check from both the reason that the Knight on c6
not only
pieces either by blocking the check or attacks the Queen on dB
but also the e7
ca ptu ri ng both the checking pieces at sq uare. As such the Queen ca n not block
once . Only in ra re ci rcu mstance do we see the check without a l lowing its capture .
the defend ing King in a position to ca ptu re We see the power o f Dou ble Discovered
one of the unprotected checking piece
placed near to it. The renowned chess Check from the fa mous offhand game
player, Aron N i mzowitsch descri bes the between the g reat Masters, Richard Reti -
Dr. Savielly Tarta kower, Vienna, 1910.
11. I e4
plight of King in Dou ble Check : "Even the
laziest of the King flees in the face of
Dou ble Check"! !
I c& I
The 'Caro- Ka n n ' defense - this open i ng is
The most nota ble exa m ple of Discovered
Check is the fa mous open i ng tra p in the cred ited to the Eng lish master, Horatio
Petroff Defence : Ca ro ( 1 862- 1920) a n d Austrian, Marcus

1. e4 eS
Kan n ( 1 820- 1 886) for i ntrod uci ng new
ideas in their work publ ished i n 1886.
2. Nf3 Nf6 However, th is open ing fi nds a mention by
the fa med Ita l ian master, G u i l io Polerio
Th is d i rect counterattack by Black is ( 1 548- 1 6 1 2 ) way back i n 1 590 !
kn o w n a s Petroff Defe nse o r the
alternate, Russian Defense, named after
2. d4 dS
its o ri g i nator, the fa med Russian Master 3. Nc3 dxe4
Alexa nder Petrov ( 1 784- 1 867 ) .
4. Nxe4 Nf6
3. NxeS Nxe4? s. Qd3 es
4. Qe2! Nf6?? 6. dxeS Qa5+
7. Bd2 QxeS
5. Ne&+! 8. 0-0-0! Nxe4
(d iagram 1) (diag ra m 2)

THE CHESS COURSE 1 16 DISCOVERED CHECK

 a b c d e f h 1. Qd8+!! Kxd8
8 8 2. BgS+ KeS
7 7 3. Rd8#
The mati ng fi nale has no difference
6 6 whatsoever. In Reti - Tarta kower, Black
wou ld have been mated by 11. Rd8
had
5 5 he opted for 10
• ... Ke8.
4 4 The fact that the move uncoveri ng Double
D i scove red Ch ecks a re vei led a n d
3 3 disguised can b e seen from an opening
tra p i n the ' Ki ng's Ga m bit' from the game
2 2 between Alexa nder Meek - Abdor, New
Orlea ns, 1855:
1 1
a b d f h
'1. e4 es
c e g
[I] 2. f4 exf4
19. 1 s Qd + n l Kxd s I 3. Nf3 dS
Now the stage is set to del iver the
destructive Dou ble Discovered Check.
4. Nc3 dxe4
10. BgS+ Kc7 s . Nxe4 Bg4
6. Qe2 Bxf3??
11. Bd8# ( Diagram 4)
(10 . ... Ke8 11.· Rd8#) a b c d e f h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
6 a b c d e f g h[±]
''· I Nf6# I
4 Before closi ng th is chapter, a riddle on the
theme of ' Discovered Check' . Find out the
3 sol ution you rself for you wi l l find no
answer in this book, but a sma l l clue.
Riddle: Figure out the fu nction, which
ca n be done by a l l the Chessmen
excepti ng the Queen?
a b c d e f g h[]J Clue: Queen is the strongest piece on
the chessboa rd r

DISCOVERED CHECK 117 THE CHESS COURSE

 Part-I
a b c d e f h
1. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " .)

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
2. White to Play
8 8
7 r �
Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �
a b c d e g
a b c d e f h
3. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \... .)

a b c d e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 1 18 DISCOVERED CHECK
 a b c d e f h
4.White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE
·'

BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
5. Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- .I

a c e g
a b c d e f h
6. Black to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- �

a c e g
DISCOVERED CHECK 1 19 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-11
a b c d e f h
7 . Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "" .,1

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "" ..,I

a c e
a b c d e f h
9. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " ..,

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 120 DISCOVERED CHECK
 a b c d
1 0. Black to Play
8
f """
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6

1 ' �

11. Black to Play

8
/ """'
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.

3
2
1 ' �

12. White to Play

8
/ �
Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6
5

2
1 ' )

e g h
DISCOVERED CHECK 121 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-Ill
a b c d e f h
13. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 ' �
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
14. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r '"""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
15. Black to Play
8 ;�{j;
'%/��
8
'0 /�/
7 .t ��
% �//-;f/
'' /
�!
/�/
�</, /�.:.-�
7 r
Move
WHITE BLACK
'"""

6 ;y�0;-,
0 �---�
0f::. 6
No.

%:'/i
--� <·,-:�
/'�
�at
• • /- //

5 /
:� {:
�'�'I.�/� -
>;/./�/;:�<-;
5
4 �- �� '/./
_�:
,>}@:�; i
V::,;; 4
; 'iY ���:� /
;..-; , _ _ ./

3 : i��
; /•/. K
///�
3
�
'/. .

;;: �
//

2 .
/. -- ,/
/. 2
�/'
/.>·:::/

1 1 "' �

a b c d e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 122 DISCOVERED CHECK
 a b c d e f h
16. Wh ite t o Play
8 8
r ""'
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
17. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .I

a b c d e f g
a b c d e f h
18. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .)

a c e g
DISCOVERED CHECK 123 THE CHESS COURSE
 DESTROYIN G THE D EFE N D E R

I n th is cha pter we w i l l lea rn the tech n ique The starti ng poi nt of Ruy Lopez Open ing
of ' Defense El i m i n ation ' . The piece (diagra m 1). The key poi nt of th is open i n g
defend ing a nother piece or a vita l sq uare i s that Wh ite goes on renewing t h e threat
is ca lled the Defender. Therefore, if at a l l of el i m i nati n g the defender a nd w i n ni n g
you wa nt t o w i n m aterial or control a n
t h e pawn w h i le Black kee ps on d efend ing
i m porta nt sq uare it wou ld b e prudent for
you to drive away its d efender or d estroy it.
it.
Whenever a chessman is attacked , there
are th ree options ava i lable to us :
Black puts u p the option before Wh ite .
1 . Move the attacked chessman to a safe

1 4 I Ba4
sq uare .
2 . Defend it. . .

3. Ignore the attack and go for the

cou nterattack. In the section of Double Attack we h ave
We have one more additional option a lready learned that White can not w i n the
before us a nd which com es natura l ly - pawn by 4. Bxc6 dxc6 s. Nxes Qd4 as
'Bl u nder' ! As the g reat Ta rta kower has recovers the pawn for Black through a
sa id "The Blunders a re all there on the Double Attack a n d thereby reta i n i ng the
boa rd , wa iti ng to be made"! ! Double Bishop adva ntage. Therefore,
T he very popu lar Ruy Lopez O pen i ng is a n Wh ite retreats h i s Bishop on a4
& w i l l wait
exa m pl e o f trying t o Destroy the for an opportu n ity to stri ke at es
after his
Defender: e4 pawn is sufficiently d efended .

S i m i l a r idea ca n be seen i n 'Queen's

Ga m bit Decl i ned ' .
White attacks the Pawn

1 2·1 .. I N e& 1. d4 dS
2. c4
.

Black defends the sa me.

1 3·1 BbS c4
�,.,.,h .,.,.
White gam bits the pawn tem porari ly. If
a b
....----!��-""""
.-
c
..,.,.,.,.
"""'
d
-....�
e
..,.,
f
,.,.,.,.........
Black accepts, the ope n i ng tra nsposes
8 8 i nto 'Queen's Ga m bit Accepted'. If he
decl i nes the g a m bit pawn, it's ca l led
7 7 'Queen 's Ga m bit Decl ined'.

I e&
6

5
4 4
3 3
Now Wh ite concentrates on attacki ng the
dS pawn whereas Black keeps defend i ng
it.

2 2
3. Nc3 Nf6
1 1 4. BgS
a b c d e f g h [I] (diagra m 2)
THE CHESS COURSE 1 24 DESTROYING THE DEFENDER
 a b c d e f h Ta l fig u res that Black's key defender is the
8 8
Kn ight on eS
g uard i ng the f7
pawn , wh ich
is attacked twice . The ' Master of Sacrifi ce'
weaves a mating net with his typica l
7 7 tradema rk sacrifice · !
6 6 11. I Qxes!! l
5 5

4 4
The f7 protection of Black va n ishes in the
th i n a ir.
3
1. ..
dxes .

2
2. exf7+ Kf8
1
a c e g (2 ... Kd8 or 2 . . .. Kd7 is answered by
BfS+)
As the Knight on f6 defends the pawn,

thereby increases the pressure on dS 1 3·1

Wh ite m a kes it i m mobile with a pin and Bh6# I
pawn .
a b d f h
I Nbd7! I
c e

8 8
Setti ng a wel l - know n tra p ! Wh ite wi l l
suffer loss of materia l i f h e tries to w i n the 7 7
5. cxdS exdS 6. NxdS?
Pawn with
NxdS! 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ Black recovers the 6 6
Queen and wi l l emerge better on the
materia l count. 5
The next exa m ple i n th is section is the
4 4
su perb defence elimi nation tech n ique
employed by the VIII World Cha m pion,
3 3
the im morta l M isha Ta l (Wh ite) i n h is

3b ).
game agai nst Alexei Suetin, Tb i l isi 1969
2 2
( Diagra m
a c d e f h 1 1

8 8 a c e

7 7 The overwhel m i ng adva ntage of Wh ite i n

6 6 the game between Etcheverry - Ra isa,

Va rna Olympiad, 1962 ( D iagra m 4)
is very
5 m uch evident as Black Ki ng is devoid of
a ny Pawn cover a nd the Wh ite Roo k
4 4
operati ng from the open h-fi l e ready for
3 3 the ki l l . Bl ack's thread - l i ne defense
depends tota l ly on the hard -worki ng
2 2

1. RxeS!! dxeS 2.
Bishop . As such , White had no hesitation
1 1 in el i m inati ng it with

a b c d e f g
Qf6 with mate to fol low.

DESTROYING THE DEFENDER 1 25 THE CHESS COURSE

 Part-I

1. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
2. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
3. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 26 DESTROYING THE DEFENDER
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \. """

a b c d e f g
a b c d e f h
5. Black to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \. .J

a c e g
a c e h
6. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4

3 3

1 1 \. ..)

a c e g

DESTROYING THE DEFENDER 1 27 THE CHESS COURSE

 Part-11
a b c d e f h
7. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \.. �
a c e g
a b c d e f h
8. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \.. �
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
9. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \. ..I

a c d e f g h

THE CHESS COURSE 1 28 DESTROYING THE DEFENDER

 a c d e f h
1 0. Black to P lay
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 ' �

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f
11. Black to Play
8
F ""'
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

1 ' ..)

a b c d e f
a c d e f h
12. Wh ite to P lay
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 ' _..)

a c e g

DESTROYING THE DEFENDER 1 29 THE CHESS COURSE

 Part-Ill
a b c d e f
13. Black to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 "' .,1

a c e
a b c d e f
14. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 ' .,1

a c
a b c
15. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " �

a b c d e f g h

THE CHESS COURSE 130 DESTROYING THE DEFENDER

 a b c d e f h
16. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 ' ..I

a b c d e f h
a b c d e f h
17. Black to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " .I

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
18. White to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6

3 3

2 2

1 1 "' ..I

a c e g

DESTROYING TH E DEFENDER 131 THE CHESS COURSE

 D ECOYI NG
In Chess, a Decoying tactic mea ns to Roo k fro m fu l fi l l i n g its d ut i e s by
force move of an opponent's piece from d istracti ng it from its defensive task with
its cu rrent sq uare to a specific square of
your choice.
1.Rh8!!
bri l l i a nt 1 Rxh8
Here • • • • does not
m erit consideration as it g a i ns heavy
You ca n use this tactic when you have a m aterial adva ntage for White . To keep the
particu lar ta rget sq uare in you r m i nd but 1 Rcg6
bala nce, Black tried • • • • however;
you a re not able to ta ke control of th is
sq uare as it's guarded by opponent's
2.fxg6 Rxh8 3.Bc6 forced i m mediate
capitulation of the World Cha m pion .
piece . However, by means of a Decoyi ng
sacrifice you ca n make them go there . a b c d e f h
The fol lowi ng i l l u strative exa m ples w i l l 8 8
help i n you in understa nding th is tactic.
a b c d e f g h 7 7

8 .. 8 6 6

7 7 5 5

6 6 4 4

5 5 3 3

4 4 2 . 2

3 3 1 1

a b c e g h
2 2
rn
In the g a me between Estrada a nd
1 1
G l igorich from the Va rna Chess Olympiad
a c e g h[I] 1962 , the power of Black's Ca nons proved
too m uch for the Wh ite Queen (d iagra m
In Chevre - Wirthensohn, St. Gallen 197 1
(diagra m 1)
Black is exerti ng tremendous
3).
pressure with Queen, Rook and Kn ight in a b c d e f h
com mand ing position a nd , it seems as
8 8
though mate shou ld not be fa r away. The
only piece of White that is preventi ng 7 7
from the axe to fal l is the Queen -
preventi ng 1.
••• Rc1# So, a si m ple 6 6
1 QaS!
decoying sacrifice • • • • White faces
5 5
inevitable Checkmate .
The next exa m ple i n th is section (diagra m 4 4
2) i s from the ga me between Stein and
3 3
VII World Cham pion , Smyslov, Moscow,
1972 . For the ti me bei ng Black has pin ned 2 2
the Bishop on g2 against the Ki ng,
preventi ng it from playi ng havoc on the 1 1
open d iagona l . However, Stein fou nd out a c e g h
a bea utifu l idea of decoying the hosti le rn
White's Bishop and Rook have not got off Pawn to a new Queen . To put this pla n into
from their starti ng blocks and therefore action, Wh ite played :
the White Ki ng looks vu l nerable on the
back ra nk. Any check by Black from that
1 1. 1 Qf6+!! 1
ra nk wou ld be fata l as the Bishop on a4 is The enemy troops have been disru pted i n
preventing the King's escape. But, Wh ite o n e stroke a nd the ca ptu re o f the d rea m
is holding the fort i ntact as the Knig ht, i n sq u a re is just with i n sig ht.
su pport of the Queen and Pawn o n eS 1. . . Qxf6
.

a ppea rs to have successfully blocked the

fi le. However, two successive sacrifice, 2. Rxg8+ Kxg8
fi rst the exchange and then the Queen, 3. eS=Q+
forced open the fi le.
d7
1. . ..
. Picki ng u p the Rook o n
Rxd6! We concl ude th is section with a position
2. Qxd6 from Gerter - Schei pl, 1957 (d iag ram 5) :
1 ... exd6?? forces mate in two, sta rti ng
with 2. Qe1+ The first h u rdle has been h
.

a b c d e f g
removed . It's time to remove the second . 8 8
So,
I Rd8! 7 7

6 6

3. Rd1#
The Black Queen is ta boo as it wou ld force
Estrada resig ned without
5 5
wa iting for fi nal rituals to be completed .
Our next exam ple (d iagra m 4)
is from the 4 4
game between Laza revic - Jovanovic,
3 3
Belgrade 197 1 .
a b c d e f h 2 2
8 8
1 1
7 7
a c d e f g hrn
6 6 Wh ite has ta ken commanding position
with h is Rooks dou bled however, the
5 5
Knight on e7
is preventi ng i nfi ltration of
4 4 Wh ite's Queen to the dB
sq uare . Th is
leads to the idea of Decoyi ng the Kn ight
3 3 from its defense :

2 2 1 1. I RcS+!! I
Th is move forced i m med iate ca pitulation
1 1
of Black i nasm uch after:
a b c d e f g h 1. RxcS
m • ••

2. Rxc8+ NxcS
Wh ite is wish i ng that if the Black Queen
has no control on the e8square, he could
He is mated by
play 1. Rxg8+ fol lowed by promoti ng h is
13. 1 Qd8#
DECOYING 133 THE CHESS COURSE
 Part-I
c d e f h
1. Black to Play
8
, �
7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

1 \. .-I

a b c
b c d e f h
2. Black to Play
8
r ""
7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6

5 5

4 4

1 1 \. ..,I

3. White to Play
8
r "
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6

1 1 ' �

a c e
 a b c
4. Black to Play
8
r ""'
7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

1 ' �

5. Black to Play
8
r """
7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6

1 \... �

6. Black to Play
8
, �
7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

1 ' �
e g h

DECOYING 135 THE CHESS COURSE

 Part-11
a b c d e f h
7. Black to Play-
8 8
r ""''
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \. _.I

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8. White to Play
8 8
r ""''
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " �
a c e g
a b c d e f h
9. Black to Play
8 8
r ""''
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " _.I

a c e g

THE CHESS COURSE 136 DECOYING

 a b c d e f h
10. White to Play
8
r ""'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a c e f h
11. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 \..

a c e g
a b c d e h
12. Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

5 5

4 4

2 2

1 1 ' ..I

a c e g

DECOYING 137 THE CHESS COURSE

 Part-Ill
a b c d e f h
13. Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

2 2

1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
14. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \.. ..1
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
15. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " ..!

a c e g

THE CHESS COURSE 138 DECOYING

 a b c d e f h
16. White to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 ' �

a b c d e
a b c d e f h
17. Black to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 " �

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
18. White to Play
8 8
, ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 " �
a b

DECOYING 139 THE CHESS COURSE

 DEFLECTION

In our p revious section we had d ea lt with

•Decoy• tactic, which i nvolved l u ring IWsh. iteI : e3!"Who ca res for the Bishop, save
opponent's Chessma n to a d ream squ a re .
mate" !
In th is section we shall lea rn •Deflection•,
wh ich is si m ply the i nverse of •Decoy•. '-I s- ._ ....�.I _··_· --.L.h_
I s_ __,

Deflection i nvolves l u ring a n enemy
piece, basica l ly a vita l defender away
from a good sq uare on wh ich it defends
another piece or threat so as to g a i n a
decisive adva ntage.
Let us u ndersta nd th is theme from a very
Black : "Yo u r th reats a re all •five-pa isa
tra p•. I have saved the mate but who will
save you r Bishop?
1 6.. 1 Bd3! I
Wh ite : - "Ta ke the Bishop, g ive me the
Ki ng" !

I &. I . . I Rh&? I
famous m i n i atu re between Teed - Del mar
1896

1�- I d4 I f5
.

Black : "I don•t believe i n •Give and Ta ke•

pol icy. G ive me you r Bishop" .

e4
The open i ng is na med as •outch Defense•,
But, White takes the K i n g I
17. IQxhS+!!I
Black•s idea is to gain control of a nd to
avoid si mpl ification in the Centre . The
first extensive treatment of this open i n g
I
(•Deflection•! ! ) .
7.
is deta i led i n a book b y El ias Stein
( Holland ), written i n 1 7791 RxhS
I 2. I BgS I h&? Bg6#
• ••

a
.
Fa l l ing into the trap The solution to fol lowi ng i l lustration i n

3. Bh4 gS d ia g ra m 2
between Shte m berg-Gulnin,
USSR 1968 a lso a ppears striki ngly similar
4. Bg3 f4 to the previous one, excepti ng the fact
that White•s Knight a nd da rk-coloured
( D iag ra m 1) Bishop have a lso joi ned the pa rty. We fi nd
a b c d e f h Teed- D i l m a r tra nsported seventy years
by the •Ti me-Mach i ne• !
8 8
a b c d e f h
7 7 8 8

6 6 7 7

5 5 6 6

4 4 5
5

3 3 4 4

2 2 3
3

1 1 2 2
a b c d e f g h[]J
1 1
Black : "Your Bishop is tra p ped , th is is my
ga me". a c d e f g h[IJ
THE CHESS COURSE 140 DEFLECTION
11- I RxfS! I gxfS 1. . .. QxdS
2. QeS+
g& fS.
Th is exchange sacrifice d eflects the
Black's pawn to Now only the Rook
a b c d e f h
f7
is left to be deflected from guard i ng the
vital sq uare.
8
2. QxhS+! RxhS
3. Bf7# 7
6
5
h
8 4
7 3
6 2
5 1
4 The concl uding exa m ple i n this section is
from a game between Giorgadze -
3 Ku preichi k, Kiev, 1973 (diagra m 5).
2 a b c d e f h
1 8 8
7 7
At fi rst gla nce it appears that Black has
6 6
c7
just managed to hold back Wh ite pawn on

e&
from don ning the crown. But the fact
that Black's Bishop on is cri ppled by 5 5
aS.
the Rook on e2, the coronation ceremony
took place by deflecting the Rook on 4 4
Got the idea? Yesl
1. Qa4+! Rxa4 3 3

2. cB=Q# 2 2
4
Our next exa m ple i n d iagra m is from the 1 1
h�
gS
game between Ludolf - Kots, Leningrad a c d e f g
1 962 . With Wh ite Bishop controlling
sq uare, mate can come from a ny of the Black pieces have ta ken a com manding
position a nd it appea rs that Wh ite will
c3 eS
dark sq ua res by a Queen check from
either the or sq ua re . Only one have to rush back its artillery to defense.

aB
defender, either Black's Roo k or Queen is To cou nter-attack, he has a check

d7
to be deflected . Wh ite's d rea m of a ava i la ble from sq uare but Black ca n
meeti ng with the Black King ta kes the escape via sq uare with no good

e7
form of: checks . Only if wish for one more check

1. Rd8+!! Rxd8 from sq uare was fu lfil led ! With th is in

1 . RaB+ Kd7 2. Rd8+!! RxdB (2.

m i nd the piece to be Deflected is easy to
2. Qc3+ spot.
Ke6 3. Rxe8+ KfS 4. Qf4+ +-)
3 . Qe7+ Kc8 4. Qxd8#
••• The
or wish is fulfi l led

DEFLECTION 141 THE CHESS COURSE

 Test
a b c d e f h
1. White to Play
8
7 r
Move
WHITE BLACK
"'

No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
a c e f h
2. Black to Play
8 8
7 7 r
Move
"'

WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
a b c d e f h
3. White to Play
8 8
7 7 r
Move
WHITE BLACK
"

No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b c d e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 142 DEFLECTION
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4
3 3
2
1 1 \.. ..1
a c e g
a b c d e f h
5. Black to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..1
a c e g
a b c e
6. White to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..1
a c e g
DEFLECTION 143 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h
7. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \.. .-1

a b c d e f h
a b c d e f h
8. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 \.. .-1

a c e g
a c d e f h
9. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 "' ..1

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 44 DEFLECTION
 OVE RLOADE D PIECE
A Piece is to be 'Overloaded ' when it is the bri l l i ancies which fol l owed one after
t h ru st u p o n t h e res p o n s i b i l i ty of the other:

1 1 . I Rxe7+!!1
defend i ng too m a ny Pieces or vita l
sq uares a t once .

1 . ... Qxe7 a l lows RxcS+ whereas 1 . ...

A n ' Overloaded Piece is prone to attack

Kxe7 leads to mate after 2 . Re1+. The

even from opponent's u n protected Pieces
beca use movi ng away from attack will
resu lt i n abando n i ng the defensive d uties
assig ned , lea d to a win n i ng adva ntage for
the opponent.
King is a lso burdened with the a d d itional
responsi b i lityof defend i n g h is Queen.
So, h•

As such , when you fi nd that you r

opponent has a Piece wh ich is b u rdened
with lot of d uties, look at ways to d rive it
off either by exchanging it or forci ng h i m Note the com p l ications. Here Wh ite ca n 't
to move from the sq uare occu pied b y it. captu re Black's Queen beca use of the

cl.
Th is poi nt is i l lustrated from the famous Back Ra n k m ate threatened by the Black's
game between Wilhelm Ste i nitz ( I World Rook on But now starts the wa r da nce
Chess Cham pion) agai nst Van Ba rdelben, of the i nvi nci ble Roo k !
Hastings, 1 89 5 .
As i n Ada ms-Torre ( Back Ra n k) , wherein 2 . Rf7+! KgS
W h i te offe red h i s Q u e e n fo r s i x
consecutive moves, Stein itz too offered 3. Rg7+! KhS
his Roo k for six consecutive moves, with
the ca ptu re l ea d i n g to i m m ed i a te The captu re of the Rook on the ra n k a l lows
d isaster. Need less to add, the game Wh ite to ca ptu re the Queen with a check .
As such , the Rook is i m m u n e !
1)
g a i n ed Ste i n itz a ' Bri l l ia ncy Prize ' !
(d iagra m
a b c d e f h 4. Rxh7+! KgS
8 8 s. Rg7+!
7 7
The Overloaded Black Queen ca n do
nothi ng but to watch this tortu re si lentl y !
6 6

5 5 s. ... KhS
4 4 6. Qh4+ Kxg7
3 7. Qh7+ KfS
3

2 2 8. Qh8+ Ke7
1 1
9. Qg7+ KdS
a c d e f g h [IJ 10 . QfS+ QeS
The Bl ack's Queen on d7 is overloaded
with the responsib i l ity to d efend its Rook 11 . Nf7+ Kd7
Wh ite's Roo k on cl and X- Ray of the 12 . Qd&#
on the ra n k, which is u nder fi re from

Queen on g4. Th is becomes the motif of

OVERLOADED PIECE 145 THE CHESS COURSE

2),
In Montel l - Sera no, Spain 1962 (diagra m The Black•s Rook on c8
is protecting the
Wh ite is praying for excha nge of Queen on c3
whereas the Queen itself has
Queens and the hope of stayi ng in the to guard the Rook on d4
as wel l as c8.
The
d1
game with m i n i m u m da mage. But seei ng
move is easy to judge :
that the Bishop on has i n fact broken

d2
the link between its Rook, h is brother on
is loaded with the task of guard i ng the
1. ReS+! Kg7
Rook and mate . The job becomes easy :
a b c d e f g h 2. RxcB
8 8 2 Qxa1 2
The dust has settled . • • • • or • • • •

7 7 Qxc8 leaves Wh ite with a n extra Rook.

So, 1-0 .
6 6 We conclude this section with a beautiful
5 combi nation executed by N imzowitsch
a g a i nst Ta rta kow e r, Ka rl ovy, 19 1 1
4 4 (d iag ra m 4):
3 a b c d e f h
2 2 8 8
1 1 7 7
��--��--���

a b c d e f g h rn 6 6
1 1 · I .. · I Qh&!! I 5 5
2. Bxh6
Rxe1+
The Queen is ta boo as al lows
followed by mate . Wh ite Resigns 4 4
as it ca n 't save both the Rook a nd Bishop.
3 3
A beautifu l example of two pieces being
overloaded ca n be seen i n the game 2 2
3).
between Si mag in - N i kol ic, Kislovodsk
1968 (diagra m 1 1
a b c d e f h a c e

8 8
With King stra nded and Rooks not
7 7 connected, Black's Queen is overloaded
6 6 with the job of preventing mate on f7 as
wel l as guard i ng the Back Ra nk. Wh ite
5 5 rea l ized his adva ntage by elimi nati ng the
Bishop on g7 1.Qf6! Rg8 (1.
with
4 4 .•• Bxh6?? 2.Qxh8#) 2.Bxg7+ Rxg7.
3 3 Now, having forced Black's pieces i n
u n favo u ra b l e positi o n , N i mzow i tsch
2 2 annihi lates Black's defence with bri l l iant
1 3.Bxf7! Qxf7 (3 Rxf7?? 4.Qh8#)
• ••• The
Ra nk is now left open for Wh ite•s Queen to
g 4.Qd8+
i nfi ltrate with followed by mate .

THE CHESS COURSE 146 OVERLOADED PIECE

 Test
a b c d e f g h
1. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \... ..1

a c e g
a b c d e f h
2. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e
a b c d e f
3. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \... �

a c e g
OVERLOADED PIECE 147 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a b c e f g h
a b c d e f h
5. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

6. Black to Play
8
r '""
Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6
5
4

" ..I

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 148 OVERLOADED PIECE
 a b c d e f h
8 8
7. White to Play
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a b c e g
a b c d e f h
8 8
8. White to Play
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e h
8 8
9. Black to Play
r ""
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6
5 5
4 4

3
2 2
1 1 \.. �
a c e g

OVERLOADED PIECE 149 THE CHESS COURSE

 LI N E OPENI N G 8t LIN E CLOSIN G

I n th is cha pter we sha l l exa m i n e the 2. . . . Rah8

concept of 'Li ne Open i ng • a nd • Li n e
Closi ng• - two interesting tactics used i n 3. Kf 1 Nxe3+
the middle-gam e as wel l as i n the end­ 4. Nxe3 Bxe3
Rxe3 Rh1+
game. Li ne Open i n g moves a re the one
that i ncreases the ra nge of one or more of 5.
Skeweri n g the Rook o n a1.
our own pieces by ope n i n g u p new paths
of attack. The theme of Li ne Closi ng is
exactly the converse of Line Ope n i n g , One of the best exa m ple of Li ne Closing i s
wh ich m ea ns cl osi ng o u t the effective from the g a m e between Rich a rd Reti a nd
ra nge of the enemy pieces. Efi m Bogolj u bow, New York Tou rna ment
1924 ( d i a g ra m 2) .
We sha l l fi rst have a look at Li ne O pening
com bi nation from the g a me between Dely a b c d e f h
1).
- Kerkhoff, Pa rcetic Memori al , 1 966
(d iag ra m 8 8
a b c d e f g h 7 7
8 8 6 6
7 7 5
6 6 4 4
5 5 3 3
4 4 2 2

3 3 1 1
2 2 a c e g h [IJ
1 1
The Black's Bishop on fS i s attacked by
two pieces a n d d efended by two pieces.

1. Bf7+,
a b c d e f g h iTJ The Black King, one of the d efender, ca n
be d riven away by but h ow to
Black has weaved a mati ng net a round e l i m i nate the defence of Black•s Rook? Reti
White's King a n d now, only one move is used the bri l liant Li ne Closing com bi nation
to achieve this a i m :
h1.
req u i red to double the Rooks a nd del iver
the fi nal blow on
aS
As such the l i ne 1 . Bf7+! Kh8
Be8!!
needs to be opened for the Roo k to join
h is brother: 2.
1. . .. BcS!! The l i ne is snapped a nd the
2. BxcS RahS com m u n ication is broken. The fa u lt ca n not
be repai red !
fol lowed by mate. The i nteresti n g poi nt to be observed here
If ... after the text move is that Black ca n not

1 2. 1 Rfel I fS
ward off the dual th reat of protecti ng the
Bishop on a n d , the ensu i ng mate on the
sq uare itself, si nce the with d rawa l of
Black ca n w i n with :
Bishop d oes not prevent the mate :

THE CHESS COURSE 1 50 UNE OPENING & UNE CLOSING

 2. . .. BxcS+ f 1. I dS!! QxdS
3. QxcS! RxeB The ra n k is a ba ndoned a n d the f7 pawn is
4. Qf8+! defenseless.
2. Qf&+ Kg8
3. Qxf7+
Our next i l l ustration is a p leasi ng exam ple
of the power of this theme to cause
Note that 1 NxdS or 1 exdS u n pins
3).
widespread chaos in the enemy ran ks • ••• • •••

(diagra m a nd a l lows Wh ite to play 2. Rg3+

a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
g
8 8
8 8
7 7
7 7
6 6
6 6
5 5
5 5
4 4
4 4
3 3
3 3
2 2
2 2
1 1
1 1
a c d e f g h [I] a c e f h [IJ
g
In the game between Nenrokoff and
In the game between Kireev - M i ronov,
1. Rd8
Grigoeieff, Moscow 1923, Wh ite has j ust
played to stop the pawn from 1 963 (diagra m 5) Black seems to have

h7 h2.
successfully defended against the m ate
2. Rxd2 Bxd2 3.
march i ng to g lory. He is u nder i l l usion that
1.
th reat on with his Queen on But he
Kxd2 c7
d raw is on ca rds with
Rh&! 1 . ...
has missed the point of Wh ite's play :
h3
with the Bishop on to ta ke the
gxh& 2. Qxh7#
ca re of pawn . It a ppears that the Closes the l ine at once since
forces Black resig ned
Pawn's jou rney will end a b ru ptly by the
1 Qxh6 2. Nf7+
since mate can only be averted by g ivi ng
enemy pieces, wh ich th reatens to cover
up the Queen with • • • •
the q ueening square . Never g ive u p !
There is a way to protect the Pawns by a b c d e f h
closi ng the l i n e :
I 1. I .. . I Bd6!! 8 8

A 'Short-Circu it' ! 7
I 2. I Rxd& 1 h2 6
or
I 2. I Bxd& I d1 =Q I 5 5

The g a me between Levenfish - Rozenta l , 4 4

USSR 1924 (d iagra m 4) i s a si m ple but
effective exa mple of Line Closi ng . 3 3
The Black Queen is overtaxed with the
2 2

f7
responsi bil ity of keeping the Rook pin ned
a nd at the sa me guard the vita l pawn . 1 1
If the pin is l ifted , Black ca n not prevent
the mate . Wh ite therefore plays : a c e f g h []J
UNE OPENING & UNE CLOSING 151 THE CHESS COURSE
 Test
a b c d e f h
8
1. White to Play
I' """
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
8 8
2. Black to Play
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
8 8
3. Black to Play
I' """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 152 UNE OPENING & UNE CLOSING
 a b c d e f h
4. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \,. �
a c e g
a b c d e f h
5. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \,. ..I
a b c d e f g
a b c d e f g h
6. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \,. _,)
a c e g
LINE OPENING & LINE CLOSING 1 53 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h
7. White to Play
8 8
, ""
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .)

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
8. White to Play
8
""'
7 I' Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �
a c e f g h
a b c d e f h
9. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a b c d e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 1 54 UNE OPENING & UNE CLOSING
 SQUARE VACATION
In a game of Chess the 'Square Vacation•
tactic means a move that vacates a
square for use by a d ifferent but more
important piece, which is going to del iver
the fata l blow.
In an advantageous position, it's a
com monplace situation to fi nd that one of
your own pieces is i n the way a nd, as a
resu lt you a re not able to take adva ntage
of the situation . To find a way out of such
situations you shoul d go for immed iate
clea rance of the obstructi ng piece by
du mping it at an a ppropriate square I Any
delay wil l si mply al low the opponent to re­
grou p.
The ideal square vacating tools a re
checks, ca ptu re or creating threats. This
limits the opponent's repl ies and you can
h
ach ieve your aim .
a b c d e f
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
h [I]
a c e g
1)
In M a n n h e i m - Regensbu rg , 191 2
(d iag ram Wh ite's own Rooks a re
preventing infi ltration of its Queen i nto
the enemy's position and therefore,
needs to be cleared. However, there
shou Id not be any delay as Black enjoys
large material adva ntage and will reg roup
at the fi rst available opportu nity :
1. Rh8+! Kxh8
2. Rh1+ Kg8
Now the second.
1 3 . I Rh8+! I Kxh8
The squares are vacated for the Queen to
take i nvade .
1 4. 1 Qhl+ 1
with mate to fol low soon.
SQUARE VACATION 1 55
The previous exam ple was simple as the
squares were cleared with checks but the
n ext o n e between H e e msoth -
H e issen butte l , West Germ a ny 1958
shows the sq uare vacation with gain of a
2).
tem po as White has to defend agai nst the
mate th reats of Black (d iag ram
h
a b c d e f g
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e
g7
The open g-file is excellent for Queen to
operate, which is eyeing the square to
del iver the mate. However, a heavy traffic
jam on the fi le blocks the Queen's drea m
sq uare. The need is to elimi nate Rooks
without loss of time as Bl ack is
threatening mate. How shou ld White
conti nue?
1 1. I ReS!! I
Not only defend i ng the mate threat on c2,
but also attacking the Queen by brea king
the communication.
1. ... QxcS
2. Rxh7+ Kxh7
The second sacrifice of the Rook with a
check. The appea rance of the traffic pol ice
has done the trickl The highway is clea r
for the Queen to i nvade.
1 3 . I Qg7#
THE C HESS COURSE
The sa me motif ca n be seen i n Sokolov - a b c d e f h
M i khailov, 1973 but here White executed
the plan with a triple piece sacrifice ! ! 8
(diagra m 3)
7
a b c d e f h
8 8 6

7 7 5

4
6 6

5 5 3

4 2

3 1
a b c e f g h [}]
2
It is a co mmonplace situation where i n the
1 attacki ng side fi nds that h is own chessmen
a b c e f a re l i m iti ng the attacki ng possi bil ities. In
g
these situations it is best to vacate the

1 1. I Ra3!! I
sq uare with a sacrifice .
a b c d e f h
The fi rst one to save mate on al. 8 8

1. ... bxa3 7 7

2. Bd7!! 6 6

The second with a tem po . 5 5

2. ... Qxd7 4 4

3. Rxh7+ 3 3

2 2
The regulation th i rd sacrifice .
1 1
3. . . . Kxh7 a c e

4. Qh5# I n Dobza - Dinn ies, 1936 ( d ia g ra m 5)

In Smyslov - Sza bo, Hastings 1954
Wh ite's Pawn o n g7 is sh ield i ng the Black's
(d iagra m 4)
Wh ite ca n win the Bishop
Ki n g . If this Pawn cou ld be el i m i nated , the
with a fork from c5
but for the pawn,
trio of Queen, Roo k a n d Bishop wi l l easi ly
i nfl ict mate on Black. Therefore, Wh ite
wh ich is preventi ng the Knig ht's lea p . So,
fi rst made use of a sacrifice to d ivert the
1. ReS+! RxeS 2. Qd5+ Kh7
L..
c &
I _1_. ....l _.. __l __l
_._
___
_, Re signs
Roo k
blockade has been removed its' now ti me
The

g7 3. gS=Q+!
1 bxc& al lows 2.Nc5 + w h i le if Bishop RxgS. a1-h8
_ _

to vacate the sq uare

• ••• The 4. d iagonal i s open so,
retreats to safety, there fol lows 2.c7! Qf7+ Rg7 5. Qxg7#
THE CHESS COURSE 156 SQUARE VACATION
 Test
a b c d e f h
8 8
1. White to Play
7 7 r
Move
WHITE BLACK
"""

No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. ..1

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8 8
2. White to Play
r ""'
Move
WHITE BLACK
No.

"' ...I

8
3. Black to Play
7 7 r
Move
WHITE BLACK
""'

No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1 \.. .)

a c e g h

SQUARE VACATION 1 57 THE CHESS COURSE

 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2·
1 1 \.. -""

a c e g
a c e f h
5. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 '- �

a c e g
a c e h
6. Wh ite to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 58 SQUARE VACATION
 a b c d e f h
7. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " ..)

a c e g
a c d e f g
8. Black to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 ' ..)

a b c e g
a b c d e
9. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
SQUARE VACATION 1 59 THE CHESS COURSE
 PASSE D PAWN
The renowned chess p layer and w riter,
Ja mes Mason ( 1 845- 1905) had said
" Every Pawn i s a potential Queen ' ! !
However, as late as 1 8th centu ry the Pawns
were not g iven a ny i m porta nce . They
were considered to be usefu l only for
promotion i n the endga me.
It was Francois-An d re Da n ican Ph i l idor
( 1726 - 1 795), who propagated the
gen u i ne i m portance of the Pawn in a l l the
stages of the game. H e su m med u p the
va lue of thi s little foot sold ier in j ust one
simple sentence "Pawn is the sou l of
Chess"!
In the open i ng you may decide to sacrifice
one or two pawns to open u p the way for
you r pieces to lau nch a n attack. To g ive
away pawns w ithout g ood reasons
however; i s to cou rt d i saster. The
opponent w i l l easily w i n the game due to
his materi a l advantage by s i mplifying the
game.
In th is section we sha l l lea rn the
i m porta nce of ' Passed Pawn' - a potentia l
'Queen' . A ' Passed Pawn' is a Pawn, wh ich
has no enemy Pawns on its neig h bou ri ng
fi le to stop h i m from ru n n i ng away to
stardom . As soon as you have created a
' Passer' , you r a i m should be to 'Protect'
and ' Push' the sa me. As Ca pa blanca had
said "A passed Pawn i ncreases in strength
as the n u m be r of p i eces o n the
Chessboa rd d i m i n ishes. A pawn on the
sixth ran k may pose formida ble problems
for the opponent, whilst on the seventh , a
nightma re" !
We sha l l now have a look at few
i l lustrations of the ways and mea ns to
promote a Passed Pawn, wh ich a re
com mon occu rrence i n the game.
We start th is section with a phenomenal
com b i nation of pawns surviving the m ig ht
of a Rook a nd Kn i g ht on its way to
sta rdom . The position i n d ia g ra m 1 is
from a game between O rtueta - Sa nz,
Mad rid 1934, wh ich deserves a pride of
place along with the one i nvolving Ada ms
- Torre ( Back Ra nk) and Stei n itz - Von
Ba rbe l d e n ( Overloaded Piece ) . The
sacrifice of both the Bishop a nd Rook by
Black in th is see m i ng ly eq u a l position is
sheer magic!
1 .:. n
THE CHESS COURSE
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a c
1. ... Rxb2! !
2. Nxb2 c3
O n l y two sq u a res a way fro m the
coronation . Here White ca n try 3. Nd3 to
stop the Quee n i ng of the Pawn but Black
easi ly rom ps home with 3 . . . . c4+ 4.Rxb6
cxd3 - The theory of endi ngs says that
two con nected pawns on the sixth ra nk
eq uals a Rook ! So, the on ly response :
I 3. I Rxb&! I I
To ensu re si m pl ification with an extra
Kn i g ht on hand, W h ite g i ves back the
materia l . He has seen the win if Black
plays 3 . . . . a xb6?? 4. Nd3 (Now there is
no Discovered Check) or 3 . . . . cxb2?? 4.
Rxb2 but Sanz had seen fu rther.
I 3. I .. . Ic4! 1 I
With this push, the Knight no longer has
access to the d3 sq uare.
1 4 . I Rb4! I I
W h i te ' s c o u n t e r t o o d e s e rv e s
excla mation . 4. Nxc4? Al lows Black to
Queen with 4 . . . c2 ! as the Kn ig hts itself
creates an i mpenetrable wa l l in the path of
h is Rook on the c-fi le . The other Knight
alternatives with 4. Nd 1 and 4. Na4
b ri ngs forth the sa me reply 4 . . . . c2! Here
W h ite ca n try to rush back his Rook i n
defence w ith 4 . Re& to cover the
Queen i n g square . However; here too,
Black ca n reply with 4 . . . . cxb2 5. Re1
c3 !, creati ng two con nected passers . With
the text move, i n fact the only move,
Wh ite ca n now smell w i n w ith the idea of
5. Na4 fol lowed by 6. Rxc4 . Now Black is
a Rook a nd Kn i g ht down . Was the move
1 . ...
Rxb2, a n a rrow shot i nto the a i r? Roo k to reach the d ia g ra m med position :
No, the sma l l foot-soldier o n the a-fi le The o n ly problem with 1. d7 was Rxc7 +
does the trick. a nd the sacrifice of the White's Rook goes
I 4. I . . .
I
aS ! ! - I i n vai n . Black is a l so th reate n i ng Bxd&
a n d it a ppears that the con nected pawns
d iagra m 2 . w i l l fal l . But, the g reat Averbakh had a
a b c d e f h d ifferent idea . If there was no check from
the Black Rook on the c-fi le, the theory of
8 8 'Two con nected pawns on the sixth ran k
eq uals a Rook' holds good . So, the
7 response :

6 6 1 1. I NcS ! ! I
Absolute stu n ner! It does the job of
5 5 clos i ng c-fi le a n d , at the same ti me it has
b l u nted the m issi l e power of the Bishop on
4 4 the b4 - d6 d ia g o n a l , thwa rti ng the
i m m i nent th reat of 1 • Bxd & .
•••

3 3 Ifs very d ifficult to d igest the thought of

resi g n i n g w ith a Roo k plus. I n fact, after 1.
2 _,,.______..-_,..
2 ••• s
axe , Black is two pieces up, a la
1 1 Ortueta - Sanz. The only satisfaction is to
d i e rich ! Black Resig ns.
a c e g The conclud i ng exa mple i n th i s section i s
from t h e game between Knudsen -
The big Canon a ppea rs to be no match
agai nst the sma l l g u n s !
Bichse l , Wi nterth u r 1 976 ( Diagra m 4)
whe rein Black has two adva nced passers
I S. I Na4 I on a3 a nd d3 .
Hoping agai nst hope. Here, s. Rxc4 a b c d e f h
a l lows cxb2 a n d S. Nd 1 c2 is a l so
hopeless for White . 8 8
s. .
I I .. I axb4! I
Un ited at last ! White resig ns as it wou ld 7 7
be too pa i nfu l to watch the coro nation
ceremony. 6 6
In the n ext exa m pl e ( d iag ra m 3 )
Av e r b a k h , p l a y i n g W h i t e i n a 5 5
simu lta neous exh i bition, had sacrificed a
a b c d e f g h 4 4
8 • 8 3 3
7 7 2 2
6 6 1 1
5 5 a c e g h [Il

4 4 It a ppea rs that Wh ite has successfu l ly

3 3
2 2
1 1
managed to thwa rt the i r adva nce with
Kn i g ht ta king the care of a-passer a nd
Ki ng the other. But with a b ri l l i a nt Pawn
a n d K n i g h t Sacrifi ce Black ensu res
promotion of h is a- pawn : 1 • • • • d 2 + ! 2.
Kxd 2 . Th is forced ca ptu re d rags the King
'Out of Sq u a re' . Now 2 Ne4+ deflects
• •••

the W hite's Knig ht, making it i m possi ble

a b c d e f g h rn to stop the a -pawn

PASSED PAWN 161 THE CHESS COURSE

 Test
a b c d e f h
8 8
1. White to PICly
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1 \.. ..!

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8 8
2. Black to Play
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. .)

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
8 8
3. White to Play
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2
1 1 '- ""'

a b c e f g h
THE CHESS COURSE 162 PASSED PAWN
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
BLACK
WHITE
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �
a c e g
a b c d e f h
5. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �
a c e g
a b c e
6. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 \.. ....I

a c e g
PASSED PAWN 1 63 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f
7. Wh ite to Play
8
r
7 Move
"""'

WHITE BLACK
No.
6
'
5
4
3
2
1 "' .J

a c e g
a b c d e f h
8. Black to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 " �

a b c d e f h
a b c d e f h
9. Black to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. ..J

a b c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 64 PASSED PAWN
 X-RAY ATTACK
The X-ay tactic i n Chess is derived from
the X- ray tech n ique used i n medica l
science - the detection techn iq ue used by
X-ray mach i ne to 'See Th rough' the body.
Similarly, i n Chess parlance , a n X-ray is
the attacki ng a nd d efensive a b i l ity of a
piece to 'See Th roug h ' and have a go at
the ' h idden squ a re i n d i rectly !
X-ray attack is used both i n attack a nd
defense . In attack, it ta rgets the less­
va l ua ble chessmen sta n d i ng beh i n d a
m o re - va l u a b l e p i e ce . It h a s a l so
defensive prowess of d efen d i n g its own
piece th rough one or more of the enemy
piece .
For pattern recog n ition pu rpose you have
to remem ber that X-ray attack can be
performed only by the Quee n , Rook a nd
Bishop.
To u ndersta nd th is rather com p l icated
defi n itio n , we ta ke the help of i l l ustration
i n diagra m 1 :
a b c d e f h 1
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 a
3
2 2
1 1
a c e f 9 h[I]
I n th is position between La rsen a nd
A n d e rsso n , Swed e n , 1 9 7 1 , W h i te ' s
Bishop h a s a n effect beyond its Rook o n
eS . Th is a l lowed Wh ite to l a u nch a mati ng
attack with :
1. Qh8+ ! ! Kxh8
2. Rxh S+ Kg8
3. Rh8#
In Sch u ltz - La u rens, Prenzla u 1 9 54,
( d iagra m 2) Black's Queen is attacki ng fl
X-RAY ATTACK
squ a re with the help of its Bishop on h3
but it seems that Wh ite has adeq uately
d efended th is sq u a re with its Rook on f2.
Now the see the penetrati ng action of
Black's Roo k on f8 : X-Ray on the fl
sq uare, passing th rough the Wh ite's Rook
on f2 . The vision is now clea r!
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1
a b c d e f 9 h�
1. ••• Qfl + !
2. Rxf1 Rxfl #
If you have u nderstood the basics of X­
Ray from the a bove exa m ples, the
position in d ia g ra m 3 between Pasman -
Macava ria n i , USSR 1 9 59 shou ld pose no
problems to you .
b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c d e f 9 h
rn
Wh ite's pawn on h7 has left the Black King
165 THE CHESS COURSE
 g8 sq u a re Rd6 QeB
I :: I I
i n a d ifficu lt position . If only the
was clea r for the Queen :
Rd7
1 1. I Rxg7! I Rxg7 I Black resig n ed .
The s i m ple Decoy.
1 2• I Qg s +! I
a b c d e f h
The Rook o n g1 is a pplying X- Ray. Black
8 8
Resig ns .
7 7
I n N ielse n - Geller, Stockhol m 1954
( Diagra m 4)
Black's Bishop on a6-f1 6 6
d iagonal hel ped h i m to ra i n blows with :
a b c d e f g h 5 5
8 8 4 4
7 7
3 3
6 6 2 2

5 5 1 1

4 4 a b c d e f g h [[J
A si m i la r latent X- ra y attack along the
3 3
d iagonal ca n a lso be seen i n the g a m e
between Ben ko a nd Jeney, Buda pest,
2 2 1949.
1 1
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h [IJ 8 8

1. . .. Rxc2!! 7 7
2. Qxc2 6 6
If 2. Rxc2? Qb1+
2. . .. Qxc1+! 5 5

3. Qxc1 Rxc1+ 4 4
4. Rf1 Rxf1# 3 3
A latent X- ray attack along the ra n k a s
w e l l as t h e d iagonal ca n be seen i n 2 2
Botvi n n i k - Vid m a r, N otti n g h a m 193 6 .
Wh ite's Queen is a pplying X- Ray attack o n
t h e B l a c k ' s Ro o k o n c8
with a
1 1
si m u lta neous X- ray attack of W h ite's fS a b c e
Rook o n the K n i g ht o n dS.
Using a Knight
sacrifi ce, W h ite was q u ickly a bl e to bust The Queen on b2attacks h i s cou nterpart
Black's bastion with successfu l X- ray on the f6sq ua re 'th ro u g h ' his K n i g ht on
d4.
1 1. I Nxf7! I Rxf7 I
attack. The g a me concluded : To concl ude the attack, W h ite in itiated
an excha nge sacrifi ce - 1.Rxd3! with
two-fold pu rpose : 1 ) Black's K n i g ht was
[ H e re 1 Kxf7 is not possible i n view of attacki ng W h ite's Queen . 2) To ri p open 'C'
2.Bxd5+ Ke8 3.Rxf6+-]
• • •

I 2. I Bxf6 I Bxf6 I
fi le to penetrate a nd d rive away Black's
King .
[ 2 Nxf6 is out of q uestio n a s the X- ray The ensu i ng va riation is easy to j u d ge :
attack 3.Rxf6 is even more q u icker]
• • •

cxd3 2.Ne6+ the cri p p l i ng Pin forces

fxe6
1 3. I RxdS I Qc6 I 3.Rc7+
Black to reca ptu re with Paw n :
a n d w i ns the Queen n ext m ove .
THE CHESS COURSE 166 X-RAY ATTACK
 Test
a b c d e f h
1. Black to Play
8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a c d e f h
2. White to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
a b c e f h
3. Black to Play
8 8
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 \. �
a c e g
X-RAY ATTACK 167 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h
4. B lack to Play
8 8
'
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..,I

a c e g
a b c d e f
5. Wh ite to Play
8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' ../
a c e g
a c d e f
6. Black to Play
8 8
r """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' ..,I
a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 68 X-RAY ATTACK
 ZWISC H E NZUG - TH E I NTE RM E DIATE MOVE
Zwischenzug (a German expression, with 2 fxe6 but he -is in for a su rprise !
•••

1 2. I Nc8+!! I
mea ning a n 'In- Between Move' or a n
'Intermed iate Move' ) 'is a Chess tactic i n
wh ich a player, instead o f playi ng the
n o rm a l ex pected m ove, p l a ys a n The Knig ht vacates the d6 sq uare for the
unexpected su rprising move that cha nges Queen !
the outcome of the game !
2. .. Rb/gxc8
.

Zwischenzug is normally i n the form of an 3. Qd6+ Ke8

unexpected Check, a dangerous th reat or
a ca ptu re which was not considered by the 4. cxb3
oppo nent in ca lcu lati ng h is seq uence of
va riation . As a resu lt the opponent's Our next exa m ple in d ia g ram 2 is from a
ca lcu lations & plans go hay-wi re, lead ing g a me between Rossetto - Sherw i n ,
to material loss or deterioration of the Portoroz 1 9 58 :
position . a b c d e f h
The fol lowi ng i l l ustrative exa mples will
8 8
help you in u nderstanding how th is tactic 7 7
work.
a b c d e f h 6 6
8 8 5 5
7 7 4 4
6 6 3 3
5 5 2 2
4 4 1 1
3 3 a b c d e f g h []]
2 W ith a view to si m pl ify the position, Wh ite
played 1. Bb4,
expecti ng the norma l
1 1 Rbl 2. Bxd6 Rxb3
conti n uation 1
3. Bxf4
• • • •

a b c d e f but if chess was that si m ple !

g
1. Bb4? Rbl
In the game between Wina nts - Suba,
Dubai Olympiad, 1986 (diagra m 1), Wh ite 2. Bxd6
i n itiated a bri l l ia nt Queen sacrifice with :

I 1 . I Qxes!!l It seems that Wh ite has m issed noth i ng so

fa r but, we have lea rnt that Zwischenzugs
a re ' Bolt from the Bl ue' .
Of cou rse, the ca ptu re of Queen forces a
checkmate in two sta rti ng with
Kf8 3.Rf3# .
2.Bg5+
To wa rd off the threat, Black
I f3+!! I
countered
Zwischenzug ! Wh ite "Oh . W hy had not I
1 Qxb3 . 1 thoug ht of this move". The pawn has to be
captu red otherwise White loses Rook for
He was expecti ng 2.axb3 so as to reply noth i ng .
ZWISCHENZUG - THE INTERMEDIATE MOVE 1 69 THE CHESS COURSE
 a seq u ence of excha nges , wh ich he
1 3. 1 Kxf3 1 Rxb3+ 1 expected to go someth i ng l i ke th is :

Black p icks u p Bishop with a Check

a b c d e f h
fol l owed by the ca ptu re of the Bishop on
d&. Wh ite ha ngs h is head i n resig nation . 8
a b c d e f h 7 7
8 8 6 6
7 5 5
6 6 4 4

5 5 3
4 4
2
3 1 1
2 a c e g h
m
1 1
"I ca ptu re h is Pawn on c7 with my Bishop,
a c e g h []J he ca ptu res my Bishop, my Roo k wi l l
ca ptu re h is b4 Bishop, h e ca n not ca ptu re
I n Euwe - Keres, H a g u e 1948 ( Diagra m 3) my Roo k with h i s Pawn as h i s own Rook on
Wh ite was u nder pressu re d ue to attack aS is ha n g i ng a n d I w i l l be a Pawn p l us".
on g2.He was expecti n g 1
• ••• for Rc2
wh ich 2. Bd2holds the fort but Black had The seq uence of exch a n ge went as per his
a nother way to w i n , the u nexpected : ca lculations :

I ReS! I 1. Bxc7 Rxc7

The Roo k ca n not be ca ptu red d u e to the
i m m i nent mate on g2.
1 2. 1 Qd2
2. QaS wou l d a l low Black to play the first
a ntici pated move - Rc2. Now comes the
stro ke .
1 2. 1 ...
I Rxd! I
Wh ite resig ns as 3. Rxcl Nf3+ l oses the
Queen w h i l e 3. h3 a lso evokes the sa me
Nf3+ rep ly.
We concl u d e th is section by havi ng a look
at one of th is su rprise from the g a m e
between Tu k - Assenova, D u b l i n , 1969 .
White has j u st ca ptu red a Pawn on
reach the positio n i n d i a g ra m 4,
i n itiati ng
2. Rxb4
And everyth i n g a p pea rs to be i n order. But
here Black has an ace up his sleeve !
L...--""-------- 1 RacS!! I
W h ite resig ns as there is no d efence
a g a i nst the d u a l th reat of mate o n andcl
t h e l oss o f h i s Roo k o n b4.
From the a bove exa m p l es we ca n eas i l y
concl ude t h a t Zwischenzug is rea l ly a
s u rp ri se m ov e . Fo r t h e a u d i e n ce
w i t n e ss i n g a g a m e b etwee n two
G ra nd masters, a su rprise m ove evokes
the sa me thri l l , as the u nexpected KO
c7
to
p u nch from one the Boxer i n a Box i n g
match , wh ich flattens h i s opponent !

THE CHESS COURSE 1 70 ZWISCHENZUG - THE INTERMEDIATE MOVE

 Test
a b c d e f h
1. B lack to Play
8 8
, "
7 7 Move
BLACK
WHITE
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1 \.. .)

h
2. White to Play
8 8
r �
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..I

a c e
a b c d e
3. Black to Play
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
ZWISCHENZUG - THE INTERMEDIATE MOVE 171 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
/ """'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \... �
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
5. Wh ite to Play
8 8
I' '
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. ..)

a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f h
6. Black to Play
8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \. �

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 72 ZWISCHENZUG - THE INTERMEDIATE MOVE
 DRAW BY RE P ETITIO N AN D STALEMATE
J u st i ma g i n e t h a t yo u h ave la n d ed i n a
hope l essly lost positio n . What wou l d you
do? O n e i d ea wou l d be to resi g n
i m med iately a nd go back to t h e co mfo rts
of h o m e . The 2nd i d ea - a n d the one w h ich
is ofte n adopted by the w i n n ers : • N ever
G ive u p• ! ! Try for a l a st • sw i n d l e • where i n
you trick you r o p po n e nt t o ach i eve a
d raw !
The re a re two ways to ' Sw i nd le' you r
o p po n e nt :
1 ) Perpetu a 1 C hecks
2) Sta l emate .
Let u s sta rt w i th ' Pe rpetu a l Checks' :
To u nd e rsta n d th i s tactic, we sha l l have a
l ook at the position ( d ia g ra m l )from the
g a m e between U nzicker a nd Averba kh ,
Swed e n , 1 9 5 2 :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g h iTJ
With a n overwhel m i ng m ate ri a l adva ntage,
W h ite was convi n ced that he was wi n n i ng all
the way but, Black h a d an ace u p h i s sl eeve !
1 1. I ... I Ng4! I
2 ... Qh2#
The sacrifice has to be a ccepted as B l a c k was
fo rci ng checkm ate in one with
1 2. 1 hxg4 1 1 Stalemate:
We see that B l a ck is a Rook down i n t h i s
positi o n howeve r ; the exposed Ki ng a l lows
Black a n ever e n d i ng seq uence of checks :
2. . . . Qf2+
3 . Kh1 Qh4+
4. Kg1 Qf2+
5. Khl Qh4+=
DRAW BY REPETmON AN D STALEMATE
Wh ite is not i n a .. position to ha lt checks
a n d h a d to co ntent with a d raw.
O u r n ext exa m pl e i n d ia g ra m 2
from
Kopayev - Vista netskis, Vi l n i us, 1 949 is a
s u perl ative effo rt by the Black to d raw the
g a m e fro m a very bad positio n :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h [IJ
1. . .. Qfl+!!
2. Kxfl Nxe3+
3. Ke2
3. Kg 1 a l l ows Black to recover the Q u ee n
w i t h a d i scovered a ttack o n t h e B i s h o p by
the Roo k . With the K n i g ht a lso a ttacki ng
the Roo k, It wou l d h a ve been a l l over for
W h ite . Now that e-fi l e is ope n , the Rook
on e& j o i ns the pa rty.
1 3 . 1 . .. I Nc4+
with perpetua l checks .
4. Kfl Ne3+
s. Ke2 Nc4+
Ba d is 4. Kd3?? Nxb2+
N o l ess att ractive is the a rt of Sw i n d le to
trick you r O p ponent i nto a ' Sta lemate ' !
We h a ve l e a rn t that a ' Sta l em ate ' is a
positi o n w h e n the p l ayer ' o n m ove' has no
l eg a l move and h is King is n ot i n C h eck .
The Sta lemate positi o n ren d e rs m ateri a l
co u nt m ea n i n g l ess a nd the g a m e i s
d ecla red a ' Draw' .
1 73 THE CHESS COURSE
Let us have a look at th is form of Swi ndle :
3).
h
(diagra m
a b c d e f
8 8 7 7
7 7 6 6
6 6 5 5
5 5 4 4
4 4 3 3
3 2 2
2 2 1 1
1 1
a b c e f
a b c d e f g h []] L.I 2_..- . "--1__.
• • _ I_Rx_h_B__..
.......

Sta lemate !
In Koberl - Ti pa ry, Budapest 1 9 5 5 it We concl ude th is section with a position
appea rs that Black will easily rom p home
from game between Heinz - Kruschwitz,
with h is Rook, Knight a nd mass of pawns
agai nst Wh ite's Queen a nd a pawn . But 195 1 (diagra m 5)
where Black manages
look ca refu lly, W hite King has no legal to save the game from a hopelessly lost
h4.
h
move excepti ng at Only if that sq u a re position :
ca n be vol u ntari ly closed and the Queen is a b c d e f
sacrificed , he ca n save a vita l h a lf poi nt.
The savi ng g race was not difficult to spot. 8 8
White d ecoyed the Black Ki ng to close the
h4 sq uare with a bea utifu l sacrifice of the 7 7
h ig hest order:

1 1 · 1 QgS+!! I KxgS I 6 6
2 . Sta lemate 5
" Better l uck next ti me" Wh ite wished the 4 4
3 3
dejected Black player.
In Znosko-Borovsky - Salwe, Ostend
1907 (d iagra m 4)
Black th reatens mate in
one. Wh ite seems lost d ue to im mobi l ity
2 2
of h is Rook . But the fact that Black's Roo k 1 1
is also bad ly placed on the a-fi le (with the
mati ng a 1 sq u a re u nder cover after pawn a c e f
is promoted by W hite on hS
sq uare)
al lowed W h ite to salvage half a poi nt with : Black sta rted sacrificing a l l of h i s movable
1. RaS! Rxa S properties !

2. hS=Q! 1. .. g3+!
.

2 . Qxg3 Qg1+!!
The new Qu een is born to d ie i m med i ately
but not before saving her King . Note that
3. Kxg1
Queen controls the mating sq uare on a l . Stalemate !

THE CHESS COURSE 1 74 DRAW BY REPETITION AND STALEMATE

 Test
a b c d e f g h
1. White to Play & Draw
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �
a c e
a b c d e h
2. White to Play & Draw
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 "' ...1

a c e g
a b c d e g h
3. Black to Play & Draw
8 8
, ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .)

a c e g
DRAW BY REPETITION AND STALEMATE 175 THE CHESS COURSE
 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play & Draw
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1 1 \. �

a c e
a c d e h
5. White to Play & Draw
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. �

a c e g
a b c d e h
6. Black to Play & Draw
8 8
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
THE CHESS COURSE 1 76 DRAW BY REPETITION AND STALEMATE
 a b c d e f g h
8 8
7. White to Play & Draw
r """
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..j
a b c e g
a b c d e f h
8 8
8. Black to Play & Draw
r ""
7 7 Move
No. WHITE BLACK

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \... �

a c e
a c e
8 8
9. White to Play & Draw
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3
2 2
1 1 \.. ..j
a c e f g
DRAW BY REPETITION AND STALEMATE 177 THE CHESS COURSE
 SMOTHE RED MATE

One of the checkmati ng fi na le, wh ich Fin a l positio n i n diagra m 2:

every chess player wou ld l i ke to ach i eve
once in a l ife ti me, is to i nfl i ct a
'Smothered M ate' o n h i s opponent!
8 8
7 7
A 'Smothered Mate' is delivered by a
Kn i g ht i n which the King i n Check is
devoid of a ny breath i ng space as it is
surrou nded by his own Chessmen ! 6 6
The Smothered Mate has been known
since ti me i m memori a l and was even 5 5
descri bed i n the fi rst book o n Chess
' Repetition of Love and the Art of Playing 4 4
Chess' , publ ished way back i n 1497 by
one of the ea rl iest Chess masters from 3 3
Spa i n , Lu is Ram i rez De Lucena ( 1465-
1 530) . But the position in diagra m 1 is 2 2
cred ited to P h i lidor a nd is known as
' Ph i l i d o r' s Leg a cy ' beca u se of h i s 1 1
i mmense contri bution o n this su bject.
a b c d e f g h
8 • 8 O u r next position i n this section dea ls with

7 £7
a wel l - known tra p i n Buda pest Defense,
wh ich leads to Smothe red Mate :

6 6 1. d4 Nf&

5 5 2. c4 eS!?

I ntrod ucing the ' Buda pest Defense' -

4 4 popu la rized i n the year 1 9 1 7 by the Chess
3 3 Masters from Buda pest, Istva n Abonyi
( 1 886 - 1 942 ) , Gyu la Breyer ( 1 893-
2 2 192 1 ) and Zsi gm ond Ba raz ( 1 878- 1935),
t h i s open i ng i s a s u rp rise wea pon
1 1 employed by Black a g a i n st 1 .d4. Try this if
you have a strong heart a nd enjoy
a c e g h [I] adventu rism !
In this position, with correct conti n uation, 3. dxeS Ng4
Wh ite can smother h is opponent i n five
moves : 4. Bf4 Ne&
1 1. I Qe& + I KhS 5. Nf3 Bb4+
If 1 . • • • Kf8?? 2 . Qf7# I
6. Nbd 2 Qe7
2. Nf7 + Kg8 7. a3 NgxeS
3. Nh&+ !
8. axb4??
The Dou ble Discovered Check does the
Catastrophic! Correct is S. NxeS Nxes
trick!
9 • e3
1 8• I I Nd3# I
3. ... Kh8
.. .

4. Qg8+ ! ! Rxg8
Diag ra m 3
5. Nf7#
THE CHESS COURSE 1 78 SMOTHERED MATE
 a b c d e f h 3. Bh5+
net fol lowed by

8 8 1 2• I Kgl! I I
The King is perfectly safe on th is sq uare as
7 7 there are no fu rther checks .

6 6 1 2. I ... I Kxd7 I
If 2 Bxd7 3. Bg4+ Kf7 4. NeS+ etc .
• •••

5 5
Materi a l eq u a l ity has been restored at last,
4 4 but Wh ite's pieces have suddenly become
m enaci ngly active !
3 I 3. I Nc5+ I Kc8
3
The Queen is lost if: 3 Kd6 4. Qg3+
2 2
Kds· 5. Bc4+! Kxc4 6. Qb3+ Kxc5 7.
• •••

1 Qa3+ If 4 Ke7 5. Qe5+ Kf7 6. Bc4+

1 • •••

Kg6 7. Bd3+ Kh6 8. Qh2+ fol l owed by 9 .

a b c d e f g Ne&+
h rn

The concept of S mothered Mate ca n be

4. Ba6+ Kb8
u nderstood better by studyi ng the chess 5. Qg3+ Ka8
com position of Alexa nder Seletesky, 1933
with Wh ite to p lay a n d w i n ( d iag ra m 4).
6. Bb7+! Bxb7
D u b bed as t h e ' G e m ' of c h e ss
com position, this study is Kaspa rov's
7. Nd7!!
favou rite ! A crush i ng blow ! Mate i s th reatened by 8.
·

a b c d e f g h Nb6 a long w ith the th reat of 8. Nxf8. The

Black Queen is n ow tied to the d efense of
the ra n k beca use of the th reatened 8.
8 8 Qg8#
7 7 7. . .. Qd8
6 6 8. Qb8+!! Qxb8
9
.
Nb&#
5 5 Fa ntastic ! The g reat Ph i l idor left for h is
heave n ly a bode i n 1795 but h e re we fi nd
4 4 h i s s p i rit roving ! ! Long l i ve Ph i l idor's

3 3
l egacy ! ( d iag ra m 5).
a b c d e f h
2 2 8
1 1 7 7
a b c d e f g h [1]
6 6
Black a p pea rs to be hea d i n g for materi a l
eq u a l ity as t h e Wh i te's Pawn on is d7 5 5
ci rcled however; Black n eeds some ti me
to ca ptu re this pawn . Th is al lows Wh ite to
lau nch a d ead ly mati ng attack:
4 4
1 1 I QgS! I
•
I 3 3
With the threat of promotion, 2. d8=Q!
2 2
1 1. I . I Ke6+ I 1 1
B l a c k is p revented fro m ach ievi n g
. .

materi a l eq u a l ity with 1 Bxd7? as 2.

• •••

Nf4! catches the Black King i n a mati ng a c e g h [ID

S M OTHERED MATE 1 79 THE CHESS COURSE
 Test
a b c d e f h

8 8
1. White to Play
r ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 ' �

a c e g
a b c d e

8
2. White to Play
7
/ """
7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1 ' .)

a c d e f g h
a b c d e f h

8 8
3. Black to Play
, ""
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 " �

a b c d e f g h

THE CHESS COURSE 1 80 SMOTH ERED MATE

 a b c d e f h
4. White to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a b c d e g
a b c d e f h
5. White to Play
8 8
r "
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6
5 5
4
3 3
2 2
1 1 \.. .J

a c e g
a b c d e f g h
6. Black to Play
8 8
r ""'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' �

a c e g
SMOTHERED MATE 181 THE CHESS COURSE
 WIN DM I LLS
Windmills: I 2. I Re7+ KfS
I n layman's term a Wind m i l l is an engine Black Ki ng is devoid of any breath i ng
powered by the energy of wind . Similarly, space !
the Wind m i l l tactic i n Chess is a series of
Checks th roug h wh ich the player on
1 3. 1 Rxb7+ 1
offensive is able to infl ict g reat da mage on The Discovered Check !
3 · .. . KeB
.1 4 . 1. Re7+! I.
h i s opponent. Th is series of alternati ng
Checks a re in the form of ' Normal Check'
fol lowed by 'Discovered Check' , fol lowed 'The Normal Check' !
by a nother ' N ormal Check' and so on . I n
KfB
short, W i nd m i l ls a re Checks without
brakes !
U n l i ke perpetua l check, wh ich is basica l ly
IThe:: Discovered
I bh7+ 1 Check ! I
I :: I �hS I I KeB
used to secu re a d raw, Wind m i l l attack
al lows material gain with each repetition
of Checks .
For a Wind m i l l to be successfu l , it req u i res The wind force has now su bsided and the
at least two pieces to work. Th roug h a vision is clea r! Wh ite has ach ieved
series of forci ng Checks, these two Pieces su periority in material .
devoid the defending player's King of any A sma l l wind m i l l ca n a lso be seen i n 'Game
breath i ng space ! The king has no option of the 20th Centu ry' between the XI World
but to move back and forth between two Chess Cha m pion, Robert Ja mes Fischer
and Donald Bryne, New York, 1956 .
v u l nera ble positions, a l lowi ng the player
on offensive to i nfl ict losses galore !
( Diagra m 2)
a b c d e f g h
Let us u ndersta nd this tactic with a simple
i l l ustration ( Diag ra m 1) from a game 8
•
between Antu nac - H u bder, Dresden,
1969 : 7
a b c d e f h

8 8 6

7 7 5

4
6 6

5 3

4 2
4
1
3 3
a c e g
2 2 H aving offered h is Queen the previous
move, you ng Bobby pressed accelerator
1 1 hard :
a c d e f g h [I) 1. ... Bxc4+
2. Kg1 Ne2+
Black has got material adva ntage and is
hoping to convert the sa me i nto a victory.
3. Kf1
He is hoping for exchange of Queens so as and now the M i l l is set i n motion !
to bri ng some co-ordi nation a mongst his 3. . .. Nxd4+
badly placed pieces . 4. Kg1 Ne2+
However, Wh ite fi nds a h i g h ly orig inal way
to u n leash a tornado on Bl ack :
s. Kf1 Nc3+
11 . I Rc7!! I QxhS I 6. Kg1
Fi nal ly, when noth ing was left with Wh ite,
1 .... Qg6 a l lows 2 . Re7+ fol lowed by 3 . which could be ta ken, Bobby d i gested the
6 . ... axb&
Rxe6+! Bishop .
THE CHESS COURSE 182 WINDMILLS
 Test
a b c d e f h
1. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " ..I

a b c e
a b c e f h
2. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 ' ..,;

a c e
a c d e f
3. White to Play
8 8
r "'
7 7 Move
WHITE BLACK
No.
6 6
5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1 " �

a c e g
WINDMILLS 183 THE CHESS COURSE
 THE E N DGAM E
The game of Chess has th ree phases :
ope n i ng , m iddle-game a nd the endgame.
As I have put ea rl ier, there is no d efin ite
l i ne of demarcation between the midd le­
game a nd the end-ga me, the game is said
to have reached the endgame when only
few pieces (accord i n g to the g reat chess
theoreticians - less tha n five besides
Ki ng) a re left on the chessboa rd .
This norma l ly ha ppens after captu res and
excha nges, wh ich is witnessed i n the
middle-ga me.
·
With few pieces left on the chessboa rd ,
we see a d ifferent strategy a ltogether:
1. The player having the superiority of
material (even an adva ntage of single
pawn) sha l l strive for exchange of
pieces a nd, · will avoid exchange of
Pawns.
2 . S u bseq uently, the player shal l strive to
create a ' Pass' Pawn so as to g a i n a
decisive adva ntage.
3 . The King, wh ich needs to be protected
from heavy fi ri ng i n the midd le-game,
assumes su preme powers to lead from
the front i n the end-game stage.
4 . Once the promotion ta kes place, the
appl ication of elementary checkmati ng
tech n i q u e en s u re a win in the
endgame.
Si nce the endgame is subject to exact
ana lysis, its theory, as against the theory
of chess open ings, has a lways rem a ined
consta nt.
Th e refo re , w e ca n co n c l u d e t h a t
endgame is noth i ng but ru les, ru les a n d
ru les ! !
For this, the chess fraternity is indebted
to o u r g reat ch ess m a ste rs a n d
t h eo ret i c i a n s w h os e i m m e n se
contri bution has hel ped us to secu re a n
adeq uate g rasp needed for accu rate
hand l i n g w h i le learn i ng and as wel l i n the
practica l play.
THE CHESS COURSE
In the earl ier stage of our lea rning, we
have covered endgames in the form of
' Elementary Checkmates' (The Chess
Course : Pag e 30-4 1 ) . In th is section, I wi l l
i ntrod uce you to the fol lowi ng basic
endg a me positions :
1 . The concept of 'Opposition'
2. Berg er's Ru le of the Square
3 . King a n d Pawn Endi ngs
4. Bishop a nd Pawn versus King
5 . Knight a nd Pawn versus King
6 . Queen versus Pawn
7. Knight versus Pawn
8 . Roo k versus Pawn
9 . Queen versus Roo k
1 0 . Phi l idor's ' Drawn ' Position
1 1 . Lucena 's ' W i n n i n g ' Position
The fol lowi n g tra in i ng methods a re
suggested to u ndersta nd th is seg ment of
the boo k :
1 . Once the tra i ner h a s explai ned the
chapter, m a ke a poi nt that you have
a bsorbed its concepts a nd u nderlying
pri nci ples.
2. We have seen that the theory on
endga mes remains consta nt as such ;
m a ke a poi nt to u ndersta nd a l l the ru les
a ppl ica ble to master the basic pa rt of
such end ings.
3 . Once you have understood the ru les
govern ing the endga mes, make a poi nt
to go throug h the exa m ples presented
in the book.
4. Next, you will be req u i red to play
tra i n i ng games for the g iven positions
with colour reversed . This will make
you u ndersta nd as to whether you have
abso rbed the pri nciples .
5 . Make a poi nt to ana lyse the endgames
played by you i n the tou rna ment or
tra i n i ng ga mes so that you ca n
u ndersta nd you r tech nique.
Good luck! !
1 84 THE ENDGAME
 O P POSITIO N

I n this section we shall lea rn the Diag ra m 1 a nd 2 shows the exa mple of a
'Opposition' tech nique, wh ich comes into 'Vertica l' & Horizonta l ' Opposition .
play by both the Ki ngs d u ri ng the a b c d e f g h
8 8
endg ame stage .

7
In the previous page we had seen that the
pri me objective in the endgame is ' Pawn

6
Pro m oti o n .' Th i s o bjective ca n be
achieved by penetrati ng into the enemy's
side a nd obta i n i ng control of the ' Key'
promotion sq uare .

Th is i s where the role of Kings comes i nto

picture . The Kings will not only look to
4
occu py i m porta nt sq uares but also to

2
d rive each other away from the vita l
sq uares .

Since the ru les of the game do not al low

the King to approach each other d i rectly,
but m ust always be sepa rated by at least
1
��������
a b c e -- ��
g
--h iTJ
�
1

one sq uare, the occu pation of the sq uares

is determ i n ed by the Pawn position and
Vertical Opposition
by the position of the King . Of these a b c d e f g h
%� 8
positions, the critica l one is where both
the Kings a re at the shortest possi ble . � �
- - - 7
d ista nce of one sq uare between them .
Th is is ' Opposition'.

Definition of 'Opposition': - - - �6
When both the Kings are sta n d i ng on the 5
� - - - 5
sa me li ne (either on the Fi le, Ra n k or
Diagona l ) , sa me colou red sq uare a nd 4 -�- � 4
3� - - - 3
sepa rated by a n odd n u m ber ( 1 , 3, 5 ) of
sq uares they are sa id to be i n 'Opposition'

Types of'Opposition': 2 - - - �2
Ba s i ca l l y th e re
Opposition :
a re two ty pes of 1
� - - -
1. Direct Opposition c
a e f
b d g
2. Indirect Opposition Horizontal Opposition
The types of Opposition fa l l i n g u nder
Direct Opposition a re : The type of Opposition u nder I n d i rect
g roups a re :
Vertical Opposition: Diagonal Opposition:
When both the Kings a re sta n d i ng on the
When both the Kings are sta nd i ng on the
sa me fi le, sa me-coloured sq uare a n d
sepa rated b y 1 -sq uare . sa me d iagona l .

Horizontal Opposition: Distant Opposition:

When both the Kings a re sta nd i ng a t a
When both the Kings a re sta nd i n g on the
sa me ra n k, sa m e-colou red sq uare and d ista nce of 3/5 sq uares on the sa me
sepa rated by 1 - sq uare . fi le/ra n k .

OPPOSITION 185 THE CHESS COURSE

 3 4
Diagram and shows the exam ple of a sq uares. If he moves to : 1 White Kd&,
e&
. . .

'Diagonal ' & 'Distant' Opposition . takes control of square by penetrating

to : 2.Kf5
Usual ly, the ' Diagon a l ' o r ' Dista nt'
Oppositi on may cha ng e to ' D i rect' If the Black King prefers to move
Opposition . 1
backwa rds say, • • • Kf7 White ca n once
a b c d e f h aga in gain Opposition by moving to 2.
KfS .
8 8 We say that White is 'Ga i ni ng ' Opposition
7 7 whereas Black is said to be 'Losing '
Opposition'
6 6 Thus, everything is upside down in
5 5 endgames!
4 4
3 3 a b c d e f h
2 2 8 8
1 1

h rn
7 7
a b c d e g
Diagonal Opposition 6 6
a b c d e f g h 5 5
8 8 4 4
7 7 3 3
6 6 2 2
5 5
1 1
4 4
a c e g h rn
3 3

2 2 In d iag ram 5 Black is on the move and he

is req u i red to cede control of one of the
1 1 squa res . If he moves to : 1 . . Kd&,
Wh ite
e&
.

ta kes control of sq uare by penetrati ng

a c e h
g to : 2.Kf5
Distant Opposition m
'Gaining' or 'Losing' Opposition If the Black King prefers to move
1
backwards say, • • • Kf7 Wh ite ca n once
It ca n be seen from the above positions aga i n gain Opposition by moving to 2.
that side on the move has to cede one of KfS .
the two ( presumably vita l ) squares he is
We say that Wh ite is 'Ga i n i ng ' Opposition
holding, al lowing the other side to ga i n
whereas Black is sa id to be ' Losi ng'
control of the sq uares, wh ich was hitherto Opposition'
control led by the King who was on the
move. Thus, everything is upside down in
Th us, when both the Kings are in endgames!
Opposition :
THE CHESS COURSE 1 86 OPPOSmON
 BERG E R'S RU LE OF TH E SQUARE :

Normal ly, a si ngle Pawn aga i nst the lone This method has been devised by the
King needs the support of its own King to Austrian player, Johann Berger ( 1845-
reach the Queen ing sq uare. However, i n 1933) wherein he suggested i magin ing a
certa i n positions the Pawn can promote sq uare as detai led :
una ided if the opposi ng King is not in a
position to catch the Pawn . Let us try to Berger's Rule of the Square:
understa nd such positions as g iven i n
Diagram 1: Draw a sq uare on the board usi ng the
d istance from the Pawn to the eig hth rank
a b c d e f g h a �d then to the side . If the hostile Ki ng is
outside the sq uare the Pawn ca nnot be
8 8 ca ug ht.
7 7 Let us understa nd this ru le by going back
6 6 to d iagra m 1:
a b c d e f h
5 5
8 8
4 4
7 7
3 3
6 6
2 2
5 5
1 1
a b c d e f g h [IJ 4 4
3 3
White has an elementa ry win in the game
if the Pawn on g3
ca n Queen. However, 2 2
before deciding the push, he wi l l ca lcu late
w h et h e r the Pa wn ca n rea ch g8 1 1
unassisted by h is king and before the a c e g h [IJ
opposi ng king ca n captu re or block it. His
calculation would go someth ing l i ke th is : The Wh ite Pawn is on g3
sq ua re. The
1. g4 Kb4 Queening square is g8.
So the d ista nce
from g3 g8
to is 6 sq uares . Now extend
2. gS KcS this l i ne by 6 sq uares to the side so as to
complete the squa re . So, the 4-sides of
3. g6 Kd6 the sq uare are now from :
4. g7 Ke7 1) g3 to g8
s. gS=Q 2) g8 to b8
3) b8 to b3
J ust in nick of time I
4) b3 to g3
However, without resorting to a l l th is long After determ i ning the sq uare, fi nd out
ca lcu lations, a simple ' Rule of the Sq uare' whether the hosti le King is inside or
ca n be used to determ ine if a pawn ca n be outside the sq uare . If he is inside the
promoted unaided without the hel p of its sq uare, he ca n catch the Pawn . If it is
King . outside, he can not stop the Queen i ng .
BERGER'S RULE OF THE SQUARE : 1 87 THE CHESS COURSE
In the i nsta nt positio n , the Black King is
on a3 is outside the squ a re a nd therefore
ca nnot catch it. W hite will si m ply play
1.g4 and the sq u a re has now beco mes
smaller, it o n ly stretches as fa r as : .
g4-g8-c8-c4
However, if Black is on the move, he can
play his King to b3
and at once enter the
sq uare and easily overta ke the Pawn .
Please ma ke a note that we have
measu red the d ista nce from Pawn to the
end (g3 g
to S) however; if the Pawn is
sta nd i ng on its i n itial starting sq uare ( n ot
yet moved) , the ' Sq u a re' is to be
measured from the next sq uare (so as to
account its 2-sq u a re advance) .
The refo re , i n d ia g ra m 2, we wi l l
determi ne the sq uare from b3
sq u a re as
the b2 pawn is on its origi na l sq uare a nd
has retai ned the right to adva nce by 2
sq uares :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1
a c e g
3 b8
1 ) b to
2) bS to gS
3) g8 to g3
4 ) g3 to b3
The knowledge of this ru le helps us i n
deciding that :
THE CHESS COURSE
1 . If the opposing King is with i n the
'Square' or ca n enter the 'Square' ( if he
is on the move ) , the Pawn ca n not go
u na ided a nd would be captu red .
2 . However, if the opposi ng King is not
with i n th is ' Sq uare' or ca n n ot enter the
'Square' ( if he is on the move ) , the
Pawn ca n go u na ided a nd ca n be
pro moted .
In d iagra m 2 we note that the Black King
is on a3
a nd hence, is outside the ' Sq u a re'
and therefore ca n not stop the Pawn from
Queeni n g . H owever, on move, he can
enter the 'Sq uare' a nd is i n a position to
catch the Pawn .
S i m i l a rly, i n diagra m 2 Black King on hS is
outside the 'Sq u a re' a nd therefore ca n not
stop the Pawn . H owever, on move, he can
enter the ' Sq u a re'
Once we acq u i re the knowledge of this
ru le, we develop confidence to play such
end i ngs comforta bly. To i l l ustrate th is, we
ta ke the position (diagra m 4)
from the
game between Seligo - Von Heydebra nd ,
Berl i n , 1 837 :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h [i]
Black played ..• l fS!
without hesitation
thoug h h is g6
Pawn is without protection
because its ca ptu re wi l l d rag the Wh ite
King out of Berger's Sq uare .
1 88 BERGER'S RULE OF THE SQUARE :
 KI NG AN D PAWN E N DINGS
a b c d e f h
By now you must have u nderstood that if 8 8
the defending Ki ng is with i n the squ a re or
ca n enter the sq uare, the Pawn can be 7 7
caug ht. As such , the Pawn can not go
6 6
unaided and needs to be escorted by its
King . Here now the win is determi ned by 5 5
the position of the Kings and who has got
the Opposition . 4 4

3 3
The end ings a rising i n the King + Pawn
versus Ki ng a re subject to exact rules 2 2
and, in order to play accu rately you need
to master the rules. Once you have got 1 1
g rasp of the King's positions and ru les, a b c d e f g h
you will be in a position to determine the King 1 square in front of the Pawn
exact outcome of the game just by a b c d e f g h
looki n g at the position I
8 8
I sha l l now acq u a i nt you with the
7 7
fol lowing 4- positions of the King of
stronger side (the side having the Paw n ) 6 6
a nd t h e ru les thereof:
5 5

1. King behind the Pawn 4 4

2. King 1-square in front of the Pawn 3 3
3. King 2-squares in front of the
Pawn 2 2

4. King on the 6th rank in front of the 1 1

Pawn a g h
King 2 squares i n front of the Pawn
a b c d e f h a b c d e f g h
8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1
a c e g a c e g h
King beh i nd the Pawn King on the 6tt. in front of the Pawn

KING AND PAWN ENDINGS 1 89 THE CHESS COURSE

Let us now try to u ndersta nd each of the We have reached a crucial phase i n th is
positions : end in g ! Now both the Kings a re on the
'King Behind the Pawn' same fi le, standing on the same colour
Rule: Always a Draw and sepa rated by one square . The concept
of Opposition states that the side which is
a b c d e f g h
on the move ' Loses the Opposition ' . Since
8 8 Black is o n the move, h e l oses the
opposition and is req u i red to retreat. He
7 7 has o ption of three sq uares : & c8, d8 e8.
Of the options ava i la ble, two a re wrong
6 6 and only one is correct. If he chooses the
correct one, he d raws . If he chooses either
5 5 of the two w rong sq uares, he loses !
4
3 3 The correct squ a re ! Note that • • • • 7 Kc8??
7 Ke8??
and • • • • loses at once to S.Kc&l
2 2 and S.Ke&l
by taking the opposition . With
the text move, Black is read y to face the
1 1 White Ki ng !
���----��������
h []] l a· I Ke6 I KeBI I
\ Got the idea? Yes - to ta ke the o ppositio n .
The position with ' Ki ng beh i nd the Paw n ' N o w White is on t h e move and therefo re,
is always a d raw. White can not win th is to mainta i n opposition he has no other
position u n less Black wa nts to lose ! option but to play :
To d raw, the defending King should 9. d7+ Kd8 1
adhere to the fol lowing ru les :
10. Kd6 Stalemate
1. When losing Opposition, move Before ma ki ng the fi nal Pawn adva nce,
back straight. White ca n try 9. KeS but Black ca n easily
2. Face the adversary by gaining dOpposition
raw if he remem bers to ta ke the
Opposition at every possible to the sixth rawhenever White King moves
opportunity nk.

3. When in Check, create a blockade 'King 1-Square in Front of the Pawn'

in front of the Pawn. a b c d e f h
Let us exa mine the moves (diagra m 5)
with Black t o play, wh ich m eans he i s
8 8
losing Opposition . 7 7
1. .. . Kd61 6 6
2. Ke4 Ke61
5 5
3. d5+ Kd61
4 4
Black is fol lowing the aforesa id 3-ru les to
hamper White's progress ! 3 3
4. Kd4 Kd71 2 2
5. Ke5 Ke71
1 1
6. d6+ Kd71
a c e g
7. Kd5

THE CHESS COURSE 190 KING AND PAWN ENDINGS

Rule: a b c d e f h
Win with Opposition
White to play: Draw, 8 8
Black to play: White Wins 7 7
Since the defending King is not i n a
position to block Pawn's prog ress, the 6 6

6).
resu lt depends enti rely on the Opposition
(diagram 5 5
If it is Black to move, he loses the
Opposition a nd , the game ! 4 4
Ke7
I !: I ;�6Kc7
If 1 • • • •
I I
the resu lt is same with other
3

2
3

2
way a round 2. Ke&. 1 1
a c e g

Taking Opposition With the King two squares i n front of h is

3. . .. Ke8 Pawn (diagra m 8),
victory is guaranteed
4. Kc7! Ke7 for the su perior side even without
opposition !
5. dS The extra Paw n move gains back the
The Pawn is on the fast track. There is no Opposition for Wh ite if he is on the move :
stopping !
What is the resu lt if Wh ite is on the move?
1. d4 Ke7
Wel l , noth ing more tha n a d raw, si nce 2. Kc& Kd8
Black has Opposition. 3. Kd6 Ke8
a b c d e f h
4. Kc7 Ke7
8 8 5. dS KeS
7 7
6. d6
If Wh ite has the Oppositio n ( Black is on
6 6 the move) the win is even easier and ca n
be ach ieved by outfla n ki ng his counter­
5 5 pa rt and push i ng the Pawn (diagram 9) :
a b c d e f g h
4 4
8 8
3 3
7 7
2 2
6 6
1 1

a b c d e g h [ZJ 5 5

1. KeS Ke7! 4 4

2. dS Kd7 3 3
And we reach the previous position : ' Ki ng
2 2
behind the Pawn', which is always a d raw .
'King 2-squares in Front of the Pawn' 1 1
Rule: Always a Win
Opposition does not matter a c e g h
m
KING AND PAWN ENDINGS 19 1 THE CHESS COURSE
 1. . .. Ke7 1 . King is beh ind the Pawn
Rule: Always a Draw.
2. Kc6 Ke& 2. King is one square i n front of the Pawn
3. d4! Ke7 Rule: Wins with Opposition .
4. dS Kd8 3 . Ki ng two or more sq uares i n front of h is
s. Kd6! Pawn
Rule: Always a win .
No 6 . d6? please, g ifti ng half-a-point. 4 . K i n g on the 6th Ran k in front of h i s Pawn
KeB Rule: Always a wi n .
I I �
:: ��7 I Rook Pawn Exception:
every ru le has its exceptions, the Rook
'King on the 6· Rank in Front of the As Pawns a re exceptions to Ru le 2, 3 & 4.
Pawn'
Rule: Always a Win The game sha ll end i n a d raw if the
Opposition does not matter defend i ng King is able to occupy the
Queen i ng sq uare .
a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8
8
7 7
7
6 6
6
5 5
5 5
4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2

1 1 1 1
a b c e g h [!QJ a c e g

As l i ke previous position, opposition

doesn't matter position with King on the
In diagram 11
the King is 2-sq ua res in
front of the Pawn . However the resu lt is
6 th Ra nk in front of h is Pawn, . nothing more than a d raw!
In d iag ram 10White's loses Opposition
1. Kb6 Kb8
si nce it is his tu rn to move however; it
doesn't make any d ifference i n the end
resu lt - White wins ! ! 2. aS Ka8
1. Ke6 Ke8 3. a6 Kb8
2. d6 Kd8 4. a7+ KaS
3. d7 Kc7 5. Ka6 Stalemate
4. Ke7 The game is a lso a d raw even if the
Summing up the above ill ustrations, the defendi ng Ki ng is not able to occu py the
fu nda menta l ru les for King and Pawn Queen i ng Square . By si mply control l i ng
versus King is : N- 1 or N-2 square (b1/b2/g1/g2 for

THE CHESS COURSE 192 KING AND PAWN ENDINGS

Wh ite a nd b7/b8/g7/g8for Black), the
defending side is assured of the d raw
(diagra m 12) :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 will end i n d raw however; Black is not i n a
2 2
Th is is the easiest of position for the
su perior sid e . The con nected Pawns
ensu re a win even if its King is far away
from the scene of action .
The on ly basic ru le to be kept i n m i nd is
not to a dva nce the Pawn - keep them one
ra n k apart - u ntil the King is in a position
to su pport them .
I n diagra m 13the Wh ite King on h1
needs
4-moves to reach d3 to protect so as to
protect its c4Pawn . Whereas, the Black
King ca n si m p ly attack it on its fi rst move
with 1 . ... KcSIt a ppea rs that the Pawns
wi l l fa ll to the hosti le King and the g a me
position to ca ptu re the c4
Pawn :

1 1
1. . .. KcS
2. Kg2 Kxc4?
g
3. b6
1. Kf3 Kh2 And , it's a race wh ich Black ca n never wi n !
2. Kf2 h3 If Black decide agai nst ca ptu re of the
3. Kf1 Kh1 Pawn on the 2nd move (2 ... Kxc4},
the
Wh ite King wi l l j ust approach a nd escort it
4. Kf2 h2 to the last ra n k .

Stalemate ! King against Disconnected Pawns:

(One file apart)
Of cou rse, Black ca n get out of the corner Rule: Always a Win
3 . ... Kg3
by playing but this a l lows W h ite
Basica l l y the ' D isco n n ected ' pawns
4.Kg1
a hid i ng sq uare i nto the corner ( popularly referred to as 'Split' Pawns) a re
h2+ S.Kh1 Kh3 a nd holds! considered to be wea k if its King is not i n a
position to protect them i m med iately.
King against Connected Pawns: H owever, these Pawns (one file apa rt) a re
Rule: Always a Win i n a position to defend each other
(d iagra m 14) :
a b c d e f h a b c d e f h
8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1
a c e g
[H)
KING AND PAWN ENDINGS 193 THE CHESS COURSE
 1. . .. KcS 1 b&! If now 2. axb& axb&! or if 2.
• •••

cxb6 cxb6!
2. aS! Kc&
2 . Kxc4?? and the a-Pawn
• • • slips a b c d e f h
th roug h
8 8
3. Kg3! Kb7
4. cS Ka& 7 7

5. c&! Ka7 6 6
6. Kf4 Kb8 5 5
7. a& Kc7
8. a7 4 4

Ending with several Pawns: 3 3

a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
Though such position (d iag ram 15)is
ra re i n tou rna ment practice, w e sh a l l
have a look a t the winn ing pattern , wh ich
is rea l ly i nstructive !
An Ita l ia n Chess player, Ca rlo Cozio
( 1 7 1 5 - 1 780 ) , d emonstrates win for
2 2
1 1
a c e g
�
The Concept of Triangulation:
We conclude this section by lea rning the
concept of 'Triangulation'. Th is tech nique
is used by the side havi ng access to more
n u m ber of squ a res so as to gain
adva ntage .
Let us u ndersta nd this techn iq ue with the
help of an i l l ustration in d iagra m 17.Th is
position is just a m i rror i mage of the ga me
between Lev Alburt and Ga rry Kaspa rov,
1978 wherein Black won the end i ng with
th is technique!
Wh ite is a Pawn up and seems head ing
towa rds victory. But the problem is that
a b c d e f h

1 1. 1 b& n I
Wh ite i n a perfect symmetrica l position !
8 8
I
1. . .. cxb&
Now Black has a choice of two ca ptu res. 7 7

2. a&! bxa& 6 6

3. c& 5 5
With th is double Pawn sacrifice Wh ite
4 4
1 axb&
clears the way for his c- Pawn .
If • • • • then 2. c&
wins with the
3 3
sa me idea .
The i m portant cond ition for this wi nning 2 2
idea to ta ke place : the defend i ng King
shou ld be 'Out of the Square'. 1 1
The sa me position demonstrates a d raw if a .C e g
it is Black's tu rn (d iag ra m 16) : [!Z]
THE CHESS COURSE 1 94 KING AND PAWN ENDINGS
he is on the wrong side of opposition as it a b c d e f h
h is tu rn to move . Had it been Black's tu rn
to move, he cou ld have easi ly won by 8
penetrati ng to b&
fol l owed by the captu re
of a& Pawn . Th is is where the tech n ique of
Triang u lation comes i nto pictu re . Wh ite 6
wa nts to a rrive at the d iagra m med
position with Black to play ! So . . . 5
, 1 . I KdS! I Kc8 I 4
1 Kd8 loses insta ntly to 2. Kd&.
• •••
3
1 2 - 1 Kd4! I 2
Triangu lation - Precisely dubbed as
'Wasti ng the Move'!

1 2 - 1 ... I Kb8 I
a b c d e f g h�

Aga i n 2 Kc7 is not possi ble as Wh ite
plays 3. KcS a n d a rrives at the
• •••
d iagra m med position with Black to play.
Here too, Wh ite is a Pawn u p but aga i n on
the wrong side of opposition . He wa nts to
a rrive at the d iagra m med position with

1 3 · 1 Kc4 1 I
Black to play !

Bri l l iant! To reach the d iag ra m med

1. KeS! Kc&
position, Wh ite ta kes a triangular route
via d5-d4-c4 .
2. Kd4! Kd7
I KcS I 3. KdS! Kc8
Here agai n • 3
Kc7 is out of q uestion
••• 4. Ke&! Kd8
beca use of 4. KcS.
, 4. I KdS! I Kc7 I s. Kd6! Kc8
Forced ! Or else, Wh ite intends to ca ptu re
6. Ke7! Kb8
the d6 sq uare .
7. Kd7! Ka8
I s· I Kcs 8. c6! bxc&
At last the d rea m position has been
reached a nd White tri u mphs : 9. Kc7!
5. ... Kc8 I t i s interesti ng to note that besides this
6. Kb6 Kb8 game, the start positio n (d iagram 18)
was
a lso seen in the game between Euwe -
7 . Kxa& Kc7 Von H a rti ngsvelt, 1922 a nd 2 other
8 . KbS ga mes : Dijoux - Belazzoug a nd Kaba nov
- Kh l iasti kov. Both these ga mes were
A si m i la r triangu lation ca n be seen from p l a y e d i n ye a r 2 0 0 6 . O n e m o re
t h e g a m e betwee n S u t kov i c a n d observation : a l l the win ners triangu lated
Di mitrov, Zada r Open, 2007 (diagram
18) : perfectly to w i n the game !

K I N G AN D PAWN EN DINGS 195 THE CHESS COURSE

 BISHOP AN D PAWN VERSUS KING

Rule: I Kh6= I
Bishop and Pawn versus King norma l ly Now Black wil l si mply sh uffle h is King
leads to an elementa ry win for the between g8 - h8. Any further corneri ng of
stronger side. the Ki ng will only lead to a Stalemate .

Exception to the rule: Exception to Exceptions:

As an exception to exception, the wrong
As an exception to the ru le, the stronger
side has to settle for a draw if the Pawn is colou r Bishop triumphs if the enemy King
standing on Rook's fi le and the Bishop's is c ut-off from the Queening sq uare�
colour is opposite to that of the Queening
We sha l l examine this ru le from the game
sq uare, which is under control by the
defendi ng King . between Tresl ing - Olland, Amsterdam
1 899 (diagra m 2) :
1)
To understand th is rule, we sha l l examine
a position (d iagram from Greco's a b c d e f
manuscript, approx . 1625 :
8
a b c d e f h
7
8

7 6 6

5 5
6
4
5

4 3
4
2
3 3
1
2 2
a c e
1
[I)
1 1· 1 h6
a c e g h
Kf6
If Black is able to exchange Rooks and
The game now a ppears to be heading
trade h is Bishop for the g-Pawn, the game
towa rds a d raw as Black ca n attack the
would reach a theoretica l d raw as the
Pawn on the next move or seek refuge in
Queening sq uare (Black) is d ifferent to
the corner via f7
but :

1 4- 1 Be8!! I
the colour of the Bishop (Wh ite) :

1. .. . Ra l +
Fa ntastic! With the text move, the Bishop
2. Rfl Rxfl +
and Pawn have created im penetrable
3. Kxfl Bh3 ! ! barrier. Black is i n Zugzwang ! The new
4. gxh3 Queen wi ll soon appea r on the Boa rd .

[If 4.Kf2 Bxg2! = ]

THE CHESS COURSE 196 BISHOP AND PAWN VERSUS KING

 KNIG HT AN D PAWN VE RSUS KI NG
Rule: As an exception to the ru le, the d efend i ng
side can esca pe w ith a d raw if the Rook-file
Paw n has been pushed to the 7 th ra n k i n
We h ave an elementa ry win o n h a nd if the
King is a bl e to su pport the Paw n . suppo rt o f t h e Kn ig ht. Th is is i l lustrated
Howeve r : from the game between Azma ipa rasvi l i -
1. I f the K i n g o f t h e s u perior s i d e is n ot Korochnoi, Moscow 1 99 5 (diagra m 2) :
with i n th e v ici n ity o f t h e Paw n and the a b c d e f h
ta s k of s u pporti n g the Paw n i s
e ntrusted to the K n i g h t, the game ca n 8 8
o n ly be won if the K n i g ht ca n s u pport
Paw n from the rea r. 7
7
2 . The g a me ends i n a d raw if the Knig ht is
sta nding i n front o f t h e Pa wn . Th is a l l ows 6
the defending Ki ng to si m u lta neo usly
attack the Knight a nd the Pawn .
5 5
We sha l l exa m i ne ru l e 1 by having a look at
the position (diagra m 1) a rising i n the game 4
between Zukertort and M i nckwitz, Berl i n ,
188 1 :
3 3
a b c d e f h
2 2
8 8
1 1
7 7
a c e g
6 6
Wh ite s im ply pl ayed : 1 . Kh 1 and Black has
5 5 nothing more than a d raw as King's face-off
with the adversary w i l l l ead to a sta lemate .
4 4 a b c d e f g h

3 3 8 8

2 2 7 7

1 1 6 6

b c f g 5 5
[I]
a e

W ith the text move 1 Kb5, Black has

••• 4 4
a tta c ke d the Paw n and Knight
simu lta neously and, it a ppea rs that the 3 3
game w i l l e n d in a d raw after t h e Knig ht
retreats to safety.
2 2
H owever, Zu kertort is a ble to steer the
game to an elementa ry win after: 1 1
1. a& Kb6
c g h
m
a e
2. KfS Kc7
We sha l l now exa m ine ru le 2 (d iag ra m 3)
3. KeS Kb6
wherei n the game ends i n a d raw if the
4. KdS Kc7 Knight is stand i ng in fro nt of the Pawn with
the King not in vici n ity to su pport the Pawn .
5. KcS Kb8 The position i s from the g ame between
6. Kb6 Ka8 Pi pkov - Kostov, Bulg aria, 1 960 :

7. NdS Kb8 1. Kg4 Kc4

8. a7+ Ka8 2. Kh3 Ne3
9. Nc7# 3. Kxh4 =

BISHOP AN D PAWN VERSUS KING 197 THE CHESS COURSE

 Q U E E N VE RSUS PAWN
Th is end ing norma l ly arises i n a Pawn race 07. Qd 2 Kf1
- one of the sides promotes and the os . Qf4+ Kg l
opponent on the verge of Queen i ng .
Rule: 09.
10.
Qe3 +
Qf3+
Kf1
Ke1
The su perior side (with Queen) wins
a lif a i nst the advanced Passed Pawn on the 11. Kf6 Kd2
6 or 7th ra nk even if h is King is fa r away 12. Qf2 Kd l
from the Pawn .
The fol lowi ng wi n n i ng plan shou ld be 13. Qd4+ Kc2
fol lowed : 14. Qe3 Kd 1
1 . Simu lta neous attack on the Pawn and 15. Qd3 + Ke 1
Ki ng th rough a check.
16. Ke5 Kf2
2. The check forces the defending King to
form a blockade i n front of his Pawn . 17. Qd 2 Kf1
3 . Each of such blockades al lows the King 18. Qf4+ Kg 2
of the su perior side to march towa rds 19. Qe3 Kfl
the Pawn, al lowing it to wi n .
The position i n d iagram
execution :
1
i l l ustrates the
20.
21.
Qf3 +
Kd4
Ke l
Kd 2
a b c d e f g h 22. Qd3 + Ke 1
23. Ke3 Kf1
8
24. Qxe2+ Kg 1
7 7 25. Kf3 Kh 1
26. Qg2#
6 6 • Whi le lea rning th is method of stopping
the opponent's Pawn with the Queen, the
5 5 ca lculation appears to be very si mple
however, it does present su btleties . As
such, make a point to fit the winning pattern
4 4 in your mind beca use th is ending is common
ana often comes up in the game .
3 3 Exceptions to the Rule:
The stronger side (with Queen) has to
2 2 concede a draw against the advanced
passed Pawn on the Rook & Bishop's fi le ( a ,
c , f, h ) if his King is not a ble to reach the
1 1 'Key' sq uares (for White : b31 c2.�.. f2, g3 and
for Black : b6 , c7 , f7 , g6 ror tllack) . Th is
a b c d e f g al lows the defending King to ig nore the
attack on Pawn by movi ng away to the
01. QdS + Kc2 corner. Of course, the captu re of the Pawn
02. Qc4+ Kd 2 leads to Sta lemate (diagra m 2) :
03. Qd4+ Kc2
a b c d e f g h

04. Qe3 Kd 1 8 8
Now a ' Key' move (si m u lta neous attack)
that forces the Black King in front of the 7
Pawn .
I os. I Qd3+ ! I Ke1 I 6 6
Any other Ki n g 's move leads to the
elementa ry Queen checkmate . 5 5
The fi rst stage of the plan has been 4 4
accompl ished . Now that the Black King
has created a Bl ockade in front of its
Pawn, the Wh ite King gains ti me to move 3 3
towa rds the Pawn .
I 06. I Kg7 I Kf2 I 2 2
Black renews the th reat of promotion but
you ca n now ward of the th reat if you 1 1
have u nderstood the pla n of how to d rive
the King to e1
aga i n . a c e g h
rn
THE CHESS COURSE 1 98 QUEEN VERSUS PAWN
1 1. I Qb4+ I Ka1!l 1 1. I Kb&!! I
Th reaten ing Sta lemate ! If Wh ite lifts the Lifting the Stalemate and getti ng nearer
Stalemate by movi ng his Queen, Black to the Pawn .
renews the th reat of promotion and Wh ite
ca n make no further progress . The game
ends i n a draw. We see tlie same resu lt in
1. .. Kb2 .

diag ram 3 with the Pawn on Bishop's fi le 2. KcS+! Kc2

(c & f): If Black Play 2 . . . . Ka 1 3 . Kb4 !
a b c d e f g h
8 8
3. Qg2+ Kb1
4. Kb4!
7 7
A �ril liant concept! Al low Black the l uxury
6 6 of Queening the Pawn and to cut-short the
joy by infl i cti ng checkmate !
5 5 4. al=Q • • •

4 4 s. Kb3!! Qf&
Un less Black prefers to give the Queen
3 3
free .
2 2 6.Qc2+ Ka1
1 1 7. Qa2#
Let us examine one more i l l ustration in
c g
diagram 5:
a b e h
m
1 1. I Qb3+ I a b c d e f h
1 . ... Kcl?
Wh ite is prayi ng for 8 8
1. . .. Ka1!!
2. Qxc2 Stalemate 7 7
Exception to Exceptions: 6 6
The stronger side is a b le to wi n the game
agai nst the advanced passed Pawn on the
Rook & Bishop's file (a1 c,
f, h) if his Kin9. is
a b l e to reach the 'Key squares (for Wh 1te :
5 5

b3, c2, f2 , g3 a n d for Black : b&, c7 , f7 , g& 4 4

fo r Black) so a s to infl ict a Checkm ate by
allowing promotion of Pawn ! We sha ll see 3 3
two il lustrations (d iag ram 4) :
a b c d e f g h 2 2
8 8 1 1

7 7 a c e g h []]
6 6 1 1. I Qb4+ I Kc2 I
[1 Ka 1 2.Qd2 Kb 1 3.Kd3 a l = Q 4.Qc2#]
5 5
• • •

2. Qa3 Kb 1
4 4 3. Qb3+ Ka 1
3 3 4. Qc3 + Kbl
s. Kd3! a l=Q
2 2
(5 a l =N, i f Black is ready t o suffer for few
• • . •

1 1 more moves ! ! )

a c e 9 h @] 1 6· 1 Qc2# 1
QUEEN VERSUS PAWN 199 THE CHESS COURSE
 KN IG HT VE RSUS PAWN
As com pa red to Queen versus Paw n , a a b c d e f h
Kn ig ht's stru g g le (when he d oes n ot have
the su pport of h is K i n g ) agai nst a n 8 8
adva nced Pawn is l ittle d ifficult a n d
req u i res precise hand l i ng . 7 7
The ru les a ppl ica bl e for such endi ngs a re :
1 . A lone Kn i g ht fig hti n g against a n 6 6
adva n ced Paw n o n the 7th ran k ca n
d raw even without the help of its King 5 5
provided it sta nds on the Quee n i n g
sq u a re 'In Front o f the Paw n '. 4 4
2 . As a n exceRtion, Knight fal ls short
agai nst the 7th ran k Pawn o n the Rook's 3 3
fi fe .
3 . However, K n i g ht is i n a position t o stop 2 2
the 6th ra n k Pawn a l l by itselfl
1 1
Let us exa m i ne ru le 1 from the game
between Va n Wely - Epish i n , Ter Ape l , a c e g
1 9 9 5 ( d i a g ra m 1 ) :
a b c d e f h
We con cl ude th is sectio n b y exa m i n i ng
ru le 3 of a Knig ht hol d i ng the 6th ra n k Pawn
8 8
a l l by itself!
7 7 The position is from the g a me between
M i les - Lautier, O h ri d , 200 1 ( d i a g ra m 3) :
6 6 a b c d e f h
5 5 8 8

4 4 7 7

3 3 6 6

2 2 5 5

1 1 4 4
a c e g h iTJ 3 3
1. . . . Nf7 +
2. Kf& Nh& 2 2

3. Kg& Ng8 1 1
4. Kh7 Nf& + =
a c e g
Movi ng onto ru le 2, the K n i g ht fa l ls short
a � a i nst a fa r adva nced Paw n , especia l ly if
2): 1. .. . NbS
it s a Rook Paw n ( d iag ra m
In Reshevsky - Add ison , New York, 1 96 3 ,
2. Kb& Nd&
t h e Knight is helpless agai nst t h e Paw n , 3. Kc& Nc8
w h i c h w i l l g o u n s ca t h e d towa rd s
Q uee n i n g however; it took l ittle more 4. Kc7 Na7
t1 m e for Wh ite since h is Ki ng was on the 5. Kb7 N bS
fo rki n g sq u a re :
6. Kb6 Nd6
1. a& Na S
2. Kd& Nc4+
7. a7 Nc8+

3. Kc& NeS +
8. Kb7 Nxa7

4. Kc7
9. Kxa7 =

THE CHESS COURSE 200 KNIGHT VERSUS PAWN

 ROO K VE RSUS PAWN
As compared to previous chapters of Queen a b c d e f h
versus Pawn and Knight versus Pawn, th is is
one of the most complex endings . 8 8
As such, memorising all the ru les at th is
stage of you r learn ing is not recommended . 7 7
What you can do is to grasp the general
rules as follows : 6 6
1 . We have an elementa ry win on hand if
the Rook and the King are in a position to 5 5
cover one of the sq uares, which the
Pawn has to cross . On the other hand if 4 4
the King of superior side is fa r away from
the scene of action, the game ends i n a 3 3
draw as Rook needs to be sacrificed for
the Pawn . 2 2
2 . We have an elementary win on hand if
the defend ing King is standing on its 3... 1 1
rank. This al lows the Rook to sim ply
c e h
create a barrier along the 4th ra nk, thus a g
[I]
cutti ng-off the defendi ng King . The 2. KgS Kc3
Pawn is su bsequently won by the Rook.
1 3. hS Kd4
The position in d iag ram between Mishra -
Norwood , Dhaka 1993 il lustrates rule 1 . 4. h& KeS
Black has an easy win on hand as the King s. Kg& Ke&
and Rook are in a position to cover either 6. Kg7 Rgl+
the f7 or f8 squa re : 7. Kf8 Rhl
a b c d e f h a. Kg7 Ke7
8 8
9. h7 Rgl+
10. Kh8 =

7 7 However, If the Ki ng of the defend i ng side is

on its 3 rc1 ra nk the Rook easi ly triumphs by
6 6 'Cutting-Off' th e Ki ng from the 4th ran k and
then attacking the isolated Pawn at the last
moment (diagra m 3) :
5 5
a b c d e f h
4 4 8 8

3 3 7 7
2 2 6 6
1 1 5 5
a c e g
[I] 4 4
1. .. Kg3
2. f& Kg4
.

3 3

3. Ke& KgS 2 2
4. f7 Kg&
In diagram 2
from Yates - Reti, Bad 1 1
Kissingen 1928, the Black King is far away a c e h
from the Pawn and hence, is not in a
g
rn
position to cover any of the squares : h5- In Behti n � - Steiner, Paris, 1924 Black
h8. The game wil l end in a draw as the Rook erected a Great Wal l ' of Chi na along the 4..
1 Rc4 2.g5 Kd3
rank! • . . (If 2 . Kg3, tne Black
needs to be sacrificed for the Pawn :
1 1. I KfS I Rh 1 I King sim ply ma rclles on with Kcf3)
4. g7 Rg6 0-1 3.g6 Re&
ROOK VERSUS PAWN 20 1 THE CHESS COURSE
 QU E E N VE RSUS ROO K
Once you lea rn the wi n n ing tech nique, Once the Ph i l idor's position has been
you wi l l rea l ise that Queen versus Rook reached, ca re should be ta ken to keep the
end ing leads to a n easy win for the Queen at a d ista nce of 3-squares from the
su perior side . However, the win is often opposing King . A d ista nce of 2-squares
compl icated as we have exa m ples of will a l low sta lemati ng swi nd les for the
defending side .
strong masters fa i l ing to breach the
defence with i n 50-moves. We sha l l now learn the techn ique of
d riving the Ki ng to the corner from the
Basica l ly, the Queen versus Rook end i ng game between Ivanchu k and La utier,
often comes th rough transposition from Horgen , 1995 (diagra m 2) :
the Rook & Pawn versus Rook & Pawn a b c d e f g h
end i ng wherein one side sacrifices his
Rook to get a new Queen . 8 8
Th is end i ng was stud ied in depth by
Ph i l idor i n the yea r 1 777 and is sti l l 7 7
releva nt today ! !
The winning plan is as u nder: 6 6
1. The game ca nnot be won so long as 5 5
the Rook is protected by the Ki ng .
Therefore, to force a wi n , the 4 4
stronger side wou ld be req u i red to
d rive the opposing King to the edge 3 3
of the boa rd .
2 . Th is ca n b e ach ieved b y proper 2 2
checks from the Queen a nd King
m a k i n g i n ro a d s to wa rd s t h e 1 1
opposing King .
3 . Th is will create a Zugzwang for the g h [I]
defending Ki ng, forci ng the Rook to 1. Kd6 Kf8
abandon its King . 2. Ke& Rh7
4. Once the Rook is devoid of su pport, 3. Qf6+ Kg8
it is won by a series of Checks . The
method of winn ing the Rook after it 4. Qg6+ Rg7
is forced to leave its King is very 5. Qe8+ Kh7
instructive . 6. Kf6
The basic Zugzwa ng position ( Ph i l idor's
Position) to aim for is as per diagra m 1: The moment of reckoning for Black -
Zugzwa ng is now i nevita ble . Let u s see
a b c d e f h
how? (diag ra m 3):
a b c d e f g h
8 8 8 8

7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
a b c d e g
ITJ a b c e

THE CHESS COURSE 202 QUEEN VERSUS ROOK

1 6. I ... Kh6? a b c d e f h
7. Qf8! 8 8
Even 7. Qh8+ wins:
7
7. Qh8+ Rh7
6 6
8. Qg8! Rf7 + !
The loya l Rook sacrifices itself to save its 5 5

9.
King . The last trick and a sma l l prayer for 4 4
Stalemate ! Bewa re White as Qxf7??
leads to Sta lemate ! 3 3

1 9. I Kxf7! I 2 2
So, the Rook is now required to aba ndon
1 1
its King . He has a choice of 7 squares on
the g -fi le a nd a choice of 6 squares on the a c e g
7th ra nk. We start with g-file :
The fl ight of Rook to g4 (as i n the actual The letha l Check must come either from
game), gS, g6 & g8 a llows elementa ry the h4 or b8 sq uare .

I 7. I I Kg8 I
win for White :

1L-6_...�.I_·_··_....I......� _R. g_4_ 1 (diag ram 4) :

Qe4+ (forced )
•
.......
7 • • • • Kh8 al lows the Rook to be forked
a b c d e f h with 8. Qh4+
8 8 I s. I Qc4+ ! ! 1
7 The decisive check ! Remember the
myriad of va riations.
6 6
8. ... Kh8
5 5
8. Qh4+
4 4 If 6 • ••• Rg 2 (diagra m 6 ) :
3 3

2 2
8 8
1 1
7
a c e g
6 6
7. Qh5+ & wins the Rook next move
6. ... RgS 5 5

7. KxgS 4 4
6. ... Rg6+ 3 3
7. Qxg6+
2 2
6. . .. Rg8?
1 1
7. QhS#
6. . .. Rg3 (diagram 5) :
a c e g h []]
QUEEN VERSUS ROOK 203 THE CHESS COURSE
 7 . Qe4+ Rg6+ The winning pattern is :
8 . Qxg6+ I 7 . I Qe4+ I Kg �J I
If 6 Rg1 (d iag ram 7) :
• ••• (7 Kh6 8.Qh4#)
•••

a b c d e f h 8 . Qg2+ Kh8
8 8
9 . Qh2+ Rh7
10. Qb8#;
7 A mati n9 finale si m i la r to the variation
detai led 1 n d iagra m 7 !
6 6
I 6 . I ... I Rb7 I
(dia g ra m 9):
5 5 a b c d e f g h
4 4 8 8

3 3 7

2 2 6 6
1 1 5 5
a c e g h [IJ 4 4

I 7 . I Qe4+ I Kh8 3 3
(7 Kh6 8 . Qh4#)
•••

I 8 . I Qa8+ I Rg8 2 2

(8 Kh7 9 . Qa7+ +-)

•••
1 1
1 8 . 1 Qh1# I a c g h []]
A very su rprising and beautifu l mate . I n
endeavou n ng to esca pe, the Rook has
ta ken away the fl ight sq uare g8
from its 7 . Qe4+ and wins the Rook next move
Ki ng ! With the Rook on a7, the lethal Check
must come from either g1 or b8 sq uare
(diagram 10):
Now the va riations with the Rook trying to
6
ru n for cover on the 7th ra nk. Since • • • •
Rf7, 6 Re7 6 Rd7
• ••• • • •••
once, Black ca n try :
loses Roo k at a b c d e f h

1 &. I ... I Rc7 I (diagram 8): 8

a b c d e f g h 7
8
6 6
7
5 5
6 6
4 4
5 5
3 3
4 4
2 2
3 3
1 1
2 2 a b c d e f g h [!QJ
1 1 6 . ... Ra7
a c e f g h [ID 7 . Qe4+ Kg8
THE CHESS COURSE 204 QUEEN VERSUS ROOK
I 8. I QdS+ I Kh7 a b c d e f

(8 ... Kf8 9.Qd8#) 8 8

9. Qhl+ Kg8
10. Qg1+
I had mentioned that once the Phil idor's
position has been reached , care should be
ta ken to keep the Queen at a d istance of
3-squares . Any further corneri ng al lows
Rook to become a ' Desperado' - leading
to Stalemate .
We sha l l exa m i ne th ree i l lustrations to
th is effect :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1
a c e g
Diagram 1 1 is one of the earl iest
com position of th is end i n g by the
Modenese master, Domenico Ponzian i
( 1 7 1 9 - 1 796) wherei n he demonstrates
the d rawing l i ne for the defend i ng side :
1. . .. Rh7+
2. Kg2 Rg7+
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e f g
1. . .. RgS+!
2. Ke4 Rg4+!
Of cou rse, the ca pture of Rook leads to an
easy sta l emate .
At t h e ve ry to p l ev e l of C h ess
to u rn a m e nts , a s i m i l a r d ra w was
w i t n e s s e d b etw e e n M o ro z e v i c h -
Ja koven ko, Pa mplona, 2006 (d iagram
13):
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3

3. Kf3 Rf7+ 2 2
4. Kg4 Rg7+
5. KfS Rf7+ 1

6. Kg& Rg7+ a c e g

7. Kf& Rg&+
8. Kxg& -
After a marathon 1 10 moves, White
played 111.Kf3?
a l lowing the Rook to
In practica l play, the sa me error was become a Desperado :
witnessed in the game between Ka rlsson
- Eriksson, Sweden, 2000 (diagram 12) . 111. . .. Rf2+
Having put the Ki ng in the corner, White 112. Ke3 Re2+
played KfSand a l l that is needed for Black 113. Kd3 Rd2+
is to make h is Rook d isappear from the
boa rd I The d rawing l i ne is easy to spot : 114. Kxd2 1h-1/2
QUEEN VERSUS ROOK 205 THE CHESS COURSE
 ROOK a. PAWN EN DI NGS - 1
PHILIDOR'S DRAWN POSITION
During the cou rse of our learni ng we have 2 . The defending Rook places itself on its 3 rc1
seen Ph ilidor's immense contribution to ra n k at the maximum possi ble d ista nce
Chess for his defi nitive study on Smothered and thereby cutting -off the Ki ng of
Mate and Queen versus Rook endgame. su perior side. He will continue to stay
there ti ll the Pawn i n on the 5th Rank.
In th is session I will i ntroduce you to one
more of h is legacy - his study of Rook and 3 . Once the Pawn adva nces to the 6th ra nk,
Pawn versus Rook endi ng (diagra m 1) the defending Rook will leave its 3 rd ra nk
which, for a period of nearly 200 years post to follow the maxim 'Rook beh ind
( prior to 1777), was considered as ' Lost' for the Pawn'l The idea is to harass the King
the defending side I of the superior side with ba rrage of
·

Checks so as to force him away from the

a b c d e f h Pawn . Once the King is forced two files
away from the Pawn, the Rook attack on
8 8 the Pawn leads to its ca ptu re .
7 7
Let u s see the execution of this technique
(diagram 2) :
6 6
a b c d e f h
5 5
8 8
4 4
7 7
3 3
6 6
2 2
5 5
1 1
4 4
a c e g
[I] 3 3
This ending has aptly been named as
2 2
Ph i l idor's 'Drawn ' position
I may add that of a l l the end i ng s, the 1 1
endgames with Roo k a re very tri cky a n d a c e g
they occu r with t h e g reatest freq uency. [I]
What is the reason ? Wel l , the Roo ks a re i n 1. . . . Rb6
placed a t the corner i n the sta rti n g
2. eS Ra&
position a nd therefore, they join t h e heat
of action m ostly at the later stage of the 3. e6
game. That is the reason why m ost of the The King has lost cover of the Paw n a n d
endgam es a re the one with Roo k a n d ca n no longer h ide! N o w is the time for the
Paw n End i ng s . defe n d i n g Rook to o perate from beh i n d by
ta king an ideal post.
Let u s first get acquainted with the ru les
suggested by Phi lidor for such ending
3. .. Ra 1 !
.

(applicable to the Pawns on the central d & 4. Kf6 Rf1 +

e fi les) : 5. KeS Re1 +
The Rook & Pawn versus Rook leads to a 6. Kd6 Rd 1 +
d raw if: 7. KcS Rc1 +
1 . The defending King is occu pyi ng the 8. Kd4 Re1
Queeni ng square . 9. Rh& K7

THE CHESS COURSE 206 ROOK & PAWN ENDINGS - I (PHILIDOR'S DRAWN POSITION )
 10. KdS Rd 1 + 1 1. I Ra4!! I
11. Kc4 Re1 = The only way to d raw the g a m e ! The
position approxi mates Ph i l idor's Drawn
Ph i l idor also concluded that the game can Position ' even thoug h the defend i ng Ki ng
sti l l be drawn even if the defendi ng King is
has been forced off from the 'Queeni ng
cut-off ( not more than 2-fi les) from the
Queening square (applica ble to the Pawns s;quare ( e1 .
)
on c, d, e & f fi le ) . 1. . .. e2
The ru le to be observed to d raw such 2. Ra3+ Kc4
positions here is : 3. Ra4+
1 . The Rook should stand on the ' Longer Even 3.Re3! d raws !
Side' of the board at a maximum 3. Kc3
4. Ra3+ Kd2
• • •

d ista nce of 3-fi les and should Check the

if 4 ... Kb2 S.Re3=
King from the flanks .
2. The defending King should stan d o n the
'Shorter Side' of the Chessboard . s. Ra2+ �el
.I 6 . I Ra1+ .I -
We shal l learn the d rawi ng techn ique as
.

demonstrated by Movesesian (Wh ite) from 'First-Rank' Defence:

h is game agai nst Votava played at Litomysl,
1 994 ( d iagra m 3) :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
[]]
Let us look at the ru le again i n relation to
the diagra m above :
1 . The Black Paw n , wh ich is sta nd ing
here on e-fi le, d ivides the Chessboa rd
i nto two u neq ual pa rts :
a ) The a-dfi le is ea lied the ' Longer
Side' a n d
b) f-h
part is ca l led the 'Shorter Side'.
1 . The defend i ng Rook shou ld sta nd on
the ' Longer Side' at a maxi m u m
dista nce of 3-fi les a nd shou ld check
the Black's K i n g from the fl a n ks .
Accord i ng ly, h e should go to a4.
2 . The defend ing King ( here the Wh ite
Ki ng ) should sta nd on the 'Shorter
Side' of the chessboa rd .
The aforesaid ru le does not apply to a Pawn
on the Rook & Knight's file (a, h , b , g) even
if the King of the defendi ng side is occu pyi ng
the Queening sq uare . The ru le to be
followed is basica l ly cal led the ' First Rank'
defence wherein the Rook of the defensive
side will stay on its 1st Ran k so as to wa rd off
the th reats from the Rook of the su perior
side to drive away the King from the
Queen i ng sq uare . We sha ll exa m i ne this
d e fe n c e fro m t h e g a m e b e t w e e n
Blaha-Jel n i k, played at Czechia i n 2000
(diagra m 4) :
a b c d e f h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a c e g
1. Rg1! Rf2
2. Rhl Re2
3. Rgl Rb2+
4. Kal Ra2+
s. Kbl -
Black ca n m a ke no fu rther prog ress .
However, the ' First Rank' defence fa ils
against the Pawn on Bishop's fi le (c, f) .

ROOK & PAWN ENDINGS - I 207 THE CHESS COURSE

 ROO K l\ PAWN E N DI NGS - 11
LUCENA'S WINNING POSITION
Analyzed by the Span ish player, Lu is 3. Ke7 Re1+
Ra m i rez de Lucena way back i n 1497, the
wi nning technique in the Rook & Pawn 4. Kd6 Rdl+
versus Rook is descri bed as ' Building a 5. Ke6 Re1+
Bridge'.
6. KdS Rd1+
Rule: 7. Rd4!
The ' Lucena' ca n be reached if the King of Black has exhausted a l l h i s a m m u n itions -
the defendi n g side is cut-off from the its' time to surrender!
Queening fi le.
The. Rook Pawns a re exceptions to the ru le
a b c d e f h as there is no exit for the King of the
superior side. In most cases the defend i ng
8 8 side nearly a lways obta i ns a draw. As a n
exception to exceptions, the Rook Pawn o n
7 7 t h e 7th ra n k sha l l tri u m ph i f t h e defending
King is cut-off by a m i n i m u m dista nce of s­
6 6 ti les from the Pawn . For exa m ple, if the
Pawn is a7, the defendi ng Ki ng shou ld be
5 5 on f-file whereas for h7 Pawn, the
defend i ng Ki ng shou ld be c7.
4 4
We sha l l exa m i ne a position from the
g a m e b etwe e n S ka r i c - D a bov i c,
3 3 Belg rade, 1993 to i ll ustrate the win n i ng
2 2
idea (diag ra m 2) :
a b c d e f g h
1 1
a c e g
ITJ 7
In diagram 1 , the W h ite's Pawn has been 6
escorted by its Ki ng to the 7th ra n k and
promotion is i n sight. His adversary has
also been cut-off however, he has no 5
outlet. How to rea l ise the Pawn 's
potentia l ? 4

Well , w e j ust have t o learn the ' Bridge 3

Bu i ld i ng ' or ' Line Closi n g ' tech n ique :
1 1. I Rf1+ I I 2

Th is is the 1 st stag e of the plan - a crucial 1

check that pushes back the defendi n g
Ki ng .
1 1. I . . . I Kg7 I 1. Rc3 Ke8
An attempt to rem a i n close to the Pawn
with • • • •1
Ke& fai ls since the Wh ite King
2. ReS+ Kd7
2. Ke8
gets an outlet via 3. Rb8 Ral
1 2. I Rf4! I I 4. Kb7 Rbl+
The 2"d stage of the pla n - the Rook bu i lds s. Ka6 Ral+
a Bridge - a ' Line Closi n g ' method to stop
the ba rrage of checks .
6. Kb6 Rbl+
7. KcS Rcl+
1 2. I ... I Rc1 I 8. Kd4 Ra1
2 Re2 a l lows 3. Rc4 and King secu res
• •••
a8Q
a safe square on c7. 9.
THE CHESS COURSE 208 ROOK & PAWN ENDINGS - 11 (LUCENA'S WINNING POSITION)
 So l u t i o n s

Th is secti o n to be

o pened o n ly afte r

perm ission of Tra i ner

SOLUTI O N S 209 THE C H E S S COURSE

 SO LUTIONS
I ntrod ucto ry Test
29) False
1) India
30) A lgebraic
2) Two
31) 8 Files & 8 Ranks
3) 64
32) al: 8 f7: W b2: 8 h6: 8
4) White
c8: W d1: w e4: W g1: B
5) White
h4: B g3: B a6 : W b7: W
6) 6
f4: B e7: B c3 : B d6: B
7) 1
3 3) White King : e1
8) 1
Blac k King : e8
9) 2
White Queen : d1
10) 2
Black Queen : d8
11) 2
White Rooks : a1 & h1
12) 8
Black Rooks : a8 & h8
13) 16
White Bishops : cl & f1
14) Corner
Black Bishops : c8 & f8
15) Rook & Bishop
White Knights : bl & gl
16) King, Queen
Black Knights : b8 & g8
17) Black
18) White 34) King . 1C

19) White Queen : Q

Rook : R
20) Black
Bishop : B
2 1) Rook
Knight : N
22) Bishop
35) X
23) Queen
36) +
24) Knight
37) #
25) Pawn
38) King & Rook
26) King
39) 2
27) Pawn
40) No
28) True

SOLUTIO N S 210 TH E CHESS COURSE

 41) No
Mate in One
42) No
1 ) 1 . Qxf7# 1-Q
43) No
2) 1 . Bxf7# 1-Q
44) Yes
45) Once 3) 1 . Rh8# 1-Q

46) 0-0 4) 1 .Q.g7# 1-Q

47) 0-0-0 !5) 1 . Rh7# 1-Q

48) Pawn 6) 1 . . . Qf3# Q-1
49) 5th Rank
7) 1 .Qxf8# 1-Q
50) Two
8) 1 . Nd6# 1 -Q
51) Not compulsory
9) 1 . Rxh7# 1 -Q
52) True
53) True 10) 1 . Nh4# 1-Q

54) True 1 1 ) 1 . Nf7# [1.Nc4#] 1-Q

55) False 1 2) 1 . . . Qh2# Q-1

56) False 1 3) 1 . � 1-Q
57) True
14) 1 . Re4# 1-Q
58) 3
1 !5) 1 . . . Bf2# o-1
59) Move
1 6) 1 . . . Qe3# Q-1
60) Block
6 1) Capture 1 7) 1 . . c3# o-1
.

6 2 ) Q=9, R=5, B=3, N=3, Pawn= l 1 8) 1 . f8N# 1-Q

63) True
Mate in Two
64) Exchange-up
1 9) 1 . b8=Q+ Ka6 2 .Qb6# 1-Q
65) King
66) Draw 20) 1 . Rh7 ICeS 2 . Rc8# 1-Q

6 7) Stalemate 21) 1 . Kg6 Kg8 2 .Qa8# 1-Q

68) Draw 22) 1 . Kd6 Kd8 2. Rf8# 1 -Q

69) Illegal 23) 1 . . . Qc3+ 2 . bxc3 Ba3# o-1
70) King, Checkmated
24) 1 .Qxh7+ Qxh7 2 . Nf7# 1-Q

THE CHESS COURSE 211 SOLUTIONS

 25) 1 . Bf6+ Nxf6 2 . exf6# 1-Q (4!5) 1 . Bxh7+1 1Cxh7 2 .Qh!5+ Kg8
3 . Qh8# t-o
26) 1 . . . hxg3+ 2 . Kgt Rh1# o-1
(46) t .Qxa6+11 bxa6 2 . Nb5+ Ka8
27) 1 . . . Qxg3+ 2. hxg3 Bxg3# o-1 3 . Ra7# t-o
(47) 1 . Qf1 +11 2 . 1Cxf1 Bd3+ 3 . Ke1
Qg3# o-1
. .

28) 1 . . . Qg2+ 2 . Kel Rft# o-1

29) 1 .Qxh7+1 Kxh7 2 . Rh5# t-o (48) t Qft + 2 . Bgt Qf3+11 3 . Bxf3
. • .

Bxf3# Q-1
30) 1 .Qf5+ Nxf5 [1. .. Ne6 2.Qxe6#]
2 . e6# t-o (49). 1 . Ng6+ Kg8 2 . Qg7+11 Rxg7 3 .Nh6#
t-o
31) t .Qf8+11 1Cxf8 [1. .. Rxf8 2 .Ne7#]
(!;0) 1 . Rxf6+ KIJ7 [1. .. Kh5 2.Rxh6#]
2 . Rh8# t-o
2 . Bxh6+ Kg8 3 . Rf8# t-o
32) 1 . . . Rxa3+11 2 .1Cxa3 [2.Rxa3 Qxb2#]
2 . . . Qa1# o-1 Pin :
33) 1 . . . Qxf1 +1 2 � 8xft Nf3# o-1 1) MOINERS - SCHWAN W
AMSTERDAM, 1899
34) 1 . . . Qg2+11 2 .Rxg2 Nh3# o-t 1 . Ra81 KfB [1. . Kh8?? 2 .Rxd8#]
.
.

2 . Rxd8+ 1-Q
35) t . RXf7+1 Kxf7 [1. .. Kg8 2.Qg7#]
2 .Qg7# 1-Q 2) KOROCHNOI - CHEKHOVER
LENINGRAD, 1951
36) 1 . Ne7+1 Kh8 2 . Nxg6# 1-Q 1 . Rd7l Qxd7 2. Qxd7+ Kb8 3 . 1Cxb2
t-o
37) 1 .Qxh5+11 gxh5 2 .Rh6# t-o
3) FISCHER - FINE
38) 1 .Qxe6+11 fxe6 [1...Qe7 2.Qxe7#] MANHATTAN New York, 1963
2 . Bg6# 1-Q 1 t .Qc41 Nb6 [11. ..Nd5 12.Nxf7+-]
1 2 .Qxf7+ 1-Q
Mate in Three 4) ILIVITSKY - 6UIMAR
GOTHENBURG, 1955
39) 1 .g8=Q Kh5 2 .Qg31 Kh6 3 .Qg6# t-o 1 . . . Nh41 [ 1 . .. Ne3? 2 . Kf 2 Nxg2
3.Qxe6 Nxf4 4.Qf5+ Ng6 5.h4 Kg8=]
40) 1 . Ra2 KfB [1. .. Kd8 2.Rc21 Ke8
2. Kf2 [2. Kf1 Qxg2+ 3.Kel Nxf3+
3.Rc8#] 2 . Rg21 ICeS 3 . Rg8# t-o
4.Kd1 Qd2#] 2 . . . Qxg2+ o-1
41) 1 . Nh6+ 1Ch8 2 . Nxf7+ Kg8 3 . Rxg7#
1-o 5) SPASSICY - SODERBOR6
REYKJAVIK, 1957
(42) 1 . b4+1 Bxb4 2 . 8b6+1 axb6 1 .Qxe6+ Kf8 2 .Qxf7# 1-Q
3 . Qxa8# 1-Q
6) VON POPIEL - ATICINS
(43) 1 . . . Ng4+1 2 . hxg4 [2.Kgl Rdl#] DSB-13. KONGRESS, 1902
2 . . . Rh6+ 3 . Kgt Rd1# Q-1 1 . Bb41 c5._ 2 . Bxc511 Qxc!5 3 . Qxe6
Qc7 4 . Qxf7+1 (Simpl ify , when
(44) 1 .Qe6+11 fxe6 [1. .. Be7 2.Qxe7#] winningH) 4 . . . Qxf7 !5.Rxf7+ ICxf7
2 . Bh!5+ g6 3 . Bxg6# 1-o 6 . 1Cg2 1-Q

SO LUTI O N S 212 THE CHESS COURSE

 7) BOROS - SALLER 17) PARR - WHITECROFT
1995 HOLLAND, 1968
1 . dxc5+ Qxe!; 2 . Bf41 1-Q 1 .Rh�l Qxd7 [1. ..gxh5 2.Qf5#]
2 . Ng5+ Kh8 3 . Rxh6# 1-Q
8) LIPNITSKY - SIDOROV
RIGA , 1954
1 .Qxh!5+1 1Cg8 2.Qh8# 1-o
18) BER6RASSER - WEINER
CORRESPONDENCE, 1996
1 .Qh31 [l.hxg3? Rh7] 1 . . . Rfg711
9) BRONSTEIN - NN
2 .Qc8+ [2.fxgn Rxh3-+ 1 2 . . . Kh7
SOCHI SIMUL, 1959
1 .Rd8•11 Kxd8 [l. .. Ke7 2.Qxe4+] 3 .fxg7 Rxg7 [3 ... Rxg2 4.Qh8+ Kg6
2 .Qxe4 1-Q . 5 .g8Q++- Kf5 6.Qe6+ Kg5 7.Qhh6#]
4.Qh3+11 Qxh3,. !5. Rxg7+ Kh6
10) SHUMOV - WINAWER 6 . R1g6+ Kh5 7. Rh7+ Kxg6 8 . Rxh3
PETERSBURG, 1875 1-o
1 . Rc 1 1 Qxa4 [ 1 . . . d4 2 .Qb5+- ]
2 . Rxc8# 1-Q
Knight Fork :
1 1) BRUNDTRUP - BUDRICH
BERLIN, 1954 1) RETI - TARTAICOWER
1 . Bc51 Bb6 2 .Qf4+ K.e7 3 .Qxd6+ NEW YORK, 1924
t-o 1 . Nf!;+l Kf6 2 . Nxd6 1-o

1 2) BAREEV - KASPAROV 2) LEVENFISH - RYUMIN

IMMOPAR, PA RIS , 1991 MOSCOW, 1935
1 . . . Rg31 2 . Bf3 Qxf3 3 . Khl Qxg2# 1 . Nxf7+1 1Cg8 2 . Nxd6 t-o
Q-1 3) REEFLEGER -
1 3) FAZEICASH - SPIELMAN WIRTHENSOHN
HANOVER, 1976
1938
1 .Ac8+ Kh7 2 . Rh8+1 Kxh8 3.Qh6+
1 . . . Nf3+1 2 . Kf2 Nxd2 �1
Kg8 4.Qxg7# t-o 4) FURMAN - BATYGIN
KALININ, 1950
14) BISGUIER - EVANS 1 . . . Nf2+1 2 . Kgl Nxd3 ��
USA, 1959
l .Qa3• Qe7 [1. .. Kg8 2.Bxh7++-] 5) PIRC - BYRNE R .
2 . Bc611 Qxa3 3.RXe8# 1-Q HELSINKI, 1952
1 . . . Ndl + 2 . Kd4 Nxf2 Q-1
1 5) HALOMEEV - ISAKOV
6) TCHI60RIN - JANOWSKI
USSR, 1947
PARIS, 1900
1 . h41 Rb4+ 2 .Kxe� Axh4 3 . f41 Axf4
1 . Nh5+1 Kg6 2 . Nxf6 1-Q
4. Rxg7+ 1Cxg7 5 . Rxg5+ Kh6 6 . 1Cxf4
1-Q 7) ANAND - BAREEV
DORTMUND, 1992
16) SCHATZ - GOLD 1 .Qf61 Qxf6 2 . Nd7+ Kc7 3 . Nxf6
1928 1-Q
1 . . . Qh7+1 2 . Rh3 Rdl +l [2 ... Qxh3+?
3.gxh3 Rdl+ 4. Kh2 Rh1+ 5.Kg3 Rg1+= ] 8) ICR06IUS - SER6IEVESICY
3 . Kh2 Rhl +ll 4 . 1Cxh1 [4.Kg3 Rxh3+ USSR, 1959
1 . Ng61 Qxf5 [1 ...Rd7?? 2.Ne7+
5 . g x h 3 Qh4+ 6 . Kh 2 Qxf 2 # ]
(2.Qxd5 Rxd5 3.Ne7+ Kh8 4.Nxd5)
4 . . . Qxh3+ 5 . Kg1 Qxg2# Q-1
2 . . . Rxe7 3 .Qxd 5 Ree8; 1 . . . fxg6

THE CHESS COURSE 213 SOLUTIONS

 2 .Qxd5+; 1. .. hxg6 2.Qxd5; 1 ... Nxg6 1 8) ZUKERTORT - EN6LISCH
2 .Qxd5; 1 . .. Qe6 2 .Nxe7+ Qxe7] LONDON, 1883
2 . Nxe7+ Kh8 3 . Nxf5 1-Q 1 .Qb51 Qxb!S (1. .. Kd7 2.Qxc6+ Kxc6
3 .c8Q+] 2 .c8Q+ Kf7 3 .Qxe6+1 Kxe6
9) EM . LASKER - ED . LASICER 4.Nc7+ Ke5 5. Nxb5 1-o
NEW YORK, 1924
t .Qxe41 Qxe4 2 . Ng5+ Kg6 3 .Nxe4
1-Q Double Attack :
10) TOLUSH - SIMA6IN 1) RETI - ALEKHINE
USSR, 1952 BADEN-BADEN, 1925
t . . . Qgt +l 2 . Kxgt Nxe2+ 3 . Kf2 1 . . . Bd!51 2 . Rd3 Bxb7 Q-1
Nxct o-1
2) VON BARDELEBEN -
1 1 ) VEIZHAP - HOJA PILLSBURY
TIRANA , 1954 DSB-13. KONGRESS, 1902
1 . . . Nf2 + 2 . 1Cg1 Nxh3+ 3 .gxh3 hxg6 1 . . . Bd5+1 2. Kb4 Bxe6 Q-1
Q-1
3) OLLAND - SWIDERSKI
1 2) SWIDERSICI - N. N . DSB-13. KONGRESS, 1902
LEIPZIG, 1903 1 .e6+1 1(g7 2 .exd7 1-Q
t . . . Bxf2+1 2 . Qxf2 (2.Kxf2 Nxe4+
3.Ke1 Nxg3 ] 2 . . . Nd3• 3 . Kft Nxf2 4) SPIELMAN - TARRASCH
o-t SAN SEBASTIN, 1912
t . . . g5+1 2 . Qxg5 (2. Kg3?? f4+ 3 . Kh2
1 3) PETROSIAN - SPASSICY Rh1#] 2 . . . hxg5+ Q-t
MOSCOW, 1966
1.Bxf7+ Rxf7 2.Qh8+ Kxh8 3 .Nxf7+ 5) AIZENSTADT - MARGOLOS
1-0 LENINGR A D, 1957
t . Qd 5 + Qf7 2 . Qxa 8 + Qf 8
14) ZNOSICO_BOROVSKY ­ 3 .Qxf8# t-o
PRICE
RAMSGATE, 1929 6) ICNAAK - MULLER
t . Rxe!;l Qxe5 2 . Qh8 + Ke7 1 . Bxc5+1 b6 2 . Bxf8 1-o
3 .Qxd8+1 Kxd8 4.Nxf7+ t-o
7) RAGOZIN - ALATORTSEV
1 5) SCHLECHTER - MIESES 1 . Qxb7• Rxb7 2 . Rxe8 Kxe8
ST. PETERSBURG, 1909 3 . Bxc6+ Rd7 4. Ke2 Kd8 5. 8xd7
1 . . . Qxh2+2 . Kf1 Rxd 1 +1 3 . Rxd1
KXd7 6 . Kd3 Kc6 7. Kxd4 Kb5 8 . Ke5
Qxg31 4 . Nxg3 Ne3+ G-1
t-o
1 6) PRZEPIORKA - AHUES
KECSKEMET, 1927
8) HAAG - VADASZ
1 . . . Rd1 + 2 . 1Cg2 [2.Kh 2 Nf3+-+] HUNGARY, 1973
1 .Rxe71 Kxe7 2 . Bxc5+ 1Ce6 3 . Bxb4
2 . . . Rg1 +1 3 . Kxgt Nf3+ o-t
t-o
1 7) ICARAFIATH - ICLIESCH
CORRESPONDENCE, 1973
9) MATANOVIC - ALSTER
UPSALA , 1956
1 . . . Rxe51 2 .dxe5 Qxf2+ 3 . Kht
1 . . . Qf4•1 2 . Kg1 Rxc1 3 . Rxct
Qxe1 + 4.Rxe1 Nf2+ Q-1
Qxcl + 4.Qf1 Qxa3 Q-1

SOLUTIONS 214 THE CHESS COURSE

 10) NN - NN 2 . . . exd5+ 3 . Kxd5
Be6+ 4 . Kd6
1 . Rxh6+ Rxh6 2 .g5+ Kg6 3 .gxh6 [4. Kxe6 Nd4+; 4:Kxe6 ReS+] 4 . . . Rd8+
Kxh6 4. Ke� 1-Q 5 . Kc7 [5. Kxe6 Nd4+; 5.Kxe6 ReS+]
5 . . . Rf7+ 6 . Kxc6 ReS+ 7. 1Cd6 Rxc2
1 1 ) HORT - PORTISCH Q-1
MADRID, 1973
1 . Rg4•1 fxg4 2 . Qg5• Khs 3 .Qh6 Skewer Attack :
1-Q
1 ) ICASPAROV, 6 - POLGAR, J
1 2) DEHLPANIC - PARDON CREDIT SUISSE BLITZ, 2006
CORRESPONDENCE, 1976 . 1 .Qh7+1 Kf6 2 .Qxc7 1 -Q
1 . . . Nf3 +I 2 .gxf3 Qg5+ 3 . Qg2 Rxd2
1-Q 2) VON POPIEL - PILLSBURY
1 . . . Re3 +1 2 . Kd4 Rxa3 Q-1
1 3 ) 6ELLER - TSESHICOVSICY
MOSCOW, 1974 (3) L A BOURDANNAIS
1 . . . d41 2 . Ba5 [ 2 . Bxd4 Re1+-+ ] WILSON
2 . . . Re51 3 . Rxe5 Qxe!5 Q-1 LONDON, 1837
1 .Qf8+1 Ke!5 2 . Qxf2 1-Q
14) SPASSICY . - ARONSON
1957 (4) DURAS - COHN
1 .Qh6+ Kh8 2 . Nf61 Nxf6 3 .exf6 KARLSBA D , 1911
Qxf6 4.d7 Bc6 !5 .dxe8Q+ 1-Q 1 .Qg7+ Kh5 [1. . . Kf5 2 .Qd7+1 Kg5
3 .Qxh3 ] 2 . Qh7+ Kg5 3 .Qxh3 1-Q
1 5) BALASHOV - BRONSTEIN
USSR, 1975
(5) ALEICHINE - CAPABLANCA
BUENOS AIRES, 1927
1 . Rxc8 Rxc8 2 . Nh6+ gxh6 [2 ... Kh8
1 . f8Q h1Q 2 . Qa8+ Kb6 3 .Qxh1 1-Q
3 .Qxf7 Nf6 (3 . . . gxh 6 4.Qxf8#)
4.Qg8+ NxgS 5.Nf7#] 3 .Qg4+ Kh8 6) ADAMS - BRITTON
4.Qxc8 Line LONDON, 1988
1 .Qh8+ Kg6 2 . Qxh1 1-Q
1 6) SLOTZ - ALEICHINE
MUNICH, 1942 7) SZABO - EUWE
1. .. Qh4+ 2 . Kg2 Qh3+ 3 . Kf2 g3+ 4. Kxf3 AMSTERDAM, 1954
Rf5+ 5.Ke2 Re5+ Q-1 1 . Rxc6+1 Kxc6 2 . Ba4+ Kd6 3 . Bxe8
1-Q
1 7) KIELDSEN - EMILSSON
SVERIGE, 1975 8) SCHULZ - MIKULICA
1 . b7 Kg6 [1. .. a3 2 .Bxe4 fxe4 3 .RhS+ PARDUBICE, 1923
Kxh8 4.b8Q+ Kh7 5.Qa8+-] 2 . Re81 l.RgS+ Ke7 2 .R1g7+ Rf7 3.Rxf7+ Kxf7
Rxb7 3 . Rxe41 fxe4 [3 ... Ra7 4.Rd4 a3 4.RxdS 1-0
5.Rd1 a2 6.Ra1 ] 4. Bxe4+ Kf6 5 . Bxb7
Ke6 [5 ...a3? 6.Bd5] 6.e4 a3 7. Bd5+
(9) NN - NN
BOMBAY SELECTION TRIALS, 1992
1-Q 1 . Rh81 Rxa7 2 . Rh7+ Kg6 3 . Rxa7 1-Q
1 8) STEPANOV - 1 0) BYRNE - TARJAN
ROMANOVISICY CLEVELAND, 1975
LENINGRA D, 1926 1 . Qh31! ICxf7D' 2 .Qh7+ ICeS 3 .Qg8+
1 . . . d5+ 2 . cxd5 [ 2 . Kxf3 Nd4+] Kd7 4.Qxb8 1-Q

T H E CHESS COURSE 215 SOLUTIONS

 1 1 > ESPIG - BRU66ERMANN aQCk �
�ank
· •
·
EAST GERMANY, 1973
1 . 8g 5 • f6- [l . . . iee s 2 . Rd 8 #] l) TESCHNER PORTISCH
2 . Bxf6+1 gxf6 3 .Rg7+ Ke8 4.Rxc7
_

1969
1-Q 1 . . . Re1 +1 2 . Rf1,. Rxfl# Q-1

1 2) BENA - KSARKO 2) ICERES - LEVENFISH

ROMANIA, 1971 1949
1 .Rxh6•1 Kxh6 [l. .. Kg5 2.Qxg6+ Kf4 1 .Rc8+1 Ng8 [l. .. Nxc8 2.Re8#]
3 .Rh4++- ] 2 . Qf8+ Kg!5 [2 .. . Kh7 2 . Axg8+ 1Cxg8 3 . Re8# 1-Q
3.Rd7+ Re7 4.Rxe7#] 3 .Qd8+ Khe
[3 ... Kf4 4.Qd2#; 3 ... Kh6 4.Rh1+ Kg7 3) LOZEV - DASICALOV
SOFIA , 1958
5.Qh8+ Kf7 6.Rh7+ Ke6 7.Qc8+ Kd6
1 .Re8+ Rd8 2.Rxd8# 1-Q
8.Rd7+ Ke6 9.Qc6#] 4.Rh1 +11 Qxh1
!5.Qh8+ Kg!5 6.Qxh1 1-Q 4) 6UYMAYER - SWIDERSICI
1928
1 3) ANDERSSEN - NIELSEN 1 .Rc8+ Rd8 2 .Rxd8+ Qe8 3.Rxe8+
VEJLE, 1989 Rf8 4.Rexf8# 1-Q
l.d4+ cxd4 2.RQ5+ Ke6 3.Ro6+ 1-o
5) NN - RICHTER
1 4) MECKIN6 � TAN 1957
PETROPOLIS, 1973 l. ..Qxe2 2.Rxe2 Rfl# Q-1
1 . Bxf7+1 Kxf7 2 . Rxc7+ Qxc7
3.Qh7+ 1-Q 6) MINIC - HONFI
VRNYACKA BANYA , 1966
1 5) SZABO - BRONSTEIN 1 .Qa711 [l.Qc5?? Qxc5 2.Rxd8+ Rxd8
ZURICH, 1953 3.Rxd8+ Qf8 4.Rxf8+ Kxf8 5.Kf1 a4
1 . Rd81 Qxd8 2 .Qh8+ Kf7 3 .Qxd8
6.Ke2 a3 7.bxa3 b2-+] 1 . . . Rxd!;
1-Q
[l. .. Qxa7 2.Rxd8+ Rxd8 3.Rxd8#;
1 6) PAOLI - DE AN6ELIS l. .. Rxa7 2 .Rxd8+ Qxd8 3 .Rxd8#]
GENF, 1989 2 . Qxa8+ Qd8 3 . Qxd8+ Rxd8
1 . Rxg7+ Kxg7 2 . Rg1 + Kf7 [2 ... Bg5 4. Rxd8# 1-Q
3.Qxg5+ Kh8 (3 ... Kf7 4.Qf5+ Ke7
5 . Bg5#) 4.Qf6+ Kh7 5.Qh6#] (7) MILEIICA - VOITKEVICH
RIGA, 1963
3 . Qh7+ 1Ce6 4.Qxc7 1-Q
1 . Ra711 Qb6 2 . Rb711 Qxb7 3.Qd8+
17) SHENDLER - PUTIATAN Rxd8 4 . Rxd8# 1-Q
USSR, 1972
1 .Nxe!51 1Cxe!5 [l. ..fxe5 2.Qh6+ Ke7 (8) YICES - FLED
1960
3 .Qxh7++- Ke8 4.Qxc7] 2 .f4+ Ke6
1 . . . Rgc81 2 . Rf1 [2.Rxc3 Qxal+ 3.Rc1
3 .Qh3+ Ke7 4.Qxh7+ 1Cf8 5.Qxc7
.
Qxcl#] 2 . Qxal l 3 . Rxa1 Rc1 +
.

1-Q
4. Rxcl Rxcl# Q-1
1 8) HONFI - TAL 9) ALDEN - NILSSON
SUHUMI, 1972
SWE I>EN, 1972
1 . . . Rxc3+1 2 .1Cxc3 Bb4•1 3 . Kxb4 1. . • Qe611 [l. . .Qel+ 2.Rf1 Rd1 3 .Qc8+
[3.Kd3 Qxb3#; 3.Kc2 Ac8+ 4.Qc4
R d 8 4 . Qx d 8# ; 1 . . . Q b 7 2 . Q f 1 ;
Rxc4+ 5.bxc4 Qxc4+ 6.Kb1 Qxe4+]
l. . .gxf6?? 2.Qxf6#] 2 .Qf1 [2.Qxc6
3 . . . Qa5• 4 . 1Cc4 Qa6+-+ !5. Kc3
Rd1+ 3.Rf1 Rxf1#; 2.Rxc6 Rdl+ 3.Qf1
Qxe2 Q-1
Rxf1#] 2 Qxf6 o-1
. • .

S O LUTI O N S 216 THE CHESS COURSE

 1 0) GOLDIN - BOGDATEV 18) LOWCKI - TARTAKOVER
USSR, 1963 POLA N D - JURATA , 1937
1 . Qb41 Rd81 [1. .. Rxb4 2 .Rc8+ Qd8 1 . . Qc5+ 2 . 1Ch l Qc4 3 . Kg1 Qd4+
.

3 . R c x d 8 # ] 2 . Rcd51 [ 2 .Qxa 3 ?? 4 . Kh1 Qe41 5.Qc1 Qd3 6 . Kg1 Qd4+

Rxd1#] 2 . . . Rxd!5 3 .Qb8+ Qd8 7 . Kh 1 Qd2-+ Q-1
4.Qxd8+ Rxd8 5. Rxd8# 1-Q

1 1) RESHEVSKY - FISCHER
Discovered Attack :
PALMA DE MALLORCA, 1970
1 . . . Qd4+ 2 . Kh1 [2.Rf2?? Re1#] 1) CAPABLANCA - RAGOZIN
2 . . . Qf21 3 .Qb5 [3.Rxf2?? Re1+ 4.Rf1 MOSCOW, 1936
1 . Ne4+1 [l.Nxb5+? Bxb5 2.Rxa3 ]
Rxf1#] 3 . . . Rel 4.Rxe1 Qxe l +
1 . . Kc7 2 . Rxa3 1 -Q
5 . Qf 1 Qxf1# Q-1
.

1 2) BUTNORIS - GUTMAN
2) CHEKHOVER - LUTIICOV
LENINGRAD, 1951
LATVIA-LITHUNIA MATCH , 1974
1 . . . Bxd4+1 2 .cxd4 Qxa6 Q-1
1 . Qh8+1 Kxh8 2 . Bf6+ Kg8 3 . Rxe8#
1 -Q
3) TOLUSH - ANTOSHIN
LENINGRAD , 1956
1 3) VILYUP - PITSKAR
.

1 . . Ne4+1 2 . Kxe 1 Qxg6 Q-1

U SS R 1956
.

1 . . . Qxf2+1 2 . Rxf2 Rb1 + 3 . Rf 1

Bd4+ 4.Kh1 Rxf l# Line 4) KATALYMOV - ILUVITSKY
FRUNZE, 1959
1 4) EZERSICY - LELCHUIC
1 .e6+1 Bxe6 2 . Qxa!5 1-Q
SMOLENSK, 1950
1 . Qh41 Qg8 2 . Rf8 Bxd4• 3 . Kh1 h6 5) ICRUUSIAUIC - FOICINA
1975
4 . Rxg8+ Kxg8 !5 . Qd8# 1 -Q
1 . Qg41 Bf6 [1. .. g6 2 .Nh6+ Kg?
1 5) PATASIUS - PURDY
3.Qxd7] 2 . Nh6+ Kh8 3 . Qxd7 1-Q
1954
1 . . Qa41 2 . Qb2 Qxa2 3 .Qa1 Rc21
.
6) MARIC - GLIGORICH
4. Rf1 Rxf21 Q-1 BELGRA DE
1 . . . Rb3U 2 .Qxa5 [2.Rxb3 Qxd2-+;
(1 6) BERNSTEIN - CAPABLANCA 2.Rxa5 Rxb1+ 3.Qd1 Rxd1#; 2.Qe1
MOSCOW, 1914 Rxb1 3 .Qxb1 Qxf5-+; 2.axb3 Qxd2-+]
1 . . . Nxc3 2 . Rxc3 Rxc3 3 . Rxc3 Qb21 2 . . . Rxb 1 + 3 .Qel Rxe 1 + 4 . Rf 1
4 . Qe 1 [4.Rc2 Qb1+ 5.Qf1 Qxc2-+; Rxfl# Q-1
4.Qd3 Qa1+ 5.Qf1 Qxc3-+] 4 . . . Qxc3
Q-1 7) POPIL - MARCO
ROMANIA , 1 90 2
17) LIBOREYTO - LINK 1 Bg1 U 2 .Qxd7 [2.Kxg1 Rxd3
. . .

ARGENTINA , 1969 3.Bxd3; 2.Qh3 Rxdl] 2 . . . Qxh2# Q-1

l . Nh6+ Kh8 [1. ..Qxh6 2.Qf8#;
1. . Kf8 2.Qd6+-+; 1. .. gxh6 2.Qxf6]
.
8) RICHTER - WINZ
2 .Qc1 Qe7 3 .Qg51t Qe8 4.Nf7+ Kg8 BERLIN, 1957
5. Nd6 Qd7 6 . Qxd!5+ Qe6 7. Nxc811 1 . Rxe611 Qxf6 [1 ... Qxe1 2.Rxe1 Rxe1
Qxd5 8 . Ne7+ Kh8 9 . Rf8+ Qg8 3.Qc3++-; 1. . fxe6 2 .Qxc3++-] 2 . Rc1 +
.

1 0 . Rxg8# 1-Q [2.Rxf6?? Rxel] 2 . . . Kb8 3 . Rxf6 1-Q

THE CHESS COURSE 217 SOLUTIONS

 9) FOGUELMAN - DE OLIVEIRA 1 8) JOHANS�ON - MESSING
LEIPZIG OLYMPIA D , 1960 BERLIN, 1973
1 . Rxg7+11 Kxgr- [l. .. Kf8 2.Qh8#] 1 . . . Qxb 1 +U 2 . Nxb 1 Ba6U 3 . Qxa6
2 . Qg3 + Kf6 [2 ... Kh7 3 .Qg6+ Kh8 Rxb 1 + 4 . Qf 1 Rxf 1 +-+ Q- 1
4 . N f 7# ; 2 . . . Kf 8 3 . Ng 6 + Kf 7
4.Qxc7+-; 2 ... Kh6 3 .Qg6#] 3 . Ng4+ Discovered Check :
fxg4 4 . Qxc7 1 -Q

1) ICASHDAN - HOROWITZ
(10) WEXLER - BAZAB NEW YORK, 1939
MAR DE PLATA , 1960 1 . . . Bf3 +1 2 . Kh3 Bxh5 Q- 1
1 . . . Rd 1 1 2 . Qxc6 [2.Qxd1 Qg2#;
2.Rxd1 Qxf3-+; 2 .Qxh3 Rxe1+ 3 .Qf1 2) MASON - WINAWER
Rxf1+ 4.Kxf1 Qxh1+-+] 2 . . . Rxe 1# VIENNA , 1882
Q-1 1 . Bc8 +11 [l.Bc6+? Kb6 ] 1 . . . Kxc8 _
2 . Qxg8+ Kc7 3 . Qg7+ Kb6 4 . Qxf6
(1 1 ) KERES - JANSA 1 -Q
BUDAPEST, 1970
1 . Rh8+ Kxh8,. 2 . Bxg7+ Kxg7
3) THOMAS - SHAPIRO
3 . Qxd5 1 -Q ANTWERP, 1932
1 . Nf7+ e5 2 . Nxd8 1 -Q
(1 2) KERES - GLIGORICH
YUGOSLA VIA , 1959 4) WOLF H - VON
1 . Rxg7+1 Bxg7 2 . Qg4 Rg6 [2 ... Qxf5
BARDELEBEN
3 .Qxf5+-] 3 . Nh6+ Bxh6 4 . Qxd7 1 -Q
1 . Nc6+1 Kd6 2 . Nxa5 1 -0

(1 3) PETRUSHA - YUSHKEVICH 5) LEHMANN - TESCHNER

MINS K
BA D PYRMONT, 1950
1 . . . Be41 2 . Qxb4 Rxd 1 # Q- 1
1 . . . Bb4#11 Q- 1

(14) EUWE - THOMAS 6) YONGE - WATTS

HASTINGS, 1934
LONDON, 1935
1 . Bd511 Rxf2 2 . Qg8# 1-Q
1 . . . Qa5+ 2 . b4 cxb3# Q-1

(1 5) STRAUTINSCH - MULLER 7) GRUNFELD - MEDYANIKOVA

CORRESPONDENCE, 1973
TBILISI, 1973
1 . e611 Qxc5 2 .Nf5+1 Qxf5 3 . Qxf5
1 . . . Qxg2+1 2 . Kxg2 d4+ 3 . Kg 1
gxf5 4 . exd7 +- 1 -Q
[3 .Qf3 Rxf 3 ] 3 . . . dxc3 Q- 1

1 6) GELLER - UDOVICH 8) KOCHIEV - MARIC

YUGOSLAVIA , 1961
KAPFENBERG, 1973
1 . . . Rxg2+1 2 . Kxg2 Nxf4+ 3 . Rxf4
1 . Rd8+1 Bxd8 [l. .. Bf8 2.e7+ Kh8
Bd5+ 4 . Kf2 Rxc 1 Q- 1
3 .exf8Q+ Ng8 4.Qbxg8#] 2 . e7+ Qd5
3 . Qxd5+ Nxd5 4 . e8Q# 1 -Q
1 7) CAPABLANCA - ALEKHINE
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, 1927
1 . . . Nxe31 2 . Qxd5 [2.fxe3? Bxe3+
9) OLSSON - DAHL
VASTERAS , 1959
3 . Qxe 3 Qxd 1+ 4 . Kh2 Qd4-+ ]
1 . . . Qxd21 2 . Qxd2 e3+ Q-1
2 . . . Rxd5 3 . fxe3 Bxe3 + 4 . Kf 1
Rxd 1 + Q- 1

SOLUT I O N S 218 THE C H ESS COURSE

 10) RESHEVSKY - BYRNE Destroying the Defender :
USA , 1973
1 . . . Qxg2+1 2 . Kxg2 BxePJ+ 3 . Kf3
Bxd6 o-1
1 ) VERESOV - DEMENTY
MINSK, 1966
1 . Rxd7 +I ICeS 2. Qxe5 1-Q
1 1 ) ICRISTEV - TRINt;OV
SKOPJE, 196 1
1 . . . Qhl +ll 2 . Kxh1 Rxh3+ 3 Kg1
2) IVANOV - KARPOV
MOSCOW Moscow, 1992
.

Rh1# o-1 20 . . . Nxf4 2 1 .Rxf4 Bx!P o-1

1 2) NAGL M - MESARIC D 3) ICUZMIN - ICRIVONOSOV

PULA , 1993 DAUGAVPILS, 1974
1 .Qh51 � 2 . Bg6+ KQ7 3 .Qh7+ Kf6 1 . Bxc81 AxeS 2 . Rd7 1-Q
4.Ne4# 1-Q
4) SPASSKY - PETROSIAN
1 3) WAGENHEIM - NN MOSCOW, 1967
1898 1 . Qxd4+1 [1.cxd4? Qb4+ 2 .Qb3
1 .Qh7+11 Kxh7 2 . Re7+ 1Ch8 3 . Rh7# Re2+-+ 1 1 . . . Rxd4 2 . b6# 1-Q
1 -Q
!5) MOUSH - PEER
14) JOHNSTON - MARSHALL ZURICH, 1960
CHICAGO, 1899 1 . . . Qxf411 2 . exf4 Rh5 3 . Qxe4 Rh1#
1.Ne7+ Kh8 2.Ng6+ hxg6 3.hxg3+ Qh4 Q-1
4.Rxh4# 1-0
(6) MARTIN - JIMENO
1 !;) SCHMID - ROSSOLIMO 1957
HEIDELBERG, 1949 1 . Rxh7+1 Kxh7 [l. .. Kf8 2 .Qf7#1
1 . . . Rxg2+11 2 . 1Cxg2 Rxf2+1 3 . Bxf2 2 .Qxg6+ Kh8 3 .Qh7# 1-Q
e3+ 4 . Kg1 Qxf2# o-1
n AGZAMOV - RUDERFER
1 6) MOSIONZIIC - t;ORNJAIC 1974
USSR, 1969 1 . Rd5 Qxd5 [1 ...Qc7 2.Rxd8+ Qxd8
1 .Rxf71 Qxf7 2 .Qxh7+1 Qxh7 3 .Re8+ Qxe8 4.Qxe8#1 2 . Re8+ Rxe8
3 .f7# 1-Q 3 . Qxe8# 1-Q

1 7) CUCKIERNAN - 8) BARCZA - PRIBYL

TARTAICOWER DECHIN, 1978
1930 l.Qxd7 Qxd7 2 .Bxe6+ 1-0
1 . exf7+ 1Cg7 2 . fxeBQ+ Kh6
[ 2 . . . Bxe7 3 . Qxe7+ Kh6 {3 . . . Kg8 9) PONOMARIOV - WINANTS
4. Bd5#) 4.Qf6+ K h 5 5. Bf3#1 EUCUP, 2000
3 . Rxh7+ Rxh7 4.Qg6# 1-Q 1 .Rxd6 Qxc2 [1. .. cxd6 2 .Qxc4+-1
2 . Ra6+ Kb8 3 . Ra8# 1-Q
1 8) MACICELVIE - CHALLIS
HASTINGS, 1951 10) NIMZOWITSCH -
1 . Re7+11 1Cxe7 2. f6# 1-Q MARSH ALL
1927
1 .Re81 Qxe8 2 . Qxf6• Kg8 3 . Bh6
Qf7 4.Qd8+ Qf8 5.Qxf8# 1-Q

THE C HESS COU RSE 219 S O LUTI O N S

 1 1 ) OBERLE - PFISTER 3) USTINOV - ILLAVACICI
WURZBURG, 1958 USSR, 1959 ..
1 . . . Qxf311 2 .gxf3 Re 1 + 3 . Kg2 Rgt# t .g5+1 Kxg!5 2 . Qf4# 1-Q
Q-1
4) YOUNGWORTH - SEIRWAN
1 2) MJASNIICOV - CISTJ'AICOV LOS A NGELES, 1979
USSR, 1965 1 . . . Rei l 2 . Qxc1 Qf3+ 3 . Kg1 Nh3#
1 . RdBI Qxc3 2. Rxf8+ 1Cg7 3. RgB+ Q-1
Kf6 4. bxc3 1-Q
5) SEI·rz - RELLSTAB
1 3) ESTRIN - BOLESLAVSICY BAD PYRMONT, 1933
SVERDLOVSK, 1946 1 . . . Qh1 +11 2 . Kxh1 Bf3+ 3 . 1Cg1 Rd1 +
1 . . . Qxf3+11 2 . Bxf3 Rxh4+ 3 . 1Cg2 4.Re1 Rxe1# o- 1
Bh3+ 4 . Kh1 Bft# o-t
6) PAOU - ANDERSSEN
14) GUSEV - ARAKELOV DORTMUND, 1973
USSR, 1970 1 . . . Bg!;l 2 . Qxg5 Nh3+ o-t
1 .Qxf8+11 1Cxf8 2 . Rxd6 Be6 3 .Rd8#
1-o 7) GRAFE - CACIULA
CORRESPONDENCE, 1972
1 . . . Rd21 2 .Qxd2 Bxf3 3 .g3 Qg4 o-1
1 5) ICOROBEV - GUREEV
USSR, 1978
1 . . . Rcl +l 2 . Nxc 1 [2.Rxc1 Qxb7-+]
8) SZILA6YI - VAN STEENIS
BUDAPEST, 1949
2 . . . Qd1# Q-1 1 BL.AIJ
•u-n [1 . N xe6+? Bxe6 2 .Bb4 Bxg4
3.Rxc5 Kg?+-] 1 . . . Qxb4 2 . Nxe6+
1 6) SICUYA - ROZENBERG
Bxe6 3 . Qxb4+ t-o
RIGA , 1962
1 .Qxf8+11 RxfB 2 . Rxh7+11 1Cxh7 9
3 . Rh1 + Bh3 4.Rxh3# 1-o
) DEMENTIEV -
DZINDZIHASVILI
1 7) FONTEIN - EUWE USSR, 1972
AMSTERDAM, 1939 1 . . . Rht + 2 . 1Cxhl Nxg3+ 3 . 1Cg2
1 . . . Rc1 1 2 . Rxc1 Qd1 + 3 . Rxd 1 Nxh5 o- 1
Rxd1# o-1
1 0) HOLZHAUSEN - TARRASCH
1 8) FRIEDRICH - BANTLEON BERLIN, 1912
HANNOVER, 1967 1 . Bxf7 +I Kxf7 2. Ne611 Kxe6 3. Qd5+
1 . Nd7+1 Bxd7 2 . Qxc8+11 Bxc8 Kf6 4.Qf5# 1-Q
3 . Re8# t-o
1 1 ) ICAPLAN - HEINRICH
.
LONE PINE, 1974
Decoy : 1 .Rf8+ 1Cxf8,. 2 . Ng6+1 hxg6,.
3 . Qh8# 1-Q
1) IVANOVSICY - LYUSTROV
MOSCOW, 1972
1 2) YUFEROV - GUSEV
1 . . . Qd3+11 2 . Rxd3 Net# o-1 KALININGRAD , 1973
1 . . . Bf1 11 [2.Rg1 Qxh2+
2 . Rxf1
2) ZEEIC - LINK 3 . Kxf1 Rc1+ 4.Qe1-+ Rxel+ 5.Kxel
FLENSBURG, 1959
Qxgl+-+] 2 . . . Qxh2+ 3 .. Ke1 Act#
1 . . . Rd1 + 2 .Qxd1 [2.Kxd1 Qxfl#]
o-t
2 . . . Qf2# o-t

SO LUTIO N S 220 THE CHESS COURSE

 1 3) MIESOVIC - SLOBODJ AN 5) POLUGAVESKY - EISING
LODZ, 1937 SOLINGEN, !974
t . . . Qh1 +11 2 . 1CXht Rxh4+ 3 . Kgl 1 . . . Qxg2+11 2 .Rxg2 Rb1 + 3 . Rg1
Rht# Q-t Rbxg1# Q-1

14) PANNO - BRAVO

ARGENTINA , 1976
6) RESHVESHICY - LARSEN
t . . . Qe211 2 . Rddt [2.Rexe2 Rfl#; PALMA DE MALLORCA , 1971
2.Rdxe2 Nxe2+-+] 2 . . Qxdlt 3 . Rxdt
.
1 . Ng51 Nxg5 2 .Qg7# 1-Q
Ne2+ o-t
n SUTA - SUTEY
1 5) D URAO - KATOSI BUCHAREST, 1953
NOTTINGHAM, 1957 1 . Rg511 Qxf6 [1. ..Qxe4? 2.Nxf7#]
1 .Rf4+1 Kh5 2 . Rh4+11 gxh4 3 .g4# 2 .Qd411 Rg6 3 . Rxg6 Qxd4 4. Nxf7#
t-o t-o

1 6) RADA - KOSTAL 8) HOROWITZ - STEPHENS

PRAHA, 1942
USA , 1944
l . Rxb21 Rxb2 2 .Qd4 Qe5 3 . Re1 U
l .Rc8+1 Bxc8 2 .Qe8+ Rf8 3 . Rxg7+1
Qxd4 [3 ...Qxe1 4.Qg7#] 4. Rxe8#
Kxg7 4.Qg6+ Kh8 5 .Qh7# t-o
1-o

1 n ME DLER - UHLMANN 9) SUETIN - NN

GERMANY , 1963 USSR, 1965
1 . . . Re1 + 2 . Kh2 [2 .Nf1 Qxg2#] l .Qg41 g6 2.Qe6+11 Kh8 [2 ... Rxe6
2 . . . Rh1 + 3 . Kxht [3 .Nxh1 Qxg2#] 3.Rxd8+ ReS 4.Rxe8#] 3 .Qf6+1 Rxf6
3 . . . Qh3+ 4.Kg1 Qxg2# o-1 4. Rxd8+ Rf8 5 . Rxf8# 1-Q

18) WINZ - VIDELA

MENDOZA , 1955 Overloaded Piece :
t . Bxc7+1 Rxc7 2 . Qe8+11 Kxe8
3 . Rb8+ ReS 4.Rxc8# t-o 1) LEHMANN - BLAU
AROSA , 1952
Deflection : 1 . Rxd51 Qxa4 2 . Re 1 + Be3 3 . Rxe3+
Qe4 4. Rxe4# t-o
1) FISCHER BENKO
2) 6RATIAS
-

NEWYORK, 1965 - MULLER

1 . Qe8+11 Rxe8 2 . Bd5+ t-o GERMANY, 1976
1 . . . Rf71 2 .Qxf7 [2.Qd6 Qxc 3 ]
2) TARJAN - ICARPOV 2 . . . Qg3# o-t
SKOPJE, 1976
1. . Re3+1 2 .g3
. [2 .fxe3 Qg3#] 3)
2 . . . Rxg3+ o-t DRIMER - POMAR
LEIPZIG OLYMPIA D, 1960
3) POST - FLAMBERG 1 . Re t U 2 . Bxh7+1 [2 .Qxc1 Bxg2+
. .

MANNHEIM, 1914 3 .Rxg 2 Qxc 1+-+; 2 .Qh4 Qxg2#]

1 .Qxh7+U Rxhr-' 2 . Rxg8# 1-o 2 . . . Kh81 [2 . . . Kx h7 3 .Qh4+ Kg8
4.Qd8+= Kh7 5.Qh4+ Kg8 6 .Qd8+ Kh7
4) K A N N - B ANNIK
7.Qh4+ Kg6 8.Qg5+ Kh7 9.Qh4+]
USSR, 1952
3.Qxct Bxg2+1 4.Rxg2 Qxcl + 5. Rg1
l . Rg5U Qxc2 [1. .. Qxf4 2 .Qg6#]
Qc6+ 6.Rg2 Kxh7 o-t
2 . Rh5# t-o

THE C H ESS C O U RS E 221 SO LUTI O N S

 4) MIHALJOV - SOICOLOV 4) FRIEDMAN - THOMBLOM
USSR, 1975 RILTON CUP, STOCKHOLM, 1973
1 . Rd711 g!5 [1. .. Rxd7 2 . Q x f 8 #] 1 . . Re311 2 . fxe3 Nh3 o- 1
.

2 . Rxd8 Rxd8 3 .Qxf6+ 1-Q

5) BACHTIA R - LIANG
5) ICROGIUS - MARTUSOV INDONESIA , 1961
USSR, 1949 1 Bd 1 1 2 . Nxf7+ [2.Rexd1 Rxb7-+;
• . .

1 .Qc61 Qxc6 [l...Rc8 2.Nxe7+ Qxe7 2 . Nf3?? Qxe l + l l 3 .Nxe1 R x e 1 #]

3 . Qxc 8+ ] 2.Nxe7+ 1-Q 2 Kg8 . 3 Rxe8 + Nxe8 4.Qe7 Re211
. . • .

5 . Nxe2 [ 5 . Rxd 1 Rxe7; 5.Nd3 Rx e7 ]

6) SEMCIN - MELNI ICOV
!5 . . . Qe1# Q-1
USSR, 1976
1 . . . Ne311 2 .Rf2 [2.Qxe3 Rxf 1# ]
2 Rxf1 + 3 . Rxfl Qg2# Q-1
6) NAJDORF MATANOVIC
_

. . •
MAR DEL PLATA , 1961
1 . Nf7 +11 Bxf7 2 . Qxg7# 1 -Q
7) ROMANISHIN - PLASICETT
LONDON, 1977 7) SPASSICY - ICOROCHNOI
1 . Rxd71 Qxd7 [1. . . Nxd7?? 2 . Qxg7#] MOSCOW, 1955
2 .. Bxf6 1-Q 1 . Qh211 Bxh2 2. eBQ 1 -Q

8) BOTVINNIIC - SAROV 8) SAEMISCH - AHUES

USSR, 1928 HAMBURG, 1946
1 . Nf6+l Kh8 [1. .. Qxf6 2 .Qxc7] 1 .Reel l Bxe!5 [1. . . Rg8 2.Qf6+ Rg7
2 . Ne81 Qxe8 3 .Qxc7 Rb2 4.Rad1 3.Qxg7#] 2 . f6 +- 1 -Q
1 -Q
9) FUCHS - ICOROCHNOI
9) RE66IO - MIESES YEREVAN, 1965
MONTE CARLO, 1903 1 . . .. Bd311 2 . Bxd3 [2.R2xd3 Rel+
1 . . . Rg311 2 .Qxg3 [2.hxg3 Qe3 + 3.Be2 3.Qf1 Rxf1#; 2.R6xd3 Rel+ 3.Qfl
Qxe2#] 2 . . . Bh4H 3 . Qxh4 Qe3+ Rxfl#] 2 . . Qxd6 3 Bf 1 Qc!5 Q-1
. .

4. Be2 Qxe2# Q-1

Square Vacation :
Line Opening & Line
1) BETBEDER - TIROLER
Closing : 1930
1 . Rf8+1 BxfB 2 .Qf7+ 1Cd8 3 . Qd7#
1) MADERNA - VILLEGAS 1-o
1943
1 . Bg7+t Bxg7 [1. . . Kg8 2.Qxh7#] 2) TAL - PA RMA
BLED , 196 1
2 . Qxh7# 1 -Q
1 . Qxf!51 gxf!5 2 . Ne6+ 1Cf6 3 . Nxc7

2) AHUES - NN 1 -Q
BERLIN, 1954
1 . . . Qg411 [1. . . gxf6 2 . Rg 3 + K h 8 3) RA VINSICY - SIMAGIN
MOSCOW, 1947
3. Bxf6#; l. . . Qel+ 2.Kh2+-] 2 . hxg4
1 . . . Ng4+11 2 . Rxg4 Be!S+ 3 . Bf4
[ 2 . Rg3 Qxg3-+] 2 . . gxf6 Q- 1
.

[3 . Kg1 Qhl # ] 3 . . . Rxg!S Q-1

3) TAVARNIER - PERSITZ 4) SPASSKY - MATANOVIC
HAIFA , 1952
1962
1 . . . h4+1 2 . 1Cg4 f5+11 3 . Rxf!5 Rg2# 1 . RxfB+I [Fritz 13: 1.Rh8+ Kxh8
Q- 1 2 . Qh 3 + Rh4 3.Qxh4+ Kg8 {3 ... Qxh4
S O LUTI O N S 222 T H E CHESS COURSE
 4.Rxf8#) 4.Rxf8+ Qxf8 (4 ... Kxf8 4) SKURATOV - SVEI:>CIKOV
5.Qh8#) 5.Qh7# #5/7 ] 1 Qxf8 . • . USSR, 1972 �

[1. .. Kxf8 2 .Rh8#] 2 . Rh8+1 Kxh8 1 . Rh51 [1.fxe7? Rxe6 ] 1 . . . Rxh5

3 . Qh3+ Rh4 4.Qxh4+ Kg8 5.Qh7# [l. .. Ng8 2.Rxh6+ Nxh6 3.e7+-] 2 .fxe7
1� 1�

5) ALEICHINE - SHISHKO 5) ROSSOLIMO - MONSON

MOSCOW, 1919
1 . Rxf511 Kxf5 2 . g4+1 Kxg4 [2 ... Ke5
3 . Kg2 Kd5 4. Kxf2 Kc5 5.Kf3 Kb5
6.Kf4 Kxa5 7.Kf5 Kb5 8 . Kxf6 Kc5
9. Kg6 Kd4 10. Kxh6 Kxd3 11.g5 Ke4
12.g6 Kf5 1 3.g7; 2 ... Kf4 3.Kg2 Ke3
4. Kf11 ] 3 . 1Cg2 1 -0
SOFIA , 2002
1 . Rf311 [1.d8Q?? Rgl+ 2.Ke2 flQ+
3 . Ke3 Qf2+ 4.Ke4 Rg4+ 5. Ke5 Qf5+
6.Kd6 Rxd8+-+; 1.Rc8?? Rg1+ 2.Ke2
· flQ+] 1 . . . Rd5 [1. .. Rxf3 2 .d8Q+;
l. .. Rgf5 2.Rxf5 gxf5 3.Rc8; 1 ... Rg1+
2. Kxf2 Rd1 3.Rc8+-] 2 . Rc8 1-Q

6) STURUA - ICOZLOV 6) KSANDI - FORINTOS

1975 BUDAPEST, 1963
1 . Rg8+1 1Cxg8 [1. . .Rxg8 2.Qxc1+-] 1 . . . Bc311 2 . Rxc3+ 1Cg2 3. Rf3 o-1
2 . Qg3+ Qg� 3 . Qxg5+ 1Cf8 4.Qg7+
ICeS 5.Qg8# 1� 7) DIKSHIT - KALYANSUNDARAM
DELHI, 1961
1 . Bc2+ Kg8 [l. .. Kh8?? 2.Rf8+ Rxf8
7) LISEIC - ICUPFER
3 .exf8Q#] 2 . Rf8+1 Rxf8 3 . Bb3+1
BERLIN, 1972
1 . Bb611 Nxb6 2 .Qg5 g6 3 .Qh6 1-Q [ 3 . B h7+?? Kx h7 4 . ex f 8 Q d l Q ]
3 . . . 1Ch8 [ 3 ... Rf7 4.e8Q+; 3 . . . Kh7
8) PINZON - RICHARDSON 4.exf8Q+- ] 4. exf8Q+ 1-0
CORRESPONDENCE, 1972
1 . . . Be41 2 . Bxe4 Nf2+ 3 . Kg1 Rh1 # 8) MEDINA - TAL
Q-1 PALMA DE MALLORCA , 1966
1 . . . Qxf3 +1 2 . Kxf3 Ne3U [2 . . h2
9)
.

PYTEL - VISNEVSKY 3.Kg2+-] 3 . 1Cxe3 h2 Q- 1

POLAND, 1967
1 . Re8+1 Rxe8 2 . Bd4+ 1-Q 9) FILIPOV - ICAJICAMDZOZOV
BULGARIA , 1958
Passed Pawn : 1 . . . Rd1 +1 2 . 1Cxd 1 exf2 Q-1

1) EVERZ - ICIFFMEYER X - Ray Attack :

BRD, 1964
1 . Bf41 [1.h6? f4 2.h7 f5= ] 1 . . . Kxf4 1) TESCHNER - PORTISCH
2 . h6 1Cg!!i 3 . h7 1-Q MONTE CARLO, 1969
1 . . . Qf211 2 . Ng3 [2.Rxf 2 Re1+ 3.Rfl
2) MADSEN - NAPOLITANO Rxf1#; 2.Qxc8+ Rxc8-+ 3.Rxf2 Rc1+
STOCKHOLM, 1953 4.Rdl Rxdl+ 5.Rf1 Rxf1#; 2.h3??
1 . . . Re l +l [1. ..Qd4+?? 2.Qxd4 Re1+
Qxe2-+] 2 . . . Qe 1 +1 3 . Rxe 1 Rxe 1 +
3 . Kf2 Rxd1 4.Ke2+-] 2 . Rxe1 Qd4+U
4 . Nf1 Rxf 1 # Q-1
3 .Qxd4 dxe1 Q# o-1
2) ZHURALEV - ROMANOV
3) BILEIC ICUPPERS
-

KALININ, 1952
BEVERWIJK, 1966 1 . Qg7+1 Bxg7 2 . Bxg7+ Kg8 3 . Bf6#
1 . Rg7+ Kh8 2 . Rh7+ 1Cg8 3 . Rh8+11
1-Q
Kxh8 4.g7+ Kh7 5 .gxf8Q 1-Q

THE CH ESS COU RS E 223 SOLUTI O N S

 3) CSANADI - POGATS !5) YUKHTMAN - GOLDENOV
HUNGARY, 196 3 KIROVOGRAD, 1952
1 . . . Qxh2+1 2.Qxh2 [2.Kxh 2 Bxe5+ 1 . Rxe711 Qxe7 2 . 8c51 [2.Nxe7
3 .f4 Rxd1] 2 . . . Bxh2+ 3 . Kxh2 Rxd1 Rxc2=] 2 . . . Rxc6 [2 ... bxc5 3 .Nxe7+-]
o-1 3 . Bxe7+ 1Cxe7 4.bxc6 1-Q

4) NOVOTELNOV - AVERBAICH 6) DIAZ - BRYNE

MOSCOW, 1951 BIEL, 1976
1 . . . Bxf2+11 2 . Qxf2 [2.Kxf2 Rf5+ 1 . . . Bxg2+1 2 . 1Cg1 [2.Kxg2? Qg5+-+]
3 . Kg 1 R x f 1 + -+ ; 2 .Rxf2 Rxd 1 ] 2 . . Bel!; 3 .Qxb!5 Qg5+ o-1
.

2 . . . Qxd1 +11 3 . Rxd1 Rxdl + 4.Qf1

Reel o-1 D r.a w by Repetition

5) SILWA - DODA Stalemate :

LODZ, 1967
1 .Qxh7+1 [1.Bxh7 gxflQ+ 2.Kxf1 1 ) NUDWEZKI - ICAMPEN
Rxf7+ 3 . Bf5+ Kg7 4.Q h 7+ Kf8 ] A UGSBURG, 1955
1 . Rf21 Rxf2 2.Qh5+ Qh7 [2 . Kg8
1 . . . Rxh7 2 .Rxh7# 1-o
. .

3.Qe8+ Kh7 4.Qh5+ Kg8 5.Qe8+ Kh7

6) DIEKS - MILES 6.Qh5+ Kg8] 3 .Qe8+ Qg8 4.Qh!5+
ENGLAND, 1973 Qh7 5.QeB+ Qga 6.Qh5+ Qh7 H
1 . . . Rc1 1 2 . Bxf3 [2.Rxc1? Nxg3+-+
3.hxg3 Qxd2-+] 2 . . . Qg1 +11 3 . Rxg1 2) LEVENFISH - ZUBAREV
b9 1# Q-1 USSR, 1933
1 .Qe6+ 1Ch8 2 . Ng6+ hxg6 3 .Qh3+
ICg8 4.Qe6+ 1Ch7 5.Qh3+ 1Cg8
Zwischenzug -
6.Qe6+ Kh7 7.Qh3+ KgS H
The Intermediate Move :
3) NN - F PRAGER
1) BORISENICOV - MEZENEV FRANKFURT, 1924
USSR, 1950 1 . . . Qf6+ 2.Qde7 Qxd4+ 3 .Q8d7
1 . . . f21 2 . Rg8 Bb1 1 3 . Kxb1 [3.Rf.8+ QhB+ 4.Qee8 Qf6+ 5.Qee7 Qh8+
Bf5-+] 3 . . . f1Q+ Q-1 H
2) ARONIN - ICANTOROVICH 4) BESHENARU - SZABO
MOSCOW, 1960 GEMSHIVAR, 1956
1 . Ne511 Bxa4 [1. .. e6 2 .Nxc6+-]
1 .Qxg7+ Rxg7 2 . Rxf8+ Rg8 3 . Aff7
2. Bxf7# 1-o ReS 4. Rxh7+ ICg8 !5.Ahg7+ Kh8
6. Rh7+ Kg8 7.Rhg7+ 1Cf8 8. Agf7+
3) PORAT - BARCZA
MOSCOW, 1956 ICeS 9. Rfe7+ 1Cf8 10.Af7+ H
1 . . . R8xb31 2 . axb3 [2.Rxb3? Rxd2-+;
2.Rxb2 Rxd3-+] 2 . . . Rxd2 3 . Rxd2 5) ICUZNETSOV - ZAIICIN
RYAZAN, 1952
Bxe3+ 4. Rf2 Kg� 5 . 1Cf1 Bxf2
1 .Rxb7+1 1Cxb7 [1. .. Rxb7?? 2.Qd8#]
6 . 1Cxf2 1Cf6 Q-1
2 .Qb!5+ ICeS 3 . Qe8+ 1Cb7 4.Qb5+
4) FISCHER - SHOCRON t-i
MAR DE PLATA , 1959
1 . Bd71 Qxd7 [l. .. Qd8 2 .Rxe5+-] 6) DOMULS _ STAERMAN
USSR, 1978
2 . Rxg6+ hxg6 3 .Qxd7 1-o
1 . . . Rxh2+1 2 . 1Cg1 [2.Kxh2? Rxf2+

SOLUTIONS 2 24 THE CHESS COURSE

 3 . Kh1 (3.Kg1 Qxg3+ 4. Kh1 Qh2#; !5) ZAITSEV - STOROSHENICO
3 . Kh3 Qh6#) 3 ... Qh4+ 4.Kg1 Qh2#] CORRESPONDENCE, 1971
2 . . . Qxg3+1 3 .fxg3 Aag2+ 4. Kf1 1 .Qb5+ Nxb!5 2 . Nb4+ Kb6 3.Na4#
Rf2+ 5 . 1Cg1 Afg2+ 6 . 1Cf1 Rf2+ 1-Q
7.1Cg1 Rfg2+ H
6) NN - DR. C HARTLAUB
7) NN - NN 1904
1 . Ah7+ Kg3 2 . Re71 Ra8 3 . Ra7 Axa7 1 . . . Bxf2+ 2 . Rxf2,. [2.Kh1 Ng3+
H 3.hxg3 Qh5#] 2 . . . Qc1 + 3 . Rf1 Qe3+
4.1Ch1 [4.Rf2 Qxf2+ 5.Kh1 Qf1#]
8) POST - NIMZOWITSCH 4 . . . Nf2+ 5 . Kg1 [5.Rxf2 Qe1+ 6.Rf1
BARMEN, 1905 Qxf1#] 5 . . . Nh3+ 6 . 1Ch1 Qg1 +
1 . . . Rb81 2 . Axba H 7.Axg1 Nf2# Q-1

(9) LASICER - STEINITZ

MOSCOW WCH, 1896 Windmil ls :
1 .Qxd8+1 Qg8 ·2 . Qf6+ Qg7 3 .Qd8+
Qg8 4.Qf6• Qg7 5.Qd8• H 1 ) SCHIFFERS - STEINITZ
ROSTOV, 1896
1 . Rxf711 [1. . . Rxe5 2 .Qxd3;
dxe2
Smothered Mate : l. .. Nxe5 2 .Qxe5 Rxe5 3.Rf8+ Kg7
4.Rlf7#] 2 . Rg7+ 1Ch8 3 . Rxd7+ 1Cg8
1) UNZICKER - SARAPU [3 ... Rxe5?? 4.Rf8#] 4. Rg7+ 1Ch8
1970
5. Re7+ 1Cg8 6.Rxe8+ 1Ch7 7. Rh8#
1 .Qxf7+ 1Ch8 2 . Qg8+ Rxg8 3 . Nf7#
[7.Rf7#] 1-o
1-Q
2) POLETAYEV - FLOHR
2) DAL - SPERBER MOSCOW, 1951
1968
1 .Qe7+1 Nxe7 [l. .. Qb7?? 2.Qxb7#]
1 . Rd61 Qxf3 [1. ..Qc8 2.Nxa7 Kxa7
2 . Axe7+ Qb7 3 . Rxb7+ 1Ca8 4. Rxb!5+
3 .Ra3+ Kb8 4.Rd8+ e5 5.Qxe5#]
1Ca7 5. Rb7+ 1Ca8 6 . Rb1 + 1Ca7 7.Rxd1
2 . Rd8+1 Rxd8 3 . Nc7+ 1Cb8 4.Na6+
1-o
1Ca8 [4 ... Kc8 5.Qc7#] !5.Qb8+ Rxb8
6 . Nc7# 1-Q 3) TORRE - LASICER
MOSCOW, 1925
3) BAIRAMOV - GIIC 1 . Bf611 Qxh5 2 . Rxg7+ 1Ch8 3. Axf7+
1968
Kg8 4. Rg7+ 1Ch8 !5 . Rxb7+ Kg8
1 . . . Rc21 2 . Bxc2 [2.Qe3 Ne2+ 3 . Kf2
6. Rg7+ 1Ch8 7.Rg5+ Kh7 8. Rxh!5 1-Q
Ng4+] 2 . . . Ne2# o-1

4) MORPHY - BRYAN
1859
1 .e51 Qg!5 [1. .. Qh6 2.Qa3+ Kg8
3.Ne7+ Kf8 4.Ng6+ Kg8 5.Qf8+ Rxf8
6 .Ne7#] 2 . h41 Qg4 3 . Qa3+ 1Cg8
[3 . . . Ke8 4.Qe7#] 4 . Ne7+ 1Cf8
5 . Ng6+ 1Cg8 6 . Qf8+ Rxf8 7. Ne7#
1-o

T H E C H ESS C O U RS E 225 SO LUTIONS

 TEST SCORE-CHART
SI. Test Chapter No. of Test Marks/Test Your Score Max.
1 Introductory Test 70 1 70
2 Mate in One 18 1 18
3 Mate in Two 20 3 60
4 Mate in Three 12 5 60
5 Pin- I 6 1 6
6 Pin- n 6 3 18
7 Pin- III 6 5 30
8 Knight Fork - I 6 1 6
9 Knight Fork -· II 6 3 18
10 Knight Fork - III 6 5 30
11 Double Attack- I 6 1 6
12 Double Attack - II 6 3 18
13 Double Attack- III 6 5 30
14 Skewer- I 6 1 6
15 Skewer- II 6 3 18

16 Skewer- III 6 5 30
17 Back Rank- I 6 1 6
18 Back Rank- II 6 3 18

19 Back Rank- III 6 5 30

20 Discovered Attack- I 6 1 6
21 Discovered Attack- II 6 3 18

22 Discovered Attack- III 6 5 30

23 Discovered Check- I 6 1 6
24 Discovered Check- II 6 3 18
25 Discovered Check- III 6 5 30

26 Destroying the Defender- I 6 1 6

27 Destroying the Defender- II 6 3 18

28 Destroying the Defender- III 6 5 30

29 Decoy- I 6 1 6

30 Decoy- II 6 3 18

31 Decoy- III 6 5 30

32 Deflection 9 5 45

33 Overloaded Piece 9 5 45

34 Line Opening & Line Closing 9 5 45

35 Square Vacation 9 5 45

36 Passed Pawn 9 5 45

37 X'Rays 6 5 30

38 Zwischenzug 6 5 30
39 Draw by Repetition & Stalemate 9 5 45

40 Smothered Mate 6 5 30

41 Windmills 3 5 15

Total 3!57 1069

THE CHESS COURSE 226 TEST SCORE-CHART