Untitled

The
ChessCafe
Puzzle Book 3
Test and Improve

Your Defensive Skill
by
Karsten Muller
and
Merijn van Delft
2010
Russell Enterprises, Inc.
Milford, CT USA
The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3
Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill
by
Karsten M tiller
Merijn van Delft
ISBN: 978-1-888690-66-8
© Copyright 20 10
Karsten MUller, Merijn van Delft
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system

or transmitted in any manner or form whatsoever or by any means, elec-
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Published by:
Russell Enterprises, Inc.

P.O. Box 5460
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Cover design by Janel Lowrance
Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents
Signs and Symbols 6

Introduction 7
1. Principles and Methods of the Defender
la) Chess is not Checkers 9
1b) Intennediate Moves 10
1c) Calculate to the End 12
1d) The Elimination Method 13
1e) Prophylaxis 14
If) Structural Weaknesses 16
Ig) Do Not Panic 17
Ih) "Being" instead of "Doing" 19
2. Defending against an Attack on the King

2a) Counterattack 26
2b) Exchange Attacking Potential 29
2c) Bringing in More Defenders 33
2d) A Spanner in the Works 36
2e) Evacuating the King from the Danger Zone 38
2f) Destroying the Hannony of the Attacking Army 39
2g) Closing Inroads 42
2h) The King as an Important Defender 44
3. Fighting against the Initiative

3a) Counterplay 46
3b) Tactical Defense 48
3c) Wresting the Initiative from the Opponent 51
3d) Neutralizing the Initiative 54
The ChessC~fe Puzzle Book 3
4. Perpetual Check 57
5. Stalemate
5a) In the Endgame 60
5al) Second-rank Defense: Rook+Bishop vs. Rook 60
5a2) Bishop versus Rook 61
5a3) Queen versus Rook 63
5b) In the Middlegame 64
6. The Right Exchange

6a) A Very Problematic Rule of Thumb 66
6b) Exchanging Pieces and Changing the Character
of the Position 68
6c) An Active Rook Should Be Exchanged 70
6d) A Rook Fighting a Minor Piece
Welcomes Exchanges 70
7. Exchange Sacrifices
7a) Russian Exchange Sacrifices 76
7b)B\ockade 79
7c) Opposite-color Bishops 80
7d) A Strong Unopposed Bishop 83
7e) The Initiative 86
7f) Typical Exchange Sacrifices
7fl) The Sicilian Exchange Sacrifice 89
7f2) The French Exchange Sacrifice 91
8. Defense against a Minority Attack

8a) White's Objectives 95
8b) Defensive Motifs against the Minority Attack 97
4
9. Defending Inferior Endgames
9a) Activate the Rook lO3
9b) The Defender Exchanges Pawns lO7
9c) The Mighty Passed Pawn lO9
9d) Fortresses 112
10. The Great Tigran Petrosian 117
11. Easy Exercises 124
12. Tests 131
Solutions
Chapter Exercises 164
Easy Exercises 186
Test Solutions 190
Bibliography 216
5
Signs and Symbols
1-0 White wins

0-1 Black wins
Y2-Y2 Draw agreed
+ check
mate
""
a strong move
!! a bril1iant or unobvious move
a weak move, an error
7)
a grave error
!? a move worth consideration
an equal position
;!; White stands slightly better
± White has a clear advantage
+- White has a winning position
:j: Black stands slightly better
=+= Black has a clear advantage
-+ Black has a winning position
00 an unclear position
00 with compensation
01 Olympiad
m match
ch championship
wch world championship
corr correspondence game
[W] White to move
[B] Black to move
(D) see the next diagram
6
Introduction
I just tried not to make my position worse - and. more importantly, not to make it
better. World Champion Contender David Bronstein
The book is finally ready! What you are holding in your hands is Part 3 of the
ChessCafe Puzzle Book series. Originally this book was planned to come out a bit
earlier; but since both authors have been involved with a multitude of chess projects,
things have been somewhat delayed. In this regard (and at the risk of being viewed
as immodest) we would like to take particular note of Karsten's bestseller, Bobby
Fischer: The Career and Complete Games ofthe American World Champion, and
Merijn's new book (co-authored with his father), Developing Chess Talent. Chess
enthusiasts will find both of considerable interest and they should both be available
at chess dealers worldwide.
Both authors you say? The ChessCafe Puzzle Books I and 2 were written by
Karsten Muller alone. But fans of the ChessCafe Puzzle Book series need not be
worried: basically nothing has changed - you are still looking at a good old Karsten
Muller product, since he was responsible for the selection of at least 90% of the
positions and came up with the basic concept. The expected "who did what"
question is easy to answer: Karsten focused on the variations and Merijn on the
text. This should not be taken too literally, however. We both checked every move
and every word in the book, and even switched roles at times, so it really was a co-
production. The underlying concept was that Karsten's mathematical background
and Merijn's psychological background would complement each other nicely.
While this should not be taken out of perspective either, we think it worked out
well. That we both live in Hamburg, Germany was not essential, in view of modern
communication options, but it also did not hurt.
So what is this book about? As you may know the first book in this series was
about tactics, and the second about strategy. This third book is about defense. It
is in fact an area in which Karsten himself felt he could use some improvement. One
of the best reasons for writing a book is because you would like to read it yourself.
Defense is a special subject. Of course, we all like to attack and win. Who wants to
be under pressure, defending, suffering and then lose? Nobody, naturally, but the
first step is to realize that defending has many faces. If your opponent has played
a desperate, incorrect piece sacrifice for instance, you may have no choice but to
defend. And the reward is usually fitting: not just a draw, but a win. There are many
more scenarios when coldblooded defense is rewarded with a full point. The world's
strongest players are, without exception, phenomenal defenders and legendary
fighters.
That brings us to our next point: it is all about choosing the right mindset. You
need to learn to enjoy defense, to take pleasure from putting up the most stubborn
resistance possible. Chess is a game of mistakes; don't worry if something goes
7
wrong, just keep on fighting. A positive attitude is essential. Throughout this

book, you will encounter positions that appear difficult to solve unless you have
an optimistic approach. And that difficulty gets turned up a notch in a real game
situation, as there is nobody tapping on your shoulder during the game motivating
you to find an unexpected brilliant defensive move!
There are two types of defenses - (a) "Heroic," i.e., saving lost positions; and (b)
"Casual," i.e., basic defensive technique. Both are of vital importance. For the
former you should have enough energy and mental strength to fight hard at the
board to make the conversion of the winning advantage as difficult as possible for
your opponent, while still enjoying yourself. We hope to give you reasons for this
in the present volume by showing how tenacious defense is often rewarded. To be
able to master this difficult art fully, you should know the basic defensive techniques
and themes, and that is where we start.
Principles like "Do not panic" and "unforced thinking" (sometimes also described
by the phrase "Chess is not Checkers") playa significant role. If you violate them,
then you may pay the price. Instead, you should keep a clear head, try to put the
pressure on your opponent and try to enjoy the defensive task at hand. This does
not mean, for example, trying to draw by making mass exchanges just for the sake
of exchanging. This is not the way the game works. You end up assisting your
opponent, and your opponent may sense that you are scared. The art of defense
is connected more to concepts like prophylaxis, calm calculation, maintaining
confidence and a clear head, as well as elimination (or removal) methods,
counterattacking at the right moment and the exchange of attacking or winning
potential.
Because of the strong influence of computers, chess has become much more
concrete and now players are willing to take higher risks when grabbing material.
You should participate in this trend and improve your defensive skills and your
confidence when playing passive positions. Of course, we all want to win attractive
attacking games, but when this approach does not work or is not available, then
adjust to the circumstances and defend.
The best way to train your defensive skills is to play inferior positions against
strong opponents and to analyze the games later. The next best is probably to
study the concepts of defense and to solve a lot of exercises. And that is what this
book is all about. A final word about the difficulty of the exercises: different readers
will experience different degrees of difficulty for the same problems. Not to worry.
Do not be concerned if you cannot solve an exercise, if you make mistakes or
generally suffer through the solving process. It is not the test results but the
training effort that counts and that will help you to become a stronger player. Good
luck!
Karsten Muller
Merijn van Delft
Hamburg, April 20 10
8
Chapter 1
Principles and Methods of the Defender
la) Chess is not Checkers 28.~e3 .llf4! and after 29.Axf4 ~xc5
30.~a4 a5 31..lld6 ~c3 32.~xa5 and
The first important principle of the the opposite-color bishops give White
defender is that you are not forced to excellent chances for a draw.
take pieces as in checkers. Always have 25 ... ~xh2+ 26. 'it'fl Ac6! The bishop
a fresh look at the position and consider switches diagonals with deadly effect.
your options. In the example below the
legendary Garry Kasparov found
himself in the unusual role of defender,
as he is of course known for his
irresistible attacks. He either
miscalculated something, or maybe
forgot about the "chess is not
checkers" principle?
01.01 GKasparov (2775)-

V.Kramnik (2775)
Dos Hermanas 1996 [BI
27.Ag5 The most stubborn defense
would have been 27.~a5! forcing Black
to find 27 ... Ac7!. 27 ... Ab5+ 28.~d3
~e8! While Black brings his last piece
into play, White is completely helpless
although a rook up. 29.~a2 ~hl +
There was even a forced mate available:
29 ... ~xd3+! 30.~xd3 (30:i!fxd3 '{;;1hl +
31.~e2 'liYel#) 30 ... '{;;1hl+ 31.~e2
'{;;1g2+ 32.'i&e3 ~xe4#. 30.~e2 Etxe4+
31.~d2 ~g2+ 32.~cl ~xa2
33.Etxg3 ~al+ 34.~c2 ~c3+
24 ... ~xf3! 25.~xf3? This automatic 35.~bl ~d4 0-1 White resigned
recapture is surprisingly a mistake. because of 36.Af6 Axd3+ 37.~a2
Kasparov had to think in an unforcing Abl +! and mate follows.
way and bring new forces to the
defense: 25.~a2!! would have been a In line with the "chess is not checkers"
fantastic second rank defense. The principle, you have to free yourself from
prototype of this defense is a black stereotypical thinking. In the following
queen on c7 in the Sicilian, taking care example White was in a somewhat
of defending the soft spots on g7 and dogmatic positional thinking mode,
h7. Black now has nothing better than whereas the position was asking for
25 ... ~xfl + 26.~xfl 'liYxfl + 27.~xfl ~c8 highly dynamic solutions.
9
The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3
01.02 V.Shishkio (2463) - 33.Axc5!! dxc5 34.d6 and the strong d-

A.Areshcheoko (2575) pawn combined with threats against the
73. UKR-ch Kharkov 2004 [W] black king provide White with nice
compensation for the piece, for example:
34 ... 4Je6 (34 ... 4Je8 35.d7 §a8 36.E:xe4!
4Jd6 37.§e6 §d3 38.4Jf6) 35.E:xe4 4Jf8
36.§e8 §f7 37AJf6. 29 ..• axb3
30.axb3 E!a3 3Vi~jlg2
29.E!ael? This is too slow. It seems

that the knight must go to the beautiful
blockading square e4. But there are no
such forced automatisms in chess.
Instead there is a big battle for the
initiative going on. 29A~g4! would have 31 ..• 8:xe3! Now it's Black who lands
been strong and only after 29 ... e4 is the first tactical blow. 32.E!xe3 bxc4
there is time for 30.§ael. The calm 33.E!dl cxb3 34.4Je4 lclb5 The
30.E:abl also comes into consideration. knight does an excellent job in
Now after neutral moves, White can defending both d6 and a3. 35.lcld2?
continue with the disturbing 4Jf6. If The last chance for counterplay was
Black continues to attack on the 35.4Jxc5! dxc5 36.d6 4Jxd6 37.§xd6
queenside, a nasty surprise awaits: since the direct 37 ... b2?! 38.E: xa3 bl'l!!f
30 ... axb3 31.axb3 bxc4 (31...lh3 39.E:a8+ ~f8 40.E:xf8+ ~g7 41.§ff6!
32.Axc5!! dxc5 33.d6 is similar) 32.bxc4 only leads to a draw. 35 ... b2 36.Wf2
§a4. 36.E:xa3 4Jxa3 37.4Jbl 4Jxbl 38.E:xbl
e4 and Black is winning. 36 ... lclc3
37.Wel e4 38.lclb1lclxb1 0-1
Ib) Intermediate Moves
This principle logically follows from the

previous one: always be on the lookout
for intennediate moves. Both sides can
at any point decide to interrupt a
seemingly forced variation with an
intermediate move (a/k/a a
zwischenzug).
10
01.03 J.Speelman (2597)- 01.04 S.Bromberger (2505) -

P.Ricardi (2474) J.Timman (2565)
FIDE-weh k.o. Las Vegas 1999 (B] Gennan Bundesliga 2006 [B)
28 ... Axh2+? Black couldn't resist the 30..•Axb2!? The intermediate move
temptation to execute the classical 30 ... iic3!? is met by 31..§e7! and now
double bishop sacrifice. Instead he after 31...~xb2 White can take back
should have settled for the modest with 32.~xb2! (In this case 32 ..llb5??
28 ... 'lil'e7 29.~xh2 -'ixg2 The allows 32 ... 'lil'c1 #) 32 ....§xb7+ 33.'§xb7
standard procedure 29 ... 'lil'h4+ 30.~gl and as Oliver Reeh has pointed out,
.llxg2 doesn't work because the rook is Black can't win because of his
hanging. 30.E!dl! A strong imprisoned king. 31.Ab5! An
zwischenzug. White refuses to be victim intermediate move in both a timely and
of Black's brilliant attacking play. spatial sense. It not only interrupts the
30.~xg2? only leads to a draw after nice tactical flow of moves Black initiated,
30... 'lil'g5+ 31.~f3 'lil'h5+ 32.~g3 while but also physically blocks the b-file.
Black should stay clear of 32 ... .§e5? 31.'lil'xb2? loses to 31. .. .§xb2+ 32.~xb2
since after 33.~xf7+! all tactics neatly 'lil'b4+. 31...Ad4 32. ~xb8+! The point
work in White's favor. 30 ... ~h4+ ofWhite's previous move: an emergency
31.~xg2 'l11Ig4+ 32.~f1 ~xc4+ exit into the ending. 32..•~xb8 33.E!e8+
33.~el ~c3+ 34.E!d2 b5 Perhaps ~xe8 34.Axe8 Axf2 35.h5 The
Black missed that 34 ... .§d8 is refuted endgame is easily drawn because of the
by the strong 35.'lil'c21, 35.~b3 Now presence of opposite-color bishops.
White simply is a piece lip. 35 ... ~al + 35 ••. -'ie3 36.c3 f2 37.Ab5 ~g8
36.E!dl ~e537.Ab2'l111h238.~d5 38.~c2 ~f8 39.~dl ~e7 40.~e2
~gl+ 39.~e2 ~g4+ 40.~f1 ~h3+ Ac5 41.Ac6 ~d6 42.Ab7 ~e5
41. ~g2 ~f5 42. ~c6 ~h3+ 43.~e1 43.Ac6 a5 44.a4 Ae3 45.Ab7 d4
1-0 46.cxd4+ Axd447.~f1 Y2""'ll
In the following fascinating example A special kind of intermediate move is the

both sides have intermediate moves at desperado: a piece that will be lost anyway
their disposal. grabs some material along the way.
11
01.05 A.Miles- 01.06 F.Va II ej0 Pons (2686)-

Computer Deep Thought ~l(asparov(2804)
Long Beach 1989 (B) Linares 2005 (W)
1 ... ~xe4 2 •.Q.xd8?! The stunning 27..§a5? When entering complications,

desperado 2.'li¥xh6!? would have been you must be sure to calculate correctly,
more tenacious: 2 ... gxh6 3.~xdB ~xf2 especially if you have safer alternatives
4.§hgl + ~h7 5 ..1.1.£6 (5.§xd6!? cxd6 in reserve, such as 27.§a4 .§.d8!? 2B.h3
6.Jlh4 is an interesting try to confuse (but not 28.~h4?? g5 29.'€¥xe4 [29.~g3
the issue) even when 5 ... .§.gB! (5 ... M4+? §d3 wins] 29 ... ~xf2+! mating) and
6.~c2 .\lg5 7.l£ld5I£lxdlB.Ad3+ <;tJgB 27.§a2. 27 ... Jl.xf2+ 28.'ltxf2 'ltxa5
9.Axg5 hxg510 ..§.xg5+ <;tJhBl1..§.h5+ 29.~xe6
~gB12 ..§.g5+=, Aagaard) 6 ..§.dfl §xgl
7 ..§.xgl §gB reduces White's attacking
potential. 2 ... ~xd2 3 ..Q.xc7 .Q.xh2
4 ..Q.xh2 ~xc4 and Black went on to
win.
Ie) Calculate to the End
A very important tactical device is to

always calculate to the end. Even when
it seems that the tactics are over, you
have to look one step further. This takes
a lot of discipline, but can be very Vallejo probably stopped his
rewarding. Of course, this principle is calculations here and concluded that he
universal, but especially when on had a draw. But Kasparov had seen one
defense, there is little room for mistakes. move further: 29 ... .1lxg2! 0-1
A related psychological pitfall is when, 29 ... Ad3? 30.l£lxfB Axfl 31.~xfl ~xfB
under pressure, one tends to look for a is indeed a draw, but 29 ... Axg2! 30.l£lxfB
(30.~xg2 ~b6+; 30.<;tJxg2 ~d5+)
forced draw. Blinded by the wish to end
the game, one may forget to calculate 30 ... Axfl 31.l£lxh7 ~h3 wins
to the end. immediately.
12
Even the very best players sometimes Id) The Elimination Method
calculate one move too short:
Sometimes the easiest way of finding
V.Kramnik (2772) - V.Anand (2783) the best move is by eliminating the bad
World Championship Bonn 2008 [WI ones. To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes,
if you eliminate the impossible,
whatever is left, no matter how
improbable, must be the truth. Be
careful though. When all eliminated
moves seem to lead to a draw, make sure
the remaining move isn't losing instead
of winning.
01.07 End of a Study by Grigoriev [B)
Kramnik started a forced sequence with

29.4)xd4? (29.i!¥g8 was the best
chance to fight) 29 ... ~xd4 30.E{dl
4)f6 31.E{xd4 4)xg4 32•.§d7+ ~f6
33.E{xb7 E{c1+ 34.M1
1 ... ~e1! All other moves lose by force:

1...~c3? 2.i!¥d4+ \t>b3 3.i!¥al+-;
1...~e3? 2.i!¥g2 cl~ 3.i!¥g5++-;
1...~e2? 2.~a2 ~dl 3.~d4 c1 i!¥
4.~d3 +-; 1...~c1? 2.i!¥a2 ~d13.~d4
c1i!¥4.\t>d3+-. 2.~a5+ ~d13.~a4
~d2 4. ~a2 ~c3!! = A bodycheck
against the king and the queen
Kramnik had most probably stopped his simultaneously, a rarity indeed.
calculations here. But Anand had seen
one move further: 34... 4)e31! 35.fxe3 The following example is from The
fxe30-1 Magic o/Chess Tactics and analysis of
the German trainer and analyst Claus
Dieter Meyer is used:
13
01.08 Analysis of A.Shirov (2670)- So by elimination, we are left with the

J.Lautier (2635) main line: 66 ... Ag2! ( 66 ... Ahl also
Munich 1993 [B] works for our purposes here) 67.~f6
'tfle8 68.'tfle6 'tfld8 69.E(CS Ab7
70.J1f6+ ~e8 71.§.c7 §.e3+ 72.AeS
13.xeS+ 73.~xeS Ae4 74.~f4 ~d8
75.§.a7 ~c8 76.§.xa6 'it'b7
Obviously the bishop must move. So

the candidate moves are 66 ... ,a,hl,
66 ... Ag2, 66 ... Ae4, 66 ... lid5 and
66 ... ~eS+. As the elimination method
shall be used, it is a good idea to start Meyer came to the conclusion that Black
with the bad ones and eliminate them is most probably able to survive
as quickly as possible. As 66 ... lieS+? because of his passed pawns. In any
looks suspicious, we suggest starting case this is by far the best chance to
with it: 67.~f6 .§h3 68.Ac5+ ~g8 continue the fight.
69 ..§cS .§h6+ 70.~e7 +- and the
bishop is lost first and the game later. 1e) Prophylaxis
Next on the list is 66 ... Ae4? but the
bishop is in the way here. So we A refined form of defense is prophy laxis.
calculate 66 ... Ae4? 67.~f6 ~eS According to the famous chess trainer
(67 ... 'if1gS 6S.1":kS+ ~h7 69.'it'g5 1":1h3 Mark Dvoretsky, a prophylactic move
70.§h8#) 68.~e6'it'd869.Ab6+-. So contains both a defensive and an
far so good. Now it is much more offensive element. In other words, it
difficult to decide between the three anticipates the opponent's idea and, at
remaining candidate moves. As it is all the same time, improves your own
about keeping the black king near the position. Experienced players have
dangerous h8-comer, we continue to intemalized this concept and constantly
look, this time at 66 ... Ad5? 67.1":1c5! .ile6 use prophylactic - or preventive -
68.~f6 Ad7 69.§c7 ~e8 70.1":1a7 \t>d8 thinking. This concept is not
(70 ... Ac6 71..§.e7+ 'if1dS 72.Ab6+ '<!tc8 assimilated well by beginners, since on
73.§c7++-; 70 ... AcS 71.1":1e7+ +-) one hand they simply prefer to attack
71.Ab6+ ~c8 n.§c7+ ~d8 73.§c5+ and on the other, it demands putting
~eS 74.§e5+ '<!tfS 75.Ac5+ ~gS oneself in someone else's situation, i.e.,
76.1":1d5+-. asking what would be played ifit were
the opponent's move. Another aspect
of prophylaxis is looking far ahead.
14
World Champion Tigran Petrosian was the Black monarch escapes. 22.~g3 g6
said to prevent his opponent's attacking Now 22 ... .!2lg5? 23 . .!2lf6+! gxf6
ideas long before his opponent even (23 ... ~h8 24.§.xgS ~dB 25.§h5+-)
thought of them. 24:€hh6 "€i'dB 25.h4 is winning for
White. 23.~f6+ ~xf6 24.~xf6 ~d8
01.09 N.Mitkov (2578)- 25.~xg6+ %-Yl
S.Rublevsky (2657)
Poikovsky 200 I [B] As we mentioned above, preventive
measures are also possible even when
there is not any imminent danger.
01.10 J.Rowson (2548)-

P.Wells (2497)
Blackpool Weekend Congress 2004 [W]
19 ..•Jtc8! Of course White wanted to

install the knight on f5. 20.~f3 ~h7!
And obviously the exchange sacrifice
on f6 had to be prevented. 21.~h5
~b6 In fact 21.. ..!2lg5!? is playable as
well as after 22 ..!2lf6+ gxf6 23.d.xf6.
28.g3! "After talking to my pieces, my
king was the most convincing - he will
feel much safer on a light square, all the
more so given that White will probably
have to take on c5 to make progress."
(Rowson) 28 ... ~ca8 29.E!a2 .1l.g7
30.~g2! h5 30 .. .[5 31.~b4 §cB was
the alternative. 31. ~b4 ~d8
32.Jtxc5 dxc5 33. ~xc5 b6 34. ~e3
E!xa5 35.~bxa5 E!xa5 The defender
exchanges as many pieces as possible
to reduce White's attacking potential.
Black has the fantastic defensive 36.~xa5 bxa5 37.'/Nxe4 ~d6?
resource 23 ... §.a7!!, something seen 37 ... .I1.fB! 3B.f5 "€i'e7 "is as good as
before in Kasparov-Kramnik (01.01). equal" (Rowson) because of the
After 24.§'xh6 (24.~xh6 .!2lh7 25.§f3 blockade on the dark squares. 38.f5!
f6 works neatly as well) 24 .. .f6, the rook Opening up the white squares around
defends along the seventh rank. the black king. 38... gxf5?! 3B ...'it>fB!?
Following 25.§h8+ \fit7 26.~h5+ '!Je7 was more tenacious, but White should
15
prevail in the long run after 39.fxg6 fxg6 Ad6 15.Ad2 ~b6 16.4Jc7+ ~fB
40 ..a.d3 ±. 39. ~e8+ Af8 40.Axh5 17.4JxaB ~dB IB.~e6 +-. 12.4Jd3 e6
~f6 41.c5 ~g7 42.c6Ad6 43. ~d7 13.Af4 Ad6 14.Axd6 ~xd6
~e5 44. ~xf7+ ~h8 15.4Jf5 ~f8 Again a forced retreat.
And now, instead of 16.'l~H3? 0-0-0
when Bronstein was not worse anymore
(and even managed to win later), White
should play 16.4Je5!, when the critical
line is 16 ... Ah7! (16 .. Ajd5? runs into
17 ..llxd5 cxd5 1B.4Jxd7 'itJxd7 19.4Je3
~c7 20.c4+-, Jones-Pedersen,
Copenhagen 2005) 17.4Jxf7 Axf5
18.4JxhB 0-0-0 19.Axe6 Axe6 20.§xe6
~xhB and White is for choice although
matters are not totally clear.
45.~h3! Again, nice prophylaxis. 11) Structural Weaknesses

White showed a good feel for handling
his king in this game. 45 ... a4 46.Ag6 In many cases it is enough to defend
~g7 47.~e8+ Af8 48.c7 ~h6+ calmly and wait to see what happens.
49.Ah51-0 The typical case is a passive, but
otherwise healthy position. If you do
Someti mes even strange looking have a structural defect in your position,
measures are the order of the day: active defense is often called for.
01.11 GPorreca - D.Bronstein 01.12 A.Karpov (2690)-

Belgrade 1954 [B] M.Taimanov (2530)
Leningrad 1977 [8]
Bronstein has played inaccurately in

the opening and must be very careful 25 ... .£Jb6! If Black waits passively,
now. White has strong pressure on the then White will sooner or later advance
light squares, which must be neutralized on the kingside with good winning
with 1l ... Ag8! as 11...e6? runs into chances. That's why Taimanov acted
12.Axe6 fxe6 13.4Jxe6 ~a5 14.'~)"e2 immediately with the text move.
16
26.§xa5 26.Axa5? fails to 26 ... <tlxa4 Ig) Do Not Panic

27.Axe7 <tlxb2 -+. 26 ...c4! The point
of Black's previous move, opening up This principle of the defender goes
the diagonal to white's king. 27.-'tfl without saying, but still takes many
27.bxe4? ~xa5 28.Axa5 'i1¥e5! 29.'~bl instructive fonns. Good defense requires
(29.Axb6<tlf3+ 30.~hl ~xeI31..~xe5 not only technical skills, but also - and
~xd3 is a pretty fork. 29.'~b4 ~f3+ foremost - keeping a cool head.
30.~fl ~e3 with a strong attack)
29 ... ~xa5 30.E!xb6 ~b3+ winning the 01.13 Z.Medvegy (2512)-
exchange. 27 ... §xa5 28 ..1lxa5 ~c5! K.Miiller (2515)
29.Axb6 ~xb6 30.<it>hl cxb3 Gennan Bundesliga Hamburg 2007 (BI
31.axb3 g6?! Black could have solved
his problems with 31...~xb3 32.'l!,i'bl
(32.~bl ~e8=) 32 ... E!a3 33.11c4 'l!.i"a5!
34.E!xb3 E!al 35.E!b8+ W 36.E!b7+=.
32.fxg6 hxg6 33.M ~g7 34.b5 f5
35.exf5 4Jxf5 36.§b3?! 36.E!bl
would have been more precise.
36... ~d4
24 ... §bcS 25.4Jc6 Here I was

convinced that I must counterattack
immediately and quickly played
25...~h4?? without checking everything
in detail, which turned out to be a big
mistake. Black must exchange on c6 first
and offer very tenacious resistance:
25 ... .llxc6 26.dxc6 ~h4 27.Axd6 ~xe4
37.b6? After 37.E!bl, Black needs the Here A.e7 is no longer possible. 28.Ab4
same trick as in the game to keep the ~f2! 29.'l!.i"xf2 ~xf2+ 30.~h2 .§xel
position balanced: 37 ... E!a3! 38.b6 3Ulxel ~d3 32.Ac3 E!xc6 33.E!dl E!d6
~g3+1 39.~xg3 E!xg3 40.hxg3 ~e4 34.~g3 E!d5 and the struggle continues.
41..§b2 ~e3=. 37 ... §al 3S.§bl 26.-'txd6 4J xe4 27.Ae7! Now White
38.~e2 ~c5! 39.b7 ~c2! is a killing isjustwinning. 27...4Jg3+ 28.~gl ~4
back-ranker. 38 ... 4Jg3+!! 0-1 After 29.f6 ~h8 30. ~2 ~g5 31.§e5 ~g6
39.hxg3 the rook returns to the h-file 32.§e3 4Je4 33. ~c2 ~xc6 34.dxc6
with devastating effect. 4Jd6 35. ~xg6 hxg6 36.§cl 4Jc4
37.§ec3 4Jxb2 3S.c7 4Jc4
17
the draw as well. 37.Eldc3! would have

been the best defense, giving up a rook
for the powerful black-square bishop.
Obviously it was hard to adjust to the
new circumstances. After 37 ... Axdl
38.~xdl Axc3 39.bxc3 ~b6 Black is
only slightly better. 37 ... Axdl
38.'§xdl 4)e3 39 . .§dd2 4)xc2+
40..§ xc2 §b3 41. <itJa2 §e3 0-1 as the
white kings ide falls apart.
Another classic mistake is to resign too

39.'§xc4! An instructive exchange early. Sometimes the position contains
sacrifice that decides the game. hidden defensive possibilities.
39 ... bxc4 40 . .§xc4 <itJh7 41.<itJf2
<itJh6 42.<itJe3 <itJg5 43.<itJe4 <itJh4 01.15 N.Mitkov (2563)-
44 ..§c3 .§a8 45.<itJd5 §ec8 46.<itJcG I.Krush (2436)
g5 47.<itJb7 g4 48.hxg4 <itJxg4 Montreal2006[BI
49.§d31-0
A common phenomenon is that

mistakes always seem to occur in
bunches.
01.14 K.Kulaots (2530)-

E.Alekseev (2609)
Moscow Aeroflot Open 2004 (WI
73 ... h5 74.§.f7+ <itJh6 74 .. .'~h8? loses

to 7S.'it'g6 Elg3+ 76.~h6 75.Ae41-0
as Black thought mate was inevitable. But
after 75.Ae4 ~c8! 76.'it>f4 ~h8 Black
holds on, for example, 77.§f6+ ~g7
78.<itJgS h4 79.Eld6 <itJf7 80.Af5 h3
81.~d7+~e882.~a7 ~f883.Axh3 §.f7=.
Always keep on fighting until the very

36.Adl?? The prophylactic 36.'it'a2 end. A good chess player needs to be
was called for and would have still given beaten three times before the win is a
White good winning chances fact, as world champion Alekhine once
(Gershon). 36... §b7! Suddenly Black put it. For someone to take the full point
has excellent compensation for the from him, he opined that he had to be
exchange. 37.§'c2?? This throws away beaten in the opening, middlegame and
18
the endgame. In the following example on a6 would give White a winning rook
Alexei Shirov was under strong ending. 60.~d6 13a5
pressure, but kept fighting and was
rewarded with a draw.
01.16 L.Aronian (2759)-

A.Shirov (2699)
WCh Candidates Finals Elista 2007
[B}
61.f6? Throwing away the win. 61. \t'c6!

~xa6 62. \t'b6 :8e5 63.4Jxa6 would have
won a piece and after63 ... ~d3 64.4Jc5+
~e3 65.:8n ~e2 66.:8el+! \t'xel
67.4Jd3+ ~e2 6S.4Jxe5 f6 69.4Jg6, the
game as well. 61 ... .Ilxa6 62.l£lxa6
13xa6+ 63.'i:tfe7 13a7+ 64.~f8 ~d3
49 ... 13b8? Now Black gets into serious 65.13h4 ~e3 66.13h7 ~f4 67.13xf7
trouble. 49 ... ~g4! would have been a
more active defense. 50.13dl! Bringing
the third white piece to a dominating
position. 50 ... 13xb4 51.13d4 ~f3
52.l£l xa6? Too hasty. First the elegant
maneuver 52.:8e4! :8a4 53.:8h4 ~g3
54.:8d4! :8b4 and only now 55.4Jxa6 c5
56.4Jxc5 is simply winning. 52 ... c5!
Instead of panicking or even resigning,
a calm look at the position reveals this
pretty tactical defense. 53.l£l xc5 ~e3
54.13h4 ~d2 55.l£la6 As Krasenkow
has pointed out, 55.~e5!? would have 67 .. ,13a6! An essential move. 68.~g7
required high-class defensive skills liz-liz 6S ... ~g5! 69.:8fS :8b6 70.f7 :8g6+
from Black's part as well, for example, 71.~h7 :8h6+ is a nice drawing
55 ... ~c3 56.:8h3+ ~c2 57.a6 f6+! mechanism.

58.~xf6 :8b5 59.a7 :8a5 and Black is
still hanging on. 55 ... 13a4 56.l£l xc7 Ih) "Being" instead of "Doing"
~d3 57.a6 13a5 58.13f4 ~c3
59.~e7 13c5? 59 ... :8al! 60.f6 :8el +
In his remarkable book Chess for Zebras
61.~d6 :8al would have been the
(which is the sequel to his equally
correct defense. Still Black isn't out of remarkable The Seven Deadly Chess
the woods yet, since winning the pawn Sins) Jonathan Rowson introduced the
19
concept of "being instead of doing." 46.i!:rgl i!:rf3+ 47.'~{f2=. 42 ... Axe1

As human beings, we are inclined to 43.~xh2 ~f1+ 44.~f2 Axf2
always do something when we are in 45.~xf2 e4+ 0--1
battle, but in chess it is sometimes
better to just hold the position and do In the following example, White should
nothing ("being") instead of actively also not think too much about taking
undertaking something ("doing"). For direct measures against Black's attack-
the defender, we find this a very useful ing set up, but just do nothing but do
piece of advice. As we mentioned this really well as Tony Miles used to
above, when you have structural put it:
weaknesses, you should defend
actively, but in other cases active
defense may be counter-effective. Of 01.18 V.Anand (2799)-
course it is not always easy to decide L.Aronian (2739)
what is called for. MorelialLinares 2008 (WI
01.17 V.Georgiev (2525)-

P.Eljanov (2675)
Corus B Wijk aan Zee 2007 (WI
29.~d2? Again misguided activity,

improving a piece that shouldn't have
been improved. After maintaining the
position with 29.~b6 ~b8 30.~c5,
41. ~gl?? Misguided activity, since White still holds according to Aronian.
the rook cannot escape anyway. 29 ... E!,e2 30.~f3 After 30.-'1.h4 §xd2!
Ironically, by doing nothing ("being"), 31.§a8+ AfS 32.§xf8+ ~xf8 33.~xd2
White could have cashed in 'it'g8! (Aronian) the opposite-color
automatically. 41.§bl, 41.§a3 or bishops decide the game in Black's
41.§c1 wins. White should improve his favor. 30 ... E!,e3!! 31.fxe3 'l!\'xf3
position little by little. Now Black grabs 32.~c2 fxg3 33.hxg3 ~xg3+
his chance with 41 ... ~d3! creating 34.<ft'h1 Af50--1
sufficient counterplay. 42.E!,el?? And
again the mistakes occur in bunches. A related rule of thumb is that you
Correct was 42.~xh2 ~xe3+ 43.'it'g2 shouldn't play on the side where the
i!:rxe4+ 44.~fl i!:rf3+ 45.i!:rf2 i!:rhl + opponent is stronger.
20
01.19 N.Short (2665)- breakthrough. He should have played

(il(asparov(2775) 27.gxh5! and after 27 ...lLlxh5, White
Amsterdam Euwe Memorial 1996 [BI wins with 28.~xfl!! ~xf7 29.l:~xf7 ~xf7
30. ~xg6+ 'i!tf8 31. ~h6+ <£lg7
32 ..Q..g6! +-. 27 ... h4 28. ~e3 <£Ie8
29.Ae4 <£Ie7 30.J1c6 <£Id5 31. ~e4?
31.~f2± 31 ... <£Ixc3!! A pretty tactical
escape from the positional bind.
32.A,xc3 ~b6+ 33.~g2 E!e7
34.J1a8 E!c4 35.~b7 ~xb7
36.Axb7 E!b8 37.Aa6 §.b6 38.§.al
§.cc6 39.Axb5 §.xb5 4O.E!a8+ ~g7
41.§.a7 ~f8 42.§.a8+ ~g7 43.§.a7
~f8Y2-Y2
20...h5? Since Black cannot follow this "Doing" instead of "being" seems to
up, it just weakens his defenses on the have been a relative weakness of the
kingside. Kasparov should have played young Kasparov, as can be seen from
on the queenside instead: 20 ... a5 21.a3 the following example.
~d7 22 ..ild3 ~d5 and Black's chances
to survive are higher than in the game. 01.20 R.Kholmov (2540)-
21.h3! Instructively keeping control (iKasparov (2200)
over the kingside. 21 ... a5 22.a3 E!d7 URS-ch sfDaugavpils 1978 (B]
23.E!f3 ~d8 Black "hunkers down."
Ifhe blithely continues 23 ... §fd8? White
crashes through with 24.~ xfl! 'i!txfl
25.~xg6+ ~g8 26.~f1 +-. 24.E!bl
Ag5 25.E!bfl axb4 26.axb4 A,e7?
26 ... h4 is better, but it is still White who
has a big advantage.
32 ... g5? An active attempt to create

counterplay. After the quiet 32 ... 4:Jd5
33.~f3 f5 34.~e5 g6 Black has a solid
blockade. 33.§.hl! Now only, White
benefits from the advance of Black's g-
pawn. 33 ... <£If5 34.h5 <£Id6 35.~f3
~e6 36.g4 <£Ie4 37.§.el+ ~f7
27.E!bl? After keeping Black's 38.E!e2 E!d8 39.Ael White's last three
counterplay to a minimum, White moves were clever and now he has
misses his chance for a decisive complete control over the position.
21
39... Eld5 40.Ag3 Eld7 4Vi£7e4 Ele7+ 49.Elh6 <;£fe7 50.<;£fxd5 4Je3+
42.<;£fd3 §d7 43.h6 Eld8 44.h7 Elh8 51. <;£fc6.£l xg4 52.Elh5 4Je3 53.Ab6
45.Elh2 <;£fe7 45 ... ~g6 46.d5! cxd5 4Jf5 54.Ac5+ <;£fe6 55.<;£fb7 <;£fd7
47.~d4 is similar. 46.d5! Turning the 56.<;£fb6 4Jd6 57.Elh6 .£le4 58.Ad4
white king into a major force. 46 ...cxd5 g4 59.Axf6 .£lxf6 60.§xf6 §xh7
47.<;£fd4 <;£ff7 48.Ac7 <;£fe6 48 ... ~g6 61.§g6 §e7 62.Elxg4 §e6+ 63.<;£fb7
49 ..8h3! Don't hurry! 49 ... .8xh7 <;£fe7 64.§g5 Eld6 65.§c5 1-0
50 . .8xh7 ~xh7 51.'i!fxd5 winning.
22
Exercises
(Solutions on page 164)
EOl.Ol A.Grischuk (2717)- E01.03 J.Poigar (2735)-

V.Malakhov (2679) RKasimdzhanov (2670)
WCh Candidates s/fElista 2007 FIDE-WCh San Luis 2005
[B) How should Black defend his pawn [B) How can Black save himself from
on e6? White's full-blown attack?
E01.04 S.Skembris (2480)-

E01.02 Y.Porath - B.Larsen D.Mastrovasilis (2280)
Moscow Olympiad 1956 GRE-ch48thAthens 1998
IB) How does Black deal best with the [B] How should Black proceed in this
threats along the a2-g8 diagonal? tense situation?
23
E01.05 L.Aroshidze (2526)- E01.07 E.Bacrot (2709)-

D.Vocaturo (2445) L.Aronian (2773)
Mediterranean Ch Antalya 2009 17th TCh-Europe 2009
(WI White must keep a clear head in [BJ Black is under strong pressure and
this sharp battle. Take your time and must calculate to the end. Which
find the right square for the king! alternative is better - 23 ... 'it'g8 or
23 ... §g7?
E01.06 A.Motylev (2677)- E01.08 J.Rowson (2527)-

S.Rublevsky (2702) A. Yermolinsky (2583)
Poikovsky 2009 World Open Philadelphia 2002
[WJ Both sides are attacking but White [WI Yermo lin sky probably assumed
should be better because of his better that he has good counterplay. But
pawn shield. But how to proove this? Rowson had calculated very deeply and
proved this to be an illusion. Can you
do the same?
24
EOl.09 S.Erenburg (2579)- EOl.ll E.Inarkiev (2675)-

D.Ludwig (2461) A.Shirov (2755)
Pan-American Intercollegiate South Poikovsky 2009
Padre Island 2009
[WI What is White's first priority? [B] Find Black's small saving path by
the method ofelimination!
EO 1.1 0 A.Shirov (2723)- E01.12 Doroshkievich - Fedorov

L.Dominguez Perez (2712) USSR 1981
Corus Wijk aan Zee 2010
(B) Eliminate either 30 ... Ag7 or [B] First overcome the shock of White's
30... AeS. last move, 1.'liYb2-eS. Then make a list
of candidate moves and eliminate all but
two of them. Then decide which of the
two you should play.
25
Chapter 2
Defending against an Attack on the King
2a) Counterattack forces; now the black pieces are not in

each other's way. 20 •.i1.g5? After
After having given some general advice 20.gxh7+ ~xh7 21.h6 g6! Black uses
for the defender in the first chapter, the enemy pawn as a shield for his king.
starting with this chapter we will Probably White should go in for 20.h6
discuss more specific themes. The first fxg6 21.hxg7 Axg7 22.~h6 when at
and most obvious situation is being least Black doesn't have anything
subject to a direct attack on the king. decisive. 20 ... Ae5 21.gxh7+ Possibly
What to do and how to handle such a White counted on 21.f4, but after the
particularly dangerous situation? There accurate 21. .. 4Jxe4! 22.4Jxe4 Axd4!,
is a whole range of strategies and Black crashes through. Here 21.h6 fxg6
themes that can be helpful. The first of 22.hxg7 ~fc8! already looks
these is the good old counterattack, i.e., significantly worse. 21. .. ~xh7
trying to get to the enemy king first. 22.4)b3? Allowing concrete tactics.
Who better than Kasparov to show how Retuming with 22.Ae3 may be most
this works: stubborn.
02.01 M.Adams (2741)-

GKasparov (2804)
Linares 2005 [B]
22 ..• 4)xc2! Clarifying who's the

attacker and who's the defender.
23.4)xc5 4)a3+ 24.~a2 ~xc5
25.4)a4 4)c2! Creating a very pretty
18... .11,f6! A strong and elegant move, checkmate on b2. 26.~b1 ~a3 0-1
as it attacks and defends at the same And White resigned because of
time. Trying to close the kings ide with 26 ... ~a3 27.~xc2 ~fc8!.
the typical 18.. .fxg6? 19.hxg6 h6 does
not work here because White crashes The speed of an attack often counts
through with the even more typical more than material. In the following
20 ..ilxh6! gxh6 21.~xh6 Af6 22.g7! example, the white pawns look very
Axg7 23J!dgl, winning. 19.E!dg1 menacing, not an easy situation to
Aa8! A very economic placement of handle.
26
02.02 P.Lukacs (2485) - 44 ... ~d81 The key is to go for a

E.Grivas (2505) counterattack, to focus on the white
Budapest 1993 [B] monarch on hI. 45.f6+ 45.'lli'f4 'lli'd5!
46.~f3 (46.~h2 .a.g5 -+) 46 ... 4)f2+
47.~h2 'lli'a2! 48.f6+ ~f7 is winning,
since the white royal pair is under
attack. 45 ... .Q.xf6 46.exf6+ ~xf6
47.~e3 ~e5 o-} White is helpless
against the black rook joining the attack
(keep in mind that 4:)[2 is a potential mate
in one).
27
Exercises
E02.01 Gofshtein - Shchekachev E02.03 GKasparov (2851)-

France 1996 J.Piket (2633)
KasparovChess GP g/60 Intemet 2000
[B] How can Black handle all those [B] What to do in this seemingly
threats? hopeless situation?
E02.02 A.Grosar (2495)- E02.04 S.Marj anovic (2524)-

J.Hellsten (2485) D. Velimirovic (2558)
EU-chT (Men) Pula 1997 YUG-ch 55th Subotica 2000
[B) The black kings ide is not a pretty [B] The exchange is hanging on f8 and
sight. Time for a counterattack! more importantly White is dreaming of
a mate on g7. Should Black panic?
28
2b) Exchanging Attacking Potential 23.g3? 23.a5 was called for. 23 ... Etc8
24.Ae3 Etd3 25.Etabl b5 26.axb5
If there are no chances for a llxb5 27.Etedl Etd8 28.Etxd3 exd3
counterattack, and it comes to a direct 29.f3 Etxd5 30.'ifjlf2 'ifjle6 3l.'ifjlel
clash offorces, a very important factor Ete5 32.'ifjld2 f4 33.gxf4 Eth5
is the number of attackers versus the 34.Agl 'ifjlf5 35.Etb4 Eth6 36.Etb2
number of defenders. In the inspiring Eth4 37.'ifjle3 Etxf4 38.Af2 Eta4
books Attack with GM Julian Hodgson 39.11g3 'ifjle6 40.~d2 ~d5 4l.'ifjle3
1 and 2, the gifted author even makes Etal 42.Etd2 a5 43.f4 a4 44.f5 a3
use of graphics to count the respective 45.f6 ~e6 46. 'ifjld4 Etc147.§.f2 'ifjlf7
forces. While this may oversimplify 48.Ad6 §.c4+ 49.'ifjle5 Eta4 50.§.g2
matters, it certainly is an interesting Ac4 51.§.g7+ 'ifjle8 52.§.e7+ 'ifjld8
thought. Our next theme is based on it: 53.f7 11.xf7 54.§.xf7 a2 55.§.f8+
exchanging attacking potential. By 'ifjld7 56.§.f7+ 'ifjlc6 57.Elc7+ 'ifjlb6
trading off the most dangerous pieces, 58.§.cl al ~+ 0-1
it is sometimes possible to stop an
attack in its tracks. In addition, offering Another very important rule of thumb
a bit of material to accomplish massive is that opposite-color bishops favor the
exchanges is a typical defensive attacker. The logic is simple: the
method. pressure applied by the attacking
bishop can never be neutralized by the
02.03 C.Engelbert (2269) - defending bishop (unless one starts a
Z.Lanka (2503) counterattack!). The following example
International Hamburg-ch 2002 [B) is a case in point, as Black misses an
opportunity to offer an exchange of
queens:
02.04 O.de la Riva Aguado (2496) -

A.Shirov (2722)
Andorra2001 (B)
19 ... ~h6! Taking the queens off the

board before White can even start
thinking about an attack. 20.~xh6
20.4Jxe4 ~xh3 21.4Jg5+ ~f6 22.4Jxh3
Axa3 23.l."ixa3l."ic3 leaves Black very
active in the endgame. 20 ... gxh6
2l.~xf8 Etxc3 22.Axh6 Etxb3 And 31...§.g7? This move is too neutral.
Black is clearly on top, but with best Black should strive for the exchange of
play White should be able to hold. queens with 31. .. ~b6! since after
29
32:(wd2 ~c6 33AJd3 ~c3 34.'ffi'h2 E!g7 13 ... d xe5 14.Axe5 4Jxe5!? (Gallagher
his defense is coordinated. 32.~d3 analyzes 14 ... g6 and 14 ... ~e8) thereby
.§g3? Necessary was 32...~b8 but White radically reducing White's attacking
stays on top after a move like 33.4Je5!? potential. Most probably it does not
33.~xf4Axf434.~xf4~b835.~d4 equalize completely but White's attack
.§xf3 And now, of course, 36.§.xh7+! is definitely slowed down: 15.Llxd8
~xh7 37.~h4+ 1-0 Llxd816 ..llg2 Lla717 ..§d1 (17.Ae4 g6
18.~e2 E!ad7 19.f4 4Jc4 20.h5 Ac5
In the next case Black can even think 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.~h2 ~d4 and Black's
about sacrificing his queen to reduce bishop performs the defensive task of
the attacking potential: the dragon bishop.) 17 ...§ad718.Llxd7
A xd719.Ae44Jg6.
02.05 R.Ciemniak (2415)-
A.Allen (2170) [B81]
Weh U20 Buenos Aires 1992
l.e4c5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~ xd4

~f6 5.~c3 d6 6.Ae3 a6 7.g4 Ae7
8.g5 ~fd7 9.h4 ~c610. ~h5 ~xd4
1l.Axd4 0-012.0-0-0 b513.e5!
and Black keeps defending stubbornly.

14. ~e2 d515. ~e3 Ab716.Ad3 M
17.~e2 a518.h5 ~g719.f4 ~h8
20.~g3 20.hxg6 fxg6 21.§xh7+! ~xh7
22.~h3+ '<fig8 23.§hl would have
mated a lot quicker. 20 ... a4 21.hxg6
fxg6 22.~bl b3 23.f5 ~g8 24.f6
Ab4 25.a3 .Q.a5 26.cxb3 axb3
Ever since this stem game, White has 27.Axg6 hxg6 28.§.h8+ ~xh8
won a lot of fine attacking games with 29.~f5 exf5 30.e6 ~g8 31.§.hl
this strong thrust. A few pages of ~c7 32.§.h8+ ~xh8 33.f7+ 1-0
analysis by Gallagher can be found in
his Beating the Sicilian 3. 13 ... g6?! In the following example White
Hodgson relates how his first idea with continually strives for the exchange of
Black was to give up the queen with queens, and Black successfully avoids it:
30
02.06 A.Shirov (2690)- Black's favor. 28... lila3+! Starting with

V.Kramnik (2740) this excellent move Black has it all worked
Linares 1997 [BJ out to a draw. 29.<it>c129.~al4Jc2+ is a
perpetual because the ~b7 has to be
protected.
27... ~c7! The correct decision, since

direct tactics do not bring the desired
result: 27 ... 4Jxb2? 28.~xb2 ~c7 29. ~c2 29 ... JU4+! The only move, but it
J;txc3 30.l:!e2! +- (Shirov); 27 .. :{~lxb4? works. 30.gxf4 ~xf4+ 3U~d2 E!d8
2B.cxb4 4Jxb2 29 ..11b7.§bB 30 ..§d7 4Jc4 32.E!edl 32.Ah7+ can simply be
3Ulxa6 ~xb4+ 32.~c2± (Shirov). ignored with 32 ... ~h8. 32 ... E!xd2
28. ~b71 Also right. Important is that 33.E!xd2 Yz-Yz Draw agreed in view of
28.Ad3? fails to 28 ... 4Jxb2! 29.~xb2 ~bB 33.~ xd2 ~f1 + 34 ..§dl ~f4+ with a
and the opposite-color bishops work in perpetual.
31
Exercises
E02.05 B.Gelfand (2693)- E02.07 A. Vitolinsh - L.Sandler

K.Georgiev (2625) USSR 1986
Calvia Olympiad Mallorca 2004
IB) White just took on f7, which looks rW) Exchanging attacking potential is
fairly intimidating. Is there any hope not an easy job here, what is the correct
left? way to proceed?
E02.06 Nogovicin -A.Chudinovskih

USSR 1986
[B) You may find it scary to be Black

here, but in fact there is a very strong
way to take over the initiative. Can you
find it?
32
2c) Bringing in More Defenders 02.08 V.Anand (2788)-

P.Leko (2752)
The counterpart of reducing the Moscow Tal Memorial 2009 [B)
opponent's attacking potential, is
bringing in more defenders. Sticking
with Hodgson's logic, if you don't
manage to reduce the number of
attackers, you have to increase the
number of defenders.
02.07 A.Beliavsky (2668) -

T.Oral (2546)
EU-chTLeon2001 [B)
According to Anand, Black's problems

are almost impossible to solve at the
board. With the help of the computer,
the correct path out of the labyrinth can
be found relatively easily: 23 ••• Ac8?
23 ... .§f6! 24.~elltd5! is the right track
as Black manages to get all his pieces
involved in the defense: 25.fle7+.
32 .•. ~a2! Bringing back the queen to

the defense. After 32 ... ~g8? White
simply wins with 33J~b7. 33.E{b7
E{6d7! Picking the other rooks loses:
33 ... E!8d7 34.flb8+ ~f7 35.'~e8+ \t'f6
36.~h8+ flg7 37.~f8+ and a rook is
lost. 34.~xc5+ ~f7 35.E{c7 ~a1
36.d4 ~e1 37. ~xa7 ~e7 38. ~a2+
~g7 With the king on a black square
and the heavy pieces well coordinated,
Black is out of trouble. 39.E{c6 E{d6 25 ... ~g8! 26.axb5 (26 ..§e8+ ~xe8
40.d5 E{xd5 41. ~b2+ ~h7 42. ~f6 27.Axe8 .§e6! is the key idea, giving
~xf643.Etxf6 Yz-Yz
black compensation for the queen)
26 ... 'lird6! 27.flxa6.§xa6 28.bxa6~xa6
The next example shows that defending 29 ..§e8+ flf8 30.flxf8+ ~xf8 31.~e8+
~g7 32.~e5+ ~h7 33.~xd4 and here
can indeed be extremely difficult for
humans: Shipov points out the cool idea
33 ... ltf7! 34:~d7 ~h8! with equality
because ofthe weak back rank. 24.E{g6+
~h7 25.axb5 E{f6 26.E{xf6 t'Yxf6
33
27.~c2+ .Q.f5 28.~xc4 Elc8 30.h3! This small preventive move

29.~d5axb5 strongly underscores that White's king
is the safer one. 30 ... 'it'h8 The
variations 30 ... .8c7 31 ..8a8 and 30 ... .8f8
31.'ffi'xb5 d3 32 ..8a6 illustrate that
Black's rook now has difficulties
becoming a good defender, while
White's manages to enter the attack.
31.'~xb5 Elf8 32.Ela6 ~g7 33.Eld6
d3 34. ~b6 ~e5 35.,1lg6 d2
36.,1lxf5 ~xf5 37.~d4+ 'it'h7
38.~xd2 Elf7 39.f3 h5 4O.Eld5 ~g6
41. ~a5 Elg7 42.h4 ~b1 + 43.'it'h2
~xb244.Elxg5Elxg545.~xg51-0
Exercises
E02.08 B.Brinck Claussen (2385) - E02.09 M.Carlsen (2690) -

M.Sher (2535) V.Topalov (2783)
Farum 1993 MorelialLinares 2007
[B) It's about time Black brings in some

pieces to defend his king. Can you see [B) Black's position looks fairly
how this is best done? hopeless, as he is about to lose the
knight. Is there any defense left?
34
E02.10 M.Carlsen (2528)- E02.12 D.Gormally (2557)-

A.Volokitin (2671) Z.Hracek (2591)
Biel2005 EU-chT Gothenburg 2005
[B) Things are starting to look scary for [B] Black is about to get outnumbered
Black; how can more defenders be on the kingside; what can he do?
brought in?
E02.11 V.Kramnik(2759)- E02.13 M.Krasenkow (2609)-

M.Carlsen (2772) V.Iordachescu (2550)
Dortmund 2009 EU-ch Istanbul 2003
(B) Carlsen failed to find the only [B) How is Black supposed to keep his
defense against Kramnik's ferocious position together?
attack. Can you do better?
35
2d) A Spanner in the Works 02.09 C.Ahues - NN

Bremen simul 1920 (WI
Don't always believe what you see!
Once you are intimidated by the forceful
attacking moves of your opponent, you
will lose for sure. Always try to keep a
critical attitude, and go out with a bang
ifnothing seems to work anymore. This
brings us to the next theme: throwing a
spanner in the works, i.e., injecting a
disturbing move that disrupts the
smooth flow of a combination. CD)
1. ~xf6 Black was convinced and

resigned here (1-0). A critical look also better than resigning, since after
reveals 1... ~g41 and it is White who 2.'it>h2 ~xc3 3.~xc3 Black can put up
can resign. By the way l...~el + was a stubborn fight for the draw.
36
Exercises
E02.14 I.Nataf (2553)- E02.16 A.Giri - M.van Delft

M.Bluvshtein (2462) Den Bosch blitz 2009
Montreal 2004
[W] Things don't look good here; is [B) In Giri-Van Delft played in the 2009
there a way out? Dutch blitz team championship, the
most frequently seen moves were
consistently (but unknowingly) played
from moves 6-16. Then 17.E!g3 was a
E02.15 A.Suetin - V.Bagirov novelty, but still analyzed by Bologan
31. URS-ch Leningrad 1963 in his book The King s Indian - A
Complete Black Repertoire. What
refutation does Bologan give?
[B] Black has not reacted very well to a

creative queen sacrifice and is in extreme
danger. Can you see a way out?
37
2e) Evacuating the King from the 02.11 V.Belov (2595)-

Danger Zone A.Dreev (2650)
9th Aeroflot Open Moscow 2010 [B)
Sometimes the king's residence is about
to be ovemm and the only defense left
is to bailout. That would be by running
away immediately or having to open a
flight route first.
02.10 J.Stocek (2518)-

V.Neverov (2569)
Prerov2001 [B]
Dreev solved the problem immediately:

17... ~d8! After 17 ... e6 18.0-0 ~d6
19.:8ae1 Black must do something for
his king anyway, but then White's
knight can come quickly: 19 ... 'it'd7
20.'tIilhl 'tJc7 21.4Jg4 with a slight
initiative. 18.0-0 'it'c719.a4 19.'it'h1
can now be answered by 19 ... 'it'b8
20.4Jg4 ~g7 21.:8ael e6 22.4JeS :8c7=.
19... ~b8 20.1i,b5 e6 21.1i,xc6 ~xc6
34 ... dxe5? The king cannot survive in 22 . .£id3 Yl-Yl and a draw was agreed
the middle. There was a very pretty and as Black is certainly not worse after
surprising way to bring it to safety: 22 ... Ad6.
34 .. .'~d3+ 35.~al O-O-O! and Black is
fine. Suddenly castling queenside on Sometimes the king can sUlvive deep in
move 34 has greatly accelerated the enemy territory - the so-called "steel king."
evacuation of his king. 35.E!xe5+ 'it'f8
36. ~hl ~g7 Inserting a check on d3 02.12 V.Gashimov (2759)-
wouldn't have helped either: 36... ~d3+ A.Grischuk (2736)
37.~al ~g7 38.!'1g5+ ~f6 39.~h6+ 7th World Team Championship
'tIile7 40.:8eS+ 'it'd7 41.'l£yhl! 'tIild6 Bursa2010[B]
42.:8el! creating a winning attack by
moving both pieces backward!
37.E!g5+ ~f6 38.~h6+ 'it'e7
39.E!e5+ ~d7 40.~d2+ ~c6
41.~d41-0
The safety of the king is an extremely

important factor in the middlegame and
you should always take this into
consideration and take measures, if
necessary:
38
At first sight Black seems to be in great 36.~xb7 Eihd8 37.Eif3+ ~a2

danger, but Grischuk has calculated 38.Eif2
precisely that this is an illusion:
29 ... ~a4!! After this brilliant move, the
attack is over as the king heads for a
safe haven. Losing is 29 ... ~xh5?
30.axb4+ ~xb4 31.gxh5 (Van DelftlRis
in Chess Vibes Openings) 30.axb4
30.§f4 wouldn't help either, as after
30 ... \(;hh5 31.gxh5 (31.§.xb4+
~xa3-+) 31. .. 4::\a2+ 32.§'xb4+ 4::\xb4
33.axb4 §.d8 Black is technically
winning. (Van Delft/Ris) 30... ~xd3
31.~a5+ ~b3 White has run out of
checks, while he has to deal with mate 38... ~bl!Touchdown! 39.~f3Eiac8
and the hanging bishop. 32.Eixc3+ Threatening mate on el, so White is
~xc3+ 33.Ad2 b6! A strong forced to play 40. ~b3+ ~b2
zwischenzug, forcing White to give up 41.~xb2+ ~xb2 0-1 after which
control over e5. 34.~xb6 ~e5+ Gashimov resigned, as he can't prevent
35. ~dl J1,b7! Returning material is the entering a lost pawn ending after §'c2
easiest way to bring the rooks into play. and§'xd2.
Exercises
E02.17 V.Anand (2735)- E02.18 B.Gelfand (2695)-

V.Kramnik (2765) J.Polgar (2718)
Las Palmas 1996 George Marx Memorial Pacs 2003
[B) This position from the Sicilian (W] The White king is in grave danger,
Rauzer was a topical in the mid-1990s, and it seems impossible to escape. Can
with White trying a direct attack on the you find a way out?
black king. What was Kramnik's
instructive way to tum back the attack?
39
21) Destroying the Harmony of the 21 .•. fxe6? Now White's attack kicks in.
Attacking Army Surprisingly, in the middle of this raging
attack, Black has time for 21...E!e8!
As we have mentioned before, your which lends extra support to the
opponent's attacking set-up might look essential e6-square and leaves White
more impressive than it really is. at a loss for a convincing attacking
Sometimes there might be a way to move. 22.E!e4 (22.E!efl fails to the
disrupt the harmony between his pieces. strong zWischenzug 22 ... Ah4! which
The right push at the right place might completely destroys the harmony of
throw some ofthe pieces out of balance, White's army) 22 ... .Q.xe6 Now after the
spectacular 23.E!xe6!? (23.Axe6 fxe6
after which the attack loses momentum.
24.'~fxg6+ .l1g7 and the attack has come
The following example illustrates this
to a halt) 23 ... fxe6 24.'lli'xg6+ Ag7
concept.
25.E!f3! (the rook has stable squares on
the third rank) 25 ... ~d7! (after 25 ... b5
02.13 V.Anand (2725)- 26.E!h3 Black has to find the preventive
B.Gelfand (2700) 26 ... \t>f8! 27 .E!f3+ ~g8 leading to a
Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1996 (B] repetition of moves) 26.Eif6! (26.E!h3?
E!e7! was Black's point) 26 ... b5
27.Axe6+ Eixe6 28.E!xe6 E!f8 Black
comes out on top. 22.E! xe6! Very
powerful. 22 ... ~g7 After 22 ... 1be6
23.~xg6+ the bishop on e6 lacks
support: 23 ... 'lli'g7 (23 ... Ag7 24 ..llxe6+
with a quick mate to follow) 24 ..llxe6+
E!t7 25.Axt7+ ~f8 26.~xf6 and White
has won back everything with interest.
23.E!xe7+ Axe7 24.E!xf8 Jtxf8
25.h4! 1-0 The white attack simply
continues.
40
Exercises
E02.19 I.Nepomniachtchi (2587)- E02.20 A.Anderssen - P.Morphy

S.Brynell (2501) Paris 1858
Corns C Wijk aan Zee 2007
(B) Can you find a way to embarrass (B) Black's position is very tough to
White's attacking position? handle: he is facing a giant pawn on d6,
his king is in trouble and counterplay
seems far off. Can you find Black's only
defense?
41
2g) Closing Inroads save the bishop, which leaves his king
rather helpless. 3Vi!filbl The following
In some positions a very straightforward line illustrates well the power of Black's
form of defense is possible: closing the attack: 31.'it>b2 ~xa3+ 32.'it>c3 ~a5+
inroads to the king's residence. In such 33.~c2 ~a2+ 34.'~c3 .§c8+ 35.'~b4
cases, to prevent further damage, you Ad8!. The Najdorf bishop that often
should not hesitate to give back some just quietly sits on e7 doing a useful
material. job keeping the Black position together,
now joins the attack with decisive force.
02.14 J.Borisek (2443) - 36..§al Aa5+ 37.'it>b5 .§b8+ 38.~c6 (or
E.Sutovsky (2639) 38.<ifia6 ~f2!) 38 ... ~f2! winning,
IS.Vidmar Memorial Terme Ftacnik). 31... ~xa3 32 •.§hgl? White
Zrece 2003 [W] collapses. 32 ... ~al+ 0-1 with mate
next move.
The following historic game not only

helped Leko on his way to win the
Dortmund 2002 candidates (giving him
the right to challenge Kramnik for the
world championship), but also caused
a true Sveshnikov hype that was to hold
on for several years. Leko showed new
ways to beat off White's kingside
attack:
25.~d3? This is not decisive enough

02.15 A.Shirov (2697) -
and gets punished by a nasty tactic. P.Leko (2722)
White had to take preemptive action and Candidates semifinal
close inroads immediately with 25.<£lb3! Dortmund 2002 [B)
since after 25 ... axb3 26.cxb3 .§cb8
White can prevent the bombshell on b3
with 27.'~c2! and has decent
compensation for the pawn after
27 ... ~xf3 28 ..§hfl ~g4 29:~'d3 as was
pointed out by Ftacnik. 25 ... .§ab8+
26.~b3 axb3 27.cxb3 27.~xc3
bxa2+ 28.'it>xa2 .§xc3 doesn't work
either, as White remains with many
weaknesses in addition to remaining a
pawn down. 27 ... .§xb3+! Black grabs
his chance and invades the white
position with a well-calculated 23 ... f4!? An ambitious try to establish
sequence of moves. 28.axb3 a2+ a blockade on the black squares.
29.~xa2 .§a8+ 30.Aa3 ~b4! The 23 ... 'iiJ x c2 24.exf5 ~b2 25.~g4+ <£lg6!
key move: there is no way for White to 26.fxg6 hxg6 would have been another
42
way of closing inroads and is roughly 28 ...§b4! Exchanging one pair of rooks
equal. 24.Ab3?! The bishop has no real further strengthens Black's control over
prospects here if Black is careful. More the position. 29.§xb4 axb4 30..Q.dl
natural is 24.Jlbl 4Jg6 25.e5! dxe5 Eta8 31.Etf2 ~a7
32.Etc2 ~g7
26.Jlxg6 (26.d6!? md8 27J~dl .!"\xbl! 33.~h2 ~e3 34.11.0 ~eI35.Etc7
28..!"\xbl.!"\xd6 should be fine for Black) ~g3+ 36.~hl 4)e5! A very pretty
26 ... hxg6 27.~xe5 ~xe5 28.~xe5 with sight: having accurately calculated all
a level position. 24... 4)g6 25.Etc1 ~f6 lines, Leko was finally able to put the
26. ~f5 ~e7 Black has managed to knight on its dream square. White tried
establish the black-square blockade he to get a perpetual, but didn't succeed:
was aiming for. 27.§c4 a5 28.h3 37.Ah5 Etxa2 38.§xf7+ 4)xf7
39.~xf7+ ~h6 40.~f6+ ~xh5
41. ~f5+ ~h6 42. ~f6+ ~g6
43.~h4+ ~g7 44.~e7+ ~f7
45.~g5+ ~f8 46.~d8+ ~e8
47. ~f6+ ~g8! 0-1 White resigned, as
he realized that after 48.~g5+ ~f7
49.~f5+ ~e7 50.~e6+ ~d8 51.~xd6+
~c8 52.~c5+ ~b7 53.~xb4+ ~a8!, the
black king will have escaped from the
checks. A game of tremendous depth,
both conceptually and tactically.
Exercises
E02.21 H.Bastian (2411)- E02.22 A.Goldberg (2330)-

R. Tisch bierek (2486) A.Kovalev (2400)
ch-GER Konigshofen 2007 Berlin 1987
[B) Black has several moves to stay in [W] Black has deadly threats based on
the game, but only one of them gives his extremely strong "Dragon Bishop."
him the upper hand. Is there any hope left for White?
43
2h) The King as an Important Defender when Black can get the upper hand with
a remarkable series of moves: 36... .tlg7!
We would like to finish this chapter 37.il1e6+ ~f7 38.il1xd5+ and now
with a final, significant principle, one watch this: 38 ... ~g6! 39.f5+ 'it>g5!
that was already pointed out by the first 40.f6+ .tlf5 41.!!f2 il1e5 42.il1d2+ 'it>g6
official world champion Wilhelm and finally the black king is safe, not in
Steinitz: The king itself should be the least because he did a good job
considered a defensive unit. In defending himself. 35 ... ~cl+
Hodgson's terms, the king should be 36.'i&h2 .§h8+ 37.Wg3 §ag8+
added to the box of defenders (which is
38.Wf2 .§xg2+! Such a sacrifice comes
compared to the box of attackers). On a
naturally. 39.Wxg2 ~hl+ 40.Wf2
related note, Hodgson, among others,
§h2+ 41.'i&g3 ~gl + 42.Wf3 .!£)d4+
gives the king four points for practical
and White had seen enough. 0-1
purposes, i.e., stronger than a knight or
a bishop, but weaker than a rook.
In the next example the king can defend
02.16 E.Berg (2539) -A.Graf(2605) itself almost singlehandedly:
EU-chT 15th Gothenburg 2005 [BI
02.17 A.Shirov (2719)-
P.Svidler (2754)
World Cup Khanty Mansiysk 2009
34 ... 'i&f7! After the more passive

34 .. .'ot)f8? 35.'~g6 !!a7 36.f5 lieS
37.'~h6+ 'it>gS 3S.!!e3 Black gets duly
mated. 35.§ xd5? This allows Black to [BI 23 ... ~a7! 24.ldf6+ Wh8
take over the initiative. White had to 24 ... 'it>g7?? runs into 25AJeS+ 'it>h6
try 35.il1h7+ ~xf6 36.il1xd7. 26.il1h4*. 25.~h4Wg7!!
44
"This spectacular move (Steinitz would (Krasenkow) . 26,..§d6 27.E{f3 h6

be delighted!) parries White's attack, 28.4Je4 §xd5 29. ~f6+ Wg830.E{c3
and Black keeps a decisive material 4Je5 31.E{f4 ~xa2 32.Wh2 ~e2
advantage." (Krasenkow in CBM 134) 33. ~h4 §a6 34.g4 g5 35 . .£J xg5
26.E{e3 26.4::lh5+ 'it'fB 27.'ljH6 ~xf2+ hxg5 36.t\'xg5+ E{g6~1
28. ~xf2 4::lxf2 29.~xf2 gxh5-+
Exercises
E02.23 J.Fang - J.Rizzitano E02.25 E.Liss (2513) - I.Smirin
Newton 1984 (2652)
Tel Aviv 1999
[WI Blackjust took on h3, [B] White thinks he is attacking, but

what to do? nothing is further from the truth. How
did Black continue?
E02.24 S.B.Hansen (2499)-

M.Kopylov (2421)
Intemational Hamburg-ch 1999
(B) Where would you put your king,

defending this position as Black?
45
Chapter 3
Fighting against the Initiative
3a) Counterplay 34 .•. a3! After a spectacular and

basically winning combination, the
Having discussed the direct attack on young Carlsen played some sloppy
the king and how to defend against it, moves and now Black can fight his way
we now turn to the more general theme back into the game. With the text,
of the initiative and how to fight it. The Kotronias opens up the white king's
initiative is a central concept in chess, position, which guarantees enough
and yet not a very easy one to explain. counterplay. 35.hxa3 35.'ll-f'xa3 §a7 is
The initiative cannot be seen, it can only not possible. 35 ... gxh6 Eliminating
be felt. The side that dictates matters this dangerous passer is one step closer
on the board is said to have the to safety. 36. ~xe5 A better try might
initiative. Indeed the initiative can often have been 36.~bl but after 36 ... §xf6
lead to an attack on the king, but it does 37.'ll-f'xe5 ~f2 White doesn't seem to
not necessarily follow that it does. have anything better than a perpetual
Especially on an amateur level, having either. 36... ~d3! After this final key
the initiative is a most powerful weapon, move, there is nothing left for White
because most people do not know how but to give a perpetual. 37. ~eS+ ElcS
to defend properly or simply do not feel 3S. ~e5+ Etc7 39. ~eS+ EtcS
like defending; they lose heart and with 40. ~e5+ Yl-Yz
it the game. In this section we will
examine this tricky subject and we will Often correct defense comes down to
see that it is not as difficult as one might precise calculation. In the following
imagine. If your opponent is in example Black had everything under
possession of the initiative, the first control because of his strong passed
thing you need to do is to see if you pawn that provided enough
can get some counterplay. counterplay:
03.01 M.Carlsen (2581)- 03.02 M.Kaminski (2395) -

V.Kotronias (2599) H.Stefansson (2495)
Calvia Olympiad Mallorca 20041B) Cappelle la Grande 1993 IB)
46
1 ... exd3! This is not a gamble, but 4.~xd7 ~xd7 liz-liz It all fits very
based on accurate calculation. 2 ..11.a7 neatly: the white bishop obviously
The obvious reply, emphasizing the cannot interfere and the white rook has
strength of the pawn on b7. 2 ... E!xb7!! no access to a I. White will have to
Black can give up some heavy material, return his queen, after which a dead
since by now his own passed pawn has equal position remains.
become very strong. 3.~ x b7 d2
Exercises
E03.01 C.Hansen (2626)- E03.02 U.Kunsztowicz (2305)-

GHertneck (2572) K.MiiUer
German Bundesliga 2002 Hamburg-ch 1988
[B) Black looks fairly tied up by the [B) What would have been the correct
dominating pawn on d7. Is he able to way to create counterpJay?
create counterplay?
47
3b) Tactical Defense 110 ... ~e7! 111.g6 ~f8 with a well-
known fortress. 107 ... .£)f6 108.§.g7
A very important defensive device is Af4109.§.f7 Ag5110.~c5 .£)e4+
the so-called tactical defense, which 11 O... {)xg4 111.'it>d6 {)e3 112.mS+
means a clever move that indirectly (by AdS 113.c7 <£lc4+ 114.'it>c5 ~xc7
tactical means) defends against a threat. 115.Eif7+ ~cS 116.~xc4 with a
Needless to say, finding such moves winning version of a classical ending.
demands a positive attitude towards the 1l1.~d5 .£)f6+ 112.~e6 .£)e4
defensive task at hand (fighting for 1l3.~e5 .£)c5 1l4.~f5 .£)d3
your last chance and not giving up 115.§.g7 Ac1 1l6.~e4 More
before the game is really over) and an convincing would have been 116.g5!
open mind (looking for creative hxg5 117.h6 Ab2 l1S.Eib7 Aa1
solutions ). 119.Eia7 Ab2120.Eia2!. The bishop has
nowhere to hide. 120 ... Ae5 121.Eid2
03.03 A.Fishbein (2505) - B.Lopez winning. 116... .£)f2+ 117.~f5 .£)h3
(2403) 118.13h7.£)f2119.13d7
USA-ch San Diego 2004 [BJ
119 ... Ag5?! A sample variation after

105 ... Ae5? This direct defense is not the more stubborn 119 ... Ae3 would be
enough. Correct would have been 120.Eif7 (120.fig7?! is answered by
105 ... Af6! 106. c;t>c5 (of course 120 ... {)h3) 120 ... Ac1 121.fib7 .lle3
106.Ei xd6? Ae7 is the point) 122.fib3 Ag5 123.Eif3 {)d1 124.'it>e6
106... <£le4+ 107.~xb5 <£lf2 winning the {)e3 (124 ... 'it>c7 125.Eif5 AdS 126.g5
g4-pawn, after which Black should be wins.) 125.fif7 'it>dS 126.Eid7+ ~cS
able to hold the draw. 106.~c5 .£)e4+! 127.Eig7 <£lxg4 12S.c7 J,te3 129.fixg4
A clever trick, but Fishbein doesn't fall ~xc7. We have reached the previously
for it. 107.~xb5! Now in the remaining mentioned classical ending. 130.Eig3
ending one can see that a rook tends to J,tf4 131.fid3 Ag5 132.~f7 11f4
outclass two minor pieces on an open 133.~g7 'it>c6 134.fif3 Ag5 135.Eig3
board (whereas in the middlegame the ..Q.d2136.Eig6+ 'it>d7137.Eixh6 Axh6+
opposite is usually the case). The 13S.~xh6 'it>e7 139.~g7 winning.
tempting 107.c;t>d5? fails to 107 ... <£lf6+ 120.13g7 .£)h3120 ... ..Q.d2121.g5! hxg5
lOS.'it>xe5 {)xd7+ 109.cxd7+ 'it>xd7 122.h6Ac3123.<;tJg6! wins. 121.13xg5!
110.g5 and now the easy-to-miss Converting to a position where the
48
remaining knight is helpless against the After the hidden tactical defense
white passed pawns. 121 ... l£lxg5 10 ... jtb4! it's even Black who has the
122.~g6 ~c7 123.~xh6 l£lf7+ upper hand. The obvious 10 ... Ae7
124.~g71-0 would also have been better than
resigning since 11.-'1.xe4 (after 11.Axe7
The following example underlines the ~xe7 the bishop on e4 is indirectly
importance of always keeping a cool defended again) 11...Axg5 12. ~c3!
head. Black panicked because he had Winning back the pawn. 12 ... c6
missed White's last move (10.Ag5) and 13.-'1.xc6+ ~xc614.~xc6+ ~f815.~f3
felt obliged to resign. admittedly gives White the initiative,
but nothing is decided yet. 11.c3
03.04 J.Mueller - S. Tidman 11. ~xb4 'l£fxg5 and -'1.e4 is indirectly
Bunratty Masters 2007 [B) defended. 1l.J1xd8 Axd2+ 12.~xd2
Axg2 winning back a rook. After
11.-'1.b5+ every legal move except
11.. .'it'f8 does the job. 11 ... ~d5!
11...Ae7 still works as well. 12.l£l0
12.Axe4 '«Yxe4+ is with check. 12.cxb4
Axg2 again wins back a rook.
12... Axd313. ~xd3 Ad6 and it does
not look like White has enough
compensation for the gambit pawn.
49
Exercises
E03.03 R.Antonio (2540)- E03.05 V.Bologan (2620)-

P.Roca (2365) A.Onischuk (2657)
Yangon zt 1998 Biel1999
[B] Can you keep Black's shaky (B) This is a known theoretical position
position together? from the Petroff Defense. Why doesn't
Black simply lose a piece here?
E03.04 J.Becerra Rivero (2500)-

H.Spangenberg (2530)
Matanzas 1994
[B] Black has many options, but only

one of them keeps him in the game. Can
you spot it?
50
3c) Wresting the Initiative from the 17...d4! A typical pawn sacrifice to
Opponent bring the powerful bishop on c6 to life.
Black is comfortable from this point on.
In the best case scenario, you can even IS.e7 tfJIxe7 19.Axd4 Axd4
wrest the initiative from your opponent. 20. tfJI xd4 tfJIg5 21. tfJIc4+ <it>hS
This is comparable to a "steal" 22.tfJle2 h6! Black's compensation is
(intercepting the ball) in basketball. of a positional nature, which means that
Again, you need to believe in your he can take the time to improve his
chances while defending in order to be king's position. 23.h3 .§.ceS 24.tfJlg4
able to take over. tfJId2 25.tfJlg6 §.xf1+ 26.§.xfl §.el
27.'§'xel tfJIxel+ 2S.<it>h2 tfJIcl
29. tfJIf5 Y2-Yl
03.05 M.Chandler - U.Andersson
Sarajevo 1985 [B)
The fight for the initiative usually
already starts in the opening:
03.06 S.Dolmatov (2608)-

S.Sivokho (2469) [C78]
Chigorin Memorial St Petersburg 2000
1.e4e5 2.4)£3 4)c6 3.Ab5 a64.Aa4

4)f6 5.0-0 b5 6.Ab3 Ac5 7.a4 §.bS
S.c3 d6 9.d4 Ab6 This is a well-known
position from the Archangelsk Variation
of the Ruy Lopez. As in almost any
opening, White has decent chances for
15 ..•f6! The legendary defender Ulf a theoretical edge, but a player like
Andersson is not going to 1"'ait in this Shirov can be found on the black side
position and let White play f6 himself. of the discussion. Black tends to have
For example: 15 ... b5? 16.f6! gxf6 "laser bishops" on b6 and b7, which
17.Ah6~h818.exf6.Q.xf619.-'txf8and gives his position great
Af6 is hanging. 16.exf6 Of course not counterattacking potential. Ten years
16.fxe6? fxe5; 16..Q..d4 fxe5 17.Axe5 ago Dolmatov came up with an
d4! is similar to the game. 16 ... j},xf6 interesting new concept for White in
17.fxe6 this position.
51
10.a51? The psychology behind this

move can only be understood if we have
a brieflook at the main line first. In that
line, 10.axbS axbS 11.4Ja3 0-0 12.4JxbS
Ag4, Black has sacrificed a pawn for
smooth development in the best gambit
traditions. The black king is safe and
his pieces are in perfect harmony. White
does have to solve concrete problems
and he is very far from cashing in on
his (backward) extra pawn on b2.
Without special preparation, White can B.Ag5! The point, as Black is now
easily end up worse. Now, objectively forced to seriously weaken his kingside.
speaking, lO.aS!? shouldn't be a B ... f6 l3 ... ~d7 14.e6! fxe6 lS.4Jd4
problem for Black, but often it will be is even worse. I4.exf6 gxf6 I5.Ah4
White who sacrifices a pawn for active and the stage was set for a nice
play. Black, who may have been looking attacking game by White. I5 ... c5
forward to a game of attacking chess, I6.h3 h5 I7.4)bd2 gb7 I8.Ad5
suddenly is forced into the role of gg7 I9.e5 ~xe5 20.,£)xe5 dxe5
defender, something he may have 2I.4)e4 gh6 22. ~f3 ggg6 23.gdI
problems adjusting to. 10..• ~xa5? This
'i.fjlf8 24.Ae6 ~e8 25.Axc8 ~xc8
definitely gives White the initiative.
26.Axf6 'i.fjlg8 27.Ag5 ~f8
lO ... Aa7 l1.h3 0-0 l2 ..ile3 fla8!
28.~xf8+ 'i.fjlxf8 29.Axh6+ gxh6
(l2 ... exd4l3.cxd4 4Jxe4 l4.~c2 ~e8
30.~xc5 Ab6 3I.~d7+ rlJe7
lS.4Jc3! with excellent gambit play.
32.~ xe5 ge6 33.~d3 gd6 34.h4
l2 ... 4Jxe4!? l3.,ildS exd4 is a complex
alternative that tends to leave White rlJf6 35.rlJf1 rlJf5 36.g3 a5 37.rlJe2
with an edge after the complications are ge6+ 38.~d2 gd6 39.geI ~g4
over, starting with l4 ..ilxe4 dS 40.ge4+ ~f3 4I.gf4+ rlJg2 42.gf5
lS.4Jxd4) 13.4Jbd2 Ab7 14.flel fle8 b4 43.c4 Ad4 44.gxa5 Axb2
is the correct way of playing, as in 45.gxh5 Ac3+ 46.rlJc2 rlJf3
Anand-Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 2010. 47.gb5gd448.~xb4gxc449.~d3
1l.gxa51 A strong positional exchange gc8 50.gf5+ rlJg2 51.4)c2 ~h3
sacrifice. 1l ••. Axa5 I2.dxe5 ~g4 52.~e3 jlb4 53.h5 gc6 54.gb5
After 12 ... dxeS l3.~xd8+ ~xd8 Ac5 55.h6 jlxe3 56.gh5+ ~g4
l4.4JxeS the majority of black pieces 57.gh4+ ~f3 58.fxe3 gd6+ 59.lit'c4
are under attack. gd8 60.h7 gh8I-0
52
Exercises
E03.06 C.Horvath (2519)- E03.08 A.shirov (2746)-

Yu Shaoteng (2535) Y.Anand (2762)
Budapest 2000 FIDE-Wch k.o. New Delhiffeheran 2000
(W] White enjoys a material advantage, [BI Positions that normally lead to a
but is therefore seriously lagging in win, no longer do so against the world's
development. Is there a way to wrest best defenders. How did Anand save
the initiative from his opponent? himself here?
E03.07 A.Shirov (2751) - Y.Akopian

(2660)
Merida 2000
[BI In positions with opposite-color

bishops, the initiative usually counts
for a lot. How should Black proceed?
53
3d) Neutralizing the Initiative 03.08 S.Rublevsky(2658) -

J.Polgar (2681)
Related to the previous subject is Russia-The World Moscow 2002 IB]
neutralizing the initiative before it can
be fully developed.
03.07 L.Kritz (2549) -

B.Macieja (2613)
EU-ch 6th Warsaw 2005 (B)
16 ... 11,g4! Giving up the pair of

bishops to catch up in development is
by far the best practical decision as
Black gets some activity. The retreat
16... .§.d8? is strongly met by 17.'l~d +-
and White's position plays itself.
21 ...f6! This little pawn move shuts 17.lil b5 17 .,a,xg4? <£lxd4 18.~xd4
<£lf3 out of the game for the time being. .§.ad819.§c1 ~d6! wins back the piece
This gives Black time to finish his with a level position. 17 ... ~xb5
development. 22.lilel 22.<£ld2 ~d7 18.Axg4 ~d819. ~c2 Ad6 20.g3
followed by .§.e8. 22 ... b6 23.c4 Ae6!
The right defense. 23 ... ~xc4?? 24.~g3
g5 25.~d6! gives White a mating attack
and 23 ... dxc4? 24.~g3 g5 25.h4! is very
dangerous as well. 24. ~g3 Af7
Effectively cutting offthe seventh rank.
25.cxd5 ~xd5 26.~xa7 ~e8 27.lilf3
~xd4! YZ-YZ Solving the remaining
problems with an elegant little tactic.
In the following example Black is also

seriously lagging in development.
20 ... h5? Judit Polgar wants to take the
initiative completely, but this goes too
far. She should have tried to neutralize
White's play with 20 ... <£ld4 21.~xc7
-'txc7 22.§fc1 ~e5 and Black can hope
to defend. At least it is by no means
54
easy to overcome such an active set- 03.09 Lacasa - Comas Fabrego

up. 21. ~e2 Etd5 22.Axh5 .£)d4 Spanish Team Championship 1993 [B)
23. ~g4 jle5 24.Etbcl ~e7 25. ~e4
f5 26. ~g2 f4?1 Too reckless, but good
advice is hard to give. 27.Axd4?
Rublevsky misses the strong blow
27.lk8! which wins the f4-pawn and
with it, basically the game: 27 ... ~Sd7
(27 .. .'lll'd7 28.~xd8+ 'lll'xd8 29.gxf4
Axf4 30.-Ilg4+-) 28.§xd8+ ~xd8
29.gxf4+- (Ribli). 27 •.. Axd4
2B.ruel EIe5 29.EIxe5 ~xe5 30.Af3
fxg3 31.hxg3 Ab6 32.Axb7 EId3
33.Af3 EIxa3? Too greedy. With
opposite-color bishops the speed of the 14... EIae8!? In some lines the rook is
attack usually counts for a lot, so better positioned here than after the
33 ... §d2! was called for, e.g., 34.§f1 normal 14 ... §ad8 15.<itiJhl Aa8!? A
§xf2 3S.~xf2 ~e1+=. 34.citilhl? strong preventive move. Now it is very
34.§c8+! wins directly: 34 ... ~f7 difficult to improve White's position
(34 ... ~h7 35.'l!l'h3+ ~g6 36.§c6+ ~f7 further and direct action also leads to
37.'l!l'd7++-) 35 ..llliS+ 'lll'xh5 36.'lll'b7+ nothing special. 15 ... Ac6?! 16.Af3 and
~f6 (36 ... ~g6 37.~e4+ 'il9gS
White's initiative continues, e.g.,
38.'l!l'dS++-) 37.§c6+ ~eS 38.'ll1b8+ 16 ... a5 17.e5 dxe5 I8.Axe5 ~c8
'it'e4 39.'lll'f4+ ~d3 40.~c4+ 'it'd2 19..Ilxc6 'lll'xc6 20.<tle4 ~h8 21.c3 with
41.~d6+ +- (Ribli). 34... EId3 35 ..1le4
unpleasant pressure. 16.Af3 The
~h5+ 36.<itiJgl EId2 37.EIf1 f!d4
following lines illustrate Black's flexible
38.Abl ~e2 39.~h3,~g4? It is defensive set-up: 16 ..Ild3 eS! 17.fxe5
correct to try to exchange attacking <tlh5 18.~f3 dxeS 19.<tld5 ,Q,xd5
potential, but after this move, White can 20.exd5 exd4 21.~xh5 g6= and Black
avoid them for the moment. So 39 ...§d1 is perfectly fine because Ad3 now bites
was necessary. 40.Aa2+! <itiJf8 on granite. About 16.e5 in the Classical
41.~h8+ <itiJe7 42.Etel+ EIe4
Scheveningen, Kasparov has stated
43.EIxe4+ ~xe4 44.~xg7+ <itiJd6 that it typically either wins or leads to
45.~f6+ <itiJd7 46.~f7+ <itiJd6
complete equality. Here it seems to be
47.Ac4 ~el+ 48.<itiJg2 ~xb4? the latter: 16 ... dxe5 17.Axe5 (17.fxe5
49.~f8+ 1-0
<tle4 18.<tlxe4 Axe4 19 ..\lxbS Axg2+
20.~xg2 axb5=) 17 ... 'lll'c8 18 ..Ilf3 g6
In the following position from the 19.Axa8 'lll'xa8 20.fS exfS 2UhfS
Classical Scheveningen Black ~c6=. 16 ... ~c4! In the game Black
neutralized his opponent's initiative by played 16 ... 'it'h8 which is also

putting his pieces on clever squares. interesting. 17.EIdl EId8 18.EIfel
~h8 and Black is fine as Comas
Fabrego relates in his book True Lies in
Chess.
55
Exercises
E03.09 V.Mikhalevski (2531)- E03.10 GSchebler (2534) -

A.Kaspi (2510) V.BoRsch (2523)
IsraekhT 1999 Gennan Bundesliga Mtilheim 2007
[B) White is exerting tremendous (B) White has a nagging initiative in

pressure along the d-file. What can the ending. Is there an escape exit?
Black do?
56
Chapter 4
Perpetual Check
If you have studied the first three advancing the kingside pawns and a
chapters, you are already familiar with timely d5-d6. Instead of resigning,
the majority of defensive themes. The Kasparov should have simply tried
next few chapters will deal with more 45 •.. ~e3 going for the perpetual. Now
specific themes. In this fourth chapter, after 46.~xd6 the position still looks
we deal with a theme everyone knows, hopeless, but finding the only move
perpetual check. If you have a winning 46 •.. 13.e8! would keep Black in the
position, that is often what you have to game. It is all about believing in your
watch out for. As a defender it will often own chances. 47.h4!? 47.~d7+ §e7
be your last chance of saving the game. does not lead anywhere and 47.§a7+
In the middlegame a counterattacking is not possible because the black queen
queen versus an open king usually controls a7.
forms the basis of this motif. This is
difficult for a computer, as the following
fascinating example shows.
04.01 Computer Deep Blue-

GKasparov (2785)
N. Y. Man versus Machine 1997 [WI
47 ••. ~xe4 The simplest. It is

instructive to see that 47 ... h5 also
draws, even though White keeps his
bishop: 4B.Af3 ~c1 + 49.~f2 itrd2+
50.Ae2 ~f4+ 51.~gl ~e3+ with a
perpetual. Note that 47 ...§.e7? 4B.Af3
~c1 + 49.'~f2 ~d2+ 50.~g3 ~el +
45.13.a6? After this move Kasparov 51.~g4 h5+ 52.~xh5 ~g3 runs into
resigned, believing the machine. But he the surprising shot 53.itre6+!! §xe6
could have drawn. So 45:{;}<d7+ 'itJgB 54.dxe6+ Iit>gB 55.§aB+ ~h7 56.§hB+!
46.§.a7 AfB 47:{;}<e6+ was called for, to Iit>xhB 57.e7 winning. 48.13.a7+ ~g8
exchange Black's only active piece. 49.~d7 ~f4+ with a perpetual.
Then White has full control and
excellent winning chances, e.g., In the following example Arkell used all
47 .. .'~h7 48.~xb6 §'xb6 49.§.aB Ad6 his creativity to make the variations
50.~f2± aiming for h5 followed by work.
57
04.02 Gdanski - Arkell this move will soon reveal itself.

European Clubs Cup Neum 2000 [B) 34.hxg5? This natural capture allows
Black so solve his problems. With
34.~c1 gxh4 35.~g4+ 'it'h8 36.~f3
~g8 37.gxh4 White can continue to
fight for the full point. 34... c5! Now
this works. 35.~g2 The main line runs
35.4Jxe5 AxeS 36.~xe5 ~dl + 37.'it'h2
~h5+! This check would not be
available without the inclusion of g5
and hxg5. 38.~g2 4Jf4+! 39.gxf4 ~g4+
with a standard pattern. 35 ... cxb4
36.axb4 ~a2 37.Acl Axb4
38. ~c8+ ~g7 39.{)d4 Ac3 and here
If Black just sits and waits, White will Gdanski decided to give perpetual
make his extra pawn count. So he check himself: 40.{) xe6+ fxe6
uncorked 33 ...g5!! The logic behind 41.~d7+ ~h842.~e8+ VI-VI
58
Perpetual Check
Exercises
E04.01 V.Kramnik(2751)- E04.03 Y.Pelletier (2479) -

<iKasparov(2812) J.Piket (2635)
Linares 1999 Biel1999
[B) This position is the result of [B) Piket found the best way to draw.
extremely deep Grtinfeld preparation by Can you do the same?
Kasparov. Can you see how Black keeps
the draw?
E04.02 V.Mikhalevski (2516)-

R.Odendahl (2332)
Dieren 1999
[B) How to use Black's activity and the

exposed king?
59
Chapter 5
Stalemate
One ofthe elements that make the royal 05.01 L.Espig - Ernst
game so fascinating is paradox. Thessaloniki Olympiad 1988 [WI
Sometimes a very large material
superiority does not lead to a win. Every
now and then a passive defender can
hold, if he makes sure that he has
absolutely no moves left. In other
words, with a stalemate. This is of
course first and foremost a theme for
the final phase of the game.
Sa) In the Endgame
Many paradoxical results are a result of

the stalemate rule. There are several At first sight White's position looks
endgames in which stalemate plays a very precarious. But it does hold if he
major role. For instance, two lone uses his rook to defend the second
knights cannot force mate (if the rank: 1.~c2 Ac3 White is in a kind of
defender has no pawns left). King and zugzwang, but the following trick saves
single pawn versus king is often drawn him. After 1...~h2+ 2.~dl! Black's rook
if the defending king gets right in front has to leave the second rank
of the pawn. Queen versus rook's pawn immediately. 2.~dl ~d3 2 ... ~d4
3.~e2 ~c4!?
and queen versus bishop's pawn, on
the seventh rank, are often drawn, if the
defending king is next to its pawn and
the attacking king outside the winning
zone. We cannot discuss all these
endings in detail here, therefore we will
concentrate on a few cases.
Sal) The Second-rank Defense:

Rook + Bishop versus Rook
This defense was not as well known as

the Cochrane defense (the rook pinning is a typical trick you should be aware of
the bishop from behind) in pre- as the automatic 4.~dl? (4.~c1=)now
computer days, but now it is just as loses because of 4 ... ~hl+ 5.~e2
common: ~b3 -+. 3.~d2+! The point of the
defense. 3 ... ~c4 3 ... Axd2 is the
60
Stalemate
stalemate this type of defense is all .§e7+ 82.Wd6 .§d7+ 83.'it'c6

about. 4 •.§g2 .§e3 5.'it'c2 .§e1 83.~xd7 is our stalemate again.
6 ..§g4+ Ad4 7.'it'd2 13.a1 8.'it'e2 83 ....§c7+ 84.'i!7d5 .§e7 85 ..§a6 .§c7
.§a2+ 9.'it'f3 ~d3 10. .§g6 Again 8S ... ~c7!? 86.'it'd6 .§d7+ 87.'it'e5
preparing a second rank defense.
10....§f2+ 11.'it'g4 Ae512.13.g5 'it'e4
And a version of the starting position
is reached. 13 •.§g6 .§g2+ 14.'it'h5!
Ag3 15 . .§g4+ 'it'B 16 ..§g7 .§a2
17..§f7+ Af418.'it'g6 'it'e419.'it'f6
.§a6+ 20.We7 'it'e5 21.'it'd7 Ag5
22 ..§f8 .Ilf6 23.,Etf7 'it'd5 24.'it'e8
.§e6+ 25.'it'd7 .§d6+ 26.'it'c8 'it'c6
27 . .§c7+! 'it'b6 28 . .§b7+! 'it'a6
29.13.d7 .§e6 30 ..§f7 Ae5 31.'it'd7
13.d6+ 32.'it'e7 'it'b6 33 ..§f5 .\lh2
34..§f6 Yl-Yl The critical moment is reached. So far
everything has gone according to plan
As this defense is so common for Black, but now he faces a problem.
nowadays we want to show one 87 ... .§dl?! This move does draw, but
example, where the attacker managed to it is no second rank defense anymore.
create confusion: 87 .. .:1:'!e7+ 88.~f6 B:b7! 89.B:a8+ ~c7
90 ..lle4 B:b8 and 87 ... B:c7 88.~f6 B:b7
05.02 K.Piorun (2489) - 89.B:c6 with the stalemate point
K.Jakubowski (2502) 89 ... B:f7+!? 90.<;>eS .§e7+ 91.~dS .§c7
ch-POL Warsaw 2010 [B) were in the spirit of the second rank
defense. 88.Ag4 .§d3 89 ..§c6 'it'e7
90..§c7+ 'it'd8 91.13.a7 .§e3+ 92.Wf6
.§e1? 92 ....§d3! was the only move, e.g.,
93.~eS ~e8 94.-'1.f5 .§dl 95.-'1.e4 .§el
leads to a typical Cochrane defense.
93 ..§d7+ ~e8 94..§d2 'it'f8 95 ..\le2
Wg8 96..§d8+ 1-0
5a2) Bishop versus Rook
One typical drawing method is the

stalemate defense in the comer that the
79 ... .§d7!? 80 ..§h6 ~d8 8l.Af5 bishop cannot control.
61
05.03 M.Marin (2583)- endings as described in this chapter

REdouard (2597) against a friend or a computer to test
Benasque 2009 (B) your defensive abilities!
5a3) Queen versus Rook
This ending is of course in general won

for the queen. But sometimes it runs
into stalemate defenses, which are hard
to break over the board.
05.04 A.Morozevich (2747)-

D.Jakovenko (2671)
Pamplona 2006 (WI
Black has a typical set-up, but must avoid a

few traps: 97 ..• Ae5 98.E!a7+ 'itJb8
99.E!e7 1.ld6?! This square is dangerous.
Here it still draws as the rook is attacked.
99 ... ~3 to keep the bishop at distance is
morelogical.l00.E!d7 ilc7101..§g7 Jle5
102.E!f7 Ad6? Now the bishop is too close
to White's king. 102 ... Ah2103.~b6 ~l +
104.~c6Ah2l05.Elg7 M4draws.
Krasenkow pointed out the relevance of

the diagram position in ChessBase
Magazine 116: "Almost every practical
queen versus rook ending results in this
position, which (with White to move, of
course) is Black's last defensive line! In
fact, it is much more important than the
Philidor position, i.e., <M3;~h4 - ~gl,
Elg2." 110.~g3+ 110.'~e5!? is the
easiest way. As a rule it is good if the
queen acts from a distance and controls
l03.'itJb6! Suddenly White creates one of the checking squares 12, g2 or h2.
mating threats. 103 •••'itJa8?! This loses 110... ~gl 111.~g313g2+ 112.~h3+
the bishop directly because of a double (Krasenkow). Another method shown by
attack. After l03 ... Aa3 a typical fight Krasenkow is giving the move to Black:
starts, in which the rook finally manages 110.'~al ~f2 111.~d1 E1g2+ 112.~f4
to dominate the bishop, e.g., 104.Eld7 Elh2 113.~d2+ ~gl 114.~e1+ ~g2
~c8 l05.Eld5 Ab2 l06.~c6 Ac3 115.~g4+-. llO ... 'itJhl 111.'itJf3??
l07.Eld3 Ab4 108.Eldl Ac3 l09.Elcl Now the desperado rook draws. 111. ~e5
Ad2 llO.Elc2 Aa5 111.Ela2 Ac7 or 111. itff4 win as given above.
112.Ela8+ Ab8113.~b6+-. 104.E!a7+ 111 .••&2+! 112.'itJe3 E!e2+ 113.'itJd3
'itJb8 105.E!d71-0 Try to defend such E!d2+ 114.'itJxd2 Y~h
62
Stalemate
Exercises
E05.01 A.Grischuk (2726)- E05.03 Karklins - Gufeld

J.Polgar (2707) American Open 1999
Biel2007
[B] Usually two connected passed [W] With very precise defense White
pawn guarantee victory. How did Judit can rescue himself before Black
Polgar prove that this is an exception? coordinates properly. How?
EOS.02 Novikov - J.Polgar E05.04 A.Herbstman and L.Kubbel

Pamplona 1991 1. Price Troitzky Tumey 1937
[B] Black can still draw despite her [W] Usually three knights win against
cornered king. Can you see how? one. So White must make sure that after
an underpromotion there will not be
much play left...
63
E05.05 Y.Afek 1981
[W] White will lose all his pawns but not the game.
Can you see how?
5b) In the Middlegame desperado rook defense. (40.~a4 'itlhB

41.-,£\xh6+- should win in the long run.)
A stalemate before the endgame phase 40 ... t!cl + 41.'itlg2 §c2+=; 39.~b7+
is very rare, so we keep this section wins easily as the stalemate defenses
short: are eliminated and Black's poor bishop
will be his undoing: 39 ... ~xb7
40.t!xb7+ Ac7 41.-,£\xd6+- and White's
05.05 H.ReefschUiger (2430) - knight reigns supreme. 39 ... .§cl +
R.Seppeur (2310) 4O.~g2 ttrc2+ 4v3lh3
Gennan Bundesliga 1983 [B]
White had probably thought that

Black tried one last trick as he is lost in Black's point is to take the rook b 1 now.
any case. 38... ~c8!? 39.ttrxbS? and But a shock awaited him as Black just
White faIls for it. 39.t!b7+?! Ac7 sacrifices his major pieces: 41 ... .§hl +
40:~xcB? is also wrong as it runs into a 42.'§xhl ttrg2+ Yz-Yz
64
Stalemate
Exercises
E05.06 C.McNab (2480)- E05.07 D.Campora (2505) - Zhou

A.Groszpeter (2520) Weiqi (2353)
Aalborg 1992 Seville 2003
[B) At first sight Black seems to be dead [WI How could Campora have saved
lost. But he had a stalemate surprise in himself?
store. Can you find it?
65
Chapter 6
The Right Exchange
The importance ofthis theme can hardly other advises avoiding exchanges,
be overestimated. Every exchange maintaining attacking potential. The
should be considered very carefully as following position shows a typical
usually one side benefits more from it related problem from the defender's
than the other. In what follows, we will point ofview.
deal with the problem mainly from the
perspective of the defender and stress 06.01 J.Polgar (2630)-
only a few themes which occur often in L.Ljubojevic (2580)
practical play. Two important aspects Buenos Aires Sicilian Theme 1994 (WI
are also touched upon in other chapters:
exchanging attacking potential (Chapter
I) and the side with less material wants
to exchange pawns (Chapter 9). One
more warning before we start: simply
trying to exchange everything is not a
good strategy. If every exchange comes
with some sort of concession (loss of
activity, weakening the position), your
position may quickly go from bad to
worse. Besides, on a psychological
note, your opponent will sense that you
\Vhite has compensation for the sacrificed
are scared. Do not try to force
pawn and she faces a difficult choice. How
exchanges just for the sake of
much attacking potential is needed to keep
exchanging. her initiative? 30. ~h5? This mistake is
very easy to make. But in the long run
6a) A Very Problematic Rule ofThumb this attack is going nowhere. White
should try to exchange Black's active
The general form of this guideline is: major pieces with 30.~xc2! ~xc2 3Ukl
The side with a material advantage t!xc1 32.t!xc1 (Dorfinan).
wants to exchange pieces, while the
other side wants to exchange pawns.
But this rule has many exceptions.
Never use it without careful
consideration! One major problem is
that the attacker does not want to
exchange his attacking potential. So if
the attacker is up in material, one
guideline advises exchanging pieces to
get closer to a technical endgame,
reducing the potential complexity; the
66
The Right Exchange
Pure opposite-color bishops endings combining an attack against the a-pawn

have a very large drawish tendency. and White's kingside. 36.~gl is again
With rooks this is reduced and the called for. 36 •.. exf4 37.~xe2 E!xe2
guideline from the middlegame that 38.E!xf4f6 39.E!f3 E!.c840.E!b3 E!.a2
opposite-color bishops favor the 41.E!b7 E! xa4 42.E!a7 E!d8 43.1tf7
attacker gains more importance. In this E!xe4 44.E!xa5 E!e7 45.J1g6 ~g8
case White benefits from both 46.~h2 ~f8 47.~g3 E!.c748.1tbl
guidelines and can hold relatively E!d4 49.E!.a8+ ~e7 50.E!g8 E!.c3+
easily, e.g., 32 ... ~b8 33.'it'gl Ad8 5Vit'f2 E!d2+ 0--1
34.ml Af6 35.~c1 ~b4 36.~c8+ 'it'h7
37 .~c4. To exchange the active and Usually a good guideline is that the
strong pieces of the opponent is a much defender wants to reduce the enemy
better guideline than just advice to attacking potential:
exchange or not to exchange pieces. We
will deal with several aspects of it soon. 06.02 H.Nakamura (2601)-
30...1tg5 31.E!f3 ~h8! J.Rowson (2558)
Monarch Assurance Port Erin 2004 [W]
32.E!.efl? Judit Polgar follows her

strategy to attack, but Black's next Nakamura should try to reduce the
move undermines the harmony between pressure by exchanges even at the price
the white pieces and starts a of a pawn: 39.~el? 39J~ral ~xg3+
counterattack. 32.~xf7? runs into 40.t.¥xg3 ..Q.xal 41.~f4 ~g7 42.~g2
32 ... ~cxf7 33.~xf7 ~f2 -+; 32.Axf7 and 39.~f5 ~xg3+ 40.'it'h2 ~xf5
~xe4 33.~ef1 and 32.~b3!? are 41.~xf5 should be tenable because of
preferable, but White's position is the reduced material and White's active
difficult to play in any case. 32 ... ~e2! pieces. 39 ... 1td4+ 40.<it'g2 E!c2+
Now White has trouble moving her 41.<it'f3 h5 0-1 The mating net is
pieces around. 33.h4 J1f4 34. ~g4 closed so Nakamura resigned.
34.g3? .ilxg3 -+ 34 ..• E!c2 35.h5?
35.~gl is more tenacious. 35 .•• E!d2?! In the next example the defender is even
Directly bringing all reserves with two pawns down and nevertheless
35 ... ~fc8 is even stronger. 36.E!xf4? A wants to exchange pieces, underscoring
desperate attempt to change the course the problematic nature of the guideline
of events. But now Black is technically that the side that is down material wants
winning because of the possibility of to trade pawns and not pieces:
67
06.03 V.lkonnikov (2560) - 06.04 K.Spraggett (2606) -

R.Palliser (2389) P.Anuprita (2059)
Monarch Assurance Port Erin 2005 [BI XXVII Andorra Open Arinsal2009 [B]
Usually Black should keep pieces on violates the guideline that the defender
the board to create as much confusion of weaknesses should not be
as possible, but here his activity exchanged. Here Black's queen is the
enables 29 ... .§e3! 30.t:(I(xe3 fxe3 sole defender of the light squares,
31 ..§xf5+ <i!lxf5 when White cannot which are now in White's hands.
win because of the dangerous passed 58 ... i~rb2+ 59.~f3 ~bl draws easily.
e-pawn. 32 . .§e7 32.~gl f!c4= 59 . .!il xc4? Now the position is too
32 ..•.§e4 33.g4+! and the game peters static and White constantly has to
out to a draw: 33 ... <i!lf4 34 . .§xe4+ watch out for counterplay against the
<i!lxe4 35.<i!lg2 <i!ld3 36.b6 e2 37.b7 h5-pawn. 59.dxc4! forces Black to
el t?/ 38.b8t?/ ~e2+ 39.<i!lg3 t?/e3+ guard the passed pawn, which will keep
40.<i!lg2 ~e2+ 41.<i!lg3 ~e3+ him passive: 59 ... ~g8 (or 59 ... AfB
42.<i!lh4 t:(I(h6+ Yz-Yz 60.~d2 'it'g7 61..£)g4 'it'f7 62..£)xe5+
~e6 63.4Jd3 ~f6 64.~c2 ~gS 6S.cS
6b) Exchanging Pieces and Changing and White wins) 60.cS ~f7 61.c6 ~e8
the Character ofthe Position (61...~e6 62.'£)f5 Af8 63.~d3 and
Black has no moves left) 62.'it'd3 ~d8
The exchange of queens in particular 63.4JdS .ru8 64. ~c4 A perfect example
has to be considered very carefully as of good knight versus bad bishop.
the nature of the endgame is usually 64 ... .£ld6 6S.4Jxb4 ~c7 66.~b5 Axb4
completely different from the 67.~xb4 ~xc6 68.~c4 and the pawn
middlegame: (D) ending wins easily. 59 ••• <i!lg8 60 •.!ile3
<i!lf7 61 •.!ild5 Af8 62.<i!ld2 Ac5
58 ... t?/xc4? This is a big mistake as all 63.<i!lc2 Jtf2 64.<i!lh3!? Spraggett
counterplay disappears and White gets keeps complete control, which is very
complete control. This is very important important for the side with the knight.
for the side with the knight as it needs 64.4Jxb4?! ~f6= eases Black's task.
time for its maneuvers. Furthermore, it 64...Ae165.<i!lc4 j},d2 66 ..!ilxb4
68
The Right Exchange
06.05 Wang Yue (2739) -

T.Radjabov (2761)
Corns Wijk aan Zee 2009 [W]
66 ... .Q.x b4? The defender should only

trade into a pawn ending when
absolutely sure that it is drawn. After
66 ... ~f6, Black can prevent the 25.~bl?! After the exchange of
invasion on the queenside or get queens, the weaknesses on the light
counterplay with his h-pawn: 67.~c5 squares in Black's camp no longer play
(67.<£lc6~e6 68.<£lb8 lte3 69.<£la6~d6 any role. White should keep the queen
keeps the white pieces at distance) on the board to retain the potential to
67 ... ~g5 68.<£lc6 Jle3+ 69.~d5 ~xh5 create an attack later. Furthermore, the
70.<£lxe5 ~g5 and the h-pawn (the g7-bishop cooperates well with the
worst enemy of the knight) will ensure rooks in the coming endgame, while
thedraw.67.Wxb4~668.Wc5Wg5 White can hope that his ~+<£l duo will
69.Wd6 Wxh5 70.Wxe5 Wg4 be worth something in a possible attack:
25.~e2 t!f4 26.<£le4 g4 27.t!ael a4
28.fxg4 t!xg4 29.g3 t!f4 30.~hl t!ffS.
71.Wf6! White has accurately

calculated until the end. 71. •. h5 n.e5
h4 73.e6 h3 74.e7 h2 75.e8~ hI ~ Now Radjabov gives 31.\'ijd3 in CBM
76. ~e4+ 1-0 A fitting final move - the 129, but we think that 31.4Jc3!? may be
right exchange. more precise. White is for choice, but
his advantage is slight. 25 ... ~xblt
The following position arose from a 26.Elaxbl
typical King's Indian and shows the g7-
bishop in good shape:
69
26 ... e4n Radjabov brings his bishop 40.f4? This fatal 40th move leads to a
into play at the cheap price of a pawn. technically lost endgame. White must
27AJxe4 27.fxe4?! Ad4+ 28.~hl activate his rook: 40.§e2! M6+ 41.~h3
§xfl + 29.§xfl Axb2 (Radjabov) is Ae5 42.§e4 §c1 43.§h4 Af6 44.§e4
certainly not what White wants. The ~g5 45.§h4= (Radjabov). 40 •.• .1lf6+
character of the play is now completely
41.~h313.b3! 42.~h2 h4 43 •.i£)e2
different. Black's long-range pieces
have a free hand on the queenside. 43.<£le4 ~f5 44AJxf6 ~xf6-+
27 ••.1,ld4+ 28.~h1 a4 29.h4 gxh4 (Radjabov). 43 ... ~f5 44.13.a2 l3.b4
30.~h2l3.fb8 31.b3 axb3 32.axb3 45.13.a8l3.xc4 46.13.e8l3.b4 47.13.e6
l3.a2 33.l3.fd1 ~f7 34.l3.d2 l3.b3 48.g4+ hxg3+ 49 •.i£)xg3+ ~g4
50 •.i£)e2l3.b2 51.~g2 Ae5 52.~f2
52.§g6+ ~f5 53.§g5+ ~f6 54.~f3
Axf4 -+ (Radjabov). 52 ... 1,lxf4
53.l3.e7 ~f5 54.l3.f7+ ~e5 55.~f3
Ad2 56.l3.xc7 ~xd5 57..i£)g313.b3+
58.~g2 .1lf4 59 . .i£)e21,le5 60.~f2
~e4 61.13.h7 13.f3+ 62.~e1 d5
63. ~d2 d4 64.13.h4+ ~d5 0--1
6c) An Active Rook Should Be

Exchanged.
34 .•• l3.a3! Black avoids the exchange As this motif occurs so often and is so
of course. With two rooks each, the important, we have decided to give it
character of the play may be somewhere special attention. A rook can gain a lot
between a middlegame and an endgame in strength when it can operate actively
but after a rook exchange, a technical and freely. It is not on the board just to
endgame arises. Black goes for this but passively defend a pawn. So the
he wins the b3-pawn in the process. defender should either activate his own
35.~h3 l3.axb3 36.13.xb3 l3.xb3
rook or try to exchange the attacking
37.~xh4 ~g6 38.l3.c2l3.b139..i£)g3
one.
h5
70
The Right Exchange
06.06 M.Adams (2685)- 58.c5 bxc5+ 59.~c4 ~b6 60.~d5

J.Lautier (2620) ~a5 61.~xc5 ~xa4 62.~c4 Yz-Yz
Tilburg Fontys 1996 [W]
6d) A Rook Fighting Against a Minor
Piece Welcomes Exchanges
This is also because of the guideline

that a rook gains in strength the more
freely it can operate.
06.07 A.Motylev (2641)-

A.Shirov (2706)
FIDE-Wch k.o. Moscow 200 I [B)
45.h4? White should keep this

important move in reserve. He should
rather try to force the exchange of rooks
on his own terms or to use his active
rook to invade: 4S.EldS Ele6+ 46.EleS
~f6 (after 46 ... Eld6 we have reached the
same position but with the white rook
moved one square to the left. Now it is
time for 47.h4! Eldl 48.ElgS+ ~h6
49.ElbS Eld6 50!~eS Elg6 S1.~fS Eld6
and White's rook invades: 52.EleS ~g7
S3.Ele7+ ~f8 54.Ele6 winning.) White's bishop on c5 keeps his position
47.Elxe6+ ~xe6 48.~f4 ~f6 and the together and therefore must be
reserve tempo decides: 49.h4! ~g6 exchanged at all costs. Otherwise Black
SO.~eS ~g7 Sl.~fS winning. could easily drift into a lost position.
45 ... Ete6+ 46.Ete5 After 46. 'it'f4 Black 39 ... Ad8! The key move. 40 . .£Id4+
plays the similar 46 ... Elf6!. 46 ... ~f61 ~b7 41 ..£Ie6 Ab6 42 •.£Ixg5 YZ-YZ
Lautier exchanges the active rook and and a draw was agreed in view of
uses the defense by opposition in the 42 ... Elxa7 43.4Jxh7 JlxcS 44.bxcS 'it'c6
resulting pawn endgame. 47.Etxe6+ 4S.4Jg5 Ela2=. The picture has changed
~xe6 48.~d3 ~d71 By keeping the completely; the active black rook now
distant opposition, Black manages to comfortably draws.
save the draw. 49.~c3 ~c7 50.b4
axb4+ 51.~xb4 ~c6 52.~b3 ~d6 A related guideline is that you should
53.~c2 ~c6 54.~d3 ~d6 55.~c3 not exchange rooks when you are an
~c5 56.~b3 ~d6 57.~b4 ~c6 exchange down.
71
06.08 I.Sokolov (2685)-

V.TopaIov (2757)
Corns Wijk aan Zee 2005 IB]
62.~e3? Afterwards Sokolov found an

amazing way to win: 62.§f4! <tlel
63.'ifie3 b3 64.<tld2 ~gS 65 ..§.f1 b2
66 ..§.f2 '>t'g4.
59 ... .§xb3? is a bad positional mistake
as Black's rook is a kind of coordinator
of its minor pieces. They form a perfect
team. This cannot be said of the poor
passive rook on b2 and the other white
pieces. It just cannot be right to
exchange White's passive rook on b2
for Black's active one. 59 ... §e3! was
required to keep the active rook on the
board, e.g., 60.<tlf3+ Gt>f6.
Now comes his point, 67.<tlbl!! and the

rook is so strong in this position that
White can even sacrifice the knight!
67 ... -'l,xbl68.§xb2 ~d3 69.§xb6 -'l,xc4
70.'§'xd6 <tlb3 71.§xh6 Axd5 72 ..§.d6
Ag8 73.§g6+ 'ifixh5 74 ..§.xg8 <tle5
75.§a8 <tlxa4 76.§xa5+ with a total
clean sweep. 62 ...Ad7 63 ..§f4+ ~g7?
Now it is not easy to find a useful move 63 ...<i1te7! was called for. 64.~d4 ~c5
for White because of the pressure of 65.~d2? This allows the exchange of
Black's active rook on c3. After 61.<i1tg2, too many pawns, which is the usual
Black should again not exchange rooks: method of defense in such endgames
61. .. <tlxb3! (61...§xb3?! 62.§e2 is
(see Chapter 9). After 65.13.f1 White
dangerous for Black because of White's
active rooks) 62.§f4 <tlel 63.<tlh4 'ifig5 maintains very good winning chances.
64 ..§.xf5+ ~xh4 6S.§f6 <tld3 66.'§'bl 65 ... ~g8! 65 ... Axa4? 66.<tle6+ plays
§e2+ 67.~f1 <tleS and Black's into White's hands. 66.~e6 ~ xe6
counterplay is sufficient. 60 . .§xb3 67.dxe6 Axe6 68 . .§d4 ~f7
~xb3 61.~f3+ ~f6 69 . .§xd6 -'txc4 70 . .§xh6 b5!
72
The Right Exchange
Following the same strategy, getting rid 06.09 B.Avrukh (2565)-

of all the pawns. 71.axbS Also V.Mikhalevski (2540)
insufficient is 71.~c6 b3 72.~c3 Ae2 Isreal-ch Ram at Aviv 1998 [W]
73.axb5 Axb5 74.~c7+ ~g8 75.\tlxb3
Ae2 76.h6 .Ild3
Black's coordinated attacking forces must

be reduced, so 32.g4? is a fatal mistake
Reaching a well-known fortress. Now as it allows the invasion of Black's rooks.
back to the game: 32:iiYdl ~f6 and now the key exchange
33.~f3! ~cc6 34.~xf6 §'xf6 35.~g4=, and
White can defend as Black's attack is not
71•...1l,xbS 72.Etg6 Ae873.l3g1 73.~g5
nearly as dangerous as in the game. Here
<M"6 74.~xa5 b3 75.'ct>c3 ~g7 76.\tlxb3 the royal pair feels much more at ease.
~h6 with a draw. 73•..<ifj'f6 74.h6 .Q.g6 32.•. .13f7! Suddenly it becomes clear that
7S.l3f1+ ~S 76•.§a1 %-Yl the f-file is what it's all about. 33:i*d1
33.~f3 ~b6+ 34.~c2 ~c7+ and the white
Positions with unbalanced material are rook is completely useless while the black
not always easy to judge, as the rooks start a deadly attack. 33.~h3 ~df6
following examples shows. 34.~d3 ~f1 + 35.'ct>c2 ~7f2+ and Black
has a very powerful attack, as you can
verify for yourself. 33... .§df6 34.~c2
.§f10-1
Exercises
E06.01 V.Tseshkovsky (2570)-

V.Bagirov (2495)
Lvovzt 1978
(0)
[B] How to win this won position?
73
E06.02 S. Tiviakov (2695)- E06.04 I.Asmundsson (2338)-

M.Marin (2564) D.Collier (2274)
Porto Mannu Open Palau 2009 18th EU-Cup Chalkidiki 2002
(B] What is the correct drawing [B] How to fight for the light squares?
strategy?
E06.03 Jacob Aagaard E06.05 A.Shabalov (2200)-

Practical Chess Defence A.Vitolinsh (2410)
(Quality Chess 2006) lurrnala 1985
[B] How to deal with White's dangerous [WI Black has just sacrificed an
passed e-pawn? exchange to take the initiative. How to
react?
74
The Right Exchange
E06.06 U.Andersson (2630)- E06.08 J .Adler (2318)-

F.Nijboer (2485) E.L' Ami (2541)
Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1990 German Bundesliga 2005
[B) How to deal with White's strategic [B] Is there any hope for Black left?
initiative?
E06.07 V.Anand (2755)- E06.09 A. Yusupov (2605)-

A.Dreev (2673) S.Dolmatov (2620)
FIDE World Cup final Hyderabad 2002 Wijk aan Zee 1991
(B] How to exchange? [BJ To exchange or not to exchange,

that is the question.
75
Chapter 7
Exchange Sacrifices
This is of course a universal motif, It seems that White is well-placed and

which can be used by the attacker and can soon attack both wings, especially
the defender. In a way it is also a special the kings ide. But Alekhine's next move
form of exchange, which was dealt with changes this picture radically:
in Chapter 6. But as it is so important, 20... §.b4!? This kind of rook lift is called
we decided to devote a whole chapter the "Russian" exchange sacrifice.
to it. An important reason for the 21 ..\l.xb4 Searching for counterplay on
frequent occurrence of exchange the kingside with 21.h4!? was the
sacrifices is the fact that the relative alternative. 21 ...cxh4 22 •./fld2 ./flc5
value of the rook depends very much 22 ....!'k8!? 23.<£lb3 <£le5 24.§.fc1 '€i'b6
on its prospects in a given position. A 25.<£ld2 Ab7
rook can be extremely strong when
attacking in an open position. But it can
also be very weak when condemned to
passive defense of a pawn or when it is
locked in by other pieces. Rooks tend
to be unhappy in closed positions; they
need open files.
7a) "Russian" Exchange Sacrifices
The following type of sacrifice is a real

classic as it limits the prospects of the
enemy rooks and improves the those of is also perfectly playable and more or
our own minor pieces: less dynamically balanced. Part of
Black's compensation is that the roles
07.01 A.Selezniev- of attacker and defender have been
A.Alekhine reversed. Now Black is attacking on
Triberg 1921 (B] both wings. In a way this might be an
even more harmonious set-up than that
in the game as there Black's c5-knight
is very well placed but also in the way
of other pieces. On e5 this is not the
case. 23 •./flh3 ./fld7?! This retreat is
inconsistent. Too greedy is 23 ... <£lxa4?
24.'€i'a2 <£lc3 25:i~'xa5 ~xa5 26.<iJxa5
<iJxbl 27.§'xbl Ac3 28.<iJc6 and Black
loses control. Correct is the simple
23 ... 1:k8! 24.<£lxc5 '€i'xc5 and here we
see the positional nature of Black's
compensation: the strong black-square
76
Exchange Sacrifices
bishop combined with the defended

passed pawn and the fine c5-square
provide a nice picture. The white rooks
lack open files. 24.c5!? Usually it is a
good strategy to open roads for the
rooks. White can also wait with, e.g.,
24JHcl. 24 ..• Jl,xd3 25.exd3!?
Selezniev wants more than 25:€Yxd3
.£Ixc5 26 ..£Ixc5 "€Yxc5 27JUc1 Jlc3=.
25 .•• dxc5 26 •.§fel .£le5 27 •.§e3
27.ii:hc5? runs into 27 ... .£If3+.
27 •.• .§cS? The more active 27 .. J~dS
should hold, e.g., 28.d4 (28."€YxcS "€YxcS stroke 32 ... .£Ixf2!! 33."€Yxf2 ~xd5 34.§f4
29 ..£IxcS §xdS 30..£Ib3 .£Ic6looks fairly c3 35.h4 §dS 36.§dl e5 -+ and Black
solid as well) 2S ... .£Ig4 29.§e4 .£If6 has more than enough compensation
30.dxcS .£IxdS 31.§dl Jlc3 32.iild3 e6 for the rook. 33.'§xg4 b2 34.~xb2
and Black has enough compensation as ~xg4 Black has won the exchange back
a result of his well-anchored minor and now White has to be very careful
pieces. Knights especially want to have not to be worse. 35.'§xc4?! The more
stable outposts that are either central direct 35.'~b7!?, with the idea 35 ... .ilxd4
or near one of the kings. 2S . .§cl ~d7 36 ..£Ie6 §eS 37.~b5 §cS 3S.~b7=, is
probably better. 35... h5 36. ~c2? This
gives Black the initiative for good. After
36.h3! "€Yf5 (36 ... '€\'xh3? falls into the trap
37 . .£Ie6! §xc4 3S.iilbS+ ~h7
39 ..£Ig5+-) 37:€Yb7 gS 38.~g2. White
is only slightly worse as he is more
active than in the game. 36...h4 The
rest is instructive but not directly
relevant to the theme, so we give it
without comment. 37. ~d3 .§d8 3S.f3
~h5 39. ~e4 hxg3 40.hxg3 ~g5
41.'it'g2 ~d2+ 42.'it'h3 Jl,f6 43 ..§c2
29.d4? The motifis right, but Selezniev
~h6+ 44.'it'g2 'it'g7 45.g4 .§hS
had to insert 29.iile2! ~xdS and only
46.'it'f2 .§bS 47.'it'e2 .§b4 4S •.§d2
now 30.d4! .£Id7 31.dxcS as 31.. ..£IxcS?
~h2+ 49.'it'e3 ~gl+ 50.'it'e2 Axd4
can be met by 32. iilc4!. 29 ... .£lg4! Now
51 •.£ld3 .§b152 •.£lcl Jl,c3 53.~xbl
this square was available to the knight.
~g2+ 54. 'it'd3 ~xd2+ 55.'it'c4 ~d4+
30 . .§e4? Mistakes always seem to
56.'it'b3 Jl,aI57.'it'a3 ~c5+ 5S.'it'a2
come in pairs. 30.§e2 c4 31..£Ic5 i;1{xd5
Af6 59.g5 ~xd5+ 60 . .£lb3 ~xg5
32.'€Yxc4 ~f3 should be more or less
61.~el ~g2+ 62.~d2 ~xf3
balanced. 30 ... c4 31 •.£lc5 ~f5
63.~xa5g564.~e1 ~c365.~xc3
32.~e2 32.§xe7 ~h5 33.d6 ,€\,xh2+
Axc3 66.a5 Axa5 67 •.£lxa5 g4
34.'iMl .M6 35.d7 §dS and Black wins.
6S.41c4 g3 69.41d2 'it'g6 70.'it'b2
32 ... b3? Alekhine misses the brilliant
'it'f5 71.41f3 'it'f4 72.41gl 'it'e3
77
07.02 Liublinsky - Botvinnik

Moscow Ch 1943 [B]
rooks are free; White is winning. 4 ...c5

5.E!.f1 f5 6.Ag3 Ad7 7.E!.ad1 f4
8.Af2 g5! Starting an attack typical for
the King's Indian. 9.g4?! White wishes
Black must sacrifice the exchange as to close the position completely, but this
otherwise his bad pawn structure will fails. 9 ...fxg310.Axg3 Ah3
be his undoing. 1 ... E!.d4!? This brings
~a6 back to life, shields the weakness
on c5 and limits the prospects of
White's rooks. Objectively speaking,
White still has the upper hand, but by
changing the character of the position,
Black has created practical problems.
2.~e2 2.Axd4 is also perfectly
playable, e.g., 2... cxd4 3.4Ja4 c5 4.4Jb2
Ab7 5.~fl. Prophylaxis against Black's
coming play on the kingside. 5 ... ~f8
6.4Jd3 f5 7.~ael f4 8.a3±. To open the
queenside for White's rooks. 2 ... Ac8 1l.E!.f2? This destroys the hannony of
3.~xd4 cxd4 4.Af2?! Liublinsky the defending forces, but Black's
does not manage to adjust to the position is also much easier to play after
changed circumstances. Correct was ll.~fel ~f8 12.~d3 h5. 1l ... h5
4.Ad2! c5 5.a3 f5 6.~dbl f4. (D) 12.E!.fd2 h4?! 12 ... ~f8 is even more
precise 13.Af2? 13.Ael ~f814.~g2!
7.b4! It is very important to open roads was the last chance to put up a real
for the rooks and a pawn is a cheap price fight. 13 ... E!.f814.E!.d3 E!.f415.<it'h1
to pay for this. 7 ... axb4 8.axb4 cxb4 <it'h7 16.E!.gl Ad8 17:~e2 ~f7
9.~b3 (Euwe, Nunn) 9 ... Ae610 ..l1xb4 18. ~d1 ~h5 19.Ae3 Liublinsky
~f711.~a4Axc412.Ac5 and now the decides to give the exchange back,
which leads to a very problematic and
most probably lost endgame. But his
situation is very difficult anyway as g4
78
Exchange Sacrifices
iscoming.19 ...~xf3+ 20.~xf3 Elxf3 compensation for a rook is a strong

21.Axg5 Elxd3 22.AxdS Ele3 unopposed bishop. And here Black's
23.Ab6 Elxe4 24.Axc5 Ele2 25.Eldl d5-knight is also a tower of power. From
-'lg4 26.h3 Axh3 27.b4 Af5 a practical point of view it is probably
2S.Ad6d3 29.bxa5 h3 0-1 better not to take the exchange with
26.h4!? .£Je7 27.t=!g3 4Jd5 28.t(rd2 and
7b) Blockade White maintains his chances for play
on the kingside. 26 .•• 4)e7! 26 ... b4?
This also has a lot to do with the allows White to open the position for
prospects of the rooks. If the minor his long-range pieces with 27.d5! t=!xd5
pieces manage to occupy good 28.~xe6 fxe6 29.'i:;hc4±. 27.Axe6
blockading posts, then the material fxe6 2S.~f14)d5 29.Elf3 Ad3
advantage may prove to be irrelevant.
The following example is a very famous
one and might bore more experienced
readers. Be that as it may, our younger
readers not yet be familiar with it, and it
must be included in any collection of
exchange sacrifices.
07.03 S.Reshevsky - T.Petrosian

CandidatesTournamentZiirich 1953 [8]
30.Elxd3f White takes the emergency

exit to prevent Black's initiative from
becoming stronger and stronger. Now
the position is more or less equal and
peters out to a draw: 30 •.. cxd3
31. ~xd3 b4 32.cxb4 32.c4? is met by
32 ... 4Jb6 33.d5 exd5 34.cxd5 t=!xd5
35.Ad4 ~e6 36.t(rb3 ~d6. 32 ... axb4
Also possible was 32 ... 4Jxb4 33.t(rb5
~xb5 34.axb5 4Jd3 35.t=!e2 t=!b8
White threatens to develop a dangerous 36.~d2 t=!xb5 37.f!.xd3 t=!xb2 38.d5=.
initiative in the center and on the 33.a5 ElaS 34.Elal ~c6 35.Acl
kingside. But Petrosian has a surprise ~c7 36.a6 ~b6 37.Ad2 b3 3S. ~c4
in store: 25 ... Ele6! A no-nonsense h6 39.h3 b2 40.Elbl ~hS 4l.Ael
move, setting up a white-square %-%
blockade based on 4Je7-d5. 26.a4
26.Axe6 fxe6 27.!H3 4Je7 28.t=!efl A blockade is also one of the weapons
4Jd5 and White cannot make real when you are fighting with a couple of
progress. One typical form of pieces against the queen.
79
07.04 M.Adams (2670)- strategy. The two greedy moves both

V.Ivanchuk (2740) fail as the queen gets targets:
Dortmund 1998 [B) 32 ... .Ilxb2?? 33.l"lxb2 l"lxb2
34.~d4++-; 32 ... l"lxb2? 33.l"lxb2 .\lxb2
34.'li¥bl +-. 33.'if}el11,c4 34.'if}f2 e6
35.~c2 Ad5 36.~dl b4 37.axb4
§x b4 38.~e2 §b3 39.'if}g2 'if}g8 1'2-
Yz We feel that it took a player ofAdams'
class to stay calm and successfully deal
with White's situation. Here the players
agreed to a draw.
7c) Opposite-color Bishops
The famous theme "attacking with

Black must make sure that he gets opposite-color bishops" was regarded
secure anchor squares for his pieces, very highly by the Soviet chess school.
so 25 ... §xd3! is a strong sacrifice. When you attack on one color complex
(supported by your powerful bishop),
Ivanchuk is in a class in his own when
the opponent can be remarkably
it comes to judging the relative value of
helpless as his own bishop lives in
pieces. 25 ... g5? 26.f4 gives White a
another world (i.e., the other color
dangerous initiative. 26.cxd3 §xd3 complex). In the following example
27 :~e2 §b3 28.§dl g5! 28 ... l"l xb2+?! Karpov found a strong way of
29.~xb2 .\lxb2 30.~xb2 plays into defending his central pawn on e4 and
White's hand as the rook is much gave an instructive lesson in (counter-)
stronger than the bishop in endings like attacking with opposite-color bishops.
this. 29.§d2 After 29.l"ld3?! Black can
enter the endgame, 29 ... l"lxb2+ 30.~xb2 07.05 A.Karpov (2725)-
.\lxb2 31.~xb2, with confidence, as B.Gelfand (2690)
now 31...Ac4! gives him good Linares 1993 [W]
counterplay. 29 ..• 'if}g7 30.~e4 a5
31.'if}c1 b5 32.'if}dl
20.Etd5! This move just feels very

good. 20... §he8 20 ... .\lxdS 21.exd5
32 ••• a4! Ivanchuk calmly follows his l"le7 22.l"ldl ± (Karpov).
80
Exchange Sacrifices
In the next example a blockading knight

also plays a major role:
07.06 Wright - Huss

England 1973 [W]
White has very good play on both

wings, while his passed pawn and minor
pieces control the entry squares on the
central files. On the queenside, Black's
weakened king is always in danger
because of the presence of opposite- l.laxf5! A very strong sacrifice that
color bishops, while on the kingside eliminates Black's counterplay
there are also many weaknesses on the completely. The alternative 1..Q.xg4 .Q.d3
light squares waiting to be exploited. A 2.~e2 e4 is less clear. 1 ... laxf5
white knight on f5 would be especially 2.Axg4 lafS 3.4)de4 ~ xe4 4.~xe4
strong. ~e7 4 ... c6 5.Ae6+ ~h8 6.~h5 ~b6+
7.~h2 ~xb2?
To summarize, White's position is
untouchable. 21.Ad3 lad8 22.ladl
laed6 23.Ae2 .il,xd5 24.exd5 Now
we enter the scenario just described.
24 .. :~·b7 25. ~h4 Af8 26 . .il,c4
laxd5? Understandably, Gelfand gives
the exchange back, but his weaknesses
on the light squares remain. 26 ... h6
27.Eiel ~c8 is more tenacious.
27 •.il,xd5 laxd5 28.lael lad8
29.~xf6 White is strategically
winning. 29 ... ~c7 30.g3 Ad6
31.~g5 lad7 32.lae8+ ~b7 33.4)e4
loses in view of8.~g6! ~c2 (8 ... ~xal
~c6 34.~f5 .il,e7 35.~g2 lac7
9.l£lg5! hxg51O.~h5+ .Q.h611.~xh6#
36.lahS ~g6 37.~d5+ ~c6 is the point) 9.Eicl! ~d3 lO.Eic3 ~dl
38.~xc6+ ~xc6 39.laxh7 ~d5
11.l£lxd6 and the attack crashes
40.~d2 Af6 41.~c4 \t1d4 42.lah6
through. 5.Ae6+ \t1h8 6.a4a5 7.laa3!
lac6 43.g4 lae6 44.h4 For a moment Creating a "swinging" rook. 7 ...c6?!
the black king looked fairly active, but Ultimately this just gives White targets.
White's play on the kingside kicks in But the position is extremely
first. 44..• \t1d5 45.g5 1-0 unpleasant to defend in any case.
81
7... '!f1eS is more tenacious. S.~g4cxd5 problem piece in the King's Indian main
9.Axd5 f!adS10.f!b3 Black lacks any line is often not the notorious Ag7, but
form of counterplay and is strategically the 4Je7. The difference is 21.~b3
lost. 10 ... b511.axb5 a412.f!b4 a3 (21.4Jc6 '££YeS is nothing for Black to
13.bxa3 ~a7+ 14.b6 ~xa3 15.l3.b1 worry about) 21...{jf4 22.Ab5 4J6h5!
~d316.f!d1 ~e3+ 17.~h2 ~xb6 followed by '!f1g5. 21.~b3! Instead of
IS. ~g6 ~c719.l£lg5 hxg5 20.ite4 Black playing a positional exchange
,£lf6 21.~h6+ ~gS 22.Ad5+ l3.f7 sacrifice, it's now White stealing the
23.~xf6 f!dfS 24.f!f11-0 show with a positional pawn sacrifice.
21.4Jxd5 {jxd5 22.AxfS AxfS
In the next example Black's
compensation is not so obvious:
07.07 J.Stanke (2322)-

M.van DeJft(2341)
International Hamburg-ch 2003 [BI
is the position I was striving for, when

something like 23.Aa6 {je3 24.-rtJxdS
§xdS 2S.§fel Ac5 26.~hl and now
26 ... §d2!? (untypically exchanging
rooks but freeing a7) 27.§e2 §xe2
28.Axe2 as leaves Black with enough
19 ... Axd5! Here I (MvD) decided to compensation in view of White's
sacrifice the exchange on f8 and figured offside king. 21 ... l£lf4 22.Aa6? This
that going for the opposite-color gives Black another chance to get back
bishops would be most fitting. on track. Instead, 22.Ab5! leaves Black
19 ... 4Jfxd5?! 20.4Jbxd5 4Jxd5 21.4Jxd5 fairly tied up. 22 ... ~d4+? Missing the
Axd5 22.AxfS AxfS with the bishop pair chance. After 22 ... b5! 23.~hl ~b6
would have been more standard, but White will do some damage control with
after something like 23.b3 Ac5+ 24.~hl 24.4Jd3 4Jxd3 2S.Axe7 §feS 26.Axb5
Ad4 25.§c1 -rtJe7 26.-rtJc2 White is §xe7 27.Axd3 but Black is obviously
going to take over slowly but surely by the one playing for a win after
trying to exchange more pieces. 27 ... ~xb3 28.axb3 e4 23.~h1 ~d2
20.l£lcxd5l£lfxd5? During the game I 24.f!gl Af6?? This just loses. Of
didn't realize that White is not forced course Black should play 24 ... §fd8!
to take on d5. Therefore it would have 25 ..§adl '!f1f2 26.{jd3 4Jxd3 27 ..§xd3
been better to pick the unfortunately (During the game I didn't realize that
placed 4Je7 instead and take back with 27.Axe7 can be answered by the simple
20 .. '4Jexd5 On a side note, Black's real 27 ... .§eS - instead I thought that it was
82
Exchange Sacrifices
a pity that 27 ...Y:f!fc5 and 27 ...Y:f!fh4 were alternative. Not good here is the
both not working) 27 ... §xd3 28.Y:f!fxd3 standard 7 ... <tlc6?! 8.dS <tle7 9.<tld2
<tlg8 and the battle continues. 25.l3adl giving White the best of both worlds (a
~f2 26.g3 4)h3 27.l3gf1! The bishop on e3 and a knight on d2)
decisive move. 27 ... ~c5 28.4)d5 1-0 compared to the main lines of the King's
Indian (7.0-0 <tlc68.dS<tle7 9.<tlel<tld7
7d) A Strong Unopposed Bishop 10.Ae3 and 9.<tld2). In the third match
game Kasparov went in for the even
This is one of the most solid fonns of more uncommon 7 ....it1e7!? 8.dxe5 dxe5
compensation for the exchange as the 9.<tldS and now the spectacular
bishop is a long-range piece the 9 ... ti'd8!? (The boring 9 ... <tlxd510.cxd5
opponent might find very hard to leads to an enduring edge for White
neutralize. In most of the previous according to Kasparov) 10.Ac5 <tlxe4
examples this factor already played a 11.Ae7! (The immediate 1l.Axf8Jlxf8
role, and now we will look at even more 12.ti'c2<tlcS 13.<tlxeS Af5 gives Black
extreme examples. In the 1990 Kasparov- good compensation for the exchange,
Karpov world championship match in as the white knights will be kicked back)
New York, Kasparov developed some 1l ... ti'd7 12.Axf8 ~xf8 13.ti'c2?
fantastic ideas, pushing the limits of (Critical is 13.'l£1d3! <tld6 14.ti'a3 ~c6
what's possible in chess. 15.§dl<tld4 16.<tlxd4 exd4 17.0-0 as
in the earlier game Scheeren-Baljon,
07.08 A.Karpov (2730)- Netherlands 1987 and now 17 ... ~g8
GKasparov (2800) (E92] 18.§fel ~d819.c5<tlfS 20.Ac4 gives
NewYorklLyon(mll) 1990 White a clear advantage, especially
because 20 ... Ae6 allows the counter-
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 .Q.g7 In the sacrifice 21.~xe6! fxe6 22.<tlf4 with a
King's Indian, just as in the Sicilian powerful attack based on the opposite-
Dragon, the black-square bishop often color bishops) 13 ... <tlc5 14.§dl <tlc6!
is equivalent in strength to a rook. 4.e4 The point of Black's play, giving up the
d6 5.4)£3 0-0 6.Ae2 e5 7.j;te3 queen. 15.0-0! Holding back for a
moment. 15.<tlb6axb616.§xd7 Axd7
7 ••. exd4!? A very ambitious move.

7 ... <tlg4 is the most trusted move in this gives Black pretty positional
position, while 7 ... <tla6 is the modem compensation for the sacrificed
83
material. 15 ... 4Je6!? Kasparov felt that

15 ... 4Jd4 16.4Jxd4 exd4 was not
particularly principled. 16.4Jb6 axb6
17.l:~xd7 .\lxd718.~d2J.te8!
relates how, influenced by the third

match game, he was toying with the
extravagant idea 13... ~e714.Af2~xeS
15.~e6 (15.~xe6! l"'%xe2 [or 15 ... ~xe6
Kasparov explains that a correct (or 16.Ab5] 16.4Jxe2 ~xe6 is the problem:
almost correct!) queen sacrifice can be here Black does have a pawn, but more
recognized by the ability of the minor importantly no positional compensation
pieces to work together and cover up for the exchange - Ae8 bites on granite
all the potential weaknesses the enemy and White has good control over the
queen is probing for. 19.b3 e4 20.4Jel? black squares) 15 ... ~xf2+!? 16.l"'%xf2
A very passive move. (White might as ~xe6 before he realized that he could
well play 20.4Jg5 since he will lose the reach the same at the cost of only an
exchange. 14.~xe3 ~f8! Of course
a2-pawn in any case.) 20 ... f5 2l..11dl
not 14 ... 4Jg4?? 15.4Jxc6+- 15.4)xc6
4Je5 22.4Je2 l"'%xa2 23.~d5!? Karpov
Two years later the variation was tested
wants to return the queen, but the
again, but again White could not prove
remaining ending will be very bad.
anything: 15.4Jcb5 ~xc516.l"'%acl ~b6
23 .. .'~e7 24.~b4 e6 25.~xe6+ ~xe6
17.~f2 ~d7!. Simply developing the
26.4Jxa2 and although Karpov clearly remaining pieces. 18.l"'%fdl l"'%e819.Afl
lost the opening battle, he managed to Ah6 20.l"'%c3 4Jb4 gave Black good
escape with a draw, Karpov-Kasparov, compensation in Gelfand-Kasparov,
New York (3) 1990. 8.4)xd4E!e89.f3 Linares 1992 and in fact he went on to
c610.~d2 10.Af2! dS 1l.exd5 exd5 win the game. At this point 21.a3 4Ja2
12.0-0 ~e613.e5 is the right move order, 22 ..§.b34JeI 23.l"'%c3 4Ja2 with a move
preventing the exchange sacrifice. repetition would have been the logical
10.••d5 1l.exd5 cxd5 12.0-0 4)c6 outcome. 15 ••. bxc6 16.'i1lhl E!b8!
13.c5(D) The start of a great rook maneuver.
17.4)a4 E!b4 18.b3 Ae6 19.4)b2
13 ... E!xe3! One of Kasparov's most 4)h5 20.4)d3 E!h4 21. ~f2 ~e7
famous innovations. His bishop pair, 22.g4! White had to be very careful;
especially the black-square giant, will only this move guarantees the draw.
give him ample compensation. Kasparov
84
Exchange Sacrifices
15 ... Ele5!? The introduction to a

creative positional concept. 16.e5 ~f6
17.f4 Elxe5! That was the point, giving
up the rook for the black-square bishop.
18.Axe5 dxe519.Elad119.g5!? .£Ifd7
(19 .. AJe8 20.e5 .£Ic7 21.t=1adl .£Ibd5
22 ..£Ixd5 cxd5 23.Axd5 .£Ixd5 24.t=1 xd5
.ilxh3 25.t=1fdl) 20.e5 .£If821.t=1adl.£le6
22 ..£Ie2 h6 23.h4 and in both cases
Black's minor pieces have not managed
to organize sufficient counterplay.
19 ... ~fd7 20.e5 g5 21.e6? Faced with
22 ••. Ad4! Forcing the perpetual. Black an original set of problems, White goes
should not become over-optimistic,
astray. The text allows Black to install a
since after 22 ... ,a,xal? 23.t=1xal ~f6
24.t=1el .£Ig7 25.'ti¥g3 his rook remains strong knight on d5 that gives him time
locked in. 23. ~xd4 Elxh2+ 24.~xh2 to bring his remaining pieces into play.
~h4+Yz-Yz 21.fxg5 .Ilxe5 22.t=1fel was called for,
when the pressure of White's rooks is
07.09 C.Richter (2442)- strongly felt. 21...fxe6
M.Bosboom (2390) [E69)
TCh-NED 2006
Playing in the same spirit is Dutch chess

artist Manuel Bosboom. Rather than
making a positional concession, he
gives up material. 1.d4 ~f6 2.~f3 d6
3.g3 g6 4.Ag2 Ag7 5.e4 0-0 6.~e3
~bd7 7.0-0 e5 8.e4 e6 9.h3 exd4
10.~xd4 ~a5?! Bosboom's personal
interpretation of the King's Indian
Fianchetto Variation. 1l.Ae3 The
preventive 11..£Ide2!? is also good
enough for an edge. 1l... 4)b612.4)b3 22.fxg5? 22.f5, to undennine the d5-
~h513:~xh5 4)xh514.4)a5 Ele8 outpost, was better, but after 22 ... exf5
14... .Ile615.g4 4:ll616.t=1fdl is the main 23 ..§.xf5 h6, White's advantage is only
line, with an edge for White. 15.g4 very minimal. 22...4)d5 23.~e2 Ae5!?
Typically Bosboom is not interested in
restoring the material balance with
23 ... .£Ie3 24 ..£Ixb7 .£Ixfl 25.'~xfl t=1b8
26.Axc6 -'ixb7 27.Axd7 Ad5 28.b3 c4
29.bxc4 .a.xc4=. 24.Elf3? 24 ..£lc4 ~c7
25.4Jc3 is more circumspect. 24 ... Ae7
25.~e4 b5 26.~a3 4)e5 27.Elf2
Elb8 28.4)e2 Ad7 29.Ae4e4 By now
Bosboom is fully enjoying himself and
keeps improving his position with little
85
steps. 30.'{tIg2 Ab6 31.§ffl AdS positive evaluation for Black

32.4Jed4 AxgS 33.4Jf3 Af6 afterwards: 17 ... 0-0! lS.A xeS
34.4JxeS AxeS 3s.Axh7+ '{tIg7 Declining the sacrifice doesn't pose
36.b3 exb3 37.axb3 as 3S.§del problems either: 18.b4 cxb3 (18 ... h6
Ae3 39.§e2 a4 40.bxa4 b4 41.Ad3 19.ilxc5 hxg5 20.Axe7 'liixe7 21.a3
b3 42.4Ja3 §b4 43.'{tIg3 §xa4 Bad8 22.'liie2 g4 23.Badl Bd4=,
44.4Jbl AM 45.§b2 Ad6+ 46.'{tIf3 Kasparov in New in Chess Magazine
eS 47.4Jd2 §d4 4S.Ae4 Ae6 2005/3) 19.Axb3+ 6LJxb3 20.'liixb3+
49.Axb3 4Jf4+ SO.~e3 §d3+ ~c4 21.~xc4+ bxc4 22.:§abl ilc6
Sl.'{tIf2 Ae5 52.§a2 §xh3 S3.Ae4 23.f3 Bfd8= (Kasparov). lS ... AxeS
§e3 54.§bl ~f6 55.Afl Ad5 19.4Je6 ~b6 20.4JxfS §xfS
S6.§ab2 Ad4+ S7.~el §e3+
SS.'{tIdl Axb2 Only now Black takes
back the exchange. S9.§xb2 ~eS
60.§bS §g3 61.§gSl\t'd4 62.'{tIe2
e4 63.§fS eS 64.§dS §e3+ 6S. '{tid!
4Jd3 66.Axd3 exd3? Rewarding
White for his defensive effort.
66 ... Bxd3 is winning. 67.4Jf3+ '{tIe4
6S.4Jd2+ I\t'd4 69.4Jf3+ ~eS
70.4JxeS §a3 71.~d2 '{tId4
n.4Jf3+ l\t'e4 73.4Jg5+ '{tId4 Y...-'12
7e) The Initiative Black has the bishop pair, strong

pressure on the dark squares (especially
07.10 R.Kasimdzhanov (2678) - against £2) and the initiative. So White
GKasparov (2804) has to play carefully to equalize as he
Linares 2005 [B] already faces some problems. 21.4JdS
Kasparov has shown that Black has
nothing to fear from the alternatives:
21.a4 ilxf2+ (21...b4 22.6LJd5 6LJxd5
23.exd5 ilxf2+ 24.~hl b3 25.Ae4
~e3 26.Af3 e4 27.Ag4 ~c5 28.Ae6+
~h8 29.d6 e3 30.d7 ~b6 31.Axc4
Axg2+ 32.~xg2 ~g6+ 33.~h3 ~h6+
with a perpetual) 22.~hl Ad4 23.axb5
axb5 and 21.~e2 ~e6 with good
counterplay in all cases. 21 ... AxdS
22.exdS Axf2+ 23.'{tIhl 23.Bxf2??
runs into 23 ... 6LJg4-+. 23 ... e4
The following sacrifice was in a way 24. ~e2? White starts to lose the
invented by the computer program Deep thread. 24.d6 e3 25.ilf5 (25.d7? g6)
Junior. Kasparov and his second 25 ... g6 26.Ah3 ~g7 27.d7 6LJh5=
Dokhoian had noticed that it shows a (Kasparov).24 ... e3
86
Exchange Sacrifices
000 5.Ad3 d5 6.~f3 c5 7.000 dxc4

8 . .11,xc4 cxd4 9.exd4 b6 10.Jtg5
.11,b711.~e5
25.~fdl? This moves an important

defender away from the kingside.
Kasimdzhanov wants to activate both
rooks, but this plan is too ambitious and 11. .. ~c6!? This active move scores
too slow. Black's attack will prove best as it wrests the initiative from White
decisive. 25.§adl ~d6 26.ilfS ~h8 at the cost of the exchange. The main
27.§xf2 exf2 28:~xf2 .£lg4 29.'l!¥h4 lines 11...ilxc3 and 11...ile7 give
§xf5 30.~xg4~xdS 31.h4 h5 32.§xd5 White dangerous play. 12.Jlxf6 ~xf6
§f1 + 33.~h2 hxg4 34.a4 (Kasparov) Wells' point. 12 ... gxf6? 13 ..£lxc6 Axc6
still gives White good drawing chances. 14.dS! plays into White's hand, e.g.,
25 ... ~d61 Slowly but surely directing 14 ... Axc3 15.dxc6 Axb2 16. ~g4+ ~h8
all pieces to the white king. 26.a4 g6 17.§adl 'l!¥c7 18.Axe6+- Buckley-
27.axb5 axb5 28.g3 ~h5 Inviting Kunte, London 2001. 13.~d7 ~h4
everyone to the party. 29. ~g4 Jtxg3! 14.4)xf8 ~xf8
Decisively opening up the king's
position. 30.hxg3 The alternatives do
not work either: 30.'l!¥e6+ ~xe6
31.dxe6 .Ilh4-+; 30.§gl ilxh2
31.~xh5 ilxg1 32.§xgl §f1 33.'l!¥g4
§f2 34.§g2 e2 -+. 30 ... ~xg3+
3V~g2 ~f2+ 32.~h3 ~f5 33.~hl
h5 34. ~xg6+ ~xg6 35.~hgl ~xgl
36.~xgl+~f70-1
The psychological advantage of having

the initiative is also felt in the following
IS.a3! A strong zwischenzug that
example:
disrupts the harmony of Black's
attacking army. 15 ... Ae716.d5 Ad6
07.11 I.Krush (2411)- Black uses his initiative to take ever
P.Wells (2517) [ES4) increasing aim at White's king.
Hastings 2002 16 ... ~xc4 17.dxc6 ~xc6 18.f3 Aa6 is
the alternative. 17.f4 17 .g3 ~xc4
1.d4 ~f6 2.c4 e6 3.~c3 Jlb4 4.e3 18.dxc6 ~xc619.f3 "My feeling is that
87
with the bishop pair and a pawn against 23.§d2! ± "This is the move I missed. I
rook and knight Black should be OK, have had to revise my view of Black's
although ... the assessment of any attack. The theoretical status of the
exchange sacrifice will also rest upon the whole line requires a boost here!"
availablity of open tiles for the side with
(Wells). 19 ... ~g4 20.h3 .1l.c5+
the spare rook. For this reason there is for
2Vi&hl ~e3 22.M 22.4Jxe3?? ~xh3+
me no question of White being worse
23.~gl Axe3+ 24.§f2 'iJfxg2#
eithel~'(WelisinCBM87).17...exd5?This
may be too optimistic. Over the board, 22 ... Ad4Yz-Yz
White's defense is difficult to conduct of
course. 17...aaS18.g3 AcS+ 19.~g2 ~f6 7f) Typical Exchange Sacrifices
20.ih2 .Jlxa3 is preferable. White's
advantage is only very slight. 18.~xd5 A final note about exchange sacrifices
IB.g3? AcS+ 19.~g2 ~f6 20 ..JlxdS §dB - some exchange sacrifices just have to
and Black's initiative gives him be made:
compensation. 18... ~e5
70) Sicilian Exchange Sacrifice
The Sicilian exchange sacrifice on c3 is

very well known. As a rule ofthumb, it
is always correct when White has
castled queenside and has to take back
with the b-pawn as in the following
classic example.
07.12 S.Movsesian (2668)-

GKasparov (2851) [B80]
19.~e2? Now Black has at least
Sarajevo 2000
enough play for the exchange. 19.93! is
the critical test: 19 ... Ac5+ 20.~g2 1.e4 c5 2.~f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~ xd4
(20.~hl? 4Jxc4!! 21.gxh4 §d8 "gives 4Jf6 5.~c3 a6 6.Jle3 e6 7.f3 b5
Black a ferocious attack, as I saw during 8.'1~/d2 ~bd7 9.0-0-0?! It is more
the game. White's king really needs the accurate to start with 9.g4. 9 ... Ab7
h3-square" Wells). 20 ... ~g4 21.Aa2 10.g4 ~b611.~f2 ~fd712.'i&bl?!
~xdl 22.l"Ifxdl! 4Jg4 The wrong preventive move. White
should prevent the exchange sacrifice
with 12.Ad3 §c8 13.4Jce2! 12 ... f!c8
13 ..1l,d3 13.4Jce2 should still be tried.
(D)
13 ... f!xc3! Black gets tremendous

compensation for the exchange and his
attack is easier to play than White's.
14.bxc3 ~c714 ... 4Ja4!? 15.4Je2 Ae7
is the more flexible alternative since the
queen may also go to a5. 15.~e2 Jle7
88
Exchange Sacrifices
with 23.c4!. Black stays on top though

after 23 ... dxc4 24.g6 cxd3 25J'!xd3 !:!cB
26.!:!d2 Ae5 (Kasparov). 23 ... .§cS
24.~al dxe4?! 24 ... Axb4! 25.'lfth2
'lftc2 -+ (Kasparov) is even more
convincing. 25.fxe4
16.g5 0-01 Kasparov calmly brings his

king's rook into play. His king is in some
danger on the kingside of course, but
as his attack is faster, this will not be a
real problem. 17.h4 4)a4 IS.Acl?!
White doesn't really have time for such
slow moves and should go for IB.h5 25 ...J1xe4! Starting the decisive attack.
immediately. IS .•• 4)e5 19.h5 d5! 26.g6 26.dxe4? runs into 26 ... Ae5+
20:~'h2 Ad6 21:~h3? 21.'lftf2 and 27 . .tld4 Axd4+ 2B.!:!xd4 'lftxcl+
Kasparov's suggestion 21.Af4 are more 29J!xc1 !:!xc1# (Kasparov).
critical, but there can be no doubt that 26...J1xhl27. ~xhl Jtxb4 2S.gxf7+
Black's attack is more dangerous. ~fS!? Using the f7 -pawn as a shield is
21 •.• 4)xd322.cxd3 a good practical decision. Objectively
2B ... ~xf7 29.Ab2 {)xb2 30.!:!cl .l1c5
31.d4 .tla4 wins as well. 29.~g2
29 ..l1b2 'lftc2 -+. 29 ....§bS! The final
key move. 30.J1b2 4)xb2 31.4)d4
4)xdl! Using a nice mating pattern.
32.4)xe6+ ~xf7 0-1 and White
resigned in view of 33.'liYxg7+ <it'xe6
34.~xc7 .a.c3+ 35.'liYxc3 .tlxc3-+.
But also getting the central e4-pawn

often provides enough compensation
for the exchange:
22 ... b4! 22 ... .tlxc3+? 23 ..tlxc3 'lftxc3
24.Ab2 plays into White's hands, who 07.13 D.Neukirch - D.Minic [D87]
gains time and gets rid of his passive WchTU261lthfin-AKrakow 1964
knight. 23.cx b4? This does Black's job
and opens roads that should be closed l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4 ..£) xd4
89
/i)f6 5./i)c3 a6 6 ..1l,c4 e6 7 •.1l,b3 b5 without any risk. Critical is 16.4Jxg7+

S.f4 Ab7 9.f5 e5 10./i)de2 /i)bd7 'itlf8 17.4JhS
1l.Ag5 Ae712./i)g313cS Black has
developed the queenside first to obtain
the option to sacrifice on c3 as early as
possible. 13.Axf6 13.0-0?
17...§g8?! (17 ... dS!? is more precise, e.g.,

1B.0-0 AcS+ 19.~hl .£lxhS 20.~xh5
§gB 21.§f3 ~gS) 1B ..£lxf6 Axf6
19 :-ll¥hS as in Cosulich-Minic, Bari 1970,
runs into Fischer's mighty blow 13... hS!! and now 19 ... d5 20.0--0-0 leads to sharp
14.h4 b4 lS.~xf6 Axf6 16.4JdS Axh4 play.16 ... lilxh517.~xh5d51S.a4
17.4JxhS ~gS 1B.f6 g6 19.4Jg7+ ~dB 0-0 19.axb5 ~b6+ 20.Whl axb5
20J:!f3 Ag3 21.~d3 Ah2+ 22.~fl4JcS 21.13adl ~c6 22. ~g4 jU6 23. ~g3
23.§h3 §h4 24.~f3 4Jxb3 2S.axb3 h6 24.h313e8 25.h413cS 26. 13fel
§xh3 26.~xh3 Axd5 27.exdS ~xf6+
28.~e1 ~f4 0-1 R.Byrne - Fischer,
Sousse 1967.13 ... /i)xf614.lilh5
26 •.. ~b7!? A good decision from a

practical point of view as the white
rooks have problems finding any
White hotly contests the d5-outpost. prospects. 26 ... 'l!¥xc3 27.~xc3 ~xc3
But Black wins the battle for the square 28 ..1lxdS is easier to play for White than
with 14...13xc3! 15.bxc3 Axe416.0- the game. 27.13e213c5 2S.13f1 ~e7?!
O? Now Black gets complete control
90
Exchange Sacrifices
The zwischenzug 28 .. .'~c7 is more Korchnoi probably did not hesitate long
precise, as now 29.l.'~e3?! ~e7 30.h5 before he uncorked 12 ... §.xf3!?
can be met by 30 ... ~g5. 29.hS Jl.h4 13.gxf3 c4 Korchnoi keeps the
30.'~g4 §.xc3 31.§'xe4! The best position closed to stabilize it for his
chance to fight, as White gets knights. The direct approach, 13 ... 4J x e5
counterplay on the light squares. 14.~e2 4Jxd3 15.cxd3 ~xc3, is less
31 ... dxe4 32.~xe4 §.c8 33.§.dl logical. 14.Ae2 4JxeS1S.Aa3 4JfS

Jl.f2?! 16.f4 4Jg617.Ag4 4Jgh4 lS.Jl.b4
~c7 19.aS ~f7 After his knights
occupied stable squares, the maestro
directs the rest of his pieces toward the
white king. 20.f3 Ad7 21.E!ael ~g6
22. \t>hl Ac6 23. ~f2
34.§.dS? This runs into a deadly attack

based on opposite-color bishops. After
34.1'Hl White should be able to hold.
34 ... ~gS! 3S.~f3 Ag3 36.\t>gl
~h40-1
23 ... d4! Korchnoi brings his bishop
into play in an instructive way. A pawn
7f2) French Exchange Sacrifice is a cheap price to pay for this. 24.A xfS
4J xf5 2S.cxd4 AdS 26.c3 26.Elgl
The French exchange sacrifice on f3 is ~f6 27.c3 4Jh4 28.Ele4! 4Jg6 29.itd6
not as well-known, but just as typical: ~d8 30.itb4 ~f6 is also more or less
dynamically balanced. 26 ... ~h5
07.14 R.Felgaer (2509)- 27 .§.eS ~h6 2S.§.e4! White has
Y.Korchnoi (2634) calmly defended so far. 28 ... ~h3
Olympiad Bled 2002 [B] 29.§.gl b6 30.~g2 ~hS 31.a6 §.cS
91
32.j},d6n A tactical oversight. But this 17.~e3 e5 18.dxe5 ~xe519.f4 ~xd3

position is not easy to defend for White 20.~xd3 ~xf4 21.~xf4 E1xf4 and Black
as he can hardly do anything. In fact, was not worse in Wolff-Moskalenko,
he has to do nothing, but as Tony Miles Wijk-B 1992. 15..§ac1
once remarked, he has to do nothing
well. 32.'~g4 ~h4 33.h3 looks like a
decent way to go about it. 32 ... g6
33 •.Q.e54)h40-1
The following discussion is based on

Viktor Moskalenko's in ChessBase
Magazin 133:
07.15 J.Garrido Dominguez (2310)-

V.Moskalenko (2540) [C06]
Roquetas Mar 2006
15 .•. .§xf3!? "Black's main idea and
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)d2 4)f64.e5 typical in the French Defense. White
has many weaknesses in his pawn
4)fd7 5.c3 c5 6 •.Q.d3 4)c6 7.4)e2
structure and the king is unsafe now"
cxd4 S.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 4) xf610.4)f3
(Moskalenko). 16.gxf3 1;td717.~g5
Ad611.0-0 0-0 12.Af4
g6 lS.~hl .§fS 19 . .§gl Against
19.~xg6 Black defends with 19 ... hxg6
20.~xg6+ ~g7 21.E1g1 "iife7. 19 .•• 4)f4
20.~g3 20.~bl 'it'g7!? 21.~g3 ~b8
(Moskalenko) is similar to the game.
20 .•. ~bSt?
12 ... 4)h5!? Moskalenko's favorite

move. In the main line, after 12 ... Axf4
13.~xf4 ~e4 14.~e2, Black also has
the thematic option 14 ... E1xf3!? 15.gxf3
~g5 with typical compensation.
13.1;txd6 ~xd6 14.~d2 a6 21 •.§gdl?! The rook can be used in
Moskalenko takes the time to secure his another way: 21.E1cdl!? <tJb4 22.~xf4
strategically important ~c6 and to ~xf4 23.a3 ~c6 24.~xf4 §xf4 and now
avoid that, White can try to exchange 25.§g4 §xf3 26.~g2 §f8, but Black has
his Jld3, which may be restricted later. good chances to hold here as well.
He has also tried another option:
14".Ad7 15.E1ad1 E1xf3!? 16.gxf3 E1f8 21 ... .§f6 22.b4 4) xb4
92
Exchange Sacrifices
23.EJ.bl? Running into a counterblow.

After 23.a3, White is not worse, but it
is very difficult for him to make progress
because of his broken pawn structure,
e.g., 23 ... <tJbxd3 (23 ... <tJc6?! 24.~bl b5
25.a4 gives White's rooks more
prospect) 24.~xd3 Jlc6 25.<tJxf4 ~xf4
26.~cd1. 23 ..• Aa4! 24.EJ.xb4 24.~d2
<tJbxd3 25.~xd3 Ac2-+ (Moskalenko).
24 ... Jl,xdl 25"!~~c3 ~c8 26.~ xdl
~xd3 27.E{b3 ~c2 0-1
Exercises
E07.01 D.Sadvakasov (2631)- E07.02 L.Portisch - T.Petrosian

A.Delchev (2601) San Antonio 1972
Olympiad Calvia 2004
[B] White had counted on his (B) White has more space and a strong
dangerous double attack. But what did threat. But Petros ian kept a clear head
he underestimate? and defended calmly. Can you do the
same?
93
E07.03 L.Dominguez (2601)- E07.05 J.M.Lopez Martinez (2563)-

I.Morovic Fernandez (2556) A.Khalifman (2624)
Capablanca Memorial Havana 2002 EU-ch Dresden 2007
[BI Black's position looks a bit clumsy. [BI How to evaluate this position from
How to untangle? the Sicilian Sveshnikov?
E07 .04 A.Shirov (2726)-

V.Anand (2784)
Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1999
[WI To take on e5 or not'?
94
Chapter 8
Defense against a Minority Attack
Sometimes the pawn structure indicates reached his first aim and undermines
a clear plan for further pawn play and Black's structure.
optimal piece placement. The so-called
Karlsbad structure, which most often
arises via a Queen's Gambit Declined
with cxdS exdS is a case in point. White
wants to advance his b-pawn to
provoke a weakening of Black's pawn
chain b7-c6-d5 on the queenside.
8a) White's Objectives
We start with two games to illustrate

White's ideas before we discuss
various defensive methods and 16... .Q.g4?! Counterattacking on the
schemes. kingside is one of Black's options. But
here the plan ultimately leads to nothing
08.01 E.Geller-N.Golovko (D36) as it is far too slow. The typical
Moscow 1970 alternative 16 ... cS! 17.dxcS 4JxcS
18.~bcl §ecS was better as Black has
1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.4Jf3 4Jf6 4.4Jc3 more activity to compensate for the
e6 5.1ig5 4Jbd7 6.cxd5 exd5 The static weakness. 17.bxc6 bxc6
typical Karlsbad pawn structure is 17 ... Axf3? lS.cxd7 if1gS 19.93 §ed8
20.~xb7 if1hS 21.Ae2 +- and the attack
reached. 7.e31ie7 S. ~c2 0-0 9.Jl,d3
13eS 10.0-0 4JfS 1l.13ab1 White is stopped for good, while the static
indicates that he wants to start a weaknesses remain. 18.Ae2 ~f6
minority attack with b4-bS. The 19.13b7 13e6?! Black still follows his
alternative plan is to play for an attack plan to attack on the kings ide. But here
based on White's kingside majority, it makes matters only worse as his
e.g., with a set-up 4Jge2, f3, ~ae1, pieces will be stuck there. So 19 ... ~eb8
playing for e4 (or sometimes g4) is was called for, to keep White's
outside the scope of this discussion. advantage within bounds, e.g., 20.~xbS
11 ... a5!? A good preventive measure §xbS 21.~cl 4Jg6 22.~b1 ~xb1+
to get rid of the potentially weak a-pawn 23.if1xbl ~d6 24:~'b7 4Je7 and Black
and bring the queen's rook into play, if has only one weakness, which makes it
White opens the queenside. 12.a3 very difficult to storm his citadel.
.Q.e6 13.b4 axb4 14.axb4 4J6d7 20.§fb1 ~h6 21.4Jd2 ~g5
15.1ixe7 ~xe7 16.b5 White has 22.Jl,xg4 ~xg4 23.h3 ~h5
95
24 . .£l£1! Geller proves that Black's And (b) 12 ..§ab1 a513.{)a4Ag414.{)eS

attack has come to a dead end, while ..Q..e6 lS.a3 g6 16.{)cS E!ec8 17.b4 axb4
his invasion on the queenside is just 18.axb4 {)g419.{)xg4 Axg4 20.h3 Ae6
beginning. 24•.• ~g5 25 •.£le2 .§.d6 21.b5 !"1.ab8 22.bxc6 bxc6 23 ...Q..a6±
26 •.§.c7 ~f6 27 •.£lfg3 .§.a6? Too Rychagov-Kosic, Ikaros 2002 12... .£lg6
artificial. 27 ... .§ b8 was more tenacious, 13. .£ld2 Ae6?! 13 ... {)h4 looks more
e.g., 28.{)fS '§xbl+ 29.~xbl .§e6 logical. 14.b4 .§.adS 15 . .§.fcl a6
30 ..§c8 g6 31.{)h6+ ~g7 32.{)g4 ~fS 16..£la4 .£lg4? Black's attack has no real
33.~b3 hS 34.{)g3 ~gS 3S.{)h2±. point. It was better to try 16... Ac817.{)cS
2S. .£lf5 .§.e6 29 . .§.bb7 g6 30. .£lh6+ {)d7 or 16... 4Jd717..£lfl ~h41S ..§.a2
<it>g7 31 . .£lg4 ~dS 32 . .£lf4 .§.d6 .§.e719..£lc5 Ac8 20.a4 .§.d6
33 •.£le5 .£lxe5 33 ... .§b6 34.l:~xb6
~xc7 3S ..§xc6 .§xc6 36.~xc6 ~xc6
37.{)xc6 {)b6 38.{)b4 is technically
winning. 34.dxe5 .§.d7 35 •.§.xd7
.£l xd7 36.e61-0
08.02 A.Chernin (2583) -

T.Markowski (2531) [D30]
Budapest zt 2000
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3 •.£lf3 c6 4.jlg5 .\le7

5.Axe7 ~xe7 6.e3 .£lf6 7 ..£lc3 0-0
S.~c2 .£lbd7 9.cxd5 exd510 ..Ild3 21. ~d2! Good prophylaxis against the
.§.eSll.0-0 (0) attack. Now it is clear that White will
defend his kingside while his play on
11. .. .£lfS Two further examples to the other wing cannot really be stopped
illustrate White's chances and plans: (a) because of the deployment of Black's
11...{)e4 12.b4 a613J:~abl fS 14.{)a4 forces. 21. .. ~h6 The alternatives
.§f81S.<tlcS E!f616.a4 {)f817.{)e5 4Jg6 don't solve the problems either:
18.f4 as 19.Axe4 fxe4 20.bxaS .§xa5 21 ... .§e8 22.b5 axb5 23.axbS b6 24.4Ja4
21.~b3 .§fS 22.~b6± Oreev- cxbS 25.Axb5±; 21...~g5 22.bS {)h4
Beshukov, Catalan Bay 2004 12.a3 23.f4 ~f6 24.bxa6 bxa6 25.!"1.b2±.
96
22.b5 /ilh4 22 ... axbS 23.axbS EleS c6 will be backward, but if Black has a
24.ElaS ElddS 2S.ElbS and Black is knight that can reach c4, this weakness
completely tied up. 23.bxa6 bxa6 will be safe from attacks along the c-file. A
23 ... b6? 24.'~b4! bxcS 2S.~bS+- weakness is only a weakness if it can be
24.E!.b2 E!e8 25'E!b8 ~g5 26.e4! This attacked. 14 ... i£ld6? 1S.bS plays into
powerful move decides the game. Of White's hand and 14... axb4IS.axb4 Ela3?
course, not 26.i£lxa6?? i£lf3+ 27.gxf3 (lS ... bS still works) should be avoided
i£lxh2+ -+. 26 ..• ~h5 26 ... ~xd2 because of I6.i£lxdS! 15.~c2 IS.Elfcl
27.i£lxd2 dxe4 2S.Axa6 Elxd4 axb416.axb4 Ela6I7:~c2 4Jd61S.Elal
29.l'hc8+- 27.e5 E!.h6 28.~f4 /ilg6 Elfa819.Elxa6 Elxa620.4Jd2 g6andBlack
29.Axg6 E!xg6 30.h3 /ilh6 31.4Jg3 is better. 15 ... axb4 16.axb4 4Jd6
1-0 17.E!b3 /ilb618.4Je5 E!.fc819.4Jd3
4J bc4 20.4Jc5 White's knights strike air
8b) Defensive Motifs against the while Black's knights influence both
Minority Attack wings. Kramnik now increases the
pressure on the kings ide in typical
We start with measures on the fashion: 20...E!.e8 21.113 g6 22.E!.c1 E!.a7
queenside: 23.~d1 h5 24.'i!Jh1 ~g5 25.E!bb1
E!ae7 26.E!.a1/ilf5 27.E!a2
08.03 P.Nikolic (2635) -
V.Kramnik (2790)
Amber-blind Monte Carlo 1998 [B]
Now Kramnik launches a final assault:

27 ... 4Jcxe3! 28.fxe3 E!xe3 29.E!.f2
~h4 30.~d2 4Jxd4 31.E!.cfl4Jf5
Black has already managed to exchange 32.E!xf5 gxf5 33./ild1 E!.el34.~gl
the bishops and to establish his knight E!8e2 35.~c3 E!.xd1 0-1 and White
on e4, which is also an important idea, resigned in view of 36J'lxdl ~f2+
of course. The ideal square for a black 37.'~h2 ~xgU.
knight is d6 and a white knight is most
often well placed on d3. On these Often b4-bS can be met by c6-cS to keep
squares they enjoy maximum flexibility. the queens ide closed and to get play in
14... b5! A typical and effective way to the center as a result of Black's space
stop the minority attack. The pawn on advantage there:
97
08.04 I.Khmelniker (2225)- 49.~g2 Ela3 50.h5 gxh5 51.gxh5

S.Erenburg (2494) ~e5 52.Elel f5 53.~gl f4 0-1 and
ISR-ch Tel Aviv 2002 (B] White resigned as the second rank will
finally be opened.
Sometimes Black's knight can be used

effectively to stop b4-b5.
08.05 H.Nakamura (2657)-

V.lordachescu (2609) [D36]
Sigeman & Co Malmo/Copenhagen
2005 (B]
lS ... J1,a3! This enables the following

pawn thrust. 18 ... El.c8?! 19.bxc6 El.xc6
20.~b31eaves White on top because of
his better pawn structure. 19.Elcdl c5
20.dxc5 itxc5 21.itc3 .£)e4 Black's
isolated d-pawn is fully compensated for
by his active pieces. 22.J1,al J1,d6
22 ... <tlxf2!? 23.El.xf2 Axe3 24.Ad4 <tlc4 is
not clear at all and came into
consideration as well. 23.jtxe4?! Now 21 ... .£)c7 The alternative 21...Axd3
White cannot hope for a real advantage 22:li1txd3 g6 , to meet 23.b5 with the
any more. 23.~b2 f6 24.'1~"b3 was called typical 23 ... c5, equalizes as well.
for. 23...dxe4 24. ~c3 f6 25. ~a5?? A 22 ..£)e5 J1,xd3 23 ..£)xd3 g6 24.Elal
tactical blunder. 25:li1tb3+ fif7 26.fixf7+ ElbS Black keeps his rook for play in
~xf7 27.Ad4 is equal. 25... jth4! Black the center and on the kingside. White
wins the exchange and the rest is a matter can use the a-file anyway, but he does
of technique. You should nevertheless not need two rooks for this job. 25.Ela2
study the way in which Erenburg ~g7 26.Elcal h5 27 . .£)f1 .£)e4
converts his advantage systematically: 2S . .£)d2 h4 29.h3 g5! Black has
26.~xa7ElaS27.~xb6Ac528.Eld7 successfully gained space on the
itxb6 29.Elxe7 Elxe7 30..£)c3 Aa5 kingside. 30. .£)f3 f6 31 . .£)c5 ~dS
31 ..£)d5 Eld7 32..£)f4 ~f7 33.Ad4 32..£)d2 .£)d6 33.Elel ~e8 34. ~d3
Ad2 34..£)e2 Elxa2 35 ..£)c1 Ela3 ~h5 35.f3? This move creates a
36.Eldl Ac3 37..£)e2 J1,a5 3S.Elbl weakness that may backfire later. It is
Ela4 39.Ac3 A xc3 40 •.£) xc3 Elc4 better just to wait with something like
41 ..£)e2 Eldc7 42.Elb3 Elc2 43 ..£)d4 35.fib3, an example of the guideline that
Ela2 44.Elbl Elc3 45.g4 ~e7 46.h4 just being is sometimes better than
Eld3 47.Elcl Eldd2 4S.Elf1 ~d6 doing. 35 ... Elbe8 36. .£)fl ~g6!
98
Defenders of weaknesses shall be 15.Etfel?! 15.~f5!? (Seirawan) is better

exchanged! 37.~xg6+ ~xg6 3S.~f2 to reduce Black's attacking potential
~cb5 39.E!eal ~c3?! 39 ... f5!?, with and to neutralize his pair of bishops.
the idea 40.<bd3 f4 41.exf4 .£}xd4, came 15 ...11.g4 16.~d2 ~g5 17.g3 h5
strongly into consideration. This 1S.f4 18.e4? gives Black an attack after
undennining of White 's pawn structure 18 ... <be6 19.<bb3 h4. 18 ... ~h6!
only became possible as a result of Things are becoming serious. 19.Jlf5
35.f3? 40.E!a3 ~cb5 41.E!a8 b6 19.~g2? h4 20.h3? hxg3! -+ (Tietscher).
42.E!xe8 E!xe843.~b3 ~c444.~e2 19... ~e6
f5 45.~d3 ~b2+ 46.~c2 ~c4
47.~d3%-%
The next game illustrates Black's

chances on the kings ide and shows that
putting the bishop on d6 is one of the
key ideas.
08.06 U.Adianto (2520)-

Y.Seirawan (2600) [D65]
Jakarta 1994
1.d4 ~f6 2.c4 e6 3.~c3 d5 4.~f3 20.h3? Voluntarily weakening the

~bd7 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 0-0 7.E!cl kings ide structure. It is better to
a6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ad3 c610.~c2 continue play on the queenside with
E!eS 11.0-0 ~fS 12.Axf6 Axf6 20.<ba4. 20 ... Jl.xf5 21.~xf5 g6
13.b4 Ae7 14.E!bl Ad6 The bishop 22. ~d3 h4! The decisive undennining.
works on both wings. 23.g4
99
17.4::lxc6 ti'xc6 lS.a4 <tld6= Torre-

Adorjan, Shenzhen 1992. 16.f416 ..§e3
a5 17.~dl b4 lS.axb4 axb4 19.E1fel
bxc3 20.bxc3 ~dS with counterplay in
Martins-Limp, Sao Paulo 1998. 16... a5
17.~e3!? 17.iixb5 <tla7 (17 ... 4::le4!?)
lS.a4 <tlxb5 19.axb5 ~b6 20.f5 'ii:\txb5
and in Kuksov-Telman, Simferopol1989
a draw was agreed. 17...b4 18.axb4
axb419.~dl White's queen enters the
attack. But Black's queenside play more
or less compensates here, ifhe defends
23 ... J1xf4! A winning combination; carefully on the kingside. 19 ... bxc3
White's position is falling apart. 20.bxc3 4)e7 21.E!h3 g6 22.~el
24.exf4 4)xf4 25.~f3 4)xh3+
26.~xh3 ~xd2 27.E!edl ~g5
28.E!d3 f5 Black wins a fourth pawn
and keeps the initiative. 29. 'i£ilhl fxg4
30.~g2 30 ..§gl.§el! ensures Black's
material lead. 30 .•. E!f8 31.§el E!ae8
32.E!ddl 'i£ilg7 33.E!xe8 E!xe8
34.E!f1 E!e3 35.4)e2 E!h3+ 36.'i£ilgl
~e3+ 37.~f2g5 38.~xe3 E!xe3 The
remaining ending is easily won by
simply pushing the kings ide pawns.
39.4)cl 'i£ilg640.4)b3g341.4)c5h3
42.4) xb7 g4 43.4)d8 g2 44.E!cl g3 22 ... 'i£ilg7? The wrong move order.
45.4) xc6 §e2 46.4)e5+ 'i£ilf5 47.4)f3 After 22 ... h5 23:~h4 rt/g7 24.g4 .§hS
'i£ilf40-1 Black can defend. 23.g4! Now White
has a vicious attack that cannot be
Of course Black can also playa minority stopped. 23 ... E!b3 24. ~h4
attack sometimes and then it is White's
part to attack on the kings ide, if the
conditions are right:
08.07 J.M.Degraeve (2540) -

J.Grant (2208) IB13]
Mondariz zt 2000
l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Jt.d3

4)c6 5.c3 4)f6 6.J1f4 J,tg4 7.~b3
~d7 8.4)d2 e6 9.4)gf3 Axf3
10.4)xf3 Ad611.Jt.xd6 ~xd612.0-
o 0-0 13.E!ael E!ab8 14.4)e5 b5 24 ... h5 24 ... .§b2? is nicely refuted by
15.a3 ~fc8 15 ... a5 16.Axb5 <tle4 25.~xf6+!! <;t>xf6 26.'§xh7 .§fS 27.g5*;
100
24 ... <tleg8 runs into 25.f5 (25.g5? is met ~e7 34.~f7+ ~d8 35 ..§.xf6 .§.c1+
by 25 ... <tlh5 26.~e2 <tle7 27.~xh5 <tlf5) 36.~g2 .§.b2+ 37.~h3 would have been
25 ... exf5 26.gxf5 (26.g5? is wrong again fairly convincing as well. 29 ... E!.xf3
because of 26 ... <tlh5 27.Axf5 .§.cxc3) 30.4)xf3 gxf5 31.~g5+ r;t>f8
26 ... .§.c7 27.fxg6 fxg6 28.lixg6! hxg6 32. ~xf5 r;t>e7 32 ... .§.b6 33.<£)e5 rtle7
29:ii!yh8+ ~f8 30..§.hf3 ~e7 31..§.e 1 +- . 34 ..§.el rtlfB (34 ... <tle4 35.~h7++-)
25.f5! Black can no longer prevent lines 35.~f4 wins. 33.4)g5 E!.b2 34.E!.el+
from being opened on the kings ide. r;t>f8 35.4)e6+ r;t>e7 35 ... rtlf7 36.<tlf4
25 ... exf5 26.gxf5 E!.cxc3 27.fxg6 also wins. 36 . .£)f4+ 4)e4 36 ... ~f7
fxg6? 27 ... <tlxg6 28.'~g5 '§'xd3 37 ..§.al! is similar. 37.E!.al! A deadly
29.'§'xd3 '§'xd3 30.<tlxd3 would have switch. 37•.. 'it'd8 38.E!.a8+ E!.b8 Now
been more stubborn. 28.E!.hf3 Now Degraeve crowns his attack with a nice
White has winning attack. 28 ... 4)f5 finish: 39.~f8+J ~xf8 40.E!.xb8+
29.Axf5 29 ..§.xf5!? gxf5 30:iii'g5+ ~f8 'it'e741.4)g6+1-0
31..§.xf5 .§.b6 32:€¥h6+ ~e8 33.'~g6+
101
Exercises
E08.01 Y.Pelletier (2579)- E08.03 Analysis of A.Lytchak (2436)

M.Gurevich (2633) - V.Bonsch (2540)
Gibraltar 2006 Gennan Bundesliga 2005
[B) White has announced his ambitions (BJ Why did Lytchak refrain from 20.b5?
on the queenside. How to defend?
E08.02 R. Wojtaszek (2591)-

E08.04 V.Blazos - I.Makka (2220)
L.B.Hansen (2567)
EU-chT (Men) 15th Gothenburg 2005 Nikea2004
(B) White has just played b4-b5. How [B) White obviously wants to increase
to react? the pressure on the queenside. How to
deal with this threat?
102
Chapter 9
Defending Inferior Endgames
It is very important to just keep on 09.01 GKasparov (2805)-

fighting tenaciously and not to lose N.Short (2655)
heart. Usually the opponent is under PCA -World Championship
more psychological pressure to win a London (9) 1993 [B]
technically won endgame. The defender
already "wins" when he achieves a
draw. Many players do not study
endgame theory and strategy deeply
nowadays and concentrate more on
opening theory. So you can always
hope to escape. We concentrate on very
few themes here which occur often in
practical play and have saved or won
many valuable half-points.
9a) Activate the Rook

48.'~g4 ~xe4 49.a6 E1.c8 50.a7 E1.a8
As the relative strength of a rook 5l.E1.a5!? The horizontal cut-off is
depends a lot on the task it has to do, usually a strong attacking weapon, but
this theme is very important. Usually in this case Black's king is just in time:
the rook should not defend purely 51...~d4 52.~f5 ~c4 53.~e6 ~b4
passively or block passed pawns. 54.E1.al ~c5 55.~d7 ~b6 56.E1.b! +

According to Dr. Tarrasch's old rule, it
should be behind passed pawns,
enemy or friendly. In general, the rook
is a good defending and counter-
attacking unit when it can operate
freely: (D)
46 .•. 4ifjle6? Fatal passivity. Short

probably had already lost confidence
that he might be able to save the game
two pawns down. Otherwise he
certainly would have found 46 ... E1c5! White asks Black's king a typical
to use the rook for a counterattack: question. Where are you going to hide?
47.a5 (47.~e3 E1c4 [47 ... E1c3+ 48.~d2 56 ... ~c5!. The active solution is right
E1h3 49.a5 Wxe4 50.a6 E1h8 draws as as is most often the case in rook
well] 48.~d3 E1.xe4 49.a5 ~d5 50.a6 endings. (56 ... ~a6? loses to 57.~c7
E1.e8 and Black draws) 47 ... E1.c3+ E1.xa7+ 58.~c6+-) 57.E1.b7 E1.h8!= and
103
White's pieces have lost coordination

so that Black's active forces can defend.
47.«it>e3 «it>d6 48.«it>d4 «it>d7 49.«it>c4
«it>c6 50.«it>b4 ~e5 51.E!c1+ «it>b6
52.~c4 1-0 White's rook is a tower of
power, controlling everything.
Therefore Short resigned.
In the following example even a pawn is

sacrificed to avoid a passive defending
rook.
09.02 C.Schlechter - E.Lasker 64 ... ~c6!? Lasker can now just wait as
World Championship 1910 [BI White has no way to make real
progress. To see the difference between
the need for direct activity and the
possibility of waiting is one of the chief
skills of a good defender like Lasker.
64 .. .f4? rushes it too much in view of
65.E!.b3! E!.xc2 66.§f3 +- (Schlechter).
65.~b8 E!xc2 66.E!b6+ «it>g767.h5
E!c4 68.~g6+ «it>h7 69.~f6 ~c5 Yz-Y2
An active rook on an open board can

sometimes work wonders.
Lasker was a very tenacious defender 09.03 Cheparinov - Grivas

who never stopped fighting until the Asenovgrad 1985 [WI
very end. 54••• ~e4!! Waiting passively
is not sufficient, e.g., 54 ... 'it'g7? 55.c4
~a3+ 56.'it'f4. Black is playing almost
without his king in sharp contrast to
White. 56 ... ~c3 57.hS a4 58.~a6 a3
S9.'it>xf5 E!.xg3 60.'it>e5 ~h3 61.§a7+
'it'h6 62. 'it'd4 and the c-pawn will decide
the game. 55.~c5 «it>f6 56.~xa5 ~c4
57.~a6+ «it>e5 58.~a5+ «it>f6
59.~a6+ «it>e5 60.~a5+ «it>f6 61.~a2
White has won the a-pawn, but the price
was very high. His passive rook is a
sorry sight. 61 ... «it>e5 62.~b2 ~c3+ Black should be winning because of his
63.«it>g2 «it>f664.«it>h3 material advantage, but a lone minor
104
piece usual faces big problems

converting such an advantage against
an active rook: I.Elcl Ae6 2.Elc5 a4?
Z... dZ! 3.~eZ a4 is much better and
should win as White's rook does not
play such a dominant role then. The
difference is that 4.~b5?? is no longer
available because of 4 ... .1lc4+. 3.Elb5
Axa2 Now 3... dZ can be met by 4.E!b8+
~e7 5.~eZ AxaZ 6.E!xb4. 4.Elxb4
j},b3 5.'itle3 j},c2 6.Elb7! The
position still looks fairly hopeless, but
so far White is doing a goodjob. 6 ... f5 White picks up all the pawns)
7.Elh7 g48.fxg4fxg4 (D) lZ.E!aland Black can win the rook, but
not the game, e.g., 12 ... ~f713.~e3 ~f6
9.Elh4? This allows the pawns to break 14.~f4 d215.~e3 dl'l);it 16.E!xdl Axdl
through. After 9.~dZ! White can 17.~f2=(Grivas). 9 ...a310.Elh8+ 'itlg7
construct a fortress: 9 ... a3 lO.E!a7 g3 1l.Ela8g312.Elxa3 gxh213.Elal d2
11.E!xa3 g2 (11...gxh2 lZ.E!al and 0-1
Exercises
E09.01 S.Flohr-M.Vidmar E09.02 Y.Kortschnoj (2665)-

Nottingham 1936 A.Karpov (2725)
World Championship Baguio City 1978
(B] What is Black's first priority in this [B) In this highly important game
famous classic? Karpov missed the draw.
Can you do better?
105
E09.03 S.Sale (2385) - E09.05 R.Felgaer (2509)-

I.Armanda (2326) J.Rosito (2424)
Zagreb 2009 ARG-ch nnd Pinamar 2002
IB] Can you find the only way to draw? IB] How to defend this rook ending?
E09.04 P.Leko (2725)-

V.Korchnoi (2659)
Coms Wijk aan Zee 2000
IB] How to increase Black's activity?
106
9b) The Defender Exchanges Pawns 74.f7 Jlc5 75.Adl +-. 67.fxg4 f5+!
The point of the defense. Now Black's
In Chapter 6 it was noted that in general, king can hold the kingside by itself.
the side that is ahead in material seeks 68.gxf5 ~f6! The point of the
to exchanges pieces, the other side previous move. Of course not
pawns. One of the reasons is that 68 ... gxf5+?? 69.'it'xf5 'it>f8 70.'it'g6+-.
without pawns, a very large material and sooner or later the bishop will be
superiority - most often an extra rook- overloaded. 69.Ae6 gxf5+ 70.Jlxf5
may be required to win. Another reason ~g7 7Vit'f3 ~h8 VI-VI Black can
is that it is easier to defend when there simply give up his bishop for the b-
are only pawns remaining on one wing, pawn.
as then no second front can be opened.
In the first example, each of the Sometimes even a piece can be given to
defender's pieces can hold one wing eliminate the last pawns.
after the pawn exchanges: the Black
bishop stops the b-pawn and the king 09.05 S.Volkov (2587)-
the h-pawn. White can win the bishop M.Kobalia (2537)
but not the game because he is left with RUS-Cup final Ekaterinburg 1999 [BI
the wrong rook's pawn.
09.04 Li Shilong (2540) -

M.van Delft (2378)
3rd ACT Amsterdam 2006 [BI
48 ... Axc4!! 49.E!xc4 ~xg5 and

White's h-pawn will also eventually fall
after which a draw will result. 50.h7
E!h2 51.E!c7 ~g6 52.~d3 E!xh7
53.~f4+ ~h6 54.E!c6+ ~g5! This
66 ... hxg4 Just waiting is insufficient had to be foreseen as 54 ... 'it>g7? loses:
as White can use the principle of two 55AJe6+ 'it>g8 (55 ... ~h8 56.!!c8#)
weaknesses and open a second front 56.!!c8+ ~f7 57.4Jg5++-. 55.~e6+
on the kingside: 66 ... Aa7? 67.gxh5 ~f5 56.~xd4+ ~e5 57.E!c5+ ~d6
gxh5 68.f4 f6 69. ~f5 ~d6 70. 'it'xf6 'it'c6 58.E!g5 E!hl V:z--VI and the game was
71.'it>e6 'it'xb7 72.f5 'it>c7 73.f6 'it>d8 later drawn.
107
Exercises
E09.06 O.Almeida (2475)- E09.08 V.Potkin (2295)-

Y.Lapshun (2452) V.Zaitsev (2425)
VIII Open Sants 2006 RUS-Cup Moscow 1998
[BI White has won the opposition, but [WI How to use the reduced number of
he did not win the game. Why? pawns to draw?
E09.07 I.Naumkin (2435)- E09.09 L.E.Johannessen (2534)-

M.Cornette (2447) J.Piket (2646)
XIII Luigi Serra Montecatini Terme 2006 German Bundesliga 2002
fBI It may be surprising, but Black saved [B] How did Piket save the day?
himself Can you do the same?
108
9c) The Mighty Passed Pawn direction. White's web could be

destroyed by 58 ... .iJd6 59.~xd3 \t'xh4
A far advanced dangerous passed pawn as White's king is badly placed on d3:
is worth a lot in the endgame. As usual 6O.f6 ~g5 6U7 .iJxf7 62.b7 .iJe5+. This
we have to be selective and will examine check saves Black. 63. ~e4 .iJc6
two specific cases. First, a lone knight 64.~d5 .iJb8 65.~d6
is not a good defender against a passed
pawn.
09.06 V.Laznicka (2637)-

V.Bologan (2692)
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 [W]
and now White draws by "perpetual

attack" of the knight: 65 ... h5 66.\t'c7
.iJa6+ 67.\t'b6=. 59.~e3 ~g4 59 ... d2
60.'it>e2! (Golubev in Chess Today
#3310) does not work as White's king
can walk around the mine field:
The most dangerous pawn is the rook's 60 ... dl ~+ 61.~xdl .iJb7 62.~d2 .iJd6
pawn, but here White's b-pawn is also (62 ... .iJc5 63.'it>e3 +-).
quite dangerous as after 54.h4! Black's
king is incarcerated and a fascinating
fight between the king and the knight
begins. 54...d5 55.~g2 d4 56.~f2 d3
57.~e14)b7 58.~d2
Even now some care is required: 63. ~e 1

(63.~c3? ~xh4 64.f6 .iJe4+ 65.'it>d4
.iJxf6 66.b7 .iJd7=; 63.~e2? 4Jxf5 64.b7
.iJd4+ 65.~d3 .iJc6=) 63 ... .iJb7 64.\t'f2
.iJd6 65.~g2 .iJb7 66.\t'g3 .iJd6 67.~f4
5S ... 4)c5? A jump in the wrong .iJb7 68.~e5+-. 60.f6 d2 61.~e2!
109
61.'it'xd2 .tle4+ should be avoided. 46.~g7+ 'it'f8 47.~h7 ~c5+ 48.'M4+-,

61 ..• 4)d7 62.f7 lit'f5 63.b7 lit'e6 Postny) 46.~g7+ 'it'h8 47.§h7+ 'it'g8
64.f8'filtl-O 48.t7+ ~xt7 49.gxf7+ ~xh7 50.f8'li¥
dl ~=. 43. lit'c3 ,§c844.g5!
The second theme is the fight against
passed pawns in rook endings. How to
deal with them? There are two important
guidelines: the rook should be behind a
passed pawn or the king should
blockade it. In the following example,
both methods playa vital role together
with White's own pawn majority:
09.07 V.Anand (2752)-

V.lvanchuk (2711)
Eurotel Trophy Prague 2002 [W]
Well timed, based on accurate
calculation. 44 ..• .§f8 44 ... fxg5? runs
into a powerful attack based on the
mighty connected passed pawns: 45.f6
b4+ 46.<itJd2 c3+ 47.~xd3 c2 48.~g7+
<itJf8 49.~h7 ~e8 50.~h8+ <itJd7
5L8:xc8 <itJxc8 52.<itJxc2+-. But the
active 44 ... b4+ works as well because
of 45.<itJxb4 c3 46.gxf6 c2 47.~g7+ <itJf8
48.~h7 ~b8+ 49.<itJa5 and now
49 ... <itJe8!! and White should start
giving a perpetual with 50.~e7+. 45.gxf6
42 ..§d7! The right square for the rook '§xf6 46 ..§d5 .§b6 47. .§d8+ lit'g7
(behind the most advanced pawn). 48..§d7+ 'tt'g8After48. .. 'iM6??49.~f7+
42 ... .§f8 Trying to win with 42 ... ~c8?! the passed pawns even prevail: 49 ... <itJe5
is very risky, e.g., 43.g5 c3 44.gxf6 d2 50.g7 ~b8 51.~f8+- (Postny) 49.E!d8+
45.~e5! ~f8 (45 ... c2? backfires: 'tt'g7 50.,§d7+ Y~1z
110
Exercises
E09.10 Z.Azmaiparashvili (2676)- E09.12 R.Bator (2405)-

V.Anand (2757) E.Bareev (2555)
FIDE Grand Prix Dubai 2002 Saltsjobaden 1987
(W] How to neutralize Black's [B] How did Bareev save his king?
army of ants?
E09.11 E.Bareev(2675)- E09.13 P.Blatny (2540)-

A.Naiditsch (2641) P.Haba (2520)
FIDE World Cup Khanty Mansiysk 2005 CZE-ch Zlin 1997
(B] Only with accurate defense can [B] What is Black's best bet?
Black hold a draw here.
Can you see how?
111
E09.14 S.Atalik (2632)- the king can also move, if it does not
L.Pantsulaia (2611) allow the queen to sacrifice itself
37th Olympiad Turin 2006 favorably or to enter via f8: 88 ... §e6!
Now the queen sacrifice does not work.
The greedy 88 ... f( xd6+? fails in view of
89.exd6 ~f6 90.~c6+-; 88 ... ~g8? is
also wrong: 89:~xg6+ fxg6 90.~d6+-.
The defender always has to watch out
for such sacrifices that destroy his
secure camp! 89.\tIc6 §g6 90.\tId7
§e6 91.~d4 \tIh7 92.~c3 \tIg7
93. ~b2 \tIh7 94. ~b8 \tIg7! 94 ... h5?
allows the fatal invasion 95.'£'H8+-.
95. ~b2 \tIh7 96. ~f2 r3)g7 97. ~e3
§g6 98. ~f3 §e6 99. ~c3 \tIh7
(WI White's passed h-pawn gives him 100.~g3 §g6 101.~f4 r3)g7
a draw. But how to achieve it? 102.~e4 §e6 103.~f5 §g6
104. ~h3 §e6 105. ~g4+ §g6
9d) Fortresses 106.~f5 §e6 107.~xe6 fxe6
108.r3)xe6 h5 109.\tId7 h4110.e6
One of the defender's main weapons in h3111.e7 h2 Yz-Yz
an endgame is to reach a safe set-up,
when the attacker cannot make material The attacker often needs more men to
superiority count as there are no weak storm a fortress, which is another
points to attack and storm. The important exception to the rule the side
following fortress against the queen is which is ahead material exchanges
typical: pieces, discussed in Chapter 6.
09.08 Wang Rui (2474) - 09.09 B.Christensen (2277) -

C.Sandipan (2560) T.Hillarp Persson (2596)
Asia-ch 5th Hyderabad 2005 [B) Politiken Cup Helsingor 2009 [WI
White cannot force zugzwang since the White should not exchange his rook:
rook has two safe anchor squares and 59.§xb5? 59.Axb5 a3 60.g3+ ~f3
112
6Uha3+ ~xg4 62.~a4 (now the 47... ~d6? Black must avoid the rook
exchange of rooks wins, but if White is exchange. The following lines show
not sure about it then he should opt for that he can even sacrifice his bishop in
62.Ae2+) 62 ... ~xa4 63.Axa4 h5 some cases: 47 ... f5! 4S.b6 (4S.~c4
64.~dl + ~g5 65.~h3 h4. One last 13c7+ 49.~d3 §e7-+) 4S ... 13d6!
trick, but 66.g4 +- simply wins. 49.'\t>c2 (49.b7 ~b6+ 50.~c4 Ae5
66.gxh4+?? is of course wrong as Black 51.~d3 13b2 52.Af3 [52.~e3 f4+
will reach one of the most famous 53.~f3 ~xb7 54.Afl and with rooks
fortresses against a bishop, the one White's fortress can be stormed, e.g.,
with the wrong rook's pawn. 66 ... ~h6 54 ... ~f6 55 ..1lc4 §e7 56.Afl !J.c7
67.~g4 ~g7 6S.~g5 ~hS"'. 57.~d3 13h7 5S.13c3 Ae5 59.13c6+ '!;;g7
59 ... ~xb5 60.Axb5 a3 61.Ac4 60.13b6 13h161.13bl ~f6 62S'fie2 ~g5
~xg4 and Black has a fortress as White 63.13b3 ~f5 64J~id3 ~gl 65.!'=ib3 Ad4
cannot use the sharp endgame weapon 66.13a3 ~e4-+] 52 ... ~f6 53 ..1lg2 f4
zugzwang in an effective way. 54.Ad5 ~f5 55.Af3 [55.§fl ~b5
62.Ae6+ ~f4 63.<\tIh3 h6 64.Aa2 56.Ag2 <it>g4 57.~e4 13b4+ 5S.~xe5
<\tIe3 65.cifjlg3 <\tIe2 66.<\tIh4 <\tIf2 f3-+] 55 ... 13b3+ 56.~e2 §e3+-+)
67.g3 <\tIf3 After 67 ... h5?? 6S.Ad5+- 49 ... f4 (Black can also give up his
puts Black into fatal zugzwang. bishop with 49 ... §xb6 50.13xd4 ,!;;f6
68.Ad5+ ~f2 69.g4 <\tIe3 70.<\tIh5
~f4 71.Aa2 <\tIg3 72.Ab3 YZ-YZ
(72.~e6 also does not help, 72 ... ~f4
73.~xh6 a2 74.Axa2 ~xg4"').
Pure opposite-color bishop endings

have a very large drawing tendency as
the bishops live in different worlds and
so very often the defender can construct
a fortress. Before trading down in such
an endgame, the attacker has to be sure
that this is correct:
and White cannot hold, e.g., 51.§dl f4
09.10 V.Malakhov (2706)- 52.§al ~d6 53.-'1.f3 [53.§dl §xdl
I.Smirin (2662) 54.<it>xdl f3-+ ] 53 ... ~e5 54.!'h5+ ,!;;d4
55.~a4+ ~c5 56.§al ~a6 57.§c1 ~a3
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 [B)
58.~d2+ ~d4 59.<it>e2 §e3+-+) 50.b7
Aa7 51.~xd6 f3 52.~a6 AbS 53.13aS
fxg2 54.§xbS fl ~ 55.~gS+ <it>xgS
56.bS~+ ~f7-+. 48.<\tIc4 Ae5
4S ... 13h6 isjust too slow: 49.~xd4 §h2
50.13g4+ ~f6 51.13xg3 §xg2 and now
the cool 52.§f3+ ~e6 53.~d4"'.
49.~xd6 .1lxd6 50.<\tId5 .Q.b8
50 .. .f5!? 51.b6 (51.~xd6? f4 52.b6 f3
S3.b7 fxg2 54.bS~ fl~-+) 51...f4
52.~e4"'. 51.<\tIe4 <\tIf6 52.b6 <\tIe6
113
53.b7 f5+ 54.\tIf3 \tId5 55.\tIe3+ 45.Axb7?! 45.exd5 exd5 (45 ... Jlxa6
\tIc4 56.Afl+ ~c3 57.~e2 Ac7 46.~xa6 exd5 47.b7 and the b-pawn is
58.Ah3 f4 59.Afl \tId4 60.\tIf3 a powerful force) 46.11d3 (Knaak) was
\tIe5 61.Ag2 \tId5 much better. Here it is rather
questionable whether or not Black can
survive. And of course this position is
much easier to play for the machine than
the game continuation. 45 ... ~xb7
46.exd5 exd5 47.~a7 .§5c7!?
Kasparov sets a very deep trap into
which the computer falls. Fortresses are
one area of the royal game where
humans are still superior to the silicon
monsters. 48.~xb7?! (48.~a5!?)
48 ... .§xb7 49 ..§xd5 .§.c6! 50 ..§db5
62.Afl In opposite-color bishop
endings positional considerations often
take precedence over material ones.
Here Malakhov does even not need his
b-pawn. But he can also keep it by
62.'it'e2+ 'it'c5 63.'it'fl 'it'd4 64.'it'e2
fl ~+ 65.Jlxfl =. But 65.'it'xfl? must be
avoided: 65 ... 'it'e3 66.Jlh3 f3 -+ .
62 ... ~c6 63.Ag2 ~xb7 64.Afl
~b6 65.Ag2 \tIc5 66.Afl \tId4
67.~e2 Ab6 68.Ag2 ~c3 69.Afl
VI-VI
50 ... h5 Black has an impregnable
Sometimes playing for a fortress already fortress as the white rooks are tied to
begins in the middlegame: the defense of the b-pawn. Deep Junior
does not understand the very nature of
09.11 Computer Deep Junior-
this concept and plays on. 51. ~f2 .§e6!
GKasparov (2847)
New York Man-Machine 2003 [W] assures that White's king remains out of
play. 52.f4 g6 53.~g3 ~g7 54.~h4
\tIh6 55 . .§.lb4 .§d6 56.g3 f6
Threatening §bxb6 §xb6?? g5 followed
by mate. But such a threat is of course
never overlooked by the machine. 57.g4
hxg4 58.hxg4 \tIg7 59..§b3 59.f5 g5+
leads to nothing as 60.'it'h5?? is refuted
by 60 ... §b8 61.b7 §h8#. 59 ... .§c6
60.g5 f5 61 ..§.b1 VI-VI
114
Exercises
E09.15 Computer Shredder- E09.17 M.Middelveld -Z.Peng

ComputerYACE Dutch women Championship
Paderbom 2003 Haaksbergen 2009
{W] When the knight wants to [B) In opposite-color bishop endings

construct a fortress, it must always the fortress theme plays a major role.
make sure that it will not fall into Usually the defender can hold. But this
zugzwang. So check this before making is an exception as White has almost no
your decision! space. How did Peng use this?
E09.16 N.Khurtsidze (2420)-

GGuseinov (2667)
Open Baku 2009
(W] What is White's first priority?
115
Chapter 10
The Great Tigran Petrosian
One of the best defenders was former (MvD), before B... ~a6 was picked up
world champion Tigran Petrosian. He again by the elite players a few years
was famous for his instructive exchange later. 20.M3 Jlxf3 21.gxf3 ~dS 22.Ae3
sacrifices (see Chapter 7) and the way
he employed preventive thinking. To be
a strong defender does not mean to have
an entirely passive attitude - such as
keeping everything defended and only
try to stop threats. Such an approach
does not work. Petrosian's way to play
can be better described as luring his
opponents pieces forward into swamp
land, where they will become mired and
then he will land a powerful
counterblow. The next game is quite
typical. Petrosian got into a very 22 ... .£lxc3! A key move in Black's
difficult position relatively early, but he defense. 23.bxc3 §.a3 24.c4 (our
always kept counterplay and made analysis went 24.§.dc1 eS 2S.dxeS
Spassky's job as difficult as possible: Axe5 26.Jlxb6 §'d3= Janssen & Van
Delft 1998) 24 ... §.a4 25.c5 bxcS 26.dxc5
§.c~ 27.§.ac1 f5 28.c6 ~f7 29.c7 lieS
10.01 B.Spassky- T.Petrosian [B14]
World Championship Moscow 1966 30.~b6 .la.d6 31.§.c2 ~e6 32.h3 §.b4
33.Ac5 §.b7 34.~xd6 exd6 3S.§.c6
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 §.bxc7 36.§.cxd6+ <$Je7 37.a4 §.c1
38.'~g2 §'xdl 39.§'xdl §.a8 40.§.d4
{)f6 5.{)c3 g6!? An interesting
sideline against the Panov Variation, ~f6 4l.f4 <$Jg7 42.~f3 ~h6 43.~g3
with the idea of temporarily sacrificing ~hS 44.§.d7 ~h6 4S.§.d4 ~hS 46.§.c4
the d-pawn. 6. ~b3 Ag7 7.cxd5 0-0 §.a7 47.§.b4 §.a8 4B.§.b7 '/z-'/z
8.g3 The game can be nicely compared Solleveld-Van Delft, Dutch U20 Ch,
with the following more common Leiden 1999. 8 ... {)a6 9.jtg2 ~b6
sequence: 8.Ae2 ~a6 9.Af3 'ffio'b6 10.~xb6axb611.{)ge2 {)b412.0-
10.i11xb6 (back then 10AJge2!? was o §d8 13.d6 §xd6 14.Af4 §d7
thought to be critical) 10 ... axb6 15.§fdl {)bd5 16.Ae5 Ah6?!
11..£lge2.£lb4 12.0-0 §.d8 13.d6 §'xd6 Judging from the above sequence,
14.Af4 §.d71S.§.fdl.£lbdS (IS ... .£lfdS normal would have been 16 ... §.d8
was the move preferred in later games) 17 . .£lf4 .£lxc3 IB.bxc3 §.a3 with
16.AeS §.d817 ..£lf4 .£lxf4 (17 ... .£lxc3!? counterplay. 17.a3 e6?! 17 ... §.dB is still
18.bxc3 §.a3 is the alternative) IB.Axf4 an important option, for example,
Ag4 19.1ixb7 l'h7!. This novelty was IB ..£lxdS ~xd5 19.JlxdS §'xd5 20 ..£lc3
prepared by Ruud Janssen and me §.da5!? 21.!J.c7 Ag4 22.§.el e623.Axb6
116
.§ 5a6 24.Ac5 .!lf3 and the two bishops 24 ... .§e8? 2S.<£\xe6 fxe6 26 ..§c8 .§xc8
provide definite compensation for the 27 ..§xc8 \tlf8 28 ..§b8+-. 2S.4)xdS
pawn deficit. 18.4) xdS 4) xd519 ..§.d3 .§.e6 26.j},c7 ~g7 27.j},xd8 .§.xd8
.Il.gS 20.AxdS!? A remarkable and 28.4)e3 bS 29.dS .§.b6 30.4)c2?!
interesting positional decision, to give Removing the knight from its strong
up the strong bishop in order to post gives Petrosian counterplay on the
eliminate the strong defending knight. kingside. It was better to pressurize the
20 .•.exdS?! The position has a closed queenside with the rooks first, e.g.,
character now, which eases White's 30..§b3 .§d6 31..§c7 b6 32 ..§bc3+- and
tasks as he can keep complete control Black has no counterplay. 30 ... h6!
and activate his forces easily. It is Creating a little bit of counterplay on
typical that the side with the knight the kingside. 31.4)b4 gS 32.hxgS
wants complete control. After hxgS 33.~g2 .§.f6 34 . .§.e3 .§.h8
20 ... .§xdS 21.<£\c3 '§da5 it is 3S.4)d3? A serious mistake wasting
astonishingly difficult to convert most of the advantage. 3S ..§eS!
White's initiative into something destroys Black's coordination as
tangible, e.g., 22.<£\e4 (22 ..§adl!? Ad7 3S... .§fh6 is met by 36.'it>f3 \tlf6 37.\tle4
23.d5 h5 looks suspicious, but again it .§hl 38.'§xhl '§xhl 39.<£\d3 .§dl
is not so easy for White to reach 40.f4+-. 3S ... .§.d6! Reminding the
something real) 22 ... -'te7 23.Af6 Af8! knight of its former task. 36.4)eS? Now
A defender of weaknesses should not the position is more or less equal. The
be exchanged! 24 ..§b3 b5 25.Ae5 Ae7 knight had to return: 36.<£\b4 but Black's
26.Ad6 Ad8 27 ..§dl-'1.d7 and Black's counterplay 36 ... -'1.h3+ 37.'~gl E!.dh6
drawing chances are greater than in the 38..§ec3 JUS 39.f3 .§h2 gives him good
game. 21.h4 Ad8 22•.§.c1 .§.e722 .. .f6 drawing chances anyway. 36 ••• .Q.h3+
is met by 23.'§dc3 fxe5 24.dxeS d4 37.~f3 .§.xd5 38 . .§.c7 38.g4 .§e8
25.~xc8 .§xc8 26 ..§xc8 d3 27.<£\c3 'it'f7 39 ..§cel fS and the bishops escapes.
28.f4 and White will round up the far 38 ... Jle6 39 . .§.x b7 .§.cS The active
advanced d-pawn soon. 23.4)f4 Ae6 39 ... .§d2!? was an alternative as Black
24•.§.dc3 should be able to hold the endgame
after 40.'§xb5 AdS+ 41..§xd5 .§xdS.
40 ..§.a7 40.b4 is answered by 40 ....§d5.
40... JldS+? Unnecessarily activating
White's king. The immediate 40 ... .§c2
was called for. 41.~g4 .§.c2 Petrosian's
sealed move. A well-chosen moment as
it is clear that the difficult questions may
be studied at home. 42.~xg5 Elxf2
42 ... .§xb2!? 43.E!.d3 (after 43.f4?! Black
can defend with 43 ... .§a8) 43 ... .§a8
44 ..§c7 Aa2 (44 ... Ae6? 45 ..§f3 .§f8
46 ..§f6+-) 45.f4 b4 46.axb4 '§xb4 and
24 •.• j},d7! Petrosian's preserves his with pawns only on one wing, Black has
valuable bishop. This is the only way reasonable chances to survive, but
to keep practical drawing chances. matters are not completely clear. One
117
advantage of the game continuation 53.1:'!d3 and White's winning chances

may be that it is more difficult to play are much better than in the game as he
for White. 43 . .!£Jd3 has more control. 5l ... 'it'g6 52 . .!£Jc5
.\lf7 53.§b7 Because of the reduced
material, Black has decent drawing
chances, for example, 53.1:'!a7 b4 54.a4
§a3 55.§b7 Axb3 56.§xb4 Adl.
53 ... §xa3 54.§xb5 §al 55.~e4
§fl+ 56.r:!;e3 §el+ 57.r:!;f3 §f1+
5S.r:!;e2 §bl 59.~d2 §gl60.'it'f2
§cl 61.b4 §c2 62.'it'e3 §c3+
63. r:!;f4 §d3! Destroying the
coordination of White's king and
knight. 64 ..!£Jf3 64.4Je4 Ad5 64....\ld5
65 ..!£Jh4+ r:!;f7 66.§b8?! 66.1:'!b6 was
43 ... §f3! Petrosian must reduce the more precise, but Black should draw
attacking potential. 44.§ae7? nevertheless, e.g., 66 ... 1:'!c3 67.b51:'!b3
Removing the active rook from the 6S.4Jf51:'!f3+ 69.'it'g4 §b3. 66 ... §d4+
seventh rank is a concession. 44.1:'!xf3 67.r:!;e3 §e4+ 6s.r:!;f2 r:!;e7!
Axf345.'it'f4Ad546.t'l.d7 Ac647.1:'!c7, 69 ..!£Jg6+ r:!;d7 70 . .!£Jf4 70.b5 'it'c7
with good winning chances, was called 71.1:'!fS 1:'!b4 72.4Jf4 1:'!xb5 73.4Jxd5+
for. But in practical play such an 1:'!xd5 74.1:'!xf6 'it'd7 with a theoretically
advantage is very hard to convert. drawn rook endgame. 70 ... .\lc6
44 ... §xe3 45.§xe3 f6+r The 7l . .!£Jd3 Black's defense is based on
defensive set up is more effective with 71.b5 'it'c7!. 71 ... r:!;c7 72.§fS .\lb5
the pawn on a dark square to 73..!£Jf4
complement the bishop. 46.'it'f4 r:!;f7
47 . .!£Jb4 .\lc4 4S.§c3 §h2 49.b3
.\le6 50•.!£Jd3 §a2
73 ... r:!;d7 74.§f7+ 74.4Jd5 is met by

74 ... §d4. 74 •.. r:!;eS 75.§b7 §xb4
76.~d5 §b2+ 77.'it'e3 §b3+
51.§c7+? The alternative 51.b4!? is 7S.r:!;f4 .\lc4 79 . .!£Jxf6+ r:!;fS YI-YI
more logical as it keeps the position more The message is clear: always keep on
closed, e.g., 51...'it'e7 52.4Jc5 .ild5 fighting!
ll8
In the next example, Petros ian manages

to take away the initiative from a young
Mikhail Tal, but Misha does miss
several wins later:
10.02 M.Tal- T.Petrosian le97]

URS-ch Riga 1958
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ab5 a6 4.Aa4

4)f6 5.0-0 Ae7 6.§el b5 7.Ab3 0-
oS.c3 d6 9.h3 4)a510.Ac2 c511.d4
'ItIc7 12.4)bd2 Ad7 13.4)f1 4)c4
14.4)e3 4) xe3 15.Axe3 Ae6 31 ... .§f4!1 32.Axf4 32J!xf4 exf4
16.4)d2 §feS17.f4 §adSlS.fxe5 33.Axf4 ~f6 34.Axd6 ~xd6 gives
dxe5 19.d5 Ad7 20.c4 §bS 21.a4 Black a solid blockade. 32 ... exf4
b422.a5! 33.4)d2
Tal has achieved a stable advantage as 33 ... 4)e5? Blockade is the right
Black has no counterplay on the concept of course, but Black' pieces
queens ide, while his long-term have more active options after
prospects on the kingside are good if 33 ... Ae5!. 34.~xf4? "White must now
Black remains passive. 22 ... §fS play accurately, which is rather difficult.
23.Aa4 -'lxa4 24.§xa4 §bdS!? The Any experienced player knows how a
start of an ingenious plan to disrupt change in the character of the play
Tal's set-up. 25.'ltlf3 §d6 Petrosian's influences your psychological
point. The rook will swing over to the mood .. .In addition, Mikhail
kingside. 26.4)b3 4)d7 27.§aal.§g6 Nekhemevich did not like defending"
2S ..§f1 Ad6 29.h4 'ItIdS 30.h5 §f6 (Kasparov in On my Great
31.'ItIg4?! 31.~g3! is more precise. (D) Predecessors). 34.~h3 limits the
counterplay and gives White a clear
White only needs the move g2-g3 to advantage. 34... 4) xc4 35.e5
consolidate his advantage. But now
comes another famous instance of
Petrosian's hallmark sacrifice:
119
44.~xa6 /ilxdl 45.~xa7 ~xd6

46.~d7
35 ... /il xe5! Petrosian continues in

consequent style. 35 ... 4Jxd2? 36.exd6
4Jxfl 37.1:hfl h6 3B.b3 gives White 46 ... ~xf6?! The surprising 46 ... E!d8!
dangerous passed pawns and a wins easily, as White's camp is split in
position in which Tal is like a fish in the two, e.g., 47.t1xd6 E!xd6 4B.a6 gxf6
water. 36.4)e4 h6 37.§'ael? Now 49.a7 E!d8-+ . 47. ~xdl §.b8? Missing
Petrosian even gets some chances to the decisive zwischenzug 47 ... t1a6!
play for the full point. He has managed 48.E!f4 E!bB-+.
to wrest the initiative from Tal
completely. Certainly no small
achievement against the Magician from
Riga. After 37.b3, White is certainly not
worse. 37... Jl,bS! 3S.§.dl c4 39.d6
/ild3
4S.§.f3? The rook is already well placed

for attack and defense. The queen's
position should be improved with
4B:~d3 b3 49.a6 (Kasparov) with the
idea of exchanging the queenside pawns
to eliminate the second front.
40. ~g4? 40.~e3 was forced, but after 4S ... §.aS? This allows White's
40 .. .'~d7 Black remains for choice. defensive forces to hold the kingside.
40 ... Jl,a7+ 4V~hl f5 The sealed After 48 ... E!b5 49.'~el 'itth7 50.E!b3
move. Black should be winning, but in E!xa5 51.t1xb4 E!al + 5Z.'itthZ E!fl-+
the resumption, Tal manages to confuse (Kasparov), Black's attack decides.
Petrosian: 42./ilf6+! WhS 42 .. .'~xf6?? 49.~elf §.xa5 50.~xb4 With pawns
43."i!rxc4++-. 43.~xc4 /ilxb2 only on one wing, White is able to hold.
120
But one critical moment is yet to come: The next game shows that Petrosian was
50...13e5 51.'~f4 ~h7 52.~h213d5 also a very strong tactician, which is
53.13ft ~g5 54.~f3 ~e5 55.~gl quite typical for the tenacious
13c5 56. ti\'f2 13e5 57. 'M'f3 13a5 defenders:
58.~h2 ~h8 59.~gl13a2
10.03 T.Petrosian - B.Spassky [E66]
Moscow 1966
Vilf3 4Jf6 2.g3 g6 3.c4 j},g74.j}.g2

0-0 5.0-0 4Jc6 6.4Jc3 d6 7.d4 a6
8.d5 4Ja5 9.4Jd2c510.'li1fc2e5 1l.b3
4Jg4 12.e4 f5 13.exf5 gxf5
60. ~d5? Tal seeks activity as usual,

but losing control over e3 should have
had fatal consequences. 60.!=!el was
called for. 60 ... ~c2? Kasparov shows
the way to win: 60 .. :i:ire3+ 61.~h2 !=!a4
62.'~yd8+ ~h7 63 ..§.xf5
14.lildl!? A retreat in typical Petrosian

style. Spassky seems to be lured into
the following premature attack. 14...b5
15.f3 e4 16.Ab2 exf3 17.Axf3
-'txb218.'li1fxb24)e519.Ae2
63 ... .§.d4!!. Instructive geometry!

64.E!d5 E!g4 65.E!d3 ~e5+ 66.~gl
'l!Ye4 67.'l!Yd5 E!xg2+ 68.~hl ~xd5
69.E!xd5 E!g5-+. 61.~a8+ ~h7
62.~f3 Etcl 63.13xcl ~xcl+
64.~h2 'tfjc7+ 65.'it'h3 'li1fe5 66.g4
fxg4+ 67.~xg4 ~g5+ 68.'it'h3 'li1ff6 19 ... f4? Spassky, true to his style,
69. 'li1fe4+ ~g8 70. 'li1fe8+ 'li1ff8 starts a direct attack. But he is not ready
71.'li1fxf8+ 'it'xf8 72.~g4 'it'f7 for it. 19 ... Ad7 20.~e3 'l!Yf6 is better.
73. 'it'f5 YZ-YZ 20.gxf4? Exchanging Black's active
121
rook with 20.E!.xf4 E!.xf4 21.gxf4 is even

stronger: 21...tlJg6 22.tlJe4 4Jxf4
23.~hl Af5 24.4Jdf2±. 20 .•. .\lh3
20 ... E!.xf4 does also not neutralize
White's initiative completely, e.g.,
21.E!.xf4 ~g5+ 22.~hl ~xf4 23.4Jc3
~d4 24.E!.f1. 21 ..£)e3!
Kasparov) 25.4Jf5+ ~h8 26.~xf6+

E!.xf6 27.cxb5 4Jf8 28.4Je4±. 24. .§xf4!
.§xf4 25.Ae6+ .§f7 26 •.£)e4 'i!!1Ih4
26 ... E!.aa7 27.4Jf5 ~f8 28.~f6+--
27 . .£)xd6 'i!!1Ig5+ 28.~hl .§aa7
28 ... ~xe3 29.Axf7+ ~8 30.~h8+ ~e7
31.4Jf5+~d7 (31 ... ~xf7 32.~g7+ ~e8
21 ....\lxf1? Too greedy. Spassky most 33.4Jxe3 +-) 32.Ae6+ ~c7
probably has difficulties switching over 33.~xh7++-
to defense. Black had to try to exchange
as many pieces as possible with
21. .. l''1.xf4 22.l"!.xf4 ~g5+ 23.l"!.g4 4Jxg4
24.4Jxg4 Axg4 25.Axg4 ~xg4+
26.~hl ~d4 27.E!.gl + ~h8 28.~xd4+
cxd4 29.4Je4 4Jb7 and the limited
material gives Black practical drawing
chances according to Kasparov.
22 ..§xfl.£)g6 23..\lg4! (D)
The last critical moment has arisen.

23 ... .£)xf4? runs into a thunderous
attack. 23 ... ~f6! was the last chance to 29.Axf7+ .§xf7 30.'i!!1Ih8+! 1-0 A
fight, e.g., 24.Ae6+ ~g7 (24 ... ~h8 beautiful finishing in style of this
25.~xf6+ l"!.xf6 26.f5 4Je5 27.4Je4!±, masterpiece!
122
The Great Tigran Petros ian
Exercises
EIO.Ol M.Botvinnik- T.Petrosian EIO.03 I.Lipnitsky- T.Petrosian

World Championship Moscow 1963 URS-ch18 Moscow 1950
[B) The guideline that opposite-color [B) The drawish tendency of rook
bishops favor the attacker plays into endings often helps the defender. But
White's hands here. How did Petros ian in this case Petrosian did not find the
deal with the problem? path to salvation. Can you do better?
EIO.02 R.J.Fischer- T.Petrosian EIO.04 T.Petrosian-M.Botvinnik

Santa Monica 1966 URS-chI9 Moscow 1951
[B) At first sight White's initiative [W] How to save the wayward steed?
looks extremely dangerous. But
Petrosian showed that this is
deceptive. Can you do the same?
123
El 0.05 A.Bannik - T.Petrosian

URS-ch24 Moscow 1957
[BI In this very messy and difficult position, Black has only one way to continue
the fight. Can you find it?
Easy Exercises
We now get to the exercise section; this is basically a warm-up for the subsequent
test section. The test section contains positions which are in general more difficult
than these next two dozen exercises. The "Easy Exercises" are equivalent in diffculty
to the one-pointers in the "Test" section. Whether you choose to do a few of the
"Easy Exercises" and then go on to a few problems in the "Test" section, or prefer
to play straight through both, the value is in the voyage: Whether you get every
solution correct or not is less important than the spending of serious time trying to
solve these positions.
El1.01 V.Egin (2395)-GSerper Ell.02 S.Grigoriants (2503)-

(2590) S.Volkov (2554)
Uzbekistan 1993 RUS Cup final 4th Elista 2000
[BI Black seems to be in dire straits, [WI How to fend off Black's attack?
doesn't he, as his knight is dominated.
124
Easy Exercises
Ell.03 V.Ivanchuk (2709)- Ell.05 A.Kovalevsky (2405)-

A.Shirov (2751) V.Gagarin (2410)
Amber-blind 9th Monte Carlo 2000 Rossia 1991
(W] Is White lost? [W) Can White defend?
El1.04 S.Kostyra (2365)- EI1.06 KSakaev - K.MiiUer

GKiselev (2365) German Bundesliga, HSK-Porz,
Polska 1992 Hamburg 2007
(B] Can White's attack be stopped? (B) As White's attack is based on the
presence of opposite-color bishops, it
is not so easy to parry, in spite of the
extra rook. What to do?
125
Et1.07 D.SteUwagen (2396)- Ell.09 B.Tasic (2245)-

J.Delemarre (2415) J.Dorfman (2555)
NED-chT playoffEnschede 2002 Nice 1993
[WI All of Black's army is aiming at [B) Should Black recapture on b5?
White's kingside. Can you fortify it
nevertheless?
Ell.OS LStohl (2534) - E.Sutovsky Ell.tO T.Thorhallsson (24S0)-

(2664) RNijboer (2580)
EU-chT (Men) Leon 2001 VISA OP Reykjavik 1998
[B) White wants to bring his knight into [WI How did White force a draw?
the attack. What to do?
126
Easy Exercises
Ell.ll D.Velimirovic (2535)- Ell.13 Zhang Pengxiang (2360)-

I.Ivanisevic (2460) Peng Xiaomin (2530)
YUG-ch53 Belgrade 1998 Lee Cup 4th Beijing 1997
(B) Can Black's 4Jg4 reunite with the (W] Where to hide?
rest of the forces?
Ell.12A.Wohl (2438)- Ell.14 D.Zifroni (2500)-

D.Karatorossian (2345) A.Kaspi (2525)
Ubeda2000 CzemiakMemorial, Tel Aviv 1998
[B) Has White gone too far or is Black (B) All rook endings are drawn
defenseless? according to Dr Tarrasch 's old aphorism
and this is no exception as Kaspi
proved. Can you do the same?
127
Ell.15 B.Gelfand (2700)- Ell.17 A.Fedorov(2580)-

V.Salov (2665) GGiorgadze (2595)
Dos Hermanas 1997 RUS-Cup Krasnodar 1997
(B) How did Salov take the initiative? (WI How did White force a draw?
Ell.16 M.M.Ivanov (2500)- Ell.I8 V.Varavin (2505)-

J.Dorfman (2585) A.Fominyh (2545)
Enghien les Bains 1997 RUS-Cup Perm 1997
(B) Did Black manage to parry the (BI Where should the queen go?
onslaught?
128
Easy Exercises
Ell.19 M.IlIescas Cordoba (2635)- Ell.21 V.TopaJov(2783)-

V.Andersson (2655) L. van WeJy (2683)
Ubeda 1997 Corns Wijk aan Zee 2007
[B) Is Black lost? (W] Loek van Wely has tried one last
joke. How did Topalov call the bluff?
Ell.20 V.lvanchuk (2730)- Ell.22A.Gavrilov (2481)-

V.TopaJov (2750) RHandke (2513)
Las Palmas 1996 39th Rilton Cup Stockholm 20 I 0
[B) How to deal with White's attack? (W] Find the only saving square!
129
Ell.23 K.Asrian (2575)- Ell.24 S.Sarno (2399)-

A.Nadanian (2410) O.Touzane(2352)
ARM-ch Yerevan 1999 Mitropa Cup, Leipzig 2002
[W] How to defend against Black's [W] Black's attackers outnumber the
threat to take on h3? defenders. What to do about it?
130
Tests
You have one hour for each of the sixteen tests, a time limit that is probably
best measured with a chess clock to simulate a game-like athmosphere.
Solve them from the diagrams and write your solutions on a sheet of paper.
To get a more precise value, we advise you to take your average over all 16
tests. Of course the values (your "Elo as a Defender") must be taken with
a large grain of salt.
0-1: Study the chapters again!

2-3: below 1500
4-5: 1500
6-7: 1700
8-9: 1900
10-11: 2100
12-13: 2300
14-15: 2500
16: Challenge the World Champion!
Even more important than the result of this calculation is that you make a
concerted effort to solve the positions and to enjoy yourself while doing so.
There is a paradox here: If on the one hand you are comfortably reading a
chess book, feeling you understand everything, you may in fact not be
learning anything. lion the other hand you really put a lot of effort in and
feel stupid because you couldn't solve the exercise ("looking for the edges
of your comfort zone" in Rowson's words), in reality you may in fact be
learning something. Another idea is to compete with your friends to add
spice to the task. In any event, the right mindset is the real key to being a
tenacious defender!
131
Test 1
T01.01 Minev - Keller T01.03 D.Botto - L.Christiansen

Bern 1977 Buenos Aires U 18 1975
[B] How to exploit the pin [W] How to counter Black's

along the d-file? dangerously active army?
TO 1.02 I.Miladinovic (2565)- TO 1.04 J.Rukavina (2460)-

L.Degerman (2490) S.Kishnev (2370)
Sigeman & Co Malmo 1998 Sibenik 1987
[W] Black's mighty b-pawn seems to [B] White's major pieces are well
decide the day, doesn't it? coordinated, but his king is also
exposed, so there should be a defense.
Can you find it?
132
Test 1
TOt.05 K.MiiUer (2558) - TOl.07 MacDonald - Burn

R.Kempinski (2533) Liverpool19IO
International Hamburg-ch 1999
[B) Find Black's only defense! [B) Find Black's last chance!
TOt.08 D.Svetushkin (2486)-

TO 1.06 M.Wahls - E.Dizdarevic C.lonescu (2446)
Liechtenstein 1985 Ciocaltea Memorial Bucharest 2000
[W1 How to defend against the threats? [B] Black's kingside pawn shield is tom
to pieces. What to do about it?
133
The ChessOife Puzzle Book 3
Test 2
T02.01 P.Lukacs (2475) - T02.03 L.Ftacnik (2585)-

Z.Gyimesi (2480) S.B.Hansen (2499)
HUN-ch Budapest 1996 International Hamburg-ch 1999
[B) How to coordinate Black's defense? [W] White must be very careful because
of his exposed king. Find his only
defense!
T02.02 B.Damljanovic (2587)- T02.04 A.Shirov (2500)-

H.Banikas (2542) J.Lapinski (2200)
EU-ch 4th Istanbul 2003 Daugavpils 1990
[B] How to deal with White's [B) In this sharp line of the King's
dangerous a-pawn? Gambit Shirov has thrown the kitchen
sink at his opponent. Is he winning?
134
Test 2
T02.05 N .Lubbe (2353)- T02.07 I.Tsesarsky (2430)-

N.Huschenbeth (2404) A.Kaspi (2510)
81 st ch-G ER Bad Liebenze1l20 10 ISR-ch op RamatAviv 1999
[W] Can White avoid falling into fatal [B] Is Black's king caught in a mating
zugzwang? net?
T02.08 T.Todorov (2420)-

T02.06 T.Petrosian - M.Botvinnik T.Balogh (2425)
Wch25-Moscow 1963 Krynicazt 1998
[B] How to deal with the threat against [B) White has counted on winning back
Black's e-pawn? the exchange. How to react?
135
Test 3
T03.01 R.Cifuentes Parada- T03.03 A.Miles (2565) -

GMiios V.Smyslov (2610)
Santiago 1987 Tilburg 1984
[B] Black cannot take the bishop, but is (BJ How to solve Black's problems?
nevertheless not lost. Can you see why?
T03.02 Z.Efimenko (2439)- T03.04 V.Dinstuhl (2416)-

I.Miladinovic (2519) M.Mulyar (2446)
EU -ch 2nd Ohrid 200 I Bermuda-B 2003
(B] Black's Ab4 is under attack and his

king is not entirely secure. Is he lost? (BJ How to deal with the threatened
back-rank mate?
136
Test 3
T03.05 M.Botvinnik - T.Petrosian T03.07 Z.Hracek (2615)-

Wch25-Moscow 1963 A.Shirov (2720)
Ostrava 1998
[WI How to use White's activity? [B] How to continue Black's

co un terattack?
T03.06 D.Tyomkin (2504)- T03.08 R.Vaganian (2623)-

Y.Stisis (2374) A.Shirov (2746)
ISR-ch op Tel Aviv 1999 Istanbul 012000
[WI Black has given a piece for the [B] How can Black survive against all
initiative. How did Tyomkin neutralize it? those threats?
137
Test 4
T04.01 L.van Wely (2645)- T04.03 Zezulkin, Y (2415) -

A.Aleksandrov (2654) Kozakov,M (2265)
EUCup Chalkidiki 2002 Polanica Zdroj 1993
[W] How to consolidate White's (B] To take or not to take, that is the
material advantage? question.
T04.02 Zhang Zhong (2530)-

Tong Yuanming (2505) T04.04 Linn - Rosenfield
Tan Chin Nam Cup Beijing 1998 corr.1987
(8] How to repel White's attack? [8] Can Black survive?
138
Test 4
T04.05 T.Petrosian - O.Moiseev T04.07 L.Gofshtein (2498)-

URS-ch Moscow 1951 E.Rozentalis (2620)
ISR-chT playoff Tel Aviv 2002
[B) What to do with the attacked knight? [B) White has sacrificed a knight, but
can count on getting the material back.
What is the best way to give it back?
T04.06 L.van Wely (2683)- T04.08 J. van der Wiel (2525)-

P.Svidler (2728) M.Kobalia (2500)
Corns A Wijk aan Zee 2007 Hoogovens-B Wijk aan Zee 1998
[B) White's forces are aiming at the [B) Both kings are under attack, but
kingside, but he can also just continue White seems to be faster, or... ?
to increase the pressure in the center.
What to do about it?
139
Test 5
T05.01 Z.Efimenko (2546)- T05.03 A.Morozevich (2749)-

G Tunik (2469) V.TopaJov (2711)
Moscow Aeroflot Open 2002 Dortmund 2001
[B] Black can't avoid losing material, [B] How to stop White's attack?
but should he also lose the game?
T05.02 N.Rashkovsky (2530)- T05.04 S.Baumegger (2456) -

B.Shovunov (2320) O.Lehner (2407)
RUS-ch Elista 1996 TCh-A UT Baden 2010
[B] How to take advantage of White's [B] What can Black do here?
exposed king?
140
Test 5
T05.05 V.Topalov (2801)- T05.07 KLieder (2091)-

T.Radjabov (2700) D.Abel (2294)
MoreliaiLinares 2006 DEM U 18 Willingen 2007
[B] How to deal with Topalov's kingside [WI White to move and draw.
attack?
T05.08A.Shirov (2751)-
T05.06 I.Glek (2590) - A.shirov (2706) J.Piket (2633)
Corsica Masters Open Bastia 200 I Amber-blind 9th Monte Carlo 2000
[BI Rook and knight endings are often [WI How to control the chaos?
tactically tricky. How could Shirov still
have saved himself?
141
Test 6
T06.01 A.Finkel (2500) - T06.03 A.Shirov (2685) -

B.Kantsler (2535) L. van Wely (2605)
Israel 1998 Tilburg Fontys 1996
[B] How to take the sting out of White's [B] Which king is more exposed?
attack?
T06.02 M.Krasenkow (2661)- T06.04 M. Taimanov - B.Larsen

Xie Jun (2542) Vinkovci1970
Sufe Cup Shanghai 2000
[B] How to parry White's attack? [B] Taimanov has started one of his
dangerous attacks. But he had missed
a detail. Which one?
142
Test 6
T06.05 L.Ftacnik (2540)- T06.07 S.Rublevsky (2639)-

J.Murey (2505) Peng Xiaomin (2629)
New York Open 1987 CHN-RUS Summit Men Shanghai 2001
[W] White has played a bit carelessly [B) Everything depends on the strength
in this typical fortress, but he can still ofthe various passed pawns here. What
save himself in a study-like way. is Black's first priority?
Can you find it?
T06.08 C.Hansen (2626) -
E.Sutovsky (2651)
T06.06 Grigoriev
North Sea Cup Esbjerg 2001
1938
[W] Black's attack seems to be quicker,

[W] Sometimes a knight can look really
or... ?
helpless. But here it can reach the pawn
just in time. Can you see how?
143
Test 7
T07.01 J.Rowson (2485)- T07.03 V.Rogovski (2443)-

M.Adams (2670) S.Kuznetsov
London 1998 UKR-ch Ordzhonikidze 2001
[WI Can White still defend against [WI How to deal with Black's
Black's dangerous queen and minor kings ide attack?
pieces?
T07.02 J.Lautier (2658)-

J.M.Degraeve (2589) T07.04 K.Miiller-J.Waitzkin
Clichy2001 Mermaid Beach GM Bermuda 1998
[B] How to deal with the threat against [BI How to organize the defense of
Black's rook? Black's exposed king?
144
Test 7
T07.05Y.Zilberman (2516)- T07.07 E.Alekseev (2715)-

B.Avrukh (2609) P.Svidler (2727)
TelAviv 1999 RUS-ch Moscow 2008
(B) How to neutralize White's initiative?

[W] Black's only problem is his slightly
misplaced king. But how to take
advantage of it?
T07.06 A.Shirov (2685)- T07.08 E.Bareev (2688)-

(1l(asparov(2785) R.Ruck (2546)
Yerevan Olympiad 1996 EU-chT Gothenburg 2005
(B] How to use Black's initiative?

(W] Can you find White's only
defense?
145
Test 8
T08.01 A.Shirov (2722)- T08.03 G Vescovi (2525)-

A.Morozevich (2749) R.Leitao (2550)
Astana2001 BRA-ch playoffItabirito 1998
[B) It looks like White just wins another [W] How to deal with the invasion
pawn and the game. But looks can be of Black's queen?
deceptive.
T08.02 V.Kotronias (2590) -

P.Ricardi (2575) T08.04 L.Gutman -A.Vitolinsh
NajdorfMemorial Buenos Aires 1997 USSR 1979
[B) How to deal with White's attack? IB] The Latvian Alvis Vitolinsh was a
great master of sacrificial attacks, but
here he had to defend. He did it in style.
Can you do the same?
146
Test 8
T08.05 M.Marin (2425)- T08.07 GGajewski (2540)-

M.Condie (2425) S.Movsesian (2642)
Oakham 1986 EU-ch Dresden 2007
[B) How should the game end? [W] Black's king is so far away that the
active rook can hold. (Hint: in one
variation the endgame t=!+ft versus Y£f
arises, which is drawn according to the
tablebases. )
T08.08 R.Ruck (2548) -

T08.06 Privalov - M.Hrabinska D.Fridman (2661)
Lvov rapid 2001 German Bundesliga Eppingen 2009
[W] Black has the better minor piece [W] Black's passed b-pawn is
and superior structure, but White is to threatening to march forward to victory.
move. What to do about it?
147
Test 9
T09.01 J.Polgar (2677) - T09.03 F.VaUejo Pons (2629)-

A.Karpov (2710) M.Adams (2742)
Dos Hermanas 1999 Linares 2002
[B] How did Karpov equalize on the [B] How to parry White's attack?
spot?
T09.02 J. Timman (2590)- T09.04 M.Grabarczyk (2487)-

P.Leko (2630) R.Wojtaszek (2569)
Groningen 1996 POL-ch Poznan 2005
[B] Leko missed the only defense over [B) With his two extra pawns White
the board. Can you do better? would technically be winning. But Black
is to move ...
148
Test 9
T09.05 A.Karpov (2735)- T09.07 D.Jakovenko (2760)-

A.Shirov (2710) E.Bacrot (2721)
Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1998 Dortmund 2009
[WI Karpov drew easily. Can you do [BI Despite the drawish tendency of
the same? opposite-color bishop endings, Black's
situation is desperate. But there is an
amazing way to survive. Can you find it?
T09.06 T.Markowski (2568)- T09.08 A.Morozevich (2749)-

B.Gelfand (2681) M.Adams (2744)
Rubinstein Memorial Polanic;aZdroj 2000 Dortmund 2001
[B) How did Gelfand save himself? [B) How to deal with White's mating
threat?
149
Test 10
TI0.01 D.Ntiloudi (1913)- Tl 0.03 V.Mikhalevski (2540) -

S.Meenakshi (2310) L.Shmuter (2485)
Kalamaria 2006 Israel 1998
[B] Should Black exchange queens? [W] From a material point of view White
is fine. But what about his incarcerated
rook?
TI0.02 Zhu Chen (2476)- T1 0.04 V.Anand (2795)-

F.Petritaj (2210) L.Oll (2650)
Acropolis Open Athens 2006 EUCup final Belgrade 1999
[B] Black's pawn is obviously lost. But [B] How to deal with the threat against
what about the game? the e8-rook?
150
Test 10
TIO.05 J.Lautier (2625)- T1 0.07 K.F.Foudzi-

V.TopaJov (2700) M. Vachier Lagrave (2358)
Elista Olympiad 1998 WYb 12 Heraklio 2002
(W] Black has a strong attack on the (WI Usually two extra pawns win even
dark squares. What to do about it? in a rook ending. But here Black's king
is so vulnerable that White can save
himself. Can you see how?
TlO.06A.Shirov (2699)-
M.Kazhgaleyev (2604) Tl 0.08 P. Tregubov - K.MiiUer
Corsica Masters Bastia2002 Gennan Bundesliga 2008
(B) How can Black use the famous (B) One ofthe authors, playing Black,
queen+knight duo to draw? missed the best defense. Can you do
better?
151
Test 11
Tl1.01 K.Slechta (1935)- Tll.03 A.Sbabalov (2601)-

P.Benes (2189) C.Lutz (2606)
Prague 2006 Istanbul Olympiad 2000
[B) What is Black's first priority? [B) How did Lutz rescue himself?
Tll.02 V.TopaJov (2813)- T11.04 F. Vallejo Pons (2666)-

V.Kramnik (2743) P.Svidler (2733)
World Championship Match Elista 2006 Leon 2004
[WI Topalov missed the way to draw [WI White has a study-like way to save
here. Can you do better? himself. Can you find it?
152
Test 11
Tl1.05 T.Petrik (2515)- Tl1.07 J.Timman (2635)-

I.Saric (2393) L.van Wely (2605)
Pula 2006 Breda 1998
[B) How to deal with White's [B) Is Black lost?

dangerous a-pawn?
Tl1.06 I.Glek (2553)- Ttl.08 Zhao Jun (2552)-

S.Mamedyarov (2722) L.D.Nisipeanu (2668)
ECU Club Cup Ftigen 2006 World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2007
(B) How to deal with White's pawns? (W) How can White force a draw?
153
Test 12
T12.01 E.Berg (2610)- TI2.03 D.Jakovenko (2711)-

R.Robson (2491) A. Volokitin (2684)
Arctic Chess ChaIlenge Tromso 2009 ForosAerosvit 2008
IB] Ray Robson needed a draw in this [B} To defend actively or passively?
rook ending for a grandmaster nonn.
How did he achieve it?
TI2.02 B.Gelfand (2720)- TI2.04 T.Radjabov (2751)-

V.Kramnik (2788) M.Carlsen (2765)
Moscow Tal Memorial 2008 Baku FIDE Grand Prix 2008
[W] While calculating far ahead [WI Magnus' mighty pawns seem to be
Kramnik missed White's only defense. unstoppable. How to defend?
Can you spot it?
154
Test 12
Tt2.05 E.Postny (2616)- Tt2.07 S.Berezjuk (2435) -

D.Baramidze (2561) C.Joecks (2375)
Gennan Bundesliga 2007 Erfurt 1993
[WI How did Postny rescue his knight? [BI There is only a very narrow path
for Black to continue the fight. Can
you find it?
T12.06 B.Ziiger (2430) - Tt2.08 V.Gaprindashvili (2390)-

C.Landenbergue(2415) A.Rustemov (2573)
Switzerland (ch) 1991 Wichern Open Hamburg 1999
[WI Can Black's dangerous attack be (WI How to stop Black's a-pawn?
stopped?
155
The ChessCaft Puzzle Book 3
Test 13
T13.01 J.Timman (2578)- T13.03 V.Anand (2799)-

L.van Wely(2617) S.Mamedyarov (2760)
Corus Wijk aan Zee 2004 Corus Wijk aan Zee 2008
[B] How to defend with Black? [B] How to deal with White's
dangerous passed pawns?
T13.02 R.Kasimdzhanov (2668)-

D.Sadvakasov(2595) T13.04 K.Miiller-R.Appel
Samba Cup Skanderborg 2003 Bundesliga Hamburg 2009
[B] How did Black prove that White's [W] White has two ways to draw. Find
compensation is insufficient? one of them!
156
Test 13
T13.05 J.Piket (2640)- T13.07 D.Jakovenko (2710)-

GKasparov (2795) P.Leko (2755)
Linares 1997 Moscow Tal Memorial 2007
[WI White's days seem to be numbered, [WI How to deal with Black's passed d-
but Piket managed to find a saving pawn?
resource. Can you do the same?
T13.06 L.Ftacnik (2585)- T13.08 Analysis of GKasparov (2625)

O.Cvitan (2570) - U.Andersson (2610)
Germany 1997 Moscow 1981
[W] In this typical King's Indian fight, [BI Ulf Andersson had most probably
a highly critical moment has been seen this position over the board. How
reached. To continue play on the does Black save himself?
queenside or not?
157
Test 14
T14.01 K.Georgiev (2666)- T14.03 M.Lindinger (2322)-

V.Kotronias (2587) A.Albers (1995)
EU-chT Gothenburg 2005 International Hamburg Champ. 2006
[BJ How to deal with White's passed [B] Black's rook has only one saving
pawn? square. Find it!
T14.02 A.Braun (2465)- T14.04 T. Wanderer (2206)-

P.D.Nielsen (2646) A.Kopinits (2096)
Gennan Bundesliga 2005 Graz2006
[B] White's attack is more dangerous [WI At first sight White is in zugzwang
than it looks at first sight. But Nielsen and the active black king will win. But
found a defense. Can you do the same? this is deceptive ...
158
Test 14
T14.05 K.Miiller (2500)- T14.07 S.Karjakin (2723)-

M.Hoffmann (247S) S.Mamedyarov (2719)
Gennan Bundesliga 2007 World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009
(BI What is Black's best bet? (BI How can Black draw this rook
ending?
T14.06 V. Topalov (2757)- T14.0S R.Ponomariov (2739)-

M.Adams (2741) E.Bacrot (2700)
Linares 2005 ' World Chess Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009
(BI How to continue Black's attack? [BI Ponomariov's last move 82.'it'f7 was
a mistake, How did Bacrot exploit it?
159
Test 15
Tl5.01 P.Keres - OJ.KaiJa TlS.03 K.Shantharam (2260)-

Baltic-FIN U26 Tartu 1938 D.Prasad (2445)
Madras 1994
[BI The great Paul Keres is threatening [B] White's rooks want to invade
mate in three moves. What to do? quickly. What to do about it?
TlS.02 A.Shirov (2695)- Tl5.04 A.Motylev (2634)-

M.Kazhgaleyev (2600) J.Polgar (2681)
6th Corsica Masters, Bastia 2002 EUCup Chalkidiki 2002
[W] Opposite-color bishops favor the IB] Whose attack is more dangerous?
attacker. How did Shirov use the
guideline here?
160
Test 15
Tl5.05 K.Sasikiran (2573)- Tl5.07 F.de la Paz (2456) -

L.van Wely (2643) J.C.Gonzalez Zamora (2515)
FIDE-Wch k.o. New DelhilTeheran 2000 Carlos Torre Wimbledon 18th Merida 2005
[B] White has many threats but IW] Pawn endings can often be
Black is to move ... calculated until a final result is reached.
How can White draw here?
Tl5.06l.Sokolov (2691)- TlS.OS J.Lautier (2676)-

L.Aronian (2724) V.Bologan (2679)
ESP-chT Honor I Merida 2005 Poikovsky 2004
IB] How did Aronian rescue himself? IW] Can White hold this endgame?
161
Test 16
T16.01 R.AkessoD (2486)- T16.03 Gimpel- Shubin

T. Wed berg (2473) USSR 1977
Scandic Hotels CC Stockholm 2000
[B] How to unpin Black's bishop? [B] Attacking with opposite-color

bishops is a very important theme. Since
White has clearly made a lot of progress
at his end, it's time to hit back.
T16.02 A.Dreev (2615)- TI6.04A.Goldin (2595)-

L.Yudasin (2615) B.Macieja (2470)
Manila Interzonal 1990 Krynica 1997
[B] How did Yudasin use his passed c- [B] How can Black keep fighting?
pawn to escape?
162
Test 16
T16.05 M.IIlescas Cordoba (2635)- T16.07 S.Atalik (2595)-

V.Anand (2765) M.Gurevich (2635)
Leon 1997 New York Open 1998
(B] How to stop White's attack? [B] It seems that Black's king cannot be
rescued or... ?
T16.06 I.A.Nataf (2526) - T16.08 S.J.Joshi (2310)-

A.Miles (2584) M.Muralidharan (2330)
Mondariz Zonal 2000 India (ch) 1993
[WI Should White take on b3? [B] White seems to have everything
under control, doesn't he?
163
harmless) 24 ... El.xb2+ 25.~cl Axf5

Chapter! 26.El.xe5 El.xc2+ 27.~xe2 .llxe2
2S.E!xeS+ ~xeS 29.E!xeS+ \t'xeS
E01.01: The best way of defending the 30.<;t>xc2 and Black wins easily. The
pawn on e6 is with the prophylactic immediate 22 ... E!xa2? is not possible
35 ... iif1f7! . After other moves, White because of 23.E!xeS+ ~xeS (23 .. .f.t/xeS
keeps a serious advantage: 35 ... El.Sc6? 24.E!xe7+ <;t>xe7 25.~d6+ ~eS
36J:he6++-; 35 ... El.3e6? 36.El.xb5±; 26.~e7*) 24:~xb4++-. 23.iif1xb2
35 ... El.xg3?! 36.El.xe6+ '<t'f7 37 ..§e7+ ~f6+ 24. ~d4 iif1g7 25.Elexe8 .§xeS
~gS 3S.El.7e5 .§e4 and White is for 26.'§xe8 ~xd4+ 27.{} xd4 'iflf6 Black
choice, but Black can defend. 36.El xb5 is still completely tied up and Polgar
36 ..§xe6?? now completely backfires: converts without any problem: 2S.f4
36 ... .§xe2+ 37.\t'b1 El.c1 + 3S.~b2 b6 29 . .§dS Ab7 30 . .§xaS AxaS
.§Se2+ 39 . .§xe2 .§xc2+ 40.~xc2 31.'iflb3 Ad5+ 32.iif1xb4 Axa2
~xe6-+. 36 ... Elxg3 37.Elb7+ iif1f6 33.iif1b5 .1lb134.c3!34.~xb6 allows
38.Elh7 .§c6 39.Elh6+ iif1f7 40•.§d2 34 ....llxe2! . 34... iif1e7 35.iif1xb6 iif1d6
iif1g7 41 . .§xh5 Elf3 42 . .§d7+ iif1gS 36.c4 Ad3 37.c5+ iif1d5 3S.{}c6
43 ..§g5+ iif1hS 44.Elh5+ Yz-Yl iif1e4 3S ... ltxf5 39.4Je7+ was the final
point; White wins. 39.{}e7 Ac2 40.c6
E01.02: Black can play 14...cxd4 and Aa441.c7 Ad742.iif1c51-0
after 15.d6+ Larsen uncorked the
fantastic zwischenzug 15 ... Ae6!! E01.04: After 36 ... .§a3? White
eliminating the motif with Ae4. escaped by means of a petite
15 .. .'til'f7? 16 ..Q.c4 dxc317 ..a.xf7+ El.xf7 combinaison. The preventive 36...\t'g7!
lS.ltxe3 4Jbd7 is slightly better for would have given excellent winning
Black but not as favorable as the game. chances, for example 37.E!e7 (37 ..§b6
16.~xe6+ ~f7 17.~xf7+ .§xf7 Ad3 3S.<;t>f2 E!xd4 39.~e3 .§c4
lS.exd4 Eld7 19.d5? 19.0-0 '§xd6 40 ..llxf6+ \t'xf6 41.~xd3 El.xf4 is close
20 ..§adl followed by f3 offered better to winning) 37 ... E!a3 3S ..a.b2 .§d3
practical chances. 19 ... {}xd5 and, 39.4Jxf5+ gxf5 40.E!xe7+ <;t>g6 and
Black confidently went on to win: ' Black is clearly better. 37.{}xf5! An
20.Ac4 iif1h7 21.Axd5 Axc3+ elegant way to get out of the pin,
22.Axc3 cxd5 23.g4 .§xd6 24.gxf5 threatening mate in one. 37 ... gxf5
gxf5 25 •.§dl {}c6 26.b5 {}dS 27.f3 3S.Axf6 exf6 39.ElcS+ 'iflg7 40.e7
{}e6 2S.fxe4 fxe4 29.Elfl {}g5 White can also force the draw with his
30•.§f5 d4 31.h4 {}f3+ 32.iif1e2 .§cS other passed pawn, 40.e6 E!e3 41.c7
33.Ab4.§g60--1 Aa642 ..§aSAb743.E!bSAa644.E!aS=.
40 ... Ab5 41.eS~ AxeS 42.'§xe8
E01.03: 22 ... .Q.xb2+? This doesn't Elc3 43 . .§e7+ iif1g6 44 . .§c7 .§c2
work. Black could have come on top with 45.c6 d4 46.iif1h2 d3 47 . .§d7 .§xc6
22 ... .lle5! which is an important 4S ..§xd3 Elc2 49.iif1g3 Ela2 50.Elf3
zwischenzug as only after 23.f4? iif1h5 51.Elb3 iif1g6 52.iif1f3 Elc2
(23.~bl \t'g7 24J~d5 ~g5-+) it is 53.'iflg3 Ela2 54.ElbS 'iflg7 55.EleS
possible to continue with 23 ... El. xa2! iif1f7 56.Elel iif1g6 57 . .§gl iif1h5
24.\t'bl (24.l'heS+ \t'xeS now is 5S.Elf1 Elb2 59 •.§f2 Elxf2! Of course
164
Solutions
the rook ending is also drawn, but the ~g6 36.E!el ~xf6 37.E!e7 .11.cS?
following stalemate finishes the game 37 ... Etb6 38.Etxf7 d4 39.cxd4 Etxd4
quicker. 60.'it'xf2 'it'h4 61.'it'f3 h5 40.E!c2 Ad5 is more active. 3S.E!b2+
62. 'it'f2 Yl-Yl 'it'aS 39.Etd2?139.Ae2!?= 39... E!dd6
4O.E!e5?! .1lb7 41.!le7 !lb6 42.E!e8+
EDt.05: 24.'it'c1?? This natural move 'it'a7 43.E!a2+ E!a6 44.Etee2 E!xa2
is wrong as the king no longer defends 45.E!xa2+ ga6 46.af2 gaI47.E!f4
the queenside well. The amazing E!cl 4S.h4 !lxc3 49.h5 E!e3?
24.'it'al! wins for White, e.g., 24 ....~.J6 49 ... Etg3 is more tenacious. 50.h6 !le8
25.AxeS 4"Jxdl + 26Jtd4 Ae6 27.~b4 51.!lxf7 E!h8 52.E!f6 jtcS 53.jte2
4Je3 2S.Axg6 +- (Van Delft/Ris in 'it'b7? 54 . .1l£3! adS 55.h7 c3
Chess Vibes Openings). 24 ... .11.hS 56 . .1lxd5+ 'it'c7 57.E!c6+ 'it'd7
25.h7 e6 26 ..1lgS?? "A mistake never 58 ..1lg8 'it'xc6 59.h8'li1t c2 60. 'li1tc3+
comes alone. Necessary was 26.AxeS 'it'b761.'li1txc21-0
4"Je2+ 27.~bl iii'f6 (27 ... 4Jc3+? doesn't
work in view of28.~xc3 Axc3 29.hSiii'+ EOI.07: 23... 'it'g8? Aronian has most
Axh8 30.E!xhS+ ~g7 31.Ad4+ e5 probably ended his calculations one
32.Axe5++-) 2S.Ah6+~e7 29.~c7+ move too early. 23 ... Etg7! 24.Axf7!?
~xeS 30:~cS+ t1dS 31.t1xd8+ ~xd8 (after 24.t¥f5 Black forces exchanges by
32.Etdfl 4"Jg3 33.Ag7 .1lxg7 34.h8t1+ giving back the piece with 24 ... 4"Jf6
Axh8 35.EtxhS+ ~c7 36.Etxf3 <£le4 and 25.t¥xf6 ~xf6 26.Etxf6 E!d8 27.E!afl
this ending, two exchanges down, Etxd6 2S.E!xf7+ Etxf7 29.Etxf7+ ~e8
should be fine for Black (compare 30.Etxb7 Etxe6=) 24 ... Etxf7 25:~'h7
Karjakin-Radjabov, Sochi 2008). "(Van Etf4! 26.h4 (26.g3?! 'I11f6!) 26 ... Af3! (the
Delft/Ris) 26... 'li1ta5 27.E!d3 4)xa2+ safest way out) 27.~h6+ (27.Etael?!
2S.'it'bl 4)c3+ 29.E!xc3 .1lxc3 ~f6 28.~xd7 gxh4) 27 ... lt'g8 28.'111g6=
30.Jl.h6+ 'it'e7 31.Jl.g5+ 'it'd7 (Van DelftlRis in Chess Vibes Openings)
32.'li1txc3 'li1txc3 33.h8'li1t 'li1txh8 24.E!xf7! E!xf7 25.E!f1 The tempting
34.E!xh8EtxgS! 0-1 25 .'1£rg6+?! ~hS 26. ~xf7 fails to
26 ... t¥f6 (Van Delft/Ris) . 25 ... 4)fS
EOI.06: 32.f3? The resulting endgame 25 ... <tIe5? leads to a forced mate:
is better for White but Black has very 26.Etxf7! 4"Jxf7 27.'I11g6+ ~hS 28.'I11h5+!
good drawing chances. White had three 'it'g7 29.t¥xf7+ It'h6 30.Af5 t1gS
options to defend prophylactically: 31.t¥f6+ 'it'h5 32.g4+ ~h4 33.~h6*
32. ~c1 d4 and now the strong (Van Delft/Ris) . 26.'li1tf5! The killer
preventive move 33.~hl!! followed by move, which was most likely overlooked
34.f3 is close to winning (Van DelftlRis by Aronian as it seems at first sight that
in Chess Vibes Openings) as 33 ... Etxg2? Black has solved his problems with
can now be met by 34.Etxb7+ ~xb7 25 ... 4"Jf8. But 26.'I11f2 wins as well, but
35.Axg2 +-. 32.~h5 with the idea is much more complicated: 26 ... t¥d7
32 ... Etdf8 33.g3 Eth8 34.~dl d4 27.Axf7+ It'h7 28.t1g3 ~c6 29.E!f3
35.Etxb7+ is also very strong. And ~e4 30.t¥xg5 'I11el+ 31.Etf1 t¥ xc3
finally 32.~d2 d4 33.f3 t1xf3 34.E!bl 32.Ag6+ It'gS 33.d7 +-. 26 ... 4) xe6
should be winning as well. 32... E!xg5 27.'li1txf7+ 'it'hS 2S.gf6! Black has to
33.fxe4 'it'bS 34.exd5 exd5 35.E!7a2 give up his queen and because of his
165
uncoordinated pieces, he is unable to accepted the draw offer with seconds

deal with White's passer. 28 ... ~xf6 on his clock. But 31.b4! wins directly,
29.~xf6+ 4)g7 30.d7 b4 31.cxb4 so 30 ... ~g7? has to be eliminated and
cxb4 32.d8~+ .§xd8 33.~xd8+ 30 ... lte5!= played.
~h7 34.~b6 .sl,e4 35.~xb4 Ad3
36.~a51-0 EOl.ll: 30•.. f3? 30 ... ~e4+! 3l.f3 ~e3!
32.~fl (After 32.~d5? I:Xg8! 33.I:Xxh7+
EOl.08: 19.~xa7! The sacrifice can ~xh7 34. ~xf5+ Black even wins in view
only be refuted by accepting it. of 34 ... I:Xg6! -+) 32 ... I:Xb6! 33.~h3
19 ... ~c2 20 •.§d2 ~cl+ 2I.~h2 I:Xxh6 34.~xh6 ~xf3+ 35.I:Xg2 ~fl +
AgS 22.E!.e2 Af4+ 22 .. .'~dl 23.I:Xel 36.I:Xgl ~f3+= (Inarkiev in CBM 131).
llf4+ 24.~gl +-; 22 .. :~fl 23 ..§c2 31.~f11 ~g7 32.Etxg7 Cit'xg7
Af4+ 24.g3 ~d3 25.I:Xc3 ~e2 33.E!.xh7+! 1-0
26.~g2 +- 23.g3 ~dl
EOl.12: Jacob Aagaard discusses this
example in detail in his excellent book
Practical Chess Defence and we use
his analysis. Let us start with the weak
candidate moves and eliminate them
one by one: I. .. Ad5? runs into a back
rank combination: 2.E!.c2 ~d7 3 •.§c8+
E!.e8 4. ~c71-0. 1...f5? 2:~xc7 I:Xxc7
3 ..llc4±; 1...h6? 2.~xc7 I:Xxc7 3.I:Xd8+
~h7 4.I:Xb8 .!::!.c6 5 ..Ilb7 I:Xcl + 6.~h2
.Ilxb7 7.I:Xxb7 +-; 1...f6? 2.~xc7 I:Xxc7
3.Ac4 <M7 (3 ... I:Xc6 4.f3 ± ) 4 ..!::!.d6 ±. So
1. .. ~f8 and 1...g6 remain. Aagaard
"Yermolinsky stopped his analysis in a
prefers the pawn move and we agree as
position which looks highly promising
it solves the problem of Black's back
for Black, but J gave my full effort to
rank permanently.
see one move deeper, and that made all
the difference" (Rowson in Chess for Chapter 2
Zebras). 24.4)gl! 1-0
E02.01: 1 ... ~b4+? Black understood
EOl.09: 26.~bl! strong prophylaxis inthat the only chance was a
typical manner. Now White's attack will
counterattack, but this is the wrong way
of doing it. The right way was 1 ... ~xg7
crash through. 26 ... Etf5 26 ... .l.txf4??
2.I:Xg6 ~h8! 3.!"lxg7 !"lc2! and suddenly
27.Axf4 .!::!.xf4 28.4Jxd5 +- 27 . .sl,d4 g6
Black is back in the game: 4.~dl (4.~g6
27 ... Axf4 28.Axg7 .!::!.xg7 29.4Jxd5+-
Ab4+ 5.~dl?? does not work in view of
28.4) xd5 E!. xd5 29 . .sl,c3 .sl,c5?!
30.Etxd5 Etxd5 31.b7! Cit'f732 . .§el5 ... .!::!.d2+ 6.~cl I:Xc8+ 7.~bl .Ild3+)
.sl,d6 33.~xc4 ~d7 34.~c8 .sl,xf4 4 ... Ae2+ 5.~xc2 Axg4 6.I:Xxg4 I:Xxf2+
35.~xd7+ E!.xd7 36.Etfl E!.xb7 7.~d3 §.f3+ 8.~e2 I:Xf7 and Black
37.Etxf4+ Cit'e7 38.Ab4+ ~e8 should be able to hold as Aagaard
39.E!.f8+ ~d7 40.Etf7+ 1-0 points out in Practical Chess Defence.
2.Cit'xfl.§xf2+ 3.Cit'gI1-0 and Black
E01.10: 30... Ag7? ~-~ and Shirov had to resign in view of 3.~gl !"lg2+
4.'~hl !"lh2+ 5 ..!::!.xh2.
166
Solutions
work: 26 ... E!e8? 27.E!xf6! and 26 ... Ag7?

E02.02: 26 ••. EIf3? In the game this 27.'iiYg4. 27.EIxf6? 27.~hl ~hS
worked as well. Objectively stronger 28..IlxfS E!xfS 29.E!gl with sharp play
though is the fantastic 26 ... E!g3+!! was caIIed for. 27...exf6 2S.'ltf3 .£leS
27.fxg3 (27.~hl? ~c2 wins) 27 ... ~c5+ 29.'ltxf6? This completely backfires,
and White cannot escape the checks: as Black now starts a deadly
2S.'~jlg2 (2S ..Ile3?! <£Ixe3 29.E!dd4 counterattack. White can still fight in
~c1 + 30.~f2 <£Id5 with initiative, Har the ending after 29. ~g3+ ~g4.
Zvi; 28.E!dd4 <£Ixd4 29 ..ile3 'itfc3 30.h6 29 ... 'ltg4+ 30.~f2 EIfe8 31.EIdl
~el+ 31.~g2 and now 31... <£If5! 31.E!gl <£Id3+ 32.~fl E!el '*' makes the
32.gxf5 ~e2+ with a perpetual) point quite visually. 31. .. .£ld3+
2S ... ~c2+ 29.E!d2! ~xe4+ 30.~h3 32.EIxd3 EIe2+ 33.~fl 'ltg2,*, 0-1
~hl + 31.E!h2 ~fl + with a perpetual
(Har Zvi). 27.h6?? Losing instead of E02.05: 16 ... ~xf7? Now White
winning. After the strong 27.E!c1! ~b7 indeed gets a winning attack. To be able
28.h6 ~xe4 29.gxf5 White does escape to defend successfully Black has to
from the checks: 29 ... ~g4+ 30.'it'fl reduce White's attacking potential. He
~h3+ 31.~e2 E!xf2+ 32.'itlxf2 ~h2+ can do so by giving up the queen:
33.~el 'itfgl + 34.~e2 ~g2+ 35.~d3 16... <£Ixf4! 17.<£IxdS E!xdSl8.~c2 <£Ife6
'iiYf3+ 36.Ae3 winning. 27..• 'ltc2! The 19.~xc4 .§.d4 as pointed out by Gelfand.
only move, but it does completely Black has stopped the attack for the
change the picture. 2S.EId2 'ltbl + moment and given time to consolidate
29.~g2 Forced, as 29.~h2 E!h3+! he is certainly not worse here.
30.~xh3 ~hl '*' mates. 29 ... 'ltxe4 17.Axd5+ ~g6 After 17 ... <£Ie6
30.EId8 'ltxg4+ 30... E!h3+! would have 18.~h5+ ~gS 19.E!xe6 White's attack
made us of the same mating pattern. crashes through. 18.EIe5! A powerful
31.~f1 .£lg3+ 32.~e1 EIe3+ move bringing in more forces to the
33.lifld2 .£le4+ 0-1 attack. IS ... Af51S ... h619.'t¥1h5+ 'itlh7
20.Af7 E!f8 (20 ... E!a6 21..IlxeS wins)
E02.03: Black saved the day with 21.~g6+ ~h8 22.Jlxh6! and mate is not
42 ... 'ltc21 43. 'ltf6 .£lfS! and White far off (Gelfand). 19.EIxf51 Effectively
had to settle for a draw with 44. 'ltx b6 deciding the game. 19 ... ~xf5
.£lh4+ 45. ~h2 .£lf3+ 46. ~g2 .£lh4+ 20.'lth5+ .11,g5 21.'ltxh7+ ~f6
47.~h2 .£lf3+ 4S.~g2 .£lh4+ 22 ..11,xg5+ Ii:!Jxg5 23 ..11,f7! Not the
49. ~h2lh-lh only way to win, but a nice one.
23 ... 'ltd6 24. 'ltxg7+ ~f5 25.JtxeS
E02.04: 26 ... 'ltd7! There is no reason 1-0
for panicking at all. First of all Black is
two pawns up and has a positionaIIy E02.06: 1 ... EIel!! An incredible move.
strong position, which makes the Moments ago it looked like White was
exchange on f8 highly irrelevant. All he attacking, but it turns out that in reality
has to do is simply prevent the his position is badly overextended.
checkmate. Last but not least, the white With this powerful move, Black reduces
king is not entirely safe either. True, White's attacking potential and takes
trying to save the exchange does not over completely. 2.EIxel 2.fxe6 just
167
costs a piece and after 2... ~xd13.~xdl 27.~g6 ~ac8 and Black gets his
.,Q,xe5 4.exf7 .,Q,xd4+ 5.<it'hl ~xf7 the counterattack going. 27.§.g6 .£\ce5??
black king is entirely safe. 2 ... ~xd4+ Giving White an unexpected chance. At
3.~hl Axe54.~h8+ After4.~xe5 this point accuracy was needed. Black
Black can simply play 4 ... ~xe5 or go successfully defends after 27 ... 4Jd2+!
for even more with 4 ... .,Q,xg2+!? 4 ... ~e7 28.~xd2 (28.~c1 ~f3! exchanges
5.~xd8+ ~xd8 6.§.xe5 ~d2 7.§.g1 queens) 28 ... Bel+ 29.~dl ~xdl+
~f2 0-1 And White's badly 30.~xdl.ae6 with a winning position.
coordinated pieces cannot prevent the 28.Axe5 §.xe5 29.§.h6n Too clever,
mate. undoubtedly in time trouble. There was
a simple mate in two available: 29. ~h7+!
E02.07: 1.l3xd7? This looks likes it ~xh7 30.g8~#. 29 ... .£\xh630.~xh6
exchanges quite a lot of pieces, but Ae6 31.§.gl ct;f7 32.b3 §.g8 Now it's
unfortunately not the right ones. The all over. 33.§.g6 ct;e7 34.§. xf6 ~hl +
remaining black pieces will find their 35. ct;b2 ~g2 36.Etg6 ~e4 0-1
way to the white king. Correct would
have been 1.~xf3! Axf3 2.Axe2 and E02.09: Topalov couldn't see a defense
after 2 .. .lb8 3 ..,Q,b5 ~c7 White gets rid and resigned here. Sometimes a defense
ofthe next group of pieces with 4.Ac6! can be truly hidden. In this case after
Axc6 5.4Jxc6Axf2+ 6.~xf2 ~xc6when 64 ... ~d5+! 65.ct;h2 eSt The queen is
after 7 .~d4! a roughly balanced eyeing g8 and ready to retreat
position remains. 1... A,xf2+ 2.c;tJhl backwards to save the knight.
§.xd7 3.§.xd7 Ag3! The key attacking 66.~h7+ \ft'f867.~h8+ ~g8 There
move, giving up the queen for a pretty is no win available, as even after
mate: 4.§.xa7 §.h2+ 5.\ft'gl f2+! The 68. ~h6 ~d5! the position is dead
final point. 6"~'xf2 §.hl # 0-1 equal.
E02.08: 22 ... .£\d3+! A clever check, E02.10: With the standard 21 ... f5!
based on the fact that ~hl is under Black sets up a second rank defense
attack. After other tries Black gets and prevents any nasty sacrifices on f6
mated: 22 ... 4Je6? 23.~hgl ~e4 24. ~h6 such as 21...Bxb2?? 22.Bf6! winning.
wins and so does 22 ... g6? 23.~h6 4Je6 22.e4 After 22.exf6 ~g3+ 23.~hl
24.h5 g5 25.Axg5, crashing through. Black wins with the cool-headed
23.lit'bl.£\xe5 24.fxg7Now 24.Bhgl 23 ... E:b5! 24.fxg7 Bxh5 25.gxf84J+!
is simply answered by 24 ... ~xf6. ~g7 and if it weren't for the useful
24 ... f6 24 ... ~xg7 25.Bhgl+ 4Jg4 defender on c8, 26.4Jxe6+ would have
26.Ad4+ f6 27.~g5+ ~f7 28.~h5+ won. Now it's all over after 26 ... Axe6.
'$ig7 29.~g5+ also leads to a perpetual. 22 ... ~b6+?! More logical was the
25.§.hgl?? This ambitious move is too immediate 22 ... ~xb2. 23.\ft'hl ~d8
slow. The correct finish of the game 24•.£\f2 §. xb2 25.Etgl ~e8 26. ~h4
would have been 25.~h8+ ~f7 Etxc2 27.Etg2 c5 Now that the bishop
26.~h5+ '$ie6 27.~hf1! 4Jac4 will get to the long diagonal, Black has
28.~xf5+ ~f7 29.~h5+ with a everything under control. 28.§.egl
perpetual. 25 ... .£\f7 26.Ad4 .£\c4?! Etg8 29.~g3 A,b7 30.~b3 A,xe4
Stronger would have been 26 ... Ae6! 31..£\ xe4 §.xg2 32.§.xg2 fxe4
168
Solutions
33.~b7 ~h5 34.~xe4+ ~f5 E02.12: 24... .§f7? This doesn't solve
35.~e3 .§d8 36.~g3 .§d7 37.~h2 the problem. Similarly unsatisfying is
~e40--1 24 ... ~g7? 25.e6! ~xh6 26.§xh6 ~xe6
27.§xg6+ ~f7 28.f5! and White retains
E02.n: 25 ... ~c7? This allows the a clear advantage, as pointed out by
activation of the knight with tempo. Van Ftacnik. The right solution is to bring
Delft and Ris give the following in another defender (second rank
analysis in Chess Vibes Openings: defense!) with 24 ... .§.b7! when after
25 .. J~d8? also doesn't work in view of 25. ~xg6+ ~g7 26 ..~c6 ~xg4
26:i11h6+ 'i&g8 27.!:!xe6! fxe6 (a better 27.~xd5+ ~e6 an extremely sharp
defense is 27 .. :~d4! but after 28JH6!, position with chances for both sides
with the point 28..:~xc4 29.'~g5+ ~f8 remains. Importantly all Black's pieces
30.!:!xc6, White is still on top) are at work here. 25.~xg6+ .§g7
28. 'l1'Yxe6+ <it>g7 29. 'l1'Yg8+ <it>f6 25 ... ~f8 26.f5! is equally unpleasant.
(29 ... <it>h6 30.'~f8+ <it>g5 31..£le4+! fxe4 26 •.§xh7! Winning back the piece.
32.h4+ ~g6 [32 ... ~g4 33.~f4+ ~h3 26 ... .§xg6 27.'§xe7 Axg4 28.'§c7?
34.11.fl *-] 33. ~g8+ and mate on g5) The opposite-color bishops are
30.tH8+ ~e5 and now the fantastic notoriously in favor ofthe attacker. As
31..£lb5! decides Black's fate. Black has long as there are heavy pieces on the
no defense against 32.i;;\<g7+ ~e4 board, the draw is far off. The following
33 ..£lc3+ \tlf3 34.Ae2*-. Correct was variations show how White could have
25 ... ~c5! but after 26 ..£le4 (26.'l1'Yh6+ gone about it: 28.~f2! ~f8 (28 ....§.c8
~gB 27.!:!xe6 fxe6 2B.Axe6+ Af7 29.e6! Axe6 30 ..§.hl ~f8 31.§xe6!
29 ..£ld5 l1.xe6 30.~xe6+ is only a winning) 29 ..§.a7 .§.c8 30.§hl c3 31.e6!
perpetual) 26 .. :~xc4 27.l£\f6 Black also again opening the long diagonal with
has to find the amazing save with power. 31...§g8 32J:U7+ ~e8 33.§hh7
27 ... ~e7!! 28.!:!dl I£\d4L 29 ..£lxe8+ Axe6 34 ..§.e7+ <it>f8 35.f5! and Black's
~xeB 30.~g8+ ~e7 31.i;;\<xaB 4Je2+ defense breaks (Ftacnik). 28 ... Af5
32.~g2 i;;\<e4+ 33.f3 I£\f4+ 34.gxf4 29.Wf2 .§b130 •.§xb1 Axh131.a4
i\i'e2+ resulting in a drawish ending. Af5 32.a5 Wf8 33.Ac5+ we8?
26.~h6+ ~e7 27.~h4+ ~f8 33 ... ~g8! was the last chance to fight
28.~h6+ ~e7 29 . .£ih5! ~a5 fora draw. 34..§e7+ ~d835.'§f7 Ae4
"29 .. :~b6 30.!:!xe6+! fxe6 31.~xe6+ 36.f5 .§g2+ 37.~f1 .§g5 38.Ae7+
~dB 32.i\i'd6+ Ad7 33.Ae6 wins. we8 39.Axg5 Wxf7 40.e6+ 1-0
Relatively the best was 29 ... i\i'c8 but
after 30.~xh7 Black's position looks E02.13: 26 ....§d6! Starting with this
really grim" (Van Delft/Ris). 30.b4 "only" move, Black brings in a defender
.£i xb4 31 . .§ xe6+! Destroying the last with every move. 27.exf7+ ~xf7
pawn shield of Black's king. 31 ...fxe6 28.~e2 ~c6 Unpinning and
32.~xe6+ ~d8 33.~f6+ ~c8 overprotecting the sixth rank. 29 ..£id3
34.~xf5+ ~d8 34 ... Ad7 35.l£\d6+ .§e4?! 29 ...M6! would have been more
winning the queen. 35. ~f6+ ~c8 active. 30.f3 .§ee6 31 ..£if4? 31.l£\f2!
36.axb4 ~d8 37.Ae6+ Ad7 giving the knight a stable square on e4
38.~c3+ ~b8 39 ..Q"xd71-0 would have been more tenacious.
31 ... .§e5 32.~f2 ~c4 33.g3 ~b3!
169
By now Black is ready to switch back the pawn on f7 without loss of tempo
from defensive maneuvers to by means of 26.§f6+! ~g7 (after
counterattacking. 34 . .§e1 .§d1 26 ... ~g5 27.l''!.lf5+! <;t>g4 28.cxd3 the
35.'§xd1 ~xd1 + 36.~g2g5 37.Ad4 black king doesn't get out alive)
Ac50-1 27.§xf7+ ~g8 28.cxd3 with good
winning chances, 26 ... ~xd3 The
E02.14: 44.~f4!1 Throwing a spanner queen controls the important f5-square.
in the works, distracting the black 27 ..§f6+ ~g5! Now this is possible.
queen so it won't be able to take the 28.E!.xf7 h4! Black is fighting back by
rook with check. Remember: when you all means. 29.~g1 ~e3+ 30.E!.7f2
are in severe trouble, you have to check ~h5? This unfortunate move throws
all legal options, since the solution away the previous defensive efforts.
might be hidden somewhere. After After the consistent 30 ... h3!, it seems
44.'~xgl? Black can eliminate
very unlikely that White can win in view
everything with check: 44 ... ~xcl + of his exposed king: 31.gxh3 (31.g3
45.'<fih2 '\fJc7+ 46.~gl '\fJxb7 winning. Af3! nicely keeps the white pieces
The alternative 44.'\fJxf7+? is the second restrained) 31...~h4! 32.4JeZ Ab5
best move in the position, but 33.<£lg3 <i&xh3! holding the balance,
44 ... '\fJxf7+ 45.~xgl '\fJxb7 still leads
making fantastic use of the king.
to a technically winning position.
31.4Je2 <it'h6 32.~f4 White is back
44 ... ~xf4+ After 44 ... 4Jxh3+, White
in control and decided the game in his
has to find the only move 45.~g3!
favor after a long stmggle, 32 ... a5
which turns the king into a fighting unit
itself, attacking the black knight. This 33.Etd1 a4 34.h3 ~h7 35.4Jd5 ~c5
36.~f6+ ~g7 37.a3 ~g6 38.~g4
only leaves 45 ... '\fJxf4+ 46.'<fixh3 '\fJf3+
~g7 39.Ete1 ~d6 40.~e3 ~g6
47.'<fih2 '\fJf2+ with a perpetual. 45.~g2!
Now Black won't be able to take the 41.4Jf5 ~d8 42.Ete6+ <it'f7 43.4Jd4+
rook with check. 45 .. .'~'f3+ 45 ... '\fJf2+ <it'g7 44.Ete4 Ad7 45.~f3 Af5
46.'~h 1 doesn't change anything. 46.Etd4 ~e8 47.Etxh4 ~e3 48.Etc4
46.~xg1 And Black had to settle for a b5 49.E!.c3 Ad3 50.4Jd2 ~e1 +
draw: 46 ... ~g3+ 47.~hl ~xh3+ 51.4J£1 ~b152.~h2 ~e153.Etc7+
48.~g1 ~e3+ 49.~g2 ~f3+ Yz-Yl ~g6 54.Etcf7 Ax£155.Etx£1 ~e5+
56.Et7f4 ~xb2 57 . .§lf3 ~e5
E02.15: 22 ... Af4!! A great move, 58.Etg3+ ~h5 59.Etb4 ~b8
throwing the white pieces slightly off 60.Etbg4 ~e5 61.h4 ~h6 62.Etg6+
balance. 23.E!.hxf4 23.§fxf4? '\fJcl + ~h7 63.Et6g5 ~e8 64.Et3g4 ~b8+
24.§fl (24 ..IHI h5! and the black 65.~h3 ~e8 66.Etf5 ~e3+ 67.~h2
monarch can breathe again) 24 ... '\fJxfl + ~e8 68.Etb4 ~e3 69.Etfxb5 ~xa3
25,.llxfl '<!ixf6 leaves Black on top. 70.Etb7+ <it'g6 71.Etg4+ ~h6
23 ... h5! Another key move and again 72.Etb6+ <it'h7 73.Etbb4 ~e3
the only way to stay in the game. 74.Etxa4 ~e5+ 75.Etgf4 ~g6
24.Axd8 .§xd8 25.Ad3+ .§xd3!? 76 . .§a6+ ~h7 77.Etaf6 ~g7
Fighting back, but it's not clear whether 78.Et6f5 ~e2 79.<it'h3 ~e180.Etf1
this gives better chances for survival ~e3+ 81.Et5f3 ~e5 82.g4 ~d5
than the modest 25 ... ~g7 26.§xf7+ 83.h5 ~e5 84.g51-0
~g8. 26.cxd3? White could have won
170
Solutions
E02.16: 17 ... .!fjb4?? If you chose this 23.~d2 ~xh1 24.~b8+ ~d7
move as I (MvD) did in the game, you 25.~b7+ 25.i;\txhB? ~xg2+ 26 ..ile2
score no points since that just loses. i;lt'g6! leaves Black with the initiative.
17 ... i;\tf7 is a decent option scoring 25 ... ~d8 Now the position is
some points, but the maximum points completely balanced. After a tense
go to the amazing 17 ... ~g4!! and struggle, in which both sides played for
suddenly Black takes over. 18.Ae3 a win, Black eventually came out on top.
.!fjcd3+ 19.~d2 .!fjxf2 2O.~gl.!fjxh3 26 •.!fjg5 J,te3+ 27.~xe3 ~e1+
21.'§xg6 .!fjxg122 . .§gxg1 and soon: 28.~f3 ~xgS 29.~b8+ ~d7
1-0 30.~b7+ ~e8 31.~b8+ ~d8
32. ~x b4 h5 33.Axa6 f5 34..\lh5+
E02.17: 17 ... .§fe8! An excellent ~f7 35. ~d6 ~g5 36 ..\le4 ~e7
decision, creating a flight route for the 37.b4 ~xd6 38.exd6 .§d8 39.bS
king via f8 to e7. 18. ~e2 In case White .§xd640.~e3~e741.Ad3gS42.e4
tries to break through anyway, he has f4+ 43.~e2 eS 44.Ae4 §d4 45..\ld5
to give up his very important black- e4 46.b6 e3 47.b4 .§d2+ 48.~e1
square bishop, which gives Black ~d8 49.b5 g4 SO.Ae4 §b2 51.Ad5
strong central domination, while his h4 52.h3 f3 S3.gxf3 g3 S4.f4 g2
king will be perfectly safe: 18.Axf6? SS ..\lxg2 §xg2 S6.eS §b2 0-1
Axf6 19J!xh7+ ~gB 20.~h5 ~xf4+
21.~bl ~f8 and Black is clearly better. E02.19: 18•.. .\la6? After this move the
18 ... h6J Again based on cool position remained highly unclear, but
judgment, since White is not going to Black could have gone for the tactical
give up his important bishop on h6. IB ... 4Jxe4! 19.dxe4 (19.i;lt'f3 4Jd6!
19 . .§f1 ~g8! Now White has to 20. i;\txa8 ~b7 and the white queen does
decide on his bishop's future. 20 ..\lh4 not get out alive) 19 ... i;\tb5 20.i;lt'e3 and
.!fjd5 It is clear that Black has won the here the powerful 20 ... ~a6! is a rude
opening battle and his position is in fact awakening. Now Black wins back the
slightly preferable. piece without his queen being trapped.
After 20 ... i;\txb2 21.§.fbl ~c2 22 ..ilb3
E02.18: 21.§d8+!1 A fantastic way to the black queen is snared. 19.e4 ~e7
open a escape route for the king. A nice 20.§f3 .§ad8 21 . .§g3 ~h7 22 . .§f1
find by Gelfand, considering the fact .\le8 23 ..\lb1.!fje8 24.e5 g6 25.Ac1
that it was a rapid game. There were §h8 26.§g4 .!fjg7 27 . .!fjg3 .!fjfS
certainly other moves to choose from, 28•.!fje4 ~g7 29 ..1lb2 .\lb7 30..!fjd6
but all of them leave Black with a strong .\le6 31.d4 Axd6 32.d5 Ac7 33.d6
attack. Taking on b7 right away allows ~e8 34.dxc7 §c8 3S.J;\.xf5 exfS
mate in two: 21.i;\txb7?? Ae3+ 22.'~bl 36.§g3 Ae4 37. ~h4 ~e6 38.§d1
'iiia2#. 21 ... ~xd8 After 21...'iiixdB? ~h7 39.§d6 ~xe4 4O.§dxg61-0
22.'I¥rxb7 0-0 23.c3! the white king is
perfectly safe. 22.~xb71 A double E02.20: 39 ... e31 Morphy found the
rook sacrifice like in the old days! only move to stay in the game. In fact
22 ... ~al+ 22 ... .Ile3+ doesn't work this little pawn move disturbs the
anymore since after 23. ~dl i;\tal + coordination between the white pieces;
24.\te2 all black pieces are hanging. they suddenly look a bit clumsy.
171
39 ... Ei cS? 40. ~f6! is even stronger than 6.~dl ~d3+ 7.'it>c1 e3!. Without this
it might look at first glance. 39 ... ~gS? little guy White would survive, but now
40.Eig3! is another nasty one. The rook it's all over. S.~e1 Ac3, winning.)
cannot be taken because then the d- 2... Axd4 Here another major effort is
pawn is through. 40.l3.xe3? Anderssen needed for White to stay in the game;
cracks completely. It was time to save the key move is 3.i.H5! (3.~c2? e3
the half-point with 40.~f6 Eixc4 leaves Black dominating) and after
41.~fS+ EigS 42.~f6+=. 4o ... l3.xc4 3 ... c2+! 4.~xc2 ~a2+ 5.~dl ~b1 +
41.tlYf6l3.c1+ 42.'iflh2 tlYxf4+ 0-1 6.'it>d2 ~d3+ 7.~c1 ~c3+ S.~dl
'l!1xb3+ 9.~e1 ~b1 + 10.'~d2 White is
E02.21: 44 ... l3.g5!! A great example of still hanging in there and the following
closing inroads. Either the g-file will be attempt doesn't change that: 10 ... e3+
closed or the white queen will be l1.~e2 i£yb5+ 12.~d3 ~xd5 13.Eif4!
distracted from the diagonal to b8. 'l!1g2+ 14.~dl =. 1 ... e3! A truly elegant
44 ... ~xh4+ 45.~xh4 Eifxf6 is roughly introduction to what is about to follow.
equal and the immediate 44 ... l1.g6 2. tlYxe3l3.f4!! 0-1 A hammer blow of
45.'~'bS+ ~g7 46.~gS+ ~xf6 the most powerful sort. 2... Eif4!! 3.~xa7
(46 ... ~h6 47.~fS# is a nice mate) Eixf1+ 4.'~a2 Eial#. What a picture!
47.'~h8+ wins back the queen with an
equal position. 45. tlYxg5 After 45.hxg5 E02.23: 21.gxh3? Now Black's attack
Eie3 46.~g4 ~e5+ 47.~hll1.f7 Black becomes really serious. The white king
remains two pawns up. 45 ... .11.g6 should have defended f3 itself with
46.4)g4 l3.e8? Unfortunately Black 21.~f2! which allows Black to give a
starts to slip. 46 ... h5 47.4Jf2 ~f6 still perpetual with 21...Axg2 22.'it>xg2
keeps a technically winning position. 'l!1h2+ but nothing more. 21 ... tlYxf3+
47.h5 .11.e4? This loses the house. 22.'iflgl tlYxh3 22 ... <£Ie6 first was the
47 ... Af7 was needed, so that after alternative. 23. tlYe3? 23.Af4 was the
48.<£Ih6 Ae6 all squares are covered. only chance to stay in the game.
White in turn can save himself with the 23 ... tlYh2+ 24.'iflfl f51 The open f-file
cooI49.~f5! based on a pretty mating will decide matters. 25.l3.d2 tlYh5
pattern with <£If7. Black has nothing 26.'iflg2 fxe4 27.4)g3 tlYf3+
more than a perpetual. 48.4)h6 1-0 28.~xf3 exf3+ 29.'iflxf3 l3.f8+
48.<£Ih6 efS 49.~g8+! Eixg8 50.<£If7# 30.'iflg4 jtxc3 and Black had no
is nice checkmate based on the same problems converting.
pattern.
E02.24: 26 ... 'iflh8? Many times this
E02.22: 1.l3.d2? This meets with a would have been the right square, as it
brilliant refutation. The only defense allows the other pieces to help in the
was closing inroads with 1.c3! bxc3 most economical fashion. In this case
followed by 2.Eixd4 (2.Eixc3? meets with however, the king has to play an active
another fantastic refutation: 2 ... Eid1 + role itself with 26 ... 'it>f8! since after
3.'it>c2 Eic1+!!. The rook is 27.~xd7 (27.exd5 EieS is now clearly
"untouchable," but now White doesn't better for Black) it enables the strong
have any choice but to take it with his centralizing 27 ... EieS! when it's White
king. 4.'it>xc1 ~al+ 5.~d2 ~xc3+ who has to start thinking about damage
172
Solutions
control with something like 28.~f5 Jtc6 details though, Black had even better
29.~xc5 dxc5 30Jk4 f5 31.Elxc5 fxe4 at his disposal: 36 ... h3+!! would have
32j~e2 and Black is slightly better. been the introduction to a fantastic
27.exd5!? Understandably, White tries winning sequence. 37.'it'fl (taking the
his luck in the attack. Objectively pawn with 37.~xh3 allows the brilliant
stronger might be 27. ~xd7 ~c6 37 ... E!.xd7!! 38.~xd7 [3S.E!.xd7 ~xf3 is
2s.~xc6 ~xc6 29.Eld4 with a clear the same] 3S ... ~xf3 with the deadly
advantage in the ending. 27 ....(~'e3! threat of Elh6. Now after 39. ~cS+ ~h7
The only move to stay in the game. Here 40.~f5 the undefended position of the
27 ... EleS 28.~h4!just loses as the white white rook decides the issue: 40 ... ~xdl
queen combines attack (h7) with with a technically winning position.)
defense (el). 28.§.a1 §.dd8 29 ..~h5 37 ... ~xf3!! Here Black can even allow
~g7 30.'l!\'xh7+ ~f8 31.§.f1 So far
his rook to be taken with check, because
Black has done well in a difficult of the powerful little guy on h3.
3S.~xdS+ ~h7 39.~gS+ (39.~h4+
position, but now he cracks under the
enduring pressure. 31 ... ~e7? After the E!.h6 40.dS~ h2! also wins) 39 ... ~xgS
40.d8~+ ~h7 41.~d3 ~g2+ 42.~e2
cool 31...~e5 it's not clear whether
And now this position only wins
White has more thanjust compensation
because of 42 ... Elf6! (the immediate
for the exchange. 32. ~h4 §.h8? Now
42 ... h2 doesn't work because of
White wins by force. 32 ... ~g5 still gives
43.~f3) 43.~e3 h2 and White is
chances for survival. 33.'{11{xf6+ ~d7
helpless. A remarkable set ofvariations!
34. 'l!\'xf7+ ~d8 35.J1.f51-0 37.§.h1 Preventing the nasty little
pawn move. 37 ... 'l!\'e7 The right
E02.25: 22 ... ~f7! The black king is decision as well, keeping the dangerous
not afraid and clears a square for the d7 under control. 38.§.d1 'l!\'f6
queen on g8. 23.!3.h3 'l!\'g8 24.§.h8? 39.§.h1 t}fe7 4O.§.d1 t}ff6 Y~Y:z
This tactic just does not work. The
natural alternative 24.fxg6+? ~xg6 E03.02: 25 ...fxg6?? This blunders a
25.~xg6+ ~xg6 26.Elh6+ 'it'f7 piece. With 25 ... E!.c6! Black could have
27.Elh7+ 'it'xf6 2S.Elfl + also fails to created a so-called "swinging rook,"
2S ... .f'lf4 29.~xf4 exf4 30.Elxf4+ and taking advantage of the exposed white
here any legal king move wins. It turns king position. After White's strongest
out that only the modest retreat 24.~g2! reply, 26.Ah5!, (instead, 26.gxt7+ E!.xt7
keeps White in the game. 24 ...gxf5! 27.Jlxe4 dxe4 28.~xe4?? allows
And suddenly it becomes clear that 2S ... ~g5+ 29.~g2 E!.g6! 30.~xg5
White isn't winning the queen, which Elxg5+ 31.'itlh2 E!.f6! mating) Black can
leaves Black simply a piece up. give up the exchange with 26 ... Elf6!
25. 'l!\'g7+ 'l!\'xg7+ 26.fxg7 Ad7 0-1 27.gxf7+ ElSxf7! 2S.Axf7+ 'it'xf7
29.E!.c7+ ~gS and White won't be able
Chapter 3 to prevent the perpetual with E!.g6-h6.
26.a4! An unpleasant surprise.
E03.01: 36... ~h7?! Not a bad move in 26 ... !3.c4 26 .. .'~d7 27 ..!txe4 ~g4+
itself, after which the repetition of 2S.Ag2 doesn't work either. 27.§'xc4
moves is a natural outcome of the game. t}fxc4 28.t}fxc4dxc4 29.J1.xe41-0
Because of some deeply hidden tactical
173
E03.03: 17 ... Ae7! A very strong by Becerra Rivero and Moreno. This
tactical defense. After other moves, leaves us with the only move to keep
White gains the upper hand: 17 ... exf5?? hope alive: l...~ xf2!! The rook that was
l8.~xe8+ ~c7 19 ..\ld8+ is the tactical hanging on f7 anyway, gives itself up
defense White based his play on. for the greater good. 2.'it'xf2 ,llxd3
17 ... Ab4? l8:l~txf7 bxc4 (18 ... Axel 3.§xd3 Axd6 and Black has done a great
19 ..\lxe6! ~b8 20.~xd7 gives White a deal of damage control. 2.~xe5! Now
winning attack) 19. ~xd7+ 'it'b8 it's all over. 2 ... l3.fd7 After 2... ~ff6
20.Af4+ 'it'a8 21.c3 and now the 3.§xd6 §xd6 4.~h8+ W the worst is
sacrifice on c3 doesn't give Black full yet to come for Black: 5.Ae5! winning.
compensation. lS.Axe6?! This just 3.~hS+ ~fi 4.ru3+ ~e7 5.~gSl-0
isn't enough. The most stubborn
defense would have been the queen E03.05: 20 ... Ab1!! A very elegant
sacrifice 18.Axb5!? exf5 19.Axd7+ tactical defense. The bishop moves with
'itJb8 20.Axe7 ~xe7 21.§xe7 and Black gain of tempo, disconnecting the white
still has to show some good technique rooks and thereby creating back rank
after 21...~xa2 22.c3 ~d8 and Black is problems. 20 .. .f5? also saves the piece
clearly better. 18 ..\lxe7?? doesn't work since the white f-pawn is pinned, but it
because of the simple l8 ... exf5 does leave the initiative with White after
lS ...fxe619. ~g4 .Q.xg5+ 20. ~xg5 something like 21.§ad1 ~c4 22.h3!?
~bS There is nothing wrong with 21.'l\?tel 21.§xe8+ ~xe8 doesn't
20 ... ~xa2. 21.~xg7 .£lb6 22.Etxe6 change anything. 21. .. .Q.f5 Black is
Etxe6 23.~xhS+ .£le8 24.a3 ~e7 perfectly fine. 22.~d1 'l\?txd1
25.l3.d3 ~f4+ 26.~b1 l3.el + 27.~a2 23.l3.exd1 l3.adS 24.f3 ~g7 YI-YI
~e4+ 2S.l3.b3 a5 29.~e3 ~f1
30.~g3+~a731.l3.d3.£lb632.~b3 E03.06: 16. ~e3 This one can be found
Ete4 33.~a2 Ete1 34.~b3 .£ld5 by means ofelimination. 16...Ae517.b4!
35.a4 l3.e4 36.e3 bxa4+ 37. ~e2 l3.e1 The key move, throwing the Black pieces
3S.~g4 ~xf2+ 39.l3.d2 .£le3+ off balance. The twin variations
40.~d3~f1+0-1 l7.~xe5?? .\lxf2+ and l7.~g5?? ~f3+!
l8 ..\lxf3 Axf2+ show White is walking a
E03.04: 1 ... l3.xd6? This loses tightrope. Additionally 17. ~c3 .\lb4
immediately. 1...Ae7? 2.~g3 .\lxd6 18. ~e3 Ac5 only leads to a draw.
(2 ... §xd6 3.~xe5! is the same) 3.~xd6! 17...Axb4After17 ...~xb4l8.~xe5the
~xd6 4.~xe5! ~ff6 5.§xd6 ~xd6 aforementioned variations are no longer
6.~xf6 ~xf6 7 ..\lxf6 with a winning available. lS.0-0! Now white is simply
ending according to Becerra Rivero and an exchange up. lS....Q.e319.l3.b1 Ae2
Moreno in Informant 62. 1.. ..\lxd3? 20.Etb7 4Jg4 21. ~xa7 ~e5 2l....\lxd2
2.~xf7 Axe4 3.~d8 with a winning 22.~xa5 Axa5 23.§b5 regains the piece.
attack. 1...~d7? 2.~c4 ~xd3 3.§xd3 22 ..£lf3 ~xe2 23.l3.bS.Q.b4 24.l3.x b4
.\lxc4 4.~d8 ~b4 5.'itfc1!! 'it'f7 (5 ... Aa6 1-0
6.Aa3 wins) 6.~xc4 ~xc4 7.bxc4 with
a technically winning position. A pretty E03.07: 26 ... ~a4? This allows a nasty
finish would be 7 ... §d6 8.~xf8+! ~xf8 tactic. 26 ... d3! would have been a good
9.Aa3 ~e7 10.f4! as again pointed out start. After the forced sequence
174
Solutions
27.§xd5+ (27.cxd3? c2 and 27.§)(d3? 30.c6 §.d5! Returning the piece, but
~c1 + don't work) 27 ... exd5 28.§xd3 also forcing the exchange of one pair of
~c1+ 29.'it'g2 ~xc2 it is White who rooks. 31.§.xd5 exd5 32.E!.xd5? Faced
should start looking for a perpetual with with such stubborn resistance, White
30.~d4. 27.§.xe6! Crashing through. goes too far! A perfect example of how
27 ... §.xg3+ This is good damage good defense can win you games. The
control, but White still gets a normal course of the game would have
technically winning position. 27 ... Axe6 been 32.cxd7+ §xd7 33.~xa5 §c7+
28.§xd4+ wins the queen. 27 ... 'it'xe6 34.~bl ~e4+ 35.~al 'ffi'c4 with an
28.§el + 'it'd7 29.~xe7+ ~c6 30.~d6+ equal position. 32 •.• 4)f8! An
wins the house. 28.hxg3 4)f5 unpleasant surprise. 33.§.xd8+ 33.§e5
29.i:/h7+ 'it'xe6 30.i:/g6+ 'it'd7 4:Je6! leads nowhere. 33 ... i:/xd8
31. i:/ xf5+ 'it'c6 32. i:/f6+ 'it'c5 34. i:/e5+ 4)e6 0-1
33.i:/e7+ 'it'c4 34.i:/e5 'it'c5 35.f4 b5
36.f5 'it'c6 37.i:/f6+ 'it'c5 38.i:/e5 E03.10: 22 ... §.fc8!! A very dynamic
'it'c6 39.§'xd4 i:/al + 40.'it'f2 i:/hl solution, sacrificing the pawn to get
4l.§'xd5 i:/xd5 42.i:/xc3+ 'it'd6 counterplay along the b-file. After
43.i:/d3 a5 44.'it'e3 a445.i:/xd5+ 22 ... b5? 23.4:Jc5 as 24.~d2 White
'it'xd5 46.'it'd2 b4 47. 'it'c1l-0 enjoys the superior minor piece.
23.'it'd2 White realizes that he should
E03.08: 24 ... g5! A moment ago it keep the files closed. 23.<tlxb6 §c6
looked like White was in possession of 24.§xc6 Axc6 25.4:J)(c4 and now
the initiative, but now he has to worry 25 ... .\ld5! wins back the white
about keeping his kingside together. queenside. 23.§xb6? .llc6! should be
24 ... §hc8?! 25.§xc8 §xc8 26.1='!.xb7 4:Jd8 avoided altogether. 23 ... .Q.c6 24.4)c3
27.1='!.b6 is still unpleasant for Black. 'it'fS and Black has reorganized. 25.e4
25.g3 h5! Again very much to the 'it'e7 26.e5 f5 27.'it'e3 b5 28.d5 exd5
point. 26.§.bx b7 §. xb7 27.E!. xb7 h4 29.E!.d1 b4 30.4)xd5+ .Q.xd5
28.'it'g2 hxg3 29.hxg3 gxf4 30.gxf4 31.§.6xd5 E!.c7 32.E!.c1 E!.b5 33.~d4
E!.h4 3l.'it'g3 E!.hl! The black rook §.xd5+ 34.~xd5 §.d7+ 35.'it'c5 §.d2
and knight are a surprisingly effective 36.E!.xc4 E!.xb2 37.E!.xb4 §.xa2 38.g4
duo in this position, as will be illustrated fxg4 39.fxg4 ~e6 40.~d4 §.d2+
by the following variations. 32.'it'g2 41.~e4 §.e2+ 42.~f4 E!.f2+ 43.~g5
White sensibly decided to repeat ~xe5 44.E!.a4 §.f7 45.§.xa6 §.b7
moves. 32.Ab5? 4:Jd4 33J1.e8 is refuted 46.E!.a8 'it'e6 47 .§.a4 ~e5 48. 'i!Jh6
by the cool 33 .. .'M8! and now 34.lixf7?? §.c7 49.~g5 §.b7 50.E!.al ~e6
blunders apiece to 34...§h7. 32.§b64:Jd4 51.l~f1 Etb4 52.h5 gxh5 53.gxh5
33.§a6?? also blunders a piece, since after E!.b5+ 54.'it'h6 §.b7 55.§.f6+ Yz-Yz
33 ... §dl the bishop is trapped in the
middle of the board! 32... E!.h4 33.'it'g3 Chapter 4
§.hl34.'it'g2 %-Yz
E04.01: 32 ... 'i!Jh7! Unpinning the
E03.09: 29 ... E!.h5! Black kept a cool rook. 33.E!.gl?! Not really putting Black
head and found a creative rook to the test. 33.~e7!? §fl + 34.'it'h2 §xal
maneuver to neutralize the pressure. 35.d8~ ~e3 36.~xg7+ <;t>xg7 37.~e7+
175
~gS 3S.'('iYf7+ ~hs 39.~f6+ ~h7 E05.02: t ....§a7!? Going for the second
40.~xal ~xe6 (Krasenkow) should be rank defense still holds. The game went
drawn of course, but White can 1... §bS? 2.~gS! l"tb2?! (2 ... §bS 3.§h6+
continue to fight. 33... .§f3! A pretty ~g7 4.§h7+! ~gS 5.§e7! ~hS 6.Ae6
rook sacrifice, ensuring the perpetual. §b7 7.§eS+ ~g7 8.ElgS+! ~h7
34. ~bS 34.gxf3 ~xf3+ 35.§g2 ~f1 + 9.~f6! +-) 3.<;!;>f6 Elh2 4.Elg3 Elf2
36.~h2 Ae5+ 37.§g3 ~f2+ 3S.~hl S.Elh3+ 1-0 2.~e5 .§g7 3 . .§a6
'ti¥fl + 39.~h2 is a perpetual as well. 3.Elh6+ ~gS! 4.,ile6+ ~f8! leads to the
34... .§xh3+ 35.gxh3 ~e4+ with a typical stalemate defense, S. 'it'f6
perpetual. Yl-Yl Elf7+!=. 3 ... ~gS 4.Ag6 4.'it'e6 Elf7=
4 ... ~fS!=
E04.02: 3S••• ~xc5+? Black misses his
chance. Instead 3S ... AdS! forces the E05.03: t. ~f6? Direct active play with
perpetual: 39.'ti¥a3 ~e3+ 40.~b2 ~eS+ the e-pawn loses. First the bad position
41.~c3 'ti¥xh2+ 42.~c1 'ti¥gl + as pointed
of the bishop must be exploited with
1.~h4 ~d7 2.f3 h5 (2 ... ~e6 3.fxg4 Afl
out by Mikhalevski. 39.~b2 i:i1/f2+ Now
4.~gS ~xeS 5.h4 Ad3 6.hS ~e4 7.'it'h6
it is too late for 39 ... AdS because of
~f4 8.gS ~g4 9.g6 and the final black
40:~a3 ~xa3+ 41.~xa3 ~xeS 42.§b7
with a winning ending (Mikhalevski). pawn will be exchanged) 3.f4 ~e6
4.~xhS 'it'fS and now everything is
40.~a3 ~xeS 40 ... Ad5 41.§b2! and
prepared for the amazing stalemate final:
40 .. .'~c5+ 41.~b4 don't work either.
5.~h4 ~xf4 6.e6.Q..fl 7.e7 Ab5 8.h3
41.~e6+ <it'f842.M6+~43 ..§b8+
g3 9.e8~ AxeS stalemate (Peters).
~d7 44•.§d8+ ~c7 45.i:i1/d6+ 1-0
1.•. ~d8 2.~f7 Af13.e6 Ac4 4.~g7
~e7 5.~xh7 ~xe6 6.~g6 ~e5
E04.03: 26 ... E!d1+! The active 7.~g5Ae6o-1
26 ... 'ti¥c2 should draw as well, but
Piket's move is more convincing. E05.04: 1.ldg1lde3+ 1...el ~ 2.<tlf3 ~;
27.~h2 ~f5! Forcing the standard 1...4:)f4+ 2.~hl el<£l 3.<£lf3+ <£lxf3
pattern. 2S . .§xd1 ~h5+ 29.~gl stalemate 2.~h3 Idf4+ 3.~h2 Idg4+
~xd1+Y:z--Yl 3... el<£l4.<£lf3+ <£lxf3+ 5.~g3 winning
back one ofthe knights. 4.~h1ldf2+
Chapter 5 4 ... el<£lS.4Jf3+ 4Jxf3 stalemate; 4 ... el t1
stalemate. 5.~h2 elld 6.ldf3+
E05.01: 61 ... ldg4! 62.ldd3 62.<£lxg4 Idxf3+ 7.~g3 ~e3 stalemate.
stalemate is the point. 62 •.. ldh2+
63. ~e4 Idg4 After 63 ...~xg3? 64.<£le5 E05.05: 1.g7+ ~h7 2.g6+ ~h6
Black's knight is dominated and 3.aSi:i1/ .§xaS and now the key move:
64 ... ~h4 can be met by 65.<£lf3++-. 4.~f7! The king is heading for the
64.lde5 Idf6+ 65.~f3 65.~f5 ~xg3 corner. 4 ... .§a7+ 5.~gS E!xg7+
66.~xf6 <;!;>xf4= 65 ... ldg4 66.ldc4 5 ... ~xg6 6.~h8 Elxg7 stalemate.
Idh2+ 67. ~e4 1df16S.lde3 Id xg3+ 6.~hS and amazing as it may seem,
69.~e5 ~h2 70.~d6 Idh5 7t.f5 Black cannot win: 6 ... E!a7 6 ... §xg6
Idg7 72.f6 Y:z--Yl stalemate. 7.g7 .§xg7 stalemate Yl-Yl
176
Solutions
E05.06: 1 ... l£lf3+! The correct knight White's activity and attack give him
check. 1.. ..£Jh3+? 2.<it'h2 ~xf1 3.~h7+ winning chances. With four rooks on
<it'g4 4.'~h4 "" 2. ~g2 2.exf3 ~xf1 + the board the position has more of a
3.~xfl stalemate; 2.<it'f2 ~el + 3.~g2 middlegame character, which plays into
~xe2+!! 4.Axe2 stalemate. White's hands. The greedy 44 ... Eihl +?!
2 ..• ~xe2+!! Everything fits exactly. 45.<;>g3 Eixa4? runs into 46. Ei bb7 +-.
3.1ixe2 stalemate Y>-Y> 45.~g3 45.~a5 is met by 45 ... ~dl!
(Marin). 45 ••. h5 46.h4 <;!tfS 47.13d6?
E05.07: 42.13xg7+ ~xg7 43.13a7+ This makes the defense very easy. By
~hS 0-1 and Campora resigned but now White's best chance was the
the stalemate was "just around the exchange of rooks: 47.Eixbl Eixb148.a5
comer:" 44.13xh7+ ~xh7 45 •.if)g5+ ~a149.Eid5 Eia4 (Marin) was called for,
fxg5 46. ~xg6+ ~xg6 stalemate but should be tenable for Black.
47 ... 13g1! This counterattack
Chapter 6 guarantees the draw. 4S.13db6 Yz-Yz
E06.01: 54...13g3? This hasty exchange E06.03: 1. .. 13b1!! The only way to
of rooks throws away the win. 54 .. JU8! accomplish some exchanges in order to
55.t~gl Eib8+ 56.<;>a4 Eia8+ 57.<it'b5 weaken the harmony of the attacking
Eia3 58.<it'c6 Eixb3 first winning a pawn army. The alternatives all fail to
and only then offering the exchange of convince: 1...~g5? 2.h4 ~xh4 3.Eiel ±;
rooks was the way to go: 59.~d5 Eib8! 1...Eixg2+? 2.~xg2 ~e2+ 3.<it'g3 ~e5+
60.~c6 Eif8 61.<it'b5 Eif3 62.<it'c6 Eig3 4.~f3 Eixc6 5.Eid8+ ~g7 6.e8~
and with the Black king returning to (6 ...Ild4? runs into 6... Eif6+ 7.<it'g2 ~xe7)
play the win is no longer problematic. 6 ... ~f5+ 7.~g3 ~g5+ 8.\tlf2 ~f5+
55.13xg3 ~xg3 56.b4! This was not 9.~el Eie6+ lO.Ae3! Such moves are
too difficult to calculate because there easy to miss in advance. 10 ... ~xe8
are no sidelines. 56 •••cxb4 57.~a4 11.Eixe8 ~a5+ 12.~f2±; 1...~b8?
~f4 5S.c5 ~e5 59.c6 ~d6 Yz-Yz and 2.Eiel +-; 1...Eixc6? 2.Eid8+ ~h7
a draw was agreed in view of60.~b3 (2 ... <;>g7 3.e8~ Eixg2+ 4.~xg2 ~g5+
~xc6 61.<it'c4!. An impressive tour de 5.~hl ~xc1 + 6.Jlgl! another key move
force by the white king, dismantling the with the bishop, winning) 3.e8~ ~xe8
knight/pawn construction and (3 ... Eixc5 4.'i¥Yxt7+ ~h6 5.~f8+ Y/ffg7
simultaneously shouldering off the 6.Y/ffxc5 wins) 4.~xe8 Eixa2 5.Eih8+!
black king. 61...~b6 62.~xd3 ~b5 <it'xh8 6.Ad4+ +-. 2.13dS+ ~g7
63.<it'c2 <it'a4 64.~b2 and White holds. 3.13xb1 ~xc5+4.~h1 ~xc65.h3=
Aagaard reached this position in his
E06.02: 44•..13gb1! "Given the drawish analysis of the game Aijala-
tendency of the single-rook ending, Sigurjonsson, Graz 1972.
Black manages to prevent his opponent
from doubling rooks on the seventh E06.04: 19 ... -'tb3! Black fights his
rank" (Marin). 44 ... h5 45.h4 Eigbl way into White's camp. 19 ... ,a,e6?
works as well, but not 45 ... ~hl+?! 20.Axb5 Y/ffb6 2l..11c4 Axc4 22.Y/ffxc4
46.~g3 Eixa4? 47.Eibb7 ~f648.Eixt7+ Y/ffxb2 23 ..£Je3 and 19 ... .!lxd3? 20.~xd3
<it'e5 49.~b5+ ~e6 50.Eif8± when c4 21.Eiddl :§fd8 22 ..£Je3 are both
177
highly unpleasant because of White's ~el+ 35.'it>a2 Ae6+ 36.b3 ~f2

strategic initiative on the light squares. 37.fid2 ~f3 38.~g5 ~c3 39.fie2
20.fidc1 e4! 21.Abl ~a5 "Looks M5 40.'it>bl h5 41.fig2 ~f3 42..§g3
slightly shocking in that both the ~e60-1
potential defenders of d5 have
completely abandoned ship. However, E06.06: 22 ... 'it>f7? This allows White
control of d5 in itself has only so much to keep all the rooks on the board, with
mileage. The self-entrapment of the his rooks active and Black's passive.
bishop on b3 helps to ensure that the The tactical trick 22 ... §eS! almost
black minor pieces do a great 'holding equalizes as 23 ..§ xf6+?! runs into
job' on white's rooks. Concede one set 23 ...'!:le7 24 ..§c6 ~d7 25 ..§f6 ~e7=. So
of light squares to gain control of White must try something like 23 ..§c6,
another set. To me this was excellent but after 23 ... .§adS he is only very
and very original defense." (Wells in slightly better. 23 . .§e6 .§d7 24•.§el
ChessBase Magazine 92) 22.~e3 ~e7 25.Eke6 ~d5 26.a5
Aa4 23.~d5 ~d6 24.fiel ~b3
25.fia3 ~e5 26.g3 fifd8 27.~d2
Ae7 28.~f1 Af8 29.~fe3 ~e6
30.~b4 ~d3? It is not necessary to
give up a pawn. After 30 ... .£\b3 Black
has a strong initiative. 31.Axd3 exd3
32. ~d2 Ax b4 33.exb4 Ae2 34. 'it>g2
fide8 35.fie3 ~e7 36.~xe2 dxe2
37.~xe2 fid8 38.fie5± fid4
39. ~e3 ~d7 40.fie3?! f6 41.fie7
~e8 42.h4 'it>h7 43. ~c5 fie4
44.~a7 fixe7 45.~xe7 fic846.~d6
fid8 47. ~c5 fie8 48. ~d6 Yz--~ 26 ... fib8? Too passive. Black must try
to exchange pawns and to get some
E06.05: 20.'it>hl?? This runs into a prospects for his rooks with 26 ... bxa5
direct attack. 20 ..llxg6? is also wrong 27.c£Jxa5 .§bS 2S.c£Jc4 ~g7 even ifhis
as Black gains control after 20 ... hxg6 queens ide structure is weakened. But
21.~xg6+ 4Jg7 22.~hl ileS 23.~g4
activity is much more important here as
~f6. The attacking potential must be
a rook usually gains a lot in strength if
reduced by 20 ..£\e2! .£\xe2+ (20 ... .£\c6? it can be used to create counterplay.
21.c£Jg3±) 21.Axe2 ~c7 22.ild3 and White remians for choice after, e.g.,
Black has enough compensation for the 29.h4 of course. 27.axb6 axb6
28.~d6+ 'it>f8 29.e4 ~c7 30 ..§xf6+
exchange but not more. 20 ... ~h41
21.'it>gl fif8 22.~e2 Now it is too late 'it>g7 31.~e4 fie7 32.fif3 b5 33.b3
for this because of 22 ... ~ xf3+ bxc4 34.bxe4 fib4 35 . .§e3 ~e8
23.fixf3 fixf3 24.~g3 fixf2l? 36 . .§ee3 .§c7? 36 ... h5 is more
25.'it>xf2 ~xh2+ 26.'it>e3 ~xg3+ tenacious. 37.~g5 fie8 38.h4 Even
27.'it>d2 e5 28.fifl ~f4 29.fihl the mating attack 3S . .§e7+!? ~f6
Ah3 30.'it>el e4 31.Axe4 dxe4 39.'§xh7 is playable: 39 ...~xg5 40.§f3
32.fidl ~e6 33.'it>bl ~f8 34.fid8 .§xc4 41.h4+ ~g4 42 . .§ff7 '§c2
178
Solutions
43.fl,f4"". 3S ... h6 39.4)e6+ ~f6 ~xd7 54.AfT Af2 55.il.xg6 \t'c7 56.g4
40.4)f4 ~f7 41.:5£3 :5b7 42.:5ce3 fxg4 57.~xh5 il.xh4 5S.~xg4 Jlf2
4)d6 42 ... 4Jf6 43.4Jd5 fl,c6 44.fl,e5 +- 59.<:tJd5 \t'dS 60.'!ie6 <:tJeS=.
43.4) xg6+ 1-0 49 ... ~xd750.AgSh651.Ah7 Af2
52.Axg6
E06.07: 36 ... :5bbS? Too passive.
White's pressure against fT will be very ~c7 53.~d5 Axg3 54.~e5 Axh4
difficult to deal with. Counterplay with 55.~xf5 Ag3 56.~g4 Af2 57.~h5
36... fl,xd2 37.fl,xd2 g5! (Lutz in CBM Ae3 5S.f5 ~d6 59.Af7 59.f6 '!ie6
92) is the order of the day: 3S.fl,d5 g4 60.f7 ~e7 61.b6l.txb6 62.'!ixh6 '!if8=
39.4Jd2 fl,bS=. 37.:5xdS+ §.xdS 59 ... ~e7 60.~g6 Y:z-'l2
3S.Ac4 4)fS? This just wastes
valuable time. Black's last chance is to E06.09: Black's rook must remain on the
try to get some activity with 3S ... b5!? board as otherwise he will fall into
39.Axb5 g5. 39.:5a7 4)e6 The rook zugzwang sooner or later: 4S ... :5bS!
exchange 39 ... fl,d7?! runs into 40.fl,xd7 4S ... fl,xg2+? 49.'!ixg2 ~el (after
4Jxd7 41.e6! 4Jf6 42.e7 4JeS 43.il.b5 +- 49 .....QJ6 50.'!if3 <:tJfS 51.fl,dl Ae7
(Lutz). 40.:5b7 :5eS 41.:5xb6 4)fS 52.fl,gl ~f6 53.'!ie2 Ae7 54.fl,g6 .fidS
42.4)g5 :5e7 43.f4 4)d7 44.:5b7 ~fS 55.fl,h6 '!ig7 56.'§h5 ~f6 57.'!id3
45.4) xf7 4) xe5 46.:5bS+ 1-0
E06.08: Black must exchange rooks in

order to construct a fortress: With rooks
on the board White wins easily, e.g.,
39 ... :5dS! 39 ... ~f7? 40.~b7 fl,dS
41.fl,xb6 axb6 42.a7+- or 39 ... <:tJe7?
40.Ab7 Ac5 41.b6+-. 40.:5xe6 ~f7
41.:5d6 :5xd6 42.exd6 ~e6 43.d7
~e5 44.~d3 AdS 45.h4 g6 46.g3
Ab6 47.~c4 ~e6 4S.f4 ~d6
49.Ad5 49.~d3 '!ie7 50.~e2 h5
White's rook manages to break free no
matter, what Black does, e.g., 57 ...'!ig6
[57 ... '!igS 58.fl,xf5 '!ig7 59.~e3 <:tJg6
60.<:tJe4 '!ig7 61.fl,h5 .fidS 62.'!ie3 .fie7
63.f5 iaJ6 64.'!ie4 .fidS 65.f6+ ~xf6
66.l''!f5+-] 5S.e7 '!if7 59.fl,xf5 'iJ)xe7
60.fl,h5 '!if7 61..§h7++-) 50.'!if3 il.g3
51..§e3.flli2 52 ..§el.fig3 53.fl,e2 +- (D)
with decisive zugzwang. 49.:5g1 After

49 ..§g5 Black can even enter the rook
endgame with 49 ... b3 50 ..§xc3 b2 51..§gl
and Black's fortress can not be stormed, bl~ 52.'§xbl fl,xbl as White's king can
e.g., 51..~d5 ~dS 52.\t'd3 Ab6 53.'!ic4 not be activated in time, e.g.,53 ..§c2 fl,b4
54.fl,g2 .§xa4 55 ..§g7+ 'iJ)eS
179
30.Jixc6 ~xc6 31.Elxd6 ~c7 with a

level position. 25 ..•f5 Black's mobile
pawn majority will give him enough
compensation for the exchange.
Furthermore his position is easier to
play. 26.Axf8 ~xf8 27.Ae2 Ah6
28 ..E!c2 Ac8 29.~c3 ~fd7 30.t'!el
et\f6 3l.Afl f4 32•.E!ce2 .E!f8 Black
also has alternatives to demonstrate
that he is not worse: 32 .. .f3!? 33.gxf3
Af5 34 ..£le4 (34.§.b2 Af4 35 ..£le4
.£lfxe4 36.fxe4 Axe4 37.~g4 ~g7
56J'id7 Elxc4 57.Elxd6 §.d4= 3S:flh4 h6=) 34 ... .£lfxe4 35.fxe4 Ag4
(Yusupov). 49 .•. Ad4 50.labl lag8 36.~g2 Jixe2 37.'flxe2 §.fS 3S:~'g4
51.ladb3 Af2! 52.t'!fl Ag3+ ~f7=; 32 ... .Q.f5!? 33.~a4 ~xa4
53.<it'hl lag7 54.t'!b2 lag8 55.lab3 34.~xa4 ~d7 35.et\e7+ <it'h8
t'!g7 56.lab2 t'!g8 57.t'!bbl lag7 36.~xc8 ~xc8 37.~a3 et\c5
58.t'!f3 .E!g8 59.t'!bfl lag7 60.lae3 38. ~f3 ~f5 Yz-Yz
.E!g8%.-Yz
E07.03: 2l ... lac4! "A great tribute to
Chapter 7 the importance of the center. An
exchange sacrifice to release mobile
E07.01: 30 ... et\g4! Black can sacrifice center pawns is by no means unheard
the exchange. Against 30 ... .£ld7? White of, but it is striking that Black's
defends with 31.~xb2 ~xel+ 32.§.f1 compensation suffices here. Note too
~e3+ 33.'flf2 and Black is probably
that the exchange of the bishop on a2
better, but matters are far from clear. rather weakens white's light squares on
30 ... ~e5?? 31..!tc3 +-. 31. ~ x b2 the queenside." (WeIls) 22.Axc4
~xel + 32.Afl d5! and Black's strong
bxc4 23.Axh6 ~xd5 24.Ad2 ~c7
passed pawns give him a winning 25.~g3 ~c6 26.f3 ~e6 The knight
advantage: 33.~b7 33.~e2 '@Jxe2 is on its way to either b3 or d3. 27. ~e2
34.Axe2 c4 35.Elg3 Ac5+ 36.'Ml.£le3+ ~c5 Yz-Yz
37.~el Ab4+ 3S.\t'f2 .£lc2-+ (Ribli) .
33... ti1fe6 34. ti1fbS c4 35.a4 d4 36.a5 E07.04: If White does not take on e5 then
d3 37. ti1fdS ti1fe5 38.g3 ~b2 39.Ag2 Black will develop a dangerous initiative
ti1fc1 + 4o.Afl ti1fd2 41.Ag2 ~el + on the kingside sooner or later. Shirov's
42.Afl et\e5 43.t'!f6 d2 0-1 sacrifice on the other hand gave him
enough compensation and an easy draw:
E07.02: 24 ... e5! Once you have the 33.t'!xe5! dxe5 34.d6 ~d8 35.~d5
right mindset, this move is obvious. White's active centralized army can not
After 24 ... .£le5?! White's space be defeated. 35... ~g5 36. ~xc5 ti1fcl +
advantage is always felt, e.g., 25 ...\le2 37.<it'h2 37.~gl ~d2 3S.c5 e4 39.d7
~cS 26.f4 .£le4 27.fxe5 .£lxg5 2S ..£ld2.
e3 40.c6 e2 41.c7 el ~ 42.cS~ is
25.Ae7 25.dxe6 fxe6 26.Elc2 .£lbS playable as well according to Ribli in CBM
27.§.d2 §.f5 2S ..ae3 .£lxc6 29.bxc6Axc6 69. 37••• ~f4+ 38.<it'gl ~cl+ 39.~h2
180
Solutions
after 26.~hl 4Jg3+ (The fantastic

26 ... 'I'i¥g3!?, threatening 'i!i'h2!, is met by
E07.05: Black is for choice as he has the simple 27.gxf3 and Black has
IS ... d5! 19.J,lg2 19.4Jxg8 dxe4 nothing more than a perpetual) 27.4Jxg3
20.Etgl Af3 with very strong 'i!i'xg3 28.gxf3 'i!i'xh3+ 29.~gl Etxe3
compensation according to Rogozenko 30.'i!i'g2 'i!i'f5 with ideas like Ete6 and
in CBM 118. 19...Axa3! 20.bxa3 J,le6 EtaeS.
21.~xgS E!xgS 22.E!gl rJlc7 23.0-
0-0 ~d6 "White has terrible pawns, E08.02: 16... c5! The typical reaction.
which I can hardly even name as a Black's knight on b6 is excellently
'structure.' His major problem is the lack placed to defend the isolani and to
of any activity." (Rogozenko) 24.Af3 create play on the queenside. 17.dxc5
E!cSl Black's active rook must remain ~xc5 IS.§hel rucSI9.E!fdl ~b4
on the board. Another example of the 20.§bl ~a3 21.E!b3 ~e7 22.~d4
guideline that the side with the rook Ag4 23.E!el ~f6 24.f3 Ad7 "All
welcomes exchanges and the side with Black's pieces are perfectly placed,
the minor piece(s) wants to avoid them.
while the central pawn is well defended.
25.~b2 ~a5 26.E!g7? Misguided
Black has no problems at all." (Marin)
activity, but White's task is unpleasant
25. ~f2 §a3 26. ~b2 E!aaS 27. ~f2
in any case. 26 ... ~c4+ 27.'ifjlal ~xa3
§a3 28. ~b2 §aaS %-%
2S.J,lh5 E!xc3 29.J,lxf7 E!c7
30.Axe6 E!xg7 31.Axd5 ~c2+
E08.03: 20.b5? would have been
32.'ifjlbl ~d4 33. .Q"b3 E!g2 34.h3
premature as it allows Black to open the
§xf2 35.§gl ~xb3 36.axb3 'ifjlc5
37.§g6 a5 3S.§xh6 'ifjlb4 39.§b6 queenside on his terms: 20...cxb5! The
§f3 40.'ifjlc2 E!c3+ 0-1 typical 20 ... axb5?! 21.axb5 c5 plays into
White's hand in view of22.dxc5 4Jxc5
Chapter 8 23.Etal and White is in control.
21.axb5 E!ec8 22.~b2 a5! With the
E08.01: lS ... ~cSl Heading for the idea 4Jb6 and good black prospects on
ideal square on d6. 19.~b2 19.4Jb3 the queens ide (Marin in CBM 107).
4Jd6 20.4Jc5 g6 21.4Jf4 Af5 and Black
is fine. 19 ... ~d6 20.a4 JU5! Good E08.04: Activity is the order of the day:
timing to get rid of those bishops. 23 ... ~e4! 23 ... b5? is met by 24.Ag5!
21..Q"xf5 ~xf5 22.~c3 22.b5?! runs with strong pressure, e.g., 24 ... Eta6
into 22 ... 4Jxe3! . 22 ... ~g6 23.b5 25.Etcl EtcS 26.Etbc3 ~fS 27.Axf6 gxf6
~gh4! As it appears Black is suddenly 2S.g3 24.E!cl?! 24.Etb2 g5 25.~h2
having a strong initiative on the 4Jc3 is the lesser evil. 24 ... ~d2
kingside. Now 23 ... 4Jxe3?! is answered 25.E!bc3 ~c4 and now 26.b5? ran
by 24.Etel. 24.~f1 ~g5 25.f4 and into 26...cxb5 27.§b3 §as 2S ..1\c7
now instead of 25 ... ~dS?! which §a3 29.E!xa3 .1\xa3 30.§bl §c8
ultimately led to a win in the game as and Black managed to convel1 later. So
well, Gurevich could have played 26.4Je5 is more tenacious, but Black
25 ... 4Jf3+! with a very strong initiative remains for choice after 26 ... 4Ja3.
181
Chapter 9 right way in his work Practical Rook

Endings (Olms 1999): 57 ... !"lc4! 58.c6
E09.01: 36 .•. §.b8? Black had to §c3 59.!"ld6 b3 60 ..§xf6 ~d8 61.§d6+
change the guard of a6 and free his rook 'ifte7 62.§e6+ 'iftd8=; 57 ... !"le5?!
for activity, which is very often of 58.§b3 §xf5 59.§xb4 is probably
crucial importance in rook endings: drawn as well, but not as convincing as
36 ... ~c7! 37.~c5 ~b7 38.~d6 §e8 Korchnoi's solution. Too passive is
39.§a3 g5! (39 .. .f4? 40.exf4 §e2 57 ... !"le7? 58.c6 b3 (58 ... §e5 59.c7 !"le8
41.g4+-; 39 ... d4?! 40.exd4 §e2 4U'k3 60.'iftc6 a5 61.!"ld5 and Black will be
§xg2 42.§xc6 is not convincing as mated) 59.!"lg3 !"le8 60.!"lxb3 §e5
White's activity is still very dangerous) 61.§g3 §b5+ 62.'iftxa6 §bl 63.!"lg7
40.g3 (40.§c3 f4 41.exf4 gxf4 42.!"lxc6 and White wins. 58.§.g3! White is a
§d8+ 43.~c5 d4=) 40 ... g4! 4l.fxg4 pawn down for the time being, but his
fxg4 42.§c3 !"lf8= (Dvoretsky in his active pieces give him a winning
excellent Endgame Manual) 37.a3 initiative. 58 ... b3 Now it is too late for
§.a8 38.e4! A typical technique to 58 ... !"lc4 59.c6 'iftd8 60.c7+ ~e7
convert an advantage in the endgame: 61.§e3+ ~d6 62.!"ld3+ \t'e5 63.§d8 b3
Flohr opens a second front. 38 ... fxe4 64.c~ !"lxc8 65.!"lxc8 a4 66.!"lc5+ ~d4
39.fxe4 dxe4 40.~xe4 §.an This 67.§b5 ~c4 68.~a5 a3 69. !"l b4+ ~c3
passivity is fatal. This was the last 70.~a4 a2 71.§xb3+ ~c2 72.!"la3 ~b2
chance to free the rook with 40 ... ~c7! 73.~b4+- (Kasparov). Not working
but White has won a lot of time now either is 58 ... !"ld4 59.'iftxa5 ~c7
and his winning chances remain good 60.~b5 §f4 61.!"lg7+ ~d8 62.~c6+-.
after 41.h4! ~b6 42.g4 .§f8 43.h5 59.Wc6 Wb8 59 ... §d4 60.§xb3 a4
(Dvoretsky). 41.~f4 h6 42.h4 ~e6 61.§b5 §h4 (61...!"lf4 62 ..§a5 ~b8
43.~g4 §.a8 44.h5 g5 44 ... gxh5+ 63.~d7 !"lxf5 64.c6! is a trick to
45.'iftxh5 !"lg8 46.g4+- (Alekhine) . remember) 62.!"la5 ~b8 63.~d7 ~b7
45.g3!? A useful prophylactic move to 64.~e6 and the white f-pawn will
prevent any invasion by Black's rook decide the game. 60.§.xb3+ Wa7
via f4. 45 ... §.a7 46.~f3 §.a8 47.~e4 61.§.b7+ Wa6 62.§.b6+ Wa7
§.a7 48.~d4 ~d6 49.~e4 We6 63.~b5 a4 64.§.xf6 .§f4 65.§.xh6
50.§.e5+ ~d6 50 ... ~f6 51.§c5 §c7 a3 66.§.a6+ ~b8 67 . .§xa3 .§xf5
52.!"la5 !"la7 53.'iftd4 ~e6 54.~c5 §d7 68..§g3 §.f6 69.§.g8+ ~c7 70•.§g7+
55.!"lxa6 §d3 56.!"lxc6+ 'iftf7 57.a4 §xg3 WcS 71.§.h71-0
58.!"lxh6+- (Levenfish, Smyslov).
51.§.e8 c5 51...a5 52 ..§h8 axb4 E09.03: 66 ... §.fl+? The wrong
53.§xh6+ 'iftc5 54.axb4+ ~b5 55.!"lg6 direction. Only 66 ... !"la4! works: 67.g5+
and White wins. 52.§.d8+ ~c6 (67.~f5 can be met by the fantastic
52 ... 'iftc7 53.!"lh8 cxb4 54.§h7+ ~b6 stalemate defense 67 ... !"l f4+! or
55.!"lxa7 ~xa7 56.axb4 and the pawn 67 ... !"lxg4! ) 67 ... 'iftxh5 68.!"lh7+ ~g4
ending is easily won. 53.§.c8+ Wb6 69.g6 and now Black's rook saves the
54.§.xc5 §.h7 55.§.e5 ~c6 56.§.e6+ day in typical fashion: 69 ... !"la6+
Wb5 57.Wf5 §.f7+ 58.§.f61-0 70.~f7 !"la7+ 71.~g8 !"la8+ 72.~g7
~g5=; 66 ... !"la5? 67.'§d6 is winning for
E09.02: 57... a5? Korchnoi showed the White. 66 ... !"la6+? 67.'~f5 §a5+ 68.~e4
182
Solutions
E!a6 (6S ... E!a4+ 69.E!d4 E!a6 70.E!d5 is 74 ... ~c7 75.e7 E!f3+ is also playable)
the same) 69.E!d5 and White wins. But 75.e7 ~f4= 6s.~f6 ~xc6 69.~e7+
not 69.E!d4?? 'it'g5! with a typical ~d5 69 ... ~c7 70.E!xh5 ~c6 71.e6
fortress). 67.f.t'e5 13e1+ 68.~f4 13f1+ E!el n.E!h2 'it'd5 73.'it'd7 winning.
69.~g3?? This throws away the win. 70.e6 .§e5 71.~d7 ~e4 72.e7 ~f4
69.~e3! avoids the stalemate defense 73 •.§e61-0
and wins: 69 ... E!gl 70.E!d6+ 'it'h7
71.'it'f4+-. 69 ...13g1+ 70.~f3 13xg4! E09.06: 50... a4! 50 ... 'it'd5? 51.a4! ~c5
and Black draws with this pretty trick 52.~d7 ~b4 53.'it'c6 ~xb3 54.~b5
after all. v,.-v,. and 50 ... ~d4? 51.'it'd6 a4 52.bxa4 ~c4
53.a3! are both winning for White.
E09.04: 26... ~fS? Black must activate 51.b4 51.bxa4 ~d5 52.~d7 ~c5
the bishop immediately. A typical 53.~c7 'it'b4 54.'it'b6 'it'xa4= 51 ... a3!
scenario when fighting against the v,.-v,. and a draw was agreed as the b-
knight: 26 ... ~d4! 27.E!xb7 E!al 2S.a4 pawn will fall. But not 51. .. 'it'd5? as
(2S.E!d7 Ac3 29.E!e7 ilb4 30.E!e2 ~f7 White queens with check after 52.a3
3l.f3 gxf3 32.gxf3 ~xel 33.E!xel E!xa2 ~c4 53.~d6 ~b3 54.b5 ~xa3 55.b6
and Black's very active rook 'it'b2 56.b7 a3 57.bStii'++-.
compensates for the pawn minus)
2S ... ilc3 29.E!e7 ilb4 30.E!e5 ~f7 E09.07: 60 ... g6! Only this way, since
31.c5 'it'f6 32.E!e4 a5 33.c6 ~f5 the others are losing: 60 ... g5? 61.~e5
34.E!e2 E!cl 35.c7 E!xc7 and again 'it'gS 62.'it'f6 g4 63.~g6 g3 64.'£\f4 ~hS
Black has excellent drawing chances 65. 'it'xh6 'it'gS 66. ~g6 ~hS 67.h6 'it'gS
(Korchnoi in CBM 75). 27.a4?! 6S.h7+ 'it'hS 69.~h6 g2 70 ..£\g6#;
27.'it'e2!? is even better: 27 ... E!a12S.a4 60 ... ~gS? 61.~e5 ~f7 62.'it'f5+-.
E!a2+ 29.'~d3 E!xf2 30.c5 AdS 61.4JfS+ ~g7 62.4J xg6 ~f6 63.4Jf4
31.E!xb7+-. 27 ... Ad4 2S.~e2 b6 ~g5! Black needs to stick to the h-
29.13d5 Af6 30.4Jd3 E!c3?f 31.13b5 pawn. 63 ... 'it'f5? 64 ..£\e6 'it'f6 (64 .. ,f~g4
h5 32.~d2 h4 33.4Jf4 h3 34.g3 65 ..£\g7 ~g5 66.~e6+-) 65.'it'd6 ~f5
~gS 35.4Jd5 13f3 36.~e2 Ad4 66.~e7 ~g4 67 . .£\g7+- 64.~e5
37.4Je3 Ac5 3S.b4 AfS 39.a5 bxa5 64.~e6 ~xf4 65.~f6 ~e4 66.~g6
40.bxa5 a6 41.13bS ~f7 42.4J xg4 'it'e5 67.~xh6 'it'f6 is a trivial draw as
13f5 43.f4 1-0 well. 64... ~g4 65.~e4 ~g5 66.~f3
~h4! Preventing ~g3. White cannot
E09.05: 67... .§e3? White's active king make progress. 67.~f2 ~g4 6S.~e3
wiII playa decisive role in typical ~g5 69.~f3 ~h4 v,.-v,.
fashion now. It has to be cut off with
67 ... E!f3! and Black survives in all E09.08: 59.g5! With this move White
cases, e.g., 6S.E!e6 (6s.E!xh5 'it'xc6=; creates a defended passed pawn. The
6S.~xh5 E!f5+ 69.~g4 E! xe5=) other moves lose because the black
6s ... E!h3 (68 ... E!g3+ 69.'it'xh5 E!gl bishop does a good job keeping the b-
works as well) 69.E!f6 h4 70.~g6 E!e3 pawn in check and supporting his own
71.e6 ~xc6 72.~f7 h3 73.E!f2 ~d6! f-pawn: 59.gxh5? f5 60.h6 'itlf7 61.h5
The only move to save the draw. ~gS 62.'it'd3 ~h7 63.~c4 ~bS-+;
74.E!d2+ ~e5 (The passive solution 59.~f3? hxg4+ 60.'it'xg4 f5+ 61.'itlg5
183
f4 62. 'it'g4 ~t7 -+. 59 ... f5 60. \tIf3 52 ... 'it'c5!? is much more tenacious as
\tId7 60 .. .f4 61.'it'e4 ..Q.bB 62.~f3 ~f5 White has to win the queen ending after
63.~g2 ~e5 (63 ... ~e4?? 64.g6+-) 53.g4 ~d5 (53 ... g5 again simply loses
64.'it'f3 doesn't change anything. to 54.gxh5 +- ) 54.gxh5 gxh5 55.f4 ~c5
61.\tIe3 \tIe6After61...~c7 it is time 56.f5 'it'd5 57.f6 'it'e6 5B.~xd4 'it'xf6
to use the g-pawn to distract the bishop: 59.~d5 ~f5 60.~c6 ~g4 61.~b7
62.g6! 'it'xb7 63.g7 Axg7 64.~f4 Af6 'it'xh4 62.'it'xa7 ~g4 63.a5 h4 64.axb6
65.~xf5 Axh4 66.'it'g6=. 62.\tIf3 Wd5 h365.b7h2 66.bB~hl~+-. 53.Wc4
63. \tIe3 VI-VI 1-0
E09.09: 56... .£!f5! 56 ... d5?! draws as E09.12: 1 ....§xh4+! 2.~xh4 Ad5! VI-
well, but is much more complicated, e.g., VI and a draw was agreed in view of
57 ...Q.eB (57.g5 .£lf5 5B. 'it'g4 .£le3+ 3.§.g4 (3.Axd5 e2 -+) 3... ~f6+ 4.~g3
59.~g3 .£lf5+ 60.~h3 'it'f4 61.Ag6 Ae5+ 5.'it'h3e26.~h4+ (6.Axe2Ae6=)
.£le7 62.Ac2 d4 63.Ah7 .£lc6 [even 6 ... ~g5 7.Axe2 Axg2+= (Bareev in
63 ... d3 64.Axd3 .£lc6 is playable] 64.g6 Informant 45).
d3 65.g7 .£le7 66 ...Q.xd3 'it'e5 67.h5 ~f6
6B.h6 .£lgB 69.h7 'it'xg7=) 57 ... .£lf5 E09.13: 35•.. a5? 35 ... Ac5! 36.E! xa6
5B.h5 .£ld4+ 59.~g3 (59.'it'e3 .£le6 'it'e7 (Blatny), to establish a solid
60.1td7 d4+ 61.~f3 .£lg5+ 62.~g3 ~f6 blockade, was called for. Black has
63.11f5 ~g7 64.~f4 ~h6 with a reasonable drawing chances. 35 ... E!aS?
fortress) 59 ... ~f6 60.h6 .£le6 61.~h4 also does not work: 36.d6 AdS 37 .§.b7
.£lg5 62.~h5 .£le6 63 ...Q.a4 .£lf4+ E!cS 3S.Af3 ~xc4 39.Ad5 +-. 36.d6
64.~h4 .£lg6+ 65.'it'g3 'it'g5=. 57.gxf5 Ad837..§b5a438.c5a339.Ac4f6
\tIxf5 VI-VI 40 ..Q.e6 fxg5 Or 40 ... ~aS 41.§.b7 a2
42.§.f7+ ~gS 43.~a7+ +-. 41 •.§b71-0
E09.10: 37. .§el! 37.fxg6? ~e6 and 41.AxcB?? a2-+
Black is not worse in view of his
dangerous passed pawns. 37... d2?! E09.14: 53.\tIg6? The white king walks
37 ... ~xel + 3B.~xel ~t7 39.~d2 c4 into a fatal check. 53.~f6! draws, e.g.,
40.'it'c3 ~f6 41.fxg6 'it'xg6 42.Ac1 +- 53 ...'it'xb2 54.h6 'it'a3 55.h7 b2 56.hSir1
(Stohl). 38.\tIxe2 gxf5 3B ... c1 ir1 bI 'li'f 57.~aB+ ~b4 5S.~bB+ .£lb5
39.~xc1 and the bishop defends cl. 59.ir1f4;!;; 53.h6? .£lt7+ 54.~g6 .£lxh6
39.\tIxd2 Wf7 40.Wxc21-0 55.~xh6 ~xb2 56.g4 'it'c3 57.g5 b2
58.g6 b 1~ 59.g7 ~b3 is an elementary
E09.11: SO ... d4+? Black should wait win. 53 .•• \tIxb254.h6~a3 55.h7b2
with 50 .. .'~e6! 51.'it'd4 'it'd6 52.f3 'it'e6 56.h8~ bl~+ 57.~g7 ~b2+
as White cannot make progress 58.\tIh7 ~c2+ 59.~g8 ~c4+
because 53.g4? runs into 53 ... g5!-+ 60.\tIh7 ~e4+ 61.\tIg8 ~d5+
when the resulting second passed pawn 62.\tIg7 ~xg2+ 63.~h7 ~h3+
will be decisive. 50 ... 'it'd6? 51.'it'd4 'it'e6 64.\tIg7 .£!f5+ 65.~g8 ~b3+ 0--1
52.f3 'it'd6 53.g4 'it'e6 (53 ... g5 54.gxh5
does not work here, because the black E09.1S: 99.e6! The game went 99.~f2?
king is too far away.) 54.gxh5 gxh5 'it'e4 lOO.'it'xg2 'it'xd4 101.'it'g3 Ad7
55.f4+-. 51.\tId3 \tId5 52.f3 we5?! l02.'it'f2 (102.'it'f4 <t'c3 103 ..£lf3
184
Solutions
~b2-+) l02 ... ~xe5 l03Aje2 d4 E09.17: 58...b5! brings White into fatal
104.~el ~b5 105.<£lc1 itc4 106.~dl zugzwang. 59.~cl?! This loses
~f4 107.~d2 ~e4 10B.~c2 ~e3 immediately. 59.~dl!a360.~c1 is more
109.~bl 0-1. 99 •.• ~xe6 100.~f4 stubborn as Black also has no waiting
and White's fortress cannot be taken: move now. But White's bishop is so bad
100 ... Ad1 101.~h3 ~f6 It is also that the following technical method
not possible to penetrate on the wins: 60 ... axb2+ 61..\lxb2 ~xb4
queenside: 101...~d6 l02.~e3 ~c6 62.~d2 ~c4 63 ..\lc3 b4 64 ..Ilb2
103.~d2 itg4 104.4Jgl ~b5 105.~c3 (64.Aal Ab365.Ab2.\la4-+ ) 64 ...itbl
A.f5 106.<£lf3 and Black can make no 65 ..Ilal itd3 66.itb2 ~b3 67 ..\lc1 ~a2-
progress as the bishop cannot control + (Baburin in Chess Today #3236).
d3,e2,f3 and h3 at the same time. 59••• a30-1
102.4:)g1 Ab3 102 ... .1lc2 103.4Je2
.Ile4 104 ..£lgl Gt'g6 105.~g4 ~h6 Chapter 10
106.~h4 .\lf5107.~g3 ~g5 108.~xg2
~f4 109.<£le2+ ~e3 110 ..£lc3 ~xd4 EIO.Ol:21 ... f6! and in the resulting
111.<£lxa4= 103.4:)f3 Ac4104.4:)g1 endgame Black is even slightly better.
Af1105.~g4 ~g6106.~f4 ~h5 Staying in the middlegame with
107.4:)h3 ~h4107 ... Ae2 lOB.~g3= 21...t:!h6? gives White a very strong
108.4:)g1 Now we have reciprocal attack after 22.t:!d5! ..Ilxd5 23.~c5 ~f6
zugzwang with Black to move. 24.cxd5 t:!d8 25:~i'fB+ ~d7 26.i¥Yb4
108 ...Ad3 The alternative is a draw as ~e8 27.~xb7 §.d7 2B.~c6 and Black
well: 10B ... .\la6 109.~f3 ~g5 can hardly move. 21...~g4? 22.f3 and
110.~xg2 ~f4111.~f2 ~e4112.~el now the greedy 22 ... i¥Yxc4?? runs into
~d3 113.<£le2 ~c2 114.<£lf4 .\lc4 23. i¥Yg5 with mate to follow. 22. ~xe6+
(114 ... .\lb7 115.<£lg2 ~d3 116.~dl ~xe6 23.'§'xe6+ ~f7 24•.§.e7+ ~g6
~xd4 117 ..£lf4 ~c3 llB.~cl d4 25.a5 .§.ad8 26.Ad6 .§.he8 27.'§'xe8
119 ..£le2+= and White's king will reach .§.xe8 28.f3 .§.el+ 29.~f2 .§.al
the saving comer al in time) 115.<£lg2 30.Ab4 .§.b1 31.Aa3 .§.b3 and the
~b2 116.~d2 ~xa3 117.\t>c3 ~a2 game was drawn later on.
(117 ....\le2 llB.<£le3 .\lf3 119.<£lc2+
~a2 120.~b4 ~b2 121.<£la3 .Ildl EIO.02:20 ... 4:)c5! A well calculated
122.<£lb5=) 118.<£le3=. 109.~f3 move. 20 ... .\lc5?? runs into 21..Ilxc5
Ae4+ 110.~f2 ~g4111.4:)e2 Af3 <£lxc5 22.t:!c6+ +- and 20 ... h5?
112.4:)c3 ~f4 113.4:)xa4 ~e4 21.ite3 ± gives White a dominating
114.4:)c5+ ~xd4 115.4:)e6+ ~c4 position. 21 •.§.c6+ 21.t:!xf8? <£lxe6-+
116.4)g5= 21 ... ~b7 22 . .§.xc5 .§.xd4 23 . .§.cf5
After 23.§.f7+ ~b6 24.t:!cB? Petrosian's
E09.16: 73.~h5! Black's king must not point is revealed: 24 ... itc5! 25.t:!xhB
reach the saving comer h8. The hasty t:!f4+ 26.~h2 t:!xf7 and Black's
73.a8~? lets the win slip in view of dangerous activity gives him the upper
73 .. J~xa8 74 ..\lxa8 ~g6=. 73 ... ~f7 hand. 23 •.. .Q.d6 24 . .§.f7+ ~c6
74.Jld5+! 1-0 and Black resigned 25 ..§.xg7 b4 26.~a4 .§.d5 Of course
because of 74 ... ~e7 75.a8~ t:!xa8 Black's superior minor piece provides
76.Jlxa8 ~f7 77 ..Ild5+ ~f8 7B. ~g6 +- enough compensation for the pawn.
185
The Chess Cafe Puzzle Book 3
27.b3 Ae5 2S.§.e7 c3 29.§.e6+ .Q.,d6 26.i!¥xh6 4Jd4 27.~f6 tii'xc2+ 2S,~al
30.§.e4 §.fS 31.§.xfS .Q.xfS 32.~f2 4Jf5 29.i!¥g5 ±) 26:{;¥d7 .§f8 27:~xb7
.Q.d6 33.§.e2 §.f5+ 34.~e3 a5 hxg5 2S.g3 and White might be slightly
35.§.f2 §.e5+ 36.~f3 §.f5+ 37.~e2 better, but all three results are still
§.e5+ 3S.~f1 h5 39.§.e2 §.f5+ possible. If Black takes on h4, then f7
40.§.f2 Y:z-~ will always be his Achilles' heel:
21...~xh4? 22.Axf7+ 4Jxf7 23.<£lc7+
EIO.03: 72 ... §'xe4? First White's <;fifS 24.i!¥f5 ~c4 25.b3 winning, or
queenside has to be undermined with 21...~xh4? 22 ..§xf7 4Jxf7 23.~f5
n ... a4! 73.~b7 (73.bxa4? even winning. 22.~g7+ Iit}f8 23 ..Q.xe7+
backfires completely: 73 .. Jhe4 ~xg7 24 •.Q.f5 ~f4 25.§.xf4 ~xf4
74.~b7 ~xc4 75.~xc7 ~xa4-+) 26..Q.xc8 1-0
73 ... axb3 74.~xc7 b2 75.~c6+ ~d7
76.~xb6 !'lxe4 77.~xb2 ~xc4 7S.~b6 Easy Exercises
~d4 79.~xf6 e4 80.~e6 E'!xd5 81.~xe4
~xf5 with a draw. 73.~b7 §.e3 74.§.f7 EI1.01: 1... ~c6!!0-1 In fact it is White
a4 74 ... ~xb3 75.~xf6+ ~d7 76.~f7+ who resigned after this powerful blow.
~d6 77.~cS e4 7S.~xc7 .§xa3 79.f6+-
75.§'xf6+ ~d7 76.bxa4e4 76 ... ~xa3 EI1.02 : 73.§'xe4! This solves all
77.'§f7+~d6 78.~cSe4 79.~xc7 ~xa4 technical problems. 73.hS~? and now,
80 ..§c6+ ~e5 Sl.d6+- 77.§.f7+ ~dS instead of taking the queen with a likely
7S.§.xc7 §.O 79.d6 §.xf5 SO.§.e7 e3 draw, Black has a perpetual with
S1.~c61-0 73 ... ~hl + 74.~g3 .§gl =. 73.~g2?! ~f4
doesn't spoil anything, as long as
EIO.04: 94.~dS! After 94.4:Ja5? the White returns to the original position
rook will win the domination game: with 74.~g4+ ~f5 and now finds
94 .. ,~b5 95.4:Jb7 .§b3+ 96.~c2 ~a3 75.~xe4! . 73 ... ~xe4 74.~g2 §.a2
97.4JdS ~xa6 9S.4Jf7 .§g6 99.~d3 ~g7 75.hS~ .Ei:xe2+ 76.~g3 and the rest
lOO.4:Jh6 ~g3+ 101.~e2 ~e6102.~f2 was easy: 76 ... §.a2 77.~h7+ ~d4
~g6 trapping the knight. 94.a7? runs 7S.a7 e2 79.~f2 ~c3 SO. ~c7+ ~d2
into 94 ... .§a4 95.~c3 ~xa7 96.4:JdS .§d7 S1.~d6+1-0
again trapping the knight. 94 ...§.d4+
95.~e3 §.e4+ 96.~d3! The right El1.03 :No, he is winning after
square. 96.~f3? ~eS 97.4:Jb7 (97.4:Jf7 23. ~d1! The alternatives lose:
.§f8-+) 97 ... .§aS98.~f4 ~xa6 99.4:JdS 23.Af1? ~xal 24.'§xh6? ~xfl * and
~a7 100.~f5 ~d7 101.<£le6 ~f7+ +-. 23.<£lel? ~g5+ 24 ..§g4 'l*xg4+ 25.~hl
96 ... §.f4 After 96 ... .§e7 the knight ~g2* 23 ... §.xd1+ 24.§.xd1 ~e6
joins its king with 97 .4Jb7 ~e6 9S.4Ja5 25..Q.xh7+ 'It>f8 26.§.f4+ 1-0 winning
.§xa6 99.4Jb3=. 97.a7 §.a4 98.~f7! the queen on the next move.
Now the knight escapes. 9S ... §.xa7
99.~g5 §.a3+ 100.~e2 ~-~ El1.04 :Yes, Black can save the draw
with 1 ... .Q.xg5 2.~xg5 ~f5! 2... M5?
EIO.05: 21 ....Q.cS? Only 21...4Jxg6! 3.4:Jxd5! Ag6 (3 ... ~xd5 4.Ah6+ .llg6
holds: 22.4Jg7+ ~fS 23.Axe7+ ~xg7 5.i!¥xd5 wins) 4.4Je7+ ~xg7 5.4:Jxc6
24.M6+ ~h7 25.Ag5 ~h8! (25 ... ~gS? .§xc6 is technically winning for White.
186
Solutions
Now White has nothing better than 37.exf6 .1ld5 38.Ae4 Ac4 39.Jl.g6?!
3.Ah6+ ~h8 4. ~f6+ %-% This makes it technically slightly more
difficult, but White's win is not in any
Ell.OS: I. ~e3? This logical move loses doubt. 39.l"ldl Ab6 40 ..§d7 was more
a crucial tempo. The correct way of precise. 39 ... Jl.d4 40.£1 e5 40 ... .ild5
defending was from the side with 41.l"lc1 .ile4 42.l"lc2 h3 43.l::!.d2 e5
1.~e2! .§f5 (1.. ..§f3 2.Elaxe7 and White 44.Af5 '<t>xf7 45.Axh3 +- 41.§,e41-0
has a winning counterattack) 2.~c3+
<it'g8 3.~g3 and White is simply a piece El1.08: 36 ... 4)e5! Suddenly Black
up. 1 ... §,f3 2. ~d2? This loses. It was takes over the initiative. 37.~xe5 %-
still possible to put up some resistance % and a draw was agreed in view of
with 2.Elxe7! Elxe3 3.l"l7xe3 although 37... ~f2+ 38.'<t>hl ~f3=.
after 3 ... g3! 4.hxg3 ~xe4 5.l"ldZ Black
has a clear advantage. 2 ... ~h3+ El1.09: 1 ... axb5? There was no time
3.~gl g3t 0-14.hxg3 §,xg3+ 5.fxg3 for taking back on bS. Black should have
§,f1# countered with 1.. ..§d8! 2.l"lal (2.bxa6?
l"lxdl + 3.0lxdll"la7 4.~xe4 Ae7 wins
Ell.06: 57 ... ~e7! The correct defense. for Black) 2 ... l"ld4! 3.0le4 l"lxb5 4.e3
58. ~b5+ Also after the regrouping l"lxe4 5.i;¥xe4 .§xb2 6.i;¥xe4 l::!.b5 with a
58.~b8+ l"ld8 59.~b5+ ~d7 60.~e5 level position. 2.4)e4? 2.i;¥h4 wins on
'<t>t7 61.Ac3 Black will prevail, for the spot. 2 ... Ae7 3.Ag5?! It was time
example, 61. .. ~e7 62.~f4+ <it'g8 to force a draw with 3.i;¥f3 .§d8 4.0lf6+
63.~e5 l"ld5 64.i;¥h8+ '<t>f7-+. <it'h8 5.0ld7! <it'g8 (5 ... l"lxd7 6.l"lxd7
58...~f7 59.~b8 §,d860. ~f4+ ~f6 ~xd7 7:~xf7 wins) 6.0,[6=. 3 ... §,d8
61. ~c7+ ~e8 62. ~c6+ §,d7 4.Axe7 §,xdl+ 5.~g2 c5?? Black
63 ..1lc3 Or, for example, 63.i;¥c8+ i;¥d8 loses control. With 5.. .f5 6.exf6 and
64.i;¥e5 <it'f7 and the checks are over. now 6 ... l::!.d5! (neutralizing any 0lg5)
63 ... ~e7 64.Jl.e5 ~f7 65. ~a8 After 7.~h4 ~e8 8.~h6 ~f7 9.0lg5 l"lxg5
a series of accurate defending moves 1O:f1fxg5 c6 Black could have taken
Black can start thinking about attacking control of the position, as he tends to
again: 65 ... ~xh40-1 give back the exchange on e7. 6.4)f6+
~g7 7.~h4 h6 7 ... h5 8.0lxh5+! gxh5
Et1.07: 33.g3! It looks dangerous to 9.i;¥g5+ <it'h7 1O.i;¥xh5+ <it'g8 11.Af6
open up the long diagonal, but Black i;¥c6+ 12.<it'h3 also leads to checkmate.
cannot exploit it. Instead 33.'tlxe6? runs 8.4)g4 h5 9.~f6+ ~g8 10.4)h6+
into 33 .. J~g4 34.0lc5 Axg2 35.i;¥f5 ~h71l. ~xf7+ Iit'xh612.Ag5+ 1-0
.ilh3+ 36.<it'hl Ag2+ with a perpetual.
Or 33.i;¥g6+? ~xg6 34.0lxg6l"lg4 35.g3 Ell.tO: 44.~h2! 44.l"lh3 i;¥xe5+
hxg3 36.hxg3 l"lxg3+ 37.<it'h2 l"lxa3 obviously does not work. 44 ... ~xc2
38.l"ldl .ild5 with a level position. %-% and a draw was agreed because
33 ... §,xf4 33 ... hxg3 34.hxg3 ~g7 of 45.l"lh3 when Black must give
35.0lxe6 l"lh4 and here White has the perpetual check.
excellent defense, 36.i;¥c8+! Axe8
37.0lxg7, winning. 34.gxf4 ~xf4 Ell.ll: 80 ... 4)h2? The knight gets off
35. ~g6+ ~f8 36. ~f6+ 'liYxf6 track. The right course would have been
187
80 ... ~f7! 81.~a8 l£\e5 82.~a7+ I£\fd7= Ell.14: 58•.. Etg3! Black should head
and the black pieces are organized. for a queen ending though. 58 ... gl tj+?
80 ... l£\f2? 81.~f6 4:\g4+ 82.'~le7 59.~xgl 'itxgl 60.h7 ~b3+ 61.'itc6
doesn't work either. 8Vifjlf4 ~f7 ~c3+ 6ut'd5 and 58 ... ~b3+? 59.r.t>a5
82.Ete2 .£!f183.Etf2 ~f6 84.Etxfl ~c3 60.h7 both win for White.
1-0 59.Etxg3 ~xg3 60.c8~ gl~+
61.~c5 ~bl+ and Black holds the
Ell.12: 30 •.. Ad3! Black can still draw relatively easily: 62. ~b5 ~g6+
defend h7. The other standard moves 63 ..~c6 ~bl + 64.~a7 ~h7+
for defending h7 that the attacker has 65.~a6 ~g4 Yz-Yl
to reckon with are I£\f6, Af5 and 'ltJc2.
The alternatives allow mate: Ell.IS: 31 .•. Etd8! A clever way of
30 ... 'ltJxg5?? 31.'ltJxg5+ ~h7 32.'ltJxh5+ exchanging rooks since fl is hanging.
~g8 33.'~g5+ ~h7 34.~e3, a standard 32.Etxd8? 32.~del 'ltJd3 33 ..~xd3
mating procedure. 30 ... ~e8?? 31.~h7+ ~xd3 34.E!e2 ~g4 would have been
~f8 32. tjxf7 # is even quicker. 31.Ete3 more stubborn. 32 ... ~xfl 33.~a4
~b6! First a defensive move and now Etg2+ 34.Ad2 ~xf4 35.~d7 .£Jg5
comes the counterattack! 32.h3 h4 36.cif}a3~xe537.~e8~g638.~d7
33.~xh4 Ag6 34.~h6 '£!xd4 Etxh2 39.Etg8+ ~h7 40.Etd8 ~g6
35 . .£Jh7 ~bl + Another move can be 41.Etg8+ ~h5 42.~d3 c4 0-1
added to the list of potential h7
defenders! 36.~h2 Axh70-1 Ell.16: 29 ••• Etg8! A cool move after
which White's attack is over. 30. ~h6+
Ell.13: 23.~gll In this case passive 30.4Jxd5 tja5+ doesn't work either.
defense is right. Other moves lose in a 30... ~f7 31.~h7+ ~f8 32•.£!xd5
fairly straightforward manner: 23.'ith3? ~a5+33.~f1 ~xd534.~h6+~e8
~g5 24.~xd4 '€¥h5+ 25.~g3 ~h2+ 0-1
26. ~xg4 f5 #; 23.'itg3? 'ltJg5 24.f4 exf3
25 ..llxd4 1£\e3+-+. 23 ... ~h4 El1.17: 25.Etd6!! A spectacular move,
24.Etfel! The only move, but it is and the only way to keep the game
sufficient. 24 ... e3?? This doesn't work. going. 25 ... .£!xd6 25 ... cxb2+ 26.'itbl
Correct was 24 ... ~xa4! 25.A.e5 I£\xe5 I£\xd6 27 .~xf6= is similar to the game.
26.~xa4 I£\g4 27.'~xe4 (27.~c2 ~e8 26.~xf6+ .£!f7 26 ... r.t>e8? 27.4Jxd6+
gives Black enough play for the rook) ~d7 28.~e6+ ~d8 29.~f7+ even
27 ... ~xf2+ 28.'ithl tjh4+ with a loses. 27.Axf7 27.'ltJg7+ 'ite8
perpetual. 25.Etxe3?? A blunder in 28 ...'txf7+ tjxf7 29.l£\d6+ rtie7 30.4:\f5+
return. 25 ..llxd4! e2 and now the typical leads to a perpetual as well. (30.4Jxf7?
26:{tJxc7 wins. 25 ..• ~h2+ 26. ~f1 is met by 30 ... ~ag8!) 27 ... ~xf7
Etf4 27.Etael ~hl+ 28.~e2 ~xg2 28. ~xh8+ ~g8 29. ~f6+ l/z-Yz
29. ~bl?? Now Black's attack crashes
through. After 29.~dl ~xf2 30.tjcl Ell.18:32 ... ~f6! Other moves simply
~f4 the struggle continues. 29 ... .£Jxe3 lose: 32 ... ~g5? 33.~xg5 4Jxg5 34.~h8+
30.~xe3 Ete8+ 31.~d3 ~g6+ r.t>xe7 35.~xa8+-; 32 ... 'ltJcl?
32.cif}d2 Etxf2+ 33.~dl ~g4+ 33.'ltJe2 +-. 33.Etxh7 33.l£\d5 ~xf5
34.~c1 ~f4+ 35.~dl ~f3+ 0-1 34.tjdl ~e8 is also about equal.
188
Solutions
33;•. 'it'xe7 34.~e4+ ~eS 3S.~h4+ Ell.20: 21. .. §g4!1 Incredibly cool
35:ft1 xb7 ~f4 36.(~>g1 ~e3+ 37.'it'hl defense (i.e., counterattack), allowing
Wf4 is another way of repeating moves. the discovered check. 22.E!.xf6 After
3.S .. :~f6 36:f}fe4+ 'f}fe5 37. 'f}fh4+ most moves Black now replies with .a.d5,
~f6 38. 'f}fe4+ 'f}feS 39. 'f}fh4+ 'f}ff6 while 22.<£Ixg7+ ~h8 23.<£Ixe8 E1.xg2+
40. 'f}fe1 + ~eS 41. 'f}fh4+ %--% leads to mate. Additionally, after
22.<£If4+ d5 it is Black who has a
Ell.19: 20...'it'g8! It was close, but after winning attack! 22 ... §xg2+ 23.'it'fl
this cool reply Black is still in the game. t\'bS+0-1
20 ... h6? 21.Axh6 <£Ig8 22 ..llg5+ <£Ih6
23.f6 with a devastating attack. Ell.21: 34:f}fg8+ 34.~xa2?? E!a8+
,21.Axf6 The only way to make 35.~bl E1.al# 34... ~e7andnow it was
progress, but obviously giving up the safe to take the rook: 35. ~xa2 1-0
strong black-square bishop is a serious
positional concession. 21.E1.g3 ~h8! Ell.22: 88.~gl? 88.~fl! is forced in
22.E1.h3 ~g8 would be a draw. view of 88 ... ~xg7 89.E1.xf5 <£Ie3+
21 ... Jtxf6 22. ~xh7+ 'it'f8 The black 90.~el=. 88 ... 'it'xg7 89.§xfS?! This
king is ready to escape to the loses the rook immediately. But 89.~f1
queenside. Besides, in the game White ~g6 90.h5+ ~f6 91.E!a6+ ~g7 92.E!a5
fails to realize that his attack is over -- a l:!d5 is also hopeless in the long run.
common psychological pitfall. 89 ... E!.dl+ 90.~g2 4Je3+ 91.'it'f3
23.~h8+?! It was time to regroup with 4JxfS92.hS ~h693.g4 4Jg7 94.~e4
23.l:!d3 l:!e5 24.E1.ddl and White is §e1+ 9S.~f3 §fl+ 96.'it'g3 4Je6
better coordinated than in the game. 97.fS 4JgS 98.~h4 E!.f3 99.f6
23 ... 'it'e7 24. 'f}fhS §d7! Another key §h3* 0-1
move in Black's defense. 2S.§e1 + 'it'dS
26.§xe8+ ~xe8 27. 'f}fh8+~ This time Ell.23: 2S.E!.f2! Bringing in another
the consequences are more serious. defender in typical fashion. 25.E!fal?
Again centralizing with 27.~dl! ~d8 <£Ixh3+! 26.~f1 (26.gxh3? E1.g5+ 27.~f1
28.l:!d3 was asked for. 27 ... ~e7 ~xh3+ 28.~el E1.g1 + 29.'~d2 E!g2-+ )
28.4Jdl? Once more 28.'itfh5 but by 26 ... <£Ig5 27.'~f2 E!xb5= (Mikhalevski).
now Black is clearly better after 2S ...cS 26.t'f:}xcS t'f:}xh3+ Of course
28 ... ~d8 28 ... d4! Andersson has Black should try something, but it's not
calculated very well and now takes over going to be enough. 26 ...'itfg3 27.~f1
the initiative. 29. 'f}fg8 'f}feS 30. ~xti+ is also winning for White. 27.gxh3
~d8 31.§h8+ 31.~e6 l:!e7! and ~xh3 28.§h2 §gS+ 29.E!.g2 E!.hS
White's weak back rank will cost him 30.~f1 ~hl+ 31.~f2 ~h4+
the game. 31 ... 'it'c7 Now the black king 32. ~e2 §x bS 33.l3.a8+ ~ti 34. ~a1
.is safe, White is lost. 32. ~e8 32.E1.e8 1-0
~xf5 33.~c4 d3! 34.E1.el 'itfg5 with a
winning attack. 32... ~xfS 33. ~el Ell.24: 26.~e11 This brings in another
§e7 34. t\'g3+ ~b6 3S.Jlc4 t\'xc2 defender and secures the vulnerable f2-
36.Ab3 0-136 .. :f}fxg2+ 37.t\'xg2 square. 26 ..§7c2? is also better for
§e1* White, but gives Black much more
counterplay: 26 ... <£Ixf2 27.~xf2 'i£fxhl
189
2B.exfl exf3+ 29.exf3 ~h2+ 30.~e3 (Christiansen in his excellent book

~xc2 31.~xd6 ee8 32.ef2 ~d1 and Storming the Barricades, Gambit 2000);
as a result of White's exposed king, the 19.~h5? t2tgS+ 20.t2txgS AxgS and
position is not easy to play. 26 ... ~g8 Black's mighty bishops give him the upper
26 ... exf3 27.exf3 (27.Axf3? ~h2+ hand. 19.fxe3?? iixe3+ 20.ef2 exf2
2B.~xfl efS 29.ecB <tle3+ 30.fxe3 21..~.xf7+ ~f8 22.~h1 lig2+ 23.~gl
~h1 + allows a perpetual) 27 ... ~h2+ ee2 #. 19,.. ~f3 20. ~xf7+ ~d7
2S.~xfl ~xhl+ 29.~e2 and White 21.Ab5+ E(.c6 22.~g8 Ag5 0-12
wins. 26 ... .Ilh3 27.b6leaves White with points for 19.1ixf7+!.
a clear advantage. 27.b6 27.~xfl? exf3
should be avoided. 27 ... E(.be8 TOl.04: 1. .. ~c7+? This doesn't work.
28.E(.1c4 Ah3 29.E(.xb7 Ah8 1...ee1! protects the queen and seems
30.E(.cc7 Afl The bishop is back and to hold, e.g., 2.ef7 (2.dS ee2=)
again it will be ignored: 31.E(.e7 E(.xe7 2... t2txgS 3.exg5 ee2+ 4.~h3 exa2
32.E(.xe7 e4 33.E(.xe4 Axb2 34. ~xf1 5.d5 eg8=. Not enough is 1...eeS? 2.d5
Finally White can safely take the eel 3.d6 t2te5+ 4.t2txe5 e1xe5 5.d7
intruder. 34 .•• E(.xf3 35.E(.xg4 E(.xd3 edS 6.ef7± 2.E(.f4 E(.f8 3.E(.g3! A
36.E(.M Ac3 37.b71-0 nasty surprise, the rook is invulnerable.
3 ... E(.c2+ 4.~h3 ~d7+ 5.E(.gg4 Ek3+
6.~h41-0 2 points for 1...ee1!.
Test Solutions
T01.05: 22,..g6! Other moves are
Test 1
losing: 22 ... edS? 23.exdS+ lixdS
24.iic4+ t2te7 25.Axb5+ ~f7 26.iic4+
TOl.Ot: 1...~c6? This allows White
~eB 27.t2td5! +-; 22 ... b4? 23.ltb3 edS
to escape. Winning was 1...~bS! 2.ed1
24.Jla4+ ~f7 25Jhd8 exdS
<tlb7 -+. 2.lclf5! E(.xd4 3.lcle7+ ~f8
(25 ... t2txdS 26:~xh7 +- ) 26.'~xh7 ltd6
4.lclxc6 E(.a4 5.lclxa7 E(.xa3 6.E(.b1 27.I~hh5+ '1!Je7 2B.g6+-; 22 ... eb7?
'h-'h 2 points for 1... ~bS!. fails to 23.iid5!; 22 ... <tlf4? 23.lid7+
t2txd7 24.exd7 <tle2+ 25.~d2 ~xd7
TOl.02: 45.~xf7 ~xfl+ 46.~h2! 26.~xe2+-. 23.a4?? Too optimistic.
The point. Chess is not checkers. 23.lid7+ was called for, when the
46.~xfl? bl ~+ 47.~e2 eb2 # arising endgames are difficult to assess,
46 ... ~xa6 47. ~f4+ ~g7 48. ~c7+ but probably dynamically balanced,
Iif}f6 Or4S ... ~h649.~f4+ g5 50.~xbS e.g., 23 ... t2txd7 24.exd7 ~xd7 25.lta7!
~f6 51.~gl and Black can't make ltxg5+ (25 ... ebdB 26.ltb6 .llxg5+
progress without allowing a perpetual. 27.'1!Jb1 ef5 2S.t2td4+ '1!JcB 29.t2tc3+
49.~xb8 ~al 'h-'h 2 points if you '1!Jd7 30.~d4+ '1!JcS=) 26.~bl iif4
found 46.~h2!=. 27.~d5+ Jld6 2B.ltxbS exbS 29.~f7+
'1!Jc6 30.t2txh7 <tlf4=. 23,..E(.f4! Again
TOt.03: 19.~d5? This loses on the spot. Black finds the best move. 24. ~d5?1
19.iixf7+! ~fB (19 ... ~xf7? 20.fxe3 24.Jld7+ ~fS 25.ltxf4 t2txf4+ 26.~xf4+
lixe3+ 21.ef2 iixf2+ (21...exf2? 4'Jxf4 27.Jlxb5 was more tenacious.
22.~b3+ lie6 23.~xe3+-) 22.~h1 ec3 24 ... E(.xa4 25.~b1 lclf4 26.~b3
23.~d2 ± ) 20.~h5 ~g5+ 21.t2txgSlixgS E(.b4 27 ..~a2 E(.d8 28.E(.el E(.a4
22.iib3 ec3 and Black is for choice 29.~b3 lclxe6 30.~xe6 ~c4
190
Solutions
31.Ac5 ~xe6 32.§xe6 §dl"" 0-12 Test 2

points for 22 ... g6!.
T02.01: 28 ... .£!f6! Other moves lose
T01.06: 14.Ac2? This does not parry without a fight: 2S .. :~g7? 29.~h5+ ~h7
Black's second threat. White has two 30. ~g5 +-; 2S ... El.d7? 29.fxe5 El.gS
ways to deal with both: 14.g3 is the solid 30.~e4+-; 2S ... 4Jg7? 29.El.h3+ ~gS
way: 14 ... .£lf2+ 15.'<t>g2 .£lxd3 30:~h7+ ~t7 31.E!.g3 l"lgS 32.fxe5+-.
(15 .. .'~xd3 16.El.xf2=) 16.El.d1= and 29.fxe5 .£!h7 30..£!d4? 30.El.xfS+ El.xfS
14.h3 the enterprising way: 14 .. .'~h4 31.e6 ~e3 32.~h5 is critical and gives
(14 ... .£lf2+ 15.El.xf2 Axf216.'~xf2 ~xd3 White some winning chances. 32.4Jg3?
17.Ae3) 15.El.f3 .£lf2+ 16.\!ih2 g5 is met by 32 ....1lel =. 30...13xf331..£!xf3
17.Ad2 g4 lS.El.g3 ~dS 19.Ac2 h4 ~f2 32 . .£!g5 .£!xg5 33.~xg5 §f8
20.[!xg4 4Jxg4+ 21.hxg4 and in both 34. ~h6+ 34.h3!? was the last chance to
case White has compensation for the play for a win, but Black should be able to
exchange. 14... .£!xh2 0-12 points, if hold after 34...~e2 35.E!.d4 E!.f1 + 36.~h2
you either saw that 14.g3 keeps the ~xe5+ 37.~xe5+ dxe5 3S.El. xc4 Ad6.
material balance or 2 points for the 34... 'i!i'g8 35.~g6+ %-% 1 point for
exchange sacrifices after 14.h3. 2S... 4Jf6!.
T01.07: 33 ..• ~g4!! This one can only

T02.02: 29 ... 13b7? 29 ... El.cS! would
be found at the board if you keep a very
have been the only defense: 30.El.xb3
positive frame of mind. 33 ... ~dS?
(30:i1i'e6 El.cfS 31.E!.xb3l"lxa7 32.El. xa7
34.l~hg5+ \!ih7 35.Ag4 '<t>hS
~xa7 33.Axd5) 30 .. ,El.xa7 31.El.xa7
36.\!ig3 +- 34.§ xg4 .£!f3+ 35. 'i!i'g2? ~xa7 32 ..ilxd5 with the initiative
A serious error turning an advantage
according to Ribli in CBM 96. White
into a disadvantage. The king had to be
certainly retains some winning chances
activated with 35.'<t>g3 4Jxd2 36.El.xg5+
as opposite-color bishops favor the
since after 36 ...\!ih6 (36 ... \!ihS 37.El.g6
attacker, but Black is still in the game.
El.g7 3S.l"l xg7 '<t>xg7 39 ..ild1 ±) White
has 37.'<t>g4! . 35 ... .£!xd2 36.13xg5+ 29, .. El.fS? 30.El.xb3! El.xb3 31.Axd5 El.b6
32.~c5 El.b7 33.~xfS++-. 30.13xb3!
'i!i'h6 37.h4 .£!xb3 38.13f5 .£!xa5
39 ..Q.e2 'i!i'g7 40.h513f7 41.§g5+?! Breaking through on the white squares.
'i!i'h8 42.h6?! §f6 43.§h5 §f4 30 ... §cxb3 31.Axd5 §3b5
44.§g5 .£! xc4 45.Ad3 .£! b2 46 ..Q.c2 31...El.bl + 32.El.xbl El.xb1 + 33.\!ig2l"lb6
c4 47.13g7 .£!d3 48.Abl §xf2+ 34.~xb6~xd5+ 35.'<t>gl+- 32.Axb7
49.'i!i'g3 §b2 0-12 points for Burn's §xb7 33.~c6 1-0 33 •.. 13bl+
amazing shot 33 ... ~g4!!. 34.13xbl ~xc6 35.13b8+ Af8
36.13xf8+ 'i!i'g7 37.a8~+- 2 points
T01.08: 27 ... 'i!i'f8! It's time to get out for 29 ... El.cS!.
of there; the king will be perfectly safe
on e7. 28.Ah6+ 2S.Abl El.e5! is similar. T02.03: 51.~f5? 51.cxd6! Ae5+
28 ... 'i!i'e7 29.§fel+ .£!e5 30.Axb3 (51...El.h4+ 52.l"lh3 Ae5+ 53.'<t>h1
~b6+ 31.~d4 ~xb3 32.-'1.g5 Jlxg5 l"lxh3+ 54.~xh3 exd6=; 51...El.ag4
33.§bl ~g3 0-1 2 points for 52,~xg4 El.xg4 53.dxe7 Axe7
27 ... '<t>fS !. 54.\!ih3=) 52.\!ih3 El.h6+ 53.~g2 El.a2+
54,El.f2! . This rook sacrifice is the point
191
The ChessC'!-fe Puzzle Book 3
of the defense. 54 ... .§h2+ 55.\£?gl to win the German championship .

.§axf2 56.~g4+ (56.dxe7 is playable as 61. \t'g6 gets one point and two more, if
well as 56 ... .lld4 is met by 57.~g4+=) you calculated until69.~f4!!.
56 ... \£?h6 57.~e6+ itf6 5S.dxe7
'§hg2+=; 51.c6? runs into 51...Ae5+ T02.06: 3S... §d7! Activity is the order
52.~h3 .§h6+ 53.\£?g2 .§a2+ 54 ..§f2 of the day. 3S ... .§e7? 39 ..§e5 4Jd7
.§h2+ 55.\£?gl .§hxf2 56.tltg4+ \£?f6 40.flxf7 ~xf7 41.'§xh5+- 39.4Jxe6+
57.tlth4+ \£?f7 5S.tlth5+ ~fS 59.c7 Axe6 40.§xe6 §dl+ 41.Afl Or
.§g2+ 60.~hl (60.\£?fl .§af2+ 61.\t'el 41.~f2 flg4+ 42.\£te2 .§bl 41. .. a5
.llc3+ 62.\£?dl .§gh) 60 ... 8h2+-+. 41...~f7!? 42J~(e3 (42 . .§a6 flg4
51 ... Ae5+ 52.\tihl 52.\£?h3 .§h6+ 43 ..§xa7+ ~e6) 42 ... 4Jg4 43.8a3 4Jxh2
53.\£?g2 .§a2+ 54 . .§f2 .§h2+-+ 44.~xh2 8xfl was clearer. 42.§e3
52 ... §h4+ 53.§h3 §hg4 54. ~f2 4Jg4 43.§a3 a4 44.h3 4Jh2
Ad4 0-1 55. ~e2 §gl + 56. \tih2 45.\tixh2 §xfl 46.§xa4 §f2+
Ae5-+ I point for 51.cxd6! and 2 47.\tig1 §c2 4S.§a3 §xc4 49.§H
more, if you calculated until 54 ..§f2!. §c2 50.a4 §a2 51.§f4 §a3 52. \tif2
§a2+ 53.\tiel §a3 54.§f5 h4
T02.04: 14 ... Ae7? This loses. 55.gxh4 §xa4 'li-'li 2 points for
14 .. .'~Jge7! 15.4Jxc7+ \£?dSI6.4JxaS d6 38 ... .§d7!.
and White's attack is repelled.15.Ad6!
\tidS 15 ... cxd6 16.'!~HS# 16.~fS+! T02.07: 44 ... \tixg4? This loses.
AxfS 17.Axc7# 1-02 points for 44 ... ~g6! is the right square: 45 ..§3xe5
14 ... 4Jge7!. (45.h5+ \t'h6 46.8f7 '§bI47.Af8+ \t'g5
48.Ae7+ \£th6=) 45 ... .§bI46.h5+ 4Jxh5
T02.05: 61. \tie4? The wrong direction. 47.g xh5+ ~f6 4S . .§7e6+ ~f7=
The king must head directly to the (Tsesarsky in CBM 70); 44 ... ~f6?
kingside: 61.~g6! (8aburin) 61...\£?f3 45.Ad6 .§b5 46 . .llxe5+ .§xe5
62.~h5 ~g3 63.b4! (63.a5? Axa5 47.,§7xe5 +-. 45.§7xe5 §b3
64.fle3 Ab6 65.4Jg4 .llc5 66.~g5 Ab4 45 ... flh3+ 46.~g2 4Jf4+ 47.~h2 tltxfl
67. ~f5 Ad2 -+ ) 63 ... Axb4 64.fle311c5 48 ..§g3+ ~xh4 49.ite7# 46.H+ \tig3
65.4Jfl+ ~g2 66.~g4 Af2 67.a511c5 47.§g5+ \tixh4 4S.§g4+ \tih5
6S.a611f2 and now comes the point of 49.§xb3 4Jh3+ 50.~g2 ~a2+
White's defense, which was noted by 51.\£lxh3 ~xb3 52.Ag2 ~e6 53.a4
Markus Lammers: 69.~f4!! ~xf1 70.a7 ~f5 54.Ae3 c5 55.\tig3 ~e5+
Jl.xa7 71.~g3=. 61...\tig3! 62.\tif5 56.Af4 ~el+ 57.\£lh3 ~e6 58.\£lg3
\tif3 63.4Jh2+ \tig2 64.4Jg4 \tig3 ~el + 59. \tih2 ~f2 60.§g5+ \£lh6
and White loses the first pawn because 61.§xc5+ \tig6 62.§g5+ ~f6
of zugzwang. 65.a5 Axa5 66.4Je3 63.§g4 \£lf5 64.Ag3 ~d2 65.§e4
\tif2 67.4Jg4+ \tif3 6S.\tig5 \tig3 \£lf6 66.Ae5+ ~f5 67.Af4 ~b2
69.\tih5 Ad21 The same procedure 6S.Ag3 ~d2 69.§e5+ \tif6 70.f4
nets the next pawn. 70.b4 Axb4 ~b4 71.Ah4+ \tif7 72.§e7+ \tifS
71.4Je3 Ad2 72.4Jfl + \tig2 73.\tig4 73.§e4 ~b2 74.f5 ~bS+ 75.\£lh3
Ag5 0-1 A nice final move to ~b3+ 76.\£lg4 ~c2 77.AH \tif7
underscore the dominance of the 7S.Ag5 ~bl 79.§e7+ \tifS SO.f6
bishop. Niclas Huschenbeth went on ~gl + Sl.\£lh5 ~h2+ S2.\tig6 ~gl
192
Solutions
S3.E!h7 ~g3 S4.E!hB+ 1-0 1 point for again both sides are about to give a
44 .. .'~g6!. perpetual. 2B ... ~xb5? 29.axb5 ~xc4
30.'lt!xe4+-; 2B ... 4Jd2? 29.~h5+ ~g8
T02.08: 22 ... E!f4? This makes matters 30.§xb4+-. 29.~h5+? The simple
worse. 22 ... g5! 23.~xfB ~xfB and Black 29.~xc6 'It!xc6 30.§b6 wins a piece.
is better as 24.~d6+? <t;g7 25.~xc6?? 29 ... <;tIgS 30.~g6 .Q.xf4 31.~e7+
runs into 25 ... Axh3! -+ (Mikhalevski). 31.~h8+? ~t7 32.~h7 Ah2+ 33.~hl
23 . .Q,d6! An unpleasant surprise. 4Jg3+ 34.~xh2 4Jfl + 35.'~gl ~h2+
Black was probably counting on 36.<;t>xfl ~xg2+ 37.~el ~e4+ 3B.'ifi>d2
23.AxfB? ~xfB 24.4Je2 ~f2 ~xd4+ 39.'~e2 ~e4+-+ 31 ... <;tIfS
(Mikhalevski). 23... §.h4? Now it's too 32.~g6+ <;tIgS Yz-Yz 2 points for
late for 23 ... g5? 24.4Je2 +-; 23 ... §f6! 28 ... ~d6!.
24.AxfB ~xfB 25.~bB± ~gB
26.~xcB+ ~h7 27.4Jdl ~d2 28.§gl T03.03: 44 ... g5! Black gives up the
'It!xc2 sets White serious problems bishop, but gets several pawns in
converting the material advantage. return. 44 ....s.tel +? 45.'ifi>h3 §c3 46.AeB
24 •.11xfS <;tIxfS 25.~d6+?! §xg3+ 47.<t;h2 g5 4BJH7+ ~g6
25.~c7!+- 25 ... <;tIgS 26:~'dS+ <;tIh7 49.§f3+ +- ; 44 ... Jte3+?, with the study-
27.~xcS 1-0 27 .. .'~xc3 (27 ... ~f2 like idea 45.~h3 ~h6!!, gets only 2
28.§eB ~fl + 29.<;t>h2 'It!f4+ 30.~gl points as White can play on with 46.!k7
~c1 + 31.~f2 ~xc2+ 32.4Je2 +-) AfB 47 ..a.eB Ae7 48.g4 §c3+ 49.'~g2
28.~f5+ g6 29.~xt7+ ~g7 30.§e7+- g5 50.hxg5+ ~xg5 5U''J.xe7 ~xg4
2 points for 22 ... g5!. 52.§f7 ±. 45 ..11eS gxh4 46.§.f7+ <;tIg5
47.§,xf2 §,c3? Losing track. Pretty
Test 3 much forcing the draw would have been
47 ... h3+ 48.~gl §c3! 49.~h2 ~g4
T03.01: 1 ... ~d6? This loses on the 50.Jtf7 f!.xg3 5Ulxe6+ ~h4 52.f!.e2
spot. The right defense would have f!.f3=. 4S.gxh4+ <;tIxh4 49.Aa4 §,e3
been 1...~d7! threatening a standard 50 ..11c2? Too passive. 50 ..Q.c6 was
perpetual and thus winning the bishop called for. 50 ... c4 5l.<;tIfl <;tIg3
anyway: 2 ..s.txb3 ~g4+ 3.'~jlfl axb3 52.§,e2 E!f3+ 53. <;tiel c3 54 •.11hl
4.~g7+ ~e6 5.~g8+ ~f6 6.~xb3 <;tIf4 55.§,h2 <;tIe3 56.E!e2+ <;tId4
~xe4 and Black can hold the queen 57.Ac2 E!h3 5S. <;tIdl §,hl + 59.E!el
ending. 2.~eS+ <;tIf6 3.e5+ ~xe5 §,hS? Usually it is not good to exchange
4. ~hS+ <;tIf5 5 •.11 xg6+ <;tIe6 an active rook of course, but here
6.~xe5+ <;tIxe5 7 ..Q.f71-0 1 point for Black's superior activity gives him a
l...'lt!d7!. draw after 59 ... f!.xel + 60.Wxel <;t>e3=.
60. <;tiel §.as 61.§,dl + <;tIc462.§,d6
T03.02: 2S ....Q.d2? This move should §,hS? Finally Miles can solve the
have lost. 2B ... ~d6! was the correct problem of his passive bishop.
defense: 29.§dl (29 ..Q.xc6 ~xd4+ Amazingly 62 ... ~b4 still seems to draw,
30.'~h2 dxc6 31.§xb4 4Jd2 32.~g4 f5 e.g., 63.Ad3 f!.al + 64 ..Ilbl f!.a7
33. ~g6+ ~f8likely ends in a perpetual) 65.f!.xe6 f!.h7 66.f!.xe5 l"!.hl + 67.~c2
29 ... Ad2 30.Af2 'It!xf4 31.Axc6 dxc6 f!.el= 63.Ad3+ <;tIc5 64.§,xe6 <;tId4
32.§xd2 ~xd2 33.~xe4 §xa4 and 65.§,d6+ 'iIle3 66.<;tIc2 E!cS 67.§,d5
193
~f4 6S.~b3 §c7 69.Ac2 §cS 30 . .£lxe6 .§fd7 3l •.§xd7 .§xd7

70. ~b4 §c7 71.§c5 1-02 points for 32. ti1/xf5 .§f7 33. ti1/d3 ti1/d7 34. ti1/e2
44 ... gS! and 1 more if you also saw ti1/c6 35 ..£ldS ti1/c1 + 36.,1l.dl 1-0 2
47 ... h3+. points for 1S.<it'hl!.
T03.04: 35 ... §cS? This doesn't really T03.07: 2S ... ti1/b7+! The right square
work well. 35 ... h6? 36.~e4 ~gS for the queen. 2S ... ~b6+? 29.~cl ~b1 +
37. ~e7 +-. Correct is the natural 30.<it'd2 ~xc2+ 31.~e1 'l:fc3+ 32.'it)e2
35 ... g6! creating granite for the bishop: ~c4+ 33.§d3 e5 34.4Jb4+-. 29.~c1
36.a4 (36.§d1 §xa3 37.'l:ff3 4Jb2 29.~xa3? d5 +- + 29 ... §xc6
3SJhd4 §al+ 39.M1 ~aS!) 36 ... 4Je5 30. ti1/xe6+ ti1/e7! Great defense; it's all
37.~e6 §c5 and in both cases White over. 30 ... i'! e7? 31.§ xfS+ <it'xfS
is slightly better, but Black is alive and 32.Axe7+ ~xe7 33.§f1 + <it'e8
fighting. 36.ti1/f5 .£lc5? Blundering a 34.~gS+ ~d7 3S.§f7+- (Stohl).
piece. 36 ... 4Jb2! was the only way to 31.'§xd6 31.ilxe7 §xc2# 31 ••• .§xc2+
keep the game going: 37.Ab7 §b8 32.~dl §xf1# 0-12 points if you
38.ile4 ~gS 39.~dS ~eS 40.§f4 h6 saw 30 ... ~e7!.
41.Ae4 ~g8 42.~e5± 37.Jl.h31-0 2
points for 35 ... g6!. T03.08: 25 •.. ~h7? This doesn't do the
trick. 2S ... §e2? 26.§f3+- doesn't work
T03.05: 50.~f6! The greedy 50.<it'xg6? either. Correct would have been the calm
completely backfires: SO ... §g1 + 51.~f6 2S ... ~eS! 26.i'!xb7 (26.~h6? ~fS)
d2 52.§c3 §c1 S3.§d3 d1 ~-+. 26 ... §e2 27.~h6 ~fS 28.~gS ~a3=
50 ... f4 SO ... §c1 51.§xd3 §c6+ (Hubner). 26 ..§xb7 §dS 27.f5 exf5
S2.<it'g5 '#Jxe7 53.f4 §b6 54.§e3+ <it'd7 2S.§xd7 §xd7 29 . .£lxf51-0 1 point
55.§d3+ also draws. 50 ... d2?? Sl.§d3 for 25 ...AeS! and 2 more if you saw until
mates next move. 5l.§e4 §c152.§d4 27 ... ~f8.
§c6+ 53.~g5 §c3 54.~f6 Yl-Yl 1
point for 50.<it'f6!. Test 4
T03.06: lS.~hl! Other obvious T04.01: 24.~el! The right defense.

moves do not work: 1S.~xd7? §adS 24.§d1? §xd5+ 25.~xd5 i'!d8
19.~a4 §xd4 20.Axh7+ <it'hS!-+ 26. ~xdS+ 'l:fxdS+ 27. '#Je 1 =
(D.Tyomkin); 1S.§f4? 4Jxe519.ilc2 g5 24... ti1/xb2 25.ti1/c3 ti1/b5 26.e4 ~hS
20.§e4f5-+; 1S.Ae3?4Jxe519.Axh7+ 26 ... ~bS 27.§cl ~d6 28.~cS+- also
~xh7 20.§f2 i'!ad8-+. lS ••. .£lxe5 leaves White in control. 27. ti1/xe5
1S ... Axd4? 19.~xd7+- 19..£lb3! Also .§feS 2S. ti1/d4 f5 29.f3 fxe4 30.fxe4
not bad is 19.Af4!? ~xb2 (19 ...Axd4? .§c8 31.a4 ti1/a5+ 32.ti1/d2 ti1/b6 33.a5
20.~xe5 AxeS 21.~e4+-) 20.4Jb3 ~f6 34 . .§cl ~f3 35.§xcS ~hl +
4Jxf3 21.§b1 ~c3 22.~e4±. 36.~f2 .§xcS 37.eS .§fS+ 3S•.£lf4
19 ... .£lxf3 20.ti1/e4! The key move. ~al 39.e6 .§bS 40.~f3 g6
20•..f5 2l.ti1/xH Ad6 22.,1l.e3 ti1/b4 41..£lxg6+ ~g7 42 . .£lf4 ~f6
23.§dl ~hS 24.Jl.d2 ti1/a4 25.Ac3 43.ti1/d3 ~hl+ 44.~g4 .§g8+
§a7 26.Ac2 AbS 27 . .£ld4 ti1/eS 4S. ~h5 ti1/e146. ti1/d4+ ~fS 47.g4+
2S.Ab4 §ff7 29.,1l.b3 §ab7 1-0 I point for 24. ~e I!.
194
Solutions
T04.02: 32 ... ~e6? This meets with a T04.05: Black should settle for the
powerful refutation. The correct defense unnatural square with 36... 4)g7! as the
is 32 .. .1:H8! 33.1:!xh4+ 4Jxh4 34.~h7+ alternatives are clearly worse: 36... 4Jh6?
<tt'g5 35.4Je3 and after 35 ... §f4 it's 37.i*b2 <tt'g8 38.i*e2 ~h8 (38 ...i*f8
White who can resign (Petursson in 39.4Je6 ~xb4 40.4Jxc7 ~d4+ 41.~h1
CBM 66). 33.E!xh4+! 4)xh4 §xc7 42.~xb5 +-) 39.g5 <i:lf5 (39 ... 4Jg8
34.~h7+ ~g5 35.4)e3 Now there is 40.'lJ1rb2+-) 40.§e8+ §xe8 41.i*xe8+
no saving §f4. 35.•. E!hS 35 ... 4Jeg6 ~g8 42.~e5+ ~g7 and now the
36.4Jxg4 ~xg4 37.§xg4+ ~xg4 fantastic 43.'~xc7!! ~xc7 44.§e8+
38.Axg6+- 36.§'xg4+ ~xg4 ~g7 45.4Je6+ ~f7 46.4Jxc7+-;
37.~xe7+ ~h5 38.~fi+ 1-0 I point 36 ... 4Jd6? 37. i*d4 ~f6 38.g5 +- .
for 32 ...§f8 and I more if you calculated 37.~d4 §.fS 3S.E!5e2 ~gS 39.g5?!
until 35 ... §f4. 39.§f2 ~xf2+ 40.~xf2 §xf2 41.~xf2
~f7 keeps a slight white advantage
T04.03: 1 .•• ~e7? The wrong decision. 39 ... ~f5 40.E!g2 §.cf7 Yz-Yz 1 point
It was correct to take the bishop: for 36... 4Jg7!.
1...~xf7 2.~h5+ ~e6!! (2 ... ~e7?
3.i*xh6 .\ixg7 4.Ag5+ +-) White does T04.06: 19... Ag4? Black completely
not manage to win in a direct attack loses track. 19 ... 4Jxd4? 20.§h5! wins as
now: 3.~d5+ (3.i*xh6? §xg7 prevents the queen is unprotected. 19 ... §fd8?
-'tg5) 3 ... ~e7 4.§xf6! §xg7 (4 ... ~xf6? 20.§h5! gxh5 21.e5 f5 22.exf6 gives
5.i*h5! is too risky) 5.-'txh6 i*g8 White a deadly attack as well. 19 ... f6
6.-'txg7 ~xg7 7.§afl i*xf6 8.§xf6 ~xf6 gets only 1 point as 20.§.fc1 (20.e5 is
The worst is over, and Black has decent met by 20 ... 4Jxe5 21.dxe5 ~xc5
drawing chances after 9.e5+ 4Jxe5 22.-'txg6 hxg6 23.~xg6+ ~h8=)
10.i*xb7 §g811.i*xc7 ~e6. 4.E!xf6! 20 ... §fc8 21.~e3 gives White a
Now this is killing. 4 ... ~xf6 5.~h5 dangerous initiative. 19 ... e5! gets 2
§.xg7 6.E!f1+ ~e7 7.~h4+ ~fS points: 20.§fc1 §ac8 21.d5 (21.dxe5
S.Ae6+ ~eS 9. ~h5+ ~e710.§'fi+ <£\b4! gives Black good compensation
~xe6 11.~d5# 1-0 2 points for for the pawn, as White's queenside is
4 ... ~e6!!. vulnerable) 21. .. 4Jb4 22.§xc8 §xc8
23.§xc8+ -'l,xc8 24.-'tbl a5 and Black
T04.04: 1...E!dl+? Too optimistic. is fine. 19 ... §ab8!? defending against
Black should take his losses and give the direct threat of§h5 by covering the
his queen for the powerful black-square queen, gets 2 points as well: 20.§fc1
bishop: 1...~c1 +! 2.-'tfl (2.Axc1 4Jxcl §bc8 21.<£\c3 (21.§h5 gxh5 22.e5 f5
3.§fl 4Je2+ 4.<tt'f2 4Jd4 5.i*e5 .llc6) 23.exf6 §f7! now defends) 21...~d8
2... i*xb2 3.~xb2 4Jb4 and in both cases and Black is hanging in there. 20.4)f4
Black is not worse. 2 . .11.£1 §.x£1 + 4) xd4 21.§.g5 j},f3 22.E!g3! 1-0 A
3.~xf1 e5 4.j},xe5 ~cl+ 5.~e2 simple move to finish the game.
4)c3+ 5... ~c2+ 6.~e3 ~c1 + 7.<tt'xe4
~bl+ 8.~f4 ~f5+ 9.~xf5 gxf5 T04.07: 20 ... j},h7! 20 ... Aa6?! is
1O.§xa2+- 9 •.11.xc3 ~c2+ 10.~e3 slightly weaker: 21. ~xd6 -'tb7 but still
~d3+ IV3}f4 ~d6+ 12.~xd6cxd6 gets I point. 21.~xb7 21.~xd6§ad8
13. ~xe4 1-03 points for 1.. .i*c1 +1. 22.~b6 -'te4 23.Axe4 ~xe4+ 24.~a1
195
b4 with counterplay (Gofshtein). TestS

21 .•• b4!? Consistently aiming for
counterplay. 22.c4?! 22:~e4!? 'ft1e7 TOS.Ol: 32 ... ~xf3! Solid defense.
23.Ab5 !'!ed8 24.Ac6 !'!acB 25.cxb4 32 ... ~c5? 33.Axc7 'ft1xc7 34.§.xf7! tJ'xf7
.\l.xb4 26.~xdB+ ~xd8= (Gofshtein) 35.Ac4± (Ribli in CBM 88). Losing the
22...~f6 23..§e2.§ed8 24..§ed2 Ac5 f7-pawn is very harmful as it is much
25.~e4 E!acS 26.Ae2 .§eS 27.~g4 more difficult to construct a fortress
Axe3 2S.fxe3 .£lc5 29.Af3 ~e51? without it, because of the exposed king.
30.E!e2 E!cdS 31 ..§d4 !it'g7 32.Ad5 33.~xf3 .§xa5 and Black is by no
E!e7 33.~f3 E!d6 34.E!f4 .§f6 means worse: 34..Q.fl E!ae5 35 •.§dl
35.'§xf6 ~xf6 36.!it'c2 ~e5 37.g3 f5 Ae7 36.~e3 !it'g7 37.Ae2 .£lf6
3S.~f4 ~xf4 39.gxf4 h6 4O.!it'd2 3S.•11.£3 h5 39.h3 E!e5 40. ~d4 E!ee5
!it'f6 41 ..§h2 h5 42.!it'e2 E!h7 43.!it'f3 41 ..§bl .§b5 42.E!c1 .§ee5 43.E!el
h4 44.b3 E!hS 45 ..§d2 E!dS 46.E!h2 E!e544•.§c1 E!bc5 45 . .§bl .§b5 Yz-
.§hS Y2-YZ 2 points for 20 ... Ab7!. Yz 1 point for 32 ... 'ft1xf3! .
T04.08: 39 ... Ae71! Excellent defense TOS.02: 33... ~d7+? This loses without
found at the board by Kobalia. Other a fight. There was an escape available
moves are clearly worse: 39 ... §.b8? with 33 ... ~h1+ 34.~g4 ~d1+
40.4Je4 ~el 41.g5+-; 39 ... ~f1+? (34 ...'ft1d7+? 35.'>t>g5 ~f5+ 36.'li¥xf5 gxf5
40.'~xh4 ~el + 41.'ifth3 ~f1 + 42.'~g3 37.~xf5 'iftf7 38.'>t>g5 §.bl 39.f5 gives
~gl+ 43.'iftf4 ~f1+ 44.§.f3 ~cl+ only White hopes to win) 35.f3 and now
45.§.e3 'ft1f1+ 46.~g5 ~c1 47.~f7+ the key move: 35 ... §'xh4+!! 36.gxh4
~h7 48.'~h5+ ~g8 and now the (36.'>t>xh4? tJ'hl+ 37.'>t>g4 'ft1h5#;
brilliant attacking finish: 49. ~g6! 'ft1xe3 36.'ft1xh4 ~d7+ 37.'>t>g5 'ft1f5+ 38.~h6
50.'ft1h7+ 'iftfB 51.'ft1xg7#; 39 .. .'~el? 'li¥f8+ with a perpetual) 36 ... 'ft1gl + with
40.'li¥f7+ ~h7 41.'ft1f3 §.b8 42.~e3 'ft1f2 a perpetual. 34.<tt>h2 h5 35.~xg6+
43.~e4+ ~gB 44.§.f3 ~el 45.g5 Af2 <tt>fS 36. .Q.d6+ E!e7 37.~f6+ <tt>eS
46.'li¥xel Axel 47.g6 b4 4B.c4 Ac3 3S.~xe7+ 1-0 2 points for
49.4Jf7+-. 40 . .£lxb7 40.~e8+ ~h7 35 ...§'xh4+! !.
41.~xe7 'li¥f1 + 42.'ifth4 ~xd3 43.4Jxb7
~d2! and believe it or not, Black is TOS.03: 22 ... .§e5! With this accurate
threatening mate in two. Therefore move Black even turns the tables. Of
White has to settle for a perpetual. course not 22 ... hxg5?? 23.4Jf6+ gxf6
40 ... ~fl+ 41.!it'g3 ~gl+ 42.<tt>f4 24.'ft1h7#; 22 ... '>t>hB and 22 ... §.e7 get 1
~fl+ 43.!it'e4 43.§.f3 ~c1 + 44.~e4 point each. 23.f4 .§f5! A weird square
'li¥bl+ 45.§.d3 ~el+= (Ribli). for the rook, but it's all based on precise
43 ... ~el+ 44.<tt>d4 ~gl+ 45 . .§e3 calculation. 24.g3 24.4Jg3 g6 25.'ft1e2
~dl + Yz-Yz and a draw was agreed in §.xf4-+ 24...g6 25.~h4e41 Black is
view of 46.~d3 ~xg4+ 47.~e4 not in a hurry taking the knight.
47.~e4 'ft1g1+ 48.~e3 ~dl+= 26.<tt>h2 After 26.4Jf3 Ae7! the queen
47 ... ~dl+ 4S.E!d3 ~gl+ 49.~e3 gets trapped: 27.ifyxh6 (27.~g4 h5-+)
~g4+ = (Ribli). 3 points for 39 ... Ae7!!. 27 ... ..Q.xe4 2B ..\lxe4 §.h5 -+ . 26 ... <tt>g7
196
Solutions
27. ~g4 hxg5! Now the knight is taken Now White's pawns will decide the day.
under more favorable circumstances. 114... ~e4 115.g4 .§f4 116.li£lg2
2S.4)xg5 .§xg5 29.~xg5 ~b6! li£le5 117 .g5 ~f5 118 . .§g7 ~e6
Pinning the rook on e3. 30.f5 J1e7 119.~g3 .§f1120.~g41-0 3 points
31.~f4 ~xb2 32 . .§xe7 ~xc2+ for 104 ... ~g4.
33.'§1e2 ~xf5 34.~xf5 gxf5 35..§e8
.§d7 36 . .§d2 ~f6 37.~g1 4Je5 TOS.OS: 26 ... 4Jh5! A clever way of
38.~f24Jd3+ 39.~e3J1c640 ..§bS wresting the initiative from White. The
.§e7+ 0-12 points for 22 ... §e5!. knight is untouchable for obvious
tactical reasons. 27.4Jce4 27.§xfS+!?
TOS.04: 104 ... ~e4? The wrong §xf8 2S.§xfS+ JlxfS 29.4Jxh5 ~xh5
direction. After 104 .. stg4 105.§g6+ 30.~e1 gxh3 31.~e6+ ~f7 32.'€Yxh3
~h3 Black's active forces cannot be is almost equal. 27 ... 4Jxg3+ 28.4J xg3
defeated, e.g., 106.§g5 (106.f5 114 gxh3 29.b3 .§aeS 30.~h2 .§xf5
107.g4 §b2+ 10S.~f3 §b3+ 109.~f4 31..§xf5? 31.4Jxf5! ~e5+ 32.'t'xh3
§b4+ 110.~e5 §xg4=) 106 ... h4 ~hS 33.~h6 gives White good
107.gxh4 (107.g4 §b2+ 10S.~f3 §b3+ drawing chances. 31. .. .§e5?! The
109.~e4 ~g3=) 107 ... ~xh4 10S.§gS preventive 31...h6! would have been
§a3109.f5§a5=.105.~g2!Theking strong. 32. ~g5! Reducing the pressure
must join the battle. The greedy by taking off the queens. 32 ... ~xg5
105.§xh5? §b2+ 106.~gl ~f3 33.Jlxg5 4Jc2! Keeping up the
107.§g5 §bl+ 10S.~h2 §b2+ pressure. 34.Jld8? This runs into a
109.~h3 §bl= spoils it. 105 ... .§b2+
tactical shot. 34.~d2 and 34.Af4 were
105 ... §b5 106.~h3 ~f3107.~h4 §b1 much better practical chances.
10S.§xh5+- 106.~h3 ~f3
34... 4Jd4! 35 ..§f4 .§e3 36..§g4 ~f7
107..§xh5 .§g2!? sets a trap.10S ..§g5? 37 . .§e4 .§xb3 0-1 2 points for
Now the rook is in the way of White's
26 ... 4Jh5!.
escape route. Only 108. ~h4!! wins as
Black cannot avoid the rook exchange
TOS.06: 32 ... 4JeS? This simply loses.
after 10S ... §xg3 109.§g5+-.
32 ... 4Jg4+' 33.~f3 (33.'t'e2 §e6+
10S... .§g1109.~h2 .§g2+ 110.li£lh1
34.~f3 [34.4Je4 §xe4+ 35.~f3 §ed4=]
.§f2 111..§g6!? White threatens to
34 ... 4Jh2+ 35.~g3 §gS+! gives Black a
advance his pawn in typical fashion
nasty initiative as well) 33 ... §f6+!! A
111 ... .§a2? The king had to retreat
fantastic piece sacrifice giving Black an
immediately with 111... ~e4 to stop the
enduring initiative: 34.~xg4 §g8+
advance of White's pawns, e.g.,
35.~h5 §xf2 36.§a6+ (36.4Jf5 §xf5+
112.~gl §a2113.§b6~f3114.§b3+
37.~h6 §f3 38.~h7 §g2 39.§d5 §h3+
't'g4 115.~f1 §c2 116.§e3 §a2
117.§e2 §a3=. 112.f5 .§a5 113.f6 40.§h6 §hg3 41.§dS+ ~b7 42.§d7+
~c8 43.§a7 ~bS 44.§e7 §xa2=, Glek)
.§f5 After 113 ... §aS!? White also has
to improve his king first: 114. ~gl 36 ... WbS 37.4Jf5 §xf5+ 3S.'it'h6 §f2
39.~h7 §fg2=. 33.4Jb5 Effectively
(114.f7? is refuted by 114 ... §fS
115.§g7 ~f2!=) 114 ... §bS115.f7 §fS unpinning the knight. 33 ... .§h3+
116.§g7~e4117.g4't'e5118.g5We6 34.~e21-0 2 points for 32 ... 4Jg4+ and
119.g6 ~f6 120.§gS+-. 114. Ii£lg1 ! 2 more for 33 ... §f6+!!.
197
T05.07: 38.~xf7+! All other moves T06.02: 26 ... Af5? This meets with
are fairly hopeless, but this queen powerful refutation. The counterattack
sacrifice saves the draw. 38... Etxf7 26 .. .'~·f4! draws by force: 27.Ac4+
39.Etc8+ ~g7 and in view of (27.E!.xc5? dxcS 28.Ac4+ ~xc4 29.g6
40.Etxf7+ ~xf7 41.Etc7+ ~e8 ~e4+ 30.~fl hxg6 31 ..£\xg6 llb7 -+;
42.Etc8+ ~e7 43.Etc7+ ~d8 27.§c4 ~xh2 2S.g6 ~xf2+ 29.~d2
44.Etc8+ = Yz-Yz a draw was agreed. 1 hxg6 30.~xg6+ ~h8=) 27 ... Ae6
point for 38. ~xf7!. 2S ..ilxe6+ .£\xe6 29.~xe6+ ~h8
30.§xc7 ~xh2 31.-tlfS ~gl + 32.~e2
T05.08: 27.g3! Staying calm and simply ~xg5 33 ..£\xd6 E!.xf2+! 34.~xf2 ~d2+
blocking the g-file turns out to be most 35.~f3 ~d3+= (Ftacnik). 26 ... ~g7?
effective. More concrete moves tend to doesn't work either: 27 ..ac4+ ~hS
backfire: 27 ..£\d6+? ,1lxd6 28.E!.e8+ 2S . .£\g6+! ~xg6 29.~xfS+ ~gS
~b7! 29.~xc4 E!.xg2+ 30.~hl E!.xh2+ 30.~xg8* 27.Ac4! Distracting the
31.~gl E!.g2+= with a perpetual black pieces. 27 ...d5 27 ... Ae6 2S.g6
(Mikhalevski). 27.Axe7? E!. xg2+ hxg6 29.§g2+-; 27 ... .£\d3+ 28.~d2 d5
2S.~hl E!.g4 29 ..£\d6+ cxd6 30.~fS+! 29.g6 Axg6 30.Axd3+-. 28.g6! The
~b7 31.~d7+ ~aS 32.'~1C8+ ~a7 key move, opening files against the
33.~c7+ ~aS 34.Axd6 E!.g8 3S.,a,g3 black king. 28 ... hxg6 2S ... .ilxg6
.ilg4 36.E!.d2 ~xc3 is better for White, 29.-tlxg6 hxg6 (29 ... ~xg6 30.Axd5+
but gives Black too much counterplay. ~hS 31.~xg6 hxg6 32.§xc5 +-)
27,..Etg4 28.~f3 j'ta3 29.4)d2 30.§g2 +- 29.Etg2 dxc4 30.4) xg6 1-
~xa4 30.4) xb3 Etg8 31.4)d4 Ad7 02 points for 26 ... ~f4!.
32.Eta1! 1-0 1 point for 27.g3!.
T06.03: 20 ... Etc8! After this counter-
Test 6 attacking move it turns out that White's
king is in fact the more exposed one.
T06.01: 20 ... ~b6!The only way, other 21.4)e4 Etc4 22.4)g5+ ~g6! A very
logical moves fail: 20 ... .£\xal? 21..£\f7+ cool reply. 23. ~g3 4)h5! Another
~g8 22 . .£\xdS lhxdS 23.~xc6+-; accurate move, leaving Black firmly in
20 ... AxeS? 21.dxeS ~b6 (21..A::\xal control. 24.~f3 24.~xeS §g4+
22.'~xc6 E!.cS 23.~xdS ~xd5 24.AxdS 2S.~f2 ~g2+ 26.'\t'el §xg5 27.AxgS
.£\b3 25.AgS +-) 22. ~xb6 .£\xb6 ~xgS leaves Black on top as well.
23.Af7! .£\xal 24.AgS ~g7 2S ..ilxe8 24:~'h3 '£\f4! only makes matters worse.
E!.xeS 26.E!.xal E!.xe5 27.Ae3+-. 24 ... ~xf3 25.4)xf3 Ad6 26.Etadl
21.4)f7+ 21.~xc6? ~xc6 22 ..£\xc6 Ab8 27.Etd2 Etg4+ 28.Etg2 Etxg2+
doesn't work because of 22 ... .£\b6! 29.~xg2 4)f4+ 30.~hl 4)e2
23.Af7 .£\xa124.AxeSE!.xe8. 21 ... ~g8 31.Af2 e4 32.4)h4+ ~g5 As they
22.4)h6+ ~h8 23.4)f7+ 23.~f7? is say, endings are better for Black in the
met by 23 ... §e7 when only Black can Sicilian. 33.Ete14)f4 34.Etxe4 Etxh4
play for a win: 24.AxdS §xf7 2S ..£\xf7+ 35.Axh4+ ~xh436.a4e5 37.axb5
~gS 26.Ac4 h6!? 23 ... ~g8 24.4)h6+ axb5 38.c4 ~g4 39.cxb5 ~f3
~h8 25.4)f7+ Yz-Yz 1 point for 40.Etc4 e4 41.Etc8 Ad6 0-12 points
20 ... ~b6!. for 20 ... §cS!.
198
Solutions
T06.04: 23 ... Ag4! Throwing a spanner

in the works. 23 ... ~h8? 24.~xe5+ ~g8
25.~xe6+ ~h8 26.~e5+ ~g8
27.§c3+-; 23 ... ~f7? 24.4:Jg5+ ~e7
25.~xe5 ~f6 26.§c7+ Vrfixc7 27.>{lfxc7+
.ild7 28.~xb7 §c8 29.<tlxh3 ±.
24.~xg4+ And now, since the white
queen is distracted, the black king can
safely move into the comer: 24••• ~h8
25 . .£Jg5 ~d2 26.§.c7 ~xf2+
27.~h2 'li'!/xg2+ 28.~xg2 hxg2
29.dxe5 §.ac8 30.§.xb7 §.c2
31..£Jf7+ ~g7 32.e6 ~f6 33.e7 70.Ac6 §.h7 71.jtd5 ~e3 72.jlg8
gl ~+ 34. ~xgl §.g8+ 0-12 points for §.h8 73.Af7 ~f4 74.Ab3 §.b8
23 ....ilg4!. 75.Ac4 §.c8 76.Ae6 §.c6 77.Ad5?!
77 ..ilf7 §c7 78.Ae6 ~e5 79.Ah3 §h7
T06.05: 66.Ab7? 66.Ae6! ~f3 80.Ag2 ~f5 81..ilfl ~f6 82.11.a6 §a7
83.11.e2 §e7 84.Af3 ~f5 85.Adl §c7
67.~h2 §g5 68.~h3 (68.Af7? ~xg3
86.Ae2 §d7 87.11.b5 §dI88.Ac6 ~g6
69 .Axh5+ ~f2 -+ ) 68. ..§ xg3+ 69. ~h4
§g6 89.Ae4+ ~h6 90.11.f5 §d4+-+
77.•• §,c2 78.~h3 ~g5 0-12 points
for 66.Ae6! and 2 more if you calculated
untiI70.Ab3!.
T06.06: 1 . .£Je8! 1.<tle6? b3 2.4:Jg5 b2

3.<tlf3 ~c3 -+; 1.4:Ja8? ~c5 2.<tlc7 b3
3.<tle6+ ~c4-+. 1. .. ~c5 1...b3
2.4:Jd6+ ~c3 3.<tle4+ ~c2 4.4:Jd6 b2
5.<tlc4 bl Vrfi 6.<tla3+= 2 . .£Jf6 ~d4
3 •.£Je8 ~e5 4 •.£Jc7 ~d6 5.4)e8+
~d5 6 •.£Jf6+ ~d4 7.4)e8= I point
for 1.<tle8!, 1 more point if you
and now comes the point of White's calculated the 1...b3 line to the end and
defense: 70 ..ilb3! (70.Af7? §g7 -+ ) another 1 for seeing the main line.
70 ... §h6 (70 ... ~f4 71.~xh5 ~g3
72.Ac2=) 71.~g5 ~h8 72.iidl + ~e4 T06.07: 34... §.e6! Black's first priority
clearly must be to take care of the white
73.Axh5=. 66 ... §.g5 67.~h2 After
f-pawn. 34 ... b4? 35.~f1 §f8 36.Axf8
67.~g2 h4 68.~h3 hxg3 69.~g2 <;tJf4
~xf8 37.f7 c3 38.4:Jg5+-. 35.§.f1
70.Af3 ~c5 71.Aa8 ~c2+ 72.~gl (D)
35.f7+ ~xf7 36.<tlg5+ ~g6 37.<tlxe6
~xd6-+ is a very pretty case of trapping
Black breaks the fortress with the
the knight. 35 ... §.xd6 36.4)xd6
typical 72 ... g2 73.~h2 Bf2 74.Ac6
~xd6 37.f7+ ~f8 38.§.f5 g6
gl~+ 75.~xgl ~g3-+. 67 .•. ~f2
39.§.fxe5 c3 40.§.e6 c2! 0-1 1 point
68.~h3 §.xg3+ 69.~h4 §.g7
for 34...§e6!.
199
T06.08: 32.'i!?taS+ ~g7 33•.§xf7+1 30.<tIxe5 .§xe5 31.t1fl and in both

White is just in time to force a perpetual: cases White can defend and may even
33 ... ~xf7 33 ... ~h6?? 34.~f8+ ~g5 hope for more than a draw later. 28.g4
35.~xe7+ ~g4 36.'~h4# 34.'i!?td5+ gives 1 point, e.g., 2B ... t1xg4 29.1"!gl
\filf6 34 ... e6 35.~d7+ ~f6 36.~d8+= ~f4 30.<tIc6 ~d2 31.~b4 ~xd5
35.'i!?td4+ ~f7 35 ... ~e6 36.~e4+= 32.'~c3=. 2S...e3 29.g4 ~g5 30..§xe3
36.'i!?td5+ ~f6 37.'i!?td4+ e5 38.'i!?td6+ 30.fxe3 .§xe3 31.<tIb5 (31.<tIc6 .§f4-+)
\filf7 39.'i!?td7+ ~f6 40.'i!?td6+ ~f7 31. .. .§f4! 32.<tId4 ~xg4-+ (Roiz).
41. ~d7+ ~f6 Yz-Yz 1 point for 30 ••• .§xe3 31.fxe3 'i!?txe3 32.~d3
33 ..§xf7+!. t\'e2 33..§gl ~e5 34.'i!?tb5 t\'e4 0-1
Test 7 T07.04: 2S ... cxd5? This loses

immediately. 28 ... Ae5!! is the only
T07.01: 25 . .§gf3? There was no need defense: 29.Ac4+ (29.~a4 ~e7
to panic. With the cool 25.~gl! White 30.Jlxc6 .§ad8; 29.Jle4+ Jld6 30.Af5+
would have stayed on top: 25 ... Jlh3 ~e7 31.'§xd6 ~xd6 32.Ag5+ f6
26 ..§ff3! Simply defending. 26 ... Axg3 33.Axf6+ ~xf6 34. ~xd6+ ~xf5
27.hxg3 dxe5 28 ..§e3 <tIg5 29.<tIxe5 35.t1xc6 ~f4; 29.Axc6+? ~xc6
and White has coordinated his defense. 30.~c4+ ~b7 31..§d7+ ~b8 doesn't
25 •.. Ag4 26 . .§3f2 Other moves also work) 29 .. .'~)eB 30.Axf7+ ~xf7
lose: 26.~dl .l1g3! 27 ..§3f2 11.h3!-+ 31..§d7+ ~e6 32.~e7+ ~f5 33.~f7+
(Petursson in CBM 65); 26. ~cl Jlxf3+ Af6 34.'§d5+ cxd5 35.~xd5+ Jle5
27.~xf3 <tIg3+ 28.~gl Jlg5 29.~dl 36.~f7+ 11.f6 37.~d7+ ~e5 38.~c7+
<tIxfl 30.~xfl .llf4 31.h3 Jlxe5-+ ~d5 39.c4+ ~e6 40.~xg3 .§aeB 41.c5
(Petursson). 26 ... ~xf2+ 27 . .§xf2 ~f7 and in all cases Black has very
Axf2 28.~xf2 .§fS 29. ~el 'i!?th30- good chances to survive. 2B ... .§adB?
1 1 point for 25.'~gl!. 29.Jlf4+-; 2B ... Axb2+? does not help:
29.~xb2 cxd5 30 ..§.xd5+ ~e6
T07.02: 25 ... ~fSI The right defense, 31. t1b3 +-. 29.Af4! The killer.
returning the exchange. Removing the 29 ... ~h4 Other moves don't help
rook with 25 ... .§d8? loses in spectacular either: 29 ... ~xf4+ 30.~xf4 ~c6
fashion: 26:~b7+ ~e8 27.Ac5! f5 31.t1xf7+-; 29 ... ~h6 30 ..§xd5+ ~eB
2B.~c6+ ~fB 29.~c7 ~g5 31..§e5+ ~d7 32 ..§e7+ ~cB 33.~c4+
30.~e7+! +-. 26.g4 26.Jlxb8 ~xb8 ~d8 34.~c7# 30.t\'d6+ \fileS
27.g4 '§xd6 28.~xf7+ ~c6 29J~xd6+ 31.~c6+ ~e7 32.Jld6+ ~dS
~xd6 30.~xh7 ~dl + 31.'~b2 ~xg4 33.~xaS+ ~d7 34.'i!?tb7+ ~xd6
32. ~a7 and Black was slightly better in 35 . .§xd5+ ~e6 36.t\'d7+ ~f6
Cuevas Rodriguez-Wallace, Yerevan 37.'i!?td6,. 1-03 points for 2B .. .Jle5!!.
1996. 26 ... t\'e8 27.AxbS t\'xbS
2S..§f1 ~xd6 29 ..§xf7+ ~eS Yz-Yz 2 T07.05: 20••. t\'fS! Bringing the queen
points for 25 .. .'~f8!' back into play. Other moves are not
satisfactory: 20 ... 1"!ee8? 21.~c6 1"!acB
T07.03: 2S.'i!?tc4? 2B.<tIc6! nets you 2 22 . .§adl±; 2o ... c6?! 21.~d7
points: 2B ... ~h3 (2B ... <tIe5 29.<tIxe5 (21.~b3!?) 21..:~f8 22 ..§adl is similar
.§xe5 30.g4 (M.Roiz» 29 ..§gl <tIe5 to the game, but a slightly better version
200
Solutions
for White because of the weakening 'it'f5 with good winning chances:
move ... c6. 20 .. J~ae8?! is also less 31 .••h6 32. .§c8+ ~f7 33.g4? White
precise, e.g., 21.~c4 (21.E!adl!?) has no time for this. 33. ~f1 + was called
21...E!d8 22.E!e3 E!ed6 23.E!f1 and for, but Black keeps winning chances
White will win a pawn. Black has some after 33 ... ~f5 34.g4 ~xf1 + 35.~xf1
compensation of course, but White is E!d2. 33... ~e4 34. .§c4 ~d5 0-12
for choice. 21 •.§adl ~e8 22. ~d7 points for 31.~c2!.
22.E!d3 ~d6 23.~b7 (23.~c4 E!xd3
24.~xd3 ~d8 25.~e2 ~e7 26.E!dl T07.08: 41..§xg7? 41.E!d7! ctJf5
E!d8!=) 23 ... ~c8= (Avrukh). 22 ••• .§c8 (41...e2 42.d5+ 'it>f6 43.E!d6+ '!le7
23. ~ xe8+ .§exe8 24 . .§d7 .§ed8 44.E!xg6 hxg6 45.E!e4+ '!ld646.E!e5!
25 ..§edl J3.xd7 26 ..§xd7 ctW8! The E!f8 47.Ael E!xf4 48.E!xe2+-) 42.d5+
white rook will be thrown out again. 27.g4 'it>f6 43.c7 E!xg3+ 44.'it>h2 and White is
hxg428.hxg4g529.~1 ~e830..§d5 winning: 44 ... e2 45.E!c6+ ctJd6
f6 31..§d3 .§d8 32.~e2 .§xd3 46.E!dxd6+ (Ribli) 46... 'it>g7 47.E!e6+-.
33.~xd3 ~d7 34.~c4~d6 35.a4c5 41. .• .§xg7 42.c7 ~d7 43.~f3
36.c3 Yl-Yl2 points for 20 ... ~f8!' .§xg3+! 0-1 I point for 41.E!d7! and 2
more if you calculated until 44.'it>h2.
T07.06: 26 ••• ~e4! The right
preparation, as immediate checks turn Test 8
outto be too early: 26 ... ctJhf3+? 27.~hl
~e4 28.~g2!± (Shirov); 26 ... ctJdf3+? T08.01: 55 .•. ~b4? Morozevichmisses
27.~f1±. 27.Ag3 Y:r--Yland a draw was 55 ... E!xh5! 56.E!a5+ 'it>b4 57.E!xh5
agreed as Black has no more than a stalemate. 56 . .§b6+ ~c5 57 . .§xh6
perpetual: 27.Ag3 ctJhf3+ 28.'it>hl ctJel + ~b4 58.~c2 .§c3+ 59.~d2 .§h3
29.'~gl ctJdf3+ 30.'it>£1 ctJc2 31.d6! 'it>d7 60 ..§h8 ~c5 60 ... '!lxb3 61.h6 '!lb4
32.Af4 ~xf4 33.~xc2 ctJxg5+ 34.~f2 62.h7 'it>b5 63.E!bS++- 61.~c2 ~b5
~xg4 35.~e2! "and White is by no 62.~d2 ~c6 63.h6 ~b7 64.b4 ~a7
means worse" (Shirov); 27.E!xd2 ~bl + 65.~e2 .§h4 66.~£3 .§xb4 67•.§g8
28.i11f1 ctJf3+ 29.'it>f2 ~x£1 + 30.'it>x£1 .§h4 68 . .§g6 ~b7 69.~g3 .§hl
ctJxd2+ 31.'it'el ctJe4=. 1 point for 70.~f4 ~c7 71.~f5 ~d7 72.~f6
26 ... ~e4!. ~e8 73.~g7 1-0 I point for
55 ... E!xh5!.
T07.07: 31 . .§cl? "Nerves and time-
trouble - Alekseev misses his chance T08.02: 26 ...d4! After the exchange of
to save the game and win the queens White's attack is over but his
tournament with 31.~c2! E!d8 (31...h6? structural deficits remain. 26 ... ~xd6?
32.~c8+ '!le7 33.E!f1 +-) 32.'~c5+ 27.E!xd5 ~h6 2S.E!dg5 plays into
(32.~c7!? 'it>e8 33.~xb7=) 32 ... 'it'g8 White's hand. 27.~xc6 .§xc6
33.~xe3=" (Stohl in CBM 127); 28.'§xd4 b4 29.d7 .§d8 30.j}.d2
31.~g2? h5 32.E!el ~g4 gives Black a 30J:!el .§c7 31..§e8 E!dxd7 32.'§xd7
strong initiative, e.g., 33. ~xb7 e2 '§xd7 33.Ae5 f6-+ 30... .§c7 31 . .§g5
34.'it>f2 h4 35J~!xe2 hxg3+ 36.'it'el .§cxd7 32..§xd7 .§xd7 33.~c2 .§c7+
~d4 37.'~aS+ 'it'f7 38.~b7+ 'it>g6 34.~d3 .§c5 35..Q.e3 .§xg5 36..Q.xg5
39.~e4+ ~xe4 40.E!xe4 gxh2 41.~h4 Ac5 37.£3 37.AdSAxf2 38.ilxa5 ilc5
201
39.~c4 !iJ..e7 40.Axb4 Axb4 41.~xb4 Other moves lead to mate: I9 .. .fxe5?
f5-+ 37 ...f6 38•.Q.f4 Ab6 39.~c4 20.~h6+ ~g8 21..§.gl + ~t7 22 ..§.g7+
~f7 40.~d5 g5 41.Ad6 h5 42.Ab8 'lie8 23.~g6+ .§.f7 24.~xf7#;
~g643.~e4f5+ 44.~d3 h445.~e2 I9 ... ~e7? 20.~h6+ ~h7 (20 ... 'lig8
45.Ae5 g4 46.fxg4 fxg4 47.hxg4 'it'g5 21..§.gl+ ~f7 22.~g6#) 21.~xf8+
48.~e2 ~xg4 49.~fl ~f3-+ ~g8 22.~h6+ ~h7 23.~xf6+ ~g8
45 ... ~h5 46.~f1 Ad4 47.Ac7 a4 24 ..§.gl + +-. 20.~xd3 20:t!¥xd3 is
48.bxa4 Axb2 49.~e2 Ad4 much worse: 20 ... fxe5 21.~g6 .§.xf2+
50.~d3 b3 51.a5 g4 52.fxg4+ fxg4 22.~c3 .§.xh2 23 . .§.gl i!i'fS-+.
53.hxg4+ ~xg4 54.a6 b2 55.~c2h3 20 ... ~e7 21.e4 Now 21.~h6+ is met
56.Ae5 ~f5 57.Ah2 57.!iJ..xd4 h2 with 21...~h7+ check! 21 ... ~g7
58.a7 hI ~ 59.~xb2-+ 57 ... ~e4 22.~h5+ Maybe 22.',~Yxg7+ ~xg7
58.~bl ~d5 59.a7 Axa7 60.~xb2 23.Axc7 should have been tried.
~e461.~c2 ~f3 62.~d3 ~g2 0-1 22 ... ~g8 23 ..Q.d4 c5 24.Axc5 Etc8
and White resigned in view of63.Ae5 25.f4 25.Ad6 would have been more
Af2 64.~e2 .Q.g3 65 ..Q.xg3 ~xg3 stubborn. 25 ... ~a6 26 ..Q.f2 ~b4+
66.~f1 h2-+. 2 points for 26 ... d4!. 27.~e2 Etxa2 0-1 3 points for
I9 ... Ad3!! 20.~xd3 ~e7.
T08.03: 28. ~h2? It would have been
correct to swap queens: 28.~xg4 hxg4 T08.05: 31 ... Eta2+! 32.~bl Etb2+!
29 ..§.e4 (29Jhf4? Axg5! 30 ..§.xe8 33.~al Y:rYz is completely forced and
Jlxf4-+. Also possible is 29.4Je4!? f3 gets 1 point.
30..§.gl 'lig7 31..§.xg4 f5 32.gxf6+ Axf6
33 ..§.fl -'te7) 29 ... f5 30.gxf6 '§'xf6 T08.06: 36.~c2! Etxa2 37.~xb4
31..§.fxf4 .§. xf4 32 ..§. xf4 !iJ..xh4 33.4Je4 Etxe2 38.c6 Ete5 39.~d3 Ete2
and White is slightly better (Finkel) 40.~b4 YZ-YZ and as the knight
28 ... Ad8! Suddenly Black starts a dominates the rook, a draw was agreed.
nasty counterattack. 29.l£le4? This 2 points if you saw this line until the
makes matters worse. 29 ..§.xe8 .§.xe8 end.
30 ..§.xf4 (30.~xf4? ~h3+ 31.'ligl
.ilb6+-+) 30 ... .§.el+ 31.4Jf1 ~dl T08.07: 58.Etg6? 58.a6! bxa6 59.§g6
32.~f2 '§'e2 33.~f3 ~el is the lesser 4Jb4 60.§xh6+ ~g7 61.§d6 (61.§h2
evil (Finkel). 29 ...f3 30.Etgl Etxe4!! A a5 62.~c7 a4 63.§b2 a3 64.§xb4
brilliant piece of calculation, killing all transposes) 61...a5 (61...Ae4 62.~a7=,
White's hopes of saving the game. Reeh) 62.'lic7 a4 (62 ... Ae8 63.~b6 a4
31.Etxg4 Etxel+ 32.Etgl Etfe8 64.~a5 4Jc6+ 65.'itlxb5 a3 66 ..§.d2=)
33.~f2 33.~g3 .§.xgl + 34.~xgl Aa5 63 ..§.d4 a3 64.§xb4 a2 65.~xc6 al~
35.'lih2 .§.e2+ 36.'lih3 Ac3-+ 66.'§'xb5 This position is a draw:
33 ... Etle2 34.~g3 34.~xf3 .§.8e3 66 ... ~t7 67.§b7+ ~e8 68.~c7 ~a5+
35.'~f1 Ab6-+ (Finkel) . 34 ... Ab6 69.'~d6 ~d2+ 70.~c7 ~d8+ 71.~c6
35.Etfl Et8e4 36.~h3 Etg4! 0-1 I ~a8 72.~c7 ~e7 73.~b6+ ~e6
point for 28.~xg4 and 1 more for 74.c6",. 58... ~b4! 58 ... ~h7?? 59.§xc6!
29 ..§.e4 or 29.4Je4. bxc6 60.a6+- 59.Etxh6+ ~g7
60.Etd6 ~a6+ 61.~a7 ~xc5
T08.04: 19... Ad3!! Fantastic defense! 62.Etxc6 bxc6 63.~b6 ~a6! 0-11
202
Solutions
point for SS.a6 bxa6 59.§.g6 and 2 more, 39.~xcl ~xe2 40.hxg4 ~xg4 41.~h6
if you calculated until the endgame §. +ft ~hS+ 42. ~xhS gxhS 43."Q.fl ~a8
versus "(j;f. 44.Axb5 §.bS and Black is slightly
better (Stohl). 38 ... Jl,f3 39 . .Q.xf3
T08.08: 44.~e7! Convincingly using ~xf3+ 40.<i£7h2 ~f2+ 4Vitlh1 ~f3+
a known drawing mechanism. YZ-YZ 1 point for 36.. .'€¥f2! and 2 more
44 ... ~xe7 44 ... §.aS 45.§.a7! .§as for 37 ... Ae2!.
46.§.xaS+ E!.xaS 47.,axb3! 4Jxb3 48.E!.d3
~d2 (4S ... 4Jd4 is met by 49.§xc3 gS T09.04: 43 ... ~d4+! Winning the a-
SO.§.c4 gxf4 Sl.§.xd4 f3 52.h4=) pawn sooner or later: 44.<i£7e3 44.~c1
49.§.xb3 ~xf4 50.gxf4 .§a4 Sl.§.f3= §.as 4S.a5 §.dS 46.a6 §.d6 47.a7 §.d7=
(Baburin in Chess Today #3267) 44 ... ~xc2 45.~xc2 ~xa4 Of course
45.4)g6+ ~h7 46.4)f8+ <i£7h8 the remaining ending can and should
47.4)g6+ Yz-Yz 1 point for 44.§.e7 be tried, but it's a theoretical draw:
§.xe7 4S.4Jg6+ and 1 for calculating the 46.~c5 <i£7f7 47.g4 h6 48.h4 <i£7f6
line 44 .... §.aS until 47.,a,xb3!. 49.h5 ~b4 50.~d5 ~a4 5lo~d4
~a3+ 52.~e4 ~a6 53.~f4 ~b6
Test 9 54.~a4 ~c6 55.~a5 ~c4+ 56.~g3
~c6 57.~f5+ <i£7e6 58.~f8 ~e7
T09.01: 22 •.. Af4! Solving all back
59.~f4 ~e6 60.<i£7h4 ~c5 61.~f8
rank problems. 22 ... §'xd4?? 23.E!.cS+
§.dS 24.§.xdS+ 4JeS 25.§.dxeS*; <i£7e7 62.~a8 ~f6 63.~a6+ ~f7
64.~a4 ~f6 65.f4 ~c6 66.~a3 ~b6
22 ... J1e5?! 23.E!.xe5 §'xd4 24.~f5 and
67.~g3 ~f7 68.~f3 ~f6 69.~c3
22 ... ~d6?! 23.Ae4! leaves White with
~b4 70.~c6+ ~f7 71.~e3 ~e7
the initiative. 23.Axf4 23.Axf6? gxf6
72.~c7+ ~f6 73.~d7 ~b3+ 74.~e4
24.§cdl §'xd4 25.Ah7+ ~xh7 26.§'xd4
~b6 75.~d4 ~e6+ 76.~f3 ~a6
Ae5 gives Black excellent winning
chances because of his powerful 77.~d3 ~a4 78.~g3 ~b4 79.~c3
bishops. 23 ... ~xd4 24.Ab1! Axb1 ~a4 80.~c6+ <i£7f7 8log5 hxg5
25.Ae5 ~d7 26.Axf6 Ad3 27.Ac3 82.fxg5 ~a3+ 83.~g4 ~a4+ 84.~5
f6 28.~e3 <i£7f7 29.g4 Yz-Yz 2 points ~a5+ 85.~f4 ~a4+ 86.~f3 ~a3+
for 22 ... Af41. 87.~e4 ~a4+ 88.~d5 ~a5+ 89.~c5
~xc5+ 90.~xc5 ~e6 91.h6 gxh6
T09.02: 30... ~e7? This loses without 92.gxh6 Yz-Yz 1 point for 43 ... §.d4!.
a fight. The surprising 30 ... 4Je4!! had
to be found: 31.4Jxe4 g6 32.4Jd6 ~e7 T09.05: 45.f3! An elegant little move.
33.ik6 (Timman in Informant 681119) 45.fxg3? §hS 46.~f2 E!.hl! (Shirov)
and Black is certainly not worse. plays into Black's hands. 45 ... ~h8 Yz-
31.~c8+ 4)e8 32.4)f5 h5 32 ... ii1e6 Yz 1 point for 45.f3!.
33.Ad7 +- 33.4)xe7 ~xe7 34:~d7+
1-02 points for 30 ... 4Je4!!. T09.06: 60 ... b5! This move can be
found by means of elimination. 61. ~b7
T09.03: 36 ... ~f2! Very much to the Ae3 62.f4 62.a7 Axa7 63.<;tJxa7 b4
point. 37. ~g5 Jl,e2! The real key 64.'it>b6 ~d6 6S ..\lxf7 ~eS 66.'it>cS 'it>f4
move. 38.hxg4 38 ..§xe2 §. xc1 + 67.AdS b3= (Ribli) . 62 ... ~f6 Yr-Yz and
203
a draw was agreed inviewof63.a7 Axa7 his g-pawn. The correct defense was
64.~xa7 ~g6 65.~b6 ~h5= (Ribli). 1 40 ... g6! 4l.Axg6+ (4l.f6e1~42.Ag8+
point for 60 ... b5!. ~h8 43.ltf7+ ~h7=) 4L.~g7 42.§e8
(the difference is 42 ..§b7+ ~f6 43 ..§f7+
T09.07: 76..• jtg3? Now the black king and here Black has 43 ... rtlg5!) 42 ... 4Jd4
cannot cross the diagonal b8-h2 43.Ah5 'it>f6 44.~g3 .§c2= (Ribli);
directly. which will cost him the game. 40 ... h5?? 41.Ag6+ ~h6 4Z.h4 el~
So 76 ... Ab8! was necessary: 77.Ae2 43 ..§h8#. 41 ..£tg6+! 4l.fxg6+? ~g7
~a5! This is the right direction. 42 ..§g8+ 'it>f6 43 ..§e8 4Jd4 44.g7 el'lt1
(77 ... ~c3? is refuted by 78.Axb5 Ag3 45 ..§xel ~xf7= (Ribli). 41 ... ~g7
79.'it>e6 ~d4 80.Ae2 ~e4 (80 ... ~c5 42.Elb7+ Wf6 43.Elf7+ Here Black has
8l.Af3+-) 8l.Adl Ac7 (81...Ae5 no 'it'g5 available. Therefore: 43 ... ~e5
82.AcZ+ ~f4 83.Axg6 Jlc7 84.Af5 +- ) 44.Ele7+ Wd5 44 ... ~6 45 ..§e6+ ~g7
82.~f6 ~d5 83.Af3+ ~d6 84.~xg6 46.Jlli5! +- 45.f6 ~d4 46..£th5! Elbl
~e7 85.h5 'it'f8 86.Ad5 +- and the king 46 ... .§ b8 47.f7 .§f8 48 . .§e8 g4
is cut off from the saving comer. So 49.rtlg3+- (Ribli); 46 ... g4!? 47.Axg4!
White wins as his pawns are four files .§b8 48.Ah5 .§f8 49.f7 ~xc5
apart.) 78.'it>e6 (78 ..lld3 'it>b6 79.Axg6 50 ..§ e8 +- . 47.f7 .§fl 48 . .13 xe2 1-0
Af4 80.h5 rtlc7 8l.~c5 b4 8Z.Af7 48 ... 4) xe2 49.Jlf3+ +- 2 points for
Ae3+ 83.'it>b5.\lf4 B4.Ad5ltdZ 85.~c5 40 ... g6!.
~c8=) 78 ... 'it'b6 79.'it>d7 and finally the
king can head to the kingside: 79 ... ~c5! TestlO
80.Ad3 (80.c7 ltxc7 8l.~xc7 ~d5
8Z.~d7 rtle5 83.~e7 ~f5 B4.<i!i'f7 b4=) TlO.01: 65 ... t4'f7? Exchanging queens
80 ... ~d4 81..~xg6. Now the diagonal would have been a fairly straightforward
can be crossed directly: 81... ~e5 draw: 65 ... 'lt1xe4+ 66.'it'xe4 'it>h5
8Z.'it'e7 Ad6+ 83.'it'f7 ~d5 84.Ae4+ 67.4Jg2 (67.4Jf5 ~g4=) 67 ... ~g4
~xe4 85. <i!i'e6 Ae5 86.h5 b4=. 77.-'t0 68.~d5 (68.~e3 f5=) 68 .. .f5 69.'it>e5
~a5 78.~e6 b4 78 ... 'it'b6 79.'it>d7 f4 70.~f6 f3 71.4Je3+ ~xh4=.
'it>c5 does not help: 80.Ae4 Ab8 66.~f5+ Wh5 67.~e2+ 67.4Jd6 was
(80 ... ~d4 8Ulxg6 AbS 82,1<t'e6 <i!i'c5 easier: 67 ... ~g7 68.'lt1f3+ ~g6
83.h5 'it>xc6 84.h6 .1la7 85.Ae8+ 'it>c7 69.'lt1g4+ ~h7 70.'lt1xg7+ 'it'xg7
86. ~d5 +- ) 8l.Axg6 ~d5 82.h5 'it>e5 71.4Jf5+ ~g6 72.~g4 ~f7 73.'it>h5 +-.
83.<i!i'e7 Ad6+ B4.<i!i'f7 ~d5 85 ..lle4+!!. 67 ... Wg6 68.t4'd3 ~c7+ 69.4)d6+
The c-pawn is more important than the Wh6 70.Wg4 Wg7? 70 ... 'lt1g7+
bishop here. 85 ... ~xe4 (85 ... 'it>c5 71.'it>h3 ~gl 72.4Jf5+ 'it>g6 73.'lt1g3+
86.~e6+-) 86.h6 ~d5 87.h7 Ae5 ~xg3+ 74.4Jxg3 f5 75.4Je2 +-
88.c7 +- . 79 ..1l.e4 ~b5 80.'i&d7 ~c5 71.~e8+ 1-0 I point for 65 ... 'lt1xe4+.
81 ..1l.xg6 1-0 and Bacrot resigned in
view of 81. •. Wd5 82.h5 We5 TlO.02: 82 ...h3! 82 ... ~e5? 83.~g4 h3
83.c7+- 2 points for 76 ... Jlb8! and 2 84.~xh3 'it>f5 85.'it'h4! +- as White has
more for calculating untiI79 .. .'~c5!. reached a key square for his g-pawn.
83.g4 After 83.gxh3 ~e5 84.~g4 ~f6
T09.08: 40 ...g5? It was not easy to 85.'it>h5 ~g7= Black reaches the saving
foresee that Black needs to get rid of comer in time. 83 ... we6 and in view of
204
Solutions
....I!Ig3l!1f685.I!I,h31!1g5l1-l-I. 'il'e5 + 33.g3 'il'e 1-+ 32 ••. *",g6"

draw was agreed.] point for 82 ... h3!. 33. ~f3 jtd4 34.4:)d3 ~gS 3S.~e4.
~e3 36.~xe3 jtxe3 37.~g3g6
TIO.03: 48.~c6? This does not work. 38.~f3 Jld4 39.~e2 ~g7 40.~d
48. ~e6! would have been the right !it'f6 41.~d3 Af2 42.4:)f3 ~fS·
direction: 48 ... .Q.g5 49Jhf6 ltxf6 43.!it'e2 Aa7 0-1 3 points for
SO.~xf6 (Mikhalevski) and Black can't calculating until 27.dxe6 no matter if you
win, e.g., 50 ... .£lgS 51.h4 {)f3 52.h5 .£lg5 started with 25.'l!#'e8+! or 25 ..£le6!.
53.~g6~e7 (53 ... 00 54.'~h7=) 54.f6+
~e6 55.~g7 {)f7 56.~g6.£ld6 57.~g7=; TIO.06: 64 ••• .i£le4? This allows the
48.~d4? also just loses:
48...Ag5 49. ~e4 exchange of queens, after which the a-
{)e5 50.h4 .£lxg6 Sl.hxg5 .£le5 52.gxh6 pawn quickly decides. It was time to
{)xg4 53.h7 ~g7 S4.~d5 ~xh7 5S.~c6 create counterplay with the typical
{)h6-+. 48... 4:)eS+ 49.~xb6 4:)xg6 64 ... h4! 65.Jlg4 (65.a6 {)f5=) 65 ... .£lfS
50.fxg6 Ae151.h4 Axh4 52.!it'xaS 66.Axf5 ~e5+ 67.~gl (67.g3 ~e2+ is
f5! 53.gxfS Af2 54.!it'b5 h5 55.!it'c6 a perpetual as well) 67 ... ~el + with a
h4 56.f6 h3 57.~d7h2 58.!it'e6 hI ~ perpetual. 65. ~f4+ !it'e7 66 . .Q.c6
0-12 points for 48. ~e6!. ~d6 67.~xd6+ .i£lxd6 68.a6 4:)c8
69.!it'g3 !it'f6 70.!it'f4 g5+ 71.!it'e4
TlO.04: 34•.. .i£le5? 34.. J~a8! 35.Axe8
!it'e6 72 •.Q.b7 4:)a7 73.!it'd4 !it'd6
(35.~g3 E!eb8 36 ..£ld4 h5 37.gxh6
E!xb2 38 ..£lxb2 .I1xb2 39.'l!#'b3 .Ilxd4) 74.!it'c4 h4 75.!it'b4 !it'c7 76.~cS
35 ... E!xa3 36.bxa3 {)eS! (Tyomkin) and !it'b8 77.!it'd51-0 2 points for 64 ... h4!.
Black is better in both cases.
(36 ... {)el+? 37.~f2=) ; 34 ... .£le1+? TlO.07: 52.13.g1+ !it'h3 53.13.h7+
35.~g3 .I1xf3 36.Axe8 .I1xd137.Ab5± White can also wait for some time with
55.Axe8 13.xe8? 35 ... .I1xf3+ 36.~fl 53.Elfg7 but after 53 ... a4 54.E!7g6 E!ab3
Elxe8 37:~a4 E!b8 limits the damage. 5S.Elg7 a3 he has to use the drawing
36.!it'g3 Axf3 37.~c3 .Q.xdl mechanism 56.f!h7+ Elh4 57 ..§hg7=.
37 ... E! xe7 38.d6!! E!e8 39.dxc7 E!c8 53 ..• 13.h4 S4.13.hg7 Yl-Yl and because
40.~xe5 .I1xdl 41.~e7+- 38.~xe5 of the threat 55.El7g2 followed by
.Q.a4 39.b4 1-02 points for 34 ... E!a8! 56.f!h2#, a draw was agreed. One
and 2 more if you calculated until sample line runs 54 ••• 13.h8 55.13.7g2
36 ... .£le5!. 1 point for 34 ... .£leS? !it'h4 56.13.g4+ !it'h5 57.13.g5+ ~h6
35.Axe8.Q,xf3+. 58.13.g6+ !it'h7 59.13.g7+ !it'h6
60.13.7g6;t I point for spotting the
TIO.OS: 25.4:)f5? This just loses. It drawing mechanism.
was time to create a counterattack:
2S.~e8+! {)f8 26 ..£le6 fxe6 27.dxe6 TIO.08: 1 ... 13.e8? Exchanging queens
.£lf2+ 28.~h2 ~xe6 29.~xe6+ .£lxe6 with 1. .. ~g7! saves a lot of trouble,
30 ..§el (Wells) is better for White. since in the remaining ending the dream
25 ..£le6! fxe6 26.~e8+ .£lf8 transposes team king+rook+bishop easily
to 25.~e8+!' 2S ... 4:)f2+ 26.!it'h2
compensates for the pawn minus;
~e5+ 27.4:)g3 4:)e4 28.~b3 Af2
2.~xg7+ ~xg7 3.Ele5 Abl 4.a4 .Q,a2
29.13.d3 h5! 30.Jlxh5 4:)xg3
31.13.xg3 ~xh5! 32.§.xg6 32.E!c3 5.aS bxa5 6 ..£le4 Axd5 7.{)xcS Ac4=;
205
1...~xb2? 2.<£lg4 'fJg7 is too risky !"!e3 66.4Jc5 b3-+. 59 ... h5 60.d6
though: 3.'fJg5 !"!d6 (3 ... Axh5? §.dl! 61.~e6 b4 62 . .£)c5 Etel+
4.'fJxd8+ ~h7 5.'~h4 ~g6 6.d6+-) 63.~f6 63.<£le6 !,,!xe6+ 64.'it'xe6
4.!"!h6 and White has a dangerous 'it'dS-+ 63 ... §.e3 0-1 2 points for
attack, e.g., 4 .. .f5 5.<£le3 ~al + 6.~h2 55.~d7!.
~e5+ 7.~gl 'l¥tal + 8.<;t>f2 ~b2+ 9.<;t>f3
'l¥tf6 10.'l¥tf4; l..J~d6?! is not as good T11.03: 53 ... §.xb4U The right move at
as 1.. .'~g7!, but still offers saving the right moment, creating enough
chances after 2.4Jg4 'l¥tg7 3.~xg7+ counterplay. 54.axb4 a3 55.~g2 a2
~xg7 4.4Je3 so it gets 1 point. 2.~g4 56.§.hl al ~ 57.§.xal §'xal
Etel + 3.<it'h2 ~d6+ J had originally 58.§.c7+ <it'd8 59.§.xc3 §.bI60.§.c6
planned 3 ... 'fJd4? but then saw that ~e7 61.hS YZ-YZ 2 points for
4.!"!e5 +- is curtains. 4.~e5 ~f6 53 ... !"!xb4! !=.
5.4)g4 ~d6+ 6.4)e5 ~f6 7.~xg6
fxg6 8.~h7+ ~f8 9.~h8+ ~xh8 T11.04: 39.~e3? 39.~d3! ~d6
10.§.xh8+ and Tregubov went on to (39 ... ~d5 40.~e3 e4 (40 ... <;t>c4?
win.2 points for 1...'~g7!. 41.g4+-) 4Lfxe4+ fxe4 42.g4!=)
40.~d2 e4 41.f4 ~dS 42.~c3 e3
Test 11 43.'it'd3 e2 44.':txe2 <;t>c4 45.<;t>e3
~xb4 46.~d4!
T11.01: 49 ...§.x b2? Black must destroy
the mating net at any price: 49 ... el ~+
50.~xel !"!xb2 51. <£le2 + ~e3 52.!"!e5+
~d3 with excellent drawing chances.
50 ..£) xe2+ 1-0 and Black resigned in
view of 50... ~d3 51.§.d5 * I point for
49 ... el~+.
T11.02: 55 . .£)e6+? This allows the

black king to the queenside. 55.<;t>d7!
stops the direct approach of Black's
king and holds: 55 ... b5 (55 ... !"!e7+
56.~cs b5 57.d6 !"!e3 5S.d7 !"!c3+ The hidden point. 46 ... 'it'a3 47.g4! hxg4
59.<;t>d8 b4 60.<£le6+ ~f7 61.4Jg5+=; 48.h5 b4 49.h6 b3 50.h7 b2 51.h8'1¥t
55 ... 'it'g7 56.4Je6+ 'it'f6 57.4Jc5 b6 bl'fJ 52.~a8+ ~b2 53.'fJb7+ ~c2
5S.<£la6=) 56.<£le6+ 'it't7 57.4JdS+ <;t>f6 54.'fJg2+= 39 ... <it'd5 40.<it'd3 e4+
58.4Jc6 Finally the knight has 41.fxe4+ fxe4+ 42.~e3 <it'e5
everything under control, e.g., 58 ... !"!e4 43. ~e2 ~5 44. <it'e3 ~g4 45. ~xe4
59.d6 b4 60.'it'c7=. 55 ... ~e8 Iil7xg3 46.~f5 ~xh4 47.~f4 ~h3
56 . .£)c7+ ~d8 57.~e6+ ~c8 48.~f3 h4 49.liI7f2 ~g4 50.~g2
58.<it'e7 EthI59.~g5 The alternatives Iil7f40-1 1 point for 39.~d3! and 2
do not work either: 59.<£lfS !"!hS 60.4Je6 more, if you saw 46. ~d4!.
b5-+; 59.d6 !"!h7+ 60.~f6 (60.'it'eS
!"!d7 -+) 60 ... b5 61.<£ld4 b4 62.~e6 T11.05: 64 ... liI7d7? The king cannot
!"!b7 63.4Jb3 !"!b5 64.~e7 !"!e5+ 65.'it'f6 stop the pawn alone. So it was better to
206
Solutions
give a bodycheck with 64 ... ~dS! 6S.a6 40.~hS+ i\1'h6 41.~xh6+ ~xh6
(6S.<;>b4 ~c6 66.a6 ~d4+ 67.<;>aS 42 ..§e7+- (Har Zvi). 35.~h3 Etxf4
§dS+ 68.<;>b4 §d4+ 69.~c3 §d8=) 36•.§e1 ~c3+ 37.g3 Etf6 3B•.£lh7+
6S ... §b6+ 66.~c3 ~b8 67.a7 §as ~gB 39 . .£l xf6+ .£l xf6 40 . .§xe7
68.<;>b4 ~c6=; Other moves also lose ~cB+ 41. ~g21-0 The queen sacrifice
instructively: 64 ... ~a6? 6S.~c4 <;>d6 beginning with 33 ... .§xf4 gets 4 points.
66.<;>bS §as 67.a6 r:Jc7 6S.§cl + r:Jd7
(68 ... ~bS 69.§hl r:Jc7 (69 ... §a7 Tl1.08: 39 . .£le6? This doesn't
70.§hS+ ~c7 71.§gS+-) 70.§h7+ generate enough counterplay. White
<;>d6 71.a7+-) 69 ..§hl .§bS+ 70.~aS could have forced a draw with 39.4Jg6!
§gS 71.a7 <;>c7 72.§h7+ ~c6 73.~a6 4Jxg3 (39 ... ~f7 40.hS! ~e6 41.4Jf8+
.§f8 74.§hl .§gS 7S ..§c1 + +- ; 64 ... .§d8? ~f6 42.4Jh7+=) 40.~xg3 hS (40 ... ~h7?
6S.a6 .§a8 66.~b4 r:Jd6 67.r:JaS ~c7 41.hS even loses) 41.4Je7+ ~h7 42.~fS
68.§c1 + +- 65.a6 .§b6+ 66. ~c4.§b8 .§g4+ 43.<;>h3 ~h6 44.4Jg8+=
67.a7 .§aB 6B.~b5 ~c7 69.~a6 (Nisipeanu) 39 ... .£lxg3 39 ... 4Jxh4
.§hB 70 ..§c1 + ~d7 71. ~b7 .§h2 1- 40.E:fS+ <;>h7 41.~h3 E:e4 is the
o I point for 64 ... r:JdS!. alternative. 40.~xg3 '§xa4?Blackhad
to take measures against White's attack
Tl1.06: 65 ... §h7! 6S ... ~a6+? 66. ~bS first: 40 ... .§e4 41.E:fS+ (41.4Jf4 c;tJf7
.§xf6 (66 ... §a7 67 ..§g7 +- ) 67.h7 .§h6 42.4JhS+ ~g6 43.4Jf4+ <;>fS 44.4JhS+
68.~gS+ r:Jf7 69.hS~+- 66.§g6 ~eS 4S.4Jxg7 dS) 41...~h7 42.4Jf4 gS
§hB! and the threat <;>f7 forces the 43.hxgS hxgS 44.4Jh3 ~g6 when, in
draw. 67.§g2 Ya-VI 1 pointfor6S ... .§h7! both instances, he still has winning
66.§g6 §hS!=. chances. 41.h5 Ete4 42.§fB+ ~h7
43 . .£lf4 .§e5 VI-VI 1 point for
T11.07: 33 ••• ~c1 +? This natural check calculating the line 39.4Jg6 ~f7 and 1
is not enough. Black had a fantastic for calculating 39.4Jg6 4Jxg3.
defense available: 33 ... ~xf4! 34.4Jh7+
~gS 3S.4Jf6+ exf6!. The following Test 12
queen sacrifice, to reduce White's
attacking potential, is the point of the T12.01: 55 ....§e1! The only way, as
defense. It is easy to overlook as the a-pawn must be given up in any
diagonal moves backwards with the case. King moves lose: S5 ... ~e8?
queen are often missed by the human 56.gxh3 Elhl S7 ..§xa2 .§xh3 58 ..§a8+
eye. (3S ... .§xf6? 36.Axf6 ~cl + 37.~h2 ~d7 59.<;>f7 and Black's king is on the
4Jg4+ 3S.'~xg4 exf6 39:~g6 i\1'h6+ wrong (long) side of the pawn, so that
40.i\1'xh6 Axh6 41.~e7+-) 36 ..§eS+ White can reach Lucena's famous win:
i\1'fS 37.§xfS+ ~xfS 38.Ag3 .§e4= (Har 59 ... Elh7+ 60.~g6 E:hl 61.f6 §gl +
Zvi). 34.~h2 .£lg4+ Other tries do not 62.~f7 E:f163.~g7 .§gl + 64.c;tJf8 E:g2
save Black either: 34 ... 4Jf1 + 3S.~h3 65.f7 and now White wins by building
§xf4 (3S ... i\1'c3+ 36.~g4 4Jh2+ a bridge, 65 ... E:g166.E:a4 E:g2 67.'§d4+
37.~hS+-) 36.4Jh7+ ~g8 37.4Jf6+ ~c7 68.~e7 .§e2+ 69.~f6 .§f2+
'§xf6 3S.Axf6+- (Har Zvi); 34... §xf4 70.~e6 .§e2+ 71.~fS .§f2+ 72 ..§f4+-;
3S.4Jh7+ r:Jg8 36.4Jf6+ .§xf6 37.-'txf6 55 ... <;>g8? 56 ..§aS+ <;>h7 57.gxh3 .§bl
4Jg4+ 38.i\1'xg4 exf6 39.§eS+ r:Jh7 (S7 ... .§hl S8..§xa2 .§xh3 59.~f7 is lost
207
as Black's rook is misplaced and cannot surprise. 36 •••f5 36 ...§xe3? runs into
leave the h-file quickly) 5B.§xa2 §b6+ 37.gxf7+ ~xf7 3B.§f1 + +- (Ftacnik).
59.~g5! and Black's king is either cut 37.~xf5.§4e7 37 ... §xe3? is again not
off on the eighth rank, when the ending advisable: 38.~f7+ ~hB 39.~h7#.
is won as a rule, or Black's rook must 38 •.§B? This allows a tenacious
remain passive, which loses as well, e.g., defense. Ftacnik pointed out the path
59 ... §b7 60.h4 §g7+ 61.~f6 §b7 to victory: 38..§gel!.§f8 39.~h5 .§g7
62.§e2 'it'h6 63.§e6 §a7 64.§d6 §b7 40.§f3 §xf3 41.*1xf3+-. 38... ~e41
65.~e6 §a7 66.f6 §al (66 ... ~g6 and White went on to win nevertheless,
67.h5++- ) 67.'it'e7 §a7+ 6B.§d7 §al but now matters are not 100% clear
69.f7 §el+ 70.~fB 'it'h7 71.§d5 §e2 anymore. 2 points for 35 ... §e5!.
72.§h5+ ~g6 73.§hB §el 74.~g8+-.
56.Eta8+ 56.§ xa2 does not help: Tl2.04: 32.~f3+? This check is not
56 ... hxg2 (even 56 ... h2 57.§a8+ §e8 strong enough. More forceful play is
58.§al §e7= is playable) 57.§xg2 §al needed: 32.~d7! ~g8 (32 .. .'~e7
58.§e2 §a6+ 59 ..§e6 .§a7= 56 ... Ete8 33.*1c8+ *1eB 34.~f5+ ~g8 35.~d5+
57.Etxa2 hxg2 58..§xg2.§aS 59 ..§e2 ~h8 36.*1h1+ ~g8 37.*1d5+=)
.§a6+ 60 •.§e6 Eta71? Circumspect 33:€k8+ .{tf8 34.~xb7 .{te7 (34 .. .'l;i<e7
defense. Robson wants to drive the king 35.~d5+ '1Jg7 36.<tlxe2! ~xe2 37.~f7+
away with checks. 61..§b6 .§f7+ '1Jh6 3B.~xf8+ ~xg6 39.'liYxd6+=)
62.~g6 E!g7+ 63.~f6 .§f7+ 64.~g5 35.<tlxe2 (35.'IJ\'hl draws as well)
.§g7+ 65 ..§g6 .§a7 66..§f6+ ~g7 Of 35 ... *1xe2 36:lt1d5+ ~g7 37.*1f7+ '1Jh6
course not 66 ... ~e7? 67.~g6 §al 3B.g7 g2 39.g8'1J\' ~a6+ 40.~bl ~fl +=
68.'iftg7 §gl + 69.§g6 §fl 70.§e6+ (Stohl). 32 ... ~e8 33. ~f7+ ~d8
~d7 71.~g6+- and Black's king is cut 34.~g8+ ~d7 35.~f7+ ~e7
off. 67 . .§c6 ~f8 68 . .§h6 .§g7+ 36. ~f5+ 36.<tlxe2
~xf7 37.gxf7 g2
69 . .§g6 Eta7 70. Etf6+ ~g7 71 . .§h6 38.~bl ~e7 39.~c1 Ah6+ 40.~dl
.§a1 72.Etg6+ ~f7 73 •.§f6+ ~g7 .Q"e3-+ 36 ... ~d8 37.~a5+ b6
74•.§g6+ Yz-Yz 1 point for 55 ... §el!. 38.~d5 e1~ 39.~a8+ ~d7
40.~b7+ ~e8 0-1 I point for
T12.02: 37.~e2! 37.'\;:')·dl? §c1!-+ 32.*1d7!.
37 ... .§c1 38•.§d1 ~c8 39 . .§xe1
~c5+ 40.~h1 Etc4 41.~d3 ~c6+ Tl2.05: 29.Jta7! "The only move that
42.~g2 ~xg2+ 43.~xg2 .§c2+ saves the knight. An amusing position
44.~f2 .§xa2 45 . .§b1 f5 46 . .§xb5 has arisen with a bunch of pieces in the
~f7 47.h4 YZ-YZ 1 point for 37:~e2! comer." (Postny in CBM 118) 29.§xcB?
§c138.§dl. <tlxb6 30 ..§xb6 §xb6 31.§c7+ ~e6
32.<tld7 §b5 33.c4 '1Jd6 34.cxb5 ~xc7
Tl2.03: 35 ... .§xe4? This active defense 35.<tlxf6 ~d6 gives Black some winning
backfires. Passive defense was called chances as the rook is quite strong in
for: 35 ... §e5! 36.§gel (36.*1h6 .§xf5 such endgames. 29 ... .§c7 29 ... §axa7
37.§xg6+ fxg6 38.~xg6+ ~f8 30.§xc8 §xbl + 31.~xbl §b7+ 32.~c1
39.~xf5+ ~e7=, Ftacnik) 36 .. .'l;i<d2 <tla3 33.<tlc6 §bl+ 34.~d2 §b2+
37.*1g3 ~f8 38.fxg6 fxg6 39.~xg6 35.'1Jd3 §xg2 36.§c7+ ~e6 37.<tldB+
'1Je7=. 36.fxg6! An unpleasant ~d6 38.§f7= (Postny) . 30.~b6 .§b7
208
Solutions
31.j},a7 lac7 32.Ab6 lab7 YZ-YZ 2 Test 13

points for 29.J:ta7!. : .. :: ..::::::".:
T13.01: 40 ... ,§a7! 0-1 A Classic
T12.06: 1.~xg3?? 1.§g7+!! J:txg7 seventh rank defense, with the idea §:i7':
2"~xg7+ rtJxg7 3.AxfS+ ~xfS 4.<tJxh3 g7 to take over the attack. 40 ... §g7?
<tJxh3 (4 ... ~e7 5.<tJf3 <tJxf3 6.exf3+- even loses: 41.e7 ~d7 42.'i;1xf6 ~xe7
and White won't be able to win the 43. ~xe7 E! xe7 44.E!fS+ +-. After
black queen, but he doesn't need to, as 40 .. .f5? 41.e7 §a7, White has 42.~fS!
it will never get out!) 5.<tJf3 'i;1xg2+ E!xe7 43.~xe7 fxe4 44.~xe4 when he
6.~xg2 <tJf4+ 7.~xg3 <tJxe2+ S.rtJf2 is certainly not worse. White's
<tJc1 9.<tJe5 +- (Ziiger in Informant 531 resignation is obviously a bit premature,
665) . 1 ••• ~hl# 0-1 2 points for but after 41.~e3 Ae5 42.~xd4
1.§g7+!! and 2 more, if you saw that j},xd4 Black's victory is only a matter
White wins after 4.<tJxh3 as Black's of time. 1 point for 40 ... §a7!.
queen is imprisoned forever.
T13.02: 25 ... ~e5! The knight will land
T12.07: 1 ... ~e5? This loses. First a on d7 where it is a tremendous defender
number of other tries which do not work: until the very end of the game. Instead
1...~g7? 2AJe7+ ~f7 3.~h5+ ~f6 25 ... Axe6? 26.~xe6 gives White the
4.\~"f5#; 1...§b6? 2.<tJe7+ rtJf7 3.~h7+ upper hand as 26 ... §xc3? runs into
~g7 4. ~h5+ §g6 5. 'i;1d5+ rtJeS 27.§xf7 §xf7 2S.'il11xf7 §cS 29.tH6+
6.<tJc6+ +-; l...§ xg2? 2.<tJe7+ rtJf7 rtJg8 30.'li1te6+ +-; 25 ... .ile8? is only
3.~h7+ ~g7 4.~h5++-; only good enough for a draw, e.g., 26.4:Jd5
1...~xd3! keeps Black going: 2.4:Je7+! §xc2 27 :ifJe7 4:Jh6 28.§f8+ 4:JgS
(2.'l!1g5+?! ~hS 3.!!e6 runs into the 29.§xgS+ §xg8 30.'<fif·f6+ §g7
pretty 3... ~xh3+! 4.gxh3 §f1 + 5.~gl 31.~f8+= 26.exd7 ~xd7 27.~d4
§xgl + 6.rtJxgl <tJb6=) 2•... rtJf7 3.~h5+ ~b2 28.4)d5 ,§xc2 29 ..£)e3 Elcxg2
~g7 4.'i;1g4+ rtJh7 5.<tJf5 ~xf5 6.§e7+ 30.~xd6 ~f21 0-1 1 point for
'i;1f7 7.~xd7 rtJg6 8.~g4+ rtJf6 9.~h4+ 25 ... 4:Je5!.
'i\?g6 19.§xf7 §xf7 and Black is still
alive and fighting, although it has to be T13.03: 36..• Ele81 YZ-YZ The only - but
admitted that White has the upper hand. sufficient - way to parry the threat of
2.~e7+ f$}f7 3.~f51 ~c3 4.lafl1-0 §as+ followed by §a7. 36... a3? 37.§aS+
4 ••. laf2 5.Elxf2 ~el+ 6.f$}h2 ~xf2 'i\?g7 3S.§a7 rtJf6 39.§f1+ rtJxe6
7.~g7+ f$}e6 8.~e7+ ~xf5 40.§el + rtJf6 41.E!exe7 a2 42.§el §bl
9. ~xf8+ +- 1... ~xd3! gets 2 points and 43.§f1 ++-. 1 point for 36...!!eS!.
2 more, if you saw untiI6.!!e7+ 'l!1f7.
T13.04: 57.~xf7+I? From a practical
T12.08: 77.~f4! The correct way. point of view this spectacular move is
77 .•. ~c2 Or 77 ... 'it'c4 7S.4:Je2 a3 probably best, but 57.'i\?d4 b2 5S.4:Je4+
79.4:Jc1 =. 78.~d5! The last key move. ~e6 59.4:Jc3 (after 59.<tJd2? the knight
7S.4:Je2? loses: 78 ... a3 79.<tJd4+ succumbs to a knight fork: 59 ... 4:Jf3+
rtJb2 -+ 78 •.• a3 79.~b4+ ~c3 60.rtJc3 4:Jxd2-+) 59 ... rtJxf6 60.4:Jbl is
80.~a2+ ~b2 81.~ b4 ~c3 Yz-Yz 1 also drawn and gets 3 points as well,
point for 77.4:Jf4!. e.g., 60 ... 'i\?f5 61.~c3 'it'e4 62.<~xb2
209
~d3 63A:Jc3! f5 64.4Jd5=. 57 .. .ct/c7 49.~xd6+ ~c8 50.~c6+= 46.~e6+

Against 57 ... 'i!fe6 Appel showed the ~f7 47.~c8+ Jlf8 48.~g4+ Ag7
way to draw directly after the game: 49.~c8+ ft/h7 50.~xh3+ Ah6
58.4Jg5+ 'it'd7 (58 ... 'it'xf6 59.~d4 b2 51.Ag5! ~f2+ Yz-Yz I point for
60.4Je4+ ~e6 61.4Jd2 4Jf3+ 62.~c3 45.Ae7+and 1 morepointfor45 ... ~xe7
4Jxd2 63.<it'xb2=) 59.~xe5 (but not 46.~e6+!.
59.t7? ~e7 60.4Je6 ~xf7 and White's
forces cannot stop the b-pawn) 59 ... b2 T13.06: 23.bxc7?? This runs into a
60.l2:lh7!! (necessary precision; 60.f7? nasty surprise. 23J'!el ?? does not parry
~e7 loses without a fight.) 60 ... bl ~ the threat either: 23 ... ~xg2+! 24.~xg2
61.f7 'ffi'xh7 62.f84J+= (62.f8~ draws ~h3+!! 25.~xh3 .:£lg5+ 26.~g2 4Jh4+
as well of course.) ; 57 ... 4Jxf7loses the 27. '\t>fl g2+ 28.c,tJf2 l2:lh3"". A fantastic
d-pawn directly: 58.~d3 ~c5 59.~c3=. twin variation!; White must give up an
58.ft/xe5 b2 59.4)g5 bl~ 59 ... Wd7 exchange with 23.gxh3! 'ffi'xh3 24.§.f2
transposes and asks for 60.4Jh7!! again. to stop Black's attack for good:
60.f7 Black cannot win because of the 24 ... gxf2 25.~xf2 axb6 (25 ... cxb6?
unfortunate position of his king. 26.axb6 a6 27 .Afl ~d7 28 ..:£la4 ±)
60 ... ~b2+ 61.ft/f5 ~f2+ 61...~d7 26 ..:£ld5! b5 (26 ... c6? 27.Afl ~e6
62 ..:£lh7= (Appel correctly stated that 28.4Jc7 §.xc7 29.dxc7 +-; 26 ... bxa5?
62.f8.:£l+ draws as well. But it does not 27.dxc7 ±) 27JiJxc7 §.d8 28 ..:£lxb5
make much sense to play like this as (Ftacnik in Informant 711623) with
Black can even blunder a whole queen excellent play for the exchange.
and still draw.) 62.ft/g6 But not 23 ••• Axg2+! This one is still more or
62.~e6? ~f4 63 ..:£lh7 ~h6+ 64.~e5 less standard. 24.ft/xg2 ~h3+!! Not
~g7+ 65.~e6 ~g6+ 66 . .:£lf6 ~h6 difficult once you see it, but still very
67/i!te5 'ffi'f8 68.~e6 ~d8 69.4Jd5 'l£tg7 pretty. 25.ft/xh3 4)g5+ 26.ft/g2
70.4Jf6 'l£th6 71.c,tJf5 ~f8 72.~e6 ltlh4+ 0-13 points for 23.gxh3 ~xh3
~e7+-+. 62 ... ft/d7 63.4)h7 ft/e7 24.m2.
64.f8~+ ~xf8 65.4) xf8 ft/xf8 Y:z--Yz
I point for 57 ..:£lxf7+ 4Jxf7 58.c,tJd3, I T13.07: 44.Axd3! It's best to eliminate
for calculating the line 57 ... ~c7 and 1 it right away. 44.4Jd2? runs into
more for 60.4Jh7!! in the variation 44 ... 4Jc3! 45.§.f1 4Jdl + 46.~e4 .§.e8+
57 ... c,tJe6. 47.~d4 4Jxb2 48 . .§.xf7+ ~g6-+;
44.Axa6? gets 1 point as White can
T13.05: 45.Ae7+! Only this way. continue to fight: 44 ... 4Jc5 (44 ... b3
45.~xd6+? ~g8 46"~Ye6+ ~h7 45 ..:£ld2 §.e8 46.Ab5 4Jxd2+ 47.~xd2
47.~xh3 ~f2+ 48.~hl e2 49.Ad8+ §.e2+ 48.'\t>c3 d2 49.'§'xc2 bxc2
'\t>g8 50.'tf'!e6+ ~f7 51.~xe2 ~xd5+-+ 50.~xc2) 45 . .Q.b5 4Jb3 46 . .§.fl d2
45 ... ft/g8 45 ... ~xe7 46.'ffi'e6+! This 47 ..:£lxd2 §.xd2 48. §. f4 butlakovenko's
check forces a draw. (After 46.'ffi'xg7+? move is doubtlessly stronger.
~f7 47.~g5+ '\t>d7 48.'tf'!xe3 ~xd5. 44... Axd3 44 ... .§.xd3+ 45.'it'xe4 .§.c3+
Black can continue to fight for the full 46.~d4 §.xf3 47.§.xc2 .§.xg3 48.~c5 b3
point, although White can probably 49.§.f2= (Postny). 45.4)el Aft
hold with best defense.) 46 ... ~f8 45 ... .:£lxg3 46.4Jxd3 4Jf5+ 47.~e4 ~f6
47.~c8+ ~e7 48.~e6+ ~d8 48 ..§.c6+ ~g5 49.4Jc5= (Postny) .
210
Solutions
46.\t'xe4 .§d2 47 •.§bl Ac448.b3

Ae649.'it'e3 .§d850•.§b2.§c8 51.a5
T14.03: 55 ... .§dl? 5S ... Eic1!
way to save the game: 56.a5~d1
l'~ep~iY
Af5 52.g4 .§eS+ 53.\t'f4 '§xel 57.Eid5+ (Or 57.a6 Eic7+ 58.~b6 E!c6+
54.gxf5 .§al 55 . .§g2+ \t'fS 56..§c2 59.~a5 ~c7 60.a7 Eicl! 61.a8-tli:
.§xa5 57.f6 \t'g8 58 •.§g2+ \t'fS ~c6=) 57 ... 'it'e6 58.Eih5 Eibl + 59.<iI?c6
59•.§c2 WeS 60 . .§e2+ WfS liz-liz 3 Eic1 + 60.EicS Eixc5+ 61.'it'xc5 ~d7
points for 44.~xd3! ~xd3 4S.<tlel =. 62.'itJb6 ~c8= 56.a5 Wd8 57.a6 .§d7+
58.Wb81-0 1 point for 55 ... Eic1!. ..
T13.08: SO ... .§e2! The saving
resource. 80 ... ~eS+? runs into the T14.04: 39.<iftd3?? This loses without
amazing 81.!heS dxeS 82.Eibl!! a fight. With 39S~i'e2! White always
(82.~xfS? gxfS 83.Eidl EixbS 84.d6 Eib8 gets the opposition, which saves him:
8S.d7 Eid8 86.g3 e4=) 82 ... Eixbl 39 ... \!tf4 (39 ... e4 40.~e3! exf3 41.'itJxf3
83.Axbl Axbl (83 ... e4 84.b6 e3 ~eS 42.'it'g4 ~e4 43.~g3 ~f5
85.~gl ~c8 86.d6+-) 84.b6+-. 44.~f3=) 40.\!tf2 e4 (40 ... ~g5 41.'itJe3
sl.Axf5 81.Eidl ~xe4 82.Eixd4 ~xhS 42.f~)e4 \!tg6 43.~xe5 hS 44.f4
Eixg2+ 83.~hl Af3= S1. •• .§xeS h4 45.~e6 ~g7 46.~e7 ~g6
S2.Ae6 .§as S3 ..§bl .Q.b6 = 2 points 47.f~)e6=) 4l.fxe4 ~xe4 42.'~g3 and
for BO ... Eie2. as White is quick enough in all resulting
races, the end of the game would now
Test 14 most probably be 42 .. .'~f5 43.~f3 ~e5
44.~e3=; also not good enough is
T14.01: 76••. .§f7! Now the king can 39.'it'f2?? 'it'f4 40.~g2 (40.'it'e2 e4
hide from checks on the f-file. 77.Wg2 41.fxe4 ~xe4-+) 40 ... ~g5-+.
We4 7S.h7 Wf5 liz-liz I point for 39..• Wf4 40. We2 e4! Giving Black the
76... Eit7!. opposition. 41.fxe4 \t'xe4 42.Wf2
Wd4 43.Wf3 Wxc4 44.We4 Wb4 0-
T14.02: 45 ... ~d51 The only move to 13 points, if you saw that White always
stay in the game. Black's king will find gets the opposition after 39.~e2! and
safe haven on the kingside. Other moves is in time in the races.
lose: 45 ... ~xa2?? 46.'~c7 ~e6 47.<tld6+
~fB 48.~dB+ ~e8 49.~xe8#; T14.0S: 23 ... ~e8? This doesn't solve
4S ... ~d7? 46.~bB+ ~dB 47.~eS+ Ae6 Black's problems. 23 ... -tld4! is the right
(47 ... ~d7 4B.~d5+ ~c7 49.~xf7+ move to stay in the game: 24.Eixd3
~d7 50.~f8+-) 48.<tlc5 ~b6 (24.<tleS? <tlf5 25.<tlxf6 -tlxh4 26.-tlfxd7
49.~g3+-; 4S ... 'it'd8? 46.<tlg5 ~d5 Eixd7 27.gxh4 Eig7+ 28.'it'hl Eid6
47.e4 ~b7 48.~d6+ ~eB 49.~g3+-. 29.Eixd3 Eixd3 30.-tlxd3 Eig4 is even
46.~bS+ Wd7 47.~a7+ We6 better for Black; 24 ..£\xd4 ~xd4 25.~f4
~e5 26. ~f3 is an alternative) 24 ... -tle2+
48.~xa6+ Wf5 49.l£ld6+ Wg6
50.l£lxb5?? Now White blunders away 25.Eixe2 ~xd3 26.Eie3 ~dl + 27.~g2
the game. After 50.~b6 the battle Eid3! (another key move; 27 ... ~d7?
continues. 50 •.. Ae2 51.a4? Aft 2B ..£\egS fxgS 29 ..£\xg5 ~c6+ 30.f3
52.Wg3 ~g5+ 53.\t'f3 ~g4+ 0-11 Eid2+ 31.~gl ~d7 32.-tlxf7 Axf7
33.~e7+ ~cB 34.~xt7±) 28 ..£\c3 E\xc3
point for 45 ... ~d5!.
29.Eixc3 ~f8 and White is onlyslightly
211
better. 24.Ete3 ~g8 25 . .£lc3 Cit'd7 Cit'c8 52. Cit'e7 1-0 and Black resigned
26. ~e41-0 2 points for 23 ... 4::\d4! and in view of52 ...§e2+ 53.§e5 §.e2 54.f5
I more if you calculated untiI27.~g2 §xe6 55.f6+- 2 points for 49 ... g4!.
§.d3!.
TI4.08: 82 ... Cit'f5!1 As White cannot
TI4.06: 26 ... Ete6?? This one loses take the knight, Black's king uses the
because of White's strong reply. moment to march to g5, which draws.
26 ...§'xd3!! This injects the opposite- Instead 82 ... 4::\h7? loses: 83.~g6 4::\f8+
color bishops theme into the position. 84.'it'g7 4::\e6+ (84 ... ~f5 can now be met
27.§.xd3 (27.§'xe6? §.d7 -+) 27 ... §.g8! by 85.4::\f3! 4::\e6+ 86.~g8 4::\f8 87.4::\e5!
Pointing the rook in the right direction. 'it'g5 88.4::\f7+ ~g6 89.~xf8+-)
(27 ... ile4? is not convincing: 28.~d2 85.~g8 4::\g5 86.4::\f3+! 4::\xf3 87.h7 +-.
~xd3 29.~xd3 f5 30.hxg3 ~xg3+ 83 . .£lf3 83.~xf8 'it'g6 loses the g-
31.~fl ±) 28.e4 Axe4 29.§.xg3 pawn. 83 ... .£lh7 84.Cit'g7 .£lf6
(29.§.xf7?! is met by 29 ... 4::\e2+!! 30.~f2 85 . .£ld4+ Cit'g5 86 . .£le6+ Cit'h5
~xh2+ 31.~el §.e8! 32.~xe2 ~xe2+ 87..£lc7 ~g5 88..£ld5 .£le8+ 89.Cit'h7
33.~xe2 Ad5+ 34.§.e3 which should .£ld6 90 . .£lc3 .£lf7 91 •.£le4+ Cit'f4
be drawn as well) 29 ... t¥1xg3+ 30.hxg3 92.Cit'g7 .£lxh6 93.Cit'xh6 Cit'xe4 %-Yz
Axe2 31.§.xf7= (Tyomkin) 27.e4!Now 1 pointfor82 ... <it>f5!!.
the tactics surprisingly work in White's
favor. 27 ... .£lh5 27 ... §.xe4 28.,ilf1! §.el Test 15
29.§xg3+- (Tyomkin) 28 ..1lc4 ~h4
29.Axe6+ fxe6 30.gxh5 ~xh5 TI5.01: 21 ... ~e3+ Black happily goes
31.Etd3 Etg8+ 32.Etg3 Etd8 33.Ae3 for the counterattack. There is no need
e5 34.Etf1 h6 35.b4 a6 36.b5 axb5 to panic with 21 ... §.xf7? 22.~xf7+ ~xf7
37.axb5 Axb5 38.Etg7 c6 39.~a2 23.§.xf7 ~xg2! 24.~xg2 4::\e3+ 25.~f3
Aa6 40. ~e6+ Cit'b8 41. ~d6+ 1-0 4::\e4 26.§e7=; 21...g6?? 22.4::\d8+ +-
and Black resigned in view of 22.Cit'hl Axg2+! 22 ... ~xb3? 23.axb3
41 ... Etxd6 42.Etf8+ ~e8 43.El,xe8+ Axg2+ is the wrong move order because
El,d8 44.El,xd8"" 2 points for of24.'it'gl.ilxfl 25.~d5 h6 26.4::\e5+=
26 ... §'xd3!! and 2 morefor 27 ... §g8!. 23.~xg2 ~xb3! and the knight fork
on e3 decides the game in Black's favor:
TI4.07: 49 ... El,b2? This runs into a 24. ~e4 24.4::\h6+ gxh6 25. ~g4+ ~h8
magnificent counter-shot. The cool 26.§xf8+ §xf8 27.axb3 still runs into
49 ... g4! 50.§.d5+ 'it'e8 51.§g5 ~b8 27 ... 4::\e3+ -+ 24... ~d5!? Other moves
52.§g8+ ~a7 53.~e7 §d4 54.§d8 §f4 win as well, but this fits with the theme.
55.«Tid7 §xf2 56.§g8§f7+ 57.~e8§h7 25 . .£lh6+ Cit'h8 26 . .£lf7+ El,xf7
58.§xg4 §h8+ 59.~xc7 §h7+ draws 27.~xd5 .£le3+ 28.~g3 .£lxd5
as White's king finds no safe shelter 29.El,xf7 .£lc3 30.El,e7 .£lxa2 31.d5
from the checks. 50.f4!1 Suddenly '3ig8 32.d6 El,d8 33.El,e6 '3if7 0-1 3
Black is completely lost. 50 ... El,f2 After points for calculating untiI23 ... ~xb3!.
50 ... gxf4 51.§h5 Black's f-pawn shields
White's monarch from the rain of checks T15.02: 35.~f2! The right
like an umbrella (Mark Dvoretsky coined introduction. 35 ... ~c6 Other moves all
this most appropriate term). 51.El,d5+ seem to end in a perpetual: 35 ... §e8
212
Solutions
36.'I~H6+ ~g8 37.1'hd4! exd4 TIS.04: 20 ••• §.xc3! Of course the

(37 .. :~c2+ 38.~gl 'i!i'cl + (38 ... 'i!i'xc3 black-square bishop needs to be
39.'~g5+ ~f8 40.'i!i"h6=] 39.~f2=) removed. The alternatives don't work
38 ..llxd4 'i!i'c2+ 39.~gl ~cl + 40.~f2 very well: 20 ... ~xd4? 21.'i!i'eS .llgS+
'i!i'd2+ 41.~g3 'i!i'el + 42.~h2=; 22.~xgS ~xc3 23.bxc3 .§dS 24.'i!i'h6
3S ... 'i!i'xdl 36.'~f6+ E!.g7 37.t1d8=; .§hS 25.~xh5 gxh5 26.i!¥xh5±;
35 ... ~g7 36.'i!i'f6 'i!i"c6 37.'i!i'xeS 'i!i'xc3 20 ...M6? 21.E!.xd8+ 'i!i'xd8 22 ..Q.xf6 ~xf6
38 ..~e8+ ~g8 39.'ffi'e5= 36.§.xd4! 23.ltd3± 21.bxc3 21.E!.xd8+? ~xd8
Shirov does it again. "36.t1xf7? is the 22.~xc3 .llg5+-+; 21.'i!i'eS? ltf6!
wrong way: 36 ... dxc3 37.E!.d7 ~h6! 22.~xf6 ~xc2+! 23.~xc2 ltb3+-+.
38.'i!i'fS (38.E!.xb7 ~f8-+) 38 ... ~f4+! 21...§.xd4 2l....Q.xa3+ 22.~d2 E!.xd4+ "is
39.~xf4 exf4 40.~xb7 E!.c8 41.E!.bl c2 also possible, but the text has a very
42.~cl ~g7-+ , followed by ~f6, ~e5 unhurried feel about it which emphasizes
and Black wins." (Golubev). 36...exd4 Black's utter confidence that her dark-
37.~xd4+ f6 38.~xf6+ ~xf6 square domination will carry the day."
39.Axf6+ §.g7 40.e5 'itJgS 41 ..1l xg7 (Wells) 22.cxd4 ~xd4 By now it's clear
'itJxg7 that Black has the more dangerous attack.
23.c3 ~c5 24.'itJd2 Ag5+ 25. 'itJc2?!
2S.~eI was called for. 25 ... 'itJg7 "The
patience that comes from such a
qualitative superiority offorce. I'm sure
Judit didn't feel as if she was material
down here. Her pieces have an enduring
superiority which belies the simple
number-crunching of relative material
values." (Wells) 26.Ad3 Af6 27.§.b1?
27.c4 limits the damage. 27... ~xc3+
2S.'itJd1 Ag5 29.'itJe2 Ag4+ 30.'itJf1
Af40-12 points for20 ... E!.xc3!.
Black's remaining winning potential is not
TIS.OS: 33 ... Ad4+ First saving the
enough to win: 42.'itJg3 AcS 43.'itJf4
bishop with gain of tempo. 34.'itJh2
'itJg644.h4Ae645.~.Ilb346.'itJf4
§.xg5! Simple and elegant. 34... 4Jf8?
Ac2 47.'itJg3 'itJf7 4S.'itJf4 'itJe6 3S.d7 4Jxd7 36.E!.xd7 .Q.e3 37.g3
49.'itJg5 'itJxe5 50.h5 'itJe6 51.'itJh6 (Ftacnik) 37 ... E!.b4 38 ..§e2 E!.cxc4
'itJf6 52.g5+ 'Ia-Yz I point for 35.~f2! 39.4Jxf7 ±. 3S.fxg5 35.E!.xd7? E!.gc5
and 2 more for 36.~xd4!. 36.E!.xb7 E!.d8 37.d7 ~f8-+ (Ftacnik).
35 ... §.dS 36.§.d2 .Ilc5 37.§.d5b6
TIS.03: 1 ... .Ila5! The only defense, Van Wely has managed to stabilize the
opening the third rank for the rooks. position and the superior number of his
1...~xd3? 2.~aa8+-; 1...~d7? 2.h5+- pieces finally prevailed: 38.g3 'itJf8
(Prasad in Informant 60/603) 2.§.xa5 39.§.e2 4J b8 40.§.ed2 §.d741.§.a2
§.dxd3 3.g4 §.g3+ 4.'itJf2 §.bf3+ 4Jc642.§.a8+ §.dS43.§'xdS+4':)xdS
5. 'itJe2 e4! It all fits very neatly. 6.§.aaS 44.'itJg2 4Jb7 45.d7 'itJe746.13e5+
§.g2+ 7.'itJe1 §.gl + S.'itJe2 §.g2+ 'Ia- 'itJxd7 47.§.e4 4':)d6 48.§.h4 Ae3
Yz 2 points for 1...ltaS! 2.E!.xa5 E!.dxd3=. 49.§'xh7 Axg5 50.h4 Af6 51.g4
213
c;t>e6 52.g5 Ae5 53.c;t>f3 ~xc4 ~f2-+ 59 ... c;t>e8 60.c;t>e2 c;t>d8
54.h5 gxh5 55.l3.xh5 c;t>f5 56.l3.h7 61.c;t>d2 c;t>c7 62.c;t>e3! 62.'It'c3?? g4
~d6 57.l3.h5 .1lg7 0-12 points for 63.hxg4 h4-+ 62 ... ~d6 63.~d2!
33 ... ~d4+ 34.'it'h2 ~xg5!. ~e5 64.~e3 'it'd5 65.c;t>d3 ~e5 Y:r-
Yz 1 point for 59 .lit'f2!.
T1S.06: 36... l3.h4! Excellent judgment.
Both the queen ending and the pawn Test 16
ending are drawn. 37.c;t>h3 37.~xb4
axb4 38.a5 b3 39.a6 b2 40.a7 bl~ T16.01: 31 ... l3.a2! With the idea of
41.aS~+ ~g7 results in a drawn queen ... .ilb3. 31...~al? 32.~a6 (32 ..ilc2??
ending. 37... l3.xf4 38.gxf4f5 39.c;t>g3 Ac6+ would be too hasty.) 32 ... ~g7
39.h5 'It'g7! and White doesn't make 33.Ac2+- 32.l3.h7 Black's point is
progress. 39 ... c;t>g7 40.h5 c;t>h7! revealed in the line 32 ..ild5 Ac6!! A
41.~h3 YZ-YZ I point for 36 ... ~b4!' hammer blow, after which it's White's
turn to keep a cool head and find
TIS.07: 47.h3! The right decision. 33.~d7! (33.~xa2? Axd5+ -+)
Other moves are losing: 47.~c5? ~e5 33 ... ~xf2+ 34.~xf2 Axd7= 32... l3.d2
48.'it>xb4 'it'd4 49.~b3 'It'd3 50.'ifta4 e5 Yz-lh 3 points for spotting 31...~a2
51.b4 e4 52.b5 e3 53.b6 e2 54.b7 el ~ 32 ..ild5 Ac6!!.
55.bS"i!¥ ~al+ 56.~b5 "i!¥b2+-+;
47.'It'e4? e5 48.'it'd5 b3 49.~c4 e4 TI6.02: 1... l3.f5+!1 The only way out.
50.'it>d4 e3 51.'it'xe3 'it'e5 52.'it'd3 'it'f4 1...~c8? 2.~e8+! ~xe8 3.f7+ ~g7
53.<it'c3 ~xg4 S4.~xb3 ~f3 -+. 4.fxe8~ c1 ~ 5.~f7+ Iit'h6 6.~h7+
47 ... e5+! Now it was Black's tum to 'It'g5 7.h4+ 'it'f6 (7 ... lit'g4 8.Af5+ Iit'f4
find the only move. This back-and-forth 9.~h6++-) S.~f7+ lit'e5 9.~e7+<it'd5
continues for a while (indicated by the lO.~g5+ +- Yudasin, Nekrasov in
exclamation marks). 47 ... 'It'e7? 48.~c5 Informant491782. 2.~e2 2.Axf5? c1 ~
e5 49.~xb4 ~d6 50.'it'c4 'It'c6 51.b4 can only be good for Black as 3.Ag6?
~d6 52.b5 'it'c7 53.'it'd5 ~b6 54.'it'xe5 runs into 3... ~f4+ 4.<it'el ~h4+ 5.~d2
~xb5 55.~f5+- 48.c;t>d5! e4! ~b4+ 6.~dl ~b3+-+; 2.~g3 ~g5+
49.c;t>xe4! c;t>e6! 50.c;t>d4! ~d6! 3.lit'f3 ~xg6 4.~eS+ 1it'f7 5.~c8 is dead
51.c;t>e4 51.'iftc4 'it'e5 52.'it'xb4 'it'f4 drawn. 2 ... l3.xf6 3.l3.e8+ l3.f8
53.<it>c4 ~xg4 54.b4 ~f3= 51 ... c;t>e6! 4.l3.xf8+ <i!}xf8 5.Axc2 Yz-Yz 2 points
52.c;t>d4! ~d6! 53. ~e4 ~e6! Yz-Yz 2 for1...~f5+.
points for 47.b3!.
T16.03: 1 ... l3.xg2+! 2.~h1 2.~xg2?
TlS.08: 59.c;t>f2! Yes, by taking distant ~g4+ 3.Ag3 Ac6+ 4.f3 ~xdl-+
opposition. 59.~f3? 'It'f7 60.'it'e3 'ifte7 2 ... l3.gl+!3.l3.xg13.lit'xgl? ~g4++-
61.~f3 ~d6 62.'it'e4 <it'e6 63.<it'd4 ~f5 3 ... Ac6+ 4.f3 .1lxf3+ 5.~xf3l3.xd6
64.'it'e3 ~e5 65.~f3 ~d4 66.~e2 ~e4 Yz-Yz I point for 1.. ..§.xg2+ and I more
67.'It'f2 'iftf4 68.h4 g4 69.~g2 ~e4 for calculating untiI5 ... ~xd6.
70.'it'f2 'it'd3 71.'it'g2 ~e2 72.~gl
(72.<it>g3 <it'fl-+) 72 ... ~f3 73.~h2 TI6.04: 47 ... c;t>h6? This loses.
214
Solutions
47 ... E!e5! 48.~e7+ ~f5! (After48. ..~4? 56.E!b2 Bc5 57.t!c2= (Mikhale~~~~~:'
49.~+ t!f5 50.~h6+ g5 51.~c7Black's CBM 79) 53.b6 Now taking would have·
exposed king will be his undoing, e.g., been fine as well: 53.E!xb3E!xb3+ 54.'it>c2
51...E!ff6 52.~c1 + ~e4 53.~h7+ E!g6 E!xb5 55.E!xg5=. 53 ...4)e4 54.Elxb3
54.~b7+ ~f5 55.~f7+ E!gf6 56.~c8+ Elxb3+ 55.~a2 Elb5 56.Elg4 4)<:5+
~e5 57.~fe8+ E!fe6 58.~b5+ ~d5 57.~4)bl+58.~a24)c3+59.~
59.~c3+ ~f5 6O.~f3+ ~e5 61.~be2+ 4)bl + 60.~a2 4)c3+ %....%3 points for
\t'd4 62.~c3#) 49.~f8+ E!f6 50.~ab4 52.E!gg2!.
~xb4 51.~xb4 E!fe6 and Black can still
fight although White's advantage is not T16.07: 50 ... ~f4! The ambitious
in doubt. But now he faces a difficult 50 ... <tJg4+? backfires badly: 51.E!xg4
technical job, while in the game he could ~xg4 52.Ad7 ~xh4+ 53.~gl and
finish Blackoffwith a few well calculated White wins in view ofthe threat ~h6+
blows. The countercheck 47 ... ~e5+? followed by .A.e6#. 5Vitlh3 51.~e6??
forces the desirable exchange of queens, even loses: 5I...<tJg4+ 52.~h3 <tJxf2+
but 48.~xe5+ t!xe5 49.h4+! \t'h5 53. ~h2 <tJg4+ 54. ~h3 E! xc3 -+ .
50.~f3+ \t'h6 51.~f4+ wins a rook. 51. .. ~f5+ 51.. .<tJd3 also draws:
48.~f8+ ~h7 49.~g5 ~xh3+ 52.~g6 <tJxf2+ 53.\t'h2 <tJg4;t; After
50.~xh31-0 and as White can always 5I...E!c4?! 52.~dB ~f5+ 53.'it'h2 <tJg4+
prevent Black from giving away queen 54.E!xg4 ~xg4 55.g3 White is better
and rook for free to force stalemate, because of Black's exposed king.
Macieja resigned. Ofcourse not 50.gxh3? 52.~h2 Y2""'"% 1 point for 50 ... ~f4!.
~xb2+ 51.\t'g3 E!d3+ 52.~h4 E!xh3+
53.\t'xh3 ~h2+ 54.~xh2 stalemate. 2 T16.08: 1... ~e5!! This elegant queen
points for 47 ... E!.e5!. move immediately draws. Panicking
with 1...<tJxf3+? is met by 2.~xf3 ~e5
Tl6.05: 21 ... Ae4! 0-1 This not only 3.E!d6 ~el + 4.~f1 ~e3+ 5.~hl ~e4+
prevents a loss, but wins on the spot. 6.<tJg2 E!xg2 and now 7.'i~'d3! +-; the
21...Ae4 22.~xc5 E!xc5 23.Axe4 E!xc3 cool I.. .'~d7? seems to be a reasonable
24.bxc3 <tJxe4 25.E!g4 f5 26.~xf8 option, but after 2.<£Je2 ~xa4 3.~f2
Axf8-+ 1 point for 21...Ae4. ~dl 4.~eB+ \t'g7 5.E!xb7+ ~h6
6.~f8+ \t'h5 7.g4+ fxg4 B.fxg4+ ~h4
Tl6.06: 52.Elgg2! No, taking would be and now 9.t!xh7+! <tJxh7 10.~h6+
bad: 52.t!xb3? E!xb3+ 53.~a2 E!xb5 ~xg4 11.~xg6+ \t'h4 12.~xh7+ ~g5
54.t!cl ~g7 55.c6 E!bB 56.~a3 .£lf6 13.~e4 ± and White has good winning
57.c7 t!c8 58.~a4 ~h6 59.E!c6 ~xh5 chances. 2.~xe5 4)xf3+ 3.~f1
60.E!xf6 E!xc7 -+. 52...4)f6 52 ... E!xb5 4) xh2+ 4. ~el 4)f3+ 5. ~f1 %....% 2
53.c6! E!xb2+ 54.E!xb2 E!c5 55.t!c2 E!b5+ points for 3 ... ~e5!!.
215
The Chess Cafe Puzzle Book 3
Bibliography
Aagaard, 1., Practical Chess Defence, Quality Chess 2006

Bologan, v., The King s Indian - A Complete Black Repertoire,
Chess stars 2009
Christiansen, L., Storming the Barricades, GAMBIT 2000
Comas Fabrego, L., True Lies in Chess, Quality Chess 2007
Dvoretsky, M., Dvoretsky s Endgame Manual, Russell Enterprises, Inc.,
2003
Emms, J., The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess, Everyman 2007
Franco, Z., Counterattack!, GAMBIT 2009
Grivas, E., Chess College i:Strategy, GAMBIT 2007
Hodgson, J., Attack with GM Julian Hodgson i-2, Hodgson Enterprises
1996
Kasparov, G., On my Great Predecessors i-5, Everyman 2004-2006
Kasparov, G., and Keene, R., Kasparov on the King s Indian, Batsford
1993
Korchnoi, v., Practical Rook Endings, Olms 1999
Marin, M., Secrets of Chess Defence, GAMBIT 2003
Meyer, C.D., and Muller, K., The Magic of Chess Tactics, Russell
Enterprises, Inc., 2002; and as ChessBase Fritztrainer DVD,
2009
Muller, K., and Pajeken, W., How to Play Chess Endgames, GAMBIT
2008
Nunn, 1., and Galagher, J., Beating the Sicilian 3, Batsford 1995
Rowson, J., Chess for Zebras, GAMBIT 2005
Rowson, 1., Seven deadly chess sins, GAMBIT 2000
Stohl, I., Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces, GAMBIT 2001
Volokitin and Grabinsky, Perfect your Chess, GAMBIT 2007
Magazines and Periodicals
Chess Informant
ChessBase MEGABASE 2009
ChessBase Magazine
ChessVibes Openings by Merijn van Delft and Robert Ris weekly internet
newspaper
Chess Today daily internet newspaper by Alexander Baburin et al.
New in Chess Magazine (esp. Rowson's Review of Practical Chess
Defence in no. 112007)
Endgame Comer @ Chesscafe.com by Karsten Muller
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The

Test and Improve

Karsten MUller, Merijn van Delft

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system

Russell Enterprises, Inc.

Cover design by Janel Lowrance

Printed in the United States of America

Signs and Symbols 6

2. Defending against an Attack on the King

3. Fighting against the Initiative

6. The Right Exchange

8. Defense against a Minority Attack

10. The Great Tigran Petrosian 117

11. Easy Exercises 124

12. Tests 131

Chapter Exercises 164

Easy Exercises 186

Test Solutions 190

Signs and Symbols

1-0 White wins

wrong, just keep on fighting. A positive attitude is essential. Throughout this

Principles and Methods of the Defender

01.01 GKasparov (2775)-

01.02 V.Shishkio (2463) - 33.Axc5!! dxc5 34.d6 and the strong d-

29.E!ael? This is too slow. It seems

Ib) Intermediate Moves

This principle logically follows from the

01.03 J.Speelman (2597)- 01.04 S.Bromberger (2505) -

In the following fascinating example A special kind of intermediate move is the

01.05 A.Miles- 01.06 F.Va II ej0 Pons (2686)-

1 ... ~xe4 2 •.Q.xd8?! The stunning 27..§a5? When entering complications,

Ie) Calculate to the End

A very important tactical device is to

01.07 End of a Study by Grigoriev [B)

Kramnik started a forced sequence with

1 ... ~e1! All other moves lose by force:

01.08 Analysis of A.Shirov (2670)- So by elimination, we are left with the

Obviously the bishop must move. So

01.10 J.Rowson (2548)-

19 ..•Jtc8! Of course White wanted to

45.~h3! Again, nice prophylaxis. 11) Structural Weaknesses

01.11 GPorreca - D.Bronstein 01.12 A.Karpov (2690)-

Bronstein has played inaccurately in

26.§xa5 26.Axa5? fails to 26 ... <tlxa4 Ig) Do Not Panic

24 ... §bcS 25.4Jc6 Here I was

the draw as well. 37.Eldc3! would have

Another classic mistake is to resign too

A common phenomenon is that

01.14 K.Kulaots (2530)-

73 ... h5 74.§.f7+ <itJh6 74 .. .'~h8? loses

Always keep on fighting until the very

01.16 L.Aronian (2759)-

61.f6? Throwing away the win. 61. \t'c6!

55 ... ~c3 56.:8h3+ ~c2 57.a6 f6+! mechanism.

concept of "being instead of doing." 46.i!:rgl i!:rf3+ 47.'~{f2=. 42 ... Axe1

01.17 V.Georgiev (2525)-

29.~d2? Again misguided activity,

01.19 N.Short (2665)- breakthrough. He should have played

32 ... g5? An active attempt to create

EOl.Ol A.Grischuk (2717)- E01.03 J.Poigar (2735)-

E01.04 S.Skembris (2480)-

E01.05 L.Aroshidze (2526)- E01.07 E.Bacrot (2709)-

E01.06 A.Motylev (2677)- E01.08 J.Rowson (2527)-