Cor van Wijgerden

Learning chess

Manual for
independent learners

Step 6
Copyright© Cor van Wijgerden 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any other form or by any means without permission in writing from the
publisher.

ISBN I 0: 90-77275-92-4
ISBN 13: 978-90-77275-92-4

Information: www .stappenmethode . nl

E-mail: info@stappenmethode.nl

Publisher: Van Wij gerden

English translation: Ian Adams
Drawings: Rupert van der Linden
Cover design: Eric van der Schilden
Contents

Preface ..................................................................................................................... 4
Step 6.......................................................... . ............................................................ 5
I : King in the middle ................ ......................................................................... . .. 9
2: The passed pawn ...... ....................................................................................... 23
3: Strategy ............................................... ............................................. . .............. 36
4: Mobility ........................................................... ............................. . . . . . .............. 53
5: Draws .................................. ............................................................................ 65
6: The opening .................................................................................................... 77
7: Tactics ............................................................................................................. 88
8: Pawn endings .............. . ............................................................................. . ... IOI
9: Bishop or knight. ........................................................................................... 115
I 0: Attacking the king ......................................................................................... 130
I I : Endgame advantage ............................................ . . .. . ..................................... 142
12: Bishops .......................................................................................................... 155
13: Defending ...................................................... ............ .................................... 170
14: Rook endings ..................... . . . . ................................................ . . ..................... 184
The Step-by-Step Method ................................................................................... 200
Preface

The Step by Step learning system is a method of learning to play chess which
has been officially acknowledged by the Dutch Chess Federation. It has been
successfully adopted by many chess clubs and schools in the Netherlands,
Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Slowly but steadily the
method is gaining popularity throughout the world.

The whole course consists of five manuals, specifically for chess teachers or
trainers (the first steps are also suitable for parents), and fifteen workbooks (3
for each step) which can be used by the students themselves.
This book appeared in 1 999 in Dutch. For the English translation the 3rd
revised and expanded edition from 20 l 0 has been used. It is advisable to go
through this manual in combination with the workbook for Step 6.

The manual for Step 6 differs in some respects from the previous ones.
Firstly, the target group has changed. This book is not a manual for trainers,
but a self-study manual for anyone interested, in other words for the
independent learner.
Secondly, Rob Brunia disappeared as a co-author. In the initial phase of
developing the method (we started in 1 987) we worked together closely. In
1 99 1 Rob's professional duties (he coached highly gifted children) compelled
him to end our cooperation. This was a pity, but not a real disaster, for the
essence of the method had been devised. While the whole method has been
extended and improved over the years, the nucleus has remained the same. At
the end of 2004 Rob approached me to re-start the cooperation. Unfortuna­
tely, this was not to be: on the 9th of January 2005, Brunia died of a brain
haemorrhage, at only 57 years old.

For the moment not all the books in the chess course have been translated
into English. 1 8 out of 26 are in English. You will find updated information
on our website at: www.stappenmethode.nl
For more information, please contact info@stappenmethode.nl

Cor van Wijgerden

Coevorden, July 20 1 1

4
Step 6

Working through this book in combination with the Step 6 workbook

which goes with it is only of any use if the first five steps have been
properly mastered and the level of you own games is up to it. Those who
have been working through the Steps with a good trainer have an advantage
here.
A good trainer has been insisting on the following four areas from the Steps
method:
• a lesson from the manual
• practice with the workbook
• a lot of practice in the form of games
• discussion I analysis of the games you played

We shall take as our starting point that you are going on to work
independently with Step 6. You still have a trainer? So much the better,
since he or she can offer help when you feel you need it.
What should you be expecting? The level of difficulty of the material is
once more a notch higher than in the preceding Step. Strategy is a subj ect
which wil l be dealt with in depth. It is a subj ect which is difficult for
everybody, as we always find, and above all the exercises in the workbook.
You will also come up against endgame exercises in many chapters. The
study of such exercises is particularly important for improving playing
strength. Tactics are dealt with in only one chapter.
The above mentioned areas are now considered in order.

Studying a lesson
Work through the lessons thoroughly. Studying chess books is very
different from reading comics. When you are playing through games and
game fragments make use of a real chess board and pieces. At the moments
when side lines are shown, start by analysing on your own (partly in your
head) and then compare your analysis with that in the book. You wil l learn
more that way than by playing through analyses, when you will be tempted
to imagine that you have understood everything. Pay particular attention to
the general rules which are laid down (e.g. on page 9). You can make good
use of such rules in your own games, even if the position is totally
different.

5
When you are studying a specific subject it is much more useful to
concentrate on it and learn how to master it than knowing a little about
various different subjects. That will not help you much in your own games.
World Champion Capablanca hit the nai l on the head : "I may not know a
lot, but I have mastered what I do know".

Solving the exercises

You should only look at the workbook in conj unction with the instruction
manual. If all you do is solving the exercises, then you are not working in
the best possible way.
After the heading 'WORKBOOK' every lesson contains indications as to
what you should pay attention to when solving the exercises. You can also
make good use of these solving strategies in your own games.

Playing
Try to play as many serious games as you can, best of all against stronger
players. But not only that, because winning is also important so that you
keep on enjoying your chess. Always analyse after each game with your
opponent, even if the latter is clearly weaker than you. After all, you
appreciate when a stronger player who has just defeated you over the board
takes !ime to look through the game with you. Explaining to a weaker
player what went wrong also has its good points.
Training games against friends are fun and are useful too. They bring you
more than spending a lunchtime playing rapid chess against each other
(though that too makes sense as long as the thinking time is at least 5 or I 0
minutes). These blitz games often lead to interesting positions which you
can analyse together.

Analysing your games

Get used to analysing all your games. With a good trainer, with a stronger
player or on your own. Of course a chess program on your computer can
also be helpful, but only after you have done the work; then you can com­
pare variations and check your analysis. Reading analysis while entering
your game into the computer does not make much sense. When you do this
the information does not get any deeper than into your short-term memory.
You will hardly be able to take i n new insights properly.

Improving you r playing strength

Thi s is the interesting section, because who would not want to become a
stronger player? After all the effort (study, solving exercises, playing,

6
 analysing) we expect to have learned to play better chess. I f your Elo
continues to rise (this should be by 5 0 to I 00 Elo per year), then you have
been studying effectively and there is no reason to change the way you are
going about studying chess. Unfortunately reality does not always come up
to expectations. You aren ' t making progress and so feel less inclined to
carry on your chess training.
You might come to the conclusion that you do not have enough talent, but
that is unlikely. I f you have reached Step 6, you should have no problems
adding a few more hundred Elo points to your rating. It is much more likely
that you have been studying inefficiently or even in the wrong way (for the
sake of simplicity, let us admit that the causes might lie on a personal
level).
From your rating you can more or less tel l what progress you are making.
However, becoming obsessed with the Elo rating is not a good idea. When
he introduced the system in 1 970, Prof. Arpad Elo took care to point out
that the rating represents an average taken over a specific period in time.
Points are of course lost after a defeat, but naturally that does not mean that
you have become a weaker player! Perhaps you learned a lot from your
defeat ("you lean the most from your losses ! ").
Playing better chess means above all making fewer and fewer mistakes.
The greatest profit lies in being able to eliminate one ' s own weaknesses.
You can only find your weaknesses by specifically looking for them. That
is more effective than buying yet another new book and working through it.
You make mistakes when playing games and solving exercises. They can
be of many different sorts, or perhaps it is always the same type of error
which keeps cropping up. For that reason it is useful to divide the mistakes
into groups. Give the mistakes a name (e.g. overlooking an X-ray defence),
and create a (coded) list. Over time you will build up a picture of which
m istakes you are making most often. A fifth mistake in visualisation is a
clear indication of a problem. Or you keep on missing a tactical exchange
of pieces? Pay a lot of attention to this subj ect and do some work on it. It
might be a good idea to get a lower Step out of your bookcase in order to
do so. There is no shame in that !
There can also often be problems of a mental or another nature. Resigning
too soon, over-confidence, being disappointed after a mistake, over­
estimating the opponent, stubbornness, bad time management and much
more can be holding you back. Everybody must decide for herself or
himself what i s important and so everybody should draw up his or her own
list.

7
Flick through this book and take a look at what you fancy and what you
think you can learn a lot from. The mistakes in your games will be a clear
indication of what subj ect you should be starting with.
The chapter on tactics is simple for those who have worked through all
three workbooks for each of the other Steps. The chapters on strategic
themes are relatively more demanding and require more of an effort. But a
real chess player will not be put off by them.

Have a lot of fun studying and solving the exercises ! The best of luck!

�o
DWEING

8
1 King in the middle
In the first chapter the most im­
portant role is played by the unsafe
position of the king. In the game
which follows, the king remains on
its own in the middle of the board
without a single defender near it.
Rossolimo-Romanenko
Bad Gastein 1 948
1 . e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
g6 4. 0-0 Bg7 5. Rel Nf6 6.
Nc3 Nd4? 7. e5 Ng8 8. d3
Nxb5 9. Nxb5 a6?
I t is dangerous to have one of your
opponent' s knights in your half of
the board, so it is chased away.
.I .t iV • �.I
.t. .t. .t. .t. .t.. .t.
.t. .t.
llJ .t. �
So far Black has made several mis­
takes. He:
• has neglected the three golden
rules
• has made a wrong exchange
• has made an unnecessary pawn
move
White can exploit the position of
the black king by means of a
knight sacrifice. As will become
apparent, a king in the middle of
the board will be in a much more
dangerous position than one which
has castled.
10. Nd6+ exd6
It is better to decline the offer with
I 0 . . . Kf8, although White is then
.
clearly better after l l . Ne4 b6 1 2 .
d4 because of his superior devel­
opment.
1 1 . Bg5!
An over-hasty capture on d6 would
not achieve anything; White first
brings his bishop into play with
tempo in order to prevent Black
from interposing with f6 .
Black now has two squares for his
queen, each of which has its ad­
vantages and disadvantages.
First there is the win after 1 1 . . ..
9
Qb6. White has the neat exchanges
1 2 . exd6+ Kf8 1 3 . Re8+ ! ! Kxe8
1 4. Qe2+ Kf8 1 5 . Be7+ Ke8 1 6.
Re l .
After this quiet attacking move,
there is no possible defence, e.g.
after 1 6 . . . . Bf8 there is the deci­
sive 1 7 . Bg5+ Be7 1 8. Qxe7+
Nxe7 1 9. Rxe7+ Kf8 20. Bh6+
Kg8 2 1 . Re8#.
The continuation in the game is
very beautiful.
1 1 . ... Qa5 1 2. exd6+ Kf8 13.
Re8+ Kxe8 1 4 . Qe2+ Kf8
1 5. Be7+ Ke8
.I .i. • 'ii i.
' ' � ' .i. '
' � ' • keep the opposing king m the
� '
1 6. Bd8+! !
The bishop move makes the alter­
native 1 6. Re 1 superfluous. This
move also wins: 1 6. . . . Qxe 1 +
(forced) 1 7 . Qxe 1 f6. Black has
sufficient material, but cannot
move: 1 8 . Bxf6+ Kf8 1 9. Bxg7+
Kxg7 20. Qe5+ Nf6 2 1 . Qe7+ Kh6
22. Qxf6, and Black is soon mated
after 2 3 . g4.
1 6 . ... Kxd8 1 7. Ng5
Black resigned. The only way to
defend against the mate on f7 is by
10
1 7 . . . . Nh6, but then he i s mated
on e7.
The player with White has made
clever use of well-known attacking
rules:
• bring about access to the oppo­
sing king
• bring up his pieces
• · use a combination as a weapon
(attraction and discovered check)
• develop with tempo
Other useful rules which occur in
the next game fragment are:
• prevent the exchange of attack-
ing pieces
maintain the tension
•
• provoke weaknesses
middle
Black is threatening to bring his
king to safety by castl ing. The first
move is obvious.
1. Rel
Black has five moves which are
worth considering. The first moves
are those which protect the bishop.
I) I. ... Qc7
2) I . ... Nf5
3) I . ... Qd7
4) I . ... Qc6
5) I . ... Kf8
Defence I
t. ... Qc7 2. Bg5
It is generally a good thing to pro­
voke a weakness, although the im­
mediate 2. B f4 also wins. After 2.
... Rd8 3 . Rad I 0-0 (3 . . . . Kf8 4.
Rxe7 Kxe7 5. Qg5+ Kf8 6. Bxd6+
Rxd6 7. Qe5 ! ) 4. Rxe7 Qxe7 5 .
Bxd6 Qf6 White has a technically
won position.
2 . ... f6 3. Bf4 Rd8 4. Rad l
Kf8 5. Nd4
White ' s advantage is decisive.
Defence 2
I . ... Nf5 2. Re5
The knight on f5 must be done
away with. That is possible with 2.
g4. This move also wins but it
weakens the position of the king.
That does not matter here, but if
pieces can also do the attacking,
that is what should be done.
2 . ... g6 3. Bg5 Kf8 4. Rxe7 !
Nxe7 5. Bxe7+ Kxe7 6.
Qe5+ Qe6 7. Qc5+ Kf6 8.
Qc3+
White wins the queen.
Defence 3
I . . . . Qd7 2 . Bg5
The white position is also very
good after 2. Bf4 Nc8 3 . Qxd7+
Kxd7 4. Rae I . By provoking f6
White gets a serious advantage.
Temporari ly, short castling is not
possible and sometimes White has
a check on h5 .
2 . ... f6 3. Bf4 0-0-0
The king is not safe on the
queenside, but the alternatives are
no better: 3 . . . . Nc8 4. Qb3 ,
fol lowed by 5 . Rad I or 3 . . . . Rd8 4.
Rad I , and Black goes down be­
cause of the pins .
4. Rae l+ Kb8 5. Rcd l
White wins material .
Defence 4
This move aims at exchanging off
the most important white attacking
piece.
1 . ... Qc6 2. Qg5 !
White naturally avoids the ex­
change. In doing so he avoids a
very nasty subtlety.
An extra diagram for the tempting
looking move 2. Qe5?. This queen
move is very inaccurate, because
after 2 . . . . 0-0 ! White may not take
on e7 on account of 3 . . . . Rae8.
2 . ... Qd7 3. Bf4
11
This i s a matter of taste. 3 . Qxg7
0-0-0 4. Bf4 is also very good.
3 . ... Kf8 4. Rxe7 Qxe7 5.
Qxe7+ Kxe7 6. Re l + Kd7
7. Rd l
White has a big advantage.
Defence 5
Giving up the option of castling
and running away is always an
option.
1 . ... Kf8
The king move i s not difficult to
refute.
2. Bg5 f6 3. Rxe7! Kxe7 4.
Rel +
White wins.
The defender usually has only
himself to blame if his king has to
remain in the middle. Some typical
mista kes were already mentioned
in the first game. Two other errors
you can fall into are:
• not paying sufficient attention to
weak points in the position
• opening the position of your
own accord
It is well known that in the ope­
ning fl is a weak point. The dia­
gonal h5/e8 can also quickly be­
come weak, as can be seen from the
following game.
Markovic-Radonjic, Cetinje 1 990
1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5
4 . d 4 cxd4 5 . NO e6 6. cxd4
b6 7. Nc3 Bb7 8. Bd3 Be7 9.
0-0
12
The best thing for Black now is to
castle short. He decides to strength­
en the d5-square first with Na6-c7
(or b4).
9 . ... Na6?
The losing move ! The knight will
never leave a6.
10. Nxd5 exd5
1 1 . e6! f6
Nor are other moves any better:
A) 1 1 . . . . fxe6 (now the weakness
of the h5-e8 diagonal becomes
apparent) 1 2 . Ne5 B f6 1 3 .
Qh5+ g6 1 4. Bxg6+ hxg6 1 5 .
Qxg6+ Ke7 1 6. Qfl+ Kd6 1 7.
B f4 Rh4 1 8. Bg3 Bxe5 1 9.
Bxe5+ Kc6 20. Rfc 1 +
B) 1 1 . . . . 0-0 1 2 . exfl+ Rxfl 1 3 .
Ne5 Rf6 1 4. Qh5 g6 ( 1 4 . . . . h6
1 5 . Bg5 ) 1 5 . Nxg6 with a
winning attack.
C) 1 1 . . . . dxe6 (simply costs a
piece) 1 2 . Qa4+ Kf8 1 3 . Bxa6.
1 2 . Ne5 fxe5
The game is also over after 1 2 . . . .
0-0 1 3 . Nfl Rxfl 1 4. Qh5 .
13. Qh5+
Black resigned.
In closed positions being behind in
development is, generally speak­
ing, not such a serious problem. It
is logical that in such cases the ope­
ning of the position would be fatal .
' ' ' '
· � ' 8. Bd3 c5? 9. c4!
� i..
ttJ i.. ttJ �
� � � VJ/i � �
@ n �
Neuenschwander-Kindler
Bern 1 992
Black i s well behind in develop­
ment. B lack wanted to exploit the
cramped position of the bishop on
d3 .
I. ... c5?
This threatens I . . . . c4, but
weakens d5. White exploits the
chance he has been offered and
opens the e-file with a sacrifice.
2. Nxd5! exd5 3. e6 Ndf6
In such positions, returning the
piece with 3. . .. Be7 is the best.
Though after that, B lack' s position
is pitiful.
4. Ne5
Black resigned.
In many openings one side can
rapidly fall behind in development,
as, e.g., in the fol lowing variation
of the French Defence.
Grapperhaus-Franck
A msterdam-Brussels 1 952
I. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6
4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 6.
Bb5 Ncb8
This retreat has often been played.
7. 0-0 c6?
A bit too adventurous. If Black
wants to drive the bishop away
from b5, he must play 7 . . . . a6.
White reacts carefully; he increa­
ses the tension. The position i s
now certain t o b e opened, Black
even helps this to happen.
.I � .i. it' • .i. .I
' ' � '''
'
' ' �
� �
i..
� � ttJ
ll i.. VJli
9 . ... dxc4?
The knight on d2 is very badly
placed ! 9 . . . . Nc6 was better.
1 0. Nxc4 cxd4?
Any developing move would be
better.
1 1 . Bg5 Qc7 1 2 . N xd4 a6 13.
Nxe6!
The h5-e8 diagonal. The capture
on e6 is followed by 1 4. Qh5+ and
then mate.
1 3 . ... Qc6 1 4. Nd8!
Not the strongest move (that would
13
be 1 4. Re l ! ), but aesthetically the
most pleasing. Black resigned.
Of course, you are also behind in
development whenever you move
the same piece twice.
Vera - Romero Holmes
Leon 1 996
1 . d4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c3 Nf6
4. e3 b6 5. Nbd2 Bb7 6. Bd3
cxd4 7. cxd4
8 1 1 . Neg5 ! Nf6 1 2 . Ne5 Qc7 1 3 .
i.. 8 t:fj
88 t:fj 8 8 8
n i.. 'if @ l:I
A very quiet position, but not for
long. We shal l see that even grand­
masters can go against the simplest
opening principles.
7 . Nd5?
••.
A foolish move, which can only be
understood in combination with
the next move by Black.
8. 0-0 f5?
That was the idea: to maintain the
knight on d5 . But such an ope­
ration could only be j ustified if
Black were allowed to make three
moves in succession! But not when
his king is sti ll in the middle.
9. e4 !
14
O f course Vera opens up the posi­
tion immediately.
9 . ... fxe4 1 0. Nxe4
1 0 . ... g6
Another pawn move, but even after
a normal move such as I 0 . . . . Be7
Nxh7 Rxh7 ( 1 3 . . . . Nxh7 1 4.
Qh5+) 1 4. Bxh7 B lack can soon
strike his colours. I 0 . . . . Nc6 1 1 .
Neg5 Qc7 1 2 . Nxh7 costs him a
pawn.
The best thing would be to admit
his mistake and to protect the king
with I 0. . . . Nf6, but even then
Black has a wretched position after
1 1 . Re l .
1 1 . Bg5 Qc7
1 1 . . . . Be7 is no real alternative :
1 2 . Nd6+ Kf8 1 3 . Nxb7 Qc7 1 4.
Qe2 Qxb7 1 5 . Qe5 fol lowed by
Be4.
1 2 . Re l
The move of a grandmaster. White
entices a piece to c6. On move 1 5
it will become clear what White ' s
plan i s .
12 . ... Nc6 1 3. Nf6+ Nxf6 1 4.
 Bxf6 Rg8 1 5. d5
The position is opened even more.
N ext came:
1 5 . ... exd5 1 6. Re l + Kf7 1 7.
Be5 Qd8 1 8. Ng5+
Black resigned.
'ii' CiJ fj, fj,
After 1 8 . . . . Qxg5 1 9. Qf3 Ke6 it is
not difficult to find 20. Bf6 (or 20. CiJ j,.
Bt't). fj, fj, � j,. fj, fj,
n n @
A PAWN SACRIFICE 1 1 . ... Ngf6
The unnatural move 1 1 . . . . Ne7 is
The player who is attacking can try strongly met by 1 2 . Ncb5 . White
to keep the opposing king in the recovers his pawn and has an
middle with a pawn sacri fice. By advantage after 1 2 . . . . Qxd2 1 3 .
sacrificing a pawn you are not Nxd6+ Kf8 1 4. Rxd2 .
banking on mistakes made by your 1 2 . e5!
opponent. You can aim for a pawn Black must not be allowed the
sacrifice for one of two reasons: chance to castle. White opens the
• to gain time position at the cost of another
• to open the position pawn.
12 . ... dxe5 13. fxe5 Nxe5
You always gain time i f your
opponent is out pawn-grabbing. .i
One of the pawns which i s most
lusted after in the opening is the
i .t i
one on b2 . 'ti i
'ti
Yudovich-Borisenko 'it' CiJ
Soviet Union 1 964
1 . d4 d6 2. e4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7
CiJ j,.
4. f4 c6 5. Nf3 Nd7 6. Be2 e5 fj, � � fj, fj,
7. 0-0 exd4 8. Nxd4 Qb6 9. .tI .tI @
Be3 Qxb2 1 0. Qd2 Qb4 1 1 .
Rad l 1 4. Nb3
"Gaining a tempo" with the rook This modest move is the best one.
by 1 1 . Rab 1 Qa5 j ust helps Black After 1 4. Nxc6 Black j ust plays 1 4.
to move his queen to a better . . . Nxc6, and after 14. Ne6 Bxe6
square. too d8 is protected. So White does

15
not have a winning discovered at­
tack.
The consequences of the cheekier
1 4. Bg5 are instructive. An active
move, but is it good for more than
a draw? 1 4 . . . . Nfd7 1 5 . Ncb5 (or
else B lack castles) 1 5 . . . . Qxd2 1 6.
Nc7+ Kf8 1 7 . Rxd2 Rb8 1 8.
Nde6+ Kg8 1 9. Nxg7 Kxg7 20.
Rxd7 Nxd7 2 1 . Rxf7+ Kxf7 22.
Bc4+ with perpetual check.
14 . ... Nfd7
B lack has no time for a developing
move. After 1 4. . . . Be6 1 5 . Bc5
Qh4 1 6. g3 Qh3 1 7. Qd6 Ng8 1 8 .
Bd4 the black position is threate­
ning to collapse.
Playing for an exchange with 1 4.
. . . Nd5 fai ls because of the instruc­
tive subtlety : 1 5 . Nxd5 Qxd2 1 6.
Nc7+ Kd8 1 7 . Nxa8 ! The queen
does not run away. After Bxa7 the
knight gets out via b6.
Finally, 14 . . . . 0-0 is not a solution
of last resort either. Castling would
be possible if Black could limit the
damage to an exchange, but he will
not manage to do that: 1 5 . Bc5
Qh4 1 6. Bxf8 Bxf8 1 7 . g3 with a
maj or advantage for White.
B lack is out of his depth for the
rest of the game.
1 5. Bc5 Qh4 1 6. Rf4 Qh6
1 7. Ne4 Kd8 1 8. Be3 g5 1 9.
Rf5 Qe6 20. Bxg5+ Kc7 2 1 .
Nbc5
White moves on to the final offen­
sive. The rook on f5 cannot be
taken: 2 1 . . . . Qxf5 22. Qd6+ Kb6
23. Rb ! + Ka5 2 5 . Bd2 mate.
16
2 1 . ... Nxc5 22. Bd8+ Kb8
23. N xc5 Qd5 24. N a6+
bxa6 25. Qb4+
Black resigned.
Marinelli-Krajina, Vinkovci 1 989
B lack has j ust taken a pawn on e4
( . . . Qh4+ provides indirect protec­
tion). White sacrificed it on pur­
pose to gain time. The knight has
to retreat, meaning that B lack can­
not get away with his king.
1. Nf3 Nf6
Taking another pawn would be
crazy : 1 . . . . Nxc3 2. Qe5 0-0 3 . d5
Na4 4. 0-0 Rf7 5. Bc2, and if the
knight moves, there follows Bb2
with a win.
2. 0-0 Qe7
Castling is bad on account of 3 .
Bh6 R f7 ( 3 . . . . Re8 4 . Bg5) 4 . Ne5.
3. Bg5 Rf8 4. Ne5 Qg7 5.
d5!
This creates a target on e6 and
opens l ines.
5 . ... Bc8
A strange move, but he cannot de­
velop the knight on b8: 5 . . . . Na6
6. Nxd7 Qxd7 7 . Bxf6 with a
decisive advantage.
6. dxe6 dxe6 7. Rad l Nfd7
The knight stil l cannot escape to
freedom: 7 . . . . Nbd7 8. Nxg6 hxg6
9. Qxe6+ Qe7 1 0. Bxg6+ Kd8 1 1 .
Rxf6.
8. Nxg6 Rxfl + 9. Rxfl Qg8
1 0. Qh5 Nf6 l l . Bxf6 hxg6
12. Bxg6+ Kd7
Black resigned.
In the following example White
employs the pawn sacrifice to open
files and diagonals against the
king.
Gdanski-Babula
Odorheiu 1 995
The advantage for the attacking
side when the king is in the middle
is that the pawns in front of the
king have already been advanced.
So the central pawns come much
more quickly into contact with
other pawns than is the case when
attacking a castled position.
l. d5! Ne4
Black does not capture, but sacri­
fices a pawn himself, though he
gets nothing in return for it.
White ' s pawn sacrifice is good.
The following variations prove it:
A) l . . . . exd5 2. Bxf5 , and without
losing material White has good
attacking chances on account of
the open e-file. The black king
is obliged to remain in the
middle.
B ) l . . . . Nxd5 2. Nxd5 cxd5 3 .
Bb5+ Kd8 4 . Nxf7+ Rxf7 5 .
Qxe6 R f8 6. Rxd5+ Bxd5 7 .
Qxd5+ Bd6 8 . Re6 with a big
advantage.
C) l . . . . cxd5 2. Bb5+ Kd8 3 .
Nxf7+ Rxf7 4 . Qxe6 R f8 5 .
Nxd5 , and here too White i s not
far from a win.
2. Bxe4 fxe4 3. dxc6 Bxc6 4.
Nxc6 Qxc6 5. Nxe4
White has a sound extra pawn .
.I .t • .t .I
i � i i i
i � i
i 'ii'
� t3J
Wahls-Rajkovic
Bundes/iga 1 992
l . ... b5
A normal move, you might think.
The bishop will have to give way
and that will relieve the pin on the
Nc6. B lack would have an excel-
17
lent position, if only White did not
have the following strong move:
2. c4! Qd6
There are few alternatives: 2. . ..
Qxc4 3 . Bb3 Qb4 4. Bd2 winning
the queen. 2 . . . . bxc4 is followed by
3. Nc3 Qf5 (or 3 . . . . Qd6 4. dxc5
Qxd l 5. Rxd l Bd7 6. Rxd7, and
White is clearly better) 4. Ne5 Bd7
5. Bc2 Qf6 6. Ne4 winning. One
player, who once underestimated
White ' s options, played the weak
2 . . . . Qd7 and resigned after 3 .
cxb5 Nxd4 4 . Ne5
(Chrupov -Borisenko, Riumen;
Russian Championship 1 993).
3. cxb5 Nxd4 4. bxa6+ Nec6
5. Bf4 Qd5 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7.
Nc3
Black resigned.
Chapman-Hacche
Melbourne 2000
1. e4 c5 2. NO a6
Players with B lack are hoping for
3 . d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 N f6 5. Nc3 e5
with a good version of the Svesh­
nikov. White steers the game into
the Alapin Variation, after which
a6 should be seen more as a loss of
tempo.
3. c3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. d4
cxd4 6. Bc4 Nb6 7. Bb3 e6
7 . . . . d5 8. exd6 Qxd6 would be
better. Now the bishop on c8 re­
mains a problem piece.
8. Bg5 Qc7
After 8 . . . . Be7 9 . Bxe7 Qxe7 1 0.
Qxd4 the d6-square remains weak.
9. 0-0 dxc3
18
9 . . . . h6 1 0. Bf4 d5 i s safer, though
even then White is better.
1 0. Nxc3 Nc6 1 1 . Ne4
This sacrifices a second pawn. It is
unnecessary since B lack cannot
free his game either after 1 1 . Be3
or after 1 1. Bf4.
1 1 . ... Nxe5 12. Nxe5
His position is already so good that
White has a choice. 1 2 . Bf4 d6 1 3 .
Re 1 Qd8 1 4. Nxe5 dxe5 1 5 .
Qxd8+ Kxd8 1 6. Bxe5 also leads
to a big advantage. Despite the ex­
change of queens the king 1s a
weakness in the middle.
12 . ... Qxe5 13. Re l Qa5
After 14 . . . . Qb5 1 5 . a4 ! Qb4 1 6.
Bd2 Qb4 1 7. Ba5 White wins a
piece.
1 4. Bd2 Bb4
Or 1 4 . . . . Qf5 1 5 . Bc3 with the
threat of 1 6. Bxg7.
1 5. Nd6+ Ke7
j_ .i
.t. .t. � .t. .t. .t.
.t. 'ii ttJ .t.
'it'
j_
�
[}:, [}:,
�
1 6. Re5 !
Chapman concludes the game in
elegant fashion: I 6 . . . . Qxe5 1 7 .
Bxb4 allows a deadly discovered
or double check.
 1 6 . ... Nd5 1 7. Rxd5 exd5
1 8. Qel + Kf6 1 9. Bxb4
White does not think things out
any further, but goes for the simple
win. 1 9. Bg5+ leads to mate.
1 9 . ... Qb6 20. Bxd5
Black resigns.
From the examples it can be seen
that a king is worse positioned in
the middle than when it has cas­
tled. In the middle it is more vulne­
rable than on a wing:
• weakening the position by f6 is
far more serious than by h6.
• the central pawns have already
been advanced, so there 1s no
pawn wal l.
• defending pieces can more
easily be driven away by pawns.
• the opening of lines is simpler
(the pawns in front of the king
have already been moved or
exchanged).
• it is easier for rooks to take part
in the attack.
• the king can come under attack
from three sides : from the
queenside, from the kingside or
through the centre.
It is usually the defender himself
who is to blame. His mistakes:
• not paying attention to the three
golden rules.
• making the wrong exchanges
(this costs time).
• allowing his opponent to gain
tempi.
• making unnecessary pawn moves.
• going hunting for pawns (or for
other material).
• voluntarily opening up the posi­
tion.
But it is not correct to always j udge
as bad a position in which the king
i s stuck in the middle. Gauthier' s
comments on the fol lowing game
are amusmg.
(ChessBase C D-ROM from 1 999
on the openings)
Euwe-Reti, A msterdam 1 920
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. 0-0 Nxe4
6. Rel d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8.
Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxd4 Nxd4 1 0.
Qxd4 f5 1 1 . Bg5 Qc5
.I .t
'' '
"White is following the stratq.,•y of
'seizing the initiative', i.e.
a) gaining time an<l
b) dictating the course of the game.
Within three moves White will
achieve a series of strategic goals,
whereas his opponent will have to
seek to <lefen<l himself.
1 2. Qd8+
19
A check always means that one has
a 'free' move. Black just has time to
get to safety.
1 2 . ... Kf7
White retains the initiative.
13. Nxe4
Black cannot follow any strategy of
his own, he is too fully occupied
with defence.
1 3 . ... fxe4
Now the final piece is brought into
play.
1 4. Rad l
When you have the initiative, your
opponent is occupied with defence
whereas you can pursue strategic
objectives. Here White has achieved
four aims:
1. he has taken full possession of
the cl-file
2. ALL his pieces are in play
'
3. he has hindered Black's develop­
ment and
4. he is threatening to win material."
And that is the end of our quota­
tion.
I n your chess training you must
always be critical and not simply
believe what is on the printed page
(even in this book there will be one
or two mistakes ! ) .
In the extract which has been
quoted there are things which may
be true, but which do not apply to
this game. White is almost losing !
To mate an opponent you need
pieces. White does not have
enough of those since Black still
has defenders. Rules are a good
20
help, but it is the position which
decides whether they should be
applied or not.
In the game White ' s resistance did
not last for very long.
.I .i.. 'iY .i. .I
.t. .t. .t. • .t. .t.
1 4 . ... Bd6
Black has even more options. That
comes as no surprise, because
White simply does not have
enough attacking pieces.
A move which i s not so spectacu­
lar but j ust as strong is 1 4 . . . . Qe5
1 5 . g3 ( 1 5 . Rd5 Bd6 1 6. Rxe5
Rxd8) 1 5 . . . . Bb4 1 6. Qxh8 Bxe l .
Otherwise, the safe 1 4. . . . Qc6 is
worth considering ( intending to
play b6, to be able to develop the
bishop on c8). White has insuf­
ficient compensation for the piece.
Finally the weaker 1 4 . . . . Bg4.
Next comes 1 5 . Qxa8 Bxd l 1 6.
Rxe4 Bh5 1 7. Be3 Qxc2 1 8 . Rf4+
Ke7 1 9. g4. It is pretty improbable
that White has enough compensa­
tion for the piece in thi s variation.
1 5. Qxh8 Qxg5 ! 1 6. f4
Euwe did not put up much more
resistance. He was probably fed up
with his position.
According to the CD-ROM this
move i s the scapegoat: " a bad
move, after which Black seizes the
initiative and obtains an attack."
1 6. g3 Qh5 1 7. Rd3 Bd7 would be
slightly better, but even then Black
is clearly winning.
1 6. Qxh7 i s also more stubborn.
The endgame after 1 6 . . . . Bf5 1 7.
Rd5 Qxg2+ 1 8 . Kxg2 Bxh7 will go
on for a bit but in the long run
Black will take the point. .
1 6 . ... Qh4 1 7. Rxe4
"Another bad move. Despite his
excellent strategic transition to the
middlegame, White is now in diffi­
culties because his early bishop
sacrifice has not yielded dividends
and in addition to that he has just
made two bad moves. But Black has
to be careful."
There was nothing better. Every
move loses completely. After 1 7.
Rf l Black plays 1 7 . . . . b6 with an
almost immediate win.
17.... Bh3 1 8. Qxa8 Bc5+
19. Kh l Bxg2+ 20. Kxg2
Qg4+
White resigned.
21
WORKBOOK

The way to get the best out of this chapter is of course to use what you have
learned in your own games . For that reason, let us once more list the rules
of thumb for the attacking side:

• Bring your pieces into play.

• Create access to the opposing king.
• Use combinations as a weapon (the pin is particularly useful in this
respect).
• Avoid the exchange of your attacking pieces (though sometimes
exchanging queens is appropriate if by doing so you win material).
• Keep up the tension.
• Recognise positions where there are typical sacrifices (e6, b5, f7).
• Keep an eye out for the e8-h5 diagonal and the weakness of the t7-
square.
• Provoke (new) weaknesses.
• Keep the opposing king in the middle.
• Look for mating pattern s (e.g. a mate involving diagonals).
• If the king moves, it can no l onger castl e ! (You won ' t be the first person
who occasionally forgets this . )

Apply these rules when you solve the exercises too.

2: A ttacking the king - King in the middle: A
3 : A ttacking the king - King in the middle: B

Of course, this does not mean that the defender has absolutely no hope. He
must:
• Simply not open the position when he is behind in development.
• Escape with the king.
• Give up (or return) material.
• Watch out for tactical options which allow him to castle.
• Exchange off important attacking pieces.

22
2 The passed pawn
This chapter deals principally with
the passed pawn. I t is sometimes
the hero when it manages to pro­
mote, but occasionally also the vil­
lain, when it has to be sacrificed
for a small gain in material. We
shall first take a look at the passed
pawn in the three phases of the
game. We shal l also be paying
particular attention to the struggle
between a bishop or a knight and
passed pawns.
PASSED PAWNS IN THE EN DGAME
The best technique for promoting a
passed pawn is to eliminate oppo­
sing defenders. We already know
about capturing, chasing away,
luring away, interfering and block­
ing. Two of these forms are shown
in this study by Rinck (1 908) .
The d-pawn has been intercepted,
so the a-pawn must make the run­
ning.
1. a7 Be4
Black can also start by g1vmg
check: I . . . . Kg6+ 2 . Kg8 Be4 3 .
d7 Rd2, and now 4 . Bc2 ! interferes
one of the two defenders.
2. d7 Rd2 3. Bd5!
The bishop settles down on the
intersection point of the l ines of
the two black defenders. If the
rook takes on d5, then the diagonal
of the bishop is broken; if the
bishop takes, then it is the rook
which is cut out of the play.
In this example the bishop was
already in position to cut the lines
of communication. The piece can
also be brought into play with
tempo.
Rinck (1 9 1 5)
The passed pawns are temporari ly
23
powerless.
I. Ng4+ Kh5
After I . . . . Kg6 one defender will
be taken after the double attack 2 .
N e 5 + and 3 . Nxt3.
2. Nf6+ Kxh4 3. Nd5
One of the pawns makes it
through.
Simple but nice examples.
In the next example, White em­
ploys this interfering of two lines
in copy-book fashion.
Gorgiev (1 936)
In thi s position we shall be deal ing
above all with the conclusion of
the study. But let us take a short
look at how things reach that point:
1. d7 g2+ 2. Kxg2
Taking with the bishop surrenders
control of the d3-square: 2. Bxg2
Rd3 , and White can no longer win.
2 . ... Re2+ 3. Kf3 Rd2
The passed pawn appears to be
stopped. Now White pulls his
second trump from up his sleeve:
the bad placing of the black king.
4. Kf4 Rc3
24
The only normal move to defend
against the mate on h I .
5. Bd3 ! !
What a move ! Each rook i s fulfil­
ling its own task: defending against
mate and against the passed pawn.
After the capture on d3 one rook
will get in the way of the other:
5 . ... Rdxd3
Or 5 . . . . Rcxd3 6. d8Q+ Rxd8 7 .
Rh 1 + and then mate.
6. Rh l + Rh3 7. d8Q+
Black is mated.
The double attack already proved
itself as a helper for the passed
pawn. In the next example it is the
discovered check which provides
the help.
The black queen is successfully
stopping the c-pawn. White can try
to chase the queen away by
bringing his own queen to d8, but
then Be6 is always a satisfactory
defence. A more robust plan is
required.
I. Qf3+
First White chases the king into the
I ine of fire of the bishop.
l. ... Kh2 2. Qf5!
Simple. After 2 . . . . Qxf5 3 . c8Q+
White wins the queen; nor does 2 .
. . . Be6 3 . Qxe6 achieve anything.
Chess i s not that hard !
Maksimovskikh, Supletsov (1 985)
This study involves luring away,
interfering and the double attack.
The a-pawn is very strong, but it is
also in danger. The black king i s
not too fa r away. So any direct
attempt to promote the passed
pawn is doomed because the oppo­
sing king will intervene: 1 . Na4
Kd8 2 . Nb6 Kc7 3 . a8Q Bxa8 4.
Nxa8 Kb7, and the knight is lost.
White must fi rst gain some time.
1. Ba6! Bxa6+
It is clear that 1 . . . . Ba8 fails to 2 .
Na4 Kd8 3 . Nb6. The move 1 . . . .
Bc6 is harder to refute: 2 . Nc4 !
The only way: 2 . N a4? Kd8 3 . Nb6
Kc7 4. a8Q Bxa8 5. Nxa8+ Kb8 6.
Nb6 Ka7, and White is left with
too little material) 2 . . . . Kd8 3 . Na5
Ba8 4. Bb7 and wins.
2. Nc4 !
Another nice diversionary move. I f
Black takes with his bishop then
his own d5-pawn will be in his
way .
2 . . . Bb7 3. Nd6+
.
White wins.
Troitzky (191 l)
I n the position in this diagram the
passed pawn can stil l advance
without being disrupted. B lack has
no control over the squares the
pawns can move to. That leads to
another way to keep possible de­
fenders at a distance. So tempora­
rily the passed pawn can advance.
1. h6 e6
The alternative 1 . . . Ba5 is refuted
.
by 2. N f3 + Kc l 3 . N d4 Bc7 4.
Nc6 ! , and the h-pawn can no
longer be stopped.
2. Ng4 Bb6
Or 2 . . . . Ba5 3. N f6.
3. Ne5 Bd8
3 . . . . Bxf2+ is no better: 4. Kh2 Bh4
5 . Nf3+.
4. Nd7! Ba5 5. Nf6 Bc3
The bishop is on the correct dia­
gonal, but unfortunately on the
25
wrong square. A simple knight
fork decides.
6. Ne4+
White wins.
Pinning the passed pawn is another
weapon for the defender. Some­
times it can be extremely annoy­
ing, but here White can remove
any option of a pin from the
position.
Afek (1 976)
Not only has the b-pawn been
prevented from promoting, but it i s
now in fact in great danger. The
solution is a pretty one.
1. Bg7! Rxg7 2. Nd4+
The point of the bishop sacrifice;
the king does not have a good
square : 2 . . . . Kd6 3. Nf5+ or 2 . . .
.
Kc5 3 . Ne6+.
Sometimes one side manages to
promote but immediately loses the
new queen to a double attack.
Nothing has been achieved.
In the next example the pin plays
again a role.
26
White can get a new queen, but
that would be a bad idea: I . c8Q
Bb7+ ! 2. Qxb7 Nc5+ 3. Ka7 Nxb7
4. Kxb7 g4, and White i s left
without a single pawn.
The same happens after I . Ka 7
Nd6 2 . Kxa8 g4 3 . Be8 Kf3 4. Bd7
h3 5. Ka7 Kxf2 . However, winning
a piece i s not enough; the win has
to come about via the c-pawn.
1. Bf3! Kxf3
After other moves Black loses
along nonnal lines: I . . .. Nd6 2.
Bxa8 g4 3. Kb6.
2. c8Q
White wins, because after 2 . . . .
Bb7+ 3 . Qxb7 the knight is pinned.
Unfortunately for B lack he also
loses his bishop.
PASSED PAWNS IN THE OPENING
In the opening it is rare for a pawn
to reach the opposing back rank.
The opponent will have to con­
tribute significantly.
There i s a famous example in the
following game, in which the
defender is eliminated by a queen
.I .t 'i¥ • .t .I
sacrifice
' ' ' ' ' '
Schuster-Carls, Bremen 1 91 4 � �
1 . e 4 c 6 2. d 4 d 5 3. Nc3 dxe4 i il,
4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Ng3 h5 6.
Bg5 h4 7. Bxf6 hxg3 8. Be5
Rxh2 9. Rxh2 Qa5+ 1 0. c3

.l � .t
' '
8. cxd7+ Nxd7!
' White can now capture on g2 of
iV it, course, but after 9. Bxg2 the bishop
� on g5 will fall. White played 9.
Bxd8 and put off the loss for
�
another few moves.
� �
ll I n the following game too, the
player with White overlooked the
1 0 . ... Qxe5+ 1 1 . dxe5 gxh2 intervention of the queen.
Black promotes with the help of
the double attack by the rook Rusakov- Werlinski
pawn : threatening material and a Rostov 1 94 7
square. 1 . e 4 e 5 2. c 3 Nc6 3. d 4 Nf6
4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 g5 6. Bg3
Razuvaev-Kupreichik exd4 7. e5 dxc3 8. exf6 cxb2
Moscow 1 9 70 9. Qe2+
1 . c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5
4. d4 e4 5. Bg5 Nf6 6. d5?
It soon becomes apparent that this
move was inaccurate. The correct
move is 6. Nd2 .
6
• ...exf3 7. dxc6 fxg2
After 8. Bxg2 White will have a
pawn less. Of course, he had other
intentions. In his calculations he
had planned the in-between check.
The passed pawn i s not running
away.

27
White was already reckoning on
having an extra piece after 9 . . ..
Be7 I 0. Qxb2 Bxf6 I I . Nc3 . But
that is not how things happened.
9 . ... Qe7! 1 0. fxe7 Bg7!
The passed pawn will cost a great
amount of material. White resigned.
Terentiev-Ga/lagher
Liechtenstein 1 990
1 . d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4
c5 4. c3?
Here White must play 4. d5 or 4.
f3. It is remarkable how quickly
the move he played leads to little
problems.
4 . ... Qb6 5. Qb3
After 5. Nd2 Nxd2 6. Qxd2 cxd4
White cannot real ly recapture on
d4. 7. cxd4 will be followed by 7 .
... e5.
s: . . . cxd4 6 . Qxb6 axb6 7.
Bxb8
White already has nothing better to
offer. After 7. cxd4 Nc6 the threat
is either 8 . . Nxd4 or 8 . . . Nb4.
. . . 2. Qxf8+ Rxf8 3. Rxf8+
7 . ... dxc3 !
White is already worse. H e should
28
have continued with 8. Nxc3 in
order to be able to play on.
8. Be5? Rxa2 !
White resigned. After 9. Rxa2
Black will be happy with his
passed pawn and wins by 9 . . c2.
. .
PASSED PAWNS I N THE MIDDLEGAME
The passed pawn does not play such
an important role in the middlegame
as in the endgame.
We shall only consider examples
in which the passed pawn leads to
a gain of material.
Black i s threatening to take on h2,
but White diverts him enough with
his c-pawn.
1. Bxe6 fxe6
B lack' s position is not good
enough for him to counter­
sacrifice: I . . . . Nxh2 2. Qxt7+
Rxt7 3. Rxt7 Rxc6 4. Bc4, and
White wins.
Kxf8 4. c7
The c-pawn decides matters.
 l . Qa5+ b6
• After I . . . . Qb6 2. Qxf5 Ne6 3. Re l
I. B lack loses his knight, whilst the
passed pawn survives. There is a
pretty refutation to the move which
was played.
2. Qxa7
Possible thanks to the mate on c8.
2 . ... Qel + 3. Rxel Rxa7 4.
Re8+
The point.
Getting a new queen by promotion 4 ... Rxe8 5. dxeSQ+ Kxe8
.

is a dividend of 8 points. That is 6. Rxa7

worth some preliminary investment! Black admitted defeat.
1 . ... Bh3+!
Preparation for a winning liquida­
tion. BISHOP AGAINST PASSED PAWNS
2. Kgl Qal 3. Qe2 c3 4. Kf2
Qxfl + 5. Qxfl Bxfl 6. Kxfl The bishop is a skilful defender
c2. when there are connected passed
Once more, the c-pawn is decisive. pawns. It can stop a whole row of
passed pawns. But stopping two
Sometimes a piece is sacrificed for passed pawns which are far apart is
a far-advanced passed pawn. The a different kettle of fish.
idea is to get it back with com­
pound interest. This works beauti­
fully in the following game frag­
ment:
Wolf-Grebnich, corr. 1 992

Moravec (1 950)
I magine the position without the
kings. Then the only square from
which the bishop can successfully

29
stop the pawns i s d3 . If it i s on any
other square, White will catch the
bishop out by a pawn sacrifice !
W ith the kings on the board, there
is an exciting struggle which
leaves White in the end with the
upper hand.
1 . a6!
It would be wrong to start with the
other pawn : 1 . g6? Kh6 2. Kf6 Bd5
3. a6 Bc4 4. a7 Bd5 , and White
does not have a good move.
1 . ... Bd5
A waiting move such as 1 . . . . Bg2
is followed by 2. g6 Kh6 3. Kf6
Ba8 4. g7 ! Bd5 5 . Ke5 Bg8 6. a7,
wmnmg.
2. g6
Now it is the tum of the g-pawn. 2 .
a 7 ? would now b e bad: 2 . . . . Bb7
3. _!<. f6 Bd5 4. g6 Kh6 5. g7 Kh7,
and White can no longer win.
2 . ... Kh6 3. Ke5!
Things can stil l go wrong: 3. Kf6?
Bc4 4. a7 Bd5 .
3 . ... Bg2 4. Kf6 Bd5 5. a7
White wins.
Prokes (1941)
30
Firstly, an example in which the
king plagues the bishop. The com­
poser overlooked this possibility.
The task: White to play and draw.
Unfortunately that does not work.
1 . Kg l
The best attempt. After I . Bc3+?
Ke4 2 . Kg l Kd3 Black wins pretty
easily.
1 . ... Kd4
It is too soon for I . . . . f2+. 2. Kxf2
(2. Bxf2? a2) 2 . . . . Kd4 3. Bb4 !
(otherwise the bishop can no longer
get on to the long diagonal: 3. Ba5?
a2 4. Bd8 Ke5 or 3 . Ke2? a2 4. Bh4
Ke5 ) 3 . . . . a2 4. Bf8 and the
promotion does no more damage.
2. Bh4 fl+!
This is the move Prokes over­
looked in his calculations. The
pawn sacrifice did not work on the
previous move, so why . is it all
right now? Prokes only gives 2 . . . .
Ke3 ( 2 . . . . Ke5 3 . Be l ! ) 3 . Kfl
with a draw.
3. Kxf2 Ke5
This is the difference. Black twice
prevents the bishop from getting
on to the long diagonal. The king
can now arrive j ust in time.
4. Be7 a2 5. Bf8 Kf6
and Black gets a queen.
Keeping opposing pieces at a
distance is also an effective techni­
que in this type of endgame. I n the
next study the white king holds off
the black king.

Mees (1 940)
1 . Kc5!
White has to play preci sely. The
obvious looking 1 . f6 Ba2 2. b4
Kd4 3 . b5 can be drawn by B lack,
but only with 3 . . . . Bd5 (3 . . . . Ke5?
4. Kc5 Bd5 5 . b6 and wins).
I . ... Ba2 2. b4 Ke4 3. f6
Ke5 4. b5 Ke6 5. ti Kxti
6. b6
The b-pawn gets through.
The one way for the bishop to fail
to stop a passed pawn is when its
diagonal is too short.
Pri nev (1 991)
1 . Kg5 Be6 2. h6 Bg8
Black seems to manage it; 3. Kg6
is followed by 3 . . . . Bd5 !
3. d5!
The blockade of d5 will cause
Black severe problems.
3 . ... Kc5 !
A subtle try. Taking with the pawn
loses quickly after 4. Kg6. Unfor­
tunately for Black, after 3 . . . . Kxd5
4. Kg6 Ke6 5. Kg7 Lh7 6. Kxh7
Kf7 7 . d4 he will be in zugzwang.
4. Kg6 Bxd5 5. d3
Here we can see the disadvantage
of 3 . . . . Kc5 . White wins.
Lewitt (1 933)
At first glance it looks as though
White should be more than content
with a draw : I . Ke4 Bd8 2. Kf5
Bb6 3 . Ke4 with a repetition of
moves. But things work out
differently.
1. Ke4 Bd8 2. c5!
White creates a second passed
pawn, which Black may not take:
2 . . . . dxc5 3 . Kf5 .
2 . ... Bf6 3 . cxd6 a4
After 3 . . . . Kb6 the king rushes to
help the d-pawn : 4. Kf5 Bh8 5 .
31
Ke6.
4. d7 a3 5. h7 a2 6. d8Q a l Q
7 . Qa8+
The only way for White to win is
an X-ray check.
7 • Kb5 8. Qxa l Bxal 9.
...
d4
The final joke.
KNIGHT AGAINST PASSED PAWNS
There is no way the knight can be
considered a hero when it comes to
stopping a passed pawn. On
account of its limited range, it can
happen that the knight cannot
sacrifice itself for the passed pawn.
That is the case especially when
we are dealing with a rook or a
kni t? ht pawn !
Halberstadt (1 938)
1 . Kb8!
After other moves, the knight
"triumphs": I . Kb6? Nd7+ 2. Kc7
Nc5 or I. b8Q? Nc6+.
1 . . . Nc6+
. 2. Kc7!
After I . . . . Nd7+ 2. Kc8 Nb6+ 3 .
32
Kd8 too, there i s nothing more the
knight can do.
2. Kc7 Nb4 3. Kb6 Nd5+ 4.
Kb5 Nc7+ 5. Ka5
The pawn is promoted.
Moravec (1 938)
1 . d6!
White correctly does not make a
firm decision as to where his king
should go. That will depend on
where the knight moves to. After a
king move, Black can bring his
knight into the defence:
A) I . Kc6? Nd2 2 . d6 Nc4 3 . d7
Ne5+
B) I . Ke6? Nd2 2 . d6 Ne4 3. d7
Nc5+
C) I . Ke7? Nd2 2. d6 Nc4 3. d7
Ne5 4. d8Q Nc6+
D) I . Ke8? Nc3 2. d6 Ne4 3. d7
Nf6+
E) I . Kc8? Nd2 2. d6 Nc4 3. d7
Nb6+
1. ... Nd2
Or 1 . . . . Nc3 2. Kc6 ! or I . . . . Na3
2. Ke6 !
As can easily be seen, other moves
are unsatisfactory : 2 . Ke7? Nc4 3 .
d7 Ne5 4 . d8Q Nc6+ o r 2 . Kc6?
N c4.
2 . ... Ne4 3. d7 Nc5 4. d8Q+
Promotion follows with check!
Rinck (1 93 7)
1 . Kd5
Firstly, keep the opposing king at a
distance. After l . b7 Ne5+ 2 . Kd5
Nd7 3. Kd6 Nb8 4. Kc7 Na6+
Black draws.
1 . ... Ne5
The g-pawn starts running and can
no longer be stopped.
2. g3+ Kf5 3. g4+ Kf6
Nor does 3 . . . . Kf4 stop the pawn:
4. g5 !
4. g5+ Kf5 5. g6 Kf6 6. g7
B lack has to leave his knight in the
l urch.
Have a look at the following posi­
tio n and evaluate it with White to
move. The study is a good exam­
ple of the possibilities available to
th e side with a knight.
A simple win? No (to the simple)
an d yes (to the win).
Carlsson (1 9 75)
1 . Kb3
A logical move. The king must
help its pawn. l . Ka3 Nb6 would
be illogical, since the king can no
longer approach; as would be I .
Kb2 Kf3 .
1 . ... Nb6!
Putting obstacles in the way of the
king so that it has to go the long
way round.
2. Kc2 !
I s this deviation really necessary?
Yes, after 2. Kb4? Nd5+ 3 . Ka5
Nxc7 4. b6 Ne6 ! 5. b7 there is a
draw after the knight fork 5 . . . .
Nd8 6. b8Q Nc6+.
2 . ... Kf3 3. Kd3 Kf4 4. Kd4
Nc8 5. Kc5 !
Keeping the king a t a distance is
not necessary (the pawns have to
advance), and would even be
wrong: 5 . Kd5? Kf5 6. Kc6 Ke6 7.
b6 Ne7+ 8 . Kb7 Kd7 9. Kb8 Nc6+
I 0. Kb7 Na5+ 1 1 . Ka6 Nc6, and
White can make no further pro­
gress.
5 . ... Ke5 6. b6 Ke6 7. b7
wmmng.
33
And in conclusion a pos1t10n in
which the pawns are very close to
each other. Despite al l that, the
side with the knight will be left out
in the cold because of the far ad­
White must play precisely. Taking
on g6 would be stalemate. White
has to start with a waiting move.
1. Ke6 Nf4+
The alternative 1 . . . Nf8+ 1s
.

vanced passed pawn. hopeless: 2. Ke7 Kg7 3. h6+.

2. Kd7!
Absolutely not 2 . Ke7 Nd5+ with a
draw. There will be no second
chance, because after 3. Ke6 Black
does not play 3 . . . . N f4+, but 3 . . . .
Nc7+.
2 • Kg7 3. Ke8 Ne6 4. Ke7
.•.

Now the knight is unfavourably

placed. The threat of 5. h6+ can no
longer be avoided.
4. ... Nf8 5. h6+ Kxh6 6.
Kxf8
Kulis (2000) White is winning.

WORKBOOK

4: Endgame - Passed pawn: A

5 : Endgame - Passed pawn: B
6 : Middlegame - Passed pawn: A
On these sheets it is often enough to eliminate the pieces which are holding
up the passed pawn. The ways to do this are old friends of yours : capturing,
chasing away, luring away, interfering and blocking. Try to advance your
passed pawn with tempo. You will gain a tempo by giving check (e.g. a
discovered check) or attacking something.
If it is not possible to promote the passed pawn like this, keeping the defen­
ders at a distance can be of further assistance.

7: Endgame - Pawn against knight: A

It is surprising how quickly a knight can get from one end of the board to
the other i f it can gain a tempo by giving a check. So choose the square for
your king with care. Sometime a pawn sacrifice enables you to block a
square which the knight needs in order to catch the passed pawn.

34
8: Endgame - Pawn against bishop: A
The bishop is in its element on an empty board. So, closing the diagonals
which the bishop needs by interfering or blocking a square it needs, are
very effective weapons when you are trying to promote a passed pawn.
Furthermore, holding off with the king is also a method which is frequently
to be found on the exercise sheets.

,�--
""-
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" - l<.:i r pov
-. .- ....... . _

35
3 Strategy
According to the dictionary, "stra­
tegy" is the art of waging war,
targeted behaviour or the concep­
tion and carrying out of long-term
plans. That i s true for chess too
and is in all the manuals. Unfor­
tunately (or fortunately ! ) it is not
correct. Even grandmasters cannot
play a whole game based on a pre­
conceived plan, for the simple
reason that their opponent will
refuse to cooperate.
Bronstein (who almost became
world champion) once said: "In
chess there are no plans, only
moves". H e is to some extent cor­
rect. 1 n every position it is only
possible to plan a few moves
ahead, at the most to conceive a
plan . .
What i s a good strategy?
• increase activity
• decrease vulnerability
A piece is active whenever it
• has a lot of possible moves
• is attacking something (the king,
material or a square)
• controls squares (in the centre or
in the opponent' s half of the
board)
• is cooperating with other pieces
It is certainly helpful to recapitu­
late what cooperation means in
36
chess.
Cooperation is when :
o pieces control the same squares
(preferably a complex of squares
· next to each other - Nc3 and Nf3
control the whole centre)
o pieces support each other in
attack
o pieces protect each other
o pieces divide the tasks amongst
each other
o pieces do not get in each other's
way
A piece is vulnerable whenever it
• can be attacked (it is either un-
protected or very valuabl�)
• has few possible moves
• is fulfilling a particular function
• is working alone
INCREASING ACTIVITY
You can increase the activity of
your pieces in many different ways.
You can improve your position
j ust by attacking opposing pieces
and controlling more squares in
your opponent' s half of the board.
In thi s lesson we shall restrict our­
selves to the next three important
methods:
I . take care of your worst piece
(the piece which is doing least).
2. pay enough attention to your
best piece.
3. pay close heed to your oppo­
nent' s weakest point.
I mprove the position of the
worst piece
The art lies in choosing the piece
that is achieving the least. In thi s
position that is not s o difficult.
Kveinis-Kholmov, Batumi 1 991
Two white pieces leap to the eye in
a positive way : the Re 1 and the
Bb2. They are active. The white
queen, on the other hand, has a
wretched position; the only square
it can go to is h 1 (of course, with
the open black king position White
does not want to exchange queens
on e5 ! ). As soon as it becomes
active, the black king position can
hardly be rescued. A small plan
has been born : improve the posi­
tion of the queen by getting rid of
the knight on h5.
1. Bd l !
The logical move. The bishop i s
under attack in any case. The
queen cannot achieve anything
after other moves. 1 . g4 is too
weakening: I . . . . f4 (or even I . . . .
Qxc2 2 . Qe5 Qd2 ! ) . Also, after the
passive 1 . Bb 1 f4 the queen re­
mains shut in, and after 1 . Re2 Rd8
Black is once more threatening to
take on c2.
1 . . Kf7
..
Now the win is simple. Also, other
moves obviously Jose, but White
would have had to think hard for
his next move after 1 . . . . Rd8.
White wins with 2 . Bxh5 Rd2 3 .
Qg3 Rxb2 4 . Bxg6 ! (the other
bishop is now the hero) 4 . . . . f4 5 .
Bxh7+ Kxh7 6. Qh4+ Kg8 7 . Re7
or 7. Qd8+, and B lack must surren­
der his queen to avoid mate.
After 1 . . . . Ng7 2. b4 ! Qxb4 3 .
Bb3+ Kh8 4 . Qxc7 Qxe 1 + 5 . Kh2
Black is mated.
2. Bxh5 gxh5 3. Re l
Perhaps B lack had been hoping for
3 . Re5 Qc2.
3 . ... Re8 4. Qg3 Qxc l + 5.
Bxc l Re l + 6. Kh2 Rxcl 7.
Qg5
B lack resigned.
A piece which is no longer doing
anything, is a loss of several points
to the attacking forces. So mobi­
lising a piece with a pawn sacrifice
is not such an unusual idea.
In the next position, from the game
A lzate-Arencibia, Cali 1 990, Black
has three active pieces. Only the
knight on e7 i s not yet doing
37
anything to help. The first move square. In the next fragment White
comes as a surprise. manages to activate two of his
pieces.

.I. .I. •
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' '
8 ltJ
8 � 8
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ll 1:l @
A lzate-Arencibia, Cali 1 990
1. ... c5! Jbragimov-Holzke,
A strong pawn sacrifice. So strong Bundesliga 1 998
that White immediately made a Firstly, it is the tum of the bishop
mistake. He played 2. e5? and had on e2 (it is getting in the way of its
to give up a pawn after 2 . . . . Qf2+ ! own queen).
3 . Kxf2 cxb4 4. Ke3 Nf5+ 5 . Kd3 1. Bc4
Nxd4 . The question is, whether the White makes use of the possibil ity
activation of the knight j ustifies of a double attack with Nf5 if
the pawn sacrifice. B lack takes the bishop. It would be
2. dxc5 Nc6 3. Qc3 Qd4+ 4. too early to play I . Nf5 Bxf5 2.
Qxd4 Nxd4 exf5 e4 !
All Black' s pieces are cooperating, 1 . ... Rac8
White will have to watch out. A strange move. B lack wants to
5. Bb4 have the option of Nd4, but the
Probably the best move. After 5 . white queen wanted to leave its
B f4 B f3 6. B h 3 Ne2+ 7 . Rxe2 (7. position anyway.
Kfl Bxe4) 7 . . . . Rxe2 8 . c6 Rc2 9. 2. Qe2 b5 3. Bd5 c4 4. Qh5
c7 B g4 B lack has an advantage. The position of the white pieces is
5 . ... Bf3 6. Bh3 clearly an improvement on what
Black has only slight chances after we saw in the diagram.
6 . . . . Bh l or 6 . . . . g5 . J ust enough 4 . ... Qf8 5. Nf5 Bxf5 6. exf5
to play on a little. Be7 7. Be4
7. a4 seems to be even better, but
Sometimes you have to put more White had no problems winning
than j ust one piece on a better with thi s move.

38
A strong square
I n Step 5 the advantages of a strong
square were pointed out in great
detail : creating a strong square,
moving a piece to a strong square,
supporting a strong piece and
swapping off possible attacking
pieces.
Gurevich, M-Adams, Ostend 1 991
1. Na3
The knight goes to the "strong"
square b5 . S ince it is going to be
pretty well on its own there, the
knight would appear to be some­
what out of the game. A better plan
might be I . Ne I , to swap off the
black knight. The latter knight
appears to be j ust as inactive, but
let us take a look at what happens
in the game !
1 . ... Re6 2. Nb5 g5 !
With a clear plan : Ne5-g6 is
he ading for a strong square and
B g 7-e5-f4, in order to swap off the
defending bishop.
3. Qh2
White does not have many options,
but this move prevents 3 . . . . Ng6
for the moment on account of 4.
Qc7.
3 . ... h6 4. Rg2
Gurevich does not bother preven­
ting Black ' s plan. He would do
better to play 4. Kh I Ng6 5. Nc7
(then the white knight at least
reaches the d5-square) 5 . . . . Rd6
(5 . . . . Be5 6. Nxe6 Bxh2 - without
check ! - 7. Nxf8 does not offer
any winning chances) 6. Nd5 Qd7
with better play for Black. The
options: Be5 I a4 and b5 with play
on both wings.
4 . ... Ng6 5. Qc7 Rxe2
Too greedy too soon. There is the
simpler 5 . . . . Nh4 6. Qxe7 Rxe7 7.
Rgf2 Be5 and the threat of Bg3
wins more material. In the game
White put up little resistance. He
had certainly had enough of his
position and lost quickly.
9
it' &
I. I. I.
l!i &
ttJ ttJ
l!i
l!i l!i 'iV l!i
Il @
]zeta-Shulman, Pamplona 1 995
B lack wants to play g5 to chase the
knight away from f4, so that his
own knight on g7 no longer has to
protect the e6-square. White is j ust
ahead of him by a nose.
39
 1 . Nc5!
It is no disgrace to want to achieve
a strategic aim by tactical means.
Now l . . . . g5 fails to 2 . Qxe5 Qxe5
3. Ng6+ Kg8 4. Nxe5 dxe5 5. Nd7
or 5. Rf6 with a big advantage.
1. ... Kh7 2. Nxb7
2. Nce6 was also strong, but White
prefers to gobble up a pawn.
2 . ... Rf8
B lack cannot trap the knight. 2 . . . .
a 5 is followed by 3 . Nd3 .
3. Na5 g5?
This makes things easy for White.
After a move such as 3. . . . Qd7
White would have to work harder.
For the rest of the game Black was
all at sea.
4. Nc6 Nxc6 5. dxc6 Qxe2 6.
Nxe2 Re8 7. Nc3 Kg6 8.
Nd5 Nf5 9. Nxc7 Re4 1 0.
NdS Rxc4 1 1 . Rxf5
Black resi gned.
• .I. .i
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i i i i
i .i.
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lb � � �
� � i
Capablanca-Janowski
St. Petersburg 1 91 4
Creating a strong square fo r the
knight on d5 is more important
than the fact that Black is allowed
40
to resolve his doubled pawns.
1. b5! cxb5 2. axb5 a5
After 2 . . . . axb5 3. Rxb5 Kb7 4.
Nd5 Qd7 5. Qb l White gets a
strong attack thanks to the pressure
on b6.
3. Nd5
The knight can no longer be driven
away by a pawn.
3 . ... Qc5 4. c4 Ng5 5. Rf2
Ne6 6. Qc3 Rd7 7. Rd l
White has to be on his guard
against the exchange sacrifice on
d5. That would be good after 7 .
Rd2 Rxd5 8 . exd5 Qxe3+ and 9 . . . .
Nc5 .
7 . ... Kb7 8. d4 Qd6 9. Rc2
exd4 1 0. exd4 Nf4 1 1 . c5
Nxd5 12. exd5 Qxd5 13. c6+
Kb8 1 4. cxd7 Qxd7 1 5. d5
Re8 1 6. d6 cxd6 1 7. Qc6
Black resigned.
Attack the weakest point
You must concentrate your activi­
ties on the part of the board where
your opponent is not so strong.
.I •
i i
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..t ..t
lb i �
� � �
�
'ii � @
Karpov-Morovic, Las Pa/mas 1 994
White ' s position i s excellent; being centre and control of the b-file.
a pawn down is not so important. And yet the white position is much
Turning a good position into a won better; the knight can simply be
position is often difficult. Not for driven away and the black rooks
Karpov. He sees that the black cannot do any harm (the rook will
king position is his most vulne­ not achieve much on b2).
rable point. His rook which is
well-placed rook on e 1 must be
transferred to the h-fi le.
'it' i
1. Kg2
White is also better after other i
moves. He can recover the pawn i i0i �
with 1 . Bxf6 Qxf6 2. Rxd5 , but i0i i0i
when you are in a superior position
you should not voluntarily relieve
'if � i0i i0i
the tension. (You only do that tD @ i0i
when things are really good.) ll ll
1 . ... Re7
Not a great move. You would Dautov- Timoshchenko
rather expect the move I . . . . Nb5 , Erevan 1 996
but even then Karpov ' s plan is 1. f4
decisive: 2. Rh 1 g6 3 . Rh4 ! Logical .
(doubling is possible, because 3 . . . . 1 . ... Nf7
gxf5 is followed by 4 . Rh6). The After the better 1 . . . . Ng4 2 . Bg l
white attack is conclusive. e5 3 . h3 Nh6 4. fxe5 fxe5 5 . Be3
2. Rh l Rde8 Nf7 6. Rf6 White is also clearly
Black wants to prevent doubling better.
on the h-file. 2 . . . . Ree8 is followed 2. e5 !
by 3. Rh4. Opening the pos1t1on by ex­
3. Rh8+! changing pawns is the way to acti­
The queen reaches the h-file in vate the rooks. Even if it costs a
double-quick time thanks to the pawn.
power of attraction. 2 . ... fxe5
3 . ... Kxh8 4. Qhl+ Kg8 5. Black cannot avoid the capture.
Bxf6 Qxg3+ 6. fxg3 Re2+ 7. After 2 . . . . Qd8 White plays 3 . g4,
Kh3 gxf6 8. Kg4 so as to shut the knight in com­
Black resigned. pletely with 4. e6.
3. fxe5 Nxe5 4. Bh6 Qg4
In the next diagram Black' s posi­ White was threatening 4. Rxe5
tion looks pleasant; a knight in the dxe5 5. Qxe5 e6 6. Ne4 and wins.

41
The rook sacrifice on e5 also wins
after the move played. In the game
White played something quieter.
5. Rf4 Qh5 6. Rh4 Qf5 7.
Rfl Qc8 8. Rhf4 Qe8 9. Qal
Rd8 1 0. Ne4 Nc8 1 1 . Ng5
Nb6 1 2. Rfi Nbxc4 13.
Rg7+ Kh8 1 4. Nfi+
Black resigned.
INCREASING VULNERABILITY
If there are no targets to attack,
you can create some.
.i
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.t. tt:J .t.
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@ lated.
Lengyel-Kotov, A msterdam 1 968
White has an excellent position.
He is exerting pressure down the a­
fi le and has a good knight on c5.
Black ' s Nc4 is not in the game.
For the moment it cannot defend
the other wing. White takes advan­
tage of this . .
1 . Bh7+!
Before exchanging bishops White
weakens the black position with a
check. The king has to abandon the
protection of either fl or h7.
42
1. ... Kf8 2. Bf5 Bxf5 3. Qxf5
If the king were on h8, f7 would
now be hanging.
3 . ... Rc7 4. Qh7 Ndb6?
It is probably better to take on c5,
though after 4. ... Nxc5 the
intermediate move 5 . Nh4 ! is
strong.
5. Qh8+
White collects a pawn. The
immediate 5. Nh4 ! Would be deci­
sive: 5 . . . . Qf6 6. Nf5 g6 7. Ne6+
fxe6 8 . Qxc7 exf5 (8 . . . . Qxf5 9.
Qd8+) 9 . Ra7 . Now White had a
long job ahead of him before he
won : 5 . . . . Ke7 6. Qxg7 Qg6 7 .
Qxg6 fxg6 8 . Kfl g5 9. Ra6 Kd6
I 0. Ne5 Nc8 1 1 . Ng4 h5 1 2 . Nh6
( 1 2 . Nf6 ! ) etc .
The most frequently employed
method of degrading the , oppo­
nent ' s position is to infl ict doubled
pawns on him. Doubled pawns are
especially weak if they are iso­
Gligoric-Smyslov, Warsaw 1 94 7
1 . ... g5!
Black is also better after I . . . Qc2
. g 5 7. h4 is not good.
2. b4 Rfd8, but things are easier i f
you have a specific target t o attack.
The weakening of the kingside is
not so tragic as all that since his
opponent cannot exploit it.
2. Qe3 Qxe3 3. fxe3 Rc2
White ' s predicament is a worrying
one. He cannot avoid losing a
pawn.
4. Ne4 g4 5. Bxg4 Nxg4 6.
Rxd7 Rxe2 7. Rd2 Rxd2 8.
Nxd2 Nxe3
Now that he had the pawn, B lack
won after a long struggle .
.i .i @>
i i 'i\ i...-
i ---+.-- I
.t n i
� �
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ttJ n �
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@ 1. dxe5 Nxe5
Portisch-Pomar, Malaga 1964
White uses the battery on the c-file
to attack the black pawn structure.
1 . Nd5! Qxc2 2. Nxe7+ Kf8
3. Ng6+ fxg6 4. Bxc2 Ke7 5.
Bb3 !
Of course White does not play 5 .
Bxg6 to exchange h i s strong e­
pawn for the weak g-pawn. 5 .
Rxd8 is also the wrong way : 5 . . . .
Rxd8 6 . Bxg6 Rd l + and 7 . . . . Rd2 .
5 . ... Bd7 6. Rg3 !
This diverts the king, because 6 . . . .
6 . ... Kti 7. Rc3 Bc6 8. Rxe6
Bd5
Black must surrender a pawn and
ends up in a losing rook ending.
9. Rd6 Rxd6 1 0. exd6 Bxb3
1 1 . Rxb3 b6 1 2. Rc3 Kf6
1 3. Rc7 Rd8 1 4. d7
White won the game effortlessly.
The next game is the oldest in this
book.
Bledow- Von lasa, Berlin 1 839
Black correctly takes with the
knight. After I . . . dxe5 2. Bxb6
.
cxb6 3 . N bd2 the Nc6 is not so
well placed.
2. Nxe5
Nowadays we would no longer
make this sort of move. The weak­
ness of the doubled pawns is now
limited. White must now leave two
weaknesses on the board : 2. Bb5+
Bd7 3. Bxb6 Bxb5 4. axb5 cxb6 5 .
Nbd2, followed by Nd4. I t will be
difficult to push through d5.
2 . ... dxeS 3. Bxb6 cxb6
43
Now it is possible to live with the
doubled pawns. White can hardly
attack them.
4. Nd2 0-0 5. Qe2 Bd7
In the next phase of the game it
becomes clear that a lower rated
player (studying Step 6) would
then have been amongst the top
players in the world.
6. Rad l ? Bxa4 7. b3 Bc6 8.
f4 Rad8 9. fxe5 Qxe5 1 0.
Rf5 Qd6? 1 1 . e5 Qc5+ 1 2 .
Kh l Ne4? 1 3 . Nxe4 Rxd l +
1 4. Qxd l Bxe4 1 5. Rxf7!
Rxf7 1 6. Qd8+ Qf8 1 7.
Bxf7+ Kxf7 1 8. e6+ Kg8 1 9.
e7
Black resigned.
Well-protected pawns above all are
an annoying hindrance for bishops.
When these pawns are enticed for­
wards the pawn structure is often
weakened.
Vaganian-Dvoirys, Odessa 1 989
White may be better but the ease
with which he wins is amazing.
44
The motto is "Bring about weak­
nesses".
1 . Bf4+!
Following the check on b4, things
go no further after 1 . . . . Kd7.
1. ... e5 2. Bd2 !
White has in effect "skipped a
move". Black has played e5 and
has to play again. Now the check
on b4 is a threat, because Kd7 no
longer achieves anything in view
of Bh3+. With his next move,
B lack makes space on e 5 .
2 . .. e 4 3. Bf4+! Ke7 4. Rc7+
Rd7 5. Bh3 Rxc7 6. Bxc7
Nd7 7. Bxd7 Kxd7 8. Bxb6
Winning a pawn. White won easily
with his connected passed pawns.
1. •
.i. i i i
'it' .i. '
' � A))
8
8 {ij 8
8 8
@ rl
Shetty-Dreev, Calcutta 1 992
Black has the choice between
taking on b3 (with a better end­
game) and preventing castling. H e
decided o n the latter. The king is
less safe in the middle, and - what
is even more important - the rook
on h 1 remains passive.
1. . . Qa6 2. Bh2
.
2. Kd2, in order to be able to
develop the rook, would be a
courageous choice. After 2 . . . . N f6
3 . Bxf6 (forced, because after 3 .
Rhd I Ne4+ White cannot capture,
because Ba4 is possible) 3 . . . . Bxf6
4. Rhd 1 . In the game it becomes
clear that when you are "a rook
down" there is not much you can
do.
3 . ... Rfc8 3. Rd l Nf6 4. Nd2
Ne4 5. Ndxe4 dxe4 6. a3
Bd5 7. Nxd5 exd5 8. Kd2
Rc4 9. Re l Rac8 1 0. Rxc4
Rxc4 1 1 . Bg3
After 1 1 . Re I Rxc I the queen
invades on fl .
1 1 . ... Qc6 1 2 . Rbl Bg5 13.
Ke t h5 1 4. h4 Bd8 1 5. Kfl
Rc2 1 6. Kgl Be7 1 7. Rfl a5
1 8. a4 Rd2 1 9. Rd l Qc2 20.
Qxc2 Rxc2 2 1 . Rb l f5 22.
Kfl Kf7 23. Ke 1 Bb4+ 24.
Kft Ke6 25. Be5 g6 26. g3
Kd7 27. Bf6 Kc6 28. Bd8 b5
29. axb5+ Kxb5 30. b3 Ra2
3 1 . Kg2 Bd2 32. Kfl Kb4
33. Ke2 Bc3+ 34. Kfl Bb2
White resigned.
DECREASING VULNERABILITY
Pieces which have a task to fulfil
are vulnerable. Think, for example,
about important defenders.
The next position comes from a
game that was played in the
Netherlands in a local champion­
ship under 12.
Kooloos-Burg, B
NBSB - 1 2 Championship
The white pawns on b3 and d3 are
weak. White played I . Qg3 , but
after I . . . . Nc5 she soon had to ad­
mit defeat. How can White solve
the problem of the weaknesses?
1. Qxf5!
At first sight taking on f5 does not
seem such a special move, since it
improves B lack' s pawn structure
and White loses the e4-square for
her knight. These are the disadvan­
tage, but there are also advantages
as we shall soon see.
1 . ... gxf5 2. Ng3
Suddenly White ' s knight becomes
active.
2 . ... f4
The only move to lead to anything
like level play. We find thi s move
by the process of exclusion. 2. .. .
Rhf8 looks logical , but after 3 . f4
exf4 4. Bxf4 Nc5 5 . Nh5 Rt7 6.
Nxg7 Rxg7 7 . Bxh6. White is
better. Black cannot give up the f5-
pawn.
3. Ne4 Nf6
With level chances.
45
Tension is mostly advantageous
for the attacking side. So it is a
good thing to force the opponent to
release the tension.
Barda-Boleslavsky
Bucharest 1 953
It is unpleasant for Black to always
have to bear in mind the possibility
of Bxf6.
I . ... h6 2. Bh4
Capturing suits Black : 2 . Bxf6
Bxf6 3 . Qxd6 Qb6+ 4. Kh I Qxb2 .
Now Black can l iquidate m
standard fashion.
2 . ... Nxe4 3. Nxe4
B lack ' s point can be seen after 3 .
Bxe7 Nxc3, and the threatened
fork on e2 forces the recapture on
c3 . White has the choice between
losing a pawn after 4. Qxc3 or a
wrecked pawn structure after 4.
bxc3 .
3• ...Bxh4 4. Nxd6 Bf6
The black bishops are extremely
strong. It is nice to see how the
white pieces are left with fewer
and fewer options.
5. Qf2 Qc7 6. b3 Be7 7. Nc4
46
Be4 8. Bd3 Bc5 9. Ne3 Qb6
1 0. Rfe l Rfd8 1 1 . Kh l Bxd3
Black decides to go for a lasting
advantage and weakens the white
structure.
1 2. cxd3 Rac8 1 3 . Qf3 Qa6
1 4. Nc4 Qxa2 1 5. Qxb7 Rb8
1 6. Qc7 Rdc8 1 7. Qd7 Qxb3
1 8. Ne5 Qb7 1 9. Re l Rc7
20. Qa4 Qb4 2 1 . Qd l Qxf4
22. Rc4 Qg5 23. Qf3 Qxe5
White resigned .
.I � � .I .
� .i. .i. .t. .t.
.t. .t.
8 .t.
.t.· 8 8
8 � 0:, 8
'Wi 8 8
M 0J � � @
Kapengut-Kholmov, Grozny 1 969
Both pawn structures have been
weakened. The doubled pawns on
the c-file are very weak, above all
if Black gets to play Nb7-c 5 .
White deals with his vulnerable
points in instructive fashion.
1. c5! dxc5
After I . . . . Qxc5 2 . Nxe5 (or the
immediate 2 . Ba3 ) 2 . . . . Bxh3 3 .
N f3 Black doesn 't get a look-in.
2. Bxa6 f6 3. Bd3 Nb7 4.
Bh6 Rf7 5. Na3 Bf8 6. Be3
Ned6 7. Reh l Ra8 8. Nd2
Be8 9. Ndc4 Nxc4
White has a major advantage.
LIMITING ACTIVITY
Preventing opposing pieces from
reaching good squares is j ust as
useful as rai sing the level of your
own activity.
I. � I. •
' ' .i. � ·
' .i.
' 8 '
8
8 �
8 � � ltJ 8 8
.tt n @
Ree- Torre, Wijk aan Zee 1 981
1. g4 !
It is important for the knight not to
be allowed to get to f5 . The
weakening of the king position is
no longer a tragedy since Black
cannot exploit it. Play through the
following moves and above all look
at the pathetic existence which can
be enforced on a knight.
1. ... Bf6 2. Bd3 Bxd3 3.
Qxd3 Qd7 4. h3 Bxb2 5.
Rah l Be5 6. Bxg5 Rfi 7.
Ne4 Raf8 8. Bh6 Qe7 9. Kg2
Rxfl 1 0. Rxfl Rxfl 1 1 .
Qxfl Kg8 12. a4 Ne8 13.
Qf5 Qfi 1 4. Qxfi+ Kxfi 1 5.
Kf3 Nc7 1 6. h4 Na8 1 7. a5
b6 1 8. Bd2 Nc7 1 9. Ng5+
Kg7 20. axb6 axb6 2 1 . Ke4
Bf6 22. Kf5 Bxg5 23. Bxg5
Kfi 24. Bd8 Na8 25. g5 Ke8
26. h5
Black resigned.
Dvoretsky-Polovodin
Soviet Union 1 9 79
White soon regretted allowing the
black bishop on to g4. Black is
now so active that White can no
longer develop naturally. I . h3 ! is
required, after which White may
not be able to castle for the
moment but can at least develop
his remaining pieces.
1 . 0-0? Bg4 2. Rel Nd4 3.
Re3 Nf6 4. a3
White takes action before Black
completes his development with
e6, Be7 and 0-0. He is successful .
4 . ... e6 5. b4 cxb4 6. axb4
Bxb4 7. h3
White must sacrifice a pawn, be­
cause 7. Rb l Bc5 8 . Rxb7 Nxf3+
9. Rxf3 0-0 is very bad.
7 . ... Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 9.
Qxf3 Qxf3 1 0. Rxf3 Be7
I 0. . . . Rc8 looks like a normal
move. As play continued, Black did
not always make the best moves
and the game ended in a draw.
47
ACTIVITY AND VULNERABILITY
We shall now take a look at the
two main concepts in this lesson in
two game fragments, one from a
game between young players and
the other from a game between
grandmasters.
i.
' •
i. ' '
.t LS LS
.i, LS
LS LS LS 'WI
� n 1:
Mazajchik- Tan, M Mierlo 1 999
White has the healthier pawn
structure, but that is of l ittle help
because he also has the weakest
pawn (on f4). If Black can manage
to play Raf8, all his pieces will be
active. The white queen is very
mobile and that is what White
must exploit.
1. Qd4
Almost good. White gains time
with the threat 2 . g5. There would
be the same idea after I . Qc3 ! .
This move would have allowed
White to deal w ith some of his
weaknesses. After the forced move
I . . . . Kh7 we also see the second
aim of the queen move: the c-pawn
is pinned. So 2. Bxd5 Bxd5 3 .
Rxd5 Rxf4 4 . Rfd I o r 4 . R e I . The
48
passive bishop and the f-pawn
have disappeared. Both white
rooks are much more active than
the black ones and White clearly
has an advantage.
1. ... Kh7 2. Qe5
This is now forced.
2 . ... Qxe5 3. fxe5 Rff8?
•
' '
A weak move, but an instructive
moment for us. White ' s e-pawn is
vulnerable (it cannot be protected
any more). However, Tan did not
play 3 . . . . Re6, because then the
white rook can invade via f7,
which, however, would have not
been at all dangerous. The rook on
f7 doesn ' t have a seventh rank !
Taking on fl and then 4 . . . . Kg7
would, moreover, have also been
better than the move in the game.
4. Ba4 !
Very good. The bishop is achie­
ving nothing from b3 and is
activated.
4 . ... c5
It was time for the emergency
brakes : 4 . . . . Kg7 5. Bxc6 Rx fl + 6.
Rxfl Rc8 7. Ba4 Bg2, and B lack
hangs on.
5. Bc6 Rxfl 6. Rxfl Rc8
6 . . . . Rg8 7. c4 Bg2 8. Rg l Bxh3 9.
Rg3 Bfl 1 0. cxd5 is not much fun
either, but at least better than the
continuation in the game.
7. Bd7 Rg8 8. Rf7+
After some strong play, a mistake.
After 9. Be6 Rg7 I 0. Rf8 Black is
playing with a rook less : limit acti­
vity (5 points which are doing ab­
solutely nothing).
8 . ... Rg7 9. Rf8 Rg8 1 0. Rfl
Kg7
Things are roughly level . Black
went on to win this ending.
I n the following grandmaster game
we see that White (who went on to
win the title) makes sure that all
his pieces are active. He increases
Black' s vulnerability by means of
small threats. The game is a joy to
behold.
Kamsky-Christiansen
St. Louis 2010 US-Championship
1 . e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
Bc5
The Cordel Variation.
4. 0-0 Nd4 5. Ba4
Not the main variation (that is 5 .
Nxd4). The bishop move makes
sure that Black cannot for the
moment play d6.
5 . ... Nxf3+ 6. Qxf3 Ne7 7.
Qc3
The queen move entices the bishop
on to d4, in order to win a tempo
with c 3 .
7 . ... Bd4 8. Qg3 Ng6
The e5-pawn is also hanging.
9. c3 Bb6 1 0. d4
A pawn sacrifice which Black does
not dare to accept.
10 . ... 0-0
What would come after 1 0. . . .
exd4? Perhaps 1 1 . f4, though 1 1 .
. . . c6! 1 2 . f5 dxc3+ 1 3 . Kh l Bc7
looks good for Black. After I 0.
Rd I dxc3 1 1 . Nxc3 White has
compensation.
1 1 . f4
Very strong here. 1 1 . dxe5 would
not be good: I . . . Qe7 1 2 . Bf4 d6 ! ,
and B lack wins back the pawn ( 1 3 .
exd6? Qxe4 ).
1 1 . ... exf4
I n chess there is always a choice to
be made. I I . . . . exd4 would be
more dangerous: 1 2 . f5 Qf6 (or 1 2 .
. . . dxc3+ 1 3 . Kh l Bd4 1 4. Nxc3
Be5 1 5 . Bf2 Ne7 1 6. Bf4 Nc5 1 7.
Rae I with sufficient play) 1 3 . Kh I
h6 1 4. cxd4 Bxd4 1 5 . Nc3 and
now 1 5 . . . . Be5 1 6. Nd5 . Black
has to be on his guard, e.g. 1 5 . . . .
Bxc3 1 6. bxc3 Qa6? 1 7. Bxh6
49
Qxa4 1 8 . Bxg7 Kxg7 1 9. f6+ Kg8
20. Qh3 winning.
1 2. Bxf4 Nxf4 13. Qxf4 d6
1 4. Nd2 Be6 1 5. Kh l c6 1 6.
Nf3
16 . ... h6?
A pawn move like this can create a
target to be attacked (though here
g2-g4-g5 hardly comes into ques­
tion) and weakens the diagonal b l ­
h7. White instructively exploits the
latter fact.
1 7. Bc2 Qd7 1 8. e5 dxe5?
Two alternatives: 1 8 . . . . d5 1 9.
Nh4 gives White good attacking
chances or 1 8 . . . . Bc7 (the best) 1 9.
Qe4 g6 20. Qf4 Kg7 2 1 . Rae I and
White is somewhat better. H i s
pieces are more active, but despite
the weakness on g6 the black
position is still solid.
1 9. Nxe5 Qd6 20. Qg3 f5
The only move to meet the threat
of Rf6. A move such as 20 . . . . Bd8
achieves little and after 2 1 . Rae I
and 22. Qd3 White ' s attack is still
strong.
2 1 . Rael Bc7
50
2 1 . . . . c5 would be better. After
22. Ng6 Qxg3 23 . hxg3 Rf6 24.
Rxe6 Rxe6 2 5 . Bb3 Kh7 26. Bxe6
Kxg6 27. Bxf5+ White is a pawn
up, but the ending with opposite
coloured bishops will be a hard one
to win.
22. Qh3 !
This forces the win of a pawn or
else Black must open up the b 1 -h7
diagonal .
22. ... f4 23. Qd3 Bf5 24.
Bb3+ Kh7 25. Qd2 g5
26. g4 !
Even better than 26. g3, which
wins a pawn . The bishop has to
leave the diagonal on which its
king is standing. The white queen
and bishop quickly take control of
the diagonal. Without the protec­
tion of its pawns the black king is
exposed to the opposing pieces.
26. Bc8
•.•
Things go downhill after 26.
fxg3 27. Rxf5 Rxf5 28. Bc2 Rf8
29. Rf! or 26 . . . . Bg6 27. Nxg6.
The same queen move will fol low
other bishop moves: 27. Qd3 .
 27. Qd3+ Kg7 28. Bc2 Rh8
29. Ng6
Almost everything wins. Even the
exchange of queens with 29. Qg6+
Qxg6 30. Nxg6, since Re7+ threa­
tens. After the game move there is
also the threat of 30. Re7+.
29 . ... Bxg4
After 29. . . . Be6 the move 30.
Nxh8 wins, but 30. Kg I Rhe8 3 1 .
Nh4 is the nicer variation.
30. Re7+ Kf6 3 1 . Rxc7
Rhg8 32. Ne5
Black resigned.

WORKBOOK

9: Strategy - Mini plan: A

I 0: Strategy - Mini plan: B
1 1: Strategy - Mini plan: C
1 2: Strategy - Mini plan: D

How do you go about solving positions under the heading of "Mini plan".
Take a look at the strong and the weak points of the side which has the
move. Then you do the same for the opposing side.

Activating pieces
• move to a strong square
• develop
• centralise
• mobilise (bring them to where the action i s ! )
• attack pieces
• improve cooperation (attack together, cooperate in the control of adjacent
squares)

Limiting the activity of the opponent's pieces

• exchange of active (attacking) pieces
• restrict, trap, shut in (see also Chapter 4)
• tie down (give them a task to fulfil)
• maintain and increase tension

51
Limiting you own vulnerability
• improve your pawn structure (resolve doubled pawns)
• keep all your pieces protected or protect them even more
• resolve any weaknesses
• release the tension

Increasing you r opponent's vulnerability

• d egrade his pawn structure
• c reate targets to attack
• provoke weaknesses
• swap off good defending pieces
• build up the tension

52
4 Mobility

Every piece needs space. A piece 9. Qe2

can also be very active even if it A logical developing move, but a
cannot move, though that is quite a losing one ! The correct move i s 9.
rare occurrence. Pieces which have Ne3 .
little freedom of movement are in 9 . ... Qd6
danger of being trapped. Even in
the opening a piece can quickly .i • .i. .i
have problems. The position in the
I. I. I. I.
diagram arises from a Sicilian
Defence after the moves: 'if I. &
1 . e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 b6? &
4. dxc5 bxc5? 5. Qd5 [::, [::,
l2J �
8 8 l2J VJ/i 8 8 8
n � @ n
The bishop has no retreat square;
only the king can protect it, but
that costs material.
1 0. Kd2 Nxc4+ 1 1 . Kel Ne5
Black won effortlessly.

The rook on a8 can only be saved TACTICALLY TRA PPING A PIECE

by the sacrifice of a minor piece.
If you cannot trap a piece straight
White ' s setup was j ust as clumsy away, then a preparatory move can
in the following game. help.
The choices are well known :
Mabbs-Mohrlok, 1 959 • attracting
I. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 • eliminating the defence
4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Bd3 a6 6. c4 • chasing
Nc6 7. Nc2 Qc7 8. Nc3 Ne5 • targeting
How can White protect c4? • clearing

53
It is useful to repeat everything at a nothing, White j ust takes, so B lack
regular time. So we give a sample takes the knight:
of every preparatory move.

Attracting
You can attract a piece go to a
square by an exchange or a sacri­
fice. This is a common preparatory
action.

1 . ... Bxf.3 2. Bxf.3 Nd4

Black wins the queen.

In this diagram White lures the

black queen into the trap.
1. e5 Bxe5 2. Rxe5 Qxe5 3.
Bf4
The queen has no more squares. I f
B lack does not take o n e 5 the
damage is limited to the loss of a
piece.
Eliminating the defence
Capturing, luring away, chasing
away, interfering and blocking are
the different preparatory moves to
the el iminating of the defence.
Capturing
Luring away
The piece which is to be i solated
does not immediately leap to the
eye. The queen is the unlucky one,
although for the moment it has five
free squares and is not yet being
attacked. A knight sacrifice lures
the bi shop away from d3 :
1 . Nxc4 2. Bxc4 Bb4
..•

In the next diagram the white The queen no longer has a free
queen has no squares to go to. The square. The bishop move clears the
immediate I . . . Nd4 achieves
. e-file.

54
 Chasing
.i .i • Attacking a piece with one which
i¥' .t. .t. i s worth less so that the first one
must move away is called "chasing".
� Chasing is the simplest of the pre­
paratory moves .
.t. 8
� 8
.I @i
8 8 8 8
.t. .t .t.
@ ll 1l
.t .t.
Interfering �
The white queen still has two l1::J 8
squares. With the rook on b8 it
would be deprived of b4. So now
�
the option of a capture on e5 must 8 8
be eliminated. �
1 . ... e4 2. fxe4 Reb8
The queen is lost. In this diagram the rook on e8 in
its own camp i s chased away and
.t trapped:
l . Nd6 Rf8 2. Be7
.t. .t
.t. .t. Targeting
A piece which is to be boxed in is
only able to go to a single square.

Blocking
The amusing thing about blocking
is that you force the opponent to
put one of his own pieces on a
possible escape square. After 1 . . . .

g 5 the queen can sti ll g o to h 5 . So

Black lures the white bishop on to
h5. Then "targeting" is the correct pre­
l. . Rh5 2. Bxh5 g5
.. paration, meaning that we deprive

55
it of its escape square with gain of
tempo. The previous move ( Rd I )
was not a good one. Black' s next
move is only successful because of
that rook move.
l. ... Bc2
This deprives the queen of the b3-
square. Because of the attack on d 1
White has to give up an exchange,
since 2. Rd2 Nb6 would cost him
the queen.
Clearing
Usually it is opposing pieces which
prevent a winning combination. But
sometimes one of your own pieces
gets in the way. The preparatory
move called "clearing" involves re­
moving your own pieces with tem­
po. The required gain of tempo is
the result of an attack on the king,
materi al or a square.
..t .I. .I. •
.t ' '
�
'1IV lb '-r--',--
� �� � �
lb
Black has j ust captured on f5 with
the e-pawn, not suspecting that his
queen on a5 is in danger. It sti ll
has two squares to which it can
move.
l. Bxfi+
56
The bishop on c4 makes space for
the knight to go there. At the same
time the diagonal of the bishop on
g3 is opened up. An alternative
way to win material is 1 . Ng6 Rfe8
2. Bxf7+ Kxf7 3 . Ne5+ Kg8 4.
Nc4.
l. ... Rxfi 2. Nc4
White wins the queen.
PI ECES IN THE CENTRE
Developing pieces into the centre
is good advice. I f, however, all the
pieces follow this advice, the
middle of the board will be over­
full. Above all in the opening or
the early middlegame if not many
of them have yet been exchanged.
The pieces which are most affected
are the knights. This is surprising,
but the eight squares they can
move to are soon all occupied. The
fault lies with your own pieces and
the opponent' s pieces and pawns.
.I. .I. .
l. l. l. '1W l. l. .i. I.
� '
---�--
� �
�
lb � �
� �
�@
Bohm-Korchnoi, Moscow 1 9 75
White did not pay enough attention
to the l imited freedom of move­
ment of his Ne5 . He overlooked
the simple win of a piece.
1. Bxb6 axb6 2. f4
In this diagram White has chased
the knight away from f6 by e4-e5 .
The black knight boldly went to
e4. The knight has nowhere to
retreat to any more, but since it
could exchange on c3 Black was
not aware of any danger. That was
his mistake.
1 . Na4 Qb4 2. f3
The knight i s lost.
Escape squares can also be un­
available for tactical reasons. The
next game fragment shows that
that is even harder to see. White (a
Rumanian G M with an Elo of 2550
at the time the game was played)
overlooks the win of the piece.
I n the next diagram White played
I . Bb2, and the game ended in a
draw. A surprising exchange could
have won it. This trick sti ll pops up
regular! y. There are at least I 0
examples in the database that have
been played after this game.
.t .i.
fj, � •....•___,_
.__ __
�
fj, tD fj, fj,
tD fj, fj, .i. fj,
l:I .i. 'iV n @
Gheorghiu- Wirthensohn
Biel 1 982
1 . Bxd5 Bxd5 2. e3
The knight cannot go to e6 because
of 3. e4 winning the bishop.
EARLY QUEEN SORTIES
Attacking with the strongest piece
as soon as possible is a favourite
pastime of many chess players.
Because of the way it moves com­
bining that of many pieces, the
queen can display great activity,
but that also makes it the most
vulnerable piece. It is difficult to
strike a correct balance between
activity and vulnerability.
Sometimes a queen can be quite
alone and surrounded by enemy
pieces and yet create confusion in
the enemy camp; at other times
there seems to be no danger in view
and yet within a few moves the
queen has been captured !
57
In the next game the queen is on
the go very early.
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3.
Nc3 Qa5 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. d4
Nc6 6. h3 Qh5?
White can ignore the pin on the h­
file:
7. hxg4 Qxh 1 8. Ne4
Or 8. � e2 and the threat of 9. Ng3
cannot be met.
� �
� tf:j �
� 'if � tf:j � � �
ll � � �
Glienke-Ehrke, Bundesliga 1 992
Most queens rush in the opening to
gobble up the b7 /b2 pawns. Some­
times taking this pawn is good, but
sometimes it isn ' t. In any case, it i s
almost always dangerous. "Never
58
take on b2, even if it is a good
move" (Grandmaster Gligoric).
Chasing and luring away can soon
make an end of the queen :
1 . Nc4 Qc3
There is the same result after I . . . .
Qb4 2 . c 3 Qxc3 3 . Re l Qb4 4 . Rb l
Qc3 5 . Rb3 .
2. Rb 1 Bf5 3. Bd3 Bxd3 4.
·c xd3 d5 5. Rb3.
In the workbook you have the
chance to win twelve queens on b2
or b7.
The way White traps the queen in
the next game is impressive.
Razvaliev-Kolikstein
Tashkent 1 9 72
1 . d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6
4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3
Bd6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4
Nxe4 9. Bxe4 Nf6 1 0. Bc2
Qa5+ 1 1 . Bd2 Qh5 1 2. h3
0-0
.I .i.
''
White to play and win.
13. Ke2 !
Usually not a good move i n the
opening or the middlegame. How­
ever the move effectively protects
the rook on h I .
1 3 . ... e5
Black must surrender a piece to
save his queen.
1 4. g4 Bxg4 1 5. hxg4 Qxg4
1 6. Qg l Qe6 1 7. Rxh7
exd4+ 1 8. Be3 Nxh7 1 9.
Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Qhl g6 2 1 .
Bxg6+ Kg7 22. Qh6+ Kf6
23. Bf5+
There is an even quicker win by
23. Qg5+, but Black resigned after
the move played in any case.
TRAPPING IN THE ENDGAME
Of all the pieces, the knights are
the simplest to trap, almost always
in a corner or on the edge of the
board.
The black knight has gone astray.
White has to keep the knight
trapped and then to capture it. l .
Nc3 would be clumsy, because
then the white king cannot get at
the knight. First of all White must
control a4 in another way.
1 . Nb6 f5 2. Kc3 Nd l + 3.
Kd2 Nf2 4. Ke2 N h l 5. Kfl
The knight is caught. The win is a
mere question of technique.
5 . ... f4 6. Kgl Ng3 7. hxg3
fxg3 8. Nd5 Kfi 9. Nf4
White wins.
Other combinations can help you
with trapping a piece. The double
attack i s particularly well suited to
depriving piece of squares.
Thanks to the knight fork White
can trap the black queen.
1 . Rc8
The queen cannot take. Attracting
is a main weapon.
The variations are simple.
A) l . . . Qa5 2. Ra8
.
B ) l . . . Qxh4 2. Rc4+ Qxc4 3 .
.
Nb6+
C) l . . . . Qd7 2. Nb6+
In the next example the knight fork
gets help from the X-ray check.
59
 'it' � K
.i. .t. .t. .t.
-...��
....�
.t. .. �
.t.
� �
tfj
� � �
@
Reti (1 922) Kupreichik-Szabo, Hastings 1 982
White wins a in very nice fashion. 1 . cxd4 2. cxd4 Nc6 3. d5
•••

1. Rxcl Qd5+ Nb4 4. Bb3

Or l . . . . Qxc I 2. Nb3+; l . . . . Qd2 The knight is actively placed on b4,
2. Nb3+; l . . . . Qd6 2. Nb7+; l . . . . but it is also vulnerable because it
Qd4 2. Nb3+; I . . . Qd8 2 . Nb7+.
. does not have a retreat square. The
2. e4 Qe5 only move here was 4 . . . . bxa4, but
Or 2 . . . . Qa2 3 . Ra ! ; 2 . . . . Qa8 3 . Black did not see the danger
Ra ! +; 2 . . . . Qc6 3 . Nb3+. commg.
3. Ra t + Qxal 4 .. 0-0 5. a5!
. .

Or 3 . .� Kb4 4. Nd3+; 3 . . . . Kb6 4.

. The knight cannot be saved . . Black
Nd7+. tried
4. Nb3+ 5 . •.• Qc8 6. BgS QcS 7.
Be3
and then resigned.
ENCIRCLING

When you isolate a piece it will be

taken; a piece which is encircled is
not yet lost, but it has no more
moves and not much activity. It
will remain passive for quite a �
while.
� tfj tfj i., � �
Our first example shows a piece
being encircled, which leads to it � iV � i.,
being isolated. Black was once one � .tI @
of the strongest non-Russian players
in the world, but here he decided on Smyslov-Rohde, New York 1 989
a wrong plan. A knight on the edge of the board

60
can only go to one of four squares.
It can quickly be deprived of them
by its own or by opposing pieces.
White cleverly exploited the posi­
tion of the knight on h5 and played
the strong move:
1 . es
White is now threatening to isolate
the knight with 2. g4. The threat
can only be met by accepting other
disadvantages.
After the counter-attack 1 . . . . Bf5
2. Nc5 Qxe2 3 . Nxe2 the bishop i s
very unfortunately placed o n f5 . I f
space i s created fo r the knight, that
leads to a very cramped position :
1 . . . . Bh8 2. g4 Ng7 3 . Ne4 Nd7 4.
Bg5 , and White is clearly better.
Black resorts to an exchange
sacrifice which offers him no great
prospects.
1 . ... Rxd3 2. Qxd3 Qxd3 3.
Rxd3 BxeS 4. Ne4 BfS S.
Bd4 Bxe4 6. Bxe4 Bxd4 7.
Rxd4 Nf6
White won without any problems.
.t.
8 .t.
�---'��
8 8 .t.
ttJ
8 8 'J/li � 8
� @
Speelman-Kasparov
Madrid (rapid) 1 988
Black has already sacrificed a pawn
for the strong e5-square. Now he
sacrifices a second pawn in order to
shut the bishop in on h2 for the rest
of the game.
1 . .. f3 ! 2. Bxf3 NeS 3. Be2
.
g4
Only the move f4 (which does not
work without allowing Black to get
a strong passed pawn) lets White
get some breathing space for his
bishop.
4. Bgt cS
H uman beings would play 4. . . .
N f3 + 5 . Bxf3 Rxf3 , with an ad­
vantage for Black. The move
played costs another pawn after 5 .
dxc6 bxc6 6. 0-0-0 Be6 7 . Qxd6
Qg5+. B lack won the game. In the
final position the bishop was still
on g l .
.t. .t.
8 8 8 8
8 ttJ 8
'Jjj 8 � 8
n .tI w
Misanovic-Zhu, Kishinev 1 995
In this game between two ladies
White i s clearly better. M isanovic
decided on a plan, in which the
knight on b8 is shut in (and thus
also the Ra8). She accepted the
fact that B lack got a protected
61
passed pawn.
I. dxe5 dxe5 2. b5 Qxa3 3.
Nxe5 Qe7 4. Nf3
4. Ng4 a4 (what else?) 5. e5 Bxg2
6. Nf6+ gxf6 7. exf6 Qxe l + 8.
Rxe l Rxe l + 9. Kxg2 Nd7 1 0.
Qxd7 looks very good, and White
. . .
Black is worse. She may no longer
castle (the king has already moved),
meaning that the king cannot find a
safe haven anywhere. Black' s last
move (Qe7-h4) is pretty much a
blunder (Kf8 was better). Be­
coming active when in the inferior

1s wmnmg. position is a well-known mistake.

4 . ... a4 5. Nd4 a3 6. Nf5
Qe5 7. Qg5 g6 8. Rd8 Nd7?
After 8 . ... f6! Black can still hang on.
9. Rxd7 Qxf5 1 0. exf5
Rxe l + 1 1 . Bfl a2 1 2. Rd8+
Re8 13. Rxe8+ Rxe8 14.
Qc l Ra8 1 5. Qa l gxf5 1 6.
c5
1 6. Bg2 is better, so as to follow
the plan in the game after the ex­
change of bishops.
16 . ... Bd5 1 7. cxb6 cxb6 1 8.
B g_2 Bxg2 1 9. Kxg2 Ra3 20.
Kfl f6 2 1 . Ke l Kf7 22. Kd l
Kg6 23. Ke t Ra5 24. h4 h5
25. Kc2 Ra3 26. Kb2 Ra5
27. Kc3 Ra3+
Black surprisingly achieved a draw.
• .i
' .i ' '
' .t ' '
· �
� � � 'it'
� n �
vw � �
l:t @ ends up cut off from the play .
Sziva-Peng, Rotterdam 1 999
(Dutch Women 's Championship)
I . Bg5 Qh5 2. g4
The weakening is not important.
The h3-pawn is well protected by a
rook. The big advantage of the
pawn move is that the white queen
is no longer tied to the defence of
the bishop and can become active.
2 . ... Qh7 3. Qa5 Kd7
B lack' s position is hopeless (White
is clearly far superior i n material
on the queenside ).
Other ways of protecting the rook
are no better: 3 . . . . Rd7 4. b4 or 3 .
. . . Rc8 4 . Qb4. I n both cases B lack
has to give up a pawn with f6.
4. Re l Rhc8 5. Rdc3
There is nothing wrong with 5 . b4,
but the pawn move w i l l stil l be
there . . .
5 . ... Qh8 6. b4 Ra8 7. Qc5
Qf8 8. Qxf8 Rxf8 9. b5
Peng resigned after ten more
moves. Despite this, she went on to
win the title, thus becoming D utch
Women ' s Champion . In 20 1 1 she
won her thirteenth titl e !
Jn many opening variations a piece
In the Slav Black ' s l ight-squared
bishop often lands up on g 6 and
spends half the game staring at i ts

62
own pawn on f7 and the white
pawn formation on f3 and e4.
Many top players such as Anand
and Kramnik play this variation
and they manage to bring this
piece back to life.
In the g3 -variation of the King ' s
Indian with Nc6, the black knight
frequently has to go to the a5-
square. Sometimes the knight is
there from the beginning right till
the end of the game. If you play
openings like this, take special care
to bring the relevant piece back
into the game.
Addison-Mednis, New York 1 962
US Championship
1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4.
Bg2 0-0 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nt3 Nc6
7. 0-0 a6 8. d5 Na5 9. Nd2 c5
1 0. Qc2 Rb8 1 1 . b3 b5 12.
Bb2 Bd7 13. RJbl Qc7 1 4.
Nce4 Nxe4 1 5. Bxe4 Bxb2 1 6.
Rxb2 bxc4 1 7. bxc4 Rxb2 1 8.
Qxb2 Rb8 1 9. Qc3
i.
'ti' .t i i ,___.,_.
__ ..
' '
� i 8
8 �
'iV 8
8 tfj 8 8 8 26 . ... Bg4 27. Rfl Qb6 28.
� @
1 9 . ... Rb4
F i rs tly, Black plays very cleverly :
he provokes b3 . H e wants to
control the b-file after Qb6, so
whether he likes it or not White
has to chase away the rook.
20. a3 Rb7
It is often better to go all the way
back to b8. Then the knight can at
least retreat to the b7-square
(although the future is not all that
rosy for it there either).
2 1 . h4 h5
Black prevents h5, Kg2, Rh I with
an attack. That will take some
time, so the problem with the
kn ight has higher priority. 2 1 . . . .
Ba4 is worth considering, s o a s to
play Nb3 and swap off the knight.
The knight itself is not the only
problem; the fact that the queen
has to protect the knight should not
be underestimated. White cannot
avoid 22. Rb I and exchanges sim­
plify things for the defending side.
22. Bc2 Qb6
Black works with a threat (Qb2),
which can easily be dealt with.
23. Rb 1 Qd8 24. Re 1 Qb6
25. Bd3 Qd8 26. f4
White has been able to make a few
moves for free and things are now
becoming serious. White has a free
hand on the kingside. The weake­
ning h5 has made the advance f5
much stronger. Black no longer
puts up any real resi stance.
f5 gxf5 29. Bxf5 Bxf5 30.
Rxf5 f6 3 1 . Rxh5 Kf8 32.
Qd3 Ke8 33. Rh8+
Black resigned.
63
WORKBOOK

1 3 : Mobility - Trapping: A
1 4: Mobility - Trapping: B
Look for the piece with little or no freedom of movement and try to trap it.
Start with a preparatory move:
• attracting
• chasing
• targeting
• clearing
• eliminating the defence

1 5 : Mobility - Trapping (queen b2/b 7) : C

The queen is to be cut off. Sometimes it can only escape by giving up
material. Work with preparatory moves.

1 6 : Mobility - Trapping (double attack) : D

Thanks to a double attack the piece which is to be trapped is deprived of
many squares. The first exercises are perhaps difficult, but when you under­
stand how the exercises work, then the solutions will no longer be a
proble m.
_

Anand

64
5 Draws

There are different ways for a

game to be drawn. In previous
steps we have already dealt with:
• insufficient material for mate
• too small a material advantage
to win
• stalemate
• perpetual check
• perpetual attack
• by agreement
In this lesson three new methods
will appear: 1 . .. g5
.

• fortresses If B lack allows White to play g5

• repetition of moves
• the 5 0 move rule
We shall deal with more difficult
examples in the methods you
already know.
INSUFFICIENT MATERIAL
he has no hope: I . .. . Kb4 2. g5
Kc4 (2 . . . . Ka4 3. Bc3) 3. Ka3 Kd3
4. Kxb3 .
2. Bxg5 Kd4 3. Bf6+ Ke4 4.
g5 Kf5 5. Kxb3 a l Q 6. Bxal
Kxg5
White has insufficient material left
to del iver mate (or more elegantly :
"he has no mating potential").

Taking your opponent' s last pawn

is a good strategy for achieving a
draw.

You cannot win with j ust a single

bishop on the board. So Black
must win the g4-pawn in the
diagram in the next column. The
queenside pawns have to help him
do so by luring the king and the
bishop away. The only way for that
to work is with a pawn sacrifice. Vinichenko (1 988).

65
Two knights are not enough to win
either. Unfair, but it allows some
pretty liquidations.
How can White give up his rook
for the two pawns? As long as they
remain a duo, the white king can­
not get at them. A surprising rook
sacrifice enables White to make
the pawns harmless:
1 . Rd3 ! exd3 2. Kd2
Both pawns fall. A knight needs
three moves to protect a square
which is diagonally two squares
away from it.
In a position with only a rook
against a bishop or a knight, the
amount of material is again too
small. In such positions it is pos­
sible to deliver mate, but with
correct play such positions are
drawn� We are talking about theo­
retical drawn positions.
Mesman (1 98 7)
White must surrender a mmor
piece. His real problem is of
course the black pawn. The player
with White knows a subtle way to
66
outwit his opponent:
1. f6 gxf6
After I . . . . g6 2. Ne5 Rxd2 3 . Nxg6
Rf2 4. Ne5 Rxf6 5. Kc2 the posi­
tion i s also drawn.
2. Ng5 Rxd2 3. Ne4
The point behind the white pawn
sacrifice. The only way for Black
to protect his pawn is by means of
a check.
3 . ... Rd l + 4. Kc2 Rfl
And on fl the rook is badly placed
for another reason. Any other rook
move would be met with 5. Nxf6
and a theoretical draw.
5. Ng3+ Kg2 6. Nxfl Kxfl 7.
Kd3 Kf2 8. Ke4
White wins the pawn.
We already know about the wrong
bishop from Step five. For that
reason we shall only look at a
single example. There are another
twelve examples in the workbook
for the real fans.
Krikheli (1 983)
B lack has j ust given an extremely
annoying check from d 5 .
 1 . Kxc3 !
This costs a piece, but I . Ka3? Be4
2. b6+ Ka6 3 . Nb4+ Kb5 costs the
whole point. .
1 . ... Rc4+ 2. Kd3 Rxc2 3.
Ra6+!
Well worth seeing. Black has to
take and thi s turns the b-pawn into
a worthless rook pawn.
3 . ... bxa6 4. b6+ Kxb6 5.
Kxc2
The king reaches the safe corner.
STALEMATE
In the ending the defender can
sometimes save half a point by
stalemate. Think for example of the
endgame of queen versus pawn. It
is a draw with rook pawns or
bishop pawns on account of the
possibility of stalemate.
It i s usually easy to bring about a
stalemate if your king can no
longer move. You then have to
find a clever way to get rid of the
other pieces you still have.
Lomax
White must get rid of the rook
without affecting the present
"stalemate position" of his king.
We call a rook which is being
sacrificed like this a "rampant
rook".
The squares which the queen is
controll ing (above all on the d3-h7
diagonal) must be avoided.
White has two checks. The wrong
choice would be I . Rh3+? Kg6 2.
Rg3+ (or 2. Rh6+ Kg7, and there
is already no longer a good check)
2 . . . . Kf5 3. Rf3+ Ke4 4. Re3+ (or
4. Rf4+ Ke5) 4 . . . . Kd4, and White
has run out of useful checks.
So the other check is correct. The
drawing variation speaks for itself:
1 . Rc7+ Kg6 2. Rc6+ Kf5
3. Rc5+ Ke4 4. Rc4+ Kd3
5. Rc3+ Kd2 6. Rc2+ Kd l
7. Rd2+ Kel 8. Re2+ Kfl
9. Rf2+ Kgl 1 0. Rg2+ Kh l
1 1 . Rh2+ Kgl 1 2. Rh l + !
K x h l stalemate
•
Korolkov (1 961)
"Rampant queens" are not interes-
67
ting (it is easy for a queen to
sacrifice itself), and other pieces
are almost never "rampant" pieces
- apart from a few exceptions. In
this position there is a "rampant
knight".
The white king is already "stale­
mated". All that has to be done
now is to let the knight and pawn
be captured.
1. Nc6+ Ke8
After I . . . . Kc8 2. d7+ Kxd7 (2 . . . .
Kc7 3 . d8Q+ Kxc6 4 . Qd5+) 3 .
Ne5+ fxe5 i t is already stalemate.
2. d7+ Kfi 3. Nd8+ Kf8
3 . . . . Ke7 4. Nc6+ leads to a repe­
tition of moves.
4. Nxe6+ Kfi
Or 4 . . . . Ke7 5. d8Q+ Kxe6 6.
Qd5+.
5. Nd8+ Ke7 6. Nc6+ Kxd7
1: Ne5+
The double attack comes to his aid.
7 . ... fxe5
It has worked: White is stalemated.
The only way to get rid of minor
pieces is by a double attack.
Giving away major pieces i s much
68
simpler.
1. Rd8+ Kh7 2. Rh8+ Kxh8
3. Ng6+ fxg6 4. Qa8+ Kh7
5. Qg8+ Kxg8 stalemate
The king must take the rook and
the queen; there are no other
options. Black has to take the
knight on account of the double
attack.
In positions in which the king sti ll
has sufficient available squares,
stalemate usually occurs out of a
clear blue sky. White goes about
setting up a stalemate position with
the requisite sacrifices.
1. Rxd4+ Rxd4 2. h7
The order of moves i s important;
playing 2. c3+? First loses in view
of 2 . . . . Kxc3 3. h7 Rh4, and the
threat of mate prevents the promo­
tion.
2 . ... Bxh7 3. c3+ Kxc3
stalemate
In the diagram on the fol lowing
page the king still has six squares
available to it. Not for long, three
moves to be precise.
 After the capture of the rook, White
is stalemated. So Black must move
his d-pawn.
3 . ... d5 4. Rh2
White goes back and forward like
this with the rook so that e2 would
be protected by Black after the
rook is captured.
4 . ... d4 5. Rh5 d3 5. Rxh6+
Forced, in view of the threat 6 . . . .
d2+, but also good.
Tresling (1 9 1 2) 5 . ... Kxh6 stalemate
1 . c6 dxc6 2. Rh3 Rxh3 3.
f8Q+ Bxf8 stalemate
PERPETUAL CHECK

This is a way to draw which often

crops up as early as the middle­
game (sometimes even in the ope­
ning).

White stil l does not have a perpe­

tual check. Unfortunately Black can
interpose with his queen on h6.
"Winning the queen" l i ke this is
not enough for White since the
pawn ending does not offer the
slightest whiff of a chance. H i s Zachodjakin (1 983)
salvation w i l l b e the cramped posi­ 1 . Ne6+
tion of his own king. It has j ust one Forces the king to the edge of the
single move: capture on e2 . board.
White achieves his goal with sub­ 1 . ... Kh6 2. Rf6+ Kh5 3.
tle play. Rg6 !
1. Rg2+ Kh7 2. Rh2+ Qh6 Shuts the king in for good.
3. Rh5 3 . ... Qd7

69
The ending after 3 . . . . Qxg6 4. perpetual check.
Nf4+ Kg5 5 . Nxg6 Kxg6 6. Ke4 is 4. Qb5+
drawn .. The players agreed on a draw.
4. Nf4+ Kh4 5. Ng2+
White gives perpetual check.

Right after the opening in the next

game, White sacrificed a piece for K '
a dangerous attack. Black stood up �
to it solidly and it seemed in the ·n l!J
position in thi s diagram that he
l!J l!J
would have the better of things.
But White pulled the emergency n l!J
cord and bailed out with a per­ �� @
petual check.
Kopaev- Vistaneckis
.i. K Soviet Union 1 949
Black' s attack on the king gives
·� ' '
him compensation for the pawns
ll � i he has sacrificed, but unfortunately
' l!J his queen has run out of squares.
l!J l!J Searching for a way out, the player
with Black found the following
l!J
variation :
l!J l!J I . ... Qfl +
iV �@ I . . . Nxe3 2 . fxe3 Qfl + 3 . Kh2
.

Rxe3 looks pretty, but 4. Qg4

Tiviakov-Milov, Groningen 1 998 spoils his fun.
1 . Rxd7+ 2. Kxfl Nxe3+ 3. Ke2
A knight which is close to its king Forced. After 3. Kg ! Nxd l Black
is a very good defender against wins a piece.
attacks by a queen. A rook 1s a 3 . Nc4+ 4. Kfl
..•

much worse defensive piece. Once again the only move. 4. Kd3
1. ... Rxd7 2. Qb6+ Kc8 3. Nxb2+ would be bad.
Qc5+ Kb8 4 . Ne3+
••.

A rook move is of no more help: 3. Black gives perpetual check .

... Rc7 4. Qf8+ Kd7 (4 . . . . Kb7 5.
Qb4+ Kc6 6. Qb6+ Kd7 7 . Qe6+ I s it now the case that B lack is
Kd8 8. Qg8+ with a draw) 5. Qf7+ lucky to be able to draw, or can
Kc8 6. Qe8+ Kb7 7. Qb5+ with White esteem himself lucky that

70
the black king does not happen to
be on h8? In that case Black wins
with I . . . . Nxe3 .

As soon as a drawing mechanism

runs along less usual lines, even
grandmasters can make mistakes .

.i .i. •
'
Cjj � .l
· � � Black can try I . . . . Rh8 but this
.i. � move does not win either: 2. Bb2
Qe2 3. Bg7+ Kh5 4. Rd5+ Nf5 (4.
l:I . . . Nxd5 5. Qxd5+ Kg4 6. Qg5+
� - � Kf3 7. Qg3+ Ke4 8. Bxh8 or 4 . . . .
.i rl: @ Kg4 5 . Rg5+ Kxf4 6. Rg3 wins for
White) 5. Rxf5+ gxf5 6. Qf7+ Kg4
Osmanagic- Gligoric 7. h3+ Kg3 8. Qb3+ with perpetual
Sarajevo 1 963 check.
Of course, Black has an advantage. 2. b5 Qe2
The knight sacrifice on e6 i s born After 2 . . . . Qd l + 3. Rx.d i Rxb7
of despair. Black thought: I can 't Black is no better. The rook must
take the knight, but I can capture keep an eye on Black' s b-pawn.
the bishop. 3. Rxh7+ Kxh7
1. ... Qxe2? The alternative 3 . . . . Rxh7 4. Bf8+
Black retains an advantage after 1 . Kh5 5 . Qxh7+ Kg4 6. Qxg6+ can
. . . Rxfl + 2. Bx fl Re 1 . Now comes only be more favourable for White .
the sort of queen sacrifice that one 4. Qxc7+ Kg8 5. Qd8+ Kh7
doesn't see every day. 6. Qd7+ Kh8
2. Qxg6+ fxg6 3. ti+ Kh7 4. White must take the perpetual
Rh3+ Bh6 5. Ng5+ Kg7 check.
Black has to accept a draw, be­
cause 5 . . . . Kh8? 6. Rxh6+ Kg7 7.
Rh7+ Kf8 8 . Ne6+ Ke7 9. f8Q+ PERPETUAL ATTACK
Kxe6 1 0. Re7# would be even
worse. There is hardly any difference be­
6. Ne6+ Kh7 7. Ng5+ tween perpetual check and a per­
White achieves a draw. petual attack. The perpetual attack

71
is directed not at the king but at
another piece. That may not have
quite the same degree of com­
pulsion, but often enough it leads
to the saving of hat f a point.
Pogosjants (I 964)
The task based on the diagram
states "White to play and draw".
White has the active rook on g3 to
,
thank for his salvation:
I. Nc3+
After this check, it becomes clear
that B lack' s moves are limited.
The king cannot go to c5, d4 or d6
on account of a knight fork and e5
i s j ust as impossible i n view of the
X-ray check on c7.
I . ... Ke6 2. Ne2 !
Nor can the rook do what it would
like to. The white pawns are in­
directly protected by a knight fork.
For the same reason, the squares
f3, g2 and g6 are taboo.
2
• ... Rg5 3. Bd2 Rc5
Nor is there much space on the
fifth rank.
4. Bb4 Re5 5. Bc3 Re3 6.
Bd2 Re5 7. Bc3
72
With a perpetual attack.
White drew in similar fashion in
the following diagram.
White keeps on attacking the
bishop. You could call it perpetual
persecution.
I. c3 Bf8 2. Ke8 Bg7 3. Kf7
Bh8 4. Kg8 Bf6 5. Kf7 Bd8
6. Ke8 Ba5
For a short time it seems to get
away from the king.
7. b4 Bc7 8. Kd7
But not for long. It is obvious that
the bishop cannot escape.
REPETITION OF MOVES
Neither player can play for a win.
A repetition of moves i s l ike a
perpetual attack. One example
should suffice.
I n the diagram on the next page
White is a piece up, but with his
last move Black has set up an
almost winning pin. The queen
cannot move because of the mate
on g2 . White will now have to
come up with a colossal move to
trump his opponent.
Ulrich-Spengler, Berlin 1 948
1. Rb5!
This counter-attack on the queen
appears to win on the spot. There
is no way the queen can simul­
taneously protect the rook and
against the mate on b7.
1. ... Re8!
B lack saves himself with this
intermediate move. Apart from the
mate on e I the rook on b5 is also
hanging. White has only one single
move.
2. Rb l Rg8
And we are back to the original
position.
FORTRESSES
An excellent drawing weapon is
known as the "fortress". You re­
treat into a position which cannot be
stormed, just like a fort. Unlike in
medieval warfare, it is impossible to
starve your opponent out (see the
following section on the "50-move
rule").
•
' .i.
£::,
Two fortresses. In each half of the
board the side with the bishop
cannot win. Stalemate will come to
the aid of the weaker side.
On the left White plays Kd2-c I (or
to d I ). Black can only prevent thi s
with Ke2 but that leads t o stale­
mate. Letting the king escape to a I
i s useless. Stalemate remains the
problem.
After I . Kf6 B lack plays on the
right I . . . . Kf8 ! (and not I . . . .
Kh8? 2 . Kf7#) and White cannot
make progress.
Extra pawns on the board (left a3 I
a4 and right g5 I g6 + f4 /f5 ) do
not change the assessment. The
positions are and will remain a
draw.
In the next two examples White
draws thanks to this type of
fortress.
73

Grin (1 988)
1 . g4 !
White would be too late after I .
Kfl ? Kc4 2 . Ke I Kd3 .
1 . ... Bxg4
The bi shop must keep the e2-
square under control, or else the
king gets to c I : I . . . . Be8 2. Kfl
Kc4 3. Ke2 .
2. f3 ! Bxf3 3. Kf2 Kc4 4.
Ke3 '
White has only one goal : the c ) ­
square. So not 4 . Kxf3? Kd3 .
In the next diagram too, the white
fortress cannot be taken by storm.
Cozio (1 766)
74
Although it is Black ' s move, he
cannot prevent White from con­
structing a fortress.
1 . ... Be3+ 2. Kh l h3
After 2 . . . . g3 there is a draw both
after the capture and after 3. h3 .
The extra h-pawns do not make
any difference. After 2 . . . . Kfl 3 .
h3 ! gxh3 4 . gxh3 K f2 5 . Kh2 Bf4+
6. Kh l Kg3 the h-pawn does fall,
but B lack has the wrong bishop.
3. gxh3
Black can no longer win.
In these two positions the material
superiority of the queen is not suf­
icient. Normally the material dif­
erence on the left would be enough
to win. The white king cannot get
in any closer. Black plays back and
forward with Ka7-b8 or Bb7-a8
according to where the queen is.
Black is not put in zugzwang.
I n the right half, once again the
king cannot penetrate. With this
difference in material there are
numerous possible fortresses. The
rook is good at keeping the king at
a distance.
We can find a nice practical exam­ 7. Ra8+ Kd7
ple of a fortress in the next diagram. There is not much the rook can do
on its own without the help of the
king .
.i. •
THE 50-MOVE RULE

You cannot forbid your opponent

Black seems to be in a bad way; in
any case he will lose a pawn.
1 . . . Rxc4+! 2. bxc4 Ke8
. and
3. Rh8+ Kd7 4. Ra8 Bd8
5. Ra7+ Bc7 6. Kd3 Kc8
from playing on and trying to get a
win. So that games are not allowed
to go on for ever and ever, a rule
was introduced that al lows a draw
to be claimed if:
• for 5 0 moves no pawn has been
moved
• for 50 moves no piece has been
captured.

WORKBOOK

1 7 : Draw - Perpetual check: A

There i s no perpetual check without a check! So make sure that you attack
the opposing king and that you do not let it escape. Deprive it of its escape
squares.

1 8 : Draw - Stalemate: A
When your king can no longer move, you can give away pieces. Sometimes
you have to do it in such a way that the final escape squares are taken away
from your own king. A pin can be used to "stalemate" mobile pieces.

1 9: Draw - Defending against a passed pawn: A

On this exercise sheet you are asked to draw. Choose the route the king
should take so that it is threatening to catch up with the passed pawn while
at the same time working away at building a "stalemating net".

20: Draw - Fortress ?: A

l s the position drawn because there is a fortress? Yes or no. If you find that

75
there i s not really a fortress, then indicate how one side wins. Some of the
positions are pretty nasty.

2 1 : Draw - Insufficient material: A

Take the final pawn so that the opponent no longer has enough material to
win. Choose the route for the king with great care; don 't let it be body­
checked (or shouldered off).

22: Draw - Wrong bishop: A

Remember that when the opponent has the wrong bishop you must get the
defending king into the comer. Some useful tips are:
• exchange all the pieces
• exchange or take all the pawns which are not rook pawns
• tum knight pawns into rook pawns (make them into worse pawns, i.e.
rook pawns)
• waste no time on captures, the king must get i nto the comer
• lure the opposing bishop away in order to get rid of any possible barrier.

. ;. . . . . ..

��;i���

76
6 The opening
All the chapters in this book are
appropriate for those who have
reached approximately the level of
Step 6. This chapter is aimed
above all at ambitious players who
want to develop further and who do
not want to remain stuck on a
rating of 2000. It i s tempting to go
into the opening a lot, because we
have to deal with it in every game.
Unfortunately those who study
purely the opening do not learn
well enough how to play chess.
OPENING STUDY
You require help from books and a
trainer.
Never learn an opening from a
�
book which only contains varia­
tions and evaluations along the
lines of ::!; + �- Nor a e books
which simply contain ju gements
such as "White i � slightl better"
any more appropnate.
Choose a book which deals with
the ideas behind the opening and
which gives whole games :
• ' Winning with . . .'
• 'Play the . . .
' Later you will have to play the
• 'Understanding the . . .'
• The opening guide to . . . '
• 'Beating the . . .
' a high level an opening error ts
Many books are very good, but
some are unbelievably bad. Chess
books are pretty expensive, so take
advice from your trainer. He or she
certainly has his or her own library.
The same goes for DVDs about
openings. They vary enormously in
quality. There are excellent ones
with proper explanations, but there
is also trash. Ask your trainer for
advice !
Video presentations are more for
fans than for serious study. sta
Viewing video presentations takes
time and simply seeing material is
not enough to enable you to learn
very much. You must be actively
involved in your learning
MAIN LINES
Every opening has important varia­
tions - the main lines. Thousands of
games have already been played
with these, and the books devote
umpteen pages to these main lines.
So perhaps you would l ike to avoid
the main lines. Do not do so.
Grandmasters play main lines be­
cause they are usually the best ones.
main line in any case. Then it will
cost you a lot of time to learn it. At
77
frequently punished. Start doing
that. The opponents you are playing
against for the moment will still
make a mistake somewhere during
the course of the game.
A NEW OPENING
What do you need to know? F irst­
ly, you should get to know the
ideas behind the opening you are
studying. That is easy to say, but
somewhat difficult to achieve. You
will get help with that from books
and your trainer. The book may
state "B lack is better". That can
mean that he has chances of an
attack on the king. An unsus­
pecting player who does not realise
that may continue enthusiastical ly
playing' on the queenside. The
result will be that White, two
moves after the end of the
variation in the book, will already
be better. In many openings the
pawn structure is quickly fixed. It
is very important to study games
with that same pawn structure.
When people began to play the
King ' s I ndian Defence, many
players sti ll did not know how they
should go about matters.
Wolthuis - Euwe, Maastricht 1 946
I n 1 946 Euwe was one of the
strongest players in the world.
Wolthuis was a very good amateur
player of quite high strength whose
particular forte was tactics.
78
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3
Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0 6.
Nf3 Nbd7 7. 0-0 e5
'
t3J t3J t3J
ltJ ltJ
� t3J t3J t3J
�� n @
8. dxe5 dxe5
The pawn structure has now been
fixed for a long time. White has
weakened the d4-square and
Black ' s short-term plan is more or
less laid down : a knight should go
to d4. White did not put up a fight
·
against that.
9. b3 c6 1 0. Qc2 Re8 1 1 .
Ba3 Bf8 1 2. Bxf8 Nxf8 13.
c5 Bg4 1 4. Nd2 Ne6 1 5. f3
Nd4 1 6. Qd3 Be6
B lack has an excellent position on
account of his knight. White now
blundered with 1 7. f4; his move
did not take into consideration that
B lack would simply give up his
knight with 1 7 . . . . Nxe2+.
Games like this in which the diffe­
rence in level is large are particu­
larly well-suited to use as model
games, because they are extremely
instructive. The mistakes made can
be recognised. In the games
between the likes of Kramnik and
Anand it is hard to discern which
mistakes have been made.
During the Groningen Open of
1 998, Daniel Stel lwagen was
drawn against Tea Lanchava. She
is a specialist of the Four Pawns
Variation in the King ' s Indian.
You should never attack your
opponent at his or her strongest
point. In an earlier game she had
captured on e5 in a different
variation. Fortunately for Daniel
she did the same thing again. He
was aware of Euwe ' s plan.
Lanchava-Stellwagen
Groningen 1 998
1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7
4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0 6. Nt3
Nbd7 7. 0-0 e5 8. dxe5 dxe5
9. b3 c6 1 0. g3? Re8 1 1 .
Net ? Nc5 1 2. t3 Qd4+
The knight no longer has to go to
d4. The check wins material .
13. Qxd4 exd4 1 4. Ba3 Nfd7
B lack is even better after 1 4 . . . .
Bh3 1 5 . Bxc5 Bxfl .
1 5. Na4 Nxa4 1 6. bxa4 d3
1 7. Nxd3 Bxal 1 8. Rxa f5
1 9. Nf2 b6
l ous, and then the tempo winning
White went on to put up a s bborn
defence, but Black won after a
long struggle.
In certain openings the ideas are
not so obvious. Sometimes even
strong players do not know these
ideas. For example, take a look at
the next game.
Hojland-Ligterink
Leeuwarden 1 9 79 Dutch ch
1 . c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. g3 c5 4.
d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3
g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. Nt3 0-0 9.
0-0 a6 1 0. a4 Nbd7 1 1 . Nd2
Re8 1 2 . Nc4 Nb6
.i .t it' .i •
• • .t •
· � • � ·
• t3J
t3J �
� t3J
t3J t3J t3J .i. t3J
ll .i. � jl @
The opening is called the Benoni .
B lack has a simple plan. Attack on
the queenside, and above all the
bishop on g7 will be of particularly
good service. It is a pity that White
has the centre, but then you can ' t
have everything.
The knight on c4 has already
moved a Jot. Taking on b6 is obvi­
a4-a5 . Wrong thinking. Black has
no room for four minor pieces. It
makes it harder to manoeuvre.
13. Nxb6
The correct move is the "daft" 1 3 .
Na3 , in order to return to c4 after
1 4. a5 .
1 3 . ... Qxb6 1 4. a5 Qc7 1 5.
Bd2 Bd7 1 6. h3 b5 1 7. axb6
Qxb6 1 8. Qc2 Bb5 1 9. Be3
Nd7
79
All the black pieces are taking part
in the struggle. Black has the ad­
vantage because of his strong
pressure on the queenside.
PRACTISING A NEW OPENING
New variations should be tried out
in less important games, not in the
youth championship. You can as
preparation play training games
against club colleagues, your trai­
ner or the computer. These can
also be rapid or even blitz games.
Make a note of which variations
cause you problems.
AN OPENING REPERTOIRE
You wilk gradually find weapons
against all openings and know what
you have to play. Write down all
the variations which you play, or
enter them into your computer and
look through them on a regular
basis. You soon forget a variation
which you have never faced over
the board.
It is a nice thing to know your
openings well, but . . . hold on to
your hat - the Russian grandmaster
and trainer M ichalschichin recom­
mends young players to change
(gradually ! ) their repertoire every
two years. You have to get to know
very different sorts of position and
you will learn that more easi ly by
80
playing different openings. There
is also the advantage that players
can find out what opening their
opponents play. You can always
rely on your old lines whenever you
are playing against an expert who
knows a specific variation back­
side foremost.
KEEP WORKING ON OPENINGS
Opening theory changes. New
moves are found and evaluations
of positions are revised. That
happens to a greater or lesser de­
gree depending on the opening. It
is only in openings which involve
a lot of forced variations that a
single move can tum the whole
line on its head (e.g. in the Dragon
Variation of the Sicilian Defence).
A lways being up-to-date I s too
much work for a single person.
Work in cooperation with your
trainer or club colleagues.
After a game, always look at the
theory in a book. I mportant ques­
tions you should ask yourself are:
• To what extent was the variation
familiar?
• What does theory have to say?
• How were things five moves
later?
Analysing your games once more
with your trainer or with another
strong player is very important so
as to learn to play better chess.
TYPICAL COMBINATIONS Here we shall look at some exam­
ples from the Sicilian Defence
Few opening books pay much at­ with Nxe4. It is B lack' s move and
tention to typical combinations. try to solve them. The answers you
will find at the end of this chapter .
.1 •
' i .i. i These combinations are standard.
The next position comes from a
i .i. & '
game by Tiviakov, an expert in the
if & Dragon Variation.
lZJ 8 8 8
lZJ � 8 .I it' . .I
8 8 8 VJ!/ ' ' .i. i i ..t i
@ I1 � M & i & i �
a

.I it' .I •
.i. i i ..t i
.......,__,_i & '
&
lZJ 8 8
Motylev- Tiviakov, Petersburg 1 998
lZJ � 8 The first move we shall look at is
8 8 8 VJ!/ 8 l . ... Nxe4. B lack played l . . ..
* n � n Bxh6 2. Qxh6 Nxd4 and did win
b the game, but the question
remains: why not 1. ... Nxe4 2.
Nxe4 Bxd4 3. c3 .
Now a black piece is in danger, but
B lack seems to be able to save the
day with 3 . ... Qa5 4. Kb l Be6 5.
a3 ( 5 . b4 Nxb4 6. cxb4 Bxa2+, and
8 White is mated) 5 . ... Be5 6. f4 Bf5
lZJ � lZJ 7. Bd3 Bxe4 8. Bxe4 Bf6, and
White has too little compensation.
8 8 8 VJ!/ � 8 8 8
Trust the play of grandmasters, but
* .tI n don ' t believe all they say.
c

81
In the Sicil ian Defence the bishops The answers you wi I I find at the
end up on g5 and e7 : the result is a end of this chapter.
battery which Black can some­
times exploit. How is Nxe4 to eva­
luate? It is Black ' s move. TYPICAL IDEAS

Openings often fol low a certain

pattern : White attacks on the king­
side, Black on the queenside. In
the King ' s Indian Defence things
are exactly the other way round.
CiJ ['::,
CiJ ['::, I n the three games which follow,
Black plays inaccurately. He de­
['::, ['::, ['::, i.. ['::, ['::,
parts from theory. So the players
ll iV @ I;I with White have to rely on their
d own strength, though the essence
of the opening does not change
significantly. It is important to
know the typical ideas in the
open mg.

Lasker.Em-Pirc, Moscow 1 93 5
l . e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6
6. Be2 e6 7. 0-0 a6 8. Be3
Qc7 9. f4 Na5?
e
In the Sicilian Black plays on the
queenside. But here he does so
prematurely. Black is not yet de­
veloped and his king is still in the
middle. Perhaps Pirc (who was
then one of the strongest chess
players in Yugoslavia) underesti­
mated his opponent, who may have
been a former world champion but
was nevertheless 66 years old.
1 0. f5
The correct plan. Black wastes time
f and White must open up the position.

82
 1 0 . ... Nc4 1 1 . Bxc4 Qxc4
1 2. fxe6 fxe6
13. Rxf6!
This appears simple, but Lasker
had to calculate two variations
accurately. The game continuation
and an alternative on move 1 7.
1 3 . ... gxf6 1 4. Qh5+ Kd8
1 5. Qti Bd7
It is hard to say what is simpler for
White to find. The refutation of
this move or that of 1 5 . . . . Be7.
White wins with 1 6. Nf5 Qc7 ( 1 6.
. . . Re8 1 7 . Nxd6) 1 7. Na4 !
1 6. Qxf6+ Kc7 1 7. Qxh8
Bh6 1 8. Nxe6+
A pretty intermediate move. White
gobbles up a pawn and seizes the
d5-square for his knight.
18 . ... Qxe6 1 9. Qxa8B+ 20.
Kh l
Black resigned.
Van Wijgerden- Van Baarle
Rotterdam 1 9 70
I. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. NSf3
d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6.
Be3 a6 7. Be2 Qc7 8. 0-0
Na5 9. f4
We have reached by transposition
the same position as i n the Lasker
game, which I knew from the
books by H ans Bouwmeester. This
game would be the deciding one in
the championship of the Rotterdam
and I was secretly hoping for 9 . . . .
Nc4 (I had absolutely nothing
against an easy victory . . . ). Van
Baarle made a different move and I
started to brood. I looked above all
at those variations which might
allow the rook sacri fice on f6.
9 . ... b5 1 0. f5 Nf6 1 1 . fxe6
fxe6
• .t �
i i
{fj £::.
{fj �
£::. £::. £::. � £::. £::.
� 'iV � @
12. e5 !
1 2 . Rxf6 gxf6 1 3 . Qh5+ Kd8 1 4.
Qf3 Rg8 is much less clear.
12 . ... dxe5 13. Rxf6
Here there i s an equally good
alternative. Jan Smeets suggested
1 3 . Bh5+ Nxh5 1 4. Ndxb5 axb5
1 5 . Nxb5 and this variation wins
despite White being a rook down.
1 3 . ... exd4
It was easy to see 1 3 . . . . gxf6 1 4.
Bh5+ Ke7 1 5 . Nf5+ exf5 1 6. Nd5+.
83
 14. Bh5+ g6 1 5. Rxg6! hxg6
1 6. Bxg6+ Ke7 1 7. Bg5+
Kd7 1 8. Qxd4+ Qd6
After 1 8 . . . . Bd6 White wins mate­
rial with 1 9. Qg7+ Kc6 20. Qxh8.
1 9. Qxh8 Qc5+ 20. Kh l
Qxg5 2 1 . Qxf8 Qxg6 22.
Rd l + Kc6 23. Qd6+ Kb7
� .i.
•
' particularly suited to that. The
Jai i
CD
t!J t!J t!J
ll
24. Nd5
Without this twist, White would
only have perpetual check: 24.
Qe7+ Kb8 25. Qd6+.
24 . ... Rb8 25. Qb6+
It is mate next move.
And surprisingly, Andrei Sokolov
too (who, nota bene, once reached
the quarter-finals of the WCh)
made a decisive mistake.
Nunn Sokolov,A, Dubai 1 986
-
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6.
Be2 d6 7. Be3 Qc7 8. f4 Na5
9. 0-0 Nc4 1 0. Bxc4 Qxc4
1 1 . rs Be7
After 1 1 . . . . N f6 we end up in the
Lasker game. With the ideas from
84
the previous games at the back of
our mind, we immediately think of
1 2 . fxe6 Bxe6 ( 1 2 . . . . fxe6 1 3 . e5 ! )
1 3 . Nxe6 fxe6 1 4. e5 . After 1 4 . . . .
d 5 1 5 . Rf4 Qc6 1 6. Qg4 g 6 1 7. Rf2
0-0-0 1 8 . Ne2 White has as good
as won. Nunn chooses a strange
move and Sokolov j ust as remark­
able a reply .
12. Qg4 h5
This game belongs in the chapter
"Typical ideas" and this position is
queen sortie to g4 is played in
many openings. A stereotypical re­
action to it is to sacrifice the g7-
pawn with 1 2 . . .. Nf6 1 3 . Qxg7
Rg8 1 4. Qh6 e5 1 5 . Rad ! (with
advantage according to Nunn in
lnformator) 1 5 . . . . b5 ! , and Black
has sufficient compensation.
13. Qf3 Bf6
� • Jai �
' '
i i .i..
.__.�-'..--
t!J '
Almost the losing move. After 1 3 .
. . . N f6 there is not much on.
Nunn ' s variation is not total ly con­
vincing: 1 4. fxe6 ( 1 4. Rad I Bd7)
1 4 . . . . fxe6 1 5 . Nce2 and now
simply 1 5 . . . . 0-0.
But the rest is convincing enough.
14. fxe6 fxe6 1 5. e5 dxe5 1 6.
Ne4 Qc7 1 7. Qg3 Ne7 1 8.
Rad l h4 19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20.
Qg7 Rf8 2 1 . Rxf6 Rxf6 22.
Qxf6 Qd6 23. Bg5 exd4 24.
Rxd4 Nd5 25. Rxd5
Black resigned.
OPENING RULES
A good opening move is almost
always a move with a piece which
is not yet developed. Of course
moving the same piece twice is not
always forbidden. Common sense
must tel l you whether the move is
good or bad. I n our first example it
would be a pure waste of time.
� ----�-
.i. i
8 �
ttJ � 8 ttJ
8 8 8
n @
Crakanthorp-Gundersen
A ustralia 1 923
Black is slightly behind in devel­
opment. One useful move would
be I . . . . a6 to prepare captures on
c4 and b5 . Instead of that B lack
speculates on the possibility of
gaining the two bishops.
1. ... Nb4? 2. Re l Nxd3?
More wasted time. White was not
yet threatening to move his bishop
away. He wants to go to b l , but
that is fol lowed by the capture on
c4.
3. Qxd3 dxc4 4. Qxc4 Be7
On account of the wrong ex­
change, Black has not yet made
any further progress with his de­
velopment. White makes short
work of him.
5. Bc7 Qe8 6. Nb5 Nd5 7. e4
White won easily.
The next diagram occurs after the
moves:
1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3
Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3
e5 7. Bd3
.i •
i .i. i
' �·
'
8 8 8
tt:J ..t � 8
8 8
n 'iY @
An unfortunate move. The d4-
pawn is no longer protected by the
queen.
7 . ... Ng4!
Black moves the same piece twice,
which is good here. After 8 . fxg4
exd4 B lack i s already better. His
bishop on g7 has become stronger.
85
On the exercise page for this lesson developing move. It is sometimes
there are twelve positions in which good to move the same piece twice,
you are asked to suggest a good sometimes not.

WORKBOOK

23 : Opening - Which developing move?: A

Choose the best move from those under the diagram. Indicate why it is best
and why the other moves are not so good.

TIPS

All tips from this chapter and a few more are l isted again:
1 . Study games by (grand)masters in the early stages of the opening.
2. Choose a recognised specialist as your model. Players from the past
like Gligoric or Nunn (King ' s Indian), Korchnoi or Uhlmann (French)
or modern ones like Gelfand (Sicil ian Naj dorf), Karj akin (Ruy Lopez),
Kramnik (Catalan), Svidler (Grilnfeld), Radj abov or Nakamura (King ' s
Indian).
3 . Play training games with your openings.
4. Don ' t play openings which are real ly unsound.
5 . Play main lines a s well a s less usual variations.
6. W ithout proof, do not believe everything you read in books.
7. Find your own innovations !
8 . Do not j ust abandon a variation if you lose with it a couple o f times.
9. Play the fashionable openings, but respect the old ones which are out of
fashion.
1 0. Analyse your openings with other players.
1 1 . Get to know typical combinations which occur in an opening.
1 2 . Collect a lot of short wins (or losses) in your variation.
1 3 . In your opening, don ' t j ust look at the good alternatives; also look at
why other moves are not so good.
1 4. Play according to sound opening rules, but also be brave enough to
deviate from them.
1 5 . Study the strategic characteristics of an opening (which pieces to ex­
change, strong squares, pawn structures, etc.).
1 6. As soon as you leave theory in a game you must above all make sound

86
 moves (make sure all your pieces are involved).
1 7 . Borrow or buy a good opening book. You cannot learn openings from
the Encyclopedia which contains only moves and symbols for evalu­
ations.
1 8 . Do not j ust play games with "your own" openings; also play games
with other openings.
1 9. After every game, look at what theory has to say.

Answers from pages 8 1 and 82.

a) I . . . . Nxf3 2 . Nxf3 Nxe4 3. Qd3 Nxc3+ 4. bxc3 Bxc3; 0- 1
b) I . . . . Nxf3 2 . Nxf3 Nxe4 3 . Nxe4 Rxb2+ 4. Kc l Rb l +; 0- 1
c) I . . . . Nxe4 2 . Nxe4 Qxa2 3 . c3 Qa l + 4. Kc2 Nb4+ 5 . cxb4 Qxb2+ 6.
Kd3 Qb3+ 7 . Nc3 B f5#
e) I . ... Nxe4 2 . Bxe7 Nxc3 3. Bxd8 Nxd l 4. Rxd l Kxd8 5 . 0-0 Bd7 6. Nb3
Kc7 (Black i s better)
e) I . . . . Nxe4 2. Bxe7 (2. Nxe4 Qb4+) 2 . . . . Qf2#
f) I . . . . Nxe4 2. Nxe4 Bxh4 3. Nxd6+ Qxd6 4. Bb5+ Ke7; 0- 1

A NEW OPENING

87
7 Tactics
In previous steps tactics were dealt
with in some detai l.
The following combinations, divi­
ded into five mam groups, were
discussed:
• mate
• double attacks
• pins
eliminating defenders
•
• draws (see Chapter 5 )
The workbook fo r Step 6 contains
hundreds of combinations. I t 1s
important to keep going back to
practise them.
When you are solving the com­
bination, finding the solution is all
very well, but thinking in the cor­
rect way is equally important.
Always start by asking the im­
portant question : what is going on
in this position?
Sometimes you recognise the posi­
tion and the solution comes to you
straight away, but usually you
won ' t find the best move imme­
diately. You have to get used to not
trying out every possible move. In
such cases try using the following
solving strategy:
• In the position, what targets are
there to attack?
• What are the options to exploit
this?
• Which candidate moves come
88
into question?
• Check the move you want to
make.
You will find a simple example in
the next position.
•
' ' '
Many players with B lack would
retreat the knight which is being
attacked. Thinking: a pity, my
attack is over, perhaps I ' ll be
luckier next time. They don ' t find
the weak point in the opposing
defence because they are not
looking for it. They will not find
the winning continuation till later
when they are going over the game
with their trainer! Squares around
the king are a difficult target to
attack (here for example the pawn
on d3). The only way to attack it
would be 1 . . . . Rf3, but the g-pawn
is getting in the way of that move.
I n addition the white king and
queen are ripe for an attack by the
knight. Unfortunately the g-pawn
is again the culprit since it is pre­
venting a knight fork. That brings
us to the idea that a piece should
be put on f3 anyway, despite
everything. After 1 . . . . Nf3+ 2.
gxf3 Rxf3 there is the saving 3.
Qe2, but 1 . Rf3 leads to a win of
•.•
material for Black.
Let ' s check things through again :
2. gxf3 Nxf3+ and then 3 . ... Nxel
is OK. The intennediate move 2.
c4 is followed by 2. ... Qb4+ 3.
Kd l Rxd3+ (with check).
MATE
It is important in mating combina­
tions that you know the motif.
What should immediately catch
your eye is that the opposing king
is in danger. Knowing a lot of
mating patterns is a serious plus.
But when there i s a mate in the
offing, other mating patterns can
occur.
There is a back rank mate lurking
in this position. The immediate
capture on fl does not achieve
much. Amusingly, fl must first be
protected so that the combination
can be successful :
1 . Qc7!
I . . . . Ra8 is followed by 2. Rb8+;
after I . . . . Re8 White captures on
fl.
1 . ... Rf8 2. Qxf7+ Rxf7 3.
Rb8#
� •
.t ' �
Jl
'if '
.t. 8 i.. 8 llJ
8 .i. 8
' 'iY @
In this pos1t10n too, a back rank
mating motif catches the eye. After
I . Ng6+ Kg8 ! There is no winning
continuation. The second mating
pattern to be considered is the mate
with bishop and knight.
The solution i s worth seeing.
White delivers mate in four with :
1 . Re8+ Bxe8 2. Qg6! Bxg6
3. N xg6+ Kg8 4. Bd5#
A clever way to deprive the oppo­
sing king of squares is by block­
mg.
We will see a smothered mate, but
not by a knight as usual .
89
 Double attacks : pieces
If there is a knight in play then you
can be looking out for pieces of your
.i. opponent which are within the range
' of the knight.

1 . Rg7+ Kxh8
After 1 . . . . Kf8 Black is mated with
2. Qb4+ Ke8 3 . Qe7 .
2. Qg8+ Nxg8 3. Rxh7+
Nxh7 4. g7#

There may be a knight on the

DOUBLE ATTACKS board, but a knight fork is not yet
on the cards. In such situations
Double attacks can b e sub-divided preparatory moves are especially
as follows : useful. White wins by twice cha­
• pieces (queen, knight, etc. ) sing a piece away and by twice
• discovered attack luring a piece on to a square.
• X-ray attack 1 . Bh6+ Kg8 2. Nf6+ Kh8 3.
If a double attack does not work Re8+ Rxe8 4. Bg7+ Kxg7 5.
straight away, a preparatory move Nxe8+
can be played (attracting, elimi­ The booty has almost been taken.
nating a defender, chasing away,
targeting or clearing). n
The search strategy goes as
.I , .
fol lows:
• king (check ! ) I:f. '
• material
--+ unprotected llJ
--+ insufficiently protected
--+ p rotected piece of greater
�
value � � @
• i mportant square (e.g. mate) .I

90
In this position, B l ack thought that The queen can do a lot on its own.
he had prevented the threatened Even setting up a double attack.
mate (Ng6 and Rh8) by playing
. . . Rb I to attack the white rook. He
may not be mated, but Black soon
runs out of material !
1 . Ng6 Rxb6 2 . Nf8+ Kg8 3.
Nxd7+ Kt7 4. Nxb6

Grooten-Hertneck,
Dortmund 1 984
All the queen needs are a king and
an unprotected piece.
1. Qxc6 Rb8 2. Qd6 Ra8 3.
Qd5 Rb8 4. Qe5 Ra8 5.
Dvizov (1 9 76) Qe8+ Kh7 6. Qe4+
S ince knight forks are so much White wins a rook.
fun, let ' s look at another example.
B lack has two queens, but not for
much longer.
1 . Ne2 !
One of the knights first lures a
queen on to e2 . Black has to take .t.
the knight ( I . . . . Qxf2 2. Nxf2 t3J t3J
mate). It is important for f2 to con­
tinue to be protected. After I .
lZJ � �
Ng3+ Kg l 2. Nce2+ Kxf2 3 . Nxc l t3J t3J t3J lZJ t3J t3J
White does win a queen, but he ll � \t> �
loses.
1 . ... Qxe2 2. Ng3+ Zlochevsky-Petakov, 1 988
The second knight move chases The pieces for the twofold attack
the king on to a fatal square. on h6 would be in the wrong order
2 . ... Kgl 3. Nxe2+ Kxf2 4. after 1 . Qe3+. By adjusting his aim
Nxcl White sets up a double attack.
White wins easily. 1. Bg5 Qd7 2. Qe3+ Kt7 3.

91
 Bxh6
White wins a knight.
Double attacks: discovered attack
The nastiest of double attacks is
the discovered attack (including
also discovered check and double
check).
1. Bg2
White prepares the battery. The
queen can pack its bags :
A) I . . . . Qe5 2 . Nb4+ Kb8 3 . Nc6+
B) I . . . . Qh7 2. Nf6+
C) I . . . . Qd4 2. Ne7+ Ka7 3 .
Nc6+.
The battery is clear from the very
92
start. It is tempting to go for the
first target that comes into one ' s
mind with I . B f5+ Kh7 2 . Bxb l +
(threatening mate). After 2 . . . . g I Q
White has not much more than
perpetual check. With a l ittle pre­
paration, White can come up with
another better targeted battery on
the b-file.
1. Be6+ Kh7 2. Bg8+ Kh8 3.
Bb3+ Kh7 4. Rxb7+ Kh8
The battery has been set up. A
target for the bishop i s easy to find.
5. Rb8+ Kh7 6. Bg8+.
The most difficult discovered
attacks can be found in positi­
ons where no battery is present.
There i s no particular search
strategy.
In the following diagram we see
an easy example where the batte­
ry needs to be set up.
Zappas (1 9 72)
1 . Bd5 d l Q 2. Rd6+
It would be wrong to play 2. Rh6+
Qxd5+ or even 2 . . e6.
. .
2 . .. Kh8 3. Rd8+ Kh7 4.
.
 Bg8+ Kh8 5. Rxd l
� 9
The queen i s lost.
i .i. i
Double attacks: X-ray ' ' 'S\ i
An X-ray attack is when you attack IS\ cj '
a piece which i s so valuable that it
cj cj
absolutely must move out of the
attack, which allows you to capture t2J
a piece which had originally been cj cj 'WI
behind it. Firstly, let ' s deal with an It �
X-ray check.
1 . .. . Ncxe4 ! 2. Nxe4 Nxe4 3.
Qxe4 Bf5
Black wins material.

The X-ray effect of pieces which

move in a straight line can also be
used in a different way .

•
' ' ' ' '
IS\ K .i. i
Massman (1 9 1 7) '
1 . Bc5+ Bxc5 cj
If he declines the sacrifice B lack is
actually mated: I . . . . Kc7 2 . Qe7+
cj 'WI � cj � cj
Kc8 3. Qxe6+ Kc7 4. Qd6+ Kc8 5 . � cj �
Qxc6+ B c 7 6. Qe8+. The bishop i s
now blocking the c5-square. White
simply has to chase the king on to 1 . ... Nxb4 2. cxb4
the fatal square. Not taking costs a piece: 2. Qe2
2. Qd8+ Ke5 3. Qh8+ Rxe3 3. Qxe3 Nxc2 4. Qe8+ Bd8
White wins the queen. 5. Qxf7.
2 . . . . Rxe3
The X-ray attack is often directed The rook is protected by the X-ray
against high-value pieces, such as effect.
the queen and the rook. In the
following position they are both on Mixed double attacks
the same diagonal : The double attacks in Step 6 are

93
often based on more than one
motif.
Gurvich (1 955)
To win here, you need to employ a
discovered attack, a discovered
check and a knight fork.
1. d4+! cxd3
After I . .. . Kxd4 or I . Kb4 a
knight fork is decisive.
2. Kd7+ Kb6 3. Nd5+
White wins the queen.
Kakovin (1 95 7)
The discovered attack and the X­
ray check assist each other.
1 . Qgl !
An extraordinari ly beautiful move !
94
1 . ... Qa8
No other move can save the queen :
A) 1 . . . . Qb8 2. f3+ Ke5 3 . Qg3+
B) I . . . . Qe7 2. f4+ Kxe4 3. Qe l +
C ) I . . . . Qc7 2 . f3+ Ke5 3 . Qg3+
D) l . . . . Qc5 2 . f3+ Ke5 3. Qxc5+
2. f4+ Kxe4 3. Qg2+
This X-ray check decides matters
PINS
There are three aspects of the pin:
• the pin
• the attack on a pinned piece
• a pinned piece is not a good de­
fender.
The pin
The search strategy for the pin
itself is actually the most difficult.
There is as yet no pin, so one has
to look for pieces on the same line.
.I •
.i. i. '
' 'ii' i i ttJ i
' ' �
� · � �
White exploits the knight fork to
set up a winning pin.
1. Qf3!
After I . Nxe7+ Rxe7 2. Qf3 Black
defends with 2 . . . . d5 . It is clear
that after I . . . . Rxf3 2 . Nxe7+ Kf7 The pin is already in force; now
3. Nxc6 White wins a piece thanks the pinned piece simply has to be
to the double attack by the knight. attacked a second time.
The only way for Black to defend The knight on b5 is the sacrificial
the knight is I . . . . d5, but then too lamb. It is remarkable that there is
the knight fork helps : 2. Qxf7+ and only a single winning move !
3. Nxe5+. 1 . Rtb l !
A pin against a line piece i s a
discovered attack for the opponent.
After I . a4? Nd4 or I . Rab i Nc3
White draws the short straw.
1 . ... Rb8 2. a4
' This move wins now. There i s no
� 8 .t 'if longer a mate. The king can go to
fl .
8 0,
8 8 8 \JJ!i :t. � 8 A pinned piece is not a good
jl � @ defender
A piece which is pinned cannot
Preparatory moves are also an op­ carry out its tasks as well as it
tion when pinning. B lack achieves should.
a winning pin by attracting and
clearing a square.
1 . ... Rxe3 2. Qxe3 Nxc2 3.
' .i , .
Rxc2 Bd4
Black wins. ' i 'if '
0,:t i '
Attacking a pinned piece 8 8 � 8
WI 8 8
.i 8 8
' n @

A difficult example. There is still

no sign of a pin. The rook on e5
seems to have got lost, but for the
moment White does not have to
fear f6. However, because of the
position of the rook White will
lose the exchange. Black strikes

95
with two attracting moves.
1. ... Nd2 2. Qd l Nc4 !
The unexpected point. The white
queen is now no longer protected.
3. Rxc4 Qxe5
B lack wins material.
defender in the next position.
1. Qxc8+ Rxc8 2. Rxe7+
Kd8 3. Rxg7+ Rxg5 4. Rf8#
Capturing + material

'i¥ i .
ELIM INATING A DEFENDER
· � ·
This combination often appears in ttJ n I.
practical play. There are five forms l::i l::i
of it:
l::i � l::i
• capturing
• chasing away l::i l::i
• luring away 'iV @ ll
• interfering
• blocking The rook on h5 i s protected by the
The function of a defender is to knight on f6. That' s all we need to
prevent material loss or to guard know.
against mate. The search strategy 1 . Nxg6 fxg6 2. Rxg6+ Kf7
consists of, looking for an impor­ 3. Rxf6+
tant defensive piece. Then the so­
lution is often not far away with Luring away + mate
one of the five methods mentioned.

Capturing + mate

Defending pieces can be lured away

by an exchange or a sacrifice.
The mating pattern with bishop
It won ' t take you long to find the and knight after Bf6 stands out.

96
Now I . Qxe5 is unfortunately met opposing piece gets in their way.
with I . . . . Qxe5, So the queen on
c7 must be lured away. .i •
1 . Rxb7 Qxb7 2. Qxe5+
.t. .t. it' .i 1l .t.
Thi s is capturing + mate.
2 . ... Nxe5 3. Bf6# .i. .t.
.t. .i. �
Luring away + material ..t .t. ..t
This sort of combination does not
8 8
occur so much at a high level. It is
either too obvious or too hidden. 8 8 ll 8
@
•
1 . Be6!
.t. .t.
Other moves are insufficient: I .
Bxe5+ Qxe5 2 . Qh6 Rxf7 3 . Bxf7
Rc8 4. Bxg6 Qg7 or I . Rxe7 Qxe7
2. Qxe7 Rxe7 3. Rd8+ Kg7 (not 3 .
. . . Be8 4. Bg5) 4 . Rg8+ with a
draw.
After the bishop move B lack can
lay down his arms. H i s bishop is
no longer protected.
The possible gain of material has
first to be found. After I . . . . Nxf2 In the next position too, a quiet
White unfortunately takes the pawn move i s enough to force
queen. H owever, this idea draws White to capitulate . .
attention to the role of the rook as
a defender. • .I
1 . .. . Nxe5!
.i. .t.
Of course.
2. dxe5? � .t.
Other moves are better, but in each 'it'
case Black wins material. .i
2 . ... Bxf2+! 3. Rxf2 Qxd l +
..t
Interfering 8 8 ll 8 8
Pieces which move in straight l ines ll @
like the queen, rook and bishop are
powerless if one of their own or an 1. ... e5

97
There is no effective defence to 2 .
. . . Qxh2+ and 3 . . . . Rh4#.

Blocking
Blocking is particularly wel l suited
above all to mating the opposing
king. You force an opposing piece
on to the escape square(s) which
you cannot control with your own
pieces.
Blocking is the finest form of
eliminating the defence. That's why
we give three examples. Judge for
yourself.
Somov-Nasimovitch (1 93 7)
At first glance White has too little
material to del iver mate. With the
help of a discovered attack White
manages to lure the black queen on
to a bad square.
1 . f3+ Qxf3 2. Qd3+ Kd5 3.
e4+ Qxe4 4. Qc4+ Kc6
Oder 4 . . . . Kd6 5. dxc5+ Kc6 6.
Qxe4+
5. d5+ Qxd5 6. Qa6#

Dvizov (1 9 76)
1 . Bd4+
White employs a sacrifice to entice
a queen on to the long diagonal.
1 . ... Qxd4 2. Qf8+ Ke5 3.
Qh8+
The aim of the bishop sacrifice now
becomes clear. In order not to end Kasparian (1 939)
up in a hopeless endgame, Black This is the end of a study. White
has to interpose his queen on f6, but has j ust got a queen, but now the
in doing so he blocks the only struggle begins in earnest. The first
escape square. move is the simplest of all (it would
3 . Qf6 4. Qh2#
... not be out of place in Step I ! ).

98
 l . Rd l Rg2 because after I . . . . Ke6 things can
Difficult. Black is threatening mate go no further. White cannot bring
in two ways. his rook into the attack. White can
2. Qa3+ Ra2 3. Rd2 ! lure the queen away with his rook,
This is the move which makes the but then the ranks of the attacking
study so unmissable. White can army have been considerably
only win with a queen sacrifice. thinned out. However, that surpri­
After a move such as 3. Qc5 ? Rh2 singly leads to a solution.
(but not 3 . . . . b2+? 4. Kd2+ b 1 Q+
5. Ke l ) 4. Rd2 Rh l + 5. Rd l Rh2
White achieves no more than a
repetition of moves.
3 . ... Rxa3
Transposing to a rook versus pawn
is not enough. White wins accor­
ding to the method we saw in Step
5 : 3 . . . . b2+ 4. Qxb2+ Rxb2 5 .
Rxb2 a 3 6. Rb l + ! Ka2 7 . Rb8 Ka i
8. Kc2 a2 9 . Kb3 Kb l 1 0. Ka3+
4. Rb2 ! Ra2
There is nothing else. Bent 2003
5. Rb l # 1. Rg5+ Qxg5
Forced, but the queen is very un­
I n the final position (diagram next favourably placed on g5.
column) we have a combination in­ 2. Qa8+ Ke6
volving luring away and blocking. Or 2 . . . . Ke5 3 . Qe4#.
The black queen has the d8-square 3. Qe8+ Kf5 4. Qe4#.
under control. That is preventing A nice study.
an immediate win with I . Qa8+,

WORKBOOK

24: Double attack - Knight: A

26: Double attack - Discovered attack: A
2 7 : Double attack - Queen: A
First of all become acquainted with the position. Look for:
• targets to attack (king, material, square)
• a battery

99
To solve each task correctly, you almost always need a preparatory move.
Which move is best suited for that role? You have the choice between
eliminating a defender, chasing a piece away, targeting and clearing.

2 5 : Eliminating of the defender - luring away + mate: A

2 8 : Eliminating of the defender - Interfering: A
29: Eliminating of the defender - Blocking: A
First take a calm look at the characteristics of the position. Look for the
important defender and eliminate it. Once more, if you have to, use a
preparatory move.

30: Pin - Mix: A

Look for opposing pieces which are on the same line and set up a winning
pm.
If there i s already a pin, then you can attack the pinned piece another time
or take advantage of the l imited defensive capabilities of the piece which is
pinned. With pins too, you often require a preparatory move.

1 00
8 Pawn endings
You already know a whole lot
about pawn endings. To freshen up
this knowledge a little, it is a good
idea to take another look at the re­
minder Endgame strategy from
Step 4.
Well-known themes which will
crop up agam are:
• key squares (Steps 3 and 5)
• shouldering off (Step 3 )
• rook pawn (Step 3 plus)
• pawn races (Step 5 )
• breakthrough (Step 5)
KEY SQUARES
The first diagram provides you
with a simple example of key
squares.
Black is ready to win the pawn on
c6. The key squares for the c7-
pawn are b5, c5 and d5. The white
king has to defend these squares.
After Kxc6 this can only be done
from the c4-square. So the defen­
sive strategy is clear: get to c4 !
1 . Kf2 !
The king must not allow itself to
be kept at a distance by I . Kf4?
Kd4 2. Kf3 Kc5 3 . Ke3 Kxc6 4.
Kd4 Kb5 , and B lack is occupying
a key square.
1 . .. Kd4 2. Ke2 Kd5 3. Kd3
.
Kxc6 4. Kc4
White achieves a draw.
Seizing a key square often depends
on a single tempo.
Mees (1 939)
Surprisingly, the immediate promo­
tion to a queen achieves nothing: l .
b8Q? Rb6+ 2. Qxb6 Kxb6 3 . Kc4
Kc6 4. Kd4 Kd6 5. Ke4 Ke6 6.
Kf4 Kf6 7. Kg4 Kg6 with a draw.
The correct move is:
IOI
 1 . b8N+
By underpromoting, White "loses"
a move.
1. ... Kb6 2. Nxc6 Kxc6 3. Kc4
If in the starting position the pawn
were on g4, then promoting to a
queen would be the only correct
way: I . b8Q Rb6+ 2. Qxb6+ Kxb6
3. g5 , and the king is outside the
square of the pawn.
Duclos (1 903)
White has a weak d-pawn. That
can be seen in the variation I . Kc4
Ka5 2. Kb3 b5 3. axb5 Kxb5, and
Black wins after 4. d6 cxd6 5. Kc3
Kc5 6. Kd3 Kd5 . In thi s variation
b3 is the wrong square for the
white king. That leads us to the
correct solution.
1. Kb3 !
I . Ka3 ? Ka5 leads to the variation
described above.
1 . . .. Ka5
Or I . . . . b5 2. Kb4 ! bxa4 3. Kxa4
Kb6 4. Kb4 or if absolutely neces­
sary 4. d6.
2. Ka3 b5 3. axb5 Kxb5 4.
d6!
1 02
Quite certainly not 4. Kb3? Kc5 5 .
d 6 ( 5 . Kc3 Kxd5 6. Kd3 Kc5 7 .
Kc3 c 6 is bad too) 5 . . . . Kxd6 ! 6 .
Kc4 Kc6 and wins.
4 . ... cxd6 5. Kb3
B lack cannot seize a key square.
In the case of doubled pawns, the
side with the pawns can always
occupy a key square (the rear pawn
will provide the tempo move). In
the following pos1t1on, Black
would usually be in the driving
seat:
Zinar (1 985)
1 . f5
In a game you would make this
move without a great deal of
thought, even if you had not yet
seen the correct continuation.
However, White has no chance
after I . Kf3 Ke6 2. Kg4 Kf6 3 .
Kg3 Kf5 4 . K O g 5 5 . fxg5 Kxg5 6 .
Kg3 , and after the tempo move 6 .
. . . g 6 White can resign.
1. ... g5 2. Kf3 Ke5 3. Kg4
Kf6 4. Kh5!
This subtle stalemate idea saves
White. I f the whole starting posi­
tion were moved one file to the
left, then White loses.
4 . ... Kxf5
White is stalemated. After any other
move, the position is also drawn.
The key squares for pawns on the
fifth rank or higher (on the fourth
for Black) are tricky. The three
squares directly in front of the
pawn are key squares. That means
a particularly difficult task for the
defending side.
I n the following diagram White 's
position does not inspire much in
the way of confidence.
Grigoriev (1 925)
Almost every move loses:
A) I . Kb l ? Kb3 2. Kc l c2 3. Kd2
Kxb2
B) I . bxc3? bxc3 2. Ka i Ka3 3 .
Kb l Kb3 4. Kc ! c2
C) I . b3+? Kb5 2. Kb ! Kc5 3. Kc2
Kd4 4. Kc I c2 (leads to the
winning of the pawn; b3 is a
key square ! ) 5 . Kxc2 Ke3 6.
Kc l Kd3 7. Kb2 Kd2 8 . Kb !
Kc3 9. Kc l Kxb3
1. Ka l l Kb3
After I . . . . c2 2. b3+ ! Kb5 (captu­
ring means stalemate) 3. Kb2 Kc5
4. Kxc2 Kd4 5. Kd2 White is sti ll
j ust in time.
2. Kb l Kc4
A check achieves nothing: 2 . . . .
c2+ 3 . K c I Ka2 4 . Kxc2, and there
is nothing left for B lack to try.
3. Kc2
On each occasion White makes the
only move. 3. Kc I would lose: 3 .
. . . Kd3 4 . bxc3 Kxc3, and the king
is on a key square.
3 . ... b3+ 4. Kc l
Or 4. Kb l Kd3 5 . bxc3 .
4. ... Kd3 5. Kb 1 Kd2 6.
bxc3 Kxc3 7. Ke t b2+ 8.
Kb l Kb3 stalemate
SHOULDERING OFF
I n pawn endings the king is the
most important piece.
I f you can keep it out of active
play, then you have achieved
something. The way to do this is
1 03
known as "shouldering off'. When
shouldering off is used, the strug­
gle for the key squares becomes
somewhat harder to calculate out
in advance.
This position is won for White, but
he should not strike too soon. After
the immediate 1 . b4 Black draws
with I . .. . a5 ! Nor does I . Kb6
achieve anything; after 1 . . . . Kd5 2 .
b 3 Kd4 White cannot take a6
without losing the b-pawn. White
has to start with a tempo move.
1. b3 !
By advancing his b-pawn by one
square, White solves his problems.
Black does not have a good wai­
ting move.
1 . ... Ke5
Nor are other moves any better.
After 1 . . . . Kd7 the move 2. Kb6,
wins and 1 . � · ·a5 2. Kb5 leaves
Black j ust as little hope.
2. b4
Now i s the correct time. The black
king does not have a useful move.
Working with zugzwang is a valu­
able technique in pawn endings.
1 04
Moravec (1 952)
White ' s task is clear: take the b7-
pawn and hang on to his own
pawn. In order to manage that, he
must first keep the black king at a
distance.
1. Kg3
On its way to the b-pawn the king
of course bars the way to its
counterpart.
1 . ... Kfl 2. Kf3 !
A bad miscalculation (since it
loses ! ) is 2 . b6? Ke2 3. Kf4 Kd3 4.
Ke5 Kc4 5 . Kd6 Kb5 6. Kc7 Ka6.
The black king must first of all be
kept on the back rank. If it i s
allowed o n t o the second rank at
this point, then that throws away
the win: 2. Kf4 Ke2 3 . Ke4 Kd2 4.
Kd4 Kc2 5 . Kc4 Kb2 6. b6 Ka3 7.
Kc5 Ka4 8 . Kc4 ! , and White has to
take a draw.
2 . ... Ke l 3. Ke3 Kd l 4. Kd3
Kc l
The other side i s no more helpful
to him: 4 . . . . Ke l 5. b6 Kf2 6. Ke4.
5. Kc3 Kb 1 6. b6! Ka2
7. Kb4
White seizes b7.
THE ROOK PAWN
The rook pawn is the weakest
pawn on the board. It is annoying
to be left with a rook pawn in a
pawn ending. The chances of a win
are relatively slight, because there
are only two key squares (b7 and
b8 for the white a-pawn).
Shouldering off the enemy king is
more of less the only weapon.
For the defending side a rook pawn
often offers the chance of an es­
cape. An effective weapon is to
reach the corner with the king,
shutting in the opposing king in the
corner or downgrade a knight pawn
into a rook pawn.
Keeping an eye open to these pos­
sibilities is the watchword in this
position.
The danger for White would lie in
the advance of the (h5-h4 ). After
he takes it, his g-pawn becomes a
rook pawn and he can say goodbye
to his chances of winning. So the
wrong way to go would be I . Kf4
h4 2. gxh4 Kd8 . The black king is
in the square of the pawn and very
quickly reaches f8 . The g-pawn is
of course the better pawn. White
wins by gaining a tempo.
1 . Kg2 h4
I . . . . Kd7 is j ust as little use. White
wins the h-pawn with 2. Kh3 Ke6
3. Kh4, and after taking on h5 the
king is on a key square.
2. g4 Kd7 3. Kh3 Ke7 4.
Kxh4 Kf6 5. Kh5 Kg7 6.
Kg5
White wins.
Calculating far enough in advance
is the key to pawn endings.
Grigoriev (1 925)
Black needs six moves to advance
his a-pawn, to capture the a2-pawn
and to occupy a key square with
Kb2 . White ' s task: to play Kc2 on
move 6. From c8 there are many
different routes the king can take
in order to reach c2 on the sixth
move . . . but only if the black king
were not on the board. White has
to choose his route in such a way
that the king does not lose a single
move on its j ourney.
1 . Kd7!
Certainly not I . Kc7? a3 2. Kd6
Kd4 ! , and White is shouldered off
and will be one tempo short.
1 . ... a3 2. Ke6! Kd4 3. Kf5
Kc3 4. Ke4 Kb2 5. Kd3
Kxa2 6. Kc2
He has achieved his aim.
1 05
 t . Kd8!
It is striking how often the king
has to go to the "wrong" side in
pawn endings. It is normal to head
towards the pawns and not away
from them. The white king has to
choose the quickest route to fl .
Not I . Kf8?, because that costs
time: I . . . . h4 2. Ke8 (nor is there
any hope after 2. Kg7 Kf5 3 . Kh6
Kg4 4. Kg6 !_(f3 5. Kg5 h3) 2 . . . .
h3 ! and wins (not 2 . . . . Kf5? 3 .
Ke7 Kg4 4 . Kf6 K f3 5 . Ke5 ! )
1 . ... Kf5 2 . Ke7 h4 3 . Kd6
Kg4 4. Ke5 Kh3 5. Kf4
Kxh2 6. Kf3
That i s exactly how White holds
the draw. The position which has
now arisen occurs frequently. The
black king can shoulder off the
white one, but after 6 . . . . Kg l 7.
Kg4 the h-pawn is lost.
A king must get to its pawns as
quickly as possible. That is mainly
true, but there are some excep­
tions. Pawn endings are sometimes
extremely deceptive ! Have a look
at the next example.
1 06
In this position it would appear it
be a bonus to have the move. So it
may seem, because White to move
would Jose and Black to move
would not win !
White to move:
1 . Ke3
Or I . a4 Kc4 2. Ke3 Kb4 3. a5
Kxa5 , and Black avoids being left
with a rook pawn. On his next
move he occupies a key square and
in doing so makes sure of the
point.
1. ... Kc4 2. Ke4 b5!
The only move, but it wins. White
has no useful move.
Black to move:
1 . ... Kc4
Nor is there a win after 1 . . . . b5 2.
Ke3 Kc4 3. a4, when the rook
pawn saves White.
2. Ke5 b5 3. Kd6 Kb3 4.
Kc5
White manages to share the points.
PAWN RACES
Both sides have passed pawns. The
competition to see which of them
will reach the opposing back rank
first is known as a pawn race.
In this example both pawns have
the same distance to cover, but it is
White ' s move.
Moravec (1 953)
1 . c4
Black has the choice of going with
the h-pawn or else stopping the c­
pawn. First, the pawn gets going:
1.•.• h5 2. c5 h4 3. c6 h3 4.
c7 h2 5. c8Q h t Q
Simultaneous promotion, but in
view of the bad position of his
king, Black loses anyway.
6. Qg8+ Kh3 7. Qh7+ Kg2
8. Qg6+ Kft 9. Qf5+ Kg2
1 0. Qg4+ Kh2 1 1 . Kf2
White wins, because he will mate
in a few moves.
Now let's try with the king:
1 . ... Kg4 2. Ke4! Kg5
Advancing with 2. . . . h5 fai l s
because White promotes with
check.
3. Ke5 Kg6
Once again advancing is not good
on account of an X-ray check: 4.
c5 h4 5. c6 h3 6. c7 h2 7. c8Q h l Q
8 . Qg8+.
4. Ke6 Kg7
For a third time, moving the h­
pawn forward falls down on
account of an X-ray check: 4 . . . . h5
5. c5 h4 6. c6 h3 7 . c7 h2 8. c8Q
h l Q 9. Qg8+.
5. c5!
Even shouldering off cannot con­
tinue for ever. B ut absolutely not
5. Ke7? h5 with simultaneous
promotion. After the pawn move
White gets there first.
Which pawn must run is the theme
of the next position.
Hostan (1 933)
Which pawn should White ad­
vance? Logical ly, it appears to be
the a-pawn, because the black king
is outside the square of the pawn.
As is so often the case in pawn
I 07
endings, appearances can be decep­
tive. I . a4? f5 2. gxf5 gxf5 3 . a5 f4
4. a6 f3 5 . a7 f2 6. a8Q fl Q.
Advancing the other pawn first is
correct.
1. c4! Kxg4
The king moves into the square of
the c-pawn. Rushing forward with
the f-pawn is now hopeless, be­
cause the c-pawn will promote
with check: I . . . . f5? 2. gxf5 gxf5
3 . c5 f4 4. c6 f3 5 . c7 f2 6. c8Q+.
2. a4 !
White ' s play appears i llogical, but
B lack has serious problems. Ad­
vancing with the h-pawn achieves
nothing since the new queen on a8
is controlling the h I -square. So, all
that is left is the f-pawn.
2 • f5! 3. c5 f4 4. c6 f3 5. c7
...
f2 6. c8Q+
White promoJes with check and
has a simple win.
Grigoriev (1 938)
At first glance, this race will end in
a draw. It may be White ' s move,
but the black pawn will gain a
tempo with the check on f4. The
1 08
way to win this one is instructive.
1. Ke4
Firstly the black king must be
lured further away from the square
of the pawn.
1. ... Kg4 2. a4 f5+ 3. Kd3 !
This is the move which detennines
the win: out of the check, sti ll in
the neighbourhood of the f-pawn.
3 . .. f4 4. a5 f3 5. a6 Kg3 6.
.
a7 f2 7. Ke2
The coup de grace. The black king
is enticed on to g2 so that White
will promote his pawn with check.
7 ... Kg2 8. a8Q+
.
A straight line is the shortest dis­
tance between two points. That
goes without saying . . . but not on
the chess board. On an empty
board there are 393 different ways
for a king to get from e I to. e8 in
seven moves !
Diagonally is j ust as quick as in a
straight line. I n a race that throws
up a host of new possibilities.
The white king is outside the
square of the h-pawn. But, no
kidding, it can still stop the pawn !
I. Kb3 h5 2. Kc4 h4 3. Kd5
This move threatens mate in two.
B lack must prevent this.
3 . ... Kd7 4. Ke4
The danger has been averted. With
his king inside the square of the
pawn White will win easily. The
white king march is named after
Reti, the player who in our first
chapter defeated Euwe with a dou­
ble rook sacrifice. The name of the
king march with a double purpose
is the Reti manoeuvre.
Gorgiev (1 9 71)
The a-pawn is outside the range of
the white king. The white pawns
do not appear as strong as in the
previous diagram. Nevertheless,
White can draw with the help of
the Reti manoeuvre.
1 . e5 fxe5
Black can also try I . . . . Kg7, but
that leads after 2. Kg4 getting into
the square of the a-pawn) 2 . . . . a5
3. Kf5 fxe5 (now Black has to
capture, or else White will even
win ! ) 4. Kxe5 to the same con-
clusion.
2. Kg5 a5 3. Kf6
With the double threat of 4. Kf7
(even winning) and the capture on
e5 (with a draw).
3 . ... Kg8 4. Kxe5
The king is now in the square of
the pawn.
Moravec (1 952)
The d-pawn is in danger and
requires help. Unfortunately the
white king is very far away from
the battlefield.
1. Kg4
There is no hope after I . d4 Kb5 2.
Kg4 Kc4, and the pawn falls.
1. ... b5
White also gets there in time after
I . . . Kb5 2. Kf5 Kc4 3. Ke5 Kd3
.
(3 . . . . b5 4. d4) 4. Kd5 .
2. d4 b4 3. d5 Kb5 4. d6!
Necessary. The king may not go
on to f5 on account of the
promotion on b l with check: 4.
Kf5 b3 5 . d6 b2 6. d7 b l Q+.
4 . ... Kc6 5. Kf5!
The king move as a double goal :
get into the square of the pawn and
1 09
help its own pawn.
5 . ... b3
Or 5 . . . . Kxd6 6. Ke4 Kc5 7. Kd3 .
6. Ke6 b2 7. d7
The draw has been secured.
Positions with a Reti manoeuvre
always appear surprising to us. They
contradict our conceptions invol­
ving distance in daily life. B ut a
tempo can also be gained without
"Reti".
Zinar (1 986)
1. Kd6
The black king is lured one square
further away from the square of the
pawn. An important tempo, which
B lack will later be short of for a
wm.
The immediate 1 . Kc5? is insuf­
ficient: I . . . . e5 2 . Kxb4 e4 3 . Kc3
e3 4. Kc2 Kf3 5. a4 e2, and Black
wins.
I . . .. Kf5 2. Kc5 e5 3. Kxb4
Kf4 4. Kc3 Kf3 5. Kd2 Kf2
6. Kd3 Kf3 7. Kd2
It has not turned into a rac e.
1 10
BREAKTHROUGHS
Forcing the creation of a passed
pawn by a pawn sacrifice is called
a breakthrough.
When there is a pawn majority,
there is usually no need for a
breakthrough; the pawns advance
towards their goal (with the candi­
date passed pawn in front !). So
why is a breakthrough necessary in
thi s position? The reason i s that the
f5-pawn (the candidate) is too
close to the opposing king. The
"real" candidate is the h-pawn.
1. g5
White has to prevent the interven­
tion of the black king. After 1 . h5
Kd6 2 . g5 Ke7 he has missed the
wm.
1. ... hxg5 2. f6!
A necessary pawn sacrifice. After
2. h5 Kd6 3 . f6 Ke6 4. fxg7 Kf7 5 .
h 6 g4 6. Kg2 e4 the game is drawn.
Nor is 2. hxg5 Kd6 of any use.
2 . ... gxf6 3. h5
The pawn runs through without let
or hindrance.
A breakthrough is much more than
just a pawn sacrifice and the ad­
vance of another pawn. We can see
that from the next position.
Based on De Feijter (1 940)
(without b7 2 . h5 wins as well)
I . f5 gxf5 2. Kb3 !
It i s logical that the king must first
stop the f-pawn. But it is remarka­
ble that this king move is the only
way to do so. The "nonnal" move
2. Kb4 is not enough after I . . . . f4
3 . Kc3 Kxb5 4. h5 c5 5 . h6 f3 6.
Kd2 c4 7. h7 c3+, when Black also
collects a queen. The black pawns
on the queenside appear to be
harmless, but they can get there in
time thanks to the gain of a tempo
by the check.
2 . ... f4 3. Kc2 !
The same story. The king must
remain as far away as possible
from the black pawns to avoid a
check.
3 . ... f3 4. Kd l
Only now is the king safe from a
check by the c-pawn. It can get no
further than c3, and White wins.
Simoni (1 949)
1 . h4 Kd4
Black must get after the h-pawn
here, because 1 . . . . Kb3 fai ls to 2.
Kb l .
2. h5 Ke5 3. d4+!
The king being on e5 is very much
in Black' s way. Without the king
Black would be able to reply e5
and there would be no chance of a
successful breakthrough. That can
also be seen if White first advances
the h-pawn: 3. h6 Kf6 4. d4 e5,
and Black wins.
3 . ... cxd4
After 3 . . . . Kf6 too, White forces
through a winning passed pawn by
4. e5+ dxe5 5. dxc5.
4. h6 Kf6 5. e5+
The winning breakthrough. The c­
pawn gets a free run.
5 . dxe5 6. c5 e4 7. c6 e3 8.
. ..
c7
White wins.
The black passed pawns are not
dangerous.
It is useful to recognize break­
through patterns.
111
Horning (2004)
On the right we have a well-known
formation. White starts with :
1 . h5!
It seems as if the chance for a
breakthrough will not go away, but
I . Kd3 even loses: I . . . . b3 2. Kc3
b2 3. Kxb2 Kd4 ! (and not 3 .
Kxc4 4. h 5 Kd4 5 . g 5 Kxe5 6 .
gxh6 Kf6 7 . Kc3 winning.)
1 . ... Kd4 2. g5 Kxe5 3. gxh6
Kf6
The rest is a question of technique.
White first makes sure that Black
does not get a protected passed
pawn.
4. c5! e5 5. Kd3
White stil l cannot allow e4. Any
other move loses.
5 . ... c6 6. Kc4 e4 7. Kxb4 e3
8. Kc3
and White wins.
First take a good look at the next
position. Try to find the solution
on your own.
1 12
Bergdahl (1 955)
The position after l . a5 h5 2 . Kf2
g5 i s a draw. Neither side can
make progress. White can secure
the point with a fantastic break­
through.
1. g4 ! fxg4
B lack must take. After 1 . . . . a6 2.
bxa6 Kc7 3 . gxf5 gxf5 4. Kf2 Kb6
5. Kg3 White wins hands down.
2. e4
Or first 2. a5 g3 3. e4 !
2• •••dxe4 3. a5!
No other order of moves is possible,
because 3. d5? Kd6 simply loses.
3 . ... h5
After 3 . . . . Kc7 the move 4. d5
wms.
4. a6!
Necessary. After 4. d5 h4 5. a6 h3
6. b6 h2 7 . Kg2 e3 8 . bxa7 e2
Black also gets a queen.
4 . ... Kc7 5. d5 h4 6. d6+!
Kxd6 7. b6
A lovely study. White wins.
WORKBOOK

3 1 : Pawn endings - Key squares: A

The king still has to seize the key squares. That can be done with the help
of the fol lowing rules:
• do not give ground too eas i ly
• work with zugzwang
• make a careful choice about pawn moves from their starting squares (one
square or two)
• watch out for a possible change of file on the part of the knight pawn (a
rook pawn has only two key squares)

32 Pawn endings - Key squares: B

On this page the king has to defend the key squares. I f you defend correctly
you have good chances. Watch out for the following possibilities:
• changing the situation regarding the key squares by means of a pawn
sacrifice, which pushes the key square one rank forward
• shouldering off the opposing king
• preventing your own king from being shouldered off
• moving a pawn towards the edge (a rook pawn has only two key squares)
• making use of stalemate

33 Pawn endings - Key squares: C

Shouldering off and shouldering off again. In order to keep the opposing
king at a distance, the route your king follows is important. Which is the
best route for it to choose? I n addition, you must prevent your king from
getting stuck in the comer. Watch out for zugzwang.

34: Pawn endings - Race: A

3 5 : Pawn endings - Race: B
I f the pawns are to be involved in a race, you must take a good look at the
starting position to work out what will happen.

The following are options for you in pawn endings:

• aim to promote with check (promote the correct pawn)
• get your king into the square of the opposing pawn (think out what is the
correct route, perhaps you can employ the Reti manoeuvre)
• keep the opposing king at a distance (shoulder it off)
• help your own pawns

1 13
• makes use of preparatory moves (luring away, clearing, bringing about a
change of file, avoiding check)

After the promotion you will either have queen against queen or queen
against pawn.
• Queen against queen (make use of tactical tricks: mate, winning the queen,
X-ray check or exchange queens to liquidate back to a won pawn ending)
• Queen against pawn (a rook pawn or a bishop pawn on the last rank but
one usually means a draw)

3 6 : Pawn endings - Breakthrough: A

Create a passed pawn by means of a breakthrough. Watch out for passed
pawns which your opponent creates. A void them winning a tempo by
check. You can keep the opposi ng king out of the square of the pawn by
setting up a barrier.

Kasparov

1 14
9 Bishop or knight?
Apart from the question "How
many moves ahead do you calcu­
late?" one of the most popular
questions which grandmasters are
asked is "Which is stronger, a
bishop or a knight?". The correct
answer to both questions is: "That
depends on the position."
Some characteristics of these pieces,
which are each valued at three
points, are :
The bishop
• a piece which moves quickly
• it can control both wings simul­
taneously
• high level of mobility across the
whole board
• total mobil ity : 32 squares
• does not like fixed pawns
• flexible
--+ can make waiting moves
--+ can make a move and sti ll be at-
tacking the same square as be­
fore
The knight
• a slow piece
• can only work on one wing at a
time
• its mobi lity strongly depends on
its position
• total mobility: 64 squares
• can j ump over other pieces, so
fixed pawns do not bother much
• flexible
--+ attacks other pieces without
them being able to attack it in
return
--+ can attack both white and black
squares
Time for examples. The study of a
lot of extracts from games will
help you better understand the
values of knights and bishops.
Hutchings-Keene
Woolacombe 1 9 73
Both sides still have a bishop and a
knight. The black bishop looks
strong, but Black sti ll exchanges it
off.
1. ... Qf6 2. Rd l Bxf3 ! 3.
Qxf3 Qxf3 4. exf3 Nc6
The plan becomes clear. The
knight gets a very strong square on
d4.
5. dxc5?
1 15
A terrible move. Opening the b-file
suits only B lack . 5. d5 Nd4 6. Bg2
i s much better, even if Black is
wel l placed with his central knight.
5 . ... bxc5 6. Bg2 Rb8 7. Rd2
Rb3 8. Kd l Ke7 9. f4 Nd4
1 0. Ke t h5 1 1 . h4 Rhb8 1 2.
Bfl ?
Also not the best of moves. After
1 2 . Rhd I Black still has to work
hard for the point.
12 . ... Rf3 !
Neatly clearing a square. The
threat is a fork from b3 .
1 3. Kd l Rxa3 !
White resigns. 1 4. bxa3 ( 1 4. Rxd4
Ra l +) is followed by 1 4 . . . . Rb l #
A bishop cannot do anything
against fixed pawns. If too many
pawns are fixed on the same colour
as the bishop, then the bishop is
said to be "bad'� .
' passed pawn with d5-d6.
' � � ·
� · � 8 . . . . Qf4 is a vain hope: 9. Kf2
� �
lt:J �
�@
Petrosian-Schweber
Stockholm 1 962
There i s a bad bishop on g7. It is
doing nothing, and all over the
board it comes up against its own
pawns, except on the a7-g l diago-
1 16
nal. Before it is too late, White
arranges for Black to put a pawn
on the said diagonal too.
1. Bxc5!
An exchange which caused a lot of
discussion at the time. Petrosian
himself was very proud of this
move.
1. ... dxc5 2. Bb5!
Black sti ll has a knight, which of
course must not be allowed to
reach d6 under any circumstances.
2 . ... Bb7
The bishop exchange on d7 also
has disadvantages. Of course,
Black can exchange a knight on c4
or f5 , but he will then be left with a
very bad black-squared bishop.
3. Ne2 Ne8 4. Bxe8 Rxe8 5.
Nc4 Ba6 6. Qb3 Qf6
I n bad positions really bad moves
occur frequently. Not everyone has
the capacity to wait passively. The
position after 6 . . . . f6 7. Ng3 Bf8 8.
0-0-0, moreover, is not much fun
either. White is ready to deploy his
7. Re l Bf8 8. Ng3 Bc8
Bxc4 I 0. Rxc4, and the queen has
to retreat ( l 0 . . . . Qd2+? 1 1 . Ne2
and 1 2 . Rd I ).
9. 0-0 Rd8
Black has lost the thread. He
would be better setting up extra
protection for all his weak points
(a5 , c5, e5, h6) - for example, put­
ting the queen on d8 and the king
on h7. White will not have much
trouble col lecting the whole point
at the appropriate time with Kg2,
Rfd l , Qe3, followed by Nf5 and
d6.
1 0. Kg2 Ra7 1 1 . Rf2 Kh7
1 2. Rfc2 Qa6
Black is fed up waiting.
13. Nxe5
White won.
I f the opponent has a bad bishop,
exchanging off all the other pieces
is a good strategy. The power of
the knight will be seen all the more
clearly in the direct confrontation .
.i. 'it'
•
.t. .t.
.t. ltJ .t. 8 .t.
8 8 �
8 �
8 8
� @
Nikolic-Soppe, Novi Sad 1 990
1. Lxe4
In this example most of the black
pawns are fixed on white squares.
This means that White can become
the lord and master of the black
squares. To do so, White can aim
for the exchange of the queens and
of his bishop for the knight.
1 . Bxe4
Of course, this exchange also has
disadvantages. Black obtains a pro­
tected passed pawn (not so bad), and
the black queen can become active
(that demands accurate play).
1 . ... dxe4 2. Kf2 Qd5 3. g4 !
The knight and bishop are standing
around a bit uselessly. Because the
knight is stronger, White does not
have to fear a transition into the
endgame.
3 . ... Kh7 4. Kg3 ! Qc4 5.
Kh4 Qc2 6. h3 Qc4 7. Kh5
Kg8 8. Kg6 Kf8 9. Qxh6+
Black resigned.
Timman-Jvanovic, Bugojno 1 984
White would benefit from the ex­
change of his white-squared bish­
op. Timman turns this desired ex­
change into reality in an instructive
way.
1. Qh6!
To h5 with tempo. The threat of 2.
Nxe5 prevents the move f5 .
1 . ... Qc5 2. Qh5 Rdf8
The d5-pawn is indirectly pro­
tected. 2 . . . . Qxd5 is followed by 3 .
Bf5 Qc5 ( 3 . . . . Qc6 4 . Bxd7 Rxd7
5. Nxe5) 4. Bxd7 Rxd7 5. Nxe5 .
3. Bf5 Bxf5 4. Qxf5
White has achieved his strategic
goal : his knight is much stronger
1 17
than the bishop. Before Timman
brings his knight to the strong e4-
square, he demonstrates the skill of
a real grandmaster. He improves
the position of his rooks, protects
his g-pawn and makes an air-hole
for his king.
4 . ... Bd8 5. Rfl Rhg8 6. g3
Rg6 7. a3 Qc4 8. Rd3 Qc8 9.
Nd2
Only now does the knight go to e4.
9 . ... Qxf5 1 0. Rxf5 Rg5 1 1 .
Rdf3 Rxf5 1 2 . Rxf5 Kc7 13.
Ne4 Be7 14. g4 h6 1 5. c3
Kd7 1 6. h3 Bg5
Black does not fancy the role as
the sacrificial lamb. He prefers to
try to create counter-chances with
a pawn sacrifice of his own.
1 7. Nxg5 hxg5 1 8. Rxg5 Rc8
1 9. Kc2 Ke7 20. h4 Kf6 2 1 .
Rf5+ Kg7 22� g5 Rc5 23. b4
Rxd5 24. h5 a5 25. h6+ Kg8
26. bxa5 Rc5 27. Rf6 Rc6
28. Kb3 e4 29. g6 fxg6 30.
Rxg6+ Kh7 3 1 . Re6
Black resigned .
.i .i
�
' '
Hort- Tai, Havanna 1 966
1 18
A centrally placed knight which is
well protected can also be stronger
than a bishop.
1 . ... Bxc3
A surprising exchange. Black is
playing for a strong knight on e4.
Combinations along the long white
diagonal help him achieve this.
2. Bxc3 Ne4 3. Bd2
The bishop has to retreat, because
3 . Bb2 Ng5 is an immediate loss.
3 . ... f5 4. cxd5
White must open the long dia­
gonal . Taking on f5 is not so good:
4. Qxf5? Nxd2 5 . Rxd2 dxc4+.
4 . ... Rxd5 5. Be3 Rc3 6.
Rxd5 Qxd5 7. Rd l Qe6 8.
Rd8+ Kh7 9. Rf8 Nf6 1 0. b4
Rb3 1 1 . a5 bxa5 1 2. bxa5
Ra3
B lack quickly decided the game in
his favour.
Morozevich-Bagirov, Moskau 1 995
It is high time to take a look at
positions in which the bishop is the
better piece.
1. Bel
 1 . Bd2 ! i s more accurate. B lack
will then have to play exactly as he
did in the game. The difference
will become clear later.
1 . ... Nc6 2. Qd5+ Kh8
Forced : 2 . . . . Rt7 3. Rxf7 winning
a piece.
3. Bb2 Rad8?
A better defence would be 3. . . .
Rg8 4 . Rxf5 Rae8 (but not playing
for exchanges with 4 . . . . Rab8? 5 .
Bxg7+ Rxg7 6. Rxb8+ Nxb8 7 .
Rf8+ Rg8 8 . Rxg8+ Qxg8 9 . Qe5+
Qg7 I 0. Qxb8+, and B lack has
exchanged too many pieces) 5 .
Rft7 Re7 ! White is better. This
defence would not exist with the
bishop on c3 ( 4. Rc7 then wins at
once since the knight cannot go to
b4). After the move which fol­
lowed, White wins material.
4. Rxg7 Rxd5 5. Rxg6+ Nd4
6. Rg4!
A pretty final move, attacking a
pinned piece and exploiting the
fact that "a pinned piece is not a
good defender". B lack resigned.
Po/etaev-Flohr, Moscow 1 95 1
Something has gone wrong i n
White ' s position : pawn structure, a
pawn down and a weakened pawn
position. On the other hand he has
an enormous plus point: the bishop
on g2 . It is only good because the
black king is unfavourably placed
on a7 making it a target for the
bishop (with the help of the queen
of course). There are books which
eval uate the position as won for
White, but that is going a bit too
far.
1. c4 Ne7?
A remarkable mi stake on the part
of Flohr, who was known as a
good defensive player. The knight
has to go to f6. First of all to
prevent the loss of the t7-pawn,
but also to limit the activity of the
g2-bishop with e5-e4. After I . . . .
Nf6 2 . Q f3 Qc8 ! 3 . a 5 e 5 4. Qe3
(or 4. axb6+ Rxb6 5. Rxb6 Kxb6
6. Qb3+ Ka5) 4 . . . . Qc7 5. c5 Rd l +
6 . Kh2 b5 B lack can sti ll hang on.
2. Qf3 Qc6
Black also loses after 2 . . . . Nc6 3 .
a 5 bxa5 4 . Qe3+ Ka8 5 . Rb6.
3. Qxn Qc5+ 4. Kh2 Rd 1 5.
Re3
5 . h4 is also good enough.
5 . ... b5 6. Qxe6 Nc8 7. a5
Qc7
Black has more or less given up
hope: 7 . . . . Qxc4 does not lose so
quickly.
8. Qe4 Qb8 9. Qg4
9. Qc6 would lead to mate in six
moves but B lack resigned anyway.
He will lose even more material.
1 19
I n such positions chance plays a
large part, so you have to keep on
evaluating every position afresh. I n
thi s last position, the bishop on g2
does not offer enough compensa­
tion for the disadvantages; the
other pieces must also be able to
do their bit. There is nothing on if
the a6 -pawn were on a5 (meaning
that a4-a5 i s no longer possible).
In this example the bishop com­
pensates for the material deficit,
but no more than that. .
Zaitsev-Spassky, Rostov 1 960
The bishop is of course very strong
on the long diagonal, but in certain
cases it can be chased off it. An
additional disadvantage of White ' s
position is the insecure position of
his king.
1. h5
The bishop requires help, so White
must open the h-file.
1. ... b4?
A good defensive strategy, as we
shall learn in Chapter 1 3 , is to ex­
change off attacking pieces.
1 20
Black can activate his rook with I .
. . . Rd7 and by means of an ex­
change on d I he will deprive
White of the h I -square for the
other rook. Black is not worse after
2 . hxg6 Rx.d i + 3 . Qxd l (or 3 .
Rxd l hxg6 4 . Rd6 Qh l +) 3 . . . .
fxg6 4. Qd6 b4 5 . Be5 Nd7, and
the bishop has to move off the dia­
gonal, before it can become a
dangerous piece.
After I . . . . b4 the game did not last
for long.
2. hxg6 hxg6
Taking the bishop is not possible
because of 3. gxf7+ and then mate.
3. Rd6 Kh7
Nor can the game be saved after
the better move 3 . . . . c4 4. Qxb4.
4. Qc4 !
B lack resigned.
Utemov-Belikov, Smolensk 1 992
The bishop on e2 is fulfilling a
useful function: defending f3 . B ut
that does not make the bishop a
good one. White played to activate
his bishop.
1. f4 exf4?
A bad move. B lack would do
better to play for an exchange of
queens with I . . . . Qb5 . There i s no
real way forward for White after 2.
Bd I Nd7 3. f5 Kh8 .
2. Rgg l ?
White misses the chance t o make a
hero of his bishop. He would win
with 2. Rgxf4 Rxf4 3. Bg4 ! Rxfl
(or 3 . . . . R8f7 4. Rxf4 and 3 . . . .
Rxg4 does not work i n view o f 4 .
Qh8+ Kxh8 5 . Rxf8#) 4 . Be6+
R I f7 5. Qg7 mate.
In the game the bishop arrived too
late.
2 . ... Qb5 3. Bg4 Qb3+
Black won quickly.
.I • but thanks to the weakness on b5
' ' '
' 'it' · �
!::,
� �
!::, !::, jl !::, !::,
@ Now after 1 3 . Kh2 Black would be
Keres- Tal, Piirnu 1 9 71
The bishop on h6 i s strong, as long
as the queens and rooks remain on
the board. Threats of mate limit
B lack' s options. Without the maj or
pieces, the pawn on e5 is weak,
because protecting it with f4 has a
negative effect on the bishop.
In the game, Black ran into pro­
blems on account of the coopera­
tion between the white rook and
bishop.
1. ... b5
Tai had already written down the
move I . . . . Qxe5 (which would not
be allowed nowadays), but j ust in
time he found 2. Rd2 ! And the
win!
I . ... Nxe5 would be better: 2 . Rd2 !
(2. Rc7 a5) 2 . . . . Rc8 3 . Re2 (3 .
f4?? Ng4) 3 . . . . Nc6 4. Qxe6 fxe6
5. Rxe6 with more or less a level
game. Compare the difference in
activity of White ' s pieces in this
position with what happened in the
game.
2. b3 Qxe5 3. Qxe5 Nxe5 4.
Rc7 f6 5. Rxe7 Rd7
The rook can stil l be chased away,
the rook will be able to seize the
'
seventh rank again.
6. Re8+ Kf7 7. Rb8 Rd5
8. Rb7+ Nd7 9. Rxa7 g5 1 0.
f4
White can still j ust free the bishop.
!::,
10 . ... Kg6 1 1 . fxg5 fxg5 1 2.
Ra6+ Kf7
fighting for a lost cause. However,
Keres played I 3 . Kf2, after which
Black got counter-chances with I 3 .
. . . Nc5 . The game ended in a draw.
In I 989, at the age of I 4, Sofia
Polgar stunned the chess world by
her performance in a tournament in
Rome. She scored 8Yi out of 9.
The game on the next page i s from
thi s tournament. In their annota­
tions to the game the Polgar sisters
121
point out that White has a decisive
advantage. That very much over­
estimates the power of the bishop.
Sofia Polgar-Palatnik, Rome 1 989
Black has j ust taken a pawn on b6.
On account of the bad position of
the black king, the white bishop is
very strong (the fact that the white
pawns are on black squares i s a
pity, but not a catastrophe).
Nevertheless the bishop cannot do
more than compensate for the
material deficit.
1. e6 f6?
A bad move. Black can swap off
the white bishop at the cost of an
exchange: 1 . . . . Nd5 2. ext7 Qxd6
3. fxg8Q+ Kxg8, and Black is
better. In the game White remains
with a bishop up.
2. e7 Qe8 3. Qf8 Nd5 4.
Rxd5 Rxf8 5. exf8Q+ Qxf8
6. Bxf8
White won the endgame with no
problems.
In the next fragment, White is
clearly better. The black knights
1 22
are too passive. White can choose
a slower way of going about things
with for example 1 . Rd3 , but the
continuation in the game is much
better. White uses his bishop in a
bri lliant way.
.I � .I •
· � '
' it' i '
'
� � � �
� � �
� �
l:t ll @
Taimanov-Hort, Tallinn 1 9 75
1 . e5!
White does not bother about
dogma. The fact that Black gets
the d5-square for his passive
knight is as nothing compared to
the increased activity of the
bishop.
1 . ... fxe5
Black would love to keep the long
diagonal closed, but I . . . . Ne8 2. f5
and 3 . e6 would be too high a price
to pay.
2. Bxe5 Nd5 3. Qb2 Qf7 4.
Nh5
With the benefit of hindsight eve­
rything seems so simpl e ! A weaker
player would first consider 4. Nf5 ,
but after 4 . . . . Ne6 5 . Nxh6 Qg6
Black suddenly gets counterplay
and White ' s advantage has to a
large part disappeared.
 4
• Rg8 5. f5 b6
•.•
The move 5 . . . . Ne3 fails to several
refutations. There is the simple 6.
Qc I and the more difficult but
better 6. Rd6 Kh7 7. Bxg7 Rxg7 8 .
Rg6 ! winning (thanks t o the knight
on h5). The text move not only
contributes to the improvement of
the black position but shows that
Black does not intend to stand idly
by, move his knight to c7 and then
hope.
6. Rfe l Nb7
This hastens the end, but after 6 . . . .
Kh6 there is the decisive 7. Bxg7+
Rxg7 9. Rd5 .
7 . Qcl Kh7 8 . Qxc6
B lack resigned.
ENDGAMES
In the endgame the bishop can
better deploy its power since the
board is no longer so full.
Important factors are:
• the number of fixed pawns on
the same colour of square as the
bishop
• the bishop' s activity (can the
bishop attack pawns or restrict
the mobility of the knight?)
The knight is stronger
Despite its limited range the knight
should not be underestimated when
it comes to corralling a bishop. It
cannot do the job alone, but good
cooperation between queen, knight
and passed pawn can have a bishop
all tucked up. The double attack
has a decisive role to play in this.
Mugnos (1 95 7)
The bishop still has six free
squares. It will not be left with a
single one of them.
1. Kb2 Bd l
The best. After 1 . . . . Ba4 2 . Nxe6
Kxd7 3. Nxc5+ or I . . . . Bf5 2. g4
Bxg4 3 . Nt7 Kxd7 4. Ne5+ the
bishop is lost more quickly.
2. Kc l Be2
A knight fork will also decide
matters if it goes to another square:
2 . . . . Bg4 3 . Nt7 or even 2 . . . . Bh5
3. g4 Bg6 4. Nxe6 Kxd7 5 . Nf8+.
3. Kd2 Bfl
Or 3 . . . . Bxc4 4. Nt7 Kxd7 5 . Ne5+.
4. Kel Bg2
The win after 4 . . . . Bd3 is one you
have come to know: 5. Nt7 Kxd7
6. Ne5+.
5. Kf2 Bhl 6. Kgl
For a change, not a knight fork but
the bishop is totally dominated.
The number of studies deal ing
with the theme of the domination
1 23
of the bishop by the knight i s large.
Here are another two nice exam­
ples.
Kopac (1 943)
Firstly the knight must stop the
bishop getting on to the long
diagonal.
1 . Ne3 !
Threatening to win by 2 . a7.
1. ... Be8-
c6 i s the only square from which
the bishop can stop the pawn. On
any other square the knight would
get in the way, e.g. 1 . . . . Bg6 2.
Nd5+ Kd4 3. a7.
2. Nd5+ Kb3
Alternatives all end up with a
decisive knight fork: 2 . . Kd3 3 .
. .
Ne7 B h 5 4 . Nc6 B f3 5 . Ne5+ o r 2 .
. . . Kd4 3 . Ne7 B h 5 4 . Nc6+.
The main variation follows the
same lines.
3. Ne7 Bh5 4. Nc6! Bf3 5.
Nd4+
The bishop i s lost.
In the next study the knight is ex­
tremely wel l placed in the centre.
1 24
Kasparjan (1 95 7)
The white knight is not i n danger.
After the capture on e4 the h-pawn
gets through. The c-pawn must con­
tinue to control the d3-square. So
the king must move, so as to stop
the a-pawn.
1 . Kc l
The correct route. After I . Kc3 a3
2 . Kb3 Kxe4 3 . h6 Bc4+ Black is
out of the woods.
1 . ... a3 2. Kb l a2+ 3. Ka l !
He must not capture, since the
black bishop will be able to be
saved with tempo (check on c4).
3 . ... a4 4. Kb2 a3+ 5. Ka l
Total domination. After a king
move the h-pawn gets through.
After every "safe" bishop move
the bishop is lost to a knight fork.
It is striking that the bishop cannot
move to any one of six different
squares.
Cooperation between king and
knight is necessary in order to be
able to promote a passed pawn
safely. There are certain tech­
niques which the side with the
knight must know.
Chasing away and interposing are
the weapons.
1. Nc7 Kb4
1 . . .. Bb8 loses more quickly : 2.
Kb6, followed by 3. Na6 and 4.
Nc7.
2. Nb5 Bb8 3. Kb6 Kb3 4.
Nc7 Kc4 5. Na6 Bg3 6. Nc7
Bf2+ 7. Ka6
The promotion i s guaranteed.
' '
Neustadtl (1 904)
A maj or problem for the bishop
when stopping a passed pawn i s
being o n too short a diagonal .
Among these are the really short
diagonals (a7-b8 being particularly
bad) and those diagonals which are
too short because one of your own
pawns is in the way.
White achieves nothing by win­
ning a pawn : 1 . Ne6? Be7 2. Nxg7
Kg4 with a draw. But he does with
a pawn sacrifice.
1. f6!
Possible thanks to the king being
on g3 ( I . . . . Bxf6 2 . Ne4+).
1 . .. gxf6 2. Ne6 Be7 3. Nd4
.
Bd8
The threat is 4. Nc6, and in view of
the position of the king, Black
cannot lengthen the diagonal for
his bishop with 3 . . . . f5 4. Nxf5+.
4. Nc6 Bc7 5. Kb7
The bishop has to give up on d8.
Together the king and knight can
deprive the bishop of four squares.
That i s enough.
When there are pawns fixed on
squares of the same colour as the
bishop, driving the defending king
away is a useful technique.
I n general one can say that limiting
1 25
the opponent' s options is more im­
portant than winning a pawn. Em­
phasis on generally !

1 . Kd6
After I . Nb6 Be8 2. Kb4 Kf7 3 .
Nxa4 Ke6 Black gets a draw.
1 . ... Bf5 2. Ke7 Be4 3. Nf4
Bf5 4. Ne6+
B lack can never liquidate to a
pawn ending because of White ' s
advantage in space. Horwitz, Kling
4 . ... Kg8 5. Kf6 Bc2 6. Nf4 The following variation speaks for
Kh7 7. Kf7 Bb3+ itself.
After 7 . . . . Bd l 8. Ne6 Bh5 9. 1 . Bb3 Ka6 2. Bf7 Kb5 3.
Nf8+ Kh8 1 0. Kf6 too, the g-pawn Be8+ Ka5 4. Bd7 Ka6 5. Bf5
is lost. Ka5 6. Bg4 Kb5 7. Be2+
8. Ne6 Bc4 9. Kf6 Kg8 1 0. Kc5 8. Bc4
Nf4 Kh7 1 1 . Nxg6 The desired zugzwang position.
Now he has the pawn, but White The king has to leave the pawn to
stil l has to play accurately. its own devices or the knight has to
1 1 . ... Kg8 12. Ne7+ Kh7 1 3 . abandon the b7-square.
g6+ Kh8 14. Kg5 Kg7 1 5. 8 . ... Nc6 9. b7
Nf5+ Kg8 1 6. Kh6 Black has no move left.
Now the win is not difficult any
more.

The bishop is stronger

The bishop can keep the knight
under control by limiting its mobi­
l ity.
In order to have firm control over
it, a bishop always has to be two
squares away from a knight. A
white bishop on d5 dominates a
black knight on a5 .
In this type of ending zugzwang is Tal-Murey, Tel A viv 1 990
an important weapon. A bishop F ixed opposing pawns on the same
can easily lose a move by triangu­ colour of square as the bishop are
lating. welcome targets.

1 26
 1 . Bf3 Nc5 2. b4 Nd3 3. b5!
The danger for the side with the
bishop is that too many pawns will
disappear on one wing with the
result that a passed pawn cannot be
created there. After 3. Bxb7 Nxb4
White ' s advantage has disappeared
into thin air.
3 . ... axb5 4. Bxb7 Nc5 5. a6
Nxa6 6. Bxa6 b4 7. Bc4+
Kf6 8. Kf2 Ke5 9. Bal?
An inaccuracy. The correct thing
to do is to first activate the king
with 9. Ke3 !
9 . ... Kf5?
Of course, the king had to go to e4.
1 0. Kf3 Ke5 1 1 . g4 d5 1 2. h4
d4 13. Bc4
B lack resigned.
• shall see.
i
A quick glance at the diagram i s
enough t o work out that Black i s
better: distant passed pawn, better
knight (the e5-square is waiting for
it). Only the subtle point that the
knight is on the edge of the board
(apparently of no great importance),
turns the evaluation on its head.
White is winning !
1 . Kg3 g5 2. e5!
White unexpectedly manages a win­
ning breakthrough. B lack must take,
otherwise White gets a protected
passed pawn (or captures on d6).
2 . ... dxe5 3. d6
Not 3. Be4 Ng6, and Black
escapes.
3 . ... Kf6 4. Be4 Ke6 5. Kg4
The loss of the knight can no
longer be prevented after 6. Kxg5 .
Chapter 1 2 is about bishops. They
are awarded the labels "good" or
"bad".
In no way did the previous position
appear to be won for White. The
next position, on the other hand,
appears to be absolutely a win for
White. The bishop shuts off the
knight on the edge for good. We
1 . Be4 Ke7 2. Kxc5 Ke6
The only move. The defender has
to play to free his knight. That will
only work i f he can chase the
bishop away. Getting the knight
1 27
away safe and sound is of course
an illusion, since White will then
exchange it.
There i s no hope after 2 . . . . Kd7 3 .
Kd5 Kc7 4 . c 5 Kd7 5 . c6+ Kc7 6 .
Kc5 Kc8 7 . Kd6 Kd8 8 . c7+ Kc8
9. Kc6, and thi s is usual ly stale­
mate, but here it is mate in one
move.
3. Kd4
Or 3 . Kb6 Ke5 , and after a bishop
move the knight can simply stop
the pawn.
3 . ... Kd6 4. Kd3 Ke5 5. Ke3
Ke6 6. Kd4 Kd6 7. c5+
There is no way White can make
any progress without this move.
7 . ... Ke6 8. c6 Kd6 9. Kc4
Nf5
Draw.

WORKBOOK

3 7 : Strategy - Knight against bishop: A

On thi s exercise page the knight is the superior piece. You have to ensure
that remains the case by :
• placing the knight on a strong square
• fixing opposing pawns (by exchanges, advancing your own pawns or by
forcing the opponent' s pawns to advance)
• exchanging pieces (above all the "other" bishop)
-

3 8 : Bishop v. knight endings - Technique: A

4 1 : Bishop v. knight endings - Technique: B
The passed pawn does not have an exercise page to itself, but it plays an
important part in many positions. Good strategies are:
• restricting the mobility of the knight (trapping it)
• making sure the opponent does not get rid of his weaknesses
• creating a passed pawn
• promoting the passed pawn (keeping the knight at a distance and elimi­
nating the defence)

3 9 : Knight v. bishop endings - Passed pawn: A

40: Knight v. bishop endings - Technique: A
The side with the knight must:
• promote the passed pawn (eliminate the defence)
• make use of double attacks
• chase the bishop on to a short diagonal
• fix weak pawns
• fix pawns on the same colour of square as the bishop

1 28
• sacrifice the knight so as to create two passed pawns which are as far
apart as possible

42 : Knight v . bishop endings - Defending: A

On this exercise page the side with the knight draws. I t is helped by:
• stalemate
• the sacrifice of the knight, so as to get rid of all opposing pawns
• a double attack by the knight
• a fortress
• the wrong bishop

1 29
 10 Attacking the king
For most of us winning as a result
of an attack is the most satisfying
way of deciding a game.
In Step 4 we dealt with the most
important rules for an attack:
• bring up your pieces
• get access to the king
• eliminate defenders
• deliver mate
In our first game we shall test
whether these rules stil l apply in
Step 6.
Geller-Papapavlou
A msterdam 1 950
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5
4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3
Bd6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4
Nxe4 9. Bxe4 Nf6
B lack would be better aiming for
e5 and leaving the knight on d7.
1 0. Bc2 0-0 1 1 . 0-0 c5 1 2.
Bg5 cxd4
A weak exchange. It allows White
to bring his queen into the attack
with no effort on his part. It is
pleasant when your opponent helps
you assemble your pieces !
1 3 . Qxd4 Be7 1 4. Qh4
Gel ler will have thought: with a
decisive advantage. Anyone who
has reached the level of Step 6
should in future find carrying out
such an attack pretty easy.
1 30
1 4 . ... h6
Black has no choice. After 1 4 . . . . g6
1 5 . Rad ! Bd7 1 6. Ne5 Re8 1 7. Qf4
White wins material. The game
move is weakening and it becomes
apparent that the white attack is
already strong enough to al low him
to breach the opposing king posi­
tion with a piece sacrifice.
1 5. Bxh6! gxh6 1 6. Qxh6
With his three attacking pieces,
White has the black position well
in his grip. H e may not be able to
win immediately, but there is
nothing Black can do.
16 . ... Qa5 1 7. Ng5
An important position. Because of
the possibi lity of Bh7+ and a dis­
covered check, Black cannot leave
anything unprotected on a white
square. In addition, not only must
t7 remain under the protection of
the rook (or else there fol lows
Bh7+ and Nxf7+), but so must e6
under that of the bishop (or else
there fol lows Bh7+, B f5+ and
Nxe6). For mate, White will have
to bring up another piece into the
attack, but that takes him a little
time. So the prevention of any
counterplay by B lack is important.
17 . ... e5 1 8. Bh7+ Kh8
1 9. Be4+ Kg8
White now has the time to bring up
more pieces.
20. Rael Bg4 2 1 . Re3 Rad8
22. Rg3 Rd4 23. Ne6
Black resigned.
We saw in this game the bringing
up of pieces, the creation of a
breach in the castled position and
the finishing off of the game.
There was no example of the
elimination of defenders, because
there were no defenders . . . .
The next game will make u p for
that.
Dobias-Podgorny, Prague 1 952
1 . e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. N c3 dxe4
4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Be7 6.
Bd3 N gf6 7. Qe2 0-0 8. 0-0
Nxe4?
A bad exchange. White can now
transfer his queen to the kingside
with tempo. B lack's position is
passive, but 8 . . . . b6 i s playable.
9. Qxe4 Nf6 1 0. Qh4 b6
B lack wants to develop but his
king is already in danger. He
should perhaps have played I 0 . . . .
Re8 . This move, though strange at
first sight, is played for a reason. It
prevents 1 1 . Bg5, because then
Black must still weaken his king
position, but he will do so with the
tempo winning l l . . .. h6. The
sacrifice seen in the previous game
achieves nothing: 1 2 . Bxh6 gxh6
1 3 . Qxh6 Bf8.
After IO . . . Re8 White 's best move
.
is 1 1 . Re l , after which he is much
better, e.g. 1 1 . . . . b6 1 2 . Bg5 h6 1 3 .
Bxf6 Bxf6 1 4. Qe4 Bd7 1 5 . Ne5 .
1 1 . Bg5 g6
1 2 . c4!
This attacking move i s a prepara­
tion for the elimination of B lack's
best defensive piece, the bishop on
e7. The pawn move also prevents
1 2 . . . . Nd5, which Black would
play to try and exchange pieces.
Neither 1 2 . Ne5 Nd5 1 3 . f4 f6 1 4.
Bxg6 hxg6 1 5 . Nxg6 Ne3 with
complications, nor 1 2. Be4 Rb8
1 3 . Ne5 Nd5 1 4. f4 give White less
advantage.
12 . ... Bb7 13. d5!
The point of 1 2 . c4. Sooner or later
B lack must take.
131
 13 . ... exd5 1 4. Rfe l !
With the threat o f taking on e7.
Black delays the decision by
means of a pawn sacrifice, with
which he could exchange some
attacking pieces .
14
. •.. h6 1 5. Qxh6
After 1 5 . Bxh6 Ne4 1 6. Qf4 Bd6
Black again has counter-chances
15 . ... Ng4 1 6. Qh4 Bxg5 1 7.
Nxg5 Nf6 18. Qh6
This excludes the possibility for
Black to bring in another defender
with 1 8 . . . . Kg7 and 1 9 . . . . Rh8.
Another good attacking move is
1 8 . Re3 , but only if you have seen
that 1 8 . . . . Kg7 can be followed by
1 9. Bxg6 ! . After 1 9 . . . . Rh8 (nor is
1 9 . . . . Kxg6 20. Rg3 Kf5 2 1 . Re l
an alternative) there follows 20.
Qg3 . After the text move there is
also the strong threat of 1 9. Re3 .
1 8 . ... d4 1 9. Re6!
White can also win with 1 9. Be4
c6 (the only move) 20. Bd3
(threatening 2 1 . Re4) 20 . . . . c5 2 1 .
Be4. The rook move now threatens
to take the defending knight.
19 . ... Re8
The position suddenly reminds us
of the previous game again after
1 9 . . . . fxe6 20. Qxg6+ Kh8 2 1 .
Qh6+ Kg8 22. Bh7+ Kg8 23 . Bf5+
wmnmg.
20. Bxg6
Now nothing can help. Black
resigned.
We shall now take a look at exam­
ples in which the king 's position
1 32
has already been very much
weakened and concentrate on the
finishing of the game.
B lack's king pos1t10n is totally
shattered. The white queen is
ideally placed, but to win it
requires help. Which of the other
three pieces should be drafted in?
The bishop i s out of the question;
after I . Bg5 Qf8 Black brings his
queen into the defence with tempo.
The rook appears to be the correct
piece, but there is a problem with
that too: I . Re3 Bxe5 2 . dxe5 (2.
Rxe5 f5 3. Re3 Qg7 4. Rg3 Rd7 is
better and winning i s not all that
easy), and the game appears to be
drawn. Unfortunately, Black even
has two defensive options, both
based on White 's weakened back
rank: 2 . . . . Bf3 ! ! (or 2 . . . . Be4 ! 3 .
Rxe4 Re l + 4 . Be l Rd4). Now 3 .
Rxf3 ? Re l + leads to mate and 3 .
gxf3 Rxd2 loses a piece. The better
3 . h3 Qf8 gives B lack enough
impetus.
However, manoeuvring the knight
into place forces a quick resignation.
 t . Ng4 B lack mates on h2.
The threat of 2. Nf6+ can only be
avoided by the advance of the f­ x � X @
pawn.
1 . ... f5 2. Qg6+ Qg7
.t ' '
After 2. . . . Kh8 then 3. Bg5 • � ..t i � '
decides matters. ' · · � ltJ
3. N f6+ Kf8 4. Bh6 � �
White wins.
� � �
Generally speaking, winning posi­ � � ltJ 'iY � �
tions with an open king position n @ n
does not pose too many problems.
What is often harder to answer is Exchanging on f6 is an easy way
the question: how do I bring about to force gxf6.
such positions? 1. Bxf6 gxf6
In the positions which follow we Taking with the queen costs an
do away with the g-pawn to leave exchange after 2. Nh7.
the king open and defenceless. The 2. Qh5
first example is simple. This threatens both 2. Qxh6 and 2.
Nxe6.

This type of position without a g­

Black opens the king position with
a sacrifice.
1 . ... Nf3+ 2. gxf3
White must capture. B lack conti­
nues with a attracting move to eli­
pawn and with sufficient attacking
pieces is totally lost. The win i s no
longer a matter of chance. In our
last example White also wins with
3 . Qxh6 Bxd3 4. e4 or with 3 .
Bxa6 Rxa6 4. Qxh6 fxg5 5 . hxg5
or in case of need also with 3. Bc2.
There are different reasons why the
defender might not be able to
recapture on f6 with a piece.
The defending side can be forced
into the weakening gxf6 for the
following reasons:
• 1 . . . . Bxf6 2 . Nd7 (wins the ex­

minate the defence f.3-f4. change)

2 . ... Bxe2 3. Qxe2 Qg6+ 4. • 1 . . . . Bxf6 2. dxc5 (loses a pawn)

Kh l Qh5 • 1 . . . . Qxf6 2. Rxd7 (loses a

1 33
 piece)
• a sacrifice on f6
• l . . . . Qxf6 2 . Bg5 (wins the
queen)
• the defender of f6 is lured away
• l . . . . Qxf6 costs material
We shall take a look at some
examples of the final three points
in the above list.
Wildi-Mell, Zuricfi 1 989
1 . N xf6+ gxf6
l . . . . Qxf6 i s followed by 2. Bg5 .
2. Rd l !
White wins a useful tempo. The
rook has to be deployed.
2 . ... Qc7
2 . . . . Qe7 is better: 3. Bh6 Rfd8 4.
b4 and 5 . b5 with advantage to
White.
3. Bxh7+ Kxh7 4. Qe4+ f5
Better than 4 . . . . Kg7 5 . Qg4+ Kh8
6. Bh6.
5. Qh4+ Kg8 6. Qg5+ Kh7
7. Qh6+ Kg8 8. Ng5 f6 9.
Nxe6 Qfi 1 0. Rd3 Ne5 1 1 .
Rg3+
1 1 . Rh3 is insufficient: 1 1 . .. .
1 34
Bxf2+ 1 2 . Kh l Bxg2+ 1 3 . Kxg2
Qb7+ 1 4. Kxf2 Ng4+.
1 1 . ... Ng4 1 2. Nxc5 bxc5 13.
h3 Qh7 14. hxg4 Qxh6
1 5. Bxh6
White wins.
Miroshnichenko-Dambacher
Maastricht 1 9 1 0
1 . Bh3 Ne5
The knight must move on ac�ount
of the threat of Bxd7. An alterna­
tive would have been I . . . . Nb6 2.
Rh4 g6 ( 2 . . . . g6 is an only move,
because after 2 . . . . h6 3. Bxh6 gxh6
4. Qc I things are soon over).
White has good attacking chances
after 4. Rh6 g6 5. Be6 Kg7 6. Nd4.
The many sacrifices which follow,
however, tend to be Step 9.
2. Nxe5 Bxe5 3. d6 Bxd6?
This is certainly wrong, but a good
example for the subj ect we are
deal ing with. 3 . . .. cxd6 4. f4
Qb6+ 5 . Kh l d5 6. fxe5 dxc4 7 .
exf6 Rfd8 8. R f l would have been
required. The white bishop pair is
strong, but Black has two pawns
for the minor exchange, so the
result is sti ll in doubt. These were examples of forcing a
4. Rf4 weakness. Sometimes the opponent
This inevitably forces the weaken­ is kind enough to weaken his own
ing move gxf6. position.
4 . ... Re8
Black could also have tried 4. .I .i. i¥ .I •
Qe8. White has the choice: 5 . Rh4,
i i i
5. Rxf6 and 5. Rxd6 all look to be
winning. But Black can still wriggle i i i
for a bit longer. i LS .i. �
5. Bxf6 gxf6 6. Rg4+ Kf8 7. LS LS LS
Qxh7
lb � � LS
The threat of 8 . Rg7 can no longer
be held off. Black resigned. LS � LS
11 11 �

Calderin-Sariego
Manzanilla, 1 991
With his last move g2-g4 White
has great plans; i f the knight
moves away, he will follow up
with f4. The pity for him is that the
knight is not obliged to move
away.
1 . .. Qh4!
.

White certainly considered this

1 . Nc6!
This clears the diagonal of the
Bb2 . After I . . . . Bxc6 there is the
decisive 2. Bxf6 with mate or the
win of the queen.
I . . Qc7 2. Bxf6 h6
..
The queen and knight have been
eliminated as defenders. The win is
made easy by this necessary weak­
ening:
3. Qg4 g5 4. Qh5 Bxh2+ 5.
Kh l
Black no longer knows what to do.
H e resigned.
move and rej ected it, since he
thought that Black would have too
few pieces in his attack.
2. gxh5
Now Black can win back material
with 2 . . . . Bxh3 ; his attack does not
have sufficient force after 3. f4.
And 2 . . . . Qxh3 would be bad : 3 .
f3 and the white queen attacks.
B lack comes up with a surprise.
2 . ... Bh2+
A beautiful piece of attraction. As
a result of this bishop sacrifice,
Black is able to capture on h3 with

1 35
tempo. In this game the player with White
3. Kxh2 demonstrates convincingly that
After 3. Kh l White could still set a Black does not have enough time
nasty trap: 3 . . . . Qxh3 4. f3 Bf4+ 5 . to organise a defence.
K g 1 Bxe3+ 6. Qxe3 Qg3+ 7 . K h 1 1. fS! es
Re5 8. Qh6 ! with the point 8 . . . . B lack has two other options which
Rxh5+ Qxh5 9. gxh5 Rg l . I f Black are worth looking at.
pays attention and plays 8 . . . . Bh3 Such attacks are stereotyped:
or 8 . . . . Qh4+, then the queen 1s A) 1 . . . . b4 2 . Qh6 Nc5 (2 . . . . bxc3
sti I I lost. 3. Bg6 fxg6 4. fxg6 cxb2+ 5 .
3 • Qxh3+ 4. Kg l
... Kb l R f7 6. gxf7+ Kh8 7 . Nxe6
The rest is simple attacking winning) 3. Rhfl bxc3 4. Rf3
technique: two checks and bring cxb2+ 5. Kb l Kh8 6. Rh3 Rg8
up more pieces. 7. Bg6 winning.
4 . Qg4+ S. Kh 1 Qf3+ 6.
... B) 1 . . . . Nc5 2 . Qh6 Kh8 (2 . . . . e5
Kh2 Res leads to the game continuation)
White resigned. 3. Bg6 fxg6 4. fxg6 Bd8 5 .
Qxf8 mate.
I n the Sicilian Defence there are 2. Qh6 NcS
variations in which Black volun­ Black has no time to capture: 2 . . . .
tarily recaptures on f6 with the g­ exd4 3 . Rd3 Kh8 4 . Rh3 Rg8 5 .
pawn and gaily ca � tles short. These Bg6 Rg7 6. Bxh7.
are often very exciting positions. I f 3. NdS Qd8
Black manages to play Kh8 and B lack does not have a great choice:
Rg8 in time, then the f-pawn is 3 . . . . Bxd5 is refuted by 4. exd5
not a weakness (it gives additional Rfc8 5. Nc6.
influence in the centre). 4. Bg6 fxg6 S. fxg6
B lack resigned. After 5 . . . . hxg6 6.
.I I • Qxg6+ Kh8 then 7 . Nf5 i s deci­
sive. It is unusual for White to
.i. iV & .i. .t. .t. finish the game from the position
.t. .t. .t. .t. in the diagram in only five moves .
.t.
�.,___,..
� The fianchetto is a popular way of
11:J � � developing the bishop. I t often has
an excellent position on the long
l1:J diagonal. And for the king the
� � � 'Wi � � bishop is a welcome extra defender;
@ � � but as soon as the bishop disappears
after being exchanged what re­
Paoli- Tatai, Italy 1 9 76 mains is an ugly weakness. An

1 36
opening which i s notorious for
Black often being mercilessly
mated is the Dragon Variation of
the Sicilian Defence.
changed. The king would be very
safe were it not for the bishop on
c I . The attacking side knows that
too, so it does not take long to find
the first move.
1. e4 ! !
It's al l over. White wins. The threat
of 2. B h6 and 3 . Qh8 can only be
warded off with great material
losses.

.i •
i 'i¥ i .t
i i i
� �
Juferow-Grosdow, Lvov 1 966 � � �
1 . Bh6! Bh8
l2J
There is nothing else.
2. Bf8! � �
A standard motif. The bishop � @
creates space for the queen and the
rook. I n nine out of ten cases, ex­
2 . ... Rxf8 3. Rxh8+ Kxh8 4. changing the fianchettoed bishop i s
Qh6+ Kg8 5. Nd5 a good plan. Here too.
Black will be mated quickly. 1. Bf6! Bxf6 2. exf6 Qd8
Preventing the threats 3. Qh6 and
.I � I. • 3 . Ng5 . Black now wants to drive
back the white queen with Nd6 and
i i i i i .*. �
Nf5 . This explains the next move.
it' .t i ��-�- 3. g4! Nd6 4. Kg2
tt:J Just like in the Karpov game in
� � Chapter 3. B lack i s powerless
against the doubling on the h-file.

In most games the king position i s

not weakened. Then you have "bring
in more pieces" in order to provoke
The bishop on g7 is an excellent weaknesses. The next game forms
defender when it cannot be ex- an instructive example.

1 37

.i 'it' .i •
.i. I. I. I.
.t. 'li
l2J
t!J t!J � the defending bishop.
� Ponziani already knew all about
Mascarinas-Juarez, Manila 1 990
1. Re3 Bc6
This move gives White a free hand
to bring up more pieces. For sure
l . . . . b5 would have been better, to
keep White busy. After 2. Rg3 g6 !
(after 2 . . . . bxc4 3 . Qh6 g6 4. Nxg6
fxg6 5. Bxg6 Kh8 6. Bxh7 Qe7 7.
Bg6+ Nh7 8. Rh3 Rf7 9. Bxf7
Qxf7 White is better) 3. Nxd7
Nxd7 4. cxb5 Qf6 5. Rt3 Qxf4 6.
Rxf4 Rc3 B lack 6 as compensation
for the pawn.
After the move played B lack has to
suffer.
2. Rh3 h6
2 . . . . g6 3. Re I but Black remains
tied to the protection of the Nf6.
3. Rel Ne8
The queen arrives too late to dis­
rupt matters: 3 . . . . Qa5 4. Ree3
Qd2 5. Rxh6 Qd l + 6. Bfl win­
ning.
4. Ng4
Black resigned.
The queen can no longer help: 4 . . . .
Qg5 5 . Nxh6+ gxh6 6 . Rg3 .
1 38
BISHOPS OF OPPOSITE COLOU RS
The ideal attacking piece is a
bishop of the opposite colour to the
defending one. The squares which
it attacks cannot be protected by
that back in the I 8 1h century.
Ponziani
The pawns up are insufficient.
1. f6 g6
Black is obliged to weaken the
dark squares, because after I . . . .
Q f8 2 . fxg7+ Qxg7 3 . Qd8+ Qg8
4. Bb2+ he is mated. Nor does I .
. . . gxf6 make any sense: 2 . Qxf6+
Kg8 3 . Bh6.
2. Qh6 Qg8 3. Kg5 !
Necessary, otherwise Black frees
himself with 3 . . . . g5+.
3 . ... b4 4. Bf4 b3 5. Bd6 b2
6. Bf8 b l Q 7. Bg7+ Qxg7 8.
Qxg7 mate.
In this example the bishop on c6
can only stand by as an onlooker.
With bishops of opposite colours a
weakening of the long diagonal is
often fatal. A queen and bishop Kopecky-Cana/, Vienna 1 925
battery (with the queen to the Thanks to the bishops of opposite
fore ! ) on this diagonal is deadly. colours, B lack's attack i s like a
Also a bishop on h6 can be very knife cutting through butter. Keep
strong. Take a look at thi s exam­ an eye on the bishop on d2 . It is
ple. doing nothing and j ust getting in
the way.
'i¥ • 1 . ... Nf3+! 2. gxf3 Qxf3 3.
Kfl Qh3+ 4. Ke2 Bc4+ 5 .
.t. .t. .t .t.
Kd l Qb3+ 6. Ke t Bd3 7 .
.i .t. � Qc7 Rxa4
8 .i This move had to have been worked
.t. 8 out in advance.
8. Bb4 Rxa l+
'iY White resigned.
8 8 8 8
ll l:l @

White 's attack plays itself.

1 . Qc3 Rf6 2. Rxd5 Bxd5
After 2 . . . . Qxd5 then 3. Rxe7 wins
3. Rd l Rf7 4. Qe5 e6 5.
Qxe6
This would not be possible without
the bishop on h6. White wins.

I n the next fragment White tries to

bring the black attack to a stop by Smyslov-Reshevsky
exchanging queens. Belgrade 1 9 70
White 's attack has apparently run
.i • out of steam. The white pawns are
getting in the way of the deploy­
.t. .t. .t.
ment of fresh troops.
.t. it' .t. 1. Nd5!
8 .t 'iY With the forced exchange on d5
8 8 A)\ White makes space for the bishop
on f5 . he can now set up a battery
with queen and bishop.
� 8 8 8 Black's position is not good
l:l @ enough for an exchange sacrifice.

1 39
However, that makes it possible to The final example shows that an
play on for longer. experienced international master
1 . ... Bxd5 2. exd5 e4 (which meant a lot more in 1 97 1
But another sacrifice. Black does than it does in the 2 1 st century) can
not want to allow 3. Bc2 and then be totally unaware of the danger of
4. Qf5 . After 2 . . . . Rde8 3 . Re l , bishops of opposite colours.
followed by 4. Bc2, too. B lack must 1 . ... Qc7?
surrender a pawn on e4. This forces the capture on c8.
3. Bxe4 Re5 4. Bd3 Rde8 5. B lack could achieve the same with
Kg2 Qe7 1 . . . . Bc5 2. Nxc8 Qxc8. The dif­
Black does not have enough coun­ ference appears small but is
terplay. Nor does he after 5 . . . . Rg5 enormous. The black bishop is - as
6. Qh3 Ree5 7. B f5 Rxd5 8. Be6. will become apparent in two
6. Rf5 moves - vulnerable on b4.
With the exchange of rooks, White Over the years I have shown this
works at the setting up of a battery position to a lot of students. Many
aimed at h7, with the queen in lead (too many ! ) moved the knight back
position. to c4.
6 • Rel 7. Rxel Qxel 8.
••• 2. Nxc8!
Rf3 Qe7 The only chance for an advantage.
Black accepts his fate. 8 . . . . Qe5 is Thanks to the bishops of opposite
followed by 9. Re3 , and 8 . . . . Re5 colours White has good attacking
9. Qd7 f6 1 0. Rxt6 Re7 1 1 . Bh7+ chances.
Kxh7 1 2 . Qf5+ also loses. •2 ••• Rxc8
9. Qf5 g6 1 0. hxg6 f6 1 1 . B lack stil l does not spot any
Qxf6 danger. He intended to move the
Black lost the hopeless struggle. queen again and to free the f8-
square for the bishop. There the
"ii' .i. .1 • bishop may be undertaking defen­
sive duties, but it is only defending
K .t. .t. .t. .t.
the black squares. He had better
.t. l2J .t. .t. chances after 2 . . . . Qxc8 3. Qg4
� Bc5 4. f5 exf5 5. Bxf5 Qe8 ! (5 . . . .
.i. � Qc7 6. e 6 fxe6 7 . Bxe6+ Kh8 8 .
Q h 5 Qd6 9. Rxf8+ Qxf8 1 0. B f5
� h6 1 1 . Rfl is good for White) with
� � � � � a position which he may be able to
� � l::t <it> hold.
3. Qg4
Gufeld-Dzindzichasvili, Gori 1 9 71 White wins a tempo for the attack.

1 40
The bishop on b4 is en prise after
3 . . . . g6 4. f5 .
3 . ... Bf8 4. f5 exf5
Necessary : 4 . . . . Re8 5 . fxe6 fxe6 (
5 . . . . Rxe6 6. Bc4 Re7 7. Rxf7) 6.
Bxh7+.
5. Rxf5
The strongest, the rook takes a
more active part in things with
tempo. The a-rook can also help
out if required.
5 . ... Qd8
It is too late to have the rook help
in the defence: 5 . . . . b5 6. e6 (even
better than 6. Rxf7) 6 . . . . fxe6 7.
Rh5 g6 8. Bxg6 hxg6 9. Qxg6+
Qg7 I 0. Qxe6+ Rf7 I 0. Qxc8 loses
without a hope.
6. Rxti Kxti 7. Bc4+ Ke8 8.
Qe6+ Be7 9. Rfl
Black resigned. He has nothing to
offer against the threat of I 0. Rf8+
Kxf8 1 1 . Qf7#.

WORKBOOK

43 : A ttacking the king - Weakness (g-pawn) : A

44 : A ttacking the king - Access: A
45 : A ttacking the king - Eliminating the defender: A
46: A ttacking the king - Mix: A
47: A ttacking the king - Opposite coloured bishops: A
48 : A ttacking the king - Opposite coloured bishops: B

Follow the rules for attacking the king and win:

• bring up pieces
• create access
• eliminate defenders
• del iver mate

141
 1 1 Endg a me advantage
It would be no exaggeration to say
that there is nothing more difficult
than winning a won position.
Many a half point is lost along the
way. Above all in the endgame.
So, it can safely be said that win­
ning is not as simple as all that.
So why do things not run according
to plan in a won position? The main
reason is that we underestimate the
possibilities available to our oppo­
nent. In addition, the lack of knowl­
edge is often blamed. "I did not
know that it was a draw."
We will treat one after the other:
• how to convert an advantage in
material
• how to win by attacking
• how to liquidate to a (won) pawn
ending
• how to make use of zugzwang
• how to defend against a passed
pawn
AN ADVANTAGE IN MATERIAL
More material does not automati­
cal ly mean the full point. In Chap­
ter 5 mention was made of several
differences in material which did
not suffice for a win.
So what dangers are lurking in the
undergrowth? The biggest problem
1 42
is often that we do not have
enough pawns. A rule of thumb for
endgames in which we have an
advantage in material is:
Exchange pieces, not pawns!
I n any case, not too many.
We keep our final pawn alive by:
• protecting it
• preventing it from being ex-
changed
Or we sell its skin as dearly as
possible by :
• protecting it indirectly
• sacrificing
Mees (1 940)
White has extra material (six
points worth). I t quickly becomes
clear what can go wrong in the
position : the knight is under threat
of being lost, leaving White with
the wrong bishop. The knight must
- whatever the cost - remain on
the board
t . Bd6!
The alternative I . Bc5 is no good,
since after 1 . . . Kxc5 2. Nc7 Kc4
.
3. Kg2 Kb3 4. Nb5 Ka4 the pawn
is lost. The knight has to defend
the pawn from the other end of the
board (from b 1 or c2).
1. ... Kxd6 2. Nb6 Kc5 3.
Na4+ Kc4 4. Nb2+ Kb3 5.
a4
White wins. Remember this positi­
oning of the knight.
Prokes (1 94 7)
Where must the bishop go? To a
square on which it is not in the
way and on which it is not exposed
to an attack by the black king.
l. Bal !
The best square. Both after 1 . Bf6?
Kc4 2 . Kd7 Kd5 3. g4 Ke4 4. g5
Kf5 and also 1 . Bh8? Kc4 2 . g4
Kd5 3. g5 Ke6 4. Kf5 the pawn
falls. The rest is easy.
1 . .. Kc4 2. g4 Kd5 3. g5
. that it is hardly possible to hang on
Ke6 4. g6
White wins.
I ndirect protection is a possibility
in the next position thanks to the
advantage in material.
• .t
Fritz (1 952)
White is a sound bishop ahead, but
his last pawn is in danger. Pro­
tecting the pawn and preserving it
from exchange will not work.
Defending with 1 . Ba6 fails to 1 . . . .
Ke3 . First playing 1 . Bd2+ does
not help much after 1 . . .. Kg3 2.
Ba6 Kf2. White is lucky that the
position is sti ll won.
t. e4 !
Now that the pawn is on e4, the
win is suddenly simple. B lack
cannot take en passant in view of
the mate on d6.
After I . . . . Bf3 2 . Bd2+ Ke5 3 .
Kg5 there are n o longer any great
problems with winning. White is
j ust a piece up.
In the next example too, it seems
to the single pawn. It is in danger
agam.
1 43
Wotawa (1 95 1)
1 . Rh l +
White can try t o play fo r mate with
l . Be7?, but after l . . . . Rxb7 2.
Bf6+ Kh7 he can make no further
progress.
1. ... Kg8
The check on h 1 is only that, a
check. B lack does not have a good
square for his king. 1 . . . . Kg7 i s
followed b y 2. B f8 + Kg6 3 . Rb l !
Rxb I 4. Bb4 and things continue
as in the main variation: winning
by interposing.
2. Be7
Makes the pawn immune: 2. . . .
Rxb7 3 . B f6 and mate cannot be
avoided.
2 . ... Kg7 3. Rb l Rxb l 4.
Bb4 Re l + 5. Kd2
The promotion can no longer be
prevented.
(diagram above right)
The knight has to move away, thus
leaving the f2-pawn in difficulties.
White protects his pawn indirectly
with a subtle manoeuvre.
1 44
Sarychev (1 971)
1 . Nd6+ Ke7
Black does not have a great choice.
He must attack the knight. Other­
wise White will protect the f-pawn
by Rb2 . After I . . . . Kd7 2. Rd 1
White creates a winning battery
and saves the pawn.
2. Nxf5+ Ke6
The best chance. After 2 . . . . Kf6 3 .
Ne3 White has a knight fork . .
3. Nd4+ Kd5
White appears to have played all
his trumps, but he stil l has another
battery at his disposal.
4. Rb2 Kxd4 5. Rd2+ Ke4
Or 5 . . . . Ke5 6. f4+
6. f3+
White wins the rook.
MATE
Attacking the king tends to happen
in the middlegame. The positions
we shall now look at prove that
mate in the endgame is not such an
improbable idea.
 After l . . . . Qa6 White wins in the
same way.
2. Rd2+ exd2 3. Qf3+ Ke t
4. Qfl #

Gu/ko-Makarichev, Moskau 1 9 74
White is expecting a technically
demanding task. Fortunately a direct
mating attack is also possible.
1. Nf5+
First 1 . Rg8+ Kh6 2. Nf5+ is also
possible.
1. ... gxf5 2. Rg8+ Kh6 3.
g5+ fxg5 4. hxg5+ Kh5 5.
Bf3#
Even hidden in the corner, the king
is not safe.
1. Rg6 !
A great move. Black cannot
capture. The rook must move away.
1 . ... Rd8 2. Rd2 Ra8 3.
Rdg2
Mate can no longer be prevented .

•
.t .t.
I.

A typical position, in which Black

goes all out for the win. Unfor­
tunately, though surrounded by its
own pieces, the black king is not
safe.
l . Rd4 Bc2
Aimed against the threat 2. Qd3+.
Fenoglio (1 9 75)
White has very few attacking
pieces. He has a battery to thank
for his win.

1 45
 1 . Qd8 Ka8! 5. Ka6 ! Kb8
This threatens a winning disco­ 6. Kxb6 Kc8 7. c7 Kd7 8.
vered check with 2. Kt7+. Kb7
1 . ... Qa2 White wins.
The only possible way to prevent
2. Kt7.
2. Ke7+ Qg8 3. Bxg7+ Kxg7
4. Qd4+ Kg6 5. Qg4#

LIQUIDATING

When you are ahead in material,

you must exchange pieces or some­
times even sacrifice.
We look at the transition to a pawn
ending.
B lack gave an intermediate check
before recapturing the queen. Not
so clever, since White can now
avoid the rook ending, (which ts
harder to win).
1. Re l ! Rxe l + 2. Kd2 fxe6
3. Kxe l
White has a simple win in the pawn
ending.

Haggquist (1 960)
1 . Kc4 !
White should not play the over­
hasty 1 . Bb6+?, because of course
Black does not take the bishop.
After 1 . . . . Kb5 2. Ba7 Ka6 3. Bb6
cxb6 the position is drawn.
1 . ... Ka6 2. Bb6!
Now that the king is not so far Nadareishvili (1 962)
away, the sacrifice is correct. The stronger side must be careful
2 . ... cxb6 3. c6 Ka7 4. Kb5 when liquidating. Sometimes the

1 46
defender has at his disposal more 1 . Qd l + Kb2
ways of escaping than it might There are few alternatives: I . . . .
appear. Kxb4 2 . Qg4+.
White can promote and exchange 2. Qe2+ Kb l 3. Qe l + Kc2 4.
queens. Are things so simple? No! Qf2+
1 . bxa8R+! The goal has been achieved.
After the logical I . bxa8Q+? Kb2
2. Qb8 Ka i ! 3 . Qxb3 (otherwise
what arises is a queen ending which
cannot be won) Black is stale­
mated.
1 . ... Kb2 2. Rb8 Qxb8+ 3.
Kxb8
The liquidation was a success.

In queen endings an extra pawn is

harder to convert because the op­
ponent is continually threatening to
give perpetual check. The best
strategy in such endings is there­
fore to force an exchange of
queens.
Z. Po/gar-Bischoff, Dortmund 1 985
The win is no easy task on account
of Black ' s bad king position. Black
was certainly specifically looking
for a way to liquidate. (A good tip:
if you don ' t look, you won ' t find ! )
1 . ... Rg3+! 2 . Bxg3 c4+! 3.
Kd4 Qd2+ 4. Kxc4 Qe2+ 5.
Kb4 Qxb5+ 6. Kxb5 fxg3
The g-pawn is decisive.

First we look for the squares on

which an exchange can be success­
fully realised. The outposts in this
position are c5, f6, f4, f3 , t2 and
g4. Then we sti ll have to chase the
king on to the correct square.

1 47
When liquidating, you need to know
your pawn endings.
1. Rc8 Kd6
Now White has to exchange
cleverly by first taking with the
rook and thus winning a tempo.
2. Rxc5 Rxc5 3. h4 Kd5
A necessary loss of a tempo.
4. Bxc5 Kxc5 5. g5 hxg5 6.
f6!
(Take another look at the section
on breakthroughs in Chapter 8 ! )
So, not 6 . h 5 Kd6 7 . f6 Ke6 8 . fxg7
Kf7 9. h6 g4 I O. Kg2 e4 with a
draw.
6 . ... gxf6 7. h5
White wins.
In more crowded pos1t1ons liqui­
dations do not happen so often, but
they do from time to time. A nice
example of this i s illustrated in the
'
next diagram.
Ramirez-Miranda, ARG 1 99 7
Black manages t o swap o ff a l l the
pieces in the shortest possible time.
Capturing on d5 does not come
into question as long as the white
1 48
queen is able to recapture. So the
queen has to be lured away first.
1 . ... Qe l + 2. Qgl Rxh2+ 3.
Kxh2 Qh4+
The point of the rook sacrifice.
White has to abandon the protec­
tion of his rook.
4. Kg2 Qxg5+ 5. Kfl Qxgl +
6. Kxgl Nxd5 7. cxd5 Kd6
The rest is child ' s play.
ZUGZWANG
Zugzwang was already treated in
the previous steps. Now you have
to develop a nose for positions in
which zugzwang occurs.
One hint is, whenever the oppo­
nent' s pieces only have a few
moves. Your question then is:
"What would my opponent play i f
it were his move?"
Black also asked this question. It is
easy to see that White only has a
check on b8. Any other move loses
on the spot.
1 . ... Kh7!
It would be silly to play I . . . . Kh8
2 . Qb8+ Kh7 3. Qe5, and B lack
has no useful move (3 . . . . Qc I 4.
g4).
White's advantage in material is not
sufficient. The constricted position
of the rook on h I forces B lack into
king moves. However, he soon runs
out even of them.
1 . Re l Ka4
Because of the battery on the back
rank The king can no longer go on
to a black square.
2. Rb l h5+ 3. Kg3
Black has no more moves.
Logically, zugzwang frequently
appears in pawn endings. Then the
only pieces are the kings.
I f B lack had the move, he would
lose at once. I t is possible to
"transfer" the right to move to his
opponent in a subtle way.
1 . Kd2 Kf6 2. Ke2 Ke5 3.
Ke3
White has completed a "triangle"
with his king. "Triangulation" is a
technical term which is used in the
world of chess.
B lack does not have enough squares
available to be able to imitate his
opponent.
Maise/is (1 956)
In thi s position too, triangulation
by the king i s decisive.
1. Kf4
A characteristic of the triangle is
that it makes no difference whether
the king's first move is diagonal or
straight. This means that 1 . Ke4
Ke6 2. Kf4 Kd6 3. Kf5 is also
possible.
1. ... Ke6 2. Ke4 Kd6 3. Kf5
Kd7 4. Ke5
White wins.
1 49
All the other pieces (except the
knight) can also triangulate (even
it is not a real triangle that they
make). This is helpful, because in
many positions it i s necessary to
"lose" a move, so that it becomes
your opponent' s tum to move.

1 . Bg2
I . Bf3 and 1 . Bh I would also win,
but it takes a bit longer.
1. ... Qb2 2. Be4 Qb4 3. Bd5
It is Black to move and he will be
mated.

The motto is that if the opposite

Katsnelson (1 990) side still has pawn moves, get him
I n a blitz game you would quickly to use them up with tempo moves.
play I . Rd7? And discover after I .
. . . Kxc4 that you had given away
the win (2. Rxe7 Kd5). White must
only move the rook to d7 after
Kxc4.
1. Rd5 !
Threatening 2. Rxc5 , and after I .
. . . Kxc4 then 2. Rd7 decides
matters.
1 . ... Kb4 2. Rd3
This forces the capture on c4.
2. ... Kxc4 3. Rd7 Kb5 4.
Rxe7 Kc6 5. Rd7 Drewitt (1 9 1 7)
White wins. The black queen has no move. I t
must protect against the mate on
In the next position B lack is con­ g3 . The pawn moves will soon be
trolling the white king; if the king exhausted. White has to make
could move B lack would be mated. waiting moves with his king, while
So the bishop plans to lose a tempo. not al lowing B lack to be able to

1 50
check with the queen.
1 . Kb3 g5 2. Ka3 g4 3. Nf4#
Rinck (1 926)
H ere too, B lack does not have a
good move.
1 . . . . Rxc7 2. Qf8+
I . . . . Qa8 2 . Qf8+
l . . . . Qxc7 2. Qf8#
Wanted: a useful wa1tmg move
with the king. If it is on the 4th or
5 th rank, then there follows a rook
check on d4 or d5. On the 6th rank
g6 is no good because of the check
on b l and neither is f6 because of
check from b2 .
All that is left is:
1 . Kh6!
White still has to win the queen
versus rook endgame, which is not
easy but it is a theoretical win.
DEFENDING AGAINST PASSED PAWNS
In Chapter 2 we learned that
passed pawns can be extremely
strong. In this case they can stil l be
very annoying; however, there is
now something that can be done to
combat them. Weapons:
• counter-attack (playing for mate)
• the double attack
Krikheli (1 98 7)
I f the pawns can no longer be
stopped, as is the case in the next
position, there is only one remedy
left: counter-attack.
1. Nf5
In any case, thi s move stops I . . . .
a2, since then : 2. Bxa2 c 2 3 . Bf7#
1. ... c2 2. Bxc2 a2 3. Bb3
The double threat of winning a
pawn I mate is deci sive.
Rinck (1 9 1 9)
151
The double attack i s a strong
weapon in the battle against passed
pawns. A piece can capture the
passed pawn or the new queen
with tempo or else keep an eye on
any possibi lity of castling.
1. Nf4+ Kh6
The only move with which the pawn
can be brought to the point of
queen mg.
Other options:
A) I . . . . Kf7 2 . Nd6+ Kf8 (2.
Ke7 3. Nf5+ Kd7 4. Ne3) 3 .
Ng6 mate.
B) I . . . . Kf5 2 . Nd5 Ke4 3 . Nc3+
Kd3 4. N d l Kc2 5 . Nd6 (or 5 .
Nf2 Kc3 6. Nd6 Kb4 7. Nde4)
5 . . . . Kxd l 6. Nc4
C) I . . . . Kg5 2. Nh3+ Kf5 3. Nf2
2. Nd6 d l Q 3. Nf7#
Pretty examples, but the last two
positions are even more remark­
able. Mate plays the main part, but
if the weaker side does not coope­
rate, there is a normal technical win.
Wotawa (1 948)
The first consolation for White i s
1 52
that he can draw with I . R8d I .
Black gets a queen but the two
rooks are sufficiently strong to
stand up to it. The question is
whether White can win. Yes. He
starts with an extraordinarily ele­
gant move.
1. Rfl ! !
This threatens mate o n e8. The
rook is indirectly protected by an
X-ray check: I . . . Rxfl 2. Re8+
.
and 3. Rf8+. So Black must make
a king move.
1. ... Ke6
After I . . . . Ke4 White has a simple
win: 2 . Re8+ Kd3 3. Rf3+ Kd2 4.
Rf2+ and the black position im­
plodes.
2. Re8+ Kd7 3. Rfe l !
Now the threat is mate on e7.
B lack allows his opponent the plea­
sure.
3 . ... a l Q 4. Rl e7#
Reti (1 928)
This appears to be an easy win, but
appearances are deceptive. White
must beware of stalemate.
1 . Bf5+
The first stalemate crops u p in the 2 . ... e l Q
following variation: I . Bc6+? Kd6 2 . . . . Kxd7 is fol lowed by 3. Rxe3.
2. Rxe3 e l Q 3. Rx.e l stalemate. 3. Bb5!
1 . ... Kd8 2. Bd7! And there is no defence against
and not 2. Rxe3 e I Q 3. Rxe I stale­ mate.
mate.

WORKBOOK

49 : Endgame - Mate: A
Look for a mating pattern. Of course you will have to reach your goal by
means of combinations. Eliminating a defender can often help. Try to shut
in the opposing king. Make use of "quiet moves" and zugzwang.

50: Endgame - Material advantage: A

A lead in material i s not enough for you to be able to rest on your laurels.
The dangers which are there are:
• too little material (to deliver mate or a theoretically drawn position)
• a fortress
• stalemate
Above all, take good care of your last pawn. Protect and cosset it, defend it
indirectly, if you have to then give it up but make sure than in doing so you
win.

5 1 : Endgame - Mastering a passed pawn: A

There are many ways to stop a passed pawn and in doing so to win. Think
of:
• blockading or controlling
• threatening mate
• double attacks (attracting, clearing a square or a l ine)
• rendering the new queen harmless
• the Reti manoeuvre

5 2 : Endgame - Liquidating: A
Useful procedures to reach a won pawn ending are:
• returning your lead in material
• forcing an exchange to create a passed pawn
• exchanging "annoying pieces" (queens ! )
• winning a tempo

1 53
5 3 : Endgame - Zugzwang: A
Take a look at the pieces which are able to move and make sure that:
• there is no longer any possible check
• there is no longer any way to defend against mate

If early on you realise that a position is ripe for a zugzwang, there :

various ways for you to "lose" a move:
• keep the opposing king at a distance
• carefully select the route your own king w i l l take
• triangulation
• either play or prevent a tempo move I the tempo moves of pawns:
--+ the choice between a double or single move of one of your own pa\\
--+ keeping in hand the double move of your own pawn
--+ preventing the opponent from making a double move

Kramnik

1 54
 12 Bishops

There are all sorts of different White decides on an effective plan.

types of bishops : good and bad, of H e first ties down the black pieces
the same or of different colours, to the protection of the pawn on
and many a bishop is even the b6.
"wrong" bishop. 1. e4 Bc8 2. Qa4 Bd7 3. Qa7
The "bad" bishop has already been Be8 4. Rb 1 Rd6 5. a4
introduced in the struggle against All his pawns are now on white
the knight. In Chapter 9 it was squares. Because of the passive
argued that you should not write position of the black pieces, c5 can
off the bad bishop straight away. no longer be sufficiently defended
Take a look at the next example. by them. So White swaps off the
defender on b6 .
.I • 5 . ... Kh7 6. a5 bxa5 7. Qxa5
Ra6
.t. .t.
Black gets some counterplay, but
.i. .t. 'if .t. not much .
.t. � .t. 8 8. Qxc5 Ra2 9. Qe3 Qa6 1 0.
8 Rb8 Qa4 1 1 . Kh2 Ra3 1 2 .
Qc5 Ra2 13. Ra8 Qxa8 1 4.
8 8 8
Bxa8 Rxa8 1 5. Qxe5 Bc6 1 6.
� 8 Qc7
n @ Black resigns.

Botvinnik-Kan, Leningrad 1 939 .I •

The differing levels of activity
.t. .t .t.
between the bishops i s crystal
clear. The white bishop is, one .t.
it' --�--
might say, "bad". But of course, '
the decisive factor is how active 8 �
the bishops are. The bishop on d5
has a central position, it restricts
� [::;
the activity of the rook on d8 and [::; [::; [::; [::;
controls many squares in the @
opposing camp. There is little the
black bishop can do to oppose it. Kholmov-Panov Skopje, 1 96 7

1 55
 Who is better? Black with the good
bishop or White with the more
active rook?
I. Be3
Attempts to exchange the d4-pawn
for another pawn fail . 1 . Rc7 is
followed by I . ... Bxd4 2 . Rxb7
Qe 1 + 3. Kh2 Bxf2, and I . Rc5
Bxd4 2. Rxd5 by the strong reply
2. . . . Bxf2+. However the move
played in the game is very good.
1 . ... Bf8
At first glance it is a strange
decision j ust to let the white rook
on to the seventh rank. More accu­
rate analysis shows us that B lack
also has problems in other varia­
tions and does not obtain equality.
Winning a pawn is safe for White,
thanks to his active rook, after I . . . .
Qd6 2 . Rc5 Rd8 3 . Qg3 ! Qxg3 4 .
fxg3 K f8 5 . Rc7 Re8 6. K f2 Re7 7 .
Rc8+ R e 8 8 . Rc5� P laying for an
exchange of rooks makes the white
queen much more active: I . . . . Qd7
2. Qf4 Rc8 3. Rxc8+ Qxc8 4. Qd6,
and Black cannot prevent the loss
of a pawn.
2. Rc7 Re7 3. Rc5 Rd7 4.
Rc8 Qe7
The lesser evil . After 4 . . . . f6 (or
f5) 5. Bh6 Rf7 6. Rd8 the d-pawn
will be lost.
5. Qf4 a6?
Black does not want to accept any
loss of material, but as is so often
the case in inferior positions this
leads straight to a loss. After the
logical 5 . . . . Rd8 6. Rc7 Rd7 7.
Rxd7 Qxd7 8. Qb8 Kg7 9. Qxa7 a
1 56
pawn is lost without any compen­
sation. But the technique required
after that is of quite a high level.
6. Qb8 h5 7. Bh6
White has the choice. 7 . Re8 Qb4
8. Qc8 is also very strong.
7. Kh7 8. Bxf8 Qe l + 9.
•••
Kh2 Qxfl 1 0. Bd6 g5 1 1 .
Rh8+ Kg6 1 2 . Qg8+ Kf5 13.
Qc8
Black resigned.
.t • .I
'ii' ..t i '
' _.,___'__ _
' ' [::,
[::, ttJ � [::,
[::, �
'if [::, [::,
n @ .
A nand-Bareev, Linares 1 993
Which pawn should Black use to
take on c4?
1 . ... bxc4
Many players would recapture
with the other pawn: 1 . . . . dxc4 2 .
Be4 0-0 3 . Ra t Bxe4 4. Qxe4. And
Anand describes this position as
winning. He continues: "This seems
exaggerated, but I can see no hope
for Black. Although Black possesses
the good bishop, the said bishop
does not have a single square.
White will penetrate on the a-file
and in a short space of time Black
will lose b5 and c4. The situation is
unusual but White's "bad bishop" is
much better than Black's "good
bishop", which is restricted in its
mobility by the white pawns."
Moreover, even taking with the b­
pawn does not save Black.
2. Bel Bc6 3. Qe3 0-0 4. f5
exf5 5. Bxf5 Qd8 6. Bg4 Bg5
7. Qe2 h5 8. Bxh5 gxh5 9.
Qxh5 Be8 1 0. Rf6
Black resigned.
In manuals and m the opm10ns
expressed by many trainers, there
is a great tendency to be pessimis­
tic about the future of a bishop
when pawns are fixed on squares
of the wrong colour.
The next position is taken from the
book "Simple Chess" by Michael
Stean, an English grandmaster.
In fact the position appears to be
absolutely simple. Two positional
factors catch the eye : the open d­
file and the fact that Black' s bish­
op 1s worse.
1 . ... Red8!
A move which was not mentioned
by Stean. He correctly points out
that the occupation of an open file
does not make sense unti l one can
use it to penetrate.
That is true, but here the rook
move is purely intended defensive­
ly: White must on no account
penetrate. The first thing that has
to be done is to stem the activity of
the white rooks.
Stean points out: "l . . . . Kh7 ! 2.
Rd l Red8 ! (not 2 . . Rad8 3. Be3
. .
gaining a tempo with an attack on
a7) 3. Be3 Bh6 ! 4. Bc5 Bg5 , and
after the transfer of the black king
to e6 brings about approximate
equality".
(As we go on, we shall see whether
that is correct.)
Strange, because Black still has the
worse bishop. Apparently other
factors have their role to play also.
White can simply dispose of the
black defence with 3 . Bg5 f6 4.
Be3 Bh6 5 . Bc5 and he has a maj or
advantage. This order of moves
(starting with Red8) enables B lack
to avoid this problem in any case.
2. Be3 Kf8 !
We are in an endgame; every piece
must play its part. The centrali sing
of the king is often a good plan.
Here the king has the useful func­
tion of keeping a white rook out of
Black ' s position. Here too Black
can try to exchange bishops: 2 . . . .
Kh7 3 . Rhd l Bh6 4 . Bc5 Bg5 (the
position in which Stean thought
that Black should have held the
position) 5. Bd6 ! f6 (5 . . . . Bf6 is
strongly met by 6. Bc7) 6. Be7
1 57
Rxd l 7. Rxd l Rg8 8 . Rd6 ! , and
White has a major advantage.
3. Rhd l Ke8
White is better, but finds it hard to
make progress. After 4. Rxd8+
Kxd8 5. Rd l + Ke8 (followed by
Bf6, Bd8, a6 (Bb6}, Bc7 and Rd8
Black can defend the position).
In the starting position, Black is
almost level, but certainly not be­
cause he can exchange the bad
bishops.
.i..
i • i
8 i
8 8 @ 8
� on h5 at some point). There are too
:!
Kalinin-Kondratiev, Moscow 1 996
Black has not only been left with
the worse bishop, but also with a
more passive rook. That is worry­
ing. All White ' s pieces, on the
other hand, are active.
1. h5+ Kg7 2. Kf5 Bg5
A waiting game can sometimes be
the best defence. But not here;
afte� 2 . . . . Kt7 3. Rg2 (better than
3. Bxh6 Rg8 4. RO Rg2 with some
counterplay) 3 . . . . Rh8 4. Rg6 Bf8
White brings his c-pawn to c6 by
means of a3 , b4 and c5 and there­
after his bishop to a5 .
3. Rg2 Rf8+ 4. Ke6 Rf6+ 5.
1 58
Kd7 Rf7+ 6. Kc6 Kf6 7.
Rf2+ Ke7 8. Rxf7+ Kxf7 9.
Bf2
Black resigned.
I.
.t
i i i "i.V i
i 8 i i
8 8 i tfj 8
8 8
� 'ib'
Rublevsky-Romanov
A lma A ta 1 991
The bishop on b7 is permanently
bad (optimists can see it appearing
many pawns on the wrong . colour
of squares. Amusingly, that can
also work in B lack ' s favour: the
white bishop may be good, but it
cannot achieve anything against
B lack' s pawn wall . I f it i s Black ' s
move, h e can completely close the
position, after which White can
hardly break through. Unfortunate­
ly it is White ' s move.
1. g4 ! gxf4 2. exf4 Qxg4+ 3.
Kh l Qg6 4. Rgl Qf7 5. Rg3
The pseudo-sacrifice 5 . Bxf5 exf5
6. e6 Qf6 7. exd7+ Kxd7 i s far less
clear than the game. The result of
the pawn sacri fice is easy to see.
White gets control over the g-file.
Keep an eye on both bishops.
5 . ... 0-0-0 6. Ragl Rhg8 7.
 Qg2 Rxg3 8. Qxg3 Nf8 9.
Qh4 Ng6 1 0. Qxh6 Rg8 1 1 .
Bd l
The white bishop gets involved
and the game comes to a rapid end.
1 1 . ... Ne7 1 2. Bh5 Rxgl +
13. Kxgl Qg8+ 1 4. K f2 Kd7
1 5. Qf6
The threat of 1 6. Bl7 cannot be
parried.
In openings l ike the French and the
Dutch (Stonewall), you have to
accept having the bad bishop from
the start. In most positions the bad
bishop is the result of weak play or
a deliberate strategy on the part of
the opponent.
Portisch-Radulov, Moscow 1 9 77
1 . c5!
With this very strong move White
fixes the black c-pawn on a light
square and temporari ly condemns
the bishop on b7 to the role of a
spectator.
1 . ... Qe7
Sad, but taking on cS costs a piece :
I . . . . bxcS 2 . dxcS NxcS 3 . Qb4
Qe7 4. Rae I Rfd8 S. Rxd8+ Rxd8
6. QxcS.
2. b 4 Rfd8 3. Qc2 Nf6 4 .
N e 5 N d 5 5 . a 3 b5
Black wants to prevent Nc4-d6. A
better move is S . . . . Ba6.
6. Be4 g6 7. h4 a5 8. bxa5
Ra8 9. a4 b4 1 0. Bxd5 Rxd5
1 1 . Rah l f6 1 2. Ng4 Rad8
13. Rxb4 Bc8 1 4. Ne3 R5d7
1 5. Rb8 e5 1 6. d5 cxd5 1 7.
c6 Rd6 1 8. c7 Rf8 1 9. Rxd5
f5 20. Qc5 Re6 2 1 . Qxe7
Rxe7 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23.
Rd8+ Re8 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8
25. Nd5
B lack resigned.
•
.t. .t. .t.
Karpov-Lautier, Biel 1 992
Black is threatening c S ; White ' s
first move is obvious.
1. Bf3 Ba8
Again, he threatens cS. The solu­
tion is not so simple.
2. Rxd8 Rxd8 3. Rd l Rxd l +
4 . Bxd l Qd8 5 . B f3 Qd2
Black sti ll had time to activate his
bi shop. However, the queen is all
the more active and the bishop will
1 59
not need to be worried any more
after 6. Qe2 (what else?) 6. . . .
Qxe2 7 . Bxe2 c 5 . Karpov turns all
his attention not to the question of
material, but to the bishop on a8.
H e gives up a pawn.
6. b3 Qxa2 7. b4 Qa l + 8.
Kh2 Qa6
The move 8 . . . . Qb2 was interes­
ting to use the queen to run inter­
ference. White gets a strong passed
pawn after 9. b5 Bb7 I 0. bxc6 Bc8
and a defence i s probably impossi­
ble: 1 1 . c7 a5 1 2 . Qc6 Qxe5+ 1 3 .
g3 Qc5 1 4. Qd8 with the intention
1 5 . Bc6 and 1 6. Be8.
The moved played is probably
enough to draw.
9. Qd4 Qc8 1 0. c5 bxc5 1 1 .
Qxc5 a6 1 2. Qe7 g6 13. h4
h5 1 4. Kg3 Qb7?
Lautier is eager to exchange queens,
but he should have- kept the queens
on. The queen is passive but also
l imits the activity of the white
queen. Now the white king can
enter. The move 14 . . . . Qb8 holds.
1 5. Qxb7 Bxb7 1 6. Kf4 Kf8
1 7. Kg5 Ke7 1 8. Be4 Ba8
1 9. f3 Bb7 20. g4 Ba8 2 1 .
gxh5 gxh5 22. f4 Bb7 23.
Bf3 Ba8 24. Kxh5
Black resigned.
BISHOPs-tfFT H E SAME COLOUR
I n bishop endings things are worse
whenever the pawns are on squares
of the wrong colour. However,
1 60
activity remains the most impor­
tant factor.
The next study is a convmcmg
example. White manages to make
the black bishop passive. It is abso­
lutely no problem that the white
pawns are on the wrong colour.
Black cannot attack them !
Makarichev (1 990)
Here the active "bad" bishop 1s
better than the "good" one.
1 . f5! Bh7 2. Bfl
It is important to prevent B lack
from being able to bring his bishop
into the game.
2 . ... Ke7
B lack cannot activate his bishop.
The pawn ending after 2 . . . . Bg8 3 .
Bc4+ K f8 4 . Bxg8 Kxg8 5 . Ke3
Kf7 6. Kd4 Ke7 7. Kc5 Kd7 8.
Kd5 Ke7 9. Kc6 is lost.
3. Bc4 Kd6 4. Ke3 Ke5
The king has to give way. Even
after 4 . . . . Kc5 5. Be6 Kd6 6. Kd4.
5. Be6 Kd6 6. Kd4 Kc6 7.
Bti Kd6 8. Bd5 Ke7 9. Kc5
Kd7 1 0. Bc4 Ke7 1 1 . Kc6
Kd8 1 2 . Kd6 Ke8 13. Be6
 KdS 1 4. Bf7
White wins.

Now it is the tum of the really bad

bishop. In this position the bishop
is very bad because of its total lack
of mobility. Its only task is to
protect the d-pawn.

• .i.
A rgandona-Huesmann
San Sebastian 1 995
1 . ... Bfl
B lack must reach this position
when it is his tum to move.
2. Bc2 Bb5 3. Bbl Ba6 4.
Bc2 Bfl 5. Ket
White is in zugzwang after 5 . Bd l
Bd3 .
Kovalenko (1 9 76) 5 . ... Bg2 6. Bd l
1 . Ld4 After 6. Kf2 the king penetrates to
White must not take his task light­ c3.
ly. After l . Bd8? Bc7 the win has 6• ••• Ke3
been given away (2 . Bxc7 stale­ Black wins.
mate).
1 . ... Ba7 2. Bb6 Bb8 3. Ka5!
3 . Kb5? i s inaccurate: 3 . . . . Kb7 4.
Ka5 Ba7.
3 . ... Kb7 4. Kb5 Kc8
Or 4 . . . . Ka8 5. Kc6.
5. Ka6!
5. Kc6? would be bad: Bc7 6.
Bxc7 stalemate.

The bad bishop can only defend

two weaknesses if it cannot be put
in zugzwang. A verbakh (1 954)
The defending side can often be I n this position Black 1s m zug­
defeated by triangulation. zwang if it is his move. Thanks to

161
Black' s three weaknesses, White ' s
bishop manages to transfer to his
opponent the obligation to move.
1. Bd l ! Be8
White achieves his aim more
quickly after 1 . . . . Bg6 2. Bc2 Bh7
3 . Bb3 Bg8 4. Bd l Bt7 5 . B fJ .
2. Bc2 Bg6
Or 2 . . . . Bd7 3. Bd3 Be6 4. Be2
Bt7 5. BfJ and wins.
3. Bbl Bh7 4. Bd3 Bg6 5.
Bc2 Bh7 6. Bb3 Bg8 7. Bd l
Bti 8. BO
The starting position has been
reached again, but with B lack to
move.
The passed pawn
The endgame with bishops of the
same colour also makes uses of
some specific techniques for the
promotion of a pawn.
• A necessary gain of tempo. After
' the capture on f5 , 6. h7 is decisive.
�
1 . Ba2 ! Bxa2 2. b4+
He takes advantage of the fact that
promotion will follow the en
passant capture.
1 62
2 . ... Ka6 3. b5+
Back in Chapter 2, we saw the
problems faced by the bishop
trying to struggle against widely
separated passed pawns.
3 . ... Ka5 4. b6 e3 5. b7
Bd5+ 6. Kxd5 e2 7. g8Q
White wins.
Amirjan (1 984)
Luring a defender away and win­
ning a tempo play the main part in
this study.
1 . BO Bc8 2. Bh5 Ke3
H eading for h6! After 2 . . . . e4 then
3 . Bg6 wins simply.
3. Bg6 Kf4 4. Bxh7 Kg5 5.
Bf5
5 . ... Ba6+ 6. Bd3
Active king
As in almost all endgames the
activity of the king is i mportant. I n
the next game extract, the player
with Black sacrifices a pawn in
order to penetrate with his king.
Nowak-Pachman, Solingen 1 968
1 . ... f4 !
Black wins simply. The king gets
through to d4.
2. exf4 Bd7
The white passed pawn is not
dangerous, but there would be no
need to let it advance.
3. Kd2 Kd4 4. Be2 c3+ 5.
bxc3+ bxc3+ 6. Ke t Bf5 7.
Bb5 Ke3 8. Bc6
After this, White resigned.
BISHOPS OF OPPOSITE COLOURS
I n endgames with bishops of oppo­
site colours, material does not play
such an important role as in other
endgames. Exchanging pieces, the
correct strategy when you are
ahead in material, will hardly work
because the bishops cannot attack
each other. That is an advantage
for the defending side.
The magic way of obtaining a draw
is to fix the opponent' s pawns on
squares of the same colour as that
of his bishop.
1. Bg6
Or other bishop moves (along the
correct diagonal ! ) or I . Kf8. Of
course not I . Kxf6 on account of I .
. . . Kg8, and B lack wins. Take a
good look at that one !
•
i i
.t
White draws by fixing the black
pawns.
1. Ba3 d5 2. Bd6 e4 3. Be5
Kf7 4. g3 g6 5. Ke3 Ke6
6. Bf4
White puts his king on d4, and
Black can no longer get through.
The defender' s task is harder when
the pawns are not connected. Then
what is very important is whether
1 63
the bishop can fulfil a double func­
tion.
The bishop on g8 i s stopping the
two pawns on the same diagonal .
The position can be defended with
the help of the king.
1. Ke5 Kc6 2. Kf5 Bti 3.
Kg5 Kd7 4. Kh6 Bc4 5. Kg7
Ke8
B lack achieves a draw.
But, oh dear, if we give White
some help by moving the c-pawn
beyond the c4-square . . . .
1 . Ke5 B ti 2. Kf5 Kc6 3.
Kg5 Kd7 4. Kh6 Bd5 5. Kg7
1 64
Ke8 6. c6
White wins.
The double function can also help
the defending side against connect­
ed pawns.
For the moment, Black is still stop­
ping the white pawns.
1.
••• Bf2
I . . . . Bh4 is also good, so as . to get
to e7 immediately.
2. Kc4 Bh4! 3. d5 Be7
Simply not 3 . . . . Bg3 on account of
4. Kd3 Bh2 5. Ke4 Bg3 6. Kf5 B f2
7 . d6+.
After the text move the b ishop is
ideally placed. It is attacking the
c5-pawn, so that the white king
cannot be manoeuvred round to e6.
In addition, the bishop is always
ready to sacrifice itself after d6+.
Of course, thi s defence only works
if the bishop can make a waiting
move along the same diagonal . But
the bishop has no chance against
pawns on the sixth rank because its
diagonal is too short. However,
there is always an exception,
namely when one of the pawns is a wm.
rook pawn. We shal l take a look at 7 . ... a2 8. c4 bxc4 9. Kd2
this situation in a game between Draw.
two talented young players. It will
be some time before Black has two
connected passed pawns. The king stops the passed pawn

In general, the best defensive setup

is when the king is blocking the
opposing passed pawn. The bishop
has to defend pawns on the other
wing. That mainly happens simply
when the pawns are fixed on the
correct colour and when the oppo­
nent cannot create a second passed
pawn.

A rthur Pijpers-A nne Haast

Ven/a, Dutch Youth Championship
200 7
1 . ... Kc4
The most promising try. In the
game I . . . . Kc6 2. Kf4 a5 3. Ke3
Bc4 4. Bxb6 was played, with a
draw. B lack has the wrong bishop.
4. Kd2 b5 5. Kc I is also insuf­
ficient.
2. Kf4 a5 3. Ke3 It is not difficult to draw in this
The pawn on b6 is taboo: 3. Bxb6 position. The bishop has a useful
a4. Manoeuvring with the bishop waiting move. White moves his
does not help either: 3. Bf6 a4 4. bi shop back and forward between
Be7 Kxc3, and the connected pawns a5 and b4 or his king between g3
can no longer be stopped. and f2.
3 . ... a4 4. Kd2 a3 5. Kcl b5
6. Bf6 Kb3 7. Be5 As soon as the bishop ' s diagonal is
This i s the best. The draw, of too short there are problems. In the
which there was some question, following position that is the case.
occurs after 7. c4 Kxc4 8. Bg7 Kb3 Black wins with a pretty pawn
9. Bf6 b4. B lack can no longer sacrifice.

1 65

1 . ... b5
White suddenly has major pro­
blems. There is no hope after 2 .
Bxb5 Kxb3 , and the a-pawn de­
cides matters. The alternative i s
not much better.
2. cxb5 Bb6
White gets into zugzwang.
3. Ke2 Kc3 4. Kf3 Kd3
White has to give the f-pawn a free
run through or play 5. b4 and give
Black a passed b-pawn.
The diagonal fl /h3 of the defen­
ding bishop is too short. The pawn
on h3 is a weak one. It has to
remain weak.
1. ... Bg5 !
1 66
The only move. Or else White
plays g5, after which the h-pawn
can be defended from the much
longer h3-c8 diagonal . After I . . .
.
Kd6? 2. g5 hxg5 3 . Bh5 White has
a blockade on both wings (despite
being three pawns down).
2. Bg8 Kd4
The black king will win the h3-
pawn, and the white king loses
time capturing the black pawns.
3. Kxb4 Ke3 4. Kxa3 Kf3 5.
Kb4 Kg3 6. Kc3 Kxh3 7.
Kd3 Kg2 8. Bd5+ Kg l 9.
Ke2 h3 1 0. Be4 h2
Black wins.
The bishop stops the passed pawn
The bishop is much less suited to
stopping a passed pawn. The op­
posing king can simply chase the
bishop away and often the pa ssed
pawn costs the bishop its life. A
principle which has already been
mentioned plays an important role.
The black king has broken through
and the g-pawn will cost White the
bishop. The a-pawn will be deci­ White draws with 1 . e6 followed
sive. The d-pawn is doing no hann. by 2. e7.
The bishop on d8 is fulfill ing two
functions on one and the same The final example demonstrates
diagonal : that the bishop may be well placed
• The bishop is protecting the a­ but that there are problems because
pawn the bishop' s diagonal is too short.
• The bishop is stopping the d-
pawn
From the moment when the bishop
has to carry out both functions on
different diagonals, the win ts no
longer possible.

With the bishop on b4 the position

I n this diagram the e-pawn lures
the bishop away from the protect­
tion of the a-pawn.
would be a clear win. But now
B lack can draw.
1 . ... Kd3 2. h6 Ke2 3. Bh4
Kd3 4. Bf6 Kc4.
The bishop is forced on to the
wrong diagonal. There is nothing
which can be done to prevent b6-
b5-b4.

WORKBOOK

54: Strategy - Good + bad bishops: A

For the side with the bad bishop, the following strategy can be recommen­
ded:
• exchange the bishop (for another bishop or a knight)
• activate the bishop (have it do something sensible)
• put pawns on squares of the correct colour
If you are playing against the bad bishop, you have to :
• prevent it being exchanged

1 67
• create a second weakness (the first weakness is the bishop ! )
• exchange other pieces (so that the bishop becomes worse)

5 5 : Endgame strategy - Good + bad bishops: A

For the side with the good bishop, the following strategy can be recom­
mended:
• make use of zugzwang
• enter the opponent' s position with the king (sacrifice a pawn if necessary)
• limit the mobility of the enemy bishop

56: Bishop endings (same coloured) - Passedpawn: A

Take another look at what was said in Chapter 2 about the promotion of the
passed pawn. Effective techniques in bishop endings are:
• helping
• eliminating the defence (luring away, blocking, interfering)
• keeping away from the opposing king
• gaining a tempo
• making use of zugzwang

5 7 : Bishop endings (same coloured) - Technique: A

Useful techniques in endings with bishops of the same colour are:
• making the bad bishop worse (fixing pawns, hemming in the bishop)
• making use of zugzwang
• exploiting a badly positioned king
• activating your own king

5 8 : Bishop endings (opposite coloured) - Passed pawn: A

See the section on passed pawns with bishops of the same colour.

5 9 : Bishop endings (opposite coloured) - Defending: A

In bad positions it is important:
• to block
• to force pawns on to squares of the colour of the opposing bishop
• to stop any passed pawn as soon as possible
• to have the bishop fulfil a double function (attacking pawns and tying up
the king)
• tum an opponent' s b-pawn into the wrong rook pawn

In good positions you have to:

• prevent a blockade, whatever the cost (if required, sacrifice a pawn)

1 68
• have the bishop fulfil a double function (defending your own pawn +
stopping an opposing pawn)
• fix weak pawns

60: Bishop endings (same coloured) - Defending: A

In bishop endings you can make use of types of defence from other end­
games. The following types of defence are represented on the exercise
page:
• forcing stalemate
• constructing a fortress
• leaving your opponent with the wrong bishop
• a theoretical draw (e.g. by taking the last pawn)

Hort-Timman

1 69
 13
Not everyone is a fan of defending.
Attacking is much more fun. Never­
theless, it is worthwhile immersing
oneself in the subject of defence. It
can mean the gain of some impor­
tant points.
In the first part of this chapter, we
shall take a look at some defensive
options for when you are facing
mate. The vast maj ority of exam­
ples are to do with the attack on
the king. The refutation of tactical
subtleties will be dealt with at the
end of the chapter.
DEFENDING AGAINST MATE
Cohn
White is a rook up, but Black i s
threatening mate in one. The b7-
pawn cannot be defended, and
moving away with the king does
1 70
Defending
not really help. The only option is
to eliminate the attacking queen.
1. Qxg6+!
A spectacular queen sacrifice.
1. ... hxg6 2. Rxg6+ Qxg6
3. Ka8
White has invested 1 3 points in his
defence, but with his now unstop­
pable promotion he will secure a
draw.
-*- • .i
.i 'iV
' � ·
� · � �
· �
� �
� �
Il @
Of course the queen on g7 i s taboo
in view of mate: 1 . . . . Rxg7 2.
Rf8+ Kd7 3 . Be8+ Kd8 4. Bc6#.
White had such a lovely plan. He
is threatening to take on g8 and I .
. . . Re8 is no good on account of 2 .
Bf4. And I . . . . Qxg6 2. R f8 + Rxf8
3. Qxg6 is good for him too. The
attacking bishop can be eliminated
by manoeuvring it into a pin.
1. ... Qxg2+! 2. Kxg2 Rxg7
3. Rf8+ Kd7
Now 4. Be8+ is an i l legal move.
What i s particularly unfortunate
for White is that his bishop will
also be lost.
Black appears to have no hope.
Running away with I . . . . Ke8 costs
material. H ere too, a queen sacri­
fice is the saving grace . .
1 . ... Qc4+ 2. Rxc4
After 2. Kg2 Black captures on g4
with check: 2 . . . . Qxg4+.
2 . . . Rxh7 3. Rxh7 Kg8 4.
. Unfortunately, in order to evaluate
Rh6 Kg7
Black has nipped the attack in the
bud in the most inventive of ways.
I. .t • � .i
' ' .t '
'
In the third example, the correct
defence is to make an air-hole for
the king.
The move just played, I . Rd6, looks
dangerous: 1 . . . . Qxb5 2. Qxb5+
Rxb5 3. Bc6+ winning. I . . . exd6
.
leads to mate: 2. Bc6+ Kd8 3 .
Qe8#. The solution is the creation
of an escape square for the king.
1. ... Bc3+! 2. bxc3 exd6 3.
Bc6+ Kf8
DEFENDING AGAINST AN ATTACK
World Champion Capablanca was
considered almost unbeatable in his
day. All his losses in serious play
have been col lected in a book. It is
not a thick book and contains only
3 6 games. His advice to defenders
was simple : "Make sure you have
the correct number of defenders,
not too many and not too few".
that correctly you have to be able
to play chess as well as the Cuban
could .
Black has managed to defend econo­
mically. Apart from his king and
171
pawn only the knight is defending.
As will tum out, that was abso­
lutely all that was needed.
1. ... Ng6
The knight keeps all of White ' s
attacking pieces in check : queen,
rook and two bishops. Other defen­
ces are worse: I . . . . f6 2. Bxf6 or I .
. . . g6 2. Qc3 .
2. Qc3 f6 3. Bxg6 hxg6 4.
Rxg6 Be4
A new defender comes on the
scene. White ' s attack has been
beaten off, B lack is simply left a
pawn up.
Do not weaken the position
Weaknesses are a target, something
to latch on to, for which the
attacking side will be thankful. So,
the logical conclusion is: avoid
weakening (pawn) moves .
.i 'iV .i. •
.t .l .l
.l .l
l2J
8
8 �
8 8 � l:l 8 8
@ Panov-Kan, Tiflis 1 93 7
Black' s king position is slightly
weakened. No problem, if Black
now simply continues with I . . . .
Qf6. A second weakening w i l l be
fatal.
1 72
1 . ... g6?
B lack wants to chase away the
strong knight and capture on h4.
Suddenly, the cooperation between
the four attacking pieces gets
go mg.
2. Re7!
Even if the bishop on b7 were
protected, this rook move would be
decisive. On account of his weak­
nesses, Black can no longer protect
f7 (the threat is 3 . Nxh6+ with a
quick win).
2 . ... gxf5
There are two ways for Black to
surrender his queen and neither is
satisfactory : 2 . . . . Bxe7 3 . Nxh6+
Kh8 4. Nxf7+ or 2. . . . Qxe7 3 .
Nxe7+ Bxe7 4 . hS . White wins.
Keep the position closed
1 . ... g5 !
White was threatening to open the
h-file by taking on g6. Black has to
put off his own attack a l ittle bit
longer. After I . . . . Nxb2 2 . hxg6
fxg6 3. Bd2 hS 4. gxhS g5 ! (the
best try; after 4 . . . . Nc4 5 . hxg6
Nxd2+ 6. Rxd2 Bxc3 7. Qh7+ Kf8
8. g7+ Bxg7 9. Rg2 the attack will
break through) 5 . Rdg l , and White
gets there earlier.
2. Rd3
The player with White accepts his
fate. After 2 . Bxg5 Nxb2 3. Kxb2
Rxc3 4. Kb I Qb6 B lack is threate­
ning to take on b3 . H i s attack is
much stronger.
2 . ... Be5 3. Qgl f6
Now there is no question of an
attack. The game continued:
4. Qxa7 Qd7 5. Qgl Qc6 6.
Nd4 Qb6 7. Nb3 Qa6 8. Qcl
Bf4 9. Qdl Ne5 1 0. Ne2
Nxd3 1 1 . cxd3 Ra8 1 2. a3
Qb6 13. Nbd4 Be5
Black won of course.
An opposing pawn i s an excellent
defender of one ' s own king. Since
taking your own pawns is i llegal, a
pawn like that can really get in
your way.
.i •
'ir'
.i
'
'
t!J t!J 'J/li t!J
t!J @ l::t t!J
ttJ � rule is: bring up your forces. It is
Sutovsky-Kudrin, Philadelphia 1 993
Black has a strong attack. It is time
White got his own attack going.
1. g4
White prepares to double rooks on
the h-file, because it is sti ll too
early to play I . Qh6. The move i s
also helpful, with Nd3 , in keeping
the queen away from e 5 .
1 . . . . axb3 2. a3 !
That' s the trick. The b3-pawn does
no damage, and because of the
pawn neither do the black rooks.
Before B lack has directed his
forces at a3 , White ' s own attack
can gather force. First he has to
prevent 3 . Nd3 and 4. Qh6.
2 . ... Bc4 3. Rdh2 e5
Running away with the king
achieves nothing: 3. . . . Kg7 4.
Rh7+ Kf6 5. g5+ Kf5 6. Qe4+.
4. Qg5
B lack resigned.
Swap off attacking pieces
When attacking the king, a main
logical that the defending side
should exchange off as many
attacking pieces as possible.
1 73
The white attack is dangerous. made to disappear in a clever way.
Despite the numerous defenders, That would have left some excite­
the h7-square can hardly be pro­ ment in the game.
tected. So Black must tum to a use­
ful defensive technique: exchange Swapping off attacking pieces
off attacking pieces. sometimes costs material, but is
1 . ... Bf2 always better than being mated.
Other defensive moves lose, are Usually the attacking side has
bad or insufficient. already sacrificed something, so
A) I . . . . gxf6 2. Bg7 with mate. the · loss of material is not so bad.
B) I . . . . gxh6 2. Qxh6 with a win. The defending side must always be
C) I . . . . Qxf6 2 . Bg5 B f5 3. Bxf6 prepared to return material.
Bxf6 4. Qxf6 gxf6 5 . Bxf5 , and
White is in no danger.
D) I . . . . Bxa l 2. Bxg7 Rd l + 3 .
.t. .t.
Bxd I Kxg7 4 . Qh6+ Kg8 5 .
Rfl , and Black is only slightly
better.
After the successful I . . . Bf2 most
.

of the attacking pieces disappear.

2. Qxf2 Qxa l + 3. Qfl Qxf6
Or, if B lack is afraid, 3 . . . . Qxfl .
Black wins withou(problems .

.t Stahlberg-Soultanbeieff
Ostend 1 936
'ti' � i. .t. .i. •
B lack has j ust played the powerful
.t. .t. .t. .t. Rf3 (without capturing anything).
llJ .t. � This bold move threatens a capture
llJ on h3. Of course, the rook cannot
be taken. Also, moves such as I .
'iY
Ra3 d3 or I . Bxe6+ Rxe6 2 . Rxe6
� � Qfl + are out of the question.
@ The normal move is I . g3 , and
White must wonder whether he
B lack was quickly defeated after I . can defend against I . . . . Rxg3 2.
. . . Re8 2. Nfxh6. Exchanging hxg3 Qxg3 , and then :
pieces was the correct strategy. A) 3 . Re2 Qxh3+ 4. Kg l Qg4+ 5 .
1 . ... Ne5! 2. Rxe5 exf5 K h I R f8 , and the threat of 6 . . . .
A white attacking piece has been R D is decisive.

1 74
B ) 3 . Qd2 Qxh3+ 4. Kg l Qg3+ 5 .
K h 1 Rf8, and B lack wins.
C) 3. Qe2 Qxh3+ 4. Kg l Qg3+ 5 .
K h 1 d 3 6. Qd2 R f8 winning.
The answer is no. So White is left
with nothing other than returning a
piece.
1. Be3
1 . Bf4 is also insufficient. The next
moves are forced.
1 . ... Rxe3 2. Rxe3 Qxe3 3.
QxhS Re7 4. Rfl QeS 5.
QxeS BxeS 6. Re 1 Bf6 7.
Rxe6
This forces the exchange of the
rooks. The ending with bishops of
opposite colours was drawn.
Bring in defenders
.i iV • with 2. . . . Qc7 3. Qh4 Qxf4 4.
' �
.t '
8 �
8 � 8 8
n n @
Smyslov-Po/ugaevsky
Moscow 1 961
Black' s king position is exposed,
there are no defenders nearby, but
there are attacking pieces. Smyslov
certainly thought that his next move
would mean that Black would soon
have to surrender.
1. Rf4
1 . RO i s more obvious, but in that
case B lack exploits the fact that the
king is on g l . Black threatens to
exchang e queens with I . . . . Rc4
and after 2. Be4 Qxd4+ 3. Kh 1
Qxe4 4. Rh3+ Qh7 5 . Rxh7+ Kxh7
6. Qh3+ Kg7 7. Qg3+ perpetual
check is the best that White can
hope for.
1. ... fS!
The only move ! At the moment
Black has no time to bring up
defenders. After 1 . . . . Nd3 2. Qh4
f5 then 3. Qh6 is decisive. Fleeing
with the king costs material : 1 . . . .
Re8 2 . Qh3 Kg7 3 . Rg4+ K f8 4.
Qa3+.
2. BxfS
Nor does White have more than a
draw after 2 . Qg3 . B lack defends
Qxf4 Kxh7. The line 2. Qh5 Kg7
3. Rh4 Qf6 would even be bad,
leaving, Black in the driving seat.
2 . ... exfS 3. RxfS
With inevitable mate? No!
3 . ... Bd3
It is unbelievable but this move
secures the half point. White
cannot include the rook in the
attack without Black being able to
interpose the bishop on g6 or h7.
4. QhS+
White has to be content with the
draw by perpetual check. Black' s
defence was perfect.
When defending it makes sense to
look at what your opponent is
threatening. That makes finding
1 75
the correct defence simpler. But of
course you have to work out what
the real threat is. That could prove
to be a problem in the following
position.
Black is thinking: "White i s threat­
ening Rh3 and a capture on h6.
Then I can defend with Qf8 and all
will be well . After a capture on f7 I
can play Qf8 or Qh4. Nothing bad
will happen so I c an play 1 . . . .
Nxd4."
Unfortunately the threat is more
dangerous than that: 2. Bxh6 gxh6
3. Qxh6+ Kxh6 4. Rh3+ and Black
is mated.
The emergency brake with 2 . . . . g6
3. Qh3 Rh8 4. Bg5+ Kg8 5. Qxh8+
does not tum out well either.
Bringing up the rook with 1 . . . . g5
fails to 2 . Rf3 f5 3. Rh3 Rg6 4.
Rxg5.
B lack should not be thinking so far
ahead; he should immediately
bring in another defender with
1 . ... Qf8
White ' s attack is not so fearsome.
If no defender can be deployed,
1 76
then you have to move over to a
counter-attack if the king is as
badly placed as it is in this
position. B lack can save the game
(avoid losing) with 1 . . . . Qb6 2.
Bxh6 g6 3 . Qh4 Rh8 4. Qf6
Qxb l +, and Black gives perpetual
check. There is no more in it for
either side. However 1 . . . . Qf8
with a win is the better option.
The first moves you consider in
this position ( 1 . b3 Qxb3 and 1 .
Rd3 Qxd3 ), have to be rej ected
straight away. A third move is 1 .
Qe7. Unfortunately thi s move is
bad after 1 . ... Ra4+ 2. Qa3 Rxa3+
3. bxa3 Qxg2. However, this
turned White ' s attention to the
right procedure: exploiting the fact
that the rook was tied to e8. W ith
the help of thi s piece of tactics,
White can bring up a defender to
the aid of the threatened king.
1. Bc5! Rxc5 2. Qd8! !
Firstly White uses a bishop sacri­
fice to entice the rook one rank
' further up the board, so that the
queen can help defend from d8.
Black must now give perpetual
check on a4 and c2. After 2 . . . . Kf8
White plays 3 . Qd2, and Black
remains a piece down without com­
pensation.
In the following game between
two young players (Werle is now a
grandmaster! ) White almost has a
winning advantage. Both sides
make instructive mistakes.
.I it' .I
�· ·
8 8 � 8 8
I;I @ I;I
Wer/e-Kodentsov, The Hague 1 996
I. ... h5
Further weakening one ' s king posi­
tion i s rarely a solution. Drafting in
more defenders with I . . . . Ra6 ! is a
much better attempt. White would
then have to find 2. Rxe5 ! , to
maintain his advantage. Black has
to give up a pawn after 2 . . . . Rf6 3 .
Qg4+ Rg6 4 . Qh5 Re8 .
2. R fl Qe7 3. Rxe5?
When sacrificing, you should first
of all not give up such a valuable
piece. White wins simply with 3 .
Bg5 Nxg5 4 . Rxe5 Qd8 5 . Re6
Nxe6 6. Qt7+ Kh6 7. Qxe6+.
3 . ... Nxe5 4. Bg5 Nf3+?
Bring pieces into the defence and
exchange ! After 4 . . . . Raf8 5. Bxe7
Rxf5 6. Rxf5 Nc6 7. Bc5 Re8 8 .
Rxh5 Re2 Black is n o worse.
5. Rxf3 Qe I+ 6. Rfl Qxfl +
7. Qxfl Rhf8 8. Qd3
Black resigned.
This next game fragment tells us
some more about weakened king
positions.
K � .I •
i 'iV .i. .i. i i i
i �
i t2J
8
8 t2J � �
8 8 � 8 8
n @
Tal-N. N. , Simultaneous 1 968
B lack' s position i s not so hopeless
here as in most of the examples in
Chapter 1 0. Tai begins stylishly.
I. Rxf6 Bxf6
The best move. After I . . . . gxf6
then 2 . Nxh7 i s decisive: 2 . . . . Kxh7
3. Rxd7 Qxd7 4. Bg4 Qxg4 5 .
Qxg4, and White is winning.
2. Nd5 Qxc2
An elementary error. A queen must
always help out in defence when
the king is in great danger. The
correct move is 2 . .. . Qc6. Then
further sacri fices do not help: 3 .
Nxf6 gxf6 4 . Nxh7 Kxh7 5 . Rxd7
Qxd7 6. Bg4 Qd6, and Black wins.
1 77
 3. Nxf6 gxf6 4. Rxd7 Qxe2
Here too, Black has something
better. He must take the attacking
knight: 4 . ... fxg5 5. Bxg5, and back
with the queen : 5 . . . . Qc6. It is not
obvious how White can win. An
excellent opportunity for you to be
quoted in a new edition? Here
there is an excuse for B lack.
White ' s winning method is far
from obvious.
5. Rxd8 Qc4 6. Ne6! ! fxe6 7.
Rd7 Rg8 8. Qh4 Rg7 9.
Qxf6
White wins.
Counter-attack
I n real life a counter-attack 1s a
military battlefield tactic. In chess
it is a useful weapon to ignore an
immediate threat.
n .1 .1 •
' 'iV ' '
-·�-
' ' '
� lb
How does Black react to the attack
on his rook? An exchange of
pieces is not possible. l . . . . Rxc8 is
followed by : 2. Qxe6+ Kh8 3.
Nt7+ Kg8 4. Nh6+ Kh8 5 . Qg8+
1 78
Rxg8 6. Nt7 mate. Taking the
knight is a much better try : l . . . .
fxe5 2 . Rxe8 Qxg4 3 . Qxe6+ Qxe6
4. Rxe6 with more or less level
chances.
The player with Black let himself
be fooled. He decided to chase
away the queen.
1. .•• Re7? 2. Qd8!
Unfortunately the queen moves to
an unexpected square.
2 . .. Rf7 3. Nd7
.
Mate can no longer be prevented.
How should Black have played in
this position? A counter-attack
would have been good. For that
two knight moves come into the
reckoning:
A) I . ... Nc3 (Black lures the
white rook away. The threat is
mate in two with 2 . . . . Ne2+,
White must take) 2. Rxc3 fxe5
3 . Bxe5 (seems to win for
White, but Black has a sur­
prising defence) 3 . . . . Qxg4+ !
(not 3 . . . . Qh6 4. Rc7) 4. Rg3
Re7 ! (this intermediate move is
the first point behind the
capture on g4) 5. Qxe7 Qd 1 +
6. Kg2 Qd5+ (The second
point. Black wins the bishop
back with a double attack, and
after the capture on e5 the g7-
square is protected. B lack has a
slight advantage. )
B) l . . . . N e 3 ! ! (This move i s more
forcing and wins.) 2. fxe3 fxe5
3. Re I Qxg4, and simply wins,
an exchange ahead.

Goodman-Kennedy,
Pennsylvania 1 984
White has invested a rook in his
attack. That is not the problem,
because the rook on a l would not
be able to participate i n the attack
for the moment. However, the
white king is badly placed.
1 . ... Rf6
l . . . . Rf7 would also be enough,
since after 2. g4 Qb5 Black can
exploit the position of White ' s
king.
2. Qh7+ Kf8 3. Ne6+ Rxe6!
We are no longer following the
game, since it came to a quick end :
3 . . . . Bxe6? 4. Bh6 and resignation.
4. Bh6
What i s the difference between this
and what happened in the game?
Firstly, the king has f6 as an
escape square. So after 4 . . . . Bxh6+
5. Qxh6+ Kf7 6. Qh7+ Kf6 7.
Qh4+ Kg7 White has no more than
perpetual check. But there is more
in the game because of the position
of the white king.
4 . ... Re2+ 5. Kxe2 Qb5+ 6.
Kel Nc2+
The roles would be reversed again
after 6 . . . . Qb4+ 7. Kfl .
7. Kd l Qxd5+ 8. Kc l
Bxh6+ 9. Rxh6 Qg8
In this variation Black does not
win by an attack, but thanks to the
rook sacrifice on e2 the queen can
help out in defence with tempo.
DEFENDING AGAINST TACTICS
In the previous Steps, individual
chapters were dedicated to defend­
ing against double attacks, pins
and mate. The same defensive op­
tions remain available at a higher
level. The whole business is simply
much more complicated. Defence
and counter-attack frequently go
hand in hand. The examples will
give you a good impression of this.
i. .t • i.
i ..i.
' � i i 'it' i i
'
8 8
8 Cfj 8 � � 8
8 '/W 8 8
n n @
A double attack: two white pieces
are hanging. The fact that White
does not lose a piece is due to the
unprotected knight on c6 and the
king on e8.
1. Kg2
1 79
Every move matters. The king may
•
not be on g l . After I . Bg2 Qxc3 2 .
e5 (the line which works i n the
main variation}, there fol lows 2 . . . .
Nd4.
1. ... Qxc3 2. e5 ! Bxe5
If an intennediate capture is made
on d2, then the i ntennediate check
on c6 will save the game.
3. Qxc3 Bxc3 4. Bxc6+
White only has to give up his extra
pawn. Bent (1 9 72)
1 . Ng6 Rxg8 2. Ne7
White wins the bishop on a5 .

Kaminer (1 935)
The threat of Bf6+ i s not only a
double attack with the bishop, but
also mate if the queen moves
away. The solution of a study is al­
ways a beautiful sight.
1. Nf3 Bf6+ 2. Ne5+ Ke7 3.
Qh4! Bxh4 4. Nxg6+
Interposing, luring and a knight
fork have wiped away all the pro­
blems.
In the following diagram White has
to find a reply to the attack along
the eighth rank. White finds the
correct reaction: a double attack.
H ere the double attack does not
cost a lot of material, but "a pawn
is a pawn". B lack found a subtle
solution.
1. ... Qc8!
This protects the c-pawn. After the
exchange of queens, Black tends to
be better. So . . .
2 . Qxe7 f6
There i s now nothing which can be
done against 3 . . . . Rf7.
Sometimes there is a subtle way to
save a piece which has been trapped.

1 80

Mashinskaya-Franc, Tapolca
European Girls Championship
The knight on h4 has no square to
retreat to.
1 . ... Ne7!
The game ended abruptly : l . . . .
Rh8 2 . Qxh4, 1 -0.
2. Nxc7
And White recovers half of his two
pawn deficit. 2. Nxh7 is followed
by the strong move 2 . . . . Rh8, and
2. Qxh4 Nxd5 3. Qxh7+ Kf6 is not
dangerous.
2 . ... Qxc7 3. Qxh4 Rh8
B lack retains an extra pawn.
.I
.I
The lesson from this example: not
every pin wins. Black struck.
1 . .. Rxc3 2. Rxc3 Qd4
.
Now Black was simply thinking of
3. Qd2 Qb4+ with a win, not that
his opponent would exploit the pin
for his own ends.
3. Rxd3
White wins.
Oren-Dyner, Tel A viv 1 952
1. Nb6
That will hardly be the first move
that you considered (if so, then you
are really strong ! ). Yet, you soon
get to thi s knight move, because
there is no hope after l . Kh 1 Nf2+
2 . Kg2 Nxd l , and after l . Nd4
Rxd4 2. Nb6 Rxd l + 3 . Bxd l Black
is better.
1 . ... Qxb6+ 2. Qd4+
White can hang on to his lead in
material.
Sometimes the best defence is not,
practically speaking, the best. An
unexpected (bad) move can con­
fuse your opponent. Even after the
game White believed that the
moves he played were by far the
best of all.
181
 K • • ..t K
'1i' ' '
' ttJ ' � ·
� � tt:J i
8 8 �
8 8 8 �
8 8 8 8 8 8 8
ll @ ·a: � @ n
Minev-Keller, Bern 1 9 77 Korchnoi-Spassky, Tallinn 1 948.
The knight is in an annoying pin, The move 1 . Nd5 had the effect of
which it cannot get out of un­ a bombshell. B lack resigned after
scathed. he had calculated I . . . . Qxf3 2.
The endings after both l . Re8+ Nxf6+ Ke7 3 . Nd5+ and White
Rxe8 2 . Nxe8 Qxc3 and after l . wins a piece. Nor could he see a
Nb5 Rxd5 2. Nxc7 Rc5 3 . Re7 way out after I . . . . Bg7 2 . Nxf6+
Nc4 ! give Black a big advantage. Bxf6 3. Qxg4. There is in fact
1. Qd4? none, but at least B lack can play
M inev gave this move two excla­ on.
mation marks. Practically it turns 1. Kd8!
...

out to be a wise cho1ce. 2. Nxf6 is followed by 2 . . . . Q h4+.

1 . Qc6
.•. Of course White stil l has an advan­
Here, neither l . . . . Nc6 2 . Qf6 nor tage, even after 2. Qxg4. A defen­
I . . . . Qxd6 2 . Re8+ achieves any­ der must take into account all the
thing. The correct continuation for characteristics of the position and
B lack i s I . . . . Qb8 ! , and White has must not resign immediately when
to surrender a piece. material is lost.
2. Nf5 Rxd4 3. Ne7+ Kf8 4. One more thing needs to be men­
Nxc6 Ra4 5. Nxa7 Rxa3 tioned: the player with the black
6. Rb l pieces was twelve years old when
The game was agreed a draw here. the game was played.

1 82
WORKBOOK

6 l : Defending - Defending against an attack on the king: A

62 : Defending - Defending against an attack on the king: B
The idea of the tasks is to ward off one or more threats. Sometimes pure
defensive play will do the trick, on other occasions the defending side can
often hit back with a counter-attack. Useful tips :
• bring in defenders
• exchange attacking pieces (the strongest! )
• tie attacking pieces down to defence
• keep lines closed
• counter-attack
• flee with the king
• give (back or away) material

63 : Defending - Piece ( : � lb ) against a passed pawn: A

A draw i s enough. Possible ways of achieving that are :
• get your king into the queening square of the pawn (remember Reti)
• take control of the actual queening square (e.g. by a double attack)
• watch out for zugzwang
• do not allow your opponent to win a tempo
• l iquidate to a theoretical draw

64 : Defending - Defending against tactics: A

• the subj ects here are : defending against mate, against the double attack
and against pins.

1 83
 14
In rook endings the activity of the
rook and the king is very impor­
tant. In this chapter, we shall take a
closer look at what useful things
the rook can undertake. From pre­
vious steps, we know about:
• cutting off the king
• tying pieces down
• creating weaknesses
• supporting the passed pawn
ln.. tb1 s ehapter we shall deal with:
1 . bad piece p ositio n...____
2. promoting a passed pawn
3. technique
4. placing the rook
BAD PIECE POSITION
Having inactive piec115 causes pro­
blems if the opponent' s are active.
Selesniev (1 922)
1 84
Rook endings
With a king on the edge of the
board and a rook in the corner,
Black cannot really enj oy his extra
pawn.
l. g6!
The rook gains access to the eighth
rank by means of a pawn sacrifice.
There i s no time for "technique":
I . Rh l a5 2 . Rxh7 Ra6+ 3. Ke5 a4.
1 . ... hxg6
I f the pawn sacrifice is declined by
I . . . . a5 White wins thanks to a
known finesse: 2. gxh7 Ra6+ 3 .
Ke5 Rh6 4 . Rxa5 , and the h-pawn
is indirectly protected. Next comes
5. Ra8 !
2. Rh t Kc8 3. Kc6 Kd8 4.
Rh8+
White wins a rook.
Golubev (2002)
1 . Kb6 Rd8 2. Kc7 Rd4
Forced, otherwise mate on a3 .
3. b4! Txb4 4. Kb6 Th4
 5. Te3 !
White should carefully choose the
file for the rook. The difference we
will see on move seven. Wrong is
5. Rd3? Rh8 6. Kc7 Rh4 7. g4 b4 !
8 . Rd ! Rh3 .
5 . ... Rh8 6. Kc7 Rh4 7. g4 !
Rxg4
The defence 7 . . . . b4 is not work­
ing now: 8. Re5 c5 9. Rxc5 . The
rook needs a square on the 5 th
rank.
8. Kb6
Black can resign.
There are twelve more examples on
an exercise page for thi s chapter.
Simpler than the last example !
THE PASSE D PAWN
As well as the activity of king and
rook, the passed pawn always plays
an important part.
• 2. Kf2 d2
Prokes (1 93 7)
B lack threatens to take the b-pawn,
advance his pawn and play Ra3 .
1 . b4 ! Rxb4
After I . . . . Re5 2. R xb6 the win
has also been secured.
2. Rf5+ Kg6 3. Ra5! bxa5 4.
a7
The pawn can no longer be
stopped.
B lack may be a pawn down, but
his passed pawns are further for­
ward.
1 . ... d3
B lack must play accurately, since
White can make use of both the
king and the rook and Black only
the rook. I . . . . a2 leads to a draw :
2 . Ra l Ra3 3 . h4 Kg7 4. g5 . And I .
. . . Kg7 2 . Kf2 ! does not achieve
much either .
After 2 . . . . Rd8 White advances his
passed pawn in order to lure away
the rook: 3 . b5 .
3. Ke2 Re8+
Black makes use of his far­
advanced a-pawn. White cannot
exchange rooks.
4. Kfl a2
Black wins.
1 85
TECHNIQUE
"The rest is a matter of technique."
That is much easier said than ap­
plied in practice. We shall tum our
attention to various techniques.
Cooperation
In the previous two examples, the
passed pawn was brought to the
opposing back rank by tactical
means. Of course, that does not
always work. Normally a pawn
advances with the help of its king
and rook. What is important here is
the cooperation between the pie­
ces.
Karstedt (1 913)
The e-pawn cannot promote with­
out the help of the king. It is a long
way to d7; while that is hap eni ng,
Black too is also mak i ng progress
with his a-pawn.
1 . Kd3
The obvious move I . Kd4 does not
win. After I . . . . Re I 2. KdS Kb3 3 .
Rh3+ Kb2 4 . Kd6 a S S . RhS Rxe7
1 86
6. Kxe7 a4 the a-pawn has ad­
vanced too far to be stopped. Black
can even play S . . . . a4 6. ReS RxeS
7. KxeS a3 8. e8Q a2 with a draw.
Better, though a loss of tempo, is
I . Kc4 aS 2. Kd3 - and that also
even wins.
B lack now has the choice as to
which activity by the rook he will
succumb.
Helping
1 . ... a5 2. Rh4+ Kb3 3. Re4
Luring away
1 . ... Kb5 2. Rh5 Rxh5
3. e8Q+
interposing
1 . ... Kb3 2. Kd4 Re l 3.
Rh3+ Kb4 4. Re3
Optimal cooperation betwee n the
rook and pawns can be seen in the
next diagram.
A rook on the seventh rank is above
all very strong if the king can be cut
off on the eighth rank. When there
are no black pawns we describe this
as the "seventh rank absolute". In
this example the seventh rank is
absolute despite the black pawns,
thanks to the help of the white ones.
The a-pawn runs through without
let or hindrance.
1. a4 h6
Or I . . . . g6 2. h6 Kg8 3. aS Ra8 4.
a6 Kf8 S. a7. And 1 . . . . fS is simply
followed by 2. aS .
2. g6 fxg6 3. hxg6 Rc8 4. a5
White wins.
Activating the king
Activating the king is important in
all endgames. On very few occa­
sions the king may remain passive,
but generally that i s not the case .
•
The black position looks like a
winning one. Without thinking we
should play a king move !
1 . ... Kti
Off to eS, to be able to help the
advance of the d-pawn.
The only interest in the position is
the mistakes which Black could
make.
A) 1 . . . . RcS ? (a bad move) 2.
Rc3 ! Rxc3+ 3 . Kxc3 Kf7 4. aS ,
and White wins.
B ) I . . . . Rc4 2 . Rc3 Kf7? (2. . . .
Rd4 3 . Rc6 is tense) 3 . Rxc4
dxc4+ 4. Kxc4 Ke6 S. Kd4
winning.
C) I . .. Re I (of course, this move
.
is also good enough for a win,
but why makes things compli­
cated when there is a simpler
way) 2. Rc3 Ra l 3 . Rc6 e3 4.
Re6 d4.
2. a5
White tries something.
2 . ... Rc5 3. Kb4 Rc4+ 4.
Kb3 bxa5
Black wins.
• n
.t. .t.
Lilienthal-Smyslov
Leningrad 1 94 1
1 . Ke5
. ..
Backing up the c-pawns makes no
sense. White wins the f- and the g­
pawns and has a simple win, e.g. :
I . . . . Kd7 2 . Rf6 Ra I + (2 . . . . Rb2 is
even more hopeless: 3. RxfS Kd6
4. RxgS Rxb3 S. h4, and White
1 87
wins.) 3 . Kg2 Ra2+ 4. Kf3 g4+ 5 .
Kf4 Rf2+ 6. Kg5 Rxh2 7 . Rxf5
Rb2 8 . Kxg4 Rxb3 9 . Kf3 Rb4 1 0.
Rf4, and there are no more pro­
blems.
2. Rxc6 Ke4 3. Rxc5 f4 !
This prevents a check on f5 .
4. exf4 Kf3 5. h3 Ra l +
Black gives perpetual check.
Anticipating
Winning material is nice, but not
always sufficient to win the game.
If you antic ipate, you will be one
step ahead of the things which are
going to happen.
• The "normal" win of a rook is not
The f-pawn gains a ro k for White,
but the ending of 'rook versus
pawn" is far from b mg one that is
always won.
l . Re6!
of rook against
pawn, th rook i s best placed be­
hind th passed pawn. While still
in the rook ending, White must
come up with something: that i s
anticipation.
1 88
There is only a draw after 1 . Rh8
Ra7 2 . Kf6 Rxf7+ 3. Kxf7 e4 and
after 1 . Rf6 e4, when Black gets
there in time.
1. ... Kf4 2. Re8 Ra7 3. Kg8
Rxf7 4. Kxf7 e4 5. Ke6
The king is on the correct side of
the pawn.
•
' .I
The a-pawn costs White his rook,
but B lack must play with great care.
1 . ... Rb4 !
enough. After I . . . . Kb3 then 2. f5
is a simple draw.
2. Ke5 Kb3
The threat is 3 . . . . Ra4.
3. Rxa2 Kxa2
Black can still make his pawn
count. The black king is close
enough to help.
Gaining a tempo
It is always good, even when it is
not absolutely necessary, to gain a
tempo. When it is the only way to
win a a game, it is even urgently
necessary !

.I
The black king is cut off from the
queenside, so the win does not
appear difficult. But that is not the
case, because the white king does
not have much freedom of move­
ment either. After I . a6 a draw i s
there with 1 . . . . Rb6, and after 1 .
Ra3 Kd6 the black king reaches
the a-pawn i n good time. White
must first bring his rook to the a­
file with gain of tempo.
1 . Rb3 Ra2+
Other moves are met by the deci­
sive 2 . a6; e.g. I . ... Rh2 2. a6
Rxh4+ 3 . Ka5 Rh l 4. Ra3 Rg l 5 .
Kb6 and wins.
2. Ra3 Rb2 3. a6 Rb8 4. a7
Ra8 5. Kb4 Kd6 6. Kc4
White has a simple win.
Tying down
A rook which is tied to the defence
of a pawn is vulnerable. It cannot
become active. So it is a useful
activity to tie an opposing rook
down to a specific task.
In the following endgame the
black rook is tied down to protect
the g5-pawn . The poor position of
the black king is a also a negative
factor. White can take the pawn
with check .
x
•
Kapfer (1 948)
1 . Rh6+ Kgl 2. Rh5 ! g4
Other moves also lose: 2 . . . . Kfl 3 .
Rh l + Ke2 4. Rb l o r 2 . . . . Rg3 3 . b7
3. Rh4!
Not getting behind the pawn too
quickly with 3 . Rb5?. After 3 . . . .
Rd2 ! 4. Rg5 Rd4 5 . b 7 Rb4 Black
gets off with a draw.
3 . ... g3 4. Rh3 !
It is the same old story after 4.
Rg4? Kfl 5. b7 Rb2 .
4 . ... Rb2 5. Rxg3+ Kf2 6.
Rg6 Ke3 7. Rd6 ! Ke4 8. Kf7
Ke5 9. Ke7
The king supplies decisive help.
Cutting off
In a pawn ending it is cal led
"keeping at a distance" or "shoul­
dering off'; in a rook ending it is
"cutting off'.
Naturally, we are talking about the
same thing: preventing the oppo­
sing king from becoming active.
1 89
Korchnoi-Karpov, Baguio 1 9 78
The rook i s behind the passed
pawn, and the white king can stop
the d-pawn. That must be good.
But things tum out differently.
1. ... d3 2. Kf2 Re8 !
Cutting off the king saves Black.
Other moves lose, e.g. 2 . . . . d2 3 .
Ke2 Rd7 4 . Kd l .
3. Ra2 Re7
The d-pawn must be exchanged for
/
the a-pawn.
4. Rd2 Re6 5. a7
The players agreed on a draw.
�
Checki g distance
�
When gi � ing check, it i s important
for the ok to be at a sufficient
distance for this, read through the
reminder "Rook endings " from
. Kh4 Kf6
step 5 agJ in).
A rook; which is less then three
files of ranks away from the king
.w-lren it gives check, can not
always keep doing so for long.
I n the fol lowing position Black can
draw in two ways: a tactical way
and a strategic way.
1 90
Option 1 :
1 . ... Rg6
A tactical solution. Normally it is
suicide to put the rook within
range of the opposing king.
2. Kfi Rf6+ 3. Ke7 Re6+
Or 3 . . . . Rg6
4. Kd7 Rd6+ 5. Kc7 Re6 6.
Rd8 Re7+ 7. Rd7 Re8
B lack draws.
Option 2:
1. ... Rgl
The strategic solution : keeping the
rook as far as possible away from
the opposing king, so that the dis­
tance of three ranks can always be
maintained while checking.
2. Kfi Rfl + 3. Kg6 Rg l + 4.
Kh6 Rh l + 5. Kg5 Rg l + 6.
I . . . . Rg3 ? leads to a loss: 2. Kf7
Rf3+ 3 . Kg6 Rg3+ 4. Kh6 Rh3+ 5 .
Kg5 Rg3+ 6. Kh4 .
Pawn sacrifices
Many positions in rook endings
with a single pawn are known.
They are "theory". There are some
positions which occur frequently
which you really should know (see
Step 5). That gives you the possi­
bil ity to aim for certain positions,
by sacrificing material if neces­
sary. This knowledge will often
mean the difference between win­
ning, drawing or losing.
Winawer- Tarrasch, Budapest 1 896
1 . ... Rh l
Knowledge of theory would have
saved B lack. The king must go to
the short side. For the e-pawn that
means the kingside. The b-pawn is
not important; even worse, it is
simply a diversion. First and fore­
most the advance of the e-pawn
has to be prevented (the threat is 2 .
Rb8+ and 3 . e6+): I . . . . Re l ! 2.
Rxb5 Re2 3 . Ke6 Kf8. After the
move in the game, White wins.
2. Rb8+ Kd7 3. e6+ Kd6 4.
Rd8+ Kc5 5. e7 Rel 6. e8Q
Rxe8
White stil l had to prove that he
could win the pawn. We ' l l trust
him with that.
PLACING THE ROOK
A rook can protect a passed pawn
in one of three ways:
I . the rook goes behind the passed
pawn
2. the rook stands next to the past
pawn
3 . the rook goes in front of the
passed pawn
The differing levels of act1v1ty
decide which of the three positions
is the best one.
Rook behind the passed pawn
Normally behind the passed pawn
is the best position for the rook.
White first creates a passed pawn
with the help of a pin.
1. g6 hxg6 2. Rg5 Rfi 3.
hxg6 Rg7 4. Kb3
The usual technique in positions
with the rook behind the passed
pawn. White waits until the useful
moves have been used up.
191
 4 . ... Kc6
4 . . . . a4+ does not offer any hopes:
5 . Ka3 Kc6 6. Kxa4 c4 7 . dxc4 d3
8 . Kb3 .
5. Kc4 Kd6 6. Rxc5
The simplest. After 6. a4 Rb7 7 .
Rd5+ Ke6 White has t o work
somewhat harder.
6 . ... Rxg6 7. Rxa5
White wins simply.
Which rules can we use i f the rook
is behind its own passed pawn?
In general it is good to move the
passed pawn as far forward as pos­
sible. Your own rook gets more
freedom and the opposing rook
less. The further the pawn is away
from the other vertical half of the
board, the better. There is a simple
reason for this : the opposing king
needs more time to approach the
pawn. In rook endi ngs the rook' s
pawn is thus not such a n inferior
piece as in other endings.
I . g7 Rg8
The opposing rook is now totally
passive. White must try to get over
1 92
the second rank with his king, with­
out the black king getting away
from the first rank. He manages
that by triangulation.
2. Kfl Kd t 3. Kgt Ket 4.
Kh2 Kfl 5. Kh t Ke t
The black king has to go back
agam.
6. Kg t Kd t 7. Kfl Ke t 8.
Ket Kb t 9. Kd t Rd8+
After 9 . . . . Ka i 1 0. Kc ! black is in
zugzwang.
1 0. Ke2 Rg8 t I. Ke3
With a simple win.
I n rook endgames, having the rook
behind the passed pawn is mostly a
great advantage.
Rook next to the passed pawn
This placement is often good. The
rook can be active on both w ings,
though it i s tied to the same rank as
the pawn. The pawn which i s no
longer far from the queening
square has a lot of opportunities .
I . ... Rh3 2. Kg2
 2. f5 gxf5 is also sufficient. How­
ever, White must find the correct
moves :
A) 3 . Rh6+? Kg4 4. Rxh3 Kxh3 5 .
g 6 b 2 6. g 7 b l Q 7 . g8Q Qc2+
with a decisive advantage.
White cannot prevent the
exchange of queens, and the
black king can occupy a key
square after the exchange: 8 .
Kfl Qd3+ 9. Kf2 Qd4+ 1 0.
Ke l Qe4+ 1 1 . Kf2 Qf4+ 1 2 .
Ke l Qg3+ 1 3 . Qxg3+ Kxg3 .
B) 3 . g6 ! Kh6 4. Kg2 (4. Ke2? b2 !
5 . Kd2 Rh l 6. Kc2 b l Q+ 7.
Rxb l Rxb l 8 . Kxb l Kxg6 9.
Kc2 Kg5 1 0. Kd3 Kg4, and
Black is occupying a key
square) 4 . . . . Rc3 5. Kf2 Rc2+
6. Ke3 Rb2 7. Kf4 ! Rb l 8. Ke5
b2 9. Kf6, and Black cannot
make any more progress.
2 . ... Rd3 3. Kf2 Rc3 4. Ke2
White can also draw with 4. Rb5
Kg4 5. f5 gxf5 6. g6.
4 . ... Rh3 5. f5!
The correct way to draw. After the
liquidation the king will be in the
queening square of the b-pawn. 5 .
Kf2? would b e a mistake: 5 . . . .
Kg4 6 . Rb4 Rd3 7. Ke2 Rc3 8 . Kf2
Rc2+ 9. Ke3 b2 1 0. Kd3 Rf2 1 1 .
Ke3 Rf3+ 1 2 . Ke2 Rh3 ( 1 2 . . . . Kg3
is inaccurate 1 3 . Ke ! ) 1 3 . Kf2 (or
1 3 . f5+ Kxf5 1 4. Rb5+ Kf4) 1 3 . . . .
R h I with the well-known X-ray
W ill .
5 . ... gxf5 6. Rh6+ Kg4
7. Rxh3 Kxh3 8. Kd2
White can still go wrong with 8 .
g6? b 2 9. g 7 b l Q 1 0. g8Q Qe4+
1 1 . Kfl Qf3+. After the king move
the position is drawn.
Positions with the pawn on the last
rank but one almost always offer
the attacking side good chances.
Unfortunately thi s position cannot
be won.
Rogers-Bellini, Chiasso 1 988
B lack seems to be in zugzwang.
The rook cannot move, because if
the white king gets free then things
will be settled. The king then
wanders over to the b-pawn, and
there i s nothing Black can do.
B lack certainly did not look at the
possibility of a king move. He
sacrificed a pawn in the hope that
he would be able to activate his
king, but with a white pawn on the
seventh rank he was condemned
from the start.
I. ... h5+?
It is not obvious, but Black could
have drawn by exploiting the
position of the white king: I . . . .
Kf8 ! 2 . Rc8+ (White does not have
1 93
a great choice either. After 2 . h5
gxh5 3. Kxh5 Kg7 4. Kg4 Kg6 the
king can breathe freely again with­
out having to lose a pawn) 2 . . . .
Ke7 3 . Rc7+ (The best move ! The
finesse which Black overlooked i s :
3 . b8Q? h 5 + 4. gxh6 f5+ 5 . Kg5
Rg3#) 3 . . . . Kf8.
2. gxh6+ Kxh6 3. Rxf7 Rb4
4. Kf3 Rb5 5. Re7 Rb3+ 6.
Ke4 Rb5 7. Rc7 Rb6 8. Kd4
Kh5 9. Kc5 Rb l 1 0. Rh7+
Kg4 1 1 . Kc6 Kxf4 1 2 . Rh8
Kg4 13. b8Q
B lack resigned. The white king i s
too close.
Rook in front of the passed pawn
A typical beginner' s mistake is
when in a position .with the rook in
front of the passed pawn to ad­
vance the pawn as far as possible.
Then we get a position such as we
see in the diagram.
White has absolutely no winning
chances left. His king must help
1 94
the b-pawn, but j ust when the king
protects the pawn, B lack begins to
give a continuous series of checks.
1. Kd4 h5 2. Kc5 Kf6 3. Kc6
Rc2+ 4. Kb6 Rb2+ 5. Kc7
Rc2+ 6. Kd7 Rb2
White can make no further
progress.
The black king is completely safe.
Only when the opposing king has
nowhere to hide can the pawn be
moved on to the last rank.
H iding places for the king are:
• the g7- or h7-square g7 (b7, a7)
• one of its own pawns
• opposing pieces
Often the only real ly safe place is
the first of these points. Squares
have fixed locations, whereas pieces
and pawns can move, and thus offer
less in the way of protection.
Let us take a look at wmnmg
positions with the pawn on the
seventh rank, and in doing so cast
an eye over some drawing posi­
tions.
Black is threatening to reach the
safe hiding place on b7 by ! . . . .
Kc7 . White must advance his pawn
because I . Rg8 Rh I 2. Rg7+ Ke6 !
leaves him no hope.
1 . h7 Rh l 2. Kb3 !
This position is j ust as easily won
as lost. Those who look no further
than the end of their nose play a
tempo 2. Ra8, to be able to react
after 2 . . . . Ra l + with the words:
"That is stupid". Those "who know
what they are doing" have on their
face an expression which says
"I ' m not going to fall for that" as
they play 2. Rb8 . That too is not
good after 2 . . . . Ra l + 3. Kb5 Rb l +
4 . Kc4 Rxb8.
After the king move, Black has no
good reply. If he moves the king to
the sixth rank, this is met with a
rook check; if he remains on the
seventh rank, there follows 3. Ra8
with a decisive X-ray check.
A hiding place for the king behind
its own pawn is sometimes safe, but
mostly not so. This position shows
us what the problem is. Black is
threatening to get to safety with 1 .
. . . Kb6 and 2 . . . . Kb7 .
1 . h7 a5 2. d4+ Kc4 3. d5
Kc5 4. dxc6 Kxc6 5. Rc8+
A pawn is not a good protector
when the hiding place can be
destroyed with a sacrifice.
Nor are pieces (king or rook) well
suited to that role. There are exam­
ples of this in the workbook.
A king on g7 is not safe in two
cases:
• the king can be chased out by an
f-pawn
• there is a winning liquidation to
a pawn ending
This position is won.
1 . Kf4 Kf7! ? 2. f6
Careful : 2 . Rh8? Rxb7 3 . Rh7+
Kf6 4. Rxb7 stalemate. The next
move will be Rh8 (after some use­
less checks)
Take a look at how a correspond­
ding position with the g- or h-pawn
is not won !
In the following engame White has
1 95
a winning l iquidation to a pawn
ending.
1. a7
The black rook remains tied to the
a-file, so that you no longer have
to worry about the e-pawn.
1 . ... Kh7 2. Kc3 Kg7 3. Kb3
Ra 1 4. Kb4 Ra2 5. Kb5 Ra 1
6. Kb6 Rb l + 7. Kc6 Re l +
O r 7 . . . . Ra I 8. Rd� Rxa7 9. Rd7+
Rxd7 I 0. Kxd7 Kt7 I I . Kd6
wmnmg.
8. Kd6 Rat 9. Rc8 Ra6+ 1 0.
Rc6 Rxa7 1 1 . Rc7+ Rxc7
1 2. Kxc7 Kf7 13. Kd7
White wins the pawn on f6.
AND A BONUS • • •
The final game fragment i n this
book comes from the game be­
tween Erwin L ' Ami (grandmaster
nowadays) and Frank Erwich for
the Youth Championship of the
Netherlands 1 998 (under l 4s ).
Thi s game allows us to show some
useful and instructive tips.
1 96
Tip 1 : Activate the king (it will
relieve the rook)
Tip 2: Do not exchange strong
pawns for weaker ones
After I . . . . Kf6 even the world
champion would have no hope !
After 2 . d7 Ke7 3 . Rd6 Kd8 Black
can advance his queenside pawns.
Black was afraid of 2 . Rc4, be­
cause after 2 . . . . b5 White wins
with 3. Rd4, but 2 . . . . a3 ! i s deci­
sive and Black promotes with
check.
Next came the much weaker:
1. ... a3
Now White can exchange his weak
d-pawn for one of the connected
pawns. An additional advantage is
that the white rook can become
active, since it no longer needs to
protect its own pawn. The position
can now no longer be won.
2. d7 Rd3 3. Rxb6 Rxd7 4.
Ra6 Rd3 5. Kg2 Kf8 6. Ra7
Ke8 7. Kh3 h5 8. f4 Rb3 9.
Kh4 Kf8 1 0. Kg5
Tip 3: Only become active when
you are really threatening
your opponent, not at the
cost ofyour own safety.
The "attack" by the king can sim­
ply be beaten off.
10 . ... Kg7 1 1 . Ra6 Rb2?
Tip 4: Win a tempo whenever
possible
It is good to first give check on b5
and only then to move the rook to
b2 : 1 1 . . . . Rb5+ 1 2 . Kh4 Rb2 1 3 .
h3 (or 1 3 . Kh3 ) 1 3 . . . . a2 . When
the pawn is only one square away
from promotion, then B lack can
bring his king over to b I without
the white rook being able to go
pawn-grabbing.
12. f5 Rb5 13. Rxa3 Rxf5+
1 4. Kh4 Rf2 1 5. h3 Kh6
1 6. g4 Rg2
Tip 5: A lways check whether there
is more than one threat
B lack is not only threatening mate
with g5, but also f6. The first threat
was enough to divert White ' s atten­
tion. He played 1 7. Ra5?, and after
1 7 . ... f6 had to give up a pawn
with 1 8. g5+ and lost.
The correct move is 1 7. Ra6 ! with
a draw since both threats have then
been parried.
1 97
WORKBOOK

65 : Rook endings - A ctivity and vulnerability: A

The activity of the attacking side is contrasted with the vulnerability of the
defender. On this exercise page, the losing side is in a bad state. The attack­
ing side wins by means of simple tactics (double attack, mate, X-ray
check). In many positions a winning liquidation is also possible. Don 't
hang on to individual pawns.

66: Rook endings - Passed pawn: A

67: Rook endings - Passed pawn: B
Many passed pawns have already been promoted in this book. In rook
endings there are some specific ways of doing so (you already know the
others):
• the rook sacrifice
• the X-ray check

68: Rook endings - Technique: A

69: Rook endings - Technique: B
Many different techniques are employed, of which the most important are:
• i nterposing (bridge building)
• exploiting the se".:'.enth rank
• liquidating to a won pawn ending
• winning a tempo
• activating the king
• placing the rook better
• using zugawang (also with triangulation)

70: Rook endings - Rook in front of the pawn: A

The first six positions are won. Which means are available to you to win
them?
• Use tactics; the X-ray check of course can be useful, but so can dis­
covered check.
• Destroy the king ' s hiding place.
• Liquidate to a won pawn ending.

In positions 7- 1 2 it's the defender' s turn to do some work. His task is to

take care that the bishop pawn does not drive the king out of its hiding
place.

1 98
Loek van Wely

1 99
The Step-by-Step Method

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200
 Step 6
2. Attacking the king – King in the 7) 1. Nc7+ Nxc7 2. Rxe7+ Kxe7 3. Qf6+
middle: A Ke8 4. Rd8#
1) 1. Bxc6+ bxc6 2. Rhe1+ 8) 1. Nf5 gxf5 2. Qh5+ Kf8 3. Rxf5+
2) 1. Bb6 Bh6+ 2. Nd2 (better than 2. 9) 1. ... Nd5 2. exd5 Bh4+ 3. g3 Bxg3+ 4.
Kxd1 Qxb6 3. Re1+ Be3 4. Qe5+) 2. ... hxg3 Qxg3#
Qxb6 3. Re1+ Be3 4. Qxb6 10) 1. Nxf5 exf5 2. Nf6+ Qxf6 3. Qd8+ (3.
3) 1. ... Rxe3+ 2. fxe3 (2. Kf1 Qd3+ 3. Bb5+? Nd7) 3. ... Bxd8 4. Bb5#
Kg1 Re2 wins material) 2. ... Qxe3+ 3. 11) 1. Rfe1 Be6 2. Nf6+! Qxf6 3. Ba4+!
Kf1 Be2+ 4. Ke1 Bd3+ 5. Kd1 Qe2# Nxa4 (3. ... Ke7 4. Qd6#) 4. Qd7#
4) 1. Ba4+ b5 2. Nxb5 12) 1. Bxc6 bxc6 2. Bg5+ f6 (2. ... Qxg5 3.
5) 1. ... Rd1+ 2. Rxd1 (2. Kxd1 Qd6+) 2. Nxc6#) 3. Ne6+
... Qxc4
6) 1. Nxe6 Qxe5 (1. ... fxe6 2. Qh5+ g6 3. 4. Endgame – Passed pawn: A
Qxg6+ hxg6 4. Bxg6#) 2. Nc7# 1) 1. Nc5 Bxc5 (1. ... Kf7 2. Kd3) 2. d7
7) 1. Rhe1+ Kf8 (1. ... Be6 2. Rxe6+ fxe6 2) 1. ... Rxc3 2. bxc3 Be2 3. Rg1 d2
3. Bg6+) 2. Bh7 Qb6 3. Rd8+ Qxd8 4. 3) 1. h7 Bxh7 2. Rh6+ Kf7 3. Rxh7
Qc5+ 4) 1. Bf2! Bxf2 2. e7 Re3 3. a7
8) 1. Nd6+ cxd6 2. Bb5 Nc6 3. Rxc6 (Junker Soest 1925)
9) 1. Bxf7+ Kxf7 2. Qh5+ Kg8 3. Ne6 5) 1. ... Qxf3+ 2. Kxf3 Ne3 3. Kf2 h2
Qb6 4. Qg6+ 6) 1. Bg8+ Kh8 2. Be6 Qxe6 3. Rf8+ Kh7
10) 1. Rb1 (1. Qe2 0-0) 1. ... Qxa2 2. Bb4 4. e8Q
11) 1. ... Nb4 2. Rf1 Nd3+ 7) 1. Bc2+ Kg8 2. Rf8+ Rxf8 3. Bb3+
12) 1. Nxe6 Qb6 (1. ... fxe6 2. Qh5+ Ke7 8) 1. Ra6+ Kg7 2. Re6! (Kok 1934)
3. Bg5+ Nf6 4. exf6+ gxf6 5. Bxf6+) 2. 9) 1. ... Bc1 2. Rxc1 d2 3. Rf1 Re1
Nc7+ 10) 1. ... Be6 2. Rc7 Nc4 3. Rxc4 Bxc4+
11) 1. d7 Rd8 2. Re8+ Rxe8 3. Qg8+ Kxg8
3. Attacking the king – King in the 4. dxe8Q#
middle: B 12) 1. Qd7 Qxd7 2. c8N+ Kc6 3. Na7#
1) 1. Nxe6 fxe6 2. Qh5+ g6 3. Qe5
2) 1. Bxg6 hxg6 2. Nxf7 5. Endgame - Passed pawn: B
3) 1. Rxe5+ Be7 (1. ... dxe5 2. Nf6+ Nxf6 1) 1. Bc6 Rb8 2. Rxf8+ Rxf8 3. e6 c4 4.
3. Rd8# or 1. ... Nxe5 2. Nf6#) 2. e7
Rxe7+ Kf8 3. Qf5 Ne5 4. Qf6 Rh7 5. 2) 1. Bd5 Qxd5 2. Qd8+
Re8+ Kxe8 6. Qd8# 3) 1. ... e2 2. Bxf2 Be3 3. Ra1 gxf2+
4) 1. Rxe6+ Bxe6 2. Bxb5+ Bd7 3. Re1+ 4) Drawing
5) 1. ... Bxf2+ 2. Kxf2 Ng4+ 3. Ke1 Ne3 5) 1. ... Ne3 2. Nxf5 Nd1
4. Qa4+ Bd7 6) 1. a7 Bg2 2. d7 (2. Bd5? Bxd5 3. d7
6) 1. ... Nd5 2. Qb3 Rxe3+ 3. fxe3 Bh4+ Kg6) 2. … Rd2 3. Bd5 (Rinck 1906)

1
7) 1. Bd5+ Kb6 2. Ba5+ Kxa6 3. Bxd8 ;
1. Bb5+ wins too.
8) 1. Re2 Rxe2 2. Be4 Rxe4 3. f3+
9) 1. d7 Be7 2. Bd4+ Kxd4 3. Kxe7 Ne5
4. d8Q+
10) 1. ... Rxf3+ 2. Kxf3 Bxe4+ 3. Kxe4
b1Q+
11) 1. Nb3+ Nxb3 2. Bd2+ Nxd2 3. d7
12) 1. Bg1! (1. c7? Nb6 2. Bg1 Nc8) 1. ...
Bxg1 2. c7 Nb6 3. a7 (Borelli 1956)
6. Middlegame - Passed pawn: A
1) 1. Qh8+ Kxh8 2. g7+ Kg8 3. Bh7+
Kxh7 4. g8Q#
2) 1. ... e3 2. Rxf3 (2. Qxa6 Rg3) 2. ... e2
3) 1. ... Rb1 2. Rxb1 c1Q+ 3. Rxc1
Qxc1+
4) 1. d7 Rxd7 2. Re8
5) 1. Qe7+ Rxe7 2. d7
6) 1. ... Rxb3 2. axb3 Qxe4 3. dxe4 c2
7) 1. Bf7+ Kg7 2. Qxh6+ Kxh6 3. Bxe8
8) 1. Bd6 Rxd6 (1. ... Qxd6 2. Qxb7) 2.
Qxb7 Qxb7 3. e7
9) 1. Qxa4 bxa4 2. Rxb8 Rxb8 3. a6
10) 1. ... Rxe5 2. Qxe5 c1Q
11) 1. Rc8 Rxc8 2. Qe7
12) 1. Rf8+ Kxf8 2. Rf1+ Kg8 3. e7+ Kh8
7. Endgame - Pawn against knight: A
1) 1. h7 (1. b6? Nf4+ 2. Kg4 Nd3 3. b7
Ne5+) 1. ... Kg7 2. h8Q+! Kxh8 3. b6
Nf4+ 4. Kh6!
(Klinkov 1965)
2) 1. c6 Nf5+ 2. Kf2! (2. Kf4? Nd6 3.
cxb7 Nxb7 4. a6 Nc5 ; 2. Kd3? Nd6 3.
cxb7 Nxb7 4. a6 Nc5+) 2. ... Nd6 3.
cxb7 Nxb7 4. a6 (Grin 1990)
3) 1. Kh8! (1. Kf6? Nf4! ; 1. Kf8? Nf4! ;
1. Kf7? Nh4! 2. g7 Nf5 ; 1. Kh7? Nf4!
2. g7 Nh5) 1. ... Nf4 2. g7 Ng6+ 3. Kg8
Ne7+ 4. Kf8! Ng6+ 5. Ke8
(Heuäcker 1937)
4) 1. e6 Ne2+ 2. Kh2! (2. Kg4 Nc3 3. e7
2
Nd5 4. e8Q Nf6+ ; 2. Kf2 Nc3 3. e7
Ne4+ 4. Ke3 Nd6) (Marwitz 1937)
5) 1. c6 bxc6 2. e7 Nxe7 3. d6 Kf8 4. d7
(Gunst 1923)
6) 1. Ke5! (1. Kf7 Kf2 2. Ke8 Ke3 3. Kd8
Kd4 4. Kc7 Kc5) 1. ... Kf2 2. Kd4 Kf3
3. Kc5 Na8 4. Kc6
7) 1. c6 Ke6 2. Kb5 (2. Kc5? Nf3 3. Kb6
Ne5 4. c7 Nc4+) 2. ... Nf3 3. Ka6 Kd6
4. Kb7 Nd4 5. c7 Nb5 6. c8Q (Mees
1946)
8) 1. Kg1! (1. h6? Nf2+ 2. Kg2 Nd3 3. h7
Nf4+) (De Feijter 1940)
9) 1. e5 fxe5 2. f6 gxf6 3. b6 f5+ 4. Kh3
(Kok 1935)
10) 1. Kb8 Nd7+ 2. Kc8 Nb6+ 3. Kc7
11) 1. e6 (1. g6 fxg6 2. e6 Nd5 3. e7 Nxe7
4. f6 Nd5) 1. ... fxe6 2. g6 Nh5 3. g7
Nxg7 4. f6 (Tavarini 1983)
12) 1. a6 (1. f7? Nd7! 2. a6 Kb6 3. c5+
Kxa6 4. c6 Nf8!) 1. ... Kb6 2. c5+
Kxa6 3. c6 Kb6 4. f7 (Ratz 1926)
8. Endgame - Pawn against bishop: A
1) 1. b6+ Kxb6 (1. ... Kb8 2. c5 Bb7 3. h5
(3. Kc3? d5) 3. ... Ba6 4. Kc3) 2. c5+
Kxc5 3. h5 (Roberts 1927)
2) 1. a5 Bf8 2. Kd5 Bh6 3. g5+ Bxg5 4.
Ke4 Bh4 5. Kf3 (Otten 1892)
3) 1. Kd5 Be5 2. g3+ Kf5 3. g4+ Kf6 (3.
... Kf4 4. g5 Kf5 5. g6 Kf6 6. g7) 4.
g5+ Kf5 5. g6 Kf6 6. g7 (Rinck 1937)
4) 1. f4! exf4 2. e4 fxe3 3. Ke2
(Timchenko 1953)
5) 1. f5 exf5 (1. ... Bxf5 2. a6) 2. Kf4 Bh3
3. Kg3 (Moravec 1913)
6) 1. Kd5! Ba5 (1. ... Bd8 2. b6! axb6 3.
Ke6) 2. b6 axb6 3. Kd4! Bd2 4. h7 Bc1
5. Kc3 (Leenmaterials 1919)
7) 1. f5 Kg3 (1. ... Kf3 2. g5 hxg5 3. h6
Bg8 4. f6 g4 5. h7 Bxh7 6. f7) 2. g5
hxg5 (2. ... Kg4 3. g6 Bd5 4. f6 Kxh5
5. f7) 3. h6 Bg8 4. f6 Kf4 5. h7 Bxh7
 6. f7 (Horwitz 1880)
8) 1. Kd5 Bf1 2. Ke6 Bg2 3. Kf7! (3.
Kf6? Bd5) 3. ... Bd5+ 4. Kf6
(Dall-Ava 1965)
9) 1. b4 axb3 (1. ... Bc4 2. b5 Be6 3. b6
Bd5 4. b7 Bxb7 5. f7+) 2. f7+ Kxf7 3.
Kh7 Bb1+ 4. Kh8 (De Feijter)
10) 1. h6 Bd4 2. Kd5 Bxb2 3. c4! (3. h7?
f5 4. c4 f4 5. Ke4 Kg4 6. c5 f3 7. c6 f2
8. c7 f1Q) 3. ... bxc3 (3. ... f5 4. c5 f4
5. Ke4 Kg4 6. c6) 4. h7 c2 5. h8Q+
(Troitzky 1928)
11) 1. d5 cxd5 2. Ke3 Bg2 3. Kd4
(Troitzky 1924)
12) 1. f6 Bb3 2. e6 Bxe6 3. Ke5 Ba2 4.
Kd6 (Destefani 1981)
9. Strategy - Mini plan: A
1) 1. ... exf5
Black captures away from the centre
(the rule is: capture towards the
also remains in the position after
centre!) but the knight gets a nice
square on e6.
2) 1. Ba3
Otherwise 1. ... d5.
1. ... Re8 2. Bd6 Qd8 3. Ne2 e5 4. Ng3
with a big advantage for White.
(Weisgerber-Van den Bosch, Bad
Nauheim 1936)
3) White weakens the black pawn
structure: 1. a5 cxb4 2. Nxb4 Qf6 3.
Nc6 Rb7 4. f3 bxa5 5. Rxa5 and
White is better. (Hemingway-Wade,
Huddersfield 1953)
4) 1. f3
But 1. c5 dxc5 2. Ba3 b6 is not good.
After f3 the white bishops come to life.
The rest of the game is instructive.
1. ... h5
After 1. ... exf3 White plays 2. Bxf3.
2. Nxe4 Nxe4 3. fxe4 Qxe4 4. Bd3
Qe7 5. e4 Kg7 6. Bf4 f6 7. Qd2 g5 8.
Be3 h4 9. e5 dxe5 10. dxe5 Qxe5 11.
3
Bd4 Qa5 12. c5 Kh6 13. Bxf6 Qxc5+
14. Bd4 Qd6 15. Rxf8 Qxf8 16. Rf1
Qe7 17. Rf6+ Kh5 18. Be2+ and
Black resigned. (Gligoric-Rabar,
Zagreb 1939)
5) 1. g5
First of all to prevent Black from
closing the kingside with h6. White not
only prepares h4-h5 to open files, but
the move also frees the way for the
white bishop. The e6-square is waiting.
1. ... Kg8 2. h4.
6) 1. ... Nxc4
Black must make the white bishop
harmless. The move does not lose a
piece! On 2. Qd3 there follows 2. ...
Qh4. In the game Van Dongen-Van
Beek, Leiden 1997 Black played the
weaker 1. ... Qc7 2. Qd3 g6 3. Ne3 Nc5
4. Ng4! f6 5. Qd4. The mating pattern

5. Bxf6!
2. Bxh7+ Kxh7 3. Qd3+ Kg8 4. Qxc4
Nf6 and Black might be better.
7) 1. ... e6
This move hits the nail on the head.
The white pressure suddenly is gone,
the c4-pawn is difficult to protect.
2. f5?
After the better 2. Qa2 exd5 3. cxd5
Qf7 Black has the advantage too.
2. ... exd5 3. fxg6 Nxc4. White resigns.
(De Gorter-Frank Erwich, Wijk aan
Zee 1998)
8) The knight on f6 is centralised but isn’t
doing much. Therefore 1. ... Nh5, on
its way to f4. In the game Harinck-
Marc Erwich, Leiden 1996 Black took
on d2 and lost a great deal of his
advantage.
9) 1. Bh4!
Maintaining the tension. White doesn’t
need to fear 1. ... g5 2. Nxg5 hxg5 3.
 Bxg5. White wins the piece back with
4. e5. After 1. Bxf6 Qxf6 2. Ne5 Qe7
has insufficient compensation for the
pawn.
1. ... Qe8
On any other move there follows 2. e5.
2. Bxf6 gxf6 3. Nd2 Kh7 4. Bf1 b5 5.
Qf3 f5 6. Qf4 Nb3 7. Nxb3 cxb3 8.
Bd3 and White is better due to the
weak black pawns. (Romanishin-
Savon, Yerevan 1976)
10) Drawing
11) Drawing
12) Black weakens the black pawn
structure:
1. Rxc8 Qxc8 2. Nf5 exf5 3. Qxd5
Nc5
3. ... Qc2 is followed by 4. Bxg7.
4. Bc4 Qe6 5. Qxe6 Nxe6 6. Rd1 and
White is better. (Flohr-Veltmander,
Tartu 1950)
10. Strategy – Mini plan: B
1) 1. ... e5
not only prevents e5 but also creates a
strong square for the knight on e5.
White cannot maintain the f4-pawn.
2. fxe5
After 2. g3 comes 2. ... Bh6 3. Bg2
exf4 4. gxf4 Nh5.
2. ... Nxe5 3. d3 Nfg4 4. Qe2
Also after 4. Bxg4 Nxg4 5. Bc1 (5.
Qe2 Rce8) 5. ... Ne3 Black is better.
4. ... Ne3 5. Re1 f5 6. exf5 Nxf3+ 7.
gxf3 Rxf5.
(Pickard-Lein, Dallas 1996)
2) 1. a4
Logical because the black pawn
structure has been demolished.
(Pogrebyssky-Levenfish 1939)
3) 1. ... Nc8
Black must activate his knight. From f5
it attacks a pawn.
4
2. Nf1 Ne7 3. Ng3 Bxg3 4. Rxg3 Nf5
5. Rh3 c5 with the advantage. Black
plays for a second white weakness.
(Lein-Jansa, Borgarnes 1985)
4) 1. d5
A logical move. White activates his
pieces. In the game Black refused the
pawn sacrifice. The position after 1. ...
exd5 2. Nd4 g6 3. e6 Bc8 4. Qe5 seems
fine for White, although he must take
care of his e-pawn. After 4. ... Nc7 5.
Bxf5 Na6 6. Rb1 gxf5 7. Re1 f4 8.
Qxf4, White has more than enough
compensation for the piece.
1. ... Nb6 2. d6 now the white
advantage is unmistakable.
5) Black is better after any move. The
white pieces are hindering each other.
The 9 year old Jankiel Ferrol chose the
strong 1. ... a5 to exploit the vulnera-
bility of the position of the white
queen. The threat is to trap the queen.
After 2. a4 b5 3. axb5 Bxb5 the threat
is again a4.
6) 1. ... Qh4+!
Black dropped a piece in Reisinger-
Hoy, Germany 1992 with 1. ... Nxd4 2.
Nxd4 Qh4+ 3. Qf2
2. g3 Qf6
Black has weakened the f-pawn. The
bishop on b7 is much more active now.
7) 1. ... g5
Black must prevent f4. After 1. ... Rce8
2. f4 R5e7 3. Rcd1 Black has to reckon
with f4.
2. f4
White has no time to play 2. Nd1 Nxd5
3. exd5 Qd4!
2. ... gxf4 3. Qxf4 Rce8 4. Rf1 R5e7 5.
e5
Otherwise Nd7-e5. Black took the
pawn and the rest was easy.
(Ligterink-Psakhis, Plovdiv 1983)
8) 1. b4
White keeps the knight on a6 passive.
1. ... Qc8 2. Bb2 Re6 3. Nb5 with the
advantage due to the limited mobility
of the black pieces.
(Marjanovic-Forintos, Bär 1980).
9) 1. ... Bc8
You shouldn’t exchange off the
weaknesses of your opponent too
easily. Black can take b4-pawn
whenever he wishes. The bishop is also
activated.
2. g5 hxg5 3. Bxg5 Bb7 4. Kh2 Rxb4
5. b3 Rc8 6. Re3 and Black won
easily. (Stolz-Boleslavsky, Groningen
1946)
10) 1. ... b5!
It would be a sin to remove the knight
from the centre (after 2. Bd3 that
would be the case). Black creates with
b5 a strong square on d5. The protected
passed pawn can be blockaded.
2. c5 a6
11) 1. Nd1
On its way to f5 and the white attack
will be unstoppable.
1. ... Rc8 2. Ne3 Rc7 3. Nf5 Rf8 4.
Qd1 f6 5. f4 exf4 6. Qh5 Ne5 7. Qh7+
(Benko-Najdorf, Los Angeles 1963)
12) 1. Nd3
White forces a very strong centre with
a pawn sacrifice.
1. ... exf4 2. e5 fxg3 3. hxg3 Qg5 4.
Nf4
Black gave up a piece on c4, but he
couldn’t save the game anyway.
(Polugaevsky-Geller, Riga 1958)
11. Strategy – Mini plan: C
1) 1. Rg3
White must conquer the square d5 for
his knight. For that purpose 1. b3 is not
clever because of 1. ... Bxb3!
5
1. ... Rg8
There is no choice; the king must keep
on protecting d6; 1. ... Bb5 2. c3 does
not help much.
2. f6+ and White wins material.
2) 1. ... Nxe4
The white pawn sacrifice is correct
indeed after 1. ... dxe4 2. Ng5 or 1. ...
Qe7 2. e5.
2. Nxe4 Qe7!
Capturing is not obligatory. After 2. ...
dxe4 follows 3. Bc4 Qe7 4. Ng5 and
White is better. After the queen move
the white pawn sacrifice is hardly
successful.
3) 1. b4
White will conquer d4 for his knight.
1. ... Be7
The bishop must go back: 1. ... Bd4 2.
Rb1 0-0 3. Nxd4 Qxd4 4. Be3
2. a3
In the 19th century sacrificing was
very popular, but the positional pawn
sacrifice hardly existed. Now with 2. ...
d4 Black can develop sufficient coun-
ter play. Maybe therefore 2. Qf2!? In
this game White was right.
2. ... f5 3. Rc1 Bb7 4. Be3 Qd8 5. Nd4
Nf8 6. 0-0 with fine piece play. The
knight on d1 goes to a5. (Steinitz-
Sellman, Baltimore 1885).
4) 1. e5
White must open more lines. After 1.
Nh2 c6 2. f4 d5 Black shuts off the
important attacking bishop on b3.
1. ... Qe7 2. Rfe1 Rbe8 3. Qd2 dxe5 4.
Rxe5 Qd6 5. Qg5 Rxe5 6. Nxe5 Qb6
7. g4 Bd6 8. Nxf7 Rxf7 9. Qf5 g6 10.
Qe6 Kg7 11. Qxf7+ Kh6 12. Be6
(Alekhine-Duras, Saint Petersburg
1913)
5) 1. Qxc5
White plays for the d6-square. A
 difficult task, but since you know the
white plan, it’s a piece of cake now.
The move order with 1. e5 is also
good.
1. ... dxc5 2. e5 Bxf3 3. Rxf3 Nd7 4.
Ne4 Ke7 5. Rg3 Rhg8 6. Rd6 with a
big advantage (Polugaevsky-Kotov,
Moscow 1961)
6) 1. Bc4
This modest move is the best. Captu-
ring on e6 strengthens the black centre
and gives up the position of the knight
on f5. On c2 the bishop is too passive.
The possible doubled c-pawns are not
weak.
(Keres-Tarnovski, Helsinki 1952)
7) 1. Qe3
Attack the weak points of your
opponent. The h6-pawn cannot be
protected.
1. ... Kh8 2. Rxg7 Kxg7 3. Rg1+
(Bellon-Alonso, Cienfuegos 1996)
8) 1. a4
White is going to attack (and win) on
the kingside, except there are too many
distractions on the other side.
Therefore, White shuts the queenside at
the moment when Black cannot capture
en passant (the a5-pawn will then be
incurably weak) (Gurgenidze-
Polugaevsky, Tbilisi 1956).
9) 1. f4
The pawn on f5 is weak but difficult to
attack. White threatens to take on e5.
The move 1. Bb2. is also good. Black
cannot answer with 1. ... f4 because of
2. Bg4.
1. ... e4
Or 1. ... Rgf8 2. Bb2 with the threat 3.
Bd3 and 1. ... exf4 is followed by 2.
Bxf4
2. Bb2 Qg6 3. Bh5
10) Awkward again, but if you have seen it
6
once it is easy. In this kind of position
White is always better (more mobility
for his pieces), but to make progress is
another story. Here you will manage
with:
1. c5!
In the game Frank Erwich-Havelaar,
Wijk aan Zee 1998 White played the
less strong 1. Rcd1.
1. ... Rd8 2. cxd6 Rxd6 3. Rxd6 exd6
4. Nb4 and the black pawn structure is
vulnerable.
11) The slogan is: increase your activity.
The knight on f6 is vulnerable because
it can be pinned along the long
diagonal.
1. Nce2
As it turns out from the following
moves the knight on g3 has one more
attacking task.
1. ... Qd7 2. Qb2 Qe7 3. Nd4 Kg8 4.
Nxc6 with a winning position.
(Smyslov-Suetin, Moscow 1952)
12) 1. ... Ne8
You should know that a protected
passed pawn possibly is best blocked
by a knight. The knight on d6 has a
good position. It supports the advance
f5 (and sometimes b5). (Jezek-
Uhlmann, Prague 1956)
12. Strategy - Mini plan: D
1) 1. ... Ne6
Forces the pawn forwards so that the
bishops becomes less mobile. After 1.
... cxd4 2. cxd4 exd4 3. Bxd4 Ne6 4.
Be3 Nc5 5. Bxc5 bxc5 Black has a
better bishop ending, but the advantage
is much smaller than in the game.
2. d5 Nd8!
On the way to a5 to attack c4. The
pawn cannot be protected sufficiently
any more.
 3. Kf2 Ba6 4. Ke3 Nb7 with a decisive
advantage.
(Shipman-Fine New York 1945)
2) 1. Bf1
Black was threatening to undermine
the knight with 1. ... a5. White remains
better because of the more active minor
pieces, although, the advantage after 1.
... Nb7! is not big. Black played 1. ...
Ne6? and lost one of only 36 games he
lost during his career. (Eliskases-
Capablanca, Semmering 1937)
3) 1. f4
The pawn structure must be broken up
before Black strikes with Kd5 and e4.
1. ... Bf7 2. fxe5+ Kxe5 3. Nc5 with a
winning advantage.
(Ludden-De Vreugt, Hoogeveen 1997)
4) 1. ... h5
Black creates a distant passed pawn.
2. Ke3 g5 3. f4 exf4+ 4. gxf4 g4 5. f5
f6 6. Bf1 Ba4 7. Nc5 Bc1+ 8. Kd4
Bd1. White resigned.
(Visier-Gligoric, Montilla 1978
5) 1. ... a6
Opening files to support the knight on
c4. On its own a piece on a strong
square can do nothing. 1. ... h6 2. a4 a6
3. Be3 is not necessary.
2. bxa6 Rxa6 3. Bg5 Rfa8 4. Nc1
Black’s position is good. The white
pawns are weak and easy to attack.
6) 1. ... g5
Defends the strong square. Also 1. ...
Bh6 is possible. The pawn move is less
flexible but the bishop can remain
active on the long diagonal.
(Podgorny-Pachman, CSR 1954)
7) 1. Kh1!
The white rooks are doing nothing in
this position and Black is vulnerable
down the f-file. To occupy the square
in front of the doubled pawns is a good
7
plan, except that the knight cannot get
there: 1. Ne2 f5! 2. exf5 (of 2. Ng3 f4
3. Ne2 d6) 2. ... d5.
1. ... d6 2. f4 Be6 3. Bxe6 fxe6
This exercise belongs to chapter 9.
White is fine, but how should he
continue?
(Larsen-Zuidema, Havana 1964)
8) Drawing
9) 1. c4
Black gets a mobile majority if he can
play c4.
(Lasker-Tarrasch, Germany 1908)
10) 1. Nh4
To the edge, but on its way to the
strong square f5.
1. ... Re5 2. g4 Nb4 3. Nf5.
White won in Didishko-Kasparov,
Minsk 1978. Black was 15 years old at
the time of this game.
11) 1. Ra1
Other moves promise less advantage:
1. e5 Rd8 or 1. Rd1 Na6 2. Rd7? (a
better move is 2. b5 Nb8 3. Ra1 a6 4.
Rc1 axb5 5. Bxb5+ Kb7) 2. ... Nb8!
1. ... a6 2. Rd1 Rf8 3. Rd7 Kb8 4. e5
with a winning position. (Smyslov-
Matanovic, Monaco 1967)
12) 1. ... Nc5
Thanks to the knight on a5 Black can
play his knight to d3. A huge
improvement of his activity.
2. Ke2
In the rook ending after 2. bxc5 Rxc5
3. Nxc4 Rxc4 White has weak pawns.
In the game Aaron-Botvinnik, Leipzig
1960 the black knight came in with 2.
... Nd3 and Black won.
13. Mobility - Trapping: A
1) 1. ... Rh6 2. Qg8 f5
2) 1. Ne5 fxe5 2. f3
3) 1. Rf1 Qe4 2. Rf4
4) 1. Nce2 Qxb2 2. Bc3 ... Kb4 3. Nd5+) 3. Nd7+ ; 1. ... Rd4 2.
5) 1. Bxh7+ Nxh7 2. Ng6 Ne5+ Kc5 3. Ne6+) 2. Ne5+ Kb4 (2. ...
6) 1. ... Rxf3 2. Nxf3 Be8 Kc5 3. Nd7+) 3. Nd5+ (Prokes 1950)
7) 1. ... Bb4 2. Bxb4 b6 2) 1. Ng4 Rf4 (1. ... Rc6 2. Ne5+ Kxc5 3.
8) 1. ... Rxd4 2. Nxd4 Nd8 Nxc6) 2. Ne5+ Kxc5 3. Nd3+ Kc6 4.
9) 1. Nxd6 Bxd6 2. Re4 Nxf4 Kxc7 5. Kb3 (Troitzky 1910)
10) 1. ... Bd4+ 2. cxd4 Re8 3) 1. Nf7 Qh4 (1. ... Qf8 2. Nf4+ Kh4 3.
11) 1. Nf4 Bd6 2. h3 Ng6+ ; 1. ... Qe8 2. Nf6+ ; 1. ... Qg8 2.
12) 1. f5 Bxc4 2. Bg5 Nf6+) 2. Nf4+ Qxf4 3. exf4
(Becker 1921)
14. Mobility - Trapping: B 4) 1. Nb7 Qa2 (1. ... Qg8 2. Nc5+ Kd5 3.
1) 1. ... Rh8 2. Qf5 Nc5 Ne7+) 2. Nd6+ Kd5 3. Nb4+
2) 1. ... Qb8 and 2. ... Bb7 (Pogosjants 1971)
3) 1. Bg4+ Kb8 2. Bf5 5) 1. Nf7 Qh2 (1. ... Qf4 2. g4+ Kh4 3.
4) 1. Rxd6 (1. Rc6 Bf8!) Rxd6 2. Ba7 Ng6+ ; 1. ... Qg7 2. g4+ Kh4 3. Nf5+ ;
5) 1. e5 Nxe5 2. Bg5 Nxf3+ 3. Nxf3 1. ... Qh4 2. g4+) 2. g4+ Kh4 3. Nf5+
6) 1. axb4 Qxa1 2. Nb3 Kh3 4. Ng5# (Kubbel 1924)
7) 1. b6 Qxb6 2. Qc3 6) 1. Ng6 Rd8 2. Nf4+ Kd4 3. Ne6+
8) 1. ... Bg7 2. Bxg7 Qxg5 (Blandford 1980)
9) 1. ... Nf6 2. f3 Bd5 7) 1. Kb5! Re8 2. c4+ Ke4 (2. ... Ke6 3.
10) 1. Nxf7 Kxf7 2. Bf4 Ng7+) 3. Nd6+ (Mandil 1933)
11) 1. Rxf7 Kxf7 2. Bg5 Qh5 3. g4 8) 1. Kc2 Rg3 (1. ... Re3 2. Nc7+ Ke7 3.
12) 1. Bg5 Rd8 2. g4 Nd5+) 2. Nc7+ Ke7 (2. ... Kf6 3.
Ne4+) 3. Nf5+ (De Barbieri 1924)
15. Mobility-Trapping 9) 1. Na5+ Kc7 (1. ... Kb8 2. Kb6 Ra7 3.
(Queen b2/b7): C Nac6+) 2. Nd5+ Kb8 (2. ... Kd6 3.
1) 1. Nc4 Qb4+ 2. Bd2 Nc4+ Kxd5 4. Nb6+ ; 2. ... Kd8 3.
2) 1. ... a5 2. Ba3 Rcb8 Nc6+ Kd7 4. Nb6+) 3. Nb6 Ra7 4.
3) 1. Reb1 Qc2 2. Ne1 Nc6+ (Rinck 1944)
4) 1. Nc3 Ne5 2. Rb1 10) 1. h4 Qe6 2. Ncb6+ Kd3 3. Nf4+
5) 1. a3 Qb6 2. Nxe6 (Rinck 1933)
6) 1. h7+ Kh8 2. Qd4+ Kxh7 3. Rfb1 11) 1. Kd1 c3 2. b3 c2+ 3. Kc1 (3. Kxc2?
7) 1. a4 Qb6 2. Rfb1 Qc6 3. Bb5 Qc7) (Lamoss 1968)
8) 1. Na4 Qb4 2. Bd2 Qa3 3. Rf3 12) 1. Nf3+ Ke4 2. Kg4 Ra5 (2. ... Ra6 3.
9) 1. ... Qd6 2. Bg5 f6 3. Be3 Rfb8 Nc5+) 3. Nf6# (Bent 1967)
10) 1. Bxc5 Qxc3 (1. ... dxc5 2. Na4) 2.
Bb4 17.Draw – Perpetual check: A
11) 1. Na4 (1. Ndb5 Nb4 2. Rc1 Kd8) 1. ... 1) 1. Rf2 Rxf2 2. Qh5+ Kg8 3. Qe8+
Qa3 2. Bc1 Qb4+ 3. Bd2 Qa3 4. Nb5 2) 1. Qe6+ Kh8 2. Ng6+ hxg6 3. Qh3+
12) Drawing 3) 1. ... Ng4 2. hxg4 Qf2+ 3. Kh2 Qh4+ 4.
Kg1 Qf2+
16. Mobility – Trapping (Double attack): D 4) 1. Rxf8+ Bxf8 2. Qg8+ (2. Nf6 Rxc1#)
1) 1. Nf7 Rb6 (1. ... Rf6 2. Ne5+ Kc5 (2. 2. ... Kxg8 3. Nh6+ Kh8 4. Nf7+

8
5) Drawing
6) 1. Ne3 Be6 2. Nc2+ Kd5 3. Nb4+ Kd4
4. Nc2+
7) 1. e7 h2 2. e8N h1Q 3. Nc7+ Ka7 4.
Nxb5+
8) 1. Qb8+ Kb6 2. Qa7+ Kc7 3. Qb8+
9) 1. Qxg7+ Rxg7 2. Rxf8+ Rg8 3. Rff7
Ra8 4. Rxh7+
10) 1. ... Qf3+ 2. Rg2 Qf1+ 3. Rg1 Qf3+ 4.
Qg2 Ng3+ 5. hxg3 Qh5+ 6. Qh2 Qf3+
7. Rg2 Qd1+
11) 1. ... Ra2+ 2. Kg1 Nf3+ (2. ... Rd2=) 3.
Kf1 Rd2 4. c7 Nh2+
12) 1. Qg8+ Kg6 2. Qe6+ Kh7
18. Draw - Stalemate: A
1) 1. ... g3+ 2. Qxg3 Qg1+ 3. Kxg1
stalemate.
2) 1. Qf6+ Kg8 2. Qg7+ Kxg7 3. h6+
Kg8 stalemate.
3) 1. Ra8 Rxa8 2. Qa2+ Rxa2 stalemate.
4) 1. Qe5+ Qg7 2. Qb8+ Qxb8 stalemate.
5) 1. ... Bxe4+ 2. Qxe4 Qh2+ 3. Kxh2
Ra2+ 4. Kh1 Rh2+ 5. Kxh2 stalemate.
6) 1. Ra8+ Kh7 2. Rh8+ Kxh8 3. Qh6+
Qxh6 stalemate.
7) 1. ... Rh1+ 2. Kxh1 Ng3+ 3. fxg3
Qxg2+ 4. Kxg2 stalemate.
8) 1. Qd8+ Kg7 2. Nh5+ gxh5 3. Qg5+
Qxg5 stalemate.
9) 1. ... Nf2+ 2. Bxf2 Qh3+ 3. Bxh3
stalemate.
10) 1. ... Rd3+ 2. Qxd3 Qe3+ 3. Qxe3
stalemate.
11) 1. Rcg1 Bxg1 2. Rxg6+ Rxg6
stalemate.
12) 1. c8Q+ (1. Bxf5 Qh8+ 2. Ke7 Kxc7)
1. ... Bxc8 2. Bxe4+ Qxe4 stalemate.
19. Draw - Defending against a passed
pawn: A
1) 1. Bd2 a1Q 2. Bc3+ Qxc3 stalemate.
2) 1. Ne2 f1Q+ 2. Ng1+ Ke3 stalemate.
9
3) 1. Rb3 Bf2+ 2. Ka8 e1Q 3. Rb1 Qxb1
stalemate.
4) 1. Kh3 (1. Rg5+? Bxg5 2. Kh3 g1N+)
1. ... g1Q 2. Rg5+ Qxg5 stalemate.
5) 1. b8Q Bxb8 2. Bb1 cxb1Q stalemate.
6) 1. Re2 d1Q 2. Rd2+ Qxd2 stalemate.
7) 1. Re3+ Kxe3 2. Kc3 b1Q stalemate.
8) 1. Rg7+ Kf8 2. Rg5 f1Q 3. Rf5+ Qxf5
stalemate.
9) 1. Nb5 Bxb5 2. Bh6 Kf6 3. Bd2 a1Q 4.
Bc3+ Qxc3 stalemate.
10) 1. Ne3 e1Q 2. Nc2+ dxc2 stalemate.
11) 1. Ne5 (1. Na5 Be3 2. Nc4 Bf4) 1. ...
d2 2. Nc4 d1R 3. Nb6+ and stalemate.
12) 1. Kf3 g1Q 2. Rh5+ Kg6 3. Rg5+
Qxg5 stalemate.
20. Draw – Fortress?: A
1) Yes: White cannot make any progress
because of stalemate.
2) Yes: White keeps repeating Rh4 and
Rf4.
3) Yes: White cannot make any progress
because of stalemate.
4) No: White wins with 1. Kd7 c4 2. Kd6
Kc8 3. Bd5
5) Yes: White plays Ke2 and Kd1
6) No: White wins with 1. Kd7 Kg8 2.
Ke7 Kh8 3. Nf6 gxf6 4. Kf7
7) No: White wins with 1. Qh1 (if it is
Black to move: yes! 1. ... h3)
8) No: White wins with 1. Be7! Kxe7 2.
Kc7 Bf8 3. d6+ Kf7 4. d7 Be7 5. d8D
Bxd8+ 6. Kxd8
9) Yes: White plays Rh3 and Rh1. After 1.
... Rc4 comes 2. Kd2
10) No: White wins with 1. Ke7 Kc6 2.
Kd8 Kb5 3. Nb8
11) Yes: The bishop must remain on the
long diagonal. After 1. Rf7+ Kg8 2.
Rf6 Black does not take but plays 2. ...
Kg7!
12) Drawing
21. Draw – Insufficient material: A
1) 1. Ke2 (1. Kc2? Ne3+ 2. Kb3 Nd5 3.
Kc4 Kd7) 1. ... Kd7 2. Kd3 b3 3. Kc3
Nd2 4. Kxd2 Kc6 5. Kc3 (Pogosjants)
2) 1. ... Nb3 2. Ba4 Kc1 3. Bxb3 Kb2
(Leepin 1946)
3) 1. Nf5+ Kf8 (1. ... Kxg6 2. Ne7+) 2.
g7+ Bxg7 3. Ne7 Rh8 4. Ng6+
(Prokes 1941)
4) 1. h6 (1. f5 Kf4 2. f6 gxf6 3. h6 Kg5 4.
h7 Nf4+) 1. ... gxh6 2. Kh4 Nxf4
stalemate (Prokes 1938)
5) 1. f4 Bc7 2. f5 exf5 (2. ... e5 3. f6 Kb5
4. f7 Bd6 5. Kg7 Kc4 6. f8Q Bxf8+ 7.
Kxf8) 3. f4 Bxf4 4. Kg6
(Wotawa 1937)
6) 1. f6! gxf6 2. Kh6! (2. Kg6? Nd7) 2. ...
Nd7 3. Kg6 (Pogosjants 1976)
7) 1. Kc3! (1. Kb3? Ne3! 2. Kb4 Nd5+ 3.
Ka5 Nc7) 1. ... Ne3 2. Kd4! Nc2+ 3.
Kc5 Ke5 4. Kb6 Nb4 5. Ka5
(Kuzminich 1986)
8) 1. Ke5 Bb3 2. g8N! f6+ 3. Nxf6 exf6+
4. Kxf6 (Richter 1960)
9) 1. Ne4+ Ngxe4 (1. ... Ncxe4 2. Bxe5+
Qxe5 (2. ... Kxe5 3. Nc4+) 3. Ng4+) 2.
Bxe5+ Qxe5 (2. ... Kxe5 3. Nc4+) 3.
Ng4+ (Von Holzhausen 1912)
10) 1. Nc6 Bxd7 2. Ne5
11) 1. Na5! Kxa5 2. d8N! (Comay 1990)
12) 1. ... Kg6 2. Bxe5 Kh5 3. Kg2 Kg4 4.
Kf2 f4
22. Draw – Wrong bishop: A
1) 1. Kd1 (1. Na1 Ba4 2. Kf1 Kd2) 1. ...
Ba4 2. Kc1 Bxb3 3. Kb2
2) 1. bxa5 bxa5 2. Kf2 Bxf3 3. Ke3 and
the king reaches the corner.
3) 1. Bf2 Kf5 2. Bh4
4) 1. Kf4! (1. Kf5 Kg3 ; 1. c7 Bxc7+ 2.
Kf5 h6) 1. ... Kh3 2. c7 Bxc7+ 3. Kg5
Bf4+ 4. Kxf4 h5 5. Kf3
5) 1. ... Nxf4+ (1. ... Ng1 2. Bg2) 2. gxf4
10
g5 3. fxg5 h6
6) 1. ... Nb8 2. b5 (2. Kc4 Nc6 3. Bb6
Nxb4) 2. ... Nc6+
7) 1. Rb4 cxb4 2. Kxd4 b3
8) 1. ... Rg3+ 2. Kxf4 Rg4+
9) 1. Ka4 Kd4 2. Ka3 Kc3 3. b5! (3. Ka4
Kb2 4. Ka5 Kb3) 3. ... axb5 stalemate.
10) 1. Nxc4+ Ka6 2. Nd6 Bd7 3. Nxb5
Kxb5 4. Kc3
11) 1. ... Rb4 2. Kg3 Nxe5 3. fxe5 Rxg4+
4. Kxg4 f6 5. exf6 Kg6
12) 1. f8Q+ Bxf8 2. Nf7+ Kg8 3. Nh6+
gxh6 4. Ke3
23. Opening - Which developing move?: A
1) a) 1. Qd6 Not a bad move. White is
better because the queen is difficult to
chase away from d6.
b) 1. Bd3 A developing move, that
causes Black no problems.
c) 1. Na4!
Moving the same piece twice is very
good here. White threatens to win
material with 2. Nb6 and 3. Nxc8.
Black opted for sudden death with 1. ...
Nbc6? 2. Bb6 (Hector-Vidarsson,
Reykjavik 1996)
2) a) 1. Nf3 Bad, Black wins with 1. ...
Ne4 2. Bh4 Qxh4.
b) 1. e3
The correct move. White parries both
threats (... Ne4 and ... Bxf2).
c) 1. Nc3 prevents 2. ... Ne4 but now 2.
... Bxf2+ wins.
3) a) 1. ... Be6
This move is recommended by theory.
White can win his pawn back with 2.
Bxe6 fxe6 3. Qb3 but after 3. ... Qd7
Black has adequate play.
b) 1. ... Bc5 Black must reckon with 2.
Ng5 Nh6 3. Nxf7 Nxf7 4. Bxf7 Kxf7 5.
Qh5+ after which White who is better.
He gets his pawn back.
 c) 1. ... Bg4? The worst of the three.
After 2. Qb3 Qd7 3. Bxf7+ (but not 3.
Qxb7? Rb8 4. Bxf7+ Kd8 5. Qa6 Bxf3
6. gxf3 Rb6 7. Qc4 Ne5) 3. ... Qxf7 4.
Qxb7 Rc8 5. Qxc6+ Bd7 6. Qa6 Nf6 7.
e5 Ne4 8. Re1 Nc5 9. e6 Nxe6 10. Ng5
Black resigned.
(Pytel-Castro, Dortmund 1977)
4) a) 1. ... e6
The best. The action of b) gains
nothing now: 2. Ng6 fxg6 3. Qxg6+
Ke7.
b) 1. ... e5 Good move, except after 2.
Ng6 fxg6? ( 2. ... Bb4+ is better
although White is fine after 3. c3 fxg6
4. Qxg6+ Kf8 5. cxb4 exd4 6. 0-0) 3.
Qxg6+ Ke7 4. Nf5#
c) 1. ... Ngf6 White gets an advantage
with 2. Ng6 Rg8 (2. ... Nc5 3. Qc4
fxg6 4. Qxc5 is also better for White)
3. Bf4.
5) a) 1. Nf3? After 1. ... Nb4 is White has
serious problems.
b) 1. a3? After 1. ... Nd4 White solved
these problems by resigning.
(Kox-Welling, Eindhoven 1973)
c) 1. e3
Black does have compensation for the
pawn after 1 ... Nb4 2. Bb5+ Ke7
6) a) 1. ... dxe4 is dangerous for Black
after 2. Ng5! (not 2. Nxe5 Qa5+).
b) 1. ... Bd6
The best move. Black maintains his
centre.
c) 1. ... Bg4 Too active. Namely, after
2. exd5 cxd5 3. h3 Black must take on
f3 and it is a waste of time and of the
bishop.
7) a) 1. ... Bxd2+
The winning move. After 2. Qxd2 Nc6
3. Rd1 e5! Black has superior play.
b) 1. ... Qxd4 Too greedy. Black is lost
after 2. Bxb4! Qe4+ 3. Be2 Qxh1 4.
11
Qd6! Nc6 5. Bf3! Nxb4 (5. ... Qxg1+
6. Ke2 Nd4+ 7. Qxd4) 6. 0-0-0!
(Griffith-Brainin 1943)
c) 1. ... Nc6 Does not cause much
trouble for White, after 2. Bxb4 Nxb4
3. Nf3 Nc2+ 4. Qxc2 Qxf3 5. Rg1 0-0
6. Bg2.
8) a) 1. ... h5
Black’s position is worse, but still
playable. Black continues with Ne7, g6
and Nf5.
b) 1. ... Qc7 attacks e5, but after 2. Bd4
the queen just becomes vulnerable on
the open c-file.
c) 1. ... f5 Opening the position when
you are behind in development is not a
good strategy: 2. exf6 Nxf6 (better 2.
... Qxf6 3. Bd4 Nh6 4. Qh5+ Qf7 5.
Qg5 and White is better) 3. Qg6+ and
mate.
(Pulnikov-Oserov, Togliatti 1984)
9) a) 1. ... Nb4
A correct decision. After 2. Bc2 (2.
Qa4+ Bd7 3. Qb3 Be6 4. Qa4+ Qd7 of
2. Bb5+ c6) 2. ... Qxd1+ Black has a
decisive advantage.
(Guinari-Rastrelli Bologna 1925)
b) 1. ... f6 White does not accept the
pawn sacrifice and plays 2. 0-0 Ngxe5
3. Bxe5 fxe5 4. Bb5.
c) 1. ... Be6 A passive developing
move. Black must show how he gets
his pawn back after 2. 0-0.
10) a) 1. Re1 Black can castle.
b) 1. Bxf6!
The point is that after 1. ... Qxf6 2.
Nxe6 follows. White is better in any
case: 2. ... Bxe6 3. Bxe6 fxe6 (3. ...
Qxe6 4. Re1 of 3. ... 0-0 4. Bd5) 4.
Qh5+. Black must take with the g-
pawn and that appeared to be good for
White in the game Sutovsky-Bykhovsky,
Tel Aviv 1995: 1. ... gxf6 2. Qg4 (Black
 has difficulties developing.) 2. ... Bxd4 7) 1. ... Rh3 2. Qxh3 Nf4 3. Qg3 Ne2+
3. cxd4 h5 4. Qg7 Ke7 5. d5! Qg8 (5. 8) 1. ... Bxe4 2. fxe4 Qxe3
... exd5 6. Bxd5! Qxd5 7. Qxh8 Bh3 8. 9) 1. Rxc4+ Kxc4 2. Nd2+ Kc5 3. Nb3+
Qg7) 6. d6+ Kxd6 7. Qxf6 Bd7 8. 10) 1. ... Qxf4+ 2. Kxf4 g5+ 3. Kg4 Ne3+
Rfd1+ Kc7 9. Be2 11) 1. b4 Bb6 2. b5 Na5 3. Ne7+
c) 1. Qe2 Black can castle. 12) 1. ... Rg2 2. Qd4 Nf4+ 3. Qxf4 gxf4 4.
11) a) 1. ... a6 chases the bishop to a better Kxg2 e5
square.
b) 1. ... Ne4 25. Eliminating of the defender -
The best move. White is not yet fully Chasing away + mate: A
developed. Furthermore, two pieces are 1) 1. ... Rxf4 2. Qxf4 Qxe2 3. Rxe2 Rb1+
unprotected and the winning 2. ... Qa5 2) 1. ... Qf2 (1. ... Qa6 2. Ng3)
is being threatened. After 2. Qa4 (2. 3) 1. ... Nf2+ 2. Rxf2 (2. Kg1 Ne4+) 2. ...
Be3 Qa5) 2. ... Bc5 3. Be3 Bxe3 4. Bd4 3. Qxd4 Re1+
Rxe3 Qf6 Black has a huge advantage. 4) 1. ... Bh6 2. Bxh6 Qf2+ 3. Kh1 Qf1+ 4.
c) 1. ... Be6 Passive defence is not Rxf1 Rxf1#
necessary. 5) 1. Rxe8 (1. Qb5 also wins) 1. ... Qxe8
12) a) 1. c3 2. Qa4 Qxa4 3. Rb8+
The best move. After 1. ... Be7 2. Qa4 6) 1. Ne7+ Rxe7 2. Qxf6 Qxf6 3. Rd8+
Nh6 3. Ne4 0-0 (3. ... Nf5 4. Rd1 b5 5. 7) 1. ... Rxa3 2. bxa3 Qxa1+ 3. Rb1 Re1+
Qc2) 4. Bxh6 gxh6 5. Rfd1 Qe8 6. 4. Qf1 Rxf1+
Qxd7 Bxe4 7. Qxc7 Bc5 8. b4 Be7 9. 8) 1. ... Rxd2 2. Rxd2 Qxg3 3. Qxg3
Nd4 Bxg2 10. Kxg2 Qd8? 11. Nxe6 Rc1+
White obtains a decisive advantage. 9) 1. ... Qc1+ 2. Qd1 Rc2 3. h3 Qxd2
(Quiteros-Miana, Argentina 1975) 10) 1. Nf5 exf5 2. Qxc8+ Nxc8 3. Re8#
b) 1. Re1 Weakens the f2-square, so 11) 1. ... Rdxe8 2. Qxe8 h6
Black always wins a tempo with Bc5. 12) 1. ... Rd1+ 2. Rxd1 Qxc3
c) 1. Qe2 An ordinary move in this
kind of positions. The queen is not 26. Double attack-Discovered attack: A
always happily situated on e2 because 1) 1. Rxd6 Rxd6 2. Qxf8+ Kxf8 3. Bh6+
of a5 and Ba6. 2) 1. ... Qg1+ 2. Kxg1 d1Q+ 3. Qxd1 e2+
3) 1. Rxe5 dxe5 2. Bxf6+ Kxf6 3. Ne4+
24. Double attack - Knight: A fxe4 4. Qxa5
1) Drawing 4) 1. ... Rxg2+ 2. Kxg2 Bxd5+ 3. Kh3
2) 1. Qxc5 dxc5 (1. ... h5 2. Qc6 Qf5 3. Bg2+ 4. Kxg2 Qxd4
Rb8+ Kh7 4. Ne3) 2. Rb8+ Bf8 3. 5) 1. Rxe7+ Kxe7 2. Qe4+ Kf8 3. Ne6+
Nf6+ 6) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. gxf3 Qg6+ 3. Kh1 Ng3+
3) 1. Rxf8+ Rxf8 2. Rxf8+ Qxf8 3. 7) 1. Nd5 Qxe1 2. Ne7+ Kh8 3. Rf8#
Nxg6+ 8) 1. Nf7+ Rxf7 2. Ne5
4) 1. Rxh4 Qxh4 2. Qxf8+ Kxf8 3. Ng6+ 9) 1. Bxg7 Bxg7 2. Qh5 h6 3. Bh7+
5) 1. Nf6+ Kf7 2. Qxg7+ Kxg7 3. Ne8+ 10) 1. Ng6! hxg6 2. Qxd6
6) 1. ... Rxe2+ 2. Rxe2 Bxe2 3. Kxe2 11) 1. e6 Qxc7 2. exf7+ Bxf7 3. Rf8#
Nxc3+ 12) Drawing

12
27. Double attack - Queen: A
1) 1. Bxh7+ Kxh7 2. Qc2+ Kg8 3. Bc7
2) 1. Rd8+ Kg7 2. f5 Bxf5 3. Qc5
3) 1. Nfxd5 Nxd5 2. Qh5 Nf6 3. Qb5+
4) 1. ... Rc1+ 2. Nf1 Rxf1+ 3. Kxf1 Qb5+
5) 1. Nxf5 Bxf5 2. Bxf5 Rxf5 3. Qd5+
6) 1. ... Qe6 (1. ... Rxh3+ 2. Kxh3 Qf7) 2.
Rf2 Rxh3+ 3. Kxh3 Qh6#
7) 1. ... Nc5 2. Nxc5 Qe1+ 3. Qf1 Qe3+
8) 1. Nd5 exd5 2. Rxe7 Qxe7 3. Qxf5+
9) 1. ... d3 2. hxg4 dxe2 3. Qxe2 Qd4+
10) 1. Qf6+ Qxf6 2. Rxg8+ Kxg8 3. e8Q+
11) 1. ... Qh3 2. gxh3 Nf2++ 3. Kg1 Nxh3#
12) 1. Be4 Qa6 2. Rxe7 Rxe7 3. Qb8+
28. Eliminating of the defender -
Interfering: A
1) 1. h6+ Kh8 2. Be6 d5 3. Qe5+
2) 1. ... Bf2 2. Qxf2 Rxe1 3. Rxe1 Rxe1+
3) 1. ... Rc1+ 2. Bxc1 Qh3+ 3. Rh2 Qf1#
4) 1. Nxf5+ gxf5 2. Re6+ fxe6 3. Qf6#
5) 1. Re5 Bxe5 2. f6 Rg8 3. Bg7+
6) 1. Bf4 Rxf4 2. Qh7+
7) 1. ... Bd2 2. Rxe4 Bxc3 3. Kf1 fxe4
8) 1. R1b4 axb4 2. Qh6+ Kxh6 3. Bf8+
Kh5 4. Be2#
9) 1. Bc7 Qxc7 2. Rxc5+ Qxc5 3. Qb7+
Kxa5 4. Ra1#
10) 1. Be5 Rxe5 2. Ne8 Nf5 3. Nf6+ Kh8
4. Qg8#
11) 1. ... Bf2
12) 1. ... Be3 2. Bxf7 Qxe4+
29. Eliminating of the defender -
Blocking: A
1) 1. Ra1+ Ra2 2. Ra4+ bxa4 3. b4#
2) 1. ... a3 2. Qxa3 Rh1+ 3. Kb2 Rb1#
3) 1. ... Bd2 2. Qxd2 Qg2+ 3. Ke1 Qg1#
4) 1. Rh7 Bxh7 2. Qh8+ Bg8 3. Qh6#
5) 1. ... Bg1+ 2. Qxg1 Ng4+ 3. hxg4
Qh6+ 4. Bh4 Qxh4#
6) 1. Qe5+ Kf8 2. Qf6 Qxe7 3. Qh8#
7) 1. ... f6+ 2. exf6 Re5+ 3. Kh4 Rh5+ 4.
13
Kg3 Rh3#
8) 1. Qg8+ Bf7 2. Qd8 Rxg4 3. Qd7#
9) 1. ... Re3 2. fxe3 Nh3 3. Ne4 Qg1#
10) 1. Rd7 Bxd7 2. Qd6+ Re7 3. Qh6+
Ke8 4. Rg8#
11) 1. ... Re4+ 2. dxe4 Ba6
12) 1. Rg6 Ng3 2. Rg4+ Rxg4 3. Nh3#
30. Pin - Mix: A
1) 1. ... Qxd5 2. cxd5 Re1+ 3. Kg2 Bf1+
4. Kg1 Bh3#
2) 1. Nxe6+ Bxe6 2. Qb4
3) 1. Ng6 Qf6 2. Ne7+ Qxe7 3. Qxf5
4) 1. Rxc5! (1. Nxc5? Rxc5 2. Qa3 Rc8)
1. ... Rxc5 2. Qa3 Rc8 3. Rc1
5) 1. Qa4+ Qc6 2. Rd8+ Kxd8 3. Qxc6
6) 1. ... Nxg5 2. fxg5 Rxe3
7) Drawing
8) Drawing
9) 1. ... Nxb3+ 2. Nxb3 Bxa4 3. Rd3 Qb7
10) 1. Bd5 Rxd5 2. Qxe6+ Rd7 3. Rxd4
11) 1. Qe4 Kh8 (1. ... Bxd5 2. Qxd5+ Kh8
3. Rxe5) 2. f4
12) 1. ... Bd5 2. Qe2 Qb1
31. Pawn endgame - Key squares: A
1) 1. Kd7! (1. Kc7? a3 2. Kd6 Kd4!) 1. ...
a3 2. Ke6! Kd4 (2. ... Ke4 3. Kf6!) 3.
Kf5 Kc3 4. Ke4 Kb2 5. Kd3 Kxa2 6.
Kc2 (Grigoriev 1925)
2) 1. Kg7 h5 2. Kf6! (2. Kg6? h4 3. Kg5
h3) 2. ... h4 3. Ke5 h3 4. Kd4 Kg2 5.
Ke3 Kxh2 6. Kf2
3) 1. Kf4 Kd5 2. Ke3 Kc4 3. a4! (3. Kd2
Kb3 4. a4 Kxa4) 3. ... bxa4 4. Kd2 Kb3
5. Kc1 (De Feijter 1932)
4) 1. Kh8! (1. Kf8 Kf6 2. Kg8 Ke5 3. Kf7
Kd4 4. Ke6 Kc3 5. Kd5 Kb2 6. Kc4
Kxa2) 1. ... Kf6 2. Kh7! Ke5 3. Kg6
Kd4 4. Kf5 Kc3 5. Ke4 Kb2 6. Kd3
Kxa2 7. Kc2 (Kovalenko 1977)
5) 1. Kf8 (1. Kh7? Kf5 2. Kg7 Ke4 3. Kf6
Kd3 4. Ke5 Kc2 5. Kd4 Kxb2) 1. ...
 Ke6 2. Ke8 Kd6 3. Kd8
6) 1. Kf4! (1. Ke3 Kc4 2. Kd2 (2. a4 Kb4
3. Kd4 Kxa4 4. Kc3 b5 5. Kb2 Kb4) 2.
... Kb3) 1. ... b5 (1. ... Kc4 2. Ke5 Kb3
3. Kd6 Kxa3 4. Kc6=) 2. Ke3 Kc4 3.
a4 bxa4 4. Kd2 (Iriarte 1975)
7) 1. Kc4 Kb2 ((1. ... Ka4 2. Kd4 Kb5 3.
Ke4 Kc6 4. Kf5! – 4. Kf4? h3=) Kd3
Kc1 3. Ke2 Kc2 4. Kf3
(Moravec 1952)
8) 1. Kb5 Kc3 2. Kc5 Kd3 3. Kd5 Ke3 4.
Ke5 Kf3 5. Kf5 Kg3 6. h6!
(Selesniev 1914)
9) 1. Kg7! h5 (1. ... Kd3 2. Kxh7) 2. Kg6
h4 3. Kg5 h3 4. Kg4 Kd3 5. Kxh3 Ke4
6. Kg4 (Grigoriev 1938)
10) 1. Kg5 (1. Kg7? h5 2. Kg6 h4 3. Kg5
Kc6 4. Kxh4 Kd7 5. Kg5 Ke8 6. Kg6
Kf8=) 1. ... Kc4 2. Kh6 Kd5 3. Kxh7
Ke6 4. Kg6 (4. Kg7? Kf5=) 4. ... Ke7
5. Kg7 Ke6 6. h4 Kf5 7. h5
11) 1. Kc6! (1. Kc5? Kb7 2. Kd6 Kc8! 3.
Ke7 Kc7 4. Kf6 Kd6 5. Kg5 h3 6. gxh3
Ke7=) 1. ... Kb8 (1. ... Ka6 2. Kd6 Kb6
3. Ke6 Kc6 4. Kf5 h3 5. gxh3 Kd7 6.
Kf6 Ke8 7. Kg7) 2. Kd7! (2. Kd6?
Kc8=) 2. ... Kb7 3. Ke6 Kc7 4. Kf5 h3
5. gxh3 Kd7 6. Kf6 Ke8 7. Kg7
(Moravec 1952)
12) 1. Kd2 (1. Kxd3? Ke1 2. Kc2 (2. a4
Kd1) 2. ... Ke2 3. a4 Ke1!=) 1. ... Kf2
2. a4 Kf3 3. Kxd3
32. Pawn endgame - Key squares: B
1) 1. Ke6! (1. Kxd5 Kf7 ; 1. Kxf5 Kd7) 1.
... Kd8 2. Kxd5 f4 3. Ke4 Ke7 4. Kxf4
Kf6 5. Ke4 Ke6 6. e3 (Glaser 1939)
2) 1. a3 (1. a4? Ka8 2. a5 Kb8 3. b6 axb6
4. axb6 Ka8 5. b7+ Kb8 6. Kb6
stalemate.) 1. ... Ka8 2. a4 Kb8 3. a5
Ka8 4. b6 axb6 5. axb6 Kb8 6. b7
(Fahrni)
3) 1. Kb5! (1. Kb6? Kb8 2. Ka5 Kc7 3.
14
Kb5 Kc8=. Also good is 1. Ka5! Ka7 2.
Kb5 Kb8 3. Kb6 Ka8 4. Kc7) 1. ... Ka7
2. Ka5 Ka8 3. Ka6 Kb8 4. Kb6 Ka8 5.
Kc7 (Verburg 1985)
4) 1. Kh4 Kg7 2. Kg5! (2. e5? Kxh7= ; 2.
h8Q+? Kxh8 3. Kxh5 Kh7=) 2. ...
Kxh7 (2. ... h4 3. Kxh4 Kxh7 4. Kh5 ;
2. ... Kh8 3. Kg6 h4 4. e5 and mate on
e8.) 3. Kxh5 Kg7 4. Kg5 Kf7 5. Kf5
Ke7 6. Ke5 Kf7 7. Kd6
(Herberg 1941)
5) 1. g8N+ Kh7 2. Kc2 (2. Nf6+? Kg6 3.
Kc2 Kxf6 4. Kxd2 Kf5=) 2. ... Kxg8 3.
Kxd2 Kf7 4. Ke3 Ke6 5. Ke4
6) 1. Kf2! (1. b4? Kg4 2. Ke3 Kf5 3. Kd4
Ke6 4. Kc5 a5 5. bxa5 Kd7 ; 1. Kf3?
Kh2! 2. b4 Kg1=) 1. ... Kg4 2. Ke3 Kf5
3. Kd4 Ke6 4. Kc5 Kd7 5. Kb6 Kc8 6.
Kxa6 Kc7 7. b4 (Leick 1948)
7) 1. Kc2! (1. b3? Ke7 2. Kb2 a4! 3. b4
Kd6 4. Ka3 Kc6 5. Kxa4 Kb6= ; 1.
Kb1? Ke7 2. Ka2 Kd6 3. Ka3 Kc6 4.
Ka4 Kb6=) 1. ... a4! (1. ... Ke7 2. Kb3
Kd6 3. Ka4) 2. Kb1! (2. Kc3? a3! 3. b3
Ke7=) 2. ... a3 3. b3! (3. b4? Ke7 4.
Ka2 Kd6 5. Kxa3 Kc6 6. Ka4 Kb6=) 3.
... Ke7 4. Ka2 Kd6 5. Kxa3 Kc6 6. Ka4
Kb6 7. Kb4 (Dedrle 1921)
8) 1. e3 (1. e4? g5 2. e5 Kg8 3. Ke7 g4 4.
e6 g3=) 1. ... g5 2. Kxg5 Kg7 3. Kf5
Kf7 4. e4 Ke7 5. Ke5
9) 1. a5! (1. Kh5? a5 2. Kg5 Kg8 3. Kf6
Kh7 4. Ke6 Kxh6 5. Kd6
10) 1. Kb4! Kg5 2. Kc5 Kf4 3. Kd4! Kf5 4.
Kxd5 (Moravec 1940)
11) 1. a3 (1. a4? Kb7 2. b3 Kc7! 3. a5 bxa5
4. Kxc5 a4 5. bxa4=) 1. ... Kb7 2. a4
Kc7 3. a5 bxa5 4. Kxc5 a4 5. Kb4 a3 6.
Kxa3
12) 1. Kb4 (1. c4? Kb6 2. Kb4 bxc4 3.
Kxc4 e3! 4. fxe3 Kc6=) 1. ... Kb6 2. c3
Kc6 3. c4 bxc4 4. Kxc4 Kd6 5. Kd4 e3
6. fxe3! (Based on Herberg 1956)
33. Pawn endgame - Key squares: C
1) 1. Kf4 (1. Ke4 Kg4 2. Ke3 Kf5 3. Kd2
Ke4 4. Kc3 Kd5) 1. ... c3 (1. ... Kh4 2.
Ke3 Kg4 3. Kd2 Kf4 4. Kc3) 2. Ke3 c4
3. Ke2 Kg4 4. Kd1 (1955)
2) 1. Kg2 (or the immediate 1. b6 cxb6 2.
Kg2 Kg6 3. Kf2 Kf6) 1. ... Kg6 2. Kf2
Kf6 3. Ke2 Ke6 4. Kd2 Kd6 5. b6 cxb6
6. Kc2 Kc6 7. Kb2 (Guy 1941)
3) 1. Kf5 Kg7 2. e7! (2. Ke4? Kf8 3. Kd4
Ke7 4. Kd5 f5) 2. ... Kf7 3. e8Q+ Kxe8
4. Ke6 (4. Kxf6? Kd7 5. Kf5 Kc6 6.
Ke4 Kc5 7. Kd3 Kd5)
4) 1. Kb2 Kc4 2. Ka3 b2 3. Ka2
5) 1. Kh8! (Moravec 1952)
6) 1. Kc2 Kd6 2. f6 gxf6 3. Kd2
7) 1. Rxb6 Rxf3+ 2. Kg2 axb6 3. Kxf3
8) 1. Ke6 Ke8 2. d3 Kf8 3. d4 Ke8 4. d5
Kf8 5. d6 exd6 6. Kxf6
9) 1. Kf2 b4 2. Ke2! (2. Rxe4+ Kxe4 3.
Ke2 b3 4. Kd2 Kd4 5. Kd1 Kd3 6. Kc1
Kc3 7. Kb1 b2) 2. ... b3 3. Kd1! (3.
Rxe4+ Kxe4 4. Kd2 Kd4 5. Kd1 Kd3)
10) 1. Kg3! (1. Kg4? Kc2! 2. Kf4 (2. Kf3
Kd3) 2. ... Kd3 3. Ke5 Kc4) 1. ... Kc2
2. Kf2! Kd3 (2. ... Kd2 3. Kf1) 3. Ke1
(Grigoriev 1931)
11) 1. g6 (1. Kg2 Kg4) 1. ... fxg6 2. f5 gxf5
3. Kg1 Kg5 4. Kf1 Kg4 5. Kg2 Kf4 6.
Kf2 (Mattisson 1918)
12) 1. Kf2! c5 (1. ... Kd2 2. c5 Kd3 3. Ke1
Kd4 4. Kd2 Kxc5 5. Kc3) 2. Ke3 Kc2
3. Ke2 Kc3 4. Kd1 Kxc4 5. Kc2
(Mandler 1949)
34. Pawn endgame - Race: A
1) 1. Kf7 (1. e4? Kg8=) 1. ... g5 2. e4 g4
3. e5 g3 4. e6 g2 5. e7 g1Q 6. e8Q+
Kh7 7. Qe4+ Kh6 8. Qh4#
(Pogosjants 1976)
2) 1. e6 (1. b6? c3 2. b7 (2. e6 c2=) 2. ...
c2 3. b8Q c1Q 4. Qg8+ Kf2 5. Qg2+
(5. Qxf7+ Ke3=) 5. ... Ke1 6. Qg1+
15
Kd2 7. Qxc1+ Kxc1 8. Kg4 Kd2 9. Kf5
Ke3 10. Kf6 Ke4=) 1. ... fxe6 (1. ... c3
2. exf7 c2 3. f8Q c1Q 4. Qg7+ Kf2 5.
Qg2+ (and exchanging queens after 5.
... Ke1 6. Qg1+ or winning the queen
after 5. ... Ke3 6. Qg5+) 5. ... Ke1 (5. ...
Ke3 6. Qg5+) 6. Qg1+ Kd2 7. Qxc1+
Kxc1 8. b6) 2. b6 c3 3. b7 c2 4. b8Q
c1Q 5. Qh2+ Kf1 6. Qh1+ (Kok 1992)
3) 1. h6 (1. d6 a3 2. h6 a2 3. d7 a1Q=) 1.
... gxh6 2. d6 a3 3. d7 a2 4. d8Q a1Q 5.
Qf6+ (Kok 1992)
4) Drawing
5) 1. f6 b3 2. Kd1! (2. Kd2? e4 3. f7
e3+=) 2. ... e4 3. f7 e3 4. f8Q
(Zinar 1986)
6) 1. d7 (1. Kc8? f3 2. d7 f2 3. d8Q f1Q=
; 1. Kc7? g3 2. d7 g2 3. d8Q g1Q 4.
Qb8+ Ka6=) 1. ... g3 (1. ... f3 2. Kc7 f2
3. d8Q f1Q 4. Qb8+ Ka6 5. Qb6#) 2.
Kc8 g2 3. d8Q g1Q 4. Qa5#
(Schaffler 1979)
7) 1. h7! (1. Kg7? g3!) 1. ... g3 (1. ... c3 2.
Kg7! c2 3. h8Q c1Q 4. Qh6+) 2. Kg8!
g2 3. h8Q g1Q 4. Qg7+ (Richter 1957)
8) 1. g7 g2 2. g8R+ (2. g8Q+? is wrong:
Kh3 3. Kf3 g1Q 4. Qxg1 stalemate.) 2.
... Kh3 3. Kf3 (Frink 1926)
9) 1. Ke4! (1. h6 d3 2. h7 d2 3. Ke2 Kc2
4. h8Q d1Q+=) 1. ... Kc4 2. h6 d3 3.
Ke3 Kc3 4. h7 d2 5. h8Q+ (Grigoriev)
10) 1. h4 (1. Kd5? Kf3=) 1. ... b5 2. Kd5
Kd3 3. h5 b4 4. h6 b3 5. h7 b2 6. h8Q
b1Q 7. Qh7+ (Brenev 1931)
11) 1. Kg7 (1. Kg8? Kf6 2. Kh7 Kg5; 1.
Kh7? Kf4 (1. ... Kf6? 2. Kh6) 2. Kg6
Kxg4) 1. ... Kf4 2. Kf7 e5 3. Kf6 e4 (3.
... Kxg4 4. Kxe5=) 4. g5
(Marysko 1968)
12) 1. Kg4! (1. Kf2 Kh1 2. a6 h2 3. a7
stalemate.) 1. ... Kg2 2. a6 h2 3. a7
h1Q 4. a8Q+ (Salvio)
35. Pawn endgame - Race: B
1) 1. a4 h4 2. a5 h3 3. a6 h2 4. a7 h1Q 5.
a8Q+ Kg1 6. Qa1+ Kh2 7. Qe5+ Kg2
8. Qg5+ Kh3 9. Qh5+ Kg2 10. Qg4+
Kh2 11. Kf2 (Polerio)
2) 1. ... Kg7 (1. ... Kg6? 2. d5 h5 3. d6 h4
4. Ke6 h3 5. d7 h2 6. d8Q h1Q 7.
Qg8+ Kh5 8. Qh7+ and wins; 1. ...
Kg5? 2. Ke6 h5 3. d5 h4 4. d6 h3 5. d7
h2 6. d8Q+ and wins) 2. d5 h5 3. d6 h4
4. Ke7 h3 5. d7 h2 6. d8Q h1Q
3) 1. Kd4 Kf5 2. Kd5 Kf6 3. Kd6 Kf7 4.
c5 (4. Kd7? a5 5. c5 a4 6. c6 a3 7. c7
a2 8. c8Q a1Q= 4. ... Ke8 5. Kc7 a5 6.
c6 a4 7. Kb7 a3 8. c7 a2
(Moravec 1953)
4) 1. Kg1! (1. Kg2? h5 2. a5 h4 3. a6 h3+
4. Kxh3 d3=) 1. ... h5 2. a5 h4 3. a6 h3
4. a7 h2+ 5. Kxh2 d3 6. a8Q
(Zinar 1987)
5) 1. ... Kg3 2. a5 Kf4 3. a6 Ke3
(Adamson 1921)
6) 1. Ke4 b3 2. Kd3 Ka4 3. g6 Ka3 4. g7
b2 5. Kc2 Ka2 6. g8Q+
(Constantin 1938)
7) 1. Kg6 (1. g6? b3 2. g7+ Kg8 3. Kg6
b2 4. h6 b1Q+ and wins) 1. ... b3 (1. ...
Kg8 2. h6 b3 3. h7+ Kh8 4. Kh6 – 4.
Kf7? b2 5. g6 b1Q 6. g7+ Kxh7 7.
g8Q+ Kh6 – 4. ... b2 5. g6 b1Q 6. g7#)
2. Kf7 b2 3. g6 b1Q 4. g7+ Kh7 5.
g8Q+ Kh6 6. Qg6+ Qxg6+ 7. hxg6
(Dvizov 1987)
8) 1. a4! (1. Kd5? Kf4 2. Ke6 Ke4 3. a4
Kd4; 1. Kd4? Kf4 2. a4 e5+ 3. Kc3 e4
4. a5 e3 5. a6 Kg3!) 1. ... e5 2. a5 e4 3.
Kd4! Kf4 4. a6 e3 5. Kd3! Kf3 6. a7 e2
7. a8Q+ (Benko 1973)
9) 1. Ke4 (1. Ke5 Kg4 2. a4 f5 3. a5 f4) 1.
... Kg4 2. a4 f5+ 3. Kd3! Kg3 4. a5 f4
5. a6 f3 6. a7 f2 7. Ke2 Kg2 8. a8Q+
(Vinje 1938)
10) 1. ... Kb2 2. a5 Kc3 3. Kg3 Kd4 4. a6
16
Ke3 5. a7 f2 6. a8Q f1Q (Reti 1922)
11) 1. ... Kg4 2. a4 Kf3 3. a5 Kg2 4. a6 f3
5. a7 f2+ 6. Kd2 f1Q 7. a8Q+
12) 1. b5 Ke5 (1. ... h4 2. b6 h3 3. b7 h2 4.
b8Q+) 2. b6! (2. Kc5 Ke6 3. Kc6 h4 4.
b6 h3 5. b7 h2 6. b8Q h1Q+) 2. ... Kd6
3. Kb5 h4 (3. ... Kd7 4. Ka6 Kc8 5.
Ka7) 4. Ka6 h3 5. b7 Kc7 6. Ka7
(Moravec 1952)
36. Pawn endgame – Breakthrough: A
1) 1. g5 hxg5 2. f6! (2. h5? Kd6 3. f6 Ke6
4. fxg7 Kf7 0-1) 2. … gxf6 3. h5 g4 4.
Kd3 (Novak-Kalis CSR 1992)
2) 1. c5 bxc5 (1. ... Kd5 2. c6) 2. a5 Kd5
3. a6
3) 1. ... e3 2. fxe3 f3 3. gxf3 h4
4) 1. g4 (1. f5? gxf5 2. Kf4 Kc4 3. Kxf5
b5 4. g4 b4 (4. ... hxg4 5. Kxg4=) 1. ...
hxg4+ 2. Kg3 (2. Kxg4? Kc4 3. f5
gxf5+ 4. Kxf5=)
5) 1. Kd2! a3 2. Kc1! Kf3 3. d5 cxd5 4.
c6 d4 5. c7 (Herbstmann 1929)
6) 1. e5 c4+ 2. Kc2 c5 3. f5
7) 1. ... c4 (1. ... f5 2. gxf5 g4 3. Kd2) 2.
Kb1 f5 3. gxf5 g4 4. f6
8) 1. e4 dxe4 (1. ... Kb6 2. f5) 2. d5 exd5
(2. ... Kb6 3. dxe6 Kc7 4. f5) 3. Kc3 (3.
f5? d4) 3. ... Kb6 4. f5 (Pigarev 1955)
9) 1. a4! (1. d5? cxd5 2. a4 d4 3. Kg4 d3
4. Kf3 bxa4 5. b5 a3 6. b6 d2 7. Ke2
d1Q+ 8. Kxd1 a2 ; 1. Kg4? d5) 1. ...
bxa4 2. d5 cxd5 3. b5 (Lewitt 1922)
10) 1. c6! Kb6 2. d6! exd6 3. f5 Kc7 4. f6
Kd8 5. c7+ Kxc7 6. f7 (Fontana 1943)
11) 1. ... g4 (1. ... a4 2. g4 h4 3. Kb2 Kc6
4. Ka3 Kb5 5. Kb2 Kb4) 2. Kxb3 h4 3.
gxh4 g3 4. fxg3 a4+
12) 1. ... f4 2. gxf4+ Kd6 (2. ... Kd5? 3. a5
Kc5) 3. a5 g3 4. a6 Kc7
37. Strategy - Knight against bishop: A
1) 1. Na4!
 White must block the black doubled
pawns. In that way the bishop remains
bad.
1. ... Qe7 2. Qd4 Rfb8 3. Nc5 a5 4. a3
Kf7 5. Ra1 Rb5 6. b4 Rab8 7. c3 with
a big advantage. (Em. Lasker-Cohn,
St.Petersburg 1909)
2) 1. Qxd4
When there is a bad bishop it is good
strategy to exchange the remaining
pieces.
1. ... Qxd4
After 1. ... cxd4 2. Be5 Kg7 3. Bxf6+
Kxf6 4. b4 Ba6 5. Nf3 d3 6. cxd3 Bxd3
7. Nd4 Bb5 8. Nxb5 cxb5 9. g4 White
wins the pawn ending.
2. Be5+ Kh7 3. Bxd4 cxd4 4. b4 Ba6
5. Nxf5 d3 6. cxd3 Bxd3 7. Nd4 (Sax-
Szell, Hungary 1984)
3) 1. ... c4
Creates a bad white bishop. In a closed
position the knight does a better job.
2. Nh4 g5 3. hxg6ep fxg6 4. f4 h5 5.
Rf3 Kd7 and Black won.
(Evans-Lein, South Bend 1981)
4) 1. Nxe6
Exchange pieces!
1. ... Bxe3 2. Nxd8 Bxd2 3. Nxd2
Raxd8 4. exf6 Rxf6 5. Nb3 and White
reaches the ideal position, the knight
can block the pawns. (Karaklajic-Hall,
Bognor Regis 1968)
5) 1. Bxf5
Exchanging so as to be left with a
knight against a bishop.
1. ... Qxf5 2. Nxc6 Bxc6
(Wolff,P-Wen, Canada 1991)
6) 1. ... Bxc3
A surprising exchange. Five moves la-
ter the power of it can be seen. After 1.
... Ne5 2. Nb5 White is better and also
after 1. ... Nb6 there follows 2. Nb5.
2. bxc3 Qf6 3. Bd2 Ne5 4. Rfb1 Rfb8
17
5. Rxb3 Rxb3 with a huge advantage.
(Quinteros-Panno, Buenos Aires 1968)
7) 1. ... Bg4
Exchanging the bishop first and after
2. Qf4 Bxf3 3. Qxf3 Qe7
luring the pawn on to the colour of the
bishop.
4. e5 Nd5 with a better game.
8) 1. ... Qxd8
After the queens are exchanged the bad
position of the black king is not
important anymore.
2. Qxd8 Nd6 3. Qxg8+ Kxg8
9) 1. fxe5!
This way Black is left with doubled
pawns. 1. f5 Ke7 2. fxe6 h5 3. Ne2 h4!
is not good.
1. ... fxe5 2. Rf6 Ke7 3. Raf1 Raf8 4.
Rxf8 Rxf8 5. Rxf8 Kxf8 6. g3 and
White won. (Larsen-Zuidema, Havana
1964)
10) 1. ... Ncxe4
This move exchanges pieces and
creates a strong point on e5.
2. fxe4 Ng4 3. Bxg7+ (3. Bg1!?) 3. ...
Kxg7 4. Qd4+ f6 with advantage.
(Gaprindashvili-Martinovic,
Smederevska Palanka 1990)
11) 1. Bc3
The black knight is guarding d5 and
must therefore be exchanged.
1. ... Bd8 2. Ba5 Qc6 3. Bxb6 Bxb6 4.
Rfd1 Bc7 and White is better.
(Andersson-Browne, Wijk a. Zee 1983)
12) White exchanges all the pieces so as to
be left with a good knight against a bad
bishop.
1. Ng6
Also 1. Nc6 is good; Black has the
extra possibility 1. ... Bd6 2. Bxf6
gxf6)
1. ... fxg6
After 1. ... hxg5 2. Nxe7+ Kh7 3. Re5 a
 pawn is lost.
2. Rxe6 Kf7 3. Rae1 Rfe8 4. Bxf6
Bxf6 5. Rxe8 Rxe8 6. Rxe8 Kxe8 7.
Nd1 with a winning endgame; a bishop
doesn’t like doubled pawns. (Simagin-
Keres, Moscow 1963)
38. Bishop/knight endings -Technique: A
1) 1. Be5+ Kd7 2. f7 Ke7 3. Ke3 (Troitzky
1924)
2) Drawing
3) Drawing
4) 1. b5 axb5 2. Bxb7
5) 1. ... g3 2. Nf3+ Kg4 3. Nxd4 h2+ 4.
Kg2 gxf2
6) 1. Bf3 (1. Bg6? Nb7 2. Bxh5 Nd6 3. c5
Nf5+ =) 1. ... Na4 2. Bxh5 (Vaganian -
Mikhalchishin. Lvov 1984)
7) 1. ... Bd1 2. Kd3 Bxb3
(Karpov-Anand, Linares 1991)
8) 1. Bg5! a3 2. d7 (2. Kc2? a2 3. Kb2
Ne1 4. d7 Nc2 5. Kxa2 Nb4+ 6. Kb3
Nc6) 2. ... a2 3. Bf6! (De Feijter, 1932)
9) 1. c7 Ke8 2. Bxg5 fxg5 3. f6
10) 1. Ke4 Kh8 2. Kf4 Kh7 3. Kg4 Kh8 4.
g6
11) 1. Bg4 Nf5 2. Kf8 Ng7 3. Ke7
12) 1. g7! Ne6+ 2. Ke5 Nxg7 3. Kf6 Ne8+
(3. ... Nh5+ 4. Kg6) 4. Kf7 a5! 5. Kxe8
a4 6. Bd6 (Selesniev 1921)
39. Knight/bishop endings - Passed
pawn: A
1) 1. e7 Kf7 (1. ... Bxh4 2. Nf6+) 2. Ng7
Kxe7 3. Nf5+ (Chvojkova 1946)
2) 1. Ka2 Bc3 2. c7 Kd7 3. Nd6 Kxc7 4.
Nb5+ (Pogosjants 1987)
3) 1. Ng5 Bd5 2. Ne6 c5 3. Nc7+ Kd7 4.
Nxd5 Kc6 (4. ... Kc8 5. Nb6+ Kb8 6.
Nd7+ Ka7 7. Nxc5) 5. Kg3 c4 6. Kf3
(Matisson 1914)
4) 1. Kf1 f4 2. Ne5 Kf6 3. Ng4+ Kxg6 4.
Nxh2 (Bron 1978)
18
5) 1. Kf3 Bg5 2. Ne6+ Kb5 3. Nxg5 fxg5
4. Kg3 (Troitzky 1896)
6) 1. a6 Bc5 2. Nb4! Bxb4+ 3. c3+ Bxc3+
4. Kc2 (Möberg 1928)
7) 1. Kh1! and the bishop is lost. (Réti
1922)
8) 1. Kd2! (1. Kd1? Bb3+ 2. Kd2 Ba4) 1.
... e3+ 2. Kc1 Bf7 3. b7 Kc7 4. Nc6
(Troitzky 1914)
9) 1. Ne7 Bh5 2. Nc6! Bf3 3. Nd4+
(Kopac 1943)
10) 1. Ne4 Ba6 2. Kd2!
(Konstantinov 1959)
11) 1. Ng4 c5 2. Nf6 Bb5 3. Kb6 Kc4 (3. ...
c4 4. Kxb5 c3 5. Nd5 c2 6. Nb4+) 4. a3
(F. Fischer 1950)
12) 1. Kc5 Bb5 2. Nd5 Be8 (2. ... Bd7 3.
Nb6+) 3. Nf6 Bb5 4. Kb6 (Kopac
1966)
40. Knight/bishop endings - Technique: A
1) 1. Nf4+ Ke4 2. Nd3 Kxd3 3. h7
(Pavitt 1862)
2) 1. Nd5 Bg2 2. e4
3) 1. Ne4 (Kasparjan)
4) 1. Nxf4 Bxf4 2. g4
5) 1. Ne3 Be5 2. Nf5 gxf5 3. h7
(Fedotov 1956)
6) 1. Nf6 Bg6! 2. Nd7 Be8 (2. ... Bxd3 3.
c3+ Kc4 (3. ... Ke4 4. Nc5+) 4. Ne5+)
3. c3# (Pogosjants 1964)
7) 1. c5 Bb1 2. Ne6! fxe6 3. c6
(Berger 1890)
8) 1. Kd7 Ba5! 2. Nb3 Bc3 3. Ke6
(Kosek 1911)
9) 1. f6 (1. Ke4? Bh8) 1. ... exf6 2. Ne5!
(2. Ke4? f5+ 3. Kxf5 Bh8) 2. ... Bxe5
(2. ... fxe5 3. Ke4 ; 2. ... f5 3. Nc4+) 3.
Ke4 Bc3 4. Kf5 (Rinck 1912)
10) 1. ... a5
11) 1. Ne7! Bc2 (1. ... Bd1 2. Nc6! Bf3 3.
Ne5+) 2. Nd5! Be4 3. Nf6+
(Kubbel 1910)
12) 1. a6 Ba4 (1. ... Bd1 2. Nc2!) 2. Nc2!
Kxc2 3. Kd6
(Clausen Hildebrand 1964)
41. Bishop/knight endings - Technique: B
1) 1. f6! gxf6 (1. ... g6 2. c7 Ke8 3. Bc6+
Kf8 4. Bb7) 2. Bf5 Nd6 3. c7
(Hayes 1914)
2) 1. Kc3 Nd4 2. Kc4! a6 3. Bg6!
(Pogosjants 1976)
3) 1. f6 gxf6 (1. ... Ke6 2. Bh5 g6 3. Be2)
2. g6 Ke6 3. Bh5 (Pfau 1935)
4) 1. Bb3+ Ka4 2. Bd1
5) 1. b7 (1. g5 Nxb6 2. g6 Nc8) 1. ...
Kxb7 2. g5 Nb6 3. g6 Nc8 (3. ... Nd7
4. Be5! Nxe5 5. g7) 4. Bd6! Nxd6 5.
g7 (Prokes 1943)
6) 1. f7 Kg7 2. Be7 Kxf7 3. Bb4
(Dawson 1925)
7) 1. e7 (1. c7? Kxc7 2. Bb6+ Kd6 3.
Bxd8 Kxe6) 1. ... Kxe7 2. Bf6+ Kxf6
3. c7 Nb7 (3. ... Nf7 4. Kc5) 4. Kc6!
(Prokes 1941)
8) 1. Bh7 h3 2. Be4+ Kg1 3. f5 h2 4.
Bh1! Kxh1 5. Kf1 (Troitzky 1917)
9) 1. Kd2 Nc6 2. Kc3 Kf6 3. Bf3
10) 1. d5! exd5 2. Kd3 Kb1 3. Bxc3 bxc3
4. Kxc3 Kc1 5. Kd4 Kxc2 6. Kxd5
(Van Wissen-Sitnik, Olomouc 1999)
11) 1. h6 f3+ 2. Kf1 f2 3. Bc2 (3. h7 Nb3)
3. ... Ne6 4. h7 (Pogosjants 1977)
12) 1. Kc4 Nb6+ 2. Kb5 Na8 3. c8Q+
Kxc8 4. Kc6 g4 5. Bg3 (Bagdarsarjan
1937)
42. Knight/bishop endings -Defending: A
1) 1. f6! gxf6+ 2. Kh6! d2 3. Nd6 Bc4 4.
Nf7+ Bxf7 stalemate. (Doesburg 1941)
2) 1. dxc5 b5 (1. ... bxc5 2. Ng3 Bxg3
stalemate.) 2. Nf2 Bxf2 3. c6 Kb6 4. c7
Kxc7 stalemate. (Havel 1948)
3) 1. Nh3 Bf5+ 2. Kh4 Bxh3 3. g4 Kh2 4.
Kg5 (Van Altena 1940)
19
4) 1. Nf3 h3 2. Ng5 h2 3. Nf3 Kg2 4.
Nxh2 Kxh2 (Dolci 1914)
5) 1. Nf5 c2 (1. ... Kd3 2. Ne7 c2 3. Nc6
Bg3 4. Nb4+) 2. b8Q Bxb8 3. Nd4 c1Q
4. Nb3+ (Prokes 1941)
6) 1. Nh5 g2 2. Nf4 g1N 3. Ne2+! (3.
Nxe6 Bg4) 3. ... Kd2! 4. Nxg1 Ke3 5.
Nh3! Bxh3 stalemate. (Selesniev 1921)
7) 1. Nc4! bxc4 2. Kh7 Bc2 3. Kh8 Bxg6
stalemate. (Mazel 1928)
8) 1. Nb6+ Kc6 2. Nxa4! bxa4 3. g6 Kb5
4. g7! Be5+ 5. Ka3 Bxg7 stalemate.
(Selesniev 1940)
9) 1. Ke3 Kxh2 2. Kf2 Kxh1 3. Kg3 Kg1
stalemate. (Kubbel 1926)
10) 1. Kd4 d2 2. Nxc3 Kb3 3. Nd1 Bxd1 4.
Kd3 (Butler 1956)
11) 1. e4 Bxe4 2. Nd7 f2 3. Nf6+ Kf5 4.
Ng4 Kxg4 stalemate. (Troitzky 1908)
12) 1. e6 fxe6 (1. ... Bd6 2. exf7 c5 3. Ne6
c4 4. f8Q Bxf8 5. Nxf8 c3 6. Ne6 c2 7.
Nf4+) 2. Nxe6 c6 3. Nd4 c5 4. Nb3 c4
5. Nd2 c3 6. Ne4 c2 7. Nf2+ Bxf2
stalemate
43. Attacking the king – Weakness
(g-pawn): A
1) 1. Rf6 (1. d5 Nc5) 1. ... Rg8 2. Rxf7
2) 1. Rg4+ fxg4 2. Qg5+ Kh8 3. Qh6 f5
4. Qxf8#
3) 4. Nd4 exd4 5. Bxd4
4) 1. Bf6 Bxf6 2. e5 Nxd3 3. exf6
5) Drawing
6) 1. Bxf5 exf5 2. Rxe8+ Qxe8 3. Qf6+
Kg8 4. Nxf5
7) 1. Bxf6 Rd5 2. Qd2 Rxc5 3. Qh6
8) 1. e5 dxe5 2. Nce4 fxe4 3. Rxf6
9) 1. Nfg5 fxg5 2. Nf6 Bxf6 3. Be4
10) 1. Ne4 Nxe4 2. f6 Nxg5 3. Qxg5 Ne6
4. Qf5
11) 1. ... Ng5 (1. ... Rxh4+ 2. Nxh4 Qxh4+
3. Qh3) 2. Nxg5 f3
12) 1. Rc5 Qxc5 2. Rxh7+ Nxh7 3. Qg7#
44. Attacking the king - Access: A
1) 1. Rxh7 Kxh7 2. Qh3+ Kg8 3. Ng5
2) 1. ... Bxg2 2. Rxg2 Rxg2+ 3. Kxg2
Re2+
3) 1. Rxb7+ Kxb7 2. Rxa7+ Nxa7 3.
Qb6+ Ka8 4. Nc7#
4) 1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. g6+ Kh8 3. Rg5
fxg5 4. hxg5#
5) 1. ... Ne3+ 2. fxe3 Rxh2+ 3. Kxh2
Qxg3+ 4. Kh1 Qh2#
6) 1. Rg5 g6 2. Qh5
7) 1. Qh6 gxf5 2. Rg4+ fxg4 3. Bxh7+
Kh8 4. Bg6+ Kg8 5. Qh7+ Kf8 6.
Qxf7#
8) 1. Qh5 gxh5 2. Rg3+ Bg7 3. Rxg7+
Kf8 4. Rxh7
9) 1. ... Rxg2+ 2. Kxg2 Qe2+ 3. Kh1 Rd2
10) 1. ... Nf4+ 2. gxf4 Rh6 3. h4 Qg6+ 4.
Kh3 Be7
11) 1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. exf6
12) 1. Nf6+ Kh8 2. Qg5
45. Attacking the king - Eliminating the
defender: A
1) 1. Nxc6 Nxc6 2. Nd5
2) 1. Nd6 cxd6 2. Rxe6
3) 1. Bf6 gxf6 2. Qh5+ Kg7 3. Qg4+ Kh8
4. Rd3
4) 1. Rh8+ Kxh8 2. Bxf7
5) 1. Qg5
6) 1. Rxe6 Nxe6 2. Nf5+ Kg8 3. Nxh6+
Kg7 4. Nf5+ Kg8 5. Nxe7+
7) 1. Nd5 (1. b4 Qc4) 1. ... exd5 2. Qxh5
dxe4 3. Qh6
8) 1. ... Bf4 2. Qd3 Qh2+ 3. Kf1 Bh3
9) 1. ... Bc3 2. bxc3 bxc3
10) 1. Rd4 Qb6 2. Qh6 Qxd4+ 3. Kh1
11) 1. Re2 Qf1 2. Rf3
12) 1. e5 dxc3 2. Qf6
46. Attacking the king – Mix: A
1) 1. Be5 Nxd3+ 2. Rxd3 f6 3. Ng5
2) 1. Nf6+ Kh8 2. Ne8
20
3) 1. Qg5 Bxe2 2. Rh8+ Kxh8 3. Qh6+
Kg8
4) 1. Rh5 gxh5 2. Bd3+ Kg8 3. Qxh6
5) 1. Qh7+ Kf8 2. Re6
6) 1. ... Rxh4 2. Qxh4 Rxg2+ 3. Kh1
Qxf3
7) 1. Qe8+ Kh7 2. Bh5
8) 1. Nxd7 Bxd7 2. Bxf6 g6 3. Qg5
9) 1. Nf6+ Kh8 2. Qh5 h6 3. Qg6
10) 1. Rxh7 Kxh7 2. Bxg6+ fxg6 3. Qh6+
11) 1. Rxh5 gxh5 2. Bf6
12) 1. Bh7+ Kh8 2. Bxg7+ Kxg7 3. Qg6+
Kh8 4. Bg8
47. Attacking the king – Opposite
coloured bishops: A
1) 1. ... Bg4+! 2. Ke1 Qh1+. Less good is
1. ... Bd3+ 2. Ke1 Qh1+ 3. Kd2 Qe4 4.
Re1
2) 1. Ng6+ hxg6 2. hxg6 Qg7 (2. ... Rb7
3. Qxb7) 3. Qxb8+
3) 1. ... Bf3 (1. ... Rh6 2. h3 Bxh3 3. f4) 2.
Rfd1 Qg4 3. Kf1 Qxg2+ 4. Ke1 Qg1+
5. Kd2 Qxf2+ 6. Kc1
4) 1. Rxd4 exd4 2. Nf6+ gxf6 3. Re8+
Kg7 4. Bf8+ Kg8 5. Bh6#
5) 1. ... Qg6 2. Kb1 Na3+ (2. ... Qxc2+ 3.
Ka1) 3. Ka1 Nxc2+ 4. Kb1 Na3+ 5.
Ka1 Qb1+ 6. Rxb1 Nc2#
6) 1. Nc6 Qg5 (1. ... bxc6 2. Qxg7+ Kxg7
3. Be5+ Kh6 4. Bg7#) 2. h4
7) 1. ... Bc2 2. Rf1 Bd3
8) 2. Rxc5 Qxc5 3. Rd7
9) Drawing
10) 1. Bh6 Qxa1+ 2. Kh2
11) 1. Rxg4 Nxg4 2. Qf3
12) 1. Rxe8+ Rxe8 2. Re7
48. Attacking the king – Opposite
coloured bishops: B
1) 1. Rhe3
2) 1. ... Nf2+ 2. Kh2 (2. Rxf2 Qxf2 3.
Qf1) 2. ... Nxd3 3. cxd3 Re2 4. Rg1
 Qf2
3) 1. Rxf7+ Kxf7 2. Qg6+ Kf8 3. Rf1+
4) 1. ... Rxh2+ 2. Kxh2 Qh4+ (2. ... Rg8
3. Qb4!) 3. Kg1 Rg8+
5) 1. Rf6
6) 1. ... Nxd4 2. exd4 Qf4
7) 1. ... Bxf2 2. Qe2 Rd2
8) 1. ... Rd4 2. exd4 Qa4
9) 1. Rxf5
10) 1. Rg8+ Kh7 2. Qe3 (2. Rxg6 Rd6!) 2.
... Re6 3. Rh8+ Kxh8 4. Qxh6+ Kg8 5.
Qxg6+
11) 1. Nf5 exf5 2. Rxg7+ Kh8 3. e6
12) 1. Rxf7 Rxf7 2. Rxf6 Qxf6 3. Qc8+
49. Endgame - Mate: A
1) 1. Rg4+ Kh5 2. g3 Nf3 3. Rh4+ Nxh4
4. g4#
2) 1. Nf7+ Kh7 2. Ng5+ Kh6 3. Rh7+
Bxh7 4. Nf7#
3) 1. Ng3 a3 2. Kf5 a2 3. Kg6 a1Q 4.
Nf5#
4) 1. Rg7+ Kf6 2. Rxh7 Kg6 3. Rbf7
5) 1. Ra7 Bd7 (1. ... Bf7 2. Rxf7 Nc1 3.
Nd4#) 2. Rc7+ Rxc7 3. Nd8#
6) 1. ... Bf6+ 2. exf6 Kg6 3. g4 Qe1+
7) 1. Rd5+ Nxd5 2. Be2+ Ka5 3. Ra7+
Ra6 4. Rxa6#
8) 1. Bf2 Ne4 (1. ... Nf3 2. gxf3 gxf3 3.
Be1 f2 4. b5# ; 1. ... a3 2. Be1 a2 3.
Bxd2 a1Q 4. b5#) 2. b5+ Ka5 3. Be1+
Nd2 4. Bxd2#
9) 1. Nc5+ Kc8 2. Nb6+ Kd8 3. Kf8! Ra1
(3. ... Nd5 4. Ne6#) 4. Nb7#
10) 1. Rf1+ Kg8 2. h6 gxh6 (2. ... g6 3.
Ke7) 3. Ke7 b2 4. Rg1#
11) 1. Qc4+ Qxc4 2. Bg2+ f3 3. Bxf3#
12) 1. Kf3 Ng6 2. Rf6+! Rxf6 3. Ng7#
50. Endgame – Material advantage: A
1) 1. Be5 Kd3 2. Kd7 Ke4 3. Ke6 a1Q 4.
Bxa1 Kf4 5. Be5+ (Prokes 1947)
2) 1. Nb6 Kd3 2. Na4 Kc4 3. Kg2 Kb5 4.
21
Kf3 Kxa4 5. Ke4 Kb5 6. Kd5
3) 1. Kf7 h5 2. Ke6 h4 3. Kd5 h3 4. Kc4
h2 5. Bb4 h1Q 6. b3# (Fritz 1939)
4) 1. Nf5! Kd3 2. Nd6 (2. Nh6) 2. ... Kd4
3. Nf7 (Rewitz 1992)
5) 1. Kd5 Kd2 2. Bxc4! Kc2 3. b3! (3.
b4? Kc3 4. Kc5 bxc4 5. b5 Kd3 6. b6
c3 7. b7 c2 8. b8Q c1Q+) (Kaila 1968)
6) 1. Ng1 g5 2. Kf5 g4 3. Kf4 gxh3 4.
Nf3# (Makletsov 1981)
7) 1. d4 a4 2. Kg7 (2. Bb1? a3 3. d5 Kc1
4. Ba2 Kb2 5. Bc4 Kc3 6. Ba2 Kb2) 2.
... a3 3. Bg8 Kc2 4. Kf6 Kc3 5. Ke5
(Samilio 1976)
8) 1. Nd4! (1. Nc3? d2 2. Kb3 Kc7 3. Kb4
Kb7 4. Kb5 Kc7) 1. ... Kb7 2. Kc3! (2.
Kb3? d2 3. Kc2 Ka6 4. Nb3 Kb5 5.
Kxd2 Kb4 6. Kc2 Kc4) 2. ... Ka6 (2. ...
d2 3. Kxd2 Ka6 4. Nb3 Kb5 5. Kc3) 3.
Kb4 d2 4. Nb3! d1Q 5. Nc5#
(Godes 1955)
9) 1. Bd1 Kf4 2. Kh5 b5 3. Kh4 b4 4.
Kh3 b3 5. Kg2 (Moravec 1960)
10) 1. b4 (1. Na6? Kc3 2. b4 Kc4 3. Ke4
d5+! ; 1. Nxd7? Kc3 2. Nc5 Kb4 ; 1.
Ke4? Kc3) 1. ... Kc3 2. b5! Kb4 3. b6
Kb5 4. Nxd7 Kc6 5. Ke4 Kxd7 6. Kd5
Kc8 7. Kc6 (Kopac 1943)
11) 1. Bf6+ (1. Kd7? Kh7 2. Bg5 a5 3. Ke6
a4 4. Kf5 a3 5. Kg4 a2 6. Bf6 Kxh6) 1.
... Kh7 (1. ... Kg8 2. Kd7 a5 3. Ke6
Kh7 4. Bg7 a4 5. Kf5 a3 6. Kg5) 2.
Bg7 a5 3. Kd7 a4 4. Ke7 Kg6 5. Kf8
a3 6. Kg8 a2 7. h7 (Heuäcker 1939)
12) 1. Ng6 g3 2. Nh4 e4 3. Ng2 e3 4. Nf4
g2 5. Nd5 g1Q 6. Nc7# (Voja 1950)
51. Endgame – Transposing: A
1) 1. Rh8+ (1. a6 Be3) 1. ... Kg6 2. Rg8+
Kh5 3. Rxg5+ Kxg5 4. a6 g3 5. a7 g2
6. a8Q g1Q 7. Qg8+
(Van Zuylen van Nyevelt)
2) 1. Kxg4 (1. Qf4+ Kh5)
3) 1. Qd8+ Kh7 2. Qd3+ Kg8 3. Qb3+
4) 1. Qe5+ Kf2 2. Qg3+ Kf1 3. Qd3+
(D'Hondt 1931)
5) 1. Rf1! (1. Rd5+? f5 2. Rd4 f4+ 3.
Rxf4 Nf5+ 4. Kf3 Nh6) 1. ... Nf5+ (1.
... f5 2. Rf4) 2. Rxf5+ Kxf5 3. Kh4
Ke4 4. h6
6) 1. ... Qf4+? 2. Qxf4+ Kxf4 3. Kh3!
(Tabidse 1955)
7) 1. ... Qxb4? 2. axb4 axb3 3. Kb2 Kc4
4. Ka3 b2 5. Ka2!
8) 1. Rf6 c4 2. Rh6+
9) 1. ... Rc4+ 2. f4 (2. Kg3 Rc3) 2. … Ra4
3. Rxa4 bxa4 4. Kf3 Kf5 5. Ke3 Kf6 6.
Kd4 Kf5 7. Kc5 Kxf4 8. Kb5 Ke5 9.
Kxa4 Kd6
10) 1. Rh1! Kxh1 (1. ... Kxh3 2. Kf2) 2.
Kf2 (Pogosjants 1976)
11) Drawing
12) 1. Qb2+ Kd1 2. Qb1+ Ke2 3. Qb7
52. Endgame –Overcoming a passed
pawn: A
1) 1. Nc3 c1Q 2. Nb5+ Ka8 3. Nc7+ Ka7
4. Ra6#
2) 1. Ba2 Rc1 2. Rg1
3) 1. ... Bxg3 (1. ... Ba7 2. Kf4 Kg7 3. g4
hxg4 4. Kxg4 Kh6 5. Kh3 Bb8 6. g4
Ba7) 2. a7 Bf2 3. Kf4 Bxa7
4) 1. Nd2+ Kd3 2. Ne4 Kxe4 3. b8Q h1Q
4. Qb7+ (Ericsson 1965)
5) 1. Nd1 Kd2 (1. ... Kxd1 2. h7 g2 3.
h8Q g1Q 4. Qa1+) 2. Ne3 Kxe3 3. h7
g2 4. h8Q g1Q 5. Qd4+ (Hasek 1929)
6) 1. Nd1 (1. Nxc2? stalemate) 1. ... c1Q+
2. Nc3+ Ka3 3. Ra5+ Kb2 4. Ra2#
7) 1. Nd3 b1Q (1. ... b1N 2. Bc5 Nc3 3.
Nf2+ Kg1 4. Ne4+ Kh1 5. Ng3#) 2.
Nf2+ Kg1 3. Ne4+ Kh1 4. Ng3#
(Pogosjants 1964)
8) 1. Bb6 Kxb6 2. Kc4 f2 3. Nd5+ Kc6 4.
Ne3 (Prokes 1941)
9) 1. Nc3 h2 2. Nxe4! Kxe4 3. a7 h1Q 4.
22
a8Q+ (Jespersen 1909)
10) 1. Re1 a1Q 2. Rg1+ Qxg1 3. Rg8+
11) 1. Ng6+ Kh7 (1. ... Kg8 2. Ne7+ Kf8 3.
g6 h1Q 4. g7+ Ke8 5. g8Q+ Kd7 6.
Qc8+ Kd6 7. Nf5+ Kd5 8. Qxb7+) 2.
Ne7 h1Q 3. g6+ Kh6 4. Nf5+ Kh5 5.
Ng3+ (Kuzmuchev 1984)
12) 1. Bc4 (1. e7 f1Q 2. e8Q Qc1+ 3. Kd7
Qd2+ 4. Kc7 Qxb4) 1. ... bxc4 2. e7
f1Q 3. e8N! (Völlmer 1933)
53. Endgame - Zugzwang: A
1) 1. Ka3 g4 2. Nf4#
2) 1. Kg2
3) 1. Nb6! Ka5 2. b3! (2. b4+? Ka6 3.
b5+ Ka5) 2. ... Ra6 (2. ... Ka6 3. b4) 3.
b4# (Pogosjants 1980)
4) 1. c7 Rd6+ 2. Ka7! Rd8 3. Kb7
(Halberstadt 1936)
5) 1. Kb4! (1. Kc3? Kf7 2. Kd3 (2. Kd4?
Ke6) 2. ... Ke7) 1. ... Kf7 2. Kc5 Ke6
3. Kd4 (Bähr 1936)
6) 1. g7 Bxh7 2. h3 Kg6 3. h4 Kh6 4. h5
7) 1. c5 b5 2. a3
8) 1. Kh6 g5 2. Kh5 g4 3. Kh4 g3 4.
Kxg3
9) 1. a7 Kb5 (1. ... Nb6+ 2. Kc7! Kb5 3.
Kb7) 2. Kb8! (2. Kb7? Nb6 3. Kc7
Ka6 4. Kb8 Nd7+ 5. Kc7 Kxa7 6.
Kxd7 Kb6) 2. ... Nb6 3. Kb7! (Fritz
1964)
10) 1. f3 Kg8 2. f4 Kh8 3. Kf7
11) 1. Qg6+ Kxh3 2. Kf3! (Lommer 1967)
12) 1. Rd4 Kb8 2. Na6+
(Kralin, Sokolenko 1983)
54. Strategy - Good + bad bishops: A
1) 1. Bh6!
Exchanging the black-squared bishops
is good for White. The black bishop is
active.
1. ... Qxh6 2. Qxe5 Qg7 3. Qd6 f4 4.
Bd5+ Kh8 5. Rae1 Bf5 6. Re7 Qd4 7.
 Qe5+
A momentary weakness. With a unsafe
king’s position you must keep the
queens on the board. 7. g4! is very
strong 7. … Bc2 (7. ... Bxg4 8. Qc7
and wins.) 8. Rfe1. However, White
did win the ending. (Reshevsky-
Shainswit, New York 1938)
2) 1. ... Na7
The knight is not well placed on c6 and
from a7 it prepares the useful exchange
of the bishops. White’s play is far from
perfect, but it is instructive.
2. Ne5 (2. Qd3 Qe8) 2. ... Bb5 3. Bb2
Bxc4 4. Qxc4 Qd5 5. Qxd5 exd5 6.
Rc1 Nb5 7. 0-0 (7. Rc5!?) 7. ... Ne4 8.
Rc2 Ned6 9. Bc1 and Black is
excellent (Blumin-Fine New York 1939)
3) 1. Be2
The bishop on c8 covers the weakened
squares. Exchanging is the right plan.
1. ... Qh6 2. Bg4 Nd7 3. Nf3 Nb6 4.
Bxc8 Rexc8 5. Qb3 Bf6 6. Nh4 Qf8 7.
Nf5 and White had no problem
winning. (Ståhlberg-Wade,
Birmingham 1951)
4) 1. ... b5!
The white pawns are tied down on the
black squares. The move played is
better than 1. ... g5 2. Rf2 g4 3. a4.
2. Qf3
White is not willing to wait and gives
up a pawn.
2. ... bxc4 3. Qxc6 Qxf4 4. Qxc4 e5 5.
Qe2 exd4 6. Rd3 dxc3 7. Rxd7 Rxd7
8. Rxd7 Bd4+ 9. Kh1 Qc1+ and White
resigns.
(Kmoch-Alekhine, Kecskemet 1927)
5) 1. ... Bg4!
It is not the bishop on d6 which is the
worst piece on the board, but the
bishop on g3. After the exchange on f3
this bishop gets sentenced to life
23
imprisonment.
2. h3 Bxf3 3. Qxf3 Qxf3 4. gxf3 f6 5.
Kg2 a5 6. a4 Kf7 7. Rh1 Ke6 8. h4
Rfb8. On the queen’s wing Black is
playing with a bishop up. (Winter-
Capablanca, Hastings 1919)
6) 1. ... Bf8!
Black activates his bad bishop. The
move is possible because after 2. Rxf6
Be7 the rook is trapped.
2. Rd2 Kg7 3. Bd3 Bb4 4. Kc2 Nc5 5.
a3 Bxc3 6. Bxf6+ Kxf6 7. Kxc3 Rd8
with the ideal position for Black.
(Tarrasch-Euwe, Bad Pistyan 1922)
7) 1. g4!
White has the advantage of the good
bishop. He must create a second front.
1. b4 a5 is bad (or 1. ... Ra8) and Black
gets counter play.
1. ... Bc8 2. h4 g6 3. Rh1 Kg7 4. h5
Rh8 5. Rfh2 Bd7 6. g5 and White
decided the battle on the kingside.
(Tarrasch-Teichman, San Sebastian
1912)
8) 1. ... Qa4
Black forces the exchange of a rook.
The passed pawn was decisive. Not
much is gained by 1. ... Rxc2+ 2. Qxc2
Qc4 3. Qb2 Kg7 4. Bd2.
2. Rxc4 dxc4 3. Qb1 c3 4. Bc1 Qd1
(Korotylev-Neverov, Petersburg 1993)
9) 1. c3!
Black threatened to exchange the
bishops with …Bb5.
1. ... Bb5 2. Bb1 Nc6 3. Bc2 Raa8 4.
a4 Ba6 5. b4 b5 6. Reb1 Rac8 7. Bd3
Na7 8. Ra3 Rc7 9. a5 and the bishop
on a6 acts like a pawn (but one which
may take backwards)
(Sokolov-Vaganian, Minsk 1986)
10) 1. Ba4! (Kasparov-Giorgadze, Minsk
1979)
11) 1. ... Bxc3
 The bishop on c6 is better than the one
on g2.
2. Qxc3 Qe5 and Black is slightly
better. (Najdorf-Bronstein, Budapest
1950)
12) 1. ... Qd7!
The bishop on d2 is the problem child,
not the bishop on e7. White can only
live with a passive bishop if the rook
on f1 can join in. That is prevented by
the move of the queen. The gain of
tempo after 1. ... Rd8 2. Rc1 Qd7 3.
Be1 is therefore not so good.
2. Bc1
2. Rd1 is followed by 1. ... Rd8.
2. ... a4 3. Qc2 Rc8 4. Qe2 Qd5 5. a3
b3 6. e4 Qc4 7. Qe1 Qc2 8. f4 Bc5+ 9.
Kh1 Bd4 10. f5 Bxb2 11. Bxb2 Qxb2
White resigned.
(Tylor-Alekhine, Hastings 1936)
55. Endgame strategy - Good + bad
bishops: A
1) 1. ... b2 2. Bxb2 Kb3 3. Bc1 Ba5
(Lakos-Anka Balaton 1993)
2) 1. Bf1 Be8 2. Bh3! (2. Bg2 Bg6) 2. ...
Kb7 (2. ... Bf7 3. Bc8+) 3. Bg2+ Ka6
4. Bc6 (Averbakh 1954)
3) 1. a7! (1. Bh2? Ba7 2. Ka5 Kc8 3. Bf4
Kd7 4. Bb8 Bxb8 5. Kb6 Ba7+! 6. Kb7
h6) 1. ... Bxa7 2. Bh2 Kc8 3. Ka5!
(Havasi 1922)
4) 1. ... d5 2. exd5 Bf7
5) 1. Be2 Bg6 2. Bd3 Bh7 3. Bb1 Bg6 4.
Bc2 Bh7 5. Bb3 Bg8 6. Bd1 Bf7 7. Bf3
6) Drawing
7) 1. ... b5 2. a4 b4 3. Bf2 Bc7 4. Be1 Bb6
5. Bf2 e5
8) 1. ... f5 2. gxf5 Kg7 3. Kd4 Kf6 4. Kc5
Kxf5 5. Kb6 Kf4 6. Bg2 d4
(Nunn-Ribli, Lucerne 1985)
9) 1. g4 (1. Bf8 Bd6 2. Kg6 g4 3. Kf7
Bxg3) 1. ... Kb4 2. Bf8 Bd8 3. Kg6
24
Kc5 4. Kf7 Kd6 5. Bxe7+! Bxe7 6.
Ke8! (Evreinov 1970)
10) 1. ... d5 2. Bxd5 Bxf5 3. h5 Be6 4. Bc4
Bxc4 5. bxc4 a6 (Tartakower-Seitz,
Debrecen 1925)
11) 1. ... dxc4? (1. ... bxc4! 2. bxc4 Bc6 3.
Bxd5 Bd7 4. c5+ Kc7 ½-½) 2. Bxa8
cxb3 3. Be4 b2 4. h5 b4 5. Kc4 1-0
(Matanovic-Uhlmann, Skopje 1976)
12) 1. Kc2 Kd4 2. Kb3 Kc5 3. Kc3 Ba6 4.
Ba8 Kb5 (4. ... Be2 5. Bb7) 5. Kd4
(Takacs 1931)
56. Bishop endings (same coloured) -
Passed pawn: A
1) 1. Ba5! Bxa5+ 2. Kd3 Bc7 3. Ke4
(Dawson 1925)
2) 1. e5 fxe5 2. Bc3+ Bxc3 3. b7
(Kok 1938)
3) 1. h4! Kg6 2. Bb1 Bxb1 (2. ... d3 3.
Bxd3 Kh5) 3. b7 (Troitzky 1909)
4) 1. Bf7 Ba8 2. Bd5 c6 3. c5+
(Queckenstadt 1920)
5) 1. g6! hxg6 2. f6 Bf3 3. Bc4! Kxc4 4.
f7 (Kosek 1921)
6) 1. a7 Bd5 2. c4 Bb7 3. Bf3 Bxf3 4. d5
(Karstedt 1915)
7) 1. c6 bxc6 2. Bf3 Bxf3 3. e7
(Bacca 1921)
8) 1. g7 Bf7+ 2. Kc5 Bxa2 3. b4+ axb3 4.
g8Q
9) 1. h6 gxh6 2. f6! Be6 3. f7 (3. Bb3+?
Ke5 4. f7 Bxb3+) 3. ... Bxf7 4. Bb3+
(Selesniev 1921)
10) 1. Ba5 Kb3 2. Bc3! (Réti 1925)
11) 1. Bf4 Bg1 2. Bd6 Bd4 3. f7 Bg7 4.
Be5+ (Prestigiacomo 1975)
12) 1. e6 (1. Bd7 Kxf4 2. Bxf5 Kxe5 3. h6
Kf6) 1. ... Bxe6 (1. ... Kxf4 2. e7 Kg5
3. Ba4) 2. h6 Bf5 3. Bd7 Bh7 4. f5
57. Bishop endings (same coloured)-
Technique: A
1) 1. Kb4! Kd5 2. e4+ Kxe4 3. Bxd1 Kd3
4. Kc5 e4 5. Kd5 (Pogosjants 1976)
2) 1. h5 (Kovchan-Antal, Hungary 1995)
3) 1. Bc2+ Ka5 2. b4+ Ka6 3. Bf5 Bc6 4.
Bc8 Bb7 5. b5+ (5. Bd7? Bc6)
(Pogosjants 1981)
4) 1. Be8 Ke7 2. Ke5 Bg4 3. Bg6 Bd7 4.
Bxh7 c6 5. dxc6 Bxc6 6. Bxe4 Bxe4 7.
Kxe4 Kf6 8. f4
5) 1. Ke2 Bc1 2. g4
6) 1. b6+ Bxb6 2. Kb5
7) 1. Bg6 (1. Kxc5 f2 2. Bc4 Kxh7; 1.
Bd5? f2 Euwe-Lilienthal, Stockholm
1937 0-1) 1. ... f2 2. Bd3 f1Q 3. Bxf1
Kxh7 4. Kxc5
8) 1. Kg3! (1. Ke3? Bg5+) 1. ... f4+! (1.
... Ke6? 2. Kf4) 2. Kf3 (2. Kxf4? Ke6
3. Ke4 (3. Kf3 Kf5) 3. ... Bxg7 4. hxg7
f5+) 2. ... Ke6 3. Kxf4 Ke7 4. Kf5
(Szczep 1987)
9) 1. Kf6 Kh6 (1. ... Bd1 2. Kg7) 2. Bg6
Bd1 3. g4 Bxg4 4. hxg4
(Bernstein 1904)
10) 1. ... b5 2. Bxb5 (2. axb5 Bd5 3. Bxd5
exd5) 2. ... Bxb5+ 3. axb5 Kc7
11) 1. Bb3 Be6 2. Bd1 Bf7 3. Bf3
(Robinson 1947)
12) 1. d7+ Kxd7 2. Be5 Kc8 3. Kf4 Bb8 (3.
... Kd7 4. Kg5 Ke7 5. Kg6 Kd7 6. Kf7
and so on) 4. Bxb8 Kxb8 5. Ke5 Kc7
6. Kxe6 (Hasek 1908)
58. Bishop endings (opposite coloured) -
Passed pawn: A
1) 1. ... Be4 2. Kf2 b4 3. Ke2 b3 4. Kd2
b2
2) 1. d5+! Bxd5 (1. ... cxd5 2. e4! dxe4
(2. ... Bxe4 3. Ke3 Kf5 4. Kd4) 3. Ke3
d5 4. a7 d4+ 5. Kf4) 2. e4 Bxe4 3. f3
Bxf3 4. Bc5 (Beyer 1984)
3) 1. e7 a2 2. Be3+ g5 3. Bd4
(Apschenek 1933)
4) 1. Bf4+ Kg7 2. Be5+ Kf7 3. Bd4 cxd4
25
4. a7
5) 1. Bf5+ Kf6 2. Ke8 Be7 3. Bh3
(Herbstmann 1928)
6) 1. Bb1 (1. a7? Bxa7 2. Kxa7 Ke3 3.
Bb1 Kd2 4. Kb6 Kc1 5. Bd3 Kd2 6.
Bb1 Kc1) 1. ... Bd4 2. a7 Bxa7 3. Kxa7
Ke3 4. Kb6 (Rubinstein-Grünfeld,
Karlsbad 1929)
7) 1. ... Bf8 (1. ... Kf4 2. Bc8 Bf8 3. Kxd4
g4 4. Bxg4 Kxg4 5. h6) 2. Bc8 (2. Bh3
Bg7 3. Ke2 Kf4) 2. ... Bg7 3. Bd7 Kf4
8) 1. d4 Bxd4 2. d6+ Kxd6 3. Bf5 gxf5 4.
h7
9) 1. Bc5+ Ka6 2. Kc7 Ba8 3. Kc8 Bb7+
4. Kb8 (Dobrescue, Nestorescu 1976)
10) 1. ... g1Q 2. Bxg1 Kg2 3. Kg4 Ba8 4.
Kh4 Bf3
11) 1. ... Be3 (1. ... g4? 2. Kf5 Be3 3. Kxg4
Bxf2 4. Kh3 a2 5. Bxa2 Kxa2 with the
wrong bishop!) 2. Kxh6 (2. f3 a2 3.
Bxa2 Kxa2) 2. ... g4+ 3. Kg6 Bxf2
12) 1. Ka7 (1. Bf6? Kf7 2. Bg5 –2. Bc3
g5– 2. ... Ke6) 1. ... Bc8 2. Ka8 Ba6 3.
Kb8 (Dragan 1925)
59. Bishop endings (opposite coloured) -
Defending: A
1) 1. ... Ke7 2. h7 g6+ 3. Bxg6 (3. Kxg6
Bh8) 3. ... Bg7
2) 1. Bf3 (1. Be4 Kf4 2. Bd3 h4 3. Kb1
Kg3 4. Bf1 Kf2 5. Bc4 Bf6 ; 1. Bf7 h4)
3) 1. f5 Bxf5 2. Bg3 d5 3. Bd6 Kf7 4.
Kd4
4) 1. g4 hxg4 2. Kc1
5) 1. Ka3 c1Q+ 2. Bxc1 Kxh4 3. Bb2
6) . ... Bd6 2. Bb3 Bc5 3. b7 Bd6 4. Kd5
Bb8 5. Kc6 Ke7
7) 1. ... Kc8! (1. ... Kc6? 2. e7 Kd7 3. b7
Bxb7 4. Kf7 ; 1. ... Ke8? 2. Ke5 Bb7 3.
Kd6 Ba8 4. Bb8 Bb7 5. Bc7 Bf3 6. e7
Bg2 7. Bd8 ; 1. ... Kd8 2. Bb8) 2. e7
Bc6 3. Kf7 Kb7 4. e8Q Bxe8+ 5. Kxe8
8) 1. ... Bb5! (after 1. ... Kc8? The pawns
 can move forward in a closed
formation: 2. Kc5 Bf3 3. b5 Be2 4.
Kb6 Bd3 5. Ka5 Be2 6. b6) 2. a7 Bc6
3. Kc5 Ba8
9) 1. ... Kg5 and White can no longer
penetrate the black position.
10) 1. Bf5! Ka2 2. Be6! Kb2 3. Bf7 Ka3 4.
Bg6
11) 1. g6 (1. h5? Bxg5 2. Be2 Kf2 3. Bd1
Ke3 4. Bc2 Kd2 5. Bb1 Kc3 6. Ba2
Kxd3 ; Also good is 1. Kg1 or a normal
move with the bishop. After Black
captures on h4 2. g6 is obliged.) 1. ...
fxg6 2. h5 gxh5 3. Bg2
12) 1. ... a5
60. Bishop endings (same coloured) –
Defending: A
1) 1. a6 Bb8 2. Bc3 Ba7 (2. ... dxc3 3. a7
Bxa7 stalemate.) 3. Bxd4+ Bxd4 4. a7
Bxa7 stalemate. (Dawson 1913)
2) Drawing
3) Drawing
4) 1. Bg6! c4 2. Bh7! Bxh7 (2. ... Kf7 3.
Bg8+ Kf8 (3. ... Kg6 4. Bxc4 Bxc4
stalemate.) 4. Bxc4 Bxc4 5. g6 Bd3 6.
Kh7 Bxg6+ 7. Kxg6 Kg8) 3. g6 c3 4.
gxh7
(Nerong 1932)
5) 1. g5 (1. Bf4 Bh4 2. Be3 Bg3 3. Bg1
Bf4 4. Kb3 Kb6 5. Ka4 Bc1)
6) 1. Bxe3 Bd2 2. Bg5 Kf5 3. f4 Bxf4 4.
Kh5
7) 1. f3! Bxf3 2. Kf2 h2 3. Bd1! Bxd1 (3.
... h1Q 4. Bxf3+) 4. Kg2 (Prokes 1946)
8) 1. c6! Bxc6 (1. ... Ke7 2. c7 Kd7 3.
Ba4!) 2. Ba4! bxa4 3. Kd2! (3. Kd1?
Be4! 4. Kc1 a3) 3. ... a3 (3. ... Be4 4.
Kc3!) 4. Kc2 (Ojanen 1957)
9) 1. g6 Bc5 (1. ... Bd4 2. f5 exf5 3. Bf6)
2. Bf6! Bf8 3. f5! exf5 4. Be7! Bxe7
stalemate. (Selesniev 1917)
10) 1. Kxf4 Bxh3 2. Ba6! bxa6 (2. ... Bg2
26
3. Bxb7 Bxb7 4. Ke3 Kd5 5. Kd2
Kc4=) (Breider 1950)
11) 1. Ke5 (1. Ba2 Kf6) 1. ... Bf7 2. Kxd4
Bxc4 3. Kc3 (after Holm 1932)
12) 1. Bh3 Bc6 2. Bg2 Bxg2 3. d7 h1Q+ 4.
Kd2
61. Defending – Defending against an
attack on the king: A
1) 1. ... Qc4 2. Qxh5? (2. Be7 f5 3. Bxf8
Rxf8) 2. ... Qxf1+
2) 1. ... Qh2+ 2. Kf1 (2. Kxh2 fxg3+) 2.
... Qxg2+ 3. Kxg2 f3+
3) 1. ... Be4 (1. ... Kg8 2. Bxh6 Be4 3.
Bxg7=) 2. Bxh6 Bg6
4) 1. ... Qc2+! (and not 1. ... Kxh7? 2.
Ng5+ Kg8 3. Qh3) 2. Kxc2 (2. Ka1
Qd1+ 3. Ka2 Nb4+ 4. Ka3 Qa1# ; 2.
Ka2 Nb4+ 3. Ka3 Nd3+ 4. b4 Bxb4+
5. Ka2 Qxb2#) 2. ... Nxe3+ 3. fxe3
Kxh7
5) 1. ... Qc5+ 2. Kh1 Qf2
6) 1. ... Qa6! (1. ... Bg7? 2. Rxf7 Rxf7 3.
Bxf7+ Kh8 4. Bxe8 ; 1. ... g5 2. Bc4
Qe4 3. Bd3 Qh4 4. Bxh7+ Kh8 5.
Qxh4 gxh4 6. Be4 ; 1. ... Qe4!? 2. Bd5
and White is a little bit better).
7) 1. ... Qh7 2. Rh4 Qxh4 3. gxh4 Rg8
8) 1. ... Nxb5! (1. ... Bf6? 2. Nxc7 Qxc7
3. Bxf8 ; 1. ... Nxc4? 2. Bxc4 Bxh6 3.
Qxh6 Nxb5 4. hxg6) 2. Bxg7 Kxg7 3.
hxg6 hxg6 4. Qh6+ Kf6 and Black is
still alive.
9) 1. ... Qxf2+ 2. Kh1 Qxe1+ 3. Rxe1
Nf2+
10) 1. ... Bd3 2. Rxd3 fxe5 3. Qh6+ (3. e4
Qh4 4. Rg3 Qh7 5. Qg4 Ra6) 3. ... Kg8
4. Qg6+ (4. e4 Qf6)
11) 1. ... h5 (1. ... Bxg7 2. f6) 2. Rg5 Bxg7
3. Qc3 Qe5
12) 1. ... Kf6 (1. … Kf8 2. Qg5; 1. … Kg8
2. Ra8 Rc8 3. Rxc8)
62. Defending – Defending against an
attack on the king: B
1) 1. ... Qxd1 2. Bxd1 Ne4
2) 1. ... Qxe4 2. Bxe4 Be8
3) 1. Nxf3 exf3 2. Qg7+
4) 1. Qxf7+ Kh8 2. Be5
5) 1. ... Qxc1+ 2. Qxc1 Bxb2
6) 1. ... Qb1+
7) 1. Qxh7+? Kxh7 2. Bd3+ Be4!! 3.
Rxe4 Rg8. Black resigned after 1.
Qxh7+ in S. Horvath-Kroeze,
Netherlands
8) 1. Rd2 (1. d4 Qe2) 1. ... Rxd2 2. d4
Qe2 3. Bc1
9) 1. ... Be4! (1. ... Nf6? 2. Nd7! Be4 3.
Nxf6+ gxf6 4. Qxe4 ; 1. ... g6 2. Nxd7
Qxd6 3. Nxb8 Qxb8 4. Rd1) 2. Qxe4
Nf6 3. Qd4 Rfd8
10) 1. ... Bd2! (1. ... Qxg6? 2. Qxf8+ Bg8
3. Bh5! Qe6 (3. ... Qg5 4. h4 Qf4+ 5.
Kg2) 6. Qg7# (Chigorin-Tarrasch, St.
Petersburg 1893) 2. Rxf6 Bxh6 3.
Rxh6 b3 4. Bd1 b2 5. Bc2 Rc8
11) 1. ... Nxe4 2. Qxe4 Bxf2+ 3. Kxf2
Ng5+. But 1. ... h6? is bad: 2. Nxf6+
Bxf6 (2. ... Qxf6 3. Qxd4) 3. Qe4 Nd6
4. Qxe6+.
12) 1. ... Qe8 (1. ... Re8 2. Rh3 ; 1. ... Ne5
2. Bf6 exf6 3. Rh3) 2. Bf6 (2. Rh3) 2.
... Nxf6 3. Rh3 Nh5 4. Rxh5 gxh5 5.
Qg5+
3) 1. Rf5 Kxf5 2. g4+
4) 1. Ke7 f5 2. Kd6 f4 3. Nc7 f3 4. Nd5 f2
5. Ne3
5) 1. Bh7 Kd5 2. Bd3! (2. Bf5? h2 3. Bc8
Kc6) 2. ... h2 3. Ba6 Kc6 4. Kc8 h1Q
5. Bb7+ (Selivanov 1991)
6) 1. Nb3+! (1. Ka4? Kb1! 2. Nb3 Kb2 3.
Kb4 b5) 1. ... Kb2 (1. ... Kb1 2. Kb4
Kb2 3. Ka4 b5+ 4. Kb4) 2. Ka4! b5+ 3.
Kb4 (Hasek 1929)
7) 1. Nd6 (1. Kf8 g3 2. Nd6 g2 3. Nf7+
Kh7 4. Ng5+) 1. ... g3 2. Kf8 g2 (2. ...
Kh7 3. Ne4 g2 4. Ng5+) 3. Nf7+ Kh7
4. Ng5+ Kg6 5. Nf3 (Hanneman 1927)
8) 1. Bg2! (1. Bf1? Ke5 2. Ke7 Kf4 3.
Kf6 (3. Bg2 Ke3 4. Kf6 Ke2) 3. ...
Kf3) 1. ... Ke5 2. Ke7 Kf4 3. Kf6 Ke3
4. Kf5 Ke2 5. Kf4 f1Q+ 6. Bxf1+ Kxf1
7. Kxg3
(Kling, Horwitz 1853)
9) 1. Kf3 d2 2. Rc4+! Kd3 3. Rd4+ Kxd4
4. Kxe2 Kc3 5. Kd1 Kd3 stalemate.
(Prokes 1939)
10) 1. Kg7! (1. Kf7? d3 2. Ng6 d2 3. Nf4+
Kh6!) 1. ... d3 2. Ng6 d2 (2. ... Kg5 3.
Ne5 d2 4. Nf3+) 3. Nf4+ Kg4 (3. ...
Kg5 4. Nh3+ ; 3. ... Kh4 4. Ng2+) 4.
Nd5! (4. Ng2? Kf3) 4. ... d1Q 5. Ne3+
(Von Altena 1941)
11) 1. Kc6 h5 2. Kd5 h4 3. Nd2 Kxd2 4.
Ke4 (Selman 1941)
12) 1. Rd4+! Ke6 (1. ... Kc6 2. Rc4+ Kb5
63. Defending – Piece (
) against a 3. Kxe2 Kxc4 4. Kd2 Kb3 5. Kc1 Kc3
passed pawn: A
1) 1. Ne6! (1. Kd4? Kxg5 2. Ke3 Kh4 3.
Kf2 Kh3 4. Kg1 Kg3) 1. ... g3 (1. ...
Kxe6 2. Kd4 Kf5 3. Ke3 Kg5 4. Kf2
Kf4 5. Kg2) 2. Nd4+ Ke4 3. Ne2
(Hannemann 1949)
2) 1. Kd3! (1. Ba2? Ke5! ; 1. Kc3+? Ke5 ;
1. Kd2+? Kf4 2. Ba2 Ke5) 1. ... Ke5
(1. ... Kf4 2. Kd4 h2 3. Be4) 2. Ke3 h2
3. Be4 (Selivanov 1994)
27
stalemate.) 2. Re4+ Kf5 3. Kxc2! Kxe4
4. Kd2 Kf3 5. Ke1 Ke3 stalemate.
(Maksimovskikh a.o 1987)
64. Defending – Defending against
tactics: A
1) 1. Rf8+ Kxf8 2. Ne6+ Kf7 3. Nxd4
2) 1. Be3 (1. Ba3? Nc3! 2. Bxd6 Ne2+ 3.
Kf1 Nxc1)
3) 1. Rh8+ Kxh8 (1. ... Kg6 2. Ra6+ Kf7
 (2. ... Kf5 3. Rf8+ ; 2. ... Kh5 3.Ra5+ 12) 1. ... Kc6! 2. Rc1+ Kd7 and mat.
g5 (3. ... Kg6 4. h5+ Kf7 5. Rf8+ Ke7
6. Re8+) 4. Rxg5+ Bxg5 5. hxg5) 3. 66. Rook endings - Passed pawn: A
Rf8+ Ke7 4. Re8+ Kf7 5. Rxe3) 2. 1) 1. Ra8 Rb2+ 2. Ke3 Rb3+ 3. Ke4
a8Q+ Kh7 3. Qe4+ g6 (3. ... Kg8 4. Rb4+ 4. Ke5 g5 5. f7 Rf4 6. f8Q+ Rxf8
Ra8+ Kf7 5. Qe8+ Kf6 6. Ra6+ Kf5 7. 7. Rxf8 (Kekely 1989)
Qe6#) 4. Qe7+ (Cozio) 2) 1. Rxa7 Rxa7 2. b6
4) 1. ... Bf6 2. exf6 Qd4 3) 1. Rg6 (1. h7? Kc2 2. Rc6+ Kb1 3.
5) 1. Rae1 Qxe4 2. Bh6 Rb6+ Kc2 ; 1. Kg1 Rc3 2. Rb1 Rc7) 1.
6) 1. Qa1! Ra4+ 2. Ne2+! ... Ke2 2. Rxg3 Rxg3 3. h7
7) Drawing (Lauer 1977)
8) 1. ... Nc6 (1. ... c6) 4) 1. Rf4+ (1. g3 is tempting but not good
9) 1. ... Qf2 1. ... Ra6! 2. Rf4+ Ke5 3. Rg4 Re6
10) 1. ... e5 2. dxc6 b6 with a draw) 1. ... Kxf4 (1. ... Kd5 2.
11) 1. ... Bf5 Rg4 Re2 3. g7 Re8+ 4. Kc7 Rg8 5.
12) 1. Be4! Qxe4 2. Qf7 Kd7 a5 6. Ke7 a4 7. Kf7) 2. g3+ Kxg3
3. g7
65. Rook endings - Activity and (Wotawa 1936)
vulnerability: A 5) 1. h6 Ra3 (alternatives do not save
1) 1. Kxf6 Rh5 (1. ... Re8 2. Kf7) 2. Kg6 Black either: 1. ... Ra7 2. Ra4 Rf7 3. h7
(Selesniev 1940) Rxh7 4. Ra8+ Kc7 5. Ra7+ ; 1. ...
2) 1. ... Kb6 Ra1+ 2. Kg2 Ra7 3. Ra4 ; 1. ... Ra6 2.
3) 1. Rh2+ (1. Rxc7 a5+ 2. Kc5 Rc1+ 3. h7 Rh6 3. Ra4 ; 1. ... Kd7 2. Rc8!
Kd6 Rxc7 4. Kxc7 a4 5. b6 a3 6. b7 a2 Kxc8 3. h7 Kd7 4. h8Q) 2. Ra4! (a
7. b8Q+ Kc2) 1. ... Kc1 2. Kb3 Ra5 3. necessary rook sacrifice, because 2.
Rh1+ Kd2 4. Kb4 Ra2 5. Rh2+ h7? Rg3+! 3. Kf2 Rf3+ 4. Kg2 Rf8 5.
4) 1. e4 Kxe5 2. Rb5+ Kxe4 3. Rxh5 Kf4 Ra4 Ke7 is a draw.) 2. ... Rxa4 (with
4. Rxh2 (Pogosjants 1971) the white rook on the a-file check is
5) 1. ... Rd6 2. Rxa7+ (2. Rxd6 Kxd6) 2. not enough: 2. ... Rg3+ 3. Kf2 Rf3+ 4.
... Ke6 Kg2 Rf8 5. Ra7!) 3. h7
6) 1. Kf6 h6 2. Kg6 Rg5+ 3. Kxh6 Rg8 4. (Troitzky 1923)
Rh7# (Blandford 1964) 6) Drawing
7) 1. d8Q+ Kxd8 2. Ke5 f4 3. Ke6 Re8+ 7) 1. Rg3 Rh6 (1. ... Rf6 2. Ra3 Kg6 3.
4. Kd6 (Minev 1974) a7) 2. Rg8 Kxg8 3. a7
8) 1. Ka7 Kc7 2. Rc1+ Kd8 3. e6 dxe6 4. (Prokes 1948)
Kb7 Kd7 5. Rd1# (Pogosjants 1980) 8) 1. f6 Rxe2 2. Rh5+ Kb6 3. Rf5 exf5 4.
9) 1. b5+ cxb5 2. b4! Rxb4 3. Re7 Ka5 4. f7 (Rinck 1906)
Rxa7# (Tarasjuk 1990) 9) 1. Rg7 Kc2 2. Rg2+ Kb3 3. Ra2
10) 1. Kc6 Rxa6+ 2. Kb5 Ra8 3. Ra4+ 10) 1. ... f3 2. Kg5 Ke8
Rxa4 4. bxa4 d5 5. a5 d4 6. a6 d3 7. a7 11) 1. b7 (1. Rc1 Rg2+ 2. Kf6 Kd7) 1. ...
d2 8. a8Q+ (Prokes 1950) Ra7 2. Re1+ Kd8 3. Re7 Kxe7 4. b8Q
11) 1. ... a4 2. bxa4 b3 3. cxb3 (3. c4 Kf3) (Fritz 1953)
3. ... Kf3 12) 1. a7 Re8 (1. ... Re5+ 2. Kg6 Ra5 3.

28
 Rc1) 2. Re1! (this gain of a tempo is Rh7+
necessary: 2. Ra1 Ra8 ; 2. Rc1 Kf7) 2. 10) 1. b5 (1. Rxe5+ Kf6 2. Rxe6+ Kxe6 3.
... Ra8 3. Re7 Kf8 4. Rb7 (Prokop Kd4 Kd6 4. Kc4 Kc6=) 1. ... Kf6 2. b6
1925) Re8 3. Kd5 Ke7 (3. ... e4 4. b7 e3 5.
Rc8 Re5+ 6. Kd4 e2 7. Rf8+) 4. Rc7+
67. Rook endings - Passed pawn: B Kd8 5. Ra7
1) 1. Rc2 Rxb7 2. Ra2+ Kb4 3. Rb2+ Ka3 11) 1. Re7 Kc5 2. Re5+ (Eisenstadt 1932)
4. Rxb7 12) 1. Rf5+ Kg7 2. Rf2 Kg6 3. Rc2 Kf7 4.
2) 1. Ra8 Rxa8 2. b7 Kc7
3) 1. Rc1 Rxc1 2. h7 (Fahrni 1917)
4) 1. ... Rb1 69. Rook endings - Technique: B
5) 1. d5 cxd5 2. Rh4 Rxh4 3. f8Q 1) 1. b5 cxb5 2. Rf8
6) 1. Rb6 Ka5 2. Rb2 (Richter 1955) 2) 1. ... Re8 2. Ra7 Re6 3. Ra5 Re7
7) 1. e5 Kb6 2. Ra7 Kxa7 3. e6 Kb7 4. e7 3) 1. Rb1
Rxd7 5. e8Q (Buzandjan 1984) 4) 1. ... Rd2 2. Rc8 Kd5
8) 1. Rf5 (1. Rg5 Ra5) 1. ... Kxf5 2. g7 5) 1. ... Rb6
(Troitzky, Lazard 1903) 6) 1. h7 Rh2 2. Ra4
9) 1. Ra8 Kh4 2. Ra4 Rxa4 3. g8Q Rg4 4. 7) 1. ... Rf5 (1. ... Rf2 2. Ra3 Kxg2 3.
Qd8+ Rg5 5. Qe7 (Richter 1953) Rxg3+ Kxg3 4. Kxa7 Kf4 5. b6 Ra2+
10) 1. Rc1 Kh4 2. Rc4 (Katsnelson, 6. Kb8 Ke5) 2. Ra5 Kxg2 3. Kxa7 Kh3
Mavskimovskikh 1983) 8) 1. Rc7 Rf6 2. Rd7 Rf5 3. Ke4 Rf6 4.
11) 1. b6 axb6 2. Ra5 bxa5 3. a7 Ke5 (Kaminer 1926)
12) 1. b4 Ke6 2. Rh6+ Kd7 3. Rh8 9) 1. h3 Kh7 2. h4 Kh6 3. Ra8 Rxb7 4.
Rh8# (Marwitz 1939)
68. Rook endings - Technique: A 10) 1. c6 Rd8 2. Kf3 a4 3. Ke4 a3 4. Ke5
1) 1. Re7 Kc8 2. f7 Kd8 3. Ra7 Rf8 4. Rd3 5. c7 a2 6. Rxa2 Rc3 7. Kd6 Rd3+
Kxh2 (Cvejic 1969) 8. Kc6 Rc3+ 9. Kb7 Rb3+ 10. Ka8 Rc3
2) 1. c8Q+ Rxc8 2. Rc7+ Rxc7 3. bxc7 a2 11. Ra7
4. c8Q+ (Stamma) 11) 1. f8Q+ Rxf8 2. Rd1 Rc8 3. Rd7+
3) 1. Rg5 12) 1. Kh3 (1. a5 Kxa5 2. Rxg5+ Kb6 3.
4) 1. Ra7 Kd8 2. b7 Kc7 3. b8Q+ Kxb8 4. Rg7 Kc6 4. Kg3 Rf1 5. Kg4 Kd6 6.
Rxd7 Kg5 Ke7=) 1. ... Kb6 (1. ... Rh4+ 2.
5) 1. ... Kf5 2. Rg7 Rf4+ 3. Kc5 Rg4 Kg3 Rf4 3. a5) 2. Kg3 Ka6 3. a5
6) 1. b6 axb6 2. Ra8+ Ke7 3. Ra7+ Ke6 (Janosi, Benko 1987)
4. Rxf7 Kxf7 5. c7
7) 1. Rc1+ (1. a8Q Rxa8 2. Kxa8 d5 3. 70. Rook endings - Rook in front of the
Kb7 d4=) 1. ... Kb5 2. Rd1 Kc5 3. a8Q pawn: A
Rxa8 4. Kxa8 d5 5. Kb7 d4 6. Kc7 1) 1. Ke4 Kg7 2. Rg8+
Kd5 7. Kd7 2) Drawing
8) 1. ... Rd3+ (1. ... Rh4 2. Re4 Rxe4 3. 3) 1. f6 Rb5 2. Rh8
Kxe4 Kb7 4. Kd3 Kc7 5. Kc3 ; 1. ... 4) 1. g4+ Kh4 2. g5 hxg5 3. Rh8+ Kg3 4.
Ra3 2. Re4) c8Q Rxc8 5. Rxc8 g4 6. Kc2 Kf2 7.
9) 1. a6 Ra1 2. a7 Kf7 3. Rh8 Rxa7 4. Kd2 g3 8. Rf8+

29
5) 1. Rd8 Rxa7 2. Rd7+ Rxd7 3. Kxd7
Kf7 4. Kd6 Kg7 5. Ke6
6) 1. f5 gxf5 2. g6 fxg6 3. Rg8 g5 4. a8Q
Rxa8 5. Rxa8
7) 1. ... h5
8) 1. ... a4+ 2. Kc2
9) 1. ... g5 (1. ... Ra3+ 2. Kg4 Ra5 3. h3
Ra3 4. Kg5 Ra4 5. h4 Ra1 6. Kf6 Ra6
7. Ke5 Ra4 8. Kxe6 and with h5 White
makes the f-pawn a passed pawn)
10) 1. Kg5! Rg1+ 2. Kh6 a1Q 3. Ra8+
Qxa8 stalemate. (Ponziani 1910)
11) 1. ... Rb1 (of 1. … Rb4) 2. f4 e2
12) 1. ... Ra3 2. Kd6 Rd3+ 3. Kc6 Ra3 4.
Kd5 Rd3+
2) 1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. Rh3+ Kg8 3. Ng6
Rxe3 4. Rh8#
3) 1. ... Rf2+ 2. Kh1 Rh2+ 3. Kxh2 Nf3+
4. Kh1 Rxg1#
4) 1. ... Qxh2+ 2. Kxh2 Ng4+ 3. Kh1
Rh3+ 4. Bxh3 Rh2#
5) 1. Qb7+ Nxb7 2. Nc6+ Ka8 3. axb7+
Kxb7 4. Rxa7#
6) 1. Qxf8+ Bxf8 2. Re8+ Kxe8 3. Nd6+
Kd8 4. Re8#
7) 1. Nc8+ Nc5 2. Qxc5+ Qxc5 3. Rd8#
8) 1. Ne6+ Ke8 2. Qd8+ Bxd8 3. Rf8+
Rxf8 4. Ng7#
9) 1. ... Raxg2 2. Nxg2 Rg3 3. Nh4 Rg1#
10) 1. Nd6+ Kb8 2. Rc8+ Ka7 3. Rc7+
Bxc7 4. Rb7#
72. Mate - Mating patterns (): A
1) 1. Nd7+ Bxd7 2. Qxc8+ Bxc8 3. Re8#
2) 1. Qa8+ Rxa8 2. Rxa8+ Kh7 3. Rh8+
Nxh8 4. Rg7#
3) 1. Nc7+ Nxc7 2. Qd8+ Kxd8 3. Bg5+
): C
Ke8 4. Rd8#
4) 1. Qh6+ gxh6 2. Rxf6+ Kg7 3. Bxh6+
Kg8 4. Rf8#
5) 1. ... Rh1+ 2. Kxh1 Bxf2 3. Nd2 Rh8#
6) 1. Rxg7+ Kxg7 (1. ... Kh8 2. Qh6 Qd7
3. Bxf6) 2. Qg5+ Kh8 3. Qxf6+ Bxf6
4. Bxf6+
7) 1. Nf6+ gxf6 2. Qf8+ Kxf8 3. Bh6+
Kg8 4. Re8#
8) 1. ... Rxh3+ 2. gxh3 Qh2+ 3. Kxh2
Rf2+
9) 1. ... Bd3+ 2. Qxd3 Qh1+ 3. Nxh1
Rxh1+ 4. Ke2 Re1#
10) 1. ... Rg8 2. Rxf3 Bd4+ 3. Kf1 Rg1#
11) 1. Qxd7+ Rxd7 2. Rb8+ Bd8 3. Bf6
Kf8 4. Bxd7
12) 1. Nxg5+ hxg5 2. Be4+ Kh6 3. Rh8+
Bxh8 4. Rh7#
11) 1. Be8+ Nxe8 2. Kg5 Nf6 3. Rf8#
12) 1. ... Qg2+ 2. Rxg2 Nf3+ 3. Kh1 Rd1+
4. Rg1 Rxg1#
74. Mate - Mating patterns (
1) 1. Qg8+ Kxg8 2. Ne7+ Kf8 3. N7g6+
hxg6 4. Nxg6#
2) 1. ... Qg5 2. Rg1 Qxg1+ 3. Nxg1
Nxf2#
3) 1. Qh6+ Qxh6 2. Nf6+ Kg5 3. Ne4+
Kh5 4. Bg4#
4) 1. ... Qd2+ 2. Ka1 Qd4+ 3. Bxd4
Bxd4+ 4. Kb1 Na3#
5) 1. Qd8+! Rxd8 2. Re8+! Kxe8 3. Nf6#
6) 1. Qh7+ Kxh7 2. Rxg7+ Rxg7 3. Nf6+
Kg6 4. Bh5#
7) 1. Nf7+ Kg8 2. Nxh6+ Kh8 3. Qg8+
Nxg8 4. Nf7#
8) 1. Ng4 Be7 2. Nexf6+ Bxf6 3. Re8+
Qxe8 4. Nxf6#
9) 1. Qd8+ Rxd8 2. Ne7+ Bxe7 3. Nb6#
10) 1. Qh5 Bxd5 2. Rxd5 Qxd5 3. Qxf7+
Qxf7 4. Nd7#
11) 12) Drawing
73. Mate - Mating patterns (
): B
1) 1. ... Qf2+ 2. Rxf2 Re1+ 3. Rf1 Rxf1+ 75. Mate - Mating patterns (8th rank): D
4. Kxf1 Re1# 1) 1. ... Ne2+ 2. Nxe2 Rxf1+ 3. Kxf1

30
 Rd1#
2) 1. Qh8+ Kxh8 2. Bf6+ Kg8 3. Rxe8+
Rxe8 4. Rxe8#
3) 1. Qc6 Qc8 2. Rd8 Rg7 3. Rxc8#
4) 1. Ne7+ Kh8 2. Qc8 Rxc8 3. Rxc8#
5) 1. Nf5+ Kg8 2. Qf8+ Kxf8 3. Rc8#
6) 1. Rxg7+ Nxg7 2. Qf7+ Kh8 3. Qf8+
Rxf8 4. Rxf8#
7) 1. Qe7+ Rxe7 2. Rg8+ Kxg8 3. Rd8+
Re8 4. Rxe8#
8) 1. Be7+ Rxe7 2. Rd8+ Re8 3. Rxe8+
Kxe8 4. Rg8#
9) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. exf3 Qxf1+ 3. Kxf1 Bh3+
4. Kg1 Re1#
10) 1. Qxf7+ Rxf7 2. Rb8+ Rf8 3. Be6+
Kh8 4. Rxf8+ Ng8 5. Rxg8#
11) 1. ... Qd1+ 2. Kf2 Qe2+ 3. Kg1 Qe1+
4. Nxe1 Ne2+ 5. Kh1 Rf1#
12) 1. ... Qf3 2. Qf1 Ra1 3. Rb1 Rxb1 4.
Nc1 Rxc1 5. b4 Qg2#
76. Mate - Mating patterns (mix): E
1) 1. g4+ fxg4+ 2. Nxg4+ g5 3. Qe8+
Qg6 4. Nf6#
2) 1. ... Qxh2+ 2. Kxh2 Rh5+ 3. Kg1
Bh2+ 4. Kh1 Ng3#
3) 1. Qb6+ Ke8 2. Rxf8+ Kxf8 3. Qd8#
4) 1. ... Qg4+ 2. Bg2 Nh3+ 3. Kh1 Nxf2+
4. Kg1 Qxg2#
5) 1. Nh5 Kh8 2. Nf6 Qxc7 3. Rg8#
6) 1. ... Nb3+ 2. Ka2 Nc1+ 3. Ka1 Rxa3+
4. bxa3 Ra2#
7) 1. Qe7 Nf5 2. Rxf5 Nxh6 3. Rxf8+
Rxf8 4. Rxf8#
8) 1. Rxe6 Qxf5 2. Rg6#
9) 1. Ng6+ Ke8 2. Qxf7+ Nxf7 3. Bg8
Nd4 4. Bxf7#
10) 1. Rxh6+ Kxh6 2. Qg5+ fxg5 3. hxg5+
Kh7 4. Rh2#
11) 1. Qh6+ gxh6 2. f7+ Kh7 3. f8N#
12) 1. Rc5+ Bc4 2. Rxc4+ Rxc4 3. Rd3+
Rxd3 4. Ne2#
31
77. Mate - Mating patterns (mix): F
1) 1. ... Rh2+ 2. Kxh2 Qh7+ 3. Kg2 Qh3#
2) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. gxf3 Rd5+ 3. Kc1 Rxe1#
3) 1. Qh5+ Kg7 2. Qh7+ Kf8 3. Qxf7#
4) 1. Bg6+ Kxg6 2. Rg4+ Kf7 3. Rxg7#
5) 1. Qa6+ Nxa6 2. Bxb7+ Ka7 3. Nc6#
6) 1. Nc7+ Qxc7 2. Qxf7+ Bxf7 3. Bxf7#
7) 1. Bc6+ Bd7 2. Rxe6+ fxe6 3. Qxf8#
8) 1. Rd8+ Rxd8 2. Rxd8+ Kxd8 3. Qg8+
Re8 4. Qxe8#
9) 1. Rxd5+ cxd5 2. Nd3+ exd3 3. f4#
10) 1. ... Bf2 2. Bxf2 Qe4+ 3. Qg2 Qxg2#
11) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. gxf3 Rh1+ 3. Kxh1
Qxf3+
12) 1. ... Qxg2+ 2. Kxg2 Nh3+ 3. Rf2
Rxf2+ 4. Kxh3 Rxh2#
78. Double attack - Mix: A
1) 1. ... R8xb3 2. axb3 Rxd2 3. Rxd2
Bxe3+
2) 1. Rb5+ Ka4 2. Rxb4+ cxb4 3. Qxa7+
3) 1. Bxf7+ Kxf7 2. Rxc7+ Qxc7 3. Qh7+
4) 1. dxe5 Qxe5 2. Qxh8+ Kxh8 3. Bxf6+
5) 1. ... Rxg4+ 2. Qxg4 Qf3+ 3. Qxf3
exf3+ 4. Kh3 fxe2
6) 1. Bxc7+ Kxc7 2. Rxe7+ Qxe7 3.
Qxa7+
7) 1. ... Nfxe4 2. dxe4 Rxb1 3. Rxb1
Bxe4+ 4. f3 Bxb1
8) 1. ... Nxe3 2. Kxe3 Rxb3+ 3. Kf2 e3+
9) 1. Nxc6+ Bxc6 2. Ba3+ Ke6 3. Rxf8
10) 1. ... f3 2. gxf3 Rxa7 3. Rxa7 Be3+ 4.
Kh2 Bxa7
11) 1. Ra8+ Rb8 2. Qe8+ Rexe8 3. Rxe8+
Rxe8 4. Rxe8#
12) 1. Ra8 Qh7 2. Bg6
79. Double attack - Mix: B
1) 1. ... Qxd2 2. Qxd2 Nf3+ 3. Kh1 Nxd2
2) 1. ... Nef4+ 2. gxf4 Nxf4+ 3. Kf2 Nh3+
3) 1. Rxe8+ Kxe8 2. Qb8+ Qd8 3. Qxa7
4) 1. Nd5 Qxb3 2. axb3 Kd8 3. Nb6
5) 1. Rh4 Qd7 2. Rxh7+ Kxh7 3. Qh4#
6) 1. Rxf6 gxf6 2. Qxd7+ Kxd7 3. dxc5+
7) 1. Bh5+ g6 2. Rxe8 Kxe8 3. Nf6+
8) 1. Qxf6 Qxe4 2. Qxf7+ Rxf7 3. exf7+
Kxf7 4. Bxe4
9) 1. Nd5
10) 1. e5 dxe5 2. fxe5 Bxe2 3. exf6+ exf6
4. Nxe2
11) 1. Bxf6 Bxf6 2. Bg4 Qd6 3. Nxf6+ (3.
Bxd7 Nxd5) 3. ... Qxf6 4. Bxd7
12) 1. ... Qc8 2. Nc1 Qg4
80. Eliminating of the defender -
Luring/chasing away+mate: B
1) 1. Qc5 Bc5 2. Rd8+ Qg8 3. Rxg8#
2) 1. Rd1 Qe7 2. Bxe6+ Qxe6 3. Rxd8+
3) 1. ... Qxe4 2. Qxe4 Ng3+ 3. hxg3 Rh5#
4) 1. ... Rxd4 2. cxd4 Bb4 3. Qf2 Qxf2+
5) Drawing
6) 1. Rxe3 Rxe3 2. h4
7) 1. Rd7 Qxd7 2. h6+ Kh8 3. Qxf6+
8) 1. Bb8 Qb7 2. Bxa6 Qxa6 3. Qc7#
9) 1. ... Bh4 2. g3 Bxg3 3. hxg3 Rh5+
10) 1. Rd8 Qb1+ 2. Kh2 Bxd8 3. Qg4+
Kh8 4. Nxf7#
11) 1. Rg5 Qxf6 2. Qd4 Qxd4 3. Nxf7#
12) 1. ... Qc4+ 2. Bxc4 Rxh2
81. Eliminating of the defender –
Luring/chasing away+material: A
1) 1. dxe5 Qxe5 2. Nxd6 cxd6 3. Qxf4
2) 1. ... Bxc3 2. bxc3 g5 3. Nh3 Rxe2
3) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. Kh1 Nxd4 3. Qxc6+
Nxc6
4) 1. Rxc7+ Rxc7 2. Nb6+ Kb8 3. Qxd8+
5) 1. Ne5+ fxe5 2. Rfd1+ Ke7 3. Rxc8
6) 1. ... Qe8 2. Rd4 Bxf4+ 3. Qxf4 Qxe2
7) 1. Bxg7+ Rxg7 2. Re8+ Bxe8 3. Qxd5
8) 1. ... Nxc3 2. bxc3 Bxf3 3. Qxf3 Qxg5
9) 1. ... dxc4 2. Qxc4 Be6 3. Qc5 Qxd3
10) 1. Qd4 Qxd4 2. cxd4 N5c6 3. Nxc7+
11) . ... Rxe3+ 2. Kxe3 Bxd4+
12) 1. ... b3 2. Bxb3 Bxe4 3. Qxe4 Rxb3
32
82. Eliminating of the defender - Mix: A
1) 1. g4 Bg6 2. Nxg6 Rxg6 3. Qxe4
2) 1. Nh5 Qxd3 2. Nxf6+ Kg7 3. cxd3
3) 1. ... Rxf3 2. exf3 Qxh2+ 3. Kxh2
Rh5#
4) 1. ... Bd3 2. Bxd3 Qxd6
5) 1. ... Rd1+ 2. Kxd1 Nxc3+ 3. Kc2
Qxb4
6) 1. ... Qh6 2. Qxe4 dxe4 3. Bxh6 Nf2#
7) 1. ... Qxe4 2. Qxe4 Ng3+ 3. hxg3
hxg3#
8) 1. ... Rg3 2. Qxg3 Bh4 3. Qxh4 Qe3+
9) 1. ... Ne1+ 2. Rxe1 Rh2+ 3. Kxh2
Qxf2+ 4. Kh1 Rh8#
10) 1. Nf5 Qg5 2. Qg3 Qxg3 3. Ne7+ Kh8
4. Rxd8
11) 1. c5 Nxa4 (1. ... Nd7) 2. Na2
12) 1. ... Re8! 2. Bxg7 (2. Qxe8 Qh3+ 3.
Ke2 Qd3# ; 2. Be7 Rxe7) 2. ... Qh1+ 3.
Ke2 Rxe6+
83. Test - Mix: A
1) 1. Nc4+ (1. Re6 Nd5) 1. ... Ka6 2. Re6
(2. b5+ cxb5 3. Re6+ b6 4. axb5+
Kxb5 5. Nd6+ Rxd6 6. Rxd6 Ne4) 2. ...
Ng4 3. b5#
2) 1. Qd8+ (1. Rxb4? Qe1+) 1. ... Kg7 2.
Qc7+ Kh6 (2. ... Kf6 3. Qf4+ Kg7 4.
Rxb4) 3. Qc1 g5 4. Rxb4 (Bareev-
Kramnik, Novgorod 1994)
3) 1. Rxd6 Rxd6 2. Qc8+ Nxc8 3. Re8#
4) 1. Rf8++ Kg7 2. Qg8+ Rxg8 3. Rf7+
Kh6 4. Rxh7#
5) 1. Bd4! Rxd4 2. e4+ Rxe4 (2. ... fxe3
3. Rxd4) 3. fxe4+ Kxg4 4. exd5
6) 1. ... b3 2. Qc4 Nb4
7) Drawing
8) 1. ... Rxa7 2. Qxa7 Bf8 3. Kh1 Bc5
9) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. gxf3 Rxd2 3. Rxd2 Qg5+
10) 1. Nh6+ gxh6 2. Rd8+ Rxd8 3. Rxd8+
Be8 (3. ... Rf8 4. Qh8+ Kf7 5. Qg7#) 4.
Qh8+ Kf7 5. Qg7#
(Collas-Babault, Mulhouse 2011)
11) 1. Rh8 Bg5 2. Rh7+ Kxg6 3. Rxb7 8) 1. Re6+ Rxe6 2. Qa6+ Kd5 3. Qc4+
12) 1. Nxg5+ hxg5 2. Qxg5 Ne8 3. Rd6 Ke5 4. Qc3+
9) 1. Nd6+ Qxd6 2. Re7+ Qxe7 3. Qc7+
84. Test - Mix: B Ka6 4. Qxb6+ Kxb6 stalemate
1) 1. h5 Bxh5 2. Re4 (2. Rd6 Qg4) 10) 1. Bc3 f5 2. Kd4 f4 3. Kc4 f3 4. Kb4 f2
2) 1. Rxe5 Qxg3 2. Rxe8 51. Ka3 f1Q 6. Bxb2#
3) 1. Qa1 f6 2. Rd6 11) 1. ... Nf3 2. Qd1 Qxg3 3. Qg1 Qxh2+
4) 1. Rh8! Rxh8 (1. ... Bxh8 2. Qa7) 2. 4. Qxh2 Nxf2#
Qa7 12) 1. ... Qe8 2. Nb6 Bb5
5) 1. Rxf7 Qxf7 2. Rxg6+ Kf8 3. Qd6+
Qe7 4. Rf6+ 86. Test - Mix: D
6) 1. Rd7 Bxd7 2. Bxh7+ Nxh7 3. Qxf7+ 1) 1. Qe7 Rf7 2. Qe8+ Rf8 3. Rxh7+
Kh8 4. Ng6# Kxh7 4. Qg6+ Kh8 5. Qg7#
7) 1. ... Rb4 (the threats are Ba6, d5, 2) 1. ... Rxc2+ 2. Kxc2 Qb2+ 3. Kd3
Rxc4) 2. c3 Rxc4+ 3. Kxc4 Ba6+ Nc5+ 4. Kc4 Qb3#
8) 1. Rxf7 Rxf7 2. Rc8+ Bf8 3. Rxf8+ 3) 1. R1e3 Qxh3 2. Qh7+ Kxh7 3. Be6+
Kxf8 4. Qd8# Kg6 4. Bxh3 Bxe3 5. Rxe3
9) 1. Nd6 d2 2. Kf8 d1Q 3. Nf7+ Kh7 4. 4) 1. Bxf7+ Bxf7 2. Re5 Bg6 3. Rxe2
Ng5+ Kh8 5. Nf7+ 5) 1. ... Qxd4 2. Bxd4 Nf3+ 3. Kf1 Bb5+
10) 1. Ba6 (1. Nxg7 Bf6) 1. ... Qxa6 2. 6) 1. Qb8 Kd8 2. Be3
Qg4 g6 3. Nh6# 7) 1. ... Rxa2 2. Qxa2 Qh5+ 3. Rh3 Qe5+
11) 1. Ba6 Nf6 (1. ... Qd7 2. Qf3+) 2. Bxc8 4. Kh1 Qe1+ 5. Kh2 Qg1#
Nxg4 3. Bxe6+ 8) 1. ... Nxd4 2. Bxd4 Qa5+ 3. Nc3
12) 1. Bxg6 Qxg6 (1. ... hxg6 2. Rxf8+ Qxc3+ 4. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 5. Qd2 Bxd2+
Kxf8 3. Qh8#) 2. Rxf8+ Kxf8 3. Re8+ 6. Kxd2
Kxe8 9) 1. Bxg6 Kxg6 2. Nh4+ Kg7 3. Rg3+
10) 1. Qh3 Kxf7 2. Qh7+ Ke8 3. Qg8+
85. Test - Mix: C Kd7 4. Qxb8
1) 1. Rxc6 (1. Bc4+ Kh8) 1. ... bxc6 2. 11) 1. Qf8+ Qg7 2. Rh5+ gxh5 3. Qd6+
Bc4+ Rf7 (2. ... Kh8 3. Qxe5+) 3. Qg6 4. Qf8+
Nh6+ 12) 1. Rf6 Qxf6 2. Qxe2
2) 1. ... Rh5+ 2. Kg1 Be3+ 3. Rxe3 Rh1+
4. Kxh1 Rxf1# 87. Test - Mix: E
3) 1. Nb5 (1. Be3 Qa8 2. Nb5 Rc8 3. 1) Drawing
Nc7+ Rxc7 4. Qxc7 Bxg2) 1. ... axb5 2) 1. Rxe5+ (1. fxe5 Kxg5+ 2. exf6 dxe3)
2. axb5 Ba6 3. Be3 1. ... dxe5 2. Re7 exf4 3. gxf4 Re6 4.
4) 1. ... Nexf3 (1. ... Nhxf3) 2. gxf3 Rf7+
Qxg1+ 3. Rxg1 Rxg1+ 4. Kxg1 Nxf3+ 3) 1. ... Qxg2+ 2. Nxg2 Ne2+ 3. Kh2 g3+
5) 1. ... h5 2. gxh5 Qxf5 3. g4 Qf2 4. Kh1 Rf1#
6) 1. Rf5 Rh8 (1. ... Kxd6 2. Rxf6 Bxf6 3. 4) 1. ... Bh2+ 2. Kf1 Nxf2 3. Kxf2 Qg3+
g7 ; 1. ... exf5 2. Rxf6 Kxf6 3. e5+) 2. 4. Kf1 Qxg5
Rxf6 Rxh7 3. Rf7+ Kxd6 4. gxh7 5) 1. Qxf6 gxf6 2. Bh6
7) 1. d7+ Bxd7 2. Red2 Rc7 3. Bb6 6) 1. Bg6 Ne7 (1. ... fxg6 2. Nxg6+ Kh7

33
 3. Nxf8++ Kh8 4. Qh7# ; 1. ... Re7 2.
Bxf7 g6 3. Qxg6) 2. Bxf7 Rd8 3. Ne6
7) 1. Bxc4 (1. Qxc4 Qxc4 2. Bxc4 Rxc4
3. Rxd5) 1. ... Qxc4 2. Qxc4 Rxc4 3.
Rxd5
8) 1. ... Qh3+ (or first 1. ... Rc4) 2. Kg1
Rc4
9) 1. Bxg6 hxg6 2. Rh8+ Kxh8 3. Nf7+
10) 1. Re8+ Rxe8 2. Qxd5+ Kh7 3. Qxh5+
11) 1. Qxd7 Rxd7 2. Re8+ Kh7 3. Rcc8
12) 1. Ne5 Qxe7 2. Ng6+ hxg6 3. Rh3+
88. Test - Mix: F
1) 1. ... Qa1+ 2. Qc1 Rd1+ 3. Qxd1
Qxd1+ 4. Bxd1 Rf1#
2) 1. Rh6+ Kxh6 (1. ... Kg8 2. Re8+ Kf7
3. Qc7+ Kxe8 4. Rh8#) 2. Qg5+ Kh7
3. Qxf5+ Kh6 4. Re6+
3) 1. Nd7 Nxd7 (1. ... Qd6 2. Nxf6+ Nxf6
3. Bxf6) 2. Qxh5 gxh5 3. Bxh7#
4) 1. Qh7+ Kf8 2. Qh8+ Ke7 3. Nf5+
exf5 4. Bc5#
5) 1. Qh6+ Kg8 2. Qxg7+ Qxg7 3. gxf3
6) 1. Nd5 Nxd5 2. Qxc7 Nxc7 3. Bxe7
7) 1. Rd3 Qe5+ 2. g3+ Kh5 3. Bd1+
Qe2+ 4. Bxe2# (Anand-Short,
Dortmund 1997)
8) 1. Bh6 gxh6 (1. ... d5 2. Qg4 Bg6 3.
Bxg7+ Kg8 4. Bxf8) 2. Qxh6
9) 1. Ne5 Nxe5 2. Rc8+ Bd8 3. Bc5
10) 1. ... Ng3+ 2. hxg3 Qh5+
11) 1. Rxd4 exd4 2. Bxd4 Qxd4 3. Nxf5+
12) 1. Qa4 Nc7 2. Qa1+
89. Test - Mix: G
1) 1. ... Bg2+ 2. Rxg2 Qf1+ 3. Rg1 Ng3+
4. hxg3 Qh3#
2) 1. Re2 Rf8 2. Re5+
3) 1. Qd7 Bxd7 2. e8Q+ Bxe8 stalemate
4) 1. d5 Bf5 (1. ... Nxd5 2. Rad1) 2. d6
Qxd6 3. Rad1 Bd3 4. Be2 (Kharlov-
Guliev, Cheliabinsk 1991)
5) 1. Nd5 Qd8 (1. ... Qb8 2. Ne7+ ; 1. ...
34
exd5 2. Qxd5+ Kh8 3. Qxd4) 2. e5
6) 1. Rc7 Bxc7 2. dxc7 Rxc7 3. Nd5+
7) 1. Rd6+ Qxd6 2. Bg5+ Ke5 3. Bf4+
Kf6 4. e5+ Qxe5 5. Bg5#
8) 1. Rf5 Kg8 2. Rf8+ Rxf8 3. Qxg6
9) 1. Nc7+ Ke7 2. Rxd8 Rxd8 3. Rxd8
Kxd8 4. Ne6+
10) 1. ... Qxd2 2. Rxd2 Bb4 3. Rdd1 Rc2
11) 1. ... Bb2+ 2. Kc2 Qc4+ 3. Kxb2 Qb4+
4. Kc2 Qd2#
12) 1. Bc6 Nb6 2. Bb4
90. Test - Mix: H
1) 1. Ba6 Rcd8 2. Bb5
2) 1. Nxd5 Bxd5 2. Bc3 Qc5 3. Qxe5 Bf6
4. Rxd5
3) 1. ... Bxd4 2. exd4 Nf3+ 3. gxf3 Bxf3
4) Drawing
5) 1. Bh3 Nb6 2. Nxc8
6) 1. ... Rd7 2. Qxd7 Nxf3+ 3. Nxf3 Qxd7
7) 1. Bxf6+ Rxf6 2. Qg5+ Rg6 3. Re7+!
Kf8 4. Rxd7 (Vachier Lagrave-Ngyuen
Warsaw 2010)
8) 1. Rf3 Rd8 2. Qe7 (2. Qe5)
9) 1. Qxg7+ Ke8 2. Qxe7+ Kxe7 3. Rg7+
Ke8 4. Nf6#
10) 1. Nf6+ Kh8 2. Ne8
11) 1. ... Rf2 2. Qh1 Rxf1+ 3. Kxf1 Qd1+
4. Kg2 Qf3+ 5. Kh3 g2+ 6. Kh2
gxh1Q#
12) 1. ... Rxd7 2. Rxd7 Rb8 3. h3 Rb1+ 4.
Kh2 Ng3
91. Test - Mix: I
1) 1. Ng6+ (1. Qd8+ Kg7 2. f6+ Bxf6) 1.
... hxg6 2. Qd8+ Kg7 3. Rxg6+ Kh7 4.
Qg8#
2) 1. Bh6 f5 2. Bg7
3) 1. Rf4+ Bf6 2. Rxf6+ Qxf6 3. Bh6+
Ke8 4. Re1+ Kd8 5. Qxc5 d6 6. Qxa5+
4) 1. Qxc8+ Bxc8 2. exd3 Qxf3+ 3. Bg2
Qxg2+ 4. Kxg2
(Uhlmann-Paetz, Halle 1984)
5) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. Qxf3 Qe1+ 3. Qf1 Bb6+
4. Kh1 Qxf1#
6) 1. g4 Nf6 2. Nh3
7) 1. Rxf6 gxf6 2. Qg3+
8) 1. ... Qg1+ 2. Kxg1 Bc5+ 3. Kh1 Nf2+
4. Kg1 Nxe4+ 5. Kh1 Nf2+ 6. Kg1
Nxd1+
9) 1. ... g5 2. Bg3 g4
10) 1. Qc2+ dxc2 2. d4+ Kxd4 3. Bc3+
11) 1. Qc8+ Kg7 2. Qxe6 Rd5 3. Qe3 (3.
h4 Rd4)
12) 1. ... Qxa1 2. Qxa1 a3
92. Test - Mix: J
1) 1. ... Qxf2+! 2. Kxf2 (2. Qxf2 Rxc1+ 3.
Qe1 Rxe1+ 4. Kf2 Rf1+) 2. ... Rxb2+
3. Kf3 Rxc1 (Seirawan-Lobron, Am-
sterdam 1983)
2) 1. Qf6 gxf6 2. exf6 Kg8 3. Rah1
3) 1. ... Rh2+ 2. Kxh2 Rxh4+ 3. gxh4
Qxh4+ 4. Rh3 Qf2+ 5. Rg2 Qxg2#
4) 1. ... Qxe3 2. fxe3 Bg3
5) 1. ... Nf3+ 2. gxf3 Rxc1+ 3. Qxc1
Qh2+ 4. Kf1 Qxf2#
6) 1. Nf5 gxf5 2. Qxf5 Kg7 3. Qh7+ Kf6
4. Qxh6+ Ke7 5. Qg5+ f6 6. Qg7+ Ke8
7. e7
7) 1. ... Qxb2+ 2. Kxb2 Rb5+ 3. Rb3
Rxb3+ 4. Ka2 Ra3+
8) 1. e5 fxe5 2. Bg5+ Nf6 3. Ne4 Rhf8 4.
f4 exf4 5. Re1
9) 1. Rxf6 Bxf6 2. Qf3
10) 1. ... Rh8 2. Qg2 Qxd1+ 3. Bxd1 Re1+
4. Qf1 Rh1+
11) 1. Qa8 Rxa8 2. Nxe7+ Kf7 3. Nxc8
12) 1. Rxf7 Qxe5 2. h7+ Kxf7 3. dxe5
Rxd1+ 4. Kf2
93. Test - Mix: K
1) 1. ... Qh3+ 2. Kxh3 (2. Kh1 g2#) 2. ...
Ng5+ 3. Kg2 Nh4+ 4. Kh1 g2#
(Ftacnik-Cvitan, GER BL 1997)
2) 1. Nd3 Qxb3 2. Nc5 Qb5 3. Rab1 Qa5
35
4. Qxa5 Rxa5 5. Rxb6
3) 1. Rxe6 Qxe6 2. Qg4 Qd7 3. Nh6+
4) 1. Bxg6 hxg6 2. Qh8+ Kf7 3. Qxe5
5) 1. ... Qxe4 2. Qxe4 Nxh3+
6) 1. Bg5 hxg5 2. Bxe4 Bxe4 3. Nxg5+
7) 1. ... Qa4 2. Bd3 Bxd3 3. Qxd3 Nxd3+
8) 1. ... Rh1+ 2. Kxh1 Qh7+
9) 1. ... Rd3 2. Qb2 Qf3+
10) 1. Qd4 Qf4 2. Qe3+ Qxe3 stalemate
11) 1. Bxf7 Rxf7 2. Ng6+ Kg8 3. Nxe5
12) 1. Nxf7 Rxf7 2. Qb3 Qf8 3. Bxf7+
94. Test - Mix: L
1) 1. Bg5 hxg5 2. hxg5 Nf4 3. gxf6 Nxe2
4. fxe7 Nc1 5. Kd2
2) 1. ... Bxe3 2. Nf6+ Kg6 3. Nxd7 Bxc1
(0-1) 4. b7 Bf4 5. gxf4 c2 6. b8Q c1Q+
(Suttles-Murey, Sukhumi 1972)
3) 1. Bf5 Qxf5 2. Qe7 Qg6 3. Qe6+
4) 1. h6 Rg8 2. Rc8 Rxg5 (2. ... Qxc8 3.
Bxf6+ Nxf6 4. Qxf6+ Rg7 5. Qxg7#)
3. Rxd8+ Rg8 (3. ... Nf8 4. Rxf8+ Rg8 5.
Bxf6#) 4. Rxd7 (Gunze-Schwalbe FRG
1966)
5) 1. ... Bh3 2. Bxh3 Qxf3+ 3. Kg1 Bh6
6) 1. ... Rxh2+ 2. Qxh2 Bf3+
7) 1. Qxg6 hxg6 2. Rxf8+ Kxf8 3. Ne6+
8) 1. ... Rh5+ 2. Kxh5 Qh3+ 3. Qh4 Qf5+
4. Kh6 Qg6#
9) 1. Be7+ Kh6 2. Rxh7+ Kxh7 3. Bf8+
10) 1. ... Rf1+ 2. Kxf1 Qc4+ 3. Kf2 Qd4+
½-½
11) 1. ... Nxe5 2. fxe5 Qxc4+ 3. Kf2 Be1+
12) 1. Rxf7 (1. g6 hxg6 2. Ng5 Nf6 3.
Nxf7 Nxd7=) 1. ... Rxf7 2. Rd7 Rf8 3.
Rxf7 Rxf7 4. g6
95. Test - Mix: M
1) 1. Bh7 Qd1 2. Kxg4 (Anand-
Khalifman, Linares 2000)
2) 1. Bb6 Bxb6 2. Ne7+ Kd7 3. Kxb5
Bd4 4. Rc1
3) 1. Ra6 Qxa6 2. Nc7+
4) 1. ... Nd1 2. Bxd1 (2. Qb3 Qxc3) 2. ...
Qxc3 3. Kf1 Qxc2 (Schmidt-
Abramovic, Nis 1983)
5) 1. Ra1 Qxa1 2. Ne4+ Ke8 3. Nd6#
6) 1. Be1+ Kc5 2. Bf2+ Kd6 3. Bg3+ Ke7
4. Bh4+
7) 1. Rxe5 dxe5 2. Bc4+ Kh8 3. Ng6+
hxg6 4. Rh1+
8) 1. ... Ne2+ 2. Kg2 Bh3+ 3. Nxh3 Qg3+
4. Kh1 Qxh3#
9) 1. ... Nxb4 2. axb4 Rxc3
10) Drawing
11) 1. ... Bc2 2. Qxc2 Nxe3 3. Qxc6 Nxd1
12) 1. c7 Qxc7 2. Qe1+ Kg5 3. h4+ Kh5 4.
Qe6 (Krasenkow-Svidler, Polanica
Zdroj 2000)
96. Test - Mix: N
1) 1. ... Rd1+ 2. Kg2 Rg1+ 3. Kxg1 Nf3+
2) 1. Rxb7+ Bxb7 (1. ... Kc8 2. Ne4+ ; 1.
... Ka8 2. Rxa7+ Kxa7 3. Qa5+ Kb8 4.
Na6+) 2. d5 Qxd5 (2. ... Rd7 3. Nxd7+
Ka8 4. Qa4) 3. Na6+ Ka8 4. Nc7+ Kb8
5. Nxd5
3) 1. Ng6+ Kg8 2. Qg7+ Rxg7 3. Nh6#
4) 1. e5 dxe5 2. Qxd8+ Kxd8 3. Ne4
5) 1. Re8+ Bxe8 2. Ne7+ Kf8 3. Ng6+
hxg6 stalemate
6) 1. Rxc6 Bd4+ 2. Bf7
7) 1. ... Nd6 2. Rxf8 Ne4
8) 1. Qh6 Nxb3 2. Nfg5 Bxg5 3. hxg5
9) 1. ... e1N 2. Qc4+ Qe2 3. Qf4+ Nf3+
10) 1. Qa8 Rxa8 2. fxe7
11) 1. Ra3 Nxd3 (1. ... Nb3 2. bxa6 ; 1. ...
Rxa3 2. Qxc5 Rb8 3. Qxa3) 2. Qh4
12) 1. Qf3 Qxf3 2. gxf3 Rxf1+ 3. Kg2
97. Test - Mix: O
1) 1. Bf7+ Ke7 2. Qxf6+ (2. Qd5 h6 3.
Bg6 Ne5 4. b3 hxg5 5. Qxe5+ dxe5 6.
Ba3+ Ke6 7. exf5#) 2. ... Kxf6 3. Nd5+
Ke5 4. Nf3+ Kxe4 5. Nc3#
2) 1. ... f4 2. Qg4 h5 3. Qh4 Rxd4
36
(Erwich,M-Struik, Leiden 2000)
3) 1. Bh3 c6 2. Bxf6
4) 1. ... Re2 2. Qc1 Bb2 3. Qf1 Qxe3
5) 1. Bb6 Qb8 2. Qa4+ Kc8 3. Qg4#
6) 1. Ne7+ Bxe7 2. Rc5+ Bxc5 3. Be4+
Nxe4 4. d5#
7) 1. ... Qe3 2. Qg3 Qxg5
8) 1. Re1+ Kd3 2. Rxe4 Kxe4 3. b7
9) 1. ... Bxg2 2. Nxg2 Re1+ 3. Rxe1
Rxe1+ 4. Nxe1 Qxh3
10) 1. ... f5 2. exf5 h5 3. Qf3 h4
11) 1. Nf5 exf5 2. Rxf6
12) 1. Rb1 Qxa7 (1. ... Qxb1 2. a8Q+ Kd7
3. Qd8+ Kc6 4. Qc8+) 2. Re1+ Kd7 3.
Re7+
98. Test - Mix: P
1) 1. d8B!! (1. d8Q Bxc7 2. Qxg8 Rxg8#
; 1. c8Q Bc7) 1. ... Ba7! 2. c8B+! Kb5!
3. Ba6+! Kxa6 stalemate (Afek, 1987)
2) 1. ... Bc4 2. Nc1 Nxe2+ 3. Nxe2 Qxd1
4. Rxd1 Bxe2
3) 1. dxe6 Qxd1 2. e7 Qxc2 3. exd8Q+
4) 1. f3 Qxg5 2. h4 Qh5 3. Ng7+
5) 1. Rd8 Rxe3+ (1. ... Rxd8 2. Rxg7+
Kf8 3. Qxd8+ Kxg7 4. Qf6+ Kg8 5.
Qf7+ Kh8 6. Qh7#) 2. Kf2 Rf3+ 3.
Kg2
(Radjabov-Zvjaginsev, Moscow 2002)
6) 1. ... h4 2. g3 h3
7) 1. ... Rd5 (1. ... Qf2 2. Bxa6 Rd5 3.
Rf1=) 2. Rxd5 Qf2
8) 1. ... Rd3+ 2. Rxd3 Qh6+ 3. Kg2 f3+
9) Drawing
10) 1. Nxb5 cxb5 2. Bb4 Qa6 3. Nc5
11) 1. Rxg7+ Kxg7 2. Rg1+ Kh8 (2. ...
Kh7 3. Ng4 f5 4. Qxh6+ Kg8 5. Nf6+
Kf7 6. Rg7#) 3. Nd5 (3. Ng4 f5 ; 3.
Nf5? f6)
12) Drawing
99. Test - Mix: Q
1) 1. ... Qxg2+ 2. Nxg2 Nf3+ 3. Kf1
 Nxh2+ 4. Ke1 Nf3+ 5. Kf1 Rh1#
2) 1. Rb8+ Kg7 2. Rg8+ Kxg8 3. Ne7+
Kf8 4. Nxc6
3) 1. Rf5+ Rxf5 2. Qe8+
4) 1. f5 gxf5 2. Re6
5) 1. c5 Bxb2 2. Ra2 (2. Rf3)
6) 1. Nd7 Qxd7 (1. ... Nfe8 2. Bxg7 Nxg7
3. Nf6+ Kh8 4. Rh3) 2. Rxg7+ Kh8 3.
Bxf6 Ne8 4. Rg8+ (Lovric-Sinanovic,
Pula 1998)
7) 1. Ne5 Qxc2 2. Nxg4+ Kh5 3. Nxf6+
Kh6
8) 1. ... Qxd4 2. Qxd4 Ng3+ 3. Kg1 Ne2+
4. Kh1 Nxd4
9) 1. ... Rxe7 2. Qxe7 Bxb2+ 3. Kxb2
Qc2+ 4. Ka1 Qc3#
10) 1. e8R (1. e8Q? d2+ 2. Kd1 Bg4) 1. ...
d2+ (1. ... dxc2 2. Re3+ Kxe3 stale-
mate) 2. Kd1 Kf4 (2. ... Bg4 3. Re2
Kf4$) 3. Re2 (3. Rf8+? Bf5 4. Ke2
Kg5 5. Rg8+ Kh4 6. Rh8+ Kg3) (Van
Test 1977)
11) 1. Rg5 Qxh4 2. Rg4
12) 1. Bd3+ Kh6 2. g5+ Kxg5 3. Bc1#
100. Test - Mix: R
1) 1. Bh3 Rc7 2. Bxc5
2) 1. Nd2 Qg5 2. Qc5+ Kg8 3. Nxe4
3) 1. ... Qxg5 2. Qxg5 Nxe2+ 3. Kh1
Nxf2+ 4. Rxf2 Rd1+
4) 1. ... Qxh2+ 2. Kxh2 Rh6+ 3. Bh3 g4
4. Kg1 Rxh3
5) 1. Ne6 Ka5 2. Nd4 Rc1! (2. ... Rd1 3.
Nc6+ Ka6 4. Nb4+ (4. Kc7 Rd7+) 4. ...
Ka5 5. Kc7 Rc1+ 6. Nc6+ Ka6 7.
Rb6#) 3. Ka7! Rc5 4. Rb5+ Rxb5 5.
Nc6# (Gorgiev 1963)
6) 1. ... Bxf2+ 2. Kxf2 Rxd2 3. Qxd2
7) 1. Nxc6 bxc6 2. Ba6 Ra8 3. Bb7
8) 1. Qd8 Kf7 2. Qxd7 Rxa8 3. Qe6+ Ke8
4. Qg8+
9) 1. Nxe7 Nxe7 2. Qxf6+ Kxf6 3. Bd4+
Kg5 4. Be3+ Kf6 5. Bd4+ ½-½
37
10) 1. Bc4 Bxc4 (1. ... Kh7 2. Bxe6) 2.
Qxg4+ Kh7 (2. ... Kf7 3. Qh5+) 3.
Qf5+ Kg8 4. Qg6+ (Blackburne-Philip
ENG 1875)
11) 1. ... Re1+ 2. Nxe1 Qf1+ 3. Kh2 Be5+
4. g3 Qxh3+ 5. Kg1 Bd4+
12) 1. Nf3 Rg2+ 2. Kh1
101. Test - Mix: S
1) 1. Rc4 Qxe1 (1. ... Qxe5+ 2. Nxe5
bxc4 3. Bxc4 1-0) 2. Qh6+ Kg8 3.
Nf6# (Lukianenko-Iljin Moscow 1997)
2) 1. Be5+ fxe5 2. bxa7+ Ka8 3. Qxh6
3) 1. Nc6 Bxc6 2. Rxe7+ Qxe7 3. Qxc6+
4) 1. ... Rxh3 2. gxh3 Rxd2 3. Rxd2
Nxf3+ 4. Kf1 Nxd2+
5) 1. Ne7+ Rxe7 2. Qc8+ Nf8 3. Qxf8+
Kxf8 4. Rh8#
6) 1. d8B! Qf2 2. Bc7+ Kxd4 3. Bb6+
(Bazlov 2000)
7) 1. Rxd4 exd4 2. Bf5+ g6 3. Be6
8) 1. Bxe4 Rxf1 2. Bf5 Re1 3. Be6+
9) 1. Qg6 Qe8 2. Qxe8 Rxe8 3. g4
10) 1. ... Qe2 2. Rdxe2 (2. Nf6+ Rxf6 3.
exf6 Qxd2) 2. ... Nxe2+ 3. Kh1 Rf1+
11) 1. Rxg7+ Kxg7 2. Bd4+ Kg8 3. Qe6+
Kh7 4. Qf7+
12) 1. ... Qd6+ (1. ... Qe5+ 2. Kg1) 2. Rxd6
Rxg2+ 3. Kh1 Rxa2+ 4. Kg1 Rxa1+ 5.
Kf2 cxd6 (Kohler-Erny, Bâle 1957)
102. Test - Mix: T
1) 1. R7d6 Qf5 2. g4 Qf4 3. Qd3+
2) 1. ... Nh3+ 2. gxh3 Qf2+ 3. Kh1 Qf1+
4. Kh2 Rf2+ 5. Kg3 Qg1+ 6. Bg2
Qxg2+ 7. Kh4 Qg5#
3) 1. Rh7+ Bxh7 2. Ng4+ Kg8 3. Nh6#
4) 1. Qxe6 fxe6 2. Rxh7 Kxh7 3. Rh1
5) Drawing
6) 1. Nf6+ Kg7 2. Qxf8+ Kxf8 (1-0) 3.
Nxh7+ Kg7 4. Nxg5 (Aronian-
Beshukov, Hastings 2000)
7) 1. ... Rd1 2. Qxd1 Qf3+ 3. Kg1 Bd4+
8) 1. ... Qg4+ 2. Rxg4 Rxh2+ 3. Kxh2
Nxg4+
9) 1. ... Rh1+ 2. Kg3 Rxh3+ 3. Kg4 Rh4+
4. Kg3 Rh3+
10) 1. Nf4 Qh4 2. Qd4+
11) 1. Ba3 bxa3 2. Qf3 Rf8 3. Qxa3+
12) 1. Qb6 Rxf3 (1. ... Rf7 2. Rxh7+ Rxh7
3. Qd8+) 2. Rxh7+ Kxh7 3. Qg6+ Kh8
4. Qg7#
103. Test - Mix: U
1) 1. b4 cxb4 2. axb4 Qxb4 3. Rxa6 (Zhu
Chen-Khurtidze, Moscow 2001)
2) 1. Rxf6+ Kxf6 2. Bxe5+ Kxe5 3. Qxd3
3) 1. Ne7+ Kh8 2. Rxf7
4) 1. Rxf7+ Rxf7 2. Qxh6+ Kg8 3. Qh8+
Kxh8 4. Nxf7+
5) 1. Rxf7+ Kxf7 2. Ng5+
6) 1. d7 (1. Bg4 h5 2. g3 hxg4 3. gxh4
gxh3) 1. ... Bxd7 2. Nxd7 Kxd7 3. g3
Rxh3 4. Bg4+
7) 1. ... Bxf3+ 2. Kxf3 Bxc3 3. bxc3
Ne5+
8) 1. Qxh5+ Kxh5 2. g4+ Kxg4 3. Be2+
Kf5 4. Bd3+
9) 1. ... Rd2 2. Re1 Re2 3. Qg3 Qe4+
10) 1. Rxg7+ (1. Rxd7 Bh6) 1. ... Kxg7 2.
Rf7+ Nxf7 3. Ne6+ Kg8 4. Qg6#
11) 1. e8N+ Kf5 2. Ng7+ Kf4 3. Nxh5+
Kf5 4. g4#
12) 1. Bxe6 (1. Rc4? Nxg5 2. Rxb4 Nxf3
3. Kb2 Rb6 4. c4 g5) 1. ... fxe6 2. Rh8!
Rb6 3. Rh7+ Ke8 4. Rh8+ Ke7 5.
Rh7+ (Olafsson-Hort, Reykjavik 1972)
104. Test - Mix: V
1) 1. Nc4 Rxd3 2. Rxd3
2) 1. Qxg7+ Rxg7 2. Rd8+ Rg8 3. Rxg8+
Kxg8 4. Ne7+
3) 1. Ra7+ (1. Rb7+ Bg7 2. Rxg7+ Kxg7
3. Ra7+ Kf6) 1. ... Bg7 2. Rh8+ Kxh8
3. Ra8+ Kh7 4. Rh8+ Bxh8 stalemate
4) 1. ... Rxh2+ 2. Kxh2 g5
38
5) 1. Qf7 Ne6 (1. ... Qh6 2. Rd8) 2. Rd8
Qc1+ 3. Kh2 Qc7+ 4. Qxc7 Nxc7 5.
Rxf8#
(Willaert-O'Kelly Bruxelles 1952)
6) 1. ... Rf1+ 2. Kg3 h4+ 3. Kh3 Rf3+ 4.
gxf3 Bf1#
7) 1. ... Re1 2. Bxe1 Nb2
8) 1. Rxh6+ Bxh6 2. Qxe5+ Bg7 3. Qh2+
9) 1. Rh4+ Kxh4 2. Nf5+ Bxf5 3. g3+
Kxh3 4. Nf4#
10) 1. c5 Nxc5 (1. ... dxc5 2. Bxe5 ; 1. ...
Qd8 2. cxd6) 2. Nxd6++ Ke7 3. Nd5+
(Hansen,LB-De Firmian, DEN 1998)
11) 1. ... Bh3+ (1. ... e2 2. Kxf2) 2. Kxh3
e2
12) 1. ... e4 2. Bxe4 Nxe4 3. Qxe4 d5
105. Test - Mix: W
1) 1. Qf4+ (1. Qxe6+ Rg6) 1. ... Kh5 2.
Qf3 Kh6 3. Qf4+ Kh7 4. Qe4+ Kh6 5.
Qf4
2) 1. ... Bf5 2. Rxh7 Bxe4+ 3. Bf3 Bxh7
3) 1. Qc4 Rg6 (1. ... a6 2. Nb6+ cxb6 3.
Qxe6 ; 1. ... Qe8 2. b5) 2. b5 Ndb8 3.
bxc6 (Zvjaginsev-Piket, Tilburg 1998)
4) 1. ... Rb2 2. Qxb2 Rg8+
5) 1. Rd8 Rxd8 (1. ... Qb5 2. Qa8 Rxd8 3.
Rxd8+ Kh7 4. Rh8# ; 1. ... Kf8 2. Qa8)
2. Rxd8+ Kh7 3. Qxh5+ Rh6 4. Rh8+
Kxh8 5. Qxh6+ Kg8 6. Qxg7#
(Bohatirchuk-Alatortsev, Moscow 1931)
6) 1. Qa5 Re8 2. Qg5
7) 1. g4 Qxe5 2. Nd3 Qd6 3. Bf4
8) 1. ... h4+ 2. Kxh4 Rb8 3. Rxb8 Qxh3+
(3. ... Qg4+) 4. Kxh3 stalemate
9) 1. Rf6+ Kh7 2. Rh6+ Kg8 3. Rg6+ Kf8
4. Rf6+ Ke7 5. Nf5+ Kxf6 6. Nxg3
10) 1. Qc1+ Rxc1 2. Bd2+ Rxd2 3. Qf4+
Nxf4 4. g5#
11) 1. Nxf6+ Bxf6 (1. ... Qxf6 2. Qh7+ Kf8
3. Qh8#) 2. Qh7+ Kf8 3. Rfe1
12) 1. Qa4 d6 2. b4
106. Test - Mix: X
1) 1. Rxh7+ Kxh7 2. Qh3+ Kg6 3. Qh6+
Kf5 4. Qh7+ Rg6 5. Qh3# (Torre-Yates
Baden-Baden 1925)
2) 1. Qxd6 cxd6 2. Ng6+ hxg6 3. Rc8+
and mate
3) 1. ... Qa5 2. Qd1 Nb3+ 3. Qxb3 Qd2#
4) 1. Rxf5 exf5 2. d7+ Kxd7 3. Bxf5+
Kd6 4. Bf4+
5) 1. ... Qb5 2. Rd2 (2. Nxb5 Nb3#) 2. ...
Nxc3
6) 1. Qh8+ Ke7 2. Qxg7 Bxg7 3. Rxf7+
Ke8 4. Rxc7+ Kf8 5. Rxb7
7) 1. ... Bc3 2. Rb1 Bxe5
8) 1. e5 Bxd1 2. Qxe8+ Rxe8 3. exf6
9) Drawing
10) 1. Kd1! Nf4 (1. ... Nd4 2. Rxd4+ cxd4
3. Nc4+) 2. e5+! Kxe5 3. Re4+ Kf5 4.
g4+ Kg5 5. h4+! Kxh4 6. Rxf4
(Bareev-Onishuk, Moscow 2002)
11) 1. ... Rxd3+ 2. cxd3 Kg6 3. d4 Kg5
12) 1. ... Nh7 2. Bf4 g5 3. Bg3 g4
107. Test - Mix: Y
1) 1. Rd8+ Kh7 2. Qxh6+ gxh6 3. Nf6+
Kg7 4. Rg8#
2) 1. ... g5+ 2. Kf5 (2. Ke3 Nxe5 3. g3 g4
4. gxh4 gxh3) 2. ... Nxe5 3. Kxe5 Ke7
(Boskovic-Benkovic, Kraguje 2000)
3) 1. Rxe6+ fxe6 (1. ... Kf8 2. Re5 Qc8
(2. ... Qf2 3. Be7+ Kg8 4. Bh4) 3. Re7)
2. Qg6+ Kf8 3. Be7+ Kg8 4. Bf6
(Volokitin-Kaparadze, Batumi 2003)
4) 1. Ne6+ fxe6 2. Qf8+ Kc7 3. Qxe7+
5) 1. ... Qxh2+ 2. Kxh2 Rh4+ 3. Kg1 Ng3
6) 1. hxg6+ Qxg6 2. Rf5 Rf8 3. Rh5+
7) 1. h4 Qh6 2. Ng4 Qh5 3. Nxf6+
8) 1. g4+ hxg4 2. Rd5+ exd5 3. Qc8+
Qxc8 stalemate
9) 1. Qxe4 Rxe4 2. R1c6
10) 1. ... Nxc2 2. Qxc2 Rxd3 3. Rxd3 Nb4
11) 1. Qh8+ Ke7 2. Nf5+! (2. Qxd8+ Kxd8
3. Nxf7+ Ke7 4. hxg6 Kf6) 2. ... gxf5
39
3. Qxd8+ Kxd8 4. h6 (From-Hoi,
Veilby 1976)
12) 1. Na4 b5 2. a3 Qxa4 3. b3
108. Test - Mix: Z
1) 1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. Rh1+ Kg8 3. Rh8+
Kf7 4. Ng5#
2) 1. Rg3 Qc5 (1. ... Rag8 2. Qxh7+ Rxh7
3. Rxg8#) 2. Nxh7 Rxg3 3. Ng5+ Kg7
4. Qh7+ Kf6 5. Qxf7+ Kxg5 6. Qg6+
Kf4 7. Qxg3#
3) 1. Nxc5 bxc5 2. Rxb7 Qxb7 3. Bxc6+
4) 1. Bxe5 fxe5 2. Qd5+ Qxd5 3. Nxe7+
5) 1. ... Nc4+ (1. ... Rxd4? 2. Kxd4 Nb3+
3. Kc3 (3. Kxd5? a1Q 4. Rxa1 Nxa1 5.
h4 Kg6=) 3. ... a1Q+ 4. Rxa1 Nxa1 5.
Kb2 Kg6 6. h4 (Partos-Planinc, Porec
1974) 2. Kxd5 Nb6+ 3. Ke5 (3. Kc6
Na4) 3. ... Nd7+
6) 1. Rfd1 (1. Rad1 e4) 1. ... e4 2. Qf1
Qh5 3. Rxd4
7) 1. ... Rc3 (1. ... Rc6 2. Bxc6) 2. Rxd2
Rxb3 3. Rxb3 Ne6
8) 1. Rh7 Rg5 2. Rxg7+ Rxg7 3. Qe8+
Kh7 4. Rh1+ Rh5 5. Rxh5+
9) 1. Nxe6 fxe6 2. Qxf8+ Rxf8 3. Rxf8+
Kxf8 4. c7
10) 1. ... d1Q 2. Qxd1 Qxh3+ 3. gxh3
Rh2+ 4. Kxh2 stalemate
11) 1. Rxc6 Rxc6 2. Bxf7+ Qxf7 3. Rxd8+
Rg7 4. Rd7
12) 1. ... Rxf7 2. Rg1 (2. Rb1 Rcf8) 2. ...
Rc5 3. Qg4 Qd4
109. Endgame - Mix: A
1) 1. Ng3+ Kg1 2. Kh3 Ne3 3. Rg2+
Nxg2 stalemate (Pogosjants 1977)
2) 1. Ne6 (Amelung 1895)
3) 1. Qa8 Rxa8 (1. ... Rc4 2. Qd8+ Kh5 3.
Nf4#) 2. Nf3+ Kh5 3. Nf4#
(Sansom 1963)
4) 1. Ne7! Nxh7 2. Qg8+ Qxg8 3. Ng6#
(Pogosjants 1979)
5) 1. Nb2+ Kb5 2. a4+ Kc5 3. Nd3+
(Puljan 1914)
6) 1. Nc6+ (1. Qxf5+? Qxf5 2. Nxf5 Ka4
3. Ka2 b5) 1. ... Qxc6 (1. ... Ka4 2.
Qf4+ Kb5 3. Na7+ Kc5 4. Qc7+) 2.
Qd2+ Kb5 3. Qb4# (Prokes 1936)
7) 1. h6 gxh6 (1. ... Qf2+ 2. Rac5 Qb2+ 3.
Rb5 Qf2+ 4. Kc6+) 2. Ra8+! Qxa8 3.
Rh7 (Cohn 1929)
8) 1. Bg4! Kxg4 2. Nc4 d1Q 3. Ne3+
Nxe3 stalemate (Jespersen 1896)
9) 1. Bd5 e4! 2. Kf7 h1Q (2. ... Kg4 3.
Bxe4 Kxh4 4. Bh1) 3. Be6+ Ke5 4.
Bg3# (Rinck 1918)
10) 1. Rh8+ Rd8 2. Qg3+ Ka8 3. Qg2
Rb8+ 4. Rxb8+ Kxb8 5. Qh2+ Ka8 6.
Qh8+ (Rinck 1926)
11) 1. Ra1 Rxb3 2. Kc4 Rb7 3. Bc7#
(Pogosjants 1979)
12) 1. c7 Kxc7 2. axb6+ Kxb8 3. b7
(Kliatskin 1924)
110. Endgame - Mix: B
1) 1. Re6+ Kxe6 (1. ... Kf4 2. Re4+ Kxe4
(2. ... Kf3 3. Nd4+) 3. Nd6+ ; 1. ... Kd5
2. c4+ Qxc4 (2. ... Kxc4 3. Nd6+) 3.
Ne3+) 2. Nd4+ (Prokes 1947)
2) 1. Rh3+ (1. gxf7 Qxd7 2. f8Q Ke3+) 1.
... Kd4 2. Kd2 (Platov 1904)
3) 1. Re5 f1Q 2. Nc2+ Bxc2 3. Re1+
Qxe1 stalemate (Milolap 1987)
4) 1. e3+ Ke4 (1. ... Kxg4 2. Ne5+ Kh4 3.
Nf3+ Kg4 4. Rg5#) 2. Rc8 Qxc8 3.
Nd6+ (Paoli 1948)
5) 1. e3+ Kxe3 2. Be5 d4 3. Kg3 a1Q 4.
Bf4# (Pogosjants 1978)
6) 1. Re6+ Kd8 2. Ra5! Qf3+ 3. Rd5+
(Prokes 1947)
7) 1. Bh6 Qf2 (1. ... Kb4 2. Nd3+ ; 1. ...
Qxe4+ 2. Nxe4) 2. Bd2+ Qxd2 3.
Nb3+ (Tobben 1931)
8) 1. Bd7 Nd6 2. Kd3 Nb7 (2. ... Ne4 3.
Bc6+ ; 2. ... Nf7 3. Be6+ ; 2. ... Nc4 3.
40
Be6+) 3. Bc6+ (Rinck 1926)
9) 1. Re8 Qf7+ 2. Ne6 Qxe8 3. Ng7+
10) 1. Kf2+ Kh2 2. Rh1+ Qxh1 (2. ... Kxh1
3. Qb1+ Kh2 4. Qh7#) 3. Qxg8
(Stubbs 1926)
11) 1. c6 (1. Kc7 Rc3 2. c6 Bb5 3. b7
Rxc6+) 1. ... Rxb6+ (1. ... Kxe6 2.
Kc7! (2. b7? Bxb7! 3. cxb7 Kd7 4. e6+
(4. Ka8 Kc7) 4. ... Kc6 5. e7 Rxb7+) ;
1. ... Rc3 2. c7 Kxe6 3. b7 Bxb7 4.
Kxb7 Ke7 5. e6) 2. Kc7 Rb1 stalemate
(Cohn 1940)
12) 1. Nc3+ Ka5 2. Rg5+! Qxg5 3. Nc6#
(Puig y Puig 1922)
111. Endgame - Mix: C
1) 1. c7+ Kxc7 (1. ... Qxc7 2. Ba5 Qxa5
3. Nc6+) 2. Bf4 Qxf4 3. Nd5+
(Bone 1836)
2) 1. Rc8 (1. Ra3? Bh1 2. Ra1 Bf3 3. Rf1
g4) 1. ... Bh1 2. Rh8 (Barendregt
1963)
3) 1. Kc4! (1. Kc5 Ka4 2. Qd1+ Ka3) 1.
... Ra7 (1. ... Ka4 2. Qd1+) 2. Kc5 Ra6
(2. ... Rb7 3. Qa8+) 3. Qd2+
(Efron 1957)
4) 1. Ra3 (1. Rc8? Bf3) 1. ... Bh1 2. Ra1
(Barendregt, Van Reek 1963)
5) 1. Bh1 Bxb6+ 2. Kg2 Bxa7 stalemate
(Gallischek 1958)
6) 1. Rc3 b2 2. Bc1 b1Q 3. Ra3#
(Reti 1929)
7) 1. Rg7 Qb8 2. Rcc7 h2 3. Ra7+
(Prokes 1959)
8) 1. Rf5+ Qxf5 2. b4+ Kd5 (2. ... Kc6 3.
Ne7+ ; 2. ... Kc4 3. Nd6+ ; 2. ... Kb5 3.
Nd6+) 3. Ne7+ (Langstaff 1920)
9) 1. c7 Rc1 (1. ... Bxb5 2. c8Q Bxa6 3.
Qh3+ Kg1 4. Qg3+ Kf1 5. Qf4+ Kg2
6. Qg5+ Kh3 7. Qh6+ Kg2 8. Qxg6+
Kh1 9. Qh6+ Kg2 10. Qg7+) 2. a7 Be4
3. Rb1 (Prokes 1937)
10) 1. Qc1+ Qb1 2. Bd1 Qxc1 stalemate
 (2. ... exd1Q+ 3. Kxd1 Qxc1+ 4. Kxc1
stalemate) (Apschenek 1913)
11) 1. Qc4! (1. Qg4? Rb6+ 2. Kc5 Rc6+ 3.
Kxc6 Qxa8+) 1. ... Rb6+ 2. Kc3 Qxa8
3. Qg8+ (D'Hondt 1932)
12) 1. Nf4+ Bxf4 2. Kf3 e1Q 3. Rh6+
Bxh6 stalemate (Prokes 1943)
112. Endgame - Mix: D
1) 1. f8Q (1. Bb5? Rb2+ 2. Kc1 Rc2+ 3.
Kb1! (3. Kd1 Rf2) 1. ... Rxf8 2. Bf7
(Yates 1921)
2) 1. Re5+ Kg4 2. Re4+ Kh5 3. Rh4+
Kxh4 4. Nf5+
3) 1. Kb5! Kc1 2. Nb3+! (2. Ka4? Kb1! 3.
Nb3 Kb2 4. Kb4 b5) 2. ... Kb2 3. Ka4!
b5+ 4. Kb4 (Hasek 1929)
4) 1. Nd7 Rxd7 2. Rh6+ Kg5 3. Rg6+
Kxg6 4. f8N+ (Gorgiev 1930)
5) 1. Rb5 Nc7+ (1. ... Bxb5 stalemate ; 1.
... Bb4 2. Kc4+! (2. Kc6+? Nc5! (2. ...
Kg4? 3. Kb6 ; 2. ... Bc5? 3. Kd5!) 3.
Kb6 Bxb5 4. Kxb5 Nd3 5. Kc4 Ke4) 2.
... Bxb5+ 3. Kxb5) 2. Kxc5 Bxb5 (2. ...
41
Nxb5 3. Kb4) 3. Kb6 (Prokes 1941)
6) 1. Qe2 Kxa4 2. Qb2 Ka5 3. Qa1+ Kb5
4. c4+ (Kubbel 1928)
7) 1. Nd7+ Ka8 2. Kc7 Nc6 (2. ... Nb5+
3. Nxb5 Ne7 4. Nb6#) 3. Nxc8 Na5 4.
Ndb6# (Prokop 1929)
8) 1. Ke2+ Kg2 (1. ... Nb6 2. Bxb6+
Rxb6 3. a7 Rb2+ (3. ... Re6+ 4. Kd2
Ra6 5. a8Q Rxa8 6. Rxa8 h1Q 7.
Ra1+) 4. Ke3 Ra2 5. a8Q Rxa8 6.
Rxa8 h1Q 7. Ra1+) 2. Rxh2+ Kxh2
(Lazard 1946)
9) 1. Re4 Qxe4 (1. ... Qg3 2. Rg4+ Qxg4
3. Nf6+ ; 1. ... Qd8 2. Re8+ Qxe8 3.
Nf6+) (Völlmer 1932)
10) 1. g7 Qb3 (1. ... Qa8 2. Qh2+ Kg6 3.
Qg2+ Qxg2 4. g8Q+) 2. Qh2+ Kg6 3.
Qg3+ Qxg3 4. g8Q+
(Somov Nasimovich 1933)
11) 1. Kc6 Rb8 2. Kb5! Kb7 3. Rh7+ Kxc8
4. Kc6 (Wolf 1930)
12) 1. Bxe6 Kxe6 2. Re5+ Kf6 3. Re3 f1Q
4. Rf3+ Qxf3 stalemate (Platov 1912)