40 lessons for the club player [1st published repr.] 9780713452815, 0713452811

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40 Lessons for the Club Player ALEKSANDER KOSTYEV Translated by Ken Neat

B.T.Batsford Ltd, London

First published 1986 Repnnted 1990, 1999 ©Aleksander Kostyev 1986 ISBN 07134 5281 1 (limp) Photoset by Andek Printing, London and printed in Great Britain by Creative Print and Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale, Wales for the publishers B.T.Batsford Ltd. 583 Fulham Road, London SW6 5BY

A BATSFORD CHESS BOOK Advisors: Raymond Keene OBE, Mark Dvoretsky, 10n Speelman, Daniel King General Manager: Nigel Davies

Contents LESSON I Chaturanga and shalranj When the king has not castled Can a schoolboy win against a grandmaster?

LESSON 2 An assenion by shatranj theorists The 'double mujannah' How to prepare an auack

5

LESSON 3 The confession of Caliph ai-Ma'am un The penetration of chess to Europe The classic bishop sacrifice at h7

9

LESSON 4 When the kings have castled on the short side

14

LESSON 5 The first chess treatises Damiano's advice - is it obsolete? When both players have castled long

22

LESSON 6 The books by Ruy Lopez and Giulio Polerio Storming the king's fortress Eight concluding blows

27

LESSON 7 Kings castled on opposite sides Pioneers on the allack Pawn storm or piece pressure?

32

LESSON 8 The early Italian School What is meant by chess romanticism? Basic principles of pawn endings

37

LESSON 9 The deceptive simplicity of pawn endings

44

LESSON 10 A study by Philidor How to mate with bishop and knight Problems in chess education

49

LESSON I I Crilics of the new theory General Deschapelles plays 3t odds Bishop in combat with pawns

54

LESSON 12 Can a knight cope with connected pawns?

59

LESSON 13 The rivalry between France and England The La Bourdonnais·McDonnell match An extra pawn in a bishop ending

63

LESSON 14 Staunton's style and the Orthodox School Outward features in the assessment of the position An extra pawn in a knight ending

69

LESSON 15 Which is stronger in the endgame: bishop or knight?

75

LESSON 16 Rook against infantry How to draw a pawn down in a rook ending

81

LESSON 17 Kempelen's invention A plan and its realization Grandmaster Kotov's formula

88

LESSON 18 The Cafe de la Regence Pardoning a convicted man A strategic gem by Akiba Rubinstein

92

LESSON 19 A World Champion's advice Pressurizing in chess

96

LESSON 20 La Palamede the first chess magazine The seven evaluation principles

101

LESSON 21 The first evaluation principle; material balance Max Euwe annotates

lOS

LESSON 22 From Bilguer's Handbuch to the Encyclopaedia The Berlin Chess School The second evaluation principle; "What is threatening me?"

109

LESSON 23 The first international chess tournament The third evaluation principle: king safety

1 13

LESSON 24 Creator of combinations The immortal game of Adolf Anderssen Victories in chess tournaments

118

LESSON 25 The fourth evaluation principle: the centre Grandmaster Razuvayev's thesis

122

LESSON 26 Paul Morphy - the uncrowned World Champion The match with Anderssen Morphy in the eyes of his successors

127

LESSON 27 Boris Spassky's way to the top The fifth evaluation principle: open lines

132

LESSON 28 The sixth evaluation principle: active pieces

138

LESSON 29 Anatoly Karpov's Stockholm triumph The World Champion's progress chart The seventh evaluation principle: pawn structure defects

143

LESSON 30 A competition on evaluations Five minutes per position Who can score 25 points?

151

LESSON 31 The Lvov School of grandmasters Alexander Belyavsky defeats his rivals The centre - the soul of the opening

156

LESSON 32 Open and closed centres Typical plans and games

162

LESSON 33 The uncompromising Valery Chekhov Transformation of the centre Nona Gaprindashvili

167

LESSON 34 Artur Yusupov becomes a member of the USSR team How to parry a flank attack Innovations in an old variation

173

LESSON 3S The formation of outposts

179

LESSON 36 The persistence of Sergey Dolmatov Heavy pieces on open files and ranks Tactics defeat strategy

185

LESSON 37 The invasion of the 7th rank with a rook Fine technique sees Portisch defeat Andersson Smyslov and Belyavsky show their mettle

193

LESSON 38 An appeal against an adjudication Gary Kasparov's gold medals A model commentary

199

LESSON 39 How to play the opening Plans. the initiative. and pawn sacrifices in the opening Games by young players

206

LESSON 40 A plan for improvement Chess and life A word of praise for the ancient game

213

Index of Complete Games

215

Index of Openings

216

LESSON 1 Chaturanga and shatranj When the king has not castled Can a schoolboy win against a grandmaster?

Everyone knows that chess origin­ ated in India. But does everyone know how long, and by what stages, il took chess to reach its modern form?

This unfamiliar position IS called chaturanga (four-part army); this is what ancient chess looked like. The aim of the game was not to checkmate the king, but to eliminate all the forces of one of the opponents, who made moves in turn depending on the throw of a dice. Thus if the number 2 came Up, the rook was moved. if 3 - the knight. if 4 the bishop, and so on. Chaturanga arose in Northern India not later than the 5th -

century. Between the 6th and 7th centuries chaturanga changed into shalranj (or chatrang) - a game for two players which was outwardly similar to modern-day chess, but had different rules. In shatranj there was no castling: a pawn could move only one square and could be promoted only to a queen. The queen itself was a weak piece and moved only to one of the adjacent diagonal squares. The bishop did not yet possess its long range. and moved only two squares. with the ability to jump over a piece standing in its path . Only the king. rook. and knight had the same moves as in modern chess. In shatranj not only checkmate, but also stalemate. was regarded as a win. In addition, a player could win by capturing all his opponent's men, even if at this point he himself had only one piece or pawn remaining. By the 9th century there was even some specialist literature on the theory of shatranj.

]

Lesson One

Among the many problems in chess, one of the most central is the attack on the king, for which there exists a whole series of typical procedures. If the oppo­ nent has castled, certain attacking methods are employed; if he has not castled. others come into force. Our two examples show pupils from special chess schools demon­ strating the art of attacking the uncastled king. 1 w

This position arose in a junior tournament (Savchenko-Altman, 1979). Black is pawn up, but he has acquired it at a high price - his king has not managed to castle. Strictly speaking, it was to detain the opponent's king in the centre that White sacrificed a pawn. His pieces are fully mobilized, and they now begin a direct attack on the king. I �e5! The knight cannot b'e taken. since Black is catastrophically weak at his d8 square: I ... lUxe5 2 .i.xb5 ab 3 IldS male.

I 2

'ttc7 lUx17! The leap by the knight from f3 to n decides the game. 2 .;pxn The knight has to be taken: 2 ... 0-0 3 'ttxh7+ 'it'xh7 4 lUf6 mate, or 3 ,.. 'l!;xl7 4 lUd6+ and 5 1.g6 mate. 3 Ilhfl+ ¢leS If 3 . . . ¢1gB. then 4 lUxcS 'ttxcS lVxc5 5 "1'2) 5 1.e4 lOc6 (4 6 Wf4. 4 "h5+ g6

5 6

lUd6+ 'tIIxg6+

1.xd6 Resigns

This example displays fairly graphically the methods of con­ ducting an attack on the uncastled king. At the cost ofa pawn or even a piece. the attacker normally creates a large superiority in force in the central battle sector. He then strikes a blow, exposing the opponent's king or eliminating its defenders.

Piskov-Panchenko Baku 1981 Sicilian Defence

This was judged to be the best game played in the USSR Team Tournament of Pioneers Palaces. I n a simultaneous display with clocks, seven Muscovites were tested by the Chelyabinsk grand­ master Panchenko (while alongside, Chelyabinsk pupils battled against

Lesson Onf'

the Moscow captain, grandmaster Yusupov). ,4 ,5 1

2 J

4 5

13

d4

,. '" [6

tOxd4 tOd d6 6 �e3 a6 , g4 I n the given position this move is rarely played, and indeed it looks rather too forceful. The grandmaster decides to punish his schoolboy opponent for his ex­ cessive activity, and . . . falls intoa well-masked trap. It turns out that Yuri Piskov had analysed this entire variation at a training session b(:fore the tournament.

,

,5

Black falls in with his opponent's plans. 7 ... tOc6 or 7 ... h6 was b(:uer. 8 tOrs g6 9 gS! This is the point of White's idea - he begins a battle for the dS square. 9 gl 9 ... €lxe4 1 0 �xe4 .txfS is bad due to 1 1 tOf6+ We7 12 tOdS+ ¢le8 l J �b'. 10 ef! The main continuation of the variation. Black would have met 10 gf with 10 ... f4. 10 dS 10 ... �fd7 is very strongly met

j

by I I ,*hS with the threats of 1 2 g6 and 12 .tc4. I I 'tIff3 d4 For the moment all is gomg according to White's plan. One of the games played with this variation (Perenyi-Schneider. 1978) went I I . �e4 1 2 ltlxe4 de 13 ,*xe4 ltlc6 14 .tc4 1.d7 I S 0-0-0 "-c7 1 6 II h e l f6 (better 16 . . . 0-0-0 1 7 .tx(7) 17 IIxd7 Wxd7 I K gf .id6 1 9 .ie6 "'c7 20 f7+ ¢IdS 21 IIdl IIcS 22 "xeS and Black resigned in view of 22 . ltlxe5 23 1.g5+ 't!te7 24 IIxd6 ¢lc7 25 .ixe7. This game was known to Piskov. who therefore had something 10 guide him. whereas Panchenko was meeting this variation for the first time. ..

12

O-O-O!

13 14

gf 1.c4! (3)

J 8

Here the grandmaster thought for half an hour. but was simply unable to find a defence. 14 ... Wb4. for example. would have

4

Lesson One

been met by 15 j,xn+ ¢'xf7 1 6 "h5+ ot>xf6 17 j,g5+ ot>g7 I S f6+ ¢'gS 1 9 lldg l ! ff'xb2+ 20 rEd I tt'bl+ 2 1 .1c1+. 14 'tIfc7

15

'irdS

Iil�

15 ... j,xf5 is decisively met by 16 j,b6 'W'd7 1 7 'tIfxf7+ 't!txf7 I S liI:dS mate.

16 11

i.b6 'irg2

'ird1 i.d6

Black cannot play either 17 . . . "xfS IS "W'xc6+ be 19 liI:dS mate, or 1 7 ... j,h6+ IS ¢'bl j,d2 19 "g7 liI:f8 20 j,e5. 18 liI:xd6! 'W'xd6 19 j,xn+ �d1

20 21

j,e6+ n+

illeS

and in view of the variation 2 1 ... ot>e7 22 'tIfgS+ ot>f8 23 -.gS+ Black

resigned.

LESSON 2 An assertion by shatranj theorists The "double mujannah" How to prepare an attack Shatranj enjoyed great popularity in the East, in spite of the leisurely development of the play. "In shatranj the opening was uninteresting", wrote the English historian Harold Murray, "since for a long lime each side CQuid vary its move order. without coming inlO contact with Ihe opponent. The development of the opening phase usually lasted between 8 and 20 moves", I n the course of time a curious solution was found. The shatranj masters worked out a number of prepared opening positions ta'bi'at - with roughly equal chances for both sides. It was with these ta'bi'at that the game began. The medieval shatranj la'bi'at which have survived to this day are gathered together in Murray's fundamental research work A History ojChl'ss. Altogether there are thiny-one of these ta'bi'at. Diagram 4 shows the "double mujannah" ta'bi'a, which arises after 1 2 moves. The opening was developed by the prominent shatranj theorist Abu'l-Faraj al-Lajlaj (who died about 970). In his opinion the

best strategy for White was the advance of his g- and h-pawns. It IS CUriOUS that the "double mujannah" was studied in 1 9 1 1 by Grandmaster Mieses, who played a number of games by the rules of shatranj. Mieses considered that the plan suggested by al-Lajlaj was simply splendid. ,

This ta'bi'a was called Yta'barija". The shatranj theori"sts asserted

6"

Lesson T",o

that here the player to move would win. It would be interesting to eheek this opinion of the medieval players! Thus a ta'bi'a was a prepared opening system, with which a game would begin in the shatranj era. Now too the use of this term is in many cases logical. Indeed, opening set-ups such as the Chigorin Variation of the Spanish Game. or a number offormations in the Nimzo-Indian Defence and the Queen's Gambit have become modern-day ta'bi'at. Let us return to the attack on the uncastled king. , 8

This position (Mayet-Anderssen, 1855) allows us to follow a famous attacker's train of thought. 11 ..ta6!! Keep the king in the centre at any price. and then assail it with all the remaining forces - this idea, an ad....anced one for its time, waS

Adolf Anderssen's credo.

12 13

..tu8 \!I'IJ

fha8

In this way White parries the threat of ... d4. but now the black knight gains the opportunity to reach d3 with gain of tempo.

13 14

15 16

lUd

"t!fxd5 wd1

"'d7 ",.5 LOd3+ \!I'eS

The black queen moves into an attacking position. Prosaic variations such as 1 6 ... ..-xdS 17 lUxdS LOxf"2+ did not interest Anderssen. lld8 17 �c2 1 8 ..-h5 LOf4!

Resigns

In view of the variation 19 ef ..td3+ 20 �b3 "e6+ 21 �a4 'ftc4+ 22 b4 ..tcH 23 �xaS D:a8 mate. Just how did Anderssen manage to prepare his attack so well? This question also contains the answer. The rapid mobilization of his forces. the safety of his own king, and a striving for the initiative these werc the basic principles by which Anderssen was guided in his game with Mayet: I d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 a3 cS 4 dc ..txcS S lUn as 6 e3 tOc6 7 cd ed 8 i.bS tOf6 9 tOeS 0-0 10 LOxc6 be I I ..txc6, and we reach the position in diagram 6. We should not reproach White for his anti-positional moves such as 3 a3 and II .t xc6. The correct

Lesson Two

recommendations of modern open­ ing theory are in many respects indebted to such mistakes. That which Anderssen did intuitively is nowadays regarded as universally accepted.

Kakabadze-Zhadrin Sicilian Defence

This game was played by two 13year-old first category players, competing in the 13th USSR Tournament for Pioneer Teams ( 198 1). ,5 I ,4

2

';'13

3 4

d4 l()"d4

5

.;,,3 .t,4

•

7

0-0

f4

14 ... .i.d6!? 15 't!t'xg7! .i.xh2+ 16 �xh2 IIgS 1 7 Iihe4+!. But subsequently an analysis by Lepyoshkin was published, ac­ cording to which Black gets good play in the variation 1 0 ... g6 I I f5 gf 12 ll:lxf5 .i.b7! (instead of 1 2 ... IIg8) 1 3 I()h6 .i.xh6 1 4 'W'h5 'We7 1 5 i.xh6 lIg8 16 g3 I()d7 17 lIae1 lIg6 followed by ... f5 (Zak).

II 12

'WO

ll:lxc5

13

f5!?

dc lh7 (7)

d.

,d

.;,r. •• ,.

b5

Black chooses a very complicated system of defence, in which the slightest mistake can lead to defeat. b4? 8 i.b3 Chasing after the pawn is too risky; 8 ... i.e7 is safer. �xe4 9 ll:la4

10

7

ll:lc5

Black tries to repair his catas­ trophic lack of development. Both 10 ... g6 I I f5 gf 12 I()xf5 :gS 1 3 .i.d5 lIa7 1 4 i.xe4 (Fischer-Tal, 1959) and 10 ... I()f6 I I tlfD d5 12 f5 e5 1 3 lIel e4 1 4 't!t'g3 1c:ave Black on the verge of defeat. Incidentally, this last variation contains a trap:

Rather than the prosaic 1 3 l()e2. White prefers a move in the style of Anderssen. A bold decision, although it cannot be said that the sacrifice is fully correct. 13 't!t'xd4+ The natural move, yet 1 3 ... cd was better, avoiding the opening of the d-file. After 14 fe i.xe6 1 5 i.xe6 fe 1 6 't!t'h5+ h6 5 lOxr7++) 3 lIh8 4 h5+! (nevertheless! ) 4 . lIxh5 5 "W"d3+ f5 6 ef+ *xf6 7 "f3+ �e7 8 'W'f7+ wd6 9 "W'xh5. The attacking mechanism in­ volving �xh7+. lLlg5+ and 't!th5 has been named t he classic bishop sacrifice. There are several variations on it.

w

by t he rook at hI. makes White's atlack swiftly decisive:

I 2

lLlgS+

xh7 .txgS

2 �g8 3 'W'h5 lIeS 4 'tiIh7+ and 5 'tiIhS+ mate, or 2 . . �h6 3 ...

.

lLlxr7++. 3

hg+

This is where the role of the rook is seen! \!Ig6

3

4 5

'lfhS+

6

"t!th7 mate

t!th3+

\!If5 �g6

10 w

Very often the rook is included in the attack along the t hird fp;nk:

I

�xh7+

'iti>xh7

2

li:'lgS+

\!Ig8

3

'lfhS "tlhn+ lle3!

1018

4 S

The advanced h4 pawn, supported

.txh7+

\!Ih8

And, finally, on the continuity of ideas. The motif of the bishop sacrifice at h7 often suggests the

Lesson Three

/I W

IJ

There is no doubt that the classic bishop sacrifice is very appealing, but it should be borne in mind that it does nOI always work. Diagram 12, Jor example. shows a positiol'WNhere While has to reconcile himself to I .te2. and, to avoid the worst, reject any idea of I i.xh7+. since in this case it is met by I ¢'h8!. and ir2 lUg5 (2 tlte2 ..txfJ) 2 ... "xd I 3 llfxd I g6!. when Black wins. And now three examples from tournament games, in which the classic bishop sacrifice is a fairly frequent guest. ...

idea of searching for other com� binational blows. In particular. in diagram I I the classic bishop sacrifice in its pure form does not work -the white knight cannot get to g5. But the features of the position suggest another solution, one which is highly elegant:

3 4

.i.xh7+ llhJ+ liIhs �f5!

5

ltle7+

6

lh.:hS male

I

2

�"h7

¢lgS 'IIh6 ltxh5 -,t.h7

11 W

Is I .txh7+ possib!c7

This position (Endt·Brenneisen, 1975) differs from the inmuctional positions given earlier, only in that the dark·squared bishop is operating along the a3·f8 diagonal; in addition, the e4 pawn is preventing the bishop at d3 from directing its fire at h7. Nevertheless, White reduces things 10 a familiar pattern by fairly obvious means:

12

Lesson Three

I 2

eS!

de

4

hS+!

'i&xgS

1!tg4

'i&f6 g6

'i&xh7 i.xh7+ 2 ... �h8 3 i.e4 i.b7 4 i.d6. �g6 3 lOgS+ 4 ... 'i&h6 5 i.c I . 5 i.cl+

6

7 h6! and Black resigned, since there is no defence against the mate at gS.

White's combination (G iffard­ Nikolaic, 1979) m akes a pleasing impression : it is not the mechanism itself of the classic bish0l;' sacrifice which is of interest, so much as White's Sth move, which gives the attack fresh impetus; the final queen sacrifice is also rather curious.

-'.xh7+! 2 3

4 5

lOgS+

'tiIhS hg a4!!

'i&xh7 I!.>g8 .txg5 I!.>IlI

A very important fe ature. Now

the a3 square is vacated for the dark-squared bishop, which comes into play with decisive effect. This typical procedure is worth remem­ bering!

5 6

t!tc7 .1a3+

7

"tIth8+

8 9

ttxg7

de!

lOcS �e7

ltg8 ltxg7

Or9 ... bc IO'i!rf6+ �e8 1Iltci. RHigns 10 c6+!

And here (JokSiC-Korgnati, 1979) we can observe a prolonged attack, to which the classic bishop sacrifice is merely a prelude.

I

.1xhh

I ... 'i&h8 2 lOxd4.

2 IOgS+ 2 ... I!.>g8 3 !!Ih5.

3 4

!!Id3+

g6

B

h4!

White's threat is obvious: after S h5+ 'i&f6 6lQh H 'i&e7 7 lQxfS+ or S ... �xhS 6 "tIth3+ �g6 7 Wh7+ xh7 �"7

$h8 $g8

16

Lesson Four

5 6

lIe3!

i.h7+!

6 ... lIxh7 7 1Ig3+ 'oth8 8 "tt f6+.

7 8

i.g6+ -"xe8

9 10

lIg7 *h8 *g8

White has regained the sacrificed material with interest, and Black resi gned within a few moves. Even so, the main events in Ihis game remained behind the scenes, since often the most difficult thing is not the decisive blow, but its preparation. As a rule, a piece attack will succeed only when the theme of the en lire game is an offensive against the king.

lO xe6

i.xe5 �d4

be eb

\I 'i!lg6 (20) Up till now it has all proceeded as in the game Mieses-Tarrasch (19 16). Black has equalised, and at his disposal is the plan of a piece­ pawn offensive. )(} w

Kupreichik-Romanishin USSR Championship 1976 Scolch Game I

2

,4 I1lfJ d4

,5 I1lc6

3 The heyday of the opening chosen by Grandmaster Kupreichik has long since passed, and today it normally occurs only in junior events. But from time to lime the old open games occur in events at the highest level, and even the Italian Game was played in the 1981 World Championship Match! 3 ,d

4 5 6 7 8

lOxd4 i.e3 e3 �bS 0-0

i.c5 .,f6 lbge7 0-0 d6

12 13 14 15

lOd2 -"e3 'i!lfJ lil fe]

cS (5! �d7 lilae8

Black's pieces are more actively placed, a fact which is apparent from a variation which, though not obligatory, is typical: 16 "g3 fe 17 lOxe41!t'xe4 1 8 -"g5 "xe I ! 1 9 lI x e l lbf5! ,[ 16 lbxfS

17 18 19

"ifdS+ 'i!ld3 'i!ln

e4!

�dS

Grandmaster Romanishin has succeeded in lining up his forces for an attack, against which White has practically no defence.

Lesson Four

20 21

�xa7 g3

3 4 S

li:lh4

Or 2 1 1I:xe8 �xg2, or 2 1 rJ 1I:xel 22 1I:xel i.xf) 23 g3 i.d5. 21 'IIf7

22

1I:xe8 Resigns

It:lO+

And now an example from a junior game. During preparations for the 7th USSR Tournament of Pioneers Palaces, young Muscovites played a simultaneous display with clocks on seven boards against Grandmaster Yuri Balashov. The first 1'0 finish her game was Tanya Saburova, a first category player. This game reveals some of the typical features in the play of young girls. Experienced first category players usually know tolerably well the theory of the opening variation employed, have some idea of the general strategic pattern of the middlegame. and are familiar with standard auacking schemes. The situation is worse in the endgame. And very many lady players are hindered by a definite dogmatism when solving various problems, both in the opening and the middlegame.

Balashov-Saburova 1983 Modern Benoni

I 2

d4 c4

li:lf6

c5

6

7

dS I1k3 loO '!I'S 18 '!I.2 '!I.S I . '!In 'i!tb1 lIde8 2. lifel I n such positions lOd5 can be unpleasant for Black. and so it is important to retain the e7 bishop. which in certain variations can go to b6 via d8.

21 22

g3 Ild5!

h4

Against quiet play Black could have gained the initiative. by intensifying the pressure on the g3 pawn. So White takes the bold decision to complicate matters.

22 23 24

ed

25

a4!

i.xd5 'tit"gS+

'i!tb. e5 Otherwise White takes on e6 with his pawn, gaining the long diagonal for his bishop and d5 for his knight. This position arose in a game

White's initiative grows, and to

16

L('Hon Fivc

neutralize it Black does best to return the exchange.

hg

25 26

hg b4? Black overlooks an important resource in the opponent's altack. After 26 . . . lilxc3 27 bc .1d8 and ... i.b6 the game would have been roughly level.

27

a5!

This ensures the Queen's invasion at b6. 27 ... i.d8 is not possible due to 28 �e4 and 29 lUxd6.

lilxe3

27 Too late.

28 29 30 31 32

W'b6+ be 't!t'e6+ "a8+

we8 .1d8 .1e7 .1b8 Resigns

1le4 Thus if the kings are castled on the same side (be it kingside or queenside), roughly the same methods of attack are employed, combining pawn and piece offen­ sives.

LESSON 6 The books by Ruy Lopez and Giulio Polerio Storming the king's fortress Eight concluding blows

One of the most popular of modern openings is rightly con­ sidered Ihe Spanish Game. Many know that this name comes from that of the Spanish priest Ruy Lopez. who in his book ( I S 6 J ) analysed and insistently recom­ mended the move 3 i.b5 (after 1 e4 e5 2 'DO 'l'lc6). For many. Ihis is the extent of their knowledge of Lopez and his book, but in fact the role of Lopez in the history of chess is considerable. His book is regarded as the first chess primer written by the strongest player of his time. The trealises of lucena and Damiano and the G6ningen manuscript cOnlained much chess material, and gave advice on how to play in this anhat position (this is especially the case with Damiano), but il was Lopez who was the first to give not only the best moves. in his opinion. but also to try and justify them on general grounds. In particular. it is with Lopez that we first encounter ideas of the role of the pawn centre. H e illustrates his reasoning with the following variation: I e4 e5 2 c3

lOf6 3 'it'c2 .i.c5 4 it:lfJ lOc6 5 i.b5 d6 6 d4 cd 7 cd i.b4+ 8 lOc3, and rightly judges the resulting position to favour White. The book by Lopez was translated into Italian. French and German. I! was in approximately 1 590 that a work in manuscript form by the Italian Giulio Polerio appeared (it was published in full only in 1 873). This large work contains many games and opening recom­ mendations. many of which have been retained even to this day. For example. following a game Po1eri� Domenico. the Two Knights De­ fence still continues to be studied. Here is this game, played nearly four hundred years ago: I e4 e5 2

IOfJ lOc6 3 .ic4 lOr6 4 'Og5 dS 5 ed lOxdS 6 lOxn �xn 7 'Wf3+ �c6 8 1Oc3 lOce7 9 d4 e6 to .tg5 h6 11 .txe7 .txe7 12 0-0-0 1If8 13 'it'e4 :ihfl 14 de .i.g5+ 15 �bl IId2 16 h4 lihdl+ 17 lhdl .txh4 18 it:lxdS cd 19 Ihd5 "g5 20 lild6++ �e7 21 ltg6 Resigns. Polerio gives many different combinations. unexpected tactical blows and typical attacking pra-.

28

Lesson Six

cedures. Thus his manuscript is the first 10 mention the mechanism �xh7+, �g5 + and 'it'h5. Polerio also gives the winning method, known today as the "staircase" manoeuvre. " 8

I h5 2 a4 h4 3 as h3 4 a6 h2 5 a1 hi. 6 a8't!t'+ wgl 7 "'al + wg2 8 W'g1+ wh3 9 'ft'h6+ �g2 10 'W'g5+ ..tth3 II 'W'h5+ 'it?g2 J2 "'g4+ 'it?h2 13 'it?f2, and Black ...

queenside castling creates additional combinational motirs. Second, when the kings are castled on opposite sides, the attacks are usually mutual: for example, While attacks on the kingside,and Black on the queenside. In this case the most important thing is to maintain a rapid tempo in the offensive, and to take decisive action berore the opponent does. Arter all, situations orten arise where both kings are threatened with mate, and everything is decided by a single tempo. We will consider several types of piece attack against the castled position. The Hungarian player Sapi is known as a good tactician, but on this occasion (Pirisi-Sapi, 1980) he himselr became the victim of tactics.

cannot avoid mate. In the theme "attack on the king", great interest is always provoked by the offensive methods when the kings are castled on opposite sides. In principle these methods differ liltli! rrom those examined above (here we will again be talking about pawn storms and piece offensives, and in particular about their synthesis: the piece-pawn attack). But there are also dirrerences. First, the position or the king two squares away rrom the corner after

�fS+ gf If I ..ttrs 2 llh8+ .i.xh8 3 'W'd8+ . or I ..ttg 8 2 ll:Ih6+.

2

lith1+!

A typical blow.

2

d7 'i!tf6 I t h7 ot>g7 12 we1 and wins.

Spare tempo ¢d2 't'd8 2 we3 'i!fe7 J ¢'e4

Undermining

xd4 6 wg5 wc4 7 'it>xg6 wxb4 8 wxf5 Wc4 9 ¢>g5! (9 1lIe5 b4 10 15 b3 1 1 16 b2 12 f7 h i . 13 rsw 'W'el+ and 14 ... 'W'xg3) 9 ... b4 10 (5 ¢>d5! 1 1 (6 'it>e6 12 a7! 3 bS ¢>d4! 4 �b6 .tf3 5 as 'ittc4 6 36 ¢>b4

7 a7 !la8! Draw agreed. In view of the

continuation 8 ¢'a6 ¢'c5 9 b6 ¢>c6.

A knowledge of typical proce­ dures helps in the analysis of the following endings from tournament games. 71 W

Platonov-Doroshkevich, 1978. This ending is very similar to the

If White plays I ¢>c5, Black draws easily by I . ¢>f6 2 �d6 i.dl 3 a5 �e2!, e.g. 4 b4 �f7 5 � �e8 6 b5 �d8 7 b6 ¢>c8 8 b7+ ¢>b8 9 ¢>b6 i.f3 10 a6 i.xb7 1 1 ab - stalemate. ..

previous one, and the correct allocation of functions between king and bishop allows White to draw. I i.b7+ �,3 2 hg rg 3 �b4 �f2 4 �'4 ¢'xg3

5 6

ltd.

�,5

h5

58

Lesson Eleven

Here it was also possible to play 6 c;t>e3 h4 7 .ic8! hJ 8 .id7 h2 9 .ic6 'i!?hJ 10 c;t>f2. or 8 .i.xg4 c;t>xg4 9 c;t>f2. But in this variation 7 c;t>e2'!? loses to 7 ... c;t>h2. when against the advance of the pawns ( ... h3, ... g3 and g2) there is no defence.

6 7 8 9

c;t>fS IlIgS

"-hI

h4 h3 h2 Drawn

" w

The first impression is that Black has the beller chances, but in Avni·Radashkovich. 1978, White gained a draw by accurate play.

I

.ia2! IlIdS

g4

2 3

f4+

8 9 10 II 12

16 f7 IlIh6 IlIh7 c;t>h8!

fS! Not 3 ¢'d3 .i b l + 4 e.e3 e.c4 5 f5 c;t>b3 6 c;t>f4 'i!1xa3 7 g5 e.b2. 3 c;t>c4! After 3 ... ¢'e5 White has an easy draw: 4 ' c;t>d3 o;t>f4 5 e.d4 ot>xg4 6 ot>c5 .i.c4 7 f6. 4 gS e.xcJ 6 g6 i.bl 6 e.f4 ¢'d4! The annoying pawns do not allow 6 ... c;t>b2, which is met by 7 c;t>g5 followed by the advance of the pawn to f8. 7 ot>gS

1lI.7 IlIIII

i.d3

The final subtlety: in the event of 1 2 c;t>h6?'! Black wins the pawn ending after 1 2 . .i.c4 and 13 ... .i.xn. But now 12 . .i.xg6 gives stalemate, and so a draw was agreed. .

.

.

.

LESSON 1 2 Can a knight cope with connected pawns?

In endings with a knight against a pawn one should be guided by basic drawn positions and typical procedures.

While's play is based on gaining a tempo by means of a check. His knight will take the course c7-b5a3 or f6-e4-d2.

2

'it'cS

Black will have 10 advance his pawn, but for the moment he tTies 10 deprive Ihe knight of important squares. If 2 ... bJ, then 3 ltid6+ ¢>b4 (3 ... -.t>d3 4 lLlb5 and 5 lLla3) 4 lile4 and 5 '1:ld2. 3 ltlf6 ¢>d4 3 ... b3 is mel by 4 li:le4+ and 5 IOd2.

75 W

4 This is the conclusion to a study by Grigoriev (1938), in which we meet the most frequently occurring ideas of this ending. I ltlc7+!

White's problem is 10 achieve a drawn position; with the pawn at b2 his knight must be at a3, c3 or d2. 1

c3 14 It:lbl+ wc2 15 .()a3+ etc. Black cannot escape from the checks. The knight finds it difficult to cope with a rook's pawn, since the side of the board restricts its manoeuvrability. For example, a knight loses to a rook's pawn which has reached the 7th rank, but if the king comes to its aid a draw is possible in a number of cases.

In this study by Grigoriev ( 1 932) the white king succeeds in entering the drawing zone. t

It:Jf''7!

h3

h2 2 lilgS 3 lile4+ 'it>e2 Black is obliged to avoid th'e barriers (on the d3 and d4

squares). e.g. 3 ... �d3 4 lOg3!. and 4 . . . 'it>e3 fails to 5 It:lfl +. 4 lOg3! But not 4 It:lf1 which deprives White of several barriers: 4 ... d2 5 'it>d6 cae2 6 It:lh I �n and wins. 4

S 6 1

'it>d6 'it>eS o;t>f4

'it>dl 'it>et o;t>f2

with a draw. A knight can cope successfully with connected pawns only if they have not reached the 6th rank. In such positions the decisive role is played by the placing ofthe kings.

I n this study by Chekhover (1955) White's saving plan is to attack the pawns, forcing them to advance to a square which allows a knight fork. I lile6! g4 2 lilg1! (4 If 2 ... g3 3 lilxf5 82 4 It:le3+. 3 It:JhS! (] 4 .()f6! g3

Lesson Twelve

If 4 ... f2 5 lUxg4 f1W' 6 lUe3+. g2 S lUe4! 6 lUd2+ and

7

lLl"n

reaching a basic drawn position with knight against pawn.

61

After 5 lUb6? h4 6 lUd5 We4! the h-pawn queens. 5 6

h4 lOb3!!

Not 6 lUd3? h3 7 �f2 h2 8 'it;xb4 1if4 9 ¢'c4 0;1;>0. 6

h3

7

Iildl hl The king is unable to help the pawn: 7 ... wf4 8 lUfi *n 9 lUh2+ IIIg3 JO Iilf! + 11181 I I Iild+ 111(2 12 lVg4+ '*'g3 13 lOe3 etc. A knight can cope with a rook's pawn on the 6th rank.

8 9

iUn!

hI"

lUg3+ with a draw. Without the king, a knight is unable to cope with widely separated pawns. In this Grigoriev study ( 1934) everything is decided by the concerted actions of the white pieces. 1

IIId3

3 4 S

lLlf1+ lUd7 lUeS!!

A knowledge of study ideas and typical procedures in the ending with knight against pawns is a great help in practical games.

IIIn

d3 22 .icS ..tgS 23 'i!te6 'i!te4.

68

Lesson Thirteen

20 21 22 23 24 2S

'it'g4 \!iIS \!ig6 .icl

\!igS

\!ie' -'.16 -'.03 1!id3 \!i,'

If 25 f5 Black creates a fortress after 25 ... .ig7! 26 .ig5 'it'e5! 27 .id8 .ih8!

2S 26 27

Jl.g7 \!ig6 Jl.,S IS \!in Draw agreed

I n conclusion we will examine a position in which a curious incident occurred. In this position (Capablanca­ Janowski, 1916) Black resigned. Fifty years later Grandmaster Yuri Averbakh, the author of a fundamental study orthe endgame, showed that Janowsk i had resigned in a drawn position. By a king manoeuvre (which appears para­ doxical to the uninitiated, but is a typical one for experts) Black could have prevented his bishop being driven offthe a5-d7 .ig5 6 b5 ¢'c4) 3 ... ¢'e2!! 4 ¢>c6 ¢>d3 5 .ib6 .ig5 6 ¢'b7! (6 .ic7 .ie) 7 .id6 'it'c4) 6 'it'c4 7 ¢>a6 c;t>b3! 8 .ill .idS 9 �el ¢'a4!, and the black king succeeds in laking control of a5. •..

LESSON 1 4 Staunton's style and the O rthodox School Outward features in the assessment of a position An extra pawn in a knight ending

In 1835 McDonnell died, followed five years later by La Bourdonnais,

but the main rivalry in Europe continued to be only between French and English players. The pride of England, Howard Staunton (1810-1 874), enjoyed the reputation for a comparatively short time of being the strongest player. After defeating Saini-Amant in a tradi­ tional match in 1843, within 10 years Staunton's star was already on the decline. But Staunton's meri! is that his games laid part of the foundations for the (ulUre teachings of Steinitz. The match between Staunton and Saint-Amant appeared outwardly to be very tedious. Arter the opening Staunton would switch to manoeuvring, and only when he had lulled his opponent's vigilance would he begin an attack. When at­ tacking he did not avoid exchanges and was quite happy to continue the battle in an endgame. Saint­ Amant, in turn, did nothing to counter his opponent's style of play.

Saint Amant-Staunton Paris, 1843 Oueen's Gambil Declined

I d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 e3c5 4 �c3 lt:lf6S �f3 iLe7 6 i.d3 b6 7 0-0 0-0 8 b3 iLb7 9 cd ed 10 1!tc2 �c6 I I a3 a6 12 Ildl cd 13 ed h6 14 b4 iLd6 IS lId b5 16 h3 lle8 17 "'3 'tIte7 18 .id2 'i!fb6 19 i.e3 It:le7 20 gael It:lhS 21 'ft'dl It:lf6. How different all this 'marking time' is to Ihe swift attacks and surprise combinations of the romantics! Staunton did not im­ mediately begin professing such a style. At the stan of his chess career, he, like everyone, would attack passionately, make combi· nations and sacrifice. It was only laler, after much thinking about chess, that Staunton began to gravitate towards closed positions and develop his strategy: the gradual creation of preconditions for an offensive. n �h4 lIc7 23 't!rd2 �h7 24 "c2 �f6 25 f6 lDh6 16 c;t>g6 lLIg4 when White has not achieved anything,or 1 5 ... 'it'e8 16 'it'g7 'it'e7 17 li'lf5+ \tIe6! 1 8 �d4+ xhS 'it'd) and Black wins. And after 1 6 'It>f2 ¢>f4 Black wins thanks to his reserve tempi.

14 15 16

i.h4

16

i.e7

'it'e2 f4 ¢'d3 Here White could have made an attempt to break free - 1 6 tOg7 i.e7 1 7 lbeS ¢>d4 I S tOc7.

Lnson FifU'f!n

Now 17 . . .iJS is threatened. .

17 18

tOg7

.i.d6

wc4 Passive tactics are fatal: 18 we) "b8 19 ';'d3 ';'f6.

18

.6

The immediate 18 ... .lb8 does not work due to 19 wc5 wf6 20 tOe8+ and 2 1 tOd6. a4 19 b6

20 21

lOe8

79

impossible to win: 32 ... wg5 33 lllg3 'it'h4 34 llle4 xa6 ';'g4 36 ';'b5 ';'f4 37 !ild2 f2 38 .;,,4 "b6 39 ';'d3. 32 lllhi 33 ';'b4

34 35

36

"b8

a5 Otherwise the knight is trapped.

21 22

ba

¢'c5 h6! White is in zugzwang. He cannot simuhaneously both save his knight and prevent the king from approaching the f3 pawn.

23

wb6

23 tOg7 would have been met by 23 ... 'itff6 followed by ... wg5-h4. 23 wd4 24 tOg7 we3 25 IOf5+ 'it'xO 26 lUxh6 .le5 26 ... wg3 is more precise. ¢'g3 27 'itfxa5

28

tOn

-'.f6!

Black avoids a trap: 28 f3 would have been answered not by 29 lll xe5? f2!. but by 29 lOg5! f2 30 1Oe4+ and 3 1 IOxf2. ".

29 30

!ild6 1Oe4+ 'On

f3 ¢'f4

.lh4! 31 Accuracy to the end - after the careless 3 1 ". J.d4 32 iOh I it is

This position (from ljubojevic­ Karpov, 1981) is of a closed nature. The bishop is restricted by its own pawns, and so the knight becomes master of the position. Black's plan is typical: he must create weaknesses in the white pawns, exchange queens, and then, exploiting the bishop's lack of mobility, obtain a material advan­ tage.

1 2 3 4 S

hg a3

b3 .,4

g6! fg a5 h5 !ilfS

80

Lesson Fifteen 6 1 8

.HZ

a4 1;c2

'IIId7 1;c1

The invasion of the queen at a8 is incorrect, since as soon as the checks come to an end, White loses material: 8 "'a8 W'd3! 9 "a7+ ¢lc8 10 "'a8+ 1;d7 I I 'IIIb7+ �8 1 2 'IIIb8+ I!;n I ) "b7+ �e7 and there is no defence against the check at fl or the capture on b3.

8 9

g3 �xf4! 24 i.d8 �e2+ 25 wxh3 �d4 26 .ixb6 �xb3 27 .id8 'it'e4 28 ¢>g4 ¢'d4 29 wf4 ¢>xc4 30 'it'e4 ¢'c3 31 i.f6+ e3 c3 34 .if6 �c5 35 ¢'e2 1;b3 While resigns.

This concludes our acquaintance with certain ideas in minor piece endings.

LESSON 1 6 Rook against infantry How to draw a pawn down in a rook ending

The concluding chapter in our endgame section is devol(:d to rook endings. We will first look at cerlain procedures in the battle between rook and pawns.

1U4 W

IUJ w

In such positions Euwe rccom· mended using the rule of the "square", the side orthe " square" being lengthened by the number of moves required by the black A rook rarely loses to a pawn,

but here (from Troitsky. 1895) Black's king is blocking his rook's path to the 8th rank: t d7 11g6+ 2 'ot>e5! (nol 2 D 2 IIfJ + �g4 J wg7 f4 4 \l>f6f1 5 e5 WgJ 6 W.4. when White approaches the pawn. Note the route taken by the white king - it must approach the pawn in such a way that the opponent's king does not hinder it.

/05

8

.

2

lin

¢l'l'-l

White has gained an important tempo, and now his king I;an step into the extended "square". J wg7 14 • wl6 f1

S

6 7

�g5 wg. �g3

�e3 n �e2

8 IId'2+ The way to defend against two far·advanced connected pawns is by switching the rook to the rear of the leading pawn, and attacking the rear pawn with the king. Again the rule of the "square" can simplify the calculation: a draw can be achieved if the king enters the "square" of the rear pawn (the rook must already be attacking the queening square of the leading pawn). For the inattentive a trap lies in wait: the opponent may reverse the roles of the leadingand rear pawns!

In this position by Maizelis (1939) Black has two ways to draw: I . ("allocation of duties"): I ndl 2 g5 (2 �g2 lid6 3 g5 IIg6 etc) 2 ... lIh. 3 �1"3 �b3 4 ¢lf4 ¢lc4 5 ¢IrS 'It;dS & ¢lg6 (6 g6 llh5+!) 6 ... ¢le6 7 wg7 'It;f5 8 g6 ligl 9 h7 IIxg6+. 2. (" culting off the king"): I . lid3! 2 gS (2 ¢lg2 lld6! 3 gS lig64 ¢lh3 1hgS S Wh4 l1gl ) 2 . . lih33 �2 JihS 4 b3 lilb841 lilxb8 i.xb8 48 bS lOe7 49 b6 (5 50 gf 'bg8 5 I .if2 lOf652 .ih4 Resigns. Thus White has completely tied down his opponent. But how is he to realize his advantage? After all, Black is staunchly blocking all the points of invasion. Strokes of genius are always simple. Rubinstein establishes that Black's defensive hero is his queen. It follows that, if it is exchanged, his opponent's defences will collapse.

21 28

ttn! Iild2

lOeB l!Ib4

In this game Black did not make any vital mistakes. But his at first sight slight strategic omissions (10 ... lOxd5 1 5 ... 'be7) allowed White to carry out a positional squeeze on the queenside. But how do you form a plan when you cannot discern any either tactical or positional in· accuracies by the opponent? I n this case too there are proven recommendations. .

LESSON 19 A World Champion's advice Pressurizing in chess

,I> IV

This position arose in the game Karpov-Timman (",Tournament of Stars", Montreal 1979) after I e4 d6 2 d4 �r6 3 lOc3 g6 4 g3 �g7

5 i,g2 0-0 6 lilge2 eS 7 0-0 llJa6 (116).

Before handing over to the World Champion, we will turn once again to Kalov's formula, which states that "a unified plan in a game of chess is an aggregate of strategic operations, following one after another . . ," I n the games examined earlier, an obvious mistake (16 g4, Bouaziz-Ribli) and an imperceptible inaccuracy ( 1 0 ... It:lxdS, Rubinstein-Duras) disturbed the positional equilibrium on the board. Interesting i n this

respect is the strategic paHern of the Karpov-Timman game, in which Black does nOI make a single anti-positional move, but nevertheless loses both the opening and the middlegame battles. Karpov adheres 10 the method of accumulating slight advantages. Each such slight advanlage on its own does not prevent any danger to the opponent. But their aggregate leads to a big positional advantage. And so, over to Karpov: "To all appearances, the knight move to a6 is not the best solulion. Now any attempt to bring this knight into play will involve either giving up the centre (the exchange ed), or a considerable loss of time. For the moment these considerations may seem rather too general, and even abstract in nature. But as the middlegame approaches, and particularly in the middlegame itself, the scattered state of Black's forces will cause him much inconvenience.

8 9

litel h3

c6

A typical prophylactic move in

Lesson Nineteen such silUations. White restricts the opponent's bishop, and at the same time creates on the kingside a "no-go area" also for the remaining minor pieces.

Jil:e8

9

All Black's hopes of obtaining counterplay are associated with pressure on the e4 pawn.

10

j.gS

Again a typical device, which pursues the same aim - the accumulation of small advantages. Then all lhese imperceptible factors merge together to form that superiority of one set of pieces over another, which is customarily called a positional advantage. When Black has the given pawn formation in the centre, this bishop move is frequently played both in the King's Indian Defence, and in the Pirc Defence. On the other hand, the pin on the knight is highly unpleasant, especially since by I I 'tid2 White threatens to enforce it for a long time, and in general restrain the development of Black's entire kingside. And, on the other hand, Black has constantly to reckon with the possibility of .th6. It was evidently all these considerations which forced my opponent to make his next move.

10 II

h6 .te3

Now for the mobilization of his

97

forces White has economized on one tempo (1!td2 will involve an attack), and this will also play a certain role in the general offensive. 11 'itc7 Black is quite unable 10 attend to the off-side position of his knight. Thus on 1 1 ... ed there follows 12 .txd4 lOc5 13 e5 lLlh7 14 ed 't!txd6 1 5 b4 lLla6 1 6 b5 cb 17 lOxb5 with clearly the better chances for White. One thing that is indisputable (with regard to the move 'tIrc7) is that that movement of this powerful piece always renects markedly on the position, and therefore a post for it must be sought with particular care. If there is no necessity, aS,for example, in the present case, this should in general not be hurried. II follows that Black should perhaps have r�stricted himself to the prophylactic I I ... �h7 - since all the same this move will have to be made sooner or later!

12

1rd2

;,h7

Now on 1 2 ... ed White would reply 13 lLlxd4, since all the same Black has to waste a tempo on the defence of his h6 pawn.

13

Hadl

Thus White has emerged from the opening with both a lead in development and a more expedient arrangement of his forces.

13

·j.d7 (II 7)

98

Lesson Nineteen for him to decide on such a desperate measure.

ill U'

16

On the threshold of the middle­ game it is always useful to weigh up the resources of both sides, and to make adjustments to one's initial plans. Here I sank into thought, and soon came to the conclusion that straigh.tforward play in the centre would nol get me anywhere. Now, with the aim of seizing fresh territory, the kingside pawns must be advanced. But I did not wish to play 14 f4 immediately. It would be illogical to increase the tension straight aWily - all the same White will subsequently have 10 play g4, so why not first utilize a resource for strengthening the position, such as g4 and tbgJ? At the same time. White also solves an important stralegic problem - he reinforces his e4 pawn. 14 g4 lIadB IS

IOgJ

.te8

The advance f4 can be radically prevented only by . . . g5, but Black's position is not yet so bad

f4

While Black has been completing the mobilization of his forces, White has succeeded in carrying out in full his projected plan. Black has some highly unpleasant problems to solve. He can prevent the further advance of the kingside pawns only by opening the centre, but this will lead to a further increase of White's spatial ad­ vantage. In the end Timman made the move which I most expected of him in this situation.

16

b5

One of Timman's favourite moves, but here, since White is not yet weakened on the queenside. it. is very easy for him to neutralize his opponent's threats.

17

a3

b4 ?!

Having lost the battle on the kings ide, the Dutch grandmaster wishes at any price 10 iniliate complications on the other parts of the board. All the same it would have been more sensible not to break up his pawns, bUl lostick to wailing tactics, since now White can advantageously transpose into any endgame. In the game, it is true, things do not come to that . . .

18 19

ab tbce2

ttlxb4

Black's idea was somehow to bring his pieces IOgether, by

Lesson Nint'leen

playing ... a5, ... Aa6, ... ed and . . . c5, but this is a lengthy process.

19

cd

In the event of 19 . . . a5 Black was justifiably afraid of the consolidating reply 20 d. But his last move signifies something even more. By surrendering the centre, Black as though acknowledges that he has lost the openingbattle. The strategic initiative is now totally on White's side. Also prelly cheerless was 1 9 ... cS 20 fe de (20 ... cd loses a piece) 2 1 dS.

20

�)(d4

as

White's subsequent plan essen­ tially reduces to preventing the opponent's pieces from coming into play. 21 c3 lLIa6 (1/8)

22

.td7

Intending nevertheless to play ... �c5, for which the c6 pawn must be defended in advance (23 ... lLIcs 24 b4 cb 25 cb li)e6).

23

It:lO

lile7

23 ... ll:lc5 no longer works because of 24 eS. Perhaps Black should have decided on 23 . . . c5, although it is true that in thi� case the knight at a6 has the appearance of a "living reproach".

24

..Q.f2

One of the last prophylactic moves. Prior to his decisive offensive, White places his pieces in the most harmonious way possible, and once agai.n reinforces his forepost al e4! 24 'tid3 is premature in view of 24 ... .tc8.

24

lIS W

99

Ae8

A tactical mistake. However, Black's position was so bad. and was so disliked by my opponent. that"' sensed that the end was close.

25

'tid3!

W'b7

In the event of 25 . . . ll:lb8 Black suffers heavy loss of material after 26 e5.

22

"Wc2!

A subtle move, which, firstly. prevents the black knight from moving.to c5 (in view of the reply b4!). and secondly, continues the previous strategic policy of streng­ thening the e4 pawn.

26

lilal!

Another subtle move, which essentially concludes the game. Black is unable to defend his queenside weaknesses, while 26 ... 'W'xb2 clearly fails to 27 lIeb l , napping the queen.

100

Lesson Nine/em

26 27 28 2" 30 31

I haS

b4 f.,3 IS

b5

'Oe7 lldd1 '0g8 2 ll:lxb6. but arter 2 ... h8 Black has counterplay. For example. 3 ... ll:lxr4 is possible. White thererore takes the wisest decision - he himselr gives up a pawn. but he lures the black king into the centre, where it comes under an attack. I J.c4! "'xb4 ll:ld7+ 2

/55

Not 2 ... wg8 3 ..txe6+, winning the queen. ttlfS 3 ll:lxb6 Not 3 ... ttlxf4 4 'tIIxf4 "'xb6 5 "'g5+ wfS 6 lld7. 4 14d2! The decisive rook manoeuvre. 4 ,5 S lIb2 'ftet 6 ltlc8+! Resigns Black is mated after either 6 ... 14xc8 7 litb7+ o;t>e8 8 ..tb5+. or6 ... wf7 7 ltld6+ we7 8 lbxe8 o;t>xe8 9 litb7. (5 points)

LESSON 31 The Lvov School of grandmasters Alexander Belyavsky defeats his rivals The centre - the soul of the opening

No one will be surprised to learn that there are very many grand­ masters in Moscow (more than 20), but which Soviet towns come next after the capital? It turns OUI that Tbilisi is in second place with eight grandmasters, in third place is Lvov (five), and then come Odessa, Riga and Leningrad (three each), followed by Krasnoyarsk. Kiev. Minsk. Krasnodar, Alma-Ala etc. [Wrillen in '1983, this data may now be slightly out of date

of the strongest Ukrainian juniors. He was a constant and successful member of the Republic's school­ boys team, and in 1969 he became USSR Junior Champion.

-

Irans/alor's note]

Chess centres do not arise spon­ taneously. If in a town there are good organizers. there will normally develop around them a number of strong players, trainers and ordi­ nary enthusiasts. This is what hap­ pened in LVQv, the chess fame of which is mainly associated with the name orV.Karl, an Honoured Trainer of the Soviet Union. The best known ofKart's pupils are Oleg Romanishin and Alexan­ der Belyavsky. Already at the age of 10 Belyavsky became a first category player, and he quickly developed into one

This position arose in the game Gofstein-Belyavsky (USSR Junior Championship, 1969) after the fol­ lowing opening moves:

I c4 �r6 2 �Oe6 3 g3c54 ..tg2 It:lc6 5 0-0 dS 6 b3 ..Qe7 7 e3 0-(1 B .i.b2 d4 9 ed cd 10 liet lleB 1 1 d3 ..tc5 12 a3 as 13 lll bd2 h6 14 It:leS lllxe5 IS llxeS 'W'c7 16 It:l13 ..td6 .7 lii:eI eS 18 It:ld2 ..tg4 19 'tItc2 lii:ad8 20 lii:abl ..trs 2 1 lii:bdl ..tc5 22 lUe4 �h:e4 23 i..xe4 ..txe4 24 lixe4 tlfd6 25 lii:del (169).

Lesson Thirty-One

From an early age Belyavsky's style displayed a striving for logical action. In the present game he has managed, right from the opening stage. to restrict his opponent. He now embarks on the decisive attack. 25 ... f5 26 lI4e2 e4 27 'it'eI "t!t'c6

28 't!t'd2 e3 29 fe de 30 'tIfc2 f4 31 gf 1!ff3 32 d4 .i.xd4 33 .i.xd4 lhd434 liln "'g4+ 35 lilg2 't!td7 36 f5 lild2 37 lilxd2 cd 38 f6 gel White resigns. In 1973 the USSR Chess Federa· tion was faced with a difficult, but pleasant choice: contending for the one place in the World Junior Championship in England were several strong players. It was deci· ded to hold an elimination touma· ment. The opponents were worthy of one another: it is sufficient to say that all of them have since become grandmasters. ThIS is the order in which they finished: Bel· yavsky, Makarichev, A.Petrosian, Panchenko, Kochiev. Belyavsky spent six months pre· paring for the Junior World Cham· pionship. Karpov's experience, and the failure of Vaganian (when par­ ticipating in the 1971 Champion­ ship Vaganian was already a grand­ master, but he nevertheless ceded first place to the Swiss player Hug) - all was taken into account. During the course of the tournament Bel­ yavsky was able to display his best qualities. Thus, for example, behind Belyavsky were future grandmas-

157

lers, in the form of Miles of England (the 1974 World Junior Champion) and the American Christiansen. Here is one of the games by the winner.

Belyavsky-Cooper Sicilian Defence

I e4 cS 2 -tlf3 e6 3 d4 cd 4 -tlxd4 ltJc6 s lbbS d6 6 c4 lbf6 7 lblc3 a6 8 ltJaJ .i.e7 9 .i.e2 0-0 10 0-0 b6 I I .i.e3. In this popular variation there are many different continuations. At one lime I I f4 used to be played, after which a game Spassky-Suetin went I I ... i.b7 12 .i.f3 lilc8 1 3 i.e3 lba5 14 1!fd3 t!t'c7 1 5 lilac1 lbd7 16 W'd2 llfd8 17 ltJd5 ed 1 8 cd "t!t'b8 1 9 b4 .!Oc6 20 d c i.xc6, with equal play. I I ltJc2 has also been tried - I I ... .i.b7 1 2 lbe3 't!tc7 1 3 .i.d2 lbd4 14 .id3 .i.c6 1 5 f3 b5 16 g e l bc 17 i.xc4 'ira7 18 ¢'hl liiab8 19 b3 DJd8 20 lbed5! - Zagorovsky­ Arnlind, 1 978). The move played, I I .ie3, leads to a complicated struggle.

II 12

lite!

i.b7

12 'W'b3 or 12 Ii:c1 sets Black more problems.

12 13

.in

litc8 lite8?

A mistake. 1] ... lbe5 was correct. Now While strikes at the b6 point and gains an obvious positional

158

Lesson ThiTly-One

advantage.

14 15

lOa4 �:.:b6!

lOd7

With this elegant combination White gains an appreciable posi­ tional advantage.

15 16 17 18

tlbJ lO:.:c4 lledl

[Belyavsky has since led the USSR team to victory in the 1984 Olym­ piad, and has twice been a Candi­ date for the World Championship -

Irons/alor's note].

lO:.:b6 lO:.:c4

:b8 dS

I7U B

II is difficult to get by without this move, since the opposition of queen and rook creates various threats against the d6 pawn.

19 20 21 22

ed "a4 �f4 lOe5

ed d4 lilc8 .ic5

And now comes a little combination which wins a pawn.

23 24 25 26 27 28

lO:.:n lOd6 �:.:d6 ilbJ+ Wxb7 tlfxa6

'it'f6 �:.:d6 1!h:d6 "'h8 lOe5

and White won. After his victory in the World Junior Championship Belyavsky was personally invited to the USSR Championship Premier League, where he shared first place with none other than Tal. And in sub­ sequent tournaments the Lvov player's successes have continued to grow. He has become one of the strongest Soviet grandmasters, and has twice been USSR Champion.

No. this is not going to be a lecture on the Italian Game! The diagram position is only required for the purposes of starting a discussion on the centre. The problem of the centre con­ cerned players back in pre-Greco times. It was initially thought that, whoever could seize the central squares (e4, d4 or e5, d5) with pawns should then be able to seek a forced way to win. But defence gradually began to balance attack, and this simplified view on the centre no longer has any followers. And indeed, few are happy to play the Moller Attack from the diagram position: 7 lOxe4 8 0-0 ••.

.i:.:c3 9 d5 .tf6 10 lle1 lOe7 I I llxe4 d6 1 2 .ig5 .ixg5 1 3 lilxgS 0-0 14 LDxh7 �:.:h7 I S 'it'h5+ we8

Lesson Thirty-One

16 11M rs 1 7 "tIth7+ *1'7 18 lIh6 lIg8 19 gel 'W'f8 20 .2b5 IIh8 21 't!h:h8 gh 22 tlt'h7+ *f6 23 llxe7 "xe7 24 't!hh6+ wilh perpetual check. A t the end of the last century games began occurring in which the strategy of opposing pawns with pawns in the centre was re­ placed by other ideas. In particular, in Ihe Chigorin Defence Black allows the formation of a white pawn centre, bUI then attacks it with his pieces and pawns. Here, for example, is the opening of the game Pilisbury-Chigorin (St Peters­ burg 1895):

I d4 d5 2 c4 q)c6 3 �O �g4 4cd .i.d3 5 dc �xc6 6 �c3 e6 7 e4 .2b4 8 0 f5 g eS �e7 10 a3 .laS t ) .2c4 i.d5 12 ""a4+ c6 I3 �d3 "'6 with advantage to Black.· Similar ideas followed: in 1913 Nimzowitsch wrote that pieces deployed in the centre can success­ fully replace pawns. The Reti Opening, the Grunfeld Defence and Alekhine's Defence all made their appearance. Modern-day views on the centre comprise one of the main problems of theory. The majority of books pick OUI Ihe following types of The game continued 14 ""c2 .a6 1 5 .i.dl .tc4 16 f4 0-0-O 17 .i.e) li::!d 5 18 .i.d2 li::!b6 19 1!f'c2 It:.;d4 20 II:cI .i.d) 21 .b3 1Oc4 22 �r2 li::! xd2, and Black was a piece up. •

159

centre: Mobile cemre. Characterized by

one player having a pawn pair in the centre. Often arises from the Open Games, the Grunfeld Defence and Alekhine's Defence. Immobile cenlre. The main feature is pawn chains in the centre. May be obtained from the King's Indian and French Defences or from the Spanish Game. Open cenlre. Here there are no pawns on the central squares. A variety of openings can lead to this. SIalic centre. Formed after the fixing of the central pawns. May arise out of virtually any opening system . Dynamic centre. Receives its name from the unclear, 'tense' position of pawns in the centre. Typical of the Sicilian Defence. We will now turn to a more detailed examination of the differ­ ent types of centre.

Yusupov-Tukmako\'

USSR Zonal, Yerevan 1982 Griinfeld Defence

1 2 3 • 5 6

d' c, 11lc3 cd ..

I1lr6 g6 dS lOxd5 lOxe)

be

A typical mobile pawn centre has arisen - the oldest pawn structure, and one which has been well

160

Lesson Thirly-One

tested in Open Games. The active side must normally act energetically and mount a rapid offensive with his pawns. It is not always necessary to aim for mate: if the opponent can be severely restricted, the attack can then be switched to one of the flanks. The defending side usually tries to blockade or even eliminate the opponent's mobile pawn centre. Other plans (such as a counter­ attack on one of the flanks) rarely prove effective.

6 7

tOn

.t.7 eS

The main idea of the Grlinfeld Defence is to break up White's pawn centre with undermining pawn moves and long-range piece fire. 0-0 8 llbl

9 10

..i.e2 0-0

'1"5 'tha2

Pawn-grabbing has always been punished. Taking on c3 is totally bad: 10 ... .xc3 I I ..i.d2 "a3 12 "c2, and the threat of trapping the queen ( 1 3 lib3 and 14 ..i.b5) forces Black to give back the pawn - 12 ... a6 1 3 dc J.e6 (otherwise 14 J.b4) 14 llxb7. After JO .. thc3 White can also choose a more complicated path: I I d5 "'a5 12 ..i.e3 1fc7 1 3 'Wcl tOd7 14 tOd4. As for the capture on a2, the motives of the move are clear - Black does not wish to allow his opponent to deploy his pieces 'for free' in attacking posi.

lions. I n one game Black maintain­ ed the balance by this method, when White answered 9 ... "'a5 with 10 litb5, and the sequel was 10 ... 't!t'xc3+ 1 1 J.d2 "a3 12 11xc5 'ftxa2 13 0-Owith vcry complicated play. Bul subsequently Tukmakov underestimates the attacking pos­ sibilities of White's pawn centre.

II

.t.5

lWoO Instead of this, the unusual idea of advancing the pawn to f6 fol­ lowed by ... l!If7 would have enabled Black to take prophylactic measures against the advance of the white pawns. 12 eS! J:ld8 13 'tra4 lWcO 1 3 ... tOc6 looks more natural, but after 14 d5 Black cannot play 14 ... "xd5 because of 15 llbd1 We6 16 J:lxd8+ LOxd8 1 7 't!t'e8+ ..i.f8 1 8 ..i.h6, while after 14 ... lhd5 15 J.c4 the complications favour White. 14 lWb3 The weakness of the b7 and e7 pawns prevenlS Black from co­ ordinating his pieces. .

14 15 16

'We7

..i.c4 lif'8 e6! The mobile pawn centrejustifies its name!

16 17 18 19

.tb4 .t.3 't!ta2

'6 lOcO "d8 cd

Lesson Thirty-One

20

ed

b6

20 . . . li:lxd4? opens a further line for the while pieces: 21 DJd l li:lxO+ 22 gf 't!te8 23 ..i.b5.

21 22 23

dS IUdI li:lxe5

illeS f2 (27 ot>g2 �xe l+ 28 lOxeJ llg4+ 29 ot>h3 h5) 27 ... �xeJ + 28 ot>xeJ D:h4, when Black has everything in order. BUI there is no need for White to go in for unfavourable complications. llxb4 26 lOctS! .te4 27 �xb4 Other moves also lose a pawn.

28

�xn llxe4 JIe6 li)dS

lOxn IOd6 JI(S

29 30 lOf4 31 32 lOd4 White easily realizes his advan· tage. llxf4 32

33 34 35

36

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

oJ �,7 .tc2+ llxc7

lUI �b8 �8 llxb2

,i.g6

�f"8

�d7 h4 �,.,+ �c7 c4 h5

�d2 Iilc4

�h2 �d7

�

1ild6

�f"8 lldl+ �cl Resigns

Positions with an open centre are among the most complicated, and their correct handling requires greal skill and experience.

LESSON 33 The uncompromising Valery Chekhov Transformation of the centre Nona Gaprindashvili

1975 arrived. FIDE had held the World Junior Championship four­ teen limes, but on only three occa­ sions had it been won by represen­ tatives of the USSR. In 1974 in the Philippines, for example, OUf dele­ gate Alexander Kochiev (3 future grandmaster!) did not even finish in the first three, and the Champion­ ship was won by the Englishman Tony Miles. And again an elimination tour­ nament for the most worthy con­ tenders was held, this lime in Sochi, in which first place was shared by Zaid and Chekhov. The USSR Chess Federation's Youth Committee had to decide which of the winners to entrust with the honoured, but very responsible right 10 take part in the World Championship. Their choice fell on Valery Chekhov, but not ixcause he was stronger than Leonid Zaid. As a chessplayer Valery was noted for his competitive nature, with the ability to put everything into a tournament, and he was also in very good physical shape. All ihis gave hope that, in the severe con­ ditions of a swiss system tourna­ ment, Chekhov would be able to

give of his best. The Championship was held in the Yugoslav town of Tjentiste. Chekhov did not take pari in the initial rush - he was paired against strong opponents - and draws lefl him some way behind the leaders. But he knew the laws of the swiss system, and he realized that every­ thing would be decided not by the start, but by the finish, and he felt that his staying-power would not let him down (there was ,I round every day, as well as the resumption of adjourned games). Incidentally, Chekhov had adapted to heavy tournament pressure back in the Moscow Pioneers Palace. On one occasion. changes in the calendar of events forced him to play tour­ nament games every other day for almost six months. Such a thing is not advisable, of course, but the fact remains that Chekhov could endure severe pressure very well. In the seventh round of the Championship the Soviet player moved into first place and thereafter did not concede it to anyone. Seven wins, six draws, and nol a single defeat - this was Valery Chekhov's result. He demonstrued

168

Lesson Thirty-Three

all-round preparation in the end­ game, played confidently in the middlegame, and successfully solved problems in the opening.

Nurmi-Chekhov Sicilian Defence

I e4 c5 2 ll:lrJ ll:lc6 3 d4 cd 4 �xd4 li::lf6 5 li::lc3 e5 6 li::ldb5 d6 7 �g5 a6 8 .i.xr6 gf9 �a3 b5 to li::ld5 f5 1 1 ef .i.xr5 12 .i.d3 e4. In preparing for his game with the Canadian player, Chekhov decided to employ his favourite weapon - the Chelyabinsk Vari­ ation of the Sicilian Defence. More­ over, on the 12th move he uses a recommendation by the chief spe­ cialist on this variation - grand­ master Sveshnikov. Chekhov's second related how the impact of the opening preparation was such that Nurmi thought over his 13th move for almost an hour.

13 14 15 16 17 18

"e2 "e3 .i.xe4 0-0-0 't!fxe4 liId3

19 20

lOe3 c3

ll:ld4 ..tg7

0-0 ..txe4 14e8

Matulovic-Rajkovic, 1975, con­ tinued 1 8 't!t'g4 h5 19 1Ith3 't!fg5+ 20 �e3 1!t'f6 2 1 litd2 llle2+ 22 �d I li::lf4 23 lOd5 't!t'xb2 with advantage to Black. 18 liIgS+

'W'f6!

1!"1'2

21

cd

In his confusion, White misses 2 1 li::lac2. after which he could still have battled on. Now Black wins.

21 22

14hn Resigns

litxe3 litc8+

Chekhov learned chess at roughly the age of nine. He joined a group at the Moscow Pioneers Palace run by the senior teacher E.Penchko, and studied there for 2Y.z years. Then he suddenly gave up chess and switched to a football school. He spent a whole year there, but his attraction towards chess proved stronger. However. football has remained Chekhov's ravourite game after chess. Chekhov later studied under the Honoured Trainer ofthe USSR G.Ravinsky. and after entering the Chess Department of the Cen­ tral Physical Culture Institute he collaborated with Mark Dvoretsky. He is now an international grand­ master and he completes success­ fully in various events.

Lesson Thirty-Three

This is a position from one of the most topical variations of the Sicilian Defence; t e4 c5 2 li)f] d6

3 d4 cd 4 li)xd4 li)f6 5 �c3 a6 6 i.e2 e5 7 li)b3 .i.e7 B 0·0 0·0 9 .i.e3

.t«i. The basic feature of this position is the presence of a static (fixed) pawn centre (pawn at e4 for White, pawn at e5 for Black). This is per· haps one of the most common types of centre, and one which often transforms into a closed or a mobile structure. With a static centre the plans for the two sides involve manoeuvring around the central squares. Usually each side aims for centralization, and only then switches to action on the flank. Possible here is either a piece, or a piece·down attack on the opposing king, or else an attack on queenside pawn weaknesses. All these actions must be combined with measures to decentralize the opponent's pieces. Such a diversity of plans leads to highly interesting play, which may be ofa strategical or tactical nature. As an example we will example one of the typical games played by the then World Champion in the 1982 London Tournament (Karpov·Portisch). Usually in the diagram position White would play 10 f4, which after 10 ... ef I I .txf4 li)c6 followed by ... d5 leads to a complicated struggle with chances for both sides. Karpov

/69

employs a new plan, at the basis of which is an offensive not on the kingside but the queenside. tUbd7 10 't!td2! After 10 . . d5 I I ed tnxd5 1 2 li)xd5 .txd5 1 3 lHdl ..tc6 1 4 "'xd8 lbd8 15 li)a5 .te4 1 6 f) llxdl+ 17 lhd1 ..txc2 1 8 lid .tf5 19 li)xb7 White has a slight but persistent advantage. .

t1

a4

White begins operations aimed at establishing a queenside bind.

11 12 13 14 15

a5 lIfd iol3

lIa4!

.ucB

"'c7

"c6 ..tc4

By this fresh, original manoeuvre White intensifies the pressure on b6 and b7.

15 16 17

llb4 �dS

lUd8 ",7

This move completes White's centralization. If this knight is left at d5, sooner or later it will cause Black great unpleasantness. There­ fore its exchange is forced, and White further increases his spatial advantage on the queenside.

17 18

ed

ltlxd5 f5

19 .i.g4 was threatened.

19 20

.te2 llxb3

.i.xb3 f4

pawns The advance oflhe black . has no support.

170

Lesson Thirty-Three

21 22 23

1g7 27 lilxd7 lIad8 28 li:lxe5 de 29 d5 with a great advantage.

22

.txb7

lIxb7

22 ... ","xb7 would have been mel by 23 li:le4 lDh7 24 "'g3+ and 25 lilxd6. f5 23 li:le4 24 li:lxd6 White's play " simple ,nd convincing. Gaprindashvili handles the technical side impeccably.

24 2S 26 27 28 2. 30 31 32 J3 34 3S 36

'fhb7 .d lIxel

irdS ,d

't!Ixd6 .d lIxel+

,d ".3 "ttx a2

lin

ird2

IIIh l

14 IOg6

".4 g3 gl IIgl

"a8+

1Wh4

W'xc4 1&>111 111.7

f5 37 IOh4 Black's last hope is the trap 38 "e4+ �d7 39 'fhh47 "c6+ with perpetual check. 38 lIel+ �f6 39 'tIId8+ Resigns This game appears to be a simple one, seemingly without any especi­ ally pretty variations. But in fact the entire depth is concealed in the simplicity of the outward decisions. Black was completely outplayed, and this occurred somehow im­ perceptibly, between the 12th and 15th moves. The clash ofthe pawn formations of a dynamic centre always leads to positions abounding in tactics, and with deep (sometimes well-veiled) strategic plans. This concludes our brief acquain­ tance with the strategic problems of the centre. A nuent understanding of· these questions will facilitate the choice of correct plan in the transition from opening to middle­ game. Moreover. often opening systems themselves are chosen under the influence of this or that type of centre. Therefore a player must constantly expand his know­ ledge and skill in the playing of typical positions.

LESSON 34 Artur Yusupov becomes a member of the USSR team How to parry a flank attack Innovations in an old variation

Late on a September evening in 1977 Zoya and Mayak Yusupov received a telephone call in their Moscow flat from the dislanl Aus· trian town of Innsbruck: their 17year-old son Artur informed them that, irrespective of the outcome of the last round of the World Junior Championship. he had gained first place. Six-year-old Artur was taken to the chess seclion of the Pioneers Palace by his brother. The lad did not particularly distinguish himself, but he tried not to miss any of the classes. At the age of 12 he became a first category player. and at 14 a candidate master. Arlur was very serious, hard-working and modest.

Here is an episode which is typical of him. In 1972 the Pioneers Palace received some visitors from Copen· hagen - members of the Danish Schools' Chess Union. A two-round match was played on fifty boards. The guests played weakly, and the overall score was 92Y.z-7Y.z in our favour. This factor, together with the outward appearance of the

guests (all the Danes had longhair, down to their shoulders) confused Artur. As he handed over his scoresheel lO the arbiter, he mourn­ fully sighed: "She didn't sign it". Artur thought that he had been playing a girl. Here is this amusing game.

Yusupov·Renne French Defence

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 li::Jd2 c5 4 ed ed 5 ll"lgO ll"lf6 6 .tb5+ .td7 7 .txd7+ lObxd7 8 0-0 i.e7 9 b3 0-0 10 i.b2 b6 I I ll:le5 ll:lxe5 12 de li::Jd7 1 3 r4 f5 14 ll"lO d4 15 c3 de 16 "d5+ h8 17 i.xc3 b5 1 8 liadl ll"lb6 19 ""7 'W'e8 20 lirel e4 21 be i.c5+ 22 .td4 �f7 23 ••6 .t,d4+ 24 /il,d4 be 25 e6 lie7 26 "a5 "'a4 27 "xa4 ll"lxa4 28 ll"lxfS lIe7 29 e7 Resigns. To be fair, il should be pointed out that the Danish team was opposed by a Pioneers Palace team headed by Chekhov, and several of the other players later became masters.

Soon Yusupov was invited to attend Botvinnik's chess school,

/ 74

Lesson Thirty-Four

and since 1975 he has had Dvoretsky as his trainer. In his last year at school he became a master, and won the elimination tournament to the World JuniorChampionship. In Innsbruck Yusupov played splendidly. According to Botvinnik, his victory was the most convincing since Karpov's in 1969. Of Artur's 1 3 games from the Championship, the most tense was his meeting with the Yugoslav Popovic.

Popovic-Yusupov King's Indian Altack

1 g3 �f6 2 i.g2 d5 3 d3 c6 4 �c3 �g4 5 �f3 �bd7 6 0-0 e5 7 h3 i.hS 8 e4 de 9 �xe4 ..ie7. After making this move Yusupov regretted that he had not played simply 9 ... li:lxe4. Now White gains the opportunity to complicate matters.

10 II J2 13 14 IS

�xf6+ g4! d4 gS! de llel

.i.xf6 i.g6 0-0 i.e7 i.hS

An inaccuracy. After the superior 1 5 h4! i.xO 16 ·thO �xe5 17 't!t'g3 White could have counted on an advantage, whereas now the game becomes level.

IS 16 17 18

11M3

.03 llaxc1

�"3 ..ixgS ..ixc1 "'e5

19 20 21 22 23 24

liedI b3 h I ! . The game went 1 8 gf 19 b4 ...

Jtxb4 20 lUxdS D:Jo:dS 21 Ih:dS "xdS 22 't!t'g4+ h8 23 'W'xb4, and a few moves later Black resigned. Routine play in chess does not work!

LESSON 35 The formation of outposts

It is not hard to guess how the chess term 'outpost' arose. Of all the numerous analogies taken from warfare, this concept is one of the most apt. An outpost signifies an advanced, reinforced point.

This attempt to gel rid of the dangerous rook does not work, since White is all ready to mount an attack. 28 "a5+ 'ittc8

29

29 30 31 32 33

ISl B

lte6!

This rook cannol be captured: 29 ... �xe6 30 .txe6+ ¢>b8 3 1 l:.d7 and 32 "'c7+.

J:[eS lIdS lIf7

a6 lilh6 lLld7 lilr6

JIg' �b8 Black's position is already lost; there is nowhere for his king to hide.

This diagram shows one of the most conspicuous types of outpost. The white rook is established at d6, supported by the pawn al c5. As a rule, a well arranged outpost will enable an advantage to be gained. In the above position (Portisch-Seirawan, 1982) White was able to carry OUI a direct attack on the king.

27

.le7

34 fS 'it'a7 35 lhd7! WId7 36 ....b6+ �b8 37 Ilg8+ .i.f8 38 1h:f8+ Resigns After 38 ... lhfB 39 .i.f4+ Wc8

40 .i.e6 Black is mated. Outposts can be ofvarious types: pawn, knight, bishop, rook and even queen, but the most common are knight and rook outposts. They also have the ·ability to

180

Lesson Thirty-Five

change; for example a pawn out­ post may be transformed into a knight outpost, and then into a rook outpost. How do outposts arise� Let us return to the Portisch-Seirawan game, and follow the formation of the outpost.

c6? IS White exploits the weakening of the d6 square in classic style. lOeg6 16 Jic4 1 7 lObS! By tactical means While creates a knight outpost at d6. IOxf4 17 18 19

ltld6+ ef

'it;d8

0-0-0

\!IbS

cJ;c7 i.e3 White develops harmoniously and prepares to reinforce his outpost. We7 20

20

21

This position was reached after White's 15th move. White stands better. It is easier for him to complete his development, and he has a flexible pawn chain. Black, on the other hand, is experiencing difficulties over the development of his pieces. while his advanced pawns have weakened many squares and may themselves become targets for attack. And yet the main stra­ tegic battle would have been to come, had Black played 15 ... lOeg6, exchanged the strong knight at f4, and prepared queenside castling. Instead of this Black commits a positional blunder, after which the game passes into a technical phase.

Black hasno uscful moves, 2 1 ... liI:b8 (with the idea of ... b6) being impossible because of the little combination 22 liJe8+! "'xe8 23 "tIrb6+ ab 24 cb mate!

22

D:d2

23

g3

24

IOxe8

.i.f6 Il:h7

The time has come to change the knight outpost into a rook outpost.

'it;xe8

24 25

llhdl

26 27

W"a3 lld6

\!Ie7 This attempt to make way for the rook does not succeed.

tie8

and we obtain the position in diagram 182. Playing for the formation of an outpost is a very important posi-

Leuon Thiny-Five

tional method. As a rule, the cre­ ation of an outpost opens up the possibility of seizing control of an open file and of invading the 7th rank with the heavy pieces. When these three positional operations succeed, in the majority of cases this is sufficient 10 conclude the game.

pawn. 24

181

WI6

25

11101

..txd3

26 27

lhd3 lilxdS

1;),12

lid

lid lilxct .xcl Q:lJl:g4 The rest is simple. 30 Wd2 g6

28 29

31

e4

32

33

1IId4 Wc3

34

he

h5 Wc6 .xc3

lieS

35

lId3 lIc4 ,nd White overstepped the time limit.

'" w

This position (from Psakhis­ Yudasin, 1982) is one or dynamic balance. Black begins playing for the formation of an outpost at c4.

lilac8

18 19

Jta6 1Wb3 �g4 20 �d4 h3 21 Now 21 .. ..txd3 is met by 22 hg, but Black plays more subtly. 21 ..tc4 22 1Wb4 WI6 "Wxd4 23 hg 24 e3 In time trouble White makes a mistake. 24 b3 as 25 "Wei ..txd3 26 lilxd3 was better. Now Black invades the 2nd rank and wins a .

This is another example on the same theme (Gipslis-Hazai, 198 I). White's advantage is that he can set up an outpost at dS. His play contains the three basic compo­ nents: the creation of an outpost, the occupation of the central file, and the invasion of the seventh rank. I lildS!

182

Lesson Thirty-Five

Black cannot take on d5, since this loses his e-pawn.

2

ltedl

This is stronger than 2 �cxe5 �xe5 3 �xe5 j,xe5 4 ltxeS Ild2!. when Black activates his rook.

lile8

2 Black is forced file.

3

[0

concede the

\!In

For severa) moves White man­ oeuvres, strengthening his position and awaiting the moment to begin decisive action.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13

b4 \!I.2 I1IId2 I1Ib3 \!In \!Ig2 111.3 I1Id2 11113 h4!

1I.6 .6 ltae8 Jl.d8 b6 lH6+ lIfe6 \!Irs .6 16

By the threats of invading with his knights at c5 and f5. White has provoked a weakening of the op­ ponent's pawn structure. Now he opens the h-file and seizes it with his rook, thus preparing the posi­ tion for a combinational solution.

13 14 15 16 t7

�xh4 �h3 �g4 ltd7+

gh �n Ug8 Ilh8

The invasion of the 7th rank.

takes place.

t7 18 19

�g2 lIhl!

i.e7 lIe8

Blows rain on the black king from both left and right.

19

lId6

19 ... �b8 is met by 20 �h6+ ¢>g7 2 1 iU4f5+, while after 19 ... �e8 Gipslis was preparinga curious manoeuvre to ensure the invasion of his knight at f5: 20 lIdd I ! �f7 2 1 ith6+ ¢>g7 22 ltd7! liI:h8 (22 ... ¢>xh6 23 �f5++ ¢>g5 24 �g7!) 23 �g4 liI:c8 24 �e3 followed by �f5.

20 21

�h6+ lLI6fH!

¢lg7

The long-awaited combination.

21 22 23 24 25 26

lLIxf5+

llh7+ lthxe7 itxd6 ltxe7

gf ¢In ¢>g8 �xe7 cd

The complications are at an end, and White is a pawn up with a won position. 26 ". as 27 ba ba 28 lib7 a4 29

ltb6 ¢>f7 30 lhd6 a3 31 ba ltxe3 32 lIa6 lIe2 33 a4 lia2 34 lia8 f5 35 ef e4 36 Ittn ¢>f6 37 as Resigns. How do you play against an outpost? It is best not to allow its formation, while sometimes the outpost's foundations can be de­ stroyed.

Lesson Thirry·Five

/83

lost, but the pawn move creates mating threats against the white king (6 ... "'g6+ is threatened). 7 i.xrs The only move. 7 ,r

8

Geller·Vaganian, 1982. White has a vcry attractive position. A little more time. and his positional advantage will be transformed into a material one; for example, 2 'W'e4! is threatened. But it is Black to move, and he makes an attempt by combinational means to destroy the basis of the outpost, and al the same time to transform White from the attacker into the defender. 1 lilxeS!!

2

'W'xeS!

Black's plan could have been refuted by a queen sacrifice - 2 lbd8 lilxO+ 3 "xO!!, and White wins, but in time trouble he misses this possibility.

2 3 •

llxd6 lidS

"c6

White still stands better, but not as well as 8 moves ago. After 8 "'xa6 "'h5 9 t!fc8+ Wh7 10 ·t!hfS+ 'tihfS I I lIxf5 l1al 1 2 lIxb5 lIxa3 13 h5 White wins easily, but on 8 "xa6 Black would have replied 8 ... Wh7!, with good prospects of perpetual check, e.g. 9 lIxfS -.el etc. Therefore White has 10 play accurately.

8 9 ·10

1!h:a6

W"n I!.>h7

lIf,.

Now 10 ... 't!thS is met by I I 'tIte6. 10 lIel

11

W"d6

I n severe time trouble Geller makes several mistakes. Here I I llxb5 was more correct, and if 1 1 ... lle6 1 2 'Wd5 llg6+ 13 WfI ! .

II 12

lIfr.

lIe6

Again not the strongest. The attack could have been repulsed by 1 2 "d3 lIg6+ 1 3 WfI, when .bO Not immediately 4 ... lldl+ 5 Black has no invasion squares. 12 wh2 i.xO because ofthe zwischen· 1Ig6+ 1 3 I!.>h3 zug 6 i.c2!. Now 1 3 wfI is met by 1 3 ... 'W'b3 lIdl+ S gf followed by a check at d l or d3. 6 wg2 f5! 13 After 6 ... lhb 1 7 "xa6 Black is Wa2

't!hd6 -

184

Lesson Thirty-Five

14 hS This is another time trouble mistake. Here it was essential to play 14 'ti'e3 f4 15 Wei 'ttb3 16 1Ic3. 14 l!gS

IS

lldS Resigns

'ft'e6!

This game extract is by no means faultless, but it is fairly typical for the methods of playing against an outpost.

LESSON 36 The persistence of Sergei Dolmatov Heavy pieces on open files and ranks Tactics defeat strategy

Misfortune struck unexpectedly and dashed all the hopes of Sergei Dolmatov, when, leading the elimination tournament for the 1977 World Junior Championship with two points Qut of two, he had to go into hospital suffering from inflammation of a facial nerve. There could be no question of him continuing the tournament. In this situation Dolmatov did that which can be done only by a good colleague: he wished his friend Arlur Yusupov success, and handed over to him all his ideas and theoretical preparations for the elimination tournament. Yusupov took first place. and six months later became World

Junior Champion. Dolmatov was faced with making a second "at­ tempt. He prepared thoroughly and put everything into each tournament he competed in. It is true that on the way he was again unlucky: in the European Junior Championship he sha.red first place. but had to concede the title on the tie-breaking system. Well. he would have to play in such a

way as to take sole first place. The USSR Chess Federation decided not to hold an elimination tournament for the 1978 World Junior Championship. since it was obvious who the candidates were. For the first time in the history of the World Junior Cham­ pionships. a country not staging the event was allowed to send two representatives. Yusupov, as 'the previous year's Champion, had a personal right to participate (he was only 18, and juniors up to the age of 20 were eligible); the second player was Dolmatov. The World Championship was again held in Austria, only not in Innsbruck this time but in Graz. Dolmatov began the tournament confidently (three wins and one draw in the opening games), and maintained the tempo right to the finish. Hard on his heels followed Yusupov. In their crucial meeting in the middle of the tournament Yusupov held the advantage, but it nevertheless ended in a draw. Yusupov had absolutely no desire to give up his title, arid he made

186

Lesson Thir'y-Six

colossal efforts to reduce the small points gap. But Dolmatov stead­ fastly proceeded towards his goal - he sensed that this was 'his' tournament.

Oolmatoy-Sisniega French Defence

I 2 3 4

S 6

e4 d4

�d2 �.n .S .t.2

7

.1

8

�n

.,;

dS �,6 �f6 �d7 16

thf6

This variation was well known to Dolmatov. White traE:lsfers his knight to e3, attacks the d5 pawn and hinders ... e5. If Black delays, he can end up in an inferior position, as for example in Dolmatov­ Yurtayev, 1978: 8 ... i.d6 9 ltJeJ 0-0 10 0-0 ItJb6 I I ItJg4 "g6 12 hJ e5 IJ ItJgxe5 .1xe5 14 de i.xh3 15 It:lh4 t!fe4 16 f4 i.d7 ! 7 i.d3 with advantage to White. Therefore the . e5 advance cannot be put off.

8

.S

This game was played in the last round. Dolmatov was half a point ahead of his nearest rival Yusupov. And at this point the Mexican Sisniega offered a draw. Dolmatov hesitated for a long time: a draw would guarantee him a share of first place, whereas ifhe played on he either had to win a

pawn and then parry an attack (9 de ItJdxe5 10 1IIxdS) or else sacrifice a piece (9 lt:le3 e4 10 lUxd5). ln the end Dolmatov took the more crucial decision.

9 10 II

ltJe3! ItJxdS

.4 'I!Id6

.t,4 Up till now the game has followed Makarichev-Hubner, Am­ sterdam 1975. where White played I I c4. Dolmatov prefers to go his own way.

11 12 13 14

.t14 It:lxc7+

111,,13

ef trg6 �d8 1tJb6

In the event of 14 ItJxd4 White was intending 15 "d5 It:lxc2+ 1 6 �dl ItJxal 1 7 ltJe6+ �e8 1 8 .1d3 _g4+ 1 9 f3 "'xg2 20 lie!.

IS

.td3

.tg4

15 ... ltJ"d4 16 O.Q-O.

16 17 18 19

tr.3 "xg6 xg2

II:h4! 'tIt'a8+!

10 perpelUal

Wxg2+! gh

The position has simplified, and after S IIxhS lld6 White himself has to force a draw by finding the accurate 6 Jilh6!. BUI these were simpk examples. It is much more interesting to observe fine play by the heavy pieces in unclear positions.

In the preceding play (Knaak· Mohring) White has achieved a great deal. For only a pawn he has significantly disrupted the co-

ordination of the black pieces, and now with several energelic rook moves he decides the game in his favour .

1

IId3!

The knight cannot be taken, and I ... llc8 does not work because of 2 tUd6 Jilxc2 3 ltlxf5 llc4 4 Jild8 mate. Black ther�fore tries to bring his king's rook into play. I hS

2

nhdl

wg8

2 ... llh6 fails to 3 Jild8+ llxd8 4 II:xd8+ 'it>e7 5 'ttc7+ ¢'e6 6 Jile8+ c;t.dS 7 tltcS mate.

3 4 S

ndS II:d6 c;t.al!

Wg6 r6

Prudently avoiding a pin.

S 6 7 8 9 10

Jilxf6! lldH 't!t'c4+ 'WcS+ 't!fdS+

"Wh7 gr ¢'g8 Wf8 1.13

Ub4

do

,1+ Wb3 11"13

Iil.S :,n �d3+ lld1+

Thus the file is won.

Any move by the queen is met by 9 . . . lhf4 followed by 10 ... llg4+ and I I ... "81 mate. In conclusion we will examine a ihort game in which Black's win is gained by his seizure of a central file. Although the game is one between litlle-known players, all the technical procedures in it are carried out impeccably.

20

�f1

.d8!

And now Black's main forces surge into play along the opened lines. He threatens 2 1 . . . lilxfl+, 22 ... "dl+ and 23 ... "xel mate.

21 22

g3 .icS 'tillS (192)

/91 B

Kneller-Kikust 12th Latvian Correspondence Championship. 1980-81 Caro-Kann Defenct

I e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 -tlc3 de 4 It:Jxe4 .tIS 5 Iilg3 .tg6 6 h4 h6 7 1il13 Iild7 8 hS .i.h7 9 .i.d3 .txd3 10 Wxd3 Wc7 t I 0-0. Usually White prepares queen­ side castling.

11 12 13 14

c4 Uol lile2?

.. Iilgl' .tb4

This careless move, weakening the first rank, gives Black the idea of seizing the d-file.

14

IS

Ud8 dS

O-O!

22

-tlxhS!

Now that the heavy pieces are supported by the minor pieces, the position of the white king is smashed to smithereens.

23

.reS

23 .xc5 or 23 1hh5 is met by 23 ... lilxfl+ etc. r23 "xh5 llxfl+ 24 �xfl .dl+ 25 �g2 llxf2+! trallslolOr]

23 'tIId3 Against Black's threats there is no defence. White gives up material

Lesson Thirty-Six

but this does not help.

24 25

j,e3

j,xc5

Resigns

lilxal 1!fdl

Rakhimov-Ruderfer Four Knights Game I 2 3 4 S 6

e4

eS

lOf3

lOc6 lOf6

lOc3 d4 lOxd4 g3

that in a simultaneous display he would be able to defeat a l 3-year­ old pioneer by technique. But White chooses a more complicated path.

6

At this we could probably conclude our account of play with the heavy pieces, but before drawing the line we should like to answer the following question: in games by young players, do we see com­ plex positional techniques being employed? Yes, we do. Here, for example, is one of the games from the 6th USSR Tournament of Pioneers Palaces (Baku 1981).

ed d6

A wily piece of opening play. White began with the Four Knights Game, then after 4 d4 ed 5 lOxd4 the Scotch Game was reached, and Black's reply 5 ... d6 could have led to the Steinitz Defence in the Spanish Game, e.g. 6 i.b5 i.d7 7 0-0 i.e7, and Black prepares the simplifying exchange ... lOxd4 and ... .txb5. In this case White has the freer game, but Black has no obvious weaknesses. Master of sport Ruderfer probably reckoned

191

,

8 9 10 11

i.g2 0-()

b3 "xd4 i.b2

i.d' i.,' 0-0 lOxd4 i.c6 �,8

Black plays very directly for simplification, but such tactics suit While, since in any position he retains a slight positional advan­ tage.

12 13

�dS 1fxdS

.txdS c6

With this move Black gives himself a strategic weakness at d6. 1 3 .. , "c8 was better, so as to meet 14 e5 not with 1 4 ... de? 15 t!t'xb7 1!fxb7 16 .txb7 lilb8 17 i.g2 f6 18 .td5+ with a positional advantage to White, but with 1 4 ... c6, cap­ turing the e-pawn only after 1 5 Wd3.

14 IS 16 17 18

Wd3 i.d4 't!fxd4 liladl lilxd4

i.16 .txd4

Wb6

11hd4 16

After this over-passive move Black goes downhill, whereas after 18 ... f5 19 ef lilxf5 20 c4 lId8 2 1 llfdl lU6 his defences are not easy to breach.

19 20

i.h3 c4

�n ' we7

192

Lesson Thirty·Six

21

c5?

liUdl

This activity comes at {he most in· appropriate moment. Black should have gone into an inferior minor piece ending after 2 t . g6 22 f4 lld8 (with (he threat of disentangling himself by 23 ... ll:lg7) 23 c5 f5 24 cd+ ll:lxd6 25 e5 ll:le4 26 lhd8 etc. ..

22 23 24

IId3 f4 eS

IId8 lbc7 ll:le6

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

od+ -'.xe6+ lI.e3+ J1e7+ lic7+ lhg1 11,7 *n

*d7 *,e6 *d7 *".; *b6 IUe8 *,6 Resigns

As we see, Sasha Rakhimov has acquired a fair degree of skill in positional play.

LESSON 37 The invasion of the 7th rank with a rook Fine technique sees Portisch defeat Andersson Smyslov and Belyavsky show their mettle

/93 W

the one at a7 being especially im­ portant. To defend against the mating threats Black is forced to give up the eltchange. I .tlg5! Threatening 2 lii:c8+ llfflJ 111d"8+ -,t.d"8 4 lOxh7+. If Black defends the pawn with his rook ( 1 ... llh6), there follows 2 llcH llffl J llcc7 llg6 4 .tle6, and 4 .. lllte6 is not possible because of mate in three moves. .

This position opens our concluding theme involving play with the heavy pieces. We will be talking about a .trategic element of positional play - the invasion of heavy pieces onto the 7th rank. We have already made the acquaintance of this theme in our study of 'outposts', but the invasion of the 7th rank can also have independent signifi. canee. and so we will consider it in more detail. In the diagram (from Razuvayev­ Mestrovic, 1981) material' is level and there are few pieces left on the board. But one important factor gives White good winning chances. His rooks are much more active than his opponent's, the role of

I 2 3

llc8+ lhc8!

h6 lUI

An inleresting point. White transfers his domination of the 7th rank tothe 8th. Black's reply is forced.

3 4

.tlh7!

Udl6

Very elegant. On 4 . lhc8 White interposes 5 lLlxf6+. ..

4 S

-,t.xh7

lldl llb6 Black continues resisting for a few more moves.

6 7 8

lla7 hl .1xd3 .i.e2 tUxdl

tUdxeS lUxd3 tUeS ttxdl

After 7 llxdl .i.b3 8 lild21Hd8 White all the same cannot hold the file, and in addition his a4 pawn will all the time be under attack.

7 8

·tUn

1IldB .i.c4

By exchanging the opponent's active pieces, Black gains an ob­ vious advantage on the queenside and on the central files. 9

10 II

..txc4 b3 ..txd2

tUxc4 lUd2 llxd2

During Black's last I I moves, which have outwardly been fairly simple and not at all threatening,

196

Lesson Thirty-Seven

an amazing transrormation in [he position has occurred. White has not just conceded [he d-file, [here is virtually nothing he can move, e.g. 12 liadl Itad8 13 'i&gl �c5! 14 llbl (14 'i&g2 lhf2+) 1 4 ... b5. Thererore he decides to give up a pawn, to activate his knight.

12 13 14 15

e5