Mastering chess middlegames : lectures from the all-Russian school of grandmasters [Second edition.] 9789056916091, 9056916092

Table of contents :
Preface --
Foreword to the first edition --
The attack on the king --
Defence --
Counterplay --
Prophylaxis --
Realising an advantage --
Equal positions --
The battle of the major pieces --
Two minor pieces against a rook --
Opposite-coloured bishops with many pieces on the board --
Same-coloured bishops --
Bishop versus knight --
Sample games and endings --
Solutions --
Index of games.

Citation preview

AlexanderPanchenko

Mastering Chess Middlegames Lectures from the All-Russian School of Grandmasters

New In Chess 2015

©

2 0 1 5 New In Chess

Published by New In Chess, Alkmaar, T he Netherlands www.newinchess.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher. Cover design: Ron van Roon Translation: Steve Giddins Supervisor: Peter Boel Proofreading: Rene Olthof Production: Anton Schermer Have you found any errors in this book? Please send your remarks to [email protected]. We will collect all relevant corrections on the Errata page of our website

www.newinchess.com

possible next edition. ISBN: 9 7 8-90-5 6 9 1 -6 0 9 - 1

and implement them in a

Contents Preface Foreword to the First Edition .

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7

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Solutions Index ofGantes .

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The attack on the king ......................... 1 2 Defence ....... ...... .. ... ..... ............ 42 Counterplay ................................. 7 0 Prophylaxis.................................. 81 Realising an advantage ..... ............. .. .. ... 99 Equal positions .............................. 1 28 The battle of the major pieces................... 13 8 Two minor pieces against a rook .................. 1 54 Opposite-coloured bishops with many pieces on the board 1 6 7 Same-coloured bishops........................ 1 7 7 Bishop versus knight.......................... 18 7 Sample games and endings ..................... 200

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 .

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214 269

Explanation of Symbols

The chessboard with its coordinates: 8 7 6 5 4

!!

3 2

a b c d e f g h D White to move

Black to move 'i!t King 'iY Queen k:r Rook .i Bishop ttJ Knight

•

6

?? !? ?! ;!;; + ± + +-+ = 00

#

good move excellent move bad move blunder interesting move dubious move White stands slightly better Black stands slightly better White stands better Black stands better White has a decisive advantage Black has a decisive advantage balanced position unclear mate

Preface

1980. Alexander Panchenko won a strong Chigorin Memorial in Sochi, making his second GM norm. He was in a great mood, as the nicest prospects were opening up before him. Then everything changed . . . Alexander Nikolaevich himself described this turning point in his life as follows: 'At one moment, as my wife and I were having dinner with Yuri Balashov, Tikhomirova came over and asked to speak to me. Vera Nikolaevna explained that we needed to think about the younger generation and invited me to work as a trainer at the newly-opened All-Russian School of Grandmasters. To say that this suggestion came as a surprise would be to say nothing at all. I was just 2 7 , and still a developing player. I was full of plans for my chess career.' But he agreed and begun work. He had a lot to learn before the first session of the school. He had to study books on teaching - Korchak, Makarenko, Sukhominsky and Uspensky. He also sought advice from experienced teachers and trainers. Panchenko's trainer in Chelyabinsk was Leonid Aronovich Gratvol, a teach­ er from heaven. Alexander Nikolaevich remembered how he taught and tried to follow his advice. Eleven years of work at the All-Russian School of Grandmasters, a great deal of unworked material, tested schemes of study, etc. - all this continued the work of V. E. Golenishev, in preparing players to master level at sport. Viktor Evgenievich wrote some wonderful books - a programme of preparation from Fourth Category to First, books which were reprinted numerous times but are now hard to find. Panchenko had to spend a great deal of time to prepare his lectures. In the pre-computer era, this was not so simple and it took time to collect material, think it over and prepare everything. Alexander Nikolaevich never plagiarised other people's work, but did everything himself, from scratch. From 1 9 9 7 , he worked in Kazan, leading a group of promising players, including A. Ilyin, M. Ackarov, T. Chitiskova, S. Shaidullina and the author of these lines; many of us became masters. The chess part of these lectures is in this book, which you, dear reader, hold in your hands. But also the way Panchenko presented the material was important, so that his pupils could absorb it and employ it in their own games. In this, he was a great master. On the basis of the stories told by his pupils, Rublevsky, Sorokin, Scherbakov, Volzhin and others, and also my own impressions, we have tried to recreate this well-known trainer's method of teaching chess. The search for chess truth was his life's work. Alexander Nikolaevich Panchenko gave his pupils systematic knowledge in all areas of the game, and taught them to understand the game correctly. He studied fundamental positional devices and 'typical positions ' . He had them solve studies and problems (he had an excellent card-index) and often had them play out positions on the chosen theme. 7

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Panchenko had his method, which involved starting everything from the end­ game, and only then using this as a basis for studying other aspects of the game: technique, tactical mastery, openings . . . he employed the ideas of Capablanca and Smyslov, that in order to understand the secrets of chess, one must start with the endgame. M. Sorokin: 'Sometimes, one had the impression that insufficient attention was given to questions of attack, creative play generally, and the intuitive sides of chess; especial attention was always devoted to the technical side. This was despite the fact that Alexander Nikolaevich was himself an exceptionally sharp, all-round talent, who as well as many finely-judged defences, also carried out numerous sparkling attacks. He taught what was realistically possible and necessary to teach in a group situation: technique, the taking of practical decisions, but he also gave out serious individual work and gave precious advice on its organisation. He stressed individual work (or one-to-one with a permanent trainer) to develop the player's individual talent.' One defining characteristic of his lessons was that one did not only listen, but also had to answer specific questions. After a lesson, he would often organise a compe­ tition to solve problems on the chosen theme, with points being counted up, and then mistakes analysed afterwards. The participants needed to show concentration and hard work, as it was not simple to absorb, understand and deeply feel a large quantity of professional-level information. In studying the middlegame, Panchenko's signature tune was the defence of difficult positions and prophylaxis. In non-chess terms, the main thing one remembers is the warmth and care he showed towards his pupils. He was interested not only in chess successes, but also devoted a great deal of attention to their general, non-chess development. I remember that after one not very successful tournament, he gave me a book by his favourite poet, Boris Pasternak, and advised me to read it and to understand what the author was saying. The cure worked. D. Evseev told about another characteristic of Panchenko as a trainer: 'During lessons, the biggest comedian in the room was Alexander Nikolaevich himself. If a position involved one side having to wait passively, without undertaking anything, he coined the term "scratching his leg " . Or: "It's better to win the queen than give mate." Of course, he meant this in the sense that it was, as a general rule, better to take material and secure a decisive advantage that way, than to calculate long and complicated variations, which might turn out not to be mating after all. But he was a sharp attacking player himself Once, with obvious pleasure, he showed us his win over Igor Novikov in the semifinal of the USSR Championship (Pavlodar 1 9 8 7) , in which he carried out a beautiful attack, with many sacrifices. Thus, on move 3 8 , instead of taking the queen with a decisive material advantage, he played a forcing variation leading to mate. In answer to the question that he had himself said that it was better to take the queen in such cases, he smiled and said 'Giving mate is more fun! ' . Another device of Alexander Nikolaevich's was to tell little stories, about chess history, great players (with some of whom he had himself played - Petrosian, 8

Preface

Polugaevsky, Geller, etc) , about his chess school, trips abroad in Soviet times, and about life in general. It was clear that he loved to talk about days gone past. He would sink back into a certain tournament or game and re-live the experience. The connection with the past and with the chess heritage occupied a significant place in the preparation of his pupils. It is thus not surprising that classical examples occupy a central place in this book also. In the first edition of this book the subject of attack appeared only in Chap­ ter Four, under 'Playing with an advantage' . Now it has its own chapter, thanks to Alexander Nikolaevich, who read a lecture on the subject, covering the most beautiful games and ideas, from the time of the start of organised chess up to the period of Kasparov. All we had to do was choose the examples to use and organise the material, systematising it appropriately and adding a theoretical part. The examples were computer-tested (an essential thing these days) , but this had little influence on the assessments and conclusions drawn in the first edition. At the end of the book there is some additional material from the lectures. It presents schematically the different aspects of chess : defence, handling advantages and play­ ing equal positions. If you think of a game of chess as an exam, as it often is, then this small test should help you pass with an excellent mark. The book contains material passed down from generation to generation. Now every reader has the opportunity to familiarise himself with the best theoretical work and practical advice on the subject of the middlegame. And you will be able to complete this course of instruction much quicker than many grandmasters. Alexander Nikolaevich Panchenko was a Teacher with a capital T. He lives on in his pupils, and his working methods are preserved in this book. Artyom Timofeev, International Grandmaster, Winner of the Russia Cup, And the Russian Championship Higher League

9

Mastering Chess Middlegmaes

Foreword to the First Edition

This book by Russia's Honoured Trainer and international grandmaster Alexander Panchenko is based on lectures given by the author at sessions of The All-Russian School of Grandmasters, which operated under his leadership from 1 9 8 1 to 1 992, and was devoted to preparing players of the top class. The material from the lectures has been completely reworked for this book, on the basis of games played in recent years. It should be pointed out that many well-known players studied under Panchenko, and went on to become grandmasters: M. Ulibin, R. Scherbakov, S. Volkov, S. Prudnikova, Y. Shumiakina, A. Galliamova and others, including the author of this Foreword. In the theoretical section of the book, the main emphasis is on the technique of defence. As Panchenko said, 'It is impossible to become a strong player without being able to defend' . In this regard, he looks at the main methods and devices that players use to defend inferior positions, such as exchanging pieces and heading to the endgame, fighting against the most powerful enemy piece (s) , defending the weakest squares, improving the worst-placed piece (s) , deflecting the opponent from his main plan, sharply changing the character of the position, etc. Later, he examines the subject of counterplay, in place of passive defence. Exploiting counterplay always involves some risk to the players and requires full concentration of the forces. The main task is to fight for the initiative at all costs, and in the process to make use of the principle of economy (only the minimum pieces needed for defence !) and to counterattack with the greatest possible number of forces, not being afraid to sacrifice. Panchenko considered that mastering the methods of defence and counterattack would reduce the number of games that a player lost. This theme is related to that of realising an advantage, where the author looks as the main factors which influence the player who has the advantage. He looks systematically at the effect of such things as weakened attention, marking time, thinking over obvious moves and time trouble, and he gives examples of instructive realisations of advantage, in which he highlights factors such as deci­ siveness, playing for pressure and realising material and positional advantages in the endgame. The author does not dodge questions of playing equal positions, prophylaxis, and the battle between heavy pieces. He devotes special attention to the fight between two pieces and a rook, a subject which receives too little attention in chess literature, although it arises in practical play quite often. Studying the remaining chapters of the book - opposite-coloured bishops in the middlegame and the battle between knight and bishop, allows the players of such positions to acquire basic knowledge of how to conduct the middlegame battle. The material is packed into the book, with many examples of the chosen sub­ jects. The book is characterised by the originality with which it is constructed and 10

Foreword to the First Edition

the witty aphorisms it contains, many of which were invented by the author, and by the accurate formulations of the tasks involved. From his great training experience, Panchenko also drew a large number of test positions for solving or playing out. He also indicates the time to be spent on each position, which will make many of the tests very hard for a lot of players. I believe Alexander Panchenko's book will prove very interesting to chess players, and will be greeted with the same enthusiasm as his endgame textbook was upon its publication in 1 9 97. The latter became the principal textbook for playing end­ games, for a whole group of players. Sergey Rublevsky, International Grandmaster, Four-time Olympic champion

1 1

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Chapter 1

The attack on the king Attacking is the player's main weapon. It is almost always beautiful, especially when it involves material sacrifices. In the romantic era of chess, combinational play dominated. Every player strove at all costs for the attack, for active play, not worrying about sacrifices. These were more often than not incorrect, because they did not arise naturally from the requirements of the position, but in those days, both players and spectators valued only the attack. In the 1 5 - 1 7th centuries, the level of defensive play was quite low, and thanks to the mistakes of the defender, attacks almost always succeeded. In the books and manuscripts of the time, one finds many attacks and sacrifices, mostly invented by the authors themselves. At the end of the 1 9th century, the level of defensive technique rose noticeably. Even so, World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz outplayed his opponents in a sharp combinative style. In his games from those years, one can see a thorough prepara­ tion of the attack, a desire to keep the position closed until the right moment, and a love for retaining a material advantage. Steinitz thought seriously about the fact that certain laws exist for the conduct of a chess game, which should not be broken. The main one he insisted upon was rejection of the axiom that one should attack in any position. Steinitz instead offered a new rule of thumb, that attacks should be properly prepared and have a rational basis - premature attacks, not based on proper preparation, can be refuted with correct defence. Later on, Soviet and for­ eign players not only adopted this approach and added it to their armoury, but also added additional points, for example the minority attack (Steinitz only spoke of a pawn majority on the queenside) , a pawn phalanx with e- and f-pawns, etc. Strong players stopped striving for an attack in any position and at any cost. The majority of them started to play well-prepared attacks. This is what Chigorin wrote on this subject: 'Only with careful development of one's forces and cautious play can one bit by bit build up the advantage in posi­ tion, and only then will one have the possibility to land a decisive blow against the opponent.' [NovoeVremya , 2 8 / 0 1 / 1 8 9 7 ] . Both earlier and nowadays, in the minds of both amateurs and professionals , the word 'attack' is associated with a mating attack on the king. What factors render an attack possible and even successful? 'The attack in chess is a systematic manoeuvre and combinational assault on the opponent's position, on the basis of an overall strategic plan, with the aim of breaking the opponent's resistance and winning the game.' (Panov) For an attack to succeed, two preliminary factors must be present: 1) The oppo­ nent's position should contain weaknesses, which determine the direction of the attack (often, the king is itself the main weakness). 2) One must have a superiority in forces in that area of the board where the battle is raging. In other words, 'attack where the opponent is weak and you are strong' (S. Tarrasch). A well-founded attack rarely comes out of nothing. First, one needs to seize the initiative. 12

Chapter 1

- The attack on the king

'The initiative means time and activity' (Capablanca). This allows us to pose a series of threats one after the other. Initiative-attack-combination. These concepts are connected, and usually it is in the above order that they occur in the process of obtaining and realising an advan­ tage in a game of chess. Let us see how this takes place. The initiative is seized from the first moves of the opening. It creates the precon­ ditions (king in the centre, weak squares, diagonals, files, ranks, weakened pawn cover, etc) , on the basis of which we can launch an attack. In the course of the at­ tack, the enemy pieces are forced to take up unfavourable positions, after which we need to find the idea of the combination, based on certain motifs. The concluding combination converts non-material positional advantages (control of lines, space, etc.) into either a material gain or mate of the king. Such mate or large material gains ends the game, whilst in the event of a smaller gain, the play continues into the endgame. Now let us examine the main devices and methods which a player can use in attacking the king. When the opponent has not yet castled, it is important to understand if this circumstance can be exploited. An open king position in the middlegame restricts the scope of the pieces, and the defending side often has to accept material losses, in order to safeguard the king 's position. The attacker's task is to hold the enemy king in the centre and create direct attacking threats against it. The lack of connection between the rooks further com­ plicates the defender's task. When all of one's pieces are directed against the king, then the principle that applies is to attack energetically, using all available means, so as to ensure success. 'An attack, once started, should be pursued through to the end.' (Capablanca)

13

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Paul M orphy Ernest Morphy New Orleans 1 850

1 .e4 es 2 . tt:Jf3 tt:Jc6 3 . .ic4 .icS 4.b4 .bb4 5.c3 .ias 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 .bc3 8. tt:Jxc3 dxc3 9 . .ia3 d6 1 o. Vb3 tt:Jh6 1 1 .Vxc3 Vf6

1 8 . l:lbdl+ �e8 1 9.�xd8+ �xd8 (1 9 ... tt::lxd8? 20.'iYxc7 .i.xf3 2 1 Jhe5+ tt::le 6 22 .'iYc8+ 'ifd8 2 3 .l:lxe6+-) 20.'i:fa8+ �d7 2 l. . �dl+ tt::ld4 22.'iifd 5+ �c8 23 .'�a8+, with a perpetual. Not 23.tt::lx e5 'i:fb6+. 1 6. l:l.ec1 !

Now White has a decisive attack. 1 6 . . . .ic6 1 7.Vxa5 bxa6 1 8.Vxa6+ 'ifold7 1 9. l:l.xc6 Vf5 20. l:l.xc7+! 'ifole8 2 1 .Vc6+ 'ifd7 22. l:l.b8 'ifxc6 23. l:l.e7+ 'ifo1f8 24. l:l.xd8+ Ve8 25. l:l.dxe8#

William Steinitz Szymon Winawer Paris 1 867

Black has kept some extra material, and if he manages to castle, everything will be excellent. But it is White to move ...

0

1 2.e5!

By sacrificing a third pawn, Morphy prevents the black king from castling. 1 2 . . . dxe5 1 3. l:l.fe1 0-0-0

.id7 1 4. l:l.ab1

Black is behind in development and Steinitz punishes him decisively for this. 1 .f6! g6

l ...tt::lxf6 is bad because of 2 .'ife2 !; or 1 ... gxf6 2 .'ifhs l::!.h 7 3 .'ifg4 tt::lgs 4 . .l::tb el ! fxeS S . �xeS+ tt::le 6 6.'i¥g8+. 2. 'ifg4 Vc8 1 5 . .ia6!

Even if the king manages to run away, the attack continues, thanks to the great activity of the white pieces. 1 5 ... tt:Ja5?

The sacrifice should have been accepted: 1 5 ... bxa6 1 6 .'i¥b3 .i.g4 1 7.'i:fb7+ �d7 14

The threat was 3 .'i¥e6+! fxe6 4.f7+. 3. 'ifxg6! Ve6

3 .. .fxg6 4.f7+ �d8 S.f8'i¥+, mating. 4. Vg7 0-0-0 5. tt:Jxf7 tt:Jxc3

5 ... .l:ldg8 6.tt::lx h8 .l:rxg7 7.fxg7+-. 6.tt:Jxd8 l:l.xd8 7.f7

And White won.

Chapter 1

Mikhail Chigorin Willia m Stein itz Havana 1 892 (1 )

- The attack on the king

to coordinate his forces and beat off the threats, the defender will often be forced to return the material.

0 Max Euwe Salo Landau Amsterdam 1 939 (6)

1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tZ:lf3 tZ:lf6 4. tLlc3 dxc4 5.a4 �f5 6.e3 e6 7. bc4 �b4 8.0-0 tZ:lbd7

Better is 8 ... 0-0. 9. 'ii' b3 'Wb6 1 O.e4! �g6 1 . tbxf7!

1 0 ... {jjxe4? l l .{jjxe4 i.xe4 1 2 . i.xe6!; 1 0 ... i.xc3 l l .exfS .

The king is drawn into the centre, where it comes under fire from the white pieces. The material factor takes second place. Also strong is l .aS i.xaS 2.l::tx b7± (Lasker). 1 . . . xf7 2.e6+ xe6 3 . ltJe5 'ilea

3 .. .'iVe8 4 . .l:tel �f6 s . i.xe7+! {jjxe7 6.'iff3+ �e6 7.{jjf7+ �d7 8 .'ifg4+ rJiJc? 9.'iff4+ �d7 lO.'iVd6+ �c8 l l .�xe7+-. 4 . .l:f.e1 t6 5. 'ifh5! g6

S ... {jjg 6 6 .g4! . 6. be7+ xe7

6 ... {jjx e7 7.'iVh4+ gS 8 .{jjg 4+ �f7 9.I:txe7+ �xe7 l O.'iVxgS+ with a quick mate. 7. tbxg6+ t6 8. tbxh8 bd4

8 ...'iVxh8 9. �e5 'ifc8 1 0.g4+-; 8 ...'ifd7 9.�b3 �xh8 1 0 .l:i.f3 .l:ig8 l l. . �es .l:lgs 1 2 .'iVh6+ l::rg 6 13 . .l:texf5+ 'ifxfS 14.'iff8++-. 9 . .l:f.b3 'ifd7 1 O . .l:f.f3 .l:f.xh8 1 1 .g4 .l:f.g8 1 2. 'ii' h 6+ .l:f.g6 1 3 . .l:f.xf5+

Black resigned in view of 13 .. .'�'xf5 14.'iVf8+. Sacrifices are often needed to keep the king in the centre. Such play can be jus­ tified even if there is no mate. In order

In this posltlon, White's e4-pawn is hanging and if it advances, then after l l .eS {jjd s Black has no real problem. But Max Euwe sees more deeply. 1 1 . he6 ! ?

'This sacrifice offers rich chances, although it is difficult to say with abso­ lute certainty that it is correct' (Euwe). 1 1 ...fxe6 1 2.a5! haS 1 3. 'ii'xe6+ d8

13 ...rJiJf8 14.e5 l::re 8 1 S .'iVh3, and White wins back the piece. 1 4.e5 .l:f.e8

It was worth considering 14 ... {jje 4 1 S .{jjxe4 i.xe4 16.'iff7! , and White retains an attack; 14 ... {jje 8 l S . i.gS+ �c8 16.{jja4 'iVc7 1 7.d5! �b8 1 8 .d6 'iVc8 1 9.'ifb3; but not 14 ... {jjd s l S .{jjx dS 15

Mastering Chess Middlegames

cxdS 1 6 . �g5+ �c7 1 7. �acl+ and not 14 ... �xc3 1 5 .exf6 �b4 1 6 .fxg7. 1 5. 1i'h3 hc3

Better is 1 S ... tbg8 . 1 6.exf6 �b4 1 7.fxg7

'This passed pawn plays a key role in the combinational possibilities in the position' (Euwe) . 1 7 ... �d6 1 8. tbe5!

The centralised king comes under a new wave of attack, as threats follow one after another. 1 8 ... he5

1 8 .. .''1Wc7 1 9.tbxg6 hxg6 20.i.g5+ �c8 2 1 .'iYh8+-; 1 8 ... tbxe5 1 9.dxe5 �xeS 20.�dl ++-. 1 9.dxe5 �f7

bishop on h4 is hanging, but White finds a brilliant way out, exploiting the fact that the king has not castled. 1 .exf6 bxa4

On 1 . ..0-0 Tal gives 2 . .l:.ael (2 .'ti'c2!?) 2...'iVxel (2 ...'ti'd5 3.'iVc2 tbxh4 4.tba5 !±) 3 .l::f.xel bxa4 4. �xg6 fxg6 s J:re7 �f7 6.ti:Jd6. 2.fxg7 J:lg8 3 . �f5 ! !

The point of White's idea! 3 . . . tlJxh4

3 .. .'iVxc4 4.�fel+ 'iVe6 S . �xe6+ fxe6 6. �xg6+-. 3 ... 'iVxf5 4.tbd6+ �d7 s .tbxfS tbxh4 6.tbxh4±. 4. he6 h6 5 . tlJd6+ xh2 'it'h4+ 4. 'itg 1 .b:g2 5.f3

If 5 .�xg2 , then 5 ...'i!Vg4+ 6.�h1 k!.d5 7.'i!fxc5 .l::i.h 5+ 8 .'i!fxh5 'i!fxh5+ 9.�g1 'i!Vg5+ 10.�h1 'i!Vxd2-+. 17

Mastering Chess Middlegames

5 . . . l:tfe8!

S ... �g3 6/be4. 6.0.e4 'ifh1 + 7.�2 .bf1 8.d5

s Jhfl �h2+.

1 . . . �xh7

L'>t>hs 2.tt:Jgs 4 . .ixg6+-.

g6

3 .Vi'f3

ti:Jfs

2.ttJQ5+ ..tg6

2...'>t>g8 3 .Vi'hs kle8 4.�xf7+ '>t>h8 s.ti:Je6 or 2 ... �h6 3 .Vi'g4 Vi'c8 4.Vi'h4+ \t>g6 S .�h7+ �xgS 6.f4+ '>t>g4 7.�h3#. 3. 'ifg4

The queen and knight tandem are often sufficient to create decisive threats in such positions. 3 ... f5 4.exf6 gxf6

4 .. Jhf6 s .tLle6+ '>t>f7 6.�xg7+ \t>xe6 7. .!::i.e l+. 8 ... f5! 9. 'ifc3 'ifg2+ 1 0 . ..te3 :Xe4+! 1 1 .fxe4 f4+

5. 0.e6+ �7 6. 'ifg7+ ..txe6 7.l:te1 + �5 8. 'it'h7+ ..tg5 9. :Xe7

Simpler is l l ...�g3+ 12.d2 Vi'f2+ 1 3 .\�i'dl Vi'e2#.

Simpler is 9.h4+ �g4 1 0 .f3+ �g3 l l .�g7+.

1 2 . ..txf4 l:tf8+ 1 3 . ..te5 'ifh2+ 1 4 . ..te6 l:te8+ 1 5 . ..td7 .tb5#

9 ... :ga 1 0. l:te3 b4 1 1 . l:tg3+ 'ifxg3 1 2. 'ifxg8+

Black resigned. Carl Schlechter Heinrich Wolf Ostend 1 905 ( 1 9)

William Steinitz Emanuel Lasker London 1 899 (27)

D

Black's position is worse. The bishop on a8 is out of play, his knight lacks a secure outpost and his queen is far from the kingside, at which all the white pieces are pointing. 1 . �xh7+!

Another typical combination to destroy the king's pawn protection. 18

•

The players have castled on opposite sides. Black's task is to start an attack as soon as possible. 1 . . . tiJxg2 ! ! 2 . ..txg2 .bh3+! 3 . �2

3 .�xh3 �hS+ 4.g2 �g4+ S .'i!thl Vi'h3+ 6.Wgl 'iYg3 + 7.'�hl .l::i.e 4 s . .igs .l::!.g4-+.

Chapter 1

-

The attack on the king

3 . . .f6!

The plan is to advance the kingside pawns, so as to increase the threats against the white king. 4 . .1:r.g1 g5 5 . ..bg5 fxg5 6 . .1:r.xg5 \i'e6 7.\lfd3 ..tf4 8 . .1:r.h 1

s . I:f.hs 'iYg4; s . l:lg7 �fs . a . . . ..bgs 9.lbxgs \lft6+ 1 0 . ..tt3 ..tts 1 1 . lbxh7 \lfg6 1 2.\lfbS c6 1 3. 'it'a5 .l:r.e7 1 4. l:r.h5 ..tg4 1 5 . .1:r.g5 'it'c2+ 1 6. �g3 ..bf3

White resigned. Lasker won the first brilliancy prize, one of four such in his career.

After an exchange of blows, the black king remains weak and he has to go over to defence. 7 . . . 1Wf4

7... �xc4 8 .'iVfS±; �xc4 9.l:!fel±. M ikhail Tal Evgeny Vasiukov Kiev 1 964/65 (4)

7...'iYxc4!

8 .'iYxc4

8. 1Wh5! 'ifxe4

8 .. Jhe4 9. I:f.d7. 9 . .1:r.fe1

Better is 9. �de l .

0

9 . . . 'ifg6 1 0. \lfxg6 hxg6?

I O .. Jhel+=. 1 1 . hf6+ 'il;lg8 1 3. 'iitx h2 hc4

12 . .l:r.xe8

.l:r.xe8

And White realised his extra pawn. Jose Raul Capablanca llya Kan Moscow 1 935 (8)

We have a complicated middlegame battle. White finds an interesting tacti­ cal resource and complicates the posi­ tion even further.

0

1 . lbxg7! 'iitx g7

l ... �xc4 2 .tLlxe6 �xe2 3.tt:lxc7+-. 2 . tbd4

The pin, open king and threat of a fork on e6 force Black to return the material. 2 . . . ttJc5

2 ... tt:lf4. 3. 'ifg4+ 'iit h 8 4. lbxe6 lbxe6 5. 'it'xe6 .l:r.ae8 6. \lfxd5 ..bh2+ 7. 'iit h 1

The difference in the positions of the respective kings defines White's advan­ tage. Energetic measures are needed, to underline this. 1 .e6!

19

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Preparing sacrifice.

the

subsequent

decisive

1 ... ttJf8

On 1 ...tLl7f6 or l ...tLl7b6 there also follows 2 . i.xg6.

M ikhail Botvinnik Veniamin Sozin Novgorod 1 929

0

2 . .hg6! 'itxg6 3. 'ifc2+ 'itf6 4. 'ii'f5+ 'itg7 5. 'ii'x g4+ 'ith7

6.�2?

White wins immediately with 6 . .l:Ie5! 'i¥g7 (or 6 ... tbf6 7.'�h4+ Wg8 8 . .l:Ig5+) 7. �h5+ Wg8 s . .llgs . 6 . . . 'ifg7! 7. 'ii'x g7+

White had missed that he loses after 7.'i¥h4+ Wg8 8.Vi'xd8 'i¥d4+! . 7. . . 'itxg7 8.e7 .:ea 9.exf8'ii'+ .:exf8 1 0.f5 .:h4 1 1 . .:Cd1 l:[f4+ 1 2.'itg1 .:g4

The threat was 1 3 . �xd5 cxdS 14.tLlh5+. 1 3. l:[d3 �7 1 4. 'itf2 l:[h8 1 5. l:[b3! bs 1 6. tbe4 .:h6 1 7.g3! .:9a 1 8. �f3 as 1 9 . .:d3 a4 20. l:[d2

Black lost on time. 'No formation can ever be equally strong at every point, and the master delib­ erately and systematically directs his fire at the point where the opponent's resistance is weakest' (Em. Lasker). For example, in the starting position, the pawns on f2 and f7, defended only by the king, are the Achilles Heel of the position. A very simple-looking method of attack is the sacrifice of a piece for two pawns on an exposed rook's pawn, on h3 or h6. 20

Black has wrongly weakened his king­ side and Botvinnik decides on a posi­ tional sacrifice. Usually, it is this advanced h-pawn that is the only weak­ ness of such a kingside set-up. 1 . .hh6!

A positional sacrifice. 1 . . . gxh6 2. 'ii'x h6

For the sacrificed piece, White has two pawns, an exposed enemy king and the possibility of strengthening the attack by bringing his rook up along the third rank. 2 ... j.xe5

The knight is dangerous. 3.dxe5 tbg4

3 ... tiJ6h7 4.tLle4+-. 4. 'iff4 f5 5.exf6 tbxf6 6. l:[d3 e5 1. 'ifh6 ttJsh7 a . .:g3+ �ha 9.tbe4 .:ada 1 o. ttJ9s .:d7

Chapter

1 1 . ttJxh7

·

I

-

The attack on the king

1 ... 'ifxf3! 2.gxf3 l:tg6+ 3. 'it>h 1 i.h3

He could win with I l. . l::th 3 ! iYg7 (if l l ...�d6, then 1 2 .iVxd6; or 1 1 ... e4 1 2 . �xe4 'i¥g7 1 3 .'i¥hs .tlxe4 14.tt::lx e4+-) 1 2 .iVhS .l::!.e e7 1 3 .tt::lx h7 tt::lx h7 14.�xh7 't:ixh7 l S .iVfS+-.

The material investment is more than compensated for, and the poor white king has nowhere to run to.

16 ...iYxh4 1 7.a:d4 iVh6 1 8 . �g6! . White is slightly better.

6 ... I:!.g2 wins.

1 1 . . . ttJx:h7 1 2 . ..txh7 'ifx h7 1 3. 'ifts+ l:tg7 1 4. l:td1 .tea 1 5.h4 l:tg8 1 6. 'ifxe5 'iff5

4.l:td1

More tenacious is 4.iVd3 fS ! S .iYc4+ �f8 ! 6.iVh4 (6.I;lgi I;lxgl+ 7.�xgl .l:i:el+) 6 ... �xfl . 4 . . . i.g2+ 5 . 'it>g1 ..bf3+ 6.'it>f1 i.g2+ 7. 'it>g1 i.h3+

Simpler is 7... �e4+ 8 .�fl �fs .

Eliminating defenders In circumstances when we need to remove an enemy defensive piece, the most usual measure is to exchange it. But when the enemy king is under attack and every tempo is vital, sacrifices are also often the way. By eliminating the defend­ er's piece, the latter's ability to resist in the crucial area of the board is signifi­ cantly reduced and important defensive points fall into the hands of the attacker.

8.'it>h1 .bf2 9. 'iVf1 .bf1 1 0. :Xf1 l:te2 1 1 . l:.a1 l:th6 1 2.d4

Or 1 2.�g2 l:If6 1 3 .'�hl �g3 14. I;lxf6 !txh2+ l S .�gl gxf6 1 6 Jha7 hS .

Louis Paulsen Paul Morphy New York 1 857 (6)

•

1 2 ... i.e3 !

0-1

Emanuel Lasker Vasja Pirc Moscow 1 935 ( 1 9)

1 .e4 c5 2. tt::\f3 tt::\c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ttJxd4 ttJf6 5. tt::\c3 d6 6 . .ie2 e6 7.0-0 a6 8. i.e3 'ifc7 9.f4 tt::\a5 ?

After this, Black falls seriously behind in development. Better is 9 ... �e7. 1 0.f5! tt::\c4

Strategically, White does not stand badly. He has the more elastic pawn structure and his kingside is without weaknesses. But his two strongest pieces are far away from the scene of the future action and this factor alone gives Black the idea for a combination. There followed:

Here too, 1 0 ... �e7 should have been preferred. But Black has the worse game if he tries to keep lines closed: IO ... eS l l .tt::lb 3 tLlc4 1 2 . �xc4 iYxc4 1 3 .iVf3 . 1 1 . .bc4 'ifxc4 1 2.fxe6 fxe6

Black is also not to be envied after 1 2 ... �xe6. 21

Mastering Chess Middlegames

White's defences are built on the knight at c3 . For a relatively small sum, Black is able to remove it and open the white king up, seizing the initiative. 1 . . . :Xc3! 2.fxe6

On 2 .bxc3 there would follow 2.. . .l::rc 8 ! (2 .. .'�xc3 3 .'iff3 with drawing chances) . 2 . . Jia3 3.exf7+

Lasker effectively exploits his lead in development. 1 3. :Xf6! gxf6 1 4. 'ifh5+ �d8

Other retreats also fail to save the game: 14 ... cJtd7 1 S .fif7+ i.e? 16.t2Jf5 ! I:te8 1 7.t2Jxd6 �xd6 1 8 .'ifxe8 or 14 ... �e7 I S .tt:JfS+! exfS (no better is 1 5 ... Wd7 1 6.'iff7+ �c6 1 7.t2Jd4+ �b6 1 8 .t2Jb3+) 1 6 .t2Jd5+ �d8 1 7. i.b6+ �d7 1 8 .l�'f7+ �c6 1 9.'i¥c7+ \t>bs 20.a4+ fixa4 2 l .c4+ fixc4 22 .1J.a5#.

3.bxa3 'i¥b6+ 4.\t>al jL,xd4+ s . .l::i.xd4 'ifxd4+ 6.�bl fxe6 7. �e2 'i¥e4+ 8.�b2 .l::f.f2-+; 3 .e7 l::re 8 4.bxa3 'i¥b6+ S.�c2 :cs+ 6.�d2 �xd4 7.e8'i¥+ l:f.xe8 8 .jLd3 'ifaS+ 9.�cl l:f.c8+. 3 . . . :Xf7 4.bxa3 'ifxb5+ 6.�a1

'ifb6+

S. J.bS

6.�c2 .l:Ic7+. 6 . . . .:.C7

Also possible is 6 ...'fi'c4 7.Vi'g4 .!:i.e?. 7 . .1:.d2 .l:.c4

1 5. 'iff7 ..td7

Or 1 5 ... �e7 1 6.t2Jf5 ! 1i'c7 1 7.t2Ja4 l:f.f8 1 8 .1i'xh7 �e8 1 9.�b6 'ifd7 20.'ifh5+ l:f.f7 2 I .t2Jg7+ �f8 22 .'ifh8#. 1 6. 'ifxf6+ �c7 1 7. 'ifxh8 ..th6 1 8. llJxe6+! 'ifxe6 1 9. 'ifxa8 be3+ 20. �h1

Black resigned. 8 . .1:.hd 1 Harry Pillsbury Emanuel Lasker St Petersburg 1 895 (1 0)

•

Better is 8. l:f.e 1 ! perpetual check.

with chances of

8 . . . .1:.c3 9. 'iff5 'ifc4 1 0. �b2 :Xa3! 1 1 . 'ife6+ �h7 1 2. �xa3

Or 1 2 .�bl i.xd4 1 3 .'iVf5+ g6 14.'�d7+ jLg7. 1 2 . . . 'ifc3+

White resigned because of 1 3 .�a4 bS+ 14.�xb5 'tlfc4+ l S .�aS i.d8+ 1 6 .\'ib6 i.xb6#. A defender can be not only eliminated, but also deflected from its task. 22

Chapter 1

Amateur William Steinitz

-

The attack on the king

Or 9.�g5 l:lg4#. 9 . . . l%g4#

London 1 869

Attacking the weakest point

•

Black stands very actively, with his rook having broken through to the second rank and his bishop x-raying the white king. The only thing stop­ ping his initiative developing is the knight on f3 .

In a chess game, one tries to create strong points for oneself and weak points for the opponent. When attack­ ing the king, we find the weakest point in the enemy's defence and direct our fire against that. The attacker's pieces occupy the weak point and create unpleasant threats close to the enemy king. In the following game, Black clearly misses his dark-squared bishop. How can we exploit this? Mikhail Botvinnik Paul Keres The Hague-Moscow 1 948 ( 1 0)

1 . . . 'ifh4! !

Deflection.

D

2. tillc h 4

If 2.'if'xc5 , then 2..Jhg2+! 3 .\�ihl Ilxh2+; or 2.lbbd2 'if'g4 3 .g3 'if'h3-+. 2 ... ..be3 3.ttJQ6+

3.h3 doesn't help, because of 3 ... .l::f.fl+ 4.hi ClJg3#; or 3.g3 �e2+ 4.�hl .l:Ixel+ 5 .�g2 .l::tg l+ 6.�h3 ClJf2#. 3 . . . hxg6 4.g3

11

u u

1 . .tc1 'ifb8

Or I ....l::f.d 7 2 .'if'b4 'if'b8 3 . �b5 Iid8 4.�g5±. 2.l%g5!

White forcibly breaks through to g7, the key point in Black's camp. 2 . . . tt::lb d7

2...ClJe8 3 .ClJh5 s .'if'xf6+-.

f6

4.ClJxf6+

ClJxf6

3. :Xg7+! '1fi>xg7 4. tt::lh 5+ '1fi>g6

4 .. .'�h8 5 . �g5 or 4 ...�f8 5 .ClJxf6+-. 4 . . . l:e2+ 5.'1fi>h1 :Xe1 + 6. '1fi>g2 l%g1 + 7. '1fi>h3 tt::lf2+ 8. '1fi>h4 l:[f4+ 9.gxf4

5. 'iVe3

Or 5.f4+-. Black resigned. 23

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Gustav Neumann Joseph Blackburne Dundee 1 868

•

White has a n extra rook and two minor pieces! ! But there is no defence. There followed ... 7. tLle6+ !

The threat, for example after 7. i.d2 , was 7... �hl+ 8 .�f2 l:th2+ 9.\tgl �h4 10.tt.:le6+ \tc8-+. 7 . . .fxe6 8. 'ifg6 :h2 ! !

A brilliant reply. 8 . . . .l::f.h l+ 9.�f2 .l::!.x fl+ also won.

Black's position is better. The pawn on f3 serves as an outpost. If the g3 -pawn is first exchanged and then taken, the king will be completely on its own. Whether this was exactly Blackburne's chain of reasoning, we do not know, but he played very creatively. 1 ... hxg3

9. :Xf3 gxf3 1 0. �xh2 'ifh4+ 1 1 . �g1 'ifh1 + 1 2. 'ittf2 'ifg2+ 1 3. �e3 tLlf1 + 1 4. 'ittf4 'ifxg6-+ 1 5. �xf3 tt:Jh2+ 1 6. �2 �xd7 1 7 . ..tf4 'iff5 1 8. �g3 0-1 'ifg4+ 1 9. �xh2 'ifxf4+ Richard Teichmann Mikhail Chigorin Cambridge Springs 1 904 ( 1 5)

•

After I ...i.xb5 2 .�xb5+ c6 3.�f5 tt.:lh6 4.�h5 hxg3 5 .hxg3 the position is com­ plicated, but Black has the advantage. 2.hxg3 c6! ?

Striving to attack at all costs. Objec­ tively, this move loses, but this remark­ able game would not have made the textbooks if Blackburne had played in some other way. 3. lLlc7+ �dB 4. ttJxa8 tt:Jf6! ? 5 . ttJxb6 ttJxe4 6 . tiJxd7?

White wins with 6.tt.:le6+ �xe6 7.�xe4. 6 ... ttJxg3

White has the two bishops, so if the position opens up, the advantage will be fully on his side. Black's hope is to exploit the open position of the white king. 1 . . . 'ife7!

Including the queen in the attack. 2. :df1

No better is Hiitb2 l:Ib8 3 .g4 b4 4.c4 tt.:lc3 s .J::i.d fr tt.:la4+ 6.�al b3 ! 7.axb3 'tia3+ 8 .�a2 .l:i.xb3-+. 2 ... 'ifa3+ 3 . ..td2 b4 4.c4 ..ta4 5. 'ifb1 lL\c3 6. 'ifa1 :da 7.g4 tt:Je4+ 8. �e2

24

Chapter

Or 8 . ..txe4 fxe4 9.'i¥bl 'i¥c3+ I O.'lt>e2 .tel-+.

I - The attack on the king

6.lt.Jg5+) s .'i¥e8+ Wh7 6.lt.Jg5+. More tenacious is I ...'i:Yh4 . 2 . 'ifd3 ! g6

If 2 ... �g8 , then 3.'i¥d5+!. On 2 ... 'ti'h4 there would follow 3.lt.Jg5+ �h6 4.lt.Jf7+ �hS S .�fS+ gS 6.lt.Je5+-; or 2 ... h2 3 .lt.Jg5+ Wh6 4.lt.Jf7+ 'it>hs s .�fs+ �h4 6 .'iVf4+ �h3 7.lt.Jgs+ \t>g2 8 .'i:Yf3+ 1\tgl 9.lt.Jh3#. 3. 'ifxh3+ ..ttg 7

8 . . . tbc5 ! 9. 'iVb1

9. ..tbl lt.Jb3 ! . 9. . . ttJxd3 1 0 . 'ifxd3 'ifxa2+ 1 1 . �3 �c2 0-1 Jose Raul Capablanca David Janowsky San Sebastian 1 9 1 1 (5)

0

4. 'iff3! 'ifc1

No better is 4 ... �h4 S .'ifc3+ or 4 ... tt.Jd7 s .'itd3 lt.Jb8 6.�d4+. 5. 'iff6+ 'it>h7 6. 'iVf7+ 'it>h6 7. 'iff8+ �h5 8. 'Wh8+ 'it>g4 9. 'WeB+ 1 -0

An attack on weak squares can continue even in the endgame. Artyom Timofeev Semen Dvoi rys Belgorod 201 0 (2)

Black's position is worse. His h-pawn is only two squares away from promoting, but the weakness of the squares round his king and the passivity of his knight make him the defending side.

0

1 . tbe4!

An excellent square for the knight, from where it can work on two fronts. 1 ... 'it>h7

I ...h2 also loses, due to 2 .�c8+ �h7 3.�h3+ �g8 (3 ... �g6 4.'ife6+) 4.'i¥e6+ Wh8 (4... Wf8 s .'ii'd 6+ �f7

White's position is better. His central pawns are far advanced and his king 25

Mastering Chess Middlegames

is taking part in the game. But Black wants to create counterplay with the moves ... b5 -b4 and ... c5-c4, and he also has an extra exchange. 1 .h4!

Based on the bad position of the black king. 1 ... gxh4 2 . l:.h 1 c4 3. �c2 b4 4.l:.xh4

Black's play is too slow - mate comes first!

attacker's job is to open them for attacking purposes, when the position of the enemy king will become more dangerous. The more pieces take part in the attack, the better - one must try to bring up all the reserves. Robert Byrne Robert Fischer New York 1 963/64 (3)

4 . . . h6

4 ... bxc3 5 .tLlf6+ Wf8 6.d6 with the idea of 6 ... ltb2 7. .l::t.g 4, and mate is unavoid­ able.

•

5. l:.g4+ 'ifilh8

5 ... �f8 6.d6 and tLlf6. 6. l:.g7

Strategically, Black's posltlon is dangerous, but his pieces enjoy great activity. There followed: 1 . . . tbxf2 ! 2. c.itxf2 tbg4+ 3.'ifilg1 tbxe3 4.'ifd2 tbxg2 ! 5. 'ifilxg2 d4!

Opening the diagonal! 6 ... bxc3

He also loses after 6 ... b3 7.axb3 cxb3 8 . .ie4 b2 9.e6+- bl'iY 1 0.l:!.h7+ �g8 1 1 .tLlf6+ �f8 nJhf7#. 7.d6 l:.b2 8. l:.h7+ 'ifilg8 9.tbf6+ 'ifilf8 1 0. l:.h8+ 'ifilg7 1 1 . l:.xd8 l:.xc2+ 1 2. c.ite3 'ifilg6

Mate was threatened on g8. 1 3.d7 l:.d2 1 4. l:.g8+ 'ifilfS 1 5.d8'if l:.d3+ 1 6. 'ifxd3+ cxd3 1 7. tbe4 1 -0

Playing on weakened lines For an attack on the king to succeed, we need very active pieces. During the course of a game, the lines on the board (files, ranks and diagonals) become blocked with pawns and pieces. The 26

6.tbxd4 �b7+ 7. 'ifilf1

7.Wgl .ixd4+ 8 .'iYxd4 �e l+ 9.�f2 'iVxd4+ 1 0.I;lxd4 l::rxal 1Ll:i.d7 l::!.c 8-+; 7.�f2 'iVd7! 8 . �acl 'iVh3 9.tLlf3 �h6 1 0.'iVd3 .ie3+ l l .'iVxe3 l::tx e3 1 2 .�xe3 I:!.e8+ 1 3 .�f2 'iVf5 ! . 7 . . . 'ifd7!

Chapter 1

White resigned. «A bitter disap­ pointment. The following variations remained in the notes: 8 .'li'f2 (8 .ti:Jdb5 'li'h3+ 9.�gl �h6) 8 ...�h3+ 9.�gl kle l+!! l O . .l:'!xel �xd4» (R. Fischer).

-

The attack on the king

2 . . . :Xg7 3. ttJd4 �d7 4.f5

Better was 4. �d3 f5 5 . �xe4 fxe4 6.f5 �e5 7.ti:Je6+ �xe6 8.fxe6. 4 . . . 'ifes 5. 'ifd3 :tea 6. ltJe6+ fxe6 7.fxe6

Sometimes, a position is reached in which one of our own pieces prevents its colleague achieving the necessary activity on a certain line. In these cases too, we can sometimes use the idea of line-clearing. Juan Corzo y Principe Jose Raul Capablanca Havana 1 9 1 3 (1 )

•

7 . . . :Xe6 ! 8.dxe6 �c6 9. 'ii'f3+ 'iff4! 1 0. 'ii'e3

Also bad is I O.�xf4+ gxf4 l l .h4 (l l . �d3 tLlc5 !) l l ...f3 1 2 . .l:i.dl ? f2+ 1 3 .�h2 ti:Jg3 14.�d2 tLlxhl 1 5 .�xhl .l:!'.xg2 16. �xg2 fl �+. but 1 2 . l::!.e 3 is stronger. 1 0 ... 'it>e7 1 1 . b4 b6 1 2.b5 ..ib7 1 3.g3 ttJd2 ! 1 4. 'ifc3

It is hard to prefer either side. White has more space, but his rook on hl is com­ pletely out of the game.

14.gxf4 gxf4+; more tenacious is 14. �g2 �xe3+ 15 . .l::f.x e3 tLlxc4 16 . .l:i.c3 �xg2 1 7.�xg2 d5. 14 ... tt:Jf3+ 1 5. 'it>f2 'iff8!

And Black won.

1 . . . g5! !

Capablanca exposes a temporary draw­ back in White's position - the cramped position of his king. After the removal of the obstructing pawn on g6, Black's pieces achieve freedom.

Mikhail Botvinnik Milan Vidmar Nottingham 1 936 ( 1 3)

0

2 . .bg7+

White loses after 2.tLlxg5 �xd4+ 3 .�xd4 tLlxg5 4.�xe7?? ti:Jh3# or 2.fxg5 tLlxg5 3 . I:f.xe7 ti:Jh3+ 4.gxh3 �xd4#, but in the second variation, after 3 . �xg7+ l::f.xg7 4.tt:Jxg5 �xg5 Black has only an insignificant advan­ tage. 27

Mastering Chess Middlegames

White stands actively, but Black has no weaknesses. How can White develop his initiative?

show some examples of piece sacrifices, many of them intuitive, with the aim of seizing control of lines for attack.

1 .f4!

Opens the f-file and the a2-g8 diagonal. 1 ... l:lc8

l ...g6 2 . .ih6 k!.e8 3 . .ia4 or l ...tLle4 2.tLlxf7! �x£ 7 (Ll:b:£ 7 3.'iYxe6) 3 . .l::f.del !+-. 2.f5 exf5 3 . .1:lxf5 'ifd6

Mikhail Tal Boris Spassky Tilburg 1 980 (7)

D

More stubborn is 3 ... .l::tc 7, but after 4 . .l::f.d fl Black is still not saving himself, eg. 4 ... t2Jb6 5 .'iYh4 tLlbdS 6.tLlxf7 l:i.xf7 7. .ixd5 tLlxdS 8 . .l:i.xf7 .ixgS 9.'iYxg5 ! or 4 ... a6 5 .tLlxf7 .l::rxf7 6 . .ixd5 tLlxdS 7.�xf7 .ixgS 8 .'iYe6! . The black bishop on b7 is out of play. Its opposite number is also, but the latter has more prospects. 1 . ltJxh5!

A piece sacrifice to open lines for attack. On the kingside, the number of attacking pieces exceeds the number of defenders. 4. ltJxf7 .l:lxf7

4 ... �xf7 S . .ixdS+. 5 . .bf6 .bf6

5 ... tLlxf6 6 Jhf6 .ixf6 7.�xc8+. 6 . .1:lxd5 'ifc6 7.l:ld6 'iYe8 8.l:ld7 1 -0

White won the beauty prize for this game. In his first years of competitive play, Mikhail Tal was an ultra-sharp com­ binative player, who always strove for a sharp position, full of combinations and attack. In his view, many sacrifices did not need concrete calculation - it was enough just to look at the resulting position, to see that the sacrifice was correct. This is a questionable proposi­ tion, but analysis confirms the correct­ ness of many of his decisions. We will 28

1 ... gxh5 2.l:lf5 'ilea 3.e5!

The point. Black cannot prevent penetration along the opened files and diagonals. 3 ... dxe5

3 ... tLlxe5 4 . .if6 tLlg6 s . .ixg7 \t>xg7 6 . .l::tx h5 l:f.h8 7. .ixg6! fxg6 8 .�d4++-; 3 ... .ixe5 4 . .if6!. 4. Ah6 :a s s . .txg7 �xg7 6.d6! f6

Chapter 1

-

The attack on the king

7.:lg5+! cj;f7

Equally disastrous is 7... �h8 8 . .l::!.g3 , mating. B . ..tg6+ c;fte6 9 . ..tf5+! c;ftf7 1 O. 'ifd1 ! :lhB 1 1 . ..tg6+ �e6 1 2 . .b:eB :XeB 1 3. ti'xh5 :ldB 1 4. :lg7 c;ftxd6 1 5. 'iff7

Black resigned.

Vassily Smyslov Vladimir Liberzon Riga 1 968

0

6.h4

The attack on the king continues. 6 . . . 'ifxe3+ 7.c;fth2 ti'c3 8.:lf1 ..tc4 9 . :lf2 'ire1 1 0. :lgf5 .b:b5

Better is IO ... .ie6. 1 1 . ..td2 'if b 1 1 2 . ..td5+ c;fthB

12 ... �g7 1 3 . l:tf7+ �h8 14.�c3+ tbe5 1 5 .tbxe5 dxe5 1 6 Jhc7 with the idea of 1 7. �xe5+ and 18 . .l::tf8#. 1 3. �c3+ 1 5. :Xe5

White has an extra piece, but his queen and rook are both attacked.

ltJe5

1 4. lbxe5

dxe5 1 -0

Efim Bogoljubow Jacques M ieses Baden·Baden 1 925 (5)

1 . lbxf5 !

Breaking the Gordian Knot.

0

1 ... :Xf5

l ...�xb3 2 . �xg7+ 'lt>g8 3 .tbcxe7+ l:txe7 4. �xf8 �xf8 5.l:ta8+; I . ..tLlxf5 2.'ifxd5 �xb2 3 . :af1+-. 2 . .b:g7 + c;ftgB

Weaker is the capture 2 ... �xg7 because of 3 .'iVc3+ 'lt>g8 4 . .l:lxf5 'i!Vxf5 s.I:rfl 'i!Ve6 6 . .l::i.f6 . 3. :Xf5! .b:b3 4. :Xg5 tlJg6

If 4 ... h6, then 5 .tbxe7+ 'ifxe7 6 . .txh6+ �h8 7. l:th5 ! �g8 8 . .:tfl+- or 5 .. Jhe7 6 . .l:ta8+ �e8 7. .ixh6+ �h7 8 . �g7+ ffxg7 9. �xg7 1;lxa8 10.�xa8 'lt>xg7 l l .g4±. 5 . ..th6 'ife6

5 ... l:txe3 6Jhg6+.

1 .ti'a6!

This move on the queenside is the introduction to a kingside attack! 1 . . . 'ifh5

Better is I ...'iVh4 2.1:1xd5 ! exd5 3 . �xd5+ �h8 (3 ...�f8 4 . .rf.g5 ! ! 'ifh6 5.e6+-) 4. �xa8 l:txa8 5 .'ti'b7 l:rd8 6.e6 'ifxf2 . 29

Mastering Chess Middlegames

2 . hd5!

Not 2 . .!::rxd5? exdS 3 . �xd5+ 4. �xa8 l::Ix a8 S .�b7 'ife8 ! .

�h8

2 . . .exd5 3. lbg7+! 'lfi>xg7 4.1i'f6+ !

From a3 to f6! 4 ... 'lfi>g8 s . :g 1 + "ifg4 6. lbg4+ fxg4 7.f5! l:[dc8 8.e6 �c6 9. "iff7+ 'lfi>h8 1 0.f6 :ga 1 1 . 1i'c7 :ace 1 2. 1Wes d4+ 1 3. 'lfi>g 1 �d5 1 4.f7+ l:[g7 1 5. 1i'xd5

Black resigned.

Both sides develop their pieces, but unlike Black, who has made many pawn moves, White has succeeded in castling and bringing his pieces to fighting positions. 1 0.a4! b4

10 ... bxa4 I l .tLldS ! exdS 1 2 .exd5+ �d8 1 3 . �g5 tLld7 14.'lli'e 2 �b6 I 5 Jha4 Ilc8 1 6 . �d2 lies 1 7.c4 �c8 1 8 .b4 g6 1 9.bxc5 dxcS 20.�a5 and Black resigned in the game Girya-Dudas, Herceg Novi 2008. 1 1 . tl:ld5!

Creating barriers (the sacrifice on d5) As well as the activity of his own pieces, the attacker can also concern him­ self with preventing defensive pieces coming to the aid of their king. This can be done by erecting a barrier. The difficulty of defending in such circum­ stances is shown by the typical sacrifice on dS in the Sicilian Defence. The posi­ tion is split into two, with communica­ tions disrupted, and Black must worry the whole time about the safety of his king. Leonid Stein Semen Furman Moscow 1 969 (1 8)

1 .e4 c5 2 . tt:lf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ti:lxd4 a6 5.tl:lc3 'fic7 6.g3 b5 7.�g2 �b7 8.0-0 tt:lf6 9.l:[e1 d6

30

A positional sacrifice! 1 1 ... exd5

l l ...tLlxdS 1 2 .exd5 eS 1 3 .a5 ! . 1 2.exd5+ 'lfi>d8 1 3. �g5

Now the black king is condemned to wander. 1 3 ... tl:ld7

The game Quinones-Higashi, Siegen Olympiad 1 970, continued 13 ... �c8 14. �xf6+ gxf6 l S .'l!i'hS ! �a7 16 . .l::Ie4 �g7 1 7. .l:tael 'ifcs (1 7... f5 1 8 .'ifh4+ f6 1 9. :e6) 1 8 .'ife2 �d7 1 9.tLlb3 'ifb6 20.a5 �bS 2 l .'ife3 �c7 22.'�f4 �e8 23 .'ifxd6 .l:txe4 24Jhe4 �c8 2 5 . �fl 'ifa4 (25 ...'ifb7 26. �xb4 'i:Va7 27.c4) 26.l::Ixb4 'ifa2 27.tLlc5! 'iVai 28.lhb8+ �xb8 29.tLlxa6+, and Black resigned. A lost position also results from 1 3 ... �e7 14.tLlf5 �e8 1 5 .tL:lxg7 �g8 1 6.'ifd4. 1 4. 1i'e2 'lfi>c8

Chapter 1

1 5.c3!

Opening a second front. 1 5 . . . b3 1 6. tt:Jc6! .b:c6 1 7.dxc6 tlJeS 1 8. :S3 ! dS! 1 9 . .:.Xb3 .td6 20. hf6 gxf6 21 . hd5 lbxc6 22. 'ifg4+ 'ifd7 23. 'ifxd7+ d 1 ! l:[h2 2 . �e1 ! .:Xg2 3.�f1 l:[h2 4.c.t>g1 l:[h8 5.f3

And White controls all possible pene­ tration squares. Arshak Petrosian Laszlo Hazai Schilde 1 970 (9)

.:Xd8

4 . ltJc5

•

s .tt:lxa4 tLlxa4 6 .b3 tLlc3 . 5 . . . .tc6 6.tbxb7 hf3 7.gxf3 ttJd7!

For his pawn, Black has an active rook and the chance to attack the weak white pawns. Practically, Kasparov has taken the game into a typical rook endgame, but with knights on. 8. c.t>g2 g5 9.b4 ti:Jb6 1 0. f1 ttJd7! 1 1 . c.t>g2 ti:Jb6 1 2. �1 ttJd7

Draw agreed, since in the variation 1 3 .a4 tt:le5 14.b5 tt:lxf3 I S .aS tLlxh2+ I 6 .g i ti:Jf3+ I 7.�g2 ti:Jh4+ I 8 .Wfl g4 1 9.b6 axb6 20.a6 g3 2 l .fxg3 tt:lf3 per­ petual check cannot be avoided. One should never forget about the pos­ sibility of sacrificing material to create a fortress. This is illustrated in clear style in the following endgame study.

Black's posltlon is very difficult. He tries his last chance. 1 ... 'ifb6 ! ?

Beautiful, but insufficient to save the game. Now White can win with 2 .'i¥d2! followed by b 3, tt:lb2 , �a4 and tLlb2-d3 -cl-b3. But instead, he grabbed the queen with: 2 . tbxb6+?

And after... 2 ... cxb6 3.h4 gxh4 4. 'ifd2

Vitaly Chekhover 1 947

0

4 ... h3 ! ! 5.gxh3 h4!

a draw was agreed. 46

Chapter 2

Vassily Smyslov Robert H ubner Velden 1 983 (1 1 }

•

Black creates a fortress by sacrificing his queen. 1 ... .1b:b4! 2 . ttJc6 .lb:b5 3. ttJxe7+ .be7 4. 'iVd7 l:!.b1 + 5. 'ifth2 .tf8 6.f4

Nothing is changed by 6.g4 l::tb2 7.\£tg3 gS ! .

- Defence

1 . . . ttJd3 2. 'ifd2 ttJa3 3 . .l:l.a1 .l:l.e1 +?

Stronger is 3 ... lt:Je5 . 4 . .1b:e1 ttJxe1 5 . 'it'd? .l:l.e2 6.�d5

And Black resigned. But after the correct I ...tbxc3! 2 . �xb2 !lei + Ltfl tbe2+ 4Jhe2 .hl8xe2 S .''ici" 4 .l:txfl + 6 .'i£txfl �xh2 7.g4 gS ! (worse is 7... h5 8 .'ifc8+ �g7 9.'il!Vc3+ �g8 1 0.'il!Vg3 l::lh l+ l l .Wg2 .l:!al 1 2 .gxh5 , but 7... h6! followed by ... g6g5 is also possible) 8 .'il!Vc8+ �g7 9.'il!Vfs .l:th6 IO.'il!VxgS+ �g6 we have a fortress. Nikolay Andrianov Aleksander Wojtkiewicz Sochi 1 980

0

6 . . .h 5 7.f5 .l:l.b6 8.e4 g6! 9 . 'iVd8 .l:l.d6 1 0. 'iVg5 .tg7 1 1 . 'iVe7 .tf8 1 2. 'ifg5 .tg7

And eventually the game was drawn. In the next two examples, the weaker side failed to exploit his chances of building a fortress.

After 1 . 'iVd5 bf4 2.gxf4 'iVc8

Robert Byrne Mark Taimanov Leningrad 1 973 (1 0}

•

Black won. It was essential to play I. . l:ixf7! 'iYa8+ 2 Jlf3 .txeS 3 . .txe5 �e4 4. �f4 'il!Vxe2 S . a4 'iVe4 6 .h3 hS 7.h4. The white position cannot be breached.

Fighting the most dangerous piece(s)

The game continued:

Sometimes it is not in the defender's interest to simplify by exchanges, espe­ cially when he has pawn weaknesses which could be exploited or when the opponent can realise a material advan­ tage in the endgame. In such cases, the weaker side must exchange only the most dangerous enemy piece or P.i eces 47

Mastering Chess Middlegames

and must defend his weaknesses. The problem is to determine which enemy piece is the most dangerous. Geza Maroczy Akiba Rubinstein

M i khai l Tal Lev Aronin Moscow 1 957 (1 7)

•

Karlsbad 1 907 (1 7)

•

The biggest danger to Black is the pawn on f6 , and he quite rightly takes steps to remove it. 1 . . . .:r.c8!

White threatens the move 2.f5 , after which his bishop on d3 can become very dangerous. The countermeasures follow from this. 1 ... .:Xd3! 2 . .:Xd3 ..te4 3 . .l:l.d2 'it'xc4

With a pawn for the exchange, plus two bishops and an active queen, Black has fully adequate counterplay. 4 . .1:1.fd1 i.dS 5.h3 f5 6. 'it'g6 'it'xf4

The simplification l .. ..l::!.d 8? 2 . .l::f.xd8 �xd8 3 . �h8+ �xh8 4/bxf7+ 'lt>g8 s .tbxd8 �f3 6.f7+ �g7 7.tbe6+ �xf7 8 .tbgS+ leads Black to defeat. 2.f3 .:r.cs 3 . .:Xt7!

Certainly not 3.fxg4? .l:rxf6 4. �dh3 l::[f2+ s .c;t>b3 �d6, and Black takes the initiative. 3 . . . 'it'xf7 4. ltJxf7 �xf7 5.fxg4 �xf6 6 . .:td7 .:tb6

7 . .:Xd5

Otherwise the white king will come under attack.

The position has equalised out com­ pletely. After

7 . . . 'it'e3+ 8.�h1 exd5 9. 'it'xf5 .:td8 1 0 . .:Xd5

7. �c3 �g5 8.a4 a6 9. �c4 �xg4 1 o. �cs .:r.c&+ 1 1 . �ds .:tb6

Draw. 48

a draw was agreed.

Chapter 2

Jovica Manic Maximilian Blau Lugano 1 984 (7)

0

-

Defence

Now this is too late. 3. l:r.e5 l:r.e7 4.l:r.xh5 l:r.ef7 5. �h2 .tc1 6.l:r.e5 l:r.f1 7. l:r.e4

And after having eliminated the g4-pawn that cramped his king, White had a clear advantage: 7 . . . l:r.d1 8. l:r.xg4+

1 . .hh6! gxh6 2.g5 h5? 3 . .th7+ ! tbxh7 4.g6 l:r.f8 5.gxf7+ �h8 6.l:r.dg1 'ii'c7 7. 'ii'g 6 .tf6 8. 'it'g7+ ! .hg7 9. lLlg6#

This all happened because Black failed to fight against White's most active piece - the knight on eS. After 2 ... �d6 3.gxh6 �xeS Black would have had good chances of beating off the attack. Vlad i m i r Kramnik Garry Kasparov Linares 1 994 ( 1 0)

•

8 . . . �h7??

A time-trouble mistake. After 8 .. .h8 9. I;le4 Ilffl I O .g4 llxdS White is better. 9.lLle5 l:r.e7 1 0. lLlf8+ !

And Black resigned, since after I O ... �h6 (IO ... �h8 I I .t2Jfg6+) I I . l:lg6+ '\thS 1 2 .g4+ he is mated.

Defending the weakest points Which points are the weakest? The answer to this comes from experience and/or proper training. William Steinitz Emanuel Lasker Montreal 1 894 ( 1 8)

0

The knight on e6 looks the most dan­ gerous piece. Black should therefore play l ... k!e8 and return the exchange after almost every white move, with rough equality. 1 . . . �h6? 2 . .:r.e1 .:r.ea 49

Mastering Chess Middlegames

White's position is weakened. The threat is l ...tbxf3+ 2.tbxf3 i.xf3 3 .�xf3 'ifel+. Both I . l::!c2 .l::r.xc2 2 . i.xc2 �c6 and I . l::re 2 .!::!.c i 2 . i.c2 'i!YdS are bad, and White loses after l .�g2 tbxf3 2 .tbxf3 tbes .

Slavoljub Marjanovic Alexander Panchenko Tbilisi 1 973 (4)

•

1 . �1 !

With this move, Steinitz covers the entry square e l , liquidating the main threat, and gradually restores equality. 1 ... :cs 2. 1i'e3 .l:.d5 3. :Xd5 1i'xd5 4.ttJc3 1i'c6 5.�2 �g7 6.0.e2 1i'd6 7.ttJd4 1i'f6 8.ll:lg2?

It is hard for Black to organise counter­ play. I went in for a forcing variation that looks dangerous, but I was convinced that, having defended the main entry squares, I could hold the position. 1 . . . cxd5 ! ? 2. ll:lb3 1i'a6 3. 1i'xd5 .l:.fc8! 4. 1i'b5 ll:lgf8 5.l:.fd1 :Xc4 6. 1i'xa6 bxa6 7. :Xd6 lLlb8 8. ll:la5 :ca 9.ttJd5 0.e6 1 0. l:td1 �fa 1 1 .b3 .l:.d8! 1 2. ttJc7 8 . . . ttJc6?

The tactical blow 8 ... i.xf3 ! gives a large advantage. 9. 0.e6+ �g8 1 0. �c2 1i'e5 1 1 . ll:lgf4 1i'xe3+ 1 2. �xe3 lLlb4 1 3. �b1 0.e5 1 4. ttJd4

White settles on a combination, because he cannot see any way to strengthen his position, even though all his pieces seem to stand ideally. 1 2 ... :Xd6 1 3 . .i.c5 ll:lxc5 1 4. :Xd6

Draw. The main aim of defending the weakest point is to deny the opponent the chance to decide the game immediately. Let us defend an inferior position, but the battle goes on! The opponent must continually seek the strongest continu­ ation and will not always find it - mis­ takes, time-trouble, etc. The attacker is often dazzled by the chance of immi­ nent victory or the search for beauty. If we defend tenaciously, the opponent will probably err at some point. so

1 4 ... ttJc6! 1 5. ll:lxa8

I 5 .tbxc6 l::rc 8!; stronger is I S . �xc6 �d8 16 .tbds with a large advantage. 1 5 . . . ll:lxa5 1 6. b4 ll:lab7 1 7. l:.c6 ttJd3 1 8. :Xa6 �e3 1 9. l:.a3 lLlf2+ 20.xf7 7. .ld.fl +. Also 2 . .id3 ! , setting his sights on Black's weak queenside, would have given Black a hard time.

Quite often, one has to improve the position of one's main piece, the king itself, by evacuating it from the danger zone. In positions where the opponent has a space advantage on the flank and can prepare an attack, one cannot afford to wait. It is essential that the king quit this flank. Defending the king against mate with little space and no counter­ play is a hopeless task. Aaron Nimzowitsch Victor Berger London 1 927

•

2 ... tbe8 3 . ..te4 0£7 4 . ..tc6 0d5 5. 'ife4?

s.'ii'f2 is good and retains the advan­ tage. 1 ... .J:I.e8? 2.h4 lLlh7 3 . ..tc1 16 4 . .1:1.12 .J:I.c7 5 . .J:I.g2 'ife7 6. 'ifh3 .J:I.c6 7 . ..td2 .J:I.d8 8.h1 .J:I.dd6 9.a4 .tea 1 O . .J:I.ag 1 a6 1 1 . .J:I.h2 h8 1 2.g5 1xg5 1 3.hxg5 b5 1 4.axb5 axb5 1 5. 'ifh4 c4 1 6.gxh6 'ifxh4 1 7. hxg7+

5 . . . tbxc3! 6 . .h:c3 'ifb6+ 7. �g2 .J:I.c7 8 . ..b8 .J:I.c4 9. 'ifb7 'ifxb7 1 0. hb7 .J:I.b8 1 1 . ..ta6 .J:I.b6 1 2 . .J:I.a1

Black resigned. Nimzowitsch: 'Correct was the imme­ diate l ...tLld7 followed by .. .f7-f6 and ... �f7. For example, 2.h4 f6 3 . itcl �f7 4.g5 hxgS S .hxgS l:!:h8 , and Black cannot be prevented from bringing his king out d6 to b8. After this, he can turn to the attack with ... b6-b5 and ... c5-c4, 53

Mastering Chess Middlegames

as the position dictates. To put it briefly, Black had a clear chance to consolidate his position.' Jesus Diez del Corral Tigran Petrosian

6. 'Wxh5 l:th8 7. �h7 �e4 8.14 'Wb2 9. 'Wxg5+ �16 1 0. 'Wx16+ g8 8.h6 l:f7 9.l:.e3 tbd6 1 0. 'ii'x d5 'ii'b 6 1 1 . ltJe7+ �h7 1 2. 'ifd3+ f5 1 3. �h 1 lbe4

1 5. l:c1 ?

Some chances could have been retained by 1 5 .ti:Jf3 , and if 1 5 ... ..txb4?, then 1 6 . l:rd8+ �g7 1 7.ti:Jg5 , winning. 1 5 ... tbd4 1 6. l:e1

And the position was completely equal. Draw. Voloshi n Vladimir Korzhunov Correspondence game 1 968·71

Although he has lost another pawn, Black has managed to secure his king and coordinate his forces. 1 4. tbd5 'ifb2 1 5. �h2 tLlf2 1 6. 'ii'e2 tLlg4+ 1 7. �g1 'ifb1 + 1 8. 'ii'e 1 'ii'xa2 1 9. l:d3 as 20. tLlf4 .l:[b7 21 . l:td 1 'ii'f7 22. l:d5 'ii'e 8! 2 3 . .1:[d 1 'ifxe1 + 24. :Xe1 a4 25. l:a1 a3 26.g3 l:a7 27. �1 tLlf6 28. lbe2 'ifo>xh6

And the players agreed a draw. • Vladi m i r Kramnik Alexey Shirov Linares 1 994 (1 2)

•

Black could resign. He is a pawn down, with a bare king. His first task is not to lose at once, and to find some way to hold on for a time. 60

Chapter 2

Objectively, Black has nothing for the piece, but he determinedly uses all his chances. 1 ... l:lf6 ! ? 2.f3 l:le4 ! ! 3.tbxd5?!

The cold-blooded 3 .tDe2 leaves White with chances of success. 3 ... cxd5 4.c6 :Xf4! 5.cxb7 l:le4 6.l:lc1 'iii> h 7 7.b8'if 'ifxb8 8.fxg4 'ifh2 ! 9 . .:tf3 :Xg4 1 O.b7?

- Defence

well-known drawing chances. Do not lose heart! Carl Schlechter Emanuel Lasker Vienna/Berlin 1 9 1 0 ( 1 )

•

Correct is IO . .!::i.f2! , and White should win. 1 0 ... .l:lfg6

Black's position is inferior, but he finds counterplay:

1 1 . l:lc2?

1 . . . l:lb4! 2.c5 :Xa4 3.cxd6 cxd6 4. l:lc7+ 'iii>f6 5.tbd5+ �g5 6. h4+ ..th6 7.11�7 l:lf8 8.l:ld 1 l:lf7 9. :Xd6+ �h7 1 0. l:le6 tbg6 !

This is the decisive mistake. After l l .b8'ti' White could hope for equality.

Black gradually simplifies the position.

1 1 ... :Xg2 1 2. 'ifxg2 :Xg2 1 3. :Xg2 'ifh 1 + 1 4. 'iii>f2 'ifb 1

1 1 . :Xg6 :Xe7 1 2. l:lgc6 :Xc7 1 3. :Xc7+ ..tg6 1 4. l:lc6+ �7 1 5. �3 l:le4 1 6. l:lc5 �6 1 7. :Xa5 l:lc4!

And Black won.

Playing with a material deficit It is one think to play and defend an inferior position. But what do you do when you are a pawn or two down, or the exchange? Several of the methods examined above are unlikely any longer to work, especially simplification, or giving up further material. The main thing in such cases is: 1. Strive to activate all your remaining pieces, to include them all in the battle against the enemy king, a badly-placed enemy piece or his pawn weaknesses. 2. Try to set up a fortress or head for a typical position, in which you have

Black has managed to reach a drawn rook ending. 1 8. l:la6+ �e5 1 9. l:la5+ �6 20. l:la6+ �es 2 1 . l:la5+ �6 22.l:la2 �es

61

Mastering Chess Middlegames

23. l:lb2 l:.c3+ 24. �g2 �6 25.�h3 l:lc6 26. l:lb8 lb:c2 27. l:lb6+ �g7 28.h5 .l:.c4 29.h6+ �h7 30. l:lf6 l:la4

Draw.

Jan Timman Joel Lautier Wijk aan Zee 1 994 (1 )

•

Vladislav Neved nichy Alexander Panchenko Bucharest 1 994 (7)

•

With accurate play, Lautier steers the game into a theoretically drawn rook ending.

Black is two pawns down. His only chance is to unite his king, rook and g-pawn with the idea of setting up mating threats or promoting the pawn. 1 ... �h5 2. :Xe3 �xh4 3. �g2 lb:f4 4. l:le2 .l:.f3 5.b4 l:lg3+ 6.�h1 l:ld3 7. 'tfilg2 l:.g3+ 8. �1 l:lf3+ 9 . l:lf2 l:lc3 1 0. �g2 l:lg3+ 1 1 . �h2 l:lh3+ 1 2.'Ji>g1 l:lc3 1 3.b5 g3 1 4. l:lb2 �h3 1 5. l:lb1 l:lc2

1 ... l:le2 2. l:lb5 :ca 3.g4 :cc2 4.b3 l:lb2 5.g5 hxg5 6 . .:Xg5 .:Xb3 7.l:lc1 l:.b7 8. l:lc8+ �h7 9.f3 llb1 + 1 0. �h2 llb6

Draw. Predrag Nikolic Henrique Mecking Sao Paulo 1 991 (2)

•

Black is a pawn down and has a weak king. What can he do? Fight! 1 6.b6 l:tg2+ 1 7. �1 l:tf2+ 1 8. �e1 lb:a2 1 9.b7 g2 20. l:lb3+ �h4 21 . l:.g3 l:.b2

Draw. 62

1 ... e4 2 . l:tad 1 j_es 3. 'ifgs b6 4.b3 lb:d1 5 . .:Xd1 .l:.d8!

Threatening to seize the open file. 6. lb:d8+ 'ifxd8 7.1i'd2 'it'xd2 8.tt:lxd2 ti:ldS 9. ti:lb5 fS 1 0. ti:lb1 a6

Chapter 2

-

Defence

1 1 . ttJsc3 aS! 1 2.f3 exf3 1 3 . .bf3 tt:lb4 1 4.h4 t;f;f7 1 5. t;f;f2 t;f;f6 1 6. �e3 �es 1 7. tt:\a3 a4

Finally 'arresting' the white knight.

1 8. bxa4

White cannot bear the activity of the black pieces and agrees to equality. He could retain some advantage only with 1 8 .tt:lc4+ ikxc4 1 9.bxc4. 1 8 . . . tt:\xa2 1 9. tt:lab5 tt:\xc3 20. tt:lxc3 .td7 21 . tt:\d5 tt:\xa4 22. tt:lf4 .tea 23. ttJd3+

6 . l:a4 �g7 7. l:a8 l:l.e6 8.f4 �f7 9.g4 hxg4 1 0.hxg4 l:l.g6 1 1 . tt:\e7 �xe7 1 2. l:a7+ �6 1 3. l:l.xh7 :Xg4+ 1 4. �3 %-112 Xie Jun Mark Taimanov Copenhagen 1 997 (8)

•

And the game was agreed drawn.

Loek van Wely Anatoly Karpov Cap d'Agde (rapid) 1 996

•

This endgame clearly shows that extra material is not everything. 1 . . . e7 1 6.h3 l:.h8 1 7.fxe5

Better is 1 7.'iVg5 . 1 7 ... 'ifxf1 + 1 8 . .bf1 .:.Xg8 1 9 . ..if4 1 9 . . . .i.b8!

The mate threat indirectly defends the black knight: see, for example, 20.hxg4 lih8+ 2 1 .�gl .ia7+ or 2 1 . .ih2 .ixe S .

If 3 .tDe5 , then 3 ... .if6 4.tt:Jxc6 bxc6 5.0-0 .ie6 with a complicated position, but another possibility was 3 .tDd2! ? d4 4.tt:Jc4 'iVfs s .tt:Je2 dxe3 6.0-0 with an attack for the sacrificed pawn. 3 ... lt:Jxd4 4.exd4 ..tgs 5.0-0

Now what? 5 . . . .bc1 6 . .:.Xc1 ..te6 7.h3

White goes in for an interesting combi­ nation, but Black finds a defence. 7 . . . gxh3 a . ..tes 1 0. 'ifg3+ ..ig4!

f6

9. lt:Je4

fxe5

10 ... �h8 or 1 0 ... Wf7 are bad because of l l .'ifxeS. 1 1 . 'ifxg4+ 'iti>h8 1 2. lt:Jg5 'ifd2 1 3. l:.c7 'ifxf2+! 1 4. �h2 'it'xg2+ 1 5. 'ifxg2 hxg2

And Black won. 71

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Counterplay rarely arises of its own accord (unless via a forcing move, such as l ...g7-g5!? in the previous game). It has to be prepared. One must find the enemy's weakness (not always easy) and direct all possible forces against it. First we iden­ tify the area for the counterattack, then the counterattack itself follows. lon Balanel Laszlo Szabo Moscow 1 956 (4)

•

Thus, there remains no trace of White's attack. 1 2. 'ifb3?

Better is 1 L � b4. 1 2 . . . ..tc5+ 1 3. �g2 ttJd6 1 4 . ..tb4 ttJxe4 1 5. hc5 'ifxc5 1 6. tbe3 h5 1 7.a4? bxa4

White resigned.

Alexander Alekhine Akiba Rubinstein Vilnius 1 9 1 2 (5)

•

Black's posltwn looks dangerous, as g2-g4-g5 is threatened, with an attack. Decisive measures are needed. 1 ... l:fc8!

Black prepares counterplay on the queen­ side, where he has a pawn majority. 2.g4 c3

Of course, not 2 ... h6. 3.b3 c2! 4.g5 tbea s . ..td2 'ife7! 6.b4 aS ! 7.bxa5 :Xa5 ! a. has c1 'if 9.l:axc1 :Xc1 1 0. :Xc1 ? 'ifxg5+ 1 1 . 'ifg3 'ifxc1

After l . ..hxg6? Black is condemned to a difficult defence. By playing 1 . . .fxg6!

he intends a counterattack along the f-file. There followed: 2. tt:lb3

Better is 2.f4 0-0 3 .tLlb3 with approxi­ mate equality. 2 . . . g5! ? 3.i.e3

3 .f4!?. 3 . . . 0-0 4 . tt:lf3 'ifd7 5. 'ifd2?

This move allows an exchange sacri­ fice, which justifies l ...fxg6!; better was s .iYe2. 5 . . . :Xf3!

Of course! 6.gxf3 ttJxeS 7. 'ife2 l:f8 8. ttJd2 tt:lg6 9.l:fe1 ..td6

White's position is lost, but he still has an original try: 72

Chapter

3 - Counterploy

the central squares. By playing ... b6-b5 , Black further strengthens the position of his knight and allows a path out to b6 for the queen» (Bronstein). 2 . .1:.h4 'ifb6 3.e5 lbxe5 4.fxe6 lbxd3 5. 'ifxd3

5.exd7 .l::r.xcl . 5 . . . 'ifxe6 6. 'ifxh7+ �7 7 . .th6

The white pieces have gone too far and now Black goes over to a counterattack. 7 . . . .1:.h8! 8. 'ifxh8 .l:.c2 9 . .1:.c1 1 O.f4 ! ? tlJexf4 1 1 . 'iff1 1 2. �h 1 g4 1 3. 'We2 'iff5

lbxh3+

White resigned. The following game is a classical exam­ ple of a counterattack. Efim Geller Machgielis Euwe Zurich 1 953 (2)

More tenacious is 9.d5! �xd5 lO . .l::r.d l .l::r.xg2+ l l .Wfl :ra2. 9 . . . :Xg2+ 'Wf3

1 0. �1

'ifb3

1 1.e1 0-1

In the following game, Black also achieves a decisive counterattack. Milan Vidmar Machgielis Euwe Nottingham 1 936 (2)

• •

1 . . . b5 !

«The start of a wonderful plan. It is obvious that, given the extremely lim­ ited space on the kingside, any defen­ sive measures with pieces (... .l::f.f8-f7, .. .'i:fd8-e7 etc.) are doomed to failure. But Black has another resource - coun­ terattack! The bishop on b7, the rook on c8 and the knight on c4 occupy excellent positions and it only remains to include the queen. The basis of the counterattack is Black's superiority on

With the unexpected and strong move 1 . . . g5!

Black goes over to the counterattack: 2. hh7+

After 2.�xe5 (2.lt:Jxe5 gxf4! 3 .lt:Jc4 �a7 with the idea of ... b7-b5) 2 .. .fxe5 the sacrifice on h7 is inadequate: 3. �xh7+ xh7 4.lt:Jxe5+ �f5 . 3 .11Vb3+ is also bad because of 3 ... Wh8 4.lt:Jxe5 �xf2+ 5 . .l::r.xf2 1!Vxe5 with an extra pawn for Black. 3.lt:Jxe5 is refuted by 73

Mastering Chess Middlegarnes

3 ... �h3 4.'iVb3+ (4.�g2 �xg2 5.�xg2 'iVxe5 6.'iVb3+ �d5+) 4 ... �h8 5 . �g2 �xf2+! , and if 6 .l::rxf2 , then 6 ...�b6! ! , winning for Black. Better i s 3 .e3 , some­ what stabilising the position.

Or 13. tt:'le4 �xe4 1 5 .�c8+ tt:'lf8.

14.fxe4

.l:txb4

2 . . . 'ifxh7 3 . ..be5 ..b7!

Bad is 3 .. .fxe5 4.'iYb3+ and 5 .�xb6. 4 . ..tc3 b 5 5 . .1:.aa1 c 5 6. 'ifc1 7.tLle1

c4

7.tt:'lb4 'iVh3 with a mating attack. 7 . . . ..tb7 8 . tt:\f3 g4 9.tt:\g5 'iffS

And White resigned. Roy Dieks Slavoljub Marjanovic

1 3 . . . tt:\f8! 1 4. 'ii'c4 dxc3 :eo 1 6. J:[d2 �xf3+

1 5. bxc3 o-1

Manila 1 974

•

Viktor Kupreichik Vladimir Tukmakov Ashkhabad 1 978 (8)

•

Black seizes the initiative with a typical blow in the centre. 1 . . . d5! 2.cxd5 exd5! ? 3.e5

It was essential to play 3.exd5 with rough equality. 3 . . . 'ifxe5 4 . ..bb6 .:Xb6!

After 4 ... !ld7 5 . �d4 White is better. 5. 'ifxb6 tt:\d7 6. 'ifaS J:[b8!

With the idea of 7... �d8 and 8 ... tt:'lc5 , trapping the white queen. 7. ttJc2 �g5 !

Worse is 7... �d8 8 .�xb4 with a com­ plicated game. 8. tt:\xb4 hd2 9.�f1

Better is 9.�fl . 9 . . . �e3+ 1 0. h8 4.ltJfS ! White wins. Now, however, Black goes over to the counterattack. 1 2. ltJxd6+ .hd6 1 3. 1i'g8+ �f8 1 4. 'flxh7 1i'h6 1 5. 1Vxh6 hh6 1 6. l:[de2 'iite7 1 7. b3 l:[d4 1 8. 'iitb2 b4 1 9.c3? l:[d2+ 20 . .:Xd2 hd2 21 . .:e2 bxc3+

And Black won.

3. hf6 ltJxf6 4. 'flf3 l:[b8 5 . �d3 �b7 6.'ife2 �h8

Black's pieces come to life. 7. l:[ce1 l:[be8 8.ltJf5

White panics. 8 ... 1i'b4 9. 'Wb2 .:co 1 0. l:[g3

Retreating. Often, the move to a counterattack starts with a sacrifice of material (some­ times the return of extra material) and obtaining in return other advantages (an advantage in forces in a certain sector of the board, badly placed enemy pieces) .

1 0 ... 'ii'c3 1 1 . 'ife2

In the event of an exchange of queens, Black's material advantage is enough to win. 1 1 ... l:[g8 1 2. ltJe4 'ii'd 4! 1 3. ltJgS .l:[g7!

Fridrik Olafsson M ikhail Tal Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1 959 (25)

•

Almost imperceptibly, White has diffi­ culties. 1 4. 'it'e3 1Vxe3 1 5 . .:Xe3 l:[c3 1 6. l:[h3 b4 1 7. �g 1 e5 ! 1 8. l:[g3 e4 1 9. �c4 d5 20. �e2 d4 1 . . . g6!

And the powerful passed pawns decided the outcome. 75

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Efim Geller Alexander Panchenko

Veselin Topalov Boris Gelfand

Moscow 1 982

Novgorod 1 997 (B)

•

•

1 . . . .tb7!

Black returns the piece, in the hope of exploiting the bad position of the white king and the white pawn weaknesses. 2.c3 rl.ae8 3.gxf6 bf6 4. -tcs l:f.f7 5 . ltJe4 ltJe7!

Underlining Black's obvious advantage. The knight heads for the eternal outpost on fS , and if it is exchanged, then the strength of the black bishop pair will have its say. In this respect, it was worth considering the forced transition into a queen and rook ending, although here too, the white king is in danger.

White threatens the unpleasant move 2 .1i'd3 with an attack. Gelfand returns the piece, liquidating all the threats and going over to the counterattack: 1 ... ttJxe5 ! 2.fxe5 :XeS 3. bh7

Otherwise the knight comes into the battle with great effect. 3 ... �xh7 4.c5 'ife8 5. 'ifd3+ �e4 6. 'ifd2 'ife6

Having broken in on the light squares, Black wins quickly. 7. l:f.f2 bxcs 8. :Sf1 .:r.ea 9.c4 'ifh3 1 0. �b2 l:f.gS 1 1 . 'ifc3 .:r.es 1 2. 'ife3 l:f.g4 1 3.l:f.c1

6 . �d6 'ifc8 7.rl.ad1 ttJfS 8.i.e5?

A time-trouble oversight.

1 3 ... h5

0-1

There is no defence against ... h5 -h4. 8 . . . .txe4 9. 'ifxe4 ttJg3 ttJxf1 1 1 . �e4 .txes

White resigned. 76

1 0. 'ifg6

Sometimes, returning the extra mate­ rial is essential to a successful defence.

Chapter

Jan Timman Vi ktor Kortchnoi Brussels 1 991 (5)

•

3

-

Counterplay

3. �f3 h5 4. 'ii'e2 l:tb8 5.ttJa4 �f8! 6. l:te1 l:tb4 7.b3 'iti>g7 8.l:tc3 �g4! 9. 'ii'e 3 hf3 1 0. 'ii'xf3 'ifxf3 1 1 . l:txf3 e6 1 2 . l:td 1 tLlf6 1 3.c4 l:tbb8 1 4. l:tfd3 h4!

Creating counterplay on the kingside. 1 5.f3 g5! 1 6. tLlc5 aS 1 7. �2 g4 1 8. l:td6 l:tbc8 1 9. �e3 h3 20. l:tg1 hxg2 21 . l:txg2 l:th3 22. l:tg3 l:txh2 23.fxg4 l:txa2 24.g5 tLlhS 25. l:tf3 l:tg2 26. l:td7

Black has an extra central pawn, but is massively behind in development. There is the very unpleasant threat of tbc3 -e4. Kortchnoi takes the correct decision - he gives back the extra pawn, to complete his development, and grad­ ually equalises. 1 ... d5! 2. hd5 �f5!

Taking the piece would subject Black to a huge attack.

26 .. .'Jilg6 27. l:tfxf7 l:txg5 28. tLle4 l:tg4

Draw.

77

Mastering Chess Middlegomes

Positions for solving

E34 (solution on

page

227)

page

228)

Black to play 78

228)

E37 (solution on

page

228)

page

229)

Black to play

Black to play

E38 (solution on

page

Black to play

Black to play E36 (solution on

E35 (solution on

page

228)

E39 (solution on

Black to play

Chapter

3-

Counterplay

Positions for playing out

P 1 7 (solution on

page

229)

Black to play (20-30 minutes) P1 9 (solution on

page

230)

Black to play (3 0 minutes)

P21 (solution on

page

230)

White to play (3 0 minutes)

P 1 8 (solution on

page

229)

White to play (20-30 minutes) P20 (solution on

page

230)

Black to play (3 0-40 minutes)

P22 (solution on

page

231 )

Black to play (30 -40 minutes) 79

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P23 (solution on

page

231 )

Black to play (45 minutes)

P25 (solution on

page

232)

Black to play (3 0 minutes)

80

P24 (solution on

page

231 )

Black to play (30 minutes)

Chapter 4

Prophylaxis In order not to fall into difficult positions many players prepare in advance for a possible enemy attack, by strengthening the weakest points in their position, so as to be able to beat off the attack and go over to a counterattack. Prophylaxis can also be employed against specific manoeuvres or even moves! The idea of prophylaxis in chess belongs to one of the greatest players of the early 20th century, Aaron Nimzowitsch. This is what he wrote about it in his book My System: 'Prophylaxis is what we call measures which have the aim of preventing certain developments, which are undesirable from the positional viewpoint.' Let us look at several examples from his play.

81

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Carl Schlechter Aaron Nimzowitsch Karlsbad 1 907 (1 7)

•

1 3 ... f5!

The long planned break, without which Black would stand badly. 1 4. fxg4 fxe4 1 6. hh6 l:th8!

1 5. 'ifxh3

exd3

The concluding trick. White resigned. Carl Ahues Aaron Nimzowitsch Kecskemet 1 9 27 ( 1 )

•

1 ... tt:lh8!

Black wants to prevent the possible white attack after f2-f4, and also to exploit the opponent's weakened king­ side, if the chance arises. 2 . ttJg 1 g5 3.g3 tt:lg6 4 . ...d1 �g7 s. 'it'f3 as

In any event, Black prevents White's possible play on the queenside (c3 -c4 and then b2-b4). 6.tLle2 �b5

Black waits, since he has no active play. 7.a4 �d7 8.l:th 1 'it'e8!

Preventing h3 -h4. 9.h4

White plays it anyway, leading to his defeat. Better was 9.'(i'g2! . 9 ... ...c8 1 0. �d3 �g4 1 1 . 'it'g2 gxh4 1 2.f3 ( 1 2 .gxh4 .l:!.g8) 1 2 ... h3 1 3. 'iff1

Black's plan includes playing ... tt:Jcs fol­ lowed by ... a5 -a4 and ... a4-a3 . This does not work at once because of 2.fxe5 dxeS 3 .d6 cxd6 4.'ifxd6 with counterplay for White. 1 ... tt:lh5 !

Black tries to force g2-g3 , so as to deprive the knight on f3 of defence! 2.g3

Better is 2 .. �e2 , since it is dangerous for Black to accept the pawn sacrifice after 2 ... exf4 3.exf4 tLlxf4 4.'ifxf4 �xc3 S . .ixc3 'ifxe2 - the bishop on e3 is very strong, whilst if 2 ... tt:Jc5 , then 3 .fxe5 dxeS 4.d6 cxd6 S .'ii'xd6 'ifxd6 6. l::rxd6 �h6 7.tbdl with an unclear position. 2 . . . tLlc5

Now this is possible! 3 . j.e2 a4 4.b4 a3 ! S . j.a1 tLle4 6. tt:lxe4 fxe4 7. tt:lg5 exf4 8. bg7 'ifxg7 9. 'it'd4 f3 1 0. �f1 l:tfe8 1 1 . �h3

82

Chapter

l l .tLlxe4 �xe4. 1 1 ... .tc8 1 2 . .b:c8 l:.axc8 1 3.b5 :es 1 4. tbe6 'iVe7 1 5. �b1 t£Jg7 1 6. t£Jf4 'fi'd7

4 - Prophylaxis

king is seriously weakened) 4 ... ti:Jh7 (if he wishes, Black can force a draw with 4 ...'ifxh3 5 .gxf6 'ifg3+ and perpetual check, or he can play for the attack with 5 ... ti:Jf5 , although this is risky). 3 . . . h5!

Now White cannot play g2-g4. 4. �d2

4.'ifh4 is bad because of 4 ...tt:Jfs s .'ifgs lLlh7 6.'iYxh5 tLlg3 , winning the exchange. 4 . . . 1i'f5!

With the idea of 'i¥f5 -h7 and then h4, blockading the white pawns. 1 7.h4

The threat was 17 ... g5 , but now the pawn on g3 is weakened. 1 7 ... t£Jf5 1 8.'.,c3 tiJxg3 1 9 . .1:.hg1 t£Jh5 20. tbe6 tjjg 7 2 1 . t£Jd4 .1:.18

White resigned in view of 22 .'ifxa3 �h5 23 . .l:lhl 'ifg4 24J1dgl .l:lxh4! 25.�xg4 .l:!xhl+ and 26 .. .f2 .

5. e3 ttJxe1 1 9 . .be1 ttJxeS

More tenacious is 1 9 ... �f8 . 20. �g3 f6 2 1 . ttJxe6+ 'iii>d 7 22. tLlf8+ e8

Or 22 .. .'�c8 2 3 . 1txe5 fxe5 24 . .!:!.xh l l:rxhl 25 .tLlg6 , and White wins. 23. �xe5 fxe5 24. l:.a3!

4

-

Prophylaxis

7. 'ifd2 ttJxf4 8. 'ifxf4 'ifxf4 9.gxf4 :Xh3 1 0. g2 .l:.h5 1 1 . .1:.h 1 :Xh1 1 2. :Xh1 �e7! 1 3. �f2 as 1 4. tt::Jd 2 �f7 1 5. tLlf1 a4 1 6 . tLld2 �g6 1 7. �e2 �f5 1 8 . .1:.g 1 axb3 1 9.axb3 .l:.a2

With the idea of 20 ... I;lc2 and .. J�k3. 20. l:.c1 �d6 21 . �e3

1 -0

German Titov Leonid Yudasin Kostroma 1 985 (1 3)

•

21 . . . �g4

White resigned: the threat of 22 ... d4+ is extremely unpleasant.

It seems as though Black has a diffi­ cult position. On l .. . .!ig6 there would follow 2.tLlxg5 tLlxe5 (or 2 ... 1txg5 3 . 1txg5 .l:txh3 4. 1ih4! tt:Jxe5 5 .'i�Ye2! tLld7 6.'i�Yg4) 3 . 1tf4 1td6 4.'i�Ye2 tLld7 5.tt:Jxe6!, and White wins. Yudasin produces a beautiful, very strong move, which is extremely hard to find.

Often, one only needs to find one or two prophylactic moves, in order to strengthen the position or obtain the advantage, and also to prevent the opponent carrying out his plans. Bukhuti G u rgenidze Lev Polugaevsky Tbilisi 1 956 ( 1 8)

D

1 ... �g8!

Black's main weakness is the pawn on e6, so he defends it in depth. 2. hg5

Black also has a good position after 2.tLlxg5 tLlxe5 3 . .!if4 1td6 followed by ... tt:Jg6. 2 ... �xg5 3.ttJxg5 ttJxeS 4 . tLlf4 'ifd6 5.c4

Better is 5 .g3 �d4 29. cofi>g4 e3 30. l:tae1 'ii'e7 31 . 'ifhS bc3 32.bxc3 l:td2 33. l:tg 1 'ii'e4 34. 'ifcS l:tg2+ 35. l:txg2 ._,xg2+ 36. �f5 'ii'e 4+ 37. �g4 'iff3+ 0-1

Kasparov became World Champion by winning in an analogous structure in the final game of his 1 985 match against Karpov. Anatoly Karpov Garry Kaspa rov Moscow 1 985 (24)

1 5 ... l:te8! 1 6. �f3 'ii'c7 1 7. 'ii'g 2 �b7 1 a.hs tt::la s

1 .e4 c5 2. tt::lf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. tt::lxd 4 tt::lf6 5.lZ:lc3 a6 6. �e2 e6 7.0-0 �e7 8.f4 0-0 9. �h1 'ifc7 1 0.a4 ltJc6 1 1 . �e3 l:te8 1 2. �f3 l:tb8 1 3 . ...d2 �d7 1 4. tt::lb 3 b6 1 5.g4 �c8 1 6.g5 tt::ld 7 1 7. 'ii'f2 �fa

White tries to get at the enemy king, but this is difficult: 1 9.g6 fxg6 20.hxg6 h6

White's attack has come to nothing. 2 1 . 'ii' h 3 ltJc4!

Going over to a counterattack against the weakened white king. 22. �g4

Nor is 22 .'ifxe6+ any better. 22 . . . tt::lxe3 23. he6+ �h8 24. 'ifxe3 d5 25. 'ifh3 dxe4 26. �f7 �c5+ 27. �h2 l:ted8

For the moment, Black is defending. 1 8. �g2 �b7 1 9.l:tad1 g6 20. �c1 !

Preparing the rook transfer to h3 . 20 ... l:tbc8

Better is 20 ... l2Jc5 (see the game Polovodin-Panchenko) : 2 1 .l2Jxc5 bxcS n J:[d3 l2Jd4 23 . .Uh3 �e7 ! . 2 1 . l:td3 tt::lb 4 22. l:th3 �g7

It was worth considering 22 .. .f5 ! ? 23 .gxf6 l2Jxf6 24.f5 (24.�d4 e S 25 .�xb4 dS 26.l2Jxd5 tbxdS and 27 ... l2Jxf4) 24 ... exf5 25.exf5 .ig7 with complications. 93

Mastering Chess Middlegames

23. �e3?

Stronger is 23 .f5 .

37... tt:lb4! wins at once. 38 . .:Xe6 .:Xb2 39. 'ifc4 '1Ph8 40.e5

More tenacious was 40.I!xe8+ 'iYxe8 41 .tt:ld l . 40 ... 'ifa7+ 41 . 'iit h 1 hg2+ 42. 'iitx g2 tt:Jd4+

White resigned.

23 ... l:.e7!

Such moves are always striking. 24. 'iitg 1 l:.ce8! 25. l:.d 1 f5!

Of course, one should not jump to the conclusion that such a set-up with ... l:i'.e8 , ... �f8 , ... tt:ld7 is always harmless for Black. White has a good deal more space and has every right to expect to develop the initiative and create an attack. But he needs to show inventive­ ness. Here is a characteristic example.

Black goes for the counterattack. 26.gxf6 ttJxf6

Of course, not 26 ... �xf6 2 7.'iYd2. 27. l:.g3 l:.f7 28. hb6 'ilb8 29. �e3 tt:lh5 30. l:.g4

If 30.�f3 , then 30 ...tt:lf6 with equality, but White had to win this game to save the world title.

Alexey Shirov Judit Polgar Tilburg 1 996 (9)

0

30 ... tt:lf6 31 . l:.h4 g5! 32.fxg5 tt:lg4! ? 33. 'ifd2 ttJxe3 34. 'ifxe3 ttJxc2 35. 'ifb6

Best, else 35 ...'iYa7 and 36 ... tt:le3 . 35 . . . .b8

If it were Black to play, then after l ...tt:leS everything would be in order for him. But... 1 . tlJxe6! fxe6 2 . �h5 g6

If 2 ...'iYd8 , then 3.fxe6 tt:le5 (or 3 ... tt:lc5 4. �xc5 dxc5 s . .l:f.xf8+ I:!.xf8 6.'iYxd8 �xd8 7.e7) 4. �f7+ �h8 S. �xe8 'iYxe8 6.tt:ld5 . 36 . .:Xd6?

After 36 .'iYxb8 l:!.xb8 3 7.�h3 White can still fight on. 36 ... l:.b7! 37. 'ifxa6 .:Xb3 94

3.fxg6 l:.e7

3 ... hxg6 4. �xg6 Ile7 s.'iYhs 6 . .l:txf8+! �xf8 7.'ifh8#. 4.tt:ld5!

tt:les

Chapter

Shirov conducts energetically!

the

attack

very

4 ... exd5 5. 'ii'x d5+ �h8

S...�g7 6 . .l::!.f7+. 6.gxh7

With the idea of 7.VJ/ig8#. 6 ... .:Xh7 7.�g6 �g7

7 .. J:!.g7 8 . ..td4. 8. bh7

8 ... 'ii'd 8

Mate results from 8 ... �xh7 9.g6+!. 9 . ..tf5 lLle 5 1 0. 'ii'd 1 ! bf5 1 1 .exf5 'ii'e 8 1 2.g6 tLlg4 1 3. �d4 'ii'e4 1 4.f6 tbc6 1 5.fxg7+ �g8 1 6 . .l:[f8+ .:Xf8 1 7.gxf8'ii'+ �xf8 1 8. 'ii'f 1 +

Black resigned.

Vassily lvanchuk Vesel i n Topalov Novgorod 1 996 (8)

4

-

Prophylaxis

The only move which permits White to fight for the initiative. Nothing comes from l. .�c7 .l:f.c8 2.�b7 .!:i.b8 . 1 . . . tLlxa7

Bad is l ...fxg6 2 . ..tgs ..te7 (2 ...VJ/ic8 3 . �c7 V/!ia6 4.VJ!ic3) 3 .tLlxe7+ tt::lxe7 4.VJ!if4 ..te6 s .VJ!ih4 or l ...hxg6 2 . klxf7! ..te6 3 . ..tgs ..te7 4.tt::lxe7+ tt::lx e7 s .VJ!if4 VJ!id7 6 . .l:f.xg7+! �xg7 7. ..tf6+. A stronger idea is l ...f6 2 . .l::!.c 7 and now 2 ... !!c8 3 .Ilxc6 .l:f.xc6 4.tLlxf6+ VJ!ixf6 S .VJ!idS+ �h8 6.VJ/ixc6 with a big advan­ tage; 2 ... ..td7 3 .tLlxf6+ (3 .gxh7+ �h8 4.VJ!ic3 tLleS S . l:ral) 3 ... gxf6 4.VJ!idS+ �h8 S .gxh7 ..te7 6Jhc6 ..txc6 7.V/!ixc6 is also bad for Black, but a possibility is 2 ... tt::le 7 3 .gxh7+ �h8 4. l::ta l tLlxdS S.VJ!ixdS. However, the most solid is 2 ... tLleS 3 .gxh7+ �h8 4.VJ!if2 ..te6 s . .!::l.c 3 . 2.gxf7+ �h8 3.�g5! 'ii'd 7

3 ... �e7 4.tt::lxe7 ..txe7 s .VJ/if4. 4.fxe8tLl! ? :XeS

4 .. .'iYxe8 s .tt::lf6! gxf6 6 . ..txf6+ �g8 7.eS! ..te6 8 . ..tds . 5 . 'ii'f2 �g8 6.e5! h6

Or 6 ... ..te6 7.tLlf4 ..tc4 8 .e6; 6 ... tt::lc 8 7.tLlc7 VJ!ixc7 8 . ..tdS+; 6 ... dxe5 7.tLlb6 'iYc7 8 . ..tdS+. 7. tLlb6 'ii'c 7 8. �d5+ �h7

8 ...�h8 9.'iYxf8+. 9. �e4+ �g8 1 0. ttJd5 'ii'd 7

0

1 .g6!

1 -0 95

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Positions for solving

E40 (solution on

page

232)

Black to play (5 -7 minutes) E42 (solution on

page

233)

White to play (1 2- 1 5 minutes)

E44 (solution on

page

233)

White to play (IS minutes) 96

E41 (solution on

page

232)

Black to play (1 0 - 1 2 minutes) E43 (solution on

page

233)

White to play (8- 1 0 minutes)

E45 (solution on

page

234)

White to play (5 -7 minutes)

Chapter

E46 (solution on

page

234)

White to play (12- 1 5 minutes)

E48 (solution on

page

234)

White to play (12- 1 5 minutes)

E50 (solution on

page

235)

Black to play ( 1 0 - 1 2 minutes)

E47 (solution on

page

4 - Prophylaxis

234)

White to play: what plan? ( 1 0 - 1 2 minutes)

E49 (solution on

page

235)

Black to play (5 -7 minutes)

E51 (solution on

page

235)

Black to play ( 1 0 - 1 2 minutes) 97

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E52 (solution on

page

235)

Black to play (White's last move was �c2-cl)

98

Chapter 5

Realising an advantage Why do many players prove unable to realise a material or positional advantage, sometimes even a very large one? This is a question which has interested many people. Lasker considered that winning a won game was the hardest thing in chess, and less experienced players find realising an advantage especially difficult. We will examine the main factors which influence the player who has the advan­ tage, and try to understand why winning positions are often not won. Having obtained an advantage, often a decisive one, players tend to relax in anticipation of the victory which is on hand. After every move, he expects his op­ ponent to resign, and finds it hard to force himself to think hard. In such circum­ stances , it is easy to overlook something. The opponent, on the other hand, having a worse position and nothing much to lose, begins to play very inventively. Thus, we get a situation where the player with the advantage is marking time, whilst the defender is giving it 1 0 0%. The chances gradually equalise out.

99

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Samuel Reshevsky Efi m Geller Zurich 1 953 (24)

•

Finally throwing away the win. Again, l l. . l:ia8! still wins. 1 1 . . . l:e3+ 1 2.< �f2 l:a3 1 3.g3

1 3 . �xf5+ �xh4 14 . .l:lg5 .l::i.a 2+ 1 5 .�e3 .l:Ie2+ is also insufficient. 1 3 ... l:f3+! 1 4. �e2 :Xg3 1 S. :XfS+ �xh4 1 6. �f2 l:a3 1 7. l:gS l:b3 1 8. l:g1 rJthS 1 9. rJte2 l:a3 20.fS :as

Draw. Artur Jussupow Alexander Panchen ko Kiev 1 984

White's position is completely winning. Reshevsky, convinced that his opponent would soon resign, starts to relax. And watch what this leads to.

•

1 ... :e1

Trying to bother White. 2.f4 l:e3 3.l:g4 �h7 4.l:g3 :e2 S.h4?

This move does not throw away the win, but it complicates White's task. He could win easily with 5 . �a3 followed by 6.�g3 . S ... l:e4 6. l:f3 f6 7 .exf6 gxf6 8. �g3?

«Considering that he can win however he wants, Reshevsky plays carelessly in time-trouble. He should prefer 8 .g4» (Bronstein). 8 ... �g6 9.l:a3 fS 1 0. l:a6+?

1 0 . l::ra 8 ! still wins. 1 0 ... �hS 1 1 . l:f6?

Black could resign, which he wanted to do without resumption, but the game continued. Jussupow thought he could win however he wished, and he fell into the only trap, after which the game turns out to be drawn. 1 ... fS

The sealed move. 2 . �2

Simpler is 2 .g4. 2 . . . �d6 3 . .ib7 �cs

Black's only chance. 4.g4 exf3 S.gxfS gxfS 6. rJtxf3 �bS 7.d6 ttJe6 8 . .ic8 ttJd8 9. �4 rJtxaS 1 0. �xfS b 6 1 1 .e4 aS 1 2.eS rJtcS 1 3 . ..td7

1 3 .�f6! ends the game at once. 1 3 ... tt:lb7 1 4. rJte6 rJtd4 1 S . ..tc6

1 5 . .ia4! wins. 1 S ... ttJd8+ 1 6. rJtd7?? 1 00

Chapter 5

- Realising an advantage

Winning is 14.t2JgS ! 'ifd7 1 S .'ife2. 1 4 . . . 'ife6 1 5. �h3

Better is 1 S J :kd2 or 1 5 J le2, and White should win. 1 5 ... d4 1 6. ttJe4??

Here too, good is 1 6 . l::i.cd2; one should point out that White was not in time-trouble. 1 6 ... 'ifb3 ! 1 7. :tc5 :tf4 1 6 ... �xe5 !

Believing in a quick win, White had missed this move. 1 6.�f6 or 1 6.\t>fs tbxc6 1 7.e6 was still sufficient. 1 7. 'iti>xd8 �xd6

%-Y2

Alexander Panchenko Elizbar Ubilava Beltsi 1 979

0

1 8. tbf6+ !

The only way to hold the position. 1 8 ... .b:f6 1 9. 'ifxf4 'ifxd 1 20. 1i'xf6 1i'h1 + 21 . �g4 'ife4+ 22. �h3

22.'iff4? fS+ 23 .�g5 'ti'e7+. 22 ... 'ifh 1 +

¥2-Y:!

Even great players sometimes relax in winning positions. Two examples from World Championship matches. 1 .f5 tfjg5

I . ..tbf8 or I ...tbd8 both fail to save him because of 2.f6 or L � ,h4. 2 . .b:c5 :XeS 3.h4 liJxe4 4. 'ifxe4 'ifd8 5.fxg6 hxg6

White has an extra piece, and simply could not decide what Black was hoping for. Expecting immediate resignation, he just plays 'his own moves'. In the end, this led to an oversight.

Anatoly Karpov Viktor Kortchnoi Baguio 1 978 (22)

0

6. taic3 .l:[hS 7.g3 .ie5 8. �g2 e6 9. 'iff3 'ife7 1 O. ttJe4 :td8!

Remaining cold-blooded. 1 1 . :tc2 :tf5 1 2. 'ifg4 d5 1 3.cxd5 exd5 1 4. ttJec3 101

Mastering Chess Middlegames

White considered that he could win any old how and was careless: 1 . .te3?

After this, the game ended in a draw, although White missed several more chances to convert a decisive advantage. He could have won immediately with I . !Id3 tt:Jgs 2..�.xgS hxgS 3 . .l::tc l !Ia6 4 . .l::i.c 8+ �h7 S . .l::th 3#. On 3 ... .i:!.ad8 there is 4. l:tc6 with the idea of �bl -c2-b3. Mikhail Botvinnik David Bronstein Moscow 1 951 (9)

0

Better is 1 0 .4Jc3 . 1 0 . . . Aa8

And the game ended in a draw. When playing a game, one must not relax in any position. That way, one's tournament results will be significantly better.

Marking time Very often, after obtaining an advan­ tage or a winning position, the player switches off. He starts marking time, avoiding undertaking anything com­ mittal or decisive, thinking the win is just a matter of time. But games never win themselves - they have to be won. «The player with an advantage is obliged to attack (play decisively) , on pain of losing his advantage» (Steinitz). Mikhail Botvinnik Machgielis Euwe Leningrad 1 934 (5)

1 .b6! .txa4

0

Or l ...cxb6 2 .4Jxb6 .ixb6 3 .Vi'xb6 tt:JxdS 4.'iVxd6 with a winning position. 2.b7 bb3 3.bxa8'if .tb6 4.axb3

With an extra rook, it is easy to presume that Botvinnik expected his opponent to resign, but the latter played on ... 4 . . . 'ifb5 5. ttJc3 'ifxb3 6 . .:Xa6

There is an easy win with 6.0-0 f4 7.Whl fxe3 8 . .icl or 6 ...Vi'xb2 7. l::r.a 2 Vi'b3 8 .l::r.b l Vi'c4 9 . .ifl . Of course, there were other ways too. 6 ... lbxa6 7. 'ifxa6 lbxd5 8. 1fa4

«Both 8 .Vi'e2 and 8 .4Jxd5 Vi'xdS 9.�e2 f4 I O .Vi'd3 win without any special difficulty. Striving to exchange queens immediately gives the opponent chances to save the position» (Botvinnik). 8 ... 1fxa4 9. lbxa4 be3 1 0 . .tf1

1 02

White's position is better, but he needs to act resolutely. Instead, he dallies and loses his advantage. 1 .h3 'WaS 2. '0ti>h2 'ife8

Black waits. 3 . .1:r.f3?

Better was 3 .e6! f6 (3 .. .fxe6 4.f6!) 4 . .tf4, increasing his advantage. 3 . . . .ta5!

Earlier this was impossible due to .l::tfl -a l .

Chapter 5

-

Realising an advantage

4 . ..tf4 ..tc7 5.l:l.f1 l:l.a8 6.l:l.e1 1!Vc6

Black has regrouped and the worst is already behind him. 7.e6

7.f6 gxf6 8 .exf6 l:!'.g8 . 7. . . bf4 8. 1!Vxf4 fxe6 9.fxe6

9.f6 'iYd7. 9 . . . l:l.e8 1 0.e7 h6 1 1 . 1i'f5 1i'd6+ 1 2.'1ti>h1 '1fi>g8 1 3.l:l.e6 1i'd7 1 4. 1i'e5

Draw. Steinitz considered that many players mark time in this way through a lack of combinative ability. The next example underlines this.

after which he was already somewhat worse. Even so, he continued to play for a win, which, in the end, led him to defeat in a long endgame.

Alexander Panchenko H eikki Westerinen

Alexander Panchenko Vadim Ruba n

Las Palmas 1 978 ( 1 0)

Smolensk 1 986

0

White has an advantage in development and his pieces are ideally placed. In this situation, he should look for a deci­ sive continuation, otherwise Black will equalise. For example, he can win with the simple l. . l::f.xf7! �xf7 ( l . . . �xh6 2.'ifxh6 �xf7 3 .ti:Jg5+) 2.ti:Jg5+ �f8 (2 ... �g8 3 .tDxe4 'i'Ve7 4.ti:Jf6+ 'iYxf6 S . �xdS+) 3 .tDxe4 'i'Ve7 4.'iVf3+ �g8 s .ti:Jf6+ 'iVxf6 6.'iYxf6 �xf6 7. .!txd5+ and 8 . �xa8 . However, White played 'solidly': 1 . l:l.dc1 ? tba6 2 . .1:1.7c6 11fe7 3. hg7 '1fi>xg7 4.a3 b4 5.axb4 'ifxb4

•

Black's posltlon is clearly better White has a weak king and his pieces are poorly placed. Black could achieve success by energetic action: L.JheS! 2.'iYxa6 fS ! (also good is 2 ...'iVg5+ 3 .�hl 'iYd2) 3 .exf5 (3 .'iVe2? fxe4 4.l:!.xf8+ 'iVxf8 S .a6 'iYf3 6.'iYxf3 exf3 7. �d3 l:!'.el+ 8J:he l f2+) 3 ...'iVg5+ 4.�hl �g3 S .hxg3 (S .'iYd3 �e3 6.'iVd2 'iYhs or s . .l::r.g l 'iVd2! 6.l::!.xg3 l:!.e l + 7. l::rg l 'iVxdS+ 8 . �e4 'iYxe4#) S ...'iVxg3 , and White is defenceless. For example, 6. 1:!'.a4 l:!.e3 ! 7. �e4 'iVh3+ 8 .�gl .l::rg3+ 9.�f2 .l:lxfS+! l O . �xfS 1 03

Mastering Chess Middlegames

l:tg2+ l l .�el 'ife3+ 1 2 .'iit>d l "f/d2#, or 6."fid3 I:!e3 7."fid2 'iYh4+ s .g i llg3+ 95�1f2 .l::f.d3+, or 6 ."fic4 �e3 7.d6+ Wh8 8 ."f/f4 "fih3+ 9.'i!tgl �g3+ I O.Wf2 "f/g2+ l l .'etel �e8+ 1 2 .'etdl "fie2+ 1 3 .Wcl .l:!.c3+ 14.bxc3 b2#. Instead of this, Black goes in for an unsuccessful queen manoeuvre, losing time and reaching an inferior position: 1 ... 'ifg5+?! 2. h 1 'ifd4?!

'ifxe5 3. �d3

lose the advantage. It is very important not to miss the moment to go over to active operations. This ability usually comes with experience. Yakov M eister Rumiantsev Rostov·on-Don 1 981

0

3 .. .f5 was significantly stronger. 4. l:fd1 'ifb4? 5.d6 :es 6.d7 �g7 7. ba6 :Xe4 a. 'ifb5! :aa?

Whilst Black has been running on the spot, White has activated his forces. After the text move, Black's position becomes difficult. Equality came from 8 ... �f6 9.'i¥xb4 .l::rxb4 I O . .l::f.d 2 followed by l l . �cl . 9. 'ifxb4 :Xb4 1 o .tea l:bb8 1 1 .a6 :XeS 1 2.dxe8'W :XeS 1 3. l:d7 :as 1 4.a7 .

Yakov Meister, having played the first part of the game well and obtained an advantage, now played 1 .bxe7+?

without thinking, which led to a draw. After the preliminary I . I;iaS ! ?, attacking the cS -pawn, Black would have had a difficult game.

TEXTBOOK POSITION

•

1 4 ... i.f2

He could prolong resistance only by 14 ... c4! I S . I;icl i.f2 1 6 . .l:!.xc4 llxa7 17 . .l::l.x a7 i.xa7 1 8 . I;ib4. 1 5. l:f1 i.d4 1 6. l:fxf7+ 1 7. :Xh7+ �g5 1 8. l:h3

�h6

And Black resigned. As we have seen, sometimes one only needs to dither for one or two moves to 1 04

Black's position is winning. However, trying for a beautiful finish with 1 . . . l:g6?

Chapter 5

leads to a draw after 2.c6+! bxc6 3. lb:f2

There is a simple win with l ...�e7 2. �f3 �g6+ 3 .�xb7 .l::f.f6. Moves which seem obvious and strike one in the eye always need to be thought about. Often, having obtained the advantage, a player will not only try to win quickly, for which purpose he just plays the obvious moves without thinking, but also wants to win beau­ tifully. This frequently leads to disaster. Here are several examples. Ratmir Kholmov Ole Jakobsen Kislovodsk 1 972 (4)

D

-

Realising an advantage

Igor Polovodi n Zigurds Lanka Riga 1 980

D

In this position, White resigned because he cannot avoid a pawn ending: Lifxb2 �xb2+ 2.�e3 .l::i.xf2 3 .�xf2? �b6. However, with the move 3 .d7! , White wins. So Black has to play 2 ... .l::i.b7, but after 3 .�e4 the passed pawn in com­ bination with the activity of the white king and rook are more than enough to secure a win! Igor Glek Vladimir Lazarev Porto San Gorgio 1 997 (6)

White played

D

1 . .tf3! l:d3 2. 'iff6 'ii' b7 3.h5

and Black resigned after 3 ... gxh5 4. 'ifxe5 1 -0

But the attempt to win brilliantly after I...t xg6+ fxg6 2 .'ife7+ �h6 3 . l:tc7 only leads to a draw by perpetual check after 3 .. J 1dl+! 4.�g2 �fl + 5 .�f3 l:ld3+ 6 .�g4 �e2+ 7.f3 �xf3 + 8 .�h3 �g4+ 9.�xg4 I;lxg3 +! 1 0.�xg3 'i!Ye3+. Sometimes players resign in drawn or even winning positions. Here are two examples.

After 1 . lb:f8+

Black resigned, not seeing in the variation l ...�xf8 2 . �c5+ the move 2 ... .l:!e7! ! 3. �xe7+ �e8 , and it is Black who wins. 1 05

Mastering Chess Middlegarnes

Time trouble It is obvious that in conditions of time shortage, it is possible not only to squander an advantage, but even to lose the most overwhelming positions. The main reasons why players fall into time-trouble are as follows: 1 . Uncertainty in oneself and one's strengths, excessive sensibility. 2. The desire to find the absolutely best move in every position. 3 . Poor knowledge of openings, typical middlegame positions and endgames. 4. The importance of the game or event. S. Insufficient tournament practice, long intervals between playing.

How to get rid of time-trouble? This is not easy, but it can be done. The following steps are essential: - Believe in yourself and do not fear any opponent. - Try to play every game at the same strength. - Try in any position to play 'solid, strengthening' moves, even if they are not the very strongest. Finding the very best move is hard, especially in time-trouble. - Before the tournament, especially after a long break from playing, it is essential to play a few training games with the usual time limit or a rapid one (15-30 minutes). Blitz is also helpful. If you still fall into time-trouble, try to play solidly. Before reaching serious time-trouble, try to play your moves a bit more quickly. If your opponent is in time-trouble, never try to match his speed of play. He is internally pre­ pared and focussed on playing quickly, 1 06

whereas you are not. The chances of making a mistake in such situations is much greater. In the opponent's time-trouble, try to make moves in series (3 -4 moves at a time) . In any event, you need strong nerves.

Effective realisation ofan advantage In order to realise effectively an advan­ tage obtained in previous play, you need good combinational vision (so as to be able to find knockout blows) , and, of course, good technique, with a knowledge of typical positions and plans. It is very important not to forget that you must never relax and start waiting for the game to win itself. We will look at typical ways of realising an advantage.

Decisiveness Quite often in a game, one player will obtain an advantage in strength in one area of the board. This is possible in the following circumstances: superiority in development, the enemy king left to its fate, badly placed pieces, etc. All of these factors are temporary. Dithering squanders the advantage.

«If you have a strength, you must at­ tack, else the strength will assume a hidden character and will cease to mat­ ter>> (Em. Lasker). It is essential to identify the moment to go over to decisive action, so as not to be too late. This often involves material sacrifices. In the following classical game, one of the most beautiful com­ binations in the history of chess was played.

Chapter 5

-

Realising an advantage

1 9. 'ifd6#

William Steinitz Curt von Bardeleben

However, not all of these moves were actually played - after 7.I:rf7+ the shat­ tered Curt von Bardeleben just quit the tournament hall and let his time run out.

Hastings 1 895 (1 0)

D

Dusan Rajkovic M laden M use Athens 1 985

D 1 .d5! cxd5

After l ...�f7 2 .dxc6 tt:lxc6 3 .!::i.cdl White has a clear advantage. 2 . 0d4 �7 3 . ltJe6 l:hc8

He is not saved by 3 ... tt:lc6 4.tLlc5 'YWc8 S .'ifhS+ g6 6."1llfxd5+ �g7 7.4Je6+, and White has a winning attack. Black just needs to play the single move ... tt:lg8-e7, and his position will be normal. White prevents this by sacrificing a piece.

4. 'ifg4! g6 S. ltJQS+! 'it>e8

1 . l:ab1 b6 2 . .bb6! cxb6 3. :Xb6 l:dB

3 ... h5 was worth considering. 4. l:b8+ 'it>c7 5.1:1 b7+ 'it>c6 6. :Xd8 'it>xb7 7. '1t>g2

Preferable is 7.h4!, fixing the black pawns. 7 ... 'it>c7 B . l:fB 'it>d7 1 0. l:b8 h5 1 1 .h4

6. :Xe7+ ! ! �8!

9.a4!

g8 8. l:g7+! 'it>h8

8 ... �f8 9.tLlxh7+. 9. :Xh7+ 'it>g8 1 1 . 'ifh4+! 'it>xg7 1 3. 'ifh8+ 'it>e7 1 5. 'ifg8+ 'it>e7 1 7. 'iff8+ 'ilea

1 0. l:g7+ 1 2. 'ifh7+ 1 4. 'ifg7+ 1 6. 'iff7+ 1 8. lLlf7+

'it>h8 �8 d7 1 07

Mastering Chess Middlegames

1 1 ... l:lh6

The only move. He loses immediately after I l ...f6 1 2 .a5 �f7 1 3 .a6. 1 2. l:lxg8 .:as 1 3. l:lxg7 l:lxa4 1 4. l:.g5 :S3 1 5. l:lxh5 l:lxc3 1 6. l:lc5 h8 1 0J la3 ttJf4 l l .l:!xf4.

- Realising an advantage

Vladimir Kramnik Mikhail Ulibin Chalkidiki 1 992 (9)

1 0. 'ifxe6! lbxb6

He is also not saved by 1 O ... tt:Jf4 l l. .�xf4 exf4 1 2 .'iVh6+ �e7 (12 ... �g8 1 3 . .td4 f6 14.'iVxf6 'iVc7 1 S .'iVh8+ �f7 16 . .l:Iel !) 1 3 .l:!el+ �d7 14.'iVh3+ with a quick mate.

0

1 1 . 'ifh6+! e7 1 2. 'ifh4+ fB

Or 1 2 ... �d7 1 3 . �adl+ �c7 14.'iVe7+ ttJd7 1 S . .l:i.xf7 .l:Id8 1 6.'iVcs#. 1 3. 'ilb4+! g8 1 4. :S3 e4

14 ... .l::tc 6 1 S .l::tg3+ �h7 1 6 .'iYf8 . 1 5.axb6

1 .g5! hxg5 2.hxg5 tbxg5 3. �c6 .l:r.c8 4 . .1:r.h 1 gB 5 . :Sa1 !

White obtains excellent attacking pros­ pects for the pawn. 5 . . . tbce6

On S .. .f6 there follows 6 . �d5+ ttJf7 7. l:Iagl \t>f8 8 . .l::lh 7 with the threat of 9. .txf6. 6 . .1:r.h4 f6 7 . .1:r.g1 f7

Or 7... ttJh7 8 . llghl ttJef8 9. �e4 g6 l O . .tdS+, and there is no defence against the advance f2-f4-f5 . 1 5 ... �b5

It was essential to play 1 S ... .l:i.c6! 1 6 . l:!g3+ 'tixg3 1 7.hxg3 �e6 1 8 .�f4 .tc6 1 9. �g4+ I:tg6 20Jhg6+ fxg6 2 1 .'tid6 �f7 22 .'tif4+ r:Ji;g7 23 .g4, and White still has some work to do to real­ ise his advantage.

8. �d5 eB 9 . .1:r.h8+ tlJfB 1 0.14 ttJe6 1 1 . f3

It was also possible to win with 1 1 . .txe6 �xe6 1 2 . .l:i.xg7. 1 1 . . .f5 1 2 . .1:r.g6

1 6 . .1:r.f5! .l:r.c6 1 7 . .1:r.g3+ .l:r.g6?

Here too, he had to part with the queen: 17 ... 'tixg3 1 8.hxg3 lte8 19 . .klg5+ .l:tg6 20 . .l:i.xg6+ fxg6. 1 8 . .1:r.xg6+ fxg6 1 9. 'ilb3+ ! h8 20 . .1:r.f7 'ifcB 21 . 'ifg3 'iff5 22. 'ifc3+

Black resigned. In a winning position, decisiveness can even be required when the queens are off the board.

1 2 . . . tbc5

1 2 ... �d7 1 3 . .tc6+. 1 1 1

Mastering Chess Middlegames

1 3 . .txg7 l:.f7 1 4. bf8

Black resigned, as he loses a rook.

Alexander Kotov Herman Pilnik Stockholm 1 952 (9)

Playing for a squeeze If an immediate attack is not possible, then one must play to gradually strengthen the position, seize space, create weaknesses in the enemy position and only then go over to decisive action. In a superior position, there is almost always a way to strengthen the position further. This usually involves advancing pawns. One also needs in such cases to prevent the opponent's counterplay. Tatiana Zatulovskaya Maya Chibu rdanidze Lvov 1 977

•

0

White's position is better (because of the a6-pawn) , but one weakness is not a lot - he needs to create another on the kingside. 1 . lLlb4 'itte7 2 . ..te2 'iir>d 8 3 . lLld3 lLld7 4.f4 « . . . White, by advancing his kingside pawns, strengthens his position on that side of the board as well» (Kotov) .

4 . . . -tcs 5.g4 tt:Jt6 s . ..tt3 l:.b7 7. 'iir>c3 l:.c7+ 8. 'ittb3 l:.b7+ 9. lLlb4 l:.c7 1 O.g5! hxg5 1 1 .fxg5 lLld7

l l ...ti:Je8 1 L�e2. 1 2.h4 g6 13 . ..te2 lLlb8 1 4. lLld3 'iir>e7 1 5. tlJe5 lLlc6 1 6. 'iir> b2 ! l:.b7+

Black's position is superior, on account of her active king and the weak pawns on a3 and b4. She increases her advan­ tage by means of an advance of the kingside pawns. 1 ...g5! 2. 'iite2 g4 3. c.tf2 .te5 4. 'iite2 f4 5.hxg4 hxg4 6.�1 'itte6 7. 'itte2 c;itt5 8. c;itt 1 .td4 9. 'itte2 c;l;le5! 1 0. c;itt 1 f3! 1 1 .gxf3 gxf3 1 2 . .th6 'ittd5 1 3 . .tf8 c;l;le6 1 4. 'iite 1 �5 1 5. c;itt1 �4 0-1 1 6 . .th6+ 'iio>g4 1 7. .tf8 .tb2

In the following endgame, White increases his advantage in an analogous fashion. 1 12

16 ... tt:Jxe5 1 7.dxe5 followed by 1 8 . I:!.fl and 1 9.h5 , fixing on the point f7. 1 7. 'iir>c3 'iir>d 6 1 8. lLlxc6

Not 1 8 . .ixa6? l::rc 7!. 1 8 ... l:.c7 1 9. 'iir>d 2 .:.XeS

Chapter 5

20. l:tf1 l:tc7 21 .h5 gxh5 22 . .bh5 l:tb7 23. 'i1tc3 l:tc7+ 24. 'i1tb3 l:tb7+ 25. 'i1tc3 l:tc7+ 26. 'i1td2 l:tb7 27. :Xf7 l:tb2+ 28. 'i1te1 l:tg2 29. l:tg7 �d7 30 . .tf3 l:th2 31 . l:tg8 'i1te7 32. l:tg7+ 'i1td6 33 . .te2 :h 1 + 34. f2 l:th2+ 35. f3 .tea 36.g6 l:th8 37 . .ba6 e5 38.dxe5+ 'i1txe5 39 . .tb7 l:[f8+ 40. 'i1tg3 ts 41 . l:tc7 .bg6 42.a6 d4 1 -0 43.exd4 l:tg8 44. f2 M ikhail Botvinnik Evgeny Zagoriansky Sverdlovsk 1 943 (6)

-

Realising an advantage

1 2. l:tf4

Switching the attack to the new weak­ ness, the pawn fS . 1 2 . . . l:tbb7 1 3. l:tg5 l:[f7 1 4. 'ifh5 'ifa1 + 1 5. 'i1tg2 g6 1 6. 'ifxg6 .th7 1 7. 'ifd6+ :te7 1 8. 'ifd8+

Black resigned.

Garry Kasparov Alexey Kharitonov Moscow 1 988 ( 1 0)

0

0

Black has a weak pawn on dS , but he cannot increase the pressure against it any further. White therefore starts to break up the enemy king's pawn cover:

1 .g4! h6 2.h4 tillc b3 3.axb3 .tcs 4.g5 hxg5 5.hxg5 0.e4 6.tt:Jg4! .tb6 7. 'i1tg2 'i1tg7 a .tt4 :ada 9.t3 tt:Jcs 1 0.b4! tt:Jb3 1 1 . :S3 l:te2+ 1 2. 'i1tg3 :Xb2 •

1 .g4! 'irc6

l ...'iVd6 2.'iVxd6 .l::txd6 3 .e4. 2.g5 hxg5 3 . 'ifxg5 f6 4. 'ifg6 .tf7 5. 'ifg3 f5 6. 'ifg5 'ife6 7.'i1th1 'ife5 a. :g 1 :ta 9. 'ii' h 6 :tba 1 0. l:th4 ta 1 1 . 'ifh8+ .tg8

1 3.c4!

With the threat of 14.i.e5+. 1 3 . . . :ea 1 4.c5 .td8 1 5. :Xa7 :ee2 1 6. :Xd5 .te7 1 7. :Xb7

Black resigned. 1 13

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Garry Kasparov Tigran Petrosian

Gennady Tunik Alexey Dreev

Bugojno 1 982 (6)

Gorki 1 989

0

1 . tt::lfe5 ! tZ:lxe5

With l ... .iild 7 2 .tbxd7 'i¥xd7 3 .'iYxd7 tbxd7 4.tbd6 Black suffers material losses. 2. tZ:lxe5 lLld5 3 . .l:l.fd 1 ! tt::lb6 4. 'ifaS ! g6

After 4 .. .f6 s .tbc4 tbxc4 6Jhc4 b6 7.'i¥c3 Black's position is bad. 5 . .l:l.d3 lLld5

Simplifications like S ... .l:i.d8 6.'i¥cs 'iVxcS 7. .l:i.xd8+ 'i¥f8 8 . .l:t.xf8+ �xf8 9. .l::!.c 7 do not bring Black any relief.

•

Black 'squeezes' his opponent, not allowing any counterplay at all. 1 ... bd4! 2.cxd4

2.ti:Jxd4 tbxd4 3 .cxd4 iilfs . 2 ..tf5 3 . ..tf3 ..te4 4. 'it'd2 ..txf3 5 . .l:l.xf3 .l:l.e4 6.f5 'it'f6 7 . .l:l.d1 .l:l.aeB 8.h3 .l:l.e2 9. 'ifc3 'it'g5 1 0 . .l:l.g1 h5 1 1 . tZ:lc1 .l:l.2e4 1 2. tt::lb 3 .l:l.e2 1 3.tZ:lc1 .l:l.2e3 1 4. 'it'd2 f6 1 5. tt::lb3 h4 16 . .l:l.f2 .l:I.Be4 1 7 . .l:l.gf1 cJilh7 1 8. tZ:lc5? .l:l.xd4 1 9. tt::le6 .l:l.xh3+ ! 20.gxh3 'Wxd2 21 . .l:l.xd2 .l:l.xd2 22 . .l:l.g1 lLld4 23 . .l:l.xg7+ hB 24 . .l:l.f7 tt::lf3 25 . .l:l.fB+ h7 26 . .l:l.f7+ h6 27 . .l:l.xf6+ �h5 28. tt::lg 7+ gS 29 . .l:l.g6+ eS 23. 'iii>e7 l:th 1 24. �f8 'il;>eS 25. 'ii;>g 8

Black resigned. Sergey Rublevsky Kevin Spraggett Groningen 1 997 (1 )

0

White has an indisputable advantage: the active king and control of the open e-file. But realising this involves great technical difficulties. 1 . l:th 1 ! g5 2 . l:te1 ! g4

2 .. .fs 3.f3 ! . 3 . l:a1 'il;>c7 4.a5 l:tb8 5.b5!

Creating a passed pawn. 5 ... axb5 S.cxb5 bxa5 7. :Xa5 l:tbS 8 . .:C.7+ �c8 9. 'iii>c5 l:.fS

Now White needs to show accuracy. The natural moves have come to an end and Black has some counterplay. 1 0. l:a4! :Xf2 ( 1 0 ... Wc7 1 1. . �f4 l:!e6 1 2 .Wd4) 1 1 . :Xg4 ri;;c7 ( 1 l ... .l::f. f5+ 1 2 .Wb6) 1 2. bS+ ri;; b7 1 3. l:tf4! l:tc2+ ( 1 3 ... .l:i.h2 14.g4 .l:i.h4 1 S . .l::txf7 �xg4 1 6 . .l:!.xd7+) 1 4. ri;;d S 'il;>xbS 1 5. �xd7 l:th2 1 S.g4 l:th4 1 7 . l:tfS+ 'ii;> cS 1 8. :XhS :Xg4 1 9. l:tfS? ( 1 9 . rtle 7 !)

White has the more active king and Black has a weak pawn on b6. The Russian grandmaster accurately realises his advantage: 1 .f5! exf5+ 2. ltJxf5 ..tfS 3 . ..ic7 CiJd7 4. CiJdS!

If 4.Wd5 �f7 S .Wc6 We6 Black holds. 4 ... ..th4

After 4... �e5 S .rtlds �xd6 6.�xd6 li:Jf6 7. �xb6 li:Jxg4 8 .c5 li:Jf6 9.c6 Wf7 1 0 . �d4 li:Je8+ 1 1 .rtld7 gS 1 2 . �g7! g4 1 3 . �e5 Wf8 14.�e6 Black quickly finds himself in zugzwang. s . e 6 1 7.f3 �aS 1 8 .�d3 �d8+ 1 9.'iit>c4 .l::i.d 2. 1 5. tt:Jd2 c3 1 6. tbe4 h5 1 7. 'ifold3 l:r.d8+ 1 8. 'iti>c4 l:r.d 1 1 9. ttJxc3 l:r.h1 ? 20.tbe4! :Xh2 2 1 . 'ifold4! 'iii>d 7 22.g3 �b4 23. 'iti>e5 l:r.h5+ 24. �6 �e7+ 25. 'iti>g7 e5 26. l:r.c6 l:r.h 1

The immediate attempt to win the g6-pawn actually loses: l. .l::tg3 gS 2 .h4 �h8 3.hxg5 llxb3, whilst l .tLlcS+ �d8 2 .tLla4 .l:!.b4 3 . .i::!.xc6 .l:!.xa4 4. l:f.xc7 .l:!.xa2 s . .l:!c8+ �d7 6 . .a'.lc7+ 'iit>d6 7. .l:!.xe8 �xc7 8 . .l::f.e 7+ �d6 9.Ilxg7 gS leads to an endgame which is probably not win­ ning. 1 . . . l:r.h8 2.g3 tt:Jds 3. l:r.3c2 .:r.ea

Neither does 3 ... tbb4 4.tLlcS+ 'iit>d 6 S . .l:i.e2 save Black. 4. tlJc5+ c;f;ld8

4 ... �d6 s.tt:Ja4. 5.a3! as 6 . tt:Ja4 l:r.b3 7. :Xc6 :Xa3 8. l:r.6c5 c;f;le7 9.:Xd5 :Xa4 1 0. l:r.c7+ 'iti>e6 1 1 . l:r.dd7 �5 1 2. l:r.c5+ 'iii>e4 1 3. :Xg7 'iti>xd4 1 4. l:r.c1 l:r.f8 1 5. :Xg6 'iti>e5 1 6. l:r.g7 f5 1 7. 'iti>g2 l:r.a2 1 8. l:r.d7 a4 1 9. l:r.e1 + �6 20. l:r.ee7 'iti>g6 2 1 . l:r.e6+ l:r.f6 22.h5+ 'iti>g5 23. l:r.g7+ rJ!;h6 24. :Xf6+ 'ifi>xg7 25. :Xf5

Black resigned.

27. �7! l:r.a1 28. l:r.e6 �dB 29. l:r.d6+ 'iti>c8 30. rJ!;e8 �c7 31 . l:r.c6 l:r.d1 32. tl:Jg5 l:r.d8+ 33. �7 l:r.d7+ 34. 'iti>g8

And Black resigned.

Now let us consider some examples of realising a material advantage. The two following examples show how diffi­ cult this can be, when little material remains on the board. 1 19

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Anatoly Karpov Jan Timman Bugojno 1 986

D

21 . ..td5 ! �g4

2 1 .. Jhh2 22 .tLlf3+. 22.h3+ �4 23. �e6 lld2 24. tl:Jf5 �g5 25. llf3 ! lla2 26. tt:Je7 lla6+ 27. �7 lla5 28. llxf6 lla3 29. llf5+ ..th6 30. tl:Jg8+ �h7 31 . llh5# Joel Lautier Alexey Shirov Belgrade 1 997 (2)

D Clearly Black will have to give up a piece for the b-pawn. However, the limited material makes it hard to win the result­ ing position. It is in such positions that really good technique is required, such as shown here by Karpov. 1..1:.d 7 ttJc6 2.b7

If 2 .tt:lxc6? .l::f.xc6 3 .b7 .l::rc l+ 4.d2 nbl Black maintains the balance. 2 ... tl:Jb8 3 . lld8 llxf4 4 . ttJc3!

4 . .l:txb8? �d6! . 4. . . .i.e7 5 . llxb8 .i.d6 6.lle8 llb4 7. tt:Jf3 llxb7 8.lld8 .i.b4

8 ... .ib8 9Jhd5 I:l.b2 1 0.h3 .l:r.f2 l l. .I:i.d3 ! . 9. tbxd5 a 4 1 0. tbxb4 llxb4 1 1 . lla8 �96 1 2. �e2 f6 1 3. lla5! h5 1 4. 'ifte3 h4 1 5. tl:Jd4 llc4?

Active defence was called for: 1 S .. J:lb2 holds the balance. 1 6 . ..td3 ! llb4 1 7 . ..tc3 llb1 1 8. llxa4 llf1 1 9. �c4! �g5 20. lla3 llf2

1 20

1 . llxe4 ..txe4 2.f6

White headed for this position, counting on L . .ie3? 3 S�Ih4 d5 4.xh5 .if4 5 .f7 .id6 6.xg4 d4 7. .ia5 .ie7 (7 ... d3 8 .gs) 8 . .id8 .if8 9.�g5 d3 l O . .ias , but a surprise awaited him. 2 ... .i.xf6

By giving up a piece, Shirov steers the game towards a theoretically drawn ending. 3. hf6 d5! 4 . ..th4? !

Black would still face problems after the move 4.b3 !, after which White wins: 4 ... d4 (4 ... c4? 5.b4! d4 6.b5 d3 7. .ic3 ds 8.b6 c6 9. .ia5 , winning) s . .ie7! d3 6.�f2 d4 7. .if6+ �d5 8.�e3. A study-like draw results from s.f2 �d3 6 . .ie7 h4! (also after 6 ... �c3 !? 7. .ixc5 h4 8.'�el Black can draw, but only with 8 ... g3 !) 7.�el g3 ! (7... �c2? 8 . .ixc5 d3 9. �e3; 7... �c3 also draws) 8.h3 (8 .hxg3 hxg3 9. .ixc5 g2 10.�f2 �c3 l l .b4 d3) 8 ...g2! (8 .. .'i.ile3 !? 9. .ixh4 f3 g2!=) 9.�f2 c;t>c2 10 . .ixc5 d3 l l ..ie3 �xb3 12.�xg2

Chapter 5

\t>c2! 13 .�f3 d2 14.i.xd2 'itxd2 1 S.'itg4 \t>e3 16.�xh4 \t>f4. 4 . . . d4! 5. �xh5 h4 67.�xf5 �h3 68.'lt>f4 g3 69St>f3 with a draw. 66 . .1:.d2 �h4 67. �xf5 g3 68.f4! �h3 69 . .1:.d3

69.c;t>gs g2 70. �xg2 '\t>xg2 7 1 .f5 \t>f3 72.f6 �e4 73 .'lt>g6 �eS 74.f7 'lt>e6, and the pawn is stopped. 69 . . . �h4 70 . .1:.d2 .l:.a1

1 9 . .1:.fd1 e6 20. 'it'xa7 :as 21 . 'ifd4 'it'xd4 22. :Xd4 :Xa2 23.e4! dxe4 24 . ..be4 ..be4 25. :Xe4 .l:.b8

Black has made progress and has an extra pawn. The position remains close to a draw, but one must give Fischer his due - he plays on to the bitter end, seeking the slightest chance of winning. 26 . .1:.e3 gS 27.h3 �g7 28 . .1:.c7 �g6 29. l:.f3 f6 30. l:.e7 .l:.e2 31 .g4 .l:.b1 + 32. �g2 .l:.ee1 33. :a3 hS 34. :aa7 .l:.g1 + 35. �3

White loses at once after 35 .'lt>h2 hxg4 36.hxg4 .l:!.xg4 37.�xe6 .l:i.b2 .

71 . �e5??

White cannot stand the tension any longer. After 7 1 . l:ld8 g2 72.klh8+ �g3 73.klg8+ �f3 74.\t>e6 or 7 1 .);t>g6 .l:la6+ 72.'lt>fs .l:Ia8 (72 ... I;laS+ 73 .c;t>e4 �g4 74. .i:ld8 .l::f.a4+ 75 .\t>e3 �h3 76. �h8+) 73.nd7 I;if8+ 74.e4 �g8 75.�f3 he would still draw. 71 . . . �g4 72.f5 .l:.a5+

35 . . . hxg4+ 36.hxg4 .l:.b3+ 37. �e2 :Xg4 38. :Xe6 .l:.b1 ! 39. :aas .l:.f4 40. :a2 .l:.h 1 41 . .1:.ea6 .l:.b4 42 . .1:.6a4 .l:.bb1 43 . .1:.a8 .l:.hg 1 44. �3 .l:.bS 45. :Sa5 .l:.b3+ 46. �e2 .l:.bb1

White resigned. There are many such examples in Fischer's practice.

Or 46 .. .f5 47. .l::f. S a3 .l:lbbl 48 . .l:la8 �bel+ 49.�d2 (49.�f3 g4+ SO.�f4 �e4#) 49... �h5.

The main weakness in the play of the player who is striving for a draw tends to be passivity. This is the way one must

1 34

Chapter 6

seek to trap the opponent, gradually improving one's position. Even when one stands just slightly better, this is already a great achievement, since the opponent usually finds it impossible to re-orient himself and play at full strength. He loses the thread, drifts into time-trouble and starts to make mis­ takes.

- Equal positions

tbdS 39 . .l:[c2 tbe7 40.14 'ifdS 41 . 'ifb6 tZ'lfS 42. 'irf2 .l:[d8 43.g4 tbd4 44 . .l:[c3 tbe6 45. �g3 .l:[f8 46 . .l:[f3 �h8 47. 'ife3 'ifcS 48. 'ifxc5 tbxcS 49.f5 gxfS 50.gxf5 �g7 51 . �4 .l:[d8 52. �g5 .l:[d4 53 . .l:[e3 lha4 0-1 Sergey Smagin Vassily lva nchuk Pinsk 1 986

Giorgi G iorgadze Alexander Panchenko Aktiubinsk 1 985

1 .d4 tt::'lf6 2. tt::'lf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4. tbc3 c6 5.cxd5 exdS 6 . �g5 i..e7 7. 'ifc2 g6 8.e3 �fS 9. �d3 hd3 1 0. 'ifxd3 0-0 1 1 . hf6 hf6 1 2.b4 a6 1 3.0-0 �e7 1 4 . .l:lab1

1 .e4 eS 2. tt::'lf3 tt::'lf6!

The Petroff Defence is regarded as her­ alding a draw, but even so, Ivanchuk chooses it in this must-win game. A draw would have suited Smagin. 3.tbc3

To make a draw, 3 .tt::lx e5 seems better. 3 ... tbc6 4. �b5 a6 5. hc6 dxc6 6.d3 �d6 7. 'ire2 'ife7 8.�d2 �d7 9 . tbd1 ? tZ'lhS 1 0.g3 g6 1 1 . tbe3 bS 1 2.0-0-0 f6 1 3. �b1 tbg 7 1 4.h4 tbe6 1 5.h5 0-0-0 1 6. �c3 �b7

1 4 ... tbd7 1 5.a4 .l:[e8 16 . .l:[fc1 �d6 1 7.b5 aS!

17 ... axb5 1 8 .axb5 with equality. 1 8 . .l:[c2 tt::'lb6 ! 1 9. tbd2 c5! 20.dxc5 hcs 21 . .:d1

2 1 .ti:lxd5 1txe3 ! , and Black is better. 21 ... �b4 22 . .l:la2 'iff6 23. tbe2

23 .ti:lxd5 ti:lxd5 24.'iVxd5 �ad8 25 .'iYb3 'i¥d6! , and White loses material. 23 ... .l:lac8 24. tt::'lf3 .l:[c4 25. tt::'lf4 .l:[d8 26.h4 .l:[c3 27. 'ife2 �d6 28 . .l:[d4?

28 .g3 was essential. 28 ... .l:[c1 + 29. �h2 .l:[c4 30. lhc4 dxc4 31 .g3 hf4 32.exf4 c3 33. tbe5 'ire6 34. l:tc2 f6 35. lb:c3 fxes 36.fxe5 .l:[e8 37. 'ird 1 .l:[f8 38. 'ifd4

1 7.d4? exd4 1 8. tbxd4 tLlgS!

Attacking the e4-pawn and forcing White to weaken his position. 1 9.f3 hg3 20. tt::'lb3 i..d 6 21 . tba5+ �c8 22. tt::'lg 4 hg4 23. tbxc6 'irxe4! 24. 'ifxe4 tbxe4 25. tbxd8 hf3 26. tt::'lf7 tbxc3+ 27.bxc3 .l:[f8

Now Black only needs to avoid a couple of traps. 28. hxg6 hxg6 29. lhd6 hh1 30. lhf6 �b8 31 .c4 bxc4 32. �b2 0-1 �a7 33 . .l:[f1 �d5 1 35

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Positions for playing out

In the positions below, each player should have I hour I S minutes for each 20 moves. P36 (solution on

page

242)

White to play

I 36

page

243)

page

244)

Black to play

White to play

P38 (solution on

P37 (solution on

page

243)

P39 (solution on

White to play

Chapter 6

P40 (solution on

page

244)

White to

play

Equal positions

page

245)

page

246)

White to play

White to play

P42 (solution on

P41 (solution on

-

page

245)

P43 (solution on

Black

to

play

137

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Chapter 7

The battle of the major pieces This is an important subject, because the ability to coordinate and use the force of queen and rook together is a confirmation of the class of a chess player. Such positions are exclusively middlegame positions. We will examine the four types of position, which are seen most often in practice.

The attack on the king If the king position is weakened, or he is in general unprotected, then it is easy to understand that he is unlikely to be able to shield himself against the power of such heavy pieces. The stronger side's path to success is through piece play. Here, we need exact calculation of vari­ ations, otherwise it will not be possible to give mate. Evgeny Sveshnikov Vladimir Karasev Minsk 1 976

0

There is no way back - 7... We7 8 .Vi'e5+. 8.l:.c1

Clearly, mate is not far away. 8 . . . 'it'd3 9.l:tc3! 'it'd4 1 0. 'ifb5+ �e6 1 1 . 'ife8+! .l:.e7 1 2. l:tc6+ 'ifd6

Or 12 ... Wd5 1 3 .'i¥d8+. 1 3. 'ifg8+! 1 5 . .1:.xd6+

liteS

1 4. 'it'h8+

And White won easily. Vasser Seirawan Kiril Georgiev Dubai 1 986 (14)

• 1 . 'it'g8+ �f6 2.h4! 'ifc6

Other moves also fail to save the game. 3. 'it'h8+ �e6 4. 'ifb2 !

This is the strength of major pieces they can transfer from one flank to the other in a single move. 4 . . . e3+ 5 . 'ith2!

On S.f3 there would follow S ... .l:td7! . 5 . . .exf2 6 . .l:.b6 f1 'if 7 . .l:.xc6+ 'itd5 1 38

1 ... .l:.c3 2 . .1:.d3 'if g1 + 3. 'itf4

'itd5

Chapter

3.�h4 gave some chances of saving the game, although after 3 ... .l:i.xd3 4.'ifxd3 'ifxf2+ s :;t>hs ! (5 .'iYg3 "ifd2 6.'iVf3 "ifel+ 7.'ii'g3 'iYe7+ 8 .g5 'ife4+ 9.'i¥g4 'iVel+) 5 ...'iVf4! Black should still win. 3 ... .1:c4+ 4. �e5

After 4.�e3 Black wins with 4 ..."ife l+ s.'ife2 �e4+. 4 ... 'ifa1 +!

Again playing over the whole board. 5 . �d6 'iff6+ 6 . �d7 'Wb6 7. 'ifa8

Mate results from 7.We8 l::i.c 8+ 8 .We7 'iff6+ 9.�d7 'iVd8#. 7 ... l:lc7+ 8. �e8 .l:b7 9 . .1:d7 .l:b8+ 1 0. 'it'xb8 'ifxb8+ 1 1 . �xf7 'ife5

And Black realised his material advan­ tage: 1 2. :e7 'it'f6+ 1 3. �8 �g8 1 4.:e6 'it'c3 1 5 . .1:g6 'ife1 + 1 6. �d7 'ifxf2 1 7. :Xa6 'iff3 1 8. :S5 'ifxh3 1 9. :Xb5 'ifxa3 20. :b6 �7 21 . :b7 �6 22 . .1:b6+ �e5 23. :e6+ �4 24 . .1:g6 'it'xb4 25. �8 'it'd4 26. � h5 27.gxh5 'it'd7+ 28. �g8 �xf5 29. �8 'it'd1 30. �xg7 'it'xh5 31 . .1:f6+ �g5 32. :e6 'ifh4 33. :e5+ �4 34. :e8 'it'g5+ 35. �7 �5 36 . .1:f8 'ifg6+ 37. �e7+ �e5 38 . .1:f7 'ifg8 39.:f1 'ife6+ 40. �8 'ifc8+ 41 . �g7 'ifg4+ 42. �8 �e6 43 . .1:f7 'it'h5 0-1

7

-

The battle of the major pieces

1 . 'ifc1 !

White tries to get at the black king as quickly as possible. 1 . . . a5 2. 'it'f1 ! l:th6

He cannot allow a check on h3 . 3.h3 �e6

«In such positions, it is hard to assess the quality of one move or another nothing can repair the main weakness of the position, the open position of the black king» (Kotov) . 4 . .1:d3 'it'c2 5.gxf4 .l:[g6+ 6. �h2 e4?

After 6 ... exf4 7.'ifel+ Wf5 8 . l:i.d7 White retains the attack. But stronger is 6 .. J lf6. 7. :e3 �5 8. 'ife1 �xf4?

Better was 8 ... �d6. 9 . .1:c3! 'ifa4 1 0. l:.c5 'ii'xa3 1 1 . 'ifd2+ e3 1 2.fxe3+

1 2 ... 'ii'xe3

There was no defence. Alexander Alekhine Josef Lokvenc Prague 1 943 (1 3)

0

1 3.:c4+ � 1 4.:C3 'it'xc3 1 5. 'ifxc3+

And White gradually realised his advan­ tage: 1 5 ... �4 1 6. 'ifxa5 h6 1 7. 'ifc5 .l:e6 1 8. �g2 .l:e2+ 1 9. �1 .l:e6 20. �2 .l:f6 21 . 'ifh5 �e4+ 22. �e2 l:te6 23. 'iff7 �e5 24. �e3 .l:f6 25. 'it'e7+ l:.e6 26. 'it'f8 �d5+ 27. �f4 c5 28. 'it't7 �d6 29. �5 :e5+ 30. �f6 :e4 31 . 'ii'f8+ �d5 32. 'it'a8+ �d4 33. 'ifa1 + �d5 34. 'ii' h 1 �d4 35. 'ifd1 + �c4 36. 'it'c1 + �d4 37. 'ifd2+ �c4 38. 'ifxh6 1 -0 1 39

Mastering Chess Middlegames

1 6. l:te2 'ii'c3 1 7. :Se3 'ii'c6 1 8. :Xc2 'ii'xc2 1 9. 'Wa8+ 'iti>d7 20. \'fxa7+ 'Wc7 21 . l:td3+ 'iti>c8 22. \'fa8+ 'Wb8 1 -0 23 . .1:d8+

Igor Novikov Giorgi Giorgadze Lviv 1 990 ( 1 )

0

Valery Salov Veselin Topalov Madrid 1 996 (1 )

0

1 . 'ife7

Black's position is hopeless and the game requires only minimal accuracy from White. 1 ... 'Wg7 2.h3 l:te8

The only move; 2 ... f5 3 . .l::!.xe6. More tenacious was 3 .. .'\t>h8 4 . .l:i.g4 'iVf6. 4. 'ii'xc6 l:tbc8 5. 'Wa4 'ii'c5 6. l:tfe1 l:te7 7. l:te5 'ifc4 8. 'Wa3

White realises his simple moves.

1 . \'fh5+

Black is unable to protect his 'bare' king.

3. 'ii'd 6 'Wf8

advantage with

8 ... �8 9. 'ife3 'ifh4 1 0. 'ii'f3

With the idea of l l ..l::i.xe6. 1 0 ... 'ii' h 6 1 1.h2 l:tc2 1 2.a3 'ii' h 4 1 3.g3 \'ld4 1 4. l:t1 e3 \'fd2 1 5. 'iti>g2

1 . . . 'iti>e6

If l ... .l:{g6, then 2. .l::f.d 6. 2. 'We5+ �7 3. 'Wc7+ 'iti>g6 4. 'Wc8 !

White attacks without worrying about his own king, which can easily escape the checks. 4 ... \'fa1 + 5. 'iti>c2 \'fa4+ 6. 'iti>c1 'Wa1 + 7. 'iti>c2 'Wa4+ 8.'iti>d2! 'ifc6

Tying the queen to defence, but this does not save the game. 9. 'Wg8+ 'iti>h6 1 0. \'fh8+ 1 1 . 'Wg8+ 'iti>h6 1 2.c4

'iti>g6

This quiet move decides things. The threat is 1 3 .'iVg4. 1 2 ... 'We6 1 3. 'Wh8+ 'iti>g6 1 4. l:th5!

The most accurate. 1 4 . . . 'Wd7+ 1 5. 'iti>c1 'ife7 1 6. 'iti>b1 ! 'We4+ 1 7. 'iti>a1 l:te6 1 8.f3!

There is no defence, so Black resigned. 1 5 . . . 'iti>e8

There is nothing to do but bring the king into the centre. The threats were 16.'iYa8+ or 1 6 Jhe6. 1 40

Sometimes, in a bad position, the exposed position of the stronger side's king offers chances of perpetual.

Chapter

Vasja Pirc Gideon Stahlberg Amsterdam 1 950 (8)

0

7

- The battle of the major pieces

Control of open lines Nimzowitsch wrote in his books that open lines exist for the major pieces to occupy and use to penetrate the enemy position. Control of the open file is an undoubted positional advantage and makes the defender's task very difficult. Tigran Petrosian Lajos Portisch Biel play-off 1 976 ( 1 )

0

Black's pawns are very dangerous and White needs to play actively. 1 . 'Wf4 'illc7 2.h4!

Trying to open up the black king. 2 ... lhb5 3.h5 l:.b6

If 3 ... gxh5 , then 4.'ifg5+ �f8 5 .'ifh6+ �e7 6.'iYf6+. 4.hxg6 :Xg6 5.l:.c1 'il/cs 6.e6!

Throwing more fat on the fire. 6 . . . lhe6

Black should win after 6 ... fxe6 7. .l::!.fl 'ife7 8. l:lf3 c2 . 7.l:.f1 'Wa7 8.l:.f3 c2 9. �h2!

White's advantage is obvious, thanks to the open d-file. 1 . 'it'd3!

Otherwise l .. . l:td8 ! . 1 . . . h 6 2 . 'illd 7 'Wcs

The exchange of queens favours White: 2 ...'ifxd7 3. !lxd7 aS 4.�f3 b4 5.axb4 axb4 6.c4 b3 7.�e4, winning. 3. l:.d3 aS

Black tries to exchange off the queenside pawns, which White needs to prevent. 4 . l:.f3 l:.f8 5. l:.f4 e5

Nothing else is apparent. 6. l:.e4 �h8 7.l:.e3! f6

7 .. .f5 8 .b4! was bad, but perhaps 7... b4 was stronger. 9 . . . d4?

9 .. �g7! wins. .

1 0. 'it'g5+ l:.g6 1 1 . 'illdB+ �h7 1 2. l:.h3+ l:.h6 1 3. lhh6+ �xh6 1 4. 'Wf6+ �h7 1 5. 'Wf5+

White gives perpetual check. Draw.

8. l:.d3 l:.b8 9. 'il/d6! ? 'il/a7

Or 9 ...'ifxd6 1 0 . .l:;lxd6 b4 l l .axb4 axb4 1 2 .c4 b3 1 3 J id3 l:rc8 14 . .l::!.c 3 followed by the march of the white king to the queenside. 1 0. 'it'c6 141

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Preparing the rook's penetration to the 7th rank. 1 0 ... 1Wf7 1 1 . l:td5 'ifg6?

A time-trouble mistake, but Black's position is difficult anyway. He should have preferred l l ...b4 nJlxaS bxc3 1 3 .'fi'xc3 'iYb7+. 1 2. :Xe5 'ifd3 1 3. l:tc5

Stronger is 13 . .l::f.e 7!. 1 3 ... b 4 1 4.cxb4 axb4 1 5.a4 'ifb3 1 6. l:tc2

Correct was 1 6 .a5!? 'fi'xb2 1 7.a6 'fi'a2 1 8 .'iVb7! . 1 6 ... 'ifa2 1 7. l:te2 h7 1 8.h4 b3 1 9. 'ifd7! �h8! 20. l:te7! l:tg8

20 ...'iYxb2 loses because of 2 1 . Ihg7 'fi'c2 22 .'fi'f7! 'iVe4+ 23 .f3 ! 'fi'e2+ 24.�h3 'iYfl+ 25 .�g4 �b4+ 26.�h5 'fi'xf3+ 27.g4. 2 1 . 'Wd4 :as 22. l:tb7 :ea

Nor does he save himself with 22 ...'iVxa4 2 3 . l:.b8+ �h7 24.'iVd3+ g6 2 5 . �b7+ �h8 26.�b6 �g7 27.h5 ! . 23. l:tb5 :ca 24. l:tb4 l:tg8 25. 'ifc3 :aa 26. 'iff3!

Black resigned. Lev Pol ugaevsky David Bronstein Tallinn 1 965 ( 1 9)

1 . . . 'ifc6 2.l:td7 l:tc7 3 . l:td6 'ii'e4 4. l:td8+ g7 5.h4!

A single open file is not enough for victory, so White wishes to expose the black king. Worse is S . l::rb 8 gS 6.'fi'd8 "iYbl + with perpetual check. 5 . . . 'ifc6 6.h5! :ca

6 ... g5 is bad because of 7.h6+ �xh6 8 . .l::rh 8+ �g7 9.'iVh5. 7.hxg6 .lbd8 8. 'ifxd8 1We4 9.gxf7 'ii' b 1 + 1 0. g2 'ife4+ 1 1 . 'ii>'f 1 'ifb1 + 1 2. �e2 'ifxa2+ 1 3. t3 �xf7 1 4. 'ii'd 7+ �g6 1 5. 'ife8+ �g7 1 6. 'ifa4! 'Wb1

The pawn endgame after 16 ...'fi'xa4 1 7.bxa4 is probably lost for Black. 1 7. 'ifxa7+ g6 1 8. 'ifxb6 'iff5+ 1 9.g2 'ife4+ 20. �h2 'ii'c2?

The decisive mistake. After 20 ...'iVf5 ! Black could still draw. 2 1 . 'ifxe6 'ifxf2+ 22. h3 'ii'f 1 + 23. �h4 'ifh1 + 24.'ifh3 'ifb1 25. 'ifg4+ h6 26. 'iff3 �g6 27. �g4 g7 28. 'Wb7+ g6 29. 'ifd5 'ifc2 30.f4 'iff2+ 31 . 'Wf3 'Wb2 32. 'ife4+ f7 33. c;f;>f5 'iff2+ 34. 'iff4 'ifc2+ 35.e4 1 -0 Gideon Stahlberg Alexander Alekhine Zurich 1 934 ( 1 3)

D

•

1 . 'ii'd 1 !

Stronger than l .'iVd3 , as the rook should stand in front of the queen. 1 42

Black is better. He controls the open c-file and has a pawn majority on the

Chapter

queenside. But the weak pawn on d5 and his exposed king complicate the task of realisation. 1 ... g6 2. 'iltf2

Maybe he should settle for 2 .e4 dxe4 3 .fxe4 fxe4 followed by 4.'ti'xe4 'ti'f7+ s .g1 'ti'xa2 6.d5 , creating counterplay. 2 . . . 'ifa4 3. J:[e2 J:[c1

Preventing 4.e4, which would offer White counterplay, and which would now be met by 4 ... .l::i.d l .

7

-

The battle of the major pieces

1 3 . . . fxg4 1 4. 'ife1 'ifc2+ 1 5 . ..tg3 'ifxb3 1 6. �h4 'ifc2 1 7. 'ifg3 'Wf5 1 8. 'ifc7+ 'ith6

White resigned. Lev Polugaevsky Charles Partos Biel 1 985 (4)

0

4. J:[b2 �g7 5. 'ifb3

s .'ti'bs? 'ti'di . 5 . . . 'ifc6 6.'ifd3 h5

Directed against the possible g3 -g4, and ... h5-h4 may also be a threat at some point. 7. �g2 J:[c3 8. 'ife2

8 .'ti'd2 �c4. 8 ... 'ifa4!

1 . .b6!

In this way, White seizes control of the open c-file, which he can then use to penetrate the black position. 1 . . . 'ifb8 2. bb7 'ifxb7 3. 'ifc2 ! J:[eB 4. 'ifc7

Penetrating. 4 . . . J:[e7 5. 'ifd6 �h7 6.h3! J:[e8?

This leads to defeat. But even after the superior 6 .. .lbe8 7.'ti'd8 .l::[c ? 8 . �xc7 CDxc7 9.'ti'd7! Black's position is very difficult. White is gradually running out of moves and he undertakes an attempt to break out. However, passive defence would probably not have held the game either. 9.g4? ! 'ife8! 1 0 . .:f.b3

There is nothing to do. On 1 0.'�f2 there is the unpleasant 1 O ... hxg4 1 l .fxg4 'ti'h8 ! . 1 0 . . . .:Xb3 1 1 .axb3 hxg4 1 2.fxg4 'ife4+ 1 3. �2

The pawn ending after 1 3 .g3 'ti'xg4+ 14.'ti'xg4 fxg4 1 5 .Wxg4 aS ! is lost.

7. J:[c7 'ifa6 8.tbcl7! tbxd7

8 ... CiJe4 9.CiJf8+ �g8 I O .'ti'd7. 9. 'ifxd7 .:f.g8 1 0. 'ifxe6 'ifxa2 1 1 . 'ifxf5+ ..t>h8 1 2.g4 'ifxb2 1 3.g5 'ifb4 1 4. 'Wg6 'iff8 1 5 . .:f.f7

Black resigned.

Passed pawns Having a passed pawn, the stronger side either promotes it, or uses it to tie down the enemy pieces and then begins an attack on the defender's inadequately­ defended king. 1 43

Mastering Chess Middlegames

U lf Andersson Pablo Ricardi Rio de Janeiro 1 985 (3)

White should not exchange pawns, as in this case it would be easier for Black to defend. 5 ... h5 6. 'it'e8 h4? !

•

This seems logical, but another weak­ ness appears. 7 . .l:e1 'it>h6 8 . .l:e4 'it>h5 9.g2 'ifd6

Black fastens onto the c6-pawn the whole time, not allowing White the freedom to strengthen his position. 8. 'iitf3!

The only chance of winning is to trans­ fer the king to bS or b6, although of course this should not succeed.

1 . 'iitg 4

The king joins in the attack.

8 ... 'ifd1 + 9. 'iir>e4 'ife1 + 1 0. c;ir>d5 'ife6+

1 ... 'We7 2. 'Wd5+ 'iit h 8

And not 2 ... 'iVf7 ? 4.�f5 .

3 .'iYxf7+

�xf7

3. c;ir>h5! 'We2+ 4.g4 'We7 5.g5 hxg5 6.hxg5 g6+ 7 . .:Xg6 'ife2+ 8. 'iit h 4 'ifh2+ 9. 'iitg 4 'We2+ 1 0. c;ir>h4 'Wh2+ 1 1 . 'iitg 4 'ife2+ 1 2. 'iitf5 'ifc2+ 1 3. 'iitf6 l:tf8+ 1 4. 'iir>e7 'Wxg6 1 5. 'iitxf8 'iff5+! 1 6. 'iff7

1 O ...'ifxf2 l l .'iVd4+. 1 1 . c;ir>d4 'iff6+ 1 2. 'iir>e3 'iitg 8 1 3. 'ifc5 'ife6+ 1 4. 'iir>d 3 'ifa2 1 5 . .l:[c2 'Wb3+ 1 6. 'iitd 2 'We6 1 7. c;ir>c1 'ife4 1 8. 'iir> b2 'ifd3 1 9. 'Wb4 'Wd8 20. 'Wb6 'ifd6 2 1 . 'Wc5 'Wd3 22. l:lc3 'WaG 23. 'iir> b3

1 6.'iYxfS?? stalemate. 1 6 ... 'ifxg5 1 7. 'We6 'Wd8+ 1 8. c;ir>f7 'Wg8+ 1 9. c8 'Wg4 25. 'ifc3+ c;ir>h7 26. 'iitc7 'Wf4+ 27. c;ir>c6 'ife4+ 28. c;ir>b6

Black resigned: 28 ...'iVe6+ 29.�c7 'iYe7 30.'iYh3+ 'i£tg7 3 1 .'iVg4+ �h6 (or 3 l ...�h8 3 2 .'iVhS+ �g7 33 .'iVfS) 32 .'iVfs . 1 46

23 ... .1:.a7!

Reminding White that his own king could also come under attack.

Chapter

24 . .:tc2 'ii'a4+ 25. �c3 .:.as 26. 'ifc4

It may look as though the c-pawn is now ready to advance, but... 26 . . . 'ii'a 3+ 27. �d2 'ifd6+ 28. �e2 .:te5+ 29. �3 'ifd1 + 30 . .:te2

7 - The battle of the major pieces

The pawns on d6 and especially a6 are weak. White immediately starts to attack them. 1 . 'it'e2 .:tc6 2 . .:tca1 e4

The alternative was 2 .. J:tb6.

Nor does anything result from 3 0.�g2 l:iel .

3.fxe4 .:tb6 4.b4 .:.Xe4 5. 'iff2 .:tea 6 . .:tf5!

30 . . . .:.Xe2 31 . 'ifxe2 'ifh1 + 32. �4 'ifxc6 33. 'ifxe7 'ifc4+?

White attacks over the whole board the weak pawns on a6 and d6 , but he also takes aim at the black king.

Black was in serious time-trouble (it was a fixed time for the whole game) . After 3 3 ... �g7 it is a dead draw. 34. �g5 �g7? (correct was 34 ... "iYc3 !) 35. 'ife5+ �h7?? And this is already the decisive mistake. He had to play 35 ... �f8 . 36. �6 'ifa2 37.f4 'ifc4 3B. 'ife7 'ifc3+ 39. �xf7

Black lost on time.

6 . . . 'ifc7 7. 'ifd4 .:tc6 8 . .:taf1 !

Going over to an attack on the king, exploiting the fact that the rook on c6 is out of play, as it is tied to the defence of the weak black pawns. B . . . 'it'e7

Black loses after 8 ... .l:[xc3 9.�f8+ �xf8 1 0 . .l:!xf8+ �h7 l l .�e4+ g6 1 2 .�d5 . 9 . .:t1 f3

There is no hurry!

Pawn weaknesses The method of playing against pawn weaknesses is relatively simple. The stronger side, by attacking the weak­ nesses in turn, ties the enemy forces down to their defence, and then turns to the decisive attack. This is often directed against the enemy king. It is important not to permit the opponent any counterplay.

9 . . . �h7 1 0 . .:td5 .:tec8 1 1 . �h2 'ifc7

Not the best move. Now White carries out a mating attack, but it was hard to recommend anything better for Black. 1 2. 'it'e4+ �hB

Efim Geller Vladi m i r Tukmakov Yerevan 1 982 {9)

0

1 3. 'ife6!

Preparing the decisive breakthrough. 1 3 ... .:.Xc3 1 4 . .:tf7 'ifc4 1 5. 'ifg6 .:tgB 1 -0 1 6 . .:th5!

The unstoppable threat is 1 7. klxh6+. An analogous pawn structure arose in the following game, and the winning method was also similar. 1 47

Mastering Chess Middlegames

It looks as though the position is close to a draw, but White subtly exploits the weaknesses at b6 and e6, and also the great activity of his pieces.

Anatoly Karpov Miguel-Angel Qu i nteros Lucerne 1 982 (1 1 )

0

1 . 'flb1 ! l:l.eb8 2. l:l.b4 'ifd6

The threat was 3 . .l::i.c 6 . 3 . l:l.d 1 'flc6 4. 'it'b3 l:l.b7 5.l:l.c4 'it'e8 6. l:l.e4 l:l.d7

The pawn cannot be defended. 7. l:l.xd7 'ifxd7 8. l:l.xe6 'iff7 9.h4! l:l.b8 1 0.h5 l:a8 1 1 .f3 !

White strengthens his position. 1 . l:ad1 l:l.f6 2.h3! 'ifb6 3. 'ifd3 'ifb4 4. 'iti>h2 'ifb8

1 1 ... 'iti>f8 1 2. 'flb4+ �g8 1 3. 'ifc4 l:[f8 1 4.f4 'iti>h8 1 5. 'it'd5 'ifa7 1 6. 'ifd4 'iti>h7 1 7. l:l.xb6

Or 4 ... �b6 S .cS dxcS 6.!:f.d8+ \t>f7 7.�h7! with a decisive attack.

And White went on to win in a long endgame:

5.l:l.e1 l:l.f8 6. l:l.e4 'ifc7

If 6 ... l:tb6, then 7. I:l.e3 or even 7.cS!?. 7. l:l.g4 l:l.f6 8.b4 'iil b 6 9.c5 'flc7

If 9... dxcS 1 O.fl.d8+ .!:i.f8 1 1 .fl.d7 g6 1 2 .'ii'd S+ �h8 1 3 .'iVxeS+ .!:Icf6 14. I:!.xg6. 1 0. 'iti>h 1 ! a5 1 1 . l:l.c4! 'ii' b8

1 1 ...e4 1 2 .fxe4 dxcS 1 3 . �d8+ l:i.f8 14.�dS+ �f7 1 S .�d7 !; 1 1 ...axb4 1 2 .cxd6 klfxd6 1 3 . �xc6 �xc6 14. a'.d8+ �f7 1 S .l::Id 7+; 1 1 . ..dxcS 1 2 . l'id8+ .l::i.f8 1 3 . �d7 �b6 14.�g4 g6 1 S .'ii'd S+. 1 2.cxd6 1 4. l:l.cc5

l:l.cxd6

Tigran Petrosian Boris Gulko Yerevan 1 975 ( 1 4)

0

1 3.bxa5

'ifd8 1 -0

1 7 . . . 'ilfa5 1 8. 'ife4+ �h8 1 9. l:l.b5 'ifd2 20. l:l.d5 'ifa2 21 . l:!.e5 l:l.b8 22. l:!.e8+ l:l.xe8 23. 'ilfxe8+ �h7 24. 'ife4+ 'iti>h8 25.g4 'fld2 26. �f1 'iti>g8 27. 'ife8+ �h7 28. 'ifg6+ �h8 29. 'ife8+ �h7 30. 'ife4+ �g8 31 .g5 hxg5 32.fxg5 'ilfd1 + 33. �g2 'ifxh5 34.g6 'ifg5+ 35. 'iti>f3 'ifh5+ 36. 'iti>g3 'ifg5+ 37. �f3 'ifh5+ 38. 'iti>e3 'ifc5+ 39. 'iti>e2 'ifh5+ 40. �d2 'it'h2+ 41 . �c3 'ifg3+ 42. 'iti>c4 'ifc7+ 43. �d4 'ifb6+ 44. �c3 'iff6+ 45. 'iti>d3 'ifd6+ 46. �e2 'ifh2+ 47. 'iti>f1 'ifh3+ 48. �g 1 'ifg3+ 49. 'iti>f1 'ifh3+ 50. �e1 'ifg3+ 51 . 'iti>d 1 'ifg1 + 5V;f;>c2 'ifh2+ 53. 'iti>b3 'ifb8+ 54. �a3 'ifd6+ 55. 'iti>b2 'ii' b 6+ 56. 'iti>c3 'iff6+ 57. 'ifi>c2 �f8 58. 'ifa8+ 'iti>e7 59. 'ifb7+ 'iti>d8 60. 'it'd5+

Black resigned. By winning this game, Petrosian became USSR Champion once again.

1 48

Chapter

7

-

The battle of the major pieces

Positions for solving

It is recommended that you solve all of the positions below in one session (3 .5 -4. 5 hours) .

E63 (solution on

page

246)

Black to play

E65 (solution on

White to play

E64 (solution on

page

246)

page

247)

White to play

page

247)

E66 (solution on

White to play and win

1 49

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E67 (solution on

page

247)

White to play

E69 (solution on

White to play I SO

page

248)

page

248)

page

248)

White to play

page

248)

White to play and win

E71 (solution on

E68 (solution on

page

E70 (solution on

White to play 248)

E72 (solution on

White to play and win

Chapter

E73 (solution on

page

249)

page

249)

Black to play

The battle of the major pieces

E74 (solution on

page

249)

E76 (solution on

page

249)

page

250)

Black to play

White to play

E77 (solution on

-

Black to play

Black to play

E75 (solution on

7

page

249)

E78 (solution on

Black to play 15 1

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Positions for playing out

P44 (solution on

page

250)

White to play (3 0-40 minutes)

P46 (solution on

page

250)

White to play (20 minutes) P48 (solution on

page

251 )

White to play (45 -60 minutes) 1 52

P45 (solution on

page

250)

White to play (40 minutes)

P47 (solution on

page

251 )

White to play (45 -50 minutes) P49 (solution on

page

251 )

White to play (3 0-40 minutes)

Chapter

P50 (solution on

page

252)

White to play (45 minutes)

P52 (solution on

page

252)

Black to play (3 0 minutes)

P54 (solution on

page

253)

White to play (30 minutes)

7 - The battle of the major pieces

P51 (solution on

page

252)

White to play (45 minutes)

P53 (solution on

page

253)

Black to play (3 0-40 minutes)

P55 (solution on

page

253)

Black to play (12-15 minutes) 1 53

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Chapter 8

Two minor pieces against a rook I first became interested in this subject after seeing the following game from many years ago:

Viktor Kortchnoi Anatoly Karpov Baguio 1 978 ( 1 7)

• Edmar Mednis Piet Peelen Lugano 1 986

0

White is better, but the activity of the black pieces gives him good chances of saving the game. Kortchnoi's desire to win at all costs leads to an nice finish. 1 ... C!Je4!

L.h4 tbxe4 24. Ile6.

Vlatko Kovacevic Julius Armas Thessaloniki 1 988 (9)

22.d6 ttJd4

22 ... �xd6 2 3 . l:i.xb6.

D

23. l:[b8+ �7 24.d7 lLle6

24 ... �c7 2 5 J ic8. 25.d8'if ttJxd8 26 . .:.Xd8 c4 27 . .:c8 c3 28 . .:c4!

Prophylaxis. The threat was 28 ... b5 29.axb5 a4. 28 ... citeS 29. g5 21 . 'ifdB+ 'ifilh5 22. 'ifa5+

Black resigned: the a6-pawn costs a rook. John Nunn John van der Wiel

Or 2. ..�a7 3 . .l:f.xg7. 3. l:[gxe4 'ifxh5

Wijk aan Zee 1 982 (1 2}

3 ... �f6 4.�f7 .l:tdd8 S . �e8; 3 ... �dd8 4.h6. 4. 'ife7! l:[dd8 5.l:[h4

0

s Jhd4? .!::i.d e8 6. �f4 �g8 ! . 5 . . . 'iff5

After S ...�cS there would follow 6 . .!::i.e hl ! Ilfl+ 7.'�a2! , winning, whilst if S ...�g6, then 6. l::rxd4 �de8 7.�h4. 6 . l:[eh1 ..tf6

6 ... !1fe8 7. lixd4; 6 ... llde8 7Jhh7+ �xh7 8 Jhh7+ �xh7 9.�h4+. 7. :Xh7+ 9. 'ifc5 !

'ifxh7

8. :Xh7+

'ifilxh7

Black's position is clearly worse, since White has a strong attack on the insufficiently-defended enemy king. A decisive role is played by the excellent cooperation of the white queen and bishop, whilst the black bishop remains a spectator. 1 . 'ife5!

The queen should be centralised. By winning back the pawn with l .�xb4 .l:td8 2 . Ilxd8+ Wxd8 , White would squander part of his advantage. The white attack is not stopped after the exchange of two rooks for the queen. Queen and bishop are almost always stronger than two rooks and a bishop of the opposite colour, because the queen is more mobile than the rooks. 9 . . . g6 1 0. 'ifxa5 .l:.d4 1 1 . 'ifc7+ 'ifilh6 1 2. 'ifila2 g5 1 3 . ..tc4! g4 1 4 . ..td3 ..tg7 1 5. 'ife7! l:[f6 1 6. 'ife3+

1 68

1 . . . l:[d8 2. :Xd8+ 'ifilxd8 3 . ..tg5+! 'ifild7 4. 'it'g7+ 'ifild6 5. 'iff8+ 'ifo>d5 6. 'ifxb4

The pawn has been regained and the attack continues. 6 . . . e5 7. 'ife4+ 'ifild6 8. 'it'xg6+ 'ifild5 9. 'iff7+ 'ifo>d4 1 0. 'it'b3! e4 1 1 . ..te3+ 'ifo>e5 1 2.f4+ ! 'ifilf6 1 3. 'it'g8 'ifd5 1 4 . ..td4+ 'ifile7 1 5. 'ifg7+ 'ifo>d6

Now White ends the game in technical style:

Chapter

9

- Opposite-coloured bishops with many pieces on the board

1 0 .�f7+ Wg4 l l. . �xe4+ �xe4 1 2 .f3 + wins) 9. �xf6 �b l + (9 . . . gxf6 I O .�g8 + ! and mate on g4) 1 0 .�h2 tbxf6 I I. . l:Ig3 + �hS 1 2 .tLlxg7+ il.xg7 1 3 .'iVf7+ Wh4 14.�xg7 White wins. 5 . �h2!

Preparing a rook transfer. 5 . . . h6 6. hf6 li:Jxf6 7.l:[e3 'it'c7 8.l:[f3! �h7

The threat was 9.l2:lxh6 . 1 6.b3! �c6 1 7. �e5 'ii'd 7 1 8. "irh6+ �d5 1 9. "irb6 'ii'c 6 20. "ird8+ �e6 2 1 . 'it'f6+ �d7 22. 'ii'g 7+ �e6 23. 'it'g4+ � 24.f5 'ifh6 25.f6

Black resigned: further material losses are unavoidable. Garry Kasparov Anatoly Karpov New York/Lyon 1 990 (6)

0

9.tbe3 'it'e7 1 0. lbd5 li:Jxd5 1 1 . bd5 l:[a7 1 2. 'it'b3 f6?

Weakening all the light squares around the king. Better is 1 2 .. .'�g8! 1 3 . !hf7 (13.�b8 �c7 14. l::rxf7 �xb8 1 5 . �b7+ Wh7 16 . .l:Ixb8 .i.e7 followed by g6, hS) 13 ... 'fi'xf7 14. �xf7+ thf7 1 5 .�e6 gS! 1 6 .Wg3 ! (16.'i!fg6+ �g7 1 7.�xd6 .l:.xf2 with a draw) 1 6 .. .';t>g7 1 7.f3 .l:f.f4, and it is very difficult for White to break through. 1 3. 'it'b8 g6 1 4. l:[c3

Even better is 14.g4!? .l:Id7 I S . .l:Ic3 l:1d8 1 6 .'iWb6 �g7 1 7. .l::f.c 7 .l:Id7 1 8 . .l:Ic8 followed by 'fi'b8 . 1 4 ... h 5 1 5.g4 �h6

White sacrifices a pawn to activate his light-squared bishop. 1 .c4! bxc4 2.bxc4! bc4 3. lt:Jxc4 'it'xc4 4. Ab3 'ii'c3? !

More cautious is 4 . . .'iV b 4 s J le3 g6 6.tLlh6+ �xh6 7. �xh6 when White has compensation for the pawn. After 5 . . . tbxe4 6 . �xf7+ Wxf7 7.�d5+ Wg6 8 .�e6+ tLldf6 (8 . . . tbef6 9. �xf6 ! tbxf6 I O . �g3 + WhS l l .tLlxg7+ i&xg7 n .'iYfS +, mating; 8 . . . Wxg5 9.h4+ �hS

1 6.gxh5 ! ?

Losing part o f his advantage. After 1 6 .�c8 ! White retains the initiative. 1 6 ... �xh5

1 6 ... gxh5? 1 7. .l:Ig3 . 1 7. l:[c8? 1 69

Mastering Chess Middlegames

White gets the advantage after 1 7.'li!Yc8! �h6 1 8 . Ilg3 �h7 1 9.'li!Yg4 'li!Ye8 20.'lifh4+ �g7 (20 ... i.h6 2 1 . !lf3) 2 1 .'lifhs l:Ia3 n . l:lg4 I:i.f3 23 .g2 I:!.f4 24 . .!:Ig3 and then i.e6-f5 . 1 1 . . . i.g7 1 8 . .:r.ea

After analysing the adjourned position, the players agreed a draw, in view of the possible line 1 8 ...'li!Yd7 1 9 . .l:!.g8 fS ! 20.exf5 , and chances are equal. Bad is 1 9 ... .l:ta3 ? 20.!:rh8+! i.h6 (20 ... i.xh8 2 1 .'lifxh8+ \t>gs 22 .h4+ �g4 23 .'li!Yxf6 with the threat of 24. i.e6+) 2 1 . i.b3 ! with numerous threats.

7 . ..be2 'ire6 8. 'ire2 'ireS 9 . .l:l.f1 'ire3 1 0.exdS exdS 1 1 . i.b1 'ird2 1 2. 1VeS! ?

Also good i s 1 2 .�e6!? i.h4 1 3 .'li!Yg6 (13.g3 i.xg3) 1 3 ... i.xf2+ lH!ihl \t>g8 1 S .'lifh7+ �f7 1 6 . i.g6+ �e6 1 7.�xg7 .l::i.f6 t 8 . i.hs. 12 ... .l:l.d8 1 3. 'irfS �g8 1 4. 'ife6+ �h8 1 S. 'ifg6 �g8 1 6. 'ife6+ �h8 1 7. i.fS!

Preparing 1 9.'life8.

1 8 . .l:tel

and on 1 8 ... k:tf8 ,

1 7 ... 'ire3 1 8. 'irg6 �g8 1 9. i.e6+ �h8 20. i.fS �g8 21 .g3!

So as to be able to play g2 and include the rook in the attack with .l::td l -d3 -f3 .

Anatoly Karpov Garry Kasparov

21 . . . d6 25 .'iWh8 �d7 26 .'ti'b8+. 25. 'iVh7+ 27. 'iVxf6

d8

26. 'iVh8+

c7

The rest is simple. 27 ... l:.f5 28. 'iVg7+ ..td7 29. r�e2 c8 30. 'ii' h 8+ c7 31 . 'iVh2+ 'ifi>c8 32. 'iVd6 l:.h5 33. �e3 l:.f5 34. e4 l:.h5 35. 'iVf8+ �c7 36. 'iVf4+ �c8 37. 'iVd6 l:.f5 38. 'ifi>e3 l:.h5 39. �d3 l:.f5 40. e2 l:.h5 41 . d2 l:!.f5 42. e3 l:th5 43. 'iff8+ c7 44. 'iVf4+ �c8 45. 'iVd6 l:.f5 46. 'iVg3 l:.h5 47. 'iVg4 l:l.f5 48. 'iVg8+ c7 49. 'iVg3+ �c8 50. 'iVg6 c7

The sealed move. Black resigned. White wins easily by transferring his king to b6, after c4-c5. This game won Lasker a prize as the best of the tournament.

Chapter

I0

-

Same-coloured bishops

Akiba Rubinstein Esteban Canal Rogaska Slatina 1 929 (1 2)

0

26. 'itg4! l:h8 27 . .1:th 1 + g8 28. :Xh8+ x h8 29.b5! cxb5 30. hb7 :Xb7 31 .axb5 axb5

With what should White recapture on c3? There followed: 1 . 'ifxc3 !

White plays against the bishop on c8. After l .bxc3 b6 Black would continue with ... �b7 and ... c6-c5 . Now, how­ ever, it will be very hard to play ... c6-c5 . 1 . . . 'ifd6 2.Aac1 �d7 3 . 0.e5 Aad8 4 . l:fd 1 �c8

More tenacious is 3 l . .. a5. 32.d5!

This decides. 32 . . . exd5 33. :Xd5 h7 34. :Xb5 l:b8 35.f4 h6 36. l:b1 h7 37. g5 b5 38.e6! fxe6 39. l:h 1 + �g8 40. xg6 Black resigned: 40 .. J:f.f8 4I . .i:!cl with

the idea of 42 J lc7, .l:Ig7+ and f7.

The bishop faces a miserable fate. 5.a3 �f6 6. 'ife3 'ife7 7.h4!

Strengthening the position. 7 ... l:d6 8.h5 l:fd8 9.l:c3 g6 1 0. �c2 'iff8 1 1 .hxg6 hxg6 1 2.g4 'ife8 1 3.g5 �g7 1 4. �e4 'ife7

Black must wait. 1 5. g 2 'ifc7 1 6.b4 a6 1 7. :Cd3 b6? !

He should not have weakened the c6-pawn. It was worth considering 1 7... 'ife7.

In the following game, White sacrifices a pawn to keep the enemy bishop shut in. Anatoly Karpov Joel Lautier Biel 1 992 (1 )

0

1 8. 'ifh3 �b7 1 9. 'iff3 'ife7 20. h2

The pawn is poisoned: 20. �xc6 �xeS 2 l . �xb7 �xf4. 20 ... 'ifc7 21 . �h3 'ife7 22.a4

Threatening the breakthrough 2 3 .b5. 2 2 ... be5 23.fxe5 l:6d7 24. 'iff6! 'ifxf6

24 .. .''iVxb4 is bad because of 25 .�g2 ! , planning 26.�hl and 27. .l:!.dh3 . 25.gxf6 'ith7

This position arose from a variation of the Meran. Karpov accurately exploits the advantage of the better bishop: 1 . lbes ttJx:es 1 79

Mastering Chess Middlegames

l .. . �a8 does not help either, because of 2 .'�Jxd7 'iVxd7 (or 2 ... c5 3 .'iVg4) 3 .c5 ! , and the bishop on a 8 i s out of play. 2.dxe5 'ifc7 3 . ..tf3 ..b8

A new attempt to free the position. 4. :Xd8!

«With this exchange of rooks, Karpov gives his opponent the initiative and even sacrifices a pawn, but he manages to keep the enemy bishop shut in on a8, where it is blocked by the pawn on c6» (Gulko).

to exploit his superior bishop on the other area of the board. Alexander Alekhine Efim Bogoljubow Germany/Netherlands 1 9 29 (5)

0

4 . . . :Xd8 5 . l:.d 1 :Xd1 + 6 . ..txd1 'ird8 7 . ..tf3 'ifd2 8.b3 'ifxa2 9.b4 'ira1 + 1 0. 'iit h 2 'ifa6

White's position is clearly superior, on account of the out-of-play bishop on h7. Alekhine accurately realises his advan­ tage. 1 . ..te2 c5 2.dxc5 hc5

2 ... tDxcS is no better. 3. bc5 �c5 4.b4 ttJa6 1 1 . 'ifd4!

Stronger than l l .bS 'iic 8 1 2 .bxc6. 1 1 ... 'ifc8 1 2.c5! bxc5 1 3. 'ifxc5 a6

More tenacious is 1 3 ...'iVb8 . 1 4. 1i'e7 g6 1 5.h4 h5 1 6. 'iitg3 1i'b7

The exchange of queens does not save Black, but nor was there any defence with them on the board. 1 7. 1i'xb7 bb7 1 8. Wf4 Wf8 1 9. 'iii>g 5 �e7 20 . ..te4 ..taa 2 1 .f3 ..tb7 22.g4 ..b8

Black's bishop plays a very sad role. 23.gxh5 gxh5 24.f4 ..tb7 25 . ..tf3 ..b8 26. 'iitx h5 1 -0

4 .. ."iVxdl+ s . Ilxdl lDxa4? is bad because of 6.lDxa4 bS 7.lDcb6! axb6 8 . �xb5 , and White is clearly better. 5. 'it'xd8!

Stronger than S .�b3 lDhS with coun­ terplay on the kingside. 5 . . . l:.fxd8 6.tlJa2!

After 6 .b5 tLlcS Black has a normal game. 6 . . . tt:\b8

Intending ... lDb8-c6-d4. 7. 'iitf2 ttJc6 8.l:.hd1 'iitf8

tt:\d4 9.l:.ac1

Getting ready to bring the bishop into the game. 1 o . ..tf1 tees 1 1 . ttJca

'Dead' bishops

It was worth considering l l .tLlaS .

A bishop can also be out of play because it is obstructed by the opponent's pawns. The stronger side has the chance

If 1 2 ... b6, then 1 3 .tLlb7 Ild7 14.�b5 �xb7 1 S . l:i.xd4 �c7 1 6 .lDe2!.

1 80

1 1 . . . f6 1 2. tlJa5 l:.ab8

Chapter

1 0 - Same-coloured bishops

Limiting the bishop on b2 . 2.g4

After 2. �d4 there would follow 2 ... eS 3 . �xb6 lhdl+! 4. lhd1 axb6 with advantage to Black. 2 ... eS 3 . ..to>f1 l:ac8 4. lbd8+ lbd8 S. 'it>e2 tbxf2 !

Exploiting White's bad bishop, Black wins a pawn. 6. 'it>xf2 .l:[d3 7. tbcS bcS 8.bxcS .l:[d2+ 9 . ..to>f3 .:Xb2 lbd8

Smyslov realises his extra pawn with accurate technique in the rook ending.

Or 15 ... �d2+ 1 6 .'�e3 tt::lb d6 1 7.�xd2 tt::lxb7 1 8 . .l:tc8 and then lta8 .

1 O . .l:[d1 a6 1 1 . .1:[d7 h6 1 2 . .l:.c7 as 1 3. 'iio>e4 'iio> h 7 1 4. 'iio>d S a4 1 S. 'it>d6 'iti>g6 1 6. 'iio>d 7?

1 3. tbbS ! lbxbS 1 S. tbxb7! l:lb8

1 4. lbd8

1 6. tbcS ! rt;e7 1 7.axbS

1 7. �xb5 is also good. 1 7 ... tbd6 1 8. l:a1 tbca 1 9. �c4 �g8 20.f4 �f7 21 .eS fxeS 22.fxeS .l:[b6 23. 'iti>e3 �e8 24. l:aS �d7 2S. 'iio>d 4 �e8 26.h4 �d7 27. �e2 .l:[b8

27 ... �e8 28.�f3 ! �xbS 29.�b7 �d7 30.�xc8 �xeS 3 1. . l::i.x a7+ or 28 .. Jhb5 29Jhbs �xbS 30.tt::lxe6! . 28. tbxd7 xd7 29. �f3 .l:[b6 3 0. ..to>cs

With the threat of 3 1..l::i.x a7+. 30 .. J:tb8 31 .hS 'it>d8 32. �c6 'iio>e7 33. 1%83 'iti>f7 34. �e4 'iio>e7 3S. 'iio>c6 'iti>d8 36. lld3+ 'it>e7 37. 'iio>c7 1 -0

Stronger is 1 6 .�e6. 16 ... fS! 1 7.gxfS+ 'iio>xfS 1 8. 'it>d6 .l:[d2+ 1 9. 'iio>e7 .l:[dS 20 . ..to>f7 'iio>e4 2 1 . 'iti>xg7 'iti>xe3 22. 'iio>x h6 e4 23. llxb7 :Xes 24.g4 'it>f4 2S . .I:[b4 'it>f3 26.gS e3 27.g6 e2

White resigned: 28 . .l:tb1 xgS, and the last black pawn queens. Alexey Sokolsky Abo Shagalovich Belorussia 1 959

Svetozar Gligoric Vassily Smyslov

0

Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1 959 (1 9)

•

1 .fS! 1 . . .f6!

White plays for the exclusion of the �b7. 181

Mastering Chess Middlegames

1 . . . e5 2. 'Wg4+ 'Wfilh8 3.e4! 'Wd7 4.d3 'ifd4+ S.'Wfilh1 'it'e3 6. 'Wh5 'Wfilg7 7.h4!

Preparing 8 . .l::tf3 . 7 . . . 'it'h6 8. 'it'xh6+ 'Wfilxh6 9 . .:S1 !

After forcing play, the game goes into a difficult endgame for Black.

It is useful to force ... b7-b6. 6 . . . b6 7. 'Wc2 l:tf8

After 7.. .'�c4 there would follow 8 .'i:fe4 with the initiative. It was worth consid­ ering 7 .. J lc8 8 .'ifd1 l:Id8 with equality. 8. 'Wfilg 1 'ifc4 9. 'ifd2 'ife6

9 ... l:td8 1 0 . .:S7 l:td7 1 1 . 'Wfilg1 'Wfilg7

9... ilh6 1 0.'ifxh6 'ifxe2 l l .'i:fe3 ; 9...'iff7 1 0 .tbg3 .

l l ...�hS is worse because of 1 2 .g3 Wg4 1 3 .�f2 �hs 14.ilds ilc6 1 S . .l::f.x d7 ilxd7 1 6 . .ic6! .ic8 1 7. .ie8 .

Not allowing the black bishop out of its box.

1 2. Wf2 Wf8 1 3. 'Wfile3 'Wfilg7 1 4. 'Wfild2?

1 0.h3 tbc4 1 1 . 'Wg5!

1 1 . . . h6 1 2. 'ifc1 'it'f7 1 3. �g3

This leads to equality. After 14 . .idS ilc6 1 S .l::f.x d7 .ixd7 16 . .ic6! White would retain winning chances. 1 4 . . . �c6! 1 5. :Xd7

1 S . .l::f. a6 ilxe4. 1 5 . . . hd7 1 6. 'Wfilc3 Wf8 1 7. 'Wfilb3 'Wfile7 1 8. 'Wfila4 �e8 1 9. �d5 'Wfild6 20. �b7 'Wfilc7 2 1 . �d5 Wd6

Draw. Anatoly Karpov Garry Kasparov Belfort 1 988 (14)

0

1 3 ... g5? !

After 1 3 ...'iVds a possible continuation is 14.tbf4 'ife4 1 S .tbe6 cxd4!? ( 1 S .. Jk8 1 6 .'ifb1 ! 'i!Ye3+ 1 7. i.f2 'i!Yxc3 1 8 .'i!Yxg6 'i!:Yxal+ 1 9.Wh2; 1 S ... tbe3 16.'i!Yd2 tbc4 1 7.'i!Ye1 tbe3 1 8 .'iVe2 cxd4 1 9.tbxf8 i.xf8 20.cxd4 'ii'xd4 2 1. .l::!.e 1) 1 6.tbxf8 (16 .cxd4 tbe3 1 7.'iVb2 .l::t.c8) 1 6 ... tbe3 1 7.'i!Yd2 dxc3 1 8.'ife2 .ixf8 1 9.'iVf3 . 1 4. 'ifc2 'ifdS 1 5. �f2 bS 1 6. ltJg3 l:tf7

Bad is 1 6 ... b4 1 7.tbfs �f7 1 8.e6 'i!Yxe6 1 9.lle 1 'i!Yd7 20.cxb4. 1 . bf7+! ?

A rare continuation i n the Griinfeld, the usual move being L.id3. Karpov's idea is to play to exclude the ilg7. 1 . . . :Xf7 2 .fxg4 :Xf1 + 3. 'Wfilxf1 'ifd6 4.es 'ifdS s . �f2

A prophylactic move. s . . . l:td8 6. 'ifa4!

1 82

1 7. l:te1

It was worth considering 17 . .l::f.c l with advantage. 1 7 . . . b4 1 8. 'it'g6 Wf8

1 8 ... bxc3 1 9.tbfs Wf8 2 1 .gxfS tbd6 22 .dxcS. 1 9. tbe4

With the idea of 20.e6.

20.e6

.l::txfS

Chapter

I 0 - Same-coloured bishops

5 . �g3 l:c1 6.f3 f6

1 9 . . . .:Xf2

1 9... bxc3 20.tt:'!xc5. 20. �xf2 bxc3 21 . 'iff5+ �g8 22. 'ifc8+ c;ir>h7 23. 'ifxc5 'it'f7+ 24. �g 1 c2 25. ltJg3 �f8 26. tt:lf5 �g8 27. l:c1

Black resigned. The bishop on g7 never did get into the game.

The 'blank-firing' bishop Sometimes in a game we reach a posi­ tion where we have a bishop that looks well-placed, but which actually turns out to be quite ineffective and unable to take a serious part in the action. It is almost as if it is a gun that is firing blanks. Naturally, the stronger side in such a case can expect to gain a clear advantage and chances of winning.

Not hurrying to force matters, since White has no counterplay anyway. 7 . .i.f2 'ifc4 8. 'ifd3

If 8 .'i¥xc4, then 8 ...dxc4 with a decisive advantage. 8 . . . a4 9.e4 'ifxd3 1 O . .:Xd3 b4!

Now the black bishop comes into the game with decisive effect. 1 1 .axb4 bb4 1 3. l:e3 l:c2

1 2.exd5

exd5

White resigned: 14.l:i.e8+ �f7 I S . �a8 �el . Alexander Karpov Wolfgang Uhlmann Madrid 1 973 { 1 2)

0

Alfred Tarnowski Mikhail Botvinnik Leipzig 1 960 {B)

•

1 .g4!

The white bishop on eS looks superbly placed, but it is just appearances - in reality, it has no prospects. In par­ ticular, it cannot influence the queen­ side, where the action is taking place. Exploiting this, Black quickly obtains a decisive advantage. 1 . . . l:c4 2 . l:d 1 4.e3 aS

'it'b6 3 . l:d2 'it'c6

Black strengthens his position, whilst the bishop on eS remains as a spectator.

Karpov: «Such moves give me the greatest pleasure: White manages to look into the future. In the near future, he sees a transition into a major-piece ending with light-squared bishops on the board. The mobility ofBlack's bishop is restricted by the pawn on dS and now my own pawn on g4 further limits it. It may be objected that White is placing a pawn on the same colour squares as his own bishop, but the point is that my bishop works on different diagonals». White's main idea is not to allow the enemy bishop to retreat to e6, with a probable draw. 1 83

Mastering Chess Middlegames

After l..�xg7 Black is fine. Therefore, there followed:

1 ... tillc: d 4

Better is I ..Jlac8 . 2. 'ifxd4 'ifxd4 3.cxd4 l:ac8 4.f3

After this move, the black bishop is totally ineffective. 4 ... .i.g6 s . :e7 b6 6 . l:ae1 h6

He should have thought about playing 6 ... h5. 7. l:.b7 l:.d6 8. l:.ee7 h5

If 8 ... .l:i.c2, then 9 .l:ie8+ fa 7 . .:f.e5 i.d7 a . .:t.de1 .:r.ea 9. 'irh5 h6 1 0.f4 .:f.e7 1 1 . 'irf3 .:r.ea 1 2. 'ire3 'ifba

Black has a weak pawn not only on dS, but also his kingside pawns generally. Gelfand, by combining threats, gradu­ ally creates an attack on the enemy king. 1 . .:f.c3 i.bS 2. 'irb2 !

Preparing to seize the open file. 2 ... 'ire6

2 .. �c4 3 .e4. .

3. 1i'c1 i.c4 4.e4! bS S.es

Black's position is very difficult - his bishop is excluded from effective play. s . . . .:r.ea 6. '1ith2 'irb6 7. 'irf4 .:r.ta a . .:f.f3 aS 9. i.h3 i.e2 1 0 . .:f.e3 i.c4 1 1 . .:f.f3

Repeating moves to gain time on the clock. 1 1 ... i.e2 1 2 . .:f.e3 i.c4 1 3. 'irgS

Stronger is 1 3 .'Yih6!. 1 3 ... 'ifxd4

Better is 13 ... Wg7 with the idea of 14 . .l:If3 f6. 1 3.g4!

Having strengthened his posltlon, White goes over to decisive action. 1 3 ... g6 1 4. '1ith2 fxg4 1 5.hxg4 '1itg7 1 6. 'irg3! .:t.efa 1 7.f5 cJr>ha 1 a.fxe6 l:.f2+ 1 9. '1itg1 .tea 20.e7 :Sf6 21 . 'irxf2! l:.xf2 22. '1itxf2 '1itg7 23. '1itg2 1 -0 'ifd6 24. l:lf1 c5 25 . .1:r.e6! Boris Gelfand Vesel in Topalov Novgorod 1 997 (3)

D

1 4.e6 'irb2 1 5 . .l:.f3 d4 1 6. :Xf7

Black resigned: there is no defence to mate.

1 85

Mastering Chess Middlegarnes

Positions for playing out

P72 (solution on

page

261 )

White to play (45 minutes)

P74 (solution on

page

262)

Black to play (30 minutes) P76 (solution on

page

262)

White to play (30 minutes) 1 86

P73 (solution on

page

261 )

White to play (45 minutes)

P75 (solution on

page

262)

White to play (30 minutes against 40) P77 (solution on

page

263)

White to play (40 minutes)

Chapter 11

Bishop versus knight In the middlegame (unlike the endgame), one can hardly speak of 'the minor exchange', ie. of the advantage of bishop over knight. Here there are too many factors influencing the assessment of the position, such as king safety, open lines, weak pawns, etc. But in open positions, a bishop can be a decisive factor in the assessment and the formation of a plan. It is important to be able to judge such positions and play them correctly, to feel the strength of the bishop and not give it away unnecessarily, because the bishop is often stronger than the knight in the middlegame. The bishop is stronger than the knight in open positions. It often helps to create an attack on the enemy king and to take an active part in such. If the knight lacks se­ cure outposts in the centre, then the weaker side may have trouble obtaining coun­ terplay and can fall under a lasting press. In this regard, the stronger side should not fear exchanges, since in the endgame, his advantage will only increase. We will look at several typical examples, in which the bishop is superior to the knight.

1 87

Mastering Chess Middlegames

M ikhail Botvinnik Vassi ly Smyslov

Robert Fischer Boris Spassky

Moscow 1 954 ( 1 2)

Reykjavik 1 972 (6)

•

White stands better, thanks to his strong bishop and possible attack with the e­ and f-pawns. 1 . . . g5 2.g3 :ada 3 . .b2 .I:!.feB 4.:ad1 lbf8 5 . .1:1.xd8 .l:l.xd8 6.e5 !

The signal for the offensive. 6 ... lbd5 7. lbxd5 cxd5 8. 'ifd2 !

Taking the squares d4 and b4 from the queen. 8 ... lbe6 9.f4 gxf4 1 0.gxf4 'ifc6

Better is lO .. ."iVd4. 1 1 .f5 lbc5 1 2. 'ifg5 l:td7

If 1 2 .. .f6, then 1 3 .'iVg2 fxeS 14.b4 tt:Jd3 1 5 .f6 'iid 7 1 6 .'iie 4! . 1 3 . .1:1.g 1 f6 1 4.exf6 lbe4

D

1 . lbd4! 'iff8

The alternative is 1 . ..tLlf6 2.tLlb3 tt:Jd7 3 . .l:i.c3 , and White is a little better. 2. lbxe6 fxe6 3.e4! d4?

«This terrible positional error leads Spassky to defeat. With the queens on a3 and f8 , Black had available the stand­ ard response ... c5-c4» (Botvinnik). After 3 . . . c4 a possible line is 4.'ii h 3 'iif7 S . .ig4 lieS 6 .exd5 exdS 7. .l:rfe l . Now after both 7. . . .l';Ixe l + 8 . .l:rxe l tt:Jf8 , and 7. . . tt:Jes 8 . -ihs g6 9.'iVg3 �ae7 1 0 .f4 �h7, Black 's position is defensible. 4.14 'ife7 5.e5!

Opening the bl-h7 diagonal for the attack. 5 ... .1:1.b8

Transferring the knight to the centre gives a little counterplay: 5 ... tt:Jb6 6.'iib 3 tt:Jds 7.f5 ! , but White retains pressure. 6 . .tc4! �h8

6 ... tt:Jb6 7.'ii b 3 ! . 7 . 'ifh3 lbf8

The long-planned blow, weakening the dS-square.

On 7... l:!.xb2 White is prepared to go into a winning endgame: 8 .'iixe6! 'iixe6 9 . .ixe6 d3 lO . .l:tfd l .

1 5... :xt7 1 6.'ifd8+ g2 e5 1 9. l:l.d3 206

1 . . . b6

2.c5 b5 3.a4 bxa4

3 ... a6 4.tLlb3 . 4.ltJxa4 f5 5.exf5 gxf5 6 . ltJc4 ltJd5 7.�d2 e4 8. ltJa5 l:l.c8

8 ... t2Jes 9. �a6 . 9. h6 l:l.c7 1 0. ltJc3!

Exchanging the opponent's most active piece. 1 0 ... ltJxc3 1 1 . �xc3+ �g7 1 2. �d2 h2 1 3. l:[c1 �e5 1 4. ltJc4 bc4 1 5. bc4 'iti>g7 1 6. b5 cxb5 1 7. bb5 �d4 1 8.c6 'it>f6 1 9. l:l.d 1 �e5 20. h5 l:l.e7 21 . �c4 f4

Or 2 1 ...tLld6 22.�d8 tLlxc4 2 3 . Ild7. 22. l:l.d7

Black resigned.

Chapter 1 2

Artur Jussupow Jorge Rubinetti Toluca 1 98 2 (1 3)

0

- Sample games and endings

White is better on account of the weak pawn on a4. 1 . .tf4 tiJcd5 2 . .te5 l:tfdS 3.l:tad1 .td6 4.l:td2 .be5

Maybe 4... c5 was better. 5.dxe5! lLJd7 6.g3 lLJfS 7. l:ted 1 l:td7

After 7. ..Ci:Je7 8 Jhd8 l:txd8 9.llxd8 'iVxd8 I O."ti'c2 the a4-pawn drops: ii.c4-e2-dl . S. 'ife4 l:tb7 9.l:tc2 :tabS 1 0. l:tdd2 lLJe7 1 1 . �g2 'Was 1 2.h4 .l:[d7 1 3 . .ie2 l:td5 1 4. l:td4 :Xd4 1 5. 'ifxd4 lLJd5?

White starts an attack on the kingside. 1 . 'itilh2! .tdS 2 . .1:[g1 ! !

A very strong move. White prepares g2-g3 , which is not possible at once because of 2...'ii'd 7. Now, however, the latter would be met by the bishop retreat to fi . 2 ... 'ifb6

It was better to put the bishop here, with the idea of an exchange. 3.l:tb1 'ifa7 4.g4 l:tfS 5 . lLJf1 lLJeS 6.lLJg3 f6 7. lLJf5 .bf5 S.gxf5 .tb6 9 . .th5 ! l:tdS 1 O . .ih6 l:td7 1 1 . .ixeS :XeS 1 2. 'ifh5 'ifbS 1 3 . .bg7

More tenacious is 15 .. J:!.b7, not giving up the pawn. 1 6. :Xc6 'ifaS 1 7. l:tc4 'Wb7 1 S. l:tc2 lLJb6 1 9 . .tb5 lLJQ6 20. 'ifd6!

Now 2 I . .Uc7 is threatened. 20 . . . 'WaS 21 . .tc6

Black resigned. Alexander Kotov Erich Eliskases Stockholm 1 952 (1 )

0

Black resigned. Anatoly Karpov Tigran Petrosian Tilburg 1 982 (2)

0

White has a positional advantage, thanks to his compact pawn mass. But Black has no weaknesses and so White must create some. 1 . :t7a5 ! l:thdS 2 . l:tg5 f6 3 . :tga5 tiJcS 4.f5

Stronger is 4.h4! lt:Jd6 S .lt:Jc3 and only then f4-f5. 4 . . . g5! 207

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Not allowing the white knight to f4 and then e6. 5.h4 h6 6.hxg5 hxg5 7 . .1:[h 1 ttJd6 8 . .1:[h6 .l:[e7 9.ttJc3 .l:[de8 1 0.e5

«This combination gives White a some­ what better rook endgame» (Kotov) . 1 0 ... 1xe5 1 1 . ttJd5+ cxd5 1 2 . .1:[c5+ c;i;>b8 1 3. :Xd6 exd4

Of course, better was 13 ... e4+ 14.�e3 .l::th 8 , and Black has adequate play. 1 4 . .1:[cxd5 .l:[e3+ 1 5. c;i;>c4!

1 5 .�xd4 !I8e4+. 1 5 ... .:r.c8+ 1 6. 'i.txd4 l:g3 1 7.16!

This pawn is destined to decide the game. 1 7 . . . :Xg4+ 1 8. c;i;>e5 .1:[14 1 9 . .1:[d8 :Xd8 20. :Xd8+ c;i;>c7 21 . .1:[g8 c;i;>d7 22 . .1:[g7+ 'i.te8

White is winning after 22 .. .'�c6 23 . .l:Ixg5 1:1fl 24.�e6 l:te l+ 2H itf7 bS 26 .�g7 'it>b6 27.f7 �e7 28 .�g8 �xf7 29.�xf7 �aS 30.�e6 �a4 3 l .'it>d5 b4 32 .'it>c4. 23.:Xb7! .1:[12 24. c;i;>e6 .l:[e2+ 25. 15 g4 26. c;i;>g6 .1:[12 27.17+ 18 28 . .1:[b8+ 1 -0 'i.te7 29 . .1:[e8+ Anatoly Karpov Vladimir Kramnik

weak pawns on a3 and b4. Karpov wins, demonstrating virtuoso technique and accurate calculation. 1 . 'i.tf3 �e5

I ...fs 2.tt.Jds . 2.ttJd5 'i.tg7 3.0.e7!

White organises an attack on the king, with minimal forces. 3 ... l:l.c3+

It was worth considering 3 ... �e6 4.tt.Jfs+ �g6 s .ti.JM+ 'it>g7 6.�g4 .ib2 7.f4 .ixa3 8 .�h5 .ixb4 9.ti.Jf5+ �f8 1 oJla8+ Ile8 1 1. . l:Ixa6 !Ib8 with mutual chances. 4. �g4 :Xa3 5.14! �c3 6. c;i;>h5 bb4 7. tb15+ c;i;>g8 8. l:a8+ c;i;>h7 9.l:a7 c;i;>g8 1 0. tbxh6+ 'i.t18 1 1 . :X17+ c;i;>e8 1 2. 'i.tg6 ! ..tc3

12 ... .ie7 1 3 .ti.Jfs .id8 14.ti.Jd6#. 1 3. ltJ15 b4 1 4 . .1:[b7! .l:[a2

14 ... b3 loses to 1 S .ti.Jd6+ �d8 1 6.�f7 b2 1 7.�e6 .l:Ia1 1 8 . �d7#. 1 5.h4 a5 1 6.h5 a4 1 7.h6 .l:[h2 1 8.h7 c;i;>d8 1 9. tbh4 15 20.:Xb4! .l:[h3 21 . :Xa4 :Xg3+ 22. 'i.tx15 1 -0 Isaak Boleslavsky Mikhail Tal Moscow 1 957 (1 2)

Vienna 1 996 (2)

0 0

1 . 'ifxd6!

Black's position is clearly inferior, because of his weak pawns, but he has defensive chances, as White also has 208

Not l .c8Vi', since after l ...Vi'f3+ Black gives perpetual check. Now, however, White keeps an extra piece, but it is

Chapter 1 2

very hard to realise the advantage, as little material remains on the board, and White has the wrong rook's pawn for his bishop. After a long battle, Boleslavsky manages to cope with this tough task and achieve the win. 1 . . . ..-xd6 2.c8'if gxf2 3 . ... b7+ �e6

Black tries to get as close as possible to the safe square a8, so he can then exchange queens.

-

Sample games and endings

After 32 .. .'iYe4+ 33 .a5 'iYel+ 34.�xa6 'i!fe2+ 35.'iYb5+! White wins. 33.a4 a5+ ! ?

The last chance. After 33 ...g 4 there would follow 34.'itfd4+ �e6 35 .�a5. 34. 'ifxa5 'ife4+ 35. �a3

The king escapes the checks. 35 ... 'ife3+ 36 . .tc3 'ifc1 + 37. �b3 'ifb1 + 38. �a3 'ifc1 + 39. �b4 'ifb1 + 40. �c5 'ifg 1 +

�e6

40 ..."fi'f5+ 41 .�b6 'ifxa5+ 42 . .ixa5! g4 43 . �e 1 .

On 6 .. .'ifd5+ a good reply is 7.�xf2 ! , and now Black loses after 7...f!Vxb3 8.axb3 aS 9. �c l ! (but not 9.�e2 a4!=).

41 . �b5 g 4 42. '0t>a6 g 3 43 . ..-dS+ �e7 44. 'ifb7+ �e8 45. 'ifb8+ 1 -0

4. 'ifxe4+ �d7 6 . ... b3+ �d7

5. 'ifb7+

7. xf2 'ifh2+ 8. 'itf3 'ifh3+ 9. e4 'iff5+ 1 0. �d4 �c6 1 1 . �c3 'ife5+

There is little to say about all these checks, until White finds the right plan to strengthen his position. 1 2. �c2 'ife4+ 1 3. �c1 �d7 1 4. �d2 'ifg2+ 1 5. �d3 'ifc6 1 6. �d4 'iff6+ 1 7. �c4 'ifc6+ 1 8. �d3 'ifb5+ 1 9. '0t>d4 'ifc6 20 . .tf4 1i'f6+ 2 1 . '0t>e3 'ifc6 22. �d4 'iff6+ 23 . .te5 'iff2+

A difficult ending, in which it is almost impossible to understand whether Black could have held. Jose Rau l Capablanca Alexander Alekhine Buenos Aires 1 927 (1 1 )

0

23 .. .'�c6 24.�d5+! . 24. �ds 'iff7 + 25. �cs

Black has the advantage, thanks to the passed pawn on c4, but realising this is very difficult. The remaining struggle is extremely tense. u::r.ta ..-cs

Trying to break through to the queen­ side with the king. 25 ... 'ife7+ 26. �d4 •h4+ 27. �d5 'ifh 1 + 28. �c5 'ifc1 + 29. �b4

29.Wb6? 'i!fc6+! . 29 ... 'ifc6 30. 'iff7+ �c8 31 . 'iff8+ �d7 32 . ..-cs g5

With the idea of 2...'�b4. 2 . l:lf4!

If now 2 ...'YWb4, then 3 .�e3 ! f!Vxa4 4.l:i.f5 ! (but not 4 . .l:lxc4? �xc4 s .'i�Vh6 l:i.xh4+! , and Black wins) 4 ...'i!Vb4 s JhhS! gxh5 6 .'iYh6 'iYf8 7.'i!Vg5+ with perpetual check. 209

Mastering Chess Middlegames

2 . . . �h7 3.l:[d4 'ifc6 ! ?

Only a draw results from 3 ...�b4 4.�e3 �xa4 S .�e7 'i:Ve8 6 . .!::f.xc4!. 4. 'ifxa5

The best chance, else the a4-pawn is lost. 4 ... c3 5. 'ifa7 �g8 6. 'ife7! 'Wb6!

Or 6 ... c2 7. .l:ld8+ l::txd8 8 .�xd8+ 'it>h7 9.�e7.

24.'i:Vcs Ilxf2+ 2S .�xf2 �c6+! 26.�f3 �xf3+ 2 7.�xf3 c2 28.a7 cl� 29.a8'iV �hl+) 24 ... cxd2 2S .�dS �b2 26.�h3 'i:Vc2 2 7.a7 �fS+! 28 .�xfS gxfS 29.a8'ii d l �. eg: 3 0.�c6 f4! or 30.'iVg2 'iVg4+ 3 1 .�h2 f4 32 .gxf4 �xg2+ 33 .'lt>xg2 �f6 34.'lt>f2 �fs 3S .'lt>f3 f6, and Black wins. 21 ... 'iff1 ! 22. 'ife4

22.a7 l:!d2 .

7. 'ifd7?

Stronger, as Tarrasch showed, was 7.�d7! .a'.f8 (nothing comes from 7...�xf2+ 8 .�h l !) 8 .�e3! �xf6 9. Ilc7 or 8 ...�c6 9. l::tc 7! with a draw.

22 . . . .:d2 23 . .:Xd2 cxd2 24.a7 d 1 'if 25.a8'if 'ifg1 + 26. h3 'it'df1 + 27. 'ifg2 'ifh 1 #

The final position deserves a diagram.

7 . . . 'ifc5!

Preparing 8 ... c2 . 8 . .:e4 'ifxf2+

After 8 ... c2 9. .a'.e8+ .a'.xe8 IO.�xe8+ �f8 l l .�c6 it's a draw. 9. �h3 'iff1 + 1 0. �h2 'iff2+ 1 1 . �h3 l:[f8 1 2. 'ifc6

1 2 . .a'.f4 �cS . 1 2 . . . 'iff1 +

1 2 ... c2? 1 3 . l::tc4. 1 3. �h2 1 5. �h2!

'iff2+

1 4. h3

'iff3 !

1 S . l:Ic4? �fl+ 1 6.'lt>h2 .a'.d8 ! . 1 5 ... �h7

M i khail Tal Anatoly Karpov Leningrad 1 973 (8)

With the idea of ... .a'.d8 . 1 6. 'ifc4 'iff2+

•

But not 1 6 ...�xf6 1 7. .l:i.f4 �g7 1 8 . l!f3 . 1 7. �h3 'ifg1 ! 1 8 . .:e2

He loses after 1 8 .g4? c2! 1 9.�xc2 .l:Ie8 ! ! 20 . .a'.xe8 hxg4#. 1 8 ... 'iff1 + 1 9. �h2 'ifxf6 20.a5?

The losing move. He had to play 20. Ilc2! .l::!.e 8 2 l .�g2 ! (2 1 .�xc3? Ile2+) with a probable draw. 20 ... .:d8! 21 .a6

As Levenfish and Romanovsky showed, White is not saving himself, even after the strongest line 2 I .'lt>g2 �g7! 22.a6 �dl ! 23 . .a'.f2 (23 .�f4 �xf4 24.gxf4 .a'.d2 2S .'lt>f3 c2) 23 ... l:!.d2 24 . .a'.xd2 (or 210

Karpov manages to coordinate his pieces and save the game. 1 ... ltJe8 2.a5 �8 3.a6 .:S4 4 . .:S7

After 4.a7 i.cS s J:rdd7 f6 Black's posi­ tion is suspicious, but it is not clear how

Chapter

it can be breached, since both rooks must defend the a-pawn.

1 2 - Sample games and endings

1 1 . .l:[b7 .l:[c2 1 2.13

1 2 .tLlf3 f6. 1 2 ... .l:[d2 1 3. tlJd7!

4 . . . gs s.:aa �es s.g3

It was worth considering 6.f4 l::!.xf4 7.a7 .i::r.a4 8 .l::f.d d8 Wg7 9. .l:txe8 l::tx a7, although even here, a win is unlikely.

After 1 3 .l::tb 4 f6 14.t2Jxg6 �xg6 1 5 .�xg6+ Wxg6 Black has good draw­ ing chances.

6 . . . �e7 7 . .l:[e1 f6 8.a7 tiJc7 9 . .l:[h8 lha7 1 0.14 gxf4 1 1 .gxf4 l:a1 1 2. lhh7+ �d8 %-%

1 3 ... lhd4 1 4. tt:\f8+ �h6 1 5 . .l:[b4! .l:[c4

Garry Kasparov Anatoly Karpov

He loses after 1 5 .. Jhb4 1 6 .axb4 d4 1 7.b5 d3 1 8 .b6 d2 1 9.b7 d l � 20.b8� �cl 2 I .tLlxg6 �xg6 22 .�h8+ �h7 23 .�gxg7#. 1 6. lhc4 dxc4 1 7. 'ii'd 6 c3 1 8. 'ii'd 4!

London/Len ingrad 1 986 (22)

With the idea of 1 9.�e3+. Black resigned.

0

Yacov Estri n Isaak Boleslavsky Moscow 1 964 ( 1 4)

•

White accurately realised his advantage - his knight is stronger than the bishop in this position. 1 . tbe5 ! 'it'd8

l ...�d6 2 . .l:I.cl and 3 .l::f.c 6 . 2. 'ii'f3 :as 3 . .l:[c1 �h7? !

3 .. .'�xh4!? deserved consideration. 1 ... hd5 !

4.'it'h3!

«Preparing to break in. Admittedly, Black also obtains this chance, but the difference is that the white knight takes a part in the attack, whereas the black bishop is not able to» (Kasparov) . 4 ... .:bs s . .:ca 7. l:a8! 'it'e6

'it'd6

6. 'it'g3

a4

Both 7 .. J lb3 8 . klh8+!, and 7... .l::i.a6 8 /2Jxf7! .ixf7 9.�d3+ lose. 8. lha4 'it'fS 9 . .1:.a7 .:tb1 + 1 0. �h2 .l:[c1

He also loses after I 0 ... l::rb2 I I . tLlf3 f6 1 2 .�c7.

Black goes into a superior opposite­ coloured bishops position. 2.exd5 'it'e7 3. 'ii'd 1 as 4.b4?

Easing the opponent's task. 4 . . . axb4 5.cxb4 .l:[c1 6. 'it'b3 lhf1 + 7. hf1 e4 a . .:c3 'ii'e s 9. 'it'c4 ..tf6 1 0. l:a3 'it'd4+ !

The simplest. 1 1 . 'it'xd4 hd4+ 1 2.< � h 1 .:ca 1 3.fxe4 fxe4 1 4.g3 .l:[c1 1 5. �g2 .l:[c2+ 1 6. �h3 h5! 1 7.g4 e3 1 8.a5 e2 1 9. he2 lhe2 20.gxh5 .l:[b2

White resigned. 21 1

Mastering Chess Middlegames

M ilan Matu lovic M i khail Botvinnik

Efim Geller Vlastim i l Hort Skopje 1 968 (1)

Belgrade 1 970 ( 1 )

1 .e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.ttJd2 dxe4 4. ltJxe4 ..ifS 5. ltJg3 J.g6 6. ltJf3 ttJd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 J.h7 9. J.d3 hd3 1 0. 'Wxd3 'ifc7 1 1 . J.d2 e6 1 2.0-0-0

•

In more recent times, White has preferred 1 2 .Vie2 0-0-0 1 3 .tLleS or 1 2 ... tLlgf6 1 3 .0-0-0 0-0-0 14.tLle5, with a small advantage to White. 1 2 ... ltJgf6 1 3. ltJe4

Striving for exchanges. 13 ... ltJxe4 1 4. 'Wxe4 0-0-0 1 5.g3 J.e7

Black's position is clearly better, since his bishop is significantly the more active. Botvinnik realises the advantage accurately.

1 6. �b1 l:the8 1 7.c4 c5 1 8. J.f4 J.d6 1 9. ltJe5 ltJxeS

1 9 .. .f5 is bad because of the unexpected reply 20.tLlf7 ! tLlf6 (20 .. .fxe4 2 1 .tLlxd6+) 2 1 .tLlxd6+ 'ifxd6 22.'i¥e2 .

1 ... 'ifi>g7 2. l:the1 J.f6 3.c3

There is nothing better. 3 . . . c5 4. :Xd8 :Xd8 5.g3

S .h3 !?. 5 ... c4 6. J.c2 8.cxb4 'ifb6

Or 1 5 ... .td6 16.�he l tLlf6 1 7.'i¥h4 followed by tLlf3-e5.

20.dxe5 ..if8 b4!

7.axb4

axb4

«Simpler was 8 ...'iVa7 9.Wbl l:ta8 (or 9 ...'f!Yd4 1 0.'i¥c3 'ifxf2 l l .'ife3 'ifxh2) 10.'i¥a3 ! 'f¥xf2 l l .'i¥e3 'i¥xh2» (Botvinnik). 9.l:td1 "ii'x b4? 1 0. :Xd8 'Wxb2+ 1 1 . 'ifi>d1 J.xd8 1 2. 'Wd5 'Wf6 1 3. 'ifi>e2?

Stronger is 1 3 .f4!. 1 3 ... ..ib6 1 4.f4 -.c3 1 5. 'ife4 ..id4 1 6.f5 gxf5 1 7. 'ifxf5 'ife3+ 1 8. 'ifi>f1

1 8 .'�dl ..tc3 . 1 8 . . . 'ifg 1 + 1 9. 'ifi>e2 'ifxh2+ 20. �d1 'Wg1 + 21 . �e2 'We3+ 22. �1 'ifxg3 23. 'ifh7+ �8

White resigned. In the following game, White played from the very first moves for a superior endgame. 212

21 . J.e3

White's position is clearly superior, thanks to his active bishop and the weakness of the pawns on g7 and h6. Geller realises the advantage in excel­ lent technical style. 21 . . . :Xd 1 + 22.:Xd1 l:td8 23. :Xd8+ "ifxd8 24. �c2 'ifas 25.a3 'Wa4+ 26. �c1 'ifi>c7?

The decisive mistake. «He should have played 26 ... ..te7, keeping his queen in an active position, and being prepared

Chapter 1 2

if necessary to sacrifice one of the king­ side pawns to get some counterplay. Incidentally, then the direct 27.'iVg4 gives White nothing after 27 ... �g5 ! , and this same move i s also the reply to 27.'iff4. Therefore I intended 27.f4, threatening 28.f5 , whilst after 27 ... rJi;c7 there is 28 .g4. Black played his king move to prepare 27 ... b5» (Geller) . 27. 'iff4! 1i'd7

Bad is 27 ... �e7 28 .'iVxf7 'iVxc4+ 29.d2 'ifdS+ 30St?e1 �hl+ 3 l .We2 . 28.b3 'tt>d 8 29. �c2 �e8 30. 1i'e4

«All the black pawns are defended, but his pieces are condemned to be passive observers of the growing activity of White's forces» (Geller) . 30 ... 'fic7 31 .f4 �e7 32.g4 �h4 33. �d3

Worse is 33 .g5 hxg5 34.fxg5 �g3 . 33 ... b6 34.f5 �g3 35.fxe6 fxe6 36. 'ifg6+ �8 37. 'ifxe6 he5 38. �e4 �h2 39. �5 �g3 40. �d2 �h2 41 . �c3 'iff7+

-

Sample games and endings

terblow ... d6-d5 does not work, because the bishop on d7 is so badly placed. After 2.exd5 e4 3 . �g2 White would be clearly better. Zviagintsev goes over to a counterattack. 1 ... h5!

Of course, this move had been prepared in advance. 2.g5

Not 2 .h3? hxg4 3 .hxg4 lLlh7 ! . 2 ... tt:lg4 3. �xg4 hg5!

But not 3 ... hxg4? 4 . .l:If2 �xg5 5 . �xg5 'iVxgS 6.'ifxd6 g3 7. l:!.g2 ! . 4.l:[e1

4. �xg5? 'iVxgS s .'iYxd6 'ifxg4+ 6.Wh1 .l:'!xc3 ! . 4 . . . hxg4 5 . �h 1 !

If 5 .'iVxg4? �xe3+ 6 . .l:ixe3 'iVb6 7.�e1 Ilxc3 ! 8 .bxc3 lLlxc2 with advantage to Black. 5 ... g6 6. 'ifxg4 he3 7 . .:Xe3 tt:lxc2 8. l:[g3

Black resigned: 42 .'iVxf7+ Wxf7 43 .rJi;e4 and 44.Wd5. Joel Benjamin Vad i m Zviagintsev Groningen 1 997/98 (1 )

• 8 ... .:Xc3!

Eliminating White's most dangerous piece. If 8 ...tLlxa1, then 9.Vih5 'iVf6 lO.ti:JdS! 'ifh8 1 1 .tLle7+ (the decisive check) 1 l ...�g7 12.lhg6+ fxg6 13."ifxg6#. 9.bxc3 tt:lxa1 1 0. 'ifh5

1 0 .tLlxa1 �f6. 1 0 ... �e8! 1 1 .fxg6

Black's position looks very dangerous, since g4-g5 is threatened, with a strong attack, and the standard central coun-

1 1 .lLlxa1 ? 'iYb6 1 2.fxg6 'iVbl+ 1 3 .Wg2 'ifxe4+ and 14 .. .fxg6. 1 1 . . .fxg6 1 2 . .:Xg6+ hg6 1 3. 'ii'x g6+

Draw. A sharp battle. 213

Mastering Chess Middlegames

Solutions Chapter 1

-

The attack on the king E1 Problem by Adolf Anderssen ,

1 842

1 . i.h5 ! '.txh5 2. '.tg7 h6 3. '.tf6 '.th4 4. '.tg6# The last two moves are known as the Anderssen Theme.

E2 Bogolj u bow - Spielmann

Stockholm 1 91 9

1 . �e4! With the idea of �xd5. 1 ... dxe4 2. tlJxe4 tLlad7 3. 'ifc3 ! ? 3 .�h4 'i:Ve7 4.tt::ld 6+

'it>fs s .'tlit'h6+ 'it>gs 6.tt::lh s 'iffs; 3 .tt::ld 6+! 'it>ds 4.tt::lh 3 ! . 3. . . 'ife7 4.ttJf6+ tlJxf6

4 ... Wf8 s .tt::lx h7+ Wg7 6.tt::lf6+-. 5.exf6 •fa 6. 'ifc7 ttJd7 7.ttJd5! exd5 8. l:he1 + ttJes 9.:Xe5+ �e6 1 0. '.tb1 l:d8 1 1 . l:dxd5 :Xd5 1 2. :Xd5 hd5 1 3. 'ifc8# E3 Steinitz - Pa u lsen

Baden-Baden 1 870

1 .b6! A typical device to break up the king's pawn cover. Now the opening of lines is inevitable, and the black king comes under a mating attack. 1 ... axb6 2 . :Xf6! 'ifxf6 3. i.g4+ '.tb8 4.ttJd5 'ifg7 5.a5 f5 6.axb6 cxb6 7. tlJxb6 tiJe7 8.exf5 •f7 9.f6 ttJc6 1 O.c4 Ci::B.7 1 1 . 'ifa2 tiJbS 1 2.ttJd5 'ifxd5 1 3.cxd5 tlJxd4 1 4. 'ifa7+ '.tc7 1 5. l:c1 + tiJc6 1 6. :Xc6# E4 G u nsberg - Chigorin

Havana 1 890

1 ... g5! ! 2.tlJxg4 White loses after both 2.fxg5 f4! 3 .tt::lxg4

(relatively better is 3 . �xf4 tt::lxf4 4.'iYdi) 3 ... hxg4 4J:tgg2 (4.'i:Vfl fxg3+) 4 ... tt::lxg5 S .Wgl ifxg2+! 6 . .!::!.xg2 tLlf3+ 7.Wfl tt::lxe l , and 2 .'iYe2 gxh4 3 .'ihf3 �xf3 4.tt::lxg4 hxg4 5 .gxh4 .!::!.x h4+ 6.Wg3 l::!.h 3+ 7.Wf2 �e4 8.Wel d3 with the idea of ... tt::ld4. 2 ... hxg4 3. 'iff1 :Xh4+! 4.gxh4 g3+ 5. :Xg3 'ifxf1 6.l:g1 'ii'f3 7.fxg5 ttJf4 8. hf4 •xf4+ 9.'.th3 �f3 And Black won.

214

Solutions - Chapter 1 - The attack on the king

E5 Ta rrasch - Schlechter

Monte Carlo 1 903

By brilliant play, Black has obtained a winning position, but he fails to find the decisive blow. 1 ... tt:lf3! l ...e3 2.fxe3 'ti'xc2 with advantage was also possible, but the text is more energetic. 2.gxf3 'fih5 3.l:l.g1 'iVxf3+ 4.l:l.g2 e3 5.fxe3 l:l.g6?? Black wins after S . . . .l:i:g7! 6.�d2 (or 6 .'.t>gl .l:Ieg8) 6 ... .l:Ieg8 7. l::!.g l .!lg3 ! . 6 . .id2 l:l.eg8 7 . 'iVe5+ .1:1.8g7 8 . 'fie8+ l:l.g8 9 . 'fie5+ Perpetual check. E6 Bronstein - Keres

Gothenburg 1 955

1 . .hh6!

Worse is I .tLlfS I:te8 2 .tLlbd6 �xd6 3 .tbxd6 .I:i:e6 4.tLlxb7 'ifc7 with unclear play. 1 ... gxh6 2. 'iVd2 tt:lh7 2 ... tLlc5 ! ?. 3. 'fixh6 f5 4. tt:lxf5 l:l.xf5 5 . .hf5 And White achieved a great advantage.

E7 Rubi nstein - Teichmann

Vienna 1 908

In such positions, when all the pieces are aimed at the king, a decisive continuation is often available. 1 . .hh7+! After l .g6 h6 Black stabilises his position. 1 ... 'ifi>xh7 2.g6+ 'iti>g8 2 ... fxg6 is weaker because of 3 .tbxe4 dxe4 4.tLlg5+ 'Ot>h6 (4 ... '0t>g8 s .'ifxc4+) s .tbf7+ 'Ot>h7 6.hxg6+ 'Ot>g8 7. .l:Ih8#. 3. tt:lxe4 dxe4 4.h6 f6 4 ...exf3 5.gxf7+ 'i¥xf7 6.'i¥h7+ 'Ot>xh7 7.hxg7+ 'Ot>g8 8 . .l:Ih8#. 5.hxg7 exf3 6. l:l.h8+ 'iti>xg7 7. l:l.h7+ 'iti>g8 8. 'iVf5 c3 9. l:l.xe7 1 -0 E8 Ta rrasch - Walbrodt Hastings 1 895

The king and queen are on the same diagonal, which gives the idea for a combination! 1 . l:l.xd4! tt:lxg3 I ...tLlf6? 2 . .l:Ixd5 'ifxb2 3 . .l:Ixd8+-; l .. . �f6 2 . .l:Ixd5 'ifxb2 3 .tLle4. 2.tt:lxg3 l:l.xg3+ 3.hxg3 l:l.xg3+ 4. 'iti>f1 ! Black had missed this. 4 ... l:l.xd3 5.l:l.g4 And White won.

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E9 Rubinstein - H romadka

Mahrisch Ostrau 1 923

1 . 'iVb6! J:[d7

l .. .axb6 2.axb6+ �a7 3 . l:!.xa7+ Wb8 4.l:!.fxb7+ Wc8 5.�a6!+-. 2.�c5! lhf7! 2...'iVc7 3 .'iVxc7+-. 3 . .hd6 l:tf2+ 4. 'ii'xf2! lbxf2 5. i.c5 Black resigned. E1 0 Fischer - Pa n no

Buenos Aires 1 970

Yes, by including his bishop in the attack: 1 . i.e4! 'iVe7 2.lbxh7! lbxh7 3.hxg6 fxg6 4. �xg6 tbgS 5.ttJh5! ttJf3+ 6. '0ii>g 2 ttJh4+ 7. �g3 lbxg6 8.ttJf6+! 'Oii>f7 9. 'iVh7+ Black is mated.

E1 1 Smyslov -

011 Rostov-on-Don 1 993

1 .f4! White found a remarkable mating idea in the centre

of the board. Also good is I .ltJxeS ltJxeS 2 . l:!.xe5+ 'it>f7 3 Jhe7+ l:txe7+ 4.�f3±. 1 ...�5 Or L.. .tf6 2 .fxe5 WfS 3 . l:!.fl+ 'it>xe4 (3 ... 'it>g6 4 . .tb4!+-) 4.exf6 llf7 s .tt:lb4! with the idea of 6 . .!:lf4#. 2.g4+ �xe4 3. ltJf2+ �xf4 4.l:tg1 ! With the unavoidable 5 . �d2#. Black resigned.

E1 2 Ca pabla nca - Chajes

New York 1 91 3

1 . lbxf7! Starting an attack on the light squares. 1 ... �xf7 2. 'iVf5+ �g8 3. 'ii'x g6 lbxe3 4. 'ifh7+ �7 5. i.b3+! The whole point! 5 ... ltJc4 If 5 ... We7, then 6.'i¥g6! tLlc4

(on 6 . . .'i¥d7 the simplest is 7. .llfd l tt:Jxd l s Jhdl 'iVxdl+ 9 . .txd l-) 7. l:Ifd l 'ii b 8 8.e6 'iib 6+ 9.Wfl ! tt:ld6 1 0 . l:rxd6! 'ifxd6 l l .'i¥f7+ 'it>d8 1 2 . l:!.dl .te7 1 3 .'i¥xg7+-. 6.l:tfd1 'iVb8 7. lhc4! bxc4 8 . .hc4+ �e7 9.'iVf5! 'ifb6+ 1 O . ..t>f1 1 -0 E1 3 Sch lechter - Gunsberg

Monte Carlo 1 901

1 . lbxd5 ! Black's position collapses. If I .'ifd l .tf7. 1 ... lhd5 Mate follows L.. ..ixh5 2 .tLlxf6+ Wh8 3 . l:!.xh5+

�h6 4. l:!.xh6+ �g7 s .tt:Je8+ 'it>xh6 6.l:!.h3# or L .if7 2 .tt:lxf6+ .!:lxf6 (2 ... ..ixf6 3 .'ti'h8+) 3 . �xf7+ l:!.fxf7 4.'ti'h8+ ! . 2. lhd5 i.f7 3. lhd7 3 .'i¥xf7+! . 3 ... 'ifxd7 4.l:td3 .hb3 5. lhd7 lbxd7 6. 'ife8+ tt:lf8 7. 'ifc6 ttJh7 8.a4 1 -0 216

Solutions - Chapter 1 - The attack on the king

E 1 4 Bronstei n · Keene

Teesside 1 975

1 . lt:lg5! The alternative is l . �h3 c3 (the only move;

l .. . �xf3 2 . .l:i.xd7) 2 . �xc3 .l:!.xc3 3 Jhd5 lLJcS±. 1 ... .1:!.c5 l . ..fxgS 2 .'i¥d4+-; I . . . .ixg2 2 . .!:!.xd7 .!:!.xd7 3 .'i¥xf6

c3 (3 .. Jl:g7 4.'ti'e6+ 'iith 8 s .lLlf7+-) 4 . .ixc3 .!:!.xc3 s .'i¥e6+ �h8 6.'i¥xd7±. 2 . .1:!.xd5 .l:!.xd5 3.bxc4 1xg5 4. 'it'g4 .1:1.15 5. �xa8 .l:!.xa8 6. 'it'e4 .l:!.d8 7. 'W'd4 �7 8.g4 Black resigned.

E1 5 Tal - Tolush

Moscow 1 957

1 .e5! .l:!.xe5

l ...fxgS 2 . .ixg6 hxg6 (2 ... .!:!.e7 3 .lLle4 lLlxg6 4.lLlf6+ �h8 s .'i¥xh7+ .l:i:xh7 6. Il:xh7#) 3 .'li'h8+ �f7 4 . .llh 7+ lLlxh7 s .'li'xh7+ fs 6JHI +-; 1 . . .'i¥b6 2 . .!:!.g2 . 2. bg6 .l:!.b7 2 . . . �xg5 3 . �xh7+ �f7 4.lLle4! .!:!.g7 s .lLJxf6+-. 3.lt:le4! 1xg5 4 . .1:1.11 ! With the idea of lLlf6+. 4 ... .1:!.xe4 5. �xe4 .l:!.g7 6 .1:!.16 ..txg4 7 . .1:!.h11 li:Jd7 8 . .1:!.xd6 'W'e7 9 . .1:!.xa6 h8 1 0. hh7! lt:lb8 1 1 . �15+ �g8 1 2. �e6+ be6 1 3. l:!.xe6 Black resigned. •

E1 6 Tal - Leonov

Riga 1 949

1 . .1:1.16!

Erecting a barrier. The threat is .l::i:xh6. If l . l::i: f2 fS it would be difficult to attack. 1 ... 'if18 Bad is l . . .gxf6 2 . �xh7+ 'iit x h7 3 /bg4 'i¥f8 4. Iifl ! (there is no defence against the transfer of the rook to g3) 4 .. .f5 s .lLlf6+ �h8 6 . .!:!.f3 with the idea of l:tg3 -g8. 2 . .1:!.14 �d7 3 . lt:Jg4! �eB 4.lt:l16+! lt:lx16 5.ex16 l::tc7 6.1xg7 �xg7 7. 'it'e5+ Black resigned. E1 7 Ku indzhi - Jansa

Lviv 1 961

1 . lt:ld5! exd5

l . . .'iVas 2.lLlxe7 �xe7 3 /ZlfS+ exfS 4.exf5+ and 'li'xb7; l ...�xdS 2.exd5+-. 2.exd5 lt:lb6? Better 2 . . .tLleS 3.fxe5 �xgS+ 4.�bl 0-0 S .tt:lc6±. 3 . .1:!.xe7+! �xe7 4. 'ife4+ Winning the queen. 217

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E1 8 Rodrig uez - Chaviano

Cuba 2000

Yes, White has a strong attack. 1 . tbd5! exd5 l ...tbxd5 2.exd5 e5 3 . l::!.xe5 ! dxe5 4.d6+-; l . ..'iVd8 2 .tbxe7 'ifxe7 3 .e5 dxe5 4 . .l:txe5 0-0 5 .h5 with an attack. 2.exd5 tbxg4 If 2 ... '>itf8 , then 3 . .l:txe7! '>itxe7 4 . .l:te3+ '>itf8 5 .'i¥xf6 .l:th7 6.tLle6+ �xe6 7.dxe6 'f:fe7 8 .'ii'd4 f6 (8 .. .f5 9.gxf5 gxf5 1 0 ."iYd5) 9. Ilf3 '>itg7 1 O.g5 hxg5 l l .hxg5 .l:tf8 1 2 . .l:tc3+- with the idea of .l:tc6. 3.ltJc6 hc6 4.dxc6 f5 4 . . . tt:Je5 5 . .l:txe5 0-0 6 ."�'e4!+-. 5.h5! 'ifxc6 5 ... tbe5 6 . .l:txe5 dxe5 7.hxg6 �f6 8 .g7 'ifxg7 9.'tifh5+ '>itf8 I O.'ifxf5 .l:te8 I I . .l:td6+-; 5 ... '>itf8 6.hxg6 '>itg7 7.'ifxf5 lLlf6 8 .'i¥e6 ..td8 9 . .l:txd6 .l:te8 I O . .l:td7+ ! . 6.l:l.c3! 'ifa8 6 ...'ifxf3 7..l:l.xc8+ '>itd7 s . ..te6#. 7.hxg6 tl.les 8. l:l.xe5! dxe5 9.g7 Black resigned. P1 Stein itz - Chigorin

by telegraph, 1 890

Black's position is superior, but requires resolute play from him, so as to exploit the bad position of the white king on fl . 1 ... f3! 2.gxf3 Also insufficient is 2 .tbxe4 fxe2+ 3 .�xe2 'i!:Vb6 4.tbf6 + '>itf7 ! or 4.c5 �b5 5 .'ifxb5 cxb5 6.a3 tbxb3 7.axb4 tbxal 8 . �xa l a 5 ! . 2 ...exf3 3. hf3 Or 3 .tbxf3 �h3+ 4.'>itel .l::!. xf3 ! 5 . ..txf3 l:te8 6 . �e2 tLlg6 with attack. 3 ... �f5 4.tl.le4 If 4 . .l:td l 'ilfh4 Black retains counterplay. 4 ... be4! 5. 'We2 ! Worse is 5 .'f:fxe4 �xb2 6 . .l:tbl 'ifxa2 or 5 . ..txe4 l:txf2+ 6.'ifxf2 'ifxe4 7.tLlf3 .l:tf8 8 .'>itg2 tbg6-+. 5 ... bf3 ! ! Another possibility was 5 ... ..tc3 6 . .l::!.d l ..txf3 7.'i!Ve6+ (7.tbxf3 'ii'g4 8 . ..txc3 'ifh3 + etc.) 7... .l:tf7 8 . l:txd4 ..txd4 9.tbxf3 .ixb2 , but the text is more effective. 6. 1fe6+ �h7 7. bd4 hh1 8. 'Wh3 ttJfS 9. �e5 l:l.aeB 1 0. �f4 I O.f4 l:txe5 l l .fxe5 tLlg3#. 1 0 ... tbd4! Or 1 0 ... .l::!.e 4 l l .tLle2 l:txe2! 1 2 .'>itxe2 tbd4+ 1 3 .'>itd3 .l::!.x f4. 1 1 . 'Wd3+ �e4 1 2. 1fxd4 l:l.xf4 1 3.f3 l:l.ef8 1 4. 'Wxa7 c5 1 5. 1fc7 ltJc6! 1 6.a3 l:l.xf3+! 1 7. tbxf3 l:l.xf3+ 1 8. �g1 �d2 ! 0-1 P2 Botvi n n i k - Chekhover

Moscow 1 935

1 . ttJg5! White commences a decisive action. 1 ... hxg5 2.fxg5 tlJSd7 3. tbxf7 He also wins with 3 .tbxd7

tbxd7 (3 ... .l:txd7 4.gxf6 �xf6 5 . .l:txf6 gxf6 6.'t!Vg4+) 4. l:txf7 '>itxf7 5 .'ii' h 5+ '>itf8 6.'it'h8+ '>itf7 7.g6+ '>itf6 8 .'ifh4#. 3 ... �xf7 4.g6+ �g8 It was worth considering 4 ... '>itf8 ! ? 5 .'ifxe6 tb e 5 6 . .l:txf6+! (6.dxe5 ..tc5+ 7.'>ithl .ixg2+ 8 .'>itxg2 l:txd3 with the idea of 9.exf6 'iVa8+-+) 6 ... gxf6 218

Solutions - Chapter

1

- The attack on the king

7 . 'i!Yh3 ( 7 . g 7 + 'it>xg 7 8 . 'ihe 7 + ttJ£7) 7 . . . 11i.b4 8 .'�' h 8 + (8 . -W"1 ) 8 . . . 'tt>e 7 9 . '�' h 7 + with the further variations: A) 9 ... \t>es 1 0 .g7 .tds 1 1 .cxd5 .!:Ixg7 1 2 .'ifxg7 tLlxd3 1 3 .'i't'g8+; B) 9 ...\t>e6 I O.'Vi'h3 + 'tt>e 7 1 1 .dxe5 .icS+ 1 2 .'tt>h 1 .ixg2+ 1 3 .'i!Yxg2 ( 1 3 .\t>xg2 ViaS+ 14.\t>fl .!:Ixd3 1 5 .exf6+ \t>d8 1 6 .'Yi'xd3+ .!:Id7) 1 3 ... .l::[xd3 14.exf6+ 'tt>f8 1 5 .f7+-; C) 9 ... \t>d6 1 0.dxe5+ with attack. 5. 'ii'xe6+ �h8 6. 'ii' h 3+ �98 7.�f5 tLlf8 8.�e6+ tbxe6 9. 'ii'xe6+ �h8 1 0. 'ii' h 3+ �98 1 1 . .rl.xf6 bf6 1 2. 'ifh7+ �8 1 3. J:e1 �es 1 4. 'ifh8+ �e7 1 5. 'ifxg7+ �d6 1 6. 'ifxe5+ �d7 1 7. 1i'f5+ �c6 1 8.d5+ �cs 1 9. i.a3+ �xc4 20. 'ii'e4+ �c3 21 . �b4+ �b2 22. 'ii' b 1 # P3 Smyslov - Ribli

London 1 983

The queen is on her own on h7, and needs help. 1 . tLleS tbde7 I ...lli.xe5 2 .dxe5 'tt>e 7 3 .'ihg7 .!:Ih8 4.tLlf5+ exf5 5 .e6- or I .. .tLldf4 2..txf4 lLlxf4 3 .tLlf5 tLlg6 4.tLlxh6! with an attack. 2. bh6! tbxeS 2 ... 1txe5 3 . .!:!.xe5! tLlxeS 4.'ifxg7+ 'tt>e 8 5 .dxe5 'ii'xb2 6.'iVf8+ 'it>d7 7. .!:Id l +. 3.tLlh5! The point. 3 ... tLlf3+ If 3 ... gxh6 , then 4.'i'fxh6+ \t>e8 5 .lLJxf6+#; or 3 ... t2Jf5 4.tLlxf6 tLlxh6 5.dxe5 tLlfS 6. l:!.acl gxf6 7.'iVh8+ 'tt>e 7 8 . .!:Ic7+ .!:Id7 9.exf6+. 4.gxf3 tLlfS 5. tbxf6 tbxh6 6.d5! 'ifxb2 If 6...tLlf5 7.'ti'g8+ 'tt>e 7 8 . .!:Ixe6+ fxe6 9.�xe6+ 'tt>f8 I O .tLlh7#. Or 6 ... gxf6 7.dxe6 'ii'g 5+ 8 .\t>h 1 fxe6 9 . .!:Ig1 'iVf4 1 0 . .!:Ig7 ! 'ffxf3+ 1 1 .'tt>g 1 .!:Id l + 1 2 . .!:Ixd 1 'ifxdl+ 1 3 .\t>g2 'it'dS+ 14.f3 'i¥d2+ 1 5 .\t>h3+-. 7. 'ifh8+ �e7 8 . .rl.xe6+! fxe6 9. 1Wxg7+ tLlf7 1 0.d6+! .rl.xd6 1 O ... 'tt>xd6 1 1 .tLle4+. 1 1 . tLld5+ .rl.xdS 1 2. 1i'xb2 b6 1 3. 'ii' b4+ �6 1 4. J:e1 J:h8 1 5.h4 and White won.

P4 Ta rtakower - Euwe

Ven ice 1 948

1 ... tLlf4+! It turns out that the white king stands worse than its colleague. Euwe organises an attack with subtle play. 2.gxf4 �h3+ 3. �g3 3 .'tt>g 1 gxf4 4. -tcs 'it'g7 with the idea of 'it>h6+. 3 ... exf4+ 4. bf4 'ii'd 7! 5. tlJh2 gxf4+ 6. �xf4 J:h4+ 7. �e3 Equally hopeless is 7.\t>f3 i.g2+! 8 .\t>xg2 'ifh3+ 9.\t>g1 'i¥xh2+ 1 0 .\t>fl �hl + 1 1 .'tt>e 2 'ifxe4+ 1 2 .'tt>d 2 �xc4-+ or 7.\t>g3 .!:Ig4+ 8 .'tt>f3 (8 .\t>xh3 .!:Ig5+ 9.\t>h4 'ii' h 7#) 8 ... ..\lg2+ 9.\t>e3 .!:Ixe4#. 219

Mastering Chess Middlegames

7 ... i.g2 8. tt:\f3 :Xe4+! 9. Wxe4 ttJd6+ 1 0. �d3 'iff5+ 1 1 . �d4 'iff4+ 1 2.d3 Or 1 2 .Wc5 'tWxc4+ 1 3 .�xd6

'tWdS+ 14.�e7 (14.�c7 'i¥d8+ I S .'it>xb7 'i¥c8#) 14...'l!Wf7+ 1 5 .�d6 'i¥f8+ 1 6.�d7 (16 . .l:!.e7 lld8+ 1 7.�e6 .th3#) 1 6 ... .ih3+. 1 2 ... 'ifxc4+ 1 3.Wc2 hf3 1 4.b3? Better is 14.'l!Wd4. 1 4 ... i.e4+ 1 5. �b2 'it'd3 1 6. J:tg1 + �7 1 7.l:ac1 ? Better 1 7. l:i.gc l . 1 7 ... 'it'd2+ 1 8. Wa3 ltJc4+ 1 9.bxc4 :Xa4+ 20. �xa4 'ifa2+ 21 . �b4 'ifb2+ White resigned. P5 Tal - S myslov

Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1 959

White has a bishop hanging, but Tal does not even think about defending it. 1 . 'ifh4! l . .ib3 cS. 1 ... bxc4 2. 'ifg5 tt:\h5! 2 . . .g6 3 . .tc3 . 3. tt:\h6+ �h8 4. 'ifxh5 'ifxa2 5 . i.c3 tt:\f6? Better is S ... .tf6. 6. 'ifxf7! 'ifa1 + 7. �d2 :Xf7 8. lt:\xf7+ �g8 9.:Xa1 �xf7 1 0. ltJe5+ �e6 1 1 . lt:\xc6 ltJe4+ 1 2. �e3 ..tb6+ 1 3 . ..td4 Black resigned. P6 Morphy - Lowenthal

London 1 858

1 .e6! Beginning active operations. 1 ... i.f5 1 ...0-0 2 . llac !

.tfs 3 .tt:lxf5 gxfS 4-.'it'a7 'ilfxe6 S . .l:!.fdl +- or L. .ta4 3 .b3 .tbs 4.'i¥a7 'iVxe6 s . llfd l . 2. lt:\xf5 gxf5 3.exf7+ �xf7 4. 'ifh3 'iff6 5.l:ae1 Black 's extra pawn is not felt, and White will always have play against the exposed king. 5 ... J:the8 6.J:te5! �g6 7.J:tfe1 :Xe5 8.:Xe5 J:td8 9. 'ifg3+ �h7 1 O.h3 J:td7 1 1 . 'ife3 b6 1 2. �h2 c5 1 3. 'ife2 'it'g6 1 4. J:te6 'ifg7 1 5. 'ifh5 J:td5 1 6.b3 Zugzwang! 1 6 ... b5 1 7.:Xa6 J:td6 1 8. 'ifxf5+ 'ifg6 1 9. 'ifxg6+ �xg6 20. l:a5 J:tb6 Better 20 . . . c6. 21 .g4 And White won. P7 Spassky - B ronstein

Leningrad 1 960

White's position is better. Spassky opens the b l -h7 diago­ nal, with the aim of mating his opponent. 1 . lt:\d6! ? The quiet 1 . l:!.f2 retains the advantage. 1 ... tt:\f8? The only defence was l . ..exfl'i¥+ 2 . .llxfl .txd6! (bad is 2 ...tt:lf6 3 .tt:lxf7 'iifixf7 4-. .tbH .te6 s .tt:leS+ 'it'fs 6 . .txe6+-) 3 .'i¥h7+ �f8 4-.cxd6 cxd6 s .'i¥h8+ �e7 6 . llel+ tt:les 7.'i¥xg7 .a:gs 8.'iVxh6 'iVb6 9.�hl .te6 IO.dxeS=. 2. lt:\xf7! exf1 'if+ 3. :Xf1 i.f5 3 . . .�xf7 4-.tt:leS+ 'it>g8 s .'iVh7+! tt:lxh7 6 . .tb3+ �h8 7.tt:lg6#; 3 . . .'ii'd s 4 . .tb3 'iYxf7 s . .txf7+ 'it'xf7 6.'iVc4+ �g6 7.'iVg8! .tf6 s .tt:lh4+ .txh4 9.'i!t'f7+ �h7 I O .'ii'xe8+-. 4. 'ifxf5 'ifd7 5. 'iff4 i.f6 6. tt:\3e5 'ife7 7 . ..tb3 ..txe5 8. lt:\xe5+ �h7 9. 'ife4+ Black resigned. 220

Solutions - Chapter 1 - The attack on the king

PS Rogoff

·

Fu ller

(Bognor Regis 1 969

1 . ttkt5! A positional knight sacrifice for the attack. 1 ... exd5 L..'ti'd8 2 .'�h5 . 2.exd5+ d8 3. 'it'f3 i.e7 3 ... .ig7 4.Vi'e3! with the idea of 4 . . . .ixd5 5 /t:lfS . 4. tt::lf5 J:tea 4 ... .if8 . 5. tt::lxe7 :Xe7 6. 'ii'xf6 hd5 7. i.e4? 7. .if5 ! , and Black stands badly. 7 ... i.xe4? 8. :Xe4 d5 9.J:td 1 It was worth considering 9.Vi'h8+! 'it>d7 10 . .!:!.xe7+

'it>xe7 1 1. . rle l + Wd7 1 2 .'i*'e8+ Wd6 1 3 .Vi'f8+ Wc6 14 . .l:!.e7 ! , with a decisive attack. 9. . .J:ta 7 1 0. J:te3 tt::lc6 ? Better is 1 0 . . .Vi'c6. 1 1 . 'it'h8+! Black resigned. P9 Geller - G rigorian

Moscow 1 973

1 . ttkt5! exd5 2.exd5 'Wfild8 3. 'ii'e 3! 3 /t:Jfs .if8 . 3 ... J:te8 Worse is 3 . . . tLlb6 4.tLlf5 tLlbxdS 5 .Vi'd4 with an attack. 4. tt::lf5 tt::lxd 5!? 5. 'it'e2 tt::l7 b6 6. 'it'h5! hg5 6 ... ti:Jf6 7.Vi'xf7. 7. 'it'xg5+ f6 7 ... Wd7 8 .'i¥xg7. 8. :Xe8+ xea 9. tt::lxg 7+ f7 1 0. 'it'h6 J:tg8 1 1 . J:te1 ! tt::lxf4 1 2. tt::lf5! tt::lxd 3+ 1 3. b1 tt::lxe 1 1 4. 'it'xh7+ e6 1 5. ti:Jd4+?!

1 5 .'tlixc7 WxfS 1 6.Vi'xb7, and further material losses are inevitable for Black. 1 5 ... 'Wte5 1 6. 'it'xc7 i.e4 1 7. 'it'xb6 :Xg2 1 8. �c1 J:txh2 1 9. 'it'xb4? tt::lxc 2? After 19 .. Jhc2+! 20.Wd 1 ti:Jd3 ! Black is better. 20. tt::lxc2 :Xc2+ 21 . d1 f5 22. 'ii'a 5+ d5 23.b4 i.d3 24.a4 f4 25. 'it'd8 f3 26. 'ii' h 8+ e4 27. 'it'h4+ e3 28. 'it'g5+ d4 29. 'iff6+ Draw. P1 0 Ada ms - Sadler

Dublin 1 993

The position arose after the following initial moves: 1 .e4 cS 2 /Llf3 d6 3 .d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 tLlf6 5 .tbc3 a6 6 . .ic4 e6 7. .ib3 bS 8.0-0 .ikb7 9 . .l:!.e 1 ti:Jbd7 1 0 . .igs 'i*'b6. All of White's pieces are in active positions and it is time to act. 1 1 .a4 This advance proves necessary in the subsequent play. Another possibility is 1 1 .tLlxe6!? fxe6 12 . .ixe6 .ike? 1 3 .ti:Jd5 .ixd5 14.exd5 tLlf8 (14 ... 0-0-0 1 5 .b4) 15 . .ifs f7 1 6 .'ife2 Vi'c7 1 7.a4 b4 1 8 .c4!? h6 (18 . . . bxc3 19 . .l::i.acl) 19 . .ikh4 g5 20 . .ikg3 .l:!.e8 2 l .f4 gxf4 22. ikxf4 tLlg6 2 3 . �e3 g7 24 . .ikd4 �d8 25 .Vi'd3 (25 .Vi'g4+-) 25 ... Vi'f7 26.lle6 llxe6 27.dxe6 'i!Ve8 28 . .l:!.e 1 �e7 29 . .l::i.e 3 tLleS 3 0.Vi'fl 'ii'd 8 3 1 .'i¥f4 tbc6 32 . .l:!.g3+ f8 3 3 . �e3 tbes 34.'ii' h4 tLlg8 3 5 .'i!Vh5 'ife8 3 6 . .l:!.xg8+, Black resigned, Panchenko­ Zaichik, Tashkent 1986. 1 1 ... b4 1 2. ttkt5 ! exd5 1 3.exd5+ tbe5 13 . . .d8 14.tLlc6+!. 1 4.a5 14.f4 0-0-0 1 5 .fxe5 dxe5 1 6 . l::!.xe5 .icS ! . 22 1

Mastering Chess Middlegames

1 4 ... 'it'c5 1 5 . .te3! 'ii'c8 1 6 . .b4+ 9/;e7 On 1 6 ... tLlfd7 there follows 1 7.f4 tLlg6 1 8 .tLlf5 �e7 19 . .\td4 or 17 ... �xd5 1 8 .fxe5 dxeS 19 . .\tf4 �cS 20Jhe5+ �e6 2 1 . .\txd?+ (2 1 .'>t>h1) 2 1 . ..Wxd7 22 .Wh1 etc. 1 7.f4 l2Jxd5 1 8.fxe5 dxe5 1 9. 'it'h5 Better is 19 . .\tgS+ f6 20.l::!.xe5+ Wf7 2 1 . .\txf6 ! ! . 1 9. . .f6 20. i.f2! g 6 21 . :Xe5+ 'iW7 Or 2 1 ...Wd6 2 2 . �g3 ! gxhS 2 3 . l::!:e 6+ WcS 24.tLlb3+ '>t>c4 2SJ:te4#. 22. 'it'f3 tLlc7 23. 'it'b3+ '1t>g7 24. tbf5+ gxf5 25. 'it'g3+ �7 26. i.b3+ tbd5 27. :Xd5 Black resigned. Chapter 2 - Defence E1 9 Gavrikov

·

Ya kovich

Kiev 1 986

1 ... J:f6?

Equality could be maintained by 1 . . . l:1c8 ! , avoiding the exchange of rooks. 2.l:f1 'ifi>g8 3. :Xf6 gxf6 4.'ifi>f2 'ifi>f7 5. 'ifi>e3 '1t>e6 6. 'it>d4 'ifi>f5 7. 9/;d5 Black resigned.

E20 Jussupow Dolmatov •

Wijk aan Zee 1 991

1 .e5! Eliminating Black 's strong bishops and, at the cost of a pawn, going into a rook ending. 1 ... ..b:g2 2. 'ifi>xg2 ..b:e5 3. l2Jxe5 :Xe5 4.l:d7 a5 5. l:b7 l:e6 6. l:c3 J:d8 7.l:f3 f6 8. l:b3 l:dd6 9.g4 g5 1 0.a4 h6 1 1 .h4 l:e4 1 2.hxg5 hxg5 1 3. 'ifi>g3 J:ee6 1 4. 'ifi>f3 'ifi>f8 1 5. 9/;g2 J:e4 1 6. 9/;g3 :Xa4 1 7. l:e3 l:f4 1 8. J:ee7 l:d3+ 1 9. 'ifi>g2 :Xg4+ 20. 'ifi>f1 l:d8 21 . l:f7+ 9/;gS 22. l:g7+ 'ifi>h8 23. l:h7+ 'it>g8 24. l:hg7+ 'ifi>f8 25. l:gf7+ 112-112 E21 Ka msky - Anand

Las Palmas 1 995

White will inevitably regain his pawn, and thanks to his active pieces and strong central pawns, will have good chances. 1 ... 'it'd6 ! After 1 . .J:i.fe8 2 . l::!:xb7 'i¥d3 3 .'i¥e5 aS 4..lhe7 .l:!:xe7 S .'i:Vxe7 .l::[b 8 6.h4 White has an undoubted advantage. 2. :Xb7 'ifxc7 3. :Xc7 a5 ! Activity is necessary in the rook ending: 3 .. J:rfe8 4 . .l::i.a 1 leaves White every chance of success. 4.l:a1 l:fb8! 5.h4 a4 6. 9/;h2 'ifi>f8 7.l:a3 l:b3 8. :Xb3 axb3 9. l:b7 l:a4! 1 0.f3 f5 ! 1 1 .exf5 :Xh4+ 1 2. 'ifi>g3 222

Solutions - Chapter

2

-

Defence

J:[h5 ! 1 3.fxgS J:[g5+ 1 4. �h4 :Xd5 1 5.g4 J:[g5 1 S.f4 :Xgs 1 7.f5 J:[dS 1 8. :Xb3 �7 1 9. Wh5 :as 20. J:[e3 J:[dS 21 . J:[eS :XeS 22.fxeS+ Wg7 23.g5

Draw. E22 Study by Gleb Za khodyakin

1 930

1 .g7+ lbxg7 I . . . 'i!;>g 8 2 . tt::lg 4. 2. ttJf7+ �98 3. i.c5 f1 'ii' 4. ttJhS+ Wh8 s . i.dS

The black king is caught in the corner, the knight cannot move because of i.d6-e5+, and taking the bishop with the queen on d6 or e5 allows tLlh6-f7+. Draw.

E23 Keres - Smyslov

Zurich 1 953

1 ... dxc4! 2. :Xh7 c3 3. 'ii'c 1 'ii'x d4 4. 'ii' h S J:[fd8 s . ..tc1 i.g7 S. 'ii'g 5 'ii'fS 7. 'ii'g4 c2 8.i.e2 J:[d4 9.f4 J:[d1 + 1 0. hd1 'ii'd 4+

White resigned.

E24 Chigorin - Ta rrasch

St Petersburg 1 893

In the first instance, h2-h4 and a sacrifice on h6 is threatened, so the black king quits the danger zone. 1 ... Wt8! 2 . ..te2 ..tfS 3.h4 'ii'd S 4. ttJfh2 ttJe7 5.J:[af1 tlJgS S. i.d 1 J:[c7 7. i.b3 :ecs 8. ttJf2 i.d8 And, having repulsed the threats against his king, Black holds the initiative on the queenside.

E25 Ca pabla nca - Molina

Buenos Aires 1 91 1

It leads to a winning attack: 1 . hh7+ wxh7 2.lL\g5+ wgs 3. 'ii'g 4 f5 Or 3 ... e5 4.tbe6+ 'it>f6 5.f4 e4 6.'ii'g 5+ 'i!;>xe6 7.'ii'e 5+ 'it>d7 8 . Ii:fd l + tt::ld 3 9.tbxe4 'i!;>c6 1 0 . rlxd3 �xd3 l l . .l:!.cl+ 'i!;>b6 1 2 .'it'c7+, mating. 4. 'ii'g 3 WhS Stronger is 4 .. .f4 5.exf4 tt::lfs 6.'ii'g 4 tLlh6 , and Black does not lose at once. 5. 'ii' h 4+ 'it>gS S. 'ii' h 7+ �S 7.e4 tlJgS 8.exf5 exf5 9.J:[ad1 ttJd3 1 0. 'ff h 3 ttJdf4 1 1 . 'ii'g3 'ffc7 1 2. J:[fe1 ltJe2+ 1 2 ... i..e 6 1 3 . l::txe6+ tbxe6 14.tt::ld 5#. 1 3. :Xe2 'ii'x g3 1 4. ttJh7+ And White won. 223

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E26 Za itsev - Shamkovich

Voronezh 1 959

1 ... g5 The tempting l . ...l:!.cd8 is premature because of 2 . .th7+ 'it>h8 3.fxg7+ Wxh7 4 . .l:!.xh6+ 'it>xh6 s .'ihf4+, and Black is mated. The same is true after l . ..g6 2 . l::tx f4 .txe4 3 . .!:!.xh6 l:rcd8 4.l:!.h8+ 'it>xh8 s . l:!.h4+ �g8 6 . .l:i:h8+ Wxh8 7.'i:Vh6+. 2. i.h7+ 2 . .!lxh6 .txe4 3 . llxg5+ .tg6. 2 .. . '�xh7 3 . .lhg5 l:l.g8 4. 'ii'c2+ l:l.g6 5 . .lhg6 fxg6 6. l:l.e3 l:l.d8 7.l:l.e1 t2Jxg2 8.l:l.e7+ �h8 And White resigned.

E27 V.Scherbakov - Furman

Moscow 1 955

Yes, since after 1 ...fxe6 2. 'ii'x g6+ .ig7 3.ttJe4 l:l.f8 4.g3 'it'xe4! 5 . .ixe4 .tea the white queen is caught: 6.dxe6 bg6 7. bg6 l:l.c8 White resigned.

E28 G rech ki n - Geller

Sverdlovsk 1 951

Yes, because after 1 ... .lhe5 2. 'it'xh7+ �8 3 . .if4 .:Xe1 + (also good is 3 ... .te6 4. -txeS .txe5) 4 . .:Xe1 tlJe2+ 5 . .lhe2 i.e6! 6.g3 l:l.d1 + 7. �g2 'ii'c4 Black has a strong attack: 8 . .lhe6 'iVxe6 9. 'iVc2 'iVd5+ 1 0. �h3 g6 1 1 . .ih6+ �g8 1 2 . .ie3 l:l.g1 1 3. g4 'ii' h 5+ 1 4. �4 g5+ 1 5. �e4 'ii'g 6+ 1 6.'tlf3 .lhb1 White resigned.

E29 B utu rin - Voska nian

Moscow 1 962

This sacrifice is mistaken, whereas I .tLlge4 tLlxeS (I ... .txf6 2.exf6 'i¥xe4 3 . ihh6) 2 . .txh6 .txf6 3 . .te3+ wins. 1 . t2Jxe6 fxe6 l ...dxe6? 2 . .txh6 .txf6 3 .exf6. 2.bh6 .lhf6 2...-txf6? 3 .exf6 .l:!.xf6 4 . .te3+ .l:!.h6 s . .ixh6 gxh6 6.'i¥xh6+. 3.i.e3+ l:l.h6 4 . .ixh6 gxh6 5. 'ifxh6+ �g8 6. 'it'g6+ �8 And Black realised his material advantage. 224

Solutions - Chapter

E30 Ra ndvi i r - Flohr

2

-

Defence

Parnu 1 947

After 1 .tt::\f5, White lost: 1 ... exd4 2. 'ifxe7 Stronger is 2 .lt:'lxe7+! .l:Ixe7 3 .'ihe7 .l:Ie8 4. �e4, but the advantage is still on Black's side. 2 ... g6 3. tLlh6+ 3 . 'i:!:Yxd8 gxf5 . 3 ... �g7 4. 'ifxf7+ �xh6 5.J:td3 tt::\h 5 6 . .1:th3 tLlf6 Not 6 ... .l:Ixe l 7. .l:Ixh5+ �xh5 8 .'i:!:Yxh7+ Wg4 9.'i:!:Yh3#. 7 . .ixg6 hxg6 8.f5 gxf5 9. tLlf3 .l:tg8 1 0 . .1:tf2 .l:tg7 And the white queen can escape only at the cost of further material losses. E31 Smyslov - Polugaevsky

Moscow 1 961

Yes. 1 . tLlf6+ hf6! I ...gxf6 2 . �xh7+! �g7 3 .'i:!:Yg4+ Wh8 4 . .l:If4! and Black will have to give his queen to prevent mate. 2.exf6 tt::\x b2 And now White already forced a draw: 3. hh7+! �h8 4. 'ifg4 gxf6 5 . .1:tf4 f5 6. hf5 exf5 7 . .1:txf5 .id3 8. 'ifh5+ Draw. E32 Ka rpov - H u bner

Leningrad 1 973

1 ... 'ifa5 I ...'i:!:Yb8 is also possible. 2 . ttJd6 tt::\xe5 3. he5 .l:txd6 4. hg7

4. �xd6 is bad due to 4 ... �d4 5 . .l:Ie3 'iVa i +. 4 ... �xg7 5 . .1:tb1 .l:td8 6. 'it'b2+ �g8 7.b7 .l:tb8 8. 'ifc2 �g7 9. 'ifc8 'ifa2 1 0. 'ifc3+ �g8 1 1 . .1:ta1 'ifd5 1 2. 'it'c8+ �g7

And the game ended in a draw. E33 Landa - Timofeev

Tomsk 2006

Black is a pawn down. The threat is g3 -g4. 1 ... 'ifxb4! Sharply changing the character of the struggle! 2. 'ifxd6 e3 3.fxe3 'ifd2 4 . .1:tc4 .id3 5. tt::\xd 3 White has a technically winning position after S .'i:!:YeS ! �xc4 6.tLle6 fxe6 7.'ii'xe6+ �h7 8 .'i¥d7+ �h6 9.'i:!:Yxc8 'ifxe3 + I O .�h2 . 5 . . . 'ifxe3+ 6. �h2 .l:txc4 7. tt::\f4 If 7.lt:'le5, then 7... .l:Ic2 , and perpetual check cannot be avoided. But better is 7.'ilb8+ �h7 8 .'i:!:Yb3 . 7 ... h4! 8. 'ifd8+ �g7 9. 'ifxh4 .l:tc1 1 O. tt::\e6 + fxe6 1 1 . 'ife7+ �h6 1 2. Wh4+ �g7 1 3. 'ife7+ �h6 1 4. 'iff8+ �h7 1 5.'iff7+ �h6 1 6. 'iff8+ �h7 Draw. 225

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P1 1 Botvi n n i k - Smyslov

Moscow 1 954

1 ... c4! Not 1 ... l::txg5 Ltg4, and Black loses the exchange, whilst after I . . . .itxg5 there follows 2 .'iVf3 , and after 'iVf3 g4 an attack on the light squares. 2.bxc4 After 2 .'iVf3 cxb3 3 .'iVg4 We8 Black has his play. 2 ... 'ifa3 3. 'ifxa3 .ba3 4 . ..if5 gxf5 5.g6 �fa Black loses after 5 ... .l::!.h 8 6.g7 .l::!.g 8 7.h4 .ite7 8.h5 .itf6 9.h6 rJile7 1 o. l::tg 6. 6.exf5 ..ig7 7.f6 .bf6 8.g7 hg7 9. :Xg7 f3! 1 0. l:g4 l:h3 1 1 . l:g3 ! ! . .l::!.e 4 rJi/d7 1 2 . .l::!.xe5 .l::!.h4. 1 1 ... l:h4 1 2. :Xf3 :Xc4 1 3.l:a3 '.1i>d7 1 4. '.1i>g2 '.1i>d6 1 5. �g3 '.1i>xd5 1 6.h3 Worse is 1 6 .h4 We6 with the idea of rJi/e6-f5 -g6-h5 and taking on h4. 1 6 ... 'iti>e6 1 7. c,l;>t3 c,l;>t5 1 8. 'iti>g3 '.1i>g5 1 9. c,l;>t3 l:f4+ 20. 'iti>g3 Draw. P1 2 Karpov - Pol ugaevsky

Moscow 1 973

1 ... l:c8! 2 . .bd5 :Xc2 3. :Xc2 .bd5 4. l:c8+ '.1i>g7 5.:Xh8 �xh8 6.hh6 'ifc7

But not 6 ... .itxa2 7.tLlg5 with a very strong attack on the king, with minimal forces. 7.b3 'ifc3! Black has fully adequate compensation for the pawn, in the shape of his active pieces. 8.h4 aS 9 . ..ig5! ..ixf3 1 0. 'ifxf3 .bg5 1 1 .hxg5 'ife1 + 1 2.c.ti'h2 'ifxe5+ 1 3. 'it'g3 'ifb2 1 4. 'it'b8+ '.1i>g7 1 5.f4 'ifxa2 1 6. 'ife5+ Draw. P1 3 Fischer - S passky

Sveti Stefan/Belgrade 1 99 2

1 . . . l:e8! 2. :Xe8+ �xeS 3.t0f6+ '.1i>d8 4 . .bb7 ..if4 5.t0e4 �c1 6.a4 �xb2 7. lbxc5 ..ic1 8 . ..ie4

8 .tbe4 rJi/e7 and tt::lf5 -d6. 8 ... .bg5 9 . .bf5 gxf5 1 0. t0b3 ..if6

and the game ended in a draw.

P 1 4 Tal - Keres

Moscow 1 959

1 ... 'iti>xg7 2.t0e5 l:h8 The exchange 2 ... tbxe5 3 . .itxe5 gives White an attack. 3. 'ifh3 l:h7 4.c4 Not 4.tt::lxf7 rJi/xf7 5 .'ifxe6+ rJi/e8 6 . .id6 'iVdS . 4. . . t0f8 5.l:ad1 l:d8 6 . ..id2 'ifb6 7 . ..ic3 '.1i>g8 8. l:e3 tOea 9.l:g3+ tOQ7 1 0. l:dd3 ts 1 1 . tt:J9s lbxgs 1 2. :x9s c,l;>t7 1 3.h5 'ifa6 1 4.b3 'ifxa2 1 5.d5 cxd5 1 6.cxd5 :Xd5

226

Solutions - Chapter 3

-

Counterplay

1 7 . .UXdS exdS 1 8. 'it'd3 'ii'a 6 1 9. 'it'xdS+ 'ii'e6 20. 'ii'f3 J:l.h8 21 . �d2 J:l.d8 22 . .ixh6 'ii'e 1 + 23. �h2 'ii'eS+ 24.�g1 tl:lfS 2S. �f4 'ii'e 1 + 26. �h2 J:l.d1 27. h3 J:l.d4 28.J:I.g4 'it'd1 29.h6 J:l.d3 30.h7 .lb:f3+ 31 .gxf3 'ii'xf3+ 32. �g3 tbxg3

White resigned. P1 S Zhuravlev - Panchenko

Sochi 1 977

1 ... J:I.aS! Worse is L...!:hxb3 2 . .l::!.xb3 l:txb3+ 3 s1l>c2 l:ta3 4.ttlb2 l:ta5 s .t2Jd3 l:ta2+ 6.'it>c3 l:txg2 7.nxf4, and the threat of l:tf4-f7+ gives White good chances. Now, however, the game takes on a double-edged character, and also in mutual time-trouble. 2 . .lb:f4 .ixeS 3. J:I.f7+ �d6 4. �e2 .ib7! After 4 ... .ixb2 5 .'it>xb2 White has the advantage. S. �d3 If 5 . l:td2+ 'it>c5 6.tLlb2 .ic3 7. l::tc 7+ (7. l:tdd7 .te4+ 8.tLld3 + �xd3+ 9. �xd3 l:txb3+ 1 0.'1t>c2 l:taa3) 7... �c6 8 . .i.f3 .i.xd2 9. l:txc6+ b4 1 0.�c2 l:ta2 Black has excellent play. S ... .ixg2 6 . .lb:h7 Or 6. l:txg2 l:tal + 7.'it>c2 l:ta2+, and if 6.tt:lc3 .i.xc3 7. l:txg2 l:txb3+ is winning. 6 ... J:I.a3 7.cS+! �xeS 8�J:I.hS �d6 9 . .lb:eS �xeS 1 O .lb:g2 J:l.axb3+ 1 1 . tl:lb2 Draw. •

P1 6 Liss - S m i ri n

Tel Aviv 1 999

1 ... �b4 Pinning the powerful white knight. After l ...�f8

2 .tLle4 .ig7 (2 . . .f5 3 .gxf6 l:ta7 4. �xa7 'i!Vxa7+ s.'it>h l , and White has a strong attack) 3.tLlf6+ White is attacking, and if l .. .exf4, then 2 . .tf2 followed by 3 . l:!.h3. 2.fS f6 3.gxf6 3 . nh3 'i!Vg 7 4. gxf6 tt:lxf6 , and Black holds. 3 ... 'it'h7 4. 'ii'g S? Also bad is 4.fxg6 �xh4 5.f7+ 'it>f8 6.g7+ 'it>xg7 7.fxe8'if 'ifxe l +, but the attack could be main­ tained with 4.f7+ ! . 4 ... 17 S.J:I.h3 'it'g8 6.J:I.h8 gxfS 7. 'ii'g 7+ 'ii'x g7+ 8.fxg7 .id7 And White's attack fizzles out. Chapter 3

-

Counterplay E34 Balashov - Polugaevsky

Manila 1 976

1 ... .ib7 2. 'ii'x h7 .hdS 3. 'ii'x h6 J:l.b8 4.J:I.d2 .ixa2+ S.�c1 J:l.c8+ 6. J:I.c2 .:Xc2+ 7. �xc2 'ii'c 4+ 8. �d2 'it'b4+ 9. �e2 �c4+ 1 0. �d1 'it'xb2 1 1 . J:I.eS fxeS 1 2. 'ii'g S+ �d7

White resigned.

227

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E35 Najdorf - Pol ugaevsky

Mar d e l Plata 1 97 1

1 ... b 3 2. bb3 i.e4 3. 'ifd1 Not 3 . .!::!.xe4 4Jxb3 4.'iVxb3

tt:Jxe4 5 .tt:Jxe6 'ti'd6 or 5 . . .'ti'a5 with advantage to Black. 3 ... 4Jxb3 4.' .-xb3 i.c2 5. 1fa2 4Jg4 6. 4Jxe6

Otherwise the bishop on h6 is lost for nothing. 6 ... 'ifb6 7.4Jg7 i.b3 8. 'ifb1 l:ted8! 9.4Jf5 gxf5 1 0. l:txe7 4Jxh6 1 1 . 'ifd3 'iff6 1 2. l:ta7 i.c4 1 3. 'ifd2 i.d5 1 4. 4Je5 4Jg4 1 5.'iff4 4Jxe5 1 6.dxe5 'ii'g 6 1 7.g3 i.e4 1 8. l:te1 l:td3 1 9.e6 'ifxe6

White resigned. E36 G l igoric - Fischer

Bled 1 961

1 ...a6 l ... .tes 2.f4. 2. 4Jbxd6 d3 3. 'ifxd3 3 . .txd3 .td4+ 4.�hl (interesting

is 4 . .!::!.f2) 4 ... tt:Jxg3 + s .tt:Jxg3 'iVxd6 6 .'iVc2 .th3 with great complications. 3 ... i.d4+ 4. �g2 Again, 4J:tf2 is stronger. 4 ... 4Jxg3 5 . 4Jxc8 4Jxf1 6. 4Jb6 'ii'c7 7.l:txf1 7.4Jxa8? 'iYxh2+ 8.�xfl 'iVgl #. 7 ... 'ii'x b6 8.b4 'ifxb4 8 ... cxb4 9.c5 .txc5 I O.tbxc5 'iYxcS l l .'iVxg6+ �h8 1 2.'iYxh6+ �g8 1 3 .�hl . 9.l:tb1 'ii'a 5 1 0. 4Jxc5 'it'xc5 1 1 . 'ii'x g6+ i.g7 1 2. l:txb7 'it'd4 1 3. i.d3 l:tf4 1 4. 'it'e6+ 'ith8 1 5. 'ii'g 6 Draw. E37 Anand - Kaspa rov

Dos Hermanas 1 996

1 ... l:tfc8 2 . i.c3

2.fxg7 tLlb4 3 .'iVxe5 .!::!.xc2+ 4.�bl .!::!.xd2+, and Black wins. 2 ... 4Jb4 The inventive but less initiative-seeking 2 ... 'iVxg3

3 .hxg3 .tf8 4 . .td3 .txd3 s Jhd3 tt:Jes 6 . .txe5 dxe5 7.g4 .!:l.c6 8 . .!::!.d h3 .tg7 9 . .!::!.h 7 leads Black to defeat. 3. i.xe5 l:txc2+ 4.b1 l:te2+ 4 ... .!::!.d 2+ s . .td3 .txd3+ 6.'ii'xd3 .!::!.xd3 7. .tc3 . 5. 'ita1 4Jc2+ 6. 'itb1 4Ja3+ Draw. E38 Ya kovich - Sadler

Ke.ge 1 997

1 ... l:txc2+ 2. xc2

2 .4Jxc2 'iVxb2 3 .4Je2 .!::!.c 8 4 . .t:kl .tfs s .ti:Jd4 kg6, and there is no defence to the blow .txd4; 4.'iVe4 tLlcS with a complicated battle. 2 ... 1fxe3 3.4Jxh5 i.f5+ 4. 4Jxf5 l:tc8+ 5. �b1 'it'd3+ 6.'ita2 6.�al 'iYxa3+. 6 ... 4Jb4+ 7.axb4 'it'c4+ 8. �b1 Draw.

228

Solutions - Chapter 3

E39 And reev - Lutikov

-

Counterplay

USSR 1 949

1 ... �g5 2. 'it'xb5 :Xc4 3. 'it'xc4 .ie3 4. 'ifd3 4.'i¥xb4 �f4 s .'ife l .id4 6J:ta6 'iVgl + 7/Jite2 'iVe3 +. 4 ... �4 5.'it'd1 s . l::ta 6 'i!Vgl + 6.�e2 'i!Vxg2+ 7.'it>d l �xf3 . s ... 'ii'g 1 + s. �e2 'ifxg2+ 7. �d3 'it'b2 s.:as 1i'c3+ Draw.

P1 7 Vajda - Kotov

Moscow-Budapest 1 949

Black meets White's kingside attacking gestures with a counterattack in the centre. 1 ... b4! Driving the knight away from the square d5. 2.tbe2 2 .tt::la4 .!::tdb8 3 .'iff2 .idS , with the threat of CiJe7, is dangerous. 2 ... e5! A typical idea. Without a knight on c3, weakening d5 is not so dangerous, and in addition, the knight on b3 is out of play. 3.f5 3 .g5 fails to 3 ... CiJg4 4 . .ixg4 �xg4 5 .f5 d5 6.f6 �f8 with advantage to Black. 3 ... d5! 4.g5?! Better is 4.exd5 e4 5 .dxc6 exf3 6.cxd7 fxe2 7.'ifxe2 .i:!:xd7 with unclear play. Now, however, Black seizes the initiative. 4 ... tbx:e4 5 . .ixe4 dxe4 6.f6 .if8 7.fxg7 .ixg7 8. 1i'h4 tbe7! With the threat of ... CiJe7-f5. 9.CiJg3 CiJg6 1 0. 1i'h5 1i'c8! 1 1 . 'ii'e2 .ig4 1 2. 1i'f2 .if3+ 1 3. �g1 tlJf4 1 4 . .ixf4 exf4 1 5. tbx:e4 .ixe4 1 6. 1i'xf4 .ig6 White resigned. P1 8 Konsta nti nopolsky - Veltmander

Tartu 1 950

1 . .ixh6 ! ? A n interesting move which, however, does not lead t o an advantage. 1 ... tt:\g4! If l ...gxh6, then 2 . .l::!.xe6! with a crushing attack. The alter­ native is l .. . �xf3 2 .'i!fxf3 .ixh2+ 3 .�fl gxh6 4.'iVxf6 'iVf4. 2.CiJg5 2 . .l:!:xe6 fails because of 2...�xh2+ 3 .�fl .if4 4. �xf4 'ifxf4 s J:teel �xf3 6.gxf3 .!::txd4. 2 ... .ixh2+ 3. �1 .ia6! Both 3 . . . g6 4. l::txe6! and 3 ... CiJxh6 4.'i¥h7+ �f8 5 . .ixe6! lose. 4. 'ifxa6 1i'f4! 5. 1i'e2 tbx:h6 6.tt:\h3 1i'h4 7. 1i'e4. Draw agreed.

229

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P1 9 Tal - Smyslov

Leningrad 1 977

1 ... ttJg5 If I ...lLlcS , then 2 . i.h6, but I .. . i.c5+ 2!.!ihl tLlf2+ 3 Jh f2 i.xf2 4. �g5 hS! is possible, although a draw is the limit of Black's ambitions here. 2.f4 lLle4 3.f5 �h8 4.J:f3? Better is 4.�e3 , whereas now the counterattack starts. 4 ... �C5+ 5.�1 5 . .ie3 �e7 ! , and not 6.f6 because of 6 ... i.xe3+ 7. l:!.xe3 tLlxf6. 5 ... d6! 6.f6 g6 7. 1i'h4 dxe5 8. �e2 1i'd4! 9.J:h3 1i'f2+ 1 0. 1i'xf2 tbxf2 1 1 . J:h4 lLle4 1 2 . ..ih6 tbxf6 1 3. bf8 J:xf8 1 4. �1 J:d8 1 5.c4 g5 1 6. J:h3 g4 1 7. J:c3 b4 1 8.J:c1 J:d4 1 9.g3 �f3 20.a3 aS 21 .axb4 axb4 22. J:a5 ttJd7 23. �c2 e4 24. J:e1 ..ib6 25. J:a8+ �g7 26.J:d8 f5 27 . ..ia4 liJeS 28.J:xd4 bd4 29. ttJd2 bb2 30. tt:lb3 ..ic3 White resigned. P20 U h l m a n n - Fischer

Siegen 1 970

Black stands worse. There is a threat of �c3 , with a crush, whilst after I .. . i.d4 2 .tLlxd4 .llxe l + 3 . kxe l �xd4 4. i.c3 his king is very weak. Fischer finds the best chance. 1 ... a6! 2 . tbxd6 �d4! 3. tbxe8! Not 3 . i.e3 l:!.xe3! 4. l:!.xe3 .ixe3 5 .fxe3 'if'el + 6.Wh2 'ti'g3+ or 3 . ..ic3 .l:!.xe l + 4. i.xe l 'ti'e7, and Black wins. 3 ... 1i'xf2+ 4. �h2 4. Wh l tLlg3 + 5 . Wh2 WI + 6 J hfl i.e5 + . 4 ... tt:lf4 5.bf4! Worse is s . .l:te7+ Wh8 6. i.xf4 �xc2 with the threat of 7. . .�f2. 5 ... 11fxe1 ! s. . .'ii'xc2 6.d6. 6.1i'c1 11fxe8 7. hh6 1i'e4 Black is a pawn down, but has very active pieces. 8. �f4 �g8 9.1i'f1 �7 1 0. h4? Stronger is 10.a4. 1 o ... b5! 1 1 . ..ig3 bxc4 1 2.bxc4 ..if6 1 3. 1i'f4 11fxf4 1 4. hf4 hh4 1 5 . ..ie3 ..ie7 1 6. �g3 g5 Draw. P21 Tal - Bhend

ZUrich 1 959

The move I...t xg6?! is dubious. Better was I .tLlf4 with a small advantage. 1 ... hd5! I . ..hxg6? 2 .tLle7 .l:i:fS 3 .�h4+ .l:!.hS 4.tLlxg6+. 2.J:e7 2 .�h5 �g8. 2 ... 11fd8 3.J:fe1 Bad is 3 . i.xh7 �f6! 4.'ii' h 6 �xe7 S . i.e4+ Wg8 6 . .ixd5+ l:!.f7. 3 ... ..if7? ! Stronger is 3 ... hxg6! 4.cxd5 l:!.b7 or 4.'ti'xd5 i.f6, and Black should win. 230

Solutions - Chapter 3

-

Counterplay

4. �c2?

Losing. A draw results from 4.�xh7! 'lt>xh7 5 . .ll l e3. 4 ... J:tb7 5 . h 4 J:txe7 6.l:txe7 h6! 7 . 'iff5 �g8 8. 'ife4 d 5 9.cxd5 'ifxd5 1 0. 'ii'g 6 'ii'd 4 1 1 . 'ifg3 J:tf7 1 2. J:te4 'ii' b2 1 3. �d3 i.d4

And Black easily realised his advantage. P22 Pol ugaevsky - Torre

Manila 1 976

After I ....id3+ the position is a draw: 2 .c;t>xd3 (2 .c;t>f3 tt::le4) 2 . . .'iVd4+ 3 .c;t>e2 tt::le 4 4.'iVh6 'iVxf2+ s .c;t>d3 'iVd4+. In the game, Torre played: 1 ... tLlxd5 and lost after 2. l:tg4 tLlf4+ 3. �e3 ttld5+ 4. �xe4 'ifd4+ 5 . �3 J:tc3+ 6. hc3 'ifd3+ 7. �g2 t2Jf4+ 8. l:txf4 'ifxd6 9.ttlf3 'ifxa3 1 0. he5+ �g8 1 1 . J:tg4+ � 1 2.J:tg7+ �e6 1 3.l:txh7 P23 N ij boer - Anand

Wijk aan Zee 1 998

1 ... hxg5! 2.hxg5 J:txc3! 3. �d3

Or 3 .bxc3 tLld5 4 . .llxd5 (4.'ifh3 ltJxc3+ s .c;t>c l .ixg5+) 4 ... exd5 5.'iVg3 �a3 , winning. After 3 . .lld 3 there would follow 3 ... .l:i.xd3 4 . .ixd3 (4.cxd3 tLlh5 5 . �xh5 .ib5 or 5 Jhh5 'iVe l +) 4 ... tLlh5 5 . .llx h5 g6!, and again Black wins. 3 ... l:txd3 4.cxd3 4 . .llxd3 ltJh5 ! 5 Jhh5 .ib5 ! 6. 1lxd8+ 'iVxd8 7. l:ihl �xg5 is also winning for Black. 4 ... t2Jg4! 5. 'ii' h 3 t2Jh6! 6.gxh6 'ifxe5 The white attack had fizzled out and the material advantage promises Black victory. 7.J:tde1 'ifg5 8.hxg7 'ifxg7 9.J:te3 �g5 1 0. l:tg3 f6 1 1 . 'ifg4 �7 1 2 . 'ifd4 'ifg8 1 3. 'ii'e4 �c6 1 4. l:th7+ c.t>es 1 5. 'ifh4 'ifg6 1 6. 'ifh3 J:td6 1 7.a3 c.t>d8 1 8. �a1 'iff5 1 9. 'ifh 1 �d7 20.d4 J:tc6 21 . 'ii' h 2 e5 0-1 P24 Sakha rov - Khol mov

Kiev 1 964

1 ... t2Je4! Going over to a long-prepared and decisive counterattack. 2. tt::lxe4 «On 2 .'i!i'd3 Black decides with 2 ... .llxg2+! 3 .c;t>xg2 .llg 6+ 4.c;t>hl .llg3 5 .tLlxe4 .llxd3 6.tLlf6+ 'ifxf6 7. i.xf6 .llxdl + 8 .c;t>h2 .l:ld2+ 9.'>itg3 gxf6 1 0 . .llb 8 .llx a2 , and with two extra pawns, Black should win» (Kholmov) . Even stronger in this variation is 4 ....i1H5! (instead of 4 ... .l:i.g3) 5 . .llf l tLlg3+ 6.'iit>h 2 'ii'c 7!. 2 ... l:tg6 3. l:tb8? White seeks salvation in active play. An unusual chance was 3 . .llf l ! 'ii'e 8 4 . .llf8+ ! . 3 ... dxe4! 4. J:txc8+ c.t>h7 5. 'ifb8

23 1

Mastering Chess Middlegames

If 5 . �c7 , then 5 . . J hg 2 + ! 6 . �h l �2xg3 7 . �£7 �h3 #. 5 ... l:exg2+ 6.�h1 .l:l.h2+! 7. 'ifxh2 7.�xh2 'iVxa2+! . 7. . . 'iff3+

White resigned. P25 Tal - Portisch

N iksic 1 983

1 ... J:I.C8+! The threat was 2 . �xh6+ gxh6 3 . �f6. After l . ..'iVc7+ 2 .�bl ..ie2 the move 3 .tbf5 decides, but another possibility was l .....ie2 2 . �xh6+ gxh6 3 . .l::tf6 'ifc7+ 4.tbc6! (4.�d2 'iYaS+ and s . ..'ifgS) 4 ...'ifxc6+ 5 .�d2 ..ihS 6.'ifxh5 'ifbs , and White has nothing more than perpetual check: 7.'ifxh6+ 'i!itgs s . �g6+. 2.lt:Jxc8 'ifc7+! 3. 'iii>b 1 J:l.xc8 4 . .1:1.6f2 i.e6 With the threat of 5 ...'ifa5 ! . 5. 'it'h5 b 5 6 . 'ifd1 'ifa S 7.b3 7.a3?! b 4 8 .�d2 �b8 ! . 7. . . J:I.c3 8. J:I.xf7! i.xf7 A draw results from 8 ... ..txb3 (or 8 ... 'ifb4 9.'iiib2) 9.axb3 'ifa3 1 o. �xg7+ \th8 l l . �g8+!. 9. J:I.xf7 'ifa3 1 0. 'it'f1 .l:l.c5 11 . .1:1.f5 .l:l.c7 1 2. 'ife1 .l:l.c3 1 3. 'it'f1 .l:l.c7 1 4.e5 'ifc5 1 5.exd6 Draw agreed. Chapter 4

-

Prophylaxis

E40 S kem bris - Torre Lucerne 1 982

Black stands better. White wants to simplify the game with 2 .'ife2, and if 2 . . .'ifxb3, then 3 .'ifb5 . This idea works after l ...tbe7 or l .. .h6. This must be prevented. 1 ... a6! 2.g4 If 2.tbe2 , then 2 ... ..td2 3 .tbc3 'ife l 4.tbbl ..ib4. 2 . ..too 7 3. t002 i.d2 4.lbg 1 tbc6 s . i.c7 tbb4 6.i.as lbc2 ! 7. i.xd2 'ifxd2 8. �g3 lt:Jxe3! 9. 'ifa3 tbd1 1 0. tbf3 'ifxf2+ 1 1 . �4 g5+ White resigned. E41 Geller - Spassky Riga 1 965

First, Black should prevent the move g2-g3 , fixing the weak pawn on f5 and freeing the rook from the defence of g2 . 1 ... J:I.h6 ! 2.h3 J:l.e8 3 . i.d3 �6 4. i.c2 J:l.h4! Now Black exchanges off the weakness on f5 . 5.J:I.d6+ J:l.e6 6.J:I.d2 f4! 6 ... h6 is bad because of 7. ..idl ! f4 8 . ..tg4 fxe3 9 . .l:l:e2 ! . 7.exf4 J:l.xf4 8.i.xh7 i.e4! 9 . ..be4 .l:l.exe4 1 0. J:I.d7 J:l.xf2 1 1 . .1:1.gd 1 Draw. 232

Solutions - Chapter

E42 Lerner - Lukin

4

-

Prophylaxis

USSR 1 977

Black wants to strengthen the knight by means of ... b6-b5 , so as to bring the bishop on a6 into play. This could have been prevented by the move l .a4! , retaining the advantage for White. However, in the game, there occurred: 1 . l:ad1 b5! And now 2 J:td7 fails to 2 ... .Jtc8 3 ..lhe7 .Jtxg4 4. l:!.xa7 �xf3 5. �xf3 tLlxeS or 3.e6 �xd7 4.exd7 'ifxe l+ S .tLlxe l l:!.xe l + 6 . .Jtfl l:!.d8 . Black has a good game. E43 Alekhine - Aszta los

Kecskemet 1 927

White's position is better, but by .. .f7-f5 , Black threatens to somewhat improve his situation. Therefore: 1 . ..ia2! b4! ? I f 1 ...'i¥e7?, then 2 .tLlxg6! and 3 . l:!.xe6. 2 . ..ic4! Worse is 2 .axb4 a3 with counterplay. 2 ... bxa3 3.bxa3 'itaS 4. 'ite4 4.tLlxg6? l:!.xd4! 4 ... 'iVc7 5. 'itf4 l:ab8 6.h5! Going over to decisive action. 6 ... gxh5 7.'ift>h1 l:tb7 8.l:tg 1 Black is helpless. 8 ... 'ite7 9. :Xg7+! 'ift>xg7 1 O.J:tg1 + 'ift>h7 1 1 . tbxf7! The concluding blow. There is no defence. Black resigned.

E44 Kortch noi - Jussu pow

Lone Pine 1 981

1 . 'ift>f1 ! White defends his bishop and wants to move his king away from the weak back rank. After l . l:!.xbS?! l:!.al 2 . .\txc4 .l:!.xel + he is not winning. 1 ... l:a1 ?! Better was l .. . l:tb8, since now his own back rank is weakened! 2. 'ift>e2! Here the king is entirely safe. 2 ... 'ift>g7 3 . ..ib4! With the idea of 4.'iWe8. 3 ... tLlb6 3 . . . l:ta8 4.l:txb5. 4.l:td6! J:tc1 5. :Xf6 'ift>xf6 6. 'iVd4+ 'ift>g5 6 . . .Vi'es 7. �e7+. 7 . ..ie7+ 'W'xe7 8. 'iff4+ Black resigned: 8 . ..�h5 9.g4+ �h4 1 0.'i¥h6#.

233

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E45 J ussu pow - Va n d e r Wiel

Lucerne 1 982

White's plan is to attack the king, but first he needs to pre­ vent the black knight coming to d5, via b4. 1 . l:ab1 ! "it'd5 I . . .tbb4 now loses to 2 . llxb4! �xb4 3 .tbf6+ �h8 4.Vi'h4. 2. "it'f4! "it'dB 3 . .C.b3 .C.c8 4.h4 Now the attack can start. 4 ... .C.c7 5 . .C.f3 .C.fB 6 . .hf8 "it'xf8 7.d5! exd5 8. :.Xd5 lLlb4 9 . .C.d1 .C.c6 1 0. lLld6 lLlxa2 1 1 . 1i'a4 And White won.

E46 Petrosian - G ufeld

Leningrad 1 960

1 . t2:lb1 !

An excellent prophylactic move. If now l ...f4, then 2 . llb3, whilst after l ...fxe4 the white knight occupies the square e4. On the queenside, Black is doomed. 1 ... h7 2 . .C.b3 fxe4 3. 1i'xe4 .C.f5 4. l:a3 "it'b7 5 . t2:lc3 .C.efB 6. 1i'c4 .C.f3 7. :.Xa6 ..te3! ? The last chance. 8.t2:le4! ..th6 9. :.Xa7 Black resigned.

E47 Vaga nian - Timman

London 1 984

White's plan consists in the exchange of light-squared bishops after llal and �a4, seizing the square f5 for his knight. But first it was necessary to prevent Black castling, by means of l . llbf2 ! , forcing 1 .. . llh7 (1...llf8 or 1 ...0-0 - 2 .tLlg6) , and only now 2 . l:Ial with a large advantage. Vaganian missed this possibility.

E48 Neved n ichy - Pa nchenko

Bucharest 1 994

1 .g3! An excellent prophylactic move. Worse is l .fxe5 �xeS or l . l::t:d S exf4 with good chances of saving the game for Black. Now 2 . lld5 and 3.fxe5 is the threat, and there is no defence. 1 ... g7 2 . .C.d5 :.es 3.fxe5 ..txe5 4. lLlxb4 White has a clear advantage which, however, in time­ trouble he was unable to convert.

234

Solutions - Chapter 4

-

Prophylaxis

E49 H u bner - S myslov Tilburg 1 982

White wants to play 'i!i'd3 and then b2-b3 and .ib2 with advantage. This must be prevented. 1 ... a5! If now 2.'ti'd3 , then 2 ... a4! . After 2.a4 there follows 2 ... l:tfd8 3 .'ti'd3 ..ia6 4.'ti'd2 .l:!.ac8. Black has a normal game.

E50 Jahner - Rubinstein Teplitz-Schonau 1 922

White wants to begin a storm with g2-g4, h2-h4 and g4-gS . Black prevents this. 1 ... .i.g4! 2.h3 .i.xf3 3.gxf3 White has the open g-file, but the square g7 will be reliably defended by the bishop. Meanwhile, Black's attack on the queenside can become dangerous. 3 ... a5 4. �b1 0KJ7 5.ltJe2 1i'b6 6 . .i.f5 .l:l.fd8 7 . .i.xd7 .l:l.xd7 8. tLlf4 .l:l.d6 9 . .1:1.hg1 �h8 1 0 . .1:1.g4 .l:l.g8 1 1 . .1:1.dg1 'ii'c7 1 2. 0KJ3? Stronger is 1 2 .tLlhS and then 1 3 .tt:lxf6. 1 2 ... b6 1 3-f4 c5! 1 4.dxc5 14.lLleS!?. 1 4 ... bxc5 1 5. 'ii'x c5 .l:l.c6 Black has a strong attack for his pawn. 1 6. 11Va3 Bad is 1 6 .'ii'xdS? .l:!.d8 1 7.�fs .l:!.c2 ! . 1 6._ . .1:1.c8 1 7 . .1:1.d1 hb2! 1 8. �xb2 .l:l.c3! 1 9. 11Va4 .l:l.c2+ White resigned. E51 Lerner - Panchenko Beltsi 1 979 1 ... .i.h4!

From here, the bishop not only prevents the advance h3-h4 with an attack, but also ties down White's forces. 2 . .i.xd7 'ifxd7 3 . .1:1.hg1 .l:l.ac8 4. tLlf4 g6 Black has defended all the paths towards his king and is ready for the advance ... c6-cS. In addition, almost any end­ game will favour him. 5.0KJ3 1i'd6 6 . .1:1.g2 ltJe6 Black has a good game. E52 Galkin - Timofeev Moscow 201 1

With his last move, White played 'ii'c 2-cl with the inten­ tion of transferring the queen to al and pressing further in the centre. 1 ... .i.h6! Black tries to prevent the white bishop moving from b2 to an active position. l ...d4 2 .exd4 exd4 3 .�d2 , and the bishop comes t o c l . 2. 'ii'a 1 I t was stronger t o change plans - 2.cxdS tt:lxdS 3 .b4 with a transition into a superior endgame. 235

Mastering Chess Middlegarnes

2 ... d4 3.exd4 exd4 4.b4 ttJsd7 5.�c1 hc1 6. 'ifxc1 �g7 Now Black has no clear weaknesses. White's task is to create some, by advancing the a-pawn. 7.b5 tbe5 8. tDxe5 .:XeS 9 . .ic6? ! The position remains equal after 9Jhe5 �xeS l O . J::!.e l 'ti'fs . 9 ... a5! Now it is very difficult to break down the black defences. 1 0. �g2 tbe6 1 1 .h4 .:Xe1 1 2 . .:Xe1 J:td6 1 3. l:te4 'ifd8 1 4. 'ifd2 'iff6 1 5 . .id5 l0c7! 1 6. �c6 If 16 . .llf4, then 16 ... t2Jxd5 1 7. l:!.xf6 tLlxf6. In

a closed position, the strength of the queen is not felt. 1 6 ... l:te6 1 7. 'ife2 'it'e7 1 8. 'it'd2 'it'f6 Draw.

Chapter 5

-

Realising an advantage

E53 Alekhine

·

Lasker

Paris 1 91 3

1 . 'it'd3 'it'f6

l ...�f6 2.f4. 2.g4! c6 3.gxf5 .:Xd5

3 ... cxd5 4. �g3 c4 s .�d l . 4 . 'ife4 h 4 5. 'ifg4 'it'h6 6.�e3 �6 7.l:tg2 J:tg8 8.f4! exf4 9 .ixc5 .

Black resigned. E54 Koba lia

·

Chepuka itis

St Petersburg 1 997

1 . tDxf7! l:te4 l . . .�xf7 2 .tLlg4 followed by l:!.f3 and 'i!Vxg6. 2.ttJg5 Even more effective is 2 . l:td4! �xd4 (2 ... l:!.xd4

3 .'i¥xg6 �c8 4.tLlf5) 3 .'ihe4 �xf7 4.'ti'xd4 with a winning attack. 2 ... .:Xh4 3.l:td4! l:th6 4.ttJg4 bd4 5 . tDxh6+ �g7 6. tiJe6+ �xh6 7. 'ifd2+ And in view of the variation 7... g5 8 .'ti'xd4 '.t>g6 9.g4 with unavoidable mate, Black resigned. E55 Anand

·

Polgar

Dortmund 1 994

1 . lLlfxe5 !

I .tLlxaS tbfs 2 .�h2 �d6 . 1 .. .fxe5 2 . .:Xe5+ �d7 3.J:td5+ �ca 4 . .:Xf8! J:tdxf8 5 . .:Xc5+ �b8 6 . .:Xa5 h4 7. l:tb5+ �c7 8.�xb4 J:tea 9 . .id6+ �d7 1 0. l:tb7+ �e6 1 1 . .ie5!

And faced with further losses, Black resigned.

236

Solutions - Chapter 5

-

Realising an advantage

E56 Petrosian - lvkov Hamburg 1 965 1 . .bg6 fxg6 2. 'ifxg6 'ifxd4 Nor does he save himself with 2 .. J :th8 3 .'iVd6+ �e8 (3 . . .�f7 4.e6+ g8 s .'li'xf4 tt:lxf4 6 . llxh8+ xh8 7.e7) 4.'iVb8+ e7 s ."iVxb7+ e6 6.'ii'xc6+ fs 7.'iVd7+ gs 8 J l:gl+ h6 9.'iVe6+ h7 1 0.'1Wg6+ g8 l l . �c l . But the position remains double-edged after 2 . . . l:!.f8 . 3. 'ifxh5 'ifd3+ 4.r,i;>a1 .l:l.d8 5.J:I.g1 .l:l.d7 6. J:I.xg7+ r,i;>d8 7.J:I.g1 r,i;>c7 8.e6 .l:l.d5 9. 'ifg4 b3 (9 . . J le5 l O . 'iVg 7 + d6 l l . 'iVd7+) 1 0.e7 .l:l.e5 1 1 . 'ifg7 r,i;>d6 1 2. 'ifxe5+ Black resigned. E57 Polgar - Tiviakov Madrid 1 994 1 .h6 .bh6 2.ttlg4 J:l.xe2 3. ttlxh6+ r,i;>g7 4. J:I.xe2 r,i;>xh6 5. 'ife1 'iti>g7 6.J:I.e7 'ifb6 7 . .bc4 bxc4 8. 'ii'e5+ r,i;>g8 9. �e3 f6 1 0. 'iff4 rJ;>f8 1 1 . J:I.xh7 r,i;>e8 1 2. 'ifh6

Black resigned.

E58 Ka msky - Anand Dos Hermanas 1 996 1 .g4 tt::lf6 2.gxf5 .be5 3.fxe5 'ifc6 4.J:I.e3 'ifh1 + 5. rJ;>f2 'ifxh2+ 6.'ito>e1 tt::le4 7 . .be4 'ifh4+ 8.r,i;>d 1 .be4 9. �e1 'ifh2 1 0. J:l.xe4 'ifh3 1 1 . r,i;>e2

Black resigned.

E59 Kra m n i k - Bel iavsky Belgrade 1 995 1 .e4! fxe4

l .. . �xf3 L . txf3 fxe4 3 .tt:lxe4 dxe4 4.'ii'x e6+ 'ii'e 7 5 . l:!.xe4, winning. 2 . tLlg5! �f7 2 ...'ii'xg5 3 .tt:lxe4 'ii'e 7 4 . .tg5 ! tt:lf6 (4. . .'iVf8 s .'ii'xd5 ! ! exd5 6.ttlxd6#) s .tt:lxf6+ gxf6 6.�xh6. 3. ttldxe4! dxe4 4. ttlxe6! .be6 5. 1i'xe6+ 1i'e7 6. J:I.xe4! r,i;>d8 6 .. ."it'xe6 7. l:!.xe6+ �e7 8 . �xh6 f7 9. l:!.xe7+ �xe7 I O . .txg7. 7. 'ifd5 And Black resigned because of 7. . .'ii'f8 8 .l::!.e 6 tt:lf7 (8 . . . ..te7 9. l:!.xe7 !) 9. �g5+ tt:lxg5 1 0 Jhd6 'ii'e 7 l l .h4 tt:lf7 1 2 . .!::!.e 6 'ii'b 4 1 3 . .th3 . 237

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E60 lvanch u k - N enashev

Frunze 1 988

1 .f5 gxf5 2.l:a7 ti::£7 3.exd6 'ii'x d6 4. 'it'g5+ �hB 5.l:l.d 1 'ii'e5 6. tbg4 'ii'xe2 7.l:l.d8

Black resigned: after 7.. ..!::i.xd8 he is mated in two.

E61 Sadler - Dreev

Groningen 1 997/98

1 ... tt:Jd7

l . . .bxc2 2 .tLlf7+ �d7 3.tt:lxd6 '>t>xd6 4. �xc2 . 2.tt:\f7+ 9;;e7 3. tt:\xd6 tt:\xc5 4.tt:\f5+ �6 5.�b1 h5 6.g3 tt:\xa4 7. �d2 �d5 8.tt:\e3 �e6 9.�d3 tt:\xb2 1 0. ha6 �e5 1 1 . �b5 �d4 1 2.h4 g4 1 3. tbg2 ti::£4+ 1 4. hc4 hc4 1 5. tt:lf4 �f7

And Black won. E62 Mateo - Popchev

Prokuplje 1 987

1 . tt:\xg5 fxg5 2. 'ifxg5+ �8 3.l:l.xh4 'ii'f6 4. 'ii'xf6 tt:\xf6 5.l:l.h8+ lDQB 6.f6 l:l.d8 7.g4 l:l.xd4 8.g5 l:l.d5 9.h4 l:l.f5 1 0.h5 l:l.xg5 1 1 .h6 l:l.g6 1 2.h7 l:l.g2 1 3.a4 c5 1 4. �b1 c4 1 5. �c1 l:l.g4 1 6. �c2 l:l.g3 1 7. 'ifo>d2 l:l.g2+ 1 8. 9i;c3 l:l.g4 1 9. l:l.xg8+

Black resigned.

P26 Kra m n i k - Ka msky

Linares 1 993

« ... It is time to take decisive action, whilst the difference in piece activity is so great» (Kramnik) . 1 .f4! hd4 2.l:l.xd4! Stronger than 2 .exd4 tt:lb6 3 . �b3 'iVd6, although after 4.f5 White is still better. 2 ... l:l.xe3 3.l:l.fd1 ! Strengthening the position. 3 ... tt:\f8 If 3 ... �e7, then 4.tt:\b5! 'ikb6 5.tt:ld6 , and Black has no moves, whilst after 3 ... a6 there is the very strong 4.tt:le4! with a clear advantage to White. 4.f5 'ii'e7 After 4 .. ..!:!.e7 (4 .. J::i.e 5 s . jlf4) s . jlxf6 gxf6 6.'it'f2! �d7 7. .l:Ig4+ �h8 8.'iWh4 'fiVeS 9.'iVh6! 'ike3+ 1 0.1\Vxe3 �xe3 l l . �xf7 h6 1 2 . �g8+ �h7 1 3 . .l::i.xd7 and Black remains a piece down. 5. he3 'ii'xe3+ 6. 'ii'f2! The simplest. The endgame is hopeless for Black. 6 ... 'ii'xf2+ 7. 9;;xf2 hf5 8.l:l.d8! l:l.xd8 9.l:l.xd8 b5 1 0. �e2 a5 1 1 . �f3 �d7 1 2. l:a8 g5 12 ... a4 1 3 . lla6. 1 3. l:a6 tt:\e6 1 4. hc6 hc6 1 5. l:l.xc6 b4 1 6. tt:\e2 a4 1 7. l:l.c4 tt:Jd5 1 8.g3 And Black soon resigned.

238

Solutions - Chapter 5

-

Realising an advantage

Moscow 1 994

P27 Motwa ni - Adams

1 .d5! exd5 2.e6! tLlf6 He loses after 2 ... fxe6 3.tLld4 tLlcS 4 . .l:!. l xc5 or 3 ...�f7 4.tLlc6 . 3.tLlg5! h6 4 . .:Xe7! hxg5 Or 4 ... �xe7 S . .ib4+ (worse is S . .!:!.c7+ tLld7) 5...�e8 6 . .l:!.c7 fxe6 7. .l:!.e7+ �f8 8 .tLlxe6+ �g8 9 . .l:!.xg7+ with a winning position. 5 . ..tb4! l:le8 S .. .fxe6 6 . .!:!.cc7. 6 . .:Xe8+ �xes 7. l:lc7 fxe6 8. l:le7+ �d8 9 . .:Xg7 ttlea 1 O . .:Xg5 .l:la7 1 1 . l:lg6 l l .h4 is also possible. 1 1 . . . l:lh7 1 2 . .:Xe6 .:Xh2 1 3. �3 l:lh4 1 4. i.e1 l:lh 1 1 5 . ..tg3 l:ld1 ? Losing a piece, but Black's position is hopeless anyway! 1 6 . .i.h4+ �d7 1 7. l:le7+ �c6 1 8 . .:Xe8 b4 1 9. '0ti>e2 Black resigned.

P28 lvanch u k - Ehlvest

Yerevan 1 996

1 .f5 ! tLlxe5 2. 'it'g3 0d7

2 ... exf5? 3 .tLlxf5 . 3.fxe6 fxe6 4.tLlc3! tLl7f6

4.. .'i¥f7? s .tt:lxe6! . 5 . ..tf5 tLlh5 6. 'iff3 �h8 7. be6 tLlhf4 8. tLlxd5 tLlxd5 9. 'it'f2! tLlf6 1 0 . ..txca 'it'xca 1 1 .h3 h6 1 2. tLle6 'ifd7 1 3. 'ifd4 0d5 1 4.tLlxg7! 'ii'x g7

Black resigned: 15 . .l:!.e8+ �h7 1 6.'i¥e4+ 'i¥g6 1 7. .l:!.h8 + ! .

P29 Kaspa rov - Short

Amsterdam 1 994

1 . 'it'd6! 'it'f6 2.f5 ! By sacrificing a pawn, White exchanges off the rook on f8 , a defender of the black king. 2 ... 'ifh6+ Bad is 2...'t!fxf5 3 J:tf3 'ifg4 4 . .l:!.xf8+ tLlxf8 S .ti:Jb6. 3. �b1 .:Xf5 4.l:lf3! l:.xf3 5.gxf3 'it'f6 6 . .i.h3 �7 7.c4! Not giving the opponent a breathing-space. 7 ... dxc4 Or else 8.c5. 8.tLlc3 'it'e7 9. 'ifc6 l:lb8 1 O.tLle4 tLlb6 1 1 . tLlg5+ �g8 1 2. 'it'e4 g6 1 3. Wxe5 l:lb7 1 4. l:ld6! c3 1 5. he6+ be6 1 6 . .:Xe6 Black resigned.

239

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P30 Ta ima nov

·

Sanchez

Stockholm 1 952

White's position is superior. He continues to strengthen it and creates new weaknesses in Black's position. 1 .g4! as 2 . .1:hg1 axb4 3.gs :as On 3 .. .f5 a good reply is 4.e4. 4.gxf6 gxf6 S.tLlf4 .l:eS 5 ... e5? 6 . l:!.g8+ �e7 7.tLld5+. 6 . .1:c4 b6? ! It is hard to know what to recommend for Black. 7.J:c6! �a6+ This check is what Sanchez had been counting on, but dis­ appointment awaits him. 8.'it>e1 ! q;e7 The exchange is lost after 8 ... l:!.xe3+ 9.'i¥if2 . 9. :Xb6 .l:d6 1 0. :Xd6 q;xd6 1 1 . �2 tLlc7 Otherwise 1 2 . l:!.g8 and 1 3 . l:!.h8. 12 . .1:g7 J:cs 1 3. :Xh7 �c4 Trying to create counterplay on the queenside. 1 4.h4 .ix:b3 1 S.axb3 .l:c3 1 6.hS This pawn cannot be held. 1 6 ... :Xb3 1 7.h6 .l:b2+ 1 8, q;g3 es The threat was 19.l:!.xc7 and 20.h7. 1 9. tLld3 If 1 9 . l:!.xc7 , then 1 9 . . . exf4+ 2 0 .exf4 l:!.a2 2 1 .h7 l:!.a8 . 19 ... .1:b1 20.q;h2! J:a1 On 20 . ..tbe6 White wins with 2 1 . l:!.g7! , and on 20 ... b3 with 2 1 .l:!.h8 . 21 . .1:h8 J:a2+ 22. q;g3 J:a1 23.h7 .l:h 1 24 . .1:d8+ q;cs 2S.h8'iV :Xh8 26.:Xh8 b3 27 . .1:b8 tLlbS 28. q;g4 Black resigned. P31 Eliskases - Prins

Stockholm 1 952

1 .dxcS! A good deal stronger than I .tt:lc6 bxc6 2 .'ifxb8 cxd4. 1 ... 'ifc7 Bad is I . . . .txc5 2 .tt:lc6 , and Black has no compen­ sation for the exchange. 2.e4 tLlf6 3. �e3 .ix:cS 3 . . .'iVxe5 4. i.f4. 4.J:ac1 b6 s. 'ifc3 'iVb7 6 . .1:fd1 White strengthens his position and gradually presses Black. 6 ... .ix:e3 7. 'ifxe3 �d7 8.tLlxd7! tLlxd7 9.es 'ifa7 With a queen like this, it was already possible to resign. 1 0.aS .l:fd8 1 1 . .1:d6 �8 1 2 . .1:cc6 .l:bc8 1 3.axb6 'iVbB 1 4. :Xd7! Black resigned: 14 ... l:!.xd7 1 5 .'iVc5+.

240

Solutions - Chapter 5

P32 Chern i n - Dlugy

-

Realising an advantage

Tunis 1 985

1 . 'ifd3 ! .i.f8 2 . .i.e3 'ifd6 3. 'it'b5! The white pieces work very actively together against the enemy queenside. 3 ... a6 4. 'ifa5 l:td7 5 . .i.f4 'ifd3 It was worth considering 5 ...'ife7 and then 6 ...'iff7. 6 . .i.c7! 'it'b5 7. l:tfe1 �7? Leads to a hopeless position. After 7...'ifxa5 8 . .\txaS Wf7 it was possible to resist tenaciously. 8. 'ifxb5 axb5 9. hb7 l:ta7 If 9 .. Jl:xa3 , then 10 . .\tcs .l:!.e7 1 I . .Itd6. 1 0 . .i.c8 :taxc7 1 1 . :Xc7 :Xc7 1 2. be6+ g6 1 3. l:td1 l:tc3 1 4.l:td8! White organises a powerful attack, with only minimal forces. 1 4 ... .i.e7 1 5.l:td7 .i.f8 1 6 . .i.f7+ 'lith6. Nor is he saved by 16 ... Wf5 because of 1 7.f3 ! .l:!.xf3 18 . .l:!.d5+ We4 (18 ... Wg4 1 9. -lthS+) 1 9 . .l:!.d8 Jle7 20 . .l:!.e8 . 1 7. l:td8 .i.e7 1 8. l:td5 g 6 1 9. :Xb5 :Xa3 20. l:tb7 .i.d6 21 . .i.ga :as 22. :Xh7+ gs 23.h4+ �s 24 . .i.b3 gs 25 . .i.c2+ g4 26. g2 Black resigned.

P33 Karpov - M i les

Oslo 1 984

The white pieces are all in a single group, whereas Black's are scattered around the board. Karpov confidently realises his advantage. 1 . 'ifxg6+ hxg6 l ...fxg6 2 .tbe5 with the threat of 3 .ti:lg4. 2 . tbe5 It is hard to believe that White can win, but this happens quite quickly! 2 ... .i.g5 If 2 ... .\tg7, counting on 3 .tbxg6 .ltf6, then 3.tbxc6. 3. :Xf7 :Xf7 4. ti:lxf7 .i.f6 5. ti:lh6+ h8 6.l:td6 .i.g7 6 ... Wg7 7. .l:!.xc6 or 6 ... Jlg5 7.tbf7+. 7. ti:lf7+ g8 More stubborn is 7 .. .'\tlh7. a. tl::lg 5 :as 9. :Xc6 d4 1 0. :Xg6 hB 1 1 . :td6 :tea 1 2. tl::lf3 Black resigned. Simple, but this simplicity is only there when you have seen the game to the end. It is not so clear at the start.

241

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P34 Pol ugaevsky - Biyiasis

Petropolis 1 973

1 . .if1 ! If immediately l .a4, then l .. .c4! 2 .bxc4 b4 with counterplay for Black. 1 ... l:te8 2.a4 b4 Now 2 . . . c4 is bad because of 3 . axbS axbS 4.bxc4 b4 S .tt:JbS ! . 3.ttlb1 ttlb6 4. lbbd2 l:te7 5 . .ib2 Stronger i s S . a S ! . s ... tt:le a 6.l:tc1 f 6 7.a5 tt:Ja a 8.lLJC4 l:tc7 8 . . . tt:lac7 9.'i!Yc2 . 9.ttlfd2 .id7 1 O.f4 'il'e7 I O . . . exf4 l l .eS fxeS 1 2 .tbe4. 1 1 .fxe5 fxe5 1 2. tt:lxd6 tt:lxd6 1 3. lLJC4 tt:lxc4 1 4. bc4 In view of the threat dS-d6, Black resigned. P35 Pol ugaevsky - Veltmander

Saratov 1 953

White's position is clearly superior, because the knight on b8 cannot come into play immediately. However, winning is not so easy. 1 .' ofo>g3 f6 On I . . .'itf6 there is the possibility of 2 .gS+ 'ite7 3 .hS tbd7 4.tbxd7 'itxd7 S .h6 and then f4-fS . 2.�4 � 3.g5 lbb5 4.f3 lLJC7 5.e4 ttle6+ 6. tt:lxe6 �xe6 7 . .if1 �e7 8.gxf6+ �xf6 9.e5+ �e7 1 0. �g5 c5 The only chance. 1 1 .dxc5 tbd7 1 2. �4! 1 2 . f4 is bad because of 1 2 . . . tbxcS 1 3 .'ith6 tbe6, drawing. 1 2 ... tt:lxc5 1 3. �e3 tt:lb3 It was worth considering 1 3 . . . tbe6, and if now 14.�h3, then 14 . . .d4+ 1 S .'ite4 d3. 14 . .ih3 h6 Else 'itd3 -c3-d4. 1 5.f4 �7 1 6.h5 gxh5 1 7.f5 h4 1 8 . .ig2 d4+ 1 9. �d3 �e7 20. �c4 lLlc1 21 . �xd4 And White realised his advantage. Chapter 6

-

Equal positions P36 Andersson - Gruenfeld

Lucerne 1 982

1 . l:td2 l:tc7 2.e3 ! Prophylaxis against Black ever playing . . . d6-dS - the pawn on e2 will not hang. 2 ... .if8 3. 'it'b1 tt:ld7 4.l:tfd1 tt:lf6 5.a4! Intending 'ti'a2 and a4-aS . 5 ... l:tc5 The immediate S . . . dS!? 6 .cxdS exdS and then tbe4 deserved consideration. 6.l:tc2 Threatening the regrouping .l:[dcl followed by the advance b3 -b4-bS, securing the square c6. 6 ... e5? ! Rather safer was 6 ... dS or 6 ... .1:le7.

242

Solutions - Chapter 6

-

Equal positions

7.ti�2 b5 S.axb5 axb5 9.ltJc3 bxe4 1 0.b4 lle7 1 1.liJd5 ltJxd5 1 2. bd5 The pawn on b4 is very dangerous, whilst

the bishop on dS is much stronger than the one on f8 . 1 2 ... 'it'bS 1 3.b5 lle5? 1 3 . . . 'iVb6 ! ? . 1 4.b6 lleeS 1 5.e4 g6 1 6. 'it'b4 ll8e6 1 7. llb1 lieS 1 S. 'it'a4 Black resigned. P37 Petrosia n - Fischer

Belgrade 1 970

1 ... �f5! Black forces g2-g4. 2.g4 a6! 3.tiJc3 Or 3 .'�Jc7

.!:!.ac8 4.tt:Jxa6 i.e4 5.f3 i.xf3 6 . .ihf3 bxa6 with equality. 3 ... �e6 4.f4 llfdS 5. 'itf2 tt:Jb4 After S .. J lxdl 6.llxdl .lld 8

7. .!:!.xd8 t2Jxd8 White is slightly better. 6.a3 t2Jd5 7. tt:Je4 tt:Jf6 S. ltJxf6 exf6

In Fischer's opinion, equality also results from 8 . . . Wxf6 9.g5+ Wg7 I O . i.f3 .llac8 l l..� xb7 .llc 2+ 1 2 .Wg3 .!:!.xdl 1 3 . .!:!.xd l llxb2 14 . .ixa6 l:!.b3 ! . 9. �f3 llaeS 1 0. llxdS llxdS 1 1 . lld1 lieS 1 2. lld2 lle7 1 3.h4 h6 1 4. �g3 b5! Parrying the possible manoeuvre .!:!.d6-b6. 1 5. lld6 lle2 1 6.b4 lle3 1 7. llxa6 �e4 1 S.f5 g5 1 9.hxg5 hxg5 20.'itf2 l:[e2+ 21 . 'ifi1g1 l:[e1 + 22. �g2 l:[e2+ 23. �g3 l:[e3 24. 'itf2 lle2+ 25. 'ifi1e1 l:[e3 26. lla5 llxe3+ 27. 'itf2 l:[d3 2S. �e6 'itfS 29. bb5 bb5 30. llxb5 llxa3 31 . l:[d5 l:[b3 32. l:[d4 'ifi1e7 33. �e2 lla3 34. 'ifi1d2 l:[b3 35. 'ifi1e2 l:[e3 36. 'ifi1b2 Only a draw results from 36.b5 .!:!.eS 3 7. l:!.b4 Wd7 3 8 .b6 Wc8 39.b7+ \t>b8 40.Wd3 .l:te7 4 1 . l:!.b6 .!:!.xb7 42 . .l:i.xf6 .!:!.b4. 36 ... 'ifi1eS 37. 'ifi1e1 lle2 3S. 'ifi1d1 lla2 39. 'ifi1e1 l:[b2 Draw. P38 Kaspa rov - Petrosian

N i ksic 1 983

The position is about equal. If Black plays ... t2Jf6, then it is completely equal. Kasparov makes an interesting attempt to change the situation on the board. 1 .d5! 'it'xd5 2 . l:[ed 1 �e5 There is nothing else. 3. llxd5 bf2+ 4. 'ifi1xf2 exd5 5. bf5 tt:Jb6 5 . . . .ie6 6 . t2Je 7 + . 6. he8 ltJxeS 7. b3 h6 S.l:[b1 ! Completely stalemating the black knight. s .. .:e6 9.t2Jd4 lla6 1 0. �e5 ttJd6 1 1 . l:[bS+ �h7 1 2.g4! Starting to surround the enemy king, with extremely limited forces. 12 ... lla4 1 3. 'ifi1e3 ltJc4+ 1 4. 'itf4 g5+? More solid is 14 ... .!:!.a6 . 1 5. 'ifi1g3 lla2 1 6. l:[b7 'if;lg6 1 7. tt:Jf5! lla6 1 S.h4 gxh4+ 1 9. ltJxh4+ �g7 20. tt:Jf5+ 'ifi1g6 21 . �d4 Black resigned: he has no defence against a knight check on h4, winning a piece. .

243

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P39 Kaspa rov - Karpov

London/Leningrad 1 986

1 . t0d3 J:thc8 2.tt:lc5 l:tab8 3. l:tc3 t0d8 4.l:tac1 .tc6?! Equality can be maintained by 4 . . . b6. 5.t0d3 .td7 6. ttJe5 .:Xc3 7 . .:Xc3 .tea 8.b4 aS 9 . .te4! ? I t i s hard for White t o strengthen his position, s o h e tries to weaken Black's. 9 ... h6 1 0.a3 f6 1 1 . t0d3 .tcs 12 . .bc6 tlJxc6 1 3. tt:lc5 ltJe5 13 ... a5!? 14.b5 tt::ld4 1 5 .a4 b6 looks more attractive. 1 4.f4 t0d7 1 5. tt:Jb3 'iti>d6 1 6.e4 g5 1 7. e3 e5 1 8.fxg5 fxg5 1 9. ltJa5 g4 20. l:tc2 h5 21 . l:tc1 ! Giving Black the move. 21 ... b6 (2 1 . . . tt::lf6 2 2 . .!lcs ) 22. l:tc6+ �e7 23. tt:lc4 J:tf8 24. e2! l:tf3? Black is only a little worse after 24 .. J:tf6 25 . .l:!.c8 bS. 25.l2Je3?? White wins with 25.llc7 llc3 26 .'iit>d 2 . 2 5. . . lbf6 2 6. .:Xb6 tlJxe4 2 7. .:Xa6 l:tf2+ 28. d3 t0d6 29.l:ta7+ e6 30. l:th7 e4+ 31 . c3 tbb5+ 32. c4 tlJxa3+ 33. d4 .:Xh2 34. l:th6+ �d7 35. t0d5 h4 36 . .:Xh4 .:Xh4 37.gxh4 g3 38. tbf4 tt:lc2+ 112-112 P40 Torre - Karpov

Bad Lauterberg 1 977

We have a position of dynamic equality, characteristic of the so-called Hedgehog System. Both sides manoeuvre and await a mistake from the opponent. 1 . 'it'e2 J:tfe8 2.h3 t0d7 3. 'it'f2 .taa 4. l:tc2 •bs 5.J:tfc1 .th4! Forcing a weakening. 6.g3 Better is 6.'iYd2 . 6 ... .td8 7. t0d2 .tf6 «The manoeuvres of the two sides are hard to comment on, since they are largely waiting tactics and only partly of a preparatory character» (Karpov) . 8.h4 h6 9.h5 lbg f8 1 0.g4? tt:Jh7 1 1 .e5? Fanciful and unfounded. 1 1 ... dxe5 1 2.g5 exf4! 13 . .hf4 .te5 1 4.g6 fxg6 1 5.hxg6 .hf4 1 6.gxh7+ h8 1 7. l:tf1 l:tf8 1 8 . .te4 ttJe5 1 9 . ..g2 tlJxc4 White resigned.

2 44

Solutions - Chapter

7 - The battle of the major pieces

P41 Boleslavsky - Zura khov

Kiev 1 958

1 .lbd2 tbxd2 I . . .'iVb4 2 .tLlfl ! followed by tt:lfl -e3 . 2. 'ifxd2 'itd6 3.l:[e3! .:aca 3 ...f6 4.l:!ae l l:!fe8 s .'iVc3 ! ,

and now Black loses after 5 .. ..ll ac8? 6 . l:!.xe6 ! , whilst if 5 ... �f7, then 6 . .l:!.xe8+ l:!xe8 7. l:!xe8+ �xe8 8 .'iVc8!; 3 ... l:!fe8 4. l:!ae l �d7 S . .!::!.e S! �c6 6.iVa5!. 4 . .:Se1 l:tc6 5.l:te5 l:tb6 6. l:t1 e3 'ii'b4 7. 'ii'd 3! 7.'iVxb4 J::[xb4 with equality. 7 ... l:tc6 8.h4 g6 9.l:te1 i.f5 1 0. 'ii'e3 i.e6? More energetic is 1 0 ... �e4! l l .aS! �g7 ! 1 2 . �xd5 �xdS 1 3 . llxd5 l::!.e 6! 14.l:!e5 llfe8 1 5 .h5 !!xeS 1 6 .dxe5 'iVxaS 1 7.h6+ �f8 . 1 1 .h5! l:tb6 1 2. i.c2 i.d7 1 3.b3 l:[c6 After 1 3 . . . l:!c8 14 . .lle 7! �c6 1 5 .hxg6 hxg6 White decides with 1 6 . �xg6! . 1 4. i.d1 .:e6 1 5 . .:Xe6 i.xe6 1 6. i.f3 .:ca 1 7. 'ii'e5 'ii'd 2 1 8. l:[d1 .:c1 1 9 . .:Xc1 'iVxc1 + 20.�h2 gxh5 21 . i.xh5 'iVh6 22. �g3 'ifg7+ 23. 'ifxg7+ 'ifi>xg7 24. �4 �6 25.a5! h6 Black spoils his pawns, placing them on the same colour squares as his bishop. On 25 . . . �c8 the move 26.�g4! wins, and on 25...�d7 - 26.�g4 �bS 2 7. �f5 ! h6 28.�c8 �c6 29.£3 �e7 30.'it>e5 �d8 3 l . �g4 We? 3 2 . �h5! f6+ 3 3 .'it>f5 ! . 26. i.g4 i.xg4 27. �xg4 �g6 28. �4 �6 29.f3 �e6 30. �g4 'ifi>f6 31 . �h5 �g7 32.g4 f6 33.f4 Black resigned. It was still possible to recommend 33 .. .h7 34.g5 hxgS 35.fxg5 fS 36.g6+ �g7 3 7.�g5 f4 3 8 .xf4 �xg6 39.�e5. P42 Alekh i n e - Euwe

The Netherlands 1 937

In the endgame, White has a small advantage, thanks to his more active bishop, but Black should not lose. 1 . i.g2 l:[d8 2.�e3 tLla6?! Better is 2 . . .e5!? 3 .tLlb5 tLlc6 4.tLlc7 l:!b8 S .tLldS+ �f8 . 3 . .:Sc1 l:tb8 4.a3 i.d7 There was nothing to stop the intermediate 4 ... e5!? S .tLlbS �d7. 5.f4 f6 6 . .te4! i.e8 7.b4! l:d7 8.f5! tt:Jc7 Defending the e6-square. 9.fxe6 ttJxe6 1 0. ltJxe6 �xe6 1 1 . i.xh7 Now White has an extra pawn and good winning chances. 1 1 .. .f5 1 2. l:[c5! g6 1 3. i.g8+ �6 1 4. l:[hc1 l:[e7+ 1 5. �2 i.c6 1 6. i.d5! l:[be8 1 1 . .:e1 i.xd5 1 8 . .:Xd5 g5 1 9. l:[d6+ �e5? It was essential to move the king from the line of fire 1 9 ... \t>f?. 245

Mastering Chess Middlegames

20.:.ed1 g4 21 .l:[1 d5+ �e4 22. l:[d4+ �e5 23. �e3 :es 2 3 . . . f4+ ? 24. �d3 fxg3 2 S J:t4d5 + Wf4 2 6 . �6#. 24. l:[4d5+ �S+ 25. c;t>1'4 �gS 2S. :XeS+ :XeS 27. l:[e5 :as 2 7 . . . .ID"6 2 8 .e4! fxe4+ 2 9 . Wxg4 � 3 0 .h4. 28. :Xf5 :Xa3 29. l:[b5 bS 30. �xg4

And in view of the variation 30 .. . lle3 3 I . llg5+ Wh6 32 .b5! l::txe2 3 3 .h4, Black resigned. P43 Flores - Smyslov

Santiago 1 965

«In the endgame, the two sides' chances are roughly equal. However, despite the exchange of queens, there remain many double-edged possibilities to continue the battle» (Smyslov) . 1 ... :d7 2 . tt:lf1 l:[ed8 3. tt:le3 i.e7 4. i.b3 �8 5 . �e2 tt:lb7 S. :Xd7 bd7 7.tt:ld5 i.dS 8.g5? 8 . .te3 ! ? maintains equality. a ... h5! 9. i.e3 cS 1 0. tt:lbS i.ea 1 1 .a4 i.c5 1 2.axb5 axb5 1 3. l:[a7 be3 1 4. �xe3 tt:lc5 1 5. i.a2 1 S . .tc2 h4. 1 5 ... tt:ld3 1 S.gS? fxgS 1 7. tt:ld5 tt:lxb2 1 8. tt:lc7 tt:ld1 + 1 9. �e2 tt:lxc3+ 20. �e1 l:[d1 + 21 . c;t>1'2 l:[d2+ 22. �g3 2 2 . We3 llxa2. 22 ... i.d7 23. tt:leS+ �e7 24. i.b3 tt:le2+ White resigned.

Chapter 7

-

The battle of the major pieces E63 Lowcki - Ta rtakower

J urata 1 93 7

1 ... 'ii'c 5+ 2 . � h 1 'ifc4! 3.�g1 'ii'd 4+ 4 . � h 1 'ii'e 4! 4 . . .1ll'd 2 is bad because of 5 .l::txe5 . 5. 'ii'c 1 s .'ti'd l 1ll'f4 or s .'ifgl 'ti'e2 . 5 . . . 'ii'd 3 s.�g1 'ii'd 4+ 7.�h1 'ii'd 2! White resigned.

E64 Lobron

·

Spraggett

Wijk aan Zee 1 985

1 . l:[b3 l:[dS 2. l:[bS 'ii'e7 3 . l:[dS l:[dd7 4. l:[h5 Black resigned. The threat of a sacrifice on h6 and a mating attack against the black king decides the game.

246

Solutions - Chapter

7 - The battle of the major pieces

E65 Gligoric - Averbakh

Titovo Uzice 1 966

35 . .1:h6! In this unusual way, White not only defends the d-pawn, but also ensures its further advance. 35 ... 'ii'd 7 If 35 ... gxh6, then 3 6 .'i¥d4+ �g8 37.'ii'd 5+ and 'i¥xc6. An interesting try for Black is 35 . . .'i¥g5 ! ?, but after 3 6.f4 (3 6. d7 .l:!.c l 37.d8'i¥+ 'ii'xd8 3 8 .'ii'xcl gxh6) 3 6 . . .'ii'x f4 3 7.d7 White wins (as pointed out by Ruslan Scherbakov). 36 . .1:e6! 'ifxe6 37.d7 .l:d6 38.d8'iV+ :Xd8 39. 'it'xd8+ 'it'g8 40. 'it'xb6 And White won: 40 ... 'it'c8 41 . 'it'd4 'it'c1 + 42. �2 'ifc2+ 43. �g3 h6 44.h3 �h7 45. 'it>h2 aS 46.f4 h5 47. 'ii'd 5 'it'xa4 48. 'it'xf5+ g6 49. 'it'f7+ �h6 50. 'iff6 �h7 51 . 'ife7+ �g8 52. 'ife6+ �h7 53. �g3 'it'c2 54. 'iff7+ �h6 55. 'iff6 �h7 56. 'it'e7+ �g8 57. 'ii'e6+ �h7 58. 'ii'd 7+ �h6 59. 'ii'd 4 �h7 60. 'it'a7+ �h6 61 . 'ifxa5 'it'xb2 62. 'ifg5+ �h7 63. �h4 'it'f2+ 64.g3 'it'd4 65. 'ii'e7+ �h6 66. 'iff8+ �h7 67. 'iff7+ �h6 68. 'it'e7 'it'a1 69. 'it'f8+ �h7 70. 'it'd6 'it'as 71 . 'it'e7+ �g8 72. 'ii'e8+ �h7 73. 'it'f7+ �h6 74. 'ii' g 8 'ii'a 1 75. 'ifd8 'ifc3 76. 'it'g5+ �h7 77. 'ii'e7+ �h6 78.g4 hxg4 79.hxg4 g5+ 80.fxg5+ �g6 81 . 'ii'f6+ 'ii'xf6 82.gxf6 �xf6 83. �h5 �g7 84.g5 �h7 85. �6 �h6 86.g5+ �h7 87. �7 Black resigned. E66 Kuznetsov - Sakha rov

USSR 1 961

1 . .1:e5+ .l:e7 2. 'ii'c 6+ 'it>d8 3. l:d5+ .l:d7 4. 'it'b6+ �c8 5.l:c5+ .l:c7 6. 'it'a7! 'ife7 7. 'ii'a8+ �d7 8.l:d5+

Winning.

E67 Stein - Khol mov

Tbilisi 1 967

1 .g6 .l:f8

l . . . .l:!.xe7 2 . 'ii' b 8 + . 2. 'ii'c7 'ii'd 4 3 . .1:f7! .l:e8 4.l:f5!

Black resigned.

247

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E68 And rovitzky - Kozma

Vigru 1 970

1 . 1i'e5! l:l.f6 If l . . . lld 8 , then 2 . 'iVe 7 + �hS 3 . llg 5 + hxgS 4. 'i¥h7#. 2.'it'g5+! Black resigned.

E69 Study by Henri Ri nck

1 926

1 . l:l.c7+ l:l.d7

Or l . . . �e6 2 . 'ii' e 3 + �d6 3 . 'i¥c5+ �e6 4. lle 7 # . 2.1i'c5+!

2 . 'i¥e3 + ? �d8 3 . 'iYcS l::td S + ! with equality. 2 ... �dB 3. �h6!

And White wins: 3 ... r!xc7 4.'ii'f8+; 3 ... 'i¥a8 4.'i¥f8+; 3 ...'i¥xc7 4.'i¥f8#; 3 ... 'i!:Ybl 4. llc8#. E70 Ermenkov - Sax

Warsaw 1 969

1 .d7

Worse is l .'i!:Yal+? �h7 2 .d7 "iVe7! 3 .'i¥d4 'ii'e2 ! . 1 . . . 'it'xf1 + 2. �xf1 d 2 3 . 'ifxf3 And Black resigned because of the variation 3 .. J:tc l + 4.'i¥dl llxdl+ S .'it>e2 llbl 6 .d8'ii' dl 'ii'+ 7.'i¥xdl .l::[xd l 8 .Wxdl .

E71 Gapri ndashvi l i - Veroci

Belgrade 1 974

1 .h3! l:l.xf1 + 2. �h2 g3+ Bad is 2 . . . 'fid l 3 . 'i¥f7 + �gS 4.h4+ . 3.fxg3 'ife3 In serious time-trouble, White forced a draw: 4. 'ifg4+ �h6 5. 'ifg7+ �h5 6. 'it'g4+ But she could have won with 4. l:Ixe5+ fxeS S .g4+ �h4 6.'ife7+ "iVgs 7.g3#.

E72 Study by Bernhard Horwitz

1 862

1 . '>fl>a5! 'ifh5+ 2. '>fl>b6 'ifh7 Or 2 . . . 'i¥f7 3 Jlli l + �g8 4. 'i!:Yd8 + 'fif8 S . llh8 + , winning. 3. 'it'd8+ l:l.g8 3 ...'i¥gs 4.'i¥h4+ 'irh7 s ."iVf6 . 4. 'ifd4+ l:l.g7 5. 'iff6 �g8 6. 'ii'd 8+ �7 7.l:l.f1 + Winning.

248

Solutions - Chapter

7 - The battle of the major pieces

E73 Slobodjan - Bruch

Altenkirchen 1 999

1 ... e2?? There was a win after 1 . . .exf2 + 2 .'ihf2 ll£6 . 2.l:e7?? 2 .' ii'e5 + ! wins at once. 2 ... eHi'+ 3.lbe1 lbe1 + 4. �g2 l:e8 5.l:c8 l:[g8 After S . . J�xc8 6 .' ifxc8+ 'it>g 7 7 .' �c7 + Wg8 Black wins. 6. l:c7 l:dg6 Better is 6 . . . .1:1.gd8. 7. 'ife5+ l:6g7? 8.h4? 1i'g6? 9.d6 h 6 ? 1 0.l:e7 �h7 1 1 .d7 l:d8 1 2. l:e6 'itd3! 1 3. l:d6 'ifc2? 1 4. 'ite3! 'itfS 1 5. lbh6+ �g8 1 6. 'ite8+ 'itf8 1 7. 'ith5

and Black soon resigned. A dramatic game. E74 Nunn - Portisch

Budapest 1 987

1 ... 1i'h7! A fantastic way of including the queen in defence of the king. 2. �a3 2 . 'iYf2 + 'it>a8 3 . l:Ib6 'iYd3 . 2 ... 'itg8! 3. 'itf2+ 'iti>a8 4. 'ii' b 6 'ii'c 8! with equality.

E75 Study by Giambattista Lol li

1 763

1 . 1i'e7+ �h6 2. 'ii' h 4+ �g7 3. 'itd4+ �h6 3 . . . ..t>g8 4.''it' d 5+ 'it>g 7 s .' iie S + etc. 4. 'ii'f4+ 'iti>g7 5. 'ite5+ 'iti>h6 6.l:h5+! gxhS 7. 1i'f6#

E76 Bogati rev - Zagorovsky

USSR 1 947

1 ... l:a1 + 2. �h2 'ifg 1 + 3. �g3 l:a3+ 4.l:d3 If 4.'it>g4. then 4...'ifh2 5 .'�[2 l:Ixh3 ! 6 . l:Id7 .l:.g3+! 7.'ii'xg3 �hS#. 4 ... 'itd4! White resigned.

E77 Wina nts - Kaspa rov

Brussels 1 987

Black wins by force: 1 ... 'ii'd 1 + 2.�g2 'ii'e2+ 3. �h3 'itxf3 4. 'itxa7 'ii' h 1 + 5.�g4 h5+ 6. �f4 'ii'f 1 + 7. '1ti>e5 'itf5+ 8. �d6 8 . 'it>d4 c2 9 . 'i:Yc7 'i¥e4+. 8 ... 'ii'e6+ 9. �c7 9 . 'it>c5 'iYxe 3 + l O . .I:Id4 c 2 . 9 ... 'ite7+ 1 0. �b6 'itxa7+ 1 1 . �xa7 c2 White resigned.

249

Mastering Chess Middlegames

E78 Ka raklaic Carnic Subotica 1 999 ·

1 ...g4 The immediate attack gives nothing: l ...�hl + 2 .f2 �fl+ 3 .'it>e3 �gl + 4.'it>d2 �dl + s .'it>c2 �a l (S . . . �c l + 6.'it>b2 �al 7.�c2) 6.'it>c3 ! . 2. 'ltf2 2 .e8�? �hl + 3 .'it>f2 �gl #; 2 .'iVxg4 'ifh l + 3 .'it>f2 �gl + 4.'it>f3 �fl + s .'it>e4 �d4#. 2 ... 'ti'h2+ 3. 'ti'g2 'ti'h8 4. 'ti'e4 In reply to 4.e8� White is mated in two: 4 ...�f6+ 5 .'it>e3 �d4#. 4 ... 'ti'h2+ 5. 'ti'g2 'ti'h8 Draw. P44 Ruzele - Smirin

USSR 1 986

1 .g3! White plays against the enemy king. 1 ... 'ti'a8 The threat was 'it>g2 and � 1 + . 2.1:1.e1 'ti'f3 3. 'ii'd 6! Attacking both the square f8 and the b4-pawn. 3 ... 'ti'xb3 3 . . . 'it>g 7 4 . �e8. 4. 'ti'f8+ �g5 5. 1i'xf7 'ti'c3 6. 'ti'e7+ �h6 7. �g2 l:l.g5 8. 'ti'f8+ 'ti'g7 9.1:1.h 1 + l:l.h5 1 0. 'iff4+ g5 1 1 . 'ii'd 6+

Black resigned: l l ...�g6 1 2 .'i:Vf8+.

P45 Chandler - La ngeweg

Amsterdam 1 984

1 . 'ii'c 3+ Beginning an attack on the black king. 1 ... �g6 2.1:1.d7 'ii'a 1 + 3. �d2 l:l.gB 4. 'ti'g3+ 'ltf6 4 . . . 'it>h6 5 .f4+- . 5.h4! h6

If 5...�xb2 , then 6.'i:Vg5+ 'it>eS 7.f4+ 'it>e4 8 .�g3 �b4+ 9.'it>e2 'i:Vc4+ l O .'it>e l �b4+ l l .�d2, mating with 'i:Vf3#. 6.h5 'ti'xb2 7. 'ti'h4+ �e5 He also loses after 7... g5 8.hxg6++ 'it>xg6 9.'ii'g 3+ 'it>f6 1 0.'ii'x g8 'iVM+ I l .'it>c l �a3+ (l l ...'ii'e l + 1 2 . �dl) 1 2 .'it>d l . 8.f4+ �e4 9 . 'ti'g3 Black resigned: 9 ...'iVb4+ l O .'it>c l and then 'ii'f3#. P46 Galliamova - Umanskaya

Elista 1 997

1 . 1i'd5! With the idea of llc3 , 'ii'd 2 , lld3 and White wins a pawn. There is no defence to this: 1 ... 1:1.fe8 2. 'ti'd2 c.ti>g7 3.1:1.c3 l:l.f8 4.1:1.d3 l:l.f6 5.1:1.d5 'ii'c7 6. 1:1.xe5 l:l.df8 7.1:1.d5 l:l.xf2 B. 'ti'c3+ �gB 9. 1:1.xd6 'iff7 1 0. 1:1.d7 l:l.f1 + 1 1 . 1:1.xf1 'ti'xf1 + 1 2. �h2 'ti'f4+ 1 3. 1i'g3 'ti'xe4 1 4. 1:1.xa7 l:l.f4 1 5. 1:1.a4 Black resigned.

250

Solutions - Chapter

7 - The battle of the major pieces

P47 G h i nda - U n g u rea n u

Bucharest 1 978

1 . 'ii'd 3 'ii'b 5 2. 'ii'd 6+ �7 3. 'ii'c7+ 'itg6 3 . . . 'it>g8 4. l:!.d3 . 4.:d3 'ii'b 1 + 5. 'ith2 'it'ba s.:g3+ �5 7. 'ii' h 7+ 'ite5 8.:b3! 'ii'd 6 9.:d3 'ii' b6 9 . . . 't/Vb8 I O . 'ti'h4 l::td 8 l l .g3 ! . 1 0. 'ii'g 7 :c8 1 1 . 'ii'g 3+ 'ite4

Or I I ...'it>fs 1 2 . l::tf3+! 'it>e4 1 3 .'i¥el + 'it>ds 14. l::td 3+ 'it>c6 1 5 . l::tc 3+. 1 2. :d6 'ii'c7 1 3. 'ii'g 4+ Black resigned.

P48 Kaspa rov - Karpov

London/Leningrad 1 986

1 .e4!

Worse is l . l::txh7 ? l::tf8 2 . l::th 6 'tlig7 3 .'ti'e6+ 'iff7 4. l::txg6+ 'it>h7 s J::!.h6+ 'it>g7 6.'iYd6 .!:!.d8 ! 7.'i¥xd8 'it>xh6 8 .'tlih4+ 'it>g6 , and the win is still a long way away. 1 ... 'ii'c 1 + Or l ... gS 2 . .!:d.f5 l:!.a8 3 .'it>h2! (3 . l::txg5 + 'it>h8 4.e5? 'iVcl + s .'it>h2 'i¥f4+) 3 ...'ifd4 4.e5 winning. 2. 'ith2 'ii'h 6 3.e5 :ta 3 . . . J::tb s 4. 'tlif6 . 4.e6 g5 5. lb:f8+ s . 'tlid7 g4! . 5 ... 'ii'xf8 6. 'ii'x g5+ c;lo>h8 6 . . . 'tlig7 7 . 'tli'd8+ 'ti'f8 8.e7. 7.e7 'ife8 8.h4! With the idea of 8 ... h5 9.g4 hxg4 l O.hS 'it>h7 l l .�g6+ (variations by Kasparov). Black resigned. P49 Vyzhmanavin - Bareev

Lviv 1 990

1 . 'ifd3! Seizing the d-file. 1 ... 'ifa5 After I ... l::tff8 a possible line is 2 J ie5 l::tad8 3 .'i:Ye2 , and White has the advantage. 2.:ad1 :ba 3.:d2 :tta If 3 . . . l::tb 3 4. 'iYxb3 'i¥xd2 , then S . 'ife3 ! . 4. 'ii'e3 'ith8 5.:d7 :b3 6. 1fxe6 lb:a3 Not 6 . . . 'iYxa3 on account of 7 . 'i¥f7 l::tg 8 8 . l::td 8 ! . 7. 'ii'e 5? White wins at once with 7. l::txg7! 'it>xg7 8.'i:Ye7+ 'it>g8 9 . .!:!.e5 h6 I O . l::te 6 l::ta l + I l .'it>g2 l::txf2+ 1 2 .'it>xf2 'i¥d2+ 1 3 . l::te 2 'it'd4+ 14.'it>g2 . 1 ... 1Vc3! a. :t1 :ga 9. 'ii'e6 :as Even after his error at move 7, White has the advantage. 1 0. 'ii'e4 :d6 1 1 . lb:a7 :d4 1 2. 'ii'e8 :da? After 1 2 ...'ifxc4! White has only a symbolic advantage. 1 3. 1i'e6 h6 1 4. :c7 :d6 1 5. 1i'e5 'ii'd 2 1 6. lb:c5 And White won: 1 6 ... :ta 1 1. :e2 'ifc1 + 1 8. 'itg2 :d1 1 9. :c7 :ga 20.f4 :h1 21 . c;lo>h3 1Vf1 + 22. :g2 :g1 23. 'ife2 'ii' b 1 24. lb:g1 'it'xg1 25.c5 :ta 26. 1Ve5 •f1 + 27.'ith4 :ga 2a. :e1 1Vg2 29.h3 'ifa8 30.c6 Black resigned.

25 1

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P50 Alekh ine - Colle

Baden-Baden 1 925

1 . 'ii'f4! White's task is to force the advance ... a6-a5. 1 ... '1ti>h7 2. 'ii'e4+ 'lti>h8 3. 'ii'e3 'lti>g7 4. 'ii'd 3! a5 If 4 ...�a8 5.�g3 +. Now White should induce the advance . . .f6-f5 . 5.l:e3 l::l.g 8 6. l::l.h 3 'ii'd 7 7. 'ii'e3 f5 7 .. J lh8 worsens the position: 8 J l:g3 + Wh7 9.�e4+ f5 1 0.�d4 .l:[g8 , although this was the lesser evil. 8. l::l.g 3+ 'lti>h7 (8 .. J l:g6 9 .d6) 9. :Xg8 �xg8 1 0. 'ii'g 3+ 'lfi>h7 1 1 . 'ii' b3 �g7 1 2.h3 'ii'd8 1 3. 'ii'g 3+ 'Oth7 1 4. 'ife5! 'ifd7 1 5. l::l.d 3 f6 1 6. 'ii'd 4 'ii'd 8 16 ... b5 1 7.axb5 �xb5 1 8 . l:tc3! 'i¥xd5 19 . .l::!.c 7+ (Alekhine) , but after 1 9 ... 'it>g6 Black holds on by a miracle. 1 7. 'ii'c4 'ii'd 7 1 8. l::l.d 4 �g7 1 9. 'ii'd 3 'lti>f7 20.g4! 'lti>f8 20 . . . fxg4 2 1 . �h7+ 'it>f8 2 2 . �h8 + . 21 .gxf5 'ii'e8 22. l::l.e4 'ifhS 23. l::l.g 4 'iff7 24. 'ii'e3 'ifh7 25. l::l.g 6 Black resigned: 25 ... 'it>f7 26.'i¥c3.

P51 M i khalchish i n - Filipenko

Ordzhonikidze 1 978

1 .f4 l:e6 2. 'ii'd 5 Preventing . . . b6-b5 and . . . c5 -c4. 2 ... g6 3.h3 'lti>g7 4. '1ti>h2 Threatening f4-f5 at some moment. 4 ... l::l.e2 5.a4 l::l.e3 6.a5 ! ? Planning a5 -a6 and then �b 7 . But stronger i s b4-b5 and 'iVc6 . 6 ... bxa5 7. 'ifxc5 :Xb3 8. 'ifd4+ Simpler and better is 8 . 'i¥xa5 , retaining the advantage. 8 ... '1ti>h7 9. l::l.e 1 l::l.b8?

The decisive mistake. After 9 .. J lb4! the whole battle lies ahead. 1 0. l::l.e7 'iff5 1 1 .d7 g5 1 2. l:e8 Black resigned. P52 Ta imanov - M i khalchishin

Baku 1 983

It is hard for White to achieve success, because his king is exposed. Black should not exchange pieces. 1 ... l::l.f7! 2. l::l.c4 'lti>h7 3. 'ifd4 'ife6! 4. l::l.c2 l::l.d 7 5. 'ife3 l:e7 6.h4 as 7.bxa5 bxa5 a.:e2 'it'e5 ! 9. 'iff4 'ifcs 1 0. l::l.e3 l::l.b7! Black 's piece activity compensates for the pawn. Draw.

252

Solutions - Chapter

P53 Suetin - Jansa

8 - Two pieces against a rook

Sochi 1 980

1 ... l:l.g5! 2. 'iff4 'ifc2 3.l:l.e2

3 . lle4 b5! 4.�e3 .llx fS+ 5 . I:!:f4 .l:!.e5 6. l::!.e 4 llxe4 7.'ihe4 'i¥xc3+ 8 .�e3 'ifxe3 + 9.'>t>xe3 f5 , and Black wins. 3 ... 'ifd3+! 4. 'ife3 4 . .ile3 'iffl + 5 . 'it>e4 llg4. 4 ... 1fxf5+ s. 'it'f4 5 . '>t>g2 h4. 5 ... 'it'h3! 6. 'iii>e3 l:l.xg3+! 7. 'iii>d 2 l:l.d3+ 8. 'iii>e 1 l:l.xc3 9. l:l.f2 'it'e6+ 1 0. �1 l:l.xa3 1 1 . �g1 .l:a1 + 1 2. �h2 'it'e5 1 3. 'iii> h 3 l:l.g1 White resigned.

P54 Romanishin - G u l ko

Leningrad 1 974

White manages to start a quick attack against the exposed black king. 1 .c4! d4 2. l:l.b3 'ife7 3. 'ffe4 l:l.c6 4.g3! Having tied down the black forces, White opens the posi­ tion. 4 ... fxg3+ 5.l:l.xg3+ 'iii> h 6 5 . . . Wf8 6. 'i¥g4. 6.l:l.g4 'iff6 7.�g3! 'it'f1 8. l:l.h4+ 'itg7 9. 'ifh7+ �8 1 0. 'ifh8+ 'ite7 1 1 . 'ifxe5+ Black resigned. P55 Jaku bowski - Umansky Poland 1 998 1 ... 1fd5 ! I . . . 'i¥xe5 ? ? 2 . llxe5 .l:l:c l + 3 . .lle l would be a bad mistake. 2.b4 'it'xe5! 3.h3 'ffe 1 + 4.�h2 l:l.e8! 5. 'ffx a7?

Nor is he saved by 5 .'i¥c7 'i¥d2 6.'it'd6 �xb4 (but not 6 ... .ile2? 7. .ilc8 with a draw) . 5 .. .f4! There is no defence against the threat of 6 ...�g3+ and 7... 1le l #. White resigned

Chapter 8

-

Two pieces against a rook P56 Gavri kov - Piesina

Beltsi 1 981

1 . .hg5! Of course. By sacrificing two pieces for a rook, White obtains clearly the better chances. 1 ... l:l.xd2+ 2.l:l.xd2 l:l.xd2+ 3. 'iii>x d2 li:le4+ 4. 'iii>c2 lbxg5 5.l:l.d1 li:le6 6.b4 �8 7.l:l.d7 tlJcd8 8. 'iii>c3 Black is help­ less. 8 ... �e8 9.l:l.d5 f6 1 0.a4 0.f7 1 1 . 'iii>c4 e4? Better is l l ...'>t>e7, but it was hard to save the game in any event.

253

Mastering Chess Middlegames

1 2 . .1:115 r¥;e7 1 3. rJ';dS ttJe s 1 4 . .1:1h5 ! ttJfS 1 5. r¥;xe4 ttJc6 1 6.b5 axb5 1 7.axb5 tt:Ja7 1 8. rt;#5 ! ttJxbS 1 9. l:lh4 ttJc3 The pawn on b7 cannot be saved. 20 . .1:1b4 ttJdS 21 . l:lxb7+ rJ';eS 22.c6 ltJe7+ There is nothing else. 23. rJ';xf6 tt:Jxc6 24. l:lc7 ttJd7+ 25. 'ili>g7 ttJceS 26. rJ';xh7 tt:Jg4 27. rJ';g6

Also possible is 2 7.h3 tbxe3 28 .g4 tLlxg4 29.hxg4 tLlf6+ 30.g7 tLlxg4 3 1 . .l:rc4. 27 ... tt:Jxe3 28. rJ';g5 �dB 28 . . . tbxg2 2 9 . l:!.c2 and 3 0 . .l:re2 . 29. l:lc6 ttJfS 2 9 . . . tbxg2 3 0 . .l:re6 and 3 1 . �e 2 . 30.g4 And White promoted his pawn.

IJ;,l

P57 H u bner - Ka rpov Tilburg 1 977 1 ... ..ixe3! 2.fxe3 tt:Jxe3+ 3.rt;#3 ttJxf1 4. tlJxf1 .l:lxc1 5 . .ixc1 .l:lc8 6 . ..ib2 .l:lc2! Winning the a2 -pawn. The sim­ ple 6 . . . eS 7 . tbe3 e6 was also good. 7 . ..ixf6 .l:la2 8. �e3 .l:lxa3 9.tbd2 The best defence. 9 ... b5 1 0. ltJe4 b4? He

should not concede the c4-square, correct was I O . . . aS . 1 1 . rJ';d4 aS 1 2. rJ';c4 Threatening 1 3 . �b2 l:!:a2 1 4. b3 . 1 2 ... .1:1a2 1 3.h4 rJ';c6 1 4 . ..id4 .l:le2 The rook transfers to the first rank and at the same time ties down the knight (because of ... e6-eS). 15 . ..ie5 .l:le1 1 6. i.f6 .l:lb1 ! Threatening 1 7 ... a4. 17 . ..ie7 1 7 . tbd2 l:!:c l + 1 8 . b3 bs . 1 7 .. e5 1 8.g4 l:lc1 + 1 9. �b3 �d5 Heading for the pawn on d3 . 20. i.g5 2 0 . �d8 d4 2 1 . has xd3 2 2 . tLlf6 .l:rb l + 2 3 . �a2 c2 . 20 ... l:lb1 + 21 . rJ';c2 .l:lh 1 22. 'ili>b3 .l:lh3! 23. ttJf6+ rJ';d4 24. tlJxh7 .l:lxd3+ 25. rJ';c2 a4 26 . ..ie7 .l:lc3+ 27. rJ';b1 l:c7 White resigned. .

P58 Farago - Jansa Sochi 1 980 1 . 'ii'd 3! Threatening 2 . l:!:fd l . 1 ...e5 2. ttJxf7! .l:lxf7 3 . .ixf7+ 'Oii>xf7 4 . .1:1fd1 exf4 There is no choice. 5. 'ii'xd7+ 'ii'xd7 6. l:lxd7+ 'Oii>g8 7.exf4 This is the position White was head­

ing for. The rook on d7 is very active and the knight at aS is out of play. 7 ... .1:1xc5 8.h4 .l:lf5 It was worth considering 8 . . . hc3 ! ? . 9.g3 .l:lf7 1 0 . .1:1cd1 ! So as to transfer the rook to the seventh rank, White gives up a pawn. 1 0 ... ..ixc3 1 1 . .1:1xf7 'Oii>xf7 1 2 . .1:1d7+ 'Oii>g8 He needs to keep the h-pawn. 1 3. '0ii>g2 White's plan is to activate his king and advance the pawns on the kingside. Black has difficulties bringing his knight on aS into play, without losing a pawn. 1 3 ... i.b4 1 4.g4 Stronger is f3-g4 and then f4-fS or h4-hS . 1 4 ... b6 254

Solutions - Chapter

8 - Two pieces against a rook

Sooner or later, the a-pawn will have to be surrendered. 1 5 . .1ha7 0.c6 1 6.J:td7 �7 1 7.�3 h5 1 8.gxh5 gxh5 1 9.J:td4 i.c5 20. J:te4 tiJf5 21 . J:te5 ttJxh4+ 22. �g3 tiJg6 23.lhh5 � Black's position has become somewhat easier after the exchange of pawns, but his position remains inferior. 24.a4 .id6 25. �3 rj;g7? Losing at once. After 25...'>t>f6 there were still defensive chances. 26.l:tb5 .ic7 27.a5 Black resigned. P59 Dus- Khoti m i rsky - Kotov

Moscow 1 941

White's position is clearly worse and he lost rapidly after... 1 . .ie2? J:tbc8! 2 . ttJd5+ Kb3 3 . .ixb5 .lhc7 4 . .ixe8 J:tc4 5 . .if7 .lhd4 6. ttJxf6+ Kb2 7.tLlxh7 .lhg4 The a-pawn has remained! 8 . .ig8 a4 9.�2 a3 1 0. �3 l:tb4 1 1 . tiJg5 l:tb3+ 12 . .ixb3 rj;xb3 And White resigned. The correct decision was the follow­ ing set-up: the white rook stays on c5, the king on f2 and bishop on d5, or, if Black plays ... .l:i.ec8, then the bishop goes to c6. The continuation could be: 1 . 1lc5 a4 2 .�f2 .l:i.ec8 3 . .ic6, and then 4.�e3 and 5 .rj;d3 . The most likely outcome is a draw. If you found this set-up for White, then very well done. P60 Ka rpov - Kasparov

Moscow 1 985

1 ... d5! The only move, but Black had long planned to sacrifice two pieces for the rook. 2.b3 2 . exd5 .ib4. 2 ... .ib4 3.tiJa2 .ia3 4.bxc4 .ixc1 5 . ttJxc1 Wxc4 Black is better, because his forces tie White down. 6.exd5 e4 7 . .ie2 11Vxc2 7 . . . 'iVxd5 was also good. 8. 'ifd4 J:tbc8 9.h3 e3 1 0.d6 1i'd2 1 1 . ttJd3 11Vxe2 l l . . . ttld 7 . 1 2.d7 ttJxd7 1 3. 'ifxd7 'iVd2 1 4. l:te1 e 2 1 5. rj;g1 1 5 .a5 .ID"s ! . 1 5 ... a5 1 6.g3 1 6 . '>t>f2 ? .l:i.cd8 . 1 6 ... 1i'h6 1 7 . .if2 'ifc6?! With 17 ...'ifxh3 1 8 . .l:i.xe2 .l:i.ed8 White would be in a bad way. After the queen exchange, Karpov managed to draw, with some help from his opponent. I suggest you analyse the rest of the game yourself. 1 8. Wxc6 lhc6 1 9. l:tb1 J:tc4 20 . .1hb7 .lha4 21 . .ie1 l:ta3 22. J:td7 a4 23. �2 Here the game was adjourned. 23 ... l:tb3 24. 0.c1 l:tb1 25. tiJa2 :as 26. J:te7 l:tb2 27 . .1he2 .lhe2+ 28. rj;xe2 J:te8+ 29. �2 h5 30 . .ic3 l:tb8 31 . .ib4 J:td8 32. �e2 a3 33 . .ic3 f6 34 . .ib4 �7 35. tiJc3 l:tb8 36. tiJa2 l:tb5 37.g4 J:tb8 3S. rj;d3 l:td8+ 39. rj;c4 J:td1

255

Mastering Chess Middlegames

40 . .ixa3 l:a1 41 . �b3 l:th1 42.gxh5 l:txh3+ 43. lLlc3 l:tf3 44. �c1 l:txf5 45.h6 g6 46. lC.e4 l:th5 47. �b2

Draw. P61 Stetsko - G i pslis

Moscow 1 975

Black's position is clearly better (he would be worse with­ out a pair of rooks!). One ought to win such a position. 1 ... tt:lc1 Preparing to attack the pawns on b2 and f2. 2.f4 l:tb5 3. l:tb8 l:tc5 4.�3 4.b4 llc2 + s . ..t>g3 llc3 + 6 . \t>h4 tt:le2 is dangerous. 4 ... �f6 5.l:th8 Stronger is s J:rb6 fol­ lowed by h3 -h4. 5 ... h5! 6.gxh5 gxh5 7. l:th6+ �g7 8.l:tbh8 tt:lb3 9.l:t6h7+ �6 1 0. l:th6+ �e7 1 1 . l:txh5 White has won a pawn, but now his rooks are out of play. Black's pieces start to develop some activity. 1 1 ... lbd4+ 1 2. �e4 tt:lf5 1 3. �d3 The pawn on f4 cannot be kept. 1 3 ... l:tb5 1 4. �c2 l:tb4 1 5. l:tg5 l:txf4 1 6. l:tgg8 J:tf2+ 1 7. '�C3 J:tf3+ 1 8. �d2 liJd6 Organising an attack on the king. 1 9.h4 lC.e4+ 20. '1t>e2 .J:I.h3 21 .b4 �c4+ 22.�d1 l:th 1 + 23. �c2 l:th2+ 24.�c1 lLlc3 25. l:tc8 ti:la2+ 26. �d1 �b3+ 27. �e1 tt:lxb4 The rest is a matter of technique. 28. l:tce8+ �6 29. l:te2 l:th3 30. �d2 �g7 31 . l:tb8 lLlc6 32. l:tg2+ �6 33.l:tf2+ �e7 34. l:tb7+ �fa 35. l:tf4 tees 36.l:te4 More tenacious is 3 6 . llb5 tt:lg6 3 7 . IDb4 �e6 3 8 .h5 . 36 ... tt:lf3+ 37. �e2 i.d5 38. l:tb8+ �g7 39. l:tg4+ '1t>f6 40. l:tbb4 �e5 41 . �f2 f5 42. l:tg3 l:th2+ 43. l:tg2 l:th 1 44. l:tg7 �e4 45. l:tg3 tt:lxh4 And Black won. P62 Karpov - S myslov

Linares 1 987

White is better, but it is difficult to win. Everything depends on how he can coordinate his pieces. 1 . l:td2 d4 The pawn cannot be defended on dS . 2 . .ig2 ti:lf4 3. �f3 d3 4. lLlc4 l:th6 The only chance. 5.�g3 lC.e2+ 6 . .ixe2 dxe2 7. l:txe2 b5 8.lC.e3 l:te6 Black must wait. 9. l:td2 h5 1 0. �4 l:tc7 1 1 . l:td5 f6! A trap. On 1 2 . .l::!.x h5 there follows 1 2 ... .!::!.d 6! with counter­ play! 1 2 . .ia3 g6 1 3 . .ic5 �7 1 4.b4 �e8 1 5.l:td1 ! Black wanted to exchange rooks, after which he would have real drawing chances. 15 ... l:td7 1 6.l:a1 l:td2 1 7. �3 �7 1 8.a4 bxa4 1 9. l:txa4 g5 20. l:a3 �g6 21 . �g2 gxh4? There was no need to hurry with this move. 256

Solutions - Chapter

8 - Two pieces against a rook

22. tlJf1 l:tc2 23. tLlh2 l:tc4 24. tLlf3 �7 25. 'iti>h2 l:tf4 26. 'otg2 l:tee4 27. ttJd2 2 7 . �a6? h3 + 2 8 . Wg 3 h4+ . 2 7. . . l:te6 28. tLlf1 l:tg4+ 29. �h3 l:tf4 30. l:ta2 l:tf3+ 31 . �g2 l:tc3 32. ttJe3 �g6 33. l:ta1 f5?

The decisive mistake. He should have waited. 34.'oth2 f4 35. l:tg1 + �7 36. tbg2 l:tc6 37. t0xf4 l:tf3 38. tLlh3 Bad is 3 8 .tLlxh5 .l:i.xc5 39.bxc5 .l:i.xf2+ 40.�h3 .l:i.c2 . 38 ... �6 39. l:te1 J:[fS 3 9 . . . a5 40 . .id4+ and 4 1 .bxa5 . 40. l:te4 as 41 . i.e3 axb4 42. l:xb4 l:ta6 43. l:xh4 l:taa5 44. l:tc4 l:tfb5 45. �g3 l:ta8 46. �h4 l:g8 Here the game was adjourned and Black resigned without waiting for the resumption. P63 Sax - Kortchnoi

Wijk aan Zee 1 991

1 . t0xb7! In this way, White gets rook and two pawns for two pieces. 1 ... l:xb7 2.t0xc6 l:xb3 Or else 3 . hd5 llxd5 4. �xd5 . 3. ti'xb3 l:td7 4. 'ii'a 3 'it'aS 5.b4 tbg6 Black manages to create counterplay. 6.b5 h6 7. 'it'f3 'it'b7 8.l:tc5! tLlf6 9.a4 i.dS 1 0. 'it'g3! tt:Je4 1 1 . 'it'b8+ ! 'it'xb8 1 2. t0xb8 t0xc5 1 3. l:te8+! �h7 1 4.dxc5 Such pawns are hard to stop. 1 4 ... l:e7 1 5. l:xe7 t0xe7 1 6.a5 �g6? Stronger is 1 6 . . . tLlc8 . 1 7.a6! tlJc8 After 1 7. . .�f5 1 8 .b6 �e6 1 9.b7 Black is in a curious zugzwang. 1 8. ttJd7 �5 1 8 . . . .te6 1 9 .b6 hd7 2 0 . b 7 . 1 9.b6 tlJe7 20.bxa7! 20.b7 is bad because of 20 ... tbc6 2 1 .b8'i!V tLlxb8 22 .tLlxb8 �e6. 2 0... ttJc8 21 . tLlb6 t0xa7 22. t0xd5 �es 23. tt:Je3 h S 24.'oth2 g 6 25. �g3 'iti>d4 26. �4 f 6 27.g4 Black resigned. P64 Kaspa rov - Karpov

New York/Lyon 1 990

By sacrificing two pawns for a rook, White obtains a strong attack: 1 . ..ixh6! i.xh6 2 . t0xh6 t0xh6 3. t0xd6 'it'b6 4. t0xe8 'ii'x d4+ 5.�h1 'it'd8 6.l:td1 ti'xe8 7. 'it'g5! White's threats are very dangerous. 7 ... l:ta7 8.l:td8 'it'e6 9.f4! b6?! More tenacious was 9 . . . f6 I O . 'i!Vcs l:i:d7 . 1 0.f5 'it'e7 1 1 . 'it'd2 'ifes I I . . . tbds 1 2 . llh8 + . 1 2. 'it'f2 ti'e7 1 3. 'it'd4 tbg8 1 4.e5! ttJdS 1 5.fxg6+ Decisively exposing the black king. 1 5 .. .fxg6 1 6. l:xc6 'it'xd8 1 7. 'it'xa7+ ttJde7 1 8. l:xa6 'it'd1 + 1 9. 'it'g1 'it'd2 20. 'ii'f 1 Black resigned. 257

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P65 Ka msky - Anand Sanghi Nagar 1 994 1 ... g5! With this move, Black gets two pieces for a rook and chances to take the initiative. 2. 'ifxg5 Worse is 2 .�f5 �c8 3 .'ifxg5 .!lg8 4.'ii' h 6 tt::lxe4 s .tt::lxe4 .!lg6 6.'ii'f4 .ig4! 7. Il:d2 �f3 8 .tt::lg 3 (8 .g3 �d7 9.'ifh4 �f5) 8 . . . .!lf6! 9.�g5 (or 9.�h4) 9 . . . .ixg2 ! . 2 ... J:tg8 3. 'if h 6 l:txg3 4.hxg3 tbxe4 5.f3! The best chance. 5 ... tbxg3 6.e4! 'iff8! 7. 'ifxf8+ J:txf8 8.�2 J:tg8 9. �f4 ltJh5 1 O. be5+ dxe5 1 1 . l:th 1 Now he should have played I I ...tLlf4! 1 2 .g3 tt::ld 3+ 1 3 .'>t>g2 (13 .'lt>e3 tLlb2 !) I 3 . . . .txc4 14 . .!lh6 .!lg6 I S Jl:ahl ltJf4+ 1 6.'lt>f2 .!::!.xh6 1 7. .!lxh6 tt::lg 6 1 8 .'it>e3 'lt>g7 19 . .!lh2 f6 followed by ... tt::lg 6-h8-f7-d6 with winning chances. In the game 1 1 ... tLlf6 was played, and Black did not manage to win. Chapter 9

-

Opposite-colou red bishops in the middlegame E79 Alekh ine - Rubi nstein

Moscow 1 91 0

1 ... b5! Now the threat is 2 . . .a5 . 2.l:tg4 �e2 3. l:txd7 'ifxd7 4.J:tg1 �h5 5.J:te1 'ifd3 6. 'ife7 h6 7.�g1 �h7 8.�f2? 'ifh3 9. �d4 �f3 1 0. �2 'ifg2+ 1 1.xh2 .ieS+ 4. '.t>g1 4. Wh l �h5 + 5 . Wg l �h2 + 6 . Wf2 �f4+ , mating. 4 ... .id4+ s . ..th2 'ifhS+ 6.'it>g3 'ifh4+ 7. c.t>f3 'iff4+ 8.'.t>e2 'ife3+ 9.'.t>d 1 'ii'd 3+ 1 0 . ..t>c1 'ifc3+ 1 1 . '.t>d1 l:tdB 12 . .id7 'ii' b 3+ 1 3. 'it>e2 'ife3+ 1 4. '.t>d1 'ifd3+ 1 S. '.t>c1 .ie3+ 1 6. '.t>b2 1 6 . .l:Lce3 �xe 3 + 1 7 . Wd l 'i¥d4+. 16 ... 'ii'd4+ 1 7. '.t>b3 'ifdS+ 1 8. 'ifo>c2 Wc4+ 1 9. '.t>b2 .id4+ 20 . ..t>a3 'ii'c 3+ 21 . ..t>a4 bS+ White resigned. E83 Portisch - Petrosian Palma de Mallorca 1 974

With some nice introductory play, White obtains a decisive attack with opposite-coloured bishops: 1 .e6! gxfS If l . . .f6 , then 2 . .ixg6 ! hxg6 3 . �h6 with a decisive attack. 2.l:txe7! l:txe7 3. 'ifg3+ '.t>hB 4 . .ih6 fxe6 Forced. After 4 . . J lg8 5 . �e 5 + f6 6 . �xf6 + .l:!.eg 7 7 . .l:!.d l White wins. S. hfB l:td7 6 . .ih6 -.as 6 . . . �c5 7 . i.g5 �f7 s . i.f4. 7. Wb8+ 'ifdB 8. 'ifeS+ 'it>gB 9. -.xe6+ l:tf7 1 O. l:txfS Black resigned.

P66 Karpov - H u bner

Montreal 1 979

White is better, but it is very hard to win. 1 . .idS fS If I . . Jlfs , then 2. 'i:Vbs . 2.e4 f4 3. 'ifd3 l:tb6 4.l:tc8 fxg3 S.fxg3 'ifd7? An oversight, after which White could have achieved success. 6. Wc4? He wins with 6 . .llg 8+ Wh7 7Jhg6, and a discovered check with the bishop next move. 6 ... l:tf6 7.l:tc7 'ifd6 8.h4 l:tfB 9.l:ta7 hS 1 0. -.cs -.xes 1 1 . hc6 l:tcB 1 2. l:ta6 .tcs 1 3.g4 hxg4 1 4. 'ifo>g3 l:tfB 1 S. l:txaS .if2+ 1 6. '.t>xg4 l:tf4+ 1 7. '.t>h3 l:txh4+ 1 8. '.t>g2 .id4 1 9.a4 bxa3 20. l:txa3 l:tg4+ Draw. P67 Karpov - Byrne

Hastings 1 97 1 /7'2.

White can carry out one of two promising plans: pressure against the pawns on h4 and h5, and an attack on the king, which is what happens in the game. 1 .a4 l:tf4 2 . l:ta3 l:tg4 3.as .ih6+ 4. '.t>b1 bxas S.l:tdxaS 'it>c7 6.l:tbS! l:tg3 7. l:ta7 l:tbB B . .idS l:tg1 + 9.'.t>a2 l:tf1 1 0. l:taxb7+ l:txb7 1 1 . l:txb7+ '.t>d8 1 2 . .ie6 h3 1 3. l:td7+ '.t>eB Or 13 . . . Wc8 14 . .l:!.h7+ Wd8 15 . .l:!.xh6 h2 1 6 . i.d5 h i � 1 7. i.xhl Ii.xhl 1 8 . .l:!.h8+ and 1 9.f7. 1 4. l:tc7 Black resigned. 259

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P68 T i mm a n - Salov St John 1 988

Black stands worse. After... 1 ... bxaS 2.bxaS eS ! he takes the game into a typical drawn position with opposite-coloured bishops. 3. :XeS :XeS 4. :XeS :XeS S. 'lt'xeS 'ii'xeS 6 . ..beS as 7 . .tb6 .td7 8.�d4 g6 9. Wh4 .ie6 1 0. �gS .td7 1 1 . Wh6 After l l .g4 fxg4 1 2 .hxg4 �c8 1 3 .f5 gxf5 14.gxf5 �d7 the black bishop has the squares c8 and d7 this guarantees a draw, whilst after 1 5 .e6+ �xe6 16.fxe6+ '>t>xe6 Black is saved by the wrong rook's pawn. 1 1 ... �e6 1 2 . .tes And the game was soon agreed drawn. P69 Khuzman - Kaspa rov Tel Aviv 1 998

Black quickly creates decisive threats. 1 ... 'ii'e 7! 2.�h1 2. Wf3 'iV e5 . 2 ... 'ii'eS 3. Wh2 'it'f6! Threatening the capture on h4. 4. 'iti>g2 'ii' b 2+ S. Wf1 5 . '>t>g 1 i,cS + . S ... 'Wh2 White resigned. P70 G heorg h i u - G rigorov Prague 1 985

To win, White needs to create a battery with 'iV+i, along the a2-g8 diagonal (with the queen in front of the bishop). 1 . .ie4! l:te8 2. l:te4 'IVeS 2...'i¥b2 does not save the game, because of 3 .'il'g4 J::l:f8 4. J::I:c 2 'i¥f6 5 . �d3 lle8 6 . .!:lc7 'iWgS 7.'ti'd7 llf8 (7 ... .ild8 8 . .ilc8; 7... 'i¥e5 8 . .ilc8 llg8 9. llxg8+ 'iitxg8 I O . �c4+ Wh7 I I .'iWd3+ '>t>h8 1 2 .'i¥d8+ '>t>h7 1 3 . �d3+) 8.f4 'iVf6 9.'iVd5 l:te8 I O . llc6 'iWb2+ l l . �c2! 'iVai 1 2 .'ifd7 'iVa8 (12 ... lle2+ 1 3 .'>t>f3 'iffl + 14.'>t>g4 h5+ 1 5 .'>t>g5) 1 3 .'>t>h3 .l:!.g8 14. llxh6+ �xh6 1 5 .'i¥h7#. 3. 'ii'g 4 'ii'g S 4. 'ii'd 7 l:tf8 S.l:te6 Wg8 6. 'ii'e 6+ Wh8 7.l:te8! hS 8.:Xf8+ .txf8 9. 'ii'f7 'Wh6 1 O . .tdS 'Wg7 1 1 . 'ii'x hS+ Black resigned. P71 Lei n - La pienis Gladenbach 1 999 1 .g4! J:tb6 2.fS! .ies

2 . . . gxf5 3 . gxf5 . 3.l:tf1 l:tbb8 4.f6! a4 S. 'Wd2 dS 6.l:th3 dxe4

6 . . . 'i¥f8 7 . 'it'g 5 . 7. 'Wh6 hf6 8. 'ii'x h7+ Wf8 9. l:thf3

Black resigned.

260

Solutions - Chapter

Chapter 10

-

10

-

Same-coloured bishops

Same-colou red bishops P72 Dementiev - Kholmov

Riga 1 970

White is better. His first task is to prevent the freeing breaks . . . c6-c5 and . . . e6-e5. 1 . i.f4 b6 l . . . �d7 is too passive. 2.i.d3 i.b7 2 . . . c5 3. 'i!i'f3 �d7 4. �e4. 3.'it'f3! Preventing . . . c6-c5 . 3 ... 'it'd7 4. i.e4 :aca 5.l:ad1 :tfd8 6.:tfe1 'ife7 7.h3 g6 8.g3 White is in no hurry. 8 ... i.g7 9. 'ife3 :tea 1 0. i.g2 :tcd8 1 1 . 'ife4 b8 1 2. 'ifc2 cs Black has managed to carry out this break all the same, but now White seizes the d-file. 1 3. i.xa8 :Xa8 1 4.dxc5 'ifxc5 1 4 . . . bxc5 ? I S . �d6. 1 5. l:td7 e5 1 6. 'it'b3! 'it'f8 1 7. i.e3 :te7 1 8. l:ted1 :Xd7 1 9. :Xd7 i.f6 20. 'it'b5 'ife8 21 . 'it'c6 �g7 22. 'ifb7 h5 23.b3 e4 24. :Xf7+ 'ifxf7 25. 'ifxa8 i.xc3 26. 'ifxe4 'it'd7 27.�g2 b5 28. 'it'a8 i.d4 29. i.f4 i.b6 30. 'it'e4 �7 31 . 'it'f3 �ga 32. i.e5 i.d8 33. i.b2 b4 34. 'ife4 � 35. 'ifc4+ 'ife6 36. 'ifxb4 'it'd5+ 37.�g1 'ifd1 + 38. �h2 i.b6 39. 'ii'f4+ �ea 40. 'ii'e4+ And White soon won.

P73 Alekh ine - Bogolj u bow

The Netherlands 1 9 29

1 . i.f2!

Intending to transfer the bishop to h4. At the same time, the square e3 is freed for the queen. White should play against the bishop on g7. 1 ... b6 2. 'it'e3 f5 Fearing f4-f5 in the near future. 3. i.h4 l:td7 Now, it was essential to play 4 . .l:r.c l ! , and if 4 ... e6, then S .dS! exdS 6.tLld4, or 4...�b7 S .dS! �xdS 6.tLlxd5 lhdS 7. .l:r.xc8+ �xc8 8 . �xe7. The best reply to 4 . .l:r.cl is 4 . . . .l:r.e8 . The game went on: 4.b4 i.xe2 5. tlJxe2 tbc4 6. 'ii' b3 b5 7.l:td 1 e6 8. i.f2 i.f8 9.l:td3 aS! 1 O.bxas tZ»cas 1 1 . 'ii' b 1 tbc4 1 2. l:tc1 :aa 1 3.d5 :Xd5 1 4. :Xd5 'ii'x d5 1 5. tbc3 'it'd2 1 6. tlJxb5 tZ»ca3 1 7. tZ»ca3 :Xa3 1 8.g3 l:a2 1 9. l:tf1 l:tb2 20. 'ifc1 'it'b4 21 . 'ifc6 'ifb3 22. 'ifaS 'ifc4 23. 'ifd8 'ifc6 24. l:td 1 'it'f3 25.l:tf1 'ifc6 26. l:td1 'iff3 Draw.

261

Mastering Chess Middlegames

P74 Alekh ine

Flohr

·

Bled 1 931

1 ... lZnc:cS I . . J la7 ! ?. 2. :XcS aS The threat was 3 .a 5 . 3.h4 ..ta6 4 . .tf3! With the threat of s J Lcas , S .hS . 4 .. .f6 S . 'ife3 :Sda 6. :Xda :Xda 7.eS fS? After 7 . . .fxeS 8 .h5 White also has a clear advantage. a.:tca!

Black resigned.

P7S Petrosian - Spassky

Moscow 1 969

After 1 .e4 Black's position is very difficult, as White shows: 1 ... l:tfda Somewhat better is I . . .'iV cS + . 2.1fe1 'ifcS+ Now this check is a loss of time. 3. 'iff2 'ife7 No better is 3 . . . �xf2 + 4. 'it>xf2 t2Jd3 + s . i.xd3 l:'Lcd3 6 . i.e3 . 4. :S3 With the move l .e4 White shut out of play the bishop on b7 and knight on f6 . Now he prepares to attack the weak pawn on a7. 4 ... tiJea S . .if4! tLlg6 6 . ..te3 tbd6 On 6 ... 'iVb4 White would play simply 7 .l::!.b l and then i.fl and .l::!.b al . 7.l:tfa1 tbca a . ..tf1 fS? ! An attempt at counterplay. 9.exfS exfS 1 O.:S4 :tea 1 1 . ..td2 'ifcS Other continuations also fail to save the game. 1 2. 'ifxcS bxcS 1 3. l:tc4 l:teS 1 4. tLla4 a6 Or 1 4 . . . t2Jb6 l S . .l::!.xc S tLlxa4 1 6 . .l::!.xe 5 tt:Jxes 1 7 . .l::!.x a 4. 1 S.lZnc:cS! axbS 1 6. lZnc:b7 The unfortunate bishop dies, without having taken any real part in the game. 1 6 ... :Xa1 1 7. :Xca+ �7 1 7 . . . tt:Jfs 1 8 . i.b4. 1 a. tbda+ ri;;e7 1 9. tbc6+ ri;;d7 20. lZnc:eS+ ri;;x ca 21 . lZnc:g6 hxg6 22 . ..tc3 l:tb1 23 . ..W2 b4 24 . .txg7 Black resigned. .

P76 Botvi n n i k - Ka n

Leningrad 1 939

The bishop on dS is much stronger than that on a6. White accurately realises his advantage. 1 . l:tb1 ! Not permitting l . . . �b 7 1 ... l:tda «On 1 .. . .l:tfb8 there follows 2 . .l::!.xb6 .l::!.x b6 (2 ...�xb6 is worse because of 3.f6 with the deadly threat of 4.'i!Vg6) 3 .�a4 (3 . .l::!.b l is also good) 3...\t>fS (3 ...'iVe7 4.f6 gxf6 s .'iVc2 'it>g7 6 . .l::!.f3 with a strong attack) 4.'i!Va5 �e7 S.f6 .l::!.xf6 (5 ... gxf6 6.'iVe l) 6 . .l::!.xf6 'iYxf6 7.'iVxc5+ 'iVe7 8.'iVc6! 'iYxa3 9.'iVa8+» (Botvinnik) . 2. :Xb6 axb6 I f 2 . . . 'iVxb 6 , then 3 . .l::!.b l �f6 4.e4. 3.e4 .tea 3 . . . b5 ? 4.cxbs ihbs s J l:b l . .

262

Solutions - Chapter 1 0

-

Same-coloured bishops

4. 'ifa4! �d7 5. 'ifa7 �ea 6.l:r.b1 l:r.d6 7.a4! �h7 8.a5 bxa5 9. "ii'x a5! Not 9 . �xc5 a4. 9 ... l:r.a6 1 0. "ii'x c5 l:r.a2 1 1 . 'ife3! Preventing l l . . . �g 5 . 1 1 ... 'ifa6 1 2. l:r.b8 "ii'a 4 1 3. �h2 l:r.a3

The attempt to get counterplay with 13 .. .'iVc2 fails to 14.'ii'g 3 .l:i.a l 1 5 ..l:he8 �dl 1 6 .'iVg6+! fxg6 1 7. .ig8+ Wh8 1 8 . iLf7+, mating. 1 4. "ii' c5 l:r.a2 1 5. l:r.a8 "ii'x a8 Or 1 5 . . . 'iVc2 1 6 . llxa2 �xa2 1 7 . �e 7 . 1 6. ha8 :.Xa8 1 7. 'ii'xe5 �c6 1 8. 'ii'c7 Black resigned.

P77 Smyslov - Petrosian

Moscow 1 97 1

Black's bishop on c8 is very bad. By exploiting this, White gradually strengthens his position: 1 . ltJg3 �d7 2. 'ife3 �e8 3 . .ic2 a5 4.a3 l:r.a7 5.h4 'iVb8 6.h5 f6 He will have to play this move sooner or later, but now the e6-pawn becomes weak. 7.b4! So as to deprive Black of counterplay following 7 ... a4 and then ... b5-b4. 7 ... �f7 a . .ib3 :.ea If 8 ... axb4 9.axb4 .l:i.a3 , then I O . .l:!.d3 with the threat I I . .ixe6. 9. 'ife4 'ifc7 1 0. 'ii'c2 "ii' b8 1 1 . tiJh4 .idS. « l l . ..f5 fails because of a small combination: 1 2.xe2 J:[h3 1 4.J:[g5 J:[e3+ 1 5. 'ifo>d2 :Xe4 1 6. :Xh5 :es 1 7. :Xe5 dxe5 1 8. �d3 �c7 1 9. �e4 �d6 20.h4 J:[h8 21 . J:[h2 J:[h5 ¥2-¥2 P80 Geller - Najdorf

Zurich 1 953

1 . hb6! Beginning the battle for the square d5. After

l ..t!.xa6 tLlc4 Black has a good game. 1 ... 'it'xb6 2. 'ife2 :as 3. �h2 o-o 4.J:[f1 J:[a7 5.J:[fa1 J:[fa8 6 . .1:[1 a2 After tying the black forces to the defence of

the pawn on a6, White transfers the knight from b3 to e3, to seize the d5-square and obtain an 'eternal knight'. 6 ... .i.d8 7. tba5 J:[ca 8. tbc4 'it'c6 9.lbe3 a5 1 0. J:[c4 'it'a6 1 1 .b3 �b6 1 2. :Xc8+ 'ii'x c8 1 3. lbed5 tbxd5 1 4. tbxd5 'ifc5 1 5. J:[a1 'ii'f2 If 1 5 ... a4, then 1 6.'iVg4! axb3 (16 .. .'�'f2 1 7.f6 'i!Vg3+ 1 8 .'il'xg3 hxg3+ 1 9.Wxg3 axb3 20 . .!:!.xa7 .ixa7 2 1 .cxb3) 1 7.f6 g6 1 8.'i!fxh4, mating. 1 6. 'ifxf2 bf2 1 7. J:[f1 �d4 1 8.c3 .i.c5 1 9.g4! The king must be freed. 1 9 ... hxg3+ 20. �xg3 J:[b7 21 . J:[b1 f6 22. �3 � 23. c.fole2 J:[b8 24.b4 g6 25. c.fold3 White could win more quickly by 25.fxg6+! 'lt>xg6 26.bxc5 .t!.xbl 2 7.c6 .!:!.b8 2 8 .c7 .llh 8 29.c8'tW llxc8 3 0.tt:le7+. 25 ... gxf5 26.exf5 axb4 27.cxb4 �d4 28. J:[c1 c.folg7 29. J:[c7+ �h6 30. �e4 c.folg5 31 . J:[h7 �f2 32. J:[g7+ 'ifth4 33. �3 �e1 34. 'iftg2 J:[f8 35.b5 b5 36.b6 hb6 37. tbxb6 J:[b8 38. J:[g4+ �h5 39. tt:Jd5 1 -0 2 64

Solutions - Chapter

P81 Fischer - Petrosian

11

-

Bishop against knight

Belgrade 1 970

Black's position is hopeless. 1 . 'iffS rJi>dS Or I . . J:i.cf8 2 . ID"e l + ct>d8 3 Jhd l . 2.l:ae1 'ii'c5+ 3. h1 l:tf8 Stronger is 3 . . . .l:!.c6 4. 'i:Ve5 'i:Vd6 - Petrosian. 4. 'ii'e5! l:tc7 4 . . . 'i:Vc7 5 . 'iYxd5 + ! . 5.b4! 'ifc6 6.c4! dxc4 7 . ..tf5 l:tff7 8.l:td1 + l:tfd7 8 . . . tt:Jd7 9 . .l:!.fe l . 9. bd7 l:txd7 1 0. 'ii' b8+ q;e7 1 0 . . . 'i:Vc8 l l . llxd7 + tbxd7 1 2 . 'i:Vd6. 1 1 . l:tde1 + Black resigned.

P82 Smyslov - Petrosian

Zurich 1 953

White wins in a study-like way: 1 .d6 The tempting zwischenzug I .'i:Ve6+ ct>h8 2 .d6 even loses: 2 ... tt:Je2+ 3 .ct>g4 'i:Vf4+ 4.ct>h5 'i:Vxh2+. 1 ... 'ife1 + 2.q;g4 2 . ct>h3 ? tt:Jci3 3 .d7 ttJ£'2 + 4. ct>g3 tt:Jci i + , perpetual check. 2 ... ttJd3 3. 'ii'd 5+ rJi>h7 4.d7 'it'eS! 5. 'ifxd3+? Not 5 .d8'i:V tLlf2+ 6.ct>h4 'i:Vxh2#, nor 5 .'i:Vxe5 tLlxe5+, but White wins after s .'i:Vd6 ! ! tLlf2+ 6.Wh4 g5+ 7.Wh5. s ... cxd3 6.d8'it' 'ife2 7.rJi>h3 d2 8. 'ifd7 d1 'if 9. 'it'f5+ Draw. P83 Bogolj u bow

-

Rubi nstein

Stockholm 1 920

The position is roughly equal. 1 ... l:tfe8 2. tt::lb 6 'ifd6 3. tt::la4 l:te7 4. tt::lc5 l:tde8 5.l:tf1 ..tf7 6. l:tf4 rJi>hS 7. 'it'f2 ..tgS 8.h4 h6 9.l:tgf3 ..th7 1 O.g4 ..tgs 1 1 . :tga 'it'ds 1 2.gs? White is trying to win, but this leads to his defeat. He could maintain the balance with 1 2 .Wh2. 12 ... fxg5 1 3.hxg5 h5 1 4. l:tf8+? Here, too, 1 4. Wh2 is better. 14 ... rJi>h7 1 5. l:txe8 l:txe8 1 6. 'iff3 'it'c4! 1 7. ttJd7 'it'xb4 1 8. tt::le5 l:tf8 1 9. 'ife2 'ifxas 20. l:th3 'ifa1 + 21 . q;h2 'iff1 22. 'ifxf1 l:txf1 23. ttJd7 ..tfS White resigned.

P84 Unzicker - Fischer

Varna 1 962

White controls the square d5, but his position is inferior, because the knight on b3 is out of play. 1 . ttJd5 ti:lxd5 2. 'ifxd5 .l:a4! 3.c3 W"a6 4.h3 l:tc8 5.l:tfe1 h6 6. h2 ..tgS 7.g3? Leads to defeat. Better is 7 . �d l . 7 ... 'ifa7 8. rJi>g2 .l:a2 9.�1 l:txc3! Now after I O . .l:!.xa2 there follows I O .. .l::i.f3 + l l .We2 l:rf2+ 1 2 .ct>d3 'i:Vxa2 1 3 .l::i.a l 'i:Vxb2 14 . .l:!.a8+ Wh7. White resigned. 265

Mastering Chess Middlegarnes

P85 Timman

•

Larsen

Montreal 1 979

White can play for a win, without taking any risk. 1 . ..tc2 'ii'd 5 2. 'ii' b4 'ifd7 Not 2. . .'li'h l + 3 .We2 'li'xh3 4.ikb3+. 3 . ..tb3+ �g6 3 . . . 'it>f6 ? 4. 'iff8+ 'it>es s . 'ti'f4#. 4. 'ii'e4+ �6 5. 'ii' h 4+ �g6 6. 'ii'e4+ �6 7. �g2 t:£:$;7? The decisive mistake. After 7. . . g5 the king gets a lot of free­ dom, and Black can still resist. 8. 'iff4+ �e7 9. 'ii' b4+ �d8 1 0. 1i'xb7 'ii'd 3 1 1 . 'ii' b4 c5 1 2. 'it'c4 'ii'xc4 1 3. hc4 0e8 1 4. �3 �c7 1 5.a5 ttJd6 1 6 . ..td5 �b8 1 7. �4 �a7 1 8. �e5 tt:lb5 1 9 . ..tc4 �a6 20. �d5 �xa5 21 . �xc5 t:£:$;3 22 . ..td5 ttJd1 23.f4 tt:lf2 24. �d4 �b4 25. i.f3 tt:lxh3 26. �e3 g5 27.f5 g4 28.hg4 tt:lg5 29. �d4 �b3 30. i.h5 �c2 31 .f6 �d2 32.f7 0e6+ 33. �e5 tt:lf8 34. �d6 Black resigned. P86 Olafsson

•

Simagin

Moscow 1 959

1 ... e5! A long-planned blow. From this moment, Black

plays against the bad bishop on g2 . 2.tt:lf6+ 2.fxe5 'li'xe5 is bad, but a better line was 2.'ifc3 ikxd5 3 . .!lxd5 exf4 4.e 5 , opening up the bishop. 2 ... f2 with approximate equality. 3 ... 'ife7 4. ttJd5 hd5 5.:.Xd5 f6 6.f5 On 6.'ti'xa5 there would follow 6 ... .l::!:a 8 7.'it'b6 .l::i:a 6! and 8 .. .Iha2 . 6 ... 'ifc7 7.l:tcd1 'ii'b 6 8.�h1 g5! Ruling out any opening of the game on the kingside. 9.'iVd2 l:tf7 1 0. :.Xd6 :.Xd6 1 1 . 'ifxd6 'ii' b 4! Black has more than sufficient compensation for the pawn. 1 2.b3 �g7 Creating the threat of 1 3 .. J:td7 . 1 3. W"d8 a4 1 4.bxa4 'ii'xc4 1 5. W"a5 W"c2 ! Reminding White of the weakness of his back rank. 1 6. 'ii'd 2 'ii'x a4 1 7. l:tc1 l:td7 1 8. W"e2 W"a3 1 9. l:tb1 'ii'c3 20. l:td1 ttJd3 21 .l:tf1 t:£:$;5 22. 'ifg4 l:td3 23. W"h5 The try 23 . .if3 l::i:e 3! 24.h4 tt:lxe4! 25 . .ixe4 Ihg3 leads only to immediate defeat. 23 ... W"d4 24. W"ea 'ifd6 25 . ..tf3 l:td2 26.a4 b6 27. l:tb1 ttJd3 28 . ..tg2 After 28 . lhb6 there is 28 ...lLlf2+ 29.'it>gl lLlh3+ 3 0.Wh l lld l + ! 3 l .'it>g2 lLlf4+! 32.gxf4 'ti'd2+ 3 3 .'it>h3 g4+! 34. ikxg4 'ife3+ with mate. 28 ... tt:lf2+ 29.�g1 tt:lg4 30.h4 :.Xg2+ 31 . �xg2 'ii'd 2+ White resigned. 266

Solutions - Chapter 1 1

P87 Kra m n i k - J ussupow

-

Bishop against knight

Dortmund 1 998

White's position is a little better on account of the open position of the enemy king, although all of Black 's pieces are active. Kramnik brings his bishop into the game. 1 . �a4! c3? Black also loses after I . .Ji:bl 2 Jhbl 'i¥xf2+ H ¥ihl �f3+ 4.'>tih2 �f2+ 5 .'ith3 lLlxf4+ 6.gxf4 �f3+ 7.'ith2 �f2+ 8 .'ithl 'i'i'f3+ 9.e7 23. 'it>e3 f6 24. rJi>d4 rJi>ds 25. �d1 tt:Jbs 26.�f3 tt:Jca 27.h4 tt:Je7 28. �e4 g5 29.fxg5 fxg5 30.hxg5 hxg5 31 .b6 g4 32.b7 �c7 33. rJi>e5 g3 34. �4 tt:Jga 35. 'ifi>xg3 tt:Jf6 36. �f3 tt:Jd7 37.�4 rJi>d6 38. �5 rJi>e7 39. �c6 lLlb8 40. �b5 Black resigned. P89 Botvi n n i k - Bed narski

Palma de Mallorca 1 967

1 .g5! Fixing the bishop and opening the h3-c8 diagonal. 1 ... .:tf8 2 . ._.h4 .:tf4 3. 'ifg3 .:tf8 4 . ._.g4 .:tf5 5. 'ifh3 �e7 Black loses after 5 ... .txg5 6.lLlxg5 llxg5 7.'ii'c 8+ f7 29. 'ii'd 5+ Black resigned. .

268

Index of Games 12

Chapter 1 - The attack on the king Morphy - Ernest Morphy, New Orleans 1 8 5 0 . . . . . . . . . . 1 4

I 867.................................. 14 . . .. ... I 5 Euwe - Landau, Amsterdam I 9 3 9 . . . . I5 Steinitz - Winawer, Paris

Chigorin - Steinitz, Havana 1 8 9 2

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

.

. .

. . .

. . . . .

. .

.

. . . .

. . .

Tal - Hecht, Varna 1 9 6 2 16 Milov - Meijers, Zwolle 2 0 0 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nimzowitsch - Tarrasch, S t Petersburg I 9 1 4 .. . . I 7 Schlechter - Wolf, Ostend 1 9 0 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 . . . . .

.

.

Capablanca - Janowsky, San Sebastian 1 9 1 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5

Timofeev - Dvoirys, Belgorod 2 0 I 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 Byrne - Fischer, New York 1 9 6 3 / 6 4

..................... 26

Corzo y Principe - Capablanca, Havana I 9 1 3 . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 Botvinnik - Vidmar, Nottingham 1 9 3 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 Tal - Spassky, Tilburg 1 9 8 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 Smyslov - Liberzon, Riga 1 9 6 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9 Bogoljubow - Mieses, Baden-Baden 1 9 2 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9

Steinitz - Lasker, London 1 8 9 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8

Stein - Furman, Moscow 1 9 6 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0

Tal - Vasiukov, Kiev 1 9 6 4 / 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9

Chiburdanidze - Dvoirys, Tallinn 1 9 8 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1

Capablanca - Kan, Moscow 1 9 3 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9

Karpov - Dorfman, Moscow 1 9 7 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1

Botvinnik - Sozin, Novgorod 1 9 2 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0

Fischer - Rubinetti, Palma d e Mallorca 1 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 Stein - Tal, Moscow I 9 6 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3

Paulsen - Morphy, New York 1 8 5 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 Lasker - Pirc, Moscow I 9 3 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1

Tal - Larsen, Bled 1 9 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3

Pillsbury - Lasker, St Petersburg 1 8 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2

Kupreichik - Tal , Sochi 1 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4

Amateur - Steinitz, London 1 8 6 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3

Kasparov - Salov, Barcelona 1 9 8 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5

Botvinnik - Keres, The Hague-Moscow 1 948 . . . . . . . . . . 2 3

Panchenko - Psakhis, Vilnius 1 9 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5

Neumann - Blackburne, Dundee 1 8 6 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4

Tringov - Clarke, Munich 1 9 5 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6

Teichmann - Chigorin, Cambridge Springs 1 9 04 . . . 2 4

42 I 9 2 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Chapter 2 - Defence Capablanca - Alekhine, Buenos Aires 1 9 2 7

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Kortchnoi - Karpov, Merano I 9 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Spassky - Karpov, Tilburg 1 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Nimzowitsch - Berger, London

Diez del Corral - Petrosian, Palma de Mallorca 1 9 69

54

Ravinsky - Kotov, Leningrad 1 949 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4

Bareev - Dreev, S ochi I 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Ivanovic - Sveshnikov, Krk I 9 7 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Kasparov - Topalov, Novgorod 1 9 9 7

Sokolsky - Romanovsky, Soviet Union 1 9 3 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Bakulin - Dvoretsky, Moscow 1 9 74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5

Ilyin-Zhenevsky - Lasker, Moscow 1 9 2 5

Karpov - Kasparov, Moscow 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Bronstein - Polugaevsky, Moscow 1 9 6 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6

Endgame study by Vitaly Chekhover,

Filip - Kortchnoi, Bucharest 1 9 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6

A.Petrosian - Hazai, Schilde

I 9 4 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 I 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Smyslov - Hiibner, Velden 1 9 8 3 Byrne - Taimanov, Leningrad

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

I 973

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 47

Andrianov - Woj tkiewicz, Sochi 1 9 8 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 Maroczy - Rubinstein, Karlsbad 1 9 0 7

I 95 7

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

................ 55

Kortchnoi - Sax, Wijk aan Zee (rapid) 1 9 9 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 7 Khalifman - Salov, Wijk aan Zee 1 9 9 1

.................... 5 7

Nikolic - Arencibia Rodriguez, Yerevan 1 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . 5 8 Bronstein - Lisitsin, Leningrad I 94 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 8 Kholmov - Taimanov, Tbilisi

I 959 .......................... 59

Manic - Blau, Lugano 1 9 8 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Levenfish - Ragozin, Moscow I 9 3 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 9 Voloshin - Korzhunov, Correspondence game 1 9 68- 7 1 60

Krarnnik - Kasparov, Linares 1 9 94

Kramnik - Shirov, Linares 1 9 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 0

Tal - Aronin, Moscow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Steinitz - Lasker, Montreal 1 8 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

SO

Schlechter - Lasker, Vienna/Berlin 1 9 1 0

Marjanovic - Panchenko, Tbilisi 1 9 7 3

Nevednichy - Panchenko, Bucharest 1 9 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2

Spraggett - A.Sokolov, Saint John 1 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 I

Timman - Lautier, Wijk aan Zee 1 9 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2

. .

. .. ... . . . .

. .

.

. .

. . .

................ 6 1

I Karpov - Polugaevsky, Moscow I 9 7 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 I

Van Wely - Karpov, Cap d' Agde 1 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3

Suetin - Kortchnoi, Leningrad 1 9 6 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2

Xie Jun - Tairnanov, Copenhagen 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3

Bisguier - Stein, Stockholm 1 9 6 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Polugaevsky - Panchenko, Sochi 1 9 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2 Short - Kasparov, Amsterdam 1 9 9 6

Nikolic - Mecking, Sao Paulo 1 9 9 1

Landa - Timofeev, Taganrog 2 0 I

I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

........................ 53

70

Chapter 3 - Counterplay Shipov - Polugaevsky, Yalta 1 9 6 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1 Taimanov - Larsen, Vinkovci

........................ 62

I 970 .......................... 7 I

Dieks - Marjanovic, Manila 1 9 7 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4 Kupreichik - Tukrnakov, Ashkhabad

I 9 7 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Balanel - Szabo, Moscow I 9 5 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 Alekhine - Rubinstein, Vilnius I 9 1 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 Geller - Euwe, Zurich 1 9 5 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3

Topalov - Gelfand, Novgorod 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6

Vidmar - Euwe, Nottingham 1 9 3 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3

Timman - Kortchnoi, Brussels

Chapter 4

-

Olafsson - Tal, Bled/Belgrade 1 9 5 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 5 Geller - Panchenko, Moscow 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6

I 99 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7

81

Prophylaxis

Schlechter - Nimzowitsch, Karlsbad 1 9 0 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2

Browne - Keres, Vancouver 1 9 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6

Ahues - Nimzowitsch, Kecskemet

Bronstein - Petrosian, Amsterdam

Jahner - Nimzowitsch, Dresden

Kasparov - Petrosian, Banja Luka 1 9 7 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 7

I 927 .................. 82 I 92 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3

Thomas - Rubinstein, Baden-Baden 1 9 2 5

.............. 84

Samisch - Alekhine, Dresden 1 9 2 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 5 Flamberg - Alekhine, Mannheim 1 9 1 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6

Vaganian - Beliavsky, Moscow

I 95 6 ................. 8 7

I 988 ....................... 88

Balashov - Jussupow, Minsk (rapid) 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8 Titov - Yudasin, Kostroma 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9

269

Mastering Chess Middlegames Gurgenidze - Polugaevsky, Tbilisi 1 9 5 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9 Zakharov - Dvoretsky, Ordzhonikidze 1 9 7 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 0

Polovodin - Panchenko, Moscow 1 9 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2 Cuartas - Panchenko, Prague 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3

Vaganian - Dvoretsky, Yerevan 1 9 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 0 Spassky - Petrosian, Moscow 1 9 6 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 0

Shirov - Polgar, Tilburg 1 9 9 6

Stein - Petrosian, Moscow 1 9 6 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1

lvanchuk - Topalov, Novgorod 1 9 9 6

Bareev - Dolmatov, Kiev 1 9 8 6

Karpov - Kasparov, Moscow 1 9 8 5

.......................... 93

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 ...................... 9S

................................9 2

Chapter 5 - Realising an advantage ........................... I 00 Jussupow - Panchenko, Kiev 1 9 84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 0 Panchenko - Ubilava, Beltsi 1 9 7 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 I Karpov - Kortchnoi, Baguio 1 9 7 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 I Botvinnik - Bronstein, Moscow 1 9 S I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 2 Botvinnik - Euwe, Leningrad 1 9 3 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 2 Reshevsky - Geller, Zurich 1 9 5 3

99 Borvinnik - Zagoriansky, Sverdlovsk 1 943 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 3 Kasparov - Kharitonov, Moscow 1 9 8 8

............... . 1 1 3

Kasparov - Petrosian, Bugojno 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 4 Tunik - Dreev, Gorki 1 9 8 9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 14

Bareev - Manninen, Yerevan 1 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 4 Lputian - Sadler, Lucerne 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I I S

Panchenko - Westerinen, Las Palmas 1 9 7 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 3

Petrosian - Golombek, Stockholm 1 9 5 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 6

Panchenko - Ruban, Smolensk 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 3

Andersson - Gheorghiu, Moscow 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 6

. . . . . . . . . . I 04 ................... I OS Polovodin - Zigurds Lanka, Riga 1 9 8 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I OS Glek - Lazarev, Porto San Gorgio 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I OS

I 97S

.

I I7

Meister - Rumiantsev, Rostov-on-Don 1 9 8 1

Smyslov - Benko, Szolnok

Kholmov - Jakobsen, Kislovodsk 1 9 7 2

Rublevsky - Spraggett, Groningen 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 7

Steinitz - Von Bardeleben, Hastings 1 8 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 7

Rubinstein - Mikenas, Prague 1 9 3 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 8 Petrosian - Botvinnik, Moscow 1 9 6 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 8

Alexandrov - V.Popov, S t Petersburg 1 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 8

Lautier - Shirov, Belgrade 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 0

Rajkovic - Muse, Athens 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 7 Kramnik - Serper, Dortmund 1 9 9 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 8

.................... I 09 Jussupow - Hubner, Tilburg 1 9 8 7 . .. I 09 Petrosian - Smyslov, Moscow I 9 6 1 . . . . . .... I I 0 Panchenko - Novikov, Pavlodar 1 9 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I I 0 Kramnik - Ulibin, Chalkidiki 1 9 9 2 . . .. Ill Petrosian - Kortchnoi, Curacao 1 9 6 2

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. .

.

. . . .

. . . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . .

. . . . . .

.

. . . . . . . .

Zatulovskaya - Chiburdanidze, Lvov 1 9 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 2 Kotov - Pilnik, Stockholm 1 9 S 2

Chapter 6

-

............................ I I 2

Geller - Suba, Moscow

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I 986 .................................. I I 8

Nikolic - Short, Moscow 1 9 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I I 9 Karpov - Timman, Bugojno 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 0 Borvinnik - Smyslov, Moscow

I 9S 8 ...................... I 2 1 . I21

Kortchnoi - Spassky, Palma de Mallorca 1 9 6 8

.

. . . . .

Smyslov - Van der Wiel, Reggio Emilia 1 9 8 6 / 8 7 . . . . 1 2 2 Bareev - Shirov, Unares 1 9 94

................................ I 22 ...................... I 23

Psakhis - Romanishin, Frunze 1 9 8 1

Beliavsky - Salov, Moscow 1 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 Rublevsky - Christiansen, Lucerne 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3

Equal positions

128

Bogoljubow - Capablanca, Bad Kissingen 1 9 2 8 . . . . 1 2 9

Yakovich - Polovodin, Kolontaevo 1 9 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 2

Reshevsky - Smyslov, Radio match USA-USSR 1 945 1 2 9

Geller - Fischer, Palma de Mallorca

Alekhine - Feigins, Kemeri 1 9 3 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 0 Karpov - Jussupow, Bugojno 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 1

Giorgadze - Panchenko, Aktiubinsk 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 5

I 9 70 .............. I 3 3

Smagin - lvanchuk, Pinsk 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 5

Karpov - Kortchnoi, Merano 1 9 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 2

Chapter 7 - The battle of the major pieces

Sveshnikov - Karasev, Minsk I 9 7 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 3 8 Seirawan - Kir.Georgiev, Dubai 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 8

1 38 Andersson - Ricardi, Rio de Janeiro 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 44 Gaprindashvili - Erenska-Radzewska, Jajce 1 9 8 1 . . . . 1 44

Alekhine - Lokvenc, Prague 1 943 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 9 Novikov - Giorgadze, Lvov 1 9 9 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 40

Alekhine - Keres, Netherlands AVRO 1 9 3 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 44

Salov - Topalov, Madrid 1 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 40

Short - Hubner, Wijk aan Zee 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 46 Panchenko - Glianets, Kazan 1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 46

Pirc - Stahlberg, Amsterdam 1 9 S 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 1

Torre - Romanishin, Biel 1 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 45

Petrosian - Portisch, Biel play-off 1 9 7 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 1

Geller - Tukmakov, Yerevan 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 7

Polugaevsky - Bronstein, Tallinn 1 9 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 42

Karpov - Quinteros, Lucerne 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 48

Stahlberg - Alekhine, Zurich

I 9 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 2

Petrosian - Gulko, Yerevan 1 9 7 S

. . . . . . . . . .

.. ...

. .

. .. .. . .

.

. . .

1 48

Polugaevsky - Partos, Biel 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 43

Chapter 8 - Two minor pieces against a rook Mednis - Peelen, Lugano 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 5 4

Yurtaev - D.Frolov, T0msk

I 998

1 54 .................. 1 60

Kortchnoi - Karpov, Baguio 1 9 7 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 4

Byvshev - Furman, Kiev 1 9 5 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 0

Panchenko - Vaisser, Sochi 1 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 5 Reti - Bogoljubow, Bad Kissingen 1 9 2 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 6

Nikolic - Miles, Zagreb 1 9 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 1 Kasimdzhanov - Vul, Cappelle Ia Grande 1 9 9 8 . . . . . . 1 6 2

Razuvaev - Kirov, Sofia 1 9 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. 1 5 7 Kasparov - Seirawan, Thessaloniki 1 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 7

Kovacevic - Armas, Thessaloniki 1 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 2

Morovic Fernandez - Jussupow, Tunis 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 8

A.Sokolov - A.Kuzmin, Sochi 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 64

Beliavsky - Panchenko, Sukhurni 1 9 7 1 . . . .

Alexandrov - Timofeev, Dubai 2 0 0 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 64

. .

. . . . . .

..

. . . . .

I 59

Kholmov - Co.Ionescu, Baile Herculane 1 9 84 . . . . . . . . 1 6 3

Short - Tempone, Mexico 1 9 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 9

Chapter 9 - Opposite-coloured bishops with many pieces on the board

1 67

Karnsky - Kasparov, Manila 1 9 9 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 7

Nunn - Van der Wiel, Wijk aan Zee 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 8

Ghinda - Kindermann, Thessaloniki 1 9 84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 7

Kasparov - Karpov, New York/Lyon 1 9 9 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 9

270

Index of Games Karpov - Kasparov, Moscow 1 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 0

Filip - Pachman, Prague 1 9 53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 7 2

Yudasin - Sagalchik, Kemerovo 1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 0

Spielmann - Romanovsky, Moscow 1 9 3 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 7 2

Kasparov - Olafsson, Dubai 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 1 Prasad - Sax, Subotica 1 9 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 1

Jussupow - Miles, Bugojno 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 7 3

Chapter 1 0 - Same-coloured bishops Lasker - Capablanca, Moscow 1 9 3 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 8 Rubinstein - Canal, Rogaska Slatina 1 9 2 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 9 Karpov - Lautier, Biel 1 9 9 2 1 79 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Alekhine - Bogoljubow, Germany/Netherlands 1 9 29 1 8 0 Gligoric - Smyslov, Bled/Belgrade I 9 59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 1 Sokolsky - Shagalovich, Belorussia I 9 59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 1

1 77 Karpov - Kasparov, Belfort 1 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 2 Tarnowski - Botvinnik, Leipzig 1 9 6 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 3 Karpov - Uhlmann, Madrid 1 9 7 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 3 Portisch - Ljubojevic, Moscow 1 9 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 4 Panchenko - Zhdanov, Kiev 1 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 4 Gelfand - Topalov, Novgorod 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 5

Chapter 1 1 - Bishop versus knight

1 87

Botvinnik - Smyslov, Moscow 1 9 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 8

Kharitonov - Gusev, Gamel 1 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 2

Fischer - Spassky, Reykjavik 1 9 7 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 8

Hicld - Seger, Altenkirchen 1 9 9 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 3 Smyslov - Rudakovsky, Moscow 1 945 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 3

Uhlmann - Kotmauer, Tel-Aviv 1 9 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 9 Gligoric - Portisch, Zagreb 1 9 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 9 Kasparov - Hubner, Brussels 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 0 Capablanca - Lasker, Havana 1 9 2 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 0 Rubinstein - Tarrasch, Carlsbad 1 9 2 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 1 Botvinnik - Chekhover, Leningrad I 9 3 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 9 1 Karpov - Gavrikov, Moscow 1 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 2

Boleslavsky - Lisitsin, Leningrad I 9 56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 94 Karpov - Dolmatov, Amsterdam 1 9 8 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 94 Polgar - Anand, Wijk aan Zee 1 9 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 94 Adams - Almasi, Dortmund 1 9 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 5 Gligoric - Szabo, Hamburg 1 9 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 5 Euwe - Reshevsky, The Hague/Moscow 1 948 . . . . . . . 1 9 6

Chapter 1 2 - Sample games and endings Kotov - Boleslavsky, Moscow 1 945

...................... 200

Padevsky - Kholmov, Dresden I 9 5 6

..................... 200

200 Krarnnik - Topalov, Novgorod 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 6 ]ussupow - Rubinetti, Toluca 1 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 7

Krarnnik - Anand, Belgrade 1 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 I

Karpov - Petrosian, Tilburg 1 9 8 2

Tiviakov - Salov, Madrid 1 9 94

Kotov - Eliskases, Stockholm 1 9 5 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 7 Karpov - Kramnik, Vienna 1 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 8

............................. 20 I

Polugaevsky - Torre, London 1 9 84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 2 Svidler - Malaniuk, Maikop 1 9 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 2 Rubinstein - Duras, Karlsbad 1 9 1 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 3 Botvinnik - Ostojic, Belgrade 1 9 69 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 3

Boleslavsky - Tal, Moscow 1 9 5 7

......................... 207

........................... 208

Capablanca - Alekhine, Buenos Aires 1 9 2 7 Tal - Karpov, Leningrad 1 9 7 3

. . . . . . . . . . . 209

............................... 2 I 0

Petrosian - Schweber, Stockholm 1 9 6 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 4 Karpov - Unzicker, Nice 1 9 7 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 4 Karpov - Spassky, Montreal 1 9 7 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 5

Estrin - Boleslavsky, Moscow I 9 6 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 I I

Fischer - Spassky, Belgrade 1 9 9 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 5

Geller - Hart, Skopje 1 9 6 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 2

Kasparov - Karpov, London/Leningrad 1 9 8 6

Benjamin - Zviagintsev, Groningen 1 9 9 7 / 9 8 . . . . . . . . 2 1 3

....... 206

Kasparov - Karpov, London/Leningrad 1 9 8 6 Matulovic - Botvinnik, Belgrade I 9 7 0

Solutions

....... 2 1 1

................. 2 I 2

214

E l Problem by AdolfAnderssen 1 842 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 4

P8

E2 Bogoljubow - Spielmann, Stockholm I 9 1 9 . . . . 2 1 4 E3 Steinitz - Paulsen, Baden-Baden 1 8 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 4

P9 Geller - Grigorian, Moscow 1 9 7 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 1 P I 0 Adams - Sadler, Dublin 1 9 9 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 1

E4 Gunsberg - Chigorin, Havana 1 8 9 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 4

E l 9 Gavrikov - Yakovich, Kiev 1 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 E20 Jussupow - Dolmatov, Wijkaan Zee 1 9 9 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2

Rogoff - Fuller, Bognar Regis 1 9 6 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 1

ES Tarrasch - Schlechter, Monte Carlo 1 9 0 3 . . . . . . . . 2 1 5 E6 Bronstein - Keres, Gothenburg I 9 5 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 5

E2 1 Kamsky - Anand, Las Palmas 1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2

E7 Rubinstein - Teichmann, Vienna 1 9 0 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 5

E 2 2 Study by Gleb Zakhodyakin 1 9 3 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 3

E8 Tarrasch - Walbrodt, Hastings 1 8 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 5

E 2 3 Keres - Smyslov, Zurich I 9 5 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 3

E 9 Rubinstein - Hromadka, Miihrisch Ostrau 1 9 23 2 1 6

E24 Chigorin - Tarrasch, St Petersburg 1 8 9 3 . . . . . . . 2 2 3

E l 0 Fischer - Panna, Buenos Aires 1 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 6 E l l Smyslov - Oil Rostov-on-Don 1 9 9 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 6

E2 5 Capablanca - Molina, Buenos Aires 1 9 1 I . . . . . 2 2 3 E2 6 Zaitsev - Shamkovich, Voronezh I 9 5 9 . . . . . . . . . . 2 24

E l 2 Capablanca - Chaj es, New York 1 9 1 3 . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 6

E 2 7 V.Scherbakov - Furman, Moscow 1 9 5 5 . . . . . . . . . 2 2 4

E 1 3 Schlechter - Guns berg, Monte Carlo 1 9 0 I . . . 2 1 6

E 2 8 Grechkin - Geller, Sverdlovsk 1 9 5 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 4

E 1 4 Bronstein - Keene, Teesside I 9 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 7 E I S Tal - Tolush, Moscow 1 9 5 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 7

E 2 9 Buturin - Voskanian Moscow 1 9 6 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 4 E3 0 Randviir - Flohr, Parnu 1 94 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 5

E l 6 Tal - Leonov, Riga 1 949 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 7 E l 7 Kuindzhi - Jansa, Lviv 1 9 6 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 7

E3 1 Smyslov - Polugaevsky, Moscow 1 9 6 1 . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 5 E3 2 Karpov - Hubner, Leningrad 1 9 7 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 5

E l 8 Rodriguez - Chaviano, Cuba 2 0 0 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 8 P I Steinitz - Chigorin, b y telegraph. 1 8 9 0 . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 8 P2 Botvinnik - Chekhover Moscow 1 9 3 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 8

E3 3 Landa - Timofeev, Tomsk 2 0 0 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 5 P I ! Botvinnik - Smyslov, Moscow 1 9 5 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 6 P I 2 Karpov - Polugaevsky, Moscow I 9 7 3 . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 6

P3 Smyslov - Ribli London 1 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 9 P 4 Tartakower - Euwe, Venice I 9 4 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 9

P l 3 Fischer - Spassky, Sveti Stefan/Belgrade 1 9 9 2 2 2 6

P 5 Tal - Smyslov, Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade I 9 5 9 . . . . . 2 2 0 P6 Morphy - Lowenthal, London 1 8 5 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 0 P7 Spassky - Bronstein, Leningrad 1 9 6 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 0

P I S Zhuravlev - Panchenko, Sochi I 9 77 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 7 P l 6 Liss - Sntirin, Tel Aviv 1 9 9 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 7 E 3 4 Balashov - Polugaevsky, Manila 1 9 7 6 . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 7

P l 4 Tal - Keres, Moscow 1 9 5 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 6

271

Mastering Chess Middlegames E 3 5 Najdorf - Polugaevsky, Mar del Plata I 9 7 I . . . 2 2 8

E 7 0 Ermenkov - Sax, Warsaw I 9 6 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

E 3 6 Gligoric - Fischer, Bled I 9 6 I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 8

E 7 I Gaprindashvili - Veroci, Belgrade I 9 7 4 . . . . . . . . 248

E3 7 Anand - Kasparov, Dos Hermanas I 9 9 6 . . . . . . . 2 2 8 E 3 8 Yakovich - Sadler, K0ge I 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 8

E 7 2 Study by Bernhard Horwitz I 8 6 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 E73 Slobodjan - Bruch, Altenkirchen I 9 9 9 . . . . . . . . . 249

E 3 9 Andreev - Lutikov, USSR I 9 4 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 9

E 7 4 Nunn - Portisch, Budapest I 987 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 E 7 5 Study by Giambattista Lolli I 7 6 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

P I 7 Vajda - Kotov, Moscow-Budapest I 9 4 9 . . . . . . . . . 2 2 9 P I 8 Konstantinopolsky - Veltmander, Tartu I 9 5 0 2 2 9 P I 9 Tal - Smyslov, Leningrad I 9 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 0

E7 6 Bogatirev - Zagorovsky, USSR I 94 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

P 2 0 Uhlmann - Fischer, Siegen I 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 0

E78 Karaklaic - Carnic, Subotica I 999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 0 P44 Ruzele - Smirin, USSR I 9 8 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 0 P45 Chandler - Langeweg, Amsterdam I 9 8 4 . . . . . . 2 5 0

P2 I Tal - Bhend, Zurich I 9 5 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 0 P 2 2 Polugaevsky - Torre, Manila I 9 7 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 I P 2 3 Nijboer - Anand, Wijk aan Zee I 9 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 I P24 Sakharov - Kholmov, Kiev I 9 6 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 I P25 Tal - Portisch, Niksic I 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 2 E40 Skembris - Torre, Lucerne I 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 2 E 4 I Geller - Spassky, Riga I 9 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 2

E77 Winants - Kasparov, Brussels I 9 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

P46 Galliamova - Umanskaya, Elista I 9 9 7 . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 0 P47 Ghinda - Ungureanu, Bucharest I 9 7 8 . . . . . . . . . 2 5 I P48 Kasparov - Karpov, London/Leningrad I 9 8 6 25 I P49 Vyzhmanavin - Bareev, Lviv I 9 9 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 I P 5 0 Alekhine - Colle, Baden-Baden I 9 2 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 2

E4 2 Lerner - Lukin, USSR I 9 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3

P 5 I Mikhalchishin - Filipenko, Ordzhonikidze

E43 Alekhine - Asztalos, Kecskemet I 9 2 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 3

P 5 2 Taimanov - Mikhalchishin, Baku I 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . 2 5 2

I 978 .252

E44 Kortchnoi - Jussupow, Lone Pine I 9 8 I . . . . . . . . 2 3 3

P 5 3 Suetin - Jansa, Sochi I 9 8 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 3

E45 Jussupow - Van der Wiel, Lucerne I 9 8 2 . . . . . . . 2 3 4 E46 Petrosian - Gufeld, Leningrad I 9 6 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 4

P 5 4 Romanishin - Gulko, Leningrad I 9 7 4 . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 3 P 5 5 Jakubowski - Umansky, Poland I 9 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 3

E4 7 Vaganian - Timman, London I 9 8 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 4

P 5 6 Gavrikov - Piesina, Beltsi I 9 8 I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 3

E48 Nevednichy - Panchenko, Bucharest I 9 9 4 . . . 2 3 4 E49 Hubner - Smyslov, Tilburg I 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 5 E 5 0 Jahner - Rubinstein, Teplitz-Schonau I 9 2 2 . . 2 3 5

P5 7 Hubner - Karpov, Tilburg I 9 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 4 P 5 8 Farago - Jansa, Sochi I 9 8 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 4 P 5 9 Dus-Khotimirsky - Kotov, Moscow I 94 I . . . . . 2 5 5

E5 I Lerner - Panchenko, Beltsi I 9 7 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 5

P 6 0 Karpov - Kasparov, Moscow I 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 5

E5 2 Galkin - Timofeev, Moscow 2 0 I I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 5 E 5 3 Alekhine - Lasker, Paris I 9 1 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 6

P 6 2 Karpov - Smyslov, Linares I 9 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 6

E 5 4 Kobalia - Chepukaitis, S t Petersburg I 9 9 7 . . . . 2 3 6

P 6 3 Sax - Kortchnoi, Wijk aan Zee I 9 9 I . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 7

E 5 5 Anand - Polgar, Dortmund I 9 9 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 6

P64 Kasparov - Karpov, New York/Lyon I 9 9 0 . . . . 2 5 7 P 6 5 Kamsky - Anand, Sanghi Nagar I 9 9 4 . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 8

E 5 6 Petrosian - Ivkov, Hamburg I 9 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 7

P 6 I Stetsko - Gipslis, Moscow I 9 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 6

E 5 7 Polgar - Tiviakov, Madrid I 9 9 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 7

E 7 9 Alekhine - Rubinstein, Moscow I 9 I 0 . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 8

E 5 8 Kamsky - Anand, Dos Hermanas I 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . 2 3 7

E 8 0 Yakubovich - Simagin, Moscow I 9 3 6 . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 8

E 5 9 Kramnik - Beliavsky, Belgrade I 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 7

E8 I Lilienthal - Aronin, Moscow I 948 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 8

E60 Ivanchuk - Nenashev, Frunze I 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 8

E 8 2 Carden - Littlewood, Hastings I 9 6 9 / 7 0 . . . . . . . 2 5 9

E6 I Sadler - Dreev, Groningen I 9 9 7 / 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 8

E 8 3 Portisch - Petrosian, Palma d e Mallorca I 9 7 4 2 5 9

E 6 2 Mateo - Popchev, Prokuplje I 9 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 8

P 6 6 Karpov - Hubner, Montreal I 9 7 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 9 P 6 7 Karpov - Byrne, Hastings I 9 7 I / 7 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 9

P 2 6 Kramnik - Kamsky, Linares I 9 9 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 8 P 2 7 Motwani - Adams, Moscow I 9 9 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 9

P 6 8 Timman - Salov, St John I 9 8 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 0

P 2 8 Ivanchuk - Ehlvest, Yerevan I 9 9 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 9

P 6 9 Khuzman - Kasparov, Tel Aviv I 9 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 0

P 2 9 Kasparov - Short, Amsterdam I 9 9 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 9 P 3 0 Taimanov - Sanchez, Stockholm I 9 5 2 . . . . . . . . . . 240

P 7 0 Gheorghiu - Grigorov, Prague I 9 8 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 0

P3 I Eliskases - Prins, Stockholm I 9 5 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 40

P 7 2 Dementiev - Kholmov, Riga I 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 I

P3 2 Chernin - Dlugy, Tunis I 985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 I

P7 3 Alekhine - Bogoljubow, The Netherlands I 929 26 I P 7 4 Alekhine - Flohr, Bled I 93 I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 2

P 3 3 Karpov - Miles, Oslo I 9 8 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 I P 3 4 Polugaevsky - Biyiasis, Petropolis I 9 7 3 . . . . . . . . 242

P7 I Lein - Lapienis, Gladenbach I 9 9 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 0

P 7 5 Petrosian - Spassky, Moscow I 9 6 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 2

P3 5 Polugaevsky - Veltmander, Saratov I 9 53 . . . . . . . 24 2

P7 6 Botvinnik - Kan, Leningrad I 9 3 9

P 3 6 Andersson - Gruenfeld, Lucerne I 9 8 2 . . . . . . . . . 242

P 7 7 Smyslov - Petrosian, Moscow I 9 7 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 3

P3 7 Petrosian - Fischer, Belgrade I 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 P 3 8 Kasparov - Petrosian, Niksic I 9 8 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

P 7 8 Karpov - Smyslov, Moscow I 9 8 I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 4

P39 Kasparov - Karpov, London/Leningrad I 9 8 6 244

P 8 0 Geller - Najdorf, Zurich I 9 5 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 4 P8 I Fischer - Petrosian, Belgrade I 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 5

P40 Torre - Karpov, Bad Lauterberg I 9 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 P4 I Boleslavsky - Zurakhov, Kiev I 9 5 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 P42 Alekhine - Euwe, The Netherlands I 9 3 7 . . . . . . 245 P43 Flores - Smyslov, Santiago I 9 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

. . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . .

2 62

P 7 9 Pirc - Bogatyrchuk, Moscow I 9 3 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 4

P 8 2 Smyslov - Petrosian, Zurich I 9 5 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 5 P 8 3 Bogoljubow - Rubinstein, Stockholm I 9 2 0 . 2 6 5 P 8 4 Unzicker - Fischer, Varna I 9 6 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 5

E63 Lowcki - Tartakower, Jurata I 9 3 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 E64 Lobron - Spraggett, Wijk aan Zee I 985 . . . . . . . . 246

P 8 5 Timman - Larsen, Montreal I 9 7 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 6

E65 Gligoric - Averbakh, Titovo Uzice I 966 . . . . . . . 247

P 8 7 Kramnik - Jussupow, Dortmund I 9 9 8 . . . . . . . . . 2 6 7

E66 Kuznetsov - Sakharov, USSR I 9 6 I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 E67 Stein - Kholmov, Tbilisi I 967 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 7

P 8 8 Nimzowitsch - Janowski, Carlsbad I 9 0 7 . . . . . 2 6 7

E68 Androvitzky - Kozma, Vigru I 9 7 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

P 9 0 Jussupow - Anand, Wijk aan Zee I 9 9 4 . . . . . . . . . 2 6 8

E69 Study by Henri Rinck I 926 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

272

P 8 6 Olafsson - Simagin, Moscow I 9 5 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 6

P89 Botvinnik - Bednarski, Palma de Mallorca

I967 267