Middlegame strategy with the Carlsbad pawn structure 9781886846074, 1886846073

Citation preview

Long ogo Philldor tough! that ·pawns are the soul of chess." Today we know that understanding the pawn structure Is vital when choosing a plan of action for the middlegame. Indeed,

any

correct

mlddlegame

plan

depends

on

knowing how the pawns will behave - only then is ij clear

where the pieces should gol That is why Mldd/egame

Strategy takes the guesswork out of planning in chess. Here

NM Robert Leininger examines a single key pawn structure (seen on the cover), exploring each of its passibiiiHes in detail. Concentrating on one fundamental pawn formation lets Leininger cut through the clutter, focusing on how fhe pawns determine which course is best. With Mlddlegame

Strategy, the art of sound planning in chess can be

mastered by players of any level. Known in Russia as the "Carlsbad" pawn structure, this ever­ papular mlddlegame formation is famous in the Queen's Gambit after l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.cxd5 exd5, but is also common

In

the

Gruenfeld,

Nlmzo-lndlan

and

other

openings. The Carlsbad is a ftexlble and dynamic mainstay in the repertoires of many top Grandmasters, who can devise subtle, long range plans because they understand the pawn structure. Mlddlegame Strategy explains every aspect of this complex formaHon, including the minority attack, hanging pawns, the Isolated d-pawn and much more. The lessons learned here will help any player make his mlddlegame decisions with accuracy and confidence.

Middlegame Strategy

With the Carlsbad Pawn Structure

Copyright ©

1997

by Robert Leininger

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and any information storage and retrieval system , without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-886846-07-3 Cover by Statman

Middlegame Strategy §

With the Carlsbad Pawn Structure

Author: Robert Leininger Editor: Sid Pickard

First Printing: July,

Inquiries should be addressed to: Pickard & Son, Publishers P. 0. Box 700982 Dallas, TX 75370 Tel (972) 41 8-6738 Fax (972) 41 8-9052

1997

Thank you Father for teaching me a game which has entertained me for such a long time

Contents

Introduction

9

Chapter One:

The Minority Attack

15

Pawn Structures Material Situations W hite Plays b5 Spassky's ... aS Idea The c5 Squa re Weak c6 Pawn The Initiative Black Plays ... b5 a) The c4 Outpost b) Prophylaxis c) Exchanges on c4 d) Exchanges on c5 Kingside Attack

21 22 22 24 26 30 32 33 33 37 38 39 41

Chapter Two: Botvinnik's Pawn Center

43

Hanging Pawns Center Control Blockade Passed Pawn Attack the Hanging Pawns with Pawns The Advanced Center Space Advantage- The Bind Kingside Attack The ... c5 Break The d5/f5 Formation The e3, d4, e5 Pawn Triangle The e3, f4, e5 Pawn Triangle

45 47 51 55 59 62 63 64 66 67 72 74

Contents

Chapter Three: The Isolated d-Pawn

The Center "Lust to Expand" Blockading the Pawn Kingside Attack The Initiative Endgame Weakness of the Isolani Model Positions Summing Up the Isolani Chapter

77 78 80

84 89 92 96 98 105

Four:

The Balanced Pawn Structure

Attack and Defense Changing the Pawn Structure

107 107 1 09

Chapter Five: The Kingside Attack

The Pawn Storm a) 0-0-0 vs. 0-0 b) 0-0-0 vs. 0-0-0 c) 0-0 vs. 0-0

115 118 118 121 125

Chapter Six: Supplemental Games

1 30

Index of Players Index of Openings Index of Themes

149 152 153

IIIUUUU\,;UUII

Introduction Positional understanding in chess is built upon a clear grasp of the elements within a position. Without this under­ standing, analysis becomes the primi­ tive thought pattern of "if I move here, he moves there. " Positional thought allows a player to rise above this ele­ mentary state, and to think in terms of an overall plan of action. And as World Champion Lasker once said, "A good plan turns us all into heroes, and the lack of one makes us faint-hearted idiots." But how to choose a plan? We know that a player's course of action during a game depends greatly on the pawn structure. That is why the positional elements of chess (like hanging pawns, the isolani, backward and doubled pawns, etc.) are cataloged and studied in most middlegame books. Indeed, many good books have been written on positional chess. Some are classics, some are recent additions to the wealth of available chess literature. Generally, these books will devote a chapter to one positional theme, in which the characteristic ideas of that topic are explained in detail. A few games will be included to show the ideas in action. Then the author will move on to another positional theme, explaining it the same way.

7

He said, "The simultaneous investiga­ tion of positions of different types gives rise only to muddled thoughts, whereas the thorough study of a single type can­ not fail to raise the level of one's posi­ tional knowledge." This book intends to explore a single, often seen pawn structure (common to several openings) and examine it in de­ tail. Each positional theme available in this pawn formation will be discussed from both sides. Countermeasures will be explained, as well as methods of exe­ cuting the various themes. Each and every idea will be illustrated with sev­ eral high quality games. Our single pawn structure is a forma­ tion known in Russia as the "Carlsbad." This structure is famous in the Queen's Gambit, resulting from the Exchange Variation. However, it is also common in the Nimzo-Indian and Grunfeld de­ fenses, and variations of this pawn for­ mation show up in several openings. The positional themes learned from the Carlsbad, therefore, are not limited to use within that formation.

Only after the positional elements that come from this pawn structure (such as "hanging pawns") are understood and absor:bed, is it possible to speak of mak­ ing a plan. Without this kind of knowl­ edge, a player is forced to "figure it out over the board." Here the common patterns arising from the Carlsbad formation are repeatedly seen, to im­ print their principles into the reader's However, this s t andard teaching mind. method does not seem to follow the adVice given by the greatest Master of The annotations of this book will con­ positional chess, Aron Nimzowitsch. centrate on the battle of ideas, and not

lU

J.TIIUUI .....

C,QII.I .....

>JLJ.

QL""'f5J

each tactical tum in the game. With few exceptions all the games annotated will be related to the Carlsbad structure, a n d addi tional (sometimes non­ Carlsbad) games relating to our posi­ tional themes are included in the supplemental games section. Concerning the games selected, our examples are not restricted to great "anthology" games; some will show flawed execution, or the mechanical and erroneous use of a theme. Some show mistaken j udgment caused by minor changes in the position, or failure to consider the defenses available. Some games are given because they are simply interesting or even historical, as long as they advance our under­ standing of the Carlsbad. Finally, differ­ ent eras are represented to highlight the ongoing evolution of ideas. Each game is highly instuctive, however, and illus­ trates key aspects of the Carlsbad for­ mation. As with all the principles in chess strat­ egy, never assume they will simply work by themselves. There is no substitute for analysis. Keep in mind also that the goal of this book is to study the ideas themselves, not the individual games.

The diagram above shows the Carlsbad pawn structure, which will be the cen­ ter of our discussion in the following pages. This formation was named after the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit, which made its debut in the tournament at Carlsbad, 1 923. Let's in­ troduce our subject with an early exam­ ple of this pawn structure in action. At the moment we are concerned only with the final position, but the entire game is instructive. Besides, after we examine the Carlsbad in depth, this game will be a lot more meaningful.

Which brings up a important point about this book and the Carlsbad. As we will see, this pawn structure existed long before this particular variation was played, and it is the structure itself I hope you relish studying this book as which is the focus of our study - not much as I have enjoyed writing it. Dur­ opening analysis. The intent is to exam­ ing our investigation we will discover ine how this pawn structure reacts to fascinating positional ideas, tactical various positional ideas. slugging matches, blunders and inter­ (001) Euwe,M-Rubinstein A esting events. We invite you on a great Carlsbad 1929 journey toward understanding this sin­ gle, delightfully complex pawn struc­ l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.lQc3 lQf6 4.Ag5 lLlbd7 5.e3 Ae7 6.lQf3 0-0 7.l::tcl ture - the Carlsbad. l::te8 8.Ad3 a6 9.cd5 edS 10.0-0 c6 11. ffc2 lQf8 12.lQe5 lQg4 13.Ae7 '

1Je7 14.lbf3 �e6 15.lbe2 J::(ad8 game and search for improvements and 1 6. tfc5 J::(d 6 17.lbg3 g6 18.b4 possible continuations from the final �c8 1 9 . a4 lbe6 20. 1fc3 lbg5 position. There are doubtless many dif­ 21.�e2 h5 22.lbg5 fig5 23. fic5 ferent ways that the fight could have J:[de6 24.b5 ab5 2 5. ab5 fih4 been conducted and continued. Re­ 26.Ag4 eg4 21.bc6 beG 2s.eb6 member that we are concentrating on Ad7 29.'flc7 ,ll6e7 30.l:lfe1 h4 the Queenside pawns. More options will appear as we examine the concepts 31.lbe2, 1/2-1/2 revolving around the other pawns.

The following game was an experiment by Tal to avoid the last pawn struc­ ture. However, the attempt failed and he found himself saddled with the same weakness he was trying to avoid.

(002) Seirwan, Y-Tal, M Niksic 1983

The final position features several ele­ ments that we will be spending a great deal of time learning, along with the maneuvers leading to this position. For example, White successfully executed the minority attack, creating a back­ ward c-pawn in Black's camp. Mean­ while, Black used his most powerful countermeasure, the Kingside attack. Another important feature of this posi­ tion is the material balance: White's Queen, two Rooks and Knight versus Black's Queen, two Rooks and white­ squared Bishop. This is one of the ma­ terial distributions that White should strive for in the minority attack. Are we saying that White should win this game? No, the position is dynami­ cally equal. Yet the possible continu­ ations and plans available merit study. After finishing the minority attack chapter, the student should review this

l .d4 t0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 Ab4 4. 1tc2 d5 5.cd5 ed5 6.Ag5 h6 7.Af6 fff6 8.a3 Ac3 9.11'c3 0-0 10.e3 Af5 11.lQe2 J:[c8 12.l0g3 Ae6 13.b4 The battle for most of the game will revolve around control of the cS s q u a r e . 13 . . . a5 14.Ae2 ab4 15.ab4 J:[a1 16.'flal 'fle7 17.ffc3 t0c6 18.b5 lQdS 19.0-0 c5 20.bc6 bc6

In a very roundabout way, we have arriv.ed at a standard pawn structure resulting from the minority attack.

12

Midd l egame Strategy

21.J;Ict.1td7 22.1'Wa5 wrs 23.t!\Va7 ,1iLe6 24. 1tb6 1fc7 25. 1Wbl Wg8 Stopping Whi t e ' s 26.\'Wh7 t h re a t . 26.Ad3 1Je7 27.1fc2 Ad7 28.Ah7 whs 29.Af5 Af5 30.lDf5 1td7 3t.tDh4 tDe6 32.1ff5 c5 Tal cor­ rectly attempts to rid himself of the weak pawn. With accurate play this game should end in a draw. 33.dc5 1fe7? Better is 33 . . . �g8, releasing the 'if from the protection of the f-pawn. 34.g3 1fd7 35.c6 l:(c6 36.1:lc6 tWc6 37.fff7 lDg5 38.'trf5 1Jf6 39.ttf6 gf6 40.lDf5 wh7 41.h4, 1-0. After 41. . . 'Lle6 42.h5 'Llc7 43.�fl Black can­ not defend his weak pawns on d5 and h6. In the following game, Fischer crea­ tively uses a minor change in the pawn structure to equalize the position for Black. The doubled b-pawns act to improve Black's position, and is an im­ portant pattern to remember.

In the next example Reshesvky, one of great positional players, ignores the Queenside pawns to carry out a King­ side attack.

(004) Reshevsky,S-Jarecki Pasadena 1 983 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.tDc3 Ae7 4.cd5 ed5 s ..a.f4 c6 6.e3 �.f5 7.g4 Ag6 s.tDf3 lDd7 9.Ad3 tDgf6 10.h3 tDe4 It is normally good to occupy the e4 square, but only if you can support the outpost. Here the maneuver wastes time, serving only to exchange one of Black's best pieces. 1 1.'Cfc2 lDg5 1 2 . .a, g 5 A g 5 13. 0 - o - o A d 3 14.1fd3 .a.e7 15.wb1 o - o The � steps in front of an approaching attack, but Black's Queenside counterplay is too slow.

(003) Stein, L-Fischer, R Stockholm 1 962 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.lDf3 lD{6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 c6 6.tDc3 Af5 7.1fb3 'Cfb6 8.Af6 gf6 9.e3 tDa6 10. 1fb6 ab6 The Carlsbad with the interesting twist of doubled b- and f-pawns. The former should favor Black, though here his weak Kingside pawns balance the scales. Both sides have equal chances. n.wd2 wd7 12.g3 b5 n.a3 tDc7 14.tDh4 Ae6 15.Ad3 lDe8 16.tDf5 lD d 6 1 7 . tD d 6 A d 6 1 8 . e 4 b4 19.ab4 Ab4 20.ed5 Ad5 21.I:ta8 .�:laB 2 2 .ae1 h 6 2 3 . w c 2 J:la5 24.I:[e3 Ae6 25.l:le4 Ac3 26.wc3 l:lh5, 1/2-1/2

16.h4 b5 17.lDg5 lDf6 18.f3 DeS 19.e4 de4 20.fe4 lDg4 B l a ck's po­ s i tion is desperate; on either 20. h6 or 20 . . . b5 White replies 2 1 .e5 winning. 21.e5 g6 22.'Cff3 .a,g5 23.hg5 'Cfg5 24.tDe4 '@'f5 25. 'Cfg4, 1-0 ..

In addition to attacking possibilities, White has several positional plans of action involving the pawns available in the Carlsbad. These positional con-

cepts will make up the bulk of this book's discussion. Each has merit, and each will determine the course of play for both sides during the opening, and perhaps the entire game. We will ex­ plore these plans in detail, explaining the positional themes and reviewing games in which the strategy is used. Generally, the positional plans available to White in the Carlsbad structure are:

1) Initiate the "Minority Attack" on the Queenside, and make use of the pawn structure weaknesses it creates.

2) Use the "Botvinnik Pawn Center," with possible outcomes that include hanging pawns, the advanced center, the balanced pawn formation (d4 vs. d5) or even an isolani.

3)Play for e4, supported by pieces only. With the exception of hanging pawns, this idea can have the same positional results listed in #2 above. However, slight changes are noticable in the dy­ namics of each position. 4) Pawn Storm on the Kingside. It should be understood that play in the Carlsbad is a mixture of the possibilities just described. This book intends to look at the parts in order to better un­ derstand the whole struggle of ideas Within the Carlsbad structure. Does this mean Black has to wait and see what White's plans are going to be? In some ways yes and in others no. The Carlsbad is very rich in potential. Black's ability to coordinate attack and defense offers several ways to fight for

the initiative. Black's options depend partly on what White plays, yet no more than in other dynamic systems. Black's ability to attain the advantage in the Carlsbad depends on the posting of his pieces, and their effect on both attack and defense. Among the coun­ termeasures against White's positional plans, Black has the following:

1) A Kingside attack in conjunction with using the strong squares and semi­ open center file. 2) The e4 square has several possible uses. Pressure against it restricts the expansion ofWhite's center pawns, and it can become an outpost supporting an attack or blockading plan. This forma­ tion also presents the chance for an outpost on c4, a classic attack and de­ fense situation for the Knight.

3) Use the semi-open e-file for attack and defense. A Rook properly played can be very aggressive and support a weak pawn simultaneously. For exam­ ple, . . . l::t e6 defends any weak pawn on c6 while threatening to shift Kingside along the sixth rank. This book will proceed systematically through the Carlsbad pawn structure. First, the minority attack will be inves­ tigated to understand the Queenside pawns, i.e. establishing, defending and eliminating weak pawns, and using open lines and outposts. The investiga­ tion will continue by exploring posi­ tional themes related to the center pawns, such as hanging pawns, the iso­ lated d-pawn, advanced center and bal­ anced pawn structure. And each step of

14

the way we will take note of the embed­ ded Kingside attack possibilities. The last chapter will directly take up the Kingside attack, examining the pawn storm as we complete our study of the Carlsbad formation.

minority attack, and the logical coun­ termeasures to this attack, let's look

at a re l e ven r miniature from yester­ year.

(005) Mason,J-Teichmann,R Monte Carlo 1903

As seen from this brief discussion, the Carlsbad is a rich and beautiful example of the practical struggle in chess. Each side has equal, yet different, strong and weak positional features in the position, and each strives to overpower or out maneuver the other. The battle of ideas within the Carlsbad mirrors the evolu­ tion of chess theory, which is a never ending struggle. As we come to under­ stand the positional possibilities within Carlsbad, we ourselves participate in the advancement of chess knowledge.

The Carlsbad received its name (as pointed out by Gary Hewitt) roughly during the birth of modern positional c he s s . Wi t h t h e p u b l i s h i n g of Nimzowitsch's writings the average chess player became acquainted with the terms "overprotection," "isolani," etc. His success at the Carlsbad tourna­ ment of 1 929 announced Nimzowitsch as one of the strongest players in the world. At this time some of the greatest chess players in history were expanding on the ideas of Steinitz, developing what soon became known as the "hypermodern" school. New opening systems were discovered and debated at the highest levels of play. The Carlsbad was (and still is !) at the center of posi­ tional debates between the world's top players. Before we move on to explore what the Queenside pawns can do in the

t.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3 .e3 e6 4.l0f3 Ad6 5.l0c3 f5 We will see that the Carlsbad can evolve from many openings, and here we have a position from the Dutch defense. 6.Jld2 l0d7 7.cd5 ed5 Now we have the Carlsbad. 8.Ad3 l0h6 9.g3 ffe7 IO.'i!Ve2 l0f6 ll .l0g5 l0e4 1 2.fih5 g6 13.fth6 l0g5 14.jle2

·

14 . . . f41 1 5 .gf4?? l0f7 1 6. ffg7 ffd8!, 0-1. With this retreat White must now lose his 'iV to 17 . .if8!, and the only Black piece developed is the EU on f7! ..

1

IJII;i JVIHJUI n.y

�LLO.'"""-

,_,

The Minority

(006) Pachman, L---Cardoso ,R Portoroz 1 958

Attack

1.c4 �f6 2.�c3 e6 3.�f3 d5 4.d4 Ab4 5.cd5 ed5 6 . .1lg5 0-0 7.e3 c6 s.ec2 �bd7 9.Ad3 h6 10..1lh4 l:[e8 11 .0-0 Ad6 12.l:lab1 �f8 13.b4 The minority attack begins. Black has to make several positional c h o i c e s i n t h e n e x t fe w mov e s . 13 ... Ag4 14.�d2 a6 If White con­ tinues with the minority attack, Black wants to open the a-file for counterplay. 15.IDct Ah5 16.l0f1 Ag6 17.�a4 Ad3 1s. ed3 �g6 19.Af6 ef6 20.�c5 l:le7 21.a4 l0f8 22.1:[c2 h5 23.b5 ab5 24.ab5 �e6 25.bc6 bc6 The strategic goal of the minority at­ tack has been achieved with the crea­ tion of this backward pawn on the semi-open c-file. White now uses this weakness to infiltrate the enemy camp, win material and pressure the opposing �- 26. �b7 �d8 27.�d8 l:(dS 2S.ea6 Not 28.l:!.c6? �h2 winning easily. 28 ...l:le6 29.l:lb6 h4 30.1:(bc6 h3 3 1 . �g3 hg2 3 2.wg2 1th4 33.1:[c8 Ag3 Pachman uses these complications to simplify the position, knowing that his extra pawn and Black's isolated d-pawn weakness add up to a decisive endgame advantage. A common positional pattern, the con­ version of one weakness into several concessions. 34.l:[d8 wh7 35 ...d3 l:[g6 36.hg3 eds 37.1ff5 Threat­ ening to win the d-pawn, and forcing Black's reply. 37... 1fg5 3S.eg5 l:lg5 39.1:lc5 wg6 40.f4 l:th5 41.g4, 1-0

The minority attack is an advance by fewer pawns against a greater number of opposing pawns. The side conduct­ ing the minority attack (usually White) will have a semi-open file for his Rook, adding power to t h e minori t y ' s advance. This attack creates specific pawn structure weaknesses in the enemy camp, but it can be defended against, or even prevented, by maneu­ vers which we will examine in the fol­ lowing pages. Each method of defense has its advantages, but each will involve making certain concessions. The idea behind the minority attack is quite simple, and at the same time very shrewd. Use the semi-open file to estab­ lish piece pressure on the opponent's " e xtra" pawn, while the minority sets out to weaken his pawn structure. The following game by Grandmaster Lude k Pachman demonstrates the simplicity and power of the minority attack.

A classic example of coordinated effort between pawns and pieces, using the minority attack to govern their activi­ ties. Notice the minority att �ck in itself did not win the game. However, it did

16

M lddlegame ::::.rraiegy

set up the situations needed to create a winning advantage. The next example, which again demon­ s trates the basic properties of this theme, is taken from the same round of the same tournament. Petrosian uses the weak c-pawn, created by the minority attack, to distract his oppo­ nent's pieces while he prepares to assault the Kingside.

33.hg4 l:lb7 34.l:(cl 'itb5 35.iff3 f6 36.g5 lLlf5 36 . . .fe5 37.fif6 �g8 38.l:thl wins. 37.gf6 c;Yf6 38.!lc6 c;Ye7 39. Ylf4, 1-0

We have already touched upon the sub­ ject of the initiative; in the above exam­ ples the minority attack established a condition (weak pawn) which could be used to maintain the initiative. In these two games Black allowed the minority attack to strike with b5, and after the exchange on c6 there resulted a weak (007) Petros ian, T-Rossetto, H pawn. Both games illustrate the choices Portoroz 1 958 l.d4 d 5 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 lt)f6 4.cd5 Black must make in response to the ed5 5.ltlf3 il.e7 6.Af4 c6 7. \'fc2 minority attack. Would it be better to lt)a6 8.a3 0-0 9.e3 lt)c7 lO.il.d3 have an isolated d-pawn by exchanging lt)e6 ll.Ae5 g6 12.0-0 lt)g7 13.b4 . . .cxb5, or a backward c-pawn by letting a6 t4.Af6 Af6 t5.a4 Af5 t6.Af5 White exchange on c6? Which of these lt)f5 1 7 . b 5 a b 5 1 8 . ab 5 1t d 6 disadvantages can be defended, while maintaining active pieces? Also, should 19.bc6 bc6 White's advance to b5 be allowed, or prevented by Black's own ... b5 push? These questions and more we will seeek to answer as we break down the minor­ ity attack into its basic elements. Let's take a look at a couple of games where Black chooses the isolated d­ pawn over the backward pawn on c6. Normally this choice is not best, as the following games demonstrate.

Again White has achieved his primary objective with the minority attack, a backward pawn on the semi-open file. Petrosian uses the threat of winning this pawn to tie up Black's pieces. 20.lt)a4

(008) Smyslov, V-Keres, P Moscow 1948

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 lt)f6 4.Ag5 c6 5.e3 lt)bd7 6.cd5 ed5 7.Ad3 Ae7 8.ltlf3 0-0 9.1fc2 DeS 10.0-0 lt)fs ll.J:[ab1 lt)g6 1 2.b4 Ad6 W b8 2l.lt)c5 Y!'fe7 22.lt)d3 1Vb7 13.b5 Ad7 14.bc6 Ac6 Pachman 23.lt)fe5 i!e5 24.lt)e5 l:tal 25.l:lal annotates this game in his classic book l0 e 7 2 6 . g 3 1f b 2 2 7 . 1fd l h 5 Modem Chess Strategy, and states "In 28.l:(cl tlb6 29.h3 c;Yg7 30.c;Yg2 almost all positions of this type, it is a e a 3 3 1 .l:la l tlb2 3 2 .g4 hg4 mistake to retake on c6 with a piece: a

pawn on c6 can generally be defended more easily than the weak pawns on b7 and d5. 15. 1Vb31 Highlighting the weak pawn on dS. 15 ... Ae7 16.Af6! This lLl was Black's best placed piece.

The next game provides a clear model

the minority attack, to the resulting weak pawns. Long term strategic plans like the minority attack were the basis of Capablanca's genius. for carrying out and laying seige

16... Af6 17.Ab5 1fd6 1S. .ID'c1 h5 19.�e2 h4 20.Ac6 bc6 21. ffa4 �e7 Pachman considers Black to be (009) Capablanca,J-4Jolombek,H strate gically lost and gives 22. 'f!V a6! Margate 1 939 as the correct procedure here, after t .d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 Ab4 which there is no defense to the threat 4.YWc2 d5 5.cd5 ed5 6.Ag5 c6 7.e3 2 3 .l:tb7 . 22.l:(b7? a5! �bd7 S .il d 3 h 6 9 .1l h 4 0-0 10.�f3 DeS 1 1.0-0 ,ile7 12 .1lg3 �fS 13.h3 ,ile6 14.l:(abl �h5 15.,1lh2 g6 16.�e5 �g7 17.b4 .ilf5 17 . . . a6 1S.�a4 .ild3 19.1rd3 �d7 20.)Vc1 �e5 20 a6? 2 l .ltJd7 'i!¥ d7 2 2 . 'Db6 2 1 . Ae5 ,ild6? The exchange of dark-squared As is a desir­ able goal for White (not Black!) when conducting the minority attack. Why? When the minor pieces are all ltJs, any outposts should favor White. The dark­ squared i. would have helped Black create counterplay, with its control over 23.h3 Better than 2 3 ..1k bl l:teb8! c5. While it is obviously tempting to 24.l:tb8 l:tb8 2 5 . l:tb8 'i!Vb8 26.\\Y aS exchange the well posted White i., yet 'ti'bl 27.lLlel ltJ fS 28.e6, 1/2-1/2

Pawn Structures So far we seen what the minority attack is and can do, along with ways of react­ ing to the attack. Now let's review what pawn structure changes White is striv­ ing for. As with any well planned attack, spe­

cific objectives must be established. This is especially true when the minor­ ity attack is launched in the Carlsbad structure. Done correctly, White should expect one of the following pawn structures to be the result of his actions.

Naturally, in the last two diagrams there could be an a-pawn on the board for both sides. In fact, one of the more ingenious defenses is to keep the a­ pawns on the board (at a5 and a4), giving the pawn structure seen at the top of the next page. This position offers additional counterplay for Black by controlling the b4 square, and hinders White from occupying the c5 square with a Knight, because the maneuver l2Ja4-c5 is no longer possible. Grand­ master Boris Spassky came up with this imaginative idea. (see next diagram)

22

Mtaa tegame �trategy

ponent's defense of multiple weak­ nesses , don't if the opposing Queen is tied d own defending a single weakness.

Material Situations When White is conducting a minority attack, Black's best chances occur when there are still several pieces (es­ pecially minor pieces) on the board. This material gives him the opportunity to counter White's Queenside action with a Kingside attack. The position becomes difficult for Black when the minor pieces have all been exchanged. With both minor and major pieces on the board, the prospects vary according to the combination of pieces. White has good chances with a combination of Queen, 2 Rooks and a Knight versus Queen, 2 Rooks and a white-squared Bishop. White is also better if both sides have another Knight. Black, however, has the better chances when both sides have a Queen, 2 Rooks and a Knight.

Let's see what each piece offers in the position. With a Knight against the white-squared Bishop, it is easy to see that the Knight will have targets which the Bishop will have to defend. When the minor pieces are all Knights, the inherent Carlsbad outposts in Black's pos i t i on are improved. The major pieces contribute force to any attack on weak points, along with speed in attack­ ing multiple targets. Obviously, as with any principles of chess strategy, this advice should not be blindly followed. As Pachman once wrote, "Never underestimate the im­ portance of comprehensive analysis of each i ndividual position."

White Plays b5

Regarding major pieces, the side with the advantage should recall the axiom Now we look at the options available that two Rooks are better than one. after White's bS thrust. The coming Exchanging the Queens forms an inter­ pawn exchanges can be made on bS, or esting question that has two answers for allowed on c6. If the pawn is exchanged the player holding an advantage. Ex­ on bS (or taken with a piece on c6) the change when doing so reduces the op- resulting structure has weak pawns on

J ne JVJinOfii)' AUaCK

d5 and b7. The other option, in theory considered better, is to permit the exchange on c6, resulting in only one weak pawn, the backward c6 pawn. Neither option is correct all of the time, and positional judgment is required to determine which is best for the position at hand. However, having two weak­ nesses to defend instead of one will very often be the difference between a hard fought draw and losing the game. Typically, then, Black will permit the exchange on c6, leaving only one weak pawn instead of two. However, if the weak pawn cannot be defended effi­ ciently on c6, shielded by an outpost on c4 or pushed to c5, perhaps the other option is better. One key to making the correct choice is to answer the ques­ tion, "Can the pawn be defended effi­ ciently?" By "efficient" we mean, while defending the weak pawn will our pieces be active (placed on desirable squares) and eventually support the elimination of this disadvantage? The Carlsbad calls upon us to make long term strategic decisions which require a deep understanding of the position. However, by recognizing the patterns of the minority attack the decision be­ comes easier. In fact, Black should select his overall plan well before allowing the b5 thrust, when other defensive maneuvers are possible, such as . . . b5 or . . . a5 (which we will review later in this book) . In the following game Flohr illustrates clearly the use of the minority attack as a positional maneuver to convert a strong position into a winning posi­ tion.

LJ

(01 5) Flohr, S-Lasker,Em Nottingham 1 936 1./t)f3 d5 2.d4 lt)f6 3.c4 e6 4./t)c3 .i.b4 5.cd5 ed5 6 ..i.g5 1fd6 7 ..i,f6 gf6 8. 1fc2 /t)c6 9.e3 /t)e7 10.a3 .ac3 11.Ylc3 f5 12.g3 .i.d7 13./t)e5 ,.ae6 14./t)d3 0-0 15 ..i.e2 ,�ladS 16.0-0 _ac8 17.J:tacl c6

Lasker has several positional problems. He has a "bad .i." versus a "good �." the safety of his r:; is questionable and he has weak Kingside pawns. But how to improve White's position? Flohr uses the minority attack to weaken the enemy Queenside pawns . 18.ffc5 1fc5 19.:lc5 Wg7 20.b4 a6 2l.a4 Wf6 2 2 .%:tc 2 we6 2 3 . b5 a b 5 24.ab5 Wd6 25.bc6 bc6

24

Middlegame Strategy

By understanding the pawn formations that the minority attack produces, Flohr could have easily seen this posi­ tion in his mind's eye from the last diagram. In the meantime, Lasker still has not solved any of his positional problems and now has another weak p a w n t o defe n d . 26.�c5 !IdeS 27.1la1 Ae6 2S.x:Ica2 J:[hS 29.l::ta7 J::tb6 30.Ah5 ,Wbs 31.Af7 l:lh1 3 l . .j. f7 32. l:td7 mate. 32.l:[h1 .J::[b1 33.1it>g2 �cS 34.l:[h7 l:th7 35.�h7 we7 36.Ae6 we6 37.wf3 �e7 3S.�c5, 1-0. For if 38 . . . �d6 39. �f4, or 38 . .'� f6 39.lLld7 'iit e6 40.lL\f8 win­ ning a pawn. Infiltration on the King­ side is deadly.

White plays this position brilliantly, making it look like a simple win due to the weak pawn on c6. 31.@h7 l:[cS 32.l:[c3 tWeS 33 . .tlcl g6 34.l:[a1 l:lhS 35. @c7 l:[cS 36. 1Wf4 l:[aS Our next game is an exceptional exam­ 37.l:[c1 l:::tcS 3S.@f6 @e6 39.'1Ve6 ple of winning Grandmaster technique, fe6 40.Iit>g2 lit>g7 4t .wf3 wf6 after producing the classical weak pawn 42.1it>f4 l:[c7 43.f3 ncs 44.g41 hg4 45.fg4 t{hS 46.g5 we7 47.c;Yg4 on c6. wd6 4S.�fl c;Ye7 49.I!f6 ags 50.h5 gh5 51.c;Yh5 c5 52.dc5r'(cS (01 6) Savon, V-Mochalov,E 53.l:lf3 l::tc 5 54.g6 l:lc1 55.af7 Orel 1995 c;Yd6 5 6.g7 llg 1 57.c;Yh6 l:lg3 1.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�f3 d5 4.�c3 5S.:t'6 :h3 59.c;Yg6 l:te3 60.c;Yf7 Ah4 5.cd5 ed5 6.Ag5 �hd7 f!g3 61.l:le6 wc5 62.I!g6 r!f3 7."fWc2 h6?1 S.Af6 Ac3 8 . . .lL\f6?? 63.we7 I:te3 64.wd7, 1-o 9.fV a4 9.@c3 �f6 IO.h4 �e4 ll.@b2 c6 12.e3 @d6 13.a3 0-0 14.Ad3 I!eS 15.0-0 Ae6 16.1:tfc1 Spassky's ... a5 Idea �:lacS 17.a4 The minority attack will produce a weak pawn on c6. 17...a6 1S.Afl "fie7 19.�e5 �d6 20.�d3 In contrast to the previous game, we Af5?! 20 . . . b5! 21.�c5 �e4 Black is present one in which White's tech­ already struggling to find active moves. nique is poor, and he loses the game after reaching a superior position with 22.�e4 @e4 23.h5 ah5 24.ah5 the minority attack. Also, take careful Ad7 25.g3 r'(aS 26.bc6 Ac6 I f nnte of the ... aS idea, one of the latest 26 . . . bc6 27. �b7 : a l 28. na l : ds defensive schemes against White's 29.�c7 �e7 30.l::t a7 ..t>f8 3 1 .j.h3! and White's pressure is overwhelming. minority attack. 27.h4 h5 2S.Ah51 Eliminating the defender of the weak pawns. 2S...1te6 29.I:laS :laS 30.Ac6 bc6

IIIC JVlliiUI

ny

ru.. L.a."'"'n.

36.wf1 wg6 37.we2 g4 3S.h4 f6 (017) Sotnikov,I-Pushkov, N 39.ltlb6J:(e8 40.ltlb3 ltlf5 41.ltld7 Elista 1 995 t.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 Ae7 4.ltlf3 Ag311 42.fg3 ltlg3 43.wf2 ltle4 ltl{6 5.cd5 ed5 6. .i,g5 c6 7.1fc2 44.wg2 cod6 45.l:lc7 !'le3 46.!'lc6 ltla6 s.a3 ltlc7 9.e3 ltle6 10. .i,h4 coe4 47.cobc5 l:lg3 4s.wf1 .af3 g6 tt.Ad3 ltlg7 12.0-0 Af5 The 49.we1 !'le3 50.wd1 g3 51.!'lc8 point of Black's opening plan, exchang­ wf5 52.!'lg8 'Of2 53.Wd2 lla3 ing the "bad" �. 13.b4 a6 14..i,f6 54.we2 cog4 55.wfl wt4 56.cof6 Wf3, o-1 .i,f6 15.a4 0-0 16.b5 a51?

The following game clearly demon­ strates the possibilities available with Spassky's idea.

This is an idea of former World Cham­ pion Spassky. By keeping a pawn on a4 the White CU has a difficult time of reaching the c5 outpost. Also the Black pawn on aS allows possible counterplay by controlling the b4 square. 17.,!:iab1 Ad3 18.'«fd3 ltlf5 19.Jlfcl I:leS 20.bc6 bc6 21.ltle2 t'#d6 22. fic3 l:la6 23.ltlf4 I:!bS 24.ltld3 ,!:ib1 2 5.J:lb1 ttc7 26.'«fb3 Ads 27.coc5 l:la7 28.t'#bSI Wg7 29.coe5 'Oe7 30.coed7 ttbs 31.I(b8 Ac7 The endgame favors White, who can attack two potential targets: the pawns on a5 and c6. The actual result of the game is due to poor play by White. 32.l:(bl? As Baburin points out in his annota­ tions to this game, White can win a pawn here by 32. l:tb7! l::t b7 (32 . . . l:U c8 33.l:ta7 l:Ua7 34.l:U b7) 33.l:U b7 l:U c8 3 4.l:Udc5, planning l:U c5-b3. 32 ... .i,d6

33.nb7 nas 34.g3 h5 35.h3 g5

(01 8) Korchnoi, V -Spassky,B Beograd 1 977 1.c4 e6 2.'0c3 d5 3.d4 Ae7 4.cof3 cof6 5 . .i.g5 h6 6.,i.h4 0-0 7.e3 b6 S.!'lcl Ab7 9.�f6 .1i.f6 10.cd5 ed5 ll.b4 c6 12 ..1i.d3 ];le8 13.0-0 'Od7 14.'fWb3 'Of8 15.ID'd1 !'lc8 16 ..1i,b1 t0e6 17.a4 Aa8 18.J\a2 l::tc7 19.t:fb1 a5 20.ba5 ba5 21.'fWb6 J:lb7 22. t:fd8 Obviously, White can­ not take the pawn on c6, e.g. 22.'ii'c6?? l:tb6 a n d W h i t e l o s e s m a t e r i a l . 2 2... !'ld8 23.'0e1 Repositioning his t:tJ to guard the c5 square. Without the pawns on a4 and a5, White would sim­ ply move the other t:u allowing the n (and possibly CU) to guard c5. 23 ... l::tb6 24.'0d3 l:[db8 25.h3 Ab7 26.�e5 Ae5 27.de5 !'lb4 One of the uses for the strong b4 square in this formation: infiltration into White's position, with the added bonus of attacking the weak pawn on a4. 28.f3?1 .1i,a6 29.l:ld2 �c4 30.f4 t0c5 31.J:(d4 'Od3 Using simple tactics Black improves his posi­ tional advantages. With the CU reposi­ tioned at b2 and the .. c5 push, Black could continue to advance the center pawns and win the game without too many problems. Whites resorts to a .

26

Midd legame Strategy

poor sacrifice in an attempt to prevent the oncoming march of the pawns. 32.J:[d1 l0b2 33.Jlc1 c5 34.Jld5?1 Ad5 35.Ad5 c4 36.l0e4 l0a4, 0-1. Korchnoi did not want to test Spassky's endgame technique. While pursuing an advantage with the minority attack on the Queenside, al­ ways look out for a Kingside attack by the opponent. This idea is the strongest and most successful defense to the minority attack.

(019) Mozny,M-Dumitrache, D Odorheiu 1 995 1.c4 e6 2.l0f3 d5 3.d4 c6 4.cd5 ed5 5.l0c3 l0f6 6. 'ti'c2 Ae7 7.Ag5 l0bd7 8.e3 0-0 9.�d3 �e8 10.0-0 l0f8 ll.�f6 One of many standard moves for White in this position. The idea of the text is b4, without the pre­ paratory move ttbl . ll ...�f6 12.b4 a6 13.a4 �g4 14.l0d2 Ae7 15.b5 a5 Another . . . aS plan would begin here wi th l S . . . cbS 1 6.abS aS, and Black will have a protected passed pawn. There is little experience with this idea, but Black's b- and d-pawns look very weak. 16.bc6 bc6 17.l0a2?1 Played in the spirit of the minority attack, preventing . . cS which would remove the typical weakness. However, the iLJ is badly placed. This clearly illus­ trates one of the advantages of the . . aS idea, removing the a4 square from the l:LJ's reach. Instead, 1 7.�fS!? was possi­ ble. 17 �d6 18.Wc1 1i'f6 19.l0fl Jlac8 2U.l:labl l0g6 2l.llb6 �a3 22.J:lcbl l0h4 .

.

.•.

(see next diagram)

Black's attack is developing quickly, al­ ready he threatens 23...�!!. 23.l:;Ub3? 23.'iJg3! 23 l0g21 Beautiful; White is los t . 24.l:la3 lOel 25.1i'cl 1i'f3 26.1i'el, 0-1. There is no defense to 26 ... �h3 and mate on g2. ..•

The c5 Square Before pushing the pawn to b5, it i:s very important for White to control the c5 square. If Black can reply ... c5 in response to b5, then the minority attack does not produce the desired pawn structure advantages. Not to mention that a pawn on b5 can prove to be very weak. In addition, with the c-file open (after deS) White's control of squares along this file is lessened with the pawn on b5 instead of b2. These observations apply mainly to the minority attack. The complicated theme of the isolated d-pawn will be discussed later in the book. However, the concept of weak squares should especially be noted. Now, let's look at some games which illustrate the . . . c5 thrust as a defense to the minority attack.

I lit;

lVJHIUIILY J-\.ll(:U.;J\.

(020) Cramling, P-Tisdall,J Reykjavik 1 995 t.d4 d5 2.l0f3 �f6 3.c4 c6 4.�c3 e6 5..i.g5 h6 6..i,f6 "'f6 7.e3 �d7 s.Ad3 g6 9.0-o .i.g7 to.cd5 ed5 l l.b4 1td6 12.1fb3 Black is pre­ pared to play . . c5 if White continues the minority attack with b5. This factor costs White time, since he has to find a way to prevent . c5, either by control­ ling the square or putting pressure on the d-pawn. 12 ... �b6 13.a4 .i,e6 t4./lld 2 0-0 15.!V'cl l0d7 16.l0e2 J:(fe8 17.Dabl f5 18.'tfc3 Dac8 1 9 ./ll b 3 b6 20.a5 llc7 2 1 .�c2 £f7 22.tfd2 ltif6 23.1l'fcl l0e4 24. /ll c 3?! 2 4 . g3!? slows down the attack. 24... l0c3 25.l:lc3 f4! The Kingside attack begins. 26.ab6 ab6 27.Ah5 fe3 28.fe3 �e6 29.Ae2 h5 30 .i.f3 Ah6 31.ltial g5! 32.g4 hg4 33.Ag4 .U,e4 34 . .i.f3 !ih4 35.J:(b2 .i.e8 36.b5 g4 37.I!g2 Dg7 38 . .i.dl cb5 39 . .i.b3 .11Lg6 40.J:(c8 Wh7 4t ..i.c2 .ID13 42.l:le8 &3 43 .De 5 D h 2 44.nh2 g h 2 45.¢'h2 ,i.e4 46.Ae4 de4 47.1l'ffl •a6 48.'iff5 1tf5 49.l:lf5 Ae3 50./l)c2 .11Ld 2 51.Db5 �c7 52.l0b4 Dc4 53.l0d5 J:ld4 54.wg2 Ag5 55./llb6 wg6 56.Dd5 Db4 57.l0d7 .i.f4 58.l0e5 wf6 59.l0c6 .r!b2 60.\Pfl e3 61./lld4 W2 62.c;Yel .tg3 63.wdt Dd2 64.wct Ae5 65.J:le5 we5 66.l0f3 c;Yf4 67.l0d2 e2,0-1 .

..

•

�,

L.l

(021) Piket,J-Timman,J Wijk aan Zee 1 996

l.d4 ltif6 2.c4 e6 3.l0f3 d5 4.l0c3 l0bd7 5.cd5 ed5 6 ..i.g5 c6 7.e3 .i.e7 8 . .i.d3 l0h5 9.Ae7 1We7 10.0-0 ltihf6 11.'itc2 0-0 12.Wel 1 2 . .l:tabl!? 12...g6 13.a3 l0b6 14.b4 DeS 15.b5 We have seen that before the minority attack can achieve its pawn structure goals, the move . . . c5 must be prevented in answer to the text move. With that in mind, 15.li:Jd2 (planning li:Jb3) would better support the basic ideas of the minority attack. However, White has an interesting plan in mind. 15 ...c5 16.dc5 1Wc5 With the b-pawn so far advanced, the squares along the c-file are severely weakened. If the pawn were still on b2 the position would be in White's favor after the blockade of Black's isolated d-pawn by li:Jd4. 17.e4! The point of this strange idea of allowing Black to play . . . c5 in the minority attack. This move offers Black a couple of tactical ways to go astray.

Here is an example of White allowing

c5, with a stimulating twist which the serious student should study. ...

17 ... 1l'ff8 Not 17 ... de4? 18.li:Je4 li:Je4 1 9.�c5 li:Jc5 20 . .l:te8 and with the Exchange up White has a won game. No better is 17 . . . d4? 18.li:Jd5 winning a piece and the game. 18.1l'fd2 Now the

28

M 1001egame �rraregy

game simplifies into a draw. 18 ... Ae6 19 ..J:lal?! The minority attack would 19.a4 .J:lad8 20.1Vg5 de4 2t.Ae4 be better served with 1 9 . l::tfc l , applying l0bd5 22.ll:\d5 l0e4 23.De4 Dd5 pressure along the c-file. 19 ....J:la5 24. fie3 1Wc5 25.l:lc1 tffe3 26.fe3 20.l0d2 l:la1 21.l:la1 c5 22.dc5 d4 23.l0ce4 de3 24.tf(d8 l:ld8 wrs 27.ll:\d4, 112-112 25.l0f6 Wg7 26.ll:\fe4 ed2 27.l:ld1 Generally, if Black manages to play ... c5 l0d4 28.l:ld2 f5 29. l0d6 l0e6 it is due to an error in White's handling 30.g3 wrs 31.l:lc2 l0c5 32.l0f5 of the minority attack, and the position .J:ld1 3 3 . Wg 2 b 6 3 4 . l0e3 l:lb1 equalizes. Keeping in mind, however, 35.Da2 Db5 36.l:(a7 h5 37.h4 the isolani that usually results from ... c5, l0e4 3 8 . l0c4 Df5 3 9 . f4 Df7 and the dynamics of each position, no 4o..=as wg7 41.wf3 ltlf6 42.tQb6 Db7 43.Da6 Dc7 44.Da3 Dc6 general rule can be correct every time. 45.l:lb3 Dc2 46.l0a4 tl)g4 47.l0c3 l:ld2 4s.we4 l0f6 49.we3 Dd7 (022) Dreev,A-Beliavsky,A 50.l0e2 ltlg4 51.we4 .tte7 52.wf3 Reggio Emilia 1996 l0h2 53.Wf2 tl)g4 54.we1 l0e3 1.d4 l0!6 2.c4 e6 3.l0f3 d5 4.ll:\c3 Ae7 5.cd5 ed5 6.Ag5 c6 7.1fc2 ss.ltlg1 ltlg4 s6.wd2 Dd7 s7..ttd3 ll:\bd7 8 . e 3 tl)f8 9 . A d 3 tl) e 6 Dd3 58.Wd3 l0h6, 1/2-1/2 10.Ah4 g 6 With the solid plan of exchanging light- squared �s a ft e r We will now look at more examples in ...tiJg7 and . . .�. u.o-o o-o l l . . . 'Llg7?! which White mistakenly allows ... c5. In 12.b4! i.b4? 13.'Lld5 cd5 1 4.fia4 and the next two games White missed his White has a strong position after recov­ opportunity to play b4, resulting in an ering his piece. 12.Dab1 a5 13.a3 effective . . . c5 break. In both cases, ll:\g7 14.b4 ab4 15.ab4 Af5 16.b5 Black equalized with little trouble. �d3 1 7. 1fd3 l0f5 B l a c k t r i e d (023) Capablanca,J-Euwe,M 1 7 . . 'Lld7 18.bc6 bc6 1 9 . �e7 �e7 1 931 20 . ..Wc2 with the better position for White in Szabo-Stahlberg, Zurich 1 .d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.tQc3 �b4 4.Oc2 d5 5.cd5 ed5 6.�g5 1rd6 1 953. 18.Af6 �f6 7.Af6 1ff6 8.a3 �c3 9.1rc3 0-0 10.e3 c6 ll.l0f3 �f5 12.�e2 l0d7 13.0-0?1 Missing his chance to play 13.b4 and prevent Black's next move. 13 ...c5 14.b3 ,tlac8 15.Dfc1 tlb6 16.l0d2 cd4 17.ed4 1fd4 18.ed4 ti)f6 1 9 .f3 A c 2 2 0 . .t:la2 �f5 21.l:(aa1 �c2, 1/2-1/2 .

The next game, between Byrne,D­ Reshevsky,S, is left for the student to analyze and observe the Queenside pawns in the Carlsbad. Study of the

.. .. .. ._

.

.. .. .. .. .. ....... ..

next game will show how much has already been learned. (024) Byme,D-Reshevsky,S New York 1 954 1.d4 li)f6 2.c4 e6 3./t)c3 iLb4 4.e3 0 -0 5./t)ge2 d5 6.a3 ile7 7.cd5 lt)d5 8./t)d5 ed5 9.t0!4 c6 10.ild3 lt)d7 1 1 . 0 - 0 a 5 1 2 . il, d 2 li)f6 13.f3 c5 14./t)e2 ffb6 1 5 . �c3 cd4 16.li)d4 iLd7 17.ffe1 l:[fe8 1s.84 h6 19.wg2 l0h7 2o.h4 tOts 21. 1!fg3 Ac5 22.f4 li)e6 23. fff2 lt)d4 2 4 . ed4 �f8 2 5 .f 5 � b 5 26.Ab5 tfb5 27.I!fe1 �e4 28.l::[e4 de4 29.f6 g6 30.:e1 l:[e8 31.fff4 .d5 3 2 . h 5 e 3 3 3 . fff3 l::[ e4 34.wh1 l:td4 35.trd5 xtd5 36.hg6 fg6 37 . l:[ e 3 'iYf7 3 8 . l:( e 4 b 5 39.Aa5 wf6 40.W4 c;Yg7, 1/2-1/2 The following game provides an example in which Black discards the ... c5 plan.

..

..J .. .. ... ...-- .. ...

14...Ji.f5?1 The opportunity to play . .. cS is now, converting this pawn struc­

ture into an isolani formation. For ex­ ample, 1 4 . . . c5!? l S.dcS 'iVcS 16.llfdl (16.lL:la4 'iVd6 17.lL:lb6?! ab6 when his pressure along the a-file gives Black the advantage) 16 . . . �e6 1 7.lL:ld4 ( 17.lL:la4 'iVe7 18.lLlc5 .l:tac8 19.lLle6 'iVe6 with the idea of 20 . . . lL:lc4) 17 . . . �d4 18 . .l:td4 l:tac8 and the position is slightly in Black's favor, based on his control of the c-file. However, play against the isolani offers White dynamic posibilities also. 15.a4 /t)d7 16.a5 !Iab8 17.1\Va2 l:[fc8 1 8.a61 li)f6 1 9 . ab7 l:lb7 20.bc6 l::[c6 21./t)e5 The demon of two weaknesses rears its head. The weak pawns on d5 and a 7 give White targets for attack, and the advantage. 21...l::[cb6 22./t)a4 �b4 23./t)c6 a5 24./t)b4 ab4 25./t)c5 �b6 26.1\Vb3 h5 27.l:la1 iLg4 28.l:la8 'iYh7 29.Jlg4 ll)g4 30.g3 h4 31.,Jla7 h3 32.:d7 1\Vf6 33. 1\Vd5, 1-0

(025) Manor,I-Polgar,S Next is a case in which the . . . c5 thrust Rishon le Zion 1 996 l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.l0f3 li)f6 4./t)c3 is used to continue the initiative, after e6 5.Ag5 h6 6.Jlf6 fff6 7 .e3 shutting down the possibility ofWhite's pawn play on the Queenside and in the tld7 8.�e2 g6 9.0-0 Jig7 9 . . . dc4!? center. 10.cd5 ed5 11 .b4 ffd6 1 2.1\Vb3 0-0 13.b5 /t)b6 14..t:lac1 (026) Rudakovsky,I-Botvinnik,M USSR 1 945 t.d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 �b4 4. 1\Vc2 d5 5.a3 iLc3 6.1\Vc3 l0c6 7./t)f3 lLle4 8.1\Vb3 l0a5 9.1\Va4 c6 10.cd5 ed5 1 1 .e3 iLf5 1 2.Jid3 1\Vb6 13.1\Vc2 lLlb3 14.l::(b 1 c5 By controlling the Queenside with his out­ post on b3, Black maintains the initia­ tive. 15.lQh4?1 Jie6 16.0-0 �c8! Adding pressure on the c-file. 17.�e4 cd4 18.1\Vd3 de4 19. 1\Ve4 0-0 Black has managed to gain some time in his

30

JVI JOO iegamt: ;:nnuegy

position by precise play. Once again the tenable. Sometimes, e ven losing this awkward placement of White's 'ti' al­ pawn might not lose the game. lows Black to maintain the initiative. 20.ed4 We8 21.d5 Ad7 22. fid3 The following game was an interesting 1fb5 23.1fd1 23.'Wb5 �bS 24 . .Udl discovery for me. Many times I have .ie2 25.l:tel ..td3. 23...'ftc4 24.Ae3 recommended the book Pawn Power by Hans Kmoch, and still do. So naturally, !te5 while researching the minority attack, I looked up what I had read many years before, expecting to see a wealth of material. Imagine my shock when I discovered that the following game is the book's only example of a minority attack . Grandmaster Robert Byrne plays a nice game, although it isn't a perfect example of the theme and fails to show any of Black's countermea­ sures. More than anything else, it dem­ onstrates how inexact defense can be punished. Black uses the clumsy placement of White's pieces to regain the pawn and (027) Byme,R-Eliskases infiltrate White's position. The text Helsinki 1952 highlights the dubious n a t u re of 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 �f6 4.cd5 1 5.lLlh4; had the lL\ been on f3 the text ed5 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 c6 7. lrc2 would not have been possible. 25.g3 �bd7 8.Ad3 �h5 9.Ae7 ffe7 Ag4 26.f3 Ah3 27.l:le1 g5 28.f4 10.�ge2 �b6 11.0-0 g6 12.�a4 Jl d 5 2 9 . 'ftf3 gh4 30.g4 � d 2 �a4 13.lta4 0-0 14.b4 a6 15.ffb3 31.Ad2 !Id2 32.1fh3 fif4 33. ffh4 White avoids lS.bS? cbS 16.-tbS .tfS �cc2 34.ffg3 ffd4, 0-1 winning the ..t. 15 ... R,e6 16.a4 l:[fc8 17. tlb2 �g7 18.b5 ab5 19.ab5 Af5?! 19 . . . c5! equalizes for Black . Weak c6 Pawn 20.�f4 Ad3 21.�d3 �f5 22.!la8 }'laS 23.bc6 bc6 24.1:1c1 �h4 Black Our next couple of games contain an is desperately trying to avoid a passive important lesson. The backward c­ defense of his c-pawn, but he is doomed pawn in itself is not a losing disadvan­ to failure. His disadvantage here is seri­ tage, but White can use it to maintain ous but not necessarily decisive. How­ the initiative while creating further ever, this rash attempt to avoid a passive weaknesses in Black's position. True, we defense is actually an error, leading to have already seen games where losing even more difficulties - and eventually this pawn does in fact lose the game. Yet the dreaded passive defense. 25.1fe2 if Black does not lose this pawn (and 25.llc6 lLlg2 26.g2 �e4. 25 ... Ita3 with very careful defense ! ) the game is 26.g3 't:fe4 27.�e1 �f5 28.1fc2!

1

l i t:

IY1 1 1 1U1 1 LY

Forcing the exchange of 'ti's and reduc­ ing Black's ability to create counterplay and defend his position. A pass1ve de­ fense with 'tWs on the board would offer . Black better chances to defend h1s mul­ tiple weaknesses. Ergo, Byrne highlights the error of Black's last maneuver. 28 ... 1lc2 29.l:lc2 l;)e7 30.wfl

ft llill.,;ll.

J 1

g6. But there is not enough time to

carry out this plan. 35.l:(b8 Wf7 36.l:[h8 wg7 If 36 . . . �g6 37.h3 llc7 38.'ltd2 .7:k8 39.1:l:c8 EiJc8 40.c;;.c 3 �f7 4 1 .�b4 c;;.e6 42.'ltc5 �d7 43.f3 EiJe7 44.e4 h6 45. EiJb4 de4 46.fe4 c;;. c7 47.d5 cd5 48.EiJd5 EiJd5 49.ed5 �d7 50.d6 the pawn ending is easily won for

White. 37.l:td8 lac7 38.li)c5 Wf7 39.'ft7f3 l;)g6 4o.wg3 .t::la7 4t.�d6 Dc7 4 1 . . . EiJe7?! 42.EiJd7 EiJg8 43.EiJb8 wins a pawn and the game easily. 42.li)a6 acs 43.�d7 li)e7 44.li)c5 :as 45 .l:[d6 l;tal 46. l;)d7 f5 47.li)e5 CiYg7 48.h3 fg4 49.hg4 k[cl 50.l:e6 l;)g6 51.J::(c6, 1-0. The concluding moves are not available, but it seems clear that with the extra pawn White should win the ending without too much trouble.

30 f6 To take the e5 square from The following game also shows that, White's EiJ, and open a path for the with careful defense, Black's game is Black cofi>. Yet both of these ideas could tenable in spite of the backward c6 have waited a move. Better was pawn. Korchnoi's defense of this weak 30 h5!, with Kmoch's "exclam" signi­ pawn is superb. However, without coun­ fying that the game is not lost yet, only terplay even Korchnoi cannot hope to difficult to defend. Black now loses not win this type of position. because of the weak c-pawn, but be­ cause he ends up with two weaknesses: (028) Lutz,C-Korchnoi,V his c-pawn and h-pawn. Not recogniz­ Ptuj 1 995 ing this basic concept, Black fails to see t.d4 l;)f6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlf3 d5 4.ltlc3 that he can still draw with correct play. c6 5.Ag5 h6 6.Af6 '@f6 7.e3 ltld7 31.¢'e2 'ft7f7 32.li)d3 we6 33.l:lh2 . .a,d3 g6 9.0-0 .a,g7 10.cd5 ed5 lla7 Since Black will not be able to sll.b4 l;)b6 The EiJ is in an awkward maintain control of his second rank, position here. Where is it going to go? 33 h5 should be played, which would Also the dark-squared A would be still (barely! ) save the game. 34.g4! better placed on d6, promoting the pos­ Now Black is doomed. No matter what happens he will have two weaknesses, sibility of a Kingside attack. 12.llcl his c- and h-pawns. These pawns will be Ag4 t3 .Ae2 .a,r3 t 4.Af3 o-o Slightly better would be 14 ... a6. 15.b5 too distant from each other for the c;;. 'tt d6 16.1td3 tia3 16 . . . EiJc4? 17.e4! to protect both. 34...g5 With the idea wins. 17.l:(bl Dfd8 18.Dh3 1Je7 of exchanging the h-pawn after . . .e7 51.l:[h8 Aa6 52.h4, 1-0

Here is another example of hanging pawns gaining the advantage by simply maintaining control over the center.

(051) Reshevsky, S-Averbakh, Y Zurich 1 953 1.d4 tL!f6 2.c4 e 6 3.tLic3 Ab4 4.e3 0-0 5.l0ge2 d5 6.a3 Ae7 7.cd5 ed5 8 . l0g3 Ae6 9.Ad3 l0bd7 1 0.0-0 c6 1 1 .Ad2 l:(eS 1 2.Ylfc2 a5 13.l0ce2 l0b6 14.l0f4 Ad7 15.We1 Af8 16.f3 Ac8 17.l:(ac1 g6 18.l0fe2 Ag7 19.h3 a4 20.e4 de4 21 .fe4 Once again we see over­ protection of t he hanging pawns . White's pieces are ideally posted to

support them. 21 ... Ae6 It may seem obvious to aim at the weak b3 square, but this move also responds to posi­ tional factors created by the hanging pawns. On the a2-g8 diagonal the .lt helps prevent a d5 break, and could serve as blockader if the e -pawn is advanced. 22.Ae3 Ah3 23. 1td2 �d7 24.Ag5 f6 25.Ae3 �8

Black has achieved one of his goals against the hanging pawns: their ad­ vance has been stopped. However, what Black does not accomplish next is forc­ ing one of them forward, weakening the structure. By simply maintaining the hanging pawns White controls the center, and now he seizes the initiative. 26.h4 Af7 27.h5 The advance of the h-pawn is a maneuver to soften the Kingside, but it is really a minority attack. The defenses around Black's c;tr> become a little weaker with the ex­ change of h-pawns. 27... /tle6 28.J:lfl As in the minority attack, White ap­ plies pressure along the semi-open file. 28... Af8 29.l:lf2 /tld7 30.J:lcfl c5?l Positionally the losing move. Black's blockading square on e5 i s weakened by the frail pawn at f6. With­ out an e5' blockade Black has lost the battle of the hanging pawns. 3l.d5

/t.) c 7 3 2 . hg 6 h g 6 3 3 . l:lf4 b5 34.:It4 White's attack will be danger­ ous if allowed to penetrate along the h-file. 34 ... /tle5 35.c;f;lhl Reshevsky is preparing to attack, not rushing to attack. Black answers 3 5 . .lth6? with 35 ... g5. 35 ... \'fd7 Hoping that com­ plications will solve the positional problems of his weak £-pawn, open h­ fi le and coming Kingside a t t a c k . 36.Df6 /tlg4 37.Ag5 Ag7 38.Df4 /tle5 39.Af6 Af6 40.l:lf6 wg7 41. fi'g5 Db8 42.ftl!5 fi'f5 43.Df5 l:lh4 44.wgt, 1-o The last two games show that control­ ling the center can be enough to win the game. By definition, hanging pawns control the center, as there are two pawns in the center surveying all four central squares. If the hanging pawns can remain sid e - by-side then this advantage can reap other benefits. However, as the hanging pawns theme is debated over the chessboard we can often see their entire life cycle - ad­ vanced, isolated or passed. Naturally, these pawns should be at­ tacked to disrupt their complete control of the center, and if they advance the hanging pawns must be blockaded. Restrain. Blockade. Destroy. They should be attacked as any weak pawns are attacked, with the intention of making them weaker and more vulner­ able to capture.

(052) Kottauer-Euwe,M Amsterdam 1 950 l.c4 e6 2./tlc3 d5 3.d4 /tlf6 4.Ag5 tQbd7 s.e3 c6 6.cd5 ed5 7.Ad3 Ae7 8. \'f c 2 tQ h 5 9. Ae7 1Je7 lO.tQge2 g6 1 1 .0-0 0-0 1 2./tlg3

JV

. .. ... . - '"" . -

o-· · · -

._,

... ..... ..._OJ

hanging pawns the initiative. I n view is a middlegame with well placed White minor pieces and no reasonable chance for the opponent to break up his pawns. Black proceeds with a standard plan against the hanging pawns, that of ex­ changing minor pieces and forcing the pawns to advance. 14 ... ltlg4 15 . .!1Le7 ffe7 1 6 . ffd2 ffh4 17 .h3 ltlf6 18.e5 ltld5 19.ltld5 cd5 What has Black accomplished, and at what cost? Two minor pieces have been ex­ changed, the e-pawn has advanced and the d-pawn is weak. It seems as if Black has executed the basic action plan against hanging pawns. The cost of this plan - a change in pawn structure and in the dynamics of the remaining pieces. In this position the activity of White's l:ts outweigh the importance of the minor pieces, and Black now has 22 ... ltlg41 The point of this move is several pawn weaknesses - on d5, aS to delay the White � from supporting and f7 . 20.l:[bc1 Ae6 21.l:tc5 b6 the hanging pawns . 23.Ac4 'fWd6 22.l:[c6 l:[abS The key factor here is 24. ffd6 l:[d6 25.b[ad1 25.d5?! cd5 the active White l:l.s vs. their passive 26. t2Jd5 25 ... Ae6 26.l::ld3 .b[bd8 Black counterparts. Hence exchanging 27.�ed1 Ac4 28.ltlc4 �e6 29.ltld2 minor pieces is now to White's advan­ 29 . .l:te1 29 ... ltle51 30.d5 ltld3 31.de6 tage, and as a bonus he further weakens ltle5 32.ef7 ltlf7 33.wf2 �d3, 0 - 1 . the Black pawn structure. 23.Ag6 The weak pawns spell the end to hg6 24.ltlf4 g5 25.ltle6 !Ie6 After White's resistance. 25 . . .fe6 26.'ti'f2 'ti'f2 27. l:tf2 the win should be simple against Black's various Let's look at the mechanical use of an weak pawns. 26.k[c7 Two l:ts are better otherwise good plan against the hang­ than one . 26 ... l:[f8 27.l:ld7 ,llg6 ing pawns, which rightly fails. 28. 'VWf2 't:ff2 29.�f2 g4 30.hg4 l:[g4 3 1 .l:ld5 l:icS 32.:d7 lac1 (053) Diez del Corral,J-Muco, F 33.�f l ac2 34.l::tf2 �c1 35.wh2 Luzern 1 982 l:ld1 36.d5 l::t e 4 37.l:[ff7 �e5 1.d4 ltlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 d5 4.Ag5 3S.l:[g7 whs 39.flh7 wgs 4o.l::tdg7 il,e7 5.cd5 ed5 6.e3 0-0 7.Ad3 wrs 41.blb7 wgs 42.:hd7, 1-o ltlbd7 8 . ltlg e 2 lieS 9 . 0 - 0 c 6 10.l:[b1 a5 1 1 . 'fWc2 ltlf8 12.f3 ltlg6 Black ignores the hanging pawns in our 13.e4 de4 14.fe4 We now have a next example. Ergo, the pawns advance typical position which should give the at will. lbg3 13.hg3 lbf6 14.Wel W!Vd6 1 5 . a 3 wg7 1 6. b 4 a6 1 7 . lba4 h 5 18. ffc5 ffe6 1 9.lbb6 ,ll b 8 20.f3 k[d8 21.e4 de4 22.fe4 On the surface it appears that White has a dominating position, but it is about to fall apart due to the weak hanging pawns.

.J I

DULV I I I I I I K :S re7 37.�d5 wfs 38.e6 fe6 3 9 . fe 6 �bS 4 0 . �f5 �e6 4l.g5, 1-0

already beginning to make itself felt. 26 ... 'ftd8 27./03a4 1'fh4 28.ffe3 �f8 2 9 . f4 .i.eS 3 0 . /0 b 6 /Oe6 3l.�c8 J::lcS 32.�e6 fe6 33. 1tg3?! ffg3 34.hg3 J::lb7

In the following game the ... c5 break results from a tactical oversight. How­ ever, the game is still an interesting study of the Carlsbad.

35.¢>f2?! 35.1:tebl l:tcb8 36.�f2 c3 37. l:tc2 l:tb4 38. l:tb4 l:t b4 39. l:tc3. 35...e5 Spotting the weak point in White's position. 36.dc5 J::lc5 37.We3 l:la5 38.¢>d4 l:lab5 39.l:lal a5 40.l:la4 l:lb4 4l.l:lba2 f:la4 42.f:la4 f:lb4 43 .l:la3 ¢>f7 4 4 . g 4 hg4 45.l:lg3 l:lh3 46.l:lg4 l:ld3 47.wc5 c3, 0-l

(083) Mohr, G-Vucicevic, M Belgrade 1 988 l.d4 �f6 2.�(3 d5 3.e3 g6 4.e4 .i.g7 5.�e3 0-0 6.1tb3 e6 7.cd5 ed5 S. .i,e2 b6 9.�e5 .i.e6 10.0-0 e6 l l.f!ra4 'ifd6 1 2.b4 b5 13.ffb3 �bd7 14.�d3 �b6 15.�c5 ID"e8 16.a4 a6 17.ffdl .i.f5 18.J:la2 h5 1 9. a 5 �e4 20 . .i.e4 be4 W h i t e achieves good posts for his ltJs, yet little counterplay. 2l.f3 This maneuver (the Botvinnik pawn center) is used to gain more control over the center and to activate the dark-squared .i.. 2l ... J:la7 22.:e1 .i.h6 Black was faced with h aving to defend t h e w e a k d a r k squares. Ergo, preparing t o exchange the dark-squared As is a good posi­ tional plan. 23.e4 .i,el 24.e5 24. 't!t'cl? de4 25.fe4 'Wd4. 24... ebs 25. eel �d7 26.l:[b2 The weak b-pawn is

The d5/j5 Formation This idea of establishing pawns on d5 and f5 can be found in several vari­ ations of the Carlsbad structure. Let's start our discussion with a couple of games which do not conform to the advanced center structure. Korchnoi and Karpov have played each other an incredible number of times. In my opinion the following battle is Korchnoi's best win over Karpov.

uo

(084) Karpov,A-Korchnoi, V Dortmund 1 994 t.d4 /Of6 2.c4 e6 3.�(3 b6 4.a3 .i.b7 5.�c3 d5 6 ..i.g5 .i.e7 In round 5 of this tournament (Lutz-Kortchnoi) , Kortchnoi played 6 . . . dc4. 7.ffa4 This move essentially forces the struggle into the Carlsbad formation. After either 7 . . . c6 or 7 . . . ltJbd7, White can continue with 8.�f6 and 9.cd5 to ensure that Black recaptures with the e -pawn. 7 ...c6 8.Af6 .i.f6 9.cd5 ed5 10.g3 0-0 l l .Ag2 �d7 1 2 . 0 - 0 Ae7 13.1::lfdl?! This is too slow for the position (better was 1 3.e4!?� . �la�k's reply gives Kortchnoi the tmttattve. 13 f51 This position is ideal for the d5/f5 formation. White's pieces are awkwardly placed to generate any counterplay against the s tructure. Karpov seeks to remedy the situation by repositioning the ltJ on c3 to d3. However, the time this takes allows Black to restrict play on the Queenside. Erasing White's pawn breaks and reclueing the activity of White's army will be central to Korchnoi's plans throughout the game. 14.e3 ild6 15.�e2 \Ye7 t6.�f4 a5 17.�d3 b5 A strong master asked, "How many players would feel comfortable creating the hole at c5 ?" Well, anybody who has studied Black's options against the miniority attack. In this position an outpost on c4 is enhanced by the Black a-pawn, which restricts White's crippled Queenside even further. 18. fic2 34 19..§.el \t>h8 20.llacl �b6 2l.�fe5 �c4 22.f4 If there are exchanges on e5, White needs to recapture with the f-pawn. Capturing with the d-p �wn would make Black's Queenside maJority overwhelming. .

•..

22 ...g51 Korchnoi now turns his attention to the Kingside. 23.lte2 �8 24.\t>f2 Haf8 25./0f3 h6 26.�fe5 \t>h7 27.\t>gl Indecision? 27... tfie8 28. tfic2 c;.t}h8 29.�f2 �7 The bind gives Black time to maneuver and limit White's offensive potential. 30.l[e2 Ac8 31.t'lcel Wg8 32.�c4 bc4 33. Wta4 l:Ib7 Continuing to restrict play on the Queenside by preventing 34.b3. 34.�dl h5 35.\t>f2 Ad7 36. \Yc2 \Yg6 37.\t>fl h4 38.&2 g4 Black wisely avoids 38 . . . hg3 39.hg3 gf4 40.gf4 when White will find a ha­ ven for his � on the Queenside, and use the open lines to initiate his own attack. 39.\t>gl !Igb8 40.ffe2 h3 White is so cramped that Karpov will do almost anything for a little activity. 4t.Afl Ac7 42.b4 White's choice of moves is becoming very limited . 42 ...cb3 43.�b2 Ad6 44.a4 ffe6 45.l::.tdl J:la7 46.l::.td3 \t>h7 47.\Ydl c5 What can White do? If he takes on c5 the weakness at e3 becomes weaker, but not taking lets the opposing Queenside pawns eat his lunch. 48.l:Ib3 ah3 49.tfib3 c4 50.ltb6 aa8 51.e4 fe4 52.f5 ffe7 53.�dl l[b8 54.1Va5 Ac6 5 5 .f6 ffe6 5 6 . �e3 l:Ib3

.L...J U I. V l l ll l l ftt.

�

57.1Wa7 .Q.b7 58.a5 Af8 59.:£"4 .Q.h6 60.f7 .Q,f4

61.f81W 6 1 .f8'Ll? �h6 62.'Lle6 �e3 63 .�hl l:tbl . 61 ...Ae3 62.wh1 Even with two 'ifs on the board and a nude enemy �. White cannot generate any counterplay. Quite incredible! 62. Ab6 6 3 . 'tt f 2 .Q.g7 6 4 . a 6 :lf3 S t i l l Korchnoi strives to shut down White's pieces. 65.'ttel Aa6 66. .Q,e2 nt"7 67.1tc5 c3 68.tlcc3 Ae2 69.1fe2 1ff6 70.'ifc1 .Q.h6 71.'ifbl 1tf5 72.wg1 J:tc7, o-1 .•

&

'-I. T 'I' I I

......., .., •• .,..,.

26 ..1lf5 fe3 27..Q.e6 l::[e6 28.l::te3 l::[e3 29.lQe3 Not 29.fe3?. The back­ ward pawn is not necessary and gives Black additional counterplay. 29...fid4 30.1tg6 Now that White has warded off the pawn storm, the weaknesses in Black's position come into play. 30 . . . tfg7 3 1 . ffe6 1ff7 32. 1fh6 l:[e8 3 3 . 1fg5 Wf8 3 4 . h 3 g h 3 35.l0f5 );let 36.c;Yh2 tfc7 37.g3 l:[e6 3S.l0h6 wes 39. 'figS wd7 40.l0f5 );le2 4I.);lb7, 1-0 The ending in the next game demon­ strates a basic mistake often made in this pawn structure, when there is lim­ ited material on the board.

(086) Skalli,K-Faseyitan,F Dubai 1 986

1.ltif3 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 d5 4.d4 .Q.e7 s.Ag5 l0bd7 6.e3 o-o 7.Dct c6 8.cd5 ltid5 9 ..i.e7 ee7 10.l0d5 ed5 1 1 ..i.d3 l0f6 1 2 .ec2 .i.e6 13.a3 h6 14.0-0 )VcS 15.b4 l0e8 16.l0e5 l0f6 17.f4 a5 1S.ttc5 1fd8 19.h3 l0d7 20.'trc3 tOeS 21.de5 An earlier example of Korchnoi's play ab4 22.ab4 f5 23.J:la1 1fc7 24.);laS with the d5/f5 formation is also of );laS 25.Da1 );lal 26.tWal 1tb6 interest, showing the potential of this 27. 1fd4 f6d4 28.ed4 plan.

(085) Pachman, L-Korchnoi, V Havana 1 963 t .d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3. l0c3 .Q.b4 4. ttc2 d5 s.cd5 ed5 6.Ag5 h6 7. .Q.f6 1tf6 8.a3 Ac3 9.tlc3 0-0 1 0.e3 c6 1 1.l0f3 l0d7 1 2 . .Q.e2 );le8 1 3 . 0 - 0 b6 1 4.);lfc l A b 7 15.b4 1fe6 16.1tb2 f5 17. .Q.d3 g 5 Korchnoi's style i s very aggressive. lS.J::[c3 1tf6 19.a4 g4 20.l0d2 f4 21.a5 );ladS 22.ab6 ab6 23.J:la7 );lbS 24. l0fl l0f8 25. 1tc2 l0e6

IV

28...g5?! This move is useless. Black can never play . . . gf4 because of his own resulting weak f-pawn, and the pawn cannot advance . . . g5-g4 because the pawn formation after White's hg4 exchange would be unfavorable for Black. 29.Wf2 b5 30.Wf3 Wg7 3 1 .g3 jld7 3 1 . . .gf4? 32.�f4 �g6 33.g4 wins. 32.we3 Ac8 33.Ae2 wg6 34.Ad3 wg7 35.Ac2 Ad7 36.Ad1 wg6 37.Ac2 wg7 38.Ad1 wg6 39.Ah3 Acs 39 . . . gf4 40.'it>f4 h5 4 L�c2 .te6 42.g4 hg4 43.hg4. 4o.wf3 Ad7 41.Ac2 wg7 42.Ad3 wf7 43.fg5 hg5 44.h4 wg6 45.g4 gh4 4 6 . w r4 w h 6 4 7 . gf 5 h 3 4s.wg3 wg5 49.e6 Aes 50.wh3 Ah5 51.wg3 Aes 52.wh3 Ah5 53.Ah1 Ae8 54.Ac2 Ah5 55.Ad3 Aes 56.wg3 Ah5 57.Wg2 Aes 5B.wf2 Ah5 59.Ae2 Ae8 6o.Ag41 wf6 6 t .Wf3 Wg5 6 2 .Wg3 c 5 63.dc5 Ac6 64.Ah3 Ae8 65.wf3 il.c6 66.we3 wf6 67.c;Yd4 Ah7 68.Ag2 wf5 69.Ad5 Acs 70.e7 il.d7 71.Af7, 1-o Now let's see what can happen in a closed position resulting from the d5/f5 formation. The following game will also introduce the positional theme of the King march.

(087) Malaniuk, V-Krogius,N St. Petersburg 1996 1.d4 il)f6 2.c4 e6 3.il)c3 d5 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 il.e7 6.e3 0-0 7.Ad3 il)bd7 8.il)ge2 �e8 9.0-0 il)f8 10. 1tc2 c6 ll.f3 h6 1 2.Ah4 fl)e6 13.wh1 b6 14.b[ad1 Ab7 15.Af5 �d7 16.,i.f2 �df8 17.Ad3 't:fc8 18.e4 ,J:ld8 1 9.il.g1 il.a6 20.e5 Ad3 2 1 .tld3 f5 22.f4 g6 23.h3 h5 24.a3 �7 25.�d1 ffe6 26.�e3

!:lacS 27.l:lfd1 l:lc7 28.ffd2 a5 29. ffc2 Wf7 30.Af2 ffd7 31.Ae1 �fe6 32.l:lcl r!dc8 33. 't:fd1 lla8 34. 1tb3 b5 35.a4 b4 36.il.f2 Wl8 37.g3 l:la8 38.,ktd2 m.s 39.1i'd3 't:fc8 40.Wh2 1tb7 41. 't:fb3 ffa6 42. 1i'd1 't:fb7 43.b3 �cc8 44. ffh1 ffd7 45.l:[dc2 l:[c7 46.fff3 wes 47.�g2 Wf7 48.Ae3 �cc8 49.�e1 .btc7 50.�d3 ffc8

White's position is to be favored with his space advantage and better pawn structure. But how to continue? White has the initiative because he controls the only logical break in the pawn struc­ ture (g4) , allowing him long maneuvers to reposition his pieces. Malaniuk uses this time to conduct a 'it> march. 5 1 .Wg2 tlfa6 After 5 1 . . .g5 52.fg5 ltJgS 53.-tgS .tg5 54.l:tfl Black's posi­ tion is falling apart. White will attack the weak pawns and secure control over e6 to continue the massacre. If instead 5 1 . ..h4 White plays 52.g4, and Black cannot exchange because the resulting pawn center would blow him away after 52 . . .fg4 53.hg4 h3?! 54.�h2. 52.l:td1 l:lccs 53.Wf21 Wt7 54.we1 wes 55.wd2 wd7 56.wc1 1:1c7 57.wh1 l:!c8 58.wa2 �c7 59.il.c1 wcs 60.�e1 Wh7 61.�g2 ffa8 62.�e3

DUl V I I I I I I I\.

�

r a w 1 1 '-\;; I I L'"'I

l:ld7 63.Jlb2 ttds 64.g4t hg4 65.hg4 ers 66.l:tdct �d8 67.�g3 Wt6 68.�d5 cd5 69. 'fWd3, 1-0

26.�d4 �d4 27.1fd4 �e6 Black has played well. He prepares to ad­ vance the isolani, opening the a8-h 1 diagonal and eventually causing White In our next game both sides play the problems with the passed pawn. How­ positional side of the pawn structure ever, Black misses his opportunity to well, until Black stops thinking in posi­ push the pawn and drifts into a lost tional terms and allows a tactical shot position. 28. 'fJf2 l:tac8 28 . . . d4!? 29.CiJe2 (29 . .1:tg3!?) 29 . . l:ad8 30.Ad3 to end the game. Ae4 and Black clearly has the better chances. 29.Aa4 tfd8 30.�e2 .e7 (088) Fedorowicz,J-Hracek,Z 31.iLb3 iLa6 32.�d4 Jlc4 33.Ac2 Novi Sad 1 990 l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 iLb4 4.e3 lt)d4 34.1td4 Ae2? 34 ...We6 is the 0-0 5.iLd3 d5 6.cd5 ed5 7.lt)ge2 only move; the pawn must be block­ c6 8.0-0 lt)a6 9.f3 l0c7 10.a3 iLe7 aded. 35.l:td2 Af3? 35 ... Ac4 36.e6 1 1 .¢>h 1 lt)e6 1 2.ii,c2 b6 13.e4 1Jf6 36 . . . l:tf6 37 . .i.f5 . 37.e7 Df7 ii,a6 14.e5 lt)e8 15.f4 f5 We now 38. tff6 Dt6 39.Aa4 b5 4o.Ab5 have a classical d5/f5 pawn structure. Ah5 41.l:td5, 1-0 Black's CD on e6 is the best piece for the blockade, since it also attacks both In the next contest Botvinnik uses a bases of the White pawn center. thematic s acrifice in this structure 16.iLe3 g6 17.l:tg1 l08c7 18.'t'fd2 which we would all do well to memo­ w h s 1 9 .h3 c5 20.l:tad1 iLb7 rize. .

2t.c�h2 'fid7 22.g4 cd4 23.iLd4 An interesting mix of pawn structure ideas: the isolani versus the advanced center.

(089) Botvinnik,M-Larsen,B N ordwijk 1 965 1 .c4 e6 2.l0c3 d5 3.d4 lt)f6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 c6 6.e3 Ae7 7.flc2 0-0 8 . Ad 3 lt)bd7 9 . /Qg e 2 h 6 10.Ah4 DeS ll.f3 c5 1 2.0-0 a6 13.J:tad1 b5 14.Af2 c4 1 5.Af5 lt)b6 16./Qg3 .i.f8 1 7 . a 3 Ah7 1 8.e4 g6 19.Ah3 a5 20.e5 b4 21.lt)ce2 l0h7 22.f4 Ac6 23.l:ta1 Aa4 24. 'trb1 f5?1 Allowing a po­ sitional sacrifice which activates the White pieces. (see next diagram}

23 ... Jlc5 Attacking the blockade and preparing the isolani's advance is a normal procedure in this kind of posit i o n . 24 .gf5 gf5 2 5 .b4 Ad4

25.ab4 ab4 26.�f51 Opening up the Kingside shows how overextended and disorganized Black's pieces are.

72

M lao tegame �uau:gy

After 24 .. .f5?!

from the Botvinnik pawn center ma­ neuver, and is the result of an exchange on e5. This pawn structure offers an . advantage to White, if he can make use of its attacking possibilities - as Marshall does in the following sensa­ tional demonstration.

26 . . . gf5 27.Af5 @e7 2 8 . ttlg3 White's pieces are marching to the attack, while Black is stumbling to find active moves. The initiative gained by the sacrifice gives White the advantage. 28 . . . Ad7 29.Ad7 lQd7 30.@g6 Bad would be 30.f5, which would allow (090) Marshall , F-Spielmann,R 30 . lL!gS and give Black counterplay. Moscow 1925 30... @g7 31. @c6! Attacking dS and ttlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ttlc3 d5 4.Ag5 1.d4 taking complete control of the a-file. ttlbd7 5.e3 c6 6.cd5 ed5 7.�d3 31 ...l:la1 32.l:la1 1Jf7 33.�a7 ttle5 33 ... l:f.d8? 34.e6. 34.de5 'We6 35. @e6 Ae7 8. 'Wc2 0-0 9.ttlf3 DeS 10.0-0 l:le6 36.tQf5 Now Botvinnik shows h6 1 1 .Af4 ttlf8 1 2 . GQe5 ttlh5 his endgame technique to secure the 13.Ag3 ttlg3 14.hg3 �f6 15.f4 full point. 36 ...l:lc6 37.wfl c3 38.bc3 Ae5 16.fe5 It would be easy to simply bc3 39.Ae3 Ac5 40.Ac5 �c5 suggest that Marshall chose a pawn 41.J:la1 ttlf8 42.we2 tQe6 43.g3 h5 structure with attacking possibilities 44.wd3 d4 45.lQd6 Dc7 46.lQe4 suitable to his style. Which of course is wh7 47.f5 tOds 4s.tQr6 wh6 true, in that lines are opened towards 49.ttld5 :lb7 50.e6 lQc6 51 .na6 the � and Black has a weak f7 square. Marshall did love to attack, but his /Oe5 52.wd4, 1-o decision also has a strong positional basis; he will obtain a strong hold on the center squares, to be maintained The e3, d4. e5 Pawn Triangle with the e3, d4, e S pawn triangle. 16 . . . Ag4 17.�f4 'Wd7 18.�af1 (see next diagram) l:ie7 19.b4 Slowing down counterplay It is intuitively obvious that this pawn on the Queenside. 19 ... Ae6 20.1:[4f2 structure could not have descended Ag4 2 t .I:lf4 Ae6 22 .'Wf2 l0h7 N o w begins a typi c ally exciting ..

L.I V I.. Y I I .I J I J n..

.:11

.1

&.& '1'1' 1 1

- '-' 1 1 11."""' 1

M arshall attack, for which he was fa­ does not offer either side many winning mous. It is important to understand, chances. If one side had a ttJ instead of however, that without his advanced a �. the position would favor the tt:J. center to reduce Black's counterplay 17... \Yg5 18.yjf3 !Vf 19.1tf4 t'ff4 and to fight for control of f6, the attack 20.ef4 a5 21.Ae2 g6 22.c;Yf2 c;Yf8 would not be as strong. 23. 'f!Vf3 l0g5 23.we3 we7 24.h3 wd7 25.Wc1 24. \Yh5 b6 25.l:lh4 flc8 26.l0e2 l:[ff8 26.}lc5 I:Xfc8 27 . a4 I:Xg8 a5 27.W6! With the threat of28J:th6! 28.c;Yf2 J:[gf8 29.h4 h5 30.l:Uc3 winni ng. 27 . . . \YfS 28. l0f4 ab4 J!Lf7 31.l:lb3 l:ta7 32.l:tb6 wc7, 1/2-1/2 28 ... gf6 29.ef6 lld7 30.tt:Jg6!.

(092) Primavera-Golombek,H Venice 1950

29.l0g6 ! As Marshall managed to do many ti m e s , he pl ays a spectacular move - which makes chess exciting. 29 ...fg6 Or 29 . . J!Yd8 30.lUe7 ffie7 3 1 J:th6! wins. 30.nt"8 WB 31.VWg6 l0e4 32.�e4 de4 33.l:lh6 Af5 34. flg5 l!e6 35.Ile6 Ae6 36. VWg6 Ad5 If 36 . . . �a2 37.'ti'c6 b3 �8.'ti'b6 and it's only a matter of time until Whites wins with his passed pawns. 37.e6 J:tcs 38.1¥f7 wh7 39. VWd7 �a8 40.e7 Af7 41. \Yc6, 1-0

(091 ) Schlechter, C-Maroczy, G Monte Carlo 1904 l .d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 l0f6 4.Ag5 J!Le7 5.e3 0-0 6.l0f3 l0bd7 7.]:lcl a6 8.cd5 ed5 9.J!Ld3 c6 10.0-0 l0e4 1 1 . A f4 f5 1 2 . l0e 5 l0 e 5 13.Ae5 Ad6 14.f4 Ae6 15.a3 l0c3 16.l:tc3 Ae5 17.fe5 The material left

1 .d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.a3 b6 4.l0c3 Ab7 5.t'fc2 d5 6.l0f3 Ae7 7.cd5 ed5 8.Af4 0-0 9.l0b5 l0a6 10.e3 c6 ll.l0c3 c5 1 2.Ad3 l0c7 13.0-0 l0 e 6 14 .Ag3 l:lc8 1 5 . Af5 g6 16.Ad3 l0h5 17.Ae5 f6 18.Ag3 l0g3 1 9 . hg 3 f5 2 0 . \Y e 2 Af6 21.J:(ad1 c4 22.Ab1 VWd6 23.:d2 l0c7 24.l0h2 h5 25.f4 b5 26.l0f3 a5 27.l0e5 Ae5 28.fe5 White has nothing to do in this position but wait u n t i l B l a c k infi l t r a t e s . 28...t'fe7 29. 1\Vd1 f!Vg5 30.!'!f3? ! 30. 'ti'f3 is a much better placement. 30...b4 31.ab4 ab4 32.l0e2 }laS 33.l0f4 l:ta1 34.l:[df2 Ac6 35.wh2 Aa4 36.1\Ve1 ,t!b8 37.l0g6 \Yg6 38.,W"5 Ac2 39.l:lf6 1\Vd3 40.I;[c2 1\Vc2 41.ktfl 1\Vb2, 0-1

Our last game in this section combines the previous two pawn structures in an entertaining struggle from yesteryear.

(093) Saemisch, F-Bogoljubow, E Moscow 1 925 1 .l0f3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4 l0{6 4.l0c3 l0bd7 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 0-0 7.f!c1 c6 8.Ad3 a6 9.cd5 ed5 10.t'fc2 :Ies n.o-o l0f8 12.h3 g6 13.Ah6

1 '-t

lVI JUUJCgi:UJJC � � � i1Lc;; gy

lbh5 14.l:(fel lbe6 1 5 . 'fWdt f5 t6.lbe5 lbf6 17.'fWf3 �f8 18.Af8 l:(f8 19.Yie2 �d7 20.lL:)a4 1We7 2l .f4 IladS 22.a3 �eS 23.I:tc2 lL:)d7 24.!1fl lbe5 25.fe5 lbg7 26.flel �d7 27.!1f3 ID7 2S.b4 IldfS 29.lbc5 �cS 30.I:lcf2 g5 3 1 .fi'd2 h5 32.!1e2 h4 33.flc2 lbh5 34.!1ef2 lbg3 35.lbb3 whs 36.fi'c5 tfdS 37.lL:)d2 �e6 3S.tfcl ngs 39.lbfl lL:)e4 40 . .t:[b2 Wg7 4t.lL:)h2 WS 42.1tel Ilgf7 43.a4 wg7 44.!1c2 1te7 45.flcl 1tb4 46. flat 1ta5 47.Wt lbg3 4S.J:lbl g4 49. 1fb2 1fdS 5 0.�f2 1tg5 5t.W4 lbh5 52.!1bfl gh3 53.lbf3 trg2 54.trg2 hg2 55.wg2 ltlf4 56.ef4 wh6 57.!1hl Ilg7 5S.wf2 Ilg4 59.¢'e3 IlhS 60.lL:)h4 c;Yg7 6t.ltlf5 �t5 62.�r5 ng3 63.wt2 J:t h t 6 4 . w g 3 b 5 6 5 . a b 5 a b 5 66.�d7 b4 67.�c6 b3 6S.�d5 b2 69.�e4 J;!dl, 0-1

The e3. (4, e5 Pawn Triangle

(094) Bachmann, K-Marian, R

1 983 t.lbf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4 c6 4.cd5 ed5 5.lbc3 �d6 6.�g5 lbe7 7.e3 � f 5 s . � d 3 A d 3 9 . ffd3 o - o 10.0-0 f5 l l. lbe5 Ae5 1 2.de5 lbd7 1 3 .f4 lbc5 1 4 . ffd2 1feS 1 5.�e7 1te7 16.b4 lbd7 17.b5 lL:) b 6 1 S . a 4 w h s 1 9 . a 5 lbc4 20.1td4 a6 21.bc6 bc6 22.ntbl �abS 23.lba4 lba5 24.lbc5 lL:)c4 25.lba6 Ilbl 26.I[bl h6 27.lbc5 )laS 2S.g3 lL:)d2? Black could main­ tain a suitable defense with ltJs on the board. Since the text also loses a pawn, we might guess this move was a mistake caused by time pressure. World Cham­ pion Alekhine once criticized himself for mishandling the clock, stating that a master should consider it a blunder to be short on time. 28 . l:l.a7 was better. 29.'@d2 1tc5 30.J;!cl 1fb5 31. \1rc2 ,ticS 32.1ff5 \'fbS 33.'ife6 l:tc7 34.I!c6 'ifbt 35.wg2 'ife4 36.wh3 )lc6 3 7 . 1W c 6 1Wf5 38 .g4 1We4 39.tfcS, 1-0 . .

The blockading square at c5 can give White a strong bind on the position, as we see in the following interesting contest.

(095) Dzevlan, M-Bahram, N Rilton 1 995

This pawn structure offers blockading squares on d4 and c5 for White, while Black can use the c4 outpost to shield his weak c6 pawn.

l.d4 lL:)c6 2.lbf3 d5 3.�f4 lL:)f6 4.e3 a6 5.c4 e6 6.lL:)c3 �e7 7.lbe5 0-0 S.�e2 lL:)eS 9.cd5 ed5 lO.lL:)c6 b c 6 1 1 . 0 - 0 � d 6 1 2 . �g 3 f5 13.�e5 lbf6 14.llcl �e5 15.de5 lL:)g4 1 6 .fld4 1te7 1 7 .f4 J:(bS 1S.h3 lL:)h6 19.lba4 tlb4 20.ft'dl ..Q.d7 21 .a3 Ile4?! Possibly Black's plan is to sacrifice the Exchange and

fight against a coming pawn storm on the Kingside, looking for compensation in the weakness ofWhite's �. However, White is not obligated to start a pawn storm and can take advantage of other possibilities in the position. 22.l:lc3 l:(b8 23.b4 :as 24.Af3 a5 24 . . . :C:c4 25.l:lc4 dc4 26.'ii'c 2 and Black's shat­ tered pawn structure gives White the advantage. 25.Ae4 fe4 26.ltlc5 ab4 27.ab4 Ae8 28. 'fi'c1 ltlf5 29.l:la3 i0g3 30.)lel abs 31.1fd2 An ex­ cellent square for the 'ii' , guarding b4, d4 and e3. 31 ... h5 32.l:lea1 wh7 33.aas .r;;[b6 34.1::[8a7 Zeroing in on the weak point in Black's defense. 34...h4 35.e61 Opening a path for the 'IV to enter the field of battle. 35 ...Ah5 36.ae1 1fd6 37.J:(a8 ltlf5 38.ffc3 tt'e7 39. ffe5 ltlg3 40.J:(c8 ffd6 41.l0d7 fie5 42.fe5 l::lb 4 43.e7 iLf7 44.e6, 1-0 When Black refrains from playing .. .f5, the breakup of White's pawn structure by .. .f6 can cause all the center pawns to fall.

(096) Kool, G-Karolyi,T Brussels 1 987 1.c4 e6 2.ltlf3 d5 3.cd5 ed5 4.d4 c6 5.ltlc3 Af5 6.Af4 ltlf6 7.e3 Ae7 8.h3 fib6 9. ffc1 h6 10.,1le2 ltlbd7 ll.g4 Ah7 1 2.ltle5 ffd8 13. ffd2 a5 14.0-0 0-0 15.Ad3 Ad3 16.ffd3 �es 17.Ag3 Ab4 18.f3 ltle5 19.Ae5 Ad6 20.fff5 Ae5 21.de5 ltld7 22.f4 f6

Nter 22 . . .f6 further problems in defense. 23.ef6 ltlf6 24.g5 ffd7 25.fig6 ltlh7 26.,W'3 lle6 27.ffh5 hg5 28.fg5 ffeS 29. 'fi'g4 ae3 30.l:[afl llf3 31.W3 1fe1 32.wg2 1fd2 33.wh1 :es 34.l:lfl fig5 35.1fd7 ffe7, 0-1 As in all situations, there is no substi­ tute for tactical alertness.

(097) Sidig,H-Rolle,P Dubai 1 986 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.ltlf3 ltlf6 4.ltlc3 e6 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 h6 7 .Ah4 0-0 8. 'fi' c 2 ltl bd 7 9 . A d 3 dc4 10.Ac4 ltlb6 11.Ad3 t0fd5 12.Ae7 't:f e 7 1 3 . a 3 l0d7 1 4 . 0 - 0 J:leS 15.l0e5 l0e5 16.de5 1fg5 17.l0d5 ed5 18.f4 1fh5?1 This misplacement of Black's 'iW is criminal and the punish­ ment is swi ft . M uch s uperior was 18 ... 'iWe7. 19.af3 fih4 20.�fl .!lg4 21.l:tg3 whs 22. 1ff2 t:le7? 22 . . �d7 23.h3 Ah5 24.wh2 l:lg8 24 J iee8 25. l:tg7 wins. 25 ..tlg7 1fh3 26.gh3, 1-0 .

. .

(see next diagram) Basic strategy is to disrupt the pawn center. After exchanging pawns on f6, the weak e3 pawn will cause White

76

M JOOJegame �rraregy

Ae7 s.Ad3 �bd7 9./0f3 lLlh5 1 0.Ae7 1re7 1 1 .0-0-0 0-0 Or 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.cd5 ed5 4.lQc3 l l . . . lLlb6 with the idea of castling c6 5.Af4 Af5 6.e3 lLl!6 7.Ad3 Queenside. 12.«;Ph1 lQg7 13.h3 lLlf6 Ad3 s. fi'd3 lLlhd7 9.lLlf3 Ae7 13 .f5!? 14.g4 h5?1 Why would Black 10.h3 0-0 1 1.0-0-0 h5 1 2. lQe5 open files on the Kingside? 15.lLle5 lQe5 1 3.de5 lQd7 14.wh1 lieS hg4 16.hg4 Ag4 17.lldg1 Ah5 18.f4 lLld7 19.Ae2 lLle5 20.de5 15.il.h2 Ae2 2 1 . 1te2 fi'e6 2 2 . 1th 2 f5 23.\1rg2, 1-0

(098) Kaspersen,M-Sorensen,B Copenhagen 1988

. .

This pawn structure offers several King­ side attacking possibilities. In the fol­ l o w i n g g a m e t h e o p e n h - fi l e i s overpowering. ( 100) Miles,A-Short,P

Dublin 1 993 1.d4 d5 2.lQf3 lQf6 3.c4 e6 4.lQc3 il.e7 5.Af4 0-0 6.e3 c6 7.1fc2 lQ bd7 8 . c d 5 e d 5 9.Ad3 )le8 White is planning to launch a pawn 10.h3 lQfS 1 1 .0-0-0 Ae6 1 2.g4 storm with f4, following with g4 even- b5 13.Wh1 a5 14.lLlg5 a4 15.Ae5 tually. White also has the option of g6 16.f4 lQ6d7 17.lQe6 lQe6 18.h4 breaking up Black's center with e4. lQe5 19.de5 As soon as White can However, these ideas are doomed to open the h-file, the 'if and l:t battery will failure considering White's lack of time determine the outcome of the game. and support for such an advance. Black's desperate Queenside attack 15 ...Af8 16.f4 lLlc5 17.tfc2 ffa5 which follows confirms this assessment The Queenside attack is swiftly gather- of the position. 19 ... b4 20.lQa4 ffa5 ing force. 18.e4 Trying to create coun- 21.b3 lLlc5 22.lQc5 ffc5 23.1fe2 terplay in the center. 18 ... b41 19.ed5 .J:1a3 24.l:td2 ffa7 2 5 .l:tb2 c5 bc3 20.d6 l:teb8 21.h3 ffa3, 0-1. 26.h5 c4 27.hg6 fg6 28.Ag6 hg6 The threat of 22 . . . lLlb3 is unstoppable. 29.1fh2 , 1-0 ·

It is clear that to achieve this pawn structure a strong outpost must be es­ tablished on e5, encouraging the oppo­ nent to exchange pieces.

(099) Hort,V�'Donnell,T Thessaloniki 1988

l.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.cd5 ed5 4.lQc3 c6 5. 1Wc2 lQf6 6.il.g5 g6 7 .e3

The Isolated d-Pawn

of this pawn is a mere matter of tech­ nique and accuracy. On the contrary, in practice it is seen that in nine cases out of ten the isolani holds out. In view of this, the isolated pawn would not ap­ pear to constitute such a serious weak­ ness. This conclusion is, however, equally fallacious; the drawback of the isolani lies not so much in the danger of its being lost as in the commitments which it entails and the constant thought and attention required. The units which are necessary for the de­ fense of the pawn will not as a rule be less in number than those concerned in the attack, but while the attacker can at any time switch over and concen­ trate on some other object, the de­ fender has no such discretion; he is wholly dependent on his opponent's course of action. Thus, although in most cases the defense of the isolani will be successful, it will usually be impossi­ ble to avoid damage on other fronts."

Nimzowitsch, in his great books, spends a lot of time proving what a potent weapon the blockade can be, that it constitutes the isolani's most e ffec­ tive challenge. However, it was also In an interesting Chess Life article about Nimzowitsch who explored the merits the isolani, Grandmaster Robert Byrne of the isolani in depth. Possibly the most stated that "Despising the isolated memorable words he ever wrote con­ pawn is one of the main principles of cerned the isolani's underlying "lust to modern positional chess." He went on, expand." Combining his thoughts on however, recalling a discussion he had the blockade and isolani, Nimzowitsch with Grandmaster Max Euwe, in which wrote, "On the manner of laying siege the former World Champion expressed to an isolani .... today we no longer con­ sider it necessary to render an enemy a liking for the isolani. isolani absolutely immobile; on the con­ In his book Judgment and Planning in trary, we like to give him the illusion of Chess, Euwe writes a thought provoking freedom." description of the isolani, advising " . . . do not imagine that the ultimate capture

/0

1VliUUlt:!;; i1 11lt: �ll f7 27.4Jd6 r;f;>e7 28.4Jf5 and the at­ tack is overwhelming. 26.lQc5 'fte8 27.J:[b7 ¢'g8 28.tflg3 tflg6 29.lQe4 lQd7 30.J:[d7 ltd7 3 1 . lQf6 ¢'f7 32.l:lh7, 1-0

The next game is intended solely as a look at a very early battle over the iso­ lani. It is interesting to see how far chess thought has advanced since this game was played.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dc4 3.e3 e5 4.Ac4 ed4 5.ed4 lQf6 6.lQf3 Ae7 7.0-0 0 - 0 8 . h 3 lQ b d 7 9 . lQ c 3 lQ b 6 10.Ab3 c6 ll.Ae3 lQfd5 12.1fe2 f5 13 ..tlae1 f4 14.Af4 I:lf4 15.'fte7 1fe7 16.Ite7 ¢'f8 1 7.�e4 l:If6 18.lQd5 cd5 19.l'ae3 Af5 20.lQe5 h6 2 1 . .l:[ c 1 r!d8 2 2 .)lc7 Ac8 23.1:lg3 Ad7 24.Ad5 lQd5 25 ..fld7 l:[d7 26.lQd7, 1-0

"Lust to Exoand" Nimzowitsch's memorable words. A thought provoking phrase, yet perfectly apt in describing the isolani's nature. Let's now look at a complicated exam­ ple in which the isolated d-pawn is al­ lowed to gratify its lust to expand.

(104) Spielmann,R-Capablanca,J Carlsbad 1 929 l .d4 lQf6 2.c4 e6 3.lQc3 d5 4.Ag5 lQbd7 5.e3 c6 6.cd5 ed5 7.Ad3 Ad6 8.lQge2 lQf8 A common move, yet in this game the tO becomes mis­ placed and causes Black problems for the entire game. 9. ffc2 h6 10.Ah4 1te7 ll.a3 .a,d7 1 2.e4 g5 13.Ag3 de4 14.lQe4 lQe4 15.Ae4 Ag3?! Allows White to pressure the weak h­ pawn. 16.hg3 1fd6 17.0-0-0 Aeft 18.lQc3 1tc7 19.lDb5! 1fd7 20.d5! Without these tactical complications, Black could consolidate his position by blockading the isolani with . .. i.dS. 20 . . . cb5 2 1 .de6 ffc8 2 1 . . .1\Ve6? 22.�f5 and White is clearly better. 22.ef7 Wf7 23.l:td6 Adding pressure

ro h6, and restricting the mobility of Black's CD. 23 ... 1tc2 24.wc2 Now Spielmann demonstrates that his chess understanding is not limited ro attack. White proceeds to convert his active pieces into a won endgame. 24 ... 1:(e8 25.Ah7 ae2 26.wd3 Df2 27.1:le1 W6 27 . . . l:tb2?? 28.�d5 'itg7 29J:te7 mate. 28.Ad5 wg6 29.l:tf6 wr6 30.l::te8 Restricting the CD in order to win a pawn and the game. 30 ... h5 31.l:a8 h4 32.gh4 gh4 33.l:ta7 w e 5 34.ii.c6 h3 3 5 .gh3 �h3 36.cJ]c2 b4 There was no way to save this pawn either. 37.ab4 �e6 38.Aa4 ft)f4 39.l:le7 wd6 40.�d7 we5 41.Ac6 l:lh6 42.b5 ltd6 43.fle7 I:[e6 44.l::tc 7 wd6 45.l:';lc8 l:,te2 46.wc3 t:le3 47.wc4 ,ble2 4S.l::[ds wc7 49.�d7 wcs so.wc5 llb2 51.wb6 J;le2 52.l:tc7 wds 53.l:td7 wcs 54.fid4 ltle6 55.Ab7 wbs 56.I:[c4, 1-0

After 1 4.�d3 response to Black's last move. White now threatens to soften the Kingside with 1 6.h5. 15 ... ytd6 16.Ag5 r!ad8 17.aad1 fibS 18.Ab3 a6?1 Occu­ pying the blockading square with 1 8 ... lLid5 was essential. 19.d51 ltla5

The following example shows how complex is the isolani's lust to expand. Yu�ov finally offers a Queen sacrifice to satisfy the isolani's desire.

( 105) Yusupov,A-Lobron, E Germany 1 996 1.d4 itlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 ii.b4 4.e3 o-o s.Ad3 d5 6 . ltlf3 c5 7.0-o cd4 8.ed4 dc4 9.Ac4 For this type of pawn s tructure to arise in the Carlsbad the colors would have to be reversed. 9...b6 10.:te1 Ab7 1 1.Ad3 ltlc6 1 2 . a 3 Ae7 1 3 . A c 2 f:(eS 14.1td3

(see next diagram) We will refer to this diagram in the next game. 14 ... g6 1 5.h4!? A logical

20.de6!1 And the lust to expand ex­ presses itself in a most spectacular way. 20... ltlb3 20... l:td3 21.ef7 'itg7 22.fe8'W 'ii' e 8 2 3 . l:td3 lLi b 3 2 4 . l: d e 3 'it f7 2 5 . Af6 'itf6 2 6 . l:e6 ..t>f7 2 7 . CDg5 'itf8 2 8 . lLi h 7 'it f7 2 9 . lLi g 5 'it f8 30. l:te7 �c6 3 1 . l:t f7 'itg8 32 . CDd5!! wins -Kristensen. 21.ef7 wf7 22. 'ifc4 c,tlg7 23.�e51 Now Black's weak ..t> position seals his doom. ·23... ltlg8 24.l!ds flds 25.W/f7 whs 26.flh3

'fWd4 27.1:1e3 l:[f8 28._ae7, 1-0. If Sarajevo 1 988. 20..,af6 .i.c5 21.Vg5 wh7 22.,iLc2, 1-0 28. . . 'Lle7 29.'Llf7 �g7 30.l:te7.

At the risk of confusing the issue, our next game reaches the same diagram after 14.'ifd3 in the last game, but from a totally different opening (and gaining a tempo in the process! ) .

We can even approach the same dia­ gram from yet another opening. Clearly, the themes found in the Carlsbad formation s tretch far beyond the boundaries of any one opening.

( 106) Borik,O-Werner,D 1 981

( 107) Schmidt, W-Imanaliev, T Moscow 1994

1.e4 d5 2.ed5 /Of6 3.c4 c6 4./0c3 cd5 5.cd5 /Od5 6./0f3 /Oc6 7 .d4 e6 8.Ad3 Ae7 9.0-0 0-0 10 ..tle1 /O f 6 1 l . a 3 b 6 1 2 . A c 2 A b 7 13.1fd3 lle8

l.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.ed5 cd5 4.cd5 /Of6 5./0c3 /Od5 6./0f3 e6 7.d4 Ae7 8.Ad3 0-0 9.0-0 /Oc6 lO.:lel /Of6 1 l . a 3 b6 1 2 .A c 2 A b 7 13.Yfd3 l:[c8 Now we have the same position from the last diagram, except the Black .: is on c8 instead of e8 - and from a third opening! 14.d5 ed5 15.Ag5 /0e4 16./0e4 de4 17.1te4 g6 18.Ah6 lieS 19.:lad1 1tc7 20.Ab3 /OdS 21. 1Jd4, 1-o

Compare this diagram with the first dia­ gram in the previous game. They are identical, except here it is White's turn to move. 14.d5! ed5 15.Ag5 /Oe4 16./0e4 de4 17.1te4 g6 18.fi'h4 'f!lc7 18 . . . .i.g5 1 9.'Llg5 hS 20.�g6 fg6

Let's continue our look at the isolani's lust to expand with an example played by Grandmaster Kramnik, the young man World Champion Kasparov has predicted will himself be a future World Champion.

( 108) Kramnik, V-Timman,J Belgrade 1 995

1./0f3 /Of6 2.c4 e6 3./0c3 d5 4.d4 /Obd7 5.cd5 ed5 6.Ag5 c6 7.e3 Ae7 8 . Ad3 /Oh5 9 . Ae7 1Je7 2 1 .'t'Vc4 'iPg7 2 2 . 'iff7 'iPh6 23.'ifb7 10.0-0 0-0 ll.'ffb l!? A new idea in 'ifgS 24.'ifc6 l:le1 2S.l:te1 l:td8 26.h3 this position is using the 'it' to support 'tW d 2 2 7 . l:l e 6 'tl' g S 2 8 . 't'V e 4 ll d 1 the b-pawn's advance. Usually White 29.'iPh2 llf1 30.h4 f!Vg4 3 l . 'iVe3 'iPg7 plays 1 1.l:t b 1 to accomplish that pur­ 32. l:le7 'iPf6 33.1We5, 1-0. Demarre,J­ pose. 1 1 ... /0hf6 12.b4 lle8 13.llcl! Chaumont,G Paris 1 99 1 . 19.Ah3 h5 Pushing the pawn to b5 would be an 1 9 . . �d6 20. �f6 h5 2 1 . 'ii'g 5 'iPh7 error due the reply 1 3 . . . c5. 13 ...a6 22.�c2, 1 -0. Dizdar,G-Dizdarevic,E 1 4.a4 g6 1 5.fib2!? a5 15 .. .lt::lf8 .

1 6.bS with an advantageous minority attack. 16.ba51 ld.a5 17.ltld2 ltlg4?! 18.ltlb3 1fd6 19.g3 ld,a7 20.e41?

f5 2 4 . A d 5 ff d 5 2 5 .g4 Uads 26.gf5 fff5 27.'t:fg3 l:[e1 28.ti'el tl¥d7 29.'t:fh4 ltle6 30.d5 The com­ mon maneuver of pushing this pawn to open a diagonal. 30 ...cd5 31. 't:ff6 d4 32.1:le1 ]::te8 33.Ad4, 1-0

The struggle will now revolve around the weak pawns in both players posi­ tion. Kramnik has prepared well to take advantage of the resulting pawn A premature advance of the isolani can formation. only lead to further problems. In the following game the isolani is forced to advance before adequate preparation. Korchnoi's conversion of this advanta­ geous situation into a win shows the remarkable positional judgment of this outstanding player.

( 110) Korchnoi , V -Hector,J Malmo 1 996

20 ... de4 21.li)e4 1ff8 22.f!e1 b6?! Adds another weakness in the posi­ tion. 22 ... ltJgf6 was better. 23.i0bd2 ,i.a6 24.Ac21 Repositioning the .t to the a2-g8 diagonal, where it will sup­ port t he advance of the i s o l a n i . 24...]::tb7 25 . .i.b3 ltlgf6 26.1:[acl l:(c8 27.li:}f6 li:}f6 28.d51 Opening up the al-h8 d i a go n a l . 28 li:}d5 29.ltle4 !ld8 30.l:lc6 1fb4 31.li:}f6 wrs 32.ltlh7 wgs 33.ltlf6 c;Yfs 34.J:[e4, 1-0 .••

( 109) Reshevsky, S-Bisguier, A New York 1 959 1 .d4 �6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 Ab4 4.e3 0-0 5.li)ge2 d5 6.a3 Ae7 7.cd5 ed5 8.b4 l:Ie8 9.i0g3 .i.fS 10.Ad3 /Oc6 1 1 . 0 - 0 ltl e 7 1 2. 1f c 2 a 6 13.Ab2 li:}g6 14.h3 c 6 15.llae1 A d 6 1 6 . e 4 A g 3 1 7 . fg 3 d e 4 18.li:}e4 lt:}e4 19.Ae4 Ae6 20.h4 .i.d5 21.h5 ltlf8 22.h6 g6 23.'t:ff2

1.c4 e6 2.ltlc3 d5 3.d4 lt:}f6 4.Ag5 c6 5 .e3 ltlbd7 6.a3 Ae7 7.1fc2 e5 8.de5 ltle5 9.Af6 Af6 10.cd5 cd5 We now have a pawn structure which could evolve from the Carlsbad. 1l.Ab5 li:}c6 12.l:td1 a6 13.Aa4 Ag4 14.lt:}ge2 Ae2 15.ltle2 0-0 16.0-0 i0a5 17.li)f4 With the simple threat of winning the pawn. 17 ... �c8 18.'t:fe2 d4 This attempt to assuage the isolani's lust to expand backfires on Black. With the pin against the 't'¥, Black cannot continue . . . de3, which normally would weaken e3 or rid Black o f t h e w e a k p a w n . 1 9 . ltlh5 b5 20.Ac2 ]::te8 Tactically protecting the isolani with a pin against the White 'i'¥. 21.Af5 l::[c5 22.Ah71? A profound judgment by Korchnoi, who sees that after the following exchanges Black's W will be in a precarious position. Also playable is 22.'i'¥d3, e.g. 22 . . . g6 23.ltJf6 'iff6 24.i..d7 and White wins a pawn. 22... wh7 23.b4 !Ic3 24.ba5 lla3 25.ltlf6 Vf6 26.k!d4 Da5

As dangerous as Black's Queenside pawns look, Korchnoi demonstrates that White has the advantage. 27.fid2 l::la3 28. ficl 1\Ve7 29.,W'd1 c;Yg8 30.l::td7 White is winning due to the pressure along the seventh rank. 30 . . . ffb4 3 1 .1Wc6 fic3 32.'tfd5 w-s 33.g4 g6 34.wg2 b4 35.l:td4 b3 3 6 .l::t f4 l::t a 5 3 7 . 'tfe4 l::t e 5 38. fif3 f5 39. 1Vb7 ,tle6 40.,tlc4 'Cfc4 Or 40 .. .'it'h8, when 4 1 .lkc7 wins. 41.1:lg7, 1-0

Blockading the Pawn Blockading the isolani can lead not only to winning the pawn, but can also cre­ ate considerable counterplay. Lasker demonstrates this simple idea, and then Marshall shows how complicated it's execution can be in the following con­ test between the two Grandmasters.

( 111 ) Marshall, F-Lasker, Em Moscow 1 925 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.il)c3 fl)f6 4.Ag5 fl)bd7 5.e3 c6 6.cd5 ed5 7.Ad3 il.d6 8.il)f3 0-0 9. '«fc2 h6 10.Ah4 lleS U.0-0 fl)f8 1 2.e4 de4 It is very difficult for Black to avoid the isolani.

If 1 2 . . . .lte7 1 3.e5 lLJ6d7 Black's posi­ tion will remain cramped for a long time. 13.fl)e4 JJ..e 7 14.Af6 Remov­ ing the classical blockading piece before it parks in front of the isolani. White now expects an advantage by using his lead in development. However, the lack of weak squares in Black's position, combined with the white-squared �·s blockade of the isolani, gives Lasker the better chances. 14 ... JJ..f6 15.ID"e1 Setting up an obvious trap and proceed­ ing with normal actions when holding the isolani. White will use the open file to initiate a Kingside attack. 15 ... Ag4 Not 1 S . . . �d4?? 16.t0d4 'Wd4 17.lLlf6 1Wf6 18.l:te8 (threatening 19.�h7!) , when White's material advantage, po­ sitional bind and pressure against the Black � will win with ease. 16.fl)f6 fff6 17.il)e5 White has now achieved the typical goals of an isolani: active minor pieces and an impending King­ side attack. 17...JJ..e 6 Lasker plays with deep understanding of the position. As strong as White's attack appears to be, it is an illusion; the weak isolani will eventually give Black the advantage. 18.lle3 l::ted8 19.1Wc3 Ad5 20.Ae4 fl)e6 Basic positional policy against an isolated pawn, blockading and a ttacking. 2 1 .l::tf3 Now White has the weak pawn on f7 to attack, b u t Lasker has tactical responses t o in­ c r e a s e h i s a d v a n t a ge . 21 ... 1Wh4 22.Ad5 l::t d 5 This new blockad� foretells the isolani's extinction. 23.l::te 1 If 23. l:tf7?! then 23 . . . t0d4 (threatening both 24 ... l:te5 and 24 . . . t0e2) 24.'ii'c4 {24.l:tel l:te5) 24 . ..b5 follows. 23 ...fl)d4 24.ID"e3 �:ladS Both players have similar advantages in the position, an open file with doubled l:ts and central­ ized tO. Black does have an extra pawn,

but it is the better placement of his pieces that wins the game. The Black 'Ll actually has more tactical possibilities than its counterpart, and the Black 'W can support an attack far more easily than White's. 25.l::te4 Y!'!Vf6 26.�g4 1f g 6 2 7 . h 3 h 5 2 8 . � e 5 "t'f d 6 29.�e4 1Jb8 30.�e5 e 5 Now it is clearly a matter of the technique to win the game. Yet being the tactical genius he was, Marshall has not given up fight­ ing yet. 31.'9Wel 1Ve7 32.b4 �e6 33.\Ja3 l:ldl Lasker demonstrates that he is also no stranger to tactics. 34.bc5 1Je5 35. \Jf3 �g5 36. \Jh5 l':l8d21 37.�d3

37 ... �e411 Beautiful. The l:ts will be too much for White's 'iW. 38.�e5 l:[et 39.wh2 �f2 40.\'Wf5 :es Preventing the draw by perpetual check. 41.�b7 �dl 42.\Je5 ,ble6 43.'ifel �3 44.YWc8 44.'N!Yd2?? lt:lfl . 44 . . . wh7 45.'«Je3 l::tg 6 46. 1t'e3 l:(dg2 47.wht bl2g3, o-1

The next game is a classic study in the use of blockading strategy to maintain the initiative.

( 112) Maroczy,G-Lasker, Ed New York 1924 l.e4 e6 2.�f3 d5 3.d4 �6 4.�e3 �bd7 5.Ag5 Ab4 6.ed5 ed5 7.e3 e6 8.Ad3 0-0 9.0-0 ,ble8 10. 1Je2 h6 ll.Ah4 �f8 1 2.a3 Ae7 13.b4 g5 t4.Ag3 �h5 t 5 .Ae5 Ae6 16.b5 f6 17.Ag3 e5 18.de5 �g3 19.hg3 Ae5 20.�e2 Securing the d4 square, which remains a prime stra­ tegic point throughout the game. 20... 1Je7 21."t'fb2 �d7 22.�ed4 � e 5 2 3 . A e 2 l:( a e 8 2 4 . b( f d l White's plans have been centered around the d4 square. Overprotection of strategically important squares is an i mportant principle in positional thought, and was well known even 70 y e a rs ago. 24 . . . Af7 25.a4 Ab4 26.b(abl Ae5 27.@b3 1Jd7 Black is playing without a plan of action. The restriction of his choices by the oppos­ ing blockade places him in a totally defensive posture. 28.b(bel Af8 29.a5 .tiel 30.b(el bleB 3 1.l:[e2 �e4 32.a6 ba6 On 32 . . . b6 3 3 . lt:lc6 B lack's difficulties become worse. 33.ba6 So far White has used his blockade to maintain the initiative, re­ sulting in Black's weak a-pawn. This weakness is highlighted by the ad­ vanced White a-pawn, which can also support infiltration along the b-file with its control of the b7 square. 33... 1fd6 34.,bla2 �e5 35.'1Jdl YWb6 Not 3 5 . . . lt:lf3?!, which would simply remove Black's most active piece from the board and weaken the isolani's defense. 36.l:tat .blbs 37.�f5 Vb3 38.trfl .blb6 39.�3d4 1tb2 4o.�b5 Ah5 In order to indirectly protect the weak­ ness on a 7, Black is forced to weaken his defense of dS. 4t.Ah5 l:tb5 42.Ae2 l:.tb8 43. 'tVdll Winning the

lVI IUU lt:gamt: ;:) Lrii l t:gy

00

isolani. 43...1fb3 If 43 . .l:td8 44. l::ta 5 and the weak pawn is lost. 44. 1fb3 l:lb3 45.l:ldt l:lb2 46.wfl l0c6 47.Dd5 tOM 4s.�dt wh7 49.g4 l0c6 50.l:ld7 whs 5t .Af3 nht 52.we2 Dh2 53.wdt Dht 54.wd2 l:(b2 55.wc3 l:lb6 56.Ae2 .i,b4 57.wc2 Aa3 5S.l:(b7 Ac5 59.l0h6 l0e5 60.Ad31 Avoiding a possible �s of opposite color ending, which would give Black drawing chances. 60 ... l0d3 6t . .t:lb6 l0et 62.wdt Ab6 63.wet wg7 64.l0f5 wf7 65.c;Yd2 we6 66.wc3 wd5 67.wb4 wc6 6S.l0e7 c.Yd6 69.lOgS After 69. '0c8 �c6 70.cob6? �b6 the � and � ending is d r a w n . 69 . . . Ads 70.wb5 wd5 7t.l0h6 Ab6 72.l0f5 Ads 73.f3 A b 6 7 4 . g 3 A d s 7 5 . e4 w e 5 7 6 . w c 6 A b 6 7 7 . l0 d 6 A f 2 7S.lOcS, 1-0 .

In the next game Black trys to remove a possible blockading piece, but only exchanges off the piece best suited to his isolani's advance. After this dubious idea he is doomed to live with the block­ ade on d4 without opportunities for counterplay.

( 11 3) Rustemov, A-Filippov, V Minsk 1 996 l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 l0f6 4.l0c3 e6 5.l0f3 l0bd7 6.t:fc2 Ad6 7.b3 0-0 S.Ae2 e5 9.cd5 l0d5 lO.lOd5 cd5 ll.de5 l0e5 After a little trans­ position we again have a pawn structure that could arise out of the Carlsbad. t 2.Ab2 l0f3 13.Af3 .i,b4 t4.wfl Ae6 15.1fd3 Ae7 t6.we2 tld7 t 7 .J:lhd t J:lfdS t s . w f t 'lacs t9.wg t b6 2o.�d2 f6 2 t .tle2 Ab4 22.l:(d4 .i,d6 23.l:tadl Ae5 24.J:l4d2 Ab2

Alexander Baburin's interesting com­ ment here is worth repeating: "This is a very dubious decision - the White � was not particularly active, while the Black one was rather useful, being able to control the d4 square." Control of the d4 square is important to both sides, and both .is are able to exert pressure on d4. White wishes to control d4 to blockade the isolani; Black wishes to control d4 to support his d-pawn's ad­ vance. Ergo, this exchange is dubious for Black because White can replace the � as a blockader with his l:l. Black has a difficult time finding pieces to support an advance of his isolani, pieces which can control d4 like his dark­ squared .i. 25.l:(b2 flc7 26.�bd2 tfe5 The V is now trying to replace the .i in support of a . d4 advance, but she is not nearly as effective. 27.tla6 l:lc7 2S.h3 Quietly preparing the threat of 29.e4. 2S...f5 29.1:1d4 Besides simRl,y blockading the d-pawn, the n prevents an . . .f4 advance (which would weaken e3) and cuts off a possible entry of Black's 'if into the White Queenside position . Notice how securely the White ll acts as blockader in this posi­ tion. Which Black piece can dislodge the blockade and allow the isolani to . .

advance ? 29 . . . J:[cd7 30.fld3 g6 31.g3 wg7 32.wg2 wr6 33.l:td2 wg7 34.b4!? Baburin points out that White needs another target to win the game. We have seen this principle in the minority attack, when a weak c6 pawn ties up the defending pieces yet doesn't fall until another . weakness overloads the defense. 34...wf6 35.'t'fb3 wg7 3 6 . tr d 1 wr6 3 7 . � 2 d 3 w g 7 3s. 't'fd2 wr6 39.wh2 wg7 4o.Ag2 rJ;Jf7 Possibly the previous maneuver­ ing was to achieve time control. Now White continues with a logical plan. 41.a4 wf6 42.b5 wf7 Meanwhile Black has no plan available to counter­ balance the White pressure. 43.l:[c3 •bs 44. 't'fc1 Adding control of the c-file to White's list of advantages, but since he is not able to make the file an invasion route it is not of much value. 44 . . . 'fle5 45.il.f3 wg7 46.wg2 wf7 47.Ad1 'trbs 48.Ab3 One lux­ ury of having a bind on the position is being able to calmly reposition your pieces to slightly better posts. White has not achieved a winning advantage, so he attempts to squeeze as much as pos­ sible out of the position. It is clear that the .t can achieve more on its new diagonal, and still pressure the d-pawn. 48 . . . we7 49 . .J:c6 Jld6 50.l:tc7 U6d7 51.J:lc3 wf7 52.wg1 'fle5 53. ffd2 ffb8 54.I:lc6 .J:d6 55.l:lc3 U6d7 56.wh2 ffb7 57.J:tcd3 .r;td6 58.f31 Now the fight continues. It's a difficult decision to proceed with the break on e4, because White's advan­ tage is based on the isolani's blockade. However, without this transfer of ad­ vantages White would have to settle for a draw; besides, White actually gets to keep the blockade.

58 ...we7 59.e4 ffc7 If 59 ... de4?? then 60.'ifg5 followed by 6Uld6 wins easily. 60.�c3 ffb7 61 .e5 .1:6d7 62.l:[c6 il.g8 63.ffg5 weS 64.'flf6 J:lf7 65.J:le6 J;Ie7 66. 't'fh8 wfs 67.l:(c6 �7 68.�d5 1ld5 69.il.d5 't'fd7 70.k!f6, 1-0

The next game is a positional gem, combining tactics with a clear example of the blockade theme. White is able to use his Queen as the blockader, based on tactics which prevent Black from dislodging the intruder to advance his isolani.

(11 4) Portisch, L-Ivkov, B Wijk aan Zee 1 972 1.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 d5 4.Ag5 il.e7 5.e3 h6 6.il.h4 0-0 7.1:lc1 b6 8.cd5 �d5 9.�d5 ed5 10.Ae7 't'fe7 ll .il.e2 a5?1 Weakening his s tructure without compensation . 12.Af3 ffb4 13.ffd2 c6 14.J:lc3 't'fd6 1 5.�e2 �d7 1 6.0-0 Ab7 1 7 . �f4 �fd8 1 8 .l:[fc 1 !labS 19.h4 c5 Black was faced with a diffi­ cult choice between passive play with . . . g6, . . . 'iii>g7 etc. on the Kingside, or active play on Queenside. Considering that after White exchanges pawns on

00

lVllUUIC!!,i:llllC

Black has only a choice between "lesser evils," passive play would have been his best decision. 20.dc5 Now Black must finally decide which is the better of two evils, hanging pawns or an isolani. Notice how the weak pawn on aS makes accepting the hang­ ing pawns the wrong decision (2l..l:t.a 3 wins the pawn) . That leaves only the isolani option, but it will immediately be pressured and blockaded. 20...l0c5 21. 1td4 A subtle positional move based on the tactical prevention of 2 1 . . . lt:l e6, which if possible would j ustify Black's play by supporting the isolani's advance. c5

� l l i:llC I!;.)'

ffd6 32.l:c4 The tactics are used to accomplish positional goals, here to pressure the weak Queenside pawns. 32 ... 1fc7 33.:1c3 1fe7 34.g3 tlf6 35.1tf4J Black cannot defend all the weak pawns if he exchanges 'it's, so White uses this fact to reposition his pieces against these very weaknesses. 35 ... tfc6 36.:1d4 'll b5 Beginning a desperate countera ttack. 37.:1b4 1te2 38.:Ib6 l0e4 39.:1c7 :15e7 40.:le7 :le7 41.J:(b8 Wh7 42.Ae4, 1-0. After 42 . . . de4 43.�f5 g6 44.'i!Yf6 wins.

As demonstrated by Kasparov in the following game, the blockade alone does not constitute a successful re­ sponse to the isolani.

( 11 5) Kasparov, G-Huebner,R Hamburg 1985 l.d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0f3 d5 4.l0c3 Ae7 5.Ag5 0-0 6. •c2 l0e4 7 .Ae7 1te7 8.e3 l0c3 9.1fc3 b6 10.cd5 ed5 ll.b4 c6 12.J:(cl Ab7 13.Ad3 l0d7 14.J:(b1 'ffd8 15.0-0 a5 t6.a3 ab4 17.ab4 g() 18.lQd2 'fte7 21 ...J:(d7 Instead 2 1 . . .4Je6 22.4Je6 fe6 23.l:tc7! e5 (23 . . . l::t d7 24.l:td7 'iYd7 25.'i\Vb6) 24.'iYg4 'i\Vf6 25.l::t d l (with the idea of 26.l:tb7!, winning a pawn) 2 5 . . . e4? 26. �e4 de4 27. l::t d 8 l:td8 28.l::tb7 wins. 22.il,g4 :le7 If 22 . . . lt:le6 23.�e6 fe6 24.lt:lg6, and with a secure

blockade of the center pawns after 25.lt:le5, White will dominate the posi­ tion. 23.Af5 J:(d8 24.l:(dt l:le5 25.Ab1 \1fe7 I f 25 . . . 4Je6 26.4Je6 fe6?? 27.g4!, one wonders how Black is going to save the .J:l on e5. 26.l0e2 Continuing with the common pattern DeS 27 .a3 Aa6 2 8 . l0g3 Ac4 of fixing the Queenside pawn structure 29.Ac2 a4 30.l0f5 1tf6 31.l0d6U prior to initiating pawn play in the

center. 19.e4 de4 20.Jle4 ,1:1ac8 2t.Wel -erds 22./0c4 /0f6 23.�f3 �d5 24. -erd2 �a6 25./t)e5 iLb5 26.l:[ecl -erd6 Black has set up a defense for his weak c6 pawn, and against the advance of the isolani. However, Kasparov now uses an attack on the Kingside to. maintain the initia­ tive. 27.h4 l::[fd8 Worse is 27 . . . h5?!, which weakens the Kingside further. 28.h5 [i)e7 29.l:tel l:ic7 30.iLg4 �d5 3l.hg6 hg6 32.�b3 f5?1 An ugly move and a forlorne attempt at counterplay. 33.iLdl l:g7 34.�h3 ffb4--3 5.ffh6 ffet 36.Wh2 wrs 37.[j)g6 c;t>gs 38. ffhB wf7 39. ffdB, 1-0

Black does not recognize the danger that is brewing. Keres suggests the correct 19 ... lLld5, blockading the pawn. Basic Nimzowitsch philosophy, and there might follow 20.ltJd5 i.d5 with security. Incidentally, not 19 ... 'iWd4? Kingside Attack when 20.ltJt7! wins. 20.iLf51 iLf5 The isolani often will set up conditions 21.fff5 g6 22.fff4 Wg7 23.ffh6! for an attack on the Kingside, as can be wgs 24.iLh4 lilBh7 25.lilg6, 1-o seen by the play of Paul Keres in the The isolani does not make its appear­ next example. ance until late in the next game. When it does so, however, it becomes the cata­ ( 11 6) Keres, P-Kurajica lyst leading to Black's downfall in an Kapfenberg 1 970 already difficult position. l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.[i)c3 Ae7 4.cd5 ed5 5.iLf4 [i)f6 6.e3 0-0 7.iLd3 ( 117) Karpov,A-Spassky,B �d6 8.iLg5 c6 9.[i)f3 l:[e8 10.ffc2 Leningrad 1 974 h6 1 1 . iLh4 a5 1 2 . 0 - 0 [i) b d 7 lilf6 2.c4 e6 3.lilf3 d5 4.lilc3 13.l:(ae1 iLe7 14.iLg3 [i)f8 15.[i)e5 1.d4 iLe7 5 . .£lg5 h6 6 . .£lh4 0-0 7.e3 This is a fine move, but Keres also liked b6 8 ..£le2 .£lh7 9 . .£lf6 .£lf6 10.cd5 1 5.h3. 15 ... lilh5 16.e4 de4 17.l:[e4 Now White has the isolani with the ed5 1 1.0-0 '@d6 12 ..r!c1 a6 13.a3 advantage of control along the e-file. It lLld7 14.b4 h5 15.lile1 c6 After is very instructive to watch Keres use 1 5 moves a mutated Carlsbad structure this advantage to pressure the weak has arisen. 16.lild3 lilb6 17.a4! Ob­ points t7 and e7. 17 ... iLe6 18.l::lfe1 viously Black cannot exchange this pawn due to his resulting weak Queen­ lilf6 19.�4e3 l:lc8? side pawns. Ergo, White will advance to aS and increase his a-pawn's worth. (see next diagram) Notice that if the pawn had remained on a3 it would be a target for the ltJ on

� · - · - - ·-o-···-

c4. 17 ... Ad8 18.�c5 Ac8 19.a 5 ii,c7 20.g3 �c4 21.e41 Ah3 Black's only hope for counterplay is to exploit the weak white squares on the enemy Kingside . 22.l:lel de4 2 3 .ltHe4 fig6 24.Ah51 Much better than 24 . .tc4 winning a pawn, which would give Black counter chances against the weak b- and d-pawns, in addition to white square play. 24...fih7 25.fif3 f5 26.�c3 g6 27.fic6 gh5 28.ll:ld5 White is now winning because of the activity of his pieces and the weak pawns on Black's Kingside. 28...f4 29 . .r:1e7 \'ff5 30.l:lc7 l:lae8 3l.fih6 l:lf7 32.l:lf7 wf7 33. fif4 l:(e2 34.fic7 wf8 35.fl:lf4, 1-0

...... ...

-·-cJ

Whenever discussing an attack the s ubj ect of defense should also be considered. The defender's resouceful­ ness is always a factor.

( 11 9) Spassky,B-Portisch, L Budapest 1 967 l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.fl:lc3 ll:lf6 4.Ag5 Ae7 5.ll:lf3 0-0 6.e3 il:lbd7 7.l:lcl a6 8.cd5 ed5 9.Ad3 c6 10.0-0 .t:le8 1 1 .1tc2 l0f8 1 2 . Af6 Af6 13.b4 Ae7 14.l:[b1 Ad6 15.):1fel l:[e6 16.e4 Wt6 17.h3

A powerful positional theme within the Kingside attack is the Bishop pair. The next struggle is an excellent example of their power, and a simple model of over­ whelming attack.

( 11 8) Liao, Y-Hon Kah Seng , C Luzem 1 982 l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.fl:ld2 de4 4.fl:le4 ll:lf6 5.l0g3 e5 6.l0f3 ed4 7.l0d4 Ac5 8.c3 0-0 9.il.e2 Ad4 10.cd4 Now we have a familiar pawn structure from the Carlsbad. 10 ... l0d5 1 1.0-0 A e 6 1 2 . a 3 il:ld 7 1 3 . l0 e4 h 6 14.Ad3 l07f6 15.fl:lc5 fic8 16. fic2 l:le8 17 .Ad2 a5?1 The beginning of a bad maneuver. Black intends to play ... b6, which would be bad now due to 18.i.a6. However, this plan is very time consuming, allowing White to set up and execute a classic attack with the two �s. 18.)::lael fl:lc7 19. Oct b6 20.Ah6 gh6 21.1rh6 bc5 22.Ile5 Af5 23.Df5 �e6 24.l:lh5, 1-0

17...Ah3 Stripping the Kingside of pawn protection 18.gh3 l:th3 19.l:le3 l0e6 20.Afll Solid defense is the key to winning. 20 ):1f3 2l ..r:1f3 l0d4 22. ffdt 'lfg5 23.Ag2 l0f3 24. 1Vf3 d4 25.fl:le2 1td2 26.a3 d3 27.fl:ld4 1tc3 28.l0f5 Afs 29.l:ldl l:[dS 30.ffg3 \'fb3 31.Af3 d2 32.l:ld2 DeS 32 . . . l:td2 33.lLlh6 �h8 34.ti'b8 w i n s . 33 . .tld7 g6 34 . .tlb7 fra3 35.wg2, 1-o .

.•.

In the following example the attack is repelled, a nd then the counter­ a ttack begins. Once more the defense triumphs in difficult circumstances.

( 1 20) Timrnan,J--Short, N Amsterdam 1 988 t.c4 e6 2.ltlc3 d5 3.d4 ltlf6 4.cd5 ed5 5 . .iLg5 .iLe7 6.e3 0-0 7.tlc2 c6 8.Ad3 ltlbd7 9.ltlf3 lle8 10.0-0 ltlf8 ll.tlael ltle4 12 . .i.e7 tle7 13.Ae4 de4 14.ltld2 f5 15.f3 ef3 t6.ltlf3 .i,e6 17.e4 fe4 18.:le4 h6 t 9 . .J:lfel �adS 2 0 . :l l e 3 '@f7 2l.ltle5 '@f5 22.�3 .f!d4 23.ltlg4 White's attack and impending sacrifice will rob the Black � of his pawn protec­ tion, and so looks quite dangerous. Yet Grandmaster Short defends the com­ plex position actively to turn back the invaders.

23...whs 24.l0h6?! 24.lZle3 24 ...gh6 25.Y!'fcl ttf6 26.llee3 W"4! 27.ltle2 l:lf5 28.kief3 .i_d7 29.ltlf4 '@d4 30.wfl wh7 3t.tlh3 l:lc5, o-t

Let's continue our study of the Kingside attack with an early example of World Champion Kasparov's play.

( 1 21 ) Kasparov, G-Eolian Tbilisi 1 976 l.ltlf3 ltlf6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 d5 4.d4 .i_e7 5.Af4 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.tlcl .i,b7 8.cd5 ed5 9..i.d3 c6 10.h3 lt)bd7 1 1.0-0 �e8 12.,ah2 .i,f8

13.ffc2 a6 14.ltle5 g6 15.e4 de4 16.ltle4 c5 This break is a common maneuver, and the reasoning behind it is worth understanding. If pawns are exchanged on d4 (or c5) and retaken with a piece, the pawn structure will be balanced and the isolani's influence over the center will be neutralized. 17.l0f6 A two move combination lets Kasparov accomplishes his positional goal, preventing a piece from recap­ turing on c5. Now a weak pawn is cre­ ated on c5. 17 ... ltlf6 18.Ac4 l:te7 1 8 . . . ..td5 1 9.dc5 �c5 20J:tfdl and W h i t e m a i n t a i ns a n a d v a n t age . 1 9 .dc5 bc5 2 0 . tlcd l '@b6 I f 20 . . . �c8 2 1 . �b3 the pawn on f7 falls. 21.ltlg6 Another two move combina­ tion to increase White's advantage. 21 ...hg6 22.l:[d6 1fb4 23.l:tf6 With two simple combinations White has achieved a technically won game. Kasparov's conversion of his advan­ tages into a full point is worthy of seri­ ous study. 23 ... Ag7 23 . . . �e4 24.'iYb3. 24.W4 24.l:!.g6?? �e4 wins. 24... '@b6 25.:1g4 Simple threats (26.'iYg6) to better position his pieces for the attack. 25 ... Wh7 26.b3 The one weak point in White's position was the pawn on b2. The text strengths the post at c4 and eliminates this weakness. 26 ... l:(ae8 27.Af4! Repos itioning the dark­ squared � accomplishes two objec­ tives. First, the new placement brings another piece into the Kingside attack. Second, by bringing the � into battle White can threaten to exchange more p i e c e s , b r i n gi n g a b o u t t h e won endgame White envisions. 27...'iVc6 28.Acl 1:(e4 29.J:(e4 l:le4 30.f3 Ad4 3t.c;yhl :!e7 32.'@d2 \Tid7 After 32 . . . �g7 33.l:td 1 infiltration into the Black position is eminent. 33.1rh6

':IL

tvi J o o t e g ame ;:,rra1e gy

wgs 34.1t'g6 whs 35. tWh6 wgs 36.Ag5 Ag7 37.tWh4 lle5 38.ffg3 whs 39. ffh4 wgs 4o. ,ar6 ars 41.'ifg4, 1-0

Next is another example of the ... c5 maneuver we saw in the previous game, which again doesn't survive the tactics in the position.

a weak pawn on c6. Further, this initiative can provoke weaknesses or create other advantages to win the game. How does this idea relate to the isolani, which is in itself a weak pawn? The answer is dynamic strength, which in the isolani is based on the initiative. by playing against

When the opposing side has the initia­ tive based on blockade, or threats ( 1 22) Tal , M-Baillo , G against the weak isolani, the relation­ Termas de Rio Hondo 1 987 1 .c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.lLlc3 ltlf6 4.e3 ship is clear. Yet an obvious motive in g6 5.lLlf3 Ag7 6. Ylh3 o-o 7 .�d2 playing with the isolani is to seize the e6 8.Ad3 b6 9.0-0 lLlbd7 10.cd5 initiative. The initiative generated by the isolani is based on piece activity, ed5 ll.e4 de4 1 2.lQe4 c5 the threat to advance and the possibili­ ties for attack. Elements not as concrete as found in the initiative which the minority attack produces, but just as deadly. However, the side facing the isolani can also hope for the initiative, and has the added option of the block­ ade strategy. The initiative is possibly the most diffi­ cult chess concept to fully understand, yet it is the foundation of winning almost all games. Another paradox of the initiative is that most players can tell who has the initiative, yet may not understand why or how to use that advantage. Alexander Alekhine cer­ tainly knew how to handle the initia­ tive, however, and next are a few his games relating to that topic. -

The same idea we saw in the previous game, to eliminate the possibility of an isolani. 13.lbd6! cd4 14.lQf7 lLlc5 14 . . . 'it'c7 1 5.lLl3g5 and the attack will win. 15.lLld8 lLlb3 16.Ac4 c;Yh8 17.Ah3 l:(d8 18.lQe5 �d5 Black cannot avoid losing the Exchange due to check on f7 followed by discovered check. 19.1:tfe1, 1-0 Alekhine's own notes to the following game reveal his appreciation for the ever shifting initiative. Observe the The Initiative s ubtle influences as the initiative changes sides. In the Minority Attack chapter we saw how White can maintain the initiative

( 1 23) Alapin,S-Alekhine,A Carlsbad 1 911 t.e4 e5 2.lbf3 lbf6 3.lbc3 �b4 4.lbe5 ffe7 5.lbd3 �c3 6.dc3 lbe4 7.�e2 d5 8.0-0 0-0 9.lbf4J "White now assumes the initiative," according to Alekhine. 9 c6 Alekhine gives the following alternate variation to demon­ strate White's possession of the initia­ tive. We can see how the threat of ltJdS has established the "rules" of the d­ pawn's defense. 9 . . . lld8? lO.ltJdS! 'iYeS l l .c4 c6 1 2 . �f4 'i!fe6 1 3 . �g4!! fS 14.-tfS winning the 'i!¥. 10.c4 dc4 U. AC4 ..�.f5 12. ffe2 �e8 13.�el The pin on the e-file accents the subtle nature of White's initiative. 13 ... ffd7 Black is forced to respond to the White threats, a simple concept in the initia­ tive. Instead, 13 . . . 'i!ff8 14.'i¥h5 weak­ ens the Black Kingside. 14.Ae3 h5 15.1:tadl?l This obvious move, which continues to add threats against the Black position, is in fact dubious. Better w a s 1 S . �b3 lt:l a 6 1 6 . l:t a d l ff/c7 17.VWh5 when Alekhine gives White the better game. 15 ... t;'!Yc7 What dif­ ference is there between this position and the variation given by Alekhine? Timing. In the present situation Black can deploy his ltJ via d7 instead of a6. 16.Ad3 The � would be better posted with 16.�b3 than by the text place­ ment. 16 . . . lbd7 17.f3?1 A s u b t l e change i n the initiative begins with this attempt to maintain winning chances. After 17.g4 �g6 18.lt:lg6 hg6 19 . ..te4 l:t e 4 2 0 . � b6 ! l:t e 2 2 1 . Ac 7 l:t e l 22.l:tel White keeps a slight initiative in a drawish position. 17... lbd6 18.g4 Ad3 t9.1fd3 ..•

(see next diagram)

19 ... lbe51 Deep and subtle tactics have handed the initiative to Black. 20.1ffl 20.1Wd6 lt:lf3 2 1 .�f2 �d6 22.l:td6 lt:lel 23J:td2! (many masters would disregard this variation, but Alekhine was not j ust any master) 23 . . . g6 2 4 . l:t e 2 l:te3 2 5 . �e3 l:te8 26.�d2 lt:lf3 27.�c3 lle2 28.lt:le2 cS with a won endga m e . 20... lbdc4 21.Acl 1Va5 22.1:le2 1Va2 23.J:ldel f 6 2 4 . lb d 3 l:t f S 2 5 . b3 lb d 6 26.lbe5 fe5 27.1fg2 l:(ae8 28.f4!

The struggle for the initiative continues with a fight in the center. If 28.l:te5?! l:teS 29.lle5 VWa l 30.l:tel 'tWf6 3 1 .l:tfl aS and Black has a clear endgame ad­ vantage. 28 ... e4 Not 28 . . . ef4? 29.l:te8 lOeB 30.'i'fc6 'i!fal 3 1 .'ii'e 6 and White wins. 29.f5 tWal 30. 1Vg3?1 30.�f4!? 30 . . lbf7 3l.c3 White's quest for the .

initiative is centered around keeping the Black VW out of play. 31 ...b4U 32.il_h2 1Va5 33.�e4 J:le4 34.ae4 1fd5 35.l:le2 1fdl 3S . . . 'ii'b3? 36.cb4 'i¥b4 37.'ii' c3 �c3 and the game should end in a draw. Not, however, 37 . . . 'ii'g4? 38.l:tg2 'ii'd l 39.�f2 and White wins. 36.t;'!Yel t!'!Yh3 37.cb4 lbg5 38.t;'!Yc3 lbh3 39-Wfl 'lfdl 40.1Jel '1Vd5 41.}le4 lbg5 The shortest road to victory was 4 1 . .-.hS. 42.1tc3 U,f6

43.l:ld4 1Wh1 44.¢'e2 "h2 45.wd1 h 5 4 6 . l:l d 7 l0 f 7 4 7 . g 5 1Vg 1 48. fNe1 J:ld6 49.J:Id6 \Ye1 50.we1 l0 d 6 s t . r 6 gt6 s 2 . .a. r 6 w r1 53. .1ld4 a6 54.we2 wg6 55.wd3 wg5 56 . .1le5 lQf5 5 7.wc4 h4 58.,1lh2 wg4 59.wc5 wh3 60.,1lc7 wg2 6 t .wc6 h3 6 2 . wh6 lQg3 63.wa6 h2 64.h5 hUt 65.h6 lQe4 66.b7 lQc5, 0-1 The next game was chosen to intro­ duce the Isolated Pawn Couple. This pawn structure can evolve out of the Carlsbad, but is something of a rarity.

(1 24) Alekhine,A-Colle, E Paris 1 925 l .d4 d5 2 .c4 lQc6 3 . lQf3 Ag4 4. 1'fa4 �.f3 5.ef3 e6 6.lQc3 Ab4 7.a3 Ac3 8.bc3 lQge7 9.):tbt l':(b8 10.cd5 'tfd5

both wings. 17 li)d5 18. ,1ld2 c5 19.f5 Indirectly weakening the block­ ade. 19 ...ef5 20.Af5 Now that the position has opened up, the power of t h e two As will be fel t . 20...cd4 Forced, otherwise White plays c4 and d5. 2 1 .cd4 lQde7 22.Ab4 1tf6 23.Ae7! If 23.�h3 l?Jd5! the position becomes an equal struggle of two l?Js against two .i.s! 23 1te7 24.):tbcl ):td5 2 5 .Ae4 ):td7 26.d5 1!'ff6 27.Ilel �lxl8 28.1!'fc6 ffg5 29.Ag6 hg6 3 0.1!'fd7! T h e m o s t direct. 30 ):td7 31 .1:1e8 wh7 32.):tcc8 �d8 33.J:[ed8, 1-0 .•.

•.•

•..

The following intense encounter be­ tween two of the greatest players in history features a struggle for the initia­ tive through all stages of the game.

( 1 25) Alekhine,A-Capablanca,J Buenos Aires 1927 l.d4 lQf6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 d5 4.Ag5 lQbd7 5.e3 c6 6.cd5 ed5 7.Ad3 Ae7 8.lQge2 An opening nove l ty introd u c e d i n t h i s g a m e . 8 0-0 9.lQg3 lQeS 10.h4 Alekhine consid­ ered this move "the natural conse­ quence of t he whole opening plan." It is typical Alekhine, aggressive and positional at once. 10 lQdf6 1 1.1lc2 Ae6 t2.lQf5 Af5 t3.Af5 �d6 14.Ad3 14 . .i.f6?! l?Jf5 gives Black equality. 14 h6 A necessary weaken­ ing of the Kingside. 15. -'f4 ):tc8 Ca­ pablanca intends to counter White's Kingside attack with play on the Queenside. However, he appears to expect that White will castle Queen­ side before initiating an attack. 16.g4! iQfe4 1 6. . . l?Jg4? 17.jLd6 'fld6 18 . .i.f5 wins the Exchange. 17.g5 Alekhine responds to the attack on the h-pawn ..•

•.•

•••

The White pawn formation on c3 and d4 is known as the Isolated Pawn Couple. 1 1.Ad3 0-0 12.0-0 '1Vd6! Alekhine praised this move because it makes d5 available for the liJ and pre­ vents �f4. 13.\Wc2 lQg6 14.f4 iQce7 15.g3 l:lfdS 16.):td1 b6 17.a4 Very typical of Alekhine. He uses the entire board, in this case initiating play on

by continuing his Kingside assault. White � to join in supporting the cen­ 17... h5 18.Ae4 l0e4 19.l0e4 de4 tral pawns. 48.Wg2!1 g6 48 . . J::!.e4?? 20.1fe4 By maintaining the initiative 49.�f3 :C:c4 50J::!. e 5. 49.l:le5 Wd7 Alekhine has won a pawn, although 50.h5 gh5 5t.wf3 h4 52.1lb5 f1c3 the position still requires delicate 53.wg4 nc4 54.wf5! Aa5 55.bth7 technique to force Black's resignation. 55 . ..ta5? l:tc5 56.�g4?? .l::!. h 5 57.�h5 20 1fa5 21.Wfl 1fd5 Capablanca h3 and Black wins ! 55 wc6 56.Aa5 offers to exchange 'ifs because the cen­ l:lc5 57.we6 laa5 58.f5 l:la3 59.f6 tralized White 'if only adds to White's :t'3 60.f7 b5 61.�h5 h3 62.l':lf5 initiative. 22.1fd5 cd5 23.c;Yg2 Jlc2 W5 63.ef5, 1-0. Now 63 . . . h2 64.f8'i!\V 24.�hcl �fc8 24 . . ..l::!. b 2 25 . .l::!. c bl ! h l 'if 65.�a8 wins. with the advantage . 25.l:lc2 Ilc2 26.�bt wh7 27.Wg3 Wg6 28.f3 ( 1 26) Alekhine,A-Brunner f6 29.gf6 Af6 30.a4 Pushing the Mexico City 1 932 a-pawn is meant to release the l:t from 1.d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.li)c3 d5 4.Ag5 supporting the Queenside pawns. li)bd7 5.cd5 ed5 6.e3 c6 7.Ad3 30 c;Yf5 31.a5 l:le2 32.l:lcl nh2 il.e7 8.t'fc2 0-0 9.li)ge2 h6 10.h4 33.l:c5 we6 Striving to maintain the initiative, even when planning a "retreat" of the �. 10...%1e8 ll.iL.f4 a6 Black bases his plans for development on the . . . c5 break, and the text is necessary to pre­ vent ltJb5. However, since White leads in development and is prepared to blockade the resulting isolani, Black's plan is in error. He should complete his development before attempting this central break. 12.0-0-0 c5 13.g4!! Naturally this pawn is poisoned. Black cannot afford to open files on the King­ side, yet he cannot stop White from 34.e4! Still holding the initiative and eventually opening the g-file. forcing Black to consider the weak­ nesses in his position. 34 jld4 After (see next diagram} 34 . . . de4 35.d5 �f5 36.d6 �e6 37.fe4 l::t b3 38.f2?? lkl 29.l:tcl lbd3. 28...Dc1 29.J:lc1 �c6 An error in j udgment. Black is attempting to rid himself of the weak isolani with this offer to change the pawn structure, but now he is left with two weak pawns instead of one. 30.�c6 I:lc8 31.J:lc5 bc6 3 1 . . . .!:[c6 32 . .!:[d5 l:tc1 33.'it>e2 l:tc2 34.l:td2. 32.'it>e2 we7 33.wd3 wd6 34.J:la5 J:la8 35.'it>d4 f5 (see next diagram)

1 ne t sOiaiea a-rawn

7/

game, exchanging pieces to highlight the weak pawn. However, Black is able to centralize his c;t> and secure the equi­ l i b r i u m . 19 . . . J:[c2 20.c;Yc2 wfs 21.wd2 l:lcS 22.J:[cl l:lcl 23.wct White has achieved his goal of ex­ changing pieces, but still Black has only one weakness and not the two which lead to Black's downfall in the previous game. 23 ... We7 24.Wd2 wd6 25.wc3 b6 26.f4 Ad7 27.tOf3 f6 2S.wd4 a5 29.t0d2 Acs 30.t0bt Ae6 31.t0c3 c;Yc6 32.a3 h6 33.g3 h5 34.b4 ab4 35.ab4 c;Yd6 36.b5 g6 37.t0a4 wc7 38.t0c3 wd6 39.f5 gf5 40.t0e2 ,ad7 41.t0f4 .!le8 If 4 1 . . . .tb5? 42.l2::lh 5 the outside passed pawn would give White winning chances. 42.�d5 Ab5 43.tOb6 Ac6 44.t0c4 c;Ye6 45.t0b2 Ah5 46.t0dl Ae2 47.t0f2 Afl 48.�d3 Ad3 49.wd3 we5 50.we2 we4 5l.h3 wd5 52.wf3 we5, 1/2-1/2

Black probably had this position in mind·\vhen he altered the pawn struc­ ture on move twenty-nine. Unfortu­ nately, however, the position is quite lost for him. 36.b4 l:lb8 37.a3 lda8 After 37 . . . l:tb6 38.f4! the White � will infiltrate to finish the game. 38.e4 fe4 39.fe4 de4 4o.we4 .t:la7 4t .wf4 h6 42.h4 we6 43.wg4 .t:[aS 44.h5 Fixing yet another target for attack. 44 ...g5 45.g3 .t:la7 46.wf3 .t:tas 47.we4 .t:[a7 4s.wd4 wd6 49.we4 The two games given above teach an we6 50 . .t:[e5 wd6 5 1 . l:le8 c 5 important principle. White was able to 52 ..t:[d8 wc6 53.l:':[c8 wb6 54..1:[c5 �n by playing against two weaknesses, .t:[h7 55 ..1:[e5 wc6 56 . .t:[e6 wh5 but only came away with a draw against 57.wf5 w1 5s.:t6, 1-o a single weakness. An axiom brought out in our discussion of the minority Now let's see what happens when Flohr attack, but worth reviewing in relation tries this same strategy against a renown to the isolani. Also, we see the more endgame player. general truth that no plan will work all the time. Plans should be chosen ( 1 28) Flohr, S-Capablanca, J based on the elements of the specific Moscow 1 935 position. l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.t0c3 t0!6 4.t0f3 t0bd7 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 0-0 7.tflc2 The following game is an interesting c5 8.cd5 t0d5 9.Ae7 fie7 10.t0d5 extension of our study, played between ed5 l l.Ad3 cd4 1 2. tOd4 tflb4 Alekhine and Capablanca in the same 13.tfld2 tOc5 t4.Ah5 tfld2 t5.wd2 opening as the previous two games. a6 16.Ad3 Ae6 17.l:':[acl l:[fcS lS.J:[c2 t0d3 19.wd3 Flohr has adopted the same strategy as in the last

98

M iddlegame Strategy

( 1 29) Alekhine, A-Capablanca,J Buenos Aires 1 927

t.d4 it)f6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 dS 4.AgS itlbd7 s.e3 Ae7 6.ltlf3 o-o 7.1tc2 cS S.cdS itldS 9.ltldS edS 10.Ae7 "tJe7 l l . .i.d3 g6 1 2 .dcS iD e S 1 3. .t:lcl itld3 14.tfd3 AfS 1S.Y!'fd4 Ae4 1 6 . 0 - o Af3 1 7 .gf3 tfgS 1s.wh1 ers 19.wg2 1Wgs 2o.wh1 'tJfS, 1/2-1/2 Returning to the subject of endgame weaknesses, the next game merits care­ ful study.

( 1 31 ) Bronstein , D-Parker,J Hastings 1 991 1.c4 itlf6 2.d4 e6 3.ltlc3 dS 4.cdS edS s.AgS c6 6.1Wc2 Ae7 7.e3 o-o 8.Ad3 itlbd7 9.ltlf3 J:leS 10.0-0 itlfS 11.I:lae1 ltle4 1 2.Ae7 1We7 13.Ae4 de4 14.iQd2 fS 1S.f3 ef3 16.�f3 .iil. e 6 17.e4 fe4 18.�e4 Timman captured with the .l:t in Game 1 20. 18... h6 19.ltlcS �adS 20.tfa4 bS 2 1 .1WaS lldS 2 2 . iQd3 1Wb7 23.1Wc3 1:ldd8 24.b3 1Wb6 2S.itlde5 AdS

( 1 30) Mwange,B-De Vries,G Luzem 1 982 1.d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.itlc3 itlf6 4.ltlf3 iQbd7 s.cdS edS 6.g3 c6 7.Ag2 .i,d6 8.0-0 0-0 9.1lel l':le8 10.tfc2 iQfS l l . e4 de4 1 2 . iQe4 itl e 4 13.l:le4 J:[e4 14.'tJe4 1Wf6 1S.AgS 1re6 16.'t'fd3 ffg6 1 7.'t'fd2 h 6 18.Ae3 R,e6 19.a3 'tth S 20.Af4 .i,f4 2 1 . 1Wf4 ffbS 2 2 . 1Wd2 a S 23.l:le1 iQd7 24. ffc3 �f6 2S. 1Wc2 26.�h4 The defense of the isolani was J:ldS 26. 1Wd2 AdS 27 .�eS Ag2 becoming too much of a burden. By 28.Wg2 't'fdS 29.itlf3 �e4 30. 1Wc2 transferring his pieces to the Kingside, itlgS 31.'tJd3 �f3 32.1Wf3 1Wf3 Bronstein achieves enough counterplay 33.wf3 1Id4 34.�e8 wh7 3S.!Ie7 for his sacrifice to secure the draw. J:ld3 3 6 . !le 3 l:le3 3 7 . w e 3 f6 26 ... h4 27.'«fg3 1Wd4 2s.wh1 ttd2 3s.wr4 wg6 39.g4 wf7 4o.h4 gs 29.l:le3 Ae6 30.h3 1td6 31.nfe1 41.hgS hgS 42.wfS a4 43.f3 we7 c S 3 2 . ¢> h 2 �d7 3 3 . 1tg6 �f8 44.f4 gf4 4S.wf4 we6 46.we4 cS 34.1tg3 �d7 35.tfg6, 1/2-1/2 47.wf4 hs 4s.we4 h4 49.wd3 wds so.we3, o-1 ... Sometimes the best thing to do with a weak pawn is simply let the opponent have it, releasing the pieces from it's defense.

Model Positions The concept of model positions is al­ ready familiar from previous chapters. Starting with the Carlsbad structure, we have based our studies on this model position. Such an investigation leads to

1 ne Iso latea a-Yawn

I} I}

other model positions, like the present subject of isolani formations. Most books on the middlegame do not give the reader any direction for contin­ ued study after the final page. This sec­ tion is intended to remedy t h a t omission, and point out avenues for future study. A single "model" will be discussed, which we hope will stimulate the imagination and lead the reader to other possible models. When learning an opening we find that certain crossroads are referred to as "critical positions." This phrase means that innovations and refinements in theory will begin here. Let's create a model of one possible "critical position" with the isolani by adding an isolated a-pawn to the picture. Further, let us have these pawns (isolated a- and d­ pawns) face a duo on the b- and c-files. First we will look at an opening position in which tl)is model is present.

( 1 32) Lputian,S-Petrosian,A Erevan 1 995 l.d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0f3 d5 4.l0c3 Ae7 5.Ag5 h6 6.Ah4 o-o 7 .e3 b6 s.Ae2 Ah7 9.Af6 Af6 tO.cd5 ed5 l l.b4 c6 1 2.0-0 l:[eS 13.1tb3 a5 14.ba5 l:la5 15.1lfel l0d7 16.a4 Starting here, let's see how the isolani develops and what effects it has on our model. (see next diagram)

16... Aa6 Or 16 . . . 'l!Wa8!? 17.tlabl �a6 18. �a6 'l!Wa6 19.h3 l:le6 20.e4 de4 2 1 . l:le4 l:te4 22.ltJe4 �e7 with equal chances to both sides. Black's last move is fo rced to preven t 2 3 . ltJd6, wi t h

After 16.a4 threats on f7. 23.ltJc3 �d6 24. tlel ltJf6?! 25.ltJe4 ltJe4 This ltJ was a very valuable defensive piece. Take note that on d7 the ltJ guarded e5, which is a springboard for the coming White tactics. 26.l:te4 l:td5?! (26 .. .l:ta4 27. l:te8 �f8 28.ltJe5 �a7 29.ltJc6 and White wins. Better was 26 . . . �c8!?) 27.l:te8 �f8 28.ltJe5 �b7 29.a5! b5 (29 . . . l:ta5 30.ltJg6 wins ; 29 . . . l:tb5 30.a6! �c7 3 1 . �c4 wins) 30.'ifa3 c5 3 1 .a6 'ifa7 32. ltJc6 'l!Wd7 33.l:tf8 �f8 34.a7, 1-0. Orr,M-Upton, 1 993; Another try from the diagram is 16 . . . �e7?! 17. l:tabl �d6, but repositioning the � to d6 allows White to gain a tempo when creating the isolani. 18.e4! de4 19.�c4 l:tf8 20.ltJe4 and White has the better chances according to Chekhov's analy­ sis of Mitenkov,A-Akhmadeev Russia 1994. Finally, 16 ...g6!? 17.l:tabl ( 1 7.e4?! reveals subtle differences compared to this maneuver in the game cited above. The placement of Black's 'lW and dark­ squared � are better in the present position. And very important to our opening model is the presence of the white-squared �- 17 . . . c5! 18.ltJd5 cd4 19.�b5 ltJc5 20. ltJf6 'WWf6 2 l .'Wb4 l:te4

1 00

M IOategame ;:,uaregy

22. lle4 �e4 23. lLld4 l:ta8 24.'t!k3 lld8 25.lLle2 'Wg5 and Black had a slight edge partly due to the activity of his .It in Karpov,A-Short,N Monaco 1 993.) 17 . . . .ltg7 18 . .tfl �a6 19.�a6 l:.a6 20.l:tecl �f8 2 1 .ttJel il.d6 22.ttJd3 tt'Jf6 23.h3 was Epishin,V-Lutz,C Dort­ mund 1994, which is a model position with the e4 break prevented. 17.Aa6 17.l:!.acl .te2 18.l:!.e2 c5! is similiar to Karpov-Short quoted above, but with­ out the white-squared il.s on the board. After 19.ttJd5 cd4 20.tt'Jf6 'Wf6 2 1 . ttJd4 tt'Jc5 22.�dl llea8 the game was equal in Lutz, C-Lobron , E Munich 1 993. 1 7 ... l:[a6 18.e4!? 1 8 . l:!.ad l !? lla5 19.l:.e2 (19.e4 de4 20.tt'Je4 l:te6 Our model features the common deploy­ ment of Black's l:!. to e6. Such observa­ tions allow us to expand our model and continue the investigation. We see now that models can be developed which will direct our plans in specific posi­ tions. 2 1 .l:!.e3 lld5 We have already seen one game in which this move was an error. It is clear that we should be careful in our j udgments when consid­ ering model positions or specific moves. Under slightly different conditions, for example, the move . . . l:td5 i s w e l l played. 2 2 . tt'Jf6 'iWf6 2 3 . l:1e6 'i'Ve6 24.l:tel l:te5! 25.'it'e6 l:!.e6 was equal in Gurevich,M-Van Der Sterren,P Wijk aan Zee 1993) 1 9 . . . l:te6 20.l:!.c2 'f!Va8 with balanced chances. Epishin,V­ Goldin,A Novosibirsk 1 993. 18... de4 19.l0e4 l:le61? Here is the "novelty" in this game, arriving at a piece placement already observed in our model. If 19 . . .:ta8 20.l:!.adl 'it'c7 2 1 .'i'Vc4 White held a slight edge in Brenninkmeijer,J­ Hedke,F Groningen 1 994. 20.l:la2! 20.l:te3?! bS!. 20...1:la5 21 ..J::[ae2 .J:Id5 A common placement we have already .

noticed. 22.f!Vc4 22.lLlf6 't\ff6 23. l:!e6 fe6 24. 'i!t'c4 c5 25 .dc5 lLlc5 26.h3 with White holding a slight edge. 22 ...l0f8 23.l0f6 Jlf6 23 .. .'iWf6? 24J:te6 tt'Je6 25.'f!Vc6 wins. 24.1:le8 trfd6 25.1i'b31 wh7?1 25 ... c5!? 26.h41 l0e6 27. 1i'b1 g6 28. tJb6 l0d4 29.l0e5 l0c2 3 0 . 1Wa71 it) e l ? l 3 1 . l0f7 1td7 32.l0g5 hg5 33..tle7, 1-0 Continuing our investigation, we will dig deeper into a position from the previous game and expand the possi­ bilities of our model.

(1 33) Mitenkov,A-Akhmadeev, V Moscow 1 994 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 iJ..e7 4.l0f3 l0f6 5 . .fJ.. g 5 h6 6 .fJ.. h 4 0-0 7.e3 b6 S.iJ..e 2 iJ..b7 9 . .fJ..f6 Jif6 10.cd5 ed5 ll.b4 c6 12.0-0 J:(eS 13. 1tb3 a5 14.ba5 .J:Ia5 1 5.a4 l0d7 16.l:tfe1 JJ.. e 7 1 7.1:1abl iJ.. d 6 1 8.e4 de4 19.JJ..c4 l:tf8 20.l0e4 •

In our analysis of the Lputian-Petrosian game above, we reached this position and judged it to be in White's favor. N ow l e t ' s gather more evidence. 20...JJ..c7 2l.l:lbdl A logical move, placing the l:t behind the isolani. 2 1 . lle2 (Planning to double l:.s on the

J he Isolated d-t'awn

e-file) 2 1 . . . .lta6 (2l . . .'ifb8 is aimless, e . g. 2 2 . l:t b e l 'ifa8 2 3 . lZl c3 �d6 24. l:te8! and again our model illustrates the weakness off7) 22 . .lta6 l:ta6 with a typical model position, offering equal chances to both sides. Another path is 2 1 .lZlc3 'iff6 22.d5, setting up a natural continuation of our model - the push of the isolani. 21 ... ltlf6 22.ltle5 ltld5 22 ... �e5?! 23.de5 l2Jd5 24.l2Jd6 leaves White holding the edge. 23.ltlc3 :es 24.ltld5 cd5 Our model has become the battleground for a balanced pawn structure (discussed later in this book) , with the addition of weak Queenside pawns. 25.Jtb5 �e6 26.1fd3 Jle5 27.l:[e5 f!e5 28.de5 �aS 29.1fd4 l:[c8 30.h3 :c5 31.wh2 Vc7 32.f4 Ac6 33.Ad3 Va7 34.l.:ta1 Va5 35 ..J:[b1 After a long series of positiona! moves both masters overlook tactics which should have determined the outcome of this game.

IUJ

g6 40.ii,c6 Wg7 4I.c>filg3 d4 42.Wf2 h5 43.g4 hg4 44.hg4 ii.c2 45.We2 Jlb1 46.Wd2 l:lc7 47.Wd1 Jld3 48.Jlf3 After 48.l:td4 l:tc6 49.l:td3 l:tc4 White has a slight advantage. 48 ... Jtc2 49.Wd2 d3 50.f5 50.�d5!? 50 ... gf5 51.gf5 Jlb1 52.Ac6 l:ta7 53.Jld5 ac7 54.f6 wg6 55.we3 55 . .te4!? 55...wf5 56.e6 fe6 56 . . . 'iii>f6? 57.ef7 'itg7 58.l:tg6 'itg6 59.f8'i!Y win­ ning. 57.J;le6 d2 58.wd2 af7?! 58 . . . l:td7!? is the simplest way to draw the game, e.g. 59.'iii>c3 (59.l:tel l:td5 60. 'iii> e 3 l:td3 6 1 . 'it e 2 'itf6 equal) 59 . . . l:td5 60.f7 'ite6 6 1 .f8'i!Y �f5 is drawn. 59.l:(b6 Not best. Instead, 5 9 . l:t e l l:tf6 (59 . . . l:td7 60.f7 l:td5 6 1 .'iii>c l l:td8 62. l:te8 wins} 60 . .tg8 l:td6 6 1 .'iii>e 3 threatens 62 . .th7 with the better pawnless ending. 59 ... l:(f6 60.ld,b1 .J:[d6, 1/2-1/2 Karpov makes the execution look easy by concentrating on the strengths of his model structure to win the following game.

( 1 34) Karpov,A-Bonsch, U Baden-Baden 1 992

35 ... Va4?? 35 . . . .td7 36. l:tb4 'i!Ya7 (36. . . g6) 37.'i!Yb2 l:tc8 38. l:td4 is equal. 36.ffa4?? After 36. l:tb6!! it becomes clear that White will call the shots fol­ lowing 36 . . . l:tc4 (36. . . 'l!Wd4?? 37. l:tb8 .teB 38. l:te8 m a t e} 3 7 . l:t b 8 .t e 8 38.�c4 dc4 39.'i!Yd8 wins. 36. . . Jta4 37.l::tb6 llc8 38.�d6 Ab3 39.Ab5

1.d4 ltlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlf3 d5 4.ltlc3 Ae7 5.Ag5 h6 6.Ah4 o-o 7.e3 b6 s.Ae2 Jlb7 9.Af6 Af6 10.cd5 ed5 11.0-0 l:le8 12.b4 c6 13. 'ifh3 'ifd6 14 ..a,fe1 ltld7 15.Afl Ae7 1 6.f!ab1 a5 1 7.ba5 .J:[a5 18.a4 A a 6 1 9. A a 6 J:(a6 2 0 . e 4 de4 21.ltle4 At this point the data leads us to add more features to our model. Common charactoristics have been a lZl on e4 and the 'it' along the a2-g8 diagonal. Looking closer at the a2-g8 diagonal, we notice how the weak f7 square has been uniformly unpleasant for Black.

1 02

Middlegame Strategy

30 ... ltlf"6 3 1 .tfb3 tfc1 32.Wg2 tfal 33.J::lb 6 1ta3 34.§c4 .lidS 35.l:Ib7 Once again we see the target­ ing of Black's weak f7 pawn. 35 ... Df8 36.l:(b6 Dd8 37.�b5 1tb4 38.ffc6 Afs 39.Db7 1tb3 40.l0e5 l0d5 41.l0f7, 1-0

21 ... 1tfg6 22.l:(e31 A simple but beau­ tiful move. This l:t lift allows a couple of possibilities - action on the Kingside or doubling J:ls on the e-file. Instructively, Karpov ignores the misplaced "attack­ ing" Black 'tW while strengthening his own p o s i t i o n . 22 . . . l:lb8 23.l0c3 Ad6?! 24.ffc4 b5?1 Black is continu­ ing his planned Kingside attack with this pawn sacrifice. Even considering the flaw in this sacrifice, the thought behind it is worth reviewing. After cap­ turing White will have a passed pawn, though many obstacles lie before the conversion of this advantage into a win. The '@'s on the board offer attacking possibilities if the minor pieces can co­ ordinate with her. Also the l:ts offer attacking chances by infiltrating the White position. 25.ab5 cb5 26.l:tb5 Black's plan is falling apart because the White l:ts are just as active as their counterparts. 26...l:(a1 27.,Cle1 lle1 28.l0e1 l:le8 Subtle aspects of the po­ sition keep Black's plan from working. On this file the l:t's entry squares (el , e2) are guarded by the White lOs. 29.�f3 tfc2 30.g31 The two weak links in White's defense were the back rank, and the great scope of Black's � - The text improves both situations.

The "model position" has been briefly discussed to offer direction for future study. Now let's end the subject with a few more examples, to expand our pos­ sibilities even more.

( 1 35) Smyslov,V-Segovia,F Las Palmas 1 972 1 .c4 e5 2.l0f3 l0f6 3.l0c3 l0c6 4.e3 g6 5.d4 d6 6.b4 Ag7 7.b5 ed4 8.ed4 l0e7 9.Ae2 0-0 10.0-0 a6 ll.ba6 b6 1 2.a4 Aa6 13.'«fb3 l0c6 1 4.Dd 1 l0 a 5 1 5 . ffa 2 d5 16.cd5 Ae2 17.l0e2 l0d5 18.Ad2 tfd6 19.Dac1 We8 20.l0g3 l0b7 21.h3 1td7 22.�a1 c6 The model position from a non-Carlsbad opening, but offering an example with Black's � fianchettoed Kingside . 23.'iVb3 l0d6 24.Dac1 l0e4 25.l0e4 De4 26.1tc2 De6 27.l0e5 Ae5 28.de5 )le5 29. 't'fc6 'fic6 30.l:c6 J::(a4 30 .ciftf8!? 31.Ah6 DaB 32.l:(d6 �5 33.Acl l0e7 34.�b2 White will win the Exchange, then play the endgame with flawless Grandmaster technique to gain the full point. 34...l:le8 35.Dd8 wrs 36.Ag7 Wg7 37.l:te8 lOgS 38.,tlb1 b5 39.,tlb8 �f6 40.l:l8b5 .ll b 5 4 1 . .ll b 5 h 5 4 2 .wfl �e4 43 ..t:la5 l0f6 44.we2 l0h7 45.we3 ltif6 46.wd4 lOgs 47.we5 l0h 6 4s.wd6 wrs 49.wd7 wgs so.wes wg7 5 1 . .tla7 wgs s 2 . 1itd7 wg 7 53.f3 h4 54.l:la7 wgs 55.we7 wg7 s6.wd6 wr6 57..tta4 l0f5 ss.wd 5 ..

I ne I s o l ated a-Pawn

w g 5 5 9 .we5 f6 6 o . we 6 ltlg7 6t.c;Yf7 ltlh5 62.ng4, 1-0

( 1 36) Brerminkmeijer,J-Hedke, F Groningen 1 994 d5 2.c4 e6 3.li�f3 �6 4.�c3 t.d4 Ae7 5 .Ag5 h6 6.Ah4 o-o 7 .e3 b6 s.Ae2 Ab7 9.Af6 Af6 to.cd5 ed5 U.b4 c6 1 2.0-0 l:[e8 13. t'fh3 a5 14.ba5 l:la5 15.a4 Aa6 16.Aa6 l:[a6 1 7 .l:[fe l �d7 1 8.e4 de4 t9.�e4 l:[a8 20.l:[adt YJc7 21. YJc4 l:[ac8 22.l:[ct Ae7 23.g3 t¥b7 24.Dbt Afs 25.De3 l:le6 26.trh3 c5 27.d5

Another candidate model position has arisen, each side having a passed pawn. 27...l:[ee8 28.'fJc4 f5 29.�c3 l:le3 30.fe3 DeS 31. 1Jf4 �f6 32.�h4 ea6 33.Ddt 'fJa5 34.�h5 l:le4 35.1tf3 Da4 36.�c7 Dat 37.�f5 ea4 38.l:(at 'Ctal 39.c;Yg2 'ifb2 4o.wh3 g6 4t./Od4 Ag7 42./0c6 g5 43.g4 h5 44.'fJf5 hg4 45.Wg3 ee2, 1/2- 1/2

103

10.e3 Ag4 1 1 . 1tc2 1!fd7 1 2.1Ucl Ue7 1 3 .a 3 A c 3 1 4 .Ac3 �e4 1 5.h4 a6 t6.a4 Af3 17.Af3 ltlc3 18. 1Wc3 a5 19.ba5 /0a5 This lLl plays an interesting role in the development of our model position. Placed on aS, the lO prevents White from using the a2-g8 diagonal as in previous examples. 20.'ifb4 c6 2t.Ae2 1ld8 22.l:[abt g6 23.Ad3 l:[e8 24.l:[et l:[b8 25.e4 de4 26.Ae4 b6 Why play this move when the c-pawn is weakened as a result? Because it does improve the pawn structure, and covers the dark­ squared weakeness on the Queenside. 27 .Ag2 A striking difference from previous examples of our model is the lack of pressure on the a2-g8 diagonal. 27...l:[et 28.Uet 1!ff8 29.trc3 c5 30.h4 Ud8 31 .dc5 'fJc5 32.1tf6 The model has changed considerably, yet the weakeness of f7 is still a key factor. 32 ...Df8 33.Af3 �c4 34.h5! tfd6 35.1fd6 �d6 36.l:[bt /Qc4 37.Ad5 The reader may decide if it is ironic or symbolic that reaching the a2-g8 diagonal turns out to be the win­ ning stroke. 37 ... Dc8 38.h6 Uc5 39 ..i.c4 l:lc4 40.:lb6 f5 4t.a5 :la4 42.a6 Wf7 43.f4, 1-0

( 1 38) Kamsky,G-Vidarsson,J Reykjavik 1 990 l .d4 /Of6 2.c4 e6 3 . /0f3 Ah4 4./0bd2 0-0 5.g3 d5 6 ..i.g2 /Oe4 7.o-o /Od2 s.Ad2 .i.d2 9.ffd2 �d7 1 0 . 1tc3 c6 l t .:lfel l:[e8 1 2.:ladt b6 13.e4 Ah7 14./0e5 �6 1 5.ed5 ed5 t6.b4 a5 17.a4 ( 1 37) Gligoric,S-Rodriguez,A ab4 18. 1rb4 l:;la5 19.Dbl Aa8 Luzem 1 982 20.cd5 �d5 The blockade theme l .d4 /Of6 2.c4 e 6 3 . /0f3 A h4 appears in the model. 2t.1Wb3 Da7 4. Ad2 'ife7 5.g3 /Oc6 6./0c3 d5 22./0c4 Del 23.Det g6 24.h4 h5 7.cd5 ed5 8.Ag2 0-0 9.0-0 Ile8

1 04

M iddlegame Strategy

25.l:le5 l:(a6?? 26.Ad5 , 1 -0. I f b6 s.Ae2 Ab7 9 .Af6 Af6 to.cd5 26 cd5 then 27.'ffb5 wins with ease. ed5 ll.b4 1fd6 t 2.1tb3 c6 t3.0-0 �d7 t4.l:lfet a5 t5.ba5 l:la5 t6.a4 Ae7 t 7.l:[a b t Ads t S.e4 de4 ( 1 39) Tesic, D-Maksimovic, D t9.�e4 fff4 20.�ed2 l:la7 2t.Ac4 Tivat 1 995 c5 22.d5 ltlf6 23./0ft Aa6 24.l:lbct t.d4 ltl{6 2.�f3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.�c3 l:(eS 25.�e3 J:le4 26.�d2 Dd4 Ae7 5.Ag5 h6 6.Ah4 o-o 7 .e3 b6 s.l:(ct Ab7 9.Af6 Af6 tO.cd5 27.g3 fic7 2S.Aa6 l:[d2 29.Ab5 ed5 1 l.Ad3 c6 t 2.0-0 l:(eS t3.l:(et 'lieS 30.1tb4 Da2 3t.\'fb3 l:[d2 �d7 t4.b4 a5 t5.ba5 l:la5 t6.a4 32. 'llb4 J:(a2 33. 1tb3, t/2-t/2 . . .

1taS t7.Af5 �f8 tS.fib3 1Ja7 t9.�bt Ads

( 1 41 ) Andresen, S-Foessmeier, U 1 995 t.c4 e6 2.�c3 d5 3.d4 Ae7 4.�f3 �f6 5.cd5 ed5 6.Ag5 0-0 7 .e3 c6 S . A d 3 l:(eS 9 . \'f c 2 � bd 7 t0.0-0 �f8 ll.h3 Ae6 t 2.l:[abt a5 t 3 .l:[fct �g6 t 4 .Af6 Af6 t 5.b4 ab4 t 6.l:[b4 AcS t7.l:[a4 l:tbS tS.l:[bt Ae7 t9.l:ta7 Ad6 20.Af5 l:te7 2t.Acs ecs 22. eh3 b6 23.l:le7 �e7 24.a4 h6 25.l:[ct 1ta6

20.e4 de4 2t.�e5 AaS 22.�e4 l:ld 5 23. 1tc2 c 5 24 .�c3 l:(d4 25.�b5 1ta4 26.�d4 '@d4 27.�c4 l:[et 2S.l:(et Ac6 29.l:(dt f!Vh4 30.g3 ffe7 3t. 1td2 Ac7 32.J:(et 1Jf6 3 3 . Ae4 b5 34.Ac6 1Jc6 35.�e5 Ae5 36.l:[e5 �e6 37.ffd5 1Wc7 3S. 1\fa8 wh7 39. 1\fe4 g6 40.h4 Wg7 41 .l:[d5 b4 42. ffc4 ffb6 43.l:td7 1Wc6 44.J:la7 fib6 45.l:ld7 1Jc6 46.l:[a7 h5 47.l:[a6 1tb7 4S.l:ta5 1tf3 49.Da6 edt 50.Wg2 ed4 5t.'ifb3 ffe4 52. 1Jf3, t/2-t/2

{140) Naumann, A-Pfleger,H 1 995

t.d4 d5 2./0f3 i()f6 3.c4 e6 4.�c3 Ae7 5.Ag5 o-o 6.e3 h6 7.Ah4

26.e4 de4 27"!'it)e4 Af4 28.l:[c2 b 5 ? 1 2 9 . �c5 '§a7 30.g3 Ad6 3t.ab5 l:tb5 32.t!\fc4 Ac5 33.dc5 \'fat 34.wg2 l:lbl?? 35.l:ta2 1tf6 36.l:(aS '1Ph7 37.'§e4, t-O

I I IC I:SUJ i1lCU U-ri1WII

Summing Uv the !so/ani

I U:>

( 1 42) Nimzowitsch,A-Jacobsen,E Copenhagen 1 923

By now it is clear that the isolani is neither an advantage nor a weakness; l.d4 d5 2.�f3 �6 3.c4 e6 4.�c3 it is simply one element making up the Ae7 5 .Ag5 0 - 0 6.t:fc2 �bd7 position on the board. It is, however, the 7.0-0-0 c5 8.dc5 �c5 9.e3 At­ element around which play on both tempting to win the d-pawn here would sides will pivot, and yet (as with any only expose White to an attack on his element of a position) it is by itself 'it. 9 ... Ad7 to.wbt �ce4 u.�e4 meaningless. �e4?! Black is hypnotized by the possible advantages of the isolani in It is worth mentioning again that both this position. Best according to possible types of isolani positions can Nimzowitsch was 1 1 . . .de4 with equal appear from within the Carlsbad forma­ chances. 1 2.Ae7 fie7 13 . ..a,d3 �f6 tion. Ergo, all isolani positions are re­ 14. cd5 ed5 1 5. �d4 The classic lated to the Carlsbad by their pawn blockade. As we know, Black will have structure and positional ideas, without a difficult time dislodging the lL\ from regard to the opening. its new post. 15 ... Wc8 16. t:fb3 b5 17.f3 In his notes Nimzowitsch states, We have the "advantage of the isolani" "White's centralized structure can when it stimulates our initiative and afford the small weakness at e3 . " supports the activity of our pieces. We 17...g6 17 . . . �e3?? 18.�h7. 18.l:Dtel have the "weakness of the isolani" when b4 19.Aa6 Slowing down Black's at­ its long term liability (blockade) comes tack on the Queenside and disrupting into play, or the activity of our pieces is t h e c o o rd i n a t i on o f h i s p i e c e s . hampered by the need to defend the 1 9. . .l:lcb8 20.g4 Reducing Black's isolani. Nimzowitsch affirms this notion options for piece placement and favor­ in his refe rence to " the dynamic ably changing his Kingside pawn struc­ strengths and static weaknesses of the ture. 20 ... ,Clb6 21.Afl Ae6 22.l:[cl isolani." Probably the most important a5 23.a4 �d7 Black's attack is run­ thought to keep in mind when playing ning out of steam, while White's pawn with or against the isolani. storm is just starting to boil on the King­ side. 24.Ab5 �c5 25. 1Jc2 lieS It is fitting to end this chapter with a 26.h4 l:[bb8 27.t:fh2 tWc7 tribute to the player who opened our eyes to the mystery of the isolani, Aron (see next diagram} Nimzowitsch. Below is a fine game feat u r i n g t h e i s o l a n i , by w h i c h 28.t:fc7?! Nimzowitsch criticized this Nimzowitsch chose t o illustrate the move because White was "stronger on subj ect in his collection of games the diagonals," e.g. 28.'iff4 'i'lf4 29.ef4 entitled Chess Praxis. planning 30.f5 with advantage for W h i t e . 28 . . . �c7 29.�c6 l:tb5? Again Black overestimates his chances

106

Middlegame Mrategy

After 27 . Wic7 . .

and neglects to consider the strength of the White ltJ. Best would have been 29 . llc6, removing the blockader once and for all. 30.ab5 �d3 3 1.�a5 J:la7 32.�c6 l:lb7 33.�d4 Now the blockade dominates the position. 33 . . . �el 34.J:Iel Ad7 3 5.J:Icl Ab5 36.1:tc5 Ad7 37.l:ld5 wts 38.fiYc2 b3 39.Wc3 we7 40.h5 Ae6 4t.l:tc5 wd6 42.1:[c6 Wd7 43.hg6 hg6 44.�e6 fe6 44 . .'�·c6 45.4Jd8. 45.l:lc5 wd6 46.J:Ig5 J:lg7 47.f4, 1-0 ..

.

l i lt; Di:lli:lll�t;; U r i:I W I I � ll UI,;LUI f2 h4 47.ab6 ab6, 0-1 Here is another example of attack and defense revolving around the mutually fixed d-pawns.

( 1 45) Speelrnan,J-Maksirnenko, A Copenhagen 1 996 1.c4 e6 2.'tlf3 d5 3.d4 c6 4. ffc2 'tlf6 5 . �g 5 'tl b d 7 6 . e3 ff a 5 7. 'tlbd2 'tle4 8.�f4 �e7 9.h4 'tld2 1 0 . 'tld 2 dc4 1 1 . �c4 e5 1 2 . �g3 ed4 13.0-0 0-0 1 4.ed4

Combining defense of his weak pawns with an attack on Black's position. 30 . . . ffd1 3 1 .Afl l:ic7 3 2 . �c7 � f7 3 3 . �ds f5 3 4 . Jlf6 c;t>gs 35.Jle5, 1-0. White has the unbeat­ able threat of 36.�f6, and if 35 . . . .tg7 36.�d8 kf8 37.�f6 wins. Now let's look at an example where the attack and defense of the d-pawn is a minor element in the position.

( 1 46) Trikaliotis, G-Barry, C Luzem 1 982 1.d4 'tlf6 2.c4 e6 3.Gtlf3 d5 4.'tlc3 Jle7 5.Jlf4 0-0 6.e3 c6 7.cd5 ed5 8.�d3 'tlbd7 9.ffc2 l:[e8 As mentioned in the isolani chapter, 10.h3 'tlf8 1 1.g4 Jle6 12.'tle5 l:tc8 this pawn structure could arise out of 13.Ag3 c5 14.0-0 a6 15.a4 'tl6d7 t h e C a rlsba d . 14 . . . 'tlb6 15.�d3 16.:lad1 cd4 17.ed4 In terms of ffh5 1 6.�ae1 'tld5 17. 'tlf3 f6 attacking and defending the d-pawn, 18.a3 WI 19.�c4 Ag4 20.'tld2 White seems to be achieving a posi­ .b[d8 21.'tlb11 Preparing to challenge tional plus. However, as with all princi­ the blockading ttJ on d5. 21 ... iU8 ples in chess, this"fu.ctor does not stand 22.'tlc3 c;t>h8 23.'tld5 cd5 Now we alone on the chessboard. In the present have the balanced pawn structure, the t,ubject of this chapter. 24.Ad3 g6 25. 'tta41 a6 26. ffa5 l:lc8 27.l:lc1 .b!c1 28.l:[c1 c;t>g7 29.�c7 Ae6 30.1fb6

position White's Kingside pawn struc­ ture is weakened. (see next diagram)

I U'J

1 ne tlaiancea rawn �tructure

two likely pawn structures here (bal­ anced or isolani) , White would prob­ ably prefer the balanced due to his weak e3 pawn. So what is wrong with Black's plan in this position? 20.ltld3 White's response even seems to encourage Black's plan of . . CDe6. Controlling the b4 square delays Black's idea, but even­ tually White's CD can be exchanged for the Black .,t and his plan can go for­ ward. 20 ... ltle6 20 . . . cd4 2 l .ed4 �d6 22.nes is clearly in White's favor. 21.ltlf5 Another delay for the oppo­ nent. 21 ... '§f8 22. 'ifg3 g6 23.dc5 Now Black's game plan begins to fall apart. White still has the weak e3 pawn, but the Kingside attack is becoming more important than long term disad­ vantages. 23 ... ltlc5 2 4 . ltld4 ltle6 25.ltle5 ltld4 26.ed4 Black has fi­ nally achieved his structural goals, but the dynamics of the position will over­ whelm him. 26 ... ltlh5 Forced in view of W h i t e ' s Kings i d e a t t a c k , e . g. 26 . . . �b4 27 . .,tg6!! �d4 28.�hl wins. 27.'@f2 ltlf6 28.l:e3 ltld7 O n most other Black moves White would continue as in the game. 29.f4 ltlf6 30.1::Ig3 ltle4 31.Ae4 de4 32.f5 g5 33.ltlg4 '@d6 34.d5 h5 35. '@e3 f6 36.ltlh6 wfs 37.�5 fg5 3B.'@g5, 1-0 .

17...� 18.Ae5 18.de5?? d4. 18... h51 19.Af5 hg4 20.hg4 l:(c6! Transfer­ ring the .1:[ to the Kingside is essential to Black's attack. 21.l:ld3? 2 l .�g2, with the idea of 22.l:.hl, would defend the Kingside better. 21 ... Af5 22.gf5 Ah4 23.�h3 mt6 24.wh2 ltlh7 25.Af4 ltlg5 26.Ag5 fig5 27.1Wd3 Af2 28.ltld5 :e3, 0-1 In the next game the battle of ideas surrounding the creation of a balanced pawn structure is very instructive.

( 1 47) Christiansen, L-Bayer, E Porz 1 988

1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ltlc3 ltlf6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 c6 6.e3 Ae7 7 .Ad3 0-0 8.'§c2 ltlbd7 9. ltlge2 l:[e8 10.0-0 ltlf8 ll.�ae1 Ag4 12.ltlg3 h6 1 3 . Af4 Ad6 14.Ad6 1Wd6 15.f3 Ae6 16.fif2 l:[ad8 17.ltlce2 Changing the Pawn Structure tre7 18.Ab1 Ac8 19. ltlf4 c5?1 Bayer has a plan of attack and defense This chapter deals with the simplest for the d-pawn. If White does nothing Carlsbad structure, yet here is a good Black will position his CD on e6, create place to bring up the most complex the balanced pawn structure and pro­ point in our understanding of the ceed to attack the d4 pawn (e.g. with Carlsbad. During the fight that sur­ .. .'t'i'b4) . The position would then favor rounds this pawn structure, several Black based on the central pawns. By pawn structure changes must be fore­ the way, if given a choice between the casted when composing a plan of

1 10

MJddlegame :strategy

action. As we saw in the minority square. What pawn structures should attack, certain maneuvers require each side plan for? 7 ... lt)c6 8.l0c3 responses that may change the pawn 1Wd6 9.a3 The struggle surrounding structure. However, this thinking is the isolani is equal. The contest over limited in its view of the Carlsbad. The the d5 square offers Black a solid de­ true test of the struggle lies in estab­ fense and White a slight initiative. lishing a structure which either evolves 9 ... Ae7 to.Ad3 o-o u.o-o b6 The with the game, or can withstand the basic anti-isolani principle is to control counterplay associated with various the square in front of it, here the d5 square. Black dutifully prepares for the positional themes. . . . -tb7 deployment. 1 2 . @e2 Ab7 This subtle lesson is brought out in My 13.l:adl White is also playing along System, where Nimzowitsch describes basic principles by positioning his pieces various pawn structures as a "family to support the d5 advance. 13 ... l:l,ad8 tree" of the isolani. The pawn structures 14.Ag5 g6 15.Ac4 l:fe8 16.l:fel are related because they evolve from l0d5!? By maintaining control over d5 one another, but we have seen that without actually occupying the outpost, Black can keep his equilibrium. The there is no real head of the family. text offers White the option of chang­ The Carlsbad structure evolves as the ing the pawn structure. 17.ltld5 ed5 game progresses, possibly through many This pawn structure could have come interrelated structures. The study of from the Carlsbad, producing the this formation reveals connections be­ balanced pawn structure. 18.Ab5 tween many pawn formations, a point underlined by Games 1 47 and 1 48 which do not spring from the Carlsbad. Yet the pawn structure changes seen in those games relate to the Carlsbad very closely, and at some point either game could be m i s t a ke n for an a c t u a l Carlsbad position. Our previous game features a number of structural changes we've seen before, and the next is of­ fered to further advance this complex subject.

( 1 48) Emms,J-Akesson,R Copenhagen 1 996 l.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.ed5 1td5 4.d4 e6 5.lt)f3 l0f6 6.Ae3 cd4 7.cd4 We now have the classic isolani. White should expect to gain tempi since the 'iV is not a good blockader, but Black will keep control of the important d5

The tactics resulting if Black now plays 18 .. �g5 are beyond our scope, but ce.r.t ainly wortll, exploring. 18...f6 19 ..i.d2 wf7 20..i.b4 1fd7 2t ..i.e7 l:e7 22. ed2 l:[de8 23.l:l,e7 l:l,e7 24. tff4 Positioning the 'if to support the weak pawn while harassing the Black �. Yet this outpost cannot be .

I l l

1 ne oa1ancea rawn ::nrucmre

maintained, and she must retreat to sustain any winning chances in the position. 24 . . . wg7 25.l:Icl 1fc7 26.1td2 1td6 27.h3 ltldB 28.Ad3 ,btc7 29.l:tc7 Vc7 30.1fte3 Vd6 3l.ltlh2 .i,c8 32.ltlfl ltle6 33.ltlg3 'trf4 34.ltle2 ffe3 35.fe3 Another pawn structure change to catalog. 35...ltlc7 3 6 .c,Yf2 A a 6 3 7 . A a 6 �a6 3 8 . ltlf4 ltlc7 3 9 .g4 wf7 40.wf3 g5 41 .ltle2 ltle8 42.ltlc3 we6 43.b3 ltld6 44.a4 a6 45.e4 de4 46.ltle4 Finally a passed pawn is created, but the specifics of this ending lead to a draw. 46 ... ltle8 47.we3 ltlc7 4s.wd3 ltld5 49.wc4 ltle3 so.wd3 � d 5 5 1 . a 5 ba5 5 2 . wc4 ltl e 3 53.wc5 h 6 54.wc6 ltlc2 55.c.Yc5 �e3 56.Wc6 ltlc2 57.wc5, 1/2-1/2 Our next game is a true Carlsbad, in which the pawn structure changes flow according to the rhythm of attack.

( 1 49) Reshevsky, S-Simonson,A New York 1951 l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 ltlf6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 ltlbd7 6.e3 c6 7.Ad3 Ad6 s./Qge2 h6 9.Ah4 g5 10.Ag3 A e 7 l l . h 4 .t:[g8 1 2 . h g 5 h g 5 13.@c2 /Qf8 14.0-0-0 .i.e6 15.f3

Now the Botvinnik maneuver is initi­ ated in the center, and so begins the clash of ideas within the Carlsbad. Black has decided to build a fortress for his � in the center, which adds more spice to the position - for both sides. 15 ... b5 With his own � barracaded in the center, Black can freely attack the White monarch. 16.c;Ybt ffb6 17 ..t:lcl a5 18.e4 Focusing on his pawn structure transformation. Which pawn structure has Reshevsky pre­ pared for with his preceding moves ? 18 ... /Qg6 19.ed5 The answer is the balanced formation. Had Black ex­ changed with 18 .. de4, White would have the option of hanging pawns. The isolani might even be better due to Black's weak c6 pawn. Ergo, Black was essentially forced to accept the balanced pawn formation. 19 ... ltld5 20.ltld5 cd5 O r 20 . . . �d5 2 l . liJc3 'fkd4 2 2 . liJd 5 'fkdS 2 3 . 't!Vc6 'Wc6 24.l:C6 b4 25.l:.el and White's posi­ tion is overwhelming. 2 1 .ltlc3 b4 22./Qb5 Once again we see the princi­ ple of attack and defense in action. 22 . . . c;Yf8 23./Qc7 .t:[d8 24 . .t:[cel /Qf4 White was threatening 25.l2Je6 fe6 26 . .tg6 winning a piece. 25.Af4 gf4 26./Qe6 fe6 The structure is al­ tered further, and this new backward pawn gives White another target for his gathering initiative. Black's � begins to feel the effects of his early decision to remain in the center. 27.l:lh6 U,d6 28.1fc8 @dB 29.1fc1 Ag5 30 . .t:[he6 �e6 3 t.:e6 c;Yf7 32.1:1e5 ,bleB 33.Df5 c;Yg7 34. 1Vc6 Del 35.c;Yc2 1fte7 36.Dd5 De2 37.wb3, 1-0 .

Below is an interesting pawn structure experiment by Alekhine.

1Vl lUU lt:game ;:o,uategy

1 1 .h8 22.!Ig2 1te6 23.�hg1 ltlgf5 24.ltle2 ltl(7 25.1tc3 ltl7d6 26.ltlf4 1th6 27.1td3 ltle4?? 28.�8, 1-0. After 28 . . . .l:tg8 29.lt:Jf7 wins.

1

ne K.mgside AttacK

The Kingside Attack The last game demonstrated that King­ side attacking possibilities must always be considered. We have so far noted these attacks as they happened, but this chapter will focus entirely on the King­ side attack as it relates to the Carlsbad. Let's continue with an example from the current World Champion.

( 1 56) Kasparov, G-Yurtaev, L Moscow 1 981 l.d4 'Llf6 2.c4 e6 3.'Llc3 Ab4 4.e3 0-0 5.Ad3 d5 6.cd5 ed5 7.'Llge2 'Llbd7 8.0-0 c6 9.f3 c5 10.a3 cd4 l l.ed4 Ae7 12.'Llf4 Attacking dS directly. Kasparov uses the weakness of this pawn to gain time and build a King­ side attack. 12 ... 'Llb8 Black's idea is to reposition his ltJ on c6, where it will pressure White's d-pawn. However, Kasparov's aggressive response high­ lights the second player's lack of devel­ opment. 13.g4 Attacking dS indirectly by threatening 14.g5, driving away the defender. 13 ... Ad6 14.wh1 l:le8 15.g5 Af4 t6.Af4 'Llh5

1 15

17.Ab8! Using his advantage in time, White attacks without any wasted motion. Positionally, this move has many attributes. The dark-squared � was not helping the attack, and if Black's ltJ had gotten to c6 it would put irritating pressure on the d-pawn. 17 ...l:[b8 18.f4 g6 19.tlf3 b6 20.f5 b!b7 20 . . . 1fWg5? 2 l .fg6 hg6 22.Wf7. 21.f6 White's position is overwhelm­ ing, so that now simple technique suffices to convert his advantages. 21 ... Ae6 22.l:[ae1 tid6 23.l:le5 lidS 24. 1fe3 b5 25.Ae2 b4 26.ab4 l::l b 4 27 . A h 5 g h 5 2 8 . g 6 hg6 29.l:le6 fe6 30.•h6, 1-0 Next we see an attack which lasts the entire game. A brillant use of sustained initiative by Grandmaster Tal.

( 157) Tal ,M-Saeed Taxco 1 985 1.c4 e6 2.d4 lLl{6 3.'Llc3 d5 4.Ag5 'Llbd7 5.e3 c6 6.cd5 ed5 7.Ad3 Ae7 8. f(fc2 0-0 9.'Llf3 J:[e8 10.0-0 'Llf8 1 l .a3 'Llg6 1 2 . 'Ll e 5 'Llg4 13.Ae7 1fe7 14.lLlg4 Ag4 15.J:[ae1 Preparing to continue with either f3 or f4. 15 ... Ad7 16.f41 Carving out a space advantage on the Kingside. 16 ... 'Llf8 17.f5 1fd6 18.1ff2 c5 19.f6 g6 20.'f!'fh4 cd4 21. 1th6 'Lle6 22.ed4 •fs Forced, since 23 . .l:te6 was threatened. 23. tih4 'Llc7 After 2 3 . . . � c 6 2 4 . l: e 5 l:t a d8 2 5 . l: f3 White's attack is crushing, e.g. 25 ... l:d7 26. l:th5!! wins. 24.tfg3 Tal has been using minor tactical threats to disorgan­ ize Black's pieces, while he prepares the main attack. 24 ... J:[ac8 24 ... ttJe6 25.ltJd5 ltJd4 26.ltJe7 c;;.hs 27.' ..h4 threatening 28.�g6. 25.De8 fle8 26.D,e1 Ae6 Forced, to keep the l:.

1 16

M iddlegame Strategy

from infiltrating via e7. 27.h4 'flf8 28. 1Wf4 h6 29.Abl Wh8 30.1:1e3 b6 3 t .Ad3 wgs 3 2 . �e 2 c;Yhs 33. 1!fe5 Ag4 34.lt)f4! Now all of White's pieces are ready for the attack. Notice that 35.�g6 is threatened. 34...1:1e834...1We835 ...We8 .!:te8 3 6 . tLl d S . 35.trfc7 l:1e3 36.�g6! fg6 37.Ag6 1fg8 38.'t'!Vf4 llel If 38 . . . 'ti'g6? 39.f7 and the pawn will become a new 'if. 39.Wh 2 ltfS 40.f7 l::[e6 40 . . . i.e6 4 l .'tWf6. 41.1tg4 l::[f6 42.'fig3 J:(e6 After 42 . . .l:tf7 43.�f7 'flff7 44. 'ifeS wh7 4S.h5 the e nding is won for White. 43.h5 J:(e7 44.1fg4 1td8 45.Wg1 trrs 46.c;Yf2 ttds 47.g3 lffS 48.Wg2 tldS 49.'fif5 Wg7 50.Ah7 J:tf7 51.ffg6 wrs 52.tlh6 J:lg7 53.Af5 1te7 54.wh3 '4l'g5 55. frg5 ng5 56.Ag6! The simplest road to victory. Black will run out of pawn moves, and then the .!:t is lost. 56 ...wg7 57.wh4 wh6 58.a4, 1-0

pres e n t posi t i o n , e s p e c i a l l y with White's � at h6, White is justified in launching a pawn storm to increase his advantage. 12...Ae6 13.�e2 �bd7 14.Ag2 �b6 15.b3 Once again play­ ing prophylactic moves, preventing the Black pieces from using important outpost squares. Now Black cannot play ... tLlc4. 15 ...Dc8 16.0-0 l:lc6 A re­ sourceful and imaginative move, with the idea of attacking White's .t on h6 and improving the Kingside pawn structure. The concept does not work, b u t only by a hair. 1 7.h3 �fd7 18.lt)d1 J:lgS 19.�f2 f5 Here is the position Black was planning for with 16 . . . .!:tc6. By exchanging pawns and forcing the White .t back (by threaten­ i n g . . . gS a n d . . . i.f7, winning the piece) , Black can continue the attack with . . . hS, opening files for his .!:ts.

The next two examples look at a pro­ phylactic manuever in two different ways. In Kasparov-Short it is merely a preventive measure which has little to do with the rhythm of the game. In Gulko-Beliavky the weakeness caused by the maneuver grows as the game progresses.

(1 58) Kasparov, G---Short,N Thessaloniki 1 988 1.c4 e6 2.lt)c3 d5 3.d4 Ae7 4.cd5 ed5 5.Af4 c6 6.ffc2 g6 7.e3 Af5 8. frd2 �f6 9.f3 c5 10.Ah6! cd4 ll.ed4 a6 For l l . . . tLlc6 see the next game. 12.g4 Depriving the Black i. of the fS square is very important, although a weakening move like g4 should be weighed carefully. In the

20.1:1ae1! This simple move ends the discussion. By adding the pin of the dark-squared .i. into the equation, Black's position is in ruins. 20...g5 21.gf5 Af7 2 1 . . .�f5 22.tLlg3 j_g6 2 3 . � g 5 tLl f6 (2 3 . . . l:c2 2 4 . 'tWb4) 24.tLlg4. 22.�g4 Ah5 23.�g3, 1-o. If 23 . . . .tg4 then 24.�g5 wins.

1 he K.mgs1. It is instructive how Botvinnik carries out this attack, bringing every piece into the fray. 15 ...ll)g8 16.0-0-0 ltlh6 17.!ldgl Ae6 18.fie2 Af5 t9.Af5 l0f5 20.ll)h4, 1-o

1

ne l'l.. m gs•u�;;

The next contest is an interesting example of simultaneous pawn storms on opposite wings.

(1 68) Kortchnoi, V-Eslon,J Biel 1984 t.d4 e6 2.0!3 �f6 3.c4 d5 4.�c3 �bd7 5.cd5 ed5 6.Af4 c6 7.e3 Ae7 8.1tc2 0-0 9.Ad3 l::le8 10.h3 �rs n .o-o-o Ae6 1 2.wb1 a5 1 3.�g5 b5 14.Ae5 h6 1 5.�e6 �e6 16.g4 With Black attacking on the Queenside, White must seek coun­ t e r p l a y on t he K i n gs i d e . 16 ... a4 17.Af5 /Od7 18.�e2 rlc8 After 18 . . . lbe5? 1 9.de5 the coming f4-f5 pawn storm would be murder. 19.Ae6 fe6 20./0g3 Af6 21.f4 c5 22./0h5 cd4 23.flg6 Jle5 23 . . . lbe5 24.fe5 �eS 25.ed4 .i.f6 26.h4 with the threat of 27.g5. 24.fe5 1tg5 25.tffg 5 hg5 26.ed4 /Ob6 27.h41 Opening the h­ file is essential to White's position. 27 . . . gh4 28.1:lh4 !lfS 29.Ddht t0c4 30.tl4h2 l:lf3 3 1 .g5 l:(cfS 32.g6 Wt 33.Wt :n 34.wc2 b4 35.a3 ba3 36.ba3 btf3 37.!lh 1 /Oa3 38.'iYd2 t0c4 39.we2 l:tb3

rt Uil\.:1\.

44 . . . ltJb5 4 5 . l:h7 'ifi>g8 46.f7 'ifi>f8 47 . .:hs. 45.J:td6 wgs 46.J:td7, 1-o. With the obvious plan of answering 46 . . . a3 w i t h 47 J:th7 a 2 48.f7 'ifi>f8 49. :th8 winning. From the following game we learn to avoid weakening our pawn structure when facing an enemy pawn storm.

(1 69) Baay-Euwe,M Amsterdam 1 921 l.d4 /Of6 2.0!3 e6 3.c4 b6 4./0c3 Ab7 5.e3 d5 6.cd5 ed5 7. ..Q.b5 c6 8.Ad3 Ad6 9.�e5 Jle5 1 0.de5 /Ofd7 l l . f 4 0 - 0 1 2 . fi h 5 g 6 1 3.tfh6 tfe7 14.h4 �a6 1 5.h5 /Oac5 16.Ac2 Aa6! 17.Ad2 /Od3 18.Ad3 Ad3 19.0-o-o f6?! This Kingside weakening only helps the White pawn storm gather force. Better was 19 . . �f5 with the idea of 20 . . . lbc5. 2o . ..Q.e1 Af5 2t.hg6 Ag6 22.g4 fe5 23 .f5 Ae8 24. YWc6 �f6 I f 2 4. . .�f7 25.�h4 wins. 25. \Ya8 1tc7 26.ID16 Aa4 27. trrs wrs 2s.:t6 'iYg7 29.f!e6 A d l 30.¢>dl d4 31.Ag3, 1-o .

Q) 0-0-0 vs. 0-0-0

40.0(61 gf6 40. . . 'it>f8 4 1 . l:th8 'it>e7 42. l:te8 mate. 41.ef6 !lb8 42.11h7 t0d6 43.�g7 whs 44.btd7 �as

If Black manages to castle Queenside, the monarch's new address does not nullify White's idea of attacking the Kingside. True, Black's King is out of danger, but there are other targets such as weak pawns. Grandmaster Taimanov uses the attack in the foll�wing contest to maintain the initiative for the entire game.

1 22

Middlegame S trategy

( 1 70) Taimanov, M-Zamikovsky USSR 1 954 1.c4 e6 2.�c3 d5 3.d4 �f6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 �bd7 7.1fc2 �f8 8.Ad3 c6 9.�f3 �e6 10.h4 �d7 11.0-0-0 Very often this move signals a Kingside initiative for White that can last the entire game. 11 ... Ag5 12.hg5 A good positional plan. White is opening lines of attack, and using his development advantage to create activ­ ity on the Kingside. 12 ... �g5 13.e4!

c5 24.Db5 llg8 If 24 . . . cd4 25.ltJb5 't!Yc2 26.�c2 the weak Black pawns would be exploited as in the game. 25.'1tf2 cd4 26.f!Vd4 �c4 27.Wt2 f!Vc6 28.b3 tfb6 29. f!Vb6 �b6 30.�e2 �d7 31.�d4 l:lg4 32.Wt8 wc7 33.1Dt7 wb6 Black also loses the piece if he takes the pawn, e.g. 33 . . . l:l.f4 34.ttJe6 fe6 35.i.b5 wins. The defensive move 33 . . . a6 was Black's best chance to draw. 3 4 . �f5 l:l. g l 3S.c;i;>b2 �fS 36.ltJf5 l:tfl . 34.�e6 fe6 35.�d7 :t'4 36.�d6 wc5 37.,t1e6 wd4 3B.Ae2 �f2 39.Ad1 .l:.td2 4o.Ac2 f4 41.�e7 .f:'le2 42.e6 we5 43.�, 1 -0. Adjournment analysis no doubt showed that White could win the ending with his material advantage. In the next game both sides use action on the wings to fight for the center.

l3 ... �f3 After 1 3 . . . de4 14.ltJe4 ltJe4 1 5 . �e4 ltJf6 16.l:tde l White's attack should at least win back the sacrificed pawn, and maintain the initiative. 14.gf3 �b6 15.wb1 Avoiding a pos­ sible check on gS. 15 ...Ae6 16.e5 Now White has the standard plan in advanced center positions of continu­ ing his attack with f4-f5. 16 ... tid7 17.f4 g6 18.Jlh6 Otherwise Black could play 18 . . . h5, improving his King­ side pawn structure. 18 ... 0-0-0 Finally Black's 'it;> is out of danger, but the White attack continues full force against his weak pawns. 19.l:tdh1 wbS Preparing the only counterplay Black has in the position, hoping . . . cS will break up White's center. 20.Db7 �h7 21.,Wl7 f!Vc8 22.f5 gf5 23.f4

( 1 71 ) Piket,J-Timman,J Amsterdam 1 �95 1.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0f3 d5 4.�c3 �bd7 5.cd5 ed5 6.�g5 c6 7.e3 Ae7 s . Ad3 �h5 9 . �d2 Ag5 10.tfh5 Ae7 1 1 .h3 g6 1 2.t¥e2 �b6 13.a3 Ae6 14.g4 Ad6 15.f4 1fe7 16.�f3 f6 17.0-0-0 0-0-0 18.wb1 whs 19.tfg2 �c4 20.Ac4 dc4 21.�he1 Ac7 22.'ltc2 Af7 23.wa1 g5?! This move gives White control over the center. 24.fg5 fg5 25.e4 Ag6 26.d5! J:Dtfs 27.�d4 A typical pattern from our study of hang­ ing pawns. A pawn is first pushed to clear its square for a piece. 27...cd5 28.�f5 Af5 29.ef5 'ltc5 Now the battle over the center seems to have shifted in Black's favor. However, this is an illusion as the sequel reveals. 30.!le6 Af4 After 30 . . . d4 3 1 . ltJe4 the passed Kingside pawns give White

a winning advantage. 3l.b41 Forcing Black to break up his center. 31 ... cb3 32.1tb3 J:(d7 33.l0e2 d4 34.!1d3 J::lcS 35.h4 Ae3? Black's position was already difficult before this blunder, which loses a piece. He should have tried 35 . .. 'it'c7!?. 36.l:lee3 de3 37.Dd7 flc6 3S.l:Id3 gh4 39.l:le3 tlg2 40.'f!rd3 1fg4 41.f6 a6 42..t:lf3 h3 43.l:th3 1fe6 44.ID3 �S 45.l0c3 tfe5, 1-0

move's spacial grab is nullified by his lack of pieces. For example, another ttJ posted on e5 or f6 would be good, or a dark-squared ..t working on the color weaknesses in Black's position. 44 ... wa7 45.wb3 Dce7 46.Dcl l0c4 47.wc3 l0d6

One problem with a pawn storm is the possibility of overextending the pawn structure, leaving behind weaknesses to be exploited later.

( 1 72) Saidy,A-Campora New York 1 987 l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3./.0c3 /.Of6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 c6 6.e3 l0bd7 7.Ad3 Ae7 S. 1fc2 /.O h 5 9 . Ae7 1re7 1 0 . l0ge2 l0b6 1 1 . 0 - 0 - 0 A e 6 1 2.h3 0-0-0 13.g4 /.Of6 14.l0f4 wbs t 5 .w b t g6 t 6 .Dct Acs 17./.0ce2 /.OeS 1S.I.Og3 I.Od6 19.b3 l::lhfS 20.1fc5 :deS 21 .a4 I.Od7 22. 1Vb4 WaS 23.g5 �dS 24.h4 �fe8 25.�c2 /.OfS 26.a5?1 After Black's reply this pawn remains weak, and requires a further weakening (b4) to maintain the advanced post. 26...a6 27.wa2 Saidy is unsure of where to put h i s c;t>, ergo i t wanders aimlessly. 27...f.Oe6 2S./.Oe6 Or 28.4Jfe2!?, planning 4Jc3-a4-b6. 2S... jle6 29.'fNb6 t.Ocs 30.ffc5 ffd7 3t.wb2 Ag4 32. trb4 Af3 33.Wt2 'itc7 34.'Wet f.Od6 35.:h3 ffd7 36.'fj'fl 1lc8 37.f.Oe2 Ae4 3S.Jle4 l0e4 39.t.Of4 tOd6 40./.0d3 1'ff5 41.f.Oc5 Dc7 42. 't'fg2 "ltcS 43.h5 ffdS 44.b4 The overextended pawns in White's posi· tion make defense difficult, and the text

4S.Dchl? The losing move. White does not see that his c;1;> is in danger. It was necessary to defend the· a-pawn (overprotection) with 48.l:al, so that the b-pawn can retake on c5 if Black attempts to exchange ttJs . 48. . . 4Je4 4 9 . 'i1;>c2 .J:c7 5 0 . f4 .J:ce7 5 1 . l:a3. 4S ... f.Oe4 49.l0e4 Following 49.'i1;>b3 4Jc5 50.dc5 d4 Black wins by acquiring control ove r the seventh rank. 49 ...de4 50.Dal White is forced to defend against the threat of 50 . . . c5!, which allows the infiltration of Black's 'tW. 50 ... Dd7 Black begins to set up a tactical breach of White's defense. 5l.l:lh4 tfe7 52.D.g4 l:ld5 53.hg6 hg6 5 4 . 1:l b l c 5 1 5 5 . bc5 Dc51 s6.dc5 'lt'c5 57.wb3 'ftb5 58.wa2 ffa4 59.wb2 De5 6o.Wfl eb4, 0-1 In all themes we see maneuvers emplayed to convert one kind of advan­ rage into another. Here Petrosion uses

1 24

M iddlegame Strategy

the pawn storm to swap his extra pawn for a passed pawn.

( 173) Petros ian, T-Radulesen Bucharest 1 95 3 1.d4 d 5 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 �f6 4.cd5 ed5 5.�(3 Ae7 6.Af4 c6 7.'ttc 2 �bd7 8 . e3 �f8 9 . A d 3 � e 6 10.Ae5 Ad6 U.o-o-o Ae5 12.�e5 ffe7 1 3.g4 �c5 14.Ae2 �ce4 14 . ..l2Jcd7!? 15.�e4 �e4 16.Ad3 Ae6 16 .. .f6!? 17.f3 �d6 18.Ah7 Now Petrosian uses this material a d va ntage to grind o u t the w i n . 1s ... o-o-o 19.Ad3 whs 2o.wh1 J::lc8 21.l:[c1 'ttc7 22.h4 The pawn storm begins, and with it the threat of creating a passed pawn. 22 ... f6 23.�g6 J::lhe8 24.g5 tfd7 25.gf6 gf6 2 6 . h 5 Af5 27 .!led 1 Ad3 28.'ttd3 tfh7 29.e4! To win White c reate s additional p a s s e d p a w n s . 29... tfh6 30.e5 fe5 3 1.de5 �c4 32.f4 l:lc7 33.e6 �d6 34.a3 Wl7 35.wa2 ttg7 36.f5 tff6 37.tff3 w c 7 3 8 . J::l d f1 c5 3 9 . h 6 1fd4 40.,Wt4 1Jf6 41. tff4 wc6 42.�e5, 1-0 In our next game the pawn storm never gets started. Botvinnik's strategic play is brilliant, and leaves· us wondering which move actually lost the game for White.

( 1 74) Lilienthal-Botvinnik,M USSR 1 945 t.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 �f6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 c6 6.�(3 h6 7.il,f6 Botvinnik criticized this exchange in his collection of best games, because it gives Black the two �s. 7 ... tff6 8.1tb3 .i,d6 9.e3 After 9.e4 de4

1 0 . tLle4 V/ll e 7 1 1 .0-0-0 �f4 Black clearly has the advantage. 9... �d7 10.i!d3 1fe7 An excellent positional move with several purposes. It allows the transfer of the CiJ to f6, where it guards the e4 square, and it prepares to develop the white-squared � by pro­ tecting b7. 1 1.0-0-0 �f6 12.�e1 il,e6 13. tfc2 0-0-0

14.�e5?! Botvinnik puts it succinctly: "An inviting, but completely unsound plan." 14 ... wbs 15.f4 I f 1 5.CiJa4?! �e5 16.de5 CiJg4 17.fli CiJh2 Black wins a pawn. 15 . . . c5 16.wb1 c4 17.Af5 The alternate move, 17.�e2, is not much better than the text. For example, 17.!Ji..e 2 g6 (played against the threat of 18.f5, hoping to slow down the pawn storm) 18.g4 h5 19.h3?! hg4 20.hg4 l:th2 and White's game is very difficult. 17 . . . Af5 1 8 . tff5 Ab4 19. fic2 lld6 20.!le2 Ac3 Strategi­ cally, Black now has a won game. 21.bc3 �e4 22.c;t>a1 Jla6 23. fict l::tdS 24.Hc2 �dd6 25.�g4 �6 26.h3 h5 27.�e5 l:lgb6 28.�3 tfa3 29.�g5 �c3 30. tfa3 !1a3 31.l::tdc1 �b5 32.� l:le3 33.�e5 wc7 34.g4 �d4 3 5 .!ld2 �e2 36.He1 �c3, 0-1

C) 0-0

0-0

( 1 76) Chekhover, V-Botvinnik,M Leningrad 1 932 Logically, a pawn storm advances on 1.d4 lL!f6 2.c4 e6 3.lLlf3 b6 4.g3 the wing opposite it's own castled King. �b7 s.�g2 �e7 6.0-0 0-0 7.lL!c3 However, the true beauty of chess lies dS S.cdS edS 9.�f4 lLlbd7 10.lL!bS in the exceptions. lL!eS 1 1 . l:l c 1 c6 1 2 . /0c3 /Od6 13.1\Vc2 fS 14.�h3 g6 1S.Dfd1 ( 1 75) Schlechter, C-Marco, G lLlf7 16.�g2 gS 17.�d2 The dark­ squared j_ leaves the field of battle, Stockholm 1 906 1.d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.lLlc3 lL!f6 4.�gS never to return. 17 ... lL!d6 18.lL!e1 �e7 s.e3 lLlbd7 6.lL!f3 0-0 7.\1'c2 � f6 1 9.e3 fi'e7 20. lLld3 lL!e4 a6 S.cdS edS 9.�d3 h6 10.�f4 2 1 . A e 1 D a c 8 2 2 . 1t b 3 DfeS c6 ll.h3 lLle8 12.0-0 �d6 13.�g3 23.Ah3 g4 24.Ag2 lL!fS 2S./Of4 �g3 14.fg3 lL!d6 1S.g4 bS 16.nae1 lL!e6 26.lL!e6 1\Ve6 27.lL!e2 AgS 28. \1'a3 aS 29. 1tb3 Aa6 30.lL!c3 �b7 l:lbS 31.\1'c2 l:(bcS 32./0e2 1i'f7 33./0f4 iU4 34.gf4 1\VhS, 0 - 1 . VS.

Black won o n time before h e could win on the board.

( 1 77) Leonov-Tal ,M Latvia 1 950 1.lLlf3 lL!f6 2.d4 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 iLb7 s.Ag2 �e7 6.o-o o-o 7.ft:lc3 lL!e4 S.lL!e4 �e4 9.b3 fS 10.Ab2 ,ilf6 1 1 . /t:} e 1 Ag2 1 2 .'tYg2 d6 13.lLlf3 lLld7 14.1fc2 fieS 1S.e4 1rhS 16.Dae1 gS 17.lLlg1 f4 18.f3 17.e4 Opening lines in preparation for eS 19.deS AeS 20.AeS ft:leS 21.g4 the Kingside attack. 17 ...de4 18.lL!e4 1rh4 2 2.Dd1 h S 23.ghS 1thS lL!e4 19.�e4 tWaS 20.gS 1Wa2 Or 24.h3 wg7 2S.DdS wf6 26.1i'c3 20 . . . hg5 2 l . �h7 �h8 22.l2Jg5 with we6 27.Wd1 DbS 28.1td4 l:[ad8 many threats. 21.gh6 gh6 22.�fS 29.b4 1th4 30.1\Vc3 1Wg3 31.wfl 1tdS 23.De7 lL!f6 24.�e6 1thS g4 3 2 . hg4 J:(h 1 3 3 . l:l e S d e S 2S.g4, 1-0. If 25 .. .'t\Vh3 then 26.'ifg6 34.Dds 1tg1, o-1

wins.

Another exception occurs when Black launches a pawn storm on the Kingside. The next couple of examples demon­ strate this interesting possibilty.

Next we find Marshall using tactics to achieve small positional goals, whi ch accumulate into victory. Only the un­ initiated think of tactics as a "knockout punch. " Grandmasters see tactics as a sheathed sword, a weapon available if needed to win the encounter.

1 :2 6

M 10 0 1 egame �Irarc gy

( 1 78) Marshall , F-Reti , R Mannheim 1 91 4 1.d4 d 5 2.c4 e 6 3.ltlc3 ltlf6 4.Jig5 Jie7 5.e3 0-0 6.I:[c1 ltle4 7 .Jte7 YWe7 8.cd5 ltlc3 9 ..U.c3 ed5 10. YWc2 c6 1 1 . ltlf3 ltld7 1 2 .�d3 ltlf6 13.0-0 �g4 14.ltle5 �h5? Oddly, this move loses ! Why?

time here, but his position is hopeless. 32 . . . 'iWf5 33. l:tf5 .l:te7 34.�g2 wha t can Black d o ? A .l:t move loses a pawn to 35 . .l:te5 or 35.llf7, and a pawn move lets the White � march to Black's e-pawn. On the other hand, 34 . . . �h8 gets mated ! After

The next game features the battle of a piece versus three pawns, which has many attributes of a pawn storm.

( 1 79) Lasker,Em-Janowski ,D London 1 899 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 a6 4.cd5 ed5 5.'Wb3 c6 6.ltlf3 Jid6 7.�g5 .i. e 7 8 . � f4 ltlf6 9 . e 3 ltlbd 7 10.Ad3 0-0 11.0-0 ltlh5 12.'�c2 ltlf4 1 3 . A h 7 c;Y h 8 1 4 .ef4 g6 15.�g6 fg6 16.flg6 A classic tab­ leau for a piece versus pawns. If Black This position ought to be studied care­ can organize his pieces into an attack fully before looking at Marshall's execu­ on the White �. he can attain the tion. Remember, the following series of upper hand. Also, the two �s are a tactical threats is made to accomplish powerful force against the pawns positional goals. 15.f4 Threatening to whichever color weak�ess develops as w i n a p i e ce by 1 6.h3 a n d 17.g4. the pawns advance can be exploited by 15 ... ltle4 1 5 . . . �g6?? 16.f5. 16.Jie4 one of the �s . 16 ... W6 16 . . . l:tf4?? de4 17.g4 1 7.'iYe4?? f6. 17 ... Jtg6 17.1Wh6; 1 6 . . . 'Llf6? 17.'Llg5. t7.YWh5 18.f5 f6 Black has escaped losing his c;Yg7 18.ltlg5 ltlf8 It is clear that � at the cost of a pawn, but the game White's attack has reached its limit. is decided because White's major pieces The pawns cannot advance, and bring­ coordinate in their attack on the Black ing more pieces to the attack is difficult. �. 19.ltlg6 hg6 20.fg6 Threatening White's next move eliminates the 1Wg2-h3-h7. Once again, simple tactics only clear chance to do so, e.g. the keep the initiative. 20 ... f5 The only .l:tel-e3-g3 lift. 19.g3 19.'Wh4?! .l::th 6 move which gives Black any chances. 20.'il!Vg3 :tg6. 19...iU5 20.Wet �6?! 2t.gf5 ttg5 22.flg2 JV5 23.W5 20 . . �d6 21.ltlf7! By exchanging iLl "Wf5 Marshall now delivers a good for �. White speeds the launching of pounding with his maj o r p i e c e s . his pawn storm. 2l ... c;Yf7 22. 'Wf5 24.l:[c5 YWf6 25.�h5 .tle8 26. YWg4 �f6 23.§adl White's pieces are very l:le6 27.r!g5 ad6 28.h4 �e6 29.h5 well placed, while Black's are still disor­ .tieS 30.§f5 1We6 31.§f4 1fd5 g a n i z e d . 23 . . . 1W d 6 24.g4 c;Yg8 32. 1tf5, 1-0. Reti might have lost on 25.f!e3 lld8 26.ltle2 �d7 27.h3 .

ILl

:lf7 28. 1Jd3 i!,h4 29.!le8 Jlgg7 30. Wg2 1Wd7 31.1We3 l:te7 32.l::[e7 l:[e7 33. 1Wf3 �g6 34.c;Yfl l:tf7 35.f5 iLdB 36.�g3 �h4 37.'fff4 YWe7 38.YWe3 On the principle that White's advantage increases with each exchange. Lasker now proceeds to win with perfect technique. 38... iLc7 39.1%e1 1We3 40.�e3 iLb6 41.�e2 R, c 7 4 2 .f3 c;Yf8 4 3 . c;Y f 2 ,hl e 7 44.l::[e7 c;Ye7 45.f4 .a.a5 46.�cl R,b6 47.�b3 c;Yf6 48.c;Yg3 �f5 49.gf5 c;Yf5 50.c;Yf3 .a.c7 51.�c5 b6 52.l0a6 Ad6 53.a4 c;Ye6 54.b4 c;Yf5 55.�c5 Af4 56.l0d7, 1-0

or, in the case of an exchange on e4, a strong advanced center after .. .fe4. 13.�d2 �df6 14.f3 �c3 15.bc3 f41 16.g4 1 6.gf4?! �f4 1 7 . e4 de4 18.fe4 tt::lg4 with a very strong attack. 16 ... b6 Preparing to attack the base of White's pawn chain at e2, and also planning the . . . cS break in the center. 17.l0f1 1Wc7 18.,1ld2 Aa6 19.c;Yf2 c5 20.l:tact �e6 21.g5 White is de­ sparate to give his pieces some scope. 21 ... l0h5 22.Ah3 !lg6 23.Ag4 l::[g5 24.h4 lag41 Destroying the White defensive fortress. 25.fg4 l0f6 26.c;Yf3 26.it::lh2 f3 27.tt::lf3 tt::lg4 28.�g2 .th2 with the threat of 29 ... 'ii'g3.

Next we see a pawn storm of a different color.

( 1 80) Mwange,B-Kamuhangire, S Luzem 1 982 1.l0f3 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 d5 4.cd5 ed5 5.d4 .a.e7 6.g3 0-0 7.Ag2 Why is this game in our section on the pawn storm? An enemy .t on g2 (or g7) normally makes it awkward to launch a pawn storm, presenting an obstactle to one's attacking l:ts. Here, however, Black does have the logical plan of using his pawn storm to attack the g3 square. 7 . . . l:te8 8.0-0 l0bd7 9.1Wc2 c6 10.�e1 Straightforward, and a little too mechanical. Instead, 10. �f4!? was possible. 10 ... ,1ld6 ll.Ad2?1 White is making the unforgivable mistake of playing planlessly. His intention was l i k e l y t o c o n t i n u e 12. l:tadl a n d 1 3 . .tcl , to better position his pieces for a central break. In that case l l .�gS would have been a better attempt. 11 ... l0e4 Again we see this pattern of using the e4 square to attain the initia­ tive. 12.Ac1?1 1 2 . l:tadl 12 ... f51 Giv­ ing Black the option of a pawn storm

26 ... l0g411 27.'ilf5 27.�g4 'ifd7 28. 'ii' fS (28. �f3 'ii' h 3 29. �f2 l:t£8 and the push 30 .. .f3 will be devastat­ ing) 28 . . . 'ii' f5 29.�f5 .tc8 30.�g5 .te7 3 1 .�h5 .tfS with mate in two by 32 ...g6 and 33 ... .tf8. 27...l0f6 28.Af4 l:[e8 28 ... .l:tf8! 29.l0g3 Ac8 30.Ad6 1Wd6 31. ifd3 l0e4 32.c;Yg2 lfg6 33.dc5 bc5 34. ifd5 c;Yh8 35. 'lld3 fig4 36.l:(h1 �g3 37.1Wf3 l:le2, 0-1 As with each theme we have examined, these ideas are still actively discussed at the top levels of chess.

1 :2 6

M 10 0 1 egame �Irarc gy

( 1 78) Marshall , F-Reti , R Mannheim 1 91 4 1.d4 d 5 2.c4 e 6 3.ltlc3 ltlf6 4.Jig5 Jie7 5.e3 0-0 6.I:[c1 ltle4 7 .Jte7 YWe7 8.cd5 ltlc3 9 ..U.c3 ed5 10. YWc2 c6 1 1 . ltlf3 ltld7 1 2 .�d3 ltlf6 13.0-0 �g4 14.ltle5 �h5? Oddly, this move loses ! Why?

time here, but his position is hopeless. 32 . . . 'iWf5 33. l:tf5 .l:te7 34.�g2 wha t can Black d o ? A .l:t move loses a pawn to 35 . .l:te5 or 35.llf7, and a pawn move lets the White � march to Black's e-pawn. On the other hand, 34 . . . �h8 gets mated ! After

The next game features the battle of a piece versus three pawns, which has many attributes of a pawn storm.

( 1 79) Lasker,Em-Janowski ,D London 1 899 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 a6 4.cd5 ed5 5.'Wb3 c6 6.ltlf3 Jid6 7.�g5 .i. e 7 8 . � f4 ltlf6 9 . e 3 ltlbd 7 10.Ad3 0-0 11.0-0 ltlh5 12.'�c2 ltlf4 1 3 . A h 7 c;Y h 8 1 4 .ef4 g6 15.�g6 fg6 16.flg6 A classic tab­ leau for a piece versus pawns. If Black This position ought to be studied care­ can organize his pieces into an attack fully before looking at Marshall's execu­ on the White �. he can attain the tion. Remember, the following series of upper hand. Also, the two �s are a tactical threats is made to accomplish powerful force against the pawns positional goals. 15.f4 Threatening to whichever color weak�ess develops as w i n a p i e ce by 1 6.h3 a n d 17.g4. the pawns advance can be exploited by 15 ... ltle4 1 5 . . . �g6?? 16.f5. 16.Jie4 one of the �s . 16 ... W6 16 . . . l:tf4?? de4 17.g4 1 7.'iYe4?? f6. 17 ... Jtg6 17.1Wh6; 1 6 . . . 'Llf6? 17.'Llg5. t7.YWh5 18.f5 f6 Black has escaped losing his c;Yg7 18.ltlg5 ltlf8 It is clear that � at the cost of a pawn, but the game White's attack has reached its limit. is decided because White's major pieces The pawns cannot advance, and bring­ coordinate in their attack on the Black ing more pieces to the attack is difficult. �. 19.ltlg6 hg6 20.fg6 Threatening White's next move eliminates the 1Wg2-h3-h7. Once again, simple tactics only clear chance to do so, e.g. the keep the initiative. 20 ... f5 The only .l:tel-e3-g3 lift. 19.g3 19.'Wh4?! .l::th 6 move which gives Black any chances. 20.'il!Vg3 :tg6. 19...iU5 20.Wet �6?! 2t.gf5 ttg5 22.flg2 JV5 23.W5 20 . . �d6 21.ltlf7! By exchanging iLl "Wf5 Marshall now delivers a good for �. White speeds the launching of pounding with his maj o r p i e c e s . his pawn storm. 2l ... c;Yf7 22. 'Wf5 24.l:[c5 YWf6 25.�h5 .tle8 26. YWg4 �f6 23.§adl White's pieces are very l:le6 27.r!g5 ad6 28.h4 �e6 29.h5 well placed, while Black's are still disor­ .tieS 30.§f5 1We6 31.§f4 1fd5 g a n i z e d . 23 . . . 1W d 6 24.g4 c;Yg8 32. 1tf5, 1-0. Reti might have lost on 25.f!e3 lld8 26.ltle2 �d7 27.h3 .

ILl

:lf7 28. 1Jd3 i!,h4 29.!le8 Jlgg7 30. Wg2 1Wd7 31.1We3 l:te7 32.l::[e7 l:[e7 33. 1Wf3 �g6 34.c;Yfl l:tf7 35.f5 iLdB 36.�g3 �h4 37.'fff4 YWe7 38.YWe3 On the principle that White's advantage increases with each exchange. Lasker now proceeds to win with perfect technique. 38... iLc7 39.1%e1 1We3 40.�e3 iLb6 41.�e2 R, c 7 4 2 .f3 c;Yf8 4 3 . c;Y f 2 ,hl e 7 44.l::[e7 c;Ye7 45.f4 .a.a5 46.�cl R,b6 47.�b3 c;Yf6 48.c;Yg3 �f5 49.gf5 c;Yf5 50.c;Yf3 .a.c7 51.�c5 b6 52.l0a6 Ad6 53.a4 c;Ye6 54.b4 c;Yf5 55.�c5 Af4 56.l0d7, 1-0

or, in the case of an exchange on e4, a strong advanced center after .. .fe4. 13.�d2 �df6 14.f3 �c3 15.bc3 f41 16.g4 1 6.gf4?! �f4 1 7 . e4 de4 18.fe4 tt::lg4 with a very strong attack. 16 ... b6 Preparing to attack the base of White's pawn chain at e2, and also planning the . . . cS break in the center. 17.l0f1 1Wc7 18.,1ld2 Aa6 19.c;Yf2 c5 20.l:tact �e6 21.g5 White is de­ sparate to give his pieces some scope. 21 ... l0h5 22.Ah3 !lg6 23.Ag4 l::[g5 24.h4 lag41 Destroying the White defensive fortress. 25.fg4 l0f6 26.c;Yf3 26.it::lh2 f3 27.tt::lf3 tt::lg4 28.�g2 .th2 with the threat of 29 ... 'ii'g3.

Next we see a pawn storm of a different color.

( 1 80) Mwange,B-Kamuhangire, S Luzem 1 982 1.l0f3 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 d5 4.cd5 ed5 5.d4 .a.e7 6.g3 0-0 7.Ag2 Why is this game in our section on the pawn storm? An enemy .t on g2 (or g7) normally makes it awkward to launch a pawn storm, presenting an obstactle to one's attacking l:ts. Here, however, Black does have the logical plan of using his pawn storm to attack the g3 square. 7 . . . l:te8 8.0-0 l0bd7 9.1Wc2 c6 10.�e1 Straightforward, and a little too mechanical. Instead, 10. �f4!? was possible. 10 ... ,1ld6 ll.Ad2?1 White is making the unforgivable mistake of playing planlessly. His intention was l i k e l y t o c o n t i n u e 12. l:tadl a n d 1 3 . .tcl , to better position his pieces for a central break. In that case l l .�gS would have been a better attempt. 11 ... l0e4 Again we see this pattern of using the e4 square to attain the initia­ tive. 12.Ac1?1 1 2 . l:tadl 12 ... f51 Giv­ ing Black the option of a pawn storm

26 ... l0g411 27.'ilf5 27.�g4 'ifd7 28. 'ii' fS (28. �f3 'ii' h 3 29. �f2 l:t£8 and the push 30 .. .f3 will be devastat­ ing) 28 . . . 'ii' f5 29.�f5 .tc8 30.�g5 .te7 3 1 .�h5 .tfS with mate in two by 32 ...g6 and 33 ... .tf8. 27...l0f6 28.Af4 l:[e8 28 ... .l:tf8! 29.l0g3 Ac8 30.Ad6 1Wd6 31. ifd3 l0e4 32.c;Yg2 lfg6 33.dc5 bc5 34. ifd5 c;Yh8 35. 'lld3 fig4 36.l:(h1 �g3 37.1Wf3 l:le2, 0-1 As with each theme we have examined, these ideas are still actively discussed at the top levels of chess.

1 2K

M l d d legame �trategy

( 1 81 ) Karpov, A-Kasparov, G Moscow 1985 l.d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 .\le7 4.cd5 ed5 s.Af4 �f6 6.e3 o-o 7.�f3 Af5 8.h3 c6 9.g4 il,g6 10.�e5 l0fd7 ll.l0g6 fg6 12.�g2 l0b6 13.0-0 c.tlh8 14.l0e2 g5 1 5.Ag3 Ad6 16.ffd3 l0a6 1 7 . b3 ffe7 t8.Ad6 1Vd6

Jlf5 3 9 . l:le4 c.tl h 7 40 .l:le7 b5 41.l:la7 b4 42.c.f1g4, 1-0 The next example contains many of the pawn structures reviewed earlier. A home analysis of this game will rein­ force what has been learned.

( 1 82) Collas, D-Izsak, G Budapest 1 994 l.d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 d5 4.cd5 ed5 s.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 c6 7.�d3 l0bd7 s.ec2 o-o 9.l0ge2 J:teB 10.0-0 lOtS ll.l:tabl a5 12.a3 b5 13.b4 ab4 14.ab4 �d7 15.f3 1Vb8 16.h3 l0h5 17.Ae7 �e7 18.e4 l0f4 1 9 .e5 't'!fb6 20.c;Yh2 l0e2 2 1 .l0e2 .\le8 22.f4 f6 23. ed2 l:ta3 24.J:tf3 't'!fa7 2s.nb2 �h5 26.g4 Aes 27.c;Yg2 Ua1 2B.Ah1 fe5 2 9 . d e 5 l0g6 3 0 . J;lfl l0f8 3 L ff d4 l:l a 3 3 2 . e a 7 J:t e a 7 19.f41 An aggressive move which re­ 33.l0d4 l:tc3 34.Ac2 �aa3 35.blf3 sults in a space advantage on the King­ W3 36.l0f3 l0e6 37.c.tlg3 g5 38.f5 side for White. 19 ...gf4 20.ef4 Uae8 l0f4 39.l:tb3 n a 2 40. l0d4 h5 21.f5 The attack begins to develop 41.gh5 Ah5 42.�3 l::la l 43.l:tc6 strength. The text threatens to estab­ l:tgl 44.c;Yf2 l0h3 45.we3 net lish an e6 outpost! 2l ... l0c7 22.)V2 46.c;Yd2 l:te5 47.:h6 l0f4 48.l0e6 l0d7 23.g5 ffe7 24.h4 ffe3 Trying l0e6 49.l:th5 l0d4 50.ktg5 c;Yf7 to "hollow out" White's space advan­ 51.l:tg6, 1/2-1/2 tage with exchanges. 25.l:tdl lObS 26.1Ve3 !le3 27.Wh2 Guarding the Finally, let us end our examination of

g3 square to bring his lb into play, but White also has a long term plan to involve his 'i19> in the attack. 27... l0b6 28.l0g3 lOeB 29.l0fl l:te7 30.l:td3 l0cd6 3l.l0g3 l0e4? Allows White to exchange his �. which was not contributing to the Kingside pressure anyway, and then trades off the one weakness in White's position - his iso­ lated d-pawn. 32.�e4 de4 33.l:te3 �d4 34.wh3 I!e5 35. c.f1g4 h5 36.whs �rs 37.W5 wrs 3B.l0rs

the Carlsbad structure with a look at a Grandmaster versus Master struggle.

( 1 83) Gurevich,M-Jakob,S Bern 1 989 l.c4 e6 2.l0c3 l0f6 3.l0f3 d5 4.d4 iJ..e7 s.Ag5 o-o 6.cd5 ed5 7.1!lfc2 l0bd7 8.e3 c6 9.�d3 l:te8 10.0-0 h6 1 l . A f4 l0 f 8 1 2 . h 3 l0 e 6 13.Ah2 g6 14.l0e5 l0g7 15.g4

Prophylactic play, preventing Black from using the fS square. 15 ... h5?! 16.f3 White's pawn structure is prefer­ able. 16...�e6 17.whl .t'!c8 18."@g2 �d6 19.l0e2 "@e7 20.l0f4 hg4 The pressure along the g-file forces Black to exchange, for if 20 . . . c5 2 1 .gh5 ltJfhS 2 2 . 4Jh 5 ltJ h S 2 3 . 4Jg6 a n d w i n s . 21.hg4 �e5 22.de5 l0d7 23.l0h3 l0c5 24.J1Lc2 :,(cd8 25.l:[adl f5?! Opening up the Kingside to give his pieces some air. Black should realize, however, that W safety is not essential to life, though it does rank very close to oxygen. 26.ef6 "@f6 27.�f4 l:td7 28. "@h2 .f.V"8 29.l0g5 tOeS 30.�e5 "@g5 3t.t'fhs wf7 32."@h7 tOg7 33."@g7, 1-0. In view of 33 . .. c;t>e8 34. �g6 �f7 35.�f7 winning the �-

1 30

M l dd legame �trategy

Supplemental Games For many years I studied chess in what I thought was every possible fashion. I read the classics, engrossed myself in technically unexplainable tactical posi­ tions and studied positional ideas until I thought I understood them. I consid­ ered the study of an individuals' games to be helpful in developing a style, and looked at hundreds of games by my favorite players. I also entertained my­ self by reviewing every game (in round order!) of famous tournaments, watch­ ing the struggles and knowing the out­ side pressure upon the game. Naturally, when studying openings, I combined these methods of investigation. Then in a recent issue of ChessBase Magazine I read an article by Alexander

Baburin on the minority attack. Here I learned that this pawn formation that was very familiar to me had a name! From this an idea struck me: study a single pawn structure and its offspring independent of any other distractions. And hence the birth of this book and a new method of study. During my early development as a chess player I had two teachers, both of whom I consider the smartest men I ever had the privilege to know. The first was my father, who taught me to play when I could barely walk. He was an extremely tactical player, who loved to play the wild sacrifices. From him I learned to appreciate the beauty of chess and to fight to the bitter end. His favorite quote was that of Alekhine's, "To win

against me you must win in the opening, middlegame and ending." The second teacher was my good friend Jim Wright, who introduced me to positional chess. Jim showed me how even my favorite player, the great tactician Mikhail Tal, used his incredible tactical abilities to achieve positional advantages . As Botvinnik once said, "The ability to evaluate a position is just as important as the ability to calculate variations." Along these lines it is noteworthy to read Capablanca's opinion of Paul Morphy: "Despite the universal opin­ ion, resulting from ignorance, Morphy's main strength lay not in his combina­ tional gifts, but in his positional play and general style. Combinations can only be carried out when the position allows." Without Jim's encouragement to expand my knowledge into the area of positional chess, I would never have become a master of chess, or reached a true appreciation of its depth and beauty.

The games in this asection have been choosen for their contribution to the understanding of the isolani (IQP) or the hanging pawns (HP) . Also games have been choosen for their general interest to the study of the Carlsbad (CBD) . I hope the reader finds these additions worthwhile.

( 1 84) Alapin,S-Chigorin,M Petersburg 1 880 (CBD) l.d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 d5 4.Ag5 .a.e7 s.e3 0-0 6.l0f3 b6 7 .cd5 ed5 8 . i! d 3 i!h7 9 . 0 - 0 l0hd7 lO.l:[cl lOe4 11.Ae7 \'te7 12.\'th3 c6 During our study of the Carlsbad, we have seen many similar positions from the late 1800's. 13.a3 whs 14.l0e2

�u pp 1 e m e ma 1 uam e s

Jjj

f5 I t seems obvious that Black has 15..i.d3 lbf6 16.Wcl l:tac8 17. .i_a6 better placed pieces, a strong center By forcing this exchange of �s White and a space advantage on the Kingside. weakens the Black Queenside pawns. But how can he increase his advantage? 17 ... Aa6 18.'fla6 Uc7 19.lbe5 c5 15.1ta4 1 S . 'i¥c2!? 15 ... g5 16.lifdl This pawn was lost anyway, but Black is g4 17.lbd2 lbdf6 18.lbf4 attempting to gain some counterplay by giving it up this way, rather than let White take on c6 at will. 20.l:[c5 l:lc5 21.l:[c5 lbd7 22 ..J:,c6 Pillsbury proves he is up to the technical task at hand. 22 ... lbb8 23.�d6 lba6 24.lbc6 g6 25.lba7 I:la8 26.lbc6 wg7 27.a3 l:(c8 28.g4 lbc7 2 9 . lbe7 l:(b8 30.J;Id7 lbe6 31.lbd5 :lc8 32.lbb6 Ilc2 33.b4 lbg5 34.a4 lbe4 35.a5, 1-0

18 ... g3! 19.hg3 lbf2 20.�e1 20.·;�>f2 tt:\g4 2 1 .�fl 'i¥e3 wins . 20 ... lbd3 Through the use of tactics Black has achieved a positionally won game. 2l.lbd3 lbe4 22.lbfl �8 23.lbe5 lbg3 24. lbg3 l:lg3 2 5 .�e2 a 5 26.1:[c6 Desperate for counterplay. Yet waiting for Black to mount an overpow­ ering attack will not save White either. 26 . . . Ac6 27.1tc6 �dB 28. 1tb6 l:lc8 29.1ta5 riel 30.wf2 �2 It's all over now. 3l.Wg2 'flg5 32.wf3 'flhs 33.wf4 'flh6 34.wf3 'flht 35.l:lg2 fih3 36.�f4 ,W"l 37.lbf3 Jaf3 3B.we5 l:le3 39.wd6 'flg2 4o.'flds wg7 4t.h4 'flg6 42.wds fie6 43.wc5 fie7, o-1

( 1 85) Pillsbury, H-Mason, J Hastings 1 895 (CBD) l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.lbc3 lbf6 4.�g5 Ae7 5.lbf3 b6 6.e3 Ab7 7. .t:lcl dc4 8 . A c 4 lb b d 7 9 . 0 - 0 0 - 0 10. 'fle2 lbd5 ll.Ae7 'fle7 12.lbd5 ed5 1 3 . �b 5 'fld6 1 4 . ,tlc 2 c6

( 1 86) Tarrasch, S-Maroczy, G Nuremberg 1 896 (CBD) l.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.lbc3 lbf6 4.Ag5 �e7 5.lbf3 b6 6.e3 Ab7 7.cd5 ed5 8.Ad3 0-0 9.0-0 lbe4 10.Af4 Ad6 u.Ad6 lbd6 12. 'flc2 whs 13.l:[acl f5 14.lbe2 c6 15.lbe5 fieB 1 6 . lbg 3 g 6 1 7 . f4 lbd 7 18.'fle2 lbe5 19.fe5 Another exam­ ple of the e3, d4, eS pawn triangle. 19 . . . lbf7 20. 'flf3 iLcB 2 1 . fif4 ,ild7 22.lbe2 lbdB 23. fih6 lbf7 After 23 . . . tt:\e6 24.tt:\f4 White would hold a slight advantage. 24.'flf4 lbd8 25.'flh4 lbe6 26.'flg3 fie7 27.lbf4 lbf4 28.ef4 c5 29.'flf2 c4! Best. The Queenside majority gives Black the advantage. However, winning the position proves to be difficul t for Maroczy. 30.Abl b5 3l.�c3 a5 32.h4 l:lg8 33.�h3 b4 34. fid2 ldg7 3 5 . A c 2 Ae8 36.h 5 'fle6 37.hg6 Ag6 38.W'f3 Af7 39.�2 l:a6 40.�3 'fld7 4t.whl aag6 42. fiet Ae6 43.ah5 I!g4 44.1te3 a4 45.Adl b(4g6 46.l:l5h3 'ttb5 47.wgt Acs 4s.Ah5 He6 49 .Wtt

1 32

Middlegame Strategy

I:lee7 50.Jle2 ffc6 51.1Wd2 1'tb7 52.wf2 I:lb6 53.Wt6 't'fb7 54.fle3 I:lbg6 55.Jlg6 l:[g6 56.f6h3 ffa7 57.fld1 ffg7 58.fff3 Jle6 59.I:Ih1, 1/2-1/2

43.ltle2 I:le4 44.ltlc3 f5 45.gf5 gf5 46.ltle4 fe4 47.ltlf2 c5 48.bc5 bc5 49.we3 we5 50.Ae4 de4 51.ltle4 c4 52.h4 h6 53.ltlg3 Af5 54.ltle2 il.h7 5 5 . ltlg3 Ag6 56.ltlhl c3 57.ltlg3 wd5 58.h5 Ah7 59.ltle2 wc4 6 0 . wf4 c2 6 t .we3 wb3 62.wd4 wh2 63.we3 Af5 64.wf4 Ad3, o-1

( 1 87) Charousek, R-Steinitz, W Nuremberg 1 896 (CBD) 1.d4 d5 2.ltlf3 ltlf6 3.c4 e6 4.Ag5 Ae7 5.ltlc3 ltlbd7 6.e3 0-0 7.l:tc1 ( 1 88) Charousek, R-Alapin,S c6 8.cd5 ed5 9.il.d3 ltle4 10.Ae4 Berlin 1 897 (CBD) Ag5 1 1 .il,b1 �e8 1 2.0-0 Ae7 13.ltle2 Ad6 14.ltlg3 ltlf6 15.ltld2 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 b6 4.ltlf3 Ac7 1 6 .l:le1 1fd6 1 7. f4 Ad7 Ah7 5.e3 ltlf6 6.cd5 ed5 7.il.h5 18.ltlb3?1 18.tt::l f3 18... ltlg4 19.1ff3 c6 8.il.d3 Ae7 9.0-0 0-0 10.ltle5 ltlbd7 ll.f4 c5 12. 'itf3 ltle8? Loses trh6 20.h3 a pawn. 13.Ah7 wh7 14.1th3 wgs 1 5 . fl d 7 ltl d 6 1 6 . fi h 3 ltle4 17.l::ld 1 c4 18.l0e4 de4 19.il.d2 1fc8 20.f5 Af6 2 1 . ffh5 jLe5 22.de5 f6 23.e6 1fe8 24. 1Vg4 't!fa4 25.Ah4 1Ud8 Not 25 ... 't!\fb4?? 26.lld7 and threats to the � cannot be stopped. 26.r!d8 JldS 27.Ae7 :ts 28.Afs wfS 29. 'ith5 'Cte8 30. tfeS, 1-0

20 . . . ltle31 2l .�e3 bte3 22. fie3 Af4 23. 'itc3 jLc1 24. fic1 fic1 25.ltlc1 g6 Black wants to restrict the scope of White's pieces, and the text removes f5 from White's control. 26.ltld3 b6 27.ltle5 jLeS 28.c;Yf2 a5 29.ltle2 f6 30.ltld3 wf7 The next step in Black's plan is to centralize his � to support the advance of his pawns. 31.ltlc3 we7 32.ltla4 1:1bs 33.Ac2 Wd6 34.a3 Ad7 35.b4 Otherwise Black would play . . . c5 after 35 . . . �f5. 35 ...ab4 36.ab4 Af5 37.we3 l:les 38.wd2 l:le4 39.g4 il,e6 40.ltlc3 lld4 4I .ltle2 �e4 42. ltlc3 l::ld4

( 1 89) Rubinstein,A-ZnJsko Borovsky St. Petersburg 1 909 (HP) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 l0f6 4.jLg5 Ae7 5.e3 l0bd7 6.l0f3 0-0 7.f6c2 h6 8.cd5 ed5 9.Ad3 Ah7 10.0-0-0 l0e4 ll.h4 f5 12.wb1 c5 Instead, 1 2 . . . h6 1 3 . �f4 �d6 1 4 . �d6 cd6 leaves the position unclear. 13.dc5 hc5 1 4 . l0e4 fe4 1 5 . il.e4 de4 16.1tb3 wh8 17.ffh7 ef3 18.Itd7 't!fe8 19.Ile7 1tg6 20.c;f]a1 �ab8 21.1te4 2 l .'ti'd5 fg2 22.�g2 'ti'c2 23.�f6! wins. 21 ... ffe4 22.l::le4 fg2 23.l::lg 1 Jlf2 24.ID4 :c2 24 . . J::t bb2 25.llf8 wins. 25.b3 h6 26.Ae7 }leS

1 33

�upptementat uames

27.c;Ybt J:te2 28.Ac5 .J:ldS 29.Ad4 ticS 30.:lg4, 1-0

( 1 90) Jaffe--Suchting Carlsbad 1 911 (IQP) t.d4 d5 2.l0f3 l0t6 3.l0bd2 iH5 4.c4 e6 5. 1fb3 tOc6 6.a3 J:(bS 7 .e3 A e 7 8 . Ad 3 0 - 0 9 . c d 5 l0 a 5 10.\lc2 Ad3 1 1.\ld3 ed5 12.l0e5 \ld6 13.b4 l0c6 1 4.Ab2 l0d7 t5.f4 f6 t6.l0ef3 We8 t7.o-o Afs ts.tOh4 1te6 t9.W3 Ad6 20.l0fl l0e7 21 .l0g3 lOfS 22.J:(el \lf7 23.l0gf5 l0f5 24.l0f5 'ifd7 25.h4 l0e6 26.c;Yf2 c;YhS 27.h5 jl fS 28.J:(hl c6 29.l:tg3 J:(bdS 30.l0h4 w g s 3 t . h 6 g 5 3 2 . l0 f 3 A d 6 33.l0e5 tfe7 34.l:tg4 whs 35.f5 l0f8 36.l0f3 l0d7 37.l0d2 l0b6 38.g3 f!ff7 39.e4 de4 40.J:(e4 \ld5 4t.l:lfl tlf5 42.wgt \'tg6 43.I:les \'te8 44.J:(f6 l0d5 45.J:(f2 \'tel 46.wg2 l0e3 47.wh3 g4 4s.wh4 Ae7, 0-1 ( 1 91 ) Lasker, Em-Tarrasch, S St. Petersburg 1 91 4 (IQP) l .d4 d5 2.l0f3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cd5 ed5 5.g3 l0c6 6.Ag2 l0{6 7.0-0 Ae7 8.dc5 Ac5 9.l0bd2 d4 It is

After 14 . . . 0-0

22.Ae4 1te4 23.l0d6 tje2 24.l0c8 J:[cS 2 5 . 1td5 1te6 2 6 . 1!ff3 h 6 27.Ad2 l0e5 28.J:(c8 tjcS 29.tJe4 l0d7 30.J:(cl 'trf8 30 . . .'Y!Wd8 3 1 .'i¥d5 gives White a very strong position, e.g. 3 l . . . l0f6?? 32.'ti'd8 �d8 33.lk8 wins. 3l.Ah61 l0c5 3 1 . . .gh6 32.'tWg4. 32. 'ffg4 f5 33.'ffg6 11f7 34. ef7 wf7 35.Ag5 l0d3 36.J:tbt 36.l:tc2?? lOel wins , according to Tarrasch . 36 . . . we6 37.b3 wd5 38.f3 a5 39.h4 l0c5 40.h5 d3 41.¢>fl a4 42.ba4 l0a4 43.Af6 we6 44.Ag7 wf7 45.Ae5 l0c5 46.J:tdt, t-o

( 1 92) Rubinstein,A-Lasker,Em Moscow 1 925 (IQP) l .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 l0f6 4.l0c3 e6 5.l0f3 l0bd7 6.Ad3 dc4 7.Ac4 b5 8.Ae2 a6 9.0-0 Ab7 10.b3 Ae7 l t . A b 2 0 - 0 1 2 . l0 e 5 c 5 13.Af3 'trc7 14.l0d7 l0d7 15. �e4 (see next diagram) l:tadS 16.J:(ct 1tb8 17. 'tre2 cd4 18.ed4 J:(cS t9.g3 tras 20.«jpg2 15.a4!! l0e4 1 5 .. .'fi'e2? 1 6J1el �a6 J:(fdS 21.J:(c8 J:(cS 22.1:lcl l:lcl 17.�fl t r a p s t h e 'if; 1 5 . . . �c5!?. 23.Acl h6 24.Ab2 �b6 To carry t6.Ael J:(ad8 17.a5 Ac5 18.a6 out basic blockading policy on the d5 b a 6 19.l:tacl J:(c8 20.l0h4 Ab6 square. 25.h3 tfcS 26. 0d3 l0d5 20 . . . l0b8!? -Teschner. 2l .l0f5 1te5 27.a3 Allowing Black to infiltrate via

instructive to observe the changing dynamics of the isolani when allowed to advance. 10.l0b3 Ab6 11. \'td3 Ae6 12.J:(dl Ah3 13.1th3 \'te7 t4.Ad2 o-o

1 34

M iddlegame Strategy

b5 would be bad for White. 27 ... �b6 ( 1 93) Alekhine,A--Capablanca,J 28.'ltlb2 AdS Shifting the blockading Buenos Aires 1 927 (CBD) piece is an important sub-theme of the 1.d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.�f3 �d7 4.l0c3 blockade strategy. By shifting blockade �gf6 s. R.gs Ae7 6.e3 o-o 7.:ct duty between the ltJ and i.. , Black pro­ c6 s.1tc2 a6 9.a3 b6 10.Ab4 nes vokes a Queenside weakeness with the ll.cdS edS 1 2.Ad3 lObS 13.Ae7 ltJ and pressures it with the i.. . 29.c;t>g2 ae7 1 4 . 0 - 0 lt)bf6 1 S.b3 lt)eS 1fc6 30.�d2 aS 3 1 . fic3 Af3 16.lt)e2 lt)d6 17.lOg3 lOfS 1S.lOe5 32.�f3 fic3 33.Ac3 a4 f6 1 9. l0g 6 l0g6 20.Ag6 Ae6 21.l0e2 1Jd7 22.l0f4 Af5 23.Af5 1Vf5 24. 1JfS lOfS 2S.l0d3 lt)d6, 1/2-1/2

Now the weak Queenside pawns spell out White 's doom. 34.ba4 34.b4? ltJc4. 34 ...ba4 3S.c;t>fl The a-pawn is lost in any case by the maneuver .. ltJc4-a3. 35 ...Aa3 36.c;t>e2 c;t>fS 37.c;t>d3 l0d5 3S.R,e1 Ad6 39.c;t>c4 we7 40.l0e5 Aes 4t .deS c;t>d7 42.Ad2 Or 42.�b4 when 42 . . . ltJb4 43.g4 wc2 S7.¢'g5 wd3, 0-1 .

Presented next are two of the debates Alekhine and Capablanca had con­ cerning the Carlsbad structure.

( 1 94) Capablanca,J-Alekhine,A Buenos Aires 1 927 (CBD) 1.d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 lt)f6 4.Ag5 l0bd7 S.e3 Ae7 6.l0f3 0-0 7.:c1 a6 S.cdS edS 9.Ad3 c6 10. 1Jc2 aes 1 1 .0-o lOfS 1 2.afe1 Ae6 1 3 . lt) a 4 l0 6 d 7 1 4 . A e 7 'ff e 7 1S.l0c5 lOcS 16.1fc5 fic7 17.b4 l0 d 7 1 S . tf c 2 h 6 1 9 . a4 fi d 6 2 o . a b 1 a e c s 2 t . l:l e c 1 A g 4 22.l0d2 ac7 23.l0b3 Ahs 24.l0c5 l0 c 5 2 5 . 1t c 5 1tf6 2 6 . b S a b S 27.ab5 Ag6 2S.Ag6 1fg6 29.aa1 nacS 30.b6 ad7 3 t.aa7 ¢'b7 32.aca1 f5 33. 1tc2 ae7 34.g3 aceS 3S.,JlaS �4 36.aes l:(eS 37.l:la7 nbs 3S.b4 hS 39.c;t>g2 1fe6 40.lrd3 c;t>g6, 1/2-1/2 Before accepting a hanging pawn posi­ tion, it is important to consider which pieces are on the board. Minor pieces are generally preferred when in posses­ sion of the hanging pawns. Our next game is an example with only major pieces on the board.

.:� upp1emenra1 uames

135

( 1 95) Marshall,F-Rubinstein,A Caflsbad 1 929 (HP) 1.d4 d5 2.�f3 �f6 3.c4 e6 4.�c3 il.e7 5 ..i.g5 �bd7 6.e3 0-0 7.l:ic1 l':[e8 8.a3 a6 9.cd5 ed5 1 0.ftb3 c6 1 1 . A d 3 �f8 1 2 . 0 - 0 � h 5 13.Ae7 l:le7 14.�a4 �f6 15.�b6 ,klb8 16.�e5 �6d7 17.�c8 l:(c8 1B.Af5 l:lbB 19.Ad7 �d7 20.�d7 'fWd7 21.l�tc5 l:[e6 22.l:[fc1 l:[be8 2 3 . ft d3 l:lg6 2 4 . bl 5 c 2 'fWg4 25.1tfl h5 26.l:(e1 h4

(196) Alekhine, A-Tylor,T Nottingham 1 936 (IQP) �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 d5 4.Jl.g5 1.d4 il.e7 5.e3 �bd7 6.l:[c1 0-0 7.cd5 ed5 8.il.d3 c6 9. ffc2 l:teB 10.�3 �f8 1 1 .0-0 �h5 1 2.il.e7 l:te7 13.b4 b5 14.�e5 il.b7 1 5.�e2 .b[ e 6 1 6 . g 4 �f6 1 7 .f4 � 6 d 7 18.il.f5 �e5 19.de5 l:[e8 20.�d4 g6 21.il.d3 f6 22.�c6 il.c6 23. tWc6 fe5 2 4 . A b 5 l:[e6 2 5 . 1tc5 ef4 26.W4 l::ld6 27.'1rc7 tWc7 28.l:[c7 �e6 29.l:tc6 l:[c6 30.il.c6 l:[d8 3 1.];1fl c;Yg7 32.il.a4 l::[b 8 33.a3 a5 3 4 . b a 5 .b[ a 8 3 5 . il.d 7 �f8 36.Ab5 I:la5 37.a4 �e6 38.J;1c1 c;t>f6 3 9 . h4 .b[a7 4 0 . c;t> f 2 we5 41.c;Ye2 �c7 42..b[b1 I:lb7 43.wd3 c;Yd6 4 4 . e 4 �e6 4 5 . e d 5 � c 5 46.c;Yc2 �a4 47.wd3 wd5 48.il.c4 c;Yd6 49.I:lb7 �c5 50.we3 �b7 51.c;Yf4 we7 52.c;Yg5 �d6 53.il.d5 �f7 5 4 . c;Yf4 � h 6 5 5 .g5 �f7 56.c;t>e4 �g5 57.hg5 c;t>f8, 1/2-1/2

27.f3 The Botvinnik pawn maneuver, played late in the game. 27... 'fWf5 28.e4 de4 29.fe4 Without minor pieces it is difficult to exploit the cen­ tral control conferred by the hanging p a wns . 29 . . . ft f 1 3 0 . c;t>f 1 �g4 3 1.l:[ce2 �f4 32.¢>g1 f5 B l a c k strikes a t the hanging pawns with his adjacent pawns. 33.ef5 l:1e2 34.b[e2 k[d4 3 5 . g3 hg3 3 6 . h g 3 c;t>f7 37.¢>g2 kid5 38.g4 l:ld3 39.¢>f2 � b 3 4 0 . �d 2 a 5 4 t . c;t> e 1 a4 42.c;t>d1 c;t>f6 43.l:ld6 we7 44.�e6 wf7 45.¢>c2 i!g3 46.!1g6 �f3 47. .tld6 l:[f4 4B.I!d7 c;t>f6 49.g5 ¢>f5 50.�g7 l:lc4 5 1 . ¢> d3 b 5 52.�8 c;t>g4 53.Ilg7 c;t>f5 54 ..tlg8 wg4 55.�7 wf5, 112-112

After the reign of Alekhine, there came two positional giants. Presented next are a few games from these grea t players. Each is an interesting contest, fea turing many themes of concern to us here. The first player, S a mu e l Reshevsky, never became world champion - though he perhaps should have been.

( 1 97) Reshevsky,S-Treystman, G New York 1 936 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 �f6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 �bd7 6.e3 il.e7 7.1tc2 c6 8.il.d3 0-0 9.�f3 D,e8 10.h3 �f8 1 1.il.f4 il.d6 12.il.d6 1td6 13.0-0 il.e6 14 ..b[fb1 .b[e7 15.b4 l:lc7 16.ffd2 1Je7 17.'1rc2 �e8

1 36

M iddlegame Strategy

18.a4 �d6 19.Dc1 Dac8 20. 'fWb2 �g6 2 1 . b 5 'fW f 6 2 2 . bc 6 b c 6 23.Aa6 ,J:td8 24.�b5 �b5 25.ab5 l:(b8 26. 'lfa3 Af5 27.l:(c5 1fd6 28. 'fWa5 Ae6 29.l:lacl :lb6 30.bc6 l:(bc6 31.Ab7 l:lc5 32.dc5 tffe 7 33.c6 Ac8 34.AcS l:[cS 35. ffd5 •e6 36.flc5 l:lc7 37.�d4 ffe7 3S.�b5, 1-0

( 1 98) Reshevsky, S-Toran Havana 1 952 (IQP) 1.d4 l0f6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 Ab4 4.e3 0-0 5.ltlge2 d5 6.a3 Jte7 7.cd5 ed5 S.l0f4 JleS 9.Ad3 c6 10.0-0 a5 1 1 .Jld2 l0bd7 1 2.ffc2 l0f8 1 3 . U a b 1 A d 6 1 4 . l:[fe 1 l0 g 6 15.l0g6 hg6 16.f4 Ad7 17.b4 ab4 18.ab4 b5 19.e4 de4 20.l0e4 l0e4 21.Ae4 Ob6 22. ffc3 l:[e4 23.b[e4 �.f5 24.:1be1 Ae4 25.l:[e4 l:[d8 26.I:(e1 Af8 27.Ae3 'lfb7 2S.l:[cl l:[e8 29.Af2 J:le6 30.I!a1 ffd7 31.:la8 I:le8 32.];1a1 l:[e6 33.h3 Ad6 34.g3 Afs 3 5 . ffb3 kle4 36.wg2 wh7 37.:1c1, 112-112 ( 1 99) Reshevsky, S-Taimanov,M Zurich 1 953 1.d4 l0{6 2.c4 e6 3.l0c3 Ab4 4.e3 0-0 5.l0ge2 d5 6.a3 Ae7 7 .cd5 ed5 8.l0g3 l:[e8 9.b4 c6 10.Ad3 b5 u.Ad2 l0bd7 (see next diagram)

After l l ...tt:Jbd7

ffb6 28. ffa3 l0f8 29.Ae3 AcS 30.g4 Ab7 3l.f5 g5 32.ffe7 h6 33.l0a4 ffc6 34.l0c5 Ac8 35. ffdS wg7 36.Ad2 1tb5 37.ffc8 ffb2 3S.Wg2 ffc2 39.Ab4 l0e4 40.l0e4 ffe4 41.Wg3, 1/2-1/2

(200) Reshevsky,S-Lombardy, W New York 1 956 1.c4 'bf6 2.'bc3 e6 3.ltlf3 d5 4.cd5 ed5 5.d4 c6 6.ffc2 Ae7 7.Af4 ffb6 S.a3 0-0 9.l:[b1 g6 10.e3 Af5 u.Ad3 Ad3 12.ffd3 ltlbd7 13.b4 a6 14.0-0 ,W'e8 15.h3 Af8 1 6 . ltl d 2 'b h 5 1; . A h 2 'b g 7 18.'bb3 ffdS 19.l0c5 b5 20.e4 l0b6 21.We1 de4 22.l03e4 'bd5 23.'bd2 Ac5 24.)leS ffeS 25.bc5 ffe6, 1/2-1/2

(201) Reshevsky, S-Lombardy, W New York 1 957 1 2.a4 Ab4 13.ab5 c5 14.0-0 c4 1.c4 l0f6 2.d4 e6 3.'bc3 Ab4 4.e3 1 5.Ac2 a5 16.ba6 :a6 17.l:[a6 0-0 5.l0ge2 d5 6.a3 Ae7 7.cd5 .i,a6 1S.1rfa1 lObS 19.ffa4 Af8 ed5 8 . b 4 )l e S 9 . 'b g3 l0 b d 7 20.J:lb1 kte6 21.)lb2 g6 22.l0ge2 10.Ad3 c 6 ll .b5 c 5 1 2.0-0 b6 .i.d6 23.l0f4 Af4 24.ef4 l0bd7 13.Ad2 AfS 14.a4 a5 15.ba6 Aa6 25.h3 Db6 26.'i!ra5 'fWbS 27.Jlb6 16.�b5 �e4 17.'be4 de4 1S.Ac4 lt'h4 19.1t'b3 ffh5 20.h3 )lacS

1

;:)Uppu:: r nennu uame:s

21.Wct l:tc6 22.Ae1 Jlds 23.1::td 1 Ab5 24.ab5 l::ld 6 25.aa7 �e5 26.de5 fid1 27.ed6 fie1 28.Afl whs 29.ttf7 trd1 30.d7 fid6 3 1 .g3 h6 32.Ac4 c;Yh7 33.fie8 Ae7 34.Ags whs 35.Ad5, 1-o When studying the games of any player, it is instructive to look at his previous encounters with the same opponent. Included in the notes to our next game are two previous contests between these two American Grandmasters. (202) Reshevsky,S-Evans,L USA 1958 (IQP) 1.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 Ab4 4.e3 0-0 5.�ge2 d5 6.a3 Ae7 7 .cd5 ed5 7 . . . 'Lld5 8 . 'Wc2 'Llf6 9 .g3 c 5 10.�g2 'Llc6 1 l .dc5 �cS 1 2.0-0 �d7 1 3.b4 �e7 14.�b2 lk8 1 5 .l:tfd 1 a6 16.'ti'b3, 1/2-1/2. Evans,L-Reshevsky,S US 1 95 1 . 8.�f4 a5 8 . . . c6 9. �d3 l:te8 10.0-0 �d6 1 l .'Wc2 'Llbd7 1 2.b4 a6 13.f3 �f4 14.ef4 'Llf8 1 5 .f5 bS 1 6.a4 �b7 17.a5 'Wd6 18.'Lle2 l:te7 19.�f4 'li'd7 20.g4 'Lle8 21 .'li'c5 l:td8 22.'Llg3 f6 23.l:l.ae 1 l2Jd6 24.g5 l:te1 25J:te1 l:l.e8 26.l:le8 l2Je8 27.h4 'Wd8 28.c;;.f2 l2Jd7 2 9 . 'Wa7 'li' a 8 3 0 . 'W a 8 � a 8 3 1 . l2Jh5 �b7 32.g6 �c8 33.�g3 h6 34.l2Jf4 c;;.f8 35.l2Je6 c;;.e 7 36.�f4 l2Jf8 37.l2Jc5 l2Jd7 38. l2Je6 l2Jf8 39. l2Jc5 l2Jd7 40.'it>e3 l2Jc5 4l .dc5 �d7 42.c;;.f2 �c8, 1/2- 1/2. Reshevsky,S-Evans,L New York 1 955. 9.Ad3 l:te8 10.0-0 c6 1 1 .f3 �a6 12. ffc2 g6 13.g4 �c7 14.1Jg2 b5 1 5 .Ad2 �e6 16.�e2 Aa6 17.�d1 c5 18.dc5 Ac5 19.b4 Making the pawn on bS we a k . 1 9 . . . A b 6 2 0 . w h 1 ab4 21.ab4 �c7 22.�d4 A classic block­ ade with the additional advantage of an attack on bS. 22 ... �d7 23.f4 .,a.d4

I .J I

24.ed4 fif6 25.fif2 h6 26.g5 hg5 27.f5! Dest roys the protection of Black's w. 27 ... �f8 27 . . .gf5 28.�g5, planning ·29.llg1 and wins. 28.1tg3 1fd4 29.fg6 fg6 29 . . . 'Wa1?? 30.gf7 c;;.g7 3l .�c3. 30.tfc7 1td3 31.1tf7 c;Yh8 32.ID3 1Jf3 Forced in view of White's 33. l:th3 threat. 33.ft'f3 d4 34. fff6 ¢'h7 35.Da6 Da6 36. 1ta6 l::(e 2 37.fta7 c;t>h6 38.'ffd4 �e6 39. 'fth8 mate, 1-0 Moving on to Reshevsky's arch-rival, we next spotlight Mikhail Botvinnik, an incredibly strategic player. A thor­ ough study of his games would benefit any student . Below are a handful of his games relating to our study. Many beautiful games from this world cham­ pion are left for the reader to discover for himself. (203) Botvinnik,M-Vidmar,M Nottingham 1 936 (IQP) e6 2.�f3 d5 3.d4 �6 4.Ag5 l.c4 .a.e7 5.�c3 0-0 6.e3 t0bd7 7.Ad3 c5 8.0-0 cd4 9.ed4 dc4 10.Ac4 �b6 u.Ab3 Ad7 12.'ffd3 �bd5 13.f0e5 Ac6 14.Dadl t0b4 15.'fth3 Ads 16.f0d5 t0bd5 17.f4!

138

Middlegame Strategy

Pachman's note to this position is worth repeating: "This move deserves special attention. In many positions with an isolani it is a weakening move; here it is combined with the irresistible threat of 18.f5." 17 ... !lc8 18.f5 ef5 19.W5 1Wd6 20.�f7 !lf7 2 t .Af6 J1Lf6 22.l:ld5 ffc6 23.I:td6 1!fe8 24.J::[d7, 1-0

(204) Lasker,Em-Botvinnik, M Nottingham 1 936 l.d4 �f6 2.c4 g6 3.�c3 d5 4.�f3 Ag7 5.Ag5 �e4 6.cd5 �g5 7.�g5 e6 8.�{3 ed5 9.e3 0-0 1 0.Ae2 c6 11.0-0 ffe7 1 2.a3 Ae6 13.l::tc l �d7 14.�el �b6 15.�d3 .t:lad8 16.�c5 Ac8 17.b4 �c4 18.�b1 b6 19. �b3 Aa6 20.l:[e1 l:lfe8 21.�1d2 b5 22.I[a1 Ac8 23.Afl lfd6 24.�c5 lte7 25.�db3 l:tde8 26.ffcl f5 27.�d3 g5 28.'irc3 f4 29.ef4 gf4 30..t:le7 l::le7 31.a4 a6 32.ab5 ab5 33 ..J:la8 )le8 34. 1Vcl :rs 35.1!fdt Af5 36.l:If8 Afs 37.ffh5 1Vg6 38.t;fg6 hg6 39.�f4 Ab4 4o.Ad3 �d2 41.�d2 Ad2 42.Af5 gf5 43.�e6 Ac3 44.wf1, 1/2-1/2

21.Ac3 l:la7 22.e4 �c4 23.I(al � c 5 2 4 . d c 5 Ild7 2 5 . 1Wd4 f6 26.f4 de4 27.1We4 !ld3 28.1:[acl .t::lc 3 29.J:lc3 Af7 30.Ild3 1!fb8 3l.J:ledl l:[e4 32.Ae4 1Vf8 33.!ld8 Ae8 34.l:(el Wf7 35.Ah7 �e5 36.fe5 1!fhs 37.Ac2 we7 38.Itcs f5 39.Af5 1Vh5 40.g4 1Vg5 41 ..1::lc7 wds 42.l:tc8 we7 43.e6 g6 44.Ilc7 W d 8 4 5 .!l d 7 W c 8 4 6 . e 7 gf5 47.l:[d8 Wc7 48.l::le8 1Vg4 49.Whl 1Vf3 50.Wg1 ffg4, t/2-1/2

(206) Botvinnik,M-Flohr,S Groningen 1 946 (IQP) l.d4 d5 2.�f3 �f6 3.c4 e6 4.�c3 c5 5.cd5 �d5 6.e3 �c6 7 .Ad3 cd4 8.ed4 Ae7 9.0-0 0-0 10.l:[e1 �cb4 1 1 .Ae4 �f6 1 2.Ab1 b6 13.�e5 Ab7 14.1:le3 Initiating a Kingside attack. 14 ... �bd5 15.l:th3 g6 1 6. A h 6 l:[e8 1 7 . 1td 2 lieS 1 8.Ad3 a6 1 9 .l:[e 1 b5 20.l:tg3 �h5 After 20 . . . f!Vb6? 2 l . ltJg6 hg6 22.Ag6 t h e attack is overwhelming. 2l.J:lh3 �hf6 22.Abl l:tc7 23.l:tg3 ' �h5 24.l:[h3 �hf6 25. @e2 �c3 26.bc3 The isolated pawn couple (c3 and d4) appears. I

Next is another of the battles contested between the two players we've chosen to spotlight.

(205) Reshevsky,S-Botvinnik,M AVRO 1 938 (CBD) l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 Ab4 4.e3 0-0 5.�ge2 d5 6.a3 Ae7 7.cd5 �d5 s.�d5 ed5 9.g3 �d7 1o.Ag2 �f6 11.0-0 Ad6 1 2.�c3 c6 13.b4 a6 1 4 .1:(e1 l:[e8 1 5 . A b 2 Af8 16.frd3 Ae6 17.f3 �d7 18.�a4 b6 1 9 .l:(acl b 5 2 0 . �c5 � b 6

26 ...b41 Attacking the foundation of White's pawn center. 27.l:[g3 llc3

�upptemental Liames

28. ltlf'7! 1fd5! Attack and counterat­ tack. 29.LOe5?! 29 . .l::tg 5! 1!t'c4 30.�g6! hg6 3 1 ..l::t g6 'iti>f7 32 . .l::t g7 with a draw by perpetual check. 29 ... l:lg3 30.fg3 1Wd4 3t.c;t>h1 Ad6 32.Af4 .!tlh5? Loses a piece but not the game. Better was 32 . . . lZ:ld5 in any case. 33.�d1 .!Qf4 34.gf4 1Wf4 35 . .bld6 Ad5 36.Ac2 I:lf8 37.h3 1Wfl 38.1Wfl l:(f1 39.Wh2 !lf2 40.l:[d5 ed5 41.Ah3 wg7, 1/2-1/2

(207) Botvinnik, M-Bronstein,D Moscow 1 951 (IQP) 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3 . .!Qd2 c5 4.ed5 ed5 5 . .!Qgf3 .!Qf6 6 . Ab5 Ad7 7.Ad7 li::}bd7 8.0-0 Ae7 9.dc5 ltlc5 10.li::}d4 1Wd7 ll . .!Q2f3 0-0 12.li::}e5 1Wc8 13.Ag5 l:le8 14. .!Qd3 'tld3 15.'ffd3 1Wg4 16.Ae3 Ac5 17.h3 'ffg6 18.1Wg6 hg6 19 . .tlad1 l:[ e 4 2 0 . c 3 b 6 2 1 . .!Q c 2 .b[ e e 8 2 2..tld3 Wf8 23.afd1 we7 24.wfl wd7 2 5 . Ag5 wc6 2 6.b4 Af8 27.'tle3 �e5 28.f4 l:te4 29.f5 l:e5 30.Af4 1:le4 31.Ag5 l:le5 32.Af4 l:e4 33.Ag5, 1/2-1/2 (208) Bronstein, D-Botvinnik, M Moscow 1 951 (CBD) 1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 ll::}f6 4.Ag2 Ae7 5.'tlc3 0-0 6.e3 d5 7 .li::}ge2 c6 8.b3 li::}e4 9.0-0 .!Qd7 10.Ab2 ll::}df6 ll.'ffd3 g5 1 2.cd5 ed5 13.f3 'tlc3 1 4 . A c3 g4 1 5 . fg4 li::} g 4 16.Ah3 'tlh6 17.'tlf4 Ad6 18.b4 a6 19.a4 'ffe7 20.l::[a b1 b5 21.Ag2 'tlg4 22.Ad2 'tlf6 23.l:lb2 Ad7 24.l::(a 1 li::}e4 25.Ae1 W"e8 26.1Wb3 Wh8 27.];Iba2 'fff8 28. .!Qd3 l:ab8 29.ab5 ab5 30.l:ta7 Standard use of the open a-file in the minority attack. 30 ... �e7 31.'tle5 Ae8 32.g4 fg4

1 39

3 3 . A e4 de4 3 4 . A h 4 l:le5 Or 34 . . . .l::ta7 35 . .l::t a7 �e5 36.de5 with the threat 37 . .il..f6, winning. 35.de5 Ae5 36.W1 1tg8 36 . . . 1!t'h6 37 . .l::tf5 �g7 38 . .l:tg7 'iti>g7 39.�g3 wins. 37.Ag3 Ag7 38. 1Wg8, 1-o As wonderful as his games are, perhaps Botvinnik's greatest contribution to chess was the coaching of two students World Champions Kasparov and Karpov. Our next few games will continue building on what has come before.

(209) Szabo,L-Van Seters Hilversum 1 947 (IQP) 1 .d4 ll::}f6 2.c4 e6 3 . .!tlc3 AM 4.e3 c5 5 .Ad3 d5 6.'tlf3 0-0 7.0-0 li::}c6 8.a3 cd4 9.ed4 dc4 10.Ac4 Ae7 11.l:(e1 b6 If l l . . .a6?! 1 2 . .tg5 b5 1 3.�a2 �b7 1 4.'i!Vd3 lZ:ld5 1 5.lZ:le4 with the better game according to Pach­ man. 12.'ffd3 The pawn on a3 is im­ portant because it allows the text move while preventing . . . lZ:lb4-d5, blockad­ i n g the pawn. 12 ... Ab7 13.Ag5 ncB?! 13 ... lZ:ld5!? 14.I(ad1 1tc7? Black is playing the position very mechani­ cally. Best is still 14 . . . lZ:ld5, striving to simplify the position. 15.Aa2 !Ud8 16.h3 l:ld7

1 40

Mtddlegame :Strategy

17.d51 The lust to expand takes hold aga in. 17... /0d5 17 . . . ed5 18.�bl! g6 19. lle7 Ci:Je7 20.�f6. 1S.Ad5 ffdS 19. tfe4 ed5 20./0d5 Ag5 21./0g5 g6 2 1 . . .'Wg5?? 22.'iVe8. 22.'ffh4 h5 23.ltlf6 1tf6 24.J:ld7 �dS 25.J:leS 'tYg7 26.J:lf7 lilf7 27.�e6, 1 -0

31. 'fl"g1 ffg1 32.wg1 /0d5 33 ..lla 2 J:le5 34.h4 wfs 3 5 . Ad5 Ad5 36.,JV4 Ae6 37.Wf2 J:lc5 3S.J:ld4 we7 39.we3 J:lcS 4o.wf4 J:lc5, 1/2-1/2

(212) Spassky,B-Aronin Leningrad 1 957 (IQP) (210) Stahlberg,G-Eliskases, E 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3./tlf3 c5 4.cd5 Mar del Plata 1 948 (HP) ed5 5.g3 /tlc6 6.Ag2 /Of6 7.0-0 1.d4 l0!6 2.c4 e6 3.�f3 b6 4.e3 .i.e7 S . d c 5 A c 5 9 . /tl b d 2 0 - 0 Ah7 5.Ad3 c5 6.o-o Ae7 7.b3 10./tlb3 Ab6 1 1./tlbd4 J:leS 1 2.b3 0-0 S . � c 3 d 5 9 . A b 2 � b d 7 Ag4 13.Ah2 �e4 14.'fi'd3 1td7 10. ffe2 �e4 ll.,JVd1 cd4 1 2.ed4 15.a3 h5 16.e3 Ah3 17.,JVd1 Ag2 �c3 13.Ac3 1tc7 14.J:lac1 dc4 1 S.Ciflg2 Ad4 ? 1 1 9 . /tld4 �:lacS 1 5 . bc4 J:lfeS 1 6 . A d 2 �:l a d S 2 0 . /tlf 3 J:ledS 2 1 . 1:l a c 1 1tf5 17.1:le1 Af6 1S.Ae3 e5 Break up 22.ffe2 g5 23.h3 the hanging pawns by attacking them with adjacent pawns. 19.de5 /tle5 20./tle5 Ae5 21.c5 Ah2 22.Wfl tfc6 23.f3 Ag3 24.Ae4 24.cb6 'ifdS with the idea of 25 ... 'Wh5 next. 24 ...J:le41 25.fe4 Ae1 26.we1 fle4 27.cb6 ab6 2S.J:lc4 1te6 29.J:ld4 l:ld4 30.Ad4 ffe2 31.Cifle2 .i.g2 32.Ab6 f6 33.a4 wf7 34.a5 Ah7 35.we3 g5 36.Ac7 wg6 37.Ad6 h5 3S.Ae7 f5 39.Ads f4 4o.wf2 wt5, o-1 Played in order to arswer 2 3 . . . h4 with (211) Spassky,B-Flohr,S 24.g4, locking up the Kingside. 23 ...a6 USSR 1 954 (IQP) 24./tlh2 J:ld6 25.g4 hg4 26./0g41 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dc4 3./tlf3 /tlf6 4.e3 J::le6 27.f3 /tld6 2S.l:lc5 Using the c5 5 .Ac4 e6 6 . 0 - 0 cd4 7.ed4 isolani's weakness to stall Black's at­ /tlc6 S./tlc3 a6 9.a3 Ae7 10 ..i.g5 t a c k . 2S . . . /tle7 29 .l:lcS �deS o - o 1 t .'ff d 3 h 6 1 2 .Ah4 �h5 30.1fd2 l:lc6 31.1fd4 Now White's 13.Ae7 /tle7 14.�e5 �6 15.llad1 winning advantage is obvious. There is h5 16.Aa2 Ab7 17.f4 tfb6 1S.g4 no stopping his attack on the Black c;i;>. DadS 19.Ab1 �c6 20.�c6 fi'c6 2 1. 1rh3 'ff b6 22. 1fd3 g6 23.g5 31 ... J:lc2 32.wg1 wts 33.1fhs h g 5 2 4 . fg 5 � h 5 2 5 . ff e 3 e 5 /tlgS 34.Ag7 we7 35. figS ft)d6 26.•e5 IDeS 27.1fc5 1fe6 2S.d5 36.Af6 we6 37.1fdS �cs 3S.e4, 1lg4 29.wht l:ld5 3o.nds ltlt4 1-0

;:,uppiemenrai uames

(21 3) Byme,R-Bisguier,A USA 1 962 (IQP) 1.d4 ltlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 d5 4.cd5 ltld5 5.ltlf3 c5 6.e3 ltlc6 7.Ad3 Ae7 8.0-0 0-0 9.a3 cd4 10.ed4 Ad7 1 t .tfc2 g6 1 2.Ah6 J:tes 13.ltle4 :lc8 14.ft'e2 f5 15.ltlc3 Af6 16.Ac4 ltlc3 17.bc3 ltla5 18.Aa2 l:lc3 19.l:lfel ltlc6 20.d5 ed5 21 .Ad5 whs 22. 'lfd2 flf3 23 . .i.f3 Aa1 24.J::[a 1 't'lf6 25.l:(d1 iLc8 26.Ag5 't'le5 27.Ae3 Wg8, 1/2-1/2

141

(21 5) Korchnoi , V-Tal,M Moscow 1 968 (IQP) 1.ltlf3 ltlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 d5 4.d4 c5 5.cd5 ltld5 6.e3 ltlc6 7 .Ad3 Ae7 8.a3 cd4 9.ed4 The isolani's nemisis, the blockade, is already estab­ lished. 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0 ltlf6 ll.Ag5 b6 1 2 . tre2 Ab7 13.I:tad1 l:(eS 14.l:lfel g6 15.Ac4 ltld5 16.Ad5 .i.g5 17.Ae4 Af6 18.ltle5 l:(c8 19.ltlc6 Ac6 20.Ac6 l:[c6

Gligoric executes a model minority at­ tack in the following game.

(214) Gligoric,S-Medina,A Palma de Mallorca 1 967 (CBD) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 ltlf6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 ltlbd7 7.Ad3 ltlf8 8.ltlf3 ltle6 9.Ah4 g6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.b4 ltlg7 12.b5 .i.f5 13.ltle5 Ad3 14.ltld3 c6 15.bc6 bc6 Grand­ 2 1.d5 White can no longer defend master Gligoric conducts an attack on the isolani, so it is pushed to remove the weak c6 pawn ro maintain the the w e a k n e s s e n t i re ly. 21 ... Dd6 initiative . 1 6.l:Ic1 ltld7 1 7.Ae7 22.ltle4 l:ld7 22 . . . l:td5? 23.l:td5, fol­ ee7 18.ltla4 Wcs 19.ltlac5 ltlc5 l o w e d b y 24.ltJf6. 23 .de6 l:(e6 2 0 . ltl c 5 ltl e 6 2 1 . f!V a 4 fl a b 8 24.ltlf6 \'ff6 25.Dd7 l:le2 26.De2 22.ltle6 f!Ve6 23.J::[c 2 f!Vd7 24.l:Uc1 ftc6 27.l:(dl g5 28.h3 Wg7 29.b4 �b6 2 5 . h 3 't'lb7 26.:c5 l:tb1 wg6 30.g3 h5 3t.De7 f6 32.De3 27.f!Vd1 l:(b2 28.l:l5c2 h5 29.:b2 wg7 3 3 . g 4 hg4 34.hg4 'ftc4 1Wb2 30.l:[c2 tfb4 31 .�c5 wg7 35.Dg3 Wg6 36.Ddd3 \'fct 37.CEflh2 32. \'fc1 1Wa4 33.tfb2 1Wa6 34.:c3 fff4, 1/2-1/2 J::[c 7 35.l:la3 1Wc8 36.J::[b 3 \'fd7 37.a4 a5 The second weakness ap­ (21 6) Balasov-Bronstein,D pears, by which Black loses the game. Moscow 1 971 (IQP) But he had to prevent the White a­ l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.ltlf3 ltl£6 4.ltlc3 pawn's advance to a6, followed by infil­ dc4 5.a4 .i,g4 6.ltle5 Ah5 7.h3 tration via the b7 square. 38. tl'c3 ltlbd7 8.g4 .i,g6 9.ltlg6 hg6 10.e3 l:[a7 39.J:Ib6 �c7 40.1Wa5 wh7 a 5 l l . A c4 e 6 1 2 . \'f b 3 1f b 6 41.ti'c5, 1-0 13.fic2 g5 14.Ae2 ltld5 15.Af3 Ae7 t6.wfl ltlf8 17.ltld5 ed5

1 42

M iddlegame Strategy

ts.,ad2 /t)g6 19.Ac3 it:}h4 20.,ae2 0 - 0 2 l . e 4 d e 4 2 2 . 1!f e 4 ,a f 6 23.,ad3 g6 24.Ac4 �:ladS 25.J:Idl 1!f c 7 2 6 . 1!f e 3 b 5 2 7 . j1L b 3 b 4 28._aet WeS 29.ffg3 1!fe7 30. ffe3 1tb7 31. Vet 1t'e7 32. 1t'c2 �d4 33-�1 'Of3, 0-1

(21 7) Petrosian, T-Spassky,B Moscow 1 971 (IQP) l.d4 d5 2.c4 dc4 3.'0f3 'Of6 4.e3 e6 5 .Ac4 c5 6 . 0 - 0 a6 7 .a4 'Oc6 S . ffe2 Ae7 9.�d 1 cd4 1 0.ed4 28... \'Wf6? B l a c k m i s s e s 28 ... �f2 0-0 ll.GQc3 'Od5 1 2.1te4 'Ocb4 29.�g2 �e7!! 30. l'ld8 'tWd8 3 1 .l:tf2 13.'0e5 l:ta7 14.Ab3 '0f6 15.1Jh4 l:tf2 32. cJilf2 'lWd2 33. cJilgl (33. cJilfl?? e3 b6 t6.tfg3 Ab7 1 7.Ah6 'Oe8 wins ! ) 33 . . . 'lWel draw. 29.ID5 \'Wh6 18.l:[act whs 19.d5 ed5 20.Ae3 30.W8 ID"S 31.fe3 \'Wf6 32. .i.h3, l:[aS 21.lQc4 'Od6 22.Ab6 1jb8 1-0 2 3 . '0 a 5 'O f 5 2 4 . fi b S D a b S 25.'0b7 tlb7 26.a5 Ag5 27.l:(b1 (219) Tal ,M--Geller, E d4 28.lQd5 'Oc6 2 9 . Aa4 l:(c8 USSR 1 978 (MA) 30.f4 '0ce7 31.l:(bc1 1:1cb8 32.fg5 1.c4 e6 2.'0c3 d5 3.d4 '0f6 4.Ag5 'Od5 33.Ac6 }lb6 34.ab6 lQde3 Ae7 5.e3 0-0 6.'0f3 h6 7 .Af6 35.b7 'Od1 36.l:[d1 g6 37.g4 'Og7 iLf6 s.act c6 9.Ad3 'Od7 10.cd5 38.�d4 lQe6 39.ldd7, 1-0 ed5 11.b4 Ae7 12.b5 Aa3 13.l:[c2 A d 6 1 4 . 0 - 0 'Of6 1 5 . bc6 bc6 (21 8) Kuzmin, G--Gulko, B 16.lQa4 '0e4 17.lQe5 \'We8 18.f3 c5 USSR 1 974 (HP) 19.fe4 cd4 20.lQg4 de4 21.Ac4 1.'0f3 'Of6 2.c4 b6 3.d4 e6 4.a3 Ag4 22. \'Wg4 \'Wa4 23.1lf7 ltf7 d5 5.'0c3 Ae7 6.cd5 ed5 7 . .i.g5 24 . .i,f7 Wf7 25. \'Wf5 we7 26.\'We4 0-0 8.e3 c5 9.Ae2 'Oc6 10.0-0 Wd7 27.\'Wb7 we6 28.1Je4 wd7, iLe6 1 1 .\'Wa4 'Oa5 1 2 .dc5 bc5 ' 1/2-1/2 13.b4 Attack the enemy hanging pawns with your own adjacent pawns. (220) Kasparov, G-Lechtinsky,J 13 ...cb4 14.ab4 '0c4 15.'0d4 1jb6 Baku 1980 (CBD) 16.b5 \'Wc5 17.IDcl 'Od7 18.lQe6 fe6 1 9 .lQe4 de4 20.Ac4 1Jg5 1.d4 lQf6 2.c4 e6 3.'0c3 AM 4.e3 2 t . A e 6 whs 2 2 . A d 7 D a d s 0-0 5.'0ge2 d5 6.a3 Ae7 7.cd5 23.�d1 fie5 24.g3 Ac5 25.lta2 ed5 8.g3 c6 9.Ag2 Ad6 10.0-0 tfh5 26. V'b3 Ae31 27.�d5 Or �e8 1 1 .\'Wc2 'Obd7 1 2 .b4 �f8 27.fe3 �f3 28 . .ll a d2 l:td7 29 . .ll d7 't!lff2 13.f3 a5 14.llb1 ab4 15.ab4 '0e6 16.e4 \'Wb6 17.'0a4 �a4 18.\'Wa4 draw. 27... V'f7 28.Ae6 de4 19.Whl ef3 20.Af3 lQd4 21.lQd4 YWd4 22.Ab2 YWc4 23.Af6

J upplii,;IJ JCJJL£11 \..J i:liJJt;�

gf6 24.Ag2 wg7 25.1Wd1 Ae5 26.b5 .i.g4 27.1Wd2 cb5 28.,blb4 1We2 29.W2, 1/2-1/2

(221 ) Browne, W-Fedorowicz,J USA 1 981 (CBD)

I Lt.)

23.Ae5 de4 24.fe4 ttlh5 25.a3 Ac5 26.'tla4 .i.d6 27.Ad6 1Wd6 28.ltlc5 itlg3 29.c,Yg1 ffe7 30.e5 ltlf5 3 1.ffc4 itlg3 32.ltle4 ttle4 33 ..l:le4 1:d5 34.W4 ffg5 35.l:[dfl ,hte7 3 6 . '¥Wc3 c5 3 7 . 1Vb3 I(d4 38. ,W/ c4 39.'¥Wb5 Ild2 40.l:I7f2 l:lf2 4t .af2 "¥Wc1 42.c.Yh2 wg7 43.ffc5 '¥Wg5 44.f!e2 '¥Wf4 45.c.Yh1 fffl, 1/2-1/2

1.d4 ltlf6 2.ltlf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.ltlc3 ltlbd7 5.cd5 ed5 6.Jlf4 c6 7.e3 Jle7 8.Ad3 0-0 9.'¥Wc2 l:Ie8 10.0-0 ltlfB 1 1 .l:[ab1 ltle6 1 2.Ae5 g6 13.b4 a6 14.a4 itlg7 15.b5 ab5 (223) Kasparov,G-Andersson, U 16.ab5 �a3 17.bc6 bc6 18.l:[a1 Reykjavik 1 988 (HP) l:la1 19.l::la 1 Jlg4 20.ltle2 '¥Wd7 · 1.d4 itlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 d5 4.cd5 21.l:[cl Jlf3 22.gf3 ed5 5.Ag5 c6 6.'¥Wc2 Ji.e7 7.e3 ltlbd7 8.Ad3 ltlh5 9.Ae7 ffe7 10.ltlge2 g6 1 1.0-0-0 ltlb6 1 2.ltlg3 itlg7 13.c,Yb1 ,1i.d7 14.l:(c1 0-0-0 15.ltla4 ltla4 16.1Va4 c,Yb8 17.1:[c3 b6 18.,1i.a6 ltle6 19.fntc1 .IDleS 20. 1Wb3 1Vd6 21.ltlfl was 22.�d2 ltlc7 23 . .1i. f 1 ltl e 6 24.g3 J:(c8 25.Ag2 l:tc7 26.h4 l:ld8 27.ltlf3 Ac8 28. ffa4 c5 29.ltlg5 �g5 30.hg5 Ab7 31.dc5 bc5 32. \'ff4 fff4 33.gf4 d4 Black's problem is the weakness of his hanging pawns, e.g. 22 ... "¥Wh3? 23.ltlg3 ltld7 24.Jlg7 33 . . . l:tdc8 34.Ah3 and Black still loses c,Yg7 25. ffc6 itlf6 26.,1i.f1 '¥Wh4 a pawn. 34.J:(c5 .l:lc5 35.Ab7 c,Yb7 27.'¥Wb7 Jla3 28.l:[c7 WB 29."¥Wa6 36.1:[c5 de3 37.fe3 J:[e8 38 ..t:le5 Jlb4 30.1:[b7 Ae1 31.�b1 Jld2 l:te5 39.fe5 c,Yc6 40.c,Yc2 c,Yd5 32.'¥Wa2 Jlc3 33.ltle2 ,bleB 34.l:tc1, 41.b4 we5 42.a4 f6 43.gf6 c,Yf6 1-0 44.b5, 1-0

(222) Portisch,L-Beliavsky,A Tilburg 1 986 (HP) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.ltlc3 Jle7 4.cd5 ed5 5.Jlf4 c6 6.e3 Jlf5 7.ltlge2 ltld7 s.h3 h5 9.ltlg3 Ag6 10.Ji.d3 Ji. d 3 1 1 . ff d 3 g 6 1 2 . 0 - 0 h 4 13.ltlge2 itlgf6 14.f3 0-0 1 5.e4 l:[e8 16.!lad1 itlf8 17.c,Yh1 '¥Wd7 18.Jlh2 ltle6 19.ltlf4 ltlf4 20.Jlf4 :ladS 21.Jlh2 Jlb4 22.,W'e1 1We6

(224) Roeder,F-Wilke,M Krumbach 1 991 (HP)

1.e4 e5 2.ltlc3 ltlf6 3.Ac4 Ac5 4.d3 d6 5 .Ag5 h6 6.Ae3 Ae3 7 .fe3 c6 8. ltlf3 0-0 9.Ab3 a5 10.0-0 b5 1 1 .a4 b4 1 2.ltle2 Ae6 13.ltlg3 Ah3 14.cb3 g6 15.d4 ed4 16.ed4 c,Yg7 17. ffc2 ffb6 18.f!ac1 l:ta7 19.c;Yh1 .l:[c7 20.\'fd2 �lxl7

1 44

JVI IOU Jt:gamt: .:nrau:: gy

21."Vrf4 c5 Again the hanging pawns are attacked with adj acent pawns. 22.'tlh4 lOgS 23.'tlhf5 wh7 Mis­ taken is 23 . . . gf5? 24.lLlf5 'iii>h7 25.�g4, when mate on g7 is unavoidable . 24.lQd6 cd4 25.J;Ic7 'trc7 26.e5 1fc5 27 . 'tlf7 'frd5 28.e6 tle6 2 9 . fi h 6 �h6 3 0 . � g 5 c;Y g 8 31.�e6 J'If1 32.�fl d 3 33.\Yg1 c;Yf7 34.�d8 \Yf6 35.\Yf2 �c5 36.�d2 �g4 37.wf3 �e5 3S.we3 we7 39.wd4 wd6 40.h4 �ed7 41.g4 �e6 42.�e6 we6 43.h5 g5 44.�e4 we7 45.h6 wfs 46.wd3 �e5 47.\Yd4 �g4 48.h7 \Yg7 49.�g5, 1-0

(225) Vyzmanavin,A-Smagin,S Elista 1 995 1.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 d5 4.�g5 �bd7 5.e3 c6 6.cd5 ed5 7.�d3 � e 7 8 . 1f c 2 h 6 9 . A h 4 � h 5 10.�e7 1re7 1 1.�ge2 �b6 1 2.0-0 0-0 13.I:[ae1 l:(e8 14.�c1 �f6 15.�h3 �e6 16.�c5 1rc7 17.b4 �bd7 18.�b3 ltlb6 19.f3 J;'lad8 20.1iff2 �c4?1 21.�c5 ,i.c8 22.e4 b6 23.�h3 1fe7 24.e5 �h7 25.h5 cb5 26.�b5 �f8 27.�c3 1fh4 28.,1;lc1 Ah7

29.f4 .Clc8 30./t)bl .Clc7 31.f5 .1:1ec8 32 . .Clce1 f6 33.ef6 gf6 34. ffh4 �e7 35.Ue7 ffe7 36. ffh6 .cleS 37.h3 1re3 38.ffe3 l:.te3 39.�cl �b2 40 . .i.b5 a6 4 t .A e 2 �e4 42.'tlc3 J::[d4 43.'tlh3 J;Ib4 44.Jlf3 d4 45.�d5 Jld5 46.�d5 wg7 47..1:lf4 �d3 48.1':Id4 �d4 49.�d4 wh6 50.g3 �d7 5 1 .\Yg2 �7e5 5 2 . c;Y f 1 � b4 5 3 . .i. e 6 � b d 3 54.we2 h5 55.�h3 �b4 56.�c5 wg7 57.wd2 a5 58.�h7 �bc6 59-�d6 �d4 6o.we3 �ec6 61.�e8 wfs 62.�f6 we7 63.�d5 wd6 64.�f4 b4 65.�e2 �e2 66.we2 a4 67.wd3 we5 68..i.d7 h3 69.a3 �d4 70.�a4 b2 7 1 . .1l c 2 �f5 72.g4, 1-0

(226) Piket,J-Dreev,A Wijk aan Zee 1 996 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�c3 �f6 4.�f3 e6 5 . .1lg5 h6 6 .,1lf6 tff6 7.e3 �d7 8.a3 g6 9.h4 .i.g7 10.cd5 ed5 1 1 . � d 3 0 - 0 1 2 . 0 - 0 �b6 13.fih3 1td6 14..1:(fcl �e6 15.�d2 IDbS?I 16.J;Iab1 a5 17.ba5 �d7 18.a4 .1:la5 19. tfc2 ,1;la7 20.�e2 �f8 2 1 .h3 �c8 2 2. �c3 �e6 23.Wh1 �d7 24..t:Ib6 1ifc7 25.l:lcb1 l:la5 26.f41? �c5? 27.dc5 .t:lc5 28 . .1:(6b3 h5 29.ah5 cb5 30.�d5 .t:(c2 3 1.l0c7 l:[d2 32 . .i.h5 Jlf5 33.�c6 .1:lb3 34.llb3 ,1;lc2 35.�d5 Wh7 36.l0b4 l:[c1 37.c;Yh2 JlfS 38.�d5 ,1;lc5 39.Jlf7 Wg7 40.Jle8 l:lc2?? 41.l0c2, 1-0 An interesting middlegame struggle of two Knights versus two Bishops is seen below, along with an instructive ending in which the Queen and Knight pair prove superior to the Queen and Bishop.

(227) Speelman,J-Brynell, S Copenhagen 1 996 (IQP) 1 .d4 e6 2.li:}f3 li:}f6 3.i!.g5 h6 4.i!.f6 fif6 5.e4 d5 6.ll:}bd2 g6 7 .i!.d3 _ag7 8.c3 0-0 9.0-0 b6 10.l:le1 c5 1 1.a3 a5 1 2.i!.b5 .ab7 13.f!Va4 l:lc8 14.l:lad1 cd4 15.l0d4 ll:}a6 1 6.i!.a6 Aa6 1 7.ed5 ed5 18.li:}f1 Ab7 19.l0e3 l:ld8 20.,b1d2 h5 2 1 . f!Vd 1 l:ld7 2 2 . a4 DadS 23.li:}ec2 l:te7 24.l:le7 fie7 25.�e2 f!Vd7 26.l0a3 l:leB 27.l0ab5 !le2 28. fie2 Aa6 29.fie3 Ad4 30.l0d4 f!Va4 3 1 .h3 1fd7 3 2.ffe5 Ab7 33. 1Jf6 1Jc7 34.l0b5 ffc6 35.l0d6 'ffd7 36.f4 Jla6 37.f5 Ad3 38.g4

3B...hg4 39.hg4 1Jc7 4o.wf2 1Jd7 4t.we3 .ac2 42.chf4 gf5 43.gf5 b5 44.we5 b4 45.cb4 ab4 46. ffg5 Wf8 47.fih6 chgB 48.f6 fie6 49.wd4 fig4 50.wd5 Ab3 5t.wc5 Ae6 5 2. l0e4 b3 5 3 . wd6 1fdt 54. ffd2 fid2 55.l0d2 chfB 56.l0e4 weB 57.Wc7 .ad5 58.l0d6 WfB 59.wds .ae6 60.l0e4 Ad5 6t.l0c5 Jtc4 62.l0d7 wgs 63.we7 Jld5 64.l0e5 Ae6 65.l0c6 Ac4 66.ll:}d8 Ad5 67.wd6 Jtc4 6s.wc5 Ae2 69.l0c6 wrs 70.l0d4 _ad1 71.Wc4 wes 72.l0b3 _ab3 73.Wb3 Wd7 74.wa4 we6 75 .b4 wf6 76.b5

we7 77.¢>a5 Wd7 78.fj;Ja6 WeB 79.wa7, 1-o

(228) Hector,J-Bogdanovich,G Copenhagen 1 996 (IQP) 1.e4 c5 2.l0f3 l0c6 3.l0c3 l0f6 4.Ab5 e5 5.Ac6 dc6 6.l0e5 l0e4 7.l0e4 'ffd 5 8.'ffe 2 'ffe 5 9.d4 cd4 1 0.f4 'ff a 5 l t ._ad2 Jlb4 1 2.c3 Ae7 13.l0d6 wfs 14.l0c8 l:[cS 15.0-0 l:te8 16.cd4 AM 17._ae3 'ff d 5 1 s . w h t f 5 1 9 . a 3 .a d 6 20.l:lael wf7 21.fih5 g6 22.fih3 h 5 2 3 . _ad 2 ,g( e 1 24.l:le l l:leB 25.l:le8 weB 26.'ffe3 wf7 27.Wgl 'ff e 6 28. 'ff d 3 b5 29.Wf2 ffd5 30.g3 i!,c7 3l.Ae3 a6 32.a4 f!Vc4 33. 1ta3 ba4 34.h4 1Wc2 35.c;Yg1 1Wb3 36.f!Val Ab6 37.Wf2 1tc2 3B.wg1 ttd3 39.Af2 i!.d4 4o._ad4 ttd4 4 t .c;Yh2 c5 42.Wh3 we6 43.lffl c4 44.tta1 ttd5 45.Wh2 tfd2 46.wh3 ttc2 47.'tfht tte4 4B.f!Vg1 Wd5 49.'ffdt chc5 50.c;Yh2 tfd4 51. tfal lfd2 52.Wh3 chd4 53. ffa3 ffc1 54.chh2 we4 55.c;Yg2 tfd2 56.wh3 'ffc 2 57.1\fal "lfe2 58.tta3 ftf3 59. f#al f#g4 60.Wg2 f#e2 6t.cit,h3 Wf3 62.ffht chf2 63.'tfg2 wet 64.tfd5 tfe4 65.'ffe 5 chf2, 0-1

(229) Emms,J-Tukmakov, V Copenhagen 1 996 (IQP) l.e4 c5 2.c3 l0f6 3.e5 l0d5 4.l0f3 l0c6 5.Ac4 l0b6 6.Ab3 g6 7.d4 cd4 8.l0g5 d5 9.ed6 e6 10. tff3 l0e5 1 1 .1:fe4 ffd6 1 2.cd4 li:}c6 13.0-0 Ag7 14.l:(d1 0-0 15.l0c3 tfe7 16.l0f3 White has the advan­ tage, due to his developm ent and command of space. t6 ... l0a5?! 17.d5! Seizing the initiative with this typical

1 46

M IClCllegame �trategy

thrust in the center. 17 ... l::(d8 18.iLf4! Threatening to make a passed pawn out of the isolani! 18 ... �b3 19.ab3 iLd7 20.Ac7 J::[dc8 21.d6 1Je8 22.�e5 Ae5? D e s p e r a t i o n . 22 lUdS w a s steadier. 23. 1Je5 Ac6 24.Ab6 ab6 . . .

19.�e6 fe6 20.de6 Ae6 21.Ac6 Ad7 22.Ad5 �d6 23.Ae5 :rs 2 4 . tr e 3 1W b 8 2 5 . Df e t w d s 26.Dadt lte8 27.Af7 ms 28.Ab3 Db7 29.Ag7 l:le8 30.Ae5 Db6 31.Af7 :rs 32.Ad4 �c8 33.Ab6 't'fb6 34.Ae6, 1-0

(232) Strikovic,A-Lima,D Leon 1 996 (IQ P)

25.d7! The lust to expand consumes all before it. 25 ... Ad7 26.):138 l:laS 27.�e4, 1-0

(230) Djurhuus,R-Jelling , E Copenhagen 1996 (IQP) l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.ed5 cd5 4.c4 �f6 5.�c3 e6 6.�f3 Ae7 7.cd5 �d5 8.Ad3 �c6 9.0-0 0-0 10.�e1 1jd6 1 1 . a3 ladS 1 2 . �e4 1tc7 13.g3 Ad7 14.Ab1 Aes 15.1Jd3 g6 16.Aa2 1tb6 17.b4 a5 18.b5 �a7 1 9.a4 �b4 2 0 . 1fd2 �a2 21.�a2 J:ld5 22.Aa3 ttds 23.'t'fh6 Aa3 24.�eg5 Ab4 25.'t'fh7 wfs 26.l:le6 fe6 27 .�e6, 1-0

(231 ) Gofshtein,L-Hodgson,J Ischia 1 996 (IQ P) l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.�c3 a6 5.f0e5 b5 6.cd5 cd5 7.Af4 e6 8.e3 i0bd7 9.Ad3 �e5 10.Ae5 /Od7 u.Ag3 �b6 1 2.0-o Ad7 13.e4 b4 14.�e2 de4 15.Ae4 Da7 16. 10f4 Ae7 17.'1rf3 �c4 18.d5 e5

1 .e4 c5 2.�f3 �c6 3.d3 e6 4.g3 d5 5.'fte2 �ge7 6.h4 de4 7.de4 �d4 8 . � d 4 c d 4 9 . A g 2 i0 c 6 10.e5 fic7 1 1 .0-0 �e5 1 2.Af4 Ad6 13.�a3 a6 14.�fd1 �c6 15.Ad6 fid6 16./()c4 1fc7 17.c3 0-0 18.cd4 Dd8 1 9.�ac1 Ad7 20. 1te3 �ac8 21.a3 Ae8 22.b4 h6 23.c;t.h2 wfs 24.d5! ed5 25.Ad5 �e7 26.1()b6 /()d5 27./()d5, 1-0 The last games of our supplement are three discussions on the isolani from the recent FIDE World Championship match. Another example of the theme's timeless appeal to even Grandmasters of the highest rank.

(233) Kamsky,G-Karpov,A Elista 1996 (IQP) l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.ed5 cd5 4.c4 �f6 5./()c3 e6 6./()f3 Ab4 7.cd5 �d5 s.Ad2 i0c6 9.Ad3 Ae7 10.0-0 0-0 1 1.t)'e2 l()f6 1 2./()e4 Ad7 13.�ad1 �c8 14.�e1 /()d5 15./()c3 l()f6 16.a3 't'fc7 17.Ag5 fi a 5 1 8 . d 5 e d 5 1 9 . Af6 Af6 20.Ah7 wh7 21.�d5 Ac3 22.�a5 Aa5 23.b4 c;YgS 24.ba5 Ag4 25.a6 ba6 26.1Je4 Af3 27.fff3 �fe8 28.�a1 �e6 29.h3 l:(d8 30. 'ftc3 �dd6 3 1 .Db1 Dd7 32.'ftc4 a5 33.Db5 Ddt 34.wh2 Dd2 35.�5

._.

.... t"t" " - · · · - · · �.... .

'-" .... . . . _. .....

lld4 36.1We3 l'ldd6 37.J:le5 ID"6 19.lt)e4 1Va6! W i t h t h e i d e a o f 3S.ne4 W"e6 39.l:te5 ld.f6 40. Y!Je3 2 0. . . �b5 next. 20.a4 iLe6 2l.'ftf4 We6 41.1Wg3 l:lg6 42.Y!Jb3 l:lgf6 Ad 51 2 l . . . �d4? The blockade is worth 43. 1Wb7 We6 44. t:fe7 ID"6 45.f4 more than the pawn. 22.�f5 �e3 g 6 4 6 . f 5 g f 5 4 7 . l:[f 5 l:[ d e 6 23.lLJe3 ef5 24.lLJf5! lldl 25.l:!.dl ii'a4 48.l:lh5 Wt6 49. Y!Jg3 c;YfS 50.l:(d5 26.lbe7 �g7 27. lLJf5 with equality. Wtg6 51.Y!Jf2 �6 52.flb2 c;Ye7 22.lQe5 'ftb6 23.Af5 ef5 24.!Id2 5 3 . :l h 5 l:( h 6 5 4 . � b 5 l:( h f 6 Ag7 25.h4 l:Ife8 26. 'ftg3 lieS 55.ffe3 wrs 56.l:th5 Wt6 57.W"5 27.lQd7 'fte6 28.l:Oe5 b6 29.l:Od3 l:thg6 5S.Y!Jf3 J:tg7 59.flf4 wgs ffd 7 3 0 . a 5 !I e 4 1 Th r e a tening 60.ffe7 Wf8 61. Y!JeS rJ]e7 62.!Id5 3 1 . . . l:!.g4. 31.l:Of4 b5 32.r!dd1 Ae4 wf6 63. fi"h8 l::[e4 64.l:[h5 I:Oe7 33.l:ae1 h6 34.l:te3 b4 35.1:le2 �e61 36.l:[del Ab5 37.Wh2 c;Yh7 65.IDt7, 1-0 38.l:(e6 Ae6 39.l:te4 Af81 40.lQd3 1te6 Or 40. . . 'ifd5! and Black wins. (234) Kamsky,G-Karpov,A 41.d5 Ad5 42.!Ie4 Ae4 43.Aa7? Elista 1 996 (IQP) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ed5 ed5 4.e4 Ad6 44.lQf4 1We5 45.l:Oh5 fle7, lQf6 5.lQe3 e6 6.tof3 Ab4 7.ed5 0-1 lQd5 8.Ad2 lQe6 9 . .i.d3 Ae7 10.0-0 0-0 ll."(We2 lQf6 12.lQe4 YWb6 An improvement over 1 2 . . . �d7, played in game two of the match. 13.a3 Ad7 14.!Ifd1 :tadS The blundering 14...'iWb2?? 15.lLJf6 gf6 (15 ... .tf6 16.�e4 g6 17.l:!.dbl wins the 'tW) 16.l:!.dbl lLJd4 17.l:tb2 lLJe2 18.�e2 hands White a winning material advantage. 1 5.l:Of6 Af6 16.1We4 g6 17. .i.e3 I:Oe7!

Basic blockade policy of controlling d5, plus the move prepares . . . lLJf5 with pressure on the isolani. 18.l:Oe5 I:Of5

(235) Kamsky,G-Karpov,A Elista 1 996 (IQP) 1 .d4 lQf6 2.e4 e6 3.lQe3 Ab4 4.e3 e5 5.Ad3 I:Oe6 6.lQge2 ed4 7.ed4 d5 8.ed5 I:Od5 9.0-0 Ad6 10.I:Oe4 A e 7 1 l . a 3 0 - 0 1 2 . A e 2 'ife7 13.1fd3 l:(dS 14.tog5 g6 15.Ab3 tof6 1 6.l:(d1 .a.rs 1 7.Af4 1fe7 18. tl'e3 lQd5 19.Ad5 ed5 20.t:of3 fle3 21.fe3 f6 22.l:(acl .�.f5 23.h3 h5 24.lQe3 g5 25.Ah2 h4 26.lQd2 Wf7 27.l:Ob3 l:(ae8 28.l:Ob5 a6 29.lQe3 b5 30.lQe2 b4 31.a4 l:(eS 32.c;Pf2 c;Yg6 33.1:0gl I:Oa7 34.l:Oe5 l:(e6 3 5 . ftlf 3 !I e e 8 3 6 . b 3 a 5 37.c;Pe2 Ae4 3S.wd2 Ae5 39.dc5 De5 40.De5 De5 4 1 .Dc 1 Del 42.c;Pcl I:Oe6 43 . .i.e7 f5 44.c;Pd2 d41 45.ed4 f4 46.we2 Ad5 47.wf2 Ab3 48.l:Oe5 I:Oe5 49.de5 Aa4 50.Aa5 b3 5t.Ae3 wf5 52.Ab2 Ae6 53.wfl Ad5 54.wf2 we4 55.we2 Ae4 56.wd2 f3 57.gf3 wf3 58.e6 Ae6 59.Af6 g4 60.hg4 h3 6t.Ae5 Ag4, o-1

I nut:x Ul r Iityt:n;

. ... ,.

Campora 1 72 Capablanca,J 9, 23, 1 04, 1 2 5 , 1 28, 1 29, 1 53, 1 93, 1 94 Cardoso,R 6 Abreu,} 33 Cekro,E 73 Akesson 1 48 Charousek,R 187, 1 88 Akhmadeev,V 1 33 Chekhover,V 1 76 Alapin,S 1 2 3 , 1 84, 1 88 Chigorin,M 74, 1 62, 1 84 Alatortsev,V 1 67 Christiansen,L 1 4 7 Alekhine,A 3 7 , 1 2 3- 1 2 6, 1 29 , 1 50, Collas,D 1 82 1 93 , 1 94, 1 96 Colle,E 1 24 Andersson,U 56, 58, 60, 1 66, 223 Cramling,P 20 Andresen,S 1 4 1 Cruz,W 30 Aronin 2 1 2 Cvitan,O 6 1 Averbakh, Y 5 1 De Vries,G 1 30 Baay 1 69 Diez del Corral,] 53 Bachmann,K 94 Djurhuus,R 230 Bahram,N 95 Dreev,A 22, 226 Baillo,G 1 22 Dumitrache,D 1 9 Balasov 2 1 6 Durie 1 65 Barcza,G 48 Dzevlan,M 95 Bareev,E 64, 1 60 Eliskases,E 2 7, 2 10 Barry,C 1 46 Emms,J 1 48, 229 Bayer,E 1 47 Eolian 1 2 1 Beliavsky,A 22, 78, 1 59, 222 Epishin,V 1 5 1 Berliner,H 1 02 Eslon,J 1 68 Bisguier,A 1 09, 2 1 3 Euwe,M 1 , 23, 37, 52, 1 69 Blackbume,J 1 52 Evans,L 202 Bogdanovich,G 228 Fairhurst,W 3 1 Bogoljubow,E 93 Faseyitan,F 86 Bonsch,U 68, 1 34 Fedorowicz,J 88, 2 2 1 Borik,O 1 06 Filip,M 65 Botvinnik,M 26, 44, 89, 1 6 7 , 1 74, 1 76, Filippov,V 1 1 3 203-208 Fischer,R 3 Braun,P 29 Flohr,S 1 5 , 1 27, 1 28, 1 53, 206, 2 1 1 Brenninkmeijer,J 136 Foessmeier,U 1 4 1 Bronstein,D 45, 1 3 1 , 207, 208, 2 1 6 Garcia Paolicchi,R 35 Browne,W 2 2 1 Geller,E 54, 2 1 9 Brunner 1 26 Ginsberg,M 75 Brynell,S 22 7 Gligoric,S 1 4, 36, 4 1 , 1 3 7 , 2 1 4 Bykhovsky,A 69 Gofshtein,L 23 1 Byme,D 24 Golombek,H 9, 48, 92 Byme,R 2 7 , 2 1 3 Guimard,C 63

Index of Players

1 50

Middlegame Strategy

Gulko,B 68, 1 59, 2 18 Gurevich,M 73, 1 66, 1 83 Gutman,L 58, 7 1 Gyimesi,Z 1 5 1 Hachian,M 1 6 1 Hartman,C 34 Hartston 164 Havasi,K 1 54 Hector,} 1 10, 228 Hedke,F 1 36 Hodgson,} 79, 23 1 Hohelj,S 59 Hon Kah Seng,C 1 1 8 Horowitz,! 32 Hort,V 4 1 , 99 Hracek,Z 88 Huebner,R 1 1 5 lmanaliev 107 Ivanov,} 5 7 lvkov,B 1 1 4 lzsak,G 1 82 Jacobsen,E 1 42 Jaffe 1 90 Jakob,S 1 83 Janowski,D 1 79 Jarecki 4 Jelling,E 230 Johansen,M 66 Johner,P 76 Kamsky,G 1 38, 233-235 Kamuhangire,S 1 80 Karolyi,T 96 Karpov,A 47, 84, 1 0 1 , 1 1 7 , 1 34, 1 8 1 , 233-235 Kasparov,G 13, 38, 46, 47, 50, 60, 78, 82, 1 1 5, 1 2 1 , 1 56, 1 58, 1 8 1 , 220, 223 Kaspersen,M 98 Keres,P 8, 44, 1 1 6 Khalifman,A 1 3 Kmoch,H 1 43 Kool,G 96 Korchnoi,V 18, 28, 84, 85, 1 1 0, 1 68 , 215

Kottauer 52 Kovacevic,V 61 Kramnik,V 1 08 Kristensen,B 62 Krogius,N 87 Kurajica 1 1 6 Kuzmin,G 2 1 8 La Bourdonnais 1 03 Larsen,B 1 1 , 7 7 , 89, 1 44 Lasker,Ed 1 1 2 Lasker,Em 1 5 , 49, 1 1 1 , 1 50, 1 79, 1 9 1 , 1 92 , 204 Lechtinsky,J 220 Leininger,R 1 0 Leonov 1 7 7 Liao,Y 1 1 8 Liberzon 36 Lilienthal 1 7 4 Lima,D 232 Lixenfeld,M 72 Lobron,E 105 Lombardy,W 200, 201 Lputian,S 43 , 1 32 Lutz,C 28 MacDonnell 1 03 Maksimenko,A 145 Maksimovic,D 139 Malaniuk,V 70, 87 Manor,! 2 5 Marco,G 49, 1 75 Marian,R 94 Marinelli,T 3 5 Maroczy,G 9 1 , 1 1 2, 1 86 Marshall,F 90, 1 1 1 , 1 78, 1 95 Mason,} 5 , 1 62, 185 Medina,A 45, 2 1 4 Meulders,R 1 44 Miles,A 42, 1 00, 1 64 Mirumian,V 1 6 1 Mitenkov,A 1 33 Mochalov,E 1 6 Mohr,G 83 Monticelli,M 1 63

maex or P l ayers

Momy,M 19 , 67 Muco,F 53 Mwange,B 1 30, 1 80 Naumann,A 140 Nikolic,P 39, 40, 82 Nimzowitsch,A 55, 1 42 Nordstrom,F 34 O'Donnell,T 99 Ostergaard,} 62 Pachman,L 6, 85 Parker,} 1 3 1 Persitz 15 5 Petrosian,A 1 3 2 Petrosian,T 7 , 1 73, 2 1 7 Pfleger,H 1 40 Pigusov,E 70 Piket,J 2 1 , 1 7 1 , 226 Pillsbury,H 1 5 2 , 185 Polgar,S 25 Portisch,L 42 , 1 14, 1 19 , 2 2 2 Primavera 92 Pushkov,N 1 7 Rabiega,R 7 1 Radulesen 1 7 3 Raicevic,V 64 Ramayrat,C 77 Rechlis,G 69 Reshevsky,S 4, 14, 24, 30, 32, 5 1 , 63, 75, 1 02 , 109, 1 49, 1 63, 1 9 7-202 , 205 Reti,R 76, 1 78 Rodriguez,Am 1 37 Roeder,F 224 Rolle,P 97 Rossetto,H 7 Rubinstein,A 1 , 1 54, 1 89, 1 92 , 1 95 Rudakovsky,l 26 Rustemov,A 1 1 3 Saeed 1 57 Saemisch,F 9 3 Saidy,A 1 72 Sakaev,K 66 Samovojska,D 57 Santos,L 33

151

Savon,V 1 6 Schlechter,C 9 1 , 1 7 5 Schmidt, W 1 07 Segovia,F 1 3 5 Seirawan,Y 2 , 1 1 , 38 Short,N 39, 40, 46, 8 1 , 1 20, 158 Short,P 100 Sidig,H 97 Sielecki,C 59 Simonson,A 1 49 Skalli,K 86 Smagin,S 225 Smyslov,V 8, 3 1 , 135 Sokolov,l 56 Sorensen,B 98 Sotnikov,l 1 7 Spassky,B 18, 50, 1 1 7, 1 1 9, 2 1 1 , 2 1 2, 217 Speelman,} 43 , 1 45, 227 Spielmann,R 90, 1 04, 1 43 Stahlberg,G 2 1 0 Stein,L 3 Steinitz,W 74, 1 8 7 Strikovic,A 232 Suchting 1 90 Szabo,L 209 Taimanov,M 1 2 , 1 55, 1 70, 1 99 Tal,M 2 , 80, 1 22 , 1 5 7 , 1 7 7 , 2 1 5 , 2 1 9 Tarrasch,S 55, 186, 1 9 1 Teichmann,R 5 Tesic,D 1 39 Timman,J 2 1 , 1 0 1 , 1 08, 1 20, 1 7 1 Tischendorf,M 29 Tisdall,} 20 Toran 1 98 Treystman,G 1 97 Trikaliotis,G 1 46 Troeger,P 72 Troianescu 1 2 Tukmakov,V 1 65, 229 Tylor,T 196 Urbanic 65 Vaisser,A 67

l Yl

Van Geet,D 80 Van Seters 209 Vidmar,M 1 2 7, 203 Vidarsson,J 1 38 Vucicevic,M 83 Vyzmanavin 225 Wemer,D 1 06 Wharry 1 0 Wilke,M 224 Yakovich, Y 54 Yrjola,J 79 Yurtaev,L 1 5 6 Yusupov,A 8 1 , 1 05, 1 60 Zamikovsky 1 70 Znosko Borovsky,E 1 89

Mtddlegame Mrategy

Index of Open ings

Index of Openings

A28 1 35 A45 35 A46 227 A84 5 A91 208 A95 34 B 1 4 203, 233, 234 B15 1 1 8 B22 1 48, 229 B30 228 coo 232 COB 207 C26 224 C33 1 87 C42 1 23 C64 80 D02 95, 1 90 D06 59 D07 74, 1 24 D12 72 D15 2 3 1 D16 2 1 6 D20 1 03 D27 2 1 7 D30 1 45, 1 9 1 , 2 12 D3 1 4, 37, 42, 54, 94, 1 58, 159, 1 79, 1 88, 222 D3 5 3, 7 , 2 1 , 46, 50, 58, 7 1 , 96, 98, 1 00, 1 02 , 1 04, 1 08, 1 16, 1 25 , 1 30, 1 46, 1 49, 1 50, 1 6 1 , 1 64- 1 66, 1 68, 1 72 - 1 74, 1 80, 1 8 1 , 200, 2 1 4, 22 1 D36 6, 8, 9, 1 7 , 19, 22, 2 7 , 29, 3 2 , 44, 45, 52, 53, 5 7 , 60, 63, 64, 66-70, 78, 79, 87, 89, 90, 99, 1 1 1 , 1 20, 1 26, 1 3 1 , 1 4 1 , 1 43, 1 47, 1 53, 1 5 5 , 1 5 7 , 1 60, 1 63 , 1 70, 182, 1 83, 196, 197, 223, 2 2 5 D37 49, 1 2 1 D38 1 5, 16, 1 1 2 D40 55

1 53

D42 1 06, 107, 206, 2 1 3, 2 1 5 , 230 D43 20, 25, 28, 226 D45 1 1 3, 1 62 D46 1 2, 6 1 D47 1 92 D5 1 1 10 D52 47 D53 1 42, 1 85 , 1 86 D54 30, 1 14, 1 78 D55 1 3 , 62, 8 1 , 1 1 5 , 1 84, 2 19 D58 18, 36, 39, 40, 43, 1 0 1 , 1 1 7, 1 32 1 34, 1 36, 1 39, 1 40 D6 1 97, 167, 1 75, 1 89 D62 1 27- 1 29 D63 1 , 33, 4 1 , 86, 9 1 , 1 52 , 1 54, 1 95 D64 1 93 D65 93, 1 1 9, 1 94 D9 1 38, 204 D95 83, 1 22 E01 10, 1 38 El l 1 3 7 E12 84, 92, 2 18 E14 48, 1 69, 2 1 0 E18 1 76, 1 7 7 E33 26 E35 2 , 1 1 , 23, 82, 85 E46 1 4, 24, 3 1 , 5 1 , 73, 75-77, 1 09, 1 5 1 , 1 98, 1 99, 20 1 , 202, 205, 220 E48 56, 88, 144, 1 56, 235 E53 1 05 E5 7 65, 209, 2 1 1 E73 1 7 1

1 54

M iddlegame Strategy

Index of Themes

Attacking the King (Against 0-0) 4, 6, 1 1 , 1 2 , 1 9, 20, 26, 29, 43, 44, 48, 5 1 , 54, 56, 57, 6 1 , 63, 66-68, 72, 74, 78-80, 84, 89, 90, 99, 1 00, 1 02 , 1 05 1 08, 1 1 0, 1 1 4- 1 24, 1 26, 1 3 2 , 1 43 , 1 44, 1 46, 1 47, 1 50, 1 54- 1 5 7 , 1 63 - 1 65, 1 6 7 1 69, 1 7 7, 1 79 - 1 84, 1 90, 2 0 1 -203, 205 , 209, 2 1 2 , 2 1 9, 230, 2 7 5

(Against 0-0-0) 42 , 45 , 98, 1 00, 142, 1 49, 1 59, 1 6 1 , 1 6 2 , 1 68, 1 69, 1 74 King in the Middle 82, 85, 1 04, 1 49, 1 58, 228, 2 3 1 Backward Pawn 26-30, 3 2 , 36, 42 , 182, 1 96, 2 2 1 Bad Bishop 1 5 , 9 1 -93, 95, 1 70, 1 86 Blockade 8, 1 3 , 23, 55-59, 88, 9 1 , 1 1 1 - 1 1 5, 1 26, 1 39, 1 42 , 1 90, 202, 207, 2 1 2 , 227 Control of the Center 45, 48-5 1 , 54, 63, 66, 1 95 Control of the Seventh 1 1 , 1 3 , 25, 26, 29, 33, 42, 53, 89, 1 1 0, 1 1 1 , 132, 1 34, 1 50, 1 64, 1 89 Color Weakness 45, 50, 1 06, 1 07, 1 09, 1 56, 1 5 7 Endgame Lessons 2, 1 5, 1 6 , 20, 2 2 , 2 7 , 33, 35, 43 , 50, 5 2 , 54-5 6, 58, 59, 68, 72, 82-86, 89, 9 1 , 94,

1 04, 1 1 2 , 1 23 , 1 25 , 1 2 7, 1 28, 1 30, 1 44, 1 46, 1 48, 1 5 1 , 1 60, 1 63 , 1 66, 1 73 , 1 79, 187, 1 9 1 , 1 92 , 2 1 4, 223-225, 2 2 7 , 228, 235 Hanging Pawns 4, 3 1 , 44, 45, 46, 48- 73, 8 1 , 1 69, 1 89, 1 95, 2 1 0, 2 1 8, 222-224 Isolated d-pawn 1 3 , 2 1 -23, 26, 28, 42, 65, 69, 72, 82, 8, 88, 1 04- 1 42 , 1 45 , 1 47, 1 48, 1 52 , 1 75 , 1 90- 1 92 , 1 96, 1 98 , 202, 203 , 206, 207, 209, 2 1 1 -2 1 3, 2 1 5 -2 1 7 , 227-235 King March 33, 38, 47, 87, 1 23 , 1 59, 205, 207, 228 Outposts 1 4- 1 6, 25, 2 7 , 3 1 , 33 -44, 47, 52, 56, 58, 59, 80, 83, 93, 95, 1 03 , 1 1 2 , 1 1 7, 1 47, 1 5 5 , 1 60, 1 72 , 1 73 , 1 8 2 , 1 84, 204, 2 1 1 , 2 1 2 , 2 1 7, 225 Open Lines (files and diagonals) 4, 1 7 , 20, 26, 30, 32, 33, 39, 40, 42-48, 5 1 , 53, 54, 65, 7 2 - 74, 79, 87, 90, 94, 96, 99, 103, 105, 1 08, 1 1 3 , 1 20, 1 2 1 , 1 23, 1 24, 1 43 , 1 44, 1 46, 1 49, 1 64, 1 7 1 , 1 83 , 1 84, 201 , 208, 2 1 1 , 2 1 2 , 23 1 Overprotection 44-46, 48, 50, 5 1 , 66, 7 1 , 73, 8 1 , 1 1 2 , 1 1 3 , 1 47 , 222 Passed Pawn 1 7 , 1 8 , 20, 3 1 , 33, 34, 37, 38, 4 1 , 45-47, 50, 59-69, 82-84, 88, 95, 1 2 5 , 1 33 , 1 36, 137, 1 57 , 1 73 , 1 89, 20 1 , 205, 2 1 7 , 229 ,

Positional Pawn Sacrifices 42, 75, 1 02 , 1 34, 1 63

Space Advantage

74-78, 84, 87, 1 66, 1 76, 1 84

Tactical Lessons 5, 1 0, 1 1 , 1 9, 26, 35, 39, 40, 43, 48-5 1 , 57, 59, 60, 63, 65, 67, 7 1 , 78, 80, 8 1 , 90, 97, 1 04, 1 05, 1 08, 1 1 1 , 1 1 5, 1 16, 1 1 8 , 1 20, 1 22 , 1 3 2 , 1 38, 1 4 1 , 1 45, 1 47, 1 49, 1 5 1 , 1 54- 1 56, 1 58, 1 65, 1 67, 1 80, 1 83, 1 88, 203, 208, 209, 2 1 7, 2 1 8, 23 1 - 234 Two Bishops 4 1 , 43, 66, 1 1 8, 1 2 1 , 1 24, 1 43 , 1 45 , 1 50, 1 60, 1 83, 1 99, 204, 2 1 3, 220, 234 Weak Pawns

1 , 6-9, 1 1 , 1 4- 1 6, 25-27, 29, 32 , 3 7 , 52, 54, 55, 59, 6 1 , 62, 69, 70, 7 7 , 92, 95, 1 02 , 1 08, 1 25, 1 2 7, 1 30, 1 3 1 , 1 37 , 1 56, 1 70, 1 74, 1 85, 1 97, 2 1 4, 2 2 1