The key to chess simplified.

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THE KEY TO

CHESS SIMPLl.FIED

By ROY MASTERS

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Clcnrnons, N.C. ' ..4

. ��1.50 KEY PUBLISHING COMPANY

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New York 3, N. Y.

Copyright 1959 by KEY PUBLISHING Co. New York 3. N. Y.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Table of Contents Chapter

Page

I : ABOUT CHESS

7

The Game -The Board -The Chessmen -Naming the Squares -Nomenclature -Abbreviations II : THE CHESSMEN AND THEIR POWERS

11

The King -Its Importance -Method of Moving -When in Check -Danger of Check-mate -The Queen -Most Powerful Piece on Board -The Queen's Moves -Block­ ing the Queen -Exchange of Queens The Castle - Known also as the Rook - Its Strength Its Limitations -Advice on Castle Play The Bishops - Their Diagonal Moves - Each Limited to Squares of One Color -Advantages of Paired Bishops The Knights - Their Odd Moves - How Knights Jump -Knights in Combination -Their Surprise Attacks -De­ fensive Methods Against Knights The Pawns -Weakest Pieces on the Board -Their Moves -Method of Taking Opposing Pieces -Queening a Pawn -The Pawn's Increasing Value -Pawns captured en passant

The Castling Move - Its Peculiarity - Its Value -Re­ quirements in Castling -Castling Summarized III : VALUES OF THE PIECES

33

A Special Table, giving the Comparative Worth of the Vari­ ous Chessmen When in Play IV : A QUICK GAME Game Number One : A Swift Mate -Showing in diagrams how rapidly Checkmate may be accomplished - Various Mistakes Illustrated -How to Avoid Pitfalls

34

Chapter

Page

V: GAME NUMBER TWO: UNFINISHED

40

A Typical Opening - Blocking a Quick Mate -Various Moves in Detail, with: Alternative Play - Exchange of Bishops: Its Advantage and Disadvantage - The Game Summarized VI: MORE ABOUT OPENINGS

47

Good Knight! -A Quick Mate -Definition of Smothered Mate -The Hop-Scotch Opening -The Scotch Game A Classic in Chess - Good and Bad Moves -A Queen Exchange Illustrated -Advantages and Disadvantages VII: USING THE OPENINGS Mistaken Notions -Control of Center Squares -Its Great Importance -The Four Knights Opening - Other Obser­ vations -Prospects and Possibilities -A Natural Question Queen's Pawn Openings -The Queen's Gambit -A Gam­ bit Defined -What It Gains - The Queen's Gambit De­ clined - The Game Continued - Openings Summarized -Further Prospects VIII: THE MIDDLE GAME

64

Its Importance -Necessary Devices -A Sample Situation - How Mate Is Accomplished - Combinations in Attack IX: THE FORK

67

A Pronged Attack -What It Accomplishes -The Queen's Fork - Pitfalls to Avoid - A Four-Way Fork - The Castle's Fork -A Counter-fork - The Bishop's Fork - Its Deadly Effect - The Element of Risk - The Knight's Fork - Deadliest of All - Guarding Against It - The Pawn's Fork - Simple but Effective - The King's Fork -Its Possibilities X: THE PIN Another Deadly Device -Forks and Pins Differentiated The Simple Pin -Its Uses - The Check Pin - Its Ad­ vantages - Some Reversed Pins - Illustrated Examples - Various Pinning Chances

76

Chapter

Page

XI : CHECK-AND MATE

80

Value of-Check - Repeated Checks - Meeting Checks The Counter-attack - Simple Check - Its Uses - Discov­ ered Check - The Follow-up - Checkmate - The Ultimate Aim - Careful Planning Required - How a Mate May Miss XII : DRAWN GAMES

83

How They Occur - The 50-Move Limit - Perpetual Check - A Clever "Out" for a Losing Player - Perpetual Check Illustrated - Stalemate - The Loser's Friend - Exam­ ples of Stalemate - The Frozen King - Playing to the Limit - If You Can't Win, Don't Lose! XIII : THE END GAME

87

The End Game Defined - How Exchanges Figure - New Valuations of Pieces - Required Minima - Common End­ ings - Mate with Two Castles - How to Accomplish It Mate with King and Queen - A Standard Procedure Mistakes to Avoid - Mate with King and Castle - A Slow­ er Procedure - But Effective - Where Care Is Needed Bishops and Knights - How they help in Mate - A Two Bishop Checkmate - Mate with Bishop and Knight - How Accomplished - Impossibility of Two Knight Checkmate without Extra Aid - Unlikelihood of Such Situation - An Automatic Draw XIV: KING AND PAWN ""

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A Frequent Situation - Victory Depending on Pawn Turning Pawn into Queen - Its Prospects - Its Hazards - Counting the Squares - Yes or No - Protecting the Pawn - A Ticklish Problem - The Verge of Victory Correct and Incorrect Moves - Checkmate and Stalemate - Summary of Endings - Advanced Play

92

Chapter I

ABOUT CHESS The game of Chess is played on the familiar checkerboard of 64 squares (measuring 8 squares by 8) of alternating colors, white and black. Actually, the colors of the squares may vary, but the light-colored ones are commonly classed as "white squares" and the dark ones as "black squares." Similarly, each player is provided with an identical set of Chessmen, the difference also being a matter of color, White and Black. The player using the white chessmen is known as "White" and always makes the first move against "Black," his opponent. All the squares of the board are used in Chess, as some moves are made back and forth or in other directions, as well as along the diagonals. However, it is important that the board be set in its proper position, with a white square in the corner on the player's right. You can remember that by the simple verse : "Put the white on the right." Each player has 16 Chessmen. Of these, 8 belong on the player's back row and they are distinguished by the title of "pieces" rather than merely being "men." The two pieces in the center of the back row are the King and Queen. The Queen is placed on a square of the same color as the player's men. That is, the White Queen goes on a white square; the Black Queen on a black square. This puts the White King to the Queen's right; the Black King to the Queen's left. This has a very important bearing on the actual play. The King has a large crown; the Queen a small one. Flanking the King and Queen are a pair of Bishops, distinguished by their pointed hats. Beyond these are the Knights, which resemble horses; at the extreme ends of the row are the Castles, which look like castles. In front of these important pieces is a row of men called Pawns. They are the rank and file. The two terms are appropriate because : The eight Pawns form a rank; that is, a cross-row. Each, when it moves, marches forward in single file. So it is very easy to remember that, on the chessboard, a cross-row is called a rank, while a lengthwise row is known as a file.

8

The files, or lengthwise rows, are named after the pieces that occupy them. Thus we have the King's File, with its squares numbered from 1 to 8 and the Queen's File, similarly numbered from 1to 8. The different pieces and their names are shown in the diagram below. Study this in setting up the board as the pieces are all shown in their correct original positions. It does not matter which of the two Castles is placed in a particular comer. Nor does it matter with the Bishops and the Knights. After Castles have been moved about, it becomes difficult to trace their point of origin. The same applies in the case of the Knights.

With Bishops, there is a point of difference; due to the style of moves they make, each Bishop always stays on squares of the same color as the one where it started. In setting up the Pawns, they may be placed indiscriminately upon the squares of the front row; a Pawn to each square. Each player traces his King's File from the original King's Square; similarly he traces the Queen's File from the original Queen's Square. The same applies with the remaining pieces. Each has its original Square and corresponding File.

9

To differentiate between the other pieces, those on the Queen's side of the board are called the Queen's Bishop, Queen's Knight and Queen's Castle. Those on the King's side of the board are the King's Bishop, King's Knight and King's Castle. This is all simplified by the diagrams shown below :

A

B

On the left you see the board from White's viewpoint. The squares are "named" or "numbered" as White would play them: K 1 is "King's Square" or "King's First"; K 2 is "King's Second"­ and so on. "Q" stands for "Queen"; "QB" for "Queen's Bishop"; "KB" for "King's Bishop." For convenience, the Knight is designated by the letter "N" (to avoid confusion with "K" for King") . So we have "QN" for "Queen's Knight"; "KN" for "King's Knight." For the Castles, the abbreviations "QR" and "KR" are used, the rea­ son being that the Castles are also called "Rooks" so the letter "R" means "Rook." On the right, the same system is used, but it is turned the other way about, so you get it from Black's viewpoint. When Black moves, it is described his way. Each Pawn is named after the piece that it protects. Thus, the King (K) is fronted by the King's Pawn (KP) . The King's Knight is front­ ed by the King's Knight's Pawn (KNP) . And so on. Suppose that White starts by moving his King's Pawn from the sec­ ond square directly forward to the fourth, which a Pawn is allowed to do. Suppose that Black copied the move with his King's Pawn. In Chess lingo the directions would read : White: P - K4. Black: P - K4. No need to say "KP" for "King's Pawn," because the only Pawn

10 that could make the move is the "King's Pawn." So the abbreviation 1'P" -is sufficient, though "KP" would be correct, too, if used. In reading about a Chess game, you will see terms like B-Q6, which simply means that a Bishop moved to the Queen's sixth square. This may sound rather complicated but actually it is quite simple. The trouble is, it's antiquated. Another trouble is, that although it's anti­ quated, people still use it, though with slight variations, such as calling a Knight "Kt" instead of "N." Now, the purpose of this book is to tell beginners how to play Chess without a lot of double-talk and abbreviations. You will find that the de­ scriptions are given in detail and accompanied by diagrams that show things in step-by-step fashion. So, actually, you don't need the old-fashioned enumeration at all. However, if this book whets your appetite for Chess and you begin reading up on games played by the famous chess masters in old books or periodicals you are sure to run into R - K 1, P - QB 7, or even 0 - 0, which means that a player "Castled," a term you will soon read more about. It's like reading a railroad time-table, or a racing form, or a stock­ market report. You will find it handy, when you need it. So it has been explained here, much though we regret the necessity of going into the matter at all. A table of other chess abbreviations is also given here. You can skip it, too, if you like. Later, as you delve deeper into the ways and wiles of Chess, you may want to refer to it, so it will still be here when needed. When one piece takes another, a cross is used, as : K X B for "King takes Bishop." There are also two varieties of "Castling," the abbrevia­ tion 0 - 0 meaning to "Castle on the King side" and 0 - 0 - 0 to "Castle on the Queen side. The Knight can be abbreviated as Kt or N, while the abbreviation for Castle is invariably R, taken from its other name, Rook. Other abbrevi­ ations are : ch (after a move) =Check. ! =a good move. ? =a bad move. ?! =dangerous but perhaps good. Meanwhile, let's proceed with a more important subject-the game of Chess itself!

11 Chapter I I

THE C HESSMEN AN D THEIR POWERS In this chapter, the moves, capturing abilities and other powers of the various pieces and men will be detailed, along with their limitations. We begin with :

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THE KING The King is the most important piece on the entire chessboard, not just because he is the biggest, but because he holds a unique status as com­ pared to the other pieces. The object of the game of Chess is to trap the opposing King. As a result, the King is one man that can not actually be "captured" or "taken." Once the King is in a position where it is threatened with capture and cannot be protected or moved to a square that will furnish at least temporary safety, it is termed "checkmate" and the game is over. But it is rarely a simple task to slap a "Mate" on the King, as His Royal Majesty can frequently help himself out of a tight spot, even when his companion pieces are unable to protect or rescue him. This is because the King, regarded simply as an active chess piece, has considerable leeway in the manner of its moves about the board, with some very capable "taking" powers as a result. The King has the privilege of moving in any direction that it wants, one square at a time. This means a total of eight possible moves, once the King gets away from the edge of the board and is operating in the clear.

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12 Those possible moves are reduced to five when the King is on a side line or an end row. Once the King gets into a corner his potential at­ tack is reduced to a total of only three squares. Far from being discommoded by such limited ranges of activity, there are times when the King may find them advantageous, as they reduce the angles of attack that may be made against the King by the opposing player's pieces. However, there are occasions when it becomes dangerous for the King to allow himself to be "boxed" in a corner. This will be discussed in detail later on; for the present, we are concerned principally with the attacking power of the King. This, as will be evidenced, is twofold. It involves not only the num­ ber of squares to which the King can move, but the angles of approach. The King, in a literal way, "knows all the angles" and can use any of them.

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That means that the King can openly attack any opposing pieces that are more restricted in their moves, a factor which may become more and more important as the game progresses. A point that will appeal greatly to the beginner is that the King

can

not he moved into a position where it can be taken. as other pieces can.

That is because the King is not allowed to stay on a square where it is in "check" from an opposing piece. So, very obviously, it cannot move to such a square. The opposing player must call "Check!" if you inad­ vertently make such a suicidal move. So a beginner can't "throw away" a King as he might another piece, but at the same time he must be careful when he moves his King, par­ ticularly when his opponent may be luring him into a "Mate" position. There is one opposing piece that can never move to a position where it can declare "Check" on your King. That is the other player's own King. For the White King to "check" the Black King, it would have to move to a square right next to it and, in that case, the White King would be in check itself.

THE QU EEN The Queen rates as the most powerful piece in the game of Chess because it can make long, sweeping moves along any line of squares in a single direction with absolutely no restriction as to distance. That is, the Queen may move forward, backward, crosswise or cater­ cornered, one square at a time like the King, or two squares-or more­ as may be desired, until reaching the edge of the-board.

.,

13

When placed on any of the four central squares of the board, the Queen has its greatest range. Count the squares to which this powerful piece can move and you will find that they total 27 or more than 40 per cent of all the squares on the board. Added up, these squares consist of 7 in a lengthwise direction, 7 crosswise, 7 along one diagonal, but only 6 on the other diagonal, ac­ cording to which of those center squares represents the Queen's start­ ing point. Move the Queen one square toward the edge of the board and instead of having 13 diagonal squares available for the next move, you will have only 1 1. That number will be reduced to 9 when you move another square toward the edge. When you reach the edge, only 7 diagonal moves will be possible, although the lengthwise and crosswise moves remain constant ( 7 each way) giving a total of 21 squares where the Queen can go, still a very respectable number. From a corner of the board, the Queen can still hit 21 squares, but is restricted to those along only one diagonal, which at times may prove a serious inconvenience, as shown in the accompanying illustration.

14

Here, the White Queen is in a sorry plight. It has only two possible moves, as indicated by the arrows, one square forward, the other one square along the diagonal. A move of two squares in either of those directions and the White Queen could be taken by the Black Queen. The White Pawn blocks the White Queen from moving forward. If the White Queen takes the Black Pawn, she will be taken by the Black King. It is impossible for the White Queen to move to the right because the White King blocks that line. From this, it is seen that the powerful Queen can be blocked by pieces of her own color. She is also blocked by pieces of the other color, when the act of taking one of them means that the Queen herself would be taken. Now let's assume that the positions of the White King and the White Queen happened to be reversed as in this setup :

Here, instead of being limited in moves to only four squares, two of which would have been fatal, the White Queen has a total of 20 squares to which it can move. Follow the arrows and you will find 1 on the left diagonal, 7 on the lengthwise row, 6 on the right diagonal, 6 on the crosswise row. There are 8 squares where the White Queen could be taken if she stopped there (each being marked with an X), but there are also 3 squares (marked CH) from which the White Queen would safely "check" the Black King. Such a check would be incidental and not serious or conclusive, as the Black Queen could move in diagonally to block the check and force the White Queen to move away. But it shows how readily the White Queen could become the attacker by having paths of action available.

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15

The obvious rule is : Don't let your Queen become too badly bottled, either by the opposi­ tion or your own men. Often, by a timely move, you can prevent this, at the same time using the Queen for purpose of attack. Or, by moving one of your men, you may open up an avenue of at­ tack for your Queen which, until that moment, remained guarded or unnoticed so far as your opponent was concerned. Conversely, it is possible to bottle an opponent's Queen, even block­ ing some of his pieces so they, too, help you keep his Queen immobile. Such factors will be covered in more detail later. For the present we are simply stressing that : The Queen, because of its very power, must be regarded as the chief weapon of attack and to neglect it as such may give your opponent a huge advantage, as situations may arise, or be forced, in which a mobile Queen is worth many times the opposing Queen, should the latter be bottled. As an example of the swift attacking power of the Queen, observe this situation. The White Queen has put the Black King in check, with a threat (solid arrow) along the diagonal. The Black King cannot move to either square marked CH, because he would be going into check from the White King:

.

A

B

So the Black King moves to the square marked X, which is his only "out." The White Queen promptly moves across to the side of the board (as shown by the dotted arrow) and declares "Check-mate" on the Black King. The "Mate" is clinched because if the Black King retires straight back­ ward he will still be in check from the White Queen, which will also have the Black King checked if it advances straight or diagonally. A rudimentary check-mate, but in describing it, only the corner of the board was shown. That was enough to show the Mate, but there was an added purpose.

16

Look at the whole board and see what the rest of it discloses :

A nice example of the Black Queen being rendered useless in this situation. The Black Queen is unable to take the White Queen, because one of its own pieces (a Black Knight) is in the way. The Black Queen can't move across to the square marked X, to ward off the White Queen's check on the Black King, because an opposing piece (a White Knight) blocks that attempt at rescue. A move earlier, perhaps, the Black Queen might have gone to the end of the board and checked the White King, but again, one of its own pieces (the other Black Knight) is an obstacle. White, with a weaker board than Black, has won, because the White Queen was in position to act. Black has lost, because the Black Queen was blocked from making its needed moves. EXCHANGE O F 9UEENS The Queen is so valuable a piece that when the players are battling on even terms, the loss of a Queen virtually marks the finish of its owner, then and there. The prime exception to this circumstance is when one Queen is "ex­ changed" for the other; that is to say, White, in losing his Queen to Black, may manage to retaliate by capturing the Black Queen in return. Often, this is done purely to recoup an unexpected loss, but there are times when one player will deliberately force such an exchange, such as when it breaks up an opposing attack, or helps a player build one of his own. Of course, when one player is already ahead in other pieces, a swap of Queens is to his benefit. Then, the saying, "A fair exchange is no robbery" does not apply, because it is no longer a fair exchange.

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Even an exchange of a Queen for a piece of less value is helpful, if one player happens to be far enough ahead in men, as well as under other circumstances that will become apparent in the chapters on play. These points are mentioned here as added warning in regard to the protection of the Queen, which may become the victim of combined at­ tack by a group of opposing pieces. THE CASTLE This piece, known also as the Rook, rates next in power to the Queen. Each player has two Castles which are originally placed at the end of the back row where they stand like bastions. The Castle moves only in a straight line, back and forth, or from side to side. It may travel one or more squares in a single move, stopping anywhere desired. Like the Queen, it must stop when it encounters another piece, but otherwise it can continue to the edge or end of the board. All the Castle lacks is the Queen's ability to follow the diagonal, but that is a very con­ siderable restriction. Study the four Castles depicted on the board and you will observe that, although they are placed quite differently, each has the same num­ ber of squares in which it can move, namely 14, along the lines that are indicated by the arrows.

As they now stand, none of the Castles can attack one another, as they might if they could follow the diagonals. As a result, they may go sailing past each other like ships in the night. This, in no way, lessens the power of the Castles, as in the course of regular play they are apt to encounter plenty of other pieces along their course. The trouble is, they may run into too many, the way the board is all cluttered with men at the start of the game.

18

That's when beginners get impatient and think they should get those Castles out of their corners and into the open, to take advantage of their power. That happens to be almost the worst mistake that a player can make, all the more damaging because it is not particularly obvious, at least not to the !!ovice. Simple avoidance of such foolhardy tactics may improve a beginner's game 100 per cent, so it is worth while at this point to analyze the power of the Castles and their operation. Note the position of the White Castle in its original corner. Despite its coverage of 14 squares, it has only two paths along which it can move. If those are blocked, so are the Castle's moves. At the start of the game, the Castle's forward progress is blocked by a Pawn and it can't move sidewise at all, because the back row is filled with other pieces. So what is the answer? In one word: Wait. Although the Castle may not be going anywhere, it can only be at­ tacked along one diagonal line. Since the Castle itself can meet a frontal or side attack, that path is the only one that must be watched to avoid surprise from the direction in which the Castle is vulnerable. Now note the Black Castle that is still on its back row. Its position indicates that the player waited until the back row was somewhat cleared, then brought the Castle from its corner, putting it in a better position for action. If the Castle has not yet gained a fairly open line that it can follow in a forward direction, it probably can be moved to such a file very soon. The Black Castle has improved its position for action. It now can be moved in three directions. However, the Castle can now be attacked from two diagonal lines, so it has assumed a defensive risk while improving its chance for attack. The player must now be alert where both diagonals are concerned. The other two Castles, one White, the other Black, show what hap­ pens when a piece of this type gets out in the open. Each of those two Castles can be in four directions-front, back, left, right-but it is also open to a four-way diagonal attack. This proves that it is simply a wasted move to bring the Castle out into the open where it must be jockeyed forward, sideward, or even back again, trying to find an open path, which may then be promptly blocked by a smart counter-move on the opponent's part. Don't move the Castle out unless it has an important objective, or until the board is sufficiently clear of men for the Castle to take advan­ tage of long, sweeping moves to any of the 14 squares that it should be able to reach. The longer the game progresses, the stronger the Castle becomes, not only because of the Castle's greater attacking power, but because the opponent may have less diagonal force to throw against it. -.-·--

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So the secret of Castle play is to hold back such pieces until they can be used to best advantage. THE BISHOPS Each player has two Bishops which are alike in appearance, action and value yet which are as diametrically opposite as the North Pole and the South Pole.

The Bishops move along the diagonal lines which means that when a Bishop is close to the center of the board it can cover as many as 13 squares, but when it is at the side of the board (or in a corner) that total is reduced to 7 squares. This is clearly shown in the following diagram, which depicts a pair of Bishops, one near the center and the other at a side square, with ar­ rowed lines indicating the coverage available to each. The diagram also reveals their significant difference: one Bishop must make all its moves on the white squares, the other on the black. This means that each Bishop is limited to only half the squares on the board. Being unable to move in any direction except the diagonal, a Bishop therefore cannot shift from one color square to the other the way a ' Queen can. Remember this, because it is a good thing to know when someone blandly comments that a Castle and a Bishop are the equivalent of a Queen. They aren't, because while a Castle duplicates one phase of the Queen's action in the form of lengthwise and crosswise moves, a Bishop, though copying the Queen's diagonal moves, gives only half the coverage. It would take a Castle plus both Bishops to do all that the Queen can do. Such a trio would be actually stronger than a Queen, because the Bishops could operate simultaneously so to speak, while the Queen would have to shift from one diagonal to another.

2@ More will be said about the comparative values of the different pieces later. For the present, the discussion concerns the Bishops. It is obvious that since each Bishop covers only half the board, both Bishops are necessary to cover the entire board. Superficially, this would give two Bishops twice the value of one. In actuality, a Chess expert who specializes in Bishop play regards the pair as being worth far more than double the value of a single Bishop. Or, to present it more correctly, the capable player who begins with a normal quota of two Bishops will find that the loss of one cuts the value of the other considerably more than half, particularly as the game reaches its later stages. The sad situation of a lone Bishop operating on the "wrong" color is painfully present here :

The Black Bishop has no way of attacking any of the six opposing White pieces, because it is operating along the white diagonal squares, while they are all on black squares. Although it is near the center of the board, controlling no less than

13 squares, the Bishop not only finds its position useless, it is unable to move to any place that will really help. It still can't get at a single foe and as long as those White pieces stay on black squares, they will be immune from attack by the Black Bishop. It is easy for them to stay on the black squares, because the King and Queen can move diagonally along the blacks; the Castles can move straight from one black square to another; while the Knight and Pawn (whose modes of moving will be described later) do not have to move at all. But now, suppose that Black Bishop happened to be operating along the black diagonal squares as shown in this diagram:

21

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Here the Bishop is working from a wing position termed "fianchetto," giving it control of a full diagonal along which it can move to any square. On the next move it can branch off at right angles, as indicated by the dotted arrows, to attack whatever White piece it chooses. In this case, the Black Bishop is on the "right" color squares. It is White's move and as the Black Bishop has just declared "check" on the White King, it looks all the more wonderful for Black. The White player either must move his King or interpose a valuable piece (Queen or Castle) somewhere along the diagonal, where it will be taken by the Black Bishop. Accepting the lesser of two evils, White moves his King to a white square marked "X." The Black Bishop now can move along the diag­ onal to gain a striking position at some other place. Attractive as this may appear at first glance, such opportunity is worthless. True, the Black Bishop can gain a bead on any White piece that it wants except, of course, the Queen, which would be able to strike back. But none of them will "stay put" long enough to be taken. As fast as White's men are threatened from squares where the Black Bishop stops, each is moved on to a white square. After a step-by-step advance along the diagonal, the Black Bishop will find that it has no possible attack. The Black Bishop will now be on the "wrong" color squares. In short, the difference between "right" and "wrong" does not depend upon which color squares the Bishop follows, as much as where the opposing player happens to have his men. A lone Bishop must gain swift and timely advantage of an opportunity; otherwise it may be lost. The opposition, if given time, can always make a change-over. Do not assume, however, that a lone Bishop is useless. On the contrary, it can play an important part in a pattern of attack. The very fact that it can force opposing pieces on to squares of the other color serves to limit

22 the other player's moves or makes him waste moves in awkward ma­ neuvers. Often a single Bishop can control a vital square or back up an attack that wins the game. But in such cases the victory is gained through the power of the other pieces. That is why a player who finds Bishop moves to his liking prefers to keep "paired Bishops" on the board, zealously guarding each as an ad­ junct to the other. THE KNIGHTS These are the fantastic figures of the chessboard, the pieces that add both surprise and zest to the grand old game, literally providing a spe­ cial "angle" that no other piece can supply. The Knight is the only piece that can turn a corner when it moves. It is forced to do exactly that every time it is played. For the Knight's move, although an odd one, is always the same, covering three squares in all : Two in one direction; the third at right angles to that pair. For example: A Knight may move two squares forward, finishing with one to either left or right. It may move two squares backward, finishing with one to left or right. It may move two squares to the left, adding the odd one forward or backward. It may move two squares to the right, with the third forward or back­ ward. Here are examples of possible moves open to four different Knights:

You will observe that one Knight, placed in the original position that the Knight occupies on the board, namely next to the corner square, has just three squares to which it can be moved. The next Knight, one square from the comer but diagonally outward, bas four squares open for it,;; .mov�. ·

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23 The third Knight, actually in a corner, has only two squares to which it can make a move. The fourth Knight, two squares out from the corner, is totally in the clear and has eight possible moves. When a Knight is only one square away from a side row, but more advanced along t.he board, it has six squares to which it can move. This is shown in the following diagram : '

Note here that two Knights, one White, the other Black, can take any of the opposing pieces on the indicated squares, while there is one empty square where either Knight, if foolish enough to go there, will be taken by the other. Another factor now presents itself: The White Knight near the lower left is seemingly blocked in one pair of moves (shown with dotted arrows) because its own Castle inter­ venes. Similarly, the Black Knight appears to be blocked in a pair of possible "takes" by the presence of an opposing (White) Bishop. But these moves are not blocked. A Knight, alone of all the pieces in the game, has the privilege of jumping over any pieces that happen to be in the way. This applies to its own men or the opposition. The Knight does not "take" such pieces. It merely hurdles them and lets them stay where they are. The White Knight in the lower right corner looks hopelessly hemmed in, but he isn't. He still has the usual open squares to which he can go, though there are only two choices when jumping from a corner. The "horse" that represents the Knight is not only a "jumper," it can clear two hurdles at once and go around a corner at the same time. This is indicated by the dotted arrows which show how neatly the White Knight can make a happy landing.

24 Understand, if the landing square happened to be occupied by another White piece, the Knight could not jump to it. Or if a Black piece had been waiting on such a square, the White Knight would have captured it, by the mere act of arriving there. Note that on one of its jumps, the White Knight would have to clear the Black King, which is on the square next to it. Despite that proximity, the Black King is immune to check from the White Knight. However, if the Black King happened to be on one of the two squares to which the White Knight can move, the White Knight would have to declare check on the Black King. That is, Knights can check opposing Kings, just as other pieces can-but only according to the limitations of the Knight's own move. As the board now stands, the only way that the White Knight could swiftly check the Black King would be by a second move to the square marked CH (for check) . These give a good idea as to the Knight's mobility, but also show the gyrations that may be required to get the Knight to some desired posi­ tion. The Knight is a tricky piece and how to move it may puzzle the beginner. But it is worth figuring out, as it helps in the "thinking ahead" that is so important to Chess moves. Also, smart use of the Knight may prove even more bewildering to the opposing player, who may suddenly find his men wilting under its onslaught. Although a Knight can go anywhere on the board, its immediate move must always be to a square of the opposite color. Starting from a white square, it must finish on a black; while starting from a black, it must finish on a white. This will be plainly observed by studying the diagrams that show the Knight's moves. Some Chess players, although aware of this, overlook the fact that it can handicap a Knight, just as it does a Bishop that is on the "wrong" color. While the Knight shifts back and forth after each move, the fact re­ mains that it is limited on each occasion. Suppose the Black King is checked by a White Knight as shown here :

A

B

25 The Black King, now on a black square, has 7 possible moves that will take him out of check. The only square to which he cannot move is the black square marked CH where he would still be in check. However, if the Black King moves to 3 of the available white squares, the White Knight can immediately move to a new position that will again put the Black King in check. The White Knight's potential moves are shown by solid-line arrows. From those squares, dotted line arrows show how the White Knight would again declare check on the Black King, following the latter's move to one of the specified white squares. On the contrary : Should the Black King move to any of the 3 black squares marked X, he would be safe from an immediate check by the White Knight, which would be forced to make two moves to accomplish that purpose. Furthermore, one of the "X" square moves, namely, taken by the Black King diagonally toward the White Knight, would threaten the White Knight, forcing it to move away to an undesirable position. Note, however, that there is one available white square (with no ar­ row) that offers an even better opportunity to the Black King. If it moves there, the Black King will force the White Knight to make three moves before it can again reach a square from which it can declare an­ other check. The same procedure applies in varying degree to other pieces when rhey are threatened by a Knight. A Bishop, moving from an opposing Knight's attack, is automatically safe from the Knight's next move. A Queen, moving a single square diagonally toward the Knight (as the King did above) will be able to capture the Knight on the next move unless the Knight has the protection of other pieces or can use them for shelter. The Knight can use its jumping ability not only to attack but to hop to some square wliere it will be safe from all opposing pieces--except, of course, one of the enemy's own Knights !

THE PAWNS

..

The weakest and, in a sense, the least valuable pieces on the chess­ board are the Pawns, which form the front line of attack. Limited in mobility and taking power, defenseless against most forms of opposing attack, they are naturally expendable, but not for those reasons alone. The fact that a player has no less than eight Pawns at the start of the game means that he can sacrifice a few and still have enough for later on. But he can't afford to let them all go unless he is definitely sure that he can shape a winning game without them, because each Pawn has a powerful potential that becomes more vital as the game progresses.

26

As a lead-up to that factor, consider the poor Pawn and its primitive type of move as follows: The Pawn moves one square forward, plodding step by step until it reaches the far end of the board. It cannot even take opposing pieces that it meets head on. It becomes blocked by the other piece and if the latter happens to be an enemy Pawn, both are blocked. On its first move, the Pawn is allowed to advance two squares in­ stead of only one. This rule was introduced long ago to "speed up" the game. But except for the two-square "start-off," a Pawn can only move a single square at a time. The Pawn is not even required to make that double move at the start. It can begin by moving a single square if so desired. There are times when this may be more to the player's advantage. Obviously the game would get nowhere if the Pawns perpetually blocked one another until opposing pieces managed to sidle in and gobble them. That situation is saved by the fact that Pawns are allowed to make captures by moving forward in diagonal fashion. This "take" is like a Bishop's move, but the Pawn can only capture in a forward diagonal direction and can only move a single square in taking the opposing piece. However, since there are two diagonal squares, this gives a Pawn that much more opportunity to advance--provided that pieces are on those squares waiting to be taken. The whole Pawn situation can be simply and clearly understood by a study of the following composite diagram :

The White Pawn in the first vertical row, or "file" as such a row is termed, has advanced only a single square. In its position it protects the White Pawn in the second file, which began with a "two-square" move. That is, if the Black Castle should move across and take the White Pawn in the second file, the White Pawn in the first file would take the

27 Black Castle. Since the Castle is worth more than the Pawn, Black is not likely to try it. The White Pawn in the second rank protects the White Pawn in the third file which, in turn, protects the White Pawn in the fourth file. This echelon formation looks very pretty and has certain advantages. Note that the White Pawn in the third file has blocked a Black Pawn that is coming the other way. You could say that the Black Pawn has blocked the White Pawn, too, but the White Pawn, at the moment, has no reason to advance. The protection which that White Pawn is giving to the White Pawn in the fourth file is very valuable, for the fourth White Pawn has de­ clared check on the Black King and also is in a position to take the Black Knight. Now, the Black King is unable to take that fourth White Pawn for the simple reason that the Black King would then be in check from the third White Pawn. It happens to be Black's turn to move, so he is forced to move his King away from the mighty menace of the puny Pawn. This gives the White Pawn a chance to take the Black Knight, which ordinarily would be a fine bargain. But White, it so happens, has a much grander opportunity with the next Pawn to the right, which has reached the seventh square of the sixth file. That Pawn is on the verge of a great triumph that comparatively few Pawns achieve. We have mentioned that Pawns can only move forward, even when taking other men along a diagonal. So, obviously, something must happen to a Pawn when it finally reaches the far end of the board -if it ever manages to get there. Something does happen. Such a Pawn can be promptly declared a Queen by its player and given such a value. If he has already lost his Queen, he removes the Pawn from the board and puts the Queen in its place. If he still has his original Queen, the Pawn can be declared to be a second Queen. In that case, it is usually represented by inverting a Castle and counting it as a Queen. But the Pawn itself can be identified as a Queen by means of any distinctive mark. This transformation of the lowly Pawn into a royal Queen adds zest to the game of Chess. In the parlance of the pastime, it is styled "Queen­ ing" but the term is technically incorrect. Actually, the player has the right to declare the Pawn to be whatever type of piece he may prefer : Instead of a Queen, he may make it a Castle, Bishop or Knight-anything except a King, as that piece must remain unique. But in the vast majority of cases the Pawn is declared to be a Queen, so the term "Queening" usually applies. In the example shown here, White can't waste time taking the Black Knight with one Pawn while he has his chance at turning another Pawn into a Queen. So he moves his fifth rank Pawn to the "Queen Row" and that's it.

28 Beginners are usually so intrigued by the possibility of turning their Pawns into Queens that they start their Pawns on a "death march" that never reaches the final row. Such moves are wasted moves. It is very easy for the opposing player to knock off any pawns that advance too far during the early stages of the game. Later, when most of the pieces have taken one another, the few remaining Pawns may find a clear path to the Queen row. Or, a Pawn may be worked to that goal under the protection provided by other men who ward off the weakened opposition. Examples of this will be given later.

TAKING A PAWN IN PASSI N G

A t the lower right comer of the board, a s depicted, w e see an inter­ esting situation. The White Pawn on the eighth file has taken its double move forward, as indicated by the dotted line. But, in skipping one square, the White Pawn took undue advantage of a Black Pawn that was waiting to slant in and capture it, if the White Pawn had stopped after moving a single square and had threatened the Black Pawn from there. So, by the laws of Chess, the Black Pawn could have moved into the jumped square (as shown by dotted arrow) and by that action would have captured the White Pawn anyway. This is called taking a pawn en passant, or "in passing" and it is a move that cannot wait. The Pawn that made the two-square advance must be taken in immedi­ ate reply and it can only be taken by an opposing Pawn-no other man will do-that is in a position to capture it in such fashion. In the instance shown, the Black Pawn ignored its chance to take the White Pawn en passant, rather than be captured by the White Castle.

THE CASTLING MOVE

A very special move which is frequently and wisely utilized is the double move called "Castling" which involves two pieces, the King and a Castle, both belonging to the same player. Like the capture of the Pawn en passant, the Castling move can be made only when the opportunity arises. But the player can set up such an opportunity himself and he does not have to use it immediately, though he cannot let it wait too long. Castling is done along the "back row" of the board, the original row on which the pieces are placed. The double move is performed by the King and either Castle. It consists in bringing the Castle out from its corner to a specified square nearer the center of the board and, at the same time, moving the King to a designated square toward the comer.

29

One piece literally "jumps" or "passes" the other during this proce­ dure as is shown in the diagram :

Here, White is "Castling on the King side," shifting from its original position two squares to the right, while the King's Castle is being moved two squares to the left as shown by the dotted lines. Obviously, there can be no pieces in between or this mutual shift would be impossible. So Castling on the King side cannot take place until after the King's Bishop and the King's Knight have been moved from their original positions. In the diagram, Black is "Castling on the Queen's side." In this case the King has again moved two squares toward the corner, while the Castle has come out three squares in order to get past the King. Beginners have a difficult time remembering this and often become confused as to the proper positions of King and Queen's Castle when Castling on the Queen's side. However, there is a simple way of keeping it in mind. Just think in terms of the King, a piece which ordinarily can move only one square at a time. In "Castling," the King exerts himself to the extent of one extra square to allow the more mobile Castle to get past him. So move the King two squares, that's all. Get him clear and let the Castle do the rest. That's why they call it "Castling" instead of "King­ ing." RE9UI REMENTS IN CASTLING

Two requirements for Castling have already been illustrated : ( 1) The King and the Castle must be in their original positions and ( 2 ) there can be no other pieces between them.

30

This makes Castling on the Queen's side a bit more difficult than on the King's side as the Queen must be out of the way, along with the Queen's Bishop and the Queen's Knight. But there are other conditions that pertain to Castling. You are not allowed to "Castle" if your King has moved at all, nor can you "Castle" with either Castle if it has been moved. Note the diagram below : •

White cannot "Castle" at all, because the White King has already moved, ending that opportunity. It won't help to move the White King back to its original position on the board. Any "Castling" has been killed. Black cannot "Castle" on the King's side because the King's Castle has already moved out from its corner and going back there won't change its status. However, Black may still be able to "Castle on the Queen side" ( if we assume that neither the Black King nor Queen's Castle have been moved) except for a temporary factor, namely : A White Bishop has moved in between the Black King and the Black Castle. It is on a square which neither the Black King nor the Black Castle will occupy at the finish of their "Castling" move, but it still blocks that two-way maneuver. In "Castling," the King and Castle can "jump" each other, but they cannot clear any other piece, foe or friend, that happens to be in the way. In this case, the White Castle can "take" the Black Bishop, but if it does so, the chance for "Castling" will be gone. Another type of situation also prevents the "Castling" process. It applies strictly to the King, which is not allowed to "Castle" in order to get out of "check" or when a "check" is in any way involved.

31

Note these situations :

..

Here, the White King cannot "Castle on the King side" because it is in check from the Black Queen. Now, suppose we move the White Queen one square diagonally forward to protect the White King so it will no longer be in check : Still the White King can't "Castle on the King side" because the square where it would have to go ( see dotted arrow) is threatened by the Black Knight. The White King would be moving into "check," which is illegal. The move of the White Queen would open the way for the White King to "Castle on the Queen side" by moving to the square marked "CH." That, too, is prevented because the White King would then be in check from the Black Bishop. That, too, would not be allowed. Only by removing those threats to the King's target squares would it be possible for White to make a "Castling" move. Now let's look at the other end of the board and see how Black stands : At first glance, the Black King should be able to "Castle on the King side." The Black King is not in check, nor is there a threat against the square where it would arrive ( see dotted arrow ) . But in "Castling," the Black King would have to cross a square ( CH) which is covered by the White Bishop. That means the White King would be moving "through check," so to speak, which, by strict inter­ pretation of the "Castling Rule," is the same thing as moving into check. So the Black King cannot "Castle on the King side." But the squares are open between the Black King and the other Castle. What if the Black King tried to "Castle on the Queen side ?" Observe that the Black Castle is at present in a predicament, being threatened with immediate capture by the White Pawn. Also, in the event of "Castling," the Black Castle must cross a vacant square ( marked X ) which is controlled by the White Bishop.

32 That is, the Black Castle will be violating two of the restrictions im­ posed upon the King. It will be ( 1 ) moving out of a threatened position and (2) it will be passing over a threatened square. However, the Castle has those privileges. A "threat" is not the same as a "check." A Castle, or Rook, as some pref er to call it, may partici­ pate in a "Castling" move at any time the King is free to do so. The burden is on the King. CASTLING SU MMARIZED

Simply summarized, the rules of Castling require that : 1 . It must be the first move made during the game by either King or Castle. 2. There can be no other piece between the King and Castle involved. 3. Always, the King moves two squares toward the corner, while the Castle is brought out to the square just beyond the King. 4. The King cannot move out of check, into check, or across a square where it would be in check. Castling is advantageous early in the game because it puts the King in a protected position and brings a Castle into action. It obviously gives the player two moves for one, but actually he gains more than that. Study the positions of King and Castles and you will see that it would take three moves for them to reach the positions that they attain in one move by the "Castling" process. It is smart to "Castle" and, by the same token, if you can "check" your opponent's King and force him to move it before he has- "Castled," that will be smart Chess, too. It may cause him to waste moves that he could have saved by "Castling." Wasted moves can prove to be the losing moves where a tight Chess game is concerned.

33

Chapter Ill

VALUES O F THE PIECES

For purposes of general play, as well as when an opportunity arises for "exchange" of pieces, it is wise to have some idea of their compara­ tive value. One recognized rating lists them : QUEEN CASTLE KING

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

9

BISHOP

3

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

5

KNIGHT

3

4

PAWN

1+

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

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

By this rating, a Queen is worth slightly less than two Castles, mainly because the Queen covers 21 to 27 squares, while each Castle is capable of covering 14 or a combined total of 28. While the King covers only 8 squares, its ability to move any direction gives it a strong offensive power in the late stages of the game when the King is sure to be around, as it is not exchangeable. The Bishop is handicapped in the End Game because it is limited to squares of one color. Similarly, the Knight's "jumps" and "surprise" moves lose most of their value when the board becomes cleared. The Pawn is given the value of 1 as the unit by which the others are gauged. Its "plus" value applies when opportunity arrives to promote the Pawn into a Queen.

34

Chapter IV

A 9UICK GAME

The be� way to learn a game is to play it, finding out the fine points as you go along. Mistakes, too, will become more obvious after you have actually made them. That will teach you to avoid them in the future. A friend familiar with Chess would instruct you in that fashion, so we will follow the same pattern. Beginners don't learn Chess by mem­ orizing the antiquated numerical system of the squares or by reeling off the gobbledegook that has crept into the nomenclature of the game. As we have just said, they learn Chess by playing it or by trying out the pieces and their moves, like a warm-up before a game. The study of situations arising in actual play, even the working out of certain Chess problems, will increase the beginner's familiarity with the game. Somewhere along the line you will realize that you have memorized the funny way in which the squares are numbered. You will also have gained a Chess vocabulary as a matter of mere course. For the present, however, those won't be needed, as in this chapter everything will be told in plain talk and illustrated with step-by-step diagrams. You won't even need a chessboard and its men to see how the moves are made. In most of the diagrams two moves will be shown, so simply remember that, in every case, White makes the first move, unless otherwise specified. The moves will also be stated in Chess notation ( in parentheses) with each play, so you can keep tabs on that as you proceed. At the outset the board is set with the pieces in their standard order. So let's turn the page and proceed with our first game.

GAME N U MBER ONE: A SWI FT MATE

This begins with the commonest of "opening" moves, White ad­ vancing its King's Pawn two squares and Black responding with a dupli­ cate of that move :

35

By the "King's Pawn Opening" as this is termed, White has cleared playing lanes for both the White Queen and the White Bishop, as either can move out along its diagonal. Black, in copying White's move, gains the same advantage.

Now for the next moves :

White moves out his Bishop ( B-B4) and Black responds with an iden­ tical move ( B-B4) as shown. This is a sound but rather outmoded "opening" that brings the Bishops into action. It is good for beginners, as will be seen !

36

The next moves are as follows :

White moves out his Queen along its open diagonal ( Q-B 3 ) getting it into action like the Bishop. Black responds by advancing his Queen's Pawn one square ( P-Q 3 ) where it backs both the King's Pawn and the Bishop. This also opens a diagonal for the Black Queen's Bishop, giving it a chance to threaten the White Bishop and perhaps the White Queen. A very pretty move ! Yes, a very pretty move-but not pretty enough ! Just look at this :

l

White moves his Queen four squares forward ( Q x KBP) taking the Black Pawn that it finds there. The White Queen, situated on that square ( Q 7) promptly declares not just "check" on the Black King, but Checkmate ! The game is over and White has won ! Study it briefly and you will soon realize the Black King's full plight. There are only three squares to which the Black King can move. The

37 White Queen has all three covered, so the Black King cannot move out of check. Since the White Queen occupies a square diagonally next to the Black King's, there is no way of interposing a Black piece between the Black King and the White Queen. The only other way to eliminate the "check" is by "taking" the White Queen. But the Black King cannot do that because in taking the White Queen the Black King would place himself in check from the White Bishop. Some other Black piece would have to come to the rescue and not a single Black piece-except the helpless Black King-is in a position from which it can take the White Queen. So the Checkmate stands. We said this game is "good for beginners" and so it is : Good for White, as a beginner, to try on another beginner like Black. White may gain a quick victory and Black, in that case, may learn a profitable lesson. Black's mistake came on his third move. He could have made other mistakes just as bad as advancing his Queen's Pawn that single square. As a substitute, Black could make either of these equally fatal moves :

A

B

In Example A, Black advances his Queen's Knight's Pawn a single square ( QNP-QN 3 ) apparently to back up his King's Bishop. But he has the sneaky idea that on his next move he can slide his Queen's Bishop out to the end of the new diagonal that he has opened so as to chase away that exposed White Bishop, as Black Queen's Bishop will be backed up by Black's Knight. However, Black will never make that "next" move (QB-QR 3 ) as the White Queen can still move forward and take the Black Pawn, throwing the same Checkmate as described earlier. In Example B, Black jumps his Queen's Knight out and to the left ( QN-QB 3 ) with a rather clever thought in mind, namely, that on his

38 next move he can advance the Knight to another position ( Q 5 ) from which it will threaten the White Queen and chase away that powerful opposing piece. But the White Queen doesn't wait. It just moves up and takes the same old Black Pawn and closes out the game with the same old Check­ mate. What should Black have done on that third move ? Here are two suggestions :

A

B

In Example A, Black simply moves his Queen three squares diagonally outward (Q-QB 3 ) in an exact copy of White's own third move. White's Queen is protected ; so is Black's. Since Black successfully imitated White on the first two moves, the same tactics can be used on the third. Each side has the same identical "game" so far as pieces and position are concerned, so Black, as a beginner, has not done badly by the imi­ tative process. White has gotten nowhere and since his attack has been thwarted, he could even make the mistake-which he won't !-of retreating his Queen to its starting point (Q-Q ) which would enable Black to deliver the very Checkmate that he just avoided. In Example B, Black uses his King's Knight to block White's powerful but very obvious Queen's attack. Black jumps his Knight forward and to the right (KN-KB 3 ) which makes it impossible for the White Queen to capture the Black Pawn and put the Black King in check. Not only is the Black Knight doubly protected by a Black Pawn and the Black Queen ; the Black Knight prevents the White Queen from moving out along the diagonal to either of the two empty squares.

r

39 Either move by the White Queen ( Q-N 4 or Q-R S ) would enable the Black Knight to take the White Queen. As it now stands, the White Queen has no particularly good move and may soon be driven from its present square if it stays there. Black has virtually gained the initiative and is now ready to "Castle on the King side" which will definitely crimp any resumption of the original plans held by that designing lady, the White Queen. This raises the question of whether the White Queen should have been moved at all so early in the game. You may have guessed the an­ swer : The Queen shouldn't have been moved, not by a fair-to-average player faced by a similar opponent. Part of knowing the game of Chess lies in recognizing your op­ ponent's own knowledge and thereby anticipating his reactions. To as­ sume that a competent foe would fail to see the menace of the White1 Queen, would be taking far too much for granted. So we shall consider a more astute procedure in our next chapter.

40

Chapter V

GAME N U MBER TWO: U N FI N ISHED

Starting with the "doubled" King's Pawn opening, in which both players utilize that same move, this game follows with the advance of the King's Bishops, just as in the "Quick Mate" described in the last chapter. There the similarity ends. White has tried a "feeler," so to speak, and Black has replied in kind. Now, rather than advance his Queen and toss the advantage to a smart opponent, White tries other tactics. Here, for convenient reference, are the first two moves by each player : White opened (A) by advancing his King's Pawn ( P-K 4) two squares and Black copied the move ( P-K 4) . For his next move ( B ) White brought his Bishop out four squares ( B-B 4) and Black duplicated it ( B-B 4) . Now in his next move, White does nothing to hinder the mobility of his Queen. In fact he still keeps the old "Quick Mate" idea in mind, so that he can spring it if Black takes the bait that White is about to offer. Or, rather than "bait," it might be termed a "threat" calculated to worry Black into a wrong move. Here it is :

41 White moves his Queen's Bishop's Pawn a single square ( P-QB 3 ) opening a new diagonal for the White Queen, along which it might later move and back the White Bishop, or command a diagonal of its own. White hopes to draw something from the Queen's side of Black's lineup. Instead, Black ignores the feint and hops his King's Knight for­ ward and to the right ( N-KB 3 ) . If White thinks he can switch back to the old familiar Queen attack, Black is now a jump ahead of him ! However, White already planned for that :

White moves his Queen's Pawn two squares forward-a very timely move. It blocks off the Black Bishop's coverage of White's highly vul­ nerable King's Bishop's Pawn. That is the Pawn, remember, that the Black Queen can take and use for Checkmate if backed by the Black Bishop. But the Black Queen can't get at that White Pawn because the Black Knight is in the way. True, but the Black Knight, by taking White's King's Pawn, can threaten White's same weak spot, the King's Bishop's Pawn. However, to make such an attack work swiftly, the Black Knight needs the backing of the Black Bishop, which has now been blocked. As for taking White's King's Pawn, if the Black Knight does that, Vi/hite's Queen's Pawn will take the Black Bishop. Now you are beginning to see the neat complications that arise in Chess. To add one more : The Black Bishop can't afford to take the White Pawn because that Pawn is backed by another White Pawn that would take the Black Bishop. Because of all that, this diagram has been confined to White's move only.

42

Now, let's see what Black does :

Black's King's Pawn takes White's Queen's Pawn ( P x P ) which is about the smartest play available. It breaks up White's concentration of Pawns at the center of the board for one thing. For another, if Black can keep that same Pawn moving ahead, the path will again be open for the Black Bishop to hit at White's weak spot. But White can forestall all that and does :

White takes Black's Pawn with his own Pawn ( P x P) which forces Black to withdraw his Bishop to retire on Black's move ( KB-QN 3 ) . The Black Bishop couldn't afford to take the White Pawn, for the White Queen would have retaliated by taking the Black Bishop. However, Black has another choice if he wants to use it. We'll come back to that later. Continuing with the game as just shown, the next moves are :

43

White brings out his Queen's Knight with a jump to the right (K­ QB 3 ) which protects his King's Pawn from Black's Knight. This is better than moving the King's Bishop's Pawn one square for­ ward ( P-KN 3) because such a move would block the White Queen's diagonal to the right. Way deep in his subconscious, White still has the urge to put across that solid Checkmate by bringing out his Queen and backing it with his Bishop. But Black forestalls that very neatly, as shown in the diagram. He simply "Castles" and any belated threat from the White Queen is ended. THE ALTERNATIVE PLAY

Now let's go back to the situation mentioned, the other move that the Black Bishop might have made instead of retiring toward its Pawn Row. Assume that Black, instead of withdrawing his Bishop, had moved it one square forward ( B-QK 5 ) to declare check on White's King. ( See Diagram A, below. )

A

B

44

White wouldn't want to move his King out of check, as that would spoil his chance of "Castling" later. Nor can White afford to move his Queen one square ( Q-Q 2 ) to block the Black Bishop, for the Black Bishop would take the White Queen and that would be no trade at all. White's smart move is to interpose his Queen's Bishop on that square ( B-Q 2) as shown in Diagram B, above. This doubly frustrates Black, for : Not only does the White Bishop protect the White King, the White Bishop now threatens the Black Bishop. To save his Bishop, Black would have to move it back toward its original square. This would give White a well-developed board with its pieces moving to a new attack, while Black would be practically thrown on to its haunches. In preference to that, Black decides to "exchange" Bishops. He uses his Bishop to take the White Bishop ( B x B ) in the manner shown. ( See Diagram A, below. )

A

B

In return, White brings his Queen's Knight into play. He uses it to take the Black Bishop ( QN x B ) as shown in Diagram B, above. This completes the exchange and the board is exactly as it would have been with White's Knight protecting his King's Pawn against at­ tack from the Black Knight. There is, however, this difference : Two Bishops, White and Black, have vanished from the scene. Things like that are what cause the men to dwindle, until suddenly the players find themselves battling it out with very few men. But as this game stands-and we are leaving it here-the two sides are even. White and Black have each lost a Pawn and a Bishop.

45 The only advantage that one can hold over the other is that of posi­ tion. It so happens that position is a very valuable asset, as this game illustrates. Position was the thing for which Black gambled in making that ex­ change of Bishops. Compare the two wind-ups and you will see that Black managed to come out as well by the exchange as if he had simply withdrawn his Bishop. So why should Black even consider the exchange of Bishops as an alternative ? A good question with a satisfactory answer, which is : Black, by exchanging Bishops, had a chance to gain something more. Against many players it would be worth the gamble, since Black, theo­ retically, had nothing to lose. Assume that the Black Bishop has already taken the White. The gamble on which Black banks is that White would use his Queen to take the Black Bishop, as depicted below.

A

B

Such a move would have proven costly for White. It is a simple "take" which at the moment appears to make no difference, at least from a beginner's viewpoint. That is why it is emphasized here, because our purpose is to give the beginner an advanced viewpoint. From the latter outlook, the "difference" is great indeed. The White Queen, although a powerful piece, is unable to protect White's King's Pawn. That enables the Black Knight to move in and capture the White Pawn in question. This is shown in Diagram B which depicts the unhappy situation after the dismal deed has been delivered. Such pessimistic parlance, it must be understood, is all on the part of the White player.

46 Black, as is only too evident, has captured a White Pawn and has threatened the White Queen in the same move. The White Queen, although easily able to skirt away from further trouble, must waste a move in doing so. That, plus the capture of the White Pawn, puts Black "one up" in a very decided way.

TO SUMMARIZE IT

We are drawing fine distinctions here, which is all for the better. Until the aspiring addict learns to take his Chess in such carefully prescribed doses, he won't be in the swim-or should we say the game­ at all. The situation just analyzed, cut thinner than you may expect, resolves itself to this : Black, on the verge of a Bishop exchange, asks himself if it is worth the risk of White making a bad play that will result in a lost Pawn. If Black makes a specialty of Bishop play and likes to keep them paired, it isn't worth the risk. No Chess expert would count upon an opponent making as bad a slip as White would have to make. In White's mind, the protection of his King's Pawn would still be uppermost, as that constituted the first move of the game. Think back and you will see that White is right. On the other hand, if Black would just as soon break even on the Bishops, the longshot is a good one. This choice depends a great deal on the individual player. This game itself has advanced far enough for the beginner (or begin­ ners) to pick it up from there and test the relative opportunities of White and Black by means of actual play.

47

Chapter VI

MORE ABOUT O PENINGS

We have already studied one horrible example of what can happen to an unwary beginner in the game of Chess. That was followed by a pre­ sentation of a more proper procedure under similar circumstances of opening play. So we shall repeat that style of object lesson by showing another game that resulted in rapid and overwhelming catastrophe. That will be fol­ lowed by an explanation of why it shouldn't have happened. The quick game has been appropriately titled : GOOD KN IGHT!

The beginner, in this case, is playing White. His acquaintance with Chess, we may assume, has been confined to the more common openings. So he uses one :

White advances his King's Pawn two squares ( P-K 4) which is the conventional "King's Pawn Opening." White receives a slight surprise when : Black replies by jumping his Queen's Knight two forward and one toward the center ( N-QB 3 ) which is something White didn't expect that soon.

48 This, to White's limited experience, is unorthodox. So White mulls it over, which is bad. If he jumps his own King's Knight in the same fash­ ion ( N-KB 3 ) it will cover the two black center squares. (Those squares are Q4 and KS as seen from the White sid