The opening game in chess 9780710092229, 0710092229

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THE OPENING GAME IN CHESS I .udek Pachman is weU-known as the author of a number of books covering the whole range of opening play in chess. He has recently, however, become convinced that mere rote learning of opening variations is a totally unproductive activity: players must understand the reasons behind the various moves of opening theory, so that they can begin to think for themselves as soon as new situations arise over the board. In this book he achieves the difficult task of reducing the complexity of opening theory to a number of basic principles, without over-simplifying the issues involved. By judicious exploitation of key games, Pachman has brilliantly succeeded in maintaining the delicate balance between instruction on the one hand, and information on the other. Pachman gives a number of imponant openings, concentrating mainly on the 'open' and 'half-open' games. For the enthusiastic chess player who is no longer a beginner but still some distance from the master stage, this volume offers a positive and practical road to progress in chess. This is the first in a three-volume series of boo ks by Ludek Pachman; the others will be The Middle Game in Chess and Chess Endings for the Practical Player. TilE AUTIIOR Ludek Pachman is an International Grand Master. He is widely known as a chess theorist, and as the author of several boo ks on chess, including Modem Chess Tactics and Attack and Defence in Modern Chess, both published by Ro'utledge & Kegan Paul.

By the same author:

Modern Chess Tactics ( 1970) Attack and Defence in Modern Chess Tactics (1973)

Ludek Pachman

The opening game in chess Translated by John Littlewood

Routledge & Kegan Paul London and Henley

First published in 1982 by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd J9 Store Street, London WCJE 7DD and Broadway House, Newtown Road, Henley-on- Thames, Oxon RG9 lEN Set in Press Roman by Hope Services, Abingdon and printed in Great Britain by Unwin Brothers Ltd Old Waking, Surrey Translation© Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1982 First pubfished as Eriiffnungs-praxis im Schach in 19 76 by Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Mllnchen No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism ISBN 0 7100 9222 9

Contents

vii

Translator's preface

ix

Chess notation Introduction

1

The basic principles of chess openings

16

2 The struggle for the centre

23

3 Time, space and material

4

43

Black counter-attacks

5 What is positional play?

61

6 An adventurous opening

95

7 Black prepares ... d7-d5 g A pseudo-gambit

111

136

9 Central control by pieces

156

10 Fighting the classical centre 11 Black prepares ... e7-e5 12 White becomes Black Index of openings Index of games

198

176

188

195

169

2

Translator's preface

Pachman is renowned for his encyclopaedic tomes covering the whole range of opening play. However, of late he has become firmly convinced that the mere rote learning of opening variations is counter-productive in the extreme. A player must understand the reasons behind the various moves of opening theory, so that he can begin to think for himself as soon as new situations arise over the board. This aim is admirable, but it is no easy task to reduce the complexity of opening theory to a number of basic principles, without over-simplification of the issues involved. By judicious exploitation of key games, Pachmann has brilliantly suc­ ceeded in maintaining the delicate balance between instruction on the one hand and information on the other. A beginner cannot fail to make progress if he reads this volume carefully and begins to apply its precepts to his own game. John Littlewood

Chess notation

is essential for every chess-player to know how to write down the moves of his own games, if he is ever to learn from all the mistakes that he and his opponents make. In fact, when he comes to play in tourna­ ments of any real standard, it is a FIDE rule that he must write down an accurate score of the game, using the very Algebraic Notation he will see in this volume. Clearly , at the same time, the whole magnificent world of chess literature is open to any reader who is willing to make the initial effort to acquire the rudimentary skill of reading chess notation. We have decided to use the Alge braic Notation because it is an inter­ nationally accepted method of writing down moves, whilst at the same time being the most logical in that e ach square of the board is represen­ ted by a letter from 'a' to 'h' along with a number between 1 and 8, as shown in the accompanying diagram: It

The pieces are indicated by a capital letter as follows: king= K, queen = Q, rook = R, bishop = B, knight = N , a move thus being described by the piece moved followed by the square it is moving to e.g. Ng5 =

x

I Chess notation

knight moves to the gS square. If there is any ambiguity , it can be specified which file or which rank the piece comes from e.g. , NhgS or N3g5. Captures are indicated by 'x' e .g., Bxf6 =bishop captures which­ ever piece is on f6 . A check is indicated by'+' e .g . , Qxf7+ . The simple mention of a particular square means that a pawn has moved to that square e.g. the first m ove of a game may well be I e4, which means that a pawn has moved from i ts original square to e4. Note that a number immediately in front of the move means that it is played by White . A move by Black is indicated by I . . . Nf6, and of course a move sequence by White followed by Black is coun ted as one n umber only, being wri t ten as, say, 4 d3 Be7, meaning that on move four White plays his pawn to d3 to which Black replies with a move of his bishop to e7. Castling king side is wri t ten 0-0, and castling queen side 0-0..0. Finally, writers o ften use exclamation marks after a move as an evaluation of its strength, e.g., Bxh7+! (= strong) or Rxc3 ! ! ( very strong) or question marks as a form of criticism e .g., Qxb7? (=weak) or Kh6?? (=very weak), or even a mixture, e.g., Bxh6!? (=double-edged). =

Introduction

Man has the remarkable attribute of creating a branch of knowledge out of anything and everything, whether it be conversation, sport or games. Even a hundred years ago the game of chess represented a delightful adventure of the mind, but since then thousands of theoretical vol umes have explored its fascinations. In fact, a chess encyclopaedia which attempted to e m brace all known theory up to the present day would consist of at least ten thousand pages. However, in chess clubs, cafes and homes, chess is played enthusiasti­ cally by millions of people who will never become grand masters. Nor have they the time or inclination to study thousands of games and to read page upon page of analysis. Moreover there are those who could well become m asters but have so far only taken the first steps in this direction. For aU such players, who are no longer beginners but are still far from the master stage, these three volumes offer a positive road tu progress. ln the present volume we examine the opening phase of the game. Our aim is above all to explain the prindples behind the openings, so the reader is not expected to learn everything by heart . We give only a few important openings, concentrating mainly on the 'open' and 'half­ open' games (i.e. those beginning with l e4), and deliberately leaving until later the complexities of the 'closed' games. It is no good trying to run before we can walk. Beginners would be well advised to use two chess sets when reading the book; one to follow the main line or any major variations, • and the other (a pocket set perhaps) to play through the detailed notes or carry out their own analysis.

--- -. ----

•

.

-

--

----

---

When a solid circle appears by the top left hand side of a board, this indicates that the diagram is iUustrating a variation or specific point and is not a position found in a main game.

Chapter 1

The basic principles of chess openings

The opening is that part of a game of chess when both players prepare for action by developing their pieces and establishing a pawn chain. Let us take the starting point of any game:

Of the pieces, only the knights can move at the moment, since all the other pieces are hemmed in by their own pawns. As it is essential to allow our pieces to participate in the coming struggle, the basic aim in the opening is to develop our pieces. By this we mean posting our pieces on squares which are the best for attacking or defensive purposes. From the point of view of sheer flexibility of movement, it is clear that central squares are the most favourable, especially for the knights. ln fact, in a correctly played opening we rarely encounter moves such as Na3 or Nh3 , whereas it is quite normal to see the knight going to c3 (c6), f3 (f6), d2(d7) or e2(e7). Similarly, bishops are usually effective on b5(b4), c4(c5), f4(f5) or g5(g4). Of course, we may not be always in a position to develop our pieces so actively. For example, in order to ward off enemy threats, our bishop may have to go to d2(d7) or e2(e7), and in many modern openings we 'fianchetto' our bishops i.e. develop t�em at b2(b7) or g2(g7) (after an initial pawn move: b3 or g3 for White or b6 or g6 for

basic principles I 3 Black). After we have castled and moved our queen, the rooks can be advantageously centralised at d I (d8) or e I (e8). Many beginners are prone to make a serious error in the early stages of the game by activating their strongest piece, the queen, as rapidly as possible. However, it is only on rare occasions that such a move is good, and the queen is usually left at home until we have developed our minor pieces (bishops and knights) and have castled.The reason for this is easy to understand: an exposed queen, in view of its strength, is a welcome object of attack by enemy pieces and pawns which can thus be devel­ oped with gain of time. For this very reason, even the once popular Centre Counter Defence has practically disappeared from master practice:

I 2

e4

dS

exdS

QxdS

When this variation is chosen at all nowadays, the idea is to continue with the double-edged 2 ...Nf6!? which can even involve a pawn sacri­

fice (White can cling to his extra pawn by 3 c4!? but after 3 ... c6! 4 dxc6 Nxc6 Black is ahead in development). 3 Nc3! A typical way of exploiting the exposed queen. Since the latter must

now lose time retreating, it is just as though Black has presented White with an extra developing move i.e. Black has lost a 'tempo' or White has gained one. We can now readily understand why beginners must be strongly urged to avoid the following type of op�ning play: e4

2

eS

QhS?

This move admittedly attacks the e-pawn but leaves the queen badly exposed.

2 ..

.

Nc6

Defending the pawn whilst developing a piece. 3 Bc4

White plays aggressively but his 'attack' is insufficiently prepared, so can be repulsed by Black with gain of time.

4 I basic principles

3 4 Qf3

g6 Nf6

Black defends against the at tack on his f-pawn with two useful developing moves, as ... g6 allows the bishop to go to g7. Already Black is threatening 5 .. . Nd4 which would force the white queen to retreat to its original square on d I, losing yet another tempo.

c3 6 Ne2

5

Bg7 d6

It is clear that Black is better developed and has the advantage. As for White, his queen is still awkwardly placed and can always be moved again by ... Bg4. In countless chess books we find horrible examples of neglected development, leading to rapid defeats.Consider for instance the following historic game called 'The Sea Cadet' after an opera by Genee which began with the game:

e4 2 Nf3

1

eS d6

This is not a mistake, although it is more usual to guard the e-pawn whilst. developing a piece by . .. Nc6.The pawn move opens up a useful diagonal for the white-square bishop but has the disadvantage of pre­ venting. the developing of the black-square bishop to c5 or b4. This bishop must now settle for the more passive posting on e7 or (after ... g6) on g7.

3 Bc4 A powerful looking move, but as we shall see later White has an even stronger continuation in 3 d4.

3 . ..

h6?

A typical beginner's mistake, losing time. Black wishes to develop his

knigh t on g8 and is worried about the attack on his f-pawn. However, his judgment is wrong on two counts: he could do the same job whilst developing a piece by the more useful .

.

.

Be 7, and even the immediate

3 ... Nf6!? is possible,althoug1Hisky.After 4 Ng5 d5! 5 exd5 h6 6 Nf3 Black has given up a pawn for the initiative.

4 Nc3

Bg4?

basic principles I 5

Black overlooks

a neat tactical point, but even

after the better 4 ... Nf6

White would be two tempi ahead in development which he could exploit at once by beginning active

play

in the centre with 5

Bxdl

5 Nxe5!

After 5 . .. dxe5 6 Qxg4 White is a should

d4.

healthy pawn

to

the

good which

be enough to win. 6 Bxf7+ 7 Nd5

Ke7 mate

As we already know from the line I e4 e5 2 Qh5? it is a serious mistake to launch premature attacks

in

the opening stages.

In

particular it is

seldom good to move the same piece twice, before our other developed,

in

pieces arc

pursuit of such illusory attacks. Here is an instructive

example of this, a game played at Leipzig in 1853:

Came 1

der

Count Vithum Von

L.asa

e5

I e4

clear: both players open up a line in develop the king bishop and at the same time seize some space in the centre, an extremely im po rta nt point, as we shall see later. The purpose of these moves is

ord er to

2

Nf3

Nc6 immediately note the pattern White has the first move he can (the knight on f3 attacks lllack 's

Once again, logical and sound moves. We of attack and defence emerging. Since usually develop his pieces more actively e-pawn!), whereas defend

(his knight

in the

early stages Black must normally be content to

on c6 guards

the e-pawn).

3 d4 This move leads us into the 'Scotch Game'. All common opening sys­ tems have been given

a

name which usually refers to the first player to

use them or the country in wh ich

3 . 4 Bc4!? .

.

they

were first played.

exd4

This move requires some explanation. The obvious and logical movt:: is

6 I basic principles

4 Nxd4 giving us the normal line of the 'Scotch', when Black has two good continuations:

(I) 4 ... BcS S Be3 Qf6 (in this situation the queen move is good, since White must guard his knight by playing c3, thus blocking the

natural develo ping square for his knight on b l !) 6 c3 Nge7 7 Nc2 (after 7 Be2 then 7 ... dS! is strong, but 7 BbS

0-0 8 0-0 is a good

alternative)? ... Bxe3 8 Nxe3 QeS! (in chess theory it is important to let rules be your slave rather than your master, so whilst it is normally bad to bring out the queen early in the game we have 1-iere an exceptional case where Black's queen is excellently placed on eS. It is powerfully centralised and in little danger of being attacked by the white pieces).9

Qf3 Q.Q 10 Bc4 d6 with even

pros pects. Or 4 . .. BcS S Nb3 B b 6 6 a4 (threatening to win the bishop by 7 aS) 6 . . .Qf6 7 Qe2 Nge7 8 aS Nd4!

9 Nx d4 Bx d4

10 d BeS again with equal chances.

As we can see, complications sometimes occur in the simplest looking openings. The reader may weJI ask why White does not exchange knights after 4 ... BcS, giving Black a doubled pawn which can prove to be a disadvantage.However, after S Nxc6 Qf6! (threatening ... Qxf2 mate) 6 Qe2 (or Qd2) Qxc6, Black is ahead in development and has avoided the doubled pawn. White on the other hand has developed only one piece, the queen, which blocks one of t11e bishops. As a general rule it is unwise to exchange our developed pieces, which may have moved more than once, for an enemy piece making its first move. With S Nxc6 White would lose a vital tempo by exchanging his knight, which has moved twice, for Black's knight which has moved only once.

basic principles I 7

(2) 4 .. .Nf6 (in our first line Black applied pressure to d4, whereas now the attack is uirected at e4) 5 Nc3 Bb4 ! (White 's knight on c3 is pinned, so the threat against the e-pawn is renewed) 6 Nxc6 bxc6 7 Bd3 (not 7 e5 Nd5) 7 ...d5 8 exd5 cxd5 with even chances.For ill ustrative purposes we mention two further lines which are not so good: (3) 4 . ..Nxd4 5 Qxd4 and White stands better, since his powerfully centralised queen cannot easily be driven away. (4) 4 . . . Qh4 ! ? (this even wins a pawn, since 5 Qd3 fails to 5 . . . Nf6 6 Nxc6 dxc6 7 Nc3 Bb4 !! 8 e5 Ng4) 5 NbS (or 5 Nc3 Bb4 6 NbS Qxe4+ 7 Be2 Bxc3 + 8 Nxc3 Qd4 9 Bd3 Nge7 10 0-0 0-0 II NbS Qg6 1 2 Be3 and White has excellent play since Black has had to lose too much time with his ueen) 5 . . . Qxe4+ 6 Be3 Kd8 (the serious consequence of the queen sort ie, since Black m ust prevent Nxc7+) 7 Nd2 (gaining time by attacking the queen!) 7 . . .Qg6 8 Nf3 a6 9 Nbd4 Nge7 (Black cannot develop his forces har­ moniously, so White has the opportunity to increase his lead in development by a second pawn sacrifice) I 0 Bd3 ! Qxg2 II Rgl Qh3 1 2 Rg3 QhS 13 Rg5 Qh6 14 Qe2 followed by 0-0-0 . This 4 . . . Qh4 variation is important to us, because for the first time we meet a 'gambit' i.e. the sacrifice of material in the opening (usually a pawn but occasionally more pawns or even a piece) in order to speed up one's development or achieve other advantages such as central superiority . We will look at gam bit play more closely later, but it is worth pointing out now that 4 Bc4 !? in our main line game introduces the so-called 'Scotch gambit' in which White refrains from recapturing the centre pawn and even allows his opponent to protect it, all in the interest of rapid development.

q

8 I basic principles

4 .. .

BcS

It would be very risky for Black to play 4 ...Bb4+ 5 c3! dxc3 6 0-0! cxb2 7 Bxb 2 or here 6 ...d6 7 a3 BaS 8 b4! Bb6 9 Qb3 Qd7 10 Nxc3 followed by I I Bb2, in both cases with a massive lead in development

for White, well worth the sacrificed pawns.

5 NgS? But this is a completely illogical way of continuing the gambit line, since Black can easily parry the attack on his f-pawn.The correct method lay in 5 c3! when 5 ...dxc3!? gives White the choice between two good combinations: (a) 6 Nxc3 d6 7 Qb3 with an attack for the pawn (b) 6 Bxf7+ Kxf7 7 Qd5+ Kf8 8 Qxc5+ Qe7 9 Qxe7+ Ng8xe7 10 Nxc3 d5! II exd5 Nb4 and Black achieves equality

by the forced recapture of his d-pawn. Black's best play after 5 c3! is 5 ... d3! giving back the pawn but leaving White's c-pawn blocking his queen knight's best square.

5 ...

Nh6!

Parrying White's threat by developing a piece.Admittedly, h6 is by no means a perfect square on which to develop the knight, but it stands better here than on g8. Perhaps many readers will be wondering why Black does not prefer the more aggressive 5 ... Ne5 protecting the f-pawn whilst attacking White's bishop.However, this move is a serious mistake, sinning against one of the main principles of opening play, moving a piece twice when

another piece could have been developed instead. 'Jhe punishment of 5 ... Ne5? is instructive: 6 Nxf7! Nxf7 7 Bxf7+ Kxf7 8 Qh5+ g6

basic principles I 9

9

Qxc5, and White stands better because Black's king is exposed and he

cannot defend his d-pawn (after 9 ... Qf6 the c-pawn falls, a n u 9 Nf6 10 0-0 Nxe4?

fails

. . .

to 11 Qd5+ and 12 Qxe4). Consider the dif­

ference if White tries the same idea after 5...Nh6! (6 Nxf7!? Nxf7

7 Bxf7+ Kxf7 8 Qh5+ g6 9 QxcS). In ste ad of an undevelopeu knight

on g8, Black has an excellently p os ted knight on c6 ,guarding the d-pawn, and can i m m ediately attack White's queen by 9 . . . d6! 10 Qc4+ Bc6, or here I 0 QbS Re8 etc., with a clear advantage in both cases . In the whole of opening theory there is no finer example of the need for rapid development! 6 Qh5 So White decides against the above mentioned line and a ppl ie s more pressure on the f-pawn, but his whole set-up is unconvincing: 6 ...

Qe7!

Black must guard both his bishop and f- pa wn , since 6 ...0-D? fails to 7 Bxf7+! Rxf7 (7 ... Nx7?? 8 Qx h7 mate) 8 Nxf7 Nxf7 9 Qxc5 win­ ning the exchange.

7 f4

d6

It i s clear that all Black's moves without e x ception have been directed pieces, whereas White has moved his king k ni ght twice, develo ped his queen prem aturel y and played 7 f4, a move which hardly helps his develo p m e nt. towards the development of his

8 0-0

Na5

�

Black refus es to w in another pawn by 8 . .. d3+ Kh I dxc2 I 0 Nd, as this only serves to help White's de velo pment. If Black plays 8 . .. 0-0 White has 9 f5 with the strong threat of 10 f6!, so Black chooses to relieve the pressure on his f-pa wn. There is of course a famous dictum: 'a knight displaced is a knight disgraced', and after the text-move both black knights will be momentarily on the edge of the boa rd.However, all rules have their exceptions, and the main point is that White will now be driven on to the defensive.

9 Bd3

Ng4!

Ad m ittedly this is the second move of the knight. but Black can allow himself this lu xu ry because almost all his pieces are a ct i vely placed anu his king knight reaches the 'normal' centralised position, all with gain of time.

I 0 I basic principles

10 h3 Not I0 Nxh 7? g6! 11 Qh3 Ne3 winning material.

10 . . . 11 Qf3?

Nf6

He had to play the queen to e2 to keep a retreat square available for his

knight on gS, when of course Black can maintain his extra pawn with­

out any risk by ... h6, ... Nc6 and . . 11

12 Bd2 13 b4

. 0-0 completing his development.

h6 Nc6 Bb6

The simplest, although he could capture the pawn. 14 IS

bS eS

16

fxeS

Nd8 dxeS Nd7

Not of course 16 ...QxeS?? 17 ReI .

17 Nxf7!? White's game is equally hopeless after 17 Ne4 NxeS. Black now counters the piece sacrifice without any great difficulty.

17 . . . 18 e6

·

Nxf7 Qxe6

Now this is possible because a black kn ight can interpose on eS after 19 ReI. White could well have resigned here, but the game ended as follows: 19 Bf4 Nf6 20 Nd2 0.0 21 Bc4 QfS 22 Qb3 QhS 23 RaeI

Kh8

24 Ne4 Nxe4 25 Rxe4 Nd6 26 ReS d3+ 27 Kh2 Qh4 28 Bg3 Bg l + ! 29 Kh l Rxfl ! 30 Bxh4 Bd4+ 31 Kh2 Bxe5+ 32 Bg3 Bxg3 + 3 3 Kxg3 d2 34 Resigns. Let us now examine a line in which both sides play soundly, a vari· ation of the Italian game called the Giuoco Pianissimo ('the very quiet

ga m e

'

)

e4

2 Nf3 3 Bc4

eS

Nc6

basic principles I I I

White chooses the 'Italian' development of the bishop to c4 where it is clearly well posted and directed against f7, the weakest point in Black's position.We shall examine later the reasons why this bishop move is no longer as popular as it once was.

3

.. .

Bc5

The simplest, symmetrical answer. Later we shall look at the alternative 3 ... Nf6 {The Two Knights Defence).The move 3 ...Nd4? is a weJJ. known trap.

As it contradicts our advice about not moving the same

piece twice without good reason, it is not surprising that White can obtain a clear plus with the quiet continuation 4 c3 Nxf3+ 5 Qxf3.The trap consists of the sequence (3 . . . Nd4 ?) 4 Nxe5! Qg5 and if now 5 Nxf7? Qxg2 6 Rfl Qxe4+ 7 Be2 Nf3 mate! Naturally a beginner delights in such a mate, but an experienced player can even refute this idea (after 4 Nxe5 Qg5) by 5 Bxf7+! Ke7 6 0.0! Qxe5 7 Bxg8 Rxg8 8 c3 Ne6 9 Rei d6 10 d4. White has only two pawns for the piece (usually tluee pawns are a rough equivalent to a piece), but Black's king is very exposed in the centre and White's central pawn mass is extremely active. Black has two other solid but rather passive defences to 3 Bc4 with 3 .. . Be7 {Hungarian Defence) or 3 . .. d6. In both cases White replies 4 d4 and obtains a positive plus thanks to his active development and good central position e.g. 3 .. . Be? 4 d4 d6 5Nc3 Nf6 6 h3 (to maintain his spatial advantage by preventing . .. Bg4, another exceptional case when it is worth losing a tempo!) 6 ...0.0 7 0.0exd4 8 Nxd4 NeS

9 Be2! Bd7 10 f4etc.(see next diagram). This is the starting position of the Italian Game. As we shall see in later chapters, White now has much more aggressive moves than the following 'quiet game' play:

I2

I basic principles

4 d3 This and White's next move can be interchanged.

4 .. .

Nf6

Or 4 ...d6 first, since 5 Ng5? (again that impatient and faulty move) can be answered by 5 ... Nh6. 5

Nc3

Jn general it is advisable to castle into safety as quickly as possible, and in most openings a player castles on the K-side at the first opportunity (0-side castling requires more preparation!) However, in this particular situation 5 0-0 (?) is a very risky move because after S ...d6 6 Nc3 Bg4! the pin on White's knight on f3 is very uncomfortable and Black is threatening to break up the king's position by ...Nd4 followed by ...Nxf3+ or ...Bxf3. In 1900 the game Knorr Chigorin continued in exciting fashion: 5 00 - (?) d6 6 BgS (intending to support his knight on f3 by Nbd2

see next diagram)

6 .. . h6 7 Bh4 (better is 7 B xf6 when Black of

course has a good game) 7 . . . g5! 8 Bg3 hS! 9 Nxg5 h4! I 0 Nxf7 hxg3!!

I I Nxd8 Bg4! 12 Qd2 (losing at once; White had to give up his queen by 12 Nxc6) 12 ... Nd4! 13 Nc3 (13 h3 would allow another pretty finish by 13 ...Ne2+ 14

Khl Rxh3+! 15 gxh3 Bf3 mate) 13 ...Nf3+!

14 gxf3 Bxf3 and White resigned, since 15 ...gxh2 mate is threatened and IS hxg3 allows IS . 5

6

.

. Rh l mate.

d6 Bg5

basic principles I I 3

The most natural and also most active development of the black-square bishop, pinning Black's knight on f6 and planning Nd5 followed by Nxf6+ or Bxf6 weakening the king's position. However, this is not so fatal for Black as he has not yet castled this side. For this reason Black must not of course reply 6 . .

.

0-0'? 7 NdS! etc.White has an interesting

alternative in 6 Be3. It appears at first sight that it would be favourable for Black to exchange bishops giving White doubled pawns. However, such doubled pawns represent a strength rather than a weakness, because White can exploit the open f-file after

O.Q. Black can also double another 9 axb3, but then the other

pawn by 6 ... Bxe3 7 fxe3 NaS 8 Bb3 Nxb3

white rook would become active down the h-file. Remember, rooks love open ftles! Black's best reply to 6 Be3 is 6 . . . Bb6! when 7 Bxb6 axb6 hrives him the open 111e!

6 ...

h6

14 I basic principles

)

As White is threatening NdS, we have already said that 6 . . . 0.{)? would be suicidal . Interesting problems arise when Black copies White's moves with 6 ...Bg4 7 NdS Nd4, as now 8 Bx f6 Bx f3! 9 Bx dB Bx d l I 0 Bx c 7 Bxc2 1 1 b4 b5! gives Black equality , somethin g that rarely happens i n chess after copying moves. White has better in 8 c 3 ! B xf3 9 gxf3 Ne6 I 0 Bh4! and Black still has problems since I 0 . .. g5 makes his K-side weaker than White's. Another popular but complex alternative is 6 . . .Na5!? with the in­ tention of eliminating White's active black-square bishop . After 7 Bb3 Nxb3 8 axb3 Be6 9 0-0 the game is even , but t here are great complica­ tions after 7 Nd5!? Nxc4 8 dxc4 when (see next diagram) 8 . . . Bxf2+!?

9 K x f2? N xe4+ 1 0 Kfl Nxg5 I I Nxg5 Qxg5 12 N xc7+ Ke7 13 N xa8

Be6 (threatening . . . Bxc4+) 14 b3 Rxa8 follows and the insecure p osition of White's king makes it difficul t for him to exploit his slight material advantage. However, after 8 . . . B x f2+ !? White can sacrific� a pawn by 9 Ke2! Bb6 I 0 Rfl with chances owing to his pressure down the f-file. And Black too can improve on the whole line by 7 Nd5!? N xc4 8 dxc4 c6 ! 9 N x f6+ gxf6 I 0 Bh4 Qd7! when after I I B x f6 (otherwise Black plays . .. Qe6 followed by . . . f5 eliminating his doubled pawn) Black has II . .. Rg8 12 Bh4 Qg4 winning back his pawn with good play . lt is easy to see that the term 'quiet game' can be a misnomer!

7 Bxf6 A fter 7 Bh4 gS White's bishop is driven to a passive position on g3, but it is important here that Black has not castled, since White would then have the standard 8 Nxg5! hxgS 9 BxgS threatening NdS or Qf3. With Black still uncastled, the sacrifice is incorrect i .e. 7 Bh4 (?) gS 8 N xgS? hxgS 9 BxgS Rg8! 10 h4 (or 10 Bh4 Rg4) I I : . . Be6 (in order to

basic principles I 15 exchange off th e

knight if it goes to d5) I I Qf3 Rg6 followed by ...Nd4

winning.

7 .. . 8 NdS

Qxf6 Qd8!

The alternative$ ... Qg6!? is an interesting idea since 9 Nxc7+? fails to 9 . . Kd8 I0 Nxa8 Qxg2 I I Rf l Bg4 winning, an idea worth re­ .

membering.However, White can gain an advantage by 9 Qe2! Bg4 (not

9 . . Qxg2? 10 Rg 1 and 11 Nxc7+) 10c3! (again not !0Nxc7+ Kd7 11 Nxa8 Nd4 12 Qd1 Qf6!_etc.) 10 ... Bb6 11 a4!with thethreat of 12 b4 forcing Black to weaken his pawns by 12 ...a6 13 Nxb6 cxb6. .

9 c3 We shall see this move recurring in other positions. White threatens to advance in the centre after 9 ... 0-0 10 d4 exd4 I I cxd4 with a definite spatial advantage.

9

..

.

Ne7!

This illustrates an important strategic principle: when our opponent has an advantage in space, the exchange of minor pieces can usually simplify our defensive task.

10 b4 Now 10 d4 loses its effect, since after 10 . .. NxdS II BxdS exd4 12 cxd4 Bb4+ 13 Kf l BaS 14 Qb3 0-0! White has had to give up castling and Black stands well

(I 5 Bxb7? Rb8 ! )

10

Bb6

Nxb6 12 d4 13 Nxd4

axb6

11

exd4

Another important moment.If White plays the usual 13 cxd4 Black can liquidate in the centre by 13 ...dS! 14 exdS NxdSieaving White with an isolated d-pawn (i.e. unable to be supported by other pawns) which can become a positional weaknes).

13 . . .

0-0

Black has finally achieved equality.

Chapter 2

The struggle for the centre

The examples we have given so far indicate that the role of pieces in the opening is fairly clear-cut: they must be developed quickly and actively. But what about the pawns? We have already seen that unnecessary pawn moves delay the development of our pieces and can have drastic consequences. Inexperienced players are prone to waste time with moves like a3 (a6) and h3 (h6) in the belief that they are thereby securing their position against possible attacks. However, such moves are mistakes unless there is a specific reason for them! Pawn moves in the opening are above all a means of developing the pieces, but we must not assume that this merely means opening up lines for the pieces and nothing else. If this were the sole object of pawn moves, the beginning of a game could look like this: Je4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nf3 b6 (?) 4 Bd3 Bb7 5

Q.Q•

•

Black has in no way neglected his development, having brought his bishops out as quickly as possible. Nevertheless he is now suddenly

•

When a solid circle appears by the top left-hand side of the board, tltis indi· cates that the diagram is illustrating a variation or a specific point and is not a position found in the main game.

struggle for the centre I 17 confronted with serious problems, since he has great difficulty developing his remaining pieces. If his knights go to the natural squares f6 or c6 they can always be threatened by e5 or d5. Black's error has been to think purely of time in developing his pieces, without considering the other important factor space. He has allowed White a free hand in con­ trolling the centre, without obtaining any compensation elsewhere. If we are to secure our central squares, the pawns have to play an important part in this. In the above example White was allowed to achieve the ideal pawn centre, with pawns on d4 and e4. When White plays I e4 (the main move we are considering at the moment) his intention is to bring his d-pawn colleague alongside as speedily as possible in order to achieve a grip in the centre. For his part, Black must make efforts to counter tllis idea, the most radical method being to play I ... e5 himself guarding d4. If White still plays 2 d4 Black will capture and maintain the central balance . White's preparation for 2d4 remains however an important strategic element in most e-pawn openings beginning 1 e4 e5, which we refer to as open games. This term indicates an important feature of these openings: the pieces usually have a rapid and unhindered development and lines are opened by pawn exchanges. We have already seen an example of one of these openings, the Italian Game, so let us delve a little deeper into the theory of this opening.

Game2 Rossolimo Reissmann (San Juan, 1 967)

I e4

eS

2 Nf3

Nc6

'

3 Bc4 From the comments we have just made about the strong pawn centre, the question arises whether White could im!J1ediately prepare d4 by the preliminary 3 c3 so as to recapture with this pawn after . ..exd4. We then have the Ponziani Opening, rarely played nowadays, perhaps because it delays the development of White's pieces and allows Black to seize the initiative in some variations. There are two main continuations for Black: (I) 3 ... dS (good here, since after 4 exdS? Qxd5 White's c-pawn blocks the natural developing square of his knight on b I!) 4 Qa4! Nf6!? 5 Nxe5 Bd6! 6 Nxc6 bxc6, 7 Qxc6+? Bd7 8 Qa6 dxe4 9 Bb5 0-0 I 0 Bxd7 Qxd7 with a clear advantage to Black in view of

1 8 I struggle for the centre White's misplaced queen, but White has the stronger 7 d3! 0-0 8 Be2! Re8 and it is debatable whether Black's better development is suf­

ficient compensation for the pawn. (2) 3 ...Nf6! 4 d4 Nxe4 (but not 4 ...exd4 5 e5 followed by 6 cxd4 with a central advantage) 5 d5 Nb8 6 Bd3 Nc5 7 Nxe5 Nxd3+

8 Nxd3 d6 9 0-0 Be7 1 0 Qf3 0-0 or here 5 ...Ne7 6 Nxe5 Ng6

7 Nxg6 hxg6 8 Qc2+ Qe7 9 Be3 Rh5! with full equality to Black in both cases.

3 4 c3

BcS

There is more logic behind this move here, since a later d2-d4 will gain a

tempo by attacking the bishop.

4 .. .

Nf6(!)

White's last move did not help his development much, so Black must take the opportunity to get his pieces out.This knight move also involves an attack

on

the e-pawn. Black has two alternatives which leave White

with the initiative:

Kfl! threatening 8 d5 followed by 9 Qa4+) 7 Nc3 Nf6 8 Be3 Bg4 9 Bb3! (moving the bishop twice, but to good effect since 9 0-0 would allow 9 .Nxe4! 10 Nxe4 d5 a very common idea)

(I) 4 ...d6 5 d4 exd4 cxd4 Bb6 (not 6 ...Bb4+ 7

·

to win a piece by

.

9 . .0-0 .

.

I 0 Qd3 Re8 II 0-0 Bh5 12 Nd2.By regrouping his pieces

White maintains his strong central position, with a clear advantage. in space. (2) 4 ...Qe7 5 d4! Bb6 (after 5 ...exd4 6 0.0 dxc3 7 Nxc3 Whi_te has an enormous lead in development) 6 0.0 d6 7 h3! (an important

struggle for the cen t re I ! 9 move preventing . . . Bg4 putting pressure on his central pawns) 7 . . . Nf6 8 Re I 0-0 9 Na3 ! (since the natural c3 square is denied him , the knight aims for c4) 9 . . . K.h8 (bet ter than the immediate 9 . . . Nd8 which allows White to win a pawn a fter 10 Bfl Ne8 II Nc4 f6 1 2 a4 ! c6 1 3 Nxb6 a x b6 1 4 Qb3 + and 1 5 Qxb6 . Black plans to strengthen hls cent re by . . . f6 without allowing a check on b6) 1 0 Nc2 Nd8 II b3 ! Be6 1 2 B f l ! Ng8 1 3 Ne3 f6 1 4 N d S with a n active position for White. This knight manoeuvre Na3 -