wee AMATEUR’'S MIND ‘TURNING CHESS MISCONCEPTIONS INTO CHESS MASTERY —.2ND EDITION/EXPANDED ___by-IM Jetemy(SilmanTHE AMATEUR’S MIND ‘TURNING CHESS MISCONCEPTIONS INTO CHESS MASTERY 2ND_EDITION/EXPANDED by IM Jeremy Silman SLES PRESS = Los ANGELES‘copyright © 1959 by Jeremy Sinan Allg reserved No par of tis book may be wed fo seduced any manner whatsoever without writen permistion {hoes the publisher, except in the cate of brit quotaions embodied ia ‘real anles and reviews, 10987 brary of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Silman, Jeremy. ‘The Amateurs mind’ waning chess misconception ino chess mastery ‘by Jeremy Sian. ~ 2nd ed pcm 1 Chess, 2 chess problems. 1 Tite evido5ss2 1999 79412—aea 9.32901 ISBN: 890085.02-2 ‘Cover design by Hel Feder Pte and boul in the United Sates of Americ Siles Press 3624 Shannon Road os Angeles, CA 90027 To Takako Abe, whose kindness allowed me to see shades of Tokyo that would normally have remained bidden, and to Arrow and Deborab Chan, who turned a quick vist 10 Singapore into something very specialCONTENTS Preface ts lewsoduction xi ‘The imbalances 1 ‘The Bate Between Bishops and Knights 9 Acquistion of the Center, Tertory, and Space 6 ‘The Confusing Subject of Pawn Structure 107 Material 145 Development and Intiative 167 Many Imbalances, One Board 203 How 10 Ply the Opening 229 Using the Rooks 245 Cure ofthe Mindless King Huncer 259 Which Sie ofthe Board Should You Play On? 277 Developing Mental Toughness 299 Tests 315 ‘Test Solutions 329 Glossary 427PREFACE My esi in wing his ew eatin of The Amateurs Aud 'sto supply soot ote veo player that wil enable i o hero improve daratcly. Taugh te ene base of te niga book sil exis, Te spied te language when deemed tnecenaty. The books ays ha bec seigned— tow is eer to pick ev the Ke} poins tnd ase the ated presented ‘Noscmponanty, Tv cd wens stat the en oft bole The sane hese tess dep andinscon eh sore tan one ane page hig ue nomaton The ‘con of plomary aloms te purl set qk and etsy acceso chess em saps sd concep Ten convinced th tigi! rer ombicd with he provements caine bore wl um sy Serious suet of he same ong ooraner player Jeremy Silman ‘Apa 1999INTRODUCTION Every ces set deaf fling the poe ther snes who age ows whats pyc assets min and sl sgl sno fo cone re Unlominty, hry happens ely: Ta ween maser, moe bei moe acer or ppc tks tice loa ste stent rns aston nd patanowen th prebiene tn appar oto hs jes hlctis is gotechgue, en wondered oh wad happen a techr col ely eh sn fed To ‘Lop lt played gues sth ny Stents sing theme wiha pod pon hades bee y ‘te owes er T made mie and ot Sows thou To my amaze Im son sting ple ht ering ny pemered Toads hn (ake hatem anno sees of Granda tegen Ta tapoms othe Canines moves bs Showed me which concep hy woes undetnd nd Sith ots were sno fom elem. enters rl hes ces. a apa pa nn er ta a ot be eons Jonrown iouphsas michathey sete thagscl be pope ‘tony shore em wh ne ‘hn hese ge you Wl id much oF recy cncertand issn cnmendton, reste se ing imighe™al cesgned ep you ene the herae ous tl ens tha id we Jo, Say ts oman Sift andspnd oe tine sng sbowt te Hopeiy ok Deyo spin range ths concepts hare nae or longi che matey tt os hres eed anaIMBALANCES Theres ny stenting basco a udernng st ch damian en ites noose tate incre pation yong ire intact stot plea uae ca nde hts ‘sprite ont Potion we coe ee at nd he nod wombs sper condo anything te was tod or cli you oe otc yo Sint aferthe ene King anya al shat ast Youve tat ld he oa ond obey dates he Soa nuns yt tak te Rg. hen ac Be srt youto pay ina pst ve, then you man eo made ker Tote his int, ke a ok the pston a diagOne é x kakoWad a 48 & B24 BBA BAA a w se Drindzichashvili-Yermolinsky, US. Championship 1993 ‘White to play “Wat is going on here? Most players would eter lok atthe postion in a misty stupor or calculate move afer move without realy knowing what the espective plansare. However, an acqualn- tance with the lst of imbalances would make things much ease ist of Imbalances > Minor Pieces — the interplay between Bishops and Knights (ying fo make one superior tothe od) > Pawn Structure — a broad subject that encompasses doubled pawns, slated pawns, backward pawns passed pawns, cic > Space — the annexation of tertory on 2 chessboard > Material — owning piece of grester vale than he opponents > Pics and squares — fie, od gona ac as atone fr your lees, whe sare at as homes {tot pans ean comer avon tne dominion oe, or he creation of wenn inthe enemy can > Development — 1 lead in development gives you tre fore in specie aes che ard Ths hs. {enponry imbalance because the opponent wl even wualy och op > Inidative — dictating the empo of a game. This s also a temporary imbalance, complete explanation ofthese factors (andl detailed system ff planning) can be found in my book, How to Reasses: Your (Chess—Third Edition. However, a "planning shorteut” can be created by leaming o recognize the imbalances for both sides ‘Once you can do this, simply lst the imbalances you're hoping to Uutlize and strive to make them beter than the ialances yout ‘opponent will be using. This brings us back to the eatier ‘discussion of “reading the hoard,” Can you “read? the postion ia sdagram 1? ‘Before you get cared away, let me remind you: DONT look atindividual moves! Infact, never calculate until you understand the basic components (balances) of the postion. With this in ‘ind, i’ time for you to is allthe imbalances you ean find, Wite Wis information down and then compare your work with the positional explanation that follows. Imbalances diagram 1 > Minor Pieces: Black owns two Bishops. The postion is fairy open, andl this makes us believe tht the Bishops ill prove superior to the White Knights > Pawn Structure: Black has no weaknesses in bis pasin structure. The only pawn that can be looked upon as Potentially weak isthe unit on 5, > Space: White has 2 spatial plas inthe center thanks to Dis advanced e5-pawn, > Materia Mazeril is even, > Files and squares: The dfileis open, but nether side has managed to occupy it wi a Rook. The T6-square s potentially weak, > Development: White has lead in development, > Initiative: e's not clear who, sFanyone, has the naveDid you find the imbalances? you were «bit off, dont le i bother you. Like anything ese, takes practice. Keep searching for imbalances in every postion you see and, ina very short time, youll be adept a picking out every imbalance in any situation, [Now let's combine the imbalances from diagram 1 and sce ia plan sugges itself Black owns two Bishops and is also exerting some pressure against White's pawn on e5, Black would love to snerease this pressure and make use of the face that he owns a rkesquared Bishop while White doesn. ‘White would like to make his Knights active (Knights need advanced poss if they are going to win a batle against Bishops) ‘Two squares tat call ott the horses are e4 and f6, White Would like place a Knight on ef and then (Somehow) bash i inc the hole on {6 The problem for White isthat using e asa post blocks the efileand makes e5 harder to defend. ‘White's extra central space, given to him by the e5-pawn, won prove very useful beciuse he will betoo busy defending eS. ‘That leaves us contemplating White's lead in development (lit sve im an initiative. Inthe present situation Black wil beable to caste quickly and the absence of any weakness wil make it impossible for Whit t profit from ths temporary plus. ‘The goals of both sides should now be dear: White must defend his eS-pavsn and find a way to advance his Knights and make them active. Black will play to keep the enemy Knight a bay (Seika said thatthe way 1o beat Knight sto tke away all ‘heie advanced suppor pois) and 10 te White's pieces down to the defense of e5. Since Black threatens to place his pieces on ‘deal squares by ..Bo6 (eyeing f3, one of the defender of €5) followed by... NA7 (tacking e5), White lashes out in an effort co prevent Black from carrying out his ideas. LNs, “Ths places the Knighton an active square and stacks c7, Now 1...Na6 would show that Black has lost sight of his goal (puting pressure on e5)—1 Knighton a6 would no longer be abe © #0 afer the White pawn. Not wanting tobe distracted fom his desies| ‘agains 6, Black simply takes the Knight (sling his two Bishops {ors gain in me) and ends White's threats once and forall 1x5! 2ixbs+ «6 Tis cee eo but We Kaigh wl bes detening eat twit never be ate o mineore eee, ened ie Sic Ne ‘White hasn't been able to mae a dentin the Black postion hie the second player sil cami following hs cnt en (taking aim at e5), ee A.gts gest ‘Many people don't like ro rade Queens too eal; they fee i 'sa wimpy ching i do, However, Black weaizes that his goal iss to attack the enemy King. Nor does t have anything to Jo with ‘other things that might requite the retention of the Queens, By ‘swapping the ladies, Black insures the safety of his own King and {eI rid of a White piece that cull defend es, 5.Qxe5 Nxes 6Rad1 Ras TRxds+ Kade BRAI+ Ke7 Shs Ray Another point of Black's 1..BxbS can now be seen. By ‘reating Bishops of opposite colors, Black isable to attacke5 with his dakesquared Bishop while White is unable o use hs light, squared Bishop for defense, 1oRer “ang on 8 woud ae Whe pls to prevent Cate 10. Kx NE Falowed by ie win of aces a8 iis retney Bie Preparing 1 use the King a a defender ofe513..ND6 14K 93 White sould be happy to see Black trade off his Knight ‘which can attack 5) for White's Bishop (which can't play a part in the defense), 14a 15.Nd2 axb3. 16.5xb3 RAB A7NEB NAT SKF Ras 19.Re2 RaS and Whke was completely ded down to the defense of his e-pawa, Black went on to score a long, tough victory. 1 would like to end this chapter by discussing a letter 1 eceived in the April 1993 issue of Ches [ie magazine. An irate Subscriber accused me of offering inappropriate information tO the readership. le complained that “weak” players in the “E" to "B" categories are not able to understand subtle things about minor pieces and weak pawns, adding that they can hardly see a ‘mate in one! T think this is completely untrue. After giving a student the basic mating puters and sates, you mast begin feeding him advanced concepts. At fist these deas will not make sense; many players will have a vague idea of what you are talking about but ‘othing more. However, even a fragmented understanding of these concept wil prove useful, and eventualy they will experi- ‘ence muted increase in strengh as these lessons are assimilated by repetsion and example “To prove this statement, ets allow a six-year old gi to open. four eyes. When she was taking lessons fom me her rating was in the 900 range. I would go through her toursament games, offer advice, and occasionally throw her concepts that would seem +0 be for much older and more sophisicated players. One day we ‘vere looking ata game she had played when {noticed that she had reached 4 complicated Rook and pawn endgame. To my ‘light, she moved her Rook othe seventh ank and began taking her opponent’ pawns “Rooks are strong onthe seventh sak she said. 7 7 Ail wie later she moved it away rom th seventh, “Why di you reext your Rook” asked Looking at elke I wis an cy, she answeze,* . "Tm pting ‘behind my opponents passed pewn before kbcsone donee us, Roos shoud aay be placed behind passed para tie gem who wee at rte tea yest ld ican make use a ich advanced concep ten ‘can't adults with much higher ratings do the same? :THE BATTLE BETWEEN BISHOPS AND KNIGHTS three points (as far as polat count ls concerned),1s up to you to manipulate the postion and make ‘rhatever plece you own more valuable. 7 posts foe the Ccasonally 4 book wil assign a valu of 3 plas for the bishop and only 3 for te Knight. Don’ bay ito ts Ether piece eaeaeble of beating the other—it all spends on what you ve tnunem and svat you do withthe ther Factors in the position {hat wil influence them. ‘white © play A book can claim that a Bishop is superior to + Knight und the cows come home, bu glance at the diagram will convince one of the Blac Knights vast superiority. Though White fun up and has the move, he might as well ese 1.Ke1 Kat Raid Kz and Black wins the epawn and quickly turns his cwn e-pavin into a Queen, ‘ace again: Bishops and Knights tart out as equals. You are the one who will ukimately prove their tue value where {ULE 2— Bishops are best in open postons owns don't block their diagonals. So get aed, the ponon opens up ee ese ANT eee grey at Bop wil be valved mre am tag, For example, he ope of cea siaion that comes about ater Let e§ 2:44 exdd 3.c3 dxe3 4.Be4 exb2 5.Bxb2 graphically ilustrates the board-sweeping power that Bishops can possess. Those wide open diagonals allow the [Bishops to reach tet Full potential [RULE 3— Bishops are very strong in endgames ‘where both sides have passed pawns that are dash ng to their respective queening squares. Ia such situations, the long ange capabilites ofa Bishop. ‘make it far superior w the slow, short-range Knight. o ba) ‘White to play This positon is way over the top but i illustrates Rule 3 extremely well. White § four pawns up, his h-pawn is more advanced than Black's 2-pawn and, 0 top i off, White also gets to make the fist move. Nevertheless, White is dead lost Black's Bishop on b2, though far from the vicinity of White's pawns, shows its long-range mastery by stopping all of the enemy passes in their tacks In the meantime, the lone Black pawa on 3 cannot be stopped because the ponderous Knight is unable 19 {be overt the queenside in time, [RULE 4— The term “bad Bishop” means that your Bishop is situated on the same color as your center pawns (which block it and Init it activity). If you have such a Bishop you usually want to do one of three things:> ‘rade Ir fora piece of equal valve. > Ger the pawns off the color of your Bishop, > Get the Bishop outside the pawa chain. Iwill Sil be bad by definition, bu i will also be ive. A bad Bishop can bea strona piece! @ White's Bishop on cf is “bad” but “active” since it resides ‘ouvide the pawn chain, Even though it has the stigma of “bad oeigned to tH i tl a very strong piece It stood on €2 it Mould be very inacive and fully deserving of the name “bad” i Black Bishop on c6 is considered 10 be a “good!” Bishop but re pot nearly at -active” a its White counterpart. This example views us thatthe tems “good” and “bad” are useful for basic cretion, bat dont take them too Lteralyt ta general if yout fatop ie serang 2 usefl Function you can happy toss the "joe? and “bad tesminology out the Window RULE 5 —A Bishop's weakness is that itis stuck on. ne color for the whole game; anything resting on the other color is safe from its attention. TWO [Bishops work together very well because they aenrol both colored diagonals, thereby negating {his"one color” weakness. © ¢ & baad White to ply white two pawns ahead i diagram 5 bit he cit win beste Bg ns Http of Chang he sig oy fo er nat ape Wh os ‘ance Gn Wiser Bip one ak nt on cen Bop rao sn an will see a different result. Now both colors fed and Ihas ig? es cate poonsln lon tan White to play, bu Black's Knight dominates the game RULE 6 — Knights love closed rene oh positions with locked ms. Theis ability to Jump over other pieces ‘makes them very viable in wach situations,In diagram 6, Black's Knight is strongly posted on cS where is safe from avack Ialso eyes the enemy pawns on b3 and e4 white’ Bishop is hampered by al the center pawns which block ftand make ia passive piece RULE 7 —Knights ustally stand better in the center Of the board. One old chess adage goes: “A Knight on the rim is dim.” There are two reasons for this: ‘The first is that « Knight on one side's rim must take several moves to reach an endangered area Gn the other wing, A Knight in the middie can jump to either side at will The other reason for this (Gistrust ofthe rim is that a Kaight simply controls fewer squares there. ” tn dingram 7, the Knight on a2 only controls chree squares (oi. ed, edd and must make three moves 10 reach the kingside Thee central Knight on 6 controls eight squares and can reach ether winggin one bop. RULE 8 — Since Knights are not long-range pieces, they aced to have secure, advanced homes to be tffoctive. These homes are called support points In dlagram 6, the Blac Knight rested on the 5 support point other possible suppor points Gf the Knight could reach them ‘Mould be c3 and di Note that a square like fis not a support Dont since White could eaiy chase an intruding Knight away by £8283. In general, a Knight would like to find itself as far up the board as possible The following points covld prove useful > ngs are not fective on the fist ink Here they atin purely deenive vole > Angi suk onthe second a als defer the and is conde ob nfs w 2 Shop. > -AKnight onthe third rank serves many defen sive fancons and ready tp fre thetendara nomen naices nn? > A Knight securely plc onthe fon an considered o be fly esa. Bahop. > Axnight onthe ths a power acking ut ands sal atonger than 2 shop. > Axaight reaches the enh ofits potential on dhe stank Hee ents mos cer pces alive and the defenders often hap to serie 2 Hook forthe offending howe andthe pon tha protected > Aaigr onthe lst wo rank fer imi ing ree snc dons nt cone ay sahara it does on he sath ® > a’ oak eOF [Knighton the Gis beter than a Knight on the 7% In diagram 8, the Knight on c3 attacks eight squares deep in the enemy camp. The Knighton 2 only coatols sx squares. Thisshows how 4 Koigh oes ome of ts powers nce panes the Sean ULE 9— Knights are supesior to Bishops nan adganc alte pawn ron one se ofthe fenrdsThiss because te bios ogeange power na lnger have mening wie tc eights Ihiy tego weer colorequte mea tha there feo talc haven fre camnyKlag or pw is i itrned in agra * & & a as sa 2 [Le | ‘white to play, Black wins tract with the Blace ‘The White Bishop cannot come into con King, Knight or pawns In the meantime, the White pawns on ef and h3 ate vulnerable to the combined atack ofthe enemy King snd right RULE 10 —The frst official World Chess Cham- pion, Wilhelm Steinitz, pioneered work on the minor pieces. He stated thatthe way to beat ‘Knights was to deprive them of any advanced ‘support points, Then they would be inactive and, as ‘result, Inferior to Bishops. The reverse, of course, fs that if you possess Knights, you must strive 2s hard as you can to create support polnts for them. Now that we've examined the correct rules for a Bishop versus Knight bate, is time to see how an amateur pus these bits of ‘wisdom into actual practice. as will quickly become apparent, having access to this knowledge is one thing, actualy wing Kin an over the board struggle is quite another! ‘The fist postion tha we will consider in-depth caine about after the moves 14 N16 es e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 duct 5Quis B47 6.Quct Be6 7.NES BAS 8.Qd3 Bed 9.Q41 c5 10.Ne3 BS 11.0-0 Nb 12.Qe2 cx 13.8 Beg? 14.Kxg? Bes 15.RAL 0-0 16.04 Qe7 17.Qe2 Buds 18.Rxd4 5 19.Rd1 NBG Ths led to the postion in dagram 10. ao Silman-Gross, American Open 1992. White to play ‘Whats going on inthis seemingly boring postion? The pawn structure is mre oss symmetrical, nobody can lay aim to any space advantage, all the pieces are welldefended and nether King sin any toubl. Aside from the fact that White's pieces are more aggressively posted since they are uying to tke contol of 45 Gutile Black's Knighs are passively tying to defend that square), the one major imbalance is 4 minor piece difference White has a Bishop and Kaight while Black & suck with two aight, Due tothe stated imbalances, White wil use Stents rule to make Knights ineffective by king away ther advanced suppomt Points. He will do this by resvicting the b6-Knight by b2-b3 Gtrecess) followed by a2-ad-a5 (licking it from its perch on bi), Hemi ako place the Bishop on the leible 3-square and move his Queen to bS where i eyes ihe pawns on b7 and e5. All these things may seem smal in themselves, but together they add up 0 tanpleasant pressure on the Blak: postion 20.863 REGS ‘On 2..Qo4 White sould have played the boshersome 2B. 21.Qbst Making each of his pieces beter than their Black counter parts White's Queen is obviously superior to Black’ Tady on 7, fis cdKnight ready to leap into oat any moment is more ltgperiely posted than ether Black jumper, and his Bishop ‘Gefends d4 and is constant dreatening to chop on 6 21.006 223 Simply keeping the Knight out of ef 2.86 Diack should have tied the more aggressive 22,5, intend sng to advance to hd with some kingside threats, 23.04 Ret 24 Rudd RB 25.Rd3 Qc6? Int Jack Peters (chess columnist for the Los Angeles Times) recommended 25. RET 265 NeB. This holds on to his material for the ume being, but Black’ poston sill remains quite as- pleasant 26,.Qxe5 Res 27.Qd6 Nxet Now Black loses by force. A QxCG xc 29.951 Naxc3 Black would also lose a pawn after 29..Nd5 30.NxdS. Even ‘worse is 29..NoB 30.Nxed Rxed 31 RaB picking up a plece. 30.axb6 NAS 3Lbxa’, 1-0, Black's case is hopeless. For example, 31.Ra8 32.Rxd! oxd 233.4 followed by bS-bS-7 How would an amateur handle White's position from diagram 102 Would a student of min, uained to recognize the balances that exist in any postion, see and make use of them, or Would he miss everthing and just loo at random moves? This question Interested me, 50 [asked some of my students to take the White pieces and do thet best fo “show thei tll” They were told to think out loud, which enabled me to wlte down their thoughts and see just what, if anything, was wrong with their methods of thinking ‘Of course, I didnt expect my students to play as 1 did in the Siiman-Grost game. White's play was rther subtle and is not something that a cass player Would ordinarlly come up with However, I did hope that they would notice the Bishop versus Knight imbalance and uy to make something of i. tnstead, 1 found that my sudents (with one exception), after noting that this imbalance was present, refused to try to tm it into some- ‘hing sgniicant. Why? Does the average tournament player think ‘hata simple Bishop versus Knight cifferenceis very litle to work ‘with? Do they think that such things are unumporant (even though I constantly tell them that Bishop versus Knight is ex- tuemely important? Lets see ifthe following games can shed some light on dhese questions.1000-Siman. ‘white to play sce king isa bt open pres Black’ poston Hee nity wes ugh the man BOSE CP Mang vcr Rp an at he moment Cee et weld row tke dnl my Maco ny Kato 0B ese a ps Home, sb a to ol ‘idole Tey nto ge op wy Seu ip tape a eles by and 2 od Seria ace pemresaat oS. tn our nex two game, bth White players wil nt question gv op ie Boop forthe enemy Kaighe 1000 deserves Se for hing tat is Basho shuld be rene. Unfors cy, the pan he dws come up with bad beease fas 0 eee Seater cake square away fom Kaige, eyes the inacive Dong «wonderful pos on eho ot is es concesing the positon ofthe White King in fh ear wa so prone ht he sede pe ted his opponents poston Amateurs tend o pani he fe Sgy nv ngs tien nd bis comments show that he Sues rom the sume "Kngsafery”disease ‘ng aey every portant But only ory the enemy has sont eces med in Your Kings crecon. Inthe presen nto te ony pieces Black has on the Kings ares Tough she 7 Queen this can hardy be construed horde cf atackest Ait less worry about his King and alot more interest in the Bishop versus Knight batle (in other words: pay attention to ‘those imbalances) would have served him much beter. a3 ‘Though this was move 20 ia the Silman-Gross game, 1000 ‘yas given this position cold turkey; for hi, was move one, ads 1000, “tim not eibly wowed about he trade so Fl keep ‘eng wits my plan” 2d Rad 000%“ dont want to move my Kg backwards so my next move i forced” 3.Qudi Res 1000: “With ¢3 1 advance and defend both ef and 3" He hasnt noticed that Black i jumping on the chsquare. A player should always avoid creating holes in his own position. If hhe put energy into the Bishop versus Knight bate (which be clearly didnt do) he would have, in theory, been awate of the potential ofthe enemy Knight, By thinking of other (ess impor {and things, he failed to get the most out of bis Bishop and he failed to restrain the enemy hoses. 4.08 Qe7 1000: wl guard the Knight and re ay Rook." Something subtle and deadly has occured. Did you notice i? Poor 1000 has ceased to think of his own ideas and i instead reacting this opponents. Ar fst he noted the basic imbalances, and he even came up with a plan (nce a good one, but a plan nonetheless). But he fled to ask what Black should try to do, and by falling to pose that important question he failed 10 see the ‘weaknesses in his own ideas Thus his plan of placing the Bishop ‘on b2 via a2-23 and b2-bé led to a hole on e4 Simultaneously, after he followed his plan fora move or wo he suddenly began (not consciously) to bow to the wishes of his ‘opponent. Black makes 2 thet, White reic, Black makesanother threat, and once again White reacts. Soon, before be knows if Black's ideas come to futon while White's are ao- where 1 be seen sspd2 Net 100m; “can let you tke on 2 He wed 6 Qd3 but I pointed out that it loses a piece afer 6. G.net Ras 1000: can ply 7.N&S to pur pressure on his Queen and “vance the Knight W's dumb, though e's mach father Forman hun me spell dot hike hie knight ean go%o el {inde ead Sora ork or 4 skemer Unfonunatey that Swoukt ang my abv play hand hope chase his Knight of soay wih alter gig. Then dhe dquare Imig become sabe” ‘Unable to finda solution to his problems on the queenside, he lashes out on the other side ofthe board. Emotional decisions ike this must be avoided, since they usually have very inlet do with ‘what’ eeally happening in the position Td Qe 1000; “What she up 2 My pn wel defended. He's protecting faa, ish ean tat he night be tending {eas cant move ty Rook due tomy apawa 501 play foe more time” Note how White Is coming up with all kinds of esoteric rubbish to explain his opponent's moves. He should be able to ‘gure out their eve significance by working out their felationship 1 the positive imbalances i Blacks position, Here Black is simply defending the bS and 5 squares and putting more pressure on the f-pavin. F'n aso giving my Queen the option of going to 6 in some cumstances. Amateurs often think that a good move must involve a direct threat. However, this is way off the mark. A move that tightens some Key points ‘whe placing pressure on aa enemy pawn deserves a lot more respect than White gave i ss, exh on more aac ha mp ses the Queen © 2 good 006 1000- Fl get mya pawa to sfery by advancing it a4 9a nad 1000- “Guarding hi Knight play Ned snd tack his 1000 1 ig 1 pay 1ONez?, and Isiopped the game since White hunghise-pawn, T hope the seader wont think me overly harsh for my ‘comments in this game. 1 am not crticzing the man, just the player and his entoneous thinking processes, He does some things extremely well, Bit if he wants to advance in the rating Sm he wl fave 1 acept my ery hn and on at these problems, = (Our next example features a player several hundred points higher rated than the previous one. Stangely enough, his break down of the imbalances turns out to be worse than his lower rated predecessor, but hls moves turn out to be betes! How can ‘his be? The main reason centers around the nature of White's ‘moves: though he hasn't bothered to completely understand the position (by breaking down the imbalances), he sll plays dy ‘namic moves that always ty to achieve some positive goa. ka the previous example, White was aware ofthe Bishop versus Knight imbalance, but he never really made use of it Simply put ynamic moves based on ignorance tend to be better than passive moves based on fear,1600, “ike 1G, Ihe takes, I gta song passed pain, have t get my Bishop into play So fs a possby tndif he abet go BX However, ny King woul then be pen. Ful an pay Qbs to suppos the dSsquare and "hen NAS. cul aie pen by Bg w consol d5 ore” 1 told him that he was not breaking the postion down into Jmbalances. Instead he is jst looking at a busch of moves. L.bes 1600: “This also connec my Rocks and develops sy shop." He never recognized his Bishop for Knight advantage so its rot possible for him to try and make use of X However, he noticed the dSaquare and he's eying to do everthing ia is power to grab ie 1 nas, 2itxdie Rude 1600: “Now Ral to tide Rooks allows me to cotinge my Fight forthe dare “Though he hasnt followed the bes plan, he's still sicking to 1 clear ices (domination of dS or the creation of a passed pawn) ‘wih energy and admirable determination. White deserves alot of| credit for the way he's plying 3d h6 ‘rds Qua 600“ wi exchange so can have dan the center” SBx6 Qt 1600 "Now 1 wy to ge a pated pawn” 6Nds gas 1600: Now Iwill supp my Knight and eye ef 7.9051 Kee BNxb6 1600: “This ves him doubled paw.” At the moment his Knight is superior to Black's, so why should he swap it without geting the passed pawn tht he 30 desperately wanted? One must avoid dumping a plan fr baubles lying on the side ofthe road, Sab 160 “Now I will ade Queens since he has a doubled pawn and my King closer to the emer * {don't know why he though tha his King was closer tothe ‘center, I's clear thatthe opposite i true sQasr ‘White has played a reasonable game and the comet result ‘would have been a draw: Instead he rshes into a lst King sod pawn endgame. He didn't realize that a passed pawn can be a target if doesnt have suppor. 9..Qxas BW.exd5 Ke7 LKB IS 12.84 86, and White los the dS-pawn and the gameoo i aa a 1200-Siiman. ‘White play. 1200, "At ist glance se that Blzk’s Queen is under fended. White fas Bestop and Keight versus two Knight. >My Bishop bas to move to complete development. So that ‘neu be one of my irs consgerates aso contol d3 30 ould move ay Knight to 8 ataching hs Queen. Tis ‘nou also alow me to ocpy bath open fs tf we compare 1200 with the previous player (1600), we ean see that 1600 ignored the main imbalance but played purposeful moves towards a secondary goal (which isa so bad), while 1200 saw the main imbalance very clearly, bot refused 10 make vse of Les, 1200“ aly ie this move" Why did he lke #8 True, does pin the Knight, bt wading the Bishop instantly gets id of your Bishop versus Knight sdvaniage, Dont hike a move just becuse it appears to be aggressive dh 1200:-Puing the question toy Bistop eae hs oie na play fac, ould gb bs es, eink a 8 ioe sea afr ln be wont wat ke wl the pan Boos dedeon at” He should have decided on capering the Knight before he played Bg5. Don' stick your Bishops on b5 oF g5 and act, shocked ifthe opponent "tickles" swith. oF 86. Only play ‘Bishop to those squares ifthe exchange i good for you oF ithe ‘Opponent cant break the pin. Inthe present cate, Black can easly breathe pin. Also, the exchange makes Black happy because he gets rd of White's Bishop versus Knight advantage 2.Bxf6 Qt 1200: Now I advance 1o 5 and ack his Queen Notice the word “atc.” He's not too concemed with the ‘state of the postion afer Black captures on d5. Instead, all he ‘ates. about is the obvious threat 1 Black's Queen, which pparenly gives him an edd sense of power 3.NdS Nexds 1200: "Now IIL ake with the Rook and double up onthe open die Notice how he is mping back and forh between a few {deas. One moment he's trying t contro both the e- and dies. ‘Then he's hoping to conto dS. Finally he is going to double on the dle and try to dominate that His thoughts are scattered and things only work out because he sated with a solid positon tuading a bunch of pieces can hut his game. 4.Rxd5 Qe6 1200 “lac pling up on my Roo Now I can pce all ‘tree of my pieces on that die." Black intentionally plays a planless, passive game (a suicidal actin a serious game, of course) s0 he can see how White will ssRadi £6 1200 "Now he's ined vp his Queen and King on the 2-98 diagonal, which alaming. If G He said that g5 followed by gets his pawns fpoing, What does tis meat? Does g5 followed by Ih threaten anything a all Tm not saying that the advance of the h-pawn isa had idea, but! don't thin he realized what this advance would telly do, > He said that Black has backward pawns on d6 and 1D. Those are not backwrard pawns! A pawn is only ‘backward iit stands on an open file (which these don’) and ft doesn't have a brother pavin behind {tor direay to the side of The dé-pawn would be Dackward if White's d5-pawn were gone > e said that Black’ 6-pawn wasst really passed, ‘Wrong again, The ab-pawn is indeed passed. 1. ‘ight not be going anywhere, bt that doesn't mean, that is nota passed pavin, LBs, Mising is opporunty 0 resis the enemy Kalgt concept recon Sects fa one franc Nts 170% Hes going 07 and eS 901 wi 1200; He joing 7 and S401 wi tack and sow 2s A. pueyseaconry move tht js foes the Bl ps foes the Back Lon nt yy se opps glo thong th ASpuwTspc x Cspecaly wen You Raya a eatonal Maer who slicing you every tas Tien why atack inthe Bt plac? Remember, oly atk something ithe move lnproves your postion ven at defends the attacked object. an 2...Ke7 170.1 mst acthate my King.” Iman endgame is atays good tea w tg on ‘oars the center. However, he doesn seem to hve ay let fin nn ve ere mse a ce Come up witha ery pln (Jose te Kn and now ic cy hr him coll ofl yn a eye eh tans wat a Scone 3.4K Nay 70 tc wars $91 Sande ch, rom thre hsofanp ato pay Sipe op como at Tiles ay king cnet” Black fad no inention of ple. NS, The ama okt anniv teaching cn ene eat usualy eyo pay, The el uct Ba Snare wie pase py ee andi Aro rs Hales sone move tat snd en ge chased so)ea Nes Spon thie itd move Nob hao of wea pots Site chop ea sane dacs s pawnson a6 ‘ite has gained a passed pan and acs nde hte However, nets don cry any 22 eau Why? Hs fo acomplsh ve tgs White had ce ie Bahop pat Now be te wih a bad Bibop OS 7 ‘pawns are on the same color as his Bishop) versus eee foot are all isolate Pa phaugh hep on a6, and © af al ot etiam in ay danger~Dlck’ King wl block White's ve ma a Ka) and defend both and 5 The White Pant decver wil ache able to gtcloe tothe panon a6 We ee ner ot forget tat the pas on eS and a6 are also sie eo posed pews or Back and ony one for Wie 5 1700; This takes away fom is King an es is pains on white” ‘the best thing he's sald all game! Ics always good to fix ‘enciny pavens on the same colo as your Bihop since then they re vulnerable (0 the Bishop's later attentions. 6.8 #4 1700: Defends and keep him ov of 5" 7.eBA7 1700: wil bing sy King to the queers and win his sveak pans {white no longer has any advantage but he continues to speak as 1 were lost) Atleast he bas a postive aide 8ika3 KAS 9.Ke3 est? 170p; Whats the meaning of tha? Whats going on? Does he want resign” Black could have drawn the game by doing nothing since the White King cannot penetrate into the queenside. However, 1 decided to add some Lfe to the game and see how he would respond, 1o.Bxes Kes 11Be2 Ket 170) He coming it 4 a opingtouse ie pase = pawn. don't ez e wis my doused pn 12.Kb3 170, “Tim going © trade Bishops with Ka3 and Bad and then promese my d pawn.” Excellent! The way to make use of a passed pawn is to estoy the blockade (in this case my Bishop on 7 Is the only thing locking he Whit pase White has sd beg play good chess. ie 12..Ke3 13.Ka3 Kas 14.803 1700: “I dont want to lose both paws, which would happen afer 14854 Kot 15.07 Keds” Manas 170 “Now I should have something ood. 15.46 i very tempting and it doesnt lok tke Fan move anything le anyway I Texchange oo eaty {mig even lone ane he ‘wget oto pawns. fer 15:46 e316 Bas Ka 17 Bel ed? 18K 1 nk mi ‘Wow! He appears to be on a hot steak. To complete his vaiation, 18.Ka¢ 1505 19.KxaS Ke5 20.KD6 Kei 21 Ks is indeed 4 win for Whee, 15.46 Kes 1700 “What is thi? Hes pone ez agin 16.Be4 Kxct 170 “Whale do hat fo"y7.Bxa7 Kas, inning toe 1700 Fmupa Bishop fora pawn This muatbe winsing 1sKb3? sd pus Then an ro) Teen ost ha gece pos. Tenn TOhce'ay Sop or Knesset pawn to a Queen over there “This wns outta be a waste of time, Correct was 18 19.807 18. x6 10.8 Kes, 1700 “He's tos” 2o.Kes KEE 21. KxeS KxgSs ee 1500: thought he ws going 08-11 22007 Kh BeB Kxe6 22.Kb5 1700, Ilooks ikea daw" Draw Agreed. —_—_—_——————- Tip ‘create plan right away or you may lat without & sont forthe rest of the game So far we have seen Bishops and Knights dominate each other in siferent ways. However, how easy isi to make the decision concerning which piece to rein and which to give up? Could student recognize when a Bishop would beat a Knight or vice ee ava a ka es a & Bb S Silman-1850. Black to play. one In this postion (from the game Kavalek-Kaplan, Solingen 1974) Black has three posible scenarios: 1) He can play 2. -ReS snd play a Rook and Knight versus Rook and Bishop endgame. 2) He can play 1...Nxef and tanspose into pure Rook endgame 3) He can play 1...Rd4 and go into a Bshop versus Knight endgame, 1850, "We have an endgame. {eal Reting that a Bishop 's beter than Knight passed pass arom two dee Here my King isi jal dnd my Rook i stacked. What ‘would ike fo de? What do have? Where his Bao going? Do I exchange? Whit piece should ede? 1 Iie 1.RG4 because I can follow with 8 and get 8 passed pawn, Landa [find ic amazing that he would recite the role that sates, “A Bishop is better than Knight if passed pawns are on both sides ‘ofthe board, and then play deel nt the inferior side of such situation! 1 sounds to me lke he had too many choices and gothopelessly confused. However, when you have the hairy of wearer the previously tated rle then you might as well make use of Pea of this, another role (almost a joke rule actualy, but there all Jor of sath in 1) says, “AI Rook endgames are ‘Tt Following this, we can accept that 1..Nnet 2Rxes 6 Gites Bleck good chances ro hold the game, The swap of Kalght peishop also makes a kx of Sense; Black should see a pawn wake coming and, knowing that Bishops are strong. in such Teeetors, be should hasten to hack the White Bishop off che id. Brierly it not enough to know the rules and guide Hnes—you must slso make use of then axa exd4 So we now have a siuation where the Blick Knight will aot be able wo cope with the White passed pawn. On the other han the White Binop wil easily stop any passed pawn that Black can anus 1850; "Why do thie He is losing the pave” BES 1 don’t kaow wihy, but Kaplan also made the wrong decision incl game (and he was avery song player who mos definitely Tow better). That contest was decided after 3.6 4.KE2 Bxe> Saas £6 63 NS Ti fxgS 8S Ne7 9:Bg2 NeB LOREM KIG 11 RS Kes 12d, 1-0. Note how slow and ponderous the Knight 4.b6 Ned 1850 “Uh oh take ha pawn | won't be able wo stop the uy onthe ble” sibs, 1960: My Knights dominated” 5.5 0s 64 7x2 63 Ket 1850, “He stopped my pawn but cant stop his” ‘We ended the game ere Tip 1 hop ely ae ene thn Kaige in pn ‘situations. It was demonstrated to Kaplan anc en 1050 ound ota, Dont happen oul ———<—$<$<______AQUISITION OF THE CENTER, TERRITORY, AND SPACE Eos ise papris ted bel conbinatons an ‘ors Hg at: Tlsuacton aes a won Sine te gett tang marcas) sek, we my fame by Kao ssh na "gh he sy ccae invable—and a ea base tndersndng tte meta of ataces pea he Poston seten of cen obs goed byte pes ot cso be ne Wy? Doar ayes da at Sipe shaceton and come ab? Oncol tbe Sate cre onthe uc ipl rene ie nore ton na dl mane haere son rt rare rornce might best Selah eb bedded ote ete odd ol ‘Stanag oral po cnr send hey cst ooforcing orion ned tthe enemy Kg and once ge eee ee the en ig hey wl ear a compe) unputied feck even wore stat ight and do nung rake mhng ore an cet a es si nguceas my opponent death in space iin SST ARer gue te por vi oe has alge Tok 8 fines he knows loo bly te nt gute sie why Rules of the Center ‘ofthe thee ares chess boar kings center and.vense) the centers by far the mos important. The reason fortis is that Your forces can move to ether side with minimum effor anc ‘Monin speed. Thus its usually an excellent idea payin the Inde you have the option to do so. Unfortunately, most fiateuts sem to have “wing vision,” they are always looking to play on one wing or the other “the following rules concerning play in the center and on the swings may prove benefit RULE 1—A full pawn center gives its owner terri. tory and control over key central squares. @ Bad BLED Ak OwWoa Bad White's fll pawn center (lagram 23) is well protected by “ther pave and pieces, This center gives him srong contol ves cords eS and 3. Ths will n tor, assure White of an advantage RULE 2— Owning a full pawa center isa responsi. ‘illty! Once you create it you must strive to make it Indestructible. Ifyou achieve this goal, then your ‘center will cramp and restrict your opponent for the rest of the game. RULE 3— Don't advance the center too eatlyt Every ‘pawn move leaves weak sijuares i its wake, @ ABA Advancing the e-pawn weakens both dS and 5. Notice (diagram 24) how the Black Knight cannot advance to the fourth rank due to the White center's influence. Even ater 1No6 oF ..Ng6, the Knight would stil be unable to find an advanced central post, However, if White were 1o advance his fener wih ete, thon the 5 and Pars ae sade available to the tormented horse, : RULE 4— if your opponent has created full pawa, ‘center, you must strive to attack it. This ereates 2 Dattle of philosophies: He is telling you its strong, ‘you are telling him that it isa target. One ofthe most common cases of allowing a “strong” center in order toattack it comes about In the Alekhine's Defense. Let NI Daring the e-pawn to advance, 205.NdS3ai se ‘lack immediately begins to chip away inthe mide 4h NBG 5.64 ‘White grabs ll the cena space he cant 5..dxes GExe5 Neb Developing and hing 44 783 “The immediate 71NB, would have allowed Black to intensify the pressure with 7..Bas FS, ‘lack wants to play . 7-96 bur he doesnt want to block in his ight squared Bishop, NCS 06 SNES BeT 10.82 00 11.0016 sriking a e5 anc forcing White 1 trade off his most cramp ing pawn, 1exf6 Bxs6 “Training his sights onthe pawn, White claims this pawn i serong, Black claims that its weak, 13.942 Preparing to bring the Rook to d1 and give 4 more suppor. BET Preparing to place more pressure against via ..Rad yuo: White is doing Madi Rad8 with a cenain satus quo: White everthing he can to defend his center, Black i doing everything he can to attack RULE 5 — Ifthe center pawns get traded, then open files exit that make I easy o get one’s Rooks into play. Alter Le e6 2.44 a5 3.exd5 exdS ic doesn take a gens to see thatthe open e-fle wil be a nice place to stick a Rook \ollowing the rule that Rooks belong on open fils). [RULE 6— If the center becomes locked, then the play switches tothe wings. Alter 184 NIG 2.04 65 3.45 5 4.Ne3 46 5.04 i's easy to ce thatthe ceate isa dead zone. All the play wil have to take place (on the sides ofthe bosrd ‘RULE 7 — With a closed center, you know which ‘wing to play on by noting the direction that your Pawns point. The pawns point to the area where you have more space and that is the side that you ‘want o control AAAAALDE ‘Where do the pawns poin? Indliagram 25, Blck’s pawns polnt wo the kingside (the c7-d6- 5 pawns are like a finger pointing in a specific direction) White's pawns can be coastrued as pointing in both directions the ef and d5 pawns take aim atthe queenside while the e4 and 4 pawns point in the opposte direction, In general, you want to push the pawn that stands next ‘© your most advanced pawn. This means that Black will y to achieve «ATS (gaining space and opening. fle for his Rook. Black's most advanced pawn is his e5-pawn, aad the «7-15 push follows our rle nicely) while White will pay to get # pawn sideby side with his most advanced pawn: the guy on c5. This means that o£c5 (White should avoid £2 because, alter ext, Black ‘would gain access tothe e5-quare, his g7-Bishop would become ‘ery active, and White's e-pawn would be backward is our goal (uning queenside space and preparing to sip open files on that side ofthe board) RULE 8 — A wide open center allows you to attack ‘with pieces. Aclosed center generally means that ‘You aust attack with pawns (this enables you to {grub space and opea files for your Rooks). Rules of Space In gener, having more teitory 4 very postive thing. You get ‘more room for movement and your pieces experience superior Coordination. However, 48 your pawns advance (your extn temtery is mapped out by pawns in much the same way that 3 fence demonstrates the land you oWa) cenain squares may Ipecome weak, andi is possible—Hike ancient Rome—to expand too fat too quickly, For this eason, you must only annex extra Space if you thinle you can contol the tenitory behind your ppawes. Alo helpful ae the following rules: [RULE 1— When you have more space, itis usually a ‘good idea to avold exchanges. 2 All cramped up with nowhere to go. Blac can quietly resign in dgrim 26 because his minor pists ar 0 duped that none of dum have well moves lomever, we were to remone al he ples soo kane Bains and King, lack would be fine simply bene ramping let ofthe White prs no longer as anything to cramp! [RULE 2—ifyou have less space, an exchange of {tro wil pie the rest of your pieces more room to ‘move about in. RULE 3—A spatial plus sa permanent, long term ‘advantage. You don't have tobe in any hurry to utliz it Take your time and inhis own join et the opponent stew Inouris game, Whiccemesoutathe : ct ofthe opening wih an avant in pac btecomes wore sb napiany ea sed ky to nk about an ative plan fr himaett Ley, sce Se ‘hie fans get some play nthe eer ba fe see ne onside his and uted concenues sly on th oes @ 1750.Stman. ‘White to play,“The fist moves were Led NIG 2.Ne3 €5 3.NES 06 4.88 BG 5.02 BBY 6.00 Be 7.44 cxds B.Qxd 6, 1750 had never feed 2 hedgehog formation before (he's an e2-4 player and so he was completely unfamiliar ith the postions that result 1750 “white has space and has more pieces aut The Black Bishop on c7 8 temporary ad buts i no big ea. eR) say real advantage Stace Bick can atk ay Reece iy v6, t would be wise to reteat ito a ser 1 was happy that he noted the advantage in space and evelopment, but was disappointed that he didnt make any fom te use these pluses, A lead in development (especialy if the encniy King is sill in the centee) is most useful if the game fin be opened up. In this case Black can castle immediatly, so the development issue cannot be used in the traditional mannet (eg, atacking the King), ‘oweverf White had noted Black's sole weakness. on 6 be ‘night have hi upon a plan that called for an immediate atack on {Is target by Ret, b3 and Ba3. Moe fuel can be added to tis ire by NeSand after the trade of ight-squared Bishops, Nget In this hoe the Deiter developed side's aac is ificalt to pay since Black & not fully mobilized yet and his pieces are not ready t0 fish to the depavn’s aid. Theory has shown that Black can ‘Helene agains these ideas, but tam always delighted wo hear & student tlk of “tages.” ‘Remember that one doesn't ust attack & Kings you mus so tack squaes and pans, you have such a target, and also yhave an scvantage in development, you must make instant use of flue weapon before it disappears (@ lead in development temporary since the opponent will eventually catch up). "Rooter plan White has isto ake use of is space edge by incieasing # whenever possible and playing (0 stifle Black’s anterpay (based on the. b6-b5 and dS advances) ‘stead of dealing with these iss, White cops out and stats to wonry about his Queen being atacked. Keep in mind that an Mek on your Queen is no big deal since you can simply move to safety "The opponent. doesn't guin points for screaming, “Check to your Queen! The moal i: Don't fear checks oF one move atch Js make sre the arnt ‘given position and go ahead with your own plans. Te 9.94 “This was ses tempo and places the Queen on another wile abe ste se N75 wl be ncomfoable, cee id mension his edge in space, I would have been very happy if he tied to increase that advanage by 94. Fearing every possible ‘threat that the opponent can throw at you turns you into & Limi player who reacts to ghosts. Avoid hs abe! and ke sure that every move you make does something postive! 9.00 1750: “Since have more space, 1 want to ine moving up the center with ez et eee Thats ore Me it T mate it To repeat Bvery move sould havea postive base adhe geared to increasing the ‘vantages tht you nzeady posse 1790-He theta Knighton op thay shen ayn what peel spp Se op by Be3. ro Pos istat pial problem with the amaeu thiks Seen heat wi matali NS ing the Quen ad awn, White nots that he can pote! himel anddevlop piece with 11.Be3. However, ef to take ino account resultant position after he loses his dark- shop or the oss his drkaqused! Bishop for a Ani: oa take postion concen pee ‘venta threat unless you have no other means of defense rapes Bett was 1. he ne hs Inet 1. Qe ao fi) wi stot snap Te Innes ere NeSan beet mah 1200) foo ‘hen hte wel ail ive sold pono snp pee 1es clear tha Write dit wat to move his Queen agai, Preferting wo gve pa pemnent imbalance the darks‘shop fn order to hold on to 2 temporary thing the tempo that the Queen move would lose). ANS 1750, tes acing of with three pces 0 I have ‘apace in “Te sins of his mth eve QU) plus the ness of Bs cleventh (1.805) have come badk haunt im Note Bow be ope making concesions. Fist 948 to tp a Keg rom thang s huss atack on hs Queen (this cost him a tempo 44 DBaced the Queen on an even more vuiertble square), and then {i Be3, a move tat gives up the wo Bishops and he dark squares aces bxes 70: was coin 1383 bat in nt wor abot Teg Sst kag Mmeve ny oak oe see eee ome ald tree suive wo exchange nce te player with les tertory shoul st pieces tnd Us rekeve his camp) Black an be happy’ wh is quttion of Bhop for Kh a tt sl aking er by nt omuling a ane pian tend he Hsp ging hs cpm and wore abst Clo tales ete mp Insta comeing ie 13.6 thes 14h Qu 15. ng Hog senses feed inks bop ey mapping cauting Backs cpavn, White cn now enteral So reing wah ate Nv oan ha 8 la tor whe, bu tos ave Shown pod ments a eefarolite woul have been aeely tempting #0 devahe Shacks Baops and ying wo cee aarp on 13.Rfe1 Qb6 {950-tHesatacking my 2p. simply defend wake te seater ee alowed ack se ee oun by whe ne hep HE Scere mores 1.b3 Rid 1750 "Defending &6 and peshps tventening to pla dS ‘avance Ihe pushes hs pawn to 651 goct-e5 and wack his right. 1 stl) buscally even. 11 play Bad and sengthen my corto of the center” ‘White is playing reasonable looking moves but he is slowly ‘bt surely running out of constructive ideas. By this! mean that he lacks 2 clear object of attack. I's aot enough to just move your pieces Into the center and hope that something good happens fs your job to tum that smorphous “something” into a solid enty. To accomplish this, you must make all your pieces woek ‘towards a single goal. In our present game, White does not have 8 lear goal in mind. Note thatthe d6-pawn, though technically backward, isso solidly defended that White cannot hope to put any real pressure on it 15.Radl Be6 1750: “He's preventing me fom atacklog his Queen by Nat He's alto preparing to ply «Qo? aad incense the pressure inthe cee I he does tt | wal pay Nad ad back that pawn up, Now lean play Qed, which prepares redirect to the ingside vs Gi, ce" Every time your opponent moves, you should ask, “Why did he do that?" I's very important to understand what the other side is trying to accomplish. Though Whe has paid tention to his opponents plans throughout this game, he has ‘ot put enough energy ito his owa ideas: Now he secms to be leaning towards a kingside atack, but is this realistic hope ot plan born out ofthe frustration caused by his earlier inctviy? 16.965 05 1750, “Suing a wing atack va aS. 1 can move my Knight 1 2 and defend beth and 8 ow or ter ‘nether ens to play Ho. ast move ty Queen the kingside, defend on the qucensde as need sar sta stack by peas" White finally realizes that he hasta do something aggressive However kingide atack s not a very realistic goal since Blac hnas no weaknesses cn that side of the board and White's army aims more at the center than a8 the Kingside- White should have been playing for an ef-e5 advance,V1.6 at 41750 “Now 1 play Rb, which makes is Queen abit ‘uncomfortable “The Black Queen isnot abt unconfonable since if White ever plays bead Black would simply move his Queen o safer and start To chen up the weak Whee pawns on af, a2 and ef, Unlike ‘White eather display, Black has no fear of one-move attacks BRIE 1750, “Foring me to move my Queen can consider Qh ‘uty Knight on © undefended and my Queen fina Pky pee Tl ove back to he ste square Dluck’s lst move (8.5) fixes the center and tkes away White's chances for counterplay based on a efe5 advance, hough some players might be horeed by the apparent weak soso on de Chackward pawn) and dS (weak square), these turn Gar wo be illsions, The dS-pavin is firmly defended and if Knight jumps into 05 then Blac would capsure it, This would Tend toa White pawn going 1od5, which would cover up the hole andthe backward pawn, 19.Qe3 axb3 1730 play Rab he has to howe is Queen. FQ is byes (can coy defend my amacked cepawn. 1 til whic gets surge of confidence by attacking she Black: ‘Queen, Why? Does White really believe that Blac wil hang is Gucen? I hope not, Then shat makes an obvious one move Stucke so deadly (White fesrs such attacks from the opponent, find feels empowered when making them himseiD? Nothing! ‘They are not deadly inthe least in fact, they are more often than not completely useless. Inthe present case, White ol ake on b3 with is Rook and attack Blacks Queen, However, once the Queen moves co safety, ‘White's pawns on a2 and of ail be extremely weak. 2o.Rxb3? ‘An “active” move that worsens his poston. Correct was ananbss Geaving himself with only one target on b3 (0 worry sous tated of two—one on a2 and * con a2 and one on of fallow N iebees ‘his position would still be very hard to crack. mu 1_ Miler stench equa wap ff hema He as no pay an ony amar of tine bee Whites ‘queenside targets lead to his demise. aa 20.036 1750"Atcng ch. an pret my pv by e283 Naz The Kngkt moves siete Stes aunazne7 1950" imends 1 double his Rooks. He can also ply iy tore he cul hve led hy {hm mend dation te"? "ot a i is ahs = ce Vary Tac thsi one} deen ey sspewnso cat ofa ‘can attack his d7-Rook by playing Bh3" Sill lacking 4 pla, White reson toa series of one acs (20 abs and 2Bh3), This atypia amateur ale & one neve stacks icone tothe vrlinprovenect tro psn ha ote at, then ae egy se of tine (our opponent wl ove his pleco ey you lok coy st Wc more, You forcing Black to make a good move." es 22.Bh3 Rda7 oe ie x Raha Woke a’ a’ BoA ao W Aa & 2 & @B Bb1750, “ing 0 the fle, bu who care? does ser etod ata, Row ean eoninve 1 atack NS cera and chase hs Kava white is feeling pretty good sight now but his is completely usted, Nevesheless, many people go into depressions and sity bady when they get such poor postions 50 his pose Pade nay serve him in the game. Actually, 1750 ts quite & fter and has saved many hopeless postions by refusing to knowledge that al los. He alvays thinks there's a chance Gh aude is wor i weight in gold since even ston ‘Goandmasters have been known fo lose their viglance and rake bad errors in winning postions) 23.96 Bas 1750: Tending Ba, tacking © and a2 in tun ea 2 erento 3 ser 5 50 fm nok wored Be fer Ti conn nyatackon the gi “The Knight on 3 eyes the dS- and bS-squares and also defends the a2-and et pawns. Black would be happy to ade is bad Bishop for such a useful Knight 26.95 ‘an unfomunate decision, White bas weakened his King, the epawn and the f4-square, Now he allows the Black Kaight © aep residence there. Don't create weaknesses in your own np. When you sxe a hole ike being crated, a danger sgral ‘should go off in your head! 2hNDS {130 “Heading for, Now Lean move inp dS and protect ‘he fi-pom, Unfomunately be will pre ard move st anyay 25 Nd Bx 26ed5 NG 27.05 aed Qo tl [Geckne tnatack on? andhisKing, Whoop forgot at Eye day ng ose my pawn ona. mes ist guard ‘py pun and then Ned or 8c ards 6° 25.nb2t Much too passive (though a good recommendation is hard 0 find). He should have accepted the loss ofthe aspawn and ted to find some way to bring his b3-Rook over othe Kingsde along, the third sank If you'e getting positionally squashed and mate- al loss is aso looming, don't el into a ball and wait odie. Give up some ballast (mater) and arack the opponent forall you are ‘worth. Puta scare into him andl ey to upset his equilibrium, 25 NEE 1730: “Now he tueatns 10 win my gSpawn. I have 1 fred On Qg3 the ez and daquins ae covered 26.093 Bes 1730-1 27 QagS Nah wins ny Queen by a fork. 1 eter set my Bishop out of there [Now Black has won mate, enjoys a safe King and has retained the initiative, I ll over, 27.801 Bas 1750 ve lost gun bu Tn nt ot since al fm on the queenside. have get id of is Kg He could admit he's lost and give up but instead he lies to himself and fights on. I can't crtcize him for following the edict, "No one ever won a game by resigning,” 2BNe2 Neb 1750 "Heading for dso must malta my Kright on ‘lata his pwn ono 29.03 Be7 1750 head sy passive d2.Knight oF, M and 1. Also possible & Bhs, aacking the eSRnigh Advancing (214 Ein ako be over : 30.Bh3 Qes 1750 “Now his Knight pied, but he’ tretening sy ppawnon a2 3LRal Ras 1750 “Atacking my Qucen. like play Ne ad head fordsbut would be pone i's good tough Tost thie wo mave my Queen ont ofthe ay Bt”32.NC3 NIA Here the game was stopped since 38.Bxc8 Ned3 leads 1 further loss of material for White —_—_——_—_————————————— Tips 4 Try and appraize your postion honesty, fighter’ autude will Never give up hope! A postive fighter bang you points even from the most hopeless ooking situation 4 Look to the center for play, Chess isnot just hunch of battles on the wings 4. Passive, planless play wil lead 10 loss everytime 4. Koow what the opponent is planing at al times bur dont allow youre to become mesmerized by fis ideas, Ukimately, our plans should prove to be stronger than his attacks, you ane + Don't make pointless one-move stacks, ‘Cremsing your fingets and hoping hie doesn ee you are malking the wrong move (FOB are also ling bad mental habits). Always expect Your Gpponest to see your threats! You want v0 play & ttove that improves your postion no mater what the does end to repeat this Tot, but Ind it's 2 tmisake thatthe amateur makes over and over In our next three games we see Black allowing White to build up very Imposing center Would the amateurs (all playing White) be ableto make use ofthis cetel space advantage? Would they even ‘notice that space was the advantage they possessed? These are Important questions—if you can’ ascertain what kind of imbal- ances exis, you won' be able 1o make use of them. oo 2000 Silman, Modern Defense ‘White to play, ‘The fist moves were Led d6 24 g6 3.NE3 BET 44 €6 SNE Ne7 White reacted with scorn to Black's cholce of opening. Its ‘certainly uphy-looking, butt turns out to bea tough mato rack! 20 6.43 with he fever smashing hi wh 4-6 is the obvious move.” " is aticude shows some posite and negative features. The Positive side is his confidence; he knows Blick has. played Something fishy and be wants to punish his opponent for the insuling choice of opening. ‘The negative par of White's reaction isthe sped taken for his decision and the fact that he ignored the imbalances, When someone docs something unusual, you must take entra tne to measure its plusses and minuses. This doesn't mean thet, there is anything wrong with 6.Bd3, 1 just expec the student todemonstrate @ greater understanding of the position before 2 move is chosen! 636 2“, eal ees toe stn fr How a 2 Cae en mov Any eg Tsk Sete oy sm” ie sa efsing 1 take aca ok the imbalances he spac in Wes aot avatagem space that eae eer ges hn Wi ining, White should pay erate hs cetr and prevet Back rom undeaking a7 Sunt cesmersckng He hs 6 Ned the ot ry bundy developing his pees, be breaks one oy Bg Ae ist devel a plan and dhen develop your pices Sd at pan iyou deep your pieces before you sin seimanding of he stoaon, you ay uate find that Sour ay sanding on he wong squares 7.0000 BBe3 2K “Strengthening my center” Finally mensioning his center, but aot going any deeper into tne positon, While &Be3 is clearly 2 good move, this shoulda‘ ‘ispive the Fat that White is exhiing signs of laziness Instead Gf taking a long think and becoming master of this particular Situation, he sits back, icks out a developing move and hopes that postive things wil just happen, Be 2000“ can consider 9. des but 9. dt looks boring. $0 yoptons are 9:5, 905and9 Ned Pushing my d-pawnby Sis bees a because lesves me wi a wealness on {5th Right recreate looks to pussve fr my tastes hough 9.e4 gives up the anddSsquaes,opensthings Tbh endo aaa bole hat would suit my se 90st inated a cena counterat- ‘Avery poor move. Black has just tack ao what does White do? He goes along with his epponent's plans by allowing his center to be ripped pant f would have preferred ether to mainain the center with 9 Ne2 Bb? 10.3. > Start a cencal tussle (afterall, White is ahead in developmend With 9.dac5 buc5 ©. ceS leaves White with a space advantage, solid pawn on e4 and a potential stong point on dé after an e# {5 advance) 10.652 (ying to leave Black with a weakness on eS land also atempting to create a strong point on d6) 10--dse3 1.fxe5 NET 12.14 with Ned t follow 9.nexds 10.Reds 2000, “Otherwise ose pawn 10...Nbe6 2000, Now Fa considering Be, which may be ata slow: However, 1Lexdé is passble. Als, HINDS is serous thought Ss 2 choice Bemeen thee two moves Sie [NBS miplces the Knight onthe side Tl po for exe ‘White i sil playing without any kind of plan. He is not ‘reasoning things out and he is noe analyzing any variations. This "ype of ‘move by move” existence is often employed by players from the beginning level right up to the revered ranking of master. No mater what your rating may be, itis the wrong way to play chess! exd6 Nxai 12dee7 Que? 2000 “Now Ihave to make some decisions don ke his vwellplaced Knig,so 12.64 Nut 13.083 Rob 14 ad Paying onthe fe ooks gon.” ‘White has completely failed to evaluate the poston. he had taken some time to do so, he might have alized that opening wp ‘he center and giving Black two Bishops isnot a logical couse of action He should have envisioned this several moves ago (before he allowed i to happen), since now al the trumps rest in Black's Inandls and itis oo late for Whie to do anything about i 13.Be4 Bastoo Ie x ry “White to play 2000; “An active move that may not be sound: have to be ell not toeschange a bunch of pecs and end up an {afer Bishop. verse Kright endgame. Since 14Nic aul runs la several plas (SNR? QeSr and 15.Nee? [Beez are both bad for me) and 1BRE2 Rad also Loks Tennis challenge is ea snd chop off his ate” shocked into action, 2000 finaly looks ata few variations and takes the corvect mental stand: you see a way to win material tind don’t see how your higher rated opponent can escape, {You must go Into the Line and keep him honcst. "have to point us thatthe vation he gave on his 12 move via 13. Nxf3e Gnstend of Black's 13. Ba) 14.Qx3 RDS 15.Ract ko favors Black because the Bishop on g7 i beter than any ‘ther mince plece on the board. 14.txa8 xa? “The most accurate ofder was M4.-Bxfl ISNxdé Re. The vest was played to see how White would reat to a greater range of choice 2000 * could keep the Exchange with 15.72 bu 15 Ra ipveshi tempos ands pave The rain moves 15. Nx ‘Shen 15. Bx 16K consoles. Soon 15 Naa be wi pin wih RUB of Qed when 16Nez Bxe2 17.Qae2 Baal 18K favors me 15.Nxd4 RAS? 2000: Since 15 RA Bald and. Bee} wins fo i, Lave fe block wah ny 8 night” More accurate was 15,..Bxf 16.Nee? Bae Tad Bx 2000. "Now INS stl lose 0 18. Qc5e, Whats wrong ‘ih bees 18 af an align ‘missing? It looks like Tm winning,” r PEC 18.Kxen? cnc Mai lay 183 ere utaing the power Knight ona ve. His flue to do 50 leads to-a speedy 18.086 ihn tas oan Sen es ee eee pet dra ne it ea pd ae a Vette op pe aly te ands wo cos eat a ‘opponent does! apaenene oan 22.Kgl keeps White firmly in the game. manatees Spo eae martes White's postion is ost and we postion isfost and we stopped the gime at this point _—_ Tips! 1% Even 2 seemingly bad opening wil hve some positive points. IT you don't ake what ye your oppo- nent is doing seriously, then these postive points will end up beating youA plan comes bette developent tment pro> when you ac sine no yo wees cars at ad 0 ek Wok fed fom he ey st moves! yon tn yo sea tae Need aa tg ianp gos mst be cogs ram pow us pln, Never fea ak Satot coe of acter —_—_—_——_—_—_—— ces fom the en opeing, I cast 2 our net gare Secret nes payer sable to come up wih a reasonable fantsdote 1600-Silman, Modem Defense ek A624 gh 3.Ne3 BET 4.44 06 5.NEBNE7 ce diagram 29) : cena cone ad » King space wc eTs ts conimcny evel se key 28 ZEW, acing two ato ke mtn he Saiki Tap th oi sk pollen ot on ol oo es Sy of cppenany ohn Bey nthe sexataat es kings deri lots oon tse pnt. Ths lo king te revs sme shh 16 th he edhe of he two Wat moby saat ta ngs anak non sce you cont seettrorf te cones inked Beraise ofthis, nahi ext col erin, whe shove one i ceva ie nado ream Hat's counterplay. Once ts 4 Wn ae tar hl ateton towards ne othe Wings 6.e2 1600, “Develops the Bishop sod prepares to case and teste the Rook nae White 0 he Bahop beer 0 Bor Though ° nv an erm F255 break, Tit ask bow eal ts possiblity sit cums oe tobe just a pipe-dream, then €2 makes sense since & allows White to place a Rook on the dle and discourage Black’ ..c5 break. 6.86 1600 “He's going w play. and pt pressure on hee pawn 700 1600: “Looking at afterwards, {think my 0.0 was & poor ‘move. I the center closes vp, ny white Bio mould be (rod and is isu bad one that he could exchange by Ba ‘With my Rook on this exchange would be reed: ‘This type of thinking jus takes up time and makes 4 player Pranoid. At the moment the center is not close (meaning that ‘White does want to be cased) and Black’ ligh-squared Bishop fs far from being bud. Besides, the fs player can' realy top 5Ba6 anyway. If Black wants to take three moves (..b6, as and ...Bxe2) to trade piece thats moved only once then White should rejoice. Dom’ allow yourself to get in a state of mind where everything your opponent does has some lurking threat behind it. 00 1600 "tm looking ste center aed wheter makes sense ‘o-lose up with eS when Blick can ake o play 08 If 505 deeS9teS my le s opened nd my dark seated Bishop i feed but my daw i wei I he closes wih «5 then a later .c5 males ke «Feich-type opening abso gives him use ofthe square, Sof on ke te 63 ‘xdvance. Tm abo looking st aeay plan of Kit ono fod Rook on 3 witha hinge stick but thats cualy ‘fended! against etre ftratack df with eS and ‘Nix wih pres 0 Be lke good” must be kept in mind that pawns one an! contol the tga central squares. As soon 38 you push One of them you give Lp some of this contol! After 857 Black would not actate White's f1-Rook and cI-Bishop with 8. ces? nsead, be would simply play 8.867 when White has given up contol ofthe an b8 B5 29.5 Babs 30NIS Ba7 31.NADS with material gain and a win on the 35" move, ——_———————————— ps 44. You can win games jus by increasing your edge in terry bit by bit 4. IF you own a space advantage, pay to restric the enemy pieces 4 The side with more space should not wade too ‘many pieces A The sie wth es pce shoul se exchange whenever possible. ih Dont bein rsho foe tings Aso sucess {Quite enough to tomuse the opponent and force his eventual capitulation SS Cornet example shows poston whee te whee th cers ean ‘the space advantage lies on the kingside, oy eti-Carls, Baden-Baden 1925 ‘White to play at won his poston in ins fashion. He fn voided unnecessary exchanges and then made use of the bflle—a file that White can open whenever he desires to do $0, Nest Avoiding exchanges and bringing the Knight tothe act om nig ive as Lathe 2Rh3! Ofcourse, since White has a space advantage on the kings, thats where he dc is ply, The text ows an inane x common idea. White will play on the fll ut, seeing that2.hgS hxgs allows exchanges, he will only open it when he ‘wipes by Rh3, Rb] and Qh2, Since Black as fa es teritory on that file, he will be unable to copy White's movements ther. 2Rbgs 3.Rbh1 Qds ANdst ‘Threatening Kg3, Qh, hag and Rh7*. 4spchs S.nteh 4 KET 6xn ots 7x6 Rxh6 S.Rxh6 Qe7 9.Qa51, 10. ‘Mate follows 10Qc7*. Rest made this look easy, but good things happen if you play where your favorable imbalances reside Could an amateur with 1700 rating handle things so well? ‘Would he recognize his chances on the hile? T decided to allow iy student the chance to walk ia eu shoes, o> x x a * Dh eB bh o * a & ev re oem a & = = 1700-Stmman ‘whiter play 1700, “ist we mut ok a the imbalances. Black as an ‘enbalance on the gueenside and on 45, 6, a6, and hi. Black’ positon i aig hoe. ts ad “white doeso'thave any imbalances, Well. hasnt quite tn, he as ane on 4 hough is guste by the Keho, White fas space everywhere whe the open fle For Black means nothing. The best place forthe White igi ‘White does aot want to tade Knights becaoe hiss more mobile than the Black one. Whke ca also camp Black Some more by hs" ‘hiss just tebe! After several weeks of lessons, 1700 thinks that imbalances are weaknesses. I must have failed badly to let him believe this, bu e's stop you, the reader, fom thinking the same thing? Imbalances ae diferences in the postion! One person can havea Knight and the other a Bishop. Thais an imbalance! One can have space while the other player has the superior pawn structure. Tha is also an imbalance (rote that's sometimes not clear who the imbalances will imately favor). While imbalances can be weak pawns or weak squares, they can also be many other things Gand can be postive, negative or neutral). For the most par, everything, 1700 sd was off the deep end, Jn fac if his i how he aewally thinks, 1m amazed that he keeps 2 rating as igh as 17000 nse 1 almost had a heart atacke when he played this postonal blunder! In many ways, this move is far worse than hanging 2 piece. Why? Because everyone, even Grandmasters, hangs pieces from time to ime. Hanging a piece ia moment of blindness Bat playing a move ike nS shows a hore lack of understanding about ches. Clearly, this far more serious. ‘When you have an spatial advantage in some area of the board (and White's resides on the Kingside), it won't mean anything ifyou can" find a way to break ito the enemy positon, ‘White hada lear route int the kingsie va the hile, but closing ieby 115 permanently closes that road. Whe has gone from a ‘lear advantage toa disadvantage in only one move! Lakhs 23 RibsThe cents is closed and the kingside i also locked up. Tis means that Black is free to devote his full atention to the queenside. 170 “Back is tying 10 pile up on the queens, he’ hoping to tke the pawn cf (by RSG, QD? a Tact) and pick the Rook on BI. Ts i permanently Srevented by Nes 3.Ne3 QO7 1700. "He's pinning my e-pawn to my King, What happens ‘ipiay Nd} and atack hs Rook black s targeting all of White's potential weaknesses. These are the pawas on b3, of and ef, 1° clear that Black has all the py Anas Qeo 1700 “Why does he want oie me 2 Rook fora Knight 1 ont undestund his Do lake his Rook dot double on {he Bolt Ab. 8.84 Que, What does that Go? I ‘doesnot kak so bad for me. For example, SAAD4 Qeets Skhs when White's not winning, bu Back might have a Stes Acualy, he might ge my Knight and two pawns Forth ook. Th i good for fm so Ica do that Tim alo frorned about 3-805 GaxbS RXDS Hut Bas nee Uhingerocs. eter protect my e-pan” He doesn't realize it yet, but White’s no longer fllowing plan of his ovn. Instead, e's just reacting tb Black's ideas (in {ther words, Blick hss the intative) ‘5.Re1 RAbT 1706, “Black has qucenside space ut his pieces se nse ties Hom oud is space W your pieces ae not dois Sythinge Sort mas ake the fight om even Lose a pen 4 exit 7nbs, However, then 7. Oct is pas Eten not word becuse | wl tke mth te Rocke” 1700 is frisky gy, but if you have less space than your ‘opponent you should not go eu of your way to open things Up. 1700's desire to win aa costs often clouds his judgment AAQuustioN oF THE CentER, TexaiTORY. an SeAce 187 Remember desire mixed with the cold light of reason is, something you want to nurture in chess. But emotion and wishiul thinking are enemies of every player spare ‘You should always be able to listthe great things your moves 0 for your postion, In the present case, 6 bd ony helps Black’ ‘cause. Notice how this move opens the bile for Black's Rooks and creates a selfnficted weak pawn on ef 6..cxbb4 7.xb4 Rxbé BNxbd Qued 1700 “F951 Qxbé den win hie Quen by 10RET# Keys T.ReBe The other move is 9a, bat what do do about 9.9870 SR looks ery good ‘9Re1 Qxbs ‘There’ nothing sweeter than “falling” for the opponent's (unsound) trap. n doing 50, you break his confidence and allow him to use his own ewoxs to beat himself. 1oRe7+ Kee ALReS+ Ke7 1700. So my sciices isnt wok” ‘We stopped the game and discussed the horble1.nS. To this slay the sight of 1R5 eases my blood pressure and makes me ceinge with horror. Tips A space advantage means litle if there is no way to Penetate ito the enemy postion, * * (Open ils are precious things. Dont close off the very roads that you so desperately need! —<$<$<$<$<__—___ool Silman-Brkan, US, Open 1981 ‘White 1 ply. ‘ite enjoys clear space advantage onthe queenside in diagram 234, Normally the fist player might ty to-add to this by b2-b4 and a5-ai fllowed by an eventual DAS. ‘However, its not enaugh to look at your own plans to the exclusion of the opponent's Just what 1 Black going 10 do? Appareriy, he wil atempt to advance inthe center with... and ...e6-c5 (thus annexing tertory of his own). Why should White allow thi? Why not take space everywhere and leave Black with lite or no counterplay? This is the reasoning White ‘employed when deciding on his next move eat Grabbing a spatial plus in the center. Now White would ‘welcome 1..dxed since 2Nxe4 would allow him to make use of the d6-square and, once White castles and places a Rook on e1, the backward pawn on 6. This move shows us that i is not “enough to simply recognize a space advantage. You must also be able to crear exea trstory; doat expect i © magsaly appeat 18 2.0-0 86 Sate? Ks “Rel Nf 5.BA gs ba ‘Whie's last few moves ae easy to understand, He has gotten his King to safety, placed a Rook on the e-file Gwhich can be ‘opened whenever White decides to pla exd), and solidified his position on the queenside. Since Black is deatly worse on the queenside and in the center, he goes for his lst shot on the kingide. Normally central play Gvhich White has) will prove to be more valuable than this "ype of desperado atack on the wing, However, White comes up witha very greedy idea: he decides to ake contol ofthe kingide also! If successful, White wil gain an advantage inal three areas ofthe board S.Bxts gx 9h! Preparing to bring the Qucen over to S. Black cant prevent this by 9...Qe8? since 10.exd5 ead 11. NedS would prove to be more than bothersome. 86 10.0h5 Bre Texd5 exas 12.Bd3 White has an enormous advantage. His pieces aim at the kingside and dominate the center. White also has & powerful ‘queenside pawn majority that gives him excellent chances in any endgame 12.85 13.N63 Be7 1. Roe2 6 “Trying to cover the weakened e5- and gS-squares 15.Rxe61 Decisive, The White army buts into the Black position, picking up pawns as it goes.15...Bxe6 16.Rxe6 Be Stopping Re. A7.Bxf5 NOS 1B.NeS! Ges I9NIT+ Ka? 2oNxds! oo > > mM > Re OD > ein & 2 Black is doomed 20,006 (Or 20...Qxt7 21.807 21.Qh6+ Kxt7 22xe6 mate Though White started with his space advantage on the {queeaside, he went out of his way to conquer tenntory in eter ayeas also. Can the amateur copy this mind-set and create a space OM aw & a ad a a A bbs ba al & a od PR 4 a & A aaa awe 1300-Stiman White to play 1500 Matai seven White's pawn structures better than ‘Black’ His pawns ae aiming tthe queensie ae ss space advange there. hy Bishops sre ssperion. The ha Bishop is bad bari ousde the pwn chan, Back has a Blight space elge on the Kings lacks d6squae ie ‘weak, White defintely asthe Deter game hee, Duco the ure of the postion (closed cere) I can ge nore space fn the quensie wth He did a good job in recognizing what White had. Unfortu nately, he didet pay atention to his opponent's plans bs ae 1500, Blacks ying to get his shop active by playing two 1a. Another poss to play to 7 and fora push inthe cere: woud keto get fis backward pan on Drift ean. Lam debating wheter caste or otto cae igh 00 advantage where none seems 10 snilly exit This isthe prob- lem that I set before a couple of my student. He's doing reasonably well This time he noticed sore Black Ideas, buthe did't bsher tying to prevent them, Inf, t never ‘ceursed to him to strike inthe center fst. Why make it2 bale bberween one person's queensde altace versus ancher person's center or kingsde attack when you can have ial? 200651500; “He's playing to open up the center and activate his Bishops Ht options are to ake or push. Leventaly need to play ad anal bs but Tm no te Sue where to plice my paves on that ie, forge abead™ Bates 1500 “Grabbing more space inthe center. I move my Kenigit ove tothe queens” Alloa sudden Blick has a space advantage inthe center that aims at dhe kingsde. This translates to acuve kingsde play for Black, compared to the passive stance that Black was forced to cendre in the Siman-Barkan game. 4Nd2 N47 1500, “Black i playing for Kingside pawn storm by pshing his pane there, S should push on with wat He wisely states that you should play quickly on your respective side in an race stuation. However, why did 1500 fet Black map out ceniral and kingside space inthe fist place? 5.05 65 1500 He s contin ¥ put pressure over there. I dost thik Hack has sny immediate tet 501 ust make my tack ae Gubxc6 bxe6 TERbI Neb 1500, "Black’ ying get hit paces over the queenside tone ean defend wl push ey aypawn so Tsun sink ormeting ino 6 1 play ..Qxa5 after he played 8287) so he took it back 25€0 twill play Nab and pt presi on 6 and a6 Naa as 1S“ sarin wo pan. Bvery entry point is defended by ho minor passes and pawns” 9.2 Bhs aoRas Aquisition oF tHe CreTER, TERRITORY. ano sence / 15001 “The poet of Qe2 was to play HOS even is Bison ‘was on B."Then, he took | could open the efile with ‘dt. Unforurtely, with my wandering. your sick has ‘poten move seit” 10.06 1.b3 Qt 1500.°My Bishops are si bees but think Black’ poston ‘Seow superior sinc ease for his pieces pet cough “The game was stopped at this point on 1650-Siiman White to play 1650: "White hus more space onthe queens. He alo has two developed Bishops, Whites Knights have beter cedal posions. Black shouldbe breaking inthe center with 5 ‘which fees his Buhops and other pleces, White hud ‘reve Blak re ticking the center ‘Excellent! White not only notes his own queenside play but also sees that he should prevent Black from geting his own stall inthe mide. Les Ba 3650.1 dont wanto apr since pens the efi. nul presse one with ez”2.Qe2 Nota terible move, bur prety much unnecessary, The ef pawn was already well defended so an extra defender is sort of pointless, Instead, he should have castled sine you dont want ‘Your King sting in the middle when the center is opening up. 2.6 sunbt 1650 “thing tto bt so can play and gin more space on Ue queens” SBE 1650 “Ihave space advantage so 1 don want t tie ‘sce chat ml pve him move room. estend Tl force hm 4g3t Absolutely tebe. eis good that he knew that exchanges shoukd be avoided if you have a space advantage, but don’ prevent trades it resus in an entombed, useless pice fe? 1640; -Now twill yt gin an aac on the kingrise ince his pawns ae Kod of weak. Fast I wil actate my e2 Bishop by geting my Kaight ou ofthe way." 5Nba 1650 has som of lost his mind around here. Fist he plays the excellent e3-4, but then he kils of one of his own pieces with [2233 and nest he sticks his Knight ava fom the cerer on 5.Ng7 1650 “Now wil gin more space.” 6a Its wonderful that he wants to gain more space, but why "weaken hs kingside and leave the poor King stck in the center? 6bxe4 TNxet NS Aquistrion oF tme Cunree,TesmiToRY. ND SraG#_1 108 1650,“ dn’ want to wade since T have the space edge” e's stuck on that rule In this ease, he doesn't want to trade since i allows Black to open the eile 10 the White centralized King NB Nes 16501 -My Queens being tacked butt want iokeep eras lose tthe enter as possible by QU, Ihe check me on 12 is Knight ie tspoec™ 9.083 Nas, 1650."Now your Knigh iin the center ona tong sre. Till conte io eye hs kings and state iy Basho. 1 dont know why White wants to avoid casting 4 badly (not to mention the fact that he keeps sticking his Knight on the in). Rvidently he doesnt realize that a centalized King stops the Rooks fom connecting and will come under stack f the enemy ‘can open up the centr. 1o.Nns 15 ‘Threatening Ne 1650 wl being my Knight othe nice g5.oquae* ALNgS e5t Taking advantage of the fact that White's Knight on 5 is only efended by the pawn on Fi 1650 “esting open up the leforthe Rook I haveto 12dxes Nees, 1650. “He Is iing wp a pleze wo get an atack on my King it hs Rook 13.605 1650: "Oh, hes geting 2 pece hac! ve realy low 13..Qxg5. Here the game was stopped.Tips } J E 1 Fee! free 1o grab lors of space 28 long 25 you arent ‘creating serious weaknesses in yout postion. ee CONFUSING 1 8 saely good to leave your King inthe middle of the board ee SUBJECT OF PAWN STRUCTURE Tyo aks ste payer with ke of when you ty hangin bled tek, shed pews he mo ly tmponrs wilbe “t weatoes” Unfors mea ames She ely kw now tg afer pawn wanes, mah fectrng eof nga The er se ofthe soy Sie te tin potom. Hie steve ges ese 2 eld tents, ealy pn bona he nat one of he Sym pon ahr nal eo scr Te ple th sermons tying ches aay being wee The als ha flow show when pn cae Do et lef bltllalell pt dnbDoubled Pawns OR ware A dA aad Ree ok AKAM & 8@eA DoOaw co pw 8 wie pay NEGATIVE — The doubling of pawns reduces thelr fexibility and, at times, leaves one or both of them ‘vulnerable to attack (though i's usually the lead ‘Pawn that is the weaker). “White's pawns are doubled in diagram 38. Though the pawn on 3 is very safe, the guy On ¢4 6 futher advanced and thus ‘ulnerable to attack by the enemy pieces. Back wil torment this pan by ...Ne6aS (lien his Bishop and Knight both atack i) followed by ..c7-S, --ReB and, ifecessary, ..Neb-d6 POSITIVE — The doubling of pawns leads to extra ‘open files for your Rooks and increased square ‘control fier 1 €5 2.NF3 No6 3.NC3 NIG 4th Be5 5.0-0 0-0 6.43, {46 White can play the sily-looking 7.Be3 (see diagram 39) Is it wise for White 10 allow his pawns to be doubled Actually, White would love Black wo capture on e! After 7... Bxe3 Btxe3 White gets increased contro ofthe (M- and f-squares and limmediatly creates fine open fll for his Rooks. Since ef s solidly guarded by 4 pawn, and since the eS-pawn is quite safe (et defends i), White suffers no negative consequences tall from this doubling ‘Black w pay, Since White has shown his deste to get some “mighty” doubled pawns, Black should refuse and try for some doubled ‘miys of his ovn! After 7.Be3 Black docs best to cither play 7..BbS, when & Bxb6 axbé gives Back firm pawn structure and use ofthe open ale, or 7.Bgt when BBxcS dkcS gives Black use ofthe half open dle and powerful contro of the di-square "Not tat the doubled pawn on cS i easly defended by ..b7-b6. Isolated Pawns On wre a a@ane fh 48 2 Agon A A&BA a wise hie pay.{NEGATIVE — Aa alate pawn cannot be de. «a ~ Cade by taomer pawn and rverywlneabte to ‘unk sands on ta open Me a wa Indliagram 40, White can being his whole army to bear on the aaa poor copa by hel Nike Ne anf ccna. Oe x a 1° POSITIVE — The creation of an isolated pawn may & & chew uponiuomacrthe use ofa hallopen Me aw 4 ap & A x re x a a a. aa Back vo ply. i tn dag 42, Back whs the fae, soled epson by * playing Tes A ® aba A WARS ee = Be a aa aaa ‘wins opi 4 fer 1 Bee gram 4) Black could fly pay eo A 1c Home beat ako Snares so oa tid tvel oe no noe Geta aie, & ev s aw o Seat ace dott saad on an ope ie tees We Aa Aaa Pict ot of ean ach sale to genet pesue down te an ¢ ‘newly opened! bile aginst White's pawn on b2 24 NEGATIVE —The formula to beat an isolated ‘pawn calls for control of the weak square In front of the pawn soit can't move, the trade of all minor pieces (which ends all attacking chances for the ‘owner of the isolated pawn), the retention of {Queen (¢his stops the enemy King from taking part Inthe defense of the pawn) and one oF two Rooks (which will be used to attack the pawn), the dou- bling of these pleces against the pawn and the wse of friendly pawn to attack the pinned isolated target. ‘White has good atacking chances. 2° POSITIVE: An isolated d-pawn at dé (for White, ‘The pawn would stand on ds if Black owned the ‘isolated d-pawn) gives ts owner plenty of space for his pleces and open files for his Rooks. The person that possesses this pawn should play for dynamic play with his pieces. ‘White's d-pawn isgram 43) gives him extra space, use ofthe eSssquare (@ nice home for his Kaigho) and possibilities of a kingside anack ora central advance with a,If you own the isolated pawn and your opponent as man- aged to tide off most of the minor pieces (ending its dynamic potenial and turning eto a pure weakness, you sil have one Final line of defense Exchange all the Rooks andthe enemay won't have enough force lft to seriously thyeaten your pawn. co & a a a ao’ w a a & aw & & & 2S “The game should be drawn, In diagram 44, Black s unable to apply more pressure tothe prawn and White can easly bold the poston. Backward Pawns OM awe Xx white to play and fight ford NEGATIVE — A backward pawn is only weak if it sitting on an open file and if itis unable to advance. ‘The side playing against the backward pawn should strive to control the square directly in front of it (turning itinco an immobile targeD, siace this square ‘cannot be defended by a pawn. One way to do this is ‘to exchange all the pleces that defend this square. In diagram 45, White wil pay to increase his control over the ssquare by NdS, 23, Na3+c2-e3 and, Wf necessary, 2-83 followed by Bg2. If White could exchange off Blacks ® Bishop and Knight (the only two pieces with potential influence on 45), the frst player would have permanent congol over d. POSITIVE — A backward pawn acts as a guard to 8 ‘more advanced pawn tothe side off. This ad- vanced pawa can block enemy pieces and control {important squares. The backward pawn cannot be ‘considered a bad thing i the square i front of iis welldefended. 46) x ce RWoaaae a a a a xR & a® a ABAW BAA Ba ob White co play has nothing In dlagiam 45, White can play 1.NdS but after 1..Nd5 2end5 the dS-squace is covered up by @ pawn In this position the d&pawn (which defends the important e5-pawn) is well defended and isnot realy a weakness at ll In fat, Black's active pieces and pressure on ef give the second player the advantageHanging Pawns NEGATIVE — This kind of structure can be weak if the other side is able to circumvent any dynamic advance of the pawn duo and, since the pawns ‘would then be immobile, train the power of all is pleces against them. a 1x Te RW Baka a a aan ab a & & 8 SSWE ALS ae ln diagram 47, White has crested song pressure against the 5:pawn and there is nothing Black can do to save F Ti.Nes fas to 2.NxdSt Bxd5 3.804, POSITIVE — The traditional hanging pawns on cS and dS (or ¢4 and dé if White has them) control many important central squares, give thelr owner an advantage in terltory and also offer play on the halfopen b-file and ele ‘Benok Fischer, Stockholm 1962 ‘White to play In diagram 48, Black’ hanging pawns are well defended and sive him ext space, contol ofthe center and strong play down the bile. Since Black threatens 10 play 1...Qb4, White takes eps to prevent this Nas, “This covers bf, threatens the pawn on eS and prepares for INF wth presure on 5. Auett “his creates a weakiness on di that White will not have time to use. With £8, Black fixes the enemy pasin on b2 and turns iciato an imenobile target 2.NE4 ROS and White was in great difficulties. After 3.Rab1? BOS 4.Rbd Nf 5.Rd2 gS! White gave up a piece and the game with GNedS? Nid rather than face 6NAS Net 7.Re2 Qb4Passed Pawns NEGATIVE — A protected passed pawa is not al- ‘ways an advantage, though most players think itis. Ifthe square in front of the pawn ean be controlled by the other side, then the pawn is stopped in its twacks and becomes a non factor for along time. Even worse, ifthis square falls to a Knight, then the horse will radiate power on the neighboring squares and pawns. ow ‘White © play has «bad positon, In diagram 49, Black’s Knight on d6 prevents the enemy passer from going anywhere. It also eyes bS, b7, <8, e8, 7 and side from attacking the White pawns on cand ef. Under normal ‘rcumstances, Black's Knight wousda't beable to tay on d6 since ‘Whites pressure on the dle woutd make it run away. However, Jnthis ease the dS-pawn isactng lie a trator by blocking i's own pieces With White's pawn stopped, the active Black queenside imsjoiy shows self to be more valuable POSITIVE — A passed pawn is very strong ifits owner has play elsewhere. Then itcan be used as endgame insurance. A passed pawn is also strong if the square in front off is cleared for the pawn's advance. [As can be seen, when a passed pawn exists, the square in front oft hecomes the most important square on the board, Whocver owas this square ‘dominates the game, so great energy and imagina ‘ton must be demonstrated by both sides if they ‘want to wrest control ofthis critical point. > Ee Waa a a’ awWada & & AUBUA && a S White to play. In diagram 50, Black is in big wouble since he does ot have control of the square in front of the passed pawn. White plays 1.06 followed by 2.47 and the whole Black amy wil be forced 0 run before the pawa's might Remember: So-called weak pawns are only weak if you ‘can seriously attack them or make use ofthe weak squares ‘that may come with them.‘craving my students several lessons concerning strong and weak pawns, F usually wai few weeks and then give them the chance to show me what they remember about our discussions, ‘The fis game revolves sround the proper use of hanging pawns 1600SiIman. Queens Indian Defense 1.48 NIG 204 €6 3.NE3 B6 4.03 BOT 5.Bd3 45 63 Nbd7 7.00 Be7 8Nbd2 040 9.862 ©5 10.Qe2 cxds Mexds dxch 12x Res, Pe xW xe 4 aa he . he oP Sep € be oo &&él ie ‘White to play a is 1600: "will back up my pawns with Rooks "Not delving deeply into the poston tall bu still coming up with 2 reasonable method of development. White must realize ‘at, aside from the well-known potential weakness of his pawns, this structure aso has its good sides. The pawns on dé and cf ontol al the important central squares (e5, d8 and 5) and give ‘White more space If White can male his pawns safe from atack (puting his Rooks behind them strives to do this) then this advantage in teritory will give him a promising postion, He will, then have tactical chances based on a timely di-d5 advance or, if this shouid never prove elective, the simple Ne5 followed by Na2-83 will enable White to annex even move squares, 15.Ract Res 1000. “There 2 possible discovered stack on ny Queen fon the ele. But there are two pieces inthe Way a the ‘moment sot wil cone to backup ay pans wih ay Rooks, which also gives ay Queen ore oom wo move “There isan old saying that goes “When in doubs, place you Rock opposite the opponent's Queen, i's bound to prove use ‘Though this pal said jst, the truth isthata quick 4-05, advance can now be throwin ou the window since it opens up the efile and brings the dormant Rook to life. However, even if Black's Rook did not stand on e8, this advance, which does activate the b-Bishop, also gives Black's Knights access to cS and 's usually only played if there i some sort of acca justification to back it up, Of course, it tens out that ...Re® has @ more substantial purpose than some hazy hope of 4 future attack against White's ‘Queen, That purpose will become clear afer Black's next move. 14RtaI Be 1600:“If1 go back to with my Queen then. might ‘be good for hm. There also a psy that he wl play an eS advance. I dont need to wonry about». D4 thvsse Lean defend by Be." ‘White was showing signs of erly laziness in placing his Rooks behind the pawns without a desaled plan of acon. Now that he hhas moved his Rooks, he becomes hopelessly passive and doesa't leven ty to find further ways to improve his position, ‘The problem White Is facing is the Very common fear of _phosts—a fear of things that may or may not be real I is the job ofthe player to decide whether a thst is real oF act, but you can't ever decide one way or the other without proof. This means you must analyze and come 10 a final and cleat assess ‘ment of the situation. Is the White Queen really in enough danger to warrant is retreat 10 the passive fl-square? No, of course it n't. Is .e6-e5 a threa? No again, So it seems that ‘White went out of his way to place his Queen on a bad square for absolutely no reason at all If you find yourself in this kind of mind-set, you will never come up with dynamic ways to put pressue on your adversaryMote agaressive (and constructive) Meas are 15.Ne5 NxeS if Black does not do this then White will follow up with 16N&PS witha very nice game) 16dxeS Na? 17.Ned and though White has 2 weak pawn on of his contol of 46, pressure down the newly ‘opened cle and chances of attack agains the Black King give io many ateacive possibilities. isn 1600; "So my Queen sf i he plays. Black never came close to threatening ..e6¢5 so White has Found hinse in frame of mind dat will come up often inthis book—the Gverwhelming desire w respond 10 every possible {reat eal or imagined) This isthe bane of most amateurs and ‘must be avoided atl costs. n this case, White has used precious ‘tempo tomove his Queen fom fine square to a poor one, 15.96 1600: He's ging to pt hie Bchop on g7. ean move my Bishop back BL and then swing my Knight over OBS ‘This stows the main idea behind Black’s 13 move, The Bishop wil go to g? where it will defend the King and eye the lurget on d4, Notice how Black is improving his postion with ‘ery move while White i Nloundering about in a panic 16.861 B97 1600; can now song ove to 3... Hel go. Bi ssdopen me upon the king. ca nove my Queea to “before 1 pay Nbs, hes 1 is defended” White i sul reacting o every Black possibility. Atleast he reals that his Queen was not panicipaing in the game on fi, ‘bu the origina e2square i where i really belongs 17.943 Qer Ot “Puting more pressure oa ct ean put pressure On the ele by el followed by NeS. At the moment my Kaige nce doing mach = ‘White continues to ft about from one idea to another, but at least his ideas are becoming more aggressive! The intended 1IS.NDS would have been well met by 18. Ba, 18.Re1 Reds 1600, “Now e's puning pressure on. play Nb8 and gua it 19.Nb3 Qf4 ‘Tempting was 19...Ba6 while 19. with the threat of 20. Bx3 was extremely strong, However, wanted to give him a bit more scom to come up with his own ideas. 2600: Now he's tacking ny 6-Knighcand abso threstning tomowe his Bishop to et If move my Kngin oe he sl ‘Sn py Bes fs beter to moe my Knight back 0 a2 2o.ntaze He's sosure that everyting is going to be bad fr him that he miscalculates. Black doest threaten 20, .Bet because 21.kxed would win two pieces for a Rook. Also 20...Baf3 21.Qx83 Qxf3 22.gx3 s not necessary the end ofthe world for Whit. Finally, 20.NeS#7 would have lost 20. NxeS 21 RxeS Ng. A bad of lazy attirode wil always lead tothe worst possible results. Never give Lup hope and even if things have not been going well you must fight wo the biter end. You will be surprised how often you can tum game around! Instead ofthis passive and useless retest (remember: 20...Be didn't work, Don’t take time ovt to sop your opponent from Dlundesing), White should have remained calm and played the simple 20.063. 20..Ng4 1600, “Threatens to check me Iave to move my Queen to = 21.083 Oxe3 1600 wl capture tard the center”Sill defending and following the base rules Galway capture towards the centee. This is simply not good enough! You must tive to come up with creative ideas that challenge your oppo: neni! Puting your arms up, closing your eyes and fending off lows is going to get the job done. 22.heg3 NDS ‘This Knight is coming 19 66 where twill chew on the dt prem 1600 "He has wo pieces agains and one Rook against Ts chas his Keg sy 23.63 N16 1600.1 want keep hi Knight rom moving 085° ‘Why? A lack Knight on hS would nothave helped the second. player in his bate against the weak pawns on df and of, Since NAS could always be answered by KI2, White should have lskea the opportunity to play a more uscfol move. Superior wis either 24.872 or the more asseive 24ad! Gntending to create a Weakness on 06 by a4-a5xb6) 24..a5 25.51 when the Black pans are also turing out to be in need of defense Remember: Be aggessive—create pawn weaknesses, igh for squares and space, do something postive! Just because you have some weak pawns doesn't mean you cant create some in the opponen’s camp as well. 2.giei Nes Eyeing d withthe g7-Bishop and giving himself the possibi- ‘yo ..NAB with more pressure against 1600: “ois adequately guarded by the c1-Rook 40 cenalze ny Knight” 25.Ned a5 Won, "He'stretenng a4 anda cape on dso Ihave voguard as" 26.Redi Black would now meet 26.6 with 26.6 27.5 Bad and the Knighton bi is no longer defended by its twin 26... 27.Nal Ne6 1600, “Putin another piece 0nd, have to defend i" 28.Ne2 Nas, 1600: “Now he has ewo atacking c4 can sill defend, though 29Nes ‘The game was stopped here since both 29...Bh6 20.45 Bed apd 29, .Bxe4 folowed by 30..BH6 would win material. Sothe pawns eventually fel (a case of use them or lose them). ‘This occurred, however, de to inactivity on White's par. If he had made use of his advantages in space and piece activity then the hanging pawns might wel have been heroes instead of goats. Tips + Always play to improve your postion. Don't panic and euteat from good squares + Owning hanging pawns means that you must play dynamically. Passive pay wil lead 0 your hanging ‘pawns turning into weaknesses 4 Ifyou are playing against hanging pawns, you must tack them with everything you've gotInthe next example, we see hanging pawns in a better light. Black 'Sable to advance them and demonstate their dynamic potential The suring moves were Ld d5 2.4 €6 3.Ne3 €8 4cxds ‘exdS 5.ND3 NOG 6.93 NIG 7.8g2 Be7 8.00 0-0 9.845 exis AONNdS HG 11.83 ReB 12.ReI BMS 13.Nxc6 bxc6. oe x 2Wxae a aa a a a Oa a as A&& SABA Bw Ee 1800-Siman, Queen's Ganbt Declined, Tanasch Defense White co ply 1600; My ceater pawns are gan and ny Bishop is block ing ty epawn. His cpawn i weak He com move bea hiseopawn woul fal He a noe paw ands and hs apawn solved and wesk and my Bishop on @3 {es his pieces down tot defense. I could attack hs Go ‘uw by Qas but ds pwn easly defended is peces fre passive ght now and are siting on the back rake ‘Whats the nastet wove to stack his pawn’ War 4 sinute.14Qed almost wins a pawn ought 14 e? then 15S! wry song” ‘hits looking ar Black's pawns as weaknesses without any ‘good points whatscever. This nota correct view. The trick 19 batting potentially weak pawns ito fst contin them (fx them ‘on vulnerable squares) and only then to attack then (14 Nad is the best move), Instead, White goes sight or dhe throat but forgets that they can move forward andl annex some space. W.Qas Note that 14..Qe7 sad, but White's idea of 15 NDSP isnot the reason becasse 15..cxb5 wins a pice. Instead 14.7 fails to 15 Nad, Mus 1290, “Now his dawn x enemely weak { dn see bow he can defend everthing” “He has a positive attitude bu i's somewhat lacking in eas. Note that White did not fll for 15.d5 Nuds 16xd5 QxdS 17.Qxe8 Bb7. "Now the question sralsed: Are Black's pawns wimpy targets ‘oF towers of strength? They do contol the e4, ected bie squares so they can't be al bad The bat lines are drawn White will ty to ether win a pawn or force one to advance which will CGhopefully) create a weak square on cf oF dé Black wil defend his dynamic duo and uy to create counterplay onthe halfopen b- Ale and e-file 15.R481 Bes I6.NDS? 1800 “Anacking 37 and 5 simultaneously" “This move does uncover an attack on cS but White seems ‘unaware that Blck is allowed t play a move toot Dont get #0 fll, fof your owa plans that you forget that you have an opponent, Much beter was 16 BF which takes away the bi-squate from Black's Rook, theateas BeS ip many situations and creates the possibly of e24 16...966 1290, “Now both his pawns are planed. These mst be & ‘way te pounce on ter Black was easily able to defend his pawn and now threatens something that White misses entirely. However, Blacks position ‘was already very good since the White Knight ca be chased back, the hanging pawns can be solidly defended by ...Red8 and Rac8, and White must constandy worry abour tress along the Difle and pawn advances like dc a7bére na1800: “My Knight in a le rouble The game ended at this point. We went back to the stating postion inthe previous diagram and I made him play the comect 4N Gastead ofthe previously tried 14.Qa9). ° x awe a aa a a a a) aes Ba “ABah nw one Black o ply 14.35, 1800: If ay Rook eat on of then Bd? wins, 201 pay Taz and atack he Queen, which so get it of the poor poston es Whe shows that he stil doesnt understand the postion, The Bishop on 3 was nocbadly placed atall. Indeed, helped control the cctical eS-point in an eff o fix the pawns on static and passive squares, Blick’s 14..Qa5 isan active attempt to counter ‘White's conirol of e5 and put pressure on the a2-and e2-pawns. If Black lid not do this, White would have gotten a fine gane by BeS followed by the exchange of dark-squared Bishops and NeS with 4 bind on the d+ and e5-squares In that case, the Blac hanging pavirs would play no active par in the game, As i tums ou 15.Rxc6) was cortect afer all since the ‘complications that follow 15..Bd7 16.346 have been shown to favor White. I could not expect 1800 to know this but I did have hopes that he would understand the need to block the Black owns. Something like 15Bc5 sould have made me happy (hough 15...Ba6 is a good reply) because his heart would have been in the right place, Even 15.3 followed by 16ibé would have shovin that he wanted to conuzo c5. 15.nd2? Qbs 1800. He's stacking ©? but this nob dea can ph t ce goad wih my Book ‘White i looking at diet threats and moves buts not looking aalong-range plan. Because ofthis, he soon ends up ina passive postion 16.63 Black also gets active play ale 16Re1 Bg 16.865 Here we stopped the game due to lack of time. Black's well placed pieces clearly outgun ther passive counterparts. Tips 4 Any kind of weak pawn mus frst be contained (locked) before i is atacked, 4% No panin structure is always good or bad. Look for the potential pluses in any given seructure and _make sure the opponent doesn’ achieve them. 4% Though {repeat this in every chapter, I wil tke time to do so again: Don’ just react wo the ‘opponent's plans. Find an active idea and follow it with as much energy as you can muster. On the ther hand, don't get cared away with your own Ideas and forget tha you have an opponent. Take his pln into account and make adjustments when necessary. ‘The game that follows, played in a weekend tournament by a ‘student of mine, made & Geep impression on me, It takes one of|te moss maligned of structures, the dreaded tripled pawns and shows that dhey are not necessarily had-—even in an endgame! oo Black to play. “The postion in the diagram was reached after 15 moves Black, though pawn down, undoubiedly thought that he sed well fer al, Whit’ pawns had inspire confidence. However, Harold my ‘student realized that these pawns gained space, ted up the enemy pieces and allowed him t generate play aginst the opponent's remaining queenside pawns by moves like Rb1 and NaS 16.Rad ayo challenges the dle and tells the opponent that he can only cle if he is willing 0 give that ile up. 16..Re7 wi Following Steinia’s important rae: The way ta best Knights to take away all their suppor points, 17.0.0 18.Rd3 RAB 19.Rxds+ Bd 20.Ra1 BIS auras ‘Whites playing this game in a remarkably calm manner. Since ‘Black has no real counterplay, White i able to slowly srerthen his postion, 21..NfB 22.4 Ber 23.8e5 Ra? 24.046 ‘The White Bishop has taken up a powerful post. I ove the ‘way he methodically brought his Bishop to this nice square 26 25.49 96 26.8xe7 Harold sees that his exchange wil allow his Rook to penetrate immo the hose postion 26...Rxe7 27.Raw nay ‘And now, instead ofthe hasty 28.Rxd7# (which tades a very active Rook fr its passive countespan), White could have acneved 2 winning position with 28 Rast a6 29.c6 bxc6 30 Rxa6 T suspected that most amateurs would take one look at those ‘mipled pawns and proclaim their diske ofthe White postion, Is ths view corsect or was {giving the chess playing miss less ‘credit then they deserve? I set the same postion up and gave a ‘sudent the chance to prove me wong ) 1500-Stman White to play1500: Thre slated aas on ane ei bad, but onthe cer ane Whe is Beuer developed, bas an open bile Jad ia pava up. Also Black has ao pressure on White's fame White haste cance to sacece one of elated prs with cb and wolate Blacks pawns, but at I would ket piay my Keight 35.1 ike this move Du Want concent on my development mus use ths efoe ses away Il play LUG sod acate my Rocks.” Sol sand humbled —1500 also like! the White postion Isthis because isolated pawas don't bother the average amateur, o ae in students so wellschooled that they are abe to see beyond ‘ypical forms of chess bigotry that color most people's perception? Twas delighted when 1500 pointed ou that he had to play fast ithe was going 10 take advanrage of his lead in development Actually, just about all of 15005 comments were right on the ‘mosey. Perhaps Tam breeding a race of super players! RFA Re7 1500 "So Thave ken contol ofthe le. Now the Kaight fan gotoas- White's lead in development will soon be gone but he has ‘managed t conver it nto a long-lasting control ofthe important fie 2.Nas The b7-pawn isan excellent target but he is now rushing his postion a bi. Harold's eatment, which held onto the e5-pawn {nd took squares away from the enemy pieces, was much beter 2.00 15001 want to concert onthe bland the B-pawn.” 3.Rabi Bxe5 ‘Snxese ‘White thinks he is geting good value by trading off wo of his wipled pawns for the healthy one on b7. This is quite wong. Insead, White has freed the Black pieces fom thee prison and from the necessity of defending b7. The patience that I praised Harold for is quite lacking inthis game. 4c SNXD7 Red 1500" woul lke to play RAT and ake she seventh rank bu dont any to serie my passed pawn. On the ces ‘nd dont want © ply too defensively. would like ‘ede one Rook, defend cand beg my Knight back 0 in doen my paws. The bisque is good for hs ad ‘in be reached va e6 oc a6 White war beter a she Deginning and he sls shoul place + Rook behind ry pissed pawn” 6Rder 1500; “This Rock was chosen so can follow up ith D3 6.8 Here I stopped the game since White's advantage hes com- pletely disappeared. Tips 4 A so-called weak pawn is only weak ifitcan be stacked! Each individual pawn has its own plusses and minuses and must be judged accordingly. +4. Patience isa teal vitue in ches, IF your opponent has litle or no counterplay, then why shoald you feel compelled to force the ive? Irs much beter 10 take your time and add a hos of lise advantages to the pluses you aleady possess_Abuackward pawn sa potential weakness because no other pawn, an defend it, butts main problem isnot x0 much the pawn self bbu the squire infront of i. The game that follows shows what happens if you ignore this simple fact. oon of mek aaW @ak2| aoe ad 4A a 2: BAA BAA p= wae ‘Smyslov-Rudakowsky, Moscow 1946 ‘Black wo play. ‘lack must move his threatened Bishop. Since 1...Bo8 seems ‘cong, that only leaves 1... oF 1... Most players don ke ‘having to reteat ancl prefer the more aggresive I. .Be, Indeed, thats what Black chose in the actual game, Lameare ‘Would you belive tha this natural move lead toa postionally lost game I does! As hard a ii to accept, 1...Be4 sa positional blunder. To understand the positon, we have to look atthe >backward pawn on d6. I this pawn weak or in danger? No, fs well defended, However, the squae infront of it @5) only has two defenders—the lightsquared Bishop and the Knight. Black's cor with 1. .Be4 was that he traded one ofthe erica defenders ‘of d5 fora piece that had viaually nothing to do with that square, Smysiov was quick to jump on ths mistake, 2Bxe4 Qret Sigs lmmediately chopping off d's final defender. Ses ‘hxt6 Bs S.NdSI Dds Blick would lose the Exchange after 5..Qxc2 672 Qe5 7.Rct followed by Ne? {6.3 and White's domination of dS (and the superior minor piece that came with i) gave him a huge advaniage that was confidently converted into a win ater 6.b5 7.63 QeS* SIC Re8 9.RFS Kh8 10.6 gxf6 11.04 RgB 12.Nxf6 Ry7 13.83 Baf6 14.Qxf6 Rog 15.8d1 dS 16.RxG7, 1-0, since 16...Roxg7 17 Rad leaves Black with 90 answer RAB. All sight, Smysoy played well,but coulda student of mine: do the same? I gave this task 0 1330, Fist I gave him a lecture on strong and weak pawas. Then we spent a few weeks on other topics. Once | was sure that he'd forgotten everything we had spoken about earlier, threw this postion at him, x AaW 24428 asa asé & ad B52 BA wn db Silae-1330. Black © play, 1250 Wel have to move my Bishop totter, 47 orc. |Athe moment White's shop ix beter than mine could force a trade on but he would chase my Queen all over ‘he board Posble 1B bt Hate to rece and is feven worse I ke 7 since my Queen is sfe and 1 Keep pressure on 5.""began to search forthe cate prod. He dda’ even mention the fct that Black was saddled with a backward d-pawnt As for his comment about his Queen being chased around, is this cealty ‘oF lazines? Le’ take a looks 1. Bes 2 Bed Que 33? Qef and the square has been weakened (which in turn weakens 2) by [White's thoughtless one-move atack (b2-b3). From Whie's point of view, we must ak if Black would leave his Queen on cf afer B23? es clear thata sane person woulda. So White is left with the following question “Did b2-b3 improve ‘Whie’s game in other ways?” Not at all. just weakened squares tnd had no purpose osher than the obvious attack on the Queen, ‘This shows usthat White shouldnt even consider b23 after 1. Be4 2 Bes Ques, and Black shouldn't fear it Gn fact, he would happily pay White wo play 10. Don't make moves that have no purpose other than some ‘obvious threat that can easly be panied. 1.a7t So 1330 played the right move forthe wrong reason, 1. Bd? 's correct since it will o to c6 where i attacks White's t-pawn and defends the delicate d5-square. Then Black can ply “a6, 5, ..Qb7 and ..bS+bf, undemmning both d5 and ef 26 1590. "He is staring a homing kings aac, mon cerned about pt gs when ny Kaight has no good spares. [eould Beck that by h@ but this would weaken ty kengsde. However, I ike my Kaights postion since stacks ef and defended" ‘He mentioned the d-square and the pawn! Thank good ness for that I would have been even happier fhe had firs played 2... e6 (bringing another piece to bear against d5 and ed, since 1 ‘assure that he was not aware ofthe prope fllonup to 2... 2h 3 1330; -He st asthe same teat. Ishi ine for? "ase paw. could goth? and defend 5° 3..NBT Bester was 3..Be6, atacking ef and guarding d, and only then NAT, 40g? 44d was suonger(@ move that could have been prevent by amearer..Be6) but wanted to give him the chance to find allstar defensive idea Aeon? ‘Too late. White can successfully get 485 in, he wil havea ‘winning tack. Black could have punished White for his ast move by the reueaing4..Qd8, 2 move that tacks hé and covers g5 If ‘White answered thi by 55 then Black would be free from the wony of ays. I White played 5.8, then the gS-square woud stlbe in Blacks hinds and 5. Be6 would be an intligent move Jost because a plece moves backwards doesn't mean that i's retreating 5.95 has Gags 1330 "Whatisthe thes? By Bishop ie practically wontlen {ight be able to ole wp wi 6.15 C7 36 Nes BS fas Driving a stake through his own hear, However, his game was already very bad. Ifyou keep playing on the side where your ‘opponent dominates, thea you will almost certainly lose 6.8692 7.96 Nes S.BxgS fags 9.Be4+ and Black wisely resigned. OF course, 9.Qh3 was abo promising Black lost this game bectuse he reacted to dhe White atack and he never got his own play staredTips ‘The weak square in front of a backward pawn is ‘often a greater problem than te pawn isle You can play to win a square by trading of ts defenders —— us final example takes us away from weak pawns and into the ‘World of pawn srucure as it relates to the plans for both sides Decising whether you want to keep the center open of allow tte be closed isan important decision in chess, and must only be ‘ide with a firm knowledge of the other imbalances 6) 1680.Stiman, Tore Atack ‘White play. The staring moves were 1.d4 NAG 2.NE3 6 3.095 B47 ANDd2 0.0 5.04 d6 6.03 gs 7.Be2 ReB 8.N3 BX 9.BXf3 €5. 1650. “Though he Black pawns pointiowan the Kngside, {should sll ease on that seo the bound. Black's op is hitng granite and his BY-pawn might hang i he's not ‘ate Aer 1000, he plage 10. Ne then 1 pans lime andl dives the Knight sony. ert case, White wi continue Ret and Net and thea he eon laate te capture om 5. Black tikes the ie to ply i, then White wl like on 6, However, fer 100.0 No ids Nev he boca [en 1650 efersto the pawns pointing in a cern direction, hes tying to make use of my rule of pointing pawns In closed ‘oF semi-closed positions you will usually attack in thedinn {don where your pawns point, nother wonds the pavesoney andes are aiming tthe kingside—they act as iter pointing the way, Why docs this work? Because that isthe direction where you have the most space, and you should usally pay where you coe more tertory. Though isa good sign to see 1650 thinking abot this ule, he's forgetting thatthe center is sili. state of few nd the pawn-pointing rule only applies to a closed or semicloeel Position. Ifyou keep the center open and pl in that sectos, then ‘he pavur-pointing rule has les vality. This is Because the cone {5 the most imponant place to play on the board and ply thee ‘usualy take precedence over play onthe wings “Another interesting but incorrect statement that “10..NcS ‘an he answered by 1145 with a gain of time” Toften notice tee amateurs love to attack enemy pleces with @ pawn, The teasoen for this are: 1) They are attacking someting and this threatening _BeSUuRE gives them a certain sense of secusty. 2) They think the they ae gaining time let's look at the Naws inthis reasoning. Keep in mind thar en you atack something will move to safety (am constantly sured bythe amoune of players who harbor secret hopes the the attcked piece will stay put and die). I also mpeant sa Uoderstnd tat a pawn move ony gains imei tees s pecs to an inferior square or places the pawn on a beter pont dan where fe stad, In the present case, 10. Neb 11.05 Ne} dees nag sg time for Whit because he’s closing the postion comething {hat favors the person with Knight), making hs {3 Bishop pany Piece and taking away his cental play. White should noe dere about any of these accomplishments,Other things thae were sated or ignored by 1650: 1) He's lunoring the imponant imbalance of the (wo Bishops. Since Bishop like open positions, an acknowledgment ofthis imbalance ‘would tell hit that closing the center with d4-d5 might not be a ‘od idea 2) Black's Bishop not hiting gare! 'sa good piece and can easily become active after an eventual .exd4, Admit- ‘edly, the center-clesing d-d5 makes Black’s Bishop bad but this ‘would also devalue White's two Bishops. 3) He says tht after 2 cern series of moves, Black's center wl fll Why should this be tie? Alera move lke ..Nbd7 oF. Nes Black has firm grip on his €S-pawm ‘What is really going on? At some point Blac can pressure Whites ed and dA pawns with .exd4 Chis also frees the 87 shop). White should try to kl ofthis counterplay and activate hhs two Bishops with 10dee5t dxe5 (10...RxeS 1.8/4) 11.00, ‘White would then gin space on the queenside with a4 and bi aad get his light squared Bishop into the game with BF-e2-c4 This plan would give the fist player a small but safe edge because [luck would have no poins of atack and the Black Knights ‘sould have no advanced suppor points. On the other hand, ‘White's Bishops would take up active posts on e3 and cf 10.0.0Ne6 1650 if play 12.45, them 1185 i bad since B3 takes saya hs aquares. Aer 1.5, the center locked ith [spas posing towards the Kingside wile mine aim the queenside. dont want fo play d8 but Tm tempted because it civ the Knight and galas time. FT do ths, ‘where does sy Knight go then” My Kghe-squared Bishop also seems poor I tour my Knight (0 45 via ef and e3 instead of closing tings” The comment about 11.5 NaS 12b3 he's missing 124, which ppeks up the poor Beas) taking aay all the Knights squares is Insedon the lesson that the best way to deal with Koights ito take away all their advanced suppor points However, why would Black want to place bis Knight onthe side where is cutoff From the res of is anny? Since he states that d5 leads to queenside ‘lances for White and kingsie play for Black, woul it be more logialtobringthe Knightto the side where Back intends to pursue his play? Ths 11.65 Ne7 is mich more sensible, Always make the pieces and pawn structures work together, whether youre looking at your moves or your opponent's posse replies, ALNet hi 1650-1 gow then 12.5 15HgS ves me presure a 3 He ied t0 go to hd but I wamed him that something was ‘wrong with the move. Afier a few moments he noticed that he ‘would lose his pawn 10 11..ex64 12.cxd4 g5 so he panicked and blszed out s few moves, Lets devote a few lines to the subject of pane. Everyone has been unpleasandy surprised or as had the experience of not ing—usvally rth last moment—that their intended move i ba. IWihis happens, you must no: make any hasty decisions. Instex, org about the game and take a few momen to calm yourself slown. Once this done, you can reassess the situation and avoid raking a decision based solely on emotion, 12.xf6 Qxi6 1345 Stil riding high on emotion, White has ceased to thnk about his moves. The quiet 13.dxeS keeps a very safe position, 13..Ne7 Now thatthe center is closed, the pawn pointing rule comes into effect. Black will pla fora kingside anack wih 1715 while ‘White should try to create a breakthrough on the opposite wing. ‘Why? The center is closed so the wings are the only places Where play can be initiated, Since most of Black's space i located on the kkingsice Chis most advanced pawn ison 5), he should try toad to this with 17-45 when his space advantage in that area ls more apparent Tn closed situations, you must play on the side where you have more freedom of movement and try to annex a ‘much space as possible. Note that this is done with pawns advances since that allows files to be opened and the Rooks 19 enter the fayiat 1650: “This stops hn fom chasing any Kaige with." Arte begining ofthis game, White did what he was taught and tied to break the postion down into its component parts. Unfortunately, he failed to comely assess matters because his thinking was vague and disjointed. Afr the shock of hanging material (See the note on the 11® move), he played a few hasty ‘moves and from now tothe end of the game he does nothing but phy one-move atack or defend agains specific threats. In other ‘words he has been reduced to a purely reacionary role. To be fs, the move that 1650 played (14a) is actually quite a good lone: My eicism is that he only played it fora defensive purpose (to keep his Knight on ef). He should have been thinking in a more aggresive vein about gaining space onthe queessde and tying to drum vp an initintive there. 14..Qhé 15Ne3 1650, I don ke his Queen being there sot harass ber” Very interesting! A moment ago Whe was intent about ‘epi his Knight on of, However, Black's move upset him—his King is being atacked and he feds the aced to defend. Sadly, his statement about harassing Buck's Queea isnot based on acurate calculation. Instead, he’s bringing some pieces othe viciiy of the lingside and hoping that something postive happens for him. ever play moves with your flagers crossedi Never hope that Ihe misses your threat or that things will somehow work out All chess players should get rid of words like maybe and somehow. Clay what's going on to the best of your ability perhaps you won't get it right but atleast you will be creating some good habits. 1650 has goten lazy and is no longer puting tis fll energy ino the game. 15.85 ext 1650: Uke his pan vere but fel my King i fer shan his Another lary and eroncous thought, Dont think that a King without fll pawn cover i necessarily in dinger. A King ls only in danger ifthe eneary pieces can get oi. dan’ mind incorrect analysis or incorecehinkingpeople can only perform st what ‘ever level they have reached, Laziness, though, a preventable sease that makes improvement imposible “The capture on fs bad because opens the gle for Black's Rooks and makes Blck’s pawns on eS and #5 mobile. 16.05 1735 1650074 wap. intend 18a” Why is this a ap? The one-move atack White gets on Black’ Queen i hardy fatal. Notice how White i going more and more towards the reactionary role I discussed ear! 17K 18.24 O16 19h ‘White's last 10 moves have been simple one-move artacks (please keep in mind that my crticsms usually refer 1 the thought behind the moves rather than the moves themselves). He |s playing without any kindof plan 19.98 1650, "We are both budding up | want 19 weaken the f= pawn and pr presi on hi Finally some words of wisdom, White has identified target. [Now he should play 20,4! when he holds back Black's pawns and threatens vo intiate an atack on 5 with fxeS at some point. ‘The comment about “builaing up" is less asture You must first identify a target and only then build up your Forces to attack i, 20.988 Rather than stopping the advance of Black's central pawns, ‘White places hls Queen in a vulnerable poston and makes the advance of the e-pawa all the more tempting20... 1650, has a prety good bllup, tm nt suze ROW 10 ‘espond: {lke Hacks game now I lock Uke the tables have rome This new bout of depression comes withthe realization that, the f5-pawn is solidly defended. The est of White's moves ae ll fon the kingsie, This ls something that the atacker loves 10 see because that means White is reacting to what you are doing Jnsead ofthis, he should have been creating countenieats on the opposite wing (he B7- and c7-pavins are undefended. 21g3 04 16501 eet finda good location or my Queen. would like to pny #0 g2 fr defense bt ed also tempting Doce k guar my Bishop on hS.” Al thoughts of « counteratack are gone. White is only thinking about ways to hold sings together. 22.082 Qas 1650; °1 made the wiong choke, The e2-square was supe> 23.Be2 Bes 1650, “tm baste” 24.Kh1 fh Black, who is dominating the game on the kingsie (noe that “white never got bis queenside counterplay going), easily won. White's postion isa real mess after 25.gxF4 Qh —_—_—___————__ Tips +The pawn-pointng rule i useful to know in closed cor semiciosed postions, I the center s locked, you must atack on the wings with pawas. This increases your contol of space and opens files for your Rooks. The prwn poiting rule enables you to tll which wing you are supposed to play on by “point ing” the way, See the note to Black's * move for a ‘more detailed explanation, Don't attack something for no season! Atacking an ‘enemy piece has no value in itself. You must always ‘expect your opponent to play the best move, so he will (and you have wo believe this) see the transpar. cent attack and move away to safey. Ifyou have. ‘alned something valuable, even if he sees your ‘heat, then the atack i useful If there is nothing to bbe gained after his best reply, then restrain yourself and leave his pieces alone! Remember: you ate ‘ying to follow a plan tht benefits your whole army and takes advantage ofthe weaknesses in his ‘amp. One-move atacks are oaly useful if they do something t benefit your plan. Avoid vague thoughts. Concentrate on one of Wo {Important features ofthe postion and go as far with ‘hem a8 you can, This will enable you to stay on tack. Ifyou find yourself saying thing like, Vl somehow atack his King," you are being too wage. ‘You must only atack the King (or anything else, for ‘hat matte fr a specific reason and you must be very clea with yourself on how you intend to go about doing DDont allow surpsse o depression to influence your moves. f something unexpected or bad happens, you mist st on your hands unil you regain your cequiibuium. When thi is done, reascess the sus tion as ifthe game were starting over again and calmly figure out what the postion needs Dont just react tothe opponent's threats. At imes, defensive moves ae called for. However, if you find that you have los tack of your own plans and are ist reacting to your opponent's blows, you mast realize that you are on the road to defeat. Chess i 4ame where the opponent tries to impose his will ‘on yours He wants you to do what he tls you to ‘do, Fight lke a madman and refuse to go along with his agenda MATERIAL Oran eines in hes 2 meta hs ees rae ‘Shan apg he” A cin Bop, ori sigh Tee ca pan ce er ban eh ge You oy Rothe oeon, you muse very ea oe ‘ny your tho fu Care taf ang ou pos oan oo cary. have nerd at ak ‘apa ganesh satis ae dese y sme rss hrf eal Ms mens dat you i si ees trying sy dep sey hr Jou wl sex hues o pols you ang om cn'we moe pe of grou Munda One wc snd wie yout more doom bre ou py Do at ible ale te waiten mow a oi a The wasn orthis isthat as we look deeply into postion, our mind goes off on tangents that often take us far aie ofthe reality of the moment, ‘Wring the move down in this fashion brings us back wo the here and now ‘Once you have wien the move down, you should ask, ‘when play this move, does my opponent have any checks? Can he capture or threaten any of my pieces?” You will be surprised how often you will deny notice that your intended move, the ‘move you placed so much hope in, isin realy a gamedosing mistake, Instead of losing the game, though, you ean now scrsch fut oc erase your blunder and think of something new ven though so much importance is placed on material, we must remember that i iS an imbalance, just like any other imbalance. Don't win s pawn it gives the opponent an advan luge in developmert, space, pawn structure or several ther things: Remember that a materi pus is a sate advantage; don't low yourself to be beaten by the enemy's dmamics or by a combination of ether state factors, you're lucky enough find yourself with an advantage in material, you should fallow these aus: RULE 1 — Material beats the initiative if you can neutralize the opponent's pluses and equalize the ‘game (this might take quite afew moves to achieve, ‘so you have to ask ifyou have the time). Then your ‘extra material wil, slowly but surely, bring him down. [RULE 2— Material gives you an extra unt of force. ‘you make this uait an active participant in the ‘game, you will have your opponent outnumbered. RULE 3 — Material edges lke the Exchange (Bishop ‘of Knight for a Rook—three polats for five) are only useful if you can give the Rook an open file to fy on. An advanced, centralized Knight can easily beat an inactive, useless Rook. This means that you ‘aust be careful not to allow simple point count (the pieces’ numerical value) to influence you more than the particular position. ws [x x a a & on a a A A a & © ¢ a A & & Black suffers even ie has the move If we were to judge the postion in diagram 59 on point count lone, we would have to sty that Black seems to be an easy wwinner—hhe has a pawn and a Rook for a Knight (sk points 10 three) However, his Rooks ae completely heiples and his extra pawn on d7 is insmobie. On the other hard the White Knight on {6 dominates the board. Black cannot prevent White from playing Re? witha winning bind. RULE 4— When you win material you may find ‘your pleces are off balance and without purpose. ‘That is because they have fulfilled their mission and now need a new goal I they are off balance, don't keep lashing out. Instead, bring your pieces back together, make everything tight and safe, and then prepare a new plan based on your material edge. Remember: extra material gives you a long- term advantage. You don't have to be ina rush to‘We will begin our look at material advantages with a seemingly ‘Smple postion in which White isan Exchange up fora pawn. @ axe aa aAaw && x ES Kramer-Thomas, Utrecht 199. ‘white t play Inthe postion shown in diagram 60, Black enjoys more space due to his strong pawn chain on b7-e4 The things that White can tow about are his kingside pawn majority and his material advantage, Thave stated over and over again: when you try to ind plan, ‘yu mst base ion the advantages (postive imbalances) in your position, You probably wouldnt wish to rush White's Kingside pawns (one of your two advaniages) forward (in an alfempt to Inake use of your majority) since that woul place your King in peril Ths leaves you with that extra Exchange; how can White ake use of ‘Rooks only reach ther full potential on open files. Unto ately for White, no completely open file exis Sil if you want formake use of that ext Rook, you will ave to find a way 10 crete a file for it Tlefore we go further, we must ask what Black's advantages ae. As stated before, he has that mass of pawns inthe center. He ko has to ackress the difference of Bishop for Rook. Rooks are better than Bishops, but that doesnt mean tht you mus accept thei inferiority and just wait to lose. instead, you should play t0| make your Bishop 48 strong as possible. Black’s plan is this: he ‘will anempe to advance his pawns t b6 and ¢5 and then he wl “swing his Bishop around tothe powerful &3 post va BS. ‘Armed with this knowledge, White's plan should be easier find since you must always sive to prevent the opponent from succeeding in his plans atthe same time a8 you ight to bring your ‘own t futon, Lgest simple, but very fine move, White prepares to centralize his ‘Queen on di and also covers bi so that he can continue with b2- ‘BA This advance stops Blac from advancing his own pawn toc5 and also prepares to force a file open with an eventual bs. 18d bt as 3.04 he ‘nea ‘Threatening to win pawn with 3.Qxed 4nQ07 5.4 Kh7 6st White is happy to sacrifice a pawn if that allows his Rooks to, break into the enemy position 6.axbs 7axbs tas Ribxe6 xcs 9Ral ‘White lys claim to the open afi etas 10.23 Qxa3 11.Ral Qb3, rhs White has succeeded in most of his aims and now takes « moment to sce tothe safety of his King, 12...983 BesWhite sees no reason to give Black a passed pawn on 8 with 15Qd3 exd. Besides, the combined atack of White's Queen ad Rook will soon lay waste to the Black King 13..Kg6 Ras KAS asKh2t ‘Tis allows the White Queen 1o move without havingto fear check on 3 15.02 16.848, 1-0, oo are AAW && E ae 1000-Stinan, ite o pay. t's now clear that White is winning in our beginning postion. However, that takes a high caliber of play, so 1 Se it up again co see how my students would handle this type of technically ‘winning situation, 1600: ‘Tm 2 Rook fo Bishop bead but there are 80 open files for my Rooks Back his ene ext pawn snd more advanced than me. The pawns oa a2, D7 and a7 are Undefended but Ton see any way eier side cn take ‘vantage of is. Ha paw are locking Bishop so hat ean his Betop is bad Tass my favor, Black can bo that he has more space. So how do fuse these advanages? ‘There is ponsiy of paning the Spawn and atacking the ape one. mam open efor sy Rooks keep 2 ‘lose eye oa my undelended pawns. One plan Qb3 a (and fed winning 2 paw due wo the pin onthe 28 ‘Gagonal Another similar ide ist place a Rock on dl and Pay Qxed burda’ no big det since he shouldbe able to Gefen against tis pe of thing. His ean slope my Rooks fom goiagto Soa. m iaclined to advance my wn and opea ie. i do thes by doubling Rooks on df and then advance the pawn by and #6" He did an excellent job of picking the position apart, far beyond what one would expect fom a 1000 player (ve hid ust Finished iatking bout good and bad Bishops so he was wery much aware ofthat idea) Also impressive is the fact that he noticed ‘some hidden tactical possibilities based on Rdl and Qxet, Unfor ‘unaely his reasoning falls apart when itcomes tothe actual plan chosen: He notices that no open fle exist andl makes a plan that resto create one. This s excelent However, he completely als ‘o take into account his opponent's moves. Just because you have a superior or even winning position doesn't mean there is nothing for your opponent to do! R26 Now White didn ask why I played my move! You must always setle down and ty to figure out hat your opponents up to. Instead, White forges ahead with his own (erroneous) ileas and completely ignores his opponent amet? Played insanty. Berer was 2Rd2 with the threat of 3 Qxe4 ‘White could then have put pressure on Black's central pawns and tried to dscourage Black from advancing them, Of cour, White ‘ould not expect Black to mis this threat after 2 Rd2), but placing your pieces on centaized posts is rarely bad, and atthe worst serves 1o make i hard for Black to make tse of his center pans 2d 1000-1 dat ike the way your pawns are coming fora sop them wth 303"Allof sudden White stars to pay attention 1 Black's moves and now he forgets his own plans and begins to focus on his ‘opponents You cant ignore Your opponents ideas but you aso rust avoid getting to # mental place where you do nothing but his moves and ideas. 33" [Now Blick’s Bishop gets ouside the pavn chain (one ofthe ‘most impos things you carido With bad Bishops) and takes up fn excellent post on d3. Blck no longer has any problems whatsoever 3.Bbs 1000 “Tm nce golngto pve you my Rook Il goto and pnthe dpawn™ Notice how everyting White esi just reaction to Black's 4nd Bd3 1000: You have no thes oer than the Queen 01 B10 Swit acuviy aise has lost his grip on reality and thinks he stands bette just because he's up an Exchange. This isnot true, Rooks are no beter than Bishops ifyou can’t make use of them. Dont get ‘tapped inthe world of point count and ignore wha's happening fon the board, 5.903 46 1060,“ think Ym going to et my open fle. Aer Gendt ui, Pd be happy to ade Queens” Gexds During the lst few moves, White should have begun damage contol operations and given the Exchange back by Rxd3. 6a.exdA 100 “ti rereat oe which hespsmedominantonthe fle” 79a €3 000: “ke tha. 1s easy to defend my Rook, and hs Bishop ishanging His Queen als tuck defending his pan 20 Tm not unhappy about his move “Amazing! White isso possessed bythe newiy opened file that hn ignores al the plusses that Black has created for himself active Bishop, two powerful passed pawns and pressure against the White f pawn) Here 1000 ied 8.8 but took back when I poiated out the possibiliy of 8..Be2 8...Ba6 1000 “pay 9.24 andy tock is Bishop off the a6 agonal wih bubs. Wat + minut! 1 jst missed the excellent 9.Qxe¥ Fortunately I nciced before | did Synge” 1 give him credit for noticing this tactical shot (made possible by the undefended postion of Blick’s Queen), I's just bad luck that it doesnt work out 9.Qxe3 dxe3 osteds e2?? ‘This tums out to be a serious mistake that allows White to escape with a craw. However, the fist player doesn't see it bbecause he becomes depressed, This leads. sense of hopeless- ness, and this again leads to an inability to aoe what's really going. ‘on in the postion. Black should have played 10.Rxf4 when the that of mate on 1 gives Black an impocant tempo. This would hnave ledto the win ofa White Rook (mich asin the actual game). 100041 mus rezeat to b. 11KP ove to 1. Ra: Notice the commen, “I mis.Sayiag this almost guarantees ‘hat you wil mis the realty of what's goang on. Tens 8 2 chain around one's bein, and. mise be permanently ‘xorised from your chess vocabulary! anRbne Trapped by the hypnonic tone of “I must," White fails to see 11.Re6! Riga 12Rbxe? with 2 drawn postion, tee 12Ret There was no defense 32,.RE1+, 0Ie’ elear that Whe will ecome a much stronger player if he stars to pay atenton to his opponent's possbalties as wells his (Our next ey at this same positon shows the amateur doing much beter. we reo ab aa aaw aa 5 7) 1550.Siman. White to play. 1550."Buckhasa pawn esjorty onthe quensie ain the enter Whe hes prewureon the ie lads down the Exchange. His pans are on be sue colores is shop 30 hewil want oo something abouttat Even though Back down the Exchange fhe can keep the gare dosed and rot allow the Rooks to be activated, he wil ave a ood position If Back can gti Bishop od, he wl stand very ‘rel and Wrate may hive to acrfice a Rook vo gtd of ‘White, on is end wl use hi kings aon by dng ‘Ques. He wil ako prevent Bick fom actvaing his Bishop ie can open up fs Fors Rooks, he wl in” Another excellent breakdown of the postion. Notice how ‘white considered some of Black’s ideas 00, 1.965 1550: “Centating my Queen and challenging hs. Since Black's Queen i fis most active pec, fs Bood lea for fnew tnde t [like his logic, la gener tis always good to wade off the ‘opponent's superior pieces. However, i this case White could have used his Rooks in conjunction with his Queen to eventually create an attack against the enemy King. Another point that may smake White Want to retain the Queens ls the fact that the Black King is now free to ron to the center and help hold things together. With the Queens on, the Kings would both stay a: home, 1Ques Hes BG 1550 "Must move my Rook since f want to double on he & Bie wil play Res, which slows the doubling and defends eS and allows or aac like Ras BRS 1550 “white wants to challenge Black's pass. Black has ‘pened up the dagonal for hi Bishop so White wats {0 ‘move his Rook on fl, atthe same tie he alo wats £0 protec his pan on 4 ‘So both amateurs (1000 and 1550) allowed Black to advance his pawn to 5. In this case, White noticed the possibly but just allowed itt happea. You don't have to lt your opponents da ‘what they want. Stop them Ags? Absolutely horbe, White was wortied about moving his 1- Rook since an eventual». would undermine his pawn on £4. By foung his gaze on random wil-oxthe-wisps (1 am reminded of & deer transfixed by the headlights of aca, he forgets about more Jmportant facors that are about to hit him on the head. 4 RAT ‘would have been much beter, 4.bs 1550: “Thatis what twas tying to avoid Well. 00 late ‘odo anything about now White's pressure son the fle 50 play Rel when both my Rooks are safe fom the enemy" 1s becoming dear that the most common e1ror that the amateur makes (in any sivation) is to ignore the opponent's possiblities. Only when a dtect threat (real or imagined) appes ‘onthe board do they respond, though this response tends to be fled with panic‘snot Ras? T played this poor move 10 see if he would panic at the prospect ofthe d-pawn mashing forwaed, However, White ies (0 the occasion and comes up with a wonderful reply. Black should have played the obvious 5.3. 1550 “Black is thresteing 2 poo push onthe file so ‘White wil sara counteratac onthe fe hy seeing 2 pawn meh ba” Gat o x € z 2 White cracks the Black postion with 6 bt Impressive. White s willing to give up pavin t open a file forks Rooks. Now 6, .067.RAl leaves Black ina bad way—Black has gotten a pasced paven, but al is potential activity as been permanently stopped. White would then play his King to d4 and, ‘Advance his pawns on the hingside Tesalso imporant ta point out that 6. cxbA falls 7.88 Rac ‘Skxcie KI79.RcT# KAS 10 Rea7 Be 11 followed by f5 and KR2- asics es 1550, "Black heats the spawn, Fire, Tad” T.bxes xcs 1500, “Blick has a bt of play but White's Rooks are also ‘nore oil. White sso was is Hing the gare Ker 1 interesting to watch White play a very thoughtful idea on ‘one turn ad then do some lazy pass” on the next. Instead ofthis useless imeswaster (where isthe King going? Tm sue that White Js no idea), he had a couple of moves that deserved coosider stion. For example, .Ra3!a6 9RaS wes Black down othe defense of his pawns, and NDI? Bxa2 9.Ral Bet 10.Rxa7 witha Rook on the seventh ad the threat oF Re7 is also possible [rs suange that White worked so hard to create an open fle for his Rooks, and when he succeeds in this plan, he refuses 10 make se of them, 1550 “Oveh I mised ths move, Now he's geting airy and creating some threats soil sariie te Exchange back nd pu presireon histher pawns This should pt mn Here he goes again. After the bad 8 move @.KR2) he comes storing back with a nice dea gxcdt? ded YORNcé Rb2 ALKgt Rea ADRNeS 057 Abad move. Black could (and should) get an easy craw with 12. Ra8 13.K02 Had but I didn't Want the game to end yet Instead, 1 play to see what he remembers of our endgame lessons 13.Re5 1550:"Migh at well eat the e pawn and get a pase pawn of my ova” Bat 14.Rxed KET 1580 will advance my g pawn too int Macks King civ ad at the same time expand my major If Lea {ethig queen pawn or onc cftny Kingside paws, ll Dea cea paws up" {aot happy to hear this ast comment. had oli inthe past that a Rook ending with three versus two pawns (or C60 Ws.‘one ht ae al om the sae sce ofthe board i drawn. If Blace ‘an tae his a-pann for White's pawn on e3, then a draw would result inspite of White's extra guy. A tis point, Whites winning sn ie should do everything he canto avoid any kind of drawish ‘suations Th fact that his opponent is much higher rated Is no set Fomunstely for White, he can find any way to ade the a paavn for the -pavn so he iasead continues to play good moves $n scon builds up an overwhelming positon. 15.46 15501 wll hoe advancing and aim moe space." 16h4 KG 1550-1 wl move any Rook along the fount an, wich allows thee awn to advance” TRS HS, 1550, “E wate to prevent Blacks King Fm entering the ttle so wl st dive io aay with 2 check: ARRDG+ KET 1985 1550-Now thave vee versus one. ook ons would jun be wo versus one snc the doubled f-pawn Would be 19.288 1550 White would ike to gt his King ino acon ine its olng nothing 3 the moment. st lactate my pawn by pshing to 5 Then, a6, Iwill advance to and ‘White shoul win” This isthe very moment that Iwas waiting for when T went lingo thls endgame. I wanted 10 see if he remembered the extremely imporant rule: Rooks belong behind passed pawns. I he had played 20.Ra6! I would have been delighted, though 20,g6 frst and only then 2. Rais probably even more accurte rossi IF White's Rook were on a6, then this pawn move would be ‘completely winning, Unfomunately for White, Black fs actually blero win the game now. 20..Rb2 1550: think I made a big enor Wate ca’ trade Hooks” 21.Ra6 a2 1850 “Lean bebeve it. Im actually sing ow" 22.96 KA 23.04 ROI 24KE2 a1-Q 25.oxal Heal and the gime was stopped Tips + Once you lean how to break down the imbslances in postion, you have to practice coming up with a plan based on these Factors ‘+ Use this same understanding ofthe imbalances to figure out what the opponent should be deing and then make some effon to stop his plans (unless you are sure your pans will come to futon firs ‘% Don’t ignore your opponent’ dreits or ideas, ust because you have a superior or even winning Position doesn’ mean there is nothing for your ‘opponent to dot 4 You mus also avoid geting nto a pace where all you do is worry about your opponent's intentions. ‘Then you wil spend the game reacting to his moves and will almost surely lose 4 Avoid the quick, lazy moves that all of s ae prone toon occasion. lazy, ill-considered move often tums out tobe the losing Blunder4 A material advantage does just win by itself. You hhwe to make use ofthe exiea wood and demon: stat ts usefulness. Bishop or a Knight can easily beat 2 Rook ithe Rock does finda useful file Point-couat chess seful guide but doesn't mean anything if you don’ prove why your numes- cal superioriy gves you an advantage 4 Basic endgame knowledge i very impomant. Rules like Rooks belong behind passed pawns are knowledge that everyone of every class must have! In aur next example, we see that owning a material advantage doesn't mean that you ean ignore the positional factors that are ‘normaly so important in any given game, Often a smal material eg lke an extra pawn) can be used as endgame insurance but has ro enormous meaning right ay. Inthe case, you mus play to eum new advantages, ie. space, superior minor pieces, et. ‘Sman-Blankenau, National Open 1989, ‘Black to play ‘White as an isolted d-pawn bur the Black pawns on 26 nd bf will also need tention. White enjoys some advantage in ‘ertory while Black can use the hole ond for his pices. At the ‘moment, White has placed his Knight on eS and Black must gure ‘ut what he wants do about it Should he leave iton this ss00g Post or should he chop off Black makes a very ad decision. Nxest Giving White's dark squared Bishop more scape and tering the potentially weak pawn on into a strong atacking e5-pown. 2adxes NAT? leaving the Knight undefended on 7, The amateur must be very cateful when he sees that his pieces are undefended; many bad things can befall hem shen this happens. Subxh7+ A simple combination that nets pawn, 3.-Kuh7 ‘xd Res ‘White has won a pawa and could easly fall asleep with the ought that his game will win itself, How many promising positions are lost in this way? Since the extra pawn isnot going to make itself fel for along ‘ime, White must work hard o insur that other positional factors ‘ill be in his favor. The most glaring thing about the postion is the fcc tha Black has two Bishops. What ae therules for thistype ‘of situation? Going back to the chapter on minor pcoes, we see thatthe side with the Bishop and Knight should trade off one of the enemy Bishops and create 2 Bishop versus Knight postion, “Then you must concentrate on making your Knight superior > the enemy Bishop, With this in mind, White comes up with a detailed plan designed to make his Knight as good or beter than any Bishop. sont Covering the important ome & AA BA ae Alekine-Buwe, London 1922. ‘White to play & neat ‘Staking claim to the dle. To win this game, White will play to keep the Black Bishop botled up while attempting to create new weakness (points of atack or penetration on the queenside 18 ake More obvious stuff. Once an endgame i reached, both sides should rush their Kings towards the center, 2.Ke7 Best Tis does two things: It Keeps a Black Rook out of dS and it fixes the Black c-pawn on c5 where i blocks ts ovn Bishop. 3ah6 4.2 Rat Sid RDS Let's lec Alekhine tellus what's going on: “ck cannot exchange Rooks since ar 5..RO8 6 a8 ads White wins as follows “lf phase: Thi followed by g2-ei and gig5, aguas. ‘which’ Black har nothing beter than hi, since the ex ‘hunge of pawns wil ive he We Kah the square ht ™ pase: bbs fllowed by Kd, Ne} and Kes, 3% phase the transfer of the Kaigicto dB which isthe ‘Black King wo 6 inorder to hold the twice attacked eS. pave "phase rally 244, forcing the win ihe gore-pawn, alter which White wns ay. ‘By avoiding the exchange of Rooks, Black makes his ceppeneats ask mere difica” 6nd Bhs ast White intends to play ad-a5 and ereate new weaknesses inthe Blick postion. Since 7..a5 8.Rb3 wins material for White he ‘heat of Nxcs is hard stop), Blac is unable o prevent this advance, White wil use the sfle to penetrate into the Black postion. Black cannot do the same along the dle since the White King And Knight cover ll the entry points.1.887 And not 11..KB7 12NdSt. White's Rook becomes moce active than its Black counterpart mainly due to the fact hat his Knight is aking pant in the effor. Compare the hore t0 the Pathetic Black Bishop and you will se the vase diference in strength between the twa pieces, 12.Ra7 Re Now White could tide Rooks and cary out the wining plan that Alekhine mentioned earler; however, he decides that is Rook is beter than the enemy's ad keeping it should allow hion ‘o shorten the winning process 13.ast Re? .Res+ Ka7 AS.RgBt Ke 16.44 Now White as the superior minor pice, a strctural advane tage and a more active Rook. Since Black is unable to do srything active, Whit takes his time and plays ote Black up. you have ‘an opponent backed up against a wall, take away any and all potential counterplay before going forthe faa kil. 16...Ke7 1744 Ke 18.Kd3 Ra7+ 19.Ke3 RET 203, Sil taking his time and doing title things that make his Position more compact and safer. 20..Ke7 21.Kd3 Rare 22.Ke2 RET 23.NC3! Re? 245 hxgs 25.toeps Kes 26.Kd3 Ra7+ 27.Kes White has just ade a supesor King to his list of advantages Now the win is just a matter of time. The final moves were 27..RET 28.NDS Re7 29.63 KA7 30.RDS Ke6 31Rc8+ Ka7 B2.NCT* Kids 33.86 ROT 54.RXC6, 1-0. ‘We have seen tha, intop Bight chess, the diagrammed position 'S considered to bea mater of technique, but atthe arateur level vinually anything can happen. Lessee what kind of mistakes the amateur makes whle uying t realize his advantage @ Pome 1467-Sitman, White 0 pay, 11467 Koh beter han hs bad Bishop aL open él isnot problem since White can esky chalnge ‘The queenside seems even. The only thing Ica see 10 play Ra He saw the basles though 1 was surpiised that he never ‘mentioned Black’s doubled pawas) bt was not sure how to make Use of hs advantages. In this type of postion, a player should look for ideas rather than concrete moves, 1 certainly don't expect 1467 © come up with the plans that ‘Alekhine laid out, bu there are three things that a player of any rating can do: 1) Make each of his pieces better than, oF at least equal to, their enemy counterparts; 2) the opponent ‘cannot do anything active, then don’t rush the position; {instead you should let him sit there, suffer, and beg you for8 draws 3) Try to make your plusses expand while making ‘sure that his negatives don't Cure themselves. rgd 1467 Nom, (1.Radi 2 Rad, White tventens RAG and Rar, 17 1467 can check on g5 and win a pow He decides that just hung a pawn and rushes o cash in isi. otten gains. This type of decision should he made slowy, ater all, White s moving his Knight from a dominant central location and placing it onthe fat rim ofthe board Instead of this impulsive act, White would have done well f the had simply brought is King to the center, 2.NgSt Ke7 1467 dont Know # hs good, even though twins & pawn, He should have figured this out before he made the check B.NAhT Bn6, White's greedy idea, which forced the Black King to the ‘enter, has left him with a poorly placed Knight. she The only way 00 fee his embatled Knight, White has now taken onthe role ofthe defendee—someone who must react ois ‘opponent's will. How did this wansformation take place? White failed to make his pieces beter than or equal to the Black ones and he failed to make use ois fine Knight instead he stuck in ditch), 4Rhs 5.NgS Bxgs G.nxgs 1467“ probably should have exchanged Rooks est™ e's no longer thinking of postive things to do. From here on, he goes completely on the defensive 6.RhS, 7A RES 1657. “atacking me: Sg3 Rms 16. “Thavea bit ofa problem here: ont eit 1467," should have exchanged pale of Rooks while ‘The sickly doubled pawn now conteols and contibutes to an tack on the White King. s0.8 RhI+ 1467: “Danal Now be wins the B2-pawn, I should ave played 3" Anke Rha 12Kel Rxfl+ 15.Kxfl Rh, 01. He lost this gane because he did a couple of negative things, He allowed his proud Knight to be exchanged for the horrible chop and he alowed he en King t become cena. ‘This happened because he ted to cash in his advantage too quickly. Remember When your opponent is helpless, take your time and make sure he doesn’t generate any ‘counterplay! 1467 «3550 upset about losing this nice endgame that he set the same postion up and insisted on trying it again.© TE oe a _ he a a comm & aw & 1467-Skman. White vo play. Rea Key 2KA M6. Tis tine I vl eave my Knighton its dominant squire and bring ny King up t0 the middle. No more venice fore! 2.7 3.Ke2 cf 1467. "should have played e-,This would have kepis pwns on the stme coor a his Bahop " Seeing things afer they happen won'tbe of much help during 8 gime. IFhe had asked himself (before playing 3.Ke2) how he could have made sure thatthe bad Bishop says bud, he would hhave found cdc, Always ask yourself, “How do 1 make the negative areas of his postion even worse?" naz Raa 5.Kxd2 Rds 62 Ras 7Ra1 bs “M6. My game has deeronted” White i sill etter but Black has made some progres: Ils ook is happy on dS and the Bishop can eventually find some hie ‘on the 823 diagonal, ‘We stopped the game here since he wasted to ty it one last time from the beginning. © yo ye Te a ga a a Comm & & bb BS = ae 1467 Sivan, White to play. Rf KET 2b 1467: Al ight | doa enon what {have 1 do to get thi fhe, bo actually have the feeling tht | kind of kaos hat Fn doing” 2.Ke7 1167. None can bing my King op KEL 1467.1 no penetrating, bt ght sow I don se howto do 1 nee to activate ny ing and Rooks. A good plant ‘atasiwhen bea leaves him wha weakness on 87 and o (Quite a difference from the other two games! Here he's ling ry counterpay, cenualizing his pieces and probing for weak- 40h 05 1167.“ Bishop is even weaker and agw have S fr ay Knight could ning my King up and hinge all the Rooks,bout does that wi? f need to ge his gpawn wo go to aS ‘when his shop isa homble pce To get to ay 8 Timst threaten is pawn but how tgs shoul psy 63 fst 0 improve my game. have ine ‘He ust have taken vitamins o something! Keepin mind that 1467 has not yet seen the Alekhine game but now, alter a couple of tal nuns, he is actually coming very cose to the World ‘Champion's ideas ‘Why the drastic change think he suddenly realized that his advantages are not going away and that a slow handling ofthe Position leaves Black without any playa al In a way, these three examples show how chess should be studied. ll great players look at thousands and thousands of ‘master games, By doing o, you se import pattems (poston and tacticaD that can be emulated, you see how the opening, ‘middlegame and endgame are all lterelated, and you get a feel for natural but rong moves By playing due position three times, he learned a lot about ss needs and secrets. His ply improved enormously on the third try thanks to his newfound knowledge of this gime's particular paterns 5.b3 Rabo 6.Ke2 Bf 1467: Tm dhinkng of playing Ne and eet to cose the position dont like tht though {should expand on the ings va i. Then can coaster Rhos" His original ides of playing e3-e4 was homible since it killed ‘square that was a potential home for his Knight and his King. However, his 7 followed by Rhi-hd-gs deserves quite abit of Drase since it gains space and begins to pick on some of Black's ‘weak pavins ahd KET Beds Reds 9k 1467: know that can at eas a this positon * $ wish he had given his orginal idea of RhI-h’+g3 a ty 9.x 30.Kxd1 Be7 1Lg3 Kes 12Ke2 Ka? 13.Kas Bas 14Nc3 KeT 15.Ket Be7 1H. -Now 6 NB5 Rb, 10 needto get sy Knighton Aor Bvhen Fatack e wal all ay pieces” 1 ike the way he firs picks a weakness to stack and then brings ll his pieces to bear on thar target. Toh ws Y7.hxgs gS M67. “Naw ge ny Knight Sto stack both gS ande5* ARNDI KEG 19.42 Bhs 1467 cant chase hin fom g5 and 5. needed to get my ight on gt to wis. Now isa draw.” ‘We stopped the game, ————e Tips 4 if you own a long-term advantage, dont be ina hurry to make use of it ‘+ Ifthe opponent has a passive positon, never allow him to get cousterpey. 4 Even if you already have several advantages, always be on the lookout for ways to create new targets —<—<—<—$—$—$$_‘—When i comes to positions with several imbslances, humans computers and ther chess playing creatures may find themielves ‘wih dilering views about who has the advantage. {reall once having litle argument with 2 wellknown chess witer inthe ages ofa comain American chess magazine In one of his books, he declaed that Black Sood better i the fllowing postion. oo y ek or Raabe ba & & & & & Eg & = White to play T disagreed, saying thatthe ending was far from clear ( acually preferred White but decided to be kind). He disagreed with my disagreement and pointed out that his chess computer validated his opinion. ..ell, we never dd come to tes on this position, + Why the diference of opinion? Why would 2 computer be ia ‘enor This example showed me why some players and miny ‘computers run into wouble: When the heat of a postion takes ‘accepted principles and tums them inside out, many players find themseives at 2 loss to undersand what's really going er. Tis means that shough basic laws such as “Always capture tomas the center” “Don't move the same piece twice in the opening “Doubled pawns are hac’, and Bishops ate beer than Knights ‘open positions are often Comet, they also lead toa close-ninded Digoty Unt can stun the growth of just about any student ofthe same. ‘Computers, ofcourse, are even more vulnerable to this ype of thingthan homansare They are given speciic ules and they sick faithfully to these ditates—often tothe exchison of everthing clse, We biological organisms, however, can (hopeful) go ‘beyond this one-dimensional view “dagram 84, se have a situation where the basic laws of. chess add up t0 a Blac advantage, He has a Bishop versus a Knight in an open postion and White has three pain islands versis Black's two, However placing any credence in these to Tnws serves only to blind player to the tath—which is that ‘White's mass of center pawns ae far more threatening than theit Blick counterpares (a good plan for White is 32-24 followed by Kel-e2, Rh! and Ke2-83) ‘This unwavering faith in begining principles has harmed many players who have come to me for help. How many times hve I recommended a postion with doubled pawns and bow ‘many times have they cringed in howo#? How often have Taught ‘iyelf inthis situation: During the fit lesson Isa, “Why dd you ‘move the sime piece twice in the opening? You should know beter” Then, during the next lesson | find myself poiating out howe they could have gotten a song gume by breaking that rule and moving the same piece evice or even three times! This confusing sate of aur enough to drive anyone cry, Indeed, Ihave even run ito cases where masters get trapped in the world of basic rules, A good example of this is the game bbercen Beatriz Mernello and Sharon Burtman (iagsam 85) 6s) [Marinelo-Burman, US, Woman's Championship, 1993. ‘Whie to payHere the players agree toa draw since White was exhausted fom a long tip and lack was disgusted tha she had blown ‘winning position from the opening, Atte time, the players and the toumaments other participants thoughe chat White had the advantage and shoul! have continued the bat A glance shows that this is a reasonable assessment; White's Rook is on a completely open file, White's Bishop is very active, White has ‘aueenside majority of pawns, Black has an isolated pawa on e5 And White enjoys a clearly superior King postion An impressive ls, but! shocked Sharon whe I declared that Black's position looked quite nice to me. What was I seeing that ‘others dda Nothing at all 1 jst preferred to look at all the 30. called negatives in a postive light Here's what mean > Whe’ Bishop is indeed slicing doin that hi-a8 diago- ‘al, but what isi doing there? On the other hand the Black Kaight is quite bothersome and threatens to pick ‘up the a3-pawn by NDI > White's Rook ison a completely open fle but tis not attacking anything there. The Black Rook, though, is ‘eyeing the morsel on c2 > White does have a queenside majority, but the purpose lof such a majority isto create passed pawn. Black's so-called weakness on ois in reality a tower of strenath since i is already passed, Thus, Iwill not look att a8 solated—instead, 1 ook ati as an active attack ing unit > The White King is beter placed than the Black one. ‘Yeu got me on that point! Naturally 1immesdtly gave this postion oa clas C student and ha him play me one of my patented "talk out loud games” 6) x ea aa Ba Bsa & AB a aa s7o-siman white w play 140" a a ed pana pase ng MY Bishop i abo dominating bis Knight, thowgh te pain On {emis my Bishop bad thik hat should beable todo omehing ely good bere Black mst be busted. wil se tay superce King to mach eto hand wi the B-pawn.” kgs? By looking atthe e6-pawn asa weakness, White was unableto seers dynamle potential, Something is only weak if you cam attack 4. Names such as doubled” oe “isolated” don't make things weak! ‘Whites bes tris probably LR6. This activates the Rook anc prepares to attick the Black queenside from behind by Rab. Lest 1470 “Oho Ths pawn is threatening to goto eB and {ft Have | done something realy supa oF can {sop the Sly thing {cant ehee that tis pa can relly go coo fad wll ecetine with my pln and make him defer. Tha ‘way e wl never have the time to push the pawn. 2Kh6 ‘Winning the h-pawn will not worry Black. He is afters new Queen anceertainly won link an eye at sch any deat White‘5 making the mistake of assuming that Black will gointo.a panic this first nibble. Instead, e wl ignore White's King-walk and continue with his own Ideas 2weh 1470: “Giving me material, There is no turning back ‘ow have to take it and dre him to do his worst” rebsk cou have dipeled White's sions wih 2. Kes but fel twas more instructive to give up the h-pawn and demon- strate the srength of the runner on e4 3.Kxh7 4Rd3 Re? We ended the game, That "weakness" on e6 took White right ut of the game! ‘The next time I give the postion toa student, made a couple ‘of smal changes to make things look (cosmetically) even more attractive for White. Incredibly, my student insisted that Black stood better, $01 found myself on the White side! « woe. ka a a ase 2A ag & Sman- 1650. hie to play. 1680: “So we have an endgame with Rook and Kright vetsas Rook and Bishop. The quesion bs which s beter, {he Knight or Bishop” White asa queense pwn majo ‘White's Bishop contol nie long siagona, White has hidden weakness on 2, so his Rook i forced to say onthe ‘cond nk to defen Blacks Knight i ind of rapped ‘Gag soihatconersthe weakness atthe momen. However, the test fo move ft Bl and win the pave Is very 'snnoying for Whe So veal wl give the edge > Black “eh that wry because, aside om the threat of NB, lack alto as thee pwns to evo on the king” "Not baat ll 1650 is not prisoner of memorized preconcep- tions and instead ties to figure out the present postion in afresh ‘way. I decided to try to freak him out with @cental King rush Kes 1650: “white ie aiming for a with an invasion on the (qucenside I want to prevent this 1aKe7 2e6 1650s going afer my pawn butthis isan easy went to DaReS+ 3Kd4 RT? 1650, “Tine bring my Rook back ose = Missing two imponant possibilities, The first (but weakes) one is 3..Kd6 when 4 Ke3+ Ke5 leaves Black withthe superior King However, 3..Kd6 turns out be an e1or due to 4 Bxe6! Kxe6? SKxcS Nedt 6XsbS Nu? 7Kaa5 when White's pawns are steonger than Black's Knight, Neverhcless, if Black had played 3.-Ka5 I would have been very happy, since le would nave shown fan awareness of the need to activate one’s King in zn endgame he tactical Maw doesnt take away from the move's good intentions) “The second possibilty ¢ 8.RAS, a move that he looked at bout rejected due to 4Kc3 (note that 4Ke3 R25 Kxd2 NbI* twins a pawn for Black). Now Black can take advantage of the Joosely guarded White Rook by 4..b4+ Saxb4 aubie 6.Keb4 Rud? with an excra Exchange and a sure win. a plece Is not ‘well defended, you should always look for ways to win it Kes,160: "He wants dea but hate dame ant won alow hi wo ye one! wl fat go afer ie pawn [like his anitade but he makes the mistake of placing the Knighton the in, OF course, it ends up being cut of play there SDI? SRE Nua 16501 hope my Knight cas get ack athe game!” Whether he can get back into play of not i beside the point—he should have asked this question before puting iton a3, G.Bxe6 ReS+? 7.Bas 1650: “This doesn’ scare me. He want to check neon £7 andwin the hopawn, He has no mating poste tall He was not aware (hough we hal discussed this point several ‘months before) that a Kaight is much worse than 2 Bishop in 2 ‘mutual pawn race situation, The speed ofa Bishop puls a Keight to shame in those cases. Jone BRUT» Kes 9.RXHT Ned, 16501 ink have hin 10.6 1650," hada way ou. He wants to mate me but ha is easly sopped. msl ding wel” He also missed 104d (attacking Black's wo undefended pieces at once), which would have led to.a daw. 1650:°A tap Hes hoping for 1. RE? 12 mae 1 ll play 11.-NB which defends my gpm and vestene dds. Then wil follow up with «aad and ty tO promote my paw” Note how’ the Bishop is dominating the Black Kaight. This Bishop & S0 much beter Gn the Knight that White is now winning 1L.NBP Leading toa quick finish 12g6 150.1 expected ha, bur I dont mind png up em pwn for has pan” 12.86 White also wins ater 12,.NgS 13.Bb7 [invite the eeader 29 ‘work out the variations hime 13.886 1650, “Oh no! Me thstens both Kx and 8 me.” ‘We stopped the game here I should be apparent ast leaving ‘one's pieces in vulnerable, undefended postions i asking for ‘wouble, Tips + The basic rules we leamed when we stated out are ‘good guidelines but must be broken often, Don fall in love with these concepts and become bind tothe realty of any given situation ++ very imbalance is capable of doing something positive. Don't look at a thing as negative jus because is supposed to be weak orbad. You have ‘ask “Is i bad inthis particular position” ++ Undefended pieces can easly lead to trouble ++ When pavins are cing fo promote on beth sides of the board, + Bishop will usually beat outa Keight due 0 its ability 1 jump from one side of the board toanotherin one move.‘The next game shows bate based on very diferent imbalances. Both sides nurse what they have and try to make it grow but of ‘course, only one side's vision will be proven correct 2120Silman. Engish Opening. (Our game only started after | played the fst eight moves for both sides: Let NAG 2.Nf3 €6 3.Ne3 Bh 4.Qe2 0.0 5.3 b6 6.2 BbT 7.03 Bxc3 8.Qxc3 d6, 2120, "Lats of moves 0.0, bt 3. Whats my pla? Black's lin iso pay c5 and "Sand break ope the center How am T gouge io activate the dark-sgred Bishop? T ‘ould py Bg5 wih a pin or pice on te Jong dagen 94 contol apd keeps options open" While’ alright o play an obviously useful move (ike 9.43), there is also. bit of lazines in the equation. White should really have at least paral plan mapped out for himsel, For example: ‘White fas the two Bishops and would lke 10 make them beter than the Knights Since the dak-squared Bishop isthe one plece that Black does not have, White should ty his best to make it as active as possible. Thus d3 Gimiting the enemy Knight), followed by b2-bs and Bb2, placing the Bishop on the fine long diagonal, "would bea simple but effective seategy, 9.43 Nba7 2120: “Where & hit Knight heading to? 11 develop my Bishop onthe loag diagonal he could pay 8 and Beck I 1OBpS sls sly due to. ha" He is sill not quite sure what wo do, so he hokls of on any clear decisions and simply castles. This fine here, but in many ‘uations such tepidation might lead to problems. 10.0065 2120; “Takes sway tis square from the Knight, Now he ‘an play 5 since 8 would be weak 1 cou play hor 40a IL eb be opens upthes fie forme, ould also play dé and open up the die 20 ao get pay on 36 He ‘wantsto lay Ford My Kit on fs ot dot sng 0 where do my pices go ge play by Baba In closed or semiclosed postions, you should lead with your pawns. For this reason, Black had no intention of paying ~.NeS Since f would just get chased back by b2-bi Instead, Back gains space with ,.<7-c5 and keeps his pieces lexbly posted behind his pawns. A di-d4 advance would give Black use of the ef square and activate his Knights. It should abo be mentioned that ‘Black won'thestate to play an .c6-5 advance i White posts is [Bishop onthe b2-h# diagonal Tue, leaves holeon 5. Buta ‘White actually use that hole? No, he ean. So, since this weakness is more ilusion than realy, Black will be happy wit ..e6e5 since It blocks the a1-h# diagonal and guns cena testory. Lbs QeT 2120 Playing for dS. How can Lmicthings up? A good slow Plan is BS and a5, Bllek has no intention of playing ..d6-d5 (unless achieves some very postive goal) since tat would open up the position for the enemy Bishops. Instead, he wil place his Rooks on squares that wl inhibit White from plying inthe middle. Once that is done, Black will sek counterchances on the kingsie. 12.Hb2 Rect 2120 “Threatens to tke om bt and then flow up wh ‘d-d9 sot wl prover this and gab quecnsie space wan bs 15.05 Rees > > fe E>m om > he dude! > @ a a a &bBA gE lee > i > ie ‘White to play2120: A wealth of riches. What do Twin fo play? ignoang te ceter, which iad. However, 14. gives hin the esque Wat does he do ere? Pay for = de-dS Mp S2.Bishop 6 ding rely nothing. How do I ge ny ices Imo ply? alike to play for a3 be ht has othing todo with ny b2-Bshop = Ie stringe to see a guy with such a “wealth of riches" be so confused about how he's going to get play! His 13.55 took the tension out of the center so he might as well continve on the qoeenside with a-atas -unnily enough, it’s Black who has mosofthe options hee. He can play 6-05 or he can play. d6d5 withthe idea of 5-4, 14a 2120 "To anaer cto BS in antipaton of 6-5." leaving White with only one Bishop instead of two, Black is slso happy to make tis exchange since it eaves White's Kinga bit less secure 14...Bxg2 15.Kxg2 5 212% “He has no threat. could play «4 when ny Bishop oe get play vin el since dsl cares me-Pshing cleaves me with ply onthe queens” ‘So White has stopped .. 6-5 once and forall. However, his arkesquaced Bishop is now all but useless Che locked postion ull be friendlier to the Knights) and the whole game will now come down to a race between White's queenside play che will ‘open lines with ab-a-26) and Black's kingside play (he wil play foe 175), “This game hs sen afew imbalances parade by: Fst we hac Bishop vs. Knight bate (which il exist) and now the emphasis ‘Soon mutual wing tacks (made possible bythe closed cent) 16.4 New 2120: “Trasfeing to o6 and A Lil go ahead with ny v8 2320, ‘Tm only wore aout kingsde stack, 501 would likes Queen tade” 1 ice this comment very much. He i quite aware that his chances lie on the queenside and he knows thatthe presence of the Queens only helps Black, who will do his vumost to break through on the kingside. 17.Ne6 2120 “soe no trea” 18.05 Nas 19.axb6 axb6 20.Ra6 Na7 212 -Does he wantto transfer bis Queen otha side? Since ty Bishop is doing nesting 1 wal Uy to Uae 21.Qa3 Ne6 22.Ra1 RAR 2120. “Trying wo get some actviy” Black waste time with his Knight maneuver t df; once it got there t moved away since it didat want the pathetic Bishop (0 snap it of 23.NEL ES 2120“ coud take and gain a teapo wat NeS or {could play Ned and sine at 5 or dS. Does behave anything? He Fas no threat right aay. 24Ne3 f 2120-"Now [have two squares Nd5 wins 6. dike wget ‘ny Queen othe defense, NES aacks Sand closes the fie Tam winning» pwn ‘Yes, White will win a pawn, but his King i far from safe. 25.N65 B+ 2120 “she really going to mate me refuse wo believe it [A good artiude, but the realty of the situation is quite ferent. White's King sin grave danger.26.Kh Qa5 27.963 2120 "My Queen wil eome ck and defend the gating square 27 RES 28.ex15 ets By giving up a very ny bt of material, Black has made his pawns safe and is fee to pursue his kingside desves. White's hole strategy has fale. 29.41 Re 2120-1 will wade Rooks” 30.Ra8 NAG BLRAfS+ Nit 32.Be1 Nes 33.KgINe6 2120 “Mote pices int the tack. “The Black Knights aze suddenly looking quite good fn the smesnine, the White Roa and Bishop ae unable o help Ou on the kingide 34awe 2120-"cant be tad” 36K Bitar Kes 36h3 N16 2120: "Now 3794 Nag Regt Ost comple ae hes sco puts and ty wee Bete ak hae Soin no vey wal be te Hee mustbe hiding, Noten? If was White, be tee 37.2 Nas 2120-1 he wl eet since 38 4 Nag 39hxgh nas 40.01 Qu 41.Keg1 Nez pike up he Bishop buted {2 favorable endgame for White 38.86 Qe6 2120; “What do Ida about ..Ne2 when. Nga is rally strong? Its time | went for his King” ‘A panie reaction. I would have been happier to see 39.Ra2 lending 40.Be3 and 41 Bxdi. Then 39.. Ne2 would be met by s0.Rxe2, sactificlng the Exchange back, so.ngsir Going berserk. The final moves were: 39..Kugs 40.n4+ Kech$ 41,80g7 Nair 42.Kg1 QN6 43.898 QF, 0-1 ‘White los this battle because he didnt work hard enough to make his Bishop active and then, once he closed the center Cand 25 a result lost the minor piece duel), be dit not take proper Precautions on the kingside Tips * Always try and make your pawn sructure conform, to whatever minor piece you happen to own, 1% Creating a hole (a weak square) is only a problem if your opponent can make use of it 4 When you own two Bishops, you usually want to recain both of them. 4% When the center is dead (closed), you must find play on one ofthe wings. Even i your opponent breaks through on his side of the board ist, your plan must sil move ahead 1 les not too hard to deduce that if you'te playing om fone wing, your opponent must have some play on the other. Never discount thst Get your atack going, 8 fas as possible, but don't allow yourselt to lose sight of the enemy’ comet planHow TO PLAY THE OPENING Wen we fit earn how to ply chess, we at fore fed certain rules. Basic endgames, middlegame ideas, basic tactics, and how to play the opening comecly. In the opening, we'¥e told to ‘evelop all our pieces Con move the same piece twice! get repeated over and over like a never-ending mantra). Then we're told ease quickly 20 that our King finds a safe haven and out Rooks can connec, like long lost lovers, and work together. Fighting for contol ofthe center with our pieces and pawns comes next At this pot, we get ale cocky, thinking that we ‘now everything there is to knows (discounting the memorization of vasiations) about this phase ofthe game. ‘ll this advice is useful when we ae starting ou; however, 35 sve progress up the rating ladder we lose more and more games in the opening Cor due tothe opening) and we begin to suspect thattheres something that we are not gute understanding. Sadly, we Jvarably discover that we cant find this mysterious missing knowledge in any books. We memorize more and more lines i anattempcto shore up our opening LQ,, still love countless games and, in a fi of despatt, run off to Tibet to see the mystical ight that wil eventually lead us to the discovery ofthe inner game of ‘chess (atest thisis how Istared out ean only guess that ts the same for everyone) ‘What isthe real purpose of the opening? Ist ally corect to sindlessly develop our pieces, only to discover that we offen stand badly when everyting s out’ The answer is repeated again snd again in the earlier pas of this book: we are ying to creite favorable imbalances (or imbalances that have the potential to ‘eventually become favorable) and develop our pieces and pawns around the differences that we have created at the beginning stages of the game. Once an imbalance Is crested, every developing move we make, every pawn that we push, must address this imbalance in some way. For example, ater 14 NI 2.c4 66 3.NC3 Bb4 (the Nimzo- Indian Defense) 4.a3 Bxe3+ S.bxc3, White accepts doubled pawns for the ovo Bishops and a space advantage in the center. ‘White will play co increase this edge in terstory Via [2-3 and e2- 4, while Black will stive to show that White's weakness on cs ‘of greater consequence (ia ..b6,..Ba6 and ..Nb8-c6-#5). Once ‘again: is this bale of ideas that determines where we develop ‘ur pieces, where we place each and every pawn, and delineates the fight that wll be waged throughout the middlegame. Another common opening bate that is created in the Bis few ‘moves comes about from the popalar French Defense: Les e6 2aias 3Naz So that White can meet the ..BDi pin with c2-<3, 3..N6 4005 Nia ‘White has an obvious space advantage in the center while Black wil atempt to place pressure onthe dé- and e5-pavns 54 Greely claiming even more space. This makes a lotof sense. ‘white guined a cenain advantage and he wants to place his pawns fon squates that enable him to increase i 5.08 Black chims some space of his own on the queenside and simultaneously auacks the White pawn on 0, Mindless develop ing moves lke 5...NeS would leave Black without temory or heats after 6.5, 603 Following an important rue: Tr to iake your center as song 25 possible 0 thatthe opponent will eventually be engulfed in ts space guning cols 6NC6 And Black devotes alot of energy to atacking d4, This forces ‘White to make concessions and defend his pawn, Nast ‘Why would White move an already developed piece a second time? Wouldnt 7.Ngf, bringing a new piece ou, be mote logical? No, alter 7.£NgF2! Qb6 Gtepping up the pressure on Gi) White ‘would have trouble guarding d4; he would be forced to place his Knight Gt would have to move again afterall) onthe usplessant b3ssquare. The contect 7NGfS allows White to support hs center ‘wih al is pieces rd Ned and dé is well defended “These two examples have shown us that both sides use the ‘opening to create some difference and then try hard to demon- strate that their dliference is more important than the enemy's This means that the opening is not really about development tl, {ts about ideas and their implementation,‘Our fist game shows both sides spurring to gin anything that might be of use later inthe game. Targets, space, good and bd ‘minor pices; ll these things come into consideration when we star out serious game of chess 2100-Silman, Reti Opening LNB a5 2bANeG 3.Bb2 06 ‘a3 Ber T made him play these fist few moves, curious to see how he ‘would hundle this unorthodox type of positon. White has gained some queenside space and has powerful Bishop on b2that eyes the central dark-squares. Black has a solid postion and some ‘central space but, atthe momen, he doesnt have any clear plan or tages to aim a, 2200: “Lean fanchewo my other Bishop if want, Lave Space onthe queenside. ould pay fore2-<4 a3. must ‘ake use of my dak-squared Buhop Since ike the elk ‘push, should fanchate, case and pay o dvance with that mone" ‘The kingside fancheto docs not make much sense 10 me since the hia diagonal wil be firmly blocked by the pawn on 45. 1 would prefer e3 (gaining more control over d) followed by Bez, 0.0 and «et. This increases White’ advantage on the ‘queenside by akling to the tertory that he already possesses 5.9300 6.882 2100: dont understand the pont of since he can play a5 oF 5. If 6.035, then both 78 aad aS are posse” Moves lke .a7-25 and ..7-c5 could be answered by b4-35 (gaining more space) if White's light squared Bishop stood on €2 (where it would defend bS). The light-squared Bishop does not participate in queenside operations on 2 Remember: White gained qucenside space on move two, 50 he should continue to add to the guns that he has aeady made. AlLhis pieces should work together this Cor any osher) effor. 6.08 2100 “There's 9 fe to this game F725, tbe pawn might bbe weak since ashing i defending «I couls take. Any Pawn sacrifice fall and 73 ietremely ly. My pan eto Diz the dacksquared Bishop and ply onthe kingside Since he spaying onthe queens, [coud try 0 hol swith butt dont like t det a6 when the aie might ‘pen and 38 could come weak” He said that there's no lf to the game, yet the poston is ull of imerest. Subde decisions must be made, plans found, imbal- ances created, Who could want more? ‘As forhs comment about geting kingsde atack, hiss pure bluster. There's much too much play in the center for thoughts of a kingsde stack to enter anyone's head. Tivxes Bxcs 21001 could ether caste or play 43. Oh, ol Lust neiced that loses to 8. Qb6 witha double-atack on 2nd D2 have wo este” 1 mentioned easier that Black wanted clear plan and targets. Hislasttwo moves have left him with play againt White's slated 23,pawn and possibilities of creating pressure down te hal-open ‘file the c2-pavn might become weak). This isnt much, but i's 8 beginning. ‘White's plans also need to be casified. After casting, White must, at some point, ply c2-c. Ths advance sves to open up the g2-a diagonal ae to make the c-pawn an active panicipantin the coming batle before it gets stick on 2 and (wens ino ‘permanent arged: 80.0NC6 2100: have to come up with a plan. My B2-Bsshop “undefended and bothers me in many Ines. Change of pla He has too much conga of open center squares or me © do a kingside-atack. IM Js ply Tor ef as originally Intended"With 8..Ne6, Black developed and tried to regain some ‘contol of his central dark-squares on eS and d, Whites whole plan of 2 is incorrect since that would leave him with a weak ‘pawn on a halEopen fil. Beter, as mentioned in my noe to Black's seventh move 6 plan involving c2-4 9.3 Qe7 2300." wll continue wo develop my pices a pay fore 0.Nbd2 Ras 2100 ‘Does he realy want 10 py .d5- his Hm ‘probably choosing incorrect plas. ant tell fT want a ‘pen or cose position 1 want to ply e bat that doesnt ‘work at the moment de to 1..tet with x nasty Pn on the dle Sol play eB and snd then ach Usually a player wih two Banchetoes wants the postion to bbe as open as possible since that wil benefit his heatseeking Bishops. A closed postion blocks them and makes them both seis AAs stated elit, White should play 11.04 when 11.4 T2Nb3 opens the hI-28 diagonal and gives White play on the {queenside because ofthe exta space there and the open bi, IF Black answered 11.04 with 1. .dxe8, then 12.Nxed would lead co « berutifl position for White. Both his shops enjoy wide-open ‘agonals, his Knights both aim at e, al is pawns are safe, and he can generate play down the open file and cf, ines? Now a 2-04 advance would leave the pawn on 3 weak 11.06 2100: “Paying to anche on 7" 12.Q¢2 2100 “sl preparing for my cetal advance.” 12..Ba6 “White doesn’ know what to do, 20D “He hampetng sy intended e244 0 1 switch a erent plan His coKnigh ges him good contro of the Sarksquaes sof il wade to” Notice how Black has placed his pieces on squares that fight for cental contol and restrain any central pawn achvances by ‘White, At the same time, Black has opened a key file (the ele) and left White with weaknesses on ¢2 and 23. ‘White, on the other hand, has't done much of anything. He has allowed weaknesses to appear in hs postion and, aside fom randomly developing his pieces, has nt made any effor to create points of attack in the enemy camp or to gain space for himsel. 13.NeS Nees 14.Bxes Rac 1 didnt fall for 14..B1237 15.NbI when White would win material ue tothe two loose Bishops on the efile 2100 He tying to Ht <2. Tm not active enough. My Kingsde sul snot happening nace fs slow also Ihave to woe) about the abana, I may be time 10 push it cout of harm's ay 15.24 Bos 2100. “Whats the poet”Black understands that pawns are notte only things that can become weak, The new target isthe cSsquare, and Hck rushes vo daim AG.Nb3 BES, 2100 °He is gesting nl of my song Bishop." 17Bxe3 Rxcd 1s) 2100-1 noe 1 ry 0 get dof everthing" Exchanging off a weak pawn 6 a good ides, but unfortunately hh forgets that his Knight on b3 is not as safe a appears tobe. 18. txdst 19.6443 Rebs 1 stopped the game because White i 8 pawn down for nothing —__. Tips ‘Ifyou gain space early, you should continve to add to the gains that you have already made. All your Pieces should work together in thie (or any other) ‘for. The same can be said for an early minor piece advantage (make all your pieces and pawns Delp to improve your piece and reste hie), a snuctural edge (how that his pawns are weaker than yours), or virwally any ther imbalance. 4% Dont just develop pieces. You must make gains with every move: ‘* Bishops on Jong diagonals want those diagonals to stay open. Only llow them to close up if you fel that you are geting something good in other area, —_—_———_—__—. Aditedly, this was a rather one-sided contest. Our next game ‘shows a more balanced bate, The moves that forced him wo play Were: Lek €5 2INC3 Neb 3.83 96 4.Bg2 Bu 5.04 d6 6.Nge? NIG 7.0.0 0.0 8.3 Ne. fh 2Ware aa data aa a a & 8 BS & ak DBA a aw one 2300.Siman. English Opening ‘white to play 2100 “His Knight want wo goto £7 to guar 5, prepare 6 and ake way for a defensive 17-1, Blacks fanchenoed Bishop is annoying. Tae to play 4 a the postion dein call forthe sove, Ta hl wih Why doesn the postin cll for 2-48 The move gains more Iingside space and prepares for (45 with a dangerous kingside attack, ‘The Black Knight on € ts heading for c7, bu it may continue ‘on to 6 and dif given the chance. White's opening with pawns fon ct and ef gives the fr player plenty of space but also leaves ‘hole on 4 which Black Would like 10 make use of os 2100." wantedo provoke tht, knew he woud not et me play 415 Now Ihave many posses 1 go NS, he wil ick toe wth. NC7. oil ust develop and delend the dt Square and perhaps push to The developing 10.Be3 isa good all purpose move that eyes his weakened dt-square and connects the Rooks.10.83 Nas 200, "He does want me to play dd have an eso sacrifice « awa to get some som of arty wh LS ‘when the bp goes but et ts Of open ines. wat to gee a quick di into tke advantage of his lack of evelopment” T dont like the idea of him bringing his pawn tthe vulnerable bS-square but do like the fact that he's trying to open {he poston ad take advantage of his lead in development, He is forcing the play and making Black dance to his tune. The move may bea bit dubious, bu his hea’ inthe right place. AL.Nbs Nabs. 12.exbs Ne 210% Did fil for 12.2 18.Qb5. The bs. pawn et ireatened tthe momar 0 can do aything | pleat. My ‘ginal plan wast pay 4" 13.46 exdi 1bxds 2100: “Weakening his King by swing Bishops." 14.Ne 2100 "Now there's. lt fps coming up. 15. ex5 Neds dnd Qb6 tls me. have wo taves: ether 13 Bag? oF 15.965. Since probably take on 7 any, about ty 15.963 Khs 200, "No choice." 16.Bg7+ Nxg7 200" want to pay Kb uti so sow. Let him do for 17.Rad Qb6+ SKI Bes 200“ have no idea what going om here. Should { sserce the ban? Nol make hin work fri ‘The opening stage is over. Black has caught up in develop ‘ment and is now trying to take over the inkiative. This won'tbe 30 simple, though. True, Baek does have the long-range advantage fof supenio pawn structure, but White has potential pressure down the efle (against the e7-pawn) and his pleces are more active than the Black guys. Note that both sides came out ofthe ‘opening with cerain plustes and are now tying to mle these advantages forall they are woth, 19.943 Racs 2100 “Hiking c4 1 could play Ret but wil go for B23 ‘which conte some squares but gives him te ¢-fe” White was hoping 1 play 19..Bxa27 when 20.53 waps the Bishop and dveatens to pick i off n-a number of ways 21.RE2, 21.Ral,21.Qe2, and 21.Ned). 20.b3 Res 2100: ‘Pm sang to regret b2D3. I'm giving you time to ouble-p, Too ate now: have to continue wih ey plan” 21.Nai Ba7 2300: “e may be me for ny a4 advance. ties him free ‘move but may be the nly way to defend U3" 22.24 Ries 21¢0 “Lt cnt asces this. {have to gt sme counterply to challenge his domitation of the efile T have to get something golng on te efile He finally notices his potential down the e-file, 23.Rfet eb _ 2100 "Saying now my countespay. But AoW Ihave anew taepe™ Bets ext 2100: Whose King i weaker What ae my ets hee? His ght looks sily but guar lots of squares. 1 could ‘acilice an Exchange ora Rook bit maybe {don’t aed 20 foray wild stl 11 force him to create hoes. 25.965 45 2100 “Coo fees great to push him around fora change Now t canon toe5"26.063 Qas 20% -thate that He wanes an endgame. want play NE ‘Sut that weakens ba ZINE 2100 "Now rm going to get mated—my King is 3 weak | dont know wy he felt that his King was weak; it looks Perfectly safe to me, The advantages acquired fom the opening ae sll nluencing the moves for both ses. White sill has to Gefend his queenside pawns while Black, due to the doubled White pawns is vinwaly a pawn up in the center. White's biggest ls his control of the juicy darksquares on ef and e5 27.06 2100 “Sl have no Mea. play NeS cate # looks nice. tata bd veason™ Making a move because it looks nice” is nota good season a allt pefer putting the Knighton dé where it guards b3, blocks the ‘-pawn, keeps the enemy Rooks out of c2 and eyes eb 2BNeS Kgs 2300: "Now Ica challenge the fie." 29.Rel Bes 2100-1 wll ze-maneuver the Knight” 30.Nd3 a4 31.Qd2 Red, ‘We stopped the game due to lack of time, The bate is til ‘aging around the imbalances created inthe opening. Tip 1% The advantages you create in the opening often stil have influence deep ino the middleganie or endgame, TT “This type of cut and thrust batle becomes more and more ‘common as your riting and the rating of Your opponents 0%. However, 2 beginner never looks at these things. Instead, he ‘simply wants to get his stu ou and have some basic ka of what to-do once his development is completed. The gume that follows shows some of the sypcal mistakes that players in the 1100 range and below offen make. 900.Silman. Ruy Lopez, Exchange Vi tes 900: “atacs the middle and the (5: and dS-quares. Also helps develop the Queen and Bishop.” Lae 2NB 900; “aac, develope tx preparesto move the Bishop and cate” Bae 500; Protec and develops BBs S00 “Auacks the Knight nd wil someday dacaten twin the pawn on 5. T remenber you tellag me that sf nmedate B06 duce 510405 als (0 5..QO4 With & double attack on my Knight and pawn” 3.26 900: "Anacks my Bishop” ‘You must always ask why your opponent played his move, ‘That way you won't experience any homrble surprises 4Bxe6 900: “Chops of place with no loss of tine” AndeOk” sWetax an aha aoa a & a S8bR AAR BOoowe 3 White to play. 900; “walt to cae but Iam a be won about im acting 2 Bop co 3 and'a Queen t 8. Then I ay be ‘mated on g2. 1 wl just develop and se what happens” While 1 was hap tht he thought about mating pater of thatiype asec pou hat you ca Ue one ‘shadow tat comes your way. Gating the Black Queen os the Bishop oh would ont be poset White ator anced bis gn and made eer under a wel. The wots of seeing sich paters in advance i that once you ae aware Ahem. you can makes po not allowing hoo happen ‘A more advanced payer wold know ta Bla hs gate the Wo Bishops i exhange fora sgly compromised poe Stace. Whit ext plan pay for dz eacanging the porn for Blacks epuwa, Then Wie mould Own a hey ve S majority of patton the Linge eh onto his ufo hel with 99 nce 1 st santedio concerratzon sme ene concep ft For example eft be poem beiner has making eo Rooks He jus docs knowhow to pt these lees pay. he ha tied 2-04 withthe Sea of opening the ce for hs Books, I would have been delighted. Inte, constantly oe Players ofthis clas ly 2-9 and sur duough cone Rook Sg forthe est fe fame 5.Ne3 Bes Putting the Bishop on an active square and playing to sop “White from opening a file with 22-4 600 ‘00; “Siace you told me that don have wo wonry about his Queen and Rook coming down on me, T suppose that ‘sting wil be okay He never even actced Nee5 which, however, can be an- swered by 6..Q85 oF 6..Bx2+ 7KXf2 Que when Black has taken advantage of the undefended piece on 5. 6.46 7.3 Ne7 900: emember that you once told me that 8.3 Bed ike} would be good len However, really am steaced to 8a wih an atack oa his Bishop” Nad ‘White finds ancther typical eror, One-move attacks are uscles if they don’ torment the stacked piece orf they don't accomplish other goals. Here White is sucking hs Knight on the rim and, after Blac moves his Bishop to safety, the fist player wil have to deal withthe stupid placement of the poor horse on a6 ‘Much beter was his frst thought of 8 Be3 Bxe3 9 xe3 which brings a pawn tothe center (where it contol the useful d4- and f-squares) and opens the Fle for his Rooks. The exchange of Bishops aio gets id of Blac’ Bishop pair when your opponent has wo Bishops, trade one of tem off), Compe this with 8.Nad a which does nothing ata to improve Whites position. 5.7 900 “Iwouldlketo play 2-but ca. Lil play 9.002, ‘which connects my Rocks and prepares Be3” really good idea, White would love to trade off Bishops with -Be3 since that develops, gives White more contol of and ges ¥id of Black's Bishop pair (as discussed above). 9.Qe2, and we stopped the game.Tips % Don’ play mindless one-move atacks which, after the opponent moves his attacked uni to safety (and ‘yu must beeve that he will se your thee), leave your atacking piece on a useles square you alvance your pawns in the center, you wll be able to open cental files for your ROOKS, Be atentive to the needs of your Rooks and they wll serve you wel, “Ifthe opponent has two Bishops rade one of them of es moch easier to del th one Bishop than ‘wo, since pair of them is able to control bath ‘white and blk squares —_—_____. USING THE ROOKS Mica cess payers ae amare ook need open esto be atesive weve thee fs do jt appeat Ca fn Gel tomes hy spper bu ont Cot on pe of Icky manexation you mo go otc your way 0 cette Mester plac oen hs wut exng he Rc, hy iutanom waters sopped bein el own mod {Sevpiy putin e ne aa Teflloving tough shod prove none o ose whe have oue wh Ress [RULE 1 — Use your pawns to blast open files. This holds true in open and closed positions.White © phy {diagram 92, many amateurs might play 1.3, which gives, another defender to the e-pawn and fees the dark-squated Bishop, However, what does this dot help your Rooks? Nothing stall Nuch beter would be 1.6 followed by Be3, Qd2and Rad), Now the White Rooks ae showing a hint of activiy onthe die Black to play, ‘The poston in diagram 93 also seems to offer a bleak prospect forthe Rooks. Because ofthis, sh sides play to open fs and get these towers of uselessnes into the game. ana ‘This frees the fpawn in anticipation of (75, gaining kingsie space and giving the f-Rook more room to breathe 2Nast ‘white pays fr ci-c, gaining queenside space and preparing to blast open te eile for his Rooks, This type of systematic preparation for the opening ofa fle is necessary sil f you want to progress in chess. RULE 2— Don't open a file i'you think that the ‘opponent will take it away from you. [RULE 3 —f the creation of an open file has noth {ng to do with your other positive imbalances, then don’t waste your time creating it. In dliagram 93, Black's pawns pointed tothe kingside so he not nly played to open files, he also played to gain extra tertoy in that area. White's dreams of e4-c also atempt to open files onthe side ofthe board where he enjoys more space [RULE 4— Attimes you ean allow the opponent io dominate an open file as long as you make sure ‘that no penetration points exist along it. 0 ‘Black to play. Black appears to have pressure along the open brfle in sliagram 94, butthis is realy an loion because these Rooks cantPenetrate into the eneny postion, The squares, b4 3, b2, and Di are ll covered and are taboo tothe Black Rooks ‘The following postion shows thit 4 fle without penetration points is more o less useless, oo Karpov-Anderson, Stockholm 1969, Black 0 pay, ‘The centers closed and Black's superior on the queenside isjust as obvious as White's on the kingside. Hoping to add vo the flames of his queenside assault, Andersson played to open as ‘many Mes there as possible 1 nvending to blast everything open with a 2a ‘an excellent move that tops the enemy a-pawin dead in its tracks, True, Black does gain the open bile, Trae, White has ‘weakened the Di-square. However, White feels that he can successfully deal with one open file. He certainly didnot want to allow Black 10 of thera 2ubxet Subnet Nas 4Qe2 Karpov knows that his chances on the kingside are not going away, soe carefully deprveshis opponent ofthe enty pointsalong the bile. Once this is dome, andthe enemy Rooks are neviralizd, White wil be fre to play for his own atack in relative safey. 4.Ra7 ‘5.Bd2 Rab 6.83 Nb Bat Nab Naz Whites pieces keep Black out ofS, bs, b3, b2and bi 8...Nb4 9.Re3 Bes ONE Qes 1LNgS Ba? 12.982 Nh 13.Be2 ‘White goes about ancther postional plan before he sta an atack. He wants to tade off his lightsquared Bishop for iS counterpart on 7. Then the $- and g6-squares will be permanent homes forthe White Knights, 2 13..K07 14.Qd1 Be? 15.NM1 Bas 16.Nh2 Kgs 17.Bg6 Nes 18.Bxd7 Qud7 19Nt [Now tht the Bishops ae gone, White heads forthe nice home oni, 19.15 Gesting of the hole before White can use it This doesn't ‘work out very well, bur to allow White Ng315 followed by a3 and [2.4 would also be hopeless20x Oxts LNB QT ‘Black sees that 21...Qc2 22F would give up materal, since 22, .ext4 25 Red leads to mae 22.92 ‘With al his basic positional goals taken care of (the aulific- ‘lon ofthe bland the trade of his bad Bishop), Karpov plays 0 ‘open les of his ow. He knows that if his Rooks get in che game, the Blick poston wl ll spar 22...846 2a ‘White wil play £244, when both his Rook charge int play. 23.987 24.4 ext 25.Rxf Bxc3 26Rxc3 Res 27.Re3 RTS 2aQr ‘Threatening 29 Re! RT 3028+ 28..Nb7 29NIS Rxed 30.Qxe3 NIG BLNgC7+ Khe B2NXh6 Res 33.NNT+ KAT 34.Reit Wee? Giving up, since he saw that M...Ned 35 QueGs leads 10 a quick mate 35.Rxe7, 10. ‘A beautiful game i which Karpov nullified the enemy Biles and used his own to create a decisive penetration into the hostle| position, | thought that this idea of taking away penetrion poins slong a fle nigh be unfamilla to most amateurs. To test Out his theory, | tied the same poston on several of my stucens, Sue ‘enough, none of them knew how to keep Rooks frm penetrating long an open file, Here the most instrucive ofthese contests 1400 Silman, Black wo play. 140 “Bach's datksguared Blshop stinks Whe as more Space inthe center sna grt Krgh on a6. Black has ore termon onthe quecnsie and wel ke open the De “Though ws Black to move, |st\ike Whe. Black would le o trade paces, parol the go-Knigh.” 1a 140, “Cantinaes mh his qucenside space ede Uke 24 ‘because wll hs prvns, though does open up the D> Fie and weaken Bt att bxct Bibxe4 Nab 400 “Heading fr bt. Since the centers close, ill a to get things going cn the ings 4degs Before this, White played just lke Karpow However, now be shows that he fees itis a race on opposite wings (nich means thar you must proceed with speed). While this demonstrates 200d undersanding of wing situations, i's simply not true here White coul and should, keep the enemy pieces out (ia B23 Which, by the way, also eyes the Black a-paun) and then take all the tine he wants on the opposite side. ngs 1100." ying to igre ou the Bes wy to get. Since {he center iocke, wou ike owe my Kngsde pawn ‘An immediate falls but do want push 28 at some pin The only way to dois 2 Rook move eliowed By 3 $d 4, Seems like hs to slow, though. Wel, Lave tet ‘my Rook ot of the way bt con know where to pt” Notice how he played 4g without detailed thought. He ide bother looking atthe ramifications his decision. This move ‘vas an act of aggression on the kingside that made hima feel beter but did nothing 1 open lines on that side ofthe board. On the contrary, s made t harder for White o play the fle-opening 2 5.Re3 Be 1400 ite wartsto pay. gb followed by, wading ‘lf his bad Bishop. I wil top thir with p24, when bas davesqured Bishop remains very baa” Sue ‘He thought that he saw a treat and became so disiracted by it that he forgot all about opening lines onthe Kingsde. Instead, hie stopped the “treat” of ..g5-g6 which in actuality places the pawn in grave danger afer #d+e2) and closed up the very side be ‘was hoping to open Don't become so entranced by the enemy's keas that you forget all about your own 6.6 1400. “That makes thal to push 24 1st want © play fort andi he kes .exF then e256 possible S07 Qe fan ia” Black i making sure that any tactically based ef-eS advance fails. Once he does that, he will have a free hand on the aqueenside. In a way, thsi the reverse of what happened inthe Karpow-Andersson game, 7.02 Bes Mod: -Thatwasinevkable. want ny Queen got N20 PB dearsthe 2” ean” 8.6 Begs Sg Qe 1 wanted to see how he would reat tothe loss o* material 1 ‘washoping he'd notice tha, after Black takes on g6(va 0... xg0, Whie can make use of tactics (created by the =2-Bishop’s potential X-4y tothe Black Queen on g6) by 11.44 gx (11...ex 12e5)12.Bxt4. Ofcourse, this sil falls duet 12..exf4 13.5 Qe8, taking advantage ofthe unprotected White Queen (14.Qd3 Qe is nothing for White), but such tactics can often tum a game {round and must be noticed if you want t have any seal chance ‘of saving a poor position rogn2 Mon, Eyeing hae fe akes on g61 p00 HS and ade \Whatis this madness about trading? Why would he wantto go ino an endgame after he bas lost a pawn? The threat 10 the BS pawn seems to have blown one of his fuses! 10.0886 11.Qh5 Qxbs A2.gxhs 96 1B.Bxg6 Ke? 100, “Back tas an extra passed pawn but I dont know if that awa makes sorh 2 ig dlference. My two Bishops heipand his Keight ewes since Diss a nowhere square. Tn ade Rocks ance all his puns are on dark equates thi makes hie Blsbop bad deal would bike wo rade Thy bad Bishop for ls Roig.” was very pleased at how he continually thought about geting rid of bad Bishops. However, his desie to rade when own material concemed me. Usually iis the person who is up ‘material that wants to tae! AARbIRxbI 1S.Bxb1 RDS16.Be2 Kgs Y7.Rb3 Rb 100, “es thestening two pawns wil ade sd he ‘takes wa citer one, an block on 3 with my Bishop. Sill trading away to his doom. 1B RXb4 cabs Now Bc hata new pue pann ana nice square ois Knight on ¢5. i 1.e3 nas 100, “He has oo passed pawns I have to improve the Postion af my King” 20.K_2 Nos! 10%“ think he push works now." Black intended to trade his bad Bishop (or get it outside the pawn chain) by ..Nd7 followed by ..BbS. Bhs axes, 22.Bxc5 Na7 23.Be3 HS 1400, “Trading his bad Bishop for my good one. 1 der ‘ant his Bishop to go od but what cas do about" 24a Bas 25.Kg3 Ne5. The game was topped a this point. Tips ‘% Trading bad Bishops is fine, but don’ think about that co the exclusion of everything ele 4% Open files are only valuable f you can effect some som of penevation on them, % ‘Ifyou can sop the opponeats play, you don't have to be ina hurry with your own. —_————— In the diagram that follows, we see @ postion that is far fom tntcing for Black. Asie from having the inferior pawn souctue, hie is also about to lose a pawn, Masters know that in Rook endgames & is of the uimost importance 1 keep ores Rook acive. This ule should be followed even if you have to sacrifice 4 pawn, However, | suspected that in the amateur ranks this well: known principle was unknown, ° ef a ww xm alta Siman-1480 Black to play, How would an amateur defend such a position? I ied against several students to sey thee reacions were unfoem oF varied from individual to individ 1480 “The postion is mikeibefor Black, need ve UP A pawn and penetrate wih my Rook so fgets actve However, 1 Ke? 2 Raab leves him with to connected pasted pawns onthe queens. My Rook could penetrate then ana his Rook woul be in font of is pain ut that probaly does make any ference The ther problem ‘hac if et him chop on 6, then the pawn would also Jhng, would consider the game los here and T would not Ive a porve aut would play 1. Ke? 206 Re? fd penetrate with my Rook Maybe Could et ome play 1ker oor 1480 did't enjoy ths position at all! Apparenily he was not aware ofthe old saving, “Al Rook endings ae drawn.”‘Tiss senally anol joke saying but there i more ruth ot than one would imagine. Why? Because all Hook endings take patience and skill 0 win. Such qualities are noe always present, and a dogged resistance can easly bung rewards, He gave up the a;pawn because he had already given up the same. When you adopt a losers attiude you will pay loser moves. You must believe that you have a chance. If you don", ‘hen your moves will ct this sentiment. His 1...Ke7 gave White ‘wo connected passed pains after 2326, and these two pawns vl easly wi the game forthe first player. We scopped the game since 1480 was too disgusted with the position o continue! Silman-1500 also from diagrams 97) 1500 -Teantsave both pawas so have ew dices. One to save the d-paon and advance the Epa apd eae 2 pused d-pawe, Second, & 0 Uy to keep te epswn DF {Svancng and give up the pave, I ean get my Rook tind his pans ad yt prevent rom ening The fist pan ives him evo passers the queensie 30 te second ithe way 10 Bo ‘have 1 aS Ra. Theformer allows 286.206 ray about 1 Ra because it dooas ny Rook © pussy, so1 aS beer 1 as very happy about what he had to say. He wanted to void a passive Rook snd did not want 10 give White 690 connected passed pawns tS 1500 tf 2 a6 RS" 2Rxd6 Ke? 1500 “Pretec the pan, certalies my King and aac he Rook" So far he's done quite well. This natural move, though, just forces tne White Rook to a better square. For the superior 2.2 see the next game. 3.RAG Rs and here we stopped the game since Black isa pawn down with a passive poston. Silman 2100 ‘Black 9 play, 2100 Losing the 96 pan iad because conaacied passed ‘pawns onthe queenside ae fal for me. However my Fook isnocactve and a7 does othingtobelp. Thre to cate my Rook and sop his qoeensde pawns. snus hold the spawn and. followed by Ra? isthe aly say todo # I doitcare abou my &pawa but ay apn SS everhing. Unfonteatly, my Kang ent be actrated tithe So 1a le forced since as death ter 1 a8, {2RUG RDS or Rabat, andthe kes on guide and the four vs tree should draw" Excellent He intends 10 play this as actively as possible in lorder to avoid a passive pawn-down Rook endgame 1 was ‘expecially pleasedthat he notedthe drawn four. three endgame— ‘whenever you have pawns on only one side of the board you create excellent drawing chances Aas 2Rxd6 abt 2100-2. eT doesnot ely atvate my King 801 have to ligule White ha to pe hs King ito ply. Now Caer 2eas) if 3a, [pes counterpay with 3.84"He fs doing a super job, White's best chance for victory i Sx Rb4 413 Read SRO2 when White is the one with the passive Rook, Neverheless, White could sill torture Black by banging his King over wo the queenside and relieving his Rook from guard duty. Whatever the su, Black has done his wimost tome the win hard for White to achieve 3x6 axb3 ‘.axb3 Rxb3 and Black gor his four versus three endgame. “The gime was agreed drawn afer 5.h6 hS 6XKh2 Kg7 7.05 RDS 8.£4 M4 9.Kh3 Rb3+ 10,65 RD Tips 4 A.game is always easier to dra i there ae pawns ‘on only one side ofthe board, 4 Abad, defeats atitude will get you only defeat. ‘% Two connected passed pawns almost always win in 2 Rook endgame. THE CURSE OF THE MINDLESS KING HUNTER Eovenone tes aac be aponen’s Kg i wos, eer QOCe win wa abt of ah However, eves me © Fee Rona player todos witout any regard Be oe yon The ante mca hat YO have a fe peor ells nox wat you watt do! Thi ee ay the nes aacker ofl me, Nowe sees Rate ra ucense stack agains Mesk Pam Me tt wt you ul. vee eaite we ene King only make sense inthe fotowing sos > the center socked, you shout playin be {Eee hat your paws pat You play mee eur prs pe een that whee YOu SainiWhite to play. 5, UGK pawns Bont tonal the hinge (rom c7 105 to ‘getting loser and close to White's King) in diagram 98,9 he should be playing fora kingside pawn storm by Na? and. fe 45. This also fs in nicely with rule member to, > I the center is locked, you should ty to atack with pawns. This gives you extra space and allows your Rooks to come into play. > Its very imponant to understand tht you play on the wings when the center is closed, but if the center is open, the middle is the mos imporant 4atea to concentrate on. Central play almost sways beats wing play! oo Sux & ah A ate aa Ab AOA a BA aA &a mn awe fb Black to play. In diagram 100, Black should not even think of a Kingside atack since theres 100 much playin the center Instead, he should Concentate on stengthening bis pastion inthe middle by. 5, [Nc td and ..Qa5 with piece pressure on the White postion, > You only play where you have a favorable imbal- ance oF the possiblity of creating a favorable imbal- ance. In other words, if you have nothing postive ‘nthe kingide you cannet expect tobe suocessful fn that side of the board aon, white play.4a digram 101, White i justified to look atthe kingside since his main imbalance (he Bishop versus the Knight) is aiming in that direction. 1LQd4 Kg? The only move. Any Knight move would have allowed mate on bs. zeit Threatening w advance tog. 2h No beter i295 3.4 when the Rook on f ois in the fight 3.64 and Black s overwhelmed, > You may also star a King hunt if you have a lege ead in development and think you can land a knockout blow before he can recover his balance. Aer 1c 052.86 62 we get the positon ia dlgram 102 > Wea Weaan haeaa aa a a 4 a B&A AASB Dawes White co play. ‘White has lead in development and Black has weakened his King positon by playing the hore (7-6. eis this weakening, of the a2 and h5-e8 diagonals that makes White Seek out hare iting solution, BNxeS! fees 4QhS+ Ke7 0 4.66 5.Qxe5% when White picks up the Rook on ha S.Qxe5+ KI Sets ‘White's amy comes out with gun of tine 6.6 7.985" Kn6 fidte 95 Sib an Black cannot save off White's threats Inthe game that follows (between two amateurs, ated 1061 and 1466 respectively) we see White Dulld up an excellent position on| the queenside only to be tempted by the siren call of a non- existent kingside attack, Minders Gonzalez, US, Amateur West 1983 ‘Queen's Gambit Declined Lass 2h NIGH ‘A.common error at the amateut level. Black i allowing White to trade hisinfeior e-pawa forthe song cent pawn. Better is the immediate 2.6 of 2..06 when Black can retain a space: gaining pawn on d. 3.NesH ‘Transposing back into the main lies of the Queen's Gambit Declined. White should have punished Black by 3.cxd5 Nxd5, after which White can always gain a full pawn center by e2<4 36 aan Fearing the pin by BS, White throws away a tempo without just cause. You cant let every litle possiblity by the ‘enemy cause you to panic. Ifyou see something that worries you, Taokat i closely and make sure that is Worth stopping-—you mayfind thar you are often preventing a bad move thatthe opponent never intended 0 play! ‘Note that afer the calm 4 Bg (also fine & NB) 4..BDA 5.3, \hite need not fear the doubled pawns that arise afer 5,..Bxc3* ‘ibxc3 since he could always ge i of them by exe followed by ‘Beef (in other words, the doubled pavins were illusory). In this ‘ase, Black has actually helped White; his caprure on «3 brought dhe passive b2-pawn to a more dynamic central post 4.7 Sis Having chased avy the ghosts with a2-a8, White gets back to his own plans. 5.06 NB “7h Nba? Bs Giving wp some time (tempos) for lets of qveenside space. ‘More natural is 83, but 1 will never criize # move that aggressively fights for something (be it wo Bishops, material, ‘development, superior pawn structure, ori this ease, space) —it shows that one’s heats inthe rght place. An insistence tha every move you make creates some sor of gain wl get you fain chess, 8.6 9.b4 bse Wasting a move and deswoying the tension that 8.06 cre- sted. White's pawn moves (a3 and 3) allowed Black to tke 2 lead in development, and he should try to take advantage of thi by ripping open the paston. He could caste firs before nating fight, bt the immediate 9..bxc§ 10bxeS (beter 6 10dxeS, ‘seating an interesting fight berween White's queensice majoryy and Black’s central majoriy) 10..e51 (lestoying ene of the defenders of e5) should turn ovt prety well for Black: 11.dxe5 the solid 11.63 allows Black to make his own spatial gai in the center after 10...) 11..Ned 12 Bxe7 Qee? with theeats to Win the White pavins on e5 and <5. By ignoring the one advantage he had (lead in developers), ‘Black quickly nds himself in an inferior postion 10.63 25 11.43.00 1200 Res 09) awile atea 4 48 & ba ; a a DLAD- = BAA white to play ‘White has come out ofthe opening with nice game: he has more space on the queenside and has possiblities 'o expand i the center with eed, thereby stopping Black from doing the same thing with alte 06-65, Tn the actual game, White was blind wo the fact that his fortunes were tied fo his extra queenside space and central possbilkies. Instead, he decided that a kingside atack was in fonder, Why? My gues is that likes to go after Kings and thought that this was as good atime to do as any, Needless to say, diss ‘ot the way to play good chesst aaNet ‘White thinks that a Knight on gS wll help him create a Ikingside attack simply because he hasan extra piece on that sie (of the board. However, you should lead your pieos to squares ‘where they have a fue. Once the poor horse reaches 3 will bbe badly posted since it cat go to 4, 5 or hS! 13.807 1ANgs? “Trapping his own Bishop on hd,14..axbs 1S .acbd Real 36.Qreal and now Black can win the Bishop wit 16... In the end, White did indeed hang his Bishop and he eventually lost, the game, Noting White's reluctince to play in the center or on the ‘queens, 1 began to wonder if my students would make the ‘ime mistakes, even though I had wamed them of this ype of «errorin the past, The next two games begin fromthe postion afer move twelve, a0) 1600-Siman. ‘White o play 1600, “The fist ting U tave t0 dois find the cane moves for White, They are 13 Nef, 13.BeG, 13 Qc? and Rel, Those are a few of them Now Iwill se id We bane even material. Yes i all even. Nex, 1 wil ook at King safesyboth Kings appear tobe safe What ae my weal estes? White is solid, my dic-aqenred Bishop cools: 00d disgonal, Onthe queenide, any tide opens the wie And 0 weaknesses ate created %0 | doit have to worry about Do have ay combination on te boar? dont ‘see any for Whit Any for Biel? Nothing His copa ‘weak but I dont see any way to ger ati "So my plan st kick Blacl’s Knights and make them, eae, Best vo move the Queen fom the fst rk 0 B.caxbt Maxbi Beal 15. gives me fies” 13.Qe2 He played a good move, bur his reasoning was confused 10 say the least Newersat by looking at the cancidate moves that's the las thing you should do! My student, though, mediately began to list them (hid not seen him for wo years, soi seems {hat he had forgoten what we had discussed in Our old sessions, [Next he jumped from one thing to another, never noticing that he Possessed extra queenside space. Finally, he makes the cryptic Statement that hei going to kick Black's Knights how?) and then he plays 18.Q¢2 At the rik of repeating myself, you sta by listing all the imbalances. Ten you ask which side ofthe board you (and your ‘opponent are going to play on (you will only play where you have a favorable imbalance). You oaly look at candidate moves When you have assessed these ther factors, 13..NhS 14.807 Qxe7 16001 want to mate Black on the kings How dot set there? Hs hSKnight i smdevard 201 don ant to ease Ince no play. have a Knighton © tha sping thing > "should reposition «and maket moreacive My pan on ‘doops hs Knight on out. twant to break inthe center, ‘hough apd occapy 36. To doth must got countepley the center. By paying ees, ge play in the mide sve his Knight acceso f= My heart sank when he said that he wanted to mate on the ingsde! What justification does he have for this, other thaa desire? Are there targets there? Is my King denuded? Is his whole amy posted in that secon Interestingly, he the forgot about this idea and found more logical ideas. His comment about my Knight being offde and his ‘ot wanting t chive it back into play is excellentatacking a piece is useless unless you improve your posion by doing so or force his piece to an inferior square. I also loved his newfound ‘dea to breakin the center by e3-e4 and, hope of hopes, make use ‘ofthe dG-square. Unfortunately this is where his good intentions ‘an ito that olso-common fear of ghosis—he did't want to allow Black to answer ef with ...NE. By concentrating on this ‘unimportant Black possibilty (who cares i Black takes (wo‘moves to tnde Knight fr Bishop; wouldnt White be able to make significant gains by ten’), he got lured ino the same eror that we saw in the original example! 15.Nez 1600; “Tis keep hn out . My longcnge plan is play a Knight tod Horrible, One ides of playing eB-e is that he can ansoer cdxed with Nxed when the dream of using dS becomes a realty ‘With the Knight on €2, however, this is no longer possible Another idea associated with e3-e4 is that he an follow up with Rook tothe efile when White would have considerable pressure Inthe center ‘The immediate 15.¢4 was called for, when Black could not counceratack with ..06-e5 since dS would fll. The Knights absence from the center gives Black the time to free himself 15.05 1600“ wit courteratack Wes ‘With Black suddenly showing signs of activity, White feels compelled o strike back, However, instead of eing the one to scat the tempo ofthe game, now White ls reacting © Black, 16...NhE6 “The Knight rushes back to the center where t defends 45 and anacks et 160 mst wach ot for 17 exe with fork How do Teschanige witout allowing ths ork” Decenulizing and time-wasting moves lke 15.Ne2 usualy leadto the opponent aking the initiate. Remember: you Wank tO be the one who tllsthe other gay what ro do, Pasive moves have the opposite effet TANS axbé lack sees that an undefended White Rook on might lead to problems for his opponent 1Baxbd Real 19. Ral exds 1600; ‘Now Im psig loser to hls weakness en 6, Since my et pam ir atacked ee times and gardedthvee times have time follow my plans. 1 can ply NB, Neds or feuds f must watch cut for baceanke mates on eD afer Nu bat eventing Seems safe” Whites three to three count is bit off (Black fs attacking e four times), though another oversight is the straw hat wl break his back 2oNxasrr ‘You should always be awate of all your wesk points and undefenced pieces In this case, White must carefully watch his Rook ona, his pawn on bd (when a Black Knight comes to 45) and his pain of ef BY aot taking the opponent's possibilties| ‘seriously, he allowed himsel to be knocked out. Much better was 20.NI8 i 20.65 160, “Pinning me and theatning ay Knight. The c& pawns poison now and can ea chase his Quen om Rovgood squire. On 214, be has 21--deef so I mus sefend ny Koight” ANge2M? dxes and the game was sopped. ——————— oo Tips +4 Moving apiece away from the center (elle a secenralizing move) should always be viewed with suspicion, ++ Only go after the enemy King f the postion justifies ik. King-hunt s not something you decide to do because you “feel like it + Uncefended pices often lead 10 nasty tactical surprises, Make sure your pieces are well guarded ———(One ofthe amareu's greatest weaknesses shi iabilty ogra the inititive. He wants to attack but he does not realize tht the concept of atack must encompass the whole board, Real tacking reins putting pressure agains a panicular arget this can be an enemy King or 2 weak pasyn. You should strive wo create acaget and then force your opponent to react to your teats against In our next game, White astutely notices the creation of a weakness and jumps all over. (x 80K 400-Siman, White to play. 40D “Cental space is even. There i some action oa the ‘queensde and have more space there du omy paw o2 (S. The sqares and pawns on 6, d6 and D6 ae Weak bat ‘ot easy for White to gett. Whites sae onthe Kngside ‘White's pawasare poting oth queenside Would like pputiny Bishop on the h2s agonal wheres eS and 85s oot dong much where lt sas. ‘Now fora plan. Wan! to ply exer in he center or on the queenside.1 ke Bg, which aims at bow sector, followed by Nes" ‘Tm extremely happy with his appraisal, He didn’t even Took at the kingside since there were no favorable imbalances in that area. The only thing he didn't nosice was Black's ulimate inten- tion of advancing his pawn to eS. Don’ forget o look for your ‘opponents best plans! By doing that, you won't run into any “unpleasant surprises 13.055 400 Tm abit bester becuse Bac i cramped due to my space ganing &-pawn 13.808 “Tiying to snag his Bishop with 13...NhS runs into 14Nest ng’? (14. NS 15,605) 15. oo; “Bac is thinking of Ranchetoing his King Bishop ince tas no future ot 7." 1ANes Played without thought. Why he chose this aggressive-look- ing move (which incorrectly permits the side with less space 19 ttade pieces) over the logcal Led, remains a mysiery. 1400: “Now is ooking bad for me. He wil ge the wo Bishope say on eS Homever, fhe takes me on 65 the dtsquare” When he played 14.Ne5 he lost momentary control of the ‘gue. The mild panic that resulted from this is why he immed siely began to think that something had gone wrong. Fortunately, be makes & nce recovery. 16.Ne2 1s odd, but al tee of our test subjects have resorted to this ‘ugly move! 16.NeS This and Black’s following moves are very weak since they ‘ve the White Knight a besutifl cental post and force him to Improve his position, However, ths student always had trouble attacking the enemy King (preferring quiet postiona pla) and 1 ‘wanted to give him the opportunity to test his skills in that area a7dxe$ Qe7 1400 ma defend ny pawn.”18.4 Be7 19.1Nas ‘White has built up a significant advantage interstory and also enjoys a great Knight on dé versus a paetic Bishop on 8. 19.16 So iar, thad made simple one-move threats or done nothing at all. Now lash out and try to pet counterplay in the center. Will he fold at the fist sign of presse or wil he ise to the occasion? 1100, Blak tying to open ines fr his two Bishops. He ‘Swealeon the ight squares 20m going to ake advantage ‘that wi Qh 20.Qhst Bingo ll ofa sudden ay sition takes a tun for the worse He wants o blow me of the board and i's not clear # 1 ean do anything about i This switch from more space to an attic on the ‘wing is quite natural—the side with more tertory can move his pieces from one side to the other with great speed. Note, however, that White has only decided to go fora kingside attack after Black weakened the lightsquares around his King. tn other ‘words, this deision was not made lighty-—he had a clear reason to attack my King. 20. 1400" looking a how much damage Qa does. He can play 5 and shat ef my Bap. sence 15 males Quo ‘sees, will bang up moce pieces anes 1 like the idea of bringing more pleces into the attack However, 21.096 5 224! should be winning for White because 23.gu5 wil pick up some wood, Remember that mate isnot the aly goal ofa kingide atack safe matenal advantage would be more than adequate 21.947 Black's ugly contoions deserve a grim death 22Rg3 Hoo, “Treatening Qe hin ve go hin 2285 "00: -He dn ike the mang posses that my Bishop eave me 23.Qxh6 See what the intiatve does? By playing forcefully to take advantage ofa weakness on the kingside (note the werd “weak- ness), «player with a 1400 rating has pushed someone around ‘who sever thousand points higher! 28.87 He is tweating me ike a dog! | waited expectant for hit 10 put me any. y Moa: Now 1 want way t finish im of Rais a 6,1 must be crf sour breaking hip, though” Dango? ‘With an exra pawn and an attack, he begins to get greedy for small guns. Instead of this move, which resets the mobility of his pieces, he should do two things (i no lmmediate crush exists): 1D take away all possible counterplay—he is a pewn up and ‘winning. so if he takes all my cheapo chances away he should casly score the point. 2) Reorganize and then break through with {he remainder of his forces, Aside from 24.BxfS| ex! 25.06 which wins st once, White could play quietly and loc inthe victory with 24.Rb1 (defending the b-pawn and stopping any nonsense down the afte followed by Qg6 and ith3. The beauty of his line Gi something ike 24 x5 fel & ee @-c> ‘White to play Alekhine calls this “inexplicable,” though the amateur has n9 problem understnding i a all Many players would think thatBlack is staring a song kingside anack. However, the experi- enced master knows that thistype of wing attack wil always al he can iniite a counteratac in the middle; inthis case, White «an blow open the center with Nd2 and £2- followed by e3-e4 So why did an experienced Grandmaster ike Maroczy make such 2 mistake? To answer that, we would have to know what he drank before the gime—demonic posession is another theory 13.Na2I RET? Points 1405 White continues his preparations to rip open the center. ues 1S.cxds cxds Ae! ‘The center gets nuked and Black's open King and lack of development begin to become serious labile. 16.604 17.04 Rath 1.x exdé 19.907 Pinning the Knight and tying up all of Black's pieces. Black is. completely los, 19.597 20.851 dxed 2LNxei Qbé Giving up. The obvious 21..A6 would have held out longer 2aRxgS+, 1-0. A pathetic performance from Maroczy Let's go back to the postion ater 12.85, (08) TR ae 42 aw a ah ok a bh &B WAAa AB BAA = ae 1000-Silman, White to play In the next few examples, I tested my students’ ability to recognize when a cena counterattack was called for by giving them the White side of the diagrammed postion, f they showed a mastery of the necessary concep, they would be rewarded in the usual way: a new car, a date with some supermodel, a microscopic rendition of Elion Winslow's signature, ec. How- ever, ifthey filed 0 understand what was going on, they woul have to pay ten times the normal lesson fee (the idea of ines during a lesson has been espoused by IM Johin Grefe) 1100, “Black has a weak square on €5 which Whie could use for his Knight IF could wade of my Bahop for his night coud use bot | dont know i that i pose Blac sing king stack whic aid nee the center ig locked there are no open fs. He wl play tnd chase my Kaigh to» poor square can ade Quen twit) Qus but Tm nor sure hat does any gos can tke ‘on d5 when cx allows Qe? wi apn om his Kh ‘xd ay Bishop gets more scope il play exd5 a5 ty to ge play inthe mide” This guys rating ts only 1000 yet he pointed out some profound things He noted the possibility of gaining @ superior ‘minor piece i his Knight could stay on eS. He sso remembered sme telling hien that a wing atack i only justified if the cent! is under your contol os closed. He was well aware that he should {ty 0 open the center up and so be tried 1.exdS, 1 suppose theidea of Na2 followed by £ and ef was t00 dificult since the Knight move to 2 looks ike a retreat and it also goes away form the desied e5-post. Dont be afraid of retreating moves it they hep achieve an important gosl (inthis ease, blasting open the center with eed) 13.cxd5 exas 1000.1 would lave to ge his Knight or pay 3-04 Maybe that posh would be possible ater Rel” “This earned a hefty fine. Words lke "maybe" should not play 4 part in one's choice of move—you should lovow what your ‘moves wil ead tot For example, fhe had wied 1462-4 with the dea of opening the eile wth b-bS, I would have been proud of him Ge doesrt matter ifs the best plan or not at last he Is following a clear course of acon and trying to do someshing postive by opening a file for his Queen and Rook) since that ‘would have continved his reasoning behind 13.cxd5. Unforu- rately, when {refused to open the clef hi (ia 13..ced5) he simply gave up on the idea. ARE gh 100, “this oie, {have oj ito [Now he's just reacting to my moves and is no longer ying to follow any kind of plan. Try to nouce when the transition Derween thinking of your own ideas and reacting to the ‘opponent takes place. In this gam, 1000 got lizy on move two and never woke up 15.Nes Nees, Waxes, 1000 “Tis isnot workingostwellbecawer'm locking 7 (Queen Atypical postaziness mental process The frst stage is to get depressed and ell himself that he is doing badly. 16...Res 100m losing pew! should ave played 2-3 eer 4 sopped Bh push ‘The next stage ito pane and ive the past (Iknow because Ive dane ie several hundied times in my carer). Now he Is thinking about all the things he could/should have done eafir in the game. Notice how even these dreams (h2-h3 10 sop my 84 push) are defensive in nature ‘We stopped the game and brought him back to realy with smelling sls ‘Our next game sans from the same position. oa re aa AW 8 aca aaa AB WaAD AaB ABA Lg se | 700s ‘White o play. 1700, ‘Al of Black's weakneies are covered. Hi King is safe since hie Queen and Rook defend. Black hat = grids stack Matera is even. White mist defend the taqutre, Hack would love to sa 2 plece there Back tas more space Where would both sides ike pace their pieces? Well et and o5 are the square. Blick abo has an {inguarded Gueen on e7-f White can push his pwn oe, followed by Rel, then the Queen on «7 would be bo. fred $0 what i Whic's beat ove? | think White in trouble. Bick has space and Kingsde presure Back threatens gt followed by RIG6H6, What can White oto prevent mate on ha? Very interesting! He noted that the ef and eS-squares were important but he filed to note tha eS isa permanent weakness ‘whe anything on ef can be chased aay by P23 or even taken bythe Bishop. All the postive things that he said about Black's position woul! be tue Fhe center says closed. He mentioned the possibilty of playing fr e3-e4 (opening she center) but he gave up ‘on i imedltely. After the game, he told me tha i Would be oo clifcult to get ees in. Listen! If serious chess means you need ‘hiny minutes to find an answer to dhe position, then that i time ‘well sper. f yu cant solve the poston, at east you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you ied as hard as you cold Ifyou ae White hete and see that White's only hope i to play for ee, ‘dont just give up on the idea. Thar’ ike giving up on yourself Insist on finding way to make poskive things happen. 13.NeS Nxes vdues 10, “Now his Rook cat go 0 $62 | suppose this is kind of dlevern a way.1 decided not to fine him yet. 14.87 15.6 1700, “Tying wo ses his Bishop and equalize space oa the Kings 1701 wl lok hi Queen's path vob via 3." 16.437 He is now in a completely defensive mentality, Who cures if my Queen goes ot? A Queen by herself cant do much damage He should have played on the queenside by b2-b4 or even ec5 (quning more space) I's important to note that with the g-pawn on g2, Black's. A7-hShd advance has no sting since ..bé-h3 can bbe met by a2 while a3 is met by h2-h3. Now Black can advance his pawn toh and force open the ble. White's Fear led tothe worsening of his own position s 1700 sil ike Back but White stands beer ow than be id before White has a mich beter minr piece But Back sal as chances onthe Ringside. Black wantsto ple up on the fle rR hd 170, wl bing my defenders around” He has been reacting to my possibilities from the very beginning and he is sil doing i. No wonder that his positon gets worse with every move 18.Rg2 RET 1700, “Expected, Now I un any King safety” 19.802 BHT 20RhI KE 170 “Black il png up on the fe by RAN. Black dl exchange on g and White abe ready for dat but | ‘int stp hm fom tillag me onthe ie ‘The game was stopped here ‘Our next example i fom the same postion, but now we have two children (2 sicyearold gil and an eightyear-old boy) playing as a team against me, oo Ee Ke ae awa’ aa ao ak SA W2Aa a8 SAA BBS 200 and 100Simaa, ‘White to play 900, “Black want to aac us, scary.”1100, t want open es by ex then Tigh move my igh 105 Beads exas 1100 “That the best secapaue | want get his King by NeS which might Open the center and allow my pieces 10 pete kin” 800: That 2 good idea" 1 liked that 1100 saw thatthe Black King was geting 2 bile ‘open, Nether playeris reacting 10 me ye; they are both til ying to create their own ideas, Nes Nees 1sdxe5 Res 1100 and 80: "We have wo guard or pawn, 16.6 gh 1100: will go Ret to atack inthe center a bring my pleces over ‘othe Kingside™ 800.1 want ply 5" ‘They argued for a while. So far, 100° heart isin the right pplice—he wants 10 take contol of the game but he does not know how todoit, Mis dreams of central advance come too late, land queensie play via b2-b405 was indicated. Unfortunately, 800 wants to react imaginary threats and begins their demise by playing a defeasve game. 1100-17 3 jst moves a pawn and does nothing. My move ieee 00: want block his pawn and stop Qh" 1100: "Yow have to concentrate on our pan and not worry abou his £300 won the argument (showing an advanced knowledge of marriage but ine of chess) and got her way because they had greed on 1100's ideas earlier. 1100's lst comment was very wise and he deserves prise for Uttimatey, 800 got punished for her defensive suategy: L100 all the change in her pockets. 17.93 Be6 1100 and 804 -We are aor mpessed with this move since your Bishop i blocked sd bd" ‘They are both aware of good and bad Bishops Reet 1100 made this useless move since it was his tun to et is sway. Is this geting his Rook into the game? No. Is this creating open files for his Rooks? No. You must create open fles for yout Rooks, so b2-bi followed by Rebt, Rel and bi-bS was called for “his plan is known asa minority attack) 18...85 10 “That t when people do sary aves. He's tester ing 1100. "t want 1 move Qe? to defend onthe second rank dnd sac "| 200: “Ten really worried about. and wnt wo ply bé aysell™ Having talked themselves into a state of panic, they both agreed wah 1100 and 800: “OF no He can take enpus™ We sopped the game a this point Tips 1A. Find a chess teacher wino wont fine you for your “Don't fear retreating moves if they accomplish some ‘sort of important goal. Its not unmanly to move @ piece backwards! 4 Take note ofthe tansition between positve thoughts involving active plans and negative thoughts revolving around reactions and defense,In diagram 101, White i jastied to look at the kingside since his main imbalance (the Bishop versus the Knight) is aiming in that direction. 1a Ke? ‘The only move, Any Knight move would have allowed mate on bs, agit ‘Threatening’ to advance to g5, 2h No beter is 2.95 3. when the Rook om ft joins in the fight 3.64 and Black i overwhelmed > You may also sata King-hunt if you have a large lead in development and think you can land a knockout blow before he ean recover his balance After 1e4e5 2.Nf3 6 we get the position in diagram 102 kasWeeax hada aa a a0) a & a AAAA AAA ACWeS FI White o play. ‘White as lead in development and Black has weakened is King postion by playing the horrible .£7-6. tis this weakening ‘of the a2-g8 and hS-e8 diagonals that makes White seek out @ hhardhitng solution, BNxeStBxe5, 4. Qh5+ Ke7 014.186 5.Qxe5+ when White picks up the Rook on bs, 5.Qxe5* KET BeA+ White's army comes out with gin of tine. 6.6 7.085+ Kh6 ast gs ‘hd and Black cannot ave off White's threat In the game that Follows (between two amateurs, ated 1061 and 1466 respecively) we see White bulld up an excellent pesition on the queenside only to be tempted by the sien call of = non existent kingside attack, Minders-Gonzalez, US, Amateur West 1983 ‘Queen's Gambit Declined Las as 2d NIGH [Acommon errr atthe amateur level. Black is allowing White towade his inferior e-pawn forthe strong ceneal pawn. Better is the immediate 2,.e6 of 2.06 when Black can retain a space: ining pawn on d5, BNe3tt ‘Transposing back into the mi lines of the Queen's Gambit Declined: White should have punished Black by 3.cxd5 Nad, sifer which White can always gin a fll pawn center by ede, Fearing the pin by ..Bb4, White throws away @ tempo ‘without just cause, You cant let every litle possibilty by the remy cause you to panic. f you see something that worries You, Joskatit closely and make sure that i's Worth stopping—you mayfind that you are often preventing a bad move thatthe opponent never intended to play! Note that after the calm 4.895 (also fine i 4:NB)4...BbA 5.3, White need not fear the doubled pawns that aise ater 5. Bcd (tbxc3 since he could always get rd of them by ex followed by S- (in other words, the doubled pawns were illusory). In this ‘case, Black has actually helped White; his capture on 3 brought the passive b2-pawn to a more dynamic central post 40.067 Sites Having chased away the ghosts with 42-83, White gets back to his ova plans 5.06 6.3 n6 7.Bhd Nba? Bes Giving up some time (empos) for lots of queenside space. More natural is 3, but 1 will never extcize a move that aggressively fights for something (be it two Bishops, materia, evelopment, superior paw stricture, oF in this case, space) —t shows that one's heats inthe right place. An insistence that every ‘move you make creates some sor of ain wll get you far in chess. 8.6 S.ba bse ‘Wasting a move and destoying the tension that 8,..b6 cre- ated. White's pawn moves (23 and c5) allowed Black to take 2 lead in developmen, and he should try to take advantage ofthis by ripping open the postion. He could castle fist before inating a fight, but the immediate 9..bxe5 10.bxe5 (beter is 10.dxe3 ‘eating an intresting fight between White's queenside majority and Black's central majority) 10.5! (Gestoying one of the defenders of c5) should tun out prety well for Back: 11.dxeS, (the solid 11.3 allows Blade to make his own spatial gas in the enter after 10,08 1..Ne4 12 Bxe7 Qxe7 with thats to win the White pavins on €5 and 5. By ignoring the one advantage he had (lead in development, Black quickly finds himsel! in an inferior postion 10.035 11.043 0.0 120.0Kes o> ET Ewe ahaa a ah ib aada & A a & DLAD AAA 5 woud ‘white to play. ‘White as come out othe pening with cee: he has more space on he quensge a has pesto expand a the comer wah eb sey topping Black rom doing the Sine ting wilt 3 ts Inthe acl game, White was blind othe tha fons wee el ise eae pce a et Sse, tea, he decided dat a Kinghe atc sb rier Wy My geste ies go afer ings an thopt ‘Sars was food tine odo te any. Needless 0) ts sorte way 1 ly good chess saNexr White thinks that 2 Knighton wall hep him create a tinge stack simply because be Haan exta pce on tha le ofthe bend: Howevc, you shoul lead your lees to squares ‘there they have 2 fue Once the por home reaches gb wl Te tay posed since Rant goto et, ors 13.867 14Ng3e? “Trapping his own Bishop on hd1. axbs ASaxbé Rxal 16.Qxal and now Black can win the Bishop With 16.85. In the end, White did indeed hang his Bishop and he evel lost the game, Noting White's reluctance to play in the center or om the ‘quvenside, I began to wonder if my students would make the same mistakes, even though I had warned them ofthis type of ceorin the past The next two games begin from the postion afer move twelve cog 1600-Siman. ‘white to pay. 1600: “The fist thing t have Yo do i fad the eariate moves for White. They are 15Ne5, 13 2x6 13. 02 and T3Rel. Those are a few of them. Now wil ce we have even mateal. Yes, all even Nex, wl lok at King safesy—both Kings appear to be ste. What are my weak ‘este? White i s,m darke squared Bato conte {00d diagonal. On the queenside, any rade opens the file Bnd no weaknesses a cested #0 | dont have 1 ory shout that Do have any combination cathe boar? dont $e any for Waite. Any for Black’ Nothing. Ha pawn ‘veak but doat see any wayto get a “So my plan ist kick Blacks Knights end make them retest. Best sto move the Queen fom the Eat rank 10 TSaxbt L4axbé Rat 1Sieal gives me files” 3.92 He played a good move, but his reasoning was confced—t0 say the least! Nevrstar by looking atthe candidate moves—ihat’s the las thing you should dot My student, though, immediatly ‘began to list them (had not seen him fortwo years, so seems that he had forgotten what we had discused in our oll sessions) [Next he jumped from one thing another, never noticing that he possessed exa queenside space. Filly, he makes the cryptic ‘Satement that Is going to kick Black's Knights (how?) and then he plays 13.02 ‘At the rik of repeating myself, you start by lisung all the lmmbalances. Then you ask which side of the board you Cand your ‘opponent ae going to play on (you will only play where you have a favorable imbalance). You only look at candidate moves when you have asessed these other factors 13..Nh5 4.Bxe7 QxeT 1600 want to mate Black om the kings, How do Te there? He Knight awkward so | dont ane to chase back int pay. havea Knighton c3 thats doing thing so {ould positon and make tore ace MY pawn on edkeeps his Knighton So I att beak inte center, ‘ough nd occupy a5, odo this must get counterply a the center. BY playing eBe, | get pay inthe midale but sve his Rnighe access My hear sank when he said that he wanted {0 mate on the ingside! What justification does he have for this, ocher than desire? Are there targets thee? Is my King denuded? Is his whole army posted in that sector? Interestingly, he then forgot about this idea and found more logical ideas. His comment about my Knight being offside and his ot wanting 0 drive it back ito pla is excellers—attacking 2 piece is useless unless you impeove your position by doung so or force his plece to an inferior square. I also loved his newfound idea to breakin he centerby eed and, hope of hopes, make use ofthe d6-squae, Unfortunately, this where his good intentions ran into that ohso-common fear of ghoste—he dida't Want 10 allow Black t answer ef with ..NF, By concentrating on this unimporant Black possbiley (who eases if Black takes two‘movesto trade Knight for Bishop: wouldat White beable to make significant gains by then? he got red into the same error that we <2 fn the original example! 15Near 1600: “This keeps hn ut oF. My ngrange plan i 10 lay a Knightto Horrible. One idea of playing ese is that he can answer sdxe with Ned when the dream of using ds becomes reality. ‘With the Knight on 2, however, this i a0 longer possible Another idea associated with eed is that he can follow up witha Rook tothe eile when White would have considerable pressure inthe conte. ‘The immediate 15.e4 was called for, when Black could not counteratack with ..e6-e5 since d5 would fall, The Knights sence from the center gives Black the time to free hinsell. 15.205 1600: wl counteratic™ Mek With Black suddenly showing signs of activity, White feels ‘compelled to strike back. However, stead of being the one to ‘cate the tempo ofthe game, now White i reacting to Black 16.6 ‘The Knight rushes back tothe center where defends d5 and tacks e4 1600" rast watch out fo 17x ef with fork How do "exchange witout lloning this oe” Decentalizing and time-wasting moves like 15.Ne2 usually lead to the opponent akingthe initiative, Remember you want 10 bbethe one who tellsthe ether guy what todo, Passive moves have the opposite effect 17Ng3 axbé Black sees that an undefended White Rook on 41 might lead to problems for his opponent 18.axbi Real 19a exes 1600; “Now im geting closer to his weakness on 6 See thy pn sath ee tines nd pened te mes T have ume to follow my plas ean pay MS, Wado {us Tima wath ot fr back-nk mates 081 fer Nici borevething ces se ‘White's three to three couat is abit of (Black is atadking ef four times), though another oversight i the straw that wil brake is back 2onxastr ‘You should always be aware ofall your weak points and undefended pieces. In this ease, White must carefully watch his ook on a, his pawn on bf Chen a Black Knight comes to 45) find his pawn on e4, By not taking the opponent’ possibilities feriousy, he allowed himself to be knocked out, Much better was 20N5 20.065 1600 “Pinning me ane entering my G&Knigt. The 6 pawn spotton now and can can chase his Quen from Fr'gocd squnre, On 216, be hat 21..dt04 0 Urrast defend my Knit u.nge2?? ded and the game was topped. —_—_—_—$<——$——__————_——-_ Tips 4. Moving a piece away from the center (called & Jecenralzing move) should always be viewed with suspicion 4 Only go after the enemy King ifthe position juries te A Ring-hunt snot something you decide to do because you fel like” 4 Undetended pieces often lead to nasty tactical surprises. Mae sure your piezes are well-guardcd, eeOne ofthe amateurs greats weaknesses isis inabiltyto grab the Iniiaive. He wants to atack bat he does not realize thatthe concept of stack mest encompass the whole board, Real atacking ‘means puting pressure agunst a paricular target this can be an ‘enemy King ora weak pavin. You should sve to ceate a target and then force your opponent to reac to your threats against In our next game, White aswely notices the creation of a weakness and jumps all over 0 awa 1400-Siman White to play. "00: “Cental space even. Ther some ation on the ‘qucenside and ave move space there ci toy pan on 5. The squares ant prvns onc, and 6 ae Weak bat ot easy for Whit wo get. White ise on the Kings ‘White's pawns are posting othe queensde, woud ket Put my Bop onthe 28 diagonal whee i its e5ad 86s ot doing mich whee i sands, “Now fora plan. T want play eer in the certer or on the queensde 1 thke Bg3, Which aim at both sectors, Foliomed by Nes Tmextremely happy wit his appraisal, He didn't even look at the kingsie since there were no favorable imbalances in that area, The only thing he dda’ novice was Black’ ultimate inten- ion of advancing his pawn to e5. Don' forget to look for your ‘opponent’ best plans! By doing that, you won’ sun into any “unpleasant surprises, 13.065 Hoo.“ a bic exer because Blick ls cramped due tomy Sence-guning eS pan 13.008 “Trying to snag his Bishop with 13..NhS uns into 14.N Nag? (14, NewS 15 BxeS) 15.Nacé. 00, “Black stinking of Renchewcing hls King Bishop Since iat no ire 7” Manes Played without thought. Why he chose this aggressve-took ing move (which incortectly permits the sce with less space £0 trade pieces) over the logical 14e4, remains a mystery. 1100: “Now i's Yokiig bad for me He wil get the 140 Dishops if stay one5 However, fhe kes me on e51 ge she dtsquare” ‘when he plyed 14.Ne5 he lost momentary contol of the same, The mild pani that resulted from this is why he immed tnely began to tink that something had gone wrong. Fortanately, he makes a nice recovery. 16Ne2 1s odd, but al three of our test subjects have resorted to this valy move 16..Nxe5 ‘This and Black's following moves are very weak since they sive the White Knight a beatiful cetal post and force him tO improve his position. However, tis student always had trouble tacking the enemy King prefesing quiet postional play) and 1 ‘wanted to give him the opportunity to test his sls in that are, 17.dxe5 eT M00 “1 mast defend my pan.”18.66 B07 aNd ‘White has but up a significant advantage in tenttory an also enjoys a great Knight on di versus a pathetic Bishop on cS 19.86 Soar, had made simple one-move threats or done nothing at all. Now flash out and try to get counterpay in the center. Will he fold atthe fist sign of pressure or will he rise to the occasion? 40, “lacks ying to open ines for hs eo Bishops. He ts weak onthe ighesquares som going otk svat oftiat wath Qh eee 20.9ns1 ‘Bingo! Al ofa sudden my position takes 2 tur for the worse He wants to blow me off the board and its not clear if can do anything about k. This switch from more space wo an attack on the ‘ing is quite natural—the side with more terrtory can move his pleces from one side to the other with great spect, Note, however, that White has only decided to go fora kingside attack alter Black weakened the light-aquates around his King. I other words, this decision was noe made lightiy—he had a clear reason ‘oanack my King. 1400: "Tm ooking at how much damage Qu does He ean ly 15 ad she off my Bishop. Since 15 makes Qa ‘sees, wl bring up more pieces” ze | like the idea of bringing more pieces into the attack However, 21,06 £5 2 g! should be winning for White because 23.ex85 wil pick up some wood. Remember that mate isnot the ‘only goal of kingside attack, A safe material advantage would be ‘more than adequate, 21.987 Black’s ugly contonions deserve a grim death, 22g 1490 “Threatening x6. tink ve thi! 22.85 “ie die ike the ating passes hat my Bishop arene” 23.Qxh6 See what the initiative does? By playing forcefully 10 take advantage ofa weakness on th kingside (wot the word “oveak ‘ness, a player with a 1400 rating bas pushed someone around ‘oho over a thousand points higher Bok He is treating me lke a dog! I waited expectanty for nim to put me away, on, "Nos wanta way to inhi of. Rg aims ef mos be cael about bean hs pn thoogh aanas ‘wih anexwa pew anda atch Rebepnsto seedy for sll ge nen af hs ove, which eas the mY ot Mp be sel Jot gs tf tei ce ei 2 Bee ty poate coueray-—te e+ pwn Up ad te tore lake al my cheapo hence away Pe should Tvatoe he pin B ecrante hen rake with the remainder ois forces Se on 4a a 26 whch i a oe We cout py quad ak ine oy ith 2101 ending ‘eobeptsnd topping any rosea ow he le followed ee gaeand ans Te nny tha et someting ike 25 hon ens) i ax Black would be comply ess and ‘woul likely resign. ‘Once again: If you have a long-ange win (inthis cise, White has a material advantage and an enduring atack) but don have an immediate knockout, stp all enemy counteplayt 2.x400 “Black string for courterpay on te other side Should I defend o ignore fens go forthe i Te sil focusing onthe 6 pot. pt notced that my ended 25.86 ans ito 25 Gael 26 Re gh. wl bak off tnd get out ofthe pin” 25.9hs Jost giving up. Black has broken through on the queenside sand now White must find a way 10 kill his opponent on the ‘opposite wing. The move he played is simply 100 slow. 25.835! was sull possible, 25...Bxe$ and we stopped the pime since lines ike 25.Nxe6 Bre3+ 27 KI1Qxe6 28 Rxe6 Bes are good for Black, Tips 4 Only pay where you have some sort of favorable imbalance. Spy wanting to tack onthe kingide isnot usifiation for doing so. However, weake nesses appear there then by all means go afer hem veh gusto 4 Always try and force you ideas ono your oppo ent=get him treat o what you se ding, Of use, you must alo make sue tat what yo are Going conforms to the needs to the postion. 4 Never allow counter when you have a lock on the game (Our final example in this chapter stats with a quiet positional ‘opening. White supposed to play on the queensice and inthe enter but somehow his amateur eyes sill stare longingly atthe Black King. “The fist moves were: La NIG 2.4 €6 3.Ne3 Bhd 4.£3 0-0 5.83 d5 6.NES B6 7.000 BOT 8.03 BAG 9.0105 extS 10.b4 26 ‘and now 1500 had to anaotate the book moves for both sides: Oca Ww Ke white to pay 150, white wants to pu is pawn on £2104. Todo this ‘hems move is Knightto el” asked where White should be tying t play 100, “Black's stops are aimed at White's Kinase. So ‘ack i atackng the King si ike Nel Tolowed by though wah a kngsde tack for White” “Amazing! Lock how the amateur player always wants to g0 afer the King, no mater what the position calls for! He tells me that Black satacking the King but he ignores this and say that he ‘wants to do the same via Nel and fi (hich weakens ef and e3 tlong an open file). Why so stubborn? Black’s semi-open eile is Closer to the kingside than White's semi-open crfile, Where i ‘White's space advantage? On the queensie, or course. Since you are supposed to play where your advantages re, this means that ‘White shouldbe setting his sighs on the queenside. 11.9631500:*Notthe kind of move I ould play. This pressures 5 butt dontike i since dS rw defended What the pit Weomething ready unde" 11.Qb3 has several points By atacking d5, White tes down «wo Black pieces (Knight on 16 and Bishop on b7) to ts defense ‘The real purpose, though, is based on the sem-open erie. White ‘vais to place his Rooks on that fle and bing pressure to bear on the Black c7-pawn. However, While sees thatthe Black Bishop on 146 not only eyes his kingsde, but also defends 7. White's plan is totrade off thisine Black piece forthe had Bishop on cl va aa, 'Ba3 and bb. This woud exchange a poor piece fora good one, dhurt Black's chances fora success kings atack and leave the ‘pawn more vulnerable to an assault by the White Rooks, 11.967 1500: "This pressures the canter and centralizes 3 pce i does those things but italso eyes bé and makes a2a4 and 'Be3 more dificult 10 achieve. 12Rb1 1500. “Protec soe can ph af ad 35° He does not see the real point of White's play but didnot expect him to, White is using an advanced idea that would probably be overlooked by most players under 2100. The main Polat ofthis exerise was to see If 1500 could concentrate on 2 ueenside atack. Unfortunately, his wistful glances towards my King made it clear where his hear was. “The game was stopped at this point Tips 4% You aust be able to playin al thee areas ofthe board (queensde, center, nd kingside), depending fn where your favorable imbalances are. 4 A person that does nothing bu tacks the enemy Xing will end up a loser most ofthe time. Balance, and a wilingness to do whatever scale for, isthe ey to success in chess WHICH SIDE OF THE BOARD SHOULD YOU PLAY ON? Tre con fhe ces oud i th ae you woul he 6 enrol ie slay thers wh mach cry you can Sere te evr grat rowel in det Stay u comer poten Beaune yur pcs an gut tc any ato bor om he cater Recs ces cos vy mere se payin wer ier wo pa of ie Done eens teow fin comer ced by ps buh amis toned mck emploent cower decent 9 tus of ae coed coma ll fr wy acon, a oc ng to lyon a be aed ange pe Poming ce” orto dos histein wha conetaproteh understand ings postion Ta shout beso onan nt» od‘move ifyou don’ know which side of the board you are supposed play on, To do this, you first take note ofall the imbalances for both sides. Once this is done, ty to find a plan based on those {mbalances—try to use those favonible aspects of your gime as {guidelines thar will tell you where o seek exra space, where to attack weak enemy pawns and where to create effective homes for your pieces. For example, the center is locked up. Your opponent has a ‘weak, isolated pawn on the queenside and you also have a space advantage in that area. Your opponent is the one with the advantage in space on the kingside and most of his pieces are ‘massed in that area. Where should you play? You may dream of running over to the kingside and tying to clobber his King, but that is just an emotional reaction that has litle to do with the reality of the board. You must conquer this illogical desire and ‘quell go alter his weak pawn on the queenside. That's your side ‘of the board, that's where you should ply. During my private lessons, 1 consantly harp on certain key themes: Always pay attention to Bishop versus Knight; never play ‘without plan; before playing move, always ask yourself, "What ‘wonderful thing does this move do for my position” And, of course, [remind my students to follow one of the finest general rules in chess: The best reaction to an attack on the wing is a counterattack in the center. ‘When a person frst omes to me, they either dont know this rule or, if they have heard of i, they've never bothered to follow t-However, after few sessions of me nagging them, they usually begin to develop an awareness of such possibilities. ‘Of course, if°C°, “B” and “A” players ae able to use this rule, then one would think that Grandmasters would never be victims ‘of it, The following game, though, shows that this simply not the ‘case—players of all strengths eave themselves open to is effets. Jf you want to punish them, all you have to do is pall your am. back and punch them in the center! Alekhine-Maroczy, Carlsbad 1923, ‘Queen's Gambit Declined, Lasker's Vatation, 1a NI 20h e6 3NB ds 4Nc3 Be7 5.895 0-0 Ge3 Nes Jn modem times Black throws in 6.6 before deciding on 7...Ne4 oF the more popular 7... 7oixe7 QueT 8.Qb3 Ned 9Qxe3 6 10.bd3 NAT 11.0.0 1521 Creating big hole on e5. Black ever brings his Knight o e4, White wil get a superior minor piece by trading it for his Bishop and planting his Knight on the permanent e5-square. 12Racl gs? 07 x 1¢ aa a he >> + - BA €> bh po b> be I D> White to play, ‘inexplicable, though the amateur has no problem understanding i at all Many players would think thatBlack is stating a strong kingside attack. However, the expert enced master knows that this typeof wing atack will always fall i hhe can inate a counteratack in the middle; inthis case, White can blow open the center with Nd2 and £243 followed by e3-e4 So why did an experienced Grandmaster ike Maroczy make stich 8 mistake? To answer that, we would have to know what he drank before the game—demonic possession is another theory 13.Naat RET Pointless 4.8 White continues his preparations to rip open the center, Me AS.cxdS oxds eit ‘The center gets nuked and Black's open King and lack of| «development begin to become serious lisblites, 16.604 17.fxe4 Rxfl+ 18Rxfl exd4 19.Qe7! Pinning the Knight and tying up all of Black's pieces. Blakes completely lost. 19.57 20.85! des 2LNxed Qbé Giving up. The obvious 21...h6 would have held out longer. 22.RxgS+, 10, ‘A pathetic performance from Maroczy. let's go back to the position after 12.85 1000-Silman, White to play. In the nest few examples, I tested my students’ ability to recognize when a central counteratack was called for by giving ‘them the Whiteside of the diagrammed postion. I they showed 4 mastery of the necessary concepts, they would be rewarded in the usval way: a new caf, a date with some super-mode!, @ microscopic rendition of Fliot Winslow's signature, et. How ‘eve, if they failed to understand what was going on, they would hhave to pay ten times the normal lesson fee (the idea of fines ‘during a lesson has been espoused by IM John Gre) 1000; “Black has a weak square on eS which Whe could use for his Knight IT could wade off my Bisbop for his Knight, could use # but I don't know i thats posable Blick starting a kngside atack which sustifed since the ‘enter i locked there are no open Mes. He wil play And chase my Kaight to poor square can trade Queens ‘with Qa3 but'm not sue f that does any good. Han ake (on d5 when ..cxd5 allows Qc7 witha pun om his Knight IF ‘exd5 my Bishop gets move scope. wl pay cx and ty ‘o get play inthe middle ‘This guy’s rating is only 1000 yet he pointed out some profound things! He noted the possibilty of gaining a superior ‘minor piece if his Knight could stay oa e5. He also remembered me telling him that a wing attack is only justified if the center is lunder your control ors closed, He was well aware that he should lay to open the center up and so he tied L.exdS. I suppose theidea of Nd2 followed by 13 and ef was too difficult since the Knight move to €2 looks like retreat andi also goes away form, the desired e5-post. Dont be afraid of retreating moves it they hnelp achieve an important goal (in this case, blasting open the center with e3-e0. ends exd5, 1000: t would ove wo get his Knight or play eet. Maybe that push would be possible after fe” ‘This earned a hefly fine, Words lke “maybe” should not play 4 part in one’s choice of move—you should rew what your moves will lead tot For example, if he had tried 14.b2-b4 with the ‘dea of opening the eile wth bi-b5, I would have been proud of hhim Gt doesn't matter if i's the best plan oF not, atleast he is following 2 clear course of action and tying to do something positive by opening a file for his Queen and Rook) since that ‘would have continued his reasoning behind 13.cxd5. Unfomtu- nately, when refused to open the efile for him (ia 13...cxd5) he simply gave up on the idea 14.Rfel gh 1000: “Ac his pong, ave to jump ino eS." [Now he's just seacting to my moves and is no longer uying to follow any kind of plan. Try to notice when the transition, between thinking of your own ideas and reacting to the ‘opponent takes place. In this game, 1000 got lazy on move (wo, and never woke up. SNES NxeS 16dxes 1000: This snot working out well because Im blocking my Queen" Atypical postlaziness mental process The first stage isco get depressed and tell himself chat he & doing badly. 16...Res 1000; im osng a pawn! should have played h2-n eater and stopped hi gh push” ‘The next stage isto panic and lve in the past I know because ve done it several hundred times in my career). Now he is thinking about ll the things he could/should have done eater in the game, Notice how even these dreams (h2-h3 t0 stop my. push) are defensive in nature. \We stopped the game and brought him back to reality with smelling salts, ‘Our next game start from the same position. 0 re aa awa aa aaa Aa W2AD AA ABA Bu 1700-Silman, White to play 1700; “All of Black's weaknesses are covered. His King is safe since his Queen and Rook defend. Black as Fengsideauack Material is even. White most defend the cefrsquare; Black would love eo sua picce there. Blick thas more space. Where would both sides like to place thet. pieces’ Well ef and e5 are the squares, Black also has an “Gaguarded Queen on e7 If Whe can push is pawn te, fellowed by Re, then the Queen on 7 would be both ered. So what is White's bese move? I think White isin twouble. Black has space and kingside pressure, Blick threatens «9 followed by -RIS66, Wha can White doo prevent mate on hz" Very interesting! He noted that the e4- and eS-squares were Imponant but he failed t0 note that eS is 4 permanent weakness ‘while anything on ef can be chased away by 2-8 or even taken bythe Bishop. AID the postive things that he said about Black's position would be true ithe center Stays clased. He mentioned the ‘possibilty of playing for ede4 (opening the center) but he gave up ‘on it immediately. After the game, he tld me that t would be 190 tilficult to get ef in. Listen! If serious chess means you need thiny minutes to find an answer to the position, then that i time ‘wellspent, I ycu cant solve the position, atleast you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you tried as hard as you could If you are White here and see that White's only hope isto play for eS, ‘don’ just give ap on the idea. That's like giving up on yoursel? Insist on finding a way to make postive things happen. 13.Nes NES, hdres, 1700; “Now his Rook cant gow 6." | suppose this is kind of clever in a way. I decided not to fine him yet 14.47 15.8 1700. “Trying to restr his Bishop and equalize space on the kingside” 15.88 1700, “il block his Queen’s path ton via 283" 16.93? He is now in a completely defensive mentality. Who cares if my Queen goes to ha? A Queen by herself can't do much damage, He should have played on the queenside by b2-b4 or even ci-cS (gaining more space), I's important to note that withthe g-pawn, (on g2, Black's. 7-hS- advance has no sting since ..bi-h3 can bbe met by 42-83 while ...gi-gs is met by h2-h3. Now Black can advance his pawn to I and force open the hfe. White's fear led to the worsening of his own position, 16.5 1700: ts ike Black but White stands beter now than he Aid belore. White has a much beter mir prece but Black sul has chances on the kingside. Black wants to ple up on the Bf 17.Re bh 1700-1 wil bring my defenders around He has been reacting to my possibilities from the very beginning and he is still doing. No wonder that his position gets worse with every move, 18Rg? RET 1700: “Expected, Now an my King to safety.” 19.K2 Rh7 20.Rh1 KET 1700. “Black iss pling up on the tle by... Black ‘wll exchange ng and White mus be ready fr that bt {an stop him fom kiling me onthe hile” The game was stopped here (Our nest example is from the same position, but now we have wo children (2 six-year-old gil and an eight-year-old boy) playing asa team against me, aw |e ae aw a ak a ab AB WEAa S&B Sb Hone 800 an 1100-ilman, ‘White to pay. 00, “lack wants to stack us R's say11001 want to open fies by cx, then | might move my Kaige 10 5 W.cxds exds 1100: “That's the best recaprure- I want to get his King by [eS which might open the center and allow my pieces 10 get him 800; “Thar a good idea” 1 liked that 1100 saw thatthe Black King was getting a litle ‘open, Neither players reacting ro me yet; they are both stil trying to create their own ideas. 14Ne5 Nxes 15.dxe5 Res 1100 and 800: “We have wo guard our pawn 16.4 84 1100." wll go Reel to tac inthe center and bring my pleces over tothe kinguide 800; “Tanto play 3 a shear is in the right ‘They argued for a while. So far, 1100' he phice—he wants to take control of the game but he does not know how to do it His dreams of a central advance come too late, and queenside play via D2-b4-bS was indicated. Unfortunately, 100 wants to react to imaginary threats and begins thei demise by playing a defensive game. 1100:*17.g3 ust movesa pawn and does nothing. My move is beter. 800, "Lan to block bis pawn and sop ..Qhé" 1100; "You have to concentrate on our pln and not worry about his” 800 won the argument (showing an advanced knowledge of ‘mariage but litie of chess) and got her way because they had ‘agreed on 1100's ideas earlier. 110 last comment was very wise and he deserves praise for i ‘Ultimately, 800 got punished for her defensive strategy: tool all the change in her pockets. 17493 Bes 3100 and 800: “We are nt impressed with this move since ‘your Bishop is blocked and bed” They are both aware of good and bad Bishops. 1B.Reel 1100 made this useless move since was his turn to get his ‘way. Is this getting his Rook into the gime? No, Is this creating open files for his Rooks? No. You must create open fils for your Rooks, so b2-bé followed by Rebl, Rf and b4-DS was called for (this plan is known as a minority snack). 18...hs 800. “L hate t when people do scary moves. He's threaten ing" 1100: want to move Qe? vo defend on the second ak and anack fs" 00, “Tm relly wonted abous fv and wane to play bi ase” Having talked themselves into a state of panic, they both agreed, was 1100 and 800, “Ob no! He can ake enpassant” We stopped the game at this point. —____ Tips 1% Find a chess teacher who won' fine you for your ‘* Dont fear retreating moves if they accomplish some sort of important goal. Is not unmanly to move 2 piece backwards! 4 Take note ofthe transition between positive ‘thoughts involving active plans and negative ‘thoughts revolving around reactions and defense+ Insst on making good things happen for your position. If takes you a Jot of time to find these ideas, then consider this time welF-spent + Before you take time out to stop a threat, make sure that his move is something you should really be aaid of. ft sn, then go ahead with your own iat 4 If someone ies 10 attack you on the wing, break ‘open the center as quickly as possible. —_—_ Th our next game, we see how an amateur handles a quiet ‘postion. Will he demand kingside action or wil he calmly look to the cenler or queenside for answers? 14 NEG 2.€4 gb 3:NC3 Bg7 4.04 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.0g5 (the _averbach Variation of the King’s Indian Defense) 6..c5 7.85 €6 ‘8.Qd2 exds 9.exd5 Ret 10.NF3 Bgt 11.0-0NbU7 are te moves ‘that led to the positon in diagram 111, oy wre Aa &@ Aha a as ad a & a a a BA WRAAA a ED 2100-iiman ‘white o play. 210; “There is no way to det an effective attack on 06 ‘Wine a goed seutegie plan? Blacks lightsquated Bishop [Snot in a good postion, 1s sot dom anything on Black's dakesquared Bishop & strong, though. The Bishop eB ot ig ayn oer thn ping he Kg. plan isto trade the gt- and e2 Bishops, my «2 Bishop is horrendous. My fist plan of action isto crete some sort of imbalance. 123 Bx leaves me wih two Bishops, Te sets the eSsquare but a's something to work with" He did not mention that White had more central space. I did like his thought that, though the two Bishope are nothing to crow about inthis position, atleast it gave him something to work with. His willingness to create an imbalance and then try to make use of iin the future shows that 2109 has improved his understanding of the game. 1283 Bx 13.BxP3 a6 Mat 2100. "Stops any sacrifices with ..S and threatens 44-5 ‘with potential queenside play based on the extatertory there ove it He is killing counterplay and gaining space. This sounds simple—in fact, iti simple. However, most amateurs aren't able to employ this kind of positive (since it gains space) prophylactic maneuver. 14...Qe7 2100, “What does that do? want to play REE} when eS ‘smetby Bed and Bl witha Solid game anda pin along the efile” 15.Rfe1 QBs 2100: “Yee! One of his ideas ito defend dad chase et {he g5-shop. However, the Queen s entombed on 830 | ‘ont like the maneuver much, {wl continue to play for 4 ‘queensie spaceadvantige with 24-35" Nothing much is going on in the center (except a bunch of trades along the e-file) and Black's King is far too safe to attack, Due to this, Whit plays to gain the upper hand on the queenside and also hopes to make use ofhis two Bishops ina ater endgame,165 Rxei+ 7 17.Rxel Re8 ape 2100: “Genin sd of the Rooks. What's that d® My iba lance consists of two Bishops s0 must open things up. I ‘eade Hooks, his minor pieces wil probably kill me due to the various weak squares try to get some play with RDI and bzba 1 don’ know what he i talking about when he alludes tothe weak squares in White's camp. However, his decision to play Rb and b2-bd is excellent. He has a space edge on the qucenside and ‘ow intends 1 increase it with the line-opening b2-bs, yeRbit 2100, “Black has the center under control. have swo Bishops but they ae not doing much atthe moment” 18...86 2100: “Since my plan is b2b4, T want to hit <5 with ‘venthing Ihave. 19,84 does nothing due to ..NeS” Another excellent piece of reasoning, By playing Be3, he begins to eye a common target (3) with several units. Dont just, attack a point with one piece, Use everyting you own! 19.Be3 Nes 20.2 NEST 2100; "Now I shoud continue my plan by b2b4, Winning = plece with 21.4 1s tempang, but it fails co 21..Nxcs! 22 Bcd Reed 25 Qxed Ball continue onthe queenside ‘and ata later me push him back with 244 eis imporant for me to realize that his Knight on e5 is not permanent] can case aseay some day” 21.b4 and we stopped the game since our lesson time was ‘over, White has the advantage because he recognized that his play ‘would come on the queenside and he went for it with great ‘energy. 4 Some imbalances, like the two Bishops, may not be 100 useful right away. However, they could easily become a force later inthe game, 4% In closed or semi-closed positions, you usually play {nthe sector where you own the most space. ——__ ‘White's queenside strategy was very effective in the last game, but ‘ost amateurs have a tendency to reject queenside or central play; their eyes ate only aimed atthe King. This tunnel vision ‘not acceptable! You can’ become good st chess unless you can make use ofall tree areas ofthe board. Our next position (rom the Tarakower Variation of the ‘Queen's Gambit Declined) was reached afer 1.84 d5 2.ch e6 3.Ne3 NIG 4.Bg5 Be7 5.c3 0-0 6.NE3 6 7.Bhs b6 B.exd5 exdS 9.22 Bb7 10.Bf6 Bxf6 11.Re1 Nd7 12.54 ReB, oD ae ada aa 2a > he De FF ® Aad & RASA Rw a 1550.siIman, White to play. 1550: Black's ighe-squared Bishop is blocked in and his paw is backward Ihave good cent contol ofthe igh ‘squares. I could atack his pawn with Qb3 when 6 defends t though t blocks in is shop, Im not eased yetbuteny Kings inno immediate danger, though would be seul to etm oer Rook ito the game. The points of tttack ate d5 and c7 As much as Fm tempted to attack the ‘pawn, [think Tl caste and complete my development So far, $0 good. He notices that <7 and 5 are the targets, though he did not mention that b2-bi gained queenside space and prevented Black’s liberating ..c7-c5 (nor did he nosce the poser 13.Nbs!, a move I stop on my next tun. 13.0-0.6 1530, “This seems sly because it blocks his Bishop. i prepares. bo-ES guess, bu don really know wit dat would accomplish. I doesnt really seem to do much of $rything for him Maybe he strying to pay . Dont look at your opponents rating before the game. This prevents you from freezing up and geting into a defensive “I want to draw” type of mindset. Once you convince yourself thatthe opponent i a chess god, you ‘ight as well resign and take up kniting. Treat every- ‘one you play with a touch of contempt! There is noth- ing a higher rated player hates to see more than an. ‘opponent who refuses to be respectul to a superior. A positive "win a all costs” attitude will add at least 150, rating points to your sats! > Always have a phan and never forget thatthe only plan that mates is yours. The opponent's ideas should be treated as nothing more than minor annoyances; swat them away if they start to sting, and then go back to what you were doing. Now let's explore two other subjects: giving up and depres- sion. Sometimes things don’ go the way we wanted and we find ‘that defeat appears (© be looming. Depressed over this state of alfairs, we make a few hopeless moves and accept our fate Don't let this happen to you! Fight back! Often we have more play than we supposed but we are tapped ina negative mindset and become blind to these promising possibilies. I remember ‘one game in which I had been suffering fora Tong time. Finally coulda’ stand the abuse anymore and 50 I resigned. Looking a me as if T were a vegetable, my opponent (@ wellknown, Grandmaster) sai “what are you doing?” ‘1m giving up. I's lost" “lost I was about to offer a draw, You have an immediate perpetual check!” ‘When Uheasd this, Ife ikea blindfold had been tor fom my. eyes. immediately saw the draw, ripe and tempting, but now out ‘of my reach, since I had irrationally laid down eny arms 19 (Wel ad ese Wa 4 aa && & ABHh & ® a 1857-1685. Black to play. ‘This position shows despair in ation. My student (1685) fle 2 deep sense of hopelessness when he looked at this situation, and glance might tellus that this negative atinude was justified. Black is ovo pawns down, he s not castle, his Knight is pinned to his King and Ne6 looms as 2 powerful threat. In the game, Black saw the Queens were going to be traded (not something you normally want when you are down material), but since there was 10 apparent way out he opted for 1,..Qe7” which a least atacked the Knight and stopped Neb. However, after 2Qxd7+ Qua? 3NxdT Kxd7 4.Ns3 followed by 504-0 White enjoyed good ‘winning chances.Al his thoughts smacked of defeatism because Black only ‘Concentrated on the negative qualities of his position. He never bothered to ask what was right about his game. Though material CCown, he is ahead in development and has chances of an attack based on the weakened! light-squares on f3 and d3. Ifthe Queens sand Knights go off, these attacking chances evaporate, $0 you oust find a way to retain your army and make use of the ailvantages you have. 1...RXbTH ‘This stops Ne6 and breaks the pin along the a4-e8 diagonal Is true that Black loses some more material (not that much, ‘though—justa Rook fora Knight and pawn), but he is able to tain bis sights upon the weakened light-squares in White's camp. 2.Qxb7 NxeS and all of a sudden White is facing threats of, INf3+ and ...Nd3+. This turns the game around and leaves Black ‘ith a very powerful attack, Material doesn’t matter; Black had. slready sactliced a couple of pawns for the advantages just listed zend throwing out some more ballast should not make him blink, “The moral? Don’t go along with the opponent's agenda! Don't ‘allow yourself to be herded around like a sacrificial lamb! Look Ihard for the plusses in your position and insiston making use of them, So far, we have only discussed a negative, defeatist anutude. ‘What about overconfidence? Can that be a problem? Most defi- ritely! When you fall into the trap of overconfidence, you cease 10 ‘concentrate properly. You “know you ate going to win and, 28.2 result, stop looking atthe board in an honest manner. This lack of attention makes you miss ways to finish up the game quickly and leaves you open to tricks, traps and time-pressure blunders. an Caluag-Burtman, Los Angeles 1993. White to play. Black, an expert, was the higher-rated player and had been in ‘control of the game the whole way. Burtman's advantage in space and the lack of coordination of the enemy pieces had convinced hher that the win of material (che b6-pawn) and a quick victory ‘were within reach. A few moves earlier she had been right, but she had fallen asleep during her last few turns and lost all sense of danger, After all, what could the opponent (a 1900 player) possibly do to her here? The answer proved to be a nude shock LBxa6t All of a sudden, the White army is working together rather ‘well A safe advantage for Black has turned into an unpleastat tactical mess, A..cbxa6 2.Qe2 ‘There's no good way to defend a6. For example, 2,..NbS fils (0 3.57 matetb14_/ THE AMATEUR'S Mayo Alter the intial shock, Black once again became confident of, her win and once again tunes out the tactical possibilities in the Position, Here White, who was playing in a desperate frame of ‘ind, gave in othe will ofhis opponent and somehow eventually lest after 6.Bxb4 cxbf 7.Re? (missing an instant win by 7.57 ‘wien there is no ansiver (othe threat of 8.Ra6) 7..Re8. However, ‘White could have stolen a memorable point in another way: Axes QxeS 7.RXCT+! Qxe7 B.BAbA Qd7 9.065 (threatening 1L0.Qd®) with materia equality and a winning atack. Tes Funny, but boch players were so stuck in theirroles (Expert in the opening, middlegame and endgame, your ‘opponents will invariably give you sizable oppor- ‘tunities to knock them for a loop (or, atthe very least, to make modest but important gains). To make use of these chances, though, means that you siust spot them and pounce when they arise (and they wil arise. > While playing the opening (whether you know ‘that you're doing oF nod), don't allow yourself to ‘et lazy and try to stay flexible (don't make a decision on one move only to realize you want to do something else a short time later. Both laziness and flexibility often go hand in hand). Though ‘vague, these ideas will (hopefully) be clarified inMakarewicz-Dowglas (1700-1800), Los Angeles 1998. Torte attack 1.4 NIG 2NB 6 3.Bg5 Be7 So far we have a very simple position. Now White has to make ‘some basic decisions, Should he place his pawn on €3 or would he like to get that pawn to e4? Does he want to play the game like ‘a nonmal Queen's Gambit Declined (via c2-cf and Nc3) or does he prefer the warm confines of a Torre Attack (where the c-pawn usually finds rest Cn c3)? 43 [An innocent looking move, but White not only showsa lack of Alexibility, he also demonstrates that he hasn't decided what he ‘wants to do (laziness). If it was White's intention to keep this ‘pawn on e3, then there's nothing wrong with his fouth move, But if he wanted to plece it on ef, then 4.Nbd2 (threatening 5.e4 and staying flexible) is obviously superior. ‘This means that 4.¢3 isn't bad move by itself, but tums out to bea bad decision when we see what White really had in mind, Sec Stat? A really strange decision, Having committed to €2-¢3, White should have calmly moved his Bishop back to h4. The only reason fone would take on {6 is to gain time for the e4-advance, but ‘White's fouth meve has already ruled that out. Bxf6, Get \We've now reeiched a wellknown book position with an extra tempo for Black ‘White should have the free Nbd2 in here). I's clear that White's e2-¢3-e4 showed a propensity for laziness that rust somehow be eradicated from his chess character, 6.2.0.0 logical, Black has the two Bishops and should be doing everything in his power to set up a flexible position that can ultimately be opened up (iaking the Bishops better than the White Knights). Corect was 7...96 followed by 8...d6, ..Bg7, 1b6, ...Bb7 and ...Nbd7. This formation takes all the advanced squares away from White's Knights (following, Steinitz’s anti- ‘Knight rule) and prepares the cental opening ...c7-c5 advance. 8.305 ‘This gives Black some kingside chances but it doesnt make the {6-Bishop very happy. The second player seems oblivious to his ownership of the two Bishops. 9.45 Ney 10.0-046 ct ‘Though White played c2-c3 a few moves earlier, the cJ-c4 advance is a good idea. The reason lies in that often quoted pawn. pointing theory: Black's pawns aim at the kingside while White's ‘im at the queenside. Thus Black will play against White's King ‘with 175 (hanks to the closed center) and White will sive to ‘open queenside lines with an eventual ofc5 advance. 11...Ng6 12.Nc3 | might have been tempted to retain the light-squared Bishop for defensive purposes by 12Rel when 12...Nf4 can be met by 13.88. 12...NFA 13.4 White could have safely prepare this by 13.Qc2 (allowing the Rooks to defend each other) when 13...Bg4 is answered by 1d, 13.85 Suddenly White realized that 14.23? loses to 14...axb4 when 1S.axb4?? Real 16.Qxal Nxd3 leaves Black with an extra piece. However, all is not lost and White begins to olay very. verw well14.RbI axbé 15.RxbA b6 ‘White's play depends on his ability to eventually toss in ¢4-c5, “Though it appears that Black has stopped this forever, White “cemonstrates other ways to skin the queenside cat. 16.92 Bg 17.NA2 QcB 'A mystery. 1 suppose that Black was setting up some tactic Thased on ...Nxg? and ...Bh3+ oblem Pos an x €or > e} SP >> > fac Bw fhe > 6 > KG c> fm ed White to play. What is White's proper move and what's his proper plan? 18.Ral toa safe square, prepares A great move. White brings the Rook’ square, to solidify his kingside with BF and places the Rook behind his a- pawn in anticipation of a2-af-25, blasting open the queenside, ‘This mix of defense and attack makes a nice impression. 18...n5 19.Bf1 bs 20.04 White calmly ignores his opponent's inaccurate kingside ‘demonstration and proceeds with his own plans on the opposite ‘wing. Im very impressed by White's lack of panic. 20...95 21.25 bxas 22.Rbas Kg7 23.RxaS Ras 24.Rxa5 Bhs White has completely outplayed his opponent and, with 25.¢5 (at last) followed by 26.Ned, could claim a clear advantage 25.ND3? ‘The Knight doesn't stand well here. Even if White plays ofc (placing pressure against d6), how does this Knight join with the awn to attack d6? If you place the Knight on of (after c4-c5), both the Knight and the pawn work together for one goal (on of the Knight can also leap to 15 via €3). 25.4 26.Be2 Nxe2+ 27.Qxe2 Bhs 28.03 Bgs 29.Nd2 Bg6 30.65 15 Now White would sill stand very well ater 3.exl5 Bxf5 321Nded when his Knights are strongly placed and the attack against Black’s c7 and d6 pawn chain isin full swing. Unfortu: nately, he went completely berserk via 31.Qa6? when he lost a Piece and the game after 31...xa6 32.Rxa6 Bxd2, A great pity. He ignored Black's atack beautifully, but in the end, a fear of his opponents illusory attack prompted a blunder- riddled panicky trade of Queens‘Withgate-Makarewicz (1800-1700), Los Angeles 1998, Sicilian Defense, Alapin Variation Letes 20345 3.5 BIS 4d 6 5.Nf3 Neo 63Be3 Qb6 7.Qe2 [either side knows the opening, but one gets the feling that Black’s moves (all directed at the dé-pawn) make sense while White's ate, atthe very leas, suspect (blocking the f1-Bishop with the Queen can't be good), Because ofthis, Black should look hard fora "vengeful" move here; something that punishes White forthe Jack of harmony in h Black to play. How can Black squeeze the most out of this position? Forcing White to bring his pieces to good squares. Correct 7...Bgil, increasing the pressure against d4. Black would then ‘continue with ...BxI3 Gifit doubled White's pawns) and ...Ng8-e7- £5, with all his guys (2 team effort) iting di, 8.Nxd4 Nxdé 9.Bxd4 Qe7 Black's intended 9...Be5? loses a piece to 10.Qb5¢. 10.9b5+ now Black played the horrible 10...Kd8?, Though things turned out well for him later in the game, he should have calmly blocked the check with 10...Q47 when 11.Qa5 (threaten- ing to win by BbS) again meets with a calm reaction: 11...Ne7 12.Bb5 Nc6 when all is well for Black. Yet another case of a position poisoned by panic! Makarewiez-Lazarus (1700-1940), Los Angeles 1998, KID, Boring Variation 1.44 NEG 2.NBS g6 3.BE4 Bg7 43 a5 5.03 0-0 6.8d3 05 743 b6 Both sides have gotten theie pieces out in a quiet but reasonable manner. If 1 was White, Td probably try 10.QbIP, defending the e4-square and preparing t0 gain queenside space with b2-bi.10.Nes? A pseudo-active move that ends up exchanging pieces and, vrasting ume. If you bring a Knight to an advanced post, make sate it can stay there or be certain that any exchange favors you. ‘This falls under the category of “lazy move.” White tosses his, ‘Knight out there without concerning himself with Black’s reply 10...N47 LLNxe6 Bre6 12Bh2 “This makes no sense at all, What was attacking the Bishop? ‘iy di the Bishop have to move? Surely a more useful possibilty existed? More sensidle was 12.N3, stopping Black’s intended £7-€5 for a moment and bringing the Knight to a better square, 12.205 13.dxes Nxes M4.Bxes? “This was White's intention all along. Naturally it also poses a question: why did the Bishop have to be on h2? Couldn't White ave done something other than 12.Bh2 and been a whole move head? Mote laziness (we never even asked why White was 9 fast ‘© give his opponent the two Bishops. Did the obvious attack on ‘43 bother White so much that he felt obliged to make this huge concession?) ‘A much calmer Gand sane) approach was 14.Be2 followed by 25NB. 14...Bxe5, 15.NB Tesr Souwrions 138 Black to play ‘Where should Black park his dark-squared Bishop? Black has more space and the two Bishops. Now, instead of his pun ofthe mill 15...3g7, preferable was 15...Bc7 followed by 16...Qd6 (eyeing both the center and the kingside), ...Rad8 and [RfeB. In that case, there wouldn't be any doubt about Black's superiority,C. Evans-Makarewicz (1950-1700), Los Angeles 1998. SicLian Defense, Tal Gambit, Leses 2.14 a5 B.exd5 NI6 4.46 Sadxe6 Bxe6 6.NB3 Neb TINS Black to play. .Be7. Does 7...6 make any sense ‘The book move is here? Both sides knew cf this gambit (Makarewicz learned it during ‘on2 of ourlessons, while Evans had seen itin an easier round and ‘was confident that he could do well against iif appeared again), At this point, Black forgot the book moves and was on his own, However, not knowing the book wasn't a huge problem because he understood the nature of the position: Black’s a pawn down, Dut he has an easy development, pressure on the half-open d-fle ‘against White's backward d-pawn, and control over the very nice at-square, TIP The book move is 7...Be7. However, the move played makes ‘B00 sense: Black prepares to place his Bishop on the fine g7-c3 dlagonal. in doing so, he'll gain even greater control over the di squat. 8.Be2 Bg? 9.0.000 10.Kh1 Res 11.43 hs | wasn impressed with this move when I saw it, Nevertheless, ‘when Black explained that he was fighting to contol the light ‘squares and, as a result, would increase his control over dé by the ‘maneuver ..Nf6-g4-h6-5, Thad to heap praise on him. Itdoesn't ‘ally matter if1...h5 isa good move, any detailed plan of thisile deserves a heary stamp of approval are Avil White misses Black’ idea and loses a lot of time as a result 12...Ngs 13.RFLNb6 14.Be3 Bxed Black couldn't resist the discovered attack against €3. The confident 14.06 followed by ,..NSS would have left White under considerable pressure 15.Bxe5 Ba6 16.a4 ‘White decides that enough is enough and heads for the safe waters of a draw,16...Bixe2 17.Nxe2 b6 18.Ba3 NES 19.Qd3 Nexd4, Draw agreed. By knowing the most basic ideas of his opening, Black was able 0 come up witha novelty and ‘outplay 4 much higher-rated Cand bester prepared!) opponent Tips Make sure your “simple developing move" is a part ‘of your plan. Fit isn't, you may find that you wasted a move. 4% Panic can destoy the bestlaid plans of amateurs and professionals. Have fa in your postion and never give the opponent's ideas any respect a all (orat leas moce than they deserve). + Ifyou bring a Knight to an advanced post, make sure it can say there or be ceain that any ex- change favors you. Annotate this game and then go over my notes and see ‘how your ideas and comments measured up. “Let e6 2.63 d5 3Nd2 Ne6 4.NE3 BUG 5.g3 Ne7 6.Bg2 dé 7.0-0 Ng6 8.Ned e5 9.Nxd6 cxd6 10.63 Bgé 11-Ba3 QM 123 BAT 13.NE2bS 14.Rel Dé 15.Bb2 00 16.Ne4 BcB 17.Qe2 Nee? 184 exf 19.5, ddxe5 20.Bxa8, [NeuhoffNN. (1474-1500), Los Angeles 1998. French Defense, KIA. Lek eb 2.43, ‘White began playing this line versus the French when he saw the positions that arose after 2..d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 c5 5.43 Neo 6.Bg2 Be? 7.040 0-0 8.5 Nd7 9.Rel DS 1O.NFl a5 11.h4 bs 12.84 with h5 and Nil-h2-gé to follow. ‘Though acquainted with the general ideas and set-up of the ‘King’s Indian Attack, his knowledge proved to be a double-edged. sword. He would do well if Black played the moves just given, but if Black varied in some significant manner, White would often repeat the same plan and moveseven if no longer had any point! ‘This teaches us that basic ideas have value, but if you cling to them, they will tum to poison. Every new move by your oppo- nent, whether i's good or bad, changes everything and must be looked at in a fresh manner, 2d 3.NA2 Ne6 A bit odd. Black usually uses his e-pawn in an aggressive manner by 3...Nf6 and ...c7-. ANgf3 BAG W's now clear that Black doesnt have anything prepared and is just making things up as he goes. Since Black has wandered so far from the normal path, White should push aside his memorized setups and look for something panticulaely tasty. Instead, the fist player just tosses out his usual moves, 53 Par of his system, but S.dé! would have punished Black's poorly considered development and given White a dear advantage. 5.n.Nge7 6.0g2 44 7.0-0Ng6 BNetes‘White to play [Neither side has created anything special during the lat few moves. Black has closed up the center while White (vith the ‘exception of the aggressive 8Ne4) has followed his pre-game recipe . ‘On the eighth move it became clear to White that he wasnt in ‘Kansas anymore, Finally (and, undoubtedly, with a heavy heart) Ihe pushed his hoped-for setup aside (i's hard for White to ‘advance his pawn to e5 when Black's pawn stands there!) and ooked for something else to do. How would one go about making a decision for White? Two ‘things stand out 1) Black hasn't castled yet. 2) White can gab the two Bishops with Nxd6. ‘The fact that Black hasn't cased calls for an immediate, aggressive reaction and an opening up of the central position Gaining the two Bishops is a long-range plan. White would still ‘want to open the postion for his Bishops, but he could go about this plans in a calmer manner. 9.Nxd6+ ‘White goes for the Bishops, though at the moment Black's d6- Bishop was hardly a wonderful piece. Personally, I would have preferred 9.3i, striking at Black's center and initiating a fight Pisa the lar meaner Hilt Sxl ‘An error, but Ihave to give him credit for not fearing doubled Pawns. Black’s move actually makes a lot of sense: it firmly ‘defends e5 and opens the cle for his Rooks (once again proving, that doubled pawns are often a very good thing). Unfortunately, ‘White can cast doubs on Black’s concept 10.b3?? Absolutely awful. White is hoping to put pressure on d6 by 'Ba3, bur the price he pays for this is too igh. What i that price? ‘A gaping hole on c3 and a backward pawn on €2. Don' create such weaknesses in your own positon! Correct was 10.c3, letting Black dissolve his doubled pawns. Black could then play either 10...dxe3 11.bxc3 When White's two Bishops and mobile center give him a clear advantage, oF 10...Bg4 1L.h3 Bxf3, when White possesses two Bishops ‘versus two Knights. ‘White was caught up in the idea that doubled pawns are bad, and so the idea of leting Black rd himself of them never occurred to him. However, why are those doubled pawns bad? The pawn ‘on d6 is safely defended by the Queen and gives useful support to 65. The pawn on dislike a rock, andit gains quite a bt of space. 10...Bg4rt ‘What does this have to do with the newly created weaknesses ‘on e3 and 2? From this point on, every move Black plays should be almed at those two targets in the White position. 11.803? Suil barking up the wrong wee. White should play 11.Bb2 followed by 12.¢3. I White wanted to insist on his chosen course, then I1.a4 first would have been better, creating an anificial Support point on c4 for the Knight (NI3-d2-cf is in the ai) 11...Qf67 ‘The real targets lie on the queenside, but Black can't resis Staring at the opposite wing. This logical desire to seek out 2 mate at all costs is known as “kinoside dementia ®12.h3 BAT 13.Nd2 White heads for the tasty cf-square, but now Black is virtually ferced to play a good move, 13...b5 14.Rel bar? Much better was 14...a5 with the idea of 15..a, Note that 14.25 15.3 isnt possible due to 15.,.dxc3 16.Rxe3 b4, winning sraterial ‘Black's actual move endl all thoughts of a c2-c3 advance, but ‘also gives up c4 to the White Knight. By allowing this, the c-file is neutralized and White is free to seek out kingside play by 12-4 ‘without fear of a queenside reprisal. By not making use of his queenside chances (and 14...b4” Bills Black’s queensside play), Black allows White to take over the game on the other wing, 15.Bb2 0.0 16.Ne4 BeS? 1 can't comprehend this move. 17.Qe2 Nee7? Black's last couple of moves seem to be setting up a kind of ‘help-problem” (Black to play and hang his a8-Rook). 18.64 exti7? Completing the picture set up by ..Be8 and ...Nee?. When you dont follow your correct plan (and Black ignored his ‘queenside chances), you ofien end up with no plan at all, When this happens, random puttering about, mixed with blunders, often 19.05 dxe5 20.Bxa8 and White won. Annotate this game and then go over my notes and see how your ideas and comments measured up. 1.4 Ni6 2.NFB €5 3.€3 6 4.Bd3 Neb $.c3 cxdd 6.exdlé d5 7.Nod2 'Bd6 80-0 0-09.Re1 Qe7 10.NF1 h6 11.Qe2 Nd? 12.Be2 ReB 13,043, NIB 14.h3 BA 15.NIh2 a6 16.24 Rac 17.Re2 Bxh2+ 18.Nxh2 NaS 19ND b5 20.NeS Nes 21.Nxd7 Qxd7 22.085 Kh8, ‘Suveg-Cota (1700-1800), Los Angeles 1998. Colle System. 1d NOG 2Nf3e5 3306 4.Bd3 Neb Sc3.cxdd ‘What's the hurry This move exchanges a dynamic pawn for ‘White's passive e3-pawn. On top of that, Black lets White open up the efile for his Rooks and also frees the blocked c1-Bishop, 6exds a5, White can be very satisfied with the resul ofthe opening. His pieces stare ominously at Black's kingside ‘Though we can clearly see that White will be playing for a kingside atack, Black’s correct plan might be les clear. Kudos for those who noted that the second player should be preparing & ‘minority attack via an eventual ...Rb8, ...b7-b5-b4, Don't forget the pawn-pointing theory here: White's pawns aim atthe kingsde and Black’s point to the opposite wing, 7.Nbd2[Not bad, of course, but @ tad inflexible. Why hurry to block: your cl-Bishop? Ancl why put off casting, which is a move you now you must malke? 7. BAG 80.000 met White later realized that one key plan called for an early NeS allowed by (2. If this is realized, White would prefer his Rook ‘to stand on fl. Due to this, he could have tried 9:Qe2 with the threat of NeS and fi. However, 9.Qe2 Qc7 would have forced “JOReL, with a likely transposition tO the actual game, eT a0.NeL ‘White wies a different, but good, idea. The Knight gets out of, ‘he way and heads for g3 where it will participate in a kingside atack 10...56? “This move weakens the Kingside and sets up various themes volving tactical explosions on 6. Its clear that Black is worried about his kingside snd hasn't begun to consider his own play on the queenside (not hurrying with your own plans i areal recipe for disaster). 11.962 The immediate 1.f42 followed by 12.Qd3 made more sense, 1...Nd7 If Black intended to do this, why die he waste time on ...h7= bse 12.Be2 Re® 13.943 NB Black led White to believe that he would try ..e6-¢5 at some point, but now we see the second player settling in for passive defense. He sll haso’t stated his queenside counterplay. bon 1a.h3? ‘Too slow. Why not speed things up with 14.Ne3 (dhreatening Nad5) 14...Bd7 15.Ng4 with kingside threats? Note how the Knight on 4 not only eyes the tactically weak squares on f6 and 1G, italso keeps tabs on the key eS-square. 146...Ba7 15.Nih2 a6? ‘What's this Black has finally igured out that his future ies on the queenside, but he seems happy to go about his business there as slowly as possible. The immediate 15...b5 is much more to the point, since 16.QxbS? Nx won't be to White's tastes. 16.087 White wanted to top Black's play before continuing with his own, A noble idea, but 16.24 doesn't stop anything, In general, attacks on opposite wings call for speed and a sense of urgency, ‘Time becomes very important, and one wasted move often makes the difference between a win or a loss. 16...Ract? Creating the cheap threat of ..Nb4. However, Black should continue with his queenside expansion with 16...bS since 17 axb5. axbs 18.08 Raa (ging Black the ale) 19,Qxb5? tl we bad due to 19...Nxd4, ? 717.Re2 Bxh2+? Giving up the dark squares and the two Bishops. I's hard 10 m1ess what prompted this decision 18.Nxh2 NaS 19.NE3? Unfortunate, White wants to place his Knight on e5, but his tunnel vision causes him to miss many key points: > White should be playing for mate. > His Knight is a major attacking piece, trading it more of less dooms White's attack to failure. > The £3-square isn't the only way the Knight can reach e5. > White would like to place his Bishop on fi where it eyes both sides of the board. > If White can get his Queen to g3 (without allowing a trade of ladies, of course), his attack would be hard to stop. > Playing the Knight to gé hits h6, 6 and e5. That's a lot more than Nf3 doest > White should be willing to make queenside conces- sions in his desire for a killing kingside blow. The reason for this is based on the fact that White WILL ose on the queenside in the long run. Thus, if he ‘wants to survive, he MUST make his kingside attack work. With allthis in mind, White's correct course of action was 19.Ng4, One fanciful (but quite possible) line is 19...b5 20.983 ‘bxa4? 21.8F4 Qh6 22.Q83 Kh8 23.Nxhél gxh6 24.Be5+ and mates. Black would have been in terible trouble ater 19.Ngs ‘The Knight looks prety on e5, but it has nothing to do with h6 or 6. ‘Now Black is going to exchange Knights and de i prive White of 4 key attacking unit, This makes a loc of sense. Queenside play usually bestows the better endgame on its employer. If you're defending against a kingside attack which requires several atack- {ng units to succeed, an exchange of pieces weakens his attack and brings you closer to that promising endgame. 2LNxd7 _ite cases or m0 Bishops et to ngs Cnn ring the cicumstances, hs sa good decion since I give ‘something to play for in the long run. Lait 21...0xd7 22.983 Kh and White's tine pe r sure eventually edo a Black view. In this ia postion, Whe Should conto to Pursue his Ringside dreams with 23h —__________ Tips 4% You can find a proper plan if you aren‘ able 10 recognize the imbalanes inthe postion In general, atacks on opposite wings cal for speed and a sense of urgency. Time becomes very impor tant, and one wasted move ofien makes the differ. ‘ence between a win of a loss. * % Queenside play usually bestows the better endgame on its employer. If you're defending against a kingside attack (which requites several attacking units to succeed), an exchange of pieces weakens his attack and brings you closer to that promising endgame. —_——__ Test Souvrions 1 379ran 1a one of the greatest chess books ever writen, The Life and ‘Cames of Mikbail Tal by Tal, the late World Champion discussed a-game early in his career in which he was contemplating the ‘serifce of a Knight. He tried calculating it from beginning to end Eat got more and more confused as he studied the position. All of ‘sudden, he remembered a litle ditty by Korey Chukovksy: “ah, what a difficult job it was to drag out of the marsh the ippopotamus” [At that point, with his clock ticking, Tal began to figure out Tow one might get a hippo out of a swamp. "I remember how jicks figured in my thoughts, as well as levers, helicopters, and ‘even a rope ladder, After lengthy consideration | admitted defeat an engineer, and thought spiteful: ‘Well, lett drown? Suddenly the hippopocamus disappeared. Straight away the ‘Fosition did not appear 10 be so complicated. I somehow realized ‘Cat it was not possible to calculate al the variations, and that the “night sacrifice was, by its very nature, purely intuitive. Since it romised an interesting game, I could not refrain from making it” “Throughout this book I've discussed various methods of getting ‘sour chessic thoughts in order. I must admit that I forgotten Tal’s Hippo technique, though Alexander Kotov (author of the classic "Bink Like a Grandmaster), upon hearing ofits existence, begin to ‘rite a book on the subject tied Think Like a Hippopotamus. Sadly, Grandmaster Kotov died before completing the work, ‘Though is very useful to empty your mind (as the Hippo dictates) when confused by a chess position, taxes or the ravings ‘ofthe opposite sex, this device isnt sufficient to form a complete ‘ystem. Due to this, we'l look atthe following positions from the Soint of view of imbalances, I want you to answer three questions ‘bout this example (inthis orden): 1) What are all the imbalances? 2) What side of the board should both you and your ‘opponent play on? 3) What is the best move or plan based on the answers, to the first wo auestions? White to play ‘What are all the imbalances? What side of the board should both you and your opponent play on? What is the best move or plan based, naturally, on the answers to the first two questions? (Okay, $0 you see that the F-Rook has to be moved, But don't you dare touch it until you have answered those three questions posed earlier! Need a bit of help? Allright, les do them together, (Our first question is: What are all the imbalances? Black has ‘wo Bishops, but the g7-Bishop isnt very active. The a6-Bishop. looks good at frst glance, but it’s not working withthe rest ofits army to fullill any goal or plan. Other imbalances are pretty ‘obvious: White has more central space and he also has the better awn formation, ‘The next question is: What side of the board should both you and your opponent play on? The center is closed, so neither player can initiate action in that sector of the board. White's pieces are aimed at the kingside, and his e5-pawn hits the weakened {6- square. So kingside play will be a definite part of White’ future Who is master of the queenside? Black's pawn weaknesses in that area don’ inspite confidence for the second player. For‘example, the hole on cS might make a nice home for White's Kaight someday. Finally, we're forced to come up with a specific move or plan. ‘Snce we have plusses on both wings, wouldn't it be nice to ‘Ghminate everywhere? Black won't be able to get anything going ‘qu the queenside if we can stop him from playing ...06-c5. So we hhive to keep an eye out for that (a timely b2-b freezes those CCoubled c-pawns!), The kingside is our domain. Bishop moves like Bfi-g56 are possible, and the simple Bh6 is also in the air. ‘That only leaves one problem: our threatened Rook’ Where to rove i The answer is LRfe1. This innocent-looking move does a ‘couple of very impertant things! Aside from getting the Rook to a ssife square, it overprotects the e5-pawn. Overprotection is a Prophylactic maneuver, and its point here is to stop Black from ‘ever getting frisky in the center with ...76. With our Rook, Bishop, d-pawn and Knight bearing down on e5, we ecstatically _enswer..6 with exf6 when Black has a weak pawn on e6 and a Jhuge hole on eS (our Knight spends its spare moments dreaming cf such a square). So, after LRfel, Black is strategically lost because he doesn't dave play anywhere on the board. White will meet something like ‘Qe7 with 2.Bg5, daring Black to play 2...{5. The only difficulty ‘he frst player will have is deciding whether to go for a quick Lingside kill (Bg5 followed by Qf#-h4 and then BIG/Bh6 and Ng5), ‘or mixing it with queenside torture with a well-timed NB-d2-b3- <5. Also possible is a simple queenside snuff job with b2-b4 ending play there forever. Then White could pursue his kingsid aspirations without worry. Test souutions 1 371 White to play. Is White doing all right in this position? What would you recommend? ‘This position arose White was an 1800 player while Black hhad a 1900 rating) after 1.d4 NIG 2.NBS 6 3.BE4 (the Boring Variation of the KID) 3...Bg7 4.03 d6 5.h3 0-0 6.Be2 5 7.0.0 ‘exds 8.exd4 Qb6 9.Nbd2 Be6 10.Ne4 Bxc4 11.Bxc4 Qub2 IZRDI Qc3 13.Qe2 ReB, ‘The imbalances should be prety easy to read if you make use of the imbalance lst in the fist chapter. White has two Bishops, active pieces and a nice lead in development. Black is up a pawn ‘and is threatening to chop off our c4-Bishop. Aside from that, the second player has nothing to crow about, Since the position is so open, and since White's pieces have influence everywhere, White can get something going on the _queenside (Rxb7), in the center (Qxe7) and on the kingside.18_/ The Awareue’s Maso ‘The most important thing to understand is that White MUST smuuke use of his favorable imbalances. Since he has lead in time (evelopment), he must play dynamically and try to get the most ‘ow of it—once Black gets his own pieces out, White will be in treuble due to his pawn minus ‘With this in mind, you should be looking for sharp, forcing continuations that keep your opponent off-balance. inthe game, \Vehite found the nice: 14.Bxt7+1 Initiating a powerful attack against a Black army that isn't really ready for a fight 14.607 15.Ng5+ Kes ‘This wasn't what Black wanted to do, but 15..-K 16.Q¢6 (iso winning is 16.NeG+ KIT 17.Nxg7 Kxg7 18.Qxe74) 16...Qc4 175 also led to a depressing result for the second player (37... Qad5 allows 18. 0x8. Even worse was 15...Kg8 16.Qe6+ Kh8 17.NE7+ Kg8 18.Nh6+ KKnB 19.Qg8+ RxgB 20.NI7 mate. 16.Rfel Not the only move, White could also play 16.Bxd6 NoS 1 7.Rxb7 with a quick crush, 16...Ne6 17.Qe6 and White won due to the decisive double threat of 18.Q17+ and 18.Bxd6. Yes, some calculation was necessary here, but you certainly ‘dn’ need to work things out to the end, Your lead in develop- ‘ment and the fact that you could make the enemy King very insecure was all the provocation you needed! Row-Cambell (1404-1250), Los Angeles 1997, White to play. List the imbalances and find a move that conforms to those differences. ‘White has more central space and a lead in development. His, position is solid; there are almost no weaknesses in White’s camp, Black isn't as fortunate. The c7- and d5-squares must be watched, and the d6-pawn is weak, Since the center is open, White should try and play right down, the middle (always play in the center if you can, it’s the most Imporant area of the board) ‘With no negatives and some long-term plusses in space and superior pawn structure sitting in front of him, White should be patient and just build up his game with 1.Bh2 followed by 2Re1 If Black tried to advance his e-pawn via ...e5-e4, the h2-Bishop ‘would gain in power and would hit hard at dé. In the actual game, White felt that he had to do something, NOW! Why Tean't ea He nlaved 1 NS and after) oceansBO / We AuareuN's MND (68 5.Nxal his Knight got trapped on a8 (...b6 followed by ...Bb7 is one way to pick up the horse), White ended up losing horribly, ame, because he stood better in the intial position. Areal 56) ‘Cambell-Newhoff (1391-1600), Los Angeles 1997, White to phy. ‘Scan the imbalances and then decide if 1.hé followed by 2.Rh1 and hs is justified. Not a lot seems to be going on. The pawn structure is symmetrical and no big imbalances exist chough White's Bishop i “good” while Black's is “bad”). TThe center is in a static state, and the queenside is also a bonng wasteland, That leaves the kingside, Black’s last move, [NeB, signaled his wish to advance in that sector with ...7-5, faining kingside space and activating his Rook (pechaps both Rooks, if he can double them on the Fle). I's very important 0 Iinow what your opponent is going to do! Try 0 figure out his So, how is White going to get some play, where is it going to >be, and how should he deal with Black's upcoming demonstration? IT was White, Pd look for ways to get some central play (I LOVE to play in the center), This can be done by 1.NdS followed by 2c3 and 3.4. Another idea is mixing central play with a kingside block by 1.Ngl f5 2.83 with Nge2, Be3 and an eventual «B-d4 to follow. One other plan is L.Nhé 15 2exl5 gx 3.4, sarting a hand-to-hand fight in the same basic area In the actual game, White showed that he didn’t care what Black wanted to do. All he could think of was stating a “mating attack.” Thus, the crizy (and completely unjustified) Lhé? 15 2.RhI? appeared on the board. Atthis point Black should probably try 2..h6, keeping White's pieces off of ¢5 and preparing to meet 23.5 with 3.95 (When it finally becomes clear that Black is boss ‘on the kingside). Nevertheless, White did end up going down in ames. Hopefully he won't set himself on fire in the Future One thing 1 insist on when teaching a student is that he/she always plays for a win. This is obvious enough if your rating is 1500 and your opponent is only 900. However, courage sas to deteriorate when you get paired against someone with 2 1900 rating! At that moment, you no longer play the opponent, you begin to play the rating and often give the person siting across from you superhuman capabilities ‘The first thing every chessplayer must lear is that human beings make errors. If you go all out to give your opponent problems, an error can easily appear and a big, fat scalp can fall into your lap, ‘The second key point for the winning player is that all non- titled players (Ms and GMs being the titled guys) ate capable of playing very, very badly. Why fear somebody who is quite ‘capable of going berserk at any moment Simply put, don't give respect to anyone due to rating. Make them earn that respect by ‘waging all-out wart‘he thd point for the wining players that you realy have rcthing to los! Mf you goal out every game, you wil find hat Yen income mich re fee. wot hg haan fappen to you is a defeat, and weal oe games no mater what happens and no alter who we pay. proper atte ies you Teas tat are far superior to anything you imagined you could tchlee In fc, confidence worth oe ovo hundred ng int aby tel 7 ‘One more bit of advice: If you are one of those players who pls below hs sonnal standard when you get pltd Up, op Kooking atthe opponents ring unl afer the game, Ths CLeunvens aloof popchologial baggage and slows yout py svi acum confidence at all ies ets akea lok atthe poston in dagram 165 and ee how the lowermted payer eat fo his mach stonger opponent Exe as 1600-2100. White to play, Is White justified in playing 1.hé in this position? This wellknown position from the Torre Attack was new temitory forthe 1600 player and he took a long time here trying to figure out what was going on. Finally he realized that his chances ‘were on the kingside due to his advanced pawn on e5 and ‘chances for a g2-g4 advance—this opens a file for his Rooks and follows the advice: Always play on the wings with pawns ‘when the center is closed. Lait A great move that stops Black from advancing with ...g7-85, ‘and also gains kingside space. I was proud of him for finding this far from obvious idea Leh ‘This move attacks the White Bishop, gains queenside space and prepares a general queenside pawn advance (since White is going for the Black King, Black must stake out territory on the ‘other wing), Its only flaw is that it creates a hole on the d4-square, OF course, Black has no intention of taking the h-pawn by 1. .Bxhd since that would only open lines to his own King, 2.QhS ‘would make Black extremely unhappy. 2Be2 ‘An obvious move that took too much time to play! Instead of just making this simple retreat, White went into a panic about Black's space and sat therefor ten minutes before giving in to the inevitable, 1600 often sufiers from time pressure and this shows us why—he wastes time on moves that should be made quickly. Why? Because his lack of confidence makes him see ghosts around every comer. As turns out, this seemingly innocent bit of hesitation was the fist step in complete mental surrender! uu bs Black grabs more queenside space and prepares to open lines fon that side with ...bS-bd. Notice how Black is trying to generate ‘counterplay in the quickest way possible, This does two thines: 38> It gives him a clear plan and his share of the play. > It can easily disturb White and make him lose confidence ia his own plans. 3.032 ‘The first sign that everything is not right with White. In situations where the play is on opposite wings, itis often fatal t0 cave in to the opponent's will and begin reacting to his plans to the exclusion of your own. White's fear of ...bS-b4 grabbed his attention so forcefully that his head was permanently turned in the direction of the queenside! Much stronger was 3.94 (going all ‘out for the Black King) or 3.NI3. Lets have a look at 3.3 (placing the Knight in a better position and eyeing both g5 and d4 as future homes): 3...b4 4NgS NeS 5.QhS h6 6.Qg6t hxg5 7.hxgS with the strong threat of 8RhS+H Kxh8 9.Qh5+ KgS 10.96 and mates (analysis by Tigran Petrosian). In this analysis, White refused to be stared down by Black and, as a result, his attack crashed through firs. 3.NeS. Brings the Knight up to great square and eyes the holes on 3, dB and e4 Anse |A completely useless move that wastes time and actually ‘weakens White's hold on the g5-square (iit doesn't open lines to the Black King it shouldn't be played). 4.h5? was White’ one stab at attack but we must wonder why someone would play i if he originally planned g2-g4, The reason is purely psychological White was so frazzled that any move that got near the Black King made him feel empowered, Thus White becomes another victim ‘of emotion and panic. Naturally, both 44 or 4.NB were superior 4S Prepares to worry White by preparing the ...b5-b4 advance. S.NB esr Souurions 1349 Finally a logical move that actually improves his pesition. Alter his fist fine move, White has been in a complete nose-clive 5.-Ba6 ‘The immediate 5...b4 failed due to 6.axb4 when the Black a- pawn is pinned to its Rook, Now this pin doesn't exist and White ‘can start to worry about Black's threats again. 6.Naé Improving the position of the Knight and eyeing both o6 and 6. Has White gotten back on track? 6 ..Qb6 ‘This keeps the White Knight out of 6 and prepares to play ba. T.RbIe ‘White snaps, Faced with a concrete threat, White goes bonkers and plays a move that actually does nothing at all. He really had to tow caution to the winds and play 7.g4 when Black would be forced to react to White's gestures of aggression on the kingside. bs Threatens to win a piece by 8...b3 (courtesy of 7.Rb1”). Black's attack is much further advanced than White’s so we won't look any further at this rater sad game. Riese-Carter (1482-1537), Continental Open 1956. Ruy Lopez. Ledes 2.NG Neb 3.Bb5 The venerable Ruy Lopez is one ofthe oldest known openings 3.BeSre line (3...a6 is more common) that prompts White into ‘A.common tactical device. White knows that he can regain his, iaterialafier 4... NxeS by 5.d4, forking Black's Knight and Bishop. White prepares to castle by hand with Kgl, O86 | think White almost had a heart attck when this appeared on the board. After calming down for a moment, he realized that it swas not as bad as it originally seemed. 8.d4 QubS udxe5 QxeS [Problem Position |] “Oy a @ ax A&A A&é White to play. ‘Would 1.Bf4 be foolish here? In a way, this position was more of less reached by accident, Black got carried away with his material desies while White had no choice after missing. ..Qb6+. Black is a pawn up but things are not all rosy. His Kings stil in the middle, he will lose time due to the vulnerable location of hhis Queen and he is considerably behind in development. All these things are dynamic in nature, though, and if Black can get castled and consolidate, his material plus will weigh in his favor. 10.Ne3? ‘A logical move that brings @ new attacker into position. Also interesting (anc most likely stronges) was 10.Bf4!, a move White rejected due 10 10,,.Qxb2 (much worse is 10,..Qxe4 IL.Rel. Safest is 10...Qc5+). However, White should not worry abut the Joss of another pawn or two, if Black is willing to keep moving his ‘Queen, ignoring the needs of his other pieces. After 11.Nd2, White ‘would be fully mobilized and ready for action, 10...N16 ‘The Knight tums out to be vulnerable here. Preferable is 10...Ne7 followed by 0-0, 1 don’t think Black realized the danger he was in, 11.5 White’ final piece comes out and does two things: it stacks the Queen and prepares ei-e5, 11..Qe5+ “This gives Black a crucial defensive tempo. 12.Kh1 46 Black didn’ like 12..0-0 13.¢5 when the Knights forced back to the poor e8-square. Now, after 12.6, White must find a way to keep his atack alive. IF Black is able to castle and develop his Bishop, White's inivatve will dissipate, 1B.NaS? lust sovurions / 387‘This isnt the right medicine. Much more energetic was 13.¢51, Dizsting open the center and keeping Black on his toes. After 13...dxe5? Black has to uy 13...Ng4) 14.Bxe5 Black doesnt want to allow 15 Bx6. IF 14...Ngd (and not 14... Qxe5? 15.Rel, picking UB the Queen) 15.Bxg7 Rg8 (15...NE2* 16.Rxf2 Qxf2 17.Bxh8) “Waite wins material with 16Rel+! Be6 17.Qxe4, 13...Nxes?? Black goes berserk and opens lines to his own King, Correct ‘wes 13,..Nxd5 M4.exc5 0.0 when the King finds a safe haven. White now finishes up in a very efficient way: 14.Ret £5 15.6 ‘This makes use of the fact that Black's Queen has to keep an, eye on the ¢7-pawn, 15...Qe4 16.9431 Simple but pleasing, White would be quite happy to go into a piece up endgame after 16...Qxd3 17.cxd3. Suddenly the Black Queen is trapped and the game is won, ‘Blick resigned in a few more moves. a9) a Piacenza-Lyles (1713-1650), Continental Open 1996 ‘White to play. Don't bother looking for individual moves. Instead, figure out what White’s correct plan is. Also, be aware of why you made this decision. ‘White is playing for queenside gains and for control over the ‘5-square. Black i trying o somehow get a kingside attack started. ‘The way White ignores Black's illusory kingside threats and ‘quietly builds up his own plusses is rather impressive. Lbs ‘This move gains more queenside space and shows complete disdain for anything that Black may conjure up. Lachd Black lashes out on the kingside and ties to put a scare into his opponent. This isthe point where most amateurs (as White) woul star to defen! "Tr his every Biarans nae nenIt should be noted that 1...f§ would have tumed ovt very nicely for White after 2exf5 BxfS 3.Bd3 when White gets to use the ef-squate as a home for his Knight. 2.Be2 ‘This move jumps on the fact that g4 is no longer defended by 2 pawn, White doesn't mind the doubled g-pawns because he sees that the g3-pawn keeps the enemy Knight out of f and hi, love White's mentality! Instead of seeing Black's kingside play asa threat, he is looking at it as a weakness! Black has opened the h-file in his eternal dreams of mate, ‘White continues to ignore his opponent. net Clamping down on the f5-square and getting the Rook into a mote active position. Also tempting was 4,Qd). 4..Rb8 Black’s Rook hopes to make the acquaintance of the White Xing. Will this worry his opponent? S.Nb3 Laughing in Black’s face! Ym not sure ifthe Knight is optimally placed here but White's desire to continue his queenside buildup ‘anc ignore his opponent's unsound kingside demonstration is adrnirable, ‘Alternatives are 5.a5, 5.Nef, 5.Qdi and 5.c4 followed by 6.5 5..cBh6 Black exchanges offhis bad Bishop for White's good one, This trade was not prompted by positional acumen, though, Instead, Black realized that he could not mate with his Rook alone and, by _getting rd of White's dark-squared Bishop, his Queen would have access to the g5-square. 6.Bxh6 Kxb6 7.041 Black has a very bad game due (0 his inferiority on the queenside and his weak pawns on g4 and £7. The immediate threat against gé forces Black to either give up the pawn, play the sgroveling 7...Qd7 or allow a Queen exchange by 7.85 8 Qel, TK? S.Bxet us Black has placed all his hopes in this final atacking gesture. ‘As usual, White just goes about his business and ignores him, 9.Bxc8 Qe3+ ‘Also hopeless was 9...Qh6 (hich really doesn’ threaten anything at all) 10.Bh3. Even the scary 9...Qxg3 doesn't give Black enough after the cold-blooded 10.565, 10.Rf2 Raxc8 11.83. Gin! The double threat of 12.Qxe3 and 12.Qxi7+ forces a winning endgame. White went on to score the full point after 11...Qxf3 1agxt3, Piacenza-Winston (1713-1265), Continencal Open 1996, ‘Queen's Indian Defense. 1.44 Nf6 2Nf3 White avoids the main lines with 2.4 and instead plays a quiet system known as the Colle, 2.06 3.3 Bb7 4.Bd3 £6 S.Nbd2 ‘White eventually intends to advance his pawn to e4, gaining space in the center and preparing for a kingside attack via e4-e5 S.u86.3 Neb 7.0.0 So far, Black has handled the opening well. His next move, ‘though, gives us the firsthint about his rue King hunting psychosis. 7...BA6? [Avwful, Black is so intent on aiming everything at White's King originally thought Black was trying (o gain some control over ef swith his ..b6 and ...Bb7, Now I se that he had something much ‘grander in mind!) that he ignores such “minor” things as central play and casting Bet “Threatening a big fork on e5. White doesn't need an invitation to grab the center with gain of time! 8...cxds 9.cxd4 Be7 [Black adunits that his fist idea wasn't very good. It looks like he's going to settle down and play a real game of chess now. 10.83 A very useful move, White keeps the Black Knight out of bi and prepares to gain queenside space with a later bé advance. 10...h5?? Black unleashes the full fury of his subconscious! Where he got such hatred for royalty is beyond me, but it’ clear that only the ‘White King’s head will make him happy. This move demonstrates the desire to attack without any justification whatsoever. Inthe end, all treally does is weaken the _gS-square, waste time and ignore the center. (260) ‘White to play. Black has just pushed his h-pawn from h7 to h. Is this ‘a good move, and how should White react to it? aLb4 Afier adjusting his glasses to make sure he had seen Black's ‘move properly, White ignores his opponent's berserk play and ‘gains some queenside space, 11..Qe7 Black plays with iron-willed consistency. This move takes aim atthe h2-pawa, 12.8b2 White continues to develop and buildin the center and on the |queenside. 1 often see amateurs react to Black's kingside gestures with moves like 123, keeping Black’s pieces off of gi. Why ‘waste a tempo on a non-threat and why give Black something to aim at when he advances his pawns by ...g7-g5-e4? Don’ give Black’s plan more respect than it deserves,12...Rgs? Yet another subtle move. I imagine lecks of aggressive foam forming on Black's lips as he looks at his opponent, hoping to see 4 quiver of teror o eyes wide with fear. 13.Ret White yawns and improves his position. Showing such a lack. of respect for your opponents ideas often unnerves him and ‘unckrmines his confidence. 1B...06 This stops White from winning a piece with bé-bS, 14.Rew? ‘A nice building move that misses the win of a piece by 14.d5! cexclS 15.Bxi6 gxf6 16.exd5, 14...957? Black lets out a roar as he jumps into the abyss. He should have played 14...d5, trying to keep the center locked up, 15.93? White finally show's some fear and makes an unnecessary defensive move, Far stronger was 15.45! (meeting an attack on the ‘wing with a counterattack in the centet) 15...exd5 16.Bxf6 Bxi6 17.exd5+ when Black should quietly resign before rushing off to lid his wounds. In the actual game, White went on to win (despite his mistaken 15,43), but I would like to say that White's ateempts 10 stand fast in the wake of kingsice attacks struck a freeing blow for amateurs everywhere, ‘esr Souurions / 308 Goldberg-Royal (1700-1800), California 1956, White t0 play. How should White handle this position? White is behind in development and will have problems ‘getting his c1-Bishop to a good post. He was not happy here and instead of trying hard give himself something to play for, he let his poor mood affect his choice of move. BNxc6? Abad move that exchanges off a good Knight and helps Black strengthen his central postion by bringing the side pawn on b7 to the more central c6-square. IF White had recognized that this was key moment of the game (his unhappiness with the position should have clued him in), he might have tried harder anid come Lup with a superior choice. Personally, I would have played 8. Nxgd Nxgé 9.Be2 Ni6 9... Nxh2”? 10.93 traps the greedy Knight) 10.0.0 when the newly acquired two Bishops and the possibility of ‘opening up the postion for them by a later ee4 would have sven White hope for'a positive furan‘you chose 8.F4 Caying claim to the e5-squate) then you did better than the game’s BINxc6 because your move at least does ‘somthing positive. If your choice was 8.BbS which fights for the initiative), Black will do well with 8...Bd6 8..dbxeb 9.Qa4 ex This unfortunate and unnecessary move (what compelled ‘Black to make this capture?) gives White a wonderful opportunity which, however, passed over the heads of both participants. 1o.exaant \White plays the normal capture (he had been taught to always, take with the e-pawn in this opening) and, because he wasn't thinking for himself, misses a rare chance to grab the advantage The correct idea was 10cxd4, opening a file toward the ‘weckness on 06. White could then follow up with 11.Nb3, 12,Bd2 andl Rel with considerable pressure against the Black position. How could he have found this plan? The main sign that something ‘was amiss should have been his feeling that White's game was not very promising after dhe move actually played. ‘Why make a move if you don't like the resul? Once you see that your intended move lacks panache, place your nose to the ‘grirdstone and look for something else! Once you see that you ‘waat to tum €6 into a weakness, it shouldn't be too hard to find ‘moves that bring all your pieces to bear on that specifi point. “The game continued as follows: 10...246 11s BS 12.53.00 13.893, ‘Trying to exchange his bad Bishop for Black's good one. ‘Uniorunately, White continues to fall further and further behind in development. Now it's Black’s turn to get excited, He has a huge lead in development and must be feeling the desire to throw some kind ‘of knockout punch. Remember: a development lead is a tempo- rary advantage and must be used before the enemy can catch up. ‘These facts should have told Black that a key moment has arrived hhow will he punish his opponent? ‘The corfect move (which Black failed to find) was 16,..65t, Fipping the center open so that the Black pieces can reach the centrally placed White King. Then 17.NxeS Rxe5+ 18.dxeS QueS+ sives Black a raging attack since 19.Be2 ReB picks up material While 19.Kdl Ned creates overwhelming threats against c3 and f —_—_—_————— Tips You have to keep your eyes open for key moments in the struggle + Akkey moment has arrived if you are poorly placed and need io find a move that gives you a new lease on ie ‘% A ckey moment has arrived if you ate in charge of the game and sense that i's time to search for a knockout blow. % The exciting moves that often arise from key posi- tions can only be found if you make a conscious decision to look for them. This means that you must turn off the automatic pilot and try to make the position conform to your wil, ——$<$$—$___.Andersson-Flaherty (1588-1707), American Open 1996, Durch Defense, 1665 ‘The Dutch Defense is an aggressive opening that tends to do beter on the amateur level than on the intemational scene, Black's frst move gains kingside space, fights for control over the important ed-square and prepares to place the g8-Knight comfort- ably behind the f-pawn on {6 ts laws include a weakening of the ‘a2-g8 diagonal and the blocking of the c8-h3 diagonal (this often leads to difficulties for Black in developing his ¢&-Bishop). 2h Already a big decision! Aside from popular alternative lines like 2.Nc3 (playing for a quick e2-e4) or 2Bg5 (with the idea of 2...R6 3.Bh4 g5 4.Bg3 £4? 5.03! fxg3?? 6QhS mated), White usually tries the flexible 2.g3 NI6 3.82 when he can place his Knight on 3 or £3, depending on the system Black chooses. The reason ‘White holds off on c2-c4 until he is casted is simple: this avoids any worry about Black trying ..06 followed by ...Bb4+. 2...Nf6 3.NB dG Black shows his interest in a Une known as the Leningrad Variation Gf he plays 4...g6). White's move order was mainly ‘designed to punish the popular Stonewall Variation, which arises after 5...e6 4.Nc3 45, with 5.84 followed by 6.e3 when Black will always be a litle worse. The flaw in this order is that 3.e6 4.Ne3 ‘can Cand should!) be met by 4.,.Bb4! 5.Qb3 Qe7 with a dificult, more or less equal, game in store 4.NC3 6 All right, now Black's saying that he will play a rare Hort Anoshin Variation (this line would arse after 5.g3 Qc7). Does he know what he's doing or is he as confused as White is at this 53 White avoids main line theory (a wise decision if you don't know the lines) and decides to develop his pieces in an intelligent and logical fashion. 5.86 Black decides to go back into Leningrachtype positions. He Intends to fianchetto his dark-squared Bishop and then strive for an ...e7-e5 advance with subsequent play on the kingside where he owns more space, of in the center. 6.nd3 ‘Now the plans for both sides are becoming clear! I've already ‘mentioned that Black intends to play for ..c7-e5. White will strive to get play inthe center with e3-e4, Ihe achieves this, the open e- file will give him good chances to take advantage of the hole on €6, and the backward pawn on €7. 6...Bg7 7.0-00.0 Ws always a good idea to get your King safe before you open vp the center. eet White begins to prepare for his dream advance to e4, Ths isa logical idea, but the immediate 8.4 aso deserved serious consid- ‘eration (why dream of ice-cream when you can buy some and. stuff it in your mouth right away!) Qe7 Black prepares for his own advance (te, ..e7-€5). However, another idea is 8...452, trying to make White's last move lock sill. If White had played e4 on this eighth move, Black wouldn't have hhad this possibilty. ‘The moral here is: Don’t endlessly prepare to actualize a plan when you can just do it and get the ball rolling! 9.92White crashes headlong into the pitfall mentioned in the last note! By needlessly making one more unnecessary preparatory move, White gives Black the time to camry out his own plan. Correct would have been 9.e4 when 9..fxe4 10.Nxed Bgé 11.NegS (hreatening both 12.Ne6 and 12.h3) gives White the better game. Dee White to phy. Bleck’s center pawns look very threatening. How should White deal with this situation? 1o.dxes ‘This is 100 obliging, Faced with the threat of ...e5-c$, White should have tied hard 10 come up with some sont of counter- faction in the center. Look hard at this postion...what would you have played? If you found 10.5! you should give yourself a big pat on the back Now (after 10.65) 10..dxe5 I1.Bes+ Kh8 12.Nxe5 leaves Bleck in difficulties, while 10...d57 Is impossible due to the ‘obvious 11.Nxe5, The real question about the merits of 10.¢5 ‘enters around Black olavine 10...e4. In that case, White must See ‘esr SoLutions 1 401 avoid 11.Be47 due to 11...d5 when Black wins a piece. Instead, Texd6 exd3? (better is 11...Qxd6 12,Bo4+ Be6 though 13.Qb3 is promising for the first player) 12.dxe7 (and not 12.Qb3+” Qf7 ‘when White remains a piece behind) 12...dxc2 13.cxb8"Q Rxb8 ‘and now 14, Bd2 followed by 15.Racl and 16.Rxe2 leads to the win ofa pawn for White. ‘White missed this move because he became overwhelmed by Black's apparent threat of ...eS-e4, If you focus too hard on what your opponent is going to do to you, itis easy to exclude your ‘own possibilities out of panic and blindness. In simple English, [Tm saying: always try hard to find something positive for your side 10 do (actually, you should insiston it). Try to avoid any kind of ‘obsession on enemy threats 10...dxe5, es Black has carved out a lot of space on the kingside and will soon launch a kingside attack by ...h7-h6 and ...g6-85-84. 124 Realizing that things haven't tured out as he originally planned, White calms down and comes up with an excellent plan. His intention i to follow up with 13.¢5 (gaining queenside space) ‘when Bef or NB-d2-cé-d6 (making use of the hole on d6) may follow. By the way, I would probably have preferred the immediate 12.5 (another case of just doing your plan instead of preparing to do it), since 12...Nbd7 can be met with either 13.b4 or 13.Na4 12.95 13.5 White has suddenly begun to play with great purpose and, as s0 often happens when you act like you know what you're doing, Black cracks under the strain and just reacts to his opponent's ueenside threats, 13...Na6?This tums out badly. He should have played 13...axb4 14.Qb3+ Kh8 15.Qxb4 when queenside files have been opened wrich will make White happy) but Black will get some counter- cchances against the potentially weak White pawns on a2 and 5, 1é.a3t A great move. White is now playing with confidence and vee; his control of the queenside is growing with every move ‘while the a6-Knight is no longer taking par in the game, 14.256 Black doesn't fall for 14..axbA15.axb4 Nxb4? 16.Qb3+ Kh 17 Raat, 15.Bett Is this definitely the correct square for this Bishop? 1 would, have voted in favor of 15.Qb3+ Kh7 16.Bb2 when a and b4 are Dow defended and e5 is coming under some pressure. 15...Kh7 UG.RDI axbé ‘Vaxbs Qe7 18.83, [At first, this move really disturbed me for three reasons: 1) it ‘waxtes time by makingga kingsice pawn move (dont play in your ‘opponent's area); 2) this pawn move lets Black rip open kingside lines by a later ...g6-95-g4; 3) I'm not really sure if this move is necessary (if the £3-Knight intends to go to 6 via NB-d2-cl-d6, then it's clearly unnecessary). ‘Asecond look shows me that White did have some valid ideas ‘when playing 18h3. First, he has a space edge and wants to take a square away from the enemy pieces. Second, he has decided 10 keep his Knighton {3 so that it can place pressure on the e5-pawn, is 18" move allows the Knight to stay in place by stopping Ba Does this mean that ike White's move now? No, itil makes ‘me uncomfortable, However, the fact that he had valid ideas to back up his choice goes a long way towards atonement 18...Ne7? Black shows that he's mentally beaten. Instead of tying a hopeless defense (he has no chance of survival onthe queenside), the second player should have gone all out on the kingside with 18...g5. This would have terrified White and gone a long way towards challenging the wisdom of 18:3 (after 18...g5, White ‘could try the very interesting 19.NdS® when 19...cxd5 20.exd5+ KNB? 21.Nee5 is devastating. However, 20...e4 allows Black to keep fighting) 19.Bb2 Nfes Black didn't like the 1ook of 19...Be6 20.NxeS! His 19* move shows that Black has completely given up on his kingside aspirations, His passive play is really nothing more than a form of suicide. 20.Nas ‘The clamp grows tighter. The Knight is heading forthe juicy b6-square, 20...Na6 21.903 ‘This defends b4 and piles up the pressure against eS, I would have preferred 21.Bc3 followed by Nb6 and Qb2 (it's safer to lead ‘with the Bishop, not the Queen), Black’s game would then be ‘completely hopeless. 21...NecT 22.Nb6 RbS. 23.Red1 Announcing his intention to dominate the ¢-file. Shame on you if you wanted to play 28Nxc82. Why trade off your super Knight for a passive Bishop unless you have to? 23...Na8 2A.NxcB Now this makes sense. White grabs the two Bishops and leaves the Black Knight looking silly on a8, 24...RbxcB 25.Rd6 N8CT26.Radl Red 63) » » Eo > > he »e be € >oE o> bp > lec a White to play. a7.Rxasr Absolutely horble. Why trade off your super Rooks for Black's pathetic things on d8 and £8 Whenever you are going to make a traci always ask if your pieces are beter than his. they are, only ‘20 through with the exchange if you are making some other kind ‘of amajor gain. In this ease White had several winning continua- tions, and his willingness to chop off the Rooks demonstrates a Alawsed mental direction that will eventually lead to his downfall Best would have been 27.Qd2! when 27...Rxd6? 28.cxd6 picls up a piece. Unfortunately for Black, any move of the d8- Rook (27...Rde8, for example) allows 28.47, while 27...BF6 gets totally wasted by 28 Bze5! So this (27.Rxd8”) isthe point where White begins to throw the game away. Why? How did this happen after his fine play during the last several moves? I really don’t have any answer because Mr, Andersson was also confused about his motivation ‘ancl what he was tying to achieve, ‘Some possibilities are: 1) He was getting tired (poor judgment is common at the end of along, exhausting game); 2) He was getting impatient (he knew he was winning and wanted to get rewarded for his good play as ‘uickly as possible): Tisr Souwtions 1 405, 3) He sulfered a blind spot and thought that Black could trade on d6, not noticing that hs would lose tothe pawn recapture and the frk that comes with 4) He lost his sense of danger and thought that “any- thing would win’ (you always have to concentrate fully uni the opponent resigns); 5) ie go cated away on the wings of his two Bish (ops. This means that he felt his two Bishops would sgrant him 2 winning endgame so he played direct\y for that situation; (©) He might have felt hat he was winning the eS-pavn and then had misgivings afer the exchanges took place. 27. Rd 28.30xd8 Quds ‘lof a sudden the passive Black Rooks are gone and the ‘once-passve Black Queen is siting on an open file 29.9b3" Feeling disoriented by the change in position (ich be iniiatedD, White denies Black te check on dt. Now he's nolonget playing against the enemy targets and calling the tune; instead ‘White has sunk back tothe unfortunate “reactionary” level His last chance to take the game by storm was 29.NxeS (at least grabbing some justification for his trades on dB) 29. .Qd1+ 30Kh2 Qa4 (this is what he feared) 31.Q44 Qubé 82.Qd8 5 33.QgBe Kh6 34.NI7 mute White is still much beter bat now he loses his mind by thinking that Bishops are always beter than Knights in an endgame. ‘Though his Bishops are far superior to the enemy Knights at the ‘moment, this is due to the fact that he has taken them out of the game by depriving them of any useful support points, White's ‘unfortunate transition into the endgame lets the horses jump back {nto the battle and show what they are capable of. 30...Khs31.9f7 “This completes his slide into oblivion. Why exchange the ‘dynamic White Queen for the passive one on e7? Evidently he felt that his Bishops would eat Black alive! BL. Qt B2.Bxf7 Nxbs “Reality check! All of a sudden the Black Knights are showing. allaraning activity and the White pawn on cS is isolated and weak, 33.Bxe5, hite noticed that 33,Bxg6 is met by 33...Nd3 when this horse defends e5, attacks b2 and also attacks ¢5. Who says that Knights are -worse than Bishops? 33.-.BxeS BA.NxeS Kg? 35.Bb3 “ven worse is 35.Bxg6 KI when White loses a piece, 35...Nea6 36.Nd7 Nd3 37-€5 Naxc$ and Black went on to win Tips + Get your plans in action as fast as you can. + By making unnecessary preparatory moves, you will give your opponent time to carry out is plan. + Ifyou focus too hard on what your opponent is going 10 do 10 you, itis easy to exclude your own possibilities ‘out of panic andl blindness. In simple English, Tm. saying? always try hard to find something postive for your side to do (actually you should insist on it) . Try to avoid any kind of obsession on enemy threats. + When you play with confidence and purpose, your ‘opponent will ofien react to your threats and com- pletely crack under the psychological stain Try not to make moves on your opponent's side of the board, If you do, make sure that you are not needlessly reacting to imaginary threats, ‘Take away as many squares as possible from the enemy pieces when you possess a spatial plus If you only chance is to play on one side of the ‘board, go all out and do it! Don't waste time trying 10 wage a hopeless defense. ‘Whenever you are going to make a tade, always ask if your pieces are better than his, If they are, Only go through with the exchange if you are ‘making some other kind of major gain, The way to beat Knights isto take all their advanced squares (Support points) away from them. The further they advance down the board, the stronger they become! a6) Two unrated players ‘White to phy.While has several tempting choices here. What would you do and why would you do it? THis position was artived at by 1.e4 e5 2.63 d6 (the Philidor Defiease) 3.Ne3 Be6?t 3..NI6 is better. 4.44 NOT “Wo understand this position, we have to break it down in a detailed manner awn tension: Many of my students have a habic of wading awss as soon as they come into contact with each other. They hhaveewouble realizing that destroying the pawn tension consider- ably limits their own possibilities. Tin the present situation White would usually reffain from capturing on e5 forthe following reasons: There is no hurry! White is the one with the option to take since a black capture via ...exd4 would only help White bring his Knight to a better post after, Nadi. > By not rushing to take on e5 White keeps Black off balance by making him worry about both dxeS and 4.45. > Many players think that by taking on e5 they are trading their good d-pawn for Black's good e-pawn. However, this is not really the case! The real trade is d&-pawa for Black's inferior d6-pawa. > Taking on e5 helps Black by freeing his entombed {8.Bishop. Why do something nice for your oppo- nent? “Bishop versus Knight: Ai the moment both sides have two Bishops and two Knights. However, White can ty to hunt Black's e6-Bishop down by NgS or d4-d5, Closed center. White must decide whether to dose the center by di-d5, to leave it as itis and just develop a piece, orto open the center completely with dxe5, me HH Test Souvrions 1 400 Creating scenario where your imbalance is superior to ‘Your opponent's: Ths isthe key 10 the position! White shoul {ake all the information given earlier and mix it together in some palatable form. Here's the way I would approach this postion: 1 already have a small advantage in space, so quiet development by Be2 and 0-0 {san option (in other words, 1 can simply nurture the imbalance that I already have). I can also play h2-h3 (a useful move in itself) with the threat of d4-d5, winning Black's Bishop. ‘More interesting, however, isa plan based on gaining the two Bishops. I could try and hunt Black's Bishop down by d-d5, but ‘why close the position if intend to get Bishops? Wouldn’ it be ‘more logical to open the position? ‘With this in ming, the immediate 5.Ng5 comes into consider- ation (yes, I'm breaking the nul that ells us not to move the same piece twice in the opening). Another way to do this is S.dxe5 (Gidn' I just criticize this move? No, Ijust pointed out all the things that were wrong with it and said that I normally woulda’ttake it into serious consideration. In this case, though, White intends to _grab the two Bishops, so opening the position as wide as possible ‘kes a good deal of sense.) 5...dxe5 6.Ng5 when 6...Qf6 7.Nxe6 Qxe5 8.QdS! (ess clear is 8NES 0-0-0 9.Bed Qg6 10.083 NeS) 8..Qxd5 9.Nxd5 000 10.Be4 when White has the preferable pposition thanks to his two Bishops. White would be doing well iFhe chose 5.h3, 5.Be2, 5.NgS or S.dxeS followed by 6.Ng5. Just remember one big thing: don't grab an imbalance if you feel the resulting position (and all the Factors that make it up) i at odds with i eg, striving for Bishops ina closed position; striving for Knights in an open position, Both these errant plans might prove harmful to your health), s.dset White goes for the closed postion, not realizing that he is simultaneously making his f1-Bishop a poor piece by placing the ‘center pawns on its color. 5..Bgi 6.h3 BSAlo possible is 6Bh5 7.g4 Bg6. What's the first thing that rikes you about this position (after 7...Bg6)? How about that ole cn f4? Every student of the game should train himself to salivate shenever a hole appears on the board (of course, you should ave sn aversion towards creating them in your own position)! ‘hough Black has absolutely no way to make use of that hole at te moment, my eyes would go cloudy and I would fantasize in re folowing manner: would dream of trading off my g6-Bishop rad one Knight for White's two Knights. I would also dream of xchanging my bad dark-squared Bishop for White's good piece on cl. That would leave me with a good Knight versus White's vad Bishop. Then a quick maneuver lke ... Nd7-f8-g6-F4 would sve re a winning minor piece Naturally, the actualization of this plan might take thity roves, but the possibility (and the rewards itbrings) would never aave ny mind, 7. xfs 16 ‘Wren I saw this move I almost collapsed in horror! One little van push and so much self-destruction, Black has taken the f6- {quare away from both his Knights, created a hole on e6, made his 3-Bisop even worse than it was, blocked his Queen and thrown, fall empo out the window. ‘Wrat should Black have done? The answer lies in two areas: ) the minor piece battle; 2) the closed position and the use of the vawn pointing theory. ‘Wren the center is closed you generally play in the direction ‘our pawns point. Since you must attack with pawns in closed vositions (compared to piece attacks in open positions), you hhoulé usually advance the pawn that is next to your most Pe Fe » leo > mpe > bo > be >» 1100-1900 White to play, Black appears to have an excellent position. Is this true, and what should White do? Black appears to have the better game. His Bishop is active ind bis pawns on e6 anc d6 cover key squares on e5, dS and ¢5, To make matters even worse for White, Black also possesses space: advantage on the queenside Inthe actual game, White played 1.Re1 (placing a Rook on an pen file; how can such a thing be bac?) and after 1...Nb6 Black vas doing well (White quickly realized that his Rook on fl wasn't aking part in the battle). White didnt understand the following things: > His center pawns are pointing towards the ciieenside while hie Bichnn tion. Doesn't this suggest that he seek play in that sector? > Neither player has any aggressively placed troops ‘on the kingside, There are also no weaknesses in ‘that area which tells us that no kingside attacks ‘should be considered for either side. > Both players have solid central positions so active play there is also doubtful > White's Bishop (it happens to be agood Bishop— its central pawns are on the opposite color and thus don’t block it) is less active than Black's Bishop. What can be done about this? How can ‘White turn this piece into a useful member of his “soctety?” > Neither side has any clear weaknesses to attack. ‘This is the key idea in the position! How can White ‘create targets in the enemy camp? To summarize, you (as White) must ask the following ques- tions and then demand an answer from yourself: 1) how can 1 ‘make my Bishop stronger? 2) how can I get both my Rooks: into the game? 3) how can initiate queenside play? 4) how can I ceate ‘weaknesses in Black’s queenside forress? 5) how can I get my Knight's into the action? ‘Don’t forget: each and every piece (other than the King) ‘should play arolein the coming plan. Never leave anyoneout! staat ‘The only correct decison! Suddenly White is challenging Black for queenside space. He is also hiting the Black b-pawn and, by doing so, is tuming his passive Bishop into a srong attacking piece. Finally the Rook onal, which seemed so useless momen‘ 240, shows that itis actually beautifully placed on its orginal square ba Black doesn' like 1...bxad since 2.Rea4 lets White build up strong pressure against the new target on a6 (White will doubleoks on the afile when both Rooks and the Bishop take part in, ce assault against a6). If 1...Qb6, then 2axbS axb5 3.Qb3 shows Sto bea target, Note that the advance of the Black b-pawn has given White scess to the ci-square, 2.95! ‘Write had more than one tempting move here. The most vious is 2Qb3 (hitting b4 with tempo), but after 2...a5 3.Ned 8 Black's defenses are tight (hough White would obviously ave a good position), ‘White can also consider placing a Knight on b3 since it frees, © d2-square for the other horse (which is really doing nothing 113) and places immediate pressure on a5. ‘White's actual move, 2.5, does several things: 1) it takes the S-square away from Black's pieces; 2) it stops the Black a-pawn om gving support to b4; 3) it fixes the a6-pawn as a target (the st gets are those that can't move); 4) it fixes the a6-pawn on light-colored square, Now White's Bishop is a very proud piece, ‘The concept of fixing targets on attackable squares is very, xy irsporant. The other idea of turing a rock-solid pawn (on 5) into a target (by 42-24) is also critical to success at high-level After 2.25, Black’s positon would be quite uncomfortable. ‘mazing, isn't i? Two moves ago Black appeared to be doing ell, and now the picture has changed drasticaly, au-Melikadamian (1404-1455), Los Angeles 1997. corre Attack, 1.66 NEG 2.03 6 3.BgS ‘This line, the Torre Attack, is very popular in amateur events, "s easy 10 leam and carries a Tot of sting, 3.nBe7 Test Sovurions / 419 4.nvaz as 503.00 6.843 Nba7 7.00 ‘A.common mistake. White doesn't want Black to play ...c7-c5 followed by ...Qc7 because then the second player would gain contol over the e5-square. To prevent this from happening, ‘White should play 7.c3 when 7...c5 &NeS gives White a grip on eS and real chances fora kingside attack. For example: 7.c3 c5 8.NeS Ghreatening 9.14) 8..NxeS 9.dxe5 Na7 10.BM4 (if White had already castled then 10,Bxe7 followed by 11.4 would be correct. ‘The fact that White is not castled allows him to use his kingside ‘pawns in a more aggressive fashion) 10..£5 11.h4 when 2 later g2- ‘24 will give White a song attack, Te 3 ‘This lets the White Bishop calmly move back to €2 in case of ced 6 Missing his chance to play 8...c7! followed by a quick ..e6- 5. Note that 8...Q7 9.BF4 would be met by 9..Bd6. 9B NBS 10.Nes was very pleased to see that White wasn't afraid to have his pawns doubled (it doesn't matter ifthe move is actually good or bad; the fact that he embraced the concept is a very encouraging sign), These doubled guys are not weak at all, i fact, they give White a half-open e-file and firm control over the e5-square. 10...Nxfh ‘Text Nxes I2.bxes cit? Absolutely horrible. What does Black gain by this obvious attack? Yes, he threatens White's Bishop, but isthe frst player going toleave itthere? A bribe might induce him to do so, but aside from that I would guess that any semi-intellgent life form would slide theBishop back to 2. So the threat really should not play a part in Black's decision o push to c4, Instead, the gain of queenside space and tie closing ofthe center should be the main points of interest. In the present position, Black closes the center with 12...c4 and taus forces both sides to play on the wings: Black will play for 1b7-bS-bf, opening queenside files and creating, attackable {arge’s in that sector, while White will play for mate with f2-f45, Since White’ plan’is more threatening than Black's, 12...c4 shoud be rejected (with a shudder of disgust!) because it takes away Black's chances for central counterplay! Remember: Cen- tral play almost always beats wing play. Place your bets on the center whenever you can and don't get drawn into making useless one-move attacks on enemy pieces. By the way, 12...Qb6, attacking pawns on b2 and di, would have been quite annoying, White would have been so busy trying to held on to his stuff (the word *how" comes to mind!) that he ‘wouln't have time to even think about a kingside attack! 13.Be2 ‘Now White's happy. The dé-pawn has turned into a rock! 133...Ba7 14.18 16 Problem Position ao Fy w ue Ae 22 fb aa kb ad aA A & SbLD && P= w Be In the game White played 15.Bg6. Is this a good move? If you don’t like it, what do you think he should have played? [In this position, White became obsessed with his control over the c2-h7 diagonal and the attacking chances that this brings. Seeing a hole open up on g6, he played 15.86? (allthis does is let. Black eventually offer a Bishop trade with ..Be8), but dida’t have anything after 15...fxe5 16.e5 Refl+ 17.Qxfl QB 18.Qe2 OFA IRA Qg5 207+ (much better would have been 20Bb1 followed by 21.NI3 and 22.Q¢2) 20...Kh8 and suddenly White realized that his Bishop had gone too far into hostile tersiory. Bishops are longerange pieces! They don't need to stick their noses in places where they can be cutoff Going back to the diagram, uy t0 find a way to add new advantages to the ones you already have (kingside space, good light-squared Bishop versus Black's poor Bishop on d7, central space), 15.exf6 AA simple move that caries a big punch: > opens up the efile for White's Queen and Rooks. > Itexposes the e6-pawn as a backward pawn on an. open file. In other words, White created an attackable target! > It gives the White pieces access to the e5-square. > It begins a minor piece fight because now the ‘White Knight will be better than a Bishop once it reaches the juicy e5-square. ‘White still possesses those other plusses that he was mesmer- ized by, but now has a plethora of other blessings also, 15. .f6Even worse is 15...gxf62 16.Qa4+ Kh8 17.Qg6 with instant eaths On 15. .Rxf6, 16.23 followed by 17.NF3-e5 would also favor white. LG.NF3, and Whites plan of 17.Qe2 followed by 18Ruet ‘don * forget to get all your pieces into play), 19.Bb] and 20.9¢2 ‘eaves Black in sad shape (poor Black is geting killed on the bl- 7 dixgonal and is also facing pressure against eS and €6, xy GirlFsh-Langer (2071-2279), Reno 1998, SicilLin Defense, Alapin Variation met cs 23 “his move became all the rage in the 1990's 2.106 Bs ds exds exds ‘S.Nf3 BAS €Be3 c4 b3 “his forces Black to part with his space-gaining cé-pawn since 7.1057 Bad is very much in White's favor. T.nsexb3 S.axb3 Bes Girifish admits that pins on g4 Gf she's White) or g5 (if she's Blac) bring forh a rise of unstoppable panic. Why, isn't clear. Perhaps she was attacked by such a pin when she was justa child ‘or pethaps she saw this kind of pin in a motion picture and was never able to free herself of its horror. 9-b3 Bhs, 10.Be2 Test sovurions 1429 So far we dont see any ilheffects from hated pin, but her tue inner turmoil only shows itself on the twelfth move. 10...Nf6 110-000 12.Ntaze ‘What a strange move. Here we see how personal psychosis ‘can make us make moves that other people would never consider tying, OF course, those ‘other people” tend to have their own hhang-ups: the prospect of « doubled pawn could easily send one player into aft, while another person's inner demons might only come to light if they allow their opponent to gain two Bishops versus Bishop and Knight. Im the present game, Girlsh’s pinfear colors her every decision, Having dealt with the pseudo-pin (clearly the object of her ‘most primal fears), Gitlfish now begins to play aggressively again. 13.-.NO6 14.NC3 Bb4 ‘Black had no interest in giving White mobile center pawns by 14,..dxos 15.bxc, 15.Nxd5, Not falling for 15.Re1? Ba3t, winning the Exchange due to 16.Ral Bb2, 15...Nxd5 16.0xd5 Ne7 17.83 Nxd5, A very interesting position has been reached. Black is telling White that the e4-pawn is isolated and weak, while White is saying thatthe d-pawn is passed and strong, 18.Net Be3,Black finds a maneuver that hands White to free tempi! One ould think that a master wouldn't be vulnerable to such poor cisions. However, they tend to make such errors rather often. 19.ReI Now White threatens 20.Bxd5 followed by 21.Rxc3. Black 4st retreat in shame, 19...Bb4 20.Bd2 Be? 21.NeS ‘Thas looks very natural, but it actually helps Black by chasing © Bishop to f5 and 6, where it finally helps bolster the key ockading d5-square (in other words, it looks good but it has thing to do with the specific needs of the position). Tempting ematives are 21.Rel (simply threatening 22.Bxd5, winning a fece, and keeping her options open) and 21.Ne3! (this conforms the needs of the position! White forces Black to give up his ‘ocka de on d5), forcing Black to abandon his stronghold on d5, ter 21.Ne3 Nxe3? (21...Nif is much bettet) 22.Bxe3 Qd7 23.45 hite’s d-pawn has turned into a very strong passer, thereby stfying White's earlier view of reality (those two free moves ain't hurt either. How many games have been lost when one side tosses out a tural’ move with a song on their ips and hope in their hear. 21.85 22.Re1 ‘White is no longer employing 2 plan. Instead she places her eces on nice-looking squares while simultaneously ignoring the fed to break the d-blockade, 22..Re& Tear souurions / 428 White to play. In the game, White played 1.Be4, What do you think of this move? Is it a logical choice? canes This move doesn't make much sense because the light- squared Bishop is White's best plece—it kept Black worried about the d5-square, By exchanging it, all the pressure is off Black and he's finally able to create some threats. ‘There is also a tactical Raw: White's Rook on ef is unpro- tected, This tums out to be very important, and Black tries to take immediate advantage of this fact. Whatever the correct outcome should be, you must be aware of the inherent positional and tactical dangers when playing 2 move like 23.Be4, 23...Bxed 24.Rexes Ba3! ‘Threatening both 25...Bxe1 and 25...f6, taking advantage of the unprotected e-Rook. 25.Ral Bb2 26Ra? RedsreuR's Mino ‘The logical continuation, but White can stay alive by using a "tactical trick that was overlooked by both players, Worthy of eenticn is 26..f52, hoping to create a superior minor piece after NEV Qf6 26.RxeB+ (28.Nh6+2) 28...RxeB 29.Rxb2 Qxi7 when + Knight is indeed beter than the White Bishop. 27.988? Missing her big chance. White could have jumped right back. (0 the game with 27.Naf7! QF6 (27,..Kxl7 28:Rxe8 Kixe8 29.343, vves Back in a bad way) 28.Ne5 Qf5 29.Qe2 Bxd 30.Rxdd Rxe5, Qd3_ It seems that Black's attempt to refute White's 23.Be4 tically was incorrect, 27.016 28.063? Girish snaps. Also bad was 28.Qd3 Nb4 29.Qxc3 Nea Qb2.Qa6. However, 28.Be3 Qxf3 29.4x13 would have allowed. nite t> put up some resistance. 28. xd 29.Nd7% Quf2+ and Black won without any difficulty GLOSSARY Active An aggressive move line of play, oF position. When mentioned Inlieu ofa player stl, denote a preference for sharp tactical or vibrant types of pay Advantage taving 4 supercety in postion based on a particular imbalance or series of imbalances, See Imbalance, Analysts The calculation ofa series of moves ina given position, This ‘ca be done in actual tournament conditions Gia which you ae not allowed to touch the pieces) o ina calmer scenario in which the pieces can be moved about (uch analysis is often writen down for Faure study o reference). The pusposeof analysis isto discover the best move or plas there sno limit it length, Annotation Writen comments (prose, chess symbols or actual moves) about a postion or game. Attack To make threat or teats against speci pee or area othe board, Backward Pawn 4 paw that has fallen behind its comrades, and ‘thus no longer canbe supported ‘or guarded by other pass fs own persuasion, In the diagram, Black has backward pawns at d6 and £7 “The pawns on hé and b7 ate not backward because theycansafely advance 4 b> > » > oe BE Oboe e> PP > oh > >»ind To have sich avseike grip on '@ postion that useful moves. are “afi for the opponeat 10 fad. ‘One oitenspeaks of aerushingspace advantage a 2 bind “The diagram shows an extemne ‘example ofa binds Black s bound hand and foot and can undenake ‘oshing postive at ll. Bishop Pair To possess two Bishops versus the opponent’ Bishop and. ight or reo Knights. Two Bishops work extremely well together and are usually an advange in open postions. Bisbops of Opposite Color Asitution n which each player has oaly ‘ne Bishop each being of diferent colo, and thusthe Bishops ant ‘never come into contact. This usualy a good attacking imbalance for the midalegame, sine one can't defend what the ther ack. However, these Bishops are known to be rather dewish i the endgame, due othe fc thatthe defender en place his pawns and Kingem the oppose colorofthe enemy Bishop, whereupon hey ae Impervious to haa From an atticking point of view, a general ule fr Bishops of| ‘opposite colors isthat they are at their est with cher pieces to back them up. On thes owa, they are olen impotent. Blockade Conceptalized and pops lanzed by Aon Numzovich (1886- 1935), i refers 10 the ying down, Gnunebilsation) ofan enemy pan by placing a piece (in panicular a KighD directly in front of Tn the dagram, the Knight on {5s Blockaing the pawn on 5. ‘under Aborsbe mistake bathangs material or makes enoraxns posi onl o teal concessions ook Published opening theory. A “book player” sone who relies om memorization of publsed analysis ater than on hs own creative imagination, “aking someone ou of book," refers to sdestepping published analysis by playing @ new or uncehodox move. This Senieshimthe chance to make use of good memory and forces im to find good moves on his own, reek The plnngotipcendins FF Sadr lk AMR to open ines of ack on the theenaieby bebraketssiore | A purediyb2b0.scwalsmem | gy [ack White on te Lngse Dyan Teste i La BA mreatibrongh Anes pert HAW ES | ingth eeny posion Toca be dive by 4 para bak oF by 8 ‘occ mehing pecnorpe inte dagen, bmn acs ae snacking sc ote’ og atte ioment White wite ance vex [Bk dk Sin ely answered by Bt So 8 Sie teste ene gee in | py tiiec 2 breskinvough on the ‘queenside by LbxcS dxeS 2 xc a Exar docs at pure be wv igh, White wi snp rerese EE ae) tea ad ap tack open yoo (62 and ck wl be mate ite op. Britany game that contains 2 very deep saepc cone. a ‘Peal onan or an oil ln Cateation Te wring out vais wtbout movig the pees pica Teg book has tig oso or eason our ty though» gue these any oso Gat have «ply tical mtr, in sch suo the payers ay To caste ‘tno accra tks on ret inperces “The way tain your combine Calalav) vision soy the ges ofataclng payee Aking, Tal or Rapparo. Follow thcropcing moves aedthe coverup there gamer At the play shoul endesvor gr ut al te eancenhe Pan, cunts ioven ct Whew to's done caus cach Gioia move a deeply an you an wring own al tat iteration ogo. Al he tng sib dot whut ering the pee aud When you hve done al as pase (eos th in sy pad Wee Wking fo acac speed vl fellow with racic), dct moe payed make on yourboard thd hap pening he prose unl eae b omple wv a Ta the diagram, Whit intends a & 2 a’ &Genter Usually considered 10 be the ef, dt, e5, and dSaquares, ‘hough he terkory within theo, Fad 5 -parameterscanalso be thought of as ental. Centralize The cert placing of pieces snd pans so they both ‘omiol the center and extend thet iafluence over other acas ofthe board, A piece wil usualy seach maximum maneuverability and power when cently placed Checkmate See Mare Classical A style of pay (sometimes called school that is concerned ‘with forming a ful avy center. The strategie concepts that go with |Rtend tobe viewed as ukimate laws and ths are rather dogmatic. A classical opening is an opening based on these views. See Hopermodern ‘Closed Game postion locked by pawns. Such s postion tends to essen the strength of Bishops and other long-range places simpy because the pavin get in their way, Knights, not being long-range pieces, canjumpoverotherpiecesandpawnsandiatsare very se insuch closed situcuons. typical series of opening moves that leads {oa closed postion Idi NI 2h 5 3.05.05 NCS 06 Se, et, Combination A tactcal move or series of moves based on the ‘opponent's weakened King, hanging or undefended pieces or Inidequately guarded pieces. Usually involving a saciice, 2 ‘calculable series of moves leading to materal or positional gins. It {is imporant to note that combination cannot exit if at least one of the above factors ts not present ‘Though several players have atempted to create a clear defi tion throughout the yeas, the following defnton by Slimaa snd Seiraan isthe most accurate A combination sa sarfice combined ‘ith a forced sequence of moves, tht expos specie peculiarities ofthe postion in the hepe of staining a cenain gol ‘Compensation An equivalent advantage in one imbalance tha bl: lances the opponents advantage in another. For example, mater vers development or space venus a superior minor piece or tce pawns versus. Bisop, Connected Passed Patens Two or more pawns ofthe same color on ‘adacent files. See Passed Pau. Control To dominate or have the sole use ofa ile, a square oF group ‘of squares, an area ofthe board ete Having the nitive would alo pputone in “control.” Counterplay When the defending side sans his onn aggressive "ction, he issu have orbe inating counterpay. However, there ae varying degrees of coumterplay—some equaling te chances, Some notbeing quite adequate and some eadingto the caprre ofthe iniiative and subsequenily an advantage Cramp 4 dsadvantage la space that leads toa lack of moby. Critical Posttion That point i 3 postion when the evaluation will ‘leay tum to one side's advantage or sabize down io equality. Ia ‘such a postion the sales ae delicately balanced ad the slighies feror can lead wo disaster Defense move or plan designed to meet an eneny’satck or threats Ttisalso used in the names of vasous opening initated from the Black side. For example: Peuof Defense, Cro-Kann Defense ett, These Black systems are called defenses ince White has the fst move nd thas Black is considered tobe defending. Th usual lw from Black's point of view would be: defense lading t0 equalization followed, ‘only then, by the switch over toa counteratack This is the lassical approach. More modem openings ae often designed 10 create Immediate imbalances ia an effot to seize the initatve as Black Stange as lt may seem, even these counteratacking openings are tunually given the tle of defenses: Ninuo-indln Defense, Sician| Defense, Grunfeld Defense, King’s Indian Defense et Development The process of moving one’ pieces rom ther staring posts to ned postions where tee actty and mabilty re ene hanced. I must be remembered that one’s pieces should be devel oped to squares where dhey wou withthe rest oftheir army towards 4 particular goal Ian individual piece Is providing 2 use service ‘on it original square, then there may be no reason to move it thas Seileatsoseae dust cian tana ee ea Sees oae Sen eenrmare ‘The diagram shows doubled fs AL eran sos fA ean Sbeepenn erate |B A Ba eed a tol over the imporant d5-quare Bue‘Also note how doused pawns give thei onner an ex fle toute. "Black's postion the diagram would be considerably Improved fhe could double his own pawas by pacing the dé-pawn on “Dymande The woed “iynamic” symbolizes the aggressive pote in ‘any given position of move, Blo Ratieg A mathernacal sytem, now used worldwide, devised by Professor Arpad Elo rank chess players. En Passant 4 Pench txm that erly means “in passing” When & pawn advancestwe squares Gomething ean ony do ifithas not yt moved) and passes an enemy pawn, fon an adjacent file that has ac anced to ts fifth “an, t may be aaa apaured by that eremy pan a f the advancing pawn had moved x fly one square: This optional ap ‘ire may be made only onthe fst ‘opportunity, else the right, in that, snsance is permanently lst AOR athe diagram, if Black plays ¢ 1..c7-, White, iPhe wishes, may capture the pawn as fithad moved oc6. Thos, Zdee6 If afer 1..c7-c5 White dedines to capture and Insed plays 2c toen ater 2 €7-e5 White could no longer apie the cS-pawn, However, he could capture the e5-pawn by ae fhe so desired. In chess notation an En Passant capt i abcd by the Tener ep. xPrise AFrench erm meaning intake."Itdesrbess plese or pawn {hut is unprotecied and expoved 1 cape. Endgame When mast of the pieces have been exchanged, usualy Teaviag both sides with one o three pieces each ps any amount of ‘avins), dhe game ls sad to have entered the final phase known as the endgame ‘Equality 4 stuation n which nether side has an advantage -Rxchange To ase pieces of equal worth. See Poin Count. Trading a piece for something of ese value i calleda Blunder ora Sacrfice xchange, The comparison of value berween a Rook versus a ‘Bishop or Knight. Thus, f you have woa an enemy Rook foe your Bishop, you have won the Exchange Flancbetto As akan word mesning “on the Bask” Though you wil hear many diferent pronunciations, the conect i fee-an keto ‘When a Bishop is developed on QN2 OrKN2 (b2 o 2 for White and 17 or g7 for Blac, it 6 called 2 Fapehettoed Bishop. Tis term applies only t Bishops [FIDE An acronym for Federation Intemational des Echecs the World ‘chess Federation Files column of ight squares, An open fl ile thats not blocked by ether sides pawns Fis A desogatocy term denoting 4 weak chess player. Flank The sides of the boaed—the kingside and quoenside Flank ‘Openings are openings that deal with flank development Type sans for such systems ase 1.ch LN3, 1.03, 1g, ete Force Allpkecesand pawnsate unis offorce, Forexampe, White has four aching unt on the kingside to Black's two, White i sd 10 have an advantage In fore in that sector ofthe board. Forced A move orscris of moves that is be playedif sate is to be avoided. Two examples: 1) You face a forced move when your shecked King only has ce legal move o et oof check. 2 AKAght (orany other piece) is atacked and has only one safe square (00 to. Moving ito that safe square is also considered tobe forced even though other moves could legally be played. Gambit A voluntary scree fs pawn ora ploce inthe opening with The idea of gaining the titative, lead in development or some het ‘ompensting factor General Principles Basic reso play designed serve as guidelines forless advanced players. Asones experience grows, one teams tat rules are meant o be broken. For example: the old nile of aay= capture with a pawn towards the ceteris widely followed, bt a 00d 30% ofthe time itis comet to capure away fom the center, Other rules ruchas avoid doubled pass, caste asaya posse, develop Knights before shops, et.) are also fut as suspect. The simple fc is that every stuaton must be looked at with an open ‘mind—dogma isnot something to be nurtured in fe or in ches Ghosts Threats that exist only in your own mind, A fear of your ‘opponent ora lack of confidence wilt lead to the appearence (of ghosts and the cropping up of blunders in your playGrandmaster The highest chess tile (ase from World Charapon) thacone can achieve. Confeted by FIDE, sisawardedto players who meet established performance standards. Other ties (in oder of imporance) are International Master and FIDE Master, Once eared these tiles cannot be taken away. Grandmaster Draw This abel, riginaly wed to describe a quick, ‘uninteresting daw between Grandmsisters, is now employed 19 scribe a fast draw between vitualy any cass of players Mack \ derogatory chess term meaning 3 sate of chess inepiide amging An unprotected piece or pawn exposed to capture i said to be hanging Hanging Pawns Too adjaceot iendly pawns on thelr fut rank, ‘separated from other Fiend pawns, ae subjetto frontal tack on fone or two hall-open fes. Though fofen objects of stack, they also re possessacerain dynamic potential. | A Thus, the bale sages around the |g a al questo, are they rong or weak” : ‘The dagam shows 4 common hhangag pawns situation. The hang- ing pawns on 5 and d5 give Black a anedgeinspace,goodconsolonibe JA A We esta Square and presure dows [FF the haf open bile. However, they are abo exposed to attack og, see Pi AD RAAAI & Mold A defensive term meaning to “hang on. "Such and such a move ‘would have held out longer,” means that the move would have offered tougher resistance, but would mes likely have utitely Tailed. “Such and such 2 move would hold” means that the ‘mentioned move would have allowed a successful defense. ‘ole A vquarethat cannot be defended by pawns, Such square makes ‘an excellent home for enemy piccer (especially Knights). For example, the opening I. 65 2.Ne3 Nob 34 i playable, but eaves a hole ono that, afer 3.6 and 4.7, can easly Be ied by @ Blac pice “Mrdeh A special room st aside for players in x toumament 0 analyze their games and play slues. Such a room allows various Kinds of| activity w© go on without disturbing the unfinished games i the ‘tournament. Usually used by the non-masters (called Rabbi), the term hutch becomes easy understandable. See Rabbit and Sits Hypermodern school of thought hat insists that indies contol of the center is beter than direct ccupation. In paricular, Reti and [Nimzovich succesfully propagated the idea of central control from the tanks. Unfomunately they tok thei ideas to extremes—just as the lassicsts cid, Ty tis ecognzed tha both schools ofthavaht are partially conect, and a blending of the two isthe only tly balanced meshed. Imbalance Any diference between the White and Black postions ‘Matera advantage, superior pawn rructure, siperior minor pecs, space, developmen, ad the itiave are all typical imbalances, Inltative When your opponents defending and you are stacking ting presure on hin, said at you have the iniiatve Innovation cew save in an exablibed position or opening Intuitive Usually a sgn of expesience enables a player to choose 2 ‘move or plan by feel cr comsnen sense as opposed to deuiled anal. {volated Pawn pawn with 0 ready pawns on eter adacen fle ‘A.comimon opening that allows an soled pawn is Le e6 2d dS 3Nd2 cS end exdS 5 NaS NeS 6 HDS Bdb 7x5 BxeS 80.0 Nee? ‘9NDBdS 10. Nbdt. The negatives ofan voted pawmareitsnabily tobe guarded by ftendly pawn and the fat thatthe square dreey fn frontof sally maker ine home for an enemy piece since no pavenscan chaseitaway.Onthe postive side, offers plenty ofspace and the use of two halF-open or open files on ether side oft, with the rel that one's pleces usually become active. Kingstde The bil of the board originally occuped by the King, K- Bishop, Knight and K-Rook. The kingsde ison the ight ef the player with the White pieces and onthe lft ofthe player wth the Black pieces. Liquidation» series of exchanges that ae inated to quell an enemy “atic orto tradeoff to 8 dean or won endgame {Luft _Luerlly meaning “ar” In chess it describes a pawn move in one ‘of one's King that prevents back rank mate possiblities. “Major Pleces A%s0 caled heavy pies. The term applies to Queens ‘and Rooks. See Minor Pieces an PawnsManeuver A series of quiet moves that sim to favorably sepostion ‘one's pices. ‘Master payee becomes a master when he reaches an Bo ang of 2200, though he wlllose this ie his ating drops below that poi ‘Mate shor for checkrateIrmeans that you are threatening to capture the enemy King and nothing your opponent can do wil prevent ts loss When this lappens, you have won the game Material The pieces and pawns, excuding the King. A material "advantage s obtained by winning piece of greater value dhan the ‘oneyou paveup. Forexample,gvingupa pawn towina Rook mears ‘hat you have an advantage in materia, Mating Attack An atack on the King tat is expected to lead to a checkmate, Middlegame The phsse othe game that ts berween the opening and the endgame. Subile plans and exciting attacks are generally Seen ia the confines of the middie. Grandmaster Tarasch once said, ‘Berween the opening andthe endgame, the gods have placed the rmiddlegame | ‘Minor Pieces The Bishops andthe Knights, Minority Attack 4 pln based onthe use of wo or more pawns (the inority) to act as batering rams against the opponents thee oF ‘more pawns (the majonty) in onder to create a Weakness in the ‘opposing camp. Here isthe mostcommon opening sequence by which minority aval i reached 1.4445 24 €6 5Ne3 NIB 4Dg5 Be7 S.exdS exe {N3O07€5c68 BE Nba? 9.Qc2 Re 10.0088 11 BefSB6 12.4 71355 Bd6 14 base, Whites cared out his minory attack and has let Black wih weak pawn on 6 anda weak square on 5. ‘cra futhce RCI, Rabl and Nat, White wll have grest pressure aganst Black's queens. This plan s very mporantto undersand, and stations forts use constantly ane Mobility To have freedom of movement for one's pieces Mysterious Rook Move 4 move wit a Rook that seems w have 90 threat or purpose, but which actaly discourages the opponent from ceraintypeof action Gee Prophylandorsets up avery deep, well ‘concealed pln. ‘Occupation When a Rook or Queen contol. fle or rank, that le or ‘ak is said tobe occupied. Occupation ofa square occurs when & piece i safely placed upon it Open Atype of postion (see Open Game) orfile (se Oper Fie This erm also refers 10a ype of tournament ia which any class of player ‘aa paricipate. Though a player often ends up with opponents who ‘are much higher (or lower) rated than himsel, the prizes are usually Sirvctured around cases and, fortis eaton, opens are attractive 10 players of every rating, The open toumament is exremely popularia the United States and is beginning to be seen more and more in Burope. (Open File Acolumn of eight square that sre of pawns. tion open, fs and ranks) that Rooks come other maximum potential Open Game _A:ypeof postion thats characerzedby many opentines ad few center pawns. A lead in development becomes very important in postions ofthis type. ‘Opentug The beginning phase ofa ame. This usualy encompasses the Test dozen moves but ican easly go much further is often ween thar the main opening objectives are: 1) develop your pieces in ‘quick apd efficent manner, 2 occupy a8 much of the center as oslo, 3) caste cay Oking sale), "While can say thatthese objectives ae basically correc, the real porpove ofthe opening sto create an imbalance and develop your pieces in such 2 way that they al Work together in making the Imbalance a favorhlestbate Opposition in the endgame, 2 ight beeen Kings often occurs that ‘imately determines which ane i aronger. Thi faceoff between | the two monarchs is known a the oppostion. ‘Outfanking An endgame mancuver wi Kings which makes forward ‘progress on the board while: 1) Simultaneously preventing your ‘opponent rom taking cect oppestion; or2) Temporary giving up the opposition fora higher goal. (Overestended When playertsisto gin some advantages by staring {majoradvance or offensive, andthen this offensive fal, he often left with various Weaknesses and noting 0 compensate for them, is postion i then sad t be overextended,‘Sverprotection term coined by Nimzovich, It cefers to defending a ‘ong point more times dan uppeus aecesary. The Wes is that & ‘eran pawn oF square may be using the Blick (he oppenest) Considerable problems. By focusing so much energy on the Back piyer would be unwise to break tat point heause that Would Uoleash the latent energy of the Whe pices Inthe diagram, Whit is overprotecting te

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