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Outpost
As lines and ranks are important for the
rooks and diagonals for the bishops, so are
outposts for the knights. First of all we
have to ask ourselves what an outpost
actually is. We can define it as a defended
square in front or in the middle of the
opponents camp, from where it is very
hard to get rid of the knight. When it is
possible it is usually linked with a high
cost.
The great teacher of chess strategy Aaron
Nimzowitsch was the first who approached
the question of the outpost scientifically.
In the position on the diagram he explained
it like this:
Instructive example - Nimzowitsch
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+-trk+0
9zppzp-+pzpp0
9-+-zp-+n+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9+-mKRtR-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
The key of the position represent the move
1.Nd5. The d5 square is in this case a
point; and the piece, which takes over the
point, is called an outpost. So an outpost is
a piece in the opponents camp, which is
placed on semi-open file and is defended
by a pawn. The most suitable piece for an
outpost role is the knight.
In our position the knight will be a neverending threat for Black. From the d5
square the knight is functioning in all
ways: it is attacking the c7 pawn,
preventing possible actions on the e-file,
restricting the knight and preparing the
advancement of its pawns. Black will
FIDE Surveys Georg Mohr
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-tr-+0
9zpp+-+pmkp0
9-+n+pzp-+0
9wqN+-+-+-0
9-+P+PzP-wQ0
9+-+r+-+-0
9P+-+-+PzP0
9tR-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
19.e5!
1
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9-+-wq-trk+0
9+p+-+p+p0
9p+nsNp+-+0
9+-+-zp-+Q0
9-+P+-zP-+0
9+-+r+-+-0
9P+-+-+PzP0
9+-+-tRRmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
23.c5!
But of course the great Azerbaijan foresaw
this outcome way in advance! After
23...ef4 24.Qg4 Kh8 25.Qf4 f5 (the f7
square is indefensible) 26.Re6 the position
around the black king falls apart.
23...f5 24.fe5 b5
The position has stabilized, the evaluation
is clear: White has a huge advantage. The
knight on d6 is the main cause of
confusion in the opponents camp and
Black cannot connect his pieces anymore.
Pawn weaknesses (b7, e6) are more and
more obvious and on top even the black
king cannot be calm. An active queen and
a knight can quickly become dangerous,
but if also one of the rooks would join
them
FIDE Surveys Georg Mohr
25.Rf3! Qa5
After 25...Rf3 26.gf3 White would open
the g-file, from where the rook on e1
would join the attack.
26.Re2 Qb4 27.Rd3 Qb1 28.Kf2 Qd3
29.Qg5 Kh8 30.Qh6!+Look at how uncoordinated Blacks pieces
are! All the confusion was caused by the
knight on d6, which is taking on different
tasks: it is looking towards the king,
preventing the queen from returning back
into defence, taking all the key squares
from the black rook.
30Qd4 31.Kf1 Kg8
The maneuver which helps the king with
the help of the rook to avoid perpetual
checks is very instructive: 31...Qd1 32.Re1
Qd3 33.Kg1 Qd4 34.Kh1 and the checks
end+-.
32.Qe6 Kh8 33.Qh6 Kg8 34.Qg5 Kh8
35.e6 1:0.
The role of the outpost on the 6th rank can
also be easily and successfully played by
other pieces. It depends, which ones stayed
on the board. The rook in many cases
anchors itself on the 6th rank during the
fight for a file and it forces the opponent to
make an unpleasant choice: whether to
give up the file or to exchange, which
creates to his opponent an extremely
dangerous passed pawn:
Instructive example
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9-+-trr+-+0
9+p+-mkpzpp0
9-+ptRp+-+0
9+-zP-zP-+-0
9-zPK+-zP-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+PzP0
9+-+R+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
The position is seemingly equal (material),
2
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-tr-+k+0
9zp-+-+pvlp0
9-+p+-+p+0
9+-+-zp-+-0
9-wq-+-+-+0
9+-sNlzP-zP-0
9PzP-+-zPLzP0
9tR-wQ-tR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
21...e4!
Black is deliberately making the d3 square
stronger, though the bishop doesnt need
support at the time.
22.Rd1 Rab8 23.Rd2 c5 24.Qe1 Bc3!
25.bc3 Qa5!
An exceptional positional understanding.
Even though 25...Qc3 wasnt good,
because of the tactical defence 26.Be4
(26Be4?? 27.Rd8), Black decided to
exchange and he changed his seemingly
very powerful dark-squared bishop for a
passive knight.
26.Rc1
With the move 26.c4 White would prevent
Black from making his outpost even
stronger, but after some exchanges another
positional element would take the leading
role an open file and penetration to the
7th rank: 26Rb4 27.Bf1 (27.Rc1 Ra4)
27...Bf1 28.Rd8 Qd8 29.Qf1 Qd2 30.a3
Rb2 31.Rd1 Qc3 and Whites pawns are
FIDE Surveys Georg Mohr