Issue 22

Magazine
Endgame Series 22
Rook versus Knight The King is a
Strong Piece

Understand the Najdorf

Structures Part 3 The Skill of
Manoeuvring
Understand the English
Hedgehog Part 2
CONTENTS
Endgame Series 22 - Rook versus Knight (GM Davorin Kuljasevic) 
3
3 Position 1
4 Position 2 : Kling and Horwitz,1851
5 Position 3
7 Position 4 : Arabian manuscript,1257
10 Position 5 : Topalov,V. (2740) - Ding Liren (2812) / Vugar Gashimov Mem 2019 (8.4) 8.4.19
12 Position 6 : Arabian manuscript,1257
18 Position 7 : Reti,1929.
23 Exercises 1 - 5

The Skill of Manoeuvring (GM Swapnil Dhopade)

28
28 Karthikeyan,Murali (2510) - Dhopade,Swapnil (2458) / National Challengers, Nagpur 2015 (10.1)
30 Dhopade,Swapnil (2488) - Stany,G.A.. (2421) / 1st IIFL Wealth Open, Mumbai, 2016 (7.1)
31 Ivanov,Sergey (2545) - Dhopade,Swapnil (2526) / 46th Rilton Cup 2016-17 (5.3) 02.01.2017
33 Dhopade,Swapnil (2485) - Swaminathan,Soumya (2360) / 25th Abu Dhabi Masters 2018 (8.28)
35 Das,Arghyadip (2416) - Dhopade,Swapnil (2533) / Inter-Railways, Vadodara 2017 (7.2)
36 Test positions 1 - 10
39 Answers

Understand the Najdorf Structures - Part 3 (GM Renato Quintillano)

47
47 Position 1 : Hou,Yifan (2590) - Wang,Hao (2696) / CHN-ch Xinghua Jiangsu (3) 28.05.2009
51 Position 2 : Brandenburg,Daan (2535) - Giri,Anish (2687) / NED-ch Boxtel (6) 02.07.2011
54 Position 3 : Demchenko,Anton (2645) - Areshchenko,Alexander (2650) / FIDE World Cup (1.3) 05.09.2017
57 Position 4 : Sengupta,Deep (2551) - Areshchenko,Alexander (2654) / Warsaw Najdorf Memorial op-A 14th (5)
60 Position 5 : Pitra,Andika (2390) - Le,Quang Liem (2712) / Ho Chi Minh City HD Bank op 7th (1)
63 Position 6 : Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter (2668) - Karjakin,Sergey (2694) / World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk (4.2)
66 Position 7 : Bologan,Viktor (2655) - Zhang,Zhong (2632) / Tan Chin Nam Cup 7th (6) 14.07.2001
69 Position 8 : Ali,Muhammad Lutfi (2421) - Sasikiran,Krishnan (2676) / Asian Indoor Games 5th (3) 22.09.2017

Understand the English Hedgehog - Part 2 (GM Mihail Marin)

74
74 Uhlmann,Wolfgang (2555) - Gheorghiu,Florin (2540) / Manila Interzonal (12) 28.06.1976
76 Polugaevsky,Lev (2620) - Ftacnik,Lubomir (2475) / Luzern ol (Men) (5)
78 Boensch,Uwe (2575) - Ftacnik,Lubomir (2570) / Tirnavia-A Trnava
82 Bugajski,Robert (2315) - Stempin,Pawel (2350) / POL-ch 39th Zielona Gora 1982
82 Hort,Vlastimil - Tal,Mihail / Havana ol (Men) fin-A (1) 1966
83 Meduna,Eduard (2435) - Boensch,Uwe (2490) / Halle DSV (10) 1978
83 Mariotti,Sergio (2478) - Makropoulos,Georgios (2345) / Praia da Rocha zt 1978
84 Zaltsman,Vitaly F (2460) - Browne,Walter S (2540) / USA-ch Greenville (7) 1980

The King is a Strong Piece (GM Valeriy Aveskulov)

82
 Modern Chess Magazine 3

Endgame Series 22 - Rook However, there are two winning scenarios

that we will investigate: 1. King and knight
versus Knight are poorly coordinated on the last rank/
rook’s file; and 2. King and knight are
disconnected from each other. The
above-mentioned high-profile game
featured the first scenario and we will see
it shortly. But first, let us cover some
basics.

a b c d e f g h

8 8

7 7

6 6

5 5

Position 1 4 4

3 3
In a recently played super-tournament in
Shamkir, the game between Veselin 2 2
Topalov and Ding Liren drew worldwide 1 1
attention as the Bulgarian lost the
a b c d e f g h
‘elementary drawn’ rook vs knight
endgame. If a world-class player can lose
this endgame, it means that things may With the king and knight on central files, both
not be as simple in practice as they are in pieces have enough manoeuvring space to
theory. Therefore, I decided to investigate avoid the worst outcome.
rook vs knight endgame in this issue of
1...Nc6 2.Rc7 Nd8 3.Re7+ Kf8 4.Rd7
Endgame series. After reading this article,
you should get a better idea about typical [ The alternative is 4.Re1 Nf7 5.Ra1
ideas and dangers in this endgame, or at when Black simply holds the position
least refresh your memory of this with Ke8 6.Ra8+ Nd8 ]
endgame. Of course, if the king and the
knight are together somewhere in, or 4...Ke8 5.Rc7 Kf8 6.Ra7 Ke8
around, the centre of the board, the draw and we can see that, unlike in a similar
is pretty trivial as the side with the rook position with the bishop, the knight can
can do little to make progress. Therefore, hold off opponent's king from entering
this type of endgame is not interesting opposition - the e6-square is
from a theoretical point of view, and unavailable for the white king, so White
indeed most such cases end in a quick can not threaten back-rank checkmate.
draw in practice. Therefore, this position is a draw.
www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
Position 2
Kling and Horwitz,1851.
Famous endgame composers and
theoreticians Kling and Horwitz have
investigated a slightly more difficult, yet
still drawn setup with Nf8, Kg8. Black
has to display more accurate play than
in the previous example, though it is still
a draw.
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black's maneuvering space is very tight,
so after: 1.Kf6 Nh7+ 2.Kg6 Nf8+
3.Kh6 Kh8 he is forced to put his king
in the corner, which is often a risky
proposition. White can try to take
advantage of it with 4.Rf7
[ Cutting off the king immediately
with 4.Rg7 does not accomplish
much after: Ne6 5.Rg1 Nf8= ]
4...Kg8
[ but not 4...Ne6? 5.Rf6+- ]
5.Rg7+ Kh8 6.Rg1
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4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Giving a move to your opponent is often
a good strategy in the endgame. Black is
not in zugzwang here, but he has a good
chance of going wrong if he is not
careful. 6...Nd7! Only this slightly
counter-intuitive move holds the position.
Generally, the side with king and knight is
well-advised not to separate the pieces,
so this move seems risky. However, in
this particular case, White cannot take
advantage of the separation, and Black
survives. It is well worth
remembering this defence, as we will
see shortly how even strong players
have been punished for not being aware
of it (in similar positions).
[ Two more natural knight moves have
serious drawbacks. In case of
6...Ne6? White plays 7.Kg6!planning
to transfer his king to f7 with a mating
attack. Black's problem is that after
Kg8 ( 7...Nf4+ 8.Kf7+- ) 8.Kf6+ the
knight on e6 falls to a discovered
check. ]
[ The second possibility 6...Nh7?allows
Black to keep the knight close to the
king, but once again, the mating attack
starting with 7.Kg6!and Kf7, is decisive.
Kg8 ( or 7...Nf8+ 8.Kf7 Nh7 9.Rg8# )
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
and now the waiting move: 8.Rg2!
puts Black in zugzwang as he can
not prevent the intrusion to f7 any
more: Nf8+ 9.Kf6+ Kh8 10.Kf7+- ]
7.Kg6 Just as in variations
analyzed above, this is the critical
attempt for White
[ Trying to cut off the knight with 7.Rf1 Nh7 (or Kf8, Ng8 translated to the initial
is not successful due to Kg8 ]
7...Kg8! and now we can see why it
was actually essential to disconnect
the knight and the king - on d7 it is
immune to the discovered check with
the king (as in 6...Ne6 variation), while
also not being in the way of his own
king on f8
(as in 6...Nh7 variation). 8.Rf1
[ In case of 8.Rg2 the f8-square
is available for the king Kf8= ]
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5
8...Nf8+ 9.Kf6 Nh7+ 10.Ke7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Instead of f7, the white king reached e7-
square, which could still lead to a winning
attack if Black did not have
10...Kg7! The king has to escape the
eight rank. White can still force him to the
edge of the board with 11.Rg1+ Kh6
12.Kf7 but here we can see that the Kh6,
position) setup is also drawn for Black:
12...Ng5+ 13.Kf6 Nh7+ 14.Kf5 Nf8!=
Black knight has just enough
manoeuvring space.
Position 3
The worst setup for the defender is when
his knight is in the corner. This position
can also arise from a rook vs pawn
endgame when underpromotion to a
knight is forced by a threat of back-rank
checkmate. Anyway, the side with the
rook wins, as can be seen from the next
position.
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black to move cannot consolidate his
pieces in a good way. After 1...Nf7+
2.Kf6 he is forced to play 2...Nd6
separating his knight from the king.
[ in the view of 2...Nh6 3.Kg6+- ] Now,
White is winning in more than one way,
but the most accurate continuation is
3.Ra5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The point is that the rook controls
important squares on the fifth rank in
some variations, which makes knight's
already modest manoeuvring scope
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6
even more limited. Black has many
options, but none of them help him.
3...Nc4
[ 3...Kf8 4.Ra8+ Ne8+ 5.Ke6+- ]
[ 3...Ne4+ 4.Kg6 Kf8 5.Rf5+ Kg8
6.Re5 Nd6 7.Re6+- ]
[ 3...Ne8+ 4.Ke7 Ng7 5.Rg5 Kh7
6.Kf7 Kh8 7.Rg1+- ]
[ 3...Kh7 4.Rh5+ Kg8 5.Rd5 Nc4
6.Rd7 transposes to the main
variation ]
4.Ra8+ Kh7 5.Ra7+ Kg8 6.Rd7!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
As you can see, there is no need to rush
things in this type of endgame. White
has already forced black knight away
from its king and now he just needs to
patiently close down the net around it.
Moves like 3. Ra5! and 6.Rd7! allow
White to quietly limit the mobility of
opponent's knight until he finally traps it.
6...Ne3
[ 6...Kh8 7.Rd4+- followed by Kf7
leads to a checkmate. ]
[ in case of 6...Nb6 the knight is also
dominated after 7.Rd4! Kh7 8.Kf7+- ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
7.Kg6 Kf8 8.Rd4!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Another quiet centralizing move that
takes away available squares from the
black knight. Such moves are often
more effective than direct attacks. After
the rook traps the knight, the king can
close in on, and capture, it. 8...Nc2
9.Re4 Na3
[ A funny variation with black pieces in
opposite corners arises after 9...Na1
10.Kf6 Kg8 11.Rg4+ Kh7 12.Rg7+
Kh8 13.Kg6!+- and the knight is too
far away to prevent checkmate. ]
10.Kf6! It is important to keep the
opposition so that Black can't move the
knight due to the mating threat.
10...Kg8
11.Rg4+ Kh7
[ 11...Kf8 12.Ra4+- ]
12.Rg7+ Kh8
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7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black king has been cornered, and now
the most convincing way to win is to
play for checkmate with 13.Kg6! Nc4
14.Re7!+-
Position 4
Arabian manuscript,1257.
The ‘forbidden square’ There is one
more setup that the side with the king
and knight should avoid - the king on g8
and knight on g7. The problem with g7-
square (b7, if the king is in the other
corner) is that White can take away f5-
and h5-squares from the knight by
putting the rook on the fifth rank and put
Black in zugzwang this way. You may
remember from analysis of Position 2
that in a similar position with the knight
on g8 instead of g7, Black always has
the h6-square for his knight - so Kf8,
Ng8 setup is drawn. However, Kg8-Ng7
setup, while apparently more active, is
losing in most cases and should,
therefore, be avoided by the defender.
Interestingly, this was already known
over 700 years ago!
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Chess historians have discovered that
an Arabian manuscript from the year
1257 (!) contains analysis of this exact
position. You might be asking - how is it
possible that this position has been
analyzed that early since we know that
rules of piece movement in chess as we
know it today have been instituted later,
around 15th-16th century? And you
would be right because these medieval
manuscripts did not contain chess
positions, but rather positions from
shatranj, the predecessor of chess! This
board game, hailing from old Persian
empire, had many similarities with chess,
but mainly differed in authorities of the
queen, a much less 'emancipated' piece
in shatranj. In addition, movements of
bishop and pawn were different in
shatranj compared to modern chess.
However, the three pieces that we have
in this endgame; namely, the king, the
rook and the knight - moved in exactly
the same way almost a millennium ago
as they do today! Thus, the Arabian
chess manuscript from 1257 with
analysis of Rook vs Knight endgame
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8
has preserved its value over the years,
and I wonder if this is the oldest
published theoretical endgame in chess!
1...Na5+ 2.Kb5 Nb7
[ After 2...Nb3 White traps the knight
by 3.Rd8 Kb7 4.Rd1 ]
3.Rf8!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Just as in position 3, we should make a
pass move in order to put Black in some
sort of zugzwang. 3...Nd6+ 4.Kc6 Nc4
[ 4...Ne4 We have seen in the
previous example what happens when
the knight goes away from the king.
White's winning strategy consists of
combining knight trapping with mating
ideas: 5.Rf7+ Kb8 6.Rb7+ Ka8
7.Rb4 Nf6 8.Rf4 Nh5 9.Rf5 Ng3
10.Rf3 followed by Kb6 or Kc7 with a
mate. ]
5.Rf4 Na5+
[ White uses a similar strategy (to 4...
Ne4) in the following variation: 5...Nd2
6.Ra4+ Kb8 7.Kb6 Kc8 8.Rf4!
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
It is useful to remember how the
diagonal placement of the rook two
files apart is often the best way to
limit the knight. Nb3 9.Rf3 Nd2 ( or
9...Nd4 10.Rc3+ Kb8 11.Rd3 Ne6
12.Rd6+- ) 10.Rc3+ Kb8 11.Rc6 Nb3
12.Rc4! and black knight is lost. ]
6.Kb5 Nb7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The knight returns to the safety, but
White traps it with 7.Rd4! This is the key
move in this endgame. Black has to play
7...Kb8 and now White wins with the
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9
precise 8.Ka6! keeping the b-file open
for the rook.
[ 8.Kb6? is wrong as after Kc8!
White cannot prevent Nb7-d8. ]
8...Kc7
[ The alternative 8...Nc5+ does not
save Black: 9.Kb6 Ne6 ( 9...Nb7
10.Rd7 Ka8 11.Rh7+- ) 10.Rd6+- ]
9.Rc4+ Kb8 10.Rb4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The knight is pinned, but Black has one
last trick up his sleeve: 10...Ka8
defending with a stalemate motif.
However, he can not realistically hope to
save the game with his king in the corner.
White just needs to readjust his pieces
to avoid the stalemate scenario. 11.Kb6!
Kb8
[ 11...Nd6 12.Rh4 Kb8 13.Rh8+
Nc8+ 14.Kc6+- ]
12.Kc6 Ka8 Defending with a stalemate
once again; however White has
improved the position of his king and
now he can threaten checkmate from
both sides: Kc7, Ra4# or Kb6, Rh8#.
13.Rh4 Kb8
[ In case of 13...Nd8+ White uses a
nice triangulation to get the knight out
 Modern Chess Magazine 10

of the defensive position: 14.Kc7 a b c d e f g h

Ne6+ 15.Kb6 with an inevitable 8 8
checkmate. ]
7 7
14.Rh8+ Ka7
6 6

a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h

3 3 In the game that was mentioned in the

introduction, Topalov makes a huge
2 2
mistake in a drawn position by putting his
1 1 knight on the 'forbidden' square:
a b c d e f g h
96.Ng7? As we have seen in Position 4,
even the 13th century Arabs knew that this
setup is losing! While it wouldn't be fair to
We have returned to the starting position, expect Topalov to know such historical
but with White to move. Of course, now it details, he should have probably been
is winning simply: 15.Rh7 Ka8 16.Kb6 familiar with this theoretical position from
and there is no more stalemate, so Black trusted endgame sources, such as
gets checkmated. Averbakh's or Dvoretsky's endgame
manuals. Okay, he could even get a pass
on this as it is difficult to know all
theoretical endgames by heart. But, what
is really baffling is that Topalov played
Position 5 (and won!) a tournament in which another
super-GM Etienne Bacrot made the
Topalov,V. 2740 identical mistake against Gata Kamsky!
The tournament in question is Sofia Mtel
Ding Liren 2812
Masters, played in the year 2006 - and
Vugar Gashimov Mem 2019 (8.4) 8.4.19
while this was a long time ago, it is still
perplexing how Topalov did not remember
It seems like some of the best players in from Bacrot's game basically the only
the world are not familiar with this danger that is hidden in this type of
exception, though! endgame.
[ Now, to refresh our theoretical
knowledge, the only move that draws
is the counter-intuitive: 96.Nc7!
You may remember that a similar idea
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 Modern Chess Magazine
was used in Position 2, only one file to
the right. Kf6 ( 96...Re3 97.Kf8!=;
96...Rf7 97.Ne8= ) 97.Kf8!
with a draw by analogy to Position 2. ]
96...Kf6 97.Nh5+ Ke6? Ding almost
lets the win slip from his hands with this
natural, but imprecise move.
[ Surprisingly, Black wins by making a
step back with his king: 97...Kf5!
98.Ng7+ ( 98.Kg7 Kg5!-+ ) and now
98...Ke5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
is the key, as it prevents White from
defending with Ne6 or Kf8. After the
forced continuation: 99.Nh5 Rh3
100.Ng7 Kf6 101.Ne8+ Ke7
102.Ng7 we get the position that
arose after the move 104 in the actual
game. ]
98.Kh7? White returns the favour, but
this time he will not get another chance
to save the game.
[ He could have redeemed himself with
98.Kg7 Rf1 ( This time 98...Kf5
is met by 99.Nf6= ) 99.Kg6!
with a drawing method similar to the
one from Position 2: Rg1+ 100.Kh6
Rg4 101.Ng7+ Kf7 102.Nh5 Rg6+
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11
103.Kh7 Rc6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
and now we get a mirror image of the
starting position. By analogy, White
draws with 104.Ng3!= and loses after
104.Ng7? ]
98...Kf5 99.Ng7+ Kf6 100.Nh5+ Kg5
101.Ng7 Rh3+ 102.Kg8 Kf6 103.Ne8+
Ke6!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
This is the start of the winning
triangulation. White needs to 'lose' the
tempo this way in order to win time to
 Modern Chess Magazine
get his rook to the fifth rank. 104.Ng7+
[ It is important that the white king
cannot escape from the eight rank
with 104.Kg7 since after Ke7
105.Nc7 Rh5! his knight gets cut off
from the king, and we know what that
usually means... 106.Na6 Rb5
107.Nc7 Ra5!-+ ]
104...Ke7 105.Nf5+ Kf6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Thanks to the triangulation, Black
managed to distance white knight from
the safe zone and get the theoretically
winning position - see 4.Kc6 in Position
4. 106.Nd6 Rh5!? Not the 'textbook'
move, but it is logical enough - Black
brings his rook to the key fifth rank.
[ Textbook win by analogy to Position 4
is: 106...Rd3 107.Ne8+ Ke7
108.Ng7 Rd5! etc. ]
107.Nf7
[ An additional option, that could be
eliminated by playing 106...Rd3, is
107.Ne4+ when Black still needs to
show some accuracy: Ke6!
( 107...Ke5 108.Nc5 ) 108.Kg7 Re5!
and the knight is bound to be trapped
somehow. ]
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12
107...Rd5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The key move that puts the knight into a
cage with no escape. 108.Nh6 Rd8+
109.Kh7 Rd7+ 110.Kg8 and White
resigned, not waiting for 111...Kg6.
0-1
Position 6
Arabian manuscript,1257.
Knight is cut off So far, we have seen
several winning scenarios with the king
and knight on the edge of the board. In
some of them, the knight was trapped in
that area, while in the others it was
forced to be separated from the king
and often trapped on another part of the
board. In many such cases, defender’s
problems are multiplied by the bad
position of his king, allowing the side
with the rook to combine knight trapping
with a mating attack. In this section, we
will look at several examples when the
knight is cut off from the king, but the
king is not in the mating net.
 Modern Chess Magazine
Consequently, the only winning strategy
here will be to trap the knight with
coordinated action of the rook and the
king. Let us, once again, consult the old
Arabian manuscript for some endgame
theory:
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black knight is cut off from his king, but
Black has a clear plan of reconnecting
them: ...Kb7-c7,...Ng4-f6-d7. Thus, for
the start White needs to make sure to
prevent this happy reunion. 1.Kd6!
This is probably not the only winning
move, but it is the most logical one,
keeping the black king out of c7-square.
Black has many options here, but none
of them save him if White plays his
cards right. The critical one is 1...Kb6
trying to bring his disconnected pieces
together via ...Ng4-e3-c4 and ...Kb6-b5.
[ The alternatives are analyzed below.
I suggest that you study them carefully
to get a better feeling of the trapping
process, which is not always as
straightforward as it may seem.
1...Nh6 2.Rb5+
A) The alternative is no better,
though. 2...Kc8 3.Ke6!
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13
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
keeping the knight out of f7 and
threatening to trap it with Rg5-g6.
Ng4 4.Rb2 Kc7 5.Rg2 Ne3 6.Re2
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
White is, naturally, using the
position of the black king to limit
the movement of the knight due to
tactical motives such as pin, double
attack, or a skewer (i.e. Nc4 loses
to Rc2). Nd1 ( 6...Ng4 7.Kf5 Nh6+
8.Kg6+- ) 7.Ke5+- followed by Ke5-
d4 and Re2-d2.;
 Modern Chess Magazine
B) 2...Ka6 This allows the king to
be pushed to the edge of the board,
giving White additional tactical
motives. 3.Kc6
B1) 3...Nf7 4.Rd5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Diagonal 'opposition' of rook and
knight is a common trapping
construction in this endgame.
Nh6 5.Rd4 Ka5 ( 5...Ka7
6.Kc7+- ) 6.Rf4 Ng8 7.Kd7 Kb5
8.Ke6 Kc5 9.Rg4+-;
B2) 3...Ng4 4.Rf5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
www.modern-chess.com
14
A precise move that increases the
mobility of the rook, more than
anything else. Black loses in all
variations:
B2a) or 4...Ka7 5.Rf4 Ne3
( 5...Ne5+ 6.Kc7 Ka6 7.Rf6+
followed by the pin - Rf5. )
6.Re4 Nf5 7.Kc7 Ka6
8.Re6+ A precise check! Ka7
9.Re5+-;
B2b) 4...Ne3 5.Rf2!
This is stronger than attacking
the knight with 5.Rf3 because
then 5...Nc4 would defend the
a3-square and Black could
reconnect his pieces with 6...
Na3. Ka5 6.Kc5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
A beautiful multi-purpose
attacking move that combines
threats to the black king
(Ra2#) and the knight (Kd4).
White wins after: Ka6 ( or
6...Ka4 7.Rf4+ ) 7.Kd4 Ng4
8.Rg2+- ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
[ 1...Nh2 is not too helpful as the
knight is moving even further away
from the king. White wins with: 2.Rf5
threatening Rf4 Ng4 3.Rf3 Kb6
4.Rg3 Nf2 5.Kd5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The knight is pretty much trapped on
the first 3 ranks, so the king simply
moves in to capture it. Kb5 6.Kd4
Kb4 7.Rg2 Nh3 8.Ke3+- ]
[ 1...Nf2 runs into diagonal opposition
with 2.Rd4! Kb6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
www.modern-chess.com
15
and now White has to 'lose' a move
with
A) since the immediate 3.Ke5?
Kc5! becomes a position of mutual
(reciprocal) zugzwang with White to
move. White should aim to get this
position with Black to move,
instead. 4.Rd2 Ng4+ 5.Kf4 ( 5.Kf5
Ne3+= ) 5...Nf6=;
B) 3.Ke6! Kc5 ( 3...Nh3
doesn't help: 4.Kf5 Ng1 5.Re4
Nf3 6.Kf4 Nd2 7.Rd4!+- ) 4.Ke5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Now, Black is the one in zugzwang!
Nh3 5.Rd2 Ng5 6.Rf2 Kc4 7.Rf5
Nh3 8.Ke4+- followed by Ke3 and
Rh5. Black can do nothing about
it. ]
[ Two more knight moves are: 1...Ne3
2.Rb5+
A) 2...Kc8 3.Ke6 Kc7 4.Rb3 Nd1
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The knight is all but trapped in a
poor position, so it is time to bring
in the king. 5.Ke5 Nf2 ( 5...Kc6
6.Kd4+- ) 6.Rg3 Kd7 ( 6...Kc6
7.Kd4 Kd7 8.Rg2 Nh3 9.Ke3+- )
7.Kf4 Ke6 8.Rf3 Nd1 9.Ke4 Nb2
10.Kd4 Kd6 11.Ra3! Nd1
12.Ra2+-;
B) 2...Ka6 3.Kc5 Nd5 The last try,
but even this doesn't work. ( 3...Ka7
4.Rb3 Nf5 5.Rf3+-; Sub-variation:
3...Nf5 4.Rb3 Ne7 5.Rb6+ Ka7
6.Re6 Nc8 7.Kc6! Nb6 8.Re4+-
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
www.modern-chess.com
16
transposes to the winning position
from the game Topalov-Ding
Liren. ) 4.Rb3 Nf4 5.Kc6 Ka5
6.Re3! The final precision. Black is in
zugzwang. Ng6 7.Re6 Nf4
8.Re5+ and 9.Re4 wins ]
[ and: 1...Nf6 when the simple
diagonal opposition with 2.Rd4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
traps the knight in the e5-h8 quadrant.
A) 2...Ne8+ 3.Kd7! Nf6+ ( 3...Ng7
4.Rd5 ) 4.Ke7+-;
B) 2...Kc8 3.Ke7 Nh5 4.Rg4;
C) 2...Nh5 3.Ke5+-;
D) 2...Kb6 3.Rb4+! Ka6 4.Rf4
Nh5 5.Rg4 Nf6 6.Rg6 Nh5
7.Ke5++-;
E) 2...Nh7 3.Rf4 Ng5 4.Kd5 Kc7
5.Rf5 Nh3 6.Ke4 Kd6 7.Ke3+-
followed by Rh5 ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
2.Rd3 Nf2
[ In case of 2...Kb5 the only winning
move is 3.Rf3! when the king can not
move any closer, and neither can the
knight. For example: Kb6 4.Rb3+
Ka5 5.Kc5 Ka6 6.Rb6+ Ka7 7.Re6
Kb7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
8.Kd4!+- proceeding to trap the
knight. ]
3.Rd4 Kb5 4.Kd5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
This construction is worth remembering:
www.modern-chess.com
17
white king holds the opponent's king in
direct opposition, while the rook holds
the knight in diagonal opposition. Black
is helpless. 4...Kb6
[ An alternative is: 4...Nh3 5.Rh4 Ng1
( 5...Ng5 6.Rh5!+-
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
is a nice geometry that shows
another winning tactical motif -
discovered attack!; 5...Nf2 6.Kd4+- )
6.Rh2 Nf3 7.Rg2! Ne1 8.Rb2+ Ka4
9.Ke4+- ]
5.Kc4 Kc6
[ 5...Nh3 6.Rg4 Nf2 7.Rh4!+-
keeps the knight cut off of the 4th
rank. ]
6.Rh4!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
This is the final precision. By putting the
rook on h4, White simultaneously keeps
the knight cut off, moves the rook away
from possible attacks by the black king,
and clears d4-square for the final attack
with the white king: Kc4-d4-e3, etc.
6...Kd6 7.Kd4 Ke6 8.Ke3 Nd1+ 9.Kd2
Nb2
[ or 9...Nf2 10.Ke2+- ]
10.Rb4+- and the knight has finally and
officially been trapped.
Position 7
Reti,1929.
In the following study by the famous
endgame composer and a very strong
player of his time, Richard Reti, we can
see how losing a tempo by means of
triangulation can be essential in trapping
the knight when the black king is close.
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
www.modern-chess.com
18
White has to show some finesse in order
to trap the knight in this position. 1.Kf4!
[ It would be wrong to try and attack
the knight with the rook immediately
with either 1.Rg6? Nf7 2.Re6 Kc4
3.Ke4 Kc5= ]
[ or 1.Rf5? Ne6 2.Re5 Nd8 3.Re8
Nf7 4.Re6 Kc4= because black king
is close enough to protect the knight. ]
1...Nh3+ 2.Kf3! A patient move. White
is threatening to trap the knight with 3.
Rg6, so Black's response is forced.
[ It is important to note that 2.Ke5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
does not work in the view of Ng1!
3.Rf2 Kd3= ]
2...Ng5+ 3.Ke3!
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
White just completed triangulation,
giving Black the move in the same
position as the one from which we
started. Black's problem is that his king
is placed the best on c3-square because
it allows him to help the knight via d2-e2
route and c4-c5 route, depending on
how White tries to trap it. However, due
to the zugzwang, the king now has to
abandon this square, and White can
take advantage of that. 3...Kc4
[ If the king goes the other way 3...Kc2
then White can push the knight toward
the eight rank with 4.Rg6 Nf7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
www.modern-chess.com
19
and now he has 5.Kd4+- which was
not possible in the starting position -
showing why it was important to put
Black in zugzwang with the
triangulation. Kb3 ( The knight is also
trapped after 5...Nd8 6.Kd5 Nb7
7.Ra6+- ) 6.Kd5 Kc3 7.Rg7+- ]
[ There is no good knight move; both
3...Nh7 4.Rf5+- ]
[ and 3...Nh3 4.Rg6+- make knight's
position even worse. ]
4.Kf4 Since black king went up, White
will try to force the knight toward the
first rank. 4...Nh3+ 5.Ke4 Ng5+
[ 5...Kc5 allows quick finish: 6.Rf5+
Kd6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
7.Ke3! preparing 8.Rh5 Ke6
8.Rh5+- ]
6.Ke5!
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The key move that takes away e6-
square from the knight and prepares 7.
Rf5. If White hadn't lost a tempo with the
triangulation, Black would have his king
on c3, which would allow him to come to
the aid of his knight with ...Kc3-d2-e2.
However, his king is one square too far
away and this is all that White needs to
close the net on the knight. 6...Nh3
[ The third rank is unfortunate for Black
due to 6...Kd3 7.Rf5 Nh3 8.Rf3++- ]
7.Rf1!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
www.modern-chess.com
20
We have seen this motif in the final
stage of the Position 6. White
prepares Kf5-g4. 7...Ng5 8.Rf5+-
winning a tempo on the knight. It is all
over now. As mentioned before, it is
crucial that the white king is on e5,
taking away e6-square from the
knight. 8...Nh3 9.Ke4 Ng1 10.Ke3
and the knight finally gets trapped.
Karpov,Anatoly 2725
Ftacnik,Lubomir 2475
Thessaloniki ol (Men) (14) 29.11.1988
For the end, let us see a practical
example in which the ex-World
champion, Anatoly Karpov was
successful in trapping opponent’s
knight.
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
We have a typical situation in which
the knight is far away from the king.
Even though it is Black to move, he
is not in time to connect his pieces.
Ftacnik continued 83...Nc4
[ Karpov thought that Black could
save the game by bringing his king
closer: 83...Kg3 84.Rc7 Kf3
84...Kg4 Forced,
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
but he missed a very strong
intermediate check 85.Rc3+!
which is also very instructive as it
shows an important technique in
such endgames, namely forcing the
king to an unfavourable rank or file.
White's point can be seen in the
following variations: Ke2 ( and
85...Ke4
86.Rc6 when Na4 is not possible
due to 87.Rc4++- ) 86.Rc6! Na4
87.Rc4!while in this case 87...Nb2
doesn't work because of check on
the second
www.modern-chess.com
21
rank. Nb6 88.Rb4 Nc8 89.Kd7+- ]
84.Rf3+! Just as in the variation above,
Karpov uses the intermediate check to
force black king to an unfavorable rank.
[ The tempting 84.Rf4 does not work
due to Nd2 85.Kd5 Kg3= and
Black brings his knight to f3 on the
next move, with a draw. ]
[ since 84...Kg2 runs into
85.Rc3!and the knight cannot
reach the second rank. Na5
86.Kd5 Nb7 87.Ra3+- ]
85.Rd3!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Karpov uses the tactically unfortunate
position of black pieces to the full extent.
Once again, his opponent's move is
pretty much forced. 85...Kg5 86.Kd5
Nb6+
 Modern Chess Magazine
[ Another critical variation is 86...Nb2
87.Rd4 Kf5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
when we should revisit the manoeuvre
from Position 6, line 1...Nf2: 88.Kc6!
( 88.Kc5? Ke5 is a position of mutual
zugzwang that White should avoid
when it is his move. ) 88...Ke5 89.Kc5!
Now the black king has to back off the
d4-rook, giving White enough time to
bring his king in: Ke6 90.Kb4 Kf5
91.Rd2+- ]
87.Ke5 By putting the king in opposition,
White shoulders black king. This familiar
method is very important in this type of
endgame. 87...Nc4+
[ 87...Na4 88.Rb3 Nc5 loses to the
tactical motif that we have seen
previously: 89.Rb5! Na6 90.Kd6++- ]
88.Ke4 Nb6 This is not a good square
for the knight.
[ Black could have offered far more
resistance with 88...Kf6 when White has
to find the following strong sequence:
89.Rd4! Na5 90.Ra4! ( 90.Kd5?
Nb7= ) 90...Nb7 91.Ra6+! Kg5
92.Ke5! ( 92.Rc6 Nd8= )
92...Nd8 ( or 92...Nc5 93.Ra5 Nb3
94.Rd5+- and White gradually traps the
knight. ) 93.Rf6!+-
www.modern-chess.com
22
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
creating a typical position with
mutual zugzwang. ]
89.Rd8! Karpov highlights the bad
position of the knight with this move,
threatening to trap it with Kd4-c5, etc.
89...Nc4 90.Rd4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
By centralizing the rook on d4, White
ensures that the knight will be trapped
whether it goes to b2 or b6. This is
another winning setup to remember.
90...Nb6
[ 90...Nb2 91.Ke3 Kf5 92.Kd2 Ke5
93.Rb4+- ]
 Modern Chess Magazine 23

91.Ke5 Nc8 92.Ke6 Na7 93.Kd7 and seventh rank, tend to be particularly
Black resigned in the view of awkward for the knight, as there the rook
unstoppable Rd5-a5. An excellent can limit its movement severely
display of endgame technique by Anatoly 1-0
Karpov. Conclusion: · When the king and
the knight are close to each other
Exercise 1
(defending or about to be defending each
other) somewhere in the middle of the
a b c d e f g h
board, the side with the rook can hardly
make progress, so draw is pretty much 8 8

inevitable · Two exceptions to this typical 7 7

draw are: 1) when king and knight are
6 6
poorly coordinated on the last rank/rook’s
file; and 2) when king and knight are 5 5
fairly centralized, but disconnected from
4 4
each other · Even when the king and the
knight are on the eight rank, it is usually 3 3
a draw; for example: Ke8, Nd8; and Kg8, 2 2
Nf8 are drawn setups · Losing setups on
the eight rank are usually those with 1 1

either king or the knight on h8, and, a b c d e f g h

importantly, with the knight on g7 (this
theoretical position has been recorded White to move and win
way back in the year 1257!) · In positions
in which defender’s (Black’s) king and Exercise 2
knight are disconnected, stronger side’s a b c d e f g h
(White’s) main task is to prevent the
8 8
union of these two pieces · In positions
where black king is on the back rank, 7 7
White can combine mating attack with
6 6
knight trapping · King opposition is useful
to create mating motifs · Diagonal 5 5
opposition of rook and knight is useful for 4 4
trapping; the rook usually traps and the
king captures the knight · White also 3 3

relies on tactical motives to facilitate 2 2

knight-trapping, such as pin, skewer,
1 1
double attack, and discovered attack ·
Squares on knight’s file (g- or b- file), as a b c d e f g h

well as second and

White to move and win
www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 24

Exercise 3 Exercise 5

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

White to move and win White to move and win

Exercise 4

a b c d e f g h

8 8

7 7

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

Black to move and draw

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 25

Exercise 1 solution Exercise 2 solution

Pevit,1862.

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

Here the fastest winning way for White Here White can win the knight by force:
is: 1.Kf6 1.Ra2! Ke7
[ Also if Black to move he cannot save [ 1...Ng3 2.Ra3! Nh5 ( 2...Ne4
the game, for example: 1.-- Ne5+ 3.Rf3+ Ke7 4.Re3 ) 3.Rf3+ Ke7
( 1...Nh8+ 2.Kf6 Nf7 3.Rd4+- ) 2.Kf6 4.Kg6+- ]
Ng4+ ( 2...Nc4 3.Rd7 winning as in 2.Rf2! Ng3 3.Rf3! Nh1 Black has no
previous example ) 3.Kf5 Ne3+ choice. 4.Kg6 Ke6 5.Kg5 Ke5 6.Kg4
( 3...Nh6+ 4.Kg6 Nf7 5.Kf6 Ke4 7.Rf1 and takes the knight.
- see main variation with White to
move ) 4.Kg6 Kf8 5.Rf2+ Kg8 6.Re2
and wins ]
1...Nh6
[ 1...Kf8 2.Rd7+- ]
2.Rd8+ Kh7 3.Rd7+ Kh8
[ 3...Kg8 4.Kg6 ]
4.Kg6 Ng8 5.Rh7#

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
Exercise 3 solution
Bondarenko,1949.
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
In this situation White can combine
mating threats with trapping the knight.
1.Kf2 Kh3 2.Kf3
[ Also quite easily wins 2.Rd4
A) 2...Nb6 3.Kf3 Kh2 4.Rd2+ Kg1
5.Rg2+ Kh1 6.Kf2+- ( 6.Kg3 );
B) 2...Nc7 3.Kf3 Kh2 4.Rd2+ Kg1
5.Rg2+ Kh1 6.Kg3+- ( 6.Kf2 )]
2...Kh4
[ 2...Kh2 3.Rd2+ Kg1 4.Rg2++- ]
3.Kf4 Kh3
[ 3...Kh5 4.Rd5+ Kg6 5.Rd6+ Kf7
( 5...Kh5 6.Rc6 ) 6.Ra6 Nc7
7.Ra7+- ]
4.Rb1 Nc7 5.Ke5 Kg4 6.Rb7 Na6
7.Kd6+-
www.modern-chess.com
26
Exercise 4 solution
Pandavos,E - Delithanasis
GRE-ch Liosia 1991
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
96...Ke5! The only move.
[ 96...Ne1+? fails to 97.Kf2 Nc2
98.Rc4 Na3 99.Rc3! Nb1 100.Rd3!
followed by Ke2 and Rb3 winning the
knight. ]
97.Rc4
[ After 97.Re4+ both moves Kd5
( and 97...Kf5 lead to mutual
zugzwang positions with White to
move, and therefore both draw )]
97...Kd5? This loses.
[ Black could draw with 97...Ne1+!
98.Kf2
A) avoiding 98...Nd3+? 99.Ke3
Nb2 ( 99...Ne1 100.Re4+ Kd5
101.Rd4+ Kc5 102.Rd2 Kc4
103.Re2 Nd3 104.Rc2++- )
100.Rd4! with zugzwang for Black;
B) 98...Kd5! 99.Rc3 Kd4= ]
98.Re4! and the knight is trapped.
1-0
 Modern Chess Magazine
Exercise 5 solution
Walter,1989.
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
In the main variation of this study the
win is possible only after 11 consecutive
unique moves. 1.Kd3! White needs to
prevent Ne3. 1...Nh4
[ 1...Nd6 loses more quickly after
2.Rb6 ]
[ 1...Ng3 2.Ra3! ( Only to the draw
leads 2.Rb5? Nf1 3.Ke2 Ng3+ )
2...Nf5 3.Ra7 Nd6 4.Rc7+! Kb2
( 4...Kd1 5.Rd7!+- ) 5.Rd7 Nf5 6.Ke4
and wins ]
2.Ke2! Not allowing Black to play Nf3.
[ But 2.Ke4? Ng2 with Ne1 to follow
draws. ]
2...Ng6
[ In case of 2...Kc2 3.Rb6 Nf5
4.Rc6+ Kb3 5.Kd3 Kb4 decides
6.Re6! e.g. Kb3 7.Rb6+ Ka4
A) also sufficient is 8.Kc3 Ne7
( 8...Ka5 9.Re6; 8...Ne3 9.Re6 )
9.Re6 Nc8 10.Rc6 Ne7 11.Rc5;
B) 8.Ke4 Ng3+ 9.Kd4 Nf5+
( 9...Ne2+ 10.Kc4 Ka3 11.Rb3+
Ka2 12.Re3 Nc1 13.Kc3 Nb3
14.Re5 Nc1 15.Re8 Kb1 16.Rb8+
Ka1 17.Kc2+- ) 10.Kc5 Ne3
11.Rb2 Ka3 ( 11...Nd1 12.Rd2 )
www.modern-chess.com
27
12.Rd2!
B1) 12...Ng4 13.Rd4 Nf6
( 13...Nf2 14.Kc4 ) 14.Kd6 Kb3
15.Ke6 Kc3 16.Rh4 Ne8
17.Rh7+-;
B2) 12...Nf5 13.Rg2 Ka4
( 13...Kb3 14.Rg5 is the same )
14.Rg4+ Kb3 ( 14...Ka5
15.Rg5 ) 15.Rg5 Nh4 16.Kd5+- ]
3.Ke3! Kc2
[ Or 3...Ne5 4.Rb4! Kc2 5.Re4!
A) 5...Nd7 6.Re7 Nf6 7.Rc7+
Kd1 ( 7...Kb3 8.Kd4+- ) 8.Kf3 Kd2
9.Rf7 Ne8 10.Re7 Nf6 11.Re6+-;
B) 5...Nf7 6.Kd4 Ng5 7.Re7 Kd2
8.Re3!+- with a familiar position of
reciprocal zugzwang ]
4.Rb5!
[ Another only move, since 4.Rb6?
Ne5 is draw. ]
4...Kc3 5.Ke4! Nf8
[ 5...Kc4 6.Rb7 Kc5 7.Rf7!+- ]
6.Rd5!
[ 6.Rb6? Nd7 ]
[ and 6.Rb7? Ne6 are draws. ]
6...Ne6 7.Re5! Nd8 8.Re8! Nb7
[ 8...Nf7 9.Rc8+ Kd2 ( 9...Kb3
10.Kd5 Nh6 11.Rf8 Ng4 12.Ke4+- )
10.Kf4 Ke2 11.Re8++- ]
9.Rc8+! Kd2 10.Kd4!
[ 10.Kd5? Na5= ]
10...Na5
[ 10...Nd6 11.Rc5+- ]
11.Rc3! Again with reciprocal zugzwang
when Black to move cannot save his
knight, e.g. 11...Nb7
[ 11...Ke2 12.Kd5 ]
12.Ra3 Nd6 13.Ra5 Kc2
[ 13...Ke2 14.Rd5 Nf7 15.Ke4+- ]
14.Rd5 Nf7 15.Ke4 Kc3 16.Kf5+-
 Modern Chess Magazine
The Art of Manoeuvring
Ever wondered how strong players take
their pieces effortlessly to the best
squares? It seems, transferring the
pieces from worse to good posts is their
second nature. As an expert driver
drives without really thinking about it, so
does a strong Grandmaster Maneuvers
his pieces without much conscious
thinking. They can ‘feel' the way for their
pieces. Manoeuvring is essentially
transferring pieces to better squares,
where they can do a better job than
what they are doing currently. Such a
transfer of a piece may enhance our
chances of achieving the desired result
(gaining an advantage, equalizing, etc.).
I consider manoeuvring a skill just like
driving which can be improved with
proper training and practice. By solving
a lot of positions on manoeuvrings, by
studying the games with instructional
manoeuvrings one can develop a good
feel for the good placement of their
pieces. In the first article, I would like to
www.modern-chess.com
28
show how this skill of manoeuvring has
helped me in my own games, followed by
test positions selected from my games. In
the next articles, we will have a look at
instructional Maneuverings played by
strong players. All the best!
Karthikeyan,Murali 2510
Dhopade,Swapnil 2458
National Challengers, Nagpur 2015 (10.1)
1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Ne4
5.Nb1 A rare move, obviously not prepared
by my opponent beforehand. 5...Qb6
6.Qe2 Bg4 7.d3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Ng5! 8.Nbd2
[ intending to trap the queen on a1
doesn't work, as after, 8.Bxg5 Qxb2
9.c3 Qxa1 10.Qc2 Bxf3 11.gxf3
Na6! the knight will sacrifice itself on
b4 helping the queen to escape from
a1. ]
8...Nd7 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Nxf3 Nxf3+
11.gxf3 black has succeeded in ruining
whites pawn structure. 11...e6 12.f4 g6
13.Bg2
 Modern Chess Magazine
Ng5! 8.Nbd2
[ intending to trap the queen on a1
doesn't work, as after, 8.Bxg5 Qxb2
9.c3 Qxa1 10.Qc2 Bxf3 11.gxf3
Na6! the knight will sacrifice itself on
b4 helping the queen to escape from
a1. ]
8...Nd7 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Nxf3 Nxf3+
11.gxf3 black has succeeded in ruining
whites pawn structure. 11...e6 12.f4 g6
13.Bg2
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
An important moment. How should
black continue from here? How should
he place his pieces? There are a number
of ways to play here for black. The
position is of static nature and a lot of
options are possible which doesn't
change the overall assessment of the
position. But practically the best is,
13...Qd8! a very nice idea! The best
square for the d7 knight is on f5, where
it cannot be harassed by the white
pawns. From f5 the knight also controls
important squares like d4 and h4. The
black queen frees the b6 square for the
knight to continue its journey towards f5
square via b6-c8-e7-f5! The position is
www.modern-chess.com
29
static hence black can afford to invest so
much time in this manoeuvre. 14.Be3
Nb6 15.c4 Bb4+ 16.Kf1 Nc8 17.a3
Bf8! 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.h4 h5
now black intends ...Ne7-f5 when the h4
pawn will come under pressure. Hence,
white sacrifices his f-pawn burying the
outpost on f5. 20.f5 gxf5 21.Bf3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Bh6! a typical idea. Its usually
recommended to exchange a pair of
bishops when your opponent enjoys
double bishops. 22.d4
[ 22.Bxh5 Bxe3 23.fxe3 Ne7 24.d4
transposes to the game. ]
22...Bxe3 23.fxe3 Ne7 24.Bxh5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
How should black continue? 24...f4!
a pawn sacrifice in return! The black
knight insists on going to f5. This break
also weakens the d4 pawn. 25.Bg4
preventing ...Nf5. 25...Nc6
putting pressure on the d4 pawn. 26.h5
Qg5 the exchange of the dark square
bishops on move 21 has given black
dominating control on the dark squares.
27.Rd1 fxe3 28.Qf3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
White is slowly planning to consolidate.
How should black continue further?
28...f5! an important break opening up
the f-file. 29.exf6 Rf8 30.Kg2 Rxf6
31.Qg3 Rf2+ 32.Kh3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
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30
The seems very safe on h3 surrounded
by the white pieces. How can black
increase the pressure on the kingside?
32...Ne7! the knight returns for the
dream f5 square! 33.Qh4 white decides
to exchange queens but it results in an
hopeless endgame.
[ 33.Qd6 Nf5! 34.Qxe6+ Kf8-+ ]
[ 33.Qe5 Nf5! 34.Qh8+ Ke7
35.Qh7+ Kd6-+ ]
33...Qxh4+ 34.Kxh4 Kd7 35.Rde1
Rg8 36.Kh3 Rf4 37.Rhg1 Rxd4
38.Rxe3 Nf5 39.Bxf5 Rxg1 40.Rxe6
Rh1+ 41.Kg3 Rxh5! Transposing to a
winning rook endgame. 42.Re4+ Rxf5
43.Rxd4 Kd6 44.Rh4 Rf7 45.Rh8 Kc5
46.Rc8+ Kd4 47.a4 Ke4 48.b4 d4
49.a5 a6 50.Re8+ Kd3 51.Rc8 Ke3
52.Re8+ Kd2 53.Re5 d3 54.b5 axb5
55.Rxb5 Kd1 56.Kg2 d2 57.Rc5 Ke2
58.Re5+ Kd3 59.Rd5+ Kc3 60.Rd8
Rf4
0-1
Dhopade,Swapnil 2488
Stany,G.A.. 2421
1st IIFL Wealth Open, Mumbai, 2016 (7.1)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7
5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Na4 Nf6 7.g3!?
[ 7.Bf4 is a popular alternative. ]
7...b6?!
[ A better way to play here might be,
7...Nc6 8.Bg2 e5! immediately
breaking in the centre, before white
clamps down on the e5 square with
Bf4. ]
8.Bg2 Bb7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bf4 Nbd7
11.Rc1 Rc8 12.Qb3! white simply
intends to play Rfd1 when all his pieces
are actively taking part in the fight. The
problem with blacks position is that he is
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
in the centre. What should white do in
order to increase his advantage?
14.Nc3! All whites pieces are ideally
placed except for the knight on a4 which
out of the game for the moment. It is
controlling the c5 square thus making it
difficult for black to break with c7-c5, but
the rook on d1 directly in front of the
black queen anyway makes it
problematic for black to play c7-c5.
Hence, I decided to play 14.Nc3 with the
idea to go to the weak c6 square via b5-
a7-c6! 14...Nd5 15.Nb5 white continues
with his plan. Giving up the bishop pair
is not a problem for white as far as black
remains passive. 15...Nxf4 16.gxf4
Bd5 17.Qd3 a6?!
[ 17...Nf6 ]
18.Na7 Ra8 19.Nc6 The knight has
achieved his mission! 19...Bxc6
20.Rxc6 blacks has serious
weaknesses on the queenside,
especially the c6 square and the c7
pawn (which will soon come under
pressure). It is also important to note
that whites bishop on g2 is more
powerful than its counterpart on g7 as it
www.modern-chess.com
31
puts pressure on the long h1-a8 diagonal
while the g7 bishop is limited in its activity
by the d4 pawn. 20...Nf6
21.e3 Nd5 22.a3 putting pawns on the
opposite colour of our own bishop and
also limiting the black knight's movements
in the process. 22...Ne7 23.Rc2 c5? an
attempt to free the position backfires for
black. 24.Ne5 Nd5 25.dxc5 bxc5
26.Nc6! The other knight lands on c6!
26...Qc8 27.Rxc5+- Bxb2 28.Bxd5
exd5 29.Ne7+ Rxe7
30.Rxc8+ Rxc8 31.Qxa6 Rcc7
32.Rxd5 Ra7 33.Qc8+ Kg7 34.Rd8 f5
35.Rg8+ Kh6 36.Qc6 Rg7 37.Rb8
Bxa3 38.Qf3 g5 39.Qh3+
1-0
Ivanov,Sergey 2545
Dhopade,Swapnil 2526
46th Rilton Cup 2016-17 (5.3) 02.01.2017
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e3 e6
5.d4 d5 6.a3 a6 7.dxc5 Bxc5
8.b4 Bd6 9.Bb2 0-0 10.cxd5 exd5
11.Be2 Be6 12.0-0 Qe7 13.b5?!
this is inferior as it allows black to seize
the initiative with the following manoeuvre
[ 13.Rc1 1-0 (73) Vaibhav,S
(2589)-Swapnil,S (2490) Jammu
2018 ]
13...Na5 the knight goes to c4 which will
cost white the bishop pair as well as
give black a passed c-pawn. 14.Nd4
Nc4 15.Bxc4 dxc4 16.Qe2 Rac8
17.Nxe6 Qxe6 18.Rfd1 Be5 19.a4
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
How should black continue? 19...Nd7!
the knight goes to c5 from where it can
to go both b3 or d3. 20.Rac1 Nc5
21.Ba3 white exchanges the knight
before it lands on a strong outpost. But
now the black bishop gains power as it
is unopposed. 21...Rfe8 22.Bxc5 Rxc5
23.g3 g6 24.e4 axb5
[ 24...Rec8 25.bxa6 bxa6 26.f4
Bxc3 27.Rxc3 Ra5 ]
25.axb5? now the pawn on b5 remains a
target for black.
[ 25.Nxb5! Rec8 26.f4 Bb8 27.Nc3
when the position is more or less
balanced. ]
25...Bg7 26.Qe3 Rh5 27.h4 Bh6
I wanted to provoke white to advance
his pawns so that his kingside may
become weak. 28.f4 Bg7 29.e5 f6
the point of the previous provocation.
White has advanced his kingside pawns
and now black breaks the structure
hoping to exploit the weaknesses in
white's camp. 30.Nd5
[ as it turns out white had a chance to
seize the initiative with, 30.Ne4!
fxe5?! 31.Ng5 Qg4
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32
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
and now the super strong... 32.Rd4!
Rxh4 33.Rdxc4 and white is in
control. ]
30...Qh3 31.Re1 fxe5 32.Rxc4 Rd8
33.Ne7+ Kh8 34.b6? a mistake in time
pressure. 34...exf4
[ 34...Bf6 35.Rc7 e4 ]
35.Qxf4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
How would you continue? 35...Rb5!
the finishing manoeuvre! The black rook
joins the black queen from the second
 Modern Chess Magazine 33

rank in the attack. 36.Rce4 Rb2 37.Qf3 How would you continue as white?
Qh2+ 38.Kf1 Qh3+ 39.Kg1 Rf8 17.Bb4! White transfers the bishop to
40.Rf4 Qh2+ 41.Kf1 Qh3+ 42.Kg1 the a3-f8 diagonal in order to have a
Rxf4 strong on the c5-break. 17...Nd7
0-1
18.Qd2 Qf6 19.Rfc1 c6 the position
remains equal, though practically I
Dhopade,Swapnil 2485
Swaminathan,Soumya 2360 would prefer to take white as we can
25th Abu Dhabi Masters 2018 (8.28) slowly build up the pressure on the c6
pawn and try to provoke black into
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 weakening his queenside even more.
Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd2 b6 7.cxd5 Nxd5 20.Qd3 a5 21.Ba3 Qe6
8.Bc4 Bb7 9.Rc1 e6 10.0-0 Nd7 black
would like to play c7-c5 next. So, I decided
a b c d e f g h
to change the pawn structure. 11.Nxd5
exd5 12.Bb5 making it difficult for black to 8 8
achieve the c5 break. 12...a6
7 7
13.Ba4
[ the desirable, 13.Bc6?! 6 6
is bad because of, Bxc6 14.Rxc6 Nc5!
15.dxc5 Qd7 16.Nd4 Bxd4 5 5

4 4
17.Qa4 b5 and white loses the
exchange. Although white will have good 3 3
compensation after, 18.Rxc7 Qxc7
19.Qxd4 due to a strong dark square 2 2
bishop and the weak black d5 pawn. ]
13...Rc8 14.Bc6! exchange of these 1 1
bishops is usually good for white as it leads a b c d e f g h
to a slight weakening of the light squares in
blacks queenside. 14...Bxc6 15.Rxc6
Nb8 16.Rc2 Re8 All white pieces seem ideally placed.
How would you continue? 22.Nd2!The
a b c d e f g h
knight was not doing much on f3. So
8 8
white decides to transfer it to c3 via b1,
7 7 from where it can go to either a4
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1
a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
followed by Qb3 putting pressure on the
b6 pawn or to b5 utilizing the pin on the
c-file.
[ 22.b4 axb4 23.Bxb4 Bf8 24.Bxf8
Rxf8 25.a4 c5 26.dxc5 bxc5 27.Rd2
Nf6 ]
22...Rc7?!
[ the best way for black to play was to
eliminate the weakness on c6 with,
22...c5! this move is justified tactically
as white cannot win the c5 pawn.
23.b3 ( 23.dxc5?! bxc5 24.Bxc5
Bxb2= would be more or less equal. )
23...Bf8 24.Bb2 a4 25.Nf3
and there is still much to play for
both sides. ]
23.Nb1 b5 anticipating Nc3, black
decides to take action on the queenside.
But, it weakens the c5 square and c6
pawn becomes backward.
[ 23...c5! is still fine. ]
24.Bc5 Nxc5 25.Rxc5 Rec8 26.R5c2
Bf8! black puts her bishop to use by
transferring it to the h2-b8 diagonal.
27.Nc3 Bd6 28.g3 putting pawns on
the dark squares on the kingside is a
useful strategy in this structure as it
limits the scope of blacks dark square
bishop. 28...h5 29.h4 Kg7 30.Kg2 f6
[ 30...g5 31.hxg5 h4 32.Rh1 Rh8
33.e4 ]
[ 30...a4! was essential. ]
31.Rh1?!
[ 31.a4! ]
31...Rh8?
[ this was the last chance to prevent
white from playing a2-a4 with,
31...a4= the position remains more or
less equal. ]
32.a4! b4 with pawns fixed on a5-b4
whites chances are better as blacks
counterplay on the kingside can be
easily held. 33.Ne2 g5
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34
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
34.Ng1!? the knight wants to go to f3
putting pressure on the g5 pawn and
forcing black to commit on the kingside.
34...Qe4+ black decides to enter the
endgame, but with the pawns fixed on a5-
b4, white will always have an edge.
35.Qxe4 dxe4 36.Ne2 Kg6
[ 36...c5 37.dxc5 Rxc5 38.Rxc5
Bxc5 39.Rd1 ]
37.Nc1 c5 38.dxc5 Rxc5 39.Rxc5
Bxc5 40.Nb3? This knight travelled so
many times within its own camp. A hell of
a journey!
[ 40.hxg5! was accurate. ]
40...Bb6 41.Rc1
[ 41.hxg5 Rd8! ]
41...gxh4?
[ 41...Rd8! 42.hxg5 Rd3 ]
42.Rc6! an intermediate move missed by
black. Now its difficult to defend blacks
position. 42...Bd8 43.gxh4 Kf5 44.Kh3
Be7 45.Ra6 Rc8 46.Rxa5+ Kg6
47.Rd5 f5 48.Nd4 Bf6 49.Nxf5 Rc2
50.Kg2 Bxb2 51.Rb5 Bf6 52.Ng3 Rc4
53.a5 Bxh4 54.a6 Bxg3 55.Kxg3 Rc6
56.a7 Ra6 57.Rb6+ Rxb6 58.a8Q
 Modern Chess Magazine
Re6 59.Qd5 Kf6 60.Qxh5
1-0
Das,Arghyadip 2416
Dhopade,Swapnil 2533
Inter-Railways, Vadodara 2017 (7.2)
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 Nf6!?An
interesting move order!
[ 3...cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Qa4+
is what my opponent intended. But
now he can't enter this line anymore. ]
4.d4 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Be6
7.Be2 h6 8.Bxf6 exf6 9.c5 g5
blacks plan is simple : Bg7-0-0-f5 and
put pressure on the d4 pawn.
[ =9...g6 is fine as well. ]
10.Bb5 Bg7 11.Nge2 the knight is
more secure here than on f3. As on f3,
the knight can be chased away with ...
g4. 11...0-0 12.Bxc6?! this seems a bit
premature. 12...bxc6 13.0-0 f5 14.f4
Re8 15.Qd2
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Bc8! The belongs to f1-a6 diagonal from
www.modern-chess.com
35
where it exerts pressure on whites
position. The belongs to f1-a6 diagonal
from where it will exert pressure on
whites position. 16.Ng3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Qf6 the queen goes to g6 with a tempo
(hitting d4). 17.Rad1 Qg6 the queen is
well placed on g6 and can be helpful in
future kingside action. 18.Qd3?
preventing ...Ba6 and putting pressure
on f5.
[ It was necessary for white to use his
queenside majority with, 18.b4!
trying for the b5 break. g4 19.b5 h5
with good counterplay on the kingside
for black. ]
18...a5! the bishop will now come out
with tempo. 19.Rfe1? a mistake based
on miscalculation. 19...Rxe1+ 20.Rxe1
gxf4! 21.Nge2
[ 21.Re8+? Kh7 22.Nge2 Ba6-+ ]
21...Ba6 22.Qf3 Re8 All blacks pieces
are ideally placed. Both blacks bishops
are too strong! 23.Qxf4
 Modern Chess Magazine 36

a b c d e f g h Test position 1
8 8
a b c d e f g h
7 7
8 8
6 6
7 7
5 5
6 6
4 4
5 5
3 3
4 4
2 2
3 3
1 1

a b c d e f g h 2 2

h5! the dark square bishop is ready to 1 1

join the action. 24.Qf2 Qe6 25.Rf1 a b c d e f g h
Bxe2 26.Re1 Qe3! and black gets a
winning endgame. 27.Qxe3 Rxe3
28.Nxe2 Bxd4 29.Kf1 Bxb2 30.Rb1 Test position 2
Be5 31.Rb6 d4 32.Ng1 d3 33.Nf3
Bc3 34.Rb8+ Kg7 35.Rd8 Bb4
36.Rd7 f4 37.Rd8 Bxc5 38.Ne1 Re2
a b c d e f g h
39.Nxd3 Rd2 40.Rd7 Be3 41.g3 fxg3
42.hxg3 Kf6 43.a4 Kg5 44.Ke1 f6 8 8
45.Rg7+ Kf5 46.Nc5 Rc2 47.Nd7 Ke4
7 7
48.Rf7 f5 49.Kd1 Rd2+ 50.Ke1 Rc2
51.Kd1 Rd2+ 52.Ke1 Ra2 53.Re7+ 6 6
Kf3 54.Ne5+ Kxg3 55.Nxc6 f4
5 5
0-1
4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 37

Test position 3 Test position 5

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

Test position 4 Test position 6

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 38

Test position 7 Test position 9

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

Black to move.

Test position 8 Test position 10

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 39

ANSWERS after, 21.Bxe5 Qxe5 22.Qxe5 Nxe5

23.Rd1 ]
Dhopade,Swapnil 2488 21.Qxd4 Qe5 22.Rd1 Qxd4 23.Rxd4
Kardashevskiy,Evgeny 2382 Nc5
Aeroflot Open B, 2019 (4) 23.02.2019 [ 23...Nf6 24.Ne3 and white wins the
d5 pawn with ease. ]
24.Bxd5 Bxd5 25.Rxd5 white is a
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 pawn healthy pawn up and managed to
5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.b3 b6 8.Qc2 convert it without much trouble. 25...Kf8
Nbd7 9.Bb2 Bb7 10.Nbd2 Rc8 11.e4 26.Ne3 Ke7 27.Kg2 h5 28.h4 Ne6
c5 12.exd5 exd5 13.Qf5 g6 14.Qf4 29.Kf3 Rc6 30.Rd2 Rc5 31.Nd5+ Ke8
Re8 15.Ne5 cxd4 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 32.Nf6+ Ke7 33.Nd5+ Ke8 34.Nf6+
17.Rfe1 Bf6 18.Rxe8+ Qxe8 19.Bxd4 Ke7 35.Ne4 Rf5+ 36.Ke3 b5 37.Rd5
Qe6 bxc4 38.bxc4 Ng7 39.a4 f6 40.Rxf5
a b c d e f g h Nxf5+ 41.Kd3 Ke6 42.Nc5+ Kd6
43.Nb3 Ke5 44.Nd4 Ne7 45.f4+ Kd6
8 8
46.Nb5+ Kc5 47.Nxa7 Nf5 48.a5 Kb4
7 7 49.Nc6+ Kc5 50.Nb8 Nxg3 51.Nd7+
Kc6 52.a6 Nf5 53.c5 Ng7 54.Nb6
6 6
Ne6 55.a7 Nc7 56.Kc4 Kb7 57.a8Q+
5 5 Nxa8 58.Nxa8 Kxa8 59.Kd5 Kb7
60.Ke6 g5 61.Kd7
4 4
1-0
3 3

2 2
Alshameary Puente,Ismael 2333
1 1 Dhopade,Swapnil 2533
a b c d e f g h Sevilla 2018 (6.8) 2018
a b c d e f g h
How should white continue? 20.Nf1!
8 8
This cool move is the best. The knight
intends to go to e3 putting more 7 7
pressure on the d5 pawn. Also white
immediately threatens cd5 winning a 6 6

pawn on the spot. 5 5

[ white doesn't get anything from
forcing variations such as 20.cxd5 4 4

Bxd5 21.Bxd5 Qxd5 22.Bxf6 Nxf6= ] 3 3

[ or, 20.Bxf6 Nxf6= black will play ...
Ba8 or ...Ba6 next with an equal 2 2
position. ] 1 1
20...Bxd4
a b c d e f g h
[ 20...Be5 is more or less the same
www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 40

Laxman,Rajaram 2392
21...Rd5! the rook swings on the
Dhopade,Swapnil 2516
kingside creating a decisive attack.
National Premier, 2017 (1.1) 2017
22.dxc5?? this frees the e5 square and
allows the knight to join the attack. this
frees the e5 square for the black knight a b c d e f g h
to join the attack as well.
8 8
[ 22.Nd2 Rg5 23.Kh1 b5 24.Qf1 c4
and black has a dominating position. ] 7 7
22...Rg5! 23.Rd6 Ne5 24.Qb4 6 6

a b c d e f g h 5 5

8 8 4 4

7 7 3 3

6 6 2 2

5 5 1 1

a b c d e f g h
4 4

3 3
[#] How would you continue as black
2 2 here? 15...Nb8! The knight goes to the
c6 square keeping an eye on d4. The
1 1
pawn on d3 can become a target for
a b c d e f g h blacks major pieces as black can double
his rooks on the d-file. Hence, it's
Qc8! Its time for the queen to join the important to keep an eye on the d3-d4
party as well. 25.Kh1 Qf5! 26.Rad1 break and not allow white to carry it out
Rxg2!! Fastest way to mate. The rook successfully.
completes his journey from a8 to g2. [ 15...Ne5? with the same idea is bad
Whites pieces are mere spectators on due to, 16.Ne4! Qxd3 17.Qxd3 Nxd3
the queenside. 27.Kxg2 Qf3+ 28.Kh2 18.Nxf6+ gxf6 19.Bxf6
[ 28.Kg1 Qxh3 29.Rxf6 Nf3+ 30.Rxf3 and the monstrous bishop on f6 gives
exf3-+ ] white clearly better chances. ]
28...Qxf2+ 29.Kh1 Nf3 16.Rad1 Nc6 17.Ne4 Bxb2 18.Qxb2
0-1 b6 this structure, in general, is
favourable for black in the heavy pieces
endgame as black can put pressure on
the d3 pawn. 19.d4 white decides to
take action before black gangs up his

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
pieces on the d-file. 19...cxd4 20.exd4
With less number of pieces remaining on
the board the hanging pawns loses its
venom. as is well know, with less
number of pieces on the board the
hanging pawns lose its venom and
becomes targets. 20...Na5 21.Qb5 Qc7
22.Rc1 Rad8 23.d5 exd5 24.cxd5
Qd7 25.Qxd7 Rxd7 26.Rfd1 h6 27.g4
Rfd8 28.d6 Nb7 29.Rd5 f6 30.Rc6
Kf7 31.Rd3 Ke6 32.Re3? Nxd6!
33.Ra3 Here, with just seconds
remaining on the clock, I could not find
the winning move. Can you find it?
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
33...Ke5??
[ 33...Kd5! 34.Rxd6+ Kxe4!
and black should be able to win this
endgame. ]
34.Nxd6 Rxd6 35.Rxd6 Rxd6
36.Rxa7 g5 37.Kg2 f5 38.gxf5 Kxf5
39.a4 Rd4 40.a5 bxa5
1/2
www.modern-chess.com
41
Shvayger,Yuliya 2442
Swapnil,S Dhopade 2532
chess.com IoM Masters (1) 23.09.2017
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
17...Be8! the bishop should go to g6
where it will enjoy good control on the
long b1-h7 diagonal. At some point
when black will play c5-c4, then the
black bishop will get access to the d3
square as well. 18.Bxc6 Qxc6
19.Be3 c4! 20.Qd1 Bg6 without its
counterpart, the g6 bishop is too
strong. 21.0-0 Bd6 22.b4 Rdg8 with
the queenside closed, black can now
focus on the attack against the white
king. 23.Bf2 h5
24.Re1 Be4 25.Nh4 Rg4 domination
on light squares! 26.Rxe4!?
a good practical try to complicate
things but obviously not enough.
26...dxe4 27.d5 Qxd5 28.Qxd5 exd5
29.Rd1
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
black transfers the bishop to b6 forcing
an exchange, before whites bishop
becomes too strong on d4. 29...Bc7!
30.Rxd5 Bb6 31.Bxb6 axb6 32.Rd4
Rxg3 33.Rxc4+ Kb8 34.Nf5 Rd3-+
black is clearly winning! 35.a4 Re8
36.Ng7 Rd1+ 37.Kh2 Rg8 38.Nf5
Re8 39.Ng7 Rg8 40.Nf5 Rd2
41.Rxe4 Rdxg2+ 42.Kh3 Rg1 43.Kh2
Rc1
44.c4 Rd8 45.Ne3 Re1 46.Kg2 h4
47.Kf2 h3
0-1
www.modern-chess.com
42
Swapnil,S Dhopade 2532
Tari,Aryan 2588
chess.com IoM Masters (6) 28.09.2017
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
44.Rc7 The material is equal but the
dark squares around the black king are
very weak (this is strongly felt due to the
presence of opposite-coloured bishops
on the board) and can be a cause for
mating motifs. But white needs his rook
in this mission, I transferred my rook
over to the h-file! 44...Be6 Swapnil: '23'
45.Rc2 Swapnil: 'white simply threatens
to play Rh2 followed by Bf6 and mate on
h8. There is nothing that black can do
about it, so black goes for a desperate
defensive try.' 45...f5 46.exf6+ Kf7
47.Rc7 Swapnil: 'white has succeeded in
winning a pawn and the rook goes back
to its original post.' 47...Rc8 48.Ra7
Rc6 49.Ba3+
1-0
 Modern Chess Magazine 43

Aravindh,Chithambaram VR 2579 [ Engine likes, 39...Rf8! 40.Qd2 Rf7

Swapnil,S Dhopade 2516 41.Re7 Rxe7 42.Rxe7 Rb8-+
IND-ch Challengers 55th (7) 17.08.2017 the point is black always has this idea
of Bf5-e4. ]
a b c d e f g h
40.Qxc6 Be4+ 41.Rxe4 dxe4 42.Rxe4
8 8 Qd7 white does not have compensation
7 7 for the exchange. 43.Qc4+ Qd5-+
44.Qxd5+ Rxd5 45.Re7 Rc8 46.Kf3
6 6
Ra5 47.g4 Rxa4 48.f5 Ra3+ 49.Kf4
5 5 Rxa2 50.Bh4 Ra5 51.Ke4 Ra2 52.Kf4
Ra5 53.Ke4 Ra2 54.Kf4 Rf8 55.Rxc7
4 4
g5+ 56.Bxg5 hxg5+ 57.Kxg5 Ra6
3 3 58.d5 Rf7 59.Rc8+ Kg7 60.Rd8 Rff6
2 2
61.Rd7+ Rf7 62.Rd8 Rff6 63.Rd7+
Kf8 64.Rc7 Rfd6 65.Rc5 Ke7 66.Kf4
1 1 Ra4+ 67.Kg5 Rd4 68.Rc7+ Rd7
a b c d e f g h 69.Rc6 R7xd5 70.Re6+ Kf7 71.Rf6+
32...Qf3! The black queen was not doing Kg7 72.Rg6+ Kf7 73.Rf6+ Ke7
74.Re6+ Kf8 75.Rf6+ Ke8 76.Re6+
anything special on a3 so I decided to
Kd8 77.Ra6 Rd7 78.f6 Ke8 79.Kh5
transfer it to the kingside where it will be
R4d6
annoying for white. 33.Rbe1 Bd7
0-1
34.Qc5 Qg4 35.Kh2
[ 35.Re4 can be met by Rf8 36.f5
Qf3 37.Qxc4 exf5 and black is
doing good. ]
Saravana,Krishnan P 2315
[ 35.Qxc4?! Nxf4! 36.Re4 Rf8-+ ]
Dhopade,Swapnil 2494
35...c3 36.Be4 Qxh5+ 37.Kg2 Qg4
Pune Rating 2016 (5.1) 26.09.2016
38.Bxd5 exd5! 39.Qxc3
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h
8 8
8 8
7 7
7 7
6 6
6 6
5 5
5 5
4 4
4 4
3 3
3 3
2 2
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h 1 1

Bf5 the bishop should go to e4. a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 44

20...Nd8! it is clear that black has the e4! the knight is ready to join the attack via
upper hand. Whites kingside is saddled e5. 28.dxe4 Bxe4 29.Rd1 Ne5 30.f3 Nxf3
with weaknesses, especially the f4 +! 31.Rxf3 Rxf3
square. Whites bishop pair is useless as 0-1
his bishop on b1 is completely out of
play. Black has a nice control in the
centre due to his pawns on e5-d5-c5. Dhopade,Swapnil 2500
Black pieces are well placed, but he Oleksiyenko,Mykhaylo 2610
needs to find a way to increase the 23rd Abu Dhabi Masters tournament (5.12)
pressure. Hence, black transfers his
knight to f4 via e6 where it will create
strong threats against the white king. If
white exchanges the h4 bishop for the d8
a b c d e f g h
knight then the dark square on whites
kingside will be even weaker. 21.Bg3 8 8
Ne6 22.Nf3 Nf4 23.Bxf4 Rxf4 black has
7 7
a completely dominating position due to
the control of dark squares. 24.Ne1? 6 6
Ref8 25.a3
5 5
[ 25.Ng2? is obviously met by, Rf3-+ ]
25...h5! black needs to start breaking 4 4
through the kingside. 26.Ba2?
3 3
this fastens the death for white. Although
it was already difficult to suggest an 2 2
improvement for white. 26...hxg4
1 1
27.hxg4
a b c d e f g h

a b c d e f g h

8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
White to move. 16.Qd3! the white queen
goes to f3 putting pressure on the f7
point making blacks position even more
problematic. White already has good
compensation for the pawn, but this
queen sortie increases whites
advantage. 16...Ra7 17.Qf3 Nb8
18.Ne4! the knight has done its job on g5
and now returns to the centre with the
intention to exploit other weak squares
in blacks camp. 18...h6

a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
preventing Bg5. 19.Nb2! the knight goes
to c4 with the idea to put pressure on a5
pawn and also to go to d6. 19...Be7
20.Nc4 Kf8 21.Ra2 white slowly
improves his position. Black is doomed
to passivity. 21...Kg7 22.Rfa1 Nc3?!
this simply allows white to win a pawn.
But of course, defending passively is not
easy. 23.Bxc3 bxc3 24.Ncd6 Rf8
25.Qxc3 Qb6 26.Rxa5 Rxa5 27.Rxa5+-
white is winning here as he is just a
pawn up for no compensation. After
some roller coaster events, the game
finally ended in a draw!
1/2
www.modern-chess.com
45
Sekar,B. 2304
Dhopade,Swapnil 2505
3rd Kolkata International GM open 2018
(9.18)
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
23...Qd3! the queen goes to e4 supporting
the brave c2 knight. Also from e4 the
queen can support an attack against the
white king. 24.Ba5 Qe4
25.Rc1 Bg5! now white loses material.
26.Nd2
[ 26.Bd2 Rc4-+ is crushing! ]
26...Bxd2 27.Qxd2 h5-+ 28.g5 Nxd4
29.Qf4 Qxf4 30.gxf4 g6 31.Bb4 b6
32.Rcd1 Rc4 33.Rd3 Nf5 34.Bd2
Rhc8 35.Kg2 Rd4 36.Rhh3 Rc2
37.Rxd4 Nxd4 38.Bb4 Kb7 39.Rd3
Nf5 40.Bc3 Kc6 41.Kf1 Rc1+ 42.Ke2
Kb7 43.a4 a5 44.b4 axb4 45.Bxb4
Rc4 46.Rb3 Nd4+
0-1
 Modern Chess Magazine 46

Dhopade,Swapnil 2526
Bach,Matthias 2302
Rome International 2016 (2.11) 05.12.16

a b c d e f g h

8 8

7 7

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

12.Nf1! Black has just played 11...g5

which secures the e5 square for the
black knight as it prevents f2-f4. But on
the other hand, it weakens the f5 square.
With 12.Nf1 which decides to transfer
the knight to e3 or g3 exploit that
weakness. 12...g4?! this weakens
blacks position further.
[ 12...h6 13.Ng3 Ng6 and now after
the simple, 14.a4 white is better. ]
13.Bg5
[ the simple, 13.Ng3 is fine too ]
13...h6 14.Bh4 Qb6 15.Rb1 Nh5?
16.Ne3! and black loses the g4 pawn.
16...Nf4 17.Bxg4 Ned3 18.Rf1 Nxb2
19.Qf3! Ng6 20.Bf6 Ne5 21.Bxe5
Bxe5 22.Bxc8! Bxc3 23.Nf5 Be5
24.Nxh6+ Kh7 25.Bf5+
1-0

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 Modern Chess Magazine 47

Understand the Najdorf This French-like structure occurs quite

often in the Adams Attack (6.h3) when
Structures - Part 3 White plays e4-e5 and Black should
close the centre with d6-d5. Despite the
similarity in the pawn's placement, there
is one relevant difference regarding the
pieces: Although the typical idea Ne2-d4
is still available here, White's light-
squared bishop is poorly placed on g2.
Of course, the d3-square would be a
better place for this bishop. Therefore,
Black has some interesting options as
the maneuver Nb6-c4, putting pressure
on the queenside, or improving the bad
bishop via a6 after b5-b4 followed by
a6-a5. The pressure along the c-file is
of course a typical motif as well. When
White plays 0-0-0 the battle is often
Position 1 decided by dynamical means. On the
other hand, endgames are likely to
happen when White castles kingside. In
this case, a minor but interesting detail
a b c d e f g h is that when White plays f2-f4,
8 8 necessary to protect the e5-pawn, the
king might become a bit unsafe.
7 7

6 6

5 5 Hou,Yifan 2590
4 4
Wang,Hao 2696
CHN-ch Xinghua Jiangsu (3) 28.05.2009
3 3

2 2
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e6 7.g4 Be7
1 1 8.Bg2 Nfd7! A necessary retreat in order
a b c d e f g h to prepare Nc6. 9.Be3 Nc6
10.Qe2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 0-0 12.0-0
[ 12.0-0-0 leads to different, sharper
positions. ]
12...b5! Black should not wait to play this
move.
[ If 12...Rb8 13.a4 prevents b5. ]

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
13.e5 d5
[ 13...dxe5!? is playable, leading to a
different game. ]
14.a3 b5-b4 was not a big threat, but
White aims to prevent Black from
improving his worst piece.
[ Still, 14.Qe3!? has an interesting
point. After the natural b4 15.Ne2 a5
16.c4! is possible ( 16.f4 Ba6 17.Rf2
Rc8 18.Ng3 Rc6 looks nice for
Black. ) 16...bxc3 17.Nxc3
White achieved solid posts for the
pieces, but the open lines on the
queenside should give Black equal
chances. Haubro,M (2297)-Hagen,A
(2383)/DEN-chT 1718 56th 2017 (8.4)/
1/2-1/2 ( 17.Bxc3?! Ba6 18.Rfe1
Rc8 19.Nd4 Nc5 is already pleasant
for Black ) 17...Ba6 18.Rfc1 Rc8
19.Na4 ( 19.Rc2 Bc5! ) 19...Rxc1+
20.Rxc1 Qb8! , and Black is fine. ]
14...Qc7 15.f4 Bc5!?
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The exchange of the dark-squared
bishops usually favors White in this
structure, but in this position White is
not able to recapture on d4 with the
knight, and his king may become a bit
unsafe after the exchange. 16.Qe3
www.modern-chess.com
48
[ 16.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 17.Qf2 would be
more precise. Rb8 ( 17...Qxf2+
18.Rxf2 helps White ) 18.Qxc5 Nxc5
19.Ne2 Bd7 20.Nd4 Rfc8
Black has chances of counterplay on
the queenside with Na4-ideas or a5-
b4. ]
16...Bxd4 Otherwise White will play Ne2
on the next move. 17.Qxd4 Bb7
18.Rae1 Rac8 19.Rf2 Hou probably
realized that the typical f5-breakthrough
will not work here.
[ 19.f5?! Qc5! after the exchange of
queens, White loses his prospects of
an initiative on the kingside, and the
endgame looks already a bit
unpleasant for him in view of the
newly-created weakness on e5 and
the constant pressure along the c-file.
20.Qxc5 ( 20.Ne2?! fails to
complicate matters. exf5 21.gxf5
Nxe5 ) 20...Rxc5 Ideas with a5-b4
can be already considered. 21.fxe6
fxe6 22.Rxf8+ Nxf8 23.Re2 a5
, and Black has the better chances. ]
19...Qb6!? Wang Hao now thought that
White was sufficiently prepared to play
f4-f5 and decided to exchange queens
on b6, so the knight can go to c4 quickly.
20.Qxb6 Nxb6 21.Nd1 White wants to
secure the queenside first.
[ 21.f5?! is risky, after Nc4 22.Nd1
Rfe8 White starts to face problems
with his structure. ]
21...Na4!? The start of an interesting
idea.
[ 21...Nc4 would be the most natural.
22.c3 Rfd8 23.Ne3 Rc7 Black is fine,
although the position should be equal
with correct play by both sides. ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
22.c3 Nc5! 23.Rd2 Nb3 24.Rf2 a5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The knight's manoeuvre had the clear
goal of weakening, blockading and then
attacking White's queenside! The b5-b4
threat is already a bit unpleasant for him.
25.Ne3
[ 25.Re3 prevents the idea for now,
but the knight becomes awkward and
Black is able to create other ideas.
Rfd8 26.Bf1 d4 27.cxd4 Nxd4
28.Nc3 b4 ]
25...b4 26.axb4 axb4 27.c4!?
[ 27.cxb4! was probably more precise.
Although the b4-pawn looks easy to
regain, this would have taken some time.
Ba6 28.Nc2 d4 I suspect the passed
pawn seemed scary for Hou, but White
can keep it under control.
29.Rd1 Rfd8 ( 29...d3? 30.Na3 )
30.Be4 d3 31.Na3 White has b4-b5
and the passed pawn is lost. Rb8
32.b5 Bxb5 33.Nxb5 Rxb5 34.Rxd3
Rdb8 35.Rc3 g6= ]
27...Nc5! Black has everything in order
now. 28.Rd1 dxc4 29.Nxc4 Bxg2
30.Kxg2 Objectively this endgame is
equal. 30...Ne4 31.Rc2 f5!?
Black keeps looking for some unbalance.
www.modern-chess.com
49
32.exf6
[ 32.Rd4 was more solid. b3 33.Rc1
Rfd8 34.Rcd1= ]
32...Rxf6 33.Kf3 Ng5+ 34.Kg3 Ne4+
35.Kf3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Nc3?? Risking too much, Black didn't
realize this is a blunder.
[ 35...Ng5+ 36.Kg3 Ne4+=
and a draw by perpetual would be the
natural result. ]
36.Rd4?? But White fails to realize it as
well.
[ 36.Ne3! defends both rooks and
White wins the pinned knight. Nxd1
37.Rxc8++- ]
36...Nb5! Now White has big problems.
37.Rd3
[ 37.Re4 Nd6 38.Rd4 e5!-+ ]
37...e5! White is not able to defend both
threats created by this move, so he
choses the lesser evil, an ending with a
pawn down. 38.Ne3 Rxf4+ 39.Kg3
Rcf8 40.Nd5?
[ 40.Nf5! was White's best chance. g6
41.Rd5! gxf5 42.Rxb5 fxg4 43.hxg4
Re4 44.Rc7 with good drawing
chances for White. ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
40...Nd4! 41.Rcd2 Re4 Black's pieces
are better coordinated now. 42.Kg2
[ 42.Nxb4? Ne2+ 43.Kh4 Nf4
44.Rb3 Rb8-+ ]
42...b3 43.Ne7+ Kf7 44.Nf5
Too late to go for the rook endgame now,
as this is a much worse version for
White. 44...Nxf5 45.gxf5 Rb4 46.Rd7+
[ 46.Rd6 cuts off the king, but the
other rook comes into play now.
Rc8-+ ]
46...Kf6 47.R2d6+ Kxf5 48.Rxg7
Although White managed to activate the
rooks, it is not possible to create serious
threats against the opponent's king, that
is no less active here. 48...Rc4 49.Kf3
[ 49.Rxh7 Rg8+ 50.Kf3 Rf4+ 51.Ke3
Rg3+ 52.Ke2 Ke4-+ , and Black's
small army will put an end to the
king's life soon. ]
49...e4+ 50.Kg3 Ke5 51.Rd1
[ 51.Rd2 Rf3+ 52.Kg2 Rd3 53.Re2
Rc2 54.Re7+ Kd5 55.R7xe4
Rxb2!-+ ]
51...Rf3+ 52.Kg4 h5+! 53.Kxh5 e3-+
The white king has been cut off in a very
instructive way and the passed pawn
brings Black the victory. 54.Rg5+ Rf5
55.h4 e2 56.Re1 Re4 57.Kg6 Rxg5+
58.hxg5 Kf4 59.Kf6 Ke3 Despite the
huge blunder on move 35 the game had
many instructive moments.
0-1
www.modern-chess.com
50
Exercise
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
We have a slight imbalance in this
position, as Black has the passed d5-
pawn against White's 2x1 on the
queenside. The game should be close to
equal if White is able to regroup his
pieces. Knowing that, find the best
continuation for Black. 34...d4!
The best way to create some pressure
on White's position before he is ready to
bring back the knight.
[ 34...Bd7?! , preparing Nc6, is too
slow. 35.Bf1 Bc8 36.Bc5!
, and White has no problems. Qc6
( 36...Nc6?? 37.Bxf8 Kxf8
38.Qh7+- ) 37.Qc3 Bb7 38.Bb4= ]
35.Bf1
[ 35.Bxc6 Nxc6 36.Ng3 Nb4!
Black has a dangerous initiative here.
37.Qxd4 Qf3 38.Qe3 Qd1+ 39.Kg2
Nd3 ]
35...Bd5 36.Qxa6
[ 36.Bxd4 Ng6 Preserves nice
chances of an initiative for Black ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
36...Qxb3 37.Qd3 Qxa4 38.Qxd4
Qa8 Black demonstrated in a very
impressive way how risky White's
position is: Despite the simplifications,
his pawns can be more easily attacked,
the kingside is weakened and Black can
create threats making use of the open
diagonals, with Nc6 and Qa4-e4.
Actually, this was the winning plan for
Black in Howell,D (2611)-Carlsen,M
(2802)/London Classic 2nd 2010 (5)/0-1
Position 2
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
We have seen similar structures in other
Najdorf lines, but the pawns on h3/g4
suggest that this one arises from the 6.
h3 variation. All the features examined
previously can be pointed out here: both
sides have potentially weak pawns (d6,
e4) and both sides have a solid outpost
for the pieces (e5,d5). Still, I think the
differences are slightly in Black's favor.
The white bishop seems inferor on g2,
while the advanced pawns on the
kingside only weaken the dark squares.
www.modern-chess.com
51
Brandenburg,Daan 2535
Giri,Anish 2687
NED-ch Boxtel (6) 02.07.2011
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e6 7.g4 Be7
8.Bg2 Nfd7! 9.Be3 Nc6 10.0-0 0-0
11.f4 This looks like an ambitious move,
but Black has a simple operation
to neutralize White's plans.
11...Nxd4
12.Qxd4
[ 12.Bxd4 allows b5! when 13.e5?!
can be met by dxe5! 14.fxe5
( 14.Bxa8? exd4 15.Ne2 Nb6 16.Bf3
Bc5 17.Qd3 Nc4 gives Black a
strong initiative. ) 14...Rb8 15.Ne4
Bb7 16.Qd3 Qc7 Black had the
advantage in Polzin,R (2416) -
Raykhman,A (2414)/Bundesliga 1516
2015 (4.6)/1/2-1/2 ]
12...e5! This basically ends any
potential of White's kingside pawns.
13.Qd2 exf4 14.Bxf4 Ne5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
A typical structure has been reached.
Black has no serious problems on d6,
and the knight has a nice post on e5.
The advanced pawns on the kingside
give me the impression that White
created unnecessary weaknesses in his
camp, although the position should be
objectively balanced. 15.Nd5
Of course White has the nice square d5
as well. 15...Be6 16.Nxe7+
This exchange might look strange at first
sight, but White eliminates one defender
of d6 and ensures that his dark-
squared bishop will be able to protect
the weak squares in his camp. 16...Qxe7
17.Rad1 Rfd8 18.Rf2!? This rook might
be useful on the second rank if White
achieves an ideal set-up, like Qb4,
Rfd2.
[ 18.a4 also makes sense, trying to
cramp the queenside: Qc7 19.Rf2 h6
20.b3 b5 21.axb5 axb5 22.Qd4 Rd7
23.Bf1 Rb8 24.Qe3 f6! , preventing
g5-ideas. Black's position is safe and
he can change plans at the right
moment, for example with Re8-Bf7-
g6. Still the position looks equal, but
compared to the game we will see that
the absence of the a-pawns makes
White's life easier. Deepan
Chakkravarthy,J (2496) -Adhiban,B
(2608)/Kolkata op 19th 2014 (8)/0-1 ]
18...b5 19.b3 White's queenside is safe,
but not without weaknesses.
[ Maybe White should play 19.g5!?,
which does not bring any advantage,
but prevents Black from achieving the
ideal formation on the kingside, as he
did in the game. Rac8 20.b3 Re8!?
21.Qb4 ( 21.Qxd6? Rcd8-+ )
21...Ng6! 22.Be3 Red8 The position
remains tense, but White still needs to
www.modern-chess.com
52
be aware, for example 23.Rfd2?
Nh4!24.Rxd6 Re8! 25.R1d2 Bf5!,
and Black has a dangerous initiative. ]
19...Qc7 20.Qe3 Rd7 21.Rfd2 h6!
22.Qf2
[ 22.g5? is just bad now: hxg5
23.Bxg5 f6 24.Bf4 Kf7! ]
22...f6!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The last two moves were very important
to secure a small but real advantage for
Black. The Ne5 is reinforced now and
g5-ideas are definitely prevented. White
is still solid, but it is difficult to
imagine how to improve his position or
even find active ideas. On the other
hand, life is much easier for Black, as
besides the ideas on the queenside, he
can slowly build pressure against e4. I
think White should be ok with correct
play, but in practice, such a position
tends to be unpleasant to play. 23.Rd4
Rc8 24.Qd2? White already went wrong.
There was no reason to change the set-
up.
[ 24.R4d2 was better, but then Black
can keep improving his pieces: Qb8!
25.Qd4 Rc6 26.Qe3 Qc7 27.Qf2 a5
 Modern Chess Magazine
28.Bf1 Qb8 Black is better, but I
don't see anything concrete yet. ]
24...Nf7!?
[ 24...Qc5! was even stronger. 25.Kh1
( 25.Be3 Bf7! 26.Rxd6? Rxd6-+ )
25...Rc6! Black is preparing to take on
c2 under better circumstances.
26.Rc1 Qa7 27.Rd1 Qc7 28.Rc1
Rc3 ]
25.Kh1? Maybe White misevaluated the
dangers of this position.
[ 25.Rc1 would offer better resistance.
Qd8 26.Kh1 Rc5!? ]
25...Qxc2 26.Bxd6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
a5! Black has the simple and winning
idea of fixing the a2-pawn, against
which White is defenceless.
[ 26...Rc6 wins a pawn, but after
27.Bg3 Rxd4 28.Qxd4 Qxa2 29.e5!
Rc2 30.Bd5 White gets some
counterplay. ]
27.Bf1
[ 27.Qxa5? loses due to Rxd6!
28.Rxd6 Nxd6 29.Rxd6 Qc1+
30.Kh2 Qf4+-+ ]
27...b4-+ White has no way to avoid
losing the a2-pawn, which means a
quick collapse of the position. Now we
www.modern-chess.com
53
can see why he should had played a2-
a4 on move 19. 28.Bb5
[ 28.Bg2 Rc6 29.e5? fxe5-+ ]
[ 28.Bc5 Qxd2 29.R1xd2 Rxc5
30.Rxd7 Bxd7 31.Rxd7 Rc1 32.Kg2
Rc2+ 33.Kg3 Ne5!-+ ]
28...Rdd8 29.Qxc2 Rxc2 30.Bf4 Rxd4
31.Rxd4 Rxa2 32.Ba4 White puts his
hopes on a fortress, but there are too
many weaknesses in his position to
make it possible. 32...Rc2 33.Rd3 g5!
34.Bd2
[ 34.Bb8 Rc3 is Black's idea. 35.Rxc3
bxc3 36.Ba7 Ne5 37.Be3 Bd7!-+ ]
34...Ne5 35.Rd6 Nf3
0-1
Exercise
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The position looks promising for White,
as he has pressure against many points:
b5, d6, e5. What's the best way to
complicate matters for Black? 32...Ng6!
[ 32...Nf7? is passive: 33.Kh2 Red8
34.e5 d5 35.c4! , and White is
winning. bxc4 36.Qxb7 Rxb7
 Modern Chess Magazine
37.bxc4 Rb4! 38.cxd5 Bxh3 39.e6!
Bxg2 40.exf7+ Kxf7 ( 40...Kf8
41.Be3! ) 41.Rf2+- ]
33.e5!
[ 33.Bxd6 Bxh3!! A beautiful tactical
idea, exploiting the points h3 and e4.
( 33...Nh4!? ) 34.Bxh3 Rxe4 35.Bg2
Rxb4 36.Bxb7 Rh4+ 37.Kg2 Rxb7
, with a better endgame for Black. ]
33...d5 34.Bg3 Narayanan,S (2393)-
Negi,P (2636)/Mumbai Mayors Cup
3rd 2010 (7)/0-1 34...Ne7! Black has
secured the d5-pawn.
Position 3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Although the line has barely reached its
childhood in tournament practice, we
can call this structure "typical" for the 6.
a3 line. The result is a middlegame with
opposite-colored bishops and
interesting possibilities. Black normally
develops his bishop actively on h6 and
the knight via d7-c5. The advance e5-
e4 would be desirable under favorable
circumstances, of course, but White
normally organizes his pieces on light-
www.modern-chess.com
54
squares (Bd3,Nd2), making it hard.
Another idea for White is to undermine
Black's structure by means of c2-c3, in
order to get more freedom to his pieces.
The open g-file normally leads to
positions with both sides castling to the
queenside. Nevertheless, often Black
keeps his king in the center. Black
should prevent White from establishing
a strong knight on e4. That is why he
should part with the bishop to exchange
that knight. After the eventual exchange
of the queens, the endgames with
knight versus bishop with rooks on the
board are balanced. Black has no
problems if he is able to coordinate the
pieces, as the knight has nice squares
like c5 or b6.
Demchenko,Anton 2645
Areshchenko,Alexander 2652
FIDE World Cup (1.3) 05.09.2017
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.a3!? e5 7.Nf5 d5!
8.Bg5 d4 9.Bxf6 gxf6!
[ 9...Qxf6 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.Qg4
gave White the initiative in Carlsen,
M (2840) -Wojtaszek,R (2750)/Tata
Steel-A 79th 2017 (2)/ 1-0. ]
10.Nb1 Bxf5!? This is a concrete
solution for Black, as the knight would
stay permanently well placed on f5.
11.exf5 Qd5!
[ 11...Qa5+?! This would be imprecise
because White has 12.c3! Nc6
13.Bd3 with good development, for
example 0-0-0 14.0-0 dxc3
15.Nxc3 ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
12.Qd3 Qa5+!? Now this check is
correct. 13.Nd2
[ 13.c3 Nc6 The queen is in the way
of the bishop, which makes a
considerable difference. 14.Be2
0-0-0 15.0-0 Qc7 16.Bf3 dxc3
17.Qxc3 Nd4 ]
13...Bb4!? Black goes for simplification
at the first chance.
[ I think 13...Nd7 would be more
precise. 14.0-0-0 ( 14.Be2 Bb4!
This seems an improvement for Black
compared to the game. 15.0-0-0
Nc5 16.Qf3 Bxd2+ 17.Rxd2 Qc7
18.Kb1 0-0-0 Black is at least fine,
he has the simple plan of Rd7-Rhd8-
e4, with powerful play in the centre. )
14...Bh6! This exchange is necessary
for Black. 15.Kb1 Nc5 16.Qe2 Bxd2
17.Qxd2? ( 17.Rxd2 0-0!? 18.h4
Rad8 19.Rh3 Kh8 ) 17...Qxd2
18.Rxd2 Black has a strong idea now:
Ne4! 19.Re2 Nd6 , and Black's play
is already easier, for example 20.g4
0-0-0 21.Bg2 Rhg8 22.Bf3 h5
23.h3 Kc7 ]
14.0-0-0 Bxd2+ 15.Qxd2 Qxd2+
16.Rxd2 Nd7 Comparing this position
with the lines analysed in the previous
note, Black is not so active now.
17.Bc4!? Rc8 18.Bd5 White hopes to
keep Black under pressure on both
sides. 18...Rc7 19.Re1 Kf8 Black will
have some problems to coordinate the
pieces after this move.
[ But 19...0-0 looks better. Black
would not have faced the problems
seen in the game. ]
20.f4! White makes use of his lead in
development, posing some problems for
Black. 20...Rg8 21.Kb1 b5 22.g3
www.modern-chess.com
55
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
a5
[ 22...Kg7! was probably better,
solving Black's development. 23.fxe5
fxe5 24.f6+! Kg6! ( 24...Kxf6
25.Rf1+ ) 25.Be4+ Kxf6 26.Bxh7 Rh8
27.Rf2+ Ke7 28.Bf5 f6 29.h4 Nb6
The endgame looks a bit complex, but
Black has enough counterplay with
the knight coming to e3. ]
23.Rf2!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
h6? Areshchenko fails to see White's
idea.
[ 23...Rc5! was the right move,
winning time and expelling the bishop
from its active position. 24.Bg2 b4!
25.axb4 axb4 26.fxe5 fxe5 27.f6
This idea is not so strong now, as
after Rg6 28.Ref1 Rh6 29.Be4
Black has the nice idea Ra5!
, and White is not able to make
progress. 30.Bc6 Nb8 31.Be4 Nd7
32.Bc6= ]
24.fxe5 fxe5
[ 24...Nxe5 The knight is well placed
on e5, but White can change his
attention towards d4 now. 25.Rd1
Rg4 26.Bg2 Rd7 27.Bf1 Rd5 28.c3!
d3 29.Rfd2 ]
25.f6! Maybe Black is fine with correct
defence, but his position seems a bit
unpleasant already. 25...Rg6 26.Ref1
Nb6 27.Be4 If the pawn were still on h7,
Black would like to place his rook there.
27...Rg4 28.Bd3! Nc4
[ 28...b4? would be bad now: 29.Re2
Rc5 30.axb4 axb4 31.Ka2
, and Black has new problems with the
b4-pawn. ]
29.Re1 Rc5 30.a4! A very technical
and well-timed move: White not only
prevents Ne3 but also puts Black before
a difficult choice. 30...Nd6
[ 30...bxa4 31.Bxc4 Rxc4 32.Rxe5+-
looks like a winning endgame for
White. ]
31.axb5
[ 31.Rfe2! would be more accurate. If
Rg5 32.axb5 Nxb5 33.h4! Rxg3
34.Rxe5 Rxe5 35.Rxe5 White wins.
Nc7 36.Rc5 Ne8 37.Rc8 h5 38.Bb5
Re3 39.Ka2 Re5 40.Bd7 Re3
41.b3+- ]
www.modern-chess.com
56
31...e4 32.Be2 Rgg5 33.Rd1
Although Black achieved some apparent
activity, White has everything under
control and the central pawns are weak
now. 33...Rgd5 34.Rf4 a4 35.b6 Rc6
36.c4! A nice tactical idea to finish the
game. 36...Nxc4 37.b7! Rb5 38.Rxd4
Rxb2+ 39.Ka1 Kg8 40.Rg4+
1-0
Exercise
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black's 12...e4 was a mistake. Why?
13.Nc3! Black has big problems now.
[ 13.Qb3? Qxb3 14.cxb3 Nc6
is harmless for Black. ]
13...exd3? The worst possible reaction.
[ 13...Qxf5 was better, but after
14.Qxe4+ Qe6 15.Bc4! it becomes
clear that White is much better. f5
16.Qe2! Qxe2+ 17.Nxe2 Nc6
18.0-0-0 ]
14.Nxd5 dxc2 15.Rc1!
 Modern Chess Magazine
[ The immediate 15.Nc7+?
is a mistake. Kd8 16.Nxa8 Bh6
Black regains the rook with an
advantage. ]
15...Kd8 16.Nb6! Ra7 17.Rxc2 Nc6
18.Bd3 Black had a difficult position in
view of his bad structure and the bad
rook on a7 in Sargissyan,S (2284) -
Babukhadia,L (1968)/EU-ch 19th
Batumi 2018 (7)/1-0.
Position 4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
This structure resembles a bit the
Position 2 but there is an important
difference - White has castled to the
queenside and therefore the position is
more complicated. White has clear
intentions on the kingside where he can
advance the g and h-pawns and
increase the pressure with the maneuver
Nd4-f5. If he is able to get more open
files, then his attacking chances would
be very promising. White can also look
for a positional advantage with an early
Nd5. In this case, however, Black
obtains a solid position after the
exchange Bxd5. Naturally, Black has
www.modern-chess.com
57
counter-chances on the queenside. A
typical idea is Nf6-d7-b6 when the
knight can go to either (most likely) c4
or a4. Meanwhile, the other knight stays
on e5, thus keeping the kingside
defended. Sacrifices on c3 might be
considered as well. The advance of the
b-pawn is also an option, although the
queen on b6 sometimes offers nice
ideas combined with ...Nc4. Overall,
these positions look dynamically
balanced, but the game normally takes
a sharp character full of complications
and tactical ideas.
Sengupta,Deep 2551
Areshchenko,Alexander 2654
Warsaw Najdorf Memorial op-A 14th (5)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6
8.h3 Be7 9.f4!? exf4 10.Bxf4 Nc6
11.Qe2 Nd7! This is an important move in
order to reach the ideal set-up.
[ 11...0-0?! 12.0-0-0 , and Nd7 is
not possible anymore. ]
12.0-0-0
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
Nce5! And this is the "right knight" to
be on e5, as the rook will be actively
placed on the c-file and the idea
Nb6-c4 is available. 13.Kb1 The
most popular move, securing the
king's position.
[ 13.Nd4 Rc8 , and White will
have to think about the sacrifice on
c3 anyway. 14.Qe3 ]
13...Rc8 14.Qe3
[ 14.Nd5 looks like an easy way to
get a small positional advantage,
but Black has no problems here.
Bxd5 15.exd5 ( 15.Rxd5 0-0 16.g4
Nb6 17.Rd1 Vehi Bach,V (2460)-
Herrera,I (2478)/Peregrina op 18th
2002 (7.1)/ 1/ 2-1/2 Nec4 )
15...0-0 16.g4 Bg5!?17.Bxe5
( 17.Bg3? Nc4 ;Haring,F
(2155) -Firouzja,A (2481)/World ol
U16 2016 (1.2)/0-1 ) 17...Re8!
18.h4 Rxe5 19.Qg2 Be3=
Movsesian,S
(2647)-Palac,M (2565)/BIH-chT
Neum 2004 (2.3)/1/2-1/2 ]
14...0-0 15.g4 Re8 The rook is
always useful on the e-file. 16.Nd4
After some improvements, White
turns his attention to the kingside.
16...Qa5! Renewing the threat of
Rxc3. 17.a3 Bf8
Black's moves are very precise and
logical: He anticipates Nf5. 18.Qe1?!
This looks passive.
[ 18.Nf5 is harmless now in view of
www.modern-chess.com
58
Nb6! with nice counterplay. 19.Qd4
Nec4 20.Bd2 Nxd2+ 21.Rxd2
Red8 ]
18...b5 Black's initiative will come first.
19.Bg2?! I think the bishop should have
kept an eye on c4.
[ White should go directly for 19.Nd5
Qxe1 ( 19...Qd8 After this retreat,
Black is not able to create any
serious threat. 20.Qg3 Nb6
21.Bg2 ) 20.Rxe1 Ng6 21.Bg3 Bxd5
22.exd5 Rxe1+ 23.Bxe1 Re8
24.Bd2 Nb6 This looks good for Black,
but after 25.Nc6 ( 25.Bg2? Nc4
26.Bc1 Nh4 ) 25...Nxd5 26.c4!
White has the initiative. bxc4 27.Bxc4
Nc7 28.Nb4 ]
19...Nc4 20.Nd5 Qd8!? Areschchenko
plays ambitiously and keeps the queens
on the board. 21.Qg3 Nc5! Compared
to the notes of White's 19th move, Black
is more active now. 22.g5?!
[ 22.Bc1!? would be good prophylaxis
for White. ]
22...Bxd5!? This exchange was more or
less necessary to activate the queen
again. 23.exd5 Qb6
[ 23...g6 was already good. ]
24.Nc6 a5
[ 24...g6! would be strong again. If
25.Bc1 Bg7 26.b3 Na4!
, and Black's attack is very strong, for
example 27.Rd3 Ne5! 28.Re3
( 28.bxa4 bxa4+ 29.Ka2 Nxd3
30.Qxd3 Rxc6! 31.dxc6 Rb8 32.c4
Qf2+ 33.Qd2 Qg3! 34.Qc2 Qe5-+ )
28...Nxc6 29.dxc6 Qd4 30.c3 Nxc3+
31.Rxc3 Qxc3-+ ]
25.Bc1! White has time to secure the
queenside now. 25...b4
 Modern Chess Magazine 59

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

26.Bf1? But he missed a strong idea for Rb8! White can defend either b2 or b1,
Black in this position. but unfortunately he can't defend both.
[ 26.Rd4! was the right move, 30.Nb4 Nxa3!
immediatelly exploiting the drawback [ 30...axb4? would ruin Black's
of Black's last move. Ne5 After this masterpiece. 31.Bxc4-+ ]
retreat Black's initiative is not so 31.Bxa3 axb4 32.Rb1 Qa5 33.Rb3
strong. ( 26...Nxa3+? Black's attack Ra8
falls short here. 27.bxa3 bxa3+ [ Black has an unavoidable mate on
28.Ka1 g6 29.Bxa3 Bg7 30.Rb1 the a-file: 33...Ra8 34.Bd3 ( 34.Kb1
Rxc6 31.dxc6! Bxd4+ 32.Ka2 Qa6 Re1+ 35.Ka2 Qxa3+ 36.Rxa3
33.Bd5! Qe2 34.Qg2 ) 27.Rf1 Na4 Rxa3# ) 34...Qxa3+! 35.Rxa3 Rxa3+
28.Rdf4 , and the position still seems 36.Kb1 Rea8 ]
complicated. Nc3+ 29.Ka1! 0-1
( 29.bxc3? bxc3+ 30.Ka2 Rb8!-+ )
29...Ne2 30.Qf2! Qxf2 31.R4xf2
Nxc1 32.Rxc1 ]
26...Ne4 Curiously, in this game White
failed to defend the squares c4 and e4
at the right moment. 27.Qf3
[ 27.Qb3 loses to Nxa3+! 28.bxa3
Nc3+ 29.Ka1 Nxd1-+ ]
27...Nc3+!-+ With this sacrifice, Black
manages to break through the b-file,
with a winning attack. 28.bxc3 bxc3+
29.Ka2

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
Exercise
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
How should Black develop his attack?
19...Na3+ 20.Ka1 Qa5! This move
gives Black a strong attack.
[ 20...Nc6!? 21.Nxc6? ( 21.Nxe6
Nxc2+ 22.Kb1 Na3+ 23.Ka1
Nc2+= ) 21...Nxc2+ 22.Kb1 Na3+
23.Ka1 Qxc6 Aravindh,C (2586)-
Salomon,J (2475)/Rilton Cup 47th
2017 (7)/0-1 ]
21.Nd5
[ 21.Nxe6 Nxc2+ 22.Kb1 Na3+!
23.Ka1 ( 23.bxa3 Rxc3 24.Qxc3
Qxc3 25.Nxf8 Qf3!-+ ) 23...fxe6
Black is a pawn up and keeps the
initiative. ]
[ 21.Rh2? Rxc3! 22.Qxc3 Nxc2+
23.Kb1 Qxa2+ 24.Kxc2 Rc8-+ ]
21...Bxd5 22.exd5 Nxc2+ 23.Nxc2
Rxc2
www.modern-chess.com
60
Position 5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
This structure is often seen in the 6.Be3
variation when White combines the
moves 8. h3, 9.Qf3 and the advance g2-
g4; Black responds by quickly pushing
his b-pawn. After an exchange of the
knights on d5, we have the current
structure. White's chances of attack in
this structure are not great, in my opinion,
as despite having lost the defender on f6,
Black has not weak squares around the
king. Besides the typical advance a5-a4,
there are two good ideas to deprive
White from looking for an advantage: 1)
...Ba6, exchanging the light-squared
bishop which is important for White's
kingside play. 2) A well-timed
breakthrough f7-f5 which makes the
game a bit double-edged as White gets
the open g-file, but Black can safely
defend g7 with ...Rf7-Bf8, and White's
structure looks a bit exposed now. Since
the attack doesn't looks so promising,
White can go for a positional approach,
improving the knight via either d2-e4 or
d2-c4, thus exploiting the slightly better
structure and space advantage.
 Modern Chess Magazine
However, this is a bit slow and after the
aforementioned Ba6-idea, Black has
time to work on the queenside with the
simple and strong idea of advancing the
a and b-pawns.
Pitra,Andika 2390
Le,Quang Liem 2712
Ho Chi Minh City HD Bank op 7th (1)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6
8.h3 Be7 9.Qf3 0-0 10.0-0-0 b5
11.g4 b4! Otherwise Black would lose
control over d5. 12.Nd5 Nxd5!
[ 12...Bxd5? 13.exd5 leaves the light-
squares terribly exposed. ]
13.exd5 Bc8! The bishop goes back,
but this is not a problem: Black has the
idea a5-Ba6 now. 14.Kb1
[ 14.Bd3 is the most played, but after
a5 15.Nd2 Ba6! I like Black's
chances. ]
14...a5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
15.Nc5!? White chooses the trickiest
path to improve the knight - this also
www.modern-chess.com
61
prevents the bishop from coming to a6
for one move.
[ Another instructive game went
15.Bd3 Ba6! 16.h4 Qc7 17.Qe4
Bxd3 18.cxd3?! Nd7 19.Rc1 Qb7
20.Bg5 ( 20.Rc6 looks nice, but White
is not able to support the outpost. a4
21.Nd2 Nf6 22.Qc4 Ra5! )
Now with the strong idea 20...f6!
21.Be3 a4 22.Nd2 f5! 23.gxf5 Nf6
Black had a big advantage in Alonso,
S (2521) -Mareco,S (2580)/
Montevideo zt 2.5 2013 (4)/1-0. ]
15...a4
[ 15...dxc5?! 16.d6 Ra7 17.dxe7
Qxe7 18.Bc4 offers White nice
compensation. ]
16.Ne4 Ba6!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
At first sight this might look a bit weird,
since Black stays with the "bad bishop",
but it is important to prevent White from
developing play on the light-squares.
Another point is that Black's mobilization
on the queenside is accelerated. 17.g5
Curiously, the natural idea of advancing
the kingside pawns is not so good, as
 Modern Chess Magazine
we will see. 17...Nd7 18.h4
[ White has an interesting way to
organize his pieces in this position:
18.Bxa6 Rxa6 19.Qg4 Qc7 20.Rd3!
This rook is very useful on the third
rank, keeping an eye on both of the
board Nb6 21.Bxb6 Rxb6 22.Rc1
White has no problems with the king's
safety now and may continue
advancing the pawns on the kingside.
( 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Nd7? This "nice"
trick backfires after Rc8! ) 22...Kh8!
23.h4 Qc4 24.Rd2 Rbb8 ( 24...Rb5?
25.Qd7! ) 25.h5 Qc8!? ]
18...Bxf1 19.Rhxf1
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Qc7 Both sides have played natural
moves according to their respective
plans, and yet the position seems easier
to handle as Black. Although White has
not done anything wrong, his position
looks just harder to improve while
Black's ideas on the queenside already
seem promising. 20.Qe2? The first
serious mistake. White's position
becomes too passive now.
[ 20.Bd2!? would be a better try, with
www.modern-chess.com
62
the possible follow-up b3!?
( 20...Rfc8 21.Qd3 and now b3!?
22.cxb3 axb3 23.Qxb3 Rcb8
transposes; 20...Rfb8!?
is also possible, keeping the tension. )
21.cxb3 axb3 22.Qxb3 Rfb8
Black sacrificed the pawn to get
strong pressure on the open lines on
the queenside, but White should be
able to defend with careful play.
23.Qc2 Qa7 ( 23...Qb7 24.Bc3 f5
25.gxf6 Nxf6 26.Nxf6+ Bxf6 27.Rfe1
, and White still holds the initiative, for
example Qa7 28.b3 Rc8 29.Re4! )
24.b3 ( 24.Nc3 Bd8! 25.Be3 Bb6
26.Bxb6 Nxb6 ) 24...f5! 25.gxf6
( 25.Nc3? g6! Black is able to
increase the pressure by improving
his minor pieces. ) 25...Nxf6 26.Nxf6+
Bxf6 27.Be3 Qa5 The position
remains tense but White is probably
able to keep defending the important
points on the queenside. ]
20...Rfc8 21.Rc1 f5! White probably
missed this idea, as apparently the main
battle is taking place on the queenside.
His position becomes very difficult now.
22.gxf6
[ 22.Ng3? f4 23.Nf5 Bf8 24.Bd2
Qb7 Black is simply winning. 25.h5
Rab8 26.Qd3 Rc5 27.g6 h6-+ ]
22...Nxf6 23.Ng5?
[ 23.Nxf6+ was White's best chance.
Bxf6 , but White faces many
unpleasant problems in this position,
for example 24.Bd2 ( 24.c4 bxc3
25.Rxc3 Qb7 ) 24...Rab8 25.Qd3
Qc4! White will find the endgames
equally sad to defend, in view of his
very bad structure. ]
23...a3!-+ The attack on the queenside
is too strong and White can't avoid
 Modern Chess Magazine
material losses. 24.Ne6
[ 24.c4 bxc3 25.Rxc3 Qb7 26.Rb3
Qxd5-+ ]
24...Qa5 25.b3 Qxd5 The rest was just
white suffering. 26.Ng5 h6 27.Rcd1
Qc6 28.Ne6 Ne4 29.Rd3 Nc3+
30.Rxc3 Qxc3 31.Bc1 Bf6
0-1
Exercise
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Although White has some ideas on the
kingside in this position, it is obvious
that Black's attack on the queenside
comes first, with open lines and almost
all his pieces participating. What's the
best continuation for Black now?
24...Qa5 The threats on a-file force
White to play 25.Nc3 But now comes
the strong blow 25...Rxc3! 26.Qxc3
[ 26.bxc3 Bd3+! is mate. ]
26...Qa2+!! 27.Kc2
[ 27.Kxa2 Bd3+ Another mating
idea! ]
www.modern-chess.com
63
27...Rc8 And Black wins easily. 28.Bd2
Rxc3+ 29.Bxc3 Bc8!-+ ; Drozdowski,K
(2432)-Gajewski,G (2653)/POL-ch
Chorzow 2013 (3)/ 0-1
Position 6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
At first sight, this structure resembles
those already seen in databases 1 and 2,
but the position is simply different. The
opposite castles suggest a sharper
game by nature. White has also
sacrificed the g4-pawn in order to get
an open file on the kingside. In my
opinion, this is not enough to claim an
advantage for White. In practice,
however, his moves are very easy and
the task of the defender might be a bit
unpleasant. Black has enough
defensive resources to deal with White's
attack. After securing the king, he is
ready to use his extra pawn and to
create counter-chances on the
queenside. One important thing to
 Modern Chess Magazine
remember for Black is that White's ideal
set-up would be keeping heavy pieces
and the strong Nd5 against the bad
bishop. In this case, Black would have
trouble to simultaneously deal with the
positional pressure and White's initiative.
Therefore, Black should keep his only
knight on the board, and in the worst
scenario, prevent the remaining
opponent's knight from coming to d5.
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter 2668
Karjakin,Sergey 2694
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk (4.2)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6
8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.0-0-0 b5 10.f4 Be7
11.Kb1
[ White can try the sacrifice in another
move order: 11.f5 Bc4 12.g4!?
There is an important detail here:
Nxg4 13.Rg1 Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Bxf1!
( It is not possible to play like in the
game now. 14...Bxb3? 15.axb3
, because Black is one tempo behind
0-0? 16.Qh6 Bf6 17.Rxd6+- )
15.Rdxf1 h6! Black uses the position
of the opponent's king in his favor.
16.Kb1 Bg5 17.Qf2 Rc8 18.Nd5 Nf6
now, one game went 19.h4 Nxd5
20.hxg5 Nf4! 21.gxh6 gxh6
Black kept the extra pawn and had a
good position in Iljiushenok,I (2427)
-Areshchenko,A (2710)/Chigorin
Memorial 20th 2012 (3)/0-1. ]
11...0-0 12.f5 Bc4 13.g4!? Nxg4
14.Rg1 Nxe3 15.Qxe3
www.modern-chess.com
64
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Bxb3! This is the right exchange now, as
the light-squared bishop is useless for
White's attacking purposes on the
kingside. 16.Qh6?
[ 16.axb3 Kh8 17.Nd5 This is the
best option for White, but he has no
more than sufficient compensation for
the pawn. Nf6 18.Qg3 Rg8
We can see how impotent White's
bishop is in this position. ]
16...Bxc2+! This is possible when White
plays 11.Kb1 - now his king is exposed,
too. 17.Kxc2 Bf6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
18.Rxd6
[ 18.Rd3 wouldn't help White, Kh8
19.Qh5 h6! 20.Rh3 Kh7 , and the
"attack" is at a dead point. 21.Nd5
Rc8+ 22.Kb1 Nb6 23.Ne3
( 23.Rxg7+ Bxg7 24.f6 Nxd5 25.fxg7
Qf6! 26.gxf8N+ Rxf8 ) 23...Qc7
24.Bd3 Qc5 Black is active now. After
25.Re1 White can hope to organize
some threats, but I think the following
line illustrates well that this is not
enough: Kg8! 26.Rg3 ( 26.Ng4 Bg5 )
26...Rfd8! 27.Qxh6 Kf8 Suddenly
the king will find a safe place on e7
and Black is ready to break through in
the centre with d6-d5, taking a
strong initiative. ]
18...Kh8 19.Qd2 Ra7 Now Black is
much better. (Karjakin) 20.Kb1
[ 20.Qg2 Rg8 21.Rd3 Be7 ]
[ 20.Nd5 Qc8+ 21.Kb1 Qc5! 22.Ne3
Rc8 ]
20...Qc7 21.Rd3 Nb6 22.Nd5 Nxd5
23.Rxd5 White places his hopes now on
the opposite-colored bishops, but
Karjakin's technique is very precise.
23...Rd8 24.Be2 Rxd5 25.Qxd5 g6
26.Rc1 Qe7 27.Qc5
[ 27.Qc6 Kg7 28.Qb6 Bg5 ]
27...Kg7 28.Qxe7 Bxe7 29.Rc6 Kh6!
The king marches to invade White's
kingside. 30.a4? The decisive mistake.
(Karjakin).
[ White should have played 30.fxg6
and if hxg6 ( 30...fxg6 31.Re6 ) then
31.a4 with drawing chances. ]
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65
30...bxa4 31.Rxa6?
[ But 31.fxg6 fxg6 32.Bxa6
does not help much either. Kg5 ]
31...Rxa6 32.Bxa6 Kg5 33.fxg6 fxg6!
The point! Now White has no defence
against Kh4 followed by g5, g4, Kh3.
34.Kc2 Kh4 35.Bc8
[ 35.Bf1 g5 36.Kc3 g4 37.Kc4
Bg5-+ ]
35...g5 36.Kd3 g4 37.Kc4 Kh3
In view of the inevitable h5 and Kxh2
White resigned!
0-1
Exercise
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
How should Black neutralize White's
pressure? 18...Kh8 19.Qh5
White should know how to deal with the
threat of Rh3 now. 19...h6!
[ 19...Qb6? 20.Rh3 h6 21.Qxh6+!
gxh6 22.Rxh6# ]
20.Rh3 Kh7 The king is safe, and White
 Modern Chess Magazine
has no way to improve the attack, for
example: 21.Nd5 Rc8+ 22.Kb1 Nb6!
23.Ne3 Qc7! 24.Bd3 Qc5
Position 7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
When Black answers the sharp lines of
the English Attack with 8...h5 and White
refrains from provoking the
transformation of the pawn structure by
means of Nd5, this structure may arise.
White hopes to use the h5-pawn as a
hook to open files on the kingside with
g2-g4. The advance f3-f4 is also an
idea if Black keeps the king in the centre.
Black has the typical ideas on the
queenside with (b5-b4, Nb6-c4), but an
extra idea in this position is to paralyze
White's kingside with h5-h4. Although
some grandmasters have played this
set-up to avoid the main theoretical lines,
I think Black is fine, and the positions
tend to be balanced.
www.modern-chess.com
66
Bologan,Viktor 2655
Zhang,Zhong 2632
Tan Chin Nam Cup 7th (6) 14.07.2001
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6
8.f3 h5!? A solid option for Black. 9.Qd2
Nbd7 10.0-0-0 Be7 11.Kb1 Rc8
12.f4!? White goes for a different plan.
[ 12.h3 is another move order. b5
13.Bd3 White's plans are more flexible
now, as g2-g4 can be considered,
although I think Black is fine here too.
Nb6!? ( 13...h4 is mostly played. )
14.g4 ( 14.f4 Qc7 transposes to the
game. ) 14...b4N an interesting idea.
15.Ne2 Nc4 16.Bxc4 Bxc4 17.Ng3
g6 , and Black is ok, for example
18.Qxb4? h4! 19.Nf1 Be2 ]
12...b5 13.Bd3 Qc7 14.h3 Nb6!?
Black plays actively.
[ The solid 14...h4 is mostly played. ]
15.Bxb6 White should avoid the knight
from coming to c4.
[ 15.f5? Nc4 16.Bxc4 Bxc4
is already better for Black. ]
15...Qxb6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
16.Nd5?! Now White tries to open the
centre, but this was not a good
moment.
[ 16.g4?! was played once, hoping to
increase the tension, but after the
forced sequence b4 17.Nd5 Nxd5
18.exd5 Bxd5 19.Bxa6 Bxh1
20.Bxc8 Dubiel,J (2359)-Jakubowski,
T (2311)/POL-chT 56th 2000 (5)/1-0
Bf3! 21.Re1 Bh4! 22.Rf1 e4
Black's position seems easier. ]
[ 16.Rhe1 looks more natural, bringing
another rook to the centre before
opening the central file. Qc7!? 17.a3
( 17.Nd5?! is harmless now: Nxd5
18.exd5 Bxd5 19.Bxb5+? axb5 )
17...h4 18.Qe2 Kf8 ]
16...Bxd5 17.exd5 e4! 18.Be2 h4!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
With the last two moves, Black managed
to prevent White's ideas in both the
centre and the kingside and already has
www.modern-chess.com
67
a good position. 19.Qd4 Qc7?
But this was a wrong step.
[ 19...Bd8! would be a clever idea.
20.a4 0-0! Black sacrifices one pawn
but gets a real compensation, for
example 21.Qxb6 Bxb6 22.axb5
axb5 23.Bxb5 Nh5! 24.Nd2
( 24.Rhf1 Ng3 25.Rfe1 Bf2 ) 24...f5
25.Nc4 Bc5 26.Rhf1 Rc7! 27.Bc6
Re7 Black's pieces are much more
active. ]
20.Rc1!? White is looking for activity.
[ 20.c3 wins a pawn, but after 0-0
21.Nd2 Rfe8 22.Nxe4 Nxe4
23.Qxe4 Bf6 24.Qc2 b4
Black's initiative on the queenside is
enough compensation. ]
20...0-0 21.c4 b4?
[ 21...Qd7! was a better option. ]
22.Rhg1
[ 22.g4! was more precise. This way
White would have prevented the idea
seen in the game. hxg3 ( 22...Nd7
23.g5! The bishop can't go to f6 now
and the pawns are doomed to fall. )
23.Rhg1 Nd7 24.Rxg3 Bf6 25.Qxe4
With the open g-file White has a
much better version of the game
now. ]
22...Nd7!? Black probably has some
practical chances with this sacrifice,
although it is clear that the advantage is
with White. 23.Qxe4 Bf6 24.g4 Nc5!?
Black keeps the kingside as closed as
possible, hoping that the opposite-
colored bishops might give him chances
of counterplay or at least complicate
matters. 25.Nxc5 Qxc5 26.Bd3?
This aggressive-looking move is actually
a mistake, which surprisingly loses all
White's advantage.
[ 26.g5! was more direct: Rce8
 Modern Chess Magazine 68

27.Qc2! Bd4 28.Rg2 Re3 ( 28...g6 the queenside. ]

29.f5+- ) 29.g6! f5 30.Bd3+- ]
26...g6 27.g5 Rce8?
[ Both sides missed the spectacular
idea 27...Bxb2!! 28.Kxb2 Rfe8
29.Qf3 Re3 30.Qd1 Qd4+ 31.Kc2
Rxd3! 32.Qxd3 Rxc4+ 33.Qxc4
Qxc4+-+ ]
28.Qg2 It turns out that the queen is
misplaced on g2. 28...Bd4 29.Rgf1
Re3 One by one, Black improves his
pieces. 30.Rcd1
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Bg7? After this careless retreat, the
evaluation of the position changes again.
[ In positions like this (opposite-
colored bishops with heavy pieces on
the board) everything is about how
quickly both sides can develop the
initiative, therefore Black should hurry
to open more files for the attack with
30...b3! 31.axb3 ( A nice detail is that
after 31.a3? Bg7! works. 32.f5 Qd4
The queen is deprived of c2, where it
would defend all the attacked points.
33.Qf2 Be5-+ ) 31...Rb8 32.Qc2 a5!
. and Black keeps strong pressure on
31.f5! gxf5
[ 31...Qd4? is harmless now in view of
32.Qc2 ]
32.Qf2! White has taken things under
control again, although the position
remains tense. 32...Qd4 33.Bxf5 Qe5
34.Rd2
[ 34.Rde1 was perhaps safer. ]
34...Qg3!? A good practical decision.
[ 34...b3 35.Qxh4 would be risky
now. ]
35.Bg4 I have the impression that things
went slightly out of control for both
players from now, maybe due to mutual
time trouble.
[ 35.c5!? dxc5 36.d6 Bd4 37.d7 ]
35...a5
[ 35...b3! ]
36.Bh5
[ 36.c5! ]
36...f5 37.Re2 f4?
[ 37...Qxf2 38.Rexf2 Rxh3 ]
38.Rxe3? Now, Bologan lost control and
the game.
[ 38.Bg4 ]
38...fxe3 39.Bf7+
[ 39.Qe2 Qxh3 ]
39...Kh8 40.Qe2 Qxg5-+ 41.Kc1 a4
42.Rf3 a3 43.bxa3 Qe5 44.axb4
Qa1+ 45.Kc2 Qb2+ 46.Kd3 Qc3+
0-1

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
Exercise
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
White's last move 18.Bg5 creates some
problems for Black: b4 is now hanging,
the d6 pawn is hanging after the
exchange on f6 and White has the
maneuver Nf1-e3 in mind at some point.
How should Black respond? 18...h4!
[ 18...a5? 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.gxh5
gxh5? 21.Nf5+- ]
19.Bxf6
[ 19.Nf1 Nxe4! ]
19...Bxf6 20.Nf1 Bg5! 21.Qxb4
[ 21.Qxd6? Qxd6 22.Rxd6 Ke7
23.Rd1 Rhd8-+ Black is too far
ahead in development. ]
21...0-0! The bishop pair and better
development give Black nice
compensation here. 22.Nfd2
[ 22.Rxd6? Qxd6! 23.Qxd6 Rfd8
24.Qxd8+ Rxd8 25.Nh2 Bf4
Despite being two pawns up, White is
a piece down in practice with such a
dominated knight. 26.g5 Be2-+ ]
22...Be6 23.Rhe1 Qd7 Black has nice
initiative for the pawn.
www.modern-chess.com
69
Position 8
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Finally, we are seeing the structure
reached in the main line of the 8...h5
variation against the English Attack. As
the diagram shows, both sides have
many ideas available, which makes this
variation very rich and highly interesting.
Since attacking ideas on the kingside
are not so easy, White provokes a
transformation in the pawn structure
with Nd5. We have seen a similar idea in
the first database, but the pawns on f3
and h5 make the positions very different.
White's main plan is to use his
queenside majority by means of b2-b4
followed by c4-c5. Another idea is to
grab space on the kingside with h3-g4-
g5, or prepare the f2-f4 advance,
opening lines for the bishop pair.
Normally, White should play some
preparatory moves before going for
concrete actions, as he needs all his
pieces well placed once the tension
grows up. For Black, it is important have
 Modern Chess Magazine 70

all the aforementioned ideas in mind, Bxd3 13.Qxd3 leading to more

trying to avoid them if possible. For this
reason, b7-b6 is a normal way to keep
the queenside safe. Also, the advance
a6-a5 can be played in some positions,
but in this case, he should pay attention
to the newly weakened b5-square where
White will likely install his knight by
means of the maneuver Na1-c2-a3-b5.
Black has his own majority on the other
side where ideas like e5-e4 or f7-f5
might create appropriate counterplay. If
possible, Black should try to exchange
the dark-squared bishops. This bishop
is a very important piece for White here,
as after its exchange the ideas on the
queenside are less effective.
Furthermore, the weak-squares on the
kingside become a problem, especially
because the Black's knights are ready
to exploit them. Black can achieve this
goal by means of Kh7-Ng8-Bh6 or Nh7-
Bf6-g5. Compared to the structures
examined until now, this one leads to
complicated positional battles with
chances for both sides.
Ali,Muhammad Lutfi 2421 11...g6! Of course d6 is not a problem
Sasikiran,Krishnan 2676 now, so the bishop will be better
Asian Indoor Games 5th (3) 22.09.2017 developed on g7 or h6. 12.Qd2
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6
8.f3 h5!? 9.Nd5!? This move became
popular recently. White used to wait a
bit to go for the structural transformation.
[ 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.Nd5 normally
transposes, but Black also has the
option of Nxd5 11.exd5 Bf5 12.Bd3
simplified positions, but with similar
ideas, although White's attacking
plans somehow look more dangerous
now. ]
9...Bxd5
[ The point is that if 9...Nxd5 10.exd5
Bf5 11.Bd3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3
, White has saved a tempo compared
to the previous note. ]
10.exd5 Nbd7 11.Be2
[ 11.Qd2 g6 12.0-0-0!? is another
ambitious option. Normally it comes
with a pawn sacrifice by White after
Nb6 13.Kb1! Nbxd5 14.Bg5 Be7
15.Bd3 The game has changed now.
White tries to exploit his lead in
development and open lines for the
bishops to get some initiative, but
Black should be ok with the following
plan. Qc7 16.Rhe1 Nb6!
Black wants to castle queenside too,
but first he needs to defend against
c4-c5-ideas in advance. 17.Qe2
0-0-0! Salgado Lopez,I (2643)-
Yilmaz,M (2624)/TUR-chT Ankara
2018 (5.5)/1/2-1/2 ]
[ 11.c4 normally transposes, but the
text is more accurate as we will see. ]
[ 12.0-0?! would be imprecise in view
of Bh6! ]
12...Bg7 13.0-0
[ 13.Na5?! is an attempt to prevent b7-
b6 and thus cramp Black's queenside.
Qc7 14.c4 White looks to accelerate
his queenside play, but Black has a
strong idea now. e4! 15.0-0 ( 15.f4
Ng4! 16.Bxg4 hxg4 17.0-0 f5
is already easier for Black. ) 15...exf3

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
16.gxf3!? White prefers to keep e4
and g4 under control. 0-0 17.b4
Rfe8 18.Rac1 and now Rxe3!
A brilliant positional sacrifice. 19.Qxe3
Re8 , and Black had nice initiative for
the exchange in Caruana,F (2844)-
Gelfand, B (2748)/Baku FIDE GP
2014 (2)/1/2-1/2. ]
13...b6!? Prophylaxis against both Na5
and c4-c5.
[ 13...a5?! Seems dubious. After
14.a4! White has the nice b5-square
for the bishop. Now we can see the
advantage of keeping the c-pawn on
its initial square for a while. Carlsen,
M (2842)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2779)/
Biel GM 51st 2018 (7)/1/2-1/2 ]
14.c4
[ 14.a4 White tried this different plan
in a few games. 0-0 15.a5 b5
16.c4?! , but after bxc4 17.Bxc4 Qc7
18.Rfc1 Qb7 , and White was the one
with problems in Battulga,N (2421) -
Cheparinov,I (2715)/Olympiad-43
Batumi 2018 (3.22)/0-1. ]
14...0-0 15.Rac1 White needs to vacate
the a1-square to put the queenside
pawns in motion. 15...Re8 The rook is
always useful on the e-file.
[ If Black plays 15...a5 immediately,
White has an easy choice of plan.
16.Na1 and the knight heads b5. ]
16.Rfd1?! I have the impression that
White just wants to play a "normal" move.
But there is no reason to place this rook
on d1.
[ 16.Na1?! looks bad now in view of
e4! 17.f4 Ng4! 18.Bxg4 hxg4
, and Black is fine. ]
[ But 16.h3!? is a nice move because
it prevents e5-e4 and White can
count on g4-ideas at some moment.
www.modern-chess.com
71
Rc8!? Black has an interesting idea in
mind keeping the pawn on a6
( 16...e4? 17.f4+- ) 17.Na1?! h4!
18.Bg5 e4! 19.f4 ( 19.Bxh4 exf3
20.Bxf3 Ne4! is a nice resource for
Black. 21.Qe1 Ng5 22.Qg3 Bf6
23.Bxg5 Bxg5 ) 19...b5! , and Black
took the initiative in Setyaki,A (2316)
-Tomczak,J (2614)/Olympiad-43
Batumi 2018 (2.3)/0-1 ]
16...a5 Now this is possible. 17.h3
This prevents the e4-advance and White
can consider g2-g4 in some positions,
although this makes more sense with a
rook on f1.
[ 17.Na1 e4! Black is practically one
tempo ahead now, which makes this
move stronger. 18.Nc2 exf3 19.gxf3
( 19.Bxf3 Ne4 ) 19...Qe7
, and Black's position seems already
easier, for example 20.b3 Nh7
21.Re1 Bb2! 22.Rb1 Qf6 ]
17...Nh7!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Sasikiran shows good understanding of
the structure: Right after White plays h3,
weakening more dark-squares on the
 Modern Chess Magazine
kingside, he prepares the exchange of
the dark-squared bishops. 18.Na1
[ Maybe White should admit the
mistake and go back. 18.Rf1!? ]
18...h4! Black fixes the dark squares on
the kingside - the beginning of a very
effective plan. 19.Nc2 Ndf6!?
[ 19...Bf6 was already good, but Black
wants to bring as more pieces as
possible to the kingside before
exploiting the dark squares. ]
20.Bf1? White watches passively while
Black consistently realizes his plan. Of
course this is not a good decision.
[ 20.b4!? would be a better try to
complicate matters. ]
20...Nh5 21.b3 Bf6 22.Qf2 Rb8
23.Na3 Bg5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black achieved his strategic goals while
keeping White's play on the queenside
under control, which makes his position
already pleasant. 24.Nb5 Bxe3
25.Qxe3 Nf4 26.Re1?
[ 26.Qe1!? would have at least
prevented the next idea. Qf6 ]
26...Nf6! The second knight approaches
www.modern-chess.com
72
the kingside now. Each move makes
White's position harder to play. 27.Nc3
N6h5 28.Ne2 This exchange doesn't
solve White's problems, but two knights
to deal with would mean even more
problems.
[ 28.a3 Ng3 29.Ne4 Nf5 ]
28...Nxe2+ 29.Bxe2 Kg7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black's strategy was a complete
success: His knight is much better than
the opponent's bishop. The kingside is
full of weaknesses and it is a matter of
time until the central pawns start to move,
putting White under annoying pressure.
30.Bf1 Ng3 31.Bd3 f5! The worst thing
for White is that he has no counterplay
here. 32.Rcd1
[ For example 32.f4? makes things
even easier for Black. e4 33.Bf1 Qc7
34.Rc2 Qc5! The endgames are
easily winning for Black. 35.Rf2 Qxe3
36.Rxe3 g5! 37.fxg5 Kg6 ]
32...Qf6 33.Bc2 e4! The passed pawn
is powerful enough to decide the game.
34.fxe4
[ 34.f4 White is not able to prevent
 Modern Chess Magazine 73

Black from opening the position by
force: Rec8 35.a4 Kh6 36.Rd4 g5!
37.Rd2 Rg8 ]
34...fxe4 35.Rd2 Re5-+ At this point
White is already lost. 36.Rf2
[ 36.a3 Rf5 37.Qd4 Rf8 38.Qxf6+
Kxf6! 39.Bxe4 Re8-+ ]
36...Rf5 37.Qd2
[ 37.Rxf5 gxf5 ]
37...Re8 38.Qe3 Rxf2
[ 38...Ree5 seems even simpler. ]
39.Qxf2 Qc3 40.Re3 Qd4! White is in
zugzwang. 41.Re1
[ 41.Kh2 Qxe3-+ ]
[ 41.a4 Rf8-+ 42.Rf3 Qa1+ ]
41...e3 42.Qf3 e2+ 43.Kh2 Rf8
Despite some mistakes by White, this is a
model game in which Sasikiran skillfully
demonstrated Black's ideas in this line.
0-1
White is planning to gain space on the
kingside by means of g2-g4. Black has a
nice positional response. Can you find it?
15...Nh7! One of the points of this retreat
is to clean the path to advance the f-
pawn. 16.g4 hxg4 17.hxg4 Bf6!But the
main idea is to exchange Black's bad
bishop. 18.Kg2 Bg5 19.Rh1 Bxe3
20.Qxe3 Qg5! Black has nice play on the
dark squares. 21.Kf2 Qxe3+
22.Kxe3 Kg7 23.Nd2 Ng5 Black has no
problems and even got the better
chances after 24.b4?! a5!
So,W (2815)-Giri,A (2785)/chess.com
Speed 5m+2spm 2017 blitz 2017 (1.1) /1/
2-1/2

Exercise

a b c d e f g h

8 8

7 7

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 74

Understand the English break examined in the next article. In

the first example, White seemed to be
Hedgehog - Part 1 well prepared against the central
break, but he overlooked a subtle
tactical detail:

Uhlmann,Wolfgang 2555
Gheorghiu,Florin 2540
Manila Interzonal (12) 28.06.1976

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6

5.d4 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Bb7 7.Bg2 d6
8.0-0 Be7 9.e4 0-0 10.Qe3 N 10...a6
11.Nd4 Qc7 12.b3 Nbd7 13.Bb2
Uhlmann designed this system of
It may seem that preparing and carrying developing right from the early days of
out ...d6-d5 is simpler than ...b6-b5 as the Hedgehog's burst of popularity. He
examined in the previous article. Black continued playing it for decades,
can coordinate many of his pieces to obtaining excellent results with it, but
control d5 and advance the central pawn against the Romanian hedgehog
under normal circumstances whereas specialists Gheorghiu and Suba he
with ...b6-b5 certain tactical premises are failed to control the position in the
needed in most cases. But the problem is
desired way. 13...Rfe8! 14.h3!? Bf8
that ...d6-d5 opens the position in an
area of high interest for both sides, 15.Rae1 Nc5 16.Kh2 Rad8!
namely the center. White may have many 17.Re2!? g6 18.Nc2 Preparing f2-f4
of his pieces playing a part in the initiated without running into ... e6-e5, but
fight as well, so things can turn tactical removing the knight from the center
here, too. On top, the pawn contact is offers Black additional ideas.
also more complex than after ...b6-b5. In [ The neutral 18.Rfe1!? may have
principle, if White does not have enough
been better. ]
resources to simply win the d-pawn with
a double capture on d5, his main chance 18...Bg7 Black suddenly
for retaining an advantage is e4-e5. This threatens ... Nfxe4! using the long
is an important issue as he typically diagonal weakening caused by the
needs to keep an indirect control on e5 previous move.
(for instance by doubling major pieces on
the e-file). We know already that playing
f2-f4 is double-edged, as after ...g7-g6
Black would threaten ...e6-e5, a pawn
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 Modern Chess Magazine
19.Ba1
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Both sides have regrouped thoroughly,
but Black's coordination is more effective.
The f1-rook is not in the game yet and
the dark-squared bishop went back to
an unnatural square in order to avoid
tactical tricks based on ...Nxe4. Black
cannot improve his piece position
anymore which makes the next move not
only logical but also a necessity. 19...d5!
20.e5 Nfd7 21.cxd5 The crucial move
order.
[ If 21.f4 then dxc4 when White is
left with weaknesses. ]
21...Nxe5 22.f4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
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75
White must have put big hopes in this
move. It seems that Black simply loses
material. But his perfect coordination
also implies a high dynamic potential
which allows the following small
combination: 22...exd5! A nasty trick
based on Black's superior coordination.
[ 22...Ned3? and 22.. .Ned7 both lose
a piece to 23.b4 ]
23.fxe5 d4!
[ After the knight retreat to c2 the
advance of the d-pawn is an obvious
issue in the spirit of Nimzowitsch's
theory about the blockade. But there
is an alternate move order to achieve
that: 23...Rxe5 may also result in a
draw, the same as the game
continuation, but it requires less
imagination from White: 24.Qd2 d4
25.Rxe5 Bxe5 26.Ne2 Bxg2
27.Kxg2 Ne4 ( 27...d3 28.Bxe5
Qxe5 29.Nc3 offers White
chances. ) 28.Qd3 Nc5=
with a perpetual repetition. ]
24.Nxd4 Rxe5 25.Qf2
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
Nd3!
[ Black does not fall into the elegant
trap: 25...Rxd4? 26.Nb5! axb5
27.Qxd4 with a decisive pin along the
a1-h8 diagonal. (Gheorghiu) ]
26.Qg1?
[ Confronted with unexpected
problems Uhlmann fails to find the
following line indicated by Gheorghiu:
26.Qxf7+! Qxf7 27.Rxf7 Kxf7
28.Bxb7 Rxd4 29.Ne4! Rdxe4
30.Rxe4! ( 30.Bxe4? Rxe4 31.Rxe4
Bxa1 ) 30...Rxe4 ( 30...Ra5 31.Bxg7
Rxa2+ 32.Kg1 Kxg7 33.Re6=
does not change anything - Marin )
31.Bxe4= Quite an accurate and
honest comment by Gheorghiu! ]
26...Rxd4! Black retrieves the piece
and keeps the extra pawn that he won
along the way. 27.Rd2
[ 27.Qxd4 Rxe2 28.Qxg7+
does not work: Kxg7 29.Nd5+ Kh6
30.Nxc7 Rxg2+ 31.Kh1 Nf2+
wins the exchange. Of course, Black
could first win the g3- and a2-pawn
before playing . .Nf2+, but this would
not make much of a difference. ]
27...Bxg2 28.Qxg2 Re3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
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76
Black is a pawn up and has an
overwhelming domination. 29.Rf3 Rxf3
30.Qxf3 Qd8! 31.Qe3 Rd7 32.Re2 h6
33.Qg1 Ne5-+ 34.Qg2 Rd3 35.Rf2
Qd4! 36.Bb2 Rxc3 37.Bxc3 Qxc3
38.Qa8+ Kh7 39.Qxa6 Qe3 40.Qe2
Qc5 41.Rf1 h5 42.Qe4 b5 43.Re1?
Qf2+
0-1
One important element in Black's
counterplay launched with ...d6-d5 is to
clear the h2-b8 and a3-f8 diagonals for
the queen and bishop respectively.
These aspects must have been
underestimated by the strong player
with white in the following game.
Polugaevsky,Lev 2620
Ftacnik,Lubomir 2475
Luzern ol (Men) (5) 04.11.1982
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6
5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4
8.Qxd4 d6 9.Rd1 a6 10.b3 Nbd7
11.e4 Qb8 12.Bb2 0-0 13.Nd2 Rd8
14.a4 Qc7 15.Qe3 Rac8 16.Qe2 Ne5!?
An original move, inducing White
weakening his kingside.
[ As we know from the previous article,
the typical reaction after a2-a4 is.
16...Nc5 ]
17.h3 Preparing to push back the
irritating knight with f2-f4. 17...h5!
The plan employed by Black in this
game caused some sensation in the
epoque, not least because of the result
and the big rating difference between
the opponents. Black intends to weaken
White's dark squares with ...h5-h4.
 Modern Chess Magazine
18.f4 Ng6 19.Nf3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
d5!
[ More ambitious than 19...h4 20.Nxh4
( 20.f5 exf5 21.exf5= Ftacnik )
20...Nxh4 21.gxh4 g6 22.Bf3 d5
23.e5 Ne4 24.Nxe4 dxe4 25.Bxe4
Bxe4 26.Qxe4 b5 Black has
enough compensation for the pawns
but this should suffice for a draw
only. ]
20.cxd5?! This allows Black additional
ideas.
[ 20.e5?! leaves the kingside exposed.
Ne4 21.Nxe4 dxe4 22.Nd4 ( 22.Nd2
Rd3! attacks b3 and g3 ) 22...h4
23.Bxe4 hxg3! 24.Bxg6
( A desperate counterattack. 24.Bxb7
Qxb7 followed by ...Nh4 and ...Bc5
endangers the white king while also
retaining the better structure. )
24...fxg6 25.Qg4 Bc5! The start of
the decisive attack involving almost all
of Black's pieces. 26.Qxe6+
( 26.Qxg3 Qc6 27.Kh2 Qe4 28.Re1
Rxd4! 29.Rxe4 Rd2+ wins ) 26...Kh7
27.f5 gxf5! 28.Qxf5+ Kg8 29.Qg5
Qc6 30.Qxg3 Qe4-+ White cannot
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77
defend his knight and king at the same
time (lines indicated by Ftacnik). ]
[ The most restrictive move order is
20.exd5!? exd5 ( One important point
is that the same idea as in the game
20...h4?! runs into 21.Ne5! ) 21.Nxd5
Nxd5 22.cxd5 Bxd5 when Black has
only the more pleasant position. ]
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
20...h4!! After this well-timed pawn
break White's kingside collapses.
[ 20...exd5 21.Nxd5 transposes
above. ]
21.Nxh4 Ftacnik analyses a series of
alternatives, but none of them saves
White.
[ 21.Ng5 hxg3! 22.dxe6 Qc5+
23.Kh1 Nxf4 24.exf7+ Kh8-+
White's counterattack has come to an
end and he is hanging all over the
board. ]
[ 21.e5 Bc5+ 22.Kh1 ( 22.Nd4 Nxd5
once again leaves White with
problems on g3, f4 and d4. ) 22...Nh5
23.Ne4 Ftacnik now analyses only
Bxd5 24.Rxd5! exd5 25.Nfg5
but 23...Rxd5! keeping the bishop is
 Modern Chess Magazine
stronger, dooming White's kingside. ]
[ Or if 21.dxe6 Bc5+ 22.Kh1 Nh5
23.exf7+ Black can improve over
Ftacnik's analysis with Kh8-+
followed by the knights' invasion. ]
[ With the e-file obstructed 21.Ne5
does not make sense. Nxe5 22.fxe5
Bc5+ 23.Kh1 Qxe5-+ In all these
lines, Black frequently uses the dark
diagonals cleared by his d-pawn. ]
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
21...Nxh4 22.gxh4 Qxf4 Black has a
very active play and the better structure
while the white king is vulnerable. This
is more important than the (most likely
temporarily) missing pawn. 23.dxe6
fxe6 24.e5?! Bc5+ 25.Kh1 Nh5!
26.Qxh5 Qg3 27.Nd5
[ A desperate move trying to avoid
mate as after, for instance 27.Qg4
Bxg2# ]
[ or 27.Qe2 Qxh3# ]
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78
27...Rxd5 28.Rf1
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
The last hope: White threatens with a
draw by perpetual after 29.Qf7+ Kh8 30.
Qh5+. But Black can finish off things
quickly: 28...Qxg2+! 29.Kxg2 Rd2+
30.Kg3 Rg2+ 31.Kf4 Rf8+ and mate
on the next move.
0-1
Boensch,Uwe 2575
Ftacnik,Lubomir 2570
Tirnavia-A Trnava 1988
In the previous examples, the
consequences of the central break
depended on concrete and sometimes
tactical play. But there are cases when
the struggle does not finish so quickly
and ...d6-d5 leads to a long strategical
struggle. Here is a good example on this
theme: 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 e6
4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4
cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Rd1 a6 10.Bg5
Nbd7 11.Qd2 0-0 12.Bf4 Ne8
13.Rac1 Qc7 14.e4 Rd8 15.Qe2 Nef6
16.Nd2 Rfe8 17.h3 Qb8 18.b4
 Modern Chess Magazine
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Due to White's move order, Black has
reached a harmonious regrouping not
without efforts and losing time. White
has prepared an ambitious plan based
on Nb3 and c4-c5 using the bishop's
placement on f4 and the time wasted by
Black's king's knight. With his next move
Black burns his bridges and goes
straight for ...d6-d5. 18...Qa8
[ His decision is correct but actually he
could have also chosen the slow
mode with 18...Bf8 19.Nb3 Rc8 ]
19.Nb3 d5!
[ Defending d6 with 19...Ne5?
does not work due to 20.c5 ]
20.e5!
[ The only challenging answer as after
20.cxd5 exd5 21.exd5 or 21.e5 Black
has Bxb4 ]
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79
20...Ne4
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
After the initial clash things remain
unclear in the center and both sides
need to act with care. 21.cxd5 This
has the merit of forcing Black to
exchange his active knight.
[ Carrying out the exchange himself
with 21.Nxe4 dxe4 would offer Black
counterplay with simple moves: 22.a3
( Black manages to stabilize after
22.c5 bxc5 23.bxc5 Bd5= ) 22...e3!?
23.f3 ( 23.Bxb7 exf2+
is even preferable for Black due to his
better structure while; 23.fxe3?
loses a piece to g5 ) 23...a5
and White has problems to control the
play on both wings. ]
21...Nxc3!
[ 21...exd5? leaves the e6-square
poorly defended allowing 22.e6!
for instance fxe6 23.Nxe4 dxe4
24.Bc7 winning an exchange. ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
22.Rxc3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Nf8!! A fantastic move preparing to
capture on d5 with pieces. If ...exd5
would be necessary anyway then the
knight could be installed on the perfect
blocking square e6. In his comments for
the Chess Informant, Ftacnik explains
why he refrained from concrete action:
[ 22...Bxb4? 23.Rc7 Bxd5 24.Bxd5
exd5 25.Qg4 leaves the b4-bishop
exposed to Bh6 or Bg5. ]
[ 22...Bxd5 23.Bxd5 exd5 24.a3
is given by Ftacnik without further
explanation. The point is that Black is
too slow to reach the desired
regrouping: Nf8 25.Nd4 Ne6
26.Nxe6 fxe6 27.Qg4 Bf8 28.Rdc1
and the weakness on e6 prevents
Black from fighting for the c-file. ]
23.b5! White, too, is at the height of the
situation. Since 23...a5 24.Nc6 ensures
the invasion on c6, Black is forced to
allow the opening of a new front.
[ 23.a3 would most likely lead to a
draw: Bxd5 24.Bxd5 Rxd5 25.Rxd5
Qxd5 26.Qxa6 Ra8= Ftacnik. ]
[ Ftacnik also analyses the following
www.modern-chess.com
80
interesting line: 23.d6!? Bxg2 24.f3
Bxh3 25.Kh2 ( I would add that
25.dxe7 is premature since Rxd1+
comes with check, not allowing the
knight capture. 26.Qxd1 Ng6
with complicated play ) 25...Bxd6!
( But now Black has to be careful:
25...Bf5? 26.dxe7! Rxe7 27.Rxd8
Qxd8 28.Bg5 ) 26.exd6 e5!
with counterplay. ]
23...axb5 24.Qxb5 Bxd5 25.Bxd5
Rxd5 26.Rxd5 exd5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
White's position is somewhat more
active but this tends to be temporary.
The d5-pawn is very strong and the
knight will stand wonderfully on e6.
27.Be3
[ 27.Qxb6 Qxa2= is most likely
leading to a draw. ]
[ With the modified queenside
structure, 27.Nd4? does not work out
at all due to Bc5! This resource was
not available in the line above. 28.Nf5
d4 followed by ...Ne6 and Black
already has the initiative. The game
move aims to keep Black busy with
defending his b-pawn. ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
27...Bc5! Another brilliant move. Black
does not need the bishop nor the b6-
pawn for the blockade, so he gives them
away in order to clear the knight's path
to e6. 28.Nxc5 This is the only chance
to continue fighting for an advantage but
strategically it is dangerous to keep the
bishop against a perfect black knight.
[ Boensch probably rejected 28.Bxc5
bxc5 29.Rxc5 Rxe5 because it
leaves the e-file undefended offering
Black enough counterplay, for
instance: 30.a4 Re1+ 31.Kh2 Rb1
32.Rxd5 Rb2 33.Kg2 ( 33.Rd2
Rb1!= forces a move repetition. )
33...g6= followed by ...Ne6 when
White cannot defend his king and
promote his pawn at the same time. ]
28...bxc5 In the resulting structure, the
knight will be very versatile and will
eventually prove stronger than the
bishop. 29.Rxc5 Hoping for 29... Rxe5
30.a4 when, unlike in the previous line,
Black has no counterplay along the e-
file.
[ If 29.Bxc5 Rb8! White should
probably give up the a2-pawn (and
the hopes to win) with 30.Qd3 since
30.Qe2 d4 offers Black enormous
counterplay: 31.Rb3 Ne6 32.Bd6
Rxb3 33.axb3 With queens on the
board and such a strong knight, the
kingside weaknesses offer no hope for
a win if Black simply stands still. But
he can also start a dangerous attack
with Ng5 for instance 34.f4?! Ne4
35.Qd3 Qa1+ 36.Kg2 Qe1 ]
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a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
29...d4! Black starts his counterplay
based on small tactical nuances allowed
by the knight's superior versatility over
the bishop. 30.Bc1
[ 30.Bxd4 Ne6 wins material: 31.Rc4
Rd8 ( Ftacnik's 31...Rb8? actually
loses after the unexpected 32.Ra4! )
32.Qa4 Qxa4 33.Rxa4 Nxd4 ]
[ But 30.Bd2 looks more natural. ]
30...Rb8 31.Qd3 Qxa2 32.Qxd4
Forced as the position with equal pawns
after ...Ne6 would obviously favor Black.
32...Ne6
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
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a b c d e f g h
 Modern Chess Magazine
33.Qc4?! A first inaccuracy. White probably
overlooked the elegant queen retreat.
[ 33.Qd5 Qe2 34.Rc6! h6
(Ftacnik) offers Black enough
compensation, but White should
hold. ]
33...Qa8! White now needs big efforts to
defend the long diagonal and the back rank.
34.Rc6 Nd4 35.Rc5?
[ In time trouble it is not easy to discern
between the real and apparent threats.
As dangerous as they may seem,
35.Ra6 Qe4
36.Qc7 ]
[ or 35.Rd6 Nf3+ ( 35...Rc8 36.Rxd4
Rxc4 37.Rxc4 should also lead to a
draw. ) 36.Kg2 Nh4+ 37.Kf1 Qg2+
38.Ke2 do does not offer Black more
than a perpetual. ]
35...Rd8 36.Be3? Nf3+ 37.Kf1 Nh2+
38.Ke1 Qh1+ and mate on the next
move. A dramatic game and quite an
instructive one in all its phases.
0-1
Bugajski,Robert
Stempin,Pawel
POL-ch 39th Zielona Gora
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82
After the typical 19...d5 20.e5
Black came up with the surprising
20...Nxe5 21.Qxe5 Qxe5 22.Rxe5 Ne4
Evaluate the position. 23.Rxe4?Equivalent to
surrendering.
[ White should have sacrificed the
exchange with 23.Nxe4! dxe4
24.Bxe4 Bxe5 ( Or if 24...f6!?
25.Bxb7 fxe5 26.Bxa6 exd4 27.Bb5
Re7 28.Kg2 e5 29.Ba3 Rc7 Parrying
c4-c5. 30.Bb4 Planning a4-a5. Bf8
31.Bd2 Ra8 32.b4 followed by a4-a5
with adequate compensation. ) 25.Bxb7
Re7
( 25...Rd6 26.f4 Bf6 27.b4
is similar. ) 26.Bxa6 Red7 27.a5!bxa5
28.c5 due to the threat c5-c6-c7 Black
has nothing better than Rxd4= with a
draw. ]
23...dxe4 24.Nde2 Black played
24...f5?! and won a long game.
[ Instead, 24...Rxd1+! 25.Nxd1 Rd8
26.Nec3 Rd2 would have been
decisive. ]
0-1
2315 Hort,Vlastimil
2350 Tal,Mihail
1982 Havana ol (Men) fin-A (1) 1966
a b c d e f g h
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6 6
5 5
4 4
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 Modern Chess Magazine
Black played 21...d5 What did he have
in mind after 22.exd5 Bb4! Immediately
using the cleared diagonal to undermine
White's centre. 23.Bd2
[ If 23.Be5 Nd7 24.Qf3 b5 25.axb5
axb5= White gradually loses stability. ]
23...exd5 24.Qf3 Bxc3 25.Bxc3 Ne4!
26.Bd2 f5 27.cxd5 Rxd5 Black has
achieved the more pleasant side of an
equal position and eventually won.
0-1
Meduna,Eduard 2435
Boensch,Uwe 2490
Halle DSV (10) 1978
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Is Black prepared for 19...d5 Actually
not. 20.cxd5
[ Good enough but 20.e5! is at least
as strong. Ne4 21.Nxe4 dxe4
22.Nxe6! This is not hard to see but
White probably could not evaluate the
ultimate consequences of the next
move correctly. e3 23.Qxd7 Bxg2
24.Nxf8 Bxh3 25.Rc2 Rcd8
( 25...Qf3 26.Nxh7!! this move
indirectly defends g4 and saves the
www.modern-chess.com
83
knight. Kxh7 27.Qxf7+ mates. )
26.Bxd8 Rxd8 Retreating with the
queen would allow ...Rd2 winning
but... 27.Rxe3! Kxf8 28.e6! Rxd7
( 28...fxe6 29.Qxe6 Rd1+ 30.Re1
parries all threats. ) 29.exd7 Bxg4
30.Re8+ Qxe8 31.dxe8Q+ Kxe8
32.c5 with a probable win. ]
20...exd5 21.e5 Ne4 22.Nxe4 Rxc1
23.Rxc1 dxe4 24.Bf2?
[ Even now White should play against
the hanging knight: 24.Nf5!
But once again things were not easy
to foresee tactically: Nc5 ( 24...e3
25.Qxd7 Bxg2 26.e6 Rxe6 27.Rc7
Qe8 28.Nh6+ Bxh6 29.Rc8+- )
25.Nd6 Bxd6 26.exd6 e3 27.Qe2
Bxg2 28.Qxg2 Qxg2+ 29.Kxg2 e2
30.b4 Nd7 31.Be7 ]
24...Nc5 Black has a dream position
already and went on to win the game.
0-1
Mariotti,Sergio 2475
Makropoulos,Georgios 2345
Praia da Rocha zt 1978
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 Modern Chess Magazine
How did Black justify his central break
after 19...d5 20.exd5 Nf4!
An original way of making use of the
control over the h2-b8 diagonal.
21.Nde2
[ 21.Bf3 Ncd3 gives Black the
decisive initiative. ]
21...Nxg2 22.Kxg2 exd5
[ 22...b5! shaking White's stability was
even stronger. ]
23.cxd5
[ 23.Nxd5 Ne4 24.Qf4 Nxg5 ]
23...Rcd8
[ 23...b5!? 24.b4 Nd7 ]
24.Qf4 Bd6 In the absence of the g2-
bishop, and with the king's position
strongly weakened, White faces serious
problems despite his extra pawn.
25.Qg4 Be5 26.Kg1 a5 27.Rd2 Bc8
28.Qf3 b5 29.h4 b4 30.Nd1 Ne4
31.Rd3 Ba6 32.Re3 Nd2 33.Qh3
Bxb2 34.Nxb2 Bxe2 35.Rxe8+ Rxe8
0-1
Zaltsman,Vitaly F
Browne,Walter S
USA-ch Greenville (7)
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84
The game continued: 22...d5 23.cxd5
exd5 24.e5 Nfe4 25.Re3!? Bxe5
26.b4 Bxd4!? 27.Qxd4 Ne6 28.Qxb6
Black now needs to prepare ...d5-d4 by
expelling the enemy queen and moving
away his knight, possibly to c3. Choose
between 28...Rc6 and 28...Rd6.
28...Rd6? This is the natural move, but it
should lose.
[ 28...Rc6! 29.Qa5 Nxc3 30.Bxc3
( 30.Rxc3 Rcd6 31.Rd3 d4 32.Rxe6
fxe6 33.Qe5 Bxg2 34.Rxd4= Bh1?
35.Rd5!!-+ ) 30...d4 31.Bxc6 Bxc6
Once again, White needs to think of a
draw. 32.Rxe6 fxe6 33.Qe5 ( 33.Bb2
Bh1 34.f3 Bxf3 35.Qe5 Qd5
36.Qf6= ) 33...dxc3 34.Qxe6+
with a perpetual. ]
29.Qa5?
[ Missing 29.Nxe4!! Rxb6 30.Nf6+
Kf8 31.Nd7+ Kg8 32.Nxb6+-
What a glorious knight trayectory! ]
29...Nd2 30.b5 Nc4 31.Qb4 a5
32.Qb3 Nxe3 33.Rxe3 Nc5 34.Qd1
2460 d4 35.Bxb7 Qxb7
2540 0-1
1980
 Modern Chess Magazine
The King is a Strong
Piece
One of the first things every kid learns
on his first lessons is that he needs to
secure his own king. In order to achieve
it, we usually develop minor pieces and
castle. When we become stronger we
get the idea that we can also castle long
and the whole play become more
interesting. Having more experience we
can even dare to leave the king in the
center and sometimes it gives a positive
effect. Of course, all three scenarios
(short, long castling and leaving the king
in the centre) do not contradict - simply
different situations require different
actions. But there is also one more
possible role for the king... First World
Champion Wilhelm Steinitz can be
named as a father of positional chess
but many people know him thanks to his
phrase that king can defend himself. Of
course, quite often such strategy lead to
disasters but nowadays we mainly recall
his successful attempts. Let me show
you one of the most famous games
played by Steinitz and his king.
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85
Steinitz,William
Paulsen,Louis
Baden-Baden 1870
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4 Qh4+
5.Ke2
a b c d e f g h
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6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
To explain the core of this ugly looking
move I offer to read Kasparov's quote: "A
blasphemy for a normal player of the
time. Since the quick development of the
white pieces is interrupted by the king in
the centre, Black should be automatically
better. But Steinitz noted
that long-term factors could override
temporary inconvenience. The white
minor pieces will gain extra tempi
attacking Black's queen. White's better
control of the centre will help him to
organize future attacks and also prevent
Black's pieces from harmonious
development. As it later turned out
Steinitz' Gambit was proven to be not
very dangerous for Black, but only as a
result of precise and very dynamic play.
Not surprisingly Steinitz' opponents, who
weren't ready to take this ugly opening
seriously, couldn't resist testing his
revolutionary strategy". I can just
 Modern Chess Magazine
add that my database contains 20 games
played by Steinitz in this variation and his
record is +12-5=3. 5...d6
[ With a different move order following
moves happened in the last game of
the first World Championship match:
5...d5 6.exd5 Qe7+ 7.Kf2 Qh4+
8.g3 fxg3+ 9.Kg2 Nxd4 10.hxg3 Qg4
11.Qe1+ Be7 12.Bd3 Nf5
13.Nf3 Bd7 14.Bf4 f6 15.Ne4 Ngh6
16.Bxh6 Nxh6 17.Rxh6 gxh6
18.Nxf6+ Kf7 19.Nxg4
Black resigned and Steinitz became
the first World Champion; Steinitz,
W-Zukertort, J USA 1886. ]
6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Bxf4 0-0-0?!
[ 7...f5!? would underline how
awkward position of White king is.
8.exf5 0-0-0 9.Kd2 Qh5
with initiative. ]
7.Ke3! An exclamation mark for White's
bravery. King makes one more move
forward on move 8 (!). 8...Qh5?!
[ Black wastes own time.
8...Bxf3 9.Qxf3 f5 was more
tempting. ]
9.Be2 Qa5? Black loses a control over
the position. From now White steadily
increases his pressure in the centre.
[ 9...g5! 10.Nxg5 Nf6 would be a
correct way to play the game with
a white king placed on e3. ]
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86
10.a3!
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Queen experiences serious problems of
surviving - b2-b4 and Nd5 is a concrete
threat at the moment. 10...Bxf3
11.Kxf3!
[ White takes with the correct piece.
Black's consideration was 11.Bxf3??
g5! (when opponent's king is trapped
in the centre time becomes the most
valuable treasure. 12.Bg3 Bg7
and Black attacks opponent's central
pawns. 13.b4 Qb6 14.Ne2 f5!-+ ]
11...Qh5+
[ 11...g5? 12.b4 Qb6 13.Be3+-
was fatal for Black queen. ]
12.Ke3 Qh4 13.b4 Steinitz shows that
with a king on e3 it is even possible to
play on both sides. Amazing! Even if the
engine does not support this idea.
[ Engine's offer is: 13.d5! Ne5 14.Qd4
Kb8 15.Raf1 followed by Nb5, Kd2-
c1, g2-g3 etc. ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
13...g5 14.Bg3 Qh6 15.b5 Nce7
16.Rf1 Nf6
a b c d e f g h
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6 6
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3 3
2 2
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a b c d e f g h
17.Kf2! Now the king can walk home.
Center is under White's control and the
position is close to winning. 17...Ng6
[ Black's best (only) chance was
17...Nxe4+! 18.Nxe4 f5 but here
White also grants the advantage with
19.Nxg5 Qxg5 20.Kg1 ]
18.Kg1! Qg7 19.Qd2 h6 20.a4
White begins the decisive attack.
20...Rg8
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21.b6! Steinitz conducts own attack
as he lives in the XXI century.
Pawn is nothing if the object is the
opponent's king. 21...axb6 22.Rxf6!
[ 22.a5 was easier but First
World Champion aims to get
total domination. ]
22...Qxf6 23.Bg4+ Kb8 24.Nd5 Qg7
25.a5+- Difference between attacking
and defending pieces is amazing.
The rest is easy; I will just add a
few sidelines. 25...f5
[ 25...Ne7 26.axb6 Nxd5 27.Ra8+!
Kxa8 28.Qa5+ Kb8 29.Qa7# ]
[ 25...b5 26.a6 b6 27.a7+ Kb7
28.Nxc7! Kxc7 29.Qc3+ Kb7
30.Bc8+ Rxc8 31.Qxc8+ Kxc8
32.a8Q+ Kd7 33.Ra7+ Ke6 34.Qd5
+ Kf6 35.Qf5# ]
26.axb6 cxb6
[ 26...fxg4 27.Ra8+! Kxa8
28.Qa5+ Kb8 29.bxc7++- ]
27.Nxb6! Ne7
[ 27...fxg4 28.Ra8+ Kc7 29.Qc3+
Kxb6 30.Qa5+ Kc6 31.d5+ Kd7
32.Qxd8# ]
28.exf5 Qf7 29.f6 Nc6
[ 29...Qxf6 30.Qc3+- ]
30.c4 Na7 31.Qa2 Nb5 32.Nd5 Qxd5
33.cxd5 Nxd4 34.Qa7+ Kc7 35.Rc1+
Nc6 36.Rxc6#
1-0
 Modern Chess Magazine 88

Short,Nigel D 2660 [ Black cannot push the rook away

Timman,Jan H 2630 from d7. 31...Bc8 allows 32.g4!
Tilburg 1991 (with a bishop on b7, this move
would have been impossible) hxg4
a b c d e f g h
( 32...Bxd7 33.gxh5 gxh5 34.Qg5+
8 8
Kh7 35.Qxh5+ Kg7 36.Rg4# )
7 7 33.Ng5! Bxd7 34.h5! with a mating
6 6
attack. ]
32.Kg3! Rce8 33.Kf4! Bc8 34.Kg5!
5 5

4 4
a b c d e f g h
3 3 8 8
2 2 7 7
1 1 6 6
a b c d e f g h
5 5

We are used to seeing how the king 4 4

bravely walks on the board in the 3 3
endgames but in the middlegames, giant
slalom by the king is also possible. If 2 2
there was a poll with the question “What 1 1
is the most famous king walk in chess
a b c d e f g h
history?” the next example might have
all chances to appear in TOP-3. In
absolutely dominating position, (engine Black resigned since he has no
shows more than +3 for White) тхе defence against Kh6 idea. 34...Kh7
future World Champion Challenger has 35.Qxg6+Kh8 36.Qh6+ Kg8 37.Kf6
found the most extraordinary way to end
1-0
the game. White major pieces have
achieved the maximum activity. The only
thing that somehow complicates White's
task is a battery on the big diagonal that
disables the moves of White's knight.
But it appears so that there is one more
piece that can help to checkmate the
black king. 30.h4 First Short makes h7-
h6 impossible. 30...h5 31.Kh2!
Now king starts his running. Black
pieces are so bad that they can not do
anything to disturb it. 31...Rc8
www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
Wang Hao
Bologan,Viktor
30th ECC Open
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In the next game Chinese GM used
similar motive but to be honest there
were more risks for his king. Black
offered to exchange the light-squared
bishops and the position looks
absolutely equal. But there is one
nuance - h-file. 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Bxb5
Rxb5 29.Kg3! Even the engine does not
feel a danger for quite a long period.
White king simply goes to h5 or h6 to
support the pawn attack (h2-h4, g2-g4-
g5). Black had to foresee the whole plan
to find the best defending setup.
29...Rb6?
[ Running away would not help.
29...Kf8? 30.Kh4 Ke7 31.Kh5 Qd8
32.h4+- ]
[ Win of the a6-pawn also does not
help to resolve all problems: 29...Ra5
30.Rd2 Rxa6 31.Qd1! Kf8 32.Kh4
Ke7 33.Kh5 followed by Kh6xh7, g2-
g4, h2-h4 etc. ]
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2730 [ Seemingly a good defending idea
2638 was to bring the rook to g8 and the
2014 queen closer to g5-square in order to
prevent g4-g5. 29...Rb8! 30.Kh4 Qb6
31.Kh5 c4 32.g4 ( or 32.Rd2 Rd8
33.Rxd8+ Qxd8 followed by Qd3 with
equal play. ) 32...Kh8 33.h4 Rg8
34.Rd2 Qg1 35.Qg2 Qe3 36.g5
fxg5 37.hxg5 Qxc3 38.Rd7
The engine says it is equal but for
humans, there is a lot to calculate. ]
30.Kh4 Rd6 31.Kh5 Qb8
[ After wasting a few moves, bringing
the rook to g8 already is not very
effective. 31...Rd8 32.h4 Qb6
33.Kh6 Kh8 34.Rd2! Rg8 ( after
34...Rxd2 35.Qg4 mates ) 35.Qe2!
( 35.g4 allows unnecessary queen's
activity Qb1 ) 35...c4 ( 35...Qb1
36.Rd1+- and then g2-g4, Rd5, Qd1
etc. ) 36.Rd7 Qg1 37.Qd2! Rxg2
38.Rd8+ Rg8 39.Rxg8+ Qxg8
40.Qd6 Qg7+ 41.Kh5
a b c d e f g h
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White king feels perfectly here. h6
42.Qb8+ Kh7 43.Qxa7+- ]
32.Qe2! White does not forget to prevent
Qb1. 32...Kh8
 Modern Chess Magazine
[ 32...Qb1 33.Rb2 Qc1 34.Qg4+ Kf8
35.Rb8+ Ke7 36.Rb7+ Rd7 37.Qg8!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
and checks do not help: Qd1+ 38.Kh6
Qd2+ 39.Kxh7+- ]
33.h4 Qg8 34.Rb2 Rd8 35.Rb7?
A mistake that could overcross all
previous play.
[ Immediate 35.g4!+- with the same
plans would minimize Black's
counterplay. ]
35...c4?
[ Black missed his saving chance.
35...Qg3! 36.Rxf7 Rg8 (with idea of
Rg5). 37.Rxf6 Qg7 38.Re6 Qf7+
39.Kh6 Qg7+ 40.Kh5 Qf7+= ]
36.g4+- Now it is over. Black pieces can
not change anything. 36...Qg7 37.g5
fxg5 38.hxg5 h6 39.g6 Qf6 40.Qe3
[ 40.Qg4! fxg6+ 41.Qxg6+-
was a bit faster. ]
40...fxg6+ 41.fxg6 Kg8 42.Rf7 Qd6
[ Even in the rook endgame Black had
no chances. 42...Rd3 43.Rxf6 Rxe3
44.Kxh6 Rxc3 45.Rc6 Rh3+
46.Kg5+- ]
43.Qf3 Rd7
[ 43...Qd2 44.Rg7+ ]
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44.Qf1 Attacking on c4. 44...Rc7
45.Rxc7 Qxc7 46.Kxh6 Qg7+ 47.Kg5
Qe7+ 48.Qf6 Black resigned because
he can not avoid hopeless pawn
endgame. 48...Qc7 49.Qf7+ Qxf7
50.gxf7+ Kxf7 51.Kf5
1-0
Tarrasch,Siegbert
Walbrodt,Carl August
Vienna 1898
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In previous two games, we saw how
king's assistance resulted in mating
attacks. Now I offer to look at how a
king walk prefaces the mass exchanges
in order to get a winning endgame
(analogical example can be found in the
exercises at the end of the article).
White got a dominating position but his
opponent does not have serious
weaknesses. The most natural try 41.h5
would be met with 41...g5 without any
progress. But as you have already
guessed White king also can be useful.
 Modern Chess Magazine
41.Kh2! Be6 42.Rg5 Bd7 43.Kg3!
[ Here 43.h5 might not be met with g6-
g5 but Black can continue the passive
defence with Be8 44.hxg6 Bxg6
and it is not clear what to do next.
That's why White's king keeps
walking. ]
43...Be8 44.Kf4! Bd7
[ 44...b6 was more tenacious but it
does not change the evaluation of the
position. 45.h5 bxc5 46.bxc5 Qb7
47.hxg6 Bxg6 48.Be2 (idea is Bh5).
Qb2 49.R5g2 Qc2 ( or 49...Qb7
50.Bh5 Bxh5 51.Rxg7 Rxg7
52.Rxg7 Qxg7 53.Qxh5+-
with a winning queen endgame. )
50.Bf3 Qd3 Black has prevented Bh5
idea but his king is less defended
now. 51.Rh2 with inevitable threat or
Rxg6 +-. ]
45.h5 Be8 46.hxg6 Bxg6 47.Be2!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
As we know Bh5 leads to winning
endgame - Kf4 is well prepared.
47...Qd8 48.Bh5 Bxh5 49.Qxh5 Rxg5
50.Rxg5 Rxg5 51.Qxg5 Qf8 52.e6
Black resigned.
1-0
www.modern-chess.com
91
Kasparov,Garry 2630
Petrosian,Tigran V 2585
Interpolis Tilburg 1981
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
One more reason for the king walk is to
run away from a direct attack.
Sometimes, it is possible to run away in
advance; sometimes we need to run
undershooting. There are many
successful king walks and every time
when it happens chess fans mark such
games and award them with different
prizes. Especially remarkable are those
escapes that happen in the games
against strong opposition. Here I would
like to present my favourite walk-
escapes. In 1981 Garry Kasparov
already had a higher rating than
Petrosian had but "Iron Tigran" still had
resources to surprise his young vis-a-vis
with unexpected king play. Position on
the diagram is already not easy for Black.
White has a powerful attack for one
pawn. 32...Kb7! It is hard to mark this
move with a proper evaluation.
Objectively it is not good but practically
 Modern Chess Magazine
only this idea could help to slip out of
Kasparov's hands. Kasparov himself
admits that this move shocked him - he
could not believe it is possible to play
like this. But being under both time and
psychological pressure could not find
the winning line.
[ 32...bxc4?? leads to a checkmate
33.Rxa6+! Kxa6 34.Qxc4+ ]
[ The strongest according to the engine
was 32...Bd6 but it allows White to
take the pawn back keeping a strong
attack: 33.Rxb5! Rxb5 34.Nxd6
Qxd6 35.Qxb5 ]
33.Bb4? White misses the chance to
punish the black king.
[ In his books Kasparov writes that
move 33.Na3 that has been found by
him after the game had been the best
one. To prove this he has used the
most powerful computers (for his time
of course). ]
[ But nowadays we have a way more
powerful engines and they show that
move 33.Qb1!! ends the game even
more convincingly. White major pieces
use all three open files on the
queenside to create threats. By the
way, Kasparov mentions this move in
the book but giving no lines he states
that it does not win.
A) 33...Bb6? 34.Bb4 bxc4
35.Bxe7 cxb3 36.Qxb3+-;
B) 33...N7b6 34.Rxb5! axb5
35.Na5+ Ka6 36.Nc6++-;
C) 33...Ra8
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92
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
34.Bxd5+ exd5 35.Rxb5+! axb5
36.Qxb5+ Nb6 ( 36...Bb6
37.Qxd5+ Kc7 38.Rxa8+- )
37.Nxb6 Bxb6 38.Qxd5+ Kc7
39.Rc2+ Kb8 40.Rxc8+ Kxc8
41.Qxa8++-;
D) 33...Re8! Is the most tenacious
move - Black prepares evacuation
of the king via c8-square. 34.Rc2!
One more difficult move - White
prepares to meet the king on c8.
Black hardly can make a move
without giving up some material.
Ka7 ( 34...N7b6 35.Na5++-;
34...Kc8 35.Na5+- ) 35.Qa1!
(with idea of Ra2 or Ra3). Kb7
36.Bb4 Qd8 37.Nd6+ Bxd6
38.Bxd6 Rc8 39.Rxc8 Qxc8
40.Rc3! Qd8 41.Qc1+-
So, objectively 32...Kb7 was not a
good move but all lines Kasparov
mentioned in his books or we
mentioned here were hard enough
even for Kasparov to find them. ]
 Modern Chess Magazine 93

33...Qe8 34.Bd6 Ra8 35.Qb1 36...bxc4 37.Rxa6+ Rxa6 38.Rxa6+

Bb6
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h
8 8
8 8
7 7
7 7
6 6
6 6
5 5
5 5
4 4
4 4
3 3
3 3
2 2
2 2
1 1
1 1
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h

Finally Kasparov comes to Qb1 idea

but here Black already has an Black minor pieces defend the king
answer. very well. White has no compensation
35...Kc6!! Played almost instantly! If for the piece. 39.Bc5 Qd8 40.Qa1 Nxc5
32... 41.dxc5 Kxc5! Black king makes the
Kb7 was a mathematically wrong last move in the game. After 42.Ra4
decision this move is simply the best. (seemingly this move has been
King defends itself and White can't catch sealed) White resigned. I hope you
it. Moreover, White already had to find have liked the given examples and
the only sequence to save the game - are ready to play bravely by your
Nc4 and Bd6 are in bad positions. own king. But to make sure that
36.Rba3? everything will go smoothly in your
[ Everything might end with an equal
games, I offer to train a bit more
endgame had Kasparov played
and to solve a few exercises. 0-1
36.Bxc7 bxc4 ( In case of 36...Kxc7
White saves the pressure. 37.Nb2
Kd8 38.Nd3 ) 37.Rb7 Rxc7
38.Rxa6+! Rxa6 39.Qb5+ Kd6
40.Qxa6+ Ke7 ( 40...Rc6? 41.Qa3+ )
41.Bxd5 Rxb7 42.Bxb7 ( 42.Qxe6+?
Kd8 43.Qxe8+ Kxe8 44.Bxb7 c3-+ )
42...Qb8= ]

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
Nepomniachtchi,Ian
Harikrishna,Pentala
Moscow Grand Prix
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Having a free pawn the black king does
not feel really well. But the Indian GM
had a plan. 30...Rd2 31.Rf1+
[ Black had a strong answer in case of
31.Qe4 Qb2! and Ng6 is defended.
32.Rf1+ ( 32.Qf3+ Qf6; 32.Qxg6??
Rxh2+ 33.Kg1 Qf2# ) 32...Rf2!
and again White can not take the
knight because of checkmate on f1. ]
31...Ke7 32.Qe4 Ne5
[ Here 32...Qb2? would be a serious
mistake because there is no mating
net near White king. 33.Bh3+ Ne5
34.Qf5 ]
33.Bh3 White threatens to build a
battery on h3-c8 diagonal; Black king
feels abandoned. 33...Kd6! King bravely
moves forward. There are not so many
opponent's pieces on the queenside.
34.Qf5 Kc5! 35.Bg2 Qd4?
[ Black king had to keep running.
35...Kb4! and White can not do
anything. 36.Rb1+ Rb2-+ ]
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94
2751 36.Qf8+?
2750 [ White missed own chance. After
2017 36.Rf4! Qa1+ 37.Bf1 Black king
already can not hide on b4 when Qf8
is an unpleasant threat. Kb4
( 37...Rd8!? to cover f8-square;
position is unclear. ) 38.c5+ Kxc5
39.Qf8+ Rd6 40.Qxg7
with a complex endgame after Qxa2
41.Qxe5+ Qd5+ 42.Qxd5+ Kxd5 ]
36...Qd6 37.Qf4 Qd4 38.Qf8+ Qd6
39.Qf4 Re2 40.Qc1 Qd3-+ Opponents
made 40 moves; result of Black's
extraordinary play is winning position.
41.Qf4 g5 42.Qf8+ Qd6 43.Qf5 Qd2
44.Bxc6 Rxh2+ 45.Kg1 Re2 46.Bb7
Qe3+ 47.Kh1 Re1 48.Qf8+ Kd4!
49.Qd6+ Kc3! 50.Qa3+ Kc2!
Checks and surviving hopes are over.
51.Qxe3 Rxe3 52.Rf2+ Kc3 53.Kg2
Nxc4 54.g4 Rd3 55.Rf6 Ne3+
White resigned.
0-1
Gashimov,V.. 2759
Grischuk,A.. 2736
7th World Team Championship 2010
Recently on the final press-conference
of the first stage of Grand Prix-2019
(that has been held in Moscow)
Alexander Grischuk said that there were
three games in his career he could be
most proud of - win over Nakamura in
the given tournament, win over
Rodshtein (ECC of 2014) and the next
game. So, we simply have no right to
not take a look at it. It is my personal
number 1 for king walks! From e8 to b1
with all major pieces on the board!
Unbelievable! Look and enjoy! 1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 a6 Najdorf Variation is definitely
 Modern Chess Magazine
one of the leaders by the number of
crazy kings walks under direct shooting.
Black often provokes White to sacrifice
something and hopes to defend. If the
defence is precise, one can remain with
free material at the end. Otherwise,
White will score a nice win. 6.Bg5 e6
7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.f5 Be7 11.fxe6
fxe6 12.Be2 Qa5 13.Bd2 Qc7
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
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95
14.g4!
[ Previous game between these
players continued with 14.0-0 0-0
15.Qc4 Qd7 16.Qb3 Kh8 17.Bc4 d5
18.exd5 b5 19.Be2 Bc5 20.Kh1
exd5 (Elista, 2008). ]
14...h6 15.Qh3 White prepares g4-g5.
There were also other continuations: 15.
Rg1 (the move that helped Fabiano
Caruana to beat Nakamura in Stavanger,
2017), 15.Rf1, 15. g5, 15.e5. One of the
interesting facts about this position is
that Azeri players are the main experts
in this variation - most of the games
here were played by Gashimov,
Guseinov, Rauf Mamedov and
Radjabov. 15...Rh7 16.Rf1?!
[ Both players were sure that g4-g5 is
not a problem for Black after his last
move. But there was nuance. 16.g5!
hxg5 17.Nxe6
A) I suppose both saw taking on e6
but what to do after 17...Qd7??
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
both Q and Ne6 are hanging.
18.Qxh7! Nxh7 ( 18...Qxe6
19.Qxg7+- ) 19.Bh5+ g6
20.Bxg6#;
 Modern Chess Magazine
B) 17...Bxe6 18.Qxe6 Qd7
19.Qb3 the same variation;
C) 17...Qc6 18.Qf5 Bxe6 19.Qxe6
Qd7 20.Qb3 with an advantage. ]
16...Nc6 17.Nxc6 Qxc6 18.e5
Vugar makes the most natural move.
[ Engine notes that 18.Rb3
gives White a serious advantage. I am
not going to argue with it. I can just
say that for a human it is not so
obvious. ]
18...dxe5
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
19.Bd3 e4 20.Nxe4! Nxe4 21.Qh5+
[ The more prosaic 21.Qe3!?
would lead to a position with a free
exchange but with good compensation
for Black. Nxd2! 22.Bg6+ Kd8
23.Qxd2+ Bd7 ( 23...Qd5 24.Bxh7 )
24.Bxh7 Rc8 White king is badly
secured. ]
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96
21...Kd7
[ 21...Kd8?? 22.Ba5+ Kd7 23.Rd1+- ]
22.Rd1 Rh8
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
A key moment. 23.Bf4?? Too optimistic. It
is hard to say what was blundered by
Gashimov. But in order to prove that his
position is winning, Black needs to
demonstrate unprecedented courage.
[ White had to play 23.Rf7! allowing no
checks from b4. The position is
extremely hard to calculate and I do
not think it is possible to explain it by
some lines. Definitely, it is a good
training position for young players to
become better in calculating. ]
23...Bb4+! I do not believe Vugar didn't
see this move. Something behind it was
blundered. 24.c3 Nxc3 25.Bd2
[ 25.Qf7+ Kd8!-+ check is not a
mate! ]
 Modern Chess Magazine
25...Qd5!
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Having a free material, Grischuk readily
offers exchanges. At the same time he
cleans up the way for his own king.
26.Rf7+ Kc6! The king continues to run.
27.Rc1 Kb6! 28.Be3+
[ There is nothing after 28.Bxc3 Qxd3
29.Bxb4 Qe4+ and 30...Qxb4 -+ ]
28...Ka5 29.a3
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
www.modern-chess.com
97
Probably White's hopes were related to
this move but the Russian GM is ready
for this trick. 29...Ka4!! The move of the
game! King unpins the queen and
sidesteps the check after a3xb4.
Moreover, the king will now support the
knight. 30.axb4 Qxd3 31.Qa5+ Kb3
Black's defence was so great that he
even managed to create a threat of
checkmate in 1! White should take on
c3. 32.Rxc3+ Qxc3+ 33.Bd2 b6!!
Having the free rook Black wins only
thanks to this pawn move. Amazing!
[ If Black made the normal move
33...Qd3?? after 34.b5 he would need
to agree with a draw - there is no
defence against the perpetual. ]
34.Qxb6 Qe5+ 35.Kd1
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Bb7! Finally other pieces come to help
 Modern Chess Magazine 98

the king! 36.Qxb7 Rhd8 37.Rf3+ Ka2 Wei,Yi 2730

38.Rf2 Kb1! Bromberger,Stefan 2521
a b c d e f g h
Qatar Masters Open 2015
8 8 a b c d e f g h

7 7 8 8

6 6 7 7

5 5 6 6

4 4 5 5

3 3 4 4

2 2 3 3

1 1 2 2

a b c d e f g h
1 1

39.Qf3 Rac8 40.Qb3+ Qb2 41.Qxb2+ a b c d e f g h

Kxb2! Quite symbolically, the last move
is made by the hero of the game! White 22.Rxe6!
resigned! A brilliant game! [ White could also reach the winning
0-1 position by means of 22.Qe2 Bf7
23.Bxf7+ Kxf7 24.Qe7+ Kg8
and here the quiet move 25.Re2!
Wei,Yi 2730 grants material winnings. ]
Bromberger,Stefan 2521 22...Rxd1+ 23.Kxd1 Qd8+ 24.Ke2 Kf8
Qatar Masters Open 2015
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

Calculate the move 22.Rxe6.

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 99

Black has defended against Re8 and at Volokitin,And 2493

first sight, it looks that White has Ponomariov,Ruslan 2673
nothing more than playing for tricks in Lausanne YM 3rd 2001
the pawn endgame. But analysis shows
that there are not so many winning
a b c d e f g h
chances. Young Chinese star used the
trick that we saw in the main part of the 8 8
article - before all exchanges happen, 7 7
White improves his own king to be
better prepared for the upcoming pawn 6 6
endgame. 25.Kf3! Qd7 26.Re1 Qd8
5 5
27.Kg4! Qd7+ 28.Kh5! Qd8
Is everything ready for Re8? Not yet. 4 4
Let's also improve pawns! 29.a4 a5 3 3
30.g4 Qd7 31.h4 Qd8
2 2
a b c d e f g h
1 1
8 8
a b c d e f g h
7 7

6 6 Find the winning plan.

5 5

4 4 Volokitin,And 2493
Ponomariov,Ruslan 2673
3 3 Lausanne YM 3rd 2001
2 2

1 1
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h
8 8

Enough! 32.Re8+ Qxe8 33.Bxe8 Kxe8 7 7

34.Kg6 Kf8 35.Kh7 Kf7 36.g5 6 6
Black resigned.
1-0 5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 100

White knight dominates over the black Onischuk,Alexander 2657

bishop but so far Black successfully Belozerov,Andrei 2541
defends his own weaknesses. Volokitin EU-Cup 19th Rethymnon 2003
finds a good king maneuver in order to
break the fortress down. First of all, the a b c d e f g h
king goes to a4. 36.Kd3 Kh7 37.Kc2 8 8
Kh6 38.Kb2 Kg7 39.Ka3 Bd8 40.Ka4
Bb6 7 7

a b c d e f g h 6 6

8 8 5 5

7 7 4 4

6 6 3 3

5 5 2 2

4 4 1 1

3 3 a b c d e f g h

2 2
Find the strongest continuation.
1 1

a b c d e f g h
Onischuk,Alexander 2657
Belozerov,Andrei 2541
Now White disconnects pawns c5 and EU-Cup 19th Rethymnon 2003
d4. 41.b4! cxb4 42.c5! Bc7 Now it is
time to win the d4-pawn. 43.Kxb4 Bf4
44.Kc4 Be5 45.Ng3 a5 46.Ne2
a b c d e f g h
That's it. Easy as 1, 2, 3.
1-0 8 8

7 7

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine 101

Another example of a long king maneuver. Bienstock,Wladimir

Surely, the king should the e5-square, Capablanca,Jose Raul
but first White needs to lock the black Paris casual 1919
rook down. 32.Bb8! Bd3 33.Kf2 Bb5
34.Ke3 h6 a b c d e f g h
[ Seemingly, Black did not see the 8 8
opponent's idea, so he even did not
try to prevent it. After 34...f6! 7 7
White would need to undermine the 6 6
opponent's pawn structure with g4-g5.
35.g4 Bc4 36.Kf4 Bd3 37.h4 h6 5 5
38.g5 hxg5+ 39.hxg5 Bc2 and now
4 4
40.Bd6! with idea, Be7 could force
Black to move his f6-pawn and to free 3 3
the way for the king. But anyway Black
2 2
had to try this chance. ]
35.Kf4 Bf1 1 1
[ The king was not able to stop his a b c d e f g h
colleague. 35...Kf8 36.Ke5 Ke8
37.Kd6 Kd8 38.Rxf7+- ]
36.g3 Be2? Black to play.
[ Here was the last moment to defend:
36...f6 37.h4 with variations similar to
Bienstock,Wladimir
the lines that we saw after 34...f6. ]
Capablanca,Jose Raul
37.Ke5! The king goes to win the rook.
Paris casual 1919
37...Bxf3 38.Kd6 g5 39.Kc7 f5
40.Rb2 Kf7 41.Kb7 Rxb8+ 42.Kxb8
Ke6 43.Kb7 Good job, Your Majesty!
1-0 a b c d e f g h

8 8

7 7

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

www.modern-chess.com
 Modern Chess Magazine
Black has a pair of bishops but as many
say the core of this advantage is that at
any moment when you need you can
exchange one of your bishops.
21...Bxc3! 22.bxc3 Kb7! King simply
uses the light squares for a walk. 23.Be3
Kc6 24.Bd2 Kb5 25.Re3 c4!
Disconnecting the a3-pawn from the rest
of the world. 26.Re1 Ka4 27.h3!
White defends very well but Capablanca
is careful till the end. 27...Bxh3 28.Rh1
Be6 29.Rxh7 Kxa3 30.g4 Bxg4
31.Rxf7 Ka2 32.Rxc7 Rh8 33.Be1 Rh1
34.Kd2 Kb2! King gets even more
activity. White is hopeless.
Nyback,T.
Giri,Anish
Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Black to play
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102
Nyback,T. 2643
Giri,Anish 2588
Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED 2010
a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
2643 1 1
2588 a b c d e f g h
2010
21...Kd6!! The engine does not consider
this move among its TOP-5. But it is one
of those moves that you are ready to like,
disregarding what engines say. The
whole concept of Giri is so good that
Nyback could not offer any resistance
against it. The black king surprisingly
finds a safe square practically in the
very centre of the board. Behind this
construction, the Dutch player prepares
an attack on the queenside. 22.a3 Qa4
23.Rd3 b5 24.Rc3 Rhc8 25.Be2 Ne5
(Diagram)
Everything is ready for the pawn assault.
Engine shows 0.00 after 26.Qg3 or 26.
Rd1 but already White is the one who
should prove this evaluation. The
Finlandia GM fails right away. Here, I
just show how the game has ended.
26.Kd2 b4 27.Rc2 bxa3 28.bxa3 Rab8
 Modern Chess Magazine 103

Everything is ready for the pawn assault. Lloyd,Sam

Engine shows 0.00 after 26.Qg3 or 26.
Rd1 but already White is the one who
should prove this evaluation. The a b c d e f g h

Finlandia GM fails right away. Here, I just 8 8

show how the game has ended.
7 7
26.Kd2 b4 27.Rc2 bxa3 28.bxa3 Rab8
a b c d e f g h 6 6
8 8
5 5
7 7
4 4
6 6
3 3
5 5
2 2
4 4
1 1
3 3
a b c d e f g h
2 2

1 1
a b c d e f g h I rarely like all these studies about mate
in 2, in 3 or especially 4+. But this one
29.Rhc1 c4 30.Rc3 Rb2+ 31.R1c2 has fully deserved to be here. 1.Ke2!
Qb5 32.Rxb2 Qxb2+ 33.Rc2 Qb1 The threat is 2.Rf8 Kxe4 3.d3#. 1...f1Q+
34.Qc3 Rc5 35.g3 f5 36.Rb2 Qxe4 2.Ke3!! Fantastic move! New-born
37.Kc1 Nd3+ White resigned. queen can't help avoiding the checkmate
in 1. 2...Qe1+
Lloyd,Sam [ 2...Bf2+ 3.Rxf2# ]
a b c d e f g h [ 2...Qg1+ 3.Rf2# ]
[ 2...Re2+ 3.Bxe2# ]
8 8
[ 2...axb5 3.Rxf1# ]
7 7 3.Be2#
6 6

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

a b c d e f g h

Checkmate in 3.
www.modern-chess.com