Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
6
Table of Contents
Foreword ........................................................ 4
Chess Notation ......... .. .. .. .. ... ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ....... R
Chess Symbols ...................................... ........ 10
Chapter One
Getting the most fron1 this book ...................... II
Chapter Two
Tactics: the dirty dozen .................................... 29
Chapter Three
The 320 key positions ...................................... 33
Chess Clubs & Chess Equipment ....... .......... . J 94
Index of Games ...................................... ....... 196
Index of Themes ........................................... 200
7
Chess Nota1tion
C
hess players around the world use "notation," a univer-
sal system for reading and wriiting chess. It's easy to
learn, and once you know it, you 'II be able to decipher
quickly any book or newspaper artic:le on chess.
The vertical columns of squares that run up and down
the board are called files and are lt~ttered. The horizontal
rows of squares that run sideways are called ranks and are
numbered. The intersection of a file :and rank gives a square
its name. Let's look at a board that gives the "address" of
every square:
8
To make writing and reading chess fast, each piece is as-
signed a single letter. In English, we use the abbreviations
on the right:
King - K
*
~ Queen
A Bishop=
Q
B
~ Knight - N
.i. Rook - R
~ Pawn the file it's on
9
Chess svmbols
+- White has a decisive advantage.
± White has a clear advantage .
;f Whi1l' has a slight advantage .
The chances are equal.
+ Black has a slight advantage .
+ Black has a clear advantage .
-+ Black has a decisive advantage.
10
Chapter One
Getting the most from this book
T
he diagrams in this book are arranged four on each
left-hand page. Their solutions appear on the facing,
right-hand page. All 320 positions have been care-
fully selected and arranged, but not in a way that will give
you clues on what theme or tactical device should be em-
ployed to find the best move, or even how difficult your
task may be.
The main purpose of this book, after all, is to train you
for real chess competition. In a serious game, no one will
announce that you can win a rook by use of a pin, or that
there is an elementary mate-in-one. In fact, in some of
these positions-as in actual chess games-there are no
tactics involved, and no outright win (or even draw) pos-
sible. Your job is to find the best move under the circum-
stances-which may mean choosing between a number of
equally good moves.
Using hints
When approaching a position, think for a few minutes
and decide on a move-and then look on the right-hand
page, but only at the title of the solution (often a hint), and
at the text in italics, if there is some, below it. Imagine
11
you've gotten those ideas on your own-and with them
confirm your first choice, or look for another.
You should try to design your own ways to use this
book-there is no one-size-fits-all method. Still, we can
share with you some possible approaches.
Main method: Spend two or three minutes solving a
position. If you don't find "the" move (a move you are
certain is the best), use your intuition-that is, guess. Then
look at the right-hand page, using hints as described
above.
Role play: This is a real test. Set up a position from
this book on a board. Then imagine a real-life situation
and make it as realistic as possible. Set your and your op-
ponent's time on the clock (yes, use a clock). Stipulate
how many moves must be made before the time control
expires, or assume that the game has already gone into
sudden death. Assign your imaginary opponent a rating.
You may even want to visualize that you're playing a real-
life nemesis.
Perhaps you even want to imagine a specific tourna-
ment situation-for example, needing at least a draw to
win your class prize, which would dictate a "safety first"
approach. Give yourself, say, 30 minutes for five moves-
or 10 moves, if you want to train your play under the threat
of time pressure. Only after you decide on your move and
make it, go to the right-hand page.
12
Chess positions as zipped files
When we're working on our computers and want to
email information quickly or to store it in the smallest pos-
sible space, we "zip" our electronic files-compacting
them dramatically using special programs. On retrieval,
they can be quickly "unzipped" to burst into their full de-
tail. It's a very practical technique. Our minds can achieve
a similar effect. The 320 positions in this book are very
much "zipped" files. Engaged with the special programs
of your own problem-solving skills, each position will ex-
17
example is Bernstein-Capablanca, below. But you may
find another position more meaningful to you-perhaps
from one of your own games.
20
Try out these approaches. Invent your own. Find out
what works best for you!
Training with groups ofpositions
Training with groups of positions can be very effec-
tive. Let's take a look at two methods that we particularly
recommend-Dvoretsky's "balancing drill" and Alburt's
"antidote to tunnel vision."
Dvoretsky s balancing drill
The famous trainer Mark Dvoretsky developed this
one for his grandmaster candidates. Dvoretsky has them
set their clocks for twenty minutes. Then he gives them
four positions to solve, one at a time. Doing this same ex-
ercise, you will be faced with balancing your desire to ver-
ify your analysis of each position carefully against the
need to make a timely decision. After all, you have to
complete all four positions within the time limit. In a real
game, if you move too quickly, without having thought
deeply enough, you may choose a so-so move-and find
your position deteriorating. On the other hand, if you think
for a very long time trying to find the best move, you' II get
yourself in time trouble, and be forced into making hasty
decisions later.
21
After each position in this Dvoretsky exercise, stop the
clock and check your answer. If it's correct, start your
clock and go on. If your answer is incorrect, deduct up to
eight minutes from your remaining time before continu-
ing. (As in a real game, there must be a penalty for making
a bad move.) Vary the penalty depending on how far off
your solution is from the correct one-is it simply not the
best move, or is it a losing blunder?
You can also vary the time allowed for this kind of ex-
ercise, giving yourself more or less time, depending on
your strength, or on whether you want to concentrate on
developing analytic or intuitional skills. For instance, if
you solve everything correctly in just 20 minutes, reduce
the time to 16 minutes. (Congratulations, grandmaster!)
A/burt s antidote to tunnel vision
Years ago Lev had a student who, in spite of his con-
siderable experience, had a habit of sticking with a single
line of analysis, even when there were several other at-
tractive candidate moves-and even when his chosen line
became unclear. (This habit is common to many players.)
So Lev designed an exercise to address this problem.
In Alburt's antidote, you're facing four positions si-
multaneously. Your task this time, however, is to solve just
one out of the four. Four positions here play the role of
four candidate moves. Start with the most promising-look-
ing one-but don't stick with your first choice if it gets
murky. Be flexible!
22
How to think
Aaron Nimzovich, the great theoretician and one of
the original grandmasters crowned by Czar Nicholas at
the St. Petersburg tour-
nament of 1914, used
to stand on his head in
the corner of the hall
before a tournament
game. We suppose he
wanted to increase the
blood available to his
brain, hoping this
would help him think
more clearly. But you're
expecting some advice L--------------..J
that's a bit more practical, and you deserve to get it.
Use candidate moves
When you tackle a position, sometimes one move
leaps to mind immediately-that's your chess intuition at
work! But often two, three, or even four moves suggest
themselves. So, if one candidate move seems better than
the others, begin analyzing it immediately, and continue
until either you see you can reach a successful conclusion,
or the line becomes hazy. In the latter case, make a mental
note of what you've discovered so far, and go on to the
next candidate move.
Use support positions
There's a vitally important technique used by accom-
plished players to help them analyze accurately-the use
23
of support positions. Support positions are stepping-stones
along the way in your analysis, critical positions you want
to keep clearly in mind. You can foray ahead, but when
things get complicated or unclear, you go back to visualize
the support position to try a
different move or start over. If
you think of analysis as
climbing up a tower-getting
farther and farther away from
the solid ground that is the ac-
tual board position-support
positions are the platforms
along your climb that allow
you to stand on something
firm.
Reverse move order
Sometimes you "feel in
your bones" that you should
have a game-changing move,
but you can't quite find it. For
~ example, you may notice that
you have a preponderance of
force around the enemy's
king, whose defenders are not
well coordinated. You may
keep looking at an appealing
line, perhaps a sacrifice or other forcing combination, but
can't make it work. In such cases, try reversing the move
order of the line you're thinking about. Co-author AI
24
Lawrence has found a number of satisfying sacrifices
using this technique. When you look at Positions 8 and
246, for example, keep this technique in mind.
What-if thinking
Try what we call "chess daydreaming"-imagine what
great havoc you could wreak on your opponent if, for ex-
ample, his bishop were on a different square. You just may
find a brilliant deflection or other tactic that does the trick.
Positions 1 and 33 are examples of positions in which you
can successfully practice what-if thinking.
Double-checking after every move
After each actual move of the game, stop to recheck
your analysis, no matter how confident you are of the cal-
culations you've done earlier. Even the world's best play-
ers can benefit from this advice. Every time a move is
made, it's an opportunity to see one move farther and a bit
more clearly. So don't move automatically based on your
prior analysis-always double-check!
Process ofelimination
Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous
fictional detective, solved many a puzzling crime by the
process of elimination-and he preached the merits of this
thinking tool:
"Eliminate all other factors, and the one
that remains must be the truth. "
-Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of
the Four
25
You should also have faith in this logical precept. For
example, sometimes it's difficult to calculate all the ram-
ifications of a move. But perhaps you see that other rea-
sonable moves lead to losing positions for you. You must
then go with the line that's unclear. As long as you see a
line that does not clearly lead to your defeat, do not make
a different move that you see leads to a loss. It's not a rec-
ommendable technique to cross your fingers and hope
that your opponent won't find the lines you see. Chances
are, he will.
The Art of Evaluation
While some positions don't require evaluation to find the
best move, many do. Sharpen your skills by comparing
your assessments to ours! You may also study Lev's Build-
ing Up Your Chess (see page 208).
Switching perspective
Sometimes you can notice more of your opponent's threats
and other possibilities if you pretend to be him and see the
game from his side of the board for a moment. Ask your-
selfthe question "What's my opponent up to?"
Conclusion
Try the various techniques we've discussed here.
(Some may work better for you than others.) As chess
players, we don't know in advance which thinking tech-
nique-what tool-will be most effective in a given posi-
tion. But having many tools to choose from-and
knowing how to use them well-will definitely help.
Work hard and have fun on your road to chess mastery!
26
How to Think about a Position
• Review the position and choose tentative
candidate moves.
• As a rule, choose the most appealing
candidate move and analyze it. If it
leads to a desired outcome, make it. (If you
have enough time, take a brief look at the
other candidate moves to see if any of them
promise something better.) If the outcome is
unsatisfactory or unclear, begin to analyze the
next-most-appealing candidate move.
• Keep mental notes on your discoveries as you
go along. The "tricks" in one line will often
recur in other lines-and may sometimes sug-
gest a new candidate move to consider.
• When your intuition tells you that there
might be a forcing combination in the
position, but your analysis can't make it
work, try brainstorming techniques such as
reversing the move order and using what-if
thinking.
• In a timely fashion, make a decision-and
then double-check it.
27
28
Chapter nvo
Tactics: the dinv dozen
T
actics are the hammer and nails of chess. It's often
been said that 99% of chess is tactics, the short-
term cut and thrust of the game. Long-range plan-
ning (strategy) is the other I%. Whatever the exact mix
between tactics and strategy, it's true that most chess
games are won and lost tactically.
Over time chess players have given names to the most-
frequently occurring tactical ideas. Knowing their
names gives you a way to talk about them and think about
them.
You can also use this book to review a particular tactic.
The index toward the back of the book tells you how to
find examples of each tactic and of other themes as
well.
Below we give 12 of the most important tactics.
Pin-one of the most common tactics, occurring in
nearly every game. The pinning piece attacks one of
two enemy pieces along the same diagonal, rank or file.
The enemy piece in front can't move without exposing
the piece behind it, normally the more valuable piece,
29
to attack. Queens, rooks and bishoJps can pin; bishops are
the most frequent practicioners. (Examples are Positions
29 and 51.) A cross-pin is an interesting type of pin that
breaks an enemy's pin. (Position 253 is an example.)
Decoy-diverts an enemy piece to a certain square. In the
diagram below, White decoys BJlack's queen to c7 so
White can win the lady with 2. Qh7+. (Examples are Po-
sitions 1 and 8.)
Deflection-diverts an enemy piece from a particular
square. (Examples are positions 8 and 17.)
Double Anack-a single move that makes two separate
threats at the same time. The knight fork is perhaps the
most dreaded double attack. (Examjples are Positions 8 and
14.)
30
Back-rank Mate-technically, a then1e based on a frequent
weakness, rather than a tactic- a king is checkmated on
his back rank, hemmed in by his own pawns. (Examples
are Positions 1 and 14.)
Skewer- the shish kebab of chess, the flip side of the pin.
Here the more valuable piece is attacked and forced to
move, exposing the less valuable piece behind it to cap-
ture. (Examples are Positions 19 and 254.)
Blocking-limits the mobility of an enemy piece in some
critical way. Sometimes called "obstruction," this tactic is
often used against the opponent's king to deliver check-
mate. (Examples are Positions 1 and 41.)
Discovered AUaell-move one of your pieces (preferably
with a check, capture, or threat) antd in doing so uncover
another of your pieces lurking behind it, attacking the
enemy at a different point. (Exampl,e s are Positions 29 and
42.)
Double Check-the nuclear warhead of chess! It's a form of
discovered attack. One of your ]Pieces moves, giving
check, and at the same time uncovers another of your
31
pieces that gives check as well. (Examples are Positions
114 and 257.)
In-between Move-the mother of all surprise moves. You' 11
sometimes see the German word for it-Zwischenzug
(pronounced TSVISH-un-tsook). Your opponent makes a
move that he thinks forces a certain 1reply, but you come up
with a different move that turns the tables. Ah, Schaden-
freude! In the diagram below, White's king has attacked
Black's knight, and Black has answered by moving his
bishop to counterattack White's knight. White has an in-
between move that wins. (Examples are Positions 1 and
11.)
Overloadinu-really a theme, like back-rank mate. When a
piece has too many duties, it's a we:ak point in the enemy
camp. Concentrate on it. You may be able to apply one of
the basic tactics to take advantage of its plight. (Examples
are Positions 27 and 260.)
Desperado-another theme. Think of this as a kamikaze
chess piece. It's a tactic often used to achieve a stalemate.
(Examples are Positions 26 and 63.)
32
Chapter Th1ree
The 320 kev positiions
33
1 2
3 4
34
1. uve in a Glass HouseP Don't Throw Stones!
1.... g6. The only move. Throwing a stone with 1.. .. Qc2 loses
to 2. Nf7+, exploiting Black's own weak back rank-as hap-
pened in Ruban-Veresov, 1975.
4. ATemP18Uon to Resist!
1. ... R2c6. The most prudent, and the best.
Not 1. ... Rxf2 2. Kxf2 Rc2+ 3. Kel !, and
White should win. (Compare Position
101.)
After 3. Ke I!
35
Game Sequence: A II four diagrams below are related to the same game
(Spassky-Evans, 1962), which started: 1. d4 NJ6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6
5.j3 c6 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 b5 8. 0-0-0 0-0 9. h4 bxc4 10. Bxc4 d5 11. Bb3 dxe4.
5 6
1 8
36
5. Down in Front!
Have you ever been at a ballgame when someone in the seat in
front ofyou is standing up, blocking your view ofthe action? It
can happen on the chessboard too-here the White h-pawn
blocks the White rook.
12. h5! (if 12. fxe4 Bg4, White's attack comes to a halt). The
game continued 12 .... exf3 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Bh6 fxg2
15. Rh4!.What happens if Black had tried 15 .... Nh5, blocking
the h-file? See Position 6.
18. Qh2, threatening both Rh7+ and Qe5+. After 17. Qg2,
Black could give back material with 17 .... Rh8 to avoid mate,
but even then White would clearly stand better. If 17 ... . f5,
18. Nf3 Rh8 19. Rdhl Rxh4 20. Rxh4 Nd7. (See Position 8.)
8. Open Road
Blacks queenside pieces are bottled up, while White eyes the
open h-file and his bishop rakes the a2-g8 diagonal.
21. Rh7+ (not 21. Ng5 Nf6!, covering both e6 and h7; but re-
versing the move order works!) 21 .... K.xh7 22. Ng5+, winning
the queen.
37
9 10
11 12
38
9. The last to Err
Black has just played 26. ... g6? (instead of 26. ... Nell with
equality). Korchnoi now has an unexpected chance to win.
27. Rf8+ Kg7 (27 ... . Rxf8 Bd5) 28. Rxd8 Nxd8 29. Qxc7+,
winning a pawn. Instead, Korchnoi stumbles into a mating net:
27. Rf2? Qxe4!, White resigned (Korchnoi-Krush, 2007).
39
13 14
15 16
40
13. The All-lmponant Spare Tempo
White is a pawn up but needs to find a way to infiltrate with
his king to support and advance his extra pawn. To do this, he
must gain the opposition-forcing the other king to give way.
1. Bxc6! Kxc6 2. b4 Kd6 3. Kd2 Kc6 4. Ke3 Kd5 5. Kd3, 1-0
(Sutovsky-Georgiev, 2007).
After 5.... Kd6 6. Ke4 Kc6 7. d5+ Kd7 8. Kd4 Kd6, the reserve
move 9. a3 allows the White king to invade and win.
41
11 18
19 20
42
11. Deflecting her Suppon
1 .... Rfl+ 2. Kd2 Qxg6 3. Rxg6 Rxh1 4. Bxh6 Kh7 -+
(Strauts-Vitolins, 1988).
43
Game Sequence: All four diagrams below are related to the same game (Al-
burt-Polugaevsky, 1965), which began: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 c6 4. Qd3 g6
5. Bxf6 exf6 6. e4 dxe4 7. Qxe4+ Be7 8. Bc4 0-0 9. 0-0-0 f5 10. Qe3 Nd7.
21 22
23 24
44
21. Be first wilh lhe Most!
When the players are castled on opposite sides, the first to get
an effective attack going generally wins. At times its a high-
wire tightrope act without a net-one false step can be fatal!
11. h4, seeking the open h-file. Such a pawn often should be
offered for free! Here 11. ... Bxh4 loses instantly to 12. Nf3.
The game continued: 11 . ... Nf6 12. Nf3 Ng4 13. Qe2 b5
14. Bb3 Bb4 15. Rde1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Qd6 17. h5 aS 18. hxg6
hxg6.
45
25 26
21 28
46
25. Evervthing tor Mate
White looks forward to the long-term advantages offered by his
united, central passed pawns. But before the long-term comes
the short-term, and Black commands the c-file, while his queen
and knight loom on Whites airy kings ide. Can you find the
clincher?
1. ... Ret! (deflection) 2. Qxcl Qf3+ 3. Kgl Nh3, mate
(Youngsworth-Seirawan, 1979).
Remember this mating pattern!
47
29 30
31 32
48
29. Punishing lhe Pinner
With rooks on board, look for back-rank weaknesses!
1. Bd3!, 1-0. The broken pin becomes a discovered attack. If
1. ... Rxal, 2. Rc8 mates. And if 1. .. . Re8, 2. Rxe5 (Capa-
blanca-Rossolimo, 1938).
49
33 34
35 36
50
33. The Vanishing Bishop Act
1. Bb6, 1-0, as threats to Black's king (Qh6, mate) and queen
can't be stopped simultaneously (Benko-Fiister, 1958).
How do you find such a blow? Try some daydreaming-"ifnot
for that bishop, I'd mate him in one ... "
39 40
52
31. Be Natural!
1. g5. Of course! Don't shy away from natural moves, even
when reading books. Natural moves are most often the best.
After 1. ••• Qd5 (other moves lose-for example, 1. ... Nd5
2. Bxb8 and 3.Ne5) GM Shamkovich (vs. ll
Zakharov, in 1962) played 2. Qb3! b5
3. Ne5 (see diagram, right) ..• e6 (taking the
rook gives White overwhelming attack; tak-
ing the queen gives him clearly a better end-
ing) 4. gxf6 Qxhl 5. Nf3, trapping the
After 3. Ne5
queen. Should you see it all when playing
1. g5? Of course not!
53
41 42
43 44
54
41. Mating whh What's Len
You can sacrifice nearly everything-if you can mate with
what s left!
1. Rxh6+!! gxh6 (or 1. ... Kxh6 2. Qg5+ Kh7 3. Qh4+ Kg6
4. f5, mate) 2. Qg8+ (a superb example of the theme of block-
ing). White must see all this before giving up a rook, so all the
exclams go to the first move. 2•••. Nxg8 3. Bf5, mate (Sauer-
Hellner, 1956).
55
45 46
41 48
56
45. Botvinnik's Exchange Sacrifice
1.... Rc4!!. Black's rook is untouchable, as the long diagonal at-
tack plus two queenside passers are too much for White to han-
dle. But how long can White tolerate the rook on c4? (In his
1969 match against Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky waited for
10 moves, took the rook, and then soon lost.) This idea is rightly
attributed to the sixth world champion Mikhail Botvinnik.
46. Technique
1. Rc2! The winning move, and an easy move to make. The
ending after 1. ... Rxc2 is easily won-for example, 2. Nxc2
Be2 (to meet 3. Nxb4 with 3.... Bd1) 3. Kf2 Bd1? 4. Nd4, and
the bishop is gone. The game Yakovenko-Sutovsky, 2007 con-
tinued 1. ... Ra3 2. Rc8+ Kg7 3. Rc7 Kg8 4. h5!, and White
won in a few moves. But no calculations are needed to play
1. Rc2!
57
49 50
51 52
58
49. Forced Move
1. fxe3 ( 1. Qxe3? Qxd4, winning, happened in Lee-Levine,
2002).
59
53 54
55 56
60
53. Knight-BloCker
Black is better, which became obvious after 1. ••• e5! 2. d5
(2. Radl? Nc4) 2..•. Nc4 3. Re2 Nd6. The knight is much
stronger than the bishop, while the safely-restrained d5-pawn is
not dangerous. Additionally, Black controls the c-file and boasts
a potential passer (Eliskases-Flohr, 1937).
55. Do or Draw!
White should sense a combination is afoot. His rooks bear down
on the c- and d- files. His queen has penetrated the defenses of
the Black king. On the other hand, he is a piece down in ex-
change for two pawns. It's a critical moment. Here Vladas
Mikenas bailed out, forcing a perpetual check with Qh5+, Qf7+
(Mikenas-Kashdan, 1931 ). Fifteen years earlier, however,
David Janowski had found the right course.
1. Nd7! Nxd7 2. Rxd7 (White threatens both Qxf6 and Rxb7)
2•••• Bc6 3. Ne4! (the shot that Mikenas probably missed; now
all lines lead to the Black king's demise) 3 •••• Bxb2 (other
moves likewise strike out: 3. .. . Bxd7 4. Nxf6+ Kh6 5. Qh5,
mate-or 3 . ... Bxe4 4. Qxf6 Rg8 5. Rcc7) 4. Ng5+ Kh6 5. g4
g6 (5 . ... Kxg5 6. Qh5+ Kf6 7. Rf7, mate) 6. h4 Rh8 7. Qh7+!
(Janowski-Chajes, 1916).
61
Game Sequence: All four positions below are from Kasparov-Shirov, 1994.
51 58
59 60
62
QN2 Is the Worst SQuare for a Knight
51. Small Price to Pav
1. Rxb7!!. White exchanges his clumsily placed rook for
Black's best minor piece, while forcing the second-best minor,
the c5-knight, to the worst square possible. 1.... Nxb7 2. b4!
The knight is caged. The game Kasparov-Shirov, 1994 contin-
ued 2.... BgS 3. Na3 0-0 4. Nc4 aS.
&0. Dominance
11. Bb5! (better than the immediate 11. Nd7, allowing .. . Ra8,
as played in the game). If 11. ... Nd8 12.
Nd7 Ne6 13. Ne7+ Kh8 14. Nxf8 Qxe7 15.
Nxe6, with a clear advantage for White. And
after 11. .. . Rd8 12. Ne7+ Kf8 13. Nbd5
Ra8 14. Bc6 (see diagram at right), Black is
practically paralyzed. Note that many ( 14,
to be precise) moves after 1. Rxb7 in Posi- After /4. Bc6
tion 57, the Black knight is still haplessly
lingering on QN2.
63
61 62
63 64
64
61. Double Interference
1. •.• Bd2!, winning. If2. Bxd2 Qc2+ and 3 .... Qcl+, with
mate next move (Tannenbaum-Frumkin, 2003).
63.Perpetua1Rook
2.... al =Q+! 3. Rxal Ra2, draw. Whatever file White moves
his rook to, Black offers his rook again. If White captures, it's
stalemate (Bannik-Vistanetskis, 1961 ).
65
65 66
61 68
66
65. When Lun Is Not Enough
Chess players talk about giving the king luft, the German word
for air. They mean that the king has a bit ofbreathing room, an
escape square from a potential back-rank mate. But here h 7,
the luft square, is covered by Whites bishop, and White has a
threatening "cue" of queen and rook on the open d-file. Look
for a winning d~flection!
1. Ra7! Qb6 2. Rb7!, winning, since Black can't maintain the
double guard on d8 (from Mileika-Vojtkevich, 1963).
67
69 10
11 12
68
69. Exposing the Opponent's King
After 1. Nxti Rxti 2. Rxe6+, 2.... Be7 is forced (and is our
first support position), but what to do next? Keep exposing the
king! 3. Rxe7+ Kxe7 4. Ret+ Kf8 5. Qxh6+. White wins the
rook back (e.g., 5 .... Kg8 6. Qg5+), with decisive (three
pawns) material advantage (Grischuk-Bareev, 2001).
69
13 14
15 16
70
13. The lwischenzug
Blacks last move was Qc4xe4, attacking Whites queen and
bishop. The endgame after 1. Qxe4 Nxe4 (now this knight is no
longer attacked) seems likely-and good for Black.
1. exf6!. Remember: queens are valuable, but not sacrosanct.
1.... Qxc2 2. fxg7 Rg8 3. Nd4 Qe4 4. Rael Nc5 5. Rxe4 Nxe4
6. Ret, and on the next move Black resigned (Lilienthal-Ca-
pablanca, 1935).
1&. Nowhere to Go
1. Na4, winning (Tolush-Aronson, 1957). Fortune favors a
prepared mind!
71
n JB
19 80
72
JJ. Avoiding the Double Anack
1. ... Rg8!, with some compensation for a pawn (in Steinitz-
Wexler, 1867, Black lost after 1. ... Qe4+?? 2. Kd1!).
73
81 82
83 84
74
81. The Classical Center's Burden
The subtle 1. ••• Qa7 continues to eye the d4-pawn, while
preparing ... b5 and denying White, in some lines, the tempo-
winning Nc4. White's center is now a liability, and he can't de-
velop his queenside. 2. e5. A concession, but what else is there
to do? If2. Nh4, 2 .... b5! 3. Qc2 Qxd4 4. Qxc6 Ne5, with the
idea of 5 .... Nd3. 2...• Nd5 3. Ne4 c5, and Black is better
(Taimanov-Geller, 1963).
75
85 86
81 88
76
85. Don't Panic
Both 2. Kxf2 and 2. Qxf2 lose to the in-between move 2 ....
Rxa 1, but White has an effective in-between move of his own,
2. Na4.
Thus, in Zita-Bronstein, 1946, Black first took the a 1-bishop
(1. ... Rxal) and only after 2. Rxal played 2.... Nxf2- and won.
Remember-reversing move order often works wonders!
77
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89o The Caged King
The pathetic position of the Black king suggests that extraordi-
nary measures are likely to work. 1. Qxe5! fxe5 2o Rfl ReS
3o Bd1 b5 4o Bb3, when 4o Rc4 delayed White's victory only
000
79
93 94
95 96
80
93. Triple Choice
1. •.. exf5!!. Black doesn't want to allow counterplay after 1....
gxf5 2. Nh5, or to exchange knights; White's "protected, con-
nected, passed pawns" (emerging after I .... exf5) are, and will
remain, completely immobile. The game Gligoric-Smyslov,
1959, continued: 2. Bel Nd5 3. Ne2 a5 4. Bc2. See Position
94.
81
91 98
99 100
82
91. The Right Trade-on
1. ... Qb6!. Black is better after 1.... Qd5 too, but the text move
is stronger (Addison-Bisguier, 1963). "I've allowed Addison
to saddle me with doubled b-pawns," Bisguier said, "but gained
tempi by forcing him to undevelop his bishop." The game con-
tinued: 2. Qxb6 axb6 3. Bel Rd8 4. Nfl (4. Nef3 Ne4!) 4....
Rdl 5. Bb2 See Position 98.
99. Yes!!
White is lost, so he should grab a draw-offer and smile. For ex-
ample, I. Kxh 1 Qh3+ leads to checkmate, and 1. g4 fails too: I ....
Rh2+ 2. Kxh2 Qf2+ 3. Khl Qel+ 4. Kg2 Qxe2+ 5. Kgl Qxg4!+,
and White resigned in Strauss-Bisguier, 1979. There is a
forced mate-in-seven-long, but easy to find. And it's very
clear that Black can play for a win with no risk.
"I don't know what I am going to play, so how can [my opponent]
know what I am going to play? "-GM Arthur Bisguier
83
101 102
103 104
84
101. The second Rank Anack
Black has control ofthe c-jile and the a8-hl diagonal, and has
infiltrated his opponents second rank. His demolition of White
is an exemplum of how to take tactical advantage of these
plusses.
1. ••• Rxf2 2. Kxf2 (relatively better is 2. Qg3! Rfc2 !!-not
2 .... Rcf2? 3. Qxf2, with good drawing chances) 2.... Rc2+
3. Kg3 (3. Ke1 Qxg2 4. Qb8+ Kg7 5. Qe5+ f6) 3 .... Rxg2+
(3 .... Qxg2+ also wins) 4. Kh4 (4. Kf4 Rf2+) 4.... Qe4+
5. Qf4 g5+, 0-1 (Alatortsev-Capablanca, 1935). Compare
with Position 4.
85
105 106
101 108
86
105. Know Your Destination
Rook pawn and king versus king is draw ish. Here Whites king
gets blocked on the h-file or the Black king reaches h8 and
awaits stalemate. But Black must know the route.
1. ••• Kf2! 2. Kg4 Ke3 3. Kxh4 Kf4, draw.
87
109 110
111 112
88
109. Lonesome King
Development looks equal, and Black has an impressive-looking
preponderance ofpieces near the center. But notice his solitary
king, and the "loose " Black knight on d5.
l. Bxh7+ (Ng5 is also good) l . ... Kxh7 2. Qe4+ Kg8 3. Qxd5.
White, after picking up a pawn, regains his piece and gains time
by attacking another piece. 3.... Bf8 4. Ng5. White keeps the
pressure on and mounts a winning attack (Chemev-
Hahlbohm, 1942).
89
113 114
115 116
90
113. Turning the Tables
Black's threats are powerful: to grab a rook, to play ... Rh3,
while 1. Rxd7 allows mate in two. But after 1. Qxg3 Qxg3
2. Rxd7 (reversing the move order), White seizes the initiative
and is clearly better (Kir. Georgiev- Grischuk, 2007).
91
Game Sequence: All positions arefrom Agdestein- S. Polgar, 1996.
111 118
119 120
92
111. Whose Anack Will Be First:-
Agdestein did castle (8. 0-0-0), but this was a risky decision. As
Susan Polgar noted, "There is a major difference. In front of
the White king there is only one pawn in its ideal initial guard-
ing position (on a2), while Black has all three guard pawns, on
fl, g7, and h7 ... " (from the highly recommended A World
Champions Guide to Chess). Black will use White's advanced
b-and c-pawns as hooks to pry the White king's position wide
open. White would show the better part of valor by developing
his kingside and castling short.
93
121 122
123 124
94
121. nme tor a Change
Strategic pluses are in Whites favor: bishop pair, more pawns
in the center. Blacks future looks bleak, unless he is able to
change the situation now. (Blacks only ace is his slightly better
development.)
1.... b5!. The only effective counterplay. 2. cxb5 axb5 3. Qxb5
Rtb8 4. Qd3 Na5 5. 0-0 Qc6. Blockading White's queenside-
with the better game (Tolush-Sokolsky, 1938).
95
125 126
121 128
96
1250 First Secure Your Stalwan
Black is better: Whites d4-pawn is weak, which in turn secures
the c-jile for Black, since Rc 1 would lose that pawn. Blacks ex-
cellently posted horseman attacks the isolated pawn. To win,
Black should saddle White with a second weakness in the end-
ing-an important idea to remember-after (a6)-a5-a4, etc.
But Black should not rush! First must come 1o 000 h4, practically
securing his knight's excellent post (otherwise, White will play
g3, Kg2, and eventually g4.) The minority attack with the a-
pawn can now follow (Em. Lasker-Capablanca, 1921 ).
97
129 130
131 132
98
129. Predict and Preempt
What would White do if he were on move? A serious threat is
1. g4,followed by Ke4 and then h4 and h5 (see position 124).
Thus, Black should stop g4, but how? 1.... f5 allows the White
king to occupy, after 2. Kd4, either c5 or e5, and soon Black
pawns will start falling.
The only right move is 1. ... hS, ready to meet 2. Kd4 with 2....
b6. Black is completely safe. In fact, now White must play ac-
curately in order to draw.
99
133 134
135 136
100
133. Strategv over Tactics
There are no apparent tactical threats on either side. Thus
Black should evaluate the validity of Whites positional
"threats" (are they real?), such as Bh6 or Qa3 (to induce ...
Bc8 or ... a5).
The plan with 1.... Kh8 and 2 .... f5 looks too slow. More prom-
ising is 1. ... bS, aiming for 2 .... b4, with a better game-uti-
lizing Black's queenside pawn majority (Barcza-Karpov,
1970).
101
131 138
139 140
102
131. Coiled Spring
A typical Reti (vs. Yates, 1924) position, reminding one of a
coiled spring!
White lashed out with 1. d4! with an advantage in all lines. The
game continued 1.... e4 2. Ne5 Bxe5 3. dxe5 Nh7 4. f4, with a
clear advantage.
103
141 142
143 144
104
141. Power to the Bishops
This position is ripe for tactics-for example, 1. Bh 7+ Kh8
2. Nxj7+ seems to win (a little) material. But before going
deeper into a single line, lets examine other options. Mate on
parallel diagonals, anyone?
1. Qxh6, deflecting the g7-pawn. No further analysis is needed
(Malmgren-Quadrado, 1953).
105
145 146
141 148
106
145. Detlect to Protect
1. Ng8+ Rxg8 (1. ... Kg6 leads to the same thing after 2. Nf6
and 3. Bc7: bishop-plus-two pawns vs. Black's three pawns)
2. Bf6, and 13-year-old Capablanca won this 1901 Cuban
championship game (vs. Corzo) by forcing Black to trade off
his rook for White's d-pawn. Then Capa brought his king to
support his pawns, while the bishop held off Black's g-pawn.
107
149 150
151 152
108
149. Good can Be an Enemv ot the Best!
White, down a queen, can force a draw by 1. Rh 7+ Kj8 (1 . ...
Ke8 2. Rg8, mate) 2. Rh8+ Kj7 (2 . ... Ke7 3. Rg7, mate). This
is his "fall-back" position. Lets look for more, ifjust for a few
minutes.
1. Rhg8!, and the mate is unavoidable (from Anand-Moroze-
vich, 2005).
109
153 154
155 156
110
153. nvo Steps to a Draw
Black draws after 1. ... Nc6 (not 1.... Nxb7 2. a7) 2. Kd2 NbS!
(Duchovny-Buch, 1969).
111
151 158
159 160
112
151. Rank and File Mate
A forced mate in three.
1. Qxf7+ Rxf7 2. Rd8+ Rf8 3. Rxf8, mate (Lemachko---
Popova, 1970).
158. Prioritize!
1. ... c5 allows Black to create a passed pawn, while 1. ... g5
2. b4 Kg6 frees his rook. Your choice?
Of course, 1. ... g5, winning. If 1. ... c5 2. h4, and now the rook
is lost, and the game, too-e.g., 2 .... h6 3. Kg2 g5 4. h5.
113
161 162
163 164
114
161. 19th-Centurv Redox
Any 19th-century romanticist would have found himself at
home in this King's Gambit position! White has sacrificed a
piece (for two pawns), and his queens ide is not yet developed
-but what an attack!
1. Qg6!+ Kh8 2. Bxh6!, forcing Alburt to resign in this training
game against Ted Field, rated USCF 1865 at that time (in 1997).
As the Russian proverb states, boldness captures cities.
115
165 166
161 168
116
165. Harvesung Pawns
1. c5! White utterly destroys his opponent's pawn structure. 1. •••
dxc5. If 1. ... Ne5, White has a pleasant choice between 2. Be3
and 2. Be2. 2. Be3 c4 3. Bxa7 Rxa7 4. Be2, and the weak Black
pawns start falling (lvanchuk-Leko, 2007).
117
169 110
111 112
118
169. The Obvious Sacrifice Thai Works
Black stands better (for one thing, he has more space). White
tries to make his defense easier by exchanging rooks along the
!-file.
Thus, Black must consider- and after some short analysis,
play -1. ... Nf4!. After 2. gxf4, Black must see that 2.... exf4,
with two threats, ... Bxal and ... f3, is good enough to justify the
knight sacrifice. And he has another attractive follow-up option,
2.... gxf4. See Position 170.
119
113 114
115 116
120
113. Superior Force Where ncounts
Blacks minor pieces, especially his knight, are stuck on the
queenside. Can White launch a successful attack?
1. Nxg7. This wins. 1. ... Rxg7 If 1.... Kxg7, 2. Bh6+ Kg8
3. Rg5+ Kh8 4. Qc3+. 2. Bh6 Qe7 3. Bxg7 Qxg7 4. h4 h6
5. Rc4, and Black resigned (Keres-Unzicker, 1956).
121
111 118
119 180
122
111. An Easv Move
Black is worse, but this is no time to think in general terms.
Rather consider how to defend against Whites double attack.
The method of elimination should help. 1. ... ReS!. The only
move. In Smyslov-Tolush, 1961, Black resigned after 1. ...
Qd8 2. Bb8!.
123
181 182
183 184
124
181. Defend and Deflect
White's situation looks bleak (e.g., 1. Rfl Ba6), but an 11-year-
old future grandmaster was ready for this challenge, which he
foresaw several moves earlier. 1. QO!. Now 1.... Qxf3 2. Rg1 +
leads to an immediate mate, while 1.... Qg6 2. 0-0-0 also loses,
albeit more slowly (Lemer-Koshtenko, 1962).
125
185 186
181 188
126
185. How to Build an Impregnable Fonress
Black can achieve an easy draw with 1. ... Rxc7 2. Bxc7 b4!
(material for time, quantity for quality) 3. axb4 Ba6 4. d4 Bd3,
driving White's central pawns to wrong-color squares. Instead,
Ed Lasker (vs. Bogolubov, in 1924) played 1.... Kf7 and lost
after 2. Rxe7+ Kxe7 3. Bd2!, followed by K(g1)-f2-e3 and (d3)-
d4-d5.
127
Game Sequence: /. d4 NJ6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0
6. Bg5 Na6 7. Qc 1 e5 8. d5 Qe8 9. h4 Nc5 10. Qe3 h5
189 190
191 192
128
189. Where-and How-to Plav
11. f3. White decided to attack on the kingside. To accomplish
this, he has to play g4, which requires three preparatory moves.
White is also slightly better after 11. b4 (e.g., 11. ... Na4 12.
NbS and 13. Qb3), deciding in favor of queenside actions. The
game continues: 11 •... a512. Nh3 Bd7 13. Nf2 c6 14. g4. Note
how the t2-knight controls the key squares d3, e4, and g4. 14•
•.• cxd5 15. cxd5 hxg4. Otherwise, White would win a pawn,
and open the Black king, with Bxf6 and gxh5. 16. fxg4 b5 17.
h5 b4. See Position 190.
129
193 194
195 196
130
193. Mate on Parallel Diagonals
1. ReS!. The point of this move: if 1.... Rxe8, 2. Qxf6, mate.
Also losing is 1. ... Qb4 2. Qxf6+ (pin) and 1.... Kg7 2. Rxf8
Kxf8 3. Qxf6+ Ke8 4. Bf7+, with mate in no more than three
moves (Littlewood-Roth, 1966).
199 200
132
197. overwhelming Force
Were White on move, he'd play 1. Rxe5 and 2. Nc6. But
Black's attack comes first. 1. ... Qxb2+! 2. Kxb2 Bxd4+ 3. Kcl
Ral+, and White resigned (Stopa-Lopez, 2007).
133
201 202
203 204
134
201. At Everv Step, Stop to Think!
On his last move, White captured the h6-pawn with his hi-rook,
and then Blacks h8-rook recaptured. Black now expected 1. Q/8+,
recovering the sacrificed rook, with even material (but, of
course, quite a bad Black position anyway). Perhaps White
planned the same move when capturing on h6. But now, the po-
sition is already on the board and thus much clearer.
White found 1. Nc7+. The idea is first to deny Black's king the
escape square d7: 1.... Qxc7 2. Bb5+, forcing a Black piece to
d7, to be followed by Qf8, now checkmate (Krivosheya-Fei-
gin, 1994).
202. O+R Mate
1. ..• Rxa2, winning material. If 2. Kxa2, then 2 .... Qc3, and
3. Qcl is White's only way to avoid checkmate. (Cook-Krush,
1998). Compare with Position 24 .
203. The Good and the Best
The simple l. ... e3 leaves Black with a big edge. But even
stronger is 1. ••• Rae8!, and the game was over after 2. c4 exf3
3. Qxf1 Re3! 4. Qf2 0+ (Serkin-Trosman, 1956).
204. The Exposed King
Five Black pieces are aimed at the White king, with the sixth
ready to join in. 1. .•. Nxh2. Not-so-complex calculation shows
this works. The "normal" 1.... Qh4 2. Bxg4 would allow White
to hang on. 2. Kxh2 Qh4+ 3. Kgl Rxf2-an important support
position when considering 1. ... Nxh2. If 4. Rxf2?, then 4 ....
Bxg3 wins instantly: 4. Kxf2 Bxg3+ 5. Ke3 Qg5+ 6. Kd3 Bf5+
(visualize this position) also wins for Black. In the game Sark-
isova-Nizhegorodova, 1976, White tried 4. Nf5 and was
mated after 4 .... Bxf5 5. Qxf5 Rxg2+!.
135
205 206
201 208
136
205. To Draw or Not To Draw:»
To draw, with 1. Qh5+ Kg8 2. Qg6+, etc. The tempting 1. t7 al-
lows a spectacular refutation, 1.... Rxg2 (from Kupreichik-
Marjanovic, 1979, analysis by Dvoretsky).
206. Check Your AnalYsis at Everv Step!
Give yourselfat least 20 minutes here! Current world champion
Vishy Anand spent that much time considering his next move
(vs. Kasparov, 11th game, 1995 World Championship match).
Vishy had to choose between winning a pawn with 1. Nxe7, or
winning (he thought) the Exchange for a pawn with 1. b4. Its
a difficult choice-in both cases, White has approximately the
same (20-30%) winning chances. Whats your decision?
1. Nxe7!. As you'll see, it is not just the best- it's the only
choice. But did you foresee 1••.• ReS by Black?
201. Prepare the Retreat
2. Nd5 Bxd5 3. b4, with the above-mentioned 20-30% winning
chances. Anand decided to get an Exchange for a pawn. He
played (in Position 206) 1. b4, and-after the forced 1....
axb4-he quickly played 2. axb4 Rc4 3. Nb6 Rxb4+ 4. Ka3,
taking only a few seconds to make each move. As Black, you
should look for a way to punish this blitzing -before conced-
ing to the worse ending with 4 .... Rbc4 (your fall-back position).
208. Trust CYourseiD-but VerilY
Remember: you can see more in this position on a chessboard
(or diagram) than you could in your mind a move ago!
4 .... Rxc2!!. Rather than losing material, Black will be two
pawns up, winning (5. Rxc2 Rb3+). If only Anand had thought
a bit longer on his previous moves, he would have drawn this
game (e.g., after 2. Nxb4 or 3. Nxe7!-White's last chance).
137
209 210
211 212
138
209. The Power of lhe Passer
1.... Be5+ 2. Kc2 Qd3+! 3. Qxd3 exd3+ 4. Kbl (or elsewhere)
d2, and Black wins a piece and the game.
139
213 214
215 216
140
213. Good Bad Bishop (and Vice-Versa)
White stands better (note his powerful bishop). In such favor-
able situations, we need to anticipate and preempt counter play.
1. e4!. This move secures the bishop and the f5-pawn, while
preventing the freeing ... b5: 1.... b5 2. cxb5 Bxb5 3. Rb 1, and
White wins a pawn. Yes, there is a small price to pay for 1. e4-
the White bishop no longer protects his kingside. As Mikhail
Botvinnik famously said, chess is about trade-offs, and this
trade-off does favor White. (The game is Botvinnik-Kan, 1939.)
The game continued 1.... Bc8 2. Qa4 Bd7 3. Qa7 Be8 4. Rb1
Rd6. Note how good White's bishop is (with practically all the
pawns on "wrong" squares) and how bad Black's bishop is-
limited not by his own, but by the opponent's pawns. Now
White's task is to find a winning plan. See Position 214.
216. fireworks
14. Qg6+ fxg615. Bg8+ Kh816. Bti+, and mate next move.
141
211 218
219 220
142
211. ASaving Resource
1. Rxc3, and White holds.
143
221 222
223 224
144
221. Too Far Apan
White wins by creating another passer--on thee-file. 1. d5+!
If 1.... exd5, 2. e6; if 1.... Kxb6, 2. dxe6 Kc7 3. e7 Kd7 4. exd6.
145
225 226
221 228
146
225. oenect Decov. Block, Promote!
The normal course leads to a quick draw, so unusual moves
should be examined. 1. Ba7! Bat 2. Kbt
Bc3 3. Kc2 Bat (see diagram, right).
What now? 4. Bd4! Bxd4. If 4.... exd4 5. Kd3,
and the h-pawn queens. 5. Kd3, and White
wins, e.g., 5. ... Ba 1 6. Ke4 (problem by
Heieker).
Ajier 3. ... Bal
228.Successfu1Provocation
Black is better after t .... Nc4. In Konstantinopolsky-Leven-
fish, 1943, the famous grandmaster played the "natural" 1. ...
Bh6, which allowed 2. c4! (a well-prepared trap sprung) 2. ...
Bxcl 3. Qxcl Kg7 4. Ne5 Nf6 5. d5, with a dangerous attack.
White won.
147
229 230
231 232
148
229. Preparing Kh1
White wins by 1. Rg8!. (Not 1. Kh6 Kf7!, when in order to win,
White would have to return to the starting position.) Next White
plays Kh7 and g6, and soon reaches the winning Lucena posi-
tion with his king on g8 and pawn on g7. White wins by "build-
ing a bridge" (placing his rook on the fourth rank to fend off
checks). If, in position 229, it's Black to move, White still wins,
as his plan can't be stopped.
149
233 234
235 236
150
233. The Fatal weakness
The Black knight requires the f4-square. 1.... Rh4! 2. gxh4
Nf4. In Volkov-Rublevsky, 2007, White defended with 3. Qf2,
but lost material (and soon, the game) after 3 .... Nh3+ 4. Kg2
Nxf2 5. Rdel Qd2. But what if White played 3. Rf2 instead?
See Position 234.
151
231 238
239 240
152
231. No Retreat, No Surrender
1. ... Qa5!, preserving both Black's knight on c4 and his advan-
tage, because he will soon gain material.
Thus, in Averkin-Alburt, 1974, White played (instead ofb3)
1. Rd 1. The game continued: 1. ... Qa5 (the queen 's best place-
ment in most Benko Gambit positions) 2. a3 Rfb8 (another typ-
ical Benko move) 3. Ra2. See Position 238.
153
241 242
243 244
154
241. Searching tor an Alternative
1. Bxd7+ leaves White a pawn down. By comparison, even un-
clear continuations look attractive. 1. Bxf6! (1. Nxe5 is also
good) 1. ... Bxf6 2. Nxe5 Bxe5 3. Rxe5. White is down a piece
for a pawn-but his pins on the central files shackle the d7-
knight, while Black's king must feel like a headpin at a bowling
alley. 3...• Rf8 4. Qd5. See Position 242.
242. Extricating the King
White's last move (stronger, for example was 4. Re6) allows
Black to continue to resist. 4.... Rfi 5. Rael (5. Re2 keeps a
bigger edge) 5..•. Kf8 6. Qxd7 Nxc6 7. Qxc6 Qd4. While
White is still better, due to Black's still shaky king, the game is
far from over and ended in a draw (Bruzon-Flores, 2008).
243. Active Defense to the Rescue
Threat: 1. c7+. Black can stop the pawn thrust in three different
ways, but two of them are only short-term remedies: 1. ... Rg6
2. Rhl (or Rfl, Rei) Rg8 3. Rh7 Rj8 { Rb7+ !-the key tempo-
winner, followed by Ra 7, and then c 7(+) and Ra8+, winning.
The same scenario unfolds after 1. ... ReB. After 2. Rhl, the
threat of a back-rank mate keeps the Black rook glued down!
The save is 1. ... Rg7!! 2. Rhl Rb7+ 3. Kc5 (3. cxb7 =stale-
mate) 3.... Rbl, and Black's active rook, ready for from-behind
checks, secures a draw.
244. Giving nBaCk
Earlier, Black won an Exchange through clever play. But White
has managed to lodge an impressive knight on e5, while Blacks
bishop bites on granite. Whats Blacks best?
1. ... Bg7! 2. Nc6 (2. e4 or 2. Bg3 is objectively better, but still
losing). White gets the Exchange back, but Black now overruns
White's position. 2.... Rxc6 3. Qxc6 Qxe3+ 4. Khl Qe2, and
Black is crushing White (Avalos-Russell, 2008).
155
245 246
241 248
156
245. Double-Cheek to Checknlate
Black has several attractive moves to choose from--and one
real killer, 1. •.• Qfl +!. A powerful decoy! 2. Kxfl Ne3++!
3. Kgl Rfl, checkmate (Langeweg-Casa, 1968).
157
Game Sequence: l .d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.Nj3 Bb4+ 5.Nc3 exd4
6.Nxd4 Qe7 (Aiburt-Romanishin, 1978)
249 250
251 252
158
249.1s lhe e4·Pawn Pure Poison:»
Of course, 7. f3 is too passive, so 7. Bxc4 (played in the game)
suggests itself. After 7•••. Qxe4+ (stronger and more prudent
was 7.... Nf6, with only a small edge for White), Lev had a
choice between 8. Be2 and 8. Kfl. He played 8. Kfl, the fol-
low-up he had in mind when deciding to take on c4. The game
continued 8. ... Bxc3 9. bxc3 Be6. See Position 250.
159
253 254
255 256
160
253. The liberaUng Pin
The tempting 1. Bc5 doesn't win: 1. ... Bb6! (the cross-pin)
leads to a dead draw. After 1. Qc8+ White stands better, as
1. ... Bd8? is met by the now deadly 2. Bc5.
161
251 258
259 260
162
251. The X-Rav
Here many roads lead to Rome (e.g., 1.... Nxb4, 1.... Re8). In
Popov-Ryumin, 1935, Black chose the most direct route: 1. .•.
Rxf3 2. Bxf3 (2. e4 was objectively better, but still losing) 2....
Qxf3+ 3. Kxf3 Nxd4++ 4. Kg4 Bc8+ 5. Kh4 NO, checkmate.
260. surprise!
Rather than defend against mate with 1.... Bxe6+, Black played
1. ••• Qh4+!! 2. gxh4 Re3+ 3. Bf3 Bxe6+, winning. The White
queen can't watch both e6 and f3 (Osloukhov-Nedebora,
1930).
163
261 262
263 264
164
261. The King Reigns Supreme
1. Be6+! Nxe6 2. dxe6. All forced. White gave up a pawn in
order to bring his king to c6. If2 . ... c6, then 3. b5 . In Gelfer-
Manievich, 1985, Black played 2.... Rxe6 and eventually lost.
165
265 266
261 268
166
265. Winning-by Retreating
White is clearly better, and should try to do something now, ex-
ploiting weaknesses on c7 andf6. 1. Qd4 Ne6! 2. Qxf6 c6 3. Qxg7
Bxg7 4. Nc3 Nxf4 5. gxf4 Bxc3+ (or 5. .. . Be6) 6. bxc3 Be6 isn't
promising. Some imagination can help.
1. Bd2!!, with the unstoppable threat of Nxf6+, followed by
Bc3. White is, suddenly, winning (Zlotnik-DeTuriso, 1992).
167
269 210
211 212
168
269. From Pin to Double Anack
1. Rc7! (deflection) 1. ... Qxc7 2. Bxe4, winning (Filipovich-
Silwa, 1962).
169
273 214
275 216
170
213. unorlhodoxv Triumphant
Very few would even consider, let alone make, a move like
l. ... Qf6!?. Yet, after 2. Qxf6 gxf6, Black's control over the d-
file and queenside pawn majority are more important than the
doubled f-pawns. (Note that 3. Ke2? will be met by 3.... Bc4+.)
White is slightly worse and must defend accurately. If so, he
can hold a draw. In Rogozenko-Morozevich, 2000, White
missed several opportunities to draw and eventually lost.
171
211 218
219 280
172
211. 1 onered a Draw, Would You Take u:-
Take it! Black is much better. Yes, material is even, but Black's
intact pawn structure leaves no targets for the White queen
(compare with Position 134). Indeed, the queen becomes a tar-
get. Hort-Alburt, 1977, continued: 1. Nf3
Bg7 2. Qh3 (2. Qg5 Re4, and after 3. e3 or
3. Be3, the queen is lost; other retreats
aren't much better) 2••.. Be6 3. Qfl (pro-
tecting the e2-pawn) 3 ••.• Bc4 4. Kg2
(preparing to protect the e2-pawn with a
knight) 4 ...• Rat 5. Ng1 . Amazing!-the After 5. Ngl
White queen hasn't a single legal move! Black won quickly.
218. The Third Move
Black has good chances for a successful attack, but the most
direct try, 1. ... Rej8, is met by 2. Ng5.
1.... Nf4! 2. gxf4 Rxf4. The knight is pinned, and the threat of
mate looms, but: 3. Ne5! (did you foresee it?) 3.... Rg4+, win-
ning the queen and the game (lbragimov-Krarnnik, 1991 ).
219. The Miahtv Duo
Can Black save his c2-pawn? If not, he'!/ be worse, e.g., 1. .. .
Rd3 2. Kg2.
1. ... Rc4! 2. bxc4 (2. Rei is better; after 2. . .. Bc5!, Black wins,
but not easily). Now it's all over: 2.... Bc5! 3. Kg2 Bxf2
4. Kxf2 b3, and White resigned (Yurgis-Botvinnik, 1931 ).
280. The lOng Double-Anacks
White threatens to move his bishop (say, to d5), then approach
with his king to win the g3-pawn, achieving a theoretically won
(but difficult) position. In Sveshnikov-Piscov, 1990, Black
avoided this ordeal and a likely loss by playing 1. ... g2, draw
agreed. If2. Nxg2, then 2.... Kgl; if2. Bxg2, then 2.... Kg3 .
173
281 282
283 284
174
281. The Poisoned Rook
White can exchange rooks and win a pawn, but first lets look
for more.
1. Qf6!. Forcing Black to capture on e7, after which Qh8,
checkmate, follows (Kviletsky-Roslinsky, I954).
175
285 286
281 288
176
285. Pinned, but Still Powerful
After his two previous moves: Rg5xg7 (capturing a pawn) ...
Rf7xg7, and then Bb2xf6 (capturing a knight), White thought
this standard device secured his victory. He overlooked Black's
surprising counter. 1. ... Qg2+!!, winning-2. Rxg2 Rei+ and
then Rexg 1, checkmate (Uhlmann-Deli, 1962).
177
289 290
291 292
178
289. How to Win a Pawn
Hint: The h7-knight is restricted and under-defended. A second
attacker is needed.
1. Bxc4! bxc4! (to get counter play along the b-file) 2. Qh5.
White wins a pawn with good (50%?) winning chances
(Dreev-Tkachev, 200 1).
179
293 294
295 296
180
293. To control the File, first Block n
White should be better in this Ruy Lopez position-just look at
the Black knight on b 7. But White is also facing a concrete
problem-what should he do about the a-file?
1. Ba7!. White avoids exchanges that would relieve Black's
congestion and avoids surrendering the only open file. Addi-
tionally, he'll build a rook-battery behind the a7 bishop, to be
unleashed at the right moment (in Karpov-Unzicker, 1974,
White eventually opened the second front with f4, achieving a
substantial advantage).
181
291 298
299 300
182
291. To Check, oenect!
White is down heavy material. Although Blacks king is in an
awkward position, the Black queens control over the fifth rank
prevents chances of a perpetual check.
White played 1. Rhl! Qxhl Qe5+!. The checks are now un-
stoppable and perpetual (Solovyov-Gutman, 2001 ).
183
Game Sequence: Positions 301-303 are from Fischer-Geller, 1968,
which began: 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Ngf3 0-0
7.0-0 Nc6 8.Re1 Qc7 9.e5 Nd7 JO.Qe2 b5 ll .h4 a5 12.Nf1 Nd4 13.Nxd4
cxd4 14.Bf4 Ra6 15.Nh2 Rc6 16.Rac 1 Ba6.
301 302
303 304
184
301. Force lhe Discoverv
Fischer has space on the ldngside and a battery on the king file.
But his bishop on the h2-b8 diagonal is blocked. Can he uncork it?
17. Bxd5!. You bet! This rips the position open. 17••.• exd5
18. e6 Qd8 19. exd7 Re6 20. Qg4! f5 (after 21. .. . Qxd7,
22. Rxe6 saddles Black with hard-to-defend pawns). The game
continued: 21. Qh5 Qxd7 22. Nf3 g6 23. Qh6 Bf6 24. Rxe6
Qxe6. See Position 302.
302. Eliminate the Dark-Square Defender
Without his /6 bishop, Black would be defenseless on the dark
squares. Any ideas? 25. Be5!! Bxe5 26. Rei f4 27. Rxe5 Qd7
28. h5! fxg3. See Position 303.
303. Across-me-Board Win
Black's bishop is en prise. In some lines, this is important.
29. hxg6!! gxf2+ (if 29 .... Rxf3 30. Re8+!
Qxe8 31. Qxh7+ Kf8 32. g7+ Ke7 33. g8=Q+;
if 29 .... Qg7 30. gxh7+ Kh8 31. Qxg7+
Kxg7 32. Kg2 gxf2 33. Re7+ Kh8 34. Kxf2)
30. Kxf2 hxg6 31. Qxg6+ Qg7 32. Rg5
Qxg6 33. Rxg6+ Kh7 34. Rxa6, 1-0. A.fter 34. Rxa6
185
305 306
301 308
186
305. saved bv the Checll
1. •.• Rf5+!. The only-but easy-way to a draw. In similar po-
sitions, even grandmasters have missed this idea!
187
309 310
311 312
188
309. The Mightv Rook
Should the queen retreat? No! 1. ... Qxdl+! 2. Nxdl Nf3+, fol-
lowed by 3.... Rei+, winning (Aitket-Kefler, 1955).
189
313 314.
315 316
190
313. Babv Elephants
In a middlegame with open files, rooks are powerful pachy-
derms; in the wide-open board of the endgame, rooks are rag-
ing woolly mammoths with 10-foot tusks. But in the opening,
they wait meekly for deployment, like baby elephants clutching
their mothers' tails. (The game is Palatnik-Mestrovic, 1977.)
Both 11. f3 and 11 . Rg 1 involve serious concessions. GM Palat-
nik calculated-and then played-the bold 11. Qxb4!, suspect-
ing that the enemy bishop's current value might be greater than
his own rook's. The game continued 11 ..•. Qxh112. NbS Qc6
13. Be3. This is the strong developing move Palatnik foresaw
when sacrificing the Exchange. 13.... a6 ( 13 .... f6 or 13 .... b6
was a bit better, but Black's position is difficult). See Position 314.
191
311 318
319 320
192
311. An Unexpected Combination
Black's last move, ... c6, weakened the b6-square. 1. Rxh4!
Qxh4. If I .... Nxh4, then 2. Bg5, with a promising attack.
2. Qxh4 Nxh4 3. Nb6! Rb8. The rook would be even worse on
a7. 4. Bf4 Nf5. See Position 318.
193
Chess Clubs & Equipment
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194
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195
Index or Galles
(Numbers at far right refer to pages.)
196
Dobki- Groeger, 1989: #42 . . . . . . . . . 55 Gulko-Mikhalevski, 2007: # 15 . . . . . . 41
Dreev-Tkachev, 2001 : #289 ... .... . 179 D. Gurevich- Palatnik, 1996: #174 . .. 121
Duchovny- Buch, 1969: #!53 . . ... . . Ill Gusev- Auerbach: #89 . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Dvoretsky (ending): #20 . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Heieker (problem): #225 . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Dyakov-Ayansky, 1962: #296 ... . .. . 181 Hoi-Gulko, 1988: #28 ... . . . . . ... . 47
Eliskases-Flohr, 1937: #53 . .. . . ... . 61 Hort-A1burt, 1977: #277 . ........ . 173
Ellis (Evans article): #16 . . . . .. . . .. . 41 1bragimov- Kramnik, 1991 : #278 .. . . 173
Euwe- Alekhine, 1935: #83 ..... .. .. 75 1sakov-Nikitin, 1947: #235 . ..... . . 151
Euwe-Loman, 1923: #12 . ........ . . 39 lvanchuk- Karpov, 2007: #210 . . .. . . 139
Farago-Jacoby, 2002: #50. . . . . . . . . . 59 1vanchuk- Leko, 2007: #165 . ... .. . . 117
Field-Alburt, 1997: #161. ...... .. .. 115 Ivanovich- Aiburt, 1982: #152 . .. .. . 109
Filchev- Padevsky, 1952: #30-32 . . . . . 49 Janowski- Chajes, 1916: #55 . . . . ... 61
Filipovich- Silwa, 1962: #269 ....... 169 Jenni- Agrest, 2007: #198 .. . .. . . . . . 133
Fischer-Fine, 1963: #168 .. . ... . ... 117 Kamsky- Shirov, 2007: #162 .. ..... 115
Fischer-Geller, 1968: #301-303 . . . . . 185 KaJjakin- Aiekeev, 2007: #163 ... . . . 115
Fischer- Taimanov, 1971: #184 ... .. . 125 Karjakin-Carlsen, 2007: #248 . . . . . . !57
Gabis-Kogan, 1969: #182 ... . . .. . .. 125 Karpov-Unzicker, 1974: #293 . . ... . 181
Gaprindashvili-Blagidze, 1963: #74. . 71 Kasparov-Shirov, 1994: #57-60 .... . 63
Gelfer-Manievich, 1985: #261 . ... . . 165 KereS-Unzicker, 1956: #173 ....... 121
Geller- Ivkov, 1973: #274 . .. . ...... 171 Keres-Westerinen, 1973: # 143 .. .. .. 105
Geller- Lipnitsky, 1951 : #86 . . . . . . . . 77 Khodorov-Duchovny, 1977: #67 ... . 67
Geller- Tseshkovsky, 1976: #147 .. . .. 107 Kirdetsov-Kann, 1918: #160 ... .. .. 113
Georgiev-Grischuk, 2007: #113 . . . . . 91 Kmoch- Gunnolt, 1934: #294 .... . .. 181
Gligorie-Smyslov, 1959: #93-96 .. . . . 81 Kochiev- Ubilava, 1975: #282 . . . . . . 175
L. Grigorian- Tal, 1967: #188 ... . . . . 127 Kogan- Fosler, 1937: #87 ... .. .... . 77
Grigorian~Shaposhnikov, 200 I : #71 . 69 Koltanowski- Halsey, 1959: #311 .... 189
Grigoriev-Nadyseva, 1973: #146 .. .. 107 Konstantinopolsky- Levenfish, 1943:
Grischuk- Bareev, 200 I: #69 . . . . . . . . 69 #228 .. 147
Grischuk- J. Polgar, 2007: #167 .. . . .. 117 Korchnoi-Huebner, 1982: #151 . . .. . 109
Gruenfeld-Schenkein, 1915: #36 . . . . 51 Korchnoi-Krush, 2007: #9 . . . . . . . . . 39
Gulko-Kasparov, 1981: #116 . .... . . 91 Kramnik-Leko, 2007: #114 . . . . .. .. 91
197
Krivosheya--Feigin, 1994: #201 ..... 135 Opochensky-A1ekhine, 1925: #270 . . . 169
Kudrin . Stanoevic, 1988: #108. .. . . . 87 Osloukhov-Nedebora, 1930: #260 .. . 163
Kupreichik- Marjanovic, 1979: #205 . 13 7 Pa1atnik- Mestrovic, 1977: #313-315 .. 191
Kviletsky -Roslinsky, 1954: #281 . . . . 175 Petros ian Larsen, 1968: # 122 . . . . . . . 95
Langeweg-- Casa, 1968: #245 . . . . . . . 157 Pitch- Jux, 1967: #320 .. .. . .. .. . ... 193
Larsen -Davie, 1967: #51. . . . . . . . . . . 59 Polugaevsky--Geller, 1958: #I 07 . . . . . 87
Larsen-Giigoric, 1956: # 178 .. . . . . . 123 Polugaevsky- Tal, 1969 : #211-212 . . . 139
Lasker Capablanca, 1921 : # 125 . . . . . 97 Polugaevsky--.Tal, 1971 : # 180 .. . . . .. 123
Lasker Chigorin, 1895: #138 . ... . . . 103 Popov--Ryumin, 1935: #257 . . . ... .. 163
Lawrence Pena, 2008: #236 ...... .. 151 Rabinovich Belavenets, 1937: #292 . 179
Lee Levine, 2002: #49 . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Radzievich Macca, 2001 : #295 .. .... 181
Lemachko Popova, 1970: # 157 . .. .. 113 Raubitschek -Capablanca, 1906: #319. 193
Lerner Lehmann, 1978: #286 .. . . ... 177 Ravinsky Shamkovich, 1953: #39. .. 53
Lerner Koshtenko, 1962: # 181 .. . ... 125 Razuvaev Kupreichik, 1970: #290 . . 179
Lilienthal Capablanca, 1935: #73 : . . . 71 Reshevsky - Petros ian, 1953: #48 . . . . 57
Lilienthal Makagonov, 1936: #299 ... 183 Reshevsky--Thomas, 1937: #194 . .. . 131
Lilienthal Tolush, 1936: #62: . . .. .. . 65 Reti .Yates, 1924: #137 . ... .. . . .. .. 103
Littlewood-Roth, 1966: #193 : ...... 131 Rogers- Ris, 2007: #14. ........... 41
Lugovoi -Balashov, 2003 : #310 ...... 189 Rogozenko- Morozevich, 2000: #273 . 171
Makogonov- Botvinnik, 1943: #179 .. 123 Romanovsky-Yudovich, 1934: #291 . 179
Malmgren- Quadrado, 1953 : #141. . .. 105 Rosenberg-Palatnik, 1966: # 169-171. 119
Mamedyarov- lvanchuk, 2007: #130-131. 99 Ruban- Veresov, 1975: #1. .. . . .. . . . 35
Mamedyarov-Nielson, 2007: #200 .. . 133 Rubinstein- Salve, 1908: #128 . . . ... 97
Marshall-Bum, 1900: #II 0-111 . . . . . 89 Rubinstein- Spielmann, 1912: # 139 . . I03
Mileika- Vojtkevich, 1963: #65 . . . .. . 67 Ruchieva- Edelson: #258 . . . . . . . . . . 163
Mohrlok- Kramer, 1962: #287 ...... 177 Saemisch- Aiekhine, 1926: #196 . . .. 131
Morozevich- Tkachev, 2007: # 112. . . . 89 Sakharov- Palatnik, 1967: #166 . . .. . 117
Neikirch- Botvinnik, 1960: #220 ..... 143 Sangla- Karpov, 1968: #78 . . . . . . . . . 73
Nezhmetdinov- Kotkov, 1957: #27 .. . 47 Santasiere-Adams, 1926: #156 . . . . . Ill
Nezhrnetdinov- Paoli, 1954: #35 . . . . . 51 Brothers Sarichev, problem: #3 . . . . . . 35
Onischuk- van Wely, 2007: #80. . . . . . 73 Sarkisova-N izhegorodova, 1976: #204 .135
198
Sasikiran- Shabalov, 2000: #271 . . . . . 169 Sveshnikov-Piscov, 1990: #280 ..... 173
Seirawan- Yusupov, 1983 : #272 . . . . . 169 Sveshnikov Stochek, 2000: #306 .... 187
Serkin- Trosman, 1956: #203 . ...... 135 Svidler- -Kasimzhanov, 2005: #I 04 . . . 85
Shamkovich-Antoshin, 1967: #40 . . . 53 Taimanov -Geller, 1963: #81 ...... . . 75
Sharnkovich Zakharov, 1962: #37. .. 53 Tannenbaum~Frurnkin, 2003: #61 ... 65
Short- J. Polgar, 200 I: #88 .... . . .. _ 77 Tarrasch Vogel, 1910: #68 . . . . ..... 67
Silie-Rokhlin, 1929: #283 . . . . . . . . . 175 Tarrasch- Vogel, 1910: #90 ......... 79
Skripchenko -Matnadze, 200 I: #79 . . 73 Tkachev Fressine, 200 I: #84 ....... 75
Smimov-Ni Huya, 2001: #70 ..... . . 69 To lush Aronson, 1957: #76 .. . . .. .. 71
Smyslov- Golombek, 1950: #66.. . . . 67 Tolush Sokolsky, 1938: #121 .. . ... . 95
Smyslov- Tolush, 1961: #177 .... . .. 123 Ubi lava Timoschenko, 1974:
Snyder- Brown, 1974: #144 ......... 105 #175-176 . . ..... 121
Solovyov- Gutman, 2001: #297 ..... . 183 Uhlman Deli, 1962: #285 ..... . ... 177
Spassky- Petrosian, 1966: # 195 ... . . . 131 Volchok Kreslavsky,l970: # 154 .... Ill
Spassky- Petrosian, 1969: #45 . . .... . 57 Volkov Rublevsky, 2007: #233-234 .. 151
Spassky--Tal, 1971 : #231 . . ......... 149 Weeramantry -Tamarkin, 1991 : #284 . 175
Steinitz- Bird, 1866: #298 . .. . . .... . 183 Yakovenko-Almazi, 2007: #255 .... 161
Steinitz- Lasker, 1896: #223 ...... . . 145 Yakovenko- Sutovsky, 2007: #46.... 57
SteinitZ---Mongredien, 1863: #230 ... . 149 Youngsworth--Seirawan, 1979: #25 . . 4 7
SteinitZ---Wexler, 1867: #77 ......... 73 Yudovich- Bebchuk, 1964: #226 .... . 167
Stopa- Lopcz, 2007: #197 .... . .... . 133 Yusupov-Romanishin, 1982: #256 ... 161
Strauss- Bisguier, 1979: #99 . . . . . . . . 83 Yurgis- Botvinnik, 1931: #279 . . . . . . 173
Strauts - Vitolins, 1988: # 17 . . . . . . . . 43 Zita- Bronstcin, 1946: #85 . . . . . . . . . 77
Sutovsky-Georgiev, 2007: #13 .... .. 41 Zlotnik -DeTuriso, 1992: #265 ... . .. 167
199
Index of Themes & Ideas
(Numbers refer to positions.)
202
Tbree-Ume U.S. Champion
l!CB\Il LNJQmOO
Grandmaster Lev Alburt was European
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