Instructive Chess

Miniatures

Alper Efe Ataman

First published in the UK by Gambit Publications Ltd 20 1 6

Copyright© Alper Efe Ataman 20 1 6

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ISBN- 1 3 : 978- 1 -9 1 0093-88-7

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Contents

�� 5
Bibliography 5
Foreword 6

Game 1: The Evergreen Game- Anderssen-Dufresne 7

Game 2: Inescapable P ins- Schulten-Morphy 9
Game 3: The Opera Game- Morphy-Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard 12
Game 4: Fury of the Hanging Queen- Reiner-Steinitz 13
Game 5: Bishop or Queen? It Depends... - Knorre-Chigorin 15
Game 6: Potential in a Cramped Position- Colbum-Blackbume 17
Game 7: The Tarrasch Trap- Tarrasch-Marco 19
Game 8: Square-Clearance- Steinitz-Von Bardeleben 21
Game 9: Pawn-Grabbing in the Opening- Mieses-Chigorin 23
Game 10: Rubinstein's Heritage- Rotlewi-Rubinstein 25
A Similar Game: Aronian-Anand 28
Game 11: Undeveloped Queenside- Roesch-Schlage 29
Game 12: Just Like a Magnet... - Ed.Lasker-Thomas 31
Game 13: When the f-Pawn Marches... - Opocensky-Hrdina 33
Game 14: Improving the P ieces- Capablanca-Fonaroff 35
A Similar Game: Navara-M.Ivanov 37
Game 15: A Game of Cat and Mouse- E.Adams-C.Torre 38
Game 16: The Immortal Zugzwang Game- Samisch-Nimzowitsch 40
Game 17: Once the Tension has been Released- Rubinstein-Hirschbein 42
Game 18: Open Up the Lines!- Gliicksberg-Najdorf 45
Game 19: Those Isolated Queen's Pawns... - Botvinnik-Vidmar 47
Game 20: Safety First!- Smyslov-Kottnauer 49
Game 21: The Double Bishop Sacrifice- Kirilov-Furman 51
Game 22: As Long as the King is Stuck in the Centre... - Spassky-Avtonomov 53
A Similar Case: Gipslis-Darznieks 55
Game 23: Weak Squares- Boleslavsky-Smyslov 56
Game 24: Lack of Development- Soultanbeieff-Dubyna 58
Game 25: When Everything Goes According to P lan- Freeman-Mednis 60
Game 26: Prince Urusov's Recipe- Neishtadt-Gipslis 62
Game 27: Lining Up on the Third Rank- Nezhmetdinov-Kotkov 64
4 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

Game 28: A Bolt from the Blue- Gaisert-I.Zaitsev 66

Game 29: Let's Bring the King to the Centre!- Taimanov-Polugaevsky 68
Game 30: Fischer's P rovocation- Letelier-Fischer 70
Game 3 1: Mobilizing the Pawns- Bronstein-Geller 72
Game 32: In the Footsteps of Captain Evans- Fischer-Fine 74
A Similar Motif: Linden-Maczuski 76
Game 33: A Memorable Blockading Tactic- Fischer-Benko 77
Game 34: The Wrong Strategy against Tal- Tal-Tringov 79
Game 35: The Penalty for a Single Bad Move- Geller-Portisch 81
Game 36: An Inspiring Manoeuvre- Rossolimo-Reissmann 83
Game 37: When the Knight Takes the Stage... - Spassky-Petrosian 86
Game 38: Playing with Reversed Colours- Dvoretsky-Damsky 89
Game 39: 'Chinese Torture'- Liu Wenzhe-Donner 92
Game 40: Firepower in the Critical Zone- Kasparov-M arjanovic 94
Game 41: P laying ala Petrosian... - Kasparov-Petrosian 96
Game 42: An 11- Year-Old Girl- Costa-J.Polgar 98
Game 43: Opening a Dangerous File- Watson-Meduna 100
Game 44: A Sacrifice to be P roud of- Handke-Murdzia 102
Game 45: Another Fabulous Blocking Idea- J.Polgar-Berkes 104
A Similar Case: Forintos-Zedek 106
Game 46: The Aura of Magnus Carlsen- Hammer-Carlsen 107
Game 47: The Rook's Breathtaking Performance- Erdogdu- Shanava 108
Game 48: P iece-Play on the Kingside- Howell-Ashton 11 1
Game 49: The Power of the Zwischenzug- Friedel-De Jong 113
Game 50: A Terrifying (K)nightmare!- Rublevsky-Zude 116
Game 5 1: A Petroff Classic- Anand-Kasimdzhanov 1 18
Game 52: The Duel of the Veterans- Cebalo-Vasiukov 120
Game 53: Opera in St. Louis- So-Kasparov 122

Supplementary Games 125

Index of Players 127
Index of Openings 127
Symbols
+ check ?? blunder
++ double check 0-0 castles kingside
X captures 0-0-0 castles queenside
# checkmate 1 -0 The game ends in a win for White
!! brilliant move lfl_lh The game ends in a draw
! good move 0- 1 The game ends in a win for Black
!? interesting move Ch Championship
?! dubious move (n) nth match game
? bad move (D) see next diagram

Bibliography

Books
Attack and Defence, Mark Dvoretsky and Artur Yusupov, Batsford 1 998
Beating 1 e4 e5 -A Repertoire for White in the Open Games, John Emms, Everyman 20 1 0
Build Up Your Chess 2, Artur Yusupov, Quality Chess 2008
Chess Brilliancy, Yakov Damsky, Everyman 2002
Chess Training for Post-Beginners, Yaroslav Srokovski, New in Chess 20 1 4
Chinese School of Chess, Liu Wenzhe, Batsford 2002
Garry Kasparov 's Greatest Chess Games Volume 1, Igor Stohl, Gambit Publications 2005
Judit Polgar Teaches Chess 1: How I Beat Fischer 's Record, Judit Polgar, Quality Chess 20 1 2
The Mammoth Book of the World 's Greatest Chess Games (3rd edition), Graham Burgess,
John Nunn and John Emms, Constable and Robinson 20 1 0
Mastering Opening Strategy, Johan Hellsten, Everyman 20 1 2
Satranrta Sistematik Antrenman (Das Systematische Schachtraining- Edition Olms),
Sergiu Samarian, inkilap Kitabevi 1 99 1
Starting Out: King 's Indian Attack, John Emms, Everyman 2005

Period ica ls
Inside Chess (various issues)
New in Chess (various issues)

Digital Sou rces

Mega Database 2014, ChessBase GmbH
www. chessgames. com
Ustalar Naszl Kazamyor 1-5 (How Masters Win 1 -5), Selim Glircan, www.satrancokulu.com
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Foreword

As a chess enthusiast, I have always admired chess masters and authors for their efforts. Although
their guiding works are only small reflections of their collected experience over the years, the dedi­
cation and endeavour are priceless.
In my home country of Turkey, I have published and presented many chess books for chess lov­
ers of all levels. I am not sure whether this is a success story, but for me, the excitement has always
been my main source of motivation. In order to be truly successful, one should continuously chal­
lenge oneself by setting new goals. This approach is the only way to keep our enthusiasm alive. Af­
ter spending substantial amounts of time with up-and-coming chess-players, and also examining
many types of chess books, I really wanted to write a good chess book myself. That's how the idea
for Instructive Chess Miniatures was born.
But why miniatures? It's a known fact that instructive games are basic resources for improving
young chess-players, or in other words masters of the future. Battles between two equally-strong
players are often quite long with many subtle points and a variety of themes. This makes them
harder work to study, especially for younger players who may lose their focus on the main theme.
Miniatures, however, last at most for 25 moves. These short games usually come to an end with a
spectacular combination, or an admirable deep idea. This makes miniatures really amazing and
memorable !
I am sure that you are quite familiar with some of the examples presented in the book. I have in­
cluded some of the great classics, as, in my humble opinion, every chess enthusiast should know
them by heart. Still, I believe that you will also find some unknown games, which, I hope, will
make you as thrilled as I was after analysing them.
Besides miniatures, I have tried to emphasize the key points by presenting some similar cases
from the past and the future. This way, I have aimed to show how chess miniatures can be inspiring
for the next generations.
I hope that all readers will enjoy Instructive Chess Miniatures, and I will be particularly happy if
this book manages to attract youngsters to the fascinating world of chess.
 ANDERSSEN - DUFRESNE 7

The Ever gr een G a me

Game 1
Anderssen - D ufre s ne
Berlin 1 852
Eva ns G a m bit

1 e4 eS 2 lDf3 tbc6 3 i.c4 i.cS 4 b4 (D) advantage for its possessor. In order not to lose
this important element, it is more or less an ob­
ligation to continue with moves that leave the
opponent only with forced replies.
6 exd4 7 0-0 (D)
•••

This is the Evans Gambit. In this opening

system, White sacrifices a pawn (or two) in or­
der to attain a lead in development and seize the
initiative. If Black replies carelessly, these fac­
tors can quickly become overwhelming in the 7 d3
...

initial stage of the game. If Black accepts the Black aims to deny White's queenside pieces
pawn, White will gain time to set up a pawn­ a quick route into battle. Thus he is willing to
centre with c3 and d4, and this is the main stra­ return a pawn, in order to keep some lines
tegic idea behind White's gambit. Still, just like closed for the time being. This type of ap­
many other gambits, it should be mentioned proach is typical: sometimes in order to neu­
that the gambiteer takes on significant risks by tralize the opponent's onslaught, part of the
accepting a material deficit. material advantage can be given back. On the
4 i.xb4
.•• other hand, the way Black has chosen to do so
When facing a gambit, the most natural reac­ here costs time in itself, and White is by no
tion is to accept the sacrificed material. Then at means obliged to spend a move capturing the
least you will have a material advantage to pawn on d3.
compensate for the opponent's upcoming pres­ Indeed, Anderssen is not interested in win­
sure, and may be able to return the material to ning a pawn back. Over the next few moves, he
defuse it at a later point. Still, the more solid brings some 'heavy artillery' into his attack.
4 . . . i.b6 is a viable alternative. 8 'ii'b3 'ii'f6 9 eS 'ili'g6 10 .l:r.e1 tbge7 1 1 i.a3
5 c3 i.aS 6 d4 White has brought his pieces quickly into
Black chose 5 . . . i.a5 in order to pin the c3- battle, putting pressure on Black's king, which
pawn after a possible d4 push. Alas, Anderssen is still in the centre. So far, the game has been
continues to advance his pawns without any developing quite normally, as Black, in his tum,
hesitation. An initiative (by which we mean develops his knight right after solidifying the
'the ability to create threats' ) is a temporary f7-pawn with his queen.
8 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

But right at this moment, Dufresne makes an White' s initiative by making him retreat his
interesting decision, with the aim of bringing centralized knight. However, while this in­
his undeveloped rook and bishop into the game. creases Black' s chances of surviving the next
I ' m quite sure that modem players of our era few moves, White would still have a significant
would consider this enterprising attempt rather advantage.
inappropriate.
l l b5? !
•••

This kind o f a sacrifice against a n almost­

developed army is certainly risky. True, White
is forced to accept this sacrifice, and this brings
White's initiative to a temporary halt. How­
ever, it seems highly improbable that the time
Black gains is sufficient to justify the loss of a
pawn and the damage to his queenside struc­
ture. 1 1 . . .d5 is a better move, for instance.
12 'i¥xb5 .l:!.b8 13 'ifa4 .tb6 14 liJbd2 .i.b7
(D)

16 .i.xd3 'ili'h5
The aforementioned liJd6+/lLlf6+ threats
have forced Black to make another move with
his queen.
White now has a number of promising op­
tions, of which Anderssen chooses the most
spectacular, even if it is not the most convincing.
17 ltJf6+? ! (D)
Of course, opening lines against an uncastled
king is in general a very natural and effective
approach. But in such an advantageous posi­
tion, taking unnecessary risks may not be the
Black may have been seeking to reach this most logical decision. Simple chess with, for in­
position with his risky pawn sacrifice. His queen stance, 1 7 ltJg3 ! 'i¥h6 1 8 .i.e 1 'ii'e6 1 9 .i.c4 is a
exerts some pressure along the g-file and his way for White to make decisive material gains.
bishops are also targeting White's kingside.
However, one crucial element is missing in
Black's counterplay: the initiative. At the mo­
ment Anderssen is aware that his opponent does
not yet possess any concrete threats. Conse­
quently, White is first to launch his attack:
15 ltJe4!
Compared to other pieces, knights are rather
short-range forces; they are most effective when
they are close to the enemy camp. After 1 5
ltJe4, the defence of the d3-pawn has been cut
off, and more importantly, lLld6+ and ltJf6+
suddenly appear as dangerous ideas.
15 .'ili'f5? ! (D)
•• 17 gxf6 18 exf6 :r. gs
•••

A sign of bad planning by Black. A more re­ Now the drawback of 1 7 lLlf6+? ! can be seen
silient defence is 1 5 . . . d2, seeking to defuse clearly: Black suddenly has real counterplay
 SCHULTEN - MORPHY 9

along the g-file. In his tum, White needs to find

a resourceful counter to his opponent' s obvious
idea - . . . 'iixf3 .
19 l:.ad1!
When facing the opponent's threat, it is actu­
ally a fundamental mistake to look only for a
way to fend it off. The ideal response is to find a
way in which we can ignore the threat and in­
stead implement our own ideas. In our case,
Anderssen does not limit himself to the duty of
defending the f3-knight. The German master
instead prepares a much more effective threat
of his own. After centralizing both rooks, the lines to the
19 .'i' xf3? (D)
•• black king must be cleared !
Failing to see White's deeply concealed idea, 20 ./t) xe7 21 'ii'xd7+! !
•

Black allows a mating combination. Several Now i s the time to open the diagonals and
other moves have been analysed extensively implement some 'double check' ideas.
here, with 1 9 . . i.. d4 ! and 1 9 . . 'iih 3 ! both estab­
. . 21 �xd7 22 ii.f5++ �e8
•••

lished as leading to a draw with correct play. 22 . . �c6 23 ii.d7#.

.

20.l: xe7+! 23 i.. d7+ �f8 24 i..xe7# ( 1-0)

I nesca pab le P i ns
Game 2
Sch u lten - Morphy
New York 1 85 7
K i n g's G a m bit

1 e4 e5 2 f4 (D) chances along the half-open f-file. Just like

many other gambit systems, the main options
for Black are either accepting or rejecting the
sacrifice. But in this case, Morphy comes up
with a distinctive alternative: offering a pawn
sacrifice of his own !
2 d5! ?
•••

Black replies with the Falkbeer Counter­

Gambit. The tension between the central pawns
is increased, and this immediately sharpens the
character of the game. Morphy chooses an op­
tion which offers him active piece-play, rather
than 2 . . exf4, which gives him a pawn advan­
.

tage. In the latter case, Black might face some

With the King 's Gambit, White seeks to unpleasant pressure from his opponent.
open the f-file and divert the black pawn from 3 exd5 e4
the centre. If Black fails to react to his oppo­ Black's core concept: there are no obstacles
nent's 'offer' reasonably, White will acquire a for Black's active piece-play, while the pawn's
strong pawn-centre, in addition to attacking presence on e4 controls f3 and limits White's
10 ]NSTRUCTNE CHESS MINIATURES

active possibilities, as does White ' s own pawn sacrifices. As the degree of risk increases with
on f4. each new 'investment' , it can prove quite hard
4 ltJc3?! for the gambiteer to decide on the right direc­
Sometimes in order to understand the draw­ tion.
backs of seemingly natural moves, we need the In our case, Morphy realizes the importance
help of classical games such as this one. Mod­ of maintaining the pin and he does not hesitate
em opening theory recommends immediately to sacrifice another pawn to reach his goal.
challenging the e4-pawn with 4 d3 ! . We shall 7 .ixe3 0-0 (D)
see that attacking the pawn with 4 ltJc3 allows
Black more serious counterplay, thanks to the
possibility of pinning this knight with . . . .ib4.
4 ltJf6 5 d3 .i b4 (D)
••.

Now is a good moment to evaluate the posi­

tion. Facing his opponent's sacrifices, White
has had little choice but to spend time eliminat­
ing these pawns. As a result, his kingside is un­
Black develops his bishop and keeps control developed and his king is stuck in the centre.
of the e4-square with the help of the pin. In his Considering the pressure along the e-file, in ad­
tum, Schulten decides that the e4-pawn is the dition to the pin on c3 and the black pieces'
main inconvenience in his position, and in or­ easy development, we can state that Black has
der to eliminate the pawn, unpins the knight acquired significant advantages in return for his
with his bishop. sacrificed material.
6 i.d2 e3! (D) 8 .id2
Schulten decides to spend more time re­
treating his bishop. While White would prefer
to develop, the natural 8 ltJf3 ? allows Black to
increase his advantage substantially : 8 . . . l:te8 9
1id2 .ixc3 ! 1 0 bxc3 ltJxd5 and material losses
cannot be avoided.
8 .ixc3
.••

This exchange is consistent with Black's

aims: by leaving the opponent only with forced
replies, he retains the initiative.
9 bxc3 :eS+ 10 .ie2 .ig4
At this moment, most of us would expect the
game to continue with l O . . . ltJxd5 . However,
Breaking this pin is not that easy ! Some­ White's kingside is still undeveloped, and Mor­
times in the opening phase, the gambiteer faces phy tries to benefit from this temporary fact by
a critical moment: in order to retain his initia­ creating another pin along the d l -h5 diagonal,
tive, it might be necessary to make additional while at the same time preventing ltJf3 .
 SCHULTEN - MORPHY 11

1 1 c4 (D) No escape whatsoever ! Whenever White has

tried to break a pin, he has faced a sacrifice
from his opponent. The c6-knight already has
its eyes set on d4, and after this exchange sac­
rifice, the pin along the d l -h5 diagonal can
rightly be called decisive.
14 tt::l xe2 tt::l d4
It is now impossible to endure the pressure
on e2.
15 �b1 .i.xe2+ 16 'it>f2 tt::l g4+ 17 �g1 (D)

White's sole trump in the position is his ma­

terial advantage. Therefore, he wants to protect
his d5-pawn.
l l c6!
...

An outstanding move. The b8-knight is the

only piece that has not been working in Black's
team. Instead of simple development with
. . . tt::lbd7, Morphy seeks to bring this piece to its
ideal position, namely the d4-square.
12 dxc6? After a series of forced moves, Black just
A chess miniature can only emerge with needs to find one more sacrifice to bring down
the 'cooperation' of both sides. A couple of his opponent's defence. We are past the point of
moves ago, Schulten was willing to give back positional evaluation; it is now time to calculate
his d5-pawn in order to avoid greater prob­ some specific tactics.
lems . Now, given a chance, he exchanges this 17 tt::l f3+!
•.•

pawn, instead of losing it. However, this ma­ This effective check both clears the d4-square
terialistic approach helps Black' s knight join for the queen and exposes White's king.
the battle effectively. 12 h3 is far more resil­ 18 gxf3 �d4+ (D)
ient.
12 tt::l xc6 13 'it>fl (D)
.•.

19 �g2 'iVf2+ 20 �h3 �xf3+ 21 �h4 tt::l h6

Creating the threat of immediate mate by
Another attempt to escape from a pin. 22 . . . �g4#.
13 .l:lxe2!
••. 22 �g1 tt::l f5+ 23 'it>g5 �h5# ( 0-1)
12 INSTRUCTNE CHESS MINIATURES

The Oper a Game

Ga me 3
M or phy - D u ke of Br u nswick a n d Cou nt l souar d
Paris 1 858
P h i l idor Defence

1 e4 eS 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 ..tg4? ! It is true that Black has managed to avoid the

As a general opening principle, one should loss of the pawn. But now the white pieces will
give priority to developing pieces whose ideal simply join the game with tempo, and Morphy
squares have already been clarified. This way, will attain a substantial lead in development.
we can avoid revealing our own plans at an early 6 i.c4 liJf6 7 'ii'b3
stage, and can develop the remaining pieces to Of course, it is contrary to opening princi­
squares where they best counter the opponent's ples to move the queen twice when there are
set-up. Maybe former World Champion Lasker still some undeveloped pieces. But sometimes
made his famous statement "get the knights into in chess, concrete goals in the struggle take pri­
action, before both bishops are developed" in the ority ahead of every other consideration. Here,
light of classical games such as this one. In gen­ White attacks the b7- and f7-pawns at the same
eral, knights have fewer squares to choose from time, and this disrupts his opponents' develop­
than bishops in the opening, so it is generally ment.
easier to identify their 'ideal squares' . ••7 .'fie7 8 liJc3!?
Returning to the game, we now see Black A n exchange o f queens would severely re­
trying to protect his e5-pawn indirectly, by pin­ duce the chances of White launching a success­
ning the knight. But this effort is certainly un­ ful mating attack, so Morphy avoids grabbing
successful, since White immediately seizes the the pawn with 8 'ii'x b7, which could be met by
initiative. Morphy does not want to give his op­ 8 . . . 1!i'b4+. That said, this leaves White a solid
ponents a wide range of options. Thus, he initi­ pawn ahead with an undoubtedly winning end­
ates a series of forced moves. game. Instead, he wants to overwhelm Black
4 dxeS ..txf3 (who suffers severely from a lack of develop­
This exchange is forced; otherwise Black ment) by throwing more force into the battle.
would lose a pawn without getting any com­ 8 ...c6
pensation: 4 . . . dxe5 ? 5 'iVxd8+ (unpinning the The right way to defend the pawn: at the
knight) 5 . . . �xd8 6 ltJxe5 , with a decisive ad­ same time, Black deprives the white knight of
vantage to White. its desired liJd5 ideas.
5 'ti'xf3 dxeS (D) 9 ..tgS bS? (D)
 REINER - STEINITZ 13

Such careless play definitely deserves pun­ At some point in the battle, it is necessary to
ishment. According to Steinitz's principles "in use tactical means to transform the strategic
chess only the attacker wins; but the right to at­ advantages that have been gained by locating
tack is enjoyed only by the player who has the pieces on their ideal positions. Here Morphy
better position". Groundless assaults in inferior realizes that the rook on h l is his only piece
positions can only worsen the situation. that is not contributing to his assault. And he
Black is without his light-squared bishop, cleverly finds a swift way to use this piece in
following his 4th move, . . . i.xf3 . Given that he his attack.
is already vulnerable on the light squares, this 13 l:txd7! ::txd7 14 .l:r.d1
aggressive pawn-push, which weakens the light Thus White's undeveloped h l -rook has been
squares further without even trying to catch up 'exchanged' for a key defender: Black's d7-
with his development, invites a violent response. knight. Bound hand and foot, Black seeks to
10 lLlxb5! castle as quickly as possible. But this is a futile
Now it is time to rise up to the challenge. effort.
This knight sacrifice creates trouble for Black's 14 .'it'e6
••

uncastled king along the a4-e8 diagonal. Finally clearing the bishop's diagonal.
10 cxb5 11 i.xb5+ lLlbd7 12 0-0-0
••. 15 i.xd7+ lLlxd7 (D)
Now we see the core idea behind Morphy's
decision to delay castling. The pressure against
the pinned d7-knight is felt more and more
strongly.
12 l::t d 8 (D)
•••

Morphy now finds an elegant way to clear

the d-file. And the final blow belongs to . . . the
formerly ineffective h l -rook !
16 'i!i'b8+! lLlxbS 17 l:td8# ( 1-0)

F u ry of th e H a nging Queen
Game 4
Rei ner - Ste i n itz
Vienna 1 860
Scotch G a m bit

1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 d4 exd4 4 i.c4 grounds his ambitions on rapid development

The Scotch Gambit. In this variation, White and active piece-play. The course of the game
doesn't seek an opening advantage by building will be more or less determined by Black' s re­
a pawn-centre with c3 and d4. Instead, he action.
14 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

4 ... �c5 (D)

Attacking the remaining pawn in the centre
with 4 . . . t'Llf6 is the main alternative.

9 ..l
. hg8 10 gxf3
After a series of more or less forced moves,
the critical position has been reached. In the pro­
cess, both kings' positions have been weakened.
5 0-0 Trying to benefit from his opponent's disharmo­
When we decide upon our opening set-ups, the nious position, Black finds an extraordinary way
general advice is to give priority to natural devel­ to attack. The main motivation for his aggres­
opment. But in some opening lines a different sion is the lack of defenders on White's king­
philosophy is more appropriate, and we should side, which is due to his undeveloped queenside
seek to exploit specific or fleeting nuances. Here and the queen's foray to b3.
the c5-bishop is loose, and 5 c3 is an option that 10 ... g5! (D)
White might consider. For instance, 5 . . . dxc3 6
�xf7+ ! �xf7 7 �d5+ gives White the upper
hand as the black king is exposed and has lost its
castling rights. Still, Black is not obliged to accept
the pawn, and may instead transpose to Giuoco
Piano waters with 5 ... t'Llf6.
s ... d6
A risky but ambitious decision from the very
first World Champion: instead of seeking safety
on the kingside with . . . t'Llf6 followed by . . . 0-0,
Black aims to pin the f3-knight by . . . �g4. The
well-analysed line 5 . . . t'Llf6 6 e5 d5 7 exf6 dxc4 is
called the Max Lange Attack, with 8 l:.e l + �e6
9 t'Llg5 'ii'd5 10 t'Llc3 'ii'f5 1 1 t'Llce4 0-0-0 a possi­ The factors supporting this apparently awk­
ble continuation. ward move are the black rook being on g8 and
6 c3 �g4 7 �b3 the exposure of White's king along the g-file af­
Noticing that he can create a double attack ter 1 0 gxf3 . Steinitz's idea is to clear the g-file
on b7 and f7, Reiner escapes the pin immedi­ for his rook with a timely . . . g4 push.
ately. 11 �e6 t'Lle5!
7 ...�xf3 It is highly improbable that the white queen's
Challenging White's idea: instead of solidi­ penetration into Black's camp will cause a head­
fying f7 with 7 .. .'fid7, Steinitz proceeds with ache. In order to be effective, her majesty needs
his own plan of breaking up his opponent's additional support from other pieces. In his tum,
kingside structure. Black transfers another attacking piece to the
8 �xf7+ �f8 9 �xg8?! (D) kingside, which is now the critical zone of the
The immediate 9 gxf3 is preferable. board.
 KNORRE - CHIGORIN 15

12 'i!ff5+ rt;g7 13 rt;b1

Black has absolutely no problems after 1 3
.i.xg5ll:lxf3+ 1 4 'ii'xf3 'ii'x g5+ 1 5 rt;h 1 rt;h8.
13 rt;h8
••.

Safety first ! Both sides have put their kings

on comer squares, where they will be harder to
attack.
14 l:!.g1 g4!
Black's queen impatiently desires to join the
attack via the h4-square, and now the obstacle
has been removed.
15 f4
Reiner desperately tries to keep lines closed, The queen is taboo: 1 7 .l:r.xh4 l:tg 1 # !
since Black's forces, one after another, are join­ 17 .l:.g2
ing the assault. One last effort, but it's already much too late
15 ll:lf3 16 .lir.xg4? !
... for salvation.
But this capture is certainly contrary to the 17 .'iWxh2+! 18 .l:.xh2 l:!.g1# ( 0-1)
•.

aim of keeping the position closed. Steinitz This mating theme with rook and knight,
now concludes the game with some elegant called the Arabian Mate, is an instructive mech­
sacrifices. anism which chess-players of all levels should
16 'ii'h4! ! (D)
••• know by heart.

B ishop or Queen? I t Depends . . .

Game 5
Knorre - Ch igori n
St Petersburg 1 8 74
G i u oco Pi a no

1 e4 e5 2 ll:lf3 ll:lc6 3 .i.c4 .i.c5 (D) pawn-centre (with c3 and d4), while B lack
should be alert to chances to strike back with a
well-timed . . . d5 advance. However, the game
can go in many different directions depending
on the decisions taken by both sides.
4 0-0 lll f6 5 d3 d6 6 .i.g5
Nowadays it is more popular to take a step
towards forming a strong structure in the centre
with 6 c3. The development of the bishop to g5,
if employed at all, is generally delayed until
Black has castled.
The most aggressive reaction to the text­
move - . . . h6 followed by . . . g5 - now will not
expose the black king to danger; this is why
This is the Giuoco Piano. With this old but White generally waits for Black to castle. Chig­
ever-popular opening, both sides aim to gener­ orin illustrates these points in unforgettable
ate pressure on the f2/f7 -squares. White in style.
particular also has ideas of building a strong 6 h6 7 .i.h4 g5
•••
16 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

If Black had already played . . . 0-0, then this the bishop? Sometimes we run into extraordi­
thrust could be met with a very dangerous nary positions in which pure concrete analysis
lt:\xg5 sacrifice. But now, the black king would of the variations (calculation) outweighs all
not face any problems in that case. other considerations. This position is certainly
8 .tg3 (D) one of them . . .
10 hxg3!?
...

Chigorin gives u p his queen too ! I t is quite

understandable that Black doesn't want to lose
his initiative. Still, it is rare for a mating attack
to achieve success without the presence and
support of a queen. Now, Black's main trump in
the position is the half-open h-file.
It should be mentioned that 10 . . . 'ii'e7 ! is an
excellent alternative that gives Black some ad­
vantage at least.
l llt:\xd8 (D)

The stable centre (White is at least two

moves from being able to make any sort of
central pawn-break) encourages Black's fol­
lowing move, which launches a kingside at­
tack. Black's uncastled king will remain fairly
safe as long as the position remains relatively
closed. It is a well-known principle that flank
attacks are only likely to succeed if the centre
is closed. Nevertheless, it is really hard to be­
lieve that Black's idea is so powerful.
8 h5! ?
.•.

With the threat o f trapping the bishop by l l .tg4!

...

. . . h4. But isn't the g5-pawn en prise? Developing with tempo is very important if
9lt:\xg5?! Black is to deploy his forces around his oppo­
9 h4 is a better idea. nent's king swiftly enough to justify his queen
9 h4 10lt:\xf7 (D)
••• sacrifice.
12 'ii'd2 (D)

What is going on? Isn't it likely that the fork

on f7 is much more important than trapping 12 lt:\d4!
•••
 COLBURN - BLACKBURN£ 17

Material down, Black directs almost all of

his remaining forces to the kingside. Now the
simple but deadly threat is . . . ltJe2+ followed by
. . . .l:.xh2#. But shouldn't it be easy to repel this
attack?
13 ltJc3?
White prevents the . . .ltJe2+ idea, but this is far
from sufficient to save his skin. He needed to dig
deeper and understand the true nature of Black's
threats. Then he might have found the only way
to avoid immediate loss: l 3 h3 ltJe2+ (but not
l 3 . . . ltJf3+?? 14 gxf3 .i.xf3 1 5 'itg5) 14 'ii'xe2
.i.xe2 1 5 ltJe6 .i.b6 1 6 ltJc3 .i.xfl 1 7 'it>xfl gxf2 14 gxf3 .i.xf3 0-1
1 8 ltJa4, with good chances of surviving. White is helpless against the mating threat
13 ltJf3+! (D)
••• . . . gxh2#.

Potenti a l i n a Cra m ped Position

Game 6
Col b u rn - B lackbu rne
Hastings 1 892
Centre G a m e

1 e4 e5 2 d4
By the end of the 1 9th century, it seems that
the Centre Game still had loyal adherents, de­
spite Steinitz's teachings regarding positional
play. In this opening, White is not worried
about the fact that his prematurely-developed
queen is going to be harassed by . . . ltJc6. As
White plans to castle queenside and attack his
opponent on the kingside, he has to move his
queen sooner or later.
2 exd4 3 'ii'xd4 ltJc6 4 'i!Ve3
•••

The queen temporarily blocks the diagonal

of the dark-squared bishop. But Colburn, as we 5 ii.d2 ii.g7 6 ltJc3 ltJge7 7 0-0-0 0-0
shall see, plans to transfer his queen to the These last few moves were all quite natural.
kingside (g3 or h3) via the 3rd rank. Now White needs to concentrate on his desired
4 g6 (D)
..• kingside attack without allowing Black any
Black foresees his opponent's plan of castling counterplay. But his next move is suspicious
queenside, and therefore decides to fianchetto and gives Black chances of active play.
his bishop. Nowadays it is more common for 8 f4? ! (D)
Black to play more directly in the centre against At first glance, the advance of the pawn
the Centre Game: 4 . . .ltJf6 5 ltJc3 (5 e5 ? ! ltJg4 6 seems natural too, but White is underestimating
'ili'e4 d5 ! ? 7 exd6+ .i.e6 gives Black a comfort­ Black's own active possibilities. After all, he
able game) 5 . . . .i.b4 6 .i.d2 0-0 7 0-0-0 .:te8 with has already castled and now his king is also
mutual chances. safe. Blackbume seizes the initiative directly
18 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

with a counter-blow in the centre, before subtleties even in the simplest positions, if you
White ' s dreamed-of attack has even started ! analyse concretely. In this case, Black' s fian­
chettoed bishop has sharply set its eyes on
White ' s queenside. Unfortunately, Colburn
doesn' t pay attention to this important element
and puts his queen on an irrelevant square ( 1 3
'i!ic5 i s relatively best, though Black still has
excellent chances). As a result, he finds himself
in a dead lost position.

8 ...d5!
This outstanding move reveals the potential
in Black's position. First of all, the simple
threat is . . . d4, winning a piece. But much more
importantly, almost all the black forces (in
particular the c8-bishop) will now support the
attack against the enemy king, once White's
domination of the centre is ended. 13 .. .'flf6!
9 exd5 ltJb4! (D) A simple yet very strong idea. To neutralize
Black is not in a hurry to regain the pawn. the pressure on b2, White now has to play 1 4
Once again, the initiative is more important c3. But this advance increases the effect o f the
than material considerations. other bishop on f5 .
14 c3 (D)

10 .tc4 .tf5!
After a series of forced moves, Black takes 14 ...ltJb4!
the lead in development. On the other hand, 14 c3 has another negative effect: White's
White has not managed to proceed even a bit control over the d3-square is now significantly
with his kingside attack. weakened. Blackburne tries to benefit from this
llil.b3 ltJexd5 12 ltJxd5 ltJxd5 13 'i!if3?! (D) 'hole' , and his knight is taboo. Every pawn
Although White makes seemingly natural move gives up control of some squares, and
moves, he cannot avoid falling into a bad posi­ since they don't move backwards, it's best to
tion. In a chess game, you can always find pay great attention to them.
 TARRASCH - MARCO 19

15 .ic4 (D) taking place on the queenside, Black' s main

'playground' . In a race to attack with opposite­
side castling, this is a very bad sign for White.
White tries to stop . . . lt:ld3+ with his move.
But he fails to stop the following decisive series
of moves.
15 .'iVa6 ! !
••

The queen craftily targets the king with the

aid of the 'overloading' theme. Her majesty is
immune: 1 6 ..txa6? lt:lxa2#.
16 g4 'i!i'xa2! 17 .ie3
Desperately trying to open up a flight-square
for the king on d2.
17 .ixc3!
•••

If we stop for a moment and look at the gen­ No mercy !

eral picture, we see that almost all the action is 0-1

The Ta rrasch Tra p

Game 7

Ta rrasch - Ma rco
Dresden 1 892
Ruy Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 ltlf3lt:lc6 3 .ib5 d6 (D) When our opponent does not stake a strong
claim for the centre, then we have to take a step
forward, if we wish to claim an edge. Siegbert
Tarrasch, who was known as Praeceptor Ger­
maniae ( ' Teacher of Germany' ) , declares his
intentions with this move.
4 .id7
.•.

Some decisions give a positional or a tactical

shape to the upcoming struggle. By unpinning
the knight and benefiting from the fact that the
e4-pawn is also loose, Marco wants to protect
his e5-pawn indirectly. Indeed after 5 .ixc6
.ixc6 6 dxe5 ? ! dxe5 7 'ii'x d8+? ! .lilxd8 8 lt:lxe5
.ixe4, we certainly cannot talk about any kind
This move constitutes the Steinitz Defence. of advantage for White. But the real question is
With his opening choice, Black aims to achieve for how long Black can withstand the pressure
a solid position. The risk is that it will be not against e5 .
only solid, but also passive. Nowadays this line 5 ltlc3 ltlf6
is rare as White can set up rather strong pres­ Both sides continue to develop their pieces
sure on e5 , and other variations in the Ruy with the e4-pawn in mind.
Lopez, such as the Berlin, Marshall, Chigorin 6 0-0 .ie7 7 lile1 0-0?
and Breyer, etc., are seen more often. We reach the critical position, after the open­
4 d4 ing phase is more or less completed. White
20 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

believes that he can win a pawn, now that he 13 ...f5

has solidly covered e4. But apparently Marco Only way to avoid material loss.
doesn' t think so, as he feels that White will also 14 f3 J.cS+
have problems on his back rank. The only way That's good news for Black: his bishop leaves
to resolve this disagreement is through precise the e-file with tempo. But c5 is also not the
calculation. Trusting his own analysis, Tarrasch ideal square for the bishop . . .
initiates a forcing sequence of moves, which 15 ltlxc5 ltlxc5 16 J.gS! (D)
will last almost to the end of the game.
8 i.xc6
The first step against the e5-pawn: the guard­
ian on c6 has now been removed.
8 J.xc6 (D)
..•

Now, Black's problem can be felt even more

strongly: not only does the g5-bishop attack
Black's rook, but at the same time a dangerous
fork (i.e7) has arisen.
16...l:.d5
9 dxeS dxe5 10 'ifxd8 .l:r.axd8 1 1 ltlxe5 Marco seeks salvation by protecting his vul­
Up to this point, the course of the game has nerable knight.
been developing as expected. Now the question 17 J.e7 lieS (D)
is whether Black can grab the pawn on e4.
l l i.xe4 12 ltlxe4 ltlxe4 13 ltld3! (D)
...

Finally, we reach the end of the series of

forced moves that started on the 8th move.
Thanks to this strong move, Tarrasch's idea 18 c4! 1-0
can be seen more clearly: while blocking the The game is decided at once, as the coordi­
black rook's path to the d l -square, White skew­ nation between Black's clumsy pieces is de­
ers Black's pieces on the adjacent file. At least stroyed with this simple pawn advance. Black
for the moment, Marco still has some resources resigned as it is impossible to avoid material
to keep him in the game. loss.
 STEINI1Z - VON BARDELEBEN 21

The series of forced moves that we wit- Trap, and it has claimed quite a number of vic-
nessed in this game is known as the Tarrasch tims over the years.

Sq u a re-Clea ra nce
Game 8

Ste i n itz - Von B a rdeleben

Hastings 1 895
Giuoco Piano

1 e4 e5 2 tt::lf3 tt::l c6 3 ..tc4 ..tcS 4 c3 (D)

7 d5?
•.•

But this is a significant mistake from Von

This game is another slugfest in the Giuoco Bardeleben. With all his trumps, White is better
Piano. As previously mentioned, White pri­ prepared for the opening of the position. Ac­
marily tries to build a strong pawn-centre. 5 d4 cording to modem theory, 7 . . . tt::l xe4 8 0-0 ..txc3
is the intended follow-up, as 4 c3 has prepared 9 d5 ..tf6 (9 . . . tt::le 5 is also possible) 10 l:.e l tt::le7
to answer . . . exd4 by recapturing with the c3- 1 1 .l:.xe4 d6 1 2 ..tg5 is fully satisfactory for
pawn. The Giuoco Piano is an ancient opening, Black.
and over the centuries some of its variations 8 exd5 tt::l xd5 9 0-0 ..te6
have been analysed as far as the endgame (or With the aim of reinforcing the knight and
else to mate or perpetual check, etc.). closing the e-file. But White can continue to de­
4 tt::l f6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 ..tb4+
... velop his pieces with tempo.
The tempo-gain from this check is vital, 10 ..tgS ..te7
since other moves by the bishop would allow The bishop has accomplished its mission on
the white pawns to expand freely, sweeping b4, and now heads back to e7 to take part in the
everything from their path. defence. The tension between the pieces leads
7 tt::lc3! ? (D) to the position opening up before Black has had
An alternative variation, 7 ..td2 ..txd2+ 8 time to castle. The critical matter for White is to
tt::lb xd2 d5 ! 9 exd5 tt::l x d5, results in an isolated decide which pieces to exchange and in what
queen's pawn (IQP) structure. In that case, order. Steinitz duly chooses the most accurate
White would try to claim an edge without sac­ series of moves.
rificing material (e.g., Game 36). n ..txd5!
But in this game, Steinitz doesn't hesitate to First, let me point out that capturing the
give up his e-pawn in order to take a command­ bishop with 11 ..txe7 ? ! would not give White
ing lead in development. anything after l l . . .tt::lcxe7, as it helps Black
22 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

increase his control over d5 . But now, it will be shows that White had another effective move at
a stiffer test for the queen to preserve her influ­ his disposal: 1 5 'ii'a4+ ! . The idea behind this
ence over d5 and e7 simultaneously. This is the crafty move is to sustain the initiative after
main reason for White to remove the knight 1 5 . . . c6 1 6 'i¥a3 or 1 5 . . . �f7 1 6 lLle5+ ! .
first. After the exchanges, the black king will 1 5 1Wd7 1 6 l:tacl c6?
.•.

have to remain in the centre. Black seeks to prevent the ever-present dan­
l l ... .ixd5 (D) ger of White making the d5 advance. But Black
should have given priority to evacuating his
king from the e-file, and so connect his rooks.
17 d5! (D)

12 lLlxd5 'ii'xd5 13 .ixe7 lLlxe7 14 lle1

The sequence of exchanges has ended. In
general, in isolated queen's pawn (IQP) struc­
tures, exchanges usually favour the side playing An excellent move with a square-clearance
against the IQP. But in this specific position, the theme. Now, the d4-square is opened for the
king's obligation to keep an eye on the knight is knight's use. As Black's queen and knight are
the main reason for Black's problems. bound hand and foot, White's menacing pawn
14 f6 (D)
••• must be removed by the c-pawn.
17 cxd5 18 lLld4
•••

Thus, the previously ineffective knight now

turns into one of the most powerful weapons in
White's army.
18 �f7 19 lLle6 l:.hc8
•••

White's rook was threatening to penetrate

Black's camp with rJ.c7. But now the queen
finds a devastating way to join the attack.
20 'i¥g4!
In addition to the obvious threat of 'ii'x g7+,
White threatens to exploit the black queen's
loose position with lLlg5+.
20 g6 21 lLlg5+ �e8
•••

A useful move: Black aims to escape his op­ The black king has no choice but to return to
ponent's pressure along the e-file by playing its initial square; otherwise, the queen would
. . . �f7 . At the same time, he limits the f3- hang on d7.
knight's mobility by seizing control over e5 22lhe7+! (D)
and g5. The queen has set her sights (via the X-ray
15 'ii'e2 theme ! ) on the c8-rook, and this fact is the
It seems logical to step up the pressure on the foundation of Steinitz's unbelievable sacrifice:
e-file. But here, some analysis from masters 22 . . . 'ii'xe7 23 .l:txc8+ l:1xc8 24 'ii'x c8+ 'ii'd 8 25
 MIESES - CHJGORIN 23

23 l:f.f7+!
What a game ! Now it's Steinitz's tum to
prove that his rook is invulnerable ! Once again,
we see White keep an extra piece after 23 . . . 'ikxf7
24 .l:.xc8+.
23 �g8!
.••

A real game of cat and mouse. But White is

also persistent in his claim.
24 l:f.g7+! �h8
Trying to revert with 24 . . . �f8 would fail to
25 tt::\x h7+ �xg7 (25 . . . �e8 26 tt::\xf6+ and
White wins) 26 'i!i'xd7+.
'i!i'xd8+ �xd8 and White heads to the endgame 2S .l:txh7+!
with a knight advantage. The other alternative, The ' fugitive' is now caught, as with the h­
22 . . . �xe7, would obviously fail as well: 23 file's clearance, the queen finds an additional
.lir.e l + �d6 24 'i'b4+ .l:.c5 25 l:te6+ and White line for her usage: 25 . . . �g8 26 l:lg7+ �h8 27
wins. 'ikh4+ ! �xg7 28 'ikh7+ �f8 29 'i'h8+ �e7 30
Instead, Von Bardeleben comes up with a 'ikg7+ �e8 3 1 'ikg8+ �e7 32 'ii'f 7+ �d8 33
nice idea to benefit from his opponent's appar­ 'ikf8+ 'i'e8 34 tt::\f 7+ (finally ! ) 34 ... �d7 35
ently weak back rank: 'ii'd 6#.
22 �f8!
••• 1-0
Black's queen cannot be taken as suddenly A real gem of a game from one of the great­
the . . . .lir.xc 1 + idea emerges. est players of the late 1 9th century !

Paw n - G ra b b i ng i n the Open i ng

Game 9

M ieses - Ch igori n
Ostend 1 906
Vienna Game

1 e4 eS 2 tt::\ c3 (D) herald an aggressive approach in the opening.

That is because White ' s f-pawn is still free to
advance, and this can lead to play similar to
the King's Gambit. Rather than play it as a
gambit, White might also make the f4 advance
after further preparation, seeking to utilize a
half-open f-file or to make a general advance
on the kingside. There are also other ways to
seek to profit from the fact that White has not
played tt::\f3 , as we shall see in the game.
2 tt::\ c6 3 i.c4 i.cS 4 'iig4
•••

Mieses seeks to sow disorder in Black's

position by attacking the g7-pawn, which be­
came vulnerable after the f8-bishop's develop­
The Vienna Game. While this is fundamen­ ment.
tally a simple developing move, it can also 4 1Wf6?
.••
24 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

This move looks ideal at a glance: Black pro­ Suddenly there appears the idea of trapping
tects the g7-pawn, while also counterattacking the queen with c3.
White's f2-pawn. But we must always bear in 8 ...d6 (D)
mind that just because we have made a threat, it
isn't compulsory for the opponent to prevent it.
For what is Black's threat, in fact? .. .'ii' xf2+ is
not mate, but just a check. If Chigorin had
weighed his decision more carefully, he would
perhaps have realized that White had a strong
reply that makes great gains at the cost of this
mere pawn.
The standard moves are 4 .. 5Jif8 and 4 ... g6.
5 tLldS! (D)

9 'iih4
It appears like Mieses does not trust his
chances of ' mating' the queen, because he
mostly focuses on his attack against the king.
Nevertheless, a plan with 9 'iig 3 might discom­
fort Black's queen in many possible variations.
For example, 9 . . . i.. xh3 10 l:l.fl ! i..b 6 1 1 c3 'i'ic5
12 b4 and Black has to accept big material
losses in order to save his queen.
9 ... i.. xh3 10 1Wxh3 tLlaS?
In just a couple of moves, the calm character But now, Black had to parry his opponent's
of the battle has suddenly transformed into a main threat, .l:.fl , by playing 10 . . .'ii'f 2. Even so,
sharp fight. Far from being reluctant to give up the principal problem in his position is once
his f2-pawn, Mieses willingly sacrifices it ! Ex­ again his queen, and White can prove his ad­
posing our own king with such an idea seems vantage as follows: 1 1 i.. d2 ! (threatening .tel ,
risky, doesn't it? But actually, it is the black followed by c3) 1 1 . . .tLld4 1 2 tLlxc7 (or immedi­
queen and king that are truly exposed, while ately 1 2 c3) 12 .. J1d8 13 c3 ! (freeing c2 for the
Black is falling behind in development. king's use, and at the same time allowing the
5 'ii'xf2+
••• rook to join the fight) 1 3 . . . tLlc6 14 'ifi>c2 ! and
The bishop would drop off after 5 . . . i.. xf2+? White wins. When one sees such complicated
6 c,tn. variations, we may conclude that while sacri­
6 c,i;>dt c,trs fices are usually motivated by general consider­
Defending g7, while escaping from White's ations, they are justified by precise calculation.
knight fork on c7. u:m
7 tLlh3! After taking control over f2, the c3 advance
The first instance of development with tempo. becomes a concrete threat. Also, serious attack­
Once again, Black has to move his queen. ing chances will emerge along the f-file.
7 .. JWd 4?! ll ... tLlxc4 12 'i!i'd7! (D)
I t is better t o insert 7 . . . h 5 8 �g5 before play­ It is too early for White to relax. For a few
ing 8 . . .'i¥d4, as then 9 d3 i..e7 leaves Black with moves, the c3 advance has been one of White's
more defensive chances, though White retains a main resources, but here, this move would ruin
substantial advantage. the position: 1 2 c3? tLlxb2+ ! 1 3 i.. xb2 'i!i'a4+
8 d3 and suddenly the game is very far from clear.
 ROTLEWI - RUBINSTEIN 25

Thus it is time for White to refocus his attack Desperately trying to prolong the game. The
squarely on the black king. With each move, the knight was taboo: 1 3 . . . lt:lxf6 1 4 1:.xf6+ ! gxf6 1 5
position on the board changes, and so can the Ji.h6+ 'it>g8 1 6 ilg7#.
best plans for both sides. 14 l:txf2 i..xf2 15lt:\h5 (D)

12 f6 13 lt:lxf6!
••• 1-0
Destroying the king's position. Creating simi­ The attack on g7 could only be stopped tem­
lar threats with 1 3 Ji.h6 ! is also an elegant and porarily with 15 . . . lt:\e7 ; after 1 6 i.. g5 :es 1 7
effective option. dxc4 White has a decisive material plus and he
13 .'ili'f2
•• still retains his attacking chances.

Rubi nste i n ' s H eritage

Game 1 0
Rotlew i - Rubi nste i n
Lodz 1 90 7/8
Sym metrica l Ta rrasch

1 d4 d5 2lt:lf3 e6 3 e3 c5 4 c4 (D) lt:\c3 c5). It is hard for both sides to maintain the
tension in the centre for too long without allow­
ing the opponent a favourable way to make an
exchange of pawns. So within a few moves the
structure will become more stable.
4 lt:lc6 5lt:\c3lt:lf6 6 dxc5
•••

Generally speaking, releasing the tension is

in itself a concession; moreover, it helps Black
develop in this particular position. Neverthe­
less, White plans to attack Black's bishop
(which will come to c5) with pawn advances,
and so gain time and space. It is not so easy to
find an 'ideal' move, since after, e.g., 6 i..d 3,
Black could reply 6 ... dxc4, when White will
This game is heading towards a symmetrical lose time with his bishop - in fact, after 7 i..xc4
form of the Tarrasch Defence to the Queen's he has the same position that Black gets after
Gambit (the pure Tarrasch is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 his next move in our game.
26 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

6 i.xc5 7 a3 a6 8 b4
••• Placing a rook on the same file as the enemy
White expands on the queenside, while pre­ queen is often a good idea. White decides he
paring his bishop's development. has nothing better than losing a tempo, rather
8 i.d6 9 i.b2 0-0 (D)
••• than facing some unpleasant tricks.
14 'ife2 i.b7 15 0-0 4Je5 (D)

10 'ii'd2
First of all, let's note that White can't win a In this near-symmetrical position, White has
pawn by capturing three times on d5 , since lost so much time that it is Black who is seeking
White loses his queen after 10 cxd5 exd5 1 1 the initiative. But can't White gain some space
lL!xd5 ?? ( 1 1 i.e2 is safe enough) 1 1 . . .4Jxd5 1 2 with a pawn advance after exchanging on e5 ?
'ii'xd5 i.xb4+. For now, Rotlewi wants to keep 16 lDxe5 i.xe5 17 f4 i.c7 18 e4
his pressure against the d5-pawn, and he makes Rotlewi wants to prevent his opponent's
another useful waiting move before developing idea of challenging the centre with . . . e5 : he
his bishop. But the queen is poorly placed on would now meet 1 8 . . . e5 with 1 9 f5 . Still, these
d2, and the right way to regroup is 1 0 �c2 fol­ pawn advances lose control of some important
lowed by .l:td l . squares in the heart of White's position. This
10 'ii'e 7!
••• might not matter so much if he could back up
This strong pawn sacrifice is based on the his pawns with active piece-play, but White is
fact that White's king still stands in the centre. still behind in development. Also, repelling
Of course, it is not obligatory for White to ac­ the bishop is no great achievement, since bish­
cept the offer. Nevertheless, to understand the ops are long-range pieces which retain their
logic behind Black's idea, we should analyse influence from afar.
the capture: 1 1 cxd5 exd5 1 2 lL!xd5 lDxd5 1 3 18 l:tac8 19 e5? !
•••

'ii'xd5 4Jxb4 ! ? (Black would also achieve an ac­ White has the perfectly reasonable idea of
tive position after 1 3 . . . .l:r.d8 14 'iib 3 aS 1 5 b5 putting a piece on e4 and neutralizing the bish­
lL!eS , but the piece sacrifice is far more ambi­ ops' pressure by further exchanges. But there
tious) 14 axb4 i.xb4+ 1 5 �e2 i.d7 . In addition just isn't time, and this third pawn-push is way
to the white king's uncomfortable position, the too much for White's fragile position to stand.
bishop-pair's influence in this open position Rubinstein is fully aware of the weak squares
gives Black enough play. So as not to face this that these advances leave behind, and under­
type of scenario, Rotlewi decides to continue stands that he must act with the utmost vigour
with his development. to prove his case. He finds a forcing path to a
11 i.d3?! dxc4 decisive advantage.
The right moment for the capture, because 19 ... i.b6+
White now has to make a second move with his First of all, Black takes control over the a7-
bishop. g1 diagonal.
12 i.xc4 b5 13 i.d3 .l:r.d8 20 �h1 (D)
 ROTLEWI - RUBINSTEIN 27

White seeks salvation in sweeping away the

queen, as it is mate after 23 .i.xc3 .i.xe4+ 24
'ii'xe4 'iixh2#.
23 .l:td2 ! ! (D)
••.

20 ltJg4!
•••

Can't White just take this knight? No, since

after 21 'ii'xg4 l:txd3 , the attack on White's own
knight gives Black the initiative: 22 l:.ac l .:.d2 ! .
OK, but what i s Black seeking to achieve with
this knight move? He intends to bring his queen Another excellent move on the theme of
into the assault with devastating effect by overload.
.. .'ifh4. In addition, . . . lLlf2+ is a menace in 24 'iixd2
many variations. Whichever rook is taken, the result will be
21 .i.e4 more or less the same: 24 .i.xc3 .l:txe2 (threat­
Rotlewi puts his idea of exchanges on the ening . . Jhh2#) 25 .l:tf2 .i.xe4+ 26 �g l .i.xf2+
e4-square into practice. The main problem is 27 �fl .i.f3 (preparing the mate by protecting
that Black has far better options than dutifully the rook on e2), followed by . . . lLlxh2#.
trading pieces. 24 .i.xe4+ 25 �g2 .l:th3 ! ! (D)
•••

2l .'ii'h4 22 g3 (D)
••

0-1
It was very important to cut off the queen's This is Rubinstein's most famous game and
control over f2, while beating off the check­ can deservedly be called a masterpiece. 1 06
mate threat. Still, Black has an awesome trump years passed. Then World Champion Anand
in his hand ! won a marvellous game against Aronian in the
22 l::txc3!
••• 20 1 3 Wijk aan Zee tournament. In the post­
Overwhelming Rotlewi's queen, which has mortem, Vishy Anand mentioned that many
the task of defending the h2- and e4-squares si­ ideas in his victory somewhat resembled Rubin­
multaneously. stein's classic game. Let's see if you agree with
23 gxh4 him . . .
28 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

A S i m i l a r Game:

Aro n i a n - Anand
Wijk aan lee 201 3
Se mi-S lav Defe nce

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lt:lf3 lt:lf6 4 lt:lc3 e6 5 e3 his opponent to seize the initiative by accepting

lt:lbd7 6 ii.d3 dxc4 White's gift. He doesn't hesitate to sacrifice his
The Meran Variation. In this sharp system, own pawn to activate the b7-bishop.
Black gives up his post on d5 and prepares the 13 lt:lxh7
. . . b5 advance in order to solve the problem of 1 3 .i.xh7+ has been tried in some later games,
developing his light-squared bishop while gen­ without a final verdict being reached.
erating queenside counterplay. But this change 13 lt:lg4
•••

in the character of the position also allows The first step: the knight joins the fray, as in
White to set up a pawn-centre with the e4 ad­ the Rotlewi-Rubinstein game . . .
vance. The battle between attacks on the flank 14 f4 cxd4 15 exd4 (D)
and in the centre creates a very rich game.
7 i.xc4 b5 8 i.d3 i.d6 9 0-0 0-0 10 'ii'c2
i.b7 1 1 a3
First of all, White wants to prevent the . . . b4 B
advance. At the same time, he prepares his own
b4 advance, so as to stop the freeing move . . . c5 .
l l .l:tcS (D)
•••

15 .i.c5!
••.

Black can sacrifice this bishop, since after 1 6

dxc5 lt:lxc5 , the bishop cannot retreat to safety
with 1 7 i.e2?, as 1 7 . . . 'iVd4+ is a devastating re­
ply.
16 i.e2 lt:lde5 ! ! (D)

12 lt:lg5
The continuation of the above-mentioned
plan, 12 b4, leads to a sharp fight after 1 2 . . . a5
(even 12 . . . c5 is possible ! ) 1 3 :b1 axb4 14 axb4
flie7, etc.
Instead, Aronian is ready to sacrifice his h2-
pawn, hoping to gain attacking chances in re­
turn.
12 c5
•••

1 2 . . . i.xh2+ 1 3 c;i;>xh2 lt:lg4+ 14 �g1 'ii'xg5

15 f3 lt:lgf6 16 e4 would create a truly unbal­
anced position. But Anand doesn't want to allow
 ROESCH - SCHI.AGE 29

Unbelievable: the bishop and knight fork 2 1 tiJe5 ltJxh2 ! would have been decisive.
themselves. Black's pressure on d4 outweighs 21 .'ili'xg6 22 'ii'e2 'ii'h 5 (D)
••

all other considerations.

17 .ixg4
In his analysis, Anand gave this nice varia­
tion: 1 7 fxe5 'iVxd4+ 1 8 'iii> h 1 'i!i'g 1 + ! 1 9 l:l.xg 1
tiJf2# and smothered mate ! Aronian decides to
remove the knight first. But in a couple of
moves, the other knight will also join the attack
from precisely this square.
17 .ixd4+ 18 'ifi>h1 tiJxg4 19 tiJxf8 (D)
•••

OK, so we don't have a pair of rook sacri­

fices in this game - it is the minor pieces that
performed the fancy footwork. But the black
bishops' powerful postures on the most critical
diagonals very much resembles Rubinstein's
immortal victory.
23 1Wd3
Trying to block the b7-bishop's diagonal
with 23 :f3 would not make any significant
19 f5!
••• difference to the outcome: 23 . . . tiJf2+ 24 'ifi>h2
There's no need to hurry to capture the (24 ltxf2 'ii'x h3+ 25 'iii> g 1 'ilxg2#) 24 . . . .ixf3 25
knight. Anand's deadly threat is now . . . �h4. 'ii'xf3 'ii'xf3 26 gxf3 .ixc3 27 bxc3 l:lxc3 and
The immediate 1 9 . . . 'ilih4 would result in an Black wins (Anand) .
exchange of queens after 20 'li'h7+ ! . 23 .ie3
••.

20 tiJg6 Threatening . . . 'i!i'xh3# with this interference

Stopping the . . . 'ilih4 idea, but this defensive theme is the finishing touch.
try only delays the inevitable: the queen will 0-1
find a way in. Knowing the classics by heart is always re­
20 'i!i'f6 21 h3
••• warding.

U ndeveloped Queenside
Game 1 1

Roesch - Sch lage

Hamburg 1 9 1 0
Ruy Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 tiJf3 ltJc6 3 .ib5 a6 4 .ia4 tiJf6 5 closely related Worrall Attack features 5 0-0
'i!i'e2 (D) .ie7 6 'i!Ve2 (rather than the standard 6 lle l ),
With this move, known as the Wormald At­ but that move-order gives Black the option of
tack, White doesn' t want to allow his oppo­ meeting 5 0-0 with 5 . . . ltJxe4, leading to the
nent to capture his e-pawn with . . . ltJxe4. The Open Defence.
30 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

K• B.t�·�
- - �
g
with 9 d3 is much more popular. This modest
move leads to a manoeuvring game in a closed
B -·-·-·-· position.
· -· - . - 9 lt:Jxd5 10 lt:Jxe5 (D)
•••

- - - ­
i.. - - � - -
- - -ll)-
�R d � RiiR
d d�R d
�lb�
� - �
� . .:
a
5 b5 6 .tb3 .te7 7 c3 0-0 8 0-0 d5! ? (D)
•••

With this aggressive move, Black is willing

to give up a pawn in order to seize the initiative.
This idea is similar to the Marshall Attack, in
which Black makes the same move but with the
white queen on dl and the rook on el (i.e. 5 0-0 10 lt:Jf4
•••

.te7 6 .:te l b5 7 .tb3 0-0 8 c3 d5 ! ?). Black's pawn sacrifice is based on time­
Black can also play the more solid 8 . . d6, . gaining, aggressive moves like this. The knight
protecting the e5-pawn. He can follow up by that has just landed on f4 is a powerful weapon
challenging the 'Lopez bishop' with a timely on its own. The weakness of d3 is also clearly
. . . lt:Ja5 . For example, 9 .l:td l lt:Ja5 10 .tc2 c5 1 1 visible.
d4 "fl/c7 and apart from the locations of White's 11 'ile4 lt:Jxe5! !
queen and rook, we have the same position as in A great assessment: Black i s well aware of
Chigorin Variation. the fact that his knight's participation in the as­
sault is much more valuable than the rook in the
comer.
12 'ii'xa8??
Rejecting the exchange sacrifice with 1 2
'ifxe5?? does not help White either: 1 2 . . . .td6 !
(these forcing moves do not allow White's
queenside pieces to join the game) 13 'iWe4
"flih4 ! and it is impossible to resist Black' s
well-conducted attack.
1 2 'iixf4 ? ! lt:Jd3 gives Black a firm grip on
the game, but isn't an instant catastrophe for
White. The only good move is 1 2 d4, when
12 . . . .tb7 1 3 'iixb7 lt:Je2+ 14 �h l lt:Jxc l 1 5
Schlage's combative choice seeks a sharp %hc l lt:Jd3 i s O K for Black.
game. 12 .'ii'd3! !
•.

9 exd5 Not allowing White to play d4 ! Now White

Given that White can't easily digest the e5- is faced with several dangerous threats simulta­
pawn (as the game continuation demonstrates), neously. Certainly, the most important one is
nowadays this capture is viewed as a premature 1 3 . . . lt:Je2+ 14 �h l lt:Jg3+ ! 1 5 hxg3 ( 1 5 fxg3
opening of the centre that eases Black's devel­ 'itxfl #) 1 5 . . . "fl/xfl + 16 �h2 lt:Jg4+ 17 �h3
opment. Schlage grounds his plan on White's 'iih l #. Therefore, White parries this threat, but
undeveloped queenside, as well as his own easy alas it is far from Black's only idea.
and active play. Therefore, keeping the tension 13 .td1 .th3! (D)
 ED. LASKER - THOMAS 31

Black's forces pile into the kingside one af­

ter another. Moreover, the bishop discovers an
attack on the white queen.
Black actually had a very pleasant choice
here, with 1 3 . . . liJh3 + ! 14 gxh3 i.xh3 one of
several other winning lines.

It's quite remarkable to witness that nearly

all of White's pieces are lined up on his first
rank, whereas Black's forces are a picture of ac­
tivity.
15 1'1f3!
•••

A flamboyant queen sacrifice. White is help­

less against . . . liJh3#.
14 1'ixa6 i.xg2 15 :e1 (D) 0-1

J ust L i ke a M agnet. . .
Game 1 2
Ed . Lasker - Thomas
London (casual game) 1 9 1 2
D utch Defen ce

1 d4 e6 2 liJf3 f5 (D) e4-square. White will try to seize control of this

important post, while Black will do his best to
avoid this happening.
3 liJc3 liJf6
After seeing the notes above, one may won­
der why Thomas did not choose 3 . . . d5 , which
would duly strengthen Black's control over e4.
It is a perfectly playable option, of course, but
the perennially weak e5-square and problems
with the c8-bishop are not to everyone's taste.
4 i.g5 !JJ..e7
Black unpins his knight, so that he will at
least gain the bishop-pair in return for losing
his potential outpost on e4.
A typical Dutch Defence ( 1 d4 f5) position, 5 i.xf6 i.xf6 6 e4 fxe4 7 ltJxe4 b6 8 ltJe5
although reached from a different move-order. Moving the knight for the second time, before
Both sides have a variety of trumps in this even touching the fl -bishop, is quite unusual.
asymmetrical opening. In a few moves, how­ White wants to create threats (such as "ii'h 5+) by
ever, our present game will revolve around the placing his knights close to Black's camp.
32 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

8 0-0 (D)
... would be threatening mate in one. This means
Thomas declines to capture the knight at that there is a powerful battery on the b 1 -h7 di­
once, as surrendering the dark-squared bishop agonal. While Black's last move parries the
may leave him with a weak colour-complex: most direct threat - i.e. 1 1 lt:Jxf6+ followed by
8 . . . .txe5 9 �h5+ g6 10 'i!Vxe5 0-0 1 1 c3. Most taking on h7 - with so much firepower aligned
of the time, castling is in accordance with the against the black king, it should be no surprise
motto 'safety first' . that White has other powerful attacking ideas.
Figuring out precisely what those ideas are,
however, requires considerable ingenuity and
accurate calculation.
11 'it'xh7+! !
This shocking queen sacrifice needed to be
precisely worked out. Now Black is helpless
against the constant threats from White's minor
pieces. Just like a magnet, White's forces will
pull the black king right into White's own camp.
ll �xh7 12 tt::lxf6++ �h6 (D)
...

1 2 . . . �h8 ? 1 3 tt::l g 6# would be immediately

terminal.

9 .td3?! .tb7?!
Now, however, 9 ... .txe5 1 0 dxe5 tt::lc 6 is sur­
prisingly awkward for White to answer.
10 'ti'h5 'ti'e7?? (D)

13 tt::leg4+!
When a queen is sacrificed, it is essential to
calculate all the complicated variations right to
the end, and foresee the final position clearly.
After all, if Black could somehow save his king
In a chess battle, our opponent's thoughts are even at a considerable material cost, then White
just as important as our own ideas, but Black might end up losing. The hardest part of White's
appears to have forgotten this. Understanding sacrificial plan was to decide with which knight
the changes caused by the opponent's last move to check on the 1 3th move. 1 3 tLlfg4+? would
must be a basic part of our decision-making not yield White a winning advantage, since this
process. knight's control over h5 is still very important:
For the first nine moves of the game, both 1 3 . . . �h5 ! ( 1 3 . . . �g5 ? 14 h4+ �f4 15 g3#) 14
sides had been improving their positions in a .ltg6+ �h4 1 5 g3+ �h3 and it is not possible to
more or less normal manner, developing pieces talk about a checkmate.
and controlling squares, etc. But White's tenth How do we develop the ability to calculate
move brought his queen and bishop to bear on long sequences accurately? One way is by solv­
h7 - but for the presence of the knight on e4, he ing many tactical exercises, starting with easy
 0POCENSKY - HRDINA 33

ones before moving on to ones that require

greater degrees of calculation and vision.
13 'iitg5 14 h4+ 'iii>f4
•••

From now on, it is quite easy to predict that

Black's king will be 'captured' very soon.
15 g3+ 'ifi>f3 16 .i.e2+
1 6 0-0, followed by l'Llh2#, would lead to
checkmate in one move less, but the text-move
is more than sufficient.
16 ...'iti>g2 17 lir.h2+ 'iitg 1 18 'iti>d2# (D) (1-0)
The final position rightfully deserves a dia­
gram.

When the f- Paw n M a rches . . .

Game 1 3
O pocensky - H rd i na
Mlada Bo/esla v 1 9 1 3
Four K n i ghts G a m e

1 e4 e5 2 l'Llf3 l'Llc6 3 l'Llc3 l'Llf6 (D) 'Scotch Four Knights ' after 4 . . . exd4 5 l'Llxd4.
But continuing in 'Italian Game fashion' with 4
..tc4 ? ! would be answered by tactical means:
4 ... l'Llxe4, based on the pawn fork 5 l'Llxe4 d5 .
4 ..tb4 5 0-0 0-0 6 d3 d6 7 ..tg5 l'Lle7 ! ? (D)
•••

This is the appropriately-named Four Knights

Game. The seemingly-quiet character of this an­
cient opening can be misleading: Black cannot
maintain the symmetry indefinitely, and the ex­
tra half-move that White possesses can prove vi­ A curious decision: Black allows his oppo­
tally important. That said, this is a well-explored nent to ruin his structure on the kingside. With
opening system where Black has a variety of vi­ the knight retreat, he's aiming to challenge the
able options. now rather lost-looking b5-bishop with . . . c6 and
4 ..tb5 then proceed with . . . d5 , taking the initiative in
Opocensky simply proceeds with his devel­ the centre. Nevertheless, Opocensky declines
opment. Taking action in the centre with 4 d4 is the opportunity to play .i.xf6. Maybe he felt
the main alternative, generally leading to the that after 8 .i.xf6 gxf6, Black's potential play
34 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIA TURES

on the g-file and/or with an . . .f5 advance at 13 'ife1

some point would prove more important than It seems that 1 3 'it'f3 ! followed by .l:.ae 1 may
the weakening of Black' s kingside structure. be a more logical set-up. This also prevents
8 tt:'lh4 ! ? 1 3 . . . tt:'le3 since 14 tt:'la4 ! would give White the
Opening the way for both the f-pawn and the advantage immediately.
queen, while simultaneously parrying ideas of The purpose of the text-move is to transfer
. . . tt:'lg6. the queen to the h-file as quickly as possible.
...8 c6 9 ..tc4 tt:'lg6 (D) Still, as Black has his own counterplay, the po­
Unprincipled play. As mentioned before, sition is far from decided.
Black could make his voice heard in the centre 13 tt:'le3 14 f5! (D)
•••

with 9 . . . d5 ; e.g., 1 0 ..txf6 gxf6 1 1 ..tb3 f5 . The

text-move, however, j ustifies White's tt:'lh4 ma­
noeuvre.

If you have said 'a' , you must also say 'b' !

Due to the light-squared bishop's influence over
the a2-g8 diagonal, Black's threat of winning
10 tt:'lxg6 hxg6 11 f4 the exchange can now be ignored: attacking
On the other hand, White's play is truly con­ possibilities (first on g6, then h7) allow White
sistent. Opening the f-file offers him attacking to put this aggressive approach into practice.
chances. But one should emphasize that Black 14 tt:'lxc4?
••.

is not yet deprived of counterplay either. As 14 . . . tt:'lxfl ? 1 5 fxg6 d5 1 6 'fi'h4 fxg6 1 7

ll ... 'ifb6+ 12 'iiih l tt:'lg4?! (D) exd5 would be terminal, Hrdina decides to gob­
ble the bishop. However, this also loses, and
Black should have played 14 . . . ..txc3, though 1 5
'i!ixe3 ! will leave Black with an unpleasant end­
game.
15 f6! (D)

With his last couple of moves, Black has

proved that the pin on f6 was not critical. But
the real issue is whether the knight's journey
into White's camp is j ustified.
 CAPABIANCA - FONAROFF 35

Black's light-square weaknesses have been his attacking forces are more than enough to
somewhat remedied by the removal of White's succeed.
light-squared bishop. Still, as checkmate fore­ 18 �xn 19 h6 (D)
•••

goes every other consideration, White pene­

trates Black's camp via the dark squares despite
the substantial cost in material. The switch
from a light-squared attack to one on the dark
squares is an elegant feature of the game.
15 i.g4
•••

Desperately trying to close the h-file. But

this attempt turns out to be rather slow, and as a
result Black will fail in his defence.
16 'ilfh4 i.hS 17 g4
Breaking open the h-file.
17 �e3 18 gxhS!
••.

Just like we've witnessed with 1 5 f6 ! , there

is no need to worry about material losses when 1-0
mate is the goal: Opocensky is well aware that An elegant finale !

I m provi ng the P i eces

Game 1 4

Ca pa b l a n ca - Fona roff
New York 1 9 1 8
Ruy Lopez

1 e4 eS 2 �f3 �c6 3 i.bS �f6 S d4

Nowadays, when Black plays 3 . . . �f6 against With Black staking little claim for the centre,
the Ruy Lopez, one usually assumes that he is it is fully appropriate for White to seek the ini­
aiming to reach the 'Berlin queenless middle­ tiative in this area of the board. Otherwise,
game' after 4 0-0 �xe4 5 d4 �d6 6 i.xc6 dxc6 Black might duly acquire his desired solid and
7 dxe5 �f5 8 'i!ixd8+ 'it>xd8, an opening line comfortable position.
that has been tested in thousands of high-level S i.d7 6 �c3 i.e7 7 l:.e1 (D)
•••

games in the 2 1 st century. But in the first quar­

ter of the 20th century, it would be odd to claim
that Black was aware of all the critical defen­
sive techniques and nuances of that variation.
In this game, Fonaroff puts a 'Steinitz' ap­
proach into practice with this next move.
4 0-0 d6
This pawn advance is Steinitz's main influ­
ence on Black's play. In this system there is a
thin line between achieving a solid position and
being left in a passive situation where White can
freely develop his play in the centre. Black's
main goal is to pursue solidity with an eye on se­
curing active counterplay at the right moment. 7 exd4
•••
36 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

Immediately releasing the tension, but was it last move seems very logical: the threat against
so urgent? After 7 . . . a6 (for 7 . . . 0-0, see Game 7) 8 the pawn is parried with a counter-threat, and
il.xc6 i.xc6 9 dxe5 dxe5 1 0 'ifxd8+ l:r.xd8 1 1 he prepares . . . d5, which would question White's
lt:Jxe5 i.xe4 1 2 li:Jxe4 ltlxe4 1 3 i.h6 (in order to domination in the centre. Let ' s see if Capa­
open the way for the rook, but the simple 1 3 blanca' s plan of transferring the knight to f5
li:Jd3 might give White more chances) 1 3 . . . ltlxf2 will pass this test.
14 i.xg7 ltg8 15 <ifilxf2 l:.xg7 1 6 ltld3, it is not 12 ltld4 ltld7
easy to talk about a significant advantage for Black could stop the ltlf5 idea at once with
White. Therefore we can question the timing of 12 . . . g6, but then White would have the upper
this exchange, which allows White's pieces to hand, as he will swiftly complete his develop­
land strongly in the centre. ment with 1 3 i.h6 followed by l:.ad l .
8 ltlxd4 ltlxd4 9 'ifxd4 i.xb5 10 ltlxb5 0-0 13 ltlf5 i.f6 1 4 'iVg3 ltle5 (D)
(D)

15 i.f4!
11 'ifc3 This is much more effective than 1 5 f4, when
A tactical theme, square-clearance, is em­ Black could reply 1 5 . . . li:Jg6 (with . . . ltlh4 ideas;
ployed here for purely positional purposes. 1 5 . . . ltlc4 ! ? is also playable) 1 6 'ilfd3 d5 1 7 e5
While attacking the c7-pawn, White is actually i.e? . The mobile e- and f-pawns are dangerous
clearing the d4-square for the knight's use. This weapons, but Black retains reasonable defen­
enables the knight, which is currently rather sive prospects.
functionless on b5 , to play a far more critical But after the text-move, Black feels very un­
role on f5 . Knights are short-range pieces, and comfortable because of his d-pawn, which be­
so are most effective when close to the enemy came quite vulnerable when Black played . . . c6.
camp. 15 .'i!t'c7 16 l:tad1 l:ad8 (D)
••

l l c6? !
...

A tactical defence with l l . . .'ifd7 ! ? offers

Black a more comfortable game: 1 2 ltlxc7?
loses to 1 2 . . . ltac8, while after 1 2 'ikxc7 'ii'xb5
1 3 'fixe? l:lfd8 ! , Black intends . . . .l:.d7, harassing
White's queen. 1 2 ltld4 is of course a move to
consider - after all, White's main goal was to
improve the position of his knight. Then 1 2 . . . d5 !
1 3 e5 ltle4 (this tempo is important; Black needs
to gain some time for the . . . c5 push) 14 'ili'd3 c5 !
gives Black a perfectly reasonable position.
Of course, it is easy to criticize Black's play
after seeing the result of the game. Fonaroff's
 NA VARA - M. IVANOV 37

It i s now time for White to go for an all-out at­

tack, since he's placed all of his pieces in their
ideal locations. The f5-knight's influence is felt
particularly strongly. Now 1 7 h4 ! ? is one tempt­
ing way to continue the attack, but Capablanca
initiates immediate action.
17 .lir.xd6 .lir.xd6 18 i..xe5 .lir.d1 ?
This interesting yet unsuccessful attempt
aims to benefit from White's back-rank prob­
lems. Fonaroff challenges his famous opponent
to justify his play. He gets more than he bar­
gained for!
1 8 . . . 'iia5 ! keeps Black in the game, by tar­ 21 'i!i'xe5 !
geting the e1 -rook. After 1 9 i.. c 3 i.. x c3 20 bxc3 Another sacrifice to exploit a weak back
l:.g6 2 1 lLle7+ �h8 22 lLlxg6+ hxg6 White has rank - but Black's and not White's ! This time,
little or no advantage. however, the consequences will be decisive.
19 .lir.xd1 i.. xe5 20 lbh6+ �h8 (D) 21 'iixe5 22 lLlxf7+ 1-0
•••

A S i m ilar Game:

N ava ra - M . I va nov
Icelandic Team Ch 201 011 1
P hi lid or Defen ce

1 e4 d6 2 d4 lLif6 3 l2Jc3 e5 4 tLif3 lbbd7

A topical position in the Philidor Defence
has been reached via a Pirc Defence, as this en­
ables Black to avoid some move-order prob­
lems after 1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 (see Game 1 5
for brief details). The central tension will be
maintained by both sides as long as possible.
5 i.. c4 i..e7 6 0-0 0-0 7 a4 c6 S liel aS
By playing a4, White has stopped Black's
natural plan of ... b5. This encourages Mikhail
Ivanov to secure the c5-square for his knight
before releasing the tension with . . . exd4.
9 h3 exd4 10 'iikxd4 ! ? White has placed practically all of his pieces
1 0 l2Jxd4 is seen more often. Apparently on their ideal squares. Now it's time to improve
though, White wants to put direct pressure on the knights ' positions. But how?
the d6-pawn. 14 'iie 3!
10 l2Jc5 11 i..f4
.•. Just like Capablanca, White provides the d4-
A natural follow-up of the plan. Black has to square for his knights. Before the text-move,
be careful not to lose his d-pawn. First of all, he Black's plan might have been to harass the queen
aims to remove one of White's bishops. with . . . i..f6. With the retreat of the queen, how­
l l ...l2Je6 12 i..xe6 i..xe6 13 .lir.ad1 lbe8?! ever, this idea is prevented, since 14 . . . i.. f6 would
(D) be strongly met by 1 5 e5 ! .
1 3 . . . d5 ! ? is a more ambitious approach. 1 4 'iikb 8 1 5 tLid4 'iika7 1 6 'i!Vg3 'iikc5
••.
38 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

Black has found an interesting manoeuvre on the excellent f5-square, endangering Black' s
to land his queen on c5 . Still, this does not pre­ kingside.
vent Navara from improving the position of 17 .idS 18 lt:le3 .if6 19 c3 .l:.d8
•••

his other knight. Actually, it was possible to remove the knight

17 lt:ld5! (D) at once with 19 . . . .ixd4, but this would leave the
d6-pawn even more vulnerable.
20 lt:ldf5 ii.xf5 21 ltlxf5 (D)

As normal, tactics are used to achieve strate­

gic goals. For the moment, it is not possible to
remove the apparently hanging knight: White Thus, one of the knights has managed to
has the upper hand after 1 7 . . . cxd5 1 8 exd5 land on the celebrated f5-square. All of White's
i.. x d5 ( 1 8 . . . 'i!i'xd5 ? 1 9 ltlxe6) 1 9 l:.xe7, while pieces have reached their maximum potential,
after 17 . . . .ixd5 1 8 exd5 the d5-pawn cannot so it is time to reap the harvest !
be snatched, as the bishop on e7 is under at­ 21 JWc4 22 e5
.•

tack. This advance unlocks the door. After further

In the light of these variations, Ivanov feels exchanges, the g7-square will be sorely weak.
he must tolerate the knight on d5 . But this deci­ 22 dxe5 23 l:txd8 i.. xd8 24 .txe5 f6 25
•••

sion allows one of the knights to establish itself .id6 1-0

A Game of Cat a nd Mouse

Game 1 5

E . Ada m s - C . Torre
New Orleans 1 920
P hi lid or D efence

1 e4 e5 2 lt:lf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 dxe5 7 i..x f7 + ! and 4 . . . .te7? 5 dxe5 lt:lxe5 6

We have already seen in Game 7 (Tarrasch­ lt:lxe5 dxe5 7 'i¥h5 , winning a pawn in both
Marco) the sort of problems that Black can face cases.
if he tries to maintain the tension in this type of b) 3 . . lt:lf6 4 dxe5 initiates a forcing se­
.

structure. Still, it is not obligatory to exchange quence that offers White an edge: 4 . . . lt:lxe4 5
at such an early stage, and 3 . . . lt:ld7 and 3 . . . lt:lf6 'ifd5 lt:lc5 6 .tg5 'ili'd7 7 exd6.
are playable alternatives, even if there are some 4 'i!i'xd4
problems for Black in each case: Her majesty can immediately join the battle,
a) After 3 . . . lt:ld7 4 .tc4, Black must avoid since White will pin the knight that would ha­
pitfalls such as 4 . . . lt:lgf6? 5 dxe5 lt:lxe5 6 lt:lxe5 rass her.
 E. ADAMS - C. TORRE 39

4 .. .tt'lc6 5 �bS �d7 (D) 16 'i!ld7 (D)

•..

6 �xc6 Black looks for salvation by connecting the

In order to secure his queen's position in the rooks. Torre might be anticipating that 1 7 �xf6
centre, White is content to give up his bishop. �xf6, followed by rook exchanges, would lead
6 ... �xc6 7 lt:Jc3 lt:Jf6 8 0-0 to an equal game. Unfortunately, things are not
A more ambitious plan could be seen in 8 that simple.
�g5 �e7 9 0-0-0. 17 �xf6 �xf6 (D)
8 ... �e7 9 lt:JdS Actually, there is one more important factor
White plans further simplification, and we in this position: both kings lack luft (i.e. escape­
might expect this to lead to a dull position. Of squares from the back rank, such as might be
course, he would have no objection to a dull but provided by playing h3/. . . h6). In this respect, his
advantageous position . . . knight's control over e1 is an important trump
9 ... �xd5 10 exdS 0-0 1 1 �gS c6 for Adams, even though this isn't a cast-iron
On the other hand, Black wants to increase guarantee against back-rank problems.
the tension, as his opponent's space advantage
is mostly provided by the d5-pawn, in addition
to the well-placed queen on d4.
12 c4 cxd5
An 'elastic band' trick might accelerate the
simplification process: 1 2 . . . lt:Jxd5 ! ? 1 3 cxd5
�xg5 14 lt:Jxg5 'i¥xg5 15 dxc6 bxc6 16 'fixd6
'fibS . Although Black's pawn-structure is dam­
aged, it is not possible to talk about a significant
advantage in this major-piece endgame.
13 cxdS :e8 14 :re1 aS? !
The first step along the wrong path: Black
desires to play . . . :c8, so he prepares this idea
by securing his a-pawn first. Of course, rooks 18 'ii'g4!
belong on open files. Still, it would be better to Deflection it is ! White exploits the fact that
take White's upcoming pressure on the e-file the e8-rook is somewhat loose. Therefore, he
into account: 14 . . . h6 15 �h4 'ii'd7 16 :e2 �d8 can repeatedly attack Black's queen, which is
and potential problems on the open file can be tied to protecting the rook. Suddenly the game
resolved with simplifications. will tum into a real game of cat and mouse.
15 :e2 :c8? 16 l:tael 18 1i'b5
•..

Suddenly �xf6 followed by .!itxe8+ seems 1 8 . . . 'i¥xg4 19 .!itxe8+ l:txe8 20 :xe8#. This
highly menacing. variation shows that Black's queen must not
40 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

only move to save its own skin, but must find a This move is important, as after the careless
square where it still covers the e8-rook. immediate capture 2 1 'ii'xb7?, it is then Black
19 'ifc4! who benefits from White's back-rank weakness:
This time White's queen is ' sacrificed' on a 2 1 . . .'ii'xe2 ! 22 l:txe2 .Uc l + 23 l:le l .litexel + 24
square where not one, but two( !) different black lbxel .l:xel#. The text-move, however, forces
pieces can dispose of her. Nonetheless, those the black queen off the a6-fl diagonal.
two pieces both have to defend the e8-rook, 21 'ii'xa4 22 .l:!.e4 'ii'b5
•••

so . . . Thus we reach a similar position, with the ex­

19 .'ii'd7
•• ception being the rook's position on e4. This
. . .is forced. How should White continue to seemingly minor detail will leave Black's queen
chase Black's queen? helpless.
20 �c7! (D) 23 'ii'xb7 (D)

It seems that White's queen is not content to 1-0

let her counterpart go yet ! The back-rank weakness has never been a
20 �b5 21 a4!
••. more decisive element.

The I m morta l Zugzwang Game

Game 1 6

Sam isch - N i mzow itsch

Copenhagen 1 923
Queen ' s I n dian D efence

1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 e6 3 lDf3 b6 side, however, his light-squared bishop ' s di­

The Queen 's Indian Defence. With this sys­ agonal is now blocked. This is one of the rea­
tem, Black seeks to control the central light sons why nowadays 7 . . . lbe4 (and then, for
squares with his bishop from a distance. example, 8 'iVc2 lbxc3 9 'ii'x c3) is seen more
4 g3 i.b7 5 i.g2 i.e7 6 lbc3 0-0 7 0-0 frequently.
Both sides have developed their pieces in a 8 lbe5 c6 9 cxd5
logical manner, and Black now needs to find a Taking action in the centre with 9 e4 ap­
constructive plan. pears very plausible. After all, the b7-bishop's
7 d5
••• effect on the long diagonal has been reduced by
With this move, Black firmly takes control Black's pawn moves.
of the important e4-square. On the negative 9 cxd5! ? (D)
•••
 SAM/SCH - NIMZOWITSCH 41

This leads to a stable and rather pleasant by attacking the bishop (threatening to ruin
structure for Black. Although capturing with White ' s pawn-structure), while unblocking the
9 . . . exd5 might appear more natural, it wouldn't f-pawn.
be easy to develop the knight after White's re­ 16 �d2 f5
ply 1 0 'iia4. It also allows White the strong op­ The first step towards the desired . . . f4 ad­
tion of 10 e4 once again. vance.
17 'i!Vd1
Trying to stop his opponent's plan 'forever'
with 1 7 e3 would result in a major headache
for White: 17 . . . b4 ! 1 8 t'Llb1 �a4 (suddenly,
White's queen faces serious problems finding a
safe square) 1 9 'ii'd 3 �b5 ! and Black wins ma­
terial with a skewer tactic. Instead, Samisch re­
treats his queen to a square where it eyes the
loose knight on h5 . In this way he prepares the
e4 advance.
17 ... b4
Using the whole board: Black pushes back
the white knight while improving the light­
10 �f4 a6 11 .l:tcl b5 12 'ii'b3 t'Llc6 squared bishop's view on the queenside.
Black has completely focused on solving his 18 t'Llb1 �b5 19 lig1
queenside problems in his last few moves. The White insists on discomforting the h5-knight
. . . a6 and . . . b5 advances have gained some space, by playing e4. But don't forget that Black has
as well as preparing to disturb the knight with a immensely improved his own position with his
timely . . . b4. The text-move seeks to exchange last few moves.
the undeveloped knight for its more active coun­ 19 ... �d6 20 e4 (D)
terpart.
13 t'Llxc6 �xc6 14 h3 'iid7 15 �h2 (D)

Either White or Black must be right in his

claim. As is normally the case, it is the player
As the central structure is stable and the whose pieces are better placed who can j ustify
whole position is rather closed, White has a active play. And that is clearly Black, as a
hard time finding a constructive plan. The same glance at the diagram position will prove.
can also be said for Black, though Nimzowitsch There are exceptional cases where the precise
succeeds in creating a productive strategy. tactics favour the player who appears less well
15 t'Llh5!
.•. placed, but this is not one of those rare in­
Now Black improves his position by gaining stances .
space on the kingside. This move wins a tempo 20...fxe4!
42 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

It turns out that Black can sacrifice his knight 24 'ii'e3 ..id3
in return for massive positional compensation. Gradually narrowing the mobility range. It
21 'ili'xh5 .l:r.xf2 (D) was possible to trap the queen with 24 .. J:le2 25
Black's active bishops are already exerting a 'ii'b 3 ..ia4, but Nimzowitsch's choice certainly
lot of influence over the board, and now it is doesn't spoil the advantage either.
time for the black rooks to take the stage. Al­ 25 .l:r.ce1
though White is material up, some of his pieces There isn't much difference between this
(especially the knight) are wholly out of play, move and 25 l:tge l . The queen's insecurity is
and none are well-placed. That's why material­ increasingly felt in either case.
istic considerations are not that important in 25 h6
••.

this specific battle. White is a piece up, but it is nearly impossi­

ble for him to find a single decent move: White
is fast running out of moves that don't actually
harm his own position. Indeed, Black could win
most neatly by simply waiting for White to ex­
haust his supply of pawn moves, after which
White would have to start ripping his own posi­
tion apart. This type of situation is known as
zugzwang, but it normally occurs in simplified
endgames, rather than in the middlegame with
a board full of pieces. It should also be noted
that having seized control of g5, the . . . .l:.5f3
idea has turned into a real threat, so Black has
more than one way to win.
22 'it'g5 .l:taf8 23 �h1 .l:t8f5 0-1
Suddenly it becomes quite hard to find a safe The game is often referred to as the immortal
place for the white queen. Zugzwang Game.

Once the Tension has been Released

Game 1 7

Rubi nste i n - H i rsch be i n

Polish Ch, Lodz 1 92 7
Queen ' s Gam bit Dec line d

1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 e6 3 lLlc3 d5
After this move, we have reached the charac­
teristic position of the Queen 's Gambit De­
clined. There are several move-orders to reach
this opening, the most classical one being 1 d4
d5 2 c4 e6 3 lLlc3 lLlf6.
One of White's main objectives in this open­
ing is to make it hard for Black to activate his
light-squared bishop, which has been blocked
in by his own central pawns standing on light
squares.
4 ..ig5 ..ie7 5 e3 0-0 6 ltJf3 lLlbd7 (D)
 RUBINSTEIN - HIRSCHBEIN 43

7 .:r.ct yet found a way to activate his light-squared

Both sides tailor their play around the possi­ bishop.
bility of Black playing . . . dxc4. For example, l l .txc4 (D)
White delays developing his light-squared
bishop, since he would prefer to recapture on c4
by playing .txc4 in one move. Instead, a se­
quence such as 7 Ji.d3 dxc4 8 .txc4 would be a
loss of a tempo for White. Therefore he seeks
useful moves that improve his position, such as
7 l:tc 1 , without making it easy for Black to re­
solve the central tension in a favourable man­
ner.
7 c6 8 'it'c2
•••

Continuing with useful semi-waiting moves.

In his own 'waiting process ' , it is harder for
Black to find constructive moves, since he lacks
space. l l lLlb6?
•••

8 l:l.e8 9 a3 (D)
••• The mere fact that a move threatens an en­
emy piece is not sufficient in itself to render the
move desirable. The move played also needs to
be in accordance with the overall game plan, or
to cause the opponent genuine inconvenience
(and as we have noted, White has already pre­
pared a good onward route for his c4-bishop).
Black should be trying to solve the standard
problem of his passive light-squared bishop,
which is behind the central pawn-chain. For in­
stance, he could play l l . . .b6. The text-move,
however, makes it even harder to develop the
c8-bishop by blocking Black's b-pawn. In addi­
tion, on d7 the knight was well-placed to sup­
White manages to find another handy move: port the freeing pawn advances . . . c5 and . . . e5 ,
after . . . dxc4, .txc4 the . . . b5 advance will gain a which will now be very hard to achieve.
tempo to develop the c8-bishop. The text-move 12 .ta2
prepares a good route (Ji.a2-bl ) for the bishop This is possible thanks to 9 a3 .
in that case. 12 .td6
.••

9 h6
•.• Piece-play in the centre by 12 . . . lLlbd5 would
The pawn-push at the other edge of the board be a lesser evil. The exchange of dark-squared
with 9 . . . a6 could also be considered: no matter bishops is not necessarily favourable for Black.
what White plays, Black would then take the Exchanging pieces when in a cramped position
pawn with . . . dxc4, followed by . . . b5 . is often a good idea, but less so if it costs time
10 Ji.f4 dxc4 and merely highlights the difference in quality
Hirschbein didn't see much point in preserv­ between the remaining pieces.
ing the tension any longer. Usually, releasing 13 .txd6 'it'xd6 14 0-0
the tension by initiating a sequence of exchanges A 'simple chess' approach has brought White
results in improving one of the opponent' s an advantageous position. His space advantage,
pieces. I n our case, w e can see that the fl ­ central pawn-majority and the c8-bishop's con­
bishop can join the game without even losing a tinuing problems are the main reasons for this
single tempo. In addition to this, Black has not evaluation.
44 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

14...lbbd7 (D) some counterplay (which he has not seen since

the beginning of the game ! ) by putting pressure
on White ' s upcoming e5-pawn.
17 dxe5 lbg4
The advanced e5-pawn cramps Black's posi­
tion significantly. However, if White were to
become tied down to this pawn, it could easily
turn into a liability for White. Of course, it is
not possible to protect the pawn with 18 f4?, as
this leaves the e3-pawn en prise. However,
Rubinstein is in no rush to defend the pawn. He
instead creates a much more dangerous threat
of his own.
18 i.b1 g6 (D)
15 l:i.fd 1 !
With h i s last move, Black admitted that the
earlier l l . . . lbb6 was a dubious decision, but
the resulting loss of time cannot be easily un­
done. White, on the other hand, improves his
pieces one by one.
15 .. .'ike7 (D)
After all his preparations, White was now
ready to make the desired e4 advance. Hirsch­
bein aims to meet this idea with . . . e5 , even
though this opens the a2-bishop's diagonal.
Therefore, the queen leaves the d-file, so it will
not be facing the d l -rook after exchanges on
e5 . In a chess game, there is often a critical mo­
ment when we must make a decision upon
which the fate of the entire game hinges. This is
such a position. White could simply protect his
pawn, but such a 'timid' approach not only
misses the opportunity for an advantage, but
also it could even yield a slight plus for Black:
19 �e4? 'iih4 ! 20 �f4 g5 ! 21 �g3 �xg3 22
hxg3 lbxe5 .
19 lbe4!
An outstanding evaluation. Rubinstein va­
cates the c3-square for his queen, and at the
same time forces his opponent to grab the pawn,
as now lbd6 and lL'lf6+ are quite unpleasant
16 lbe5 threats.
White is looking to seize the initiative. This 19 ...lbxe5
move is highly 'committal' , since it changes the Unwillingly removing the pawn. This cap­
pawn-structure, and hence the whole character ture will lead to serious problems on the dark
of the position. squares, which have already been significantly
16 ...lbxe5 weakened by the exchange of bishops and the
Hirschbein refuses to tolerate such a strong . . . g6 advance.
knight in the centre. He aims to find at least 20 �c3! (D)
 GLUCKSBERG - NAJDORF 45

Now Black cannot maintain his knight on

e5, where it serves the important function of
blocking the long diagonal. After it moves,
White will be able to conquer the f6-square
with deadly effect.
20 lbd7
•••

White wins after both 20 . . .f6 21 f4 lbg4 22

h3 f5 23 lbd6 and 20 . . . f5 2 1 lbd6, showing that
d6 as well as f6 is a target for the knight.
21 lixd7! 1-0
After the removal of the 'guardian', the lDf6+
idea is decisive: 2 l . . ..i.xd7 22 lDf6+ 'iitf8 23
lbd5 ! threatens �8# and the black queen.

Open U p the Li nes !

Game 1 8

G l ucksberg - N ajdorf
Warsaw 1 930
Dutc h D efence

1 d4 fS 2 c4 lbf6 3 lbc3 e6 4 lbf3 dS 5 e3 c6 to exchange off this piece. But as the queen's
(D) knight has already been developed to c3, it is
hard to carry out the well-known plan of b3 and
i.a3 .
8 lbbd7 9 lbg5? (D)
••.

A form of the Stonewall Dutch. With this sys­

tem, Black seeks a closed and solid centre by
putting all his central pawns on light squares. Es­
pecially his control over the e4-square stands Trying to win a tempo by attacking the e6-
out. Still, like all defensive systems, it has its pawn, and thereby gaining time to play f4. But
drawbacks: the e5-square is a 'hole', and the one should never forget that it is very important
light-squared bishop is behind the pawn-chain to give attention to our opponent's ideas, as
and some effort will be needed to activate it. well as our own plans.
6 .i.d3 .i.d6 7 0-0 0-0 8 lbe2 9 i.xh2+!
•••

Because Black's sole defender of the dark A simple tactic that wins a pawn: 10 'iitxh2
squares is his dark-squared bishop, White seeks lbg4+, followed by . . . 'ilxg5 .
46 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

10 <i;hl ll'lg4! 16 dxe5

Black correctly brings more pieces to the As 1 6 . . . e4+ 1 7 .i.xe4 fxe4+ 1 8 ll'lxe4 ll'lde5+ !
kingside, rather than taking care of his threat­ 1 9 dxe5 ll'lxe5# was a serious concrete threat,
ened e6-pawn. the sacrifice has to be accepted.
1 1 f4 16 ll'ldxe5+ 17 fxe5 ll'lxe5+ 18 <i;f4 ll'lg6+
•••

It wouldn't be possible for White to endure 19 <i;f3

the assault after I I ll'lxe6 'ifh4. After a more or less forced sequence of
ll .'i¥e8
.. moves, we reach another critical position. Al­
As the queen's desired route d8-h4 has been though the king' s defences have been ripped
blocked, Najdorf changes its path to the h-file. apart by successive sacrifices, Black has to
12 g3 continue playing accurately; let's not forget
In his turn, Gliicksberg seeks salvation by that he is material down. However, the strategy
leaving the h-file immediately. that leads to glory is always the same: in order
12 .'i!ih5 13 <i;g2
•• to benefit from the king' s exposed position,
Both sides have implemented their respec­ lines must be opened !
tive plans. White's hopes rely on posing some 19 f4!
•••

problems on the h-file with moves like .l:.h 1 and The importance of the e5-square is empha­
ll'lf3 . Of course, this could only be possible if sized once again, with the threat of . . . ll'le5#.
Black fails to find a constructive plan. How­ 20 exf4 (D)
ever, Najdorf comes up with an excellent strat­
egy, and he follows this method right to the end
of the game: open up the lines !
13 .i.g1 !
.•.

An instructive way to open the h-file. Now

both 14 :xg1 and 1 4 <i;xg 1 allow mate, but
what happens if he takes with the knight?
14 ll'lxg1 'i¥h2+ 15 <i;f3 (D)

White at least tries to vacate e3 as an es­

cape-route for his king. However, this is a futile
effort, since it will be impossible to defend the
position once Black's remaining pieces join the
attack.
20 .i.g4+!
•••

After the star move 1 5 . . . e5 ! ! , it has been

clear that nearly all Black's forces will join the
Thus, the king had no choice but to move to­ assault. This bishop sacrifice has to be accepted
wards the centre after the bishop sacrifice. Still, because of the skewer, but this will lead to
in order to benefit from this occurrence, the White's king moving even further up the board.
paths to White's king have to be opened up ! 21 <i;xg4 ll'le5+!
15 ...e5! ! What a surprise( ! ) : Black opens lines. The
After this marvellous move, nearly all Black's knight is sacrificed to clear the f-file.
pieces join the assault. More importantly, the 22 fxeS hS# (0-1)
pawn-shield that provides safety to White's king The final position is the proof of the rightful­
for the moment will be torn apart. ness of Black's consistent strategy in this game.
 BOTVINNIK - VIDMAR 47

Those I solated Queen's Paw ns . . .

Game 1 9

Botvi n n i k - Vid m a r
Nottingham 1 93 6
Queen ' s Gam bi t Dec l i ne d

1 c4
Although the game has started with the move
1 c4, which symbolizes the English Opening, it
will swiftly transpose to Queen's Gambit wa­
ters.
l. ..e6 2 lt:Jf3 d5 3 d4 lt:Jf6 (D)

After all the exchanges, a typical ' isolated

queen's pawn' position has been reached. Iso­
lated pawns - ones that lack any friendly pawns
on the adjacent files - can easily turn into
weaknesses in the long run. This is because
they can ' t be protected by other pawns, and so
4 .ig5 .ie7 5 lt:Jc3 rely on piece support, and in general pieces
A conventional move-order to reach this po­ should perform more maj or tasks than merely
sition is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lt:Jc3 lt:Jf6 4 .ig5 .ie7 defend pawns. But an isolated queen's pawn in
5 lt:Jf3 . a structure like the one we have here provides
5 ... 0-0 6 e3 lt:Jbd7 a space advantage and attacking opportunities
Black determines the course of the game by to its owner, as well as controlling some key
giving priority to developing his knight. An­ squares such as e5 . So, it is a double-edged el­
other major option here is the Tartakower De­ ement that directly creates imbalance on the
fence with 6 . . . h6 7 .ih4 b6, which mainly board.
focuses on trying to solve the light-squared 10...lt:Jb6
bishop's problem by developing it on the long This natural move, in addition to threatening
diagonal. the bishop, aims to establish firm control over
7 .id3 c5 the d5-square.
This advance suddenly increases the ten­ l l .ib3 .id7
sion between the pawns, and therefore comes Now Black plans to strengthen his control
along with some risks. Apparently Botvinnik over d5 with . . . it.c6. Both sides have played
thinks it best to preserve the central status quo rather logically so far.
for the moment, and castles kingside, to be 12 1i'd3
better ready for whatever developments may On the other hand, White creates a classical
now occur. attacking weapon by lining up his queen and
8 0-0 cxd4 9 exd4 dxc4 10 .ixc4 (D) bishop on the bl -h7 diagonal. Also, as we
48 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIA TURES

shall soon see in the game, the queen is ready

for a possible switch to the kingside via the
third rank. Still, there were other possible ap­
proaches here. For example, Black' s control
over e5 has been weakened by . . . lt:Jb6, and
White could try to benefit from this by central­
izing a knight with 1 2 lt:Je5 .
12 lt:Jbd5 13 lt:Je5 .i.c6
•••

We see that some of the aforementioned ideas

are put to use, although in a different order.
14 l:r.ad1 lt:Jb4?! (D)
In isolated queen's pawn structures, exchang­
ing off the opponent's most effective pieces is an While keeping all his powerful attacking
important defensive plan. 14 . . . :cs might be a pieces on the board, White strengthens his as­
good preparation for such an idea: then 1 5 .i.c2 sault with his reserves. The vulnerability of
is not very appropriate, as there is 1 5 . . . lt:Jb4 in the e6-square has been emphasized with the
reply. 1 5 'ifh3 (White's next move in the game 'ifd3-h3 manoeuvre. Now Botvinnik aims to
continuation) needs careful handling because put further pressure on this point with the f5
15 . . . lt:Jxc3 ? ! 16 bxc3 is tricky for Black since advance.
16 ... .i.d5 17 c4 ! and 16 . . . .i.e4 17 l:!.fe1 .i.f5 1 8 17 .l:.c8
•••

'ii'f3 are both awkward. 1 5 . . . h6 looks risky, but Bringing the rook into action, while at the
1 6 .i.xh6 is far from clear, while if the bishop re­ same time stopping .i.c2. However, Black's
treats, then Black can consider offering to ex­ seemingly solid position has already lost its
change some minor pieces. dynamism; he is now merely parrying White's
active plans. On the other hand, White's pieces
constantly improve their positions and thereby
increase the pressure on Black.
18 f5 exf5 19 l:.xf5 (D)

Although Black has placed his knight on b4

with a concrete goal, this piece will soon have
to return to d5 , after several strong moves by
White.
15 'ii'h3! After this last exchange, the power of the
Eyeing the e6- and h7-squares. unopposed b3-bishop is increasingly felt in
15 .i.d5
••• Black's camp. Now .i.h6 ! ! is an incredible
Why is this blockading idea ineffective here? threat.
Because the c3-knight is available to eliminate 19 'ii'd6? !
•••

the 'balancer' of the position, Black's light­ I t is easy t o criticize nearly all o f Black' s
squared bishop. moves in this tough position. B u t it would be
16 lt:Jxd5! lt:Jbxd5 17 f4! (D) fairer to look for the mistakes in his previous
 SMYSLOV - KOITNA UER 49

moves. Alekhine, the 4th World Chess Cham­ the b3-bishop ' s influence the decisive factor in
pion, mentions that 19 . . . l:c7 deserves atten­ this game. Now it' s time to seal the deal.
tion. Yet in his notes, he also points out that 22 'ifc6 (D)
•..

the pressure would continue with 20 l:.dfl . 20

.i.h6, with litg5 ideas, is also powerful.
Now Botvinnik strikes on the a2-g8 diago­
nal.
20 li.Jxf7!
First Black's light-squared bishop, then the
e6-pawn, and finally the f7-pawn have been
eliminated. All these actions have taken place
to benefit maximally from White's own light­
squared bishop.
20 Jixf7 21 .i.xf6
••

Now the guardian of the d5-knight is re­

moved.
21. .i.xf6 22 l:txd5
•• 23 .l:td6 'ifeS 24 .l:.d7
White is a pawn up, but his advantage is of a Once again reminding us who is the 'boss' of
far greater and more violent nature than that. this game.
With his consistent play, Botvinnik has made 1-0

Safety Fi rst !
Game 20

Smyslov - Kottnauer
Groningen 1 946
S i c i l i an Defence

1 e4 c5 2 lZ'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 li.Jxd4 li.Jf6 5 kind of a ' zone defence' strategy, controlling
li.Jc3 a6 6 Jle2 e6 (D) all the squares from b5 to f5 .
7 0-0 b5? !
O f course . . .b 5 i s an essential part o f Black's
game-plan, which mainly aims to exert pres­
sure in the centre, while gaining some space on
the queenside. But wouldn't it be a mistake to
forget that such an advance, without first com­
pleting development or bringing the king into
safety, comes along with major risks?
8 .i.f3!
Although winning some space in the centre
with f4 is the most natural follow-up in the
Scheveningen, Smyslov wants to threaten his
opponent directly with 9 e5 . Quite a concrete
The game has started with a Najdorf move­ plan, isn't it? Suddenly, the focal point of the
order (5 . . . a6), but Black has chosen a Scheve­ struggle will turn to the queenside, which has
ningen pawn-structure with . . . d6 and . . . e6. In been somewhat weakened by Black's untimely
this sharp opening system, Black embraces a 7 . . . b5 ? ! .
50 INSTRUCTNE CHESS MINIATURES

8 l:r.a7 (D)
••• Normally 1 2 . . . �e7 followed by . . 0-0 right
.

8 . . .�fd7 would be met by 9 e5 d5 1 0 �xd5 ! away would be a good plan. But against this, 1 3
exdS 1 1 �xd5 , when White is much better. The �d2 intending �aS would be strong.
attempt to close the diagonal by 8 . . . e5 weakens 13 e5!
dS and White would take an unquestionable Opening lines against Black's uncastled king.
command of this square with 9 �fS g6 10 �e3 There are now many possible sequences of cap­
�e6 1 1 a4 ! b4 1 2 �cdS . tures, which require precise analysis.
13 �xe5 (D)
•••

Black has other options, but none of them

seem bright: 1 3 . . . �xf3 14 �xf3 dxeS 1 S �xeS
'fic8 1 6 �f4 ! and White is unquestionably better
as 1 6 .. J:!.xc2? fails to 1 7 l:tac l ! ; 1 3 . . . dxeS 1 4
�xb7 l:txb7 1 S 'ii'xa6 'il'c8 1 6 � 6 and once
again, White has the upper hand as 16 . . . l:tc7 is
strongly met by 17 �b6 ! .

9 'il'e2 l:tc7 10 l:td1

The eS idea is prepared once again, with the
emergence of the pin along the d-file.
10 �bd7 1 1 a4! (D)
•••

When choosing a plan, we should consider

where our pieces' energy is most keenly felt. In
this sense, beginning with 8 �f3 ! , Smyslov has
directed his attention to the queenside, which
his opponent exposed with an untimely ad­ 1 4 �xb7 .l:lxb7 1 5 '§xa6
vance. Now White aims to weaken the pawn­ Maintaining the pressure on Black's queen­
chain. side. Black has already lost his a- and b-pawns,
and will now come under attack from White's
queen and knights.
15 'ifb8 16 �c6! (D)
•••

Constant pressure ! It is essential to continue

with forcing moves, to deny the opponent any
chance to organize his defences.

l l bxa4
...

1 l . . .b4 1 2 �a2 would leave the pawn vul­

nerable, because against 1 2 . . . a5 , there comes
the reply 1 3 �bS .
12 �xa4 �b7
 KIRILOV - FURMAN 51

16 ltJxc6 17 'ifxc6+ liJd7

••• Development with tempo leaves Black help-
1 7 .. J:td7 loses to 1 8 lLlb6, when White wins less.
material. 19 i.d6
•••

18 lLlc5 ! ! (D) 19 .. .'iVxf4 20 'ii'xb7 and White wins.

20 i.xd6 :b6 (D)

A great blow, which benefits from the pin

and opens the d-file and h2-b8 diagonal. Of A last desperate try.
course it is obligatory for Black to accept the 21 'ii'xd7+! 1-0
offer. Kottnauer resigned because 2 l . . .�xd7 22
18 dxc5 19 i.f4
••• i.xb8+ leaves Black a piece down.

The Dou ble B ishop Sacrifice

Game 2 1

Ki ri lov - Fu rma n
Vilnius 1 949
Ruy Lopez

1 e4 eS 2 lLlf3 ltJc6 3 i.bS a6 4 i.a4 lLlf6 5 In the Ruy Lopez, it is quite common to at­
'ii'e2 tack Black's queenside pawn-chain with this
See Roesch-Schlage, Hamburg 1 9 1 0 (Game advance. White aims to force his opponent to
1 1 ). make a concession - either a weakness in the
S bS 6 i.b3 i.e7 7 a4 (D)
••• pawn-structure, or a weak square.
7 b4 8 i.dS?!
•••

This move tries to benefit from the vulnera­

bility of the e5-pawn, yet it is unnecessarily
ambitious. So far, Black has not made any sin­
gle mistake that can be punished. Therefore, it
was better to continue with normal develop­
ment.
A series of exchanges now simplifies the po-
sition.
S liJxdS
.••

It was hard to tolerate the pin.

9 exd5 liJd4 10 ltJxd4 exd4 1 1 0-0
52 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

An important question is whether White seem that White has been rewarded for his ambi­
could hunt down the d4-pawn with I I 'ii'e4. tious choice to exert pressure against Black' s
There follows 1 l . . ..i.b7 1 2 11i'xd4 0-0 1 3 0-0 aS , pawns with 8 ..tdS ? ! - he has an extra pawn, af­
when Black obtains reasonable chances with ter all. But there is a cost. The position is very
his bishop-pair, as White has some problems open, and Black has obtained the bishop-pair.
due to his lack of queenside development. This The most important element in this position is
line was probably the reason behind Kirilov's White ' s lack of queenside development. There­
choice, by which he seeks to secure his king. fore, it is likely that Black has more than enough
11 0-0 12 'ii'c4? ! (D)
••• compensation for his small material deficit.
15 'ii'f3 .:tc7 16 d3 ..tb7!
Regaining the pawn with 16 . . . .l::r.xc2 was also
possible, but development is far more important.
17 'ii'd 1 ..td6
Black's bishops are lining up menacingly
against White's king. Kirilov brings some of
his reserves into the defence without losing any
time.
18 tt::ld2 l:le8?!
Immediately going for an all-out attack with
1 8 .. .'ii' h4 could be more effective.
19 tt::l c4? (D)
It was time to give up the material advantage,
After a slight delay, White harasses the d4- and to try to eliminate at least one of the bish­
pawn. As the loss of this pawn is inevitable, ops with 19 tt::le4 ! .
Furman opens up the position, so that his
bishop-pair can be maximally effective.
12 c5!
•••

In order to open more lines, the d7-pawn is

offered instead of the one on d4.
13 dxc6
Risky, yet after 1 3 d3 aS , Black would not
face any difficulties whatsoever.
13 dxc6 14 'ii'xc6 :a7 (D)
.••

But apparently for a moment, Kirilov has

forgotten that he has developed his knight for
defensive purposes. Consequently, he loses to a
standard series of sacrifices that has been well­
known since Em.Lasker-J.Bauer, Amsterdam
1 889 (see Supplementary Game 1 ) .
19 ..txh2+!
•••

The king has been left to fend for itself

against the assault of Black's pieces. Its pawn­
The forced sequence of moves has ended, and shield will be tom apart with two bishop sacri­
now it is a good time to make an evaluation of fices. The first sacrifice removes one pawn and
this concrete position. At first glance, it might gains time to bring the queen into the attack.
 SPASSKY - A VTONOMOV 53

We should note that 1 9 . . Jhc4 ! 20 dxc4 'ii'h4 is This second bishop sacrifice opens the g-file
also very strong (e.g., 2 1 f4 .i.c5 or 2 1 h3 for the use of a black rook.
.l:.e6 ! ) . 22 �xg2 .l:.c6!
2 0 �xh2 'ii'h4+ 21 �g1 .txg2! (D) The goal of this final step is rather obvious:
after the rook-lift, White's king will be helpless.
23 .tf4
White gives up his bishop so that he can es­
cape via the fl -square. But in a couple of moves,
another weakness will emerge.
23 ... 11i'xf4 24 llh1 l:.f6!
How can White defend f2?
25 l:th2 l:.g6+! 0-1
Now 26 �h 1 fails due to a tactical theme, de­
flection: 26 . . . l:tel + ! 27 'iWxe 1 11i'f3+ (according
to some sources, White resigned here) 28 l:tg2
'iWxg2#.

As Long as the Ki ng is Stuck i n the Centre . . .

Game 2 2

S passky - Avtonomov
Leningrad Junior Ch 1 949
Queen ' s Gam bi t Accepte d

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 easily stop this plan with 7 a4. But Spassky ' s
The Queen 's Gambit Accepted. Black al­ set-up with 'ife2 and .l:.d l is both very logical
lows his opponent to acquire quite a strong and typical : now the e4 advance would be more
formation in the centre. But in return, he aims effective, since it will put Black's queen in an
to solve his light-squared bishop's develop­ uncomfortable position.
ment problem. While White is spending time
recapturing the c4-pawn, a standard plan for
Black is to expand on the queenside with . . . a6,
. . . b5 and . . . .i.b7 .
3 lt:lf3
Directly attacking c4 with 3 e4 is another
story. Apparently Spassky does not want to
give his opponent a possible 'freeing' opportu­
nity with 3 . . . e5 .
3 ... lt:lf6 4 e3 e6 5 .i.xc4 c5
So far, both sides have followed opening
theory. After White has recaptured his pawn,
Black tries to put d4 under pressure, in order to
prevent the desired e4 advance. 7 b5 8 .tb3 lt:lc6
.••

6 0-0 a6 7 'ii'e2 (D) Who would have thought that Avtonomov 's
Since the beginning of the game, one of decision on this move would shape the course
Black's main objectives was . . . b5 . White could of the whole game? Although 8 . . . c4 would
54 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

have won a tempo, this advance releases the

pressure on d4, and this makes it easier for
White to play e4 at the right moment. But
8 . . . -ltb7 is more flexible: in this way, Black
can decide later on how best to develop the
b8-knight, once White has committed to a par­
ticular set-up.
9 ltJc3 cxd4 (D)

A basic (yet usually effective ! ) strategy when

facing an isolated queen' s pawn is to blockade
this pawn with a minor piece. The reason is
rather simple: the blockading piece cannot be
attacked by a pawn. It is quite obvious that
Black has prepared . . . liJbd5 with his last move.
But as we've mentioned so many times through­
out the book, the opponent's ideas are at least as
important as our own.
10 .l:!.d1 ! ? 12 d5! !
Rooks belong o n open files. I n the Queen's In order to benefit from the black king's in­
Gambit Accepted, the .l:!.fd 1 idea can be seen secure posture in the centre, it is very important
quite frequently. 10 exd4 ! ? is also possible, to open lines. Therefore Spassky does not hesi­
when we can see this rook move once again: tate to sacrifice his d-pawn; if he had waited
10 . . . ltJxd4 ? ! 1 1 ltJxd4 'i!Vxd4 12 liJd5 ! ? ltJxd5 even a single move, Black could have block­
( 1 2 . . . -ltd6 is a better option) 1 3 .l:r.d l . In princi- aded the pawn and the fleeting chance for its
ple, the main objective is to harass Black's advance would have disappeared.
queen on the open file. 12 ltJbxd5 13 i.gS i.e7 14 i.xf6! (D)
•••

10 -ltb7
•.•

It is unrealistic for Black to try to keep his

material advantage when he has neither castled
nor completed his development. Avtonomov is
well aware of the fact that his pawn advantage
is temporary. Still, it seems that giving priority
to kingside development was better, since this
approach could also help him castle. Therefore,
1 0 . . . .te7, followed by . . . 0-0, seems like a much
safer option.
11 exd4
An isolated queen 's pawn structure has
arisen. A sharp and unbalanced struggle awaits
both sides. An IQP gives its possessor some ad­ Another point of 'i!Ve2 can be seen: it's not
vantages by controlling space and providing possible to recapture with the bishop, since
active posts in the opening and middlegame, 14 . . . i.xf6 1 5 ltJxd5 costs Black a piece due to
but it can easily tum into a liability in the end­ the pin on the e-file. Therefore Black must ac­
game. cept a fractured pawn-structure on the king­
l l liJb4 (D)
... side.
 GIPSLIS - DARZNIEKS 55

14 gxf6 15 tt:Jxd5 �xd5 16 �xd5 exd5 17

.•. White has only sacrificed a mere pawn to
liJd4 (D) reach this wonderful position. Black's pawn­
structure is a wreck, and it is entirely possible
for White to step up pressure on the e-file with
lLlf5 . Avtonomov, totally in desperation, tries to
evade the pin.
17 ...�f8 18 tt:Jf5 h5
Facing mortal threats, Black stops �h5-h6+.
19 �xd5!
Overloading Black's queen, which is defend-
ing the bishop on e7 .
19 ... 'i!Vxd5 20 'ib'xe7+ �g8 21 'ib'xf6
As Black is helpless against �g7# . . .

1-0

A S i m i lar Case :

G i ps l i s - Da rzn ieks
La tvian Ch, Riga 1 962
Position after l l . . . l2Jd 7 -f6 ?

Black hopes to prevent the d5 advance by

keeping the e-file closed.
13 d5! exd5
w
More or less forced, since 1 3 . . . �xd5 fails to
1 4 �b5+ c6 1 5 �xc6+ ! .
1 4 liJd4 c5 (D)

Black aims to achieve a rather balanced po­

sition with the help of simplifications. How­
ever, his last move was a mistake. The idea
itself was perfectly reasonable, but it should
have been prepared with 1 1 . . . 0-0, which is
always an important safety measure. After
witnessing Spassky's approach in a similar po­ 1s tt:Jrs
sition, White's play won ' t be that surprising You should be familiar with all these ma­
any more. noeuvres !
12 lLlxf6+! 15 ... �c8 16 �b5+ Wf8 17 l:.xd5! �c7 18
A key guardian of the important d5-square is l:ld7! 1-0
removed. The rook's interference tactic brings the game
12... gxf6 to an end.
56 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

Wea k Sq u a res
Game 23
Boleslavsky - S myslov
Budapest Candida tes 1 950
S l av Defen ce

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 A natural way to grab space, though 6 d5 is

The Slav Defence. Black supports the d5- also a logical reply.
pawn without closing his light-squared bishop's 6 cxd4 7 'i!i'xd4
••.

diagonal. In addition to this, after a possible When playing with the white pieces, many
. . . dxc4, he aims to make it more difficult for players are unwilling to exchange queens at
White to recapture his pawn, by threatening the such an early stage. But I don' t have any idea
. . . b5 advance. how White might win the c4-pawn back after 7
3 liJc3 liJf6 4 lt:Jf3 liJxd4 e5 8 liJdbS a6 ! (even better than taking
Boleslavsky gives priority to developing his castling rights from White with 8 . . . 'i!i'xd 1 +) 9
knights. 'i!i'xd8+ 'it>xd8 1 0 lt:Ja3 �xa3 ! 1 1 l:txa3 �e6.
4 dxc4 (D)
••. 7 'i!i'xd4 8 liJxd4 (D)
•••

5 a4 In this 'queenless middlegame' White has

This most popular move's goal is obvious : some trumps : after liJdbS, some fork ideas will
stopping . . . b5 . This makes sure White can re­ appear. Also, it is hard to find a suitable square
capture the c4-pawn, but the a-pawn's advance for Black's light-squared bishop. Still, White
isn't such a useful move in itself, and can even should be careful not to create a very dry and
prove weakening in some lines. On the other dull position by further simplification. If he is
hand, Black's . . . c6 isn't the most useful move to make anything of his slight pluses, he must
either, so this is a typical trade-off. identify some forcing dynamic resources.
5 c5! ?
••. 8 ... e6 9 liJdb5 lt:Ja6 10 �xc4
This interesting approach i s rarely seen. Ap­ White has managed to take his pawn back
parently with his bold move, Smyslov is aiming with a slightly superior position.
to prevent his opponent from acquiring a strong 10 ... ..ic5 1 1 �f4 'it>e7
pawn-majority in the centre. The standard move It is always easy to criticize one side's play af­
is 5 . . . �f5 and only after developing the bishop, ter seeing the whole battle. But during the game,
. . . e6. each critical decision is made under different
6 e4 circumstances. In many queenless middlegame
 BOLESIAVSKY - SMYSLOV 57

positions, both sides keep their kings i n the cen­ constantly increasing, and with his more har­
tre, rather than adopting a ' safety-first' approach monious pieces, White is better prepared for
by castling. If the queenless middlegame is this development.
transformed into a true endgame (by further ex­ 14 l:.hc8 (D)
•••

changes and/or a lessening of the importance of

dynamic factors), then the kings need to be
ready to play an active role. Still, Black has not
completely coordinated his pieces and it is le­
gitimate to question the 7th World Champion' s
decision.
12 0-0 .i.d7 (D)

15 i.e2
Defence and attack: bishop runs away from
the black rook's attack, and at the same time ha­
rasses the h5-knight.
15 g6 16 l'De4 (D)
•••

13 e5!
An important moment: the f6-knight is ex­
iled to an ineffective square, whereas the e4-
square has been prepared for the use of White's
own knight. Also, the d6-square has turned into
an outpost for the future.
13 l'Dh5
•..

Knights stuck on the edge of the board are

often ineffective and this matter has been em­
phasized since Tarrasch's era: "a knight on the
rim is dim". A knight's mobility is severely re­
stricted when it is located on the edge. In this 16 i.xe3
.••

case, the knight attacks White's bishop, but this Smyslov sees that his dark squares have been
is only a temporary issue and in a couple of weakened by the forced 1 5 . . . g6. In order to re­
moves, the knight will tum into a burden. duce his problems on these squares, he removes
14 i.e3! White's dark-squared bishop. But White now
A voluntary invitation to 'wreck' the pawn­ will gain his longed-for play on the f-flle.
structure requires a deep positional understand­ 17 fxe3 litc2
ing. For the upcoming unbalanced position, Seeking counterplay with active moves is
Boleslavsky has appreciated that his play along the way to go, but even this will not be suffi­
the half-open f-flle (a dynamic element) is much cient.
more important than the structural damage (a 18 l'Dbd6!
static element). The pressure on f7 makes the bishop taboo:
For the moment, the exchange of bishops is 1 8 .. .litxe2? 1 9 l:.xf7+ 'iftd8 20 l:tf8+ (even 20
not obligatory. But the tension on the board is l'Dxb7+ is good) 20 . . . 'iitc7 2 1 l:ha8 gives White
58 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

both a positional and a material advantage. 19 ..txa6

Therefore, the f7 -square must be defended. Why eliminate the knight when it is so inef­
1s ...:rs (D) fective? In order to sustain the initiative, my
dear. . .
19 bxa6 2 0 g4 l:i:Jg7
•••

A miserable square for the knight.

21 l:i:Jf6
A picture of total domination. Threats of
l:i:Jxh7, followed by l:.xf7+, are in the air.
21 ..tc6 22 Ztfc l ! 1-0
•••

The removal of the only active piece puts an

end to Black's futile hopes of salvation. This in­
structive game is the first example in Sergiu
Samarian's highly-praised work, Das System­
atische Schachtraining.

Lack of Development
Game 24
Sou lta n beieff - D u byna
Liege 1 953
Queen's I n d i a n Defen ce

1 d4 l:i:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 l:i:Jf3 b6 4 e3 previous move, it will be quite hard for Black ' s
In the Queen's Indian Defence, the interac­ minor pieces t o maintain their control over
tion between the opposing pieces is sometimes these critical squares.
delayed until the early middlegame phase. As a 7 'flc2 (D)
result, White has a free hand for choosing the
most suitable option to his taste. Although his
choice leaves his own dark-squared bishop be­
hind the pawn-chain, Soultanbeieff apparently
wants to create a strong pawn-centre.
4 ..tb7 5 .i.d3 .i.e4?!
.••

This move is very hard to understand and ex­

plain: spending time voluntarily exchanging the
bishop that is an integral part of Black's whole
set-up cannot be good. Probably Dubyna was
aiming to prevent the e4 advance (a reasonable
motivation, but this is not yet a threat, and there
will be better ways to prevent it, such as . . . d5),
or he wanted to eliminate White's own light­ Consequently, White immediately hits e4 and
squared bishop. forces matters.
6 l:i:Jc3 .i.b4 7 .i.xd3 8 'i!fxd3 d5
•••

Increasing Black' s control over the light Otherwise White would gain total control
squares by pinning the knight is very natural. over the centre after the e4 advance.
But because of the dubious decision on the 9 cxd5! (D)
 SOULTANBEIEFF - DUBYNA 59

Still, he manages to find another highly enter­

prising idea.
12 lt)e5 ! ?
Knights, which are short-range weapons,
like to be located near the targets in the oppo­
nent's camp. But here the real idea is to free the
f-pawn to advance.
12 0-0 13 f4!
•••

Now the idea is clarified: the solid c3-d4-e3

pawn-structure will be maintained for the time
being, while White will attack with his queen
and rook on the f-file.
After this timely capture, Black fails to main­ 13 c5 14 f5 exf5 15 'ii'xf5
•••

tain his presence in the centre, because his Since the beginning of the game, Black has
bishop would easily drop off (9 . . . exd5 ?? 1 0 had a hard time finding a constructive game
'ii'b 5+, followed by 1 1 'ii'xb4, winning). Even plan. Still, his position can be considered solid.
the zwischenzug (in-between move) 9 . . . �xc3+ In this position, Dubyna thinks that his main
is insufficient, as White's �a3 idea after 1 0 problem is caused by his undeveloped knight.
bxc3 exdS would hinder Black from castling, A reasonable thought in itself, but tactics take
and also White could once again launch an at­ priority over every other consideration, right?
tack on Black's central foothold with the c4 ad­ 15 'ii'd5? (D)
.•.

vance. With the idea of preparing . . . lt)c6. Correct

9 lt)xd5 10 0-0
••• plan, wrong execution: this development can be
This brings the king to safety, as well as leav­ prepared by 1 5 . . . 'ii'e 8, which also supports the
ing the b4-bishop and d5-knight aimless. f7-pawn and avoids leaving any loose pieces.
10 lt)xc3
••• 1 5 ... 'ii'c 8 is also far more solid.
Although Black loses a tempo with this cap­
ture, in the alternative variation 1 0 . . . �xc3 1 1
bxc3, the �a3 idea would emerge once again to
trouble Black.
11 bxc3 �e7 (D)

16 lt)g6!
A double attack with a knight-fork theme.
Suddenly Black's queen and bishop (the two
loose pieces at which the previous note hinted)
are under attack.
The opening stage is nearly over. White has 16 'ii'b 7
•.•

an obvious advantage but now needs to form a The only possibility to prolong the struggle.
plan. Soultanbeieff does not opt for the most Instead, 16 . . . 'ii'd7 1 7 'ii'xd7 lt)xd7 1 8 lt)xe7+ is
natural option, 12 e4, followed by 1 3 �f4. Per­ winning for White, while 16 . . . 'ii'e 6 1 7 'ili'xe6
haps he felt that this would weaken d4 a little. fxe6 1 8 lt)xe7+ 'it>h8 1 9 .:txf8# is even mate !
60 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

For 1 6 . . . 'ii'd 6, we see that the problems with the In desperation, Black seeks salvation by cut­
f7-square don't even allow Black to play on an ting the contact between the opposing queens.
exchange down: 1 7 tt:lxf8 ! and the knight can­ Unfortunately, this is a futile effort . . .
not be touched because of 'iWxf7+, followed by 18 'i!i'xc6!
mate. An elegant way to end this game: because
17 'iWdS! 1 8 . . . 'iWxc6 19 tt:lxe7+ 'ii?h 8 20 tt:lxc6 gives White
The 'queen hunt' continues. An instructive a decisive material advantage, Dubyna duly re­
example of the overloading theme. signed.
17 tt:lc6
••. 1-0

Wh en Everyth i ng Goes Accord i ng to P l a n

Game 25
Freeman - Med n is
New York 1 955
Ki ng's I nd i a n Defence

1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 tt:lc3 i.g7 (D) Classical systems beginning with 4 e4 usually

The first steps of the King 's Indian Defence. tend to create positions with a closed centre.
Instead, 3 . . . d5 would carry the position to Griin­ 4 0-0 5 i.g2 d6 6 tt:lf3 tt:lc6
•••

feld waters. The location of the queen's knight deter­

mines the further course of the game. The main
alternative is 6 . . . tt:lbd7, when Black normally
attacks White 's centre with . . . e5. The text­
move, however, supports Black's play against
the d4-square in more direct fashion, while also
provoking White to advance immediately with
d5 .
7 e4?!
This allows Black to create intense pressure
against the d4-pawn. If White wishes to adopt
this approach, he does better to castle and then
play h3 (preventing . . . i.g4) before playing e4.
7 i.g4 (D)
.••

The King' s Indian Defence is a counter­

attacking system, in which Black yields the
centre to his opponent at an early stage of the
game . Later on, Black will target White's
structure with his fianchettoed bishop, sup­
ported by pawn advances such as . . . c5 or . . . e5 .
Both sides have a wide range of options, and
this fact makes the King 's Indian one of the
most complex and deeply analysed opening
systems in chess.
4 g3
In his tum, Freeman chooses to control the
centre from a distance, just like his opponent.
 FREEMAN - MEDNIS 61

The consistent follow-up to Black's plan of be possible? The answer to this question is
piece-play against the pawn-centre. pretty simple: while one can evaluate a single
8 h3 move as good or bad in itself, the harmony and
Freeman feels it is worth spending a tempo to coherence of the moves, plans and the ideas
force the g4-bishop to declare its intentions. By behind them are much more important. In our
eliminating Black's bishop, White will enjoy the case, although Black has made some little ad­
celebrated 'bishop-pair advantage' , right? How­ justments, his consistent plan of putting pres­
ever, this is not a position where the bishop-pair sure on White ' s centre was always there. In
will shine, whereas the black knights will prove contrast, White ' s messy and unprincipled play
highly nimble. 8 .te3, reinforcing d4, is a rea­ has put him in a dim position, where he still
sonable alternative. has not managed to castle, and he has to fight
8 ... .txf3 9 .txf3 tbd7! with B lack' s various threats all the time.
Now it's the g7-bishop's tum to take aim at 13 ... tbe5 14 ..ie2 (D)
d4.
10 .te3
Oddly enough, 1 0 d5 tba5 ! ? 1 1 .te2 tZ'lb6
gives White problems with his c4-pawn. There­ B
fore, White does not yet want to change the
character of the centre with a committal and ir­
reversible step.
10 tba5 ! ?
•••

I t was possible to continue with the 'play

against d4' strategy with 10 . . . e5 1 1 d5 tbd4 1 2
.tg2 c5. After the text-move, however, the game
revolves around the c4-square.
11 "iVa4 (D)
14 tbaxc4!
•••

It is very important to start the tactics before

White has managed to castle. 1 2 . . . a6 com­
B menced Black's plan of seizing the initiative
on the queenside, and now the real action be­
gins.
15 .ixc4 b5 16 ..ixbS axbS (D)

l l ...cS
The knight can maintain its presence on the
edge due to this important pawn advance.
12 dS a6! ?
Black intends to seize the initiative o n the
queenside with . . . b5 .
13 .id2? !
Since the beginning of the game, White has 17 "iVc2
played (at least seemingly) normal moves, yet One might think: "OK, why not 1 7 "iVxb5 ?"
still he faces serious problems. How can this Probably his opponent's play on the b-file scared
62 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

White off: 1 7 . . . liJf3+ 1 8 'iii>d l ( 1 8 'iii>e2 ltJd4+) beautiful opportunities. Mednis has calculated
1 8 . . . ltJxd2 1 9 'iii>xd2 l::tb 8. After the text-move, that his rook is taboo: 20 .l:.xa2 b3 ! 2 1 'iic l (2 1
owever, Black will accelerate his attack by 'i¥xb3 is met by 2 1 . . .liJxd2+) 2 1 . . .bxa2 is win­
gaining a tempo with his b-pawn. ning for Black.
17 b4 18 liJd1 liJf3+ 19 'iii>fl (D)
••• 20 .l:.b1 'it'a5
1 9 'iii>e2 was out of the question because of More reserves join the assault. We won't
the knight fork on d4. Do you think it is possi­ have to wait long to witness the queen's support
ble for White to run away from possible forking in the attack !
themes so easily? 21 'iii> g2 b3! (D)

19 1Ixa2!
.•• A discovered attack finishes the game in
A bolt from the blue ! Although it is obvious splendid fashion: 22 ii.xa5 bxc2 or 22 'iix b3
that White is struggling, it requires a certain ltJxd2.
tactical vision not to miss such effective and 0-1

Pri nce U rusov's Reci pe

Game 26
Neishtadt - G i ps l i s
La tvia vs Russian Federa tion, Riga 1 95 5
Bishop's O pe n i ng

1 e4 e5 2 ii.c4 3 ltJxe4
•••

With the white pieces, some players find it Not the stiffest test of the validity of this en­
hard to get a tangible edge against solid systems terprising system. After 3 . . . exd4 4 liJf3, the
such as the Petroff ( 1 e4 e5 2 liJf3 liJf6) or Berlin game can transpose to the Scotch Gambit with
( 1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 ii.b5 liJf6). Therefore, 4 . . . ltJc6. But in the 4 . . . ltJxe4 5 'iixd4 variation,
from time to time, we see them trying different White would have to demonstrate the correct­
openings, like the Centre Game, Vienna Game ness of his sacrifice, with his temporary, but
and, as in this example, the Bishop 's Opening. powerful, initiative.
2 ltJf6 3 d4! ?
••• 4 dxe5
The Urusov Gambit. White embraces a rather Suddenly, there appear tactical ideas based
aggressive attitude in the opening stage, directly on the traditionally weak f7-square: 'i'd5 and/or
targeting his opponent's centre with a pawn sac­ ii.xf7+.
rifice. 4 ltJc5
•••
 NEISHTADT - GIPSUS 63

Consequently, Black takes his loose knight 10 .'it'e8

••

to a safer square. Unpinning the d7 -pawn. But this idea will not
5 lbf3 i..e7 6 i..f4 lbc6 7 lbc3 lbe6 8 i.. g3 be sufficient against White's constant threats.
(D) l l lbdS!
Now Neishtadt benefits from the pin of the
e6-knight, and threatens lbxc7.
1 1 '1ii'h8 12 lbf4
•••

With his last two moves, White has trans­

ferred his knight to the kingside, where the real
action will take place. In view of the next note,
he might have considered preparing this move
with 1 2 h4 ! ? (which also provides a square for
the g3-bishop).
12 a6?
•••

Here, one might think of an interesting de­

fensive idea: 12 . . . g5 ! ? (a rather radical mea­
sure in front of Black's own king) 1 3 lbxe6
While the e5-pawn might tum into a burden dxe6 with a somewhat unclear position. Prob­
in the long run, for the moment, it is precisely ably Gipslis declined this option as it seemed a
this pawn that restricts Black's development bit risky, but this was his best chance by far. As
and gives White a space advantage. it is, he will face real difficulties when his
8 0-0 9 'ife2
••• planned queenside counterplay turns out to be
White does not want to play cautiously by slower than expected.
castling kingside. The slightly closed character 13 h4!
of the centre makes a kingside attack more at­ Preparing lbg5 .
tractive, so queenside castling is both preferable 13 ...lba5 (D)
and more consistent with his play so far.
9 f5?
••.

This seemingly ambitious advance is actu­

ally not fast enough. Black will never find the
required time to trap the g3-bishop.
10 0-0-0 ! ? (D)
It should be mentioned that 1 0 exf6 i.. xf6 1 1
0-0-0 also works out well for White.

14 i.. xe6!
Giving up the strong bishop is not an easy
decision to make. But as in most other gambit
systems, maintaining the initiative is a key fac­
tor.
14 dxe6 15 lbg5
•••

As mentioned before, knights are most ef­

fective when they are located near the targets in
Thanks to the pin on the d-file, i.. xe6+ is the opponent's camp.
now a serious threat. 15 i.. c5 (D)
•••
64 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

16 l:.d8 ! ! Black has no choice besides removing the

This outstanding move deflects Black's queen white knight on g5 , even though this results in
from her defensive task of controlling h5 . While the opening of the h-file.
it was quite evident that White had good attack­ 18 hxg5 19 hxg5+ �g8 20 lli'h5
•••

ing prospects due to his many active pieces, such This is one of many winning options. White
a beautiful rook sacrifice can only be considered does not allow the black king to run away via
as a gem ! f7 . At the same time, he clears the way for the
16 lli'xd8 17 'ili'h5 h6
•.• g6 advance.
There's no other way to prevent the threat of 20 .l"tJc4 21 g6 'ii'd2+ 22 �b1
••

�xh7#. As Black's pieces are too scattered to create

18 �g6! (D) any discomfort for White's king, the game is al­
The queen is sneakily getting closer to her ready over.
prey. 22 liJa3+ 23 bxa3 1-0
•••

Li n i ng U p on the Th i rd Ra n k
Game 2 7

N ezh metd i nov - Kotkov

Russian Federa tion Ch, Krasnodar 1 95 7
R uy Lo pez

1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 .i.b5 liJf6 ltJxb5 7 a4 liJbd4 8 ltJxd4 ltJxd4 9 'i!Vxd4 d5

This is the Berlin Defence, the main line of White can at most claim a very slight plus)
which is a complex queenless middlegame. 6 . . . dxc6 (6 . . . bxc6, followed by the transfer of
But of course, White has other possibilities the knight to b7, is also interesting, but far less
too. solid) 7 dxe5 liJf5 8 'i¥xd8+ �xd8. At first
4 0-0 ltJxe4 5 l:.el glance this might look like a boring endgame
In 2000, the then World Chess Champion position, but it can lead to a sharp and rich
Kasparov met the challenger Kramnik for the middlegames - after all, there are still many
world title. In that match, Kramnik resurrected pieces left on the board and there is consider­
this old line, which was at that point a rather ne­ able imbalance in the position.
glected system. Facing this seemingly passive In our case, however, White opts for a line in
but very solid defence, Kasparov replied with which the queens stay on the board. Still, one
the main line, 5 d4 liJd6 6 .i.xc6 (after 6 dxe5 should point out that it can be quite hard to
 NEZHMETDINOV - KOTKOV 65

achieve a tangible plus with the symmetrical

pawn-structure that is about to arise.
5 tt:ld6 6 tt:lxe5 i..e7 (D)
•••

Very interesting chess: instead of trying to

get an advantage by putting his pawns in the
centre, White has lined up his pieces in front of
them on the third rank. But this suffices for an
7 i.. d3! ? edge because Black' s pieces are mostly on their
Most of the time, exchanging pieces tends to first rank.
favour the side with a cramped position. A posi­ 14 tt:lf6 15 h3
.••

tion tends to have a natural 'capacity ' , beyond Not permitting . . . i.. g 4.
which the pieces simply get in each other' s 15 tt:ld7 (D)
•••

way. O n the other hand, a player with a space

advantage prefers to have a lot of pieces to 'pa­
trol' this vast domain and keep intruders out.
So if possible, it makes sense for the side with
a space advantage to avoid unforced simplifica­
tions. Nezhmetdinov understands that the knight
on d6 is the main factor in Black's space disad­
vantage, as it blocks the d7 -pawn. The move
chosen 'cuts out' this knight's squares. However,
the bishop itself cuts an odd impression on d3 :
for the moment, it blocks the d2-pawn and there­
fore delays the development of the dark-squared
bishop.
7 tt:lxe5 8 l:lxe5 0-0 9 tt:lc3 i.. f6
•.• Black cannot find a decent plan against his
Who would have predicted that this logical opponent's extraordinary set-up, and embarks
move, questioning the rook's presence on e5 , on some ineffective manoeuvres. His idea is to
was not the most accurate move? After witness­ stop Nezhmetdinov' s pressure along the e-file
ing the game continuation, it may be possible to by playing . . . tt:le5 . But White's natural reply
claim that 9 . . . c6 10 'iYf3 tt:le8 ! 1 1 b3 d5 was an prevents this plan.
easier path to equality. Yet at this moment it is 16 tt:ld5 !
hard to imagine that the bishop belongs on the Forward !
a3-f8 diagonal. 16 f5? !
•••

10 .l:.e3 g6 1 1 'ili'f3 i.. g7 12 b3 tt:le8 Before analysing the game continuation, we

To solve his development problems, Black is should find out why Black did not opt for
willing to retreat his pieces temporarily. But on 1 6 . . . tt:le5 . White seizes a decisive initiative
the contrary, White has developed nearly all his with the exchange sacrifice 17 lhe5 ! dxe5 (af­
forces. ter 1 7 . . . i.. xe5 ? 1 8 lhe5 ! dxe5 1 9 i..e7 the queen
13 i.. a3 d6 14 l:!.ael (D) runs out of safe squares) 1 8 i..e7 'ii'd 7 1 9 tt:lf6+
66 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

..i.xf6 20 'i!Vxf6 (20 ..i.xf8 is also interesting) The 'ili'f7 idea has turned into a serious threat.
20 . . . .:te8 2 1 l:txe5 . After this long variation, 19 ltJf6 20 .l::txf8+ ..i.xf8 21 ..i.b2!
•••

White has the more active pieces and play on With its counterpart, albeit temporarily, leav­
the dark squares, as well as an extra pawn. ing the long diagonal, White's dark-squared
We now return to 1 6 . . . f5 ? ! (D) : bishop finds a better square for itself.
21 .tg7 22 .tc4!
.•.

Now 22 . . . ltJxd5 ? would allow 23 .:te8#.

22 .td7
•••

Black, at last, finds a way to develop his

light-squared bishop and partly resolve his back­
rank problems. Why partly? Nezhmetdinov's
instructive coup de grace will answer this ques­
tion best.
23 ..i.xf6 ..i.xf6 24 "fif7 'ii'd 8? (D)

17 ltJxc7!
White lures the queen away from its main
duty of controlling the back rank, while at the
same time clearing the d5-square for the white
queen. Taking into consideration Black's ' sleep­
ing' pieces on the queenside, White's active
forces and the recently weakened a2-g8 diago­
nal, it is no surprise that this sacrifice proves
successful.
17 .'ikxc7 18 'ii'd 5+ c;t>bS 19 .:teS
•• 25 :eS+! 1-0

A Bolt from the B l ue

Game 28
G a i sert - I . Za itsev
USSR Team Ch, Moscow 1 9 60
Ta rrasch Defen ce

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 ltJc3 c5 The text-move is the Hennig-Schara Gam­

The Tarrasch Defence. Against the Queen' s bit. Black does not want to deal with the possi­
Gambit, rather than forming a solid set-up by ble problems of an isolated pawn. With this ul­
strengthening d5 with moves like 3 . . . c6 or tra-aggressive approach, he is content to give
simple development, Black is ready to accept up a pawn in return for generating early pres­
structural weaknesses in return for active piece­ sure on his opponent.
play. 5 "ikxd4 ltJc6
4 cxd5 cxd4 Developing the pieces to effective squares
The main line of the Tarrasch is 4 . . . exd5 5 with tempo lays the foundation for Black's ac­
ltJf3 ltJc6, when material is level but Black is tive play.
likely to get an isolated d-pawn. 6 "iid 1 exd5 7 'ii'xd5 (D)
 GAISERT - I. ZA.ITSEV 67

consideration, one can easily understand that

here White ' s main task is to bring his king to
safety.
1 1 'ii'b 3 .te6 12 'ilfa4?
Why not 1 2 .tc4, trying to swap the undevel­
oped bishop for its counterpart on e6? Perhaps
Gaisert was dreaming of attacking the black
king with ideas like .ta6. In any case, White
should have given priority to his king's safety.
12 .tb4
•••

The threat of winning a pawn with . . . .txc3+

does not allow White to put his .ta6 idea into
Three consecutive moves b y the queen i n the practice.
opening . . . Having seen quite a number of in­ 13 l:tcl? (D)
structive miniatures, we are well aware that White has fallen significantly behind his op­
White will need to be careful over the next few ponent in development, and now allows a deadly
moves. tactical blow.
7 .td7
••• The threat against c3 makes it hard for White
Black, on the other hand, prevents the ex­ to catch up in development; the only move is 1 3
change of queens (which would limit his at­ �e2, but what would White's next step then be,
tacking possibilities) with another developing even if he were allowed some peace and quiet?
move. Not that he will be; after 1 3 . . . l:td3 White is en­
S .tgS gaged in a desperate fight for survival.
White normally plays more modestly with 8
�f3 �f6 9 'i!fd 1 (or 9 'iVb3 ! ?), when it is a good
deal harder for Black to prove that he has enough
compensation for the pawn.
8 �f6 9 .txf6
•..

9 'ii'd2 is seen more often. After the text­

move, Black's queen joins the battle without
losing a tempo, and this is quite important, as is
the fact that White is liable to be vulnerable on
the dark squares after giving up this bishop.
9 'ii'xf6 10 e3 0-0-0 (D)
•••

13 J1d2! !
..

We've seen some similar examples in our

book, yet Zaitsev's move was a genuine bolt
from the blue ! There is no choice but to accept
the offer, as . . . 'ii'xf2# is a deadly threat, and 1 4
�ge2 is met b y 1 4 . . . l:txb2.
14 'it>xd2 'ii'xf2+
Black's idea is clear: in this open position, he
will attack the 'centralized' white king. Still,
Black must also act carefully, as even a tiny
mistake in the calculation process of a king­
A wide open position, a king in the centre, hunt might tum the sacrifice into an unfounded
and now . . . 0-0-0 ! Taking all these factors into speculative idea.
68 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

15 lL!e2 i.fS
The first mission has been completed: the
escape-route via c2 is now closed ! How can
White prevent Black's most dangerous threat,
. . . l:td8#?
16 'ii'xb4
Gaisert desperately sets a trap: 1 6 . . . lL!xb4??
is met by 17 lL!e4+ ! and suddenly it is White
who is winning ! But of course, Black is not
obliged to capture the queen and comply with
White's intentions.
16 .:td8+! 17 'ii'd4
•.•

There are no reasonable defensive resources 19 lL!d4 c,t.bs 20 c,t>d1 'i!i'xe3 0-1
left. An instructive example. In an open position,
17 lL!xd4 18 lLlb5+ lL!c6+ (D)
••. the problems caused by an uncastled king and
1 8 . . . lL!c2+ would finish the game a bit more backward development should never be under­
quickly. But the text-move is more than suffi­ estimated, although it required considerable
cient. imagination by Black to take full advantage.

Let's B ri ng the Ki ng to the Centre !

Game 2 9
Ta i ma nov - Pol ugaevsky
USSR Ch, Leningrad 1 9 60
Queen's G a m bit Accepted

1 d4 dS 2 c4 dxc4 4 lL!bd7
•••

We saw an example of the Queen 's Gambit The game would transpose to a variation of
Accepted in Game 22. the Slav Defence after 4 . . . c6 5 'ifxc4 i.f5 .
3 lL!f3 lL!f6 4 'ii'a4+! ? (D) S lL!c3
As it is highly improbable that Black will be The queen's presence on a4 is useful as it
able to keep his c4-pawn in the long run, White maintains a pin on the d7 -knight. Therefore, in­
usually opts for 4 e3 here. Maybe Taimanov stead of regaining his pawn immediately, White
chose this interesting move in order to disrupt takes the opportunity to set up a well-supported
the harmony in his opponent's camp. pawn-centre.
s e6 6 e4
...

The desired pawn-structure has been built.

Black has to act quickly, so as not to fall into a
passive position without any prospects.
6 c5
..•

This is the only effective way to challenge

White's central pawn duo.
7 dS exdS 8 eS!
This is far more effective than acquiring a
passed pawn with 8 exd5 followed by i.xc4.
Although passed pawns can prove important
trumps in the long term, this option is not
 TAIMANOV - POLUGAEVSKY 69

especially promising for White. The position 10 1i'xf6

•••

would then be stabilized, reducing White' s The discomforting pawn must be eliminated.
prospects of seizing the initiative. The passed But this capture allows White's forces to join
d5-pawn is easily blockaded by a bishop (or at the battle with gain of time.
some point a knight) on d6, and will not only 11 i.g5 1i'c6 (D)
pose Black little threat, but may even prove a Of course, l l . . .cxb2? loses to 12 i.xf6.
useful ' shield ' , protecting the blockading piece
from frontal attack along the d-file. Therefore
White continues with more forcing play.
8 d4?
...

Moving the knight from f6 was highly unap­

pealing due to tbxd5 . However, many years
later a better approach was demonstrated by
the 1 2th World Champion, Anatoly Karpov:
8 . . . b5 ! ? 9 'ii'xb5 (9 tbxb5 would give Black's
knight some mobility: 9 . tbe4) 9 ... .l:tb8 10 'ii'a4 !
. .

(the pin must be preserved; otherwise the black

pieces would suddenly join the battle) 10 . . . d4
1 1 exf6 dxc3 1 2 i.xc4 :b4 ! ( 1 2 . . . cxb2? loses
to 1 3 i.xf7+ ! ) . With this last move, Black sows Black anticipates that an exchange of queens
enough confusion amongst White's attacking will lessen the force of his opponent's attack.
forces to ensure his king's safety. 12 0-0-0! !
However, Polugaevsky, one of the best-pre­ It's because of moves like this that chess is
pared grandmasters of his time, did not have the such a beautiful game ! In order to accelerate his
benefit of having studied this position exten­ attack on the open central files, Taimanov is
sively at home, and decided to answer the threat ready to sacrifice his queen.
with the most natural move. 12 cxb2+
.•.

9 exf6 dxc3 10 ..txc4! (D) What happens if Black accepts this 'gener­
ous' offer? 1 2 . . . 'ii'xa4 1 3 :be l + fi.e7 14 l:txe7+
�f8 ( 1 4 . . . �d8 1 5 l:.exd7++ 'it>e8 16 .l:.d8#) 1 5
.l:txf7+ �g8 1 6 .lir.fxd7+ 'ii'xc4 1 7 l:!.d8+ 'iii> f7 1 8
tbe5+ �e6 1 9 tbxc4. Even if this i s a very long
sequence of moves, actually it is not that hard to
calculate, as the line is more or less forced.
With the text-move, at least, Black wanted
White to determine his king's position.
13 c;j;>xb2
In fact, White has the luxury of a choice, but
in situations like this, it is often safer to hide the
king in front of the pawn. But both 1 3 c;j;>xb2
and 1 3 �bl win comfortably in this instance.
The bishop joins the fight with great effect. 13 i.e7 14 .ll h e1 f6
•••

The tension caused by the c3- and f6-pawns The only way to stop .l:txe7+. But White still
gives the position an unusual twist and this de­ has many ways to fuel his initiative.
mands precise calculation from both players. 15 JibS 'ifb6 16 'it>cl
Taimanov is aware that his f6-pawn plays an Taimanov will resume his attack once the
important role by controlling e7, and thereby bishop is freed from the pin. Although White's
stopping ideas like . . . 'ii'e 7+. All in all, develop­ king seems more exposed than its counterpart,
ment has once again the priority ! Black lacks forces that could target it.
70 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

16 fxg5
••• 18 .l:r.xe7!
As there is no way to save the pinned knight With the enemy forces so scattered and the
on d7, Black has no choice but to capture the king so vulnerable, it is natural to seek a sacrifi­
g5-bishop. cial breakthrough. Taimanov launches a king­
17 .i.xd7+ <iitf8 (D) hunt that denies his opponent any chance to
take even a breath of fresh air.
18 �xe7 19 Wi'e4+ <iifd8 20 .i.f5+ <iit c7 21
•••

'ike5+ �c6 22 l:.d6+ '>ifi>bS

22 . . . <iit c 7 23 .l:.d7++ <iit c 6 24 lbd4+ ! (the
fifth rank is cleared with the help of this sacri­
fice) 24 . . . cxd4 25 'ii'd 5# was a possible sce­
nario.
23 'ifb2+ 1-0
Polugaevsky decided that he had seen
enough. 23 . . . <iit a5 24 'ii'a 3+ �b5 25 lbd4+ !
(this time, the knight is sacrificed so as not to
allow . . . c4) 25 . . . cxd4 26 .i.d3# would be a fit­
ting end to this highly instructive battle.

Fischer 's Provocation

Game 30
Letel ier - Fischer
Leipzig Olympiad 1 9 60
Ki ng's I nd i a n Defe nce

1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 g6 3 lbc3 .i.g7 4 e4 0-0!? (D) to play e5 so easily. From time to time, when
Black normally plays 4 . . . d6 and then cas­ great players face lesser opponents, they use
tles . unconventional approaches, even if objectively
they may not be the best choice. The aim is to
create an unbalanced position where the better
player will generally emerge on top. In this
case, the 1 1 th World Champion might have
wanted to avoid his opponent' s preparation.
5 e5
Quite a committal move, since pawns cannot
move backwards. From now on, White has to
prove that his space advantage is more impor­
tant than all the other elements in the position.
He could instead have played a normal devel­
oping move (such as 5 lDf3), as Black is un­
likely to find a better move than 5 . . . d6, when
In the King 's Indian Defence (KID), Black the play reverts to normal King's Indian chan­
allows his opponent to set up a big pawn­ nels.
centre in the opening. This in itself is enough 5 lbe8 6 f4
•••

to make the KID a highly provocative defence. Supporting his e5-pawn, which will be a tar­
But normally Black doesn' t also allow White get for Black's forces very soon. Still, White's
 LETELIER - FISCHER 71

highly ambitious play has some minuses like ll i.e6 12 lLlf3 fic7
...

over-expansion and delaying the development An all-out attack on the e5-pawn ! A plan can
of the minor pieces. White could instead de­ only be successful if the pieces collectively
velop more modestly (e.g., 6 tLlf3), and answer support and serve its main idea.
Black' s . . . d6 advance with exd6. This is not 13 'ii'b 1?!
only safer, but may be a better objective at­ White is now well aware that it's not possible
tempt to cast some doubt on Black' s ultra­ to keep the e-file closed any more. Therefore, in
provocative play. an attempt to neutralize Black's pressure, Lete­
6 d6
••• lier is more than ready to give up his material
Fischer initiates his counterplay by increas­ advantage. Still, there is an important tactical
ing the pressure on e5 . flaw in this seemingly plausible plan.
7 i.e3 c5! 13 dxe5 14 f5 (D)
•••

Undermining the base of the pawn-chain.

The handling of pawn-chains is a very impor­
tant strategic issue, which Nimzowitsch dis­
cussed at length in his writings. Fischer seeks to
punish his opponent's many pawn moves by
opening (or ideally destroying) the centre.
8 dxc5 tLlc6! (D)

Now White's idea is clear: he will gain a

tempo by attacking the bishop, while at the
same time keeping the e-file closed.
14 e4!
•••

After this unexpected advance, the tension

on the board is rising. Opening up the position
is obviously favourable for Black, as he is
Maximizing the pressure on e5 . White needs better developed.
to keep the lines closed as long as possible. 15 fxe6
9 cxd6 exd6 10 tLle4 The f5-pawn cannot be captured after 1 5
As an exchange of queens is unfavourable 'ifxe4 gxf5 , as Black wins a piece following 1 6
for Black, the e5-pawn should not be captured lLlxf5 ? 'ii'a5 +.
yet. Letelier is aiming to improve his knight's 15 exf3 16 gxf3 f5!
•••

position, but it would probably have been better A classy move. Of course, it was also possi­
to strengthen e5 with the developing move 1 0 ble to continue with 16 . . . fxe6, but if there is a
tLlf3 . choice, connecting the pawns is certainly better.
10 i.f5
••• 17 f4
It is important to challenge the knight' s cen­ The pawn fork is prevented, but this time the
tral location, even at the cost of a tempo. e4-square has been weakened.
11 tLlg3 17 tLlf6 18 i.e2 l::tfe8
•••

Although 1 1 lLlxd6 tLlxd6 1 2 'ifxd6 'ifxd6 At last, the e-file will be opened after the re­
1 3 exd6 brings about many exchanges, Black' s moval of the pawn. In his tum, White immedi­
remaining pieces would b e very active after ately takes preventive measures to meet his
1 3 . . . i.xb2 followed by 1 4 . . . tLlb4. opponent's deadly plan.
72 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

19 c;j(f2 li!.xe6 20 .:tel l:.ae8 Actually this first shot, aiming to pull White's
Now that this rook has joined the game, all king to the centre, is not that surprising.
the ingredients are ready for Black's final as­ 22 l:.xe3 l:.xe3 23 c;j;>xe3 (D)
sault.
21 i.f3 (D)

23 .'�xf4+!
.•

But this gigantic blow was unexpected.

The bishop is protected, and control over the 0-1
key e4-square has been strengthened. Still, all Letelier rightfully resigns, as it's checkmate
these considerations will prove to be insuffi­ after 24 c;j(xf4 .th6#, and loss is inevitable fol­
cient after Fischer's upcoming sacrifices. lowing 24 c;j(f2 lbg4+ 25 �g2 lbe3+ 26 �f2
21..J::txe3! lbd4 27 'i'h 1 lbg4+ 0

Mobi l izing the Pawn s

Game 3 1
B ronste i n - Geller
USSR Ch, Moscow 1 961
N i mzo- l nd i a n Defence

1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 .tb4 clarify the situation so that he can devote all his
The Nimzo-Indian Defence. 'Hypermodems' , energy to acquiring and mobilizing a powerful
such as Reti and Nimzowitsch, did not embrace pawn-mass in the centre.
the classical preference for controlling the cen­ 4 i.xc3+ 5 bxc3 0-0 6 f3 (D)
•••

tre by occupying the squares with pawns. In­

stead, they claimed that when talking about
controlling the centre, one has to mean the
squares, not necessarily the pawns. Usually in
' modem' defences, such as the Nimzo-lndian,
Black intends to control the centre with his mi­
nor pieces from a distance.
4 a3!?
Why spend a tempo forcing the bishop t o ex­
change on c3, when in many lines it is quite
willing to do so without being directly pro­
voked? The answer is simple: White wishes to
 BRONSTEIN - GELLER 73

It's hard to assess which side is playing in a Besides, the black bishop was well-placed and
more modem fashion. To achieve an advanta­ potentially an excellent defender.
geous position, Bronstein thinks that the e4 ad­ l l i.xd3 12 'ifxd3 l:r.e8 13 0-0 (D)
.••

vance is a must. Therefore, he doesn't hesitate

to prepare this advance, even if it delays White's
natural development.
6 d5
•••

Of course, Black will not let his opponent

put his plan into practice so easily. From now
on, the battle will revolve around the e4 ad­
vance and its prevention.
7 cxd5 exd5 8 e3 i.fS 9 lLle2 (D)

13 l:f.c8 14 .litb1
•••

Bronstein wants to put all his pieces on their

ideal squares before taking any committal ac­
tion. The aim is to leave Black's pieces in pas­
sive positions, with only defensive prospects.
14 .'ii'a5! ?
••

With this interesting idea, Black foresees

that White's rook can be cut off if it captures the
b7-pawn. Against 14 . . . b6, the a4-a5 advance
How can White hope to achieve a good posi­ seems like a plausible plan for White.
tion when he has been so slow to develop? We 15 .:txb7 lt:lb6 (D)
might liken the situation to kinetic and potential
energy. While Black has been generating ki­
netic energy (fast development), White has been
building up potential energy: a flexible pawn­
mass in the centre and on the kingside, like an
arrow about to leave the bow. Although White's
king is still in the centre, and his bishops are yet
to be developed, Black lacks concrete targets.
9 lt:lbd7 10 lLlf4
•••

The knight's location has an important role

over the course of the game. Alternatively, 1 0
lt:lg3 would win a tempo b y attacking the bishop.
But then the important g4 advance would not be
possible, because the knight is blocking it. Black has sprung his trap, but White does not
10 c5
••• appear unduly troubled. . .
Hindering the e4 advance once again: be­ 16 g4!
cause of the pressure on d4, it's not possible to Although this is (at least partly) an open po­
play 1 1 e4 yet. sition, it is not easy to shake White's stance in
l l i.d3 the centre. This makes it is possible for White
The exchange of bishops deprives White of to play on the wing without fearing an immedi­
an important attacking weapon, but kingside ate central counterblow. White wants to harass
development could not be delayed any longer. Black's knight with g5, and thereby weaken
74 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

Black ' s hold on d5 , not to mention attacking with the g5 and h4 pawn advances) 2 1 'ii'g 6+
chances on the kings ide . . . c;i;>f8 22 gxh6 ! ? (much better than 22 gxf6 l:txf6)
16 h6
••• 22 . . . gxh6 23 e4 ! (finally bringing the dark­
It was obvious that White's planned advance squared bishop into the game). It is very hard to
will not be prevented after his natural reply, but evaluate the final position.
Geller probably wanted to provoke his oppo­ Now, let's return to the game.
nent to weaken his own king a little more. 18 g5!
17 h4 (D) Instead of taking back his pawn, White ac­
celerates his own attack.
18 dxe3
••.

1 8 . . . l:txc3 was an option worth considering,

but still it fails against 1 9 i.d2 ! : 19 .. Jhd3 20
i.xa5 l:.dxe3 2 1 i.xb6 axb6 22 gxf6 and White
wins.
19 gxf6 .l:txc3? (D)

17 cxd4?!
•••

With this dubious decision, Black had missed

White's upcoming zwischenzug (in-between
move) . We shall see the outcome of this mis­
take in the game continuation, but now let's
analyse an interesting alternative: 1 7 ... c4 ! ? (usu­
ally such advances tend to favour White, as the
tension on d4 has been released, but here there This final mistake in an already tough posi­
are some 'cunning ideas ' regarding the rook on tion allows White to finish the game elegantly.
b7) 1 8 'iif5 'iia6 1 9 .Uxf7 (the rook has nowhere 20 'iVg6! 1-0
else to go) 1 9 . . . 'ii;>xf7 20 g5 l:tc6 ! (Black seeks It is checkmate after 20 . . . fxg6 21 l:r.xg7+
to punish White for weakening his king position c;i;>f8 (or 2 l . . .c;i;>h8) 22 lt::.xg6#.

I n the Footsteps of Ca pta i n Eva ns

Game 32
Fischer - Fi ne
New York (offhand game) 1 963
Eva ns G a m bit

1 e4 e5 2 lt::.f3 lt::.c6 3 i.c4 i.cS 4 b4 4 i.xb4 5 c3 i.a5

..•

We've already seen an example of the Evans Here 5 . . . i.c5 and even 5 . . . i..e7 are playable
Gambit in Game 1 of this book. In this opening, alternatives for Black. Apparently, Fine wishes
White does not hesitate to sacrifice a pawn or to keep the pin on the a5-e l diagonal, and
two in order to achieve a significant lead in de­ thereby to prevent White from forming a strong
velopment and/or a strong centre. centre with pawns on d4 and e4.
 FISCHER - FINE 75

6 d4 exd4 he did not. Now, however, at the most untimely

After 6 . . . d6, 7 0-0 .i.b6 transposes to Las­ moment, he brings out this knight in such a way
ker's way of dealing with the Evans Gambit, that White can force open lines and launch a di­
while 7 'itb3 'fi'd7 8 dxeS i.b6 is another story. rect attack on the black king.
7 0-0 (D) It is not easy to find a viable line for Black,
but 9 . . . .i.xc3 10 'fi'xc3 ltlf6 may avoid an im­
mediate collapse.

7 dxc3?!
•••

But this capture is simply too greedy. It is

better for Black to continue with his develop­ 10 ltldS!
ment: 7 . ..&iJge7 8 ltlgS d5 (White wins after As we've already mentioned a number of
8 . . . 0-0? 9 'ili'h5) 9 exd5 ltle5 1 0 'ii'xd4. Even if times, the initiative can only be sustained with
this is a complicated variation, it would not al­ forcing moves. Here, while attacking Black's
low White to acquire the initiative as easily as queen, Fischer is mainly aiming to open the e­
in the game. file.
Now we'll witness White's forces swiftly 10 ltlxd5
•••

joining the attack. Against the capture 10 . . . 'ili'xe4, White's re­

8 'iib3 ply 1 1 ltlgS would tum attention to f7 once
The f7-pawn has turned into a real target for again ( 1 1 i.gS is also strong).
White's pieces, after Fine has delayed his king­ 11 exd5 ltle5
side development. 1 1 . . .ltld8 is not possible, as after 1 2 i.a3 ! d6
8 'ili'e7?
••• 1 3 'iVbS+ Black's loose aS-bishop drops off.
A better way to meet the threat was 8 . . . 'ii'f6. 12 ltlxe5 'ii'xe5 13 i.b2 (D)
Although White would have some pressure af­
ter 9 eS (9 i.g5 ! ? is also interesting) 9 . . . 'it'g6 1 0
ltlxc3 ltlge7 1 1 .ta3 0-0 1 2 ltle2 (with the idea
of ltlf4, harassing the queen), it is too early to
talk about a concrete advantage.
9 ltlxc3
At face value, this is a hard position to evalu­
ate: do you think Black's material advantage is
sufficient to neutralize White's pressure? It is
not easy to give a definitive answer to this ques­
tion, but at least in practice, Black faces a tough
fight for survival.
9 ltlf6?! (D)
•••

A few moves ago, Black could have devel­ Now it's simple to evaluate the position.
oped his pieces in relative normal fashion, but White has completed his development, and
76 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

with his forcing moves he does not allow Black 1 6 . . . .i.xel 1 7 .l:!.xe l + would be no different,
even to breathe. The upcoming attack along as here the only valid consideration is check­
the e-file will decide matters very soon. mate, rather than material !
13 Jl�'g5 14 h4!
••

This powerful move aims to deflect the queen

from her defensive duty over g7. 1 4 'i!Va3 was
another strong option: White wins after the w
continuation 1 4 . . . .i.b6 1 5 .i.xg7 ! followed by
.l:i.ael+.
14 'ifxh4
••.

14 . . . 'i\Vg4 cannot ease Black's suffering: 1 5

.l:i.fel + ! .i.xe l l 6 .lhe l + �d8 ( 1 6 . . .'�f8 loses to
1 7 'i!Ve3) 1 7 'i!Ve3 'i!Vxh4 (the only way to prevent
checkmate on e7) 1 8 g3 and White wins as the
queen has no squares.
15 .i.xg7
This capture is more than just a pawn-grab: 17 'i!Vg3! 1-0
the black king's escape-route via f8 is removed, A very nice example of overloading. Black's
and at the same time f6 has been prepared as a queen does not have any safe squares between
new attacking outpost. d8 and h4, and must abandon her control over f6.
15 J�g8 16 .Ufe1 + 'it>d8 (D)
•. It is checkmate after 17 .. ."ii'x g3 1 8 .i.f6#.

Recalling an instructive game, a chess friend of mine urged me to analyse a very similar attack­
ing example. A hundred years earlier, a very similar motif occurred in the following game:

A S i m i l a r Motif:

Li nden - M aczuski
Paris 1 863
Position after l l . . . �e8-d 8

distinct lead in development. Also, B lack' s

king is stuck in the middle. As these are tem­
porary advantages, it' s time for White to strike
w with forcing moves.
12 f4!?
This fourth pawn sacrifice deflects the queen
from her duty of defending g7 . 1 2 h4 is also
strong.
12 'i!Vxf4 13 .i.xg7 l:!g8
••.

Let's see what would have happened after

1 3 . . . l:.e8 : 1 4 lhe8+ 'iii>xe8 1 5 'i!Ve2+ 'iii>d8 1 6 .l:te 1
(threatening moves all along) 1 6 . . . c6 1 7 'i!Ve7+
�c7 1 8 .i.e5+, winning the queen (Blatny).
In this battle, Linden has sacrificed three 14 'i!Vg4!
pawns in his beloved Danish Gambit ( I e4 e5 2 This fantastic strike reminds us of Fischer's
d4 exd4 3 c3). In return, he has acquired a beautiful finishing touch, 17 'ilVg3 ! .
 FISCHER - BENKO 77

14 J!fd6
•• 15 i.f6+ 1-0
The queen was taboo: 14 . . . 'ii'xg4 15 i.f6#. After 15 . . . 'ii'xf6, the brutal l 6 'ili'xg8# is cur­
All Black can do is prolong the hopeless strug­ tains. Chess is a game of similarities, don' t you
gle a little. agree?

A Memorable B lockad i ng Tactic

G a m e 33
Fischer - Ben ko
USA Ch, New York 1 9 63/4
Pi rc Defence

1 e4 g6 2 d4 i.g7 3 lL!c3 d6 4 f4 lLlf6 (D) to develop the queen' s knight with 6 . . . lL!a6 or
6 . . . lL!c6. Benko, however, has other ideas : feel­
ing that this bishop might have a hard time find­
ing a decent square in the future, he opts for
voluntarily exchanging it for one of White's
knights.
7 h3 i..xf3 8 'ifxf3 lL!c6
Black can develop his knight without worry­
ing about the e5 advance, as the d4-pawn is
hanging at the moment.
9 i..e3 e5 (D)

With Black's last move, the game has trans­

posed from a Modem Defence ( I e4 g6) to a
line of the Pirc Defence (which usually begins 1
e4 d6 2 d4 lL!f6).
The Pirc is similar to the King's Indian De­
fence, in that Black yields the centre to his oppo­
nent, and plans to attack White's central struc­
ture with timely pawn advances, supported by
the fianchettoed bishop. Both sides base their
play on different trumps, so a truly unbalanced
position emerges right from the beginning of It seems like Black has more or less achieved
the game. his goals: he has completed his development,
The Austrian Attack (4 f4) is one of the most and at the same time prevented White's main
ambitious and aggressive options against both idea, i.e. the e5 advance. Still, White is the one
the Pirc and Modem Defences. White's central who will decide the further course of the game,
structure is now even broader, and from now on as he has a more dominant voice over e5 . After
the central e5 advance will be a highly pertinent Fischer's decision, the f-file will be half-open,
idea. and the black bishop that could put pressure on
5 ltjf3 0-0 6 i.d3 i.. g4 the centre is blocked by its own pawn on the
As the light-squared bishop's ideal square long diagonal.
has not been clarified yet, Black usually prefers 10 dxe5 dxeS l l f5
78 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

The centre, which was the focal point of ten­ kingside as a pioneer attacking force. The first
sion just a couple of moves ago, has been stabi­ threat is to benefit from the pin with i.h6.
lized. Black has to adjust his plan to the recent 15 /Ji•hS 16 'ii'g4! ?
••

change in circumstances. Preventing . . . f5 . Here, Fischer's other idea

ll gxf5? !
... was to eye the h7-square with 17 'ii'h5 . This
Spoiling the pawn-structure, but why? Black way, checkmate ideas might appear after White
should not be playing like 'Pollyanna' : expect­ removes the strong knight on d4 and follows up
ing White to reply with 1 2 exf5 ? ! is just unrealis­ with e5 .
tic. Although he would be a pawn down, Black 16 c6
•••

has a great game after 1 2 . . . e4 ! 1 3 lt:lxe4 lt:lxe4 14 Restraining the c3-knight seems reasonable.
i.xe4 .l:.e8. But White does not have to go in for 17 'ifh5 'ili'e8? (D)
this.
As a better option for Black, it is possible to
consider 1 1 . . .lt:ld4, followed by advancing the
pawns on the queenside.
12 1i'xf5!
There is no need to cooperate with the oppo­
nent's desires.
12 lt:ld4 13 'f*'f2 lt:le8
•••

It's hard to suggest a constructive plan for

Black. Benko tries to continue with manoeuv­
res that do not offer his opponent any more tar­
gets.
14 0-0 (D)
A grave mistake, since the concrete idea on
which it is based does not work. Black is aim­
ing to answer his opponent's above-mentioned
plan 1 8 i.xd4 exd4 1 9 e5 with 1 9 .. .f5 ! . Can you
spot the very important tactical flaw?
18 i.xd4!
Apparently, Fischer disagrees with Benko's
opinion.
18 exd4 19 .l:tf6 ! ! (D)
•••

White has delayed castling for a long time,

and actually this has tied Black's hands to
some extent, because he couldn 't commit to
counterplay on one wing while the white king
could easily sidestep by going the other way.
Fischer once again chooses an option that will
not give Benko even a tiny chance to become
active.
14 lt:ld6 15 1i'g3
•••

1 5 l:tad 1 was a very natural alternative. Here, A magnificent idea ! Sometimes a chess bat­
however, White initiates a highly interesting tle hinges on a way for one player to prevent a
strategy, with his queen heading towards the key point of his opponent's plan. White blocks
 TAL - TRINGOV 79

the f7-pawn, so that it won' t be able to move to 20 h6

•••

f5 to prevent White's checkmate ideas. There's nothing else to be done against the
19 �g8
•.• threat of mate at h7 .
The rook was taboo: after l 9 . . . .i.xf6 20 e5 , 21 lLle2
mate on h7 is inevitable. After the knight heads to a safe square, cele­
20 e5! brations can begin ! In addition to the ongoing
Now White continues with his original plan. checkmate idea (2 l . . .�xf6 22 'i!i'xh6), Black's
Releasing the blockade with 20 .l:txd6? would paralysed d6-knight is decisive (2 l . . .t'bb5 22
be inconsistent: after 20 . . . dxc3 2 1 e5, Black can 1i'f5).
now play 2 l . . .f5 ! . 1-0

The Wrong Strategy aga i nst Ta l

G a m e 34
Ta l - Tri ngov
Amsterdam In terzonal 1 964
M od e rn Defence

1 e4 g6
This is the Modern Defence, or rather one
form of it, since this opening is characterized
by Black playing l . . .g6 and . . . .i.g7 against
more or less any opening moves by White.
2 d4 �g7 3 lLlc3 d6 4 t'bf3 c6
Black's approach is quite similar to the Pirc
Defence, but with an important difference: here,
Black delays . . . t'bf6 for some time, or even plays
the knight to a different square altogether. With
such a move-order, Black refrains from blocking
his fianchettoed bishop, so that it will be easier
to soften up White's centre with . . . e5 or . . . c5 ad­
vances. Also, don't forget the fact that a knight 6 'ii'd 2!
on f6 might be harassed by an early e5 advance. A brave decision: White wishes to seize a
Nowadays, another popular approach for tangible advantage in development, and does
Black is a kind of double fianchetto system, af­ not want to spend any time protecting b2.
ter queenside expansion with . . . a6 followed by 6 1i'xb2
•••

. . . b5 . Challenge gladly accepted !

5 �g5! ? 7 l:.b1 1i'a3 8 �c4
A n odd-looking, provocative move: White Thanks to his 'pawn-hunting' approach, Trin­
prepares to meet 5 . . .t'bf6 with 6 1i'd2, intending gov has already delayed his development sig­
�h6, while preventing this idea by 5 . . . h6 might nificantly. From now on, he must be very care­
turn this pawn into a target after 6 .i.e3 , with ful not to fall victim to White's tactical blows.
'i!kd2 to follow. Unfortunately, he made a grave mistake on his
5 1i'b6 (D)
••• first move after the forced sequence.
Black initiates his plan of eyeing the b2- and 8 1i'a5?
•••

d4-pawns simultaneously. Why . . .t'bf6 has been One might instinctively feel that the queen's
delayed is now clear. presence in White's camp places it in danger
80 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

and that it therefore makes sense to retreat it to followed by . . . 0-0 in view of the following line:
a safe location. But this is actually a typical er­ 9 . . . lt:lf6? 1 0 e5 (after Black has played so many
ror, and it allows White to establish very firm queen moves, the conditions are right for this
compensation. It is often the case that after a advance) 1 0 . . . dxe5 1 1 dxe5 lt:lfd7 1 2 .txe7 !
pawn-grab the queen should stay in contact and White wins. Note that the queen falls after
with the enemy camp, where it causes consider­ 1 2 . . . rJilxe7 1 3 lt:ld5+, emphasizing the point that
able disruption. Of course, precise calculation the retreat to ' safety' was illusory. If the oppo­
is needed to make sure the queen isn ' t in exces­ nent firmly possesses the initiative, then noth­
sive danger of actually being trapped. ing is safe.
Black should have prioritized development;
8 . . .lt:lf6 seems more logical. Let's check a forc­
ing variation: 9 e5 dxe5 1 0 dxe5 lt:lfd7 1 1 l:.b3
( 1 1 e6 cannot be played yet, since the c3-knight
and the queen would be hanging) 1 l . . .'it'c5 ! (D).

10 l:.fel a6
Black has no way to castle his king into
safety; for instance, 10 . . . lt:le7 1 1 .txe7 rJilxe7
1 2 lt:ld5+ and White wins.
l l .tf4 e5?
Now, it's not possible to continue the attack In his book Mastering Opening Strategy,
Johan Hellsten summarizes the inaccuracy of
by normal means, as the c4-bishop is en prise.
If White tries to expose Black's king with 1 2 this pawn advance as follows : "When you are
.txf7 + ! rJilxf7 1 3 e6+, then after the further behind in development, the more closed the
moves 1 3 . . . rJitg8 ! ( 1 3 . . . rJilxe6 1 4 .te3 seems position the better for you, so don' t even think
risky for Black) 14 exd7 lt:lxd7 1 5 0-0 h6 ! 1 6 about opening it! After that, it will be much
.tf4 (Black has n o significant problems after 1 6 easier for the opponent to make use of his
.te3 'ili'd6) 1 6 . . . �h7 the problems caused by more active pieces." A great piece of advice !
Black's disorganized pieces have been solved. 12 dxe5 dxe5 13 'ii'd 6! (D)
Throughout the book, I have generally re­
frained from giving complex variations. How­
ever, the handling of every position differs from
others, according to their character. Black has
shown great bravery by grabbing the b2-pawn,
but he had to pursue his approach by relying on
concrete calculations, rather than general con­
siderations.
9 0-0 e6 (D)
This is an artificial development plan, but
Black had little choice at this point. Black is
rightfully worried about the effect of the c4-
bishop, and postpones the natural plan of . . . lt:lf6
 GELLER - PORTISCH 81

Once the d-file has been opened, the pene­ 1 5 . . . �d8 1 6 lt:Jg5 'ii'c4 1 7 l:ld5 ! and White
_tration by the queen is an obvious idea. But are wins.
all the circumstances right? Let's look once
more at some concrete variations: 1 3 .. .'ii'd 8?
1 4 .i.xf7+ ! ; 13 ... exf4 1 4 lt:Jd5 ! ! . In the first
variation we see the effect of the a2-g8 diagonal,
and in the second variation the e-file. Tringov
thinks that he has nothing better than grabbing
material and decides to capture the hanging
knight.
13 1i'xc3 14 l:.ed1 lt:Jd7
•.•

Desperately trying to keep lines closed.

15 .txf7+!
After the exposure of his king, Black will be
helpless.
15 �xf7 (D)
••• 16 lt:Jg5+ �e8 17 'i'e6+ 1-0

The Pen a lty for a Si ngle Bad M ove

Game 35
G e l l e r - Portisch
Moscow 1 9 6 7
R u y Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 3 .i.b5 have already been clarified. That' s why the
Once again, the Ruy Lopez. queen' s knight now makes three moves before
3 a6 4 .i.a4 lt:Jf6 5 0-0 .i.e7 6 li[e1 b5
•.. the c l -bishop has made even a single move: the
The move 6 .:.e 1 provided firm support to the knight heads off to a journey to g3 (or e3), where
e4-pawn, so finally Black has to prevent the it might be most effective, leaving the bishop
.i.xc6 idea, so as not to lose his e5-pawn. development for later.
7 .i.b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 l l .tf8 (D)
...

This is one of the most popular positions in

the whole of chess history. White wishes to
build a strong pawn-centre with d4, but first
prevents . . . .tg4. If White plays 9 d4 directly, w
Black can put pressure on d4 by pinning the
knight with 9 . . .i.g4.
.

9 h6
...

The Smyslov Variation. Here, on the other

hand, . . . h6 has not been played to support the
centre. Instead, this little pawn move prepares a
regrouping with . . . l:te8 and . . . .i.f8, by prevent­
ing White's probable reply, lt:Jg5 .
10 d4 liteS 11 lt:Jbd2
The· Ruy Lopez provides some excellent ex­ 12 tt:Jfl .i.b7 13 lt:Jg3
amples of a general opening concept: develop­ We see that both sides have developed their
ing first of all those pieces whose ideal positions pieces in a logical manner. It is quite typical for
82 INSTRUCTNE CHESS MINIATURES

the Closed Roy Lopez that so far not even a sin­ to a different form of attack, in which White ' s
gle pawn has been exchanged. queen also participates.
Now, Black can continue by building an 17 'ii'xh5 tDa5? (D)
ideal defensive set-up with 1 3 . . . g6, followed Going into full defensive mode with 1 7 . . . tDd8
by . . . �g7 . But Portisch impatiently wants to was the only way to resist.
connect his rooks, and commits a significant
mistake.
13 'i'd7?!
•••

Weaknesses i n the enemy's camp are rarely

handed to you on a silver platter. Most of the
time, these secret opportunities need to be cre­
ated, or at least exposed. In this specific case,
Geller can only benefit from the black queen' s
insecure position b y making a sequence o f ac­
curate moves.
14 dxe5 dxe5 (D)
After 1 4 . . . tDxe5 1 5 tDxe5 dxe5 1 6 'it'f3 ,
threats such as �xh6 and tDf5 would make the
position advantageous for White. As Black doesn' t have a counterpart to the
' Lopez bishop' on the a2-g8 diagonal, he rea­
sonably aims to repel this important force. If
White now cooperates by playing 1 8 �c2,
Black can calmly play 1 8 . . . g6 and release the
pressure almost completely.
But it's Geller's tum, and he find a strong re­
ply that denies Black time to eliminate the b3-
bishop.
18 .i.g5!
The dark-squared bishop j oins the attack
with great impact, especially as it enables the
' sleeping' rook on a1 to take part in the action.
18 'ii'd7
•••

15 tDhS! The bishop was taboo: 1 8 . . .'ii'xg5? 19 'ii'xf7+

Overloading the f6-knight leads at least to the 'itth7 20 'ii'g 8# or 1 8 . . . hxg5 ? 1 9 tDg6 ! followed
destruction of Black's kingside pawn-structure. by 20 'ii'h 8# (once again, note the effect of the
Of course, the white knight is 'untouchable' : Lopez bishop ! ) .
1 5 . . . tDxh5 ?? 1 6 'ii'xd7. 19 llad1!
15 'ii'e7? !
••• Thus, all the white forces are in play. Unfor­
1 5 . . . 'ii'x d 1 1 6 tDxf6+ gxf6 1 7 .l:txd 1 was the tunately for Black, it's not possible to relocate
lesser evil for Black. Looking at his decision, his queen to a different safe square, due to its
one might claim that Portisch was still unaware obligation to keep an eye on f7. Therefore,
of the upcoming problems. Ignorance is bliss, Black's reply is forced.
but not all the time. 19 �d6 20 �xh6!
•••

16 tDh4! Before penetrating via g6, White opens the

A typical manoeuvre in such structures . The g-file with this beautiful sacrifice.
knight sets its eyes on both f5 and g6. 20 gxh6 (D)
•••

16 tDxh5
••. A final attempt to eliminate the bishop with
Seeking salvation by removing one of the 20 . . . tDxb3 would be met with another devastat­
knights on the kingside. But this capture leads ing sacrifice: 2 1 �xg7 ! 'ittx g7 22 tDf5+.
 ROSSOLIMO - REISSMANN 83

21 � g6+ 'it>f8 22 'i!Vf6 The game is decided once the rook joins the
The obvious threat is tt'lg6+ followed by battle. A slight but important inaccuracy in the
�h8#. opening ( 1 3 . . .'i'd7 ? ! ) left Black facing prob­
22 �g8 23 l:te3 (D)
••• lems that that lasted right to the bitter end of the
1-0 game.

An I nspi ri ng M a n oeuvre
G a m e 36
Rosso l i mo - Reissma n n
San Juan 1 9 6 7
G i u oco Pi a n o

1 e4 e5 2 tt'lf3 tt'lc6 3 .ic4 i.. c5 5 exd4 6 cxd4

•••

This is the Giuoco Piano, an opening we Although this recapture is by far the most
have already seen more than once in this book. popular option, there is also an interesting alter­
4 c3 tt'lf6 5 d4 (D) native in 6 e5, which Black must meet with the
The basic ideas in this ancient opening have thematic central counterblow 6 . . . d5 ! . After 7
already been mentioned a few times. White .i.b5 tt'le4 8 cxd4 .i.b6, White bases his further
aims to set up a solid centre with pawns on d4 play on his slight space advantage (thanks to his
and e4, so that he can claim a space advantage. advanced pawn on e5), while Black seeks pres­
Black will actively oppose this plan and stake sure on d4.
his own claim in the centre. 6 .i.b4+
•..

Only by giving check can Black gain time to

challenge White's central duo.
7 i..d2
This is the main line in modem practice. An
older and more aggressive line is the pawn sac­
rifice 7 tt'lc3 (see Game 8) 7 . . . tt'lxe4 8 0-0,
which has been analysed extremely extensively
and is considered at least OK for Black. But it's
better to proceed without giving further details,
as opening issues are not our main concern in
this book.
7 .i.xd2+ 8 tt'lbxd2 (D)
..•
84 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

13 a4 b6 (D)
This move unnecessarily transforms Black's
b-pawn into a target. A playable alternative is
13 ... a5 , to prevent the white a-pawn's march,
while also seizing control over b4.

Don't you think that everything seems bright

from White's perspective? All his minor pieces
are developed, his king is ready to castle, and
most importantly he has created his strong
pawn-centre . . . Yet Black's strong reply will
cause a major revision in this overview.
8 ...d5! 14 tt'le5!
After this very well-timed advance, White's White is playing dynamically. But what do
proud duo will not keep their posture. Sud­ we mean by ' dynamic ' ? It relates to plans
denly, another typical structure, an isolated based on the temporary or changing features of
queen's pawn, emerges. the position, rather than the static or more per­
9 exd5 lbxd5 10 'ii'b3 manent ones. Generally we are talking about
Another reasonable option for White is 1 0 pawn-breaks and piece-play, especially when
0-0 followed b y tt'le5 . these pieces are able to gain time by creating
10...tt'lce7 threats or targeting weaknesses along the way.
Black's obvious attempt to benefit from the Black's c6-pawn has become a potentially vul­
uncastled king with 1 0 . . . 'ii'e 7+? not only fails nerable pawn after his last move, and Rossolimo
to bring a significant plus, but it even hands duly acts according to this important nuance in
White a decisive advantage after 1 1 'ifi>fl ! . the position.
On the other hand, 1 0. . .tt'la5 1 1 \!Va4+ (other­ 14 .tb7
•••

wise White must allow the undesirable exchange 14 . . . .te6 would avoid some of the problems
of his bishop) 1 1 .. .tt'lc6 is a ' silent' draw offer, Black later experiences with this bishop.
since if White plays 1 2 'ii'b 3 , Black can repeat 15 aS (D)
the position with 1 2 . . . tt'la5 .
The decision in the game gives White some
respite, but solidifies Black's blockade on d5 .
Such an approach is a fundamental strategy
against an isolated queen's pawn.
1 1 0-0 c6
Consistently pursuing the plan of supporting
d5 .
12 .:!.fe1 0-0
So far, both sides have played a reasonable
game. White, as the possessor of an isolated
pawn, needs to force the pace with dynamic
moves and plans, so that he won't lose his tem­
porary initiative in the middlegame. 15 .. Jic8
 ROSSOUMO - REISSMANN 85

Reissmann prepares a timely . . . c5 , and at the The black knights' activity is illusory, as
same time clears the aS-square for his bishop's White's kingside pieces are already generating
retreat. significant attacking chances. There are many
Black couldn't have reduced the pressure on ways for White to increase the pressure. But
the b-pawn with 1 5 . . .b5 for concrete tactical rea­ with his next move, Rossolimo underlines the
sons: 1 6 i.xd5 ! 'i!i'xd5 ( 1 6 . . . ltJxd5 ? ! 17 a6 ! i.c8 importance of using all possible reserves in the
1 8 lLlxc6 'i!i'd6 1 9 1Wxd5 ! followed by ltJe7+) 1 7 attack.
a6 i.c8 (White i s better after 1 7 . . . 'i'xb3 1 8 20 l:ta3!?
ltJxb3 i.c8 1 9 lLla5) 1 8 lLlxc6 ! . I t i s the rook's tum to use the third rank for its
16 lLle4! journey to the kingside. In the second game of
Forward ! In isolated queen's pawn struc­ the 20 1 4 World Championship match (Carlsen­
tures, the d-pawn provides solid control over c5 Anand - see Supplementary Game 4), a similar
and e5 , and it is very natural for the knights to plan was the first step towards the young Norwe­
use these squares as outposts. Here, however, gian's victory. Sometimes, ideas in these 'little'
the knight heads to g5 and thereafter aims to put miniatures are inspiring, aren't they?
pressure on the kingside. We should note that 20 ltJg5 is also very
16 'ii'c7? !
••• strong, one point being that 20 . . . f6 allows 2 1
This thick-skinned move shows that Reiss­ 'i'xf4, due to the pin.
mann was still unaware of the dangers that were 20 ...ltJe6?
awaiting him. Both challenging the e5-knight Now the rook will join the assault and the at­
with 16 . . . f6, and preventing the other knight tack reaches its climax. Instead, trying to recall
from jumping to g5 with 1 6 . . . h6, are reasonable the out-of-play pieces to the game with 20 . . . c5
alternatives. Within a couple of dubious moves, might give some hope for the defence.
we' ll see that Black will face significant prob­ 21 i.xd5!
lems. An important capture, as it forces the reply
17 a6 . .. cxd5 ; after this exchange, Black's queenside
A tough decision, since this advance closes pieces will be totally excluded from the defence.
the a-file. But Rossolimo has planned an abrupt 21 ... cxd5 22 lLlf6+ �h8 23 'i!i'g6! (D)
transfer of the attack to the kingside, and there­
fore it makes sense to leave Black's bishop out
of play forever.
17 ... .tas 18 'ii'h3
The third rank acts as a path for the major
pieces to the kingside. It is quite likely that
White will add to the pressure on f7 and h7 with
ltJg5 .
18 ... lLlf4 19 'ii'g4 ltJed5 (D)

A marvellous move ! The queen is untouch­

able, but it's also very hard for Black to tolerate
her.
23 ...'i!i'c2
Black has three possible pawn captures, but
they all lead to disaster: 23 . . . hxg6 24 .l:.h3#,
23 .. .fxg6 24 ltJxg6+ hxg6 25 l:th3# or 23 . . . gxf6
24 'i¥xf6+ ltJg7 25 l:tg3 l:tg8 26 lLlxf7+.
86 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

With the move played, Black at least tries to threat of ::txh7#, but this capture would result
defend h7 by using the X-ray theme. But this is in the famous A rabian Mate : 24 . . . 'ii'x g6 25
a futile effort. tLlxg6+ fxg6 26 llxh7#. In the final position,
24 llh3! 1-0 almost all of White' s forces have j oined the at­
The celebrated rook has the final word ! It is tack on the kingside. Quite remarkable, isn ' t
obligatory to remove the queen, because of the it?

When the Kn ight Ta kes the Stage . . .

Game 37
S passky - Petrosi a n
World Ch ma tch (1 9), Moscow 1 969
Sici l i a n Defence

1 e4 c5 2 tLlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tLlxd4 tLlf6 5 with l l . . . .i.d7 could have been a much better
tLlc3 a6 decision.
This is the Najdorf Variation. One of the
most important chess openings, it was a partic­
ular favourite of both Fischer and Kasparov, but
has also been used by a great many other play­
ers.
6 .i. g5
This move provides a stiff test of Black's re­
sources. Spassky aims to prevent Black's . . . e5
push, which is one of the thematic ideas in the
Najdorf (indeed, 5 . . . a6 prepared it by preventing
both i..b 5+ and tLldb5). Thus 6 . . . e5? ! is dubious
as 7 i.. xf6 (7 tLlf5 is also possible) 7 . . . 'ii'xf6 8
tLld5 'i!kd8 9 tLlf5 gives White absolute control
over the key d5-square. 12 f4 0-0
6 tLlbd7
••• Black has managed to evacuate his king from
We could have reached the ever-popular Poi­ the centre, but opposite-side castling is always
soned Pawn Variation with 6 . . . e6 7 f4 'ii'b6 8 a razor-sharp scenario. One should bear in mind
'ii'd2 'ii'x b2. In this 1 9th game of the World that White has a significant space advantage,
Championship match, Petrosian opts for a seem­ and his kingside attack (led by a vanguard of
ingly less risky line. pawns) can still harass Black' s seemingly safe
7 .tc4 'ii'a5 8 'ii'd 2 h6! ? king.
Black tries t o obtain the bishop-pair and de­ 13 i.b3 l:.e8
lays the natural 8 . . . e6 for now. Black prepares . . . i..f8. While it was in keep­
9 .txf6 tLlxf6 10 0-0-0 ing with Petrosian's style to secure his king be­
Thus White has completed his development. fore launching his own attack, in the context of
Petrosian must now secure his king's position, a race to attack, this solid defensive plan can be
in order not to fall victim to a vigorous attack. considered too passive.
10 e6 1 1 l:.he1 .i.e7?! (D)
••• 14 �b1
Given Black's failure to find a viable re­ Sidestepping any potential dangers by leav­
sponse to White's kingside attack in this game, ing the possibly vulnerable c l -h6 diagonal,
many experts claimed that preparing . . . 0-0-0 but there is more to say about this move, as it is
 SPASSKY - PETROS/AN 87

not just a defensive move. Spassky prepares a

tricky idea - lt':!d5 . For example, let ' s suppose
it' s White to move and he plays 15 lt':!d5 on his
next move. B lack ' s obvious reply 15 . . . Vi'xd2
will not come along with check, and therefore
it will be possible for White to insert 1 6 lt':!xf6+
and spoil Black ' s pawn-structure.
14 i.f8 (D)
•••

Thus the pressure on the g-file has been

maximized. There are no forced lines after
Spassky 's sacrifice, indicating that his 'gift'
has been grounded on positional evaluations,
rather than pure calculation of variations . In
any event, a challenging defensive duty awaits
'Iron Petrosian' , who was famous for showing
extraordinary defensive skills in the toughest
positions one could imagine.
Now all the preparations are complete, and 1 7 i.d7
•••

it's time for White to attack ! A possible idea for White was harassing the
15 g4! knight with lt':Jf3 followed by e5 . Black wants to
As mentioned in the notes to the previous hinder his opponent's plan: after 1 8 lt':!f3 i.c6
move, 1 5 lt':!d5 ! ? might be an interesting alter­ the e5 advance loses its effect.
native. Here, however, the purpose is to remove 18 f5 (D)
the defensive knight, rather than damaging
Black's structure: 15 . . .'il'd8 (otherwise the king­
side pawn-cover would be ruined) 16 lt':!xf6+
'i!i'xf6 17 g4.
With his actual choice, Spassky opts instead
to gain time by attacking the f6-knight. Note
that White played this advance as a pawn sac­
rifice, rather than spending precious time pre­
paring it. This is wholly in keeping with the
requirements of the position. If Petros ian grabs
the pawn, White aims to benefit from the open
lines with his major pieces .
15 ...lt':!xg4
Although Black will be subjected to a vi­ Regarding his opponent's thoughts, White
cious attack, he accepts the offer, as the g5 ad­ stops Black's light-squared bishop from play­
vance is dangerous in any case. ing an active role on the long diagonal ( . . . .i.c6)
16 'i!i'g2 lt':!f6 by increasing the pressure on e6.
Trying to keep the g-file closed for some 18 .'iith 8?!
••

time with 1 6 . . . e5 would weaken d5 . It would This seems like a waste o f time, but there i s
also allow the b3-bishop to join the game im­ n o ideal solution t o Black's problems. Immo­
mediately. bilizing White's pawns with 1 8 . . . �e5 seems
17 llg1 (D) like a reasonable option, but after 1 9 lt':!f3 'ifc5
88 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

( 1 9 . . . 'i'f4 20 %:td4 intending e5) 20 'iih 3 Black clears the e4-square for his own knight' s usage.
has little choice but to play 20 . . . �h8 in any Chess masters are distinguished from casual
case, when 2 l ltJg5 retains good play. players by their good decisions at the most crit­
19 l:.dfi ical moments.
White's major pieces are exerting enormous 21. dxe5 22 ltJe4 (D)
••

pressure on Black's kingside. Now, the con­ After the knight's contribution, the .:txf6 !
crete threat is fxe6 followed by .l:.xf6 ! . idea emerges as a new threat.
19.. .'ilfd8 (D)

22 ltJhS
•••

Supporting the f6-knight and thereby trying Black has nothing better than to defend g7 :
to prevent the exchange sacrifice. Throughout 22 . . . ltJxe4? 23 .li!.xf8+ and 24 "iix g7#; 22 . . . exd4
the game, Black's defensive duties have not al­ 23 .l::l xf6 (threatening lhh6+) .
lowed him to seek any active counterplay. 23 'ili'g6
20 fxe6 fxe6 (D) Pursuing the plan of harassing Black's knight.
In order to overcome Black's defensive set­ 23 exd4 (D)
•••

up, White needs to include his reserves in the 23 . . . ltJf4 seems like the most reasonable op­
attack. The queen, rooks and bishop are well­ tion for Black, so how come Petrosian didn't go
placed, and the knight on d4 is fine too. White for it? While keeping the f-file closed for the
should improve the other knight' s position, moment would have forced Spassky to find a
right? But how? more creative solution, this was not an area in
which he was exactly lacking. The exchange
sacrifice with 24 l:!.xf4 exf4 25 ltJf3 provides
the deadly idea of locating one of the knights on
g5 and winning on the spot.

21 eS! !
Spassky benefits from the immobility of the
f6-knight (if it moves, White will decisively
strike with .!:.xf8+ followed by "ikxg7#), and
 DVORETSKY - DAMSKY 89

24 tlJgS! 1-0
Quite remarkable: just a few moves ago, the Black resigns on seeing that after 24 . . . hxg5
knight on c3 was a mere spectator. And now, it 25 'ifxh5+ <ii?g 8 26 'ii'f7+ <ii?h7, the rook-lift to
is precisely this piece that unlocks the door to the h-file with 27 lif3 would be absolutely deci­
victory. sive.

Playi ng with Reversed Colou rs

G a m e 38
Dvoretsky - Damsky
Moscow 1 9 70
Ki ng's I nd i a n Attack

1 e4 e6 hard to tum an essentially counterpunching set­

This is the French Defence, the main lines of up into an aggressive one, as long as the oppo­
which start after 2 d4 d5 . But the current game nent adjusts his ambitions accordingly. Proba­
transposes to a different opening within a few bly a recommendation such as 'play positions
moves. that you enjoy, without considering the influ­
2 d3 d5 3 tlJd2 ence of the colours ' is closer to the right ap­
One might think that the knight's develop­ proach, while noting that it always depends on
ment via d2 is over-cautions. However, White the specifics of each situation.
doesn't want to allow his opponent to exchange With the King's Indian Attack, White in gen­
queens at such an early stage with 3 . . . dxe4 4 eral aims to keep the centre closed, and to gen­
dxe4 'ii'xd 1 +. Therefore, he aims to keep the d­ erate a dangerous kingside attack.
file closed after a possible exchange on e4. 5 tlJf6 6 �g2 �e7 7 0-0 0-0 8 l:te1 (D)
••.

3 c5 4 tiJgf3 tlJc6 5 g3 (D)

•••

s b6? !
...

The King 's Indian Attack. Would you think Given that White intends to attack on the
that playing a defence with reversed colours kingside, Black's natural counterplay should
(and a tempo up) is a good approach? It is not come on the queenside. Therefore expansion in
easy to give a clear answer, as this is a lasting this area of the board with 8 . . . b5 can be consid­
discussion within chess-players of all levels. ered a significant improvement over the text­
Some claim that the extra tempo usually makes move. Often when deciding between . . . b6 and
a large difference. Others think that by this . . . b5, Black must take into account an attempt
method, White actually limits himself, as it is by White to exploit the loosening effect of . . . b5
90 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

by playing, e.g., a4, but this is unlikely to have The bishop reinforces the pawn and at the
much impact here, as there are few white pieces same time tries to benefit from its positioning
ready to take part in a queenside skirmish. on the same diagonal as Black's queen. This is
9 e5 not just an abstract notion, as it can support
An important advance, which, so to speak, di­ ideas like lDe3xd5 or lD 1 h2-g4-f6+, while hin­
vides the board in two: the pawn's presence on dering any . . . f6 pawn-breaks.
e5 keeps Black's queenside pieces at bay. On the 12 b5
•••

other hand, eliminating White's e-pawn with Black confesses that he squandered a tempo
...f6 could prove to be a real concession, as this by playing the earlier 8 . . . b6? ! .
would expose weaknesses in Black's structure. 13 lDlh2 (D)
9 lDd7 10 lDn
•••

Manoeuvring is a standard feature of closed

positions. Compared to open positions, the game
has a much slower pace, and therefore both
sides can take their time to bring the pieces to
their ideal positions.
In this case, White aims as far as possible to
locate his pieces on the kingside, where he aims
to break through.
10 J..b7 1 1 h4 (D)
•••

13 d4?!
•••

One should think twice before advancing a

pawn, as there is no going back. Also, don' t for­
get that with each pawn advance, control over
at least one square is weakened. Apparently,
Damsky was seeking to prepare . . . lDb6-d5 .
Tempting as it is to centralize the knight, with
this pawn advance Black also loses control over
e4, and this square will prove a useful transition
point for White's forces. The penalty for this
If it were an open position, then such an ad­ typical mistake will be harsh.
vance would be highly risky, as it exposes 14 lDg5!
White's own king while also spending time on White immediately targets h7 and at the same
the wing that could better be spent in the cen­ time opens up diagonals for both his queen and
tre. But with a closed centre, the pawn advance bishop.
aims to support the kingside play, specifically 14 h6 15 'ili'hS!
•••

on the dark squares. After 14 . . . h6, this pawn has become a natural
ll . . .'ili'c7 target for White's upcoming sacrifices. Once
Black puts pressure on e5, even though White White plays lDe4, sacrificial ideas such as J..xh6
has no real difficulty defending this pawn. and lDg4xh6+ are highly worrying.
Black's idea is that giving some of White's 15 hxg5
•••

pieces defensive obligations will make it harder Black can't eliminate White' s e-pawn by
for him to organize his attack. Nevertheless, the 1 5 . . . lDdxe5 because of 1 6 i.xe5 ! lDxe5 1 7
c7 -square is not the most appropriate place for lDxe6, with an advantage for White.
Black's queen, and we shall soon see why. An attempt to ignore the sacrifice and gener­
12 J..f4! ate queenside counterplay also ends badly for
 DVORETSKY - DAMSKY 91

Black: 1 5 . . . lLlb4 1 6 ltJg4 lLlxc2 ( 1 6 . . . hxg5 1 7 We should underline another fact from the
hxg5, followed by lLlf6+, i s similar to the game) position: after the centre was closed by White's
1 7 lLlxh6+ gxh6 1 8 'ii'xh6 i.xg5 (the only way e5 advance, both sides have sought opportuni­
to postpone checkmate on h7) 19 'ii'x g5+ 'ifi>h8 ties on opposite flanks . But when we look at
20 'iih 5+ (the bishop should stand in the front, the current position, we see that Black has not
so it can use the h6-square) 20 . . . 'iti>g8 2 1 i.h6 managed to make much progress on the queen­
and checkmate in a few moves. side. Maybe his impotent play encouraged
In view of these concrete variations, Damsky Dvoretsky to execute his aggressive plan.
decided to remove White's menacing knight. 18 i.xf6
•••

16 hxg5 (D) 1 8 . . . gxf6 1 9 exf6 e5 ( 1 9 . . . i.d6 20 'ii'h 6) 20

'i'h6 lLle6 2 1 i.e4 once again reminds us of the
importance of the e4-square.
19 exf6 e5 (D)

16 l:ttb8
•..

The f8-square is cleared for either support­

ing the defence with . . . lLlf8, or as an escape­
route for the king. Still, this preparatory move 20 i.d5!
is insufficient to parry White's attacking plans. The reserves keep joining the assault.
17 liJg4 liJf8 18 lLlf6+! (D) 20 :es (D)
•••

The f4-bishop was taboo due to an interfer­

ence theme: after 20 . . .exf4 2 1 l:te7 ! , the f7-
square is very weak. There's not enough time to
attack the other bishop either: 20 . . J1d8 2 1 'iti>g2 !
lLlb4 22 :h 1 ! (checkmate trumps everything)
22 . . . i.xd5+ 23 f3 i.xf3+ 24 'iti>xf3 ltJg6 25
'i'h7+ 'ifi>f8 26 'i'h8+ ! lLlxh8 27 :Ixh8# (Emms).

When on move 1 2 White located his dark­

squared bishop on the same diagonal as Black's
queen, we mentioned the possibility of this sac­
rifice. All the requirements are now present for
this idea: White has accumulated many forces
on the kingside, and Black handed over the e4-
square.
92 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

21 g6 21. lbd8 22 gxf7+ 1-0

••

White's pawns have advanced all the way to Black resigned as after 22 . . . lbxf7 23 'ieg5 g6
f6 and g6 ! Very elegant, isn't it? 24 'i!i'h6 lbe6 25 i.xe6, mate on g7 is inevitable.

' C h i nese Tortu re'

Game 39
Li u Wenzhe - Don ner
Buenos A ires Olympiad 1 9 78
Pi rc Defen ce

1 e4 d6 2 d4 lbf6 3 lbc3 g6 view it as a trade-off with rather uncertain con­

The Pirc Defence. You can find another ex­ sequences, and the assessment will depend on
ample of this system in Game 33. the specifics of how both sides implement their
4 i.e2 plans. But if White plays many more moves
This seemingly calm move is one of many that only make sense in the context of a king­
valid options for White. side attack, he will be making a major commit­
4 i.g7 5 g4!? (D)
••• ment to a venture that may prove inappropriate.
On the other hand, a couple of moves later,
Donner's decision to castle kingside will cer­
tainly render White's radical push logical.
5 ...h6
Black wants to maintains his knight's influ­
ence in the centre, and so prevents his opponent
from harassing it with the g5 advance.
6 h3
It is not possible to develop the gl -knight
without first protecting the pawn. With this
modest move, White avoids burning his boats.
The space-grabbing moves of the h- and g­
pawns can also serve as a way to stifle Black's
The flexible 4 i.e2 was described as only natural kingside play, and the time-loss is small
' seemingly' calm, since White can tum this since Black has spent a move on . . . h6.
move into the first step of an aggressive ap­ 6 c5 (D)
•••

proach. Is it really logical to initiate a pawn­

storm, even before Black has castled? Before
criticizing, let's look at Liu Wenzhe's plan from
a different angle: if Black, after weighing up the
possible risks, decides to castle queenside, then
how appropriate will White's moves look? The
g4 advance may look a little misdirected, but it
could form part of a space-grab, and is by no
means any sort of fatal weakening. And in order
to put his king on the queenside, Black will
need to make some rather awkward and time­
consuming moves ; his set-up is very much
geared towards kingside castling. Thus we can
 LIU WENZHE - DONNER 93

With this flanking blow, Black seeks to open By opening the diagonal of his light-squared
the centre, which is a typical idea in such posi­ bishop and preventing 'i'h3 , Black aims to gain
tions. From White's perspective, he has better some time. As early as the l i th move, White's
chances of a successful attack on the wing if the checkmate threats along the h-file have forced
centre is stable or closed. his opponent to race against time.
7 d5 0-0 8 h4! ? 12 lLlxd5
6 h 3 and just two moves later 8 h4 . . . True, the It is very natural to establish a knight on an
first impression is quite odd, but White grounds important central square. But can't White im­
his play on Black's king's placement and on the mediately bring his queen into the attack with
partly closed centre. A changed situation calls 12 'i'g3 followed by 1 3 'ii'h 4? Here is a plausi­
for a new plan. ble line: 12 . . . dxe4 13 'ii'h4 f6 (half-heartedly
8 ... e6 opening the diagonal, but what else can Black
Insisting on a central break. But is there do?) 1 4 i.c4+ l:tf7 1 5 �h7+ �f8 1 6 �xg6 and
enough time to achieve this goal? We' ll see . . . White's attack remains dangerous.
9 g5! 12 tLlc6?!
•••

When feasible, attack is the best form of de­ Black cannot tolerate even a tiny loss of
fence. White reduces the pressure on his centre time in this razor-sharp position. Donner had
by forcing back the black knight. to take precautions against White's wicked
9 hxg5 10 hxg5
••• thoughts along the open h-file. A better option
The first mission is completed: the h-file is is 1 2 . . . lbc7, challenging the strong knight on
cleared for the rook's use. d5 , while at the same time vacating e8 for the
10 .lDe8 (D)
•• rook' s use.
13 it'g3!
No time to lose - White is heading for mate !
13 i.e6 14 'li'h4 f5 (D)
•••

Liu Wenzhe's aggressive attitude in the open­

ing has paid off: the open h-file now poses great
danger to Black. When there's such a critical
threat to the health of a king, other positional el­ This is Donner's plan: f7 is vacated as an es­
ements, such as development, pawn-structure, cape-route for Black's king. This seems per­
etc., may be of secondary importance. fectly safe and logical, but does White have any
In this case, White, who has laid many open­ dramatic ideas to continue his attack? Now it's
ing principles aside, needs to continue his plan time for calculation, so let's think . . .
with suitably dynamic moves. The Chinese 1 5 'iih7+ rJitf7 1 6 'i6xg6+! !
master finds exactly the right way. A key sacrifice t o overcome Black's defen­
11 'ifd3! sive set-up.
Mission 2: her majesty should be transferred 16 <it;lxg6
•••

to the h-file as quickly as possible. After 1 6 . . . <it;lg8, the game will end even more
l l ... exd5 quickly: 1 7 'li'h7+ rJitf7 1 8 i.h5#.
94 INSTRUCTNE CHESS MINIATURES

17 i.h5+ 'iith7 18 i.f7+ i.h6 (D) Foreseeing this move was the most difficult
part of the combination. White aims to capture
on h6 with the c 1 -bishop, which has been sleep­
ing up to now.
19 'iitg7 20 .txh6+ 1-0
•••

Donner resigned, as it is mate after 20 ... 'iith 8

21 i.xf8+ 'ii' h4 22 l:txh4#.
It is quite remarkable that Liu Wenzhe's at­
tack succeeded so easily. After all, he hasn' t
castled, and hasn' t even touched h i s pieces on
a l , gl and h l . What is the explanation? Well,
mating attacks outweigh every other posi­
tional consideration and become decisive fac­
tors, as long as the essential preconditions are
19 g6+! met.

Fi repower i n the Critica l Zone

Game 4 0
Kaspa rov - M a rja novic
Malta Olympiad 1 980
Queen's I n d i a n Defence

1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 e6 3 lDf3 b6 Up to this point, both sides have developed

The Queen 's Indian Defence. Games 1 6 and their positions in a rather natural manner. But
24 are two other examples of this defence you Kasparov now radically sharpens the character
can find in our book. of the game with an ambitious move:
4 g3 7 d5 ! ?
White wants to oppose the b7-bishop on the Doesn' t this just blunder a pawn? Not ex­
long diagonal. This is the main line, but of actly; with this enterprising pawn sacrifice,
course there are several other reasonable op­ White aims to shut Black' s b7-bishop out of
tions for White at this point. play, at least for a time, and to create a strong
4 .tb7 5 .tg2 .te7 6 0-0 (D)
••• outpost for the knight after the lDh4-f5 ma­
noeuvre.
7 exd5 8 lDh4
•••

It is really important to clear the diagonal of

the g2-bishop while initiating the knight's ma­
noeuvre: this way, the cxd5 idea has become a
concrete threat. If Black wants to maintain his
material advantage, then he has to protect the
pawn before continuing his development.
8 c6 9 cxd5 tbxd5 10 lDf5
•••

This position is the real consequence of the

pawn sacrifice. Now, White's knight on f5 is a
menacing force, since knights are highly effec­
tive when they are close to their targets. The
6 0-0
..• first high-level game with this pawn sacrifice -
 KASPAROV - MARJANOVIC 95

Polugaevsky-Korchnoi, Candidates match ( 1 2), the faulty follow-up suggests that Mrujanovic
Buenos Aires 1 980 (Supplementary Game 3) ­ was already drifting at this point. A well-known
shows the attacking potential of the knight: strategic method to neutralize pressure is to give
10 . . . �c5 1 1 e4 ltJe7 ? ! 12 ltJxg7 ! �xg7 1 3 b4 back the material advantage. In this sense, even
with an advantageous position for White. if it causes Black to lose his d5-pawn, the offside
lO ltJc7 (D)
••• knight could rejoin the fight with 1 5 . . . ltJc5 .
16 �h3
The bishop finds a way to be effective once
again on another diagonal. Suddenly 1 7 lLlh6+
followed by 1 8 �xd7 is a dangerous threat.
16 ...�h8? (D)
Surprisingly, Black's best move is 1 6 . . . 'ili'd8,
when it is very hard to find a path to any mean­
ingful advantage for White.

In his tum, Black wants to relieve his posi­

tion with a timely . . . d5 advance.
1 l ltJc3 dS 12 e4 �f6
The exchange of queens is not possible yet:
12 . . .dxe4 1 3 ltJxe4 'ii'xd 1 ?? 1 4 ltJxe7+ ! (an im­
portant zwischenzug) 14 . . . �h8 15 lhd 1 and
White is a piece up.
13 exdS
With this exchange, Kasparov wants the d5- After the black king's sidestep into the comer,
pawn to close the diagonal for a while, so that it the threat disappears along with the lLlh6+ idea.
will be quite hard for Black's pieces on the But the black queen's loose position still gives
queenside to participate in the battle. White an opportunity to transfer his pieces to the
13 cxd5 14 �f4 ltJba6 15 .:tel (D)
••• kingside, where the real battle will occur.
17 ltJe4!
Kasparov is not worried about losing more
material on the queenside. He thinks (and
knows ! ) so, because the most important factor
is the amount of firepower in the critical zone.
17 ...�xb2 18 ltJg5!
As mentioned before, knights are more ef­
fective when they are closer to their targets .
Also, discovered-attack ideas reappear now
that the h3-bishop is protected.
18 'iVc6 19 ltJe7 'ili'f6 (D)
•••

It is quite understandable for the black queen

to insist on staying on its third rank. Otherwise,
15 'ii'd7
••• Black would be helpless against 'ii'h 5 followed
Black has more or less completed his devel­ by �e5 ; e.g., 19 .. .'ii'c 3 20 'ikh5 h6 2 1 .te5 .
opment, and now it is time to exhibit a construc­ After Black's move, the same idea would fail
tive plan. While this move isn't actually an error, for the moment: 20 'ili'h5 h6 2 1 ..te5 ? 'i!i'xg5.
96 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

21 g6 22 'ii'h4 ..txa1 23 tt'lf6+ (D)

.••

Still, there is another way to transform the

pressure on the h-file into a concrete advantage.
Of course, Kasparov does not miss this oppor­ 1-0
tunity. Looking at the final position, it is remark­
20 tt'lxh7! able that all the white pieces, excluding the
The knight cannot be taken: White wins after lonely a2-pawn, are positioned on the king­
20 . . . 'iit xh7 2 1 'i!ih5+. side.
20 �d4 21 'i!ihS
••. This emphasizes that it is much more impor­
One by one, White accumulates his forces tant to have more firepower in the critical zone,
on the kingside. It is simply impossible to hold than a material advantage in less important ar­
on against this unbearable attack. eas of the board.

P layi ng a Ia Petrosi a n
Game 4 1
Kaspa rov - Petrosi a n
Bugojno 1 982
Bogo- l nd i a n Defence

1 d4 tt'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt'lf3 .i.b4+ (D) squares to answer his opponent ' s advances in
this area of the board. This fits in well with the
idea of exchanging off the dark-squared bishop
so it is not left standing passively behind the
c7-d6-e5 pawn-chain.
However, this is not the only plan for Black,
and in this game we see Petrosian opting for a
set-up with . . . d5 , which is somewhat similar to
Catalan structures. The danger is that the c8-
bishop may prove hard to develop.
4 ..td2 flie7
Quite consistent with the previously men­
tioned plan. Her majesty protects the threat­
ened bishop, while at the same time preparing a
The Bogo-lndian Defence. In this system, possible . . . d6 and . . . e5.
Black often locates his central pawns on dark 5 g3 ..txd2+
 KASPAROV - PETROS/AN 97

Black could have postponed this exchange of 9 lDa3!

bishops, and continued to press the centre with When knights have logical paths to the centre
5 . . . l'Dc6. or effective posts, there is nothing wrong with
6 Vii'xd2!? them initiating their journey from the rim. In this
Isn't capturing with the knight more natural? case, the knight's a3-c4 route aims to prevent
It might seem so, but Kasparov wants to place Black's desired . . . e5 advance, and thereby un­
his knight on c3, where it has the most influ­ derline the passivity of the c8-bishop.
ence over the central squares, and judges that 9 c5 10 dxc5 'i!Vxc5 1 1 :.f.acl lbc6 12 lDxc4
•••

this is more important than simply developing (D)

as quickly as possible.
6 0-0 7 .i.g2 d5
•••

A radical change in the game plan: now

Black' s pawns in the centre are placed on light
squares. This approach makes it more difficult
for Black's light-squared bishop to join the
game. Still, we should mention that White's
slight plus can easily evaporate if he makes a
few imprecise moves.
8 0-0 (D)

Thus, White has regained his pawn with an

advantageous position.
12 Vii'e7 13 lDfe5 lbxe5 14 lbxe5 lbd5 15
•••

.l:Ud 1 !
Although exchanging pieces i n cramped po­
sitions might be a relief in most cases, here it is
quite difficult for Black to find a constructive
plan. On the other hand, Kasparov has a very
simple and comfortable game. With the text­
move, he seizes control over two open files.
Even though the game started with a differ­ There's no need to be in a hurry here, since
ent defence, this looks like a typical position for Black is bound hand and foot.
the Catalan Opening ( 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lDf3 15 lDb6 16 'ii'a5!
•••

lbf6 4 g3 is one of the main versions of this White prevents an exchange of rooks with
opening, but there are some variant forms and this powerful move. To give an exemplary varia­
many possible move-orders). tion, 1 6 . . . .l:.d8? 1 7 lDc4 ! .l:.xd l + 1 8 .:txdl leaves
Now, Black has to solve the perennial prob­ Black almost paralysed.
lem of developing the light-squared bishop. But 16 g6 17 l::td3 lbd5
•••

just at the most inappropriate moment, Petrosian Black cannot find any logical follow-up,
carelessly releases the tension between the cen­ while Kasparov improves his position step by
tral pawns, and this leads to a worse position for step. Apparently Black was planning a possi­
him. ble queen exchange after . . . 'i&'b4. Even if this
8 dxc4?
••• idea occurs on the board, White would still
After this capture, White acquires a central have the upper hand, but why should White
pawn-majority. Kasparov's reply will show an give some hope to his opponent unnecessar­
additional benefit of him not rushing to bring ily?
out his queen's knight. 18 e4! (D)
98 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

It's hard to find even a single move for

I. B.t.B -·­
-··
Black !
B � �
�-,�>� • �
• ��· 21 a3 �g7 22 b3 �g8 23 a4
. -···- Slowly but surely, the decisive strike is pre­
fill�
B
�
-
�·� -
� ��
pared.
23 l:td8 (D)
. -�- .
••.

a a:a B
�� u -
�
� R �
u ii_ u
�
-� u - � �
� ��
18 ...lDb6
Unfortunately, this passive retreat was forced,
1 8 . . :i!fb4 fails to 1 9 l:hd5 ! , while 1 8 . . . lDf6
would be met by 1 9 .l:r.c7, when it's very diffi­
cult for Black to hold the position,
19 .i.fl
Kasparov wants to use all his resources. The
long diagonal was closed when White played 24 'ii'c5! 1-0
e4. Therefore, the bishop heads to a different Black cannot avoid material loss: 24 . . . 'ii'x c5
diagonal, which will be available after the rook 25 l:txd8+ 'ii'f8 26 l:.xf8+ �xf8 27 :c7 and it's
vacates d3. impossible to resist against the ideas of .:.xf7+
19 .:.es 20 l:.dd1 .:.rs
•.• and a5 .

An 1 1 -Yea r- Oid G i rl
G a m e 42
Costa - J . Polga r
Bie/ 1 98 7
Engl ish Open i ng

1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 c5 3 cxd4 4 lDxd4 e5

•••

An invitation to either the Modem Benoni (3 With her enterprising approach, Black does
d5 e6) or the Benko Gambit (3 d5 b5); Judit not worry about her backward d-pawn, and
would no doubt have chosen the latter, as it was questions the d4-knight' s powerful stance in
one of her favourite openings in her early years. the centre.
However, aiming to reach a calmer position, 5 lDb5
White declines such challenges. This move is intended to prevent Black's
3 lDf3 ... d5 advance, and to go on to exploit the weak
This position is generally classified as an d5-square in a slow positional struggle. It's true
English Opening ( 1 c4) because it can arise via that after 5 . . . d5 6 cxd5 lDxd5 ? 7 'i!ixd5 ! 'ili'xd5 8
1 c4 c5 2 lDf3 lDf6 3 d4. However, this specific lDc7+ White wins a piece. But Judit Polgar,
position tends to come about most often from who was later to become the strongest female
the Benoni move-order seen in our game; open­ chess-player of all time, shows another path for
ing naming can seem a little arbitrary at times. Black:
 COSTA - J. POLGAR 99

S dS!? (D)
••• undeveloped forces in our camp. This is an en­
couraging sign for the gambiteer.
7 0-0 8 g3
•.•

Allowing the bishop to set its eyes on f2

seems very risky, although this move is one of
the most popular options.
s ttJg4!?
...

Consequently, Black initiates an attack on f2

while clearing the way for the . . . f5 advance.
9 e3 fS 10 i.g2?!
When making each move, even if it is a nor­
mal developing move within a plan, it's impor­
tant to take our opponent' s ideas into account.
Once we pause to make this assessment, it is
No matter what ! Of course, Black was aware clear that Black is aiming to open lines with
that it wasn't possible to recapture on d5. But . . .f4, and we can see that White's simple devel­
she voluntarily gets rid of the trouble spot, in­ oping move may be an error. To avoid falling
stead of trying to solve its problems throughout victim to Black's all-out attack, White should
the game. have opted for 10 i.e2, which prevents the ad­
6 cxdS i.cS (D) vance of the f-pawn for the moment.
This is the Vaganian Gambit. Black intends 10 f4 1 1 h3? ! (D)
•••

to develop her pieces very actively, and just

leave the pawn on d5. Black is claiming that the
d5-pawn will only get in the way of White's
pieces, and serve almost like an 'umbrella' for
Black's own pieces, protecting them from fron­
tal attack and making it hard for White to initi­
ate exchanges. Of course, this is a genuine
gambit, so eventually Black will need either to
generate a substantial initiative or to win back
the pawn.

But this is too much.

l l tiJxf2!
•••

White's king is dangerously exposed.

12 'iii> xf2 fxe3++ 13 'iti>e1 l:tf2
After a serious of forced moves, another crit­
ical moment has been reached.
14 l:tg1?
It is not easy to make the psychological ad­
justment, as White early in the game, to defend­
ing against a vicious attack. Maybe this is the
7 tiJSc3 reason why White instinctively defended the
Costa retreats his knight, as sooner or later, bishop. In her own analysis of the game, Polgar
Black' s . . . a6 and . . . b5 advance would come mentions that 14 d6 (in connection with the
along with tempo. Still, it's rarely OK to make 'tlfd5+ idea) is a more resilient way to handle
several moves with one piece while there are the position.
100 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

14 .'ii'f8 15 'i'd3 (D)

•• lt:lf3 i.xg 1 2 1 lt:lxh2 lt:lc5 ! (with perfect timing,
the knight joins the game) 22 'flxe2 i.xh2 23
'it'xh2 lt:lxe4 and, with a significant lead in de­
velopment, Black will easily convert her ad­
vantage into victory.
18 .i.d4
•••

The c5-square is cleared for the knight's use.

19 i.xe3 lt:lc5! (D)

15 lt:la6!
•.•

For the attack to be successful, all available

forces must be brought into play. While indi­
rectly defending e3 ( 1 6 i.xe3? lt:lb4 ! 17 'i'e4
lt:lc2+ ), Black aims to include her knight in the
attack.
16 a3
Fending off the threats must take priority 20 i.xd4 exd4! ?
over everything else. O f course, snatching the queen was possible.
16 i.f5! 17 i.e4
..• But apparently, continuing with the attack was
White tries to keep the position closed as more attractive for the Hungarian.
long as possible. But this is not a realistic ex­ 21 'ii'xd4 .l:.e8+
pectation, since Black's forces will keep com­ With the rook's participation, Black empha­
ing and coming. sizes that she was using all available forces,
17 i.xe4 18 'i!i'xe4
••. from A to Z !
Polgar took her time analysing the seem­ 2 2 �d1 'ii'f3+ 0-1
ingly more natural 1 8 lt:lxe4, which is met by It is checkmate after 23 lt:le2 'ii'xe2+ 24 �c 1
1 8 . . . e2 ! (threatening .. J:tfl +) 1 9 lt:lbd2 .l:.h2 20 lt:lb3#.

Open i ng a Da ngerous Fi le
Game 43
W. Watson - M ed u na
Prague 1 992
Ca ro-Ka n n Defen ce

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 lt:ld2 dxe4 4 lt:lxe4 lt:ld7 arising after 4 . . . lt:lf6 5 lt:lxf6+, so he opts for
This is the Modem Variation of the Caro­ preparing . . . lt:lgf6 instead.
Kann Defence ( 1 e4 c6). Several former World 5 lt:lg5! ? (D)
Champions, most notably Smyslov and Karpov, White refrains from a possible knight ex­
were adherents of this solid system. Black does change on f6 (or e4). The knight voluntarily
not want his bishop to get kicked around after leaves its central post, but on the other hand it is
4 . . . i.f5 , nor does he like the doubled pawns getting closer to its probable targets.
 W. WATSON - MEDUNA 101

5 ltl gf6
••• 10 ltlxh5? !
•••

Here, 5 . . . h6? ! 6 ltle6 ! would be a nasty sur­ Was i t possible to accept the knight sacrifice?
prise. In that case, since the knight is taboo It's very concrete and complex, so let's analyse:
(6 . . . fxe6?? 7 'fi'h5+, mating), Black would have 10 . . . hxg5 1 1 h6 �h8 12 ltlxg5 ! (threatening
to be content with losing his bishop-pair after �xg6, followed by h7+/ltle6+) 1 2 . . . ltlb6 1 3 h7+
6 . . . 'fi'b6 7 ltlxf8. rJilg7 and after, e.g., 14 'i!Vd2 ! ? Black's vulnera­
6 �d3 g6 bility on h6 puts him in a difficult situation.
In modem opening practice, Black normally 11 g4? ! (D)
prepares to develop the bishop via 6 . . . e6. The 1 1 ltlxf7 ! .l:.xf7 ( l l . . .'it>xf7 12 'i¥e4) 12 �xg6
problems that Black faced in the current game exploits Black's weak light squares.
were part of the reason for that.
7 ltllf3 �g7 8 'i¥e2 (D)
Watson cleverly delays castling with a useful
waiting move.

l l ltlhf6?
...

This natural retreat is unfortunately faulty.

However, 1 1 . ..ltlg3 ! ? is very interesting: 1 2 fxg3
hxg5 (what an odd pawn-structure ! ) and after
8 0-0 9 h4!
... the removal of the menacing g5-knight, Black's
That was the idea ! White can attack Black's defensive idea with ... ltlf6 would grant him a
pawn-chain with h5 whenever the conditions playable position.
are right. Thereby the h-file will be cleared and After the move played, Watson is able to
Black's king will be the subject of a dangerous land a strong sacrificial blow similar to one we
attack. Actually this was the main problem of mentioned at the start of the game.
6 . . . g6. 12 ltle6!
9 h6 10 h5! (D)
... White's play on the light squares and the
Chaos on the board ! Unfortunately for Black, rook's power on the h-file make his attack nearly
the mayhem occurs just around his king. irresistible.
102 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

12 fxe6
•••

Inserting the check 1 2 . . .'ifa5+ fails to help:

1 3 �d2 'itb6 1 4 ltlxg7 and this time the game
comes to an end from the attack on h6.
13 'i!Vxe6+ llf7
1 3 . . . 'iii' h7 was not possible: 1 4 �xh6 ! �xh6
15 g5 ltlb6 1 6 Itxh6+ 'iii'g7 17 llxg6+ 'iti>h8 1 8
llh6+ 'iii' g7 1 9 .l:.h7+ ! (a neat way to open up the
6th rank) 1 9 . . . ltlxh7 20 'ii'g 6+ 'iii' h 8 2 1 'ii'xh7#.
When the line progresses with forced moves, it
is not that difficult to calculate, right?
14 � xg6 'i!Vf8 15 g5
This is how the initiative works: successive 17 �h7+! 1-0
strikes give the defender no time to construct a Black resigned after this classy decoy sacri­
defence, as all he can do is parry threats. fice: 1 7 . . . 'iii' xh7 1 8 hxg7 + 'iti'xg7 19 'i!Vh6+ 'iii'g 8
15 ltld5 16 gxh6 ltle5 (D)
••. 20 'ii'h 8# or 17 ... 'iii'h 8 (a more resilient try) 1 8
Meduna was counting on this defensive re­ hxg7+ "ikxg7 1 9 �e4+ ! (protecting the knight
source. But the game abruptly ends, as White's is important) 19 . . . 'iti'g8 20 'ifxe5 with a decisive
attack on the h-file rises on the occasion. material advantage for White (Stohl).

A Sacrifice to be Proud of
G a m e 44
H a n d ke - M u rdzia
Hamburg 2002
S i c i l i a n Defen ce

1 e4 c5 2 ltlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltlxd4 ltlf6 5 should not rush to fling his b-pawn down the
ltlc3 a6 (D) board, but the idea is present in the background
at least. Also, the move . . . a6 covers the b5-
square. This rules out ltldb5 so that Black can
play . . . e6 or especially . . . e5 without d6 coming
under immediate attack.
To understand the subtleties and nuances
(such as move-orders, etc.) in this high-level
defensive set-up, one needs to have not only
theoretical knowledge, but also experience.
6 ltg1 ! ?
This weird move declares White's intention
of launching a pawn-storm. Similar to Black's
... b5, here White wants to harass the f6-knight
with the g4-g5 advance, and thereby seize con­
This is the Sicilian Najdorf. In this complex trol over the key central square d5.
variation, Black's little pawn move has two main 6 ltlc6
•••

aims. Firstly, it prepares . . . b5, when the . . . b4 idea This is one of many valid options, which in­
harasses White's knight on c3, which affects the clude 6 . . . e5 and 6 . . . b5 . Apparently, Murdzia
battle for the central squares. Generally Black was planning to meet the flank attack with
 HANDKE - MURDZJA 103

central play, which is a highly thematic ap­ unfortunate situation. Now, 1 2 �a3 and 1 2
proach. 'ii'b4 will both be met by a discovered attack
7 g4 t'bxd4 8 'ifxd4 e5 (D) with 1 2 . . . d5 , winning material. The only other
obvious try, 1 2 t'bd5 , fails to 1 2 . . . t'bxe4, when
White has very little compensation for the loss
of his e-pawn.
But sometimes in chess, the right solutions
lie behind the moves and plans that we refuse
even to consider at first glance.
12 gxf6 ! !
Wouldn't Nezhmetdinov b e proud o f this sac­
rifice? (see Nezhmetdinov-Chemikov, Rostov­
on-Don 1 962 - Supplementary Game 2).
12 i.xb3 13 axb3
•••

Now White's intentions are clear: while d5

will be a strong outpost for the knight, the re­
As grabbing the g4-pawn would involve sig­ moval of the pawn on f6 (which causes signifi­
nificant risks, Black tries to equalize by attack­ cant discomfort in Black's camp) will open
ing the centralized queen. lines, which suits White's bishop-pair. But on
9 'ii'a4+ the other hand, Black can hardly tolerate leav­
Despite the apparent loss of time, there is a ing this pawn on f6.
logical explanation for this type of check. White 13 ...'ii'xf6?
is seeking to disharmonize Black's forces on the This loses. After 1 3 . . . gxf6 1 4 t'bd5 , White
queenside, and for this purpose he is content to obtains marvellous compensation, but the game
lose a tempo and make another move with his is very far from clear.
queen. 14 i.g5 �g6 (D)
9 i.d7
•••

9 . . . �d7? 10 i.b5 ! would be a swift loss.

10 'ii'b3
While Black has gained the move . . . i.d7 al­
most for free, it isn't a clear gain, since the
bishop is ineffective on this square, and may
need to move again.
10 b5 1 1 g5 i.e6 (D)
•••

At first glance, 1 5 i.xb5+ axb5 1 6 :xa8+

'it>d7 looks good for White, since he regains
some of his lost material. But Black still has
some threats under his belt: one idea is . . . f6, ex­
ploiting the pin along the g-file, while . . . b4
would make e4 vulnerable. Therefore in this
variation, White must settle for a repetition
with 1 7 :a7+ and l:ta8+, etc. (While Black can
It looks like White's fancy footwork has avoid an immediate draw, he cannot do so ad­
only succeeded in landing his queen in a most vantageously.)
104 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

There is a well-known chess saying: "When

you spot a good move, look for a better one !". A
great example is awaiting us.
15 .l:!.xa6 ! !
This is a much better (and spectacular ! ) way
to benefit from the a4-e8 diagonal's vulnera­
bility. The rook is untouchable on account of
the checkmate ( 1 5 . . . l:txa6 1 6 i.xb5+ :tc6 1 7
i.xc6#) , and i.xb5# is now a concrete threat,
because its protection has been removed. In
desperation, Black tries to stop these deadly
ideas.
15 .li!b8 16 .li!a8 ! !
••• Now White is material up, but in any case
That's creativity ! When Handke renews his there is no salvation against his all-out attack.
threat of i.xb5#, Black has nothing to do but to 18 �c7 19 i.e8! 1-0
•••

close the diagonal. Black has managed to prevent the check­

16 f6 17 l:.xb8+ �d7 18 i.xb5+ (D)
••• mate, but not the loss of his queen.

Another Fa bu lous B locki ng I dea

Game 45
J . Polga r - Berkes
Budapest 2003
French Defence

1 e4 e6 timid idea with . . . liJd7 and . . . c5 (or . . . e5) might

The French Defence. This opening can lead lead to a very dull, and near-to-equal position.
to a wide variety of different structures, and fre­ The position would be more or less equal once
quently results in quite messy positions. In prin­ Black' s light-squared bishop finds its way to
ciple, however, Black aims to counter his op­ freedom.
ponent's centre by locating his own central 8 liJd7 9 0-0-0 (D)
•••

pawns on light squares. In that respect, it is a Opposite-side castling suddenly creates a

solid approach. The obvious drawback, which sharp position. With his next move, Berkes pre­
it shares with the Queen's Gambit Declined, is serves his bishop-pair and aims to support his
that it leaves the light-squared bishop behind desired . . . c5 advance.
the pawn-chain.
2 d4 d5 3 liJc3 liJf6 4 i.g5 dxe4
Releasing the tension means surrendering
the centre. This can often leave Black with a
solid but somewhat passive position.
5 ltJxe4 i.e7 6 i.xf6
In order to maintain the knight's effective
position on e4, Polgar is content to give up her
bishop.
6 i.xf6 7 liJf3 0-0 8 'iVd2
•••

Although a plan with kingside castling is

completely playable, Black's plan against this
 J. POLGAR - BERKES 105

9 i.e7 10 i.d3 b6
••• front closed, and the text-move aims to prevent
Now that Black needs just one more move to this. As the last few moves were more or less
solve his bishop's perennial problem, White forced, it appears that Polgar had seen this
must launch her planned kingside attack very strong idea even before playing 1 1 lbeg5 ! .
quickly. h7 is the most natural target, and can be 1 4 .l:.b8 15 h4 (D)
•••

attacked right away by two of White's minor

pieces.
1 1 lbeg5! h6
l l ... g6? is another way to cover h7, but the
simple advance 1 2 h4, followed by h5, would
force open the h-file. The safest option for
Black is l l . . .i.xg5 1 2 �xg5 lDf6, which, al­
though unambitious since Black has given up
his main trump, i.e. the bishop-pair, leaves him
at just a slight disadvantage.
But what about the text-move?
12 i.h7+
This typical check pushes the king to the cor­
ner. As White's main attacking front is the h­ 15 g6
•••

file, luring the king to it with gain of tempo is As it is not possible to keep the h-file closed
very logical. after 1 5 . . . gxh4 16 g5 ! , Black seeks salvation by
12 Wh8 13 i.e4
••• closing the bishop's diagonal, and at the same
The bishop has completed its mission, and time by providing a safe square (g7) for his
doesn' t want to obstruct the h-file any more. king.
This retreat comes with tempo, demonstrating a 16 hxg5+ 'it>g7 17 'ii'f4! (D)
drawback of . . . b6. Accuracy right to the end: it is very impor­
13 hxg5? (D)
••• tant to transfer the queen to the h-file as quickly
1 3 . . . i.xg5 is again a safer option. as possible.

But now we might wonder if Polgar was 17 i.b7

•••

wrong after all. It seems like 14 i.xa8? g4 fol­ The attempt to counter White' s plan with
lowed by . . . i.g5 is winning for Black ! 17 .. J1h8 fails because it leaves the f7-pawn
14 g4! ! less well protected: 1 8 .l:.xh8 'ii'x h8 ( 1 8 . . . �xh8
Capturing the rook isn't obligatory. After 19 "ikxf7 followed by l:r.h 1 + is decisive) 1 9
this outstanding blockading idea, it will be im­ lbe5 ! lbxe5 20 'ii'xe5+ Wg8 2 1 "ikxc7 and
possible to stop the attack on the h-file. After 1 4 White wins.
h4?, Black's reply 1 4 . . . g4 would keep White's 18 .l:r.h7+ ! ! (D)
106 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

The quickest and most effective way to bring 20 i.xg5+ 21 ltlxg5 'ii'xg5+ 22 f4 'li'xf4+
•••

the queen to the h-file. 23 'iWxf4 i.xe4 24 1!fxe4 1-0

18 ...�xh7 19 'iWh2+ �g8 20 l::th 1 (D) Effective usage of the h-file was the key ele­
As it's not possible to endure White's attack ment in White's majestic victory. What was the
on the h-file any longer, Black desperately hero behind the curtains? Of course the fantas­
looks for ways to prolong the struggle. tic blockading idea !

In an earlier game, a surprisingly similar motif occurred:

A S i m i l a r Case :

Fori ntos - Zedek

Imperia 1 99 1
Position afte r 1 6 . . . 'i¥e7-d8

1 7 h4 i s less effective due to 1 7 . . . g4, so White

sacrifices his g-pawn to block the g4-square.
17 i.xg4 18 h4! f5 (D)
•••

It would be checkmate after 1 8 . . . i.xf3 1 9

hxg5+ i.xh 1 20 'ii'h 2+ �g8 2 1 'iWh7#.

In similar fashion t o the J.Polgar-Berkes

game that we've just analysed, the h-file is once
again the decisive element in this battle. For­
intos finds a sacrificial way to attack Black's
king, which has been more or less abandoned to
its fate by the defensive forces : 19 hxg5+ �g8 20 g6
17 g4! ! Not allowing the king to escape.
 HAMMER - CARLSEN 107

20 i.xe3+ 21 lDxe3 l:.f6 1-0

• • •
one of the works of the famous chess trainer
This inspiring game was analysed as an exer­ Mark Dvoretsky and his star pupil Artur Yusu­
cise in Attack and Defence (Batsford 1 998), pov.

The Au ra of M agn us Ca rlsen

Game 46
H a m mer - Ca rlsen
World Under- 1 4 Ch, Kallithea 2003
Pi rc Defence

l lDf3 d6 2 d4 lDf6 3 liJbd2 g6 4 e4

Here a form of the Pirc Defence has been
reached via a different move-order. Systems
such as the Pirc, Modem and King' s Indian al­
low Black to form his defensive set-up almost
regardless of what White is doing.
4 i.g7 5 i.d3 0-0 6 0-0 (D)
•••

White restrains Black's bishop ( . . . i.g4), so

that it won't be able to step up the pressure on
d4 by pinning the f3-knight.
8 ltJh5 ! ?
•••

But Black is stubborn in his assault o n d4:

now he opens up the diagonal of the other
bishop . . . . ltJh5-f4 is a typical knight manoeuvre
Both sides have castled, and now it's time for in positions like this, and is encouraged by the
them to generate a short-term plan. For the mo­ fact that White has played h3 , as kicking the
ment, Black's fianchettoed bishop sets its eyes knight away from f4 with g3 is nearly impossi­
on d4. In order to support his bishop, Carlsen ble since it would leave the h3-pawn hanging.
increases his pressure against this key square, Hammer cannot tolerate the pressure any
and forces his opponent to make a decision more, and decides to release the tension with
about the central structure. his next move.
6 ltJc6
••• 9 dxe5 liJf4
A provocative move: in the event of 7 d5 In reply, Black inserts a neat zwischenzug
liJb8, White has gained time but slightly com­ (in-between move), and suddenly sharpens the
promised his strong central stance. Black could seemingly-calm position.
then attack the d5-pawn with . . . c6. Therefore, 10 i.b5 ltJxe5 l l liJxe5 �g5! (D)
Hammer doesn't want to take a committal deci­ Threatening both checkmate and . . . ltJxh3+.
sion, and simply strengthens his d4-pawn in­ Although it wouldn't be fair to call this position
stead. worse for White, it is not a very comfortable sit­
7 c3 e5 8 h3 (D) uation to handle.
1 08 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

In fact, the knight was in a secure position,

thanks to a secret tactical resource. Therefore,
Carlsen confidently grabs White' s important
central pawn.
16 :xe4! 17 :e1? (D)
.••

12 lt:Jg4 'iVxb5
After regaining the material, Black's idea is
to acquire the bishop-pair with . . . lt:Je2+ fol­
lowed by . . . lt:Jxc l .
1 3 li:Jb3 lt:Je2+ 1 4 'iii> h 1 i.xg4
A little change in the plan: suddenly Carlsen
thinks that opening up the h-file, and creating 17 .. .'i'h5+! 0-1
some problems in White's structure, is more Apparently, White had missed the simple
important. Of course, capturing with 14 . . . li:Jxc l checkmate 1 8 gxh5 :h4#. In retrospect, one
was possible as well. can claim that White's idea of trapping the be­
15 hxg4 :ae8 16 i.e3? sieged knight could have been put into practice
The penalty for this miscalculation will be after 1 6 a4, as this forces the black queen off the
harsh. White has besieged the black knight 5th rank: after 1 6 . . . 'ii'a6 1 7 i.e3 :xe4 1 8 .l:!.e l
within his own camp and now he aims to trap it .:r.xe3 ! ? 1 9 fxe3 lt:Jxc3 ! ? 20 bxc3 i.xc3 the posi­
with �e l . Quite dangerous, right? Not exactly ! tion is quite unclear. Alas . . .

The Rook's B reathta ki ng Performa nce

Game 47
Erdogd u - Sha nava
Istanbul 2004
N i mzowitsch Defence

1 e4 lt:Jc6 concrete character: 4 . . .'ilfh5 5 li:Jb5 ! (targeting

The Nimzowitsch Defence. With this offbeat the vulnerable c7-pawn) or 4 .. .'ii' a5 5 i.b5 ! (to
(yet modem) system, Black allows his oppo­ prevent Black's light-squared bishop from tak­
nent to build a broad centre with 2 d4 if he ing an active role on g4).
wishes. Still, careless play from White might 3 d4 li)f6 4 lt:Jc3 i.g4 5 i.b5
suddenly leave him with major problems, and Curiously enough, White skips normal devel­
White more often adopts the more modest reply opment with i.e2. More ambitiously, he aims to
seen in this game. neutralize his opponent's pressure on d4 by pin­
2 li:Jf3 d6 ning the c6-knight.
With this move, the Georgian master steers 5 ... a6 6 i.xc6+ bxc6 7 h3 i.h5 8 'l'e2 (D)
the game towards Pirc waters. Instead, 2 . . . d5 3 A silent declaration: while giving priority to
exd5 'iVxd5 4 lt:Jc3 gives the game a more other goals, Black has ignored his dark-squared
 ERDOGDU - SHANA VA 109

his opponent to capture on f6. In return for his

shattered pawn-structure, he aims to generate
direct pressure via the half-open b-file. Black
would acquire a great many pawns in the centre
after 1 1 i.xf6 gxf6 and this makes Shanava' s
approach similar to Kozul' s idea.
11 0-0-0 'ifb6 12 tiJd2! (D)

bishop ' s development. Therefore for the mo­

ment, his king is stuck in the centre. With his
queen' s 'little move ' , Erdogdu prepares to cas­
tle queenside. The text-move might also help
White achieve the e5 advance in some varia­
tions. Of course, there are also some risks. The
half-open b-file, and especially the b2-square,
might turn into a target for Black' s pieces.
However, Black is not at present in a position to It seems odd to retreat during the height of
launch an attack. the battle, but the knight aims to land power­
8 e6 9 g4!
••• fully on the c4-square, where it neutralizes the
White's decision to castle queenside makes black queen's pressure on b2. Also, trapping
this advance a part of an effective plan, rather the bishop with the upcoming march of the f­
than an unfounded attack. This way, White has pawn has now become a concrete threat. In his
gained some space on the kingside and also turn, Black has to find an answer to this critical
stranded Black's light-squared bishop out of question: is it possible to capture the loose
play for some time at least. pawn, or is d4 poisoned?
9 i.g6 10 i.gS 'i¥b8!? (D)
... 12 'ifxd4
•••

Raising the stakes. In fact, Black had few vi­

able options, since a routine continuation like
1 2 . . . i.e7 1 3 f4 l:tb8 14 tiJb3 would leave him in
a precarious situation.
13 ltJc4? !
Wasn't it possible to lock up the bishop di­
rectly with 1 3 f4 ! instead? Indeed it was, but
putting the knight on a very effective square
with tempo also looks attractive.
13 .'i!i'c5
••

Attacking the bishop.

14 f4
At first glance, it might appear that Black is
A Ia Kozul ! Lately, Croatian grandmaster under severe pressure. The continual threats
Zdenko Kozul' s Variation ( 1 e4 c5 2 tiJf3 tLlc6 3 have prevented Shanava from completing his
d4 cxd4 4 liJxd4 tiJf6 5 tLlc3 d6 6 i.g5 e6 7 'ii'd 2 development, especially on the kingside. But
a6 8 0-0-0 i.d7) against the Richter-Rauzer has Black finds a tactical solution to the problem of
been a topical way for Black to handle the Open his light-squared bishop.
Sicilian. Here, similarly enough, Black allows 14 ltJxe4! ? 15 ltJxe4 i.xe4 16 'ifxe4 dS (D)
•••
110 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

1 8 . . . aS ! , the key idea being that . . . 'iVa6 is then

available as a vital defensive resource (e.g. 1 9
.l:.d4 'it'a6 or 1 9 'ifb7 'ii'a6). After 1 9 l:the l .i.b4
20 a3 0-0 2 1 axb4 axb4, the game is unclear, as
Black has evacuated his king and possesses two
pawns and counterplay for the piece. 19 a3 'ii'a6
20 'ii'e 5 c5 2 1 .l:r.he 1 (2 1 .l:.xd5 f6) 2 1 . . .'ii'd6 also
sees Black holding his game together.
19 .l:.d4! ! (D)
1 9 bxa3 0-0 is less clear, as White's king
would be vulnerable to various attacks from
Black's forces.
This idea has its logic. Now White has to give
back his extra material, but some calculation is
in order here to find the best way forward.
17 'ireS!
Centralization is very effective, as usual. It
was not possible to hold on to the extra mate­
rial, but at least Erdogdu wants to grab the loose
c7-pawn in return.
17 'ii'xc4 18 'flxc7 (D)
•••

Actually, this inspiring rook-lift promotes

White's attack in a different manner (deflec­
tion ! ) from what we're accustomed to witness­
ing. Of course, the rook is taboo: it's checkmate
after 1 9 . . . 'itxd4? 20 'ii'xc6+ �f8 2 1 'ii'x a8#.
Still, Black can fight on.
19 .i.xb2+?
•.•

Just at the most exciting moment, Black col­

lapses. We shall return to the game shortly af­
So, White's army is getting closer to Black's terwards, but first answer this question: what
king. At the same time, White now has total would White play after the dangerous-looking
control over d8, and his pressure against the c6- 19 . . . 'iVc3 ? Believe it or not, 20 .l:.b4 ! ! (D).
pawn has more or less immobilized Black's
queen. All these considerations make the posi­
tion very difficult for Black. But Shanava now
finds a very interesting idea.
18 .i.a3?
•••

A spectacular move. Black assesses that the

core problem is his king's position, so he wants
to clear its path to castling in the quickest way
possible. At the same time, he creates some dis­
comfort for White's own king.
However, it turns out that White has a strong
answer, and that Black's best chance lay in
 D. HOWEU - ASHTON 111

This move with an interference theme threat­

ens mate in one: 2 1 'ike?# !
Once again, 20 . . . 'iixb4? loses to 2 1 'ii'x c6+,
and after the continuation 20 . . . .txb4? 21 bxc3
Black is material down. So, it's obvious that
Black's only chance is to secure his king by
castling (finally ! ) : 20 . . . 0-0. But now the cold­
blooded 21 l:b3 ! gives White a substantial ad­
vantage: 2 l . . . .txb2+ 22 �bl ! (much better
than 22 :txb2 'iff3 , which would leave White's
rooks uncoordinated).
So what can we suggest for Black? Proba­
bly the best practical try is 1 9 . . . 'ikc5 . Still, I be­ Now the decisive strike justifiably belongs to
lieve that after 20 bxa3 (this capture is forced) the star of the battle.
20 . . . 'ikxa3+ 2 1 �bl 0-0 22 :d3 ! , the rook will 21 l:[xd5! 1-0
handle the security issues once it finds time to Black resigned as the other rook will deci­
land on b3. sively join the assault after 2 l . . .exd5 22 l:te l +.
20 �bl 'ikc5 (D) What a breathtaking performance !

Piece- Play on the Ki ngside

Game 48
D . Howel l - Ashton
British Rapidplay Ch, Halifax 2008
Two Kn ights Defence

1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 lt.Jc6 3 .i.c4 lt.Jf6 4 .tc5 (D)

•••

This is the Two Knights Defence. In this Black locates his bishop actively on the a7-
opening, Black allows his opponent to target f7 gl diagonal, and that's very natural. Still, alter­
directly with 4 lLlg5 . But in compensation, he natives such as 4 . . . .te7 and even 4 . . . h6 ! ? are
prevents White's plan of c3 and d4 by attacking possible.
e4 for the moment. Pros and cons . . .
4 d3
Historically speaking, 4 lt.Jg5 d5 (4 . . . .tc5 is
the Traxler Counter-Gambit) 5 exd5 lL!a5 (even
5 . . . b5 is possible) 6 .tb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8
.te2 is an ever-lasting theoretical discussion
between two opposing opinions: White's extra
pawn vs Black's lead in development.
However, nowadays many chess-players pre­
fer to avoid highly theoretical battles, and opt
for unforced manoeuvring play instead. The
reason for this approach is that it is very diffi­
cult to get a significant edge in a forcing line
against a well-prepared opponent. That's ex­ 5 c3 a6
actly why the Closed System with 4 d3 is be­ Seemingly rather odd, this advance is quite
corning more and more popular. popular. White's plan of c3, followed by the d4
112 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

advance at a suitable moment, will force the It wasn't possible to stop the opening of the
bishop to find another square. Therefore, Black d-file any more, but at least White can avoid the
prepares to tuck his bishop into a7. exchange of queens. White's chances of claim­
6 .ib3 ing an edge are tied up with his kingside attack.
A second move from an already-developed Without queens on the board, White's attacking
bishop also strikes one as curious. The retreat is possibilities would be severely limited.
based on concrete grounds: with the bishop on 10 dxe4 11 dxe4 'iie7 12 ltJg3
•••

c4, Black's . . . d5 advance will have to be an­ The manoeuvre is completed at last. White is
swered with exd5 . With the bishop at a safe dis­ now ready to castle and initiate his kingside
tance on b3, White will be able to maintain his play.
pawn on e4. White will also be able to preserve 1 2 h6? ! (D)
•••

his bishop from exchange in the event of a later

. . . ltJa5 .
6 .ta7 7 h3!?
•••

Usually, i t is difficult t o claim any real edge

after making so many preparatory moves. But
White has a clear idea in mind, and therefore
prevents moves such as . . . ltJg4, which would
disrupt White's planned manoeuvres.
7 d6 8 liJbd2 0-0 (D)
•.•

Unforced, aimless pawn moves in front of a

king weaken the control over some squares, and
tum the pawn into a target for the enemy pieces.
Apparently, Black doesn't want his opponent to
create a discomforting pin on f6 with .ig5 fol­
lowed by lLlh5 . But because of this superficial
thought, suddenly bigger problems arise.
13 lLlh4!
Why is White once again abandoning the plan
9 ltJfl! of castling? Changing circumstances might give
This is the reason why White has delayed cas­ us more promising opportunities, so it's best
tling for so many moves: if he had previously to be flexible. With this thematic manoeuvre,
castled, then his desired manoeuvre liJbd2-fl ­ White aims to place a knight on f5 and also
g3/e3 could only be employed after .:!.el (which threatens a knight fork on g6.
not only costs a move, but may not be the best 13 /�'h7 14 lLlhf5
••

square for the rook). But Howell delays castling We shall very soon see that the white knight
for a few moves, and thereby saves time. on f5 has a very critical role in the kingside at­
9... d5 tack.
Of course, lLlfl was also a retreating move, 14 .'ii'e8 15 'ilf3!
••

which encourages Black to land a central counter­ Since 1 2 . . . h6? ! , the course of the battle has
blow at this precise moment. Now Black has a been like this: threat - defence - another threat.
positional threat: once again, . . . dxe4 followed It is obvious that Black will not manage to sur­
by . . . Vi'xd l + would create an equal, dull posi­ vive by continuing this routine. With his last
tion. Thus White has to neutralize this plan. move, White is threatening to win a pawn with
10 'ii'e 2! lLlxh6 followed by Vi'xf6.
 J. FRIEDEL - DE JONG 113

15 �g8 (D)
••• White's kingside activity has become ex­
treme. He should now be looking for a concrete
tactical blow to exploit his large local superior­
ity of force.
16 �xg7!
Young grandmaster Howell initiates the de­
cisive sequence. Black's pawn-structure is tom
apart with this knight sacrifice.
16 ..t>xg7 17 ltJh5+ 1-0
•••

Checkmate is inevitable after 17 . . .ct.h7 (or

17 . . . ..t>h8) 1 8 'iYg3, while 17 . . . ..t>g6 1 8 'ii'g 3+ !
..t>xh5 1 9 .i.d 1 + (don't forget the light-squared
bishop ! ) 1 9 . . . .i.g4 20 'iYxg4# is a different form
of checkmate.

The Power of the Zwischenzug

Game 49
J . Friedel - De Jong
Hoogeveen 2009
Sici l i a n Defence

1 e4 c5 2 lt:Jf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 �xd4 a6 (D) 6 .i.d3 .i.b7 7 0-0

On the other hand, White has developed his
kingside forces first and promptly castled.
7 lt:Jc6 8 lt:Jxc6
•••

Of course, it was completely OK to support

the knight with 8 .i.e3 , but apparently Friedel
prefers to develop more freely.
8 .i.xc6 9 'ili'e2 (D)
.•.

This is the Kan Variation. With this flexible

system against the Open Sicilian, Black aims to
restrain White's knights, and prepares a timely
. . . b5-b4 combined with pressure against White's
central structure.
5 lt:Jc3 b5
Showing his hand: Black gives priority to de­
veloping his queenside pieces. While it directly A step towards connecting the rooks, this
targets the centre, this approach entails some move also toys with the thematic lLld5 idea,
risk as Black is a long way from castling, and so which can be useful in some variations.
far has no pieces developed. 9 .i.c5 10 .i.e3 d6
•.•
114 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

Capturing with 1 0 . . . i.xe3 is also possible,

but exchanging dark-squared bishops would
cause some problems on the dark squares for
Black, since he has already placed nearly all his
pawns on light squares.
11 a4
Increasing the tension: in addition to the op­
posing bishops, now there is a direct contact be­
tween the a- and b-pawns.
ll ... i.xe3? (D)
The fundamental idea behind 'ii'e2 would be
seen clearI y after 1 1 . . . b4 1 2 lt:)d5 ! . In that case,
the pressure on a6 does not allow the natural After so many exchanges, the position has
1 2 . . . lt:)e7 since White replies 1 3 lt:)xe7 rt;xe7 simplified somewhat. In the process, White has
( 1 3 . . . 'ii'xe7 14 i.xc5 dxc5 1 5 i.xa6) 14 i.xc5 won a pawn and deprived Black of his castling
dxc5 1 5 'i!ib5 ! ( 1 5 i.xa6 'ifd4 would give an un­ rights. On the other hand, his pawn-structure
clear position) 1 5 . . . 'ifb6 1 6 a5 ! . After 1 2 . . . i.b7, has been damaged after fxe3 . Quite interest­
White's knight would find a good square: 1 3 ingly, White's claim of an advantage in this po­
i.xc5 dxc5 1 4 lt:)e3 followed by lt:)c4. sition is not based on material factors . His
Considering these dangerous lines, Black de­ temporary (but significant) trumps in terms of
cided the text-move would be safest. But a sur­ his opponent's weak king and play on the f-file
prise awaits him. are more important. On the other hand, Black's
hopes are grounded on White's structural de­
fects. A splendid clash of static and dynamic el­
ements, isn't it?
15 ... .:t.b8
Understandably, being a pawn down, De Jong
avoids further exchanges and puts his rook on
the b-file with tempo.
16 .l:ta7!
Zwischenzug number 2 ! There is a guiding
element in this position: doubled pawns give
their possessor opportunities on the half-open
file. With the aid of the zwischenzug, Friedel
connects his play on the seventh rank and the
12 axb5! f-file. Just to make sure, let's analyse the con-
This unexpected zwischenzug (in-between sequences of accepting the ' gift' : 1 6 . . . .l:txb5 ? !
move) leaves two black pieces under attack, 1 7 l:.axf7 + rt;e8 1 8 1::tf8 + rt;d7 ( 1 8 . . .rt; e7 1 9
and suddenly sharpens the game. l::U f7#) 1 9 l:txd8+ rt;xd8 20 lt:)xb5 and White
12 ... axb5 13 i.xb5 heads to the endgame two pawns up.
As the bishop on c6 is hanging once again, Therefore, Black decides to meet the pres­
White can still delay the recapture on e3 . sure on the f-file by (finally ! ) developing his
13 ... i.xb5 knight.
Apparently, De Jong understands that he 16 ...lt:)f6 17 .l:txf6! (D)
has lost a pawn thanks to the zwischenzug, and White can again leave his queen en prise
he seeks at least to damage White's pawn­ thanks to the attack upon f7 : after 1 7 . . . l:txb5 1 8
structure. That's why he preferred the text­ l:fxf7+ (this time capturing with the other rook)
move over 1 3 .. J:tc8 or 1 3 . . . lt:)e7 . followed by 1 9 lt:)xb5 it is difficult to propose
14 'ii'xb5+ rt;rs 15 fxe3 (D) even a single constructive move for Black.
 J. FRIEDEL - DE lONG 115

A great square-clearance sacrifice ! The

knight will be transferred to e4, and afterwards
B the simple tbf6( +) idea will leave Black help­
less. Black has a variety of options, none of
which bring relief: 1 9 . . . dxe5 (or 1 9 . . . fxe5) 20
'iVh6+ �g8 2 1 tbe4, 1 9 . . f5 20 exd6, followed
.

by 2 1 .l:te7, and 19 . . d5 20 'ifh6+ 'it>g8 2 1 exf6

.

are winning for White. In these variations, the

major cause of Black's problems is the white
queen's penetration via h6, so De Jong decides
to prevent this idea.
19 h6 (D)
.••

17 ... gxf6
There is no choice, since recapturing with
the queen would leave the rook hanging.
18 'ifh5 w
White consistently pursues his pressure on
the f7-square. Tactics have been White's real
helpers throughout the game, but ever since 1 1
a4, his principal strategy has been 'play on the
open files ' .
18.. .'i'e8 (D)

20 exf6? !
The new threat is 2 1 .l:!.e7 . That said, the
planned 20 tbe4 ! is a neater way to win.
20 .l:rh7 21 tbe4 (D)
.•.

Here we come to the critical moment! In a

chess battle, sometimes there occurs a climax
of the fight. At this moment, it's crucial to make
the right decision, since anything less than the
very best move might undo all the previous
good work. So far, White has used almost all
his forces to press against his opponent's Achil­
les' Heel, f7. Now, in order to increase the pres­ White aims to increase the pressure on f7 by
sure, Friedel needs to bring up the reserves. The tbxd6. Since 19 e5 ! , the course of the game has
queen and rook are ideally located, but the been another example of the 'threat - defence -
knight has been just a spectator. Sometimes, another threat' cycle. At some point, one side
improving the position of such a piece has deci­ will exhaust his resources: either the initiative
sive consequences. bums itself out, or the defence collapses. Black's
19 e5! scattered pieces against White's harmonious
116 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

forces are the main reason why the latter out­ A great strike, benefiting from the loose
come applies here. rook.
21 �d8?
••• 22 hxg5 23 .l:txf7+! 1-0
••.

2 1 . . .�c6 is much more resilient. A fitting end for this outstanding battle:
22 �g5! 23 ... .l:!.xf7 24 �h8# !

A Terrifyi ng ( K) n ightma re !
G a m e 50
Rublevsky E. Zude -

European Ch, A ix-les-Bains 201 1

S i c i l i a n Defence

1 e4 c5 2 �f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 �xd4 �f6 5 As previously mentioned, continuing devel­

�c3 a6 6 i.. c4 (D) opment with . . . i..b7 actually invites the sacrifice
on e6. Therefore, Black's move-order looks very
logical. Now 1 0 e5 ? cannot cause a serious
headache, as Black has 10 . . . i..b7 in reply.
10 i..e3 'i'b7 1 1 'i!i'g3 0-0 (D)

In the Sozin Attack against Black's Najdorf

Sicilian, White aggressively deploys his bishop
on the a2-g8 diagonal.
6 e6
•••

With the white bishop on c4, it would be il­ With careful play, Black has managed to
logical for Black to make the . . . e5 advance complete his kingside development. Still, as
(which is quite standard in many Najdorf lines). White's pieces are more active, he thinks that
Zude aims to limit the bishop. he is already prepared for an attack on this side
7 i.. b3 b5 8 0-0 i..e7 of the board. Rublevsky wants to see how Black
Wouldn't it be more natural to follow up will deploy his queenside pieces, and mean­
with . . . i..b7 after . . . b5? It might be, but don't while brings his rooks to the central files before
forget the risks of postponing the development initiating any direct action.
of the kingside. In a probable variation, 8 . . . i..b7 12 i..h6 �e8 13 .l:.fe1 i.. d7
9 :e 1 (with �d5 ideas) 9 . . . i..e7? 1 0 i.. xe6 ! Nowadays, immediately releasing the pres­
fxe6 1 1 �xe6 'it'd? 1 2 �xg7+ �f7 1 3 �f5 , sure on g7 by 1 3 . . . �h8 is seen more often. Ap­
White has a dangerous attack. This typical Si­ parently, Zude thinks that he has sufficiently
cilian sacrifice once again shows the risks of covered g7, and continues with his queenside
delaying castling. plan. Unfortunately, this allows another enter­
9 "it'f3 "i¥b6 prising idea from White.
 RUBLEVSKY - E. ZUDE 11 7

14 lir.ad1 lLlc6 (D) a dangerous idea - .Uxe8 followed by 'i/xg7# ­

suddenly emerges) White can leave both his
knights en prise.
16 exf5
•••

In order to neutralize the pressure, it is oblig­

atory to eliminate White's menacing knight on
f5 .
17 exfS ltJeS (D)

Finally, Black has completed his queenside

development. But the looseness of the bishop
on e7 allows White to fast-track his forces to
the kingside by tactical means.
15 liJd5!
Sacrifices with ltJd5 and lLlf5 are very typi­
cal in the Open Sicilian. Now, accepting the
sacrifice is questionable: 15 . . . exd5 ? ! 1 6 lLlxc6 ! The knight aims to help in the defence by
(it's important that this capture comes with a preventing the l:txe8 and 'ii'xg7# idea. How­
threat) 1 6 . . . i.f6 (after 1 6 . . . i.xc6 1 7 exd5 both ever, Rublevsky rises to the occasion.
bishops are under attack, while 1 6 . . . 'ii'x c6 1 7 18 l:!.xeS!
exd5 leaves the e7-bishop hanging) 1 7 exd5 . Not allowing Black a single quiet moment !
Note that it's not possible for Black to win a This exchange sacrifice pursues the initiative
pawn on c6, since White wins material after with the utmost vigour. Having sacrificed mate­
1 7 . . . i.xc6 1 8 dxc6 'ii'xc6 1 9 i.d5 . rial, this is precisely the right type of approach.
Black, therefore, unwillingly seeks salvation 18 dxe5 19 f6 g6 (D)
•••

by securing his bishop on a different square. The unbearable pressure on g7 forces Black
15 i.d8 16 liJf5! (D)
••. to make this advance. But to no avail. . .

What a terrifying (k)nightmare ! Although 2 0 ttJe7+ 1-0

Black has removed his bishop from the e-file, he A wonderful example of how effective the
cannot avoid all dangers on this file. Thanks to thematic liJd5 and lLlf5 sacrifices can be in the
a tactical resource (after accepting the sacrifice, Open Sicilian.
118 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

A Petroff Classic
Game 5 1
Ana nd - Kas i m dzha nov
Rapid ma tch (3), Tashken t 201 1
Petroff Defence

1 e4 eS 2 ltJf3 ltJf6 (D) In the previous comment, we noted that the

white king's likely position is more or less
clear. But Black's decision regarding the posi­
tion of his own king will greatly shape the
further course of the game. What would you
recommend? Adventurously castling kingside,
or more solidly castling queenside? There isn't a
right or wrong answer to this question; just like
opening preferences, the decision will be based
on one's own taste. After . . . 0-0-0, as both sides
have placed their kings on the same side, attack­
ing the king will not be the base element. Con­
trarily after . . . 0-0, a sharper struggle awaits both
sides. As White's extra pawn in front of his king
The Petroff Defence. This solid system gives makes his position a little bit safer, it is possible
Black fairly good chances of equalizing. Instead to claim that White has a slight practical edge.
of defending his e-pawn, Black counter-attacks 9 0-0-0 (D)
against White's own e-pawn. The elimination of
these two pawns tends to limit the attacking op­
portunities for both sides, and an open e-file of­
ten proves an avenue for exchanges of the major
pieces.
Of course, just like all other opening systems,
it isn't possible to express all the details of this
rich defence in a single paragraph. Anand opts
for a line with opposite-side castling, as this
might give him more chances for a successful at­
tack.
3 ltJxeS d6 4 ltJf3 ltJxe4 5 ltJc3
The main continuation here is 5 d4. How­
ever, with the text-move, White aims to break 9 ...ltJe5 10 �b1
the symmetry, by somewhat altering the pawn­ Very often this is a useful little move. While
structure. sidestepping from the loose c l -h6 diagonal, the
5 ... ltJxc3 6 dxc3 i.e7 7 i.e3 ltJc6 king is also taking care of a2. Anand wishes to
Without wasting any time, both sides con­ see his opponent's set-up before deciding how
tinue to develop their pieces. It seems like the to deploy his own forces, and therefore makes a
queenside is the right place for White's king, useful semi-waiting move.
since his doubled pawns make this side of the 10 c6
•••

board more secure. Apparently, opening the g-file with lO . . . ltJxf3

8 ii'd2 0-0 did not appeal to the Uzbek player.
 ANAND - KASIMDZHANOV 119

1 1 i.e2 (D)

A long and forced sequence of moves be­

gins.
l l ltJg4
... 15 �h8
.••

Kasimdzhanov's plan was not to exchange As White would have the upper hand after
knights; instead, he tries to acquire the bishop­ 1 5 . . . �xh7 1 6 hxg4+ i.h6 1 7 g5 , Black's reply
pair. is forced.
12 i.d3 16 'ilxf4 ltJxf2 17 ltJg5! (D)
White probably has little choice but to allow White thinks that he has enough firepower
the exchange of the bishop. But the following on the kingside, and therefore is not worried
line in which he seeks to extract a half-open h­ about losing an exchange. Black has to be very
file as the price for this seems like a reasonable careful now, as White's 1Wh4 idea is highly
choice: 1 2 i.d4 c5 (otherwise the knight would menacing.
have to retreat after White plays h3) 1 3 h3 ! ?
cxd4 1 4 hxg4 dxc3 1 5 �xc3 i.xg4. �aybe
Anand looked at this concrete variation, but
was unimpressed by the compensation for the
pawn.
12 d5? !
•••

O f course, i t is important to solve the prob­

lem of the vulnerable d-pawn, and to take ac­
tion in the centre. But wouldn't it be more
logical to continue with 'b' , after saying 'a' ?
Black should have removed a possible attack­
ing weapon and acquired the bishop-pair by
1 2 . . . ltJxe3.
13 i.f4 17 f6? !
•••

Taking the opportunity to preserve the bishop. A very natural response, but this defensive
13 i.d6 14 h3!
••• idea proves insufficient after White's marvel­
The game has had a calm start, but the ten­ lous reply. 1 7 . . .�f6 is more resilient. After 1 8
sion is increasing step by step. After the capture 'ilfh4 'ilh6 (meeting the queen's manoeuvre) 1 9
on f4, won't a knight fork be possible on f2? 'ilxf2 'ilxg5 20 i.d3 White still has the upper
14 i.xf4
••• hand, with a more secure king and more active
Of course not ! Anand is well aware of the pieces, but the game is far from over.
dangers awaiting his opponent on the h-file. He Could Anand manage to prove the dubious­
benefits from this element by rushing his pieces ness of Black's last move? No question about
to the kingside. that !
15 i.xh7+! ! (D) 18 lLlf7+!
120 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

An effective way to prevent 1 8 . . . fxg5 . So as king ' s escape by closing the file with . . .lt:le4)
not to lose decisive material immediately, the 23 . . . .ie6 ! (Black blocks the e-file, and forces his
knight has to be removed. opponent to weaken his first rank) 24 l:txe6
18 Jhf7 19 .ig6 lt:lxd1 (D)
•• 'ifib6+ 25 �c l 'i!i'g l + and Black draws by per­
petual check.

At the moment, Black has an extra rook and

knight( !) after accepting all the gifts. But check­ Anand's accurate play right to the end makes
mate outweighs everything else. this miniature a real Petroff classic.
20 �h4+ �g8 21 l:.e1 ! (D) 21. lt:lxc3+ 22 bxc3 .ie6 23 l:txe6 'iVb6+ 24
•.

Obviously, it was very important not to allow �c1 1-0

Black's king to run away. But here, the move­ The same ingredients, but here Black resigns.
order has a crucial impact on the result of the Why? Because White's queen controls el from
battle. Although 2 1 'ifh7+? ! �f8 22 litel seems the h4-square, and therefore does not allow his
similar, it is insufficient for victory: 22 . . . lt:lxc3+ ! opponent to benefit from the weakness of his
2 3 bxc3 (otherwise the knight would prepare his back rank: 24 . . . 'i!i'gl + 25 Iitel and White wins.

The Duel of the Vetera ns

G a m e 52
Ceba lo - Vas i u kov
European Seniors Team Ch, Sibenik 201 4
D utch Defen ce

1 d4 f5 2 .ig5!? aggressive 4 e4 is also perfectly playable, as is

This odd-looking bishop move is a blood­ 4 .ig3 , since 4 . . . f4? fails to 5 e3) 4 . . . gxh4?? 5
thirsty reply to the Dutch Defence ( 1 d4 f5). In 'ii'h 5#. Certainly this is just an illustrative vari­
common with the Trompowsky Attack ( 1 d4 ation. Nevertheless, with his provocative treat­
lt:lf6 2 .ig5), here White aims to spoil Black's ment of the ever-dangerous Dutch Defence,
pawn-structure: if Black continues simple king­ White aims to carry the game into somewhat
side development with 2 . . . lt:lf6, White can reply unorthodox waters.
3 .ixf6. But what if Black delays his develop­ 2 g6
•••

ment, and disturbs the bishop with 2 . . . h6 in­ Not surprisingly, this is the main variation
stead? Of course, it is not possible to trap and against White's 2 .ig5 . As his e-pawn is cur­
win the bishop so easily, since traces of the rently pinned, Black prepares to develop his
Fool's Mate theme emerge: 3 .ih4 g5 4 e3 (the dark-squared bishop on the long diagonal.
 CEBALO - VASIUKOV 121

3 e3 lDh6? ! considerable attention to bishop sacrifices on

But this knight manoeuvre may be a little too f7. He states: "The f7-square is Black's most
eccentric. Black should prefer faster develop­ vulnerable point prior to castling. However,
ment with 3 . . . i.g7, in order to get his king into Black' s lack of development is not the pri­
safety. mary cause of ' accidents' on this square. Awk­
4 h4! ? (D) ward piece placement is the main reason." This
point couldn't be explained better. Experienced
grandmaster Vasiukov is of course very well
aware of this. Nevertheless, he underestimates
the dangers that will be caused by the bishop's
deployment on c4. After 6 ... liJd7 ? ! , Black's
light-squared bishop's diagonal has been ob­
structed, and this severely weakens e6. White
duly replies . . .
7 i.c4! i.g7?
No, this time it's not better late than never !
8 i.xf7+!
With the intention of luring the king to the
centre, and thereby exposing it to the attacks of
Pawn-chains are an important strategic aspect White's various forces.
of chess, and have been a subject of debate 8 'iii>xf7 9 lLlgS+ 'iii>f6
...

among chess-players ever since Nimzowitsch A sad necessity. Other king moves fail as fol­
discussed them systematically in his writings. lows: after 9 . . . 'iii>e 8 (or 9 . . . 'iii>f8), the queen is
Although they form a solid structure, the pawns' lost to 1 0 lLle6 (using the weakened e6-square
static positioning makes them vulnerable to at­ as an outpost), while against 9 . . . 'iitg 8, White
tack from the enemy pawns (know as pawn­ wins at least an exchange by 10 ltJe6 'ife8 1 1
levers). In this case, the further advance to h5 is ltJxc7 'ifd8 1 2 lDxa8.
an important idea to which Black must be con­ 10 lDc3
stantly alert. Threatening mate in one ( 1 1 liJd5#). That's
4 lLlf7
••• quite brutal, but what can you expect with such
In response, Black completes his knight ma­ an exposed king?
noeuvre and for the moment prevents h5 by at­ 10 c6 (D)
•••

tacking the bishop.

5 i.f4 d6 6 liJf3 liJd7?! (D)

11 �f3!
After the first mating threat has been fended
In his excellent instructive work How to Beat off, Cebalo introduces another deadly threat
Your Dad at Chess, Murray Chandler devotes with this extraordinary queen move. The idea is
122 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

1 2 lbce4+ ! (in order to open the f-file) 1 2 . . . fxe4 checkmate ( 1 2 . . . cxd5 1 3 lbxd5#), and now the
1 3 i.e5# - a neat example of double check. threats on e6 and f7 are simply unbearable.
How should Black deal with this dangerous 12 lli'e7 (D)
•••

idea? Pinning the knight with 1 1 . . . 'iia5 may be

the best try, but after 1 2 e4 (here the idea is 1 3
e5+ ! dxe5 1 4 i.d2, unpinning the knight and
threatening lbce4#), White has an undisputed
pull. Instead, Vasiukov decides to clear e7 as a
flight-square.
ll e5 12 'ii'd5! ! (D)
...

Preventing both threats simultaneously, but

now e7 is blocked, and Cebalo decides matters
from another point.
13 lbxh7+! 1-0
A fitting beautiful finale ( 1 3 . . Jhh7 is met
by 14 i.g5#) to this short but exciting duel be­
tween two strong veteran players. Black han­
Let me make an ambitious bet: the central dled the opening phase in an unusual manner,
square d5 has never been used as effectively as but unfortunately he was punished for his awk­
it is here ! Her majesty is untouchable due to the ward piece placement.

Opera i n St. Lou is

G a m e 53
So - Kaspa rov
St. Louis blitz 201 6
M odern Defence

Following his retirement from professional The game presented here was the tourna­
chess in 2005 , Kasparov has not participated in ment's most memorable battle, and immediately
regular tournament play. But when he has occa­ hailed as a masterpiece by the on-site commen­
sionally played exhibition games, he has shown tators: "Wesley's game against Kasparov will
some of his old magic, beating former world go down in history as one of the greatest blitz
championship rivals Karpov (in 2009) and Short games ever played. I will remember that game
(in 20 1 5) . However, the 'Ultimate Blitz Chal­ for the rest of my life." (GM Yasser Seirawan).
lenge' in 20 1 6 was a different level of contest: After his defeat, Kasparov ruefully stated: "It re­
he faced the top three finishers in the US Cham­ minded me of the games Morphy played with
pionship, all of them in their twenties and cur­ amateurs . . . I was an amateur in this game !"
rent world top-ten players: World no. 2 Caruana, l lbf3 g6 2 e4 i. g7 3 d4 d6 4 c4
blitz demon Nakamura, and 22-year-old Wesley By a slightly unusual move-order, White in­
So. vites his opponent to enter the waters of the
 SO - KASPAROV 123

King' s Indian (to which 4 . . .l2Jf6 5 l2Jc3 would 9 dxc5 10 l2Jc4 f6 11 d6? ! (D)
•••

now transpose). But Kasparov chooses a differ­ White pursues the initiative without pausing
ent path: for breath. This is the right approach in princi­
4 ... .i.g4 ple, but 1 1 .i.e3 ! is more accurate, in order to
The bishop's sortie puts pressure on the d4- force 1 1 . . . b6. Then White can transpose to the
pawn, making use of the knight's absence from game continuation with 1 2 d6 l2Jc8, but an even
f6. better option is 1 2 b4 ! , when both 1 2 . . . b5 1 3
5 .i.e2 l2Jc6 6 l2Jbd2!? (D) l2Ja5 and 1 2 . . . cxb4 1 3 d6 l2Jc8 14 dxc7 "filxc7 1 5
lac 1 are rather difficult for Black. O f course, to
see all this in a blitz game is unrealistic, but it
does show that White's decision on move 9 was
fully correct.

This indirect defence of the pawn is based on

an 'elastic band' tactic: for the moment, it's not
possible to grab the pawn, since 6 . . . l2Jxd4??
costs Black a piece after 7 l2Jxd4 .i.xe2 8 l2Jxe2.
6 e5 7 d5 l2Jce7
••• ll ... l2Jc8 12 .i.e3 b6? !
The seemingly more active 7 . . . l2Jd4?? simi­ Black chooses the 'safe' option, which is a
larly loses a piece to 8 l2Jxd4. That's why the natural reflex when under attack and short of
knight retreats. time. But the more assertive 1 2 . . . b5 ! puts the
8 h3 .i.d7 onus on White to show he has enough compen­
The light-squared bishop is an important sation. After 1 3 dxc7 "i/xc7 1 4 l2Ja3, he can cre­
piece in this type of structure. Not only is it ate enough queenside play to stop Black simply
Black's 'good' bishop, but in lines where Black consolidating.
launches a kingside pawn-storm, it plays a vital 13 0-0 .i.c6?!
role in Black's attacking plans. Therefore he 13 ... l2Jh6? fails to 1 4 l2Jcxe5 ! fxe5 ? 15 .i.g5 .
preserves this piece, rather than exchange it on However, exchanging some pieces to neutralize
f3 . White's pressure keeps Black very much in the
After the text-move, the position looks like a game: 1 3 . . . l2Jxd6 1 4 l2Jxd6+ cxd6 1 5 'ifxd6
King' s Indian where White's knight is unusu­ "file? and after 1 6 'ild2 ! (covering h6) 1 6 . . . .:td8
ally placed on d2 rather than c3. If White now 17 'ii'c 1 , Black's problems developing his king­
develops in standard fashion, this difference side mean that White has good compensation.
could work in Black's favour. But Wesley So After Black's actual choice, White whips up
finds a convincing way to put this knight to use a devastating initiative with power play.
right away: 14 dxc7 "filxc7 15 b4!
9 c5! White sacrifices a pawn to open lines against
Exerting pressure on d6 as well as clearing the uncastled black king. From Kasparov's body
c4 for the knight. Since the knight is heading to language, it was clear that he understood that he
c4 in any case, Kasparov decides to accept the was in deep trouble - after all, he was on the
pawn. other side of such attacks many times in his
124 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

career. But here, knowing what is about to hit 19 fxe5 20 ..txb5 .l:.b8 21 ..ta4! (D)
•••

you doesn' t make it any easier to avoid it.

15 cxb4?
•••

1 5 . . . b5 was the last chance to make a fight of

it, but White has a pleasant choice between 1 6
lDa5 c 4 1 7 a4 a6 1 8 'ifc2, with pressure, and the
more dramatic 1 6 lDcxe5 fxe5 1 7 ..txc5 , with
excellent play for the piece.
16 .l:.c1
Improving the rook's position, as well as cre­
ating some pinning threats.
16 lDge7 17 �b3 (D)
•.•

Calmly preserving the pin. Just like the po­

sition after White's 1 8th move, once again it is
not possible to suggest a decent move for
Black.
21. 'ifb7 22 l:txc6!
••

A Ia Morphy ! Remember his 1 3 .l:r.xd7 ! against

the Duke and the Count in Game 3 ?
2 2 tDxc6 2 3 'ife6+ lDe7 2 4 ..tc5 (D)
•••

The discovered check ideas prevent Black

from castling, and he is running very short of
useful moves.
17 h6
•••

Kasparov had seen that White was threaten­

ing 1 8 lDcxe5 ! fxe5 1 9 lDg5 ! , a deadly knight
sortie. Even in a bad position, you can increase
the chances of a miracle save by at least parry­
ing the opponent's most direct threats.
18 .l:r.fd1
White simply improves his pieces, while Total domination !
Black cannot do likewise. 24 .:r.cs 25 ..txe7 1-0
••.

18 b5
.•• This is a fitting way to end our selection of
This is not a case of 'better late than never' , miniatures. This game features the kind of
though Black had no answer to White's many dynamic play that we have seen many times
threats, which included lDM and lDcxe5 . throughout this book, together with the use of
19 tDcxe5! the initiative to punish slow development. These
While Black's uncoordinated pieces are scat­ powerful methods can be used to defeat even
tered all over the board, White's forces act har­ the all-time greats of the game, and they are
moniously together, and this makes the sacrifice part of the essential toolkit of today's top play­
easy to play. The first idea is to crank up the ers - Wesley So used little more than two min­
pressure on the pinned bishop on c6. utes on this entire brilliant game !
S u pplementary Ga mes

Su pplementa ry Game 1

Em . Lasker - J . Bauer
A msterdam 1 889
B i rd's Ope n i ng

1 f4 d5 2 e3 liJf6 3 b3 e6 4 .tb2 .te7 5 i.. d 3

b6 6 ltJf3 i..b7 7 ltJc3 l2Jbd7 8 0-0 0-0 9 ltJe2 c5
10 l2Jg3 W/c7 1 1 l2Je5 l2Jxe5 12 i.. xe5 'i!fc6 1 3
W/e2 a6 1 4 ltJh5 l2Jxh5 (D)

1 2 1Wxf6 l2Je2+ 1 3 l2Jxe2 exf6 14 l2Jc3 .l:!.e8

1 5 l2Jd5 l:!.e6 16 i.. d4 �g7 17 .l:tad 1 d6 1 8 .l:td3
i.d7 19 l;lf3 i..b 5 20 i.. c 3 'i!Vd8 21 ltJxf6 .ie2
22 ltJxh7+ �g8 23 l:th3 :e5 24 f4 i.. x fl 25
�xfl l:c8 26 .id4 b5 27 l2Jg5 .l:tc7 28 i.xf7+
lilxf7 29 .l:lh8+ �xh8 30 l2Jxf7+ 'i.ti>h7 3 1 ltJxd8
lilxe4 32 l2Jc6 I1xf4+ 33 �e2 1 -0

Supplementa ry Game 3

Pol ugaevsky - Korchnoi

1 5 i.. xh7+ �xh7 1 6 W/xh5+ �g8 1 7 .txg7 Candidates ma tch (1 2), Buenos A ires 1 980
�xg7 1 8 �g4+ �h7 19 lirf3 e5 20 :h3+ 'i!Vh6 Queen's I nd i a n Defence
2 1 l::t xh6+ �xh6 22 Wld7 i.. f6 23 'iixb7 �g7 24
.l:.fl .l:.ab8 25 'ii'd7 .l:.fd8 26 'i!Vg4+ �f8 27 fxe5 1 l2Jf3 liJf6 2 c4 b6 3 g3 e6 4 i.g2 i.b7 5 0-0
i.. g 7 28 e6 :b7 29 'i!Vg6 f6 30 lhf6+ .txf6 3 1 .ie7 6 d4 0-0 7 d5 exd5 8 l2Jh4 c6 9 cxd5 ltJxd5
'i!Vxf6+ �e8 3 2 'i!Vh8+ �e7 3 3 W/g7+ �xe6 34 1 0 ltJf5 .ic5 1 1 e4 ltJe7 1 2 l2Jxg7 (D)
'fixb7 l:td6 35 'ii'xa6 d4 36 exd4 cxd4 37 h4 d3
3 8 �xd3 1 -0

Supplementa ry Game 2

Nezhmetd i nov - Chern i kov

Rostov-on-Don 1 962
Sici l i a n Defence

1 e4 c5 2 l2Jf3 l2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 g6 5

l2Jc3 i.. g7 6 i.e3 l2Jf6 7 i.. c4 0-0 8 i..b 3 ltJg4 9
'ii'xg4 l2Jxd4 1 0 'fih4 'i!Va5 1 1 0-0 i.. f6 (D)
126 INSTRUCTIVE CHESS MINIATURES

1 2 . . .'�xg7 1 3 b4 i.xb4 1 4 'it'd4+ f6 1 5 'iWxb4 Su pplementa ry Game 4

c5 1 6 'it'd2 liJbc6 1 7 i.b2 i.a6 1 8 l::td 1 liJe5 1 9
ltJa3 ltJ7c6 2 0 1i'e3 'ife7 2 1 f4 ltJc4 2 2 ltJxc4 Carlsen - Anand
i.xc4 23 e5 fxe5 24 i.xc6 dxc6 25 l:!d7 'i!Vxd7 World Ch ma tch (2),
26 'ii'xe5+ <j;f7 27 1i'f6+ <j;g8 28 'ii'g 5+ <j;f7 29 Sochi 201 4
l:r.el 'iVe6 30 'itg7+ <j;e8 3 1 l:r.xe6+ i.xe6 32 i.f6 Ruy Lopez
i.f7 33 i.g5 <j;d7 34 i.h6 c4 35 'i!Vxh7 c5 (D)
1 e4 e5 2 liJf3 ltJc6 3 i.b5 liJf6 4 d3 i.c5 5
0-0 d6 6 l:te 1 0-0 7 i.xc6 bxc6 8 h3 l:r.e8 9
liJbd2 liJd7 1 0 ltJc4 i.b6 1 1 a4 aS 1 2 ltJxb6
cxb6 1 3 d4 'i!Vc7 14 l:.a3 (D)

36 i.xf8 l:r.xf8 37 'iig 7 <j;e7 3 8 'it'e5+ <j;d7

39 g4 .l:.e8 40 'itf6 i.d5 4 1 g5 .Ue2 42 h4 b5 43
1i'f5+ <j;d6 44 'i¥f8+ <j;c6 45 'ii'c 8+ <j;d6 46
'i!Vd8+ <j;c6 47 'ili'a8+ <j;d6 48 'i¥f8+ <j;c6 49 a3
l:.e3 50 h5 c3 5 1 'iVf6+ i.e6 52 <j;f2 c2 53 'ili'b2 14 . . . liJf8 1 5 dxe5 dxe5 1 6 liJh4 l:r.d8 1 7 'iVh5
l:r.h3 54 <j;g2 i.f5 55 'itf6+ <j;c7 56 'iVxf5 c 1 'iV f6 1 8 liJf5 i.e6 19 l:.g3 ltJg6 20 h4 i.xf5 2 1
57 'i!Ve5+ <j;b6 58 <j;xh3 b4 59 axb4 cxb4 60 h6 exf5 liJf4 2 2 i.xf4 exf4 2 3 l:r.c3 c 5 24 l:r.e6
'i!lh 1 + 6 1 <j;g4 'ii'd 1 + 62 <j;fS 'i!Vc2+ 63 c:j;£6 b3 l:r.ab8 25 l:r.c4 'itd7 26 <j;b2 l:r.f8 27 l:r.ce4 l:r.b7
64 h7 'i!Vxh7 65 'i!Ve3+ <j;c6 66 'i!Vxb3 'ii' h 8+ 67 28 'ife2 b5 29 b3 bxa4 30 bxa4 l:r.b4 3 1 l:r.e7
<j;e7 'iVh4 68 'iVc4+ <j;b6 69 'i!lb4+ <j;c6 70 'i¥d6 32 'ii'f3 .Uxe4 33 'ii'xe4 f3+ 34 g3 h5 3 5
'ii'e4+ <j;bS 7 1 <j;f7 aS 72 g6 'iVg4 73 'iVe5+ 1 -0 1!i'b7 1 -0
I ndex of Players

Numbers refer to pages. A bold number means that the player had White.

Adams, E. 38; Anand 28, 1 18, 1 26 ; Anderssen 7; Aronian 28 ; Ashton 1 1 1 ; Avtonomov 5 3 ;

B auer, J . 1 2 5 ; Benko 7 7 ; Berkes 1 04; Blackbume 1 7 ; Boleslavsky 56; Botvinnik 47; Bronstein 72;
Capablanca 34; Carlsen 1 07 , 126; Cebalo 120; Chemikov 1 2 5 ; Chigorin 1 5 , 23; Colburn 17; Costa
98; Damsky 89; Darznieks 5 5 ; De Jong 1 1 3 ; Donner 92; Dubyna 5 8 ; Dufresne 7; Duke of Bruns­
wick and Count lsouard 1 2 ; Dvoretsky 89; Erdogdu 108; Fine 74; Fischer 70, 74, 77; Fonaroff 34;
Forintos 106; Freeman 60; Friedel, J. 1 13; Furman 5 1 ; Gaisert 66; Geller 72, 81; Gipslis 55, 62;
Gliicksberg 45 ; Hammer 107; Handke 102; Hirschbein 42; Howell, D. 1 1 1 ; Hrdina 33; Ivanov, M.
37; Kasimdzhanov 1 1 8 ; Kasparov 94, 96, 1 22; Kirilov 5 1 ; Knorre 15; Korchnoi 1 25 ; Kotkov 64;
Kottnauer 49; Lasker, Ed. 3 1 ; Lasker, Em. 125; Letelier 70; Linden 76; Liu Wenzhe 92; Maczuski
76; Marco 1 9 ; Marjanovic 94; Mednis 60; Meduna 1 00; Mieses 23; Morphy 9, 12; Murdzia 1 02;
Najdorf 45 ; Navara 37; Neishtadt 62; Nezhmetdinov 64, 125; Nimzowitsch 40; Opocensky 33;
Petrosian 86, 96; Polgar, J. 98, 104; Polugaevsky 68, 125 ; Portisch 8 1 ; Reiner 13; Reissmann 8 3 ;
Roesch 29; Rossolimo 83; Rotlewi 25 ; Rubinstein 2 5 , 42; Rublevsky 116; Siimisch 4 0 ; Schlage 29;
Schulten 9; Shanava 108; Smyslov 49, 56; So 122; Soultanbeieff 58; Spassky 53, 86; Steinitz 1 3 ,
2 1 ; Taimanov 68; Tal 79; Tarrasch 19; Thomas 3 1 ; Torre, C. 3 8 ; Tringov 79; Vasiukov 1 20; Vidmar
47 ; Von Bardeleben 2 1 ; Watson, W. 100; Zaitsev, I. 66; Zedek 1 06; Zude, E. 1 1 6

I ndex of Open ings

Numbers refer to pages.

Bird's Opening 1 25 Philidor Defence 1 2, 37, 3 8

B ishop's Opening 62 Pirc Defence 77, 92, 1 07
Bogo-Indian Defence 96 Queen's Gambit:
Caro-Kann Defence 1 00 Accepted 5 3 , 68
Centre Game 17 Declined 42, 47
Dutch Defence 3 1 , 45 , 1 20 Semi-Slav Defence 28
English Opening 98 Slav Defence 56
Evans Gambit 7, 74 Symmetrical Tarrasch 25
Four Knights Game 33 Tarrasch Defence 66
French Defence 1 04 Queen's Indian Defence 40, 58, 94, 1 25
Giuoco Piano 1 5 , 2 1 , 83 Ruy Lopez 1 9 , 29, 34, 5 1 , 64,
King's Gambit 9 8 1 , 1 26
King's Indian Attack 89 Scotch Gambit 13
King's Indian Defence 60, 70 Sicilian Defence 49, 86, 1 02, 1 1 3,
Modem Defence 79, 1 22 1 1 6, 1 25
Nimzo-Indian Defence 72 Two Knights Defence Ill
Nimzowitsch Defence 1 08 Vienna Game 23
Petroff Defence 1 18