Chess vibes leccion 2

No. 2, May 14, 2011

TRAINING let's improve youR chess

Pawns or pieces? From the third game of the Gelfand-Mamedyarov match one can learn that White’s attack in the Sicilian is often not as dangerous as it looks, as long as Black keeps on finding strong counter-attacking resources. by GM ANISH GIRI

giri's grab bag Mamedyarov-Gelfand Candidates, game 3 (Kazan) 2011 1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 a6 6.¥c4 e6 7.¥b3 b5 8.0–0 ¥e7 9.£f3 £c7 10.£g3 0–0 11.¥h6 ¤e8 12.¦ad1 ¥d7 13.f4 ¤c6 14.f5 ¤xd4 15.¦xd4 ¢h8!? This is the first new move but it is, however, quite logical. The big expert of the recent past, Garry Kasparov, chose another viable move 15...¥f6!? in a game against Morozevich back in 2001. However, I’m sure Mamedyarov was well prepared, so the text move was yet another clever decision by Gelfand. 16.¥e3?! Meeting a novelty, Shakhriyar decided not to enter complications... That’s often a good strategy, especially for club players, but at the top-level if you don’t fight for the initiative you can get punished. And that’s what happened. 16.f6!? ¥xf6 17.¦xf6 £c5 18.¥xg7+ ¤xg7 19.£f2 £e5 20.¦h6 f5. 16...¤f6! 17.£h3

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-tr-mk0 9+-wqlvlpzpp0 9p+-zppsn-+0 9+p+-+P+-0 9-+-tRP+-+0 9+LsN-vL-+Q0 9PzPP+-+PzP0 9+-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 17...d5! A thematic break. Note, it’s very rare that such



a break is possible in the Najdorf (look at the e4 pawn and the knight on c3), but once it is, it usually brings White a lot of trouble and headaches. 18.e5! Yet another typical reply. White wants to keep the center as closed as possible and concentrate on the kingside attack. A good concept, but Gelfand had something prepared in reply... 18.exd5 is unprincipled and after 18... exf5 Black has everything; all the white pieces are stupid and misplaced and Black will soon take over with moves like ¥d6, ¦ae8, ¤g4 and whatever else he chooses. 18...£xe5 19.¦h4 ¦fc8! Using the fact that the white king is a bit unfortunate on g1. It is often the case in the Sicilian that you should defend your kingside, paradoxically, via the queenside! 20.¢h1?! A natural and in general useful move, but here Black is just in time to kill off all White’s ambitions. 20.¥g5! was cleverer. Now Black has a lot of ways to defend, but none of them is clear. 20...¢g8 21.¥xf6 £xf6 22.¦xh7 g6! The only way to guard against mate! Now, believe it or not, the position is balanced. Don’t ask me why, that’s just the way it is... :-) 20...¦xc3! 21.bxc3 £xc3! Now White’s idea of ¥d4 is neutralized and thus his attack is doomed. 22.¦d4?! Shakh keeps on trying to complicate the game, but objectively he should have tried to save the worse endgame that arises after 22.¥d4 £xh3 23.¦xh3. Black is clearly better, but it’s far from

simple. 22...a5 From now on Boris is merciless. 23.¦d3 £c6 24.c3 a4 25.¥c2 e5! Starting the pawn-push. 26.¥g5 b4! Powerplay! 27.£h4 bxc3 28.¦h3 ¢g8! 29.¦e1 29.¥xf6 ¥xf6 30.£xh7+ ¢f8 leads nowhere. Black’s king is as solid as it could possibly be. 29...e4 30.g4 ¢f8! 31.¥e3 £c4 32.g5

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-mk-+0 9+-+lvlpzpp0 9-+-+-sn-+0 9+-+p+PzP-0 9p+q+p+-wQ0 9+-zp-vL-+R0 9P+L+-+-zP0 9+-+-tR-+K0 xiiiiiiiiy 32...¥xf5! Boris obviously understands that it’s not about pieces here, but pawns, and above all the safety of his majesty! 33.gxf6 ¥xf6 34.£h5 ¥g6! The bishop here is stronger than the miserable rook on h3! 35.£g4 £xa2 You can see that the more experienced you get, the more greedy you become. Note that after move 3 Boris took 6 white pawns and managed to save all the Black ones. I’m jealous... 36.¥b1 £c4 37.£g2 a3 38.¥a2 £c6 39.¦g3 ¦b8 and here Shakhriyar, with almost no time on the clock, resigned. And rightly so - it’s obvious that nothing other than a disaster was awaiting him. A great counterattacking game, typical of Boris Gelfand’s style! 0–1

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ChessVibes TRAINING Let's improve your chess

No. 2, May 14, 2011

An instructive pawn sacrifice For this second issue I picked out a pretty game played in the 6th Women Grand Prix. Dzagnidze very convincingly used her lead in development against Mkrtchian to create a direct mating attack. by IM MERIJN VAN DELFT

guess the move Dzagnidze,N (2550) - Mkrtchian,L (2475) Doha, 02.03.11

1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 b6 This is called the Queen's Indian, a basically solid opening, but as we will soon see, it’s open to different interpretations. 4.g3 ¥a6 5.b3 b5 This surprising pawn thrust is not without risk, because Black will temporarily lag behind in development. 5...¥b4+ is considered the main line. 6.cxb5 ¥xb5 7.¤c3 7.¥g2 is the more common alternative here. 7...¥b4 8.¥d2 ¥c6 9.¥g2 0–0 10.0–0 a5 11.£c2 £c8 12.¥g5 £b7?

XIIIIIIIIY 9rsn-+-trk+0 9+qzpp+pzpp0 9-+l+psn-+0 9zp-+-+-vL-0 9-vl-zP-+-+0 9+PsN-+NzP-0 9P+Q+PzPLzP0 9tR-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy An unfortunate novelty that is met with very powerful play by White. 12...¥xc3 13.£xc3 ¤e4 14.£c2 ¥d5 15.¥f4 ¤c6 as played in Van der Sterren-T.Horvath, Bundesliga 1996, is the right way to get the Black pieces into play. Question 1 Would you play:



A) 13.a3 to push the ¥ back; B) 13.¦ad1 to centralise the ¦;. C) 13.¥xf6 to ruin Black's kingside position. 13.¥xf6! 5 points, White should definitely jump at this opportunity. Black clearly underestimated the dangers connected with her weakened king position. 13.a3 allows the neutralising 13...¥xc3 14.£xc3 ¤e4 and therefore gets no points. 13.¦ad1 ¤e4 gets no points for the same reason. 13...gxf6

XIIIIIIIIY 9rsn-+-trk+0 9+qzpp+p+p0 9-+l+pzp-+0 9zp-+-+-+-0 9-vl-zP-+-+0 9+PsN-+NzP-0 9P+Q+PzPLzP0 9tR-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 2 Would you play: A) 14.a3 to push the ¥ back; B) 14.d5 to cut Black's pieces off from the kingside; C) 14.¤h4 to neutralise Black's pressure along the long diagonal. 14.d5! 5 points, this is a very instructive positional pawn sacrifice and the most important move

of the game. As we go through the remainder of the game the exact nature of White’s compensation will become clear. The basic idea is to shut the black pieces on the queenside out of the game, leaving you a free hand on the kingside. It’s essential in such cases to forget about materialistic thinking. 14.a3 is still not a very good idea and gets no points. 14.¤h4 is overly cautious and therefore gets no points. There is no need to defend, White is the one who will start an attack here. 14...exd5 14...¥xd5 15.¤xd5 exd5 (15...£xd5 16.¤h4 leaves ¦a8 hanging.) 16.¦ad1 gives White the same type of compensation. 15.¦ad1 Only now does White bring his ¦ into play. 15...¦e8

XIIIIIIIIY 9rsn-+r+k+0 9+qzpp+p+p0 9-+l+-zp-+0 9zp-+p+-+-0 9-vl-+-+-+0 9+PsN-+NzP-0 9P+Q+PzPLzP0 9+-+R+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 3 Would you play: A) 16.¦d4 to further bring the rook into play; B) 16.¤xd5, based on a nice tactical idea; C) 16.¤h4 to manoeuvre the ¤ to f5. 16.¦d4! 5 points, an excellent rook shift that blocks the d-pawn and thus basically shuts all the black pieces out of the game. The golden rules in the

In this game quiz you can get a maximum of 40 points by answering the eight questions that follow the eight diagram positions. More important than points though, is that you enjoy playing over the game and learn a few new ideas. If you feel that the quiz questions are generally too difficult for you, don't be discouraged by the point system. You can simply make a quick guess at the diagram positions and enjoy the beauty of the game.

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ChessVibes TRAINING Let's improve your chess

opening are well-known: 1. Control the centre (pawn in the centre), 2. Develop the pieces (minor pieces first) and 3. Bring the king to safety (castling). Giving the rooks a proper function is the next challenge (number 4, if you like) and isn’t always very easy. Here Dzagnidze meets that challenge impressively. 16.¤h4, heading for the inviting f5 square, gets 2 points. If you calculated 16.¤xd5 ¥xd5 17.¤g5 fxg5 18.¦xd5 you get 2 points, since even after the only defence 18... c6 19.¦xg5+ ¢f8 White has decent attacking chances. 16...¤a6 17.¦fd1 Activating the other rook as well. 17...¥xc3 18.£xc3 ¦e4 18...¦xe2 19.¦g4+ loses right away.

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-+k+0 9+qzpp+p+p0 9n+l+-zp-+0 9zp-+p+-+-0 9-+-tRr+-+0 9+PwQ-+NzP-0 9P+-+PzPLzP0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 4 Would you play: A) 19.£d2 to transfer the £ to the kingside; B) 19.¦xe4 to exchange a defender; C) 19.¤h4 to manoeuvre the ¤ to f5. 19.¤h4! This move is strong because it brings the white pieces closer to Black’s king while still keeping the d-pawn blocked, 5 points. The simple 19.¦xe4 dxe4 20.¤h4 is not bad either and gets 2 points.; 19.£d2 gives White a nice attack as well and gets 2 points. 19...¦e5

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-+k+0 9+qzpp+p+p0 9n+l+-zp-+0 9zp-+ptr-+-0 9-+-tR-+-sN0 9+PwQ-+-zP-0 9P+-+PzPLzP0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 5 Would you play: A) 20.£d2 to transfer the £ to the kingside; B) 20.£f3 to renew the idea of ¤f5; C) 20.¦g4 to keep Black's options limited.

No. 2, May 14, 2011

20.£f3! A white ¤ on f5 is deadly, so it’s well worth aiming for, 5 points. 20.¦g4+ also keeps the initiative and is worth 4 points.; 20.£d2 is the alternative £ manoeuvre and gets 3 points. 20...d6 21.¤f5 ¢h8

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-+-mk0 9+qzp-+p+p0 9n+lzp-zp-+0 9zp-+ptrN+-0 9-+-tR-+-+0 9+P+-+QzP-0 9P+-+PzPLzP0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 6 Would you play: A) 22.¤xd6 to open the way to f6; B) 22.¤h6 with the same idea; C) 22.¦h4 to start focusing on h7. 22.¦h4! 5 points, this swinging rook will be too much for Black to handle. 22.¤xd6 cxd6 23.£xf6+ ¢g8 24.¦g4+ ¢f8 25.£xd6+ ¦e7 (25...£e7 26.£h6+ ¢e8 27.£xc6+ loses the house.) 26.¥xd5 ¥xd5 27.¦xd5 is a rather complicated win (White is threatening £h6 followed by ¦g8) but if you calculated this, you deserve 4 points. 22.¤h6 is also strong and gets 4 points as well. 22...£c8

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+q+-+-mk0 9+-zp-+p+p0 9n+lzp-zp-+0 9zp-+ptrN+-0 9-+-+-+-tR0 9+P+-+QzP-0 9P+-+PzPLzP0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

23.£h5 unfortunately blunders a piece to the simple 23...£xf5 and gets no points. 23...¢xh7 24.£h5+ ¢g8 25.£g4+ ¢f8 Otherwise £g7 is checkmate. 26.£g7+ ¢e8 27.£g8+ ¢d7 28.£xf7+ ¢d8 So far so good, and the next move is also obvious. 29.£xf6+ ¢d7 29...¢e8 30.¤g7+ ¢d7 31.¥h3+ ¦e6 32.¥xe6# .

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+q+-+-+0 9+-zpk+-+-0 9n+lzp-wQ-+0 9zp-+ptrN+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+P+-+-zP-0 9P+-+PzPLzP0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 8 Would you play: A) 30.¤xd6 because the position is asking for tactics; B) 30. £f7 to continue the attack in the most forceful way; C) 30. ¥h3 to bring another piece into the attack. 30.¥h3! After this silent move Black is completely defenceless and will lose all her pieces (5 points), therefore Mkrtchian resigned.30.£f7+ doesn’t spoil anything (2 points), but after 30...¢d8 White should return to the initial position with 31.£f6+ ¢d7 and then play 32.¥h3! anyway. 30.¤xd6 may be very tempting, but after the only defence 30...£h8! White is actually no longer winning. Therefore this move doesn’t get any points. Conclusion: the positional pawn sacrifice d5! is a key idea to remember. Once you know the idea, you have a fair chance of being able to use it yourself in your own games. 1–0  

Question 7 Would you play: A) 23.¤d4 with double threats against c6 and f6; B) 23.£h5 to threaten mate on h7; C) 23.¦xh7+ to start a whole sequence of checks. 23.¦xh7+! 5 points, in fact the long sequence of checks leads to a clear win. 23.¤d4 is of course winning as well (4 points). Normally one has to sacrifice a piece to reach such a position.

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ChessVibes TRAINING Let's improve your chess

No. 2, May 14, 2011

Using the pawn on h6 as a door knob The move h7–h6 is often useful to keep pieces away from g5 or to create some luft for the king. However, when facing an attack on the kingside, it can be a serious weakness. by IM THOMAS WILLEMZE

improve your play Fuatai,F (1840) - Deen Cowell, N Oceania Zonal (New Zealand), 26.01.11 1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 a6 6.¥c4 The Fischer attack 6...e6 7.0–0 b5 8.¥b3

XIIIIIIIIY 9rsnlwqkvl-tr0 9+-+-+pzpp0 9p+-zppsn-+0 9+p+-+-+-0 9-+-sNP+-+0 9+LsN-+-+-0 9PzPP+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 8...¥e7 8...¥b7 was the famous game of Fischer himself against Gadia in 1960. The game is without a § on h6, but illustrates White’s main plan in this opening perfectly. 9.f4 ¤c6 10.¤xc6 ¥xc6 11.f5 White puts maximum pressure on e6 to provoke 11...e5 after which White’s plan is clear: exchange two pairs of pieces and play with a ‘good’ ¤ vs the ‘bad’ ¥ on f8. 12.£d3 ¥e7 13.¥g5 £b6+ 14.¢h1 0–0 15.¥xf6 ¥xf6 16.¥d5 White has almost achieved his goal. 16...¦ac8 17.¥xc6 ¦xc6 18.¦ad1 ¦fc8 19.¤d5 £d8 20.c3 ¥e7 21.¦a1! Fischer starts creating a second weakness on the queenside. (21.f6 ¥xf6 22.¤xf6+ gxf6 23.£h3 is tempting and also strong.) 21...f6 22.a4 ¦b8 23.¤xe7+ 1–0 Fischer-Gadia, Mar del Plata 1960. 9.a3 This looks normal as it seems as though 9.f4 is simply losing a pawn after 9...b4 However, as White is much better developed he can simply give up the pawn and crush his opponent in return. 10.¤a4 ¤xe4? 11.f5! exf5 (11...e5 If

Black doesn’t move his e-pawn, White will simply take it with a large advantage. 12.¥d5 ¤f6 13.¥xa8 ¥d7 14.b3 exd4 15.£xd4 and White is an exchange up.) 12.¤xf5 Threatening £d5, attacking a8, f7 and the ¤. Black can only save one of them. 12...¥xf5 13.¦xf5 ¤f6 14.¥xf7+ Black can´t take because of £d5, winning the ¦. And after 14...¢f8 15.¥d5 his position is hopeless. 9...0–0 White lost some time with a3 and Black now starts pressing against e4 as quickly as possible in order to prevent White from executing his plan. 10.f4 ¥b7 11.£e1 11.¦e1 Looks more natural, as now the £ will keep an eye on d5. 11...¤bd7 12.f5 There´s no way back. 12...e5 13.¤f3 ¤c5 The pressure on e4 has become unbearable for White. He has no option other than exchanging on d5, without the opportunity of taking back with a piece at the end of the variation. 14.¥d5 ¥xd5 15.exd5

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wq-trk+0 9+-+-vlpzpp0 9p+-zp-sn-+0 9+psnPzpP+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9zP-sN-+N+-0 9-zPP+-+PzP0 9tR-vL-wQRmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Black played really well and got a comfortable edge. There isn't, however, any time to celebrate. As the center is closed, action on the flanks will be legitimate and time is very important. Black will only keep the upper hand

if he achieves something on the queenside before White is ready to launch an attack on the Black ¢. 15...¤cd7 Black starts playing for d5, which would give him the center. White, however, manages to defend the § and simultaneously gets his pieces ready for an attack. 15...¤a4! Keeping White busy immediately would have been the right plan. After 16.¤xa4 bxa4 Black has a strong initiative. 16.¥e3 ¤b6 17.¦d1 ¤c4 18.¥c1 A nice manoeuvre. After the ¦ has become active, c1 is by far the best square for the ¥. 18...£b6+ 19.¢h1 £b7 20.£g3 ¢h8 21.¤g5 ¤b6 22.£h3 ¦ac8

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+-tr-mk0 9+q+-vlpzpp0 9psn-zp-sn-+0 9+p+PzpPsN-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9zP-sN-+-+Q0 9-zPP+-+PzP0 9+-vLR+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy A strange kind of dynamic balance has arisen. Black has pressure on d5 and White on h7. Black is still slightly better, but one mistake on his side will lead to his ¢ being mated. 23.¤ce4! h6 It looks like this move chases away the ¤ and releases the pressure a bit. However, it loses instantly, as White finally finds the door knob he needed to open up the ¢'s fortress. 24.¤xf6 ¥xf6 25.¤e4 £e7 The ¥ must stay on f6 to block the §. 26.¥xh6 ¢g8 27.¥xg7! Very thematic. First White gently opened the door at h6, but now he’s breaking in with force. Black is lost. 27...¢xg7 28.£g4+ ¢h7 29.¦f3 ¦g8 30.¦h3+ ¥h4 31.¦xh4+ £xh4 32.£xh4+ ¢g7 33.£g5+ ¢f8 34.£h6+ 1–0

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ChessVibes TRAINING Let's improve your chess

No. 2, May 14, 2011

further examples Aberbach - Driz Villa Ballester, 06.01.2005 White has three different ways of exploiting the move h7–h6: 1) playing g4–g5 and opening files in front of the ¢, 2) entering the Black position via h7 and 3) sacrificing a piece on h6, just like we saw in our main game. Let’s start with the first option. 11...¤e4 Would have been the best move. White won’t lose a piece because of 12.h5 ¤xc3 13.bxc3 ¥e4 14.f3 f6. 12.g5 Now White is making serious contact and Black won’t be able to keep the files in front of his ¢ closed. 12...¥h5 12...hxg5 13.¤xg6 fxg6 14.hxg5 also isn’t a nice prospect. 13.£b3 ¤h7 14.¤xd5 14.£xb7 ¤d7 15.¤xd7 £xd7 16.£xd5 Simply grabbing some pawns would have been perfectly sound. White, however, is going for the Black ¢! 14...¤c6 15.¤f4 ¤xe5 16.dxe5 £c6 17.¦g1 The ¦ is getting ready for an open g-file. As Black has to save his ¥ first, he can’t avoid this. 17...¥g6 18.gxh6 ¥c2 19.¦xg7+ ¢h8 20.£c3 £xh6 21.¦g3 ¥f5 22.0–0–0 Very well played. There’s no need to hurry! 22...b5 23.e6+ f6 24.¥d3 1–0

Krasevec - Wicklund Hansen Rogaska Slatina, 24.07.2009

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wq-trk+0 9zpl+pvl-zpp0 9-+n+psn-+0 9+-zp-+-+-0 9-zpP+-+-+0 9+P+LzPN+-0 9PvL-sN-zPPzP0 9tR-+QmK-+R0 xiiiiiiiiy

XIIIIIIIIY 9rsn-+-trk+0 9+pzp-+pzp-0 9p+-wq-snlzp0 9+-+psN-+-0 9-+-zP-+PzP0 9+-sN-zP-+-0 9PzP-+-zP-+0 9tR-+QmKL+R0 xiiiiiiiiy

White is aiming for an attack on the ¢ and starts by provoking a weakness. 11.£c2 h6 Definitely better than g6, after which h4–h5 would follow very quickly. Black could have refrained from playing h6 for a while, but after 11...£c7 12.g4!? ¢h8 13.¦g1 he has the unpleasant choice between 13...h6 or giving up the h-pawn with 13...¥d6 14.g5 ¤g8 15.¥xh7. 12.¦g1 White doesn’t hide his intentions. 12...d5 12...¤e8 13.g4 ¥f6 would have been the toughest defense. 13.g4 ¤d7 14.g5 h5 15.¥h7+ ¢h8 16.¥g6 White’s play has been very sharp and accurate. This would have been the moment to pick up his reward with 16.¥xg7+! ¢xg7 17.£g6+ ¢h8 18.£xh5 ¦f7 19.¥g6+ ¢g8 20.¥xf7+ ¢f8 21.£h8+ ¢xf7 22.g6# Luckily, the move he played doesn’t spoil anything. 16... d4 17.¥xh5 A bit slow, but White still keeps the attack going and wins convincingly. 17.£d1 would have been the most elegant way to finish the game. 17...dxe3 18.¤e5 exf2+ 19.¢f1 fxg1£+ 20.¢xg1 and as the checks are over, Black can only avoid being mated on h5 by sacrificing all his pieces. 17...¤ce5 18.¦g3 ¤xf3+ 19.¥xf3 ¥xg5 20.¦h3+ ¥h6 21.¥xb7 dxe3 22.¦xh6+ ¢g8 23.£h7+ ¢f7 24.£xg7+ ¢e8 25.¦xe6+ 1–0

In this game White demonstrated yet another example of sacrificing a piece on h6. Although the combination had been played before, it is still very elegant. 17.¤f5 ¦fe8 Black doesn’t like allowing a White ¦ on the 7nd rank after taking the ¤, but he should have done so. 17...¥d8?! wouldn’t have helped either. Black simple can’t defend his ¢ with a £ on a6. 18.¤xh6+! gxh6 19.¥xh6 ¦e8 20.¤e5 The White pieces are cooperating perfectly. 20...¤xe5 21.dxe5 ¤g4 22.£g3 ¢h7 (22...£xc4 23.¥f4 White wins back his piece.) 23.£xg4 ¢xh6 24.£f4+ ¥g5 25.£xf7 ¦g8 26.£xe6+ ¢g7 27.¦ad1 White has four pawns and an initiative for the piece. More importantly, the Black £ is still out of play. 18.¦xe6 fxe6 19.¤xg7! ¢xg7 A more stubborn move would have been 19...¥f8 although White had too much compensation for the piece after 20.¤xe8 ¦xe8 21.£g6+ ¥g7 22.¥xh6 ¦e7 23.¥f4 in the game A. van Beek - Speelman Gibraltar 2007. 20.¥xh6+ Three sacrifices in a row! A very thematic Caro-Kann attack. All pawns are removed, after which the £ will have a clear path to the Black ¢. 20...¢h8 21.¥g7+ In order to get the £ to g6 with tempo. 21.¤g5 is also winning. 21...¢g8 22.£g6 ¤xh5 23.¥e5+ ¢f8 24.£h6+ ¢g8 25.£h8+ 1–0

Decoster-Tiggelman Belgium, 09.10.2005

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-trk+0 9zpp+nvlpzp-0 9q+p+psn-zp0 9+-+-+-+P0 9-+PzP-+-+0 9+-+Q+NsN-0 9PzP-vL-zPP+0 9tR-+-tR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

Smyslov-Ribli Candidates, 1983

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-tr-mk-+0 9zpp+-snpzpQ0 9-+-+pvlnzp0 9+q+-sN-+-0 9-+-zP-+-+0 9zP-+-+-sN-0 9-zP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vL-tR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

We finish with a typical isolated d-pawn position. In the famous game Smyslov-Ribli, from their candidates match in 1983, Smyslov first provoked h6, after which he switched the £ and ¥ and entered the black position via h7. It seems as though Black has enough defenders, but Smyslov proves they lack coordination. 22.¥xh6! This thematic sacrifice is again the prelude to a very beautiful attack. 22...¤xe5 23.¤h5 ¤f3+ 24.gxf3 ¤f5 25.¤xf6 ¤xh6 26.d5 £xb2 26...gxf6 27.£xh6+ ¢e7 28.dxe6 is hopeless for Black. 27.£h8+ Unfortunately the simple 27.dxe6 fxe6 28.¤h5 would also have been decisive. 27...¢e7 This would be the right moment to think for yourself. Can you find the forced win? 28.¦xe6+! fxe6 It’s still very hard to see where this combination is going. 29.£xg7+! ¤f7 A trained eye will now spot the undefended £ at b2 and the battery of a White £ and ¤. White is going for a discovered attack! 30.d6+ 30.¤g8+ ¦xg8 would have ruined everything. 30...¦xd6 31.¤d5+ ¦xd5 32.£xb2 Black tried to hang on a little longer, but lost without a chance. 32...b6 33.£b4+ ¢f6 34.¦e1 ¦h8 35.h4 ¦hd8 36.¦e4 ¤d6 37.£c3+ e5 38.¦xe5 ¦xe5 39.f4 ¤f7 40.fxe5+ ¢e6 41.£c4+ 1–0 

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tactics, tactics XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-trk+0 9zp-+-+pzpp0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+L+-vl-0 9-tR-zPP+-+0 9zP-tr-+Q+P0 9-+-wq-+P+0 9+-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-trk+0 9zp-+-+rzpp0 9-zpp+lsn-+0 9+-zp-+-+q0 9-+-+PvL-+0 9zP-sNP+-wQP0 9-zPP+-tRP+0 9+-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-trn+k+0 9+q+-vlpzpp0 9pzp-zpp+n+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-+P+Q+-+0 9vLPsN-+NzP-0 9P+-+PzP-zP0 9+-tRR+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-tr-+0 9zp-tr-+pmk-0 9-zp-+-+pzp0 9+-wqLzp-+-0 9-+-+P+-+0 9+Q+R+RzPP0 9PzP-+-zP-mK0 9+-vl-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

No. 2, May 14, 2011



XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+-+k+0 9zpp+-+psnp0 9-+-zp-+p+0 9+-zpPtr-+-0 9P+PvlPzp-wq0 9+P+Q+P+-0 9R+-sNL+PzP0 9+-+R+-+K0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wqr+k+0 9zplzp-+pvlp0 9-zp-zp-snp+0 9+-+N+-+-0 9-+P+P+-+0 9+P+-+-zP-0 9PvLQ+-zPLzP0 9+-+RtR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+r+k+0 9+-wq-vlpzpp0 9p+l+-sn-+0 9+-+-zp-+-0 9p+-+P+-+0 9+LsN-vL-+R0 9-zPP+Q+PzP0 9+-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+k+0 9+-+-+p+-0 9p+-+pzPp+0 9+q+-zP-zP-0 9-zp-zPl+-+0 9+-+-+-tR-0 9-+-wQ-+-+0 9+-mK-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

by IM ROBERT RIS

XIIIIIIIIY 9-trl+r+k+0 9zp-+-+-+p0 9-+-+p+p+0 9wq-zppvl-+-0 9-+-+-+P+0 9+-sN-+-+-0 9PzPPwQ-+-+0 9mK-+R+LvLR0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9rsnlwqkvl-tr0 9zpp+-+-zpp0 9-+p+psn-+0 9+-+p+p+-0 9-+PzP-+-+0 9vLP+-+NzP-0 9P+-+PzP-zP0 9tRN+QmKL+R0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+k+0 9tr-+q+-zp-0 9ptRn+p+-zp0 9+-zPpzP-+-0 9-+pzPlsN-+0 9zP-+-vL-+P0 9-wQ-+-+P+0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9rsnl+k+-tr0 9zppwq-vlpzpp0 9-+p+-sn-+0 9+-+p+-vL-0 9-+-zP-+-+0 9+-sN-zP-+-0 9PzPQ+-zPPzP0 9tR-+-mKLsNR0 xiiiiiiiiy 6 of 8

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No. 2, May 14, 2011

Bishop dominates knight Malaniuk’s handling of the endgame is a perfect illustration of the superiority of a ¥ in an open position with pawns on both flanks. Enjoy the calmness with which Black converts his endgame advantage.

practical endings Zmarzly,A (2118) - Malaniuk,V (2518) Karkonosze Open, 22.02.2011

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+k+0 9+-+-+-zpp0 9-zp-+l+-+0 9zp-zp-+-+-0 9P+-+-+-+0 9+-zP-+-+-0 9-+PsN-zP-zP0 9+-+K+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy The following endgame was played between a little-known amateur and a grandmaster from the former Soviet Chess School. One may wonder whether the latter didn't fear the resulting endgame to be drawish in view of the limited material left on the board. In fact, Black has a clear advantage, due to the following factors: 1) He has a better pawn structure, as his pawns are connected. White's formation, on the contrary, is completely demolished and hence he has problems defending all the pawns (especially a4). 2) Black's ¥ is superior to White's ¤. Why? The position is open and since there are pawns on both sides of the board, it's easier for the ¥ to switch locations. If e.g. all the pawns on the kingside were removed, then White would have serious drawing chances as the play would be limited to one wing. In such cases the ¤ is usually the stronger piece, as it has the advantage over the ¥ of being able to cover all the squares, while the ¥ controls only half of them. 3) It's important to note that White's pawns on a4 and c2 are placed on light squares, which means they're targets for the black ¥. Had they been placed on the opposite colour then Black



wouldn't have been able to exploit them. The only vulnerable point in Black's camp could be b6, but for the moment Black has completely cut off the road towards it (via c4). Before undertaking concrete operations, Black first brings the last piece to the battlefield. 27...¢f7! Black is in no hurry and so first activates his ¢, which is generally a good idea in endgames. Less convincing is 27...¥d7?! 28.¤c4! ¥xa4 29.¤xb6 and although Black remains better, he has to be careful that too many pawns don’t get exchanged (as a rule, the defending side should strive to exchange as many pawns as possible to get closer to a draw). 28.¢e2 ¢e7 Also possible is 28...¢f6 , but we’ll soon see the idea behind the text. 29.¢e3 ¢d6 30.¢e4 Perhaps a better practical attempt would have been to become active with 30.¤e4+ though after 30...¢d5 31.¤g3 ¥d7 32.¤h5 ¥xa4 33.¢d2 (33.¤xg7 ¥xc2 favors Black too.) 33...¥e8 34.¤xg7 ¥g6 the ¤ remains out of play. 30...¢c7!

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-mk-+-zpp0 9-zp-+l+-+0 9zp-zp-+-+-0 9P+-+K+-+0 9+-zP-+-+-0 9-+PsN-zP-zP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Black reveals his plan: b6 needs to be protected first, before the ¥ goes to attack a4. It's worth noting that Black is in no hurry to pick up the pawn on a4, for the simple reason that it can't be defended. Still, less accurate is 30...¥d7?! in view of 31.¤c4+ ¢c7 32.¤b2 b5 33.¢d5!

by IM ROBERT RIS

bxa4 34.¤c4 ¥b5 35.¤a3 and the blockade, together with an active ¢, ensure White good drawing chances. 31.c4 ¥d7! All the preparatory measures have been taken and so, finally, the time has come for the harvest. 32.¢d3 ¥xa4 33.¤e4 ¥d7 34.¤c3

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-mkl+-zpp0 9-zp-+-+-+0 9zp-zp-+-+-0 9-+P+-+-+0 9+-sNK+-+-0 9-+P+-zP-zP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Black has won a pawn, but it looks like White can still build up a kind of fortress. However, the experienced GM Malaniuk shows an instructive plan to increase his advantage. The ¥ will keep an eye on c4, forcing the ¢ to protect the pawn. Moreover, the ¤ has to stop the march of the a-pawn. This frees the way for the black ¢ to invade on the other part of the board. 34...¥f5+! A typical strategy: Black gains a tempo by first giving check. 35.¢d2 ¥e6 36.¢d3 ¢c6 37.¤b5 g5! As White’s pieces are tied up on the queenside, Black has time to improve his formation on the kingside. 38.¢c3 a4! Another instructive moment. Black doesn’t allow the ¢ to come to the queenside and maintain the protection of c4. Black doesn’t need to fear the unprotected pawn becoming a weakness because of the simple reason that White is unable to attack it. 39.¢d3 h6 40.¢c3 ¢d7 41.¢d3 ¥h3! Aiming to place the ¥ on f1, where it also attacks c4 and further restricts the movement of the ¢. 42.¢e2

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After 42.¢c3 ¥f1 White’s pieces are totally paralyzed: 43.¤a7 g4 44.¤b5 h5 45.¤a7 h4 46.¤b5 ¢e6 47.¤a7 ¢e5 and the ¢ walks to the kingside. 42...¥f5 43.¢d2 ¥e4 44.¢c3 ¥c6

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+k+-+-0 9-zpl+-+-zp0 9+Nzp-+-zp-0 9p+P+-+-+0 9+-mK-+-+-0 9-+P+-zP-zP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Black has significantly improved the position of his pieces. The black ¢ threatens to pick up the

No. 2, May 14, 2011

h-pawn, while the ¥ on c6 takes care of affairs on the queenside. 45.¤a3 It seems White enables himself to eliminate the a-pawn by 45.¢b2 though this allows Black to transform his advantage with 45...¥xb5! 46.cxb5 ¢e6 47.¢a3 ¢d5 48.¢xa4 ¢c4 into a winning pawn endgame.; 45.¤a7 wouldn’t have altered events either: 45...¥g2 46.¢b2 ¥f1 47.¢a3 ¥xc4 48.¢xa4 and now the simplest move is 48...¢c7 49.¤b5+ ¥xb5+ 50.¢xb5 g4 with a winning pawn endgame. 45...¢e6 46.¢d3 ¢f5 (diagram) and White resigned, as he can't cope with all the threats on both sides of the board. The ¢

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-zpl+-+-zp0 9+-zp-+kzp-0 9p+P+-+-+0 9sN-+K+-+-0 9-+P+-zP-zP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy will continue on its path towards the h-pawn, when Black will obtain a second outside passed pawn. It's important to note the superiority of the ¥ (participating on both wings) over the ¤ (who is just bound to the a-pawn). When such a battle takes place on the whole board, the ¤ is generally worse than a ¥. 0–1 



solutions p.6  32.£xf7+! [32.£xf7+! ¦xf7 33.¦b8+ ¦c8 34.¦xc8+ ¥d8 35.¦xd8#] 1–0 Bojkov- Zulfic, Doeberl Cup Premier Canberra AUS (1.4), 21.04.2011  26...£xh2+! 27.¢xh2 ¦h5# 0–1 Oliver-Bliznyuk, Doeberl Cup Premier Canberra AUS (1.23), 21.04.2011  20...¦xb2! [20...¦xb2! 21.¢xb2 £b4+ 22.¢c1 (22.¢a1 ¥xc3+–+) 22...£a3+ 23.¢b1 ¥d7–+] 0–1 De Fatima Sousa- Quintiliano Pinto, Joao Braga Open Sao Paolo BRA (1.31), 20.04.2011  22.¥d6! [22.¥d6! ¦e8 23.¦xf6 ¦xf6 24.¦xf6+–] 1–0 Martins-Dos Santos, Joao Braga Open Sao Paolo BRA (3.23), 21.04.2011.  17.¤xf6+ ¥xf6 18.¥xf6 £xf6 19.e5! dxe5 20.¥xb7+– 1–0 Aoyama-De Oliveira, Joao Braga Open Sao Paolo BRA (3.62), 21.04.2011  6...¥xa3 7.¤xa3 £a5+ 8.£d2 £xa3–+ De Paula-Nunes, Joao Braga Open Sao Paolo BRA (4.71), 22.04.2011  19...d5! 20.cxd5 ¥xa3–+ Choma-Gallo Ponce, Joao Braga Open Sao

Paolo BRA (6.10), 23.04.2011  19.¥xf7+! ¢xf7 20.£c4+ ¢f8 [20...¢g6 21.¦g3+ ¢h5 22.£e2+ ¢h4 23.¥g5#] 21.¦xh7 ¥d5 [21...¥d6 22.¦xf6+! gxf6 23.¥h6++–] 22.£xc7+– 1–0 Loureiro Martins-Mourao, Joao Braga Open Sao Paolo BRA (6.34), 23.04.2011  33.¦xc6! [33.¦xc6! £xc6 34.£b8+ ¢h7 35.£xa7+–] 1–0 MatsuuraBarbosa, Joao Braga Open Sao Paolo BRA (7.6), 23.04.2011  32.¦c3! £e7 33.¦xc7 £xc7 34.¦c3+– 1–0 Song-Durand, ch-FRA u18b Montlucon FRA (2.2), 18.04.2011  58...£f1+! 59.£d1 [59.¢b2 £b1#] 59...£f4+ 0–1 Petrov-Lyashenko, ch-Southern FR Men Armavir RUS (1), 12.03.2011  8.¥xf6! ¥xf6 9.¤xd5! £a5+ 10.¤c3± Danielyan-Saveleva, chSouthern FR Men Armavir RUS (3), 14.03.2011

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