Chessvibes.training 088 2013-01-05

training

88 | January 5n2013

let’s improve your chess

A real game of chess (2) In the previous game I got into a move repetition with Black very early on in the opening and so I was eager to actually play a real game of chess for once.

giri’sgrabbag Kovalyov,A (2596) - Giri,A (2715) Spanish league (León), 07.11.2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+rwq-trk+0 9+-+-+pvlp0 9-+-+-snp+0 9zp-+p+-+-0 9-+lsN-+-+0 9+-sN-zPP+-0 9PzPQ+-+PzP0 9+-vLRmK-+R0 xiiiiiiiiy 19...¤d7 20.¢f2 £h4+?! I'm a bit surprised, to be honest, that I didn't take the pawn, as normally I'm pretty much always in favour of that. I was probably a bit overenthusiastic and tried to play against his king. 20...¥xa2! 21.b3 £b6! 22.£xa2 ¦xc3 23.¤e2 ¦xb3 24.¦xd5 ¤e5 and the position is transformed into something that would have been easier for me to handle. Black has a passed pawn and a better king and pieces. 21.¢g1 21.g3 £h3 22.¢g1 was another way of trying to develop, following it up with £g2. I was expecting that, but my opponent chose what was probably a better approach. 21...¤e5 22.h3 ¦fe8 Improving the position of my pieces, but at this point I already felt that I didn't really know how I was going to break through in this game, with time trouble approaching. 23.f4 ¤d7 24.¢h2 Slightly awkward, as my opponent correctly admitted after the game, but on the other hand it's hard to come up with a better move. 24...¤c5 25.¤f3! For some reason I totally forgot about this

By GM Anish Giri option while focussing on g3. Now, somewhat disappointed, I decided to transfer my queen along the sixth rank, but somehow I only realized I'd just given away another pawn when it was already gone. 25...£f6?! 25...£d8! feels very shaky, but in fact White can't exploit the x-ray on the d-file and so Black keeps slight chances of eventually creating something out of his wonderful pieces. 26.¤xd5 £a6 27.¤c3 I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I sort of forgot that such a simple move was possible. Here I started to feel that my opponent's position was just getting better and better with every move and I decided it was time to simplify it all a bit and prepare to go back to the hotel. 27...¤d3 28.¤d4 ¤xc1!? I could obviously keep on playing two pawns down with such pieces, but as I already said, I didn't like it anymore. Two pawns aren't one. 29.£xc1 ¥xa2 30.£d2 ¥c4 From this point on the position is just equal. I have amazing bishops but White has a solid knight on d4 supported by his extra pawn. 31.¦he1 ¦cd8 32.¦a1 £b6 33.£f2 ¥a6 34.¦ad1 ¥b7 35.¦d2 ¦d7 36.¦a1 ¦ed8 37.¦ad1 ¥a8 I've achieved the maximum I can, and so has my opponent. 38.¤db5 ¦xd2 39.¦xd2 ¦xd2 I offered a draw somewhere around this point, but my opponent decided to play on due to their match situation. In fact they would soon be lost even without this game. 40.£xd2 h5 41.¤d4 £b4 42.¤b1 £b7 43.¤c3 £b4 44.¤b1 £b8 45.¢g1 a4 Somehow I decided to make some moves as I felt there was really no risk in my position with

such bishops. 46.¤c3 £b4 47.¤e4 £e7 48.¤c3 £b4 49.¤b1 £c4 50.¤c3 ¥f6?! I totally forgot about my opponent's threat, and it could have ended badly. 51.£e2!

XIIIIIIIIY 9l+-+-+k+0 9+-+-+p+-0 9-+-+-vlp+0 9+-+-+-+p0 9p+qsN-zP-+0 9+-sN-zP-+P0 9-zP-+Q+P+0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 51...£xe2? I was pretty pissed about the fact I was on the defending side at the end, but I felt that with two bishops I should make an easy draw anyway, so I just took the queen without even thinking about whether I had alternatives. 51...£c8! and actually the a4–pawn is poisoned and a3 is a threat, so the position remains totally equal. 52.¤cxe2? I actually noticed I was in some danger if he took with the other knight, but he didn't really take his time here. 52.¤dxe2! ¥c6 53.¤d4 ¥d7 54.¤d5!? and Black has to be careful. 52...¥e7! 53.¤c3 a3 Now it should really just be a draw and my opponent also didn't really have any objections, slowly exchanging all the pawns. 54.bxa3 ¥xa3 55.¢f2 ¥b4 56.¤ce2 ¥d5 57.g4 hxg4 58.hxg4 f6 59.¤f3 ¢f7 60.g5 ¥c5 61.¤c3 ¥b7 62.gxf6 ¢xf6 63.¤e5 ¥b4 64.¤e2 g5 65.¤d3 ¥d6 66.¤d4 gxf4 67.exf4 ¥a6 68.¤e5 ¥xe5 69.fxe5+ ¢xe5 ½–½ n

1 of 8

training

let’s improve your chess

88 | January 5n2013

The classical blockading knight The ¤ is known to be the best blockading piece as it’s allowed to jump over other pieces and can therefore make its short-range pressure felt while blockading a passed pawn.

guessthemove Kempinski,R (2602) - Areschenko,A (2710) Bundesliga (Emsdetten), 09.12.2012 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 ¥g7 4.¥g2 d5 5.cxd5 ¤xd5 Now we're in the Fianchetto Variation of the Grünfeld. 6.e4 6.¤f3 is the more circumspect alternative. 6...¤b6 7.¤e2 c5 The typical Grünfeld move to undermine the white centre. 8.d5 8.dxc5 £xd1+ 9.¢xd1 ¤a4 is nice for Black. 8...0–0 9.0–0 e6 10.¤ec3 ¤a6 11.a4 exd5 12.exd5 White now has a passed d-pawn, but for the moment it lacks the support required for it to become dangerous. 12...¤c4 13.¤d2 ¤e5 Blockading the passed pawn with 13...¤d6 is ineffective here because White can effectively challenge it with 14.¤de4. 14.¤de4 ¥g4 14...c4 15.¥g5 f6 16.¥f4 ¤d3 17.¥d6² Kempinski-Bacrot, Warsaw rapid 2011 15.f3 15.£b3 £b6 16.£b5 is a solid alternative. 15...¥d7 16.¢h1 16.¥g5 f6 Navara-Bacrot, Belfort 2012, and now 17.¥e3 ¤c4 18.¥f2 looks balanced, since Black has also been forced to move his f-pawn. (diagram) Question 1 Would you play: A) 16...c4 to create a square on d3;

By IM Merijn van Delft

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wq-trk+0 9zpp+l+pvlp0 9n+-+-+p+0 9+-zpPsn-+-0 9P+-+N+-+0 9+-sN-+PzP-0 9-zP-+-+LzP0 9tR-vLQ+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy B) 16...f5 to push the ¤ away from its central position; C) 16...h6 to prepare the f5–push by controlling the g5–square. 16...c4! A good novelty, creating a stepping stone for the knights on d3, 5 points. 16...h6 17.¤b5 is playable, but less thematic, 2 points. 16...f5 is met by 17.f4! ¤f7 18.¤g5 with dynamic play, therefore no points. 17.¥g5 f6 18.¥e3 f5 19.¤f2?! 19.¤d2 ¦e8 20.¤b5 is roughly balanced.

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wq-trk+0 9zpp+l+-vlp0 9n+-+-+p+0 9+-+Psnp+-0 9P+p+-+-+0 9+-sN-vLPzP-0 9-zP-+-sNLzP0 9tR-+Q+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 2 Would you play: A) 19...¤b4 to play the second ¤ around to d3; B) 19...¦e8 to gain time by attacking ¥e3;

C) 19...¤f7 to play the ¤ around to the blockading square on d6. 19...¦e8! In this type of position, where Black has plenty of potential weaknesses of his own, it's extremely important to keep fighting for the initiative by activating pieces and creating threats, 5 points. 19...¤b4!? with the idea of 20.¥c5 ¤ed3! 21.¥xf8 £xf8 gives Black interesting compensation for the exchange, 3 points. 19...¤f7 20.¦e1 ¤d6 21.¤h3 is too passive because White has his own plan of playing the ¤ around to e6, therefore no points. 20.f4? This is badly-timed. Better is 20.¥d4 ¤b4 21.£d2 ¦c8ƒ when Black retains a harmonious position. 20...¤f7 21.¥d4 White wants to neutralise the Grünfeld ¥, but this doesn't solve his problems. 21...¥xd4 22.£xd4 ¤d6! Installing the classical blockading ¤ on d6. Nimzowitsch already famously wrote about this subject a century ago. 23.¦ab1

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wqr+k+0 9zpp+l+-+p0 9n+-sn-+p+0 9+-+P+p+-0 9P+pwQ-zP-+0 9+-sN-+-zP-0 9-zP-+-sNLzP0 9+R+-+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy  

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.

2 of 3 8

training

let’s improve your chess

guessthemove Question 3 Would you play: A) 23...£a5 to increase the pressure on the queenside; B) 23...£b6 to remove the white £ from her dominant position; C) 23...£e7 to centralize the £. 23...£b6! Black keeps playing in a very concrete manner, 5 points. 23...£e7 and 23...£a5 also continue development, 2 points. 24.£f6? This hands Black the initiative. 24.£xb6 axb6 25.b3 ¦ac8 26.bxc4 ¤xc4 gives much better chances of a successful defence. 24...¦f8 25.£h4 £d8 26.£h3 26.£xd8 ¦axd8 27.¤h3 would still have been a better try. 26...¦e8 27.g4 ¤c5 28.¤b5

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wqr+k+0 9zpp+l+-+p0 9-+-sn-+p+0 9+NsnP+p+-0 9P+p+-zPP+0 9+-+-+-+Q0 9-zP-+-sNLzP0 9+R+-+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 4 Would you play: A) 28...¤xb5 to speed up Black's tactical play; B) 28...¥xb5 to head for a good ¤ - bad ¥ scenario; C) 28...¤ce4 to weaken White's kingside defences. 28...¥xb5! Areshchenko goes for the positional solution, 5 points. 28...¤xb5 29.axb5 ¤d3! 30.£g3 (30.¤xd3 fxg4) 30...£b6! 31.¤xd3 cxd3 with a powerful attack is the tactical approach, 3 points. 28...¤ce4 29.¤xd6 ¤xd6 30.£a3! is somewhat less convincing, 2 points. 29.axb5 £f6 30.gxf5 gxf5 31.£h5 31.¦g1 ¢h8. (diagram) Question 5 Would you play: A) 31...¤xb5 to pick up the weak pawn; B) 31...¦e3 to activate the rooks;

88 | January 5n2013

By IM Merijn van Delft

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+r+k+0 9zpp+-+-+p0 9-+-sn-wq-+0 9+PsnP+p+Q0 9-+p+-zP-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-zP-+-sNLzP0 9+R+-+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy C) 31...¢h8 to move the ¢ to safety. 31...¦e3! Black starts dominating the position, 5 points. 31...¢h8 is a safe choice, 3 points. 31...¤xb5 32.¤h3 is pretty messy, therefore no points. 32.¤h3 ¦ae8 33.¤g5

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+r+k+0 9zpp+-+-+p0 9-+-sn-wq-+0 9+PsnP+psNQ0 9-+p+-zP-+0 9+-+-tr-+-0 9-zP-+-+LzP0 9+R+-+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 6 Would you play: A) 33...¦8e7 to defend on the 7th rank; B) 33...£g6 to keep offering the exchange of queens; C) 33...h6 to push back the white ¤. 33...¦8e7 A reasonable choice, but not the best move, 3 points. 33...h6! 34.¤e6 ¤xe6 35.dxe6 £xe6 seems to be the most accurate approach, 5 points. After 33...£g6 34.£h4 Black has too many pieces on the g-file, therefore no points. 34.b6 A creative attempt to generate counterplay via the a-file, but it doesn't quite work. 34.¤e6! had to be tried to activate ¥g2. 34...axb6 35.¦a1 h6! Right in time. 36.¦a8+ ¦e8 37.¦xe8+ ¦xe8 38.¤f3

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+r+k+0 9+p+-+-+-0 9-zp-sn-wq-zp0 9+-snP+p+Q0 9-+p+-zP-+0 9+-+-+N+-0 9-zP-+-+LzP0 9+-+-+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy A) 38...¤d3 to create an octopus; B) 38...¦e7 to set up a seventh rank defence; C) 38...¤f7 to prevent the ¤ from getting to e5 and bring another defender to the ¢. 38...¤d3! Now Black has two dream knights, 5 points. 38...¦e7 is safe, if a bit modest, 2 points. 38...¤f7 39.¤e5 completely loses control, therefore no points. As a rule the blockading ¤ should never move. 39.¤h4

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+r+k+0 9+p+-+-+-0 9-zp-sn-wq-zp0 9+-+P+p+Q0 9-+p+-zP-sN0 9+-+n+-+-0 9-zP-+-+LzP0 9+-+-+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 8 Would you play: A) 39...b5 to set the queenside majority in motion; B) 39...¦e3 to take away squares from the white £; C) 39...¢h7 to step away from the g-file. 39...¦e3! The finishing touch - the white pieces can no longer move, 5 points. 39...¢h7 is the next best thing, 3 points. 39...b5 40.¥h3! allows White back into the game, no points. 40.h3 ¢h7 41.¢h2 b5 White is completely paralysed, so there's no choice other than to resign. 0–1

(diagram) Question 7 Would you play:

Conclusion: blocking the passed pawn on d5 with ¤d6 tends to have a paralysing effect on White's position.  n

3 of 8

training

let’s improve your chess

88 | January 5n2013

The people versus the queen When can you give up your queen for a rook, piece and pawn and remain on the safe or even better side? In which situations is the queen likely to prevail? What’s the verdict? Let’s be the judges!

guidelinesinthejungle Nisipeanu-Labib Dubai Open, 2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+-+k+0 9zpp+lwqnzpp0 9-+-zp-+-+0 9+-+Pzpp+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-zP-0 9PzPQsNPzPLzP0 9+-tR-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy NO SPACE FOR THE QUEEN 19.£xc8+ The only way to keep contesting the c-file, but also a daring decision, it seems. For now the queen is inactive within Black's own pawn structure, and also tied to the defence of ¤d8. Will White have enough time to coordinate his pieces? 19...¥xc8 20.¦xc8+ ¤d8 21.e4 fxe4? Generally speaking Black is happy to open up the position (more long-range possibilities for the queen) and to create weak pawns in White's structure that can be targetted. Here, though, it makes it very easy for White to activate his pieces, while the queen remains passive. A slower plan like 21...g6 (with the idea of ¢g7 and ¤f7) 22.exf5 £d7! 23.¦a8 gxf5 or 21...f4 first is more appropriate. 22.¤xe4 g5? The intermediate move 22...£d7 no longer made sense because of 23.¥h3! , but the text move restricts the queen's activity and just squanders one more square than g7–g6. White now duly goes on to occupy f5 with his bishop. 23.¥h3 ¢g7 24.¥f5 h5 25.h3 ¤f7 So Black can now finally move the queen freely, but where to? 26.g4 h4 27.b4 b5 28.¦c6 a5? The white pieces give each other excellent support and are ready to target the black pawns. Black, on the other hand, can hardly move. The text move, however, is the wrong pawn sacrifice to try and create some space for the queen. The passed a-pawn is more

By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering than Black can deal with here. 28...a6 29.¦xa6 £b7 30.¦c6 £a7 was a more reasonable try. 29.bxa5 £a7 30.a6 £d4 31.¦c7 £d1+ 32.¢h2 £xd5 33.a7 £xa2 34.¥e6 d5 35.¦xf7+ ¢g6 36.¦d7 1–0

Kempinski- Jakubowski Polish Championship (Warsaw), 2011

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+rmk-+0 9+-+-snpzp-0 9Qzp-+-+-zp0 9+-+-zp-+-0 9P+-vl-+-+0 9+-sN-+-zP-0 9-zP-+-zP-zP0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy A PASSED PAWN A passed pawn is an important asset for either side. Here White can create one on the queenside, after which the black pieces will have to divide their attention between the pawn and the activities of the queen on the other side of the board. The other case, when the side with the pieces creates a passed pawn, is even more obvious. It's especially significant when the opponent has no pieces remaining other than the queen, a notoriously bad blockader, so stopping the pawn becomes troublesome. See, for instance, Guliyev-Mainka, Bundesliga 2008. Keeping all of this in mind would have prevented Labib from playing his 28th move in the first example. 31.¤b5 ¥c5 32.b4! ¥xb4 33.£xb6 ¤d5 34.£b7 ¦d8 35.¤c7 35.¤a7 35...¤xc7 36.£xb4+ ¢e8 Black tries to bring his king over to help stop the a-pawn, but that leaves his kingside pawns vulnerable. The alternative 36...¢g8 would also lose the e5–pawn and a knight for the a-pawn in the long run. For example: 37.£c5 ¦d7 38.£xe5 g6 39.a5 h5 40.¢g2 ¢h7 41.£b2 ¦d5 42.£b7 ¦xa5 43.£xc7 winning. 37.£c5 ¢d7 38.£xe5 f6 39.£d4+ ¢c8

40.£g4+ ¦d7 41.¢g2 ¤e8 42.a5 ¢d8 43.£b4 ¤d6 44.£b6+ ¢e8 45.a6 ¤c8 46.£c5 ¢d8 47.¢h3! Elegantly introducing the king to deliver the decisive blow on the kingside. 47...¦e7 48.¢g4 ¤a7 49.f4 ¤c8 50.¢h5 ¦d7 51.¢g6 ¤a7 52.h4 ¤c8 53.g4 ¤a7 54.£f8+ ¢c7 55.£xg7 1–0

Gaehwiler-Grandelius World Ch U16 (Kemer), 2009

XIIIIIIIIY 9-trltr-+k+0 9+p+-vlpzpp0 9psN-wqp+-+0 9zP-+n+-+-0 9-+R+-+-+0 9+-+-vLN+-0 9-zPP+QzPPzP0 9+-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy A FORTRESS Giving up the queen for a rook and piece is a common defensive method. If it leaves you with well-supported pieces in a symmetric pawn structure it may be the proper drawing method. In this case Black has landed himself in big trouble, but with some help from his opponent he manages to achieve a draw. 19.¥c5 19.¥d4 would be even more painful. 19...£xc5 20.¦xc5 ¥xc5 21.¦d1 ¥xb6 22.axb6 ¥d7 23.£d2 Better is 23.¦d4, putting the rook first on the d-file. 23...¤xb6 24.¤e5 ¤d5 25.c4 ¥a4 26.¦e1 ¤f6 27.£f4 ¦bc8 28.h3 b5 Black is trying to get in as many exchanges as possible, as each one increases his drawing chances. 29.¦e3 ¥c2 30.¦c3 ¥g6 31.cxb5 ¦xc3 32.bxc3 axb5 33.£b4 ¤d5 34.£xb5? Giving up any ambitions of winning the game. With all the queenside pawns gone White has no plan to make headway. 34...¤xc3 35.£a5 ¦c8 36.¤xg6 hxg6 37.£e5 ½–½ 

4 of 8

training

furtherexamples Yegiazarian-Pashikian Armenian Ch (Yerevan), 2008

XIIIIIIIIY 9R+-+n+k+0 9+-+-+pzpp0 9-zp-+-+-+0 9+-sn-wq-+-0 9-+-+p+-sN0 9+-sN-+-zPL0 9PzP-+PzP-zP0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

let’s improve your chess

88 | January 5n2013

By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering

A KING ATTACK WITH THE QUEEN With the help of more pieces on the board the queen is able to set up a normal king attack. 25...g6 26.¤g2 ¢g7 27.¤e3 ¤f6 28.¦d8 h5 29.¦d2 A passive move. 29.¤ed5? ¤b7 is impossible, but 29.¤c4 £g5 30.¤e3 is a more solid try. 29...h4 30.¤c4 £h5 31.¥g2 hxg3 32.hxg3 ¤g4 Now Black has managed to obtain some play on the kingside. 33.¤d5 33.¤d1 , also protecting f2, seems to be the better defence: 33...¤e6 34.¤de3 ¤xe3 35.¤xe3 £a5 36.¤f1 33...e3! 34.¤cxe3 ¤e4 Now, in contrast to the situation after ¤d1, ¥xe4 is of course impossible. 35.¦d4 ¤exf2 36.¤f1 ¤h3+ 37.¥xh3 £xh3 38.¤xb6 ¤h2! 39.¤xh2 £xg3+ 40.¢f1 £xh2 41.¤c4 f5 42.a4 g5 Again, it's a passed pawn that carries the day. 43.¤e3 £e5 44.¦d3 f4 45.¤g4 £xb2 46.¦d5 £b1+ 47.¢f2 £g6 48.a5 £h5 49.¦d7+ ¢g6 50.¦d6+ ¢f5 51.¤h6+ ¢e5 52.¦b6 £h2+ 53.¢f1 £h3+ 54.¢e1 £c3+ 55.¢f2 £c5+ 56.¢f3 £g1 57.¤f7+ ¢d4 58.¦d6+ ¢c5 59.a6 £e3+ 60.¢g4 f3 61.a7 61.exf3 £f4+ 62.¢h5 £xf7+ 63.¦g6 £xf3+ 64.¢xg5 ¢d5 61...£e4+ 62.¢xg5 fxe2 63.a8£ £xa8 64.¦e6 £d5+ 65.¦e5 e1£ 0–1

A BATTLE ON ONLY ONE WING 25...¤c3 This is how a material imbalance often arises: the move wins the exchange, or.... 26.¥xc3! ¦xb1 27.¦dxb1 g5 28.¦b7 ¤g8 29.¥xg7+ ¢xg7 30.¦b5 £g6 31.c5 Exchanging the last queenside pawn. 31...dxc5 32.¦xc5 £xe6 Aronian about this moment: “Only when he captured on c5 and took on e6 did I already feel that I had a clear advantage. White has a clear plan while Black is just suffering with his pieces.” It's clear that the queen benefits from a battle on two wings, when its long range activity can come to the fore. The same thing was observed earlier in CVT 56 (a queen vs 3 pieces). 33.¤f3 £d6 34.¤d4 ¢h8 35.¦c6 £d7 36.¦ac1 f4 37.¥c8 £a7 38.¤e6 ¦f6 39.exf4 gxf4 40.¦c7 £a4 41.¤xf4 ¦d6 Here 41...¦xf4 was given as a better defence: 42.gxf4 £xf4 43.¦1c3 (43.¥b7 ¤f6 44.h3 ¤e4 45.¥xe4 £xe4 46.¦7c3 £e5 47.¦g3 h5) 43...£e5 44.¥a6 ¤f6 45.¦c8+ ¢g7 46.¦g3+ ¢f7 47.¥c4+ e6 but the position, while perhaps defendable, remains unattractive for Black. In the game Aronian slowly improved his position by advancing and closing in on the black king, which eventually proved too much for Nakamura.

Castaldo-Sulskis EU Union Ch (Arvier), 2007

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-trk+0 9+-+-vlpzpp0 9-zp-+p+-+0 9+-+n+-+-0 9-+-+Q+-+0 9zP-zpN+-zP-0 9-+-+PzPKzP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

Aronian-Nakamura Tata Steel (Wijk aan Zee), 2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-tr-+qtr-mk0 9+-+-zp-vlp0 9L+-zpPsnp+0 9+-+-+p+-0 9nvLP+-+-+0 9+-+-zP-zP-0 9-+-sN-zP-zP0 9tRQ+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

TRANSPOSITIONS & COORDINATION 28.£c4! Preventing 28...¦c8. 28...b5 The immediate 28...¥xa3 is met with 29.e4 ¤f6 30.£xc3 and the proud c-pawn has disappeared, though Black can still try 30...¥c5 31.¤xc5 bxc5 29.£xb5 ¥xa3 30.£b3 30.e4 ¤f6 31.£b3 transposes to the game. 30...¥e7 31.e4 ¤f6 32.f3 White is trying to win, as the coordination of the black pieces isn't ideal. The rook can be attacked when moved to c8, and the bishop has neither a stronghold or protection from another piece. ¤f6 is now also kept out of play by the white e-pawn. 32...¦c8 33.£b7 ¦d8 34.£xe7? Too eager, and now Black escapes. Much stronger was 34.¤e5! and White wins the c-pawn. 34...¦e8 (34...¤d7 35.¤c6 c2 36.£b2; 34...c2? 35.£xe7) 35.£c6 34...¦xd3 35.e5 ¦d2+ 36.¢h3 ¤d7 37.£b4 ¦d3 38.£b5 c2 The simplest move, transposing back to a position with balanced material. Transpositions to other material imbalances are also common - for example to “two pieces vs a queen”, see Pruess-Perelshteyn, New England Masters 2007. This is always something you have to be on the lookout for (just as you have to be for the transposition leading to the initial material imbalance)! 39.£xd3 c1£ 40.£xd7 £c5 41.f4 h6 And a draw was agreed on move 59. A narrow escape for Sulskis.

OPENING THEORY This material imbalance is yet another strategic feature that you can study perfectly together with, or with the help of, opening theory. While examining the theoretical lines you'll get a feel for the plans and the coordination of the pieces, and whether the queen sac will be sufficient or not. You can encounter this material imbalance in numerous openings, such as the Catalan or the Winawer French. In the PGN file you'll find Krasenkov-Hector (the Slav countergambit) and the initial moves of a regular Semi-Slav line and a Dragon line. The knowledge you acquire might even enable you to find an occasional novelty like the one in this game, albeit in a less topical line. 12.¤c3 ¤xc3 13.bxc3 dxe3 14.¦xd8 exf2+ 15.¢f1 ¦axd8 16.¤g5 This variation hadn't been played since Antunes-Flear from 2006, which saw 16.£e4 ¤e7 17.¥xe6 fxe6 18.¤g5 ¤f5 19.¢e2 ¥e3 20.¤f3 Factors such as the presence of a passed pawn and the unsafe position of the white king should convince you that Black has sufficient compensation (and can thus improve on Flear's 20...¦d5 with 20...¥b6, for instance. 16...¥xb3 17.axb3 h6 18.¤e4 ¥b6 19.¤xf2 ¦de8 20.¦e1 ¤xe5 21.£h5 g6 22.£h4 h5 23.£g3 ¤d7 24.h3 ¤f6 25.£f3 ¢g7 26.¤d3 h4 27.c4 bxc4 28.bxc4 ¥a5 29.¦xe8 ¦xe8 30.g4 ¤e4 ½–½

Shomoev-Salinnikov Aratovsky Mem (Saratov), 2006

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wq-trk+0 9+-zp-+pzpp0 9p+n+l+-+0 9+pvl-zP-+-0 9-+-zpn+-+0 9+L+-vLN+-0 9PzPP+QzPPzP0 9tRN+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 5 of 8

training

let’s improve your chess

tacticstactics XIIIIIIIIY 9rtr-+-+k+0 9+-zp-+-zpp0 9-+P+q+-+0 9+-wQ-+p+-0 9-+-+p+-+0 9+-+lzP-zP-0 9-+-tR-zPLzP0 9+-tR-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-trk+-tr0 9zpp+-+pzpl0 9-+-vLp+-zp0 9wq-+-+-+P0 9-+L+-+-+0 9+Psn-+-+R0 9P+-wQ-zPP+0 9mK-+R+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+q+-trk+0 9+l+-vl-zpp0 9-zp-snp+-+0 9zp-+psN-+-0 9Psn-zP-zP-+0 9tR-+-+Q+-0 9-zP-sN-vLPzP0 9+L+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-wqktr-+0 9tr-+l+p+-0 9-+-tRpzP-+0 9+L+-+-wQp0 9-+-+P+-+0 9zP-sN-+n+-0 9-zPP+-+-zP0 9+-mK-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

88 | January 5n2013

By IM Robert Ris

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-tr-+k+0 9+L+-+pzpp0 9-vl-+-wq-+0 9zpP+-zpl+-0 9P+-+-+-+0 9+-wQ-+-+-0 9-+P+NzPPzP0 9+-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+rmk-0 9-+pwq-+p+0 9zppsN-tRl+p0 9P+-zP-wQ-+0 9+P+-+-+P0 9-+-+-+P+0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-tr-+r+k+0 9+-zp-+pzpp0 9-+-zp-+-+0 9zp-vln+-+-0 9-+-+q+-+0 9zP-+-zP-vL-0 9-zP-+QzPPzP0 9+-tRL+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-wq-+k+0 9+-+-+p+-0 9-+-+l+p+0 9+-tR-zp-+p0 9-zpL+P+-zP0 9+P+-wQ-zP-0 9r+-+-zPK+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-trr+k+0 9+pwq-snpzp-0 9p+-+-+p+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-+PsNQtR-+0 9+P+-+-+-0 9P+-+-+PzP0 9tR-+-+-+K0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+QwQ-+-+0 9zp-+-+pmkp0 9-+-+p+p+0 9zP-+l+-+-0 9-+-+-wq-+0 9+-+-+N+-0 9-tr-+-+PzP0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+ltr-+k+0 9+pwq-vlpzpp0 9p+-+-+-+0 9sn-+p+-+-0 9P+-+-zP-+0 9+-+LvL-+-0 9-zPPsN-wQPzP0 9tR-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+R+-+-+0 9+-+q+r+p0 9-+-+-+pmk0 9+ptRp+-+-0 9-zPnsNr+-+0 9+-wQ-+-zP-0 9-+-+-zPKzP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy 6 of 8

training

let’s improve your chess

88 | January 5n2013

Queen versus rook+bishop+knight This week we’re going to take a look at four recently played games featuring the attacking trio of ¦+¥+¤ against a £. Learn the pros and cons of this special material distribution!

practicalendings Hausrath-Van Kampen Groningen Open, 2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-tr-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-zp-+-+-+0 9mk-vl-+-+-0 9-snP+Q+-+0 9+K+-+-+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy In our first example the strength of the attacking trio will be shown. A little extra effort has been made by the ¢. Once it joins the attack things go downhill pretty fast for White. 97...¦d3+ 98.¢b2 ¥d4+ 99.¢c1 ¢a4! In endings the ¢ becomes a very strong piece and should be used as actively as possible. 100.£g4 ¢b3 101.c5 ¤a2+ 102.¢b1 ¤c3+ 103.¢a1 ¤e2+ 103...¤e2+ and White resigned, in view of 104.¢b1 ¦d1#. 0–1

Nakamura-Ding Liren Mind Games Rapid (Beijing), 2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+k+-+0 9+-+N+-tR-0 9-+-+p+-zp0 9+-+-+p+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+P0 9-vL-wq-zPPmK0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

The ¢ often isn't able to join the attacking trio, but that shouldn't be a big deal, especially when the opponent's ¢ has been cut off along the 7th rank. 50.¥e5! A nice square for the ¥, allowing it to join the attack while also covering the b8–h2 diagonal

By IM Robert Ris against any checks. 50...£xf2 51.¤f6+ ¢d8 After 51...¢f8 52.¦d7! nothing can be done to stop checkmate on d6. Note the wonderful coordination between White's forces: the ¦ and ¤ take away the ¢'s escape squares, while the ¥ plays a role both in defence and attack! 52.¥d6 Another illustrative line highlighting the excellent cooperation between White's forces is 52.¥c7+ ¢c8 53.¤e8! (threatening mate on d6) 53...¢b7 54.¥g3+ and White wins the £. 52...¢c8 53.¦c7+ ¢d8 After 53...¢b8 White picks up the £ with 54.¦c2+. 54.¦b7 and Black resigned, in view of 54...¢c8 55.¦b8#. 1–0

Cramling-Zatonskih Mind Games Blitz (Beijing), 2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9mkp+-+-+-0 9pvl-+-+-zp0 9+-+-+-zp-0 9-+-+-snP+0 9+-+-tr-+-0 9P+-+-+-zP0 9+-wQ-+-+K0 xiiiiiiiiy Black has a huge material advantage and there are various ways of converting her advantage. Zatonskih opts for the most economic solution of simplifying the position - a typical mechanism in this type of ending. 46...¦f3 47.£d1 ¦f2 48.a4 ¦g2 49.a5 ¦g1+ 50.£xg1 ¥xg1 51.¢xg1 b6 and White resigned, since after the liquidation Black has been left with an extra ¤. 0–1

Sumets-Kozul Zadar Open, 2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+k+0 9+p+N+p+p0 9-+-+-+p+0 9+p+-zp-+-0 9-+-+-zp-wq0 9+-+-+P+P0 9PtR-+-+-zP0 9+-+-+L+K0 xiiiiiiiiy Finally we'll examine a very interesting position where the £ initially has the upper hand. Often such an advantage is only a temporary result of the poor placement of the three pieces and therefore the chance has to be seized immediately! 36...b4?! Based on a small trap, but it would have been much better to open up the kingside with 36... e4! when White is just completely lost. The following line is pretty straightforward: 37.fxe4 £e7 38.¥xb5 £xe4+ 39.¢g1 £d4+ 40.¦f2 f3! and White's pieces can barely move. A nice illustration of the queen's superiority. 37.¦e2 White doesn't, of course, fall for 37.¦xb4 £e1! and Black wins on the spot. 37...f6? Again, it would have been a good idea to disturb the configuration of White's forces with 37...e4! 38.¦xe4 £f2 39.¥e2 £e1+ 40.¢g2 £d2 and Black threatens to take either the ¤ on d7 or the § on a2, when the b-pawn is unstoppable. After the text move White is able to regroup his pieces. 38.¤c5 £h5 39.¢g2 £f5 40.¦d2 ¢g7 41.¤e4 £c8 42.¥b5 £a8? Hitting the weak § on a2, but the £ is obviously completely misplaced in the corner of the board. Better would have been 42...f5! 43.¦d7+?! (More stubborn is 43.¤f2 now, or even on the next move.) 43...¢h6 44.¤f6? ¢g5 45.¤xh7+ ¢h4! and the activation of the black ¢ turns the tables.  

7 of 8

training

let’s improve your chess

88 | January 5n2013

practicalendings 43.h4 f5? Houdini 3 points out the following variation: 43...£g8 44.¦d7+ ¢h8 45.¤xf6 £xa2+ 46.¢g1 £a7+! and a perpetual check is inevitable, but not 46...£a1+? because of the interference move 47.¥f1!. 44.¦d7+? Again, the silicon monster is critical of this human interpretation of the position and instead recommends 44.¤g5 which yields White a decisive advantage. 44...¢f8 45.¤g5 £xa2+ 46.¢h3 (diagram) 46...e4? Wasting valuable time. Black should have chased the ¤ away immediately with 46...h6!

By IM Robert Ris

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-mk-+0 9+p+R+-+p0 9-+-+-+p+0 9+L+-zppsN-0 9-zp-+-zp-zP0 9+-+-+P+K0 9q+-+-+-zP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy and after 47.¤h7+ ¢g8 48.¤f6+ ¢f8 49.¦c7 £f2 50.¤h7+ ¢g8 51.¤f6+ ¢f8 neither side can avoid the repetition. 47.¦c7! £b2 The point of White's play is that 47...exf3 can be met by 48.¤xh7+ ¢g8 49.¥c4+! winning the £. 48.¤xh7+ ¢g8 49.¥c4+ ¢h8 50.¤g5 and

Black resigned, as he can't avoid mate, e.g. 50.¤g5 £g7 51.¦c8+! and White wins. 1–0 Conclusion: ¦+¥+¤ is normally stronger than the £. Some important features worth keeping in mind:1) Watch out for tactical tricks. The attacking trio is incredibly ruthless if it can strike. 2) ¢ safety plays an important role and once the ¢ succeeds in escaping from the attacking trio it can also become an asset, as can be seen in the last example. 3) Using simplification to steer the game into a favourable ending is something you should always reckon with, as shown in the 2nd example.On the other hand, you shouldn't underestimate the strength of the £. The last example is a nice illustration of what can happen when the mobility of the attacking trio has been reduced.  n

solutionspage 6  33.¦xd3! [33...exd3 34.¥d5+–] 1–0 Ivanova-Tomin, WY GU16 2012 Maribor SLO (10.20), 17.11.2012 2  5...¥e4! 26.¥xe4 £xf2+! [27.¦xf2 ¦d1+ 28.£e1 ¦xe1#] 0–1 Abdullatif-Martins, WY BU14 2012 Maribor SLO (2.66), 09.11.2012  23.¤e6! £d7 [23...fxe6 24.£xe6+ ¢h8 25.¦h4#] 24.¤xd8 ¦xd8 25.¦af1+– Azarya-J. van Foreest, WY BU14 2012 Maribor SLO (9.20), 16.11.2012  24...¦xd6! 25.¥b5+ [25.£xd6 £xa2#] 25...£xb5 26.£xd6 ¤xd1 0–1 Baert-Vanstreels, TCh-BEL 2012–13 Belgium BEL (5.7), 02.12.2012  37.¦xf5! £xf4 [37...¦xf5 38.£xd6+–] 38.¤e6+ ¢h6 39.¦xf4 1–0 Van Kampen-Gullaksen, London Chess Classic FIDE Open Kensington Olympia, London, E (6), 06.12.2012  33...¦xg2+! 34.¢h1 [34.¢xg2 £xf3+ 35.¢g1 £g2#] 34...¦xh2+! 35.¢g1 £g3+ 36.¢f1 £f2# 0–1 Farrand-Hamitevici, 4th London Classic Open London ENG (2), 02.12.2012  27.¥xh7+! ¢xh7 28.£h5+ [28...¢g8 29.¦h3 £c1+ 30.¤f1+–] 1–0 Holzke-Hoegener, 4th London Classic Open London ENG (2), 02.12.2012

 23...¤xe3! [24.fxe3 £xe3+ 25.¢h1 £xe2 26.¥xe2 ¦xe2–+] 0–1 Eames-Szalontay, 4th London Classic Open London ENG (3), 03.12.2012  16...d4! 17.¥xd4 ¦xd4!–+ [18.£xd4 ¥c5–+] Casaschi-Baasansuren, 4th London Classic Open London ENG (3), 03.12.2012  26.¦xe6+! fxe6 27.£g6+ ¦f7 28.£g8+ ¦f8 29.£xe6+ [29...£e7 30.£xe7#] 1–0 Zimmermann-Guthrie, 4th London Classic Open London ENG (4), 04.12.2012  41...£d1! 42.£h6 [42.¥xe6 ¦a1 43.¥xf7+ ¢g7–+] 42...¥h3+! [43.¢h2 ¦xf2+ 44.¢xh3 £h1#; 42...¦a1? 43.¦c8+! ¥xc8 44.£xg6+ ¢h8 45.£f6+ ¢h7 46.£xf7+ ¢h6 47.£f8+ ¢g6 48.¥f7+ ¢f6 49.¥g8+ ¢g6 50.£f7+ ¢h6 51.£h7#] 0–1 Anand-Adams, 4th London Chess Classic London ENG (6.3), 07.12.2012  44...£a7? [44...¤e3+! 45.£xe3+ (45.fxe3 ¦h4! 46.¤f3 £h3+ 47.¢g1 ¦xf3–+) 45...¦xe3 46.fxe3 £e7–+] 45.£c1+ ¢g7 46.¤f5+ ¦xf5 47.¦8c7+ £xc7 48.¦xc7++– Schlosser-Hausrath, Bundesliga 2012–13 Baden Baden GER (5.8), 08.12.2012

training ChessVibes Training is a weekly PDF magazine that is focused on chess improvement for the club player. Editors GM Anish Giri, IM Merijn van Delft, IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering and IM Robert Ris provide instructive material every week on the middlegame and endgame phase of the game. Why not subscribe for € 43 a year (that's less than € 0.85 per issue!). More info can be found at ChessVibes.com/training. © 2011-2013 ChessVibes. Copyright exists on all original material published by ChessVibes. Any copying or distribution (reproduction, via print, electronic format, or in any form whatsoever), as well as posting on the web, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.

8 of 8