Chessvibes.training 094 2013-02-16

training

94

| February 16

n

2013

let’s improve your chess

A positional Ruy Lopez Dear readers, I’m an 18–year-old Dutch GM currently rated 2596. Every once in a while I’ll be annotating an instructive or interesting game for you. For my first column I picked an interesting Ruy Lopez I played with White.

thegrandmaster'seye Van Kampen,R (2565) - Urkedal,F (2486) World Juniors (Athens), 14.08.2012 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4 ¤f6 5.0–0 b5 6.¥b3 ¥b7 This slightly offbeat line goes by the name Archangel. In general it's one of the many sidelines in the Ruy Lopez where, to my mind, White can get a nice position without having to know deep theory. Instead it's more important to understand the ideas. 7.d3!

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9+lzpp+pzpp0 9p+n+-sn-+0 9+p+-zp-+-0 9-+-+P+-+0 9+L+P+N+-0 9PzPP+-zPPzP0 9tRNvLQ+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy The right move from a strategic point of view. White will try to prove that Black has shown his cards too early, and instead of playing the usual set-up with c3–d4, he now wants to prove that the black ¥ on b7 is misplaced as White's e-pawn is not a great target when the § is on d3 instead of d4. 7...¥e7 8.¤bd2 0–0 9.¦e1 d6 'Threatening' ¤a5 and taking the ¥ on b3, which would give Black the bishop pair, thus a good game. 10.a3 ¤a5?! 10...£d7! was probably the correct way to play, mentioned by my opponent a few days after the game. The £ move introduces a plan which is not too common in the Spanish: putting the

By GM Robin van Kampen

¤ on e6: 11.¤f1 ¤d8 12.¤g3 ¤e6 13.¥e3 c5 14.¤f5 ¥d8, leading to a complicated game. 11.¥a2 c5 12.¤f1 White will continue ¤g3–¤f5 and it's evident that Black's ¥ is slightly misplaced on b7. 12...¥c8 Black has basically lost two tempi! 13.c3 ¤c6 14.¤g3 ¦e8?! Logical but here this move appears to be clumsy: 14...£c7 15.¥e3 ¥d7 16.d4². 15.¤g5! ¦f8 16.h3 Now Black can't play ¦e8–¥f8 without weakening himself with h6. 16...¥d7 17.¥e3 ¦c8 18.¤f3 ¦e8 19.d4 ¥f8 19...c4 20.£d2 h6 21.¦ad1, followed by ¥b1– ¥c2, gives White a nice space advantage. 20.d5 ¤e7 21.b4 c4 22.a4 ¤g6 23.¥b1 ¦a8 24.¥c2

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wqrvlk+0 9+-+l+pzpp0 9p+-zp-snn+0 9+p+Pzp-+-0 9PzPp+P+-+0 9+-zP-vLNsNP0 9-+L+-zPP+0 9tR-+QtR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Black still lacks any kind of play: his own pieces stand in the way of a pawn break on the kingside. 24...h6 25.£d2 a5?! I was a bit disappointed when I saw this move on the board as I had dreams of using an idea from the 1974 game Karpov-Unzicker! In the given line you can see what I had in mind: 25...£c7 26.¦a3 £b7 27.¦ea1 ¦eb8 28.¦1a2 ¥e7 29.axb5 (29.£c1! would of course be

even better, only releasing the tension at the best given moment!) 29...axb5 30.¥a7! ¦c8 31.£c1 ¤f4 32.£a1 and, with the help of the blockading ¥ on a7, White can take over the a-file next move. 26.axb5 axb4 27.cxb4 ¥xb5 28.¤e2! White is winning on the queenside. 28...£c7 29.¤c3 £b7 30.¦a5 ¥d7 31.¦ea1 ¦xa5 32.bxa5 ¦a8 33.¤a4 ¥xa4 34.¦xa4 £b5 35.¦a1 ¥e7 36.£c3 ¥d8 37.¥d2 £c5

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-vl-+k+0 9+-+-+pzp-0 9-+-zp-snnzp0 9zP-wqPzp-+-0 9-+p+P+-+0 9+-wQ-+N+P0 9-+LvL-zPP+0 9tR-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 38.g3! A nice way of permanently eliminating any counterplay on the kingside. 38...¤e7 39.¢g2 ¤xe4 A desperate sacrifice to try and gain some counterplay. 39...¥c7 40.a6+–. 40.¥xe4 f5 41.¥c2 e4 41...¤xd5 42.£a3 e4 43.¤g1±. 42.¤d4 ¤xd5 43.¤e6! Forcing the exchange of queens, after which White remains a piece up in the endgame. 43...¤xc3 44.¤xc5 ¤b5 45.¥a4 45.¤xe4 fxe4 46.¥xe4 ¦c8 47.a6 c3 48.¥e3+– 45...¥f6 46.¦a2 c3 47.¥e3 dxc5 48.¥xb5 ¥d4 49.a6 Now the game is over. 49...¥xe3 50.fxe3 ¢f7 51.¦c2 ¦b8 52.¥c4+ ¢e7 53.¦xc3 ¦b2+ 54.¢f1 1–0 n

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| February 16

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2013

The Sicilian endgame Thanks to the following game I qualified for the Tata Steel Grandmaster C group 2014, which will be a nice goal for me to work towards during the course of 2013.

guessthemove Bekker,S (2191) - Van Delft,M (2392) Wijk aan Zee, 26.01.2013 1.e4 c5 2.¤c3 a6 3.¤f3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.¤xd4 e6 6.¥e3 b5 7.a4 b4 8.¤a2 ¤f6 9.f3

XIIIIIIIIY 9rsnlwqkvl-tr0 9+-+-+pzpp0 9p+-zppsn-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9Pzp-sNP+-+0 9+-+-vLP+-0 9NzPP+-+PzP0 9tR-+QmKL+R0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 1 Would you play: A) 9...¥b7, simply to keep developing, since taking on b4 is not an attractive option for White; B) 9...d5 to counter in the centre while ¤a2 is out of play; C) 9...e5 to counter in the centre while ¤a2 is out of play. 9...e5! First occupying the e5 square is the right way to counter in the centre, 5 points. 9...d5 10.e5 ¤fd7 11.f4 leads to a French structure that is fine for White, therefore no points. 9...¥b7 10.£d2 (10.¤xb4 is indeed well met by 10... d5) 10...d5 11.e5 is similar (no points). 10.¤b3 d5 11.¥g5 ¥e6 12.exd5 £xd5 13.£xd5 ¤xd5 Since I basically had to win this game due to the tournament situation, I wasn't particularly happy that the queens came off so early, but I remembered one thing: Sicilian endgames tend to favour Black.

By IM Merijn van Delft 14.0–0–0 f6 15.¥c4

XIIIIIIIIY 9rsn-+kvl-tr0 9+-+-+-zpp0 9p+-+lzp-+0 9+-+nzp-vL-0 9PzpL+-+-+0 9+N+-+P+-0 9NzPP+-+PzP0 9+-mKR+-+R0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 2 Would you play: A) 15...¤c7 to exchange the light-squared bishops; B) 15...¤f4 to exchange the light-squared bishops; C) 15...fxg5 to eliminate White's imporant dark-squared ¥. 15...¤c7! Calmly keeping control over the position, 5 points. 15...¤f4 16.¥xe6 ¤xe6 leads to the same thing, so also 5 points. 15...fxg5 16.¥xd5 ¥xd5 17.¦xd5 leaves Black seriously lagging behind in development, therefore no points. 16.¥xe6 ¤xe6 17.¥e3 ¤c6 18.¦d5 ¥e7 19.¦hd1

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Question 3 Would you play: A) 19...¦d8 to neutralise White's initiative by taking one pair of rooks off the board; B) 19...¢f7 to keep the ¢ in the centre, since the queens have already been exchanged and we are basically in the endgame; C) 19...0–0, simply to bring the ¢ to safety, since there are still many pieces on the board. 19...¢f7! The endgame factor plays the main role here, 5 points. 19...0–0 is a reasonable alternative here, though: 3 points. 19...¦d8 20.¦xd8+ ¤exd8 21.¤c5 leaves the a-pawn vulnerable and should be avoided (no points). 20.¤c5 White is starting to lose track around this point. I was planning to answer 20.¦d7 with 20...¦hb8!?. 20.¢b1 to regroup the ¤ with ¤ac1 may be the most healthy option. 20...¦hc8 21.c3? This weakens White's position. Retreating with 21.¤b3 was still possible. 21...bxc3 22.bxc3

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 

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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guessthemove A) 22...¦ab8 to bring the final piece into play; B) 22...¥xc5 to start by eliminating White's most active piece; C) 22...¤cd4 to create an immediate crisis along the c-file. 22...¤cd4!? The right idea, but not the most accurate execution, 3 points. 22...¦ab8! I dismissed because of 23.¢c2 (23.¤xa6 ¥a3+ followed by ¦b2 wins.) but here Black has 23...¥xc5 24.¥xc5 ¤cd4+! 25.cxd4 exd4 staying a healthy pawn up (5 points). 22...¥xc5 23.¥xc5 ¦ab8 is very similar, 4 points. 23.¥xd4 23.cxd4 exd4 24.¥xd4 ¤xd4 25.¦1xd4 ¥xc5 is very bad for White. 23...¤xd4 24.¤d7 24.cxd4! exd4 25.¢d2! ¦xc5 26.¦xc5! ¥xc5 27.¦b1 ¦a7 28.¤c1! gives White positional compensation for the pawn and chances to fight for a draw. 24...¦c6 25.¦e1

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-+-+0 9+-+Nvlkzpp0 9p+r+-zp-+0 9+-+Rzp-+-0 9P+-sn-+-+0 9+-zP-+P+-0 9N+-+-+PzP0 9+-mK-tR-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 5 Would you play: A) 25...¦a7 to get the ¦ to the open b-file with ¦b7; B) 25...¦ac8 to double up rooks and defend ¦c6 again; C) 25...¦d8 to increase the pressure against the brave white ¤. 25...¦ac8 An inaccurate move, regretted as soon as played, so no points. Strongest is manoeuvring the ¦ around with 25...¦a7! since now 26.f4 ¦b7 27.fxe5 ¥a3+ 28.¢d2 ¦b2+ 29.¢d3 ¤e6! is winning for Black (5 points). Also strong is 25...¦d8 with the idea 26.f4 ¢e8! (4 points). 26.¢b2 White can try to confuse the issue with 26.f4 when, starting with 26...¥a3+ , Black still holds an advantage.

94

| February 16

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2013

By IM Merijn van Delft

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+-+-+0 9+-+Nvlkzpp0 9p+r+-zp-+0 9+-+Rzp-+-0 9P+-sn-+-+0 9+-zP-+P+-0 9NmK-+-+PzP0 9+-+-tR-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 6 Would you play: A) 26...¥a3 to initiate a direct attack against the white ¢; B) 26...¤e6 to take control over the f4 square; C) 26...¤f5 to manoeuvre the ¤ around to d6. 26...¤e6 Missing an opportunity to finish the game right away, so no points. 26...¥a3+! 27.¢b1 (27.¢xa3 ¤c2+) and here I missed 27...¦8c7! 28.a5 (28.cxd4 ¦b7+ is over.) 28...¤b5 winning (5 points). 26...¤f5 27.a5 (27.f4 is met by 27...¢e6!) 27...¢e6 is also strong, 3 points. 27.g3 ¥d6 28.a5! White keeps fighting. 28...¤c7 29.¦d3 ¤b5 30.¤b6 ¦8c7 31.¤d5 White should just sit tight with 31.¢b3. 31...¦b7 32.¤db4

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+r+-+kzpp0 9p+rvl-zp-+0 9zPn+-zp-+-0 9-sN-+-+-+0 9+-zPR+PzP-0 9NmK-+-+-zP0 9+-+-tR-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 7 Would you play: A) 32...¥xb4 to open up the way for the ¦ to e6; B) 32...¤xc3 to seek a concrete tactical solution to the position; C) 32...¦c8 to maintain the tension and keep all options open. 32...¤xc3!? With only a few minutes left on the clock for both players, I couldn't resist playing this move, 3 points. 32...¦c8! keeps a clear advantage without complications, 5 points. I correctly

dismissed 32...¥xb4 33.¤xb4 ¤xc3 (33...¦e6 34.¦ed1 is comfortable for White.) based on 34.¢b3! and here I actually missed 34...¤a2 but White has 35.¦d7+ ¦xd7 36.¤xc6 and a draw is the most likely result. 33.¦xd6 33.¦xc3 ¥xb4 34.¦xc6 (34.¦b3 ¥xe1 35.¦xb7+ ¢g6 36.¦b6 ¦c5 37.¦xa6 ¥xa5 gives Black excellent winning chances.) 34...¥xe1+ (34...¥xa5+ actually doesn't work due to 35.¤b4!) 35.¦b6 ¦a7 and the complications are not over yet, but Black retains a large endgame advantage. 33...¦xd6 34.¢xc3 ¦b5 I saw that I would get the a-pawn and could safely keep playing for a win. 35.¦e4? White loses control in time trouble. 35.¢b3 ¦xa5 36.¤c3 is the right way to coordinate the white forces, when Black should do the same starting with 36...¦d7. 35...¦xa5 36.¦c4 36.¢b3 was the only way to keep fighting. 36...¦a3+ 37.¢c2

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+kzpp0 9p+-tr-zp-+0 9+-+-zp-+-0 9-sNR+-+-+0 9tr-+-+PzP-0 9N+K+-+-zP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 8 Would you play: A) 37...a5 to chase away the ¤; B) 37...¦d4 to offer an exchange of rooks; C) 37...¦xf3 to pick up another pawn. 37...¦xf3 Now the game is over, 3 points. 37...a5 actually wins a piece, since 38.¢b2 axb4 defends the ¦, 5 points. 37...¦d4 is least convincing, therefore no points. 38.¦c7+ ¢g6 39.¤c1 ¦f2+ 40.¢c3 ¦xh2 41.¤cd3 ¦h3 Picking up the final pawn. 0–1 Conclusion: It's remarkable how much play is left in the position after the queens have come off. Black's central influence tends to be very important in the Sicilian endgame.  n

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| February 16

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2013

The big decision On which grounds should you decide on (or refrain from) an exchange of queens? Let’s look into some diverse recent examples and discover the various reasoning behind them.

guidelinesinthejungle

By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering

CONVERTING MATERIAL ADVANTAGE You will find that several reasons for deciding on an exchange of queens will be the same as for the exchange of any other piece. However, the exchange of queens is bound to have a big influence on the further course of the game. (For one thing, the position will be steered towards an endgame.)

23...¦ed8 24.¤xf6+ ¢g7 25.¤e4 f5 26.¤4c3 1–0

Kuljasevic-Kozul Croatian Ch (Plitvicka Jezera), 2013

Kotanjian-Petrosian Amenia Ch (Yerevan), 2013

The second logical thing that springs to mind is preserving your queen for an attack. When your only plan is going for the enemy king, you should logically avoid the exchange of the most dangerous attacker.

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Black has sacrificed a pawn and set up an initiative on the queenside. How would you react? 18.£c1! The simplest! In the endgame the extra pawn is more important. In general it is useful to exchange pieces when you are material up. Here it would also be logical to let the queen on a3 stay where it is and centralise with 18.£d2 In this case Black would obtain some activity after 18...cxd5 19.¥xf6 ¥xf6 20.exd5 ¦ad8 though, true, it will hardly be sufficient after 21.d6. 18...£xc1 19.¦xc1 cxd5 20.a3! The tactical justification. 20...¤d3 21.¦cd1 dxe4?! 21...¤c5 22.¥xf6 ¥xf6 23.¤xd5 would leave White just a pawn up, but with a technical phase still to come. The text move loses immediately. 22.¥xf6 ¥xf6 23.¤xe4 And now two pieces are hanging, the game is over.

KEEP THE ATTACK GOING 29...£b2+ 29...fxe5 30.¦c2 followed by £g1 gives White dangerous play. 29...dxe5 30.£d7+ ¢f8 31.¦xc4 is completely out of the question, of course. But what would you play after the intermediate text move? 30.£d2? A strange decision, as now White will be two pawns down with the queens off. It is well known that opposite-coloured bishops with the major pieces on the board favour the attacker. So White should have gone fearlessly for 30.¢g3 £xe5+ 31.¥f4 £e6 32.¢f2!? again followed by £g1(Although here 32.£xd6 £xd6 33.¥xd6 also seems to generate sufficient activity). 30.¦c2 £xe5 31.¥d4 (31.£g1) was another serious alternative. Naturally, in all these lines ¦g7 is an essential strong attacker on the 7th rank. 30...£xd2+ 31.¥xd2 fxe5 32.¥g5 White still has compensation due to the passive black pieces, but loses track further on.

32...¦g8 33.¦h7 a5 34.¦d1 ¦g6 35.¦d2 a4 36.f4?! 36.¦h8+ ¦g8 (36...¥g8 37.¦xd6) 37.¦xh5. 36...exf4 37.¥xf4 ¦d8 38.¦c7? d5! Now Black gets rid of his weaknesses, while activating his rooks and preserving §h5. 39.¥g5 ¦d7 40.¦c8+ ¢f7 41.¢e3 ¦e6 42.¦f2+ ¢g7 43.e5 ¦xe5+ 44.¢d4 ¦e4+ 45.¢c5 d4 46.¦xc6 d3 47.¥d2 ¦f7 48.¥c3+ ¢h7 49.¦xf7+ ¥xf7 0–1

Shimanov-Cramling Rilton Cup (Stockholm), 2013

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+r+k+0 9+l+-+pzpp0 9-vL-+-+-+0 9zP-zp-zp-sn-0 9-+-+P+q+0 9+-+-+-zP-0 9-+QtR-zPLzP0 9+-tR-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy STOPPING THE ATTACK Logically enough, a queen exchange can also be used as a defensive resource, putting an end to the opponent's attack. In the diagram position Black has some play on the white squares on the kingside, but after 31.£d1! £xd1+ 32.¦dxd1 White has found a safe way to increase his advantage. 32...¥xe4 33.¥xe4 ¤xe4 34.¢g2! Not the hasty 34.f3 ¤g5 35.¢g2 ¤e6. 34...h6 35.f3 35.¦c4! 35...¤f6 36.¦xc5 e4! 37.f4!? Ambitious, but it soon pays off. 37...e3 38.¦c2 ¤d5? 39.¦xd5 e2 40.¥f2 e1£ 41.¥xe1 ¦xe1 42.¦a2 ¦a6 43.¢f2 ¦c1 44.¢e3 g6 45.¦b5 ¦e1+ 46.¢d4 ¦d1+ 47.¢c5 ¦c1+ 48.¢b4 ¢g7 49.¦c5 ¦b1+ 50.¢a4 h5 51.¦b5 ¦g1 52.¦b6 ¦a8 53.a6 h4 54.gxh4 ¦f1 55.¢b5 ¦xf4 56.a7 ¦xh4 57.¦b8 ¦xa7 58.¦xa7 ¦xh2 59.¢c4 1–0 

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furtherexamples Giri-Anand Tata Steel (Wijk aan Zee), 2013

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94

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2013

By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering

GAINING ENTRANCE ON AN OPEN FILE White is a pawn up, but with his queen on the other side of the board his kingside attack has run into a dead end. 32...£b6! With the queens off, the pawns on a4 and c3 will be an easy target for Black's rook, for example via b3. You could also include this one under the heading “eliminating the defender”. 33.£c4! Justifiably declining. Being a pawn up is of no significance here. It would take White too long to get his pieces from the kingside centralised and back into play. 33...¤e8 Protecting d6 and preparing his next move. The immediate 33...£b3 34.£xb3 ¦xb3 runs into 35.¥xf8 ¢xf8 36.¤xd6 34.¦g3 £b3! 35.£xb3 ¦xb3 36.¥d2 ¦a3 37.d4 White is trying very hard to bring back his rook to the scene of the action. 37...¦xa4?! This lets White off the hook. More challenging attempts were 37...¤f6 or; 37...¦a2 38.dxe5 dxe5 39.¤h6+ ¢g7 40.¦d3 ¤f6 41.¤g4! A lucky escape. Black does not manage to make something of his extra pawn. 41...¤xg4 42.hxg4 ¦xe4 43.g5 ¦a4 44.¢f1 ¦a6 45.c4 ¦d6 46.¢e2 ¦xd3 ½–½

Le Quang Liem-Salgado Lopez Gibraltar Masters, 2013

IMPROVING THE PAWN STRUCTURE A queen exchange, like other exchanges, can also be used for positional gains, for instance, if it allows you to reunite pawns or undouble a pawn when recapturing. CVT 66 “The double a status” already featured an example with an exchange of rooks in Ponomariov-Grund. 30.£e5! £xe5 30...£g6 31.¥xd5 cxd5 32.£c7 and; 30...g6 31.b3 also leave White clearly on top. 31.fxe5! A nice concept. White gives up his backward pawn on d4 in order to enclose the bishop on a8. 31...¤c7 After 31...a4 , preventing b2–b3, White has time to protect §b2 with 32.¦d2 32.b3 ¦xd4 33.¤c5 ¦xd1+ 34.¦xd1 Now the picture is clear. Black cannot prevent White from winning back a pawn on a5. 34...¤d5 35.¦a1 ¤e7 36.¦xa5 ¦d8 37.¥d3 Black has ended up in a terrible position: he can hardly move. 37...h4 38.¦a4 g6 39.¢f1 ¢g7 40.¦a7 ¢f8 41.¢e2 ¤d5 42.¢f3 And with the white king entering his position, Black decided to call it a a day. 1–0

Mchedlishvili-Harikrishna Bundesliga (Emsdetten), 2013

| February 16

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A FAVOURABLE ENDGAME In reality, exchanging is not just about what is taken from the board, but more about what is left on the board. After an exchange of queens the strength of remaining pieces may come to the fore, yielding a pleasant endgame. 14.£b4 £xb4+ 15.axb4 White is hoping to use the a- and c-files for his rooks. The doubling of pawns on the way can make it harder for you to detect this possibility, though there are some famous precedents, for example Smyslov-Tal, Bled 1959. Here a whole fight is still ahead. For a more forcing example of a transposition into the endgame, see Baryspolets-Moranda, Krakow 2013. 15...¤b6 16.b3 ¥d7 17.¤e2 ¤c8 A natural move would be 17...¦fc8 but after 18.¢d2 Black has no clear plan, while White can contemplate ¥d6–c5, or moving his h1 rook to the c-file. 17...a6! (Van Delft) seems like the most logical and best move, stopping the pressure on the a-file and keeping the ¤c8-a7 manoeuvre as an option. 18.¤c3 a6 19.b5 Otherwise Black would play ¤a7–b5. 19...a5 20.¢f2 b6 21.b4 a4 22.¤xa4 ¥xb5 23.¤c3 ¦xa1 24.¦xa1 ¥c4 25.¥c7 f6 26.¤a4 ¦f7 27.¥xb6 And eventually White managed to squeeze out a win.

REMOVING A DEFENDER When exchanging a piece you can try to eliminate an active piece of your opponent, but when attacking you can also try and remove one of your opponent's strongest defensive pieces. So what would you play in the diagram position? 30...£f5! The difficulty here is maybe that, when conducting an attack on the king, you are disinclined to opt for an exchange of queens. Yet in this case the attack continues with great force. The pawn on g2 is deprived of a defender and h4–h3 is a nasty threat. 30...£g4 was also possible but a slightly less forceful execution of the idea after 31.£xg4 ¤xg4 32.f3 31.£xf5 exf5 32.¦a3 ¤c4 Simple enough, though engines also indicate 32...d3 33.cxd3 b4 34.¦b3 h3, for example 35.f3 hxg2+ 36.¥xg2 ¦dg7 33.¥xc4 bxc4 33...¥xg2+ 34.¢h2 bxc4 35.¦g1 is less strong than keeping the threat of h4–h3. 34.¦e6 c3 But now 34...¥xg2+ 35.¢h2 ¥e4 was a pretty serious alternative. 35.¦xf6 h3 36.¦xh6 hxg2+ 36...¦xg2 seems more forcing, but Black won easily anyway. 37.¢g1 ¦e7 38.¦a1 ¦ge8 39.¢h2 ¦e1 40.¦xe1 ¦xe1 41.¦h8+ ¢d7 42.¦h7+ ¢e6 43.¦h6+ ¢e5 0–1 Hopefully, these examples have made you more aware of the possibilities of a queen exchange.

Hovhannisyan-Grigoryan Armenian Ch (Yerevan), 2013

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tacticstactics XIIIIIIIIY 9r+l+r+-+0 9+pzp-+-mkp0 9-+-+-wqp+0 9zp-zPL+p+-0 9-+-tRp+-+0 9+-wQ-zP-+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-tr-+k+0 9+-+-+p+p0 9-+-wq-zPp+0 9+-+p+R+-0 9-+p+-wQ-zP0 9+P+-+-zP-0 9P+-+-zP-+0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9k+-+-+-tr0 9+pzp-snpzp-0 9p+n+-+-tr0 9zP-+p+-+-0 9N+-zP-zPq+0 9wQ-+-tR-zP-0 9-zP-+lvLL+0 9+-+-tR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+ltr-vl-+0 9+p+psnpmk-0 9p+-+psNpzp0 9+-+-zP-+-0 9Pwq-zp-zPP+0 9+P+L+-+Q0 9-+PzP-+-zP0 9tR-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

94

| February 16

n

2013

By IM Robert Ris

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+k+0 9+l+-wqp+p0 9p+-zp-+p+0 9+-+-trP+-0 9-zP-+-+-+0 9zP-+-+-+-0 9-vl-vL-wQPzP0 9+L+-tR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+r+-+k+0 9+-+-+pzpp0 9-+-+p+-+0 9zppwqpzP-+-0 9-+-tRlzP-+0 9+-zP-wQ-+-0 9PzP-+L+PzP0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+r+k+0 9+-+-+pzp-0 9-+-vl-+-zp0 9zp-+-+-+-0 9-+-+-+P+0 9zPP+PzP-+q0 9-vL-+KzP-+0 9tR-+QtR-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+l+-vlk+0 9+-+-wq-zp-0 9p+p+p+-zp0 9+-+-zp-+-0 9-+-+N+-zP0 9+-+Q+-zP-0 9P+P+-+L+0 9+-+-+R+K0 xiiiiiiiiy

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-tr-+k+0 9zpp+-+p+-0 9-+l+p+ptR0 9+-+-+-sN-0 9-+-wq-+-wQ0 9+L+n+-+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+r+k+0 9zppzplwqp+p0 9-+-vl-+p+0 9+-+-sn-vL-0 9-+N+n+-+0 9+-wQ-+NzP-0 9PzP-+PzPLzP0 9tR-+-+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+rmk-+-+0 9+R+n+p+p0 9-zpRzp-zP-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-+-+-sN-+0 9+-+-+P+-0 9-+-trPmK-zP0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+r+k+0 9+p+l+p+p0 9q+p+-+p+0 9zp-+-+P+-0 9P+p+P+-vL0 9tR-zPntR-+-0 9-+-wQ-+PzP0 9+-+-+L+K0 xiiiiiiiiy 6 of 8

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94

| February 16

n

2013

Pawns in the crosshairs (2) In CVT 31 the complicated opposite-coloured ¥ ending from KramnikNepomniachtchi featured a very important drawing technique. This week we have another instructive example from two promising young players.

practicalendings Hovhannisyan-Belous Moscow Open, 2013

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9zp-+-+p+-0 9-zp-+l+-+0 9+k+-+-vL-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+K+-+-zP-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Black is currently two §s up, but in view of the opposite-coloured ¥s White retains good drawing chances. Without the §s on g3 and f7 White can quite easily achieve his goal by giving up his ¥ for the two §s. In fact, analysis shows that White can simply sacrifice his ¥ for the b-pawn, leaving Black with a ¥ which doesn't control the corner square. In the current example this drawing mechanism doesn't play a role and White needs to find another way (blockading the §s on the dark squares) to save the game. White's next move is not such an obvious mistake. 52.¢c3? The young Armenian player picks the wrong square for the ¢. Instead, correct would have been 52.¢b2! preventing the black ¢ from supporting the advance of the passed §s. The ¥ is excellently placed on g5, ready to answer the move ...a5 with ¥d8! attacking the §s from behind. If Black decides to put the ¢ on a4, the ¥ retreats to e3, preventing the mobilisation of the §s on the queenside, while ¢a5 can now simply be countered with a check on d2. The following lines are quite instructive and show the elementary drawing techniques for this type of ending. The last attempt is transferring the ¢ to the § on g3, aiming to deflect the ¥. However, White is able to defend without too many difficulties. For example: a) The main point of White's strategy is that in case of 52...a5 the ¥ will attack the §s from

By IM Robert Ris behind with 53.¥d8! when suddenly it's difficult mobilising the b-pawn. The only try is to retreat the ¢ with 53...¢a6 but then the white ¢ can be activated with 54.¢c3! b5 55.¢d4! b4 (After 55...a4 56.¥e7 ¢a5 57.¢c3 Black can't make further progress.) 56.¢c5!

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-vL-+-+0 9+-+-+p+-0 9k+-+l+-+0 9zp-mK-+-+-0 9-zp-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-zP-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy (the white ¢ is excellently placed here, as its counterpart is no longer able to support the passed §s) 56...b3 57.¥f6 a4 58.¢b4 and White has succeeded in blockading the §s on the dark squares. b) 52...¢a5 53.¥d2+ (Note that this check is not possible with the ¢ on c3. Another option is 53.¢a3 b5 54.¥d8+ ¢a6 55.¢b4 and White saves the game.) 53...¢a4 54.¥e3! (a very important resource, preventing the §s marching forward) 54...¢b5 and now precision is required: However, correct is 55.¥g5! intending to meet (A careless waiting move like 55.¥d2? doesn't do the job, in view of 55... a5 56.¥e3 ¢a6 57.¢c3 b5 58.¢d4

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+p+-0 9k+-+l+-+0 9zpp+-+-+-0 9-+-mK-+-+0 9+-+-vL-zP-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy 58...¢b6! (Covering the c5 square, since after 58...b4? 59.¢c5! White controls the two §s.)

59.¢c3+ ¢c6) 55...a5 with 56.¥d8! with a transposition to the line 52...a5 53.¥d8! Also sufficient is 55.¥f4! a5 56.¥c7! and White holds on. c) 52...¢a4 can be answered with 53.¥e3! and the queenside §s can't make progress without the aid of the black ¢. d) 52...¢c4 53.¥e3! (again preventing the advance of the §s on the queenside) 53...¢d3 54.¥g1 ¢e2 55.¥d4 ¢f3 56.¥e5 b5 (56...¢e4 57.¥b8 a6 58.¥c7 b5 59.¢c3 and White blockades on the dark squares.) 57.¥d6 a5 58.¥c7 f5

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-vL-+-+-0 9-+-+l+-+0 9zpp+-+p+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+kzP-0 9-mK-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

59.¥d6 (Of course, White shouldn't play 59.¥xa5? ¢xg3 as the ¥ can't defend both passed §s on the same diagonal.) 59...b4 60.¢b1 a4 (In the case of 60...¢e4 White has to play 61.¥c7! not allowing the black ¢ to support his §s. After 61...a4 62.¥d6 b3 63.¢b2 a draw is inevitable.) 61.¥xb4 ¢xg3 62.¥d6+ f4 63.¥xf4+! ¢xf4 and, as the ¥ doesn't control the corner square, the position is drawn. 52...¢a5! Of course, Black should refrain from advancing his a-pawn immediately with 52...a5? in view of 53.¥d8! and White saves the game. The alternative 52...¢a4 doesn't spoil anything, but after 53.¥e3 Black needs to play 53...¢a5 anyway to make progress. 53.¥d2 White is no longer able to stop the §s. After 53.¥d8 ¢a4 54.¥e7 b5 55.¥d6 a5 56.¥c7 b4+ 57.¢b2 ¢b5 58.¥e5 a4 59.¥f6 a3+ 60.¢b1 b3 61.¥e5 b2 White is forced to give  

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practicalendings up the ¥, because of the threat 62...¥f5. Also, after 53.¥e3 a6 , nothing can be done against Black's plan of b5, ¢a4, a5, b4, ¢b5, etc. 53... a6 53...b5 54.¢d4+ ¢a4 55.¢c5 a5 also suffices. 54.¥g5 54.¢b2+ ¢a4 55.¥e3 b5 56.¥d2 a5 57.¥e3 b4 58.¥f4 ¢b5 , followed by the advance of the a-pawn, is also hopeless. 54...¢a4 55.¢d4 a5 56.¥f6 b5 57.¢c5 b4 58.¥g5 ¢b3!

| February 16

n

2013

By IM Robert Ris

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+p+-0 9-+-+l+-+0 9zp-mK-+-vL-0 9-zp-+-+-+0 9+k+-+-zP-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

Here White resigned, as Black is about to promote the b-pawn after 59...¢c2. 0–1

(diagram) Conclusion:

The

defensive

mechanism

pointed out in CVT 31 and this week's column is quite difficult to understand. The fact that such strong players fail to apply this technique correctly confirms it. Note that this defensive mechanism is only effective against passed pawns on the a- and b-files (or g- and h-files), because the board becomes too small for the king to render assistance. In the variation with 52.¢b2! a5, after the move 56.¢c5! it's clear that the black ¢ has become offside. It's also important to realise that without the f- and g-pawn in the starting position White can easily secure a draw by sacrificing his ¥ for the two §s.  n

solutionspage 6  22.¥xb7! ¥e6 [22...¥xb7 23.¦d7+ ¦e7 (23...¢g8 24.£xf6+–) 24.¦xe7++–; 22...¦b8 23.¥xc8 ¦bxc8 24.¦d7++–] 23.¥xa8 ¦xa8 24.¦ad1+– Lapidus-Shkapenko, Paul Keres Mem Prelim Tallinn EST (7.4), 12.01.2013  29...¥d4! [30.£xd4 ¦xe1+ 31.¢f2 (31.¥xe1 £xe1#) 31...£e2+ 32.¢g3 £xg2+–+] 0–1 Pratyusha-Kulkarni, 11th Parsvnath Open New Delhi IND (3.32), 06.01.2013  28.¦xg6+! ¢f8 [28...fxg6 29.£h7+ ¢f8 30.£f7#] 29.¤h7+ ¢e8 30.¦g8+ [30.¦g8+ ¢d7 31.£xd4++–] 1–0 Baumegger-Matsenko, Prague Open A 2013 CZE (2.8), 10.01.2013  33.¦xd5! [33...£xf4 34.¦xd8#; 33...£f8 34.¦xd8 £xd8 35.bxc4+–; 33...£xd5 34.£h6 £d1+ 35.¢h2+–] 1–0 Liascovich-Feliciano, VII Magistral da Hebraica Sao Paulo BRA (3.3), 07.01.2013  21.¦xe4! dxe4 [21...£xe3+ 22.¦xe3+–] 22.¦d8+! ¦xd8 23.£xc5+– Solberg-Tari, TCh-NOR Eliteserien 2012–13 Haraldsheim (6), 02.11.2012  14.£xe5! £xe5 15.¤fxe5 ¥xe5 16.¥xe4+– Nikolic- Grandelius, 75th Tata Steel GpB Wijk aan Zee NED (8.1), 20.01.2013

 32...¦h1+! 33.¥xh1 £h3 [34.¥g2 £h2#] 0–1 Liuba-Sodoma, Prague Open A 2013 CZE (6.20), 13.01.2013  28...¦xe3+! 29.fxe3 [29.¢d2 ¦xd3+ 30.¢e2 ¦e8+ 31.¥e5 ¦xe5#] 29...£g2# 0–1 Komljenovic-Haslinger, 38th Seville Open ESP (4.2), 14.01.2013  32.¤e6+! fxe6 33.¦xd7+ [33...¢xd7 34.¦xc8 ¢xc8 35.f7+–] 1–0 Bj.Hansen-Schmidt, TCh-DEN XtraCon 2012–13 Denmark (5.6), 13.01.2013  19.£xh6+! [19...¢xh6 20.¦f3 ¤f5 21.¦h3+ ¤h4 22.¦xh4+ ¢g7 23.¦h7#] 1–0 Cabarkapa-Muskardin, 18th Bosnjaci Open CRO (8.13), 08.01.2013  23.¤g5! e4 [23...hxg5 24.£g6 ¥d7 25.¥e4+–] 24.£xe4 hxg5 25.£g6! [25...¥d7 26.¥e4+–] 1–0 Naiditsch-Grandelius, 75th Tata Steel GpB Wijk aan Zee NED (6.4), 18.01.2013 2  8.¦xd3! cxd3 29.£h6 d2 30.¦a1! [30.¥xa6? d1£+–+; 30.¦a1! £b6 31.f6+–] 1–0 Movsesian-Van Kampen, 75th Tata Steel GpB Wijk aan Zee NED (7.5), 19.01.2013

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