Chessvibes.training 096 2013-03-02

training

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let’s improve your chess

The power of the initiative Hello, everyone! I’m excited to be joining ChessVibes. I wasn’t sure what first game to select, but then remembered that this is a good opportunity to highlight the creative achievements of the top female players in the world.

thegrandmaster'seye Mkrtchian,L - Kosintseva,T Krasnoturyinsk, 31.07.2006 The following game I had tucked away in my “attack” file in Chessbase back when it was played in 2006, in the strongest annual female round-robin tournament of the time. It was impressive to me then and it's impressive to me still! 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4 ¤f6 5.d3 b5 6.¥b3 ¥c5 7.¤c3 d6 8.¤d5 h6 9.c3 ¦b8 10.0–0 0–0 11.¦e1

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I'm no expert on these Spanish positions, but I do like the result of White's opening. They're not objectively better, but they have a clear plan, while Black has a wide choice of plausible moves, and there's a good chance they won't be able to distinguish the best ones from the merely 'okay' ones. 11...¥a7 11...¤xd5 seems logical, given that Black has taken time to remove his rook from the pin: 12.exd5 ¤e7 13.d4 exd4 14.¤xd4 ¥d7 with the idea ¤g6 and £f6 with counterplay. 12.h3 ¥e6 13.d4 exd4 14.cxd4 ¥xd5 This capture is pretty much forced, as White is threatening to win with ¤xf6 and d5. 14...¤a5 15.¤xf6+ £xf6 16.¥c2 gives White a clearly advantageous position.

By IM/WGM Irina Krush

15.exd5 Black's got three knight moves, but ...¤e7 looks most solid. 15...¤e7 16.¤h4! £d7 16...¦e8 might be the best try, after which White could try 17.¦e3!?.

XIIIIIIIIY 9-tr-+-trk+0 9vl-zpqsnpzp-0 9p+-zp-sn-zp0 9+p+P+-+-0 9-+-zP-+-sN0 9+L+-+-+P0 9PzP-+-zPP+0 9tR-vLQtR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 17.¦xe7!! A brilliant concept. While Black may be able to defend, White's initiative on the kingside is powerful and long-term. Note how the ¥ on a7 will be shut out of play, and the rooks are not particularly effective either. 17...£xe7 18.¤f5 £d7 19.¥c2 g6 After the obvious 19...¦fe8 White has various attacking possibilities, like 20.£f3 (probably strongest), or even 20.¥xh6 followed by £d2, or 20.£d2 with the idea ¤xg7. 20.¥xh6 ¦fe8 21.£f3 ¦bc8 This unnatural looking move is Black's first big mistake of the game. It's hard even to fathom the idea behind it - to try to play c6? Well, getting that rook into the game is a nice idea, but certainly when White's forces are gathering ominously around your king, you have to try to find moves that are a little more to the point. By the way, that rook will even be tactically vulnerable on c8 in certain variations! 21...¤xd5!? is a radical attempt to change the course of the game: 22.£xd5 £e6 forcing a

queen trade, as now after 23.£f3 Black can take on f5. 23.£xe6 ¦xe6 24.¤e3 ¥xd4 The comp says it's still better for White, but it might have been hard for White to adjust to this endgame transition. 21...¤h7 22.h4!! when the idea is h5 and if Black replies ...g5, then £d3! I love how White can even find firepower from the h-pawn! 22...¢h8 23.¥g7+ ¢g8 24.h5 gxf5 25.¥xf5 £e7 26.£g4 ¤g5 27.h6+– with f4 coming. 22.£f4 Following the well-known principle that all pieces should participate in the game, 22.¦d1! was stronger. 22...¤h7 23.¦d1 ¦e2 24.¥d3 ¦xb2 25.£g4 ¦e8 Making the win easy. Somehow in this game Black kept making unfortunate moves with that rook! 25...¦d8 was necessary to protect the queen from discovered attack, and White would have needed to find 26.¥g5! ¤xg5 27.£xg5 ¦e8 28.£f6! gxf5 29.¥xf5 £e7 30.£h6 f6 31.¥e6++–

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+r+k+0 9vl-zpq+p+n0 9p+-zp-+pvL0 9+p+P+N+-0 9-+-zP-+Q+0 9+-+L+-+P0 9Ptr-+-zPP+0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 26.¥c1 ¤f6 27.£h4 ¤xd5 28.¥xb2 gxf5 29.£g5+ ¢f8 30.¥xf5 £c6 31.¦c1 £b7 32.£h6+ ¢e7 33.£h4+ f6 34.£h7+ ¢f8 35.¥g6 1–0 A great demonstration of the power of the initiative in chess! n

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Exploiting a space advantage (2) In CVT 48 we saw an impressive example of grandmaster Palac working with a space advantage in the middlegame. Today we will see that a space advantage can be very effective in the endgame as well.

guessthemove Tregubov,P (2601) - Tazbir,M (2555) Bundesliga (Essen), 03.02.2013 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.¤c3 d5 4.e3 4.cxd5 ¤xd5 5.e4 ¤xc3 6.bxc3 ¥g7 followed by c5 is the main line of the Grünfeld. 4...¥g7 5.cxd5 ¤xd5 6.¤xd5 £xd5 7.¤e2 This solid choice for White became popular after the famous grandmaster Portisch played it in 2010. 7...0–0 8.¤c3 £d8 9.¥e2 c6 9...c5 10.d5 e6 is a typical Grünfeld style alternative. 10.0–0 e5 11.dxe5 ¥xe5 12.e4 £xd1 Keeping the queens on with 12...£e7 is more principled. 13.¦xd1 ¤d7

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+l+-trk+0 9zpp+n+p+p0 9-+p+-+p+0 9+-+-vl-+-0 9-+-+P+-+0 9+-sN-+-+-0 9PzP-+LzPPzP0 9tR-vLR+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 1 Would you play: A) 14.¥e3 to bring the final minor piece into play; B) 14.f3 to bolster the central pawn; C) 14.f4 to gain more space in the centre. 14.f4! With this straightforward move White establishes a space advantage, 5 points. 14.¥e3 is a flexible move keeping options

By IM Merijn van Delft open, 3 points. 14.f3 is a bit too modest to create real problems for Black, therefore no points. 14...¥c7 15.¥e3 ¦e8

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+l+r+k+0 9zppvln+p+p0 9-+p+-+p+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-+-+PzP-+0 9+-sN-vL-+-0 9PzP-+L+PzP0 9tR-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 2 Would you play: A) 16.¢f2 to centralise the ¢; B) 16.¥f3 to stabilise the e4 pawn; C) 16.h3 to take away the g4 square from the black minor pieces. 16.h3! This little pawn move enables the ¢ to be centralised, 5 points. 16.¥f3 is a very solid alternative, 3 points. The immediate 16.¢f2 allows 16...¤f6 17.e5 ¤g4+ 18.¥xg4 ¥xg4 with counterplay, therefore no points. 16...f6 16...¤f6 17.e5 g5 18.¥f2 is very good for White. 17.¢f2 ¢g7 (diagram) Question 3 Would you play: A) 18.b4 to start a minority attack on the queenside;

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+l+r+-+0 9zppvln+-mkp0 9-+p+-zpp+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-+-+PzP-+0 9+-sN-vL-+P0 9PzP-+LmKP+0 9tR-+R+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy B) 18.¦ac1 to create a pin along the c-file to increase the pressure; C) 18.¦d2 to double rooks on the only open file. 18.¦ac1! Threatening ¤b5, basically forcing Black's reaction, 5 points. 18.b4 is the right plan and is what followed next, 3 points. 18.¦d2 doubling rooks is less to the point, therefore no points. 18...¥b6 19.b4 ¤f8 20.a4 By advancing the pawns on the queenside, White wants to create weaknesses in Black's pawn structure. In CVT 58 we examined a model game with the minority attack. 20...¥xe3+ 21.¢xe3 Now White has an edge he can work with. 21...¥d7 22.¦d6 ¦e6

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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 Question 4 Would you play: A) 23.¦cd1 to double rooks; B) 23.¦d4 to avoid the exchange of rooks; C) 23.¦xe6 to go for the exchange of rooks. 23.¦d4 An instructive mistake. With all rooks on the board it's not easy for White to make progress, therefore no points. 23.¦xe6! ¥xe6 24.a5, exchanging one pair of rooks, would have been the typical procedure to limit Black's counterplay, 5 points. 23.¦cd1 has the same idea, but is less forcing, 2 points. 23...¦e7 24.¦cd1 ¦ae8 25.g4 ¥c8 Now Black's defence is reasonably well organised. 26.¦d6 ¥e6 27.¦d8 Following the strategic guideline after all. 27...¢f7? This gives White the chance to grab the initiative. 27...¥b3! 28.¦xe8 ¦xe8 29.¦d6 ¢f7 followed by ¢e7 keeps White at a distance.

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-tRrsn-+0 9zpp+-trk+p0 9-+p+lzpp+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9PzP-+PzPP+0 9+-sN-mK-+P0 9-+-+L+-+0 9+-+R+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 5 Would you play: A) 28.a5 to gain further space on the queenside and put the pawns on black squares; B) 28.b5 to proceed with the minority attack; C) 28.¦xe8 to get rid of one pair of rooks. 28.b5! A classical minority attack. White is making progress, 5 points. 28.¦xe8 is strategically correct (3 points), but Black couldn't avoid this exchange anyway. 28.a5 doesn't create the necessary tension, therefore no points. 28...¦xd8 29.¦xd8 ¦e8 30.¦d2! White needs to retain enough attacking potential. 30...¦c8 31.bxc6 bxc6 Now Black's queenside pawns are isolated and he has new weaknesses he needs to take care of. 31...¦xc6 32.¤b5 is not easy to deal

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By IM Merijn van Delft with either. 32.¦b2 ¦c7 33.a5 ¢e7

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-sn-+0 9zp-tr-mk-+p0 9-+p+lzpp+0 9zP-+-+-+-0 9-+-+PzPP+0 9+-sN-mK-+P0 9-tR-+L+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 6 Would you play: A) 34.a6 to gain further space on the queenside; B) 34.f5 to gain further space in the centre; C) 34.h4 to gain further space on the kingside. 34.h4! Tregubov uses the whole board, 5 points. 34.f5 ¥d7 is also interesting, but isn't necessary yet, 3 points. 34.a6 ¤d7 and now for example 35.¦b7 ¦xb7 36.axb7 ¢d6 doesn't work well, therefore no points. 34...¤d7 35.g5 35.f5 ¥f7 36.g5 also looks strong. 35...f5 36.e5 ¤c5

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9zp-tr-mk-+p0 9-+p+l+p+0 9zP-sn-zPpzP-0 9-+-+-zP-zP0 9+-sN-mK-+-0 9-tR-+L+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 7 Would you play: A) 37.a6 to fix the black pawn on a7; B) 37.¦b8 to enter Black's position; C) 37.h5 to proceed on the kingside.

doesn't pose problems, therefore no points. 37...¥c8 38.¦a2 ¥e6 39.¦a1 ¢d8 40.h5 gxh5? Black finally cracks under the pressure. Black had to sit tight with 40...¢e7 41.¦h1 (41.h6 may look more impressive than it is.) 41...¦d7 41.¥xh5 ¦d7 42.¥e2 ¢c7

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9zp-mkr+-+p0 9P+p+l+-+0 9+-sn-zPpzP-0 9-+-+-zP-+0 9+-sN-mK-+-0 9-+-+L+-+0 9tR-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Question 8 Would you play: A) 43.¤a4 to exchange Black's most active piece; B) 43.¦c1 to create pressure along the c-file; C) 43.¦h1 to switch sides with the ¦. 43.¦h1! Attacking the new weaknesses, 5 points. 43.¤a4 ¤xa4 44.¦xa4 c5 45.¦a1 also leaves White clearly on top, 3 points. 43.¦c1 ¢b6 is less convincing, therefore no points. 43...¤b3 43...¢b6 44.¦h6 ¦e7 45.¥b5! is a cool tactical move. 44.¦h6 ¤d4 45.¥d3 Now Black is helpless. 45...¥b3 46.¤e2 ¤c2+ 46...¤xe2 47.¢xe2 wins at least a pawn. 47.¥xc2 ¥xc2 48.¤d4 ¥e4 49.¦f6 1–0 Conclusion: one pair of rooks on the board typically works well for the attacker. Two pair of rooks would give the defender too much counterplay and without rooks there is not enough attacking potential. n

37.a6! White's space advantage is becoming quite impressive, 5 points. 37.¦b8!? is also testing (2 points), but Black has 37...¦c8 based on the long forcing line 38.¦xc8 ¥xc8 39.¥c4 ¥e6 40.¢d4 ¤b7 41.¥xe6 ¢xe6 42.¤a4 ¢e7 43.¤c5 ¤d8 and Black seems to have a fortress. 43...¤xa5?? 44.¢c3 traps the ¤. 37.h5 ¦b7

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Countering Kazimirych How to react when your opponent fearlessly throws his kingside pawns forward without regard for the safety of his own king? Be sure not to end up in a cramped position. Let’s investigate some timely counter measures.

guidelinesinthejungle Bu Xiangzhi-Wang Li Chinese league 2010

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+lwqk+-tr0 9zppzp-vlpzpp0 9-snn+-+-+0 9+-+-zp-+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-sN-+NzP-0 9PzP-zPPzPLzP0 9+RvLQ+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 8...g5!? Korchnoi (in My Best Games 2: Games with Black) writes: "A strong remedy - too strong perhaps - against the threat of b2–b4. Black, a tempo down in the Dragon Variation, starts an assault on the kingside. Does this not violate the general rules of chess?” And then he continues: “Well, if we assume 8.¦b1 to have been just a Fingerfehler, then g7–g5 does not go against any general principles.” Of course, Korchnoi went on to score an impressive win against Serper, Groningen PCA 1993. His choice of 8...g7–g5 was inspired by SmyslovKorchnoi, Moscow 1960. So there's nothing hypermodern about the concept! 9.d3 h5 Still following Korchnoi, who does not approve of his move, nor Bareev's 9....g4. He recommends playing à la Smyslov with f7–f5 and ¥e7–f6. 10.¥e3 Very good. White just keeps on developing, ignoring the pawn advances of his opponent. At the same time he prepares for a possible d3–d4. 10...f5 11.¤d2 ¥e6 Black has compromised his pawn structure and now continues development as if nothing has happened. This seems bound to backfire. 11...f4 seems the logical follow-up. 12.b4 So White is starting his own initiative along the

By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering h1–a8 diagonal. 12...¤d5 12...¤xb4 13.¥xb7 ¦b8 14.¥g2 will keep the black king in the middle for ever. 13.£c1 ¤xc3?! This exchange renders White's position less cramped, while Black has not made any headway on the kingside. 14.£xc3 ¤d4 15.¥xd4 exd4 16.£c2 c6 17.b5 White clearly has taken the lead in this game and went on to win quickly.

Thorhallsson-Jones Reykjavik Open, 2013

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-wq-trk+0 9zpp+-zppvlp0 9-+nzplsnp+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-+-+PzP-+0 9+NsN-vL-+-0 9PzPP+L+PzP0 9tR-+QmK-+R0 xiiiiiiiiy SIMPLE DEVELOPMENT MOVES 10.g4 Not a particularly new idea either. Botvinnik faced this move three times in the 1930s, including a well-known draw against Alekhine. 10...¦c8 10...d5 would have been the principled central reaction to the pawn advance on the kingside and is also the move Botvinnik opted for against Alekhine. Still, after 11.f5 ¥c8 12.exd5 ¤b4 13.¥f3 gxf5 14.a3 fxg4 15.¥g2 ¤a6 16.£d3, White certainly has play for the sacrificed pawn. 11.g5 ¤d7 12.h4 The pawn advances take a considerable time, which Black uses for simple development of his pieces. Again, after the normal developing 12.£d2, Black is fine after 12...¤b6 13.0–0–0 ¤b4. 12...¤b4 13.¤d4 £a5 14.h5 ¥c4 15.a3?

This must have been a miscalculation as it practically forces Black's knight to a2. 15...¤a2 16.¥xc4 ¤xc3 17.£d3 17.bxc3 £xc3+ 18.¢f2 ¦xc4 does not leave much hope. 17...¤d5+ 18.¥d2 ¤xf4 19.¥xa5 ¤xd3+ 20.cxd3 ¥xd4 21.hxg6 hxg6 Black is just a pawn up. Demoralised, White shed some more pawns and quickly resigned.

Grandelius-Timman Tata Steel B (Wijk aan Zee), 2013

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+kvlntr0 9+pwql+pzp-0 9p+n+p+-zp0 9+-+pzP-+-0 9-+-sN-zPPzP0 9+-sN-vL-+L0 9PzPP+-+-+0 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy EXCHANGES FOR SPACE This position comes from a Caro-Kann, Advance variation, which was also played in two world championship matches (Tal-Botvinnik 1961 and Kramnik-Leko 2004 - it was Kramnik's choice in the decisive game) and is now adopted by the likes of Morozevich, Nepomniachtchi and Vachier-Lagrave. Here Timman exchanges some pieces to create space for manoeuvring and before the white pawns on the kingside become dangerous. 12...¤xd4 13.¥xd4 ¥c5 14.¦f2 ¥xd4 15.£xd4 ¤e7 16.¦e1 0–0–0(!) Black is fine. He may start play along the c-file, and his knight can assist on both wings. 17.£e3 ¢b8 18.¤e2 h5! A typical reaction to stop the pawns and create some squares for the knight (f5). 19.g5 £a5 20.¦a1 ¤g6 21.£g3 £b6 22.f5 £xb2 23.¦e1 ¤f8 24.¤f4 £b6 25.g6 fxg6 26.fxg6 ¦c8 Black was clearly on top and won a convincing game. 

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furtherexamples Jakubowski-Maksimenko Bundesliga, 2011

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96

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By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering

SLOW COUNTERPLAY Of course, the Sicilian Defence has numerous lines which feature rapidly advancing kingside pawns. This is a rather topical position, where White for the moment does not care about his king and storms the kingside with his pawns. 11.h4 g6!? With the black pawn on h6, which Aagaard calls a hook, White can quickly open files on the kingside. He could also follow up g4–g5 with g5–g6, weakening the white squares. Black's last move prevents this. 11...¤xd4 12.£xd4 e5 is played more often, again in order to create some space. 12.¥f3 ¤a5?! 13.£e2 ¤c4 14.0–0–0 ¤xe3 15.£xe3 Now Black has also exchanged a piece and in addition obtained the bishop pair. However, the knight manoeuvre has taken quite some time, so this might become a bit dangerous for him. 15...¤d7 16.g5 hxg5 17.hxg5 Now White is opening up the kingside, while Black's queenside is still undeveloped. 17...¦g8 18.¢b1 ¤b6 19.¦h7 ¥d7 20.¥e2 £c5 20...¤c4 21.¥xc4 £xc4 22.f5 or; 20...¦c8 21.f5 and Black's king is definitely in danger. 21.£f3 ¦f8 22.¤b3 Here too 22.f5 was the move and White has a big advantage; for example 22...¥xg5 23.£g2 ¥f6 24.e5 ¥xe5 25.¤e4 22...£c7 23.¦dh1 23.f5 23...0–0–0 24.¦g7 ¢b8 25.¦hh7 ¥e8 26.¤d4 ¦d7 27.f5 £c5 28.¤b3 28.fxe6 fxe6 29.£d3 still gives a winning advantage. In the game White messed up and eventually lost.

OPENING UP THE GAME A quite similar position to the former. Here Black is quicker to develop his queenside and start counterplay against White's centre. 11...b5 12.a3 ¤a5 13.e5 Caruana hopes to profit tactically from the temporary knight on a5, but at the same time he seems to open up the position prematurely. Potkin manages to hold by a tactical finesse. 13.0–0–0 ¤c4 14.¥xc4 bxc4 15.£g2 £b7 16.g5 hxg5 17.hxg5 ¦xh1 18.¦xh1 ¤g8 19.¢b1 ¦b8 20.¥c1 13...dxe5 14.fxe5 £xe5! 15.¥f4 £c5 16.b4 £e7 In this way Black wins back the piece. As a result the queenside is opened up, and the white king no longer has a safe harbour. 17.bxa5 e5 18.¤dxb5 axb5 19.¥e3 ¥c6 19...¦xa5 20.¥b6 You might now say that White has not achieved his objective with the kingside pawn advances. However, with his next move, Black offers the exchange of queens, which takes the sting out of the position. 20...£d7 In view of White's king position 20...£b7 would have been more consistent and presented White with considerable problems (compare CVT 94 The Big Decision). After the text move the game ended in a draw.

Savchenko-Sitnikov Ukrainian league (Alushta), 2011

| March 2

Caruana-Potkin European Ch (Rijeka), 2010

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A PIECE FOR THE ATTACK Here Black opens up the position himself, trying to prove that White advanced his kingside pawns too early. 6...d5 7.dxe5 7.exd5 exd4 8.£xd4 ¥c5 or; 7.¤xd5 c6! 8.¤xf6+ ¤xf6 both give Black ample compensation. 7...¤xe5 8.f4? Completely neglecting the safety of the king. It was time to develop another piece, though after 8.¥f4 Black has more than one satisfactory reply. 8...¤fxg4! This is how they played before 1900! 9.fxe5 £xh4+ 10.¢d2 ¥b4 11.£e1 11.¤f3 £f2+ 12.£e2 d4; 11.exd5 £f2+ 12.£e2 £c5 11...£g5+ After the long retreat of the queen 11...£d8 , the threat of d5–d4 would have become unstoppable. 12.¢e2 £xe5 Black has gathered three pawns for the piece (see also CVT 67 “Three pawns a piece”), while the attack against the white king is still ongoing. 13.¤f3 £f6 14.¥d2 14.¤xd5 £a6+ 15.¢d1 ¥xe1 16.¤xc7+ ¢e7 17.¤xa6 ¥a5 14...¤e5 After this move the queens will be exchanged. Black could have gone for the fourth pawn: 14...¥xc3! 15.¥xc3 £f4 15.£g3 £xf3+ 16.£xf3 ¤xf3 17.¢xf3 ¥xh3 18.¦xh3 dxe4+ 19.¤xe4 ¥xd2 20.¤xd2 0–0 and although this might not be so clear, in practice White didn't manage to stir up enough trouble with his knight and the black pawns prevailed.

CLOSED POSITIONS Of course, kingside pawn advances may also be very dangerous for the opponent. Especially when the position is more closed, the risk involved for the attacker is much less and the opponent will be more likely to suffer from a lack of space. Let's pay tribute to Tolush and show a clear example by his pupil Spassky. For a more recent example you might want to check out Nisipeanu-Kanep, Gibraltar 2011. 23.f4 Black is obviously struggling from a lack of space, while the centre is closed, giving Spassky the necessary time to move his pawns forward on the kingside. 23...¦ec8 Trying to open up the position would lead to other problems: 23...f6 24.exf6 £xf6 25.¤f3 and the knight comes to e5. 24.¢h2 £e8 25.g4 Forward! 25...¤g6 25...¥xa4 26.f5 26.£f2 £e7 27.h5 ¤f8 28.¦g1 f6 So Black decides to play this anyway. 29.¦ae1 ¥xa4 Ditto. 30.£g3 ¥e8 31.exf6 £xf6 32.¦e5 £f7 Stopping g4–g5. 33.g5 Not. 33...£xh5+ 34.¢g2 hxg5 35.fxg5 Spassky finishes off in crushing style 35...£f7 36.¦f1 £e7 37.g6 ¦c4 38.¦h5 ¦xd4 39.¦xf8+! 1–0

Spassky-Matanovic Capablanca Mem (Havana), 1962

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tacticstactics XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+rvlk+0 9+-+-+pzpp0 9-+qzppsn-+0 9+p+-+-+-0 9-+-zPN+-+0 9+QzP-+-+P0 9-zP-+RzPPvL0 9+-+-tR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-tr-tr-+k+0 9+pzp-+qvl-0 9p+P+l+-zp0 9+-+-+-+-0 9-+-+-zPp+0 9+-+N+-zP-0 9PzP-+P+LmK0 9tR-wQ-+R+-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+r+-+-+0 9+-+-mk-zpp0 9psn-+p+-+0 9sNp+-vl-+-0 9-sN-+l+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 9PzP-+-+PzP0 9+-+RvLRmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+r+k+0 9+pzpl+pzp-0 9p+-vl-+-zp0 9+-+R+-+Q0 9-+-vLnwq-sN0 9+-+-+-+P0 9PzPP+NzPP+0 9+-+R+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

96

| March 2

n

2013

By IM Robert Ris

XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+r+k+0 9+Rzp-+pzp-0 9p+-vl-+-zp0 9+-+N+-+-0 9-+-snP+-+0 9+-+P+LzPP0 9q+-+-zP-+0 9+-+QtR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-wq-trk+0 9+l+-+-zpp0 9-zp-+ptr-+0 9+-snpwQ-+-0 9psN-sN-zP-+0 9zP-+PtR-zP-0 9-zP-+-+-zP0 9tR-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+kvl-tr0 9zppzpq+pzp-0 9-snl+p+-+0 9+-+-zPn+p0 9-zP-zP-zP-+0 9+-sNL+-+-0 9P+-+NvLPzP0 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+-+k+0 9+-+-zppvlp0 9-+-zpq+p+0 9zp-+-+-+-0 9-+NzP-+-+0 9zPRwQ-vL-+P0 9-+-+-zPP+0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy

XIIIIIIIIY 9k+-tr-+-tr0 9zppwq-+pzp-0 9-snp+p+-zp0 9+-+-zP-+P0 9-+-+-+-tR0 9+Q+-+-+-0 9PzPPvL-zPP+0 9+-mK-tR-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+rvl-trk+0 9+q+-+-zpp0 9p+-tRp+-+0 9+-+-snp+-0 9-+-+P+P+0 9+PsN-vLPwQ-0 9P+-+-+-zP0 9+-tR-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-trk+0 9+-zp-+-+p0 9-zp-zp-wqpvl0 9zp-snPzp-+-0 9-+P+P+-+0 9+PsN-vL-zPl0 9P+-+L+-zP0 9+-wQ-tR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-trk+0 9+p+-tR-zp-0 9p+-tr-+-zp0 9+-+-+p+-0 9-wqPzp-+-+0 9+-+-+R+P0 9-zP-+QzPP+0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 6 of 8

training

let’s improve your chess

96

| March 2

n

2013

Two rooks against a queen (1) Over the next two weeks we’ll be having a closer look at the interesting fight in this frequently-seen type of ending. Today the strength of the two ¦s will be further explained on the basis of three examples.

practicalendings Ipatov-Edouard Tata Steel B (Wijk aan Zee), 2013

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+r+-tr-mk0 9+-+-+-zp-0 9pwQ-+-+-zp0 9+-+-+P+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+P0 9-+-+-+P+0 9+-+-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy In general the ¦s are quite capable of dealing with a passed §. A well-known example is Shirov-Anand, Linares 1998, where Black systematically eliminated all the weak §s. Since this game has been covered in several endgame books, it has only been added to the PGN-file. In a more recent game it was shown that the ¦s are also useful supporting the advance of a passed §. The French grandmaster gradually increases his advantage by improving the placement of his ¦s. 45...¦f6 Black rightly decides to keep his passed § on the board since after 45...¦xf5 46.£xa6 it's hard to make further progress. 46.£a5 ¦b8 47.£e5 ¦b5 48.£e8+ ¢h7 49.g4 A rather weakening move and later on White's ¢ ends up in trouble. A more stubborn continuation would have been 49.£e4 a5 (49...¦bxf5? runs into 50.g4!) 50.£c2 ¦b4 51.£c5 ¦b1+ 52.¢h2 a4 53.£a3 ¦f1 (53...¦a6 is met by 54.£d3! attacking both ¦s and threatening 55.f6!) 54.£xa4 ¦6xf5 and White should be able to defend this ending. 49...¦fb6 50.¢g2 a5 51.¢g3 ¦b4 52.¢h4 a4 53.£a8 ¦d6 54.£f3 In the case of 54.£a5 Black has the strong reply 54...¦b3! intending 55.£xa4 to meet with 55...¦dd3! 56.g5 ¦xh3+ 57.¢g4 h5+ 58.¢f4 ¦h4+ and Black picks up the £. 54...¦f6

By IM Robert Ris White had set up a small trap, as 54...¦b3? could be answered with 55.£e4 ¦dd3 56.f6+! ¢g8 57.£e8+ ¢h7 58.£e4+ and neither side could avoid a repetition of moves. 55.£a3 ¦d4 56.£a1 ¦f4 57.£b1 a3! The § has taken up the role of deflecting the £. The immediate 57...¦6xf5? is inferior, because of 58.¢g3 ¦f3+ 59.¢g2 ¦f2+ 60.¢g3! and Black has to accept a draw. 60.¢g1? allows Black to steer the game into a winning § ending with 60...¦f1+!. 58.£b3 White could still have extracted his ¢ from the mating net with 58.¢g3 even though after 58...¦a4! his prospects remain pretty grim. 58...¦6xf5 59.£xa3 ¦f3 60.£e7 ¦e5! 61.£d7 61.£xe5 leads to mate after 61...g5+ 62.¢h5 ¦xh3#. 61...¦ee3 62.g5 ¦f4+ and White resigned, in view of 63.¢h5 ¦xh3+! 64.£xh3 g6#. 0–1

Sasikiran-Hou Yifan Gibraltar, 2012

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+pmk-0 9p+-+-tRp+0 9+p+-+-+p0 9-zP-+-+-zP0 9+-+-+RzP-0 9q+-+-zP-mK0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy The main advantage of two ¦s is highlighted in the next example. Black is forced to keep the § on f7 defended by both the ¢ and £. The transition into a § ending must be constantly borne in mind. In the following case Sasikiran wisely improves the position of his ¢ first. 48.¢g2! ¢g8 49.¦xf7! £xf7 Ignoring the ¦ with something like 49...£d5 doesn't change much in view of 50.¦7f6 and Black capitulates. The ensuing § ending is pretty hopeless, though, as Black is unable to

create a passed § on the queenside. 50.¦xf7 ¢xf7 51.¢f3 ¢e6 52.¢e4 ¢d6 53.f3 ¢c6 53...¢e6 wouldn't have saved Black either, e.g. 54.¢d4 ¢d6 55.g4 ¢e6 56.gxh5 (White can't simply pick up the §s on the queenside with 56.¢c5? which allows 56...g5! reminding us of typical breakthroughs which were covered in CVT 86.) 56...gxh5 57.¢e4 and White wins as in the game. 54.g4 ¢c7 55.gxh5 gxh5 56.f4 ¢d6 57.f5 ¢d7 58.¢e5 ¢e7 59.f6+ and Black resigned. A sample line is 59...¢f7 60.¢f5 ¢f8 61.¢e6 ¢e8 62.f7+ ¢f8 63.¢f6 and now Black has to move his a-pawn. 1–0

Kritz-Ris Bundesliga, 2008

XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+k+0 9+-+-tr-+p0 9p+-+r+p+0 9+p+-zP-zP-0 9-mK-+-zP-+0 9+P+-+-+Q0 9P+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy Also, from a defensive point of view, ¦s are often able to cooperate pretty well. In the following game the ¦s are excellently placed on the 6th rank, preventing the white ¢ from penetrating into Black's position. 57...¦c6! 58.£h1 ¦ee6 59.£d5 ¢f8 60.£d7 ¢g8 61.¢a5 ¢f8! The only move to save the game. In case of 61...¦b6? White has 62.£d8+ ¢f7 63.£xb6! steering the game into a winning § ending. 62.£xh7 ¢e8 63.£b7 ¢d8 64.a3 ¢e8 65.a4 bxa4 66.¢xa4 ¦b6 67.£c8+ ¢e7 68.£c7+ ¢e8 69.b4 ¢f8 70.£d7 70.¢a5 doesn't really help, in view of 70...¦b5+ 71.¢a4 ¦bb6=. 70...¢g8 71.¢b3  

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96

practicalendings XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-+-+k+0 9+-+Q+-+-0 9ptr-+r+p+0 9+-+-zP-zP-0 9-zP-+-zP-+0 9+K+-+-+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy

71...¦bc6! Once the white ¢ returns to b3, the black ¦

| March 2

n

2013

By IM Robert Ris has to cut it off along the c-file. After a careless move like 71...¢f8 72.¢c4 ¢g8 73.¢d5! White succeeds in destroying the fortress. 72.£b7 ¢f8 73.£h7 ¢e8 74.£g7 ¢d8 75.£f7 ¢c8 76.¢a3 ¢d8 77.¢a4 ¦b6 78.£h7 ¢e8 79.£g7 ¢d8 80.£f7 ¢c8 81.f5 White finally decides to force matters on the kingside, but, after the capture, White still can't cross the 6th rank with one of his §s. 81...gxf5 82.£xf5 ¢d8 83.£f7 ¢c8 Also possible is 83...¦xe5 but in fact there's no need to eliminate the §.

84.£a7 ¢d8 85.¢b3 ¦bc6 86.£b7 ¦g6 87.¢a4 and White decided to stop the fight. ½–½ Conclusion: In this kind of ending, ¦s are quite strong when they cooperate. In the three games examined, the ¦s protect each other well and once they have a common target the defensive task for the £ becomes quite unpleasant. As in various other kinds of endings, both sides must constantly keep an eye on a possible transition into a § ending. n

solutionspage 6  22...¤xe4 23.¦xe4 £xe4! [24.¦xe4 ¦a1+–+] 0–1 Lochte-Burrows, 11th Gibraltar Masters Caleta ENG (2.95), 23.01.2013  17...£xd5! [18.exd5 ¦xe1+ 19.£xe1 ¤xf3+ 20.¢f1 ¤xe1 21.¢xe1 a5–+] 0–1 Boesch-Stockmann, 11th Gibraltar Masters Caleta ENG (2.66), 23.01.2013  23...¦xd2! [24.¢xd2 £d8+ 25.¢c1 £xh4–+] 0–1 Srebrnic-Visintin, 18th HIT Open A 2013 Nova Gorica SLO (6.9), 28.01.2013  25...¦xd3! [25...¥d4?! 26.e3!] 26.exd3 ¥d4 0–1 Karthi-Vignesh, 5th Chennai Open 2013 Chennai IND (11), 23.01.2013 2  5...¦f5! 26.¤xf5 ¦xf5 27.£xf5 [27.£c3 d4–+; 27.£d4 ¤b3–+] 27... exf5–+ Peters-Abrahamyan, Century West Open Los Angeles USA (4), 13.01.2013 2  6...f4! 27.¥xf4 ¥h4! 28.¥xe5 [28.£xh4 ¤xf3+ 29.¢f2 ¤xh4–+] 28...¥xg3 29.hxg3 ¦xf3–+ Lederman-Kurmann, 11th Gibraltar Masters Caleta ENG (2.46), 23.01.2013  24.¤bc6+! ¥xc6 [24...¢e8 25.¤xe5+–] 25.¥b4+ ¥d6 [25...¢e8 26.¦f8#] 26.¦xd6 1–0 Zatonskih-Dukaczewski, 11th Gibraltar Masters Caleta ENG (2.49), 23.01.2013

 15.d5! [15...exd5 16.b5+–; 15...¥xd5 16.¥xf5 exf5 17.¥xb6 axb6 18.¤xd5+–; 15...¤xd5 16.b5 ¤xc3 (16...¤fe3 17.bxc6 bxc6 18.¥xe3 ¤xe3 19.£a4 ¤xf1 20.¢xf1 ¥e7 21.¥e4+–) 17.¤xc3 ¥d5 18.¥xf5 exf5 19.¤xd5+–] 1–0 Omar-David, 11th Gibraltar Masters Caleta ENG (8.22), 29.01.2013  26...¤d3! 27.¥xd3 [27.£d2 ¥xe3+ 28.£xe3 ¤xe1–+] 27...£f3 28.£d2 ¥xe3+ [29.£xe3 £g2#; 29.¦xe3 29...£f1+ 30.¥xf1 ¦xf1#] 0–1 Pinho-Gallagher, 11th Gibraltar Masters Caleta ENG (6.29), 27.01.2013  24...£h2+! 25.¢f1 £h1+ 26.¤g1 ¤d2+! 27.¦xd2 £xg1+! 28.¢xg1 ¦e1# 0–1 Nwachukwu-Jameson, 11th Gibraltar Masters Caleta ENG (9.86), 30.01.2013  26.£d3! ¦xc4 [26...£xc4 27.£xc4 ¦xc4 28.¦b8+ ¥f8 29.¥h6+–] 27.£xc4! [27...£xc4 28.¦b8+ ¥f8 29.¥h6+–] 1–0 Smeets-Ftacnik, Bundesliga 2012–13 Solingen GER (7), 02.02.2013  30.¦xg7+! ¢xg7 31.£e7+ [31...¢g8 32.¦g3++–; 31...¦f7 32.¦g3+ ¦g6 33.¦xg6+ ¢xg6 34.£xb4+–] 1–0 Sulskis-De Schampheleire, TCh-BEL 2012–13 Belgium BEL (8.1), 03.02.2013

training ChessVibes Training is a weekly PDF magazine that is focused on chess improvement for the club player. Editors GM Gawain Jones, GM Erwin l'Ami, GM Robin van Kampen, IM Irina Krush, 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.

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