Play Better Chess - Leonard Barden

J

'I

'

.

�

•

....

::-

.....� �· .

��

. .. '"' .

.... -

:

.

:....... . �

�.-

___.,

-

-••

-

.

� _- ";: --=

-

Play Better with

Leonard Barden Foreword by Viktor Korclinoi �

.

,

CONTENTS 8

Before You Start

30 Top Ten Checkn1ate Attacks

16 Top Ten Novice Pitfalls Scholar's mate; forks; copycat chess; back row mate; poisoned pawn; hanging bishop; pinned knight; the master check

22 Top Ten Opening Traps Ruy Lopez; Cambridge Springs; Caro-Kann; Stonewall; Vienna; Blackmar; Morra Gambit; Anti-Dragon; Pi re/Modern; Grunfeld

First published in 1980 by Octopus Books Limited 59 Grosvenor Street, London Wl. C

19HO

0 L

Octoru-; Books L1mited

T054380

I \f).'\ () "70114 ll'lh- I

Pnnted m Spa1n by Artes Graflcas Toled(

g6 pawn; f6 wedge; attack on h7; dark diagonals; queen and knight; back row mate; smothered mate; heavy piece attack; Greek gift; rooks on the seventh

38 Top Ten Endgames Active rook; active king; outside passed pawn; pawn charge; one pawn win; wrong colour rook pawn; zugzwang; bad bishop; FischerjKarpov endgame; Petrosian endgame

106 Winning Plans for White

46 Test Your Chess IQ 50 Learn from the Champions

92 Winn ing Plans for Black French Defence; Sicilian with 2

.

.

.

Nf6; Ruy Lopez

Schliemann; Mestel Philidor; Old Benoni; King's Indian Defence; Tarrasch Gambit; Mestel' s Defence; Catalan; English King's Indian; King's Indian Attack

Italian Game; Ruy Lopez; Vienna Gambit; French Defence 3.Nd2 �Sicilian Cutty Sark Attack; IQP system; Caro-Kann; Queen's Gambit Accepted; PircjModern Defence; Alekhine Defence; Queen's Bishop Attack; Orang-out ang

122 Pro Techniques for A111ateurs 136 Chess for Cha111pions 150 Glossary of Chess Ter111 s 152 Index Index of complete games; Index of openings

Foreword byViktor Korchnoi Improvi ng one's ability as a chess player is not an easy task. The physical development of muscles on arms or legs can be easily achieved by training with weights. Training will also hel p improve speed a t running o r swimming. But how much time and effort must be spent at chess to have any effect ? Thousands of people play chess regularly but never improve their game at all . At one time I studied the text-books of Lasker, Capablanca and Euwe. I admired Euwe's lectures for their consistent and logical approach, but I particularly remember Lasker's manual. He was a rea l optimist, writing that in just 1 20 hours he could teach a novice to such a high standard that he would be able to stand up to a master. I don't know how many players have followed Lasker's advice but, frankly, there is still a great distance between those who know how to avoid blunders and those who think independently, who can play openings, who appreciate the subtleties of chess strategy - I mean masters. ' One does not have to be a grand master to tutor young chess players successfully. The ab il ity to teach is something quite special . I never really managed to teach my own son to play chess. He would pester me to play, but I would point to a book on the shelf and say ' First, read th is book and then we will play .' For a ten year old like him, chess was a game, l ike an electric train, but for me it is a profession, my work. I could not understand his att i tude to chess, nor could he understand mine. The task of a teacher is to discover talent in a pupil, to rouse his enthusiasm and only then to make him an expert by keeping him regularly occupied with new and increasingly complex problems. I would like to introduce the author of this book- well-known as a teacher of British juniors. In 1972 money was made available for chess education for j un ior players in London, and it was Leonard Barden who worked with them. In 1976 I had an opportunity to become an inspector of thi s 'kindergarten' . I played a simul­ taneous display with London schoolboys on 30 boards. The dis­ play lasted over seven hours and was exhausting, although enjoyable, work. I was held to a d raw by no less than ll players and lost to one. In 1979 Boris Spassky also put Leonard Barden's work to the test. Spassky won 13 games, lost five and drew the rema inder ! In 1978 and 1979 the young generation of British chess players, tutored in part by Leonard Barden, received the highest accolade, winning the World School boys' Championship . I do not want to intrude into Leonard Barden's field of teaching, for in education he i� a respected expert. But as a leading chess player I am often asked the same questions. At the risk of repeat­ ing the contents of this book, I will attempt to answer some of them . Perhaps the main point which troubles the beginner is the extent to which abil ity w i ll depend on natural talent. In an age where chess books and instruction are widely available, talent

is not such a vital factor. The ability to work hard is more impor­ tant. I know of several grandmasters with no specific talent for chess. One of them, Botvinnik, was World Champion for 15 years ! To compensate for lack of talent, he possessed an exceptional capacity for work and an iron wilL So is studying chess useful and, if so, when should one begin ? Clearly, it is not something to rush into headlong at any serious level. To play chess seriously can involve considerable stress, and chess can become a passion that interferes with other studies. But in moderate doses chess is generally useful. It is usual to begin at 10 or 12 years old and studies have shown that at that age chess develops perseverence, increases attentiveness, en­ courages the ability to think logically and teaches objectivity. Indeed, in some schools where chess has been introduced along­ side other subjects, the level of achievement has been raised. I am sometimes asked how to perfect one's game. Learning how the p ieces move is a simple matter, b ut knowing this is no more than knowing a few words of a foreign language. You would be foolish to claim to be able to speak it. And, like a language, chess can be studied for a lifetime - there are always new things to learn. Not even World Champions can exhaust the possibilities. If you have mastered the basic science of chess and want to take your ability further, it is a good idea to note down your games to analyze them later. You can do this with a friend or teacher, but better still by yourself. You should be really thorough and write a commentary on all your games, whether you have won or lost. In this way, you can investigate your own thought processes and discover the errors made by both you and your opponent. It is more useful to play with a partner who is better than your­ self. If he is much better, you will not understand why you lose. But if he is much weaker than you, the game will only serve to boost your ego. The occasional boost to the ego does have its value, however! It is worthwhile studying a few games in detail - perhaps in­ volving an opening that interests you or the style of a particular grandmaster. A memorized opening is a weapon you can use in practical play. And by imitating grandmasters you can bring yourself up to their level. Don't feel ashamed to copy the play of Capablanca or Fischer. They, champions of the world, began the same way . I t i s only necessary to learn one o r two openings, and perhaps some essential positions in the endgame. There is no point in endless learning of countless variations. What is important is the development of flair, the understanding of your chosen openings and a feeling for the delicacy of strategy. Chess is both simple and complex. Armed with this knowledge, you are ready to proceed to develop your chess skill, with the help of Leonard Barden' s splendid book.

BeforeYou Start

Chess is a game for two people, played on a board of 64 squares coloured alternately light and dark. The l ight squares on the board are 'white' squares and the dark ones 'black'. Both you and your opponent may use a ll the squa res during the game. For p lay, the board is placed so that each p l ayer has a white square on his right at the end of the row nearest him (fig. 1). Re m e m ber 'Wh i te on the right' and you will n ever face the embarrassing

moment common to many novices when an experienced player comes to look at the game and says scornfully 'You' re p layi ng with the board the wrong way round!'

fig. l

The line-up

At the start of the game, the chess pieces or men are placed on the board as shown in fig. 2 (illustrated).

Each player has l king 2 bishops l queen 2 knights

2 rooks 8 pawns

You may only have one piece on a square at any time. Note that the white queen always starts on a white square and the black queen starts on a black square. White always moves ·first, then Black, then White again and so on until the end of the game.

Chess diagrams in this book are printed with White at the bottom of the board, moving up. This is usual in chess books as well as in magazine and newspaper articles about chess. How to win and draw

Chess starting position. Note the white square in the bottom right-hand corner. The white queen always starts on the white square and the black queen on the black. With millions of ways to play the first few moves, novices should try to control central squares.

The ultimate object of a chess game is to capture the king, or more precisely to force your opponent's king into a position where it is inescapably trapped - a situa­ tion called 'checkmate'. If it is no longer possible for either side to win, the game ends in a draw. To win at chess, you must be more skilful than your opponent in moving and manoeuvring your pieces. Sometimes this may mean gaining an overwhelming material advantage so that checkmate of the enemy king becomes inevitable. On other occasions a strong player will sacrifice some of his men so that the other pie his e5 pawn and to take measures to protect it - so White has to weigh up his opponent and decide whether to play it strictly by the book or to maximize the chances of the trap .

T ra p two- Springing the Ca m b ridge Springs

the queen. There are several variants of this basic trap - for example if White plays 7. Bd3 (instead of 7. Nd2) Bb4 8. Qc2 Ne4 9. Rc1 ? (White should play 9. Bxe4) Nxg5 10. Nxg5 dxc4. How to a void t he Ca m b ridge Springs

.The simplest counter for White is to anticipate the Cambridge Springs once Black plays 5. . . . c6 and exchange pawns by 6. cxd 5 . Later on, White can still avoid material loss by 9 . Bxf6 instead of 9. Bd3. T ra p three

The Queen 's Gam bit Declined is a popular opening in club and social chess. One of Black's possible formations, an early queen development introduced at a 1904 US tournament at Cambridge Springs, contains a trap which always has a chance of success against opponents unfamiliar with this sligh tly offbeat line. 1 . d4 d5 2 . c4 e6 3 . Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 Black already sets a trap: if White tries to win a pawn by 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nxd 5 ? Nxd5 7 . Bxd8 Bb4+ 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 Kxd8 Black has won a piece. Perhaps this looks too much like a trap, for it ra rely occurs in practical play . c6 5 . e3 Qa5 6 . NO A logical move, for i t removes the black queen from the pin by White's bishop and starts a counter-pin on White's knight. 7. Nd2 Bb4 8 . Qc2 0-0

-

4. fig. 38

9 . Bd3 ? A natural developing move, which eyes Black's h7 pawn, but . . . 9. . . . dxc4 Black now w i ns a bishop after both 10. Nxc4 Qxg5 or 1 0. Bxf6 cxd 3 attacking 24

Caro-Kann knights

A defence often preferred by solid and conservative players, but recently gain­ ing fashion as a weapon of counter­ attack, is the Caro-Kann 1. e4 c6. It is almost routine to meet this defence by 2. d4 but in doing so White passes up the chance for a double trap which is well worth a try at club and social level . c6 1. e4 d5 2. Nc3 3. Nf3 dxe4 P ushing on the d pawn is not very good 3 . . . . d4 4. Ne2 c5 (d3 5. cxd3 Qxd3 6. Nc3 followed by 7. d4 and White controls the centre) 5. Ng3 Nc6 6. Bc4 e5 7. 0-0 fol lowed by d 3, Ne 1 and f4 with attack­ ing prospects for White. If 3 . . . . Nf6 4. e5 Ne4 (Nfd7 5. d4 and Black will soon have to advance c5 with loss of a move) 5. Ne2 and Black's knight is driven back by d 3 with gain of time for White. 4. Nxe4

.

. .

Bf5

Another move here is 4. . N d 7, intending to play Ngf6 without allowing Black's pawns to be weakened. Then the trap is 5. Qe2 Ngf6 ? ? 6. Nd6 mate ! This trap has succeeded in a master tourna­ ment and world champion Alekhine once brought it off against four opponents who were in consultation. Bg6 5. N g 3

6 . h4

h6

to provide a retreat square for the bishop. 7. NeS In the usual order of moves with this variation, White has played d4 rather than Nf3 and so cannot bring his knight quickly into the attack. Now White threatens to weaken Black's pawns ser­ iously by 8. Nxg6, so the bishop retreats. Bh 7 7. . . 8. Bc4 threatening 9. Bx£7 mate. e6 8. g6 9. QhS N f6 10. Qe2 After countering two successive mate threats, Black is usually only too happy to snatch at what appears to be a breather with the chance to develop a piece by this knight move or by Nd7. 11. Nxf71 Kxf7 1 2 . Qxe6 + Kg7 13. Qf7 mate This useful trap has occurred in a master tournament and has also enjoyed practi­ cal success at lower levels. .

How to avoid the Caro-Kann knights

Black can avoid the main line trap by 4. . . . N f6 or 4 . . .. B g 4, and he can side­ step the trap in the note to 4. . . . B5 by playing Ndf6 or e6 instead of Ngf6. T rap four - The Stonewall

The Stonewall Opening is considered a regular opening by many books, but it is really just a practical trap. White sets up an attacking formation which depends for its success on Black countering with conventional development rather than with moves designed to offset White's wall formation. It is inadvisable to try it against strong opponents, but at the lower levels of club chess and in friendly games it can prove a devastating weapon. The Stonewall's name describes White's strategy. The first player sets up a wall of pawns in the centre, behind which he masses his pieces for a full-scale attack on Black's castled king. A great advantage of the Stonewall in social chess or at the more modest levels of club play is that it is a system type of opening which can be prepared in a single evening, is easy to understand, and not likely to be forgotten when the player reaches the board. Admittedly there is a disadvantage when meeting stronger opponents. The stonewaller sig­ nals his intentions at an early stage and thus gives his opponent time to switch into a defensive formation designed to reduce the impact of White's wall. So if your chess is of the friendly variety, in the club third or fourth team or in the minor or novice section of a weekend congress, the Stonewall attack/ trap can prove a useful point scorer.

Higher up on the c hess lad d er recom mend i t .

l . d4 2. e )

I

don ' t

dS

N f6 If Black bri ngs h is b i shop into action by BfS W h i te does best to a bandon h i s projec ted wall forma tion a n d attack on the quee n ' s s i de by c4, Nc3 and Q b 3 . 3 . Bd3 e6

4. Nd2 5. c3

cS

a necessary precaution to prevent the bi shop be i ng cha sed off its good d iagonal by c 4 . 5. . . . N c6 6 . f4 Wh i te's last move compl etes the wall of pawns on the black squares and gives the open i ng i ts name . 6. . . . Be7 7. N g f3 It is tec hn ica lly more preci se, but psycho­ logically unnecessary, to play 7. Qe2 first - to stop Black sett i ng up a wall in turn by 7 . . . . Ng4 8. Qe2 f5 . But in a c l u b o r so cial game Black will rarely consider such a non - routine manoeu v re, and it is wo rth the sl ight r i sk of a l lowing i t to ga in an ex tra move for W h i te's a ttac k .

7.

8. NeS

0-0

Now White's outpost k night, supported by the pawn wall, is ready to spearhead an attack against the black king.

8.

c4 7

Bd7 bS aS

9. Bc2

1 0 . 0-0

1 1 . R f3

12. Rh3

b4 7

Black reasons that he can advance on the quee n ' s flank w hile W h i te is attacking on the other side of the board, but in most such situations it is the threats to the k i ng which are the more dangero u s . 1 3 . Bxh7 + Stonewall p layers have real chances of rea c h i ng this winni ng sac rifice against u n p repa red opponents . 13. . . . Nxh7 1 4 . Q h S and wins.

W h i te threatens 1 5 . Qxh7 mate ; if the k n ight moves then 1 5 . Qh8 mate ; while i f 14 . . . . ReS there is mate in two b y e i ther 1 5 . Q x h 7 + o r 1 5 . Q x f7 + .

How to a void t h e Stonewall Black c a n make W h i te ' s attacking p l a n more d i ffi c u lt in t h e accompanying d i a ­ gram b y playing 8 . . . g 6 ! i ntending Ne8 and f6, d r i v i ng away the attacking knight or for c i ng i ts exchange . But simpl est of all, if you t h i nk your opponent plans a S to newall, is to counter it on move 3 by 3 . . . . g6 ! and Bg7 when the white b i shop ' b i tes on the granite' of a sol i d ly defended k ing' s position. If White's Stonewall a tta ck d oes not succeed, he h as a long­ term stra tegic handicap in that h is bishop on c 1 remai ns blocked in by its own pawns. .

How to avoid the Blackmar Ga mbit

T r a p fiveT h e Vie n n a que e n check

Trap six The Blackmar pawn snatch

The Vienna queen check is a more ad­ vanced snare from the same opening as pitfall 7 - the Vienna push. It has two distinct advantages over many opening traps in that the Vienna is an unfashion­ able opening which will often be virgin territory to the opponent ; while the move which sets up the trap appears a blunder.due to White making two routine moves in an unusual order. e5 1 . e4 Nf6 2 . Nc3 3. f4 d5 For 3 . . . . exf4 ? see pitfall 4 . Nxe4 4 . fxe 5 5. d3

The Blackmar Gambit is one of the dashing by-products of chess opening theory which catches a goodly haul of victims in club and social play though it has few successes in master tournaments. Like most pawn sacrifice gambits, whose object is rapid piece development, it depends for its results on Black becoming too greedy and capturing irrelevant pawns. 1. d4 dS dxe4 2 . e4 3 . Nc3 N f6 exO 4. 0 Black can decline the gambit by 4 . . . . BfS or 4 . . . . e3, but these enable White to gain a slight edge without risk and taking the pawn is best. 5 . QxO 5. NxO is a sounder line, but the capture with the queen poses the question of whether Black really knows the opening. If he does not, he may be swept off the board . Qxd4 5. 6. Be3

5. . . . Qh4 + looks natural to 'punish' White for not preparing d3 by 5. Nf3 . However, con­ trary to appearances, Black's queen check is a losing blunder. Nxg3 6. g 3 7. NO Qh5 8. Nxd5 White counters the threat to his rook by a counter-threat to the black rook. If Black now defends his c7 pawn by Na6, Kd8 or Kd7, White wins the g3 knight by 9. Nf4 Qh6 1 0. Nh3 . Nxh 1 8. 9 . Nxc7 + Kd8 10. Nxa8 Be7 1 1 . Bg2 Bh4 + 1 2 . Kfl Nc6 1 3 . d4 ! Less good is 1 3. Bxh 1 NxeS ; but after 1 3. d4 White remains at least a pawn up with the better position (N£2 1 4. Qe 1 and the black knight remains trapped). It

How to avoid the Vienna que e n check

Black has two better plans in the diagram, 5 . . . . Nxc3 6. bxc3 d4 7. NO Nc6 8. cxd4 Bb4 + simplifying, or 5 . . . . Bb4 6. dxe4 Qh4 + 7. Ke2 Bg4 + with complications. For these, see page 1 10. 26

fig. 4 2

Q b4 7 6. 7. 0-0-0 Bg4 7 8 . NbS I e5 B lack i s already lost. I f h e tries to stop 9. Nxc7 mate by 8 . . . . Na6 then 9. Qxb7 Qe4 (Rb8 10. Qxb8 + ) 10. Qxa6 Qxe 3 + 1 1 . Kb1 Bxd1 1 2. Qc6 + Kd8 1 3. Qxc7 + Ke8 14. Nd6 + Bxd6 1 5. BbS + wins. 9. Nxc7 + Ke7 10. Qxb7 1 This final coup closes the trap. If 1 0 . . . . Qxb7 1 1 . BcS mate, or if 10 . . . . QaS 1 1 . Be 5 + Qxc5 1 2. N a6 + wins the queen.

Black has chances to refute the gambit by 6 . . . . Qg4 7. Qf2 e5 with the threat Bb4. A move later, 7 . . . . c6 may still be · a defence. If Black is completely unfamiliar witl:t the gambit and wishes to duck all White's homework, he can transpose into completely different openings by 2 . . . . e6 (French Defence) or 2 . . . . c6 (Caro-Kann). Trap Seven - The mazy Morra

The Morra Gambit ( 1 . e4 cS 2. d4 cxd4 3. c 3) has an attraction for many young players when they start to meet the fashionable Sicilian Defence. The Sicilian is the most analysed of all openings, and to choose the trappy Morra against it avoids the burning of much midnight oil. The gambit can certainly be defended; but isn't easy to counter at the board, and features trap variations which continue to claim victims in match and tournament chess. l . e4 cS cxd4 2. d4 dxc3 3. c3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 The plausible 4 . . . . d6 5. Bc4 Nf6 ? fails to 6. e5 ! Qc7 ( dxe5 7. Bxf7 + Kxf7 8. Qxd8) 7. Bb5 + Nfd7 8. Nd5 Qd8 ( if Qa 5 + 9. b4 ! Qxb5 9. Nc7 + ) 9. Qc2 ! and Black cannot avoid heavy material loss. If Nc6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 1 1 . Qxc6 threatens both Nc7 + and Qxa8. d6 5. NO Another apparently safe line which gets Black into difficulties is 5 . . . . g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. e5 ! Qa5 8. 0-0 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 BxeS 1 0. Nd5 e6 1 1 . Re1 f6 1 2. Bb3 K£7 1 3. Rxe5 ! fxe5 1 4 . Qf3 + Ke8 1 5. Bh6 Nxh6 1 6. Qf6 and wins. 6. Bc4 e6 Again 6. . . . Nf6 ? runs into trouble after 7. e5 ! and if dxe5 8. Qxd8 + Kxd8 (NxdB 9. Nb5) 9. Ng5 Kc7 10. Nx£7 Rg8 1 1 . Nb5 + Kb8 1 2. Nxe5 Nxe5 1 3. Bxg8 Nxg8 14. Bf4 and wins, or if here 7 . . . . Ng4 8 . e6 Bxe6 9. Bxe6 fxe6: 10. Ng5 Nf6 1 1 . 0-0 Qd7 1 2 . Re1 e5 1 3. Qb3 d5 14. f4 e6 1 5. fxe5 with advantage. 7. 0-0 Nf6 8 . Qe2

Geared up - many experts arrive at the board a few minutes early. The aim is self'"motivation for tough four or five hour playing sessions and a final mental rundown on opening plays. Preparations for major matches may start months in advance with the aid of trainers and files on opponent's games.

\�

'1··· �: &� ,w- �- � - .. � � '':;i·.; -�.1 , . . ,. . . \ :;-: . ' t. , � � · : "1 -; . . '"".1. ·.,

-;U '.� • ;: h n w n t h J t W h i t e c a n u se h i s p i e c e s 1 < 1 b rea k d n w n A l a L" k ' s pa w n b a r r i c a d e .

w e e k e n d c o n g resses. Ma sters, better p r i m e d , u s u a l l y know enough to sidestep c1 nd a v o i d them . B u t a trap in the Grun­ fe l d Defe nce ( w h e re Bla ck a ll o ws W h i te a pawn c e n t re then tries to u nd e rm i ne it w i th p ie c e s) i s unusual in that it bagged four ma sters in n a ti o nal and i n t erna t ional p l a y in under a yea r. It has the e s sent i al fea t u re for a ll practical traps. n a me l y that t h e op ponent falls in to it by making

a p p a r e n t l y natural and 1. 2. 3. 4.

d4 c4 Nc3

cxd s

5 . g3 6. B g 2 7 ; N f3 8. e3

9. 0-0 10. dS 1 1 . e4

sensi ble mov e s . Nf6

g6

dS NxdS

Bg7

I n the earlier moves, W h i te h a s s u p p o rte d

h i s centre p a w ns w hile Black has triea n i fi c e s

a c c i d e n t t h a t a l most a l l t he i n \ · o l v e t he q u ee n , t he most p o \\ C r lu l c h e s s bo a rd p i e c e . a s s i s t ed by ( l nt' or m o re l e s s e r u n i t s . T h e seco n d a rv p l C( C n l l r m a l l y mo\TS i n f i r s t to co n t r o l O'r

lt 1s ,l ! t J ( k s

no

The c h ess student who b€comes fami ­

l i a r w i th t h e mechan ics of these m a ti n g

c o n s t e l l a t i o n s is i n p os s ess i on o f a re l i a b l e po i n t s c o r e r . O n c e the a t ta c ker has h i s c o m b i n ed fo r c es l i n ed up aga i n st the k i n g , it i s o ft en i m poss i b le to fi nd a d e fe n c e .

Check mate attack one The f6 wedge

Tht�re are some middle games where one s i de p lays for space on the queen's wing

w h i le his opponent has a free hand to o rganize an attack on the king. A strong attac k i ng dev ice in suitable positions is to a d vance the f pawn to f6 where it co,m­ trols the g7 square and also acts as a wedge stopping defe nders coming to aid the k i n g . T h e basic pattern : t h e white queen w i thin range, no b lack piece availa b le to guard g7. White w i ns b y 1 . Qh6 and 2. Q g7 m a te If the b l a ck b i shop was at c5 i nstead of c6, Black would have the defe n ce Bf8 (fig. 47). .

o L· ( u py a k e y s ll u a rc n e a r t h e e n e m y k i n g, t h e n t h e q u ee n c o m e s i n

fo r t h e k i l l .

' �-�·. ;

fig. 4'8

Here B lack p l a ns to d efen d both g7 aind. h7 against mate threats by 1 . Qh:G :Rg8 a·n61 if 2. Rh3 · NOS. White in ste ad plays a b rillia nt but standard sacrifice from the f6 wedge : 1 . Qha ltg8 2. Qxh 7 + ! Kx.h7 3. Rh3 mate . .

The

game

Szabo-Hartoch,

AmsterGi·am

1 9 72 ill us tra tes a more complex posit;:i;CD·m, but with exactly the same idea as in fi�.

Qb6 Rg8 2. Bg4 Nxc3 3. it i m p l i �.· i t y a n d fl o w as he fo und t h e

1 11 1 1 .\ 1

,h' �.· u r a t c m o v e a t e v e r y s ta g e .

\ 1 1 1 1· p h ,. · .,

ch : r t n g

thL·

m o '> t l a m o u s v i c t o ry w a s . t n t cr \· a l o f a n o p e ra e r f o r­

p

f l L J lh l' d f!, ,J t n -> t ! W l l c o n s u l t i n g d i g n i t a n e s

lt

:"

l fw rl l l l \ 1 l L· k b r a t cd a n d t n '> t r u l t i \'C

! r t L· n d l \ ga me ( ) I a l l t i m e

\\' h i t c : P . .\ l o r p h y B l a c k : D u k e o f B r u n sw i c k a n d Cou n t I so u a rd

P h i l i d o r D e fe n ce ( Pa r i s . 1 8 5 8 ) I . e4 N f' J 3. d4

2.

e5 d6 B g 4 '?

f h t '> p t n on t h e k n i g h t . i n d i re c t l y c o n ­ t n J I ! t n g t h e c e n t r e , i s goo d i n ma n y < l f' C n t n g'> h u t h e r e a l l o w s \.Y h i te a fo r c e d '>L'Lj U L' Il l l' ga t n i n g t h e a d v a n t a g e 4. dxc) H x l3 -I d :-: l' ) ) () x d K + a n d b N x e ') w i n s a ) . () x f 3 h . Bc4

dxc5

:\ I 6 ?

t • l· I l L' r I . () h ) ! \1 ( 1 \ t n .� ,1 p t l' l.· c . a n d p a r t t c u l a r l y the cj ll l' l' n l \\ l c l' 1 11 t h e u p c n t n g I S u s u a l l y

l i l l l t r a t\

Ill

-,o u n d p l a y . h u t g r e a t c h a m ­

f' t u n s k n 1 1 \\ \.\ h e n t o b r e a k g e n e ra l r u l e s . H L· rc \\' h t t c t h r ea t e n s b o t h 8 B x fl + l ( t l l � � \\ l'li h \· lJ C)eb m a t e a n d a l so 8 Q x h 7 7. . . . () c 7 8 . :\ d \ l l i l l l f!, LT t h a n K () x h 7 Q h4 + e x c h a n g 8.

Y.

c6 Bg 5

b5 '?

Paul Morph v. t he 'pride and sorrow o f chess', beat all corners i n a career of only t h ree years.

1 3 . Rxd7 !

14.

Rd 1

Rxd7 Qe6

N o w W h i te c o u l d w i n s i m p ly b y 1 5 . B x f6 ,

but

Mo rphy

chooses

the

most

artistic fi n i sh .

fi g I O 'i N o t e t h a t \V h 1 te h a s b e e n b ri n g i ng h i s p i c �.· cs i n t o a c t i o n a s q u i c k l y a s p o s s i b l e , \\: h i l c B l a c k h a s m a d e q u e en a nd p a w n m o v e s a n d e x c h a n g e d o fT h i s d e v e l o p e d

h 1 s h o p N mv W h i t e i s a l re a d y s e t u p f o r a d c v a s t a t tn g sa c r i f'i ce - B l a c k s h o u l d h a v e pia vcd Y Qc7

against champions of later generations ?

1 5 . Bxd7 + ! Nxd7 N xb8 1 6 . Qb8 + 1 7 . R d 8 mate

Knowledge of opening play a round 1 8 60 was still rudimentary aad Morphy would

Mo rphy travelled to Europe in 1 8 5 8 a nd d e feated all corners i n cluding an 8 - 3 margin over A n d er s sen, who had won the fi rst i nternatio nal tournam'ent at London 1 8 5 1 . The E n g l i sh champion, S ta u n to n , d u cked Morphy's at tem p ts to a rr a n ge a m a t c h - w i sely, for Staunto n ' s b e st

s u c c e s ses

were in t h e

1 840s and

11.

Bxb5 +

N bd7

th ere i s no d o u bt Morphy would have w o n . But a ft e r prov ing his supremacy o v e r h i s c o n temporaries M o rphy q u i ckly

1 2.

0-0-0

Rd8

l o st i n te r e s t in c h ess and his later l i fe was

1 0.

N xb5 !

cxb5

marred by mental i l l ness which l e ft hi m reel use, shunning the ga'llile f0r the 1 5 yea rs before his death . How would Morphy have perfl!Jrlil'led

a

need an intens-ive course of N"ie>derl'l theo ry to have any chance of competil1lg w i th present-day masters . He would c e rtainly have been a ble to ab.se>rb S'\'.H�h i nformation quickly, for he knew tM.e theory of his time and one of his v i cte>r-ies over Anderssen came through a prepared variation of the Ruy Lopez. In h is a uthor i ta tive book The Rating of

Chessplayers Past and Present (Batsford) w h i ch i ncludes comparative performances of modern grandmasters and their p rede­ cessors, Profe ssor A rpad Elo a ssesses

Mo r phy with a rating of 2690, sufficient In present-day terms to make him stronger than any player except the world cham­ pion and his challenger. I doubt this verd ict. which depends on a small number of games and does not allow for Morphy' s illness wh ich would have affected his results in later life as it did with Rubin­ stein. But the assessment makes it worth­ while examining the games of Morphy's match with Anderssen, another confirmed great player. Anderssen had not com­ peted si nce 1 8 5 1 and handi capped h i m­ self w i th inferior openi ngs such as l . a 3 and the Centre Coun ter which prov ided Morphy's best win of the matc h . White : P. M orphy . Black : A . Anderssen Centre Counter ( 7th match game 1 8 58) I . e4 dS 2. exdS Q x d S 3. Nc3 QaS 4 . d4 e5 5. dxe5 Qxe S + 6 . Be2 B b4 7. Nf3 Typical of Morphy's style - he has an advantage and sacrifices a pawn to in­ crease his lead in d evelopment. B xc 3 + 7. QxcJ + 8 . bxc3 9 . Bd2 QcS N c6 lO. R b l 1 1 . 0-0 N f6 12. B f4

.

rega ining the pawn but allow ing simplifi­ cations. 1 2 . RbS Q d 6 1 3 . Re i 0-0 14. Q c l , keeping u p the pressure, was recommen­ ded later, and is more what would have been ex pected from Morphy . 12. 0-0 1 3 . Bxc7 N d4 1 4 . Qxd4 Qxc7 1 5 . Bd3

solved most of Black's problems. 1 6. N g5 1 Now Black's game is difficult because White threatens N or Bxh7 and also pressurizes the two Q-side pawns. 1 6. . . . Rfd8 If 1 6 . . . . BhS 1 7 . Ne4 Ng4 1 8. NgJ b6 19. RbS wins, while moving the other rook to d8, which is positionally natural, loses a pawn to 1 7 . Qxa 7 . Bc8 1 7 . Qb4 1 8 . Rfe 1 aS I f 1 8 . . . . h 6 1 9. Re7 R d 7 20. B h 7 + , but as played all Black's pawns are weak and are easy endgame victims to White's active rooks and minor pieces. 1 9. Qe7 Qxe7 Nd5 20 . Rxe7 2 1 . Bxh7 + K h8 22. Rx£7 NcJ Nxa2 2 3 . Re i 24. Rf4 Ra6 Resigns 2 5 . BdJ Anderssen's wry comment after his match defeat was, 'It is impossible to keep one's excellence in a little glass casket, like a jewel, to take it out when­ ever wanted. On the contrary, it can only be conserved by continuous and good practice . ' In his later matches against Kolisch and Steinitz, Anderssen eschewed both 1 . a3 and the Centre Counter and did m u ch better. As for Morphy, his last act before quitting tournament chess was to offer pawn and move odds to anyone in the worl d . There were no takers - an . incon­ ceivable event if any similar offer was made by an established grandmaster today. The nearest modem parallel was Fischer's offer to give knight odds to any woman player in the world, a proposal which he quickly abandoned when the Soviet chess authorities showed eager­ ness to match the women's world cham­ pion, Nona Gaprindashvili, against him for a substantial stake.

Wilhelnt Steinitz 1 8 36-1 900

fig . 1 06

15. . . B g4 ? This cannot be good since the bishop has to return miserably to c8 twG> moves later. 1 5. . h6 ! (stopping White's next) 1 6 . Qb4 b6 and if 1 7. Rfe 1 Be 6 would have .

The first recognized world champion, Steinitz was a chess thinker and innovator whose insights into strategic and defen­ sive play and the accumulation of small positional advantages were as great as were Morphy's contributions in open games. Whereas Morphy was an in­ stinctive natural who taught by example rather than writing, Steinitz evolved his ideas gradually over a period of years, after a false start in which he tried to make his name by traditional gambits. By world championship standards, his play was not devoid of weaknesses and he lost many games by his stubborn loyalty to inferior lines despite previous defeats. Steinitz was the youngest of a large Jewish family (a fact he liked to reveal

whenever Malthusian population control was discussed) and a cosmopolitan who was born in Prague, studied in Vienna, and settled in London. He had only fair success until some enterprising backers supported his 1 866 challenge to Anders­ sen, who was again the recognized best p l ayer in the world following· Morphy's retirement. Steinitz surprisingly won 8-6 and from then on was a consistent high prizewinner in the big tournaments of the 1 870s and 1 880s. Steinitz expounded his theories in his chess column in The Field and his book Modern Chess Instructor. His basic ap­ proach was that the quick victories against weak defence shown in many games of Morphy and Anderssen were not possible if the opponent resisted simply, brought his . own pieces into action quickly, and declined irrelevant pawn offers. Steinitz showed that against sound play it was incorrect to aim for rapid attacks and that instead you should build up your game quietly, looking for small advantages such as bishop against knight, play against doubled or isolated pawns, outpost squares, open files, a queen's side pawn majority, as well as seeking greater command of space. His theory of defence was obstinate : he thought that if the defender could avoid structural weaknesses then his game would remain sound. Thus in a number of well-known Steinitz games he retreated forces to the back ranks solely to avoid pawn weaknesse.s . Another of his controversial ideas was that 'the kiug is a fighting piece' even in the middle game. From this he developed the Steinitz Gambit 1 . e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. d4 ? ! Qh4 + 5. Ke2, the idea being that in trying to mate the centralized white king Black will over-commit his own forces which can then be driven back with losi of time, e.g. the white knight at g1 comes to f3 with gain of tempo on the black queen. Later generations have accorded these more controversial Steinitzian ideas a mixed reception. His favourite defence to the Evans Gambit brought him several heavy defeats against one of his con­ temporary rivals Tchigorin ; but his idea for White against the Two Knights' Defence 1. e4 eS 2. NfJ Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 dS 5. exdS NaS 6. BbS+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nh3 (instead of 9. Nf3 allowing the time-gaining 9. . . . e4) was successfully taken up by Bobby Fischer and is now preferred to 9. N f3 by several grandmasters. Steinitz realized the importance of ad­ vanced knight outposts : he wrote that if he could establish a knight on d6 or e6, he could go to sleep and let the game win itself. He also showed later generations how to use a constriction motif when the opponent was hand_icapped by a 'bad' bishop locked in by its own pawns ; the 53

following game is a good example of this : Wh ite: W. Ste i n itz . Black: A.G . Sell m a n Fre nch Defe nce ( match, 1 885) l. e4 e6 d5 2. d4 3. Nc3 Nf6 Nfd7 4. e 5 5. f4 cS BxcS 6. dxcS 7. NfJ a6 Th is and h is tenth move already carry some strategical risk since they place pawns on light squares, ha nd ic app ing t he queen's bi shop which is al read y hemmed in by the central pawn chain. Modem masters prefer 7 . . . . Nc6 with the possi bility of a more fluid game by a later . . . Qa S, . . . Qb6 or . . . f6 . 8. B d 3 Nc6 N b4 9. Qe2 10. Bd 2 bS Nxd3+ 11. N d 1 12 . cx d 3 Qb6?

17.

Nd4 18. o-o

Nf8

h5 ? Black fears the a tta c king g4, but this move places yet another pawn on a white square and means that gS will be available as a white knight outpost if and when Black's dark-squared bish op is exc hange d . 1 9 . Nc3 !

h ea ding for aS, where the knight will st rengt h e n White's overall bind and prepare for a piece invasion along the c file, the o nl y open line. 19. 20 . Nb1 2 1 . Nd2

K£7 g6 Nd7

2 1 . . . . aS looks more logical, to try to gain some freedom before the knight settles on a S, but Steinitz was then ready to open up the game in his own favour by 22. NxbS a x b4 23 . axb4 Bxb4 24. Nd6 + Bxd6 25 . exd6 Qxd6 26. Bd4 Rg8 27 . N O with great adv antage due to control of the central a nd K-side dark squares. 2 2 . N2b3 R eS Ba8 23 . Na5 Qxc8 24. Rxc8 Qb8 25. Rcl B d8 26 . Qc 2 27 . N 5c6

reasonable move left. If R b8 36. Rxd7, or if Nb6 36. Re7 + Kf8 37. Nh7 + wins. Finally if d4 then 36. Nxe6 Rb8 37. Ng7 + Kd8 38. e6 and Black's game collapses. Lasker, who succeeded Steinitz as world champion, said after beating him that 'the thinker was defeated by the player' and this has led to the belief that Steinitz succeeded only because of his advanced theories and had little under­ standing of psychological chess. Results, however, do not completely bear this out. Except when Steinitz was involved in defending his pet variations, he could be a shrewd observer of his opponent's state of mind and could tailor his play accordingly. Thus before starting his play-off against Blackburne at Vienna in 1 873 he saw that the English grand­ master, who had gone in for a wild coffee-house style in his final round defeat from Rosenthal, was in a low state of morale for the tie-match. Steinitz therefore went in for trappy cut-and­ thrust play and was rewar ded when Blackburne replied poorly in both games. In the first official world championship match, Steinitz-Zukertort, 1 886, Steinitz began badly and was soon 1 -4 down. But he kept his head as well as his title chances with a mixture of defensive and strategic chess which provoked Zukertort's. ner­ vous temperament into a succession of unsound an:d positionally weakening attacks. Steinitz finally ran out the champion by a score of 12!-7!. The psychologically de.cisive game was the seventh which showed Zukertort as out . of his depth in a subtle positionalfight. White: J H Zukertort. Blac k : W. Steinitz Queen's Gambit Declined (7t h match game 1886) d5 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5 . NO dxc4 6. a3 cxd4 7 Bxc4 Be7 8. exd4 0.:.0 9. o..;o .

This is a serious positional mistake since White's next move imme diately estab­ lishes control of the dark square and further restricts the bad bishop. Instead Black should pl ay 1 2 . . . . b4 intend ing aS and Ba6 . Be7 13. b4 ! If 13 . . . . Bd4 ? 1 4. R b 1 threatening Nxd4 and Be3 winning the queen. 1 4 . a3

f57

This blocks the position, but further h an diCaps the bad bishop. A modern master would recognize the QB as Black' s problem piece and try t o look for ch ances to play . . . f6 and regroup the bishop via d7 and e8 to h S . The move f5 also leaves the e paw n backward a n d vulnerable at a later stage to attacks from the white knights at d4 a ri d gS which will tie a black piece down to protection of the pawn. Bb7 1 5 . Rc l 16. Be3

White's bishop has ample scope on t h e g l-a7 diagonal even though five of White's seven pawns are on dark squares. 1 6. . . . Qd8 54

.

.

27. . . . Qb7 On purely strategic grounds, Black would like nothing better than to. exchange his dud bishop, but 27 . . . Bxc6 28. Qxc 6 Nf8 29. Nxe6! Nxe6 30. Qd7+ Be7 31. Rc6 is hopeless. But as played Steinitz exchanges off Black's 'good' bishop and makes a decisive invasion on the dark squares. .

28.

Nxd8+ Rxd8 Qb8

29. Qc7 30. Bf2

This threatens Bh4, change of queens.

30. 31. NO 32. Rxc7 33. Ng5

so

forcing the ex­ Qb6 Qxc7 Ke8 N f8 Nd7

BcS 35. Bd6 ! Resigns Black is in virtual zugzwang, with no 34.

•

.

The plan of i solating W h i te's central d pawn and then b lockading and attacking it was ha rdly known in 1 886 so it is small wonder that in the ensuing p lay Zuker­ tort �"'ai ls to find the optimum squares for his pieces. Best is 10. Re 1. W h i te has to combine the possi bi l i ti es of l i n i ng up queen and bi shop against h7 with open­ ing up the centre by dS. E i t her way the likely hest squares for the queen 's b i shop and queen's rook are gS and d L so that two of Zukertort's next three moves are inaccurate. However unlike a modern master, who would a l r eady be very familiar with fig. 109, Zukertort had little or no p re c edent to draw upon as the basis for his planning.

10 . 11. 12 . 13 . 14 . 15. 16 . 17 . 18 . 19 .

B e3' ? Q d3 Ra c 1 7 Ba2 Rfe 1 B b1 Qe2 Rfd l Ba2 Qd2 ?

The only point of this

32 . . . . Be5 + ! An attractive finish. If 33. QxeS Qh l + 34. Kg3 Qg2 + 3 5 . Kh4 ( 3 5 . Kf4 QO mate) Qxf2+ 36. Qg3 gS + wins the queen. 3 3 . f4 Bxf4 + Qhl + 34. Qxf4 3 5 . Kg3 Qg l + 36. Resigns And now if 36. Kh4 Qe l + 37. Qg3 gS + w i ns the queen .

Bd 7 Rc8 Qa5 Rfd8 Be8 g6 Bf8 Bg7 Ne7

seems to be

the

tactical idea 20. NdS Qxd2 21. Nxe7+

23. B b4 + K d7 24. NeS mate - hut this is easily prevented and White is left with his queen in an awkward position vi s-a- vis the d8 rook. Superior is 19. BgS, intending to meet Nf5 by 20. dS, after which Wh ite's piece formation would be simi lar to that favoured b y modern masters on the white side of an .isolated d pa wn . 19. Qa6 NfS 20. B g 5 2 1 . g4 ? This is an unsound move which weakens the wh ite ki ng's defences (see the later stages of the gam e ) and preci pitates a combination which Black in tends any­ way. 21. Qe L sti l l hop i ng for d 5 , was now best. 21. Nxd4 2 2 . Nx d4 e 5 23. NdS Rxc1 24 . Qx c1 exd4 25. Rxd4 Nx d 5 26 . Rxd 5 If 26. Bxd8 Bxd4 27. BxdS Qe2! wins quickly. Rxd S 26. 2 7 . Bxd S Q e2 28. h3 h6 29 . Bc4 ? This loses b y force. W h ite could not play 29. Bxh6? Bxh6 30. Qxh6 because of Qd1 +, but 29. Be3 would fight on . 29. QO 30 . Q e3 Qd l + 31. K h 2 Bc6 32. Be7 Kf8 22. Bxd2 K x e7

Einanuel Lasker 1 868-1 941

Lasker l ived in Berlin for most of his life but in old age emigrated first to Moscow then to New York. He was world champ ion for 27 years ( 1 894- 1 9 2 1 ) and his chess longevity was exceptional : his fi rst brilliancy was a double bishop sacrifice in 1 889 and his last great ach ievement was third prize at Moscow 1 9 36 when approaching 70. Despite his many successes in tourna­ ments and matches, his style has remained controversial and something of a mystery. One v iew of Lasker is that he was a fine strategist who added an extra tactical dimension to his play, combining this

with superlative endgame ability. The alternative picture is of Lasker the fighter, playing the man as much as the board, deliberately accepting inferior but com­ plex positions in order to build up the tension. However, he avoided strong opponents in matches and enjoyed pheno­ menal luck in critical games. There was even a suggestion that Lasker's partiality for strong cigars was a ploy to wear down the physical resistance of his opponents. Tht truth is that no player could possi bly remain world c hampion for so long or achieve such repeated tournament successes without an enormous measure of all-round skill. In most of his games, opponents were outplayed by Lasker's understanding of positional and strategic c hess, which in many respects was well ahead of his time. His mastery of weak squares, outpost play, and switching the attack between two fronts was achieved long before Nimzovitch formulated these concepts in his classic primer My System. Lasker applied Steinitz's principles and refined them for the practical warfare of tournament and match chess. Lasker possessed exceptional stamina and display ed a cool and pragmatic approach to his most critical games. His 'black magic' reputation arose because he proved himself a stronger and tougher personality than his opponent in some of the most critical games of his career - for example in his victory over Schlechter ih the final game of their 1910 match which Lasker had to win to keep the world title; in his defeat of Capablanca at St Peters­ burg 1914 which gained first prize ahead of his main rival, and in the second game of his 1908 match with Tarrasch. In all of these wins Lasker demonstrated his skill in producing tension in opponents who were not playing their best. His stamina is also evident from his good record in last round games and. the frequency with which he overhauled rivals in the second half of a tournament

'I have only two words, "check" and "mate",' said Tarrasch, left, but his enemy Lasker won.

-

for example at Hastings 189 5 and the three St Petersburg tourname n ts of 1896, 1909 and 1914. Lasker' s stamina provides an important lesson for the ordinary club or social chessplayer or the ambitious yo u n gs te r. I n theory a ll chess games carry equal weight and a win in the first round has the same value as a victory at the end but this is not so in pr act i ce . For instance, in S w i ss System tournaments, players meet opponents with similar scores, and a poor start or a loss in the mid d le rounds can be compensated by wins over weaker opponents late in the tournament . Wins in the final rounds of a Swiss and e s pec ial ly in the last round in effect carry extra weight because they decide the pr iz e s . Lasker' s career shows that h e realized the importance of games towards the end in all-play-all tournaments. In the open­ ing rounds of an event every player is fi ghting for a good result, but towards the end some w i ll lose interest or confidence w h i le others in contention for one of the top places may suffer from und ue tension. In such a s i tuation the strong and experienced player, accustomed to success, can use his superior technical skill or h i s tactical powers to pressure the opposition into mistakes. Thus one of Lasker's most important qualiti es, th oug h one v irt ua lly unmentioned in all the many commentaries on his st yle and results, was his a b il i ty to pace himself dur i ng a long tournament or match. The game shown here is from the final round of St Petersburg 1 90 9, and while �ot one of La sker's best known games, it exempl ifies his cool competence. White: Em. Lasker. Blac k : R. Teich­ mann Ruy Lopez (St Pete rsburg 1909) eS l. e4 2. N O Nc6 3. Bb S a6 Nf6 4. Ba4 Be7 5 . 0-0 6 . Qe2 This is the Worrall Attack, later a fa vourite of Keres but at the time an unknown system. It illustrates Lasker's unpretentious approach to the openings­ he disli ked sharp and double-edged lines and preferred to aim for a fluid position with possi bly a small advantage in space or mobile pieces, so giving him a base for the middle game and ending where he excelled. His opponent Teichmann wa s an expert on the favourite lines of the time with 6. Re 1 or 6. dJ and his over­ eager counter-attack on move 14 suggests that he was trying to 'punish' Lasker for his novel but still perfectly sound move. 6. b5 7. BbJ d6 8. cJ 0-0 9. d4 exd4 10. cxd4 Bg4 56

1 1 . Rd 1 d5 N e4 12. e 5 NxcJ 1 3 . NcJ 1 4. bxcJ f6 ? This is a serious mistake which enables Lasker to gain a great advantage in space and hams t r ing the bishop. Correct is 1 4 . . . . Na5 first. 1 5 . h3 Bh5 15 . . . . BxfJ 1 6. Qxf3 loses a pawn, while 15 . . . . Be6 fails to 1 6 . exf6 Rxf6 1 7 . Bg5 Rg6 1 8 . Bc 2 . 1 6 . g4 Bf7 16 . . . . Bg6 1 7 . Nh4 is also good for White. 17 . e6 Bg6 18. Nh4 N a5 1 9. Nxg6 hxg6 f5 20 . Bc2

21. Khl l Lasker seize s o n the winning idea of exchanging pawns on f5 and then attack­ ing along the open g file. 21. 22. g x f5 2 3 . Qf3

24. Rg1

Bd6

Qh4 gxf5

threatening both BxfS and :Bg5 . f4 24. 25. Rg 4 Qh6

Bxe7 26. e7! 27. Bxf4 Qe6 and Bla ck resigned without waiting for the finish 28. Rxg7 + ! Kxg7 29. R g 1 +

and mates. Lasker had an unequalled record in set matches, winning 1 9, drawing 2 and losing only to his successor as world champion Capablanca. This was partly due to his skill in choosing opponents, notorious} y so in the period 1 900- 1 9 14 when three times he took on the weaker Janowski who had a rich patron, while ducking the ·dangerous challengers Maroczy, Rubinstein and Capablanca. But the matches he did play showed his extraordinary skill in man-to-man com­ bat, notably his � wins over Marshall and Janowski and his 6-0 victory over Blackburne. Lasker was the first chess master to try seriously to establish the game as a

profession ; but ironically for a man who was a tough bargainer for high appearance fees, he was twice financially ruined, first by th e inflation of the 1 920s and then by the rise of the Nazis. Without these personal setbacks it is doubtful if he would have kept his career going for so long. In the late 1 920s he began to take his mathematics studies seriously, re­ ceived a doctorate for his work on abstract algebra, and was praised by Einstein ; he dabbled in philosophy which he preferred to discuss rather than analyse chess. In his simple approach to the openings Lasker established a model followed by some of his world title successors such as Capablanca, Petrosian and Karpov who also preferred a baseline approach in the early stages. We have already looked at his handling of the Ruy Lopez, and his treatment of the French Defence with White showed a preference for ideas like 1 . e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. NcJ Bb4 4. Ne2 or 1 . e4 e6 2. d4 dS 3. NcJ Nf6 4. BgS B b4 5. exdS Qxd S 6. Bxf6 gxf6. One problem of such a non-bookish approach with the white pieces is how to meet the Sicilian Defence l. e4 c5, the most double-edged and well analysed of all openings, but Lasker coped with that too in his later years. Playing the black pieces, he favoured simple rapid development with a mini­ mum of pawn moves, as in the Lasker Defence to the Queen's Gambit 1. d4 d5 2 . c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5.. e3 0-