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Foreword o elements combine to make a strong chess playerffective thinking skills and appropriate knowledge. Let's compare an aspiring club player with his idol, the chess master. The master can normally see farther and more clearly, and he knows more about all stages of the game. But our club player can close these twin gaps through training and learning. The great world champion Emmanuel Lasker, our longest-reigning chess king, famously suggested that he could train any reasonably intelligent person to be a chess master. But very few of us have the opportunity to study with a world champion. Luckily, we have books. Our book is designed to systematically reinforce the knowledge you already have and to fill the gaps in your chess knowledge, all the while training you for the real thing-the game you want to win.

Chess thinking This book will test, train, and sharpen your chess thinking skills. You'llleam how to: • Spot tactics; • See clearly several moves ahead (and to know how far ahead you should look); • Evaluate positions accurately. 4

This book will give you many additional thinking tips as well. All together, it will teach you to "think like a grandmaster."

Chess knowledge The book also addresses the second key element of success-knowledge. It will reinforce your existing knowledge of many positions and ideas, and it will give you critical information you still need to master. All knowledge is not equal. Isolated bits of information must be built through stages into an understanding of high-order rules and principles. In chess terms, this book will turn what you already know into your active knowledge, ready to use when you're actually playing. Don't be discouraged when you're stumped! Your not being able to solve some of the exercises is part of the authors' plan, indicating gaps in your chess education. You'll take the first step to bridge these gaps by studying the solutions and explanations to the positions that stymied you.

The content This book is the sequel to the best-selling Chess Training Pocket Book: 300 Most Important Positions and Ideas, first published in 1997. There have been no revolutionary changes in chess during the past 11 years. The themes, motifs, and ideas in this book will be chiefly the same as those in its predecessor. We present the same deflections to discover, back-rank weaknesses to exploit, in-between moves to reveal, minority attacks to organize, and so forth-illustrated, of course, by a different set of instructive positions. Some positions in this book have been selected from 5

21st-century games; some are classics, carefully assessed by grandmaster A1burt and colleagues, and literally thousands of his students-and found to be particularly effective. Some are lesser-known but valuable lessons from tournament play. Some are from grandmaster games, including AI burt's own, some from games of club players (including Lev Alburt's students). Each diagram-distilled from thousands of games!-ho1ds something special, important and useful to you in a real game. All have been selected for their instructive value and have been carefully checked. While it is a volume of grandmaster Alburt's Comprehensive Chess Course: from beginner to master and beyond series, this pocket book by itself contains the major portion of all practical chess knowledge. It is designed to save you thousands of hours you'd otherwise need to spend playing and studying. So read the introductory chapters, and then simply open the book to any page-and have fun. Remember, it's not that important to solve a position the first time you see it, although you should, of course, try. What is important is that the position becomes part of your active knowledge, a piece of cognition you can apply when appropriate-a helpful friend for life. Please let us know your comments and suggestions by emailing [email protected].

-GM Lev Alburt, New York City, July I, 2008 -AI Lawrence, Wallkill, New York, July 1, 2008

6

Table of Contents Foreword ........................................................ 4 Chess Notation ......... .. .. .. .. ... ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ....... R Chess Symbols

...................................... ........ 10

Chapter One Getting the most fron1 this book ...................... II Chapter Two Tactics: the dirty dozen .................................... 29 Chapter Three The 320 key positions ...................................... 33 Chess Clubs & Chess Equipment ....... .......... . J 94 Index of Games ...................................... ....... 196 Index of Themes ........................................... 200

7

Chess Nota1tion

C

hess players around the world use "notation," a universal system for reading and wriiting chess. It's easy to learn, and once you know it, you 'II be able to decipher quickly any book or newspaper artic:le on chess. The vertical columns of squares that run up and down the board are called files and are lt~ttered. The horizontal rows of squares that run sideways are called ranks and are numbered. The intersection of a file :and rank gives a square its name. Let's look at a board that gives the "address" of every square:

8

To make writing and reading chess fast, each piece is assigned a single letter. In English, we use the abbreviations on the right:

King ~ Queen A Bishop= ~ Knight .i. Rook -

*

-

~

Pawn

K Q B N R the file it's on

We number each set of White and Black moves. So, the moves 1. e4 d5 mean that, on his very first move, White pushed the pawn in front of his king forward two squares. Then Black pushed the pawn in front of his queen ahead two squares in response. Captures are normally marked with an "x." So the notation 2. exd5 means that White captured the pawn. But you may see notation that doesn't bother with the "x," as in "2. ed5." That's okay too. Some other examples: Qh5 means the queen moves to h5. Castling short is written 0-0, while castling long is 0-0-0. If you get to play b8(Q)+ (another way to write the same move is b8=Q+ ), it means that you promoted your b-pawn to a queen and gave check. May all your moves be so powerful! Another special convention: Although the word "exchange" means to trade, "Exchange" (with a capital "E") means the trade of knight or bishop for a more-valuable rook. A player who manages this trade "wins the Exchange." 9

Chess svmbols +± ;f

+ +

-+

11

')

?'! I' )

·n

White has a decisive advantage. White has a clear advantage . Whi1l' has a slight advantage . The chances are equal. Black has a slight advantage . Black has a clear advantage . Black has a decisive advantage.

A very good move A good move A weak move A hlunder An interesting or provocative move, often involving some risk A dubious move

10

Chapter One Getting the most from this book

T

he diagrams in this book are arranged four on each left-hand page. Their solutions appear on the facing, right-hand page. All 320 positions have been carefully selected and arranged, but not in a way that will give you clues on what theme or tactical device should be employed to find the best move, or even how difficult your task may be. The main purpose of this book, after all, is to train you for real chess competition. In a serious game, no one will announce that you can win a rook by use of a pin, or that there is an elementary mate-in-one. In fact, in some of these positions-as in actual chess games-there are no tactics involved, and no outright win (or even draw) possible. Your job is to find the best move under the circumstances-which may mean choosing between a number of equally good moves. Using hints When approaching a position, think for a few minutes and decide on a move-and then look on the right-hand page, but only at the title of the solution (often a hint), and at the text in italics, if there is some, below it. Imagine 11

you've gotten those ideas on your own-and with them confirm your first choice, or look for another. You should try to design your own ways to use this book-there is no one-size-fits-all method. Still, we can share with you some possible approaches. Main method: Spend two or three minutes solving a position. If you don't find "the" move (a move you are certain is the best), use your intuition-that is, guess. Then look at the right-hand page, using hints as described above. Role play: This is a real test. Set up a position from this book on a board. Then imagine a real-life situation and make it as realistic as possible. Set your and your opponent's time on the clock (yes, use a clock). Stipulate how many moves must be made before the time control expires, or assume that the game has already gone into sudden death. Assign your imaginary opponent a rating. You may even want to visualize that you're playing a reallife nemesis.

Perhaps you even want to imagine a specific tournament situation-for example, needing at least a draw to win your class prize, which would dictate a "safety first" approach. Give yourself, say, 30 minutes for five movesor 10 moves, if you want to train your play under the threat of time pressure. Only after you decide on your move and make it, go to the right-hand page.

12

Chess positions as zipped files When we're working on our computers and want to email information quickly or to store it in the smallest possible space, we "zip" our electronic files-compacting them dramatically using special programs. On retrieval, they can be quickly "unzipped" to burst into their full detail. It's a very practical technique. Our minds can achieve a similar effect. The 320 positions in this book are very much "zipped" files. Engaged with the special programs of your own problem-solving skills, each position will ex-

pand and make connections, providing volumes of chessplaying knowledge.

Water under the bridge--and conserving the truly important Let's be honest about our common human failings. One of them is forgetfulness. Alburt has been a world13

class GM for decades, and he forgets things about chess. A chess player's knowledge can be compared to a city's water reservoir. We always want to add to the pool to increase our resources, but, at the same time, we realize that water-like some of our chess knowledge-is sure to evaporate. It's a law of nature. Here the analogy ends, because one glass of water is like another. Chess knowledge, however, can be divided into a hierarchy of importance. We must make it a point to review and remember the crucial things. While we can afford to let relatively unimportant information evaporate, we should conserve the essential knowledge-we must remember the most important, useful information. There are a number of ways for you to make sure you never forget this essential knowledge and that it remains immediately available to you when you need it. For example, you can make diagrams of several positions that you feel are important to remember. You can put them in a conspicuous place, such as on the refrigerator door. If you use a computer, you can set up a special database to store positions for daily review. (In the final section of this book, we give you some information on chess software that makes this possible. Please note that some really good software is free on the web.) At the end of the week, you can move these positions to a file for review on a less frequent basis, once a week or once a month, replacing the old examples with new ones for your daily revtew. 14

One of the simplest and best ways to retain the critical knowledge is simply to carry this conveniently pocketsized book with you in all sorts of different contextstraveling, taking a break from work, having a quiet moment with your coffee in the morning. By revisiting these 320 positions, you'll make them never-to-beforgotten, old friends who will come to your aid on many occasiOns. And, like the friends they will become, there's no order that's best to meet them in. Group them, take them in page order, or simply open the book randomly-it's your choice. Building a personal theory To become a strong player, you will find it very helpful to start to compile your own personalized chess theory. Begin to compile positions that mean the most to you. The 320 positions in this book provide you with a foundation to build, revise, and expand your own "personal theory" of

Treat everv diagram as a position in vour ongoing game, not as a "problem." Look-as in a real gam-tor the move to make, not for a "solution" to find. Don't trv to guess the authors' intent. Never sav ''I can't lind it," as there is no "if'-but there is a move vou must make. 15

It's extremely enective tor vou to archive positions from vour own games. In panicular, record positions in which vou faced problems and made errors. the game. As you continue your chess growth, add to your archives those positions that communicate essential ideas in ways that are especially meaningful to you. And relocate or delete positions that become redundant or no longer useful. Let them evaporate! Keep in mind that isolating what's truly impot1ant is the biggest part of the battle! In compiling your personal theory, you will find that you can profitably reorganize the material by themes. For this purpose you can photocopy the pages of this book for your own exclusive use. Or you can buy an extra copy and cut out the diagrams for this reorganization. Since the same position may embody several themes-decoy, queen sacrifice, back-rank mate, or others-you may even find it useful to copy a position as many times as it takes to file it under all the themes it contains. One of AI burt's students who jogs several miles a day carries a few torn-out pages from second copies of earlier volumes of the Comprehensive Chess Course so he can continue his studies, literally on the run. Archiving your own games will confirm that you are moving to the highest level of learning. What we call 16

"knowledge" is sometimes really just the first rung on the ladder of learning. As chess players, we first learn to identify-to name-a back-rank mate, then to recognize when others use this idea effectively. Next we learn to identify situations that hold potential for such a mate, to find these mates in problems, and then, finally, to create (or prevent) back-rank mating threats in our own games. This last step is the highest level of learning, and the one we seek. For without it, we're forever restricted to the ranks of the "appreciator"; with it, we join the ranks of the creators. As you archive your important positions, include brief annotations containing the concrete lines of play that would have resulted in a more desirable conclusion. Also include notes on how to avoid any mental lapses that may have led to the errors. Among the key positions that represent the knowledge necessary to becoming a strong tournament player, some positions do need to be memorized-for example, Philidor's rook and pawn versus rook endgame. But the exact positions that best convey broader conceptual ideas may differ from player to player. The example that's most relevant to you will be the easiest for you to remember. That's why compiling your personal theory is so important. For instance, different examples can be used to demonstrate the theme of back-rank mate. Lev's favorite

Good news! Chess skills can be improved -bv training. 17

example is Bernstein-Capablanca, below. But you may find another position more meaningful to you-perhaps from one of your own games.

The art of training No one is born with special skills. Some of us are born with special potential, but no one can even know this potential exists until it's developed into abilities. One important way that this book is different from other puzzle books or books on tactics is that solving these specially selected positions will combine the learning of essential knowledge with the training of all these essential abilities and skills. Visualization and intuition One particularly valuable chess-playing skill is the ability to keep emerging positions clearly in mind. We call

This book combines the learning ot essential knowledge with training in essential skills. 18

this skill visualization. Visualization helps you work your way through the important lines by "seeing" the sequence of moves-especially final positions you need to evaluate. But another important ability is to be able to look at a position and-without calculating many variations or perhaps even any at all-have an idea (some players call it a "feeling") of what the right move or plan may be. This intuitive skill is often compared to "inspiration," and is sometimes seen, incorrectly, as simply a gift from God. But we all have the potential to develop our chess intuition. Training your intuition To train intuition, give yourself just one or two minutes per position. When you first begin intuition training, you may be able to solve only one or two positions out of eight correctly, being confident that you are correct and seeing the reasons why. You may also solve another one by simply guessing. This is a perfectly acceptable score for the kinds of positions that we've chosen for this book, even for an expert! Training your analytical abilities To train your analytical ability, however, you must give yourself a much longer time period-for example, 20 minutes per position. Imagine yourself reaching a critical juncture in a tournament game-a point at which it is important to calculate very carefully. You must check and recheck, and you must be sure you have accurately visualized and evaluated the positions at the end of each variation. 19

Under analvtic training conditions, the goal tor an expert plaver is to score at least 50°/o correct. Do lots ot double checking! Combine intuition and analysis to probe the same position Try combining the two approaches. Choose a position you want to study. You can work from diagrams or from the position set up on a board. (Most players profit a little more by taking the time to set up the position and then studying it on the board; this process more closely approaches real playing conditions.) Apply your intuition for one or two minutes, and make a written note of your choice of moves.

Then use the position for analytic training, spending about 20 minutes for a complete analysis-without moving the pieces. Visualize clearly every step, including the end of each line. When you finish, record your lines. Then move the pieces as you might in an adjourned game to verify and expand the depth of your analysis.

The sequence ot the combined intuitive-analvtical exercise could be: Studv the position tor two minutes, applving intuition; Analvze in vour head for up to 20 minutes; set up the position on a board and move the pieces to check vour anaiVsis. 20

Try out these approaches. Invent your own. Find out what works best for you! Training with groups ofpositions Training with groups of positions can be very effective. Let's take a look at two methods that we particularly recommend-Dvoretsky's "balancing drill" and Alburt's "antidote to tunnel vision." Dvoretsky s balancing drill The famous trainer Mark Dvoretsky developed this one for his grandmaster candidates. Dvoretsky has them set their clocks for twenty minutes. Then he gives them four positions to solve, one at a time. Doing this same exercise, you will be faced with balancing your desire to verify your analysis of each position carefully against the need to make a timely decision. After all, you have to complete all four positions within the time limit. In a real game, if you move too quickly, without having thought deeply enough, you may choose a so-so move-and find your position deteriorating. On the other hand, if you think for a very long time trying to find the best move, you' II get yourself in time trouble, and be forced into making hasty decisions later.

Finding the right balance between qualitv and time is the obiect of Dvoretskv's drill. And this is a practical, game-winning skill indeed! 21

After each position in this Dvoretsky exercise, stop the clock and check your answer. If it's correct, start your clock and go on. If your answer is incorrect, deduct up to eight minutes from your remaining time before continuing. (As in a real game, there must be a penalty for making a bad move.) Vary the penalty depending on how far off your solution is from the correct one-is it simply not the best move, or is it a losing blunder? You can also vary the time allowed for this kind of exercise, giving yourself more or less time, depending on your strength, or on whether you want to concentrate on developing analytic or intuitional skills. For instance, if you solve everything correctly in just 20 minutes, reduce the time to 16 minutes. (Congratulations, grandmaster!) A/burt s antidote to tunnel vision Years ago Lev had a student who, in spite of his considerable experience, had a habit of sticking with a single line of analysis, even when there were several other attractive candidate moves-and even when his chosen line became unclear. (This habit is common to many players.) So Lev designed an exercise to address this problem. In Alburt's antidote, you're facing four positions simultaneously. Your task this time, however, is to solve just one out of the four. Four positions here play the role of four candidate moves. Start with the most promising-looking one-but don't stick with your first choice if it gets murky. Be flexible!

22

How to think Aaron Nimzovich, the great theoretician and one of the original grandmasters crowned by Czar Nicholas at the St. Petersburg tournament of 1914, used to stand on his head in the corner of the hall before a tournament game. We suppose he wanted to increase the blood available to his brain, hoping this would help him think more clearly. But you're expecting some advice L--------------..J that's a bit more practical, and you deserve to get it. Use candidate moves When you tackle a position, sometimes one move leaps to mind immediately-that's your chess intuition at work! But often two, three, or even four moves suggest themselves. So, if one candidate move seems better than the others, begin analyzing it immediately, and continue until either you see you can reach a successful conclusion, or the line becomes hazy. In the latter case, make a mental note of what you've discovered so far, and go on to the next candidate move. Use support positions There's a vitally important technique used by accomplished players to help them analyze accurately-the use 23

of support positions. Support positions are stepping-stones along the way in your analysis, critical positions you want to keep clearly in mind. You can foray ahead, but when things get complicated or unclear, you go back to visualize the support position to try a different move or start over. If you think of analysis as climbing up a tower-getting farther and farther away from the solid ground that is the actual board position-support positions are the platforms along your climb that allow you to stand on something firm. Reverse move order Sometimes you "feel in your bones" that you should have a game-changing move, but you can't quite find it. For ~ example, you may notice that you have a preponderance of force around the enemy's king, whose defenders are not well coordinated. You may keep looking at an appealing line, perhaps a sacrifice or other forcing combination, but can't make it work. In such cases, try reversing the move order of the line you're thinking about. Co-author AI 24

Lawrence has found a number of satisfying sacrifices using this technique. When you look at Positions 8 and 246, for example, keep this technique in mind.

What-if thinking Try what we call "chess daydreaming"-imagine what great havoc you could wreak on your opponent if, for example, his bishop were on a different square. You just may find a brilliant deflection or other tactic that does the trick. Positions 1 and 33 are examples of positions in which you can successfully practice what-if thinking. Double-checking after every move After each actual move of the game, stop to recheck your analysis, no matter how confident you are of the calculations you've done earlier. Even the world's best players can benefit from this advice. Every time a move is made, it's an opportunity to see one move farther and a bit more clearly. So don't move automatically based on your prior analysis-always double-check! Process ofelimination Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous fictional detective, solved many a puzzling crime by the process of elimination-and he preached the merits of this thinking tool: "Eliminate all other factors, and the one that remains must be the truth. " -Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four 25

You should also have faith in this logical precept. For example, sometimes it's difficult to calculate all the ramifications of a move. But perhaps you see that other reasonable moves lead to losing positions for you. You must then go with the line that's unclear. As long as you see a line that does not clearly lead to your defeat, do not make a different move that you see leads to a loss. It's not a recommendable technique to cross your fingers and hope that your opponent won't find the lines you see. Chances are, he will. The Art of Evaluation While some positions don't require evaluation to find the best move, many do. Sharpen your skills by comparing your assessments to ours! You may also study Lev's Building Up Your Chess (see page 208). Switching perspective Sometimes you can notice more of your opponent's threats and other possibilities if you pretend to be him and see the game from his side of the board for a moment. Ask yourselfthe question "What's my opponent up to?"

Conclusion Try the various techniques we've discussed here. (Some may work better for you than others.) As chess players, we don't know in advance which thinking technique-what tool-will be most effective in a given position. But having many tools to choose from-and knowing how to use them well-will definitely help. Work hard and have fun on your road to chess mastery! 26

How to Think about a Position • Review the position and choose tentative candidate moves. • As a rule, choose the most appealing candidate move and analyze it. If it leads to a desired outcome, make it. (If you have enough time, take a brief look at the other candidate moves to see if any of them promise something better.) If the outcome is unsatisfactory or unclear, begin to analyze the next-most-appealing candidate move. • Keep mental notes on your discoveries as you go along. The "tricks" in one line will often recur in other lines-and may sometimes suggest a new candidate move to consider. • When your intuition tells you that there might be a forcing combination in the position, but your analysis can't make it work, try brainstorming techniques such as reversing the move order and using what-if thinking. • In a timely fashion, make a decision-and then double-check it.

27

28

Chapter nvo Tactics: the dinv dozen

T

actics are the hammer and nails of chess. It's often been said that 99% of chess is tactics, the shortterm cut and thrust of the game. Long-range planning (strategy) is the other I%. Whatever the exact mix between tactics and strategy, it's true that most chess games are won and lost tactically. Over time chess players have given names to the mostfrequently occurring tactical ideas. Knowing their names gives you a way to talk about them and think about them. You can also use this book to review a particular tactic. The index toward the back of the book tells you how to find examples of each tactic and of other themes as well. Below we give 12 of the most important tactics. Pin-one of the most common tactics, occurring in nearly every game. The pinning piece attacks one of two enemy pieces along the same diagonal, rank or file. The enemy piece in front can't move without exposing the piece behind it, normally the more valuable piece, 29

to attack. Queens, rooks and bishoJps can pin; bishops are the most frequent practicioners. (Examples are Positions 29 and 51.) A cross-pin is an interesting type of pin that breaks an enemy's pin. (Position 253 is an example.)

Decoy-diverts an enemy piece to a certain square. In the diagram below, White decoys BJlack's queen to c7 so White can win the lady with 2. Qh7+. (Examples are Positions 1 and 8.)

Deflection-diverts an enemy piece from a particular square. (Examples are positions 8 and 17.)

Double Anack-a single move that makes two separate threats at the same time. The knight fork is perhaps the most dreaded double attack. (Examjples are Positions 8 and 14.)

Black pins Whites knight

Decoy: 1. Rc7!

Deflection: 1. Rg5!

Double attacks

Back-rank mate

Skewer

30

Back-rank Mate-technically, a then1e based on a frequent weakness, rather than a tactic- a king is checkmated on his back rank, hemmed in by his own pawns. (Examples are Positions 1 and 14.)

Skewer- the shish kebab of chess, the flip side of the pin. Here the more valuable piece is attacked and forced to move, exposing the less valuable piece behind it to capture. (Examples are Positions 19 and 254.)

Blocking-limits the mobility of an enemy piece in some critical way. Sometimes called "obstruction," this tactic is often used against the opponent's king to deliver checkmate. (Examples are Positions 1 and 41.)

Discovered AUaell-move one of your pieces (preferably with a check, capture, or threat) antd in doing so uncover another of your pieces lurking behind it, attacking the enemy at a different point. (Exampl,e s are Positions 29 and 42.)

Double Check-the nuclear warhead of chess! It's a form of discovered attack. One of your ]Pieces moves, giving check, and at the same time uncovers another of your

Blocking: 1. Ra3+! 1. ... Bxa3 2. b3, mate!

Discovered Attack.: 1. Be5+,

31

Double Check: 1. Bb5++ !!, mate!

pieces that gives check as well. (Examples are Positions 114 and 257.)

In-between Move-the mother of all surprise moves. You' 11 sometimes see the German word for it-Zwischenzug (pronounced TSVISH-un-tsook). Your opponent makes a move that he thinks forces a certain 1reply, but you come up with a different move that turns the tables. Ah, Schadenfreude! In the diagram below, White's king has attacked Black's knight, and Black has answered by moving his bishop to counterattack White's knight. White has an inbetween move that wins. (Examples are Positions 1 and 11.)

Overloadinu-really a theme, like back-rank mate. When a piece has too many duties, it's a we:ak point in the enemy camp. Concentrate on it. You may be able to apply one of the basic tactics to take advantage of its plight. (Examples are Positions 27 and 260.)

Desperado-another theme. Think of this as a kamikaze chess piece. It's a tactic often used to achieve a stalemate. (Examples are Positions 26 and 63.)

In-between move: I. b4!, I .... Bxb4 2. Nc2

Overloading: I. Rb8+ I . ... Bxb8 2. Rj8, mate

32

Desperado: I .... Bgl !! Also: discovered attack

Chapter Th1ree The 320 kev positiions

33

1

2

After 1. Qcl-b1

After 1. Kb6-c6

3

4

Black to move

White to move

34

1. uve in a Glass HouseP Don't Throw Stones! 1.... g6. The only move. Throwing a stone with 1.. .. Qc2 loses to 2. Nf7+, exploiting Black's own weak back rank-as happened in Ruban-Veresov, 1975.

2. Make Your Opponent Prove R! White has a won endgame, but he can go wrong-so test him!

1. ... Ka7. Now if2. b6+, then 2 .... Ka8, draw. To win, White should play 2. Kc7. After 2 .. . . Ka8 3. Kb6 Kb8, White should then avoid stalemate defenses with the counter-intuitive (moving away from the center) 4. Ka6. You should know that in such endings, whenever the King can get to the sixth rank ahead ofhis pawn, he can force a win. (The exception is the rook pawn.)

3. Paradoxical Moves to the Rescue 1. Kc8! (not 1. Kd6 Bf5 2. Kc5 Bc8 3. Kb6 Ke4 4. Ka7 b5-+) 1. ... b5 2. Kd7!. Unbelievable! The White king is two ranks behind the pawn. 2••.• b4 3. Kd6 (gaining one rank) Bf5 4. Ke5! (gaining another rank) Bc8 5. Kd4 Be6 6. c8=Q, draw. (Problem by Brothers Sarichev.)

4. ATemP18Uon to Resist! 1. ... R2c6. The most prudent, and the best. Not 1. ... Rxf2 2. Kxf2 Rc2+ 3. Kel !, and White should win. (Compare Position 101.)

After 3. Ke I!

35

Game Sequence: A II four diagrams below are related to the same game (Spassky-Evans, 1962), which started: 1. d4 NJ6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5.j3 c6 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 b5 8. 0-0-0 0-0 9. h4 bxc4 10. Bxc4 d5 11. Bb3 dxe4.

5

6

After 11 . ... dxe4

After 15. ... Nh5

1

8

After 17. ... Ne3

After 20. ... Nd7

36

5. Down in Front! Have you ever been at a ballgame when someone in the seat in front ofyou is standing up, blocking your view ofthe action? It can happen on the chessboard too-here the White h-pawn blocks the White rook. 12. h5! (if 12. fxe4 Bg4, White's attack comes to a halt). The game continued 12 .... exf3 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Bh6 fxg2 15. Rh4!.What happens if Black had tried 15 .... Nh5, blocking the h-file? See Position 6.

6. From Bad to worse Black closes the h-file, but in return White gets to blast open the g-file, with killing effect: 16. Rxh5 gxh5 17. Qg5. 1. Mate over Material In the actual game, Black played 15. ... Ng4. There followed: 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qxg2 (see diagram, right), allowing 17• ... Ne3. Blacks knight wouldfork Whites queen and rook, but its the only Black piece in the action! Whites pieces dominate the kingside.

After 17. Qxg2

18. Qh2, threatening both Rh7+ and Qe5+. After 17. Qg2, Black could give back material with 17 .... Rh8 to avoid mate, but even then White would clearly stand better. If 17 ... . f5, 18. Nf3 Rh8 19. Rdhl Rxh4 20. Rxh4 Nd7. (See Position 8.)

8. Open Road Blacks queenside pieces are bottled up, while White eyes the open h-file and his bishop rakes the a2-g8 diagonal. 21. Rh7+ (not 21. Ng5 Nf6!, covering both e6 and h7; but reversing the move order works!) 21 .... K.xh7 22. Ng5+, winning the queen. 37

9

10

After 26 . ... g6

Black to move

11

12

White to move

Black to move

38

9. The last to Err Black has just played 26. ... g6? (instead of 26. ... Nell with equality). Korchnoi now has an unexpected chance to win. 27. Rf8+ Kg7 (27 ... . Rxf8 Bd5) 28. Rxd8 Nxd8 29. Qxc7+, winning a pawn. Instead, Korchnoi stumbles into a mating net: 27. Rf2? Qxe4!, White resigned (Korchnoi-Krush, 2007).

10. Rook-Sac zuuzwanu After 1. ••. Ke8! 2. Kxh8 Kf7, White will eventually have to move the b-pawn, enabling Black to queen and win. If 2. Kxg6, then 2 . . .. Kf8 3. g3 Ke7 4. Kg7 Ke8.

11. one In-between Move Deserves Another! 1. Nxd6, Black resigned. If 1.... Rxb4, 2. Nt7 (Akopian-Sokolov, 2007).

12. Checmate on a Long Diagonal Black should play 1. ••. Rxa2, with the idea of taking the bishop on b2, with a winning game-for example, 2. Qb3 Rxb2 3. Qb2 c5. But the reason for this exercise is to make sure you put the following White maneuver in your attacking arsenal: 1. ••• Bxd4? 2. Qh6+! Kg8 3. Qh8+, and mate in one (from EuweLoman, 1923).

39

13

14

White to move

Black to move

15

16

White to move

Black to move

40

13. The All-lmponant Spare Tempo White is a pawn up but needs to find a way to infiltrate with his king to support and advance his extra pawn. To do this, he must gain the opposition-forcing the other king to give way. 1. Bxc6! Kxc6 2. b4 Kd6 3. Kd2 Kc6 4. Ke3 Kd5 5. Kd3, 1-0 (Sutovsky-Georgiev, 2007).

After 5.... Kd6 6. Ke4 Kc6 7. d5+ Kd7 8. Kd4 Kd6, the reserve move 9. a3 allows the White king to invade and win.

14. Unexpected oouble-Anack Whites pieces do not support each other, and he suffers a back-rank weakness while heavy pieces still roam the board. 1. ... Qc6!!, White resigned (Rogers-Ris, 2007).

Black's deadly twin threats are 2 .... Qxc1 and 2 . ... Rxe1+ (with ... Qxg2 mate to follow). And White can't capture the queen because then ... Rxe 1 is mate.

15. Overburdened Pieces Blacks c6-bishop supports the e4-knight, which in turn supports the c3-bishop. There are other signs promising successful tactics-most importantly Whites active pieces. The right move is 1. Ne7, after which Black's position collapses (Gulko---Mikhalevski, 2007).

16. Jumping to the Defense White's knight is untouchable because ofBxt7+, and 1.... Qe7 succumbs to 2. Ng5. Still, Black holds with 1. ... Nd5!-for example: 2. Nxe4 N7b6 =, or 2. Nxd5 exf3 (game by John Ellis, from GM Larry Evans' Chess Life column).

41

11

18

Black to move

White to move

19

20

Black to move

White to move

42

11. Deflecting her Suppon 1 .... Rfl+ 2. Kd2 Qxg6 3. Rxg6 Rxh1 4. Bxh6 Kh7 -+ (Strauts-Vitolins, 1988). 18. ladies First White should look to attack; that's clear. Let's look at l. Ng6+ Kg8. Black's bishop stops the fork, while 2. Ba2+ is met by 2 .... Nd5. But all the elements are here. 1. Qxh7+ (deflecting that knight) 1. ... Nxh7 2. Ng6+ Kg8 3. Ba2, mate.

19. Boldest is Best Only the White queen prevents ... Bxc3, mate. Enough said! 1.... Qa7, winning (Bivshev-Tolush, 1954).

20. How Far to lookP White can't win solely by kings ide maneuvers, although he can try: 1. Ke3 Kg5 2. Kf3 Kf6 (or 2 .... Kg6, but 2 .... Kh4loses). White should now decide if 3. c4 works: 3 .... bxc3 e.p. 4. Ke3 Kg5 (first support position, to be visualized clearly) 5. a4 (5. a3 Kxg4 6. b4 axb4 7. axb4 loses the game, and 7. a4 loses a tempo) 5 .... Kxg4 6. b4 axb4. All forced. (Second support position. See diagram at right.) After 6. ... axb4 Here a master should see Black's counterplay after 7. a5?: 7 .... b3 8. Kd3 b2 9. Kc2 Kf3 10. a6 Ke2 ll. a7 b1=Q+ 12. Kxb1 Kd2, and Black ends up a pawn. Thus, 7. Kd3! (prophylaxis) and the a-pawn will still queen first, controlling the h 1-square. A grandmaster will, hopefully, see all of this before playing c2-c4 (Dvoretsky). 43

Game Sequence: All four diagrams below are related to the same game (Alburt-Polugaevsky, 1965), which began: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 c6 4. Qd3 g6 5. Bxf6 exf6 6. e4 dxe4 7. Qxe4+ Be7 8. Bc4 0-0 9. 0-0-0 f5 10. Qe3 Nd7.

21

22

After 10. ... Nd7

After 18. ... hxg6

23

24

After 21. ... Nf6

After 24. .. . Kg7

44

21. Be first wilh lhe Most! When the players are castled on opposite sides, the first to get an effective attack going generally wins. At times its a highwire tightrope act without a net-one false step can be fatal! 11. h4, seeking the open h-file. Such a pawn often should be offered for free! Here 11. ... Bxh4 loses instantly to 12. Nf3. The game continued: 11 . ... Nf6 12. Nf3 Ng4 13. Qe2 b5 14. Bb3 Bb4 15. Rde1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Qd6 17. h5 aS 18. hxg6 hxg6.

22. Saving the Bishop Whites important light-square bishop is under attack. Here Black threatens to win the bishop with ... a4. 19. a3 (If you chose 19. Ng5 or 19. a4, you also get credit.) The game continued: 19 . ... a4 20. Ba2 Qxa3+ 21. Kb1 Nf6 (21. ... Qxc3 22. Bxt7+, winning).

23. The Knight on the Crossroads White played 22. Ng5, trying to keep thee-file open and stop ... Ne4. Much stronger, however, was 22. Qe5!, with a decisive advantage. The game continued: 22. . . . Ba6 23. Qf3 Ra7 24. Qxc6 Kg7. 24. find the Blow No combination is born from thin air. White commands the hand e-files and controls the long diagonal from a2 to j7. His queen has infiltrated the Black camp, and his knight is posted on a typical kings ide-attacking square. So find the blow that sthere! 25. Nh7!. White wins the Exchange and the game, as 25 .... Nxh7 loses immediately to 26. Rxh7+ Kxh7+ 27. Qf6, threatening Rh 1+ (Alburt-Polugaevsky, 1965). 45

25

26

Black to move

White to move

21

28

White to move

White to move

46

25. Evervthing tor Mate White looks forward to the long-term advantages offered by his united, central passed pawns. But before the long-term comes the short-term, and Black commands the c-file, while his queen and knight loom on Whites airy kings ide. Can you find the clincher? 1. ... Ret! (deflection) 2. Qxcl Qf3+ 3. Kgl Nh3, mate (Youngsworth-Seirawan, 1979).

Remember this mating pattern!

26. The last Chance When defending an inferior game, look for stalemate possibilities. 1. Rd2+!. If Black captures, it's stalemate. If he doesn't, White

can hold. 21. Down but not Out White is a bishop down, but his queen and rook dominate the center and kings ide, and his bishop can leap onto the attacking diagonal of a2-g8. 1. Re8+! Qxe8 (1. ... Bxe8 2. Qf8 mate) 2. Qxf6+ Kg8 3. Bc4+, winning (from Nezhmetdinov-Kotkov, 1957). Two archetypical mates.

28. Epaulene Mate Whites force is small but well aimed at the exposed king. 1. Qh7+ Nxh7 2. Rg6, mate. Remember this mating pattern!

Also winning is 1. Rg6+ Kh7 2. Rxe6+, but mate in two is even better (Hoi-Gulko, 1988).

47

29

30

White to move

After I .... B(d6)xh2+ 2. Kxh2 Ng4+

31

32

After4. f4

After4. ... Qh6

48

29. Punishing lhe Pinner With rooks on board, look for back-rank weaknesses! 1. Bd3!, 1-0. The broken pin becomes a discovered attack. If 1. ... Rxal, 2. Rc8 mates. And if 1. .. . Re8, 2. Rxe5 (Capablanca-Rossolimo, 1938). 30. Bishop Sac Morning-Aner In such positions, Khl never makes sense. Kh3 is almost always bad whenever a supporting bishop (on c8 here) is present, and Kg 1 can be easily checked here, and found wanting. Which leaves 3. Kg3. The game Filchev-Padevsky, 1952, continued: 3 .... Qd6+ 4. f4. See Position 31.

31. Lei II Ride 4. ... Qh6! Remember: in this-and in most similar positionswinning back material by 4. .. . e~f3 e.p. + 5. Kxj3 Nh2+ is a bad error. Black may think: "l gave up a bishop for a pawn, and an attack; now I get the Exchange (equals two pawns), so it'll be materially equal." Not so! In the middlegame, two minor pieces are equal to a rook and two pawns, so White will be a pawn ahead-and there sno attack left! 32. Process of Elimination 5. Nf3! All other moves lose: 5. Qxg4 Bxg4 6. Kxg4 Qh2, oras in the game 5. f5 Qh2+ 6. Kxg4 h5+ 7. Kg5 Qg3+ 8. Kxh5 g6+ 9. fxg6 Kg7 10. Rxf7+ Rxf7, winning. So, 5. Nf3 is the only choice. In fact, it leads to an unclear game- even Fritz said so. Going back to Diagram 30, was the sacrifice 1. ... Bxh2+ correct? Objectively not, as 1... . Qe7 (preparing 2.... Qe5) left Black with an edge; practically, both moves were equally strong-after all, it's usually more difficult to defend, as the course of this game confirms. 49

33

34

White to move

Black to move

35

36

White to move

White to move

50

33. The Vanishing Bishop Act 1. Bb6, 1-0, as threats to Black's king (Qh6, mate) and queen can't be stopped simultaneously (Benko-Fiister, 1958).

How do you find such a blow? Try some daydreaming-"ifnot for that bishop, I'd mate him in one ... "

34. Nine Points versus lnliniiJ 1. ... Rd8, winning.

An easy move that many will find difficult to find, unable even to imagine parting with a queen. Respect for the queen shouldn ~become an obsession. Remember, the queen is worth 9 points. But the kings value is infinite.

35. Onlv the First Mate cou•s Black threatens mate on the move. So White must be first. 1. Bb6+! Rc7 2. Qxg8+!, l-0 (2. fxg8=Q+ Be8 wiU also win for White, but not so easily). In the actual game (Nezhmetdinov-Paoli, 1954), White had a second rook on gl. Thus, White had several roads to victory, but none as swift as that chosen by Nezh above.

3&. oenection Perfection Many combos make use of multiple weaknesses in the opponents camp. Here White double-attacks Blacks rook on d8, while Blacks queen reinforces it from the short a5-d8 diagonal. One more thing-Blacks bishop is "loose"-unprotected. 1. Qe7! White takes the c7-retreat away from the Black queen. He gains a crucial tempo because this move also attacks the en prise bishop. 1. ... Bc8 (no other moves work better; for example, if 1. ... Rb8, 2. Qf6+ Kg8 3. Rd3 f4 4. Rh3, or 1. ... Rxd1 + 2. Rxd 1 Rb8 3. Qxf7) 2. b4!. Black must resign. If his queen moves, his rook is lost (Gruenfeld-Schenkein, 1915). 51

31

38

White to move

White to move

39

40

Black to move

White to move

52

31. Be Natural! 1. g5. Of course! Don't shy away from natural moves, even when reading books. Natural moves are most often the best. After 1. ••• Qd5 (other moves lose-for example, 1. ... Nd5 2. Bxb8 and 3.Ne5) GM Shamkovich (vs. ll Zakharov, in 1962) played 2. Qb3! b5 3. Ne5 (see diagram, right) ..• e6 (taking the rook gives White overwhelming attack; taking the queen gives him clearly a better ending) 4. gxf6 Qxhl 5. Nf3, trapping the After 3. Ne5 queen. Should you see it all when playing 1. g5? Of course not! 38. Exchanging the Defender 1. Rdl Qe6 (I. .. . Rxc7 2. Qd3) 2. Rxd7 Qxd7. A master should foresee this position (when playing Rd1) and be ready with the next move. 3. Nxa7+! Kxc7 4. Qe5+, winning (4 .... Qd6 5. Nb5+; 4 .. .. Kb6 5. Qa5, mate). 39. Don't Even Call h a Sacrifice 1. •.• Rb4 2. Kbl 0-0 3. a3. Say, you played 1.. . . Rb4 hoping for ... Rxf4 and .. . Bh6. White saw the threat and removed his king. Now your rook must move. Have you planned for this contingency? 3.... Rxf4! 4. Qxf4 Bxe5 5. Qd2 d5, and we'd rather have Black here (Ravinsky-Shamkovich, 1953). 40. The Triumph ot the BiShop Pair 1. Bxg7+ Kg8 2. Bb2+! Rxg5 3. Nxg5 Qh5 (protecting h7) 4. Bb3+, 1-0 (Shamkovich-Antoshin, 1967).

53

41

42

White to move

White to move

43

44

Black to move

White to move

54

41. Mating whh What's Len You can sacrifice nearly everything-if you can mate with what s left! 1. Rxh6+!! gxh6 (or 1. ... Kxh6 2. Qg5+ Kh7 3. Qh4+ Kg6

4. f5, mate) 2. Qg8+ (a superb example of the theme of blocking). White must see all this before giving up a rook, so all the exclams go to the first move. 2•••. Nxg8 3. Bf5, mate (SauerHellner, 1956). 42. 1Wo Files and a Rank White has all the power he needs to deliver mate. He just needs a little imagination.

1. Qxf8+ Kxf8 2. Nd7+, 1-0 (Dobki-Groeger, 1989). White's last move is a discovered attack, unleashing the power of White's e 1-rook.

43. Push the Right Pawn 1. ••• c5! (Not 1. ... aS 2. a4 Ke5 3. axb5 cxb5 4. c4 a4+!

5. Kc3!+-) Now 2. c4 Ke5 3. cxb5 axb5 4. a4 bxa4+! leads to a draw, as the Black king will be able to protect his c-pawn while remaining in the square ofthe f-pawn. And Black holds in other lines as well-for example, 2. Kc2 Ke7 3. Kd3 Kd7, ready to meet Ke4 with ... Kd6. You don 't need to see it all when playing 1. ... c5; its enough to know that alternatives lose easily.

44. Pawns Don't Move BackWard 1. Nb4, undoing stalemate and, importantly, protecting the pawn from behind. Not 1. a7? =,as the Black king now can't be expelled from his comer-that's a basic drawish ending to remember! 55

45

46

Black to move

White to move

41

48

White to move

Black to move

56

45. Botvinnik's Exchange Sacrifice 1.... Rc4!!. Black's rook is untouchable, as the long diagonal attack plus two queenside passers are too much for White to handle. But how long can White tolerate the rook on c4? (In his 1969 match against Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky waited for 10 moves, took the rook, and then soon lost.) This idea is rightly attributed to the sixth world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. 46. Technique 1. Rc2! The winning move, and an easy move to make. The ending after 1. ... Rxc2 is easily won-for example, 2. Nxc2 Be2 (to meet 3. Nxb4 with 3.... Bd1) 3. Kf2 Bd1? 4. Nd4, and the bishop is gone. The game Yakovenko-Sutovsky, 2007 continued 1. ... Ra3 2. Rc8+ Kg7 3. Rc7 Kg8 4. h5!, and White won in a few moves. But no calculations are needed to play 1. Rc2! 41. Spare Rook 1. Rxg7! Kxg7 (1. ... Nxd5 2. Rxh7, mate). 2. Rg1+ Kh8 3. Bh6, and White wins (Anand-vanWely, 2007, a blindfold game!). 48. How to Bring the bight to d5il White threatens Bf3 and then d5; if 1. ... Rc7, 2. e6!. Thus, Petrosian (against Reshevsky, Zurich, 1953) played 1. ... Re6, and equalized. Reshevsky tried 2. a4, hoping for 2 . .. . b4 3. d5!, but Petrosian continued 2...• Ne7, and after 3. Bxe6 fxe6 4. Qfl NdS 5. Rf3 Bd3 6. Rxd3, the draw soon followed.

57

49

50

White to move

White to move

51

52

White to move

White to move

58

49. Forced Move 1. fxe3 ( 1. Qxe3? Qxd4, winning, happened in Lee-Levine, 2002). 50. Get Closer, 0 King! 1. Rxh4? f4 2. Rh8 f3 3. Re8+ Kd2!, leads only to a draw. Thus: 1. Re7+! Kf2 2. Kd3 h3 3. Rh7 Kg2 4. Ke2 h2 5. Rg7+ Kh3 6. Kf2 hl=N+ 7. Kf3. The cornered knight is doomed (Farago-Jacoby, 2002). You can choose this line without analyzing seven-plus moves ahead. The alternative, drawish line is just three moves longand that s all the calculus you need.

51. Go for a Kill After 1. Bd2, White wins back a pawn, with a better game. But much stronger is an attack on an unsecure Black king: 1. Bxti+ (Larsen-Davie, 1967) 1. ... Bxti (1. ... Kf8 2. Bxe8 Kxe8 3. Qg8+ Bf8 4. Bh6) 2. Qc8+ Bf8 3. Bh6, winning. Short and convincing!

52. The Hook & ladder Trick The e-file is a ladder, the queen is on top of it, on e4. The rook is holding the ladder at its base on e8. 1. Rd8+, and White won in Cohen-Mackenzie, 1985.

Remember this trick, which is a form of deflection. It crops up now and then. (The title and the ladder analogy are from Mackenzie's Chess Life article.)

59

53

54

White played 1. Rd2 and offered a draw.

White to move

55

56

White to move

White to move

60

53. Knight-BloCker Black is better, which became obvious after 1. ••• e5! 2. d5 (2. Radl? Nc4) 2..•. Nc4 3. Re2 Nd6. The knight is much stronger than the bishop, while the safely-restrained d5-pawn is not dangerous. Additionally, Black controls the c-file and boasts a potential passer (Eliskases-Flohr, 1937). 54. Take the Bait-and Draw! 1. Rxb2 Rh2+ 2. Kf3 = (if 2 ... . Rxb2, stalemate). This happened in Bemstein-Smyslov, 1946. 55. Do or Draw! White should sense a combination is afoot. His rooks bear down on the c- and d- files. His queen has penetrated the defenses of the Black king. On the other hand, he is a piece down in exchange for two pawns. It's a critical moment. Here Vladas Mikenas bailed out, forcing a perpetual check with Qh5+, Qf7+ (Mikenas-Kashdan, 1931 ). Fifteen years earlier, however, David Janowski had found the right course.

1. Nd7! Nxd7 2. Rxd7 (White threatens both Qxf6 and Rxb7) 2•••• Bc6 3. Ne4! (the shot that Mikenas probably missed; now all lines lead to the Black king's demise) 3 •••• Bxb2 (other moves likewise strike out: 3. .. . Bxd7 4. Nxf6+ Kh6 5. Qh5, mate-or 3 . ... Bxe4 4. Qxf6 Rg8 5. Rcc7) 4. Ng5+ Kh6 5. g4 g6 (5 . ... Kxg5 6. Qh5+ Kf6 7. Rf7, mate) 6. h4 Rh8 7. Qh7+! (Janowski-Chajes, 1916). 56. The Narrow Path 1. Kfl, drawing. Not 1. Kf3 Bh4 or 1. Kfl Bd4.

61

Game Sequence: All four positions below are from Kasparov-Shirov, 1994.

51

58

White to move

After4. .. . a5

59

60

After6. ... Qb8

After 10. ... Qa7 62

QN2 Is the Worst SQuare for a Knight 51. Small Price to Pav 1. Rxb7!!. White exchanges his clumsily placed rook for Black's best minor piece, while forcing the second-best minor, the c5-knight, to the worst square possible. 1.... Nxb7 2. b4! The knight is caged. The game Kasparov-Shirov, 1994 continued 2.... BgS 3. Na3 0-0 4. Nc4 aS.

58. Passed Pawns Must Be Pushed-RiUhiP Not here! Above all, the knight must be contained: 5. Bd3 axb4 6. cxb4 Qb8.

59. Choose Your Diagonal, Please 7. h4! Bh6 (7 . . .. Bd8 will cut off the f8-rook and take the only available retreat square from the b7-knight). Now, however, the e7 -square becomes available for the White knight. 8. Ncb6 Ra2 9. 0-0 Rd2 10. Qf3 Qa7.

&0. Dominance 11. Bb5! (better than the immediate 11. Nd7, allowing .. . Ra8, as played in the game). If 11. ... Nd8 12. Nd7 Ne6 13. Ne7+ Kh8 14. Nxf8 Qxe7 15. Nxe6, with a clear advantage for White. And after 11. .. . Rd8 12. Ne7+ Kf8 13. Nbd5 Ra8 14. Bc6 (see diagram at right), Black is practically paralyzed. Note that many ( 14, to be precise) moves after 1. Rxb7 in PosiAfter /4. Bc6 tion 57, the Black knight is still haplessly lingering on QN2.

63

61

62

Black to move

Black to move

63

64

After 1. ... Rg2+ 2. Kf6

Black to move

64

61. Double Interference 1. •.• Bd2!, winning. If2. Bxd2 Qc2+ and 3 .... Qcl+, with mate next move (Tannenbaum-Frumkin, 2003). 62. Trading Down to Satetv Reality check: White is an Exchange up, and 1. ... Be4 loses to 2. Bd5+. Thus ... 1. ... Bgl + 2. Qxgl Qe2+ 3. Qg2 Qxg2+ 4. Kxg2 Be4+, draw

(Lilienthal-Tolush, 1936). 63.Perpetua1Rook 2.... al =Q+! 3. Rxal Ra2, draw. Whatever file White moves his rook to, Black offers his rook again. If White captures, it's stalemate (Bannik-Vistanetskis, 1961 ). 64. semng Up the Double AttaCk 1. ... Qd6+ (the fastest way to victory) 2. Kg(h)l (2. Kh3 allows mate in one) 2.... Qdl+.

65

65

66

White to move

White to move

61

68

Black to move

White to move

66

65. When Lun Is Not Enough Chess players talk about giving the king luft, the German word for air. They mean that the king has a bit ofbreathing room, an escape square from a potential back-rank mate. But here h 7, the luft square, is covered by Whites bishop, and White has a threatening "cue" of queen and rook on the open d-file. Look for a winning d~flection! 1. Ra7! Qb6 2. Rb7!, winning, since Black can't maintain the double guard on d8 (from Mileika-Vojtkevich, 1963).

66. Strong Square Trade-on With 1. c5, restricting Black's bishop and obtaining a stronghold on d6 for his knights, White secures a big advantage. Yes, Black gets the d5-square for his knight, but White's gains are much more important (Smyslov-Golombek, 1950). &l The HandV Fork Since the move of the knight is unique, it can offer surprises, even in "simple" positions. 1. ... Rxe5 2. Rxe5 (2. Rd8+ Kf7) 2 . ... Nf3+ (KhodorovDuchovny, 1977).

68. Choosing a Plan Here we need a strategic, not a tactical decision. White has more space in this Philidor (or Ruy Lopez sans ... a6) tabia and should look for ways to achieve an edge and to increase it. What plan should he choose? 1. b3!. White prepares to set up a powerful Q+B battery aimed at the Black king, and stands better (Tarrasch-Vogel, 191 0).

67

69

10

White to move

White to move

11

12

White to move

White to move

68

69. Exposing the Opponent's King After 1. Nxti Rxti 2. Rxe6+, 2.... Be7 is forced (and is our first support position), but what to do next? Keep exposing the king! 3. Rxe7+ Kxe7 4. Ret+ Kf8 5. Qxh6+. White wins the rook back (e.g., 5 .... Kg8 6. Qg5+), with decisive (three pawns) material advantage (Grischuk-Bareev, 2001). 10. What Cements Black's Posilion:Of course, the d5-bishop does, so 1. Rxd5. This isn't even a sacrifice! In Smirnov-Ni Huya, 2001, White soon got three pawns for an Exchange: 1. ... Nxd5 2. Qxe6+ Qti 3. Qxh6 Nde7 4. Qxd6.

11. First, Restrict the Knight The natural 1. h6 leads only to a draw after 1. . ..Ne6. Thus: 1. Kti NbS (Black's best try) 2. h6 Nd6+ 3. Kg6!, winning (Grigoriants-Shaposhnikov, 2001 ).

12. Just Keep Checking 1. Qhl+ Nh4+ (1. ... Bh4 2. Bd4+) 2. Qxh4+! Bxh4 3. Bd4+ Bf6 4. Bxf6+ exf6 5. Rhl+ Kg7 6. Rh7+ Kf8 7. g7+! Kxti 8. g8=Q+ and 9. Rxc7 (Alekseev-Novikov, 2007). The line is long-8 moves deep-, but very straight, or thin. There are very few subvariations (branches on the tree of analysis). If you missed finding the solution the first time, try to see if you can do all the required visualization. To help you do this, make use of support positions.

69

13

14

White to move

White to move

15

16

White to move

White to move

70

13. The lwischenzug Blacks last move was Qc4xe4, attacking Whites queen and bishop. The endgame after 1. Qxe4 Nxe4 (now this knight is no longer attacked) seems likely-and good for Black. 1. exf6!. Remember: queens are valuable, but not sacrosanct. 1.... Qxc2 2. fxg7 Rg8 3. Nd4 Qe4 4. Rael Nc5 5. Rxe4 Nxe4 6. Ret, and on the next move Black resigned (Lilienthal-Capablanca, 1935).

14. The Direct Assault 1. Nh5!!, and Black's position collapses very quickly. 1. ... gxh5 2. Rxti! Qe5 3. Rf5, 1-0 (Gaprindashvili-Blagidze, 1963). Mostly imagination, with just a bit of checking short, simple lines. 15. lWo Queening Options 1. Rxd8!, winning (1. ... Nxd8 2. e7). Not enough to win is 1. exf7 Bf6 or 1. Rd7 Kf6, leaving White with just a rook versus . . a mmor ptece. 1&. Nowhere to Go 1. Na4, winning (Tolush-Aronson, 1957). Fortune favors a prepared mind!

71

n

JB

Black to move

After I . Nbd2

19

80

White to move

White to move

72

JJ. Avoiding the Double Anack 1. ... Rg8!, with some compensation for a pawn (in SteinitzWexler, 1867, Black lost after 1. ... Qe4+?? 2. Kd1!). JB. Sudden Assauh White's last move, the natural I. Nbd2, loses (better is the counterintuitive 1. Nfd2). 1. •.. g5 2. Bxg5 (otherwise, 2 .... g4; e.g.: 2. Bg3 g4 3. a3 Nxd2, winning) 2.... Bxd2+ 3. Nxd2 Qa5, winning material

(Sangla-Karpov, 1968).

79. Timelv Breakthrough 1. e6! (not 1. Bxe7 Kxe7 2. e6? Bxe6) 1. ... fxe6 (now if 1. .. . Bxe6, 2. cxd5) 2. Bxe7 Kxe7 3. Ne5 Be8 4. Qc2! Rf8 5. Qh7 (after 5. Ng6+, Black could put up resistance) 5.... Kd8 6. Qxg7, with a decisive advantage (Skripchenko-Matnadze, 2001). 80. Tale of 1Wo Files, a Rank, and a Diagonal The most natural move is 1. Rd 1, winning the c5-pawn. Thus it's not easy to search deeper to find 1. bxc4!, going for the kill. 1.... Bxa4 (I. .. Rb8 2. Re7+) 2. Rb2 Rd6 3. Bxd5, and White won (Onischuk-vanWely, 2007).

73

81

82

Black to move

Black to move

83

84

White to move

Black to move

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81. The Classical Center's Burden The subtle 1. ••• Qa7 continues to eye the d4-pawn, while preparing ... b5 and denying White, in some lines, the tempowinning Nc4. White's center is now a liability, and he can't develop his queenside. 2. e5. A concession, but what else is there to do? If2. Nh4, 2 .... b5! 3. Qc2 Qxd4 4. Qxc6 Ne5, with the idea of 5 .... Nd3. 2...• Nd5 3. Ne4 c5, and Black is better (Taimanov-Geller, 1963). 82. Slav Active! 1. ••• e4!+ 2. Kxe4 Bd6, with good drawing chances. In Alekhine-Teichman, 1921, Black slowly lost after 1. ... Kg8 2. Ke4 Rb8? (2 .... Rfl) 3. b4.

83. Pin to Win 1. Rxh7, winning (1 .... Kxh7 2. Qh5+ Kg8 3. Bxg6, and Black has to give up his rook). In Euwe-Alekhine, 1935, Black played 1.... f5 and eventually lost. 84. Setting Up a oouble-Anaell Two targets-Rb3 and g2. 1.... c5! 2. bxc5 Qd5! 3. c6 Bxc6, and Black won material, and the game (Tkachev-Fressine, 200 1). Another dominant theme here-the pin. White's d4-pawn is pinned, and 2. Rg3 (doubledefense) isn't possible, as it leaves White's b1-rook en prise.

75

86

85

After 1. ... Ng4x.f2

White to move

81

88

Black to move

White to move

76

85. Don't Panic Both 2. Kxf2 and 2. Qxf2 lose to the in-between move 2 .... Rxa 1, but White has an effective in-between move of his own, 2. Na4.

Thus, in Zita-Bronstein, 1946, Black first took the a 1-bishop (1. ... Rxal) and only after 2. Rxal played 2.... Nxf2- and won. Remember-reversing move order often works wonders! 8&. The Last Will be Rrst White's best plan here is to improve (and how!) his worstplaced piece, the g3-knight. 1. Qe2 Qe7 2. Rdl Bb7 3. Nfl . The knight is going to d5. White's advantage is indisputable (Geller-Lipnitsky, 1951 ).

81. Mating Net Don't be tempted by 1. Nxf7. You can create a true mating net with 1. Qxh7+!, and White forces checkmate after 1. ... Kxh7 2. Rh5+ Kg8 3. Ng6 (Kogan-Foster, 1937). 88. Oh, 11 OniV Mv Knight were on .. . The Black knight is cut off from the action. However, with a little fantasy, and some tactical resourcefulness, we can bring him to a much better square.

1. ... Nc5! 2. Kg2 (2. dxc5 Bxc5+ 3. Be3 Rxe3 4. Nxe3 Bxe3+ and 5 .... Qb6+, winning the queen). 2..•. Nd3 3. Bg3 Bd6. Black stands better (Short-J. Polgar, 2001 ).

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