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ISSUE 5

MODERN CHESS MAGAZINE Understand GM Thinking Process We continue with the explanation of the already initiated

,

topics

but also we begin new courses

Playing Positions with Small Advantage The legendary GM Kiril Georgiev presents the beginning of the series of lectures dedicated to the way of thinking of the Grandmasters in practical games

Dragon Variation

- Part 5 Endgame Series

Grandmaster Repertoire

.

against 1 d4

– Part 1

Methods of Playing with Hanging Pawns

:

In This Issue

– Part 1

GM Nikolai Ninov

GM Kiril Georgiev

GM Davorin Kuljasevic

GM Grigor Grigorov

GM Boris Chatalbashev

– Part 5

Table of contents 3 3 9

13

Playing Positions with Small Advantage (GM Kiril Georgiev) Georgiev,Ki (2607) - Pavlovic,Milos (2488) Nakar,Ey (2435) - Georgiev,Ki (2623)

Methods of Playing in Positions with Hanging Pawns - Part 1 (GM Grigor Grigorov)

14 17 21

Kortschnoi, V - Geller, E Moskow, 1971 Beliavsky,Alexander G (2650) - Benjamin,Joel (2620) Euwe, Max - Winter, William

24

Dragon Variation- Part 5 (GM Nikolai Ninov)

24 27 30 33

35 36 39 41 43 46

47 47 48 51 52 55 57

Dragon - 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 Dragon ­ 6.g3 Nc6 7.Nde2 Dragon variation ­ 6.Be2 Zhao Zong Yuan (2579) ­ Wei Yi (2604)

Grandmaster Repertoire against 1.d4 – Part 1 (GM Boris Chatalbashev) Chapter I Milchev,Nikolay (2348) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2541) Tyomkin,Dimitri (2516) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2522) Arnaudov,Petar G (2449) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2571) Cvitan,Ognjen (2501) - Smirnov,Artem (2440)

Endgame Series – Part 5 (GM Davorin Kuljasevic) Alekhine,Alexander - Flohr,Salo Grischuk,Alexander (2710) - Shirov,Alexei (2720) Peshina – Butnorius, Riga, 1975 Miler – Velmander, Izzevsk, 1949 Kacheishvili,Giorgi (2583) - Shankland,Samuel L (2498) Mekhitarian,K (2568) - L'Ami,E (2631)

Playing Positions with Small Advantage GM Kiril Georgiev

one of the priorities in chess. In this article, I would like to share with you some of the practical details typical for this type of positions. By commenting on two of my recent games, against strong opponents, I will try to explain my way of thinking in practical situations. I hope that the readers will benefit from my experience. Georgiev,Ki (2607) - Pavlovic,Milos (2488) TCh-SRB Premier 2015 Kragujevac SRB (9.6), 28.08.2015  

Dear Readers of the Modern Chess magazine, As we all know, the last decade brought a large amount of sophisticated computer programs into the chess world. In no time, computers became so powerful and ubiquitous that our understanding of chess had to radically change as well. The change is most visible in the field of opening theory. Knowledge became accessible for the whole chess community, which led to a quick increase in the level of the games. Whilst 20 or 25 years ago, weaker chess players were losing from the start, nowadays, the forces are equal. All chess players (especially the younger ones) invest a great deal of effort in preparation for their games, hence the difficulty of gaining advantage from the opening. Strong chess players tend to outplay their opponents in equal positions, by creating problems from a practical prospective that are harder to solve during the game. This is why correctly playing the positions with small advantage (or even equal) has become

I have played this variation on many occasions, but one of the most memorable is the victory against the 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov in Dubai in 2002  Black destroys the pawn structure and

sacrifices a pawn in some variations with the idea to develop quickly the pieces from the queenside and to organize an attack on the kingside. An alternative for  is   with complicated game. Here is possible the following funny trap.

3



 with big advantage for

White. 



The best move. White’s idea is to occupy the open file “d” after the exchange of the pawns in the center. Another possible idea is “d4–d5”, in case of a neutral move as   The position must have been new to my

opponent, as it took him 40 minutes to make this move. It is a logical move: the rook places more pressure on the “d4” pawn and fights for the “d” file. Black has not decided yet where to develop the light-squared bishop, keeping open two options - “h3’ and “b7” 

A modern variation, the main move is considered  with approximately equal game, which is what happened in my game with Anatoly Karpov.  Black's idea is to activate the light-squared

bishop by sacrificing a pawn. The bishop will take an aggressive position on “h3”, which brings hope for Black to have chances for an attack against the white king

4

This move is also logical. Black places the bishop on the “a8–h1” diagonal and has different motifs for attack of the white king. One of them is Qe6– Qh3. In middlegame positions with oppositecolored bishops, the side that first manages to create threats has the advantage. The following variations are possible: 

The best move in this position. (After this move, White can hardly seek for the advantage, because he has to be careful even in maintaining the balance. ( To open the position when lagging is a serious mistake.  Killing move! 

Black has a winning position, because the white pieces are paralyzed. White has some compensation for the pawn, but for sure is the side that has to fight for the draw.) With the idea to prevent “d5” and the queen is directed to h3. The sacrifice of the pawn looks promising. Since the article does not aim to explain the subtleties of the opening, I will give only a few illustrative options:  a)  With more pleasant game for White. Black, for now, cannot use the weakness of the white king, while White threatens to place pressure on the weak pawns of the opponent. b) Black has no longer

an attack and does not have compensation for the worse pawn structure. Black keeps some chances for a draw, however White’s position is preferable. The following variations serve

to demonstrate methods of defence and attack in this type of positions. 

Good move a) When we attack, we do not have to open additional files and diagonals for the opponent’s pieces. The last black piece entered the game and for White it becomes very difficult to defend.  And White’s position has collapsed.With slight advantage for Black. b)  The computer evaluates this position as equal, despite the fact that it is double-edged. Looks like Black has enough counter play.; The idea to double the rooks on the “d” file is a bit too slow and gives White the possibility to play Black’s

attack is neutralized and White can think about the realization of the advantage.) It is always favourable for the defending side to exchange the queens. (his move allows the activation of all black pieces:

5

 With perpetual check  If White tries to play for

victory,

nothing

good

awaits

 

him.

  Despite the

fact that the material balance is almost equal, White’s undeveloped pieces and the vulnerable position of the king give advantage to Black. It is hard to overcome the f4 and g5 threats.)     With a position that is close to equal, but

again I think that it is easier to play for Black. Remember: the resources of the attack are greater than the ones of the defence.)  The rook on “d3” is very active.  

With a very sharp endgame that cannot be properly evaluated but where the black pawn on f3 appears to be more dangerous than the white passed pawns on the kingside.) 



And again Black uses the weakness on the kingside. This is the strongest move in this position. My opponent put a very beautiful trap.  I decided to continue the development of

the pieces and later find a better endgame for White. Black’s pieces are temporarily active, but the weaknesses of the queenside remain.  of course; initially I thought why not take

the knight, but then I grasped Pavlovic’s tremendous idea.  And there was nothing left for White but to resign.

 I decided to target the "а7"

pawn, because it is much more important than the one on "с7"

 Of course, it was not bad to develop the

bishop with a tempo.   This move is the continuation for the draw.    And soon the game between Wan

Yue and Wei Yi ended in a draw.    Strong and logical.

If   White is the only one who can have problems.

 Ambitious  does not lead to anything good.   And the passed pawn decided the outcome

of the game.  After this move, Black has to exchange the pieces and an extra pawn gives me good chances for a victory. Now is the time to create a plan. Initially, I decided to exchange the rooks, because without

6

them Black’s chances to organize an attack on my king weaken significantly. My main idea is, when my king is safe enough, to organize an attack on Black’s weak pawn on the queenside. My opponent reluctantly exchanges the second pair of rooks, because the surrender of the “d” file gives me more advantage. 

that I did not consider this maneuver at all, instead I chose the ‘human’ continuation.  (

  With big, probably decisive

advantage.)  

 My aim is to play the position with  against . This tandem

gives me advantage, and the black pawns on the queenside become targets for the attack. The position is very unpleasant for the defending side, because it does not have counter play, although White can improve his position slowly and systematically.   With long-lasting advantage.   If Black manages to develop

the knights, then the position will be equal. Nevertheless, White has a strong response to that move:  And Black remains with no material   

With a healthy pawn up and black knight is cut off on the “a2”  It is easy to find the right plan - White

should seek to exchange the queens and to play a better endgame. In the meantime, White should prevent the exchange of the knights, because the endgame with with opposite-colored does not promise more than a draw.  The engines like a lot this

maneuver, and I also consider it the best continuation. In addition, I find it very instructive with regard to the difference between human thinking and the engines - in this type of positions, when the white squares are weakened and so is the king, a person will seek to keep the pieces near the king, while computers have no fear to place the queen on “a8”. I should confess

  I do not like this move because of the following variation.    White won a pawn, but as we know,

endgames with opposite-colored bishops promise good chances for a draw for the weak side, even when in material deficit  Inaccuracy

Principal and stronger was  Black pieces are very active;  With this move, I execute my plan to exchange the queens, but also fix the Black’s pawn structure, as we see in the following variation, Black can easily achieve a draw.  

The queen on “d4” is perfectly placed, giving Black the possibility to keep the position.  

7

A useful move, claiming the “h3” square for the black bishop, taking the king a square closer to the center and preparing the movement of the pawn on the kingside where we have a pawn up. In the endgames, we strive to play on the side where we have material advantage. This is our main advantage; we have 4:3 pawns on the kingside and can create a passed pawn, while Black has 3:2 on the queenside but cannot create a passed pawn – first, the pawns are doubled, and second, they can be subject to attack. 

 Black violates one of the fundamental

My chances for a win were tied to this move.  (Is weak because   With a winning endgame.)  It is possible to try to play this endgame, but the passed pawn on “d3” gives Black hopes for saving the game.)   With a playable position, close to equal, but still White is the active side.;  Another move that concerned me during the game.  (

 With a possible draw, regardless of the

principles: do not move the pawns where you are weak. Black weakens his position by moving the pawns, but otherwise White threatens: “e4” or “g4” and to completely paralyze the black pieces.  Before undertaking determined action, I

decided to fix the pawns on the kingside and eventually deprive Black of any chances for counter play related to the "g7–g5".  

pawn up, but I would try to make the most of the position. )   Although the engines appear to be optimistic about this position, I worried about the fact that my opponent now has the tandem  against my  However, the weaknesses on the queenside give me hope for a victory.  Undoubtedly the strongest move. Now,

Black faces the dilemma of whether to play the unpleasant endgame after the exchange of queens or to maintain the queens, but almost without chances for attack.  

Black’s position is practically lost - he has a pawn less and his pieces are passive. 

The decisive mistake, but even the stubborn  does not gives Black big chances of saving the game. 

8

   With a big advantage for White. He has a

pawn up and better chances for the attack on the weakened black king.  Now it was time to find the

optimal locations for my pieces. I wanted to put the knight on "f4" near the black king and use the queen to invade the "d6" square. Black’s position is indefensible.  Black sacrifices a

pawn with the hope to organize a counter play related to the distant passed pawn “a”, but a more important aspect in the position is the weakened black king. In this position, other moves also win, for example:  or , but the move in the game is more decisive and starts a direct attack on the black king. 

 

up and mate is threatening. Black resigned. 1–0 Nakar,Ey (2435) - Georgiev,Ki (2623) 16th ch-EUR Indiv 2015 Jerusalem ISR (11.59), 08.03.2015  The Tournament in Jerusalem was not

very successful for me and my last chance to finish with dignity was to win the last round and to take the Veteran prize. How to play a decisive game against a younger opponent and with black pieces? I decided to play solidly, in order to play a long game and to wait for my opponent to make a mistake. That is why I chose to play the CaroKan defense. White chooses a quit variation with the idea  –– and based on Black’s play, to decide where to develop the pieces from the queenside. 

 

 If  then White wins after   And this queen endgame with 2 pawns

up is easy to realize.   White remains with a piece

This placement of the pieces is not new for me. At the Christmas Tournament in Zurich, I won surprisingly quickly the same position.

9

 

 

 Interesting idea. I borrowed it form the Ivanchuk’s games. The idea is to quickly develop the pieces on the kingside with  and , and depending on White’s continuation, the knight can be developed on either “b6” or “a7” square.

Logical move! I took advantage of White’s passive move and now Black already has the initiative. My knight on “a7” gets the opportunity to go to a better position - “c6”. 

 White is



slightly better, because of his space advantage. White acquires space on the queenside and

takes the “b6” square for my knight.

Black’s aim is to secure the “a7”

square for the black knight on “c8”. He also prepares the desirable advance c6-c5 in order to release Black’s game on the queenside and to attack the pawn on “d4”. Principal and stronger was:  With a promising game for

White.

 It was

stronger

to

play:



 White stands

better due to the spatial advantage that gives more freedom to his pieces.   



The position is approximately equal, but this does not necessarily mean that it is a draw. White has doubled pawns on the “c” file, but his pieces are well centralized.  This is an important moment; I played

this move after some hesitation because it was related to entering an endgame. Eventually, I

10

decided that I could not create enough problems for my opponent without the queens.

With a slight advantage for Black.

An alternative that deserves enough attention is  Black’s aim is to prevent the queen exchange and to amplify the pressure on the “e” and “a5” pawns. The following variation is also possible: With an excellent game for Black.

pawn on the queenside that will seriously distract white pieces. An alternative was:  with the aim to occupy the open “d” file and to gradually enhance the pressure on the queenside and center.

 This does not solve White’s

position on the “d” file and in some cases after  can create threats around the white king.

problems:   Black has a better pawn structure and this gives him better chances in the endgame. 

 White manages to exchange the

pawn on “c5” for the one on “e4” and it looks like it is not far from a draw. It is not good to play:  And White remains with a pawn up

 I decided to create a distant passed

 The rook took an active

 In view of the opponent’s time trouble, it

is better not to force the events, but rather to make some preventative moves, reinforcing our position. Here this is the case.

 Serious attention deserves the move: 



 Logical and strong, I

decided to activate the knight from “a5” and launch a simultaneous attack on the rook on “e3” and the vulnerable pawns on “e5” and “b2”. Moves that attack the opponent’s pieces with tempos are usually good. 

Another

option



for

White

is:

This move has slipped away from my calculations. White activates his pieces but his position remains worse because of the “a” passed pawn that distracts his pieces; he is forced to defend the “a5” pawn.  Here I

made a mistake, it was more precise to play: 

11

 In a very

sharp time trouble, my opponent made a mistake, at a time when the position was close to equal. 



A beautiful end of the game. The conclusion: When you need a victory at any price, there is no need to rush into crazy attacks – it is better to steer into a long unforced game allowing for gradual outplaying of the opponent. In order to improve your level, I recommend you learn to play simple positions with less material which are close to equal. I hope my games have been helpful and you managed to gain some insight into the GMs thinking process. 0–1

The simple leads to an almost equal game. 

 Suddenly, White is helpless against my

numerous threats.



This does not prevent

  With a technical winning position.

   



12

Methods of Playing in Positions with Hanging Pawns -Part 1 GM Grigor Grigorov

Dear Readers, The present article marks the beginning of a series of lectures on positions with hanging pawns. Before we dive into the topic, let us make clear which pawns are hanging. Generally speaking, this is a pawn couple situated on "d" and "c" files ("c4" and "d4" for White and "c5" and "d5" for Black). Pawns are called "hanging", because there are no pawns on "e" and "b" files which can protect them. As this pawn structure arises quite often in modern chess practice, every chess player must be familiar with it. Grunfeld defence, Nimzo-Indian defence, Queen's Indian defence and Queen's gambit constitute only a

little part of the openings from which positions with hanging pawns could arise. Depending on the concrete situation, hanging pawns could be a strength or a weakness. In the middlegame, when there are a lot of pieces on the board, the side playing with hanging pawns enjoys a considerable spatial advantage. In such kind of positions, hanging pawns play the role of a shield behind which we can prepare for an attack against the opponent’s king. Sometimes, hanging pawns could go forward and create dangerous threats. That's why we should always take into consideration their dynamic potential. Despite the numerous advantages they offer, in some cases, the hanging pawns could be weak. In order to understand their weak points, we should clarify some basic concepts related to positions with a spatial advantage. The side which has a spatial advantage avoids exchanges, because every exchange reduces dramatically the importance of the space. That's why, when playing against hanging pawns, we should aim to exchange pieces. In the endgame, the dynamic potential of hanging pawns decreases and they need constant protection. Our course on hanging pawns is divided into two logically interlinked articles. While the present material concerns the methods of playing against such pawns, in the next issue, I am going to present some ideas which might help us exploit their attacking potential. In practice, we fight against hanging pawns by using three main methods: piece pressure, attack from the side by b2–b4 advance and central attack by e3–e4 advance. 1) Piece pressure - This is the most frequently applied strategy when playing against hanging pawns. It's highly effective when some minor pieces are already exchanged and hanging pawns are under fire from our major pieces. In such kind of positions, queen and rooks exercise a considerable pressure against the opponent's pawn center. The attacker has the following plan at his disposal: rooks are placed in front of the pawns (on "c" and "d" files), while the queen should be situated in a way which allows it to attack at least one of the pawns. As the pressure

13

generated by major pieces is rarely sufficient, minor pieces should enter the attack too. Let's see how the above-mentioned plan was practically applied by living legend Viktor Kortschnoi in his game against Efim Geler.

exchanged. As previously noted, the exchange of minor pieces favours the pressure against the hanging pawns. According to the rules, Kortschnoj's first task is to place his rooks against Black's central pawns. 

"No Chess Grandmaster is normal; they only differ in the extent of their madness." Viktor Korchnoi Kortschnoi, V - Geller, E Moskow, 1971

As I already mentioned, we should always take into consideration the dynamic potential of the hanging pawns. With his last move, Kortschnoj protects his bishop and eliminates the threat d5– d4.  A typical move for such pawn

structures. White tries to restrict Black's counterplay along the "b" file. At the same time, by playing b2–b3, White discourages his opponent from playing  In this case, the b3– pawn restricts the activity of Black's knight. It's also interesting to note that the move b2–b3 should be played when Black's rook has already left the "a8" square - otherwise Black could generate counterplay on the queenside by means of a7–a5–a4.

As you can see on the diagram, dark-squared bishops and a pair of knights are already

Nevertheless, it was interesting to consider  Note that "a3" is a great square for the queen. From this position, queen exercises pressure against "c5" and "a7" pawns and avoids possible oppositions with opponent's rooks.

14



Kortschnoj starts a maneuver which is quite typical for such positions. As White's major pieces are already exercising pressure against Black's pawn center, it's time for minor pieces to enter the attack. The knight goes to "f4" square via "d3", while the bishop should be placed on "f3" or "g4". Maybe the reader is already wondering why White doesn't play the obvious  This move looks quite logical: we try to exchange pieces when playing against hanging pawns. Nevertheless, in this concrete position, knight's jump leads to disaster, because Black can execute the following tactical operation:

  An important intermediate move after which the game is over. 

Black is winning. This variation illustrates how dangerous hanging pawns could be. As Black had already played

Rac8, white bishop is better placed on "g4". The pin along the "c8–h3" diagonal is quite annoying. Furthermore, at a suitable moment, White might exchange the d7–knight which is currently protecting the pawn on "c5". Later, White can strengthen his pressure by means of 

The choice of opening, whether to aim for quiet or risky play, depends not only on the style of a player, but also on the disposition with which he sits down at the board. Efim Geller Black loses a valuable time. Now

White's bishop goes to "h3" from where it protects the g2–pawn. It's also necessary to note that black queen is not optimally placed on "g6" in certain positions, it can be attacked by means of . Instead of playing  Black should have tried to free himself from the pin along the "h3 - c8" diagonal. However, the immediate  is not appropriate here, because White has at his disposal the typical As I am going to explain in more detail later, the main idea of is to weaken the central "d4" square by deflecting the c5–pawn. In this particular position, this concept works quite well because of the unprotected position of black rook. Black should have given preference to the move

15



The restricted activity of Black's knight doesn't allow him to make use of the dynamic potential of his hanging pawns. Moreover, the c5 - pawn is a static weakness which needs constant protection) A fatal mistake. There are is no

salvation anymore. Still, Black could have remained into play by accepting serious positional concessions. In order to do so, he should have played  Of course, White can consolidate his position by means of  This move is quite typical for such pawn structures. By playing a7–a5, Black gains space on the queenside and strengthens his control over the key b4 - square. Later he might proceed with natural moves like  and   This move is already a huge mistake

after which Black loses one of his central pawns.

Black should have perhaps admitted his mistake by playing  In this case, the game might continue:  With a playable position. (In this situation, the central advance  doesn't work quite well, because White could react with the patient  

Quite a typical position has arisen. As Black has already played the move c5–c4, d4–square is weakened and the pawn on "d5" could be easily attacked.  Black resigns.

1–0

16

Beliavsky,Alexander G (2650) Benjamin,Joel (2620) Munich SKA Munich (9), 1994

Alexander Beliavsky 2) b2–b4 pawn advance This pawn advance is one of the most frequently used methods of playing against hanging pawns. As I have already pointed out in the beginning of the current article, this idea is designed to deflect the c5–pawn and weaken the "d4" square and d5–pawn. In spite of its obvious advantages, b4– b4 advance contains some risks. For instance, in some positions, the move b2–b4 could be met by means of the central break "d5 - d4" (sometimes the move d5–d4 is connected with a pawn sacrifice), which often gives Black the initiative. You should always pay attention to "d4" square! We know that in positions with many pieces on the board, one shouldn't underestimate the dynamic possibilities based on the advance of the "d" pawn. That's why b2–b4 advance is quite typical for endgame-type positions. The ideas behind the move b2–b4 are very well illustrated in the game Beliavsky - Benjamin. Let's take a look at this positional masterpiece.

When looking at the position on the diagram, we can see that White's pressure against Black's pawn center is not sufficient. At the same time, however, as three pairs of minor pieces are already exchanged, Black's dynamic possibilities are highly restricted. All these factors favour the execution of b2–b4 pawn advance. The Slovenian grandmaster seizes this chance immediately:  A huge positional mistake after which

Black is doomed to passivity. With his last move, Joel Benjamin not only weakens the "d4" square, but also makes his pawn on "d5" backward. Furthermore, Black doesn't have at his disposal a piece which could control the weakened "d4" square. Black should have looked for an activity by playing 

17

Black goes for a brilliant pawn sacrifice which increases the activity of his pieces. Maybe his counterplay is already enough for a draw. As a rule, we should always avoid passivity. We should fight for the initiative, even at the price of material sacrifices! Let's see how the game might continue after   

In this position, White is a pawn up and his chances are slightly preferable. Nevertheless, Black's rook is very active and as there are pawns on both wings, bishop is stronger than the knight. The real fight is to follow.  

a passer. You should remember the following basic rule: We should place our knight in front of the more advanced pawn, while our major pieces should exercise a frontal pressure against the backward pawn. In this particular position, White knight goes to "c3", while White major pieces could be even tripled along the "d" file. Why did White give preference to  instead of playing  Was it a random choice? There are no random choices in master's games! By playing  White blockades the pawn on "d5" and eliminates any possibilities based on its advance. Even if our opponent's counter play doesn't seem real, we should try to restrict it!  Black realizes that the waiting

policy leads nowhere. By playing a7–a5, he is planning to open the "a" file and to prepare the invasion of his rook. Moreover, as the pawn on "b4" could be a weakness, White should play very carefully.  Of course! White pawn should remain on

"b4". In this position, it's not advisable to take on "a5". After such a careless move, the pawn on "a3" will be a weakness and Black can make use of the "b" file. Now White should pay attention to the ideas connected with the advance of the "c" pawn. That's what Benjamin aims for.  The threat "c4–c3" becomes

real. White knight should enter the play.  

Very important positional move. In this game, Alexander Beliavsky demonstrates the right way to play against a backward pawn which supports

 18

Played just in time! After placing his knight on "c3" White will manage to neutralize Black's pawn couple. Now Benjamin links his hopes to the invasion along the "a" file.  After  Black loses a pawn: 

pair of rooks. By doing so, however, he runs out of counter play.   





Another good positional idea. When an enemy piece invades our camp, our first job is to exchange it or chase it out. In order to remain on his active position, black rook needs support. The move ? is a blunder. Black can overtake the advantage after:   

 Again Alexander Beliavsky makes

the right decision. As I already mentioned, White's long-term plan consists in generating pressure along the "d" file. Nevertheless, for the sake of precision, we should place our security first. With his last move, White eliminates his back rank weakness. In the following consequence, the Slovenian grandmaster will be aiming for the optimal set-up of his major pieces. White has managed to generate a considerable pressure against the pawn on "d5". That's why Black decides to release the tension by exchanging a 

White is already dominating the board. All his pieces participate in the attack against d5–pawn. In order to protect his weak pawn, Black is obliged to place his pieces in a passive way, thus entering a position where there is no coordination in his camp. That's why White is already planning to open the position by means of e3–e4 and invade the opponent's camp.  This move is already a decisive mistake.

The position of black king is extremely weakened. Black should have protected his back rank by playing   This is the logical culmination of White's

strategy. Now black king is under fire.

 Tempting looks , but after  (or  )

White encounters some difficulties in the conversion of his material advantage. That's why the text move is much 

19

more convincing.  

 This move marks the beginning of a well calculated tactical operation. After the exchange of the minor pieces, nothing can stop White's major pieces in their invasion.

     



 

 White could have won

immediately by means of  

 The move  doesn't save Black. White must play  Black is losing. I bring to your attention the following forced lines:   

 The only way to prolong the resistance

was    Black resigns.  

1–0

20

Euwe, Max - Winter, William Nottingham Nottingham, 1936

Whoever sees no other aim in the game than that of giving checkmate to one's opponent will never become a good Chess player. Max Euwe 3) Central attack by e3–e4 advance This is the last approach that we are going to study in the present article. The e3–e4 advance has two basic ideas: provoke the move d5–d4, thus weakening the "c4" square and creating a backward pawn on "c5"- exchange the central pawns and create a weakness on "c5". Despite the abovementioned considerations, in comparison with b3–b4 advance, the move e3–e4 is much more risky. One of its main disadvantages comes from the fact that Black's light-squared bishop becomes very active. Also, White's central pawn break opens the "e"file along which Black could potentially generate a counterplay. Generally speaking, there are three cases in which the move

e3–e4 is advantageous for us: 1) we are ahead in development; 2) our pieces are more active and the opponent lacks coordination; 3) there are only few minor pieces on the board. I want to bring to your attention a game which perfectly illustrates all the basic ideas in this kind of positions.

The diagram position arose in the game Max Euwe - William Winter played in 1936 at the legendary Nottingham tournament. One look at the position suffices to understand that the former World Champion has the initiative. Being much more active, his pieces are ready to occupy attacking positions. At the same time, Black has serious coordination problems. His knight is very passive, while the opposition queen-rook along the "d" file is quite annoying. That's why current circumstances favour e3–e4 break. Before doing so, Euwe decides to further weaken hanging pawns by exchanging the light-squared bishops:  Black commits a serious mistake. As

it will become clear later, White could exploit the unprotected position of Black's light-squared bishop. Winter should have opted for the following typical position: 

21

 



Despite looking simple, the position on the board abounds in strategical ideas. Of course, White will try to increase his pressure against hanging pawns. At a suitable moment, he is prepared to execute the e3–e4 pawn advance. Also, the fact that two pairs of minor pieces are exchanged favours White. On the other hand, we should admit that with his last two moves Black has considerably improved his position. It should not be long before he finds the optimal positions for his rooks, which are already communicating very well. Black queen not only indirectly controls the important "e4" square, but at the same time has the potential to take part in a counter play along "b" file. What is the ideal arrangement of Black's pieces? Even though it's difficult to give a 100% valid answer, I will try to provide you with some guide lines. As I have already pointed out, black knight is rather passive on "d7". Generally, in positions with hanging pawns, the ideal square for black knight is "e6". From here it not only protects c5–pawn but at the same time prepares the advance d5–d4. That's the reason why Black is going to play moves like Rfd8 followed by Nf8– e6. Black's other rook could remain on "a8" in order to prepare the a7–a5–a4 advance.

This logical move can't be delayed anymore. Otherwise, Black will have enough time to consolidate his position.  Black makes another serious mistake.

First of all, Winter should have tried to activate his knight - only then could he consider ways to improve the coordination between his major pieces. Very often, chess players are inclined to calculate variation instead of applying general chess principles. That's what Winter does in this game. Always try to activate your passive pieces. The critical position arises after  

 White loses a valuable time? There is no

point in chasing Black's bishop from his unstable position. As White is better developed and his pieces are more active, he should have opted for the typical Tactical complications work in White's favour. For example:

22

We have reached a typical position which often arises after e3–e4 advance. Let's try to evaluate this complicated situation. From a statical point of view, White's advantage due to his better pawn structure is obvious while c5–pawn is a weakness. The importance of this statical advantage will increase in the endgame. Nevertheless, this position is rich in dynamic resources. Black's light-squared bishop rules along the long diagonal, while his centralized knight could easily jump to "f4" from where it can create some threats against white king. Also, we shouldn't underestimate the importance of the open "e" file where white queen is placed rather uncomfortably. Another dynamic resource for Black is based on the maneuver . Taking into consideration all of the above mentioned constatations, we could say that this position is rather balanced.

After this energetic move, White is winning. For instance:    



Another try was When analysing this position, I have discovered the following interesting line which leads to a perpetual:   White

is planning to sacrifice his rook on "g6". Black starts his counterplay at the right moment.    with perpetual.

 

 White doesn't seize his chance for a huge

advantage. He should have played ! with the following variations: (The move loses material because of the following nice maneuver: It looks like Black has managed to consolidate the situation in the center. However, White has an unpleasant surprise:  

 This is a blunder after which White is winning on the spot. White's initiative could have been neutralized by means of  Despite eliminating White's direct threats, the move  doesn't solve Black's problems. The reader already knows that every exchange increases the importance of Black's static weaknesses.  If  then  

1–0

23

Dragon Variation- part 5

 

Dragon -  GM Nikolai Ninov

Just like in the variation with , Black should start with instead of  Now Black encounters some problems with the development of his knight. For example, the move could be met by  After possible exchange of the queen, White has an advantage because of his better pawn structure. 

Dear Readers, This is our last article on the Sicilian Dragon. This time we are going to focus mainly on variations where White's light-squared bishop goes to "g2". Towards the end of the present article, I am going to bring to your attention an interesting line where White develops his bishop on "c4" but castles on the short side. All in good time, however. Let us begin with the bishop fianchetto:

This is the most natural continuation. Nevertheless, White could have tried to interrupt the development of black pieces. Let's take a look at a few tries:

24

 In such a situation,

the brave "a" pawn could easily become a weakness.; Relatively new idea is  Playable but risky is   

 

(Kramnik's recommendation  doesn't create big problems for Black. He should react with ! (but not ?!  As we already pointed out in our comments

White's initiative is so dangerous that even an excellent theoretician like P.H Nielsen didn't manage to neutralize White's initiative. ?! (It was necessary to fight for the long diagonal by means of  

  White is

winning completely, Vl. Onishchuk - P.H Nielsen, UAE, 2014.)  (good intermediate move) (Bad is

to move 6, this kind of endgames are favourable for White.)  ! And Black has overtaken the initiative

in

Adams

-

Kramnik.

After

   Their advantage was already decisive.;   

  Vl. Onishchuk -

Miroshnichenko,

E,

2014)

   

 In this position, White's most popular

move is

 The move ?! seems less appropriate,

because the queen could be attacked by means of the energetic  With an approximately equal position, Kudrin -

25

Tal, 1984. Black is ready to make use of the semiopen "e" file, while White encounters difficulties in advancing his pawns on the queenside.  

Black is fighting for the control over the "c" file by using the important outpost on "c4". The move  doesn't stop White's typical plan  Nevertheless, Black can start preparing the e7–e5 advance by means of 



White decides to launch a kingside attack which is not justified. (White should have blockaded the pawn on "d6" by means of )  ?! By going for this concession, White admits that his plan is wrong. (White should have perhaps tried to exchange pieces in order to neutralize Black's growing initiative  White' s idea is to make a draw by exchanging all the pawns on the queenside. For example, if Black goes for ! he must be careful and find the precise   with an equality)  ?? After this move, Black is winning. (After    Black has reasonable chances to realize his extra pawn.)  

White resigns because he is losing material. Inkiov - Marholev, 1993 Let's examine one game that perfectly illustrates the possible ideas in such pawn structures. 

26

 

equality:  b1)   

b2)  

b3) 

     

 

 In order to better understand the idea

behind Black's last move, we should take a look at White's standard reaction  Here Black has at his disposal a powerful resource. 



 As White can't execute the

typical , he encounters difficulties in the defence of the queenside. Makarichev - Svider. Dragon -   

For White is very difficult to save his knight on "d7". I provide you with some variations:  Maybe this is the best move. White is ready to sacrifice an exchange. a)  with a pawn up; b)  And White hasn't a clear route to the

 As we have already seen, the exchange of the knights favours Black. Generally, when our opponent has a spatial advantage, we try to exchange pieces. In such kind of positions, White

27

mostly tries to occupy "d5" square which is the perfect outpost for his knight. Very often, White tries to strengthen the position of his knight by moves like "a2–a4", "b2–b3", "c2–c4" followed by the  maneuver. Black has different reactions to this dangerous plan. I think that he should first prepare the exchange of the lightsquared bishops by means of  Played with the idea  followed by . Black forces his opponent to decide if he

wants to preserve his light-squared bishop. In the 90's, this was the favourite idea of GM Aleksander Delchev. He earned some great victories with

 And Black enjoys a comfortable position

after)   White is winning an

exchange.)  (Worse is  In the above mentioned game, Black followed by    And now, instead of accepting

the repetition, Black could have gone for a brilliant tactical operation:   Black's idea is based on the spectacular:  



Of course, Black could seek other ways to develop his bishop. For example:  In this position, White could pose some concrete problems by means of 

The

This position arised in the game Vallejo, Pons Panos, E, 1996. Black is behind in the development and encounters some difficulties. Let's see some possible variations:  ( (White misses the initiative after

threat

unstoppable.) 0–0–0 White has an obvious advantage.; Maybe  is slightly more precise.  The move  is rarely played but has better practical results. (Tempting looks 0–0 (The ambitious  Gives Black more than enough compensation for the missing exchange.)  With approximately equal play after  

is

!( ) 

28

 

 

In this position, White has tried 3 moves so far  and . Let's take a look at them:

White has managed to preserve his light-squared bishop but now it's difficult to castle.



a)  Khalifman, 2012;

Efimenko

-

b)  0–0!? ( is a typical reaction. Black wants to open the long diagonal for his bishop.)

  0–0  (An important tactical idea

could be seen in the following variation: 

With excellent play for Black.)  Black is ready to start action in the centre 

  With a comfortable play in Sharapov -

Tukhayev, 2009.;

Efimenko 2014; After the natural  The plan with ?! gives White the advantage. (Better was  with the idea b7–b5)  And White is close to his dream set-up.  (or followed by c4, Plesec - Murko, 2014  in the game Seyhanoglu - Baglan, 2014, Black gave preference to  =

Riazantsev,

  White is going to double his

rook along the "e" file and his pressure is tremendous. Note that in spite of Black's perfectly placed knight on "c5", he has no active play on the queenside.

In the game Chandler - Miles, 1981, White’s play was rather risky: After   White's strategy has worked after Black's mistake ? (Chandler should have played 

29



Preventing

the

move

)   The plan with  is rather passive  is possible  ! Narciso Dublan - Stets,   () , Salov -

Ivanchuk, 1994. Black enjoys a comfortable game.  Very much the same plan can be realized after  but Black doesn't have problems at all

  With the idea to double the rooks along

"d" file. Black has a huge advantage. Dragon variation-    

  Black

was better in, Belia - Moor, 1996.; In response to  Black could follow with the concrete   And here  

chances are preferable.

Black's

 Black goes for the pet line of

the legendary English GM Anthony Miles.  Despite the fact that this move worked

well for Short in two of his games, it's difficult to accept that White has an advantage in this position. Note that white king is still in the centre! Let's follow the game Short - Mestel, played in Hastings 1982/1983. 

Black played the same way he did in the variation with . In this move order, he doesn't experience any problems. Let's see an example:    With

balanced position in Di Paolo - Gashe, 2006. The game continued:    

 

And here, instead of , Black has at his disposal the powerful  

30







 With a dangerous initiative for the missing

exchange. For example:     

b) The standard idea  is playable but Black needs to be very careful. White can play  or go for a break in the center.  A dangerous continuation. Now Black must find the following forced sequence: 

Black

serious problems.)  With mutual chances. A similar position was already examined in Issue 3. The key difference is that in our previous article, white dark-squared bishop was already placed on "e3". Let's see Black's options: (If White tries to increase his control over the center by  Black could react with  (Interesting developments took place in the game Cararo Beso, 2014. The game continued   The pawn on "d5" is a

weakness. Black could attack this pawn in a very interesting way. For example, after  He can go for the following amazing maneuver:   And Black won

the central pawn and the game This is the main a)  This move is one of the most popular of Black's options. However, in this concrete position, White has at his disposal the following idea  This is the main finesse of White's move order. The bishop goes to "g5" in one move. The game can continue:

has

 ( transposes to the position that was

already examined in Part 3)  and after  Black could follow by the typical  !; Another interesting option for White is  A solid move. White is planning to prepare the move  by means of   In order to make our reader's task easier, in my articles on Dragon, I always recommend the move  when white knight leaves the centre or is being exchanged. In any case, there are enough alternatives to make this the subject of an entire book.  (Now  is less effective  Nb4 Once the knight on "b3" has been exchanged, it would be good to place our knight on "b4". Otherwise White could follow up with   At a suitable moment, Black is ready to open the centre by "d6–d5".)  Black has managed to carry out this typical break in the centre. The critical position arises after  And now consistent is   (White shouldn't provide his opponent with additional resources. Wrong is for example  Black has the initiative.)

  

31







Black is at least equal in this position, because his pieces are very active, while the pawn on "c2" vulnerable. Let's have a look at some concrete variations:  a)  b) 

We are already familiar with this typical tactical idea. A decent alternative is   And Black can rely on his pawn majority in the center. 

Also

good

is

the

intermediate

c) 



 

  Now it's time to make use of the

d)  e) allows the effective  

Black is going to win a pawn. He has an obvious advantage in this position. 

(If Black is fighting for something more than a draw, he could go for  

long diagonal: , Silva Kamejo, 1988   With a huge

compensation for the sacrificed exchange.  Black has no problems in

this endgame.

  With

exchanges

and

full

equality

after

 

32

Zhao Zong Yuan (2579) - Wei Yi (2604) Chinese Teams 2013 Tianjin CHN (22.4), 24.12.2013

Sometimes, White gives preference to  which leads to transposition to the main line after  Nevertheless, Black could have played  with the idea "b7– b5" followed by  and . In this case, Black's position is very flexible. 

  is possible here. Nevertheless, Black

should take into consideration the fact that in the fight for the centre, the move  is much more useful than  Here is a fresh example:  (Black often plays but after  

Wei Yi At the end of our series on Dragon, we are going to examine the move  followed by 0–0. 

 Black should avoid the move 

because of 

White's initiative shouldn't be underestimated. I bring to you attention two victories of the English grandmaster Emms: 



It's difficult to say that Black is in trouble here but there are is no point in studying additional information.

Black's weakness on "a6" has decided the outcome of the game, Emms - Trent, 2002

33

  

 

   White has a tremendous pressure, Emms - Mestel, 1997.)  A suspicious idea.

Generally, we should avoid the combination "g7– g6" and "e7–e6".   In addition to the weak pawn on "d6", White has managed to create an annoying pin along the "h2–b8" diagonal.    White has managed to

convert his material advantage in the game Solodovnichenko - Hauge, Oslo, 2014.

 The alternative  illustrates one of the

subtleties of White's move order. White is ready to play the standard Bf1 while the central break "d6–d5" is impossible. Maybe, Black should play  If  then    In the game Zagratsky - Afek, White followed with  and here, instead of the antipositional ?! which takes the "e5" square from the knight and at the same time kills the bishop on "g7" (Black should have played  overprotecting the "e6" pawn which controls the key "d5" square. Later, Black can go for a maneuver like  The move  is well met by  ! With favourable complications for Black.); The straightforward  doesn't pose problems for Black. Good option is  followed by and .



Again, the bishop goes to its normal position. As demonstrated in the game Grozpeter - Kan, 1999, this move is justified from a tactical point of view. The game continued with   

 Like in most Dragon variation cases,

Black tries to exchange a pair of knights. In the game Kveynis - Migo, 2014, he proceeded with normal developing moves but didn't manage to go out of the opening after:

   A quiet and beautiful continuation of the attack.     

Black has very comfortable position. "d5" square is under control and Black's dark-squared bishop has no opponent along the long diagonal. With this nice position, we finish our series on Dragon. I wish you a lot of success in your own games! 1–0

34

Grandmaster Repertoire against

 

1.d4 – Part 1 GM Boris Chatalbashev



When building an opening repertoire many players (myself included) prefer slightly off-beat and rare variations. Especially when they do not have the time to study the latest trends in modern lines. Besides, such an approach may bring practical advantages, as it is likely that the opponent may not be too well-versed in those rare openings. But what to choose? Most gambits do not have good reputation, and rightly so; other rare openings like Classic Benoni, for example, are known to lead to a passive play. To our readers I offer a variation that has served me well for many years, being solid enough, but far from passive. There is no official name for it, although in chess literature it is often referred to as 'Reluctant Benoni' or 'Late Benoni'. You should not be put off by the rather unimpressive name – at least as long as it yields impressive results: 

This is the normal set-up and move order, though other move orders are also possible. It all depends on what you expect from your opponent. If he likes to play  aiming for transposition into English Opening, then even  might be a good move to start with. Also  is common enough, but here White has the option of going for Maroczy with  We will deal with the differences in the game section. That's

how Black develops in Reluctant Benoni - he goes for fianchetto, then d7–d6 and castles, leaving e7–e6 and eventual e6xd5 (sometimes it is even e6–e5) for last. This opening might be very useful for people who already have experience with King's Indian or Modern Benoni as it bears many similarities to both. Even in Benko Gambit might be useful, though here we rarely go for early pawn sacrifices. Obviously the main move. I consider the

alternatives rather harmless, even though  and  was analyzed in Boris Avrukh's fine book about  and  normally lead to transpositions into Four Pawns Attack and Saemisch King's Indian, respectively. To both these variations Modern Benoni set-ups (with c7–c5) are considered as very good choices. 

35

Other possibilities for White include  and  - Averbakh variation or  and  One might ask oneself - if so many transpositions can happen, why not play just Modern Benoni  ? First, that opening conceals some

very dangerous lines for Black - like the sharp  or the positional  which has become quite popular in grandmaster games, and Black is still searching for ways to deal with it...These lines normally require a considerable amount of knowledge, as Black should know exactly what he is doing move by move. On the contrary - Reluctant Benoni requires less concrete knowledge, it is more about plans and positional nuances. And if someone is that afraid of Saemisch or Averbakh, we may try to avoid even that by move order (more in the game section). So here is the main advantage of Reluctant Benoni – it is very flexible, allowing us, when preparing for a certain opponent, to choose just the line and move order to throw him out of his favorite positions. And the negatives? Of course there are some, there is hardly a perfect opening. Here it is mainly the fact, that White may meet future e6xd5 with e4xd5. In such positions Black is normally solid, but playing for a win is quite problematic.

This position is the main one, from my experience I can say that it occurs in about 50% of the games played in this opening. Unlike some other authors, I shall start with the main and most dangerous line, so the readers can decide right from the beginning if they like the variation or not :) Generally, of course, it is more suitable for players that like complicated, dynamic positions. Chapter I : Main Line  If White decides not to spend time

on h2–h3, then the resulting positions are rather dry, neither side has big chances for a win...  (Worse is  In Modern Benoni structures exchange of white-squared bishop is almost always favourable for Black.)

   Mrva,M

(2445)-Chatalbashev,B (2535) Krynica 1998 

Here White can choose  which is

more restrained and not very ambitious.  

The key move that I like the most. Black's idea is, after the knight comes to c7, to threat taking on d5 and no matter how White responds- exd5 or cxd5 - answer it with b7–b5. And if White decides not to allow this and play a2–a4, then we close

36

the position with e6–e5, receiving a favourable kind of King's Indian. In that case, yes, we have lost a tempo, but typical play on the queenside with a3 and b4 for White is now impossible. Obviously in such positions a2–a4 is not a good move, the square b4 might be of some use for Black later. The reason this is the main line against Black's set-up goes back to the huge influence Botvinnik had in his time (and not only!) - he proved that   favours White.

The most natural move, and as it often

happens in chess, probably the best one, too. Some years ago 

Safer is  (

 with huge complications  ( might be best  ( )  ( ) ) 



was considered dangerous for Black. Not any more, because of the pawn sacrifice typical for many Benoni positions - b7–b5! Here it is surely justified, as White has not castled yet. It is a semiforced line though, so it requires some memory. The good news - it is the only such line, all the others can be handled just by intuition and understanding.   



 Blagojevic,D

(2528)-Chatalbashev,B (2561) Zagreb 2010)  Borovikov,V

(2585)-Chatalbashev,B (2561) Bad Liebenzell 2010)

37

 

  Georgiev,K (2669)-

Chatalbashev,B (2555) Blagoevgrad 2010;  

     

White is slightly better, but the max. he can achieve is some ending 3 against 2 pawns on the kingside. Trying for more might result in

     Georgiev,K (2671)-

Ivanisevic,I (2664) Subotica 2008 CBM 126 Extra

is rarely played in that position. Black has weak pawn on d6, but d4 square is also weak. The knight maneuvers  and  are typical ways of trying to exploit those weaknesses.  orand  ()  



is harmless 

0–1 (52) Odendahl,S (2400)-Quinteros,M (2515) Lone Pine 1980

 

38

 Black is ready to take on d5 with b7–b5

next. White has several options now - he may take on e6, he may prevent the threat by playing a2–a4 or he may ignore it. In the last case, the big question how to take on d5 - ed5 or cd5. As you will see in the game section, many prefer to make this decision now - according to the type of positions they like. However, the best move is to postpone it and play  first, protecting e4 pawn - 

is not working immediately for Black as after  he can not take on e4.

hardly decide the game, but which of the two moves is better? Practical advice - when preparing for a certain opponent, it is good to make a mental note of not only which moves he likes in the opening, but also of his favourite type of positions. That way you may guess his next move(s) and make a choice accordingly. Milchev,Nikolay (2348) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2541) BUL-ch 71st Pernik (4), 12.03.2007

 

Chapter 1A: Plan with a2–a4

 The idea is clear - to put pressure on e4 pawn. Generally this is all the theory we need to know. From now on both sides usually have a huge choice of moves, which is normal - note that not a single pawn is exchanged yet! And the most important thing here are the plans and ideas let's see how they are handled in practice.

 Some other good examples of typical King's

Indian play. In this opening engines quite often estimate the positions to be in White's favour. However, do not let that bother you - Nakamura once said that computers really understand nothing about King's Indian! And it is true!  

Another way of supporting b7–b5 is  Here, in case of the most common reaction -  after , Black's other rook is better placed on f8, rather than on e8. The reason being that sooner or later f7–f5 will follow, which is the typical way of playing King's Indian - starting the attack on the kingside. But in the plan which involves ignoring b7–b5,  is more useful than  So it is really a subtle thing that will

39



   

 

Lputian,S (2540)-Milos,G (2510) Palma de Mallorca 1989)          Lazarev,V (2450)-

Chatalbashev,B (2535) Bourbon Lancy 1998  



Generally, in similar positions, it is preferable to take with a pawn. But in our variation with the knight already on b4, taking with the bishop gives some tactical ideas. Here Black was not afraid that he might lose a piece; with such an activity it is logical there is some tactical resource in his favour!

  



...

0–1

40

Tyomkin,Dimitri (2516) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2522) Verona op Verona (6), 05.01.2000

0–1 Porper,E-Smirin,I/Israel 1996/CBM 52 ext (61)

The same structure arose in my game against the strong grandmaster Dmitri Tyomkin.

Bb1. Otherwise, his rook on "a1" will remain out of play.

 White intends to meet the move Nb4 by

 g1–e2 

In the position on the diagram, White played  which was met by  In this game, I have decided to adopt the

plan we are already familiar with: when White plays a2–a4, we close the center by means of e6– e5 followed by the maneuver ,  Even though Black's

last move looks logical, we must admit that it has some obvious drawbacks. Firstly, in order to reach "b4" square, black knight loses two tempi which are important, despite the closed character of the position. Moreover, in some positions, if it's not supported by other pieces, the knight will remain out of play. Some grandmasters prefer to launch an attack on the kingside, without losing any additional time. For example, in one of his games, the Israeli GM Ilia Smirin gave preference to the move  White has no compensation for the weakened kingside.

White is weakening his kingside without any particular reason. It's interesting to mention that in his comments to the game, Tyomkin explains the result of the current game by his insufficient understanding of that kind of positions. Such a comment perfectly illustrates the practical value of our weapon.    Maybe the reader has already noticed

that in such kind of positions, I am inclined to take on "f5" with the bishop. In this case, I decided to play in this way in order to eliminate the dangerous opposition along "b1–h7" diagonal. 

 This is already a dubious move. White

hasn't enough resources to keep the control over "e4" square.  

41

 Exchanges don't help White, either.

 

Black has the initiative because of the weakened light-squares in White's camp.

In this position, Black is winning by using a small tactical operation – namely, letting Black gain a pawn on c4.

After 

   

 

 ...

After this typical pawn break, Black has overwhelming initiative. He is planning to open "b" file and activate his queen's rook. White's position is already very difficult.

0–1

  

42

Arnaudov,Petar G (2449) Chatalbashev,Boris (2571) Albena op Albena (5), 24.06.2009



Chapter 1B: Plan with dxe6. Here Black must always have in mind the maneuver Nd7–e5, fighting for d4 square, which, as this game shows, is sometimes more important than the weak pawn on d6!  

 

(I could have

continued like in the main game  (But somehow this bothered me  was not an easy decision, though after  White's advantage must be just tiny.)  with good play)  This sacrifice is not working well here, the piece on d4 square is immediately exchanged.  



  Andreikin,D (2700)-

Chatalbashev,B (2550) Struga 2012)

43

As

the rook is already placed on b8, this is the most logical plan.

   Dreev,A

(2615)-Damljanovic,B (2515) Manila 1990 CBM 019 [Stohl] 

    Gladyszev,O

(2440)-Chatalbashev,B (2546) France 2004 

 Right timing.

  with 

idea

      

0–1 Yakovich,Yuri (2534) - Marin,Mihail (2604) Gothenburg Cup Gothenburg (7), 2001

After the exchange of the white-squared bishop, no matter for which piece, White will be left with his good one, compared to the rather grimlooking Black bishop on g7.)   

Chapter 1C: White allows b7–b5. This is a dangerous option, especially if it is followed by

44

exd5 - as the game here shows. It is important to note the set-up with , . The position is semi-closed and Black can afford to stay passive for a few moves before regrouping.



 The idea of White's  is after  and eventual

attacked.

d1–d2

h6 will be

 This regrouping of the pieces looks better if we include  first, so  from the line above is not a strong option.  Then apart from the standard counter play with a5–a4, Black may also think about  It is important to know that f7–f5, gaining space on the kingside, is logical only when White can not make a good use of e6 square, for example if his knight on e2 has gone already to g3, or the bishop is on f4, preventing his own knight from jumping there. Generally yes, for the moment our position is a little passive, but White can hardly exploit the fact.

Bad is  in view of  or)  



This is a serious mistake. Now Black's kingside is completely weakened.  

  

Beautiful move! This move allows White not only to create concrete threats on the kingside but also to make use of the opposition along the "b1– h7" diagonal.  

White has converted his advantage without any difficulties. 1–0

45

Cvitan,Ognjen (2501) - Smirnov,Artem (2440) Split op 1st Split (8), 12.08.2011

 I like better the immediate b5–b4. Still, the game

is important, as White could also have played a2–a3 earlier, when similar positions arise.    Some other tactical possibilities

- 

  

  



Finally, we will deal with a Modern Benoni type of position that comes after White chooses  The fact that we manage b7–b5 is certainly an achievement, but it is not so simple. The knight on c7 stands passive, though his defensive role is also important. Apart from protecting on b5, e4–e5 is also discouraged by the hanging d5 pawn. Still, as we will see in the games, Black gets good play when we activate it - either to c5 or after b5–b4 - to b5. 

  with idea        Berczes,D (2520)-Sale,S (2400) Sibenik 2010



       

  

Conclusion: In the Main Line, the only plan, in my opinion, that poses problems for Black, is the one allowing b7–b5. Surprisingly, it is not White's most frequent choice, as most players go for a2–a4. But even if it happens - we are now well-prepared and not afraid! ½

46

Endgame Series – Part 5 GM Davorin Kuljasevic

"This is one of those sacrifices that an experienced master does not calculate until the very end, but plays partly by intuition as he knows that kingside pawns must break their way through." Alekhine,Alexander - Flohr,Salo Nottingham Nottingham (1), 10.08.1936

Hello Dear Chess Friends! Now that theoretical material on connected pawns has been covered (see previous issue), let's look at how grandmasters treat such endgames in practice. Alexander Alekhine, the fourth world champion, made a very insightful comment about connected pawns in relation to one of his moves in the game against grandmaster Flohr:

Alekhine, with white pieces, being a pawn up, is at the stage where he needs to find the best way of converting his advantage. Bxd5 looks good enough, but the ex-world champion finds an even more convincing way:  

47

was certainly a

variation in which Alekhine had to take his calculation until the end:

 

 and

White wins. This breakthrough is at the core of White's

previous exchange sacrifice.  

 with g6–g7 to follow, Black resigned. 1–0 Grischuk,Alexander (2710) - Shirov,Alexei (2720) Moscow Tal Memorial 1st Moscow (7), 14.11.2006 White's two passers, supported by the longranging bishop, prove to be unstoppable. Alekhine points out that  fails to

stop because of  (Alekhine); Neither does Black survive the pawn race:  

 The final touch. f5–f6

can not be prevented.   is just as

hopeless.   

In the next example we can see a true endgame masterpiece by one of the strongest contemporary players (and the current World blitz champion!), Alexander Grischuk.

48

to give up the piece for three pawns, the concept that could save the game." 

 

Nominally speaking, the material is equal. However, White's army of connected pawns is much more potent than Black’s extra piece. Grischuk masterfully proceeds to transform the potential energy of his pawns into kinetic one.  A slight, but almost a

decisive mistake already. Shirov aims to challenge the white knight on c5 from e6, but his priority should have been blocking the passed pawns. Therefore 26...Ne5 was called for - controlling the c4 square, thus making it more difficult for White to push his central pawns forward. For example,  blocks both a- and cpawns and Black is OK. Grandmaster Ftacnik comments: "The refusal to exchange the knight looks like a wise decision. White will then advance his pawns and two enemy pieces will be suffering from the lack of maneuvering space." 

 just postpones the inevitable.  prepares  anyway.



A sight to behold. White has 5 connected pawns lined up for the final offensive. We have seen in the previous examples that once connected pawns cross the middle of the board, it becomes very difficult for light pieces to stop them. Grischuk's prophylactic play is textbook. He patiently builds up his position, avoiding all of Shirov's tricks. 

 would again allow the defender to sacrifice

a piece for connected pawns and reach an acceptable position. 

 Not a very aesthetic move.

Black's troubles will now be compounded by the bad position of his knight.

 seems better, but White nevertheless starts pushing the pawns.  and

Black's position looks miserable.

 Ftacnik correctly points out:

"White has to play very carefully. The immediate advance of the d pawn would give Black a chance

49

 

"Three connected passed pawns can be stronger than a rook. In case of the piece swap the knight from f2 would certainly not be able to match them." 

 Now Black loses the last defender of the

queenside. Grischuk's technique in the last part of the game is impeccable.

 Using the deflection motive to

launch the first passed pawn

and avoiding the last trap and White suddenly loses his c-pawn. 

The pawns start rolling.

  is a technically winning endgame.

 Ftacnik: "Due to

 The only move.

the knight at the edge of the board the defender can not realistically think about giving up the bishop for two pawns."      

[It is amazing how harmoniously white pieces defend each other. 

 The second one is ready to go.

And here Shirov resigned due to the forced variation:  





The winning move.  An important insight from Ftacnik:

and black pieces would finally have to admit the defeat against the connected passed pawns. A beautiful game! 1–0

50

Peshina - Butnorius Riga, 1975. To an untrained eye, it might seem that White should be easily winning with his "extra" rook, but it is actually he who is on a verge of losing!  This passive retreat is already a

losing mistake!

White could hold a draw with very exact tempo play:  (Giving up the c4 pawn  is not advisable for Black since he is not fast enough with his pawns  ) and now White draws by using the

familiar technique of attacking the most advanced pawn:  (If Black pushes the e-pawn first  then White has just enough time to bring his king to the center:  and now the best seems  (Black could try playing fast with his king:   but the resulting position is drawn. For example: 

e- and f- pawn duo. Neither of them can move.  (The attempt with f-pawn  leads to nothing but a draw after   and here White can relax as his

king is close enough, which allows him to hold the perpetual check with:   etc.  Putting the wrong foot forward.

Black should push the most advanced pawn:   and with White’s rook tied down on the kingside and pawn majority on the queenside, Black should be winning.  The comedy of errors continues, but this

time there is no coming back. In relation to the previous comment, 

  allows the blockade  and now

the key move  nullifies Black's queenside majority, so the position is drawn after 



was called for, stopping the h pawn from reaching h4 for the time being.   and White achieves just enough counterplay for a draw. For example:   (But not 

  Again attacking the most advanced of the

 and now the exciting pawn race   ends with a boring result!

51

 Black's pawns finally started

rolling.

The domination of pawns over the rook is clearly visible. The rest is simple.

 White's play is too slow and lacking any

defensive strategy. He allows Black's pawns to get way too far. It was still better to stop the h-pawn with i  leaves White defenceless against the pawns.)   

  Breaking the blockade.    And White resigned in a completely lost

position. Miler - Velmander Izzevsk, 1949. Sometimes even two rooks have practical problems fighting the connected passed pawns. The following game featured a striking rook sacrifice for the sake of creating connected passed pawns.

and now Black needs to find  which is the only winning move.  and White will be stretched on both sides of the board.   and with his king on the first rank, White is clearly unable to oppose Black’s army.   

In a very sticky situation, Black finds an amazing resource: 

A

shocking

sacrifice!

52



both sides promoted queens, which is definitely something that favors White. He wins after  etc.; b)  King in the endgame!  and Black's pawns have been immobilized, so White wins.; c)  (In this variation, we can see that White unnecessarily went for the a-pawn in the game. He would have had plenty of time to stop it if it had gone forward:  and if  White notices that black king is in trouble:



  

How to assess this position? Winning for the rooks or drawn? Losing perhaps? One thing is for sure, both sides will have to play very accurately and every move will count.  By needlessly going for the a-pawn White

basically agrees to a peaceful outcome.

The critical move was the brave ! as now White too will have his horse for the races - the gpawn. Black has many options now, but in all of them White is just in time to stop the queenside pawns and win thanks to his g-pawn.  

a)  and White has another passer.  

and here White wins only with the help of his king   and again White’s king is there to help his rooks:   wins the a-pawn and the game.)    

53

in the end White wins thanks to his passed pawn.   Black overestimates the strength of his passed

pawns. It was the right time to liquidate into a drawn endgame with:   







Giving up the rook for two dangerous passed pawns is as good a trade as any.  This endgame would be drawn if black king was on g7. But here it is miles away from this safe haven.  (or  Cutting the king across the fifth rank as it is essential that it does not reach g7.  Zugzwang.  and White gradually

wins.)

   puts Black in zugzwang

and he loses his last pawn.   White misses his last chance to win the



game. 

a) Because fails to  

b)  and Black is in zugzwang  

 and white king will

soon reach f6 square.; 

 Black eventually got the new queen, but the presence of two rooks makes it nearly impossible for either side to win, so draw was agreed ½

54

Kacheishvili,Giorgi (2583) - Shankland, Samuel L (2498) USA tt ICC INT (8), 11.10.2010 As we could see, White could only win this endgame by involving his king in the fight against the passed pawns. The role of the king in the endgame is the second important topic we will devote our time to in the following issues. In modern chess, one has to bear in mind that the theory has evolved so much that certain opening lines lead directly into the endgame. The Berlin wall defense is perhaps the most famous one these days. When we are talking about connected passed pawns, the following line of Slav defense is the first that comes to mind:   

In the resulting position Black has three pawns for the sacrificed piece, which is usually a decent compensation in this line. With the next impatient move, White makes this compensation even more tangible by connecting Black’s pawns in the center.  It was better to keep the tension with

either 

 Black correctly

plays for the pawn majority in the center

and doesn't go for the low-hanging fruit: 

 

Here Black exploits certain tactical features of the position to sacrifice the piece for the initiative:    

Connected pawns in the center look impressive.

55

Black has full compensation for the sacrificed piece.

 

   Exchanging pieces usually favors the

side with passed pawns.  was better.

 This very passive move can not

be good. White is losing the thread of the game.

Of course  would be even more helpful to Black's cause. However,  would keep the game dynamically balanced. 

would still give White some hopes of achieving a draw by virtue of sacrificing a piece for connected pawns, as we have seen in the theoretical discussion.  Now Black is simply winning thanks to

his powerful pawns and centralized king.   

The

piece

sacrifice

was White’s last practical

chance

to

achieve

a



draw.



Black activates his king at the right moment. A number of strange decisions of GM Kacheishvili leads us to believe that he might have been in serious time trouble. 

followed by  would keep Black busy with

defending b6 pawn, making it more difficult to focus on pushing his central mass.

 56

puts

White in zugzwang (while  loses to   is similar to the game.

as

 An excellent decision by Shankland.

After the exchange of knights black king gets access to f2 and supports the passed pawns.  

leads to

the same result. This double-edged endgame appeared in the last Olympiad in the game between Brazilian GM Mekhitarian and Dutch GM L'ami. Four passed pawns on one flank is a rare occurrence and it is only natural that even GMs have difficulties in correctly assessing such unbalanced positions. Objectively speaking, Black does hold an initiative, especially after the next move:

 



threatening to completely shut down white rooks with .  Preparing to sacrifice the bishop on c3.

 and Black inevitably promotes the pawn in two moves, so White resigned. 0–1

The other sacrifice:   is less promising for White as he is not in time to block black pawns (for example, by putting his king to b3) Forcing the bishop off the diagonal a3– f8. (doesn't get White anywhere.) ( is premature because of and weak back rank will cost Black.)  

Mekhitarian,K (2568) - L'Ami,E (2631) 41st Olympiad Open 2014 Tromso NOR (8.9), 10.08.2014 As a conclusion to this vast and interesting topic, we present a very recent example from grandmaster practice where connected passed pawns prevailed on both sides of the board!

57

keeps

the

initiative in Black's hands  correctly putting the pawns on the color opposite of white bishop.  White's life would not be easy with permanent threats of pawn promotion.



Mekhitarian perhaps overestimated his position at this point or missed something in his calculation. 

It was wiser to go for move repetition with  (as  allows Black to sacrifice his bishop for two pawns   leaving Black with a shattered queenside. Winning chances would definitely be with White.)  On the other hand,  

 This is the point – Black can not defend against the checkmate without giving up his knight. 

A

very

subtle

decision had to be made here. Better was  allowing Black to keep his h-pawn on the h-file, thus making it more difficult for white pieces to catch it should the g3 pawn fall (very likely). Black would then have 3 passed pawns on the kingside: g4, g7 and h7, which are more dangerous compared to g4, g7 and f7 (as in the game).  Quite an unnecessary

and time-wasting maneouvre. There was nothing wrong with taking the a-pawn immediately   

leaving two rooks to battle against rook and 4 advanced pawns would be quite an irresponsible decision as it is difficult to imagine a rook sacrifice which could equalize the game.



 ! White finds an excellent

resource in a tough situation.  leads to a lost pawn endgame by force after    etc.

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A very usual interference motif in endgames.  and compared to the game, White has extra tempi so his king gets in front of the pawns on time.  

What a nightmare for White! Just when he got rid of all queenside pawns, he has to deal with a pawn mass on the other side of the board. What is worse, his piece co-ordination is terrible so he is not able to block the g-pawn.  This precise

move wins the game. White can't improve his position without allowing Black to promote the pawn, whereas Black's winning plan is to simply march his king and pawns down the board. If  then  wins.  

 Another time-wasting move that is difficult to understand. White should have played actively:  (Black can not use the pin along the third rank well, for example:   draws.) 

with a drawn endgame, similar to what we have seen in the theoretical part. 

 White will win the b-pawn,

but he is several tempi short of reaching the drawn setup.  Now there is no time for  because of  and Black wins.

 The resulting rook endgame with two connected pawns is technically winning for Black.   



Dear chess friend, we hope you enjoyed the presented material and that you will successfully apply it in your games. As the ancient Romans used to say, „repetition is the mother of learning“, so we encourage you to review the material on connected passed pawns in the „Test yourself “ section!



0–1

59

Puzzle 1

Puzzle 3

Black to move and win. Black to move and win.

Puzzle 4

Puzzle 2

Black to move and win. Puzzle 5

Black to move and draw.

Black to move and draw.

60