Chesscafe Puzzle Book 3: Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill

The

ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill by

Karsten Muller and

Merijn van Delft

2010 Russell Enterprises, Inc. Milford, CT USA

Table of Contents

Signs and Symbols

6

Introduction

7

1. Principles and Methods of the Defender la) Chess is not Checkers 1b) Intennediate Moves 1c) Calculate to the End 1d) The Elimination Method 1e) Prophylaxis If) Structural Weaknesses Ig) Do Not Panic Ih) "Being" instead of "Doing"

9 10

12 13 14 16 17

19

2. Defending against an Attack on the King

2a) Counterattack

26

2b) Exchange Attacking Potential

29

2c) Bringing in More Defenders 2d) A Spanner in the Works

33 36

2e) Evacuating the King from the Danger Zone

38

2f) Destroying the Hannony of the Attacking Army

39

2g) Closing Inroads 2h) The King as an Important Defender

42 44

3. Fighting against the Initiative

3a) Counterplay 3b) Tactical Defense 3c) Wresting the Initiative from the Opponent

46 48 51

3d) Neutralizing the Initiative

54

The

ChessC~fe

Puzzle Book 3

4. Perpetual Check

57

5. Stalemate 5a) In the Endgame

60

5al) Second-rank Defense: Rook+Bishop vs. Rook

60

5a2) Bishop versus Rook

61

5a3) Queen versus Rook

63

5b) In the Middlegame

64

6. The Right Exchange 6a) A Very Problematic Rule of Thumb

66

6b) Exchanging Pieces and Changing the Character of the Position

68

6c) An Active Rook Should Be Exchanged

70

6d) A Rook Fighting a Minor Piece Welcomes Exchanges

70

7. Exchange Sacrifices 7a) Russian Exchange Sacrifices

76

7b)B\ockade

79

7c) Opposite-color Bishops

80

7d) A Strong Unopposed Bishop

83

7e) The Initiative

86

7f) Typical Exchange Sacrifices 7fl) The Sicilian Exchange Sacrifice

89

7f2) The French Exchange Sacrifice

91

8. Defense against a Minority Attack 8a) White's Objectives

95

8b) Defensive Motifs against the Minority Attack

97

4

9. Defending Inferior Endgames 9a) Activate the Rook

lO3

9b) The Defender Exchanges Pawns

lO7

9c) The Mighty Passed Pawn

lO9

9d) Fortresses

112

10. The Great Tigran Petrosian

117

11. Easy Exercises

124

12. Tests

131

Solutions Chapter Exercises

164

Easy Exercises

186

Test Solutions

190

Bibliography

216

5

Introduction I just tried not to make my position worse - and. more importantly, not to make it better. World Champion Contender David Bronstein The book is finally ready! What you are holding in your hands is Part 3 of the ChessCafe Puzzle Book series. Originally this book was planned to come out a bit earlier; but since both authors have been involved with a multitude of chess projects, things have been somewhat delayed. In this regard (and at the risk of being viewed as immodest) we would like to take particular note of Karsten's bestseller, Bobby Fischer: The Career and Complete Games ofthe American World Champion, and Merijn's new book (co-authored with his father), Developing Chess Talent. Chess enthusiasts will find both of considerable interest and they should both be available at chess dealers worldwide. Both authors you say? The ChessCafe Puzzle Books I and 2 were written by Karsten Muller alone. But fans of the ChessCafe Puzzle Book series need not be worried: basically nothing has changed - you are still looking at a good old Karsten Muller product, since he was responsible for the selection of at least 90% of the positions and came up with the basic concept. The expected "who did what" question is easy to answer: Karsten focused on the variations and Merijn on the text. This should not be taken too literally, however. We both checked every move and every word in the book, and even switched roles at times, so it really was a coproduction. The underlying concept was that Karsten's mathematical background and Merijn's psychological background would complement each other nicely. While this should not be taken out of perspective either, we think it worked out well. That we both live in Hamburg, Germany was not essential, in view of modern communication options, but it also did not hurt. So what is this book about? As you may know the first book in this series was about tactics, and the second about strategy. This third book is about defense. It is in fact an area in which Karsten himself felt he could use some improvement. One of the best reasons for writing a book is because you would like to read it yourself. Defense is a special subject. Of course, we all like to attack and win. Who wants to be under pressure, defending, suffering and then lose? Nobody, naturally, but the first step is to realize that defending has many faces. If your opponent has played a desperate, incorrect piece sacrifice for instance, you may have no choice but to defend. And the reward is usually fitting: not just a draw, but a win. There are many more scenarios when coldblooded defense is rewarded with a full point. The world's strongest players are, without exception, phenomenal defenders and legendary fighters. That brings us to our next point: it is all about choosing the right mindset. You need to learn to enjoy defense, to take pleasure from putting up the most stubborn resistance possible. Chess is a game of mistakes; don't worry if something goes

7

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 wrong, just keep on fighting. A positive attitude is essential. Throughout this book, you will encounter positions that appear difficult to solve unless you have an optimistic approach. And that difficulty gets turned up a notch in a real game situation, as there is nobody tapping on your shoulder during the game motivating you to find an unexpected brilliant defensive move! There are two types of defenses - (a) "Heroic," i.e., saving lost positions; and (b) "Casual," i.e., basic defensive technique. Both are of vital importance. For the former you should have enough energy and mental strength to fight hard at the board to make the conversion of the winning advantage as difficult as possible for your opponent, while still enjoying yourself. We hope to give you reasons for this in the present volume by showing how tenacious defense is often rewarded. To be able to master this difficult art fully, you should know the basic defensive techniques and themes, and that is where we start. Principles like "Do not panic" and "unforced thinking" (sometimes also described by the phrase "Chess is not Checkers") playa significant role. If you violate them, then you may pay the price. Instead, you should keep a clear head, try to put the pressure on your opponent and try to enjoy the defensive task at hand. This does not mean, for example, trying to draw by making mass exchanges just for the sake of exchanging. This is not the way the game works. You end up assisting your opponent, and your opponent may sense that you are scared. The art of defense is connected more to concepts like prophylaxis, calm calculation, maintaining confidence and a clear head, as well as elimination (or removal) methods, counterattacking at the right moment and the exchange of attacking or winning potential. Because of the strong influence of computers, chess has become much more concrete and now players are willing to take higher risks when grabbing material. You should participate in this trend and improve your defensive skills and your confidence when playing passive positions. Of course, we all want to win attractive attacking games, but when this approach does not work or is not available, then adjust to the circumstances and defend. The best way to train your defensive skills is to play inferior positions against strong opponents and to analyze the games later. The next best is probably to study the concepts of defense and to solve a lot of exercises. And that is what this book is all about. A final word about the difficulty of the exercises: different readers will experience different degrees of difficulty for the same problems. Not to worry. Do not be concerned if you cannot solve an exercise, if you make mistakes or generally suffer through the solving process. It is not the test results but the training effort that counts and that will help you to become a stronger player. Good luck! Karsten Muller Merijn van Delft Hamburg, April 20 10 8

Chapter 1 Principles and Methods of the Defender 28.~e3

.llf4! and after 29.Axf4 ~xc5 a5 31..lld6 ~c3 32.~xa5 and the opposite-color bishops give White excellent chances for a draw. 25 ... ~xh2+ 26. 'it'fl Ac6! The bishop switches diagonals with deadly effect.

la) Chess is not Checkers

30.~a4

The first important principle of the defender is that you are not forced to take pieces as in checkers. Always have a fresh look at the position and consider your options. In the example below the legendary Garry Kasparov found himself in the unusual role of defender, as he is of course known for his irresistible attacks. He either miscalculated something, or maybe forgot about the "chess is not checkers" principle? 01.01 GKasparov (2775)V.Kramnik (2775) Dos Hermanas 1996 [BI

27.Ag5 The most stubborn defense would have been 27.~a5! forcing Black to find 27 ... Ac7!. 27 ... Ab5+ 28.~d3 ~e8! While Black brings his last piece into play, White is completely helpless although a rook up. 29.~a2 ~hl + There was even a forced mate available: 29 ... ~xd3+! 30.~xd3 (30:i!fxd3 '{;;1hl + 31.~e2 'liYel#) 30 ... '{;;1hl+ 31.~e2 '{;;1g2+ 32.'i&e3 ~xe4#. 30.~e2 Etxe4+ 31.~d2 ~g2+ 32.~cl ~xa2

33.Etxg3 ~al+ 34.~c2 ~c3+ 35.~bl ~d4 0-1 White resigned because of 36.Af6 Axd3+ 37.~a2 Abl +! and mate follows.

24 ... ~xf3! 25.~xf3? This automatic recapture is surprisingly a mistake. Kasparov had to think in an unforcing way and bring new forces to the defense: 25.~a2!! would have been a fantastic second rank defense. The prototype of this defense is a black queen on c7 in the Sicilian, taking care of defending the soft spots on g7 and h7. Black now has nothing better than 25 ... ~xfl + 26.~xfl 'liYxfl + 27.~xfl ~c8

In line with the "chess is not checkers" principle, you have to free yourself from stereotypical thinking. In the following example White was in a somewhat dogmatic positional thinking mode, whereas the position was asking for highly dynamic solutions. 9

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 33.Axc5!! dxc5 34.d6 and the strong dpawn combined with threats against the black king provide White with nice compensation for the piece, for example:

01.02 V.Shishkio (2463) A.Areshcheoko (2575) 73. UKR-ch Kharkov 2004 [W]

34 ... 4Je6 (34 ... 4Je8 35.d7 §a8 36.E:xe4! 4Jd6 37.§e6 §d3 38.4Jf6) 35.E:xe4 4Jf8 36.§e8 §f7 37AJf6. 29 ..• axb3 30.axb3 E!a3 3Vi~jlg2

29.E!ael? This is too slow. It seems that the knight must go to the beautiful blockading square e4. But there are no such forced automatisms in chess. Instead there is a big battle for the initiative going on. 29A~g4! would have been strong and only after 29 ... e4 is there is time for 30.§ael. The calm 30.E:abl also comes into consideration. Now after neutral moves, White can continue with the disturbing 4Jf6. If Black continues to attack on the queenside, a nasty surprise awaits:

31 ..• 8:xe3! Now it's Black who lands the first tactical blow. 32.E!xe3 bxc4 33.E!dl cxb3 34.4Je4 lclb5 The knight does an excellent job in defending both d6 and a3. 35.lcld2? The last chance for counterplay was 35.4Jxc5! dxc5 36.d6 4Jxd6 37.§xd6 since the direct 37 ... b2?! 38.E: xa3 bl'l!!f 39.E:a8+ ~f8 40.E:xf8+ ~g7 41.§ff6! only leads to a draw. 35 ... b2 36.Wf2 36.E:xa3 4Jxa3 37.4Jbl 4Jxbl 38.E:xbl e4 and Black is winning. 36 ... lclc3 37.Wel e4 38.lclb1lclxb1 0-1

30 ... axb3 31.axb3 bxc4 (31...lh3 32.Axc5!! dxc5 33.d6 is similar) 32.bxc4 §a4.

Ib) Intermediate Moves This principle logically follows from the previous one: always be on the lookout for intennediate moves. Both sides can at any point decide to interrupt a seemingly forced variation with an intermediate move (a/k/a a zwischenzug).

10

Principles and Methods of the Defender 01.03 J.Speelman (2597)P.Ricardi (2474) FIDE-weh k.o. Las Vegas 1999 (B]

01.04 S.Bromberger (2505) J.Timman (2565) Gennan Bundesliga 2006 [B)

28 ... Axh2+? Black couldn't resist the temptation to execute the classical double bishop sacrifice. Instead he should have settled for the modest 28 ... 'lil'e7 29.~xh2 -'ixg2 The standard procedure 29 ... 'lil'h4+ 30.~gl .llxg2 doesn't work because the rook is hanging. 30.E!dl! A strong zwischenzug. White refuses to be victim of Black's brilliant attacking play. 30.~xg2? only leads to a draw after 30... 'lil'g5+ 31.~f3 'lil'h5+ 32.~g3 while Black should stay clear of 32 ... .§e5? since after 33.~xf7+! all tactics neatly work in White's favor. 30 ... ~h4+ 31.~xg2 'l11Ig4+ 32.~f1 ~xc4+ 33.~el ~c3+ 34.E!d2 b5 Perhaps Black missed that 34 ... .§d8 is refuted by the strong 35.'lil'c21, 35.~b3 Now White simply is a piece lip. 35 ... ~al + 36.E!dl ~e537.Ab2'l111h238.~d5

30..•Axb2!? The intermediate move 30 ... iic3!? is met by 31..§e7! and now after 31...~xb2 White can take back with 32.~xb2! (In this case 32 ..llb5?? allows 32 ... 'lil'c1 #) 32 ....§xb7+ 33.'§xb7 and as Oliver Reeh has pointed out, Black can't win because of his imprisoned king. 31.Ab5! An intermediate move in both a timely and spatial sense. It not only interrupts the nice tactical flow of moves Black initiated, but also physically blocks the b-file. 31.'lil'xb2? loses to 31. .. .§xb2+ 32.~xb2 'lil'b4+. 31...Ad4 32. ~xb8+! The point ofWhite's previous move: an emergency exit into the ending. 32..•~xb8 33.E!e8+ ~xe8 34.Axe8 Axf2 35.h5 The endgame is easily drawn because of the presence of opposite-color bishops. 35 ••. -'ie3 36.c3 f2 37.Ab5 ~g8

~gl+ 39.~e2 ~g4+ 40.~f1 ~h3+

41. ~g2 ~f5 42. ~c6 ~h3+ 43.~e1 1-0

Ac5 41.Ac6 ~d6 42.Ab7 ~e5 43.Ac6 a5 44.a4 Ae3 45.Ab7 d4 46.cxd4+ Axd447.~f1 Y2""'ll

In the following fascinating example both sides have intermediate moves at their disposal.

A special kind of intermediate move is the desperado: a piece that will be lost anyway grabs some material along the way.

38.~c2 ~f8 39.~dl ~e7 40.~e2

11

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 01.05 A.MilesComputer Deep Thought Long Beach 1989 (B)

01.06 F.Va II ej0 Pons (2686)-

1 ... ~xe4 2 •.Q.xd8?! The stunning desperado 2.'li¥xh6!? would have been more tenacious: 2 ... gxh6 3.~xdB ~xf2 4.§hgl + ~h7 5 ..1.1.£6 (5.§xd6!? cxd6 6.Jlh4 is an interesting try to confuse the issue) even when 5 ... .§.gB! (5 ... M4+? 6.~c2 .\lg5 7.l£ld5I£lxdlB.Ad3+ <;tJgB 9.Axg5 hxg510 ..§.xg5+ <;tJhBl1..§.h5+ ~gB12 ..§.g5+=, Aagaard) 6 ..§.dfl §xgl 7 ..§.xgl §gB reduces White's attacking potential. 2 ... ~xd2 3 ..Q.xc7 .Q.xh2 4 ..Q.xh2 ~xc4 and Black went on to win.

27..§a5? When entering complications, you must be sure to calculate correctly, especially if you have safer alternatives in reserve, such as 27.§a4 .§.d8!? 2B.h3 (but not 28.~h4?? g5 29.'€¥xe4 [29.~g3 §d3 wins] 29 ... ~xf2+! mating) and 27.§a2. 27 ... Jl.xf2+ 28.'ltxf2 'ltxa5

~l(asparov(2804)

Linares 2005 (W)

29.~xe6

Ie) Calculate to the End A very important tactical device is to always calculate to the end. Even when it seems that the tactics are over, you have to look one step further. This takes a lot of discipline, but can be very rewarding. Of course, this principle is universal, but especially when on defense, there is little room for mistakes. A related psychological pitfall is when, under pressure, one tends to look for a forced draw. Blinded by the wish to end the game, one may forget to calculate to the end.

Vallejo probably stopped his calculations here and concluded that he had a draw. But Kasparov had seen one move further: 29 ... .1lxg2! 0-1 29 ... Ad3? 30.l£lxfB Axfl 31.~xfl ~xfB is indeed a draw, but 29 ... Axg2! 30.l£lxfB (30.~xg2 ~b6+; 30.<;tJxg2 ~d5+) 30 ... Axfl 31.l£lxh7 ~h3 wins immediately.

12

Principles and Methods of the Defender Even the very best players sometimes calculate one move too short: V.Kramnik (2772) - V.Anand (2783) World Championship Bonn 2008 [WI

Id) The Elimination Method Sometimes the easiest way of finding the best move is by eliminating the bad ones. To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, if you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Be careful though. When all eliminated moves seem to lead to a draw, make sure the remaining move isn't losing instead of winning. 01.07 End of a Study by Grigoriev [B)

Kramnik started a forced sequence with 29.4)xd4? (29.i!¥g8 was the best chance to fight) 29 ... ~xd4 30.E{dl 4)f6 31.E{xd4 4)xg4 32•.§d7+ ~f6 33.E{xb7 E{c1+ 34.M1

Kramnik had most probably stopped his calculations here. But Anand had seen one move further: 34... 4)e31! 35.fxe3 fxe30-1

1 ... ~e1! All other moves lose by force: 1...~c3? 2.i!¥d4+ \t>b3 3.i!¥al+-; 1...~e3? 2.i!¥g2 cl~ 3.i!¥g5++-; 1...~e2? 2.~a2 ~dl 3.~d4 c1 i!¥ 4.~d3 +-; 1...~c1? 2.i!¥a2 ~d13.~d4 c1i!¥4.\t>d3+-. 2.~a5+ ~d13.~a4 ~d2 4. ~a2 ~c3!! = A bodycheck against the king and the queen simultaneously, a rarity indeed. The following example is from The Magic o/Chess Tactics and analysis of the German trainer and analyst Claus Dieter Meyer is used:

13

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 01.08 Analysis of A.Shirov (2670)J.Lautier (2635) Munich 1993 [B]

So by elimination, we are left with the main line: 66 ... Ag2! ( 66 ... Ahl also works for our purposes here) 67.~f6 'tfle8 68.'tfle6 'tfld8 69.E(CS Ab7 70.J1f6+ ~e8 71.§.c7 §.e3+ 72.AeS 13.xeS+ 73.~xeS Ae4 74.~f4 ~d8 75.§.a7 ~c8 76.§.xa6 'it'b7

Obviously the bishop must move. So the candidate moves are 66 ... ,a,hl, 66 ... Ag2, 66 ... Ae4, 66 ... lid5 and 66 ... ~eS+. As the elimination method shall be used, it is a good idea to start with the bad ones and eliminate them as quickly as possible. As 66 ... lieS+? looks suspicious, we suggest starting with it: 67.~f6 .§h3 68.Ac5+ ~g8 69 ..§cS .§h6+ 70.~e7 +- and the bishop is lost first and the game later. Next on the list is 66 ... Ae4? but the bishop is in the way here. So we calculate 66 ... Ae4? 67.~f6 ~eS (67 ... 'if1gS 6S.1":kS+ ~h7 69.'it'g5 1":1h3 70.§h8#) 68.~e6'it'd869.Ab6+-. So far so good. Now it is much more difficult to decide between the three remaining candidate moves. As it is all about keeping the black king near the dangerous h8-comer, we continue to look, this time at 66 ... Ad5? 67.1":1c5! .ile6 68.~f6 Ad7 69.§c7 ~e8 70.1":1a7 \t>d8 (70 ... Ac6 71..§.e7+ 'if1dS 72.Ab6+ '
Meyer came to the conclusion that Black is most probably able to survive because of his passed pawns. In any case this is by far the best chance to continue the fight. 1e) Prophylaxis A refined form of defense is prophy laxis. According to the famous chess trainer Mark Dvoretsky, a prophylactic move contains both a defensive and an offensive element. In other words, it anticipates the opponent's idea and, at the same time, improves your own position. Experienced players have intemalized this concept and constantly use prophylactic - or preventive thinking. This concept is not assimilated well by beginners, since on one hand they simply prefer to attack and on the other, it demands putting oneself in someone else's situation, i.e., asking what would be played ifit were the opponent's move. Another aspect of prophylaxis is looking far ahead. 14

Principles and Methods of the Defender World Champion Tigran Petrosian was said to prevent his opponent's attacking ideas long before his opponent even thought of them. 01.09 N.Mitkov (2578)S.Rublevsky (2657) Poikovsky 200 I [B]

the Black monarch escapes. 22.~g3 g6 Now 22 ... .!2lg5? 23 . .!2lf6+! gxf6 (23 ... ~h8 24.§.xgS ~dB 25.§h5+-) 24:€hh6 "€i'dB 25.h4 is winning for

White. 23.~f6+ ~xf6 24.~xf6 ~d8 25.~xg6+ %-Yl As we mentioned above, preventive measures are also possible even when there is not any imminent danger. 01.10 J.Rowson (2548)P.Wells (2497) Blackpool Weekend Congress 2004 [W]

19 ..•Jtc8! Of course White wanted to install the knight on f5. 20.~f3 ~h7! And obviously the exchange sacrifice on f6 had to be prevented. 21.~h5 ~b6 In fact 21.. ..!2lg5!? is playable as well as after 22 ..!2lf6+ gxf6 23.d.xf6. 28.g3! "After talking to my pieces, my king was the most convincing - he will feel much safer on a light square, all the more so given that White will probably have to take on c5 to make progress." (Rowson) 28 ... ~ca8 29.E!a2 .1l.g7 30.~g2! h5 30 .. .[5 31.~b4 §cB was the alternative. 31. ~b4 ~d8

Black has the fantastic defensive resource 23 ... §.a7!!, something seen before in Kasparov-Kramnik (01.01). After 24.§'xh6 (24.~xh6 .!2lh7 25.§f3 f6 works neatly as well) 24 .. .f6, the rook defends along the seventh rank. Following 25.§h8+ \fit7 26.~h5+ '!Je7

32.Jtxc5 dxc5 33. ~xc5 b6 34. ~e3 E!xa5 35.~bxa5 E!xa5 The defender exchanges as many pieces as possible to reduce White's attacking potential. 36.~xa5 bxa5 37.'/Nxe4 ~d6? 37 ... .I1.fB! 3B.f5 "€i'e7 "is as good as equal" (Rowson) because of the blockade on the dark squares. 38.f5! Opening up the white squares around the black king. 38... gxf5?! 3B ...'it>fB!? was more tenacious, but White should 15

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 prevail in the long run after 39.fxg6 fxg6 40 ..a.d3 ±. 39. ~e8+ Af8 40.Axh5 ~f6 41.c5 ~g7 42.c6Ad6 43. ~d7 ~e5 44. ~xf7+ ~h8

Ad6 15.Ad2 ~b6 16.4Jc7+ ~fB 17.4JxaB ~dB IB.~e6 +-. 12.4Jd3 e6 13.Af4 Ad6 14.Axd6 ~xd6 15.4Jf5 ~f8 Again a forced retreat. And now, instead of 16.'l~H3? 0-0-0 when Bronstein was not worse anymore (and even managed to win later), White should play 16.4Je5!, when the critical line is 16 ... Ah7! (16 .. Ajd5? runs into 17 ..llxd5 cxd5 1B.4Jxd7 'itJxd7 19.4Je3 ~c7 20.c4+-, Jones-Pedersen, Copenhagen 2005) 17.4Jxf7 Axf5 18.4JxhB 0-0-0 19.Axe6 Axe6 20.§xe6 ~xhB and White is for choice although matters are not totally clear.

45.~h3!

11) Structural Weaknesses

Someti mes even strange looking measures are the order of the day:

In many cases it is enough to defend calmly and wait to see what happens. The typical case is a passive, but otherwise healthy position. If you do have a structural defect in your position, active defense is often called for.

Again, nice prophylaxis. White showed a good feel for handling his king in this game. 45 ... a4 46.Ag6 ~g7 47.~e8+ Af8 48.c7 ~h6+ 49.Ah51-0

01.11 GPorreca - D.Bronstein Belgrade 1954 [B]

01.12 A.Karpov (2690)M.Taimanov (2530) Leningrad 1977 [8]

Bronstein has played inaccurately in the opening and must be very careful now. White has strong pressure on the light squares, which must be neutralized with 1l ... Ag8! as 11...e6? runs into 12.Axe6 fxe6 13.4Jxe6 ~a5 14.'~)"e2

25 ... .£Jb6! If Black waits passively, then White will sooner or later advance on the kingside with good winning chances. That's why Taimanov acted immediately with the text move. 16

Principles and Methods of the Defender 26.§xa5 26.Axa5? fails to 26 ...
Ig) Do Not Panic

of Black's previous move, opening up the diagonal to white's king. 27.-'tfl

This principle of the defender goes without saying, but still takes many instructive fonns. Good defense requires not only technical skills, but also - and foremost - keeping a cool head.

27.bxe4? ~xa5 28.Axa5 'i1¥e5! 29.'~bl (29.Axb6
is a pretty fork. 29.'~b4 ~f3+ with a strong attack) 29 ... ~xa5 30.E!xb6 ~b3+ winning the exchange. 27 ... §xa5 28 ..1lxa5 ~c5! 30.~fl ~e3

29.Axb6 ~xb6 30.hl cxb3 31.axb3 g6?! Black could have solved his problems with 31...~xb3 32.'l!,i'bl (32.~bl ~e8=) 32 ... E!a3 33.11c4 'l!.i"a5! 34.E!xb3 E!al 35.E!b8+ W 36.E!b7+=. 32.fxg6 hxg6 33.M ~g7 34.b5 f5 35.exf5 4Jxf5 36.§b3?! 36.E!bl

01.13 Z.Medvegy (2512)K.Miiller (2515) Gennan Bundesliga Hamburg 2007 (BI

would have been more precise.

36... ~d4

24 ... §bcS 25.4Jc6 Here I was convinced that I must counterattack immediately and quickly played 25...~h4?? without checking everything in detail, which turned out to be a big mistake. Black must exchange on c6 first and offer very tenacious resistance: 25 ... .llxc6 26.dxc6 ~h4 27.Axd6 ~xe4 37.b6? After 37.E!bl, Black needs the

Here A.e7 is no longer possible. 28.Ab4

same trick as in the game to keep the position balanced: 37 ... E!a3! 38.b6

~f2!

~g3+1 39.~xg3

E!xg3 40.hxg3 ~e4 37 ... §al 3S.§bl 38.~e2 ~c5! 39.b7 ~c2! is a killing back-ranker. 38 ... 4Jg3+!! 0-1 After 39.hxg3 the rook returns to the h-file

41..§b2

~e3=.

with devastating effect.

29.'l!.i"xf2 ~xf2+ 30.~h2 .§xel 3Ulxel ~d3 32.Ac3 E!xc6 33.E!dl E!d6 34.~g3 E!d5 and the struggle continues. 26.-'txd6 4J xe4 27.Ae7! Now White isjustwinning. 27...4Jg3+ 28.~gl ~4 29.f6 ~h8 30. ~2 ~g5 31.§e5 ~g6 32.§e3 4Je4 33. ~c2 ~xc6 34.dxc6 4Jd6 35. ~xg6 hxg6 36.§cl 4Jc4 37.§ec3 4Jxb2 3S.c7 4Jc4

17

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 the draw as well. 37.Eldc3! would have been the best defense, giving up a rook for the powerful black-square bishop. Obviously it was hard to adjust to the new circumstances. After 37 ... Axdl 38.~xdl Axc3 39.bxc3 ~b6 Black is only slightly better. 37 ... Axdl

38.'§xdl 4)e3 39 . .§dd2 4)xc2+ 40..§ xc2 §b3 41.