New Ideas in Chess

New Ideas in Chess

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ty Larry Evans er I nternational Grandmast U.S. Champion Threetimes U.S. "Open" Champion Canadian" Open" Champion

London SIR ISAAC PITMAN & SONS, LTD.

First published 1958 Re!finted 1960

All tishts rctened

To Clementine SIR

2?-25 B!c($r

FITITAN

ISAAC

PIT\IAIi

& SONS,

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Hereis a book for you to JoH^\\EsBlRc

IIDDICAL I'UBLISHING COMPANY, 39 FdRxER srRrEr, Lo\Dor.'! q,c,2

learn from when I'm not LrD,

PIT]IlN PUBLISHING CORPORATIO\ . FEsl 45rH srR..r, Nrlr YoRK sIR ISAAC pITIt-{N \ SONS {C_{NADA), Lrr. , lsL LorMERdd_ lExr Boo( coylANy) tr\coRfoR^rr\c srRlEr, roRo\lo 36r 383 cllRcE

PRINI ]jD IN CREAI BRITAIN ar rbe Pilfraf, Press,Ilarh F0 (G.485)

there to lose my temper.

Foreword TEE keynoteof chemistryis that elementsmay combine to create is the chemistof a dimensionthat is new entities. The chessmaster geometricallybounded by 8 x 8. The elementswith which he works are Pawn Structure,Space,Force, and Time. The amateur is vaguelyawarethat theseeist. but he doesnor know how they interact. He has never learnedto manipulatethem properly. Mastershavebeenof titrlehelp,for theyare ootoriously inarriculaie when jt comesto explainingtheir own thought processes.My problemhasbeento iranslaGinto priLrciples t[e triUitswhich ari inbred in tbe master; then to break these down into words, Theseprinciples,moreover,are so absolutethat if chessis played a thousandyearsfrom now they will still be in force. I arrived at them by replaying all my tournament games, analyzing why I either won or lost, and then extractingthe quintessence from each one. What is "new" about this book is its formulation. Because it is basic,it is revolutionary. A famouspriacipleof conservationin physicsstatesthat matter may be convertedinto energyand vice versa,but the total quantity of both together,in a closed system,remains unchanged. ThL chessboard is a closedsystem. Our "new ideas" would liad us to suspectthat an advantagein any one elementmay never be lost (assuming"perfect" play thereafter),though it may be converted ifto_other element(s)under the proper conditions. In general,the wholeprocessof chesstechnique-ai;s at con)erting the iess durqble into themoredurableaduantage,What is meantby an "advantaee." and how to recognize it. is ihe domainof rhis book. The puielv tactical problem of how to exploit an advantageis dealt with at lengthunderthe illusrrativeexamples, all takerifrom actualplay. Lately therehas beena spareol works on how to win iri rlie opening,how to win in the middle game,how to win in the ending. But a gameof chessjs an organicwhole,and so lar as I know thle only way to wil.is to outplayyour opponent.Tbisbook is designed Io nerpyou do Justthat.

Contents FORETI/ORD CHESSBOARDNOTATION

xll

ChapterOne

THE EVOLUTION OF CHESS Chessup to the Time of Morphy Paul Morphy and the Romantics: Open Game W i l h e l mS r e i n i razn dt h eC l a s s i c i s tC s :l o s e dC a m e R6ti and the Hypernodems: Flank Game The Technicians:Neo-Classical School The Eclectics

I 1 4 9 12 15 t7

ChapterTwo

PAWN STRUCTURE The OutsidePassedPawn P a un S t r u c t u rD e e t e r m i n eSst r a t e g y , PawnMobility Passed Pawns. Connected,Isolatedand BackwardPawns. Doubledand TripledPauns Weak Squares PawnChains The Bad Bishop The QueenSideMajority

22 22 25

53 61 68 71

ChapterThree

FORCE Table of RelativeValues . The General Patter:nfor Converting For.ceinto Victory

The Two Bishops The PositionalSacriflce The TemporarySacrifice

76 '17 78 79 92 94

Chapter Four

SPACE The Center Mobility

101 t02 102

Control of UnoccupiedSquares A Typical SpaceAdvantage How to Count Space Stability How to Test Stability

103 103 t04 104 105

ChapterFive

TIME

129 130 148

Gambits Pins

ChapterSix

QUIZ

153 153 154 163

Caution Problems Solutions

ChapterSeven

NEW APPROACH TO THE OPENINGS Evaluation Is the First Move an Advantage? MasterPractice The Failure of Traditional Evaluation A Self-Contained Eraluarion The First Move ReverseOpenings The Theory of SymmetricalPositions

1.72 172 175 176 176 180 181 182 185

Chapter Eight

SUMMING UP The StableElements The UnstableElements

BIBLIOGMPHY INDEX OF OPPONENTS

189 189 190

t92 t94

The life. the fortune.and the happiness of everyone of us and. moreor less.of thosewho ire connected with us, do dependon our knowing the rulesof a gameinfinitely more complicatedthan chess.. . . The chessboard is the-world. lhe piecesare the phenomena of the universe,the rulesof the gameare what we call the laws of nature. The olaver on theothersideis hiddenfrom us. We knowthathis niav is alwaysfair.just and patient. Bur we alsoknow, to'our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake or makes the slightestallowancefor ignorance. To the man who plays w€ll the higheststakesarepaid,with that sort of overfl&ing generositywith which the strong show delight in strengthi And one who plays ill is checkmatedwiftout hate,iut mthout temors€. ThomasHenry Huxley, lggT

ChessboardNotation THrsis a book for advancedbeginnersand seriousstudents. This explanationis for thosewho play chessfor enjoymentand wish to improve, but have been scaredaway from chessliterature by the cr),?ticsymbolsemployed. Chessnotqtionis merelya shorthand for recordingthe rnouesofa gqmeso thot it may be replayedat somefuture time. Otherthan seruingas the mediumfor transmittingthesemouesto you, tlrcse abbreuiations haueno spccial'ignifcance. Legei.I

QR : Queen'sRook QN : Queen'sKnight QB : Queen'sBishop

e : eueen

K : KB KN : KR : P: ch : O-O : O-O-O :

King King's Bishop King's Kniglrt King's Rook Pawn Check CastlesK-side CastlesQ-side

tru_ i % t.& ,,/z %..ry % 7fr % .alZ % ^7t % .rrufr % ,ra&fr

This position is diagrammedafter the openingmove 1 P-K4 and Black's reply 1 . . . P-K4. Note that White's K4 is Black's K5, and vice versa. The hvohenis read as "to." Thus P-K4 is read " P a w n t o K i n g F o u r . " I n p l a y i n go \ c r l h e i l l u s t r a t i o ni sn t h i s book you will probablyfind it helpful to reproducethe diagrammed positionson a board. Follorv the analysison it. If you can follow the variations "blindfolded," i.e., directly from the diagram, so much the better.

CHAPTER ONE:The Evolution of

Chess Chessup to the Time of Morphy Modern chess,in its infancy, aboundedin swashbucklingcombinationsand brilliancies. Whateverits playersmay have lacked, it was not imagination. The odd thing wasthat the leadingmasters rarely were the victims of their own tactics. The majority of the eighty-fivegamesof the sir LaBourdonnais-MacDonnell matchesin 1834were not noted for their brevity. Apparently,lessermortals neyer thought to ask why the masterspolishedoff their amateur oppositionin short,sparkling"parties," while their own gameswith eachother often wereof inordinatelength. Masterswereoossessed of a chess"daemon"-that was all theie was to it. Thev'certainlv werethc lastto disturbrhiscommonillusion.Their knowledee wai guarded jealously.or impartedin privarelessons for fancyfeei. What setthe mastersapartwastheir graspof "generalprinciples." The value of Time and the importanceof Force had alwayi been recognized-thoughtherewerethosewho arguedthat oddsof Pawn and move are an advantagebecausethey permit Black to developa rapid attack along the openKB file! The essentialdifferencebetweenthe nineteenth-century outlook and that of the twentielhis rhat the modern master.when confrontedwith a choicebetweena relativelvtransitorvadvanlage in Time and a iather more permanentonj io Spu"., will gene"rally chooseSpace.Having conlidencein his defensivetechnique,he will usually submit to a short-termevil for a long-termgood. Often this meansacceptinga difficult though tenablepositionin exchange tor a won endqame.if and when it can be reached.

playersdid not have very deep The early nineteenth-century insightinto the realvalueof Time. The samepiecemightbe moved_ neglectingthe harmoniousdevelopmentof fivelimes in the opening, -Premature attac-kswere the rule. But the art of the other oieces. defensewas in such a relativelybackwardstatethat theseinferior tacticsprevailed.It wasnot that theseplayerswereobtuse-the leading mastersof that era would probably exceltoday-but, like the simplyhadn't been eleitric light, the basicprinciplesof chess.strategy invented. Don't think that the pioneersof rnodernchesswerenot sharply rebuked with "taking the fun out of the game!" The that they felt cheated romanticswereso enrapturedwith aesthetics They seernedoblivious when good defensefrustrateda brilliancy' to the satisfactionthat might be derivedfrom a fine1yplayedlost gamerather than from any number of wins derivedthrough errors of an opponent. At that time a man would probably have been thought ;ad sayingas Napier did after he had lost to Lasker at "This is the finestgameI everplayed!" CambridgeSpringsin 1904, Gamesin which itodgy defenseprevailedwereseeminglydevoid of beauty-for what beautywastherein grubby,materialistic,defensive strategy?If that was all therewas to chess,as well take up whist. The old-timerswantedto witnessgamesworthy of being showered with piecesof gold. They did not realizethat if the standardof defeniewereraisedit would inevitablyraisethe standardof attack. "immortal games"strikeus today asdownMany of the so-called right ugly. We lose patiencewith the defender,who forageswith his Queen for material gain while neglectingthe developmentof his up a betterdefensethan minor pieces.Any modernduffer couldput -disparage the playersof a the loser. Againi this is not meant to bygoneera-or to minimize the beautyof their conception"(some of which have nevet been excelled)*but solely to emphasizehow sincethen. much strategyhasprogressed Let us considertwo celebratedexamples-"The Immortal Game" "problems," we had and "The EvergreenPartie." As with chess betternot askjust how theplayersgotinto suchcuriouspredlcaments' movesandsimplydiagrameachposition But if weomit thepreceding just beforethe final combination,it then becomesa thing of beauty and ajoy to behold! Needlessto add, the brilliancy is often super' fluous. In Diagram l, for instance,the prosaic22 QxP would win iust as handilv as the text.

"THE

IMMORTAL

GAME"

ANDERSSEN_KIESERITZKY

..THE

EVERGREENPARTIE,' A\-DERSSEN-DUFRESNE, BERLTN, 1852

'N % "'ffi % % % % % "'&a%w% Diagtum 2

DiagrumI White

to play afld $,in

21 NxPch 22 Q-B6ch ! 23 B-K7 mate

K_Q1 NxQ

White to play and tuin 21 QxPch!!

KxQ

22 B-B5 dbl. dis. ch! , . Black'srepliesare all forced.

22...

K-Kr

23 B-Q7ch 24 BxN mate

K-Ql

It is true that therearecertainimportant differenc€s betweenthese two positions. However,the similaritiesare evenmore meaningful. In both, Black had moved his Queenmany times before the diagrammedpositionwasreached.Both gamesare still relativelyin the openingstageandin both Blackis overwhelmingly aheadin material. The major genericdiflerenceis that in Diagram I Black'spiecesare undeveloped(on their original squares),whereasin Diagram 2 Black has mobilized a lormidable counterattack and actually threatensmate in one. This "spiritual" similarityis no accident*nor is it an accidentthat Anderssen,who was by far the bestof the pre-Molphyites,was on the winnins White sidein eachcase. Along cime Morphy, who toyedwith AnderssenjustasAnderssen had toyedwith his contemporades.After their matchin 1858,during rvhichhe wasdecisivelytrounced,Anderssenwrote: "He who plays Morphymustabandonall hopeof catchinghim in a trap.no matter how cunninglylaid. but mustassumethat it is so clearto Morphy that therecan be no questionof a falsestep."

Even this nagnanimoustribute fails to credit Morphy's revolutionary new principles-Andelssenhimselfdid not fully appreciate why he had lost! It is noteworthythat Anderssendisplaysa certain "traps" and psychologicaluneasiness in terming his own attacks nothing more. Morphy's attacks,on the other hand, alwaysflowed out of the position, organically. Anderssen'swere more often an inspirationof the moment. Morphy knew not only how to attack, but also when-and that is why he won. Morphy defeatedall his opponentsin similarfashion,then sought for manyyearsto arrangea matchwith Staunton,the self-proclaimed chamoionof the wor1d.but in vain.* In an era when the dynamicyoung United Stateswas suffering from a cultural inferiority complex, Morphy becamea sort of nationalsuper-ego.He washailedby the pressasthe flrst American representativeto triumph directly over Old World culture. Europeans,loathe to admit that an "outlander" might possessa talismanunknown to them, flrst awakenedto the fact that maybe their mastershad no "daemon" at all. Maybe there were certain principleswhich, oncegrasped,would enableanyoneto risein chess as far as his ability admitted. The Royal Came becamea little less royal. It becamedemocratic.

Paul Morphy and the Romantics:OpenGame In the late eighteenthcentury Andr6 Philidor, a distinguished composeras well as a good chessplayer(who, by the way, is enunciatedhis greatdoctrine mentionedin Rousseau'sConfessions), that "the Pawn is the soul of chess." This implied that Pawn Structure,being the most "ined" element,largely determinesthe characterof the position and also the plan appropdateto it (see Diagram 16). In his games,more than his writings,Philidor showed how to assaultan enemyfortressby usingPawnsas batteringrams backedup by hearl picces.

. For the psychological- inded, we rccommend "The Problem of Paul Morphy" by Dr, Emest Jones, which may be found in that exccllont anthology The Chess .Reader(Greenberg Publishers. New York, J9,19.)

A

sMrrH-PHrLrDoR, LoNDoN, 1790

i % '91 t% %t

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w Diagratn 3

Black's Pspns sre battefing rctms. Notice how Black hos massed both Rooks behind his Pqwns. ll/hite's apparentlJ impregnableKing positio has a weskness on KN3. It requires but q few lhtusts to demolish it entirely.

P_R5

1 . . . 2 Q-KAZ

2 P-KN4, N B5ch; 3 K-Rl, NxP; and if 4 PxP,QxP; 5 RxP?, BxN rvinninga piece. Even so, 2 P-KN4 is relativelybest. 2 . . . B_82 3 N-K2 RPxP 4 QxP QxQch 5 NxQ N-B5ch RxP 6 K-Rl Despitethe exchangeof Queens,Black'sattack ragesunabated! 7 R-KNI RxNch R-Rlch 8 KxR RxNch 9 N-R5 10 K-N3 N-R6 dis. ch lt K-N4 R-R5 mate This patient, closed game did not suit the temperamentof Philidor'scompatriot,LaBourdonnais,who perceivedthat this slow, systematicmassing of Pawns was inapplicableto the opening. Instead, LaBourdonnaisapplied to his games the principle of straightforwarddevelopmentin the center. He combattedevery developedenemyunit with a force at leastequalto it. He pursued the enemywith hand-to-handfighting, rebuffedhim in the center, then soughtto establishan advancedcentraloutpost of his own. 5

LABOURDONNAIS

I{ACDONNELL

MATCH.

1834

t7t /&t/&t 'Nt7ti % % 7th7t ,/2, % % "NA7tfr

t,& % ",&

ru %w%H Diagrcm 4

llhite moyes. Clearly,thestrugglehereisfor controlof the center. Whitehas qn isoletedQP. Black maintqinsa stoutblockadeon Q4. It is necessaryJbr White to sct quickll, to deuelopsome middle game thrests, before Black succeedsin consolid.lting and reaching an endingwherelhe Payn Structure will fquor him. 1 P-QR4 The modern master would probably play N-K5 immediately. LaBourdonnaisreasonsthat you have to give up somethingto get something. The text weakensWhite's QN4 square,yet it has an indirectbearingon the centerinasmuchasthe threat ofP-RS would forceBlack to relinquishone of the defendersof his Q4 blockade. 1... P_QR4 On 1 . . . NxB; 2 PxN, N-Q4 White may electthe simple3 Q-Q2, orthesharp3BxN,PxB;4Q-N3,B-K3; 5QxNP,R-Nl; 6 QxRP, emerginga Pawn aheadafter 6. . . RxP. 2 N-K5 White useshis QP as a pivot in maintainingan advancedcentral outDost. ' 2... B-K3 3 B_82 Settinshis sishtsfor the K-side

3 . . . This closesthe line of White's K-Bishop. but createsa sruesome .the possibility 6f p-S:, weaknesson K3, and forever removes d r i v i n gt h e K n i g l r tf r o m K 5 . J . . . B Q N 5 . p u t t i n gp r e s s u roen White's center,and occupyingthc "hole" on QN5, is a reasonable alternative. 4 Q-K2 6

LaBourdonnaisdevelopshis Queenwith a view to exertingmore pressureon the center,via the K-fi1e. 4. .. P-Bs This opensthe line for the K-Bishop,which is serious.Black'slack of strategyis obvious. He shouldbe defendinginsteadofattackingl s B-Qz Q,Kl 6 QR-KI Another strong developingmove, which exertsstill more pressure in the center. 6 . . . B_82 7 Q-K4 White has completed his build-up. rne rnreal oI mate wlns material. ,| PN3 8 BxP NxB 9 QxN B-85 10QR6 BxR 11 BxP! FxB 12 NxNP White has a winning attack. The remainingmoveswere: 12 . . . N-81; 13 Q-R8ch, K-82; 14 Q-R7ch, K-B3; 15 N-B4, B,Q6; 16 R-K6ch, K-N4; 17 Q-R6ch, K-B4; 18 R-K5 mate. After LaBourdonnais'deatha drearyperiod of dry chess,without power or imagination, overtook the chessworld. It was Paul Morphy (1837-1884)who revitalized the Romantic tradition. Morphy nevermassedPawnsin the openingasPhilidor had taught. Insteadhe pushedonly one or two Pawnsin order to ftee his pieces and openlinesfor them,evenif it wasnecessary to sacrificea Pawn or two in the process. Morphy recognizedthat Time was more important than Force in the opening.His piecesinvadedquickly in the center,leaving his harassedopponentno time for methodical Pawn maneuvers. Morphy combinedwith his flair for the open game a flexibility which so irked his critics that they levelledthe accusationwhich has sincebeenlevelledat practicallyevery other greatmaster(particularlyCapablanca):the inclinationto exchange Queensin orderto win a paltryPawnand nurseir rhroughto ricrory rn llle endsame.

Thesewerethe characteristics of the opengameat which Morphy excelled:someofthe centerPawnshavebeenexchaneed, the pieces conmand openlines, a centralfile has generallybeenripped open. The openingsarisingfrom 1 P-K4 are more likely to leadto open 7

positions than I P Q4 becauseit is easierto force P-Q4 (after 1 P-K4) than it is to force P K,l (aftcr I P-Q4). The reasonfor this is that Q4 is originally protectedrvhereasK4 is not. QP ganes generallylead to closedpositions,while their KP counterpartslead to more lively play. The tendencyof modern chessis away from open games,partly becausethey havebeenso extensivelyanalyzed. Morphy wasthe first playerwho fully realizedthe importanceof devclopment.He expressed this in the simplephrase,"Help your piecesso that tbey can help you." He was often aided by the unnecessarily timid dcfensivemovesof his opponents,or evenby their unnecessarily aggressive movesas we haveseenin the previous examplewhenBlackplayed4. . . P-B5. voRPtry- c,\t ATFUR,rrw

oRl-rels, 1858

t"/fl %t.&.r

%'",2 r ",.ffi &/z'k % /t 'M' /tfr.rz 7t /tfr.rz

Vt %t % %a/&ft"z Diasrctn 5

Black mores. In this positiotl Black is tvo Pawns aheatl, and it is probable that he cen vin t';ith proper defense. Hoveuer, he fails to understandthe position. He should striue to keep the lines closed,for instance by playing P-KB3 and rctt'eating the K ight to N3 ktrter Iyhite's ineritable P-Bl), so as to obseroethe key square, White's K5. White must be prcDentedat oll costsft om opening lines by P 84 antl P-K5. Instead, \uith his fiext mole, Blaclc soll)esthe problent Morphy ha, thusfor been unable ro 'olre-nancly, hoh, lo ctps4up diogonois for his two Bishops.

15.. P_KB4? A very instructiveerror. This move opens(l) the K-flIe, (2) the QR2-KN8 diagonal,(3) the QR1-KR8 diagonal-which Morphy proceedsto seizewith his next four movesI 16 P-B,l N-83 17 B-B,{ch K_R1 18 B-N2 Q_K2 19 QR-K1 R,B3

against20 PxP. If instead19. . . PxP; 20 RxP, Thereis no defense 22 QxQ,PxQ; 23 BxP nate. 21 R-K8!, RxR; Q-B3; 20 PxP QBl 21 R K8! QxR 22 QxR! Q-K2 Or 22 . . . PxQ; 23 BxP mate. 23 QxPch! QxQ Black Resigns 24 P 86 Thereis no satisfactorydefenseto P 87 dis. mate! The twentieth-century neo-romantics, notablyTchigorin,Marshall and Spielmann,carried Morphy's lessonsof the open gameto the point of absurditywhenthey attemptedto renderForce completely subservientto aesthetics.Marshall,in particular,lackedthe ability to discriminatebetweenthe beautiful and the possible,often overreachinghimself. The Romantics,in general,sufferedfrom an inability to disciplinetheir imaginations. The Romantic style was characteristicof the man loving action and quick success.The classicalreactionwas due principallyto the in the glory of readysuccess, characterof one who wasdisinterested who stroveinsteadfor lastingvalues-Wilhelm Steinitz.

l(ilhelm Steinitzand the Classicists:ClosedGame wasa chessphilosopherwho hungered Wilhelm Steinitz(1836-1900) for essences.He sought all his life for generallaws and loathed exceptions.When he finally revoltedagainstRomantic doctrines, the break was sharpand irrevocable. Steinitz'sdoctrinairesnirit soushtto rule out all humanweakness. l f h e l o ' t w i t ha p a r t i c u l aI ri n e .I r ew o u l dc o n t i n u tco r r y i t a g a i na n d again. This peculiartropism was due to rhe belief that his failure to succeedwith the line lay in his own human failure. Yet his very love of chess,his faith, his tenacity, success wasdue to his passionate not to his "system"! It wast)?ical of him to undertaketheungrateful task of a protracteddefensefor the sake of the most tdfling, but permanent,positionaladvantage.He wasthe personificationof the short term evil versusthe long tenn good. Steinitzstrovervith might and main to imposeorder on the Irlational to which the Romantics wholeheartedlysurrendered.He made the closedgamehis special domain because, unlike the opengame,rvhichis in constantflux, the closedposition is characterizedbv barricadedPawn structuresand is thus more amenableto systemaiicapproach. o

Steinitz was the first to realize the necessitvof evaluatins a po5irion-thenqctingon rhat e\aluation.This 6bjectivityforbide irim from enteringa speculativecombination,and then trusting to luck. It occurredto him that the mastershould not seekwinning combinationsunlesshe can first prove to himself that he holds an advantage.Thus, whenhis opponentwent contraryto the objective demandsof the position,Steinitzfelt morallyimpelledto punishthe crime. Steinitzhimselfmadeno attemptto win in the earlystagesof the game,as Morphy had done,becausehe wasconvincedthat this was possibleonly after his opponenthad made an error and not before. So he soughtout of the openingsminute advantages which graduallyaddedup to onebig winningcombination.In an agewhere playingro win from the very stafl wasconsideredthe only honorable course,such a doctrine was assuredof a scornful reception. Not surprisingly. all his victorieswerein fact begrudged. In 1866 Steinitz wrestedthe world title from Anderssen,who promptly concededthat Steinitz was eyen better than Morphy. Yet so bitter wasthe enmityagainstSteinitz'sstyleof play that even after be had held the world championshipfor twenty years,a selfappoirted committee of three amateursclaimed that "Morphy could havegivenSteinitzPawnand move." And a notedcritic once wrote that Steinitz's two match victolies over Zukertort were attributableto the fact that "Zukertort was not yet Zukertort in 1872" (the date of their first championshipmatch), "and was no longerZukertort in 1886"(the date of their secondmatch). Steinitz held the world title from 1866until 1894. Durins this periodhewassoanxiousto vanquish rhosewho scornedhis"syitem" that his style becameprovocative. Steinitzoften invited premature attacks. He madethe most unusualmovesin order to provokehis adversaries inro playingfor a win and thuso!erreaching rhemselves when the position did not really justify such an attempt. Quite characteristically, Steinitzonce wrote, "l vin by an unsoundcombinalion,howercrshowy,flls me )ith artistic horror." A winning combination,he was the first to perceive,is possibleonly after one side has erred. Make no errors, therefore,and one should never lose!

l0

i".,& %t,ffi 7&6% '": %'ffiftw % %

%"ffia% % Diagrum6

White moves. White is (t Pav,nahead,but not man! plq)ers todal woulcl core to defend his position. White's Kitlg is exposedin the centerandhasforfeited theright to castle. (Steinitzt'as sofamousfor moting his King in the openingthat lhe maneuuercameto be known as the "SteinitzianKing.") In fact, if it wereBlack's moue,1 . . . KR-KI would regain the Pavn vith a v:inningattack. Moreouer, Whiteisfar behindin deoelopment. I N-Kl ! This curiousmove,which seemsto take a vital pieceout of play, is in reality the only defense.It prepares2 P-Q3, bolsteringthe KP and releasingthe Q-Bishop. Also, the Knight can later return into play with N-83, gaininga tempoby the attack on the Queen. 1... N-QN5 The idea is to prevent2 P-Q3 becauseof NxBP! 3 NxN, QxPch, etc. However,this is no more than a trap, and Black would have beenbetter advisedto reconcilehimselfto the loss of the Pawn by c o n t i n u i nw g i t h t h ep o s i t i o n a1l . . . K R - K I . KR-KI 2 P-QR3 The point of Black'slittle combination. The retreatof the Knight to 83 would be pointless. NxP 3 PxN 4 Q-B5ch! This is the refutation. Of coursenot 4 NxN?, RxNch winning the Queen. 4 . . . K-NI RxNch 5 NxN 6 K-Ql White was able to withstandthe ensuingattack, and eventuallyhe reachedthe endgamewherehis materialadvantageproveddecisive. l1

The real questionis, why shoulda posilion which looks so hopelessat first glancecontain so many hidden resources?The main reasonis that White's Pawn Structurehas no organicweaknesses. B h c k h r s a t r a n s i t o rayd \ a n t a g ien T i m e ( s u p e r i odr e \ e l o p m e n t ) . but this requiresthe utmostirgenuity to sustain. Meanwhile,White could not be preventedfrom consolidatingin one move with I N Kl! Thus Steinitz'stheoriesapproachedPhilidor's in that he recognizedin the elementsof Pawn Structure and Force those advantages whichendureto theend. Steinitz'sprincipalcontribution to technique lay in his abilityto convenTime and Spaceinro rhese more durableelements. Steinitz'stheoriesbore upon somethingmuch biggerthan chessnamely,life itself, struggle,reason-mirrored in sirty-four squares. His theoriescould be further elaboratedin two directions: ohilosophicallyor practically. EmanuelLasker followed the firsi lead ("1 who vanquishedSteinitzmust seeto it that his greatachievement, his theories,shouldfind justice, and I must avengethe wrongshe suffered"). SiegbertTarraschtook the secondlead. The mantleofclassicismthusfell upon Dr. SiegbertTarrasch,who both enrichedandimpoverishedSteinitz'steachingsby selectingonly the portion which appealedto his own temperament.(For example, Tarraschpreferredmobility plus a weakness to consticted positions nithout ueaknesses.) Todaytheseteachings are the slockin trade of every player from Grandmasterto Grandpatzer: occupy the center,fortify it, seekmobility and minute advantages, play with a plan. Tarraschelaboratedal1this with a clarity and simplicitythat remain masterlyto this day. Even today, in the pictures which have beenpasseddown to us, one can sensethe arroganceof this stifiy posedCermandocror. That his dogmalismshouldirk rhe youngergenerationis not surpdsing. And that thereshouldbe a leactionaeainstthisstarchvoedanticism wasinevitable.It remainedonly for the-younger masteisio express it openlvafter World War I.

Control, countercd the hypermoderns,was the real necessity. Accordingly,they soughtopeningswhich allowedtheir opponentsa free hand in the center,only to cripple it later with deft blows from the flanks. Their insouciancewas remarkable.Brever once began annolatinga gameby givingI P-K4 a questionmari<.accompan-ied by the commentthat "White's gameis in irs last throes!" Why? Well, he argued,I P-K4 doesnot actuallydevelopa piece(it merely preparesdevelopmentby openinglines); furthermore,White has committed himself irretrievablyin the centerby creatinga target. There must be a way to attack this target, evenlo prouokeWbrte into advancingand providing more targets. Alekhine's Defense fitted this prescription: 1P-K4, N-KB3; 2 P-K5, N-Q4; 3 P-QB4, N-N3; 4 P-Q4, Black'sKnight hasbeendrivenfrom pillar to post, but White has madeno developingmovesin tbe meantime-on the contrary,he hasoccupiedthe centerto his own detriment. White has been transformedinto a flat-footedopponentsquaringaway with his leet plantedfirmly in the centerof the ring, while Blackbobsand weavesand jabs from all directions to his heart's content. At present,White is thought to maintain a slight advantagein Space and Time which offsetshis weakness in Pawn Structure. The Black Knight on QN3 is misplaced,and servesno function other than provokingWhite'scentralflurry.

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Rbti and the Hypermoderns:Flank Game The hypermodernswere thoroughgoingiconoclasts,and today it seemsno accidentthat they rose to prominenceafter a World War whichravagedall established valuesandconventions.They attacked their classicalheritageon the groundsthat no two chesspositions are ever quite identical, that the so-called"rules" and "general principles"rcsultin "aulomaticchess" whenappliedindiscrimioately. The two schoolsimmediatelycame into conflict on a crucial matter: thec€nter.Occupation, arguedtheclassicists, wasimperative. 12

Is White's center stroflg or weah? This "chasevariation', puts the soundness of the defense to irs mostseveretest: 4 . . . P-Q3; 5 P-84 (the "Four PawnsAttack"), PxP ; 6 BPXP,N-83 ; 7 B-K3 (timing is important. Not 7 N-B3, B-N5 with severepressureon the center),B-B4; 8 N-QB3, P-K3; 9 N-B3, Q-Q2; 10 B-K2, O-O-O; 1t O-O and White's center is still intact, serving its originalfunctionby crampingBlack'sgame. StiJl.many maiters drstrus[this adrancedccnter.and the moderntendencyis to omit P-Q84 anddevelopa piecein'reld: viz..I P-K4, N-K83; 2 P-Ks, N-QI; S P-QA, P_Q3; 4 N_K83, B-N5; 5 B_K2. 13

Sincethe openingis a strugglefor domination of the center,the hypermodernssoughta systemwhich put directpressureon it from the flank without flxins the central Pawnstoo soon. The natural openingmove in suchi systemis I N-KB3 which, moreover,does not commit the first player. The movesof the hypermoderns werenot alwaysnew,though the principles behind them were. "The Opening of the future," as Taftakowerdubbedthe Rdti-Zukertortopeningin 1924,had been playedas far back as 1804by NapoleonBonaparte! The principles of the "chess cubists" were put to their most grueling test at the N.Y. International Tournament in 1924. The following,from the gameR6ti-Yates,is a quite typical hypermodern position.

worst of the classicalheritage. There was, of course,an historical reason for tbeir sweepingexaggeration.Classicaltheory was so entrenchedby the time they appearedon the scenethat the hypermodernswere forced to overstatetheir casein order to be heard, By bending the stick to one side, they helped to place it in the middle. Their imperishablemessageis to keep our eyesopen, to avoid routine,and to approacheachpositionwith an openmind.

The Technicians : Neo-Classical School

Eventually it becameobvious that the hypermodernsallowed their opponentstoo much leewayin the center. The great contribution of the hypermodernschoolis in pointing out that on many occasionsan advantagein Spaceis incompatiblewith an advantage in Pawn Structure. The schoolfell into disreDutebecauseit failed to discriminate as it destroyed.It negatedth; bestalongwith the

The techniciansare what the word implies: they "play like a book in the opening,like a magicianin the mid-game,and like a machine in the ending." Like Steinitz,they rarelytry to forcethe gameor go contrary to the objectivedemandsof the position. As a general rule,in closedgames,Spaceis moreimportantthan Time. This lends itself to positionswherepatienceand endlessmaneuveringare the order of the day. Ir is really remarkablewhat the good technician can do once he is given the most minute advantage. Exploiting weak squaresand accumflatinginvisibleadvantages are mattersof secondnature. They have absorbedall the knowledgeof the past, and apply to it unparalleledtechnique. Their emphasisis on how to win a won gamerather than on how to get one. Becaqse of their ofthe slowjockeyingfor positionsocharacteristic games,the techniciansare continually reproachedwith being dull and colorless.The averageplayeris not equippedwith the patience or the ability to appreciatethis subtlebrand of chessin which all the actionseemsto take placebeneaththe surface.Nothing "happens," no slam-bangattacks,no flim-flam-yet somehowthe technicians emergetriumphant. At Carlsbad,1929,Rubinsteinextracteda win from sucha "hopelesslydrawn" Rook and Pawn ending that the editorsof the tournamentbook united in the assertionthat had this happenedthree hundred years ago Rubinsteinwould have been burnedat the stakefor beingin leaguewith evil spirits! The greattechnicians-pastand present-include suchillustrious namesas Rubinstein,Capablanca,Reshevsky,Smyslov,and Flohr. They make few errors and lose few games. When they are beaten, it is usuallyin a mannerwhich reflectscredit on their opponents.It goeswithout sayingthat they are hard to beat. The way to pick out the techniciansin scanningthe cross-tableofa tournamentis to look for thoseplayerswith the-greatest numberofdraws. The technician is generallycontent to draw with players of his own class,while beatingthe weakerplayerswith monotonousregularity. Oneseldom hearsof an "upset." At the Kemeri Tournamentin 1937Flohr tied for first placewith a scoreof 12-5 which comprised7 wins and 10

14

15

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Black mores. Black's Pauns occvpy the center. Meanwhile, lVhite exerts pressure on them by hauing placed his Queen on d mosl bizafte square, The game continued: 1

N(1)-Q2

To protectthe threatenedKP. P_KR3 2 KR_BI It soon becomesobvious that White has to regroup his pieces because,having reachedhis maximum,he has nowhereelseto go. Black alreadyhas too much momentumin the center; White must constantlyguard againstP-K5.

draws-all the more remarkablebecausethesedraws were against the very next ten playersin the standing! Asked whetherhe expectedto win the U.S. WesternTournament in 1933,Reshevsky replied,"Who is thereto beatme?" Nobody did beathim-but he didn't win the tournament. Too many draws. In Meet lhe Maslers,Euwewrites: "Reshevskyoften wins with Black; counts thereariselively positionsin which his tacticalpreparedness for a lot." This is an apt observation.Techniciansprefercounterattack to attack, baring their claws only when provoked. They prefertheir opponentsto take the initiative. The reasonthey draw with each other so frequently is that neither side is willing to take risks. Perhapsthis style is not held in high esteembecause the generalpublic senses a basiclack of courage.

Economy "No secondchance!" is the battle-crvofthe technicians.Economv -the executionof a givenend jn a hinimum numberof moves* is their trademark. They aremastersof thefinesse,the interpolation. Nothing escapes them*not the slightesttransposition. KRAMER-BISCUIER. ROSEN\VALDTOURNEY. NIW YONT. 1955_56

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Blacb mores. Black mustforce llhite to relinquishthe blockafuon K3. and the slightesttransposition of mouescan losehim theprecious initisti)e. Thetr(usitionfrom this to thenext diagramis accomplished by Bisguierwithoutthe battingof an eyelash! 1... R - B 7 c! h Accurate! Not I . . .QxQ; 2 BxQ, R-B7ch; 3 R-Q2, RxRch (or . . . B-B4ch; 4 K-Kl!); 4 BxR, B-B4ch; 5 B-K3-and White maintainsthe blockade. 2 R-Q2 RxRch 3 BxR B-B4ch l6

Again more accuratethan 3 . . . QxQ; 4 BxQ, B-B4ch; 5 B-K3. The point is 4 B-K3 now losesto QxQ. 4 K_N2 QxQ 5 BxQ P_84 6 B-B6ch K_K2 7 R-Ql P-K4 8 B-Q2 K_Q3 9 B-R4 B-85 t0 B-N3 Or if l0 P-N3, B-R3 and White'sK-Bishop is lockedout of play. 1 0 . . . BxB 11 PxB K_Q4 12 B-Kl P_K5 13 B-B2 BxB 14 KxB K_Q5

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Position aJter 14 . . . K-Q' IVhite rcsigns, He is defenselessagainst . . P-K6ch. (Finally Black has won the Ditql K6 square.) The trro passed Pawns ere enoughto make Columbussoty he discouered America.

The Eclectics The eclecticshave inherited the Romantic tradition, derived from Morphy, and they havefortited it with a centuryofchesstechnique. They are primarily tacticians-alert to everypossibility,courageous, original, sharp. While the techniciansteersfor positionswhich are nearlyalwaysunderhis control(preferably wherehe can keepthe draw in haid;. tbe racliciansuriendershimsef ro complicaiions. 17

While the technicianstrivesfor closedpositions,the tacticianstrives for open gameswhereeverythinghangsby a hair. The technician aims for the endgame(becausehe preferspositionswhich respond to techniqueratherthan to imagination). The tacticianconcentrates on openingtheory, alwaysseekingnew ways to introducea sharp and early battle. The differenceis primarily one of temperament. In 1951,after drawinga world title match with Botvinnik, Bronstein admitted that he threw away severalvery critical endgames. "dull" positions! It seemshe lost patiencewith theserelatively present renaissance of Soviet If one word could summarizethe chess,it uould be "dynamism."(Onewondersto what extentthe valuesof a cultureare reflectedin its chess.)The leadingexponents of the eclecticschoolhave derived mainly from that geographical region: Alekhine, Bronstein, Keres, Geller, and to some extent, EmanuelLasker's. It goeswithout B6tvinnik,whosesryleresembles sayingthat the distinctionbetweenthe classicaland eclecticschools is not alwaysself-evident,inasmuchas a tactician may often find himself playing positional chess,and vice versa. Keres' style, for instance,has undergonea markeddrift toward neo-classicism. of their drawing dislikesymmetricalpositionsbecause The eclectics moveswhich introtendencies.They seekat all timesdouble-edged duceimbalance,therebystampinga definitecharacteron the game. The following illustration is quite typical.

2 on the Q+ifu, and it is always easier to force a possed Pawn in the endgame with 3 against 2 than vith 5 against 4.) The consequent struggle will be ouer llhite's attempt to force P*K4 v,hile Blacli tries to restrain this (the rcason for 2 . . . R-Kl) and mobilize his ovn o-side mojority in the meantime. Black's chancesqre better because White's pieces are nlomentaril! entangled. The ganre, howeuer, was euentually drawn.

Sharpness "Sharpness"is a combination of alertnessand precision. It is by the relenrless characterized searchlor hiddeniesourcesand a disdainfor the "obvious" move. Evenif thereare a thousandgood reasonsfor rejecringa givenmove,the tacricianis alwaysreadyto considerit, andhe oftengainsan advantagein this totally unexpected way. The_position.that follows is incrediblycomplicated,everything is suspendedin mid-air, Black's Rook is en prise, yet the mastermagician,Alekhine, pulls all the strings. One slip by Black and White will havetime to consolidate.Alekhinefinds onestrokeafter another, each morp powerful than the last, so that his harassed opponentis givenno breathingspace. RETr-ALEKHTNE, BADEN-BADEN. 1925

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Blacle mores. Black's QBP is attacked. The insipid 1 . . . PxP meetsthis threat,but after 2 PxP llhite will hauefreed his Q-Bishop and the game will assunte e drawish character because of the balqncedPawn Structure. Blqck must seek a ttay to mqintain the tensionif he wsntsto producewinningchances.This he can do with 1 . . . P-85; 2 B-82, R-Kl. Now Black has ueated a Q+ide majority; the Pawn Structure is imbalanced. (Black has 3 Pawns to l8

1... N-B6! Black counterattacks-ignoringhis attackedRook. ? QxP Forced. 2 Q-B4 is met by P-QN4 and the Queenmust relinquish Its guard of the KP. ., QxQ 3 NxQ NxPch 4 K-R2 10

4 K-B1, NxPch; 5 PxN, BxN leavesBlack a Parvnaheadwith a winning position. Now White seemssafe, for if 4 . . . NxR; 5 PxR holdseverything. How can Black sustainhis initiative?

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Diastam 13

Position olter 4 K-R2 4 . . . N-Ks ! | A marvellousstroke-and the only move to maintain the initiative. Evenwithout Queenson the board the battle ragesfiercely. 5 R_84 Rdti findsthe very bestdefense.Not 5 PxR, NxR (7) and if 6 NxN, NxR winning the exchange. 5., . NxBP! And not 5. . . NxR; 6 NxN, or 5. . . BxN; 6 RrN (4)! The Drosaictext seemsto end all the fireworks. The win of a Pawn is not in itself sufficientto win, but Black still hasa winningmid-game attack. The remainingmoveswere: 6 B-N2, B-K3; 7 R(Bzl)-B2,N-N5ch; 8 K-R3 (not 8 K-Rl, R-R8ch), N-K4 dis. ch; 9 K-R2, RxN; l0 RxN, N-Nsch; 11 K-R3, N-K6 dis.ct; 12 K-R2, I\xR; 13 BxR, N-Q5! I/ftite nesigns. For if norv 14 R-K3. NxBch; 15 RxN, B-Q4 wins a piece.

20

White ,rtorcs, He has a sh{rrp intelpolation. An unimaginati,e player, intent on repairi g Force, might play I QxP, which giaes Black timefor P-Q3, assuringhim offree and easydeuelopment.IJ' White is to sustainhis initiatiue,he mustfrst seeto it that Black doesnot get hispiecesout. Hencethe interpolationI ,P-K5!! A sharpmove which virtually wins by force. Black's gameis now extremelydifficult. If 1 . . .P-Q3; 2 P-QN4 (to divert the Bishop frqm a defensivediagonal: QR.6-KB1),B N3; 3 B-KN5 leadsto a strong attack. Still, this is Black's best practical chance. The defensechosenil the gameleadsto a massacre, P-KR3 1... Black losesmore Time, in order to preventB-KN5. Now Wlrite's Q-Bishopheadsfor an evenmore devastatiagdiagonal. Of course n o t 1 . . N x P ; 2 N x N ,Q x N ; 3 R - K l . B_N3 2 P-QN4 P_QR4 3 P-QR4 4 B_R3 Already Black is without an adequatedefbnse. If 4. . .PxP; 5 PxP, NxNP; 6 Q-N3, B-B4; 7 N-B3 and it is impossiblefor Black to get his piecesout. The threat is BxN follorvedby N-Q5. I f 7 . . . P - Q B 3 ; 8 N - K 4 w i n sm a t e r i a l .

2l

BREYER-NYHOL]\1, BADE\.BADEN. 1914

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White sins, He has {tn outside possedPawn.

CHAPTER tWo: Pawn Structuro In some primers, with good reason,endgamesare taught firstthough the novice rarely is made to comprehendwhy. "Pawn endingsare to chesswhat putting is to golf," observedPurdy. More than this-Pawn Structureis to chesswhat cell structureis to life. After a handful of movesthe chessmaster alreadyis evaluating h i s p o s i t i o ni n l e r m so f h i r e n d g a mper o s p e c r sS. h o i l dh e p l a y r 6 simplifyand exchange pieces?Shouldhe play for an attackinstead? Let's digressa bit-it's really germane-to seehow this rvorks.

The OutsidePassedPawn Considerthe basic principle of many King and Pawn endgames"when thereare no outsidepassed Pawns,everyeffort must be made to createone." If the Pawn Structureis balanced,of course,this is quite impossible. That is why, for cxample,if each side has slr Pawns,mastersgeneraliywill makesomeattemptin the very opening to force 3 against2 on the Q's side (see"Q's SideMajority"), and 3 against4 on the K-side-rather than a straight3 against3 on each wing. The reasonis that it is technicallyeasierto createan outside passedParvnwith 3 against2 than with 4 againsr3.

Here the forcesare so reducedand the material so eventhat one is temptedperfunctorilyto dismissthe positionasa draw. If anything, of Black seemsto havethe more activeKing. However,the presence factor. passed Pawn is the decisive outside tiny White's QBP-the The principleinvolvedis that Black must rush his King headlongin front of White'sQBPin orderto block its queeningpath, whereupon, at the propermoment,White will pitch or sacrificethis Pawnand (in the process)marchhis King to the remainingBlackPawnson the K's wing and removethem all. Black to move, the game proceeded: 1 . . . P-R4; 2 F-R4' P - K 4 ; 3 P - B 3 c h , K - K 5 ( 3 . . . K 8 5 ; 4 K - B 2 ,K - Q 4 ; 5 K Q 3 eventuallyforcesBlack to give ground); 4 K-K2, P N3; 5 K-Q2 (note how White marks time while Black exhaustshis remaining Pawn moves,rvhereuponhis King rvill have to gire rvay), K 85 (Black is trying despcratelyto dissolle l:,is K-side Pawns before returningrvith his King to the Q's rviru, so thtt whenWhite marches his King to the K-side thelc will be no Patvnsfor him to gobble. This defensefails due to lack of Time); 6 K Q3, F-N4; 7 PxP' KxP; 8 K-K4, K-B3; 9 K Qsl (not the hasty 9 P-B4?, K-K3; 10 P-B5, P-R5; 11 P-B6, K-Q3; 12 P-B7-the pitch-KxP; 13 KxP, K-Q2; 14 K 85, P-R6!; 15 PxP, K-K2-drar'-the RP cannot win when the opposingI(ng gets in front of it), K 84; 10 P-B4, and norv if P-K5; 11 K-Q41, K-85; 12 P-85, P-K6; 13 K-Q3, K-K4; 14 KxP, K-Q,l; 15 K-8.1, KxP; 16 K-N5, K-Q4; 17 KxP-White uins.

13

P a u-n Structure D etermines Strat egy Armed with this previous examplc,we are now in a position to consider the exchangevariation of ths Ruy Lopez after seven standard noves: 1 P-K4, P-K4; 2 N-KB3, N-QB3; 3 B-N5, P-QR3; 4 BxN, QPxB; 5 P-Qzl,PxP; 6 QxP, QxQ; 7 NxQ.

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White has a winning Parun structure but-. This position conlqins nqn.v busicprinciplcs and many exceptions. For tie noncc le_t_.us content ourselDeswith theJbllowing obseruations: (a) in efea Ilhite is a Patrn ahead on the K-side (Black's .loubled OBp'i'sre uorrhless:his 4 Q-sirie Partns arc h,lJ in check by tlhids J. To sarisfy 16uv5!:lf remorc all rhc pieces fron the biard ond rry ro create a Queen with one of the Black patvns); (b) as a result of his superior Paun Srructurc White har a 1orrr4 \'in in rhe endgane; therefore, (c) each exchangebrings him closer to aictory. This, then, is White's strategy-to swap pieces at each and every oppodumty. The fly ir the ointment is that chess is a game of c o o 0 i c t - d y n a m i c . n o r s t a i i c . B l a c k h a s c o m p e n s a t i o ni n o r h e r . elements_(the2 Bishops). "Before the ending the gods have placed the middle game,"' said Tarrasch, to explairjust Juch positions as these, rvhere one side has a winning advantage in the ending ie f can.et)e.rget /o tt. zught now the important thing to note is the similarity. irtprin:iple. of this dirgr.am ro rhe previous onc. To clo t h i s . . m e n t a l l ys w e e pa l l r h c p i e c e io f l t h e b o a r d e r c e p rr b e K i n g s . rr wlll tooti hkc thls-

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White wins by creating a passed Paen on the K-Side. There is no point in outlining the solutiotl here- It nny require 20perhaps30 noues but th.tt is a problent ol endgone technique, The -winning process consirts of crcati g q possetl Patn on the K-slle. Note only that if the Blqck P.oNn vtere on Q3, instead of QB3, the game woukl be q theoretical draw.

PawnMobility '?Pawnmobility" refersto the Pawn'srelativepowerto advance.In our discussionof the outsidepassedParvn we saw that its great porver lay in its ability to advance,unimpededby enemyPawns. We are thus in a position to draw our first tentativeconclusion: Pawnsthat arc free to adt:ancecre healthierthan Pah)fisthat arc unableto do so. The point vrhereevery Pawn has equal mobility existsin the original structure.

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The idesl Pa )n structure

This is ideal becauscneither side has any weakness,and all the Pawns are ready to oiler fraternal support to each other. The Hypermoderns wcre the first to understard the real value of this original Pawn Structure, but the)/ went to extrenes in trying to keep it intact. Certain Pawns the central ooes oreferablv-must be a d r r n c e d .c o u r a r e o u s l yi n . o r d e r ( o r c l t l r cf i c c , . qo u t a n d e s r a b l i s l t beachheads. The remaining Parvns should stand duty as reserves. But renf;mber-reserves can bc called upon only once in every game. So use them splrinely, and not at all if possible. Every time a Pawn is advanced it loses some of its mobility. It crosses that metaphysical boundary which divides essence ttom being. The original Parvn Structure is healthy becauseit possesses absolutemobility, absolutefle:.ibility,absolutepotential.

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Semi-mobilePawnsarc ffec 1.oadvance,but only relatively: as soonasthey advance,they losetheir mobility. Tltus if P-K5, P-Q4 locksthe lbrmation. And if I P-Q5, P-K4. While after I P-Q5, PxP; 2 PxP, neitherParvnis free to advanceany further.

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Immobile Psens A Pawn is itxtttobile when it is physically unable to advance. For practical purposes Parvns may also be considered immobile rvhere they are free to advance, but where to do so would cause their loss without any corresponding compensation. A backward Parvn on an open lile is a good example.

Diogtont 19

Mobile Pawns Mobile Pawnsare the most desirableformation. White's center Parvnsare free to advancewithout beinghinderedby enemyPawns on the samefile. They can be stoppedonly by a blockadewith enemypleces.

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26

Pdwns

27

Play for the "steamrollert t

Try to mobilizecenterPawns EVANS-KASHDAN,u.s. opEN cr+.lrproNssrp, 195I

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22

1P-K4 2 PxP 3 Q-Q3 4 P-R31 s QxQ 6 PxB 7 P_N5

EvANs-r-ARsEN,u.s. oPEN cnAMPIoNsHP, 1949

White mortes. Despite h!?ermodern dognn, occupation of the center more often than not also mealnscony)hen the center trol-especially Pautts qre mobile. IYhite must play to force P,K4 euen though this vould venken his QP. It is the only t'ay to open lines for his Q-Bishop and to free his gqme. Note the elqborete measure each side has taken for and against P-K4. Ca White plq! it !"et?

a ' t_,a g iat r "

*!**D*^,u % %H%ft"l,ffi Diagtum23

1 . . .

PxP B_KN5 N.K3 QxPch! NxQ N_87 B-B4ch

8 K_81 9 N-Q3 IO B-84 tl K-K2 12 K-Q2 13 K-K2

N.KN5 B_N3 QR_Q1 N-Qsch' N-N6ch N-Q5ch Draw

I Saferis 4 B K3. reinforcingthe cenreranclrhrearening P-R3. 2 I I . . . Nr,QR: 12 RrN- lavors Whire-lwo piecesare nearlv alwaysbetrerthana Rook(see"Force"). Thereis no uay for Whiri to avert the perpetualcheck\\ithout materialloss. If, for instance, 14K-Bl, N-B7; 15 QR-QI, N(5)-K6ch; 16 K,K2, NxB winsfor Black. On 14 K-Ql, N-N6 White wili be in trouble if he plavs an;thingbut K- 82: therefore.he acceprs lhe draw afrer N-Qsch.

Black moves. The "steamroller" consists of ttto or more connected Pawns in tlle center which qre so highly mobile that one or the orher is constantly threataning !o oduance. like molten laua. The best defenseis to try and prouoke one or the other Pawn to adoance,so that a line of defense (or a blockade) can be established.

2 B_N5 3 P-Qs 4 BxN 5'R-K3 6 R-N3ch

7 Q-B3 8 Q-Rs: 9 R,R3 10 R-82 11 Q-R6!'

N*K41 N_83 Q_K4 PxB N_K2 K_R1

P_84 R.KNl Q_N2 P_B5

1 In order to reach83 and thus force the Pawn to advanceto Q5. The alternative,P-KR3, would prevent White's next move, but createa weakness.Black tries to force White to play P-Q5 so that he can set up a blockade on the dark squales (K4 and Q3). White's steamroller,reinforcedby the two Bishops,is alreadytoo formidable,however. 2 Leadingto a won endgamebecauseof Black'sindefensibleKBP. This is a verv instructiveexamDleof Pawn Structureconvertedinto attack, then re-convertedat tire proper moment back into Pawn Structure.Black losesrhis endgamidue ro bis hopelessPawn Structure, T h e r e m a i n i om g o v e sw e r e : I I . . . B - B l ; 1 2 Q r Q c h .R r Q l 1 3 . -Q2: l6 N-K2. Q R - 8 3 . N - N 3 : 1 4 R - Q 2 . P - B l i 1 5 R 1 J ) - 8 2B !-BO; tz RxP,N-R5; 18 R-KB2, QR-KNI; 19N-N3, P-KR4; 20 RxP, R-N4; 21 P-K5, RxP; 22 R-R6ch, K-N2; 23 R-R7ch, Z+ RxB, R-K8ch; 25 K-82, RrB; 26 R-QB7, R-N5; !-Bt; 27 P-Q6, R-B5ch; 28 K-K3, N-N3 ; 29 P-Q7, R-N6ch; 30 K-K2, Black Resisns.

28

29

Majorities must be mobilized

Semi-mobilecenterParvns

EvANS-RossoLrNro,HoLLywooD opDN, 1954 'tt"*

NA t% 7'.,,,&

t&7t %"e. '/z',Ea7t A

19'+8 u,s. CHAMPToNSHIP,

EVANS-SANDRIN,

Black moues. White threatens P-QN3, settitlg up a blockade on QB4. If Black pernits this, his Q-side majorit)l ttill be stopped cold. Somelrcw, Black tnust actiuate his seemingll,inunobile QBP. Note Black's Q-side majority (3 to 2), v,hereas White is uirtually a Paun dovn becouse of his doabled King Pawns.

Diagran 21

61H

llhite rtotes. White's KP seeilts to be inmobile because its aduance aplarcntll loses a Pabn without anl canlPensaUon. The real blockader i.g Blaclc's Pabn on Q3. In ordu to wobilize. White must demolish this blockade. This he cqn Jo ohi g Io q lqctical possibility. How ?

vf, "

t"'Zfr,,.2 A A ,2 gA 7Zt ,t:< '.2 ,ra,&

It

JI 'w

AA,

Diastam 25 BLACK

1 . .

P-85!

2 QxQr

NxQ'

1 No better is 2 RxP?, QxQ; 3 PxQ, RxR. Black's timing is i m p o r t a n t .H e c o u l d n o t f i r s t p l a y I . . . Q x Q : 2 P r , Q .P - - 8 5 becauseof 3 RxRP. 'White is lost. His doubledK-Parvnsare worthless,and Black has a bind. It is only a questionof time beforehe invadeson the Q-fiIe. White's QR is tied to the defenseof the QRP; his other piecesare fatalJyensnared. PerhapsWhite's hopelessness canbe mole fully appreciatedif we follow the game for awhile: 3 K-Bl, P R4; ,1 P-K4, R-Q5; 5 K K2, P-N3; 6 B-Q2, B-B4; 7 B-K3, R,Q2; 8 BxB, RrB; 9 P-KN3, R-Bl; l0 R-Ql, QR-QI; 11 P-R3, RxR; 12 NxR, R-Q6; t3 N K3, R-Q5; 14 N-82, R-Q6; 15 N,K3, R-N6; 16 R-R2, K-Bl; 17 P-N4, P-R5; 18 P 85, P-N4; 19 K-Qz. K-Kl; 20 K-K2, K-Q2; 21 R-Rl (or White can rvait for strangu, I a t i o n )R . \ P c h .u i t h r n e a s yu i n f o r B l a c k .

30

1P-K5!l

2 B R7!:

PxPr

1 Thereis nothing better. Ifinstead I . . . NrKP; 2 B-N6 wins the Queen! Or if I . . . NxQP White has severalgood moves,of which probably2 P-K6 is the best. Finally, if I . . . N-Kl; 2 P-K6 rvins material. Wllen Pawnsare semi-mobile,as in this case,one must be alert to the tacticalimplications. 2 White wins the exchange,owing to the doublethreat of P-Q6 and BxR. An altemativeto the text is 2 P-Q6, QxP; 3 BxP. It is extraordinaryhorvquickly Blackfalls apartonceit is possible for White to rnobilize his KP. This often happensto cramPed positionsas soonasthe linesare opened.

3t

PassedPawnsmust be pushed!

PassedPawns

: '/t 7i., '% 7' 7/.,2//i'/t /l)ft% 7t v,/.:: //t 7t llz 7t 7/t 7t 7/t Dktgram:6

EVANS-R, BYRNE, WERTIIIIM MEMORIAL, NEW YORK, 1951

White has a psssed QP. I passed Pawn has no enem! Pqv)ns either directly in front, or adjqcent to it. It may be either a source of srrength or a soutce of weakncss. depending upon its mobility. In the endgame it acquires pover because its queening path must be blocked by the opposing King, Ieauing its own King free for other d ty vork (.a.9in diagrant 15).

White mores. The passedPawn can be a mighty veapon euenin the middle game if it is not blockaded and if it is backed up by major ?ieces. In short, a passed Pawn which is also mobile constitutes d tangible aduantage because when it is pushed far enough, the enemy will haue to sauifce a piece in otder to preuent it from queening. (See also diagram 32.)

'ffi, % ft'w % % % %rffi Diagrcm 29

urKot

t

% "',%ftVlzr,

7t%

%72

White has q protected passed QP. The protected passed Pawn ls always a strongformation. It has all the desirable qttributes of the passed Pawn, and is, in addition, selfsufrcient. The only way to attqck it is to undermine its base (in this case, the Pav:n on K4).

Diasrum 27

i

t t

% "ffifrTlz, I

Diagrun 28

White has s potential psssed QP. A Pavn rr potentially passed vhen the enem!Pawn on an qdjacent fle can be clearedawav by a sinple exchange.In this case llhite coultl haue an actual passed QP by the simpleprocess oJ playing 1 P-Q5, PxP;2PxP.

l QxQ 2 P-Q6!r

RxQ R_K1

3 P-Q7 4 R-87

R-Ql Blacle Resignsz

t With the powerful threat of P-Q7. Nimzovitch indulged in a "pathetic fallacy" rvhenhe attributedthe onward movement Quaint of a passedPawn to its "lust to expand." 2 Black must lose at leasta Bishop,with more to follow. If 4 . . . B-K5; 5 R-B8 forcesa nervQueen.And, ofcourse,4. . . R-Nl is met by 5 RxB, IL\R; 6 P-Q8:Qch.

-

CreateprotectedpassedPawns

Clear the path for passedPawns.Demolishblockades. EVANS-BISCUILRJ U,S. OPEN

Diagrun30

cHAMProNsHrP,1950 Black mopes. l|/e haue alreacly dete ifle(l that the strcngth o.[ s passedPav'n dependsupon its mobiliq'. Ilere Blqck's QBP apparentll is inntobile betause of Ilhite's stounch blockale ou Q Bl. Lxchanqing Knights vill do no good because Blqck hqs no other piece which can exert pressure on that square, lfhite threqtens 7 NxN, BxNch; 2 K-Q2! So it is obuious that Blqck must use his precious moue to soluetheproblem by combinatiuemeqns.

HOWARD-EVANSj

MARSHALL CHESS CLUB CHAMPIOT''SHIP' I9iI9-50

% % % E % %',&'i"'/t " t h % "&, % f t T , T f t%

%%%'ffi%^"ng%

Bloch mottes, Thi.s position represe ts o theorctical balance: White's Bishop and Knight tall! 70 units ugainstRook afid tv'o Pqvns-.rlso7O. (See "Toble of Relatiue Yalues".) Black's Patin Structure is bad. His QP's are doubled and his RP is attqcked. He tnust Jind some wa)) to unparall:zehis Pqtxs.

D i a g r u n t3 l

BLACK

1 . . . 2 RxRl

3 K_K3' 4 B_R3

R-QRI! NxNch N-Q6!3 P_N5

5 6 7 8

B-N21 K-Q2 RR4 R-R15

NxB N_Q8 N_86 K_R3

White rcsigns. He is in " Zugzwang."* I Wrat else? The Rook cannotremain on the rank. 2 Forced. Not 2 K-Q2?, NxPch and the Pawn queensnext. 33 N x P : 4 B - R 3 .P N 5 : 5 B - N 2 .P B 8 1 Q 1 c h6: B x Q ,N ; r B ; 7 R-QN8, N-Q6; A P-84 givesWhite drawingchances. a K-Q2 is refutedby N-B4!!-a beautifulfinal point. 5 Or if8 RxP,P-B8(Q)ch;9 KxQ, N-R7ch winningthe Rook.

1 2 3 4

. . . PxPe K-Q2 B_N6

5 K-82

P Q6ch!1

P_N6 K-N5 P-N7

6 N_Kz 7 KxQ 8 N_83

K_R6 P-N8(Q)ch! R_QN2 RxBchs

l Black cannot stop to defend. This is the only rvay to sustainthe initiative.IfinsteadI . . . K-85; 2 BxP,K-86; 3I(-Ql, followed by N-K2ch. 2 Disaglceablyforced. Now 2 KxP is met by R-B6ch, winning the Knight. Black norv has a protectedpassedQNP. 3 Having won material,the restis easyfor Black.

* "Zrg:rrarg" means t h e u n p l e a s a no ! bligalionro move.

35

Connected.isolatedand backwardPawns

Mobilize potentialpassedPawns ErrwE-EVANs,

vz ',,,,'ffi

WERTHEIM MEMORIAL, NEw yoRK, 1951

Blach moves, Black has a serrumobile Q-sidePawn masscoupledwith control of the open QR.file. His QBP is potentiqll! passed. The problen i: to force a passed Pawn in such a ma ner that it will be decisiue. There are seueral yrals to accom?lish this. Note that Black's extraordinary Pawn mobility more than compensates for the Pawn which he is behind. Here is a case where Pawn Structure outweighsa disadvantagein Force.

A-F-

t"'1i %

vt % ,rr.,ffi. E

t"t&..,,,,& % % %ftrz

D i a g t u m3 2

1 2 3 4

. . . P-Qs' B-Q4 N-B6ch

P-N61 NxP PxP BxI\

5 PxB 6 K-B4 7 B-K5

N_N5 K-823 N_87'

I The immediate1 . . . P-B6 is also good. but the text is a trifle sharper. I lLisorderof moresgainsTi6e because Whitemusrsrop to defendhis QRP. 2A desperatebid to free his pieces. If instead2 P-QR3, P-B6!; 3 PxP, N-85; 4 B-B4, RxP follorvedby P-N7. 3 Saferthan 6 . . . N-B7; 7 R-Nlch. Now White has no good defenseagainstN-B7. 7 R-KNI is met by P-R8(Q). a Black wins. This is a good exampleof convertingPawn Structure irto Force.

%%7r,

% %../4% % % % %ft% %ft7t % % % % Diasrum33

ConnectedPawns Connected Pawns are a strong formation becausethey are in a positionto providemutual defense.ConnectedPawnsmay be either mobile or immobile,dependingupon the array of the enemyunits opposingthem. Pawnson adjacentfiles which are in a position to defendeachother,when advanced,are connected.

% % % % % % % % % % % % %ft%ft% % % % Diagtum 34

Disconnectedor isoloted Psgns

36

IsolatedPawns("isolanis") are generallyweak becausethey provide an immobile target and are susceptibleto blockade. They must be defended with pieces, which is highly uneconomical. IsolatedPawnsmay be passedor not, again dependingupon the placementof the opposingunits. The distinguishingcharacteristic of an isolatedPawn is that there is zo Pavrnof the samecolor on eitheradjacent fle behindit. 37

BlockadeisolatedParvns

7t % ,.,& % % 'rft ,raz % % t7t,r/z % % % %%

White's QP is artificially isolated. A Pah'n rs artificially isolated when the Pawn (or Pawns) next to it ca not imme.liatelv spring to its defense. It dlJfers from sn isolated Pqn- in that it does hq,^ePawns on either, or both, adjacentfles.

(crrncr)-rv,tNs (u,:;.e..),orv;rrPrcs,DUBRovNTK, BouLAClrANrs 1950 White moyes. Att isolutetl Pavn is veak Jor tiro reasons: (.1) it cantot be clefendedb.t' qnother Par ; (2) it connot control the squqre dircctl! in it ctrn .front of it and on lhis squarc "isokuti" be blockqded. Once an has been anaesthetized by neans of a blockade, it thrors all the other lieces on the cleJbnsii:e.

Diasran 35

%,,r,& %r"'&-t % % % %fr'&-% %fr'&, % %fr% % %ft% % % % ^ Diagratn 36

% %t"/''ffi. % "'.&%

%"'m%

%ft"'nfr% % %^"'/2, .,,rffi. % %ft

Diagram 37

Blach's QP is bachwatd. lle generally thittk of a Paun as hadng beconteisolated vl,henit hqs adt)anced too far beyond the ken of the other Pawns. Howeuer, there is also the case of the Pqwn tvhich is isolated beccuse it has nol adaanced far enough. This ue term the back\\ard Pawn. -ly'ole thqt it meets all the qualif corion: oJ an inlatrd Partn inasmuch as it has no Pawn of the same color on an adjacent file in back of it. Black's QP is bachwatd on afl opefl file. I backward Pawn on an open file is an euen more glaring weakness than d simple isolated Pavn becawe the enemyforces now haue access to it oia the open fle. The nwin dilference is this: while the backv'ard Pavtn is physically unable to qdtqnce, the bqckvqrd Pawn on an openfle is .free to do so, but at the cost of its life.

38

Ditsrn r i3 BLACK

1 2 3 .4 5

Q-Q3' QxB R_Kl P-83 R_84

BxN RxP R_Q7' N-Q,l B-B4ch

6 K-Rl 7 KR-K4 8 R_81 9 B-Q3 10 P-N4

B-873 R-Q1 NK6 Q-N4 Q_R5

White Resigns t This losesthe QP \yithout a ilght. Relativelybettelis 1 B 84 which momentarilysavesthe QP and drarvssom: of the poisonby forcing Black to part with his beautifullyccntralizedBishop. Afler I . . . BxB; 2 RxB, R-Q3 tbllorvedby QR Ql and N-B4 White'sisolated QP is still subjectto fiercepressure"though it is possiblethat with perfect defenseWhite can still draw. But that is all he can dodefend. This is the drawback of Dossessins an immobile isolated Pawn. Incidentrllv.I N-Q7 *ould rrot C-o.or.ing to th!' rcply. Q-N4, winning a piece. 2 Black has a powerful initiative in addition to his nlaterial advantage.It is amazinghow quickly White'sgane disintegrates. 3 White is weak on his black squares.Notice horv Black invadeson this weak souarecomolex.

39

Try to keepisolatedPawnsmobile EvANs-BrscurER,

Try to repair isolatedPawns

TRIANGULAR MATCH, NEw YORK, 1955

i% %t"'mt %h% "ffi v;, ' "%r'N ffi%%

'ffi. ,ffi 'ffi. .,,r,N %Nffi,ft

EvANs-poscHrL, u.s. cHAMproNSHrp,1948

Black moves. We haue seen the consequencesof a blockaded, isolated Pawn in the preuious example. An isolani is strong under two cotlditions: (1) if it exetts a cromping infuence on enem! deoelopmmts; Q) tf it can be liquidated at will. Both of these conditions are fulflled it this position.

Diasram 39

1 . . . 2 PxP 3 N-N5'

'ffi6:".& t7fr'/&. %,r/h %t

'w

% %t

"ffi%fr% %

.,,rffi,%F."N % %t

lyhite mottes . The principle oJ repairing weaknesses holds true for Time and Space as well qs Pawn Structure. White hqd been seeking a vq) throughout this game to eliminate his laggard KP. This gaue rise to an alert combination based on the momentary pin of Black's 8P. What is it ?

Diagtun 10

P-Q51 NxP NxBch

BxB

4 QxN 5 QxB

Q_N3 Dtawns

l Thereis actuallyno rush to dissolvethe isolani so soon. White is in no position to institutea blockadeon his Q4 (as,for instance,if his Knighr were on Q4 insteadof QB3) so Black should take advantageof the lull to developwith 1 . . . B-K3. As long as Black's QP is liquid (can safelyadvancero Q5) it shouldbe left whereit is to crampWhite as lonq as possibie. 2 Active'defense is calteid fo;. AlreadyBlack'spiccesareclimbingall over the center.If 3 B-Q3, B-N5 is hard to meet. 3 Black has a slight edge(Bishopand Knight vs. two Knights), but this is very shght indeed. The balancedPawn Structureassuresa draw. Sinceneithersideexpectsthe otherto makeany mistakes,and sinceWhite has lost his theoreticalopeningadvantageof the first move,thereis nothing more to play for.

40

1P_K5: 2 NxN 3 RxRch

4 BxB 5 Q-KB4 !

NxPl BxN QxR

P-84? Blach Resignf

l This loses a piece. I . , . P-B4 also fails to 2 Q-N6, PxP; 3 RrN!, RxR; 4 N-Q6ch, etc. Relativelybest is I . . . R-Ql; 2 PxP, NxP, though3 R-K3 givesWhite an advantagein Space,and eventuallyin Pawn Structure,after 3 . . . Q-83; 4 BxN, PxB; 5 N-N6ch, K-Nl; 6 N*Q5. 2 Black had relied on this move,thinking it would regainthe piece. 3 White now wins a piece. This is a casewhere,as so very often happens,tactics supplementstrategy. White's long-rangestrategy was to get rid of his isolatedKP. Tacticspresentedhim with the DroDermomentto do so.

4l

Maintain accessto backwardPawns

File up on targets EvANs-srErNERJ lsr

'#:t t'ffi 7t

White mopes. Black's isolated QRP "targef' is a in the directJiring line of an open QRJila. In the endganrclhis rcry QRP vould be decisiue! (Take all the pieces of the board except the Kitlg: 1...P-QR! w i n s . )B e J o r e the ending, ltoveuer, the gods hate placed the ntitltlle gane. And lrere White's tllqjor pieces qre in an ide(tl lositiotl to exploit the target.

z

/&a 7&

Diagrun 4I BLACK

1N-K51 2 NxN 3 B_Kl'

r{bsHEVsKy-D.

MATCH GAME, 1952

BYRNE, RosENwALD TouRNEy, NEw yoRK, 1954-55

t1& /tt 7/t

%

llhite moves. If a backward Pawn is on a closedfle, then it is relatiuel! dfficult to gain qccess to it. When this sqnle Pawn is exposedon arLopen fle, it is altogether another mqtter. Black has just captured a lYhite Knight on Q5. White now has the o?tion of recqpturing y,ith either the Pawn or the Queen. llhich choice is strutegicqlll correct?

Diagrun 42

BLACK

N,K5 BxN KR_B1

4 B-Q33 5 QxPl

N-83

l Very logical. SinceBlack's Knight defendsQR2, White seeksto dislodgeit. Now if 1 . . . NxN; 2 PxN, N-K5; 3 B-Q4 winsthe QRP. (Thereis no needto play QxP immediately; better to preservethe two Bishoosfirst.) 2 White retains the-two Bishops-Black is still saddledwith the problen of how to defendhis QRP. 3 QxP is a playablealternative, but White prefersfirst to tie his opponentinto knots. Black now sacrificeshis RP to obtah counterplay. 2 . . . R-Rl looks none too palatable. 3 Threatening 5 RxB, RxR; 6 BxN. a The rest is a matter of technique.Wiiite is a Pawn ahead.

42

I PxN?r 2 P_K4

N_K2 P-B4

3 P_83 4 Q-Q3

P_KN4 O_O'

I This is a srrategicalerror because it closesthe Q-fiIe. After 1 QxN! the questionis whetherBlack can enforceP-Q4 in order to dissolve his backrvardQP. If not, he is positionallylost. After 1 QxN, N-K2; 2 Q Q2, P Qa; 3 BxN!, ItrB (forced3 . . . QxB; 4 PxP wins a clearPawnfor White); 4 QR-QI, P-Q5 (4 . . . PxF; 5 Q-N4ch rvinsBlack'sQueen); 5 PxP,PxP; 6 KR-KI with a winning attack. Passivedefenseis evenworse: e.g.,I QxN, B-B1; 2 QR-QI, B-K2; 3 R-Q2 (pileon targetsl),O-O; 4 KR-QI, Q-82; 5 N-83, threateningN-K4, with a crushingbind. 2 White has no time to proflt from control of the open QB file becauseBlack'sK-side play must be counteracted.The gamesoon endedin a draw.

Whenpossible,block accessto backwardPawns JACOBS-EVANS, u.s. opEN cnAMptoNsHp,

''/zi'zh&t"'*t

t"'/z ,,fl"'&"ffi""..& 7.2 % '2^7tfr%

"ffi,%a% ",.&W 'l&fr

Diastan

13

1 , . .

2 B_N3 3 N_Kl' 4 Q-Q3

N_N3! B-N51 R_81 B-K3

1955

Blsck moues. Ilhen defending with a backwardPawn,your strategyshould be to force lour opponent to close his accessto it. Often tqctics protide the remedl. Black has a gloring vteaknesson Q3. If he canforce ,Yhite to ?lq/ N-Q5, so that, in the subsequentexchange, White y,ill harc to recq?ture rNithone of his Pawns rather then the Queen, then Black will haue closed the Q-fle and thus hate soluedhis problem.

5 BxN 6 N-Q53 7 KPXN

When possible,repair backward Pawns Backward Pawnsprovide natural targets and restdct freedom of movement. It stands to reason they should be dissolved (or "repaired")at everyopportunityby rny availablemeans-racrical or otherwise. In the three positionsthat follow Black utilizes the move to repair his Pawn Structure FINKELSTEIN-EVANS.

MARSHALLcl{Ess CLUB cnellProNsutr, 1946-47

% "ffi-i:".&t %t% "ffi.i% % % %

BxB NxN B-Q24

1A little finessebeforereturningto K3 with the Bishop. The threat of BxN developsa piecervith gain of time. 2 To preventthe doublinq of the KB Pawnsafter BxN. 3 Fir;ly forced-it is thJ only way to defendthe BP. a Comparethis position with the original one. Black has achieved his primary purpose: he las convertedhis QP into a bastion of strength. White has been forced to close the Q-file, and in the processBlack has acquiredthe two Bishops. White has the bad Bishop. Finally, Black threaiensto expandtvith P-KB4. White mustnow fight for thedraw and,in fact,finally succumbed in another dozenmoves.

,

Diastan

4,1

CorrectisL...P-84 Black takes advantageof the pin on the Bishop to advancehis backwardQBP. Moreover,this gainsa tempo-White must delay castling owing to the threat of P-B5. Black has also openeda beautifuldiagonalfor his Q-Bishop(QRl-KR8). Note that the temptingdevelopingmove 1 . . B-K3 doesnot solvethe problem of the backwardQBP after Wfute retreatswith his Queento B2. Then P-84 could be met with the simplePxP.

45

ROSS--EVANS, N.Y.

METROPOLITAN L F A C l l r , 1 9 4 9

i n a^, fa u u, ,

: ;"ifn*l$;;-,*I;;f-.'1,, Doubledand Tripled pawns

r? Diasran 15

Correct is I

P_Q4

:Lfl :.:",yj[:,:fi itili|!i:,!'6ittiS:t'iib:!,li';fl , 2 B-Ql'whcreupon either PxP .' p-qi"ii",,,i.l #Ij|,i::ffiil Diagtum 47 GOLDWATER-EVANSJ r'TARSHALL cHtss CLUB cHAMpIoNsHrp,

'

194g_49

tta tr a t g .

f

Doubled pawns Doubled pawn.s should be avoided because they cannot be mobilized. They frequently offer *' ion inasm uch

rheyprorider "-"p;; ;l;';

,

?; u;^a

'42

Diagtam 16

Conect is 1 ,

_^Here

%

P_K4

there,is,notso much need.for hasteas in the previoustwo

.

;;an' ll'lo'.",.1',f l'

as

E

Diagram,l8

Ttipled parrns

i""."':[q?.f:.iffil.it,J,-;illi,::,*,r;*lit**ll brePa wnform arion.,^irh ,rJ'l'# ?:fi :t;';i'; i!;,ili'l p^ossi iri"Hrrr"fff JTjk"i'ff ili',i'".,rifl i::1$i,ii:t*i?jl lml*,tij":d';":i::T'iiJT,#IJ:-ll'J";i,['.*'P preventP-K4. However,p_K4 m

46

47

Double-edged doubledPawns

ImmobiledoubledPawns

HoRolvITz-EvANs, wERTlrErMMEMoRTAL, Nsw yom,

l95l

ADAMS-EVANS. u.s. cHAI{proNSHlp. 1948

i1fr %tTtt 7&

%

%

%a%^% "'ffi-

% % % % " ' &

^'"&ft%%

llhite moves, Illrcn doubledPqv,ns "there are to stttf"-bev,are! AII too oJien one of thetn can be picked of if ))our oplonent simply focuses Tieces on it. In this position Vy'hitenerely nlaneuoershis Knights to Q4 and K3. Eaen Blqck's two Bishops are of no quail. Notice hoy, Black vould haue a good game if only his Payln were on KN2 insteed of KB4.

Diasram 49

r NrQ4

2 N.K3

vtt % t

t"ffi, %.,.%' vt ^ %6 % ''t:<

%a

ft7tu

Black mopes. Black has a genuine problem: whether to double White's QBP's by NxN or by BxN. Each moue has its peculiar drawbacks qnd aduantages. llthich would you choose --and why ?

Diaqratn 50 BLACK

3 0-o-o,

P-QB31

o-o

B-B4

4 N(3)xPB

l Equally hopelessis I . . . P-B4; 2 N-N5, K-Q2 (forced); 3 O-O-O. and the Din is fatal to Black. 2 Adding insult to injury! The Pawnwill not run away*White can capture it at his leisure-so he prefers to strengthenhis position first bv castlins.

, ' Whrte has won a Pawn. I he rest is a matter of tecblique, o , , - . :

48

1 . , . NxNl 7 Q-Q31 N-K1 2 PxN B-K2 8 P_85 P_Q4 3 N-Q4 P_Q3' 9 P-QM P-QR3 4 R-Ql 10 N-83 P-Q55 Q_82" 5 N_N5 11 N-R4 QTNl Q_82 6 B-QR3 R_Q1 12 QR-NI R-NI6 l lnstead Black can give up the rwo Bishops-probably a wiser course-with I . . . BxN; 2 PxB, Q-R4; 3 B-N2-but it is not clearhow Black can make headwayagainstthe doubledPawns. If now 3 . . . N-Q3; 4 N-Q2, Q-B4; 5 Q-Q3-White holdseverything and threatensto repulsethe invader. The nextmove losesa vital tempo. It givesWhite a Time-Space advantageto offset his bad Pawn Structure. How this confliit is resolvedin the gameis hteresting. ' 3 . . . P-Q4 would be a good move-but inconsistent-sinceit would undo all Black's labors by allowing White to dissolvehis doubledPawns. 3 A necessary evil. Black must submit to contortionsbecausehe is cramped. He would like first to play 4 . . . P-QR3, but 5 P-B5, P-Q4; 6 P-B6, P-QN4; but 7 P-QR4, opensall the lines. a More accurateis 7 P-B5, PxP (disagreeably forced; not 7 . . P-Q4; 8 P-B6!, BxB; 9 P-B7, winniag the Queen!); 8 RxRch, BrR; 9 BxP, threateningthe devastatingB-Q6. In view of this possibility,it seemsBlack would havebeenbetter advisedto select BxN as his first move. But thesethings are not always easy to foreseeover-the-board. 5 Black fightsto seethat Write's Pawnsstay doubled! 6 Finally Black is out of danger, Now Q-B2 is threatened. 49

Immobiletripled Pawns

Capfuretoward the center EVANS

J. CROSS, U.S. OPEN

t %'/z t"t& 7Z .,,,& % lft '/z % %,ffi% %a.ry ./8 2. ,r& z . a A A

Diagrum5I

5 NPxNr 6 PxP ep.

A A

1953 cHAr,rProNSHrP, White moues. Often douhledPawns .te ineuitable, a|t in thls tqriotio oJ the Sicilian DeJbnse: I P-K4, P-QB1: 2.v-K43. V KB3: 3P K5. N Q1; 4 N-83, NxN. The problent is vthether llhite should recqpture trith ltis QP or his NP. In the .frct i stance, he vtould free his Q-Bishop. O/fhand, that v'ould seen most desirqble. Yet 5 NPxN is correct. Cqn lou see whl ?

7 P-Q4 8 PxPj

P-Q4 QxP

PxP2

l Despitethe temptationto choosethe line which offersmore rapid development(5 QPxN), White must first considerhis long-range prospectsin Pawn Structure. Right norv, it is true, Time is more important than anything else. But after Black catchesup in Time all that he has to do is exchangehis QP for White's KP in such a mannerthat his 3 Q-sideParvnswill hold White's4 Q-sideParvnsat bay. The reasoninghereis similat to Diagram 16, only in this case White doesnot obtain the trvo Bishoosas corr]Densation. ' B l a c k s h o u l db e m o r c r e l u c t r n tl o e x c h r n g c - h es h o u l dp i a y t o keepWhite'sPawnsdoubled. After 7 . . . P K3 however; 8 B-R3 exertsannoyingpressureon Black'snormal development. 3 White has undoubledhis Palvnsand retainsthe initiative.

50

SMYSLOV-EVANS,

HELSINKI

olYrrrPrcs, 1952

gt rt . , t '%%"z72t7lz 7z

'7, t& 7, "//,27t 7t Diagmn

Blqtb moyes. The reason tripled Pawns are bad, especially in the endgante, is that the! cannotbe ntobilized. This is a drustic case. Bleck N q Pawn ahead, but it matters not, In ef,ect the tri?led Pattns count as one -and Black is in reality a Pav,n dovtn!

52

1 . . . 2 PxP 3 K*86 ' Forced. lt stalemated.

P-B5I P_84 P_B3,:

4 K-Q63 5 K-K6

thrs Pawn could not

KxP Block Resignsa

advance, Black would be

2 A g a i nf o r c e d N . ot3. .. K R2; 4 K-B7. 3 Black rvashoping for stalemare-but in vain after 4 K-N6. 4 White eatsthe Parvnsat his leisure. A likelv continuationmisht l r a r cb e e n :5 . . . 1 ( - 8 2 : 6 K \ P { 4 r K . - Q 2 : 7 K x P .K K t ; - 8 K-N5, etc.

5l

Exchangesincreaseone'sadvantagein Pawn Structure sMysLov-BorvrNNIK,

Weak squares

7t ,rrlrz

7rH MATC'T CAME, 1954

t% %t %r:"ffi %.,rrffi. %

% %i%

m'ffi,%

Black mores, White is a Pawn aheqd; albeit ftipled, it exerts con' sirlerable pressure on Black's gameWhile's immediate threat is N-N3Blqck utilizes a wittj simPlifcation which Jrees his game, exchanges Queens, and also leaueshis Kirlg in its strongly centralized position for the ending.

% % 7Z v2 7 Z %% ,an ,rar& /ffi ,,..&_ ,/,&. 7t a, ./4.: AA, 7Z %ft Diogrcm 54

A tuhite squore seakness

Diagram 53

1 . . . 2 QxP

3 KxQ 4 K-Kl

N-KN5 Q-Q8ch

NxPch NxQ'

l Black's sfateg/ has borne fruit in a hurry ! Instead of exerting pressure,the tripled Pawns have suddenly been convertedinlo for weaknesses. positiveendgamC thoughWhire hascompensation are Ljs shatt.t.d"Pa*nStructurein thJtwo Bishops.Th- cbances now roughly equal. The endgameran an interestingcourse and White, in fact, finally won. Just as each reduction of Force favors the side with superior Force, it also favors the side with the superior Pawn Stlucture. Pawn Structure becomesmore impoftant as the endgamenears because it is durableratherthan transientin nature(like Time)'

52

The sinsof the rveakpiayer are revealedin his Pawn Structure. A "weak squarecomplex"is a seriesof similar colored squares which can neveragainbe defendedby Pawnsbecausethe Pawns(or Pawn)whichnormallydefendthemhavealreadyadvanced.Remember-Pawns cannotretreat! This is the reasonthat unnecessary or prolificPawnmovcsearJyin the gameare ill-adrised. Incidentally. a weak squarecomplexis evenweakerrvhenthe Bishopthat would normally nurseit has beenexchanged. A "hole" is a squarervhich can never again be defendedby a Pawn. In the abovediagram,Q3 and K4 are both holesfor white. "Ilteak sEures" are characterized by a senseof emptiness,They neednot be any particular co7or. IvhenPay,nsareplacedon black, the x,hitesquaresare weak; whenplacedon white,the dark squares are veak, Whgnever a Paryn advances,a fresh weaknessis incurred. Naturally, this doesnot mean that Pawn movesshould altogether be avoided. But it means that they should be made sparingly, eitherto freethe piecesor with someotherdefiniteobjectivein mind.

53

,rr,& Zt .r/z

7t /& 7t %7t //t 7t 7t 7/ifr 7t 7t"',&t/,/: 7t Diasran

.dvoid needlesslyeaknesses EvANs

KRAUSS,OFIHAND GATIF. \Ew

55

Wesk " LuJt" snd sttotrg " LLrJt" In making"Luft," one is generallyconfrontedwith the choiceof pushingeitherthe RP or theNP. (If you are unfamiliarwith "Luft," consult Diagram 120). The RP is advisablebecauseit does not createany holes. In the above diagram Black's fomration involvestwo holes (at his QR3 and QB3). White hascreatedno holes. The slightweakening of the KN3 squareis offsetby the prcsenceof the KBP.

54

Diasrum 56

yoRK, 1945

Black moues. This ntessage can neter be repeated too often. IJ the beginnar does not knort vhat to do, lrc generall ptrshes the nearcst piece of woctdancl.since the Paw s are nost nu rcraLls, this unlucky selection qll too often Jalls on them. Ilhite hqs just played a horrible moue-P-KN3. ll/hy is this badand y,hct noue u'ould hat)e been better?

The correct mor,e would have been B-Q3, devek:ping a piece and preparing to castle. Irstead, White has irreparably weakened his white squaresby prcparing to place his Bishop u'irere it can serveno good function: KN2. The Iiancl]etto is not good liere becausethe Bishop would have no scope. In the words of Nimzovitch, it would "bite oir granite." The "granite" refers to Black's solid Pawn mass: Q4, K3, QB3. The K's fianclictto is a sood formation in these close openings only if there is a possibility that iines rvill be opened for it i n t h e e n s u i n ga c t i o n . P i c c e ss h o u l d b e d e r e l o p e di n a c r i r e n o t passive positions.

55

OccuPYholes

Exploit holes

EVANS-JOYNER. u.s. l'.JNIoR cI.IAMpto\sHIP, 1949

FRANK-EVAr.\S,

a:,2.t'/&rWhite ,noves. Block has a gapitg ,,,,.e % 2 hole on his Qts3. If it vere his moue,

%t"ffi. % "&""& % ffi% ,r,& %t

fI.S. OPIIN CHAM?IONS

t 7ta//tt7f, t7, .,,.& 7t /lz,rfu 7tt 7z 7t 7tfr n //i ,N ft,,.,2

he could partiqll,l repair it vith P QB1. On principle llhfte ... ought to ocq?l this hole \rithlN-86. Here, by accident, this moue elso hdppensto witr b1,Jbrce.

IP, I9,lE

Blach mor)es. White has tv,o gaping holes: KR4 and KB4. Black ilriadj, occupies one vith the Rook. The problem is to occup! the other- So Black must aslc himself what piece he vqtts thcre, The lo:r problem it how to get it there. T h e( n s w e rl s 1 . , , N - B l !

whv?

Diaqrun 57

Diasmh

58

BLACK

I N-86 2 BxB

BLACK

3 BxPl 4 B-B33

Q-83' QxB

KR_K1'

1ffl...BxN; t P a w nw i t h o u t 2 B x B ,P x B ; 3 Q x Bw i n sa t l e a s a allowingBlack any counterplay. 2Not3. . Q x B ? ;4 N - K 7 c h . 3 White has won a Parvnand the rest is technique. If now 4 . . . BxN; 5 BxB, QR-QI ; 6 P-K4, etc.

56

1 2 3 4 5

. . . R-QRI B_B1' R-Q3 BxP

N BIT N_N3 R_863

6 7 8 9

Q'B2, RxBP

Q-K3 R,QB1 QxR BxQ

R_R1 RxR QxQ NxPa

t T h ei d e ai s t o s w i n qt b e K n i g h rr o N 3 a n dl h e n c er o KB5. 2 T h eh a p l e sBs i s h o p - c a n ndo6te r e r y r h i nagt o n c e : N o w W f u t ec a n invade on the hole which hasjust beencreatedon QB3. 3 Here. again,Black follows the principleof occupying holes. a Black has won a Pawn lvith an easy victory^tb fi ow. parvn Structurehasfinally beenconvertedinto superiorForce. Notice that here.as so ofren.ir is the rheurc.the threot.of a qireo plan thar forcesthe win eren rhoughrharptanmay ncverliteiallybe carried 9ut. lle need to prevent Black's Knight from reachinghis KB4 forcedWhite to leavchis other rveakness (on QB3) unguirded.

57

ForceentrYto rveaksquares rvLxs (u.s.L.;-rrsrrN

Invadeweak squares

(rne.lcE), DUtsRov\lK oLYMPlcs, 1950

"'''& W, "'tt"/z

t.fr 7t '.z //t T,N %Affi //z 7ta:il '"ffiw''z ./e, e. /\A

t 7/aH

Wllite moves, By all strndards Black':; Q3 is ct rtc(rlc squore; i,e., tl1€reis no Pnvn tthich cttn guard ittlhat tl.hite tust do is to utilize the pin on the I(P in order to brins his Knight f'ont its pqssita positio otl KN3 ta e 1ctirc ane at Q6. This is q tood exattple of cottrcrtitlg Tine into -\yace (maclepossibleby an opponent's veak square complex).

% %,ran t2

,Nft7' %ft Diagrctl

Diastan 59 BLACK

1N_85 2 P-K5r

EVANS-BISGUIER, ^\EW YORK STATE CHATI?IONSHIP,1949

Q_QB2 PxP

WHITE

BLAC}'

3 PxP 4 N-Q6,

N-Q4

I The weaknessof a squaremust oftenbe evaluatedin termsof what attacking piecescan Practicallybe brought to bear on it. _This advanceseiuresWhite control of his Q6. It doescedeBlack the squareQ4 for his ts:.night(everyadvancecreatesa new weakness), it bit this is no time to be niggardly!In chess,as in advertising, J l \ \ a ys l ( n i g l r t c a n g e t a l o t . B l a c k ' s p a l st o g i r er l i t t l ci n o r d c rt o i t p . e t t s o s i m p i e B r N t a f t e r o [ c r p c d i c n i Q 4 ). t h c b y be'dislodgeC whereasWhite's Kniglrt on Q6 standslike a house. 'This final position is the culmination of a spatial combination. Wbitc has thc initiative and Black is clamped. Note that if Blaclt had had a sound Parvn Structureto begin with (Pawn on KB2 insteadof on KB3) thele }rortld have been no way for White ro exploitthe holeon Q6. The remainingmovcs\vere: 4 . . . R-K2; 5 N-Q4' P-QR3; 6 B-N3, P-B4; 7 NxKP, NxN; 8 NxB, N{4) 85; 9 N-Q6 (home asain!),K-Rl; 10 P N3, N-N3; 11 Q-K4, R-KB1; 12 P-B4, N-es; t: B-Q5, Q Q2; 14 QR-K1, N-N4; 15 N-B7ch,R(l)xN; 16 BxR, Q-Q5ch; 17 QxQ, NxQ; 18 P-K6, R-B2; 19 BxN' BlackResigns.

58

White nrcues. Black's adrantoges are mdniftld: his King is qctioe, his pieces are centrriized, snd ll/hite has weak squares on Q3 and K3. (Note the ch.trqcterislic "emptiness" around tltesesquarcs.) The problent for Black is how to penetrqte on the K-fle. This is solued instructil)el! in the game.

60

1BxBl 2 KR-KI 3 RxR 4 R-Qi 5 F-N3 6 R-QNI

BLACK

WIIITE

NxB N_87 RxR R_K7' N_K6 N-85

7 N-Q4 8 RxR 9 NxP 10 P-QB4 11 N-Q4

RxP NxR N*Q8 K_83 K_K43

1The King andPawnendingwould be drarvni/White could only get to it. Exchanges would help White but he can't exchangeenough pieces. Blackneedsonly a Rook and a Knight in orderto carry out a successfulinvasion. If White's Pawn were on KB2 and QB2 (insteadof KB3 and QB3),he would be all right. ' Finally penetrating! The Knight is immunebecauseof mateon the last rnnk. White now makes"Lufr" for his Kins. but this involves the creat.ion of nerrweaknesses. 3 Blackhasa lvinningposition-he penetrates on White'srveakblack squares. This is more than a gratuitousassertion,as lvill be seen from the instructivecourseof tbe game: 12 N-N3, P-QN3; 13 K-Nl, P-B4; 14 K-Bl, N-K6ch; 15 I(-K2, NxP (that old black magic final1yhits pay dirt!); 16 K-Q3, K-Q,t; 17 P-B4, P-QN4; 18 P-N4, P-N5; 19 N 81, P QR4; 20 N-K2, P-R5; 21 N-N3, P*R6; 22 N-K2, N-Q3; 23 N Bl, N-K5; 2.1 K-K3, P-85; 25 P-R4, N-B4; 26 N-K2, N-K5; 27 N-81, N-86; 28 P-R5, NxP; 29 NxN, P-N6; 30 N-B3ch, K-K3; 3l P-B5ch,K*82; 32 K-Q4, P-R7; 33 KxP, P-N8(Q); White Resigns. 59

Every Pawn advancecreatesa fresh weakness

Pawn chains

KAUFMAN-EVANS, u.s. opEN cHAMploNsHIp, 1955

7Z

l:.,.

'Ni,N

vzrvz"ffi ""&

%r% "/4 7t 7t "ffiary.w7t ,ffirt%.&fr

White moves. This concept is so highly theoretical that it is cot|lforting ro fnJ an cxatnTle in Tractical play euen if one does happen to be on the wrong end of it! Black hasjust playd P-KR3,"puttit1g the question" to the Bishop. White's replv comesq,sa rude shock!

Diasrum 61

l BxP !

2 Q-K3

PxB

K-N21

l This move givesWhite his pieceback without a fight. However, thereis no way to keepthe extra piece. The alternativesare no better: e.9., , xR(if3. . .QxR; L 1 . . . B - Q 3 ; 2 Q x K R P , R - K l ; 3 R x R c hN 4QxN); 4 B-R7ch,K-Rl; 5B-N6dis. ch, K-Nl; 6 Q-R7ch, K-Bl; TQxPmate. I L 1 . . . B - K 3 ; 2 Q x K R P ,R - K 1 ; 3 R - K 3 a n d w i n s . I I I . 1 . . . R - K 1 ; 2 Q x K R P ,B - B 1 ; 3 R x R a n dr v i n s (. I f 3 . . . Q x R ; 4 QxN. And on 3 . . NxR comes'l Q R7, mate.) IV. I . . . N-K5; 2 NxN, PxN; 3 QxKP rvith the doublethreat of Q-R7 mate and/or QxB.

7t"'&.& "'.,2

7/t % Vt 7ffi lZ' f f7/z ift ft/fl % Dioetatn 62

A healthy Pawn chain A heahhyPax'nchainis onewhich has its baseeither on or as near to its originalsquareaspossible.In thediagram,the baseof White's Pawn at K5 is on QN2. Pawn chains,to be undermined,must be attackedat their base. Henceit standsto reasonthat the further this baseis removedfrom enemyforcesthe harderit is to get at.

Ir

f

rf fr7t % "ru-ft Diasrcm63

The gameactuallycontinuedwith 3 QxB, QxQi 4 RxQ, and White in drawingthe endgame,he won a Pawn. ThoughBlack succeeded shouldhavelost.

A diseased Pawn chsin This Pawn position is sliglrtly diseased. Note that the pawn on K5 has only two links (Q4 and QB3) compared.to three links in thc prevlous olagram. A "chain" is thus a seriesof connectedPawns which have reached a point at which the one furthest advancedis oreanicallv linked to the o n e w h i c h i s l e a s tr d r a n c e d . P a u n c h a i n sa r e a s s i r o n q a s t h e i r weakesrlink. Even when a Pawn chain is healthy, it involves a weak square ggmplex In both diagrams White is weak on his white squares-(e3, K4, Q5).

60

6l

Challenge adyancedPawn bases

Avoid diseasedPawn chains Mtsr-GARINI-EVANS, U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP,195 1

t7z

'T

r"'4

%t % ,ra/z ' T '"ffi.L& .rr& % % %.|ffi, t %e'/z .,,.ffi._ 4

Diseased Pawn ,nores, White Structures are characterized bY adtanced basesand lack of mobility. Etel1 oplosite coloreclBishops do not help llhite. White's Pawns ate sofar adi'encedthqt tltey can be hod for the mere pickinq. Co trsst them with Black;s heaithy K-side Pattns vrhich haue a sound base on KB2.

lf,

t tffi

7:l

7r,, q) 'at

'/.€ia ?:!VJI T]

Diastam 65

Black moves. It has alreacly been diteu in(d that o P,tin cl,oirt i: sitotlgest v,lrcn its base stands on the ori,qirul setontl ran!;, Eath ti;le this l,a,e i.s aJr,tnce,t, the ,lu,'t is v'eaketed. It is eL,engood sttategy sometit es to b(iit tlrc centerfontqt(ls. Black hqs just pial,ecl P-QN3, proroking Whitc'src71.v P Q'14. hot vith one strolte-Block can reduce trlhite's Q-side Pavtl Structurc to q shanbles, Hotr ?

Diasrc,|64

BLACK

1 K-KII

2 3 4 5 6

B-Q4 B_83 K-Q1 K_Bl K-Qz

KxP K_K5' K_K6 B-N5ch K_K5 B-K?

7 K_81 8 K-Qz 9 K-BI 10 K-Q2 lt K-81 12 B-Q4

B-N53 B_K3 B_N6 B.B7 K_85 K-N61

l W h i t e i s i n " Z u g z u a n e . "m e r n i n gt h e u n P l e s s a no tb l i s a t i o nt o. move. If I B K3, K Nrr: 2 K KI KxP: 3 K-B2. K-N5 \'i'rs Or, evensimpler,after I B K3 is B-K5 and White must losehis BP "Zugzwang." due to 2 Triangulaiion. 2 . . . K-N6 would only be met by B B2ch. 3 There-isno rush. Black prefersto strengthenhis position before soins after the RP. i Bla-cknow hasan easywin. A)l that he hasto do is advancehis RP'

1 2 3 4

. . . B-Q21 BxP BxN

P-QR4! PxNP N-R3 BxB

s 6 7 8

R-Kl BxP Pxts Q-B2

PxP BxB Q_82 KR_B12

1 White has no satisfactoryreply: L If2 P-N5, PxPl 3 PxP, BxP rvinsa Pawn. II. If 2 PxNP, PxP wins a Pawn. III. If2 P-QR3. PxNP wins a Parvnbecauseofthe pin on the R-fiIe. N o r e t h a r i f B l a c \ d i d n o Lp h y | . . . P Q R 4 i m r n e d i a r e rl yl r.e n White would have had time for B-N2 so as to meer P QR4 with P-QR3. 2 White's Q-sidestructureis shattered.White is saddledwith a weak isolatedParvnunder constantfire.

63

Try to weakenstrongbases

Strike Pawn chainsat their base

EVANS-DAKE,u,s. opEN cHAr'rproNsHrp,1955

aDAMS-EVANS, NEw yoRK N{ETRopoLrrAN LEAcuE, 1951

.,rr&,

h%t t 7t 7Zi'% ,,ffi %7t %'ffit."& .,rrr.&, ..raz'rar&

./zl 2, A,A

Diasran

1 2 3 4

v

A

%

?t

%sffi-

Blach moues, The base of llhite's Pawn on K5 is the Pqv,n on KB4. Black mtrst.fnd sone v,qy to strike at the base. It's as simple as pricking a bqlloon v,ith a pin-eL-erything explodes.

'ka'ffi+ .,,,,& ''&w'/z vtH 4-< '

Diagruln67

66

. . . P-852 PxP P,KR4

/&r.7t t "Nt% vtt 7; ,ffi .,r.,&/, ' k % ?/k /.&t t

P-N4!1

5 0-O-O 6 PxP QxP PxP 7RR6 B-B4 8 RxKP Blach Resignsa

N_N3 N-Q4 O_OB QxR

I Black literally smashesup his own K-side in order to d€stroy White'sPawn chain. Is it worth it? It is a questionof evaluation. In the endgame,of course,sucha move would be playedonly after the most extremedeliberation.But this is not the endgame.It is the middle-game.Black reckonsthat his influencein the centeris more importar.tright non than Pawn Structure. 2 The bestchance. 2 PxP, QxP givesBlack a beautifullycentralized gamewhile all White'spiecesremainclutteredin an awkwardquasiblockade. Incidentally,2 O-O O is out of the questionbecauseof PxP; 3 BxP, P K6 winning the exchange. 3 This looks anti-positional,but Black seesa quick win. This is no longera questionof strategy-but of tactics. Ordinarily one should nevercastleinto suchan exposedposition. a After 9 NxQ, BxBch; 10 K-Nl, RxN; 1l Q-any,R-QB1 White's Q u e e ni s n o m a t c hf o r t h e m i n o rp i e c e . . Notice how quickly White's gamefell apart as soonashis center collapsed. 64

1P-B51 2 P*K6 3 PxPch 4 N-K5ch3

White moues, Blctck's pasition seems uery sound. Upon closer exonlination, hoveuer, ve see th{tt the dark squares on his K-side (KR3, KB3) are v'eak. All Bldt'k's pieces, tnorcoter, are clwtered on the Qwing. Thus this seetns like o propitious moment to storn Blqck's fortress. ht order to do this ,Yhite must in)ade at KN6. Before he can ircade, the base Puwrt (at KB2) must be undennined.

N(3)-Q2' N_81 KxP K_N2

5NN4 6 B-Q4ch 7 R-K14

N(4)-Q2 K-B2

1 With the devastatinsthreat of P-K6. 2 An attemptto bring the Knight which is out-of-playto the aid of the embattledmonarch. It is extraordinarythat Black is already without any satisfactorydefense.If 1 . . . R-Ql; 2 RxRch, BxR; 3 P-K6!, PxKP; 4 PxNP leavesBlack'sPawn Structurea shambles. 1 . . . PxP; 2 QxP, N K3 (to preventR-Q4); 3 N-K4 leadsto a \ i n n i n ga t t r c ka s a i n sB t luck'e s x p o s eK dint. I l t i s i n c r e d i bh l eo wq u i c k l yB l a c l ' sp o ' i r i o nf a l l sa p a r rn o wt h a rh i 5 basePawn has beendestroyed. a Thereis now no good defenseagainstN-R6ch follorvedby P-86. Note that in the originaldiagramevenif Black'sPawnwereon KN2, White would still havea stronsattackwith P-B5. Had Black'sPawn Structurebeen intact, it would have merely been hardcr to make headway.

65

Exposeenemybases EvANs-ADAr'ls,

Loc cABrN CHESSCLUB CHAMPIoNSHP, 1950

,/& ,,.ffi i ,ft 7ft6W":,& 7t JI 7t /x '2 72rIt 7tftN,z7t + *ec\

A

t-_1 -l

white ffio|es. White's clwin extenelsfrom QB2 to KB5. If it were P-85 vould Blaclr's moae, L underntinetltc rntire clruiu by *ilring the base from 82 to Q3 after the consequent exchange of Pawns. If White takes time to mote his Queen out of the pin (to pretent P-85), then Black vould harc time for P-KB3, consolidating his chain from KN2 to K4.

Diasldn 68

BLACK

r P-ts6!i 2 N,N3!' 3 QR-QI 4 PxP 5QKB2 6 Bx-N!'r 7 QxQ 8 NxP 9 RxNi 10 RxBI' 1l RxR 12 R-86 13 RxP 14 P-N4 !

PxF P-8513 PxP NQ5 P-IiB,l Qxli RxQ Nxli r{R-Q1 IixQP RxR R-Q76 RxP R_K7T

I]LACK

15 P KIT4 P-B48 K_Q2' 16 P-R5 17 R-R7ch K_Q3 18 P,R6 P-85 19 R-R8 RxKP 20 P-R7 RxPch 2t K,Bz R-R5 22 R-Q8ch K_84 23 P-R8(Q) RxQ 24 RxR K_Q5 25 K-I(z K_86 26 R-R8 P,t{4 27 RxP P_N5 28 R-QB7 Black Reignsro

l This Pawn is used as a battering ram in order to force Black to doublehis Pawns,tirus exposingthe baseof the KP on an openfile (at KB3). The sacrificeof a Parvnis oniy temporary,and the voluntary openingof the KN file on White'scastledKing is not dangerous becausethere is no way Black can make use of it for an attack. the long-term imThis game is instructivebecauseit emphasizes portanceof destroyingPawn chains,evenat the short-termcost of a Pawn. 66

2 White must continue sharply. 2 Q-Kl would be net by p-B4! returning the Pawn under favorable cir.cumstances:e.e., 3 pxp, P - 8 3 l a n da l l i s w e l la g a i n -B l a c kh a sm r n a g e d r o c l o s et h eK B - 0 1 e . 2 BxRP,insteadof the text,wouldbe met handilyby P 85. 3 B l a c kc o u n t e l l t t a c k s - r a l h et hl a n m a i n t l i n t h c i o l e o f p a s s i v e defender.The principlebehindhis play is that an attack on tlie wing is bestmet by a reactionin thc center. a Thematic. White must never play PxP, but capture in such a mannerthat he keepsthe KB-file open. 6 Note that both sidesnow haveexposedbases:White'sPawnon e h i r ec o r n e s Q 3 a n d B l a c k ' sP a w no n K 8 2 . B l a c ki s I o s tb e c r u s W first in the elementof Time. The remainderof thc gamesirorvswhy. 6 12 . . . R-Q8ch; 13 K-B2, R QTch; 14 K B3,-RxQNPgains'a tempo but puts White's King in a more favorableposition. StiI, it might havebeenpreferable.Time is now more important than anything else. It is essentialto get the passedParvnsmoving! ? Black caurot stopfor 14 RXQRPbecausethe Whjte Pawnsare too fast after 15 P-N5. The important thing is mobility, not material. Black must try to mobilizehis Q-sideParvnsas quickly as possible. He cannotstop to defendhimselfor feaston Pawns. 3Too slow, but there is hardly anything better. 15 . . . RxKP; 16 R-N6, P-B;l; 17 P-R5 also wins for White. e Npt the tempting16 . . . P-B5 becauseof 17 R-B6ch followedby RxBP. 10A really beautifuland instructivegame-more or lessforcedfrom the original diagram. Write conveftedTime (the fact that it was originallyhis move)into betterPawn Structure,at the cost of Forcc (1 P-B6l). His better Pawn Structure,however,was later re-converted into superiorForce when Black rvasforced to sacriice his Rook.to preventthe RP from queening. A game of chessis an orsanlcwnole.

ot

The bad Bishop

% %t'/fr

% Ni% t Tlzt% T - %%

"/& ',.,&%A 7t vt ,ffift A.

HALPER EVANS, MARSHALL crrBss CLUB cHAvpror{sHrp.

19,18-49

% % t %t''/4t %tt:< t,,.& % t.,rr,,& % T, H % % % .,ra& n %&7tft

Diagram 70

Diagrcm69

white has the bad Bishop; Black has the good Bishop From the diagramit is immediatelyapparentthat a good Bishop commandsmobility and openlines,whereasa bad Bishopis hemmed in by its own Pawns,thus servinga purely defensiverole. There is no theologyin chess.When a Bishop is bad it is not wicked,just useless.It is generallygood policy to place Pawns on a color . hen o p p o s i tteh a to f t l t eB i s h o pa. sB l a c kh a sd o n ei n t h ed i a g r a m W tr) to get rid of the Bisbop. ParvnStructure t[ia is impossib]e. intimately affectsthe working value of the pieces. The Bishops work best on an openboard. Conversely,with two Knights against two Bishops, one would attempt to lock the Pawn formation. Knights are superiorto Bishopsin closedpositionsbecausethey can and barricade.. Ieapoverobstaclcs Note one other thing in the diagram: White has no piecewith which to attack Black's Pawn on QN4, whereashis Bishop is tied down to the defenseof his own QNP.

68

White hss the Eood Rnight; Black htts the bad Bishop White has a strangleholdon the dark squares. His Knight irradiatessunshine. Contrast this with Black's sour Bishop which "bites on granite." Black hasno counterplay. He is helplessagainst the threatenedR-QR3 follorvedby RxP and the eventualadvance ofthe QRP. A drasticexampleof paralysis-known in chessjargon asa "bind." Rathertltan wait for the coffinto arrive,Black resigned in.thisposition.

69

The goodKnight againstthe bad Bishop

The Queensidemajority

t

a

t

r

t ag t ti t r 7kE% ,ffi,

i

Di'grun 71

1 R-Q31 2 R-Q2'

//t 7' i ^72x.v, 7Zt. /t ,/z t//,t /t 7tt lfl ./t&%''/,/t /t ',/;aa. 7/t 7t A A ./a,.

White moves. Black wil1s. Illlit?'s Bishop seemsto command oPenlifies, at ,,et it has nothing to strike lyhite's Pavtls, nloreouer, arc on the same color as his BishoP. White has no piece vith which to defend his whitesquaresqnd thus cannotprercnt imading and doubling Black'fron Rooks on the 2nd ranitContrast Blqck's beautifullY centrnli:eJ Knight tirh l/hite's in' effectual Bishop. This is not quite so iut-qnd-drted is the preuiousexample.

BLACK

WHITE

BLACK

RxF R-N6ch

3 K-N2

RxPs

. R-KR7 follorvedby 1 White is desperate.The threat was 1 play at the cost of a into Rook this bring to tries R(1)-K7. White longer. out holds 1 R-Ql Pawn. 2 To prevent2. . . R(1)-K7. 3 Blaik's two extra Pawns assurehim of an easy wln' Note tlie passiverole played by White's Bishop throughout the precedirg actlon.

70

'"/:1,:

y','li

GOMPERT-EVANS, 1956 MARSI{ALL CI{ESSCLUB JUNIOR CHAIIPIONSHIP,

''/t!t.

Diasran 7:

Blsck has s potential outside passed paun, The e-side majority, characterized by an unbalancedParvnStructure,generally leadsto a sharpglme becausethe themesare so forcibly outlined. wl]ite must try to usehis "qualitatiyemajority" in the center(with P-K4 and P-Q5-this would be known as the "insidepassedParvn" in the endgame),whereasBlack must try to cashin on his distant majority. The Q-sidemajority is an endgameadvantagebecauseit prcmiscsa potential outsidepassedParvn. Of course,this is true only rvhenboth sideshavecastledK-side,which is usuallythe case. B l r c l , ' sK i r r gh o l d sW h i r e ' sK - ( i d em a j o r i r a y t b a y .u h e r e uW r hire's King must scurry to the Q-sideto preventthe passedPawn frorn queening.(SeeDiagram 15 for the principleinvolved.)

7l

Cashin on a Q-sidemajoritv

Mobilize a Q-sidemajority EVANS-KALME, HoLLywooD

EvANs-poMAR, u.s. opEN cHAMproNsHrp,1954

6

%.lrzM, Vt

%

tvft

fr""& % % / / t v)?W ,/ Vz,

White moues. Ilhite has a Q-side najorit! (2 asainst I otl the Queett side). Black has the inside passed Pavn (the QBP). llhite's problem is to denolish the blockade and to mobilize his potential passedPawtr.

BLACK

P-N6 !1 P_R7 R-QN2 RxNP R-N7ch

? %t^%a%t z "ffit7,

% 'ffifr"'ffi. /&%"'e_

% % "/&A %,mH%. w %

7,2

Wltite moves. For the moment White is qppare tly stynied on the Q-wing. 1 P-N5 seems to lose a Pawn. Not so- Tactics prot;ide the answer. Notice how, in the sequence, Black's proud, protected QP hecomes transfonned i,tto a scraggly "isoleni."

Diasrun 74

Diagrum73

1 2 3 4 5

orEN, 1954

WHITE

6 R-R6ch 7 K_K3 8 K-Q24 9 NPxF 10 R-N85

PxP2 R_QR1 P-853 P_86 K_Q3

K_B4 P_87 P_84 PxP

1 A temporarysacriice of a Pawn in order to get the RP rnoving. 2 Forced. 2 . . . P-85 losesto 3 P-N7, R-QNI; 4 RxP, followed by R-88. s A desperateattemptto achievesomecounterplay. a Notice how easilyWhite's King stopsthis Pawn, whereasBlack's King cannotcrossto the sceneof action. 5 White wins a full Rook.

72

I 2 3 4

P-N5 !r P-863 PxP QxB

6 B-R65

PxP2 Q'Q1 BxNa NxP N_B2 P_83

7 BxR

QxB

s Q-N2

8 R_Kl e Q-N7 10 RxBl 11 BxP 12 QxR 13 P_87 14 Q-K8ch

K_82 Q-Q3 QxR QxB N-K3 N_N4 Black Resigns

l The blockadeat QB3 must be demolished ! 2 No better is 1 . . . BxN; 2 PxP; 3 B-R6, winning the QxB, exchange. t Equally good is 2 PxP, and if NxP; 3 P-B6. However,Black has the resource2 . . . BxN. This, too, can be met by 3 P-B6, BxB; 4 PxQ, BxQ; 5 PxR(Q), RxQ; 6 RxB, winning the exchange.The it narrowsdotvnBlack'soossiblereolies. textis moreaccuratebecause a O t h e r u i sW e l t e ' sP a \ r nm a r s\ a o u l ds o o nb e c o m d eerastatins, 5 White wins the exchange.It is amazinghow quickly Black'sgame now falls anart.

73

BLACK

The minoritYattack EVA^-S-OPSAHL' DUBROVNIK OLYII?ICS. 1950

ttt

t

t;,2H,.,1:l: t t ',./',t",/.t it

7/t 7.t T1

Blach moves, The consequencesof pct'u'jitlitlg (1tl oppottc!tt's Q-side meiori1) to nohilize l".Ire alrcdit heco rc alparcnt. Here l/hite has taken a(tit)e t|ieasures lo immobilize Blctck's nujorit.t' b.v ;nou!ur(ttittg .l "ni orit! dttttcl.," i.e., his tvo Q' s i , l cP a t n ' l : a t , l ' , , n t t " . l d r l ' o t t c r i n g r a r q , . T l , e 1 11,a i u t , ' f t l t i s\ / r { i ( t L l s to cotllert Bloclr's potentiol strc gth ifi to'n'eaknessinsteqd.

Diacrun 75 BLACK

2 PxP

tw /E,

7tar& 2 t ,&,&

nt 76

N-B5chr N-Q7ch N-B8ch N-R7ch N-N5chB

K_83 K_K3 K_B3' K-K3 K_Q3'

BLACK

2l P_R5 22 R_N3 R_R3 24 K_83 25 R,R1

P_83 K_K35 K_82 KxN x{ 84 R_Qts8 K_N3 R-87 K_B4 K_N3 KxP K_N38 K-B4 R_88 R_QR8

26 K-N3 27 R-R4 28 tr{-B4ch 29 R N4ch 30 K-R4 31 R-N7 32 P-R6 33 R,N3 34RR3 35 R-B3ch!10 36 R-N3ch 37 KxR 38 K-N4 39 K-84

40 K_85 41 P-B3

PxP

19 moves later. White mores, Black now has a backu'ard QBP. Nineteen fioues later, after some of the ?ieces had been exchanged, the gatne continuedftom this position.

BLACK

1 2 3 4 5

Qr{-Kr

'Nr/Z

% t /t&7tt 7/t"ru t"/, ,& 72 % Dias

3 P_N3 4 PxP

RPxP B-R,6

7

6 R_N? 7NR7 I N-B8ch 9 NxP6 10 RxN? 11 R-QB7 12 R QBE 13 K-N3 14 P-R4 15 R-KR8 16 P-BSch 17 RxPch 18 R*R8 19 R_KN8 20 K-Nz

R_R2 R_R2 K_N4 R_R3 K_84

K-N4 K_8.1 K_N4 K-8,1' R-R1 R-R1 R-R8 R-R8ch R_KN8 K_N3 RxR KxP K.N3 K_N2

K_82 BlacbResiSnsrr

1 Black's Knight is tied to the defenseof the neuroticQBP. White .nowwins a Pirvn by a curiousKnight's tour. 2 Always forced. Not 3 . . . K-Q3??; 4 R-Q7 mate. 3 Completingthe amazingarc! a No betteris 5 . . . K-B3; 6 P-B3 ! followed by the steamrollerP,K4-5. 6 Not 7. .P-84?; 8 N-B8 andthe threatof mateon Q7 will cosl Black dearly. 6 Finally the pin paysdividends. ? Now that Whitc has won a Pawnthe restis a matter of technique. irstructive, and they are given The remainingmovesare extren-lely who are interestedin perfectingtheir for those herein their entireiy endings Parvn Rook and I White's ertra, doubled Pawn has been convertedinto an extra, plssedParvn. b 2 9 . . K r , Pl o s e tso 3 0R - R 4 c h K , - N 4 ; l l R x R .K x R ; 3 2K - N 4 . 1ater. haPPens This K-84. K-N3: 33 10Not 35 P-R7, R-N5ch-Black gcts a perpetualcheck! 11White has the oppositionand tlis is decisive. If 41 . . . K-K2; 42 K-N6, K-K3;-43 P-8,1,P-84 (or 43 . . . K-K2; 44 P-B5); 44 K-N5, winning a Pawn. The sameis true if Black moves his King to the other side: 41 . . K-N2; 42 K-K6, K-N3; 43 P-B4, 75

The following table erpresseslhe imporrancc of rhe pieces in r e l a t i o nt o e a c ho t h e rw i t h o n e u n i t l a k e na s t h e s m a l l e sm t e a s u r eo f strength: TABLE oF RELATIVE VALUES Pieces

Relatile

Pawn Knight Bishop Rook Queen

CHAPTERTHREE: FOTCE Force is the fist of the chessboard.And in a purely physical struggle,the stronseris bound to win. So it is rvith chess: "when right opposeslight, force decides"-or night makes right! If victory is the goal of the game,then the accumulationof force is the chief meansto that end. Of all the elementsforce is the most important and in itself comesclosestto being the most decisive. Generallya big advantagein the other elementsculminatesin, or must first be convertedinto Force, before it becomessumcientto this with the quip, "I would ratherhave win. ReubenFine expressed a Pawnthan a finger!" The basicprincipleof Force is that materialsuperioit! is decisiue vhenall otherthingsare equal.* In fact, atest of one'stechnicalskill is how easilyonecan convertForceinto victory. (Techniquecan be acquiredonly by constantpracticeand study of mastergames.This book takestechniquefor granted,and no attemptis madeto teachit here.) "other things" generally In practice,of course, are not "equal." just when little obstacles to be surmounted, always it Thereale seems, things are brightest. One sidemay be a Pawnaheadin an endgame, yet not win becauseof opposite colored Bishops-or stalemate. In a garnbit,one sidemay be a Knight aheadyet decisivelybehindin Time and Space.It then becomesa matterofweighingan advantage in one clementagainsta disadvantagein another,of balancing,of compensating. This is essentiallya problem in evaluation (see Chapter7). * Of course there are exceptions-such as two Knights being unable to effecl mare against a lone King.

76

Velues

l unit 3| units 3] units 5 units 10 units

Another way expressing it is in terms ofmoney: the pawn is _of worth 10 cents, Knights and Bishops 35 cents apiece,-theRooks fifty cents, and the Queen one dollar. The King has no fixed value. Ii t h eo p e n i n gw . h e r ei t m u q tf i n d s l r e l t ear n d r a k e n o a c t i v ep a r t i o t h e proceedings.it is worth abour tweniv cents. ln the endgame,how_ ever.where it may.wanderft-ecl).generallyr\irhout any fiar of mate. n Decomesa \atuabie attackrngpreceand is worth about forty centS. I n e t m p o r t a n l r h l n g s r o r e m e m b e ri s t h a l l h i s t a b l e e x D r e s s e s a b s t r a c rr e l a r i o n s h i pusn d e r s o - c a i l e d. . i d e a l ' .c o n d i r i o n s u, n d r h u r t h e v a l u eo f p i e c e sc h a n g e sa s p o s i t i o n sc h a n g e . S o m e t i m e a s \aellp l a c e dK o i g h t m a y b e u o r r h m o r er h a n a R o o k , w h c r e a sa p a w n o n t h c s e v e n t hr a n k w h i c hc a n n o tb e s t o p p e df r o m q u e e n i n gi s o b v i o u s l v worth infinilely more than the same paun uncier ordfiary circum'_ stances. Superior force confers the same advantageas starting a Doker game with more chips. You can keepcrouding yout. near_"bunkruor opponenruirh bigger bets on each hind. The smallest unit of force is the pawn. In the following position "other things are equal"-so superior Force wins !

t'

% ,ra/4 % % g g % % % %ft% Diasrcn 77

77

White i'ins ethoever moves, The vin is elementary. White musl only be careful that he does ot lermit Black's King.to get in lronr -the of Pavn. T'hus, if 1 . . . K-Q4; 2 K-85'! (not 2 P-K4ch. k-K3-draw), K-Q3; 3 P-K4' K-K2; 4 K-K5, K Q2 (Black's King cannot stqt- in front of tlrc Pattn becquse l4/hha IPs the oppositlon Blactc's Kitg is'forced'to one side or the other-he hasfree v'ill to the extent that lrc can choase lis orvn ntetlnci o.f dring); 5 I{-86' K-Kl; 6 K K6!, K-Ql; 7 K-87, K Q2; 8 P-K5 and rhe Pavtt is chaperonedin to lhe quecttitlssquare, Of course, if B"hite has the fi$t moce. it is tnuch.sitnplerbecauseP-K4 v'ould v'in imnediatel-

The GeneralPaltern.for ConvertingForce into VictorY Oncehavingwon material,the generalpatternis to keepexchanging oiecesand iteerinq for the endgame. We have seenthat eventhe in the ending properties iowly Pawnacquiie'Herctrlean

The Two Bishops In theory a Knight is equal to a Bishop (they eachtally 3| units in thc tableof relativevalues).ln practicea Bishopis preferable to a Knigirt (especiallyin opcn positionsand the endgamervhereit can swcepthe bcard). Trvo Bishopsagainstt$o Knightsconstitutcan advantagein Spacera-therthan Forcc-and tvoe unto him who exchanges Bishopfor Knight withoutjust causcI Thc Knight has a morelimitedranscthantheBishop.For rhisreasonBisirops rvorking in unison lain in strengthas rhe endg;rneapproaches.Theretbre, if you find yourselfwith Bishopand Knigbt againsttwo Bishops, make an attemptto exchangeone of your opponent'sBishops. The exceptionis rvhenthe Pawn Structureis so locked that the Bishops have become a liability becausetheir range has been seriousiy impaired. It is. however,much easierto open a game at will than to closeit. The plal'er with the two Bishopsalwaysstandsreadyto profit from the consequent openingof lines.

EiIi

Diasrun78 lVhite uins by etchanging cr.ll the pieces. llhite wins eosill by centalizing afer I RxR, RxR; 2 RxR, KxR; 3 K-Kl-Jblloved ix King and aduancing the QkP. Contersel!, if it vere Black's moue insteqd, his best chance to dravv would consist in pteseruing ot Ieqst one Roolc after l. ' ' RxR; 2 RxR' R-QRI.

78

79

Play to "win" the two BishoPs

Two Bishopsagainsttwo Knights BrscurER-KASHDAN,HoLLywooD opEN, 1954

EVANS-FINE, SLXTANGULARMASTTRS" NEW YORK, 1951

,rrffit

% ,t&6

% % %,,% vt % %ft"'ffi Diagrum 79

The two Bishops Black noves. constitute a powerful h,eqPon but they qre not inherited; an actfue efort "v)in" then in the rttust be nqclc to niddle game. If u Knight is also tvorth 3tt units, one may vell be justifed in demanding to "two knov why all this fuss about the Bishops." The tt'uth is, a. Bishop is actuqll.r rorth obout 3f; unirs this is b,hat a ce tur! of chess theory has taught usl

hffi,t %t ./& 7t /zt

"x'N7z'/t7t

/tft 'ffi,

z %JI Diagrcn 80

BLACK

BLACK

1 , . . 2 Q-822

3 NxN 4 B-Q23

N-85!1 NxB

Q_R4 QxP'

l Also good is 1 . . . N(4fN5; 2 QxQ, RxQ; 3 P-QR3, NxP!; 4 QN-Q2 (if 4 PxN, N-N6 regainsthe piecemost favorably),N-B3. In this variation Black retains only a slight advantage. The text not only recapturesthe Pawn-but wins the two Bishopsin the Drocess. t Not 2 qxq, NxPch; 3 K*Rl, RxQ and White must lose at least a Pawn owing to the doublethreat ofNxB or NxP. (4 B-K3 leaves the QNP hanging.) 3 White should not attempt to hold onto the Pawn with 4 B K3, B-B4; 5 Q-Bl, QR-Bl-Black regainsthe Pawn and his pieces springinto dynamicplay. a Black regainsthe Pawn with the better game. Play continued: 5 QxQ, NxQ; 6 B-B3, P-K4 (exchangingwould lose the two Bishops):7 B-N4, P-N3; 8 N-83 and White managedto equalize.

80

l/t

White mor)es. Two Bishops working in unison sweep the board tphen the lines are open, The winning process consistsoJ (l) hemming in the eneml Knights with Pawns, (2) \iing them dotyn to the defense of a weakness, (3) making inroads vyith the King, (4) liquidating pieces at a fauorable ntomenr. This ideal formula ariset more frequentu than one would imagine. This is a good case in point.

r P-QN4 2 PxPl 3 B*R4s 4 K_K4

WHITE

PxP N_K3' N(3)-814 K_Q3U

5 BxN 6 BxP 7 K_81

NxB P-B4cho P_R3

8 B-Q47

I Driving Black's Knight back and completing the hemming in process. 2 OnZ. . . N-R3; 3 B-B3 followed by K-Q4, also squeezes Black to death. 3 Threatening4 BxN. Notice that Black'sKnight is tied down to the defenseon the weak QNP. a T h e e r c l r a n sdeo e sn o t h c l p B l a c k . E . g . .3 . . . N x B : 4 K - r N , N-B3; 5 P-B5, PxP; 6 KxP-the outside,passedQNp is decisive. 5 To preventK-Q5 and K-B6. 6 Equally hopelessis 6 . . . NxB; 7 P-B5ch, K-B3; 8 PxN, Kxp; 9 K-K5 and Black's K-side PawnsbecomeeasvDrev. ? The Black Plun. mu,L fall. Whire has c'onreitedhis spatial advantage into Force.

St

Two BishopsagainstBishopand Knight IIL'RGER-EVANS,

U.S. OPEN

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The two Bishopsor Time?

1952 CHAMPToNSHIP, Black moves. As a team tlrc lwo Bishops are porserful because, blt cirtue of tl'Leirsveep and rqrge, tlrc.tl ore capable of controlli g both tvhite antl dark squaresqt the sane ti 1(. lfhite's weak Q-side Pawns haue oduancedto the point where thel' hqua dificult.y protectittg eqch other. While Black's K-Bishop ties Ilhite to the defense of his KRP, ltis comrade harussesthe other wing,

D i a g r u n t8 I

EVANS

LARSEN, U.S. OPEN

CHAMPToNSHTP, 1949

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Diagrum 82

White ffioues. Granted thqr yo Bishops are an qdaqntqge in the nviotit! of positions-just how ntuch is it vorth going out of one's way to vin then? Lt it \torth neglect oj deuelopnent and loss of Tinte? Abuiously, the ansv'er dependson the giuen positiotts, As a general rule, Tifi1e is morc important in open positions, vhereas one can nlore eosily aford to dela.y deoelopment in closedpositions. BLACK

1 2 3 4

. . . P_N3 N-Q3, KxB

5 6 7 8

B_K4 B,B71 BxNch3 P_N5

K_K4 P_N4 PxP White Resigns4

P-R6 P_N6 BxP

1 Two Bishopswork in better harmony than Bishopand Knight. Note how Black's Bishop on K4 keepsa weather eye on both wings,whereasWhite's Bishop is lifelessand the Knight limited in scope. ? Threatening4 N-B5ch. 3 Black exchingesonly because he seesthe Possibilityof a forcedwin. a White must lose a pieceafter P-R7.

82

tr N-851 2 NxBch

R-Kl QxN

3 0-O 4 P-QN4

P_84 P_85'

t Here the speciic problemis rvhetherWhite shouldcastleor move an already developedpiece (N-85) in order to exchangeit for a Bishop. The order ol White's movesis more than academic.If I O-O, R-Kl; 2 N-85, B-KBl-Black saveshis Bishop! Black'sBishop . e r r c sa r a l u a b l ef u n c L i obny g u a r r l i r gt l : ed a r k i q u a l c s .S i n c et h e positior is suficiently closed,White can afford to movehis Knight a third time in order to "win" the Bishop. The courseof the gane, in fact, justified this strategy. For later developments seeDiagram23. 2If instcad4. . . PxNP; 5 PxP, QxNP?; 6 N N5! threatening N-B7 and/or B-Rl, and B-K7 winning the Queen. Black has now established a protecled,passedQBP-ordinarily a strongformation. However,White'stwo Bishops,plus the possibiLityof mobilizinghis centralmajority by P-B3 and P-K4, give him a decidedadvantage.

83

Always snatchmaterial-if you can do it and live !

Force or Time?

BrscurER-sIrrRwIN, RosENwALDToURNEY,NEw YORK, 1955

KATZ-EVANS, NEw yoRK srATE cHAMproNsHrp, 1949

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White mows. Manl positions pose a real dilemma: repair Force and lose Time, or re?air Time and lose Force ? There is no blanket answer. The general rule is that Force is more importatlt than Time and should be giuenpreference in the absenceof any other tit aI consideratiotrs.

2 K-Bl 3 N-B3

g

T

B-N5ch Q'Q4 B_N2

4 P-QR3 5 P_R3

B_84

o-o,

l Here the problem is whether White should castleor play NxP. In the first casehe seemsto losea Pawn; in the second,he regainsit but losesTime. White fearsthat if he castles,Black canhold on to his QP by B*84, hencehe decidesto repair Force eventhough it meanshe will have to movehis King in the sequence.However,White, in this particular case,can havehis cakeand eat it too. He can go aheadand castle: e.g.,I O-O, B-B4; 2 R-Bl, B-N3; 3 B-K5, O-O; 4 NxQP, €tc. (4. . . BxN; 5 BxB, QxB?; 6 BxPchwinsthe Queen.) Incidentally,it should be noted that Black cannot neet the text with I . . . QxN becauseof2 BxPch,winning the Queen. 'Black has a splendid aggressivelineup against White's hapless Kins.

84

ra

A

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Diasrum83

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Blsck moves. Scarcnging for mateial r'.'hileneglectingderelopmenl is a t)tpicalbegin er's.fqult. l4thitehasjusrplayetlN-Q 83,ofering " his QNP. Black can ignorethe gift" by continuing his delelopmentv,ith the placid B-K2-or he canface the challengeby plungi g his Queenout' of-play. He takes the Plunge and liaesto tell the talc!

84

5 N_B4 QxN!5 1 . . . QxP' BxN 6 N-Q6ch 2 N_N5 Q-N5ch PxB6 7 BxQ P-83 3 Q-n+' P-QR314 4 N-Q2s 1 In chesslore thereis a standingtaboo againstcaptureof theenemy QNP at the cost of development.As he madehis move Sherwin siid. "Whv shouldI labor underantediluvianprejudices?" Bisguier . merely sniiled enigmatically. The test for snatchinga .dangerous Pawni: whetheryou seea \\ ay lo get awaywith it. evenif.it means undergoingan arduous defensebefore your advantagern t'orce beginsto manifestitself. 2 Notice how Black returnshis Queenquickly into play and usesit to Dreventthe threatenedN-B7ch. 3 t'hreateningN-B4 followedby N-Q6ch. Black seemsto be in rear trouble. a A magnificentconception-as will be seen' Thereis an alternate defensei4. . .P-Q4; 5 N-N3, Q-N3; 6 B-KB4, N-R3; 7 PxP, BxP; 8 NxB, QxN; 9 B-Q6-Black is a Pawnaheadbut White has adequatecompensationinasmuch as Black will have enonnous difficultv in castlins. 5 The point. Not-5 . . . Q-Q1; 6 N(5)-Q6ch, NxBch' -BxN;-J K-K2i 8 PxP regainingthe Pawn and leavingBlack's King hopelesslvexoosedin the centerof the board. 6 Time to take reckoning. Black has three piecesfor the Queena tally of 105units to 100-inthe tableof relativevalues' OnceBlack consolidated,he won easilY. 85

The bestway to refute a sacrificeis to acceptit! EVANs-sussMAN,NEw yoRK lnETRopoLrrANLEAGUE,1950

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White moues, If a sacrifce is unsound, then naturul\) it must be accepted. If it is sound,tlrcre is little elseto do aboutit. Black hasafonniclableattack. l|/hite can captureeither the Knight or the Bishop,neitherof whichloolrsany too appetizing in uiew of his exposecl K-position- But he must capturebeJbreBlack's attack reachesouerwhelming proportions.

Diagtotn 85

l 2 3 4

PxBl K_N2 N_N3 RxN'

s Q-83

EVANS-HANAUER, u.s, cHAMpIoNsHIp, 1951

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White moves. Force can generally be used to win more Force! Here White has an extra Pawn. Black cannot qford exchanges. Yet the constant threat to exchangepermits lYhile to gain Time and make further inroads. W'e like to think of this process as the "sword of Damocles."

Diagra,n 86

NxPch Q-N5ch NxPch BxR R KTch?3

6 QxR 7 K*81 8 Q-N2 9 K_Nl 10 QxP mate

QxNch Q-R6ch Q-Q6ch R_K1??4

1 Not i PxN, BxP!; 2 I(rB, Q-R7ch; 3 K-83, RxN; 4 QxR, Q-N6 mate.

' This is no time to be sreedv! 3 B e r r eirs5 . . . QxQch[i5 f . ' . . e - N 4 : 6 R - K B t h o t d se r e r y r h i n s ) ; 6 KxQ. leadingto an endgamewirh two piecesagainstRook a-nd two Pawns,rvhich,however,is still in White's favor becauseof his powerful,passedQP. The text losesby force for Black. 4 This monstrousblunderis explicableonly by the fact that Black had to completethe requisitenumberof movesbeforethe time-control. It is quite hopelessfor him in an)/event.

86

1R-Kl1 2 R-K5 ! 3 R-tsSch 4 B_N8F 5 R_86 6 B_84 '7 R-B4

R_82 P.QR3? K_Q1 P_QN3 R_N2 K_Q2 N_R.2

8 B_K3 9 R-KR4|4 10 R-KN4! 11 K-R4 12 R-N6ch 13 RxQNP6

N-83 P_R3 N-R4ch5 K_B3 K_Q4

l Threateningto invade on K7. Watch how this Rook gradually makesinroadsvia the threat to exchange.White wantsto exchanse all rhe pieces.or Rool for Rook-noi Bishopfor Knighr as rhin Black might have good drawing chancesin the Rook and Pawn ending. HenceWhite abstainsfrom the obvious 1 P-QR4, rvhich would only drive the Knight to a good defensivepost at QB2. White hasno intention of exchangingBishopfor Knight just yet! 2 Not 2 . . . N-B2; 3 R-QB5 which exchanges al1the piecesand leavesWhite with an easilywon King and Pawn ending. 3 A study in technique! White threatensP-QR4 (the Bishop takes the retreat at R2 away from the Knight). This threat to exchange forcesBlack to weakenhis Pawn Structurestill further. a Provokingfurther Pawn weaknesses. 5 Or if 10 .-. . K-Kl; 1l R-N6. 0 Winning a secondPawn,and the gamecametumbling after.

87

Forcecan be convertedinto Space L\ A\s-srEt\l R, 3rd vercH cA\,tt. 1952 White moues. There is a sa.ling that the hadest thing in chessis to vin a v'ongame. Here Whitc is an exchonge aheqd but Black cloninates Space. The key to the defense is the principle that qn adoantage in Force automotically carries an adraurage in .a lt. Tine becauseeach exchongebenefts the stronger sfule. The threat to exchangemeans a gain of tempo. Black menacesa draw. If it were his Diagrum87 m o u e ,l . . . R - K 7 ; 2 Q-81, R-K6 trould force a repetition.

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WHITE

Q-B6' Q-R6'

3 R-N53

EVANS-LYMAN, HOLLYWOOD OPEN, 1954

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m 88

White moees. Simplifcation is a aaluable deJbnsiueresource. llhen defunding, each exchange eqses the task of the defender because it means one less attackifig piece to v,orr.yabout. White is qn exchonge ahead, but Blqck's terrible Knights threaten to ride roughshodouer hin1. The immedia t e t h r e s ti s 1 . . . N \ Q B P . I Y h i t e , nloreoter, is weak on the light squores and his Bishop has no scope. I RxN loses to Q-N8ch; 2 K-82, QxRch. CIear Iy, for ceful tactics are called for.

BLACK

1R-Rs! 2 R-B4!

I 1. . . QxR; 2 QxR would completelyeaseWhire'sdefensivetask. Black's only chanceis to try and keepthe garre complicated.The point of W-hite'sdefenseis that Blaci<'sQLieenhas bien forced to relcase the K-fi|e.consequen[]y R-K7 is no Jongerrhreatened. z A g a i nW h i t eh a su r i l i z e tdh er h r e atto e r c h a n g e - l h irsi m et o g x i n Spaceand to drive Black's Queenstill furtber out of play. Notice h o w W h i t ei s s L r i v i ntgo c o o r d i n a thei sR o o k s . 3 White has broughi his Rook into play ancl easedthe immediate threat to draw. The rest, though difficult, is a matter of technique. White's passedQRP is the de.-cisive factor. Wirhcut it the gime would be drawn. Here are the remainingmoves: 3 . . . K-R2; 4 B-K4, K-R3; 5 BxB,PxB; 6 Q-86, N-N2; 7 R-87, Q-R7ch; 8 K-R3, Q-K3ch; 9 QxQ, NxQ; l0 R-84, R-K7; 1l P-N4, R-K6ch; 12 K-N2, P-R5; 13 P-N5ch, K-R4; 14 R(5)-N4, P-R6ch; 15 K-R2, KxP; 16 R-R4, K-B4t 17 RxP, R-K7ch; 18 K-Nl, P-N4; 19 R-R3, P-N5; 20 P-R5 (finallyit srartsro move),N-N4; 21 P-R6, N-B6ch; 22 K-81, R-KR7; 23 P-R7, R-R8ch; 24 K-F.2, Black Resigns.

88

1P-851 2 RxN!3

3 Q-B8ch 4 R-B2ch

RxFr RxR

K_82 K-K24

1 This clearancesacrificegivesthe Bishopscope. Because he is ahead in material, White can afford to sacrilicethis Pawn to easethe pressure. 2 After I . . . Qx?; 2 QxQ, RxQ; 3 B-Q4 Black'sattack has been stopped(because the Queensare off the boatd) and White'sadvantagein Forceloomsdecisive(3 . . . NxB; 4 RrN, NxP; 5 R-QB2). 3 The point. Black no longer has tbe retort Q-NSch becausehe has beenforcedto block this diagonalby capturingthe BP with the Rook. a White has a ferociousattack even though he has returned the exchangeand is a Pawn down to boot. 5 QxP shouldnot now be played becauseof R-Q8ch. In tbe gameWhite continuedwith 1 "Luft" Q-B8ch. Actually, the winning move is 5 P-KR4! making for the King and threateningB-N5ch. In any eventWhite always has a draw in hand by perpetualcheck.

89

Whenaheadin tr'orce,openlines

Thc bestdefenseis attack

BERLTNER-EVANS,u.s. opEN cHAMproNsHrp, 1950

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SANTASIERE-EVANS,u.s. cr{AMproNsHip, 1948

Blsck moyes. If the generalpottern for conrertitlg su?erior Force into dctorj is to exchangepieces, itJbllo*,s that the opening of lines fauors the plaver who is ahead. IIere, Force seems to be equal, HoweL^er, this is only a miroge. Upon closer examination it qppears that White's K-Bishop on KRI is hemmed iu and out-oJ-play. Hcttce. it remqins merely for Black to rip open tlte Q-side lines. Note how quickly IYhite's game disintegrates.

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Diasrun90

Black moves. Black is a pieceaheart but hispiecesare undeueloped andhis King hasalreadybeexforced to moue and thus lws forj-eited the priuilege of castling. White thrcatensto rip open the KB fle in order to get at Black's exposedKing. ShouklBlqck be tightfstedor liberal? The principle inolted in defendingis lo rclurnsomePafns in ordcrto bring piecesintoPI(r,. Extra materialis no good unlessit can be used!

BLACK

WHITE

BLACK

BLACK

1 , , .

2 Q-tsz 3 P-R3 4 RPxP 5 KR_81 6 RxR 7 R-Rl 8 R_R3 9 Q-B3 10 RxR 11 Q-R3 12 BxQ

P_N3I P_R4! PxNP B_R3 B_QN4

13 NtrxP 14 N-N1 15KKI 16 K-Q2 17 B,N4 18NR3 19 K-Kl 20 N_NI 21 BxB 22 N-Q2 23 B 831 24 NxP

QxR QN2 R_QR1 B_83 QxR QxQ NPxF

K-B.z K_I(1 K_Q1 K_B2 K_N2 BQl K_R3 B_R.4 KxB r\-1\ f,

FxB N_B3'

r Desperation.This Bishopis uselessanyvay. 2 Black wins easilywith his extra piece. Note horv logically Black ripped openthe Q-sideand then penctratedvia the openlineswhich ne created.

90

1 2 3 4 5 6

. . . QxQP Q-N5 PxP BxP K_Rl

Q R2!r R_Q1 N_K2' PxP R-Nlch R_Q4'

7 QxP 8 N-Q2 9 QR-BI 10 R_KNI 11 RxR

Q-n7n QxBP Q-R6 RxRch QxKP5

r Blackmustbe repulsed! Thereis no time for tightfistedmoveslike , -Q3(not3...QxB; 1 . . . R - Q l ; 2 Q - N 6 c hK, - B l ; 3 B - R 3 ! R 4 Q-B7 mate); 4 PxP. I . . . PxP would only help White by openingthe KB file for him. 2 Blackmust bring his piecesout. He shouldnot evenstop to worry about defendinghis QNP. 3 This Rook-which doesnothing in the original diagram-comes stronglyinto play. a Always aggressive ! Now Black actuallythreatenshis own mate in one move. Comparethis with the diagrarnand observehorv Black has seizedthe initiative in retum for three Pawns. Now he gets everythingback with dividends. 5 White's attack has beencompletelyrepulsed,Black is still a piece ahead,White's King is exposed.Black won shortly.

9l

ThePositionalSacrifce The consequencesof a positional sacrifice are supposed to unfold gradually, as in a Greek drama. The outcome is not always immediatcly apparent and often thc only tangible return is pressure. Sometines the motives of a positional sacriflce are so unclear that one is tcmpted to wonder whether it is intentional. At Carlsbad, 1907,Cohn was awarded the brilliancy prize against Tchigorin for a "beautiful combination starting from an extraordinary deep Pawn sacrificc." But Cohn admitted after the game that he had not intended to sacrihcc the Parvn-he had lost it, after which he had been forced to play energetically to compensate for his material disadvantage! "pure" positional sacrifice which, incidentally, An example of a has a strange genesis, occurs in the follorving variation of the Sicilian Defense: BLACK

I 2 3 4 5

P_K4 N_KB3 P-Q4 NxP N-QB3

6 B KN5 7 P_B4 8 Q_83 BR4 10 PxP

P-QB4 P-Q3 PxP l{-KB3 P_QR3

P_K3 B-K2 P-R3 P_KN4!?

This positionsawthe light ofday at the InternationalToulnament in Sweden,1955,when three Argentiniansmet three R.ussians (by accident,in tbe sameround) and sprungit as a preparedvariation. The threeArgentinianscontinuedwitb 10 . . , KN-Q2 and lost with dispatchafter 11 NxP!!, PxN; 12 Q-RSch,K-Bl; 13 B-N5!! (13 . . . PxB losesto 14O-Och,B 83; 15P-K51,PxP; 16N-K4.) Geller-Panno continued: 13 . . . N-K4; 14 B-N3l!, BxP; 15 O Och, K K2; 16 BxN, Q-N3ch; 17 K-Rl, QPxB; 18 Q-B7ch, K-Q3; 19 QR-Qlch, with a winningattack. After this triple massacre,the Argentinians(Najdorf, Pilnick, Panno)took the vadation back to the workshopand cameup with t h e n e wm o v e : I 0 . . . P x P ; l l B x N P ,Q N - Q 2 - a p o s i t i o n a l sacrifice in the fincst:cnseof theuord because Blackseemsto hrre givenup a Pawnand smashedhis K-sidewirhout any compensation.

7tt//th1&t7t A7,t ,.f,t"ffi '"& 7t 7t"ffift"'4 % % 7 "ffi.7tW% ft/.&fr%%ft Diasmm 92

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Position olter 11 . . . QN Q2

Position oJter 10 PeP

Black doeshaveconsiderablecompensationfor the Pawn. First. h e h a sa h i g h i yc o m p a cPt a \ \ nm a s s - i n t h ec e n r e r .S e c o n dh.e h a s gainedthe squareK4 for his pieces.Third, he controlsall the open lines on the K-side (he will, ofcourse,castleQ-side).Fourth, White has many weak squares. Whether this is sufficientfor the Pawn, onlv tournamentDracticecan decide. The only criteribnfor a positionalsacrificeis that it be intentional. The rest is a matter of judgment. Unlike the ten.rporarysacrifice, whoseaim is well-defined,the positionalsacrificehas no clear-cut purpose.The resultlies in the lap of the gods.

92

93

Diagran 9l

(2) The mating sacrifice

The TemporarySauifice In contradistinctionto the positionalsacrifice,the temporaryonehas an immediateand tangibleend. In his excellentbook, The Art of Sacrifcein Cless,Rudolph Spielmannpoints out that thereare two kinds o[ temporary tactical sacrifices: (1) the sacrificefor gain, (2) the mating sacrifice.

(1) The sacrificefor gain BLACK

1P_K4 2 N_KB3 3 B-Ns 4 B_R4

BLACK

1 2 3 4

P_K4 N,KB3 B84 N_B3

PK4 P_Q3 P_KR3? N_Q83

5 6 7 8

0 0 P-Q4 B_N3 BxPch!

B-N5 NxP?

t % %

WHITE

P_K4 N_Qts3 P QR3 N_B3

sPQ4 6 FxF 7 NxN!

B_K2 P_QN4 NxQP?t

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lv

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t % % "'.& "ffi %t% % 'rn "ffifr% % % % Diagtun 93

Diazrun 91

Position alter 7 NEN! If Black now plays 7 . . . BxQ, then 8 BxPch, K-K2; 9 N-Q5 mate. The mate can be averted,it is true, by 7 . . . B-K3, but in that eventWhite merelyremainsa pieceaheadafter 8 BxB. pxB; 9 Q-Rsch,P-N3; 10 NxP, N-B3; ll Q-R3, etc. Here, briefly, is anotherexample-a trap in the French Defense which involvesa mating sacrifice: BLACK

Position oJter 8 BsPch! BLACK

8 . . . 9 NxPch 10 QxNs

KxB K_Bl2

1Correctis7...PxP. '9...K-K3; l 0 Q x N ,P - 8 4 ; 1 1 Q - B 3 P , - N 5 ; 1 2Q - N 3 l e a v e s Black's King far too exposed. 3 White has regainedhis piecewith interest. Black can no longer castle. White has an advantagein Spaceand Time. 94

1P_K4 2 P-Q4 3NQB3 4 B_N5 5 P_K5 6 BxB

P_K3 P'Q4 N_K83 B_K2 N-K5 QxB

WHITE

7 Q-N4 8 B-Q3 9 PxN t0 N-83 11 BxPch!'

o-o NxN P_QB4 P-85?1

l This losesby force. Black has a satislactorygameafter 10 . P-84. P-B3. or P-KR3. ? A commonmaneuver.Black losesafter 11 . . . KxB; 12 Q-R5ch, K-Nl; 13N-N5, R-Ql; t4 Q-R7ch,K-81 ; 15 Q-R8 mate. 95

Pieceagainstthree Pawns EVANS-KRAMER, WTRTHEIM T{EMORIAL,NEW YORK, 195I

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White moees. In the middle garne a piece is ahrq's su?erior to thrce Pawns. Lr the endgame,otling lo its peculior queeningpossibility, the Pawn itcreases in ualue. This position is instructiue-and dil.fcult. If Blqck can mobilize his Patns, hi rr.ill hare good n'inning chances. White has the aduantoge right now because the Pawns are relatiDely immobile.

a Black must eithersacrificethe exchange(whichhe does)or end up with onlv two Pcwnsfor the oiec.. 5 Ordinarily, Knight and 3 Pawnsare a good matchfor a Rook, but here the Rook can penetrateto the K-side Parvns.Note how helpless the Knight is. 6 White now getshis passedPawn moving. The remainingmoves were: 20. . . N-B5ch; 21 K-K4 N-K4; 22 R-B6, N-N5; 23 R.-QN6, K-B4; 24 R-N8, NxP; 25 P-N6, N-N5; 26 P-N7, N-B3; 27 R-KB8, Black Resigns-thelonePawncannotbe stopped.

Diasratn 95

BLACK

I KR_KI 2 QR-Qr 3 N_85 4 R_K2 5 PxPch 6 N-R6ch 7 R(2)-Q2 8 BxP 9 N-N4 10 RxR

11 RxR5 12 R_KI\8 13 RxPch 14 K-83 15 RxF 16 R-RSch 17 P-N4 18 K-Q2 19 RxPch 20 P-N56

P_K41

K_B2 KR-K1 P_QN3, PxP K_N2 P-QN4?3 PXB NxNa RxR

K_82 N'Q6 KQ3 P_K5 K_K4 P_84 F-N5ch NxP K_Q2

1 Black shouldfirst build-upin the centerwith I . . . KR-KI. This push,though not fatal, weakensthe white squares.In order to preservehis winning chances,White must keep someof his Pawnson the board. His immediateplan is to bold Black'scenterin restraint in what is now a soundBlack Palvn and trv to comoelweaknesses Structure. 2 Another weakness. But Black had to counter the threat of R(2)-Q2. 3 The losingmove. Black'sgameis difficultyet perhapstenableif he getsout of the pin by 7 . . . R-QBI. He may be ableto hold after 8 N-N4, NxN; 9 KxN, R-B2.

96

97

Queenagainstuncoordinatedminor pieces

H E A R S T - r v A Nus . s . c u l v r r o r s H r e , I 9 5 4

KRAMER-EVANS! NEw yoRK srATE cHAMproNSHrp, 1949

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White mortes. Theoreticalr',ryhite hss material equality in trro Rooks againsta Queen-100 units to 100. But herehispiecesaresoscattered and Black's Knights so strongly placed that Whitc is likely to losea piece in trying to establish a line of communication.Blqck'simmediatethreqt r s 1 . . . N x B ; 2 R x N ,Q x N . I n order to meetthis threat, Whitemust losea piece.

Diagram 96

1N-831 2 R-K42

3 R-R4 4 N_K2 White Resigflsa

Q-Q2 P_84

Queenagainstcoordinatedminor pieces

P_8513 Q_K2

1If instead1 B-N5, P-R3; 2 B-K7 (or B-Ra), N-Q7t; 3 R - Q l , QxN;4RxN,QN8ch. ' To prevent QxPch. 3 PreventingB-R6ch and renewingthe threat of QxPch. a White cannotmeetthe doublethreat of QxR and QxN.

% %"'/tN % % t'ffiftmw% % % % % % %

m ^ %% n Diagrunl97

Blsck tnortes. This is extremelydificult to eualuateat frst glqnce. Ilhite hasa Queenand threePawnsfor a Rook and twopieces-l3l to 120units in White'sfeaor. As (r generalrule thepieceswin if theycancoordinateandpenetrqte beforcthePav,nsgetfar enoughqduancedto do an! hqrm. Oncethe Patunsget mobilizedthe defender's piecesare nailed to the defense. So the piecesmust be madeaggressive at all cost. In the actualgameBlack got panickyin time-pressure and walked straight into a lost ending after I . . . RxP?; 2 RxR, R-KBI; 3 QxRch, BxQ; 4 RxP. In reality Black has the better of it. Correct is 1. . . R-KBI! after which White must fight for his 1ife. For instance: If 2 Q-R3, N-K5 ! 3 Q-K6ch, R-B2. If 2 Q-N4, R-85 followed by QR-K81, or N-K5. If 2 Q-N6, R-83 followed by QR-KBI with a stiong initiative. For anothergood exampleof coordinatedpiecesagainsta Queen, seeDiagram 66.

98

99

Queenagainsttwo Rooks NAJDORT*EVANS, CUBA, 1952

lt

.*

//////

./ A/A

e

v* %w%

% %"ffi% %fr%

f t % %"'&ft'ffi %ft % %

FOUR: Space CHAPTER

D i a g r c n t9 8

Dtaw. This is the normal case. White is a Pawn ahead but he can make no progress because the Rooks are co nected qnd maintain an inlul erable blockade on the second rank. Euen w,hen llhite succeedsin creqtitlg a passed Pawn on the Q-side it cannol get through the blockade. Thus, though White has a theoretical aduantageof ll0 lo 100 units, he can nake no headway. Draw agreed. Moral: connectyour two Rooksl

When two opponentsare well matched,it is not likely that one of them is going to losematerialin the early stagesof the game. Nor is it likely that eitherof them is goingto ruin his Pawn Structureor fall too far behindin development.Generally,however,oneofthem will acquile an advantage(howeverslight) in Space-and it will orobablv be the one who conductsthe White forces. The onus of iecuringa spaceadvantagefalls on the first player. Whenhe cannot do this, Black is said to haveequalizedthe game. occupied-by ,Spacerefersto the area cortrolled-rtol necessarily . the rrrltr)rg porverof Pawn
7t%/2 "/1.,:, % % "/L' % %

7t7t% Diasrun99

The ltontier line 100

101

The Center The idea of the openingis to bring all the minor piecesup to the frontier line so that they bear down particularly on your enemy's half of the center. The centeris crucial and should be thought of as the core of the chessboard.When oiecesor Parvnsare olaccdin o r n e a ri t r h e yg a i ne n o r m o u
Control of Unoccupied Squares In diagram 102 White's Q5 is a key central square, despite the fact that it is unoccupied. Until his Pawn can be advancedto Q4, Black's K-Bishop will be conlined to a dead diagonal. At the moment White observes Q5 three tinies (with Pawn, Knight, and Qucen). In ordcr to reinforce the advance ofhis Pawn to Q4, Black must first put an additional piece to bear on that square, either with B-K3 or P-B3, or both. The theme of the game from here on will be the conflict between Black's constant challengein the center and White's attempt to maintain control thete. lyhite temporaril! controls Q5.

'Nt,ffir im "'.,&. 'ffi-

% % % % % %ft% % ' f f i .l a % % a./4.2, .4. a A,}\

Diagratn 1A)

J\ ./

A A

The center Diagrcm102

Mobility Mobility is another expressionfor freedom of movement. When piecesoccupythe center,they radiategreatermobility. For example, considera White Knight on KB3 opposedto a Black Knight on QR3-the Knight on B3 strikesat 8 squares,whereasits counterparr strikesat only 4, or is 50 per centlessmobile. The sameappliesto the other pieces,proportionateto their distancefrom the center.

7t%

%/z

Diagrant I0l

A TypicalSpaceAdvantage In the following variation of the Nimzo-Indian DefenseWhite controlshis Q5 in a differentway-by occupyingit: 1P-Q4, N-KB3; 2 P-Q84, P-K3; 3 N-QB3, B-Ns; 4 P-K3, P-QN3; 5 N-K2, B-N2; 6 P-QR3,B K2; 7P-Q5, O-O; 8 P-KN3, P-Q3;9 B-N2, P-K4; 10 O-O, QN-Qz; 11 P-K4.

arfr61&t"',&r .,m .,,ffi .,r.,&. % %ft'/tfr% 7rt%ft% 7z Diasran 103

Block is cramped. White has a stro g )ledgeof Pawnsin the center- Black'sposition,beingcromped,bearswhat Tarraschtermed "the germs of defeat." Black's best counterpla])consistsin N-Kl followedby P.-N3andP-K84, but this still cloesnot free hisgane or giuehis Bishopsany life. The i mlediate11 . . . ,-R3 can be met with the simpleP-N3. After l.l . . . P-83; 12 PxP, BxP, Black has a glaring backwardQP on an openfle. Black might try to isolateWhite's QBP ardncially by meansof P-QR4, N-84, P-R5, and B-R3, but this is too slow because White's comesfirst with the expansionP-QN4 followed by P-QB5 after appropriatepreparation (N-QR4, B-K3, R-QBI, etc.). A positional player would play to strangleBlack slowly to death, whereasan attackermight verywell choosethe double-edged tactical approachbeginningwith an earlyP-KB4.

How to CountSpace In Diagram 103Black strikesat 4 squarespast his fourth rank (Q5 and KB5 with his KP, K5 and KN5 with his Knight). White strikes at 7 and occupiesI (White occupiesQ5, strikesat QN5 with his Knight, KN5 and KR6 with his Bishop,QN5, QB6, K6, and KB5 with his Pawns). Thus, White has an advantagein Spaceby 8 souaresto 4.

Stability

How to TestStability In the SicilianDefcnse,after the moves1P K4, P-QB4; 2 N-K83, N QB3; 3 P-KN3, N-83; 4 P-K5? would be a blunderbecauseof N_KNs.

tTti7&t"'&t 7tD%"'ffi. % % 7ft ''/4h:'z %

7t % 7t %a/ Diagran 1O4

White's artificially isolated KP csflnot be mainlained. White'sKP is attacked tyyiceand defendedonlv once. Ilhite can Iend it adJirionalsupporrby 5 Q-i2, whereujtonQ-82 vins the qdaancedPataL White cqn trj lo maintain this Pawn b! tactical means: 5 P-Q4, PxP; 6 B-K84, (threateningP-KR3 followed by NxP) but nov Black gets a beautifulgame by playing P-Q3l:' 7 PxP, P-f,4!

Ii is not enoughmerelyto control or occupy Space-you must be able to retain it! Invasionor penetrationper se meanslittle unless the advancedtroops can be maintainedwith a steadyline of communication,a steadyflow ofsuppliesandreinforcement.Napoleon's grandearmie isolatedin the Russiancampaignhasits chesscounterpart in a centerwhichhasbeenoverextended. As wesawin a previous chapter, the question of overextensionhas been tossedinto the theoreticalcauldronby the Hypennoderns(e.g.,Alekhine'sDefense), but there are definitewaysto test stability.

The test of stability,therefore,depends uponrrhetherthe reinforcementsof an aduanced oulpost(actualor potential)exceedthe means by nhich this outpostma! be assailed. Thus armed, we are now equippedto tackle a more complex problem of modern theory-the YugoslavVariation of the King's Indian Defense: I P-Q4, N-KB3 t 2 P-QB4, P-KN3; 3 N-Q83, B-N2; 4 P-KN3, O-O; 5 B-N2, P-Q3; 6 N-83, P-84; 7 P*Qs.

104

t05

"mt&t t7t"'.& "ffit

7lz

'il ,,...&/z 7rft

Diagrcm 105

Csn lryh e msintaifl his centerl To qnsb,erthis questionwe m-wt frst ascertain what is meant bJ "center" and, hauingdone that, inuestigatethe vays by whichBktck can wtderminethis-center. When we ask "can White maintain his center?,'what we really want to know is whetherWhite's Pawn on e5 is a liability or ai: asset.Beforewe go into that.note that Whjle hasan adrantagein Space(by count8 to 6.1. In the present position how is Black to undermine White's seerningly formidablecenter? 7 . . . P-K3 is the first possibilityrhat Ieapsto mind. for afrer 8 PxP. BrP. Black arracksthe eBp and threatensP-Q,|. But if White t'gnoresthe moveand continueswith 8 O-O, PxP; 9 PxP, then Black has merelyexchangedpawnsand comeno nearerto an answer.No, wbat Biackmusido is strikeqt the bqseof ]Jy'hlte'sPawn chain QB4-and potentially eR2 after W h i t e p l a y sP - Q N 3 . T h e w a y B l a c kc a n a c c o m p l i stlhr i s i s b v striringfor an earlyP.QN4. Accordingly,Blackmisht novl .rrr'u t h e s o p h i s r i c r rm ea d n e u r e r T . . N - R 3 i n o r d e r t or e i i f o r c ep - e N " 4 by playing_P-QR3 after the Knighr has reachedeB2 to give the -g advanceadditional support. The game might continue: O_O, N-82; 9 P-K4, P-QR3; 10 F-QR4, and now Black is confronted with two alternatives-IO . . . R-Nl ; 11 p-R5, p-eN4; 12 PxPep.,RrP with strongptessureon the eN file but with no hope of assailingWhite's central Pawn wedge; or-10 . . . p-N3 (io preventP-R5); li R-Kl, R-Nl; 12P,K5!, N-e2; 13 B-B4 and White exertstremendouspressurein the center before Black has time to get startedlvith his flank attack. Thus White can mainlain his center becausehe can Drevent P-QN4. Time is the crucialfactor in his favor. Il, in the diasram, Black'sKnight werealreadyon QB2 insteadof eNl, then W-hite's centerwould be untenable. 106

Centralizethe King in the endgame KdNrc-EVANs. HAsrrNcs. 1949-50

,rr/4

% "/& % % t%g.,,ffi t":%ft% .,r& ,,//z % % % % % %

Black moees. An aduantagein Space and nobility is :urpririugly enduring. Despite the reduction offorces, lYhite wins because his pieces are be er placed. Eaen v,ithout Knights he would wirt the King and Pann ending. l|/hire's Kinq is cenrrqli:ed. Black's is not; White's Knight is centralized, Black's is not. This pov'erful centralizatioi.! is con\erted ino the v,in of a strqtegic Pabn.

Diag/an 106

1 . . . 2 K_85' 3K863 4 KxP 5 K_R6

N_B51

6 P_N5

N_K6 KQl K_82 N_85

7 P_N6 8 P-N7 9 N-K6

K_Q3 N_K4 N-Q2 Black Resignsa

1 Black attemptsto bring his Knight into play. The QNP is doomed a n l w a yI.f 1 . . . K Q 2 ; 2 K - 8 5 . ' z Avoiding a trap. If 2 NxP, N-K6ch; 3 K-K4 (forced),N-B7; 4 N-B3, NxP; 5 N-Q5ch, NxN; 6 KxN, K-Q2-Black drarvs-he has the oDDosition. 3 A finesse.3 KxP, K-Q3; 4 K-R6 is equallygood. Black'sreply is forced. 4 I f 9 . . . K - K 4 ; 1 0 K - R 7 ,K x P ; 1 l N - B 5 , N x N ; 1 2 P - N 8 ( Q ) . Moral: the Kins is a fighting piece-use it !

107

Don't hem in Bishops

t % %t

'/f,

7lrt"'/,'/,% ft"& ,r//z 7t,,il f t 7& T % t

llhite moves. A t),picql illustrutiotl of detaloping Bishops before pushi1g the Kilg or Queen Paytls one square orises in the Q's gambit det:lined after the moues: t P-Q1, P Q4; 2 P QB4, P-K3; 3 N-QB3, N-(B3. lfulrite nov hqs a choice between4 P-K3 or B-N5. He should deuelophis Bishopfrst, so as nol to lock it in.

Restrainkey freeingmoves THE NIT{ZO_INDIAN

DEFENSE

t ,f,i % ,ft % 7t

% It 7t

t\ .:.4) 'N A A,

,raz

,,/&_ A 7z ]l ,F:<

Diagrun1o7

PositionoJter3... N-KBJ

Diagram 108

The principleof mobility is involved: Bishopsare no good behind closedlines,and only in caseof necessityshouldthey voluntarily be hemrnedin by their own Pawns. Black'sQ-Bishopis known asthe "problem child" of this defense. The drawbackof decliningthe Q's Gambit with 2. . . P,K3 is that this Bishopmust eventuallybe freedeitherby placingit on QN2 or by strivingfor P-K,l. Black'sgameis crampedbut sound; yet this methodof defendingtbe Q's Gambit haslost popularitybecause it is too Dassive. T h e S l a vD e f e n sier o n ew a y o f d c c l i n i n gu i t h o u tl o c k i n gi n t h e Bishop: e.9.,1P-Q4, P-Qa; 2 P-Q84, P-QB3; 3 N-KB3, N-83; 4 N-B3, PxP; 5 P-QR4 (to prevent5 . . . P-QN4), B-B4; 6 P-K3, P-K3; 7 BxP, B-QN5; 8 O-O, O-O and Black has fi'eedboth his Bishops. Another way of freeing the Bishops is via the Q's Gambit Accepted: I P-Q4, P-Q4; 2 P-QB1, PxP; 3 N-K83, N-KB3; 4 P-K3, P-QR3; 5 BxP, P-K3; 6 O-O, P-Bll; 7 Q K2, P-QN4; I B-N3, B-N2. Both thesealternatives,however,havethe drawbackof permitting White to set in an earlvP-K4.

108

Position olter 3. . . B-Ns

lllrite motes. "Restraint" is u method of insuring a spqtial adL)antage by pret)enting mooes w'hich y;ould qn opponent to expand. Con?ermit t:ersely, it is a defensiae tactic-to ?reL,ent an opponentfrom getting a slatiel adua tage in thefrst plqce. The Ni tzo-Indiqn Defense (named after Aaron Nimzouitch) is a good example of vhat its founder termed "prophylaxis," or, as we know it, restrsht. It arises after 1 P-Q4, N-KB3; 2 P-Q84, P-K3; 3 N-QB3, B-N5,

Black's last move developsa piece, initiates an annoying pin, preparescastling,and, what is probablythe most important facetof all, prcuentsWhite from expandingwith P-K4. The point is that White must now hem in one of his Bishoos. Probablvbest now is jl Whiretriesto bringout his Q-Bishopfirsr.he 4 P K3. Ho\.\cver. getsinto trouble: e.g.,4 B-N5, P-KR3; 5 B-R4, P-B4 followed by Q-R4 with tremendouspressure on the QR4-K8 diagonalespeciallysinceWhite's Q-Bishopcan no longer play a role in defendingthesedark squares. . Everymovein the world hasbeentried herefor White, and still no way has beenfound to securehim more than a minimal advantage. Offhand,4 P-B3 (menacingP-K4) looks good. This nove, however, takesthe bestsquareawayfrom the K-Knight, and can adequately be met by 4 . . . P-Q,{ (5 Q-R4ch, N-83).

109

Restrainingthe "minority attack"

Whento decentralize SICILIAN DEFENSE-DRAGON

".,,ft.t t7 t "/,&. .,,..ffi

%a

i

% 7t % %,t:K"ffifr% tzJ. % "r&fr +

Diagrum109

VARIATION

White ffioees. ll/hite has a minimal aduantage in Space, qnd in order to prcserte it he nust preuent Black It is from playlng . . . P-Q4. important for l|'hite to prcaent lhis moDe-ete if it rueans losing a tempo and withdrawing a beautifully centralized Knight. In order to preDent thefreeing action (... P-Qq White nust aTply the principle of restrqint. And the onl! satisfactor! ntote is the paradoxical I N-N3l Let us see why.

D. BYRNE-EVANS,

ROSENWALD

'Nt.lffir. trz 'ffi %t7t 71, "'k 7Zt%"il%''ffi"/& 7z .&_'".4, ,,/& %uffift Diasram110

rouRNEY,NEw YoRK,195+55 Black mores, Whiteexertspressure on Blqck's QP and he intends to undcnnine its bqse b; playing P-QN4-s-the minorit! attqck (see also Diogram 75). By the simple e x p e d i e not f t . . . P - Q R 4 Black can eitherfrustrate this strategl or make it rcry dfficult to cqrryt out. This mot:e,it is true, would ''teaken QN3-but the square vould be weakened anywayafter the ineuitable . . . P-QR3. The choice is really between a passiue or an aggressiue Pawnformation.

In order to understandthe necessityof preventingBlack from playing . . . F-Q4, let us examinewhat would happen if White ignored the threat and continuedhis developmentwith I Q-Q2, P-Q4; 2 FxP (2 NxN, PxN; 3P-K5,N-K5! leadsto full equali9, N x P ; 3 N x K N , N x N ! ( n o t 3 . . . Q x N ; 4 B - B 3 ,Q - a n y ; 5 N x N and Black'sPawn Structureis ruined); 4 BxN, QxN and Black has completelyfreedhis game. Another unsatisfactoryway of preventing . . . P-Q4 is with I B-83, For after 1 . . , N-K4 White would eitherhaveto retreat the Bishop to K2 (whereupon. . . P-Q4 would follow), or he would haveto leaveit there and sufferthe loss of the two Bishops. Incidentally,1 NxN, PxN; 2 E-ts3 would hardly help matrers, for after B-K3 Wlite would still be unableto preventP-Q4. Therefore,the most feasibleway for White to observehis Q5 is to put aCdedpressureon it with his Queen,and the only way to do this is to withdraw an apparentlywell-centralized Knight: 1N-N3! Now the fight for. . . P-Q4 would continue after 1 . . . B-K3; 2 P-84 ! and Black will haveto seekother moves(suchas N-QR4) because2 , . , P-Q4 is still unplayablebecauseof 3 P,85, B-Bl (evenworseis 3 . . . PxP; 4 PxP, B-B1); 4 PxNP, RPxP; 5 PxP, N-N5; 6 B-83 certifyingthe rvin ofa Pawn.

I We haveseenthat it occasionallypaysto lose a tempoin order to restraina maneuverthat would cost far more Time to stop onceit got started. 2 This innocuousretieatpreventsWhite from expandingwith P-K4. In chessit is more important to frustrateyour opponent'sstrategy than to be obsessed with your own sly designs. 3 Faulty strategy. White wants to prepare P-QN4 and continue with the minority attack. Instead he should concentrateon enforcing P-K4. He hasn'tthe tim€ to play for two ideasat once. a Black has freedomfor all his pieces his last move was designed to makean escapesquarefor the Bishopat KR2 after it is attacked. Notc how White hasfailed to solvethe problemof openinglinesfor his Q-Bishop.

110

1

BLACK

1 . . .

P-QR41

2 o-o

R Kl B_81'

3 P_83

\\'HITE

4 R_N13 5 N-Q3

BLACK

B_KB4 P-R34

The "bind',

Double-edged restrainingmoves

EvANs-HowARD, MARSHALLcmss CLUB cHAMpIoNsHrp,1947-48

t7&,'/z 7tt /t t"ffi

7t 7t 7'uru, % ',r&a 7t

Blach moues. In the Q's Gambit Acceptedafter: 1 P-Q4, P-Q4; 2 P-QB4, PxP; 3 N-K83, N-KB3; 4 P-K3, P-lG; 5 BxP, P-QR3 experiencelus shoy,nthqt lyhite does better to cttstleand allow Blqck to lla! . . . P-QN4 than to try and restruin it with 6 P QR4. IYhy?

Diagtu 1 III

'ffi-t"'Z't Blach mottes, A bincl is a stranglehold. It generally results after one has acquired a vteak square %t"Nr:ffi playr complex. is a drastic example. r u % ""'ffiH & % Blsck's darkThisK-side squares are hope^"/& % Iessly weak. His King is hemnted in i % % f r and he cannot meet the threat of R-R4 and QxPch. A bit pzt, perhaps, % % t ' but not if it gets acrcss this point: constriction is bad.

Position aJter 6 P-QR4

Diastan 112

White's last move is not bad, merelyunnecessary.The principle behind it is good: restraint. But the moveweakensWhite's QN4, and this can neverbe repaired. In other words, restrainingmoves are only good if they servetheir function without fundamentally weakeningthe Pawn Structure. You must always keep the longrangeprospectol the endgamein mind. The game miglrt possibly continue: 6 , . . P-QB4; 7 O-O, N-83; 8 N-83, B-K2. It is true that Blackwill not be ableto develop his Q-Bishopu ith ease. On rhe other hand.White has the sam-e trouble developinghis own Q-Bisho5and he has accepteda weak Pawn Structureto boot.

n2

BLACK

1 . . . 2 NxB

B_K5I Black Resigns2

r Desperation. The idea is to meet 2 R-R4 by P-N4. The only other reasonableattempt at counterplayconsistedof I . . . R-B7; 2 BxR, PxB; 3 R-R4, P-B8(Q); 4 QxPch,NxQ; 5 RxN mate. 2 There is no satisfactoryway to preventN-B6 followcd by R-R4 once more. Not to mention the fact that Black has siven uo a piece. Black madenumerous errors. With propcrplay 6n rhe parr of.your opponent, you should never be able to tie him up so completely.

lt3

Fight a bind!

When cramped,exchangepieces RoTHMAN-EVANS, PRACTICE GAME, NEw yoRK. 1948

EVANS-BARDA, HASTTNGS,1949-50

T t % % .'r&_,,&

Blsck moves. Violent countermeosurcs, euen sacrifce, must be considered in order to shake off the far-reaching tentacles of d bind while there is still time. White threatens BxB, followed by N-N5-Q6 and gradua\ Black vill be smotheredby the on-coming Q-side Pavtn mass. Black can free himself only by one moue:1...P-K4.

Diasran 113

Diagran

, . . PxP NxP RxN RxRch BxNs R_Kl P*R3

114

WIIITE

BLACK

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

i:iaail t "ffi6%t% % / & % %"ffi% h 4r

Blsck mot es. Exchangesprouide elbowroom. Sometitnes it is necessar)) to adopt a?p(uentb) outlundish measuresin order to free a cramped position,but usuallyit is v)orlhit. Black hasthebetterPav)nStructurehe has compensation for his doubled Pawnsin the open QRfle. Ilthite's backward QP is a glaring weakness, but how cqn Blaclc get to it? If l . . . O-O,' 2 P-R1follovtedby R-N3 subjectBlack to a ferce qttack.

P_K41 NxKP NxN B_N5' RxR BxB B_83 B_R4

9 Q-K4 10 BxQ tl N-84 12 B-R7ch 13 RxRch 14 B-82 ls P-QR4

QxQ R_K1 B_KB6 K,B1 KxR B-N7 Dtuw4

I That this weakens-or evensacrifices-tl1eQP is of relativelylittle mornent. The important thing is to play it while he can still breathe and is in a positionto profit tacticallyfrom the consequentopening of the lines. 2 Life at lastl The Bishop basksin its new-foundfreedom. Black has sacrificeda Pawn but he has considerableDressureasainst (notablyKBo). Whire'sUghtsquares s White doesnot like to giveup the two Bishops. But the altemative, 6 BxP wouldbe met by 8*86! E.g.,7 BxB,NxBch; 8 K-N2, BxB; 9 NxB, N-K8ch, winning the exchange. 4 After 15 . . . B-R6; 16 N-Q3, B-K5; 17 P-N5, BxN; 18 BxB, BxP regainsthe Pawn and establishes oppositecolored Bishops.

114

1 . . .

2 B-Qz 3 QxB

B-N5ch F BxBch2 N_K2B

4 B-Q3 5 R_N3

B_B3 P_N34

r What Black must do is free his K2 squarein order to use it for maneuvering his pieces. This solvesthe problem. Black takesadvantageofthe momentary pin on the QR flle to exchangeBishops. ' Gladly! 3 This Knight is headedfor KB4 or demand. Q4, ascircumstances a Black has a bind on the white squaresand White's Qp is subject to hear.yfire. Note how Black hairelieved his cramp a].rdobtuiired fieedom of movement.

115

A wing attack is best met by a reactionin the center

Freeingcombinations ]\IARSI.IALL

DONOVAN-EVANS,

t,fu,h%t'N i ti B ,

rr t

AAAA ",/4 :

ft"&.

%fr

1949-50 cHEss CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP, Blacb tnoves. Crantped potitions resiliatrc!. contain extr.tot'.liar)' Sometinles o e n1oLlecau bring the sleepingpieces all to life. This positiott arcse out of the K's Indiai Defense,)'et note the simildriryl to Alekhine's Defense (Diogram 7). The frceing principle cons.ists in striki g at an otetextended center from the fank. Black conuerls Time (the moue) into SPace.

2 0-o2 3 BxP 4 PxP

7fl, ./,&fr 7t 7& t% '/lz r/t "./z 2:< %ft 7'AM .,rr,.&ft% 7t 7t Diasram 116

Diastam 115

1 . . .

KAGETSU-EVANS, HoLLywooD opEN, 1954

5 6 7 8

P-QB4F PxQP PxP NxP!

BxN NxB K-RI Q-B33

BxB Q-Qsch QxN

1 This move rips White's centerto shreds. 'Write choosesa speculativcPawn sacrificerather than see his centerutterly destroyid after 2 PxQP,PxP; . 3 BxQP, BxB; 4 NxB, NxP, though this was, objectively,his bestline. s White hai somepressurefor the PawninasmuchasBlack will have trouble developinghis Q-Bishop. Here Black should play 8 ..' R-QN1 foltowid by . . . P-QN3 and graduallyhis extra PawnwiU comeof age.

116

1 . . . 2 QxN' 3 0-o-o3

Black moves. The otrac/'cr is ah,qvsthe one tho benefitefrom ooen un?s. ne Jttouldlr) lo t losc Ihe ccnter before embarking on s ving qttack. This cannot alway be done. The deJbnrler must keep his lines of communication open, and this requires u fuid center so thqt he ntay ditert pieces from the other y'ing to tlle defense of the attacked ving.

P-Q4!r B_Q3 R_N24

4 P-KR4 5 BxB 6 B-Q2

BxN Q.N5 PxP5

r TemporarilyBlack is a Rook ahead-but he is skating on thin ice" as will be seen. If it wereWhite'smove,Blackwould belost! E.g.. I exN followed by^Q-B3,_Q-R5,and Q-R7ch, againstwhich there is no adequate defense. In order to frustratethis maneuverBlack must som.ho* be ableto gethis Queento the KR file by playing. . exp. However, tlis Pawn is presentlyprotectedby the Knight. In order to captureil the Knight on KB4 must first be dislodged. In order to d o r h i s B l a c km u s rg e r h i s B i s h o pr o Q i . V i a r l i i s l o n gc h a i no f reasoning B.l a c ka r r i r e sa t r h eg e n e r apl r i n c i p l e r h a ta w i n ga t r a c k rs bestmetby a reactionin thecenter. Tlre texI freesthe e3 square for the Bishop. :3 P!_t1. ? PxP is met easilyby B-Q3. 2 Nxp is met by exp. White hasno time for 3 Q 83, BxN; 4 BxB,pxp; 5 Bxp. S-NZ! a The pressure is off and finally Black has rime to brearhe. Tbe objectof this "mysterious"Rook moveis not so mysterious. Black anticipates4 Q-83 Which would now be met by BxN; 5 BxB, exp (otherwisethe Rook on Nl would be attacked). 5 l t ' s a l l o v e rb u t t h eh a n d s h a k eB. l a c kn o ww h i p p e du p a w i n n i n g attackveryquickly: 7 R-Nl, Q-K3; 8 B K2, Q-R7!

|7

The wrong Rook

ConnectRooks FLEISCHER-EVANS, U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP,1949

t''

' i

t

gt a t tl

frh/

l

Black moues. This principle is uery simple. It merel! states thqt the ideal of deuelopment is to clear qll the oieces olf the first rank until the Roik, or" rinnrrrict. In this way both Rooks are free to occupl open fles, especiolly in the center. When the Rooksare connectedin thisfashion, il senerally herqlds the end of the "opening'and rhe beginning of theiniddle gsme.

Diasrun117 WHITE

BLACK

WHITE

1 2 3 4

B-Q2t

s B-Q2

QR-Kl3

6 R-K16

. , , Q-N3' Q-Q14 N_83

R-K2 KR_K1

7 BxR 8 N_K4

t'ffi ""t&t"/&. % i %t""ffi % % "'&%"&%,,.& .rffi

%e%

rIr'HITE

P_KR45 RxRch N_Q5 Q_B4'

l Black has reachedhis maxirnum development.He should take advantageof the lull to develophis Q-Bishop,even if only to so modesti squareas Q2. what this doesis releasethe Q-Rook, thus accomolishingthe connection. 2 This-only l-osesseveraltempi. White is already far behind in development,and he shouldpripare to freehis Q-Bishopby playing 2 N-83 immediately. 3 This is an idealmove. It developsa piecewhich is out-of-playwith sainof time. Nothingmorecouldbe asked. i white's queen is misplaced an)'vay. lf instead3 N-83. P-N3. forces theQueento moveagain.Whirehas of N-Q5 thenthe threat a Time advantage. The problern now is to exploit it before it evaporates. 5 This Pawn is to be usedas a batteringram. to provokesome in White's K-side Pawn Structure. weaknesses 6It is always a good policy to challengeon the file before the opDonent'scontrol of it becomestoo dominating. ''*hite's gameis still extremelydifficult. Black'spiecesare beautifullv Dosted. 118

EVANs-coLLrNS, Loc cABrN cHEss CLUB cruuploNsurp, 1950 llhite moves. llhen Rooks are connected and either of them can occup! ct necessar! central fle, annotators are in the sarcastic hobit of writing "the wrong Rook!" no matter vhich one moues there. 'E< Here either of lYhite's Rooks can '9-J moDeto Ql. Once his QP is bolstered frotn behind, then l|hite will be able to constrict Black's game with P-K4. The question is: which Rook should Diagrun I18 be played to Ql, and why?

1 KR-Qll 2 QR-BI' 3 P_K4

QR_81 Q_N1 P_QN3

WHITE

BLACK

4 P-K53 5 N_K{ 6 N(K4)-Q64

N*Q4 R-B2

r This movefollows cenain sound,though neverbeforeformulared, rules. When either of two Rooks can move to a necessary central file, theseare the criteriato be applied: (l) selectthe Rook which is doing the least; (2) selectthat Rook which, after it arrivesthere, will permit the remainingRook its greatestpossiblemobtlity. Before selecting|our moL)e, it is importantto uisualizeon whichcentralfles eachRook will do thentostsood. HereWhite choosesthe K-Rook because he foresees that he wants a Rook on QBI and a Rook on Ql. Moreover,if he movedhis QR to Ql he would violaterule number2-after it getstherethe K-Rook rvould only have one squareto which to move (Kl), whereasnow the QR has two squares(QNl and/or QB1). ' Completingthe developmentof the Rooks and exertingmasked pressureon Black's Queen. Black can do little but sit back and wait. His position is crampedbut quite solid. 3 Again, White givesto get. He cannotmaintain the tensionin the center forever. A good alternativeis 4 Q-K2, with the idea of olaying for a breakwith P-Q5. a Black'sKnight on Q4 is his only well-postedpiece. White, on the otherhand,hascompletedan invasiondeepinto eneny territory and has a bind on the dark colored squares.Note how Black's pieces get in eachother'sway. Il9

"Sitting on" a position

"Luft"

EVANS-HEATH, CLUB MATCH, TEXAS,1949

lfrw',,.&i /ft ,,x' %t/fr ,r.r& % % 7t/&%ft7t .,& .,,t*% % '

1 QR-Ql1 2 QxQ

t

White morcs. It is not alwqis necessary to do something when you haue an aduantage, Norrlrcre is patience more atirtue than in chess.One ofthe most common fallacies is the qssumption thqt euery mote must contain sornedcious threst. Inthe absenceof direct tqctical coLnbinations, one should tqke aduantage of the lull to deaelop pieces or, if thq) are already deueloped,to fnd euenbetter squares for them.

P-B4' NxQ

3 BxB 4 P-B33

RxB

l This move "sits on" the position. It exertsmaskedpressureon the Q-file, brings a Rook into play, and discouragesthe freeing maneuver,P-Q4. Incidentally,the reasonWhite's QR moved to illustration. The Ql ratherthan his KR is explainedin the previous first question White must ask himself is "where do I want my Rooks?" He wantshis QR on Ql andhis KR on Kl. Ifhe played 1 KR-QI, wherewouldhe put his QR lateron? 2I . P-Q4 is refutedby 2 BxN, BxB; 3 PxP, QxP (forced); 4 N-83 and Black'sdoubledQBP'sare robbedof the little mobility that theYnow Dossess. 3 White hasIastingpressure in the center.controlof Q5. and good doubled,Q-sidePawns. play againstBlack'sdisconnected,

120

HIARST-EVANS, MARSHALLcHEss CLUB JUNTORcHAMptoNstttp. 1947

i

% 7tt g

tl,

%t%w% fr% lz"/,e 7t %

Blacb motes. "Luft" (Germqn for "air") is brcqthing space-i.e.." an escope squore-for the king. It cqn come in uery handy. This losition is dravish, but the skirmish is lar from ouer. llhite hes a quqlitatiue majority on the Q-side (3 Pavns to 2). Before proceeding any further, both sides take aduantage of the lull to make " Luft."

Diasrcm 120

P_KR3

2 P_KR31

I Neither side now has to worry about an impromptu mate on the last rank. They are now free to embark on their businessfor the day. Why not 1 . . . P-KN3; 2 P-KN3 ? The reasonis that rhese moveswould weakentoo many squares. For greaterdetail consult DrasramJ). _ The King and Pawn endingresultingfrom this position after all the pieceshave beenexchangedis analyzedin Diagram 156. Just for the fun of perfectingyour endgametechnique,remoyeall the piecesand play this position out with a friend. It is a theoretical oraw.

t2l

"My kingdomfor a Luft!" EVANS-COLLINS,

MARSHALL

cHrss CLUB cHelrplot{sHrp, 1946-47

EVANS-PHILLIPS.

MARSHALL

cHFss CLUB cHAMProNsHrp,1948-49 White moves. An"escope square" is

A% 7&t"ffi

% %"ry, r% ?H, % % ffi6% "'.,ffi_

A% "tffifr % '"ffi. %

White moees. Failure to make Luft can haoedisastrousconsequences. llthite played 1 RxRP? and learned the hard way. Correct is 1 P-KR3 or-eren better-l P-K83! gaining Time b! the attock on Black's Knight.

RxP ?r RxR N_82' P-B33

fttr / Diagruft 122

Diagrum121

l 2 3 4

an qlternate expression for Luft when t% "'&i"..&t a houenfor a piece other thotl "ffit% making the King. %t% ,,rht% Sooner or l\ter White h,ill heue to % '''M guard against . . . N-KR4. In order %ft.& "ffi-"ru^% to insure that his Q-Bishop sta1,s

5 K_81 6 K_Nl 7 RxB

RxR R_88 N_84 B-Q3

B-R3ch P-R3 !4 NxRs

1 White shouldcontenthimselfwith a draw by I P-B3, RxR; 2 RxR, N-84; 3 B-82, etc. ' 3 K-Bl is refutedby B-N5. 3 Too late! If White'sPawnwerealreadyon KR3, White could save everythingby gettingout of the pin with K-R2. As it is, hejust has to sufferin silence.He is hopingfor 4 . . . NxB?; 5 RxB-but no suchluck. a Blackoavshis tributeto the "Great God Luft." White now hasno way to meetthe theat of 7 . . . NxB; 8 RxB, RxN other than by sacrificingthe exchange. 6 White resisnedshortly.

t22

tr

posted on the excellent diagonal vhich it now occupies (KR2-QN8), lfhite should play P-KR3 in order to retreat the Bishop to R2 ythen challenged.

1 P-KR3 was playedin the gameon the suppositionthat it was necessary sooneror later. Actually, it is not immediatelynecessary becauseN-R4 can be met with 2 B-K5, P-B3; 3 B-N3, NxB; 4 RPxN, with good attackingchancesalong the KR file. However, White has nothing better to do. He might try the developingmove, 1 R-QBI. He most certainly does not want to play I B-Q3 because PxP; 2 BxBP would force him to losea tempo with the Bishop. One other good point of White's move is that it restrainsBlack'sQ-Bishopby taking the squareKN5 awayfrom it. Incidentally,sinceeveryPawnmovecreatesa new weakness, such a move shouldnot be madewithout good reason(especiallywhenit involvesa loss of Time before developmenthas been completed). This is a relativelyclosedposition, so the loss of Time involvedin I P-KR3 is neslisible.

t23

Overprotection NASr.r-EVANS, 1950 u.s. opENcHAMproNSHrp,

'M,

t vt "X7t t /t 6' 7t 7ttr.f, '4 % llz.,.il^ 7t 7z'/.La.r'& 7t n tly 'ffi,H7tA % %+

Overprotectingweak points EVANS(u.s.A.)-NTELSEN (DENM,{.RK),DUBRoVNTKol-yMprcs, YUGOSLAVTA,1950

Blach mores. Black's highly mobile ce ter exerts a crumping infuence ot1 llhite's a*vrardll placed lieces. It is important to mqintqin this center vithout adtancing either KP or QP until all the pieces are prepared to tlemolishthepotential blockqde. Thus 1 . . . P K5 inLmediatel! w,ottld be met 4j N-Q4, saddling Black u:ith a backvard QP.

'/ftt""& % % i ft"/& % "H ",& %"'& 1& %

D i d s r c n1 2 3

Black should overprotecthis QP now with 1 . . . B K3, on the principlethat White will gangup on it sooneror later. This move not only developsa piece,but alsoleavesWhite in doubt asto which Pawn will advance. The QP is then "overprotected" because, strictly speaking,Black has more pieces defendingit than are actuallynecessary for its safety. The gamecontinued:2 N-N5, B-Bl; 3 P-KN4, P-Q5; 4 PxP, NxQP; 5 K-Nl, P-R3t 6 N-R3, N-86; 7 RxR, KxR; 8 R-N3, N-Q7ch; 9 K-Bl, NxB: 10NxN, NxP, winninqa Pawn. Note how B l a c kc o n v e r t e dh i s g r e a ri n f l u e n c e in the ienrerinro material advantage.

White moees. Nimzot itclr confned his concept of orcrprotection to ke! points in the center. We may extend it to any vreak poinl anywherc on the board, White hqs vhite squareweaknesses on KB3 and KR3. I{e cun repair them \ith lhc rcmpori:ing 1 K-Nz. In such a complicated position. this nore looks quire inttocuous. But it anually came in hand'- laler arul made possible the vinning combination! BLACK

1KN2 2 Q-Nl 3 B-N5 4 B-Q21 5 PxP 6 N-Qs!' 7 QxR

N-B4 P-K3 R_K1 N(4)-Q2 RxP RxR QxP

8 NxN 9 RxN! 10 R-Q8ch 11 BxR 12 N-Q7 13 B-N5 14 R-N8ch

R-QB33 RxQn B_BI KN2 Q_Q4 B_N55

Black Resigns

l This finesseis a commonmaneuver, The Bishop,of course,was headedfor Q2 all the time. By movingto N5 first it gaineda tempo bv forcins Black'sRook to an inferior file. 'initiatirig a "maskedattack." (Seealso Diagram 149.) 3 Forced. If instead9 . . . NxN; 10 R-Q8ch wins. a Finally 1 K-N2 is vindicated! This little "combino" would not be possiblewith the King on Nl because Blackwould capturethe Queen with check. Of course,white did not foreseethis whenhemadehis first move. It is a strokeof luck-or "serendioitv." 5 Note how helpless Black'sQueenis againstthe-minorpieces.

124

125

The Pawn as batteringram EVANS AND SPIELDERGER-LOKVENCZ

AND PRAVDA,

Securing advancedouqnsts CONSULTATION

EvANs (N.Y.)-QUESADA (HAVANA), RADIo MATCH, 1947

GAME,vrENNA, 1956

/& tffi .,rr,,&^m ft% f t %

ffi-urufr ''ffi/ %

Diasram 125

I 2 3 4 5 6 7

P-QR4r PXBP R_N2 RxR R_Nl Q-N2p Q-N6

White mor)es. Black's Q-side looks pretry solid. lVhite must force a point of inuqsion (see also Diagram 60). To do this he must use his Q-side Pawns as battering rams. It is amazing how quickl! Black's position falls apart as soon as White obtqins undisputedspatial control of the QN fle, and, v,ith it, the rital QN6 square-vhich giues him a base from which to strike at Black's bqckward QP.

P_QR4' NPxP R_N1 QxR Q_82 R_B1 K_B1

8 QxQ RxQ 9 R-N6 !1 K_K2 t0 R-R6 R-N2 11 N-Ns N-K1 12 NxP! R-N65 13 BxP RxB 14 N-N7 dis. ch Black Resigts

t% % i "ffi :,/.t*a^ "'ffi

t/ f: %t%

% ' r u%"Z

aA6 rtg "axft

White moees. Iryhitewonts to v'm the square KB4 for his Knight-an excellentlost indeed. Thefact that Black is not )'et castledpcrmils hint to do it rvith 1 P-KR4. Ordinorily, this couldbe met by 1 . . . P KR3, maintainingthe Pawn on KN4. But here rhe pin is fatal. becauseafrer 2 PxP Black cannotrecapture. AII this troublebecauseBlqck hasfailed to connecthis Rooks!

Diasrun126

1P_KR4! 2 RxP

3 N-84'

PxPl

o-o-o

l slightly better is 2 . . . P-N5 which, it is true, weakensthe dark by allowing squares. But the text makesevena gravel concession White a baseof operationson the openKR file. 2 The Knight hasiecured this outpott and cannotbe dislodged. If it can be reinforcedby bringingthe QN to K2. Black has necessary, isolatedK-side Pawns; White has a bind on the KR flle. He won shortly.

1 The threat of 2 P-R5 forcesBlack further to weakenan alreadv compromisedQ-sidePawn Structure. 2 To prevent P-R5 Black cedesWhite control of QN5. Equally hopeless was I . . . PxP; 2 RrP, R-Nl; 3 QR-NI, winningttrl QNP. 3 Black must not be allowed to challengethe file with R-QNI. White's advantagein Space(undisputedcontrol of the QN file) is now decisive. a Control of this 'Jumping-off" point is crucial. The Rook cannot be stoppedfrom its foraginsmission. 5 O r i i l Z . . . N x N ; t i B i p w i n s . N o r eh o w p o w e r f u l l W v hite's two Bishopscameinto play whenlinesr.rere openedfor them.

126

127

Occupyingadvancedoutposts EVANS-CARLYLE, u.s. opEN cHAMproNsHrp, 1952

A

g

tt '

I N Nllr 2 N_83

White motes. Blqck is a Pqvn behinrl but he hqs ttvo Bishops and strongpressure. (White's Queencannot deJbndboth the Knight qnd the The immediete QP indefnitely.) threatisl. . . R-Kl. White'sKnight is pqssirc qnd ouerburdened, But there is q rqt of light. White hqs a potential outpost on K5! How can he redeploy his Knight so thqt it can reqch this radiant paradise!

R_K1' R_K2

3 RxR 4 N-K53

QxR

I The horsebeatsa strategicretreat. It is headedfor K5 via 83. z One move too late! If the Knight werestill on K2, then White's ]r n l l e u v e rw o u l db e i m p o s s i b l ee:. g . . 2N - N l . R r R : 3 R r R . e x p . White'sexra Paunis now decisive-wirhhis Knighton K5 heian go to sleep--tisgame plays itselt The remainingmoveswere: 1. .-. Q-QB?; 5 R-Q81, P-QR3; 6 P-KRa, q-n2. 7 p*q1,

9-I?; t K-R2,Q-R2; e Q-Q82,Bxp; t0 exF, R-eNl; li N-B6, Black Resigns.

r28

CHAPTER

Time

Time (or tempo)is the unit of the move-it is the elementof tactics. The moueis so aital that if a player ttith only mediocreability were grontedthetight to more tv,icein a row, at his option,just oncee"-ery) gone, he couldbecomellorld Champion! "Time" is hard to define. Roughly speaking,it amounts to mobility and development.The idealopeningis onein which pieces are clearedranidlv from the first rank so that the Rooks are free to oflost Time is a cramped shuttletoward the center. One s;,n.rptom position: when the moment ardvesto make necessarydeveloping moves(in order,for instance,to preparefor castling)the piecescan no longer developon active squares. Time is equivalentto the "serve" in tennis; unlesspursuedvigorously,it is likely to dissipate. This "driving force" is tennedthe initiative. The "initiative" is a Time advantage,and the first move confers this automaticallyon White. After I P-K4' for example,White aheadythreatensto control the centerwith 2 P-Q4. Black,like it or not, is compelledto adapt his strategyto the threat. 1 . . . P-K4 meetsit and also opensup linesfor the Queenand Bishop. White, it is true, can still play 2 P-Q4, PxP; 3 QxP' but he hasmovedhis Queentoo early and must now lose a tempo after N-QB3. There is no constructivesquarefor the Queen: if to Ql, then nothing has beengained; if to Q2, Q3, K3, or QB4,thenit would block a Bishop diagonal. 4 Q-R4 is relativelybest,but then the Queenis out-ofplay on the flank. In eithercaseWhite is forcedto delaythe necessary develoDment of oneof his minor oiecesfor a move. In the meantime Black ian developanotherminor piece. Thus he has wrestedthe initiative. 129

t"ffit%i"/ffi

%a% %

%'ffi^% % % % % %'m^ % 'r,ffifr

t"'ffi %t7fl % % %

%t% % %" /fl^% ru-%

%

%

Diagmn

128

Di1gtunt 129

Block gains a tempo. From this it may be concluded that whenercr the samepiece is forced to moae a secondtime in the opming q tempo is lost. For this reqson early Queen moues are inaduisable; lhe opponent can dri\e it from pillar to post in the course ol normul deuelopment.If, after lP-K4, P-IK 1 2P-Q{PxP, Witi doesnot nish to submit to the abooe loss of Time, he mav elect to continue with the gambit 3 P-QB3? !

Gambits A gambitis an earlyartemprto seizethe initiariveforcibly(usually at the costof a Pawnor two). The gambireer hopesto piofit from his rapid developmenr and superiormobilitv to scori an earlv victory.or ro regainhismaterialrrirh interest.Iiut it standsto reasoi that if the secondplayerhas madeno organicweaknesses or errors such optimism is totally unfounded. Thereare three waysto meet a gambit: (l) decliningit, (2) holding doggedlyon to rhe sacrificed materialat the cost of the initiative,(3) acceptingit and then returning the materialat a favorablemoment.

130

The gambit declined lst method-Declining the gambit: I P-K4, P-K4; 2 P-Q4, PxP; 3 P-QB3, P-Q4. (3 . . . P-Q6 also declinesbut does not force White to losetime in recapturingthe Pawn,as4 BxP develops a piecein the process). With 3 . . . P-Q4 Black has openedmorelinesfor his Queenand Q-Bishop. He has electedto fght Whitein his own element-Time dgainstTime! A likely continuationis: 4 KPxP, QxP; 5 PxP, exploits N-QB3; 6 N-KB3, B-N5 (noticehow Black systematically White's isolated QP by undermining the pieces which defend it\t 7 B-K2, O-O-O (not 7. . . BxN; 8 BxB, QxQP?; 9 BxNch, PxB; 10 QxQ); 8 N-B3, Q-QR4 with lasting pressureagainst White'scentralPawn as well as superiordevelopment.

l3l

2nd method-Holding doggedly on to all material sacdficed: 1 P-K4, P-K4; 2 P Q4, PxP; 3 P QB3, PxP; 4 B-QB4 (the "Danish Gambit"; where White sticks to the true spirit of it, he doesnot stop for 4 NxP but aims insteadfor quick developmentat all costs),PxP; 5 BxP, P-QB3.

t vztr,& TLzt t'/z % 7t 7Z 71, %',r/.2 ft% a7/z /2, 7/t 72'/&-fr & f_l

Diaglan 130

3rd method rcturring materialat a favorablemoment: 1 P-K4, P K4t 2 P Q4, PxP; 3 P QB3, PxP; 4 B-QB4, PxP; 5 BxP, P_Q4.

7ttrflt 'iift /t% 2

''/ttz 7t

7AZft't ''',,/t

z z ft..,&,,/Ztfu^ "'E

rua%w.ffi, Diasrcm 131

The gambit accepted-and returned

The gambit accepted With 5 . , . P-QB3 Black announceshis intention of submitting to an attack becausehe has the firm determinationthat White does not have sufficient compensationfor the two Pawns sacrificed. Black is f&hting Ilhite in another element-Force against Tine! Herethe questionis whetherBlackcaflwithstandthe fury of White's attack and emerge into the won endgamewhich his material superioritypromises. Notice how Black hasnot yet developedone piece,whereasWhite has two Bishopsbearingdown on menacing diagonals. Black, however,has no organicweaknesses in his Pawn structureand probably-though this is problematical-hassufficient resourcesto defendwith. The gamemight continue: 6 N-QB3, P Q3;7N-83,N Q2: 8 O-O or 8 Q-82 followedby O-O-O. If White cannotcapitalizeon his advantagein Time, Black will nullify it by catchingup to him in development. The fina1evaluationof this positionis a questionofstyle: an attackerwould chooseWhite; a defender,Black. Tournamentpractisehas indicatedthat White has won the majority of the gamescontinuing lrom the diagram position-although in every instanceone can point to a flaw in Black'solav.

132

P-Q4 is so powerfulthat it has The principlebehind5.,. virtually eliminatedall gambitsfrom toumamentplay! Blackfghx White in yet anotherelement-PawnStructureogainstTine! Black retums the material in order to simplify and reach a favorable endqame. dlkely continuationis: 6 BxP (6 PxP closesthe linesand leaves . N-KB3; Black a Pawn aheadwith an easy defenseafter 6 7 N-KB3, B Q3; 8 O-O, O-O; 9 N-B3, B KN5; 10 Q-Q4, QNQ2. Opocensky-Rdti,Baden,1914),N KB3!; 7 BxPch,KxB; 8 QxQ, B N5ch (the temporary sacrificeof a Queen is a good example of a strategicaltheme bolsteredby tactical execution); 9 Q Q2, BxQch; 10 NxB, P QB4 and Black hasa slight advantage theoreticallybecausehis Q-sidePawnsare likely to movefasterthan White's K-side Pawns(it is easierto force 2 passedPawnswith 3 against I than 4 against2-noreover, Black's King is a strong defensiveweaponwhereit stands). Becauseof the oppositecolored Bishopsthe gameis likely to eventuatein a draw, but if this is the bestWhite canobtain,obviouslyhewill abandonthe DanishGambit. The principle of acceptingand then returning the gambit at a favorablemomenthas this most important corollary-it upsetsthe whole psychologyof the attacker,it throws him on the
133

Refrain from uselesschecks }f ARSHALL

EVANS-FLORES,

cHESsCLIJBcn,c.MproNsHIp,1946-47

'/&

t"'.& .,,ffit ///) .//, .,rkt 7/i.,,,,N % a ./2.) J\' : tE<.

.,r/h "'/Z 7r

White moves, A check is loss of Tine if it forces the defender to make q necessaD)consolidqtion and leaues the checkingpiacein nobattcrposition than before- Ordinarily, a checicdoes gain d tempo, protided tlnt no unit can interposewhichforces llE retreat of the thecAinq7ier. (Diagrotn 136 is q good exanylc of a check u'hich gains Time.)

Diagrum132

I 2 3 4

Q-R4ch1 Q-N33 P-K35 Q-N4

5 6 7 8

B-Q2!' N-831 N_QR4 NxP

BxN QxNP6 QxRP N-B38

PxB R QNl?? RxNP

? Here Black linally goeswrong. Correctis 7 . . . Q-Nl l; 8 QxQ, RxQ. Black, it is true, is left with doubledPawns,but he also has two Bishopsand pressureon the QN file. 7 . . . Q Nl is so srrong t h a t t h ew h o l cr a r i a t i o nh a sb e e na b a n d o n cfdo r W h i t e . lf White knew at rhe time that I Q,R4ch wascontraryto general principles,one is tempted to ask why he did it. The answerlies in the eyer-constantsearchfor innovations. Each position is as distinct as a fingerprinL.and rhe modern masttr spendshis l e i s u r et i m e i n s e a r c h i nfgo r r e f i n e m e nw t sh i c hc a p i t r l i J eo n t h i s distinctness.Even when a new move is inferior, it has the merit of catching an opponent off guard, as in the present game, where Black doesnot find the rjght continuation. 3 White is a Pawnahead. Black still has the initiativeleft over from his previousadvantagein Time, but the courseof the gameshowed that this compensationwas insufficient. E.9., 8 . . . B-B3; 9 BxP, Q-Bl; l0 B-N3, O O; 11 O-O (Whitemust bring his King to relative safety, even though his Pawn Structureis about to be shatteredon the K-side),BxN; 12 PxB, Q-83; 13 P-K4-White is ouite safe.

1 An ingeniousdouble-edged are difficult checkwhoseconsequences to foresee. Every move should have a purpose,and check is no exception. "Always check-it may be mate" is one of those glittering epigrams*hi"h b"long. ii the garbageheap. Checking merelyfor the sakeof giving a checkis a good way of working out spite,but is often likely to rebound. 2 Black hasmanywaysto go wrong and only onegoodinterposition. 2 B x N , R x B ; 3 Q x P ,B - B 4 ; 4 P - B 5 ,w i n n i n ga If1...P-B3; Pawn. If I . . . N-83; 2 N-N5 is difficult to meet. The text is playedon the principleof interposinga unit which forcesthe retreat of the enemypiece. It leadsto interestingcomplications. s white had, ofcourse,anticipatedthe Bishopinterposition. He has lost a tempo but seemsto gain it back if and whenBlack moveshis Bishopagainto QB3 in order to defendthe doublethreat of QxP or PxP. a Continuinethe counterattack. 5 White cannotforeverneglecthis development.2 QxP, PxP! gives Black strongcounterplay.And 2 PxP is met by QNXP. 0 6 QxBPis too tameand would merelylosethe two Bishopswithout any correspondingcompensation.White tries to get compensation in Force and Pawn Structure-hencethe risky text. 134

135

Wastedmoves ASH-EVANSJ

MARSHALL CHESS CLUB JUNIOR CHATIPIONSHIP, I946

i%a/ti'/f,t

%r'ti'N ''.lt 7,t^,/i Nt.& /t

ta Diagran 133

Refrain from pointlessthreats

t

Blach mortes. Ile generally think of a moae as "wasted" vhen lhere i,t no pqrticular plan behind it. At times it inuolDesa precious loss of tempo in a position trhich catmot rffird it. At others, vh[le not an outrigli effot, perhaps, it is totall! unconnectedvith the requirernentsof the position; this is more often the cate \ill! bcginncrs. As a case in point, witness m)r uer! frst tourndment game.

Black playedI . . . P-KR3-a wastedmoveif evertherewasone. Let us seewhy. To begin with, it contributes nothing toward development. Black hasstill to castle,and then he facesthe problemof freeinghis Q-Bishop. Furthermore,this move has no bearingon the action taking placein the center. A good move is i . . . PxP. Black can make it hard, if not impossible,for White to regainthe Pawn: e.9.,2 N-Q2, N-N3. I . . . O-O (though not so sharp as PxP) at least contdbutes toward the connectingof the Rooks which, as we have learned before.is the idealof dereloomeot The only justificationfor i . . . P-KR3 is that it preventsa pin at KN5. But why go to the trouble.ofpreventingit ? OnceWhite's Bishop goesto KN5, then P-KR3 would effectivelybreak the pin by "putting the question10 the Bishop."

136

t'lfrt7ttrfr '/z 7t 7t',,&, /& 7ta7tft'% 7t%

2, /4

4, lA

A J } A A

./2. 2,

A A

Btaclemotes. A commonfailing of thebeginneris that he makesu sound thrcat' and thenbiter hi: nail; ho[ing his opponentv'ill ouerlookthe right conlinuation. This is shabbychess; ercn if it succeeds,it only speaks poorly for the loser. If you really vtqntto improw, alwaysassumethat your opponent will find the best replyandplanyour play accordingly: "play the boardnol theplaler."

Didgrum131

Neveroffertraosthat arelikelv to rebound. White threatensmate in one. Watch how, with proper defense,this explodesin his face and resultsonly in loss of Time. The abovepositionarisesout of: 1P-K4, P-K4; 2 B-B4, B-B4; 3 Q R5. White'slast move with the Queenis a prematuresortieeven though it containsthe double threat of either QxP mate or QxKPch. However,this threat can be met quite easilyby 3 , . . Q-K2. Nowif 4 N-K83, P-Q3; 5 O-O, N-KB3-and Black now gainsa free developingmove by harryingWhite'smisplacedQueen. In other words, minor piecesshouldbe deuelopedbefore major pieces: KnightsbeforeBishops.

t3'1

Completedevelopmentfirst-attack

later

Developingwith gain of Time MECHANIC-EVANS,

STEINER-EVANS, 6TH MATCH CAME, 1952

t % 7' ,,,&

.,,,& % + %

MARSIIALL

CHESS CLUB JUNIOR CHANTPIONSHTP,

1916 Blsck moees. An attack is likely to boomerang unless adequate measures hauebeen taken lo pre"^entq successful counter-oltack. Black has an qdtqntage-nqmel!, the two Bishops. Eager lo.force an early decision, Ilhite le{rues his King in the center and initiqtes a premature Kside attqck ttith 1 P-KN . Note how cleuerly this is refuted.

Blsch moues. It is obt:ious that Black nlust mouellis K-Bishop so that he cqn cqstle. The questiotl is t:here? 7 . . B K2 is sound,but not forceful enough. The trick is tofnd some vay to tqke aduqntqge of llthite's hanging B - N S c hg a i a s K n i g h to n K 4 - 1 . . . a tempo because it forces llhite to retreat, whereupotl Blqck can castle. Two tnouesfor the price of one!

t %a% i t7z.ralz t"x %,ra/U. ft,ru a7/z 2 ,r/4

vf,

%

Diasran 135 Diagrun 136

WHITE BLACK

1... 2 N-Ks'

N-841 NxBch

3 NxN 4 P_KR3

Q_R5 P_KB43

1...

2 N(4)-Q2 l This rnove completely nullifies White's attack and wins the initiative. 2 Forced. 2 PxN, BxNP wins a Pawn, and White has no way to bring additionalsupportto his pinnedKnight. 3 Black has exchangeda passiveKnight for an active Bishop. He has seizedthe offensiveon the K-wing.

B-N5ch!1

B-K23

I I . . . Q-R4ch would be met by B-Q2-and insteadof losing a tempo,Black would gain one! '"Putting the question" neither gains nor losesTime. It merely drives Black's Bishop to a better square. Better was 3 B-Q3 immediately. 3 Black is actually ahead in development. White must free his Bishop and castle. Black has only to free his Q-Bishop-he has alreadycastled.It is unusualfor Blackto seizethe initiativeso early. That he can do so indicatesthat White has madc an error in the oDenlng.

138

3 P-QR3?'

o-O

139

Aggressivedefense

Exchangingwith gain of Time MccoRMtcK-EVANs,

SOVIET ANALYSIS

ttt itt "26./2 %

7r%71 "'./l,zA/,ft.6% 'il 7ZA'/Z

ft",&ft'z/flfr Diastum137

1 . . , 2 PxN

Blech moves. Tlis positiotl arises after: I P-KA, P K4; 2 N-KB3, N QB3; 3 B 84, N-B3; 4 P-Q4!?, P x P ; 5 O O ? ! ,N x P ; 6 N B 3 ! ? Black is not': confronted with a dilemmq. He can take tlrc piece with PxN, or ha canptrsue orderly detelopment vith 1 . . . NxN followed by B-K2. He should choosethis nrethod, since he is already suficiently ahead in Force and nTust nov make haste to repair his disadtantage in Time.

3 PxP 4 B-Q3

NxNl 8,K22

P_Q4

o-o3

1 Thisexchange gainsa tempoby attackingthe Queen. Othermoves, though perhapsplayable,Ieadto arduousdefense: L 1 . . . P x N ; 2 B x P c h !K, x B ; 3 Q - Q 5 c hK, - K l ; 4 R - K l ! , B-K2; 5 RrN, P-Q3; 6 B-KN5, with a fierceattack for only a measlyPawn. I L 1 . . . N - Q 3 ; 2 N - Q 5 ! ,N x B ; 3 B - N s ,B - K 2 ( 3 . . . P - 8 3 ; 4 BxP!, PxB; 5 N-N5!, threateningQ R5 mate)and Black has reasonablesurvival chancesafter 4 NxB, NxN; 5 BxN, KxB ( n o t5 . . . Q x B ; 6 R - K 1 ) . K N 5 ,P - Q 4 ; 3 N x Q P N , xN; 4 Q B3. [I. 1...N-B3:2N IV. 1 . . . P-Q4; 2 BxP, NxN; 3 BxNch, PxB; 4 PxN, PxP; 5 N-Q4, with a stronginitiative. 'This is still no time to stop for booty with 2 . . . PxP; 3 Q-Q5! Black should be contentto retum the Pawn-for he will still be a Pawn ahead-which is decisiveoncehe comoleteshis develoDment. 3 B l a c kh r s b r o u g hhLi s K i n gt o s a l e t ya n d i i a P a w na h e a d .T h a r the analysisin note I is not completelyconvincingis besidethe point. Since1 . . . PxN is not playable,Black shouldchoosethat defensewhich is natural and permitshim to developnormally. Moral: when confronted v,ith seaeral alternatfues,seek the simplestone,if it takesyou out of your troubles. 140

MARSHALLcHrss CLUB cHAMproNSHlp, 1946

TztH /iti "/t 7tt7, '/tg'/ti7t 7t 'N %E7t

Black ntoves, Bluck is ttyo Pavns alreadbut not et all happy. Il/hite has two threqts; either 1 B-Q4 or I Q X K B P( i f l . . . P x Q ; 2 R x P mate!). It is Black's morc-tltis is the only thing u'hich sat:es him. This is no time for pqssirit)t. He must fnd an aggressiue defense!

Diagrun 138

1 2 3 4

. . . QxKBP?' QxPch R_B6

5 RxR 6 KxQ 7 K-any

Q-K7F QxBt K_RI RxPch!

QxRch

Q-Bschr RxQ

1 The The only only defense! det'ense!This counterattackassuresBlack of a draw by

perpetualcheck. But now White getstoo ambitious. 2 Correctwas2 B Q4, forcingQ-B6ch; 3 K-R.3,Q-Nsch; 4 K-N2, Q-B6ch, etc.,with a draw. 3 Of coursenotz. . PxQ; 3 RxP mate. a Der Punkt! Black now regainshis Queen,simplifies,and remainsa pleceaneao.

141

Counterattack EVANS-HARTLEB,

olEN, 1948

%%'ffi , . 'mfr% % % %

%

Diasrun139

White mows. Ilhen confronted with seuerol alternatiues, select the oggr^sie one (if it is sound). Passirc positions li lit mobility and should be auoided. Black seems lo haue a prontising position. He attacks the Knight, which can either retreat to Ql Qoo passiue) or adlance to Q5, in which cese | .. NxN; 2 PxN, B-Q3 Ieads to an equal position. I NxP is refuted by RxN; 2 QxR, QxB, Iyhqt, then, is the wa! out of llhite's dilemma ?

I P-K5!1 PxN

PxN2 4 B_84 Q-B4o BxBP s P-QN4 !5 Q_N3 P_N3 6 BxR6 Q_K4F l White ignores his attacked Knight and appliesthe principle of counterattack.He thus touchesoff'a forcefulcombinationbasedon the momentaryalignmentof Black'sQueenand Rook on the same olagonar. 2If the Knight givesway by I . . . N-Kl; then 2 N-Q5, Q-Q2; 3 Q-K4, P-N3; 4 QxP wins a Pawnfor White. 3 The point! Black must losematedalowing to the doublethreat of QxP mate and/or B-B4. a Not 4 . . Q-N3; 5 BxR, PxP; 6 R-RS, winning a whole Rook. 5 A sharpfinesse.If immediately 5 BxR.PxP!: 6 R=-any. B-84 and Black regainsal1his materialwith interest. 6 White wins an exchangeand has only minor difficulties to encounter, T h eg a m ec o n t i n u e d6: . . . 8 - B 4 ; 7 Q - K B 4 , Q x B ;8 Q x Q ( w h e n aheadin material,simplify!), RxQ; 9 BxB, PxB; l0 R-R6, B-N4; 11 R-Q86, B-Q7; 12 R-K5, P-85; 13 K-81, R-Rl; 14 RxP, R-Kl; 15 K-N1, R-K8ch; 16 K-R2, R-KB8; 17 P,B3, B-K6; 18P-R4, B-B7; 19R-N5ch,K*Bl; 20R-KR5,K-N2;21 K-R3, P-83; 22 K-N4, K-N3; 23 R-N5ch, K-82; 24 R-N5, B-Q5; 25 R-N7ch, K-N3; 26 P-R5ch, K-R3; 27 R(6)-B7, P-B4ch; 28 KXP(B5),Black Resigns. t

142

Sustainingthe initiative EVANS-FLoRIDO,u.s. opEN cHAMproNsHrp,1953

rtra

t' l :

* U U l

frd ,, €fl Diagrum140

White moles. ll/hite has momentary control of the Q-fle, which Btaik Ihreatens to chollcnge by playing R-Ql. llthire must find siue'u.iv rr., secure his spatial idoantage or'else lose the initiatiDe. It is his moxe. ,Yhqt l{/hite must do is to create weaknesses in Black's Q-side pawn Structure, continually makin{ new threats, so that Bla;k has n"o t,^e Jor R-Ql. Nore rhat I R-O7 is insfficient becauseof R-82. BLACK

1 N_N5 F 2 N-833 3 RxRch5

P-QR3' R-Q14 NxR

4 N-Q5 5 N_87 6 NxRPo

P_QN4 N_K3

I This doesthe trick. Now Black has no time for R_el. He must advance his RP. aod thusweakenhis eNp in rhe orociss_ 2 F o r c e d1. . . . R - R l : 2 R - e 7 . p - R J : 3 N _ e 6 l e a drsoa d e c i s i v e spatialadvantaee. 3 The deed.is d-one.Now Black must lose a pawn becauseof his shaky formation. Note how the base of his pawn Structure(on QR2) has beenundermined. 4 2 . . . _ .R - N I i s m e rb y 3 N . Q 5 .w i n n i n g p a w n . a ro-omuch counrerplay qer-safrerj Rrp. R_e7ch; 4 K. K3 :.8]1c1(. (4_K-Nl, N-Q5 ! threateningN-'BOch;,RxRp. Th; moiat is tnui $hen thereare two waysto accomplish a girenend(in thiscase,the wrn ot a pawn).thar methodwhichallowsyour opponenrthe least counterplayshouldbe selected. 6 White wins a Pawn. The rest is technique. The gamecontinued: 6 . . . P - B 5 ; I K - K 3 , K - B l ; 8 p _ 8 5 ,N _ e l ; 9 I i _ K 4 ( n o t i c er h e of a centralizedKing), N-B3; l0 p_KN4, f_fZ; 1Tp^oIt1nJ9 K - Q 5 , N R 4 : l 2 N - 8 7 . P - B 6 i t 3 p x p .N 8 5 ; 1 4 N x p . N _ k ; c ; : l _ 55 . a a . N x N P : 1 6 P - R 3 . N - 8 7 : t 7 p - e R 4 . N r p ; 1 8 p _ R 5 , K-Q?; 19p-R6, K_83; 20 p_R7, K_N2; 2i p_K6, pxp; 22 pxp" Black Resisns.

143

Interpolations (u.s.s.n.)-rvlNs BRONSTEIN

t t., 'N %t7z tA

////.

I

"Zwischenzugtt

(u.s.A.), TEAMtrl,Arcn, uoscow, 1955 Blsck moues, An interpolation is an in^belween-mo1)e.Befbre making a forced moue (in this case Black's 'Rook is attucked and must retreat sooner or later), a fnesse may be insefied. (See Diagrams l2 ancl 13 for the classicexample.) 'If he rctreats the Rook immediately, therc is no way for Black to preL)eflt P - K 4 . B y f r s t i n t e r y o l a tSi | . . . B-84 Black also gains a temPo.

KRAMLR-t\A\S, N.Y. MftROPOLtTAL \ TACUE1 , 952

Black moyes. "Zttisclrcnzug" is a Gernsn endearmentreserDedfor the more aesthetic cqsesof interpolqtion, such {ts this. Black can play 1 . . . QxP; 2 PxB, QxP; 3 QR-BI and llhite v;ill haae good open lines as compensationfor his Pat'n mittus. Whether he likes it or not, it seemsthat Bluck tvill hate to enter this wriation. After all, hk Queen is attacked snd it must mo1)e -must it not ?

Diagrcm141 WHITE

1 2 3 4

. . . P-K4!?r K_Rl NxR

BLACK

5 RxN' 6 QxB 7 B,Nl

B-84 B-N3ch RxPl NxN

BxR QxB R-Q1"

I Now or never-even at the cost of a Pawn' After 2 Q-Bl, R-K2 Black retains a permanentbind in the center. Bronsteincofiectly reckonsthat Wfite's best chancelies in active counterplay(at the cost of a Pawn)rather than Dassivedefense. 2 Forced, Black wasthreatJningN-N6ch. 3 Black is a Pawn ahead. White did not now go in for 8 Q-R7ch, K-81; 9 Q-RSch,K-K2; l0 QxNP, QxBP; 1l R-Klch (not 11 RxQ?, R*Q8ch; 12 R-Bl, RxR mate),with a possibledraw The game ended in a draw anyway due to the presenceof opposite coloredBishops.

t44

1 , . . 2 Q-K3,

N-Qs!F QxP

3 PxB 4 Q-N3

N_B7 NxR3

1A "zwischenzug"in its full glory! Black ignoresthe attack on his own Queenand blithely proceedsto counterattack. 2 The amazingthing is that White's Queenhas no haven. IfI. 2 Q-Q3, Q-N5!; 3 PxP (if 3 PxB, N-K7ch followedby NxB), N-K7ch; 4 K-Rl, NxB; 5 PxR(Q),NxQ!; 6 QxP (forced), B Q5 followedby NxPch and wins. It. 2 Q - 8 1 ,Q - N 5 ; 3 P x P( i f 3 P x B ,N - K 7 c h ; 4 K - R l , N x B w i n s mate); 5P KN3 a piece),N-B6ch!; 4 K-Rl, QxB (threatening (if 5 PxN, B-K4; 6 Q-N2, QR-NI winning a piece),Q-R3 ! and Black inevitably emergesfrom the complicationsa piece aneaq.

III, 2 Q-K4, QxP; 3 QxQ, PxQ; 4 PxB,N-K7ch; 5 K-Bl, NxB. IV. 2 RxN, QxR; 3 PxP (if 3 PxB, QxB,) QR-KI; 4 P-N8(Q), RxQ(K7) and Black wins owing to the doublethreat of QxPch and/or RxQ. 3 Now that Black has won material the rest is easy. The game continued:5 RxN, KR-KI; 6 P-KR4, Q-K5; 7 R-Ql, QR-QI; 8 RxR, RxR; 9 B-K5, R-Kt; l0 B-Q4, Q-N8ch; ll K-R2, QxP; 12 P-K84, P-QR4; 13 P-B5, Q-Q4; 14 PxP, RPxP; 15 Q-B4, Q KB4; 16 Q-R6, P-B3; 17 Q-Q2, R-K5; l8 Q-R2ch,K-N2; 19 Q-B4, Q-B5ch; 20 P-N3, Q-86; 21 Q-B7ch,K-R3; White Resigns. 145

ConvertingTime into Space

ConvertingTime into Pawn Structure

STEINER-EVANS, HoLLywooD

MA]TR-EVANS, u.s. JUNIoR cHAMproNsHrp,1949

"T

'"t&,i% ,ry, %%

7 .,',ffift t%

%

Blsck moles. Black is a piece down. He can recapture immediatel!, but rhere is no rush. The fact thar it is Black's moue giues him a Time qduantage, He must seek a wa! to conrjert lhe less durable element (Time) into the more durable one (Pawn Structure). The judicious use of an interpolation accomplishesthis end.

H% %i

% ".e,%r '"'& %ft% 7.: %"'/Z %AZz '"H %ft"'&

oprN,

1954

Blscb moves. Timing is ohrals essential. If it vere White's ruoae, I P-KR3 uould renJer hi.s potirion intpregnable. Likevise. afrer I R(l)-R7; 2 P-KR3 stops Black coltl. It is imperati\e that Black frst undertnine l'l/hite's defender-rhe BishoTbefore inuading on the seuenth rank. This is all made ripe 67 1 . . . B-N5 !

Diaerun 144

Diaglam 143

WHITE

1 2 3 4 5

. . . PxB P_83 B_K3 R-QNI

BxNchl KxB P_84 K_83 N-Q2'

6 K-Q2 7 KR_KI 8 B-82 9 K-Q3 10 RxR

N-N3 KR_K1 N-B5ch N,R6 RxR3

1 1 . . . KxB is too tame. It would givewhite time to defendhimself with 2 B-Q2, and if QR-Klch; 3 N-K2. (Even so, Black can probably still win with . . . BxBch; 4 KxB, N-K5ch; 5 K-Kl, R-K3; 6 P-B3, QR-KI ; 7 PxN, RxP, regainingthe piece with interest.) Black now hasa winning endgame. ' The Knight is headedfor QB5-occupying the hole. 5 . . . KR-KI first is also quite good. 3 White is lost. His white squaresare hopelesslyweak and his doubled Pawnsare useless.The same continued: 1l R-N2 (relat i \ e l y b e t r e ri s l l R - K l ) . P - B 4 ; l 2 B - N 3 ? ?( r h i sl o s e sb y f o r c e . though there is no escapefrom the bind), N-85; White Resigns. Thereis no defenseeither to NxR or R-K6 mate.

146

1 2 3 4

. . . R-811 P_R4' RxB

B_N5! R(lFR7 BxB RxPch

5 6 7 S

K_Bl K_Nl R_81 ILxR

R(N7)-N7 R-N8ch RxRcb R-R73

12 BxB, PxB leavesWhite equally defenseless against R(1)-R7. Thereis no defenseagainstthis threatenedspatialincursion. 2 Forced. 3 BxB allowsmate in three. 3 Winning a secondPawn. This is a good exampleofthe conversion of Time into Spaceinto Force.

t47

The pin is mightier than the sword! MCCORMICK-EVANS,

MARSI]ALL

Pins do not run away

1946-47 cHEssCLUBCHAMPToNSHIP, Block moves. The pin is a combination Spa,e Timc odrontage. Time in the se se thqt the pinned piece is momentoril! tied down; Space in the senrc IhqI the piece vhich is pinned is not free to adrance. Here Black's BishopisFnning l4/hite's QBP. How can this be exploited?

Diastum145 ]Ir'HITE

1 . . . 2 N-Q51

LEVIN-EVANS,

u,s. oPEN CHAMPIoNSHP, 1946

,,ffi % %ft""&t %t% 'ffi %w% 7t % % ,ffi^

Block mo|es. Very often the beaut! of a pin is that there is no hurry about comerting it into a .Force adL)antagebecause the pinned piece cannot fun qva!. White is a Pawn dovn but he hqs pressure. With one blow Black can shatter lis game by initiating a brilliant pin.

Dksrun 146 WHTTE

BLACK

3 NxNch 4 Q-R3

P-QN4! PxP

BLACK

NxN PxP2

1 Nothine helos. White cannotavoid the lossofat leasta Pawn. 2 Nxe, e-QR3 lains Blacka piecebaseduponyet anotherinfernalpin. 2 Blackhaswon a Pawnandall his pieceshavesprungto life. White, counterplay. For the culminationof however,achievedconsiderable this game,seeDiagram 138.

148

BLACK

1 . . . 2 RxN 3 B_83

4 BxR 5 B-83

NxP! P-Q3 !1 RxRchz

R_K13 R-Ks!4

12. . . BxR; 3 QxB would merelyresult in Rook and two Pawns for two pieces. But Black is hunting for biggergame' Thereis no rush to capturethe Rook until White moveshis Queenin order to break the pin. White, however,is not given so much as one free movein the seouence. 2 Again, thereis no rush. The pin will not run away. 3 Still no rush to play . . . BxR. White mustnow defendhis Bishop. a The point. White must now lose a full Rook becauseof the pin. 6 QxR, PxQ; 7 RxP, Q-B4 yields White insufficientmaterial for the lost Queen.And if 6 RxP, QxR; 7 QxB, QxB wins. Moral: exploitpins to lhe utmost-be in no rush to releasethem.

149

"Putting the question" to the Bishop

Hidden pins KRAUSS-EVANS, U,S. JUMOR CHAMPIONSHIP,1949

'ffi t% ,& ,,,,.& x%ft"ffi

x %w% ",ffi^ ft%

Black moves. Not all pins are obuious. In ftrct. in this po\ ion it is had to tell which of llhite's pieces is pinned-euen potentially ! Black's Bishop is attacked. An unimaginatiDeplaler might r'rithdrav) it qnd be content.

Diagrcm147

%t/&t%t7frt t % 6 %'".,ffi % % %a% % %t7t % %a%

rtrrs rr

This happy phrase owes its existence to NimzoDitch, who perceiued that pins-euen potentiol ones-shoultl be broken inmediately. They are always dangerous, Wheneuer conuenient recqptures are possible, and "putling the question" does not seriously impoir the Patrn Structure, tqke time out to do it!

Diasrum148

Positionalter 3.. . P-QR3 1 . . . 2 K-Bl

N-R6chr QxQ

3 PxQ 4 R-Q2

BxP B-Rs?

I A player who has readthis pagewill by now be alertedto the fact that White's KNP is pinned. Pinnednow, no. But pinnedafter the t€xt. The Pawn cannot capturethe upstartbecauseit is weddedto the Queen. 2 White is a Pawnbehindand his Pawn Structureis shattered. I expectthat any playerwho has gottenthis far in the book will be able to win in the ensuingendgame.

150

Black'slastmoveseemslike a wasteof Time. What is its DurDose ? Well.3. . . P-QR3says.in effect.eilhere\changeor rerieatlbur declareyour intentions! By "putting the question" Black stopsthe Bishopfrom seryingthreefunctionsat the sametime: (l) pinning, (2) controllingthe KBI-QR6 diagonal,(3) controllingthe QR4-K8 diagonal. The consequences of 4 BxN, QPxB; 5 P-Q4, PxP; 6 QxQ, QxQ; 7 NxQ do not favor White (seeDiagram 16). Whereas, 4 BxN, QPxB; 5 NxP, Q-Q5 permitsBlack to recapturehis Pawn under favorablecircumstances. The major merit of 3 . . . P-QR3 is that it easesthe pressure againstBlack'sKP. Afrer4 B-R4. Blackshouldnor go chasingafrer the Bishopwith 4 . . . P-QN4 becauseit unnecessarily weakensthe Pawn Structure. He should continuehis developmentwith 4 . . . N-B3, The fact that White's Bishopis on R4 insteadof N5 means that the pin can be broken now in only one move (P-QN4) instead of two (P-QR3 andP-QN4). This cancomein handy. For instance, after5 O-O, B-K2; 6 P-Q4?, PxPi TNxP?,NxN; 8 QxN, P-QB4; 9 Q-ary, P-QN4; 10 B-N3, P-B5 winning the Bishop(Noah'sArk Trap). Of coursethis trap is not the justificationof 3 . . . P-QR3; it is just a handyinterpolationwhich hasnothing to loseand everything to gain.

151

Masked attacks EVANS-JIMENEZ, CUDA INTERNATIONALTOURNEY, 1952

White moges. A mqsked qttack is There arc two an indirect pin. meaningful ones here: (l) Ilhite's Rook exerts a ruasked qttack against Black's Quem, despite the lact thal four men interuene; (2) White's Bishop exerts a masked attock against Black's Rook, despite tlrc interu(ntion of a Pau'n and Knighr Ilhite must seek a way to open both Iines at the same time. Diastam 149 BLACK

WHITE

I P-K5 ! 2 N_86 3 PxP!

4 NxB 5 N-K7ch

PxPl Q_81 B_Q1

RxN2

Blsck Resigns

1 This offer can neitherbe acceptednor refused! If instead1 . . . B-N2; 2 N-86, Q-Bl (forced); 3 N(6)-K7ch, RxN; 4 NxRch wins the Queenby a fork. ' Equally hopelessis 4. . . QxN; 5 N-B6ch.

152

stx: Quiz! CHAPTER Caution This quiz is not an artificial concoction. All thirtyxir illustrations are fleih and blood, so to speak,taken, as they are, from practical tournamentplay. This is a newtype of quiz; it is not intendedto be easv.nor to sratify the solrer'sego. You will be askedfor the bro'adstrategiialpiinciplesunderllingeachposition. Knowledge of theseprinciplesis more importantthan that of specilicmoves. The answerswill refer you back to the diagrarnswhere they are discussed.Evenif you havemasteredall the previousmaterial,do not expectto score100per cent,nor even80 per cent,becausethe solutionsare not invariableand rigid. Thereare too many parts to eachquestion,and, therefore,they are impossibleto grade. Thus far we havespokenof abstractions:Pawn Structure,Space, Force,and Time. Now that we haveanalyzedchessin terms of its jigsawcomponents. the problemis to put them all back together play creditablegame. The biggestdifricultyin the and to a ilain quiz will doubtlessbe recognizingwhat principleis applicable-toany givenposition.Your approach shouldbelogical.Ask yourselfunder falls, selectwhat you lhink is the.best ivhaLheadingthe quesLion move.and try to justily it in termsof the aboveabstractprrncrples. Chessis an artiorm, and thereis a lot of room for vadation and on a uith my reasoning dissent.Howevermuchyou may disagree thatit works. Tharis its only I begvou to remember sirenDrinciple. thetimehas principleceases to bringresults. iustifiiation.When-any "new" about or revoluLionary The only thing ir. to abandon come mv svstemis that it hasneverbeforebeenformulatedin this manner. 151

Problems

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150

A.'A

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Diasrun 155

Diagtun 154

Diagftm 151

Is P-KR3 appropriatefor White. Why ? Why not ? What are the principles involved?

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WhatisBlack'sbestmove? On what principle?

Whatis Black'sbestmove? On what principle?

Whatis Black'sbestmove ? On what prtrciple ?

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Diasrum152

Diagru,n153

What isBlack'sbestmove? On what principle ?

Whereare White's holes? Whatis Black'sbestmove? On what principle?

154

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Diagtun156

Diastan

Who has the "outside passedPawn?" Black to move-what is the result?

157

What shotdisruptsBlack's Pawn Structure?

155

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Diasrcn 158

Diagrum159

Where is the base to Black's QP ? Who has "better" the Pawn Structure?

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Diagnm 162

Whichis better: l . P-Q3or1...P-Q4?

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163

Blackwinsa Pawn. How? On what principle?

Where doesBlack have a "hole?" How can Wlite exploit it to win a Pawn?

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Diagtam 160

Wlro has the "good Bishop" and why?

White is weak on what color squares? What are 3 sharpwaysfor Black to exploit this weakness? 156

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Diasrum165

Diacram 161

White wins a piece.How? On what pdnciple?

How can White convert his SpaceadYantageinto Force?

157

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Diasrutn166

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Why is 1 QxP an error?

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Diagtatn 169

On squaresofwhich color is White weak? What is Black'swinning motif?

158

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Diastatn 171

How can Black win a Pawnby a pin?

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How can Black exploit White's weak KNl-QR7 diagonalto win material?

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What is White's most forcefulcontinuation?On what principle?

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Diasrcm170

Diasram167

How can Black capitalize on White's weak squares to win a piece?

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Diasrun172

Diagtun U3

Why is I P-K4 premature?

White moves-who has the bind ?

159

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Diasrum 174

Diasrcn175

How can Black exploit White's QBP? On what principle?

How should Black recapture ? On what principle ?

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Who hasthe bettergame?

How can White quickly mobilize his Q-Rook in the center?

why?

160

Diastan

Diasrcn 179

178

How can White mobilize his centerPawns?

Is

I P-K4 playable? Why ? Why not?

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180

Black has just played Why is this P-N3. inferior?

Black has just played P-K84. Should White captruteenpassant'1.why? Why not? 161

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Solutionsto Quiz

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Diagram 183

White moves. He has a winning interpolation. What is it?

Which is more accurate: 1 O-O or I Q-B2?

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Diagtan 181

Diagtam 185

What is Black'sbestmove? On what principle?

Which is more accurate f o r B l a c k :1 . . . P - Q R 4 or1...P-K5?

162

(Diagramnumbersrefer to location of principle involved) (150) EvANs-HrrNKENHEtMo, u[srNxr oLvmucs, 1952. (See Diagrams108,119,120.) Yes. White hasreachedhis maximumofnormal developnent. I P KR3 makesLuft. freparesan erenrltrlB-KJ by l'orestallingthe Ieply N-KN5, thus restrictingthe enemyKnight. The main Drinciplesinvolved are "Luft" and "restdction." The alternaiive,t N fn+, B-Q2 accomplishes nothing since it leavesthe Knight out on a limb. (151) EVANS-SANDRrN, u.s. opEN cHAMptoNsHtp,1949. (See Dlastam+.4.1 1 . ] . pxp-on the principleof leavingWhite with a backwald BP exposedto an open QB-file. White must now recaDturewith his KP. Scori yourselfwrong if you thought that 1 . . . O-O was correct,on the principle of completingdevelopment.Then after 2 O-O, PxP (too late!); 3 BPxP! and White has had time to straightenout his Pawn Structure. Also inferior, while we're on the subiect,is I . . . P-B5; 2 B . N I . f o l l o w e db y a n e v e n t u asl r e i m r o l l eirn. t h e c e n r e r with P*B3 and P-K4. (152) arnuNnn-EVANs, u.s. JUNToRcFrAlrproNsHrp, 1946. (See Diagram 66.) 1 . . . P-85-on the principle of attackinga Pawn chain at its base. The move is tacticallyjustified in view of 2 QPxP, B x N ; 3 t s x BN , x K P . ( i / o t ,h o w e v e 1r ,. . . P x P ? ; 2 P x P , RxR; 3 RrR, NxNP?; 4 NxB, BPxN; 5 QxN, PxN; 6 R-R8ch, K-K2; 7 Q-N5ch, P-83; 8 QxP mare.) (153) eLATER-EvANs, HELsTNKT oI,yMprcs,1952. (SeeDiagram 57.) Whitc has a hole on his Q3-not to mentionQR3, KB3 and KR3 ! Black should hamper White's develoomentwith I . . . Q-Q6, occupyingthe holeand pre\entingthe freeing move, P-Q4. White norv struggledlike a harpoonedwhale and succeeded in repulsingthe blockadeonly by incurring further weaknesses on hislight squares:e.g.,2P-K84, N-B3; 3 PxP, B-N5; 4 B-B3, BxB fffhite's Bishopwasneededfor 163

defense); 5 RxB, NxP; 6 R-81' P-KN4!? (one of those double-edgedrestrainingmoves which weakensthe Pawn Structureto preventN-B4). 6 . . . QR-QI is alsoquitegood. (154)

PILNICK-EVANS,

MARSTTALL cHEss

CLUB

CHAMPIoNSHIP,

1949-50.(SeeDiagram40.) 1 . . P-QB.l-on the principleof repairingan isolated Pawn. White'sbackwardQBP is now doomed: e.g., 2 PxP (the threat was . . . P-B5), RxP; 3 B-N3, BxB; 4 RPxB, R-Nl-ther€ is no rush to capturethe Pawn; Black prefers to seizean openfile first. (155)

SHAFTER-EVANS, u.s.

opEN

cHAlvlpIoNSHrp, 1949.

HEARST-EVANS, MARSHALL cmss

CLUB JR. CHAMPIoNSHIP,

1947.(SeeDiagram15.) Black hasthe outsidepassedPawn. The gameis drawn after I . . . P-N6; 2 PxP, PxP; 3 K-B3 (forced),K-84; 4 KxP' K-N5; 5 K*B3, K-R6; 6 K-K4, P-R4 (not 6 . . . KxP??; 7 P-N4 followed by P-B5 and White wins!); 7 K-Q3' KxP; 8 K-B2. The outsidepassedPawnis an advantage,but here it is not ouite sufficientto forcethe win. Note that ifBlack's Pawn weie on R4 in the original position,he wins! (157) JAcKsoN-EvANs,Loc cABrN cHEssCLUB crIAMptoNsHIP, 1950.(SeeDiagrams67,68.) 1P-N6! Thegamecontinued:1, . . BPxP (forced);2NxP thoughhe managed andBlack'sParvnStructureis a shambles, to hold the game-God knows how! pAwN FoRMATION. (SeeDiagrams62, 63.) (158) TRENoH DEFENSE The baseto Black's QP is locatedon KB2. White has weak light squares;Black has weak dark squares.White's QP has no base. White's Structureis slightly inferior, but not if he can set in P-B5.

t64

p _ e 3 r2 p _ K R 3 . e N _ e 2 ;3 6 . o , : oK4t l l i l u4e p-J(4 g :I_ . . . P (ro freerheeB). N_R4;5 i, qS, N Bi

(See

Diagrams44, 45,46.) I . . . P-Q,t-on the principleof repaidngthe backwardQP (alsoinvolvedis the pin motif). Black's QP is backwardon an open file temporarily. Note that it has no Pawn on an adjacentfile behindit (referto definition-Diagram 36). The gamecontinued: 2 BPxP, PxP; 3 KR-QI' PxP; 4 P-B4, R-Q2; s RxR, NxR; 6 R-Ql, Q-B3; 7 K-B2, P-QN4; 8 Q-N3, N-N3; 9 P-R3, N-Bs with a winning position. (156)

(159) KELLNER-EVANS, u.s. opEN cHAMproh-sHrr, 1950. (See D i a g r a m1 s8,61.) Neitheris reallybad. The questionis: which is.,better,,? This could conceivablybe a matter of opinion. r *;;iJ;"; that I . . . P-e4 is too static,too inflexible,not to mentioi lhe consequen wte a k e n i nogf K 4 . I . . . p _ q l i s m o ; qynamlcbccause tt prepares aclionin rhecenterwith p_K4 o r p . e t s 4 .p o s s i b l yb r . i n g i orgb e K B r o l i f e i n r h e e n s u i n s o p e n l no g l l r n e s .I D s u c hp o s i t i o ntsh el e a sct o m m i t t am l ov! rs generay desjrable.Blackcanaluaysadvanceuith p_O4 later.but he can nererrerractthe pawn to e3. fhe saie ' andalreadyBlackhasgoodplay on the dark squaresi (160)

HEARST-EVANS, M,{RsrrALL 1946. (see Diagrams 54, 60.;"ttt

CLUB rR' CHAMPIoNSHIP'

White is weak on his light squares:e3, K4. Remember-rfarpideis, not isojatedmoves,are required. t . h l s . t s . t o u g bb.u t b a s e do n w h a t y o u h a v el e a r n e d 1ou sbouldbe ableto dredgeup a parriaianrwer. to.iJ.ntjiu. t e t u s d r s p o soei t . . . O _ O w h i c h .L h o u g iht e m b o d i ersh e p r i n c i p lo ef d * e l o p m e n Ld.o e sn o t i a r t i c u l a r l yq u a f i f y ,rapid as a sharpidea, I. The,srolidI . . . N(4)-N3,which forcesWhire to Darr y i ] l r l r . r w o B i s b o p sa n d r h r e a r e nrso w i n r n e k p . whrte rsbard_pressed for an adequare reply. lf2 B_Oj. B.rB:3 exB. Nrp. Jf 2 B_Nl,'N_B4;'j B K3rnoi j O*O, B-Q6, winning the exchange), N_e6ch. IL T-h.e.cunning I . . . e.B2_forcing 2 p_84.thusforcins W b i r e r o w e a k e nh i m < e l fs t i l l i u n b e r o n t h e w h i i E squares,andthe eR2-KNg diagonalaswell. This could be followedup wirh 2. . . p_N4. lll

Theforce-fulI . . . p-N4. u irh rlreideaof obraininsan i m m e d i a tbei n do n r h ew h i r es q u a r e sl.f 2 B _ N 3 , e."B2; 3 P-KB4. N-84. Or if 2 Bxlr. BpxB! uith a oori,.rfui o ] ] t p o sot n e B 5 . a b i n d .a n da p o r c n t i aml i n o r i t ya r t a c k . (True, QB5 is nor technicallya^.,hole,,,but if WLite ;ve; tried P-QN3 to drive away a piece stationedthere he would createa backwardeBp.) If White now continues with 3 QxP, R-eNl lollowed by Rxp is strons. 165

(161) EvANs-HANs,MArcI{, 1946. (SeeDiagram 69.) White has the good Bishop becausehis Pawnsare on dark squares,whereasBlack's Bishop is hemmedin by its own Pawns. 1953. (See Dia(162) SEARST-EVANS, u.s. opENCHAMPIoNSHIP, gram 58.) 2 NxN' W i t h 1 N - 8 4 ! T h e g a m ec o n t i n u e d1: . . . Q - Q l i (3 4 N-N6, PxB . . . NxN; 3 BxN!, QxQ; 5 PxQ' QxB?; R-Nl; 6 B-B4); 4 N-N6, R-Nl; 5 NxB' RxN; 6 RxR' QxR; 7 QxQP, winning a Pawn. (163)

EVANS-HARRoLD,

MARSHALL clrEss

CLUB

CITAMPIoNSI{IP,

1946-47.(SeeDiagram 137.) 1 ... NxN; 2 BxB, QxB; 3 BxN, Q-NSch; 4 Q-Q2, QxNP; 5 O-O, Q-R6 and Black lives to tell the tale. The principle involved is timely liquidation (or exchangewith gain of Time) followed by a fork. (164) EvANs-REnBERc, MARSHALLclrEss cL{,rB crrAMPIoNsHIP, 1949-50.(SeeDiagram 106.) 1 P-K61, PxP (forced); 2 QxPch' R-B2; 3 N-B7' N-81 (relativelybetteris 3... Q-Bl); 4 RxQ' BxQ; 5 RxR' RxB; 6 NxB' Blach Resigns. 1954. (SeeDiagram (165) EVANS-BILLS, u.s. opENcr{AMPIoNsHIP, 145.) 2 B x N c h ,K - R l ; l P - B 4 , B l o c kR e s i g n s .( I f l . . . B x P ; 3 KPXB, Q-K6ch; 4 K-R1, QxN; 5 QxBP winning at least a Rook.) The principles,of course,are pin and discoveredattack. (166) oulrsr-sveNs, MARSITALLcHxss cLrJB CHAMPIoNSHIP, 1946-47. (SeeDiagram 54.) "overloaded,"like an 1 . , . B-KB4!; 2 Q-K2 (theQueenis electriccircuit. It cannotdefendagainstQ-Q5ch and guard the Bishopat the sametime), Q-QSch; 3 K-Rl, QxB. If instead2 Q-Qs, R-B4; 3 Q-R8eh' K-N2; 4 Q-N7ch' R-B2i 5 Q-Q5' R-Qf threateningB-B4ch, posesWhite an problem. unanswerable 166

(167) EVANS-LAMBERT, DUBRoVNTK ol"yMprcs,1950. (SeeDiagram 149.) Because it setsup a maskedattack: I QxP?,NxKPI leadsto a won game(2 QxN?, R-Kl; or if 2 Q-Q3, NxN; 3 PxN, B-84 followedby R-K tch). The gamecontinued: 1 N-K2, R-Kl; 2 P*B3, P-B4!; 3 PxPep.,PxP; 4 NxP, Q-N3, Black'sstrongcounterplayon the dark squareseventuallynetted him his Pawn back and the gameendedin a short,but lively, draw. (168) cRoss-EVANS, 1955. (SeeDiagrams u.s. opENcHAMproNsHrp, s4, 59.) I . . . P-K4l; 2 N-B3ch,Q-B4ch; 3 K-Rl, N-B7cb; 4 RxN, QxR winning the exchange.The game continued: 5 PxP, PxP; 6 NxP, B-K3i 7 N-Q5, N-K5 ! (169) uLvEsrAD*EvANS, HoLLywooDopEN,1954. (See Diagram 60.) On the dark squares(QR3, QN2, QB3, Q4, K3, KB4, KN3, KR5). Black must Denetrateon them. He must demolishtbe blockade on White's QR4 then invade on the KR flle. 1 . . . R-KR1 will not do becauseof N-R5. The gamecontinued: 1 . . . N-Rl!!; 2 Q-KZ (2 K-N2 is slightly better, but White is quite lost in any event),N-N3 i 3 NxN, Q-B6! (a slightinterpolation); 4 NxB, KxN; 5 R-R2, QxNch; 6 K-81, R-XRI followed by a fatal penetradon or the KR file. Wbite's Bishopis lifeless. He resignedin a few more moves. (170) EVANS-LEC0RNU, u.s. opEN cr{AMproNSHrp, 1952. (See Diagrams59, 79.) 1 N-K5-on the principlesof forcing entry on weak squares and playing to win the "two Bishops." Black's KP is momentarily backward. If White wants to exploit it, he must try to removethe QB, which is a good defensivepiece. The move is tacticallyjustified in view of I . . . PxN; 2 PxP, R-Q2; 3 PxB, conferringWhite with the two Bishops and an overwhelmingSpaceadyantage. The attackeralwayswantsto openlines. T h eg a m ec o n t i n u e d1:. . . Q - K l ; 2 N x B , Q x N ; 3 P * B 4 , K-Rl (to preventany harassingpins later on the QR2-KN8 diagonal after Black plays P-K4)t 4 R-Q2 followed by R(2)-K2, with a bind. 167

and Black shouldplay againstit on the principleof piling up on targets. T h e g a m ec o n t i n u e d :1 . . , N-QR4; 2 N-K5 (forced), BxB; 3 KxB, Q R3 followed by QR-BI, putting more pressureon White'sweak point.

(171) KASHDAN-EVANS,HoLLywooD opEN, 195,1. (See D.iagram

r47.) There arc two ways for Btack to win a Pawn, and he must selectthat methodwhich allowsWhite leastcounterplay. I. 1 . . , PxP; 2 PxP, RxR; 3 NxR (forced),NxKP; 4 QxN, B 84; 5 Q-R4, BxN-but this is not so good becauseof 6 B-N5 (6 . . . P-B3; 7 RxB, PxB; 8 NxP). II. The gamecontinued: I .. . P-N5; 2 N-K2, NxKP; 3 QxN, B-B4; 4 Q R4, BxR; 5 B N5, BxP; 6 BxP, Q-Q2; 7 N N5, P-R3; 8 N-K4, P-N4; 9 BxP, PxB; 10 NxNP, B-B3, with adequatedefensesto weatherthe attack and win by sheerpreponderance of Force. (172) EVANs-HrssE, u.s. cHAMproNsnrr, 1948. (SeeDiagram 135.) If I P-K4?, PxP; 2 PxP, NxP; 3 QxN?, R-Kl wins the Queen. White is behindin develonmentand Time. He has the two Bishopsand should try to harvestthem slowly, either by I B-Ns or P-K3, which was played in the game, with the ideaof slowlybuildingup P-K4 after castlingand placingthe Rooks on centralfiles. (u3)

EVANS-R.BYRNE,u.s. opEN cHAMproNsHtp, 1946. (See Diagram112.) Black has a bind on the dark squares. White is saddledwith the bad Bishop. The immediate threat is I . . . N-K5. White tried to obtain counterplayby sacriflcingthe exchange with I RxP, RxR; 2 QxN, but too late-Black's advantage in Forceproveddecisive.

(174) EVANS-RESHEVSKY, u.s. opEN cHAMproNsHrp, 1955. (See Diagram 107.) Black should recapturewith the Pawn so as to free his QB. 1 . , , NxP; 2 P-K4 gainsWhite a tempo; after l . . . QxP; 2 N-83, B-N5; 3 B Q2 Black must either lose a tempo moving his Queenor give up the two Bishopswith BxN. In eitherevent,he still hasto solvetheproblemoffreeinghis QB. (175)

GASSEN-EVANS,MARSHATLcHEss CLUB cHAMproNsHrp PRELTMS.

(SeeDiagram41.) White's Pawns on Q.l and QB4 are known technicallyas "hanging Pawns." They are in a stateof flux-mobile and not mobileat the sametime. HereWhite'sQBP is a target168

(176) prLNrcK-EVANs,u.s. op[N cHAMproNsrrrp,1952. (See Diagram 37.) White is tied down to the defenseof his backward QBP. Black controls the QB file and has an unassailableoutpost on QB5. (177) rveNs-mnsDN,u.s. opENcHAMproNSHrp, 1949.(SeeDiagram 23.) With 1 R-R2!-followed by R-K2 and P-K4, settingup the steamroller, (178) EvANs-cARLyLE,u.s. opEN cr{AMproNSHrp, 1952. (See Diagram 22.) With 1 P 83! Against this Dutch Defenseformation White must prepare to break through in the center with P-K4. Black'sbackwardKP will eventuallybe exposedto an open K-file. The gamecontinued: I . . . Q-Kl; 2 P-K4, N-Q2; 3 KPxQP, KPxP; 4 B-B4, N K3; 5 PxP, NxB; 6 NxN, winning a Pawn. (179) EVANs-MAccroNr, DUBRovNTK oLyuprcs, 1950. (See Diagrams22, 23.) Anyone in his right sensescan seethat Black controls his K5 four timesand White only threetimes,and that therefore P-K4 is quite unplayable. However,in this instancewrong sensesare needed. P-K4 is playablebecause oftactics. The gamecontinued; 1 P-K4!, PxP; 2 PxP, BxKP; 3 RxN!, BxB; 4 RxB! (the Rook "sellshis life as dearlyaspossible"is the quaint way Nimzovitch would phraseit; Euwecallsthis a "desperado"theme), QxR; 5 KxB, and White haswon two piecesfor a Rook and Pawn-the game is still difficult, but he has a winning aovanmge, (180)

EVANS-MARRO, MARSHALL cHEss CLUB JR. cHAMproNsHrp,

1947. (SeeDiagram42.) He most certainly should! Black's KP is backward,and if White doesnot capturenow therewill be no way to get at it. 169

The samecontinued: 1 PxPep', BxP i 2 P-84 (to prevent P-K4), P-QR4; 3 B-KR3, N-B2; 4 N(2)-B3, with a bind. (181)

EvANs-HUDsoN,

INTERCoLLEGIATErEAM ToURNAMENT, 1950.

(SeeDiagram 108.) Black'slast move doesnot exertenoughpressureon White's center-especially on the crucial K4 square. Better was . . . B-N5 (instead of . ' . P-N3. The game continued: I P-K4, B-N2; 2 P-B3, P-Q3; 3 KN-K2' QN-Q2; 4 B-K3' B-K2; 5 P-KN3, P-K4; 6 P-Q5 with a Spaceadvantage.

this); 3 N-R4, NxN; 4 BxN, N-N5; 5 P-KR3, N-K4: 6 Q-I{2, Q-R5; 7 B-Ql, P-R4 with a fierceattack. In other words, it is more important for Black to restrain White from consolidatinghis center than to s€cure his advancedoutpost(BlackKnight on QB4). This is a problem of evaluation andcalculation.BeforeBlackpushcshis Pawn to K5, he mustbe assured that Whirecannoiuin it.

(182) sveNs-IlEoNIs, u.s. oPEN CHAMPIoNSI{P,1954 (See Diagram141.) If White regainedhis Pawn with the prosaicI QxP, then Black would havetime to consolidatewith 1 ' . . P-N3. I P-N6!, however,completelyshattersBlack's game' Play continued: 1 ., . PxP (forced); 2 NxP' Q-Nl; 3 NxR' winning the exchange. (183) HANs-EvANs,MArcH, 1946. (SeeDiagram 108.) The Queen'sIndian Defenseis a fight for control of White's K4 square. If 1 O-O' then N-Ks followed by P-KB4 and Black claims squatt€r'srights. Therefore,the most accurate moveis 1 Q-82' on the principleof restriction' (184) Br,T.cER-EvANs,u.s. oPEN cn-lr'pIoNsstp, 1952' (See Diagrams79, 80,81.) 1 . . . B-Bl!-on the principleofpreservingthe two Bishops. Give yourselfonly half credit if you said I . ' . B-R3. For after 2 B-K3 Black still is facedwith the original problem' The game continued: 2 N-K3' B-K3t 3 P-R5' P-B4t 4 P-KN3, B-R3; 5 R-K2, P-Bs; 6 PxP' BxP and White was slo\rylygroundto death. 1953. (SeeDiagram (185) FrNK-EvANs,u.s. oPENCHAMPIoNSHIP, 111.) f . . . P-QR4 securesthe advancedoutpost by preventing P-QN4; however,it givesWhite time to get in P-K4. No, 1 . . . P-K5! must be played,if only for its nuisancevalue! True, Black weakenshis Pawn Structure by voluntarily creating an artificially isolatedPawn-but this is a strong crampinginfluence,a thorn in White'scenter. The gamecontinued: 2 N-Kl (2 N-Q2, R-Kl; 3 P-QN1' N-Q6 is good for Black),P-QR4 (now Black has time to do

r70

171

there is no real "balance" in chess becauseit is a dynamic game; positions are continually in flux; one move may compietetv alii,r ttre o u l c o m e . I f w e d e r c r i b ec h e s si n r e r m so f F o r c c ' ( F t .S o a c et S t . T i m e ( T , . a n d P a w n S t r u c r u r e1 p 1 ,t h e n L l s k c r ' s a r i o m ' m a v b e expressedmathematically(where F', S', T,, p,describe Black) thus:

F+S+T+P

F ' + s ' +r ' + P ' : I

New Approach to CHAPTER SEVEN:

the Openings

'i"'"&t"'/'.fri.&k % % % 7 2 % % 7 t % 7 t%% %% 7 t ftt fr"&ft

In other words, where neither side has an advantage in ForceS p a c eT . i m e . o r P a w n S r r u c l u r e t. h e p r o b a b t eo u r c o , n i i s a d r a * . F r o m t h i s . i tf o l l o w st h a t t h e q u e s r i o no f a u i n a r i s e so n l y a f r e ro n e p l a ) e r h o l d s a n u n c o m p e n s a t eadd v a o t a g ei n a n y o n e o l t h e s e elements. Steinitz was.the first chessphilosopher who sought to govern his own play by this equation. In the words of Lasker: :,steinitz elevates himself.to the level of a genuine philosopher in demanding that the -or player (with an advantage)r?art tttack ;ith intent to win else be punished by being deprived of his advantage." From this it follows that the conversealso holds: that a player who seeksto win without f i r s t } a r i n g a n _ a d v a n l a gseh o u l d b e p r e p a r e dt o p a y l h e u l r i m a t e penalty-namely, defeat. Steinitz had the self-discipline and the objectivity to evaluate each position as though he himself were not personaily involved. He -..k r e a l i z e do. f c o u r s er.h a t t h ec h e s s m a < tm e ru i r h a v ea i l l e ri n s li n c t . . : b u t h e a l s o p e r c e i r e dt h a t r h e m e r e w i l l - l o - w i nw a s n o t e n o u g ht o bring about victory. In this respect, Botvinnik mor" reseirbl"s S t e i n i t zj n r e m p e r a m e nt ht a n a n y o i h e rw o r l d c h a m p i o n . A l e k h i n e . s games, on the other hand, are characterized by sheer will. the fierce attempt to exert mind over matter,

Diasrant 186

" A complicated position"-Breyer

Evaluation By "evaluation" is meantrecognitionof the variouscriteria which d€terminethe advantagein a givenpositionat a givenmoment,and then weighingthem againsteachother to ascertainwhich side has that advantage. The original position at the start of eachgameis symmetrical. With "best play" (whateverthat is) the "perfectgame of chess"(whateverthat is) shouldconcludein a draw. This statement is more an ethical demand than a mathematicalcertainty. EmanuelLaskerr.rrote: "BalancedposiLlons wirh bestplayon eithir side must lead again and again to balancedpositions." However, 172

RUBTNS I N-LASKLR. sr, pLTrRsBr,RG,1909

i aArrr h h t a7ti/z, 7 'la" f .af i % "u .,..,2. .A. .,,.,,8, /.fl Diasnn

187

113

White to mope-Force or Time? Most masterstodav orobablv wouldchooseTinteandplay l0 O-O in order to completei"uilop-"it andmaintainslow,stead)pressureagainstBlack's isolatedQP. Not Rubinstein. He pkrys to vtin the QP immediately,euenthoughhemust submit to on apparentlf irrcsistible att.tck in order to do so. The attack is so dangerousthat plq)ers notedfor their boldnesswould probabl! abstain-rightly so, perhaps. RubinsteinhimselfhadfrequentlJrejectedsaTifces of this sort and continuedinsteadvith quiet positional chess. Here the attack on Black's QP is the motif, If White doesn't captureit now,he neoerwill: e.g., l0 O-O, NxN; 11 BxBch, QxB; 12 QxN, P-KR3; 13 B-R4 (not 13 BxN, BxB; 14 QxQP ?,BxNch,winningthe Queen),O-O; 14 O-O, KR-Q|; 15 KR-QI, Q-K3*White has a superiorgame,but no win of a Pawn in sight. According to Rdti (in Masters of the Chessboard)if Rubinstein failed to take the Pawn, he would ceaseto heedthat inner ethical voice,ceaseto be that humbleand submissiveplayerwho trustedin his own judgmenr-wbichtellshim that despiieihe dangerbe can take the Pawn and get awaywith it*that if he doesnot exercisehis advantagenow, it will evaporate.In the end Rubinsteindid take the Pax,n-with fear and tremblins. to be sure-but conident that what is right must prevail.

' N o t 1 4N - B 7 c h .K . 2: t5 NxR, R-K tch. BP l a u s i b lbeu. t i n s u Q f f i c i e nRt .e h r i v e lbye l l e ri ( 1 4 . . . B x p ; I 5 NxB (if ls R-KNI, Q-R4ch),exN; 16e-K2ch, K_el t7 O_b_o ; - W h i r e h a s e r c e l l e nar t t r c k i n gc h a n c c sa. n d thisis the reason Laskerreiectsthe gainof a pawn. a It beginiro look is if Whiremustpay the piper. If now t 6 p_KN3 (to meet the RxN), then Black'j altack gainsirresistible llr9at 9f momentum_with RxN!; 17PxR, exKpch; l8 R_82, e_K5. Rubin_ stein rubs his eyes.He cannorbelievethat Whire ii lost merelv because he followedthe dicratesof the posirion.A humblebelievei in 'Justice,"he seekssalvationin the form of a miracle. 6 F o r c e d .I f 1 6. . . K - N I ; 1 7 R - 8 5 : . e - N l ; t 8 p _ e 5 ,r e t a i n i n s the_extra Pawnand beatingbackthe attackingforces. 6.Thisis the miracle!Through rhis mo\e -ind only rhis move_ Wbite keepshis extra Pawnand nursesit tbroughto an cndsame which is handledwith chiselled perfecrion. 7 T h e l e s s eerr i j . l f t 9 . . . R - Q 3 ; 20 Rxp. 8 Whitesucceeded in exchanging eueensand u inningrhe Rookand fawn endrng. lt now 2t . . . R_e8ch; 22 K -82, R_e7ch; 23 K-Bl !. R-Q8ch; 24 K-K2. The previoussequence is a fineexamole of utilizingTime to simplify.and therebyto maintainForce lihe extra Pawn).

Is the First Move an Advantase? 10 BxKN 11 NxP 12 PxB 13 BxN 14 N-K3' 15 0-O

BxB BxN

16 R-Bll 17 RxBch! 18 Q-B1!!6 19 PxRl 20 QxPch 21 R-84 !3

Q-N4' BxB O-O-O3 KR-K14

RxNs PxR RxP R_Q2? K_QT

Urder the aboveheading.W. F. Slreeterwrote an articlein the May. 1946ChessReuiewin whjch he summarized the resultsbv color ol 5.598gamesplayedbetweenl85l-t932 in 45 tournamenri His conclusionsfollow: l 8 5 t - f8 7 8 - W h i r ew o n4 6 / . , B l a c kw o n 4 0 9 ^ ,D r a w n1 4 " l 8 8 l - 1 9 1 4 - W h i r ew o n 3 7 i o .B l a c kw o n l l ; " , D r a w n3 Z " l 1 9 l 4 - 1 9 3 2 - W h i tw e o n 3 7 o oB . l a c kw o n 2 O % , D r a w n l l ; ^ -ll/hire won 38" Black won 31..1 Drau.n Total ". 31fl

1 Rubinsteinnow abstainsfrom 13 N-B7ch, K-Ql; 14 NxR, QxB -and Black wins. Both playerswerenow relying on intuition, asit wasimpossibleto calculatethe ensuingcomplicationswith absolute preclsron, On whose side is justice: the materialist (Rubinstein)or the idealist(Lasker)? The doublethreat againstQ5 and N2 forces13BxN, which leaves Blackwith superbdevelopment ascompensation for his Pawnminus. Incidentally, no good was 12 . . . Q-R4ch instead of the text becauseof 13 Q-Q2, and if QxB ?; 14 N-B7ch, winning the Queen by a fork.

.It thus-appearsthat it is becomingincreasinglydifrcult ro win with the Black pieces,but somewhat-easier to iiaw. Someof u, may refuseto be ryrannized by thesestatisrics.We mayare.ue. rhe resultsof thesegameshadnotbingto do with u ho morei firit. The betterplayerwill win regardless of which color he has. Sincewe mus[assum^e thar the_srroog playershad BlackasofienasWhire.we can only rnterthat Whrte$on moregamesbecau:eofthe advantase of tbe first move. This advantagJ(howeverslighl) does conflr White the initiative.

1'14

r75

Master Practice The way in which theoreticians evaluate a given opening variation is to exarnine the outcomes of master games in which this opening is adopted. However, results are deceplive becausethe outcome does not necessarily reflect which side had the better of it aftcr a given number of moves. A stronger player may be handling the theoretically inferior position and win by virtue of his ability; any number of blunders or time-pressure errors lnay also inteNene-not to "the night before." The mention the classic domestic battle of basic trouble is that evaluations are static while a game is dynamic; and this casts seriousdoubt on the traditional criterion of evaluation -namely, master practice.

The Failare of TraditionalEt'aluation If we pick up a copyof ModernCltessOperlngsby Korn (8th edition), we will find thesesymbolsaccompaniedby theseexplanations. + +after White (or Black'smove); White (Black)has a winning advantage. +after White (or Black's move): White (Black)has a distinct superiority,but thereis no forcedwin. fWhite standsslightlybetter . B l a c ks t a n d s l i g h t l yb e t t e r . :The position oflersequalchances. These well known symbols have been used by nearly every theoreticianin the chessworld in order to evaluatea givenposition. The soundness of the evaluationdependsupon the playing strength of the theoreticianwho is assigningthe valuation,and he is almost nevera Grandmaster. Let usexaminea specificposition,discussthetraditionalapproach, then apply our new method.

N T7X %,4.2 /..t<. . h2 ,,,,'4, '/&% A

Diagruhl 188

White to move-who standsbctter? ThispL),ition\as tltowhr to b^etqu,ctl wttil 1954.uhcu G,lll founJ a n,,r,tno,a for White: Thc ftrst thingtte norii is that ir it ll hire'smot.e. Hc hasrheiniri.trit.e, Irae, 1 R:rN is in?as.\iblebecauseofR eB mr;te, Thequestionis rhether 14ltitc har a rql to l'rcrcnr BlctcAfront rct;eatinshis KnightIo QJ or 83-Jollot,cdby consolida tiott-- uirh q Jfttv is rhc liA.elyout,oue. Onc rhitg is clear: Whire nu,r exploir li.t Time qd"-sntage c,r lose it. U ryhite cqn clear his last rank (by mouing his -Q--Bishopvith a gain of tempo),then he can safelypiay Rxi. Gelle,r'ssharpmot:e,I B-R6l f.ts this prescription.'ihi last rank hosbeenclearedqnd thegain oj'tempoii acconplishedby the attack on Black's KNP. If not l .-. . PxB; 2 Rri {, ard ,lhit" ho, n rrinningenJgame alruntageeonnulo: h.titiatitetrqnslatedinrobetter ParvnStructure). The tacticaljustificaiion of I B R6 lies in two possibilitieswith B l a c k ' s- d e s p e r a d oK" n i g h r . t A " d e s p e r a d oi "i a p i e c eu h i c h must be lost anyway,and in exchangefor which one thirefore tries to getas muchcompensation as possible.) First possibility:1... NxQBP; 2 Bxp, KR-NI; 3 Nxp!, KxN qtgt 3 . . . RxB; 4 NxR, KxN; 5 PxN, winning rhe exchange); 4 BxN, and Write has won a Pawn (formula: Iniistiue ttanslited into superiorForce). At tiis point the chessworld condemnedthis positionfor Black, a n dt h e r e f o rtel r eD r o v el se a d i n u g p t o i r b a dr o b i a b a n d o n e dJ.u s r to illustrate.the dificulty of-piining anything down to a final e \ a r u a u o nr.t n o u a p p e c r su. p o nr e - e \ a m i n a r i ot nh .a t B l a c kd o e s havea tacticaIsavingclansc. S e c o n dp o s s i b i l i t y1: . , , N x K B P ! ; Z B x p ( i f 2 B - B 4 ,N - e 6 ; 3 NxN, RxN; 4 BxP, K-Q2-draw), KR-NI; 3 8-86!, N,R6ch; 4 K - B 1 , B x B ; 5 N N 4 d i s .c h , K - B l ! ( n o t 5 . . . B K 2 : 6 N - B 6 c h . K - B l ; 7 N x R , w i n n i n g ) ;6 N x B , R N 3 ; T N x p c h , K N 2 ; 8 p x N , KxN and Black shouldbe able to draw the Rook and pawn endins s i n c eW h i r e ' se x r r xP a \ a ni s d o u b l e da n dt h e r e f o rnee c l i s i b l e . So now-rvhere are we? Back where we startedieihaos ? Not e r r c r l y . L n l e s sa f u r r h e ri m p r o r e n r e ni st l o u n d f o r \ \ h i t c . t h e originalevaluationof "equality" must be restored(:). Or perhaps we might assignWhite a slight edge (t). Geller's innovationis strongbut apparentlynot decisive. There is no rvay for White to c o n \ e r th i qa d \ r n t c g ei n T i m e i r r t oa f o r c e du i n . V e t l r o w n r u c h richerischesstheoryfor our havingplumbedthispositionto its depths! Although enrich;d,we are stilliinable to retir^e.We are no niarer the answers to two questions:(1)how are evaluations arrivedat in the first place? (2) is there anynethod of arriving at one wlrich is "self-contained," i.e.,statesthe premises from whichit is derived? 177

Our discussionof the previouspositionsprovidesus with a lead. We referredto threeelements:Tinte("rnitiatle" is a sub-heading), Force,Pawn Structure. (Neither side has a marked advantagein Space.) From this it follows that qll positionsmay be brokendown into their component elements,theneualuated accordingly. The conceptwhich the theoreticianaccordsprimacyis practice,or past master experiencewith a given position. There is no way to divorcetheoryfrom practice. We can't say,for instance,that White standsbetter here eventhough he haslost everytournamentgame continuingfrom this position. Ifthat's the case,then thereis something wrong with our original evaluation. The function of the chesscritic is to providea court of last resort. However,criticshavebeenguilty ofthe subjectivefallacy: they have permittednames,reputations,and the outcomeofdoubtful gamesto influencetheir evaluationof openingvariations. Taking a caseat random, let us again turn to Modern ChessOpenings(8th edition)column 15in the SlavDefense: Alekhine'sopinion is quoted-thus evidentlysanctioned-that "Black standsslightlybetter."

Time: Eachsidehas threepiecesdeveloped and is readvto castle ln onemove. However.it is White'smovl. He hasthe initiarive. PawnStucture: Blackhasdoubledpawns. Whitehaslwo possible pointsof breakthrough:K4 or/and eR6. He .un for..'*-irn_ medratebreachin Black'se-sidepawnsby p_eR5_6. Practtce, None quoted. Henceweconclude that Whitestandsbetterin everypos5illsway, that Black has no counrer-vailing resources.ffiii i"rf"aii..-i. positiveand irrefutable. That is n;t to saythat Black will not win this.game_(ofcourse hecan).only thatheshtuld u, oiOrf,ispurriiuta, posrtronbecauseother oneswitb thc samevariation the SIav 1in Defense)give him betterchances. Of course,mostconclusions are not soclear-cut.The gambit.lor instance, involvesthe problemof weighingt or.. uguinriiir. unJ Sface. .TheK*ide gambitshavebeei anilyzedto'suchu poioi oi exhaustionlhat theorycan providea couri of last resort'wiLhout teanngthe wrathof time. Takethe EvansCambit. Theorvdecrees that White.has.jnsumcjent compensation for the pawn. Tds is rrue now and shouldalso be true one hundredyearsfrom now desoire "light of th.e. laterdevelopmenrs.,' Ler us seewhy. Our conclujion wilt be that Forceplus PawnStructureus.Spaceind Tine.

Diasrun 189

White to move-who stot ds better? This question can be only by breakingdown thisposirion in'to its component approached puts and then weighing an aduantagein one element against a disaduantagein another, fnally arriuing at a conclusion. (This "weighing" is wherea master'sopinionis required.)

Diagtam 190

Sprzce.'White has the freer game. True, Black'spiecesstrike at 12 squaresbeyondthe frontier line and White's piecesat only 1l-yet the fact that it is White's move is worth severalsouares. I P-R5. for instance.would cramo Black.

Force: lf all orherthingswereequal(whichrhevare not). Black.s extra Pawn would be decisire.li is in this elementthai Black.s main adyantagelies. Sparer Blacklerds6 to 5. bur Whitewill havean advantase after the ioevirablcexpension with p-e4. White.seN is depriv# of its best squareon QB3. White's Bishop controli a mor'eimportant diagonalthan Black's.

178

179

Force: Material is equal. White has the two Bishops: an edge.

Zine: White hasthc moveand the initiative. He can developquick threatsby Q-N3 coupledwith P-Q,l. wlite can castlein onemove. Blackrvill havetroublebringinghis King to safety. Pawn Structure: This is Black's long-rangetrump card! If and when he returns the Pawn, he will still have the better endgame structure(thisis thethemeofLasker'sDefense).Blackhasabsoluteiy no organicweaknesses, whereasWrite hasinflicteda critical gashin his Q-side by playing P-QN4. The endgameis permanentlyin Black'sfavor-if he can everget to it. Practice: (Here the book would quotegames.) Black'sdefensehas proven so adcquatethat White has virtually abandonedthe Evans Gambit. Black has violated no basic principlesby developinghis Knight and Bishop,thereforehe need fear no diversionarytactics on the part of his opponentso earlyin the game. for the sacrificedPawn,it is While White hassoze compensation not sufficient. Hencethe caseis closedon the EvansGambit. A Grandmasterwill essayit againstan equalplayeronly if: (a) he has an improvementup his slecve;(b) he knowsit is inferior but counts on hisfamiliaritywith it andtheelementof surprise;(c) he rejectsthe entirematdx from whichtraditionalevaluationis launched. Of these three,"r" is most likely. Incidentally, the meaning of "equality" solvesitself when we evaluatein this manner. Eraluation is not a predictionoJ restlt, at a givenmoment. It is merelyan attemptto weighdynamicelements An equalsign(:) statesthat in the opinionof the edlrorneitherside holds an uncompensated advantage. Equality doesnot mean that available lhe gameshoulrlbe drawn,merelythal lhe wi ning chances to both sidesarein a stateofdynamic balance. Betweenmastersan advantagein the openingis often crucial, despiteAlekhine'sboast that to lose a gamehe had to be beatenthree times-once in the opening,oncein the middle game,and oncein the ending.

Elaluation A Self-contained Obviouslv. an exhaustiveanalvsissuch as we unde(ook on the previouspositionscould not bc'applie
FP + -ST 180

"Force and Pawn Structure [F-P] are in Black's This is read: " favor [T]. white has some compensation in Spaceand Ti[.re [ST] Admittedly, symbolization and other technical jargon are always i r l s o m e t o i h e ' l a y m a n . B u t a p l r y e r s e e k i n gr e f c r c n c eb o o k s f o r e n l i g h t e n m e ni ts n o t l i k c l y t o b e r e l r e s h e db y l i t e r a r y g r a c e Besides,-he can always ignore the editor's evaluation and draw h i s o u n c o n c l u s i o n sa n y w a ) . S y m b o l s .o n c e s l a n d a r d i z e da' r e u n i v e r s ailn n a t u r e . T h e y u o u l d d o u b t l e s s lsya v eb l o b so f i n k a n d thousands of wasted words.

The First Move ghiitchho u tp r c i u d i c cl h. e nt h e r ea r es o n l e l f w e a o' o r opaocrth im Lhaenotp e n i-Dww r n a yb e t o k e nl o r g r a n l e d w e t;utbs few bui know that t-hecenteris of paramountimportance,that plecesmust somehowbe developed,and thal too many Pawn moves create weaknesses.This is the startingpoint. A slanceat the origiDalpositionreveals20 possibleopening r n o u . i - 1 6 u i t h t b eP a r i n su n i 4 * i t h t h e K n i S h t s .w h i c ho f t h e s e "It is astonishinghow much hot is best-and why-no one knows. water a master-canwade into in the first dozenmoves,despitea c e n t u r vo f o o e n i n ge r p l o r a t i o n("N a p i e r ) . T h e c h o i c eo f a i r r s t rnou"i'rurro*',dorin to indiridualsryle.for chessis oneof the last remaininsrealmsof free will. A s I u i r e . I a m l o o k i n ga t t h eb o a r du i t h a c o m p l e t eol yp e nmi n d ' It occursto me that ol tliese20 moves,perhapsonly 3 are perfectly horrible: P QR4. P-KR4. P- KN'l-rhcy creategapingue.rknesses in tl'r.ePawn Structure,contdbute nothing toward development, contain no threat, and make no contestfor control of the center' P-QR4 Yet at the New York Tournament,1880,Wareplayedl " e v e r vt i m eh eh a dB l a c k - $ i n n i n gf o u r a n dl o ' i n gl l r e W i i h W h i t e ' he a'lsobeeantlro gameswith i P-QR4-$inning one and losing the other. T w o a o p a r e n t luvs e l e sKsn i g h t m o r e s -N - K R 3 a n d N - Q R 3 so m a vb e e s p o u s e d ' b y m eR d t i o f t h e f u t u r eu h o u i l l g i v et h e ma doubleexclamationmark in ultra-modernfashion To the modern mastew r , h oh a sb e e nb r e dw i t ht h ep r i n c i p loel m o b i l i t yt 'h c s em o v e s s e e mo u t t a n d i 5ahn da n t i - p o ' i t i o n a lY c t n o d o u b tr h e yw i l l a P p e a r the moveswhich are today in chessof the future (circ; 2000)because considerednormal will havebeenso exhaustivelyanalyzed There l n dl h : r i i s a r e a lp o s s i b i l i tl yh a t c h e s so p e r r i n gusi l l b e p h y t d - o u a openrng t h e r , r i l l t o s e l e c l c a r d s d r a r v i n l u t u r e l o u r n a t n e nptlsa y e r s sound,s all tJris Perhaps today). (is checkers in *tictr stratlUeptuyed already a toumanent London, at 1868, as early Yei ai facetious. 181

was contestedwhereinall the participantsbegantheir gameswith the positionsof their Knights and Bishopsreversed-to avoid bookplay and to throw the players on their own resources. This is reminiscentof the optimisticproposalin the late nineteenthcentury that the United Statescloseits patent bureau on the groundsthat everythingworthwhilehad alrcadybeeninvented! Right now thereis a lot of scopein the chessopenings,and a lot of room for discoveryand innovation. Very few mastershave conqueredall the intricaciesof euenone variation. At the 1933 FolkestoneTeam Tournament,Arthur Dake defeatedHans Muller, the writer of an authoritativetreatiseon the EnglishOpening,in 21 moves. The openingwasan Englkh Openingl

ReverseOpenings Both 1P-Q4 and I P-K3 free two piecesand contestthe centersuchis the motive behindthem. yet the momentan! Pa$,naduqnces twosquaresit createsa irrctrierableweakness andprouidesa natural target. OnceWhite has committedhimself,Black is the masterof which coursethe defenseshall take. This is the reasonmany a playerwho excelsat counterattack wins more gameswith the Black piecesthan with White. Black's defensesare so good, in fact, that they-mustbe evenbetterfor White if he plays them with a move-innano. The logical choicefor these"reverseopenings"is the K's Indian formation.It has proveditself a resilientand successful weaponfor the secondplayer,and, curiouslyenough,thereis no way to prevent White from settingit up. Thus, a playerneedsfamiliarizehimself thoroughly with only one variation regardlessof what Black replies.

% % % Vlz, v "nft% t %% vt,rrffifr%.,,,ffi I E f l

This basicstructureis alsocommonto the Pirc Defense(l p-K4, P-Q3), Philidor's Defense(1 P-K4, P-K4; 2 N-KB3, p-e3). White'spositioncontainsa weaknessat Q3, but this is offsetby his ability to maneuver behind the lines. The weak white square c o m p l e x( K 8 3 a n d K R 3 ) i s n e g l i g i b laes l o n g a s t h e K - B i s h o pi s retained.Tn somecasesthe QRP advancesro QR4 in ordei to defendan advancedKnight outpost at QB4 (so that it cannot be dislodgedby. . . P-QNa). After I P-K4 or I N-KB3 White can forcethe gameinto channels of his own choosingagainstany defense.Thus.3g31n51 rhe Frcnch (l P-K4, P-K3) 2 P*Q3 producesthe desiredresult.

t"'&t%i'"'.&t % "'%,t%zr, %

Diastan

192

French DeJense-atter 2 P-Q3 The gamernight continue: 2 . . , P-Q4; 3 N-Q2, N-KB3; 4 P-KN3, B-K2; 5 B-N2, O-O; 6 KN-B3, P-84; 7 O-O, N-B3all logicalmoves.

t% "Ni".,&, %6%t'ffi '/&t^% % %%ft

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Diagrcm19I

The K's Indian Paun Structure

Diasrun193 Position alter 7 . . . N-83

182

183

Notice how exactlythe sameposition nray be reachedby transposition,asin the gameEvans Sire|win,RosenwaldTourney,N.Y., 195,1-55:1N-K83, N-KE3; 2 P-KN3, P Q4; 3 B-N2, P-K3; 4 O-O, B-IC; 5 P-Q3 (Whitejust closeshiseyes,obliviousto Black's contortions),O Oi 6 QN Q2, P B4i 7 P K1, N-83. Voilii! ln this examDlcBlackhad oDtion. He couldhaveimitatedWhite's moves.sincehe had not alreadvcommittedhimselfwith i . . . P-K3 on his very first move as in thi FrenchDefense, To show how quickly White can whip up an attack, follow the Evans-Sherwin continuationfrom the diasram: 8 P 83, R NI; 9 R-Kl, R-Kl; 10 P K5, N-Q2; 11 N Br, P-QN4; 12 P-KR4I, P QR4 (initiatingan attackon the oppositewing); 13B-84, B,QR3; 14 N(1) R2, Q-82; 15 P-R5, F-n*5; 16 N N4, P R5; 17 P-84, PxP; 18 PxP, BxP; 19 QxP, N-N3; 20 Q-82, P N6; 21 PxP, N N5; 22 Q-83, N(s)-Qa; 23 Q 81, BxP; 24 B-N5, N-Ns; 2s R K3!, B-Q4; 26 P-R6, P*N3; 27 KR R3, N-85; 28 BxB, RxB; 29 Q-B4 with a won game. It is apparentthat thereis much attackingpotentialconcealedin White's "passive" formation-especially when Black upsets the balancebv seizinsthe centerwith Pa\,vns. With t[is close-dformation the oossibilitiesof transDositionare a b u n d a n tR. e s h e r s l y B o t v i n r l i kM. a t c hU . S r. s .U . S . S . RM . .o s c o w . 1955continucd: I P-K4, P K3; 2 P-Q3, P-QB4!; 3 P KN3, N QB3; 4 B-N2, P-XN3; s N Q2, B-N2; 6 KN-83, KN K2; 7 O O, O O; 8 R-Kl, P-Q3; 9 P-83, P KR3; 10 N-N3, P-K4; 11 P-Q4, P-N3 ard Black,if anything,hasthe betterof it dueto the constantthreat of P-KB,{. Tiris illustratesthe danqerof White's c l o s i n gh i s e y e sr n d p i a y i n gr h e s ) s t e r ra u r o m a r i c a ' iilnys. r e a d of varyinghis tacticsto meet Black'sreply. In this case5 N Q2 fails to meet the challengeof the positior. White might try instead 5 P-KR4!? rvhich is designedto take advantagemomentarilyof Black's weak dark squarecorrplex. ln this respectchesstheory undergoesa creativeevolution: it requiresmore sophisticatcd ideas to combatmore sophisticated antidoles. The Reshevsky-Botvinnikgalne can also be arrived at via the followingplausibleorderof movesin the SicilianDcfense:1 P K4, P QB4;2N KB3,P Q3; 3P Q3 (thecustomary moveis 3 F Q'{), N QB3; 4P KN3, P KN3; 5B N2,B N2; 5 O-0, P-K3 (better imrnediatelyis 6 . . . P K4!-a sophisticatedreasonwhy White cannotenterthe abovegameby this side-path);7 QN-Q2, KN K2; 8 R Kl, O-O; 9 P 83, P-KR3; 10 N N3, P K.t; 11 P-Q4, P N3 and thispositionis identicalwith tlie onereachedabove. The elementof Time is not so crucial in closedpositionsas in openones.It thereforefollorvsthat by adoptingthereverseformation 184

White is avoidinga sharp,early strugglc,and postponingthe battle "reverseopenings"havelost favor until the mid-game. Tbe reason is that White's advantageis too minute, and the game assumesa drawishcharacterrvhenBlack mairltainsthe symmetryby copying White'smoves.

Positions The Theoryof S1:m1ns|7irol Thc original position is symmetrical,and by making iris opening moveWhite distulbsthe balance. Blackcan copy-but not for long. For example: 1 P-K4, P-I(4; 2 N KB3, N-KB3 (Petrov'sDefense); 3 N x P , N x P ?( c o r r e ci ts 3 . . . P Q 3 ; 4 N - K 8 3 , N x P ) ; 4 Q - K 2 , P-Q4; 5 P-Q3 winninga piece,for if 5... N-KB3; 6 N-86 dis. ch. winsBlack'sQueen. In reverseopenings,however,Black can copy for a long time, 1956: e.g., Evans-Lombardy,N.Y. Met LeagueChampionship, I N-K83, N-KB3 (1 . . . P Q4-or any Pawnmovefor that matter -would disturb the symnetry); 2 P KN3, P-KN3; 3 B-N2' B-N2; 4 O-O, O O; s P-Q3, P Q3; 6 P-B4' P-84; 7 N-83, N 83; 8 B-Q2 (more accurateis 8 R-Nl! and Black cannotcopy . R Nlt 9 P-QIi.3,P-QR3; 10 P-QN4, for long: e.9.,8 . P-QN4?; 1l PxNP,RPxP; 12PxP,PxP; 13RxPrvinninga Pawn), R-Nl; 9 P-QR3, P QR3; 10 R-Nl, F QN,{ (Black hasgainedthe initiative becauseof White's fauliy 8th move); ltr PxP, PxP; 12 P QN4, PxP; X3 PxP, B-Q2 (Black rejectseither P-K4 or P-Q4, preferringto force White to commit himselflirst); 14 P R3' P-R3.

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Di.tgtant 19,1

Positionalter 14. . . P-R3-srmmetry o ru r o t d n . i o t , H e r eu c e n c o u r r e

f-l

t^+

1'+I':

'.

t + J _ Ft + r ? In billiardsit White hasthe move(T), but is it reallyan advantage 185

w o u l dn o t b e .f o r h ew o u l dh r v et o . . c r a c k "l h e f o r m a t i o a n n do'D Oenn u p l i n e sf o r h i so p p o n e n t W . l r i l em u s tf i n a l l yc o m m i th i m s e l f . l5 P-Q4 Black hasthe pleasantalternativesoi eitherp_K4 or B_B4_ After 15 P-K3, P K4, Black hasachievedthemoreaggressive center formation, and if now 16 p-K4 (to preventp_e4), ilien it is Black who has gainedthe move! Eachsidei. reluctantto disruptthebalance, perhaDs rememberine t h e c h e c k e rm a x i mr h n h e r r h o d i s t u r b sh i s p o s i r i o nt h e l e a s i d i s r u r b hs i s o p p o n c nrrh c m o s t . B u t W h i r em u s id o s o m e t h i n s ! white hasan advanrage.it is indeedrery slight.and the co"urse ^If or Tnegamebcarsout the axrom: 15 p_K4, N_Kl (Blackcan coov o n l yt o h i sd i s a d v a n r a g1e5: . . . p K 4 : 1 6B _ K 3 ,B K 3 ; l 7 p _ O ' 4 with thefteerpo5irion):l6 N-Q5, N 82; 17NxN. exN: tg p_e4, P K 4 ( i n f e r i o ri s t 8 . . . N x p : 1 9 N x N , B x N ; i O S ^ p . S _ N - 2 , 2 l B x B .K x B : 2 2 Q - Q 4 c hK.. N l : 2 . 3e R - B t r n d W h i r ec o n r r o al sl i t h eo p e nl i n e s ) :1 9Q . B l . Q - B t : 2 0 B x p , N x e p ; 2 l N x N . O x O : 22 BxQ. PxN: 23 R-Ql. KR-BI: 24 B-\2, R-85; 25 B_ORi. (threatening B-Bt1. B-QB3:; 26 p 83. p-e4i Zj B_Bl, R:87; 28 BxQP.PxP; 29 BxQP. PxP: 30 eR Bl, RxR; 3t RxR. R _NJi ' 32 PxP, BxP; 33 R-85, B-83 and rhegamewasshortlvdiawn. The symmetrical defense to theeucen.iGambitputsiito irs most severetest-up to now no method has been d;monstrated that "preserves" White'sadvantage ! 1 p-e4, p-e4; 2 p_e84, p_e84,

i

itk

au i ttt Diasram I95

position altet 2, . . p_eB4 The nearestthat White has cometo holding on to the initiativeis with 3 PXQP, N-KB3; 4 N-KB3 (pxp, QxF leadsto nothine io; White).PxP; 5 QxP. QrPl 6 N BJ, exe; 7 Nxe followet by P-KNJ and B-N2 wirh pressure.Howerer.in Evins_Biseuiei. I n a n g u i aM r a r c hN . . Y . . I 9 5 5 .B l a c kc o n t i n u ew d i t h6 . . . e _ " e R 4 Uf N-B3, rega.ining rhe to)r rempo-and Whitecoirliget loUgyeO nothingout of the opening. 186

The only reason this symmetrical defenseis not played more often is that it lcads to drawish positions-and Black is not content with a draw-even though he is the theoretical underdog! In the hands of a master technician the advantage of the move is o f t e nd e c i s i v ei n m a n y s y m m c t r i c apl o s i t i o n s - w i t n e s st h e f o l l o w i n g mirror image. from Reshersk; -S rdhlberg. March. New York vs. Argentina, 1947. White seemsto make something out of nothing.

i % '|ffi m{Nt % %i7 % % %% % %% % .2. "'.4 % "'& % %a% ft.&_"4,fr"&A Diasrum 196 White mo|es. 1 B_N5! R_Kl In orderto avoidweaknesses. If I . . . P-83: 2 B-84 followedbv Q R - B l w i t h a b i n d . O f c o u r s eD o tI . . P - K 4 ? : 2 B - K 7 w i n n i n ! the exchange.The text is an almostimperceptibleerror. The mostcrucialvariationoccursifBlack attemptsto maintainthe s ) r m m e t r y w i t h 1 . . . B N 5 ; 2 B x P ,B x P ; 3 B x N ,B x N ; 4 B x R , BxR; 5 BxB, BxB; 6 KxB, KxB; 7 R-QBI followedby R-Bl with a bind-but a win is sti1lfar from sight. B-N5; 2 P-83,P-B3,theredoesnot seemanywayfor After l .. White to capitalizeon his first move. After the text Black drifts into a lost gamewithout making any further errors. 2 QR-81 P_KR3 3 B-K3 The Bishopsrake Black'sQ-side. 3 . . . B-B,il 4 R_87 BxN This seemswrong on principle, but what else can Black do? If 4 . . . Q R - B I ; 5 K R - B 1 ,R x R ; 6 R x R ,R-QB1; 7 RrR, BxR; 8 BxQRP and wins. 5 PxB QR_81

r87

6 KR-BI RxR 7 RxR BxP 8 BxNP B-83 9 8_86 R_Nl Black must lose a Pawn by force, but he can hold out longer after 9. . . R-QBI; 10 RxR, NxR; ll BxKRP, N-N3 thoughWhite shouldstill win eventually. 10 BxQRP R-N8ch 1 1K N 2 R QR8 12 P_QR4 The marclrof thisPawnisdecisive.fn. ,.r, i, t..f,rnique-extremely instructive. 12... N 84 138N6 White carefullyshepherdsthe advanceof his RP. 1 3 . . . B_Q5 14 P-Rs B_86 15 R-R7 N_Q5 16 B_K4 N_N6 t7 P-R6 B-Q5 18 BxB NxB 19 R-Q7 P-B4 20 B-QSch Black Resigns

CHAPTER E|GHT:SummingUp THrsbook is devotedto the practicalquestionof how the amateur may radically improve his play by applying master pdnciples to his own games. My approachhas beento break chessdown into its basic components: Pawn Structure,Space,Force, and Time, The order in which they are taken is arbitrary. Pawn structureis considered first because it is theleastunderstoodandthemostdifficult to grasp,evenfor good players.A realizationthat the Pawn is the "soul" of chessis prerequisiteto further analysisof the other elements. In chemical terms Pawn Structure and Force are relatively "inert," whereasSpaceand Time are "volatile." Broadly speaking, an advantagein the inert (or stable)elementsmanifestsitself most decisivelyin the endgame;an advantagein the volatile(or unstable) elementsis most crucial in the openingwhere rapid development and control of the centerare all-important. In the middle gameno one elementhasa tendencyto predominate. A decisionin the early stagesof the gameis unlikely betweenequalplayers; hencevictory is possibleonly after one has erred. When the minor advantages which accrueare exploitedwith precisionwe speakof "technique." Here the problemis to convertthe volatile into the inert elements. The bulk of the text dealswith practicalillustrationstaken largely lrom my own tournamentgames.

The StableElements Pawn Structureis akin to bone structure. Sincethe Pawn is the only unit which cannot be retractedonceit advances,it should be can seldombe repaired. The moved sparingly. Hasty weaknesses ability of the Pawn to queenwhen it reachesthe eighthrank alters "proletariat" the dynamicsof endgamestrategyand elevatesthis to resal significance. 188

189

Other things equal. an advantagein Forc_eis decisive. The win of even a singlc Pawn in rhe opening usually provldes a wlnnlng game berwee; equal plavers. io bJ ahead'in material is to be ivealthierthan yoi.,t olipoirent. He cannot afford to exposethe s(ate of his bankruptcy by rhe constant swapping of pieces. Hence exchangingpiecesonce you are ahead in material is the Patternlor translating Force into victory.

The UnstableElements A spaceadvantagemeanssuperiormobility, i.e. more elbow room in which to tianeuverpieies,fluid lines o[ communication. Crampedpositionsbear the lerms of deleat. In order to obtain freedomyouropponentoftenwill beforcedto makegraveconcessions in Pawn3tructuieor Force. Thenit becomesa questionof enforcing "winning a won game'" that somewhatdifficult task of An advantagein Time confersthe initiative. Pieceswhich are are ready to strike deeplyinto the centralizedand well-developed heart of enemyterrain. So crucial is tempo that if a player were grantedthe right to move twicein a row just onceeverygameat -his option-w-hilethe sameright were deniedhis opponent-he world champion. could-become

error do not survivevery long on the chessboard:the mercilessfact, culminatingin checkmate,contradictsthe hypocrite. JiJt Jitt')tr'tJi')iJtJi

chaptersform an organicuhole by showingthe The preceding valid applicatioiof ihe principleswhich guidemy phy as well as that ol ihe other masteisborh in theoryand practice.Theseare : empirical principles derived directly lrom source-e\perience be read. but not only will this book that l-hope rnrrt., su-"t. also refJrred to many times in the courseof your orvn-chess-ex"secrets." [f someonehad sct these oerience.lt containsall my andwhiteat theoulsetof my chess in biack orincioles down for me perhapsa year of groping in the me saved have h" would iut".r, dark. is a placeofjoy, stimulation,intellectualchallenge' The chessboard No one knowsthe divinity who bestowedit upon the world to.slay boredomand exhilaratethe spirit' Yet chesshas travelledwithout passport,a universalheritagewhich is the property of all nations' And thereis beautythere. .

JiJ^.Ji+*,gfJ*liJi*

In ChapterOne we reviewedthe turmoil betweenthe Romantics, Classicisti,Hypermoderns,Tecbniciansand Tacticians. We saw that chessr*iyi betwe"nart and scienceas doesMahomet'scoffin betweenheaven and earth. The game is a competitivestruggle betweentwo minds within a mechanisticframework. To Laskerit was a battle of the human personalityin which the roundedman the betterplayerwas bound to triumph. To and not necessarily would Norbert Wiener a machinec6uld be constructedwhich hence"it might chessplayer. probablydefeata "slupid" or "careless" ueryweil b" as good .- . . as the vastmajorityof the humanrace." fhe Americai schoolof chessis bound to be pragmaticbecause it reflectsthe culture. The Sovietstyle is dynamic,basedmore on counterattackthan attack. A noted psychologisthas hinted that this styleof play mirrors a socialstlucturewhereindividualinitiative is reducedto a minimum. Pragmatismas a method or a way of life becomesobnoxious onlv ihen its adherentsworship at the fount of successand make "best becauseit the smug deduction that a course of action is works." The principlesadvocatedhete work becausethey are besl -there can be no questionof subjecLirityThey are the distilled heritageof a hundredyearsof chessevolution. Hypocrisyand 190

l9l

F. & CuenNlv, I. Chess Strutegt) and ldcli.-t. David RETNFELD, McKay Co., Philadelphia, 19,16. Rtrr,R. Mqsters of tlrc Chessboard. Whittlesey House, New York REl1R. Modern Ideas in Chess. David McKay Co., Philadelphia. SrrrrurNrl, k. The Art of Sacrif ce in Chess. David McKay Co., Philadelphia. ZNosKo-BoRovsKY,E. The Middle Gane in Chess. David McKay Co., Philadelphia.

BIBLIOGRAPHY A. My Best Gamesof Chess. In 2 volumes.Harcourt, ALEKr-rrNE, Brace& Co., New York. L Winning ChessTtaps. ChessRedew, New York, CHERNEV, 1946. in Chess. GeorgeRoutledge DUMoNT,J. The Basisof Combination & Sons,Ltd., London,i946. EuwD, M. Meet the Masters. Sfi Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., London,1945. EuwE, M. Strateg! and Tactics in Ciess. David McKay Co., Philadelphia,1937. Ev,tNs,L. TrophyChess.CharlesScribner&Sons,NewYork,1956. Fnn, R. Baslc ChessEndings. David McKay Co., Philadelphia, 194t. Ftur, R. T'heldeasBehindthe ChessOpenings.David McKay, Co., Philadelphia,1943. ChessMasterpieces.Horowitz & Harkness KMocH,H. Rubinstein's New York, 1941. KdNIG,I. Chess from Morphl to Botdnnik. G. Bell & Sons,Ltd., London,1951. KoRN, W. Modern Chess Openings. Ninth Edition. Pitman PublishingCorporation,Nelv York, 1957. L.rsxrn, En. Manual of Chess. David McKay Co., Philadelphia, 1947. NrMzovrrcH, A. My System. David McKay Co., Philadelphia, 1947. RtIurero, F. Keres' Best Gomesof Chess. David McKay Co., 1942. Philadelphia, F. Practical End-GamePlay. David McKay Co., RTTNFELD, Philadelphia,1949. F. The Immortal Games of Capablanca. Pitman RETNFELD, PublishingCorporation,Nerv York, 1942. j I

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193

vs, Evans,1?5 GASSEN vs. Evans,46 GOLDWATER vs. Steinitz,6 GOLMAYO vs. Evans,7l GOMPERT vs. Evans,70 HALPER vs, Evans,86 HANAUER Ys.Evans,161,183 HANS vs. Evans, 163 HARROLD vs. Evans, 139 HARTLEB vs. Evans,9'7,120,156,160,162 HEARST vs. Evans,119 HEATH Ys.Evans, 150 HEINKENHEIMO vs. Evans,l?2 HESSE vs. Evans,Jr, rrz HOWARD vs. Evans,50 HOROWITZ vs. Evans,181 HUDSON vs. Evans, 157 JACKSON vs. Evans,43 JACOBS vs. Evans,149 JIMENEZ vs. Evans,57 JOYNER vs. Evans,116 KAGETSU Ys.Evans,74 KALME vs. Bisguier,S0; Evans,22, 171 KASHDAN vs. Evans,83 KATZ vs. EYans,61 KAUFMAN vs, Evans,159 KELLNER YS.Evans,59 KESTEN vs. Arderssen,I KIESERITZKY vs. Evans,106 KONIG vs. Bisguier,9, 10; Evans,95, 96, 142 KRAMER vs. EYans,56, 147 KRAUSS vs. MacDonnell, 4 LABOURDONNAIS vs, Evans, 167 LAMBERT v s . b , v a n s ,l J , 6 z t r t t LARSEN vs. Rubinstein,187 LASKER vs, Evans, 170 LECoRNU vs. tvans, l4o LEVIN Evansand Spielberger,125 vs. PRA\aDA LOKVENCZ AND Evans,194 YS. LOMBARDY Evans,88 vs. LYMAN Evans,179 Ys. MACCIONI 195

INDEX OF OPPONENTS (Numbersrcfer to diagrams) ADAMS ALEKHINE AMATEUR ANDERSSEN ASH BARDA BERLINER BILLS BISGUIER BOTVINNIK BOULACHAMS BREYER BRONSTEIN BURGER BYRNE, D. BYRNE, R. CARLYLE COLLINS

cRoss cRoss,J. DAKE DONOVAN DUFRESNE DUNST EUWE FINE FINK FINKELSTEIN FLEISCHER FLORES FLORIDO FRANK

vs. Evans,49, 66, 68 vs. R6ti, 12, 13 vs. Morphy, 5 vs. Dufresne,2; Kiesedtzky, I vs. Evans, 133 vs. EYans,113 vs. Evans,89, 152 vs. Evans, 165 Ys.Evans, ll, 30, 39, 60; Kashdan,80; Kramer, 9, 10; Sherwin,84 vs. Smyslov,53 Ys.Evans,38 vs. Nyhokn, 15 Ys,EYans,141 Ys.Evans,81, 184 vs. Evans,110; Reshevsky,42 vs. Evans,29, 173 vs. Evans,127,178 vs. Evans,118,l2l Ys.EYans,168 vs. Evans,51 vs. Evans,67 Ys,Evans,115 vs. Anderssen,2 vs. Evans,166 vs. Evans,32 vs. Evans,79 Ys.Evans, 185 vs. Evans,44 vs. Evans,117 vs. Evans, 132 Ys.Evans,140 vs. Evans,58

194

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MACDONNELL MARRO MAYER MCCORMICK MECHANIC MEDNIS MENGARINI MORPHY NAJDORF NASH NIELSEN NYHOLM OPSAHL PHILIDOR PHILLIPS PILNICK PLATER POMAR POSCHEL

vs. LaBourdonnais,4 vs. Evans,180 vs. Evans,143 vs. Evans,138,145 vs. Evans.136 vs, Evans 182 vs. Evans,64 vs. Amateur, 5 vs. Evans,98 vs. Evans, 123 vs, Evans, 124 vs. Breyer, 15 vs, Evans,75, 76 vs. Smith, 3 vs. Evans, 122 vs, Evans,154, 176 vs. Evans,153 vs. Evars, 73 vs. Evans,40 vs. Evans, 126 QUESADA REHBERG vs. Evans,164 RESHEVSKY vs. Evans,l74;D. Byne,42, Stihlberg, t96 RETI vs. Alekhine, 12, 13; Yates,8 ROSS vs. Evans,45 ROSSOLIMO vs. Evans,14, 24 ROTHMAN vs. Evans,114 RUBINSTEIN vs, Lasker, 187 SANDRIN vs. Evans,25, 151 SANTASIERE vs. Evans,90 SHAFFER vs. Evans,155 SHERWIN vs. Bisguier,84; Evans,193 SMITH vs. Philidor, 3 SMYSLOV vs. Botvinnik, 53; Evans,52 SPIELBERGER AND EVANS vs. Lokvenczand Prayda, 125 STAHLBERG vs. Reshevskv,196 STEINER vs. Evans,41, g7, 135, 144 STEINITZ vs. Golmavo, 6 SUSSMAN vs. Evans,85 ULVESTAD vs. Eyans, 169 YATES vs. R€ti, 8 196