victory in the opening!

8/20/2019 Victory in the Opening!

1/146


2/146

Victory

in the Opening

by

IM Gary

Lane

B.T.Batsford Ltd,

London


3/146

First

published

in

1999

@

Gary Lane

1999

ISBN

0

7r34

8546 9

British

Library

Cataloguing-in-Publication

Data.

A

catalogue

record for this

book is

available from

the

British Library.

All

rights

reserved.

No part

of this book

may be

reproduced,

by

any means,

without prior

permission

of the

publisher.

Printed in

Great

Britain

by

Creative

Print

& Design

(Wales),

Ebbw Vale

for

the

publishers,

B.T.Batsford

Ltd,

583 Fulham

Road,

London

SW6

5BY

A

BATSFORD

CHESS

BOOK

General

Manager:

Nigel

Davies

Advisors:

Mark

Dvoretsky,

Raymond

Keene

OBE,

Daniel

King,

Jon

Speelman,

Chris Ward


4/146

Contents

Introduction

I Greedy

Openings

2

Chasing

the

King

3

Attacking

the King

in the Centre

4 Attacking

the Castled

King

5 Checkmate

in

the

Opening

6 Winning

Moves

7

Opening

to

the Ending

8 Opening

Surprises

9 Lack

of Development

Index to

Games

5

7

2t

34

46

63

80

97

111

131

143


5/146

Dedicated to

Nancy

Jones

I would like to thank

Frangois

Mertens

for

his help

in

producing

this

book.

Symbols used

+

check

+-

winning

advantage

for

White

+

large

advantage

for

White

+:

slight

advantage

for

White

-+

winning

advantage

for Black

+

large

advantage

for Black

:+

slight

advantage

for Black

level

position

good

move

l

outstanding

move

l?

interesting

move

?

dubious

move

?

bad

move

??

blunder

l-0

the

game

ends

in

a win

for

White

0-1

the

game

ends

in

a win for

Black

)/z-t/z

the

game

ends

in

a draw


6/146

Introduction

The

main

aim

of

this book

is

to

show

how

to

punish unusual,

indif-

ferent

or

mistaken

moves

in

the

opening

by

taking swift

and

aP-

propriate

action.

So

often,

when

faced

with

a

bad

move,

plaYers will

just

carry

on

blindly

with

their

nor-

mal

plan and

thereby

miss

out

on

a

decisive

winning

chance.

The

opening

tussles

Presented

here

are

all

deci&d

within

25

moves and

provide

a

wide

range

of

tactical

ideas

desigled

to create

maximum

difficulties

for

your

oP-

ponent

at

a

very

earlY

stage

of

the

game.

You

will

have

to

look

elsewhere

for

deep

theoretical

innovations

on

move

twenty

or

so-

the

examples

here, all

taken from

practical

play, are

effectivelY

decided

well

before then

Indeed,

by

familiarising

yourself

with

some

of

the many

tricks

and

traps contained

in

the openings

it

should

be

possible

for

you

to win

many

more

games

quickly

and

incisively.

Moreover,

with

three

diagrams

on

each

Page,

you

can even

follow

the

games from

beginning

to

end

without

the

need

of

a

chess

set,

thus making

it

an

ideal

travelling

companion.

Chapter

One deals

with

'GreedY

Openings',

which

highlights

the

necessity

of

knowing

where

to

sacrifice

material

and,

equallY

importantly,

when

to

accept

it.

It

can

be

a

difficult

learning

curve,

especially

when

your oPPonent's

queen

is busy

snatching

your

Pawns

and all

you

can remember

is

that

the

book

said

you

had

comPensation-

but

did

not

tell

you whY

Here

the

illustrative

games are very

valuable

because

they

tell

the

full

story

of

how a sustained

initiative

generated

by

rapid

piece

development

can

lead

to

a

quick

victory.

If

you

cherish hopes

of winning

a

fantastic

game

in dramatic

fashion

then

the chapter

'Chasing the

King'

is for

you.

All

the conditions

necessary

for launching

a

successful

king-hunt

are

laid

down,

together

with

brilliant

practical

examples

of

how

to conduct

the

attack.

Identification

of

recurring

patterns,

such

as critical

weaknesses

in

the

opponent's

defensive

pawn

shield,

will

alert

the experienced

chess

tournament

camPaigner

to

possibilities

of

ambushing

the

enemy

king.

'Keeping

all

options

open'

is

the

slogan

of

those

players brave

enough

to

defer

castling.

Though

leaving the

king

in

the

centre

until

the middlegame

might

enable

a

player

to castle

on

the opposite

wing

to where

an

opponent

shows

aggressive

intentions,

there

is

the

drawback

that

such

an

uncastled

king interferes

with

the

coordination


7/146

6

lntroduction

of

the

rooks,

thus

resulting

in

an

overall

lack

of harmony

of one's

forces.

'Attacking

the

King

in the

Centre'

looks

at

the

consequences

of not

being able

to

castle.

Typical

examples

show powerful

methods

ofexploitation

and execution

on

the

board.

'Attacking

the

Castled King'

offers

various

techniques

which

more

often than

not

result

in

the

destruction

of the

enemy

pawn

cover.

Our

illustrative

games

feature

popular

methods

of attack

such

as

opening lines

and

diagonals,

the

pawn

storm,

manoeuwing

and

probing

for

weaknesses.

How

to

handle

opposite-side

castling

is

also

explained

with

a

particular

empha-

sis

on

timing-a

crucial

factor

in

determining

which

attack

arrives

first.

'Checkmate

in the

Opening'

pres-

ents

a feast

of

games

with a

strong

tactical

slant.

The

king

is hounded

at

every

opportunity

and

a number

of

typical

mates

are

demonstrated.

'Winning

Moves'

sounds

like

the

answer

to

all

our

problems.

Surpris-

ingly,

the

fact

that

the games

tend

to

be

spectacular

is

more the

result

of a

well thought

out

plan

rather

than

spontaneous

inspiration.

So

here

you

have

the

opportunity

to

sharpen

up

your

tactical

awareness

as

well

as

to

implement

familiar

attacking

themes.

There

will

be times

when

you

will

be

obliged

to

transpose

into

an

end-

game

with

many hours

of

tedious

manoeuvring

in prospect.

But

not

always

The

chapter'Opening

to the

Ending'

shows

that

this

final phase

of the game

may

not

be slow

and

strategic

in

nature,

but

tactical.

In

such cases

it may

be

a

positive

ad-

vantage to

head

straight

for

the

ending.

'Opening

Surprises'

looks

at un-

usual

continuations

designed

to

con-

fuse

and upset

your

opponent.

Here

you

are

handed

an

arsenal

of

open-

ing

tricks,

backed

up

by

logical

analysis, to

help

you

score

an early

vrctory.

The

serious

consequences

of not

activating one's

pieces

is

a

theme

which

we

have

seen

again

and

again.

However,

our

final

chapter,

'Lack

of Development'

is dedicated

solely

to this

topic.

It

is

clear,

after

looking

at

a few

games

illustrating

the

attacking

possibilities,

that the

task

of

organising

a

defence

with

half

of one's pieces

still

on

their

original

squares

is a

recipe

for

disaster.

Throughout

the

book,

the

selection

of

openings

and

games

has

been

governed

by their

likelihood

of

appearing

in

practical

play-and

with an

emphasis

on decisive

action

taking place

within

only ten

moves.


8/146

1

Greedy

Openings

'I

can

resist

anything

but

temPta-

tion'

is

the

quote which

comes

to

mind

in

Greedy

Openings.

The bait

of

a

pawn or

a

piece is often

enough

for

players

to

lose

their senses

and

forget

about basic

principles.

Games

where

a big

advantage

in

develoP-

ment

is

gained as

a result

of

an

opponent

grabbing

material

in

the

opening

continue

to

be

seen

time

and again.

A significant

advantage

in

devel-

opment

can

be

a

deadly

force.

Even

grandmasters

are

not

immune

to this

danger.

In Browne-Quinteros,

Black

goes

pawn hunting

in

the

oPening

and

after twelve

moves

has

only

his

queen

in

play while

White

has

mobilised

virtually

his

entire

army.

The

end comes

swiftly with

White

ripping open

the centre

to

get

at

Black's

uncastled

king.

ln

the

game

Onischuk-Hertneck,

Black

tries his

luck

with an

obscure

line

of

the French.

Once

again

the

queen

goes

on

walkabout

in

pursuit

of

material

gain but

this

leaves

his

queenside

undeveloped

and

unable

to form

a

reasonable

defence.

Inev-

itably,

Black

pays a

heavy

Price

for

his

indulgence.

Keres-Spassky

provides

an

example

of

calculated

risk

from

toP

class

chess.

Keres

offers

material,

not

for any immediate

return

but

for

lasting

pressure.

This

kind of

ma-

terial

investment

requires

fine

judgement

and

is

probably

the most

diffrcult

to

apply

in

practical

play.

Keres's

conduct

of

the

game is most

instructive.

Then

again,

it

can happen

that a

player will

grab

a

pawn

or

piece

and

simply

hang

on

to it

and win

The

game

Dougherty-Hergott

will

make

you

think

tiryice

before

emPloYing

an

opening

which

sacrifices

a

pawn

after

a

mere

two

moves.

Also

the

idea of

throwing

all

your

pieces into

one massive

attack

sounds

great

but

the

game

Illescas-Anand

issues

a

cautionary

warning

that

such

an

attack

doesn't

always

come

off.

Black

jumps

at the chance

to snatch

material

and

lives

to

tell

the tale.


9/146

I

ll

%ry

"%

t,ffi\ffi,

ru-A

8

Greedy

Openings

French:

3 ...oleq

Onischuk-Hertneck

Biel

1997

I

e4

e6

2

d4 d5

3

ad2

6rO

I es

2,e4

A

popular

way to

avoid

main

line

theory.

The position

can

also

arise

after

3 Ac3

drc +

eS 2,eq.

5

Axe4

Onischuk

rightly

wants to give

Black

a weak pawn

on

e4.

Instead

Agnos-Rice,

Port

Erin

1997,

con-

tinued

5

9ag

AxaZ

6

9xd2

c5 7 c3

Wuo

s

6R

6co:.

5 ...

dxe4

6

Ac4

c5 7

d5

An

aggressive

continuation

which

directly

challenges

the

soundness

of

Black's

opening

choice.

7

...

gb6?

The

one-move

threat

of

8

Wb4+

a[ows

Black

to

adopt

an

un-

usual

set-up.

Also:

a)

7 ...6a2

s

dxe6

fxe6

9

am

hxe5

10

gh5+

afl

tt

al95

96

t2

Wg4 h5

13

gb5+

€e7

t4'&,f+

Aao

15

9e5

gh6

16

6xe4

Axe4

t7

Axh6 l-0

Dvoirys-Florath,

Berlin

1996.

b)

7

"..

exd5

8

Wxd5

Uxd5

9

Axds

hdz

l0

gfil

f5

I

I

exf6

6xf6

l2

0-0-0+:.

8 cS

AaZ

9 f4

exd5

9...

exB ?

helps

White

to

develop

with

l0

6xR.

l0

9xd5

996

11

0re2

9-e7

Or ll

... Vxg2?

12

WxfT+

€d8

13

trgl

Uxh2

14

Ae3 Ae7

15

0-0-0+-.

t2

693

9h4

t:

0-0

gxg3

14

hxg3

0-0

15 f5

Uxg3

t6

gf4 gg4

17

e6'

White

triumphs

with

panache.

17

...

fxe6

18

fxe6

6n6

t9

eZ+lt

6xd5

20

exfS:9+

€xf8

21

9aO+

*e822

gb5+

gd7

23

Ef8

mate.

after

4

...o,e4

after

7

d5

I

ll

after

17 e6


10/146

Sicilian:

:

AUS+

Browne-Quinteros

Wijk aan Zee 1974

-

1e4c52af3d63gbs+g.d74

AxdT+

I{xd7

5 c4

9g4?

5

0-0 is

considered

the main line.

Now Black

tries

to take advantage

of

White's 5th

by

grabbing

a

pawn.

6

0-0

Wxe4

7

d4 cxd4

8 Eel

Logically

gaining time

with

an at-

tack

on

the

queen.

In

Bates-

Williams,

Witley

1998,

White

took

the

pawn

immediately

with

8

6xd4

There

followed

8

...

6t0

g

6c:

Wg4

l0 Pa4+

9d7

ll

adb5 ac6

12 Eel e5

which

led

to a

draw

after

2l moves.

8...

Uc6

In

Bologan-Paranichev,

USSR

Team Championship

1988,

Black

experimented

with

8

... Wga

and

came under

enduring

pressure.

The

game

continued

t

h3

Ed7 l0

Axd4

2,c6 ll

hc3

e6 12

9;f4

trd8

13

Wd3

9e7

14 Eadl

af6

ls

adb5

0-0

16

9R 6e8

17

9.xd6

Axd6

l8

c5

9e7 19 cxd6

axd6

20 ad5

Wd7

2l6xd6

exd5

22Bxd5+:.

9 6xd4

Wxc4

9

...

gd7

is a more

practical

choice but

White

has

plenty

of

play

after

l0 hb5.

l0

6a3

I{c8 11

gru

gaz

rz

Aab5 e5

Quinteros's

backward

develop-

ment

encourages

White

to rip

open

the

centre.

13 9xe5

dxe5

14

Exe5+

9"e7

t4

...

ae7

15

af5

f6

16

afd6+

gd8

17

6xb7+

wins

or

14 ...

Ed8

ls

gR

af6

16 trdl

9c8

t7

Ab:+-.

ls trds

{&c8 16 6rs €rs

tz

6xe7 €xe7 18

EeS+ 1-0

Greedy Openings

9

after

5 VSa

after

9

6dl

after

12

...

e5


11/146

NLry-e.

E

l"/&LT

, I

l0

Greedy

Openings

Nimzo-Indian:4

e3

6e4

Aleksandrov-Sulskis

New

York

1998

f

d4 af6 2 c4

e6 3

6c3

g,b4

4

e3 Ae4t?

This

direct approach has been ig-

nored

for

years

in favour

of

more

flexible

options such as 4 ... b6, 4 ...

c5 and 4 ...

0-0.

5

Wc2

Other

possibilities

are:

a) 5 Wga

6xc3

6

a3 9e7 7

bxc3

0-0 with equal chances.

b)

5

6ge2

Uf6

0

f3 Axc3

7

6xc3

c5

8

d5

9xc3+ 9

bxc3

9xc3+?

l0

gd2

Wf0

t

t

Ad3

exd5

12 cxd5

9g5 13 0-0 Wxd5 14

Ac3

c4

15

9c2

9xdl

16

trftdl 0-0 17

Axc4

gave

White

a

stranllehold

on

the

position

in

Komjenovic-Meana

Fernandez,

Dos Hermanas

1998.

5... fs

6

gd3

0-0

7 dge2b6

A distinct improvement

on 7

...

d5

which

was

played

in Reshevsky-

Kramer.

USA Ch 1957,

which

con-

tinued: 7 ...

d5

8 a3

Axc3+

9

bxc3

b6

l0

cxd5

exd5

1l

c4 dxc4 12

Axc4+

€rrs

t:

dU

ca

u

a4

ad6

15

gb3

a5 t6h4

treS

17

9uz

us

ra

d5 o,c419

-Q.xc4+.

8 0-0

Axc3

9

9xe4

fxe4

l0 6xc3

dS 1r

b4

dc6

t2 Ub3

AaO 13

9a4

Aleksandrov

is

hoping for the

passive

l3

...

gb7.

13 ...9xc4

Black

abandons material

in

search

of

a

lightning

attack.

14 9xc6

3.xfl

15

Uxe6+

Sne f

O

€xfl Utrl

17 adt trxfZ+ 0-1

Checkmate

will

quickly

follow:

l8

6xf2

trfB 19

€el

Uxf2+

20

€at

Un+ 2t

&c2

Vaz+ zz

&az

Ef2+.

after

4 ...

de4

after

l3Ya4

,rru,

%

,a%i

%L%

,ffit

'T

."

AA

after

l7 ddl


12/146

Latvian

Gambit:

...

Wg5

Repp-Paschitta

'

Correspondence

game

l99l

1e4e52aAf53Ac4fxe44

hxe5

Ug5

An

outrageous

attempt

by

Black

to capture

as much

material

as

poss-

ible

and

then

try to survive

the

re-

sulting

onslaught.

5

d4

lUxg2

o

9trs+

96

7

9f7+

€d8

In

Kozlov-Svendsen,

Correspon-

dence

1991.

Black

tried another

square

for

his king

with

7

...

&e7.

That

game went

8 9g5+

af6 9

uh+

wxht+

l0

gd2

e3+

t 1

€e2

3.;g7

t2 orc3Vg213

6e4l

*fa

t+

9xf6

95

15

gh5

Uxe4 16 AxgT+

*xg7

17

Uxg5+

and

the reward

for

Black's

inventive

play

was

a

lost

position.

8 9xg6

t&xhl+ 9 €e2 c6

10 6c3

e3

Eager

to win more

material.

Or:

a) l0

... Vg2

ll

6ft+

*c7

12

9xe4

Bg7

13

hxh8

af6 14

gflt

Pavlanin-Sladek,

Czech

Team

Championship

1995.

b)

l0

... Af6

ll Ugs

trg8

12

9xf6+

9.e7 13

gf/

trfB

14

t{xf8

AxfS 15

Ag5+

€c7 16

Exhl

hxg6

17

dxg6

gave

White

a

winning

ending

in

Grava-Budovskis,

Corre-

spondence

1970.

ll

afl+

*c7 12 Axe3

Uxal 13

Wg5 9.e7 14

gf4+

€b6

or

14

...

d6

15

ad6+

€az

t0

Wf5+ mating.

15 6a4+ €a6

16

gd3+

b5

17

ac5+ Eb6 18

ad6 6a6

19 dc4+t

The

harmonious

positions

of

White's forces

encourage

a

glorious

finish.

19

... bxc4 20

6a4+ *tl

zt

Wus+:

cxb5

22

9e4+

l-0

Greedy Openings

I

I

%

%

L'T

after

t0 0,cj

l

'ffi_

'M

after

t8

...o,a6


13/146

12

Greedy Openings

Queen's

Indian:

4

... 9a6 5 abd2

Adorjan-Kudrin

New

York 1987

1 d4

af6

2 af3

e6

3 c4 b6 4

93

Aao

s Amz

5

b3 is

more

natural

but

the text

contains

a

certain amount of venom.

5

gb3

is

considered in the illustra-

tive game

Epishin-Komarov

in

the

chapter

'Opening

to the Ending'.

5...

gb7

6 9g2 c5 7 e4 cxd4

7 ...

oxe4?

leads

to calamity. For

instance:

8

6e5 d5

(8

...

6c3

9

HtrSt

g0

l0

gh3+,

9 cxd5

exd5

l0

Ua4+ o,al

t1

6xe4 dxe4 12

Ah3

.AcS

l3

Wc6

trb8

14 AxfT+-.

8

e5 694

Kudrin

seeks to

undermine

the

e5

pawn.

Other

replies

are:

a)

8

...

698 9

0-0 Wc7 l0 Axd4

Axg2

ll Sxg2 a6 12

VR 6c6 13

6xc6 dxc6 14

2,e4 trc8 15

9"nt

.Q"e7 16 Eadl+:

Bellon

Lopez-

Gamarra

Caceres,

Lucerne

Olympiad

1982.

b) 8

.

o,e4 9 6xe4

(9

0-01?) 9 ...

Axe4

l0 9xd4

9b4+ ll

gd2

AxB

12

AxR

o,c6 13

Axc6

Axd2+ 14 Wxd2

dxc6 15

trdl

Hxd2+

16 Exd2

'/r%

J.Bellin-

Copeland, British

League 1998.

9

0-0

9c7

10

trel

9c5? ll

Oe4 d3 12

dfg't

6xe5

13

g"f4

This

irritating

pin

is the

price

Black

must

pay

for

taking

the

two

pawns.

13 ...

d6

14

Ehs

€tg

tS 6xcs

bxc5 16

Exe5 dxeS tZ

Axe5 9d7

18

AxbT

WxbT 19

hxe6+ €g8

If 19 ... fxe6 then

20

gd6+

EgS

2l WeS

mate.

20

6xg7 Ac6

216fs't 6xe1

22

Wg5+

696

23

gf6

1-0

after

5

6bd2

after

8

e5

lll

%l,

-1

LTffi

%

after

l8 ...Vxb7


14/146

Sicilian:

Wing

Gambit

Dougherty-Hergott

Toronto

1998

I e4 c5

2b4

The

Wing

Gambit

has

a

good

pedigree

having

been

adopted

in the

1920s by

Marshall

and

Spielmann.

2 ...

cxb4 3

a3

d5

This counterattacking

move

de-

prives

White

of

much

of

his

fun.

Having

accepted

the offer

of

a

pawn,

Black

does

not

greedilY

caP-

ture

another

but

proceeds

to stake

a

claim

in

the

centre.

In

Fantini-

Baccarin

Viaro,

Pan-American

Championship

1996,

Black

took

the

pawn

with

3

..: bxa3

which

enabled

White's

pawns to dominate

the

centre. The'

game

continued:

4

Axa3

d6

s

d4 ad7

o 6R

eo

7 e.d3

Agf6 8

0-0

3.e7 9Ve2

0-0

l0

gb2

a6

ll c4

b6

12 e5

dxe5

13 dxe5

6e8 14

Ue4+-.

4 exd5

gxd5

5

gb2

Also

possible:

a) 5

axb4??

Ue5+

0-l

Shirazi-

Peters,

USA

Ch

1984.

b)

5

aR

e5

6

axb4

9xb4 7

c3

Ae7

8

6a: 6ro

9

abs

Uas

to

6xe5

Ac6:

Lutz-De

Firmian,

Biel

t993.

5

... e5

6 axb4 Axb4

7

6aS

Af6

8

aR

0-0 9

9e2 Ac6

10

6c4

e4

Hergott

is clearly

on

top. White

is

running

out

of decent

squares

for

his

pieces

and

the king

remains

stuck

in

the centre.

1l afes

6xe5

12 Axes

trdg

tl

6c4 9g5

14

€fi

If 14

0-0

then 14 ...

9.h3

15 6e3

Axd2

wins.

14...9e615

c3 9xc4

0-l

Greedy

Openings

I

j

after 2 b4

after

4 .. Vxd5

'T

{%

%a%

'T

gru-L

after

10...

e4


15/146

I4

Greedy

Openings

Nimzo-Indian:

4

e3,6

...0le4

Keres-Spassky

Game

Eight,

Candidates

Mstch,

Riga

1965

1

d4

Af6

2

c4

e6 3 6c3

fuat

t

e3

b6 5

90r

guz

6 6R

Ae4

7

0-0

Keres

offers

a

pawn

in return

for

attacking

opportunities.

7...

Axc3

The challenge

is

accepted.

Other

replies:

a)

7

...f5

8

d5

Axc3

9

bxc3 6c5

l0

9'a3

Abao

t I

Ac2

(l

t trel

Uf6

12 Vc2

96

13

e4

fte4 14

9xe4

0-0-0

l5

0raZ+=

Sadler-Ward,

Hastings

1997)

| ...

gf6

t2

ad4

0-0

13

R

96

t4

wd2

eS

15

trf2 d6

t6

Ae2

olal

n

€ht

6ac5

18 trgl

9a6:+

Buckley.Ward,

Britiih

Championship

1998.

b) 7 ...6xc3

8 bxc3

3.xc3

9

Ebl

6c6 l0

trb3

Aa5

I I

e4 h6

t2

3;b2

6u+ t3

Abl

Aa6

t4 a3

alc6

t5

Vc2

0,e7

16 d5

trg8 17

trdl

c5

18

dxe6 fte6

19

6e5

d6 20 trR

Wc7

21

Va4+

b5 22

cxb'+-

Nikcevic-

Vuksanovic.

Heraklio

1993.

8

bxc3

6xc3

9 9c2

3.xB

10

gxB

Ug5+

tl

Eht

UnS

rZ Egr:

A superb

move

which

sacrifices

another pawn

to

maintain

the

initiat-

ive.

The players

could

also

make

an

e.arly peace

agreement

after

12 bg2

Wg5+

13

*hl

ghs

A*g2ggs+.

12

...9xf3+

13 trg2

f5

Black

is

struggling

in

other

lines:

a)

13

...

Wxdl+

14

Uxdl

6xdl

15

Ac2 Ac3

16

AbZ+-.

b) 13

...

d5

14

9a3 6e4

t5

cxd5

exd5

16

Axe4

9xe4

17 VxcT

0rd7

l8

trcl

f5

19

gd6+-

(Nunn).

after

7

0-0

l

,,mi

%"%

after

ll ...Vhs

after

l5

Efl


16/146

14

ga3

A

precautionary

measure

to

stop

Spassky

castling kingsidg.

Ihe

obvious 14

Uxc3

fails

after

14

...

Wdt+

rs trgt

Uf:+

16

trg2

Udt+

and

the

game again

ends

in

PerPet-

ual

check.

t4

...6e415

trfi

trg8?

15 ...

6c6

is

the best

bet

but

after

16 d5

Oe5

17

9.e2

White

has

the

more

promising future.

t6

9:e2

UnS

rZ

R

Af6

18 d5

gfl

An

admission

that

something

has

gone

wrong.

Spassky

would

Prefer

to sort

out

his retarded

development

but

18

...

6a6

walks

into

19

dxe6

Aac5

(19...

dxe6

20Va4+

wins)

20

9xc5

bxc5

2l

exdT+

*d8

22

Edl+-.

19 e4

c5

20

gb2

14

2l

e5

White

continues

to

gain

sPace

on

the

board

and

now

finds

an

ingeni-

ous

way

to trap

the black

queen.

2r

...

ahs

There

is no

relief

in 2l

...

6e8

which is

well

met

by

22tVe4.

22 *gr

96?3trga

Introducing the threat

of

24

trf2

and

25

9fl.

23...

Ed8

24

9;d3

A

subtle

shuffle

threatening

Axg6+

and

cornering

the

queen

under

the

most

favourable

circum-

stances.

24 ...

Eg8

25 trf2

r-0

Since

25

...de'l

26

Axg6+

hxg6

27 Vxg6+

+.e7

28

gto+

*es

zg

ExgT ExgT+

30

UxgT

UfS :t

axe0

Uxe6

32

Utr8+

€ez

33

Eg2

leaves

White

completely

winning

accord-

ing

to an

analysis

by

Nunn.

Greedy

Openings

15

after 18

d5

after

2l e5

'-%-L%'T

%%%L%

A"'ffi'N'%,9%E-

after 25

EJ2


17/146

l6

Greedy Openings

Torre

Attack: 4 c3

Ilebden-Grabuzova

Cappelle

la

Grande

I997

I

d4 e6 2 aR af63

9.g5 c5 4 c3

A speciality

of

Hebden

who

prefers

to avoid

the

well

known

lines

associated

with

4 e3.

4 ... cxd4

5

cxd4 h6

Alternatives are:

a) 5

... Ua5+ 6 abd2

g.e7

7

e3

h6

8

gh4

a,c6

9

a3

a6

l0

g.d3

d5

1l

0-0 b5 12 Ae5

6xe5 13

dxe5

6d7

14 9xe7

€xe7 15

f4

9,b7 16

AA

96

17

alA++: Horvath-Sziebert,

Budapest

1995.

b) s ...

9u0

o

gur

10

9c2 ?) 6 ...

2,e4 7

9.f4

6c6

8 e3

gb4+

9

abd2?

g5

l0

Axg5 Axd2+ tt

6xd2

Wa5 0-l Sangla-Karpov,

USSR Team

Championship

1968.

6 9xf6

Uxf6

7

e4

It

makes sense

to

seize

the

centre

but

the

dull

7

e3 has been

tried

in

the past.

7 ...

gb4+

8 6c3

0-0

9

Ecl Ug6

10

gd3

The threat

ofe5 encourages

Black

to

be

greedy.

10

...

Wxg2

rr

Egl

9trl

tZ

aS

Axc3+

13 Exc3

In retum

for

the pawn

White

has

a

lead in

development

and

a half-open

g-file,

already

occupied

by

a

strong

rook.

Moreover the

black

queen

is

running out

ofdecent squares.

13 ...

b6 14

6e5

Wn+

rS Anr

6c6

16

trcg3

Hebden

goes

straight

for

the

kill

with

simple

chess.

16...6xe5

Or 16

...

95

is well

met

by 17

aR gf4 18

6xg5+-.

17

Exgl+

€h8

f8 dxes

3.a6

19

Wtl

Eac8

20

trrg4 1-0

after 4

c3

after

I0

ildj

after

l6 Ecg3


18/146

Dutch:

Leningrad

5 Ag5

Smyslov-BeliavskY

Sochi

1986

-

1 d4 f5

2

c4

af63

Ac3

96

a 3"g5

gg7

s

gd2

An innocuous-looking

move but

one

which

has

caught

out

a

number

of

good players.

The

idea

is to

meet

the

obvious

5

... 0-0 by

6 Ah6

d6

7

2R

c6 8

h4

with a

strong

attack"

5...

c5

Other

moves

are:

a)

5

...

h6 6

9xf6

exf6

7

e3 orc6

8 d5

6e5

9

fll

afl

to

gd3

hs 1l

afl

d6

12ah4

Eh6

13

0-0-0

gd7

14 Ehel

and

the

threat of

e4

leaves

Black's

king

dangerously

vulnerable,

Miles-

Wockenfuss,

Bad Lauterberg

1977.

b)

s

...

2,c6

6

0-0-0

h6 7 Axf6

Axf6

8

e4

Q\xd4

9

exf5

gxf5

l0

6ge2

c5

I I 6xd4

cxd4

12

db5

guo

r: a)xd4

0-0

t4 h4

d6

15

trh3

9..d7

16

Wxfr0 AgZ

l7

trg3

and

White

pushed his

h-pawn

to victory.

Sadler-Tseitlin,

Hastings

1991.

6

dxc5

0,

i6

7

gh6

gxh6

8

Wxh6

Axcs

9 ah3?

This plan

of

pursuing the

h-Pawn

vra

95

is

rather

slow"

SmYslov

should

prefer 9 B

9a5

10 0-0-0

b5

I

I

cxb5

a6

12

e4l

with

double-

edged

play

according

to Beliavsky.

9

"."

Was

r0

0-0-0

b5 ll

695

gb7

t2'Es7

The

ex-World

Champion

is

chas-

ing

the h-pawn

but

at

the neglect

of

getting

his

kingside

pieces

into

play.

12

... trfB

13

6xh7

AxhT

t4

HxhT b4

15

ad5 9xd5

16 Exd5

d6 17

Ebr

b3

18

axb3 Eb8

White's

undeveloped

kingside

cannot

help

the

defence

and

Beliavsky

is ready

to

pounce.

19 Wxg6+

*d7

20

trxfS

Wel+

21

€c2 6xb3

0-1

Greedy

Openings

l7

after

5tUd2

after

l2Vg7

A AA

E%{ru-

I

%%

%

LT_

%

A

%"ffiE

%


19/146

%

rffira

l8

Greedy

Openings

Spanish:

Worrall

Attack

6

Ue2

Posazennikov-Lane

Leuven

1995

le4e5zAR0c63gb5a64

ilat btc

5

o-0

Ae7

6

Se2

This

way of

playing

the

Spanish

is

a favourite

of

mine

which

makes

it

doubly

diffrcult

for

my

opponent to

play

against

6... bs

A

small

percentage

of

players

fall

into the

mire with

6

...

0-0,

allowing

7 Axc6

dxc6

8 6xe5

Ude

9 aR

Wxe4

l0

9xe4

6xe4

I

I

Eel+-.

7gb3o-08c3d59d3

9

exd5 is

a critical

alternative

but

concedes

the

initiative.

so

it

is not

surprising

that

Black

came

out

better

in the game

Calzetta-Mitkov.

Las

Palmas 1995:

9

... e4

10

695

(10

dxc6

3"ga )

10

... ha5

1l

Ac2

Aga

D

R exf3

13

6xB

Ee8 14

d4

Wxd5

15

gd3

9.h5

16

6e5

g;9617

6xg6

hxg6

18

9'fl1c5:+.

e...

gb7

l0

trdr

Against

Michael

Adams,

London

1993,I

tried

l0

6bd2

which

appar-

ently

made

him

confuse

his

systems.

The

game

continued

l0

...

EeS

ll

a3

Af8

12

trel

Ab8?

13

exd5

hxd5

14

d4

oic615

dxe5

at4

t6

We4

and

White

eventually

won.

10...

Ee8lr

9g5

Aa5

12

4xe5

This

looks good

but I

soon

regain

the pawn

with

the

bonus

of a power-

ful

pair

of

bishops.

f2

...

6xb3

13

axb3

dxe4

14

dxe4

3.d6

f5 Oga

Axe4

t6 6xf6+

gxf6

t7

Ae3 f5

r8

R

gb7

t9

gd3

Vtrl:

zo

Aaz

.20

93

is

destroyed

by

20

9xg3-*.

20

...

axh2+

2r sfl

trad8

0-l

after 6Ve2

afterll...o,a5

%s

%h%

\'.ru

W','.ru-L

%sry

L%

,ru

%L%

%%%

L,

-W"ru

L

after

l9...Vhq


20/146

Queen's

Gambit

Accepted:

3

...

a6

Illescas-Anand

2nd Match

Gctme, Lepn

1997

r

d4 d5

2

c4

dxc4

3

6R

a6l

e3

White

chooses

to

transpose

to

the

Classical

variation. Other

tries:

a'l4

a4l?

6c6

5

Ac3

Aa5

6 .Q.fll

6fe

I

eq e6

8 Uc2

gb4

9

trdl

b5

l0

9e2

gb7

ll

0-0

0-0

and

Black

held

on to

the

extra Pawn, Garcia-

Dlugy.

New

York

1991.

b)4e4b55a49b76b3e67

bxc4

bxc4

8

6c3

gb4

9

gd2

Af6

l0

e5 6d5

l1

l4cl

6xc3

12 9xc3

c5

13

dxc5

9a5

14

Axb4

Vxb4+

15

ad2 9xc5

16

6xc4

0-0

l7

Ue3

EIxe3*

l8

Axe3

0,d7

gave

Black

a

pleasant ending

in

lvanov-Salov,

St

Petersburg

1997.

4 ...

af6

5

Axc4

e6

6

0-0

c5

7

9nl

6co 8

9e2

cxd4

9

trdl

Ae7

10

exd4

6a5 ll

9"c2

b5

12

2,c3

gb7

13

6e5

Ec8

14

a3

0-0

15

Ed3

6c4 16

trg3?

White

offers

a

pawn

in

exchange

for

pressure

on

the

g-file;

Anand

suggests

that l6

g.g5

6d5

is equal.

16...

Wxd4

17

gh6

Consistent,

since

if

17

Axc4

Exc4

Black

is

better.

17 ...6xe5

It

seems

risky

to

accept

the

ma-

terial

in

the face

of an

attack

but

there are

always

exceptions

to

the

rule.

18

trxg7+

Or

18

trd1

and

now ...

Wc5 19

3-xg7

696

blunts

the onslaught.

18...

€h8

19

trdr

The

pin

on

the

knight with

19

Eg5

can

be

refuted

by

19

... trg8

20

Exe5

Exg2+

2l

€fl

dg4-+.

19 ...

Bc5

20

Ed5

Great

vision

but

it

is flawed.

20...9xd5

21

9xe5 9e4

0-l

Greedy

Openings

19

after

j

...

a6

ufter

9

Edl

@,,ru478

'ffi-t'ffi-t

%a'ffi-a

w'ffi9%

after l6

Hg3


21/146

20

Greedv

Openings

Conclusion

The pros and

cons

of

accepting

material

have to

be

carefully

con-

sidered.

Snatching

even

a single

pawn

in

the

opening

can be

perilous

if

it leaves

your

development

in

a

backward

state. Though pawn-

grabbers

sometimes

have

the last

laugh,

more

common

is

the fate

of

Smyslov

against

Beliavsky

where

the ex-world champion's

excursion

to

win

pawns

ends in

disaster after

hrs defenceless

king

falls victim to

a

violent

counter-attack.

Another

warnlng is

sounded

by

the game

Hebden-Grabuzova.

Here

Black's win

of

a hot

pawn

merely

leads to

the

opening

of a line

of

at-

tack

against

his

own

king, thus

en-

abling

the

opponent

to

break

through

in

double-quick

time.

The

Art

of Attack

I

You

can

sacrifice material

to

gain

a lead in

development.

2

Remember

that

long-term

pres-

sure

can

be

suflicient

compensation

for material

loss.

3 Promote

your

attack

with

an

ag-

gressive

piece

formation

and

do

not

think

that

your

opponent will

auto-

matically

lose

just

because

his

queen

is

spending

time

capturing

every

available pawn.

The Art

of Defence

I Think

before

you

capture

ma-

terial.

There

is

usually

some motive

behind

a sacrifice.

2

Calculate

accurately.

There

are

many

cases

where

material

is

wildly

sacrificed

only

for

the

subsequent

attack to

be abruptly

rebuffed

by a

strong defensive

move.

3

Do not

lag

behind

in

develop-

ment.

A

great

many

defeats

can

be

attributed

to

neglect

of

this

basic

general

principle.

Sometimes

win-

ning

a

pawn

is

simply not worth

all

the

trouble


22/146

Though

it may

sound

as

if we

can

all win the

brilliancY

Pize,

opportunities

still

have

to

be

spotted

-as

well as

blind

alleYs.

In

the

games

Movsziszian-Stoll,

Short-

Piket

and

Shaked-Raptis

the

king

is

dragged

into

the oPen

Yet

ends

uP

perfectly

safe

A

studY

of such

games

will

add a

note

of

caution

before

you

next

invest

material

on

a

king

hunt.

One

great advantage

of

chasing

a

king

in

the opening

is

that

the oppo-

nent's

pieces

will

probably

not

have

had

time

to

get

coordinated

and

maY

even

still

be sitting

on

their

original

squares-as

is

the case

in

Romero

Holmes-Soto

Perez.

A

final

reminder

that

amazing

games are

not

confined

to

the mod-

ern

era

is

the

classic

attack

Lasker-Thomas,

a

personal

favour-

ite of

mine.

In

this chapter

we

have

gone

further

than

give

examples

of

Pure

tactical

calculation

and

attempted

to

explore

the

very

foundations

of

a

successful

king

hunt.

2

Chasing

the

King

The

king-hunt

is

one

of

the

most

spectacular

ways

of

gaining victory

ind

is sure

to

provide

You

with

lasting

happy

memories---unless,

of

course,

you haPPen

to

be

on

the

losing

side

It

is

surPrising

how

often

the

right

conditions

for a

king

hunt

arise

but

also

how

often

chances

are

missed.

The

king

is

usually

well

fortified

behind

a

row

of pawns

and can onlY

be

prised

open

by

means

of

a

sacri-

hce.

Once

on

an oPen

board,

how-

ever,

the

poor

monarch

will

find

itself

subject

to

attack

by

hostile

pieces

and

running

for

its

life

in a

fruitless

attemPt

to

avoid

checkmate.

Nevertheless

such

a

sacrifice entails

a

degree

of

risk

since

it often

involves

the

Precise

calculation

of

many

variations.

Here

it is often

necessary

to trust

Your

intuition.

Our

illustrative

games

show

the

power of

such

factors

as

better

development

and

accurate

calculation

and

the

role

these

play

in

the

chase.


23/146

22

Chasing the

King

Austrian

Attack:

7

e5

Hansen-Hoi

Dantsh Champtonship

1998

-

te4962daAg7

36c3

d64f4

Aro

s 6n o.o

6 3"d3

o,tal

I es

The

usual

line with

7

0-0

can be

answered

with 7

... e5

8

fxe5

dxe5 9

d5

c6

l0 dxc6

bxc6 ll €hl

which

gives

White a

slight

advantage.

7...6e8

S

6gs

A

critical

move which

telegraphs

White's

aggressive

intentions.

8...

dxeS

a) 8 ...

h6? 9 AxfT

€xf7 l0

e6+

€xe6?

I I

Wg4+ *fl

12

Ac4+

d5

l3 Axd5+

€f0 ta

6e4 mate.

b) 8

... e6?l

t

h4 h6

l0

h5 hxg5

ll

hxg6 fxg6

12

9xg6

trxf4

13

axPt gxf:t

14

gh5

€f8

15

0-0-0

We7

16

trhfl

dxe5

17

dxe5

6xe5

18 Exfit+

6f0

tS Wxe5

wins

Flo-

gaus-Hahnewald.

Bundesliga

I

988.

c)

8

...

6b6

lrecommended

by

Nunn

who assesses

the position

as

unclear)

9

Ae3 c6 l0

h4

f6?

I I

OxhT

f5

(ll

...

*xh7

12 thS+

€g8

13

9xg6+-1

12

h5 €xh7

13

hxg6+

Sg8

14

Eh5

6f6

ts

exf6

trxf6

16 Wtrz+

€fS

17

ghS+ 1-0

Ankerst-Ramseier,

Silvapl

ana

I 993 .

9

fxes

6m

ro

Ae3

c6

rt

0-0

8\c7

12

axhT Abds

follow

12 ...

€xh7.

e.g.

xf7

t4

WhS+

€g8

15

16

Eh7+

€f8

17

gh6

€e8

l8 WxgT

Bxd4+

19 €hl

Ef2

20

trdl

2,cd5

216e4

winning.

13

Axd5

6xd5 14

9"g5

*xh7

15

trxf7

trxf7

16 Ehs+

Sg8

17 9xg6

6r+

tt AxfT+

€rs rs

thzt

Intending

Efl.

19

... Wxd4+

20

Ehr

*xf7

2t

Efl

Wxe5 22

Exf4+

9e8

23

Wg6+

*0t

zt

trer

gas

25 trxe7

1-0

after

7

e5

after

I1...6c7

E

3.

',ru,@

Lffi

,ffiT

'ffi,D.

,ru"%

L

,,M,Aru

after

I9Vh7


24/146

French

Tarrasch:

8

... f6

Shaked-Raptis

'

Los

Angeles-1991

te4e62d4d53ad2hr6les

6raz

s 3.d3

c5

6 c3

Ac6 7

o,e?

guo

s

An

ro

A

common

inaccuracy

which

is

rarely

punished.

Black's

idea

is to

avoid

releasing

the

central

tension

as

occurs

in

the

normal continuation

8 ... cxd4

9

cxd4

f6.

9

exf6

Axf6

l0

0-0

9.d6

If

Black

tries

to transpose

into

the

main

line

with

l0

...

cxd4

then

White

can

play the

surprising

l

l

6exd4

with

pressure

against

e6,

e.g.

I I ...

Ac5

12

b4 Axd4

13

cxd4

0-0

(13

... 6xb4

14

Ebl

Ua0

ts 3.a:

a5

16

Ua4+

gal

n

gxb4+) t4

b5

he7

15

a4

intending

Aa3

which

gives

White

excellent

chances.

ll

dxcS

Axc5

12

b4

9"d6

The speculative

sacrifice

12

...

Axf2+? .

seen

in

Van

Baarle-Van

Rijn,

Dieren

1997,

failed

to a tacti-

cal sequence

after

13 trxf2

Ag4

14

Ded4

6xf215

€xf2

e5 16

6xe5

6xe5

l7 UtrS+

69O

l8

Uxd5 trf8+

19 €gl

Ef7 20

Ag5

9d7

2l

Eel+

&f8224c4

l-0

13 a3

6e5 14

6xe5 9xe5

15

Ae3

tsd8

16

gd4

Shaked

enjoys

a

lead in develop-

ment

which

prompts his opponent

to

take desperate

measures.

16... Axh2+

17

€xh2 694+

l8

*g3

is

egt is

met

by

l8 ...

gh4

but

now Black

has

problems comering

White's

wandering

king.

l8 ...

h5 19

3-96+

*e7

20

f4

e5

2l Ac5+

*e6 22

f5+ €f6

23

wd2

b6

24 Eh4

1-0

Superb

The

king supports

the

threat

of

25

Ug5

mate.

Chasing

the

King 2

j

after

8

...

f6

after

t6

9,d4

,ru,

%

%

6%

'ffii');

,,ffi,a

',L,ffi

A

A

after 24

*h4


25/146

24

Chasing the.

King

King's

Gambit,

Cunningham Defence

Short-Piket

Madrid

1997

I e4

e5 2 f4

exf4

3

aA

9.e7

4

Ac3

Ah4+

5

€e2

This

line

was

popular

over

100

years

ago

but

has

been unfashion-

able ever

since and

is very rarely

seen at

international

level.

5 ... d5

The most

direct,

offering

a pawn

for quicker

development.

Others:

a)

5

... c6

6 d4

d5 7

9.xf4 Ag4 8

Hd: hez

9

93

0,s610

Axb8 trxbS

I

I €f2

9rc

n

exd5 0-0 t3

9g2

cxd5 14

Ehel=

David-Hebden,

Isle

of

Man

1997.

b)

s ...

d6

6 d4 9g4

7

9xf4

0le7

8

gfi

dg6

9

Ae3 0-0 l0

gd2

AxR

ll

gxB

Ae5

12

9xg5

Bxg5+

l3

We3

9xe3+

t/r/z

Olesen-Lukacs,

Budapest

1994.

6

6xd5

af6

7 axf6+

Wxf6

8 d4

gs4

9

Ed2

A clever

improvement

on moves

such

as

9 c3 and

9 e5.

Short intends

to

shelter the

king

Uy €dt-cZ.

9

...

6c6

l0 c3

0-0-0 ? 1l

Bxf4

We612

€e3

95

13

Axg5

9xg5

14

Wxg5

f5

15

h3

A

crucial

move

as 15

gd3

is well

met

by 15 ...

6xd4 16

cxd4 9b6

when

the

onslaught

continues.

15 ...

6xd4 16

cxd4

Exd4

17

hxg4

White

could

even

get

away

with

snatching

the

rook,

e.g. 17

€xd4

Efrxe4+

18

€c3

9e5+

19

&c2

We4+

20

9d3

Wxg2+

2l

3,d2

Vc6+

22

Ac3

winning.

17

... Exe4+

18

€f2 fxg4

19 Eh6

trf8+

20

€gl

Exfl+

2l

€xfl

trel+

22 &n

We2+

23

*gS

gaS+

Za

€xg4l-0

&,lmg

%

%a:%

^,M&'%L

ll

%

%%

A

after

5 *e2

after

9Vd2

after

16 ..trxd4


26/146

French: Classical

Variation

Topalov-Bareev

,

Linares

1994

-

le4e62d4d5

36c3

af64

Ag5.dxe4

Avoiding

the mass

of

theory

asso-

ciated

with

4 ...

gb4

and

4 ... Ae7.

5

6xe4

Ae7 6

Axf6

Axf6 7

c3

haz

s

Ucz

An

old

idea

recommended

bY

the

theory books.

If

Black

castles

next

move,

White

can

build-up

a reason-

able

attack

by

f:1, 0-0-0,

Ad3

and

aR.

8...

e5

Bareev

seizes

the

initiative.

In

the

game Weenink-Maroczy,

Holland

1930, White

gained

the better

end-

ing

after 8

.."

We7 9 0-0-0

0-0

10

f4

c5

tt

94

96

12

95

9g7

13 hR

cxd414

6xd4

e5

15 fte5

Uxe5

16

Ag2

6c5

17

h4

6xe4

18 Wxe4

Wc5 19 Wd5.

9

dxe5

6xe5

l0

f4 696

1l

93

0-0

12

gd3

Eds

White

was

intending

13

0-0-0+:.

13 a3?

13 0,e2 should be considered.

13

...

hxf4

14 hxf6+

14

gxf4

is

bad.

e.g.

14

...

gh4+

15 €fl

(15

€d2

EdS

or

15 €e2

ag4+

16 6r:

rs-+) ls

...

fs

16 aa

fxe4

17

Axe4 th3+

l8

€gl

Wc5+

t9 ad4 Exf4-+.

14

...

gxf6

15

AxhT+

@97

16

9e4 tre8

1z 9xe8

Afs::

In

l9th

century romantic

style,

Black

sheds

another

piece

in

name

of

the

attack.

The

white

queen

will

be diverted

from

its defensive

role.

18

Wxa8

9e4+

19 €f,Z

gg2+

20

*es

Aas+

2l

€d4 Ed2+

The

brilliancy

prize is

assured

22&cS

9e3+ 23 Sc+

6t0+ O-t

Chasing

the King 25

after

8Yc2

after

17

gfs

after

2l

...VaZ+


27/146

26

Chasing

the King

English:

3

...

f5

Seirawan-Browne

Berkley

1979

lc4e526c3Ac63aRf54d4

e4 5 695

h6

6Am

95

Browne

boldly advances

on the

kingside

in an

attempt to

exploit the

time

wasted

by White's

king's

knight.

7R

a) 7

e3

6f0

8

Agt

d6

t

h4

trgS

l0

hxg5

hxg5

ll

R

exB 12

6xR

gd7

13 d5 6e5

t4

3.e2

Ue7

15

6xe5 Uxe5

16

gd4

Eg3+

with

the

initiative,

Lindenmaier-Ikonnikov,

Germany

1995.

q

7

a,gt

af6

8 h4

94

9 e3 6hsr

l0

6ge2

o,e7 tt

€'AZ

$.;sl

12 Eb3

d6 13

6aS

A96:

Polugaevsky

-Seirawan,

Haninge

1990.

7...

exf3

8 exf3

Ag7 9

d5?

9 Ae3

is better.

9... we7+

r0

€d2 ?

This

is quite

ambitious

but under-

standable

in view

l0 We2

Uxe2+ I I

LxeZ

2rd4

when Black's

strong

dark-squared

bishop

gives

him

a

comfortable

ending.

10...

ad4

rr

gd3

€d8

A remarkable

position

has

arisen

with

both

players

having

moved

therr

kings

to

the

d-file.

In Black's

case

it was

to

avoid

the

pin

by

Eel.

Axc4 WcS

15

€d3?

Or 15

b3

Aa6

16

$'xa6

6xe2

17

Sxe2

Eflxc3

l8

trbl

Wa5

19

Ad3

Wxd5T

f5

... Eb8

16

Ae3

9xc4+

17

€xc4

9a6+

f8

ab5

6xb5

0-l

In view

of 19

€d3

ac3+

20

*c2

Exb2*

2l

&xb2

6xdl+

22

*ct

6xe3-+

or 19

6d4

ad4i_ 20

*ca

6e2+

2l €dZ

trxbZ+

22 *et

9c3+

n

*n

AU+

Zq

*gl

Exg2

mate.

after

6 ... g-5

after

ll

..

*aA

%A'ffi

%'ffiL

%

sru_ffi

a

3.

,ru

,N

e

ffi

after

l6

Ae3


28/146

Catalan:

7

E[a4

Korniushin-Kofanov

Novgorod

1997

ld4d52af3e6393at64

.Q"g2

c5 5

0-0 6c6

6

c4

dxc4

7

Va4

The Catalan

has

the reputation

of

being

solid

but

White can

create

complications

with

this

pin on

the

knight.

7

...

S:dl

8

Wxc4

cxd4

9

6xd4

trc8

10 6c3

Ae7

l0

... 6xd4

ll

Wxd4

Ac5

12

Wn+ 9co

13

trdl

9uo

t+

Aco+

20

9g5

orc7

2l

e4

h6 23

gf6

trs8

e7

&xe7

26 Vc4

ic,

Nis

1985.

11

Edr 9u0z:

12

4\xc6

Axc6

13

Ae3

Uxb2?

14

Eabl Ua3

14

...

Vc2t?

gives White fewer

attacking

options

but

this does

not

necessarily

make

Black's

position

any more palatable

after

15

9xc6+

bxc6

(15

...

Exc6?

16

Uxc6+

bxc6

17

Eb8-

-9"d8

l8

Ebxd8+

*e7 19

Ac5 mate)

l6 3"xa7+=.

15

glgf+

Exc6

l5

...

bxc6

l6 ab5

Ea7

17

0)a7+-.

16 Wxc6+

A

worthy finishing touch

to

a

splendid

game.

16

...

bxc6

17

trb8+

gag

rg

Edxd8+

€e7

19 ExhS

Wxc3

20

Eb7+ *d6

The king

is forced

towards

the

centre

of

the

board.

20

... Ad7

can

be

met by

2l Ea8 +-.

2l trd8+

*eS

22

Ad4+

gxd4

23

Exd4

€xd4

24

e3+

l-0

%N-

AK,

Chasing

the King

27

after

I5...Vxc6

L'%

%t.ffi-t

"%'A

i'ffi-

%

after

20

Eb7+


29/146

"ru..-

8,,ruA

A

28

Chasing

the

King

Dutch:

2

94

Movsziszian-Stoll

Bad l{drishofen

1997

I d4 f5 2

g4l?

To

divert

the

Fpawn and take

over

the

centre.

2 ...

fxg4

The

only way

to

test

this

outland-

ish sacrifice

is to

accept it.

In

Herlemann-Sauer,

Baden, 1992, 2 ...

e6

3 gxf5 exf5 4 e4

d5

(4

...

fxe4?

5

Wh5+

96

6 Ue5+ wins) 5 e5 Ae6

6 am

g.e7

7 Egl

€f8

8

6c3

c5

9

afl

Ed7

l0 dxc5 d4

11

Wxd4

was

clearly

good

for

White.

3e4d5

a) 3 ...

e5

4

dxe5

Ac6

5

9xg4

(5

.Af4 ?

ge7

6

2rc3l

maintains

the

tension)

5 ... d6 6 Bg5 Wxg5

7

Axg5

Axe5:

Kozlovskaya-Prudni-

kova,Rjazan

1992.

b) 3

... d6

4

gd3

ac6

s

m af6 6

hxg4

Axg4 7

R

gd7

8 e5

dxe5

9

trxh7l l-0

Heldele-Fliter,

Deizisau

1998.

4

e5

Af5 5 6e2

gaz

0

Ags

hc6?

Preferable is

6

...

e6.

7c396

7

... 0-0-0 8 h3 h5

(8

...

gxh3?

9

hxt5 Wxf5

10

Axh3+-)

9

6xf5

Wxf5

l0

gil

gA

ll WxB

gxlF-

12

gf5-+

gb8

13

adz allows White to

regain

his

pawn

with a superior

ending.

8

h3

gxh3

9

6xf5

gxfs

r0

ad2

3"h6 lr

9xh3 Axd2+ 12

*xd2

Wxf2+

13

gd3

Hg3+

14

9e3

Though

White's

king is exposed

Black's

attack is

too lightweight.

14

...

6xe5+ 15 dxeS

Uxe5 16

Ba4+ €f7

16... c6

t7

gf4+.

17

Eafl+

Ar0

rs trxf6+

Wxf6

19

trfl 1-0

after

2

94

after

7

c3

A

g

.,ML

a%%

%tT-g

ll

after 14

ilej


30/146

Bishop's

Opening:

2 ... d6

Krakops-Meijers

Riga 1998

le4e52A.c4

As

early

as

move

two

White can

dictate

the style

of

play. White

now

has

options

of

transposing

to

other

lines,

according

to

how

Black

re-

sponds.

Another bonus

is

that,

un-

like

the

move-order

2

aR

6c6

3

9c4,

this system

avoids

the

need

to

learn how

to

combat

the Petroff.

2 ... d6

After

2

..

af6

I can

personally

recommend

3 d3.

a)

3

... c6

4 AR d5 5

g"b3 g'd6

(5

...

dxe4 6

Ag5 +:) 6

o,c3 €.e6

7

ag5

wa5

8

0-0 abdT 9

Eel

0-0-0

l0

d4

exd4 11

6xd4

gg4

12 Wd2

dxe4

13 6xe4 fuci

14 Ad6+

Sb8

15

6xf/

h6

16

g?t

l-0

Lane-

Pergerrcht,

Brussels 1990.

b)

3 ... 2,c6

46R Ac5 5

c3 d6

6

0-0 0-0 7

g,b3

a6 8

abd2

3"a7

t h3

h6

l0

trel

6ns

il afl

wf6

12

Ae3 9e6

13 AxaT

ExaT 14

0,e3

6tq ts

€h2

Eaa8 16

69l

95

17

trfl tradS

18

93

696

19 Eh5

€h7

20

aR

Axb3

2l axb3 EhS

22

ads

Wg7 23 6xg5+

&g8 24

6n t-o

Lane-Timmernans,

Amsterdam

l

998.

3

d4 exd4

4 c3

dxc3?

Allowing

White to develop

quick-

ly.

4

... 6f6

is

better.

5

6xc3

a,at

e

aR

ab6

7

gb3

Ae7

8

at

olte

9

a5

abdT 10

AxfT+

Devastating

Black's

position.

l0 ... €xf7

1r Ag5+

€96

I I ... €e8/€g8

12 Wb3+ wins.

t2

f4

Simple but effective.

12 ...

6e5

13

f5+

9xf5

14 exfS+

*xf5 15 Wc2+ 1-0

Chasing

the King

29

after 2 9c4

after 9 6bd7

8'T

"ruw

I

A

T

,

,ffia

after l2

f4


31/146

L%L,,ruL,,ru

%%%

DryAru.'ffi-

30 Chasing the King

Sicilian

Four Knights: 4 3-b5

Romero

Holmes-Soto Perez

Malaga

1998

le4c52aflaf63Aca

Avoiding the

complications

of 3

eS

hdS 4 6c3

e6 5

6e4

f5.

3

...6c6 4 Ab5

This

is

a

good

way

to continue

against a

player

waiting

to

transpose

to the Sveshnikov system after

4

d4

cxd4

5

6xd4

e5.

The

game position

can also arise

after

I e4

c5 2

o,c3

Ac6

3 Af3 6c0 4

gbs.

4...4d4

To avoid White's

capture

on c6,

doubling the

pawns.

5

e5

6xb5

6

6xb5

6as z

6gs

h6?

A typical

mistake inviting

a king

hunt.

Though

older sources

assume

the position

is

roughly

equal, recent

developments

put

White on

top,

e.g.

at 7

...a,c7

a

Wns

go

9

gR

f5

l0

exf6

d6

11

6xc7+

WxcT 12

0-0

gh6

13

d4

Axg5 14 9xg5 h6 15

Ah4

Wc6

16

ft+ €fS

tZ

AxeT+

l-0 Yakovich-Reinderman,

Leeu-

warden

1994.

b) 7

...

e6 8

he+ Bh+

9

ER

fs lo

exf6

gxf6

l1

93

l-0

Kovalev-Klees-

chaetzky,

Berlin 1994.

8 6xf7 *xf7 9

Bf3+ €etr to

cl

6uo

10

...

ab4 I a3 6c2+

12

*dl

6xal

13

g4r.

and 14

gf5

decides.

ll d4

d5

I

I

...

d6

is

not

much

of

an

im-

provement

after

12

d5+

fl*65

1r,

...

€d7

13 e6+

*e8

14

gf7

mate) 13

cxd5+

€xe5

14 b4

and the

queen's

bishop will

stylishly

deliver

mate.

12

dxcs

6xc4

13

ad4+

&d7

t4

e6+

€c7

15

gf4+

l-0

%gw@"ru

'tr

L'%, L'4ru,L"&

t

after

4 A.b5

cfier

7

... h6

I

a

A

A

tr

after I

I

d4


32/146

Sicilian

Dragon:

Yugoslav Attack

Ziatdinov-Sehner

Dieren

1990

1e4c52aRd63d4cxd44

Axa+

Aro 5

6c3

96

6

Ae3 9g7

7

R

6c6 S

gd2

0-0 9 0-0-0

The

Yugoslav

Attack

is

White's

main

weapon against

the Dragon.

9...6xd4

10 9xd4

ge6

ll

ads

Avoiding

the

theoretical

l

l

Ebl.

l1

...9xd5

White has all

the fun

after

ll ...

dxd5 12

exd5

3"d7

13 AxgT €xg7

t4 h4.

12 exd5

a6?

There is

no time

to

waste

in such

a cut-throat

line.

Other

possibilities:

a)

12

...9c7

13

€bl

(the

direct

attack

with

13

h4

has

a

big draw-

back

after 13

... Efc8

14

h5 th6 -+)

13 ... trfcS

14

c3

9a5 15 c4 9xd2

16 trxd2

Aal n 9e2+:

Dvoirys-

Stisis, Gronin

gen

1994.

b)

t2

...6a2

t:

9xg7

&xg7 t4

h4 af6

15 h5 Ec8 16

hxg6 fxg617

94

trc5

18

gh6+

€g8

19

95

Uc7

(19

..4h5

20

trxh5

gxh5

2l

96+-)

20

.Q.h3

Exc2+

21

€bl

tre2

22

Ae6+

Exe6 23

gxf6

exf6

24 dxe6

l-0

Luther-Danner.

Budapest

1991

13

h4

Uc7

14

h5 Eac8 f5

gd3

6xd5

After 15 ... 6xh5 16 9-xg7

*xg7

t7

s4

aif6 l8

gh6+

€g8

19

95

ah5 20 Exh5

wins.

16

9xg7

*xg7

17

hxg6 hxg6

18

9e+

Auo 19 Vh6+ €ro zo trtrst

Cutting

offthe

king's

escape.

20... e6

Or 20

... e5 21 9g5+ *e6

22

9xg6

fxg6 23 Vxg6+ Ef6 24

WE4+

*e'7 25

Eh7+ wins.

219g5+

*g7

22 Eh7+ l-0

Black is

mated

after

22 ...

*xh7

23 Wt6 followed by

trhl-h8.

,,m,

%

tr

Chasing

the King

j

I

after

9

0-0-0

after

I I

0,d5

after 20

Eh5


33/146

AAAA

32

Chusing

the

King

Dutch:2

6c3

Ed.Lasker-Thomas

London

l9l

2

ld4f526c3Drclajneet

3"g5 9e7 5

9xf6 9xf6

6 e4 fxe4

7

6xe4 b6

Or

7

...

d5 8 6xf6+

9xf6

9

c3

ad7

10

gd2

o-o

I

l We3

gtro

tz

Wxh6

gxh6

13 9'.e2 a6 14 0-0 c5 15

Efel

b6 16

gd3

Ef6

17

tre3

tra7

18

93

trc7

19

Eael

trn

20

ah4

af8 2l

f4, Korchnoi-Meulders,

Brussels 1987,

with

a better ending.

8 heS

The

preference

nowadays

is

for

the less

committal

attacking build-

up

by 8

Ad3. For

instance: 8 ...

gb7

9

We2 We7 l0 0-0-0

Ac6 ll

c3

0-0-0 12 9a6

96

13

trhel EhfS

14

gb5 Axa6

15

Wxa6+

€b8

16

d5

2ia5 17

d6

cxd6

l8

hxd6 €a8 19

b4 trb8 20

bxa5 bxa5 219xa5 trb6

22 Ba3 trc8

23

WxaT+

l-0

Bisguier-Burtman,

USA

1995.

8

...

0-0

e

ad3

9uz ro wns

Be7?

l0 ..

9xe5

gives

Black a reason-

able

game

but he assumes

that

I

I

6xf6+

gxf6

will

allow

the

queen

to

guard

h7.

Sir

George Thomas' tal-

ents extended

also

to the

tennis

court

where he

reached the

last eight

at

Wimbledon.

Then, in

1923,

he

achieved the

distinction

of

becom-

ing

British

Champion at both bad-

minton

and chess. Remarkable.

but

such is

chess

trivia

that he is

prob-

ably

best remembered

for

allowing

the following

combination

ll Bxh7+ &xh7

12 axf6+ €h6

12 ...

*h8 l3 hg6

mate.

13 Aeg4+

€g5 14 h4+

gf4

Black

has

no

choice.

15

93+

*R

f6

g'e2+

&g2

11

EtrZ+ Sgf 18

€d2

mate.

g

after 4

9g5

after

10...Ve7

A:ruiW

'ry,

T-

%Lffi_

%%%

A Ag

after 18

*d2 mate


34/146

Conclusion

This

feast of

glorious king-hunts

should be

an

inspiration

to

everyone.

Some

'openings

offer

more

chances

of

creating

a

strong attack

than

others.

In

the Dragon

Sicilian

game, Ziatdinov-Sehner,

it

was

all

down

to the

player landing

the first

punch

that

determined

whether

it

was

the white

or black

king

that

had

to walk

the

plank.

Nevertheless,

opportunities

for

attack arise

in all openings,

even

the

solid

French Defence

which,

in

Topalov-Bareev.

served

as a spring-

board

for

a

vicious

assault

with

a

clever

mating net-all

arising from

Black's

better

development.

At the

very start of

the

game

the

weakest

point

in

Black's

position

is

the

f7

pawn.

defended

only by

the

king. This

was emphasised

in

Krakops-Meijers

where

White

pro-

spered by

an initial

sacrifice

on f7

to

oust the

king

from

its

camp.

Chasing

the

King

3

j

The

Art

of

Attack

I

You

often need

to

sacrifice

to

expose

the

enemy

king to

attack.

2Back

up

your

attack

with

major

pieces.

Short-Piket

shows

that

even

if a king

occupies a central square

the attacker cannot

break

through

without the strong

initiative

gener-

ated

by heavy

fire-power.

3

When

chasing

the

king

try

to

short-cut

the

calculation

of myriads

of variations

by

giving

priority to

forcing moves

such as checks

and

captures.

Also

look

for

ways

to cut

offthe

king's escape and

then

go

for

checkmate.

The Art of

Defence

I In

the

opening

try

to

castle

early

so

your

king is not easily

attacked.

2

Do

not

be

tempted by

gain

of

material if

this leaves

your

pieces

sitting on

their

original

squares.

This happened

in the

game

Movsziszian-Stoll

where, as

a

result,

the

king

came

under

a

devastating

attack.

3 Stay alert at all

times. In Kor-

niushin-Kofanov

White even

gave

up his

queen

to

chase

the king and

mate it with

minor

pieces.


35/146

3 Attacking the

King

in the

Centre

The three golden

rules

of

the

opening are

to

develop

your

pieces,

control

the

centre and safeguard

your

king

by

castling. However,

rules are made

to

be

broken

and

sheltering

the

king at an

early

stage

is

often

forgotten

in

this modern

era

of

razor-sharp

opening theory.

Such

neglect of

king

safety

can

occur for various reasons.

For

in-

stance through fear

of

opposite-side

castling, as

in

the

game

Seirawan-

Ivanchuk where the threat

of

an

attack

on the

kingside deters Black

from

castling.

White's

reaction is

to

open

the

centre to

get

at

the

king,

even

though

he

is

not

yet

castled

hrmself' Indeed.

castling is not es-

sential before launching

an attack,

especially

if

the

co-ordination

of

the

attacker's

pieces is superior.

A

player

who

sticks

faithfully to

pet

lines can soon

get

into

trouble

if

these

opening variations

run counter

to

basic

chess

principles,

as in the

game

WolfFWall

where

Black vol-

untarily weakens

his

own

position

and the

opponent's

pieces

come

flooding in

after a single sacrifice.

The

attacking player

will

do

all

he

can

to

stop the

opposing king seek-

ing

shelter.

This

can be

done

by

sacrificing

or even subtle manoeuvr-

ing,

as in Liardet-Kogan. The

art of

successfully attacking

a king in

the

centre

lies in

judging

the right

mo-

ment

to

launch the

assault.

All the

games

in this

chapter have

the

common theme of creating

and

maintaining

the initiative.

The

odd

pawn

is dropped here

and

there

but

a

pattern

soon

emerges

of superior

development

making

its

presence

felt.

Indeed the

defender may fall

further

behind

in

development as

repeated

threats must

be fended

off,

giving

little

or no

time

for mobilisa-

tion

of

barracked forces.

Therefore,

it

is worth

remember-

ing the importance

of

the

co-ordina-

tion

of

your

pieces.

An

advantage

in

space

may not

be

very significant

if

your pieces

lack

harmony.

On the

other hand,

in Schmaltz-Karpatchev

Black has

all

the

trumps-full

and

harmonious

co-operation of

his

pieces,

a

space

advantage and tacti-

cal

threats

directed

against the

white

king

stuck

in

the

centre.

Basically,

a

king

left

in

the centre

is bad

for

three reasons:

I

It

undermines

the

activity

of

the

pieces

because of the

difficulty of

getting

the

rooks

into

play.

This

al-

lows

the opponent to

take a lead in

development.

2

It

is

not

safe.

In

particular

the

{21f7

pawn

is vulnerable

because it

is

only

defended

by

the

king.

3

It

is easier for the

opponent

to

create

direct

attacks against the

king

when the centre is

open.


36/146

Dutch Defence:

3 Ag5

Atalik-Thang Trang

Budapest

1998

-

rd4f52af3af639g5de44

gf4

d6 5

abd2 6xd2 6

9xd2

e6

7

e4l

With

this

enterprising

sacrifice,

the

Turkish

grandmaster follows

one of

the key

principles of

attack-

ing

an

uncastled king----open

lines

in

the centre

7

...

fxef

S 695

d5

9

f3 exf3

10

AaS

rxgZ lI

Uxg2

This

case is an

victory in the opening!

Documents