Tài liệu Decision-Making at the chessboard-Eingorn pptx

the game ends in a win for White the game ends in a draw the game ends in a win for Black e.g.. The winner, by the way, an- notated the game on something like the following lines: after

Copyright © Viacheslav Eingorn 2003

English translation © John Sugden 2003

The right of Viacheslav Eingorn to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent pur- chaser

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the game ends in a win for White

the game ends in a draw

the game ends in a win for Black

(e.g.) shows the result and number of moves

see next diagram

1 Individuality and Style

A large body of knowledge and tech-

nique is familiar to us from chess

theory and practice, and is wholly: in-

dispensable; yet its function tends to be

an auxiliary one To decide on a line of

play in a position which remains fluid

in character, you can’t make do with

just applying stereotyped precepts;

there will always be opponents who

can use them just as well as you A

player’s style is nothing other than a

policy for action, with the aid of which

he solves this type of problem It all

starts from the very first moves of the

game, when you choose not so much a

specific system as a general direction

for the play This is where the basis for

the future conflict is laid To begin

with, the situation that develops is-one

which neither player objects to Af-

terwards each of them erects his own

logical structure using the building

materials of chess thought The more

skilful architect achieves his end

Naturally then, we attach a particu-

lar interest to duels in which it is not

only the chessmen that are in conflict,

but also the totally different opinions

of the players on the very question of

how chess ought to be played While

examining games like this, I advise

that you do not take any side in ad-

vance, but instead try to understand

why the-winner achieves victory

Réti — Alekhine

Baden-Baden 1925

1 g3 e5 2 Df3 e4 3 Dd4 d5 There isn’t much point in White trying to copy one of Black’s opening schemes, because, generally speaking, such set-ups are devised for defensive rather than aggressive purposes That

is one of Réti’s own arguments, and in fact in the present game the formal sim- ilarity with Alekhine’s Defence soon disappears Alekhine himself proposed

the concrete variation 3 c5 4 @b3 c4

5 Dd4 &c5 6 €3(?) by way of refuting

his opponent’s idea Of course, 6.c3 in this line is considerably stronger for White

4 d3 exd3 5 Wxd3!? (D)

The capture with the queen gives the position an unusual character The c-pawn stays where it is for now, ready

to strike a new counter-blow against

the centre at 4 later moment Instead, 5 cxd3 could lead to.a standard position with colours reversed, though it must

be said that in 1925 that position too would have been fairly original

5 A6 6 2.22 Rb4+

This check and the exchange of dark-squared bishops are rather in White’s favour, as his development is furthered

7 RA2 âxd2+ 8 2xd2 0-0 9 cá

White has realized his strategic aim,

but has no advantage as yet

9 2a6 10 cxd5 2)b4?!

Alekhine considered that bringing

his knight from b8 to d5 was the best

solution In reality this manoeuvre is

none too effective, since owing to the

constant threat of White playing e4,

the knight always has to be thinking

about retreat The simple 10 2xd5 is

more suited to maintaining a roughly

equal position

11 Wed Abxd5 12 A2b3 c6 13 0-0

Me8 14 Xfd1

In Tepponen-Rasanen, correspon-

dence game 1962, in which the moves

of the classic masters were repeated up

to this point, White continued with the

forthright 14 e4!? Abé6 (or 14 Axe4

15 Axc6 bxc6 16 Rxe4 Whé6 17 fel)

15 Wc2 2e6 16 Axe6 Exe6 17 Had]

with a clear plus Réti bypasses this

possibility

14 224

This attempt at creating counter-

play is open to serious doubts Pos-

sessing virtually no strongpoints in the

centre, Black has to use pieces in place

of pawns After 15 h3 S2h5 and then ', # g6, he wants to take control of e4,

but White’s chances are better even

so (16 25) Objectively 14 Wbó, curbing White’s initiative, is stronger

By playing that way, however, Black would hardly have been able to achieve

a beautiful finish, or (even more im-

portant) to win the game at all

15 342 Wc8 16 2\c5 Rh3 17 Âf3 Taking on b7 is impossible: 17

Rxh3 Wxh3 18 Axb7 Ag obviously

leads to disaster for White The pres- ence of his bishop is very important to White, and in order to preserve it he will eventually be forced to withdraw

it to hl — if he wishes to avoid an im- mediate draw

and for solving Black’s future defen-

sive problems First and foremost, the

ensuing pawn exchange is intended

to weaken the white king’s position After this, Black will have scope for

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 7

his own tactical undertakings, while

White’s possible activities will lose

much of their impetus Now or next

move, therefore, it was worth thinking

about countering with h4 As for

White’s overall strategic plan, he can

advance either on the queenside or in

the centre — although just at the mo-

ment 21 e4 looks premature in view of

the retort 21 b6

21 b4 a6 22 Äc1

Play in the centre (that is, 22 e4

now) would: have been much more

effective than White’s planned pawn

advance with a4 and b5 As a conse-

quence of opting for a flank attack,

White is generally reluctant to ob-

struct the long h1-a8 diagonal Hence

he unintentionally guarantees the se-

curity of the black knight on dS, which

continues to play an important role as

the central vanguard of its entire army

Black is preparing to bring off an un-

expected counterstroke with the aid of

this knight

22 h4 23 a4 hxg3 24 hxg3 Wc725

b5?!

Consistent play, and precisely what

Black expected In the event of 25 a5,

with the idea of playing 26 e4 after all,

it would be up to Black to demon-

strate that his pieces are deployed in a

sensible way He wouldn’t want to

withdraw his knight to e7, while an in-

vasion on e3 in these circumstances

would simply fail in its aim However,

it is understandable that 25.a5 and 25

e4 (the latter looks weaker in view of

25 4\b6 and 26 2bd7) don’t gener-

ally figure in White’s plans If his mi-

nority attack works, it could logically

culminate in the win of the c6-pawn and an endgame with ‘three against two’ (taking into account the result of

Black’s :.h5-h4xg3) But it doesn’t

come to that, since factors of a more urgent nature now intervene

25 axb5 26 axb5 Xe3! (D)

volved in complexities such as 27 $@h2

Zaa3 28 Ach3 We5 29 bxc6 bxc6 (a

variation indicated by Alekhine), and

starts thinking only about safety and maintaining the balance — but the line

he chooses is unsuitable With the same end in view, it would be interest- ing to examine 27 Hd3!? Mxe2 (not 21 Âxe2 28 Ø\xe2 Äxe2 29 Äxd5), and now White can simply play 28

bxc6 bxc6 29 Dxc6 Wxc6 30 Rxd5 (30 Äxd5 is weaker: 30 Xae8 31 e5

Wxhi+ 32 $&xhi Ä8xe5) 30 2xd5

31 Wxđ5; alternatively he could try his hand at combinations, for instance 28

&\xb7 Wxb7 29 Axe2 2xe2 30 bxc6 In

either case, the expected result would

Wa ⁄

TP 2

oo eos

This fresh surprise settles the out-

come of the fight

32 He4 Axf2 33 Re2 Res!

Not slackening the pace of the con-

test Black now wins by force

34 Hec2 Agd+ 35 Gh3 DeS+ 36

This game is well known as one of

Alekhine’s best achievements His tac-

tics are remarkable, but his strategy

occupies a worthy second place; it was

Réti’s play that determined the unfold-

ing of events and the evaluation of the

position The winner, by the way, an-

notated the game on something like

the following lines: after the opening

White developed some pressure on the

c-file; then with 20 h5 Black started

an interesting counter-attack — and with 26 %e3 he obtained the advan-

tage Apart from the overbearing self-

assurance of a famous world champion,

this commentary also shows a certain

limitation of thought belonging to a chess-player with a pronounced indi- viduality Like it or not, a style of play reveals itself no less in its shortcom- | ings than in its merits

Petrosian — Bannik

USSR Ch, Riga 1958

1 c4 e5 2 Dc3 Dc 3 Df3 Df6 4 g3 dé

5 d4 g6 Just one mistake like this can be

enough to lose the game

6 dxe5 ZxeS 7 Axe5 dxeS 8

Wxd8+ &xd8 9 2g5 Le7 10 0-0-0+ 4d7 (D)

X tế 7 ÄkLXA£

White now has to decide on his fur-

ther course of action while Black strug- gles to cope with the consequences of

his 5th move Considering the position

of the black king, White could bring

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 9

about a clash of pawns in the centre

with 11 &xe7+ (11 &h6 RB 12 RxfB

Zxf8 13 £h3 fails to attain its end af-

ter 13 c6 14 De4 Bc7 15 Dd6 £5)

11 dxe7 12 Dd5+ Sd8 13 2h3 £5

14 e4 c6 Now 15 Be3 achieves noth-

ing, but after 15 2c3 Zf8 Black’s

position is dubious, even though he

still has defensive resources: 16 £4!?

exf4(!) 17 exf5 gxf5, or 16 exf5S gxf5

17 £3!? (17 2d6 is playable) 17 4c7

18 Rhel bó

The question as to what White

should do with his lead in develop-

ment in the diagram position depends

very much on a chess-player’s tastes

Instead of variations with a tactical

tendency, Petrosian pursues a quiet po-

sitional agenda His pressure steadily

increases — and yet you would hardly

expect simple methods alone to bring

decisive results

11 h4 f6 12 âe3

Here again an alternative is 12 &h6

c6 13 h5 (if 13 He4 $%c7 14 Kh3, then

14 8\c5 15 #xc5 Âxc5 16 Âg7 e8)

The threat of an attack from the flank

(or 15 4°c7) 16 Âg2(1) 2\c5 17 Hed

đd) 13 %e8 14 Âe3 g5 looks best,

although the new position of the black

king has its drawbacks

12 c6 13 hŠ g5

This is an obvious achievement for

White, but not enough to make him

completely happy

14 2h3 Gc7 15 Des Db6

Connecting the rooks is essential, although the knight occupies a bad square in order to do it Another risky

line is 15 £8 16 &xc8 Hxc8 17 Rxa7

(White can also consider 17 Xd3!? or

17 âc5!?) 17 a8 18 &c5 Âxc5 19

ØÀxc5 Äxa2 Stopping White's offen-

sive presents an insoluble problem; on

15 ke8, White has 16 cS £8 (or

16 66 17 Bd6) 17 Dd6 Rxd6 18 cxd6+ Gd8 19 d7! &xd7 (19 Axd7

is wholly bad) 20 Bxd7+ @xd7 21 Äd1 Xe? 22 Âc5 g4 23 &xg4!? (23

 xe7+ $xe7 24 Âxg4 also gives an obvious advantage) 23 Eg7 24 Re6,

with a very strong attack for the sacri-

ficed exchange

16 &xc8 Haxc8 (D)

ix 2s aie ek

„NẠP NI

Zi +

Vi

Ae 7 aoe

17 b3(?)

In his annotations Petrosian explains

why he refrained from playing &.xb6+:

“After a possible exchange of rooks on the d-file Black could bring his king to

e6, cover his vulnerable points, and set

up an impregnable position.” That all sounds rather abstract, so let us exam-

ine a plausible variation: 17 &xb6+

axb6 (if 17 2xb6, then 18 Rd7) 18 g4

Zhd8 (or 18 2a8 19 Hb1 Rad 20 b3

a5 21 Xh3) 19 c2 Ñxd1 20 Xxd1

d8? 21 Bxd8 Sxd8 22 $%d3 $d7 23

“c3 Se6 24 Se4 Thanks to the ap-

pearance of an extra ‘weakness on the

queenside, it is difficult for Black to

hold the game A sample continuation

would be 24 b4 25 Dd1 Re7 26 a3

&d6 27 b4 Re7 28 Ab2 4 dó 29 2X13

Re7 (or 29 Rf8 30 a4 Re7 31 b5

 d8 32 e3) 30 a4 Âdó 31 b5 Âe7 Gf

31 %a3, then 32 e3, while 31 2c7

is met by 32 bxc6 bxc6 33 Ab4) 32

bxc6 bxc6 33 c5 Â d8 (or 33 bxc5 34

4b2) 34 cxb6 Âxb6 35 e3

Now let us suppose that Black had

played 17 xb6 and White had re-

plied 18 24 Xcd§ 19 Sc2 &c7 20 Sc3

Exdi 21 JXxdi Xd§?! 22 Äxd§ &xd8

23 c5 Sd7 24 Sc4 Heb 25 Dp3 Even

though there are no doubled pawns

this time, the defence is still not easy

The best move is 25 a5(!), whereas

after 25 &ƒ8 26 b4 Re7 27 a4 a6 28

a5 £8 29 AS Re7 30 Sd3 VFB 31

Bed Re7 32 h6 White is likely to win;

e.g., 32 R£8 33 Ag7+ Rxg7 34 hxg7

$f? 35 $&f5 Sxg7 36 Ye6 In any

event Black’s position is far from im-

pregnable On the other hand, he has

no reason whatever to exchange off

all the rooks voluntarily; during the

game, White probably didn’t even se-

riously consider 17 &xb6+

White wishes to exploit Black’s

kingside weaknesses, and to this end

he ought to remove their principal

defender ~— the e7-bishop However,

when such simple logical reasoning

suggests a manoeuvre like Sc5, the

issue tends to be confused by formal considerations about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bishops Repudiating the baneful in- fluence of terminology, we should ob- serve that in principle a piece fulfilling

a useful function cannot be bad An exchange of bishop for knight would merely consolidate White's advantage,

whereas what he wants to do is in-

crease it There was an opportunity to

do so at once with 17 &c5(!) (D)

4e4), when White plays 19 b3, or simply 19 Hd2 to seize the open d-file

Then after 19 e4 20 d4 Be5 21 b4 the character of the combat changes,

but White is perfectly happy with it - the clearly superior placing of his pieces will now be the key factor

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE Il

Having said ail this, we will return

to the game continuation (17 b3) By

simply guarding his attacked c4-pawn,

Petrosian once again shies away from

immediate decisive action, giving his

opponent a much-needed respite

17 2cd8?

Black in turn should have moved his

knight back to d7 at once, so that the

approaches to his position would be

guarded again The resulting situation,

though unpleasant, would still have

offered defensive chances His strate-

gic error does irreparable damage

18 &c5 Zxd1+

The attempt to sacrilice a pawn

with 18 &xc5 19 Axc5 Hhe8 20

Exd8 Sxd8 21 Axb7+ c7 22 Dc5 e4

would not alter matters, since White

could bring about a simple transposi-

tion with 21 Rdi+

19 Zxd1 &xc5 20 AxcS Re8 21

Bed

White could also play 21 g4 at

once, saving a tempo But by this time

he has no need to hurry, so this detail

hardly matters

21 Me6 22 g4 a5

The continuation 22 2Àc8 23 c5

(and if 23 2e7?, then 24 2d6) would

make a comical impression

The position has now been stabi-

lized All White’s pieces are better

placed, and moreover can keep on im-

proving their positions without hin-

drance Hence Black’s defence, though

at present still sturdy, lacks any long-

term prospects The only advice he can

be given is to try to avoid new weak-

nesses The pawn move he has just

made would have been better omitted

It’s now a mere matter of technique

to convert White’s advantage into a win

27 Sc3 Se7 28 Rd3 Xc6 29 Äd5

ne 30 Dg3 Deb 31 Df5+ Le8 32 e3 c7

With the more stubborn 32 2d8 followed by .Af7, Black could have

held out a little longer

33 Rdl Deb 34 Hd3 Hc7 35 des

Äcó 36 2\d6+

A rook exchange by 36 d6 would

have finished the game quickly 36 e7 37 DfS+ Se8 38 DAd6+ de7 39 AlS+ He8 40 a4?! Da8 White’s following manoeuvres are basically aimed at restoring the posi- tion after the 35th move This isn’t all that complicated a task; it just takes a little time

41 Dh6 Deb 42 Ags Afs 43 Bd2 SET 44 Dh6+ Se8 45 DFS Deb (D) The goal is achieved In the knight

endgame Black soon finds himself in

zugzwang

and White won (1-0, 61)

Careful study of the legacy of dis-

tinguished masters from the past is

very useful for an understanding of

what we can or cannot do ourselves

There is a story that when Petrosian

was asked how he managed to beat

relatively weak opponents with no

particular trouble, he replied that he

would arrange his own position and

then wait for them to start playing in

‘Chigorin style’ In such patent disdain

for the active tactical approach, an en-

tire chess philosophy is expressed On

somewhat similar lines, an adherent of

the combinative style might say: ‘I

start an attack and wait for them to let

me strike But then, differences of

outlook in chess are not just a matter

of strategy as opposed to tactics; they

are determined by plenty of other fac-

tors too This is only natural — after all,

in the words of Kozma Prutkov, every

good tailor has his own view of art As

an example, let us see what different grandmasters think about the position arising from the following theoretical variation:

1 e4 e5 2 AL3 £53 DxeS Wis 4 d4 d6 5 2\c4 fxe4 (D)

ae lm Ar AB A 26W siE

rest of the world should play 6 23, I still consider 6 Ae3 to be the best con-

tinuation, having regard to the require- ments of my system.”

6 c6 7 &c4! d5 8 2b3 Reb 9 c4 WE7 10 We2 Afé 11 0-0 Rb4 12 2d2 âxd2 13 2xd2 0-0 14 f4

with a clear advantage to White

(1-0, 27).

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 13

Bronstein — Mikenas

USSR Ch semi-final, Rostov 1941

And here are Bronstein’s comments:

6 Re2!

“The value of this game resides in

one sole move, namely 6 Re2 This

novelty refutes not just a particular

variation but an entire complex of

variations united by a general idea.”

The two grandmasters (Bronstein’s

commentary was, written in 1969) are

assessing the opening position in its

full context, and they approach this

task in different ways For Nimzo-

witsch, after 6 4e3, Black’s possible

counter-measures are not of fundamen-

tal significance — his ‘system’ should

work in any eventuality Bronstein

sees the general idea of Black’s set-up

in the specific manoeuvre .Wg6, and

thinks that White’s best strategy is to

prevent this In other words, Nimzo-

witsch at this moment is thinking

rather about the formation of his own

position, while the opponent’s posi-

tion is what Bronstein is concentrating

on In addition, no small role is played

by the two grandmasters’ aesthetic im-

pressions of what is taking place One

of them likes blockading; the variation

6 4c2 Wg6?? 7 &h5! appeals to the

other

As to the opening they are com-

menting on, a book by Tony Kosten

appeared just recently with an intrigu- ing title: The Latvian Gambit Lives} This involuntarily calls to mind a fur- ther historical parallel: Rudolf Spiel- manh’s article ‘From the Sick-bed of the King’s Gambit’ The analogy may

or may not be fortuitous, but the liter- ary titles are above all distinguished by: their emotional colouring, while the two openings differ only in the placing of one knight

At the chessboard itself, two play- ers may also follow an almost identi- cal train of thought

- Đorfman ~ Dvoretsky Vilnius 1978

1 d4 Df6 2 Af3 e6 3 c4 Rb4+ 4 Rd2 Rxd2+ 5 Wxd2 d6 (D)

to suit the position better Arranging the pawns on dark squares is more log- ical in the variations with 4 a5 or

4 We7 It is less good following the

immediate exchange of bishops, as

Black will have great difficulty exert-

ing enough pressure on the white cen-

tre:

6 2c3 0-07 g3 W7 8 â g2 e5 9 0-0

Ze8 10 e4 a5

At this point 10 2g4, trying to hit

the d4-point after all, must be consid-

ered the main line If then 11 Del Ac6

12 4c2 &xd4, Black has somewhat

simplified the position without losing

any time This is a modest achieve-

ment in terms of modern attitudes to-

wards the opening, but in the present

case it is acceptable, as there are no

other possibilities of active play

11 h3 c6 12 fel Da6 13 Radi

We7

The next few moves demonstrate

the basic difference between the situa-

tions of the two players White has an

obvious spatial advantage and pro-

ceeds calmly and unhurriedly, whereas

for Black, the question of what to do

next is gradually becoming a serious

headache

14 h2 Ze6

An interesting picture: the bishop

teases the d-pawn but is unable to

make it advance further After the more

natural 14 2d7, Black would need to

keep a watchful eye on the threat of a

breakthrough with c5 Surrendering the

centre in King’s Indian style ( exd4,

2\c5, .Wb6) gives no counterplay

in the absence of a bishop on g7, and

looks like a positional concession to

the opponent Eventually this course

of action may be forced, but for the

moment Black tries to avoid it

15 b3 Zad8

Both sides have completed the mo- bilization of their forces There is no way for Black to improve his position

by farther regrouping White, on the other hand, still has various possibili-

ties for manoeuvre (for instance, Wb2,

d2, Med1) There is no need at all for

him to hurry, yet he prefers to go

ahead at once with active operations of

a more specific kind

stead of trying to ease his defence to a

large extent by exchanging queens (16 Wb6 17 f4 Wxd4 18 Wxd4 exd4

19 Äxd4 ẲẰf8), Black wants to oppose

White’s intentions head-on To this end he prepares a knight manoeuvre

to the edge of the board, mirroring White’s last move Since, however, the

immediate 16 2h5 is bad due to 17

f4 exf4 18 gxf4 d5 19 e5 We7 20 Wf2,

he finds a way to improve this idea with the aid of a small diversion on the

other flank.

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 15

16 Db4

_ The logical way to parry the new

threat of 17 exd4 is 17 e2 (if 17 Sf,

then 17 exd4 18 Wxd4 d5), upon

which Black should continue 17 2\h5

Then in the variation 18 f4 exf4 19

gxf4 d5 20 e5 We7, White no longer

has Wf2 available On 18 #f3 the

knight goes back again, while against

other replies Black can strengthen his

position with .g6 and .f6 Such is

Dvoretsky’s reasoning, and it meets

with full comprehension on the part of

his opponent In his notes in Informa-

tor (26/603), Dorfman gives 16 2b4

two whole exclamation marks; in the

game, he selected a most innocuous

reply

17 a3?!

An inadequate reaction to the unex-

pected obstacle in White’s path As al-

ready noted, in a situation like this he

has as much time as he needs Even

with the simple 17 ®f3 he could

preserve an advantage The move he

plays is a different matter entirely;

changes are now inevitable The idea

of Black’s defence is interesting in it-

self; and yet in their approach to this

position, both players are basically

confining themselves to the struggle

‘for’ and ‘against’ the advance f4 If

we return to 17 He2 @h5 and look

aside for a moment, we notice what is

wrong with the placing of the black

knights, which have lost control of the

points c5 and e4 This specific circum-

stance at last gives White sufficient

grounds for playing 18d5(D) _

This decision has something in

common with 17 a3, but with a certain

difference — this time the transforma-

tion of the position favours White Af-

ter 18 Rc8 19 DES Rxf5 (19 g6 20 dxc61?) 20 exf5, or 18 cxd5 19 exd5 Rc8 (19 R2d7 20 Des £5 21 We5 would be worse still) 20 Ae4 £5 21 Af3, his advantage assumes firm po- sitional contours By concentrating

on solving one problem, Black could have been unwittingly creating an- other one for himself - which inciden- tally happens quite often when you are

in the worse position

17 exd4 18 axb4

A slightly better try is 18 De2

(18 đ3 19 axb4 dxe2 20 Äxe2) On

the other hand 18 Abi 2a6 19 Wxd4

a4 20 b4 c5 favours Black Simplifica- tion is not to be avoided, hence both

players lose their interest in carrying

on the dispute

18 dxc3 19 Wxc3 axb4 20 Wxb4 Xe7 21 e5 dxe5 22 Xxd8§+ Wxd8 23

Äxc5 We7

White’s position is still a little more

pleasant, but his outbreak of aggres-

sion has already been successfully ex-

tinguished.

24 f4 Ze§ 25 2f3 h6 26 2)d4 â c§

27 Wc5 Bd8 28 Abs Wh8 29 Ac3

Re6 30 c3 2-12

The unexpected congruence in the

train of thought of both players meant

that a localized conflict was the chief

event in this game In practice, the op-

posite situation comes about much

more often: in their approach to judg-

ing the position and carrying on the

struggle, the players differ so greatly

that two games of chess are being

played on the same board In such

cases, the player capable of thinking

more originally will gain a definite ad-

Vitolin’’s pet line A story by Evelyn

Waugh provides a terminology that

very well suits the present-day state of

chess openings In that terminology,

variations can be classified either as

‘unforgettable’ or as ‘awaiting their

time’ The line chosen here is still in

the latter category

6 2.47 7 We2 We7 8 Re3 Dc 9

0-0-0 a6 10 &xc6 Rxc6 11 Axc6

Wxc6 12 £3 Re7 13 g40-0 14 Sb1 bS

The outcome of the opening is

favourable to Black, but he doesn’t ex-

ploit all the possibilities of his posi-

of lines near the white king In fact, White aims to continue restricting the activity of Black’s pieces as far as he can, while in the meantime advancing his own kingside pawns This strategic idea escapes Black’s attention Having acquired the c4-point for his own use,

he considers 23 a3 24 Hd3 We4 25

c3, but assesses it as unclear and pre- fers a more placid continuation

23 5d8 24 a3 Xac8 25 há

It’s interesting to watch how con- sistently White carries out his plan In

what follows, his pieces (unlike Black’s)

don’t make a single superfluous move 25 Wc4 26 Hd3 d5 27 e5

Having basically failed to compre-

hend White’s 23 b4, Black is faced

with a new surprise Instead of keep- ing up the fight in the centre, White is

S8 RE

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 17

quite happy to close both the d-file and

the al-h8 diagonal Black cannot as-

sess the consequences of the bishop

sacrifice 27 &xb4 28 axb4 Wxb4+

29 £b2 His frame of mind, just as be-

fore, is not suited to taking critical de-

cisions

27 d7 28 Wd2 Edc7 29 Zh2 Web

The queen could have been left

where it was for the moment It wasn’t

threatened with anything, and White

would have had to maintain a careful

eye on its possible movements Black

should have considered 29 2d8 30

Wel (or 30 &b2 Hc6 31 Rd4 Rb6)

30 “có 31 He2 Âbó 32 f4 R6c7

30 Âb2 4d§

Disorderly thinking is more danger-

ous than mere loss of time This move

belongs to the variation in the last note

It was more logical, of course, to com-

plete the queen manoeuvre (30 Wb7)

and then place a rook on c4 before

anything else The bishop would be

transferred to b6 only if need arose

31 hS We8

A further mistake The queen, just

like the bishop, occupies a bad posi-

tion, It is only now that serious worries

begin to arise about the solidity of

Black’s position

32 f4 (D)

32 g6

This shows that Black has already

lost any realistic notion of the danger

He didn’t like to continue 32 2c4

33 fŠ exf5 (33 #xc2 34 Wxc2 Äxc2

35 Äxc2 exf5 {35 Âxg5 36 Xdc3}

36 Jdc3 would be hazardous), even

though after 34 Exd5 Exc2 35 Wxc2

Exc2 36 Mxc2 &xg5 White wouldn’t

ple 33 Wd1 or 33 Rdh3 (not fearing 33 Jxc2 34 Wxc2 Exc2 35 Äxc2

gxh5 36 24), he could start an attack

on the h-file at once Although Black wouldn’t lose out of hand, it’s hard to say how long he would be able to hold out with passive defence along the 7th rank In the actual game this question doesn’t arise, because White doesn’t

think for a moment of abandoning his

former plans With amazing consis- tency of purpose he plays f5, regard- less of the obstacles his opponent has created for him

33 gxf5

In this game Black completely fails

to choose the right moment for captur- ing on c2 At present, to be sure,

33 xc2 is dangerous in view of 34 Wxce2 Bxc2 35 xc2 gxf5 (or 35 exf5

This was Black’s last chance — and

the only good one — to play 35 2xc2

After 36 gxh7+ (or 36 Wh6 Xxh2 37

gxh7+ @h8 38 Wxh2 2c7) 36 eh8

37 Wxc2 Äxc2 38 lxc2 (or 38 d°xc2

Wg6) 38 f4, the black queen would

at last acquire the freedom of action

which it has been awaiting for so long;

and White would at once face difficul-

ties, for instance 39 g2 Wh5 40

Äg8+ Ằxh?7 41 Äxd§ Wf5 42 Sc2 £3

36 gxh7+ @h8

The turmoil on the board might

seem to have abated a little The quiet

37 Jdh3 Äcc7 38 d4 Bxh7 39 We3

would leave White with some advan-

tage However, it is with quite a differ-

ent intention that his rook has remained

on the d-file until now

It was this stroke — giving White

domination of the board after 37 exd5

37 Àg5 38 Wd4 exdS

In banal fashion, time-trouble inter-

venes With 38 Xc4 39 Wd3 exd5,

Black could have beaten off the attack:

40 e6 d4 41 &xd4 Exd4 42 Wxd4 Wd8, or 40 Wxd5 Zh4 (not 40 Wd8

41 e6 Wxd5 42 2x297+ Sxg7 43 h8W+ qg6 44 Wh5+ $%f6 45 e7) 41 Äxh4

Âxh4 42 e6 Ằxh? 43 Âxg7 Sxe7 44

WafS 26

39 e6 Xc7

After 39 Wg6, White would have

to struggle for equality: 40 %g2 &xh7

do now is make a new queen

technical abstractions Without them,

I believe the differences of thought

and play between the two combatants

stand out more clearly Black was

merely trying to utilize the features of the position, whereas White was going

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 19

all-out to alter them in the way he felt

was necessary Being willing and able

to act outside the confines of received

wisdom helps you to attain your end

even when it seems practically impos-

The start of a long series of ex-

changes, after which Black has hardly

any more opening difficulties

8 axe5 9 Rxd7 DAfxd7 10 Rxe7

@xf3+ 11 Wxf3 Wxe7 12 Dds Wad8

13 Xad1 e8 14 Efel Abé6 15 We3

White isn’t even trying to preserve

Black’s pawns are now arranged in

the way best suited to defending them

drawn ending with 23 Bb3 Wxe4 24 Wxd6+ We7, but he remains disin-

clined to do either

23 Wa3 a6 24 Wb3 Xd8 25 c4 This isn’t at all an attacking at-

tempt (b4, a4, etc.), seeing that White

adopts a waiting policy again for sev- eral moves His position doesn’t give

the slightest cause for unease Black,

however, has no wish to wait, and intends to play for a win himself At

the moment it’s difficult even to imag-

ine how he can succeed Theoretically there might be some chances con- nected with the e-file and Black’s more compact pawn-formation But as long as his queen and rook are occu- pied with basic defensive duties, there

is nothing for him to undertake any- where; by the rules of military strat-

egy, to carry out an active operation you first need to create a preponder-

ance of force Black solves the problem with the simplicity of genius, bringing his king across to the future scene of battle In this way the grounds of a new conflict are laid, in which White,

in spite of himself, will eventually

long game and obtains good winning

chances.” For all that, the position on

the board remains approximately even

28 We2 Sd8 29 Wd2 doc?

Now the black pieces can acquire

scope for action It isn’t yet entirely

clear what sort of action this will be,

but there is something else which

White understands: the initiative is

passing to his opponent

Reluctantly, therefore (and in two

steps), he pushes his queenside pawns

after all, so as to have the possibility of

unsettling the black king

30 a3 Ke7 31 b4 (D)

31 b5!?

A consistent and very bold deci-

sion The situation is already becom-

ing quite tense If one pair of pieces is

exchanged, Black’s preponderance in

the centre should give him the advan-

tage On the other hand, the king on c7

can no longer feel at all secure At-

tacking it ought to become White’s

immediate priority, yet he is notice-

ably slow to react to the new change in

the position

32 cxb5 axb§ 33 g3(?) White intends to transfer his king from the first rank to the second, where

it will only be worse placed A line

that comes to mind is the immediate

33 Wd1 followed by a4 If, for exam- ple, 33 e8 34 a4 a8, then 35 f4,

and Black comes under attack 33 g5 34 &g2 He8 35 Wdl £6 36 Wb3(?)

Here again, of course, the logical continuation is 36 a4 Instead of this White loses two more tempi, thanks to

his unwillingness to exchange queens

36 We6 37 Wd1 Zh8(?) Black in turn wastes some time It’s pleasant to induce a further weakening

of the white pawns, but a stronger

move is 37 Wc4 at once, leaving the

rook on the file where it is at work

38 g4 tức4 The recommendation of 38 a8 is

based on a certain misunderstanding

White would simply reply 39 We2

Black has of course no wish to prevent his opponent’s next move He would

have more reason to expect 39 Wd2 Re8 40 £3, after which he can’t achieve

anything definite as yet, on account of

his unsafe king position

However, since Black’s advantage here is not to be doubted, White is un- willing on principle to make the move

£3 This explains his decision (rather a surprising one, considering his previ-

ous quiet behaviour) to ‘go for broke’

39 a4!? Wxb4 40 axb5 WÈxb5 41

&b3 For the sacrificed pawn White has obtained the initiative, but doesn’t find

a way to utilize it The very first move

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 21

of his offensive is dubious — he should

have considered 41 Wal, leaving the

rook in its good position and trying to

activate his queen before anything else

41 Wa6 42 Wd4 Ze8 43 Ebi Xe5

White’s pieces have utterly failed to

take up a good attacking position; more

than that, they have had to switch to

defence again You might expect that

the game would presently enter its

technical stage, and that Black’s pro-

found strategy would be carried to its

worthy and logical conclusion Indeed,

46 Ma5 47 Bb3 Wxb3 48 WxaS+

would reduce the game to the problem

of exploiting the material advantage

Black has other good moves too:

46 b5 or even 46 4d7, starting a

return king-march However, as we all

know, Homer sometimes nods It is

the defenceless e4-pawn that now at-

tracts Black’s attention

46 c5 47 Had c4 48 Wal Wxe4+

50 Wa2 WeS+ 51 Sgi Wel+ 52

@h2 d5 After this new pawn advance the king is fully exposed, and finally comes under a direct attack On top of everything else, Black categorically

renounces the possibility of giving

perpetual check

53 Ma8 Wh4 54 dg2 We5(?) Black should have defended with 54 b7 (Schlechter)

55 Wa6! Eb8 This move is equivalent to capitula- tion But then, Black’s drawing pros- pects would still be dubious after 55 c3!?, which Lasker suggested af- terwards

56 Ha7+ Yd8 57 Exg7 Wh6 58 Wa3 c8 1-0

Black resigned without waiting to

be mated

People basically associate Lasker’s achievements with questions of chess psychology — quite misguidedly, it seems to me His manner of play (like that of Petrosian at a later date) simply didn’t fit into the customary frame- work of standard chess thought: at- tack, defence, playing for position Anything not expressible in wholly concrete and sufficiently graphic terms

is very difficult to grasp Conversely, vivid ideas, striking manoeuvres or even individual moves implant them- selves in your memory as soon as you

encounter them, and stay there more

or less for good By an irony of fate, an

idea of your own may become well

known and serve as a direct prompt to

With his last move, 61 Äg4-g5,

Black has set up the mechanism for his

attack; he aims to play 62 2f2+ and

then either 63 f4 or 63 f4, depend-

ing on where the white king goes The

mate threat doesn’t look particularly

dangerous, but I couldn’t think of any-

thing else (apart from giving an imme-

diate perpetual check) At the same

time it was hard to get rid of the feel-

ing that this same attacking set-up

must have some tactical flaw The

diagram position distinctly reminded

me of a position from another game,

and eventually I recalled which one: a

Bronstein-Korchnoi encounter from

1962 On the final move of that game,

Bronstein’s rook captured a black

pawn on h6 Applying this idea to the

present game, the following continua-

tions suggested themselves: 62 We7

22+ (if 62 f4, then 63 Xc6) 63 h1 Ć4? 64 Xxh6+ &xh6 65 Wd6+; alter- natively 62 Wc7 Äf2+ (or 62 f4 63 Äxhố6+ &xh6 64 Wc6+) 63 Phi e2?

64 Exh6+ &xh6 65 Wb6+ I therefore

came to the conclusion that either of

these echoing variations (62 We7 or

62 We7) would leave Black with no choice but to force a draw, whereas af- ter 62 Wd7?! Bf2+ 63 #hl e2 64 Wd2 (the only move) or 62 Äe5 Äf2+ 63

$h3 e2, there might still be some

chess to be played

62 We8?

I was so bemused by the unex- pected coincidence of ideas — involv-

ing one and the same player — that I

failed to give due attention to the com- pletely natural 62 Me8 Then the at-

tacking try with 62 2f2+ 63 @h3 f4?

64 Wg8+ Sg6 65 Ke6+ Hh5 66 Wes+

g6 wouldn’t even lead to a draw (by 67

Xe5), but would land Black in dire trouble after 67 Sxe3! Äf1 (or 67 fxe3

68 WWe4!) 68 We4

White’s unfortunate choice of move

is quite easy to explain: not perceiving his opponent’s threat, he decides to set

a trap for the rook on f3 Now in answer

to 62 f4, White once again plays 63

Zxh6+, and if 63 @xh6 then 64 Wc6+, or if 63 gxh6 then 64 We4+

But the rook immediately removes it-

self from the line of fire

62 f2+ 63 Gh3 £4 64 Xxe3

A sad necessity

64 fxe3 65 Wxe3 Ef6 66 Wed+ Äfg6 67 &h4 Hxa5 68 Wd3 Zags 69 Wbl g1 70 We4 (D)

INDIVIDUALITY AND STYLE 23

This is just a little stunt before the

curtain comes down

70 1g4+ 71 Sh5 Rg? 0-1

No one has yet managed to turn

chess into applied science — in other

words, to demonstrate a method for

discovering the best move in any po-

sition, with a sufficient degree of ac-

curacy When this happens, strictly

speaking, the game itself will lose its

point The adherents of various sys-

tems and methodologies should be

reminded that, above all else, such in-

tellectual exercises splendidly express

the cast of mind of their authors; they

serve not to systematize chess itself, but to give unified systematic form

to the authors’ own views about the

game Style amounts to an entire com-

plex of such views Style imposes lim- itations on a player but permits him to

do what he likes doing, and what he

therefore succeeds best at There is no such thing as a universal style If any- thing comes closest to that definition,

it is when someone ‘plays like a ma- chine’ — the phrase is associated with the use of computer technology This manner of play demands unstinting hard work in the field of opening

preparation, an excellent memory, and

good technique for realizing an ac- quired advantage With this approach, the names of the players on the score- sheet could just as well be swapped round However that may be, individ- uality is a quality on which any think- ing person tends to place supreme value It is definitely no accident that when asked whether his games were characterized by anything specific, Grandmaster Stein in one of his last interviews simply replied: “I think I have my own style of play.”

2 Tactical Complications

The relation between strategy and

tactics in the chess struggle has al-

ways been a notable topic of discus-

sion Chess is a tactical game, but

even in a relatively simple position

you don’t by any means always suc-

ceed in working out the essential vari-

ations It follows that the possibility

of initiating sharp play is itself a mat-

ter of strategic choice Chess strategy

is concerned with identifying and in-

terpreting the vital elements of the

position, such as ‘an isolated pawn’,

‘a knight in the centre of the board’,

and all the rest The generally ac-

cepted treatment of these elements is

backed by the knowledge and experi-

ence of many generations of chess-

players, and can usually be relied on

When it comes to assessing purely

tactical complications, the matter is a

good deal more involved Here the

placing of some particular pawn or

piece may be of overriding signifi-

cance while general considerations

recede into the background Tactics is

like a cat that likes to ‘go its own

way’ Going for a walk with it is most

interesting, but a player doesn’t al-

ways know where it is going to lead

him Luck therefore becomes a major

factor, and the result too often de-

pends on defensive or attacking re-

sources that arise by chance

15 b3 &c5 16 £4 Agé 17 Shi e5 18

fxe5 dxe5 19 Ac2 &xe3?!

Black felt that 19 2f4 20 &xf4 exf4 wasn’t solid enough in view of

TACTICAL COMPLICATIONS 25

21 b4, and yet 21 & f8 22 2345 23xd5

23 exd5 a5 would give him a good po-

sition (whereas 21 2d6 22 c5 Be5

23 Dd5 Axd5 24 exd5 is highly ob-

scure) His irresolution is punished at

once, for with the c2-knight coming

into the game, White seizes the initia-

tive

20 Dxe3 Ald 21 Red! Axgd

To ease the defence, Black pre-

serves minor pieces of different types

A double exchange on g4 wouldn't

suit him here

22 2xg4 Äd8 (D)

LÝ ware

Z2W1AW

At this point, an immediate inva-

sion of the centre by the white knight

seems the most natural continuation,

and would leave Black in difficulties

The game could go: 23 @d5 @xd5 24

cxd5 Wd6 25 De3 (stronger than 25

W£3 £6 26 De3 Bac8 and now 27 “f5

Wf§ or 27 Dc4 We5) 25 Mac§ 26

Ac4 If now 26 Wc7 27 Wd2, the

pressure of the white pieces gradually

increases, while an attempt to defend

tactically by means of 26 Wh6 27

Ø\xe5 &xh3 would fail to 28 Axf7

White did of course look at 23 ®d5

and the exchange of knights, but can hardly have spent much time on it His

attention was drawn to the idea of oc-

cupying d5 unopposed Since Black wasn’t prepared to concede this to him, some complications were bound

to arise

23 g3 The direct confrontation begins Be- fore going any further, it’s interesting

to clarify how far White’s strategic goal justifies the means he is using to

attain it For instance in the case of

23 2)xh3, the c3-knight uses the key d5-square only in transit: 24 Ad5 We5

25 Ddf6+ gxf6 26 Axf6+ dg7 27

xd7 Df2+ 28 H¢1! This move is in-

dicated by Tal, but the variation is

worth continuing: 28 We7 29 &xf2!?

(29 Xxf2 Äxd7 is equal) 29 xd7 30 We4+ Ph8 31 Bedi Bd4 It isn’t en- tirely clear whether White has achieved

anything here, while other attacking

tries on move 25 are unsuccessful Black can also consider the strictly

positional line 23 Âxg4 24 Wxg4 4\d3, when 25 Hcdi is answered by

25 2b4(!) The black knight again covers the d5-square, which is neces- sary in order to bring about the useful exchange of a pair of rooks After 26 a3 Äxd1 27 Exd1 “\c2 White’s back ranks are insecure, and he needs to at- tend to the defects of his position

rather than think about developing an

initiative If White varies with the pru- dent 25 Hc2!?, then 25 2d4 26 25 Wd6 once again leads to unclear play Such, more or less, might have been the results of White’s campaign with

23 g3, amove that noticeably weakens

his king’s position

‘The way the game goes, this weak-

ening has an additional, directly tacti-

A minor surprise The d-file is still

in Black’s hands, and it’s hard to say

who is doing the attacking

a) However that may be, the posi-

tion at the end of the variation 24 Wc2

Rxg4 25 hxe4 De6 26 Ads Wd6 27

c5 Wf8 is not at all what White wanted

But then, capturing the other piece

with 25 gxf4 is quite risky: 25 &xh3

bi) After 24 28d3 25 De3, Black’s

idea for counterplay would be put toa

serious test:

b11) 25 &xh3(?) is not good: 26

gxf4 &xfl 27 AcdS Wd6 (an even

worse choice is 27 Wd8 28 Exfl

30 Äxf4, and in this ending Black's

disconnected rooks are a matter of

very grave concern

b12) The correct line appears to be 25 Wb6 26 Dcd5! (not 26 Hfel? Rxh3 27 gxf4 Wh6) 26 Axd5 27 Wxf5 Af6 (27 Af4 doesn’t work: 28 Ø\d5 Whó 29 gxf4 Wh4 30 Äc3) 28

&\d5 Wd4, and White does not, after

all, succeed in gaining an advantage

b2) It’s also worth mentioning that

another reply is 24 2xg4 This trans- poses, after 25 Wxg4, into the quiet

variation examined in the previous note, and remains a perfectly accept- able alternative for:Black A suitable possibility for deviating is of crucial significance, as there is no rule to tell you how complications of this sort will turn out Your assessment of the variations often has to be revised as

you go along, and new variations have

to be selected In the game, White is the first to deviate from the lines we have looked at — and yet he is the one who shouldn’t have done so

24 Wel? Dd3 This time 24 &xg4 25 gxf4 &xh3

26 Hf3 wouldn’t be so good for Black

He had a look at this line as a formal-

ity, then made the move that was obvi-

ous

25 We3 4 xg4 26 d5 Xxd5? Black too has some feelings for the d5-square, but the right method is to

keep his powerful bishop on the board

with 26 Wd6 27 Wxd3 2.xh3 — even

though, after White’s only reply 28 Äf2 (to meet 28 224 with 29 We3, or

TACTICAL COMPLICATIONS 27

28 Wh6 with 29 Wad2), it wouldn’t be

so simple to exploit the material ad-

White’s protected passed pawn and

the open file for his rook give him

more reliable compensation than the

knight posted in the centre would have

Then 32 Äxb7? ¡is bad due to 32 f5

with a winning attack, but White has

the strong move 32 Wc3! available

The extra pawn in itself doesn’t

mean much here, and even with his

queen on ø4 Black doesn’t manage to

create any real threats against the

The decision White took on move

23 of this game was above all deter-

mined by his style and taste Needless

to say, a player with a different out- look on chess would order his priori- ties in another way Nonetheless there are always concrete features of the po- sition which no one can ignore The simple exchange of knights would have preserved White’s initiative and might have led to.a small advantage, but by playing 23 g3 he was definitely out to achieve more In this connection we can only recall that the best is often the enemy of the good

Of course, complications are initi-

ated by one of the players Yet it quite

often happens that neither player has any objection to the abrupt change in the character of the game, since each

of them is hoping to profit from it Sveshnikov — Eingorn USSR Ch, Riga 1985

1 e4 6 2: d4 d5 3 e5 c5 43 Ac6 5 3f3 Wb6 6 a3 c4

The classical branch of this system

To the right of the d-file White has quite good attacking prospects, but just now he has to attend to his queen- side which is rather boxed in Overall,

the play tends to develop in White’s favour, which is why other variations are more popular today

7 Re2 247 8 0-0 DaS 9 Dbd2 4e7 10 Ebi

Here 10 Hel looks more precise

In turn, Black’s next move (directed

against the manoeuvre “\g5-h3-f4) is

also not essential

10 h6 11 Xe1 (D)

11 Ằc6

Perhaps the most enigmatic of the

moves Black has played in this posi-

tion If appropriate he can continue

with .Wc7-d7 and .&a4, but for the

moment he is essentially waiting The

point is to preserve as many possibili-

ties for his pieces as he can With

11 0-0-0 or 11 2c8 he would be de-

termining his king’s position too soon

The e7-knight may be useful on the

kingside, and the queen is keeping

watch on the b3-square Although to

some extent the course of the game

will vindicate Black’s reasoning, his

policy remains a little dubious At any

rate, he has plenty of time for his ma-

noeuvres; this is his chief asset in the

fight against White’s rather ponderous

strategic plan

12 2f1 Wb3 13 Âf4

The simple 13 Wxb3 2xb3 14 Âf4

1s also worth thinking about

13 2a4

By continuing 13 Wxd1 14 &xd1

4c8 15 De3 Ab6, Black would be

expending too much effort on bring- ing his bishop to a4 - so he prefers to

do it immediately

14 Wel Wb6 15 A3d2 The b3-square needs defending again, but the f2-pawn is gradually preparing to go into battle With the help of his knight, Black starts an op-

’ eration to restrain it

17 n5 18 R£2 DES 19 Dg3 Axg3

20 &xg3 Db3?

Regrettable carelessness An ex- change of knights is desirable, as the white knight is preparing to move away from d2 for good — leaving its opposite number on a5 doing nothing

For example, 20 2e7 21 Afi h4 22

for Black which it need not have had at all

21 Dxb3 2xb3 22 Rh4 (D) 22 Wc7?!

TACTICAL COMPLICATIONS 29

The advance of the white f-pawn

has to be halted one way or another,

and it would be logical to attend to this

at once However, I wasn’t at all keen

on the position after 22 26 White

would place his bishop on g5, proba-

bly leading to its exchange — which

would be quite helpful to him Then he

could calmly prepare g4, or (if an oc-

casion arose) f5

Rather than conduct a forlorn de-

fence without counter-chances, Black

is willing to accept any unclear posi-

tion, but the choice of that position is

up to White Black therefore demon-

stratively puts off any decision and

makes a provocative queen move, chal-

lenging his opponent to go into action

without further ado Unfortunately the

scale of the threat he will now be fac-

ing is very large, so his ingenious con-

ception is not to be commended

23 £5!?

On principle White assents He too

would like to avoid the long-drawn-out

positional campaign resulting from 23

Zfl g6

23 exf5 24 2£3 Wd7?

Very risky; it was worth considering

24 Â.e7 Then the attack with 25 26

Rf8!? (25 0-0-0 26 &xg7 Khg8 27 R.£6) 26 Wy5 (26 Wi4 2c2) 26 gxf6

27 exf6+ £d8 wouldn’t yield any clear

results All the same, the simple 25

Âxe7 Wxe7 26 Âxd5 0-0-0 27 Âf3

would preserve some advantage for White

The upshot of 24 Wc6? could be

the same as that of the move actually played After 25 e6 fxe6 (if 25 f6,

then 26 e7 3.xe7 27 We3) 26 Wg5 Sf7

(or 26 4d7 27 He2 Zh6 28 Zbe1) 27

Zxe6!, the reply 27 Wxe6 gives a po-

sition considered in the next note The

other capture, 27 dxe6, is no good, as

28 le1+ &d7 29 Wxf5+ is crushing

25 Xe2?

This is too slow The breakthrough

with 25 e6 fxe6 26 Ws5 $f7 27 Xxe6! WWxeó 2§ Äe1 would leave Black with

no choice other than 28 2e7 Then after 29 Wxe7+ Wxe7 30 Exe7+ &g6

31 &xd5, his chances of organizing

decent resistance would be slim

move is 26 a4, not minding 27 Ef Rc6 28 Rxh5 Re7 Apart from any-

thing else, the black king would still

have the right to castle, although cas-

thing might still be a long way off

Not, of course, 27 &xh5? ÄXe8, af-

ter which problems would arise for

White (if 28 g4, then 28 g6 29 gxf5

gxf5) The bishop sacrifice secures

him more than enough initiative

21 Wxd5 28 Wxf5+ doc8

Almost in Steinitz’s style — the king

is an active piece, and risks its life try-

ing to participate in the game Black

doesn’t succeed with 28 We6 29 Wf3

c7 30 Rfl (Sveshnikov); a slightly

better although still dubious option is

28 8c6 29 Rfl Ra4

29 ÄXfL â a4 30 Xef2!?

White’s play is simple, and strong

enough 30 Wf4 is an alternative, and

sets up the threat of 31 e6; for exam-

ple: 30 2c6 31 e6 £6 32 Rxf6 Â d6

33 Re5 Rxe5 (or 33 Wxe6 34 We3

Ác? 35 Bfel) 34 WE7+ Sd8 35 e7+

%c8 36 Wxd5 4 xd5 37 Äxe5 âc6 38

Äf8§+ c7 and here Sveshnikov's 39

Jef5 (ntending 40 Äxh8§ Äxh§ 41

Ä f8) wins, but 39 e8W (or 39 e8A\+) is

simpler Black therefore does better to

defend with 30 We6 31 S42 d5

(not 31 2c6 32 d5 &xd5 33 Hfd1),

or to choose the more solid 30 2h6 After that, 31 e6 f6 32 e7 Rxe7 33 We3 (or 33 Rfel £8 34 ÄXxe7 Ägó)

33 2f8 34 Wxe7+ Sg8, or 31 Ref2

&c6 32 Wxf7+ Wxf7 33 Bxf7 Xf6 (f

33 28h87!, then 34 2c7) gives a posi-

tion with roughly equal chances 30 âcó 31 xf7+

Black will still have difficulties in

the ending, but life without queens is a little easier for him Another possibil- ity is 31 We2 We4 32 Wxe4 2xe4 33

&xf7, when White has deflected the

black bishop from the defence of d7 If

instead 31 Wg5, Black should answer

31 £6

31 Wxf7 32 Zxf7 5g8 33 c6? This is premature and allows Black

to coordinate his pieces After 33 2.25

Bc8 34 hé4 (and if 34 2d5, then 35

e6), White remains in control of the

situation

33 806 34 RgS Hc8 35 Bifs Re4?!

There is more promise in 35 g6 From now on, the tactical resources of both sides are more or less balanced

36 Xa5 a6 37 d7 2£8 (D)

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TACTICAL COMPLICATIONS 3I

38 Xe5

The rooks and bishops are gơing

round in circles A draw could also

have resulted from 38 d5 b6 39 Äxa6

Âc5+ 40 $%f1 Äf§+ 41 de1 âÂxg2 42

d6

38 À có 39 Xf7 â d6 40 d5 c7?!

This senseless try merely exposes

Black to unnecessary risk It is better to

acquiesce to perpetual check at once,

although even now, after 41 dxc6

Rxe5 42 Bd7 Bc8 43 cxb7 Bb8, there

is no win to be found for White

41 Xef5 12-12

The game is drawn due to 41 26

42 Exc7 &xc7 43 f7 Âbó+ 44 Phi

Rxd5 45 Me7+ Sf8 46 Rf7+

In this game the complications

arose in a somewhat artificial manner

Usually they form the logical conse-

quence of some actions undertaken by

one of the players, or else, conversely,

they begin because the opponent is

trying vigorously to hinder such ac-

tions Tactical complications are a

continuation of the strategic contest

by other means They may be occa-

sioned not only by concrete consider-

ations but also by a fairly abstract idea

~ such as White’s aspiration to an

opening advantage In any event their

ultimate purpose is to bring about a

new state of affairs, which their insti-

gator regards as better than the previ-

the white bishop has abandoned the

a2-g8 diagonal somewhat prematurely, hence the exchange on d4 looks fully justified in reply

7 cxủ4 Another interesting possibility for

9 &g5 Ata later date 9 “eS was to become

fashionable, attempting to impede the

harmonious development of Black’s

The logical move for White i is 10

a4, aiming to derive some profit from

his unusual move-order (9 S2g5 in-

stead of 9 4\c3) This would have given him more chance of obtaining a

plus

10 Abd7!? (D)

This move is directed against the

exchange &xf6, which has occurred

in practice in answer to 10 2b7 or

10 0-0

If Black plays .&b7 next move

without hindrance, he will have no

further opening difficulties What then

is White to do? A possibility is to

refrain from forcing a confrontation

and simply play 11 Äc1 or 11 We2,

shelving his ambitions until a more

opportune moment Such a strategy is

admissible, and yet in the Queen’s

Gambit Accepted it is precisely in the

opening stage that Black’s difficulties

arise if they arise at all White there-

fore attempts to give his opponent

some immediate problems — in accor-

dance with his view of this opening

11 d5!? Dc5

Capturing with 11 exd5!? may ap-

pear risky, but in fact is quite playable:

12 Dd4 2b7 13 DFS 0-0, while 12

Zel can be met by 12 0-0! (there is

no need to insert 12 h6 13 Âh4), be-

cause 13 4)xd5?! fails to 13 Axd5

14 @xh7+ &xh7 15 Wxd5 xg5 16

vane

Axg5+ Sg8 17 Axf7?! Lb7! In these lines it isn’t so simple to find a fitting use for White’s active pieces Curi- ously enough, neither player devoted much attention to 11 exd5; the move

in the game seemed more natural to both of them

It only remains to add that the coun-

ter-attacking try 11 b4 12 dxe6 “cS

meets with the noteworthy rejoinder

13 2e4(!) Acxe4 14 Dxe4 Wadi (if 14 2)xe4, then 15 exf7+ $xf7 16 Ø%e5+) 15 exf7+ $xf7 16 Baxdl DAxe4

17 &xe7 Sxe7 18 Xfel, and White re-

gains his material with a small amount

of interest

12 Bc2 Axd5

If 12 b4, then 13 &xf6 and 14

4 a4 is none too pleasant for Black

13 Âxe7 doxe7?

Clearly based on some oversight

The other two recaptures on e7 should

obviously have been considered first

After 13 2xe7 14 Wxd§+ d$xd8, White has 15 b4 23đ7 16 a4, or 15 Äfd1+ 23d7 (alternatively 15 ©c7 16

It isn’t clear how anything more

than approximate equality can be ex- tracted from this position White was

hoping that a way to develop his initia-

tive would exist When thinking about

11 d5, players who like a more exact

prognosis might have taken their anal- ysis further For example:

Wh5 g6 18 &xg6! is good for White

a2) However, Black has 15 2e6,

when there can follow 16 @d4 0-0 17

b4 e4 18 f3 26

b) White can insert 15 a4, with

these possibilities:

bl) 15 b4 16 el Re6 17 Wd4 0-0

18 Wxb4, with somewhat the better

position for White

b2) In turn, Black can improve with

15 bxa4 Then:

b21) 16 Wxd5 &b7 17 WhS g6 18

Wh6 &xf3 19 gxf3 0-0-0 looks uncon-

vincing

b22) The combination 16 Mel Re6

17 Âxa4+ Axad 18 Wxa4+ Wd7 19

Wb4 Wc7 20 Hxa6!? Wxb4 (20 2xa6

is met by 21 Wb5+) 21 Hxa8+ @e7 22

Zxh8 h6 gives advantage to neither

player

14 Wd4 Wd6 15 b4 Axc3

15 0d7 16 Axd5+ Wxd5 17 Re4

Wxd4 18 &xd4 is also bad for Black

16 Wxc3 Dad 17 &xa4 bxa4 18

Radi Wh6 19 Wxg7 Ef8 20 DeS Ha7

Of course, when playing 10 ’bd7,

Black examined White’s attempt to

carry out the standard central break,

and concluded that .2\c5 was an ade-

quate retort Strictly speaking this was

a perfectly correct judgement, albeit a slightly superficial one The results of White’s undertaking turned out to be modest, but that was just his bad luck

— you can’t always succeed in convert- ing a tactical initiative into something more tangible Indeed he could hardly have expected anything else when the conflict was still at an early stage It’s

a different matter when the struggle is intensified gradually, consciously, and

in conjunction with an overall strate- gic plan In such a case the stakes will

be a good deal higher

Gasiunas — Artamonova USSR Women's Corr Ch 1988

1 d4 3)f6 2 c4 e6 3 2f3 d5 4 Dc3 Re7

5 We2 0-0 6 Rg5 Abd7

So as to answer 7 0-0-0 with 7 c5

On 6 h6 7 Â.xf6 Â xf6 8 0-0-0, White seizes the initiative

7 cxd5 exd5 8 e3 hồ Black wants to find out at once where the white bishop is going

9 24 After 9 &h4 c6 10 d3 Xe§ 11 0-0

&e4, it will be easier for Black to

equalize than it usually is in the Ex-

change Variation

9 a6 (D) Some games have continued with

an immediate 9 c5 (10 &d3 a6), but

in the present case Black reserves the

right to reconsider if White replies 10

Sie2 Oddly enough, the same thing

( a6) frequently occurs a move ear-

lier — although with the white bishop

on £4, Black’s plan based on .c5

might seem even more appropriate

than it would otherwise be

Trying to detect the drawbacks of

Black’s early 8 h6, White naturally

turns her attention to the possibility of

launching a fairly dangerous standard

attack on the black king by playing 24

Perhaps for this very reason, the dia-

gram position remains fairly original

to this day Black’s opening idea is

definitely worthy of attention

10 g4!?

Can the course of the coming battle

be predicted, even approximately? In

an opening where precise analysis and

practical experience are lacking, it is

customary to resort to analogy The

position after 10 &d3 c6(?) 11 g4 is

mentioned in the notes to the classic

game Botvinnik-Alatortsev, Leningrad

1934 In Botvinnik’s opinion, White

“has good attacking prospects” This

is something to go by, but in our own

example Black is starting the queenside counter-attack with no loss

of time It’s hard to guess in advance

just how this extra tempo will affect

the general verdict on the position;

in some circumstances, the fact that White’s bishop is still on f1 may prove

to have its positive points

10 c5 11 0-0-0!?

There is no danger to Black in 11 h4

Axed 12 Dxd5 Ddf6, while 11 &d3

cxd4 (or 11 b5) 12 exd4 (transposing into a game Kurajica-Bachtiar, Sura- karta/Denpasar 1982) amounts to an inferior version of Botvinnik’s line

White is keen to take on g5 with the

knight, while at the same time retain- ing control of d4 with a piece After

this, major complications are virtually inevitable

A different configuration of pieces can be brought about by 11 25 hxg5 12

 xg5, avoiding an increase in White’s

commitments for the time being In

that case Black’s best course seems to

rect contact The imminent opening of

the c-file hampers any attempt to com- bine threats against d5 and h7; White

would come off badly from 14 Âg2

Rc8 (14 cxd4!?) 15 Rxd5 Axd5 16

#3xd5 cxd4 17 &c7 d3

On 14 dxc5, Black in turn should

avoid 14 d4 15 Äg1 dxc3 16 h3,

TACTICAL COMPLICATIONS 35

and play 14 2)xc5 or even 14 Xc§!?

(e.g., 15 b4 Axc5 16 bxc5 Bxc5 17

&e5 d4) Seeing no reason to release

the tension, White very sensibly pre-

fers bring up her remaining reserves

14 Sg1(1) cxd4

One of the critical moments in the

game Without any doubt, the straight-

forward 14 b4 is also worth consider-

ing Against this, White gave serious

attention to a new attacking stratagem:

15 &h3 bxc3 16 De6 White’s threats

are quite dangerous, but the material

sacrificed counts for more, and in the

end Black beats off the attack (see

Chapter 9, position number 9) White

would therefore do better with the

simple retreat 15 Ze2, sacrificing the

d4-pawn if necessary

The decision Black has taken ap-

pears perfectly natural; she doesn’t

want to let the white pieces evacuate

the c-file for such a small price The

c3-knight must now remain at its post

like a true soldier

15 Äxđ4 Xc8

The possibility of meeting 15 b4

with 16 Axd5 Rxd5 17 Hxd5 c8 18

&c4 is of crucial importance for White

For that very reason, a move like 14

&h3 would have been much weaker

than 14 Mg

With the rook move to c8, Black is preparing to make material gains — yet

the fact that nothing is immediately at-

tacked means a small gain of time for White, which may be highly signifi- cant in a position where the storm is just about to break Black is underrat- ing her opponent’s attacking chances From the defensive point of view, a sounder line appears to be 15 2c5!?

16 Xd1 We7, expelling the white rook

from the 4th rank and trying to im- prove the placing of the black pieces

16 âh3 (D)

mane

ae ale SíAf6 4

It is too late to consider 16 8.05 17

&xd7 Wxd7 18 Â e5, but the time had

now come for Black to play 16 b4 at last In this way she would be provok- ing an immediate crisis and at the same time parrying the new threats to

her king (17 &xd7 Wxd7 18 Re5

bxc3) After 17 Ae6 fxe6 18 Rxe6+

Zf7 19 We6 Ws 20 Zh6, the tactical

engagement would still not turn out in

either side’s favour:

a) 20 Ae5 21 Wxg7+ Wxg7 22

Äxg7+ Gh8 23 Rxf7 (or 23 Rxc8)

gives White the advantage This and

the next line are inferior defensive

ends in failure, but the simple retreat

23 WES is very good for White

c) 20 Ae8 is the best move: 21

Edg4 &f6! (Black would do badly

with 21 bxe3 22 &xg7 cxb2+ 23

S°xb2 or 21 2Àe5 22 Âxg7 2)xg6 23

. xf8 ẲẰ©xf8 (23 xf8 24 Bxg6+} 24

Jxg6) 22 Äxb4

The move Black actually plays might

be called too bold, or on the contrary

too cautious — but the main thing is that

it proves completely pointless The

temporary control of e6 has no rele-

vance at all To be certain of prevent-

ing White’s g5-knight from jumping

forward, Black would need to defend

the g7-point, but she is not in a posi-

tion to do that As a result of her slow-

ness to act, not only does the other

white knight remain alive, but the

black king perishes without any resis-

tance

17 &xd7 Wxd7 18 Re5 Zc8

Or 18 26, when after 19 De6,

Black has to play 19 We8(!), allow-

ing White to win the exchange with 20

&c7 White could also consider 19

Xh4, persisting in the aim of getting at

the black king directly

19 h4 Setting up a new mate threat in the

shape of 20 &xf6 Rxf6 21 Mh8+

19 De4

If Black plays 19 2fc4, White re-

plies 20 Eh8+ at once (20 @xh8 21

&xf6) On 19 26 White would also

be able to win in a few moves, with plenty of methods to choose from

20 De6! (D) The knight has reached its goal af-

ter all The position deserves a dia-

gram, even though 20 Agxe4 2xh4

21 Bxg7+ would also have worked

The foregoing battle presented a

picture that is familiar from many other games: while the black pawns

were on the march, the white pieces were heading for the black king The one thing that remained unclear for quite a while was how it was all going

to end this time This is nothing to wonder at; the very concept of ‘com-

plications’ implies a fair degree of

uncertainty as to the future Normal

TACTICAL COMPLICATIONS 37

criteria often cease to work, being ill-

adapted to the dynamics of the events

New tactical possibilities will very

quickly crop up For this to happen, no

cataclysm on the chessboard is needed;

it may be enough for a player to move

just one piece ineptly When the situa-

tion suddenly changes in this way, no

matter how good your position was to

begin with, it cannot guarantee a happy

outcome

Réti - Bogoljubow

Stockholm 1919

1 d4 26 2 e3 e6 3 2d3 c5 4 Da2

Ø6 5 c3 Re7 6 Agf3 0-0 7 DAeS b6

This duel from the old days bears a

strong resemblance to a game from a

present-day ‘open’ tournament To all

appearances the white side is being

played by an amateur who enjoys at-

tacking the king Black is an experi-

enced player He is in no hurry to

wrest the initiative from his opponent

White’s expected offensive has be-

gun, and definitely ought to have ended

in total disaster

12 e5 13 f3 h6 14 g2 Xae8 15

Shi exd4 16 exd4 2d6

With 16 c4 17 &c2 &d6, Black

could indeed have curtailed the strug-

gle

17 g5 hxg5 18 Wxg5

Here again, to tie the game up with-

out trouble, Black only needs to play

18 2\h7, putting paid to all White’s

illegitimate aspirations Instead Black parries the threat of 19 Xgl with a most incautious bishop move One move later, he realizes the scale of the problems he has created for himself 18 2£4? 19 Wh4 (D)

di i ABS 5h hh

in one of his own annotations, up to here Black “has committed no sin against chess principles such as to in-

cur a dangerous attack” White, con- versely, has come straight out with

some moves in the ‘novice’ category, the consequences of which are plain to see in the diagram position Black isn’t threatened with anything immediate, his pieces are in play, and it is his

move Can he not find a way to liqui-

date the tactical possibilities that have chanced to crop up for White, without doing any particular damage to his

gy

a AWý TH 7

own good position? Let us look at the

following sample variations:

a) 19 c4 is the most natural con-

tinuation Bogoljubow regards the re-

ply 20 2%e4?! dxe4 21 &xf4 exf3 22

@gl Wd7 23 &xc4 WES as bad for

White, and recommends 20 Xgl, based

on 20 cxd3 21 Wxf6 g6 22 fl — but

this is no good either, as Black has the

zwischenzug 20 e3 The correct

move is 20 4xc4; then after 20 &.xc1

21 DeS Rh6 22 Hei Ph8 23 Äxg7

Black is crushed, while in the case of

20 dxc4 21 Rxf4 Âxf3+ 22 dại

Wc6 23 Â xc4 he has to find compen-

sation for the pawn minus

b) 19 %e3 White can’t be beaten

by such simple means The probable

continuation is 20 Ab3 Wd6 (or 20 c4

21 âxe3 Äxe3 22 Äg1) 21 Âxe3 Äxe3

22 Äg1 g6 23 Whó Äxd3 24 Äxgóö+,

with a draw

c) 19 Je6 is another try Again

there follows 20 23b3 (¡f 20 Äg1, then

20 Re3 or 20 Ah5) 20 2xc1 21

Xaxcl, and now in the event of 21 c4

22 Â f5 cxb3 23 Äg1 Black could eas-

ily come under an extremely strong at-

tack

d) 19 Wd6!? is interesting; Black

hopes to repel his opponent’s onslaught

in the variation 20 Ab3 Axcl 21

Raxc1 c4 22 Bgl 96! 23 Wh6 Me7, but

White can also play differently

So far we have not seen any way for

Black to keep an advantage He has,

however, another continuation, which

occurred in the game

19 2e3 (D)

Bogoljubow gives this move two ex-

clamation marks and calls it an ‘heroic’

decision If we recall some of the vari-

ations from the previous note, the re-

ply 20 b3 automatically springs to mind There could follow, for instance,

20 c4 21 Bgi Wd6 22 &xe3 Axe3

23 Äxg7+ $%xg7 24 Ägi+ Âxg1 25 Wg5+ with perpetual check Let us

now quofe another interesting pro- nouncement, this time by Tal on the subject of the complications in one of his match games with Botvinnik: “A revealing fact is that the continuations are of one type In my view this serves

as an indirect proof of the soundness

of the combination.”

It is time to take stock and pass final

judgement on Bogoljubow’s 18 2.£4

This move by itself was sufficient to

throw away the whole of Black’s deci-

sive positional advantage As for the

remainder of the game, the events un-

fold according to what has long been a classic pattern: both players go all-out for victory, and the one who makes the

last mistake loses

20 ÄXg1 Äxd3 21 Wxf6 g6 22 Afi It’s no good trying 22 Rxg6+ fxg6

23 Wxg6+ Wg7 24 Wxd3 Wh6, when