Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking E-Book

Neil McDonald

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 472

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Chess is the art that expresses the science of logic. Mikhail Botvinnik Grandmaster Neil McDonald explains every single move made by White and Black in 30 striking tactical or strategical games played over the last quarter century. These games have been carefully chosen for their consistent logical thread, thereby providing the reader with prime instruction in the art of conceiving appropriate plans and attacks and carrying them out to their natural conclusion. Watching games unfold in this way will be both an education and inspiration to readers who can then try to play in the same purposeful way in their own games – with a corresponding increase in their playing strength.

Leseprobe

First published in the United Kingdom in 2004 by Batsford 10 Southcombe Street London W14 0RA

An imprint of Anova Books Company Ltd

Copyright © Neil McDonald

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

First eBook publication 2013 eBook ISBN: 9781849941068

Also available in paperback Paperback ISBN: ISBN 9780713488944

This book can be ordered direct from the publisher at the website: www.anovabooks.com

Contents

Introduction

How to read the moves in this book

1 Classical Chess Thinking: 1 e4 e5

2 Sicilian Defence: Dynamic Chess Strategy

3 Judging the Time Factor: Diverse Ideas after 1 e4

4 Strategy under the Microscope: 1 d4 d5

5 The Art of Counterattack: 1 d4 f6

6 Delayed Dynamism: The Flank Openings

Index to Openings

Index to Games

Introduction

Chess is the art that expresses the science of logic.

Mikhail Botvinnik

When you sit down to play a game of chess you are in command of exactly the same eight pieces and eight pawns that Capablanca, Fischer and Kasparov have used to create masterpieces of grand strategy and tactical precision. Their pieces didn’t have heightened powers nor more fertile soil on which to work their stratagems: just the same 64 squares, 32 white and 32 black.

The conclusion is obvious: there is a dynamic potential concealed in your pieces that could be released if only you had the right skill and insight. This book will help you acquire the necessary mastery by guiding you through thirty of the greatest games of the modern age.

Because every single move of every single game is annotated you get to see both sides of the picture. This is absolutely vital if you wish to understand what really happened. Take Game 23 for example. Karpov builds up his positional advantage, step by step, and wins: yes, the evidence is all there. But what was Kasparov doing in the meantime? Why did he let it happen to him?

Chess annotations, like history in general, are normally written from the winner’s point of view. The unrealized hopes and dreams of the loser are allowed to vanish forever. But this is to miss half of the story as a big part of chess success is based on restraint and prevention of the opponent’s plans. Therefore it is vital to consider what didn’t happen as well as what did occur.

So what then is the key to mastering chess strategy? First of all, it cannot be an infallible formula or some other secret known only to great players, as otherwise Kasparov, Anand and Korchnoi wouldn’t figure on the losing side of games in this book!

If you pressed me to name the three most important things that a chess strategy should provide, it would be a secure king, a sound pawn structure and an efficient co-ordination of the pieces. Inextricably linked with these is control of the centre squares – d4, d5, e4 and e5. If a player has control of the centre it means his pieces are more active than his opponent’s, and this gives him the initiative – the ability to attack.

As well as this psychological factors should be considered. There is an eternal dilemma when choosing a move: should you seek safety or adventure; play solidly or creatively; grasp a fleeting opportunity or remain in security? When there is no obvious right or wrong, the character of the player has a major impact on the decision taken. This can be for both good and bad as the games of even the greatest players are frequently won and lost by impulsive or inspired decisions. Sometimes the urge to win fills a player with fabulous creativity; at other times it overrides his capacity to find moves that suit the position rather than his irrational hopes and he suffers disaster.

Nevertheless, whatever your temperament and style, you cannot fail to improve your understanding and results if you familiarize yourself with the strategy and tactics of top class players.

I hope you enjoy playing through the games in this book, which have been chosen for their beauty as well as their instructional value.

Neil McDonald

Gravesend, February 2004

How to read the moves in this book

It takes just a few minutes to learn algebraic notation and then you can play through any recorded game in a chess book or magazine. You can even write down your own masterpieces!

Every piece is given its own letter (or figurine): the rook is R (), the knight N (), the bishop B (), the queen Q () and the king K (). By this logic, the letter for pawn should be P () but in fact no shorthand is used for the pawn: if a move has no letter in front of it, you should just assume it is a pawn move. It certainly saves having to write down P or a lot of times.

As well as every piece, every square on the board has a unique name, which consists of a letter and a number.

The numbers rise from 1 to 8 as you go up the board counting from the starting position of the white pieces. The letters meanwhile go across the board left to right from a-h. So White’s rooks begin the game in the corner squares a1 and h1, Black’s rooks in the corner squares a8 and h8.

Thus the square e4 is where the number 4 rising up the board intersects with the letter e running across the board. It is on the fourth row up the board, and five rows from the left hand side of the board. Therefore the shorthand 1 e4 means that on his first move, White moves the pawn in front of his king two squares up the board, from e2 to e4; similarly 1…e5 indicates that Black on his first move has moved the pawn in front of his king two squares forward, from e7 to e5. Then 2 f3 signifies that on the second move White moves his knight to the third row, from g1 to f3, and so on.

Remember that the counting is from White’s starting side of the board: so the white queen begins the game on d1 and the black queen on d8.

Sometimes for the sake of clarity it is necessary to indicate the square the piece came from. Thus if White has knights on c3 and g1, which can both go to e2, it isn’t enough to say White played e2: you have to write ge2 to indicate that White’s knight, which was on the g file, went to e2 (Or ce2 if he moved the other knight there).

If a piece captures an enemy piece or pawn the sign x is used, for example xe5 indicates the bishop captures whatever piece or pawn is on e5. If a move gives a check, the sign + is used; and castles kingside is indicated by 0-0, while castles queenside is 0-0-0.

If Black resigns the game the shorthand is 1-0 (symbolic of one point to White, nothing to Black); while if White resigns it is 0-1. A draw is ½-½ – both players get half a point each.

A good move is given an exclamation mark: ! A bad move is a question mark: ? A brilliant move is !! and a terrible move is ?? A dubious move is ?! and an interesting move is !? Some annotators become twisted in their thoughts and indulge in oddities such as?!? or !! (?)

Now you are fully prepared to read the book!

1 Classical Chess Thinking: 1 e4 e5

The d and e pawns are the only ones to be moved in the early part of the game.

Steinitz

Bring all your pieces out! Give them scope! Occupy the centre squares!

Tarrasch

The quotations above, from two of the greatest chess minds of the 19th century, exemplify the classical approach to chess strategy. In the opening phase this dictates that no time is to be wasted: every move has either to develop a piece or clear a line for the development of a piece. In fact, no piece is to be moved more than once in the opening if it can be at all helped.

The emphasis is on controlling the centre by occupying it with pawns, ideally on d4 and e4 if you are White, or on e5 and d5 if Black.

Meanwhile the king is to be castled on the kingside as quickly as possible.

This is all excellent advice! It is by no means the whole story: in fact we soon realize that it is not only possible but necessary at times to break the laws of classical chess. They represent an idealized view of the nature of the chess struggle that often proves impractical in a real game.

Nevertheless, anything that warns us against wasting time with frivolous pawn moves or aimless excursions with the pieces is to be applauded. It also puts the emphasis on the centre – those four magical squares right in the centre of the board. If material is equal and you control the squares d4, d5, e4 and e5 you will most likely have a winning advantage. That is as true nowadays as it was in 1880, and will be for as long as chess is played.

Classical chess thinking is revealed most clearly in games that begin 1 e4 e5 – the most ancient way to open a game of chess, and still one of the best. Let’s begin by seeing how Anatoly Karpov, the 12th World Champion, applies the rules of classical chess first postulated by Wilhelm Steinitz – the 1st World Champion. As will be seen, ‘classical’ doesn’t mean ‘dull’, as soon Korchnoi is facing unstoppable checkmate!

Game OneA.Karpov - V.Korchnoi World Championship, Baguio City 1978

Ruy Lopez

1

e4

The most active move on the board. In a battle it is good to have control of the high ground, so that you can pour down fire on the heads of those attacking you. In chess the high ground is the centre, and by advancing this pawn White takes control of two important centre squares: d5 and f5.

Not only that, but White opens up a diagonal for both his queen and king’s bishop. It is no wonder that 1 e4 has always been the favourite of those looking to play an aggressive, fighting game.

1

…

e5

White’s first move is so good that Black decides to copy it. Apart from the knights all the pieces are immobile at the start of a game, completely entombed behind a row of pawns, so in the opening there is a race going on to be the first player to get out all his forces. If you lag too far behind you might find yourself seriously outnumbered when the battle begins.

2

f3

The best move on the board! White

develops his knight to a safe, centre square

attacks the pawn on e5

is now one move nearer to castling his king into safety on the kingside.

2

…

c6

A very economical way to meet the threat to the e5 pawn. Black develops his queen’s knight and so doesn’t fall behind in development. This is a much more efficient approach than 2…f6 which not only fails to develop anything but weakens the kingside, or 2…e7, which shuts in the king’s bishop and leaves the queen with a laborious defensive duty.

3

b5

White continues his straightforward, no-nonsense approach to development. He clears the way for castling and puts pressure on the knight which defends the e5 pawn.

3

…

a6!

Black takes time out from developing to attack the white bishop. This is known as Morphy’s Defence after the brilliant American player Paul Morphy who was the best player in the world in the 1850s.

4

a4

White’s attacking energy would be dissipated after 4 xc6 dxc6 5 xe5, when Black can regain the pawn with 5…d4! 6 f3 xe4+ and White will lose the right to castle after either 7 f1 or 7 e2 xe2+ 8 xe2. Therefore White retreats the bishop and keeps the idea of xc6 as a long term threat. Here we see that Black hasn’t lost time with 3…a6: on the contrary, he has given himself the extra option of b7-b5 if the pressure on c6 becomes too acute.

4

…

f6

Black brings out his other knight with an attack on e4.

5

0-0!

White could defend his e pawn with a move like 5 c3 or 5 d3, but it is more attractive to keep his options open by castling immediately – after all, every plan he might choose requires him to castle kingside, but the development of his queenside can be amended for the better according to what Black plays on the next move.

Castling leaves the e4 pawn undefended, but such is White’s pressure along the e file and against c6 that he is bound to regain the pawn sooner or later.

5

…

xe4

The Open Variation of the Ruy Lopez. Black has no intention of holding onto the pawn but instead hopes to gain activity for his minor pieces by getting rid of the pawn that controls the d5 and f5 squares.

6

d4!

The correct way for White to increase his initiative. There is no rush to regain the pawn; instead he would have given up his strong attacking light-squared bishop for no good reason after 6 e1 c5 7 xc6 dxc6 8 xe5+ e7.

6

…

b5

Black decides it is the right moment to block White’s idea of xc6. Snatching another pawn in his undeveloped state would be fraught with peril: 6…exd4 7 e1 d5 8 xd4 and White has the double threat of 9 xc6 and 9 f3, winning material in either case.

7

b3

The bishop has to retreat but it now has a good view of f7 – the weakest square in Black’s position.

7

…

d5!

Black returns the pawn in order to:

shut out the white bishop

support the knight on e4

open the diagonal for the queen’s bishop.

8

dxe5

White regains his pawn and can be pleased at having emerged from the opening with a little space advantage: the pawn on e5 can be used as the spearhead for a kingside attack.

8

…

e6

The threat of 9 xd5 had to be met, and if it can be done whilst developing a piece, then so much the better!

9

bd2

White develops and challenges the black knight which is sitting on an excellent centre square. A horrible mistake would be 9 c3? as after 9…xc3 10 bxc3 White’s queenside pawns are inert and the bishop on b3 finds itself unable to move anywhere.

9

…

c5

Black could have continued developing with 9…c5, but preferred not to have his pawns broken up in the unclear variation 10 xe4 dxe4 11 xe6 fxe6 12 g5. Therefore the knight retreats and keeps the tension in the centre.

10

c3

White contests the d4 square and prepares to retreat his bishop to c2 where it would enjoy an open diagonal.

It is a good moment to sum up the outcome of the opening phase.

Classical opening law dictates that you should:

bring out the minor pieces as quickly as possible

castle within the first five or so moves

only move a piece once in the opening.

So far we have seen an exemplary display of classical chess by the World Champion.

White’s play has been direct and forceful: every move has developed a piece or opened fresh lines of attack and put pressure on his opponent’s defences. He has castled as quickly as possible and only moved one piece twice: the bishop when it was attacked on move three.

Meanwhile Korchnoi has brought out three of his minor pieces and strayed from rapid development only to take the e4 pawn and cause discomfort to the white bishop: no complaints can be made about this.

10

…

g6?

This move however belongs more to the dynamic school of chess: in King’s Indian style Black prepares g7 to attack the e5 pawn. A very worthy idea, but it proves a dangerous loss of time. The solid, classical move was 10…e7 followed by 11…0-0 when Black has completed his development with a safe game.

Note that 10…xb3 isn’t a good idea here, despite the fact that Black acquires the two bishops. The point is that the centre is congested with pawns, so that having the two bishops isn’t an appreciable advantage; and even worse, after 11 xb3 followed by 12 e3 White has a grip on the centre dark squares. Black has to be careful about handing over the c5 square to White as it represents a nasty hole in his pawn structure.

11

e2

Karpov prepares an excellent pawn sacrifice to defeat Black’s plan.

11

…

g7

Now Black only needs one more move to castle kingside and he will have a good position: his idea of putting the bishop on g7 would be justified.

12

d4!

White offers the e pawn in order to clear the way for the f pawn to run at the black kingside and split it in half.

12

…

xe5

Korchnoi prefers to undergo a kingside attack rather than decline the offer with 12…xd4 13 cxd4 xb3 14 xb3. In that case White would have a clear winning plan: double the rooks on the c file, add in c2 if necessary, and win the weakling on c7. But a better chance

was 12…d7 holding firm in the centre.

13

f4

One of the good features of pawns is that they are cheap and disposable compared to the major pieces: therefore if they lunge at an opponent’s piece it always has to give way. This makes them irresistible attacking weapons. Indeed, it could be said that hardly any attacking plan can succeed without the help of the pawns at some stage.

13

…

c4

The knight chooses a square where it blocks the white bishop on b3.

14

f5!

The battering ram finally strikes the black kingside and leaves it permanently splintered.

14

…

gxf5

Eliminating the charging pawn is the only way to avoid immediate disaster.

15

xf5

White’s attack flows nicely as the white knight, supported by the queen and rook, makes a formidable replacement for the pawn.

15

…

g8

Korchnoi concedes that the kingside will never be a safe retreat for his king from the perils of the centre. He therefore makes a virtue out of necessity by defending the bishop with his rook: if White’s onslaught falters he may begin a strong attack of his own down the g file.

16

xc4

In response Karpov clears the way to bring reinforcements into the battle with gain of time by exchanging off knights.

16

…

dxc4

When there is a choice of recaptures with a pawn, classical thinking dictates that you should retake towards the centre, which here indicates 16…bxc4. However, Korchnoi has a definite plan in mind: he wants the d file to be open so that his queen supports the knight next move when it goes to d3. He also hopes that in the future he might be able to play d5 when the bishop would join in a counterattack against g2.

17

c2

The bishop has to retreat but now has a useful role in fighting for the important d3 square.

17

…

d3

Black’s counterplay begins to look impressive: his knight enjoys a beautiful centre post and all his other minor pieces are fairly active, as is the rook on g8; but the logic of the position is against him as he cannot easily bring his queen’s rook into the game, and his king is still sitting uneasily in the centre. With his next move Karpov speeds up his development.

18

h6!

Now strategically speaking 18…xh6 19 xh6 would be a lucrative transaction for White: he exchanges off a bishop that was doing nothing for one that was guarding the dark squares around the black king. And from a tactical point of view the exchange would leave Black struggling to find a good move as besides the obvious 20 xg8 he would be facing 20 xf7! breaking up the black king’s cover.

18

…

f8

The bishop retreats, so that after 19 xf8 xf8 the black king would at least be out of the firing line of the white queen and the bishop on e6 consequently freed from the pin.

19

ad1!

A methodical move which brings into play White’s last undeveloped piece.

Black cannot return the compliment as the rook on a8 isn’t easy to activate. Therefore it is no surprise that White will have a marked advantage in firepower when the tactical combat begins.

19

…

d5

A strong entrance by the black queen, who is evidently dreaming of mate on g2.

20

xd3!

An essential exchange: if White paused for even a move then 20…0-0-0! follows when suddenly Black has an excellent game – his problem rook on a8 is strongly centralized in support of the wonder knight on d3.

20

…

cxd3

Black recaptures with a heavy heart, as the opening of the d file will mean that his king will be forever cut off from the safety of the queenside.

21

xd3

At last White has regained his pawn and in doing so has maintained all his attacking chances.

21

…

c6

The queen must retreat as if 21…xg2+? 22 xg2 xd3 loses a rook to 23 xa8+.

22

xf8

Now the defender of Black’s dark square holes on e7, f8 and g7 is put to death.

22

…

b6+

A necessary check as Black would lose a piece after 22…xf8 23 d4 b6 24 xe6.

23

h1

The white king can sit in perfect safety on this square and watch gleefully the suffering of his opposite number.

23

…

xf8

After 23…xf8 a clean kill is 24 f3! – hitting the rook on a8 – 24…d8 25 g7+ e7 26 f6 mate.

24

f3!

As in the variation above White exploits the undefended rook on a8 to decisively strengthen his attack along the f file.

24

…

e8

All the black pieces are now clustered around their king, but they cannot prevent disaster as the dark squares are riddled with holes.

25

h6

The attack on the rook on g8 wins time to put lethal pressure on the f7 square.

25

…

g7

If Black prefers 25…g6 then White can reply 26 xf7, but much stronger is 26 xf7+!! xf7 27 xf7, when the rook and knight have combined to force a neat mate.

After the game move Black has added another defender to f7. The question is, does White have a way to alter the ratio of forces attacking/defending f7 in his favour?

Every White piece is on an optimum attacking square and the target is clear: to mate the black king. But the final breakthrough will require some imagination and attacking finesse.

26

d7!!

The star move.

26

…

b8

After this f7 collapses, but on 26…xd7 27 xf7+ xf7 28 xf7 is a mate that is familiar from the variation above.

27

xf7!

The triumph of White’s strategy.

27

…

xd7

If 27…xf7 28 xf7+ g8 29 f8+ xf8 30 xf8 mate.

28

d8+!

1-0

Wherever Black moves his king, it is mate with 29 f8 next move.

Game TwoR.Hubner - L.Portisch Brussels 1986

Ruy Lopez

Among top players of the latter half of the 20th century the German Grandmaster Robert Hubner has a strict, logical style that is an embodiment of the classical chess precepts popularized by his compatriot Tarrasch. Here he outplays Lajos Portisch, a Hungarian Grandmaster himself famed for his depth of positional understanding.

1

e4

1

…

e5

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Black makes no attempt to imbalance the game with 1…c5, or indulge in trench warfare with 1…e6: he is happy to copy White, knowing that no other first move offers his pieces so much freedom.

2

f3

A sound developing move that contains a threat is the epitomy of good opening play. Now Black must think about guarding the e5 pawn.

2

…

c6

This meets the threat without breaking his stride towards a harmonious opening set up.

3

b5

White completes his kingside development and at the same time harasses the knight which is the guardian of the e5 pawn.

3

…

a6

Sometimes the best answer to a threat is to ignore it! Black positively encourages White to take on c6 as he has seen that after 4 xc6 dxc6 5 xe5 d4! the double attack on the knight and e4 pawn will mean that he regains his pawn with a highly comfortable position after 6 f3 xe4+.

4

a4

Does it mean that White’s opening plan has failed as he is forced to retreat the bishop? Not at all! Although the immediate 4 xc6 doesn’t work, sooner or later it is going to become a real threat and then Black is going to have to waste time or weaken his position slightly to prevent it.

4

…

f6

Having made some moves on the queenside to safeguard the e5 pawn, Black now turns his mind to the mobilization of his own kingside.

5

0-0

White isn’t to be diverted from rapid development by the threat to his e4 pawn. If now 5…xe4 6 d4! will ensure White regains his pawn whilst keeping a space advantage. We have seen an example of this in the game Karpov-Korchnoi.

5

…

e7

This is a sensible developing move which ensures Black will be able to castle kingside.

6

e1

White defends his e4 pawn as he still gets no advantage from 6 xc6 dxc6 7xe5 after 7…xe4 8 e1 f6. Now however 7 xc6 followed by 8 xe5 is a real threat.

6

…

b5

Now we see the value of the interpolation 3…a6: Black is able to shut out the white bishop from the attack on c6 and so meet the threat to his e5 pawn. At the same time he gains space on the queenside.

7

b3

The bishop has to retreat, but it is by no means all bad news for White. On the contrary, by provoking 6…b5 he has made Black weaken his queenside pawns somewhat. These can be undermined by a subsequent a2-a4.

7

…

d6

Black fortifies his hold on the e5 point and opens the diagonal for his queen’s bishop.

8

c3

The obvious developing move was 8 c3, but White knows when to bend the rules of classical development to meet the true needs of the specific position. He prefers the game move because:

he wants to build a pawn centre with d2-d4. Therefore by playing 8 c3 he readies himself to answer e5xd4 with c3xd4, when he maintains two pawns abreast in the centre.

he makes an escape hatch on c2 for his bishop, so that if Black tries a5 at any point to gain the two bishops he can play c2.

Note that White ‘bends’ the rules of classical development rather than ‘breaks’ them. After all, classical precepts point out that White does well to play 1 e4 and 2 d4 on his first two moves if possible, as having two pawns side by side in the centre gives his pieces a lot of space; with 8 c3 White is belatedly trying to build such a centre with pawns on e4 and d4, without allowing Black to break them up with e5xd4. Classical thinking also argues that two bishops are better than two knights, so preventing Black gaining the two bishops with a5 and xb3 is also in accordance with such thinking.

8

…

0-0

After only eight moves, both Grandmasters have attended to setting up a solid base in the centre and secured their king’s safety by castling. White has developed a rook and two minor pieces, whilst Black has developed three minor pieces.

Don’t mess about in the opening – get your pieces out and your king castled as soon as possible.

9

h3!

Every pawn move without a clear purpose is to be criticized said the great World Champion Emanuel Lasker: so why does White make a little pawn move on the h file when he could have played 9 d4 immediately, which seizes space in the centre?

Harmonious opening play is as much about preventing your opponent from playing good moves as playing good moves yourself! Here 9 d4 would allow Black to respond 9…g4! when the black bishop is excellently placed: it pins the knight that is a vital support of the white centre.

Therefore White prefers to take time out to prevent the pin. His thoughts are very much focused on the centre, even when he makes a move on the rim.

9

…

b7

The bishop has been frustrated on one diagonal, but finds another perfectly reasonable post on another where it may become involved in an attack on the important e4 point. In fact, all Black’s minor pieces have found decent squares where they influence the centre and it has only taken nine moves.

10

d4

At last all White’s preparations are complete and he seizes a slight, but enduring, space advantage.

10

…

e8

Black both centralizes the rook and clears the f8 square for his bishop in order to improve the strategic disposition of his pieces.

11

bd2

As c3 is blocked the knight goes to the only other available centre square. From d2 it can be manoeuvred via f1 to g3 where it helps defend e4 and has influence on the centre without getting in the way of the other pieces. Alternatively the knight could be redeployed to e3 in order to control both d5 and f5, but this would be more double edged as the knight might obstruct both the bishop on c1 and the rook on e1 and so leave the e4 pawn more vulnerable. Yes, it is by no means easy to keep all your pieces happy!

11

…

f8

A useful retreat as the bishop can now be activated with g7-g6 and g7 if desired. At the same time White’s knight manoeuvre described above is hindered, for if 12 f1 then he has to reckon with 12…exd4 uncovering a double attack on the e4 pawn.

12

a4

Why suddenly a move with the rook’s pawn?

So far Hubner has played good, sensible developing moves which are primarily aimed at controlling the centre – or at least gaining a slight upper hand there as befits the player who has the right to move first. But now a more specific plan begins to take shape in his mind. White hopes to profit from the slight breach in Black’s pawn structure created by 6…b5, either through magnifying the weakness of the pawn itself or by using it as a hook to force open lines for his pieces on the queenside. The game move fits the requirements of both these closely linked plans.

12

…

d7

Instead 12…bxa4? 13 xa4 would play into White’s hands. Not only would Black be left with a weak pawn on a6 but he would also be faced with the awkward threat of 14 d5, pinning the knight against the rook. Alternatively 12…b4 causes less damage to the black queenside, but would leave the c4 square at White’s disposal. So Portisch stands his ground and moves his queen forwards, so that she is available to protect the b5 pawn once the knight moves away from c6. Black has also connected his rooks, which means they can now work in unison – this is normally the sign of a healthy position, as it suggests that the queen and all the minor pieces have been moved off the back rank and the player has succeeded in castling.

13

d5

In the Ruy Lopez White often has to choose whether to block the centre or maintain the tension by keeping the pawn on d4. Sometimes it is a matter of very subtle judgment: here the advance to d5 blocks in White’s own bishop on b3 and removes flexibility from his pawn structure, which can now be undermined by an eventual c7-c6. On the other hand, White seizes space and drives the black knight from its useful post on c6 and furthermore prevents a sudden discovered attack on his e4 pawn by e5xd4.

No doubt what guided Hubner in this instance was his wish for the situation to stay quiet in the centre, so that he could focus all his attention on his plan of queenside pressure without being disturbed by any possible counterattack.

13

…

e7

The knight retreats but stays in the centre. If instead 13…a5 14 c2 leaves Black facing the annoying threat of 15 b4 c4 16 xc4 bxc4 17 e2, when he loses a pawn.

14

c4

All according to plan: the pressure on b5 is intensified. If now 14…b4 15 c5! threatens 16 c6 winning a piece and if 15…dxe5 16 xe5 leaves Black’s pawns in ruins. Also inadequate for Black is 14…bxc4 15 xc4 when the knight is well placed on c4, the bishop on c1 is freed and White has a clear plan of attack down the c file, which includes a5 hitting the bishop on b7 and aiming at the hole on c6.

14

…

g6

Portisch refuses to be bullied into a queenside concession. He stands his ground and defends the e5 pawn, so that b5-b4 becomes an option as it doesn’t allow the break c4-c5 by White given in the previous note.

15

c2

A quiet retreat which prepares to answer 15…b4 with 16 b3 – heading for a5 to cause disruption – 16…a5 17 e3, when White will continue his queenside initiative with c4-c5.

15

…

c6

A vigilant response: Portisch bolsters the b5 pawn and prepares to answer 16 b3? with 16…dxc4, dismantling the white pawn structure.

16

b3

White feels compelled to solidify his centre, even though this means he no longer has the option of b3.

16

…

b4

Only now: Black blocks the queenside at precisely the right moment. White maintains his space advantage, but his plan of exerting pressure on the queenside hasn’t produced any immediate results.

17

h2

A horse is only ‘dim on the rim’ if it isn’t on its way to greener pastures. For now Hubner is concerned with increasing the efficiency of his knights: f3 was a good square for the knight, but g4 is better, and in time d5 might prove better still!

In quiet positions with a fixed pawn centre strategical regroupings lasting three or more moves are not uncommon.

A key idea for White is to exchange with d5xc6 in order to open a line of attack against the d6 pawn, which is especially weak as it is a so-called backward pawn – no other pawn can offer it any assistance. However, 17 dxc6 would be double edged as the d5 pawn is doing a sterling job in preserving White’s space advantage: in particular once it disappears Black’s light-squared bishop has more scope and can harass the e4 pawn. As is so often the case in chess the threat is stronger than the execution as the maintenance of the idea of d5xc6 soon provokes a blunder from Portisch.

17

…

c7

A semi-waiting move which introduces the possibility of d7 and c5, when the knight is delighted to be placed on a centre square where it cannot be driven back by an enemy pawn.

18

g4

White reactivates his knight and prepares to answer 18…xg4 with 19 hxg4 when he has a grip on the f5 square which can be tightened with a second knight manoeuvre: f1, e3 and then f5. This could be combined with an attack along the h file involving g2-g3, g2 and h1, etc.

18

…

e7

Portisch wisely avoids the capture on g4. He could have carried out the little strategical operation 18…d7 and then 19…c5, but he decides that overall it is preferable to stop the white knight reaching d5 after the response 19 dxc6 xc6 20 e3.

19

f1

Now the other white knight has aspirations to find an ideal centre post. It aims for e3 where it can spring to f5 or, after d5xc6, the d5 square.

19

…

cxd5?

White’s knight manoeuvres have unnerved Portisch. He is keen to deny them the d5 square, but this is a disastrous way of going about things as Hubner will be able to exploit the resulting open file. Instead 19…c5, followed by c8 to reactivate the bishop, would leave Black solidly placed, though White can continue to probe for weaknesses with fe3, etc.

20

cxd5

After a phase of cat and mouse manoeuvring, White is presented with a clear strategical plan: seize control of the c file with the rooks.

20

…

xg4

In a cramped position every exchange usually helps the defender by lessening the force of any impending onslaught and also increasing the space available for the remaining pieces.

21

hxg4

White must recapture with the pawn or else the bishop on c2 drops. Nevertheless, he isn’t complaining as he has gained a pincer-like hold on the f5 square.

21

…

c8

The bishop was doing nothing on b7 except stare at the d5 pawn, so it makes sense to redeploy it, especially as Black now has a threat: 22…xg4 23 xg4 xc2.

22

e3

The knight completes the next stage of its journey.

22

…

g5

Meanwhile Portisch continues with the sensible policy of swapping off pieces, but the drawback is that White can use the exchanging sequence to obtain control of the c file.

23

f5!

Such is the power of Hubner’s accurate and patient play that with his first incursion into enemy territory since 3 b5 he gains a strategically winning position.

23

…

xc1

The only consistent move, even though it develops White’s rook for him.

24

xc1

Finally a white rook reaches the c file. This wouldn’t cause Black much trouble if the rest of his game was in good order – but here he has to worry about his vulnerable pawns on b4 and d6.

24

…

d8

The black queen steps out of the firing line.

25

d3

Already there is the threat of 25 c6, attacking d6, when Black would be obliged to play 25…xf5 26 gxf5 e7, but then a pawn drops anyway to 27 xa6.

Generally speaking Black is reluctant to play xf5 as after g4xf5 White’s pawns are strengthened and he gains attacking chances on the kingside to add to Black’s woes on the queenside.

25

…

e7

Black keeps the rook out of c6 and challenges the white knight.

26

d2!

All according to plan. Hubner clears the way for the doubling of the rooks on the c file with gain of time by attacking b4.

26

…

b8

It is uneconomical for the black rook to be tied to the defence of the b4 pawn: we would expect it to be fighting for control of the c file. But the pawn on b4 must be defended, and how else can it be done?

Firstly, if 26…b6 then 27 a5! dislodges the black queen – she must either retreat passively to b8 or allow White a strong passed pawn after 27…xa5 28 xd6.

Secondly if 26…a5 27 b5! when the bishop seizes the newly created outpost square on b5. Black couldn’t then challenge the bishop with 27…d7 as 28 xd6 xb5 29 xb5 leaves White a pawn up.

Therefore by logical reasoning we see that using the black rook to defend the pawn is the lesser evil.

27

c2

Note that if 27 c4, which on the face of it appears even stronger as it attacks the pawn on b4, Black can reply 27…a5 when White can’t respond 28 b5. Black would then gain time for his development with 28…a6.

27

…

xf5

Black cannot tolerate the knight on f5 any longer. He prefers this to 27…xf5 as his bishop is better equipped to fight for the light squares on the queenside – which will soon include b5 as well as a6 and c6.

28

gxf5

Now White has a bind that stretches across the whole board.

28

…

f6

You might wonder why Black plays this quiet pawn move when things are getting hot on the queenside. Well all eyes are focused on the c file, but here is how Black could be mated if he plays the immediate 28…e7 to defend c7: 29 f6! c7 30 xc7 xc7 31 g5 g6 32 h6 and mate follows on g7.

Or 29 f6 gxf6 30 h6 c7 31 e3 xc2 32 g3+ h8 33 g7 mate.

These snap mating attacks are possible because of the superior mobility of the white rooks. Therefore Portisch has to take time out to safeguard his kingside before thinking about fighting for the c file.

29

ec1

’When you double rooks you double their power’ said Chernev.

The triumph of White’s strategy. Rooks thrive on open lines: there is only one open file on the whole board and White’s rooks have control of it.

29

…

e7

Portisch defends his second rank, but he will be undone by his pawn weaknesses on a6, b4 and d6.

30

c6!

It looks as if this intrusion can be met by 30…b7, driving back the rook, but Hubner has prepared the sacrifice 31 xa6 xc6 32 dxc6 with a crushing position: White can follow up with d5+ and b7 and a4-a5, when the passed pawns swamp the defending rooks.

30

…

a7

Therefore Black has no choice but to tolerate the invasion on c6.

31

e2

Another weakness please! The threat of 32 xa6 forces Black to give away the b5 square.

31

…

a5

Normally it is a good sign when a player’s pawns are on the opposite coloured squares to his bishop, as is the case here; but the bishop on c8 is nonetheless a miserable piece with little scope.

32

b5

In contrast, the white bishop cannot be dislodged from this commanding post.

32

…

b7

Portisch tries to extricate himself by forcing simplification, even at the cost of letting a white rook get to the seventh rank.

33

c7

Rooks have had a love affair with the seventh rank since the dawn of chess history.

33

…

c8

White cannot possibly be allowed to play 34 d7 and 35 cd7 with two rooks on the seventh rank!

34

c4

White supports his rook and is by no means adverse to the exchanging sequence 34…xc7 35 xc7 xc7 36 xc7 as it leaves Black defenceless against 37 c6 exploiting the pin on the black bishop to win at once.

34

…

aa8

Portisch however fights hard. He has expertly reorganised his pieces in their cramped surroundings to hold the white pieces at bay.

35

f3!!

The beginning of an absolutely brilliant idea. White could force an endgame with a rook on the seventh rank immediately with 35 d7. But Hubner sees that Black can do nothing: so why not centralize the king so that it will be better placed for the endgame?

35

…

f8

In anticipation of the endgame the black king also moves a square towards the centre, but compared to the white king’s bold advance it is a feeble gesture.

36

f2!

The white king strolls to the centre of the board as if to inspect the siege works on the c file.

36

…

ab8

Of course the black pieces would love to strike a blow against the wandering white king, but they are confined in their dungeon on the first rank.

37

e3

Now every white piece is superior to its opposite number in the black camp.

37

…

g6

A desperate move, but if Black did nothing then White would play 38 d7 in any case and force a winning endgame – assuming of course that Hubner hadn’t intended to send his king on another little promenade.

38

d7

With every piece on its optimum square White decides it is time to cash in on his advantage.

38

…

xc7

Black gets rid of one powerful enemy…

39

xc7

…but another one immediately takes its place.

39

…

xc7

Black has to exchange or else d6 drops.

40

xc7

‘Take first and philosophize later’ said GM Savielly Tartakower about such positions.

40

…

a6

At last the bishop has an open diagonal but it is far too late.

41

e6

Calmly does it: the black pawns are all at the mercy of the white rook, so Hubner has no need to hurry.

41

…

b7

Black cannot allow his pawns to be massacred with 42 xh7, etc.

42

c6

Of course Black can only dream of the exchange of rooks.

42

…

f1

Black tries one last trick as 42…a7 43 xd6 is clearly hopeless.

43

xd6

All White’s positional pressure is finally converted into material gain.

43

…

c4!?

This is Black’s last gasp idea. If now 44 bxc4 b3 and unbelievably the white pieces are unable to stop the passed pawn queening!

44

d8+ 1-0

But this check persuaded Portisch that his opponent wasn’t going to fall for any tricks.

If 44…e7 45 h8! and Black has no time to take on b3 as 46 xh7+ picks up the rook with a skewer. Therefore he would have to retreat with 45…a6 when 46 xh7+ wins even more pawns. Alternatively after 44…g7 45 d6 White’s bishop suddenly defends b3 through the black bishop. If then 45…xe6 46 fxe6 and the passed pawns win easily.

A great player is a master of all styles, or to put it more precisely, is a master of all situations. He may seek complicated, fighting games or delight in the exploitation of a tiny advantage in quiet surroundings; but whatever his preferences – which will be indulged to some extent by his choice of openings – he will always treat the position in front of him in the correct manner. If it requires direct, aggressive action he will not hesitate; if placid manoeuvring is called for he will be patient. Thus in Game One we saw Anatoly Karpov, who is famed for his wonderful technique, in the role of fearless attacker, as that is what the position demanded.

Here in Game Three we shall see that Garry Kasparov, who strongly favours dynamic play, is equally accomplished at handling the tranquil positions so typical of classical chess.

Game ThreeG.Kasparov - E.Bacrot Sarajevo 2000

Scotch Opening

1

e4

Garry Kasparov, the 13th World Champion, is in full agreement with Paul Morphy, the chess genius of the 1850s, that 1 e4 is a great way to begin a game.

1

…

e5

The decks are cleared: Black keeps the status quo by copying his opponent.

2

f3

Direct, powerful and best: it is White’s task to preserve the advantage of the first move for as long as possible, and this can best be done by rapid development with concrete threats.

2

…

c6

The cavalry arrives to defend the e5 pawn.

3

d4

This is much more forceful than 3 b5 as White provokes an immediate crisis in the centre by challenging the e5 pawn.

3

…

exd4

Black cannot stand his ground with 3…d6 as 4 dxe5 dxe5 5 xd8+ forces him to give up castling with 5…xd8 because 5…xd8 drops a pawn to 6 xe5.

4

xd4

White now has a small space advantage as the enemy pawn on e5 has been eliminated whilst his own pawn still stands on e4 controlling d5 and f5.

4

…

f6

A sensible move that both develops and targets the e4 pawn.

A fundamental mistake would be the exchange 4…xd4, as after 5 xd4 the white queen is well placed in the centre and can only be driven away by 5…c5, which would be a seriously weakening move.

5

xc6

White prepares to advance the e pawn to get it out of range of the knight on f6. If instead 5 c3 then 5…b4, renewing the threat of xe4, gives Black an active game.

5

…

bxc6

The correct recapture as 5…dxc6 6 xd8+ costs the right to castle.

Black now has doubled pawns but he hopes that they will be of value in guarding the d5 square and also in opening a gap to develop the queen’s bishop via b7.

6

e5

The idea behind the exchange on c6: the pawn advance gains more space and aims to drive the black knight from its beloved post on f6.

6

…

e7

The hunter hunted: Black pins the pawn which must now be defended.

7

e2

White responds in kind as after 7 f4 d6 the white centre is crumbling. Now both queens are blocking in their king’s bishop, which creates mutual problems with development.

7

…

d5

The knight is forced to move but at least stays active as 7…g8 would be unbearably painful.

8

c4

Kasparov is determined not to allow the knight to remain undisturbed on a centre square.

8

…

a6

…but rather than retreat the knight Bacrot pins the pawn and develops another piece.

9

b3

This solidifies the barrier against the black bishop as White wants to prove that it is badly placed on a6 rather than developed to a good square.

9

…

g6

Since the way out via e7 has been blocked, Black prepares the alternative development of the bishop on g7. This is especially attractive as White has weakened the long diagonal a1-h8 with his last move.

10

f4

White adds support to his centre spearhead.

Ten moves have gone by, and White has only his queen developed; indeed, he has made a succession of pawn moves. So much for everything that has been said about the need for rapid development!

Nevertheless, White is only taking unacceptable liberties if in the meantime his opponent has been developing in good classical style. And looking closely we see that Black’s piece deployment has been far from spotless.

We are entitled to ask: is the bishop on a6 really well developed, or is ‘entombed’ a better way to describe its situation? And what about the knight on d5 – is it well centralized or is it hanging precariously on an unsuitable square?

Assuming the centre remains blocked and Black doesn’t find a tactical blow to get the bishop and knight working together then White will reap the benefits of his superior pawn structure, which confers a space advantage upon him.

10

…

b4+

Because of his lead in development Black tries to play dynamically. He reroutes his queen to b6 where she enjoys an excellent diagonal with gain of time. If instead 10…b4? then 11 a3 would win the knight.

11

d2

And not 11 d2? allowing 11…xf4.

11

…

b6

Now it is Black’s turn to avoid a trap as if 11…xf4? 12 e4 wins a piece.

12

e4!

Kasparov prevents 12…d4, which would have won the rook in the corner, and threatens 12 cxd5.

12

…

f5!

It is worth offering a pawn to keep up the momentum of Black’s initiative for if now 13 exf6+ f7 clears the way for 14…e8, winning the queen, which means that White has no time to capture the knight.

13

f3

As White is behind in development it is essential to keep the position closed.

13

…

d4

A tempting move, but the attack eventually runs out of steam. Instead 13…b4 – intending a fork on c2 – 14 d1 b7 – making an escape route for the knight on a6 should White play 15 a3 – was the way to keep the dynamism in Black’s set up.

14

c3

The only good way to meet the threat to the rook.

14

…

xc3

So Black has avoided losing time by retreating his knight, but on the other hand every exchange clarifies White’s structural advantage as there will be fewer black pieces to generate counterplay.

15

xc3

White regains his piece and is ready to answer a queen move with 16 e6! hitting the rook on h8 and so winning time to break up Black’s centre with 17 exf7+.

15

…

b4

A pretty little trick to develop and meet the threat to the queen. Of course the bishop is taboo because of the loss of the rook on a1.

16

c1

Another necessary move, though White isn’t too upset at being obliged to develop his queenside pieces to good squares.

16

…

xc3+

Yet again a piece vanishes from the board that might have caused White problems in exploiting his better pawn structure.

17

xc3

He must retake this way or else f4 would drop.

17

…

0-0-0

Black castles queenside so that the rook is developed immediately to d8 where it can support the advance d7-d5 or d7-d6 to open lines before White can deploy all his pieces.

18

c5!

The pressure on d6 is increased to impair the strength of a d7-d5 break out.

18

…

b7

Black has no wish to help White’s development with 18…xf1 19 xf1 when the rook can be activated with f2 and d2, etc.

19

e3

It is necessary to challenge Black’s queen in order to clear the way for e2 and 0-0.

19

…

xe3+

Much too obliging. Bacrot doesn’t want to lose time by moving his queen around but 19…b4! keeping the queens on the board would have preserved counterplay after 20 e2 d6.

20

xe3

A crucial moment has been reached. Either Black will succeed in breaking free from his cramped position and neutralise White’s space advantage; or else he will spend the rest of the game being tortured in a prospectless endgame.

20

…

d6

Now after 21 cxd6 cxd6 22 exd6 xd6 23 e2 hd8, intending 24…d2, Black’s fully mobilized army would compensate for the weakness on c6.

21

c4!

This crosses Black’s plans. White can ignore the threat to c5 as after 21…dxc5 Black may have an extra pawn, but the tripled pawns would be hideous. Furthermore the dominance of the white pawn on e5 would be uncontested and the black bishop on b7 shut out of the game.

21

…

d7

The black king rushes to the centre as 21…he8 22 0-0 dxe5 23 fxe5 leaves White with a passed pawn which can be supported by the bishop, whilst the black bishop might as well be off the board.

22

h4

A move that is both aggressive and defensive. White rules out any flank attack on the f4 pawn that supports e5 with h7-h6 and g6-g5 and also prepares to undermine g6 with h4-h5 at an appropriate moment.

22

…

d5

A major concession as White’s pawn on e5 is left unchallenged as a protected passed pawn. Nevertheless, Bacrot feels it is necessary to stabilize his pawn structure to counter White’s projected thrusts with his pawns.

23

d3

Now a strategical menace is h4-h5, combined with g2-g4, to bludgeon the black pawns out of the way and so create connected passed pawns on the e and f files.

23

…

h5

Black stops the plan outlined above, but at a huge cost: a backward pawn on g6 that is open to attack.

24

g3

Here a careless move such as 24 g3?? would prevent White’s attacking plan in the game. A pawn move should never be played on whim, as it can never be reversed.

24

…

h6

Black defends the pawn in such a way as to avoid being pinned on the g file. After 24…hg8 Kasparov intended the following clever breakthrough: 25 g5 e6 26 g4! hxg4 27 h5 gxh5 28 xf5+ followed by 29 hxh5 and White wins.

25

b4

Having tied a black rook down to g6 White turns his attention to the queenside, which should prove under-defended.

25

…

e6

Black hurries to get his king over to the kingside, but the last chance of gaining any freedom for his pieces was with the counter attack 25…a5! even though after 26 b5 cxb5 27 xb5+ c6 28 b3 White can try to exploit the open b file as the challenge with 28…b8? loses material to 29 xc6+.

26

d2

As it is the endgame the king needs to be given an active role in any strategical plan. It would be quite absurd to try to shelter him with 26 0-0?.

26

…

a8

At last there is an attempt to break out with 27…a5, but Kasparov is ready.

27

b1!

Now 27…a5 28 b5 doesn’t help Black.

27

…

a6

Sooner or later White can put enough pressure on a7 with e2, a3, a5, b3 and ba3 to make this move necessary, so Bacrot bites the bullet and plays it straightaway.

28

b3

The rook heads for a3, when all Black’s pieces will be tied down on both sides of the board. Note that White has avoided the routine pawn move a2-a3, just as he has refrained from g2-g3 on the kingside. The squares a3 and g3 are vital avenues of attack for the rooks and must be kept unblocked.

28

…

f7

The black king reaches f7 and offers its support to the beleaguered pawn. Nevertheless, this is a feeble task compared to the active role of the white king, which can saunter to the excellent square d4 where it surveys the whole board.

29

a3

Now Black has to reckon with two schemes of attack:

on the queenside: a5, e2 and ga3

on the kingside: g5, e2 and ag3