"Mecking does not understand the significance of weak and strong squares. I have played him three times. In 1969 he lost to me owing to the weakness of his light squares. A year later he presented me with all the dark squares and again suffered defeat. And in the San Antonio tournament of 1972, Grandmaster Mecking again let me have dark-square control, and with it - victory. What distinguishes Mecking is lively piece play, but he has no genuine grasp of the underlying nature of a position; this is what makes me have doubts about his future as a player." - Tigran PETROSIAN.
- You can dominate a weak square, or a few weak squares. When the weak squares are all of the same colour, we say that your strategy is to dominate a colour complex (Bernstein-Mieses). The domination of a colour complex often depends on the balance of Bishops on the board -- especially if the defending side has only one bad Bishop.
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[Event "Coburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1904.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bernstein, Ossip"]
[Black "Mieses, Jacques"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[Annotator "pawns: colour complex"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[EventType "corr"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 f5 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Nd6+ Bxd6 11. Qxd6 Ne4 12. Qd4 Nf6 13. Qd6 Ne4 14. Qb4
d5 15. Bd3 Qd6 16. Qxd6 Nxd6 17. f4 {[#] ! A key move, preventing the advance
e6-e5 when Black's position is fine. The rest of the game features an iron
determination to prevent any freeing move by Black, and a gradual invasion on
the dark squares.} a5 18. Be3 Ba6 19. Kd2 Nc4+ 20. Bxc4 Bxc4 {[#] It is
sometimes assumed that the presence of opposite-coloured bishops is a powerful
drawing factor. This is true of some simple or blocked positions, but here all
Black's pieces stand badly because of the weak dark squares.} 21. a4 Kd7 22. b3
Ba6 23. Bb6 Bc8 24. Ke3 Ra6 25. Bc5 Kc7 26. Kd4 Bd7 27. Rhe1 h5 28. Re5 g6 29.
Rg5 Rg8 30. Ke5 Be8 31. Re1 Ra8 32. Kf6 Bd7 33. g3 Rae8 34. Ree5 Rh8 35. Rxg6
Rh7 36. Rg7 Reh8 37. Rxh7 Rxh7 38. Kg6 Rh8 {[#] While there's life...} 39. Kg7
{!} (39. Rxh5 Be8+) 39... Rd8 40. Rxh5 Be8 {White needs to be sure of his
ground here, as he has an alternative plan of advancing the h-pawn.} 41. Rh7
Rd7+ 42. Kh6 Rxh7+ 43. Kxh7 {How many moves will it take White to Queen a
Pawn? How many for Black?} Bh5 44. h4 Bd1 45. c3 Bxb3 46. g4 Kd7 47. g5 e5 48.
f5 Bxa4 49. f6 {1-0 bernstein-meises 1-0 (49) Bernstein,O-Mieses,J Coburg 1904}
1-0
[Event "Hoogovens"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1971.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Petrosian, Tigran Vartanovich"]
[Black "Mecking, Henrique"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D03"]
[Annotator "pawns: colour complex"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "1971.12.29"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
1. d4 (1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 Bd6 7. d4 O-O
8. Bd3 Re8 9. Qc2 e5 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Ne2 Qd6 14.
Bxe5 Qxe5 15. O-O Bd7 16. Nd4 Rac8 17. Qe2 Qd6 {[#]} 18. Qb2 {The Queen goes
on the opposite coloured squares to the Bishop, covering the Queen's-side
squares, and preparing to advance the Pawns there if opportunity allows.} a6 {
?! Placing a Pawn on the same colour as his Bishop.} 19. Rac1 Ng4 20. Nf3 Qb6
21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rc1 Nf6 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Qc3 Bd7 25. Nd4 Ne8 26. a4 {
! On its way to a5.} Qc7 (26... a5 27. Bb5 Bxb5 28. Nxb5 {and things are ready
to drop.}) 27. Qxc7 Nxc7 28. a5 Kf8 29. Kf1 Ke7 30. Ke2 g6 {(a further
weakness)} 31. Kd2 Ne6 32. Nxe6 (32. Kc3) 32... fxe6 33. f4 e5 34. g3 Kd6 35.
Kc3 Be6 36. Kb4 exf4 (36... d4) 37. gxf4 Bg4 38. Kc3 Bf3 39. Kd4 Bg2 40. h4 Bf3
41. b4 {following the well-known endgame rule, 'do not hurry'.} Bh1 42. Be2 Bg2
43. Bg4 Be4 44. Bc8 Kc7 45. Be6 Kd6 46. Bg8 h6 47. Bf7 h5 48. Be8 Bc2 49. Bf7
Be4 50. f5 {!} Bxf5 51. Bxd5 Bc8 52. e4 Ke7 53. Ke5 g5 54. hxg5 h4 55. g6 h3
56. g7 h2 57. g8=Q h1=Q 58. Qf7+ Kd8 59. Qf8+ {1-0 (59) Polugaevsky,L-Mecking,
H Mar del Plata 1971}) 1... Nf6 (1... g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. c3 Nf6 5. Nbd2
{(Geller's quiet system, aimig at a small plus)} O-O {[#]} 6. Be2 c5 (6... Nc6
{planning ...e5 is given as best by Nunn}) 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. O-O Nc6 (8... b6) 9.
Qc2 b6 10. Nc4 Bb7 {[#]} 11. a4 {(you can see the outlines of a light-square
strategy for White)} Qc7 12. Re1 {(typical Petrosian - getting ready to defend
a point not yet attacked)} Na5 13. Bf1 (13. Nxa5 Bxe4) 13... Nxc4 14. Bxc4 Ng4
{(anxious for active play. Black can occupy the d-file but there are not yet
any entry points)} 15. a5 {+= Nunn, but Petrosian wins without fuss. Where did
Black go wrong?} Bc6 {[#]} (15... bxa5 {does not really win a Pawn, as the
Black Queen's-side Pawns are weak}) 16. Qe2 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. g3 Bg7 19.
Bf4 e5 20. Bc1 {(Typical Petrosian. Having tempted ...e5, the Bishop returns
to base. The other effect of this move is that it might make Black do
something hasty later.)} Kh8 {[#]} 21. Bd5 {(exchanging the defender of the
light squares)} Bxd5 22. exd5 f5 23. c4 Rae8 24. Rd1 {(White can draw up a
battle plan: (1) fix the Black Pawns, (2) tie Black's pieces to their defence,
(3) penetrate on the White squares.)} f4 25. axb6 axb6 {[#]} 26. Qe4 Qd7 27.
Re1 Qf7 28. Re2 g5 29. g4 Qd7 30. f3 Ra8 {[#] Phase (1) complete: the Black
Pawns are fixed on dark squares.} 31. Rxa8 Rxa8 32. Bd2 Re8 33. Bc3 Qd6 {
(Phase (2) is complete: the Black pieces are tied to defence.)} 34. Re1 h6 35.
Ra1 Rf8 {[#] (Now begins the final phase: invasion on the light squares.)} 36.
Ra7 Re8 37. Qf5 b5 {(activity at last?)} 38. Rd7 Qf8 39. Qxf8+ Rxf8 40. cxb5
Rb8 {[#]} 41. Rxg7 {1-0 (41) Petrosian, T-Mecking,H Palma de Mallorca 1969 1-0
(41) Petrosian,T-Mecking,H Palma de Mallorca 1969 [pawns: colour complex]}) 2.
Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 c5 4. e3 d5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 cxd4 7. exd4 Be7 8. Bd3 h6 9. Bf4
Nh5 10. Be3 Nf6 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. Bd4 Nc5 14. Bc2 a5 15. Qg4 g6 16.
O-O Bd7 17. Rfe1 Qc7 18. a4 Na6 19. Qe2 Kf8 20. Nf3 Kg7 21. Be3 Nc5 22. Nd4 Ra6
23. Bc1 Raa8 24. g3 b6 25. h4 h5 26. Qf3 Qd8 27. Bd2 Qe8 28. Bg5 Qd8 29. Qf4
Rc8 30. Re3 Bxg5 31. hxg5 {[#] Dickie dodgy dark squares} Ra8 32. Qf6+ Qxf6 33.
exf6+ Kh7 34. Kg2 Rae8 35. f4 Rb8 36. Ree1 Nb7 37. Rh1 Kg8 38. Nf3 Nd6 39. Ne5
Be8 40. Bd3 Rc8 41. Kf3 Bc6 42. Rh2 Be8 43. Ke3 Rc7 44. Kd4 Nb7 45. b4 Nd8 46.
Rh4 Nb7 47. Ra2 Nd6 48. Rh1 Nb7 49. b5 Nc5 50. Bc2 Nd7 51. Ra3 Nc5 52. c4 Nd7
53. Rc3 Nxe5 54. Kxe5 dxc4 55. Be4 Rc8 56. Kd6 Rc5 57. Rhc1 {[#]} h4 {1-0 (57)
Petrosian,T-Mecking,H Wijk aan Zee 1971 MCL} 1-0