- A minority attack is where you advance pawns on the wing where you have fewer pawns. This works if your opponent's extra pawn on that side is backward on a half-open file. The furthest square on a half-open file is an outpost for you, and if your opponent attacks your piece on that square with a nearby pawn, they may be making weaknesses. (Capablanca-Janowsky)
- You see lots of minority attacks in the Queen's Gambit Orthodox Defence (Evans-Opsahl) and Sicilian Defence (Conrady-Benko, Vogt-Andersson)
- The various ideas for pursuing and defending the minority attack in different settings have been tested over many years, so I could write a book about it. In fact, I think someone else has: https://www.google.com/search?q=Middlegame+Strategy++Robert+Leininger
Click [...] to see list of games
[Event "New York INT"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1913.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Capablanca, JR."]
[Black "Janowsky, Dawid"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C48"]
[Annotator "minority attack"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1913.??.??"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 a6 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8.
Qe2 Bd6 9. d3 Qe7 10. Nd1 O-O-O 11. Ne3 Bg6 12. Nh4 Rhg8 13. Nef5 Qe6 14. f4
Bxf5 15. Nxf5 exf4 16. Bxf4 Bc5+ 17. Be3 Bf8 18. Qf2 Rd7 19. Bc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5
Kb8 21. Rf2 Ne8 22. Raf1 f6 23. b3 Nd6 24. Rf4 Nxf5 25. Qxf5 Qxf5 26. Rxf5 {[#]
} Re8 27. g4 b6 28. b4 Kb7 29. Kf2 b5 30. a4 Rd4 31. Rb1 Re5 32. Ke3 Rd7 33. a5
Re6 34. Rbf1 Rde7 35. g5 fxg5 36. Rxg5 Rh6 37. Rg3 Rhe6 38. h4 g6 39. Rg5 h6
40. Rg4 Rg7 41. d4 Kb8 42. Rf8+ Kb7 43. e5 g5 44. Ke4 Ree7 45. hxg5 hxg5 46.
Rf5 Kc8 47. Rgxg5 Rh7 48. Rh5 Kd7 49. Rxh7 Rxh7 50. Rf8 Rh4+ 51. Kd3 Rh3+ 52.
Kd2 c5 53. bxc5 Ra3 54. d5 1-0
[Event "Olympiad-09"]
[Site "Dubrovnik"]
[Date "1950.08.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Evans, LM."]
[Black "Opsahl, Haakon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[Annotator "QGDEV: minority attack & defences"]
[PlyCount "161"]
[EventDate "1950.08.20"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[WhiteTeam "US of America"]
[BlackTeam "Norway"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NOR"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Qc2 O-O 7. cxd5 exd5 8.
Nf3 c6 9. Bd3 Re8 10. O-O Nf8 11. Rab1 Ne4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 {[#] The classic
setting for the minority attack.} 13. b4 a6 14. a4 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Bg4 16. Nd2
Qg5 17. Rfc1 Re6 {[#] Drumming up some King's-side counterplay.} 18. b5 {!}
axb5 19. axb5 Bh3 20. g3 Rae8 21. bxc6 bxc6 22. Bf1 {!} Bxf1 23. Nxf1 Ng6 24.
Rb6 {[#] A critical moment - if Black has to go back now he is really up
against the ropes.} Ne7 (24... Nh4 25. Rxc6 {The Rook on c6 stops the Black
Rook on e6 joining the attack. I think the White King is safe here.} Nf3+ 26.
Kh1 h5 27. Qb3 (27. Qd3)) 25. Qb4 h5 26. Rb8 Rxb8 27. Qxb8+ Kh7 28. Qf4 {!}
Qxf4 29. gxf4 {<em> [The h-pawn cannot really be attacked, and with Queens off
White can use the King] </em>} g6 30. Nd2 Rd6 31. Kf1 Kg7 32. Ra1 Rd7 33. Nb3
Rb7 34. Nc5 Rb2 35. Ra7 Kf6 36. Ra6 Rb1+ 37. Kg2 Rb2 38. Ra7 Rb1 39. Rc7 Ra1
40. Nd3 Ke6 41. Nc5+ Kf6 42. Nd7+ Ke6 43. Nf8+ Kf6 44. Nh7+ Ke6 45. Ng5+ Kd6
46. Rb7 {[#]} f6 {?} (46... f5) 47. Nh7 Ke6 48. Nf8+ {Very neat} Kf7 (48... Kd6
49. Rd7#) 49. Nxg6 Kxg6 50. Rxe7 {White has a pawn and hopes of collecting
more.} Kf5 51. Rc7 {[#]} Rc1 52. Rc8 Kg6 53. Kg3 Rc2 54. h4 Kf5 55. Rh8 Kg6 56.
f5+ Kxf5 57. Rxh5+ {Now White has a passed pawn.} Kg6 58. Rh8 Kf5 59. Rg8 Rc1
60. Kg2 Ra1 61. h5 Ra7 62. Rg3 Rh7 63. Rh3 Kg5 64. Kf3 {Offering to trade the
pawn for a winning King raid.} Rh6 65. Rh1 Kf5 66. Kg3 Kg5 67. Rh4 Kf5 68. Rf4+
Kg5 {[#]} 69. Rg4+ {! Again offering the pawn, but again Black dare not accept.
} Kf5 70. Kh4 Rh8 71. Rg7 Ra8 72. h6 Ra1 73. Rg3 Rh1+ 74. Rh3 Rg1 75. Rf3+ Kg6
76. Rg3+ {The winning clearance} Rxg3 77. Kxg3 Kxh6 78. Kg4 (78. Kf4 Kg6 79. f3
Kg7 80. Kf5 Kf7 81. f4 Ke7 82. Kg6 Ke6 83. f5+ Ke7 84. Kg7) 78... Kg6 79. Kf4
Kg7 80. Kf5 Kf7 81. f3 1-0
[Event "Zonal Dublin"]
[Site "Dublin"]
[Date "1957.05.25"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Conrady, Alphonse"]
[Black "Benko, Pal"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B43"]
[Annotator "minority attack"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1957.05.12"]
[EventRounds "17"]
[EventCountry "IRL"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 Nf6 7. O-O Be7 8.
Nb3 b5 9. Bf3 Nc6 10. g3 O-O 11. Bf4 d6 12. Bg2 Bb7 13. g4 b4 14. g5 Ne8 15.
Ne2 a5 {[#] "Black simply drives the pieces away and then uses the c-file
pressure." - WATSON} 16. Ng3 a4 17. Nd2 Nd4 18. Rc1 a3 19. b3 Rc8 20. Nc4 Nb5
21. Qg4 Nc3 22. Rfe1 Nxa2 23. Ra1 Nc3 24. Re3 e5 25. Nh5 exf4 26. Rh3 Nxe4 0-1
[Event "Cienfuegos"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1975.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Vogt, L."]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B85"]
[Annotator "minority attack"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1975.??.??"]
{[%mdl 16]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 {This is nearly always
Black's fourth move in the Sicilian, to force the N on b1 in front of the
c-pawn. Left alone, White may play c2-c4, stopping counterplay with d7-d5 or
b7-b5, and removing danger on the c-file.} 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be2 a6 7. f4 Qc7 8. O-O
Be7 9. Kh1 Nc6 10. Be3 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Rad1 b5 {Already making use of
the minority. The move b7-b5 is sometimes a way of threatening the e-pawn, but
more often keeps the c-pawn backward on an open file.} 13. e5 {!?} dxe5 14.
Qxe5 Qb8 {!} (14... Qxe5 15. fxe5 Nd7 16. Bf3 Rb8 17. Ba7) 15. Qxb8 Rxb8 16.
Ba7 Ra8 17. Bb6 Bb7 18. a3 Rfc8 {[#] ! Chess magazines are full of quick White
kills against the Sicilian. Why do players bother with it, then? Because the
longer games where the attack founders and Black wins the endgame are too long
for magazines. Watch...} 19. Ba5 g6 20. h3 {?} h5 21. Bf3 Bxf3 22. Rxf3 h4 {
[#] Now White has a weakness on g2 as well as c2.} 23. Rd2 Rc4 24. b3 Rc6 25.
a4 b4 26. Ne2 Rac8 27. c4 bxc3 28. Rxc3 {The weakness has been replaced by one
on b3.} Nd5 29. Rxc6 Rxc6 30. Rb2 Bf6 31. Ra2 Rc8 32. Bd2 (32. b4 Rb8) 32...
Rb8 33. Nc1 Nb4 34. Bxb4 Rxb4 35. Rf2 {The risks of the h2-h3 move is now
clear.} Be7 36. Rf3 {[#]} Bd6 37. Ne2 Re4 38. Rd3 (38. Rf2 Bc5) 38... Bc5 39.
Rc3 Bf2 40. Rc2 Kg7 41. Ng1 Rxf4 {....0-1 vogt-andersson 1978} 42. Nf3 Bg3 43.
Kg1 Re4 44. Kf1 Re3 45. Rb2 e5 46. Rb1 e4 {0-1 (46) Vogt,L-Andersson,U
Cienfuegos 1975} 0-1