Dr.Dave Regis is a mostly retired researcher in health education working in Exeter, Devon.
He does a bit of chess coaching and chess publishing .
He is accredited as Coach by the English Chess Federation and as an Instructor by FIDE (the international chess federation).
Through Exeter Chess Club, he and others have run many coaching sessions over the years, and the notes and games from these sessions are now stored on this site.
You can get in touch through the links on the front page.
I think, if you want to improve, you should be
If you aren’t doing any or all of those things, you won’t improve as fast as you could. None of that needs a coach, but a coach might be able to give you pointers about your games (#2) or what you might look at to study (#4). There’s a terrific amount of free instructional material online these days, so be sure you’re making the best use of your time and money before you hire a coach. Here are some starting places:
https://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/getting-started-coaching-stuff
http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/u14-training-day-1st-february-2014
Hiring Dr.Dave
If you want to talk to me about coaching, I usually offer a free first consultation, to decide (a) if we like each other enough to spend more time talking,
(b) if I think I can do you any good, and
(c) if so, how and how often.
I’d like to do the consultation after having looked at your last dozen chess games – not your best dozen, or your last dozen wins, but your last dozen games, preferably with at least 30 minutes each on the clock.
The easiest thing, if you play online, is to point me to your chess profiles, where I can see your games for myself. Lichess.org I think is one of the best places to play and is entirely free.
You can send games to me as scoresheets, photocopies or scans of scoresheets, transcribed typed moves, read to me over the ‘phone, or best of all as a PGN file.
Portable Game Notation (PGN) is a way of swapping games between computers, and any chess software worthy of the name should be able to read and write PGN files. A PGN file looks like this:
[Event "Game for stakes"] [Site "London, Simpson's"] [Date "1879"] [Round "?"] [White "Schilling,PDQ"] [Black "Blackburne,JH"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C50"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4 4. Nxe5 Qg5 5. Nxf7 Qxg2 6. Rf1 Qxe4+ 7. Be2 Nf3# 0-1
Usually, a programme will give you a board to make the moves and a little form to fill in the game information. To enter and email chess games in PGN format you can use:
If you play chess online, your server or software should be storing your games somewhere, and you should be able to find the games and send them along. However, I never find ‘should’ much of a guarantee in life, so best of luck with that.
ALSO:
I am also interested to know about chess books, DVDs and software that you have in the house and also about any chess books that you may have devoured in the past and websites you may have plundered.
I can work face-to-face, over the ‘phone, or over the Internet using something like Google Meet and/or a chess server like Lichess . Depending on your telephone contract and Internet speed, either may be the best option for us, but happy to discuss and experiment.
Fees vary depending on how much work you want me to do between sessions: if you can analyse your own games, do your own homework and we meet online, I’ll charge a minimum; if you want me to analyse your games, mark your homework and travel to your house, it will be for a higher rate.
[Contact email in sidebar.]
…or thwim, as my old man used to say.
Do you experience any of these symptoms:
If so, you could be suffering from what we doctors* don’t call hypocoachosis, or lack of coaching.
Luckily, we have an effective treatment. With just a few doses of our coaching, we can have you up and winning again in no time.
“My openings have never felt better!”
“My grip on the game is now strong and sure.”
“I can keep going now right to the end!”
“It’s like a mist has lifted from my eyes… Thank you Dr.Dave!”
Here are some genuinely made-up patient statements:
* N.B. He’s not even a real doctor.
Dr Dave Regis is a researcher in health education working in Exeter, Devon.
He does a bit of chess coaching (in person, over the Internet or by phone), chess publishing and other projects on the side.
He has been talking to adults and children about chess for 20 years and the session notes and free materials that have resulted are all online elsewhere; a couple of examples are on this site.
English Chess Federation Accredited Coach: http://www.englishchess.org.uk/coaches-2/
[If you don’t think the header photo is very good, click on it for another one.]
In an all-parent encounter last week, the players stumbled upon this position, known as the Trebuchet. A trebuchet is a big wooden catapult, and its connection with this position is not known, except that it may catapult a player from joy to despair…
Normally, it’s an advantage for it to be your turn so you can get on with your plan, but in this position, whoever has to move next, loses! Can you see how?
The situation of an unhappy forced move is called Zugzwang; it’s not ever so common but more unusual is this situation where BOTH sides are in Zugzwang.
P.S. Interested in this sort of thing? Here are some more:
http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/simplest-mutual-full-point-zugzwangs
As part of a chess program on television an extract from Kotov’s book ‘The White and the Black’ was shown. The scene depicts Alekhin giving a simultaneous display against 30 German officers of the General staff in occupied Prague in 1943. The last game to finish is against Obersturbannfuhrer Spak. ‘I resign’, declares the German officer:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=10240%3Ekpage=20
[Not the Peterborough Correspondence Chess Society] [NSFW]
Chess has well-known links to mathematics and music, but what about believing six impossible things before breakfast?
Just finished watching the Bobby Fischer film, and how sad it was to see him in the grip of paranoid delusions. Ironically, this son of a Jewish mother and probably a Jewish father, and one of the most creative minds over the chessboard, came to be obsessed by the most dismal and commonplace fantasies of Jewish conspiracy.
I guess it shows that being intelligent doesn’t stop you believing daft things. Being insane helps, but even among the sane, we have other exhibits:
The ARIES Chess Player (Mar.21-Apr.19). True to form the Aries is aggressive, impulsive and a sheer dynamo in life as well as over the chessboard. He is full of enthusiasm for his opening favorites, though that changes from game to game. Always looking for that killer first or second move, he basks in the confusion that his innovations present to his opponent. Is the Aries’ luminescence a wave or a particle? Both. One minute his play pulsates with surprises and tempo gaining moves; next in a series of swift exchanges, a pawn advantage materializes before the opponent realizes his miscalculation. Trigger happy, he has a military leader’s instinct to notice weaknesses in the foe’s game before they are obvious on the board. Focusing his pieces on that spot, the Aries checkmates faster than any other sign. The Aries bravura intimidates before, during and after the game. His air of impenetrability; his highly charged personality; and the way he grips the pieces, especially when capturing, present a formidable challenge. He salivates when playing those in a higher category and like a wolf in sheep’s clothing he’ll act ever so humble before the game begins. But his desire to win can only be masked for so long and soon he is plundering his foe, keeping him off guard with very aggressive, maybe even reckless, moves. His momentum is so powerful that the opponent may be swept under by its sheer force, acting and playing at the Aries’ pace rather than his own. The Aries reserves his most splendid, come from behind, themes for players who have in some way disparaged him in the past. Is the Aries’ playing style one of fury or time pressure an opponent may ask? Does it matter? For in that one nanosecond of doubt the Aries foe capitulates.
The TAURUS Chess Player (Apr.20-May 20). Tempted by the great pleasures of life, the Taurus is a bon vivant whose greatest gratification comes from pricking the egos of others. Picture a confectioner handing out free habit-forming, spiked candy to a chocoholic. That’s the way the Taurus slyly embeds his games with his own distinctive playing style: one of seduction. Taurus is an earth sign and these people tend to play life, and chess, close to the vest. They have their own standards for playing and don’t exhibit the die-hard need to vanquish an opponent… openly. Lulling an opponent with solid, well-known opening lines he’ll often choose variations popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Around moves 13, 14 and/or 15 though, his lullaby turns into a death march as he rolls out a new move for his opening, considered in the past to be unplayable. He is a used bookstore devotee, collecting rare and antiquated chess material with a knowledgeable eye. Obscure, but superb Taurean preparation, often using very old variations challenges his foes to put aside their study and use up precious minutes as the opponent tries to find over the board moves to refute this novelty. A Taurean uses time as if they had a 17th piece on the chessboard. Hoarding, then rushing; dilly-dallying, then slamming the clock with the ferocity he’d like to pummel his opponent with, the Taurus is most inventive when he is in time pressure. Threaten him with just seconds to go and the Taurean’s personal chess muse subconsciously helps him choose the winning move. Taureans have the ability to pull last minute victories from what look like drawn positions. When the sword of Damocles hangs over them they automatically move into an intellectually superior zone and this tension gives them a second wind. They then play with masterly skill, relishing last-minute complications and sacking material as they suck their foes into a deadly, mating whirlpool.
The GEMINI Chess Player (May 21-June 21). Affable, chatty, and with charm dripping from every pore, the Gemini chess player knows instinctively how to work a room, a chess club or a major tournament. Geminis play their opponents far more than they play the board. They notice body language, nervous ticks, etc. and even the way his foe lines up his score sheet and pieces. The Gemini mind is a black hole absorbing all this minutiae and little by little they sense an opponent’s vulnerability. Like a fencer his first moves are meant to mislead, as he feigns one opening and then transposes to another. Geminis adore unusual openings, probably because they have tried so many of them themselves. Solid players bore the Gemini who likes to live by his wits. His impatience alone could rattle the most stoic foe. A tactical genius, the Gemini is known for playing outrageous, lesser-known gambits. Sacking material and setting costly traps the Gemini style features a very peripatetic queen. He loves open positions and again will give away material if this gives him the position his steel-trap mind has planned. In across the board play notice that he will slowly take over more space on the playing table itself, crowding his opponent who doesn’t quite realize why he is feeling cornered both physically and mentally. Action is his middle name and even when doing the deepest middle game analyses, he’ll jump out of his seat, get some water, check his chess bag and look as if he didn’t have anything on his mind. The Gemini is symbolized by the symbol of the twins in astrology, so it can be no surprise that he can do two things at once. What may come as a surprise to his opponents is that he often has Plan A and Plan B in his mind at all times. Just when you think you can squiggle out of his Plan A, his Plan B comes into play and the Gemini’s opponent has to choose Plan R: resignation.
The CANCER Chess Player (June 22-July 22). Endowed with the most natural chess sense of all the signs, the Cancer’s combination of positional memory and sheer tenacity makes him formidable at any age. His repertoire is classical spiced up with a bit of chicanery. Nothing pleases him more than to beat an opponent using the opponent’s favorite opening or gambit. His play is enthralling and foes are torn between admiration and intense dislike. One of the three water signs his hunches are guided by his natural sense of direction. While a foe may joust on one side, the Cancer understands and quietly ridicules this silly, time-wasting ruse. A magus when it comes to brewing up an attacking pattern combining two or more different themes, he’ll strive to keep the position mobile, daring his opponent to close the center. With his hands tied behind his back, he actually covets cramped quarters knowing how to play them to his own advantage. He wants to bait his foe into prematurely tasting victory, though before his opponent has had a chance to smack his lips, the Cancerian’s maneuver becomes all too evident. Cancers play on their own timetable, thinking forever over seemingly no-brainer moves and striding out of the playing room to pace by themselves. You’ll notice a Cancer’s arrival because he’s usually carrying lots of his personal paraphernalia: water, drinks, snacks, pens and/or a box of Kleenex. That a Cancerian has his moods is no surprise, since his ruling body is the moon, ruler of sensation. He’ll either appear very happy or depressed. When he doesn’t emit strong emotions it’s because he’s learned to hide them with an inscrutable, robotic countenance. A chess historian he not only insists on mating his opponent, but in doing so with a position reminiscent of some great game of the past. While making a bit of history for himself.
The LEO Chess Player (July 23-Aug.22). A swashbuckling amalgamation of Luke Skywalker and James Bond, the Leo’s larger-than-life personality diminishes everything in its path including the chess pieces themselves. He poses, he strides, he prevails with seemingly effortless ease. The sign of royalty the Leo feels it is his divine right to win. He hates to watch others, or wait for them as he craves the action of the game. He can actually taste victory, swilling it around in his mind as a wine connoisseur does with a prize vintage. The satisfaction the Leo gets from mating anyone, patzer or master is sublime yet with noblesse oblige he is extremely generous with advice, explaining his chess theories to anyone who will pay him homage. The symbol for Leo is the lion. So, as congenial as the Leo is, as playful, as appealing, as cuddly, he is king of the jungle and will go for the jugular in an instant. Like the big cats he may “toy” with his prey allowing his opponent to make bold moves in the center while he prepares a delicious maneuver. A theatrical player the Leo wants drama. With officials, foes, and by-standers he may flaunt the rules, or challenge them but it is really for show. Actually he is stage managing the game and bringing to bear both chess and psychological weaponry. Anything that turns the limelight on the match thrills him, for he thrives under tense conditions while most foes are rattled. When the position is complicated or unclear he chortles inside, enjoying it when he has to claw his way to a kill. Always the performer, the Leo wraps things up with a flourish. And once again the spotlight falls on this virtuoso proving that he is, indeed, the king.
The VIRGO Chess Player (Aug.23-Sept.22). Deep in the recesses of the Virgo mind lies a binary computer evaluating everything in terms of whether it is something good or bad, positive or negative. The Virgo’s instant, non-stop calculation gives him an analytical edge because this activity is so much a part of his being. Clean, methodical, deceptively simple early play serves as a canvas for him to try out his well-researched ideas. His craft comes to light when he slowly, but steadily chooses subtle space-expanding moves from his palette of options. The Virgo slips in and out of a self-induced hypnotic state, confounding opponents who think they can read the faces of their adversaries. During a match, when the position gets interesting the Virgo starts to fall in love with the game before him. But he is a jealous lover, and at this point he lustfully moves to monopolize and own the game. Suddenly his passions are roused and a friendly game becomes one in which he must annihilate his opponent. Several, long deep breathes signal the Virgo is activating his chi energy, though some may foolishly think he is in retreat. The Virgo motto is: Get me to the end game. He hums through the tricky computations as his foe starts experiencing a Prozac cool down. Whether playing aggressively or strategically, he must control the action. He hates conformity and lives to keep his opponents off-balance often exchanging pieces at what seems an awkward moment. His mating style is one where he entices his opponent into thinking that a lost or difficult position still has winning chances. Betting against a Virgo’s strength at this point is a losing proposition. By the time the Virgo’s wizardry unfolds, and the mating trap is sprung, his opponent should just cash in his chips and vanish.
The LIBRA Chess Player (Sept.23-Oct.23). Spilling charm, class and bonhomie the Libran player turns any chess match into a special occasion. When he shows up, even if playing online, the other players now regard a game, or a tournament as significant. And the Libra? If he’s over the age of ten he always has his personal “to do” list in mind: Look for women; find out if any other women are expected; see if his pals have any women near them; and only then, crush, mangle and annihilate his opponent because his foe might have a woman waiting for him. Fairness is very important to him, afterall his symbol is the scales of justice. He’ll always make the tough, ethical choice and decries any commercialization of the game itself. “Where are your standards?” he’ll declare. His chess toolkit includes the most massive repertoire of drawing maneuvers, and he knows the perfect juncture to make an offer that will be accepted. His tendency to create harmonious, or equal positions may entice his opponent to shake things up a bit more than is safe. Though always an admirer of woman, he’ll swap queens faster and/earlier than any of the other signs. At that point he takes the gloves off turning the game into head to head combat. With the authority of a judge handing down a death sentence he starts to control the show. In the end game he turns into a contrarian player, selecting positions others would shy away from. Many times when it looks as if the Libra is one move away from defeat, he unfurls an avalanche of chess jurisprudence requiring game experts to add a codicil to their notes. His secret strength is the gnarly way he uses his bishop. No one is better. Before you are mislead into thinking this dapper dude is a pushover, don’t forget that he has a hormone-driven agenda and a limbic system hard wired to produce tangible results. Swiftly, the neurons fire off in his brain and the collateral damage to his opponent is lethal.
The SCORPIO Chess Player (Oct.24-Nov.21). Ruled by the planet of power, Pluto, the Scorpio’s nickname could be “the dictator.” And the chess scene presents the perfect backdrop for exercising this birthright. The Scorpion tenacity, calm and venom work together to poison an opponent’s game before the knights come off the first rank. First the Scorpio anesthetizes his quarry with slow play, employing well-analyzed lines and/or leaving the board to look at some other game in progress. Then he surgically and painfully removes whatever scintilla of self-esteem remains. By mocking his foe he causes his victim to think more about him than about the game before them. As he penetrates into enemy territory, a foe will start to see what looks like smokescreen rising from the Scorpio’s side of the board. Beware: the Scorpio’s kundalini life force coiled at the base of his spine in the serpent chakra has awakened, bringing sudden enlightenment about the current position. The opposing player should assiduously avoid making any sound or jarring the Scorpio out of his reverie for this will incite the Scorpio’s anger, which has an impossibly long half-life. The image of the phoenix rising from the dead is another emblem of the Scorpio’s invincibility. If the Scorpio gets in a tough position, he will find the one move that turns the game around. Sudden-death playoffs are his forte. Call him the comeback kid. He prefers to keep the center fluid as he gets a high from the tension of the game. Then before you know it he has blockaded an opponent’s pieces and plucks the foe’s best-placed men with laser precision. Seconds before the post-mortems begin the Scorpio starts staring at his foe’s throat. His eagle eyes notice the almost imperceptible gulps before the opponent chokes conceding the game. At that moment he is no longer the dictator, but the terminator.
The SAGITTARIUS Chess Player (Nov.22-Dec.21). A mental giant, the Sagittarian springs to life when an almost impossible challenge in thrown down before him. He is a thoroughbred racehorse with a stable of chess knowledge that is more diverse than any other sign. A visionary and intellect, often self-taught, he takes the road less traveled. Not for the Sag are the safe lines and the equal openings. The Sagittarius is at the chessboard for two reasons: to have fun and to upgrade his chess skill. Winning? That’s just a by-product for him, unless… someone rudely throws down a gauntlet. This fire sign and speed demon floors the accelerator and rams into his opponent’s territory with lightning speed. The Sag forces his foe to hydroplane from one side of the board to another, each skid unraveling his opponent’s position. In life Sagittarians love to wander. They get enormous pleasure when they venture into foreign territories and this is especially so when playing chess. One trick they use as a matter of course, is from move one they assume that the foe’s side of the board belongs to them. You’ll notice the Sag placing his pieces on the seventh, or using his bishops, and of course his knights, to attack a foe from behind. The Sagittarian memory is unsurpassed, so he learns very quickly but usually solidifies his knowledge by teaching others. He is deceptively open about discussing what he intends to play. But he’ll keep one small, pivotal move to himself and thus stack the deck in his own favor. Sagittarians love to discuss chess unless there’s an obnoxious motor-mouth nearby. The Sag’s command of the language (and often several languages) and his rapier-like wit can quiet a room and/or deflate an opponent leaving no prisoners. When push comes to shove in his chess game, he’ll concentrate in a very unique way. He can envision the chess position in 3 -D and suddenly his mind will become a multiplex unspooling all the possibilities in infinite detail on individual screens. The Sagittarius end game sparkles with a diamond’s incandescence and is as hard to shatter as this precious gem; while his opponent is revealed as a mere zircon bowing to his mastery.
The CAPRICORN Chess Player (Dec.22-Jan.19). The Capricorn is known for being the power behind the throne, the person pulling the strings. His planning is extraordinary, so clever and devious that an opponent doesn’t have the energy to both play and psych him out at the same time. In back rooms, outdoor ventures and/or over the internet Capricorns presents a laid-back style. But, ambition is his middle name. Though the Capricorn admires the chess notables he saves his fealty for Machiavelli. In every great chess player’s individual chart, the planet, Saturn –the destroyer in astrology, is prominent. This celestial body which also gives the Capricorn an especially retentive memory rules Capricorns. Thus Capricorns have an edge when it comes to remembering unusual openings and tough-to-decipher end game positions. He’s the consummate entrepreneur and while playing chess he always has some sideline business or secret, parallel goal in mind. “How can I use this situation?” he asks referring to the chess game and life itself. Practical and precise they do not suffer fools easily. His highly evolved sense of the ridiculous allows him to find humor in everything. From childhood this mirth has been used to put a positive spin on his ruthlessness. At first he seems like the Tooth Fairy or Santa to his opponent, but near or after move 15, his foe sees that the Capricorn has been transformed into a greedy, grabby IRS agent. Each game becomes a case study so how he wins really matters to him. A solid state physicist, not a theoretical one he favors the concrete over the artful. He’s known for resuscitating old, even archaic openings, updating them with a slight hyper-modern twist. His zodiac icon is the mountain goat. Thus a Capricorn is a climber. It’s his nature to walk a tightrope. A climber, it is his nature to walk a tightrope. When pushed to the wall he becomes exhilaratingly imaginative and actually enjoys having to dig himself out. His self-composure comes from his belief, that when it comes to chess, his foe is a parasite and he the host. By marginalizing his opponent this way, his storehouse of energy is unleashed, turning his foe into a tired, chess playing, Sisyphus as once again the Capricorn celebrates victory at the top of the mountain.
The AQUARIUS Chess Player (Jan.20-Feb.18). Sui generis. The iconoclast of the chess world. This maverick futurist is the stuff that myths are made of. It’s no surprise that there are more Aquarians in the Hall of Fame, than any other sign. Simply put: They are standouts at everything they do, especially when it comes gaming. But this is no common Boy Scout for the Aquarian’s curiosity gets him into arenas that less intrepid seekers would avoid. A great improviser he loves chess positions that are completely new to him, relishing the fresh analysis he must do over the board. He instinctively knows and understands game theory and often flirts with other board games as well. For the Aquarian the twists and turns when the initiative switches between him and his foe are thrilling. But mid-game something clicks and he mentally tweaks the two-dimensional chessboard into one continuous Mobius strip where there is only one side: His. Although the most popular sign of all twelve, the Aquarian can be a bit of a snob regarding chess. His low threshold for boredom combined with his disdain for sloppy play makes him very particular, when possible, when choosing his opponents. God forbid if he has to mingle with the hoi polloi, preferring more genuine street people. Everything in chess is about “high-concept” to the Aquarian (the term was probably coined by this sign). At the beginning of the game the Aquarian is an endearing, nonconforming cowboy, eliciting quiet admiration from his foe. The Aquarian doesn’t rush to crush his opponent, preferring to wrangle him to the ground limb by limb. Remember he is the Teflon combatant, nothing gets in his way when he smells blood. In the end game the Aquarian will usually start teasing his opponent, prolonging a mate and letting his foe dangle. But he is a cowboy afterall and if necessary he will use his six-shooter.
The PISCES Chess Player (Feb. 19-Mar. 20). Let it be known that the Pisces has a guardian angel in his corner. Is it good karma or slick maneuvering which propels him through the trickiest of traps? He lies in wait for his opponent to mismanage a critical position. When he’s pushed the envelope a bit too far leaving a piece en prise the fates step in an save him. Ruled by the planet governing miracles, Neptune, the Pisces pulls victory from the jaws of defeat repeatedly. He exudes compassion, empathy and sympathy… away from the chessboard, but when facing those 64 squares he uses these emotive skills to “become” his foe. He can time travel into the opponent’s brain and pick up the themes and future ideas that his foe is contemplating. Many Pisceans find that they have a special affinity for math, computers, music and chess, as the logic in these disciplines is similar. Thus a Piscine uses chess programming with creative panache; inventing or modifying programs faster than others can learn them. Pisceans simply have to be in the presence of titled players to improve. Natural mimics, when they fixate on the chess style of a great master they can elevate their play almost instantaneously. Atmosphere is everything. Through osmosis he can view another game in progress, and immediately he absorbs the nuances of that position and applies them to his own. The symbol for Pisces is “the two fishes” each swimming in opposite directions, so subterfuge is his most lethal device. He’ll confuse his opponents into oblivion. Some days the Pisces will trot out an opponent’s favorite opening and use it against him. Other days the Pisces will make several moves — which look like outright blunders — to psychologically bait his foe into overreaching and under protecting his pieces. The Pisces is known for his prophylactics which more risky players may discount much to their own peril. For the Pisces will sum up his victorious methodology in one word: preparation.
Does chess drive players mad, or, as Bill Hartston suggests, keep the madness at bay? Either way, it is little insulation against Procto-Cranial Colocation Syndrome…
Meanwhile, here are three games from Gandalf which explore the
wilder shores of compensation for a Queen (83,84,85)
Click […] for list of games
A fine addition to my collection of wonderful annotations (H/T Edward Winter)
Click […] for list of games
Tartakower annotated White’s first move as follows (H/T Edward Winter):
“An opening which the master from Bremen has been playing, almost without exception, for about 30 years.
Just recently, however, I learned that in annotating the game Eliskases v L. Steiner, which Black won prettily …, the German master and journalist Leonhardt expressed his joy that this tortuous opening, which comes from the Eastern Jews (Ost-Juden) Nimzowitsch and Tartakower, will lose some of its worth.
With such remarks, Leonhardt is certainly doing his homeland a disservice. His hope of flattering official circles may well backfire and he may well be “corrected” for publishing assertions which are:
1. untrue, since the opening was introduced by the Englishman Staunton;
2. maladroit, since the system was developed by the German Carls;
3. ridiculous, since in the game in question, Eliskases v L. Steiner, the move 1.c4 was played by a good Tyrolean, whereas it was refuted by a Semitic player;
4. preposterous, since in chess we take pleasure in seeking truth, without players’ personalities playing any role;
5. unhealthy, since in chess we prefer to be rid of political, ethnological, etc. discussions; and finally;
6. harmful, since the German authorities recommend their citizens not to make attacks on foreigners.”
I have to say, if this is the aspect of your game most in need of fixing, then count yourself lucky, but there are some general lessons to be learned.
Ish follows some theory:
Ramdewar I. – Edney R. [B76]
Kramnik wins with the Rooks:
Leko P. – Kramnik V. [C42]
Fischer wins with the Queen:
Portisch L. – Fischer R. [E45]
The Queen on the attack:
Janowsky – Lasker
The Rooks make a team:
Euwe – Rubinstein [D05]
So, what features favour the Rooks, which the Queen?
Yusupov loses to the Queen:
Jussupow A. – Shaked T. [E81]
Yusupov has another go with the Rooks:
Jussupow A. – Marjanovic S. [D34]
Chernin finds an improvement:
Chernin A. – Marjanovic S. [D34]
Ish’s game in hindsight:
Ramdewar I. – Edney R. [B76]
Click on […] to see games list.
The Spanish priest Ruy Lopez, who was the strongest
player of his day, described in
the 1500s the opening which now bears his name. At least, the British
and Americans know it as the Ruy
Lopez: in Europe they are more likely to call it the Spanish Game,
and Tartakower wryly referred to it as Spanish Torture. (Because I
was brought up in East Anglia and not Spain, I described it for
years as the “Royal Opez”, but I believe it is properly pronounced more
like
“Ree Lop’eth”.)
It remains the most important of the King’s-side openings, and
is still generally considered the best way to keep White’s
initiative going after 1…e5. It is no accident that most
of the games in Bronstein’s book “200 Open Games” begin with
the Ruy Lopez opening.
The ideas for each side in the Ruy Lopez are very many and
varied; I hope below to introduce some of the basic concepts and
give you some landmarks for your own exploration of this fine
opening.
The first few moves of the Ruy Lopez opening are easy to follow:
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 is very natural. The moves often played
by juniors here, 3. Bc4 and 3. d4, are also easy to
understand, but may not be the strongest. 3.d4, the Scotch
Opening, leads to an early clash but perhaps also an early
simplification, with a loss of tension and thus winning chances for
both sides. The Italian game with 3. Bc4, hitting f7 and
hoping to deter …d5, paradoxically rather invites …d7-d5 and an
early exchange in the centre, with equality. This is because the
logical follow-up 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6, results in Black
regaining control of the d5 point.
The Ruy Lopez move, 3. Bb5, keeps the idea of taking over
the centre with d2-d4 (or with c2-c3 and d2-d4), but first does a
number of important other jobs. Like in the Italian Game, the
Bishop clears the way for White to castle, and then play Rf1-e1.
But on b5 rather than c4 the Bishop cannot be hit by …d7-d5. If
Black does ever move the d-Pawn, the half-pin of the Knight on c6
becomes a full pin, undermining Black’s control of e5 and d4.
In the short term there is an immediate threat: the Bishop
attacks the Knight that defends the pawn attacked by the Knight
(the house that Ruy built). It would be great for White if it
worked so simply, but after 3…(pass); 4 Bxc6, dxc6! 5 Nxe5?!
Qd4! Black will regain his pawn through the double
attack. So, the immediate threat to the Pawn isn’t quite so
deadly, but once White has castled and/or protected the e-Pawn the
threat will become real. Also, the Pawn on e5 is a lot easier to
get at than the one on f7, and Black can get badly tied up or just
stiff and cramped trying to hold on to a share of the centre.
The other tactical point to note is that the counterattack by
Black on e4 by …Nf6 can be met by White castling, since after
…Nf6xe4 White has Rf1-e1: if White does not win a piece, it is at
least often awkward for Black to get the King’s-side sorted. So :
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O! Nxe4 5. d4! and White
has an edge.
The most natural sequence of moves trying to hold onto e5 leads
to trouble for Black: after 1 e4, e5; 2 Nf3, Nc6; 3 Bb5, d6; 4
d4, Bd7; 5 Nc3, Nf6; 6 0-0, Be7; 7 Re1, exd4; 8 Nxd4, O-O; 9
Bf1! (to stop the exchanges threatened by 9…Nxd4) when Black
has lots of pieces but not enough space.
Why does Black play 7…exd4 when I said the idea is to
hold on in the centre? Tarrasch’s famous trap showed that Black
cannot play 7…0-0 because of the forcing continuation
8.Bxc6 Bxc6 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Qxd8 Raxd8 [10…Rfxd8 allows 15 Kf1
– see later 11.Nxe5 Bxe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Nd3 f5 14.f3 Bc5+ 15.Kf1]
11.Nxe5 Bxe4 [11…Nxe4 12.Nxc6] 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Nd3 f5 14.f3
Bc5+
15.Nxc5 [15.Kf1 Bb6 16.fxe4 fxe4+; 15.Kh1 Nf2+ 16.Nxf2 Bxf2 17.Rf1]
15…Nxc5 16.Bg5 Rd5 [16…Rde8 17.Be7] 17.Be7 Re8 18.c4
winning
the exchange. (If instead 10…Rexd8 White would have 15 Kh1
(15…Rxd3; 16 fxe4).) Tarrasch won a game with this against Marco
AFTER publishing it as analysis! (If
instead 10…Rexd8 White would have 15 Kh1
(15…Rxd3; 16 fxe4).)
These lines had a strong effect on players who started to
realise just how good the Ruy Lopez is. The Giuoco Piano is a great
opening for your early chess years; the Ruy Lopez is an opening for
life.
Black has many lines, which fall into basically two approaches
(as usual): defence or counterattack. Defence of the
strong point at e5 we have looked at with 3…d6, the
Steinitz Defence, (or 3…a6; 4 Ba4, d6, the
Deferred Steinitz Defence), but we have seen that the point
cannot be held for long; counterattack may be attempted with
3…Nf6, the Berlin Defence, or 3…a6; 4 Ba4,
Nf6; the Morphy Defence. The Morphy move 3…a6 was an
important refinement of Black’s resources, making the Bishop choose
its diagonal and allowing the pin-breaking …b5. Reuben Fine gives
an instructive comparison of variations with and without …a6:
In reply to the Morphy the obvious 5 Nc3 is rather boring, but
White can play 5 O-O since, as we have seen, Black cannot
really win the e4 pawn. The Morphy has itself a strong point line,
5 O-O, Be7; 6 Re1, b5; 7 Bb3, d6, the Closed Morphy
Defence, and a counter-attacking line, 5 O-O, Nxe4; 6 d4, b5; 7
Bb3, d5, the Open Morphy Defence. These are systems of
great richness, and the Closed Morphy best avoided until your chess
understanding is well advanced.
5 d4 or 5 Qe2 (idea O-O and Rd1)
or 5.Qe2/6.Qe2 lead to more familiar open and attacking
e-pawn styles of game. An example: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 b5 8. Bb3 d6 9. Bd5 Nxd5
10. exd5 Ne5 11. Nxd4 O-O
This is about even, and, I hope, a game juniors would enjoy
playing as either colour; these variations are a good introduction
to the Ruy Lopez.
This is probably a good way to play the Ruy for Black
in your early career. The Open Morphy Defence relies above all on
piece activity, and obeys two good general opening rules for
Black:
(a) If your opponent lets you take a central Pawn, take it off
if you do not lose a piece (viz. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6
4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 and now after 6. Re1 Black is in no
pin, so 6…Nc5 or 6…Nd6 are quite all right.)
(b) Aim to play …d5 yourself if you can
Grandmaster theory suggests that Black is taking on rather a lot
of weaknesses when playing this way, but that may not be so
important if you are not playing Grandmasters. Siegbert Tarrasch,
who was so effective playing the Ruy as White, preferred to play
this way as Black, and since then Max Euwe, Victor Kortchnoi, Artur
Yusupov, Jan Timman and Viswanathan Anand have all been happy to
play the Open Morphy at World Championship and Candidates’ level,
so you can see that this is not very much of a handicap.
The veteran English player Vernon Dilworth suggested the most
aggressive way of playing the Open Morphy as Black:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bc2
Nxf2
Black sacrifices two active pieces for a Rook while
White is still getting the Queen’s-side organised. Black will
follow up with …f6, attacking down the f-file.
Black can play more calmly at move 11
(11…Bf5 is fashionable since Kortchnoi adopted it), or
earlier play 9…Be7 (Euwe’s preference) or 9…Nc5
(Kortchnoi’s other preference). These lines are all rather complex
and there is a lot of theory on them, but until your opponents know
all the theory, get stuck in!
There are several other lines where we see an early …d5 by
Black:
…d5 in the Marshall Gambit, a favourite of club players:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6, e.g. 12.d4
Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 15.Be3 Bg4 16.Qd3 Rae8 17.Nd2 f5 18.f4 Kh8
19.Bxd5 cxd5 20.Qf1 Qh5 21.Qg2 Re4 22.a4 bxa4 23.Rxa4 g5 24.Nxe4
fxe4 25.Rxa6 gxf4 26.Rxd6 fxe3 27.Rxe3 Bh3 28.g4 Qxg4 29.Rg3
Qd1+ 0-1, Kosten-Hebden, 1982.
…d5 in the normal Closed Morphy: e.g. Kasparov,G (2800) –
Karpov,A (2730) [C92] Wch35-KK5 USA/FRA (New York) (8), 1990
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6
8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nd7 10.d4 Bf6 11.a4 Bb7 12.Be3 Na5 13.Bc2 Nc4 14.Bc1
d5! TN
…d5 in the Classical Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5
4. c3 d5?!! Or more sanely, Unzicker – Fischer Leipzig 1960
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 Bb6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 exd4
8.cxd4 d5 9.e5 Ne4 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Rxe4
Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Bxd4 15.Be3 Bxb2 16.Rb1 f5 17.exf6
½-½
And wherever else White is slack, e.g. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 or 5. d3 when Black should get
castled and look for …d7-d5. Tiviakov,S (2625) – Sokolov,I
(2665) [C86]Wijk (10), 1996 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.Qe2 Be7 6.c3 0-0 7.0-0 b5 8.Bb3 d5 9.d3 Re8 10.Re1 h6 11.Nbd2 Be6
12.Nf1 Bc5 13.Ng3 a5 (…0-1, 41),
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nc6
12.Nbd2 Qb6 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nf1 Be6 15.Ne3 Rad8 16.Qe2 g6 17.Ng5 c4
! 18.a4 Kg7 19.axb5 axb5 20.Rb1 Na5 21.Nf3 Qc7
Every White piece is queuing up behind the e-pawn,
waiting for…
22.Nd5 ! 22…Bxd5
23.exd5
White’s pieces control many central squares, and the
Bishops have new avenues of attack.
23…Rfe8 24.Qxe5 Qxe5 25.Nxe5 Nxd5
26.Ra1 Nb3 27.Bxb3 cxb3 28.Bh6+ ! 28…Kg8 ?! 29.Nc6 Rc8 30.Rad1
Rxc6 31.Rxd5 f6 32.Rxb5 g5 33.Rxb3 Kf7 34.Rb7 Re6 35.Rxe6 Kxe6
36.h4 Rg8 37.f4 Bc5+ 38.Kf1 gxh4 39.Rb5 Rc8 40.f5+ Kd6 41.b4 h3
42.Rxc5 h2 43.Bf4+ 1-0
This is a simple way to play all closed double
King’s-Pawn positions: park a Knight on f5 and play for a
King’s-side attack.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.d3
White plays quietly in the centre, hoping to avoid
distractions there.
9…Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.Nbd2 Qc7 12.Nf1
Nc6 13.Ne3 Bb7 14.Nf5 Rfe8 15.Bg5 Nd7 16.Bb3 Nb6 17.Bxe7 Nxe7
18.Bxf7+ Kxf7 19.Ng5+ Kg8 20.Qh5 Nxf5 21.Qxh7+ Kf8 22.Qxf5+ Kg8
23.Qg6 Qd7 24.Re3 1-0
You should never forget that one of the key aims for
White in the e-Pawn openings is to take over the centre with c3 and
d4. If Black takes his eye off the ball White can switch to this
plan with effect, and in fact White can win a lot of games through
simple domination of the centre. More space and more
manoeuvrability means chances of attack:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7
11.Nh4 exd4 12.cxd4 Nb6 13.Nf3 d5
14.e5 Ne4 15.Nbd2 Nxd2 16.Bxd2 Bf5 17.Bc2 Bxc2 18.Qxc2 Rc8 19.b3
Nd7 20.e6 fxe6 21.Rxe6 c5 22.Ba5 Qxa5 23.Rxe7 Qd8 24.Ng5
1-0
The Bishop that lurks on c2 is an ace up White’s
sleeve: while Black is distracted elsewhere White can suddenly whip
out a King’s-side attack. A glorious example of this was:
Kasparov,G (2800) – Karpov,A (2730) [C92] (20), 1990
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8
12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 c5 16.d5 Nd7 17.Ra3 f5
18.Rae3 Nf6 19.Nh2 Kh8 20.b3 bxa4 21.bxa4 c4 22.Bb2 fxe4
23.Nxe4
23… Nfxd5 24.Rg3 Re6 25.Ng4 Qe8
26.Nxh6 c3 27.Nf5 cxb2 28.Qg4 Bc8 29.Qh4+ Rh6 30.Nxh6 gxh6 31.Kh2
Qe5 32.Ng5 Qf6 33.Re8 Bf5 34.Qxh6+ [34.Nf7+ is Mate in 6!
34…Qxf7 35.Qxh6+ Bh7 36.Rxa8 Ne7 37.Rxf8+ Ng8 38.Rgxg8+ Qxg8
39.Qxh7#] 34…Qxh6 35.Nf7+ Kh7 36.Bxf5+ Qg6 37.Bxg6+ Kg7
38.Rxa8 Be7 39.Rb8 a5 40.Be4+ Kxf7 41.Bxd5+ 1-0
White can also say nonchalantly that: Black is
cramped, and so will find it difficult to organise a defence, so I
will attack the King in any event. The situation is usually more
complex than this bluntness implies, but the core plan is still
played:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0
[8…Na5 9.Bc2 c5 10.d4 Qc7 11.h3
Nc6 12.Be3 0-0 13.Nbd2 Rd8 14.Rc1 Bd7 15.Nf1 b4 16.d5 Na7 17.c4 Nc8
18.g4 Nb6 19.b3 a5 20.Ng3 g6 21.Kh2 a4 22.Rg1 axb3 23.axb3 Bf8
24.Qd2 Ra2 25.Bg5 Bg7 26.Qe3 Rda8 27.Bb1 R2a3 28.Ne1 Kh8 29.Qd3 Ng8
30.Nc2 R3a7 31.Rcf1 Be8 32.Be3 Nd7 33.Ne1 Qd8 34.g5 Qa5 35.h4 Qd8
36.h5 Qe7 37.Nf3 Nb6 38.Rh1 Qd7 39.Kg2 Ne7 40.hxg6 fxg6 41.Rh3 Bf7
42.Rfh1 Bg8 43.Nf5 Rf8 44.Nxg7 Kxg7 45.Qe2 1-0
Capablanca,Jose-Kupchik,Abraham/New York (07) 1915]
9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2
Nc6 13.d5 Nd8 14.Nf1 Ne8
“In olden times White would often
attack by g4 and Ng3 in the Closed Spanish; once in a while White
would break through with a Nf5 sacrifice, but now it is recognised
that so long as all Black’s pieces can reach the King’s-side, a
direct attack should not work. Thus, the emphasis has switched to
diversionary Queen’s-side play, with a King’s-side attack being
reserved for a favourable moment when Black’s pieces have been
lured away. Moreover, the King’s-side attack is usually based on f4
rather than g4, since only f4 offers the chance of activating the
light-squared Bishop on c2.”
“White’s preliminary a4 gives him control of the a-file; this
may not appear relevant to the conduct of a King’s-side attack, but
watch what happens later!” John Nunn
15.a4
[15.g4 g6 16.Ng3 Ng7 17.Kh2 f6
18.Be3 Bd7 19.Qd2 Nf7 20.Rg1 Kh8 21.Raf1 Rg8 22.Ne1 Raf8 =
Robatsch-Padevsky, Amsterdam 1972]
15…Rb8 16.axb5 axb5 17.b4 c4
18.Ng3 g6 19.Nh2 Ng7 20.Rf1 Bd7 21.f4 Bh4 22.Qf3 f5 23.fxe5 dxe5
24.exf5 Bxg3 25.Qxg3 Nxf5 26.Qf2 [26.Qe1 +/-]
26…Nb7 27.Ng4 h5 28.Ra6 hxg4 29.Rxg6+ Ng7 30.Rxg7+ [30.Rxg7+
Kxg7 31.Bh6+ Kxh6 (31…Kg8 32.Qxf8+ Rxf8 33.Rxf8#; 31…Kh8
32.Qxf8+ Rxf8 33.Rxf8#) 32.Qh4+ Kg7 33.Qh7#] 1-0
Of course, what else may distract Black from defence
of the King’s-side is an opportunity to attack the Queen’s-side,
and this attack can succeed against the best opposition:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8
12.a4 Qd7 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Bxa8 [14…Rxa8?!
15.Ng5±] 15.d5 Na5 16.Ba2!? N 16…c6 17.b4 Nb7! 18.c4
Rc8!? [18…Nd8+=] 19.dxc6?! [19.Qe2] 19…Qxc6= 20.c5?!
[20.Bb2] 20…Nd8 21.Bb2
21…dxc5! =+ 22.bxc5 Qxc5 23.Bxe5
Nd7 24.Bb2 Qb4! 25.Nb3?! [25.Qb1] 25…Nc5-/+
Black has the advantage but there is still a lot of
tension in the position.
26.Ba1 Bxe4 27.Nfd4 Ndb7 28.Qe2 Nd6
29.Nxc5 Qxc5 30.Qg4 Re8 31.Rd1 Bg6 32.Qf4 Qb4 33.Qc1 Be4 34.Re1 Qa5
35.Bb3 Qa8 36.Qb2 b4 37.Re3 Bg6 38.Rxe8 Qxe8 39.Qc1 Ne4 40.Bd5 Nc5
41.Nb3 Nd3 0-1
Often, Black will stake out some space on the
Queen’s-side with …a6 and …b5. Whether in a given position this
represents Queen’s-side counterplay or Queen’s-side weaknesses is
one of the key Ruy Lopez questions!
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6
5.0-0 Bd7 6.d4 Nf6 7.c3 Be7 8.Nbd2 0-0 9.Re1 Re8 10.Nf1 h6 11.Ng3
Bf8 12.Bd2
Modest, but White is not so much concerned to point a
battering-ram at a weak spot (there aren’t any) as to maintain a
flexible position where Black will be less able to re-arrange the
pieces to counter White’s latest idea.
12…b5 13.Bc2 Na5 14.b3 c5 15.d5
Nh7 16.h3 Be7 17.Nf5 Nb7 18.a4 bxa4 19.b4 a5 20.Bxa4 axb4 21.cxb4
Bf8 22.Bc6 Qc7 23.b5 Nf6 24.Qc2 Reb8 25.Ne3 Bc8 26.Nc4 Be7 27.b6
Qd8 28.Ra7
The point of using an open file is to provide
invasion points for rooks, although it’s unusual for a Rook to
arrive on the seventh, supported by a Pawn. Black cannot bear this,
but the exchange concedes a monster pawn on a7.
28…Nd7 29.Qa4 Rxa7 30.bxa7 Ra8
31.Qa6 Qc7
Black’s pieces are standing on each other’s toes and
cannot escape the attack of White’s pieces. The Black Rook has
nowhere to move to.
32.Bxd7 Qxd7 [32…Bxd7
33.Nb6] 33.Nb6 Nd8 34.Qa1 1-0
(see also the first game of the Deep Blue-Kasparov
return match in 1997)
Not a common occurrence but there are several
attacking plans for Black. There are several …Bg4 lines where an
incautious h2-h3 can be met by …h7-h5!
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.c3 Bg4
5. h3 h5! or
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. O-O Bg4 6.
h3 h5!
A more complex line is seen in the Archangel
Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3
Bb7 7.Re1 Bc5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Qd7
Black announces his intention to abandon all subtlety
and play for a King’s-side attack.
12.a4 0-0-0 13.axb5 axb5
14.Bxf6
[14.Na3 g5 15.Bg3 h5 16.dxe5
(16.h4 gxh4 17.Bxh4 Rh6 18.Nxb5 Rg8 19.Qd3 exd4 20.cxd4 Nb4)
16…h4 17.exf6 hxg3 18.hxg3 g4 19.Nd4 Rh7 20.Bd5 Rdh8 =+ BCO2]
14…gxf6 15.Bd5 Rhg8 16.Kh1 Qg4
17.Rg1 exd4 18.cxd4 f5 19.Nc3 fxe4 20.Nxe4 Qf5 21.Nc3 Nb4 22.Bxb7+
Kxb7 Klovans-Shirov 87 = BCO2
Black also has some gambit lines: as well as the
Marshall Attack (see above), Black has several opportunities to
play …f5. The immediate 3…f5 (or 3…a6 4. Ba4 f5) is often
frowned upon but also often played, and if White is a little slow
in the Steinitz Variation Black may play the Siesta Variation, a
far from sleepy line.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.c3 a6
5.Ba4 f5 6.d4 fxe4 7.Ng5 exd4 8.Nxe4 Nf6 9.Bg5 Be7 10.Qxd4 b5
11.Nxf6+ gxf6 12.Qd5 bxa4 13.Bh6 Qd7 14.0-0 Bb7 15.Bg7 0-0-0
16.Bxh8 Ne5 17.Qd1 Bf3 18.gxf3 Qh3 0-1
These are less important at GM level than the main
lines with 3…a6, but at club level they have many virtues: less
theoretical, less well-known, and often sim pler to understand.
Moreover, I often find that club players when faced with 3…a6
often play 4. Bxc6, and if they do play 4. Ba4, after 4…Nf6 they
cannot be trusted to play 5.O-O, and instead play some clod-hopping
move like 5. d3 or 5. Nc3. While these are not particularly
strong lines they may be more stodgy than you would wish to play
against as Black, and many of these old lines may lead to more open
or complex games at club level. They may be grouped as follows:
Black can hold the centre without 3…a6 using one or
some
combination of these moves. White’s strongest plan in each case is
undoubtedly to play an immediate c3 and d4, with or without O-O.
Black can then hope to slug it out in a roughly equal position
(although Black has not yet castled and may find it awkward if he
has not castled and the centre opens up.)
Hindermann Felix – Yudkovsky Yair [C60/02] 05 European Youth
U14 Boys, Tallinn EST, 1997
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 4.c3 g6
5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 d5 7.e5 Bg7 8.Bg5 0-0 9.h3 Bf5 10.Nc3 Be4 11.Nxe4
dxe4 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Nd2 h6 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Nxe4 Rad8 16.Qa4 Qh4
17.Qxc6 Rxd4 0-1
Both Fischer and particularly Spassky have
experimented with the Classical Variation (3…Bc5), and the
related Berlin Classical 3…Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 . Again White is
best advised to go for central break, and again it is reasonable
for Black to hope for equality.
Ady JJ – Spassky BV [C65] London, 1984
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0
Bc5 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 a6 7.dxe5 axb5 8.exf6 Qxf6 9.Nc3 c6 10.Qh5 d6
11.Bg5 Qg6 12.Qh4 h6 13.Bf4 b4 14.Ne2 0-0 15.Ng3 Re8 16.Rfd1 d5
17.Be3 Be7 18.Qf4 Bd6 19.Qh4 Bxg3 20.hxg3 Qxe4 21.Rd4 Qxc2 22.Rxb4
Rxa2 23.Rxa2 Qb1+ 24.Kh2 Qxa2 25.Bxh6 Qb1 26.Be3 Qc2 27.Qg5 f6
28.Qh5 Re5 29.Qh4 c5 30.Ra4 Rxe3 31.fxe3 g5 32.Qh6 Qxa4 33.Qxf6 Qc6
34.Qxg5+ Kh7 35.Qe7+ Kg6 36.g4 Bxg4 37.Qh4 Qd6+ 0-1
One on its own, Bird’s Defence has never been refuted
and leads to unique positions in which White may be uncomfortable,
or at least less fluent:
Short Nigel D – Ivanchuk Vassily [C61] Linares (Spain),
1989
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nxd4
exd4 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.Qe2 Bc5 7.e5 0-0 8.0-0 d5 9.exf6 dxc4 10.Qh5 b6
11.fxg7 Re8 12.d3 cxd3 13.cxd3 Ba6 14.Qf3 Qe7 15.Bf4 Qe2 16.Nd2
Qxf3 17.Nxf3 Bxd3 18.Rfe1 Be2 19.Bxc7 d3 20.a3 a5 21.Bf4 Re4 22.Bd2
Rae8 23.Bc3 a4 24.Ng5 Rc4 25.Rad1 Rc8 26.Ra1 Rd8 27.Nf3 Rxc3
28.bxc3 d2 29.Rxe2 d1Q+ 30.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 31.Ne1 Rc1 32.Re4 f5 33.Re8+
Kxg7 34.Kf1 Rxc3 35.Ke2 Rxa3 36.Nd3 Ra2+ 37.Kf3 Ra3 38.Rd8 Rc3
39.Kf4 a3 40.Rd7+ Kf8 41.Ne5 a2 42.Kxf5 a1Q 43.Rd8+ Kg7 44.Rd7+ Kg8
0-1
We have seen that after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 White cannot win a pawn with 5. Nxe5
because of 5….Qd4.
What you may not know is that White can play this line to win,
because in some sense, he is already a pawn up!
Let me explain.
If you have an extra pawn, you should:
With this in mind, let’s look at the pawn formation after 1.
e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7.
Nxd4:
Now, if there were only Kings on the board, White
could easily create a passed pawn with f4, e5 and f5 and e6.
But Black cannot do the same on the other side, unless White
allows all the front pawns to come to a4,b4 and c4, when there is a
trick with …b3! e.g. axb3, c3! bxc3 and …a3. As long as White
avoids that trap, the passed pawn on the King’s side should
win.
This is what I mean by already being a pawn up. You have an
extra pawn on the King’s-side, and Black’s extra Queen’s-side pawn
is useless. This is not the only thing going on in the position
(else the Lopez would be an easy win for White) but it is a
constant fallback plan for White.
Emanuel Lasker played this several times, and more recently,
Bobby Fischer discovered that you could also play 5. O-O!
with an awkward moment for Black, because now there really is a
threat to the e5 pawn which is not easy to meet.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6
dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 c5 8.Ne2 Bd7 9.b3 Bc6 10.f3 Be7
11.Bb2 Bf6 12.Bxf6 Nxf6 13.Nd2 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 Rd7 15.Nf4 Re8 16.Nc4
b6 17.a4 a5 18.Rxd7 Nxd7 19.Rd1 Ne5 20.Nxe5 Rxe5 21.c4
Re8
22.Nh5 Rg8 23.Rd3 f6 24.Kd2 Be8
25.Ng3 Bd7 26.Ke3 Re8 27.Nh5 Re7 28.g4 c6 29.h4 Kc7 30.g5 f5 31.Ng3
fxe4 32.Nxe4 Bf5 33.h5 Rd7 34.Rc3 Rd1 35.Kf4 Bd7 36.Re3 Rh1 37.Ng3
Rh4+ 38.Ke5 Rh3 39.f4 Kd8 40.f5 Rh4
41.f6 gxf6+ 42.Kxf6 Be8 43.Nf5 Rf4
44.g6 hxg6 45.hxg6 Rg4 46.Rxe8+ Kxe8 47.g7 Kd7 48.Nh4 Rxg7 49.Kxg7
Ke6 50.Nf3 Kf5 51.Kf7 Ke4 52.Ke6 Kd3 53.Kd6 Kc3 54.Kxc6 Kxb3 55.Kb5
1-0
This is the classic battle ground in the Ruy. Black
may find it difficult to hold tight in the closed Morphy, but
perhaps not as difficult as it is for White to keep everything
under control. There are some classic positional themes here,
determined by the pawn formation:
1. Space: Apart from any commitment to passive play
being bad match tactics, as long Black has a Pawn on d6 it will
always be a little more easy for White to manoeuvre than Black, for
the Black position has a bottleneck on the d-file. Stean explains
that this is why White spends so much time in the opening avoiding
the exchange of the light-squared Bishop: while Black retains all
four minor pieces, this slight cramp will be most clearly felt.
2. Flexibility: Moreover, it is extremely important to have good
manoeuvring skills, because at any point the Pawn formation can
shift: from the basic formation (a) we can go at least four
different ways (b-e below)…
Another line of thought I found useful:
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5
5.0-0 d6 6.c3 Qe7 [6…0-0 7.Nbd2 a6 8.Bb3 Ba7]
7.Nbd2 a6 8.Bb3 0-0 9.Re1 Be6 10.Nf1 [10.Bc2] 10…Ba7
11.Bc2
“…why is the Ruy Lopez (which this
opening has virtually become) so difficult for Black to combat?
Look at the present position: Black’s pieces are sensibly
developed; he has as much space as White; his pawns are strong. Yet
he has problems.”
“The answer seems to be that in this type of Ruy Lopez position
Black can easily get caught in a situation where his game cannot
unfold. Here for instance, White has his plans of Ng3-f5 and later
d4, but it is less easy for Black to find something profitable to
do without weakening himself or making some serious concession. His
pieces may look reasonably placed, but they cannot readily achieve
anything constructive or relevant. I should make it clear that this
does not have to happen in a Lopez; it is far from being a bad
opening for him. But in practice one error (6…Qe7) can leave him
in misery. And so, if a player seems to have a respectable game (in
a Ruy Lopez or any other opening for that matter), yet still loses,
his misfortune may often be traced back to this lack of life in his
position.” — NUNN AND GRIFFITHS
We also recognise that the tension may even be added to by Black
playing …c5, (the Tchigorin line) – see later.
(a) Closed KP centre, Tension form (Ruy Lopez)
Black may resolve the tension
by playing …e5xd4 (c3xd4) which results in an unbalanced position
where White has an extra central Pawn (b).
(b) Double Pawn centre, KP unopposed
These adjacent Pawns in a more open position confer a
bigger advantage, but in a more open position may be more
vulnerable to attack e.g. along the e-file.
White may resolve the tension in the first formation, by
playing either d4-d5 (giving a closed centre (c) with an advanced
d-Pawn), or by playing d4xe5 (…d6xe5) with a balanced, semi-open
KP centre (d).
(c) Closed centre with advanced d-Pawn.
The advanced d-Pawn gives a space advantage,
particularly on the Queen’s-side. To play for a win the c-Pawn and
maybe b-Pawn should be advanced, to seize more space and perhaps
open lines on that side. The opponent may consider an advance of
the f-Pawn to undermine the d-Pawn and counter-attack on the
King’s-side.
(d) Balanced, semi-open KP centre
This is a very common formation in KP openings. If
neither side can achieve a sharp advance of the f-Pawn, play will
be dominated by piece play on either wing. There are natural posts
for Knights on d5 and f5 (d4 and f4 for Black), and if Black’s
c-Pawn has pushed to c5 earlier, the d5 point is even more
attractive. Control of the d-file is a good idea but can usually be
countered, resulting in exchanges. Occupation of the mutual
outposts f5 and f4 by Knights is less straightforward to counter,
and while your opponent is sorting out that threat, it may be that
you can get the d-file then.
(e) Semi-open unbalanced KP centre.
The e-Pawn confers a space advantage and attacking
prospects on the King’s-side, which may be added to by f2-f4. The
e-Pawn is exposed on the half-open file, and should be restrained
(e.g. by …Re8) from breaking open lines for the attack by e4-e5.
Black’s break …d6-d5 is a natural plan to dissolve the
centre.
So, as a result of facing all this hassle, Black
developed a plan of Queen’s-side counterplay in the closed
Morphy:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5
11.d4
Black’s idea is two-fold: to maintain the e5 point in
the centre, while attacking on the Queen’s-side.
Almost every legal move has been tried here:
11…Qc7 was Tchigorin’s original recipe
11…Nd7 was famously tried by Keres
11…Bb7 is a good idea but may be squashed by d4-d5, so Black
may prefer to preface this with 11…cxd4. After 12. cxd4 as well
as 12…Bb7 we also see two new ideas: 12…Nc6 and 12…Bd7
As we have seen White has a variety of plans in response:
(a) just to manoeuvre, keeping the tension as long as
possible and improving the position of your own pieces, relying on
the slight extra space referred to above
(b) break up the Queen’s-side with a2-a4,
(c) seal the centre with d4-d5 (a Ruy Lopez formation which has
a lot in common with the King’s Indian!),
(d) open up the d5 outpost with dxc5 (or dxe5). However, White
is not yet terribly close to putting a Knight on d5, and Black can
now think about a plan like …c5-c4, and …Na5-b7-c5-d3, with a
monster Black Knight on d3. In fact, Black can aim for …c4
whether or not White exposes the d5 point, and can play for it from
formations other than the main line Tchigorin.
Kasparov-Karpov (1990),
m14
So this is a formation that requires some delicate footwork by
both players.
More recently Black has experimented with more
restrained plans than the Tchigorin, hoping to avoid the
disadvantages of this line (decentralised Knight on a5, potential
Queen’s-side weaknesses) and instead manoeuvre more adroitly to
secure adequate play across the board. These lines have included,
after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5
7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3:
The Breyer Variation, 9…Nbd7, where Black hopes to
reorganise his pieces smoothly at a time when White is by no means
well-developed. This was the ‘grower’ when I was a boy, and is
still an important line.
The Smyslov Variation, 9…h6, waiting for White to show
his hand, a line which has been superceded by…
The Flohr-Zaitsev Variation, 9…Bb7, which has been the
height of current fashion since Zaitsev showed that the old plan
with …Na5 (e.g. Fischer,RJ – Stein,L, 1967) was less safe
than re-organising with …Re8 and …Be7. This is a pretty
heavyweight GM line outside my own experience and I won’t comment
further, but you will see it about:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8
[If White wants, there is a draw to be had by 11. Ng5 Rf8 12.
Nf3]
11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 Nb8 14.Bd3 c6 15.Nf1 Nbd7
16.Ng3 Qc7 17.Bd2 g6 18.Qc1 Kh7 19.b3 Bg7 20.Qc2 Nf8 21.Be3 Ne6
22.Rad1 Rac8 23.Bf1 Bf8 24.Rd2 Qb8 25.Qb1 Ba8 26.b4 Bb7
Amazing: 26 moves without any exchanges. And it has
been suggested that White’s 27th was inferior to
Qa2!
27.axb5 axb5 28.Red1 Qc7 29.Rc1 Bg7
30.Rcd1 Rcd8 31.dxe5 dxe5 32.Rxd8 Rxd8 33.Rxd8 Nxd8 34.c4 bxc4
35.Bxc4 Ne8 36.Qa2 Nd6 37.Bb3 Nb5 38.h4 Nd4 39.Bxd4 exd4 40.h5 Qe7
41.Qd2 c5 42.Qc2 cxb4 43.hxg6+ fxg6 44.Qc4 h5 45.e5 Bxf3 46.gxf3
Bxe5 47.f4 Bxf4 48.Qg8+ Kh6 49.Bc2 Qg7 50.Qxd8 Bxg3 51.fxg3 Qe5
52.Qf8+ Kg5 53.Kg2 ½-½
Tal – Bronstein [C96] 1956 *
Teichmann,R – Schlechter,C [C90] Karlsbad,
1911 *
Fischer,R – Barczay,L [C95] Sousse izt Rd: 1,
1967 *
Nunn – Short (Brussels) [C98] 1986
[JDMN] *
Kasparov,G (2700) – Karpov,A (2720) [C92]
Wch32-KK2 Moscow (5), 1985 *
Karpov – Westerinen,H [C87]
1974 *
Reti,R – Capablanca,J [C74] Berlin (14),
1928 *
Lasker,E – Tarrasch,S [C68] Duesseldorf,
1908 *
Nunn – Olafsson (Teesside) [C54]
1982 *
Kasparov,G (2700) – Karpov,A (2720) [C92]
WCh32-KK2 Moscow (9), 1985 *
+ STEAN Simple Chess (Faber)
+ EUWE/KRAMER, The Middle Game Vol.1 (Bell)
+ SUETIN The Complete Spanish (Batsford)
+ FISCHER My 60 Memorable Games (Faber)
+ SUETIN Modern Chess Opening Theory (Appendix) (Pergamon)
+ KING/PONZETTO, Understanding the Spanish (Batsford)
+ KARPOV The Open Game in Action (Batsford)
+ BARDEN The Ruy Lopez: Winning Chess with 1. P-K4!
(Pergamon)
= YUDOVICH Spanish without 3…a6 (Batsford)
= THOMAS Spanish 5. d4! (Chess Player)
– TAULBUT, How to play the Ruy Lopez (Batsford)
+ SUETIN, The Complete Spanish (Batsford)
= YUDOVITCH, Spanish without …a6 (Batsford)
= SOLTIS, Winning with the Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation (Chess
Digest)
= RUNKE, Meet CARL (Centre Attack in Ruy Lopez)
= FILIPOWICZ & KONIKOWSKI, 4…d5 in the Cordel Defence,
Spanish Game (Ruy Lopez) (Chess Enterprises)
This is one of my favourite books and though rather dated (the last game cited is from 1948) it’s also extremely instructive.
In 100 annotated games, Konig discusses the opening theory of four openings: the Ruy Lopez, Queen’s Gambit, English Opening and King’s Gambit.
It takes an evolutionary approach to chess theory, and instead of jumping straight in to contemporary theory, tells the story of how that theory came about. So we trace the English Opening from Staunton’s new(!) approach in 1843 to Golombek’s ideas in 1939.
The book can still be found in the original Bell hardback edition from 1951 and later Dover reprints. It is in descriptive notation and is sparing with its diagrams, so for my own convenience I put together a collection of the 100 games. I fear they won’t mean a lot without Konig’s notes, but if you have the book, here they are.
P.S. My interest in this book was rekindled by watching a lecture by Sokolov on the Lopez, where he went back to some games chosen by Konig to explain the state of theory.
Two or three things prompted this session:
I am probably the best example you could hope to find of a club
player trying to run strategically before they can walk tactically.
I used to play like beginners should, all open games and
swashbuckling attacks, but then I saw a striking positional game
(Bernstein-Mieses) which has been my ideal ever
since. I switched to playing the Queen’s Gambit (and, soon after,
the English Opening), but, like many club players, rather too many
of my games feature elementary tactical oversights. Here is a
particularly dismal example: me to play as Black, in a dominating
position, and to come up with three tactical blunders in a row…
Bellers,C – Regis,D [B27] Exeter Club Ch’p Exeter
Club Ch’p (5), 1997
33…Bxg3+?? [33…Re3! -+]
34.Kxg3 Qe5+ 35.Kxg4 h5+?? [35…Re4+!]
36.Kh3 Re3+?? [36…Qe6+] 37.Nf3 (sealed
move) (and resigned) 1-0
(37…Qf4?! might have been worth a punt OTB, but not
after a week’s analysis)In response to this obvious failing I have
tried to play more open games and treat all positions a little more
sharply.
However, I am far from persuaded that club players should
study nothing but tactics, or even devote (say) 75% of their study
time to it. But first let us hear the case for the prosecution:
“Chess is 99% tactics” — Richard TEICHMANN
“Until you are at least a high Class A player: Your
first name is ‘Tactics’, your middle name is ‘Tactics’, and your
last name is ‘Tactics’.” — Ken SMITH
“Thirty years ago (this was written in 1942),
Teichmann said that chess is 99% tactics. And despite the enormous
strides of chess theory since then, his percentage can only be
reduced a few points.
“Many amateurs think that master games are usually
decided by some deeply-laid plan covering all possibilities for at
least ten moves. It is still true that most games, even between the
greatest of the great, are decided by tactics or combinations which
have little or nothing to do with the fundamental structure of the
game.
“To take one striking example, look at the games of
the Euwe-Alekhin matches. Euwe is a player who analyses
openings ad infinitum, i.e., one who wants to
settle everything strategically. Alekhin is likewise adept at the
art of building up an overwhelming position. And yet in almost all
cases the outcome depended not on the inherent structure of the
play, but on some chance combination which one side saw and the
other side did not. Tactics is still more than 90% of
chess.” – – GM Reuben FINE, “Chess Marches
On“, Strategy and Tactics. (from
Richard S. Cantwell)
“It’s not that chess is 99% tactics, it’s just that
tactics takes up 99% of your time”- – NM Dan
HEISMANN.
“Chess IS tactics” — NM Ignacio MARIN
“A knowledge of tactics is the foundation of
positional play. This is a rule which has stood its test in chess
history and one which we cannot impress forcibly enough upon the
young chess player. ” — RICHARD RETI
…and so on. Moreover:
“It is a mistake to think that combination is solely
a matter of talent, and that it cannot be acquired” —
RETI
So, it seems fair to say that you do need to get your eye
in for tactics, and keep up your practice, and try to extend the
depth and range of what you can analyse routinely.
However, I would disagree with the conclusion that
tactics are the be all and end all at club level. It’s not just the
point that if chess was only a matter of calculation, it would be
unplayable – obviously the number of choices at each turn means you
must use your judgement to select which moves to analyse. Also, I’d
guess that for at least 9 moves out of every 10 there is not going
to be any combinational blow available for either side, so you are
going to have to think about something else, if only how to set up
such a blow. But the real reason I object is: where do these
tactics come from? Why do combinations arise at all? It used to be
thought that chess mastery depended on ingenuity, daring and
intuition, but according to Lasker there is…
“…No combination without a considerable plus, no
considerable plus without a combination” — Em. Lasker,
Manual of Chess, Book IV
So, before you get your tactical opportunity, you need to
build up a positional plus. Studying tactics alone is putting the
cart before the horse – or more fairly, the chicken before the
egg.
ASIDE: Part of this essay explains that I don’t
entirely agree with this view either; in fact, this is so dogmatic
that Lasker risks being dumped with Steinitz among the impractical
theorists rather than the practical players (of which he is usually
taken as a supreme example). So, why did Lasker make such a
statement? Well, there is more than a grain of truth in it, and I
think the absolute way in which Lasker expressed it was
born out of Lasker’s esteem for Steinitz, and particularly what he
saw as the heart of Steinitz’ theory. Anyhow, let’s listen to
Lasker’s ideas first, before criticising them.
Steinitz had many ideas which have become associated with the
treatment of closed positions, but Steinitz the player and
Steinitz the theorist both started in the arena of open,
tactical games. Lasker gives a game of Steinitz against
Hamppe as an example, with both players out to
score a win from the very start of the game. (In fact, Steinitz won
more brilliancy prizes than most of his ‘brilliant’ contemporaries,
and won them throughout his career.) Although he could play like
this, Steinitz also thought about, where do tactical combinations
come from?
“…If Steinitz continually took pains to discover
combinations, the success or failure of his diligent search could
not be explained by him as due to chance. Hence, he concluded that
some characteristic, a quality of the given position, must exist
… that would indicate the success or the failure of the search
before it was actually undertaken. (…)
“The master should not look for winning combinations,
unless he believed, unless he could prove to himself that he held
the advantage.
“An advantage could consist … not only in a single
important advantage but also in a multitude of insignificant
advantages.
“Therefore… in the beginning of the game ignore the
search for violent combinations, abstain from violent moves, aim
for small advantages, accumulate them, and only after having
attained these ends search for the combination – and then with all
the power of will and intellect, because then the combination must
exist, however deeply hidden.” — Em. Lasker, Manual of
Chess, Book IV
I think here is the heart of the matter: combinations in
fact do not come out of nowhere, so if you want to strike
tactically, you must first play positionally. Morphy’s dominance
was often attributed to brilliance, and while Morphy undoubtedly
was brilliant his games were based on good positional principles,
and his combinations came out of positional advantages. If you fail
to understand this, you may end up in this, perhaps familiar,
predicament of amateur players:
“… the most disheartening issue was our failure to
play as well as we feel we should (…)
“Here is my hypothesis: My friend and I are both
afflicted with the same problem, Forcing The Issue. We have spent
so much effort learning tactics from setup positions, that once we
are in a real game, we try to apply our lessons to positions that
don’t warrant it. Subconsciously, we believe that every position
has some stunning combination in it that will allow us to win. When
we look for it, if it’s not there (most often the case), we try to
force one, causing a lost game.
“Studying tactics in setup positions is a VERY
necessary part of learning chess, but, knowing when to apply
tactical knowledge is, at this point in my education, to me even
more important. My friend’s opponent instinctively makes “better”
moves because my friend is making weaker moves, and so am I. Given
a setup position, he would most likely find the solution much
faster than his opponent. In a general position, we would both
likely find a combination that wasn’t there.” — Gene
THOMPSON, The Search for Great ChessPart V,
Chess Scene
(By the way, Gene is in my view also suffering from using
false positives‘, that is,
tests
which
include tempting tries but no actual winning tactic.)
Spielmann said something that alludes to the same
problem:
“I can see the combinations as well as Alekhin, but
I cannot get into the same positions.” — SPIELMANN
So, combinations do not come out of nowhere, but out of
previous good play, or out of the characteristics of the position,
and if you don’t play with that in mind, you can end up in
trouble.
Positional factors also explain how and where come
combinational blows actually fall. We nowadays speak of a
cutting-point combination (a sacrifice at
the crossroads of two lines which we control – for example, if
attacking the Black castled King’s position with your Nf5, Bb2 and
Rg1 all focussing on g7, the sacrifice Nxg7 should immediately be
considered. One might also cite Rubinstein’s
Immortal (Black against Rotlevi):
22. … Rxc3! 23.gxh4
if 23.Bxc3 Bxe4+ 24.Qxe4 Qxh2 ‘mate, or 23.Bxb7 Rxg3
24.Rf3 Rxf3 25.Bxf3 Nf7+ 26.Kg1 Ne4+ 27.Kf1 Nd2+ 28.Kg2 Nxf3
29.Qxf3 Rd2+ etc.
23. … Rd2!! 24.Qxd2
if 24.Qxg4 Bxe4+ 25.Rf3 Rxf3 etc, 24.Bxc3 Rxd2 with Rxh2
‘mate or Bxe4+ ‘mate to follow, or 24.Bxb7 Rxe2 25.Bg2 Rh3!
etc.
24. … Bxe4+ 25.Qg2 Rh3! 0-1
‘mate in three follows, 26.Rf3 Bxf3 27.Bd4 Bxd4 and Rxh2
‘mate.
Here we can see that Rubinstein’s well-posted pieces are
as much the heart of this combination as his insight; without
accumulating control of the open files and diagonals, none of it
would work. And the combination, once launched, works like
clockwork – based mostly on the power of the Bishop on the long
diagonal but also the Rook on the seventh rank. One attraction of
the combination for me is the way the two groups of Black pieces
are brought into a working geometric mechanism.
So, positional advantages not only let us know when, but
also where, to strike with a combination. Moreover, Steinitz’ theory
has
some important corollaries:
1. The right to attack belongs only to that side
which has a positional advantage, and this is not only a right, but
also a duty, otherwise there is the risk of losing the advantage.
The attack is to be directed against the weakest spot in the
opposing position.
2. The defending side must be prepared to defend and
make concessions, e.g making a weakening pawn move. However, the
defender should avoid making concessions until forced, and then
should make only the minimum concession necessary to meet the
threats.
3. In level positions the two sides will manoeuvre,
trying to tilt the balance of the position, each in their own
favour. With correct play on both sides, level positions keep on
leading to further level positions. Any attempt to undertake an
attack without an adequate positional basis should lead to a
disadvantage, if parried properly.
(after Kotov and Chernev)
So, we can now say more clearly what is wrong with a diet
of studying only tactics. We can also understand how Steinitz could
contain someone like Zukertort or Blackburn (see
games below, in particular the accumulation of advantages
against Blackburn). And we can look back at the
old nineteenth-century games and see how a Steinitz might have
handled them too:
“Playing through this beautiful game, we can see why
lovers of the romantic era speak so highly of such games and the
era in which they were played. …(But) these combinations should
never have been allowed to come into being. In an opening in which
both players relentlessly pursue their respective aims – without
acknowledging the requirements of the position – rapidly changing
situations are produced, culminating in (a sacrifice.)” —
KONIG
So, there is a lot to be said for this argument of Lasker
(and Steinitz), but he did overstep the mark when talking about
combinations, and Purdy was one who pointed this out most
forcefully. He had a lot of fun at Lasker’s expense about this
“utterly mad advice”, and indeed wrote an article entitled
‘The Steinitz-Lasker “Law” exploded‘.
He shows by looking at two famous games
(Reti-Alekhin 1925, and rather ironically the
game from the Lasker-Capablanca match in
1921 that put Lasker two points behind) that
combinations are sometimes available without there being any
considerable plus, perhaps no plus at all. You might say that you
know of, or can devise, a scheme for assessing positions which
gives the advantage to Lasker or to Alekhin in the two games, but
I know of none such. In any event, surely positional evaluations
cannot be made irrespective of any immediate and concrete tactical
possibilities; moreover, it is difficult to say whether the
familiar geometrical motifs that lie behind combinations – like a
weak back rank – should be called positional or tactical
considerations. For the club player this is all academic:
“The question that matters to you in actual play is
simply, ‘What is my best move?’, and if you can decide without
being sure who has the theoretical advantage, so much the better”
— PURDY
Now, Purdy’s criticism of this Steinitz-Lasker law is
pertinent, but not absolute. There is no doubt that the majority of
favourable combinations do appear in positions where one side has
the advantage.
My objection to the “Tactics, tactics, tactics” school of
thought is not to say that tactics are not important or that most
games are not decided by tactical blows. Indeed, what is often at
fault in the game of the club player is a failure to check for
their opponent’s opportunities in reply. Moreover, given the rather
static manner of play and poor level of defensive skill amongst
club players, they are probably as well advised to imitate
Zukertort or Blackburn than Lasker or Steinitz. Seizing the
initiative, going for an attack, and having an eye for random
chances are probably at least as important as positional judgement
in club play. But I would still not wish to call for one type of
study as being important – in particular, not for tactics being
more important than strategy.
Lasker once gave a scheme for studying chess, which is
much more convincing and pragmatic than his theorising about
combinations:
“Chess rules and exercises – 5 hours
Elementary endings – 5 hours
Some openings – 10 hours
Combination – 20 hours
Positional play – 40 hours
Practical play with analysis – 120 hours
“Having spent 200 hours on the above, the young
player, even if he possesses no special talent for chess, is likely
to be among those two or three thousand chessplayers [who play on a
par with a master]. There are, however, a quarter of a million
chessplayers who annually spend no fewer than 200 hours on chess
without making any progress. Without going into any further
calculations, I can assert with a high degree of certainty that
nowadays we achieve only a fraction of what we are capable of
achieving.” — Em. Lasker, Manual of Chess, Book
IV
Notice that “Practical play with analysis“
comprises over half of the hours of study. What I would take from
this is not that ‘positional play at 40 hours is more important
than combinational play at 20 hours‘, but rather that each are
to be integrated into a study of real games, both your own and
those of the masters. There is surely a case for balance in your
study: a balance between opening, middle- and end-game study, a
balance between reading, doing exercises and analysing your own
games.
I sometimes think studying is actually the easy bit.
Knowing what to study, based on an honest analysis of your own
strengths and weaknesses, is the hard bit. However, the goal may be
more clear:
“However obviously the majority of Chess-players may
be divided into two big classes of combination- and
position-players, in the Chess-master this antagonism is
transformed into a harmony. In him combination play is completed by
position play.” — Em. Lasker, Manual of Chess, Book
IV
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.fxe5 Nxc3 6.bxc3
Qh4+ 7.Ke2 Bg4+ 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.d4 0-0-0 10.Bd2 Bxf3+ 11.gxf3 Nxe5
12.dxe5 Bc5 13.Qe1 Qc4+ 14.Kd1 Qxc3 15.Rb1 Qxf3+ 16.Qe2 Rxd2+
17.Kxd2 Rd8+ 18.Kc1 Ba3+ 19.Rb2 Qc3 20.Bh3+ Kb8 21.Qb5 Qd2+ 22.Kb1
Qd1+ 23.Rxd1 Rxd1# 0-1
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.d3 dxe4 5.fxe5 Ng4 6.Nxe4 Nc6
7.c3 Qd5 8.Qb3 Qxb3 9.axb3 Ngxe5 10.d4 Ng6 11.Bc4 Be7 12.Nf3 h6
13.b4 0-0 14.0-0 Bf5 15.Nfg5 Bxe4 16.Nxe4 Nd8 17.b5 Re8 18.Ng3 Bf8
19.Nf5 Ne7 20.Ne3 Ne6 21.Ng4 Ng6 22.Bd5 Nd8 23.Bxh6 c6 24.bxc6 bxc6
25.Bc4 Re7 26.Bg5 Rd7 27.h4 Be7 28.h5 Nf8 29.Be3 Bd6 30.b4 Nde6
31.Ra6 Rc8 32.h6 Nh7 33.hxg7 Kxg7 34.Bh6+ Kg8 35.Bd3 Rcc7 36.Bd2
Nef8 37.Nh6+ Kh8 38.Be4 Re7 39.Bxc6 Re2 40.Nf5 Rxd2 41.Nxd6 Ng5
42.Re1 Nge6 43.Rf1 Nd8 44.b5 Rd3 45.Rf5 Nfe6 46.Ne4 Ng7 47.Rf6 Kg8
48.Rh6 Nge6 49.d5 Nf4 50.Rh4 Nxc6 51.Nf6+ Kf8 52.Rxc6 Rxc6 53.bxc6
Ng6 54.c7 Rxc3 55.d6 Ne5 56.Re4 1-0
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e3 c5 6.Bxc4 cxd4
7.exd4 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qe2 Nbd7 10.Bb3 Nb6 11.Bf4 Nbd5
Steinitz pioneered the defence of the Queen’s Gambit
Accepted, and used this blockade which is still recognised as the
standard and best plan for Black.
12.Bg3 Qa5 13.Rac1 Bd7 14.Ne5 Rfd8 15.Qf3 Be8
16.Rfe1 Rac8 17.Bh4 Nxc3 18.bxc3 Qc7 19.Qd3 Nd5 20.Bxe7 Qxe7
21.Bxd5 Rxd5 22.c4 This metamorphosis to hanging pawns is
also now well-known. 22…Rdd8 23.Re3 Determined
to attack! 23…Qd6 24.Rd1 f6 25.Rh3 h6 26.Ng4 Qf4 27.Ne3
Ba4 28.Rf3 Qd6 29.Rd2 Bc6 30.Rg3 f5 31.Rg6 [31.Nd1 Lasker]
31…Be4 32.Qb3 Kh7 The tension mounts.
33.c5 Rxc5 34.Rxe6 Rc1+ 35.Nd1 Qf4 36.Qb2 Rb1 37.Qc3 Rc8
38.Rxe4 Qxe4 0-1
A dramatic finish, but it was all decided beforehand.
“If Zukertort has a plan in mind, he is a match for
Steinitz, possibly even his peer. … Every move of Zukertort’s
pointed towards a vigorous cooperation the pieces united to attack
the King. This is the old Italian plan; Zukertort found it ready
made, and in the tactics of execution he was a great master.
Steinitz, however, discovered sound and successful plans
over the board. […]”
“Zukertort relied on combinations, and in that field
he was a discoverer, a creative genius. For all that, he was unable
to make use of his faculty [in the majority of games in the match],
the positions yielding no response to his passionate search for
combinations. (…) Zukertort, the great discoverer, searched in
vain, while Steinitz … was able to foresee them. Zukertort could
not understand how Steinitz was able to to prevent combinations…
he tried for four years to solve this riddle, but he never
approached its solution by even one step.” — Em. Lasker,
Manual of Chess, Book IV
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7
7.Qc2 c5 8.Rd1 Qa5 9.Bd3 h6 10.Bh4 cxd4 11.exd4 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nb6
13.Bb3 Bd7 14.0-0 Rac8 15.Ne5 Bb5 16.Rfe1 Nbd5 17.Bxd5
[17.Bxf6! Breyer
A) 17…Nxf6 18.Ng6 fxg6 (18…Rfe8 19.Rxe6!! fxe6?
20.Bxe6+ Kh7 21.Nf8+ Kh8 22.Qh7+ Nxh7 23.Ng6#) 19.Rxe6;
B) 17…Nxc3 18.Bxe7 Ne2+ 19.Rxe2 Rxc2 20.Rxc2;
C) 17…gxf6 18.Ng6;
D) 17…Bxf6 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Ng4! (19.Qf5 was
given by Lasker, ignoring Breyer’s move) 19…Bg5 (19…Bd8
20.Qf5) 20.f4! Bxf4 21.Qf5 Bc7! (21…Bb8 22.Qxd5 a6 23.a4
Rfd8 24.Qf5 g6 25.Nxh6+; 21…Bg5 CJSP 22.Qxd5 a6 23.Qxb7 Qb4
24.Nxb5 axb5 25.Re2) 22.Nxd5 Kh8 23.Nxh6 gxh6 24.Nf6 Kg7
25.Nh5+ Kh8 (25…Kg8 26.Qg4+ Kh7 27.Qg7#) 26.Qf6+ Kg8
27.Qg7#]
17…Nxd5 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Qb3 Bc6 20.Nxc6 bxc6
21.Re5 Qb6 22.Qc2 Rfd8 23.Ne2 Rd5 24.Rxd5 cxd5 25.Qd2 Nf5 26.b3 h5
27.h3 h4 28.Qd3 Rc6 29.Kf1 g6 30.Qb1 Qb4 31.Kg1 a5 32.Qb2 a4 33.Qd2
Qxd2 34.Rxd2 axb3 35.axb3 Rb6 36.Rd3 Ra6 37.g4 hxg3 38.fxg3 Ra2
39.Nc3 Rc2 40.Nd1 Ne7 41.Nc3 Rc1+ 42.Kf2 Nc6 43.Nd1 Rb1 44.Ke2 Rxb3
45.Ke3 Rb4 46.Nc3 Ne7 47.Ne2 Nf5+ 48.Kf2 g5 49.g4 Nd6 50.Ng1 Ne4+
51.Kf1 Rb1+ 52.Kg2 Rb2+ 53.Kf1 Rf2+ 54.Ke1 Ra2 55.Kf1 Kg7 56.Re3
Kg6 57.Rd3 f6 58.Re3 Kf7 59.Rd3 Ke7 60.Re3 Kd6 61.Rd3 Rf2+ 62.Ke1
Rg2 63.Kf1 Ra2 64.Re3 e5 65.Rd3 exd4 66.Rxd4 Kc5 67.Rd1 d4 68.Rc1+
Kd5 0-1
1.g3 e5 2.Nf3 e4 3.Nd4 d5 4.d3 exd3 5.Qxd3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Bb4+
7.Bd2 Bxd2+ 8.Nxd2 0-0 9.c4 Na6 10.cxd5 Nb4 11.Qc4 Nbxd5 12.N2b3 c6
13.0-0 Re8 14.Rfd1 Bg4 15.Rd2 Qc8 16.Nc5 Bh3 17.Bf3 Bg4 18.Bg2 Bh3
19.Bf3 Bg4 20.Bh1 h5 21.b4 a6 22.Rc1 h4 23.a4 hxg3 24.hxg3 Qc7
25.b5 axb5 26.axb5
26…Re3!! 27.Nf3?! cxb5 28.Qxb5 Nc3 29.Qxb7 Qxb7
30.Nxb7 Nxe2+ 31.Kh2 Ne4 32.Rc4 Nxf2 33.Bg2 Be6 34.Rcc2 Ng4+ 35.Kh3
Ne5+ 36.Kh2 Rxf3 37.Rxe2 Ng4+ 38.Kh3 Ne3+ 39.Kh2 Nxc2 40.Bxf3 Nd4
0-1
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 c5 4.c4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.dxc5 Bxc5
7.a3 a6 8.b4 Bd6 9.Bb2 O-O 10.Qd2? Only 10.cxd5 exd5
11.Be2/d3 could save the opening. 10. … Qe7! 11.Bd3 dxc4
12.Bxc4 b5 13.Bd3 Rd8 14.Qe2 Bb7 15.O-O Ne5 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.f4 Bc7
18.e4 Rac8 19.e5 White is asking for trouble. The open c-
and d-files have been left uncontested, and the pawn advances have
additionally opened diagonals for the Black bishops. A.R. moves
over to a direct attack. 19. … Bb6+ 20.Kh1 Ng4!
21.Be4 Of course 21.Qxg4 Rxd3 is strong. 21.Ne4 Rxd3
22.Qxd3 Bxe4 23.Qxe4 Qh4 24.h3 Qg3 25.hxg4 Qh4 ‘mate begins to
reveal the danger White is in. 21. … Qh4 22.g3 DIAGRAM
22. … Rxc3! 23.gxh4 if 23.Bxc3 Bxe4+ 24.Qxe4 Qxh2
‘mate, or 23.Bxb7 Rxg3 24.Rf3 Rxf3 25.Bxf3 Nf7+
26.Kg1 Ne4+ 27.Kf1 Nd2+ 28.Kg2 Nxf3 29.Qxf3 Rd2+ etc. 23.
… Rd2!! 24.Qxd2 if 24.Qxg4 Bxe4+ 25.Rf3 Rxf3 etc,
24.Bxc3 Rxd2 with Rxh2 ‘mate or Bxe4+ ‘mate to follow, or 24.Bxb7
Rxe2 25.Bg2 Rh3! etc. 24. … Bxe4+ 25.Qg2 Rh3!
0-1 ‘mate in three follows, 26.Rf3 Bxf3 27.Bd4 Bxd4 and
Rxh2 ‘mate. [Notes by Peter Lane]
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.
17…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? 43…Bh5 44.h4 Bd1 45.c3
Bxb3 46.g4 Kd7 47.g5 e5 48.f5 Bxa4 49.f6 1-0
1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nf3 c5 4.c3 cxd4 5.cxd4 d5 6.exd5 Nf6
7.Bb5+ Nbd7 8.0-0 0-0 9.d6 exd6 10.Nc3 a6 11.Bd3 Nb6 12.Bg5 h6
13.Bh4 Be6 14.Re1 Qd7 15.Qd2 Nbd5 16.Ne4 Nxe4 17.Bxe4 Rac8 18.a3
Rfe8 19.Bg3 Nf6 20.Bd3 Nh5 21.Nh4 Nxg3 22.hxg3 g5 23.Nf3 Bf5
24.Rxe8+ Rxe8 25.Bxf5 Qxf5 26.Rc1 Qe4 27.Qb4 Qd5 28.Rc7 g4 29.Nh4
Bxd4 30.Rxb7 Re2 31.Rb8+ Kh7 32.Qb7 Bxf2+ 33.Kh2 [DIAGRAM]
33…Bxg3+?? [33…Re3! -+] 34.Kxg3 Qe5+
35.Kxg4 h5+?? [35…Re4+!] 36.Kh3 Re3+??
[36…Qe6+] 37.Nf3 (sealed) 1-0
Next:
“Combinative vision manifests itself at an early age,
and children are quick to notice and execute combinations which
chance to turn up. Preparing combinations,
however, is more difficult for them.” — ZAK, Improve your
chess results.
LASKER, Manual of Chess
PURDY, The Search for Chess Perfection
CHERNEV, Logical Chess
KOTOV, Play like a Grandmaster
KONIG, Chess from Morphy to Botvinnik
We lost on board count to old rivals Teignmouth in the Peter Rooke Cup
at the end of January. One of the last games to finish involved a
simple-looking Rook endgame. Just as it was getting crucial, White,
short of time, found a time-saving blunder:
So what should the result have been? I discussed it briefly with my
friend Bill Ingham. As is often the way, he fancied his side’s chances
to win, and I hoped for a draw, but the discussion showed how vague we
all are about some basic theory. To be fair, some apparently small
differences can change the best obtainable result:
{White to move: draw.} 1/2-1/2
{White to move: win.} 1-0
So, what was the right result for the Teignmouth game?
Before I answer that, I want to decide: regardless of the right result,
what is the right approach?
You probably know the Philidor and Lucena positions. Philidor showed a
draw, with the defending King having control of the Queening square. The
defender keeps out the attacking King. White can make progress only by
pushing the pawn, the Black shows a draw by sending the Rook a long way
away and playing a flurry of checks.
The ‘Lucena’ position, shown by Salvio and attributed to Sciapino, is a
win for the attacking side. With the defending King cut off by at least
two files, the defending Rook has to play the flurry of checks from
across the board. The attacker either makes an escape hatch for the
King, or ‘builds a bridge’ so that the Rook can step in at the right
moment.
Please note: sending the Rook a long way away. If the defending Rook is
too close to the attacking King, the King will be able to chase the Rook
away all by itself.
This is the idea of checking distance, and will help us understand less
clear-cut positions.
We all know that the Rook belongs behind the pawn, but that’s not true
for every position. For example, in this one, the defending Rook has
checking distance only in front of the pawn.
[White Cheron, Andre]
How does this help us understand the Teignmouth position? Well, the
defending King doesn’t have access to the Queening square, but there may
be checking distance from the side.
Now, when Bill and I were playing around with this position, I managed
to persuade him that it might be a draw, because he couldn’t escape the
flurry of checks, because he didn’t approach the Rook with his King. I
didn’t know the theoretical result, but I did know the best thing to
try.
It’s very well worth your while to play out these positions against a
friend or a computer, so that if and when it turns up in one of your
games, you won’t hesitate to adopt the right approach.
A very useful online resource is this implementation of the Nalimov
tablebases:
http://www.k4it.de/index.php
which give the theoretical best obtainable result from any given simple position.
