Two or three things prompted this session:
- There was a long-running argument on the UseNet rec.games.chess
newsgroups earlier this year,
basically around the idea that “chess is tactics, and club
players should study nothing but tactics” (or 90%
tactics). - More recently I got a video by Nigel Davies called Dirty
Tricks which offered a complete repertoire
for a club player. In every line, there was at least one huge
smelly pit for the opponent to fall into, or some other hope of
some other dramatic way of finishing the game early. - Pete Lane has kindly offered to run a session soon on ‘Preparing
For Combinations’. Without knowing
what’s in it. I thought I might be able to do the overture for his
three-act drama.
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
Appendix: Games cited
Hamppe – Steinitz W [C29], Vienna,
1859
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
Steinitz – Blackburne [C29], 1882
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
Zukertort – Steinitz USA MATCH #9 [D26]
1886
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
Lasker,E – Capablanca,J [D61] Havana,
1921
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
Reti ,R – Alekhin ,A [A00] Baden Baden (8),
1925
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
Rotlewi – Rubinstein, Lodz 1907/8,
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]
Bernstein – Mieses [B45] 1921
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
Bellers,C – Regis,D [B27] Exeter Club Ch’p
Exeter Club Ch’p (5), 1997
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.
Bibliography
LASKER, Manual of Chess
PURDY, The Search for Chess Perfection
CHERNEV, Logical Chess
KOTOV, Play like a Grandmaster
KONIG, Chess from Morphy to Botvinnik
