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Learning Chess (#07), by A.J. Goldsby I
Greetings!
After a break, I am pleased to be returning to writing a monthly column for this website. Dan - this website's owner/operator - has already arranged with me to provide lessons for an entire year, and I have begun plans for some of the topics that I will cover here. Of course, you are invited to offer your own suggestions, please e-mail Dan with those thoughts. I am sure he will forward these items to me. (I can promise that if we get enough input on one subject, we would be more than happy to include it in one of the upcoming monthly lessons!)
One of the things that we all do in a New Year is to make resolutions.
We make promises to ourselves, and (human nature being what it is); often break them before the {new} year is more than a few months old.
I have a very simple idea. Why not make a commitment to yourself to get better this year at chess?
The idea I put forward is fairly simple. Try to spend 15 minutes a day, preferably in the morning. Solve three chess problems in the proscribed manner. (All this is outlined on my Training Page, in tip # 1.) The challenge is to do just three problems a day, surely anyone can do this much?
And here is some encouragement. These training methods work!! First of all, I did not invent them, I simply (re-) discovered an idea that the Russians have been doing for over 75 years. Secondly, ... they are effective! Years ago, I had one young Navy Pilot candidate, whose rating soared over 300 points in one year. And I recently saw the success of a new student. (D.W.) He made the resolution to beat a friend, (a long-time member of our chess club); whom I have known for over 20 years. (I personally thought it might be a year - or more! - before he managed this trick.) However, my new student has already met his goal in convincing manner ... and he has even done it more than once!
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OK, please have a look at the above position. (Study it for at least five minutes, it is White to move.)
This game is from a recent event, the 2006 Corus masters taking place in Wijk aan Zee, NED. The current (FIDE) World Champion was White ... can you spot the continuation that the champ missed? (We will come back to this position at the end of the lesson.)
This month's lesson has two goals: # 1.) To help you sharpen your tactics, and # 2.) Assist you in the process of gaining overall chess technique.
As I stated in a previous lesson, I have been working my way through the book, "Turning Advantage Into Victory in Chess," by GM Andrew Soltis. This book continues to make a big impression on me.
Soltis makes the point in this book is that technique CAN be learned ... just as surely as one can memorize the first ten moves of any opening! (My challenge, as a chess coach and teacher, is to try to set up the lesson in such a manner so that you might be able to learn a few of these ... "secrets of the trade.") (You may want to read my review of this book - click on the link provided above. It gives some insights into the whole, general thrust of Andy's book - and the general theme of it as well.)
I have played around 20-30 really good players. (GM's) The one thing that I have taken from this experience is that this class of player will simply continue to squeeze you. If given a choice between winning material or improving their position, the superior player will invariably choose the latter. (When they do {finally} get around to winning material, you won't have even a whiff of counterplay!) The following {analysis} is a good case in point.
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Please study this position for 5-10 minutes. (It is White to move in this position.)
(There are several different ways to spell the second player's name.)
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Do you capture the Pawn on a6 ... or the one on d4?
22.h4!!,
The answer is ... neither one!
White's basic idea is to completely constrict Black, the poor Rook on g8 will not be allowed into the game. (White's idea is vastly superior to the capture of either Pawn!!)
One idea - now - for White - is to simply march the White King all the way over to the Q-side. (via f1-e2, d3, c4, b4, a5, etc.) The first player would then threaten to win the Black RP and simply advance his QRP all the way up the board.)
[ Fritz's continuation of:
22.Nxa6! Bc8!?; 23.Nc5 g5; 24.a4 Rg6; 25.e5, '±' (w/ a bind)
might also be sufficient for White to win the game. ]
22...e5!?;
After a long think, Black realizes that his whole K-side is "in prison." (so to speak) So the second player is willing to give up a pawn
(or even more!) in order to get some activity for his pieces.
23.f3 Be6!?;
Seemingly - a very normal move.
Later - in an article in a (old) Soviet chess magazine, ('Shakhmatny v SSSR'); one writer suggested that Black sacrifice a Pawn, (w/...g5); to liberate his position. He gave quite a bit of analysis, but I doubt if there is anything that would have saved Black here.
[ I spent several hours on the analysis of this game.
After the following moves:
>/= 23...g5!; 24.hxg5 Rg6!?; 25.Nxa6 h6; 26.Nc5! hxg5; 27.Bxe5 g4!?; 28.f4!, ("+/")
[White has a Bishop and two Pawns for Black's Rook.], Fritz (8.0) judges this position
to be completely winning for White, and it is difficult to argue with that. (Black would
have to sacrifice even more Pawns to gain any really significant play from here.) ]
24.b3 a5; 25.g4!,
Most of my students that I have shown this game to, would like to grab the Pawn on e5 here. Instead,
White continues his (strategic) policy of just trying to freeze Black's pieces out of the game.
25...h5!?; 26.g5 Bh3; 27.Kf2
Rf8; 28.Ke2 Rg8;
Note that despite his advantage in material, the second player has been reduced to shifting wood.
29.a4 Rf8; 30.b4!,
(Maybe - '!!')
Truly astonishing! Rather than win material or to decide the game by conventional means, the first
player decides that: A.) He will retain his bind on the position;
B.) He will create a passed pawn to decide the game.
[ After the moves: 30.Bxe5!? Ke7; 31.Nb7 Ra8; 32.Bxd4 Bc8; 33.Bc5+ Kd7;
34.Nd6 Ba6+; 35.Ke3 Ke6; White is still on top, but Black's forces have gained
a measure of counterplay. ]
The game concluded:
30...axb4; 31.a5 Bc8; 32.Kd3
Rg8; 33.Kc4, ("+/-")
when Black realized that White can win whenever he wants to, and decided to resign.
[For more on this game, please see (the)
Informant, Vol. # 17, game # 362. Analysis by B. Gulko.]
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White to move.
Please study this position for a minimum of five minutes. (More - if you have the time.)
This position arose in one of the games from the Russian "Super Final" Championship that was played in Moscow in December of last year. "To sack ... or not to sack? This is the question that I must ask myself. Is it nobler to 'go for broke,' or should I restrain myself ... and simply play in a more cautious manner?" (w/ large apologies to Shakespeare)
I tell all my students, if you are going to err, I would rather that the aspiring master fall on the side of being over-aggressive, rather than constantly playing passive chess, and retreating all the time.
(Click on the diagram {just above} to replay the game, to see how the position turned out, try here.)
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White to move, in this position.
I analyzed the first part of this game {in some detail} on the WCA website. (http://www.worldchessacademy.com/Kamsky-Anand.htm, you can replay the whole game as well.)
At the present, White appears to have a slight edge. However, when I showed this position around to a few of my students, no one thought that White's advantage was decisive.
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The moves that led to this position were:
1.d4 d5; 2.c4 dxc4; 3.e4 Nf6!?; 4.e5 Nd5; 5.Bxc4 Nb6;
6.Bd3 Nc6; 7.Ne2 Be6; 8.Nbc3 Qd7; 9.Ne4 Bd5; 10.Be3 0-0-0; 11.a3 Qe8; 12.Qc2 f5;
13.N4c3 Bxg2; 14.Rg1 Bf3; 15.Bxf5+ e6; 16.Bh3 Kb8; 17.Rg3 Bxe2; 18.Nxe2 Nd5;
19.Nc3 Nxe3; 20.fxe3 Qh5; 21.Qe2 Qxe2+; 22.Kxe2 Re8; reaching
the position given above. (Note:
For a good game that I annotated in this opening, which contains a fairly
thorough survey of this opening, please click here.)
23.Rf1!,
Simple, straight-forward chess.
(White occupies - and owns - the only open file. Several students - at the local club -
looked at b4 instead, but this is sort of aimless.)
23...Nd8;
Black scrambles to defend, note that this move adds extra protection to his weak, isolated e-pawn and also guards the WR's invasion square. (On f7. Note that the immediate try of 23...Be7; leaves the KP undefended.)
[ Or 23...a5!?; 24.Ne4, '±' with a large edge for White. ]
Now White, realizing that he dominates on the K-side, begins to transfer all of his pieces to that
vector.
24.Ne4! g6;
Black has to find a good square for his KB, it is truly a clumsy piece here.
25.Ng5 Re7;
26.Rgf3, ('!')
As natural as a baby's smile, White doubles on the file and even threatens to win a piece.
The next series of moves looks close to being forced, and is fairly easy to understand.
26...Bh6; 27.Nf7 Nxf7;
28.Rxf7 Rhe8;
Black has defended the best that he could. With even material, and Bishops-of-opposite colors, one
club member, (rated over 1600); even opined that the position was heading for a draw.
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1k2r3/ppp1rR1p/4p1pb/4P3/3P4/P3P2B/1P2K2P/5R2 w
Take a look at the current situation. Pretend you are White, here. How do you make further inroads into your opponent's fortress?
29.R1f6!,
Hitting the KP (again). Black will be forced to concede material.
29...a5;[ A different plan would be shown in the following line:
29.Kd3 c6; 30.b4 Bg5; 31.a4, '±' when White has an advantage,
but it is not clear how White will proceed from this position. ]
30.Rxe7 Rxe7; 31.Rxe6 Rxe6;
Anand exchanges, and places his faith in the latent drawing possibilities that are inherent in this particular
type of ending.
32.Bxe6 Bg5!?;
This keeps the Bishop active, ties down the WK to the defense of his own e-pawn ... but winds up costing Black a second button.
[ 32...Bf8; 33.Kd3 c6; 34.Ke4, '±' ]
33.d5 Ka7; 34.Bg8 h6; 35.Bf7 Kb6;
36.Bxg6 Kc5;
37.Bf7!,
Not just a simple move to protect the Pawn that Black is currently threatening to capture, it is also a diabolical trap. (37...Kc4?; is now met by 38.d6+!, winning the game for Kamsky - instantly.)
[ The move of 37.Be4, "+/-" guarded the White KP, but might allow
Black's King more freedom. ]
37...h5!?; 38.Kd3,
Naturally White spurns the (nearly worthless) KRP (on h5) here.
Once again, we see the formula: White continues to improve his position by getting the King to a much more active post, and one that keeps his counterpart at bay.
[ The continuation of: </= 38.Bxh5? Kxd5; 39.Bf3+ Kxe5; 40.Bxb7, '±'
gives Black a fighting chance to make a draw. ]
38...h4; 39.h3, ('!')
Good technique, White fixes the RP on the same square as his opponent's Bishop. (It would be bad to allow the RP to travel to h3. I once won a game in a similar position. My opponent was not paying any attention to what I was doing, and his King and Bishop were far away. I managed to sneak out a win ... from a dead-lost position ... by advancing my Rook-Pawn to h3, and then I played ...Bh4-g3!; which eventually led to the promotion of my own RP.)
39...b5; 40.Ke4 b4;
Black is doing what he can.
[ Note that the continuation of:
</= 40...Kc4??; 41.d6+ Kc5; 42.dxc7, "+/-" is instantly decisive here. ]
41.axb4+ axb4; 42.b3!?,
More of the same ... but this time on the other side of the board.
[ Probably White could have played his King top f5 here. For example:
>/= 42.Kf5! Bh6; This is probably forced for Black.( </= 42...Bxe3?; 43.d6! cxd6; 44.e6 Kc6; 45.e7, "+/-" )
43.Kf6 Bf8; 44.b3, "+/-" with a position that is totally dominating for White. ]
42...Bh6;
Thus far, Black has defended a poor position ... the best that was humanly possible.
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8/2p2B2/7b/2kPP3/1p2K2p/1P2P2P/8/8 w
Unfortunately for Anand, Kamsky is playing nearly flawless chess today.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Now its almost an endgame composition, or a problem from a book. (White to move and win.)
43.Bh5!!,
I - very much - like this idea of re-positioning the Bishop to c4. White ... "plays without an opponent," ... an idea which allows White to win (easily) ... no matter what line (or method of defense) his
opponent chooses from this position.
Remember - the main job of any chess pro is to win. Forget artistry ... or even perfect mates. And here, Kamsky does exactly that - he brings home the bacon, and he does so in style!
[ Maybe 43.Kf5!?, "+/-" worked here, as well? ]
43...Bg5; 44.Be2 Bh6;
45.Bc4 Bg5; 46.Kf5!,
Now it will not matter if White drops his e-pawn, Black is unable to prevent one of White's remaining passers from reaching the eight rank. (The plan of 46.Kd3, to be followed by e3-e4, might allow Black to set up a blockade on the dark squares. Any player who has ever played any tournament chess or studied 'book' endings, can tell you about the many drawing ideas that this type of ending often allows the defender.)
46...Bxe3;
A sure sign of the end, Anand (by now) realizes that his goose is cooked!
[ Or 46...Bh6; 47.Kg6 Bf8; 48.Kf7 Bh6; 49.e6, "+/-"
and Black must surrender the Bishop to stop White's e-pawn. ]
47.d6!, "+/-"
And now GM V. Anand gracefully throws in the towel - he is good enough to see the end is at hand.
[ After the continuation of:
47.d6! cxd6; 48.e6! Kc6; 49.Kg6! d5; 50.e7! Kd7; 51.Kf7!, ("+/-")
White promotes a button. ]
Nice technique by Kamsky, he was on top from start to finish in this one.
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Apparently, what Topalov missed was 17.Be5!, (threatening 18.Nh6#). And if 17...f6; then simply 18.Ng5!! (Threatening 19.Qxh7#. And, if 18...fxg5; then 19.Nh6#.) Did you find any of these ideas?
(White still managed to win the game, just not in the most convincing possible manner.)
[replay here] [game is analyzed here]
That about wraps it up for this month! Please check back during the first week of every month for the next installment of this feature.
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I hope you have enjoyed this month's lesson. Please contact me if you have any questions. Also, be sure to contact the webmaster here, and let him know what you think of this lesson. Thank you for your time and attention ... and I will see you next month!
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2006. All rights reserved.
