TRG Yearbook 2011 - Booklet L PDF

14307146 Masimba Merekizadeck Zimbabwe 19900015 Sokhna Serigne Mactar Senegal
8700591 Mbatha Constance Zambia 6356036 Somali Beyhan Turkey

15800067 Mbusnoum Henri Celestin Cameroon 6202896 Somnuk Trowetsuwon Thailand
10400117 McDonald Tamiko Bahamas 6202900 Suchard Chaiyasarn Thailand
6368794 Mesci Abdullah Mert Turkey 6202918 Supachai Kunsong Thailand
15800075 Minali Benoit Eric Cameroon 6202926 Surpong Kompakdee Thailand
14305801 Mokgothu Boitumelo Gideon South Africa 6202934 Suwit Thun-in Thailand
Mokhosi Rosa South Africa 15700143 Taffese Abebaw Kebede Ethiopia
11300426 Mpuisang Alex B. Botswana 4234642 Tamvakos Panagiotis Greece
14307235 Muller Wayne South Africa 5704812 Tan Kok Liang Malaysia
2061007 Mykytyn Ivonne US America 5803012 Tan Puh Chen Singapore
14302403 Naidu Sayen South Africa 10400427 Taylor Marvin Bahamas
6202730 Nalinrat Changthong Thailand 15700160 Temeegen Addisalem Ethiopia
5095921 Nandakumar N.K. India 10400460 Thomas Paul Bahamas
9201777 Nanis Younis Libya 13002872 Tin Lay Shwe Myanmar
6202748 Napa Pannoi Thailand 14307162 Tladie Phatsisi Eisenhour South Africa
5711711 Narayanan Krishnan Malaysia 12409669 Tran Duc Hieu Vietnam
6202756 Narongrit Somsrida Thailand 12409677 Tran Thi kim Chi Vietnam
6202764 Nattorn Udomsiripong Thailand 12409685 Tran Trong Nhu Chau Vietnam
14306743 Ncubuka Jabu David South Africa 12409693 Tran Van Hai Vietnam
10400281 Newry Umar Bahamas 12409707 Truong Ba Thanh Vietnam
12409570 Ng Ngoc Ha Vietnam 14307251 Tshoba Anthony South Africa
12409588 Ng Thi Kieu Thu Vietnam 13000926 U Thaung Oung Macau
12409596 Ng Thi Thanh Huong Vietnam 14308983 Van Breda Augusta South Africa
12409600 Nguyen Thi Ha Vietnam 14307103 Van der Walt Connie South Africa
12409618 Nguyen Thi Mu Tien Vietnam 14307111 Van Niekerk Johanna Aletta South Africa
12409626 Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga Vietnam 14306999 Van Rensburg Maria Catharina South Africa
12409634 Nguyen Thoai Nhu Vietnam 14307120 Van Zyl Charlize South Africa
12409642 Nguyen Van Tat Vietnam 25030752 Venkatesh Keshavamurthy India
4251997 Nikolopoulos Konstantinos Greece 6202942 Vijai Surakarin Thailand
14307200 Njapha Mndeni South Africa 12409715 Vo Thi Kim Tuyen Vietnam
6202772 Nop Phuthamma Thailand 6202950 Wasin Nunpon Thailand
20300034 Ntagasigumwami Deo Burundi 10400478 Wheeler Belinda Bahamas
4254830 Ntelis Polizois Greece 6202969 Winyoo Butkhatchot Thailand
14307227 Nyembe Sivuyiile Colin South Africa 6202977 Wutichai Yabusdee Thailand
16400178 Nyirenda Paul Malawi 5900603 Zacharoplastis Pampos Cyprus
4403657 Orozco Luz Colombia 9201807 Zedan Ahmad Libya
9201785 Otman Ali Mohamd Libya 13002880 Zin Mar Min Than Myanmar
7903103 Ould Ahmed Meyloud Brahim Algeria 14307219 Zungu Ntandazo South Africa
5202760 Paez Alfredo Philippines
6202780 Panor Eruksa Thailand DEVELOPMENTAL INSTRUCTOR (INACTIVE)
4255690 Papadopoulos Theodoros Greece FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION
FIDE Trainers Commission

2023415 Parilla Medina US America 7102321 Agus Syafri SAg Indonesia
6202799 Pawinit Loonlawan Thailand 8500711 Akhiwu Ehidiamhen Eugene Nigeria
6202802 Payon Chanchiaw Thailand 3821366 Chavez Galvar Francisco Peru
6202810 Phalakorn Thira-kun Thailand 8500967 Edward Dappa Rachael Nigeria
12409650 Pham Thi Tuyet Van Vietnam 10400036 Elton Joseph Bahamas
6202829 Phattaranee Jankua Thailand 7102364 Fauzani Indonesia
14306786 Phera James South Africa 7100434 Gondo Kusumo Supriadi Indonesia
6202837
25007580
6202845
Poungjun Julilutchaneekon
Prabhakar Sakthi
Praneet Boonprasert
Thailand
India
Thailand
5706467
2000067
5085225
Hamdan Sairi
Haskel Jon
Kanna Reddy K.
Malaysia
US America
India
Yearbook 2011
6202853 Prasit Keansriya Thailand 5045541 Kavlekar Sanjay R. India
2613930 Preotu Rene Canada 10400052 Kean Smith Alfred Bahamas
15400409 Punongbayan Hexilon Dela Cruz Macau 5706491 Koh Teong-Hean David Malaysia
13100068 Rakotonaharo Yves Andre Madagascar 11300299 Kolaatamo Tschimologo Botswana
6202861 Ratana Sombatpriwan Thailand 8602662 Lou Hongyu China
4276442 Rousos Ioannis Greece 8500746 Mohammed Sani Usman Nigeria
6202870 Sakda Jampole Thailand 25010255 Muniraju Narayanappa India
9201793 Salh Moftah Libya 7101180 Nuerohu Rukminto Indonesia
6202888 Samran Julmusik Thailand 3821536 Polo Alza Alexander Stewart Peru
5085217 Sarma K.V.V. India 25018493 Rajinder Sharma India
2061015 Sekar Jayashree US America 11300434 Ramonsesane Batlhalefeng Botswana
Silveirinha Francisco Macau 7102372 Riston Pangaribuan Indonesia
15400220 Silveirinha Gabriel Macau 10400150 Seymour Warren Bahamas
8700605 Simusamba Kuchunga Edwin Zambia 5706475 Suffiah Muhamad Malaysia
14307197 Sithole Mbongeni Christian South Africa 5706483 Suhairi Hussin Malaysia
14307243 Smith Chris South Africa 5701481 Yeoh Phee Leong Marcus Malaysia
FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 216 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 1

First published in Greece by FIDE 2012 4805666 Bassam Arzwky Hamead Iraq 2077671 Bryant Derick US America
2603411 Botez Andrei Canada 5900638 Bryan-Vissi Mark Cyprus
First Edition 1.250 copies 5044324 Brahman S K India 12409430 Bu Cam Hay Vietnam
Copyright FIDE 2011 (office@fide.com - www.fide.com) 4805674 Chenarwerya Iraq 12409448 Bu Thi Hong Khah Vietnam
7102275 Effendi Imam Indonesia 12409456 Bu Thi Thu Vietnam
4800117 Frmesk W Mohammad Qani Iraq 14307189 Burger Mariette South Africa
5021880 Ganesan K. India 12409464 Cao Ngoc Tu Vietnam
7102623 Handayani Tri Indonesia 15400212 Celis Chang Joel Macau
5702658 Haslindah Ruslan Malaysia 6202624 Chaiporn Koonrat Thailand
13301497 Hayrapetian Vladimir Armenia 6202632 Chatchawan Paonareang Thailand
4805682 Haytham Bader Hursain Iraq 6202640 Chavarit Janyawat Thailand
4805690 Hazem M. M. Alharki Iraq 5900476 Christodoulides Christos Cyprus
7102283 Ie Lie Kian Ming Indonesia 6202659 Chutikan Sataphan Thailand
4803256 Jabbar Raheem Iraq 5901308 Constantinou Haralampos Cyprus
4805704 Jamal Ali Saber Iraq 7903049 Dahel Abdelhamid Algeria
5702755 Jusoh Muhamad Rizal Malaysia 9201726 Dakhil Abdmoula Libya
4802420 Kameran Aziz Iraq 6202667 Damrat Boonpichet Thailand
7102291 Kartolo Saperi Indonesia Davaademberel Purevdorj Mongolia
5703590 Khore Bean Hwa Malaysia 12409472 Dinh Van Ngoc Vietnam
14603012 Kosmac Blaz Slovenia 12409480 Do Truong Sa Xuan Dao Vietnam
14603241 Loviscek Matjaz Slovenia 12409499 Doan Thi Kim Phung Vietnam
5026776 Malvankar Avinash India 6202675 Ekgapot Keawmanee Thailand
5703778 Mat Isa Shamsuddin Bin Malaysia 9201319 El Abani Ali Selah Libya
4803400 Mohmmed Reshid Iraq 9200495 El Felo Ahmed Libya
4805720 Muhammd Muhmed Iraq 9200720 El Naami Salaheddin Libya
7102160 Ni Putu Widiari S SS Indonesia 6356001 Elden Selda Turkey
5024293 Nitin Warde India 9201734 Embark Khamis Omran Libya
5051398 Parivel M India 5900344 Evdokiou Neofytos Cyprus
7102305 Rachman Usop A. Indonesia 4264673 Fakidis Georgios Greece
4800354 Said H. M. Iraq 9201742 Fakron Ramadan Libya
4805739 Samir Saleh Raman Iraq 3214737 Fourie Charl Reinard Australia
The rights of Alexander Beliavsky, Uwe Boensch, Jeroen Bosch, Efstratios Grivas, Miguel Illes- 4805747 Sarwan Kamal Ramzi Iraq 15700127 Fufa Sileshi Hailu Ethiopia
cas, Alexey Kuzmin, Andrew Martin, Adrian Mikhalchishin, Georg Mohr, Jovan Petronic and 6352065 Savset Ufuk Turkey 9201750 Gahfer Khaled Libya
Susan Polgar to be identified as the authors of this work have been asserted in accordance with the 5037921 Singhai Niklesh Jain India 6355706 Gunes Hasan Turkey
5054990 Srinivasa Rangan India 7903065 Hamlaoui Youcef Algeria
International Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. 5029406 Suresh Kumar A. India 4279697 Hapsas Konstantinos Greece
7102313 Vendlan Indonesia 4243897 Hatoglou Nikolaos Greece
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or 5064139 Vivek M. India 10400320 Higgs Nathaniel Bahamas
5706440 Wahidduddin Kairunnisa Malaysia Huynh Hoa Minh Nhat Vietnam
otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other 5706459 Wahiddudin Fadzilah Malaysia 12409502 Huynh Huu Vinh Vietnam
than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being 8600309 Wu Xibin China 4277856 Isaris Konstantinos Greece
imposed on the subsequent purchaser. 16700155 Zahir Adma Maldives 6202683 Jantakarn Chonrattanacheewin Thailand
14602814 Zvan Ziga Slovenia 14303760 Jantjies Jurie South Africa
14305526 Jurgens John South Africa
NATIONAL INSTRUCTOR (DECEASED) 4279700 Kafiris Vasilios Greece
FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION
ISBN-13: 978-960-99379-2-4 5200288 Cain Celestino (+) Philippines
4261224 Kalaitzis Evangelos Greece
10800778 Kanyua Mary Kenya
ISSN-08: 2241-0953 6356010 Kaymaz Arzu Turkey
DEVELOPMENTAL INSTRUCTOR (LICENCED)
FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION 5901120 Kefalas Loukas Cyprus
15400174 Abelgas Rodolfo Varron Macau 14305569 Khuphwathea Paul Chimwemwe Malawi
Dedications 9201637 Abochhwa Hani Ali Salam Libya 6202691 Kittikorn Kaewjai Thailand
To all past and present top-trainers. 9201645 Abongap Mohamed Libya 6202705 Kittipob Viramon Thailand
6202578 Acharaporn Tanguthaisuk Thailand 6202713 Kowit Boungkhom Thailand
6202586 Aditap Wichit Thailand 5900425 Lazaris Stelios Cyprus
Cover by Nicolas Sphicas 9201653 Al Zawia Abdulate Rajab Libya 12409510 Le Anh Tien Vietnam
Ready for Knight's Promotion, 2003, oil on canvas, 40 x 62,5 cm 9201670 Alhadi Abubaker Libya 12409529 Le Thanh Nien Vietnam
6202594 Alongkorn Maneechot Thailand 12409537 Le Thi Ly Vietnam
(sphicasn@otenet.gr - www.chess.gr/sphicas - www.logicalchess.com/info/graphics/sphicas) 6202608 Apichat Khaweewong Thailand 12409545 Le Thi Thi Vietnam
6202616 Aree Chusuwrrn Thailand 12409553 Le Van Nhu Vietnam
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9201696 Azegni Mehdi Abobaker Libya 8607850 Liu Jian Hua Michelle China
Badenhorst Frans South Africa 12409561 Lu Dan Thuy Vietnam
2060990 Banks Stacey US America 4264614 Lykeridis Andreas Greece
Edited by Efstratios Grivas (www.GrivasChess.com) 15800059 Banlock Benjamin Didier Cameroon Maartens Shane South Africa
Typeset by Efstratios Grivas & Vassilios Vrettos 9201700 Bo Ahsain Osama Hassen Libya 2121670 Maikon Diel Brazil
12409421 Bo Hua Thuan Vietnam 11000805 Makem Pierre Cameroon
Cover Image by Nicolas Sphicas 14305216 Bosch Benjamin South Africa 6202721 Malee Ramkaew Thailand
Proof-Reading by Kevin OConnell (www.kochess.com) 7902174 Bouznad Noureddine Algeria 5900433 Markidou Christianna Cyprus
2039770 Martinez Shawn US America
Printed in Greece by Apollon Ektipotiki O.E. (Georgios Mihailidis - mihailidis@ath.forthnet.gr) 9201718 Brsh Almargane Libya

5800188 Chia Chee Seng Singapore 4218531 Mihtis Theodoros Greece
8700621 Chileya Bwalya
Choko Andile David
Zambia
South Africa
4207726
9201769
Mitsakos Achilleas
Mohammed Hazim Mohammed
Greece
Libya
Contents
5900328 Constantinou Pavlos Cyprus 19600046 Moulaye Boydia Mauritania
4265114 Dasaklis Hristos Greece 8200122 Mungroo Franklin Surinam Title-Description 1
5200628 De Ramos Julius Joseph Philippines 2229560 Muniz Pardino Alberto Spain
3803848 Degregori Luis Peru 12511200 Naghib Parisa Iran Colophon .... 2
4215508 Demeridis Nikolaos Greece 6200478 Nakvanich Sahapol Thailand Contents ................ 3
5011531 Dhanesh Shrikande India 3821374 Navarrete Diaz Guillermo Jesus Peru Foreword - Kirsan Ilyumzhinov ..... 4
6342671 Dirim Omer Turkey 14306751 Neethling Donovan South Africa
8200033 Dos Ramos Ricardo Surinam 14306760 Nene Themba South Africa Symbols ................. 4
9201300 Durar Fathi Mohamed Libya 2917050 Nikolieva Alexandrina Bulgaria FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) - Efstratios Grivas ....... 5
9200355 Elarbi Abobker Libya 15200132 Nitzborn Josef Namibia FIDE Trainers System (Guide ) ....... 6
9200401 Elfelo Khadija Libya 8700532 Nsakanya Chanda Zambia
4245237 Etzoglou Efthimios Greece 4227778 Ntalabiras Spiros Greece Nominated FIDE Lecturers / Seminar Leaders.... 11
9200142 Faranka Khaled Libya 14301067 Odendaal Frederick South Africa World Team CC 2009 - Efstratios Grivas .................................................. 12
3301664 Ferrufino Alfonso Bolivia 6356028 Okan Mehmet Suleyman Turkey
1212915 Foisor Sabina-Francesca US America 4218612 Papadopoulos Gerasimos Greece
Pawns on the Same Rank - Efstratios Grivas .. 36
Foster Deon South Africa 4222644 Papaefstratiou Andreas Greece Break - Adrian Mikhalchishin . 43
14306735 Frick Jacques South Africa 5900549 Papouis Diomides Cyprus FIDE Trainers Badge . 52
9201564 Ftiees Salah Libya 2067625 Parham Bernhard US America
8200041 Gajadin Dewperkash Surinam 10400249 Paul Philip Bahamas
Problems of Middlegame Planning - Adrian Mikhalchishin 53
4211995 Gantis Konstantinos Greece 3700062 Peralta Eduardo Paraguay TRG Publications ..... 58
4205332 Gantis Periklis Greece 14306778 Petersen Christopher William South Africa Training of Calculation - Part 1 - Alexey Kuzmin .. 59
6900020 Garca Paolicchi Raul Andorra 14302047 Pon Dale South Africa
5900360 Georgiou Andreas Cyprus 4229169 Psychogios Antonios Greece
Training of Calculation - Part 2 - Alexey Kuzmin .. 63
15700119 Gereqziabher Berhane Gebre Ethiopia 7903111 Redjem Lyes Algeria Seminar List 2011 . 68
4214706 Giordos Vasilios Greece 14305968 Ristovic Dmitar South Africa The Maroczy Pawn Structure - Georg Mohr ... 69
8700630 Gondwe Kondwani Maxwell Zambia 3101479 Rivera Eduardo Puerto Rico
Gopaulsingh Nadean South Africa 14516977 Rubesa Andrej Croatia
An Isolated Pawn in the Endgame - Georg Mohr .. 75
14303680 Grootboom Elrich South Africa 14531836 Rubesa Danijel Croatia Queen Power or Power of the Masses? - Jeroen Bosch 82
5900832 Hadjiloucas Vassilis Cyprus 6318851 Sahin Senol Turkey Rook and Pawn(s) versus Two Minor Pieces - Jeroen Bosch .. 89
5900395 Hadjinikolaou Pigasios Cyprus 11500336 Shobaita Ahmed Palestine
8200173 Hanoeman Suradj Surinam 11500786 Shobaita Talal Palestine
A Very Special Ending - Uwe Boensch . 101
2008335 Harding Andre US America 1111400 Sielicki Tomasz Poland Finding Moves - Uwe Boensch ... 104
9200479 Humrana Mostafa Libya 4212347 Sigouros Michail Greece FIDE TRG Trainers Awards 2008-2009-2010 .. 108
7903081 Idriss-Khodja Hichem Algeria 11300450 Sitale Tshepo Botswana
11500263 Ihsan Jawad Palestine 10400044 Small Byron Bahamas Calculate Deeper - Susan Polgar .. 109
8603103 Joe Yueh Wei-Po Chinese Taipei 10400052 Smith Kean Bahamas FIDE TRG Trainers Awards - The Tree of Chess Trophy ... 112
4303369 Johari Halim New Zealand 14608138 Smon Gregor Slovenia Zwischenzug - Susan Polgar ... 113
10400036 Joseph Elton Bahamas 4003209 Sorras Alexios Luxembourg
4201272 Kabanis Nikolaos Greece 2101815 Souza Neves Andrey M. Brazil Fdration Internationale des checs (FIDE) 117
Kaplan Neil South Africa 15400018 Ssegirinya Joseph-Mary M. Macau Basic Defence - Andrew Martin . 118
6324452 Karinca Umut Turkey 14304309 Steyn Hans South Africa Meaningless Moves - Andrew Martin 126
6368786 Karinca Zafer Turkey 5201055 Suelo Roberto Jr. Ramos Philippines
5900719 Kasparis Nikolas Cyprus 14301130 Swanson Donovan South Africa http://trainers.fide.com - The Trainers Site! .. 132
5900310 Kassinopoullos Doros Cyprus 2044684 Taylor Anton US America Blocking the f6-square - Efstratios Grivas ... 133
11000473 Katema Patrick Tinashe Zimbabwe 5701511 Toh Chin Leong Joseph Malaysia Legendary Endings - Adrian Mikhalchishin 145
6323413 Kavacik Ahmet Turkey 14306808 Van der Merwe Marisa South Africa
11300396 Keinya Boitumelo Botswana 14307138 Van Zyl Marius South Africa Anthem of FIDE . 153
11300418 Kelatlhilwe Kelapile Botswana 10400125 Whyms Chappel Bahamas Fools Mate - Miguel Illescas . 154
14113139 Kepeschuk Mikhail Ukraine 14306816 Willemse Rudolph South Africa Lucenas Mate - Miguel Illescas 158
4221788 Kesaris Evangelos Greece 7903120 Yagoub Ahmed Algeria
5302056 Khairallah Elias Lebanon 5901219 Yiapanis Giorgos Cyprus The King Checkmates! - Jovan Petronic .. 164
5806429 Khoo Teng Chun Joey Singapore 4206371 Zahariou Nikolaus Greece Drawing in Style - Jovan Petronic . 176
6307442 Korkmaz Turhan Turkey 7902972 Zerdali Samir Algeria
4208285 Kosmadakis Dimitros Greece
Queen Endings Winning and Defending Techniques - Alexander Beliavsky . 186
4215214 Koukidis Nikolaos Greece NATIONAL INSTRUCTOR (INACTIVE) Queens with Opposite Coloured Bishops - Alexander Beliavsky ...... 193
4276434 Kourtis Hariton Greece FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) - Council & Members . 199
Lalla Karol Germany 5706424 Abdul Latiff Mohamad Malaysia
7903090 Lerari Said Algeria 5704944 Abu Bakar Martin B. A. Malaysia Seminar List ... 199
3812367 Loayza Checca Froizan Peru 10608559 Ahmed Adel Ahmed Egypt FIDE/TRG Awards 2011 . 201
8700052 Lungu Nase Zambia 7601433 Al Najjar Huda Syria Index of Games .. 203
10400168 Major Godfrey Bahamas 4805640 Ali Hazem Mohammed Iraq
4220080 Makryniotis Konstantinos Greece 4802004 Ali Rasheed Mohammed Amin Iraq Trainers Lists .... .. 207
14308193 Marais Sibylie South Africa 25030744 Ananthan M.R. India
11300990 Masole Vincent Botswana 7102267 Anwar Hardian Indonesia
15700097 Mesfin Leykun Ethiopia 4805658 Badre Abdulabbas Jaffar Iraq

24617326 Drescher Thomas Germany 7101783 Ramlan Samuel Indonesia
Foreword 24617539
6308724
Duerr Hanno
Duman Huseyin
Germany
Turkey
7700032
2204037
Raphael John
Rodriguez Lopez Jose Luis
Trinidad & T.
Spain
FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov 2053993

7100205
4802691
Duque Raymond
Fahrurazie
Farhan Naseer Jasim
US America
Indonesia
Iraq
4402863
4400372
14602458
Rosales Sarria Daniel
Ruiz Alciguel
Rusjan Dusan
Colombia
Colombia
Slovenia
10600396 Fathy Elameir Egypt 4800818 Sami Abbas Abdula Iraq
Chess has existed as a sport played at a competitive level for centuries. The common code gov- 24636762 Feldmann Guido Germany 4805534 Sattar Naser Hussein Iraq
erning the Laws of Chess is relatively recent, and the foundation of Fdration Internationale des 10600507 Frhat Ali Egypt 6308813 Seckin Mehmet Turkey
9909141 Friyagama Sarath Sri Lanka 10800301 Sijenyi Stephen Ouma Kenya
checs (FIDE), in Paris in 1924, is even more modern. FIDE currently has 174 member federa- 11300310 Gaealafshwe Barileng Botswana 727830 Simai Laszlo Hungary
tions in all continents. Titles for players were introduced by FIDE in 1950, and titles for Arbiters 14000261 Geldyev Kochmurad Turkmenistan 14502178 Slamar Velimir Croatia
and Organizers followed. Now we are moving to a new phase, with titles for Trainers. 10600230 Georg Magdy Egypt 7102844 Soewarrno Didi S. Indonesia
5000530 Gokhale Jayant Suresh India 15000796 Stojanovski Dejan FYROM
Chess is on the increase in schools across the world. It is part of the mainstream curriculum in 2810557 Granite Tal Israel 7100701 Supriyono Eko Indonesia
many countries. It is a goal of FIDE to make chess an educational tool, and generate worldwide 24657751 Greiser Christian Germany 7102852 Syahrir H. Indonesia
7100035 Gunawan Ronny Indonesia 5208777 Tacorda Rommel Philippines
popularity for the game. Examples of the many educational advantages of chess are: shows the 7100248 Hainansyan Indonesia 4800958 Taleb Salem Iraq
need to make people realise the importance of advance planning; develops analytic and accurate 12506796 Hajvaziri Sina Iran 2208733 Tallarico Tallarico Ovidio Mar Spain
thinking; shows the necessity for a combative spirit; teaches fair play and emphasises the need for 4800940 Hameed Amir Iraq 3203077 Tanti Joseph Australia
7700156 Harper Ryan Trinidad & T. 14505363 Trbojevic Mladen Croatia
preparation and hard work for success. However, with the increasing population of chess players, 7102810 Hasanudin Sulaeman Indonesia 4203437 Tsarouhas Vasilios Greece
comes the need for trainers to assist with their development. 1323938 Heddergott Daniel Switzerland 200760 Van Speybroeck Philippe Belgium
This is the TRGs Yearbook for 2011. A manual for trainers, which fulfils a considerable need in 4801431 Hussein Ali Hadi Iraq 7102402 Verdiana Norasya Indonesia
2218003 Iglesias Valle Enrique Spain 4300815 Wheeler Bruce New Zealand
modern chess literature, concentrating on the technical side of the game, but also covering various 6308759 Ilyas Umit Turkey 9900144 Wifesuriya G. Luxman Sri Lanka
other topics and providing information. The best trainers have contributed to the book, which is an 6301886 Isik Engin Yasar Turkey 2048302 Wilson F.Leon US America
essential tool in the preparation of trainers at all levels for the future. It will ensure that the next 4800800 Ismael Namir Mohammed Iraq 10700102 Wilson Peter John Barry England
4801172 Jalal K. Al-Din Iraq 7700105 Yee Frank Trinidad & T.
generation of players will be at a great advantage over those that have gone before. 4800087 Jumaa A. Gatea Iraq 6302998 Yildiz Mustafa Turkey
10000070 Juulius Anuari Uganda 10602887 Yusef Ahmed Egypt
10800280 Kagambi Lawrence Kenya 7101520 Zainuddin Yusuf Achmad Indonesia
5005035 Kalyan Kumar Y. India 4190092 Zakharova Adelaida Russia
10800255 Kanegeni Mattew Camau Kenya
5001552 Kasi A.L. India FIDE INSTRUCTOR (DECEASED)
FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION
11300302 Kealeboga Baone Botswana
11300051 Kgosimore Moatlhodi Botswana 5204763 Abalos Wilfredo (+) Philippines
5007054 Khasim Sk India 4201248 Papatheodorou Theodoros (+) Greece
4804457 Khudhair Khalaf Khalid Iraq NATIONAL INSTRUCTOR (LICENCED)
2006596 Kitson Colley US America FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION
14600153 Kolar Srecko Slovenia 16100093 Abdi Hassaan Ahmaed Somalia
905321 Lakic Nikola Bosnia & Her. 7100736 Abu Bakar Nurdin Indonesia
7700164 Lee Cecil Trinidad & T. 9200274 Abulhul Tarik Libya
8500959 Lekan Adeyemi Nigeria 5700655 Ahmad Ismail Malaysia
3501469 Leon Cordero Eumelia Cuba 7902980 Aissani Sofiane Algeria
7102496 Lestari Baiq Vina Indonesia 9201343 Al Betro Khaled Libya
14503743 Lovrencic Vladimir Croatia 9200738 Al Felo Al Said Juma Libya
24633453 Luhm Stephan Germany 6333028 Alev Engin Deniz Turkey
Symbols 7100400
5706416
7100680
Lumongdong Lisa Karlina
Mah Hassan Omar
Majella Yoseph R.
Indonesia
Malaysia
Indonesia
9201661
6368778
9201688
Algehani Aref
Askar Bulent
Atwer Milad
Libya
Turkey
Libya
+ check unclear position 10800204 Makatia Alexander Pani Kenya 11100184 Austin Dirk Barbados
11000147 Mamombe Kudzanai Zimbabwe 6342230 Aydeniz Gurkan Turkey
++ double check with compensation 6307493 Marasli Tutku Kahraman Turkey 6355994 Aydin Delal Turkey
# checkmate Black is slightly better 7700148 Merritt Mario Trinidad & T. 2030403 Beckwith Stan US America
!! brilliant move 10400265 Mohammad Jawad Bahamas 2028948 Belachew Yimam Abera Ethiopia
Black has a large advantage 4805631 Mohammed Hanon Shlaga Iraq 7902999 Beldjoudi Ferhat Algeria
! good move + Black is winning 6401341 Morel Ivan Rafael Dominican R. 7903006 Bensahnoune Salim Algeria
!? interesting move 1-0 the game ends in a win for White 8700303 Mubanga Francis Zambia 7903014 Bir Boubekar Algeria
?! dubious move 14700026 Nazarov Anvar Tajikistan 11300531 Boikayo Cinky Botswana
- the game ends in a draw 6308783 Osmanli Hanife Turkey 10609431 Bongo Akanga Barthelemy Gabon
? bad move 0-1 the game ends in a win for Black 2032376 Pabon Tony US America 11300264 Bontzi Chazha Botswana
?? blunder (D) see next diagram 6000100 Palian Saras Hong Kong 14301857 Bornheim Darren South Africa
+ White is winning 7102259 Patricks Ryan Indonesia 7903022 Bouriche Ounis Algeria
White to play 2207869 Pellicer Celemi Jose Luis Spain 4424476 Buitrago Shirley Colombia
White has a large advantage Black to play 1307029 Planchamp Jacob Switzerland 8700613 Buumba Obrian Zambia
White is slightly better 5002559 Raj Sen India 5203627 Cabe Arlan Ferreria Philippines
14603187 Rajkovic Radisa Slovenia
= equal position 4406079 Ceballos Diego Fernando Colombia

4208528 Patriarheas Georgios Greece 4201094 Tsarouhas Konstantinos Greece
3802396
1004786
Pazos Rodriguez Marco Antonio
Peng Zhaoqin
Peru
Netherlands
4203402
4901614
Tsekouras Theodoros
Tserendorj Sainbayar
Greece
Mongolia
FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG)
3500950
4201299
6308791
Perez Felix
Perifanis Georgios
Pesmen Haydar
Cuba
Greece
Turkey
4200586
6308830
6321151
Tsorbatzoglou Theodoros
Tumer Hikmet
Tureller Ahmet
Greece
Turkey
Turkey
Efstratios Grivas
4200985 Petraki Maria Greece 6304940 Unver Cumali Turkey
4204735 Petsetidi Maria Greece 4401387 Valle Efrain Colombia Concept
4203739 Pilalis Christos Greece 14306417 Vermaak Frans-Willem South Africa Were all born with a natural sense of curiosity. Its what drives us to create new things and de-
1904248 Pinela Henrique Portugal 4212070 Vidalis Evagelos Greece
4208595 Pitselis Grigorios Greece 805777 Vignato Giovanni Italy velop new ideas. At TRG, were committed to nurturing our members pursuit of advanced scien-
5020050 Praful Zaveri India 14526956 Vrhovnik Damir Croatia tific and technological knowledge through its many research initiatives. TRG is partnering with
4626958 Preuss Thomas Germany 5502853 Wada Nabil Tunisia leading global trainers in a variety of fields including seminars, training methods, publishing and
4203585 Prevenios Mihail Greece 4301234 Wang Victor New Zealand
14301296 Price Eddie South Africa Wasas Csongor South Africa research. The results of this cooperation can be applied in ways that benefit TRG intellectually and
4201639 Psomiadis Stavros Greece 1308262 Wiesmann Dominique Switzerland culturally by transforming it into a cutting-edge leader in the creation of human chess-knowledge.
4139488 Pylaeva Ekaterina Russia 14306239 Willenberg Roland South Africa
14503727 Radosavljevic Petar Croatia 14306824 Wolpe Clyde South Africa
But most of all, TRGs research aspirations aim to inspire the trainers, and the whole chess world,
14307154 Raja Aparna India 1300881 Wueest Andrin Switzerland to discover new ways of unlocking their potential.
3800474 Ramirez Cesar Peru 7900384 Yahiaoui Abdelkrim Algeria The FIDE Trainers Committee, predecessor of the Trainers Commission (which was formed at
4502752 Raud Tiina Estonia 6301665 Yalim Suleyman Turkey
5001595 Ravichandran V. India 4671678 Yanik Sural Emine Turkey
the start of 2009) was created in 2000 during the Istanbul Olympiad and was chaired by GM Yuri
1304445 Regez Markus Switzerland 6305474 Yener Cemil Turkey Razuvaev, now Honorary Chairman. The Committee created a real and decent training environ-
4402030 Renteria Rolando Colombia 6302980 Yildiz Emre Turkey ment and established the guidance for its functioning for about eight years; its role is impossible to
4404033 Rios Juan Colombia 14500450 Zaja Ivan Croatia
3601854 Rojas Solano Jessenia Ecuador 8400091 Zamora Roberto Honduras
overvalue. Now, in our second period, we have to re-examine our position at the moment and to
14306794 Rust Keith Frederick South Africa 3900614 Zavala Arevalo Vicencio Noel Venezuela create new tasks for the future.
14204479 Ruziev Ahmat Uzbekistan 805319 Zoldan Matteo Italy The most important task of TRG was the introduction of a system of titles and licences, as de-
916765 Sakotic Jasna Montenegro
6302343 Salepci Osman Firat Turkey FIDE INSTRUCTOR (INACTIVE)
manded by the IOC. The main idea was that the titles will boost the importance of trainers posi-
14306409 Salverda Anton South Africa FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION tions in the chess world. Licences are necessary for keeping up the level of the trainers, but until
3900754 Sanchez Castillo Sarai Venezuela 4800613 Abdul Hadi Maftool Iraq the Sofia 2010 FIDE Presidential Board, these licences were not approved for worldwide use.
6352057 Sargin Menderes Turkey 9400958 Abdul-Havla Sallah Sabri Yemen
5900077 Savva Panikos Cyprus 7800568 Abdus Salim Pakistan Now we have instruments to improve the level of trainers, but we need cooperation from the
1318918 Schenker Roberto Switzerland 3604195 Achig Balarezo Jose Ecuador Continental and National FIDE affiliated federations to implement the system correctly and effec-
1311441 Scherrer Heinrich Switzerland 4800443 Ahmad Abdul Khaliq Iraq tively. Our important role is to protect trainers and to help them to conduct their duties effectively
1312537 Schnelli Roman Switzerland 4801849 Ahmed Abdul Sattar Abdulwhhab Iraq
24676012 Semmler Reinhardt Germany 5301874 Akhrass Roland Lebanon and with dignity. For further information see http://trainers.fide.com/trg-council.html and
6302572 Seyhanoglu Deniz Turkey 7600127 Al Argha Hisham Syria http://trainers.fide.com/trg-members.html.
9200150 Shabash Abdullatief Mohamed Libya 10602348 Albadri Abd Al Sattar Iraq
8700389 Simutowe Musatwe Zambia 11200987 Al-Ghasra Sadeque Bahrain
14306026 Slamang Mohamed Kassiem South Africa 24610593 Anliker Peter Germany Aims
4301935 Smith Vivian Joyce New Zealand 4803680 Ari Ahmad Mohammed Iraq The FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) is the official body of the World Chess Federation that
3100022 Sosa Luis Puerto Rico 4136586 Ariskin Aleksey Russia
4804902 Asaad Ismael Tawfeeq Iraq
deals with trainers worldwide. TRG is responsible for and operates the following subjects:
4207378 Soukos Konstantinos Greece
4206029 Soultatis Kostas Greece 6302777 Asilkefeli Hasan Turkey 1) Deals with any subject concerning trainers (http://trainers.fide.com).
14602768 Srebrnic Ana Slovenia 7100892 Askali Nurdin Indonesia 2) Keeps the record of the list of trainers (http://trainers.fide.com/fide-trainers-system.html).
14602776 Srebrnic Vojko Slovenia 4800435 Atia Madhi Iraq
6308686 Atilla Turgay Turkey
3) Keeps the record of the financial status of the trainers (as above).
14302926 Steenkamp Johan South Africa
4207750 Stefanidi Anna Maria Greece 13000063 Aung Thant Zin Myanmar 4) Awards the highest training title worldwide, that of FIDE Senior Trainer (FST).
14306948 Stocklose Sven South Africa 4801636 Aziz Jawad Obada Iraq 5) Endorses and records FIDE Academies (http://trainers.fide.com/fide-academies.html).
25030736 Sundarrajan KP India 5211301 Bersamina Norlito Philippines
2219107 Blasco De La Cruz Luis Spain
6) Prepares and follows its annual Budget (http://trainers.fide.com/minutes.html).
3808734 Tacuche Martinez Fernando Peru
14304333 Takawira Erick South Africa 7700237 Bowles Andrew Trinidad & T. 7) Runs the annual FIDE Trainers Awards (http://trainers.fide.com/awards-hall-of-fame.html).
13002864 Thandar Aye Win Myanmar 938556 Bozilov Novica Serbia 8) Draws up the necessary Guidelines and Rules and proposes them to FIDE PB and GA.
4213882 Theoharidis Georgios Greece 14506670 Brulic Denis Croatia
14304325 Tinashe Tafira Zimbabwe 2006588 Buky John P. US America
9) Organizes the worldwide Educational Seminars for FIDE titles.
12400939 To Quoc Khanh Vietnam 2212269 Cao Armillas Jesus Spain 10) Organizes and supports various Youth Camps (http://trainers.fide.com/seminars.html).
6301150 Tofan Ybrahim Turkey 7101511 Chkartina Gerhana Indonesia 11) Organizes Informative Meetings in various events (http://trainers.fide.com/minutes.html).
6318754 Toluk Ahmed Turkey 7700130 Chong Kurtis B. Trinidad & T.
14503689 Tomasic Roland Croatia 6001130 Connor David Hong Kong 12) Lists its Recommended Books (http://trainers.fide.com/recommended-books.html).
12403555 Tong Thai Hung Vietnam 1201050 Crisan Ioan Romania 13) Supports trainers with monthly Surveys, free of charge (http://trainers.fide.com/surveys.html).
2077710 Tonkonogy Anatoly US America 2260824 De Andres Oterino Carlos Spain 14) Cooperates with CACDEC, ECU (European Chess Union) and IOC/ARISF (International
3800563 Torres Jean Peru 2601729 Demian Valer Eugen Canada
3900444 Torres Jose Venezuela 14402270 Devedzic Osman Bosnia & Her. Olympic Committee / Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations), assuring
24615420 Trappmann Peter Germany 4805003 Dhafer Abdul Ameer Madhloom Iraq sponsored FIDE Trainers Seminars (for CACDEC federations) annually (2009-2012).
12403571 Trinh Van Dong Vietnam 4805623 Dhamir Jabar Al-Yhyi Iraq 15) Supports trainers with valuable general information (http://trainers.fide.com).
4204913 Troupis Konstantinos Greece 919101 Djerkovic Miladin Canada
FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 5
11602384 Cimina Andra Latvia 6303943 Karamahmutoglu Eser Turkey
FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) 8400040
1902121
Colindres Daniel
Crespo Leonardo
Honduras
Ecuador
6342264
7900988
Karatas Melih
Khelfallah Omar Badreddine
Turkey
Algeria
3601625 Crespo Roberto Ecuador 6305334 Kilic Ihsan Turkey
6300839 Dalkiran Halil Sertac Turkey 13200720 Kim Sang Yoon South Korea
FIDE Trainers` System (Guide) 4404939
6301894
Delgado Carlos
Demiralp Murat
Colombia
Turkey
14301660
5900158
Klaver Cornelis
Klerides Paris
South Africa
Cyprus
5004403 Deshmukh Prasad P. India 1308980 Knaus Max Switzerland
1308912 Deubelbeiss Rene Switzerland 14601028 Kodric Martin Slovenia
FIDE Titles / TRG Seminars 5001331
2053969
Dhar-Barua Saheli
Diaz Geber
India
Venezuela
4202325
14602725
Kondopoulos Dimitrios
Kovac Silvo
Greece
Slovenia
4208773 Dimitriadis Alexandros Greece 14300206 Kromhout Ewan South Africa
The TRG, by taking into account previous decisions of FIDE Presidential & Executive Boards, 929239 Dimitrijevic Aleksandra Bosnia & Her. 6325211 Kulac Olgun Turkey
6304540 Dogan Ali Ekber Turkey 5001684 Kunte Mrunalini India
General Assemblies, and various proposals of recent years, revised and finalised the present guide. 6309658 Dogan Nazmi Can Turkey 6310028 Kuru Ferhat Turkey
This guide will apply to the FIDE Trainers System, dealing with FIDE Titles and TRG Seminars. 4238117 Dokimakis Stylianos Greece 5001935 Lahiri Santanu India
2000547 Donaldson Elena US America 5017025 Lakshmi Priya TT India
All previous decisions on these matters will have no validity any more and are replaced by the 14601125 Drinovec Ales Slovenia 6000770 Lam Mingo Kwok Wai Hong Kong
present. 14602261 Drobne Marjan Slovenia 1306804 Laube Giovanni Switzerland
2102773 Duarte Tatiana Peres Brazil 14300800 Laubscher-Solomons Anzel South Africa
5023467 Dutta Prasenjit India 1301969 Leutwyler Martin Switzerland
1. Trainers Titles 15200051 Eichab Charles Sidney Namibia 14305674 Lewis Mark South Africa
9201220 El Ghadamsy Mohamed Libya 6001122 Li Jackson Hong Kong
1.1. FIDE & TRG recognise the following titles (in descending order of expertise): 9200762 Elflow Khalood Libya 1313592 Lienhard Andreas Switzerland
6306772 Enzin Hatice Turkey 5202612 Lincoln Yap Philippines
6303870 Erencek Ali Ediz Turkey 3805751 Luque Ayala Daniel Peru
1.1.1. FIDE Senior Trainer (FST) 6342221 Eryucel Mehmet Emre Turkey 4300785 Lynn Kenneth William New Zealand
1.1.2. FIDE Trainer (FT) 6305644 Esen Nejdet Turkey 11000120 Makoto Rodwell Zimbabwe
3501426 Fandino Roquelina Cuba 11300361 Makwati Mahommad Israel Botswana
1.1.3. FIDE Instructor (FI) 11100095 Farley Terry Barbados 5201071 Mariano Cristine Rose Philippines
1.1.4. National Instructor (NI) 7900937 Farouk Djaballah Algeria 4203143 Markantonis Vasilios Greece
1.1.5. Developmental Instructor (DI) 1323911 Fessard Pascal Switzerland 4401565 Martinez Sergio Colombia
2015382 Figler Ilye US America 13304356 Martirosyan Ani Armenia
3602745 Franco Villon Jorge Antonio Peru 5200024 Mascarinas Rico Philippines
1.2. Title Descriptions / Requirements / Awards: 14301652 Fredericks Malcolm South Africa 16400143 Mbedza Richard Malawi
14300818 Frick Denise South Africa 14306379 Mc Avoy Paul South Africa
4206754 Galanos Dimitrios Greece 5900166 Melas Renos Cyprus
1.2.1. FIDE Senior Trainer (FST) 4200659 Gazis Efstathios Greece 3611728 Menendez Marcos Ecuador
7900821 Ghimouz Chakib Algeria 5501067 Messaoudi Bechir Tunisia
1.2.1.1. Scope / Mission: 6300979 Gokerman Ersan Turkey 6342450 Mete Aykut Ilker Turkey
a. Lecturing in Seminars as Lecturer / Seminar Leader (if approved). 6301924 Goksel Doga Cihan Turkey 4205588 Mihailidis Anastacios Greece
4410041 Gomez Samael Colombia 14600480 Mihevc Ivo Slovenia
b. National examiner. 14301709 Goosen Anton South Africa 6300618 Miyak Burak Turkey
c. Trained players particularly with rating above 2450. 4204042 Goritsas Christos Greece 14306387 Morris Richard South Africa
1323920 Graeff Karl Switzerland 5204615 Moseros Jose Philippines
14301504 Greeff Melissa South Africa 2134381 Moura Charles Brazil
1.2.1.2. Qualification / Professional Skills Requirements: 4202520 Gripeos Kiriakos Greece 9304290 Muneera Mohammed Kaak UA Emirates
a. Proposal/endorsement from his/her national federation. 6318444 Guctekin Nuri Turkey 5006430 Muralimohan K. India
b. FIDE Trainer or minimum 10 years experience as a trainer in general. 7900511 Gueroui Nacereddine Algeria 6800246 Murphy Margaret US Virgin Isl.
6342280 Guvendik Muharrem Turkey 5014247 Muthu Kumaran R. India
c. Holder of the title GM or IM. 7903057 Haddouche Belabbas Algeria 15200027 Nakapunda Otto Zandell Namibia
d. Achieved a career top FIDE ELO rating of 2450 (strength). 6302017 Hatipoglu Metin Turkey 4402898 Navia Edwin Colombia
e. Knowledge, besides his/her native language, of at least one of the FIDE approved languages: 1308335 Held Thomas Switzerland 14300400 Nelson Jaco South Africa
3902510 Hernandez Ulises Venezuela 14306395 Ngidi Patson South Africa
Arabic, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. 5108934 Herrera Garcia Pio Arnoldo Mexico 12400408 Nguyen Thai Binh Vietnam
f. Has published material, such as manuals, books or series of articles. 6000525 Ho Yin Ping Hong Kong 12400270 Nguyen Thi Tuong Van Vietnam
g. Proof of World/International successes, as below: 3821102 Huancahuile Choque Robert Peru 808199 Nicolo Filippo Italy
7903073 Ibbou Sid Ali Algeria 15200434 Nitzborn Max Baron Namibia
19800037 Ibrahima, Konate Mali 7900414 Nouali Djouher Algeria
g1. Trainer of Olympic medal winning team. 14301946 Irving Laura South Africa 14305860 November Edwin South Africa
g2. Trainer of aWorld Champion. 3800792 Iturry Quinonez William Peru 6342272 Oezen Ali Turkey
5500192 Jlassi Sofiane Tunisia 6310133 Ozen Burak Turkey
g3. Trainer of a Challenger for the World Championship (final match). 14300788 Jurgensen Graham Ian South Africa 6302408 Ozturk Emir Turkey
g4. Trainer of the Continental team gold medal winner. 5500044 Kaabi Mejdi Tunisia 3800164 Pacheco Asmat Jorge Peru
g5. Trainer of the Continental individual champion. 4111923 Kadishev Leonid Russia 3801578 Pacheco Gallardo Jorge Garri Peru
4204727 Kakadelis Stratos Greece 4202554 Pandelidis Ioannis Greece
g6. Trainer of more than 3 World Champions in Youth and Junior categories. 1309072 Kappeler Kaspar Switzerland 1313266 Pantillon Patrik Andre Switzerland
6350623 Kara Aydin Turkey 5900280 Papatryfonos Constantinos Cyprus
25007599 Krishna Chitrada India 8602867 Zhang Jilin China g7. Trainer - Founder of chess schools, which have developed a minimum of 3 IGM or 6 titled
14400057 Kurajica Bojan Bosnia & Her. 12500704 Zibaei Abdollah Iran
4141342 Kuznetsov Kiril Russia 7600631 Zuhair Ahmad Syria players (GM, IM, and WGM).
4500334 Lauk Ular Estonia g8. Trainer, who originated and developed educational systems and/or programmes.
3500845 Lebredo Zarragoitia Gerardo Cuba FIDE TRAINER (DECEASED)
1701193 Lind Jan-Olof Sweden FIDE ID SURNAME NAME FEDERATION
5700051 Long Peter Malaysia 702048 Bagonay Attila (+) Hungary 1.2.1.3. Title Award:
3500900 Lopez Jimenez Armando Candido Cuba 14500280 Bukal Vladimir (+) Croatia
7100043 Handoko Edhi (+) Indonesia
4800095 Madhi S Abdulrazak Iraq
14600200 Orel Oskar (+) Slovenia
a. The application (Appendix 1) should be sent through his/her national federation (mandatory).
14201062 Madjidov Jasur Uzbekistan
5200245 Maninang Rafaelito Philippines 4626974 Schlemermeyer Wilhelm (+) Germany b. It is strongly noted that the most important criteria of a FST title (obligatory / mandatory re-
8100144 Mansour Sameer Jordan 13800019 Yurtaev Leonid (+) Kyrgyzstan quirements) are: f. (Published material) and g. (World/International successes) and TRG will
13900765 Marcziter Dmitrij Germany
FIDE INSTRUCTOR (LICENCED) mainly focus on that. All other requirements can be treated as non-mandatory.
900664 Markovic Ivan J. Serbia
5100046 Martin Del Campo Cardenas R Mexico
FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION c. For the FST Title Award a ballot among the five TRG Board members will take place and a
9200312 Abdallah Khaled Elnami Libya
4201183 Mastoras Ilias Greece 7901038 Abderahmane Yahiaoui Algeria
70% positive number (Yes = 20% * Abstain = 10% * No = 0%) will be needed. If the application
14500531 Medancic Ricardo Croatia 2020564 Airapetian Chouchanik US America fails, the FIDE Trainer title may be awarded. The applicant is obliged to accept this procedure and
14501619 Medic Mirjana Croatia
2048345 Mercuri Lou US America
505498 Akkanen Timo Finland fulfil the necessary payments.
6302416 Akyildiz Baris Turkey
905046 Milanovic Vojislav Serbia 4200527 Alexakis Dimitrios Greece
d. TRG reserves the right to investigate and accept or reject any statement of the applicant, without
901385 Miljanic Boro Montenegro 34100706 Alexandrov Vadim Russia any further explanation.
6500374 Minero Pineda Sergio Erick Costa Rica 4276426 Alexiou Konstantinos Greece
600059 Miralles Gilles France 9201122 Ali El Haj Nizar Libya
10600060 Mohamed Farag Amrou Egypt 3601587 Alvarado Eliu Ecuador 1.2.2. FIDE Trainer (FT)
4402006 Molano Minaya Juan Manuel Colombia 9200380 Al-Zayat Ahmed Libya
12501930 Moosavian S. Seyed Hamed Iran 4203020 Anagnou Konstantinos Greece 1.2.2.1. Scope / Mission:
5000041 Murugan Krishnamoorthy India 5900123 Antoniou Antonis Cyprus
13300393 Nadanian Ashot Armenia a. Boost international level players in achieving playing strengths of up to FIDE ELO rating 2450.
4202210 Argiroudis Stamatis Greece
1602675 Neubauer Martin Austria 6308660 Arik Abdullah Turkey b. National examiner.
4800249 Noah A. H. Al-Ali Iraq 5900468 Aristotelous Vassilis Cyprus
3202232 Nutu-Gajic Daniela Australia 901679 Arsovic Zoran Serbia 1.2.2.2. Qualification / Professional Skills Requirements:
5100690 Ocampo Vargas Raul Mexico 9200177 Asabri Hussein Libya
4140117 Oleinikov Dmitry Russia 3600670 Aucay Pelaez Mauro Javier Ecuador
a. Proof of national trainer education and recommendation for participation by the national federa-
12504270 Pahlevanzadeh Mehrdad Iran 6343813 Azgin Sezer Turkey tion.
601357 Partmentier Xavier France
2600030 Pelts Roman Canada
6330584 Babaoglu Cumhur Turkey b. Proof of at least 5 years activity as a trainer.
14304627 Ball Lawrence South Africa
7000596 Pineau Jacques Japan 7901950 Bedroune Soufyane Algeria
c. Achieved a career top FIDE ELO rating of 2300 (strength).
4102932 Pukshansky Michael Russia 7900244 Belkacem Krim Algeria d. TRG seminar norm.
5105650 Quintana Hernandez Marcos Ivan Mexico 7900899 Benabadji Abderrahmane Algeria
900265 Rajkovic Dusan Serbia
5002109 Ramesh Ramachandran India
14510359 Berke Ana Croatia 1.2.2.3. Title Award:
3900622 Blanco Acevedo Maria Carolina Venezuela
3501280 Ramon Pita Vivian Cuba 6301053 Bolcan Engin Turkey a. By successful participation in a TRG Seminar.
5200644 Ranola Yves Philippines 4404793 Bolivar Jeyson Colombia b. By failing to achieve the FST title (rejected application).
4618920 Richter Michael Germany 1314807 Bonferroni Carlo Switzerland
4401204 Rios Parra Mauricio Colombia 14400839 Boric Elena Bosnia & Her.
3502031 Rivero Gonzalez Carlos Cuba 14306360 Botha Martin South Africa 1.2.3. FIDE Instructor (FI)
12501034 Roghani Arash Iran 5500311 Bouaziz Mehdi Tunisia
13200712 Ryu Eunseop South Korea 19600135 Boubacar Mohameden Mauritania 1.2.3.1. Scope / Mission:
3201805 Sandler Leonid Australia 5500370 Bouflija Hedi Tunisia
1604988 Schein Karl-Heinz Austria 4201590 Bousios Hristos Greece
a. Raised the competitive standard of national youth players to an international level.
1604520 Schneider-Zinner Harald Austria 7903030 Bouzida Mhamed Algeria b. National examiner.
7100426 Situru Nathanael Indonesia 14105624 Braslavskyy Oleksandr Germany c. Trained players with rating below 2000.
13700634 Son Asya Kazakhstan 14506203 Bratosevic Mladen Croatia
13501151 Sorokina Anastasia Australia 14602105 Brcar Andrej Slovenia
916366 Stojanovic Mihajlo Serbia 14307170 Breytenbach Jan South Africa
1.2.3.2. Qualification / Professional Skills Requirements:
12501689 Tehrani Afshin Iran 14501015 Brigljevic Milan Croatia a. Proof of national trainer education and recommendation for participation by the national federa-
3202046 Tindall Brett Australia
9000240 Tissir Mohamed Morocco
4401530 Buitrago Juan Carlos Colombia tion.
11200090 Bukhalaf Ebrahim Bahrain
1208624 Urcan Olimpiu Romania 1307940 Burnier David Switzerland
b. Proof of at least 2 years activity as a trainer.
6500331 Valdes Leonardo Costa Rica 3815234 Campossano Camo Rodrigo Peru c. Achieved a career top FIDE or national ELO rating of 2000 (strength).
3500462 Velez Betancourt Nestor Tomas Cuba
5100089 Verduga Zavala Denis Mexico
24614386 Carlstedt Jonathan Germany d. TRG seminar norm.
4416112 Castillo Shirley Colombia
3500098 Vilela De Acuna Luis Jose Cuba 14300249 Cawdery Daniel South Africa
14600269 Vombek Daniel Slovenia 4700716 Cela Shkelqim Albania 1.2.3.3. Title Award:
9900055 Weeramantry Sunil Sri Lanka 3903524 Chacon Jose Venezuela a. By successful participation in a TRG Seminar.
5800714 Wu Shaobin Singapore 5801575 Chan Peng Khoon Gerald Singapore
6301142 Yeke Serkan Turkey 5500184 Chouari Wajdi Tunisia
6300030 Yilmaz Turhan Turkey 2060981 Ciamarra Michael US America
1.2.4. National Instructor (NI) 5206030 Polistico Eliodoro Philippines 4800605 Abdul Ghani Hayder Iraq
3900819 Prasca Sosa Rafael Venezuela 8100160 Aboudi Marwan Jordan
2004860 Prosviriakov Vladimir US America 4800079 Adil Ali Jalal Iraq
1.2.4.1. Scope / Mission: 4642325 Prusikin Michael Germany 10600019 Afifi Assem Egypt
a. Raised the level of competitive chess players to a national level standard. 13301233 Ramazian Arshak Armenia 12501468 Akbarinia Sayed Arash Iran
b. Instructed/trained players with rating up to 1700. 7000219 Ramos Domingo Japan 4800192 Al-Ali Hussein Ali Hussein Iraq
5000149 RavikumarVaidyanathan India 3500268 Aldama Degurnay Dionisio Mexico
c. School teacher. 4626966 Relitzki Achim Germany 13401505 Aliyev Namig Azerbaijan
6301290 Reyhan Dogan Heval Turkey 13400347 Allahverdiev Anar Azerbaijan
1.2.4.2. Qualification / Professional Skills Requirements: 901318 Ristic Nenad Serbia 5100321 Almeida Saenz Alfonso Mexico
1900404 Rocha Sergio Portugal 3503267 Altuna Pena Jose Luis Cuba
a. Minimum two years experience as Developmental Instructor (level). 1210319 Rogozenco Dorian Romania 4800427 Amjad Al. M. Al-Bahadly Iraq
b. Achieved a career top FIDE or national ELO rating of 1700 (strength). 14301768 Rubery Mark South Africa 602612 Anic Darko France
c. Trainees have a minimum top-10 placing in recognized national level competitions. 14500191 Rukavina Josip Croatia 901008 Antic Dejan Serbia
14603683 Sakelsek Tadej Slovenia 14401614 Arapovic Vitomir Bosnia & Her.
d. TRG seminar norm. 4401166 Saladen Rafael Colombia 3500012 Arencibia Walter Rodriguez Cuba
14500760 Sale Srdjan Croatia 6300421 Ari Zeki Turkey
1.2.4.3. Title Award: 4401174 Sanchez Victor Colombia 12500070 Aryanejad Hossein Iran
a. By successful participation in a TRG Seminar. 14506254 Saric Ante Croatia 6301037 Atakisi Umut Turkey
916498 Scekic Milos Serbia 2105187 Barbosa Marco Antonio Brazil
4611535 Schoene Ralf Germany 4400658 Beltran Carlos Armando Colombia
1.2.5. Developmental Instructor (DI) 6303293 Secer Ata Turkey 4000102 Berend Fred Luxembourg
13400150 Sideifzade Fikret Azerbaijan 3201937 Berezina Irina Australia
4202570 Simeonidis Ioannis Greece 2801639 Berkovich Mark Israel
1.2.5.1. Scope / Mission: 14500485 Sindik Ervin Croatia 14505207 Bogut Zeljko Bosnia & Her.
a. Spread the love for chess among children and methodically bring them to a competitive level. 4205626 Skaperdas Konstantinos Greece 14400235 Boric Muhamed Bosnia & Her.
b. Instructor for beginners, elementary, intermediate and recreational level players. 4300190 Smith Robert Wayne New Zealand 4200446 Botsari Anna-Maria Greece
6300510 Solakoglu Ozgur Turkey 1600028 Brestian Egon Austria
c. School teacher. 14300192 Solomon Kenny South Africa 3503283 Buela Valdespino Danilo Cuba
10600809 Sorial Hanna Libya 5200105 Chiong Zacarias Romero Luis Philippines
1.2.5.2. Qualification / Professional Skills Requirements: 3800580 Soto Jorge Peru 4400763 Clavijo Usuga Jorge Maria Colombia
a. Knows the FIDE Laws of Chess (Basic Rules of Play and Competition Rules). 6300065 Soylu Suat Turkey 4401190 Cuartas Medina Jaime Alexander Colombia
2902257 Stefanova Antoaneta Bulgaria 14400049 Dizdarevic Emir Bosnia & Her.
b. Achieved a career top FIDE or national ELO rating of 1400 (strength). 2300117 Steingrimsson Hedinn Iceland 7102593 Djamil Djamal Indonesia
c. TRG seminar norm. 101028 Szmetan Ricardo Barbados 10600086 El Arousy Abdul Hammed Egypt
4206282 Tassopoulos Marios Greece 10600043 El Taher Fouad Egypt
1.2.5.3. Title Award: 4127757 Tchernyi Viktor Russia 3201791 Feldman Vladimir Australia
4611322 Tischbierek Raj Germany 902268 Gavric Miladin Bosnia & Her.
a. By successful participation in a TRG Seminar. 915874 Trajkovic Predrag Serbia 2900211 Genov Petar Bulgaria
4115341 Tregubov Pavel Russia 12500550 Ghorbani Mohsen Iran
1.3. Procedures / Financial: 4500199 Tsiganova Monika Estonia 2200341 Gil Javier Spain
6300472 Ulucan Teoman Turkey 7100060 Ginting Nasib Indonesia
4401107 Uribe Mauricio Colombia 5000807 Gokhale Raghunandan India
a. After successful graduation from the seminar course, each participant will receive a participation 4402057 Valderrama Gilberto Colombia 14502160 Golubovic Boris Croatia
certificate signed by the Lecturers / Seminar Leaders. 1004670 Van Delft Merijn Netherlands 6500170 Gonzalez Bernal Acosta Costa Rica
14300427 Van der Nat Nicholas South Africa 3503178 Gonzalez Ivan Cuba
b. After the detailed report submission by the Lecturers / Seminar Leaders to TRG, the latter will 5005353 Visweswaran K. India 14600722 Gostisa Leon Slovenia
submit the title applications/proposals to FIDE for approval by an official body (PB, EB or GA). 4401247 Vittorino Carlo Colombia 13400061 Guliev Loqman Azerbaijan
c. Following approval, the trainer will receive the official diploma and badge (the badge shall in- 4611616 Voekler Bernd Germany 6300383 Gurcan Selim Turkey
300101 Vokac Marek Czech Rep. 4637976 Gutheil Heinrich Germany
clude the photograph of the trainer and the licence validity) from FIDE, if the following conditions 4200110 Vragoteris Antonios Greece 13300130 Gyozalyan Tigran Armenia
are fulfilled: 1305662 Vuilleumir Alexandre Switzerland 12500828 Haghshenas Getabi Ebrahim Iran
5804140 Wong Ngiam Yee Singapore 6500226 Hernandez Basante Francisco Costa Rica
c1. Requirements (Qualification) for each title as described above. 8600031 Xu Jun China 3507556 Hernandez Same Ramon Pastor Cuba
6303684 Yagiz Yasin Emrah Turkey 700223 Horvath Gyula Hungary
c2. Diploma of the successful participation in the FIDE Trainer Seminar (except for FST). 8603090 Yu Ruiyuan China 14500060 Hulak Krunoslav Croatia
c3. Written examinations (except for FST). 6300081 Yurtseven Can Turkey 903345 Joksic Sinisa Serbia
c4. Payments of FIDE fees (participation and titles), according to the following table: 2900289 Zahariev Zahari Bulgaria 903108 Jovicic Milos Serbia
14500310 Zelcic Robert Croatia 14501104 Jurkovic Hrvoje Croatia
14501350 Zelenika Srdjan Croatia 4200438 Kalesis Nikolaos Greece
Title Awarded Title Award (one-time) Licence Fee (valid for 4 years) 8600694 Zhang Zhong Singapore 12501166 Karimi Hadi Iran
14502682 Ziger Silvestar Croatia 4124871 Kashtanov Ruslan Russia
FIDE Senior Trainer 300 Euros 180 Euros 14503263 Zivkovic Vjekoslav Croatia 4628250 Khairallah Faysal Lebanon
FIDE Trainer 200 Euros 120 Euros 4801180 Khaled Kh. Kh. Albu-Salih Iraq
FIDE TRAINER (INACTIVE) 6325700 Kose Faruk Turkey
FIDE Instructor 100 Euros 60 Euros FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION 900290 Kosic Dragan Montenegro
10600485 Abdel Aziem Ramadan Egypt 902152 Kovacevic Slobodan Serbia
10600035 Abdelnabbi Imed Egypt 14502879 Kozul Zdenko Croatia
5000190 Anilkumar N.R. India 700622 Hardiscay Peter Hungary
14000016 Annageldyev Orazly Turkmenistan 5000386 Hariharan Venkatachalam India
National Instructor 50 Euros 30 Euros
6700284 Arias Lemmys El Salvador 4200357 Haritakis Theodoros Greece Developmental Instructor 50 Euros 30 Euros
3501418 Arribas Maritza Cuba 6300634 Haznedaroglu Kivanc Turkey
6300154 Asaturoglu Rupen Turkey 700185 Horvath Tamas Hungary
6301606 Ataman Alper Efe Turkey 6300111 Ipek Ali Turkey d. The FIDE fee for a participant to a TRG seminar is 100 euros and it must be paid to the affili-
7900058 Aziz Madani Benhadi Algeria 13600087 Janjghava Lasha Georgia ated federation/body, co-organizer of the Seminar. The affiliated federation/body, co-organizer
423149 Babenko Sergey England 14300702 Johannes Manyedi Mabusela South Africa will be invoiced by FIDE for the total amount of the participants fees.
4000749 Bakalarz Mietek Luxembourg 5000262 Joshi G.B. India
4401824 Barrientos Sergio Colombia 300993 Jurek Josef Czech Rep. e. It is allowed for a participant to pay his Title Fee in advance to the affiliated federation/body co-
6300677 Bayram Yakup Turkey 14100533 Kachur Alexander Ukraine organizer or to FIDE directly. In this case he/she must inform FIDE in writing of this action. In the
14300770 Bhawoodien Shabir South Africa 4203569 Kaloskambis Mihail Greece case that his/her title fails to be approved by FIDE, the Title Fee is not refundable.
6300715 Bilyap Enis Turkey 4135997 Kargin Arseny Russia
300756 Biolek Richard Czech Rep. 6302734 Keler Faruk Turkey f. A titled Trainer will be charged a Licence Fee after two calendar years have passed since the
14107619 Bodnar Alexander Ukraine 13300598 Khachatryan Vahagn Armenia title was awarded. Each licence will be valid for four (4) years. (ex) World Champions and the
5600014 Borg Geoffrey Malta 10607846 Khaled Hassan Egypt
14300052 Bouah Lyndon South Africa 14200473 Khegay Anjela Uzbekistan
FST of the 2004 Direct Approval (founders) are exempt from these licence regulations. Failing to
5500010 Bouaziz Slim Tunisia 13600710 Khomeriki Giorgi Georgia fulfil the licences obligations will lead to a suspension from the trainers titles lists.
4103920 Brodsky Igor Russia 4500075 Kiik Kalle Estonia g. English is the official language for communication and applications between TRG and Trainers.
12400726 Bui Vinh Vietnam 6300391 Kilicaslan Hasan Turkey
14502941 Bukal Vladimir Jr. Croatia 4129776 Kim Alexey South Korea
6308708 Capan Ozan Turkey 15001270 Kizov Atanas FYROM 2. TRG Seminars
9200215 Chahrani Ibrahim Libya 2802015 Klinova Maria Israel
6308716 Cihangir Hulusi Turkey 14300141 Kobese Watu South Africa
4400623 Contreras Henry Colombia 6305008 Koc Serkan Turkey
2.1. Order of Procedures:
14500086 Cvitan Ognjen Croatia 6300863 Kocak Mustafa Sabri Turkey
1900030 Damaso Rui Portugal 4205006 Kokolias Konstantinos Greece 2.1.1. Application of the co-organizing body to TRG.
12400092 Dang Tat Thang Vietnam 6303285 Korkmaz Necmettin Turkey 2.1.2. Approval of programme and lectures.
12400084 Dao Thien Hai Vietnam 6301584 Kose Serkan Turkey
6900224 De la Riva Aguado Oscar Andorra 14600935 Kovac Boris Slovenia 2.1.3. Approval of Lecturers / Seminar Leaders.
907596 Dekic Josip Serbia 6301010 Kucumenler Tarkan Turkey 2.1.4. Announcement on FIDE and TRG web-sites by completing the obligatory draft forms.
6300413 Demirel Tolga Turkey 8600562 Liang Zhihua China 2.1.5. Results submission to TRG for approval.
5500079 Doghri Nabil Tunisia 14900483 Likavsky Tomas Slovakia
14501694 Doric Nenad Croatia 2100045 Lima Darcy Brazil 2.1.6. TRGs submission of the proposed results and payments to FIDE.
6301304 Duman Aydin Turkey 1300091 Lombard Andre Switzerland
12404543 Duong Thanh Binh Vietnam 12404268 Luong Trong Minh Vietnam 2.2. Lecturers / Seminar Leaders:
5003377 Ebenezer Joseph India 4200187 Makropoulou Marina Greece
13600788 Edzgveradze Natalia Georgia 14100584 Maksimenko Andrei Ukraine
6300359 Erdogan Hakan Turkey 4105346 Malyshev Vasilij Russia 2.2.1. All TRG seminars are conducted by Lecturers / Seminar Leaders (FST title holders). Lectur-
6301495 Erdogdu Aziz Mert Turkey 14502690 Mandekic Ivan Croatia ers / Seminar Leaders are highly skilled professionals, each with many years of experience in the
6301410 Erturan Yakup Turkey 2005484 Marinello Beatriz US America
4400801 Escobar Forero Alder Colombia 4401549 Mateus Martha Colombia
chess training field. They combine the expertise of a professional trainer and expert practitioner,
5800382 Evans-Quek Suan Shiau Wales 13302035 Matevosyan Sedrak Armenia offering proven teaching and facilitation skills that will ensure an active and participatory learning
24169560 Eyvazov Elkhan Russia 13000233 Maung Maung Lwin Myanmar experience.
3600270 Fierro Baquero Martha Ecuador 14600099 Mencinger Vojko Slovenia
4176090 Fokin Stanislav Russia 4107101 Meshkov Yuri A. Russia
4100590 Fominyh Alexander Russia 700916 Mihok Laszlo Hungary
2.2.2. All Lecturers / Seminar Leaders (Appendix 2) are appointed by the TRG once per year and
1900080 Frois Antonio Portugal 14600048 Mikac Matjaz Slovenia an application (and approval) is needed in order to add a new FST to the list.
4400330 Garcia Alvaro Colombia 901202 Mirkovic Slobodan Serbia
13400126 Gasimov Raqim Azerbaijan 5000106 Mishra Neeraj Kumar India 2.2.3. In each 30-hour seminar two Lecturers / Seminar Leaders will be in charge. Exceptions are
4200063 Gavrilakis Nikolaos Greece 13301888 Mkrtchian Simon Armenia
14500906 Gazarek Danko Croatia 12501255 Moradiabadi Elshan Iran allowed if approved beforehand by TRG. For a 15-hour seminar one Lecturer is allowed.
14900149 Gazik Igor Slovakia 4401450 Morales Jhon Colombia
4200055 Gesos Pavlos Greece 14500949 Mufic Goran Croatia 2.2.4. Assistants (other titled trainers, psychologists, etc) are allowed.
12501565 Ghorbanian M. Reza Iran 13300741 Nersisyan Garnik Armenia
5200466 Gloria Eric Philippines 904279 Nestorovic Dejan Serbia
14103222 Goloshchapov Alexander Ukraine 12400025 Nguyen Anh Dung Vietnam
2.2.5. The Syllabus guideline will be used in TRG seminars. A copy must be given (free or by
300977 Gonsior Evzen Czech Rep. 12400114 Nguyen Tan Tung Vietnam debit) to all participants before the written examinations.
2209519 Gonzalez De La Nava Amador Spain 12400815 Nguyen Thanh Son Vietnam
13700243 Granovskiy Alexandr Kazakhstan 6300405 Olcayoz Alper Turkey 2.2.6. When organizing seminars for National Instructor and Developmental Instructor titles, it
4300114 Green Ewen New Zealand 3900053 Ostos Julio Venezuela
1000330 Grooten Herman Netherlands 1100572 Ostrowski Leszek Poland could be possible that they will be conducted by FIDE Trainer or FIDE Instructor title holders. But
14600170 Grosar Aljosa Slovenia 6303633 Ozerkman Mehmet Turkey this has to be approved in advance by TRG.
6300553 Guner Bulent Turkey 5201322 Paciencia Enrique Singapore
4656598 Haag Ulrich Germany 14500116 Palac Mladen Croatia 2.2.7. A recommended estimated cost for Lecturers fees for TRG seminars is 3,500 euros for a
300160 Haba Petr Czech Rep. 12500666 Paridar Shadi Iran
7900660 Haddouche Mohamed Algeria 14600218 Polajzer Danilo Slovenia 30-hour seminar and 1,750 euros for a 15-hour seminar. That amount includes neither travel ex-
13302795 Hambardzumian Yuri Armenia 13500090 Poley Vladimir Belarus
penses nor board & lodging. Various other expenses (auditorium, bulletin, coffee-breaks costs)
will be the responsibility of the co-organizer. Trainers Lists
2.2.8. A co-organizer is granted the right to charge each participant a participation fee up to 450 TITLES LI-
IN-
DE-
TO-
14600013 Mohr Georg Slovenia
CENC CEAS 2224267 Moreno Carnero Javier Eduardo Spain
euros. Any such participation fee is deemed to include the FIDE fee of 100 euros (1.3.d). 31.12.2011 ED
ACTI
VE
ED
TAL
4103173 Nikitin Aleksandr Russia
FIDE Senior Trainer 86 20 1 107 2500515 O'Connell Kevin Ireland
2.2.9. In each seminar programme (prospectus) the following must be analyzed: FIDE Trainer 199 143 6 348 2300010 Olafsson Helgi Iceland
FIDE Instructor 286 138 2 426 902004 Petronic Jovan Serbia
National Instructor 152 52 1 205
2.2.9.1. Dates. Developmental Instructor 196 24 0 220
13300288 Petrosian Arshak Armenia
14200139 Pinchuk Seregey Uzbekistan
2.2.9.2. Location. TOTAL 919 377 10 1306 14900068 Plachetka Jan Slovakia
2.2.9.3. Titles analysis. 700088 Polgar Susan US America
FIDE SENIOR TRAINER (LICENCED)
2.2.9.4. Order of events and course plan. FIDE ID SURNAME NAME FEDERATION
2049732 Postovsky Boris US America
2800012 Psakhis Lev Israel
2.2.9.5. Various costs and payments. 1401815 Aagaard Jacob Denmark
4100301 Razuvaev Yuri Russia
2000156 Alburt Lev US America
2.2.9.6. Lecturers. 2801906 Alterman Boris Israel
700010 Ribli Zoltan Hungary
2.2.9.7. Various other information. 13700049 Asanov Bolat Kazakhstan
4500040 Rychagov Mikhail Estonia
500084 Sahu Sekhar India
2803895 Avrukh Boris Israel
1100041 Schmidt Wlodzimierz Poland
2.2.10. All participants must complete their personal ID-Card (Appendix 3) and return it to the 13601326 Azmaiparashvili Zurab Georgia
2000032 Seirawan Yasser US America
4100140 Bareev Evgeny Russia
organizers. 4109112 Belavenets Liudmila Russia
4103343 Shvedchikov Anatoli Russia
1000039 Sosonko Gennadi Netherlands
14602377 Beliavsky Alexandr Slovenia
2203650 Suarez Roa Jose Francisco Spain
2.2.11. The seminars daily attendance and the results of the written examinations are of great im- 312614 Berezjuk Sergej Czech Rep.
14100487 Sulypa Oleksandr Ukraine
portance for the applicants. 4611268 Boensch Uwe Germany
14901536 Timoscenko Gennadij Slovakia
1001280 Bosch Jeroen Netherlands
700193 Tompa Janos Hungary
4101669 Bykhovsky Anatoly Russia
2.2.12. The conduct of seminars via the Internet may be permitted, but only after TRGs approval 14500094 Cebalo Miso Croatia
14100096 Tukmakov Vladimir Ukraine
13600052 Ubilava Elizbar Spain
of each specific case. 715620 Chernin Aleksandr Hungary
4100522 Vasiukov Evgeni Russia
201260 Chuchelov Vladimir Belgium
14101408 Vaysman Alexander Ukraine
2200040 De la Villa Garcia Jesus Spain
3. Guideline for TRG Academies: 14500124 Dizdar Goran Croatia
13700014 Vladimirov Evgeny Kazakhstan
8600147 Xie Jun China
604011 Dorfman Iosif France
13300520 Yegiazarian Arsen Armenia
4108990 Dvoretsky Mark Russia
3.1. An endorsed FIDE Academy must accept the following requirements/obligations: 14100053 Eingorn Viacheslav Ukraine
4400011 Zapata Alonso Colombia
13800035 Zilberman Nathan Kyrgyzstan
2800438 Gelfer Israel Israel
3.1.1. Shall carry on all its official papers the FIDE title, flag, logo and symbols. 13610228 Georgadze Tamas Georgia FIDE SENIOR TRAINER (INACTIVE)
3.1.2. Shall follow FIDE & TRG proposed Guidelines and Educational Programme. 4100484 Glek Igor Germany FIDE ID SURNAME NAME FEDERATION
2804140 Golod Vitali Israel 7100019 Adianto Utut Indonesia
3.1.3. Shall follow the FIDE Trainers Syllabus. 14107074 Grabinsky Vladimir Ukraine 13300105 Ambartsoumian Armen US America
3.1.4. Shall follow the FIDE Official Books, among others. 4200039 Grivas Efstratios Greece 4100263 Balashov Yuri Russia
3.1.5. Shall pay the Registration Fee (200 ) and annual fee (300 per year) to FIDE. These fees 13400231 Guliev Sarhan Azerbaijan 4100476 Dokhoian Yury Russia
2000040 Gulko Boris US America 4100093 Dolmatov Sergey Russia
do not apply to the founding FIDE Academies of Berlin, New York and Singapore. 200930 Gurevich Mikhail Turkey 2800373 Friedman Aviv Israel
3.1.6. Shall cooperate with Lecturers / Seminar Leaders, approved by the TRG. 1700707 Hall Jesper Sweden 3500179 Garcia Martinez Silvino Cuba
3.1.7. Shall cooperate with FIDE certified trainers approved by the TRG. 700177 Hazai Laszlo Hungary 12500011 Harandi Khorso Iran
700061 Horvath Joszef Hungary 2008564 Kaidanov Gregory US America
3.1.8. Shall cooperate with Internet sites proposed by TRG. 2200015 Illescas Miguel Spain 600016 Lautier Joel France
3.1.9. Shall provide the necessary information for TRGs archives and website. 4102711 Janovsky Sergey Russia 4100468 Makarichev Sergey Russia
3.1.10. Shall cooperate in harmony. 300128 Jansa Vlastimil Czech Rep. 4124235 Nesis Gennadij Russia
14403790 Jelen Iztok Slovenia 3500020 Nogueiras Jesus Cuba
4618777 Jussupow Artur Germany 2014610 Palatnik Semon US America
3.2. An endorsed Academy will have the following rights: 700282 Kallai Gabor Hungary 3200019 Rogers Ian Australia
4100026 Karpov Anatoly Russia 2019574 Sher Miron US America
4100018 Kasparov Garry Russia
3.2.1. Can directly register its trainees (maximum two players per category - wild cards) to World 14100576 Khodarkovsky Michael US America
14100479 Srokowski Jaroslav Ukraine
3500055 Vera Gonzalez Reinaldo Cuba
Youth and World and Continental School Championships. 308633 Konopka Michal Czech Rep. 8600040 Ye Jiangchuan China
3.2.2. Can directly submit its internal tournaments for FIDE Rating calculations. 1350023 Kovalev Andrei Belarus 4103017 Zaitsev Igor Russia
4100794 Kuzmin Alexey Russia
3.2.3. Can resell FIDE Official Books and FIDE Trainers Syllabus up to +100% above cost. 4101685 Landa Konstantin Russia FIDE SENIOR TRAINER (DECEASED)
3.2.4. Can organize official FIDE Training Camps. 5000084 Lanka Ravi India FIDE ID SURNAME NAME FEDERATION
3.2.5. Can issue FIDE official attendance certificates. 5800242 Leong Ignatius Singapore 14100215 Podgaets Mikhail (+) Ukraine
13300024 Lputian Smbat Armenia
3.2.6. Can propose its best student for the FIDE Candidate Master title (once per year). 2200074 Magem Badals Jordi Spain FIDE TRAINER (LICENCED)
900354 Marjanovic Slavoljub Serbia FIDE ID SURNAME - NAME FEDERATION
400300 Martin Andrew England 6309259 Ahmadov Ziya Turkey
10 14602385 Mikhalchishin Adrian Slovenia 11200081 Al Afoo Shaker Bahrain
FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011
Polugaevsky Lev - Ljubojevic 74 Spoelman Wouter - Navara 99 4. Trainers
Polugaevsky Lev - Mecking 78 Stein Leonid - Dorfman 146
Pomar Salam. Arturo - Martin 184 Stein Leonid - Vaganian 50 Starting on 01.01.2012, the following will apply:
Ponomariov Ruslan - Gashimov 145 Stephan Werner - Lehmann 146
Potkin Vladimir - Jobava 82 Stohl Igor - Chloupek 81 4.1. No trainer will be offered free board & lodging at official FIDE events such as Olympiads,
Pritchett Craig - Beliavsky 76 Stoll Ferdinand - Litzka 174
Prokop Frantisek - Hromadka 116 Sveshnikov Evgeny - Kupreichik 53
World, European, Continental, Pan-American, and Asian Team Championship, and World and
Psakhis Lev - Lputian 94 Sveshnikov Evgeny - Wu 123 Continental Youth Individual Championships, if he/she does not hold any official FIDE / TRG
Pupier Terry - Rowe 171 Svidler Peter - Apicella 38 title.
Queen Power - Example 1 88 Svidler Peter - Aronian 49
Ragozin Viacheslav - Bannik 184 Svidler Peter - Dominguez 49 4.2. No trainer will be offered access in the official playing hall at official FIDE events such as
Rajlich Iweta - Zielinska 170 Szieberth Adam - Rajlich 161 Olympiads, World, Continental, European, Pan-American, and Asian Team Championship, and
Rajlich Vasik - Horvath 161 Tal Mikhail - Najdorf 136 World and Continental Youth Individual Championships, if he/she does not hold any official FIDE
Rajlich Vasik - Szieberth 161 Tal Mikhail - Spassky 92
Rausis Igors - Ehlvest 75 Tartakower Saviely - Spielmann 180
/ TRG title.
Rauzer Vsevolod - Belavenets 80 Tartakower Saviely - Vajda 181
Ravi Thandalam - Gdanski 160 Termibaev Serik - Yurtaev 76 4.3. Each national federation shall nominate an Official Contact Person with the TRG. By this
Ravikumar Vaidyanathan - Martin 128 Thomas George Alan - Lasker 165 action, TRGs communication and further cooperation with the FIDE affiliated federations will
Ree Hans - Ftacnik 45 Tiviakov Sergei - Giorgadze 113 become easier and more effective.
Rendle Thomas - Pert 121 Tivolt Ferenc - Domotor 170
Riazantsev Alexander - Ilinsky 46 Tomashevsky Evgeny - Banikas 30 Approved by FIDE PB (Bursa-January & Sofia-April 2010)
Rodriguez Daniel - Polgar 113 Topalov Veselin - Carlsen 130
Rodshtein Maxim - Esen 35 Topalov Veselin - Lutz 139
Approved by FIDE GA (Khanty Mansiysk-September 2010)
Romero Holmes Alfonso - Beliavsky 190 Trifunovic Petar - O'Kelly 183 Approved by FIDE EB (Krakow 2011)
Rowe Duane - Pupier 171 Ubilava Elizbar - Mikhalchishin 56
Rozanov Pavel - Beliavsky 188 Uhlmann Wolfgang - Botvinnik 136
Ruck Robert - Beliavsky 197 Uhlmann Wolfgang - Matanovic 78 NOMINATED FIDE LECTURERS / SEMINAR LEADERS
Sachdev Tania - Lahno 96 Vaganian Rafael - Stein 50
Salwe Georg - Znosko Borov. 180 Vajda Arpad - Tartakower 181
N FIDE ID SURNAME NAME COUNTRY BORN
Sardarov Edward - Vistaneckis 49 Van Berkmortel Theo - Hitzgerova 172 1 13601326 Azmaiparashvili Zurab GEO 1960
Sasikiran Krishnan - Aronian 32 Vedder Henk - Berkhout 169 2 4100140 Bareev Evgeny RUS 1966
Schallopp Emil - Paulsen 177 Veingold Aleksandr - Bezold 169 3 4611268 Boensch Uwe GER 1958
Schlechter Carl - Janowski 179 Vescovi Giovanni - Gelfand 30
4 715620 Chernin Aleksandr HUN 1960
Schlechter Carl - Wolf 179 Vistaneckis Isakas - Sardarov 49
Schmit Aaron - Lang 172 Vitiugov Nikita - Arun 34 5 14100053 Eingorn Viacheslav UKR 1956
Schut Lisa - David 84 Vlassov Nikolai - Wirig 170 6 3600270 Fierro Martha ECU 1977
Seitz Jakob Adolf - Cancelliere 181 Vocaturo Daniele - Siebrecht 99 7 4100484 Glek Igor GER 1969
Seuss Oswald - Hurme 168 Voitsekhovsky Stanislav - Aronian 70 8 14107074 Grabinsky Vladimir UKR 1974
Shirov Alexei - Aronian 99 Vorobiov Evgeny - Aronian 70
Short Nigel - Epishin 57 Vovk Yuri - Biliy 162 9 4200039 Grivas Efstratios GRE 1966
Short Nigel - Felgaer 72 Vysochin Spartak - Czerwonski 127 10 200930 Gurevich Mikhail TUR 1959
Short Nigel - Ivanchuk 120 Walter Max - Nagy 182 11 2200015 Illescas Miguel ESP 1965
Short Nigel - Nakamura 118 Wang Yue - Carlsen 50 12 4618777 Jussupow Artur GER 1960
Shulman Yuri - Can 23 Welling - Eingorn 45
Siebrecht Sebastian - Vocaturo 99 Wicklander Mathew - Wright 172
13 14100576 Khodarkovsky Michael USA 1958
Simagin Vladimir - Beilin 115 Wirig Anthony - Vlassov 170 14 5000084 Lanka Ravi IND 1962
Sjugirov Sanan - Brodsky 140 Wolf Heinrich - Schlechter 179 15 400300 Martin Andrew ENG 1957
Slavin Alexei - Adams 124 Wright Ian - Wicklander 172 16 14602385 Mikhalchishin Adrian SLO 1954
Smeets Jan - Nunn 140 Wu Shaobin - Sveshnikov 123 17 14600013 Mohr Georg SLO 1965
Smyslov Vassily - Gufeld 148 Yagupov Igor - Mukhametov 47
Sokolov Ivan - Mamedyarov 47 Yurtaev Leonid - Termibaev 76 18 3500020 Nogueiras Jesus CUB 1959
Spassky Boris - Arakhamia 116 Zamit Spyridon - Grivas 137 19 2500515 OConnell Kevin IRL 1949
Spassky Boris - Fischer 101 Zielinska Jolanta - Rajlich 170 20 2014610 Palatnik Semon USA 1950
Spassky Boris - Korensky 137 Znosko Borov. Eugene - Salwe 180 21 902004 Petronic Jovan SRB 1964
Spassky Boris - Tal 92 Zorigt - Korzin 51
Spielmann Rudolf - Jacobsen 181 Zvjaginsev Vadim - Pelletier 139
22 14100096 Tukmakov Vladimir UKR 1946
Spielmann Rudolf - Tartakower 180 23 3500055 Vera Gonzalez Reinaldo CUB 1961
24 4400011 Zapata Alonso COL 1958

Kosteniuk Alexandra - Polgar 48 Marshall Frank James - Napier 178
World Team CC 2009 Kotov Alexander
Kotov Alexander
- Botvinnik 59
- Botvinnik 60
Martin Andrew
Martin Rengel
- Ravikumar 128
- Pomar 184
Efstratios Grivas Kotov Alexander
Kotov Alexander
- Botvinnik 62
- Chekhover 183
Matanovic Aleksandar
Matanovic Aleksandar
- Averbakh 77
- Uhlmann 78
Kovanova Baira - Pogonina 143 Matveev Vladimir - Batuev 174
History Kovcan V. - Antal 47 McConnell James - Morphy 160
As I mentioned above, this was the 7th Kramnik Vladimir - Carlsen 41 McVeigh James - Fell 172
WTCC, a four-year cycle event which started Kupreichik Victor - Sveshnikov 53 Mecking Henrique - Polugaevsky 78
Lahno Kateryna - Khotenashvili 144 Mieses Jacques - Janowski 177
in 1985. The table of honour is as follows: Lahno Kateryna - Sachdev 96 Mikhalchishin Adrian - Kochyev 79
N YEAR TOWN COU WIN Lamothe Luc - Dessmark 175 Mikhalchishin Adrian - Ubilava 56
1 1985 Lucerne SUI URS Landa Konstantin - Gagarin 54 Moroz Henryk - Obierak 175
2 1989 Lucerne SUI URS Lang Torsten - Schmit 172 Morozevich Alexander - Grischuk 63
Lange Wilfried - Danielsson 185 Morozevich Alexander - Papaioannou 27
3 1993 Lucerne SUI USA
Larsen Bent - Chandler 85 Morphy Paul - McConnell 160
4 1997 Lucerne SUI RUS Lasker Edward - Thomas 165 Mozny Milos - Filip 51
5 2001 Yerevan ARM UKR Lasker Emanuel - Euwe 85 Mrdja Milan - Gleizerov 126
6 2005 Beer Sheva ISR RUS Lasker Emanuel - Levenfish 50 Mueller Karsten - Bischoff 163
7 2009 Bursa TUR RUS Leal Paulo Tarcisio - Crocitti 174 Mukhametov Eldar - Yagupov 47
Legendary Endings - Example 1 145 Muse Mladen - Barczay 54
Legendary Endings - Example 2 146 Nagy Geza - Walter 182
Technical Legendary Endings - Example 3 146 Najdorf Miguel - Tal 136
The host country Turkey was the organizer Legendary Endings - Example 4 147 Nakamura Hikaru - Gelfand 33
and the event was mainly sponsored by the Legendary Endings - Example 5 147 Nakamura Hikaru - Short 118
TCF, the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, the Legendary Endings - Example 6 147 Napier William Ewart - Marshall 178
The Championship Legendary Endings - Example 7 148 Nataf Igor Alexandre - Ljubicic 172
The 7th World Team Chess Championship Bursa Province and the luxurious 5-star Hotel
Legendary Endings - Example 8 148 Navara David - Spoelman 99
was held in January 2010 (3-14) in the Turkish Almira - Bursa, where all participants and Legendary Endings - Example 9 149 Negi Parimarjan - Beliavsky 187
city of Bursa (around 100 km south-east of technical staff were provided with Board and Legendary Endings - Example 10 149 Nikolic Predrag - Beliavsky 192
Istanbul). Lodging (http://www.almira.com.tr/en-US/). Legendary Endings - Example 11 149 Nimzowitsch Aaron - Davidson 182
Legendary Endings - Example 12 150 NN (Uknown) - Greco 159
The ever-energetic Turkish Chess Federation Legendary Endings - Example 13 150 Nordhaug Ingerid - Gaasland 174
(www.tsf.org.tr) and its President and FIDE Legendary Endings - Example 14 150 Novikov Igor - Kaidanov 91
Vice-President Ali Nihat Yazici is doing an Legendary Endings - Example 15 151 Nunn John - Smeets 140
excellent job in promoting chess in the country Legendary Endings - Example 16 151 Obierak Wladyslaw - Moroz 175
and at the same time they do not ignore their Legendary Endings - Example 17 152 O'Kelly de Gal. Alberic - Trifunovic 183
Legendary Endings - Example 18 152 Papaioannou Ioannis - Adams 138
international responsibilities as, unfortunately, Legendary Endings - Example 19 152 Papaioannou Ioannis - Grivas 138
is quite common in most of the other FIDE Lehmann Heinz - Stephan 146 Papaioannou Ioannis - Morozevich 27
affiliated federations. Levenfish Grigory - Lasker 50 Pashikian Arman - Mamedyarov 22
So, it was a natural decision for the TCF to Lindenthal Andreas - Pfefferle 174 Paulsen Wilfried - Schallopp 177
host the event, which was actually planned for Listengarten Leonid - Chepukaitis 45 Pavasovic Dusko - Beliavsky 193
Litzka Matthias - Stoll 174 Pavey Max - Horowitz 184
2009 but, due to lack of appropriate dates, was
Ljubicic Filip - Nataf 172 Pelletier Yannick - Zvjaginsev 139
moved to early 2010. Ljubojevic Ljubomir - Caruana 142 Pert Richard - Rendle 121
Ten teams were officially invited to this Ljubojevic Ljubomir - Jussupow 90 Petrosian Tigran - Huebner 87
event; the three 2008 Olympic winners (Arme- Ljubojevic Ljubomir - Polugaevsky 74 Petrosian Tigran - Keres 185
nia, Israel and USA), the four Continental Loos Roland - Fahnenschmidt 172 Petrosian Tigran - Keres 36
Champions (Brazil, Egypt, India - replacing Lputian Smbat - Psakhis 94 Pfefferle Georg - Lindenthal 174
Lu Shanglei - Ji Dan 48 Piket Jeroen - Bologan 83
China who withdrew at the last minute - and Lucenas Mate - Example 1 158 Pillsbury Harry Nelson - Burn 179
Russia), the host country (Turkey) and two Lutz Christopher - Topalov 139 Pillsbury Harry Nelson - Maroczy 167
wild cards (Azerbaijan and Greece) proposed Majdan Ioanna - Hoang 48 Piskov Yury - Akopian 164
by the organizers and approved by the FIDE Makarichev Sergey - Averbakh 51 Pogonina Natalija - Kovanova 143
President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Maliutin Boris - Gregory 180 Polgar Judit - Kosteniuk 48
One might have missed the participation of Mamedyarov Shakhriyar - Pashikian 22 Polgar Susan - Chiburdanidze 110
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar - Sokolov 47 Polgar Susan - Cuijpers 113
Ukraine, but that is another story! Mangini Jose Thiago - De Oliveira 171 Polgar Susan - Hulsey 109
FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 12 Maroczy Geza - Pillsbury 167 Polgar Susan - Rodriguez 113
De Dovitiis Alejo - Koh Jung 46 Grivas Apostolos - Karabourniotis 173 boards. Each team had a squad of six players,
De Firmian Nick - Browne 55 Grivas Efstratios - Goldberg 39 using four of them in each round. The team
De Oliveira - Mangini 171 Grivas Efstratios - Papaioannou 138
Delmar Eugene - Congdon 176 Grivas Efstratios - Zamit 137
line-ups were as follows (teams ordered ac-
Denni Helene - Boz 116 Gruenfeld Ernst - Euwe 88 cording to the drawing of lots):
Dessmark Andres - Lamothe 175 Gruenfeld Ernst - Janowski 182
1 : AZERBAIJAN 2718
Dolmatov Sergey - Beliavsky 191 Gufeld Eduard - Smyslov 148
Dominguez Leinier - Svidler 49 Gulko Boris - Beliavsky 195 Captain: GM Azmaiparashvili Zurab (GEO)
Domotor Jozsef - Tivolt 170 Hansen Curt - Beliavsky 192 1 GM Gashimov Vugar 2759
Dorfman Cicero - Stein 146 Heberla Bartlomiej - Bologan 141 2 GM Radjabov Teimour 2733
Duz-Khotimirsky Fedor - Bannik 135 Hernandez Angel - Camacho 47 3 GM Guseinov Gadir 2614
Ehlvest Jaan - Rausis 75 Hitzgerova Gabriela - Van Berkmortel 172
Eingorn Vereslav - Welling 45 Hoang Thi Bao Tram - Majdan 48 4 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2741
Englisch Berthold - Bird 177 Hoi Carsten - Fries Nielsen 168 5 GM Mamedov Rauf 2640
Epishin Vladimir - Short 57 Horowitz Israel - Benko 162 6 GM Mamedov Nidjat 2610
Esebua Megi - Gavasheli 175 Horowitz Israel - Pavey 184
Esen Baris - Rodshtein 35 Hort Vlastimil - Huebner 95 2 : TURKEY 2501
Euwe Max - Alekhine 133 Horvath Csaba - Rajlich 161
Euwe Max - Gruenfeld 88 Hromadka Karel - Prokop 116 Captain: GM Grivas Efstratios (GRE)
Euwe Max - Lasker 85 Huebner Robert - Hort 95 The event (and the spectacular opening cere- 1 GM Haznedaroglu Kivanc 2498
Fahnenschmidt Gerhard - Loos 172 Huebner Robert - Karpov 90 mony) took place in the excellent Bursa Meri- 2 IM Erdogdu Mert 2513
Felgaer Ruben - Short 72 Huebner Robert - Petrosian 87 3 IM Yilmaz Mustafa 2478
Fell Nathan - McVeigh 172 Hulsey Mark - Polgar 109 nos Atatrk Congress and Culture Centre,
Fier Alexander - Banikas 33 Hurme Harri - Seuss 168 (playing hall) according to the following: 4 IM Can Emre 2442
Filip Miroslav - Mozny 51 Hvattum Lars Magnus - Bentsen 174 5 IM Esen Baris 2513
Finding Moves - Example 1 105 Ilinsky Yaroslav - Riazantsev 46 Tournament Schedule 6 FM Firat Burak 2413
Finding Moves - Example 2 106 Ionov Sergey - Beliavsky 191 3 January 2010 Arrivals
Finding Moves - Example 3 107 Ivanchuk Vassily - Beliavsky 192 10:00 Opening Cr. 3 : INDIA 2641
Fischer Robert - Benko 133 Ivanchuk Vassily - Short 120 4 January 2010
22:00 Captains Mt. Captain: GM Psakhis Lev (ISR)
Fischer Robert - Spassky 101 Ivanovic Bozidar - Beliavsky 197
Flohr Salo - Capablanca 79 Jacobsen Ernst - Spielmann 181
5 January 2010 15:00 1st Round 1 GM Sasikiran Krishnan 2653
Fools Mate - Example 1 154 Janowski Dawid - Gruenfeld 182 6 January 2010 15:00 2nd Round 2 GM Harikrishna Pentala 2672
Fools Mate - Example 2 154 Janowski Dawid - Mieses 177 7 January 2010 15:00 3rd Round 3 GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2654
Fools Mate - Example 3 155 Janowski Dawid - Schlechter 179 8 January 2010 15:00 4th Round 4 GM Geetha Narayanan Gopal 2584
Fools Mate - Example 4 155 Ji Dan - Lu Shanglei 48 9 January 2010 15:00 5th Round
Fools Mate - Example 5 157 Jobava Baadur - Potkin 82 5 GM Arun Prasad Subramanian 2567
Forintos Gyozo - Knaak 96 John Walter - Brinckmann 181 10 January 2010 15:00 6th Round 6 IM Adhiban Baskaran 2511
Fries Nielsen Niels Jorgen - Hoi 168 Jussupow Artur - Beliavsky 196 11 January 2010 15:00 7th Round
Ftacnik Lubomir - Ree 45 Jussupow Artur - Ljubojevic 90 12 January 2010 15:00 8th Round 4 : RUSSIA 2729
Gaasland Glenn - Nordhaug 174 Kaidanov Gregory - Novikov 91 12:00 9th Round
Gagarin Vasilij - Landa 54 Karabourniotis P. - Grivas 173 13 January 2010 Captain: GM Motylev Alexander (RUS)
Gashimov Vugar - Grischuk 31 Karpov Anatoly - Huebner 90
20:00 Closing Cr. 1 GM Grischuk Alexander 2736
Gashimov Vugar - Ponomariov 145 Karpov Anatoly - Kasparov 122 14 January 2010 Departures 2 GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2730
Gavasheli Ana - Esebua 175 Karpov Anatoly - Kasparov 142 3 GM Morozevich Alexander 2732
Gdanski Jacek - Ravi 160 Karpov Anatoly - Khalifman 86 The Tournament Organizer was TCF Vice-
President Sanli Kuvay and the Tournament 4 GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2705
Gelfand Boris - Aronian 26 Karsa Laszlo - Bischoff 89
Gelfand Boris - Caruana 143 Kasparov Garry - Karpov 122 Director was Melih Sagit. The arbitration was 5 GM Malakhov Vladimir 2716
Gelfand Boris - Nakamura 33 Kasparov Garry - Karpov 142 taken up by Panagiotis Nikolopoulos (IA & 6 GM Vitiugov Nikita 2692
Gelfand Boris - Vescovi 30 Kazhgaleyev Murtas - Bok 97 Chairman of the FIDE Arbiters Commission -
Genin Alexandre - Ambroise 173 Keres Paul - Petrosian 185 5 : EGYPT 2519
Greece), Faik Gashanov (IA - Azerbaijan),
Giorgadze Giorgi - Tiviakov 113 Keres Paul - Petrosian 36
Tahsin Aktar (IA - Turkey) and Selcuk Buyuk- Captain: FM Mohamed Faraq Amrou (EGY)
Gleizerov Evgeny - Mrdja 126 Khalifman Alexander - Karpov 86
Gligoric Svetozar - Beliavsky 196 Khotenashvili Bela - Lahno 144 vural (IA - Turkey). 1 GM Adly Ahmed 2591
Goldberg Alexander - Grivas 39 Knaak Rainer - Forintos 96 The tournament was a 9-round all-play-all a 2 GM Amin Bassem 2544
Golombek Harry - Barcza 75 Kochyev Alexander - Beliavsky 195 perfect joy - I never really loved any Swiss- 3 IM Ezat Mohamed 2471
Gonzalez Emmanuel - Capo Vidal 173 Kochyev Alexander - Mikhalchishin 79 system tournament, during all my chess-life! 4 IM Abdel Razik Khaled 2468
Greco Gioacchino - NN (Uknown) 159 Koh Jung Woo - De Dovitiis 46
Gregory Bernhard - Maliutin 180 Korchnoi Viktor - Anand 72
The scoring system was 2-1-0 match points 5 IM Abdelnabbi Imed 2448
Grischuk Alexander - Gashimov 31 Korensky Valeri - Spassky 137 (MP) and each match was played over four- 6 IM Sarwat Walaa 2386
Grischuk Alexander - Morozevich 63 Korzin Vitaly - Zorigt 51 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 13
6 : ISRAEL 2686 9 : UNITED STATES of AMERICA 2658
Captain: GM Greenfeld Alon (ISR) Captain: IM Donaldson John (USA) Index of Games
1 GM Gelfand Boris 2761 1 GM Nakamura Hikaru 2708 When a players name appears in bold, that player had White. Otherwise the first-named Player
2 GM Roiz Michael 2657 2 GM Onischuk Alexander 2670 had White. A total of 248 games and examples are analysed in this book.
3 GM Smirin Ilia 2668 3 GM Shulman Yuri 2624
Adams Michael - Papaioannou 138 Bentsen Oyvind - Hvattum 174
4 GM Sutovsky Emil 2657 4 GM Akobian Varuzhan 2628
Adams Michael - Slavin 124 Berkhout Sander - Vedder 169
5 GM Postny Evgeny 2648 5 GM Hess Robert 2572 Akopian Vladimir - Piskov 164 Bezold Michael - Veingold 169
6 GM Rodshtein Maxim 2622 6 GM Robson Ray 2570 Alekhine Alexander - Bogoljubow 114 Biliy Vadim - Vovk 162
Alekhine Alexander - Capablanca 93 Bird Henry Edward - Englisch 177
7 : BRAZIL 2625 10 : ARMENIA 2697 Alekhine Alexander - Euwe 133 Bischoff Klaus - Karsa 89
Ambroise Thibault - Genin 173 Bischoff Klaus - Mueller 163
Captain: GM Lima Darcy (BRA) Captain: GM Petrosian Arshak (ARM)
Anand Viswanathan - Korchnoi 72 Biyiasas Peter - Balashov 115
1 GM Vescovi Giovanni 2660 1 GM Aronian Levon 2781 Antal P. - Kovcan 47 Bogoljubow Efim - Alekhine 114
2 GM Leitao Rafael 2620 2 GM Akopian Vladimir 2678 Apicella Manuel - Svidler 38 Bok Benjamin - Kazhgaleyev 97
3 GM Fier Alexandr 2601 3 GM Sargissian Gabriel 2680 Arakhamia Ketevan - Spassky 116 Bologan Viktor - Heberla 141
4 GM Milos Gilberto 2618 4 GM Pashikian Arman 2647 Arhangelsky Vladislav - Cako 44 Bologan Viktor - Piket 83
Arlandi Ennio - Chuchelov 129 Botvinnik Mikhail - Kotov 59
5 GM Diamant Andre 2497 5 GM Petrosian Tigran L 2627 Aronian Levon - Gelfand 26 Botvinnik Mikhail - Kotov 60
6 GM Lima Darcy 2481 6 GM Kotanjian Tigran 2537 Aronian Levon - Sasikiran 32 Botvinnik Mikhail - Kotov 62
Aronian Levon - Shirov 99 Botvinnik Mikhail - Uhlmann 136
8 : GREECE 2601 Final Standings Aronian Levon - Svidler 49 Boz Haluk - Denni 116
Captain: GM Nikolaidis Ioannis (GRE) Before we move on for the round-by-round Aronian Levon - Voitsekhovsky 70 Break - Example 1 43
Aronian Levon - Vorobiov 70 Break - Example 2 43
1 GM Kotronias Vasilios 2599 analysis, some more tables and general statis-
Arun Prasad S - Vitiugov 34 Break - Example 3 43
2 GM Papaioannou Ioannis 2625 tics must be presented. The final standings, Averbakh Yuri - Bebchuk 44 Break - Example 4 43
3 GM Banikas Hristos 2608 medals and statistics are of a primary interest Averbakh Yuri - Makarichev 51 Break - Example 5 44
4 GM Halkias Stelios 2566 for nearly everybody in our chess world! Averbakh Yuri - Matanovic 77 Break - Example 6 44
To start with, here are the final standings and Balashov Yuri - Biyiasas 115 Brinckmann Alfred - John 181
5 GM Mastrovasilis Dimitrios 2571 Banikas Hristos - Fier 33 Brodsky Michail - Beliavsky 198
6 GM Mastrovasilis Athanasios 2510 the medal distribution by team:
Banikas Hristos - Tomashevsky 30 Brodsky Michail - Sjugirov 140
Bannik Anatoly - Duz-Khotimir. 135 Browne Walter - De Firmian 55
World Bannik Anatoly - Ragozin 184 Burn Amos - Pillsbury 179
Team Chess Cham- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Barcza Gedeon - Golombek 75 Byrne Robert - Beliavsky 186
Barczay Laszlo - Muse 54 Cako Laszlo - Arhangelsky 44
Match Points
pionship
Board Points
Bursa 2010
Batuev Anton - Matveev 174 Camacho Guillermo - Hernandez 47

2009 Bebchuk Evgeni - Averbakh 44 Can Emre - Shulman 23
Beilin Mikhail - Simagin 115 Cancelliere Giuseppe - Seitz 181
Azerbaijan
10 Teams Belavenets Sergey - Rauzer 80 Capablanca Jose Raul - Alekhine 93

Armenia
Turkey
Greece
Beliavsky Alexander - Brodsky 198 Capablanca Jose Raul - Flohr 79

Russia
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
India
Beliavsky Alexander - Byrne 186 Capo Vidal Uriel - Gonzalez 173

USA
Score Table (Draw-

Beliavsky Alexander - Dolmatov 191 Carlsen Magnus - Kramnik 41
ing Order) Beliavsky Alexander - Gligoric 196 Carlsen Magnus - Topalov 130
1 Azerbaijan 3 1 1 3 2 3 3 2 2 12 22 Beliavsky Alexander - Gulko 195 Carlsen Magnus - Wang 50
Beliavsky Alexander - Hansen 192 Caruana Fabiano - Gelfand 143
2 Turkey 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 11
Beliavsky Alexander - Ionov 191 Caruana Fabiano - Ljubojevic 142
3 India 2 3 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 13 21 Beliavsky Alexander - Ivanchuk 192 Chandler Murray - Larsen 85
Beliavsky Alexander - Ivanovic 197 Chekhover Vitaly - Kotov 183
4 Russia 2 3 2 3 3 2 1 3 2 15 24
Beliavsky Alexander - Jussupow 196 Chepukaitis Genrikh - Listengarten 45
5 Egypt 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 12
Beliavsky Alexander - Kochyev 195 Chiburdanidze Maia - Polgar 110
6 Israel 2 1 1 1 3 2 2 1 1 7 17 Beliavsky Alexander - Negi 187 Chloupek Stanislav - Stohl 81
Beliavsky Alexander - Nikolic 192 Chuchelov Vladimir - Arlandi 129
7 Brazil 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 4 12
Beliavsky Alexander - Pavasovic 193 Congdon James Adams - Delmar 176
8 Greece 1 2 1 2 1 1 3 1 3 8 18 Beliavsky Alexander - Pritchett 76 Crocitti Daniel - Leal 174
Beliavsky Alexander - Romero 190 Cuijpers Frans Andre - Polgar 113
9 USA 2 3 3 1 3 2 3 2 1 13 21
Beliavsky Alexander - Rozanov 188 Czerwonski Aleksander - Vysochin 127
10 Armenia 1 3 2 2 3 2 2 1 2 12 20 Beliavsky Alexander - Ruck 197 Danielsson Gosta - Lange 185
Benko Pal - Fischer 133 David Alberto - Schut 84
14 Benko Pal - Horowitz 162 Davidson Jacques - Nimzowitsch 182
Prizes will be announced together with the results. Chess Publishers or any sponsor, who is in- World
terest on the subject, can offer his views and sponsoring to the TRG. Team Chess Cham- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Match Points
Board Points
The FIDE Trainers Commission will also continue to fill-up the Trainer Hall of Fame. TRG in-
Bursa 2010
pionship
tention is that every year together with the five (5) trainers of the year awards, we will also con- 2009
Azerbaijan
tinue to honour three of our esteemed colleagues with membership of the Trainer Hall of Fame,
Armenia
Turkey
and besides creating a special place on TRG website (http://trainers.fide.com) to honour them, we
Greece
10 Teams
Russia
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
India
USA
will also be finding a permanent home for our Hall of Fame in one or more FIDE Academies
worldwide. Final Standings
Please send your nominations via email with biography attached to TRG Secretary Efstratios
1 Russia 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 15 24
Grivas (grivasefs@yahoo.co.uk) for consideration by June 30th, 2012.
The voting will take place by July 15th, 2012 and the winners will be officially announced after 2 USA 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 13 21
the ratification by the coming FIDE EB or PB. 3 India 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 13 21
4 Azerbaijan 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 12 22
FIDE TRAINERS COMMISSION (TRG) 5 Armenia 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 12 20
6 Greece 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 8 18
FIDE Trainer Awards 2011 7 Israel 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 7 17
Nomination Paper 8 Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 12
9 Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 12
10 Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 11
Nomination by:
Individual Medals Silver Banikas Hristos GRE
Following are the lists of Board Medals. In Bronze Sargissian Gabriel ARM
order for a player to be eligible for a medal,
a minimum of 6 games was required for Board 4
Address/E-mail: boards 1-4 and 4 games for the reserves: Medal Player Country
Gold Mamedyarov Shakhri AZE
Board 1 Silver Sutovsky Emil ISR
Medal Player Country Bronze Pashikian Arman ARM
Please, fill up the nominating person and the Justification: Gold Nakamura Hikaru USA Board 1st Reserve
Silver Aronian Levon ARM Medal Player Country
Bronze Grischuk Alexander RUS Gold Malakhov Vladimir RUS
Botvinnik Mikhail
Board 2 Silver Mamedov Rauf AZE
Medal Player Country Arun Prasad S IND
Bronze
Furman Symeon Gold Onischuk Alexander USA Postny Evgeny ISR
Silver Radjabov Teimour AZE
Board 2nd Reserve
Bronze Akopian Vladimir ARM
Medal Player Country
Medal Euwe Max Board 3 Gold Vitiugov Nikita RUS
Medal Player Country Mastrovasilis Athanasi GRE
Silver
Gold Ganguly Surya S IND Firat Burak TUR
Boleslavsky Isaac
Petrosian Tigran
Please, return the present nomination application to

grivasefs@yahoo.co.uk, by June 30th, 2012.
Individual Results
The individual results of each teams players were as follows: FIDE Trainers Commission
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 FIDE Trainer Awards 2011
Russia
Percentage %
Performance
Information - Rules
Games
Rating
Points
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Turkey
Greece
Captain The FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) is pleased to announce the fourth FIDE Trainer Awards
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
India
USA
GM Motylev Alexander
and will continue by honouring the achievements of our most successful colleagues of 2011.
1 Grischuk Alexander 1 1 7 4 64.29 2797 +06.2
2 Jakovenko Dmitry 1 1 5 3 70.00 2744 +01.3

There will be a judges panel consisting of seven (7) members, with reputation and knowledge in
3 Morozevich Alexander 0 0 1 0 6 2 33.33 2516 -17.4 the field of training:
4 Tomashevsky Evgeny 0 1 1 1 5 3 70.00 2754 +03.4
5 Malakhov Vladimir 1 1 1 7 5 71.43 2771 +05.4

PANEL OF FIDE TRAINERS AWARD
6 Vitiugov Nikita 1 1 1 1 1 6 5 91.67 2939 +13.1
1. Ignatius Leong (Singapore) - FIDE General Secretary
Board Points 2 1 3 2 3 2 2 3 3 24 66.67
2. Ali Nihat Yazici (Turkey) - FIDE Vice-President
36 +12.0
Match Points 2 0 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 15 83.33

3. Israel Gelfer (Israel) - FIDE Honorary Vice-President
4. Michael Khodarkovsky (US America) - FST * TRG Councilor
5. Jovan Petronic (Serbia) - IM/FST * TRG Councilor
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 6. Alonso Zapata (Colombia) - GM/FST * TRG Member
USA
Percentage %
7. Smbat Lputian (Armenia) - GM/FST
Performance
Games
Rating
Points
Azerbaijan
Armenia The panel has been approved by the 2011 FIDE EB (Krakow * 15-22.10.2011). The awards
ceremony will take place during the 2012 FIDE Congress. A Tree of Chess sculpture
Turkey
Greece
Captain
Russia
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
India
IM Donaldson John (http://trainers.fide.com/awards-hall-of-fame.html) and a diploma will be given to each of the five
(5) winners.
1 Nakamura Hikaru 1 1 1 1 1 0 8 6 75.00 2851 +14.6
Each member of the judges panel will vote for each of the six categories separately. He will
2 Onischuk Alexander 1 1 1 1 9 6 72.22 2809 +16.8
3 Shulman Yuri 0 0 7 2 35.71 2516 -10.5

have the right to vote for three persons, giving three (3), two (2) and one (1) point respectively. In
4 Akobian Varuzhan 1 0 1 8 4 56.25 2620 -00.7 case of a tie for the first place, two or more winners will be announced equal first. For the Hall of
5 Hess Robert 1 0 2 1 50.00 2564 -00.2 Fame, the three first trainers will be accepted.
6 Robson Ray 2 1 50.00 2548 -00.6
We welcome nominations for the five categories that have been approved and these are as fol-
Board Points 3 3 1 3 2 3 2 1 2
36
21 59.72
+19.4 lows:
Match Points 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 0 1 13 72.22
1. Botvinnik Mikhail medal for mens trainer or captain, for best results in men competitions
where World Championships and Olympiads are valued foremost, to be considered too are long
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 standing high results.
India 2. Furman Symeon medal for womens trainer or captain, similar to Botvinnik medal but appli-
Percentage %
Performance
cable to womens competitions.

Games
Rating
Points
3. Euwe Max medal for juniors trainer, for best results in junior competitions, to be considered
Azerbaijan
Armenia
are world and continental championships plus founder of famous chess schools, training pro-
Turkey
Greece
Captain
Russia
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
USA
GM Psakhis Lev grams, and academies.

4. Boleslavsky Isaac medal for best book which instructional values are remarkable, and to be
1 Sasikiran Krishnan 0 1 1 1 9 5 61.11 2753 +12.2
considered are also series of articles, instructional computer software, and programs for develop-
2 Harikrishna Pentala 0 1 0 1 8 4 50.00 2641 -03.3
Ganguly Surya Shekhar

ment of players.
3 1 1 1 7 5 71.43 2804 +14.3
4 Geetha Narayanan Gopal 0 1 1 5 3 60.00 2660 +05.2 5. Petrosian Tigran medal for a special achievement over the last years.
5 Arun Prasad Subramanian 1 0 5 2 50.00 2604 +02.5
6 Adhiban Baskaran 2 1 50.00 2400 -03.0 Nominations can be made by FIDE office bearers, TRG, and Federations. Only FIDE Senior
Board Points 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 2 3
36
21 58.33
+27.9
Trainers and FIDE Trainers in exceptional circumstances can be nominated. A special form has to
Match Points 2 0 2 2 1 0 2 2 2 13 72.22 be filled in (see below). For the Boleslavsky medal we invite book publishers and chess software
16 developers as well, to make nominations in this specific category.
15 2007 05.07-13.07 Berlin Germany GER 7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
16 2007 27.07-03.08 Berlin Germany GER 8 Azerbaijan
Percentage %
Performance
17 2007 01.08-02.08 Cherry Hill USA USA 5
Games
Rating
Points
19 2007 02.12-06.12 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia MAS 1
Armenia
Turkey
Greece
Captain
Russia
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
20 2007 16.12-21.12 Singapore Singapore SIP 5
India
USA
GM Azmaiparashvili Zurab
22 2008 30.04-07.05 Chennai India IND 1 1 Gashimov Vugar 1 0 0 0 7 2 35.70 2560 -18.8
23 2008 03.08-08.08 Gaborone Botswana BOT 1 2 Radjabov Teimour 1 1 1 7 5 71.43 2808 +07.2
3 Guseinov Gadir 0 4 1 37.50 2523 -05.1

24 2008 06.08-07.08 Dallas USA USA 6 4 Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 8 88.89 2950 +18.5
25 2008 21.10-29.10 Vung Tau Vietnam VIE 1 5 Mamedov Rauf 0 1 6 3 50.00 2599 -03.4
26 2008 30.11-05.12 Bali Indonesia RIN 1 6 Mamedov Nidjat 1 3 2 66.67 2601 =00.0
27 2008 24.12-30.12 Al Ain UA Emirates UAE 1 Board Points 2 3 1 1 3 2 3 3 2

36
22 61.11
-01.6
28 2009 27.05-01.06 Sulaimaniyah Iraq IRQ 1 Match Points 2 2 0 0 2 1 2 2 1 12 66.67
29 2009 20.06-22.06 Chennai India IND 2

30 2009 07.08-12.08 Magglingen Switzerland SWZ 1
31 2009 13.11-20.11 Antalya Turkey TUR 1
32 2009 09.12-14.12 Singapore Singapore SIP 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
33 2010 16.01-19.01 Agia Napa Cyprus CYP 1
Percentage %
Performance
34 2010 26.01-30.01 Antalya Turkey TUR 2 Armenia
Games
Rating
Points
35 2010 15.02-20.02 Tripoli Libya LBA 1
Azerbaijan
Turkey
Greece
Captain
Russia
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
India
37 2010 07.05-09.05 Atlanta USA USA 7
USA
GM Petrosian Arshak
38 2010 27.06-01.07 Kallithea Greece GRE 1
39 2010 26.07.29.07 Johannesburg South Africa SAF 1 1 Aronian Levon 1 1 0 1 1 9 6 66.67 2789 +01.3
2 Akopian Vladimir 1 1 0 1 1 9 6 66.67 2762 +10.2

40 2010 22.09-28.09 Batumi Georgia GEO 1 3 Sargissian Gabriel 1 0 6 3 50.00 2613 -05.4
41 2010 24.09-26.09 Khanty Mansiysk Russia RUS 1 4 Pashikian Arman 0 1 1 6 3 58.33 2671 +02.5
42 2010 22.10-28.10 Porto Carras Greece GRE 2 5 Petrosian Tigran L 0 0 6 2 33.33 2460 -13.4
43 2010 08.11-10.11 Rijeka Croatia CRO 1 6 Kotanjian Tigran 0 0 00.00 0000 =00.0
44 2010 10.11-14.11 Cali Colombia COL 1 Board Points 1 2 3 2 2 1 2 2 3 20 56.94

36 -04.8
45 2010 26.12-30.12 Singapore Singapore SIN 8 Match Points 0 2 2 2 1 0 1 2 2 12 66.67
46 2011 10.01-15.01 Athens Greece GRE 3

47 2011 28.01-02.02 Moscow Russia RUS 2
48 2011 31.01-04.02 Antalya Turkey TUR 3
49 2011 08.02-13.02 Moscow Russia RUS 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
50 2011 05.03-12.03 Nassau Bahams BAH 1 Greece
Percentage %
Performance
51 2011 21.05-23.05 Alger Algeria ALG 1
Games
Rating
Points
Azerbaijan
52 2011 27.06-28.06 New York USA USA 8
Armenia
53 2011 28.06-01.07 Erkuhuleni South Africa SAF 2
Turkey
Captain
Russia
Brazil
Egypt
Israel
India
USA
54 2011 01.08-06.08 Bangkok Thailand THA 1 GM Nikolaidis Ioannis
55 2011 03.08-10.08 Binh Duong Vietnam VIE 2
1 Kotronias Vasilios 0 0 0 7 2 28.57 2539 -05.7
56 2011 26.09-02.10 Yerevan Armenia ARM 1 2 Papaioannou Ioannis 1 0 1 7 4 57.14 2678 +05.3
57 2011 03.11-06.11 Lima Peru PER 1 3 Banikas Hristos 1 1 0 8 4 56.25 2688 +08.9
58 2011 19.11-25.11 Caldas Novas Brazil BRA 1 4 Halkias Stelios 0 1 1 0 7 3 50.00 2611 +04.2
59 2011 16.12-18.12 Berlin Germany GER 11 5 Mastrovasilis Dimitrios 1 3 2 66.67 2647 +03.1
6 Mastrovasilis Athanasios 0 1 4 2 50.00 2601 +04.9

60 2011 17.12-18.12 Port Elizabeth South Africa SAF 3
Board Points 1 2 1 1 3 3 1 1 2 18 50.00
61 2011 26.12-30.12 Singapore Singapore SIN 9 36 +20.7
Match Points 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 8 44.44

Israel
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG)
Percentage %
Performance
Council & Members/Advisors & Editors
Games
Rating
Points
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Turkey
Greece
Captain
Russia
FIDE Trainers Commission - Council 2011-2014
Brazil
Egypt
India
USA
GM Greenfeld Alon
N Title Surname-Name Country
1 Gelfand Boris 0 1 0 7 3 42.86 2651 -10.6 1 Chairman Mikhalchishin Adrian Slovenia (Ukraine)
2 Roiz Michael 0 6 2 41.67 2601 -04.9 2 Secretary Grivas Efstratios Greece
3 Smirin Ilia 0 1 5 2 50.00 2596 -04.9
3 Councilor Boensch Uwe Germany
4 Sutovsky Emil 1 1 1 0 7 4 64.29 2689 +03.6
5 Postny Evgeny 1 0 5 2 50.00 2547 -06.7

4 Councilor Khodarkovsky Michael United States of America
6 Rodshtein Maxim 0 0 6 2 33.33 2485 -11.0 5 Councilor Petronic Jovan Serbia (Singapore)
Board Points 3 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 17 47.22
36 -34.5 FIDE Trainers Commission - Members/Advisors 2011-2014
Match Points 2 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 7 38.89
N Title Surname-Name Country/Region
1 Member Bykhovsky Anatoly Russia (Europe)
2 Member Garcia Martinez Silvino Cuba (America)
3 Member Kobese Watu South Africa (Africa)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 4 Member OConnell Kevin Ireland (Europe)
Percentage %
5 Member Petrosian Arshak Armenia (Europe)
Performance
Brazil 6 Member Vladimirov Evgeny Kazakhstan (Asia)
Games
Rating
Points
Azerbaijan
7 Member Ye Jiangchuan China (Asia)
Armenia
Turkey
8 Member Zapata Alonso Colombia (America)
Greece
Captain
Russia
Egypt
Israel
India
USA
GM Lima Darcy
FIDE Trainers Commission - Technical/Editorial 2011-2014
1 Vescovi Giovanni 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 14.29 2362 -23.9
N Title Surname-Name Country
2 Leitao Rafael 1 0 1 8 4 56.25 2677 +06.7
1 Editor Bosch Jeroen Netherlands
3 Fier Alexandr 0 0 9 3 38.89 2532 -08.4
4 Milos Gilberto 0 0 0 7 2 28.57 2495 -11.6

2 Editor Glek Igor Germany (Russia)
5 Diamant Andre 0 0 0 4 12.50 2253 -10.8 3 Editor Gurevich Mikhail Turkey (Belgium)
6 Lima Darcy 1 1 1 100.00 3313 +05.8 4 Editor Illescas Miguel Spain
Board Points 1 2 1 1 1 1 2
36
12 34.72
-42.2
5 Editor Mohr Georg Slovenia
Match Points 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 22.22
TRG SEMINAR LIST

N YEAR DATES TOWN COUNTRY CODE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Egypt 1 2004 05.11-11.11 Berlin Germany GER 1
Percentage %
Performance

Games
Rating
Points

Azerbaijan
4 2005 00.08.14.08 Phoenix USA USA 1

Armenia
Turkey
Greece
Captain
Russia
Brazil
Israel

India
USA
FM Mohamed Faraq Amrou

1 Adly Ahmed 1 0 1 1 0 8 4 56.25 2703 +12.4 7 2005 00.12-30.12 Houston USA USA 2
2 Amin Bassem 0 1 0 1 0 9 4 44.44 2610 +08.1
3 Ezat Mohamed 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 00.00 1869 -12.4
4 Abdel Razik Khaled 0 0 0 1 6 2 33.33 2460 -00.6

9 2006 08.04-09.04 Louisville USA USA 3
5 Abdelnabbi Imed 0 0 4 1 25.00 2356 -04.8 10 2006 21.07-27.07 Berlin Germany GER 5
6 Sarwat Walaa 0 0 0 4 12.50 2274 -04.5 11 2006 11.08-12.08 Chicago USA USA 4
Board Points 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1
36
12 33.33
-01.8
Match Points 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 16.67 13 2006 18.12-23.12 Singapore Singapore SIP 3
pawn) 42...Qf7 43.Ld3 Qb7 44.Qe8 Qf7 Brodsky Michail
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
45.Qc6 transposes to a position similar to Beliavsky Alexander Turkey
Percentage %
Performance
one that occurred in the game. Alushta 2009
Games
Rating
Points
42.a4 Qd7 43.Qb4 Qc7 44.Ld3 Qd7 XABCDEFGHY
Azerbaijan
45.Qe4 Qe8 46.Qb7+ Qf7 47.Qc6 (D)
Armenia
8-+-+-+-+(
Greece
Captain
Russia
Brazil
Egypt
XABCDEFGHY
Israel
India
USA
GM Grivas Efstratios
8-+-+-+-+( 7+-wq-+-zpk'
1 Haznedaroglu Kivanc 0 0 0 1 6 2 33.33 2536 +02.8
7zp-+-+qmk-' 6-+-+-+-zp& 2 Erdogdu Mert 0 0 0 0 0 6 08.33 2292 -11.20
3 Yilmaz Mustafa 0 0 0 1 0 6 1 25.00 2464 -01.00
6-vlQ+p+p+& 5+-+l+p+-% 4 Can Emre 1 0 0 1 7 3 50.00 2618 +15.7
5 Esen Baris 0 0 0 1 0 7 2 28.57 2443 -06.6
5+-+-zP-+-% 4-+-+-zP-+$ 6 Firat Burak 1 0 4 2 50.00 2520 +05.6
4P+-+-zPK+$ 3+p+-+-wQP# Board Points

Match Points
1
0
1
0

0
1
0

0
2
1
2
2
1
0
1
0
36
11
3
31.94
16.67
+05.3
3+-+L+-zP-# 2-vL-+-+PmK" A Diary interesting concept, which rarely has been

2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-! On January 3rd nearly all the teams arrived seen around!
at Istanbul airport and then they were trans- The Opening Ceremony concluded with a
1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy ported to the Almira Hotel in Bursa by small fine performance by the Ottoman Military
White is stopping the black b-pawn and buses, provided by the TCF. It must be noted Band, Mehteran.
xabcdefghy threatens the g7-square. This is enough for that the 1st Quarter FIDE Presidential Board Then the FIDE Officials returned to the
White has achieved an important milestone; the draw because the plain bishop ending is Meeting was being held on 4-5 January in hotel and started their meeting, working un-
to place his queen on the dominating square drawish and Black also cannot make pro- Bursa, so there were also many FIDE offi- til late in the afternoon.
c6. However, it is not so easy to bring the gress with queens on the board. So Black cials who were traveling together with the In the evening, the Governor and the
bishop to c4 because of ...Qf5+. tries his last trick. teams. Mayor of Bursa, Mr. Sahabettin Harput and
47...Qe7? 73...g5 74.fxg5? On January 4th, a spectacular Opening Mr. Recep Altepe, attended the official din-
Black had to control the f5-square with his Strange, but this is losing because White Ceremony took place in the playing hall. ner given in honour of the FIDE Presidential
queen: 47...La5 48.Lc4 (48.Kf3 g5 cannot prevent a second passed pawn and The Municipal Marching Band greeted the Board.
49.Lc4 Qh5+ 50.Kg2 gxf4 51.Qd7+ Qf7 the black king penetrates far enough to assist guests and then the President of the Turkish The day concluded with the traditional
52.Qxf7+ Kxf7 53.gxf4 Ke7 =) 48...Qf5+ one of his passed pawns. Instead, 74.Le5 Chess Federation, Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici, Captains Meeting where, more or less, all
49.Kf3 Qh3 50.Qxe6 Qh1+ 51.Ke3 Qe7 75.Qd3 Qf7 76.Qg3 Qe8 77.Qd3 thanked and expressed his appreciation to potential problems were solved.
Lb6+ 52.Kd2 La5+ 53.Kc2 Qg2+ Le6 78.Qd6 Kg6 79.Lb2 Qf7 80.Qe5 =. the Mayor, on behalf of the Municipality of The first round was held on January 5th.
54.Kb3 Qf3+ with perpetual check. 74...Qxg3+ 75.Kxg3 hxg5 76.Kf2 Bursa, for hosting this important event. Beforehand, the FIDE PB was concluded in
48.Lc4 Qd8 76.h4 f4+ 77.Kg4 gxh4 78.Kxh4 Lxg2 The President of FIDE, Mr. Kirsan full harmony. The big match was between
After 48...Kf7 White brings his queen to h8: 79.Kg4 f3 80.Kg3 Kg6 81.Kf2 Kf5 Ilyumzhinov, presented a memorial plate to the 2008 Olympic Champions, Armenia, and
49.Qc8 Ld8 50.Kf3 La5 51.Qh8 Lb6 82.Ke3 Kg4 83.Le5 Lf1 84.Kd2 Lc4 the Mayor of the Municipality of Bursa, Mr. the 2009 European Champions, Azerbaijan.
52.Qh7+ Kf8 53.Qxg6 +. 85.Ke3 Ld5 86.Kf2 Kf5 87.Lb2 Ke4 Recep Altepe, for his contribution. The TCF The latter won by the narrowest margin,
49.Qb7+ Kf8 50.Qh1! wins the bishop. President, Ali Nihat Yazici, presented me- thanks to the convincing victory of Ma-
White has protected the d1 square and Black 76...f4 77.g3 Kg6 78.gxf4 gxf4 79.h4 Kh5 morial plates to the Sales and Marketing medyarov, achieving an important advan-
has no means to protect both the pawn e6 80.Lf6 Kg4 81.Ke1 Lf7 82.Kf2 Manager of the sponsoring Almira Otel, tage for the final standings.
and the square h8. 82.Kd2 f3 83.Ld4 Kxh4 +. Aylin Isikogullari, the Mayor of the Munici- In the other matches, Greece was unlucky
50...Kg7 51.Lxe6 82...Kf5 83.Lb2 Ke4 84.Ke2 Lh5+ pality of Bursa Mr. Recep Altepe and the to lose against India (the result might well
Now White may exchange queens because 85.Ke1 Kd3 Deputy Governor of Bursa, Mr. smail have gone the other way) and Lev Psakhis
the bishop ending is already winning for 01 Demirhan. (Indian Captain) commented: this is the best
him. The drawing of lots was nicely staged. It that a trainer can offer to his team: luck!.
51...Qd2 52.Kh3 Qe2 53.Lg4 Qc4 Conclusion was held with the participation and help of Hot favourites Russia, USA and Israel won
The coordination between queen and bi- the Bursaspor Football Team. Each Team respectively versus Brazil, Turkey and
54.Qd1 Kh6 55.Ld7 Qe4 56.Lg4 Qc4
shop may create an attack on the king or Captain picked a player who then un- Egypt, after some real fight. Emre Can of
57.Le2 Qe4 58.Lf3 Qe3 59.Qd5 Qa3
pawns or help to improve the position to the covered his t-shirt, revealing the number of Turkey played a nice game (see analysis),
60.Qg8 Qe7 61.g4
point where a plain bishop endgame could the team! To my knowledge, an unique and crushing Yuri Shulman.
10
be already favourable enough to win. FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 19
The second round brought a big surprise; Brazil and the USA won the first derby of 41.Qxh7 Qf5 42.Qh4+ Ke6 43.Qg4 Lb8 38.Kf3 Kg8 39.Kg4 Kf7 40.Kh5
Greece beat Russia! And this was a fair re- the round versus Israel, when Nakamura Qxg4+ 44.hxg4 with an easy draw. La7 41.f4 Lc5 42.g4 Kf6 43.h4 Kf7
sult; actually it could even have been 3:! crushed Gelfand with Black, thinking for 38.Qf6 Qf8 39.Qh8+ Kf7 40.Qxh7+ 44.g5 hxg5 45.fxg5 La7 46.Kg4 Ke6
Greece had once before upset the then So- less than half an hour for his efforts! Finally, Ke6 41.Qxg6+ Kd5 42.Lg7 Qg8 47.h5 Lb8 48.Kf3 La7 49.Ke2 Lb8
viet Union team with a 3:3 result in the Armenia and India split the MP (first 2:2 in The bishop ending is also winning for 50.Kd1
European Team Championship, Haifa 1989, the tournament) after a long fight and an White: 42...Le8 43.Lxf8 Lxg6 44.f4 Kc6 Black cannot prevent the white king from
where I let slip a big chance to beat Gelfand unfortunate moment for Aronian. The latter 45.Kh2 d5 46.Lc5 Lh5 47.Kg3 d4 penetrating to b7, because the passed h-
and give the win to my team (I only drew). lost a theoretically drawn rook ending! (47...Le2 48.f3 d4 49.h4 Lc4 50.h5 d3 pawn keeps Black's king on the kingside.
Armenia beat Israel, Aronian playing an So, Russia and the USA were leading the 51.Le3 Kb5 52.h6 Lg8 53.Ld2 +) 10
excellent game (he outplayed Gelfand), tournament after the 5th round, with 8/10 48.Lxd4 Le2 49.f3 Lc4 50.Lc5 Kb5
while the USA convincingly beat India 3:1. MP. 51.Lf8 Kc6 52.Kf2 Lf7 53.Ke3 Kd5 Beliavsky Alexander
Brazil and Azerbaijan beat their weaker op- The sixth round ended Armenias hopes 54.h4 Le8 55.Kd3 Lb5+ 56.Kc3 Le8 Ruck Robert
ponents, Egypt and Turkey respectively. for the gold medal, as Greece crushed them Ansfelden 2009
57.Le7 Ke6 58.Lc5 Kd5 59.Lf2 Kd6
The third round created a real mess! While with a fine 3:1 result, making 2/2 against the 60.Kd4 Lh5 61.b5 Lxf3 62.b6 Ld1 63.b7 XABCDEFGHY
Russia, Armenia and Israel fulfilled their golden teams of Russia and Armenia! Rus- Kc7 64.Ke5 Kxb7 65.Kxf5 Kc7 66.Kg6
expectations by beating the USA, Turkey sia defeated India thanks to a win on the 4th Kd6 67.h5 Lc2+ 68.f5 Ke5 69.Lg3+ + 8-+-+-+-+(
and Brazil respectively, Greece lost to Egypt board, but was joined in first place not only and the h-pawn will promote. 7zp-+qvl-mk-'
and Azerbaijan to India (!), continuing the on MP (8/10) but also on board points (15) 43.Qxf5+ Kc4 44.Qg4+ Kb3 45.h4 Qf7
series of unexpected results! by the USA, who beat Brazil 3:1. Azerbaijan 46.Kg2 Ld7 47.Qd4 d5 48.Lh6 Lb5
6-+-+p+p+&
So, after the third round no fewer than six and Israel split the points with four hard-
teams were sharing first place with 4 match fought draws, which ended Mamedyarovs
49.Ld2 Qg6+ 50.Kh2 Qf5 51.Qc3+ Ka4 5+-+-zP-+-%
52.Qb2! Lc4 53.b5 Qf8 54.b6 Qd6+
points out of a possible 6. Then there were perfect score. Finally, the big derby for the 55.f4 4-+Q+-zP-+$
three teams with 2 MP, leaving the host last place between Egypt and Turkey ended 10
country in last position with no points! in a fighting 2:2 draw, with four decisive 3+-+L+-zP-#
In the fourth round the match between results. Beliavsky Alexander 2P+-+-+-+"
Russia and Azerbaijan took place and every- In the 7th round, the long-awaited match Ivanovic Bozidar
body was expecting that it would solve between Russia and Armenia took place. Belgrade 2000
1+-+-+-mK-!
matters at the top. Russia was the lucky one, After a hard battle and Armenia missing a
as Grischuks king had to travel all the way chance on the 4th board, the match ended in XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
from e8 to b1 (!), facing the opponents a 2:2 draw - Morozevich hopelessly out of White has an extra pawn. However, he can-
army en route! The other favourites, Arme- form
8-+-+-+-mk( not exchange queens because the bishop
nia, Israel, India and the USA beat their op- The USA grabbed their chance and beat 7+-+-+-zp-' ending is an easy draw since White has no
ponents, Brazil, Greece, Turkey and Egypt Greece, but only after Kotronias, who had a passed pawns. White's winning idea is to
respectively, without facing too many prob- won position against Nakamura, blundered
6-+p+-vl-zp& attack the e6-pawn with queen and bishop to
lems. Thus, little changed at the top, leaving badly. Azerbaijan gave a rest to a tired 5+-+-wq-+-% force the black king to f7 and penetrate with
five teams with 6/8 MP. Gashimov and demolished Brazil, while his queen to h8 via the c8 square. This plan
The fact that in the first twenty matches Egypt fought well against India and only 4P+-zp-wQ-+$ is not easy to carry out because the white
king is also vulnerable. In addition, Black is
we saw no 2:2 results is rather paradoxical,
but also proves the fighting spirit of all the
went down in the last minute. But the big
surprise of the round was Turkeys win ver-
3+-+L+-zPP# ready in some variations to give up his g6-
teams. Turkeys National Teams manager, sus Israel (!), probably the most unexpected 2-+-+-zPK+" pawn just to exchange queens
Ozgur Solakoglu, asked why I was not often result of the event. 35.Qe4 Lc5+ 36.Kg2 Qe8 37.Kf3 Lb6
in the playing hall. I replied that there was So, after the 7th round, the USA led by 1
1+-+-+-+-! 38.Lc2 Qf7 39.Qd3 Qe8 40.Kg4 Qf7
not much point, since the rules forbade MP over Russia and the two last rounds be- xabcdefghy 41.Qc4 Qe8
Team Captains to offer any draw before the came even more dramatic, with many teams 41...Qc7! (an interesting trap. White may
33.Qf3 Qc5 34.Qe4
30th move and after the 30th move it is al- in the fight for the silver and bronze medals! win the g6-pawn now - however it is just a
The mate threat on h7 forces Black to ex-
ready too late! Well, it was just a joke! Another fight, to avoid last place, was also draw) 42.Qa4 (42.Qxc7+ Lxc7 43.Lb3
change queens on the wrong square. The Kf7 44.Kg5 Ld8+ 45.Kh6 Lb6 46.Lc2
Russia and Azerbaijan easily won, versus still open! resulting endgame is winning because White
Turkey and Egypt respectively, in the fifth The 8th round wasnt a lucky one for the Lf2 47.Lxg6+ Kf8 48.g4 Le3 49.Kg5
can get a second passed pawn on the king- Ke7 and it is a draw because White cannot
round. But the Egyptian GM Adly Ahmed USA team, as they narrowly lost to Arme- side.
upset Gashimov, forcing him to his third nia, Aronian winning a nice game against move his king from g5. Black just keeps his
34...Qd5 35.Qxd5 cxd5 36.a5 Le5 37.a6
consecutive defeat! Greece beat the solid Nakamura. This result gave the chance to bishop on the diagonal c1-h6, pinning the f4-
46.Kd3 Qb1+ 47.Kc4 Qc2+ 48.Kb5 28...g5! Russia (who demolished Egypt) to climb on Nihat Yazici (FIDE Vice-President & TCF
Qxe2+ 49.Kxc5 Qe3+ 50.Kc6 b2 Black is 'preparing' the d4-square for the top with a round to go. Azerbaijan beat President) and Georgios Makropoulos (FIDE
51.Qd8+ Kg6 +) 40...Qc2+ 41.Le2 queen! Then the bishop from c5 will assist Greece and India beat Israel - the latter hav- Deputy-President & GCF President), plus
Qxb2 42.d5 Qd4+ 43.Ke1 Qxd5 the attack on the white king. ing a really bad tournament. Finally, Brazil the distribution of medals and a nice meal,
(43...exd5?? 44.Qc6+ Kf7 45.Lh5+ Kg8 29.Lb1? beat Turkey after a tight fight - Vescovi lost concluded a tiring day.
46.Qe8+ Lf8 47.Lf7+ Kh7 48.Lg6+ White is preparing a counterattack on the again, a very poor performance by him this That was, in short, the story of an ex-
Kg8 49.Qf7+ Kh8 50.Qxf8 # - now White b1-h7 diagonal. It is a grave mistake because certainly was not his tournament tremely strong event, in which 50 GM, 9 IM
is mating!) 44.Qxd5 exd5 45.Lf3 Ke6 Black is attacking the white king both with In the 9th and last round, Azerbaijan un- and 1 FM participated and the average rating
46.Kd2 g5 47.h3 Ld6 48.Ke3 gxf4+ queen and bishop, while White is using only expectedly decided to rest their two top of these 60 participants was 2608.42 (!!).
49.gxf4 d4+ 50.Kxd4 Lxf4 51.h4 Ld2 his queen. The correct idea was to keep the boards in their critical match against the One should also think about the Captains of
52.Ld5+ Kf6 53.Lc4 Le1 54.h5 Kg5 queen on d2 and king on f3. In that case it is USA! Rumours indicated that there was an the teams: 8 GM, 1 IM and 1 FM!
55.Le2 Kf4 56.Ld3 Kg4 57.Ke3 f4+ difficult for Black make any progress. internal fight among the top players, with the To end with, we must surely pay tribute to
58.Ke2 Lc3 59.Lc2 f3+ 60.Kf1 Ld4 29...gxf4+ 30.exf4 Qd4 31.Qc2 Lc5 captain and the federation involved. Well, the Turkish Chess Federation (TCF) for its
61.Ld1 Kf4 62.Lb3 Ke3 63.Ld5 f2 +. 32.Qh7+ Kf8 the stories are interesting and spicy but I do professional organization of a very high
38.Qc6! Now the black king escapes safely and the not like to delve deeper in the very personal standard. Also, it must be noted that it was
White gives up his d-pawn but preserves his white king is helpless against the coordi- stuff of a team (and a country after all), so I decided that this event will be held every
b-pawn. The extra pawn on the kingside nated queen+bishop attack. will stop here, keep my mouth shut and only two years from now on and the TCF and
proves to be not enough for the win. 33.Qxh6+ Ke8 34.Qh8+ Kd7 35.Qa8 comment that in such situations, team spirit Bursa decided to bid again! So, most proba-
38...Qe3+ 39.Kg2 Qd2+ 40.Kh1 Qxd4 Qf2+ 36.Kh3 Qf3+ 37.Kh4 Le7+ 38.g5 must be the decisive factor and the captains bly we will see this prestigious event in a
40...Qxb2 41.d5 Kg6 42.Qe8+ Kh7 Qxf4+ 39.Kh3 Qf1+ 40.Kg3 Qxb1 orders must be followed. shorter time but at the same place!
43.Qxe7 Qc1 44.Kg1 b3 45.Qxe6 b2 41.Qb7+ Ke8 42.Qc8+ Ld8 43.h4 Qd3+ After two hours of play, four draws were
46.Qxf5+ 44.Kg4 Qc4+ 45.Qxc4 dxc4 46.h5 Kf8 agreed in a short period, giving the silver Teams Performance
41.Lc4 Qe3 42.h4! Lc5 43.Kg2 g5 01 medal to the USA and allowing Azerbaijan 1. Russia: Although Vladimir Kramnik
44.hxg5+ hxg5 45.fxg5+ Kxg5 46.Qf3 (4th) to finish above Armenia (5th), which is and Peter Svidler were missing from the
Beliavsky Alexander a nice target if you consider the political Russian team, they always appeared to be in
Qg1+ Gligoric Svetozar situation between Azerbaijan and Arme- the drivers seat. The team had just the one
46...Qd2+ 47.Kh3 Qxb2 48.Lxe6 Qh8+ Novi Sad 1979 nia To me, this result looked like a pre- upset against Greece, allowing the other
49.Kg2 Qe5 50.Lb3 Qe4 51.Ld5 =.
47.Kh3 Kf6 48.Qf1 Qd4 49.Qf4 Qxf4
XABCDEFGHY arranged package-draw agreement but of teams at best a draw. Morozevich was in
course this is my only my personal specula- quite bad form but all the rest played well
50.gxf4 Ld6 51.Kg3 e5 52.b3 e4 53.La6 8-+-+q+k+( tion. and packed three more individual medals in
Ke6 54.Lc8+ Kd5 55.Kf2
7+-+-+p+p' At the same time, that result guaranteed their suitcases. They fully deserved the gold
Russia the gold medal. Rumours also indi- medal.
Jussupow Artur 6-+lzp-+p+& cated that the night before the match, Russia 2. USA: For me, this was a real surprise,
Beliavsky Alexander 5+Q+-+-+-% offered Israel a 2:2 package draw, but the as I thought that this team would only be
Frankfurt 1998 latter refused as they were chasing 6th place fighting for the 5th position. But when your
XABCDEFGHY 4-zP-vL-+-+$ but in the end Israel (7th) could consider top two boards are in fine shape and they
themselves lucky to escape with just a 1:3 can win the individual gold medals on their
8-+-+-vlk+( 3+-+-+P+P# scoreline! boards, then you are on the right path. A
7+-+-+p+-' 2-+-+-zP-+" India crushed Brazil, winning the bronze solid team, a bit of luck in decisive games,
medal and Greece claimed the valuable 6th good team strategy and here is the silver
6p+-+p+pzp& 1+-+-+-mK-! position by winning against Turkey by the medal!
xabcdefghy smallest margin, when Firat Burak resigned 3. India: The last-minute participants, as
5+p+pzP-+-% in a just slightly worse position - he thought they had to replace China just a week before
Here the white forces are more coordinated that he could not avoid mate! In the last the start of the tournament. They played
4-wq-+-zPP+$ than Black's. match of the day, Egypt took a valuable good fighting chess but they seemed to have
3+-+LzP-mK-# 37.Qg5 f5? point against Armenia and thus avoided bot- a bit of luck or perhaps they demonstrated
This loses two pawns. 37...Lxf3? also does tom place greater will-power than their opponents! The
2PzP-+-+-zP" not work: 38.Qf6 Qe1+ 39.Kh2 Qh1+ The event was rounded off with a simple team won decisive points when they needed
1+-wQ-+-+-! 40.Kg3 Qg2+ 41.Kf4 + and mate is in- and well-performed Closing Ceremony, to and added two more individual medals to
evitable. The correct defence was 37...Kf8 which took place in the ballroom of the their collection - a successful participation
xabcdefghy 38.Qf6 Qd7 39.Kg2 Ke8 40.Qh8+ Ke7 Almira hotel. Some short speeches by Ali after all!
4. Azerbaijan: As the recent European 9. Egypt: The Egyptians mostly depended to avoid a queen exchange - he will try first Ld2 55.Qb1 Ke5 56.Lc4 f4 57.Le2
Champions, the team of the Azeri was ex- on their first two boards, who performed to change the pawn structure on the kingside (57.gxf4+ Lxf4 58.Le2 Kf5 59.Qd1
pected to play a decisive role in the chase for very well and won most of the points. A in his favour, which means fixing the white [59.Kg1 Lxh2+] 59...Qxd1+ 60.Lxd1
medals, especially after they beat Armenia solid team that fought in every match and to pawns on the dark squares. By moving his h- Lxh2 61.Lc2 Le5 62.Kg1 Kf4 63.Ld1
in the first round. But an-out-of-form their credit was the win over Greece. I think pawn, Black will either weaken the dark Ld4 64.Kf1 e3 65.fxe3+ Lxe3 +) 57...f3
Gashimov and various internal problems that they succeeded in their initial target - squares, to penetrate with queen and bishop 58.Lc4 Qc3 59.La6 Kd4 60.Lc4 Lc1
stopped the team from attaining its targets. It not to finish last, although some luck was and chase the white king, or fix the white 61.Lf7 Qd2 62.Qa1+ Lb2 63.Qe1 Qd3+
is a really difficult task to captain and run a needed in the last round. pawn on h2. Moreover, with a black pawn 64.Kg1 Qe2 65.Qf1 e3 66.Lc4 Qxf1+
team of stars Three individual medals and 10. Turkey: The host country was on h3, the white king will feel even more 67.Kxf1 e2+ +.
the absolute star of the event (Mamedyarov) seeded to finish last, as it was the lowest uncomfortable. 46...exf3+ 47.Kxf3 Qb1 48.g4
were the brightest moments of the team. rated one. The Turkish youngsters fought XABCDEFGHY White's king will be mated now. Otherwise
5. Armenia: The Olympic Champions well, took some valuable scalps, won an White loses the h2-pawn: 48.Qc2 g4+
were the big disappointment of the event. individual medal, a GM-norm (third for 8-+-wq-+-+( 49.Ke2 Qxc2+ 50.Lxc2 Lg1 51.Kf1
They did not just finish out of the medals - Emre Can - soon to be named GM) and un-
they were far away from them! This time expectedly beat Israel! Still, the bitter taste
7zp-+-+-vlk' Lxh2 52.Kf2 f4 53.gxf4 Lxf4 54.Le4
g3+ 55.Kg1 Le3+ 56.Kh1 g2+ +.
nothing worked well for the Armenians and of the last position was not easy to swallow. 6-+-+-+pzp& 48...fxg4+ 49.Kg3 Le5+ 50.Kf2 Qf5+
they even lost 1:3 to the Greeks (!), among But the team is on the right path and is ex- 51.Ke1 Qe4+ 52.Le2 Ld4 53.Qa5 Kf5
others. But at least they won four individual pected to go even better in the very short 5+-zp-+p+-% 54.Qa6 Lc3+
medals. future - the TCF can be sure of that! 4P+-+p+-+$ 01
6. Greece: The surprise of the event and
the most variable team were the boys from Games Department 3+P+-+-+-# Kochyev Alexander
Greece! They won against Russia and Ar- Beliavsky Alexander
menia but they lost to Egypt and just beat
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2-+-+QzPPzP" Le Havre 1977
Pashikian Arman
Turkey. I am sure that they made the betting
D43 Bursa 2010 1+-+L+-mK-! XABCDEFGHY
companies happier and richer as nobody
could predict their results. They missed a
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Lg5 xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+-+(
h6 6.Lh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Lg3 b5 9.Le2
golden chance against the USA and they Lb7 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Ne5 Lg7 12.Qc2 0-0 34...h5 35.g3 Ld4 36.Kg2 h4 37.Lc2 7+-+Qvlkzp-'
could even have beaten India if they had Qg5 38.Qd1 Qh6
A novelty in this heavy theoretical position. 6-+-+p+-zp&
been a bit more careful. Two individual White cannot prevent the black pawn from
medals were added to their report cards. Previously 12...Nxe5 has been tried: 13.Lxe5 moving to h3.
7. Israel: Who could believe that Israel 0-0 14.Rad1 Nd7 15.Ld6 Porper,E- 39.Qe2
5+-+-+p+-%
Kotanjian,T Dresden 2007.
would play so badly? A team of stars, with
13.Rad1 Qe7 14.h4 Rad8 15.hxg5 hxg5
39.gxh4 Qxh4 40.Qe2 a5 41.Ld1 Le5 4-zp-zP-zP-+$
the recent World Cup winner as its leader 42.h3 Qg5+ 43.Kf1 Ld4 44.Lc2 Kg7
(Boris Gelfand) and still no fight, no hope, 16.Rfe1 a6 17.Qc1 Nxe5 18.Lxe5 Nh7 45.Ld1 Qh4 46.Kg2 f4 and the white king 3+-+-+-zP-#
no points The only one who gave a posi- 19.Lxg7 Kxg7 20.Lg4 c5
tive performance was Sutovsky, who won White's compensation is notable due to his
is helpless. 2-zP-+-+-zP"
39...h3+ 40.Kg1 Qc1+ 41.Qd1 Qb2
the only individual medal of the team - but strong centre, his centralized pieces and the 42.Kf1 Kg7 43.Qd2 Qa1+ 44.Ld1 Kf6 1+-+-wqLmK-!
he was so alone. It is sure that this strong weak black king. But of course, White has to
45.Ke2 g5 xabcdefghy
team will see better days! prove his sacrifice sooner or later, otherwise
Now White has an unpleasant choice: either
8. Brazil: The second biggest disappoint- this material deficit will be enough for Black to allow the black pawn onto g4, fixing his Whites king is exposed and the pawn on b2
med of the event, as the Brazilians lost no to triumph in an endgame - but before that, is weak. It is important for Black to win the
f2-pawn, or move his f-pawn and risk losing
fewer than 42 rating points in total (!). I was the Gods have created the middlegame! b2-pawn.
his h2-pawn.
expecting something more from a 2600+ 21.d5! Qf6 22.e5! Qh6? 46.f3 37...Kf6?
team than only beating the two weakest 22...Qf4 23.Qxf4 gxf4 24.dxe6 fxe6 Wait and see was preferable but still losing: Black first had to place his queen on the
teams of the event, with the bare minimum 25.Lxe6 Ng5 26.Ld5 was Black's best 46.Kf1 Kg6 47.Qc2 g4 48.Qd2 Lg7 better square e4: 37...Qe3+ 38.Kg2 Qe4+
score, and I do not really know the causes of chance. It is notable that after just one inac- 49.Qc2 Qd4 50.Le2 a5 51.Qd1 Lf6 39.Kg1 (39.Kh3 g5 mating the white king)
their disappointing performance. I know that curacy, Black's position falls apart, but this 52.Ke1 (52.Qxd4 cxd4 53.Lc4 d3 54.Ke1 39...Kf6, as then White has no useful moves
they have seen better days and I am sure that is chess; you must (and you will!) be Lc3+ 55.Kd1 Kf6 56.La6 Ld4 57.Ke1 and loses the b-pawn anyway: 40.Kf2
they will see them again in the future and punished for your mistakes! Ke5 58.Lb5 d2+ 59.Kxd2 Lxf2 60.Le2 (40.b3 Qe3+ 41.Kg2 Qxb3 + ; 40.Lc4
that this event should soon be forgotten - 23.dxe6 fxe6 24.Qe3! Qh4?! 25.Lxe6 Lxg3 +) 52...Lg5 53.Kf1 Kf6 54.Qe1 Qb1+ 41.Kf2 Qxb2+ 42.Ke3 Qc3+
such a strong team cannot fail again Rd4 26.Ne2 Rfd8 (D) 43.Ld3 Qe1+ 44.Le2 b3 45.d5 Lc5+
43.Qxf7+ Kc6 44.Qd5+ Kc7 45.Qxe5+ XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY Vung Tau 2008.
+. b) 7...Nc6 8.0-0 Nd7 9.exd5 exd5 10.Nb3
40.Qa8+ Qd8 41.Qb7 Qe7 42.Qa8+ 8-+-wq-+-mk( 8-+-tr-+-+( Nxc5 11.Nxc5 Lxc5 12.Lg5 Qb6 13.c3
Qd8 43.Qf3 Qf6 44.Qd5 Qe6 45.Qa8+ Popovic,D-Mira,H Internet 2006.
It was already possible to accept an oppo-
7zp-vl-+-zp-' 7+l+-+-mkn' c) 7...Lxc5 8.e5 Nfd7 9.0-0 Nc6 10.Nb3
site-colour bishop ending with an extra 6-+-+-+PzP& 6p+-+L+-+& Le7 11.c3 Re8 12.Nbd4 Nf8 13.Lf4
pawn: 45.Qxe6 fxe6 46.Lxe6 Ke7 (46...e4 Levushkina,E-Zach,A Bayern 2006.
47.Lf5 e3 48.f4 Ke7 49.Kf3 a5 50.b5 a4 5+P+-+Q+-% 5+pzp-zP-zp-% d) 7...dxe4 8.Nxe4 Nbd7 9.0-0 Nxc5
51.Ld3 a3 52.Ke4 Ke6 53.Lc4+ Kf6 4P+-+-+-+$ 4-+ptr-+-wq$ 10.Nxc5 Lxc5 11.Lg5 Le7 12.Rfe1 Qc7
54.Kd5 Kf5 55.Kc6 Ld8 56.b6 Lxb6 13.Ne5 Brodsky,M-Malykin,V Polanica
57.Kxb6 Kg4 58.Kc5 Kxh5 59.Kxd4 3+L+-zpK+-# 3+-+-wQ-+-# Zdroj 1999.
Kg4 60.Kxe3 +) 47.Lg8 a5 48.a3 axb4
49.axb4 Lc7 (49...e4 50.Lh7 e3 51.f4 and
2-+-zpP+-+" 2PzP-+NzPP+" 8.0-0
8.a4 Na6 9.Lxa6 Rxa6 10.0-0 Lxc5 11.e5
White is getting a passed pawn on the king- 1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+RtR-mK-! Nd7 12.Nb3 La7 13.Le3 Schneider,I-
side. With a passed pawn on each side, Ramirez,A Dallas 2006 is the main alterna-
White will succeed in promoting one of
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy tive, but Can had something more dynamic
them) 50.Kf3 Ld6 51.b5 Lc5 52.Ke4 63.Qf7? 27.Rxd4 in mind...
Kd6 53.f3 Lb6 54.Kf5 Ld8 55.Lc4 Lf6 White missed an easy win: 63.hxg7+ Kxg7 27.Nxd4 cxd4 28.Qa3 was good enough. 8...Na6
56.Ld3 Kd5 57.g4 Kd6 58.Le4 Kc5 64.Qf7+ Kh6 65.g7 Qa8+ 66.Kxe3 d1Q 27...cxd4 28.Qa3! 8...Nc6 9.c3 Nd7 10.exd5 exd5 11.Nb3 a4
59.Lc6 Kd6 60.Le8 Kc7 61.Ke4 Kb6 67.Lxd1 Lb6+ 68.Kf4 Qb8+ 69.Kf3 The invasion via the dark squares decides 12.Nbd4 Socko,B-Pert,N Hastings 2004
62.Kd5 Kc7 63.Lc6 Kb6 64.Kd6 and Qa8+ 70.e4 Qd8 71.g8N+ Kg5 72.Qf5+ the game...
and 8...Nfd7 9.exd5 exd5 10.Re1 Nc6
Black is in zugzwang. He has either to allow Kh4 73.Qg4 #. 28...g4 29.Qc5! Ng5 30.Qe7+ Kh6 31.Qf6+
11.Lb5 Lf6 12.c3 Nxc5 13.Nb3 Lakos,
the white king in on c7, when the b-pawn 63...Le5 64.h7 Qf6+ 65.Ke4 Qf4+ 1-0
N-Richards,H Bled 2002 are fair possibili-
will promote, or give up the e5-pawn. Gain- 66.Kd5 Qd4+ 67.Ke6 Qd6+ 68.Kf5
ties that should be taken into account.
ing the e5-pawn gives White a passed pawn Qf6+ 69.Ke4 Qf4+ 70.Qxf4 Lxf4 Can Emre
9.e5
on the kingside and Black cannot stop both 71.Lc2 Lg5 72.a5 Ld8 73.Kxe3 Shulman Yuri
In my opinion best by test!
pawns from promoting: 64...Ld8 (64...Ka5 White gets a passed e-pawn and Black will C03 Bursa 2010
9...Nd7 (D)
65.Kc7 Lg5 66.b6 e4 67.Lxe4 Lf4+ have to give up his bishop for this pawn, but 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Le7 4.Ld3 c5
68.Kc6 +) 65.Kxe5 Kc5 66.Kf5 Kb6 in this case there is no stalemate because 5.dxc5 Nf6 6.Qe2 0-0 7.Ngf3 (D) XABCDEFGHY
67.Kg6 Lf6 68.f4 Kc5 69.g5 hxg5 70.fxg5 Black may move his a-pawn and the white XABCDEFGHY 8r+lwq-trk+(
Le5 71.h6 gxh6 72.gxh6 +. b-pawn queens on b8. After the naive
45...Qe8 46.Qe4 Ld8 47.Qd5 Lg5 48.a4 73.b6?? Lxb6! it is a draw because of stale- 8rsnlwq-trk+( 7+p+nvlpzpp'
mate. 7zpp+-vlpzpp'
Qe6 49.Qa8+
Now the endgame is not so favourable for 73...Lxa5 74.Kd3 Lb4 75.e4 La5 76.e5
6n+-+p+-+&
White because the black bishop penetrates to Lb4 77.e6 6-+-+psn-+& 5zp-zPpzP-+-%
e1 and keeps the white king busy with pawn And now Black is helpless to prevent the
protection duties: 49.Qxe6 fxe6 50.Lxe6 white king going to d7. Next, he will have to 5+-zPp+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$
Ke7 51.Lg8 Ld2 52.b5 Kd6 53.Kf3 Le1 give up his bishop, but there is no stalemate 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+L+N+-#
and it is difficult to make progress. because his a7-pawn is still alive. When
49...Qe8 50.Qf3 Ld2 51.b5 e4 52.Qf5 Black pushes his a-pawn, White will pro- 3+-+L+N+-# 2PzPPsNQzPPzP"
mote his b-pawn on b8. Therefore Black 2PzPPsNQzPPzP"
Kg8 53.Ld5 e3 54.f4 Lc3 55.Kf3 Qe7
resigned.
1tR-vL-+RmK-!
56.g4
Easier was 56.Qc8+ Qf8 (56...Kh7 10 1tR-vL-mK-+R! xabcdefghy
57.Le4+ g6 58.Qc6 +) 57.Qc7 Qe8 Gulko Boris xabcdefghy 10.c4!
58.Qxa7 d3 59.Qxe3 Qxe3+ 60.Kxe3 d2 Beliavsky Alexander I think that White should go for it, as alter-
7...a5
61.Lb3 and the pawns on the queenside will Vilnius 1975 natives like 10.c3 Naxc5 11.Lc2 b6
Black has many options in this particular
promote.
position, such as: 12.Qe3 a4 13.Nd4 Qc7 14.Re1 Lb7
Black has an extra pawn. Still, the bishop
56...La5 57.g5 hxg5 58.fxg5 d3 59.g6 d2 Lima,D-Santos Filho,T Rio de Janeiro 2007,
endgame is a draw, because Black will get a) 7...Nfd7 8.Nb3 a5 9.e5 a4 10.Nbd4 Nxc5
60.Lxf7+ Kh8 61.Lb3 Qd8 62.h6 Lc7 promise little.
only one passed pawn and White will easily 11.0-0 a3 12.bxa3 Nc6 13.Rb1 Ld7 14.Nb5
(D) Ra4 15.Le3 Durarbeyli,V-Shimanov,A 10...Ndxc5
prevent its promotion. Therefore Black has
The other option is the capture with the other 13.Nb3!
knight: 10...Naxc5 11.Lc2 b6 (11...dxc4 Our morning preparation was deep enough to Queens with Opposite Coloured Bishops
12.a4! ) 12.b3 La6 (12...Lb7 13.Lb2 f5 include this very position. We came to the
14.Nd4 Vachier Lagrave,M-Sprenger,J conclusion that White holds a very pleasant Alexander Beliavsky
Germany 2008) 13.Rd1 Qc7 14.Lb2 Rac8 advantage and we decided to dig even further...
15.Rac1 Jayaram,A-Praveen Kumar,C 13...dxc4? Concept does not work any more.
Dubai 2008. White's spatial advantage and It looks like 13...Nxb3 14.axb3 Ld7? In this survey we will examine the coop- 26...Qxd6 27.h5 (D)
more active plans on the kingside, ensure the (14...h6! is forced: 15.Le3 Lc5 16.Lxc5 eration of queen and opposite coloured XABCDEFGHY
more pleasant middlegame. Qxc5 17.Nd4 ) is OK for Black, but sud- bishop - this can make the difference
11.Lb1 denly a bolt from the blue comes: 15.Ng5! Beliavsky Alexander
8-+-+-+k+(
Lxg5 (15...h6 16.Nh7! Rfe8 17.Nf6+
11.cxd5?! Nxd3 12.Qxd3 Nb4 13.Qe2
Qxd5 Buchenau,F-Renner,K Germany 2005, and 15...g6 16.Nxh7! Kxh7 17.Le3! Qd8
Pavasovic Dusko 7zp-+-+pzp-'
Nagykanizsa 2008
would only favour Black. [17...Lc5 18.Qh5+ Kg7 19.Qh6+ Kg8
XABCDEFGHY 6-vl-wq-+-zp&
11...Nb4 20.Lg5 +] 18.Qh5+ Kg7 19.Qh6+ Kg8
White also felled happy after 11...b6 12.cxd5 20.Lxg6 fxg6 21.Qxg6+ Kh8 22.Qh6+ 8-+-tr-+k+( 5+-+-zpL+P%
exd5 (12...Qxd5?! 13.Nc4 ) 13.Nd4 Nb4 Kg8 23.Rd4 + are losing for Black)
7zp-+-wqpzp-' 4-+-zp-+-+$
14.Rd1 White,I-Buckley,M Torquay 2002. 16.Lxg5 Rfe8 17.Qh5 g6 18.Qh6 Qc5
12.Rd1! 19.Lf6 . Black cannot afford to open the 6-vlR+-+-zp& 3+P+Q+-zP-#
Accurate, as after 12.Nb3 Nxb3! (12...b6?! centre, as his lack of development will tell...
5+-+-zpL+-% 2P+-+PzP-+"
13.Nxc5 bxc5 14.a3 Nc6 15.Rd1 Mogran- 14.Qxc4
zini,R-Amato,A Arvier 2008) 13.axb3 b6 14.Lg5 is also strong: 14...f6 (14...Lxg5? 4-+-zp-+-zP$ 1+-+-+-mK-!
14.Rd1 La6 Black should be OK. 15.Lxh7+! Kxh7 16.Nxg5+ Kg6 17.Qg4 f5
3+P+Q+-zP-# xabcdefghy
12...Qb6 (D) 18.Qg3 +) 15.exf6 Lxf6 (15...gxf6 16.Nxc5
Lxc5 17.Lh6 ) 16.Lxf6 Rxf6 17.Qxc4 White has succeeded in fixing the pawn
XABCDEFGHY (17.Nxc5 Qxc5 18.Rd8+ Rf8 19.Rxf8+
2P+-+PzP-+" structure on the kingside. Because Black
cannot reshape the pawn structure there or in
8r+l+-trk+( Qxf8 20.Qxc4 ) 17...Nxb3 18.axb3 . 1+-+-+-mK-! the centre, he has no meaningful plan. White
14...Nxb3 15.axb3 Rd8?! (D)
7+p+-vlpzpp' Good or bad, Black's hand was forced:
xabcdefghy has one more pawn on the queenside. The
question is whether it is possible to advance
6-wq-+p+-+& 15...Nd5 16.Ng5 g6 17.Qh4 h5 18.Qg3 . 25...Rd6
the queenside pawns far enough to tie the
Conventional logic says that White should
5zp-snpzP-+-% XABCDEFGHY keep rooks on because he controls the only
black pieces to the queenside and then attack
with queen+bishop the unprotected black
4-snP+-+-+$ 8r+ltr-+k+( open file. Moreover, with every piece trade,
pawns on the kingside.
Black is getting closer to the opposite colour
3+-+-+N+-# 7+p+-vlpzpp' bishop endgame which is considered
27...Kf8 28.Kg2 Qc6+ 29.Le4 Qc3
30.Qb5 Qc5 31.Qd7 Qe7 32.Qc8+ Qd8
6-wq-+p+-+& drawish by default. 25...g6? was losing to
2PzP-sNQzPPzP" 26.Lxg6 fxg6 27.Rxg6+ Kh8 28.Rxh6+
33.Qc6 Qc7 34.Qd5 Qc5 35.Qa8+ Ke7
5zp-+-zP-+-% White has, for the time being, avoided the
1tRLvLR+-mK-! Kg8 29.Qg6+ Qg7 30.Qe6+ Qf7
queen exchange and has got time to move
31.Rh8+ +.
xabcdefghy 4-snQ+-+-+$ 26.Rxd6!
his bishop to the a2-g8 diagonal, where it
will threaten the f7-pawn.
A novelty that has been predicted in known 3+P+-+N+-# Against first feelings, it is the only way to
36.Ld3 Qd6 37.Qe4 Kf8 38.Lc4 Qe7
analysis! Previously 12...b6 had been gain an advantage. It is all-important for
played: 13.a3! (13.Nd4 Qc7 (13...Lb7 14. 2-zP-+-zPPzP" White to 'freeze' the favourable pawn struc-
39.b4!
First success - the queenside pawns have
N2f3 Qc8 15.Ng5 with an attack, Lauk,U- 1tRLvLR+-mK-! ture on the kingside by moving his pawn to
h5. With the white pawn on h5, Black no
started to move.
Kunitson,N Tallinn 2007) 14.a3 Nc6
xabcdefghy 39...Qf6
15.Nxc6 Qxc6 16.cxd5 exd5 17.Nf3 longer has any counterplay with ...g6, ...f5
Black cannot take this pawn because the
Sebag,M-Paehtz,E Novi Sad 2009) 13...Nc6 16.Ld2? and ...e4 and should be careful about an
queen+bishop tandem wins the f7- and e5-
14.Ne4! and White is on top. But Black 16.Lxh7+! Kxh7 17.Lg5 is a killer: 17...f6 eventual white queen penetration on h7.
pawns: 39...Qxb4 40.Qa8+ Ke7 41.Qb7+
should think about 12...Qc7!? 13.cxd5 (17...Rxd1+ 18.Rxd1 +) 18.Qh4+ Kg8 26.Rc8+ Rd8 27.Rc4 g6 and White is not Kd8 42.Qd5+ Kc7 (42...Kc8 43.La6+
Nxd5 14.Ne4 due to White's attacking (18...Kg6 19.g4! Kf7 20.exf6 Lxf6 21.Qh5+ better at all because the black e-pawn inevi- Kc7 44.Qxe5+ Kc6 45.Qxg7 )
possibilities on the kingside. +) 19.exf6 Lxf6 20.Lxf6 gxf6 21.Qxf6 +. tably goes to e4. The sacrifice on g6 just

Kf8 74.Qb4+ Kg8 75.Qg4+ Qxg4 66.e5!? 16...Ld7? Le4 [25...Nd3 26.Rf1! Le4 27.Nh6+ Kh8
76.fxg4 +) 69.Qg6+ Qxg6+ 70.Kxg6 Just a trick. 66.Qg3+ Kf7 67.Qc7+ Kg6 16...Lc5! was the main alternative. After 17. 28.Qxe4 gxh6 29.Lxh6 Nb4 30.Qg6 Qc7
Kf8 71.Kxh6 Kf7 72.Kg5 Kg7 73.Kf5 68.Qd8 Kg7 69.Qd5 Qe2 was the normal Qh4 h6 18.Le4! Ld7 (18...Nc6 19.Lxh6 31.Rd1 +] 26.Nh6+ Kh8 27.Qe8+ Kh7
Kf7 74.f4 +, so Black resigned. way, however it is difficult to make pro- Rxd1+ 20.Rxd1 Lxf2+ [20...gxh6? 21.Qxh6 28.Qg8+ Kg6 29.Le3! Qc7 30.Qxe6+
10 gress: 70.Qf5 Qd3 71.Qxh5 Qxe4+ Lxf2+ 22.Kf1 Le3 23.Ng5 +] 21.Qxf2 Kh7 31.Qg8+ Kg6 32.h4! and White wins!)
72.Kg3 Qd3+ 73.f3 Qd6+ 74.Kh3 Qd1 Qxf2+ 22.Kxf2 gxh6 23.Rd6 ) 19.Lxh6 24.Qh4 Rd4 25.Ng4+ (25.Qh5 Nd5 26.
Beliavsky Alexander
and a draw is very probable. Lxf2+ (19...gxh6? 20.Qxh6 Lxf2+ 21.Kh1 Lxe7 Nf4 27.Qf7 Kh7 28.h4 ) 25...Kg8
Hansen Curt
66...Qxe5? Le3 22.Qh7+ Kf8 23.Nh4! +) 20.Qxf2 26.Lxe7 Nd3 27.h3 Nxe5 28.b4 .
Malmo/Copenhagen 2004
Black miscalculated the pawn ending. Qxf2+ 21.Kxf2 gxh6 22.Lxb7 Rab8 23. 17...Lxg5?
XABCDEFGHY 66...fxe5 67.Qxh5 Qxa5 68.Qg5+ Kh7 =. Le4 Lc6 24.Rxd8+ Rxd8 25.Lxc6 Nxc6 Another question mark two in a row.
8-+-+-+-+( 67.Qg3+ Kf7 26.Rc1 Nb4 27.Ke2 White has good winning Black should have opted for 17...Lc6! when
67...Qxg3+ 68.Kxg3 Kf7 69.Kf4 Ke6 chances but Black is still alive and kicking. after 18.Lxh7+ Kxh7 19.Lxe7 Rxd1+
7+-+Q+-+-' 70.Ke4 f5+ 71.Kf4 Kf6 72.f3 +. 17.Lg5? 20.Rxd1 Lxf3 21.gxf3 Nd5 22.Lg5 Qb4
68.Qxe5 fxe5 69.Kf3 Ke7 70.Ke4 Ke6 17.Ng5! would do the job: 17...h6 (it looks he would have achieved a perfectly playable
6-+-+P+pmk& 71.f3 Kf6 72.f4! exf4 73.Kxf4 like Black can survive after 17...g6 18.Qh4 h5 position, despite his small material deficit.
5+-+-+-+-% 10 19.Qg3 Le8, but this is not the case: 18.Lxh7+?
20.Nxf7! Lxf7 21.Lxg6 h4 [21...Rxd2 Spectacular but unnecessary! The natural
4-+-+-+-zp$ Beliavsky Alexander
22.Rxd2 Rf8 23.Rd6! Qc5 24.Lxh5+ Kh7 18.Nxg5 was winning: 18...h6 (18...g6
Ivanchuk Vassily
3+-+-+-+-# Munich 1994 25.Lxf7 Rxf7 26.Rxe6 +] 22.Qg4 Rd4 19.Qh4 h5 20.Nxf7 +) 19.Rd6! Nc6
[22...Lxg6 23.Qxg6+ Kh8 24.Lh6 Lf8 (19...Qb5 20.Lh7+ Kf8 21.Nxe6+ fxe6
2-+-+-wq-+" XABCDEFGHY 25.Lxf8 Rxf8 26.Qh6+ Kg8 27.Qg5+ 22.Qf4+ Ke7 23.Lg6 Rf8 24.Qh4+ +)
1+-+-+-+K! 8-+-+-+-+( Kh8 28.Qxh4+ Kg8 29.Rd7 +] 23.Le4+ 20.Lh7+ Kf8 (20...Kh8 21.Nxf7+ Kxh7
Kf8 24.Le3 Rxe4 [24...Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1 22.Rad1 +) 21.Nxf7! Kxf7 22.Rad1 +.
xabcdefghy 7+-+-+p+-' Qb5 26.Lh6+ Ke8 27.Qg7 +] 25.Qxe4 18...Kxh7 19.Nxg5+ Kg8
84...Qf1+ 6-+-+-+k+& Qb5 26.Lh6+ Ke8 27.Qh7 Qxe5 28.Re1 Of course not 19...Kg6? 20.Qg4 f5 21.exf6
84...h3 85.Qb7 Qe2 86.e7 Kg5 87.Qd5+ Qc5 29.Qh8+ Lf8 30.Rac1 Qd6 31.Rc7 Kxf6 22.Rd6 Qb5 23.Nxe6 +.
Kf6 88.e8Q Qxe8 89.Qf3+ Kg7 5+-+-+-+-% +) 18.Lh7+ Kh8 (18...Kf8?! 19.Nxf7! +) 20.Rd6
90.Qxh3 Qh8 91.Kg2 Qxh3+ 92.Kxh3 4-+-+P+-wq$ 19.Nxf7+ Kxh7 20.Qe4+ Kg8 21.Nxh6+ 20.Qh4 Le8 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Qh8+ Ke7
Kf6 93.Kg4 =. Kh8 (D) (21...gxh6 22.Qg6+ Kh8 23.Qxh6+ 23.Qxg7 Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Nd5 is nothing
85.Kh2 3+-+-+K+p# Kg8 24.Qg6+ Kh8 25.Le3 +) but clear...
XABCDEFGHY 20...Qb5!
2-+-+-+-wQ" Black has to be careful: 20...Nc6? 21.Qd3 .
Beliavsky Alexander 8r+-tr-+-mk(
Nikolic Predrag 1+-+-+-+-! 21.Qe4 (D)
Belgrade 1987 xabcdefghy 7+p+lvl-zp-' XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY 52...Qf6+ 6-wq-+p+-sN& 8r+-tr-+k+(
8-+-+-+-+( 52...Kh7 53.Qa2! (the only move, other-
wise White is losing: 53.Ke3? Qg4 + ; 5zp-+-zP-+-% 7+p+l+pzp-'
7+-+-+-mk-' 53.Qc7? Qh5+ 54.Kg3 h2 +) 53...h2 4-sn-+Q+-+$ 6-+-tRp+-+&
54.Qxf7+ Kh6 55.Qf8+ and draws by per-
6p+-+-zp-+& petual check. 3+P+-+-+-# 5zpq+-zP-sN-%
5zPq+-+-+p% 53.Kg3 Qc3+ 2-zP-vL-zPPzP" 4-sn-+Q+-+$
53...Qe5+ 54.Kxh3 Qxh2+ 55.Kxh2 Kg5
4-+-+P+-zP$ 56.Kg3 =. 1tR-+R+-mK-! 3+P+-+-+-#
3+-+-+Q+-# 54.Kg4 Qd3 55.Qb8 h2 56.Qg8+ Kf6
xabcdefghy 2-zP-+-zPPzP"
57.Qg5+ Ke6 58.Qf5+ Ke7 59.Qe5+
2-+-+-zPK+" Kd7 60.Qxh2 Qxe4+ 61.Qf4 Qxf4+ 22.Lg5! (22.Lxb4? axb4 23.Nf7+ Kg8 1tR-+-+-mK-!
62.Kxf4 24.Nxd8 Rxd8 ) 22...Lc6 (22...Lxg5
1+-+-+-+-! 62...Ke6 63.Ke4 with opposition. 23.Nf7+ Kg8 24.Nxg5 +) 23.Rxd8+ xabcdefghy
xabcdefghy Rxd8 (23...Lxd8?! 24.Nf7+ Kg8 25.Qg6 21...f5?!
21...Nc6! looks like a viable alternative: 28...Kf8 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qxg7+ Kd6 60...Qc7 61.h4! + Qb7?! 62.hxg5 hxg5 58.Qf8+ Qf7 59.Qd6+ Kxf5 60.Qxc6
22.Rad1 (22.Qh7+ Kf8 23.Rxd7? Rxd7 31.Nxe4+ fxe4 63.Qh7 #. Qh5+ 61.Kc2 Qe2+ 62.Kc1 Qe3+
24.Qh8+ Ke7 25.Qxa8 Rd8 +) 22...Qxe5 31...dxe4 32.Qe5+ Kc6 33.Rc1+ Kb6 34.b4! 61.Qe6 Qxb5 62.Qf7+ Kh4 63.Qg6 h5 63.Kc2 Qxd4 64.Qd7+ Kf4 65.Qc7+
23.Qxe5 Nxe5 24.f4 Rdc8 25.fxe5 Lc6 =. +. 64.Qe4! Kf3 66.Qxa5 g5
22.Qh4! Qxe5 23.f4 32.Qe5+ Kc6 Threatening both 65.g3 # and 65.Qe1 #. 01
Not bad, but 23.Qh5 would have been 'sim- 32...Kc5 is no salvation 33.Rc1+ Kb5 64...g4 65.Qxf4
pler': 23...Nd5 (23...Qxd6? 24.Qh7+ Kf8 34.b4! +. 10 In each of the next four examples, an even-
25.Qh8+ Ke7 26.Qxg7+) 24.Qf7+ Kh8 33.b4! tual pawn ending is of the utmost impor-
25.Rxd7 Rxd7 26.Qxd7 Qxb2 27.Re1 Accurate and decisive! Of course, White is Ionov Sergey tance. You should be ready for precise cal-
Nf6 28.Qxe6 . sufficient material up, but some 'technique' Beliavsky Alexander culations, bearing in mind queen exchanges.
23...Qxb2? is still required. Azov 1991
The pressure is too much and Black crumbles. 33...Kb6 XABCDEFGHY
He should have played 23...Qe3+! 24.Kh1 Beliavsky Alexander
33...axb4 34.Rc1+ Kb6 35.Qc7+ Ka6
Nd3 25.Rxd3 Qxd3 26.Qh7+ Kf8 27. 8-+-+-+-+( Dolmatov Sergey
36.Ra1+ +.
Qh8+ Ke7 28.Qxg7+ Kd6 29.Nf7+ Kc7 Minsk 1987
34.Qd6+
30.Qe5+ Kb6 31.Nxd8 Qd5 32.Qe3+ Kc7 34.bxa5+ keeps an even firmer grip:
7+p+-+kzp-' XABCDEFGHY
33.Nf7 Lc6 34.Rg1 Qe4 35.Qf2 and al- 34...Ka7 35.Qd4+ Kb8 36.Qxd5 +. 6-+p+-+-+& 8-+-+-+k+(
though White is a pawn up, the fight would 34...Ka7
have been prolonged to the good. Even 34...Lc6 does not solve anything 35.Qc5+ 5zp-+p+P+-% 7+-+-+-+-'
23...Qf6 would allow Black to play on after Kc7 36.b5 +. 4-+-zPq+-+$
24.Rad1 Qh6 25.Qe1 . 35.Ra1
6-+-+-+-zp&
24.Rad1 Nd5?! (D) 35.Qxd5 and White can already relax: 3+PmK-+-wQ-# 5+-+-+-+-%
Although Black is lost anyway, he should 35...Rac8 36.Qxa5+ Kb8 37.b5 Lxb5 38.
have tried 24...Qf6 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Rxd7 Qxb5 +.
2P+-+-+-+" 4-+-+QmK-+$
Rxd7 27.Rxd7 Ke8 28.Rd6 +. 35...Lc6 1+-+-+-+-! 3+-+-+P+P#
XABCDEFGHY 35...a4 36.b5 Lxb5 37.Qc5+ Ka6 38.Rb1 xabcdefghy 2-+q+-+-+"
and mate follows. 35...La4 also does not get
8r+-tr-+k+( the cat down out of the tree: 36.Qc5+ b6 47...b5 48.Qc7+
1+-+-+-+-!
Or 48.Qg6+ Kg8 49.Qxc6 b4+ 50.Kd2
7+p+l+-zp-' 37.Qd4 +.
Qxd4+ 51.Ke2 Qe5+ 52.Kd2 Kf7 xabcdefghy
36.Qc5+
6-+-tRp+-+& 36.Qc7 is even faster: 36...a4 37.Qa5+ 53.Qg6+ Ke7 54.Qg5+ Qf6 55.Qe3+
The pawn structure is drawish and the black
Kb8 38.Qxd8+ Ka7 39.Qa5+ Kb8 40. Kd6 56.Qb6+ Ke5 57.Qxa5 Qg5+
5zp-+n+psN-% Qc5 +. 58.Ke2 Qg2+ 59.Kd1 Qf3+ 60.Kc1
king correctly placed on the kingside. Still,
Black should be careful to avoid a trick.
4-+-+-zP-wQ$ 36...Kb8 37.b5 Lxb5
Qc3+ 61.Kd1 Qd4+ 62.Ke2 Qe4+ 63.
Kd2 Kxf5 + and the g-pawn is unstoppa- 66...Qh2+?
37...Le8 38.b6 Rd7 39.Rc1 +. 66...Qc7+! was correct: 67.Qe5 Qf7+
3+P+-+-+-# 38.Qxb5 a4 ble.
68.Qf5 Qc7+ 69.Kg4 Qg7+ 70.Kh5 Kh8
2-wq-+-+PzP" 38...Ra7, praying for a miracle was 'forced'. 48...Qe7 49.Qc8
71.h4 Qf7+ 72.Kg4 Qg8+ 73.Kh3 Qe8
39.Qb6! Rd7 40.Qe6 Rc7 41.Qe8+ Rc8 49.Qxc6 b4+ 50.Kd2 Qg5+ 51.Ke1
74.h5 Kg7 75.Kg4 Qe3 76.Qg6+ Kf8
1+-+R+-mK-! 42.Qe5+ Ka7 43.Qxd5
Qg1+ 52.Ke2 Qg4+ 53.Ke1 Qe4+
77.Qf6+ Kg8 78.Qd8+ Kg7 79.Qc7+
54.Kd1 Qxd4+ 55.Kc2 Qf2+ 56.Kd1
xabcdefghy Black resigned. After 43...Rc6 44.Qd4+
Kb8 45.Qe5+ Kc8 46.Qh8+ Kc7 47. Qxf5 57.Qc7+ Ke6 58.Qxa5 Qe4 + is
Kg8 80.Qc4+ Kg7 81.f4 Qb6 82.Qd5
Qa6 83.Qe5+ Kf7 84.Qf5+ Kg7 and,
25.R6xd5! exd5 26.Re1 Qd4+ Qxa8 + there is nothing to hope for. 1-0 similar to the previous note.
26...Le6 does not save the day: 27.Qh7+ with a certain degree of accuracy, Black will
49...Qe3+ 50.Kc2 Qe4+ 51.Kc1 b4 escape.
Kf8 28.Nxe6+ Ke7 29.Nxd8+ Kxd8
Aronian Levon 52.Qc7+
30.Qg8+ Kc7 31.Qxa8 +. 67.Kf5 Qxh3+
Gelfand Boris 52.Qxc6 Qf4+ 53.Kb2 Qxd4+ 54.Kc2
27.Kh1 Qe4 Qe4+ 55.Kd2 Qf4+ 56.Kd1 Qxf5 67...Kf8 68.Qb4+ Kf7 69.Qc4+ Ke7
D46 Bursa 2010 70.Qe6+ Kd8 71.Qxh6 +.
The only way to avoid mate (for the time 57.Qc7+ Ke6 58.Qxa5 Qg4+ 59.Kd2 g5
being). 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 68.Kf6
Nbd7 6.Qc2 Ld6 7.Ld3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 60.Qb6+ Kf5 61.Qa7 Qe4 +.
28.Qh7+ The pawn ending is lost: 68...Qg2
9.Lxc4 a6 10.Rd1 b5 11.Lf1 c5 12.a4 b4 52...Qe7 53.Qc8 Qd6 54.Kd1 Kf6 (68...Qd7 69.Qg6+ Kf8 70.Qxh6+ Kg8
28.Nxe4? is impossible: 28...fxe4 29.Qe7 55.Qg8 Qe7 56.Qc8 Qd6 57.Qg8 Qd7
a4 30.bxa4 Lxa4 31.Qe6+ Kf8 . 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Rb8 (D) 71.Qg5+ Kf8 72.Qc5+ Kg8 73.Qc4+
Qg1+ 92.Kh7 Qd4 (92...Qg3 93.Qg8+ + 52...Qc2? 32.Re3?
; 92...Qa7+ 93.Kg8 Qg1+ 94.Qg7 Qd4 White is gaining an important tempo to
XABCDEFGHY 32.Qxe6 fxe6 33.Rxe4 Lf6 seems to 'offer'
95.Qg6+ Ke7 96.Kg7 Qc3 [96...Qa1 bring his queen back to e5 and hold up 8-trlwq-trk+( Black 'unnecessary complications' but White
97.Qf7+ Kd6 98.Kf6 +] 97.Qf5 +) Black's counterplay, while promoting his has excellent winning chances after 34.Re1
93.Qc8+ Kf7 94.Qc7+ Kf6 95.Qc6+ Kf7 passed b-pawn. Instead, Black had a chance
7+-+n+pzpp' b2 35.Ld3 Rc1 36.Rf1 Lc3 37.Lc7 h6
96.Qg6+ Ke7 97.Kg7 Kd7 98.Kf6 Qc3 to place his queen on the central e5-square to 6p+-vlp+-+& (37...Le1? 38.Le5 b1Q 39.Lxb1 Rxb1
99.Qf5+ Kd8 100.Ke6 +. gain counterplay against the white king: 40.Lc3 +) 38.Lb6 e5 39.Le3 Le1 40.g3.
79.Kh3 Qd6 80.f3 Qd4 (D) 52...Qa2 53.Qd4 Qxa3 54.Qxb6 Qb2 5+-zp-+-+-% 32...Lf6?
Or 80...Kh7 81.Qg5 Qc5 82.Kg4 and with 55.b5 (55.Qc5 Kg6 56.b5 h5 57.b6 g4 4Pzp-zPQ+-+$ A blunder in time trouble. 32...Lg7! seems
the black king on h7 helpless to protect the 58.Qc6+ Kg7! [58...f6? 59.Qe4+ Kg7 to hold: 33.Rxb3 h6 34.Qxe6 fxe6 35.Rb8
e-pawn, White easily wins. 60.b7 +] 59.hxg4 hxg4 60.b7 Qe5 =) 3+-+-zPN+-# (35.Lxa6? Rc1+ 36.Lf1 Ld5 )
XABCDEFGHY 55...Qe5 56.f3 h5 57.Qb7 Kg7 58.b6 g4 2-zP-+-zPPzP" 35...Rxb8 36.Lxb8 Lb7 37.Lc4 Kf7 =.
59.hxg4 hxg4 60.fxg4 f3+ 61.Kh3 f2 33.Rxe4! Qxe4 34.Qxf6
8-+-+-+-mk( 62.Qf3 f1Q 63.Qxf1 Qe3+ 64.Qf3 Qxb6 1tR-vLR+LmK-! Black is plain lost - the bishop-pair is un-
=. stoppable.
7+-+-+-+-' 53.f3 Qa2 54.Qf6 b5
xabcdefghy 34...Qg6 35.Qd4 h6 36.Le5 Re8 37.h4
6-+-+-+-+& 54...Qxa3?! 55.Qxf7+ Kh8 56.Qf6+ Kh7 15.Qd3! Qf5 (D)
57.Qxb6 +. A good novelty. 15.b3?! Lb7 16.Qd3 cxd4
5+-+-zp-+-% 55.Qf5+ Kg7 56.Qxb5 Qxa3 57.Qe5+ 17.exd4 Qa5 18.Lb2 Rfd8 Saladen,R- XABCDEFGHY
4-+-wqP+Q+$ Kg6 58.b5 Qa5 59.Qe4+? Abreu Delgado,A Cali 2001. 8-+-+r+k+(
White had a way to promote his b-pawn 15...cxd4 16.Qxd4 Le7 17.Qf4! Lf6
3+-+-+P+K# while escaping from perpetual check: 59. 18.a5 Qe7 19.e4 e5 20.Qe3 7+-+-+p+-'
Qd6+! f6 (59...Kh5 60.Qf6 Qe1 61. White's position is preferable, as his pieces 6p+-+-+-zp&
2-+-+-+-+" Qxf7+ Kh4 62.Qc4 Qg3+ 63.Kg1 Qe1+ can be coordinated and, compared to
1+-+-+-+-! 64.Qf1 Qe5 65.Qf2+ Kh5 66.b6 Qb5 Black's, can create more plans and threats. 5zP-+-vLqzp-%
67.Kh2 Qb4 68.h4! g4 69.fxg4+ Kxg4 20...Nc5 21.Rd5 Ne6 22.Nxe5 Lb7
xabcdefghy 70.Qf3+ Kxh4 71.Qc6 Kg5 72.b7 Qb3 23.Nd7 Lxd5 24.Nxf8 La8 25.Nxe6
4-+-wQ-+-zP$
81.Qe6 Qc5 82.Qf6+ Kh7 83.Kg4 Qc3 73.Qe4 Qg3+ 74.Kg1 f3 75.Qd5+ Kh4 Qxe6 26.Qa7 3+p+-+-+-#
84.Kh5 Qa1 85.Qe7+ Kh8 86.Kg6 76.Qc4+ Kh5 77.Qf7+ Kh4 78. Qf6+ 26.e5 looks attractive, but Black can get
Qg1+ 87.Qg5 Kh5 79.Qxf3+ +) 60.b6 Qe1 61.Qd3+ f5 sufficient compensation after 26...Lxe5! 2-+-+-zPP+"
10 (61...Kh5 62.Qe4 +) 62.b7 Qg3+ 63.Kg1 (26...Qxe5?! 27.Qxe5 Lxe5 28.Lxa6 ) 1+-+-+LmK-!
Qe1+ 64.Qf1 Qb4 65.Qa6+ Kh5 66.Kh2 27.f4 Lf6 28.Qxe6 fxe6 29.Lxa6 Rd8 .
Beliavsky Alexander Qb1 (66...Qe1 67.b8Q Qg3+ 68.Kg1 26...Rd8 27.Le3 Lxe4 28.Re1 Lxb2 xabcdefghy
Romero Holmes Alfonso Qe1+ 69.Qf1 +) 67.Qa7 g4 68.hxg4+ 29.Qb6! Rc8 30.Lf4 g5 31.Lg3 b3 (D) 38.Lh8! Qh7 39.Qd7 Qe4 40.Lc3 gxh4
Leon 1994 41.Ld3
fxg4 69.fxg4+ Kxg4 70.b8Q +. XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY 59...Kh5? 1-0
Here the black king will be subject to a mat- 8-+r+-+k+(
8-+-+-+-+( ing attack. Instead 59...Kf6!, with the idea Morozevich Alexander
7+-+-+p+p' Papaioannou Ioannis
7+-+-+p+k' of bringing the black king closer to White's
b-pawn, was the correct way to escape. If the 6pwQ-+q+-+& A17 Bursa 2010
6-zp-+-+-zp& black king is close enough to the b-pawn, 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Lb4 4.g4
White cannot exchange queens on e4 or f1 5zP-+-+-zp-% This creative move has become popular re-
5+-+-wQ-zp-% cently. White aims to harass the knight and
and the black queen perpetually checks the 4-+-+l+-+$
4-zP-+-zp-+$ white king: 60.Qc6+ Ke7 61.b6 Qe1 =. if 4...Nxg4 then 5.Rg1 wins back the pawn.
Note that 59...Kg7? loses as well: 60.Qd4+ 3+p+-+-vL-# Also, we must keep in mind that the idea of
3zP-+-+-+P# Kg8 (60...f6 61.b6 Qb5 62.Qd6 Kg6 this move is similar to that of the Shabalov-
2-vl-+-zPPzP" Shirov attack in the Anti-Meran: White
2-+-+-zPPmK" 63.Qc7 Qb1 64.Qc6 +) 61.b6 Qe1 62.
Qe4 +. 1+-+-tRLmK-! combines his development with an early
1+q+-+-+-! 60.Qf5 f6 attack, which disturbs Black's development
xabcdefghy plans. This move was discovered by GM
xabcdefghy
V.Zvjagintsev and applied by him in a rapid 8.Qb3 Popov,V-Orlov,V St Petersburg 64...Qc8+? 67...Qd7 68.Qf6 Qd3+ 69.Qf3 Qd6
game against M.Gurevich (Moscow 1996). 1999. Black had to opt for 64...Qd7+! 65.Kg3 70.Qf7+ Kh8?
4...0-0 5.g5 Qd3+ 66.Qf3 Qd8 67.Qg4 Qd3+ 68.f3 Correct was 70...Kh6 71.Qg8 Qf6 72.f3
Of course, Black has many options here: 5.Qb3 Le7 6.g5 Ne8 7.d4 b6 8.h4 Lb7 (68.Kg2 Qd4 69.h5 gxh5 70.Qxh5+ Kg7 Qf4+ 73.Kg2 Qf6 (73...Qxh4? 74.Qh8+
a) 4...h6 is more solid: 5.Rg1 (5.h3!?) 5...b6 9.Rh3 f5 10.Lf4 Nc6 11.e3 Na5 12.Qc2 71.Qf5 Qd6 72.Kh3 Kh6 73.Kg3 Qc7 Kg5 75.Qxe5+ Kh6 76.Qh8+ Kg5
(5...d6 6.h4 [6.g5 hxg5 7.Rxg5 g6 8.a3?! Nd6 13.Ne5 was tried in Mirosh- 74.Qf6+ [74.f3 Qg7+ 75.Qg4 Qc7 77.Qxh4+ Kxh4 78.f4 +) 74.Kg1 g5!
Lxc3 9.bxc3 e5 10.c5?! e4 11.Nd4 dxc5 nichenko,E-Jedynak,R Swidnica 2000. 76.Qh3+ Kg5 77.Qf5+ Kh6 78.Qg4 Qc5 75.hxg5+ Qxg5+ 76.Qxg5+ Kxg5 77.Kg2
Jimenez,P-Benjamin,J New York 1998] 5...Ne8 (D) 79.Qh3+ Kg6 80.Qe6+ Kh5 81.Qf5+ Kg6 78.Kf2 Kf6 79.Ke3 Ke7 80.Kd3
6...e5 7.g5 hxg5 8.hxg5 Ng4 9.Nd5 Lc5 XABCDEFGHY Kh6 82.Qf6+ Kh5 83.Qf5+ Kh6 = ; Kd6 81.Kc4 Kc6 =.
10.d4 Lb6!? 11.Nxb6 axb6 Zvjagint- 74.Kg4 Qg7+ 75.Kh3 Qc7 =] 74...Kh5! 71.Kg4 Qd1+ 72.Qf3 Qd8
sev,V-Benjamin,J Groningen 1997) seems to 8rsnlwqntrk+( 75.f3 Qg7+! 76.Qxg7 =) 68...Qd2! Or 72...Qg1+ 73.Qg3 Qa1 74.h5 Kg7
be an automatic choice of todays experts of (68...Qd6? 69.h5 gxh5 70.Qxh5+ Kg7 75.hxg6 Kxg6 76.Kh4+ Kf6 77.Qg5+
this opening with Black: 6.Qc2 (6.d3!?
7zppzpp+pzpp' 71.Qf5 Qc5 72.Qg5+ Kf7 73.Kg4 Qd6 Kf7 78.Qh5+ Kg7 79.f3 Qd4 80.Qg4+
Lb7 7.e4 d5 8.e5 Nfd7 [8...d4!?] 9.a3 6-+-+p+-+& 74.Qh5+ Kg8 75.Qf5 [75.Kf5 Qd7+ = Kf7 81.Qf5+ Ke7 82.Kg5 Qg1+ 83.Qg4
Lxc3+ 10.bxc3 dxc4 11.d4 b5 12.Rb1 a6 76.Kxe5? Qb5+ +] 75...Kg7 76.Qg5+ Qb6 84.Qh4 Qe3+ 85.Kf5+ Kd7
13.Lxc4 bxc4 14.Rxb7 Nb6 15.Qe2
5+-+-+-zP-% Kf7 77.Kh5 Qb8 78.Qg6+ Ke7 79.Kh6 86.Qh7+ Kc6 87.Qg6+ Kc5 88.Qg3 +.
Pelletier,Y-Huss,A Cannes 1998 ; 6.Qb3 4-vlP+-+-+$ Qb2 80.Kg7 Qh2 81.Qf6+ Kd7 82.Qg5
Kc7 83.Qg6 Qb2 84.Kf6 +) 69.h5 Qe1+
73.h5 gxh5+ 74.Kxh5 (D)
Nc6 7.h4 Lb7 8.g5 hxg5 9.hxg5 Ng8
3+-sN-+N+-# 70.Kg2 Qe2+ 71.Kh3 Qf1+ 72.Kh4
XABCDEFGHY
10.d4 a5 11.Ld2 a4 12.Nxa4 Lxd2+
13.Kxd2 Na5 14.Qc2 Lxf3 15.exf3 Rh4 2PzP-zPPzP-zP" Qe1+ 73.Kg5 Qd2+ 74.Kf6 Qd6+ 8-+-wq-+-mk(
16.Re1 Rxd4+ 17.Kc1 Qe7 18.a3 Nc6 75.Kf7 Qc7+ 76.Ke6 Qc6+ 77.Kxe5 7+-+-+-+-'
19.Nc3 Rf4? 20.Nd5 1-0 Miroshniche- 1tR-vLQmKL+R! Qc5+ 78.Kf6 Qd6+ 79.Qe6 Qf4+
nko, E-Kuzmenko,Y Kharkov 2000) 6... xabcdefghy 80.Ke7 gxh5 81.Qf5+ Qxf5 82.exf5 h4 6-+-+-+-+&
Lb7 7.a3 Le7 8.g5 hxg5 9.Nxg5 Nh5 83.f6 h3 84.f7 h2 85.f8Q h1Q and Black
10.d4 Nc6 11.Nf3 Lf6 .
Better than 5...Lxc3?! 6.bxc3 Ne8 (6... has his king in the right corner to claim a 5+-+-zp-+K%
Ne4?! 7.d3 ) 7.La3 d6 8.Rb1 Wright,
b) 4...d6!? 5.g5 (5.Qa4+?! Nc6 6.Nd4 Ld7 N-Hacche,D Canberra 2003.
draw. 4-+-+P+-+$
7.Nxc6? Lxc6 ) 5...Nfd7 (5...Lxc3 6.bxc3 65.Kg3 Qc3+ 66.Qf3 Qc7 (D)
Nfd7 7.d3 [7.Lg2 e5 8.d3 Nc6 9.h4 0-0
6.Rg1
XABCDEFGHY 3+-+-+Q+-#
A plethora of other options has been played
{9...Nb6?! 10.Le3 Qe7 11.Nd2 Ld7 12.a4 in this position. A sample: 8-+-+-+-+( 2-+-+-zP-+"
Na5 13.Nb3 Nakamura,H-Sokolov,A
Mainz 2009} 10.h5 Ne7 11.Rb1 Rb8 12.d4
a) 6.Qc2 d5 7.e3 c5 (7...Nc6 8.d4 e5
7+-wq-+-+k' 1+-+-+-+-!
9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 d4 11.exd4 Qxd4
b6 13.g6 fxg6 14.hxg6 Nxg6 15.Ng5 Na- 12.Le3 Qxe5 13.0-0-0 Lxc3 14.Qxc3 6-+-+-+p+& xabcdefghy
kamura,H-Pogorelov,R Reykjavik 2004 ; 7.d4 Qxc3+ 15.bxc3 Nd6 16.c5 Nf5 17.Lf4 It is interesting for the theory of queen end-
b6 8.a4 {8.h4 Nc6 9.e4 Na5 10.Le3 Qe7 Le6 18.Lh3 c6 = Grachev,B-Riazantsev, A 5+-+-zp-+-% ings, whether and when such a pawn struc-
11.Nd2 e5 12.h5 Lb7 13.Qg4 Mellado Sochi 2004) 8.Rg1 Nc6 9.Ld3 Ber- ture is winning. In general, if White brings
Trivino,J-Tallo Dominguez,I Sabadell 2009; 8.
4-+-+P+-zP$ his king to f5 or f6, he is winning.
resheim,H-Dauenheimer,T Germany 1999.
e4 Lb7 9.Ld3 Nc6 10.Le3 Qe7 11.Nd2 b) 6.Qb3 c5 7.a3 La5 8.Ne4 b6 9.Qe3 d5 3+-+-+QmK-# 74...Qe8+ 75.Kg5 Qg8+ 76.Kh4 Qd8+
Gurevich,M-Istratescu,A Antalya 2004} 8... 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Ng3 Nc6 12.Lg2 Nc7 77.Kg3 Qd6 78.Qg4 Qg6
Nc6 9.e4 Qe7 10.Le3 f5 Dobrov,V- 13.0-0 Lg4 14.Qf4 Lxf3 15.Qxf3 Qxg5
2-+-+-zP-+" White is not obliged to take the queen. A bit
Carlsen,M Gausdal 2005] 7...b6 8.Lg2 [8.h4 16.d4 Huzman,A-Nikolic,P Neum 2000. 1+-+-+-+-! better was 78...Kh7 79.Qh5+ Kg8 80.f3
Kg7 81.Kg4 Qe6+ 82.Qf5 Qd6 83.Qg5+
Lb7 9.Rh3 Nc6 10.Nd4 Ne7 11.f4 c5 c) 6.h4 d5 7.Qb3 Nc6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Qxd5
Milanovic,D-Drasko,M Vogosca 2007] 8... Qe7 10.e3 Nd6 11.Qb3 Lxc3 12.Qxc3 xabcdefghy Kf7 (with the king on f7 rather than h7,
Lb7 9.Rg1 c5 10.Nd2 Lxg2 11.Rxg2 Nc6 Ne4 Xu Hanbing-Szabo,Z Budapest 67.Qf8? Black has many more tricks. Still White's
Kehrel,E-Smikalla,R Dortmund 2001) 67.h5! was possible: 67...gxh5 68.Qxh5+ position is winning:) 84.Kh5 Qd4
2000.
6.Qc2 Nc6 7.a3 Lxc3 8.Qxc3 e5
Kg7 69.Qg5+ Kf7 (69...Kh7 70.Kg4 +) 85.Qg6+ Ke7 86.Kg4 Qc5 87.Qg7+
6...d5
70.Kg4 (70.Qf5+ Kg7) 70...Qb8 (70... (87.Kf5? Qc8+ 88.Kxe5 Qc5+ 89.Kf4
Krasenkow,M-Bogdanovski,V Elista 1998. The main alternative is 6...b6 7.Qc2 Lb7 Qc1+ 90.Kf5 Qc5+ 91.e5 Qc2+ 92.Kg5
Qd6 71.f3 +) 71.f3! (71.Kf5? Qc8+ 72.
c) 4...Lxc3 5.dxc3 d6 6.g5 Nfd7 7.Lg2 . 8.a3 Lxc3 (8...Le7?! 9.d4 d5 10.cxd5 exd5 Qg2+ 93.Kh6 Qxf3 =) 87...Ke6 88.Qg8+
Kxe5 Qc5+ 73.Kf4 Qxf2+ =) 71...Qd6
d) 4...d5 5.g5 Lxc3 6.bxc3 Ne4 7.d3 Nxc3 11.Lf4 c5 12.0-0-0 Najer,E-Berg,E Mos Kf6 89.Kh5 Qd4 90.Qf8+ Ke6 91.Kg6
72.Kh5 +.
Beliavsky Alexander 71.Qf6 (71.Qg5+?! Kf7) 71...Qa1 cow 2004) 9.Qxc3 c5 10.Lg2 (10.Rg3?! (14.Lg4 Rxf2! ; 14.Lg2 Nxe6 15.Lxf3
Rozanov Pavel (71...Kh7? 72.Qh4+ Kg6 73.Qg3+ d5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.d4 Nd6 13.Qc2 Ne4 Nd4 ) 14...Nd3+ 15.Kf1 Lc5 .
Moscow 2011 Qxg3+ 74.Kxg3 Kg5 [74...Kh5 75.f4 +] 14.Rg1 Nc6 15.Le3 Qe7 16.Lh3 Rfe8 11.gxh7+ Kh8 12.Qc2 exd5 13.Lxc8
XABCDEFGHY 75.f3 Kf6 76.Kh4 Kg6 77.Kg4 Kf6 Sales,J-Akobian,V Canberra 2008) 10... Rxc8 14.Nxd5 Re8 15.Kf1?!
78.Kh5 +) 72.f3 Kh7 73.Kh2 Qd4 d5 11.d3 d4 12.Qc2 Qc7 13.Ld2 Nd7 Here is the critical moment of the game.
8-+-+-+-+( 74.Kh3 Qf2 75.Qf5+ Kh6 76.Qe6+ Kh7 14.0-0-0 Agrest,E-Ivanchuk,V Sweden White should have played 15.b3! c3
7+-+-+-zpk' 77.Qg4 Qd4 78.Qg5 Qb2 79.Kg3 Kh8 2004. (15...cxb3 16.Qxb3 Nc4 17.Lb2!) 16.d4
80.Qe7 Kg8 81.Kh3 Kh8 82.Kh4 Qf2+ 7.Qb3 Ne4 17.Ne3 Ld6 18.a3 .
6-+-+-+q+& 83.Kg5 Qg3+ (83...Qxf3 84.Qf6+ Qxf6+ 7.a3!? Le7 8.d4 dxc4 9.e4 c5 10.d5 15...Ne4! 16.Ne3 Qd7 17.Ng5 (D)
85.Kxf6 +) 84.Kh6 Qf4+ 85.Kg6 Qg3+ Maybe 17.Rg4 f5 18.Rh4 g5 19.Rh5 f4
5+-+-zp-+p% 86.Qg5 +.
Muse,D-Kurajica,B Sibenik 2005.
20.Nxc4 Qf7 21.Nce5 Qxh5 (21...Qf5!?
7...c5 (D)
4-+-+P+-zP$ XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 22.Qxc8! Rxc8 23.d3 ) 22.Qxe4 was
3+-+-+-zP-# Whites last chance.
8-+-+q+-+( 8rsnlwqntrk+( XABCDEFGHY
2-+-+-zPK+" 7+-+-+-+-' 7zpp+-+pzpp'
1+-+Q+-+-! 8-+r+r+-mk(
6-+-+-+pmk& 6-+-+p+-+& 7zpp+q+pzpP'
xabcdefghy 5+-+-zpQ+-% 5+-zpp+-zP-%
59.Qf3! 6n+-+-+-+&
Threatening 60.Qf5, with a won pawn end-
4-+-+P+pzP$ 4-vlP+-+-+$ 5+-+-+-sN-%
ing. 3+-+-+-mK-# 3+QsN-+N+-# 4-vlp+n+-+$
59...Qe8 60.Qf5+ Kh6?
We will see in the game how White ex- 2-+-+-zP-+" 2PzP-zPPzP-zP" 3+-+-sN-+-#
changed the g- and h-pawns, stripping the
enemy king from his pawn protection. Next,
1+-+-+-+-! 1tR-vL-mKLtR-! 2PzPQzPPzP-zP"
White exploited this fact by bringing his xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 1tR-vL-+KtR-!
king close to the e5-pawn. So, better was 63.Qf6? An early novelty. The usual continuation
60...g6 61.Qf6 Kg8 62.g4 (the natural idea The correct continuation was 63.Qg5+! was 7...Lxc3 8.Qxc3 Nd6 9.b3 Ne4 10. xabcdefghy
62.f4, to obtain a passed e-pawn, doesn't Kh7 64.h5 gxh5 65.Kh4 + and White is Qc2 c5 11.Lb2 Nc6 = Vaisser,A-Sokolov, 17...Nac5! 18.Qxc4 Nxg5 19.Rxg5
help, as the white king is open to checks and winning both the h- and g-pawns and then A Val d'Isere 2002. Note that 7...Nc6?! fails 19.Qxb4 Re4 20.Qc3 Nce6 .
has no reasonable way to hide somewhere: penetrates with his king towards to the e5- to 8.Nxd5! exd5 9.cxd5 . 19...Ne4 20.Qb5 (D)
62...exf4 63.Qxf4 Qc6 64.Qb8+ Kf7 pawn or to the g6-square with threats. 8.cxd5 Nd6 Or 20.Qxb4 Nxg5 21.d3 Qh3+ 22.Ke1
65.Qb3+ Kf6 66.Kf3 Qd6 67.Qe3 Ke6 63...Kh7 64.Kxg4 (D) 8...Lxc3 9.Qxc3 Qxd5 10.b4 Na6 11.bxc5 Qxh2 . Black is really too active to fail.
68.Qc3 Kf7 69.Qc4+ Kf6 70.Qd5 Qxd5
71.exd5 Ke5 =) 62...hxg4 63.Kg3 Kh7
XABCDEFGHY was what White had wished for and 8...Nc7 XABCDEFGHY
9.dxe6 Lxe6 10.Qc2 Nc6 is a fair alter-
64.Kxg4 (the idea to first strip the black 8-+-+q+-+( native. But Black could also proceed with 8-+r+r+-mk(
king, recapturing the pawns later, doesn't
work here: 64.h5 gxh5 65.Kh4 g3! 66.fxg3 7+-+-+-+k' 8...exd5 9.Qxd5 (9.Nxd5? Le6 10.e4 Nd6 7zpp+q+pzpP'
) 9...Qb6 10.Qd3 Le6 .
Qg6 =) 64...Qd7+ 65.Kg3 Qd3+ 66.Qf3 6-+-+-wQp+& 9.Lh3 Na6 10.g6?! 6-+-+-+-+&
(66.f3 Qd4 =) 66...Qd8 67.Qf7+ Kh6
68.Qd5 Qf6 69.Qd2+ Kh5 70.Qe2+ Kh6 5+-+-zp-+-% Too optimistic. White should opt for
5+Q+-+-tR-%
71.Qg4 Qe7 72.Kg2 Qf6 = because White 10.dxe6 c4! 11.Qc2 Lxe6 12.Lxe6 fxe6
has no way to exchange his h-pawn for the
4-+-+P+KzP$ which is the natural continuation, but this is 4-vl-+n+-+$
black g-pawn. 3+-+-+-+-# not in the style of Moro.
3+-+-sN-+-#
61.g4 hxg4 62.Kg3 g6 (D) 10...c4?!
An alternative such as 62...Qb5 is hopeless
2-+-+-zP-+" Black continues to sacrifice material in ex- 2PzP-zPPzP-zP"
as well: 63.Qg5+ Kh7 64.Qh5+ Kg8 1+-+-+-+-! change for the initiative. But perfectly play-
65.Qxg4 Qb3+ 66.Kg2 Qc3 67.h5 Kh7 able was 10...fxg6! 11.dxe6 c4 12.Qc2 1tR-vL-+K+-!
68.Qg6+ Kh8 69.h6 gxh6 70.Qxh6+ Kg8 xabcdefghy Nc5! (12...Nc7 ) 13.Nd5 Rxf3! 14.exf3
xabcdefghy
20...Rc6! 21.Rf5? Qa5! 14.exf8Q+ Kxf8 +) 12...Qxe7 Negi Parimarjan 59.Kh2
The last mistake, although after the 'correct' 13.d6 Qe4 14.Lxe4 Lxe4 15.Qxc3 Lxh1 Beliavsky Alexander 59.fxg4 Qxg4 60.Qxd6 Qxe4 seems a bet-
21.Rh5 g6 22.Re5 Kxh7 White's posi- 16.f3 . Amsterdam 2007 ter option for White. However, Black has a
tion is not attractive either. 12.Ne4 Nxd5 13.0-0 Na6 14.Rd1 Nac7 XABCDEFGHY better move instead of 59...Qxg4:
21...Nd6 22.Qd3 Rxe3 15.Nxc5! dxc5 16.e4 Nb5 17.exd5 59...Qh6+! 60.Kg1 Qe3+ 61.Kh2 Qxe4
White's position is so bad that even 22...Qc8 White's advantage is already great - the d- 8-+-+-+-+( 62.Qxd6 Qf4+ and White cannot avoid the
was curtains. pawn is a killer. 7+-+Q+pmk-' queen exchange: 63.Kg1 (63.g3 Qh6+ + ;
23.dxe3 Qxf5 24.a3?! 17...Ld6 18.Le3 Rc8 19.Rac1 c4 20.Qe2 63.Kh3 Qh6+ 64.Qxh6+ Kxh6 65.Kh4 f6
White's position is of course lost but the text Qf6 21.Nxd6 Nxd6 22.Lxa7 (D) 6-+-zp-+p+& +) 63...Qd4+ 64.Qxd4 exd4 65.Kf2 Kf6
loses instantly. 24.Qxf5 Nxf5 25.e4 was White has even won a pawn, preserving the 66.Ke2 Ke5 67.Kd3 f6 68.Kd2 Ke4
the only way to prolong the fight. bishop-pair. The end should not be far way.
5+-+-zp-+p% 69.Ke2 d3+ 70.Kd2 Kd4 71.Kd1 Ke3
24...Qh3+ 25.Kg1 Nf5! 22...Rfe8 23.Qc2 Qd8 24.Lh3 f5 25.Le3 4-+-+P+-+$ 72.Ke1 d2+ 73.Kd1 Kd3 +. Also note
And White resigned as mate is near... Qd7 26.Lf4 g6 27.Lf1 La6 28.b3! cxb3 that 59.Kg1?! loses to 59...gxf3 60.gxf3
0-1 29.Qxb3 Lxf1 30.Rxf1 Nf7 31.d6! + g5 3+-+-+P+P# Qf6 +.
Banikas Hristos
32.Lxg5 Qxd6 33.Lf4 Qa6 34.Rxc8 2-+-wq-+PmK" 59...Qh6+ 60.Kg3 Qf4+ 61.Kf2 Qf6
Rxc8 35.Re1 Ra8 36.Qd5 Rd8 37.Qxf5 62.Qd7 Qh4+ 63.Ke2
Tomashevsky Evgeny Qxa2 38.Lg5 Ra8 39.Lf6 Qc4 40.Re4 1+-+-+-+-! 63.Kf1 g3 64.Qh3 Qxh3 65.gxh3 f5
E17 Bursa 2010 Qc1+ 41.Kg2 66.exf5 Kf6 67.Kg2 Kxf5 68.Kxg3 d5
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Lb7 1-0
xabcdefghy 69.Kf2 d4 70.Ke2 (70.h4 Kg6 71.Ke2
5.Lg2 Le7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Qc2 c5 8.d5 exd5 53...Qf4+! 54.Kh1 Qf6 Kh5 +) 70...Kg5 71.Kd3 Kh4 72.Ke4
9.Nh4 b5 10.cxd5 b4 (D) Gelfand Boris Black is preparing the plan ...g5-g4 with two Kxh3 73.f4 d3! 74.Kxd3 exf4 +.
ideas in mind: first is to isolate the e4-pawn
XABCDEFGHY Vescovi Giovanni
(in the case of exchanging pawns on g4) and
63...Qg3 64.fxg4
E07 Bursa 2010 The pawn ending after 64.Qxg4+ Qxg4
8rsn-wq-trk+( 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Lb4+ the second one is to move his g-pawn to g3,
65.fxg4 Kf6 66.Kf3 Kg5 67.Kg3 f6
in order to strangle the white king (if White
7zpl+pvlpzpp' 5.Ld2 Le7 6.Lg2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Lf4 68.Kf3 Kh4 + is easily won for Black.
Nbd7 9.Nc3 Nh5 10.Lc1 Nhf6 11.b3 b6 does not capture this pawn on g4).
64...Qxg2+ 65.Ke3 Qg3+ 66.Ke2 Qf4
6-+-+-sn-+& 55.Qc7 g5 56.Qd7 Qe6 57.Qd8?!
12.Nd2 Lb7 13.e4 Lb4 14.Lb2 c5 67.Qxd6 Qxg4+ 68.Kf2 Qf4+ 69.Kg1
57.Qc6 was the best option: 57...g4 58.hxg4
15.exd5 cxd4 (D) (D)
5+-zpP+-+-% hxg4 59.fxg4 (59.Kg1 g3 and the white king
XABCDEFGHY gets into mating nets) 59...Qxg4 60.Qxd6 XABCDEFGHY
4-zp-+-+-sN$ Qxe4 61.Qc7 Qe1+ 62.Kh2 Qe3 63.g4! (to
8r+-wq-trk+( 8-+-+-+-+(
3+-sN-+-zP-# stop the advance of the f-pawn) 63...Qf2+
7zpl+n+pzpp' (63...Kg6 64.Qc8) 64.Kh3 Qf4 65.Qb8 and 7+-+-+pmk-'
2PzPQ+PzPLzP" it is very difficult for Black to make progress.
6-zp-+psn-+& 57...g4 58.hxg4 hxg4 (D) 6-+-wQ-+-+&
1tR-vL-mK-+R!
5+-+P+-+-% XABCDEFGHY 5+-+-zp-+-%
xabcdefghy
The position was well-known to both players
4-vlPzp-+-+$ 8-+-wQ-+-+( 4-+-+Pwq-+$
but probably a bit better to White! 3+PsN-+-zP-# 7+-+-+pmk-' 3+-+-+-+-#
11.Nf5!!
A very strong novelty prepared by Banikas 2PvL-sN-zPLzP" 6-+-zpq+-+& 2-+-+-+-+"
beforehand. Previously 11.d6?! was played:
11...Lxg2 12.dxe7 Qxe7 13.Nxg2 bxc3
1tR-+Q+RmK-! 5+-+-zp-+-% 1+-+-+-mK-!
14.0-0 cxb2 15.Lxb2 d6 16.Ne3 Nbd7 xabcdefghy 4-+-+P+p+$ xabcdefghy
17.Rfd1 Rfe8 18.Qd3 d5 19.Nxd5 Qxe2 16.Nb5! 3+-+-+P+-# 69...Qg5+
20.Qc3 Rab8 21.Rd2 Qh5 22.Rad1 Qh6 This looks better than 16.Nce4?! exd5 And the queen exchange is inevitable, lead-
23.Nxf6+ Nxf6 24.Rd6? Ne4 0-1 Aga- 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.cxd5 Nc5 19.Ne4 2-+-+-+P+" ing to a won pawn ending...
ragimov,D-Aroshidze,L Baku 2007. (19.Nf3 Lc3 20.Lxc3 dxc3 21.Qd4 Rac8 70.Kf2 Qf6+ 71.Qxf6+ Kxf6 72.Kf3
11...d6 22.Qxf6 gxf6 23.Nd4 Rfd8 24.Nf5 Kf8
1+-+-+-+K! Kg5 73.Kg3 f6
11...bxc3 12.Nxe7+! (12.d6? Lxg2 13.dxe7 25.Ne3 b5 Lieb,H-Straeter,T Germany xabcdefghy 01

2006) 19...Nxe4 20.Lxe4 Lc3 21.Lxc3 continuation: 15...dxe5 16.Qg6+ Kf8
Queen Endings dxc3 22.Qd3 g6 23.Rac1 Rac8 24.Rfd1 (16...Kd8 17.Nf3 Nc6 18.g5 Ne8 19.0-0
- Vaulin,A-Milovanovic,R Djakovo Nd4 20.gxh6 Nxe2+ 21.Nxe2 gxh6
Winning and Defending Techniques 1994. 22.Lc3 Ld6 23.Rbd1 Ld7 24.Rxd6
16...e5?
Alexander Beliavsky
Qxd6 25.Lxe5 Qf8 26.Lxh8 Qxh8
A bad mistake. Black should have opted for 27.Nfd4 Qg7 - Mamedov,N-Safarli,E
16...exd5 17.Nxd4 Re8?! (17...Nc5!) Baku 2009) 17.Nf3 Ld7 18.g5 Le8
Concept 76.Qf5! 18.cxd5 Nxd5 19.Nf5 N7f6 20.Nxg7 Kxg7 19.Qd3 hxg5 20.Nxg5 Kg8 (20...Lf7
In this survey we will examine the winning Zugzwang! Black is now forced to move his 21.Lxd5 Qxd5 22.Qg4+ Korchnoi,V- 21.Nxf7 Kxf7 22.Rg1 Ld8 23.Ne4 Nxe4
and defending techniques in queen endings, queen to a passive position; otherwise he is Kuijf,M Tilburg 1992. 24.Qxe4 Nc6 25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Rf1+ Lf6
when one side has an extra pawn. losing the f6-pawn. 17.f4! 27.Rxf6+ gxf6 28.Qxf6+ Kg8 29.Rb3
In such endings, two factors are of high 76...Qh8 77.Qe4+ Kd6 78.Kf7 (D) Now Black's central pawn chain is being Rh7 30.Lh6 Qa5+ 31.Kf1 1-0 Rad-
importance: penetration by the king (of the XABCDEFGHY destroyed. jabov,T-Rowson,J Mallorca 2004) 21.Rg1
stronger side) and the possibilities to create a 17...a6 18.fxe5 Nxd5 Qd7 22.Qg3 Nh5 23.Qxe5 Ld6 24.Qe4
perpetual check. 8-+-+-+-wq( 18...axb5 19.exf6 Nxf6 20.Lxd4 +. Lxh2 25.Lc4 Nf6 26.Qg2 Qd4
For this purpose we will use nine of my 19.cxd5 axb5 20.Lxd4
personal games as examples:
7+-+-+K+-' White has won a pawn, preserving his strong
27.Lxe6+ Kf8 28.Nf3 1-0 Mamedov,R-
Cernousek,L Pardubice 2009. As all the
6-+-mk-zp-+& central pawns - game over. players on the white side are from Azerbai-
Beliavsky Alexander 20...Lc5 21.Ne4 Re8 jan, we could easily name this variation after
Byrne Robert 5+-+-+-+-% 21...Lxd5 22.Lxc5 Nxc5 23.Nf6+! gxf6 Baku!
Moscow 1975 4-+-+Q+P+$ 24.Lxd5 +. 15...Rh7?!
XABCDEFGHY 3+-+-+-+-# 22.Lxc5 Nxc5 23.Nd6 15...Nc6 is the critical continuation. Proba-
1-0 bly White should opt for 16.Nxc6 Qxc6
8-+-+-+-+( 2-+-+-+-+" 17.g5 Nxe4 18.Qh5+ Kd7 19.Lf3 d5
7+-+-+-+-' 1+-+-+-+-!
Gashimov Vugar 20.Lxe4 dxe4 21.Rd1 . I am sure that the
Grischuk Alexander Azerbaijani squad had done its homework
6-+-+kzp-wQ& xabcdefghy B97 Bursa 2010 properly!
5+-+-+-+-% 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 16.Rf1
78...Qh4? 5.Nc3 a6 6.Lg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd3 16.g5!? hxg5 17.Nxe6 Qc6 18.Qf5 looks
4-+-+-+P+$ The best move was 78...Kc5!, with the idea Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.f5 Le7 11.fxe6 fxe6 nice for White.
to transfer the black king to a2/a3, where it 12.Le2 Qa5 13.Ld2 Qc7 14.g4 h6 (D)
3+-+-+-+P# 16...Nc6 17.Nxc6 Qxc6 18.e5 dxe5
is correctly placed for the queen ending with
a g-pawn: 79.Qe7+ Kc4 80.Qxf6 Qh7+ XABCDEFGHY 19.Ld3 e4 20.Nxe4! Nxe4 21.Qh5+?!
2-+q+-mK-+" Attractive, but the other option with
81.Kf8 Qh3 82.g5 Qc8+ 83.Kg7 Kb3 8rsnl+k+-tr( 21.Qe3! seems to give White what he had
1+-+-+-+-! 84.g6 Ka2 =.
wished for: 21...Nxd2 (21...Lh4+ 22.Kd1
79.Qf5 7+pwq-vl-zp-'
xabcdefghy Now White wins the f6-pawn and the black
Nf6 23.Lg6+ Ke7 24.Rb6 + ; 21...Nf6
68.Kg3 Qc3+ 69.Kh4 Qe5?! king will stay on the wrong part of the
6p+-zppsn-zp& 22.Lg6+ Kd8 23.Qd3+ Ld7 24.Lxh7 )
Not the best. After 69...Qd3! 70.Qg7 board. White's position is already winning 5+-+-+-+-% 22.Lg6+ Kd8 23.Qxd2+ Ld7 24.Lxh7
(70.g5 Qe4+ 71.Kh5 Qf3+ 72.Kg6 Qf5+ Rc8 25.Kf2.
and the rest of the game was rather easy:
73.Kg7 Qxg5+ 74.Qxg5 fxg5 75.Kg6 79...Kc7 80.Qc5+ Kb7 81.Qh5 Qf2 4-+-sNP+P+$ 21...Kd7 22.Rd1 Rh8! 23.Lf4?
23.Rf7 Nd6 24.Lb4 was forced. A sam-
Ke7 76.Kxg5 Kf7 =) 70...Qe3 71.Qg6
Ke7 72.Qf5 Kf7, the black king keeps
82.Qd5+ Kc7 83.Qc4+ Kb7 84.Qe4+
Kb8 85.Qe8+ Ka7 86.Qe7+ Ka8
3+-sNQ+-+-# ple continuation could be 24...Rf8 25.Lxd6
control over the g6-square and White cannot 87.Qd8+ Ka7 88.Qxf6 Qg2 89.g5 Qd5+ 2P+PvLL+-zP" Rxf7 26.Qxf7 Qc3+ 27.Kf2 Kxd6
make progress. 90.Kg7 Qh1 91.g6 Qh2 92.Qd4+ Ka6 28.Lg6+ Kc7 29.Qxe7+ Kb6 30.Rd6+
70.Qg6 Ke7 71.Qf5 Qe3 72.Kh5!
1+R+-mK-+R! Ka7 31.Ld3 Qd2+ =.
93.Kf6 Qh6 94.Qe5 Ka7 95.Kf7 Qh3
As we will see, Black cannot defend the f6- 96.g7 Qf3+ 97.Ke7 Qa3+ 98.Kd8 Qd3+ xabcdefghy 23...Lb4+! 24.c3 Nxc3 25.Ld2 Qd5!
pawn! 99.Ke8 Qc4 100.Kf8 Qf1+ 101.Ke7 Qc4 15.Qh3 Black is winning - his only problem is his
72...Qxh3+ 102.Qe3+ Kb7 103.Qf3+ Kb6 104.Qf6+ A prepared novelty which caused Black to extreme time-trouble.
72...Kf7? 73.Qg6+ Ke7 74.h4 +. 10 fall into deep thought... 15.e5 was the old 26.Rf7+ Kc6 27.Rc1 Kb6?!
73.Kg6 Qh4 74.Qc5+ Ke8 75.Qc8+ Ke7
27...Qxd3! 28.Qe5 a5! 29.Lxc3 Kb6 12.Ld2 Nd5 13.Rc1 Lxc5 14.Rxc4 Le7 78...h4! time. Stalemate Alert! 50.Rh5 + ; 50.Rg4
wins. 15.Ne3 0-0-0 16.0-0 Kb8 17.Nxd5 exd5 78...g4? 79.Kxd2 h4 80.Ke2 Kg2 81.Rf4! +.
28.Le3+?! 18.Rc3 Rhe8 19.Re3 Lf6 20.Rxe8 Kg3 82.Ra4 h3 83.Kf1! h2 84.Ra3+ + ; 50...Rxg3+!!
White should have tried 28.Rxc3 Lxc3 Rxe8 21.e3 d4 22.Rc1 Lg5 23.Lxc6 78...Kg2? 79.Rf2+ + (79.Rd1 +) ; 50...Qxh4 51.Qe5+! + ; 51.Qxg8+ +.
29.Lxc3 Rd8! (29...Qxh5?! 30.gxh5 Rd8 bxc6 24.Rxc6 dxe3 25.Lxe3 Lxe3 78...d1Q? 79.Rxd1 +. 51.Kf1
31.Le4 Rd7 32.Rxg7 Rxg7 33.Lxg7 26.fxe3 Rxe3 27.Rxa6 Rb3 28.Rd6 Kc7 79.Rg1+ Kh2! 51.fxg3 Qb2+! 52.Kh3 Qh2+! 53.Kg4
Ld7 34.Lxh6 ) 30.Qxd5 exd5 . But 29.Rd2 Rb4 30.Rc2+ Kd7 31.Rd2+ 79...Kh3? 80.Kf2! Kh2 (80...g4? 81.Rh1 Qxh4+! 54.Kf5 Qxf4+! 55.Ke6 Qf6+!
from a practical point of view no-one can Kc7 32.Rc2+ Kd7 33.a5 Rb5 34.Rd2+ #) 81.Rd1! g4 82.Rxd2 g3+ 83.Kf3+! 56.Kd7 Qd8+! 57.Kc6 Qb6+! = ;
blame White's choice. Kc7 35.Rc2+ Kd7 36.b4 Rxb4 37.Ra2 Kh1 84.Rd4! g2 85.Rxh4+ Kg1 86.Rg4 51.Kxg3 Qxh4+! 52.Kf3 Qxf4+! 53.Ke2
28...Ka5! 29.a3 Ka4! 30.axb4 Qxd3 Kc7 38.a6 Kb8 39.Rf2 f6 40.Re2 h5 +. Qxf2+! 54.Kd3 Qd2+! 55.Ke4 Qf4+! =.
31.Qa5+ Kb3 41.Re8+ Ka7 42.Re7+ Kxa6 43.Rxg7 80.Rf1 Kg3 51...Qa1+! 52.Ke2 Re3+! 53.Kxe3
Black's king is perfectly safe on White's Kb6 44.Rf7 h4 45.Rxf6+ Kc7 46.Rf4 80...g4 = ; 80...Kg2 = ; 80...h3? 81.Kf3 + . 53.fxe3 Qe1+! 54.Kf3 Qxe3+! 55.Kg4
queenside! Rb1+ 47.Kg2 hxg3 48.hxg3 Kd7 49.Re4 81.Rg1+ Kh2! 82.Kf2 h3 Qxf4+! 56.Kh5 Qg5+! =.
32.Rxc3+ Qxc3+ Rb8 50.Re3 Rh8 51.Kf3 Rf8+ 52.Kg4 82...g4 =. 53...Qc1+??
32...Kxc3? 33.Qa3+ Kc2 34.Rc7+ Kb1 Kd6 53.Kg5 (D) 83.Rb1 53...Qe1+! =.
35.Rc1 #. XABCDEFGHY 83.Rd1 g4 84.Rxd2 g3+! 85.Kf3+! 54.Kf3??
33.Ld2 b6! 34.Qxb6 Qe5+ 35.Kd1 (D) (85.Kf1+? g2+ + - yes, Black can win, too) 54.Qd2 +.
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-tr-+( 85...g2! 86.Kg4! Kh1 87.Rd1+! =. 54...Qe3+! 55.Kxe3
83...g4 84.Rd1 g3+ 85.Kf3
8r+l+-+-tr( 7+-+-+-+-' 85.Ke3? =.
Petrosian Tigran V
7+-+-+Rzp-' 6-+-mk-+-+& 85...g2 86.Kf2! g1Q+! 87.Rxg1 d1N+!?
Keres Paul
87...d1Q 88.Rxd1 =.
6pwQ-+p+-zp& 5+-+-+-mK-% 88.Rxd1
Garga 1953
4-+-+-+-+$ 88.Kf1 Ne3+ = (88...Nf2!? 89.Kxf2 =). XABCDEFGHY

5+-+-wq-+-% 8-+-+-+-+(
4-zP-+-+P+$ 3+-+-tR-zP-#
2-+-+-+-+" Danielsson Gosta
7+-+-mkP+p'
3+k+-+-+-# Lange Wilfried 6-+P+-+-+&
2-+-vL-+-zP" 1+-+-+-+-! Helsinki 1952
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY 5+-+-vl-+-%
1+-+K+-+-! 4-+-+-+-+$
53...Rg8+?
xabcdefghy 53...Kd5! 54.g4 Rg8+ is a theoretical
8-+-+-tr-mk(
35...Lb7! drawn position. 7+-+-+-+p' 3+-+-+KzP-#
Returning some material in order to activate 54.Kf6 Kd5 55.Re5+ Kd6 56.Re3 Kd5
6-+-+-wq-zP& 2-+-+-+-+"
the pieces - a lesson to be learned! 57.Re5+ Kd6 58.Rg5! Rf8+ 59.Kg7
36.Qxb7 Rhd8 37.Rf3+ Ka2 38.Rf2 Rf3 60.g4 Rf4 61.Kh6 Ke7 62.Rg7+ 5zp-zp-+-+-% 1+-+-+-+-!
Kb1 39.Qf3 Rac8 Kf8 63.g5 Rf1 64.Ra7 Rg1
4P+P+-zP-tR$ xabcdefghy
Threatening 40...Rc1 #! 64...Kg8 65.Ra8+ (65.Kg6? Rf8! =) 51.c7! Lxc7 52.f8Q+! Kxf8 53.g4! h6
40.Qb3+ 65...Rf8 66.Rxf8+ Kxf8 67.Kh7 +. 3+P+-+QzP-# 54.Kg2! Kf7 55.Kh1!
If 40.Qa3 then 40...Rc3. 65.Kg6 Rg2 66.Ra8+ Ke7 67.Ra5 Kf8 Demonstrating superior endgame stalemate-
40...Qb2 41.Qxb2+ Kxb2 68.Ra8+ Ke7 69.Rg8! 2-+-+-zPK+" related knowledge.
0-1 Black resigned as White will be able to bring
about the 'Lucena Position' and win with the
1+-+-+-+-! 55...Kf6 56.Kg2 Kg5 57.Kh1 Kf6
57...Kxg4? =.
Sasikiran Krishnan 'bridge' method: 69...Rg1 70.Kh7 Rg2 71. xabcdefghy 58.Kg2 Kg5 59.Kh1 Kf4 60.Kg2 Lb6
Aronian Levon g6 Rg1 72.Ra8 Rg2 73.g7 Rh2+ 74.Kg8 49...Rg8! 61.Kh1 Kg3!?
D15 Bursa 2010 Rg2 75.Ra4 Rh2 76.Re4+ Kd6 77.Kf7
Much better than resigning the game, as we Basically forcing a stalemate (in style!) in a
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.g3 Rf2+ 78.Kg6 Rg2+ 79.Kf6 Rf2+ 80. shall soon see. drawn endgame.
dxc4 6.a4 e6 7.Lg2 c5 8.dxc5 Qxd1+ Kg5 Rg2+ 81.Rg4. 50.Qd5? 62.g5 hxg5
9.Nxd1 Ld7 10.Ne5 Lc6 11.Nxc6 Nxc6 1-0 Setting a small trap, which backfires big
79...Kb6?? 80.Kxh4 + ; 79...Kd6 =. 35.a4 Kxd5 36.h3 f6 37.g4 fxg4 38.hxg4 c5 Fier Alexander 26.Qa4?
80.Kxh4 Ke7! 81.Kg5 Kf8 39.Kf3 Kd6 40.Ke4 Ke6 Banikas Hristos After repeating moves, White 'found' a dubi-
81...Kf7 =. 40...g6 =. C92 Bursa 2010 ous novelty over the board.
82.Kh6 Kg8! XABCDEFGHY 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Lb5 a6 4.La4 Nf6 26...Rxe4! 27.Rxe4
The black king arrives just in time to prevent 5.0-0 Le7 6.Re1 b5 7.Lb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 27.Rf1 Rxd4 28.Qxd7 Lxd5 +.
promotion. 8-+-+-+-+( 9.h3 Lb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Lf8 12.a4 27...Qxc1+ 28.Kh2 Qxd2?
83.Lb3+ Kh8! 84.h4 h6 13.Lc2 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Lb1 c5 Returning the favour! After the simple
7+-zp-+pzp-' 16.d5 Nd7 17.Ra3 c4 18.axb5 axb5 28...Lxd5 White will not survive.
6-+-+-+-+& 19.Nd4 Rxa3 20.bxa3 Nd3 21.Lxd3 29.Qxd7 Lxd5 30.Re8?
Horowitz Israel cxd3 22.Nxb5 The intermediate 30.Nf3! would have saved
Pavey Max 5zp-mkP+p+-% 22.Lb2 Qa5 23.Nf5! Kasparov,G- the half point: 30...Qc1 31.Re8 Qf4+ 32.
New York 1951 4-+p+-zP-+$ Karpov,A London/Leningrad 1986 is a well- Kg1 Qc1+ (32...Lxf3? 33.Rxf8+! Kh7
XABCDEFGHY 3+-zP-mK-zP-#
known game, but of course much analysis 34.Rxf7 Qe5 35.Rxf3 d2 36.Rd3 Qe1+
has been done since then ... 22.N2b3 Nc5 37.Kh2 d1Q 38.Rxd1 Qxd1 39.a4 +)
8-+-+-+-+( 2P+-+-+-zP" 23.Nxc5 dxc5 24.Nxb5 Qa5 25.a4 Ra8 33.Kh2 Qf4+.
7+-mk-+-+p' 26.Ld2 Qxa4 27.Qxa4 Rxa4 28.Nc3 30...Qf4+ 31.Kg1 d2! 32.Qa4 (D)
1+-+-+-+-! Rb4 29.Rb1 Rxb1+ 30.Nxb1 f6 31.f3 c4 Or 32.Rxf8+ Kh7! 33.Qa4 Qe4 34.f3
6-+p+-+pzP& xabcdefghy 32.Kf2 Kf7 33.Le3 Lb4 34.Ld4 g5 Qe1+ 35.Kh2 d1Q +.
35.Ke3 Lc8 36.Nc3 Ld7 37.g4 - Wu XABCDEFGHY
5+-+p+pzP-% 41.Kf3 f5! 42.g5! Xibin-Xu Jun China 1987 was another try.
4-zp-zP-zP-+$ 42.Kg3? Kd5! 43.gxf5 Ke4 44.Kg4 Kd3 22...Qa5 8-+-+Rvlk+(
45.Kg5 Ke3! 46.Kg4 Kf2! 47.Kh4 Kf3 It seems that Black can also try 22...La6
3+-+-+L+-# 48.Kg5 Kg3! 49.f6 gxf6+ 50.Kxf6 Kxf4 23.a4 Lxb5 24.axb5 Qb6 25.Nc4 Qxb5
7+-+-+pzp-'
51.Ke6 Ke4 52.Kd6 Kd3 + ; 42.gxf5+ 6-+-zp-+-zp&
2-+Q+-zP-mK" Kxf5 43.Ke3 Kg4 44.Ke4 g6! +.
26.Qxd3 f5 Doran,C-Fox,A Liverpool
2008 or 22...Qb8 23.a4 La6 24.Lb2 Lxb5
1tr-+-wq-+-! 42...Kf7 43.Kg3 Kg6 44.Kf3 25.axb5 Qxb5 26.Ld4 Ra8 Hoshad-
5+-+l+-+-%
44.Kh4. 4Q+-sN-wq-+$
xabcdefghy 44...Kh5 45.Kg3 g6!? 46.Kh3!
Rino1 Internet 2007.
23.Nd4 Qc3 24.Nb5
White is pretty much lost, but the game con- Forcing stalemate was the only way to avoid
Or 24.Nf5 Nc5 25.f3 Lxd5 26.exd5
3zP-+-+-+P#
tinues. a loss.
74...Qc1
Rxe1+ 27.Qxe1 Nb3 28.Qe8 Qxc1+ 29.
Kh2 Nxd2 30.Ne7+ Kh7 31.Qxf8 Nf1+
2-+-zp-zPP+"
74...Qg1+ 75.Kh3 Ra3 76.Qe2 Qh1+! 1+-+-+-mK-!
(76...Kb6 77.Kh4 Qh2 #) 77.Kg3 Qxf3+ 32.Kh1 Ng3+ 33.Kh2 Nf1+ 34.Kh1 -
Bannik Anatoly
(77...Rxf3+ +) 78.Qxf3 Rxf3+ 79.Kxf3 Ragozin Viacheslav
Shirov,A-Karjakin,S Bilbao 2009. xabcdefghy
b3 +. 24...Qa5 25.Nd4 Qc3 (D)
Riga 1952 32...Lc6!!
75.Qe2 Qxf4+ 76.Kh3 Qxf3+?? XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY Brilliant, but what follows is even more bril-
76...Kd7 +. liant!
77.Qxf3 Ra3 78.Kh4!! 8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+rvlk+( 33.Rxf8+ Kxf8 34.Ne6+ Kg8!
A miraculous save by White. Black has no
7+-+-+-+-' 7+l+n+pzp-' White resigned due to 35.Nxf4 Lxa4 and a
choice but to end the game with stalemate. new queen is born ...
78...Rxf3 6-+-+-+-+& 6-+-zp-+-zp& 0-1
5+-+-+-zpp% 5+-+P+-+-% Gelfand Boris

Martin Rengel 4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+-sNP+-+$ Nakamura Hikaru
Pomar Salamanca Arturo E97 Bursa 2010
Hollywood 1952 3+-+-mK-mk-# 3zP-wqp+-+P# 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Lg7 4.e4 d6
2-+-sN-zPP+" 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Le2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7
(see next diagram) 2-+-zp-+-+" 9.Nd2 Ne8 10.b4 f5 11.c5 Nf6 12.f3 f4
1+-+-+R+-! 1+-vLQtR-mK-! 13.Nc4 g5 14.a4 Ng6 15.La3 Rf7 16.b5
The pawn endgame is drawn. Black is play- dxc5 17.Lxc5 h5 18.a5 g4 19.b6 g3
ing for a win. xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 20.Kh1 Lf8 (D)
XABCDEFGHY 23...Nxg2!! XABCDEFGHY 60...a2
Like a previous game - see the notes to the A typical pattern recognition move. Black
8r+lwq-vlk+( 21st move! 8-+-+-+-+( realizes the stalemate pattern which does not
24.dxc7? include an extra pawn, so he decided to play
7zppzp-+r+-' White had to opt for 24.Kxg2 Rg7!
7+-+-+-+p' it safe and transpose into a familiar position.
6-zP-+-snn+& 25.dxc7 (25.hxg3 Qd7!) 25...gxh2+ 26.Kh1 6-+-vl-+p+& 60...f4 61.c7 f3 62.c8Q f2 =.
(26.Kxh2? Ng4+ 27.fxg4 Qh4+ 28.Kg2 61.Kxa2
5zP-vLPzp-+p% hxg4 +) 26...hxg1Q+ 27.Rxg1 Qxc7 5+-+N+p+-% 61.Kb2 =.
4-+N+Pzp-+$ and pray... 4-+-+-+-zP$ 61...f4 62.c7 f3 63.c8Q f2 64.Qg8+ Kh2
24...Nxe1! 25.Qxe1 65.Qc4 Kg2 66.Qe2! Kg1!
3+-sN-+Pzp-# 25.cxd8Q? g2 # is the dream picture of a 3+-+-+kzPK# 66...Kh1?? 67.Qf1+! +.
2-+-+L+PzP" KID player! 2-+-+-+-+" 67.Qg4+ Kh1
25...g2+! 26.Kxg2 Rg7+ 27.Kh1 Lh3! 67...Kh2 = ; 67...Kf1? (its never too late to
1tR-+Q+R+K! 28.Lf1 1+-+-+-+-! lose) 68.Kb2 Ke1 69.Qg3! Ke2 70.Qg2!
28.cxd8Q? Lg2 #. Ke1 71.Kc2! f1Q 72.Qd2! #.
xabcdefghy 28...Qd3!!
xabcdefghy 68.Qf3+ Kg1 69.Qg3+ Kh1 70.Qxf2
21.d6 Gelfand must have felt fed-up facing so White needs to defend. He does so in a most
Here comes a novelty. Older games contin- many mating threats... attractive way, resulting in a stalemate.
ued with 21.Lg1 Nh4 (21...axb6 22.axb6 64.Nf6! h5 Trifunovic Petar
29.Nxe5 O'Kelly de Galway Alberic
Rxa1 23.Qxa1 h4 24.h3 Lxh3 25.gxh3 64...Lxg3 65.Nxh7 =.
29.Lxd3 Lg2 # or 29.Lxh3 Qxf3+ Hilversum 1947
Qc8 26.Kg2 Nh7 27.Nxe5 Nxe5 28.Ld4 65.Nd5 Kf2!?
30.Lg2 Qxg2 # justifies the previous note
Ng5 29.Rh1 Nd7 30.Nb5 Nxb6 31.Qa5
and 29.Ne3 Lxf1 30.Qxf1 Qxf1 31.Nxf1 65...Lxg3 66.Ne7 =. XABCDEFGHY
Nd7 32.Qc3 c6 33.dxc6 bxc6 34.Na7 Qc7 66.Nf6! Lxg3 67.Ne4+! fxe4
35.Lc4 c5 36.Lf6 Nxf3 37.Kxf3 Qxa7
Rxc7 is just curtains.
An amusing sequence of good moves, also 8-+-+-+-+(
29...Lxf1 30.Qxf1 Qxc3 31.Rc1 Qxe5
38.Ra1 Qb7 39.Qb2 Qc6 40.Ra6 Qxa6 32.c8Q Rxc8 33.Rxc8 Qe6 ending in a draw, may happen after: 7+Pmk-+-+-'
41.Lxa6 Rxf6 42.Lc4+ Kh8 43.Le6 1-0 And White, a full knight down, called it a 67...Ke3 68.Nxg3 f4 69.Nf1+ Ke2!
Arbakov,V-Gufeld,E Soviet Union 1986) day... A crushing win by the talented Ameri- 70.Kg2! f3+ 71.Kg1 f2+ 72.Kg2 Ke1 6L+-+l+-+&
22.Re1 Nxg2 23.Kxg2 Rg7 24.Nxe5 can super-player! 73.Ng3 g5!! 74.hxg5 h4 75.Nf1 h3+ 5+-+-+p+-%
gxh2+ 25.Kh1 Nxe4! 0-1 Roussel Rooz- 0-1 76.Kh2! (76.Kxh3?? Kxf1 +) 76...Kxf1
mon,T-Charbonneau,P Montreal 2008. 77.g6 Ke2 78.g7 f1Q 79.g8Q =. 4-+-mK-+-zp$
21...axb6 22.Lg1 Vitiugov Nikita
3+-+-+P+P#
22.axb6 Rxa1 23.Qxa1 cxd6 24.Rd1 Rd7 Arun Prasad
25.Lg1 d5 is fine for Black. B13 Bursa 2010
Kotov Alexander 2-+-+-+-+"
22...Nh4 23.Re1 (D) Chekhover Vitaly
1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 1+-+-+-+-!
Leningrad 1938
XABCDEFGHY 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Lf4 Le6 7.c5 g6 8.Lb5
XABCDEFGHY
Lg7 9.Nf3 0-0 10.h3 Ne4 11.Lxc6 bxc6 xabcdefghy
8r+lwq-vlk+( 12.Qa4 Qc8 13.0-0 Nxc3 14.bxc3 f6 8-+-+-+-+( Another important to know endgame, with
7+pzp-+r+-' 15.Rfe1 Re8 16.Re3 Qd7 17.Rae1 Lf7
7+-+-+-+-'
the main line resulting in a stalemate.
18.h4 Rac8 19.Qc2 Rcd8 20.Qe2 Lf8 55...f4! 56.Lf1 Kxb7 57.Ke5 Ld7 58.Kxf4
6-zp-zP-sn-+& 21.Nh2 Qf5 22.Rf3 Qc8 23.Qd2 Lg7
6-+P+-+-+& Lc6!
5zP-+-zp-+p% 24.Lh6 Lh8 25.h5 e5 26.dxe5 fxe5 Black knows the target: stalemate on the h8-
27.Qg5 Re6 28.Ng4 Rde8 29.Nf6+ 5+-+-+p+-% square.
4-+N+Pzp-sn$ Lxf6 30.Rxf6 Qc7 31.f4 Qe7 32.Rxe6
4-+-+-+-+$ 59.Kg4 Lxf3+! 60.Kxf3 Kc7 61.Kf4
Lxe6 33.Qxe5 Qf7 34.Qd6 Ld7 35.Rf1 Kd7 62.Kf5 Ke7 63.Lc4 Ke8 64.Kf6
3+-sN-+Pzp-# Qe7 36.hxg6 Qxd6 37.cxd6 hxg6 38.Rb1 3zpK+-+-mk-# Kf8 65.Kg6 Ke7 66.Kg7 Ke8 67.Le6
2-+-+L+PzP" Kf7 39.Rb7 Ke6 40.Lg7 Lc8 41.Rxa7
2-+-+-+-+"
Ke7 68.Lf7 Kd7 69.Kf6 Kd8 70.Ke6
Kxd6 42.Kf2 Lf5 43.a4 Kc5 44.Rb7 Kc8 71.Ke7 Kc7 72.Ld5 Kc8 73.Lc6
1tR-+QtR-vLK! Ra8 45.Rb4 Lc2 46.a5 Kd6 47.Le5+
1+-+-+-+-! Kc7 74.Ld7 Kb7 75.Kd6 Kb8 76.La4
xabcdefghy Ke6 48.Lc7 Kf5 49.Ke3 Le4 50.g3 Kg4
xabcdefghy
Kc8 77.Ke6 Kd8 78.Kf6 Kc7 79.Kg5
51.Kd4 Ra6 52.Kc5 Lg2 53.Rb8 Lf1 Kd8
wishful thinking only. 56.Qc8+ 54.Rg8 Ld3 (D) Qc2 Nc7 35.Rxd8 Rxd8 36.Rd1 Re8
66...Kg3 67.Kg1 Kf3!? 68.Kh2 56.Lg5 Rxa3? 57.Lh6+ Ke8 58.Qc8 #. XABCDEFGHY 37.Qc4 Nb5 38.Rd5 Rc8 39.Qd3 Qa8
68.Kf1? as knowledge of 'king opposition' 56...Qe8 57.Qxa6? 40.Ld2 Nc3 41.Lxc3 bxc3 42.Rd7 Re8
fails here: 68...h2 +. 'Greed in a good cause is still greed'. Black's 8-+-+-+R+( 43.Rxg7 Kxg7 44.Qxc3+ Kf7 45.Qc4+
XABCDEFGHY a6-pawn was of no practical value to begin 7+-vL-+-+-' Re6 46.Qxc5 Qc6 47.Qd4 Qf3 48.Qa7+
Re7 49.Qxa6 Qxe3 50.Qc4+ Kg7 51.a4
with. Whites king safety concerns rise, with
8-+-+-+-+( the white queen positioned far away. 6r+p+-+p+& h6 52.h4 Qb6 53.b4 Rc7 54.Qd5 Kh7
7+-+-+-+-' 57...Rxh3+!! 58.Kxh3 Qe6+!! 59.Qxe6 55.Nd3 Re7 56.h5 hxg5 57.fxg5 Qe3
5zP-mKp+-+-% 58.hxg6+ Kxg6 59.Nf2 f4 60.b5 f3
6-+-+-+-+& 4-+-+-zPk+$ 61.Qd3+ Kxg5 62.Qd5+ Kg6 63.Qd3+
Janowski Dawid Markelowicz Kg5 64.Qd5+ Kg6 65.Qd3+ Qxd3+
5+-+-+-+-% Gruenfeld Ernst 3+-zPl+-zP-# 66.Nxd3 (D)
4-+-+-+-mk$ Marienbad 1925 2-+-+-+-+" XABCDEFGHY
3+-+-+-+p# XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-+-+-! 8-+-+-+-+(
2-+-+-+-+" 8-+-+-+-+( xabcdefghy 7+-+-tr-+-'
1+-+-+-+K! 7+-+-+-+k' White's advantage does not lie only in his 6-+-+-+k+&
xabcdefghy 6-zp-tR-+p+& extra pawn, but also in his better-placed
5+P+-+-+-%
pieces - look at the offside black rook on a6.
68...Kg4 69.Kh1 Kg3 70.Kg1 h2+ 5+-+-+-+p% 55.Re8! Lf5 56.Lb6 Kxg3 57.Kxc6
4P+-+-+-+$
71.Kh1 Kxf4 58.Kxd5?!
Stalemate Alert!
4pmK-+-+-+$ 58.Rf8! Ke5 59.c4! dxc4 60.Kb5 wins. 3+-+N+p+-#
71...Kh3 3zP-+-+-+r# 58...g5 59.c4 g4 60.Kc6?!
2-+-+-+-+"
Black can only be 'happy' with keeping his 60.c5! g3 61.Lc7+ Kf3 62.Rf8 was again
material advantage, but not more.
2-zP-+-+-+" a simple win. 1+-+-+K+-!
1+-+-+-+-! 60...Le4+ 61.Kb5 Ra8 62.Lc7+ Kf5
xabcdefghy
63.Re5+ Kf4 64.a6 Ke3
Walter Max xabcdefghy 64...Kf3 65.Re7 Ld3 66.Rf7+ Ke2 This is objectively a drawn position, but
Nagy Geza 58...Rb3+? 67.Rf4 +. both players were down to their last seconds.
Gyor 1924 Faced with material loss, Black is distracted 65.Re7 Kd3 66.c5 Rg8 67.a7 La8 66...Kf5
XABCDEFGHY from his winning plan - passed pawns
should be pushed!: 58...g5 or 58...h4 +.
68.Lg3 Rc8 69.Re6 Kd4 70.c6 Kd5 66...Re3 67.Nc5 Re5 68.Nd3 Re4
71.Rd6+ Ke4 72.Kb6 Kf3 73.Lh4 69.Kf2 Rxa4 70.Kxf3 Ra5 = was simple.
8-+-+-mk-+( 59.Kxa4 Rxb2? Black resigned due to 73...g3 74.Lxg3 67.b6 Ke4 68.b7 Re8 69.Kf2!
7+-+-+q+-' Stalemate Alert! 59...Rf3 60.Rxb6 h4 Kxg3 75.c7 and Rd8. Of course 69.Nc5+? Ke3 70.Nd7 Rh8! +
61.Rc6 h3 62.Rc2 g5 +. 1-0 had to be avoided, but also leading to a draw
6p+-+-zP-+& 60.Rd7+! was 69.a5 Kd5 (69...Ke3? 70.a6 Rh8
60.Rxg6?? b5+ + ; 60...Rb4+!? +. Esen Baris 71.Nf2 +) 70.a6 Kc6.
5+p+-zp-+-% 60...Kh6 Rodshtein Maxim 69...Kxd3?
4-zP-+P+QvL$ 60...Kh8 61.Rh7+! =. E62 Bursa 2010 Unexpected, but welcome! Black could draw
61.Rh7+! Kg5 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Lg7 4.g3 0-0 with 69...Kd5 70.a5 Kc6 71.a6 Kb6.
3zP-+r+-+P# 61...Kxh7 =. 5.Lg2 d6 6.0-0 Nc6 7.Nc3 Lf5 8.d5 Na5 70.a5
2-+-+-zP-mK" 62.Rxh5+! Kf6 63.Rf5+! Kg7 9.Nd4 Ld7 10.Qd3 Ng4 11.f4 c5 12.Nc2 The white pawn-phalanx is unstoppable.
63...Ke6 64.Rf6+ =. a6 13.Rb1 b5 14.b3 Rb8 15.Ld2 f5 16.h3 70...Ke4 71.a6 Rd8 72.a7 Rd2+ 73.Kg3
1+-+-+-+-! 64.Rf7+! Kh6 65.Rh7+! Kg5 66.Rh5+! Nf6 17.Kh2 Re8 18.Lf3 Kh8 19.Ne3 b4 f2 74.b8Q
xabcdefghy gxh5 20.Ncd1 e5 21.dxe6 Lxe6 22.Nf2 Qd7 74.Kg2 f1Q+ 75.Kxf1 Kf3 76.Ke1 wins.
23.g4 Nc6 24.g5 Ng8 25.Rfe1 Nge7 74...f1Q 75.a8Q+ Rd5 76.Qb4+ Ke3
White stands better. The path to a win, if 26.Rbd1 Rbd8 27.Lc1 Nd4 28.Lg2 d5 77.Qe8+
any, is still a long way ahead. We are about Nimzowitsch Aaron 29.cxd5 Nxd5 30.Nxd5 Lxd5 31.e3 Black resigned due to 77...Kd3 78.Qee4 #.
to see a beautiful stalemate combination Davidson Jacques Lxg2 32.Kxg2 Qc6+ 33.Kf1 Ne6 34. 1-0
unleashed by Black. Semmering 1926
Tartakower Saviely cal conclusion. As we are about to see,
Pawns on the Same Rank Vajda Arpad Black was not careful enough.
Vienna 1921 37...Rg7!
Efstratios Grivas XABCDEFGHY Stalemate Alert!
38.Re8+!
Concept Nowadays, White prefers 17.Nd5 as in 8-mk-+-+-+( 38.Qb8+?? Qxb8 39.Re8+ Qxe8 +.
In various Hedgehog structures or even Bezgodova,M-Dibirova,U Dagomys 2009. 38...Kxe8??
sometimes Sicilian Defence - Dragon 17...Rfc8
7+-+K+-+-' 38...Kf7! 39.Rf8+! Kg6! + (39...Kxf8??
structures (reversed or natural), Black (or After 17...Lxb5?! 18.cxb5 Qd8 Black is in 6-+-sN-+-+& 40.Qb8+!! =).
White - it depends) forgets about the main trouble: 19.Lc4 b6 20.Ld5 Rb8 21.a3! 39.Qb8+!! Qxb8
breakthrough ...b5 (b4) and goes for a king- Ivkov,B-Kestler,H Buesum 1969. 5+-+-+-+-%
side expansion with his f- and g-pawns. 18.Lf1 4R+-+-+-+$
So, suddenly we have to deal with posi- The inaccurate 18.Qe1?! allows Black to Jacobsen Ernst
tions where one side has most of his pawns opt for 18...Lxb5 19.cxb5 Lh6! 20.Lf1 3+-+-+-+-# Spielmann Rudolf
on his 3rd rank (a6, b6, d6, e6 and f6/f5) and Lxe3+ 21.Qxe3 Na4 22.Qxb6 Nxb6 = Copenhagen 1923
his g-pawn on g5! Not an everyday concept
2p+-+-+-+"
in these structures by any means!
Damljanovic,B-Velimirovic,D Becici 1994.
1tr-+-+-+-! XABCDEFGHY
With this typical manoeuvre (...Qb6,
Of course, this kind of position cannot be ...Rfc8, ...Qd8), Black was able to bring all xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+k+(
found in many games, but still some interest- his forces to better squares. But still he suf-
ing ones have been played. Lets start with fers from a lack of space. Knowing your stalemates will increase your 7+-+-+-zp-'
an old boring one by the king of safety, 18...Qd8 19.Qf2 Qe8 20.Nc3 own practical performance when defending
materially imbalanced endgames. For the
6-+-+K+P+&
Tigran Petrosian: Also possible is 20.Rc2 Nd7 21.Rdc1 as
in Cabrera Moreno,D-Barcena Laguia,F record, any black move draws, with best 5+-+-+-+P%
Keres Paul play by both sides.
Petrosian Tigran
Aragon 2007.
71...Rc1! 72.Rxa2 Rc7+! 73.Kd8
4-+-+-+-+$
20...b6 21.Rc2 Qf8
B39 Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1959 Planning to exchange the bishops with
Rd7+!! 3+-+-+-+-#
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 ...Lh6; a good idea when there is not much Drawing in style!
5.c4 Lg7 6.Le3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4 8.Qxg4 space in your camp! 74.Kxd7 2-+-+-+-+"
Nxd4 9.Qd1 Ne6 10.Qd2 d6 11.Le2
Ld7 12.00 00 13.Rac1 Lc6 14.Rfd1
22.Qd2 Ld7 23.Nd5 Rab8 24.Lg5 Re8 1+-+-+-+-!
25.Re1 Rb7 26.Qf2?!
Nc5 15.f3 a5 16.b3 Qb6 (D)
White is lacking a good plan, which should Brinckmann Alfred xabcdefghy
XABCDEFGHY be to push his pawn on b4 and restrict the John Walter Chess masters of today might agree to a
black knight. 26.Rb1 and a3 was attractive. Hamburg 1921 draw here. Recreational and amateur tour-
8r+-+-trk+( 26...Lc6 27.Qh4 (D) XABCDEFGHY nament players can opt to play on, as one
practical chance, especially with rapid and
7+p+-zppvlp' XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-mk-+( blitz time controls, still does exist.
6-wqlzp-+p+& 8-+-+rwqk+( 7zp-+-+r+-' 73.Ke7!
73.Kf5!? Kf8 74.Kg4 Kg8! 75.Kg5 Kh8
5zp-sn-+-+-% 7+r+-zppvlp' 6-+p+R+-+& 76.h6 Kg8! =.
4-+P+P+-+$ 6-zplzp-+p+& 5+-zPp+p+-% 73...Kh8 74.h6! Kg8!
74...gxh6? 75.Kf7 + or 75.Kf8 +.
3+PsN-vLP+-# 5zp-snN+-vL-% 4-+-zP-wq-zp$ 75.h7+ Kh8 76.Kd6
2P+-wQL+PzP"
4-+P+P+-wQ$ 3+-+-+-+-#
1+-tRR+-mK-! 3+P+-+P+-# 2-wQ-+-+-zp" Cancelliere Giuseppe
Seitz Jakob Adolf
xabcdefghy 2P+R+-+PzP" 1+-+-+-+K! Trieste 1923
A passive variation where Black is satisfied 1+-+-tRLmK-!
with a draw. But it suited the style of the ex- xabcdefghy (see next diagram)
World Champion well! xabcdefghy Heavy artillery is still at large, thus careful The edge pawn might deserve its one dia-
17.Nb5 play is needed to end the game with its logi- gram. Black's winning chances remain with
77.Rh6+!! gxh6 42...Lc4! 43.Rxg5+ Kh4! 27...f6! when needed.
77...Kg4 78.Rh4+! (78.Rxh3? Rg1+! Stalemate Alert! Black stayed in passive mode for a long pe- 43.Kg1 h5 44.Rb1!?
[78...Rg3 +] 79.Kh2 Rh1+ +) 78...Kg3 44.Rxc4? riod; it is time to start restricting the white 44.b4 would give Black enough counterplay
79.Rxh3+! = ; 77...Kg3 78.Rxh3+! =. 44.Nd2! Rxd2 (44...Kxg5 45.Nf3+ +) pieces. First is the white bishop which is to keep an even game: 44...axb4 45.axb4
45.Rc5! +. forced to retreat. Nd3 46.Lxd3 exd3 47.Nf3 Qe4 48.Re1
XABCDEFGHY 28.Le3 e6! Rg4!.
Znosko Borovsky Eugene And now it's the knight's turn. 44...h4 45.Rbb2 Rg4 46.Rf2 Qd8!
Salwe Georg 8-+-+-+-+( 29.Nc3 Rd7 30.Ld4 f5! Black found an excellent attacking idea in
Ostend 1907 Putting the white centre under fire. Slowly order to keep the equilibrium.
7+-+-+-+-' but surely the black pieces come to life. 47.b4 (D)
XABCDEFGHY
6-+-+l+-+& 31.exf5 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-tR( White cannot live with a weak pawn on e4...
5tR-+-+-zpk% 31...gxf5 32.Rd2 Lxd4+ 33.Rxd4 Rg7 8-+-wq-+k+(
7+-+-+-+P' 34.Kh1 Rg6!
4-tR-+N+-+$ 7+-+l+-tr-'
6-+-+-+-+& Making room for another heavy piece to
3+-+-+-+-# come onto the g-file and the rook can protect 6-zp-zp-+-+&
5+-+-+p+-% the d6-pawn after an eventual ...e5. 35.Rd2
2PzPr+-+PmK" 5zp-sn-+p+-%
4-+-+-mk-+$ Rd8 36.Red1 Rd7 37.Qf2 Qd8 38.Qe3
1+-+-tr-+-! (D) 4-zPPsNpzPrzp$
3+-+-+p+-# XABCDEFGHY
xabcdefghy 3zP-+-wQ-+-#
2r+-+-+-+" 44...Rh1+!! 8-+-wq-+k+(
1+-+-mK-+-! 44...Rxc4?? 45.g3 #.
2-tR-+-tRPzP"
45.Kxh1 Rc1+!! 46.Kh2 Rh1+!! 47.
7+-+r+-+p' 1+-+-+LmK-!
xabcdefghy Kxh1 6-zplzpp+r+&
The endgame is drawn. Its end is highly in- xabcdefghy
structive. 5zp-sn-+p+-% 47...Rg3! 48.hxg3
44...f2+ Tartakower Saviely 4-+P+-+-+$ White could think about 48.Qc1 Nd3
44...Rh2 45.Kf1 Rh6 46.Ra8!? Rxh7 Spielmann Rudolf 49.Lxd3 Rxd3 50.Rbd2 h3! .
47.Rb8 =. Vienna 1913 3+PsN-wQP+-# 48...hxg3 49.Rfd2?
45.Kf1 Kf3 XABCDEFGHY But this is wrong. He had to opt for 49.Le2!
Stalemate Alert!
2P+-tR-+PzP" Qh4 50.Rf3! exf3 51.Nxf3 Qh8 52.Qd4!
46.Ra8!! Rxa8 8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+R+L+K! (52.bxc5? Rh7) 52...Ne6 53.Qf6 Qh5
46...Re2? 47.Ra3+ +. 54.Nh4 Qf7 55.Qxf7+ Rxf7 56.Rb3.
47.h8Q!
7+-+-+-+-' xabcdefghy 49...Qh4 50.Le2
Note how the newly promoted white queen 6-+-+-+-+& 38...e5! Black would also be on top after 50.Nf3
multitasks in controlling the a1-square. 47. Look how 'proud' the black centre is now; exf3 51.gxf3 Re7 52.Qd4 Lc6!.
h8R?? Ra1 #. 5+-+-+-+-% the weak d5-square is of no importance. 50...Rh7 51.Kf1?
47...Rxh8! 4-+-+-+-+$ 39.f4 e4? Leading to mate. White's only chance was to
There was no need for such a move. be found in 51.Lh5! Rxh5 52.Kf1 Qh1+
3+-+-mK-mk-# 39...Qh4! was good enough to give Black 53.Qg1 Nd3! 54.bxa5 (54.Rb3 Qh4 +)
Maliutin Boris Evgenievich the better prospects: 40.fxe5 Rh6 41.Qg1
Gregory Bernhard 2-+-+-sN-zp" dxe5 42.Rxd7 Nxd7 .
54...Qh4! (54...Nxb2 55.Rxb2 bxa5
56.Rb3) 55.Ne2 Nxb2 56.Rxb2 Qf6
Breslau 1912 1+-+-+-+-! 40.Ne2! 57.Rb1 bxa5 58.Nxg3 Rh4 59.Ne2 Le6
(see next diagram) Now that the c6-bishop is blocked, the
xabcdefghy knight is heading for d4.
.
51...Qxf4+!
White is nearing the moment of Black's res- This endgame features one of the first reco- 40...Rdg7 41.Nd4 Ld7 42.a3 01
ignation, and 'only' in need of good tech- rded instances of a spectator-friendly stale- 42.Nb5 Lxb5 43.cxb5 was also possible.
nique. Instead, we shall soon witness Black's mate idea which involves a knight sacrifice. 42...Qa8! Our next two games are mostly concerned
eye-catching combination leading to a 57.Nh1+ Kg2 58.Ke2!? Kxh1! 59.Kf1 X-raying g2, allowing Black to play ...Nd3 with gaining control of central squares and
memorable stalemate.
more specifically, the important square in tant e5-square. A complicated battle is 74...Qg4+?? 75.Kxg4 + (75.Qxg4?? =) ; course, 'stalemate alertness' are still neces-
front of the opponents king pawn. ahead. 74...Qf2?? 75.Qd1+ Qg1 76.Qf3+ +. sary.
19.Lh5 Rf8 20.c3 75.Qxe3 48.Rg5! Kf3! 49.Rf5+
Apicella Manuel Here White has tried: 49.h4 Rxa3 50.Rxg7 Rb3 51.Kh2 Rxb4
Svidler Peter a) 20.Ng4 Qe7 21.Qe2 Rad8 22.Rbd1 52.Kh3 + ; 49.Rxg7?? Ra1 #.
B70 Yerevan 1996 Kh8 23.c3 f5! Zdebskaja,N-Moranda,W Burn Amos 49...Ke3 50.Rf7 g5! 51.Rf5 g4 52.Rf1
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 Warsaw 2008. Pillsbury Harry Nelson Rxa3 53.Rb1! Kf3!!
5.Nc3 d6 6.Le2 g6 7.00 Lg7 8.Nb3 00 b) 20.Qe1 Kh8 21.Rd1 Qe7 22.c3 Rad8 Vienna 1898 In preparation of an amazing stalemate idea.
9.Lg5 a6 10.f4 b5 11.Lf3 Lb7 12.Kh1 Zigangirova,S-Kosintseva,N Mallorca XABCDEFGHY 54.b5! Re3! 55.b6??
Nd7 13.Rb1 Re8 14.Nd5 (D) 2004. 55.Kh1 Re7 56.b6 Rb7 57.Kg1 +
XABCDEFGHY 20...Qe7 8-+-+-mk-+( (57.Rb4 Kf2 58.Rxg4 Rxb6 59.Rf4+
Ke3 60.Kg2 +) .
8r+-wqr+k+( 20...Ne7?! is out of the question: 21.Nd4
Qd7 22.Lg4 f5 23.exf5 Nxg4 24.Qxg4
7+-+-+-+-' 55...Re1+!! 56.Rxe1
7+l+nzppvlp' exf5 25.Qg3 Schuster,M-Zesch,L Leipzig 6-+-+-zPK+&
2004. With the text, Black wants to finish 5+-+-+-+-% Schlechter Carl
6p+nzp-+p+& his development by bringing the a8-rook Janowski Dawid Markelowicz
5+p+N+-vL-% into the game and he plans to exchange his 4-+-+-+-+$ Ostend 1907
d-pawn for White's e-pawn and activate his
4-+-+PzP-+$ remaining central e- and f-pawns. A clear
3+-+-+-+-# XABCDEFGHY
3+N+-+L+-# plan which is hard for White to met. 2-+-+-+-+" 8-+-+-+-+(
21.Qe2
2PzPP+-+PzP" A bit passive. 'Better' looks 21.Lg3 Rad8 1+-+-+-+-! 7tr-+-+-zp-'
1+R+Q+R+K! 22.Nd4 Kh8 23.Qb3 Nc4 24.Nxc4 bxc4 xabcdefghy 6-+-+-+k+&
25.Nxc6 (25.Qxc4 Nxd4 26.cxd4 Lxe4
Let's not forget the basic stalemate defence 5+-+-+-+-%
xabcdefghy 27.Rbd1 Qb7 ) 25...Lxc6 26.Qc2
idea in the K + pawn vs. K endgame.
Cabezas Ayala,I-De la Riva Aguado,O La 4-+-+-tR-+$
A well-known position from a reversed 82...Kg8!
English Opening or a clear Sicilian De- Massana 2008.
82...Ke8? 83.Kg7 +.
fence - Dragon - whichever you choose you 21...Ng6!
83.f7+ Kf8 84.Kf6
3+-+-+-+p#
More accurate than 21...Kh8 22.Rbd1
are right!
Rad8 23.Rfe1 Ng6 24.Lg3 Bromann,T- 2-+-+-+-+"
14...f6!
A nice move, proposed by V.Kramnik. Bobras,P Tingkaerskolen 1997. Schlechter Carl 1+-+-+-+K!
Black wants to take control of the e5-square! 22.Lg3 Nce5 23.Nd2
15.Lh4 e6! The only move again, as 23.Ng4?! f5
Wolf Heinrich
Nuremberg 1906
xabcdefghy
All central pawns now on the same rank! 24.exf5 exf5 is not advisable. With the modern existence of '6man table-
16.Ne3 g5! 23...Kh8
XABCDEFGHY bases', such an ending is 'officially' classified
The first (of the two) white central pawns is Also possible is 23...Rad8!? 24.Rf2 Lh6 8-+-+-+-+( as a 'theoretical' one. Chess players of all
exchanged. 25.Rbf1 Qg7 . levels of expertise may, however, still con-
17.Lg3 24.Rf2 Rad8 25.Rbf1 Lh6 26.Ng4? 7+-+-+-zp-' tribute to the many artistic aspects of the
game. Only two moves lead to a draw.
17.fxg5 is the main alternative. Black can It is not easy to propose a good alternative 6-+-+-+-+& 72.Rg4+!
continue with 17...fxg5 18.Lg3 Nde5 for White, although 26.Kg1 is accurate.
(18...Le5!? 19.Ng4 Lxg3 20.hxg3 Nde5 Now Black grabs his chances. 5+-+-+-tR-% 72.Rf3! Ra5 73.Kh2 (73.Rxh3? Rh5 +)
26...Nxg4 27.Lxg4 d5! 73...Rh5 74.Ra3 =.
21.Nd4 ) 19.Lh5 Rf8 20.Qe2 (20.
Ng4?! Rxf1+ 21.Qxf1 Qe7 Klicnar,M- Now the second white central pawn is ex-
4-zP-+k+-+$ 72...Kh5! 73.Rg3!
Killar,M Nachod 1999) 20...Qe7 21.c3 changed, leaving White with no centre at all! 3zP-+-+-zP-# Any other defence would lose.
28.Lh5 73...Kh4 74.Rg6! Ra1+ 75.Kh2 Ra2+
Rojas,L-Valenzuela Fuentealba,L Vina del
28.e5 loses to 28...f5 29.Lh5 d4! 30.cxd4
2r+-+-+-zP" 76.Kh1!
Mar 1998. 76.Kg1? Rg2+! +.
17...gxf4 18.Lxf4 Nde5
Rxd4 31.Nf3 Re4 + and 28.exd5 is no 1+-+-+-mK-! 76...Rg2
Black's third rank pawns look weak, but he better: 28...Lxd5 (28...Rxd5 29.Nb3 f5
has been able to take control of the impor- 30.Lh5! [30.Lf3 f4 31.Lxd5 Lxd5 ] xabcdefghy Stalemate Alert! 76...Ra7 77.Kh2 = (77.
White 'must win', but good technique, and of Kg1 =).
46.g4! h4! wishful hope of a stalemate anyway, 30...Rd7! [30...f4 31.Lxg6 fxg3 {31...hxg6 36.Nxc4 Rxd1 37.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 38.Qxd1
XABCDEFGHY 55...Kh2? would have serious consequences 32.Lxf4 Lxf4 33.Rxf4 Rxf4 34.Rxf4 Ld5 .
after best play by White: 56.c6 Kh1 57.c7 Qg5 35.Rf1 } 32.Rxf8+ Lxf8 33.Rf7 34...Rfd8 35.Qg3
8-+-+-+-+( h2 (Stalemate Alert!) 58.Kg3! (58.c8Q? = ; +] 31.Nd4 Ld5 ) 29.c4 La8! (29... 35.Qh3 Lg7 + ; or 35.Rfd2 Ld5 36.Qh3
7+-+-+-+-' 58.Ke2 +) 58...Kg1 59.c8Q h1Q 60.Qc1 Lxg2+? 30.Kxg2 Rxd2 31.Qxe6 ) 30. Lg7 +.
#. Nb3! (30.Nf3? f5 31.Lh5 f4 +) 30...f5 35...Qg5 36.Qxg5 Lxg5 37.Rd3
6-+-+k+-+& 56.c6 31.Lh5 Le4! (31...f4?! 32.Lxg6 hxg6 33. Or 37.b3 Ld5 38.c4 bxc4 39.bxc4 Lxc4
Lxf4 Lxf4 34.Rxf4 Rxf4 35.Rxf4 [35. +. White is plain lost.
5+-+p+-+p% Qe5+ Qf6] 35...Qg5 36.Rg4 Qf5 37.h3 37...Le4 38.Rh3 Rxd6 39.Rh8+ Kf7
4-+pmK-+-+$ Napier William Ewart ) 32.Lxg6 hxg6 33.Re1 Rd3 (33...Ld3 40.Rh7+ Ke8 41.Rh8+ Kd7
Marshall Frank James 34.Qe5+ [34.Qxe6 Qxe6 35.Rxe6 Lxc4 01
3+-zP-+-zPP# New York 1896 +] 34...Lg7 35.Qxe6 Qxe6 36.Rxe6
2-+-+-+-+" XABCDEFGHY Lxc4 ) 34.Le5+ Kg8 35.cxb5 axb5 . Grivas Efstratios
28...dxe4 29.Nxe4 f5
1+-+-+-+-! 8-+-+-+-+( The central phalanx is marching ...
Goldberg Alexander
A29 Dresden 2002
xabcdefghy 7+-+-+-+-' 30.Lxg6 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5
30.Nd6 is interesting, but Black can just 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Lg2 Nb6 7.0-0 Le7
46...hxg4? 47.hxg4 +. 6-+-+-+-+& play calmly 30...La8! (30...Rxd6 31.Lxg6 8.b3!? (D)
47.g5 Kf5! 48.Kxd5 Kxg5 49.Kxc4 Kf4
50.Kd4 Kg3 51.Ke3 5+Q+-+-+-% Rd7 32.Lh5 Ld5 ).
XABCDEFGHY
With a number of different ways to end the 30...hxg6 31.Nd6 La8!
game in a draw, White opts for a stalemate
4-+-+-+p+$ 31...Ld5?! 32.c4! . 8r+lwqk+-tr(
version. 51.c4 (the pawn race ends without a 3+-+-+-mkp# 32.Le5+
7zppzp-vlpzpp'
winner) 51...Kxh3 52.c5 Kg3 (52...Kg4? Or 32.Qe5+ Kg8 33.Rd1 f4! (33...Lg7
53.c6 + ; 52...Kg2 =) 53.c6 h3 54.c7 h2
2-+-+Kvl-+" 34.Qc5 e5 35.Rfd2 f4 36.Lf2 Qg5 +) 6-snn+-+-+&
55.c8Q h1Q =. 1+-+-+-+-! 34.Lxf4 Rf5 +.
51...Kxh3 52.Kf3 32...Kg8 33.Rd1 (D) 5+-+-zp-+-%
52.c4 Kg3 53.c5 h3 =. xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY 4-+-+-+-+$
52...Kh2 53.Kf2 [53.c4 h3 54.Kf2! In a technically lost position, Black finds an
(54.c5? Kg1 55.c6 h2 56.c7 h1Q+ +). amazing chance to save the game. Keep in 8l+-tr-trk+( 3+PsN-+NzP-#
53...h3 54.c4 mind this quite resourceful escape - you will 7+-+-wq-+-' 2P+-zPPzPLzP"
54.Kf1 Kg3 (54...Kh1 =). surely need it!
54...Kh1 55.c5 h2 (D) 69...Kh2!! 6p+-sNp+pvl& 1tR-vLQ+RmK-!
69...Kg2 70.Qd5+! Kh2 (70...Kg1? xabcdefghy
XABCDEFGHY 71.Qd1+ +) 71.Qe5+ g3 72.Kf3 Kh1
5+p+-vLp+-%
An interesting continuation, in place of the
8-+-+-+-+( 73.Qh8 Kh2 (73...h2 74.Qh3 +) 74.Kg4 4-+-+-+-+$ common and worn-out 8.d3.
+ ; 69...h2 70.Qd3+ Kg2 (70...Kh4
7+-+-+-+-' 71.Kxf2 +) 71.Qe4+ +. 3+-zP-+-+-# 8...0-0 9.Lb2 Lg4 10.Rc1 f5 11.d3 Lf6
11...a5 is an alternative, preventing the fol-
6-+-+-+-+& 70.Kxf2? 2PzP-+QtRPzP" lowing move by White.
White could win by 70.Qe5+! Kg2 (70...g3
5+-zP-+-+-% 71.Kf3! Kh1 72.Qh8 Kh2 73.Kg4 + ; 1+-+R+-+K! 12.b4!? Nd4
Naturally, 12...Nxb4?? 13.Qb3+ N4d5
70...Lg3 71.Qe4 +) 71.Qe4+! Kg3 xabcdefghy
4-+-+-+-+$ 72.Kf1+ La7 73.Qd3+ +.
14.e4 was not on, but Black should have
The knight is lost after 33.Qd3?! Lg7 perhaps preferred 12...a6 13.e3! with
3+-+-+-+-# 70...g3+!
34.Lxg7 Qxg7 35.Rd2 Ld5 +. chances for both sides in a complicated posi-
With best play by both sides, the game must
2-+-+-mK-zp" end in a draw now. 33...Rd7! tion.
Another calm but very strong idea. Black 13.Nd2!?
1+-+-+-+k! 71.Kf3 g2 72.Qe2 Kh1!
plans to double rooks on the d-file and just The standard continuation is 13.Nxd4 exd4
72...Kg1? 73.Kg3 Kh1 74.Qf3! (74.
xabcdefghy Kxh3?? g1N+! =). collect the white knight! 14.Na4 Nxa4 15.Qxa4 c6 16.Qb3+ Kh8
34.Qd3?! 17.Rfe1 with approximately even chances.
Stalemate Alert! 'Playing a joker, in the 73.Kg3 g1Q+ 74.Kxh3 Qe3+!!
34.c4 was a must: 34...bxc4 35.Rff1 Rfd8 With the text move, White initiates a posi-
tional combination aiming to create an out- XABCDEFGHY White is of course lost, but in no mood to (43.Ra8+ =).
post on e4 and occupy it. The idea behind this resign the game. His strong determination 42.Kxh1
operation is well known and arises in several 8r+-+-trk+( and will to survive, assisted by Black's mo- 42.Kf2?? Rf8 +.
positions of this type, from various openings. mentary loss of concentration, produced one 42...Re1+ 43.Kh2 Rh1+!! 44.Kxh1
13...c6 14.f3 Lh5 15.e3 Ne6 16.g4 Lg6
7zppsNqvl-zpp' of the oldest recorded stalemates. Black con-
Black could also try 16...Qxd3 17.gxh5 6-+-+n+-+& tinues well:
Qxe3+ 18.Kh1 Nf4 with a complicated 34...h6! Schallopp Emil
position 5+-+-zpl+-% 34...Qf6? 35.Qxf6 Rxc8 =. Paulsen Wilfried
17.gxf5 Lxf5 18.Nde4 (D) 4-+-+N+-+$ 35.Rxf8+ Qxf8 36.Qe4 Qd8 Nassengrund 1888
XABCDEFGHY Better was 36...Qd6+ 37.Kg2 d3 38.Qe8+ XABCDEFGHY
3+Q+P+P+-# Kh7 39.Qe1 d2 40.Qd1 Qc6+ 41.Kf2
8r+-wq-trk+( 2PvL-+-+-zP" Qc1 42.Qf3 Qc2! + but not 42...d1Q?? 8-+-+-+-+(
43.Qe4+ =.
7zpp+-+-zpp' 1+-tR-+LmK-! 37.Qd3! b4! 38.Kg2 a5
7+-+-+-+p'
6-snp+nvl-+& xabcdefghy 38...Qd5+ 39.Kf2 b3 +. 6-+-+k+-+&
39.Kf2 a4 40.Ke2 a3 41.Qb3 d3+ 42.Kd2
5+-+-zpl+-% 24.Ng3? Qd4 43.Kd1!? Qc3?? 5+-+-+-zP-%
4-zP-+N+-+$ White overestimates his position. He should Stalemate Alert! 43...Qa1+ 44.Kd2 Qb2+ 4-+-+K+-+$
have chosen 24.Nxa8 Rxa8 25.Lxe5 with +.
3+-sNPzPP+-# an unclear game. 44.Qg8+!! Kxg8 3+-+-+-+-#
24...Kh8
2PvL-+-+LzP" Both 24...Lg6?? 25.Lh3! and 24...Rac8??
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-tRQ+RmK-! 25.Nxf5 Rxc7 (25...Rxf5 26.Nxe6!) Bird Henry Edward 1+-vl-+-+-!
26.Rxc7 Qxc7 27.Qxe6+ lose quickly. Englisch Berthold
xabcdefghy However, Black could play 24...Lg5! London 1883
xabcdefghy
White has completed his plan with success. 25.Rc2 Qf7 with the initiative. 75.Ke4!
The e4-square has been turned into a strong 25.Nxa8 Lg6??
XABCDEFGHY Active play in a theoretically (but not neces-
outpost, but Black is not without chances A horrible mistake. Black can retain slightly 8-+-+ntr-mk( sarily practically) drawn endgame is always
either, particularly in view of White's some- better chances with 25...Nc5! 26.Qc3 Ld6! worth a word of praise.
what weakened pawn structure. as then 27.La3 Na4! 28.Qb3 Lxa3 7tR-+-+-+-' 75...Ld2
18...Le7! 19.b5!? 29.Qxa3 Rxa8 30.Nxf5 Qxf5 31.Qxa4 6-+-+Rzp-+& 75...Lxg5 76.Kf3 =.
White could also try 19.a3 a5 20.bxa5 Rxa5 Qg5+ is not an option for White. 76.Kf3 Kf5 77.Kg2 Kg4 78.Kh1 Kf3
21.Qb3 with unclear play. 26.Lh3! 5+-+-+-tr-% 79.Kh2
19...cxb5 Now White is winning, as he will emerge 4-+-+-+N+$ 79.Kg1 Lf4 80.Kh1! = (80.Kf1? Le3!
The critical move. 19...c5 leads to unclear with an extra piece and with the help of the 81.Ke1 Lxg5 82.Kf1 Le3 +).
play and is also possible. Black's move in rule of exchanges he will cash in the point 3+-+-+-zP-# 79...Lf4+ 80.Kh1
the game is the beginning of a tactical plan. sooner or later! 26...Lc5+ 27.Kh1 Le3 With no hope of winning the endgame, with
20.Nxb5 Nd5 28.Lxe6 Qe7 29.Rf1 Rxa8 30.Lf5 Lf4
2-+-+-+PmK" White displaying essential knowledge of the
With the double threat 21...Nxe3 and 31.Lxg6 hxg6 32.Lc1 Rc8 33.Lxf4 exf4 1+-+-+-+-! defensive technique, Black decides to force
21...Qb6. 34.Ne4 Qd7 35.Kg2 b6 36.Rf2 Qf5 37. a stalemate.
21.Qb3! Rc2 Rd8 38.Qc4 g5 39.h3 Kh7 40.Rc3 xabcdefghy 80...Kf2 81.g6 hxg6
White had foreseen this before he played his a5 41.a4 39.Rxe8?
19th move. Black is now caught in a nasty 1-0 39.Ne3 .
pin. 39...Rh5+! Janowski Dawid Markelowicz
21...Nxe3 22.Nc7 Nxf1 23.Lxf1 Our last game is a masterpiece by Magnus 39...Rxe8? 40.Nxf6 +. Mieses Jacques
Not of course 23.Nxe6? Qb6+ 24.Qxb6 Carlsen and it was his first win over Vladi- 40.Kg1 Rxe8 41.Nxf6 Paris 1895
axb6 25.Nxf8 Ne3 26.Ng3 Kxf8 27.Nxf5 mir Kramnik. Notes based on Carlsens: Stalemate Alert! (see next diagram)
Nxf5, when Black is doing well. 41...Rh1+!!
23...Qd7 (D) Kramnik Vladimir This ending is drawn, with best play by both
Drawing in style! 41...Re1+ 42.Kf2 Rhh1
Now White should be very carefull Carlsen Magnus sides. White anyway gives it his best shot to
A30 Wijk aan Zee 2008 (42...Rf1+ 43.Kxf1 Rf5+ =) 43.Rh7+!? =
win.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.g3 b6 very good counterplay after 21...Qa8 22.f3
Drawing in Style 5.Lg2 Lb7 6.00 Le7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 and now just 22...Ne5 or even 22...Rb8
d6 9.Rd1 a6 10.Ng5 Lxg2 11.Kxg2 Nc6 23.Qf2 Ne5 gives Black active piece play
Jovan Petronic 12.Qf4 00 13.Nce4 (D) and good compensation for a pawn.
XABCDEFGHY 19...g4 20.Ne1
Concept A stalemate is basically a situation where 20.Nd4?! would be worse, since now
FIDE (International Chess Federation), in the player to move is not in check and has no 8r+-wq-trk+( 20...Lg5 21.e3 Ne5 leaves the knight prac-
its Handbook online (www.fide.com), under legal moves to continue the game with, end- tically untouchable on e5. Note that it also
the heading E-Miscellaneous - E.I.01A, ing the game with a draw result. In the end-
7+-+-vlpzpp' makes it more difficult to create active play
archives the text of the FIDE Laws of Chess. game, stalemate awareness and knowledge 6pzpnzppsn-+& for White, since b4 and c5 would be almost
The latest version of the FIDE Laws of becomes a powerful resource that may en- impossible to carry out, as ...Rxd4 and a
Chess was adopted at the 79th FIDE Con- able a player having an inferior position to 5+-+-+-sN-% knight move to f3 would probably be strong
gress in 2008 and has been in force since 1st manoeuvre the game into a draw. 4-+P+NwQ-+$ then.
July 2009. Stalemate has a rich historical back- 20...Lg5
In Article 1, 1.2 it is stated that The ob- ground, with its related rules being standar- 3+-+-+-zP-# An important element in Black's plan. The
jective of each player is to place the oppo- dized as a draw only in the 19th century. 2PzP-+PzPKzP" weak f3-square will now be a constant worry
nent's king 'under attack' in such a way that By ending the game, stalemate, similarly for White.
the opponent has no legal move. to a checkmate, whether resulting intention- 1tR-vLR+-+-! 21.e3 Rff7
However, as one of the players is not al- ally or unintentionally, may produce instant A good prophylactic move, preventing Na4
ways able to achieve the ultimate objective and lasting emotions with both the chess xabcdefghy and c5 and preparing to redeploy the knight
(checkmate), 1.3 continues with If the po- players experiencing it while playing, and 13...Ne8 with ...Ne8-f6-e4 without having to worry
sition is such that neither player can possibly also with all reviewing stalemates. Retreating is considered to be the normal about Nd5.
checkmate, the game is drawn. I opted for an overview of 25 classical reaction to any Ne4. The black position is 22.Kg1 Ne8 23.Ne2
Article 5 deals with The Completion of game fragments in ascending year of their now slightly awkward, but the white knights A natural manoeuvre. The diagonal is
the Game and defines the five basic ways a appearance. I hope you enjoy these as much are not perfectly placed either. opened for his bishop and the knight is trans-
game of chess may end in a draw: as I did and also find them useful for train- 14.b3 Ra7 15.Lb2 Rd7 ferred to a better square.
a) Stalemate. ing purposes. There was no better square for the rook 23...Nf6 24.Nf4 Qe8
b) Insufficient remaining pieces to produce a Each game fragment is annotated with anyway, and overprotecting the d6-pawn Black would have liked to play 24...Ne4
checkmate. text, variations and symbol commentary, might turn out to be useful at some point. immediately, but he rejected it because he
c) Agreement between the players during the with each having its purpose and reason for 16.Rac1 misevaluated the queen sac: 25.Nxe6? Qe8
game. being there. 16.h4 or 16.Nf3 could also be considered, 26.Nxg5 Nxd2 27.Nxf7 Ne4 28.Nh6+
d) Three-fold repetition. but the text is quite reasonable as well. Kf8 29.Nxf5 Qf7 +.
e) At least 50 consecutive moves played wi- Congdon James Adams 16...Nc7 25.Qc3
thout either a pawn movement or any piece Delmar Eugene With the purpose of protecting e6, preparing 25.Lxf6 was an option, but at the same time
capture. New York 1880 ...f5. There were, of course, alternatives, the it's hard to see how White can play for an
Once the main objective (checkmate) is XABCDEFGHY most natural being the more hedgehog-like advantage after giving up this bishop.
not within one's reach (with this being inde- 16...Qa8 17.Nf3 b5 which Black rejected 25...Rg7 26.b4 Ne4 27.Qb3 Rge7
pendent of each players' level of chess ex- 8-+R+-tr-mk( because he wasn't sure whether ...bxc4 28.Qa4?!
pertise), the expert chess player often (but (when White replies with bxc4) would really
not always) turns their attention towards the
7zp-+-+-zpp' improve his position. This is why he decided
28.f3 gxf3 29.Nxf3 Lf6 is not to be feared,
but 28.h4, as suggested by Nigel Short, was
objective that is next in line - draw. 6-+-+Q+-+& that going for ...f5 and ...g5 was just accord- probably an improvement of the white posi-
With chess keeping up with progressive ing to the demands of the position! tion, and certainly better than the text. Then
trends, more factors and situations may in- 5+p+-+-+-% 17.Nf3 f5 18.Nc3 g5 it would be equal or slightly better for
fluence an individual game of chess (or a 4-+-zp-+-+$ A normal continuation of the plan starting White. The knight on e4 is certainly pretty,
team chess match) to end in a draw. with 16...Nc7. but the f4-knight is a good piece as well. It's
My present survey will now attempt to 3+-+-+q+-# 19.Qd2 not easy to take advantage of Black's weak-
keep your attention with a number of amaz- 19.Qe3 g4 20.Nd2 (not 20.Nd4? Lg5
ing and instructive game fragments from
2-+-+-+-mK" 21.Nxc6 Lxe3 22.Nxd8 Lxc1 winning an
ened king, and not easy to make any clear
progress for either side. But of course there
recorded practice (source: ChessBase 1+-+-+-+-! exchange) 20...Lg5 21.Qxb6 was another, are still plenty of possibilities for both...
MEGA database 2011), on the chess phe- computer-like option. Black would have 28...Ne5 (D)
nomenon of stalemate. xabcdefghy
XABCDEFGHY 36...Ng5 (D) Solutions to mate in two exercises:
1ABCDEFGH
8-+-+q+k+( XABCDEFGHY Exercise 1 (Page 174): Lindenthal Andreas- 8-+-+-+R+(
7+-+rtr-+p' 8-+-+-+-+( Pfefferle Georg Donaueschingen 1985
Solution: 29.Lc4+! Ka1 30.00 # or 7+-+-+p+-'
6pzp-zpp+-+& 7tr-+-+k+p' 30.Kd2 # or 30.Ke2 # or 30.Kf2 # 10 6-+p+-zp-+&
5+-+-snpvl-% 6-zp-+pvl-+&
Exercise 2 (Page 174): Litzka Matthias- 5+-+-zp-+k%
4QzPP+nsNp+$ 5+P+-zppsn-% Stoll Ferdinand Germany 1990
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-zP-zP-# 4-zP-+-+p+$ Solution: 62...Rg3+! 63.Kf2 63.Kh2 Rh5
# ; 63.Kh1 Rh5 # 63...Kg4! # 01 3+P+-+PmKP#
2PvL-+-zP-zP" 3+-+-zP-zP-#
Exercise 3 (Page 174): Gaasland Glenn- 2P+-+-+R+"
1+-tRRsN-mK-! 2rvLR+-zPKzP" Nordhaug Ingerid Porsgrunn 1996 1+-tr-+r+-!
xabcdefghy 1+-+RsN-+-! Solution: 39.Qg5+! Kh7 39...Kf7 40.Lh5
# ; 39...Kh8 40.Kg3 # or 40.Kg4 # 40.Kg3 xabcdefghy
29.Qxa6? xabcdefghy # Or 40.Kg4 # 10
As 29.c5 is well met by 29...Nc4!, White 37.Rd6?
should rather admit failure with 29.Qb3 and This pseudo-active move makes matters Exercise 4 (Page 174): Batuev Anton- 2ABCDEFGH
after gaining two tempi, Black is obviously much worse for White; Black had a practi- Matveev Vladimir Serpukhov 1999
slightly better, but the white position is cer- cally winning positional advantage anyway. Solution: 69.Ld5! e3 70.Kc7 # 10
8r+l+-+-+(
tainly playable. 37...e4 38.Lxf6 Kxf6 39.Kf1 7zp-+-+-+-'
29...Ra7 30.Qb5 39.Rxb6 Ra1 40.Re2 Nf3 loses at once. Exercise 5 (Page 174): Bentsen Oyvind-
Having seen that 30.Qxb6 Reb7 31.Qd4 39...Ra1 40.Ke2 Hvattum Lars Magnus Molde 2000
6p+-+pvlN+&
Lf6 would leave his queen trapped in the 40.Rcd2 Rb1 41.Rd1 Rxb4 42.Rxb6
Rb2 leaves White defenceless against the
Solution: 67...Qxa1 68.Kg1 Kc2! # 01 5+-+-+-+R%
centre, Kramnik was forced to make this
move, which he actually accompanied with a threats of ...Raa2 and ...Nh3. Exercise 6 (Page 174): Crocitti Daniel-Leal 4-+-+P+-+$
draw offer. Carlsen commented: 'I was 40...Rb1 41.Rd1 Paulo Tarcisio Sao Paulo 2000 3+-+-+Pmk-#
slightly tempted of course, since I would 41.Rxb6 leads to mate after 41...Raa1 Solution: 53...h3+! 54.Kg3 54.Kxh3 Kf2!
have been happy with a draw before the 42.Kd2 (42.Ng2 Nf3 +) 42...Rxe1 or # or 54.Kg1 Rd1 # or 54.Kf1 Rd1 # or 2PzP-+-+P+"
game, but I realised that my position was so loses a piece after 41...Rd7. 54.Kh1 Rd1 # 54...Ke2! # 01
much better that I simply had to decline'. 41...Rxb4 42.Ng2 Rxb5
1+-+RmK-+-!
30...Qxb5 31.cxb5 Rxa2 32.Rc8+ Kf7 Black is obviously winning now, and White Solutions to mate in three exercises: xabcdefghy
33.Nfd3 Lf6 34.Nxe5+ might as well have resigned here.
34.Lxe5 dxe5 35.Rc6 Ng5 is curtains. 43.Nf4 Rc5 44.Rb2 b5 45.Kf1 Rac7 Exercise 1 (Page 175): Moroz Henryk-
34...dxe5 46.Rbb1 Obierak Wladyslaw Slask 1996 3ABCDEFGH
34...Lxe5 was probably better, but in time- 46.Kg2 allows the exchange of one rook, Solution: 43.Rh8+! Kg5 43...Kg6? 44.
trouble Black was reluctant to allow which is desirable for Black: 46...Rc1 Kh4 # or 44.Kh2 # 44.h4+! Kg6 45.Kh3 # 8-+-tR-+-+(
35.Lxe5 dxe5 36.Nd3 which however is 47.Rxc1 Rxc1 48.Rxb5 Nf3 49.Ne2 Or 45.Kh2 # 10 7+-+-+-+-'
well met by 36...Kf6 37.Rf8+ Kg7 Re1 50.Rb2 Kg5 and White is completely
38.Rd8 (38.Rb8 Rd7 +) 38...Nc3 tied up, he cannot even play 51.h4+ gxh3+
Exercise 2 (Page 175): Dessmark Andres- 6-+-+-+-+&
39.Rf1 (39.Nxe5 Nxd1 40.Rxd1 is better, Lamothe Luc Hull 1999
but should lose as well) 39...Rd2! and wins.
52.Kxh3 due to 52...Rxe2. Black will win
Solution: 25.Rh3+ Kxg2 26.Nf4+ Kg1 5+-+-+-+-%
by ...e5 and ...h5-h4.
35.Rc2 27.Ke2 # 10 4-+p+-vL-+$
46...Rb7 47.Rb4 Rc4 48.Rb2 b4
35.Nd3 leaves Black with a pleasant choice 49.Rdb1 Nf3 50.Kg2 Rd7!
between 35...Nxf2 and 35...Ng5 so White The last good move, forcing exchanges.
Exercise 3 (Page 175): Gavasheli Ana- 3+-zP-+P+p#
Esebua Megi Tbilisi 2001
should rather retreat. 51.h3 e5 52.Ne2 Rd2 53.hxg4 fxg4
Solution: 54.Rd1 54.Rb8 b1Q+ (54...h2
2-zp-+-+-+"
35...Rea7 36.Kg2 54.Rxd2 Nxd2 55.Rb2 Nf3 56.Kf1 b3
36.Kf1 was better; the king later headed in 57.Kg2 Rc2
55.Kf2! b1Q 56.Rxb1 #) 55.Rxb1 h2 1+-+-+K+k!
56.Kf2 # 54...b1Q 54...h2? 55.Kf2 #
this direction anyway. 01
55.Rxb1 h2 56.Kf2! # 10 xabcdefghy
1ABCDEFGH 4ABCDEFGH Break
8r+l+-wqr+( 8k+-+-+-+( Adrian Mikhalchishin
7zp-+-+-+-' 7zP-+-+Lsn-'
6-zp-+-sn-zp& 6-zPK+-+P+& Concept
Break is one of the most important methods of play in the endgame. Sometimes there is no other
5+-tR-+-+-% 5+-+-+-+-% possibility to create a passed pawn; it is necessary to sacrifice. This method is used mostly in pawn
endgames, but I want to show that it is frequently used in other types of endgame as well.
4-wQ-+P+-+$ 4-+-+p+-+$
3+-zP-+N+-# 3+-+-+-+-# Example 1 This is the oldest example of a direct pawn
XABCDEFGHY break. I must mention that if Black is to
2k+P+-+PzP" 2-+-+-+-+" move, then 1...g6 stops this dangerous break.
1+-+-mKL+R! 1+-+-+-+-! 8-+-+-+k+( 1.g6! hxg6 2.f6! gxf6 3.h6
10
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 7+-+-+p+-'
Example 3
6-+-+-+-+& XABCDEFGHY
2ABCDEFGH 5ABCDEFGH 5+K+pzP-+-% 8-+-+-+-+(
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+( 4p+pzP-+-+$ 7+-+-+-+p'
7+-+-+-+-' 7+-+-+-+-' 3+-+-+-+-# 6-+-+-+-+&
6-+-tR-+-+& 6-+-+-+-+& 2PzP-+-+-+" 5+-+-mkpzPP%
5+-+-+r+-% 5+-+-+-+-% 1+-+-+-+-! 4-+-zp-+-+$
xabcdefghy 3+-+-+-+-#
4P+-+-mk-+$ 4-+-+-+-+$ 2-+-mK-+-+"
1...a3!
3+-+ptr-+-# 3+-+-zp-+-# The simplest break. With the help of a pawn 1+-+-+-+-!
2-+-+p+K+" 2-+-tr-+-+" sacrifice, Black clears the way for his c- xabcdefghy
pawn, which becomes unstoppable.
1+-+-tR-+-! 1tR-wqk+-+K! 2.bxa3 c3 1.h6!
Here we have preparation for the break - it is
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 01
necessary to control f6 a while longer.
Example 2 1...Ke6 2.g6!
3ABCDEFGH 6ABCDEFGH XABCDEFGHY 10
Example 4
8-+-+-tr-+( 8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7+p+-+-mk-' 7+-+-+-+-' 7+k+-+pzpp' 8-+-+-+-+(
6q+n+p+-+& 6ptR-+-+-+& 6-+-+-+-+& 7+-+-+-zp-'
5zpl+pzP-+-% 5zP-+-+-zp-% 5+-+-+PzPP% 6-+-+-+-+&
4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+-+-+Pzp$ 4-+-+-+-+$ 5zp-zp-zp-mkP%
3zPP+-+L+K# 3+P+rmk-+-# 3+-+-+-+-# 4-zp-zpP+P+$
2-+-+-+KzP" 3+P+P+-+K#
2-vL-wQ-+P+" 2-mK-+-+-+" 2-zPP+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+R! 1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
1...c4! 2.dxc4 Averbakh Yuri
Things are also simple after 2.bxc4 a4. Bebchuk Evgeni 7ABCDEFGH Solutions to mate in one exercises:
2...a4 3.bxa4 b3! 4.cxb3 d3 Moscow 1964 8-+-tr-+-tr( Exercise 1 (Page 172): Ljubicic Filip-Nataf
01 XABCDEFGHY Igor Alexandre Solin 1997
7+Lzp-wqpzpp' Solution: 50...Ke2 # 01
Example 5 8-+-+-+-+( 6-+-+lsn-+&
XABCDEFGHY 7+p+-+-zp-' Exercise 2 (Page 172): Schmit Aaron-Lang
5+Q+-+-+-% Torsten Germany 1988
8-+-+-+k+( 6-+-+-zp-zp& 4-vlP+-vL-+$ Solution: 63.Kc6! # 10
7+-+-+-zp-' 5+k+-+P+-% 3+-sNkzP-zPP# Exercise 3 (Page 172): Fahnenschmidt
6-+-+-+-+& 4-+-+-+PzP$ Gerhard-Loos Roland Crailsheim 2000
2PzP-+-zP-+" Solution: 82.Kg6 # 10
5+-+-+-+-% 3+-+KzP-+-#
1tR-+-mK-+R!
4pzppmK-+-+$ 2-+-+-+-+" Exercise 4 (Page 172): Fell Nathan-
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy McVeigh James Churchill 2000
3+-+-+-+-# Solution: 49...Ke5 # 01
2PzP-+-+P+" xabcdefghy 8ABCDEFGH Exercise 5 (Page 172): Wright Ian-
1.e4 Kc6 2.e5!
1+-+-+-+-! Black has a dangerous passed pawn, so 8-+-+-+r+( Wicklander Mathew Kambah 2000
Solution: 40.Kh4! # 10
xabcdefghy White has to try immediately to create his
7+R+-+-zpk'
own passed pawn.
1...c3! 2.bxc3 b3! Exercise 6 (Page 172): Van den Berkmortel
We can call that a long or delayed break.
2...fxe5 3.g5 hxg5 6p+-+N+-+& Theo-Hitzgerova Gabriela Prerov 2001
Not helpful is 3...Kd7 4.f6 Ke6 5.fxg7 Kf7
3.axb3 a3
6.gxh6 b5 7.Ke4 b4 8.Kd3 and the white 5+-+p+PzP-% Solution: 65.Ke7! # 10
And the white pawns block their king's way.
01 king successfully wins both opponent's
pawns.
4-+-+-+-+$ Exercise 7 (Page 173): Capo Vidal Uriel-
3+-+nvL-+-# Gonzalez Emmanuel Villahermosa 2001
Example 6 4.f6 gxf6 5.h5
White gave up nearly all his pawns, but the Solution: 19.000! # 10
XABCDEFGHY last one is unstoppable.
2-+-+-+-mK"
Exercise 8 (Page 173): Grivas Apostolos-
8-+-+-+-+( 10 1+-+-+-+R! Karabourniotis P. Kallithea 2002
7+-+-+pzp-' Cako Laszlo xabcdefghy Solution: 41.Kg2 # Or 41.Kg1 # or 41.Kg3
Arhangelsky Vladislav # 10
6-+-+p+p+& Hoogeveen 2002
5+-+-zP-zP-% XABCDEFGHY 9ABCDEFGH Exercise 9 (Page 173): Ambroise Thibault-
Genin Alexandre Clichy 2003
4k+-+-zP-zP$ 8-+-+-+-+( 8-mk-+-mKQ+( Solution: 69.Kg7! # 10
3+-+-+-+-# 7+-+-+-+-' 7+-+-+R+-'
2-+K+-+-+" 6-+p+-+-+& 6-+-+-+-+&
1+-+-+-+-! 5zp-+k+pzp-% 5+-+-+-+-%
xabcdefghy 4-+-+-+-zp$ 4-+-+-+P+$
The doubled pawns allow White to conduct 3+P+-mK-+P# 3+-+-+-+-#
a multiple break: 2-+-+-+-+"
1.f5!! exf5 2.h5! gxh5 3.g6! fxg6 4.e6 2-+P+-zPP+"
Almost everything has been sacrificed, but 1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
the last pawn is on its way to the top.
10 xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
1.g3? Ree Hans
1ABCDEFGH 4ABCDEFGH 1.f4 g4 2.Kd3 was correct. Now follows a Ftacnik Lubomir
8L+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+( typical, but unexpected break. Kiev 1978
1...g4! 2.gxh4 gxh3 3.Kf3 f4! XABCDEFGHY
7+-+-+-+p' 7+-tr-+-+-' Creating a typical box for the opponent's
6-+-+-+-+& 6q+-+k+K+& king. 8-+-+-+-+(
4.h5 Ke5 7+-+-+-+-'
5+-+-+-+-% 5+-+-+p+P% Now the king stops White's pawn and it is
4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+-+-vl-+$ time to resign. 6-zp-+-zpp+&
01 5+-+-mk-+p%
3+-+-+-+-# 3+-+-+-+-# Listengarten Leonid 4p+-+P+-zP$
2P+-+-+PzP" 2-+-+-+P+" Chepukaitis Genrikh
Soviet Union 1959 3zP-+-mK-zP-#
1+-+qmk-mK-! 1+-+-+-+-! XABCDEFGHY 2-zP-+-+-+"
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+-+-+-!
2ABCDEFGH 5ABCDEFGH 7+-+-+-+-' xabcdefghy
6-zp-mk-+-+& 56...g5?
8-+Q+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+( Black overlooks a typical break.
7mk-+K+-+R' 7+R+-+-+-' 5zp-+p+p+-% 57.g4 hxg4
Or 57...gxh4 58.gxh5 f5 59.h6 f4+ 60.Kf3
6-+-+-+-+& 6p+-+-+kzp& 4P+-mK-+-+$ Kf6 61.e5+ Kg6 62.e6 h3 63.e7.
5+-+-+-+-% 5+-zp-zPp+-% 3+-zP-+-+-# 58.h5 Ke6 59.Kf2 Kf7 60.Kg3 Kg7

61.Kxg4 Kh6 62.Kf5 Kxh5 63.Kxf6 g4
4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+Pzp-zP-+$ 2-zP-+-+P+" 64.e5 g3 65.e6 g2 66.e7 g1Q 67.e8Q+
3+n+-+-+-# 3+-+P+-mKP# 1+-+-+-+-! Kh4 68.Qh8+ Kg3 69.Qg7+ Kf2 70.

Qxg1+ Kxg1 71.Ke5 Kf2 72.Kd5 Ke3
2-+-+-+-+" 2P+-+-+R+" xabcdefghy 73.Kc6 Kd2 74.Kxb6 Kc2 75.Ka5 Kxb2
1.b4 b5! 76.Kxa4 Kc3
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-tr-+r! This break is typical and we can call it a 10
counterbrake, as it is used just when the
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy opponent's pawns start to move forward. Welling
2.axb5 Eingorn Vereslav
3ABCDEFGH 6ABCDEFGH 2.bxa5 bxa4 3.c4 a3 4.c5+ Kc6 +. Bad Wiesee 2006
2...a4 3.Kd3 Kc7 4.Kc2 Kb6 5.Kb2 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-mk( 8-+-+-+k+( Kxb5 6.Ka2!
6.Ka3 f4 7.Ka2 d4 8.Kb2 d3 +. 8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+P' 7+-+-+-+p' 6...f4 7+-+-+-zp-'
6-+-+PmK-zP& 6-+-+K+-+& Another win could be found in 6...d4 7.cxd4
6p+-+-zp-+&
Kxb4 8.d5 Kc5 9.Ka3 Kxd5 10.Kxa4 and
5+-+-+-+-% 5+-+L+-+P% now only 10...Kc5!! (10...Ke4? 11.Kb5 5+p+-mk-+p%
4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+-vL-+-+$ Ke3 12.Kc5 Kf2 13.Kd5! =) does the job:
4-zP-+P+-zP$
11.Kb3 Kd4 +.
3+-+-+-+-# 3+-+-+-+-# 7.Ka3 Kc4 8.Kxa4 Kxc3 9.b5 d4 10.b6 3zP-+-mK-zP-#
2-vL-+-+-+" d3 11.b7 d2 12.b8Q d1Q+ 13.Ka5 Qa1+
2-+l+-+-+" 14.Kb6 Qb2+ 2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-! Transposing once more into a winning pawn 1+-+-+-+-!
endgame.
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 01 xabcdefghy
1...g5?? Ilinsky Yaroslav which we can hope to learn from. Faced with XABCDEFGHY
Black wants to win by the threat ...g4. Riazantsev Alexander losing the a5-pawn, Black goes for the e5
2.g4!! hxg4 3.h5 f5 4.h6 f4+ 5.Kf2 Kf6 Novgorod 1997 one, which turns out to be poisonous. 8-+-+-+-+(
6.e5+ Kg6 7.e6 XABCDEFGHY 17...Kc6?
10 17...Kc7 .
7+-+-+-+-'
Koh Jung Woo
8-+-+k+-+( 18.Nxa5+! Kd5? 19.Lf4! g5?? 6-+-zp-+-+&
7+-+-+-+-' 19...Rxa5 20.bxa5 + was the only way to
De Dovitiis Alejo
continue the game. 19...e3 20.f3 + keeps the 5+N+-+-+-%
Argentina 2005
6-+-+-+-+& king in the cage. 4-+pzP-mk-zp$
XABCDEFGHY 20.000! #
5+-+-zp-zpp% The king (move) checkmate! 20.Rd1 # 3+-+l+-+-#
8-+-+-+-+(
4-+-+-zp-+$ would have been less stylish, but of course, 2-+-+-mK-zP"
7+-+-+-+-' perfectly efficient as well!
3+P+-+P+P# 10 1+-+-+-+-!
6-zpp+-zpp+&
2-+-+-+P+" Rowe Duane xabcdefghy
5+-+-mk-+p% Pupier Terry
1+-+-+K+-! As we shall see, Black is trying hard for a
4-+P+P+-zP$ London 2009 win. His determination is rewarded.
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY 58...h3!? 59.Nc3! d5!? 60.Nxd5+! Ke4!
3+-zP-mK-zP-# 46.Ke2?! 61.Ne3! Kxd4
2-+-+-+-+" Correct was to avoid the coming break with 8-sn-+-+k+( 61...c3 62.d5 Ke5 63.Ke1 =.
1+-+-+-+-! the prophylactic destroyer 46.h4!! g4 7wQl+-+-+r' 62.Nxc4! Lxc4 63.Kg1 Ke4 64.Kh1 Kf3
(46...gxh4 47.Ke2 Kd7 48.Kd3 Kc6 65.Kg1 Ld5! (D)
xabcdefghy 49.Ke4 Kc5 50.Kxe5 Kb4 51.Kxf4 6-+-wq-zp-+& XABCDEFGHY
Kxb3 52.Kg5 +) 47.fxg4! hxg4 48.h5 e4
1...Kd6!
49.h6 Kf7 50.h7 Kg7 51.b4 g3 52.b5 f3
5zP-zp-zpPzp-% 8-+-+-+-+(
A correct preventative move as Black avoids
the opponent's break. Wrong would be 1...g5?
53.b6 e3 54.gxf3 +. But it was not easy 4-zpP+P+-+$ 7+-+-+-+-'
46...e4! 47.fxe4 g4! 48.hxg4?
2.g4!! hxg4 (2...gxh4 3.gxh5 h3 4.Kf2 f5
The worst thing is to exchange automati- 3+-+-+-+-# 6-+-+-+-+&
5.h6 Kf6 6.exf5 +) 3.h5 Ke6 (3...f5 4.h6
f4+ 5.Kf2 Kf6 6.e5+ Kg6 7.e6 +) 4.Kf2
cally. In such situations, it is recommended 2R+-+N+P+" 5+-+l+-+-%
to keep more pawns on the board, reducing
Kf7 5.Kg3 Kg7 6.Kxg4 Kh6 7.c5! (7.Kf5
Kxh5 8.Kxf6 g4 9.e5 g3 10.e6 g2 11.e7 drawish possibilities: 48.h4 Kd7 49.Kd3 1+-sN-+-mK-! 4-+-+-+-+$
Kc6 (49...Kd6 50.Kd4 g3 [50...Ke6 51.e5
g1Q 12.e8Q+ Kh4 13.Qh8+ Kg3 14.
f3 52.gxf3 gxf3 53.Ke3 Kxe5 54.Kxf3
xabcdefghy 3+-+-+k+p#
Qg7+ Kf2 15.Qxg1+ Kxg1 16.Ke5 Kf2 Precise and deep calculation skills are one
Kf5 55.b4 Ke5 56.b5 Kd5 57.Kf4 Kc5
17.Kd6 Ke3 =) 7...b5 (7...bxc5 8.c4 Kg7
58.Kg5 Kxb5 59.Kxh5 Kc6 60.Kg6 +]
mark of a strong player. In this example 2-+-+-+-zP"
9.e5! fxe5 10.Kxg5 +) 8.Kf5 Kxh5 9. White did not live up to the position's expec-
Kxf6 g4 10.e5 g3 11.e6 g2 12.e7 g1Q 51.e5+ Ke6 52.Ke4 +) 50.b4 Kb5 (50...
tations.
1+-+-+-mK-!
g3 51.Ke2 +; 50...Kd6 51.b5 Kc5 52.e5
13.e8Q+ Kh4 14.Qh8+ Kg3 15.Qg7+ Kxb5 53.Ke4 f3 54.gxf3 gxf3 55.Kxf3 37.Rd2? xabcdefghy
Kf2 16.Qxg1+ Kxg1 17.Ke5 Kf2 18.Kd6
Kc6 56.Kf4 Kd7 57.Kg5 Ke6 58.Kxh5 37.Qb6! was the best way forward: Excellent. Black's last fighting resource.
Ke3 19.Kxc6 +.
Kxe5 59.Kg6 +) 51.e5 Kc6 52.Ke4 +. 37...Qd1+ 38.Kf2. 66.Kh1??
2.Kd4 37...Qxd2 38.Qxb8+ Kg7! 66.Kf1 =.
48...hxg4 49.Kd3 Kd7 50.b4
2.Ke2 doesn't help due to 2...Ke6 3.Kf3 38...Lc8? 39.Qxc8+ Kg7 40.Kf2! . 66...Kf2! #
Or 50.e5? Ke6 51.Ke4 f3 52.gxf3 gxf3
(3.Ke3 Ke5 4.Kf3 g5) 3...g5 4.Kf2 gxh4 39.Qxb7+ Kh6 40.Qd5 Qe1+ 41.Kh2 The king checkmates!
53.Kxf3 Kxe5 =.
5.gxh4 Ke5 6.Ke3 c5 7.Kf3 f5 +. Kg7! # 01
50...Kc6 51.Kd2
2...g5 3.c5+ bxc5+ 4.Kd3 The king checkmates!
It was possible to lose: 51.Kd4? g3! +.
4.Kc4 Ke5 5.Kxc5 gxh4 6.gxh4 Kxe4 01 Exercises
51...Kb5 52.Kd3 Kxb4 53.e5 Kc5
7.Kxc6 f5 8.Kd6 f4 +. 18 exercises follow to further help you:
54.Ke4 f3 55.gxf3 gxf3 56.Kxf3 Kd5
4...Ke5 5.Kc4 gxh4 6.gxh4 Kxe4 7.Kxc5 De Oliveira Mate in one with solutions: 9
57.Kf4 Ke6
f5 Mangini Jose Thiago Mate in two with solutions: 6

01 Fortaleza 1951 Mate in three with solutions: 3
Domotor Jozsef XABCDEFGHY Camacho Guillermo 2...Kd5 3.e6 fxe6 4.fxg6.
Tivolt Ferenc Hernandez Angel 3.gxf5 Kd5
Keszthely 1994 8-+-+-+-+( Cuba 1995 Now follows the classic sacrificial concept,
XABCDEFGHY 7+-+-+-+k' XABCDEFGHY after which the black king can't catch the
white pawn as his own pawns stop him.
8-+-+-+-+( 6-+-+K+-+& 8-+-+-+-+( 4.e6! fxe6 5.f6! gxf6 6.h5!
10
7+-+Q+-+-' 5+-+-+P+L% 7+-zp-mk-+-'
Yagupov Igor
6-+-+-+-+& 4-+-+-+P+$ 6-+-zp-+-zp& Mukhametov Eldar
5+-+-+-+p% 3+-vl-+-+-# 5+-zPP+pzp-% Russia 1995
4P+-snqvL-zP$ 2-+-+-+-+" 4-zP-mK-zP-+$ XABCDEFGHY

3+P+-+kzP-# 1+-+-+-+-! 3+-+-+-zP-# 8-+-+-+-+(
2-+r+-zP-+" 2-+-+-+-+" 7+p+-+-+-'
xabcdefghy
1tR-+-+-mK-! The endgame resulted in an artistic king 1+-+-+-+-! 6p+-+-+p+&
xabcdefghy checkmate.
xabcdefghy 5zP-zP-sNkzp-%
65.g5 Ld2
White 'must' win. Only two moves, however, 65...Lg7 66.f6 Lf8 67.g6+ Kg8 68.Le2 1.g4!! fxg4 4-zP-mK-+-+$
promise an 'easy' way to end the game. Lb4 69.g7 Lc5 70.Lc4 Kh7 71.Kf5 +. 1...gxf4 2.gxf5 +. 3+-+-+-zP-#
35.Rd1? 66.g6+ Kg8 67.f6 Lh6 68.Kf5 2.f5 dxc5+
35.Le3! Ne2+ 36.Kh2! (36.Kf1? Nxg3+! 68.Le2! Kf8 69.Lc4 +. 2...Kf6 3.cxd6 cxd6 4.b5 +; 2...g3 3.Ke3 2-+-+-+l+"
= ; 36.Kh1? Nxg3+! =) 36...Nxg3 37.Qh3! 68...Lf8 69.Ld1 Lh6 70.Lb3+ Kh8 g4 4.c6 h5 5.b5 h4 6.Ke2! +. 1+-+-+-+-!
+ or 35.Qh3 +. 71.Ke6! Lg7 72.fxg7+ Kg8 3.bxc5 g3 4.Ke3 g4 5.c6!!
35...Ne2+!? 72...Kxg7 73.Lc2 +. 5.d6+? cxd6 6.c6 d5! =. xabcdefghy
35...Rxf2! 36.Qxd4 Rg2+ 37.Kh1 73.Kf6 # 5...h5 6.f6+ Kxf6 7.d6 62.b5! axb5 63.c6! bxc6 64.Kc5!
(37.Kf1?? Qe2 ) 37...Rh2+! 38.Kg1 The king checkmates! 10 Now the king blocks the opponent's bishop
(38.Kxh2 Qe2+ +) 38...Rg2+ =. 10 and a pawn is ready to run.
36.Kf1? Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 64...b4 65.a6 b3 66.Nc4 Lf1 67.a7 Lxc4
36.Kh2! was the only defence: 36...Nxf4 Vlassov Nikolai Sokolov Ivan 68.a8Q b2 69.Qb7
37.Rd2! Rxd2 38.Qxd2 =. Wirig Anthony Hoogeveen 2008 10
36...Nxf4 Internet 2003 XABCDEFGHY Kovcan V.
After White's two consecutive mistakes, the XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+( Antal P.
game takes a dramatic turn. It is Black who is Hungary 1995
winning now. 8r+-+-vlntr( 7+-+-+pzp-'
37.Qb5 XABCDEFGHY
7+p+k+pzp-' 6-+k+-+p+&
37.Kg1 Rxf2 + ; 37.gxf4? Qe2+ +. 8-+-+-+-+(
37...Rxf2+ 38.Kg1 6-+-+p+-zp& 5+-+-zP-+-% 7+k+-+-zpp'
Black to play and mate in two:
38...Nh3+ 39.Kh1 Kxg3! #
5zp-+-zP-+-% 4-zp-mK-zPPzP$ 6pvl-zp-zp-+&
The king checkmates! 39...Kg4 # would 4-zPN+p+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 5+p+PzpPzP-%
have been a second king checkmate option.
39...Ke3 # was a third king checkmate op- 3zP-+-vL-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 4-+-+-+-zP$
tion. It is a rare phenomenon to have so many 2-+P+-zPPzP"
king move mates at your disposal 1+-+-+-+-! 3+P+-vL-+-#
01 1tR-+-mK-+R! xabcdefghy 2PzPK+-+-+"
Zielinska Jolanta xabcdefghy Once more Black has an outside passed 1+-+-+-+-!
Rajlich Iweta Internet chess can be a world of fun, and is pawn and White has to be fast and decisive.
Warsaw 1995 also a world of chess mistakes, some of 1.f5 b3 2.Kc3 gxf5 xabcdefghy
Break is a typical manoeuvre not just in White obtains a dangerous passed pawn, 71.Qg7+ Qg5 72.Qd7+ Kh4! 73.Qh7+ With a double king checkmating threat.
pawn endings. plus a strong king position. So the sacrifice Qh5! 74.Qg7 f2! 75.Qxg3+!? 40.Kg3! Qb8+ 41.Nf4 +.
1.h5!! fxg5 of the pawn has paid off. Offering the queen forces a king checkmate. 40...Qc5 (D)
After 1...Lxe3 2.h6 gxh6 3.g6 + promotes. XABCDEFGHY 75...Kxg3 # XABCDEFGHY
2.Lxb6 Kxb6 3.h6! gxh6 4.f6 The king checkmates!
10 8-+-+l+-+( 01 8-+-+-+-+(
Kosteniuk Alexandra
7+-+-+-+-' Vedder Henk
7+-+-+p+p'
Polgar Judit 6-+p+k+pzp& Berkhout Sander 6-+l+-wQpmk&
Moscow 2009 B08 Netherlands 1989
XABCDEFGHY 5+p+psN-+-% XABCDEFGHY 5+-wqN+-+-%
8-+-+n+-+( 4-zP-zP-zPPzP$ 8-+-+-+k+( 4-+p+P+-+$
7+-+-+-+-' 3+-+-mK-+-# 7+q+l+p+p' 3+-zPr+P+-#
6-+-+-zp-+& 2-+-+-+-+" 6-sN-+-+p+& 2-+-+-+PmK"
5+-+-zpNzpp% 1+-+-+-+-! 5+P+-zp-+-% 1+-+-+-+R!
4-+k+-+-zP$ xabcdefghy 4-+p+P+-+$ xabcdefghy
40...hxg5 41.hxg5 c5 Preventing one, but not the other.
3+-+-+-zP-# Or 41...Kd6 42.g6 Ke6 43.g7 Lf7 44.Kf4 3+-zPr+P+-# 41.Kg3! #
Kf6 45.Nxf7 Kxf7 46.Kxf5 Kxg7 47. The king checkmates!
2-+-+KzP-+" Ke6 Kg6 48.Kd6 Kf5 49.Kxc6 Ke4 50. 2-+-+-wQP+" 10
1+-+-+-+-! Kc5! +. 1tR-+-+-mK-!
42.bxc5 b4 43.Nd3! Bezold Michael
xabcdefghy Stopping the opponent's counterplay as the xabcdefghy Veingold Aleksandr
63.g4! Nc7 knight will block the f5-pawn. In a materially equal position, weak e5- and Budapest 1989
63...gxh4 64.gxh5 h3 65.Kf1 h2 66.Kg2 43...b3 44.Nf4+ Kd7 45.Kd2 c4-pawns and the weakness of the dark XABCDEFGHY
Nc7 67.h6 Ne6 68.h7 Nf4+ 69.Kxh2 Ng6 10 squares around the black king make the de-
70.Kg3 +. fence very difficult. 8-+-+-+-+(
64.gxh5 Ne6 65.h6 Nf8 66.hxg5 fxg5 Hoang Thi Bao Tram 34.Qc5!
67.Kf3 Kd3 68.Kg4 Ke2 69.Kxg5 Majdan Joanna 34.Nxc4? Qxb5 .
7+-+-+-+-'
69.f3 was better and simpler. Dresden 2008 34...Kg7? 6-+-vl-+-+&
69...Kxf2 70.Kf6? XABCDEFGHY 34...Le6! 35.Ra8+ Kg7 36.Qf8+ Kf6
5+-+-+-+-%
70.Nd6 Kf3 71.Kf5 was correct. 37.Qh8+ Kg5! 38.Qxe5+ Kh6 39.Ra6 .
70...e4? 8-+-+-+-+( 35.Qxe5+! Kh6 4-+-+-mkp+$
70...Kf3 71.Kxe5 Nh7 would have kept 7zp-+-+-+-' 35...f6 36.Qe7+ +.
the draw. 36.Nd5! Qxb5 37.Qf4+ Kg7 3zp-+-sN-+-#
71.Kf7 Nh7 72.Kg6 Nf8+ 73.Kg7 Ne6+ 6-+p+-+pmk& 37...Kh5? 38.Nf6 # ; 37...g5? 38.Qf6+ 2P+-+-+K+"
74.Kf6 Nf8 75.Nd4 e3 76.Kg7 Ne6+ Kh5 39.Qxf7+ Kh6 40.Qf8+! Kh5
77.Nxe6 e2 78.Nf4
5+-+-+l+-% 41.Qg7 +. 1+-+-+-+-!
10 4-zP-tr-sN-zp$ 38.Kh2? xabcdefghy
38.Qf6+! Kh6 (38...Kg8 39.Ra8+ Le8
Lu Shanglei 3tR-+p+-zPP# 40.Qe5 +) 39.Qxf7 +. 50.Nxg4! Kxg4 51.Kf2 = Kf4 52.Ke2
Ji Dan Ke4 53.Kd2 Kd4 54.Kc2 Kc4 55.Kb1
Xinghua 2010
2P+-mK-zP-+" 38...Lc6?
Kc3 56.Ka1 Lf4 57.Kb1 Le5!
38...Rxd5! 39.exd5 Qxd5 offered best prac-
1+-+-+-+-! tical chances for Black to survive. Black's last practical resource wins the jack-
(see next diagram) 39.Qf6+! Kh6 pot.
xabcdefghy 39...Kg8 40.Ne7+ + ; 39...Kf8? 40.Qh8 #. 58.Ka1?? Kc2 #
39.f5+! gxf5 40.g5 46...g5! The king checkmates!
40.Rh1!
With this sacrifice of an important passed 01
Seuss Oswald Fries Nielsen Niels Jorgen pawn, Black prepares to create a new one on The other possibility is 40.b3, when we see a
Hurme Harri Hoi Carsten the kingside with another sacrifice. typical break: 40...Nxb3+! 41.axb3 a2.
B09 Dresden 1969 Esbjerg 1981 47.Nxd3 g4! 48.hxg4 h3 49.gxf5 h2 XABCDEFGHY
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Lg7 5.Nf3 XABCDEFGHY 50.Ke3 Rd7
00 6.e5!? 50...Rd8 was a bit simpler. 8-tr-+-+-+(
A variation which has brought White many 8-+-+-+-+( 51.Ne5 h1Q 52.Rc3
7+-+-+k+-'
quick and beautiful wins. After extensive 52.Nxd7 doesn't help due to 52...Qc1+.
research made, it is now considered not to be
7+-zP-+-+-' 52...Qe1+ 6-+pzp-+p+&
of high theoretical value as one where White 6-+-+-+-+& 01
5+-sn-+-+p%
may benefit at high-level events.
6...Nfd7! 7.h4!? c5! 8.h5! cxd4 9.Qxd4 5zp-+-zp-mk-% Svidler Peter
4pzpPtR-sN-zP$
Dominguez Perez Leinier
9.hxg6? dxc3! . 4P+-wq-zp-+$ Moscow 2009 3+-+-+PzP-#
9...dxe5 10.Qf2!
10.fxe5? Nxe5! ; 10.Qg1!?. 3+-+P+-zp-# XABCDEFGHY 2PzP-mK-+-+"
10...Re8? 2-+-+R+n+" 8-+-vl-+k+(
10...e4! 11.Nxe4 Nf6 12.Nxf6+ exf6! 1+-+-+-+-!
13.hxg6 Re8+ . 1+-tR-+-+K! 7+p+n+-+-' xabcdefghy
11.hxg6! hxg6 12.Qh4 Nf8? xabcdefghy 6p+-+-+pzp&
12...e4 13.Nxe4 (13.Qh7+ Kf8 14.Nxe4 40...b3!
Qb6! and Black is OK). 64...f3! 65.Rxe5+ 5zP-zPN+p+-% This break can be stopped only with an ex-
13.fxe5 Nc6? (D) 65.Re4 Qxd3 66.c8Q Qxe4 +. change sacrifice, but White is lost by now.
13...Qd7 . 65...Qxe5 4-zP-vLp+-+$ 41.axb3 Nxb3+ 42.Kc3 Nxd4 43.Kxd4
65...Kf6!? 66.Rh5 (66.Re4 Qd5! 67.Kg1 Ra8 44.Nd3 Rxa3 45.c5 dxc5+ 46.Nxc5
XABCDEFGHY Qh5 +) 66...Ne3 67.c8Q g2+ 68.Kh2 3+-+-+-+P# Rxf3 47.Ne4 Ke7 48.Kc5 Re3
8r+lwqrsnk+( Nf1+! 69.Rxf1 (69.Kh3 g1N! #) 2-+-+-zPP+" 01
69...Qf4+! 70.Kg1 (70.Kh3 gxf1Q # ;
7zpp+-zppvl-' 70...gxf1L #) 70...Qe3+! 71.Rf2 (71.Kh2 1+-+-+-mK-! Vistaneckis Isakas
6-+n+-+p+& gxf1N+! 72.Kh3 f2+ 73.Kg2 Qg3+! xabcdefghy Sardarov Edward
74.Kxf1 Qg1+ 75.Ke2 f1Q+ +) Soviet Union 1963
36.b5! Lxa5
5+-+-zP-+-% 71...Qe1+! 72.Kh2 Qh1+ 73.Kg3 g1Q+ Forced, as the other capture, 36...axb5, loses XABCDEFGHY
74.Kf4 Qxh5 +.
4-+-+-+-wQ$ 66.c8Q Nf4! 67.Qd8+ Kg4! 68.Qd7+
faster: 37.c6 bxc6 38.a6 and the pawn is 8R+-+-+-+(
unstoppable.
3+-sN-+N+-# Qf5! 69.Qg7+ Qg5 70.Qd7+ Qf5 (D)
37.c6 axb5 38.cxd7 Kf7 7zP-+-mkp+-'
70...Kh4! +. Now White just has to be careful in realizing
2PzPP+-+P+" XABCDEFGHY his extra piece.
6-+-+p+p+&
1tR-vL-mKL+R! 8-+-+-+-+( 39.Kf1 Ke6 40.Nf4+ Kxd7 41.Nxg6 b4 5+-+-zP-zP-%
42.Ke2 b3 43.Nf4 Kd6 44.f3 exf3+ 45.
xabcdefghy 7+-+Q+-+-' Kxf3 Lb6 46.Lb2 Lc5 47.Nd3 Lg1 48. 4-+-+-zP-+$
14.Lh6 f6 15.Lxg7 Kxg7 16.Qh8+ Kf7
17.Lc4+ 6-+-+-+-+&
Nc1 b5 49.Nxb3 Kd5 50.Nd2 b4 51.Kf4
Ke6 52.Nf3 Lc5 53.Nd4+ Kd5 54.Nxf5
3+-+-mK-+-#
17.Ng5+ fxg5 18.Lc4+ +.
5zp-+-+q+-% Kc4 55.g4 Kd3 56.h4 b3 57.h5 Kc2 58. 2-+-+-+-+"
17...Le6 Le5 Kd3 59.Lg7 Lb4 60.Kf3 La5 61.
17...e6 18.Ng5+ fxg5 (18...Ke7 19.Qg7 #) 4P+-+-snk+$ Nd6 Lc3
1tr-+-+-+-!
19.Rf1+ + ; 17...Ne6? 18.Rh7 #.
3+-+P+pzp-# 10 xabcdefghy
18.Ng5+! 1.f5!! exf5
18.Rh7+ Nxh7 19.Qxh7+ Kf8 20.Lxe6 2-+-+-+-+" Aronian Levon
Svidler Peter
1...gxf5 2.g6 fxg6 3.Rh8.
+. 2.e6 fxe6
18...fxg5 19.00 # 1+-tR-+-+K! Moscow 2009
2...Ra6 3.exf7 Kxf7 4.Rh8.
The king (move) checkmates! 19.Rf1 #. xabcdefghy 3.Rh8
(see next diagram)
10 10
39...a3! 40.bxa3
Lasker Emanuel 5.Kb6 Ra8 6.a5 Rb8+ 7.Kc5 Ra8 8.Ra4 15.h4+ Kf4 16.g3 #) 15.g3+ Kh3 Pillsbury Harry Nelson
Levenfish Grigory Kxh5 9.Kb6! +. (15...Kg5?? 16.h4 #) and there is no mate'. Maroczy Geza
Moscow 1925 XABCDEFGHY But 16.00! is an interesting position for Paris 1900
XABCDEFGHY 8-+K+-+-+(
further analysis. XABCDEFGHY
13...Kg5 14.h4+!
8-+-+-+-+( 7tr-+-+-mkp' 14.f4+! also mates in four moves, with best 8-+-+-tr-mk(
7tr-+-+pmK-' play by both sides: 14...Kxf4 (14...Kh4 7+p+lwq-trp'
6-+-+-zpp+& 15.g3+ Kh3 16.Lf1+ Lg2 17.Nf2 #)
6-+k+p+p+& 5+-+-+P+-% 15.g3+ Kf3 (15...Kg5 16.h4 #) 16.00 #! 6p+-+p+-wQ&
The king (move) checkmates!
5zp-+-zP-+-% 4PtR-+-+PzP$ 14...Kf4 15.g3+! Kf3 16.Le2+
5+-+pzPp+P%
4R+-+-zP-zP$ 3+-+-+-+-# Edward Lasker: 'White could have forced the 4-zP-+-zP-+$
mate in seven instead of eight moves by
3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" playing 16.00! gxf6 (16...Rxf6 17.Ne5 # 3+-zP-+N+-#
2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-!
or 17.Nh2 #) 17.Nh2 # or 16.Kf1! gxf6 2-zP-+-+-mK"
(16...Rxf6 17.Ne5 # or 17.Nh2 #) )
1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy 17.Nh2 #, for there was no protection 1tR-+-+-tR-!
xabcdefghy against Nh2 #'. xabcdefghy
3.Kb8 Ra5 4.hxg5 fxg5 5.Rb7+ 16...Kg2 17.Rh2+
49.Kf6? After 5.Kb7 Kf6 6.Kb6 Ra8 7.a5 Rb8+ 17.000 gxf6 18.Rh2 # or 18.Rdg1 #. 34...Rg4!? 35.Ng5?
It was necessary to try to make the break as 8.Kc5 Rxb4! 9.Kxb4 g4 10.a6 g3 11.a7 g2 Too early, as both the game and analysis
17...Kg1 18.Kd2 #
soon as possible: 49.f5! exf5 50.e6 fxe6+ 12.a8Q g1Q 13.Qf8+ Ke5 Black has good The king checkmates! 18.000 # The king attempt to prove: 35.Kh3!? Rfg8 36.Ng5!
51.Kxg6 Kb5 52.Ra1 f4 53.h5 e5 54.h6 e4 chances for a draw. (move) checkmates!
Rxf4 37.Nf7+! Qxf7 38.Rxg8+ Kxg8
55.Kf5 f3 56.Kxe4 f2 57.Ke3 Rh7 58. 5...Kh6 6.f6 Rxa4 10 39.Qxf4 Qxh5+ 40.Qh4! Qf3+ 41.Qg3+
Kxf2 Rxh6 59.Ke2 Rd6 60.Rd1!, avoid- Qxg3+ 42.Kxg3 .
ing the king being cut off and obtaining a Reportedly, after Lasker checkmated him, 35...Rxf4! 36.Nf7+ Qxf7
theoretical drawn position. Carlsen Magnus Thomas said, This was very nice. Lasker, 36...Rxf7? 37.Qxf4 +.
49...Kb5 50.Ra1 a4 51.f5 Wang Yue who had yet to learn English, was touched by 37.Qxf4 Qxh5+ 38.Kg3 Qe2!
Better late than never! But it is too late! Medias 2010 Thomas's sportsmanship after a spectator tra- In a materially equal position, with both
51...exf5 52.e6 fxe6 53.Kxg6 f4 54.h5 f3 nslated Thomas's remark into German for him.
55.h6 e5 56.Re1
XABCDEFGHY In his Chess & Checkers - The Way to
kings open to attack, chances are mutual.
39.Kh4?!
56.Kf5 f2 57.Kxe5 Rh7 58.Rf1 Rxh6 8-+-+-+-+( Mastership, Edward Lasker wrote: Sacri- Better was 39.Kh3.
59.Rxf2 a3 +. fices made with the view of a direct mating 39...Rc8! 40.Rae1?
56...a3 57.Rxe5+ Kc4 58.Re1 a2 59.h7
7+p+-+-+-' attack are, as a rule, the easiest to figure out, 40.b3!? Rxc3 41.Rg8+!? Kxg8 42.Qg5+ =.
Ra8 60.Kg7 f2 61.Ra1 Kb3 62.Rf1 6p+-+kzp-+& as there is no guesswork connected with
them. In those cases the player does not face
40...Qxb2! 41.Kh3
a1Q+ 63.Rxa1 Rxa1 41.Kg5 Rc4 .
01 5zP-tRl+-zpp% the question as to whether the position at-
41...Rxc3+ 42.Rg3
tained after the sacrifice will be strong
4-zP-+-+-zP$ enough to insure a gain of material at least
42.Re3 Rxe3+ 43.Qxe3 Qxb4 44.Qg5
Stein Leonid Qf8 45.Qf6+ Qxf6 46.exf6 Le8 47.Rg7
Vaganian Rafael 3+-+-+-zP-# equivalent to the amount of material sacri- Lg6 48.Rxb7 Kg8 49.Re7 e5 50.Rxe5
Vrnjacka Banja 1971 ficed, a question which to answer correctly
2-+-+-mK-+" sometimes requires a good deal of instinct
Kf7 51.Rxd5 Kxf6 =.
(see next diagram) 42...Rc2 43.Rh1?
1+-+-+-+-! trained by experience; all that is necessary is
to ascertain whether the opponent can be 43.Rg8+ Kxg8 44.Qg5+ =.
With two powerful pawn moves, Black cre- 43...Rc8?
ates an important passed pawn: xabcdefghy mated in a definite number of moves or not.
43...Lb5! 44.Rg8+ Kxg8 45.Qg5+ Kf7
1...h5! 2.gxh5 46.g4! If the mate cannot be clearly foreseen, the
sacrifice must not be made. The possibility of 46.Qf6+ Ke8 47.Qxe6+ Kd8 +.
2.fxg6 hxg4 3.Rxg4 f5 =. The creation of the passed pawn sometimes
a sacrifice with consequent forced mate is 44.Qh6!
2...g5!! demands sacrifices.
always indicated if a greatly superior force is 44.Qh4 Rf8 45.Qh6 Rf7 46.Qg5 +.
The simple capture 2...gxf5? would be 46...hxg4 47.h5 Le4 48.Rc7!
available for attack on the part of the board 44...Qxe5 45.Qxh7+!! Kxh7 46.Kg2 #
wrong due to 3.Kb8 Ra5 4.Kb7 Kh6 Now the rook is ready to support its passed
where the opposing king is located. 10
pawn.
opening the centre, an opening which should formed into another one, in this case - 48...f5 49.h6 f4 50.h7 g3+ 51.Ke1 f3 a bishop of the wrong corner colour.
sooner or later generally favour the bishops. material: 9...Lxe5 10.dxe5 Nc6 wins the e5- 52.h8Q f2+ 53.Ke2 Ld3+ 54.Ke3 XABCDEFGHY
6...fxe4 7.Nxe4 pawn: 11.Qh5 Rf5 . 10
What motivated Edward Lasker to play his 10.Qh5 Qe7? (D) 8-+-vl-+-+(
previous two moves? The powerful central Edward Lasker commented: 'Black has just Zorigt
position of the e4-knight 'guarantees' that played 10...Qe7 in order to protect the mate Korzin Vitaly
7+-+-+-+-'
White is OK. To chase the knight away, with which was threatened by Nxf6+ followed by Budva 1963 6-zp-+-+-+&
for example ...d5, would result in a vulner- Qxh7+. If in the position of the diagram XABCDEFGHY
able backward e6-pawn and a potentially White played 11.Nf6+, Black would retake
5zp-+k+-+-%
strong e5-square for White. To eliminate the with the pawn, thereby protecting the pawn 8-+-vl-+-+( 4PzP-+-+Kzp$
knight, Black would either have to give up h7 with his queen. However, White can force
his bishop pair, or manoeuvre the b8-knight the mate with a neat queen's sacrifice which
7+-+-+p+-' 3+-+-+-+-#
to, for example, the f6-square, which in turn drives Black's king right into the arms of the 6-+k+p+-+& 2-+-+-+-+"
would mean displacing the e7-bishop to a remaining white pieces'. By the way, Black
worse position. should have opted for 10...Lxe5! 11.Nd2!
5+pvL-zP-zpp% 1+-+-vL-+-!
7...b6!? (D) (11.Qxe5? Nc6 ; 11.dxe5? Rf5 ) 11...g6 4-zP-+K+-zP$
XABCDEFGHY 12.Qxe5 but not for 10...g6?! 11.Nxg6!
xabcdefghy
hxg6 12.Qxg6+ Lg7 (12...Kh8? 13.Nxf6
3+-zP-+-zP-# 2.bxa5 bxa4 3.a6 Kc6 4.Lb4 Lb6
8rsnlwqk+-tr( +) 13.h4 Qe8?? 14.Nf6+! +. 2-+-+-+-+" 5.Kxh4 Kb5 6.La3 Kxa6 7.Kg3 Kb5
8.Kf3 Lc5 9.Lc1 Kc4 10.Ke2 Kb3
7zp-zpp+-zpp' XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-+-+-! With the idea ...Ld4-b2 +.
6-zp-+pvl-+& 8rsn-+-trk+( xabcdefghy 01
5+-+-+-+-% 7zplzppwq-zpp' 1.g4!! Makarichev Sergey
4-+-zPN+-+$ The creation of a passed pawn is now very Averbakh Yuri
6-zp-+pvl-+& easy. Lvov 1973
3+-+-+N+-# 5+-+-sN-+Q% 1...gxh4 2.gxh5 Lg5 3.Lf8 h3 4.Kf3 Kd5 XABCDEFGHY
5.h6?
2PzPP+-zPPzP" 4-+-zPN+-+$ Correct was the natural 5.Lg7. 8-+-+-+-+(
1tR-+QmKL+R! 3+-+L+-+-# 5...Lxh6?
7+-zp-+-+-'
Black could make a draw in the pawn ending
xabcdefghy 2PzPP+-zPPzP" after 5...Kxe5 6.Lg7+ Lf6 7.Kg3 Kf5 6-+-+-zp-zp&
8.Ne5? 8.Kxh3 Kg6 9.Lxf6 Kxf6 10.Kg4 Kg6
White violates yet another opening principle, 1tR-+-mK-+R! 11.Kf4 Kxh6 12.c4 bxc4 13.b5 e5+ 14. 5+-+-+-zp-%
whereby one should not play twice with the xabcdefghy Ke3 f5 15.b6 f4+ 16.Ke2 c3 17.b7 f3+. 4-+-+-mk-+$
same piece in the opening phase of a game. 6.Lxh6 Kxe5 7.Lg7+ Kd5 8.Kg3 f5
11.Qxh7+!! Kxh7 12.Nxf6+ 3+-zp-+P+P#
8.Ne5 falls into the category of what some- 9.Kxh3 e5 10.Kg3 Ke4 11.Lh8 f4+
12.Ng5+? Kh6 +.
times I like to refer to as 'smart chess mo- 12.Kg4 f3 13.Kg3
ves', ones with a threat. Better was 8.Ld3 .
12...Kh6
10
2-+-+-mKPvl"
Edward Lasker: 'The king cannot go to h8
8...00
(12...Kh8??) on account of 13.Ng6 #. White
1+L+-+-+-!
8...Lb7?? is refuted by 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Nxg6 Filip Miroslav
Lxe4 (10...hxg6 11.Qxg6+ Kf8 12.Nxf6 now continually checks Black's king in such
Mozny Milos
xabcdefghy
a manner that he has only one square to go to
+) 11.Nxh8+ Ke7 (11...Lg6 12.Nxg6 Czechoslovakia 1977 48...Lg1+! 49.Ke2
until he is finally driven to the first rank, all
hxg6 13.Qxg6+ +) 12.Nf7 Qe8 13.Qe2! Blacks idea was to penetrate White's posi-
White pieces participating in the chase'.
+. 8...Lxe5 9.dxe5 (9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qxe5 (see next diagram) tion after 49.Kxg1 Ke3.
13.Neg4+!
00) 9...00 10.Qg4 . 49...Kg3 50.Kf1 Lf2 51.Lc2 f5!
The only path to a win (by forced check-
9.Ld3? Lb7? 1...b5!! Another small sacrifice - once more White
mate). Edward Lasker: 'In answer to
One of the advantages of having the bishop The only and last chance as after 1...axb4 cannot capture as the black king accelerates
13.Nfg4+? Black would play 13...Kh5!
pair is that the advantage of the long-range 2.Lxb4 with the idea Le1-f2-xb6, White to the other flank.
(13...Kg5?? 14.h4+ Kf4 [14...Kh5 15.Lg6
pieces can often be relatively easily trans- will transpose into the notorious ending with 52.Lb1
#] 15.g3 #) 14.Lg6+ Kh4 (14...Kg5??
52.Lxf5 Kf4 53.Le4 Ke3.
52...f4 53.Lg6 Le3 54.Lc2 h5 55.Lf5 c5 57...g4!
56.Lg6 h4 57.Lf5 (D) The idea is to create a passed pawn on the The King Checkmates!
kingside and then to bring the king to assist
XABCDEFGHY the c3-pawn. Jovan Petronic
8-+-+-+-+( 58.hxg4 h3 59.gxh3 Kxf3 60.g5 Kg3 61.g6
Ld4 62.h4 f3 63.h5 Lg7 64.Ke1 f2+ Concept dentally, this game also features the main
7+-+-+-+-' 65.Kf1 Kf3 The game of chess revolves around the two theme of this survey.
6-+-+-+-+& 01 kings, with the main objective of each player Edward Lasker was born in 1885 and was
to deliver checkmate. A common misconcep- a leading German and American player. He
5+-zp-+Lzp-% Conclusion tion of the king being open to capture or ex- won five US Championships in the period
4-+-+-zp-zp$ Breaks are always around, lurking in the change is still widespread. 1916-1921.
background. They often give a decisive ad- Being the most important piece in the In 1973, as a 9-year-old, I had the honour
3+-zp-vlPmkP# vantage to the side that spots them and ana- game, the king is by definition also the most of meeting and playing Edward Lasker, dur-
lyzes them. They should never be ignored. vulnerable piece, and especially in the opening a visit to his apartment in New York
2-+-+-+P+" This rule doesnt apply only in the endgame, ing and middlegame phases of the game. In City. My mom reminded me he said I was
1+-+-+K+-! but in the middlegame too. those phases, the king rarely plays an active good... Afterwards he had recommended me
role. to join the Manhattan Chess Club, the second
xabcdefghy The purpose of this survey is to study a oldest chess club in the USA, which I did.
collection of games and game fragments Sir George Alan Thomas was born in 1881
FIDE Trainers Badge (source: ChessBase Mega Database 2011), and was twice (1923 & 1934) British chess
Contact your federation and provide your face-photo to grivasefs@yahoo.co.uk. which addresses an additional less known champion, a 21-time All-England Badminton
power of the king - to personally deliver champion, and a semi-finalist of the men's
FIDE Senior Trainer checkmate. tennis doubles at Wimbledon in 1911.
As with all checkmates, a single piece is
unable to checkmate the opponent's king, if Lasker Edward
not assisted by at least one other piece, either Thomas George Alan
its own or the opponent's, emphasizing the A83 London 1912
importance of teamwork among the chess 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nc3?! Nf6
Fdration Internationale des checs pieces of both colours.
Historical notes excerpts (source: Piceclo-
3...d5! would have made the c3-knight feel
awkward.
Name Grivas Efstratios pedia): 4.Lg5 Le7 (D)
Federation Greece - Except for some differences in special mo-
FIDE ID 4200039 ves, the king has remained the same from its
XABCDEFGHY
Title Awarded FIDE Senior Trainer earliest days to modern-day chess. 8rsnlwqk+-tr(
Year Awarded 2005 - The king has always moved one space in
Licence 2011-2014 any direction.
7zppzppvl-zpp'
- In Chaturanga, which is widely regarded as 6-+-+psn-+&
the earliest form of chess, the king was called
This badge identifies the holder as a licensed FIDE certified
a Rajah, which is Sanskrit for king. 5+-+-+pvL-%
- The Persians called it by their own word for 4-+-zP-+-+$
trainer/instructor for the period indicated on the front.
king, which was Shah.
The licence is governed both by the terms and conditions of - Checkmate comes from the Persian ex- 3+-sN-+N+-#
pression Shah Mat, which literally means
award by the World Chess Federation (FIDE)
and regulated by a code of ethics that the king is ambushed.
2PzPP+PzPPzP"
and professionally administered by FIDE Office. - Reports that checkmate means the king is 1tR-+QmKL+R!
dead are mistaken.
http://www.fide.com xabcdefghy
Games 5.Lxf6? Lxf6 6.e4
http://trainers.fide.com The year 2012 will mark the 100th anniver- A concept pretty difficult to understand if not
sary of one of the most well-known master looking far enough. White gives away his
games played in the history of chess. Coinci- bishop-pair, and immediately follows up with
XABCDEFGHY Therefore he decides to exchange two pieces
for a rook and a pawn. Problems of Middlegame Planning
8-tr-+-+k+( 22...Kh8 23.Nf7+ Rxf7
7+-+-+pzpp' Black's rook neutralizes White's first cavalry Adrian Mikhalchishin
assault, after which the position is quite
6p+-sN-sn-+& equal. In any case, it is a very fragile dy- Concept theory!
namic equilibrium which demands very pre- The preparation of plans direct from the 8.Lxf4 d6 9.00 h6 10.Nf3 Le6 11.Qd2
5+-zPp+-+-% cise play by both players. opening is a key part of every top players d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Lxd5!
4-+-zP-+-+$ 24.Qxf7 fxg3 25.Nxg3 Rg8? (D) homework and preparation. Sometimes such A new direction of attack by Victor Ku-
Black's first mistake arrives quickly, with work leads to very sharp developments. preichik. Instead of the text, 13.Rae1 had
3wqL+ tR +P# this passive move. He should have opened a previously been tested.
window with 25...g6 or 25...h6. The pun- Kupreichik Viktor 13...Lxd5 14.Lxh6! gxh6 15.Qxh6 (D)
2P+-+-+P+" ishment will be severe. Sveshnikov Evgeny
1mK-+-wQ-+-! B30 Kuibyshev 1986
XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Lc4 8r+-wq-trk+(
xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+rmk( This extremely positional line became popu-
10 lar as an antidote for the Sveshnikov Varia- 7zpp+-vlp+-'
7+lwq-snQzpp' tion. I remember the great Efim Geller 6-+n+-+-wQ&
We shall end this article with a curious 6p+-vl-+-+& laughing when he saw Sveshnikovs ideas
5+-zpl+-+-%
example that also features two very strong but after 10 years he tried it himself!
players. 5+-+p+-+-% 4...Le7 5.d3 Nf6 6.Ng5 00 7.f4 (D) 4-+-+-+-+$
What makes this game remarkable is the 4P+pzP-+-+$ XABCDEFGHY
originality of the mating construction and 3+-sNP+N+-#
the fact that both white knights try to deliver 3+-+-+-sN-# 8r+lwq-trk+( 2PzPP+-+PzP"
the check mate! The first knight didn't make
it but the second one did! 2-+P+-zPPzP" 7zpp+pvlpzpp' 1tR-+-+RmK-!
1+R+-tR-mK-! 6-+n+-sn-+& xabcdefghy
Akopian Vladimir
Piskov Yury xabcdefghy 5+-zp-zp-sN-% 15...Nd4?
Uzhgorod 1988 26.Rxe7! Lxe7 27.Nf5 Qf4? 4-+L+PzP-+$ A bad move with a bad idea behind it!
XABCDEFGHY White has recovered material with interest,
3+-sNP+-+-#
16.Nxd4 Lg5
but the black queen's journey hasn't brought If 16...cxd4 then 17.Nxd5 Qxd5 18.Rf3 +
8-tr-+-trk+( anything good.
2PzPP+-+PzP" .
7+lwq-sn-zpp' 28.g3! Qf3 29.Rxb7 Lf6 30.Nh6! 17.Qh5 cxd4 18.Nxd5 Qxd5 (D)
The X-ray attack by White's queen-rook duo 1tR-vLQmK-+R! XABCDEFGHY
6p+-vl-+-+& along the seventh rank pressures h7, allow-
xabcdefghy
5+-+psNp+-% ing this elegant knight jump. 8r+-+-trk+(
30...Ra8 7...exf4
4P+pzP-+-+$ 30...gxh6 31.Qxh7 #. Many years later Sveshnikov invented a fan- 7zpp+-+p+-'
3+-+-+-vLQ#
31.Qg8+! tastic gambit idea: 7...d5! 8.exd5 Lg4 9.Qd2
Nd4 10.00 exf4 11.Qxf4 Ld6 12.Qf2
6-+-+-+-+&
10
2-+P+-zPPzP" Qb8 13.Lf4 Lxf4 14.Qxf4 b5 15.Qxb8 5+-+q+-vlQ%
Raxb8 16.Lb3 c4 17.dxc4 bxc4 18.Lxc4
1+R+-tRNmK-!
Conclusion
Lucenas mate is easy to learn and easy to Nxc2 19.Rac1 Ne3 20.b3 Nxf1 21.Rxf1
4-+-zp-+-+$
xabcdefghy remember; you just have to practise. Rfe8 22.d6 Lh5 23.Nd5 Nxd5 24.Lxd5 3+-+P+-+-#
Re5 25.Lxf7+ Lxf7 26.Nxf7 Rd5 27.d7
21...f4 22.Qe6+! Rxd7 28.Ne5 Rd2 29.Rf2 Rd1+ 30.Rf1 2PzPP+-+PzP"
The strong Armenian player judges correctly Rbd8 31.Nc6 R8d7 32.b4 Rxf1+ 33.Kxf1 1tR-+-+RmK-!
that after 22.Lh4 Nf5 23.c3 Lc8 Black Rd1+ 01 Srebrnic,M-Sveshnikov,E Bled
would have the advantage due to the bad 2008. Great inventors are always on top of xabcdefghy
position of the white queen and bishop. 19.Rf4!!
Horizontal pins are almost always effective XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY Once again the sacrifice appears, although
and this one shows the beautiful fantasy of this time the preparation has been quite dif-
such inventive players as Victor Kupreichik. 8r+-wq-trk+( 8r+-wq-trk+( ferent.
19...Rae8 20.h4 Re5 21.hxg5! Rxg5 10
22.Rg4 f6 23.Rf1 Kg7
7zpp+-vlp+-' 7+p+-vlpzpp'
It is strange that a talented young player re- 6-+n+-+-wQ& 6-+-+-sn-+& The next example involves two strong
peated this line 20 years later! This is poor Grandmasters. Black becomes confused af-
homework: 23...Qe5 24.Rxg5+ 10 Vy- 5+-zp-+l+-% 5zp-snpsNl+-% ter a sudden attack against his queen and
skocil,N-Volodin,V Marianske Lazne 2003. 4-+-+N+-+$ 4-+-wQ-+-+$ forgets about the safety of his king for a
24.Rxf6! Kxf6 25.Qh6+ Ke7 26.Rxg5 moment.
10 3+-+P+N+-# 3zPPsN-+-zP-#
Bischoff Klaus
Hero of the next game is the Croatian- 2PzPP+-+PzP" 2-vL-+PzPLzP" Mueller Karsten
German IM Mladen Muse, who profited
from this sharp line, winning 3 games here!
1tR-+-+RmK-! 1tR-+-+RmK-! Hoeckendorf 2004
It was the result of good home preparation. xabcdefghy xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY
Barczay Laszlo 17.Nfg5 Now, the black king falls under the com- 8r+-+-+k+(
Muse Mladen Muse played two other games from this po- bined attack of the enemy queen and
B30 Kecskemet 1990 sition with quite positive results, as he was knights, supported from behind by the bish-
7+-+-+pzpp'
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Lc4 Le7 able to cash in the point in both cases: ops. 6p+-sNlsn-+&
5.d3 Nf6 6.Ng5 00 7.f4 exf4 8.Lxf4 d6 17.Rae1 Lg6 18.Ng3 Nd4 19.Ne5 Lg5 16.Qxf5 Nxa1 17.Nxf7!
9.00 h6 10.Nf3 Le6 11.Qd2 d5 12.exd5 20.Qh3 Nxc2 21.Re4 Lxe4 22.Nxe4 f5 Black probably expected 17.Lxa1 Nf6 5+-zPp+-+-%
Nxd5 13.Lxd5 Lxd5 14.Lxh6 gxh6 23.Rxf5 Qd4+ 24.Nf2 Qe3 25.Rxg5+ 18.Lxb7 Lxa3 with a reasonable position. 4-+-zP-+-+$
15.Qxh6 (D) Qxg5 26.Qe6+ Kg7 27.Qd7+ Kh8 17...Qc8 (D)
XABCDEFGHY 28.Qh3+ Kg8 29.Qe6+ Kh7 30.Qd7+ Trying to save face, as after 17...Rxf7 3wqLwQ-+-+P#
Qg7 31.Qh3+ Qh6 32.Qd7+ Kh8 33.g3 18.Lxd5 White's advantage would be deci- 2P+-+-+P+"
8r+-wq-trk+( Qc1+ 34.Kg2 Ne1+ 35.Kh3 Qh6+ 01 sive thanks to the action of the bishop.
7zpp+-vlp+-' Gallagher,J-Muse,M Biel 1989 and 17.Ng3 XABCDEFGHY 1mK-+-tR-+-!
Lg6 18.Nh5 Lxh5 19.Qxh5 Qd6 20.
6-+n+-+-wQ& Rae1 Qg6 21.Qh3 f5 22.Ne5 Nxe5 23. 8r+q+-trk+( xabcdefghy
Rxe5 Lf6 24.Rexf5 Ld4+ 25.Kh1 Rxf5 29.Re3! Rd8 30.Qe1!
5+-zpl+-+-% 26.Rxf5 Re8 27.Rf1 Lxb2 28.Qd7 b6
7+p+-vlNzpp' Black was planning on sacrificing the ex-
4-+-+-+-+$ 29.g3 Qe6 30.Qb7 Lg7 31.a4 c4 32.Rf4 6-+-+-+-+& change in order to eliminate the annoying
cxd3 33.cxd3 Rc8 34.Re4 Rc1+ 35.Kg2 enemy knight, but we shall see how White's
3+-sNP+N+-# Rc2+ 36.Kh1 Qc6 37.Qb8+ Kh7 38.Qf4 5zp-+n+Q+-% last two moves have woven a net around his
4-+-+-+-+$ opponent's queen.
2PzPP+-+PzP" Qf6 39.Qxf6 Lxf6 40.Re6 Kg6 41.h4
Rd2 42.Rd6 Kf5 43.a5 bxa5 44.g4+ Ke5 30...Rb8 (D)
1tR-+-+RmK-! 45.Ra6 Ld8 01 Beckemeier,W-Muse,M 3zP-+-+-zP-# Indeed, after the projected 30...Rxd6
31.Lc2! would follow and the black queen
xabcdefghy Germany 1988. 2-vL-+PzPLzP" would be trapped, but the game move is an-
17...Lg6 18.h4 Qd4+ 19.Kh1 Qg7
15...Le6! 20.Qxg7+ Kxg7 1sn-+-+RmK-! other mistake of calculation.
First try to refute Whites powerful-looking A fantastic hat-trick!
attacking set up. 01
xabcdefghy (see next diagram)
16.Ne4 18.Nh6+!
Weak is 16.Rae1? Lf5 17.Nh4 Lg5 Landa Konstantin An original attacking idea, taking advantage 31.Rxe6! fxe6
18.Qh5 Qd4+ 01 Dusenov,R-Iljushin,A Gagarin Vasilij of the strength of the other bishop. The After 31...Rxb3 32.Re8+ Black receives
Saratov 2006. B30 Bratislava 1990 knight can't be captured. mate on the back rank. After the capture of
16...Lf5 (D) 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 e5 4.Lc4 d6 18...Kh8 19.Qxd5 the white rook, the game ends quickly in a
Here is the critical moment, where White 5.d3 Le7 6.00 Nf6 7.Ng5 00 8.f4 exf4 Black's position is lost but his next move way that we already know quite well.
has tried unsuccessfully various attacking 9.Lxf4 h6 10.Nf3 Le6 11.Qd2 d5 allows an unexpected ending. 32.Qxe6+ Kh8 33.Nf7+ Kg8 34.Nh6+
ways. 19...Nc2 20.Qg8+! Kh8 35.Qg8+ Nxg8 36.Nf7 #
Rajlich Vasik Let us now consider some games between 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Lxd5 Lxd5 14.Lxh6?! 20...Qxe8 21.Ne4 Qc6! 22.f4 Kf8 23.b3
Horvath Csaba players of a higher level in which the Lucena gxh6 15.Qxh6 Re8! (D) Re8 24.Qf5 Re6 25.h3 b6 26.Qg4 Rxe4!
Budapest 2002 mate made its appearance in some way or XABCDEFGHY + 27.dxe4 Qxe4+ 28.Qg2 Qf5! 29.Qa8+
XABCDEFGHY another. Kg7 30.Qg2 Ld4 31.Qg4?! Qxc2 32.h4
Pay attention to the following piece con- 8r+-wqr+k+( Qe4+ 33.Kh2 f5 34.Qg2 Qxg2+ 35.Kxg2
8r+-+-+k+( stellation, as it allows a very long combina-
7zpp+-vlp+-' Nxh4+ 36.Kg3 Ng6 37.Rh1? Le3
tion that ends in a forced mate. 01
7+p+-+rzpp' 6-+n+-+-wQ&
6pzPqzPQ+-+& Biliy Vadim
5+-zpl+-+-% The story seemed to have ended but after
Vovk Yuri 15 years something unusual appeared
5+-+-+-+-% Alushta 2006 4-+-+-+-+$
4P+-+n+-+$ XABCDEFGHY 3+-sNP+N+-#
De Firmian Nick
Browne Walter
3sN-+-+p+-# 8-+-tr-+-mk( 2PzPP+-+PzP" B30 Seattle 2003
2-+-+-+PzP" 7zp-tR-+Q+-' 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Lc4 d6
1tR-+-+RmK-! 5.d3 Le7 6.00 Nf6 7.Ng5 00 8.f4 exf4
1tR-+R+-mK-! 6-+-+pzp-zp& xabcdefghy 9.Lxf4 h6 10.Nf3 Le6 11.Qd2 d5 12.
exd5 Nxd5 13.Lxd5 Lxd5 14.Lxh6 gxh6
xabcdefghy 5zp-+-zPl+-% Another way to stop White's attack. 15.Qxh6 (D)
On this occasion the mating sequence is 4-vl-zp-zPn+$ 16.Kh1!?
clean, with no added elements. No better would be 16.Rae1 Lxf3!
XABCDEFGHY
31...Qc5+ 3+L+-+R+-# 17.Rxf3 Qd4+ 18.Ree3 Ne5 19.Rh3 8r+-wq-trk+(
First: the queen occupies the critical diago- Ng6 20.Nd5 Lh4! 21.Qh5 Re5 01 Yur-
nal, sending the enemy king to the corner.
2PzP-+q+PzP" taev,L-Meshkov,Y Soviet Union 1990. 7zpp+-vlp+-'
32.Kh1 Nf2+ 1tr-+-+-sNK! 16...Ne5!! 6-+n+-+-wQ&
Second: the knight commences his mortal It is necessary to add defensive power.
dance. xabcdefghy 16...Le6 17.Rae1 ; 16...Lf8 17.Qh5 . 5+-zpl+-+-%
33.Kg1 Nh3+ (D) 34...Rxg1+! 35.Kxg1 Qe1+ 36.Rf1 Qe3+
37.Kh1 Nf2+ 38.Kg1
17.Qh5 4-+-+-+-+$
XABCDEFGHY 17.Nxe5 Lg5 ; 17.Nxd5 Qxd5 18.Ng5
The weakness of the back rank is a key fac- Lxg5 19.Qxg5+ Kf8 . 3+-sNP+N+-#
8r+-+-+k+( tor in this combination as it invalidates the 17...Lf6 18.Rae1 Lxf3 19.gxf3 Ng6 (D)
capture of the knight as a possible defence 2PzPP+-+PzP"
7+p+-+rzpp' (38.Rxf2 Qe1+). XABCDEFGHY 1tR-+-+RmK-!
6pzP-zPQ+-+& 38...Nh3+ 39.Kh1 Qg1+ 40.Rxg1 Nf2 # 8r+-wqr+k+(
01 xabcdefghy
5+-wq-+-+-% 7zpp+-+p+-' 15...f5!?
4P+-+-+-+$ In the next game, Black, a strong North
American master, fell victim to a more re-
6-+-+-vln+& Two experienced GMs, with huge opening
knowledge between them, tried to open a
3sN-+-+p+n# fined version of the Lucena mate. 5+-zp-+-+Q% new page.
2-+-+-+PzP" 16.Rae1
Benko Pal 4-+-+-+-+$ 16.Qg6+ Kh8 17.Ng5? (White tries to con-
Horowitz Israel
1tR-+R+-mK-! New York 1968 3+-sNP+P+-# tinue the attack, but it has no chance to suc-
ceed here) 17...Lxg5 18.Nxd5 Ne5
xabcdefghy (see next diagram) 2PzPP+-+-zP" 19.Qh5+ Kg7 20.c4 Ng6 21.Rae1 Rh8
Third: the fundamental double check with White starts a long distance attacking com-
queen and knight is delivered. bination, including the sacrifice of the rook
1+-+-tRR+K! 22.Qf3 Qd6 23.g3 Raf8 24.h4 Lf6 25.
Re2 Ld4+ 26.Kg2 Rf7 27.Rfe1 Ne5 28.
34.Kh1 Qg1+! on a1. xabcdefghy Qf4 Re8 29.h5 b6 30.b4 Kh7 31.bxc5
And fourth: attraction and blockading sacri- 14.Nxd5! Nxb3 15.Qf4 Nxd5? The attack is stopped. bxc5 32.g4 fxg4 33.Qxf7+ Nxf7 34.Rxe8
fice. Only the mate is left, if our opponent Black accepts the challenge, although it 20.Rxe8+?! Ne5 35.Re4 Kh6 36.Nf4 Qd7 37.Re6+
allows us of course. would have been safer to proceed with 20.Ne4!? Kg7! . Kh7 38.R6xe5 Lxe5 39.Rxe5 Qb7+
01 15...Le6.
40.Re4 Qb1 41.Kg3 Qxa2 42.Kxg4 Qa5 P.H.Nielsen, then young and a future strong There was really no need to be so greedy, 23.Nxg1!
43.Re7+ Kh6 44.Nd5 Qd8 45.Re6+ Kh7 GM and famous trainer, tried a different but I think that Black already had the Lucena 10
46.Kf5 a5 47.Rg6 a4 48.Nf6+ Kh8 49. retreat: 9...Le7 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 mate in mind. The simple 19...Rb8 would
Rh6+ Kg7 50.Rh7+ Kf8 51.Rh8+ Ke7 exd5 12.Ld3 Lf6 13.Rc1 Re8 14.00 have kept the centre closed and Black's king As an off-topic, the computer program
52.Rxd8 Kxd8 53.h6 10 Meyer,F- Lg4 15.h3 Lxf3 (White prepared a very would have been completely safe. Rybka, several times World Champion, has
Ekeberg,C Gausdal 2003. unusual attack on the isolani from the side: 20.cxb4 (D) been disqualified by the competent organ-
16...Lf7 15...Lh5 16.Rc5!) 16.Qxf3 Ne5 17.Lxe5 XABCDEFGHY ism, accused of copying the code of other
16...Rf7! was very good try to stop the Rxe5 18.Rfd1 Qd6 19.Lc4 Rd8 (D) programs without giving the corresponding
draw. XABCDEFGHY 8r+l+-+-tr( credit.
17.Re6 Lxe6 18.Qg6+ Be that as it may, the author of Rybka is
8-+-tr-+k+( 7+-+-mk-zpp' still a strong over-the-board player. We shall
7zpp+-+pzpp' 6p+-+-+-+& use one of his games to illustrate an example
Now a somewhat different story. White which is similar to the previous one, but that
invented a very positional plan in a well- 6-+-wq-vl-+& 5+-wq-zpP+-% has an important difference that allows an
known position, which served positional 4PzP-+n+-+$ acrobatic queen sacrifice in order to achieve
players well for a long time. But the day 5+-+ptr-+-% a successful checkmate.
came when the black players became tired of 4-zPL+-+-+$ 3+Q+-+-+-#
suffering and decided to sharpen the game Szieberth Adam
maximally. This is what happened and how 3zP-+-zPQ+P# 2-zP-+N+PzP" Rajlich Vasik
the variation developed: 2-+-+-zPP+" 1tR-+-+R+K! Budapest 2001
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY
Mikhalchishin Adrian 1+-tRR+-mK-!
Ubilava Elizbar Gdanski considers that the moment to initi- 8-+-+-trk+(
D37 Volgodonsk 1981 xabcdefghy ate the decisive combination has arrived, but
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Le7 4.Nf3 Nf6 Now I started a very simple but effective his next move throws away any advantage
7zpp+-+pvl-'
5.Lf4 00 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Lxc5 8.a3 Nc6 attack on the isolani using the presence of he may have attained. 6-+-+-+p+&
9.b4 (D) opposite coloured bishops on the board, 20...Nf2+?
which made protection of the isolani very Controlling the game with the precise 5+-vL-+q+-%
XABCDEFGHY 20...Rb8! was necessary.
difficult: 20.Lb3 b6 21.Rd3 a5 22.Rcd1 4-sn-+-+-+$
8r+lwq-trk+( Qf8 23.Lxd5 Re7 24.b5 Rc7 25.e4 Kh8 21.Kg1 Nh3+ 22.Kh1 Qg1+?? (D)
26.g3 Le5 27.Kg2 Rcd7 28.Rc1 Rc7 XABCDEFGHY 3+-sN-+-+-#
7zpp+-+pzpp' 29.Rc6 Rxc6 30.bxc6 10 Mikhalchishin,
8r+l+-+-tr( 2PzP-tr-+-+"
6-+n+psn-+& A-Nielsen,P Copenhagen 1991.
10.Lxd6 Qxd6 11.Le2 7+-+-mk-zpp' 1mK-tR-+-wQR!
5+-vlp+-+-% Another plan was possible: 11.cxd5 exd5
12.Le2 Lg4 13.Nb5 Qe7 14.00 Rad8 6p+-+-+-+& xabcdefghy
4-zPP+-vL-+$ but I wanted to wait before the creation of 31...Nc2+ 32.Kb1 Na3+ 33.Ka1
3zP-sN-zPN+-# the isolani.
5+-+-zpP+-% The sequence of checks that takes us to the
11...Rd8 12.00 b6 4PzP-+-+-+$ moment of truth.
2-+-+-zPPzP" Another option, leading to a slightly better 33...Qb1+!
1tR-+QmKL+R! position for White, was 12...dxc4 13.Qxd6 3+Q+-+-+n# Here it is! The fundamental difference is that
Rxd6 14.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 15.Rxd1 Ld7 after 34.Nxb1 Lxb2 # is mate.
xabcdefghy 16.Lxc4 Le8.
2-zP-+N+PzP" 01
In those days I worked as a second of Ana- 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Qxd5 1tR-+-+RwqK!
toly Karpov and we researched many new After 14...exd5 15.Lb5 Lb7 16.Lxc6 Surprisingly, the following year, the same
ideas. Top players like Korchnoi and Karpov Lxc6 17.Qd3 a6 18.Nd4 White would get xabcdefghy main character received mate instead of giv-
played this line another way. I tried to find a a classical isolani position with knight It's obvious that move repetition with ing it.
completely different plan in middlegame, against bishop, which is considered to be 22...Nf2+ was the correct idea, and the We shall use this example to summarize
attempting to develop the initiative on the very favourable for him in all such kind of game would have headed towards a draw, step by step the mechanics of the Lucena
queenside. positions. but the Polish representative was still fasci- mate, before we examine some more com-
9...Ld6 nated by the mating idea. plex situations.
The best players in the world have always ble, although Black's advantage would be 15.Qxd5 Rxd5 16.Rfd1 Ld7 17.Rxd5 Definitely home preparation, as Epishin had
had this mate in their tactical arsenal. Here is overwhelming. In addition to his material exd5 (D) already played 9.b4 a few times in the past.
a game of the legendary North American superiority he would have a decisive advan- XABCDEFGHY Short completely changes the character of
champion Paul Morphy, playing on home tage in development. The exchange sacrifice the position; the sacrifice forces White to
soil when he was only twelve years old. is only feasible, as in this case, when a rook 8r+-+-+k+( start defensive play.
controls the check on f2 (or f7), although the 10.axb4 Lxb4 11.Qb3
McConnell James compensation is normally inadequate. The
7zp-+l+pzpp' Natural. White meets the threat with tempo.
Morphy Paul well-known mating pattern is easily detected 6-zpn+-+-+& 11.Le5 Ne4 (11...Nd7?! 12.Ld4 Re8 is
New Orleans 1849 now. analogous to one of the examples below, but
XABCDEFGHY 21...Nh3+ 22.Kh1 Qg1+ 23.Rxg1 Nf2 # 5+-+p+-+-% instead of 13.Qb3 White can play better:
Up to now everything seems clear but one 4-zP-+-+-+$ 13.Qa4! [13.Ra4?! a5 14.Qa1 Nb6
8r+-wq-trk+( has to be careful with illusions! 15.Lxb6 Qxb6 ] 13...a5 14.Rb1 Rb8
7zp-+-+-+-' 01 3zP-+-zPN+-# [14...b5 15.cxb5 Lb7 16.Le2 e5 17.Nxe5
Nxe5 18.00; 14...e5? 15.Rxb4 exd4 16.
6-+-+l+-zp& In the next game, Black - a young Polish
2-+-+LzPPzP" Nxd5 ] 15.Ne5 f6 16.Rxb4!? axb4 [16...
5+-+p+pzp-% man who years later would become a 1tR-+-+-mK-! fxe5 17.Lb6! + retains the extra piece]
Grandmaster - thought that he could finish 17.Nxd7 Lxd7 18.Qxb4 b6 19.Nb5 )
4-+Psnnzp-+$ off a good game with a fantastic culmina- xabcdefghy 12.Qb3 a5 13.cxd5 f6!? 14.Ld4 (14.dxe6
tion, in pure Lucena style. Finally the isolani appears - Black's defence Qe7 15.Ld4 Lxe6 [15...Rd8?! 16.Lc4
3+-+Q+-+-# is not an easy task. Rxd4 17.Nxd4 Lxc3+ 18.Ke2 ] 14...e5
Ravi Thandalam Shanmugam 18.Rc1 a6 19.h3 Kf8 20.Lxa6 Nxb4
2PzPLsN-+PzP" Gdanski Jacek 21.axb4 Rxa6 22.Rc7 Le8 23.Nd4 g6
15.Ke2 otherwise Black wins the piece back
immediately 15...Lf5!? 16.Nxe4 Lxe4 .
1tR-vL-+RmK-! Rio Gallegos 1986 24.g4 Ra1+ 25.Kg2 Rb1 26.f4 Rb2+
11...a5 12.000!?
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY 27.Kf3 Rxb4 28.f5 Kg7 29.Kf4 h6
Maybe the best try, although the king is not
30.Ke5 Rc4
18...Qb6 8r+l+k+-tr( And here Black lost on time! White stands safe there. There were other defensive tries:
Without a doubt, Morphy wanted to finish better after 31.Rb7 but far from winning. 12.Le5?! Nd7 13.Ld4 (13.Rc1? f6
off the game in great style. Therefore he
7+-wq-+pzpp' 10 14.Lg3 Nc5 15.Qc2 Ne4 16.Qb2 e5
prepares the knight jump to f3, but his oppo- 6p+-vl-sn-+& 17.Ke2 Nxc3+ 18.Rxc3 Lg4 19.h3 Lh5
nent protects himself by moving away his Epishin Vladimir 20.Rd3 Qc8 21.Qa2 dxc4 22.e4 Lf7 +
king, and Black has to end the game in a 5+-zp-zpP+-% Short Nigel Lautier,J-Topalov,V Monte Carlo 1999)
rather mundane way. 13...Re8 14.cxd5 e5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.
19.Kh1 Nxc2 20.Qxc2 Nf2+ (D)
4Pzp-+P+-+$ D37 Malmo 2002
Lb5 Nc6! 17.Lxg7 Kxg7 18.dxc6 Qd4
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Le7
XABCDEFGHY 3+-zPLvL-+-# 5.Lf4 00 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Lxc5 8.a3 Nc6 19.Rc1 Rxe3+! 20.fxe3 Qxe3+ 21.Kd1
Le6 22.Qb2 Rd8+ 23.Nd5+ Kg8 01
2-zP-+N+PzP" 9.b4!? Nxb4!? (D)
8r+-+-trk+( XABCDEFGHY Gretarsson,H-Ehlvest,J Reykjavik 2002.
1tR-+Q+RmK-! 12.Nd2 d4! 13.Ncb1 Ne4 14.Qxb4 axb4
7zp-+-+-+-' 8r+lwq-trk+( 15.Rxa8 e5 16.Lg3 Nc3 17.e4 f5 18.Lxe5
6-wq-+l+-zp& xabcdefghy fxe4 19.c5 Nxb1 20.Lc4+ Kh8 + Su-
14...c4! 15.Lxc4 Lc5! 7zpp+-+pzpp' lypa,A-Heinis,V France 1999.
5+-+p+pzp-% White is about to lose a piece, so therefore 6-+-+psn-+& 12.Ld3? dxc4 13.Lxc4 b5! 14.Le2
4-+P+-zp-+$ he tries to leave the black king in an uncom- (14.Lxb5 Qb6 ) 14...Nd5 15.Le5 a4
fortable situation in the middle of the board. 5+-vlp+-+-% 16.Qb2 Van Wely,L-Vaganian,R Dordrecht
3+-+-+-+-# 16.Lxf7+ Kxf7 17.Qb3+ Ke7 18.Lxc5+?!
4-snP+-vL-+$ 2000.
Slightly better was 18.cxb4 although after The best try seems to be untested in practice:
2PzPQsN-snPzP" 18...Lxe3+ 19.Qxe3 Black has 19...Qa7!, 3zP-sN-zPN+-# 12.Le2 Ne4 13.Rc1 Lxc3+ 14.Rxc3 a4
1tR-vL-+R+K! with a favourable ending in which White's
2-+-+-zPPzP" 15.Qb4 Nxc3 16.Qxc3 (the a-pawn is a
pawns will offer good compensation for the definite strength) 16...a3 17.00 Qa5.
xabcdefghy sacrificed piece, although in reality they are 1tR-+QmKL+R! 12...Ld7 13.Rd4?
21.Kg1 quite weak. This mistake gives Short's attack a strong
Obviously 21.Rxf2 Qxf2, was also possi- 18...Qxc5+ 19.Kh1 Nxe4?! xabcdefghy impulse, as not only does it fail to evacuate
the king in time, but also the rook is exposed 19.cxb5 Rc3 20.Rd3 producing a mate based on blockade: the 9.b4! Lb6 and only now 10.Lg5!. No
on d4. Better to take the king away from the Attack does not help as there are no more rook and pawns make up the coffin of the doubt, this is a subtlety that was completely
c-file: 13.Kb1 Rc8 (13...Qe7 ) 14.Rc1 forces to help the rook: 20.Rg4+ Kh8 dead king. out of the range of Grecos opponents, who
. White fights for the crucial c-file and the 21.Nd4 La3! 22.Ne2 (22.Nc2 Rb3+ 23. 10 were quite weak in general. But now, the
position remains unclear. Possibly 13.Le5 Ka1 Qc7 24.Lc4 Qa5! +) 22...Rb3+ great Calabrian offers us a splendid combi-
immediately was more to the point. 23.Ka1 Ld6! and ...Ra3 can't be met satis- One of the oldest examples of this mate nation.
13...Qe7 14.Le5 factorily. Or 20.Ld3 Ra3 21.Lxh7+ Kh8 can be found in Grecos chess book. Al- XABCDEFGHY
Now the king's escape is not so effective: +. though it doesnt form part of this articles
14.Kb1 Rfc8 (14...a4!? 15.Qb2 Rfc8) 15. 20...Rac8 21.Le2 theme, I offer some light commentary of the 8r+l+-trk+(
21.Qxa4 Rc1+ 22.Kb2 (22.Ka2? R8c2+ opening.
Na2 Lc5 16.Rd2 Ne4 with attack. 14.cxd5
Rfc8 15.d6 Qe8 16.Rc4 Rxc4! (16...b5 23.Kb3 Qc5 +) 22...e5! paralyses White;
7zppzppwqpzpp'
17.Rc7) 17.Lxc4 b5 or 14.Ne5 Rfc8 his knight can't go to d4 any more and NN (Uknown) 6-+n+-+-+&
23.Nd2 e4 24.Rxd5 La3+! 25.Ka2 R8c2+ Greco Gioacchino
15.Kb1 b5! is very similar to the game.
+ loses quickly. C50 Italy 1620 5+-vl-zP-+-%
14...Rfc8 15.Kb1 b5! 16.Nxb5 a4
21...La3 22.Qd2? 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Lc4 Lc5 4.00 Nf6 4-+LzP +n+$
17.Qa2 5.Re1 00 6.c3 Qe7?!
This is losing. Better was 22.Rxc3 Rxc3
17.Lxf6 gxf6 18.Qc2 (18.Qb2 a3 19.Qa2
Rab8 +) 18...Lxb5 19.Rg4+ Kh8 20. 23.Ka1 with some chances to hold. Long gone are the days in which the opening 3+-+-+N+-#
could be played in such a carefree way!
Rh4 f5 21.Qb2+ Kg8 22.cxb5 La3 23. 22...Qb4+ 23.Ka1 Rc1+ 24.Rxc1 Rxc1+
Nowadays we know that Grecos move is
2PzP-+-zPPzP"
Qe5 Rc1+ 24.Ka2 Qc5 +. 25.Ka2 Qc4+! 26.Kxa3 Ra1+ 27.Kb2
17...Lxb5!
Qa2+ 28.Kc3 Qb3+ weak, and that the best way to answer 1tRNvLQtR-mK-!
A sad end to White's plan. It looked beauti- Whites innocent opening is with the small
Removes an important defender. 17...Ne4?!
ful and effective but in the end it became too combination initiated by 6...Nxe4!?. If then xabcdefghy
18.cxd5 (18.Rd1? dxc4 19.Lxc4 Lxb5 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Lb4 9.Rxe4 d5, Black 9...Nxd4! 10.Nxd4 Qh4
slow for modern dynamic times!
20.Lxb5 Lc3 +) 18...exd5 (18...Lxb5? recovers the material and achieves an excel- The simultaneous attack on two vital squares
01
19.Rxe4 Qc5 20.Lxb5 Qxb5 21.Ka1 lent position. The consolidation of the centre of the castled king fully justifies the sacri-
exd5 22.Rg4 ) 19.Qxd5 Lc6 20.Qc4 . with 6...d6 would also be good and strategi- ficed piece.
Conclusion
18.Lxf6 We examined two different approaches: in cally sound. The advance 7.d4 would be 11.Nf3? (D)
18.cxb5? Ne4 19.Rd1 Lc3 +. the Kupreichik game, the attack looked so answered by 7...Lb6, maintaining an impor- Better was 11.Le3, although after 11...
18...gxf6 (D) powerful but defensive ideas appeared to be tant pawn on e5. Qxh2+ 12.Kf1 Qh1+ 13.Ke2 Qxg2 Black
XABCDEFGHY prevailing. In the second case, Whites posi- 7.d4 exd4? gets a strong attack in return. After the mis-
tional approach could be refuted just by an Again, better was 7...Lb6, holding the cen- take made in the game, the Lucena mate can
8r+r+-+k+( all-out attack. tre and giving the previous queen move be delivered elegantly.
7+-+-wqp+p' some sense. XABCDEFGHY
8.e5?!
6-+-+pzp-+& TRGs Publications White complicates his life unnecessarily. 8r+l+-trk+(
After the normal 8.cxd4, White would have
5+l+p+-+-% a huge advantage, for example: 8...Lb4
7zppzpp+pzpp'
1. TRG Syllabus -
4pvlPtR-+-+$ (2010/2012 - 24x17- 208 pp) 9.Nc3 Lxc3 10.bxc3 Nxe4? 11.Qc2, win- 6-+-+-+-+&
2. List of Recommended Books - 2010-2012 ning.
3+-+-zPN+-# (http://trainers.fide.com/recommended- 8...Ng4 9.cxd4? 5+-vl-zP-+-%
2Q+-+-zPPzP" books.html) However, and this is why chess is fascinat- 4-+L+-+nwq$
3. Monthly TRG Surveys - 2010-2011-2012 ing, this natural move is now a big mistake,
1+K+-+L+R! (http://trainers.fide.com/surveys.html) as Black relentlessly demonstrates. In any 3+-+-+N+-#
4. Yearbook 2010 - case, things were not so easy now, as after 2PzP-+-zPPzP"
xabcdefghy (2011 - 24x17 - 208 pp) the sharp alternative 9.Lg5, Black has the
The queen has to be closer to the other side: 5. Yearbook 2011 - hidden combination: 9...dxc3! 10.Lxe7 1tRNvLQtR-mK-!
18...Qxf6 19.cxb5 Lc3 (19...Qg6+?! 20. (2012 - 24x17 - 208 pp) Lxf2+ 11.Kf1 cxb2 12.Nc3 Lxe1!,
Ld3 Qxg2 21.Rg1 Qxf3 22.Rxb4 ) 20.
6. TRG Foundation Trainer Guide - emerging from the mess with a material ad-
xabcdefghy
Rxa4 Qg6+ 21.e4 Rxa4 22.Qxa4 dxe4 23. (2012 - 24x17 - 104 pp) vantage. Because of this, in order to preserve 11...Qxf2+ 12.Kh1 Qg1+! 13.Nxg1 Nf2
Qc2! is less convincing. the initiative, White should have inserted #
01
Lucenas Mate Training of Calculation - Part 1
Miguel Illescas Alexey Kuzmin
Concept taken, since it will still be a valid check. Concept opponent is less effective than for the player
Knowledge of the basic mate structures is 3...Kh8 The ability to calculate variations deeply himself.
essential to improve your play. This article is If 3...Kf8 then 4.Qf7 #. The king returns to and accurately is a very important constitu- Generally a training of variation calcula-
intended to help players in the range 1600- the theoretical safety of the corner, reaching ent of chess mastery. The technique of variation is most useful when combined with
2200 Elo rating. the critical moment of the combination. tion calculation is evidently closely inter- work on some weak point in a pupil's play.
Lucenas mate is frequently referred to as 4.Qg8+!! (D) twined with all the other components of For instance, if a pupil feels unconfident in
the smothered mate, as the knight is the XABCDEFGHY chess skill: tactical vision, the ability to worse positions where he mainly has to beat
piece that executes the last and mortal attack evaluate a position, intuition etc. off the opponent's threats, it will be sensible
on the enemy king. 8rtr-+-+Qmk( So, when training the technique of varia- to chose exercises in accordance with some
tion calculation, we are developing the work on this defect.
Example 1 7+-+-+-zpp' whole complex of necessary skills. The I have chosen three such examples from
XABCDEFGHY 6-+-+-+-sN& method of training variation calculation was my files. In all of them, the author of the
proposed by the well-known Soviet Grand- training system played against the Patriarch
8rtr-+-+k+( 5+-+K+-+-% master, trainer and chess writer Alexander of Soviet chess...
4-+-+-+-+$ Kotov more then half a century ago.
7+-+-+-zpp' He wrote about his own experience: I se- Kotov Alexander
6-+Q+-+-+& 3wq-+-+-+-# lected from tournament books those games Botvinnik Mikhail
in which great complications had arisen. E33 Leningrad 1939
5+-+KsN-+-% 2-+-+-+-+" Then I played them through on a board but 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Lb4 4.Qc2 Nc6
4-+-+-+-+$ 1+-+-+-+-! when I reached the crucial point where there 5.Nf3 d5 6.e3 00 7.a3 Lxc3+ 8.Qxc3
were the greatest complications and the Ld7 9.b3 a5 10.Ld3 a4 11.Nd2 Re8
3wq-+-+-+-# xabcdefghy largest number of possible variations I 12.00 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Lb2 axb3
White could repeat moves and achieve a stopped reading the notes. 15.Nxb3 Ne4 16.Qc2 Nxc4 17.Lxc4
2-+-+-+-+" draw with 4.Nf7+ but instead he seeks and I either put aside the book or covered the dxc4 18.Qxc4 Qg5 (D)
1+-+-+-+-! finds something better - a beautiful sacrifice page with a sheet of paper and set myself the XABCDEFGHY
which Black is forced to accept. The black task of thinking long and hard so as to ana-
xabcdefghy rook is forced to stand next to his king, lyse all the possible variations. Of course, 8r+-+r+k+(
The diagram features the position originally blocking out his only escape square. today a book can be partly replaced by a
attributed to Lucena. White, with a huge 4...Rxg8 5.Nf7 # (D) computer. 7+pzpl+pzpp'
material disadvantage, must act fast and XABCDEFGHY Kotov mentioned three main factors of 6-+-+-+-+&
convincingly. The combination is based on high level calculation technique:
a very precise series of checks: 8r+-+-+rmk( a) Determine all the best candidate moves. 5+-+-+-wq-%
1.Qe6+ Kh8 b) Analyze with precision all the relevant 4-+Q+n+-+$
Black`s king prefers the corner as after 7+-+-+Nzpp' variations.
1...Kf8 2.Qf7 # a typical mate appears on 6-+-+-+-+& c) Economize strictly the use of time. 3zPN+-zP-+-#
the board, commonly known as the 'kiss Before passing directly to examples, some
mate', after the suffocating hug and lethal 5+-+K+-+-% practical recommendations should be given 2-vL-+-zPPzP"
kiss that the king receives from the enemy 4-+-+-+-+$ to trainers. For best training efficiency, see- 1tR-+-+RmK-!
queen. ing the part of a game previous to the task-
2.Nf7+ Kg8 3.Nh6+! 3wq-+-+-+-# position is not always a good idea, as this xabcdefghy
This double check is crucial and definitely prehistory can influence a pupils process White has played the opening passively and,
essential to achieve the mate that follows.
2-+-+-+-+" of thinking about the task-position. taking advantage, Botvinnik has seized the
An important factor that must be taken into 1+-+-+-+-! Sometimes it is reasonable to recommend initiative completely. Whites position is
account is that the check is delivered with a pupil to calculate variations and to choose very dangerous. Almost all Blacks pieces
two pieces, which means that even if the xabcdefghy a move for the opponent's side. Often during are ready to join in the attack. Even the a8-
queen is under attack, she could not be The knight ends the sequence of checks, a game, the search of possibilities for an rook can be quickly transferred to the king-
side via the sixth rank. There is a concrete d2) 19...Qh5 20.Qxc7 Lb5 21.Rfc1 Qxh4 Fool's Mate managed to make an appear- It is highly probable that Black missed his
threat of 19...Lh3. Let's list the possible (21...Ra6? 22.f3 Rg6 23.Qf4 Ng3 24.Nd4 ance even in such a magnificent event: opponent's reply. Normal development was
defensive resources and their corresponding ) 22.Qf4 =. correct, for example 5...Ngf6. Now White
candidate moves: d3) 19...Qxh4 (later on the game gains a Example 5 plays a nice move, under the shadow of the
a) The attempt of an exchange sacrifice for forced character) 20.Qd4 Qf6 21.Qxe4! B17 Fool's Mate.
the pawn: 19.Qxc7. Qxb2 22.Qxb7 Rxa3 23.Rxa3 Qxa3 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 6.Ne6!
b) A rook move to get the possibility to play 24.Qxc7 Lb5 25.Rb1 Qa2 26.Qc1 =. (D) Here is the key. The knight can't be touched
g3: 19.Rfd1 and 19.Rfe1. 19...Qg6 20.Rfd1 XABCDEFGHY because of the mate on h5.
c) To free the second rank with tempo in Relatively better would be 20.Qxc7 Lh3 6...Qa5+?
order to defend the point g2: 19.f4. 21.Qc2 but that does help: 21...Rac8 8r+lwqkvlntr( Mistakes come in pairs, as Black tries to
d) There is one more possibility: an attempt justify his previous oversight. More sensible
to disorganize the opponent's attacking
22.Qe2 Nd6 23.Rf2 Lg4 24.Qf1 Ne4. 7zpp+nzppzpp' was 6...Qb6, although after 7.Nxf8 Nxf8
20...Nd6! 21.Qd3 Lf5 22.Qc3 Le4
forces by the pawn sacrifice: 19.h4. Stronger is 22...Lh3! 23.g3 Ne4 24.Qc2 6-+p+-+-+& White enjoys a comfortable advantage, with
19.f4?! Qg4 and the sacrifice on g3 decides. his pair of bishops in an open position.
Gaining a tempo for the defence of the g2- 23.Rd2 Lc6 24.Qd3 Nf5 25.Le5 f6
5+-+-+-+-% 7.Ld2 Qb6
point is likely to be the first thing that comes
to mind. Trying to organize a defence with
26.Lxc7 Rxe3 27.Qc4+ Kh8 28.Lb6 4-+-zPN+-+$ Thanks to the check, Black now attacks the
Ree8 29.Qf1 h5 30.Nd4 Nxd4 31.Lxd4 d4 and b2 pawns, as well as the knight, but
an exchange sacrifice doesn't work out: Re4 32.Re1 Rxe1 33.Qxe1 Rxa3 3+-+-+-+-# White doesn't seem to be too worried and
a) 19.Qxc7? Lh3 20.g3 Qd5! (20...Lxf1 34.Kh1 Ra8 35.Re2 Kh7 36.h3 Re8 2PzPP+-zPPzP" calmly continues his development.
21.Rxf1 Qb5 ) 21.Nd4 Nd2 +. 37.Qf2 Qxg2+ 38.Qxg2 Rxe2 8.Ld3!? fxe6??
b) Another possibility to keep the threat 01 1tR-vLQmKLsNR! In his turn Black, clearly affected by the
...Lh3 is to remove the rook from f1: course the game has taken, goes mad and
19.Rfd1?! Lh3 20.Qf1 Ra6 21.Nd2 Rg6 In the second example, Alexander Kotov xabcdefghy decides to eliminate the enemy knight at a
22.Nxe4 Rxe4 23.f4 Qxg2+ 24.Qxg2 has unsuccessfully played the same opening Black prepares the development of the other stroke, overlooking an elementary reply.
Rxg2+ 25.Kh1 f6 26.Ld4 b6 +. and has again fallen into a difficult situation. knight, avoiding the doubled pawns that 9.Qh5+! Kd8 10.La5! (D)
would arise after 4...Nf6 5.Nxf6+.
c) 19.Rfe1?! Lh3 20.Qf1 Ra6 21.Re2
Rg6 22.f4 Qd5 .
Kotov Alexander
5.Ng5!?
XABCDEFGHY
Botvinnik Mikhail
d) 19.h4! (D) E35 Moscow 1940
An interesting idea that became popular pre- 8r+lmk-vlntr(
cisely in the eighties. White plans ahead of
XABCDEFGHY 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Lb4 4.Qc2 d5
his opponent and makes it clear that he 7zpp+nzp-zp-'
5.cxd5 exd5 6.Lg5 h6 7.Lh4 c5 8.e3 cxd4
8r+-+r+k+( 9.exd4 Nc6 10.Lb5 00 11.Nge2 Qb6
doesn't want an exchange of knights. Also, 6-wqp+p+-zp&
moving to g5 hinders the development of the
7+pzpl+pzpp' 12.Qd3 Lxc3+ 13.bxc3 Ne4 14.00 Lf5 c8-bishop, as the attack on f7 will force 5vL-+-+-+Q%
15.La4 Rfe8 16.Rfe1 Qa5 17.Lb3 g5 Black to advance his pawn to e6.
6-+-+-+-+& 18.Lg3 Re6 (D) 5...h6? (D)
4-+-zP-+-+$
5+-+-+-wq-% XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 3+-+L+-+-#
4-+Q+n+-zP$ 8r+-+-+k+( 8r+lwqkvlntr( 2PzPP+-zPPzP"
3zPN+-zP-+-# 7zpp+-+p+-' 7zpp+nzppzp-' 1tR-+-mK-sNR!
2-vL-+-zPP+" 6-+n+r+-zp& 6-+p+-+-zp& xabcdefghy
1tR-+-+RmK-! 5wq-+p+lzp-% 5+-+-+-sN-% Black has saved his king but lost his queen.
An unbelievable end to a top-level game,
xabcdefghy 4-+-zPn+-+$ 4-+-zP-+-+$ Nunn,J-Georgiev,K Linares 1988 (10/42).
The best move, allowing the balance to be 3+LzPQ+-vL-# 10
kept. Now Black can choose: 3+-+-+-+-#
d1) 19...Qg6 (it becomes clear that now 2P+-+NzPPzP" 2PzPP+-zPPzP" Conclusion
White can take the pawn!) 20.Qxc7 Lh3 After the previous game had finished, as
21.Qh2! White makes good use of the
1tR-+-tR-mK-! 1tR-vLQmKLsNR! the last players and spectators left the play-
xabcdefghy ing hall, the Fool's happy laughter could still
vacated square h2!. xabcdefghy be heard behind the stage
including one published in Greco's 1620 9.Qg6! There is equality of material, but White's cause of 20.Lc7! b6 (20...Qxc7? 21.Lxd5
book and a more recent one played in 2009; And now the black bishop must choose the pieces are poorly placed and Black has many Nd6 22.Lxe6+ Lxe6 23.Qg6+ Qg7
389 years later, the Fool's mate makes a piece it prefers to capture. threats. One cannot yet see a decisive jump 24.Qxg7+ Kxg7 25.d5 ) 21.Ng3 Nxg3
comeback! We can see that in spite of 9...Lxh1 for the e4-knight, but it's also impossible to 22.Qxg3 . The other try is 19...Qb6!?
Black's ingenious defence, White's attack If it captures the knight, the rook that we had drive it off by f3. Moreover, after doubling 20.Qf3 Lg6 21.Lf4!? (21.Lxd5 Nxe5
quickly becomes devastating: left to die joins the attack via g1, for exam- the black rooks, threats on the e-file will be 22.dxe5 Rxe5 23.Lxe4 Rxe4 24.Nd4
7.gxh7+ Kf8 (D) ple: 9...Lxf3 10.Rg1 Rxh7 11.Qg3, and added to White's problems and his position when Black's position is preferable, but
XABCDEFGHY White recovers the material by force, and will become critical. Let's list all possible White has good chances to hold the position)
has a better position: 11...Le4 12.Lxe4 defensive ideas and the candidate moves that when the forced defence of the d5-pawn
8rsn-wq-mkntr( Nxe4 13.Qf3+ Kg8 14.Qxe4 Nc6 15.d5 correspond to them: allows White to transfer his bishop to e3
Na5 16.Nc3, with a huge advantage. There- a) 19.Qf3, taking the queen away from a
7zp-zppzp-vlP' fore, finally Black has to act in a consequent dangerous diagonal.
where it can stop the pressure on e-file:
21...Ne7 22.Le3 Qa5 and Black is better
6-zp-+-+-+& way and capture the rook but he will soon b) 19.Rec1, taking the rook away from the but the position is still complicated. For ex-
find himself in a mating net. pin on the e-file. ample: 23.c4 dxc4 24.Lxc4 Rf6 25.Qh3
5+-+-+-+Q% 10.Lh6! Rxh7 c) 19.f4, defending the e1-rook. or 23.Ng3 Qxc3 24.Qd1. After 19...Rc8!?
4-+-zP-+-+$ If 10...Lxh6 11.Qxh6+ Kf7 12.Ng5+ d) 19.Le5, blocking the e-file. White must avoid walking into a trap: 20.f3?
Ke8 13.Lg6 # mates. 19.Le5! (D) (20.Qe3) 20...Rxe5! 21.dxe5 Qc5+
3+-+L+-+-# 11.Ng5! XABCDEFGHY 22.Nd4 Nxc3 +. But after 20.Qe3! the
2PzPP+-zPlzP" The following sequence is forced: position is still unclear. It's not too danger-
11...Lxh6 12.Nxh7+ Nxh7 13.Qxh6+ 8r+-+-+k+( ous after 19...Rae8 20.Ng3 Lg6 21.Nxe4
1tRNvL-mK-sNR! Kf7 14.Qxh7+ Ke6 15.Qg6+ Kd5
7zpp+-+p+-' Lxe4 22.Qg3 Nxe5 23.dxe5 .
16.Nc3+ Kxd4 17.Qg5 (D)
xabcdefghy 6-+n+r+-zp& 20.dxe5 Rxe5 21.Qd4! (D)
8.Nf3! XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
The knight joins the attack without paying 8rsn-wq-+-+( 5wq-+pvLlzp-% 8r+-+-+k+(
attention to the smaller details, such as the 4-+-zPn+-+$
rook that is now being sacrificed. Black 7zp-zppzp-+-' 7zpp+-+p+-'
hopes that after 8.hxg8Q+ Kxg8 9.Qg4 6-zp-+-+-+& 3+LzPQ+-+-# 6-+-+-+-zp&
Lxh1 the compensation for the exchange
will be insufficient, but White has a stronger 5+-+-+-wQ-% 2P+-+NzPPzP" 5wq-+ptrlzp-%
reply.
4-+-mk-+-+$ 1tR-+-tR-mK-! 4-+-wQn+-+$
8...Nf6 (D)
After 8...Lxh1 9.Ne5 Lxe5 10.dxe5, with 3+-sNL+-+-# xabcdefghy 3+LzP-+-+-#
the idea Lh6, White will mate quickly. The best move. Although Black retains some
Therefore, Black first brings his knight in. 2PzPP+-zP-zP" advantage, White has good chances to retain 2P+-+NzPPzP"
XABCDEFGHY 1tR-+-mK-+l! his bastions. Alternatives were not helpful: 1tR-+-tR-mK-!
a) 19.Qf3 Lg6 20.Red1 Rae8 21.h4 Nf6
8rsn-wq-mk-tr( xabcdefghy + and it becomes clear that a new threat xabcdefghy
And obviously with his king stranded in the appears: 22...Lh5 - White cannot escape... White has solved all his problems just for a
7zp-zppzp-vlP' centre Black receives mate on the next b) 19.Rec1 Nxg3 (perhaps stronger is pawn. Now he has sufficient counterplay.
6-zp-+-sn-+& move. 19...Rae8!? with many threats) 20.Qxg3 21...Rae8 22.Ng3 Lg6 23.f3 Nxg3
10 Rxe2 21.Qf3 Rae8 22.Qxf5 Qxc3! +. 24.Rxe5 Rxe5 25.hxg3 Qc7 26.Lxd5 =
5+-+-+-+Q% c) 19.f4 Rae8 20.fxg5 hxg5 21.Lf2 Re2 27.Kh2 b6 28.Lc4 Re8 29.Rd1 h5
After considering the previous examples,
4-+-zP-+-+$ we might think that the ideas derived from
(21.Qf3 Nxg3 22.hxg3 Lg6 ) 21...Lg6 30.Lb3 h4 31.Qd6 Qxd6 32.Rxd6 hxg3+
22.Qe3 (22.Qh3? Nxf2 23.Kxf2 Qa3 +) 33.Kxg3 Kg7 34.Rd7 Rc8 35.Rxa7
3+-+L+N+-# the Fool's Mate can only be applied in mar- 22...Kg7 23.Qc1 Nxf2 24.Kxf2 Qd8 . Rxc3 36.Rb7 Rc6
ginal opening lines but this is not true.
2PzPP+-zPlzP" Let us transport ourselves to an emblem-
19...Nxe5?!
Botvinnik is evidently taken aback. One And in the following game Mikhail Bot-
1tRNvL-mK-+R! atic city, Linares, with two world class
Grandmasters and one of the most solid and
argument in favour of the move 19.Le5 vinnik has fallen into a difficult situation and
xabcdefghy appears to be that 19...f6? is not good be- in a cyclone of decisions
respectable openings, the Caro-Kann.
Botvinnik Mikhail solve the problems: 19...Lxb5 20.Rxb5 Example 3 Generally, when the queen gets to h5 (or
Kotov Alexander Rae8 21.dxc5 (21.Re1 g5! 22.Nd3 cxd4 A02 h4 for Black) the attack becomes very
E24 Groningen 1946 23.cxd4 Qxa3 ) 21...bxc5 22.Re1 g5 1.f4 e5!? 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Lxd6 (D) strong. I recall a theoretical discussion from
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Lb4 4.a3 Lxc3+ 23.Nd3 Ne4+! 24.fxe4 dxe4 25.Rxc5 Rd8 XABCDEFGHY my junior years:
5.bxc3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Lg5 c5 8.f3 h6 26.Rc4 Qf6+ 27.Kg1 Rxd3 .
9.Lxf6 Qxf6 10.e3 00 11.Ne2 Re8 c) 19.Nd3!? - is an interesting idea. By 8rsnlwqk+ntr( Example 4
12.Kf2 Qe7 13.Qd2 Nd7 14.Nf4 Nf6 transferring the knight to e5, White hopes to B00
15.Ld3 Ld7 16.h3 Qd6 17.Rhb1 b6 neutralize the pressure on the e-file. But be-
7zppzp-+pzpp' 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Lb7 3.Ld3 f5? (D)
18.Lf1 Re7 (D) sides 19...Lf5 20.Re1 c4 21.Ne5 Nd7, 6-+-vl-+-+& XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY with the slightly more pleasant position,
5+-+-+-+-% 8rsn-wqkvlntr(
Black finds a strong resource: 19...Qh2!
8r+-+-+k+( (19...Lf5 20.Re1 c4 21.Ne5 Nd7 ) 4-+-+-+-+$ 7zplzppzp-zpp'
7zp-+ltrpzp-' 20.dxc5 Rae8 21.cxb6 axb6 (D)
3+-+-+-+-# 6-zp-+-+-+&
6-zp-wq-sn-zp& XABCDEFGHY
2PzPPzPP+PzP" 5+-+-+p+-%
5+-zpp+-+-% 8-+-+r+k+(
1tRNvLQmKLsNR! 4-+-zPP+-+$
4-+-zP-sN-+$ 7+-+ltrpzp-'
xabcdefghy 3+-+L+-+-#
3zP-zP-zPP+P# 6-zp-+-sn-zp& The 'From Gambit', clearly the most aggres-
5+-+p+-+-% sive line against the Bird. Black's threat is so
2PzPP+-zPPzP"
2-+-wQ-mKP+" obvious that White missed it in only 1 out of 1tRNvLQmK-sNR!
1tRR+-+L+-! 4-+-+-+-+$ 1.650 games:
3zP-zPNzPP+P# 4.Nc3?? xabcdefghy
xabcdefghy Naturally, the correct move was 4.Nf3, pro- This reckless move is currently considered
White's problems consist of a miserable king 2-+-wQ-mKPwq" tecting the vital h4-square, after which Black to be refuted but years ago the assessment
placing together with the unsatisfactory obtains good compensation in exchange for wasn't so clear and we can find 109 games in
placement of his minor pieces. His position
1tRR+-+L+-! the sacrificed pawn, both in the aggressive the database. The modest 3...e6 is better.
would be normalizedl if he can realize the xabcdefghy 4...g5 and in the slow 4...Nf6 and 4...Lg4 4.exf5!
typical plan of g4 and a knight transfer to g3. variations. Surprisingly, White only plays this energetic
22.Rxb6 (22.Re1 Nh5 23.Nb4 Re5
Let's list all the candidate moves: 4...Qh4+ 5.g3 Lxg3+ (D) move that sacrifices his rook on h1, in 63
24.Nxd5 Lxh3 25.e4 Rg5) 22...Rxe3
a) 19.a4 - White ignores his opponent's XABCDEFGHY games. The following moves are forced.
23.Rxf6 (23.Rbb1 d4! 24.cxd4 Rxf3+! +)
threats and continues to develop an initiative 4...Lxg2 5.Qh5+ g6 6.fxg6 Lg7!
23...gxf6 24.Qxe3 Rxe3 25.Kxe3 Qb8 .
on the queenside.
d) 19.dxc5! - an original decision and the
8rsnl+k+ntr( There are four games with 6...Nf6? 7.gxh7+
b) 19.Re1 a prophylactic move. Nxh5 8.Lg6 # (D)
best move! At first sight it looks like ruining 7zppzp-+pzpp'
You will probably find more candidate
his pawn structure, but it is good to preserve XABCDEFGHY
moves during deeper analysis of the posi-
equality: 19...Qxc5 (19...bxc5 20.e4 Rxe4 6-+-+-+-+&
tion, as Black's threats become clear to you, 8rsn-wqkvl-tr(
such as 19.Lb5, 19.Nd3 and 19.dxc5.
21.Nxd5! =) 20.Qd4 Qc7 (20...Rc8 5+-+-+-+-%
21.Rc1 Qa5 22.Qb4 =) 21.c4 dxc4 7zp-zppzp-+P'
19.a4?
22.Lxc4 with sufficient counterplay. 4-+-+-+-wq$
White underestimates his opponent's threat.
19...Rae8
6-zp-+-+L+&
a) 19.Re1 - a preventive move, but even 3+-sN-+-vl-#
after it White has no time to place his pieces
19...c4! 20.Re1 g5 21.Ne2 Qh2. 5+-+-+-+n%
20.Re1 c4! 2PzPPzPP+-zP"
in harmony: 19...c4 20.g4 (20.Ne2? Qh2)
Now the threat ...g5! is likely to have fallen 4-+-zP-+-+$
20...Rae8 21.Kg1 (21.Lg2 g5 ) 21...g5 1tR-vLQmKLsNR!
22.Ng2 b5 (22...Qg3 23.Qf2) 23.Qf2 h5
outside Mikhail Botvinnik's field of vision. 3+-+-+-+-#
21.g4 g5! 22.Ne2?! xabcdefghy
. White has avoided some material loss but
The lesser of evils would be 22.Ng2 but it Personally, I would have captured on g3
2PzPP+-zPlzP"
his situation is very passive.
would be hard to escape after 22...Qh2. with the queen but in any case White re- 1tRNvL-mK-sNR!
b) 19.Lb5 - the attempt to simplify the situa-
22...Rxe3 23.Ng3 Qxg3+ 24.Kxg3 Ne4+ signed.
tion with the exchange of bishops also does not xabcdefghy
01 01
Fools Mate Training of Calculation - Part 2
Miguel Illescas Alexey Kuzmin
Concept However, experience shows us that chess Concept Exercise n1: Evaluate. Determine all the
Knowledge of the basic mate structures is knowledge must never be underestimated. From time to time we meet such difficult move-candidates. Make a choice based on
essential to improve your play. This article is Let's take a look at a game I played against positions that it is impossible to give prefer- your intuition.
intended to help players in the range 1600- the great champion Garry Kasparov: ence to any candidate move based on the White has an evident space advantage;
2200 Elo rating. calculation of variations, even having enough moreover there are some weak squares in
One of the best known mates, which at the Example 2 time for reflection. In such situations, intui- Black's camp: g6, e6 and d6, which are espe-
same time is one of the less appreciated, is A80 tion begins to play a bigger, even decisive cially important as the white knight is ready
Fool's Mate. 1.d4 f5 2.Lg5 h6 3.Lh4 g5 4.Lg3 (D) role. to penetrate. At the same time, one must not
Every beginner learns this mate when he XABCDEFGHY The following example is unique in its underestimate the opponent's resources.
or she starts to play chess. The reason be- complexity. There are nearly ten candidate The pawn on b3 is attacked, both bishops
hind the name becomes quite clear when we 8rsnlwqkvlntr( moves that are real pretenders to the title of and one of Blacks rooks are finely mobi-
realize how it appears on the board: the best move! lized although placed on the 8th rank, and the
7zppzppzp-+-' To use this material for training purposes, second rook can be quickly transferred across
Example 1 6-+-+-+-zp& the variations analysed are divided into thir- the 7th rank. Even brief analysis shows that
A00 teen test-exercises. the key question is the possibility to realize
1.f3? e5 2.g4?? Qh4# (D) 5+-+-+pzp-% the penetration on d6.
XABCDEFGHY 4-+-zP-+-+$ Grischuk Alexander The immediate 26.Nd6 is not good because
Morozevich Alexander of 26...Ndxc5! with a winning position.
8rsnl+kvlntr( 3+-+-+-vL-# D15 Dagomys 2004 Consequently, the penetration must be pre-
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nf3 pared. The range of White's possibilities is so
7zppzpp+pzpp' 2PzPP+PzPPzP" b5 6.b3 Lf5 7.Ne5 h6 8.g4 Lh7 9.Lg2 e6 wide that to determine all the candidate
6-+-+-+-+& 1tRN+QmKLsNR! 10.00 Ld6 11.Lb2 00 12.Rc1 Ra7 moves is far from easy. They can be divided
13.c5 Lc7 14.Ne2 a5 15.f3 Nfd7 16.f4 f6 into the following groups:
5+-+-zp-+-% xabcdefghy 17.Nd3 Na6 18.a3 b4 19.a4 Re8 20.Qd2 a) Defensive: 1) 26.Qc2, 2) 26.Qb2, 3)
4-+-+-+Pwq$ It seems that White has allowed his bishop Lb8 21.Ng3 e5 22.f5 Kh8 23.e4 dxe4 26.Qd1.
to be shut in. Of the 244 games that arrived 24.Nxe4 exd4 25.Lxd4 Lg8 (D) b) Attacking: 4) 26.Nf4, 5) 26.h4.
3+-+-+P+-# at this position, Black was too ambitious in
XABCDEFGHY c) Preparatory: 6) 26.Lf2, 7) 26.Rfe1
no less than 18 and fell straight into the fol- d) And a breakthrough 8) 26.g5.
2PzPPzPP+-zP" lowing well-known opening trap: 8-vl-wqr+lmk( 26.Lf2
1tRNvLQmKLsNR! 4...f4?
7tr-+n+-zp-' Let's start to analyze. White has three possi-
The correct continuation is to defend the bilities to defend the b3-pawn: 26.Qc2,
xabcdefghy mate with 4...Nf6 5.e3 d6 as in Kasparov,G- 6n+p+-zp-zp& 26.Qb2 and 26.Qd1.
White has decisively weakened the e1-h4 Illescas,M Dos Hermanas 1996, which fin- 1) 26.Qc2. A logical, 'human' move, but it
diagonal and immediately receives his punished as a draw in 52 moves. 5zp-zP-+P+-% doesn't create special problems and doesn't
ishment. 5.e3! fxg3??
01 Of course in the other two games Black
4Pzp-vLN+P+$ promise an advantage... To get the second
rook into play, Black has to free the 7th rank,
played 5...Nf6 but after 6.exf4 White has 3+P+N+-+-# so two moves seem to be natural:
Of course, this is the fastest checkmate in a already won a pawn. 1a) 26...Nf8 is more complicated but accept-
chess game, and therefore White must cer- 6.Qh5 # 2-+-wQ-+LzP" able: 27.Lf2 (27.Nd6 Rae7! 28.Lxc6
tainly be quite mad to allow his position to And here we have it: the Fool's Mate. By the 1+-tR-+RmK-! Lxd6 29.cxd6 Qxd6 ) 27...Rae7 28.Rfe1
collapse in only two moves. way, two of the games in my database ended Nd7 29.Rcd1 Qc7 30.Nd6 Rxe1+
In fact, in my 5-million game database, I with this mate. xabcdefghy 31.Nxe1 Naxc5! 32.Nxe8 Qxh2+ 33.Kf1
have only found four games with this se- 10 A range of interesting events has already Lxb3 34.Qe2 Le5 .
quence of moves, so one could easily ques- happened, but we have purposely not looked 1b) The main and the most interesting try
tion the practical utility of knowing this There are other cases in which an over- at them, striving for the critical position, the here is 26...Ne5 27.Nd6 Nxg4 28.Lxc6
mate. sight can lead to a quick Fool's end: analysis of which is the subject of this article.
Ree7 (D) Nxc5! 29.Lxe5 Rxe5 30.Ng6+ Kh7 Ke5 9.Kb6!. 2...Kg2 3.Kf4! Kg1 4.a5 Lf1 5.Ke5 Le2
XABCDEFGHY 31.Nxe5 Rxd6 32.Nxc6 Rxc6 33.Lxc6 6.a6! Lc8 7.a7! Lb7 8.Kd3! Kf4 9.Kd4! 6.Ne3 Kf2 7.Nd5 Kf3 8.Kd6 Kg4 9.Kc6
Nxb3! . Kf5 10.Kc5! Ke6 11.Kb6! Lg2 12.Kc7! Kf5 10.Nc3! La6 11.Nb5! Ke5 12.Kb6!
8-vl-wq-+lmk( 3) 26.Qd1. In-between 'defensive' moves 10 Lc8 13.Nc3!.
7tr-+-tr-zp-' this move demands Black to find a not so 3.Kf4! Le2
evident reply in order to to achieve a position Example 19 - Nunn John 1995 3...La6 4.Kg3! Kg1 5.Ne3! Lc8 6.Nd5!
6n+LsN-zp-zp& with equal chances. XABCDEFGHY La6 7.a5 Lb7 8.Nb4 Kf1 9.Kf4! Ke2
Exercise n4. How to continue with Black? 10.Ke5! Ke3 11.Kd6! Kd4 12.Nc6+!
5zp-zP-+P+-% 26...Nb6! (weaker is 26...Ld5 27.Re1 8-+-+-+-+( Ke4 13.Na7 La6 14.Kc6! Ke5 15.Nb5!
4Pzp-vL-+n+$ [27.Nd6 Ndxc5 28.Nxe8 Lxb3 29.Nxc5
Lxd1 30.Ne6 Qxe8 31.Lxc6 ] 27...Nf8
7+-+-+-+-' Lc8 16.Kc7 La6 17.Kb6! Lc8 18.Nc3!.
4.Kg3! Kg1 5.Ne3! La6
3+P+N+-+-# 28.Lf2 Rae7 29.Nd6) 27.Nd6 (after 6-+-+K+-+& 5...Ld3 6.a5 La6 7.Nd5.
2-+Q+-+-zP" 27.Lxf6 gxf6 28.cxb6 Qxb6+ 29.Rf2 Qd4 5+-+-+-+-% 6.Nd5! Lb7
White has to speed up the draw: 30.Qd2 6...Lc4 7.Nc3 Kf1 8.Kf3! Ke1 9.Ke3!
1+-tR-+RmK-! Rxe4 31.Lxe4 Qxe4 32.Qxh6+ =) 4P+-+-+-+$ Lf1 10.a5! La6 11.Nd5 Kd1 12.Nb4!.
xabcdefghy 27...Nxc5 28.Lxc5 Lxd6 29.Lxc6 Rf8 . 7.Nc3!
We have considered the two following possi-
3+-+-+-+-# 7.Nb4? Kf1! 8.Kf4 Ke2! 9.Ke5 Kd2.
Exercise n2. Evaluate the consequences of
the move 29.Nf4.
bilities, 26.Nf4 and 26.h4, as 'attacking'. 2-+-+-+lsN" 7...Kf1 8.Kf4! Kf2 9.a5! Ke1 10.Ke3!
La6 11.Nd5 Kd1 12.Nb4! Lb5 13.Kd4!
4) 26.Nf4 (this maintains equality, but does
White can hardly count on anything much
not create problems) 26...Ne5 (faithful and 1+-+-+-+k! Kc1 14.Kc5 Lf1 15.Nd5 Kb2 16.Ne3
more after 29.Rfd1 Lxd6 30.cxd6 Qxd6 La6 17.Kb4! Kc1 18.Nc4 Kc2 19.Nd6
31.Lxa7 Lxb3 32.Qxb3 Qxh2+ 33.Kf1
natural. 26...Lxb3 looks riskier: 27.Rfe1
Lxf4 [27...Kh7 28.Ne6 Lxe6 29.fxe6
xabcdefghy Le2 20.Nb5 Kd3 21.a6 Ke3 22.a7 Lf3
Qe2 . 29.Nf4 leads to the draw:
Rxe6 30.Ng5+ hxg5 31.Rxe6] 28.Qxf4 1.Ng4! Lh3 23.Kc5 Kf4 24.Kd6 Lh1 25.Kc7 Ke5
29...Nxc5! 30.Lxc5 Lxd6 31.Lxd6 Qxd6 Lxa4 29.Nd6 Rf8 30.Qe3 ). 1...Lb7 2.Ne3! Kh2 3.a5 Kg3 4.Nd5 Kf3 26.Nd6 La8 27.Nc4+ Ke6 28.Kb8 Lg2
32.Ng6+ Kh7 33.Nf8+. 5.Ke5 La6 6.Nc7 Lc8 (6...Lf1 7.Kd5 29.Na5 Kd7 30.Nb7
Exercise n5: Evaluate the position. How to Kf4 8.Kc6! Lg2+ 9.Kb6 Ke5 10.Nb5!
2) 26.Qb2?!. This move's disadvantage con- 10
sists of the fact that the queen leaves the d3- continue with White? Ke6 11.Kc7! Lf1 12.a6! Ke7 13.a7!)
White has no reason to count on anything 7.Kd6 Ke4 8.Ne6 Kd3 9.Nc5+! Kd4
knight unprotected. It allows Black to force Conclusion
profitable exchanges and then activate his more than equality: 27.Nd6 (in the endgame (9...Kc4 10.Kc6!) 10.Kc6! Lh3 (10...Kc4
after 27.Lxe5 Qxd2 28.Nxd2 Lxe5 Knowledge is power - you never know
pieces to get an advantage: 26...Ne5 27.Nf4 11.Nb7) 11.a6! Lf1 12.a7! Lg2+ 13.Kb6 when you will need and when you will use it
(27.Nxe5 Lxe5 28.Lxe5 Rxe5 ) (D) 29.Lxc6 Lxf4 30.Rxf4 Rc8 Black's La8 14.Nb7.
position is a bit better) 27...Nxc5 (27...Rd7 but you must have it
XABCDEFGHY 2.Kf5! Lf1
28.Lxe5 Nxc5 29.Nxe8 Rxd2 30.Ng6+
8-vl-wqr+lmk( =) 28.Nxe8 (28.Lxe5 Nxb3 29.Nxe8 =)
28...Nxb3 29.Lxe5 Nxd2 30.Ng6+ =.
7tr-+-+-zp-' 5) 26.h4?!. The second 'attacking' possibility
is inaccurate.
6n+p+-zp-zp& Exercise n6. Determine the candidate moves
5zp-zP-snP+-% and calculate variations.
26...Rxe4! The best move. To sacrifice the
4Pzp-vLNsNP+$ exchange provides Black with an evident ad-
3+P+-+-+-# vantage (26...Nf8?! 27.Nd6! Lxd6 28.cxd6
Rd7 29.g5 Rxd6 30.gxf6 Rxd4 31.fxg7+
2-wQ-+-+LzP" Kxg7 32.Rxc6 ; 26...Ne5?! 27.Lxe5!
1+-tR-+RmK-! fxe5 [27...Lxe5 28.Nxe5 fxe5 29.Nd6 ]
28.f6 Qd4+ 29.Kh1 Ld5 30.fxg7+ Kxg7
xabcdefghy 31.Rf6 ; 26...Lxb3 leads to positions with
Exercise n3. How to continue with Black? chances for both sides: 27.g5 Ld5 [27...Ne5
27...Rd7! (evidently weaker is 27...Lf7? 28.Lxe5 fxe5 29.f6!? Rg8 {29...Qd4+
28.Nd6 ; 27...Nxg4?! 28.Nd6 ) 28.Nd6 30.Kh1 Rd8 31.Qe2! Qxd3? 32.Qh5 +}

1...Ke2 2.Ke4! Ke1 (12...Kd3 13.Kc5) 13.Nb5 Kd3 14.a6 30.g6 Qd4+ 31.Rf2 Ld5 32.Nd6 Lxd6 than equality: 27.Nd6 (after 27.Nf4? White
2...Ld3+ 3.Kd4! La6 4.Nd5 Kf3 ; Ke3 15.a7 Lf3 16.Kc5. 33.cxd6 Lxg2 34.Kxg2 Rd7 35.Qe2 {35. has no sufficient compensation: 27...Ne5
2...Lb7+ 3.Nd5! (3.Kd4? Kf3! 4.Nd5 2.Ne4! Kh2 fxg7+ Kxg7 36.Qe2}] 28.gxf6 Nxf6 [the 28.Nd6 Lxd6 29.cxd6 c5 ) 27...Ndxc5!
Kg4! 5.Kc5 [5.Ke5 La6! 6.Nc7 Lf1 2...Lf1 3.a5 Kh2 4.Ke3! Kh3 5.Nf2+! position continues to be absolutely unclear 28.Nxc5 (the only acceptable move. Bad is
7.Kd6 Kf5 8.Kc6 Kf6 9.Kb6 Ke7] Kh4 6.Nd3! Kg5 7.a6! Kf5 8.Kd4!. after 28...Rxe4 29.Lxe4 Lxe4 30.Nf2 , 28.Nxe8? Rd7! [28...Nxd3 29.Rxc6 Lf4!]
5...Kf5! 6.Nb4 Ke6 7.Kb6 Lg2 8.a6 3.Nc5! Lf1 4.Kf2! but the balance is not broken, which is proved 29.Lxc6 Rxd3 30.Qe2 Rh3 or 28.
Kd7) 3...La6 (3...Kf2 4.Kd4 Kf3 5.Nb4) 4.Ke4? Kg3 5.Nd3 Lg2+! 6.Ke5 Lc6 for instance by the following variation: 30... Lxc5? Rae7! [28...Rd7] 29.Nxe8 Nxc5
4.Nc7 Lb7+ 5.Kd4 Kf3 6.Kc5 Kf4 7.a5 Lb5! 8.Kd4 Kg4. Ld5 31.fxg7+ Kh7 32.f6! Nxf6 33.Ng4 30.Rxc5 La7 31.Kh1 [31.Rf2 Rd7 ]
7.Kb6 Lc8 8.Nd5+ Ke5 9.Nc3. 4...Lc4 5.Ke3! Kg3 6.Kd4! Le2 Lh2+ 34.Kxh2 Nxg4+ 35.Kg3 Qb8+ 36. 31...Lxc5 32.Nxf6 gxf6 33.Qxh6+ Rh7
3.Kd5! 6...Lf1 7.Nd3! Kg4 8.a5! Kf5 9.a6! Kf6 Kxg4 Le6+ 37.Kf3 Rf7+ 38.Kg2 Ld5+ and Black is close to winning) 28...Nxc5
3.Kd4? Kd2! 4.Nd5 Kc2! 5.Nb4+ Kb3 10.a7! Lg2 11.Nf4! La8 12.Nd5+! Kf7 39.Kh3 Le6+ 40.Kg2 =] 29.Nxf6 Lxg2 29.Lxc5 Rd7 (D)
6.Nxa6 Ka4. 13.Kc5! Lb7 14.Nb4 Ke6 15.Kb6! La8 30.Nxe8 Qxd4+ 31.Kxg2 Qg4+ 32.Kh1
3...Kd2 4.Kd4! Ke2 16.Kc7!. Qxh4+ 33.Kg1 Qg3+ 34.Kh1 Qh3+ =) 27. XABCDEFGHY
4...Le2 5.Nc4+! ; 4...Lb5 5.Nc4+ Kd1 7.Nd3! Kg4 8.a5! Kf5 9.a6! Lf3 10.Kc5! Lxe4 Ndxc5! 28.Nxc5 (28.Lxc5 Nxc5 29. 8-vl-wqr+-mk(
6.Kc5 La6 7.Nd6 ; 4...Lb7 5.Nc4+ Kd1 Le4 Ne5!? Rd7! 30.Nxd7 Nxe4 31.Qe3 Qxd7
6.Kc5 La6 7.Nd6. 10...Ke6 11.Kb6! Ke7 12.Ne5 Lg2 32.Qxe4 Qa7+ 33.Rf2 Lg3 ) 28...Nxc5
7+-+r+-zp-'
5.Nd5! Kf3 6.Nc7! Lc8 7.Nb5 Kf4 13.Kc7! La8 14.a7. 29.Qe3 (29.Rxc5 Rd7 ) 29...Qd6 . 6-+psN-zp-zp&
8.Kd5! La6 9.Kc6 Ke5 10.Kb6! Lc8 11.Nf2! Lg2 12.Kd6! Lf1 13.a7! Lg2 The two following continuations 26.Lf2 and
11.Nc3! 14.Nd3 26.Rfe1 we have called 'preparatory': 5zp-vL-+P+-%
10 10 6) 26.Lf2. The unprotected d4-bishop sug- 4Pzp-+-+P+$
gests its retreat. Moreover, after penetration
Example 17 - Nunn John 1995 Example 18 - Nunn John 1995 and an exchange on d6, it can defend the d6- 3+l+-+-+-#
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY pawn by transferring to the diagonal h2-b8. 2-+-wQ-+LzP"
26.Le3 is hardly consistent with this aim.
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+( The idea to sacrifice on h6 looks too fantas- 1+-tR-+RmK-!
7+-+-+-+-' 7+-+-+-+-' tic, and the bishop's position on e3 is unsafe.
Exercise n7. Determine the candidate moves
xabcdefghy
6l+-+-+-+& 6-+-+-+-+& and calculate variations. Exercise n8. Calculate the variations after
As 26...Ne5?! allows White to penetrate 30.Qb2, 30.Lxc6 and 30.Rfd1 and make
5+-+-+-+-% 5+-+N+-+-% easily on d6 - 27.Nxe5 Lxe5 28.Nd6, your choice.
4P+-+-+-+$ 4-+-mK-+-+$ Black has at his disposal three logical pos- 30.Qb2? Lxd6 31.Lxd6 (31.Qxb3?
Lxc5+ 32.Rxc5 Qb6 33.Rfc1 Re5 +)
sibilities: 26...Ld5, 26...Rxe4 and
3+-+-+K+-# 3+-+-+-+-# L
26... xb3. 31...Lxa4 the three pawns, together with
2-+-+-sN-+" 2P+-+-+-+" 26...Ld5 is the least successful move of the the possession of all open files will evidently
three candidates. With quiet development prevail. Wherever the white bishop retreats,
1+-+-+k+-! 1+-+lmk-+-! White can count on an advantage thanks to White's position is difficult: 32.Lf4 (32.Lc5
his spatial advantage: 27.Rfe1! (27.Nd6?! Rd2 33.Qa1 Lb5 [33...Ree2 34.Rf2]
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy Ndxc5 ) 27...Re7 (27...Ne5?! 28.Nxe5 34.Rf2 b3 ; 32.Lg3 Rd2 33.Qa1 Lb5)
1...Kg1 1.Nc3! Lxe5 29.Nd6 Lxg2 30.Kxg2 ; 27... 32...Lb5 33.Rfe1 (33.Lxc6 Re2 +)
1...Lc4 2.Ne4! Ke1 (2...Kg1 3.a5) 3.Ke3! 1.Ke3? La4! 2.Nc3 Le8. Lxe4 28.Rxe4 Rxe4 29.Lxe4 Ne5 30. 33...Rxe1+ 34.Rxe1 Rd1 35.Kf2 Rxe1
Kd1 4.Kd4! La6 5.Kc5 Ke2 6.a5 Ke3 1...Lc2 36.Kxe1 Qe7+ 37.Kf2 a4 +.
Qe2 Rd7 31.Nxe5 Lxe5 ) 28.h3 .
7.Kb6 Lf1 8.Nd6 Kd4 9.Nb5+! Kd5 1...Lg4 2.a4 Kf2 3.a5 Lc8 4.Ne4+ Kf3 30.Rfd1? Lxd1 31.Rxd1 Lxd6 32.Lxd6
26...Rxe4!? With this exchange sacrifice,
10.a6! Ke6 11.a7 ; 1...Le2+ 2.Ke3! La6 5.Nc5 Kf4 6.Kd5!. Rxd6 33.Qxd6 Re1+! +.
Black gets rid of the dangerous knight and,
3.Nd3 Kg2 4.Nc5 Lc4 5.Kd4 Lf1 2.Ke3! Kf1 30.Lxc6! (both of the other continuations
taking the b3-pawn, gains quite enough com-
6.Nd3 Kf3 7.a5! Kg4 8.a6 Kf5 9.a7! Lg2 2...Lf5 3.a4! Lc8 4.Kd4 Kd2 5.Ne4+ are mistaken) 30...Rxd6 31.Lxd6 Lxd6
pensation: 27.Lxe4 Lxb3 28.Nb2 (28.Nf4
10.Kc5! La8 11.Kb6! Ke4 12.Nc5+ Kd5 Kc2 6.Kc4! La6+ (6...Lb7 7.Nd6 Lg2
Lxf4 29.Qxf4 Ne5 ) 28...Qc8! 29.Qe3 and now the open position of the white king
13.Nb7 ; 1...Ke1 2.Ke3! Lb7 3.a5 La6 8.a5 Lf1+ 9.Kb4! Le2 10.Nb5) 7.Kb4! Lf7 30.Nd3 Ne5 31.Nxe5 Lxe5 32.Qf3 and the strong passed pawn allow us to give
4.Nd3+! Kd1 5.Nb4! Lb5 6.Kd4! Kc1 Lf1 8.a5! Le2 9.Nd6. preference to Black's position: 32.Kg2
b3 .
7.Kc5 Lf1 8.Nd5 Kb2 9.Ne3 La6 3.Kd2! Lf5 4.a4! Kf2 5.a5! Kf3 (32.Rf2?! Re5) 32...Lc7 33.Qxd8 Rxd8
10.Kb4! Kc1 11.Nc4 Kc2 12.Nd6 Le2 5...Lc8 6.Kd3! Kf3 7.Kd4 Kf4 8.Kc5! 26...Lxb3! is objectively the best move. It
allows Black to fight for something more .
So, complications after 26.Lf2 are rather Ld6 Lxb3 + and 31.Rxe5 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 1.Kg4! 4.Kd5! Ke3 5.Kc6 Kd4 6.Kb6! Lf1
profitable for Black. The second 'preparatory' Rxe5 33.Nxe5 Qe3 34.Rf1 Nxc5 and, 1.Kg3? Kf1! (1...La8? 2.Kf4! Kf2 3.a7!) 7.Nb5+!) 3.Nd6 La6 4.Kd5! Kf4 5.Kc6!
move 7) 26.Rfe1 is stronger. finally, 31.Nxe5 Qd4+ 32.Kf1 Rxe8 ) 2.a7 (2.Kg4 Ke1!) 2...La8! 3.Kf4 Kf2! ; Ke5 6.Nb5 Lc8 7.Kc7 La6 8.Kb6! Lc8
Exercise n9. Determine the candidate moves 31...Qxd3 32.Nf6+ (32.Rcd1? Qc3) 32... 1.Nd3? La8 2.Kg3 Kf1! 3.Kf4 Ke2! 9.Nc3! ; 1...Lf1 2.Kd5! La6 3.Kc5 Lc8
and calculate variations. Kh8! and Black escapes: 33.Rcd1 Qxb3 4.Nc5 Kd2! 5.Ke5 Kc3! 6.Kd6 Kb4 ; 4.Nc2+ Kd3 5.Nb4+ Kc3 6.Nd5+ Kb3
Black has to play accurately to keep equality. 34.Rd8 Qc3 35.Rxe5 Qxe5 36.Rxf8 1.Kg5? Kf1! (1...Kf2 2.Kf4) 2.Kf4 7.Kb6 ; 1...Lc8 2.Kd5 Kf4 3.Ne6+ Ke3
26...Lxb3?! is a risky move: 27.Nd6 Lxd6 Qd4+. (2.Kf5 Ke1? 3.Nd3+ [3.Ke5 Kd2! 4.Nc5 Lh3 5.a6 Lf1 6.a7! Lg2+ 7.Ke5
28.cxd6 c5 29.La1! (29.Lf2 Lxa4! 28.Lxc6! is correct: 28...Lxd6 29.Lxe8 4.Nb3+ Kc3 5.Nc5 La8] 3...Kd2! 4.Nf4 (7.Kd6? Kd4!) 7...La8 8.Nd7 Kd3
30.Rxe8+ Qxe8 31.Ra1 [31.Re1 Qb8] Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 (also possible is 30.Qxe1) La8) 2...Kf2! 3.Ke5 (3.a7 La8! ; 3.Nd3+ 9.Nb6 Lb7 10.Kd6; 1...Kd3 2.Kd5! Ke3.
31...Lb5 32.Rxa5 Qb8 33.Nxb4 cxb4 34. 30...Nxc5 31.Nxc5 Lxc5 32.Re4 Lxb3 Ke2! 4.Nc5 Kd2!) 3...Ke3! 4.Nb3 2.Ne6!
Rxb5 Qxb5 35.Lxa7 b3 36.Ld4 Nac5 and 33.Qe3 Lxd4 34.Rxd4 . (4.Kd6 Kd4!) 4...Kd3! 5.Nc5+ Kc4 2.Nb3? Lg2! (2...Lf3? 3.Kd6! Le2
Black will hold out) 29...Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Now back to the main line mentioned above 6.Ne4 Kd3!. 4.Kc5 Ke4 5.Nd4! Lf1 [5...La6 6.Kb6
Nf8 (30...c4?! 31.Ld4 ) 31.Nf4 Rd7 with 27...Rxe1+!. Play might continue with 1...Kf2 Lf1 7.Nb5! Kd5 8.a6!] 6.Nb5!) 3.Kd6
32.Qe3 . 28.Rxe1 Lxd6 29.cxd6 Rd7 (D) 1...Kf1 2.Kg3! La8 (2...Lh1 3.Kf4!) (3.a6 Kd3!) 3...Lf1! 4.Kc5 Kf4! 5.Nd4
26...Re7?! is passive. White has got several XABCDEFGHY 3.Kf4! Ke1 (3...Kf2 4.a7!) 4.Ke3! Kd1 Ke5 6.Nb5 Ke6 7.a6 Kd7.
continuations maintaining an initiative: 5.Nd3 Kc2 6.Kd4! Kb3 7.Kc5! Ka4 2...La6
27.Lf2 (27.Re3!? Ld5 [27...Lxb3 28.g5] 8-+-wq-snlmk( (7...Kc3 8.Nb4 Kb3 9.Nc6 Ka4 10.Kb6) 2...Lf3 3.Kd6 Le2 4.Kc6 Ke4 5.Nc7!
28.Qe2 Lxb3 29.g5 ; 27.h4!?) 27...Ld5 8.Kb6! Kb3 9.Nc5+ Kb4 10.Nb7 Kc4 Kd4 6.Kb6 Ke5 7.Nb5! Lf1 8.a6 ;
28.h4 .
7+-+r+-zp-' 11.Kc6 Kb4 (11...Kd4 12.Kc7) 12.Kc7 ; 2...Lg2 3.a6 Kd2 4.Nf4 La8 5.Kd4 Kc2
26...Nf8 27.Nd6 Rxe1+! 6n+pzP-zp-zp& 1...La8 2.Kf4 Kf2 3.a7!. 6.Kc4 Kb2 7.Nd5 Ka3 8.Nb6 Lc6
Interesting variations appear after an objec- 2.Kf4! Lf3 9.Kc5 ; 2...Kd2 3.Kd6 La6 4.Nc7 Lf1
tively unsuccessful move such as 27...Rae7?. 5zp-+-+P+-% 2...Lc6 3.Ke5 Ke3 4.Kd6 La8 5.Nb3 5.Kc5 Ke3 6.Nb5.
Exercise n10. Estimate the queen sacrifice 4Pzp-vL-+P+$ Kd3 6.Na5 Kd4 7.Nb7 ; 2...Lh1 3.Ke5
Ke3 4.Nb3! Kd3 5.Nc5+! Kc4 6.Ne4!
3.Kd5! Lb7+ 4.Kd6 La6 5.Nc7 Lf1
28.Qxh6. 6.Kc6 Kd4 7.Nb5+! Kc4 8.a6 Lg2+
The queen sacrifice seems to win: 3+P+N+-+-# Kd3 7.Nf2+ ; 2...Ke1 3.Ke3! La8 9.Kb6! Kd5 10.a7
28.Qxh6+?! gxh6 29.Lxf6+ Kh7 30.Nxe8 2-+-wQ-+LzP" 4.Nd3+. 10
(D) 3.Nd3+ Ke2 4.Nc5 La8 5.Ke5! Ke3
XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-tR-mK-! 6.Kd6 Kd4 7.Nb7! Kc4 8.Kc6! Kb4 Example 16 - Nunn John 1995
8-vl-wqNsnl+( xabcdefghy 9.a7 Kc4 10.Kc7 XABCDEFGHY

10
7+-+-tr-+k' Exercise n11. Determine the candidate 8-+-+-+-+(
moves and calculate variations. Example 15 - Nunn John 1995
6n+p+-vL-zp& 30.Lxc6?! is wrong and puts White on seri- 7+-+-+-+-'
ous problems: 30...Rxd6 31. Re8 Qc7! (D)
XABCDEFGHY 6l+-+-+-+&
5zp-zP-+P+-% XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+(
4Pzp-+-+P+$ 5zP-+-+-+-%
8-+-+Rsnlmk( 7+-+-+-+-' 4-+-+-mK-+$
3+P+N+-+-# 7+-wq-+-zp-' 6l+-+-+-+&
2-+-+-+LzP" 3+-+-sN-+-#
6n+Ltr-zp-zp& 5zP-+-mK-+-% 2-+-+-+-+"
1+-tR-tR-mK-! 5zp-+-+P+-% 4-+-sN-+-+$
xabcdefghy 1+-+-mk-+-!
4Pzp-vL-+P+$ 3+-+-mk-+-# xabcdefghy
But Black finds a brilliant saving resource:
30...Le5!! (after 30...Rxe8 31.Lxd8 Rxd8 3+P+N+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1.Ke5!
32.Ne5 Lxe5 33.Rxe5 Lxb3 34.Lxc6 2-+-wQ-+-zP" 1+-+-+-+-! 1.Ke4? Ke2! 2.Kd4 (2.Nd5? Kd2! 3.Kd4
Kc2! 4.Kc5 Kb3! 5.Kb6 Lf1 6.Nc7
he is unlikely to escape. 30...Le6 also loses
after 31.Lxe7 Qxe7 32.fxe6 Qxe8 [32... 1+-+-+-mK-! xabcdefghy Kb4) 2...Kf3 3.Nd5 Kg4 4.Nb4 Lb5!
Nxe6 33.Le4+ Kh8 34.Lf5 +] 33.e7 +) 1...Lb7 5.Kc5 Lf1 6.Nd5 Kg5 7.Nc3 Kf6 8.Nb5
31.Lxe7 (also bad is 31.Lxe5 Rxe8 32.
xabcdefghy 1...Lc4 2.Nf5+ Kf3 (2...Kd3 3.Nd6! La6 Ke7.

1...La8 1.Kg6! Kf3 Exercise n12. Could White escape? (more complicated is 32...Lxb3 33.Lf1
1...Kg1 2.Ne3 Kh2 3.Kd2 Kg3 4.Kd3 1...Kf1 2.Kf5 Ke2 3.Ke6!. The only way to escape is 32.Qe3 Qxc6 Lf7 34.La7 Qc8 35.Lxa6 Qxa6 36.Qe7
Kf4 5.Kd4! La8 (5...Lb7 6.Nc4) 2.Kf5! Ke2 3.Ke6! 33.Rxf8 Qd7 (33...Qd5 34.Lxf6!) 34. ) and Black is holding the balance: 33.La7
6.Nd5+! Kf5 7.Nc7! Lb7 8.Kc5 Ke5 3.Kf4? Kd3 4.Ke5 Kc4. Lxf6! gxf6 35.Re8! Qg7 36.Nf4 Qxg4+ (33.Lxa5 Ndc5! ) 33...Qd8 34.Ng6+
9.Kb6 Lh1 10.Nb5 Ke6 11.Kc7!. 3...Ke3 4.Ke5! Ke2 5.Kd6! Kd3 6.Kd5! 37.Kf2 Qxf5 38.Rxg8+ =. Kh7 35.Qe8 Qxe8 36.Rxe8 Nac5 37.Rd8
2.Ke2! Lf3+ Kc2 7.Kc6 Kb3 8.Kb5! Ka3 9.Nd6 30.Re4 is a logical, positional reinforcing Rd1+ 38.Kf2 Rd2+ =.
2...Le4 3.Ke3. Kb3 10.Nc8 Lb8 11.Kb6 Kb4 12.Kb7 manoeuvre: 30...Ld5 (White gets good The last try is the breakthrough 26.g5!! hxg5
3.Ke3! La8 Kb5 13.Ne7 Ka5 14.Nc6+ compensation after 30...Rxd6 31.Qe3 Nc7 (D)
3...Lb7 4.Nd2 Kg3 5.Nc4 Kg4 6.Kd4 10 32.Nc5 or 30...Lxb3 31.Qe3 ) 31.Nc5 XABCDEFGHY
Kg5 7.Kc5 Kf6 8.Na5 La8 9.Kd6 ; Nxc5 (in an ending with an extra pawn after
3...Lc6 4.Nd2 Kg3 5.Nc4 Lh1 6.Kd4 Example 13 - Nunn John 1995 31...Lxe4 32.Nxe4 Rxd6 33.Nxd6 Qxd6 8-vl-wqr+lmk(
Kf4 7.Kc5 Kf5 8.Kd6. XABCDEFGHY 34.Le3! Qxd2 35.Lxd2 Nc5 36.Le3
7tr-+n+-zp-'
4.Nd2! Kg3 5.Nc4! Nxb3 37.Lxc6 Black is unlikely to es-
5.Kd4? Kf4! 6.Kc5 Ke5. 8-+-+-+-+( cape!) 32.Lxc5 Lxe4 33.Lxe4 and 6n+p+-zp-+&
5...Kg4 6.Nb6! 7+-+k+-+-' White has got sufficient compensation.
6.Nd6? Kg5! 7.Kd4 Kf6! 8.Kc5 Ke6 ; 30.Ne5!? is a very interesting idea: 30...fxe5
5zp-zP-+Pzp-%
6.Kd4? Kf5! 7.Kc5 Ke6!. 6PmK-+-+-+& 31.Lxe5 (D) 4Pzp-vLN+-+$
6...Lb7 7.Nc8! La8
7...Lh1 8.Nd6 La8 9.Kd4 Kf4 10.Kc5
5+-+-+-+-% XABCDEFGHY 3+P+N+-+-#
Ke5 11.Nb5 Lh1 12.Kb6 ; 7...Kg5 4-+-+-+-+$ 8-+-wq-snlmk( 2-+-wQ-+LzP"
8.Kd4! Kf6 9.Kc5! Ke6 10.Kb6!.
8.Ne7! 3+-+-+-+l# 7+-+r+-zp-' 1+-tR-+RmK-!
8.Nd6? Kg5! 9.Kd4 Kf6. 2-+-+N+-+" 6n+pzP-+-zp& xabcdefghy
8...Kg5 9.Kd4! Kf6 10.Nd5+! Kf5
10...Kf7 11.Kc5! Lb7 12.Nb4 Ke6 1+-+-+-+-! 5zp-+-vLP+-% Exercise n13: How to continue with White?
13.Kb6!. 27.Qd1!. Only in conjunction with this move
11.Nc7!
xabcdefghy 4Pzp-+-+P+$ does the pawn sacrifice make sense. The
11.Kc5? Ke5! 12.Nc7 Lh1 13.Nb5 1.Nf4! Lg4 3+P+-+-+-# move 26.g5 is not so difficult to find in con-
Ke6!. 1...Lf5 2.Nd5! Le4 3.Nf6+. nection with the idea to open the h-file, but in
11...Lb7 2.Nd3! Lh3 2-+-wQ-+LzP" the context of this plan it is erroneous.
2...Kc8 3.Ne5! Lh3 4.a7 Lg2 5.Nc6!. But to understand that when White sacrificed
11...Lc6 12.Kc5! Lb7 13.Kd6.
3.Ne5+! Kd6 4.Nc4+! Kd7 5.Ne3!
1+-+-tR-mK-! the pawn, it had simply reinforced the posi-
12.Kc5! Ke5 13.Kb6 Lh1 14.Nb5
10 10 xabcdefghy tional idea to penetrate on d6 is very diffi-
31...Kh7 (after 31...Nh7 32.Qxh6 Lxb3 cult! It's impossible to get anywhere near
Example 12 - Nunn John 1995 Example 14 - Nunn John 1995 33.Ld4 c5 34.Qg6 White gets full compen- making this decision by means of variation
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY sation. 31...Lxb3 can lead to a draw: 32.Qd4 searching, but by intuition only! Nothing is
[Also not good is either 32.Qb2?! Ld5 offered by 27.h4?! gxh4 or 27.Rce1?!
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+( 33.Lxg7+ Kg8 or 32.Qxh6+?! Kg8 ]
Lxb3 28.Re3 Kg8 29.Rfe1 Lf7 .
7vl-+-+-+K' 7+-+-+-+-' 32...Qh4 33.Lg3 Qf6 34.Le5 Qh4 35.Lg3 Now Black can play:
=) 32.Qd4 (32.Re3 Nc5 33.Rh3 Nxb3 27...Ne5?? 28.Lxe5 Lxe5 29.Nxe5 +.
6P+-+-+-+& 6P+-+-+-+& 34.Qf4 ) 32...c5 33.Qd3 c4 34.bxc4 Qb6+ 27...Nf8 28.Nd6 Ree7 29.h4 Nxc5 30.
Lxc5 Lxd6 31.Lxa7 Rxa7 32.hxg5 fxg5
5+-+-+-+-% 5+-+-+-+-% 35.Kh1 . The position is very complicated
33.Rxc6 .
and rather approximately equal, but practically
4-+-+N+-+$ 4-+-+-+-mK$ it is easier to play with White: 35...Qc5 27...Rxe4? 28.Qh5+ Lh7 29.Lxe4 Nf8
30.Lf2 +.
3+-+-+-+-# 3+-+-+-+-# (35...Nc5 36.Qe3 Rxd6 37.g5 Lf7 38.Ld4!
27...Ld5 28.Nd6 Lxd6 29.cxd6 Lxg2
Rxd4 39.Qxd4 Nxa4 40.Qxb6 Nxb6
2-+-+-+k+" 2-+-+-+l+" 41.g6+ Nxg6 42.fxg6+ Lxg6 43.c5 ) 36.g5 30.Qh5+ Kg8 31.Rfe1! Rxe1+ (31...Ra8
32.Kxg2 c5 33.Lf2) 32.Rxe1 Nf8 33.
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-sN-+-mk-! Lxc4 37.g6+ Kg8 38.Qe4 .
Lxa7 Qxd6 34.Kxg2 Qxd3 35.Qf3 Qd7
30.Qe3 Rxd6 31.Lb6 Qb8 32.Nf4 Nd7!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 36.Lb6 .
27...Nb6?? 28.Qh5+ Lh7 29.Nxf6! +. Example 9 - Nunn John 1995 XABCDEFGHY
2 Russia - Moscow
27...Lh7 28.Qh5! Ne5 29.Rcd1! Qxd4+ P 28.01.2011 - 02.02.2011 7 XABCDEFGHY
(29...g6 30.Lxe5! ) 30.Ndf2 Qd8 (30... L A. Jussupow - I.Glek 8l+-sN-+-+(
Nf3+ 31.Lxf3 Qe5 32.Ng4 Qe7 33.Nd6
3 Turkey - Antalya
8l+-+-+-+( 7zP-+-+-+-'
) 31.Rxd8 Rxd8 32.h4 gxh4 33.Nh3 . P 31.01.2011 - 04.02.2011 20 7zP-+-+-+-'
27...Lf7! is the best move: 28.Nd6! Lxd6 L A. Mikhalchishin - E. Grivas - M. Gurevich 6-+-+-+-+&
29.cxd6 c5 30.Lf2 and White has fine com- 4 Russia - Moscow
6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-%
pensation. It is difficult for Black to activate
his pieces and he is forced to wait for events
P
L
28.01.2011 - 02.02.2011
A. Jussupow - I.Glek
12
5+-+-+-mK-% 4-+-+-+-+$
to develop: 30...Kg8 (30...Ne5?! 31.Nxe5 5 Bahamas - Nassau 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-#
Rxe5 32.Qd3 Qb6 33.Rfe1 ; 30...Qb6?! P 05.03.2011 - 12.03.2011 12
31.Ld5! ; 30...Qb8 31.Lg3 Re3 32.Rf2
L G. Borg 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+"
) 31.Re1 (other ways are available: 31.h4 6
P
Algeria - Alger
21.05.2011 - 23.05.2011 35
2-+-+-+-+" 1+K+-mk-+-!
Qb6 32.hxg5 fxg5 33.Nb2 Ne5 ; 31.Lg3
Qb6 32.Kh1 ; 31.Qc2 Qb6 32.Rfd1 )
L K. OConnell 1+-sN-+-mk-! xabcdefghy
31...Rxe1+ 32.Lxe1! Qb6 33.Lg3 Lxb3 7
P
US America - New York
27.06.2011 - 28.06.2011 14
xabcdefghy 1.Kc1!
34.Qxb3+ c4+ 35.Lf2 cxb3 36.Ld5+ Kh7 L M. Khodarkovsky 1.Kf5! 1.Kc2? Ke2! 2.Kc3 Ke3! 3.Kc4 Ke4!
37.Lxb6 Nxb6 38.Lxb3 (D). 1.Kf4? Kf2! 2.Ke5 (2.Nb3 Ke2! 3.Nc5 4.Kc5 (4.Nf7 Kf5! 5.Kc5 Ke6) 4...Ke5!
8 South Africa - Ekurhuleni
XABCDEFGHY P 28.06.2011 - 01.07.2011 32 Kd2! 4.Ke5 Kc3! 5.Na4+ Kb4 6.Nb6
Kc5) 2...Ke3! 3.Kd6 Kd4! 4.Kc7 Kc5
5.Kb6 (5.Nc6+ Ke6!) 5...Kd6!.
L E. Grivas 1...Kf2
8-+-+-+-+( 9 Thailand - Bangkong 5.Nd3+ Kb5. 1...Ke2 2.Kc2! ; 1...Lh1 2.Kc2 Ke2 3.
7tr-+-+-zpk' P 01.08.2011 - 06.08.2011 41 1...Kf2 Kc3 Ke3 4.Kc4 Kf4 5.Kc5 La8 6.Kd6 ;
L A. Muniz - L. Maung Maung
1...Kg2 2.Ke6 Kf3 3.Kd7 Ke4 4.Kc7 1...Ld5 2.Kc2 Ke2 3.Kc3 Ke3 4.Kb4
6nsn-zP-zp-+& 10 Vietnam - Binh Duong
Ke5 (4...Kd5 5.Nb3! Ke6 6.Na5) 5.Nb3! Kd4 5.Kb5! La8 6.Kb6!.
5zp-+-+Pzp-% P 03.08.2011 - 10.08.2011 30 ; 1...Kf1 2.Ke6. 2.Kb2! Ke2 3.Kc2! Kf3
L E. Gloria - M. Luong Trong
2.Kf4! Ke1 3...Kf2 4.Kb3 Kf3 5.Kb4! Kf4 6.Kb5!
4Pzp-+-+-+$ 11 Armenia - Yerevan 2...Lh1 3.Ke5 Ke3 4.Nb3! Kd3 5.Na5! Kf5 7.Kb6!.
P 26.09.2011 - 02.10.2011 8 Kc3 (5...La8 6.Kd6! Kd4 7.Kc7) 6.Kd6! 4.Kb3! Ke3 5.Kc3! Kf4 6.Kb4! Ke4
3+L+N+-+-# L V. Grabinsky - S. Lptuian
La8 7.Kc7 Kb4 8.Kb8. 7.Kc4! Kf5 8.Kb5! Ke5 9.Kc5! Kf6
2-+-+-+-zP" 12
P
Peru Lima
03.11.2011 06.11.2011 17
3.Ke3! 10.Kd6
3.Ke5? Kd2! 4.Nb3+ Kc3 5.Nd4 Kc4 ; 10
1+-tR-+-mK-! L M. Fierro
3.Nb3? Ke2 4.Nc5 Kd2! 5.Ke5 Kc3!.
xabcdefghy 13
P
Brazil - Caldas Novas
19.11.2011 25.11.2011 18
3...Kd1 Example 11 - Nunn John 1995
In conclusion, one should say that Grischuk L M. Khodarkovsky - M. Gurevich
3...Kf1 4.Nb3 Kg2 5.Kd4 Kf3 6.Kc5
Ke4 7.Kd6 Kf5 (7...Kd3 8.Kc7) 8.Kc7
XABCDEFGHY
chose 26.Lf2 in his game, but it was played 14 Germany - Berlin Ke6 9.Na5 ; 3...Lb7 4.Kd4 Kd2 5.Nb3+ 8-+-+-+-+(
during a team tournament and at that very P 16.12.2011 18.12.2011 13 Kc2 6.Na5 La8 7.Kc5 Kc3 8.Kb6 Kd4
moment the match and therefore the game L U. Boensch
9.Kc7 ; 3...Lh1 4.Kd4 Kd2 5.Nb3+ Kc2
7zP-+-+-+-'
was agreed drawn by decision of the two
team captains ...
15
P
South Africa - Port Elizabeth
17.12.2011 18.12.2011 16
6.Na5. 6-+-+-+-+&
4.Nd3 Kc2
L S. Polgar
4...Lb7 5.Kd4 Kd2 6.Nc5 La8 7.Nb3+
5+-+-+-+-%
16
P
Singapore - Singapore
26.12.2011 30.12.2011 18
Kc2 8.Na5. 4-+-+-+-+$
5.Kd4! Kb3 6.Kc5! Ka4 7.Kb6! Kb3
Seminar List 2011 L J. Petronic - D. Ramos
8.Ne5 Kb4 9.Nc6+ Kc4 10.Na5+ Kd5 3+-+-+l+-#
Certified Trainers 1 Direct Approval 11.Kc7 2-+-+-+k+"
P 01.01.2011-31.12.2011 18 10
1 Greece Athens
L TRG Council 1+-+-mKN+-!
P
L
10.01.2011 - 15.01.2011
A. Mikhalchishin - E. Grivas
48
T
Total Seminars 16 Example 10 - Nunn John 1995
xabcdefghy
Total Certified Trainers 359

A simple win here was 15...Kxh1! 16.Kf2 1.Na5 La8 2.Kc8!!
Ne3. This is an important finding - how to get the The Maroczy Pawn Structure
16.Kxe3 Kxh1 17.Kf2 favourable position. But it was found by
Horwitz many years ago. There were no Georg Mohr
endgame databases in those times, so the
Example 7 - De Feijter Ad 1936
eminent composer repeated the old finding! Concept develop his bishops. He will develop his
XABCDEFGHY 2...Ke8 3.Nc4 Ke7 4.Kb8 Kd8 5.Na5 Here we will examine the early retreat of darksquared bishop to the active g5-square,
Kd7 6.Nb7 Kc6 7.Kxa8 Kc7 8.Nd6 the white d4-knight in the Maroczy pawn because he does not need to protect the
8-+-+-+-+( Exactly what Ponomariov performed! structure. The strategy of the withdrawal of knight on d4. After Qd2 he will put his
7zp-mK-+-+-' 10 Whites knight from the centre is, as a rule, light-squared bishop on d3 and he will start
very unpleasant for Black. White can move to prepare play on the kingside.
6P+-+-+-+& Gufeld Eduard the knight to three different squares: to c2, The move 5...Lg7 has its advantages. It
5+-+-+k+-% Smyslov Vassily from where the knight will return into play
in different ways (via a3 to b5, via e3 to
allows the withdrawal of the knight 6.Nc2.
Moscow 1966 For a long time this was believed to be less
4-+-+-+-+$ XABCDEFGHY d5) to b3, from where it provides support dangerous due to Black not developing the
for the move c5, to e2 (a frequent choice in knight on the kingside. Practice showed that
3+lsN-+-+-# 8-mK-mk-+-+( the Moscow Variation of the Sicilian). Black has good counterplay against the plan
2-+-+-+-+" 7zP-+-+-+-' Why is this retreat unpleasant for Black? with the withdrawal of the knight to c2 by
Especially because White has more space making the move ...f5.
1+-+-+-+-! 6-sn-+-+-+& and Black wants to exchange pieces to gain He can develop the knight to h6 and as
xabcdefghy 5+-+-sN-+-%
space. Thats why Black generally ex- soon as possible play ...f5 (with the knight
changes early (...Nxd4) against the Maroczy already developed to f6, he would need to
1.Nb5 Kf6! 2.Nxa7 Lc4 3.Nb5! Ke7!
4-+-+-+-+$ pawn structure. lose yet another move to shift it from there,
3...Lxb5 4.a7.
But everything has its advantages and dis- usually to d7) or he can play ...f5 and only
4.a7 Ld5 5.Nd6 La8! 6.Nc4! Ld5 3+-+-+-+-# advantages. It is true that Blacks bishop can then develop the knight. Players of the white
7.Kc8 move ...Ld7-c6, from where it will be able pieces have found good ways to develop the
7.Na5! La8 8.Kc8. 2-+-+-+-+" to put pressure on the centre and also present initiative.
7...Le4 8.Na5 La8 9.Nb7
9.Kc7! Ke8 10.Nc4 Ke7 11.Kb8 Kd8
1+-+-+-+-! a threat to the e4-pawn. Most players prefer to defend the knight:
But on the other hand, Black is releasing 6.Le3 Nf6 7.Nc3. Black finds himself at a
12.Na5 Kd7 13.Nb7. xabcdefghy tension in the centre by the exchange (the new crossroads. He can exchange a pair of
9...Ke8 10.Nd6+ Ke7 11.Kc7 Ke6 Very funny that a bit similar idea happened c6-knight puts pressure on d4) and White, knights with the help of the typical manoeu-
12.Nc4 Ke7 13.Kb8 Kd8 14.Na5 Kd7 in a knight endgame: who often has problems with his develop- vre 7...Ng4! 8.Qxg4 Nxd4 and White does
15.Nb7 Kc6 16.Kxa8 Kc7 17.Nd6 1...Na8 2.Kb7! ment because of the unprotected knight, can not have anything better than 9.Qd1;
10 2.Kxa8 Kc7! but not what wrongly rec- choose between playing on the kingside and meanwhile Black can move to an active
Example 8 - Chekhover Vitaly 1939 ommended by Gufeld 2...Kc8 3.Nf7 Kc7 in the centre. square: 9...Ne6.
XABCDEFGHY 4.Nd6 winning, as in our main examples. Let us see a typical psychological battle in He can decide on a classical continuation
2...Nc7 3.Nc4 Na8 our variation! 7...d6 8.Le2 0-0 9.0-0 Ld7 with the idea
8-+-+-+-+( 3...Kd7 4.Ne3 Kd6 (4...Kd8 5.Nd5 Na8 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 10...Nd4 and 11...Lc6. White plays the
6.Kc6) 5.Nd5. 5.c4 The first critical moment. Black is unpleasant 10.Nc2 (or 10.Nb3 with the
7zP-mK-mk-+-' 4.Ne3 Nc7 5.Nd5 Na8 6.Kc6!! afraid that White will move the knight as idea c5), which destroys Blacks plans and
6-+-+-+-+& 10 soon as possible (Nc2). What to do? The that required the experts to improve the
exchange 5...Nxd4 6.Qxd4 is too early move order for Black.
5+-+-+-+-% IGM John Nunn in his excellent book Se-
because of the weakness on the long diago- After 9.0-0 Black exchanges already on
4-+N+-+-+$ nal: 6...Nf6 7.e5!. the 9th move: 9...Nxd4 10.Lxd4 and only
crets of Minor-Piece Endings developed the
So Black arrives at the first crossroads. after that 10...Ld7. White needs to move
subject maximally and said probably the last
3+-+-+l+-# word in the theory of this position (not in
Many chess players choose the move the knight to the c2 square earlier and that
5...Nf6, which forces White into 6.Nc3 that brought new research of the positions after
2-+-+-+-+" practice!).
leaves Black with a significant tempo: the immediate withdrawal: 6.Nc2!.
For every player it will be extremely in-
1+-+-+-+-! structive just to follow and to enjoy John 6...Nxd4 7.Qxd4 d6. Firstly, let us have a look at how White can
An ideal move order? Yes and no! Black effectively defend himself against the early
xabcdefghy Nunns findings!
has succeeded strategically but White can ...f5.
Voitsekhovsky Stanislav XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
Aronian Levon
B37 Minsk 1998 8r+l+k+-tr( 8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+k+-+(
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6
5.c4 Lg7 6.Nc2 Nh6 7.Ld2! (D)
7zpp+pzp-snp' 7+-+-+-+-' 7zP-+-+-+-'
XABCDEFGHY 6-wqn+-+p+& 6-+-+-+-+& 6-+-+K+-+&
8r+lwqk+-tr( 5+-+Q+-+-% 5+-+-vL-+-% 5+-+-+-+-%
7zpp+pzppvlp' 4-+P+-+-+$ 4-+-+K+-+$ 4N+-+l+-+$
6-+n+-+psn& 3+P+-+-+-# 3+-+n+-+-# 3+-+-+-+-#
5+-+-+-+-% 2P+N+-zPPzP" 2p+k+-+-+" 2-+-+-+-+"
4-+P+P+-+$ 1tRN+-mKL+R! 1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
3+-+-+-+-# xabcdefghy xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
White's play is simple: he will put pressure 1.La1 Nb2?? 1.Ke5! La8 2.Nb6 Lb7 3.Ke6! Kd8
2PzPNvL-zPPzP" on the central lines and on the backward The way to win is simple as the classics 4.Kd6 Ke8 5.Kc7 Lg2 6.Nc8!
1tRN+QmKL+R! pawns d6 and e7. have found: 1...Nc5+ 2.Ke3 Kb1 3.Lh8 6.Nc4! Ke7 7.Kc8 Lf3 8.Na5 La8
19...00 20.f3 Lf5 21.Le4 Lxe4 22.Nxe4 Na4. 9.Kc7 Ke6 10.Nb7 Ke7 11.Nd8 Ke8
xabcdefghy Rf5 23.Kb2 Re5 24.f4 Rh5 25.Rh1 Rf8 2.Ke3 Kb1 3.Kd2 Kxa1 4.Kc1 Nd3+ 12.Ne6 Ke7 13.Nd4 Ke8 14.Nf5!.
This move is allowed by the development of 26.g3 a5 27.a3 Rhf5 28.Rd2 Nb8 29.Re1 5.Kc2 6...La8! 7.Kb8 Kd8 8.Nd6! Kd7 9.Nb7!
the black knight to h6: 7...Lxb2? 8.Lxh6 b5!? Kc6 10.Kxa8 Kc7 11.Nd6
Lxa1 9.Nxa1!. Because of that Black often Of course Black wanted to get some coun- 10
Example 4 - Gerbaus 1920
chooses 6...d6, when White fights against terplay but the outcome will be good for
7...f5 with a simple development 7.Ld3!. White. XABCDEFGHY Example 6 - De Feijter Ad 1936
Very interesting is a recommendation of 30.Nc3 bxc4 31.Rxe7 g5 32.fxg5 Nc6 8-+-+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
P.H.Nielsen: 6...Qb6, after which White 33.Rc7 Rf2 34.Ne4 Rxd2+ 35.Nxd2
cannot come up with a good defence of the Rf2 36.Rxc6 Rxd2+ 37.Kc3 Rxh2 7+-+-+-+-' 8-+-+-+-+(
b2-pawn. After the 'logical' move 7.Nc3 38.Kxc4 Rg2 39.Rxd6 Rxg3 40.Rd5 a4
6-+-+n+-+& 7+-+-+-+-'
Black takes 7...Lxc3!? 8.bxc3 Nf6 and tries 41.bxa4 Kf7 42.Re5 Rxa3 43.a5 Ra1
to play, even without his pair of bishop, 44.Kb5 Rb1+ 45.Kc6 5+-+-+-+-% 6-+-+-+L+&
against the weak white pawns. In practice, 10
4-+-+-+-+$ 5+-+-+-+-%
White players have more success. They can
develop a strong initiative with the dark- The young Levon Aronian definitely
3+-+-+-+-# 4-+K+-+n+$
squared bishop, for example: 9.Ld3 d6 learned a lot from that defeat and it is proba-
10.Ne3 00 11.00 Ne5 12.Nd5 Elja- bly because of it that he later started to play 2-+-+L+-zp" 3+-+-+-+p#
nov,P-Zubarev,A Kharkov 2001. this variation with the white pieces.
1+-+-mK-mk-! 2-+-+-mk-zP"
7...f5 8.exf5 Nxf5 9.Lc3! Qb6 10.Qd2
Lh6 11.Qd5 Lg7 12.Lxg7 Nxg7 13.b3 Aronian Levon xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
(D) Vorobiov Evgeny xabcdefghy
B37 Moscow 2004 A few chessplayers accidently were devel-
(see next diagram) oping the same idea in very concrete situa- But there are some wrong positions as well!
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6
tions, forgetting about the invention and the 1.Kc3! Nxh2 2.Lf5 Ng4! 3.Kd2! h2
White has a slight advantage. His pawns are 5.Nc2 Lg7 6.e4 Nf6 7.Nc3 00 8.Le2 d6
inventor. Everything is known before, but 4.Le4 Ne3 5.Lh1! Nf5! 6.Lb7 Kf1
better connected and without weaknesses. 9.00 Nd7!?
the position was published! 7.La8 Nh4 8.Lh1 Ng2 9.Kd1 Kf2
The exchanges on the centre brought to life An interesting plan. Black wants to take
1.Lf3 Nf4 2.Lh1 Ng2+ 3.Ke2 Nh4 10.Kd2 Ne3! 11.Kd3 Nf5 12.Kd2
his lightsquared bishop, which is not weaker ...Lxc3 and set up a blockade on the dark
4.Ke1 Nf5 5.La8 Nh4 6.Lh1 Or 12.Ld5 Kg1 13.Ke2 Nh4 14.Le4
than its counterpart. squares. The plan is practically 'stolen' from
Ng2.
13...Nf5 14.Nc3 d6 15.Ld3 Nfd4 the English Opening: 1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nf6
16.Nxd4 Qxd4 17.Qxd4 Nxd4 18.000 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Lg2 Nc7 6.Qb3!? Example 5 - Prokop Frantisek 1930 12...Kg1 13.Ke1 Nh4 14.Ke2 Ng2
Nc6 19.Rhe1 (a provocation - White is waiting for ...Nc6) There are a few brilliant old studies. 15.Kf3 Ne3??
Example 2 - Horwitz Bernhard 1885 When the white king is not on c8, then the 6...Nc6 7.Lxc6!? bxc6 8.Qa4. White even for White is 17.Nb5 Nxb5 18.cxb5 Le6
XABCDEFGHY winning manoeuvre does not exist! gave up a tempo, because he believes in his 19.b6 f5 20.Lc4 Lxc4 21.Rxc4 f4
1.Nc3 La8 2.Na4 Lg2 3.Nc5 La8 pawn structure. There is no reason for Black 22.Qd5+ Kh8 23.Ld2 Qxb6 24.Rfc1
8lsN-+-+-+( 4.Nb7+ Kd7 5.Kxa8 Kc8 not to act the same way... Most players do with good compensation.
not like positions with their pawn structure 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Le3
7zP-mK-+-+-' destroyed and so they almost automatically In a position where the a-file is not yet open,
6-+-+-+-+& Stein Leonid respond with: this manoeuvre seems even better. The
Dorfman Cicero 10.Ld2 Nc5 11.b4!? bishop pair is not important because White
5+-+-+-+-% Soviet Union 1970 A very interesting pawn sacrifice. Especially can exchange the darksquared bishops any
4-mk-+-+-+$ XABCDEFGHY because 11.f3 Qb6!? 12.Kh1 Qxb2 13.
Rb1 Lxc3 looks promising for Black.
time he wants.
14...Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 b6 16.Rfd1 Lb7 17.
3+-+-+-+-# 8-+-+-+-+( 11...Ne6 Ld4 Lxd4
2-+-+-+-+" 7+-+-vL-+-' Critical is 11...Lxc3 12.Lxc3 Nxe4 13. 17...Lf6 is possible, but weaker seems to be
Lb2 (a new comparison with the English 17...Rc8 18.Lxg7 Kxg7 19.e5.
1+-+-+-+-! 6-+-+-+-+& Opening is interesting and again with the 18.Rxd4 Qc7 19.h4!
pieces of the opposite colour: 1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Again a typical plan, launching an attack on
xabcdefghy 5+-+-+-+-% Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Lg2 Nc7 6. the king. Look at the kingside, where Black
1.Kb6! Kc4 4-sn-+-+-+$ Nf3 Nc6 7.00 e5 8.d3 Le7 9.Nd2 Ld7 has no pieces! He is facing the unpleasant
1...Ka4 2.Nc6 Kb3 3.Na5+ Kb4 4.Nb7 10.Nc4 00 11.Lxc6 Lxc6 12.Nxe5). A choice: to allow the h-pawn to progress or
Kc4 5.Kc7 Kd5 6.Kb8. 3+-+-+-+-# very popular position, almost as much as the weaken himself even more with the move
2.Na6 Kd4 previous one. The only difference is that ...h5.
2...Lf3 3.Nc5 La8 4.Nb7 Kd5 5.Kc7
2p+k+K+-+" Black cannot play ...b5 and he is forced to 19...Rac8 20.h5 a6 21.Nd5 Lxd5 (D)
Ke6 6.Na5 Ke7 - the study of Chekhover 1+-+-+-+-! withdraw 12...Le8. This position was XABCDEFGHY
is just a sideline of Horwitz! played even by World Champions! You can
3.Nc7 xabcdefghy imagine how much easier is the diagram 8-+r+-trk+(
3.Nc5! Kd5 4.Nb7 Ke6 5.Kc7. Here are some funny annotations of the leg- position, where White can move his bishop
3...Lg2 4.Ne6+ Ke5 5.Nd8 La8 6.Kc7 end of Yugoslavian chess IM Rudolf Maric. to the most logical square b2: 13...Le6
7+-wq-zpp+p'
Kd5! 7.Nb7 Firstly it seems that he does not know which (Black players also tried 13...e5 14.Qe1 6pzp-zp-+p+&
7.Kb8? Kd6! 8.Kxa8 Kc7. Dorfman plays - it was not the IGM Josif but Qg5 15.Rd1 Le6 16.Ld3 f5 17.f3 Nf6
7...Ke6 8.Na5 Ke7 9.Kc8 Ke8 10.Nc4! a weaker player called Cicero and Maric was 18.f4 or 13...Qb6 14.a3 Le6 15.Ne3, in 5+-+l+-+P%
not aware of Horwitz analysis!
Ke7 11.Kb8 Kd8 12.Na5 Kd7 13.Nb7!
Kc6 14.Kxa8 Kc7 15.Nd6 1.Lf6 Nd3 2.La1! Nb2 3.Ke1 Kb1
both cases with a strong initiative for White) 4-zPPtRP+-+$
14.b5 Ne5 (because Black is now practi-
10 3...Na4 4.Ke2 Kc1 5.Ke1 Nc5 6.Ke2 cally lost, some commentators later recom- 3+-+-+-+-#
Kb1 7.Kd1 Nd3 8.Kd2 Nb2. Analysis by
mended 14...Na5 15.Qd4 Nf6 16.Ne3 2P+-+QzPP+"
Example 3 - Horwitz Bernhard 1885 J.Nunn, but it is known from Horwitz till to Qc7 17.Rac1 Qc5 18.Qh4 Rac8 19.Rfd1
XABCDEFGHY Chekhover! or 14...Nb8 15.Qd4 Nf6 16.g4 Qb6 17.g5 1+-tR-+-mK-!
4.Kd2! Kxa1 5.Kc1! Nc4 6.Kc2 Qxd4 18.Lxd4 Ne4 [18...Nfd7 19.Lf3]
8-mK-mk-+-+( 19.Lf3 d5 20.Lg2, again with the initiative
xabcdefghy
A typical position: considering the rules that
7zP-+-+-+-' Lehmann Heinz for White) 15.Qd4 Nf6 16.f4 Ned7
we were following, the best move for White
Stephan Werner (16...Neg4 17.h3 Nh6 18.g4) 17.g4 Qb6
6-+-+-+-+& Berlin West 1953 18.f5 and White won a piece and the game should be the capture 22.Rxd5!?. But even
quickly followed, as in Svidler,P-Tiviakov,S taking with the e-pawn, which was Aronian's
5+-+-+-+-% Post-war generation was not very precise in
Chalkidiki 2002. choice, is not bad in the current position.
the endgames. And in a German magazine
4-+-+l+-+$ this position was considered as a draw! And 12.Rc1 Ned4 White is combining positional play with the
attack on the king, and opens the fourth rank
The opening of the a-file seems both more
3+-+-+-+-# it was even written that everybody has to
logical and more promising: 12...a5 13.a3 for his rook for a potential transfer to the h-
know how to play such endings! But Ernst file. At the same time the weakness of the
2-+-+-+-+" Gottschalk from Braunschweig wrote a letter axb4 14.axb4 and only then 14...Ned4
e7-pawn is shown up.
about this mistake. Then it came some long 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Le3. Black can con-
1+N+-+-+-! discussion during which the old analysis of tinue actively with 16...e5 where practice 22.exd5 Rfe8 23.Re4 Qd7 24.Re1 b5 25.
cxb5 axb5 26.h6 Kf8 27.Qb2 f6 28.Rxe7!
xabcdefghy Horwitz was remembered. has shown that the most active continuation

Qxe7 29.Rxe7 Kxe7 30.Qe2+ Kf7 31. 14...Ne5 (D)
Qxb5 Rc1+ 32.Kh2 Rc2 Bad is 14...Red8 15.b4! Nxb4 (15...Qh5 Legendary Endings
10 16.Nd5 ) 16.Nd5 Nc6 17.Qxa5 Nxa5
18.Nxe7+. Adrian Mikhalchishin
Black can fight against the retreat of the
knight to c2 with the plan ...a6 and ...b5, like XABCDEFGHY Concept 92.Kg3 Nd1 93.Kg2 Ke3 94.Kg3 Kd2
the Scandinavians love to play; in the past 8-+r+r+k+( In chess we have some legendary classical 95.Kf3 Kd3 96.Kf4 Kc2 97.Ke4 Nb2
Bent Larsen and Ulf Andersson, nowadays endings which are appearing from time to 98.Ke3 Na4! 99.Ke2 Kc1!
P.H.Nielsen. 7+p+lzppvlp' time and in such cases top players have to Yes, it is exact position from Chekhover
Short Nigel
6p+-zp-snp+& demonstrate their knowledge of classics. study, but which first was found by Horwitz.
Nowadays it is more difficult, as we have Now it is easy.
Felgaer Ruben 5wq-+-sn-+-% special time control without adjournments 100.Kd3 Kb1 101.Kd2 Nb2 102.Kc3
B38 Buenos Aires 2001 and 30 seconds increment. For this reason Kxa1 103.Kc2 Nd3
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 4-+P+P+-+$ the importance of studying endgame is obvi- 01
5.c4 Lg7 6.Le3 Nf6 7.Nc3 00 8.Le2 d6 3+-sN-vLP+-# ous.
9.00 Ld7 10.Nc2 (D) It is interesting to see one recent example, Example 1 - Loyd Samuel 1860
XABCDEFGHY 2PzPNwQL+PzP" where a top player found the classical ma- XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+( 1+-tRR+-mK-! noeuvre. And if it is still a question; do they
8-+-+-+-+(
know it or they try to find it during the
7zpp+lzppvlp' xabcdefghy game? We used to cal this process many 7+-+-+-+-'
15.b4 years ago to reinvent the bicycle!.
6-+nzp-snp+& Much better than 15.Na3 h5 16.Kf1 La4!? The next position was analyzed 150 years 6-+-+-+-+&
17.Re1 Lc6 with excellent counterplay for ago!
5+-+-+-+-% Black, Anand,V-Larsen,B Roquebrune
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+P+P+-+$ 1992. The game would be practically de- Gashimov Vugar 4L+-+-+-sn$
cided after 15.c5! when Black would be fac- Ponomariov Ruslan
3+-sN-vL-+-# ing big troubles. Khanty Mansiysk 2011 3+-+-+-+p#
2PzPN+LzPPzP" 15...Qd8 16.Na3 a5 17.b5 Le6 18.Na4
Nfd7 19.b6
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-+k+"
1tR-+Q+RmK-! And White had a huge advantage. 8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+-mK-+-!
xabcdefghy 19...Nc5 20.Nxc5 dxc5 21.Qxa5 Nd7 7+-+-+-+-' xabcdefghy
22.Nb5 Ra8 23.Qd2 Qxb6 24.f4 Nf6 25.
10...a6 Qc2 Lg4 26.e5 Lf5 27.Qb3 Ng4 28. 6-+-+-+-+& Incredibly, first time this position appeared
The weaker plan is 10...Qa5? 11.f4 Rac8 Ld2 h5 29.Lf3 Red8 30.Le1 f6 31.a4 in analysis of the great composer, and well
12.Rb1! a6 13.b4 Qd8 14.Qd3 and White fxe5 32.a5 Qf6 33.h3 exf4 34.hxg4 hxg4
5+-+-+k+K% before Horwitz!
was much better in the game Short,N- 1.Ld7
Andersson,U Wijk aan Zee 1990.
35.Lxb7 Rxd1 36.Rxd1 Rf8 37.g3 f3 4-+-+-+-+$ 1.Lc6+? Kg1 2.Lh1? Kxh1 3.Kf1 Kh2
38.Qe3 Kh7 39.Rd2 Qa1 40.Rh2+ Kg8
11.f3 41.Ld5+
3+-+-+-+n# 4.Kf2 Ng6 5.Kf1 Kg3 6.Kg1 Ne5
A typical move - an additional defence of 7.Kh1 Ng4 8.Kg1 h2+ 9.Kh1 Nf2 #.
the e4-pawn. White wants to free his c3
10 2pvL-+-+-+" 1...h2
knight from this assignment; it is also ac- For some years the plan of retreating the 1+-+-+-+-! 1...Nf3+ 2.Ke2 Nd4+ 3.Ke3 h2.
tively preventing the move ...b5. knight to b3, preparing the move c5, was 2.Lc6+ Kg1
11...Rc8 12.Rc1 Re8 13.Qd2 very popular. We have in mind the next dia-
xabcdefghy 2...Nf3+ 3.Ke2 h1Q 4.Lxf3+.
Possibly the strongest move is 13.Kh1 Ne5 gram: 82.Kh4 Nf4 83.Kg3 Ke4 84.La1 Nd3 3.Lh1!! Kxh1
14.Na3 Qa5 (preparing ...b5) 15.Qb3! with 85.Kg2 Ke3 86.Kg3 Nc5 87.Kg2 Ke2 3...Ng2+ 4.Ke2 Nf4+ 5.Ke1.
the unpleasant threat Lb6. Korchnoi Viktor 88.Kg3 Na4 4.Kf2!
13...Qa5 14.Rfd1 Anand Viswanathan White built the perfect Harwitz position and The idea has to be conducted correctly.
The plan 14.Na3 Le6 15.Nab1 is interest- B38 Wijk aan Zee 1990 can proceed with king to c1 according to There is always room for a wrong decision:
ing but too slow; it did not bring success to 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 Chekhover manoeuvre, but Ponomariov is as it can be easily proved: 4.Kf1? Nf3
White in the game Gulko,B-Nielsen,P 5.e4 Lg7 6.Le3 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.Le2 00 not convinced yet! 5.Kf2 Nd2.
Esbjerg 2000. 9.00 Ld7 10.Nb3 (D) 89.Kg2 Nb6 90.Kg3 Nc4 91.Kg2 Ne3+
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Lc4 Nc6 4.00 Nf6 23.Qh6! Lxf6 24.Qxf6+ Kg8 25.Le5 XABCDEFGHY blockade on the dark squares but they made
5.Qe2 e6 6.c3 Le7 7.Lb3 00 8.d4 Qc7 10 many light squares weak (b5, c6). The
9.dxc5 dxc5 10.e5 Nd7 11.Lf4 Rd8 8r+-wq-trk+( bishop moved to c8 and left the important d7
12.Nbd2 Nf8 13.Rad1 b6 14.Lg3 Lb7 Lahno Kateryna square to the knight, which has a task on c5.
15.Ne4 Rxd1 16.Rxd1 Rd8 (D) Khotenashvili Bela
7zpp+lzppvlp' After the return of the knight to d4, Black
XABCDEFGHY B12 Tbilisi 2011 6-+nzp-snp+& has no choice but to exchange a pair of
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Lf5 4.h4 h5 5.Lg5 knights. Because of the weak light squares it
8-+-tr-snk+( Qb6 6.Ld3 Lxd3 7.Qxd3 e6 8.Nd2 Qa6 5+-+-+-+-% would be unforgivable to allow one of the
9.c4 Lb4 10.b3 Ne7 11.Ne2 Nd7 12.00 4-+P+P+-+$ knights to move to b5 and the other one to
7zplwq-vlpzpp' Lxd2 13.Qxd2 Nf5 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.Ng3 threaten moving to d5. The fact is that the
6-zpn+p+-+& Nxg3 16.fxg3 00 (D) 3+NsN-vL-+-# knight on c6 is not playing a significant role
in the position.
5+-zp-zP-+-% XABCDEFGHY 2PzP-+LzPPzP" 14...Nxd4 15.Lxd4 (D)
4-+-+N+-+$ 8r+-+-trk+( 1tR-+Q+RmK-! XABCDEFGHY
3+LzP-+NvL-# 7zpp+n+pzp-' xabcdefghy 8r+lwq-trk+(
2PzP-+QzPPzP" 6q+-+p+-+& The old rule says that advancing a rook
pawn, with the unpleasant threat of a5 7+-+nzppvlp'
1+-+R+-mK-! 5+-+pzP-vLp% (...a4), is always good against the placement 6-zp-zp-+p+&
of the knight on b6 (b3). So, Black tried fol-
xabcdefghy 4-+-zP-+-zP$ lowing that rule: 5zp-+-+-+-%
17.Nf6+! Kh8?! 3+P+-+-zP-# 10...a5!? 11.Nd2 4-+PvLP+-+$
The less evil was 17...gxf6 18.exf6 Rxd1+ If 11.a3 then 11...a4 with the destruction of
19.Qxd1 Qd7 20.fxe7 Nxe7 when White
2P+-wQ-+P+" the queenside. Because of that White gave 3+-sN-+-+-#
would just have a clear advantage in the end- 1tR-+-+RmK-! up another tempo. The knight on d2 defends
2PzP-+LzPPzP"
ing due to his bishop-pair and his better the e4-pawn and its partner on c3 is already
pawn structure. 17...Lxf6 18.exf6 Rxd1+ xabcdefghy prepared for action (on b5 or d5). 1+-tRQ+RmK-!
19.Lxd1 Qd8 20.fxg7 Kxg7 21.Lc2 Ng6 Black's king is rather week and the attack 11...Lc8
22.h4 was also better than the text move. must be decisive but accurate. The second logical possibility is 11...Ne8 xabcdefghy
18.Ng5! Rxd1+ 19.Qxd1 Nd8 17.Lf6! gxf6 with play against the d4-square; for exam- 15...Lh6!
The alternative was 19...gxf6 20.Nxf7+ There is not much that Black can do any- ple: 12.Rc1 Nd4 13.Nb3 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 A very instructive moment. Black won a
Kg8 21.exf6 Qd7 22.Nh6+ Kh8 23.Qg4 more: 17...Qb6 18.Lxg7! Kxg7 19.Qg5+ a4! 15.Nd4 Nc7, like in the game tempo and for him it is even more important
Ng6 24.Nf7+ Kg8 25.Nd6 Nd8 26.fxe7 Kh7 20.Qxh5+ Kg7 21.Qg5+ Kh8 Cvetkovic,S-Martinovic,S Cetinje 1991. to keep the darksquared bishops. If not,
Qxe7 27.h4 and White will soon win. 22.Rf6! Qxd4+ 23.Kh2 Qd3 24.Rh6+ 12.Rc1 White's attack would become very danger-
20.Qh5! Qh7 25.Rxh7+ Kxh7 26.Rf1 + or After the principled 12.c5 dxc5 13.Lxc5 ous. For example: 15...Lb7 16.Lxg7 Kxg7
Another piece joins the attack. Also good 17...Nxf6 18.exf6 Kh7 19.fxg7 +. Le6 14.Nc4 Nd7 15.Le3 Rc8 the posi- 17.Qd4+ Kg8 18.f4 Nc5 19.f5. Black
was 20.Lc2 g6 21.h4. 18.exf6 Rfc8 tion is at least equal for Black. would not have enough pieces on the king-
20...gxf6 18...Nxf6 19.Qg5+! Kh8 20.Rxf6 +. 12...Nd7 13.Nb3!? side and White's pieces would be able to
What else? 20...h6 21.La4! La6 22.Ne8 19.Qh6! Nxf6 20.Qg5+! Kf8 21.Qxf6 Korchnoi in his provocative style! The attack freely (Nd5, Rc3-h3).
Qb7 23.Nxf7+ + or 20...Qc6 21.Ld5! 10 knight that recently spent two moves for the 16.f4
Qa4 22.h3 gxf6 23.exf6 Lxf6 24.Nxf7+ manoeuvre Nd4-b3-d2 will, in the next two After 16.Rc2 e5! 17.Le3 Lxe3 18.fxe3
moves, backtrack over the same squares: Nc5 19.Lf3 Lb7 Black's position would
+ is a lost case. Conclusion
21.exf6 Qc6 22.Ld5! This tactical theme is often met and it is Nd2-b3-d4! What an absurd action! be at least equal.
Winning an important tempo. easy to understand and practice it. Can be 13...b6 14.Nd4 16...Lb7 17.Le3 Nc5 18.b3!?
22...Qe8 either proved a short combination or a long- Anand probably did not understand White's White already had problems. After 18.Lf3
22...exd5 23.fxe7 and White promotes next! term compensationally sacrifice. Both cases play, though it was not so unreasonable. e5! 19.Qd2 is not possible due to 19...exf4
seem pleasant for the attacking part! What did Black achieve while the white 20.Lxf4 Lxf4 21.Qxf4 Nd3. For this rea-
knight was dancing around? He moved the son Korchnoi decided to seek complications.
a7- and b7-pawns to a5 and b6, which has its 18...Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Lxe4 20.Qd4 Lc6
www.fide.com http://trainers.fide.com pros and cons. The pawns did set up a 21.f5!?

Korchnoi understandably did not like the the queenside (b4) and Black's knights on c5 28.Rh5 f5 29.Rxd7 Qe6 30.R4d6 Qxa2 31.e6
endgame after 21.Qxb6 Qxb6 22.Lxb6 and b4 would be very unpleasant for White, And Black lost on time in making this move Qb1+ 32.Rd1 Qxb2 33.Kh1 Qe2
Rfb8 23.Le3 a4, when only Black would but the most consistent is the set up with f4, but the result is in no doubt after 29.Rh8+ 34.exf7+ Kh7 35.Qd6 Qc4 36.Rxb7
be active. The pawn sacrifice is quite un- Lf3 and play in the centre. However, White Kf7 30.Qh7+ Kf6 31.Qh6+ Ke5 32.Rd1. Rxf7 37.Rxf7+ Qxf7 38.Qe5 Qg7
pleasant. In the case of Black taking up the does not have a direct and clear plan in the 10 39.Qxg7+ Kxg7 40.Rd7+ Kf6 41.Rxa7
challenge with 21...Lxe3+ 22.Qxe3 Kg7 centre and because of that the position is Rxc3 42.h3
Caruana Fabiano
(stopping 23.Qh6), White would achieve an easier for Black. Black simply follows the
Ljubojevic Ljubomir
unpleasant initiative after 23.Rf4, which is dark square strategy, preparing the dark
C10 Amsterdam 2010
certainly not in Anand's style. squares for his knights and then directing his Caruana Fabiano
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7
21...Lg7 22.Qxb6 Qd7 cavalry towards the dark squares (especially Gelfand Boris
5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Ld3 c5
Why not 22...Qxb6 23.Lxb6 Rfb8 24.Le3 c5). Polugaevsky chose a slow plan, aimed B23 Moscow 2010
8.Le3 Nd5 9.Ne5 Nxe3 10.fxe3 Qa5+
a4, with transposition to the already known at gaining space and putting pressure on 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Lg7
11.c3 cxd4 12.exd4 Ld6 13.Nc4 Qc7
position and an undoubted advantage for Black. 5.Lc4 Nc6 6.00 Nf6 7.d3 00 8.f5 gxf5
14.Qh5 h6 15.00 00 16.Nxd6 Qxd6
Black? 11...Ne8 9.Qe1 fxe4 10.dxe4 Le6 11.Nd5 Ne5
17.Rae1 Ld7 (D)
23.fxg6 hxg6 24.Lg5 a4 25.Qe3 axb3 With the idea 12...Lxc3. 12.Nxe5 dxe5 13.Lg5 Lxd5 14.exd5 Qd6
26.axb3 Ra2 27.Rf2 Qe6 28.Lf3 12.Qd2 Rc8 13.Rac1 Ne5 14.Nd5 e6 XABCDEFGHY 15.Qh4 Nxd5 16.Rad1 e6 (D)
White's knight does not have a good square 8r+-+-trk+(
to retreat to (because of the undefended c4-
XABCDEFGHY
Despite the good experiences with the pawn) and Ljubojevic took advantage of this 7zpp+l+pzp-' 8r+-+-trk+(
move 10...a5, many players prefer to set up a favourable moment. It would be very diffi-
wall. cult for White to attack the d6-pawn. 6-+-wqp+-zp& 7zpp+-+pvlp'
15.Nf4 Qe7 16.Rfd1 f5 17.exf5 Rxf5 5+-+-+-+Q% 6-+-wqp+-+&
Polugaevsky Lev Even better would be 17...gxf5 18.Nd4
Ljubojevic Ljubomir Ng6 19.Nh5 Lxd4 20.Lxd4 (20.Qxd4 4-+-zP-+-+$ 5+-zpnzp-vL-%
B38 Roquebrune 1992 e5) 20...f4! 21.Lf2 (the threat was 3+-zPL+-+-# 4-+L+-+-wQ$
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Lg7 4.e4 d6 22...Qh4) 21...Lc6 with excellent play for
5.Le2 00 6.Nf3 c5 7.00 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Black. This manoeuvre needs to be remem- 2PzP-+-+PzP" 3+-+-+-+-#
Nc6 9.Le3 Ld7 10.Nb3 (D) bered!
18.Nd4 Rf8
1+-+-tRRmK-! 2PzPP+-+PzP"
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
With very complicated play, although the 1+-+R+RmK-!
8r+-wq-trk+( game ended in a draw after 18.Rf6! Qe7
19.Nh3 Nf7 20.Nf2 Nf6 21.b3 Rfd8 22.a4 xabcdefghy
7zpp+lzppvlp' Le8 23.Qb4 Nd7 24.Nb5 Nc5 25.Qa3 a6
On 18...gxf6 19.Qxh6 f5 20.Qg5+ Kh8
Open files, weak black king, active white
21.Re3 mate follows.
6-+nzp-snp+& 26.Nc3 a5 27.Lf1 Lc6 28.b4 axb4 29. 19.Ref1 e5!?
pieces - something decisive must exist ac-
Qxb4 Ra8 30.Qxb6 Lxa4 31.Nxa4 Nxa4
Again 19...gxf6 is not recommended: cording to the logic of chess..
5+-+-+-+-% 32.Qb4 Nc3 33.Rxc3 Rdb8 34.Lb6 Lxc3 20.Qxh6 f5 21.Rf3. 17.Rf6!
4-+P+P+-+$ 35.Qxc3 Rxb6 36.Ne4 e5 37.c5 dxc5 38. 20.dxe5?! 17.Lf6! wins as well.
Lc4 Rd8 39.Re1 Rc6 40.Nf2 Rd4 41.
White missed his best chance here: 20.Lc4! 17...Qc7
3+NsN-vL-+-# Ng4 Rxc4 42.Qxc4 Qe6 43.Qc3 Qd5 44. Le6 (20...exd4? 21.Lxf7+! Rxf7 22.Rxf7 Maybe Black had to try 17...h6 where White
Nxe5 Nxe5 45.Rxe5 Qd4+ 46.Qxd4 cxd4 would have to find 18.Rxh6 f6 19.Qg4
2PzP-+LzPPzP" 47.Rd5 Rc1+ 48.Kf2 Rc2+ 49.Kg3 Rd2
Qe3+ 23.Kh1 +) 21.Lxe6 fxe6 22.Rxf8+
Rae8 20.Rg6 +.
Rxf8 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.Qxe5 , as he
1tR-+Q+RmK-! 50.Rd7 h5 51.f4 Rd3+ 52.Kh4 Rd2 would have material and positional advan-
18.Lxd5 exd5 19.Rd3! Rfd8 20.Lh6
And the black king's days are over...
xabcdefghy tage in the queen's endgame. After the text
20...Lxh6 21.Qxh6 e4 22.Rg3+
10...b6 move he is still on the top but with more
complicated play (more pieces on the board) 22.Rh3 Rd7 23.Qg5+ Kf8 24.Rxh7
Quite illogical is 10...Na5 11.Nd2! with the mates as well.
which allowed Black in the end to escape
threat b4. 10
with a draw.
11.f3
White has tried many moves. After 11.a4 a5! 20...Rae8 21.Rd6 Le6 22.Rf4 Rc8 Kovanova Baira
Black would win yet another dark square on 23.Qf3 Rfd8 24.Rfd4 Re8 25.Qe4 g6 Pogonina Natalija
26.Lb5 Lf5 27.Qf4 Rf8 28.Ld7 Lxd7 B50 Antakya 2010
Ke8 30.Qxf7+ Kd8 31.Rd5+ Kc8 32.
XABCDEFGHY Qf8+ Re8 33.Qxe8 #. An Isolated Pawn in the Endgame
8r+-+-trk+( 10
7wqpzp-+pzpp' Kasparov Garry
Georg Mohr
Karpov Anatoly
6p+n+-+-+& D31 Valencia 2009
Concept 31...b6 32.a4! Ke6 33.f3 Kd6 34.Kc3
An isolated pawn in the endgame is defi- Even more typical would be 34.a5!. It is
5+-+N+-vL-% 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Le7 4.cxd5 exd5 nitely a weakness. In different endings this very important to make room for the king to
5.Lf4 c6 6.Qc2 Ld6 7.Lxd6 Qxd6 8.e3 weakness indeed has a different appearance,
4-+n+-+-+$ Ne7 9.Ld3 Nd7 10.Nge2 h6 11.00 00
but the strategy is the same in all endings.
penetrate by the side of the isolated pawn.
34...Ke5 35.Kd3 Ke6 36.Kc3 Ke5
3wQ-+-+-+P# 12.a3 a5 13.Rad1 b6 14.e4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 We can choose between a blockade, exploit-
Qb8 16.N2c3 La6 17.Lxa6 Rxa6 18.d5 37.Kd3 Ke6 38.Kd4 Kd6 39.a5! bxa5
ing the power of a blockade piece, and a 40.bxa5
2PzP-+-zPP+" Nxd5 19.Nxd5 cxd5 20.Rxd5 Ra7 21.
direct attack on the isolated pawn. There is no choice left: Black must give way
Qd2 Nc5 (D)
1+-+RtR-mK-! In the first part we will take a closer look and let White's king in.
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY at the isolated pawn in pawn endings and 40...Kc6 41.Ke5 Kb5
bishop endings and in the end we will get to After 41...Kc5 42.Kf6 Kb5 43.Kxg6 Kxa5
21.Qg3! fxg5 8-wq-+-trk+( know those endings where an isolated pawn 44.Kxh5 Kb5 45.Kg6 a5 46.h5 White is
21...N4e5 22.Le3+ Ng6 23.Lxa7 will lose 7tr-+-+pzp-' is protected by a passive bishop and attacked faster.
later! by an active knight. Let us start our journey 42.Kxd5 Kxa5 43.Kc5
22.Qxg5+ Kh8 23.Qf6+ Kg8 24.Rd5! 6-zp-+-+-zp& with pawn endings. And Black resigned due to 43...Ka4 44.e4
N4e5 25.Rdxe5 Nxe5 26.Rxe5 (D)
5zp-snR+-+-% Ehlvest Jaan
fxe4 45.fxe4 a5 46.e5 Kb3 47.e6.
XABCDEFGHY 4-+-+N+-+$ Rausis Igors
10
8r+-+-trk+( 3zP-+-+-+-# Riga 1995 Barcza Gedeon

7wqpzp-+p+p' XABCDEFGHY Golombek Harry
2-zP-wQ-zPPzP" 8-+-+-+-+( Budapest 1952
6p+-+-wQ-+& 1+-+-+RmK-! XABCDEFGHY
5+-+-tR-+-% 7+p+-+-+-' 8-+-+-+-+(
xabcdefghy 6p+-mk-+p+&
4-+-+-+-+$ 22.Nf6+! 7+-+-+-zp-'
3+-+-+-+P# Brilliant! Kasparov has not lost any of his 5+-+p+p+p% 6-+-mk-+-+&
tactical vision! Black would be happy to see
2PzP-+-zPP+" 22.Nxc5? bxc5 23.Rxc5 Rd8 as then he 4-zP-mK-+-zP$ 5zp-+p+p+p%
1+-+-+-mK-! would have good practical chances for a 3zP-+-zP-zP-# 4P+-mK-+-zP$
draw.
xabcdefghy 22...gxf6 2-+-+-zP-+" 3+-+-+-zP-#
26...Rfe8 22...Kh8?! 23.Rh5 + mates soon. 1+-+-+-+-!
26...h6 27.Qxh6 Qb6 (27...f5 28.Qg6+ 23.Qxh6 f5 24.Qg5+! 2-+-+PzP-+"
Kh8 29.Re7) 28.Rg5+ Qg6 29.Rxg6+ 24.Rxf5? allows Black to consolidate with xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
fxg6 30.Qxg6+ Kh8 31.Qh5+ Kg7 24...f6!. In the diagram we can see a classical pawn
32.Qg4+ Kh6 33.Qh4+ Kg7 34.Qg3+ 24...Kh8 25.Qf6+ Kg8 26.Rxf5 ending with an isolated pawn. White xabcdefghy
Kh8 35.Qxc7 was a bit 'better' but still Black's king is too exposed, so the end is, blocked the pawn and attacked it with the The task is not always so simple. Seemingly
winning for White. and should be near, in such hopelessly king but Black managed to protect it. Clearly this position is identical to the previous one;
27.Rg5+ Kf8 28.Rf5! cases this will not be enough for White to win. only White's pawn has not yet made it to the
28.Qh6+ Ke7 29.Re5+ Kd7 30.Qd2+ 26...Ne4 27.Qh4! The result of the game will be decided by fifth rank; a small but significant detail!
was a safe alternative as well, just proving Precise! Black is lost. whether or not White's king will be able to 34.f4?!
how winning is Whites position after all! 27...Re8 penetrate one of the flanks. In our case White did not think about the position
Here Black decided to resign as there is no 27...f6 averts mate but of course, after White's task is simple, because Black has deeply enough and he overlooked Black's
defence anymore to White's mating threats: 28.Qxe4, White is simply two pawns to the holes on both flanks and he will eventually additional defensive option. Once he breaks
28...Re1+ (28...Re7 29.Qh8 #) 29.Kh2 good. run out of the defensive moves. Black's defence, White's king will get to the
g6-pawn (Black must not let White in on the The player who has an isolated pawn can Rxg7 38.Lh7+ Kf8 39.Rf4+ was winning after 25.Qg3+ (25.Rxh6 Qg4 26.Rh3
queenside) and Black will in the mean time anticipate the possible endings and place his as well. Qg7 27.Rg3 Lg4 28.Qf4 Ne5 29.Rd5
rush to the a-pawn or, even better, to the e- pawns appropriately. 10 Rfc8 30.Lb3 is good as well) 25...Qg5
pawn and he will try to promote his d-pawn. 29...Re8! 30.Rxe8 Kxe8 (25...Kh7?! 26.Rxf5 Qxf5 27.Ld3 +)
That is why White needed to be more care- Black evaluated the ending marvellously! Sjugirov Sanan 26.Rg6+ (26.Qxg5+ hxg5 27.Rxf5 Rfd8
ful: 34.f3! g6 35.f4 Kc6 36.Ke5 Kc5 37. The placement of the pawns a7-b6 cannot be Brodsky Michail 28.Rg6+ Kh8 29.Rgxg5 Rd1+ 30.Kf2
Kf6 Kb4 (Black does not have enough time destroyed and White's king will never be B97 St.Petersburg 2008 Rd4 31.Ld5 Nxb4 32.Rf6 Rh4 33.Lxb7
for Kd4-e3xe2 and what remains is to at- able to penetrate through the c5-square. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 ) 26...Lxg6 27.Rxg6+ Kh7 28.Rxg5
tack the a-pawn) 38.Kxg6 Kxa4 39.Kxf5 Keep in mind this small but significant dif- 5.Nc3 a6 6.Lg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 hxg5 29.Ld3+ Kh6 30.h4 +.
Kb3 40.Kg5 a4 41.f5 a3 42.f6 a2 43.f7 ference, you will need it whenever you are Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.e5 h6 11.Lh4 dxe5 25.Rxh6 Nxc4 (D)
a1Q 44.f8Q Qe5+ 45.Qf5 Qxg3+ 46. trying to decide about the transposition to 12.fxe5 Nfd7 13.Ne4 Qxa2 14.Rd1 Qd5
Kxh5 and with a pawn up he would have this or that ending. Black's task will be sim- 15.Qe3 Lc5 16.Nxe6 Lb4+ 17.c3 Qxe6
XABCDEFGHY
good chances in the queen ending. pler: besides the d5-pawn, he will need to 18.cxb4 00 19.Rd6 Qxe5 20.Lc4 Nc6 8r+l+-trk+(
34...g6 35.e3 Kc6 36.Ke5 Kc5 37.Kf6 defend the squares which would permit the 21.00 Qh5 (D)
Kc4! white king to penetrate on the kingside.
XABCDEFGHY 7+p+-+p+-'
White missed this! Black will win the e- Black's king will do that easily on the d6- 6p+-tR-+-tR&
pawn and the game will result in a draw. and e6-squares. 8r+l+-trk+(
38.Kxg6 Kd3 39.Kxf5 Kxe3 40.Kg5 d4 31.Ke2 Kd7 32.Kd3 Kc6 33.Kd4 Kd6
7+p+n+pzp-' 5+-+-+-+q%
41.f5 d3 42.f6 d2 43.f7 d1Q 44.f8Q 34.h4 h5!
Qxa4! Black is not afraid of running out of tempi; 6p+ntR-+-zp& 4-zPn+-+-+$
This is the difference! Black wins the a- he only needs to defend one entrance.
5+-+-+-+q% 3+-+-wQ-+-#
pawn and gets stronger. 45.Qf5 Qb4 35.a4 Ke6 36.a5 Kd6 37.a6 Ke6 38.e4
46.Kxh5 a4 47.g4 a3 48.g5 Qb2! 49.g6 a2 This is the only way for White's king to pro- 4-zPL+N+-vL$ 2-+-+-+PzP"
50.Qg5+ Ke4 51.Qg4+ Ke3 52.Qg5+ ceed. 1+-+-+-mK-!
Ke4 53.g7 a1Q 54.Qg6+ Kf4 55.g8Q 38...dxe4 39.fxe4 fxe4 40.Kxe4 g6 41.Kf4 3+-+-wQ-+-#
An unusual ending where Black has no trou- Kf6 42.g3 b5 43.g4 hxg4 44.Kxg4 Ke6
2-+-+-+PzP" xabcdefghy
bles drawing, thanks to his king being close 45.Kf4 Kf6 46.Ke4 Ke6 47.Kd4 Kd6 26.Qe7!
enough to the right corner. 48.Ke4 Ke6 49.Kf4 Kf6 50.Kg4 Ke6 1+-+-+RmK-! A nice move, forcing Black's resignation due
55...Qh8+! 56.Qh6+ Qxh6+ 57.Kxh6 to 26...Lg4 (26...Qg4 27.Rh8+ Kxh8
Qf6+! 58.Kh5 Ke5 59.Qg5+ xabcdefghy 28.Qxf8+ Kh7 29.Rh6 #) 27.Rxh5 Lxh5
Pritchett Craig William 22.Lf6! 28.Rh6 Lg6 29.Qf6 Lh7 30.Qh4 Lg6
Beliavsky Alexander The usual beautiful idea; the bishop uses a 31.Rh8+ Kg7 32.Qh6+ +.
Yurtaev Leonid Novi Sad 1990 forbidden square in order to get closer to the 10
Temirbaev Serik black king. Beforehand 22.Qf4 Nde5?
Elista 1998 XABCDEFGHY 23.Rxh6 10 Shirov,A-Wang Hao Dago- Bologan Viktor
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+( mys 2009 had been played. Heberla Bartlomiej
7+-+-+kzp-' 22...Nxf6 C54 Plovdiv 2008
8-+R+-+-+( Black is in trouble in all variations: 22...Re8 1.e4 e5 2.Lc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Lc5
7zp-+-+kzpp' 6p+-vlpzp-+& 23.Lxg7 Kxg7 24.Rxf7+ + or 22...Nde5 5.c3 00 6.Lb3 a6 7.h3 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5
23.Qg3 Lg4 24.Ld5 . 9.00 Nde7 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.d4 Lxd4
6-zp-+r+-+& 5+-+-+-+p% 23.Nxf6+ gxf6 24.Rfxf6 12.cxd4 N5c6 13.Lg5 Le6 14.Nc3 Lxb3
5+-+p+p+-% 4P+-zP-+-+$ White will have no problems proving that 15.Qxb3 Qxd4 16.Rfe1 Na5 17.Qa3
the white pieces will roll over the black king Nec6 18.Rad1 Qa7 19.Nd5 Nc4 (D)
4-zP-+-+-+$ 3+-+-vL-zP-# because of the number of the black pieces
which are hardly in the game. (see next diagram)
3zP-+-zPP+-# 2-+-+-zP-zP" 24...Ne5?!
1+-+-+K+-! White's initiative is great and the black king
2-+-+-mKPzP" This loses in no time but it was very difficult
has remained without defensive pieces
(and probably impossible) for Black to sur-
1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy vive. His main saving alternative should be
around him...
Endings with an isolated pawn gain a new 20.Nf6+! gxf6
xabcdefghy dimension when we add a pair of bishops. In
tried on 24...Lf5 but White wins anyway
20...Kh8 21.Qd3 is rather easy.
Topalov Veselin 35.Rh4+ Kg5 36.f4 #) 35.Rh4+ Qxh4 these positions we have to consider the rules Lxh2 55.Kxg4 =) 52.Ke5 Lc3+ 53.Kxf5
Lutz Christopher 36.Qxf7+ +, as Whites material gains that are important in pawn endings and we d4 54.Lf4 Kc5 55.Kxg4 Kb4 56.Kxh3
B48 Dortmund 2002 would be too high also need to know that here the placement of Kxa4 57.Kg4 Kb3 +.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 10 all the pawns is very important. The rule 50...Kd5 51.Ke2 Lc3 52.Kd3 Lb2 53.f4
5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Le3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.000 states that the active side needs at least one gxf3 54.Lf2 Lc1 55.Kc2 Lg5 56.Kd3
Lb4 9.f3 Ne5 10.Nb3 b5 11.Kb1 Nc4 Nunn John more object to attack in order to to think Lf6 57.Le3 Ld8 58.Ld2 f2 59.Ke2
12.Lxc4 bxc4 13.Nc1 Qb7 14.N1e2 Rb8 Smeets Jan about winning (the principle of the second Kxd4 60.Le3+ Ke4 61. Lxf2 Lc7
15.b3 00 16.Lf4 Ra8 17.Ld6 Lxd6 C65 Amsterdam 2006 weakness!), though two weaknesses are not 01
18.Qxd6 cxb3 19.axb3 a5 20.Rd4 Ra6 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Lb5 Nf6 4.d3 Lc5 always sufficient. In bishop endings, all the
classical techniques, which are characteristic Averbakh Yuri
21.Qa3 d5 22.exd5 exd5 23.Nf4 Le6 5.00 d6 6.c3 00 7.Nbd2 Ld7 8.h3 a6
of this kind of ending, are used: triangula- Matanovic Aleksandar
24.Rhd1 h6 25.Ncxd5 Nxd5 26.Nxd5 9.La4 La7 10.Re1 Ne7 11.Lb3 Ng6
tion, opposition, etc. Let us see some exam- Belgrade 1961
Rb8 (D) 12.Nf1 h6 13.Ng3 c6 14.d4 Qc7 15.Le3
XABCDEFGHY Rfe8 16.Qd2 exd4 17.Lxd4 Lxd4 ples! In the diagram we see a position where XABCDEFGHY
18.cxd4 c5 19.Rac1 b6 20.Qc3 Qb7 White has a fixed weakness - the isolated d4
8-tr-+-+k+( 21.dxc5 dxc5 22.e5 Nd5 23.Qd2 Ndf4 -pawn and a dynamic pawn structure. That is
8-+l+-+-+(
7+q+-+pzp-' 24.Rc4 Ne6 25.Ne4 Qc7 (D) why White is close to drawing but first he 7+-+-+p+p'
has to place his pawns on the light squares -
XABCDEFGHY 6p+k+-+p+&
6r+-+lsN-zp& Capablanca's rule!
8r+-+r+k+( 34.Ke2? 5zP-+p+-+-%
5zp-+-+-+-% It would be correct to play 34.h3! g5 35.g4!.
7+-wql+pzp-' 34...g5 35.Kd3 4-mK-+-+-+$
4-+-tR-+-+$
6pzp-+n+nzp& It is unreasonable that White left his pawns
3+-+LzPPzP-#
3wQP+-+P+-# on the dark squares. Why not 35.h3 g4
5+-zp-zP-+-% 36.hxg4 hxg4? When the weaker side has 2-+-+-+-zP"
2-+P+-+PzP" three pawns on the same-coloured squares as
4-+R+N+-+$ 1+-+-+-+-!
1+K+R+-+-! its bishop, the ending is almost certainly
3+L+-+N+P# lost! xabcdefghy
xabcdefghy 35...g4 36.Kc4 Ke7 37.Ld2 Kd7 38.Lc1
27.Nf6+!
2PzP-wQ-zPP+" Kc6 39.Le3 Lc7! When three (or more) pawns are placed on
the same-coloured squares as their bishop,
A bold from the blue! But certain tactics 1+-+-tR-mK-! Tempo. Black has an unlimited amount of
the defender is left helpless. White's task is
were well calculated! time and White needs to find the only
27...gxf6 28.Rd8+ Rxd8 29.Rxd8+ Kh7 xabcdefghy moves.
simple: he needs to fix Black's pawns on the
kingside (a6 and d5 are already fixed) and
30.Qf8 All White's pieces are ideally placed for a 40.Ld2 Ld8! 41.Lb4 f5 42.Ld2 h4! 43.
Lf4 h3! create yet another, third weakness.
And now White has mating threats... decisive attack...
39.f4! f5?!
30...Kg6 26.Nf6+! gxf6 27.Qxh6 Fixing the weakness on h2. Beliavsky
This move is against Capablanca's rules, but
30...h5 was a 'better' try but still not enough Now the black king will lethally suffer. played this ending very instructively.
there was no solution left: 39...h6 40.e4 dxe4
to save the game: 31.g4 (31.Qh8+ Kg6 27...f5 44.Ld2 Lc7 45.Le3
41.Lxe4+ Kd6 42.Kc4 Lg4 43.Kd4 Le2
32.Rg8+ Kf5 33.Qxh5+ Kf4 34.Rd8 +) After 27...fxe5 White wins with 28.Rg4!. The bishop needs to control the diagonal c1-
44.Lc2 Lg4 (the threat was 45.Lb3)
31...hxg4 32.fxg4 Kg6 33.Qg8+ Kh6 28.Nh4! Lb5 h6. If 45.Lc3, then 45...f4, with the idea
45.Ld3 Lc8 46.h4 Lb7 47.g4! Lc8 48.g5
34.Qh8+ Kg5 35.Qg7+ Kf4 36.Qxf6+ +. There is no defence anymore: 28...Lc6 ...fxg3 and ...Lxg3 +.
hxg5 49.hxg5 Lb7 50.Lc4 +.
31.Qg8+ Kh5 29.Nxf5 (29.Re3 Ld5 30.Nxf5 Lxc4 45...La5 46.Lf4 Le1 47.Le3 Kd6 48.
Lf4+ Kd7 49.Le3 Kc6! 40.h4 Kd6 41.h5!
Or 31...Kf5 32.Qg4+ Ke5 33.f4+ Ke4 31.Lxc4 +) 29...Ld5 30.Re3 Lxc4 We are familiar with the power of the threat
34.Qf3+ +. 31.Lxc4 + or 28...Ne7 29.Re3 Ng7 The last three black moves are also instruc-
h5-h6 from the previous example.
32.Qg7! 30.Rg3 Qxe5 31.Nf3 +. tive - a classical triangulation, passing the
41...gxh5 42.Kc3
Also good was 32.Rd4 Qb5 33.g3 Qg5 29.Nxf5 Rad8 move to the opponent.
And Black resigned due to 42...Kc5
34.Rh4+ Qxh4 35.gxh4 +. After 29...Lxc4 30.Lxc4 Nxe5 White wins 50.Kd3
43.Lf1! Lb7 44.Le2 Lc8 45.Ld3 d4+
32...f5 33.Rd4! with 31.Re4!. White could have some practical chances in
(what else?) 46.exd4+ Kd5 47.Lc4+ Kd6
With the threat 34.Rh4+ Kxh4 35.Qxh6 #. 30.Rg4 c4 31.Lc2 Rd5 32.Rh4 the variation 50.d5+ exd5+ 51.Kd4 but
48.d5 Kc5 49.d6! Kxd6 50.Kd4 Lb7
33...Lc8 34.g3 32.Rxg6+ fxg6 33.Qxg6+ Kf8 34.Qh6+ Black would still win: 51...a5!? (51...f4?
51.Lf1 Lc8 52.Ld3.
Black resigned due to 34...Qe7 (34...Rg6 Kg8 35.Re4 Rd7 36.Rg4+ Ng7 37.Nxg7 52.Lxf4 Lxf2+ 53.Ke5 Lg1 54.Kf5
10
Polugaevsky Lev 50...Lxf5 28.Ne4! Kg8 29.Qh5 wins faster. Zvjaginsev Vadim
Mecking Henrique 50...gxf5 51.Lxh5 +. 28...gxf6 29.Rxf6 Ld3 Pelletier Yannick
Mar del Plata 1971 51.Lxd5 Lc8 52.e4 Ke7 53.Ke5 g5 There is no longer any defence for Black, as B28 Panormo 2001
XABCDEFGHY 54.hxg5 h4 55.g6 h3 56.g7 h2 57.g8Q h1Q neither 29...Qxf6 30.exf6 Rg8 31.Ne5 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 e6 4.e4 Nc6
58.Qf7+ Kd8 59.Qf8+ Raf8 32.Lf3 Lb5 33.Lh5 Le8 34.Ng4! 5.Le2 a6 6.00 d6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Le7
8-+-+-+-+( 10 nor 29...Rh8 30.Ng5+ Kg8 31.Nxf7 is 9.Qd3 00 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Qg3 Nd7
7+p+-+-+p' sufficient. The finish was brief 12.Lh6 Lf6 13.Rad1 Qc7 14.Rd2 Kh8
We saw that the task is not too difficult 30.Ng5+ Kg8 31.Rxh6 15.Lg5 Le5 16.f4 Lxc3 17.Qxc3 f6
6p+-mk-+p+& with three or more weaknesses on the board. 10 18.Lh4 Nc5 19.Qd4 Nb7 20.e5 dxe5
The most interesting positions are those with 21.fxe5 c5 22.Qe3 f5 23.Rfd1 a5 24.a4
5zP-+p+-+-% the opponent having two weaknesses. Statis- Adams Michael Ra6 25.Rd3 Rb6 26.b3 Kg8 27.Lh5
4-+-mK-zP-+$ tics show that approximately every second Papaioannou Ioannis Rb4 28.Qf4 Qb6 (D)
game is won by the attacker... B14 Istanbul 2000 XABCDEFGHY
3+P+LzP-+-# 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Nc3 cxd5
2-+-+-+lzP" Matanovic Aleksandar 5.d4 e6 6.Nf3 Lb4 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qc2 8-+l+-trk+(
Uhlmann Wolfgang Nc6 9.Le2 00 10.00 Nce7 11.Ld3 h6
1+-+-+-+-! Skopje 1976 12.Ne4 b6 13.Ne5 Lb7 14.Qe2 Nf5
7+n+-+-zpp'
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY 15.a3 Le7 16.Ng3 Nxg3 17.hxg3 Nf6 6-wq-+p+-+&
18.Le3 Qd5 19.f3 Qd6 20.Rad1 Rad8
40.h4 Lf3 41.b4 8-+-+-+-+( 21.Lb1 Qc7 22.g4 Rfe8 23.Lf2 Ld6 5zp-zp-zPp+L%
Everything is evolving according to the
known pattern: first, fixation, with the 7+-+-+p+-' 24.Rc1 Qe7 25.Lh4 Lb8 26.Qf2 Qd6 4PtrP+-wQ-vL$
27.Rcd1 Rc8 28.g5 hxg5 29.Lxg5 Nh7
placement of the pawns on squares of the 6-+-mkl+pzp& White decided to trade off his 'pride' in order 3+P+R+-+-#
right colour (all White's pawns are placed on to further weaken the f6-square:
the dark squares and all Black's pawns are 5+p+p+-+-% 30.Lxh7+!? Kxh7 31.Qh4+ Kg8 32.Qh5
2-+-+-+PzP"
fixed on light squares!). 4-+-mK-+-+$ Rf8? (D) 1+-+R+-mK-!
41...Lh1 42.Le2 Lg2 43.Lg4 Le4 44.
Lc8! Kc7 45.Le6 Kd6 46.Lg8 h6 47. 3+-zP-+L+P# XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
Lf7 h5 48.Le8 Lc2 49.Lf7
2-zP-+-zPP+" 8-vlr+-trk+( Here the black f-pawn is already on f5, but
Later on follows manoeuvring with the 29.Lf6! Qc7
bishop to force Black to put his pieces on 1+-+-+-+-! 7zpl+-+pzp-' Black cannot accept the sac: 29...gxf6
unpleasant squares. 6-zp-wqp+-+& 30.Rg3+ Kh8 31.Qh6 +.
49...Le4 (D) xabcdefghy 30.Qg3 (D)
XABCDEFGHY The position in the diagram is very interest- 5+-+-sN-vLQ% XABCDEFGHY
ing. Black has two fixed weaknesses on b5
8-+-+-+-+( and d5 but White cannot create a third one 4-+-zP-+-+$ 8-+l+-trk+(
7+p+-+L+-' on the kingside. Black has enough time to 3zP-+-+P+-# 7+nwq-+-zpp'
place his pawns on the dark squares.
6p+-mk-+p+& 39.h4 f6! 40.g3 g5 2-zP-+-+P+" 6-+-+pvL-+&
The only thing White can do is to manoeu- 1+-+R+RmK-!
5zP-+p+-+p% vre with his bishop and try to reach a fa- 5zp-zp-zPp+L%
4-zP-mKlzP-zP$ vourable position. His only chance is to xabcdefghy 4PtrP+-+-+$
place his bishop to the h1-a8 diagonal, from Black missed White's next. 32...Qf8!
3+-+-zP-+-# where the d5-pawn is being attacked and 33.Nd7 Qd6 34.Nf6+ gxf6 35.Lxf6 3+P+R+-wQ-#
Black will be forced to defend it with the
2-+-+-+-+" bishop on c6, b7 or a8. In this kind of posi-
Qh2+ 36.Qxh2 Lxh2+ 37.Kxh2 Rc2 .
2-+-+-+PzP"
33.Lf6!
1+-+-+-+-! tion White could - under certain conditions -
And as there is no defence to 34.Qg5 1+-+R+-mK-!
prepare b3 and c4.
xabcdefghy 41.Le2 Ld7 42.Lh5 Lh3
(33...gxf6 34.Qg4+ Kh8 35.Kf2 Rc2+ xabcdefghy
36.Ke3 and Rh1) Black resigned.
50.f5!! 42...Lc6 43.Lf3. No defence on White's main threat 31.Rd7!.
10
A decisive tactical attack. 43.b3! Ld7 10
24.Lxe8 Rxe8 25.Re1 . XABCDEFGHY 43...Lf1 44.Lf3 ; 43...Lg2 44.Le2 gxh4 When there is only one weakness on the
XABCDEFGHY (44...Kc6 45.hxg5 hxg5 46.f3 Lh3 47.g4 f5 board, the defence is simple. Even though
8r+-+-trk+( 48.gxf5 Lxf5 49.Ke5) 45.gxh4 Kc6 46. the attacker manages to block and fix the
8-+r+r+k+( 7+l+-wqpzp-' Ke3 Lh3 47.Kf4 Ld7 48.b4 . weakness, that will not be enough if he cant
44.Lf7 Lc6 45.f4 gxh4 46.gxh4 Lb7 manage to create at least one more weak-
7zpl+-wqp+p' 6n+-+p+-zp& 47.Lh5 Lc6 ness. The only thing that the defender needs
6-+n+p+-wQ& 5+-+pzP-+-% 47...Lc8? 48.Le8 La6 49.b4 +. to know is Capablanca's rule - the placement
48.Lf3 La8 (D) of the pawns on the squares of the opposite
5+pzp-sN-+-% 4p+-zP-tR-+$ colour to his bishop!
XABCDEFGHY 1.b3!
4-+-zp-+-+$ 3zPp+-zPQzP-# 8l+-+-+-+( Everything is simple: put the pawns on b3
3+-+P+-zP-# 2-zP-sN-+LzP" and h3, play the move g4 and ... draw.
7+-+-+-+-' 1...g5 2.h3 h5 3.g4! hxg4 4.hxg4 Lc7 5.f3
2PzPP+-zPL+" 1+-+-+RmK-! Lb6 6.Ld2
6-+-mk-zp-zp&
1tR-+-tR-mK-! xabcdefghy
5+p+p+-+-%
xabcdefghy The black pieces were tied up with the pro- Flohr Salo
21.Ng4! tection of the queenside, where they man-
4-+-mK-zP-zP$ Capablanca Jose Raul
Now White will have big material gains. aged to defend successfully, but are now far 3+PzP-+L+-# Moscow 1935
21...f5 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Rxe6! Qf7 from the main theatre of action! With his last XABCDEFGHY
24.Nxe8 Rxe8 25.Rae1 move White immobilizes the black f-pawn 2-+-+-+-+"
25.Rxe8+! Qxe8 26.Qf6+ Kg8 27.Ld5+ that, with its freeing advance, would allow 1+-+-+-+-! 8-+-+-mk-+(
was simpler. Black drawing chances and simultaneously
25...Rg8 26.Lxc6 cuts the black queen off its defensive duties. xabcdefghy 7+p+-+pzpp'
10 24...Nc7 An ideal moment; the final one. Therefore: 6p+-+l+-+&
24...gxf6? 25.exf6 Qd6 26.Qg4+ Kh8 49.c4 dxc4?
The next two games were both lost by the 27.Qg7 #. Success! After 49...bxc4 50.bxc4 Lc6
5+-+p+-+-%
same player; the strong Greek GM Ioannis 25.Qg4 La6 26.R1f4 51.Lxd5 Le8 52.c5+ Kc7 Black would 4-+-sN-+-+$
Papaioannou. Well, this is rather strange, as Also good seems 26.Rxh6 Lxf1 27.Lxf1 easily survive - no pentration for White.
this player is well-known for his extra sen- Rac8 28.Ld3 f5 29.Qg6 , but White did 50.Lxa8 cxb3 51.Le4 b2 52.h5 b4 53.Kc4 3+-+-zP-+-#
sitivity of danger. But still he missed our not wanted to 'break' the immobilization! 10 2PzP-+-zPPzP"
theme and got punished in really no time! As 26...Kh7 27.Qh4! Qd8 28.Nf3 (D)
we say in my country: it can happen even to XABCDEFGHY Kochyev Alexander 1+-mK-+-+-!
the best families Mikhalchishin Adrian
8r+-wq-tr-+( Leningrad 1976
xabcdefghy
Grivas Efstratios Finally, lets examine an interesting ending
Papaioannou Ioannis
7+-sn-+pzpk' XABCDEFGHY where an isolated pawn is being defended by
E06 Volos 1996 6l+-+ptR-zp& 8-+-+-+-+( a passive bishop and attacked by a strong
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Lg2 Le7 knight. Is this advantage enough for a win?
5.00 00 6.c4 c6 7.Nbd2 b5 8.cxb5 cxb5 5+-+pzP-+-% 7+-+-+-zpp' Jose Raul Capablanca answered the question
6-+-vlpzp-+& with an exemplary defence against Salo
9.Nb3 a5 10.Lf4 Na6 11.Ne5 Lb7 4p+-zP-tR-wQ$ Flohr in Moscow's first big tournament.
12.Rc1 Qb6 13.Lg5 Rfd8 14.e3 h6
15.Lxf6 Lxf6 16.f4 b4 17.Qh5 Lxe5 3zPp+-zPNzP-# 5zp-+k+-+-% 23...Ke7
18.fxe5 Rf8 19.Rf4 a4 20.Nd2 b3 21.a3 On the board we see a position where White
Qd8 22.Rcf1 Qg5 23.Qf3 Qe7 (D)
2-zP-+-+LzP" 4-+-zP-+-+$ has achieved everything that he could. The
1+-+-+-mK-! 3+-+KvL-+-# knight on d4 is eternal and very strong,
(see next diagram) while Black's bishop is modest and has only
xabcdefghy 2-zP-+-zPPzP" one but a very important assignment. It is
24.Rf6! Now that almost all white pieces are partici- 1+-+-+-+-! clear that White requires one more thing: he
White has transferred his forces to the king- pating in the attack, the black king's fortress can attack the d5-pawn with his king on d4
side, where Black lacks adequate defence. will soon collapse. But it seems that xabcdefghy and with his knight but Black is able to de-
fend it twice. White needs to create at least Belavenets Sergey Vesevolodovi 21.Rxe4! 23.Kb1 Qc5 24.c4!! d4 25.e7+ Kg8
one more weakness, a hole in the position, Rauzer Vsevolod The first sacrifice which aims in further (25...Ke8 26.Qxf7+ Kd7 27.e8Q+ Kd6
which would allow White's king to penetrate Moscow 1937 weakening the f6-square! 28.Rf6 #) 26.Qxf7+ Kh8 27.Qf6+ Kg8
Black's camp. Everything was quickly clear XABCDEFGHY 21...dxe4 22.Lf6! 28.Qe6+ Kh8 29.Rf7 +.
to Capablanca: the king on d6, the pawns on In accordance with the previous move... 23.e7+! Kg8
dark-squares (! - the rule) and the bishop 8-+-+-+k+( 22...Qb6 23...Rxe7 24.Qh8 #.
needs to be positioned so that it prevents A forced move: 22...gxf6? 23.Qg4+ Kh8 24.Qxf7+ Kh8 25.e8Q+ Rxe8 26.Qxe8+
White's king from penetrating.
7zp-+-+p+p' 24.Qg7 # ; 22...g6? 23.Nh6 #. Kg7 27.Qe5+ Kg8 28.Qg5+
24.Kd2 Kd6 25.Kc3 b6 26.f4 Ld7 27.Nf3 6-zpl+-+p+& 23.Lxg7 Rfe8 24.Le5 Qg6 25.Nh6+ 10
f6 28.Kd4 a5 29.Nd2 Lc8 30.Nb1 Le6 Kf8 26.f5
31.Nc3 Kc6 32.a3 h6 33.g3 h5? 5+-+p+-+-% Black resigns: 26...Qg5 27.Nxf7! Kxf7 Grivas Efstratios
Did a beautiful Russian woman just walk 4-+-+-+-+$ 28.Qxh7+ Kf8 29.Ld6+ Re7 30.f6 Zamit Spyridon
into the playing hall? It is clear that the great Lxd4+ 31.Kh1 Lxf6 32.Lxe7+ + ; C00 Athens 1981
Cuban lost his concentration for a minute 3zP-sN-zP-+-# 26...Qc6 27.Qh5 Qc4 28.Ld6+ Re7 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 Le7
and this small mistake could easily turn into 2-zP-+-zPPzP" 29.Rd1! f6 30.Ng4 +. 5.g3 00 6.Lg2 c5 7.00 Nc6 8.Re1 Re8
a big one. 10 9.e5 Nd7 10.Nf1 b5 11.h4 Lb7 12.Lg5
34.b4 axb4 35.axb4 Kd6 36.b5 g6 1+-+-+-mK-! d4 13.Qc1 Nb6 14.N1d2 Nd5 15.Ne4
Or 36...Lf7?! 37.f5! Lg8 38.Ne2 Lf7 39. Spassky Boris Lxg5 16.hxg5 Qe7 (D)
Nf4, with advantage for White. xabcdefghy Korensky Valeri
37.Na4 Kc7 38.Nc3 Kd6 39.f5! gxf5 We already know everything: White is better B65 Sochi 1973
XABCDEFGHY
39...Lxf5 40.Nxd5 Ld7 41.Nxf6 Lxb5 but he needs something more if he is to win. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 8r+-+r+k+(
42.Nd5. Black must move his king into the centre as 5.Nc3 d6 6.Lg5 e6 7.Qd2 Le7 8.000
40.Ne2 Ld7?! soon as possible and place his pawns on the Nxd4 9.Qxd4 00 10.f4 Qa5 11.Lc4 7zpl+-wqpzpp'
40...Lg8! 41.Nf4 Lf7 42.h3 Le8. dark squares... Ld7 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 Lc6 14.h4 Lc5 6-+n+p+-+&
41.Nf4 Le8 42.Nxd5 Lxb5 43.Nxb6 (D) 1.Kf1 Kf8 15.Qf4 Nd5 16.Lxd5 Lxd5 (D)
XABCDEFGHY It would be better to take the route ...Kg7-
XABCDEFGHY 5+pzpnzP-zP-%
f6-e5.
8-+-+-+-+( 2.f3 8r+-+-trk+( 4-+-zpN+-+$
7+-+-+-+-' 2.Ke2? d4!.
7zpp+-+pzpp' 3+-+P+NzP-#
2...Ke7 3.Ke2 Ke6 4.Kd3 Ke5 5.f4+
6-sN-mk-zp-+& Ke6 6.Kd4 Kd6
6-+-+p+-+& 2PzPP+-zPL+"
5+l+-+p+p%
White has gained even more space, but he
will not convert it into anything without an 5wq-vllzP-vL-% 1tR-wQ-tR-mK-!
4-+-mK-+-+$ additional weakness.
4-+-+-wQ-zP$ xabcdefghy
7.b4 Ke6 8.b5 White stands better but far from winning - or
3+-+-zP-zP-# This plan helped White to strengthen his 3+-sN-+-+-# not so?
position on the queenside, but the knight will 17.Nf6+! Nxf6
2-+-+-+-zP" eventually have to move to the other flank 2PzPP+-+P+" After 17...gxf6?! 18.gxf6 Qf8 19.Qg5+
1+-+-+-+-! and then the pawns on the light squares 1+-mKR+-+R! Kh8 20.Qh5 White can calmly continue
could become targets. with Re4-h4 and Ng5, with a winning at-
xabcdefghy 8...Lb7 9.Na2 Kd6 10.Nb4 Ke6 xabcdefghy tack.
43...Lc6! According to Capablanca's rule 10...f6! 17.Lf6! Rfc8 18.gxf6 gxf6 19.Qh6! fxe5
Black must not let the knight move to f4, would be better. On 17...gxf6 18.Rh3! Rfc8 19.Qh6 wins. The other option was 19...Qf8 when White
which is the only winning plan for White. 11.g4! 18.Lxg7! has a choice in-between 20.Qxf8+ Rxf8
44.Nc4+ Ke6 45.Nb2 Lb5! 46.Nd1 Le2 The transposition to a pawn ending would Stripping the black king! 21.exf6 Rab8 22.a3 h6 23.Nd2 and
47.Nf2 Lf1! 48.Nd3 Lxd3 not lead to success: 11.Nc6 Lxc6 12.bxc6 18...Kxg7 19.Qf6+ Kf8 20.Rhf1 Rc7 20.Qxf6 Nb4 21.Ng5 Ld5 22.Le4 .
The pawn ending is a draw. Kd6 13.c7 Kxc7 14.Kxd5 f5! =.
Or 20...Qc7 21.Rxd5! Le3+ 22.Kb1 exd5 20.Nxe5 Rac8? (D)
49.Kxd3 Ke5 50.Ke2 Ke4 51.h3 Kd5 11...f5 23.Qh8+ Ke7 24.Nxd5+ +. A blunder in a difficult position. Black
52.Kf3 Ke5 Black is too late and in big trouble: 11...h6? 21.Nxd5 exd5 22.e6! Qxa2 should continue the fight with 20...Nxe5!
12.Nc6! Lxc6 13.bxc6 Kd6 14.c7 Kxc7 The main alternative was 22...Le3+ 21.Rxe5 f6! 22.Lxb7 Rab8! 23.Lc6 fxe5
15.Kxd5 Kd7 16.e4 Kc7 17.e5 Kd7 18.f5
27.Nf6+! Kxg7 34.Lh6+ Kg8 35.Lxf8 Kxf8 gxf5 19.gxf5 Kc7 20.e6 f6 21.h3 h5 22.h4 ples, then Black's correct play in this game
Here it comes again! 36.Rxh7 =) 32...Ng6 (32...Kh8? 33.Qg4 a6 23.a4 a5 24.Kc4 Kc6 25.e7 +. will be perfectly clear to you.
27...Kf8 +) 33.Qh5 Re6 34.Qxh7+ Kf8 35.Rf1 12.g5 Kd6 13.h3! 30...Rb8!!
27...gxf6 28.Qh6 mates. Qg7 36.Qh5 Kg8 37.Qf3 . Black The precise calculation of tempi was needed. Black decided not to move his rook to the
28.Qxh7 gxf6 29.Re1! thought that by exchanging queens he would After 13.h4?! Ke6 14.Na2 Kd6 15.Nc3 only open file because White would offer
The last and very important detail, which is be safe... Ke6 16.Ne2 Lc8 17.Ng3 Ld7 18.a4 Le8, him the exchange of rooks with Rc1. The
usually forgotten or ignored! White cuts the 32.Qxe4 dxe4 33.Rg5+! Ng6 Black would prevent h5. Slovak Grandmaster knew old endings and
escape road of the black king and mate is Or 33...Kh8 34.d5 Rb5 35.Rh4 Rbxd5 13...Ke6 14.Na2 Kd6 15.Nc3 Ke6 16.h4 the rule that says that he cannot win the
following. 36.Rxd5 Rxd5 37.Rxe4 +. Kd6 17.Ne2 Lc8? game with just one weakness in the position,
10 34.Rc5 Rxf6 An opportunity for counterplay was hidden at despite the dominant knight. Therefore, he
34...c3? 35.Rc8+ +. this moment: 17...a6! 18.Nc3 (18.a4 a5) 18... decided to exploit the coordination between
Botvinnik Mikhail
35.Rc8+ Nf8 axb5 19.Nxb5+ Kc6! 20.Nc3 Kd6 21.Na4 his rook and knight in a different way. This
Uhlmann Wolfgang
Nice is 35...Kg7? 36.Lh6 #. Kc6 22.Ke5 Kb5 23.Nb2 Kc5 24.Kf6 d4 way he is not risking anything: Black's king
C00 Moscow 1956
36.Rh4! 25.exd4+ Kxd4 26.Kg7 Ke4 27.Kxh7 needs to move to d7 and White's rook cannot
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 c5 5.g3 penetrate anywhere.
Nc6 6.Lg2 Le7 7.00 00 8.Re1 Rb8 The greedy 36.Lh6? would only help Kxf4 28.Kxg6 Kg4 29.h5 f4 30.h6 Le4+
Black: 36...Rxh6! 37.Rxh6 Rxd4 . 31.Kf6 Kh5, with good drawing chances. 31.Rc1 Kf8 32.Kf1 Ke8 33.Ke2 Kd7
9.e5 Nd7 10.Nf1 b5 11.h4 La6 12.
N1h2 b4 13.Lf4 Lb5 14.Lh3 c4 15.d4 Now White's position is near to winning. 18.Ng3 Ld7 19.a4 Ke6 20.h5! Le8 34.Kd3
Qb6 16.Le3 Rfc8 17.Ng5 Nf8 18.f4 36...Kg7 37.Rxe4 Ra6 38.Rxc4 Rb7 20...gxh5 21.Nxh5 Lc8 22.Kc3! Kf7 White could choose 34.h4, but after 34...h5
38...Rxa2 39.Rxb4 +. 23.Kd3 Ke7 24.Nf6 +. his pawns would stay on the dark squares.
Nd8 19.f5 exf5 20.Lxf5 Nde6 21.Qf3
39.d5 Rxa2 40.Rxb4 Rxb2? 41.Ld4+ 21.h6 Kd6 22.Ne2 Blacks plan would be clear and simple:
Nxg5 22.hxg5 Rd8 23.Ng4 Ng6 24.Kg2
10 Black decided to shorten his suffering, as the ...f6, ...Rg8 and ...g5, after which he would
Ld7 25.Lxd7 Rxd7 26.Rh1 Qe6
possible continuation: 22...Ld7 23.Nc3 create either a passed pawn or a white weak-
27.Rh5 Rb6 28.Rah1 Nf8 (D) ness on h4 (after ...gxh4-gxh4).
Tal Mikhail Le6 24.Na2 Lf7 (24...Lc8 25.Nb4 Lb7
XABCDEFGHY Najdorf Miguel 26.Nd3 Lc8 27.Ne5) 25.Nb4 Le6 26. 34...g5! 35.f3
In similar positions, it is difficult for the
8-+-+-snk+( B42 Leipzig 1960 Nc6 a5 27.bxa6! Kxc6 28.a7 Kb7 29.Ke5
Ld7 30.Kf6 Lxa4 31.Kg7 b5 32.Kxh7 b4 defender to evaluate what is better: f3 or h3.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
7zp-+rvlpzpp' 5.Nc3 e6 6.Le3 a6 7.f4 b5 8.Qf3 Lb7 33.Kxg6 b3 34.h7 Le8+ 35.Kf6 b2 36. 35...h5 36.Rc2 g4!
h8Q b1Q 37.a8Q+ + says enough. We already know the principle: we need to
6-tr-+q+-+& 9.Ld3 Nbd7 10.00 Le7 11.a3 00
10 fix the pawns on the squares of the opposite
12.Qh3 Qc7 13.Rae1 Nc5 14.Lf2 d5
5+-+pzP-zPR% colour to our bishop.
15.exd5 Nxd3 16.cxd3 Lxd5 17.Nxd5
Chloupek Stanislav 37.Rf2 f5 38.Lc1 b5!
exd5 18.Nf5 Lc5 19.d4 La7 20.Lh4
4-zppzP-+N+$ Ne4 (D) Stohl Igor It is time for action on the queenside - an-
other weakness needs to be created.
3+-+-vLQzP-# XABCDEFGHY Prague 1992
39.fxg4
2PzPP+-+K+" XABCDEFGHY Or 39.h3 h4! 40.fxg4 hxg3 41.Rf3 f4
8r+-+-trk+(
1+-+-+-+R! 8-+-+-trk+( 42.Lxf4 Nxf4+ 43.Rxf4 g2 +.
7vl-wq-+pzpp' 39...hxg4 40.Lf4 Rc8 41.Ld2 a4 42.bxa4
xabcdefghy 7+-+-+pzpp' bxa4 43.Lb4 Rc1 44.Rb2 Nf6!
6p+-+-+-+& Black's knight did its job on d5 and now it is
29.Nf6+! 6-zp-+p+-+&
And not the naive 29.Nh6+? gxh6 30.Rxh6 5+p+p+N+-% moving to a better square.
5zp-+n+-+-% 45.Lc5 Ne4 46.Rb7+ Kc6 47.Rb6+ Kc7
Ng6 31.Rxh7 Lf8 32.Qf6! Qxf6 33.gxf6 4-+-zPnzP-vL$ 48.Rxe6
Ra6 . 4-+-zP-+-+$
29...gxf6 30.gxf6 Lxf6 3zP-+-+-+Q# After 48.Rb2 Rc3+ 49.Ke2 Kc6 and
3zPP+-+-zP-# ...Kd5, White would be helpless.
Again forced: 30...Ld8?! 31.Lh6! Lxf6 2-zP-+-+PzP" 48...Rxc5 49.dxc5 Nxc5+ 50.Kd4 Nxe6+
32.exf6 Qxf6 33.Qg4+ +. 2-vL-+-zP-zP" 51.Ke5 Kd7 52.Kxf5 Nd4+ 53.Kxg4
31.exf6 Qe4?! 1+-+-tRRmK-!
A better defensive try was to be found on 1+-+R+-mK-! Nb5 54.Kf4 Nxa3 55.Ke4 Nc4 56.Kd3
xabcdefghy a3
31...Qxf6 32.Rg5+! (32.Qg4+ Qg7!
When the great Tal was on the attack some- xabcdefghy A model game of positional exploitation.
[32...Ng6? 33.Qxd7 + ; 32...Kh8? 01
thing nice was on the cards... If you closely examined the last two exam-
33.Rg5 Ng6 34.Qxd7 +] 33.Qxg7+
) 26.Qxg7+! (26.Qxd4? f6! [26...Kg8 5.Lg2 c5 6.Lb2 00 7.00 Nc6 8.d3 Qc7
Queen Power or Power of the Masses? 27.Qxg7+ Kxg7 28.Lh4+ Kh6 29.Lg5+ 9.Na3 b6 10.Nc2 Lb7 11.cxd5 Nxd5
12.d4 Rfd8 13.e4 Nf6 14.Qe2 Rac8
Jeroen Bosch =] 27.Qxf6 Kg8!! [27...Lf3? 28.Kd2
Qa2+ 29.Ke3! Lxd1 30.Rxd1 Rag8 15.Rac1 Qb8 16.Rcd1 Qa8 17.d5 exd5
31.Le5 f4+ 32.Kf3 Qxa3 33.Qxg7+ 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Nh4 Lf6 20.Lxd5
Concept side. Potkin supposes that White's biggest Rxg7 34.Rd8+ Qf8 35.Rxf8 #] 28.Ke2 Lxb2 21.Ne3 Lf6 22.Qh5 Ne5 23.f4
Vladimir Potkin was the deserving winner problem is actually his darksquared bishop, Qb2+ 29.Ke3 Qc1+ ) 26...Kxg7 Ng6 24.Nhf5 Lxd5 25.Nxd5 (D)
of the 2011 European Individual Champion- which is totally offside. This is spot on, and 27.Lh4+ Kh6! [27...Kf8? 28.e7+ Ke8 XABCDEFGHY
ship in Aix-les-Bains. To gain such a vic- the engines now want to play 19.Le7, al- 29.Rg8+ Kd7 30.Rd8+ +] 28.Lg5+!
tory, all games are important, but perhaps though they are quite clear about Black's Kg7 29.Lh4+ =. 8q+rtr-+k+(
some are more important than others. In the advantage. 22.Qxe4 fxe4 (D)
penultimate round, Potkin won a nice game 19.a3 dxe4! 20.axb4 exf3 21.bxc5
7zp-+-+pzpp'
against the strong Georgian Grandmaster 21.Lxf3? Lxf3 22.gxf3 (22.bxc5 Lh5 and
XABCDEFGHY 6-zp-+-vln+&
Baadur Jobava. This win may possibly be the bishop moves to g6 with deadly effect) 8r+-+-+rmk( 5+-zpN+N+Q%
explained by the reverence that we all (and 22...Nd4 23.Qc3 Ncb3 is a relevant line
even such a strong GM as Jobava) hold for that, were it not for the immediate threat of 7zplzp-+p+p' 4-+-+-zP-+$
the game's most powerful piece. mate, would demonstrate Black's compensa- 6-zpn+-+-+& 3+P+-+-zP-#
tion in full (White's king is vulnerable, the
Jobava Baadur queen is powerless, the bishop is offside, 5+-+-zP-+-% 2P+-+-+-zP"
Potkin Vladimir Black's knights hold good squares and the 4-+-+p+-+$
Aix-les-Bains 2011 rooks have open files). 1+-+R+RmK-!
XABCDEFGHY 21...fxe2 (D) 3zP-zP-+-vL-# xabcdefghy
8r+-+k+-tr( XABCDEFGHY 2-zP-+LzP-zP" 25...Ld4+?
7zpl+-+pzp-' 8r+-+-trk+( 1tR-+-mK-+R! Black thought that he was winning with the
text move. He should have gone for
6-wqp+n+-zp& 7+l+-+pzp-' xabcdefghy 25...Rc6 26.Qf3 Re6 27.Rd2 Rde8
5+psn-+-+-% 6-zp-+n+-zp& 23.Lh4! 28.Rfd1 .

'The winning move, probably overlooked by 26.Rxd4!
4-vl-+P+-vL$ 5+pzP-+-+-% Black when he played 21...Qe4' - Of course! Black had only calculate 26.
3+-sN-+N+-# 4-+-+-+-vL$ A.Alekhine. And so White went on to win Nxd4? Rxd5 27.Nf5 Rcd8 .
later, although we must admit that Black did 26...cxd4 (D)
2PzPQ+LzPPzP" 3+-+-+-+-# not put-up his best defensive skills, making Forced: 26...Rxd5 27.Rxd5 Qxd5 28.
2-zPQ+pzPPzP" things easier for his opponent. Yes, even at Nh6+.
1+K+R+-+R! the highest level weak moves are lurking XABCDEFGHY
xabcdefghy 1+K+-+-+R! everywhere and obviously it is not an easy
xabcdefghy job to avoid them 8q+rtr-+k+(
16.Rd6 23...h6 24.000 Rae8 25.Lf6+ Kh7 26.f4
Setting up the threat of Nd5, but as Potkin Now Black has a dangerous passed pawn to exf3 27.Lxf3 Na5 28.Lxb7 Nxb7
7zp-+-+pzpp'
explains in his notes for NIC Magazine boot. 29.Rd7 Nc5 30.Rxf7+ Kg6 31.Rxc7 6-zp-+-+n+&
3/2011 Black can afford to ignore the threat: 22.c6 Nd4 23.Qd3 Nd3+ 32.Kb1 Kf5 33.Rd1 Nxe5 34.
16...00 17.Nd5 23.cxb7 Ra1+ 24.Kxa1 Nxc2+ 25.Kb1 Rf1+ Ke4 35.Rxa7 Nc4 36.Rd7 Ke3 5+-+N+N+Q%
As he can profitably sacrifice his strongest e1Q+ 26.Rxe1 Nxe1 27.Lg3! Nxg2 28.
piece! Kc2 f5 29.b8Q Rxb8 30.Lxb8 Kf7 is a
37.Re1+ Kf3 38.Rxe8 Rxe8 39.Rd4
Ne3 40.Rh4
4-+-zp-zP-+$
17...cxd5! 18.Rxb6 axb6 long line by Potkin; Black wins the ending 10 3+P+-+-zP-#
Black only has a rook and a knight for the since his king will reach d5, when his activ-
queen, but to compensate for the material ity, combined with his material advantage Duz-Khotimirsky Fedor Ivanovich
2P+-+-+-zP"
imbalance, he has the open a- and c-file as will suffice. Bannik Anatoly 1+-+-+RmK-!
well as strong central pressure. The white 23...Nxc6 24.f3 A14 Vilnius 1949
king clearly isn't all that safe on the queen- Black wins in a direct attack on the king 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.b3 Nf6 4.g3 Le7 xabcdefghy
Lb7 9.c3 Nf6 10.N2g3 00 11.g5 Nxe4 23.d5 Nc4 24.Kb1 . after 24.Qxe2 Ra4! (gaining a tempo) 25. 4.h3
12.Nxe4 Kh8 13.Qh5 Qe8 (D) 19.dxe5 (D) Lg3 Rfa8 26.Rd1 Nb4 or 24.Lg3 Rfe8 After 4.Kf2 Ng4+ 5.Kg3 (or 5.Kg1 Nf6
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 25.Re1 Nb4 +. [rather than repeat moves with 5...Ne3]
24...Ra4 25.Qd7 Black gains good chances with 5...Nf6.
8r+-+qtr-mk( 8r+-wq-tr-mk( 25.Qxe2 Rxh4 26.Qxb5 Rb4 and rook, 4...f5!
bishop and knight will outgun the queen. Brute force! Black is opening up the long
7zplzp-vlpzpp' 7zplzp-+p+p' 25...Rxh4 26.Qxb7 Rd4! diagonal. If Black thinks he can play more
6-zpn+p+-+& 6-zpn+-+-+& And now the passed pawn decides, as there quietly with the mysterious 4...Rb8, with
is no good defence to ...Rd1 next move. the concrete threat of taking on d4 followed
5+-+-+-zPQ% 5+-+-zPp+-% 01 by ...c3, then he is mistaken: 5.f5!? and now,
4-+-zPN+-+$ 4-+-+-+-wQ$ If it was already difficult for Jobava in the
following 5...Lxd4 6.cxd4 c3, White has
7.Qd3 cxd2 8.Qxe3 Rxb2 9.Rd1 Rxe4
3zP-zP-+-+-# 3zP-zP-+-vL-# above example to perceive that winning the 10.Qc3 Re1+ 11.Rxe1 dxe1Q+ 12.Qxe1
queen was in fact a Pyrrhic victory, then we Rxg2+ 13.Kf1 Lc6 14.Qxa5 and sud-
2-zP-+-zPLzP" 2-zP-+-zPLzP" can certainly understand that White missed denly we are in a situation where the queen
1tR-vL-mK-+R! 1tR-+-mK-+R! the unpinning manoeuvre in the next game: is at its best. There are pawns on both wings.
Her majesty can move back and forth very
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy Bologan Viktor
quickly, while the pieces have no strong-
14.Nf6! 19...Rg8?! Piket Jeroen
holds at present.
'A correct offer of a pawn, securing for Black should have gone 19...f6! 20.Qh3! Biel 1999
5.Qa2
White a strong and most likely irresistible (20.e6 Re8) 20...Nxe5!! 21.Lxb7 Qd3! XABCDEFGHY What else? Bologan is trying to get his
offensive' - A.Alekhine. 22.Qf1 (22.Lxa8? Nf3+ 23.Lxf3 Re8+ queen into play. 5.exf5 Nxg2 6.Nxc4
14...Lxf6 +) 22...Nf3+ 23.Lxf3 Qxf3 24.Kd2
8ltr-wqr+k+( Lxd4+ 7.cxd4 Nxf4 with excellent attack-
If Black accepts the sac with 14...gxf6?! then Rad8+ 25.Kc2 f4 26.Re1 fxg3 27.fxg3 . 7+-zp-+pzp-' ing chances for Black.
after 15.gxf6 Na5 (15...Lxf6 16.Le4 +) 20.Lf3? 5...Lxe4 6.Nxc4
16.Lxb7 (16.fxe7 Qxe7 17.Lxb7 Nxb7 White should have played 20.Qf4! Rg6
6-vl-zp-sn-zp& Nor can White solve his problems with
18.Lg5 f6 19.Lh6 Rg8 20.000 Nd6 21.Rg1 Qd3 22.Qd2 . 5zp-+-+-+-% 6.Nxe4 for after 6...Rxe4 7.Re1 Rde8
21.Rhe1 ) 16...Nxb7 17.fxe7 Qxe7 20...Qd3! (7...d5) 8.Rxe3! Rxe3 9.Qxc4+ Kh8 (9...
18.Lf4 (18.Lg5 f6 19.Lh6 Rg8 20.000 'An ingenious resource; but, as the following 4P+psNPzP-vL$ Kf8 is perhaps even stronger) as Black is
Nd6 21.Rhe1 ) 18...Rg8 19.000
White gets a better position in every varia-
shows, Black, in adopting it, did not actually 3+-zP-tR-+-# still better with two rooks already for the
queen.
realise how many interesting possibilities it
tion. opened to him' - A.Alekhine. 2-zPQsN-+PzP" 6...Ld5 7.b3 (D)
15.gxf6 gxf6 16.Qh4 Qd8 21.Le2 XABCDEFGHY
Forced. If 16...Qe7? then 17.Le4 wins. White should be careful now: 21.Lxc6?
1tR-+-+-mK-!
17.Lf4! e5 La6! (21...Lxc6? 22.Qf6+ Rg7 23.Qxc6) xabcdefghy 8-+-trr+k+(
Maybe Black should think of 17...f5!? 22.Qh5 Rg4 +.
18.Qxd8 Raxd8 19.Lxc7 Rd7 although 21...Qe4?
1...Nd5! 7+-zp-+-zp-'
Black would actually be in trouble if it were
after 20.Lg3! (20.Lf4?! f6 [20...Na5 'Leading to a lost endgame. From an objec- not for this sacrifice. Piket has made the 6-vl-zp-+-zp&
21.Lxb7 Nxb7 22.Rg1 ] 21.Rd1 [21.0 tive point of view it is certainly a pity that brilliant assessment that rook and piece are
00? Nxd4!] 21...Rg8 22.Lf3 Ne7 =) Black avoids the fantastical complications ample compensation for the queen here.
5zp-+l+p+-%
20...f6 21.000 White stands better. It must deriving from 21...Qc2!, a move which with 1...Qe7 2.Rae1 would favour White, and 4P+NsN-zP-+$
be noted that bad is 17...Rb8? 18.Lxc7! the right continuation would have secured the same holds true for 1...Qd7 2.Lxf6.
Qxc7 19.Qxf6+ Kg8 20.Lxc6 Rfd8 him a draw' - A.Alekhine: 22.Qf6+ Rg7 2.Lxd8
3+PzP-sn-+P#
21.Qh6 +. The weak black king allows all 23.Rg1! (23.e6? Re8! 24.Rg1! La6!! No better is 2.Rh3 Nb4 . 2Q+-+-+P+"
kind of tactical continuations, which help [24...Rxe6 25.Le5! +] 25.Lxa6 Qxb2!! 2...Nxe3 3.Qb1 Rbxd8
White to get an advantage - something has [25...Rxe6+ 26.Le5!! Qe4+! 27.Kf1 All of Black's pieces are well placed, 1tR-+-+-mK-!
already went wrong for Black... Qxe5! 28.Qxg7+ Qxg7 29.Rxg7 Kxg7 ]
18.Lg3 f5 26.Rd1 Rxe6+ 27.Le5 Qxc3+ +)
whereas White's heavy pieces are lost in the xabcdefghy
corner. White's king is vulnerable as well.
It seems that 18...exd4! is playable: 19.00 23...Qxb2 24.e6!! Qxa1+ 25.Ld1 Nd4! Piket now decides the game with a direct
Bologan now prevents the knight from es-
0 f5 20.Qh6 f6 21.Rhg1 Rf7 22.cxd4 Na5 (25...Rd8? 26.Ld6! + ; 25...Qb1? 26.f3!! attack on the king.
caping by means of
7...Lxd4! 8.cxd4 Nxg2 9.Qf2 Re6! + Schut Lisa
Preparing a switch to g6, as well as doubling David Alberto Blocking the f6-square
rooks on the e-file. Bologan now takes a Bethune 2010
worthless pawn, but his position was hope- XABCDEFGHY Efstratios Grivas
less anyway.
10.Nxa5 Rde8! 8-+r+r+k+( Concept bishops way to h7.
Piket is playing with all his pieces. The blocking of the f6 (f3)-square in front 18...exd4 19.Rf6! (D)
11.Nc4 Rg6 12.Kh2 Nxf4! 13.Rg1
7+l+nvlpzpp' of the castled king with a piece (knight, XABCDEFGHY
13.Qxf4 Re2+. 6pzp-zpp+-+& bishop or rook) which can be captured by
13...Rxg1 the opponent, is a usual tactical theme which 8r+-+qtr-mk(
And White resigned. 5+-+-+-zP-% can often meet in practice.
The idea is rather simple: to immobilize
7zpp+-+pvlp'
01 4Pwq-+PzP-+$
As should be obvious by now, we are
the opponents f-pawn (mainly), creating at 6-+psn-tR-+&
3tR-sN-vL-+-# the same the best possibilities for an eventu-
studying complex examples where one side ally successfully attack. The cost of a piece 5+-+-+-+Q%
has positional compensation for the loss of 2-zPPtR-+LzP" is usually compensating by the activity of
the queen (or in some cases insufficient 4-+-zpP+-+$
compensation).
1+-+-+-wQK! the rest of his army, creating good chances
of combinations or lethal attacks. 3+-sNL+-+P#
We are not concerned with combinations xabcdefghy The most famous example is probably the
where the sacrifice of the queen leads to, 22...Qxb2 following one:
2PzPP+-+P+"
say, direct material gain, or a mating attack.
Before we continue, we have to establish
The strongest continuation. David sacrifices 1tR-+-+-mK-!
his queen for sufficient material. Another Fischer Robert James
what would roughly be the material equiva- useful feature of queen sacrifices is that they Benko Pal xabcdefghy
lent of a queen. Normally speaking, rook always unbalance the game. Quite playable B09 New York 1963 Blocking the f-pawn's advance is the right
and minor piece cannot withstand a queen for Black is 22...Qa5 23.Rb3!?. However, 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Lg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 Nf6 way to finish-off the job. Bad would be the
(note, though, that this was the material dis- 22...Nc5 23.Rd4 Qxb2 24.Lc1 Qxc2 immediate 19.e5? due to 19...f5! and Black
5.Nf3 00 6.Ld3 Lg4 7.h3 Lxf3 8.Qxf3
crepancy in Bologan-Piket). has no problem!
25.Rd2 + is wrong. Nc6 9.Le3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.f5 gxf5
When the weaker side has an additional 19...Kg8
23.Rb3 Qxb3 24.cxb3 Rxc3 25.Ld4 12.Qxf5 Nd4 13.Qf2 Ne8 14.00 Nd6
pawn, he should often be able to draw; an- There is now way out: 19...dxc3 20.e5 + or
25.Rb2. 15.Qg3 Kh8 16.Qg4 c6 17.Qh5 Qe8 (D)
other pawn should give winning chances. 19...Lxf6 20.e5 +.
25...Rxb3 XABCDEFGHY
I will not concern myself with queen ver- 20.e5
Rook, knight and two pawns are more than
sus two rooks. As is well-known, two rooks 8r+-+qtr-mk( And only now!
enough. Black has excellent winning
are normally stronger (but it depends on the
chances. 20...h6 21.Ne2!
number of open files and whether the rooks
26.Qa1?! e5! 27.Qa2?!
7zpp+-+pvlp' And Black resigned as after 21...Lxf6
are coordinated or not).
When it comes to queen versus minor
Black is also better after 27.Lxe5!? (27. 6-+psn-+-+& 22.Qxh6 or 21...Nb5 22.Qf5 mate follows.
fxe5?! Lxg5!) 27...Nxe5 28.fxe5 Lxg5 White rightly avoided the immediate 21.
pieces, then generally one requires three
(28...dxe5? 29.Rd7) 29.Rxd6. 5+-+-zp-+Q% Rxd6?! due to 21...Qxe5 22.Qxe5 Lxe5
minor pieces to fully compensate for a queen
(in such cases well-coordinated pieces offer 27...Rb4 28.Lc3 Rc8! 4-+-snP+-+$ 23.Ne4 Lxd6 24.Nxd6 Rab8 25.g4 .
good winning chances). David is demonstrating an excellent com- 10
Having more pieces generally means that mand of positions with unbalanced material. 3+-sNLvL-+P#
29.Lxb4 Rc1+ 30.Lf1 Rxf1+ 31.Kg2 Of course this is supposed to be an easy
one can attack a target more often than a
Rxf4
2PzPP+-+P+" example, so lets try to investigate this at-
sole queen can defend it. tacking theme with the help of various other
The pieces do require coordination and Black now has two minor pieces and three 1tR-+-+RmK-! examples, which are presented in chrono-
pawns for the queen. He will win another
strongholds, while a queen may be very ag-
pawn soon. Also important is the excellent
xabcdefghy logical order (but for no particular reason!):
ile, and can quickly switch between attack-
coordination of Black's forces and the vul- A famous position which can be found in
ing one weakness and another. Alekhine Alexander
nerable position of Whites king. nearly every tactical theme chess book but
All these observations are rules of thumb Euwe Max
32.Lxd6?! from the ...next move! Well, Fischer's com-
only. Clearly, strategical considerations or C15 Utrecht 1935
32.Kg1 a5 (32...Lxe4?! 33.Qc4 and the bination actually started here.
compensating factors may tilt the balance 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Lb4 4.Nge2 dxe4
queen becomes active) 33.Lxd6 Lxg5 . 18.Lxd4!
towards one side or the other. 5.a3 Le7 6.Nxe4 Nc6 7.g4 b6 8.Lg2
This 'un-natural' exchange opens the d3-
another way, but Black plays without any moves. 32...Lxe4+ 33.Kg1 Rg4+ 34.Kf1 Lxg5 White threatens Ne4 or so it seems; Lasker
risk, as befits good technique in a winning 40...g5 41.hxg5 hxg5 42.Le1 g4 43.fxg4 35.h3 Rh4 36.Le7? now played
position. Ke4 44.g5 Ke5 Black has to play more accurately after 1...Nc2!
XABCDEFGHY 01 36.Rf2 Ld3+ 37.Kg2 and now 37...Rc4! When after
(37...Lc4? 38.Rc2 ) 38.Qb3 e4. 2.Ne4
8-+-+-+k+( Further Improvement 36...Rf4+ 37.Kg1 Lxe7 38.Rxd7 Lc5+ He gave up his queen with
What is the right frame of mind to get into The bishop pair and four pawns wins: 2...Qxe5! 3.Nf6+ Qxf6 4.Rxf6 Nxf6
7zpp+r+pvl-' before a chess game? I would say you need 39.Kh2 h5 40.Rd8+ Kh7 41.Rd2 Rf1 4...Nxe1 5.Rf4 Rd1 was also good, when
6-+-+-+pzp& to be cheerful, positive and optimistic and 42.Qc4 Rh1+ 43.Kg3 Rg1+ 44.Kh2 f5 Black will regain the queen and remain a
your brain should be free of distraction. 45.Qf7 Rg6 46.h4 Lg1+ 47.Kh3 f4 pawn up in the ending.
5+-+-+-+-% The second item on the agenda might not 48.Qf8 Rg3 # 5.Rc1
4-+-zp-+-+$ always be possible to achieve, but you 01 Or 5.Re2 Rd1 6.Rxc2 Rxf1+ 7.Kxf1.
should strive hard for positivity. During the 5...Ne4 6.Le2 Nd4
3+-+R+-+-# game it is essential not to beat yourself up, This game may remind us of the classical Such powerful knights. Euwe's queen is
as this is a primary cause of meaningless and example Ilyin Zhenevsky-Lasker, Moscow clearly too passive. He now tries to activate
2PzPrvL-zPPzP" very poor moves. 1925, where Lasker sacrificed his queen in a his strongest piece, but it is already too late.
1tR-+-+K+-! Even if you make a mistake, you have to typical Sicilian middlegame to unbalance the 7.Lf3 Nxf2 8.Qc4 Nd3! 9.Rf1 Ne5
keep believing in your position and try to game (he won easily, even though objec- 10.Qb4 Nexf3+ 11.gxf3 Ne2+ 12.Kh2
xabcdefghy make the best of it. After the game, learn all tively White could have obtained some ad- Nf4+ 13.Kh1
31.Rxc1 Rxc1 32.Ke2 Rb1! 33.Rd3 the lessons you can from what has just hap- vantage). Interestingly, Kasparov (in My 13.Kg3 g5 +.
Ke6 34.h4 Kd5 + 35.Ld2 Ke4 36.Rg3 pened and then move forward. Great Predecessors Volume I) observes that 13...R2d4! 14.Qe7? Kg7!
f4 37.Rd3 Le5 38.f3+ Kd5 39.Le1 Ld6 This is a simple enough philosophy, easy properly speaking this is not really a sacri- Black now wins by a direct mating attack.
40.Ld2 to apply and will certainly lead to an im- fice, but merely a form of exchange. 15.Qc7 R8d5 16.Re1 Rg5 17.Qxc6 Rd8
40.Lf2 Lc5 leaves White without good provement in your chess-playing strength. Although I do not want to give too many 01
classical examples (they may be found in
So far we have seen examples where the
many books) another game from the second
pieces were well coordinated, even though
World Champion surely deserves to be men-
http://trainers.fide.com tioned here. In Zurich 1934, the 65-year old
play was all over the board. In general, it is
more favourable for the pieces when the
Lasker defeated Max Euwe one year before
position is more compact (in such cases the
The Trainers Site! the latter would become World Champion.
He did so in excellent style:
long distance power of the queen is less
relevant).
Euwe Max Larsen Bent
Lasker Emanuel Chandler Murray
Zurich 1934 Hastings 1987
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-+-trn+k+( 8r+lwqr+k+(
7zp-+-+p+-' 7+psn-+-vlp'
6-+p+p+p+& 6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-zP-wq-% 5+-+-zpp+-%
4PsnL+-+-+$ 4-+Pzp-+-+$
3+P+-+RsN-# 3wQ-+P+-zP-#
2-+-tr-zPP+" 2-+-sNPzPLzP"
1+-+-tRQmK-! 1tRR+-sN-mK-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
18.Ld5+ 32.Rxh7+ Kg8 33.Rb7 ern style of all-round excellence. Opening 14.bxc3 Lxc3 White's pieces hang, al-
The simple 18.Qb3 can be met by 18...Rxa1 The rest is agony for Black: specialists are all too easy to pick off with though he can keep fighting with best play:
19.Rxa1 e4. 33...Qa6? 34.Nxe5 Le6 35.Re7 Kf8 the advent of databases. 15.Lh6 Lxe1 (15...Re8? 16.Re3 + ;
18...Kh8 36.Nhg6+ Kg8 37.Rxe6 Qa2 6.Ld3 15...Lxa1? 16.Qxa1 +) 16.Qxe1 Qxd3
18...Nxd5 19.Qxa8 Nc3 20.Rxb7! Nxe2+ Mate is now forced. The natural looking 6.c4 is inaccurate. After 17.Ne5 (17.Qe5? f6 18.Qxe7 Rf7)
21.Kf1 Lxb7 22.Qxb7 Nc3 23.Ra7 Qf6 38.Re8+ Kg7 39.Re7+ Kh6 40.Ng4+ 6...Nb4 Black suddenly develops an initia- 17...Qd4 18.c6 (18.Lxf8 Kxf8 19.Nxg4
24.c5 was indicated by Larsen. White is Kh5 41.Re5+ Lg5 42.Nf4+ Kxg4 tive, threatening to take on d4 followed by Qxg4 ) 18...bxc6 19.Nxc6 Qf6
much better due to his strong passed pawn 43.Lf3 # the check on c2. Therefore White must place 20.Nxe7+ Kh8 21.Nd5 Qd4 22.Lxf8
(and control of the seventh rank). 10 the knight on a3, after which Black easily Rxf8 23.Ne3 Le6 24.Rd1 Qe5 25.Qb4
19.Qxa8! Nxa8 20.Rxa8 Lh6?! achieves comfortable play: 7.Le3 Lf5 Kg7 26.Qe7 a5 27.h3 Rb8 and Black is
20...Qe7 21.Lxb7! Le6 (21...Lxb7 22. It is surely no coincidence that we may 8.Na3 (8.Nd3 e5! ) 8...Nd7 =. Besides only slightly better in the final position. I get
Rxb7! Qf8 23.Raa7) 22.Rxe8+ Qxe8 find many more suitable examples of our 6.Ld3, other attempts to fight for the advan- the impression Topalov was quite shocked
23.Ra1 Lf8 24.Ra8 Qe7 25.Ld5 and subject in Larsens practice. His combative tage are 6.Le2 and 6.Lc4. by the ease with which Black equalized us-
White is better because the position is com- attitude induced him to look for opportuni- 6...Nd7 ing the 'inferior' 'Alekhine's Defence'.
pact. ties to unbalance the game. I refer the eager An economical idea where Black tries to 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 e6
21.Ndf3 Qe7 22.Lxb7! Ld7 student to such games as Neikirch-Larsen, exchange White's strong knight. Everything is under control and White's
22...Lxb7? 23.Rxb7. Portoroz 1958 and Van den Berg-Larsen, 7.Nxd7 weak pawn on d4 is nothing to write home
23.Rxe8+ Lxe8 24.Ld5 Qd6 25.Rb7 Beverwijk 1959. Topalov is surprised and plays an insipid about.
The immediate 25.h4 is also good, but Lar- In compact positions the side opposing the move. But 5...c6 is a logical idea, developed 15.Qb3?!
sen presumably just wanted Black to play queen will often be able to draw (despite his by Tony Miles. Black waits to see what After 15.h3 Lxf3 16.Lxf3 Qb6 17.Lxd5
25...g5. material deficit) by means of a fortress. White is doing and then reacts with ...Lf5, exd5 18.Le3 the position is utterly miser-
25...g5 26.h4! gxh4 Aiming for this can be a conscious defensive ...Nd7 or ...g6 as appropriate. Meanwhile able for White. I think best now is
26...g4 27.Ng5 Lxg5 28.hxg5 h6 29.gxh6 strategy. ...c6 is always useful. 18...Rfe8! (18...Qxb2 19.Qd3! Qb6
Qxh6 30.Rb8 Qg6 31.Ng2 Kg7 32.Nh4 7...Lxd7 8.00 g6 9.Nd2 20.Rab1 Qc6 21.Rec1 Qd7 22.Qb5!)
Qh5 33.Nxf5+ +. Khalifman Alexander Somewhat better is 9.Re1 Lg7 10.c3 00 with an ongoing big plus. White may grovel
27.Nxh4 Ld7 28.Nef3 f4 Karpov Anatoly 11.Lg5 although Black hardly has any a draw, but that is the height of his ambition.
28...Le6 29.Lxe6 Qxe6 30.Rb8+ Kg7 Dos Hermanas 1993 opening problems. 15...Lxf3!
31.Rb5 wins easily. XABCDEFGHY 9...Lg7 10.Nf3 00 11.Re1 Very concrete. Black wins the central pawn.
29.Le4 (D) More cautious is 11.h3 =. 16.Lxf3 Lxd4 17.Lxd5 Qxd5 18.Qxd5
XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+-trk+( 11...Lg4! 12.c3 c5! (D) exd5 19.Rd1
8-+-+-+-mk( 7zpl+-wqpzpp' XABCDEFGHY Maybe Topalov thought he was regaining

the pawn. He is wrong!
7+R+l+-+p' 6-zp-+p+-+& 8r+-wq-trk+( 19...Lg7 20.Kf1
6-+-wq-+-vl& 5sn-+P+-+-% 7zpp+-zppvlp' 20.Rxd5 Rfd8! is the key idea. Black's

active pieces win the day: 21.Rxd8+ Rxd8
5+-+-zp-+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 6-+-+-+p+& 22.Le3 (22.Kf1 Rd1+ 23.Ke2 Rh1 is just
3+-+L+NwQ-# bad for White) 22...b6 23.Rb1 Lxb2 with a
4-+PzpLzp-sN$ 5+-zpn+-+-% healthy pawn up.
3+-+P+NzP-# 2P+-+-zPPzP" 4-+-zP-+l+$ 20...Rfd8 21.Lg5 Rd7 22.Rd2 h6
23.Le3 d4 24.Rd3 Rc8 25.Ld2 Rc2 (D)
2-+-+PzP-+" 1+-+R+RmK-! 3+-zPL+N+-#
1+-+-+-mK-! xabcdefghy 2PzP-+-zPPzP" (see next diagram)
1...Rad8 2.e5!? Lxd5! 3.Lxh7+ 1tR-vLQtR-mK-!
xabcdefghy This should be easy for a GM of Carlsen's
The classical bishop sacrifice on h7 was the
xabcdefghy strength. Black is a solid pawn up and more
White is attacking with all his pieces, while point of Khalifman's set-up.
active too!
Black has no real targets. Note that the 3...Kxh7 4.Rxd5 Black strikes at the centre with a combina- 26.Rb1 Re7 27.a4 f5 28.b3 Rec7
queen is merely a defender, not the role that White has nothing to gain by changing the tion in mind. 28...Kf7 29.Rc1 Rxc1+ 30.Lxc1 Ke6 .
you would like this powerful piece to play. move order: 4.Ng5+ Kg8 5.Qh4? (5.Rxd5 13.Le4
Rxd5 6.Qh4 Qxg5) 5...Le4! +. 29.Le1 Kf7 30.Rd2 Rc1
29...fxg3 30.fxg3 Le3+ 31.Kg2 Lg4 The real point is shown after 13.dxc5 Nxc3! 30...Rxd2 31.Lxd2 d3 32.Rd1 g5 was
4...Rxd5 5.Ng5+ Kg8 6.Qh4 Qxg5
the kingside and makes a very poor decision. swapped, Black's king is safe, White's The only move; both players must have seen Huebner Robert
9...Qc7! was more flexible. queenside isn't. However, Black has lost too the sacrifice coming. Karpov has accurately Petrosian Tigran
XABCDEFGHY many tempi. White has time to attack in seen that Black is completely OK. Sevilla 1971
other ways (Mc Shane). 7.Qxg5 Nc6 (D) XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wqk+-tr( 15...b4 16.Ng4 La6 (D) XABCDEFGHY
7zpl+-vlpzpp' XABCDEFGHY 8r+ltr-+k+(
8-+-+-trk+( 7zpp+-+pzpp'
6-zpn+psn-+& 8r+-+qtrk+( 7zp-+-+pzp-'
5+-zpp+-+-% 7+-+-vlpzpp' 6-wq-+p+-+&
6-zpn+p+-+& 5+-+-+-zP-%
4-+-+P+-+$ 6lsnn+p+-+& 5+-+rzP-wQ-%
3+-zPP+NzP-# 5zp-zppzP-sN-% 4-+-zP-+-+$
4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+LwQ-+-#
2PzP-sN-zPLzP" 4-zp-+-vLNzP$ 3+-+-+-+-#
1tR-vLQtR-mK-! 3+-zPP+-zP-# 2PzP-+-+PzP"
2P+-+-zPPzP" 1+-mKR+-+R!
xabcdefghy 2PzP-+-zPL+" 1+-+-+RmK-!
10.e5 Nd7 11.Nf1 1tR-+QtR-mK-! xabcdefghy
The standard manoeuvre here, winding the xabcdefghy 1...e5
spring on the kingside. xabcdefghy 8.f4 This pawn sacrifice looks very strong, but
11...b5 16...Kh8 was a more tenacious move, when 8.Qc1 Nxe5 9.Qc7 is given as equal by Huebner finds an adequate defence. Black
It has cost Black a tempo to play ...b5. White still has to prove it. There is a forced P.Van der Sterren. could keep an edge with 1...Ld7! 2.Qh3 g6
12.h4 a5 13.Lf4 Nb6 14.Ng5! (D) draw in the position: 17.Nxh7 (17.Nf6 gxf6 8...Nd4 9.h4 3.Rhf1 Rac8+ 4.Kb1 Le8! but not
XABCDEFGHY 18.Nxh7 fxe5 19.Nf6 Lxf6 20.Qh5+ Kg8 White needs another attacker on the king- 4...Lc6? 5.Rxf7 +.
21.Qg4+ Kh7 [21...Lg7 22.Lh6] side. 2.Qxe5 Le6 3.Kb1 Rd5 4.Qe4 g6
8r+-wq-trk+( 22.Qh5+) 17...Kxh7 18.Nf6+ gxf6 9...Rc8 10.Qg4 Black now appears to have a strong attack
19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Qg4+. But surely 17.h5 10.h5 Nf5 11.g4 Nh6 and the fortress against White's king. Huebner effectively
7+l+-vlpzpp' is very promising: 17...h6 18.Nf3 Qd7 seems to hold. White's king has become very pulls the emergency brake:
6-snn+p+-+& 19.Qd2 bxc3 20.bxc3 d4 21.c4 Kg8 vulnerable. 5.Lc4! Lf5 6.Lxd5 Lxe4+ 7.Lxe4 Rd8
22.Lxh6. 10...Nf5 11.Re1 Rc4 (D)
5zppzppzP-sN-% 17.Nf6+!! gxf6 18.exf6 Lxf6 19.Qh5 h6 Black already has the better chances. XABCDEFGHY
4-+-+-vL-zP$ 19...Lxg5 20.Qxg5+ Kh8 21.Qf6+ Kg8 12.h5 Rdd4 13.Qf3!
8-+-tr-+k+(
22.Lh6 and mates. Activating the queen.
3+-zPP+-zP-# 20.Qxh6 Lxg5 21.Qxg5+ Kh7 22.Qh5+ 13...Rxf4 14.Qa8+ Kh7 15.Qxa7 Rg4
7zpp+-+p+p'
2PzP-+-zPL+" Kg8 23.Lh6 16.Qxf7 Rc2 17.Qb7 Nh4 18.Kf1
23...f6 (23...f5 24.Qg5+) 24.Qg4+ and Nxg2? 6-wq-+-+p+&
1tR-+QtRNmK-! mates. Everything stemmed from the care- Black wins after 18...Rf4+ 19.Kg1 Rxa2.
5+-+-+-zP-%
less 9...00. 19.Re4! Rg5 20.Qe7 Rf5+ 21.Kg1 Nf4
xabcdefghy 10 22.Rxf4! 4-+-zPL+-+$
Making room for the white queen to come to Now White is able to draw by perpetual:
h5. White's attack runs on oiled wheels. Topalov is very sluggish in the coming 22...Rxf4 23.Qxe6 Rcc4 24.Qg6+ Kh8 3+-+-+-+-#
14...Qe8 game. His thinking seems to be clouded. 25.Qe8+ Kh7 26.Qg6+ Kh8 27.Qe8+
14...h6 15.Qh5! hxg5 16.hxg5 is the point in
2PzP-+-+PzP"
these positions. White plans Nh2-g4 and Topalov Veselin 1+K+R+-+R!
then Kh2, Rh1 etc with a crushing attack. Carlsen Magnus One more example of the defensive tech-
15.Ne3 B04 Morelia/Linares 2008 nique of sacrificing your queen in order to xabcdefghy
If now 15.Qh5 then 15...Lxg5 16.hxg5 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 defuse the opponents attacking potential is 8.h4!
(16.Lxg5 and there is no obvious way to 5.Nxe5 c6! in order. In the next game (Candidates Not 8.d5 Qe3.
continue the attack) 16...f5! is a typical motif Carlsen seems willing to play all sorts of match for the World Championship) White 8...Rxd4 9.Rxd4 Qxd4 10.Lxb7 Kf8
here. Whether or not the queens are openings. He is a player firmly in the Mod- effectively aims for a fortress. 11.Lf3 Qf2 12.Ka1
And White holds an impenetrable fortress. XABCDEFGHY This position would normally be considered camp just waiting to be exploited.
Petrosian agreed to a draw here as there is very promising for White, who has the natu- 27.Kh2 Qg5 28.Rc2 Ne3 29.Rc3 Nxg2
no way of improving his position 8r+-vl-trk+( ral plan of preparing e4 and then a quick It's not good for Ravi now. There is a killing
central pawn advance. To this day, I think check on d2 if he takes the knight.
7+l+-+pzpp' Black's chances in these positions have been 30.Rg1
In this article I have mainly stressed the
strength of the force opposing the queen. In 6p+-+-+-+& underestimated, but he has to be accurate. 30.Kxg2 Qd2+.
The top priority is to restrain e4. 30...Nh4 31.Qb2 Rxc3 32.Qxc3 Rc8
the examples mentioned so far, the pieces 5+psn-zPQ+-% 12...Re8 13.Ra2 cxd4 14.cxd4 Nb7! 33.Qb3 Qd2+ 34.Kh1 Rc1
were always able to coordinate, thereby
overcoming the strength of the queen by 4-+p+-+-+$ Heading for the key square on d6. White lost this game because he had no plan
15.Re1 Le6 16.Rf2 Rc8 17.Lb1 Nd6 B, once plan A had been frustrated. Frustra-
sheer force of numbers. 3+-+-+N+-#
In conclusion, I want to redress the bal- 18.Qd3 Ld7 19.h3?! tion during a game is the primary cause of
2PzP-+-zPPzP" Ravikumar has his mind fixed on e4 and one pointless moves.
ance somewhat; otherwise we would all be
presumes he saw this move as necessary. 01
sacrificing our queen all the time!
In Rethinking the Chess Pieces, Andrew 1tR-vL-+-mK-! Yet it is rather meaningless. I presume after
White plays e4 he doesn't want to allow a Clear Head
Soltis makes the following succinct observa- xabcdefghy black knight to come to g4; however I The main message I would like to get
tion: When a player gives up his queen
Here the queen is a powerful attacking piece, couldn't see a reason for h3 then and still across is this small article is to keep a tight
for enemy pieces, it sets up a battle between
while Black has yet to coordinate his pieces. can't now! It's a move which just makes rein on your thinking during a game. It is so
two principles: cooperation versus double
1.Ng5 Lxg5 White's position worse. White might con- easy to get distracted and let outside factors
attack (Batsford 2004, p.135).
1...g6 2.Qh3 h5 3.Le3 Nd3 4.Qd7 Lc8 sider improving the position of his worst- lead to deterioration in your thinking proc-
Indeed, a queen is at its best when she can
5.Qd5 is a line that illustrates the strength of posted piece here with 19.Rc2 although to esses.
check, check and attack. The following
the queen. play such a move is an admission of defeat, Chess trainers speak of the need to culti-
study by Rinck (1948) neatly illustrates this.
2.Lxg5 Rfe8 because e4 is even further away now. vate ' a clear head' before a game and to rid
I will only give the main line.
White keeps an edge on other moves too: 19...g6 20.Ld2 Lb5 21.Qb3 Lc4 22.Qb2 the mind of any worries. If you can just be
Example 1 - Rinck 2...Le4 3.Qg4 Rfe8 4.Le3 Rxe5 5.Ld4 I sensed Ravi was becoming a bit frustrated aware of the need to do that, you will avoid
Tijdschrift 1948 f5 6.Qg3 f4 7.Qg4 Lf5 8.Qf3 Le4 9.Qa3 around here, as he is still no further down pointless moves and your decision-making
XABCDEFGHY Rg5 10.f3 Ne6 11.fxe4 Nxd4 12.Qd6 + ; the line towards playing e4. Without that will be sharp and decisive.
2...Nd3 3.Qd7 Lc8 (3...Rab8 4.Le7 move, no way is White better. I believe it was Steinitz who determined
8-+-+-+-+( Rfe8 5.Ld6 Red8 [5...Nxe5 6.Lxe5 22...La6 23.e4 (D) that an independent plan should be devised
7+-+-+-+-' Rxe5 7.f3 ] 6.Qg4) 4.Qd4 Re8 5.f4. XABCDEFGHY according to the needs of the position. Fail-
3.Re1 ure to grasp the thread of the game and in
6n+-+-+-+& Or 3.Qg4!? when 3...Rxe5?? 4.Lf6!. 8-+rwqr+k+( particular, underestimating the opponent's
3...Re6 4.Re3 Rae8? resources, can lead to poor or pointless
5+-+-+-+-% This is a clear mistake according to Euwe
7zp-+-+p+p' moves.
4-+-+-+-+$ who indicated as stronger: 4...h6 (4...Rg6 6lzp-sn-snp+&
5.f3 ) 5.Lf6 Nd7! and White cannot play Chuchelov Vladimir
3+k+-+-+-# Rg3 because of the back rank mate. 5+-+p+-+-% Arlandi Ennio
2-+-+-+r+" 5.h4 h6 4-+-zPP+-+$ C00 Mondariz 2000
5...Rg6 6.e6 (6.h5 +) 6...Nxe6 7.h5 + ; 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Lg2 e6 4.00 Le7
1wQK+-+-+-! 5...Nd3 6.Lf6! +. 3zP-+-+PsNP# 5.d3 c5 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.e4
By a slightly odd move order, the game has
xabcdefghy 6.Lf6 g6 2-wQ-vL-tRP+" transposed into a 'King's Indian Attack'.
6...Nd7 (6...gxf6 7.exf6 +) 7.Rg3 Nxf6
1.Qd4 Nb4 2.Qe3+ Ka4 3.Qa7+ Kb3
8.exf6 Re1+ 9.Kh2 + illustrates why 1+L+-tR-mK-! 7...b6 8.Re1 Lb7 9.c3 (D)
4.Qf7+ Ka4 5.Qd7+ Ka5 6.Qd8+ Kb5
Black had to play ...h6 one move earlier than xabcdefghy
7.Qb8+ Kc4 8.Qf4+ Kc5 9.Qf8+ Kc4 (see next diagram)
he did.
10.Qf1+ The critical moment. Against his better
7.Qf4 Kh7 8.Lg5! f5
10 judgement, White moves forward. Perhaps Whilst the black king can still go long,
8...hxg5 9.Qxf7+ Kh8 (9...Kh6 10.hxg5+
Kxg5 11.Rg3+ Kh6 12.f4) 10.hxg5 +. he should have been more patient. White does well to avoid moves like 9.h4.
Euwe Max 23...Nc4! 24.Qa1 Nxd2 25.Rxd2 dxe4 9...00?!
9.exf6
Grunfeld Ernst 26.fxe4 Nd5! Black will pay for this imprecision. Arlandi
10
Zandvoort 1936 There is a sea of dark squares in the white fails to respect White's attacking chances on
at his leisure. Vysochin has two sets of dou- It is ironic that Black swaps off into a win-
bled pawns and four isolated pawns to deal ning king and pawn endgame! Rook and Pawn(s) versus Two Minor Pieces
with. Why then, does White not win? The 37.Ke3 Kf5 38.h3 b6 39.Kd4 e5+ 40.Ke3
answer is very simple. Black's activity stops c5 41.bxc5 bxc5 42.Kd3 e4+ Jeroen Bosch
him. Remaining on the board we see three It is important to be able to differentiate be-
very aggressively posted Black major pieces tween static and dynamic weaknesses in Concept stronghold for the knight. It prevents Black's
fighting three passive pieces by White. chess. A poor pawn structure which offers Whenever I teach the subject of rook and queen from taking active measures
Keep active, stay active, avoid exchanges. no prospect of dynamic compensation in pawn(s) versus two minor pieces, I like to (1...Qg3? is easily refuted by 2.Ne7+), and
Vysochin understands the principles of these terms of open lines or which cannot be dis- start with a little joke. Take a good look at after, say 1...Ra8 White has 2.e5, with very
positions very well. solved is obviously something to be avoided. the diagram position. concrete threats. However, who told you it
21.Rae1 Rf6 22.b3? That was not what we saw here. was White to move? In fact, it is Black's
Strong players build up a 'feel' for the posi- 01 Karsa Laszlo turn! And so the game ends after 1...Qc5!
tion based on accumulated experience. Does Bischoff Klaus when suddenly White's pieces are all 'hang-
Advice
Czerwonski really expect this position to Clichy 1993 ing in the air' and there is no way to avoid
When you can't see what to do, improve
draw itself? Evidently. Needless to say 22.b3 XABCDEFGHY the loss of a piece!
the position of your worst-posted piece.
is another of those meaningless moves. 01
How many times have I heard that phrase 8-+r+-+k+(
White has to understand here that he cannot
and how many players stick blindly to that
just play quietly and draw the position; Rather than just having a bit of fun, while
Black is far too active for that. 22.Rd1 Rg6
rule? 7+-wq-+p+-' usefully capturing the attention of the audi-
There is more than a grain of good advice
23.f3 Qxa2 24.Qe5+ Kh6 25.Qf4+ Kg7
contained here, but I would like to modify 6-zp-+p+p+& ence, who will make sure for the rest of the
26.Qc7 is more like it for White. Cserwon- session that they know who's move it is, the
ski fails to understand he must fight for the
the idea slightly: Only improve the position 5+P+-sN-+-% position serves a real purpose too.
of your worst posted piece when you have
initiative. Going passive with White here is
determined a good reason for doing so. You 4-+LwQP+-zp$ It teaches us that a rook requires an open
losing chess. file, and that pieces need strongholds. Mate-
should have a plan of campaign. No moves 3+-+-+-+P#
22...Kf7 23.Rd1 Rg8 24.f3 h4 25.Rf2 h3 rially speaking, rook & pawn are about equal
should be wasted.
26.g3 h5! 2-+-+-+P+" to a bishop and knight. However, this de-
The following opening variation is one-
The doubled pawns show some teeth, acting pends hugely on the circumstances of
dimensional from White's perspective.
as a battering ram against the white king. 1+-+-+-mK-! course. (In general, rook and two pawns
27.Re1 Rd8 28.Qd3 Kg7 (D) Ravikumar Vaidyanathan constitute a slight material advantage, while
Martin Andrew xabcdefghy a pair of bishops may easily tilt the balance
XABCDEFGHY E49 Ramsgate 1984 Things look rather threatening, right? You in favour of the pieces).
8-+-tr-+-+( 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Lb4 4.e3 00 would like to start with 1.Nc6? That sure If we think about the properties of the
5.Ld3 d5 6.a3 Lxc3+ 7.bxc3 c5 8.cxd5 looks good. The c6 square is an excellent pieces, then we can draw up the following
7+p+-zp-mk-' exd5 9.Ne2 b6 10.00 Nc6 11.Ng3 Na5 simple chart:
6p+p+ptr-+& 12.f3 (D)
Piece Opening Middlegame Endgame Characteristics
5+-zPq+-+p% XABCDEFGHY Rook not mobile becomes active very strong long distance
4-+-zP-+-+$ 8r+lwq-trk+( (open files?) cut off the king needs open files
cut off king
3+P+Q+PzPp# 7zp-+-+pzpp' Bishop active attack long distance long distance
2P+-+-tR-zP" 6-zp-+-sn-+& diagonals

Knight active attack short distance short distance
1+-+-tR-mK-! 5sn-zpp+-+-% no play on two wings requires strongholds
4-+-zP-+-+$ Pawn central influence structure create passed pawn
xabcdefghy sacrificed plans
29.Qf1? 3zP-zPLzPPsN-#
29.Qd2 Rf5 30.Re4 e5 . We will start off with a rather simple ex- lack strongholds, and the fact that White's
2-+-+-+PzP" ample. passed pawn is as far distant as it is possible
29...Qxd4 30.Qxh3 Rxf3! 31.Ref1 Rxf2
1tR-vLQ+RmK-! With a rook and two pawns against two to be (remember that the rook pawn is the
32.Rxf2 Rf8 33.Qf1 Qxc5 34.b4 Qxf2+
knights, White is doing very well in a mate- natural enemy of the knight) makes the win
35.Qxf2 Rxf2 36.Kxf2 Kf6 xabcdefghy rial sense. What is more, the black knights elementary.
Jussupow Artur stop the pawn. Black resigned after idea, but 13.Rhe1 has no bearing on the moves.
Ljubojevic Ljubomir 9...Qa5 10.Qb7 Qa4 11.Rb1 position whatsoever. I suppose Mrdja would 19.bxa4 Rxa4 20.Nc3 Ra6 21.Ncb5 Ld7
Tilburg 1987 10 argue that he is dissuading Black from play- 22.Nd6 Rb8 23.Rc1 Qd8 24.Nb3 Qb6
XABCDEFGHY ing ...f6, but ...a6 and ...b5 show intentions It is just too easy to shunt the Black major
In the following classic example of Kar- on the queenside and the sluggish 13.Rhe1 pieces into strong attacking positions.
8-+-+r+k+( pov, we will see the power of (passed) only encourages Black even more. 13.h4 25.Qe3 d4 26.Qxd4 Ra1+
pawns in the ending. might also be a way for White to get some- A rout. That is what can happen to you when
7+-sn-+pzpp' thing going, but even there 13...Lb7 14.h5 you have no plan.
6-+-wq-sn-+& Huebner Robert h6 15.Kb1 Rfc8 is absolutely OK for 01
Karpov Anatoly Black. It seems to me that this position has
5tR-+l+-+-% Tilburg 1977 similarities to a Classical Sicilian, but with
Playing without a plan can be fatal, which
brings me to an interesting example where
4P+-+-+-+$ XABCDEFGHY the white attack slowed down.
Black seems to inherits one of the worst
13...b4 14.Ne2 b3! (D)
3+-+-zPL+-# 8r+r+-+-+( pawn structures ever seen in the history of
XABCDEFGHY chess, yet wins quite comfortably!
2-+-+-zPPzP" 7zp-+k+-+p' 8r+l+-trk+( Czerwonski Aleksander
1+-+Q+RmK-! 6-zp-+pzppvl& 7+-+-wqpzpp' Vysochin Spartak
D15 Warsaw 2010
xabcdefghy 5+-+n+-+-% 6p+n+p+-+& 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6!
1.Qd4 4-+-+-+-+$ Not a bad line at all. This flexible variation
The centralization of the queen is already 5+-snpzP-+-% of the Slav commits Black to nothing, yet at
decisive according to Jussupow. 3zP-+PzP-zP-# 4-+-+-zP-+$ the same time ...a6 can prove very useful.
1...Qe6 2.Lxd5 Ncxd5 3.Rd1 5.c5 Nbd7 6.Lf4 Nh5 7.Ld2 g6 8.e4
Putting the question to the central knight.
2-vL-sN-zPKzP" 3+p+L+N+-# dxe4 9.Nxe4 Ndf6 10.Nc3 Le6 11.Le2
Black has a tactical defence, but after 1+-tR-+R+-! 2PzPPwQN+PzP" Lg7 12.00 00 13.Qc1 Nd5 14.Ng5
3...Rc8 4.Rc5! Qd7!?
invites another trade, increasing White's xabcdefghy 1+-mKRtR-+-! It takes some courage and a lot of self-
advantage still further (4.Rxd5? Nxd5 First, it is necessary to bring about our sub- confidence to play such a move. Black al-
5.Qxd5? Qxd5 6.Rxd5 Rc1+ +). ject by means of an elementary combination: xabcdefghy lows White to completely mess up his
4...Rxc5 5.Qxc5 h5 6.a5 Qe4 7.h3 1...Lxe3! 2.fxe3 Nxe3+ 3.Kf3 Nxf1 I doubt Mrdja was expecting this brilliant pawns.
There is no hurry, White can make a luftloch 4.Nxf1 pawn sacrifice, accelerating Black's attack. 15.Lxh5 gxh5 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Lh6 Rf5
(an air hole). In principle White would like to avoid the 15.axb3 Nb4 16.Nfd4 a5 17.Kb1 Ncxd3 18.Lxg7 Kxg7 19.Nxd5 Qxd5 20.Qe3
7...g6 8.Qc6 Qb4 (D) exchange of rooks, but 4.Rxf1? loses a 18.cxd3 a4 (D) Rd8 (D)
XABCDEFGHY piece of course: 4...Rc2 5.Nc4 b5. XABCDEFGHY
4...Rxc1 5.Lxc1 Rc8 6.Lb2 (D)
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+( XABCDEFGHY 8r+l+-trk+( 8-+-tr-+-+(
7+-+-+p+-' 8-+r+-+-+( 7+-+-wqpzpp' 7+p+-zp-mkp'
6-+Q+-snp+& 7zp-+k+-+p' 6-+-+p+-+& 6p+p+p+-+&
5zP-+n+-+p% 6-zp-+pzpp+& 5+-+pzP-+-% 5+-zPq+r+p%
4-wq-+-+-+$ 5+-+-+-+-% 4psn-sN-zP-+$ 4-+-zP-+-+$
3+-+-zP-+P# 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+P+P+-+-# 3+-+-wQ-+-#
2-+-+-zPP+" 3zP-+P+KzP-# 2-zP-wQN+PzP" 2PzP-+-zPPzP"
1+-+R+-mK-! 2-vL-+-+-zP" 1+K+RtR-+-! 1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+N+-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
9.a6 This is a very easy game to understand. Using any conventional yardstick you would
Or 9.Rxd5 +. The knights are helpless to xabcdefghy Black's attack wastes White within a few expect White to find a way to pick Black off
The first phase has ended. Black has a mate- Kd4.
Meaningless Moves rial advantage and the initiative. This is 21...Rh1
enough for a winning edge. Karpov now Again maximizing the activity of the rook.
Andrew Martin decides to keep the initiative by invading the 22.Kb3 Rh3 23.Nf6+ Kd4 24.Nxh7
second rank to win the a-pawn, getting two Rxd3+ 25.Kc2 a4 26.Le7 Rc3+ 27.Kb1
Concept and White puts all his pieces on approved passed pawns on the queenside. Losing the Rc7
Meaningless moves are the enemy of all squares, building up what looks like enor- f6-pawn, and with it his excellent structure, 01
chessplayers. They have no bearing on the mous pressure. Then Black wins...) is a loss he is willing to take.
position and can in many cases make things 16.Rdh1 (it doesn't get any better than this) 6...Rc2! Novikov Igor
worse. We see meaningless moves fre- 16...a6 17.R1h3 Nbd7 18.Rf3 Rg8 6...e5 7.Ne3 protects some important Kaidanov Gregory
quently in the games of weaker players and 19.Nd1?! (19.Nxh7 c5 20.Nf6 Nxf6 squares, although White is still suffering Vilnius 1986
often, even at master level. 21.exf6 Qc7 22.Qxc7+ Kxc7 23.dxc5 Lc6 after 7...Rc5 8.Ke2 Rb5 9.Lc1 Ke6. XABCDEFGHY
What does a meaningless move look like? gives Black good counterplay, but White 7.Lxf6 Ra2 8.Ke3 Rxa3 9.Nd2
Consider the following game: maybe should have gone for this line) According to Karpov, Huebner defends in
8-+-sN-+k+(
19...c5! (the very first sign of black counter- the best way: the bishop stays on the long 7zp-+-+-zpp'
Mrdja Milan play) 20.dxc5 Nxc5 21.Nc3 (21.Nxh7 diagonal, while the knight uses the excellent
Gleizerov Evgeny Nxh7 22.Rxh7 d4 ) 21...Qc7 22.Nxh7 e4-square. The twelfth World Champion 6-+-+-zp-+&
C14 Zagreb 2011 Nxh7 23.Rxh7 d4 (suddenly,...d3 is a big drily remarks, however, that White's mate- 5+P+-+-+-%
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Lg5 threat after the knight moves) 24.b4 Nd7 rial disadvantage is a deciding factor.
4.Lg5 is a positional move, aiming to ex- 25.Qxd4 Nxe5 26.Qa7 Nxf3 27.Lxf3 9...b5 10.Ne4 b4?! 4p+-+rzP-+$
change darksquared bishops, which thanks Karpov criticizes his play at this stage. Ad-
to the central pawns should favour White.
Qf4+ 28.Kb2 Qxb4+ 29.Kc1 Rd6
vancing the pawn means giving up the c4-
3+-vL-+-zP-#
30.Ne4 Rb6 31.Nf6 Qf4+ 32.Kd1 Rb1+
However in practice and this has been true 0-1 Muzychuk,M-Matveeva,S Tbilisi 2011. square and limiting the range of the rook. It 2-zP-+-+KzP"
right back to Alekhine's day, Black has been An incredible game in many ways and it was better to advance with the a-pawn:
able to obtain good counterplay. teaches us that in the French appearances 10...a5!. 1+-+-+-+-!
4...Le7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Lxe7 can be deceptive. Due to the rock-solid na- 11.Kd4 a5 12.Kc4 xabcdefghy
Alekhine's 6.h4 has been used a lot by Jonny ture of the French pawn structure, positions Threatening to trap the rook, so Black is
Hector with the help of a new move At first sight, the ending looks unclear per-
which look favourable for White can often forced to play
6...Lxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Qd3!? (D) haps, but after
be assessed very wrongly. 12...Ra2 13.h4 Kc6 14.Ld4
1...Rc4!
XABCDEFGHY 6...Qxe7 7.f4 00 8.Nf3 c5 9.Qd2 Nc6 Owing to 10...b4 Karpov has complicated
It becomes clear that Black is much better
10.dxc5 Nxc5 11.000 a6 12.Ld3 b5 the technical phase. By posting his rook on
8rsnl+k+-tr( since he can undermine the all-important b2-
13.Rhe1?! (D) the first rank he removes it as far away as
pawn.
possible from the white pieces and increases
7zppzpn+pzpp' XABCDEFGHY its activity. 2.Nc6 a3! 3.Nd4
3.bxa3 Rxc3 4.Nxa7 (4.a4 a6) 4...Rxa3
6-+-+p+-+& 8r+l+-trk+( 14...Re2 15.Le5 Re1! 16.Lf6 Rb1
and White will eventually lose the b-pawn,
Everything is ready for the advance of the a-
5+-+pzP-wq-% 7+-+-wqpzpp' pawn. when the ending of rook against knight, with
pawns on one wing, is lost.
4-+-zP-+-+$ 6p+n+p+-+& 17.Le7
3...Rc5 4.Kf3 a2 5.Nc2 Rxb5 6.Na1
Defending against 17...a4, but now Karpov
3+-sNQ+-+-# 5+psnpzP-+-% plugs the long diagonal. Instead, 17.Nd2
Kf7 7.Ke3 Ke6 8.g4 Kd5 9.Kd3 Rc5
Rc1+ 18.Kb3 Kb5 and Black wins easily. 10.b3
2PzPP+-zPP+" 4-+-+-zP-+$ 17...e5! 18.g4 Rc1+ 19.Kb3 Kd5
It looks like White has come up with a de-
1tR-+-mKLsNR! cent line of defence. How to cross the bar-
3+-sNL+N+-# Karpov has increased the activity of his
rier? Kaidanov transforms the ending by
pieces.
xabcdefghy 2PzPPwQ-+PzP" 20.Lg5
noting the powerlessness of the knight in
White eyes h7. However in this very recent endings with pawns on both wings:
game, Black seems quite unconcerned:
1+-mKRtR-+-! White cannot win the a-pawn, as 20.Ld8
Kd4 21.Lxa5 Kxd3 22.Nf6 Rb1+ 10...Rxc3+ 11.Kxc3 Ke4 12.f5
8...g6 9.Nf3 Qe7 10.000 Nc6 11.Qe3 xabcdefghy 12.g5 f5! 13.Kb2 Kxf4 14.Kxa2 Kxg5
23.Ka2 Kc2 wins.
Nf8 12.Rh6 Ld7 13.Qf4 000 14.Le2 15.Kb2 Kg4 +.
Here it is, one natural move too many. White 20...Rb1+ 21.Kc2
Le8 15.Ng5 Nb8 (this is a comical game. 12...Kf4 13.Kb2 Kxg4 14.Nc2 Kh3
plays what looks like a normal developing 21.Ka4 Ra1+ 22.Kb3 Ra3+ 23.Kc2
Black takes the pawn, goes into reverse gear 15.Nd4 Kxh2 16.Ne6 Kg3
16...h5 +. XABCDEFGHY 8...Ne4 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Le2 Nd7 11.b3 aback by this unusual move and the quality
17.Nxg7 Kg4! 18.Ne8 Kxf5 19.Nd6+ Qe7 12.a4 Rad8 13.Nc4 Lb4 14.Lb2 of his play heads downhill from here.
Kf4 20.Ne8 Kg5 21.Nd6 h5 22.Ne4+ 8-+-+-+k+( Qh4 15.c3 Le7 16.Qe1 Qxe1 17.Rfxe1 a5 18.fxe5 Ne4 19.Lxe4 dxe4 (D)
Kf4 23.Nxf6 h4 24.Nd5+ Kf3
01
7+ltr-+-zp-' 18.La3 Lxa3 19.Rxa3 Nf6 20.b4 Ra8 XABCDEFGHY
21.b5 Nd5 22.Kf2 f6 23.Nd2 e5 24.g3 g5
6-+-+p+-zp& 25.f5 Rfe8 26.Lc4 Kg7 27.Lxd5 Lxd5 8r+-+-trk+(
In the last three examples we observed the 28.c4 Lb7 29.d5 Lc8 30.g4 h5 31.h3 Rh8 7+l+-+pzpp'
power of the combination rook and pawn(s).
5+-+-wq-+-% 32.Nxe4 hxg4 33.hxg4 Rh2+ 34.Kf3 Rc2
Now it is high time to see what those pieces 4-+-+-+-+$ 35.Rc3 Ra2 36.c5 Rxa4 37.cxb6 Lxf5 6-wqn+p+-+&
do best: attack! The first example is very 38.Rxc7+ Kg6 39.gxf5+ Kxf5 40.Nd6+
concrete. The bishop pair is well known as 3+Q+-+-zP-# Kg6 41.Rc8 e4+ 42.Kg3 Rxc8 43.Nxc8 5zp-+-zP-+-%
an excellent attacking force. 2P+R+-+-zP" Rb4 44.Nd6 10 Tymrakiewicz,R-Slavin,A 4-+-zPp+-+$
Uxbridge 2010. This was possibly the game
Spassky Boris
1+-tR-+K+-! that inspired Slavin to make his opening 3zPP+-+N+-#
Tal Mikhail xabcdefghy choice. 2-vL-+Q+PzP"
Tallinn 1973 9.b3 b5!?
4...La6+ Unstereotyped and an effort by Adams to 1+-tR-+RmK-!
XABCDEFGHY Now this is a mistake! 4...Qf5+ 5.Kg1 Qe4 unbalance a very stable situation. 9...Nc6
transposes to the note to Black's second xabcdefghy
8-+-+-+k+( move and wins.
10.Lb2 Rc8 11.a3 Ne7 12.Qe2 Ne4
20.Ng5?
13.c4 f6?! 14.Nef3 Qc7 15.Rac1 Qb8
7+ltr-+-zp-' 5.Kg1 Qd4+ 6.Kg2 Qe4+ (D) 16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.Lb1 dxc4 18.Nxc4 Ld5 It is baffling why he did not choose the ob-
XABCDEFGHY 19.Nxd6 Qxd6 20.e4 Lxb3 21.e5 Qd7 vious 20.Qxe4 when Black has clear coun-
6-+-+p+-zp& 22.exf6 gxf6 23.Ne5 fxe5 24.Qxe5 Ng6 terplay after 20...Ne7! but this variation will
5+-vl-+-wq-% 8-+-+-+k+( 25.Qe3 Ld5 26.Rcd1 Rf7 27.h4 Rcf8 lead to a playable position for White:
21.Qb1! (21.Qe1 Qxb3 22.Qc3 Qxc3
4-+-+-+-+$ 7+-tr-+-zp-' 28.g3 Rg7 29.Kh2 Nxh4 30.Lxg7 Qxg7
23.Lxc3 Nf5 ) 21...Rac8 22.b4
31.Rxd5 exd5 32.gxh4 d4 33.Qf3 Kh8
3+Q+-+-zP-# 6l+-+p+-zp& 34.Rf2 Qh6 35.Kh3 Re8 36.Qg4 Rg8 (22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Nd2 Nf5 24.Rf4 Ne3
) 22...axb4 23.axb4 Qxb4 24.Lc3 Qxb1
2P+R+-zP-zP" 5+-+-+-+-% 37.Qf5 Qg7 38.Qg5 Qd7+ 39.Qf5 Qg7
25.Rxb1 Le4 26.Rbc1 .
40.Qe5 d3 41.Qxg7+ Kxg7 42.Rd2 Kf6
1+-tR-+-mK-! 4-+-+q+-+$ 43.Rd1 Ne4 44.Rf1 Nd2 45.Rd1 Nxb1 20...Nxd4 21.Lxd4 Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 h6
46.Rxb1 Kf5 47.Rb4 Rd8 01 Slavin,A- Or 22...Qxe5 23.Qe3 Ld5 24.Rc5 f5 and
xabcdefghy 3+Q+-+-zP-# Gasanov,E Rijeka 2010. Black wins.
Here Tal decides matters with 2P+R+-+KzP" 10.c3 23.Nxf7 Rxf7 24.Rxf7 Kxf7 25.Rc7+
1...Lxf2+! 10.Lxb5 may be possible: 10...cxd4 Kg8 26.Rxb7 Qa1+
Also winning was the 'quiet' 1...Qf6 2.Rf1
1+-tR-+-+-! 11.Ndf3! dxe3 12.Lxe3 but of course Attack with the maximum, defend with the
(2.Rxc5? Rxc5 3.Rxc5 Qa1+) 2...Qf5 xabcdefghy Black is fine after 12...Ne4. minimum. This principle underpins high-
(creeping towards the long diagonal). 10...b4 11.cxb4 cxd4 12.exd4 Lxb4 level chess.
7.Kg1?
1...Qf5? 2.Rxc5! Rxc5 (2...Qe4 3.f3 13.Lb2 Nc6 01
Qd4+ 4.Kg2 Rxc5 5.Rxc5 Qxc5 6.Qxb7 7.Kh3 Rxc2 8.Qxc2 Lf1+! + ; 7.Kf2!
Rf7+ 8.Kg1 would have severely compli- The position is a little better for Black
Qc2+ 7.Kh3 Qxa2 =) 3.Rxc5 Qe4 thanks to the pawn structure, but White Conclusion
cated Black's task as 8...Lb7 is met by Summarizing, only defend when you have
(3...Qxc5 4.Qxb7) 4.Kf1 La6+ 5.Rb5 9.Rc8+ Kh7? (9...Lxc8 10.Rxc8+ Kh7 should be able to hold it all together. It's
Lxb5+ 6.Qxb5 Qh1+ 7.Ke2 Qe4+ important that Slavin finds some counterplay to, but this doesnt mean ignoring defensive
11.Qc2 =) 10.Qc2. skills! Good opponents will try to put you
8.Kd2 Qd4+ only draws. 7...Lb7 quickly and this he tries to do via Ndf3 and
2.Kxf2 Qf6+ Ng5. on the defensive from move one, so even a
And we are in a familiar winning position. rudimentary knowledge of defensive tech-
Simpler was 2...Qf5+ 3.Kg1 Qe4 and 8.h4 Qh1+ 9.Kf2 Rf7+ 10.Ke2 Qe4+ 14.Qe2 Qb6 15.Ndf3 Ld6 16.a3 a5
wins. 16...Qxb3 17.Rab1 Qb6 18.La1 Qc7 niques will help anyone to become a
01 stronger player.
3.Ke1 Qe5+ 4.Kf1 (D) 19.Rfc1 gives White too much.
4.Kd1 Qd4+ 5.Ke2 (5.Ke1 Qg1+ +) Capablanca Jose Raul 17.Rac1 Lxe5!
5...Qe4+ 6.Qe3 La6+ + (6...Rxc2+ +) ; Alekhine Alexander Unexpected, when Black could put either of
4.Kf2 Rf7+ 5.Kg1 Qd4+ +. Buenos Aires 1927 his rooks on c8. Slavin seems quite taken
11.dxc6 bxc6 12.cxd4 cxb5 13.dxe5 Qxd1 attack look very tame indeed, using the fol- XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
14.Rxd1 Lf5 15.Lb2 h6 16.Nf3 00 lowing techniques.
Black has emerged safely from the opening 1) He creates diversionary counterplay at 8-+r+k+-tr( 8-+r+r+k+(
complications and perhaps stands a fraction every opportunity.
better with the bishop-pair. 2) He attacks with every piece available and
7zp-+q+pzpp' 7zp-+-+pzpp'
17.Nc3 a6 18.Nd4 Lg6 19.Nb3 Lb6 reserves the bare minimum of material for 6-zpn+-sn-+& 6-zp-+-+-+&
20.Rd6 defence.
20.La3 Rfc8 is a good way for Black to 3) He only defends when he has to. Other- 5+Nvlp+-+-% 5+-+p+-+-%
maintain his slight edge. wise, his whole mindset is concentrated on 4Q+-+-vL-+$ 4q+-+-vL-+$
20...La7 21.Rad1 Rfc8 22.Rd7 Nc6 how he can get the initiative.
23.e6 Ne5 24.exf7+ Lxf7 25.Re7 Ng6 3+-+-+-zP-# 3+N+-zP-zP-#
Slavin Alexei
26.Rb7 Rcb8 2PzP-+PzPKzP" 2P+-wQ-zPKzP"
Adams Michael
Exchanging off a potential attacker.
D05 Canterbury 2010 1tRNtR-+-+-! 1+-+R+-+-!
27.Rdd7
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 b6 4.Ld3 Lb7
27.Rxb8+ Rxb8 28.Rd7 Re8! 29.g3 Re7
30.Rxe7 Nxe7 31.Ne4 b4 leads to an end-
5.00 d5 6.Ne5!? (D) xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
game, where Black's queenside pawn major- XABCDEFGHY Although development is about equal, Black 10.Qxd5!
ity is very important. hasn't castled yet, and this explains Capab- Excellent judgement! It looks highly dan-
27...Rxb7 28.Rxb7 Ne5
8rsn-wqkvl-tr( lanca's next energetic bid for an advantage. gerous to exchange the a-pawn for the d-
28...Re8! goes back into the last line and 7zplzp-+pzpp' 1.b4! Lxb4 pawn - with two passed pawns on the queen-
was more precise. After the alternative 1...Nxb4 2.Nd6+ Kd8 side all endings look winning for Black.
29.Ne4?
6-zp-+psn-+& 3.Qxd7+ Kxd7 4.Nxc8 Rxc8 5.Nd2 However, Capablanca has seen further: the
Black does not have enough for the ex- minor pieces will be in their element, attack-
Possibly the speed of the game (blitz) 5+-+psN-+-% change. ing the black king.
prompted this mistake. 29.Nxb5! would
have given White an excellent chance to 4-+-zP-+-+$ 2.Rxc6! 10...Rc2
hold: 29...Lxf2+ 30.Kxf2 axb5 31.Lxe5 This is clearly stronger than 2.Nc7+ Rxc7 Not 10...Qxa2 11.Ra1 Qc2 12.Rxa7.
Rxa2+ 32.Ke3 Lxb3 33.Rxg7+ Kf8 =.
3+-+LzP-+-# 3.Lxc7 Lc5! 4.Lf4 00 when Black has 11.Rd2 Rxa2
29...Ld5 30.Re7 Nd3 31.Rxg7+ Kf8 2PzPP+-zPPzP" more play than in the previous note with the White also has a strong attack after
32.Rxa7 Rxa7 33.Ld4 Rc7 queens still on. 11...Qxa2 12.Qd7! Rf8 13.Rxc2 Qxc2
Unfortunately for Svehsnikov, the win is
1tRNvLQ+RmK-! 2...Rxc6 3.Qxb4 14.Nd4 Qc5 15.Nf5 (15.Qxa7).
now quite routine for Black. xabcdefghy So here we have arrived at our subject. With 12.Rxa2
34.Nf6 Lxb3 35.g4 Kf7 36.axb3 a5 37.g5 bishop and knight versus rook and pawn, Very strong was 12.Rd4! Qa6 13.Rc4
A move of which Sultan Khan would have material may be about equal. However, it is when the rook joins in the attack along the
hxg5 38.Ne4 Rd7 39.Le3 g4 40.Nc3 b4 been proud. Moreover Slavin has recent ex-
41.Na4 Ke6 42.Kg2 Kf5 43.h3 gxh3+ awkward for Black that he still cannot castle. seventh rank.
perience with 6.Ne5 from both sides of the Moreover, the isolated d-pawn guarantees 12...Qxa2 13.Qc6!
44.Kxh3 Rg7 45.Nb6 Ke4 46.Nc4 Kf3 board! However, the normal 6.Nbd2 or
47.Nxa5 Rh7+ that White will always have a stronghold (on Forcing the rook into passivity.
6.b3 are both superior. d4) for his pieces. 13...Rf8 14.Nd4 Kh8?!
01 6...Ld6 7.f4 3...Ne4 4.Nd2 Nxd2 5.Qxd2 00 6.Rd1 14...Rd8 15.Ld6 h6 16.e4 .
Very strong players usually make chess 7.b3 00 8.Lb2 Nbd7 9.Nd2 Ne4 10.f4 The first object of attack is the isolated 15.Le5! f6 16.Ne6 Rg8 17.Ld4
look like an easy game, whereas we all (this is about the best White can hope for, pawn. The bishop is ideally placed. Black is totally
know it is not so simple! But the defensive but one cannot help but form the impression 6...Rc5 7.Nd4 Re8 lost now.
principle established by Wu in the above that 6.Ne5 has been played too early) It was more natural to aim for counterplay 17...h6 18.h4!
game is easy enough to comprehend: Don't 10...Nxd2 11.Qxd2 f6 12.Nf3 Qe7 13.c4 with 7...Rfc8. Black still has some sort of defence after
be greedy! Do not hesitate to give back ma- c5 14.cxd5 exd5 15.Nh4 Rfe8 16.Rf3 Qf7 8.Nb3 Rcc8 9.e3 Qa4 (D) 18.Nxg7 Rxg7 19.Qxf6 Qd5+ 20.Kg1
terial gained if you can see a clear way 17.Rg3 Lf8 18.Qc2 Re4 19.Lxe4 dxe4 9...f6 was a tougher defence. After Qg5.
through to a good position. 20.Nf5 Qe6 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.d5 Lxd5 10.Qxd5+ (10.h4!) 10...Qxd5+ 11.Rxd5 18...Qb1 19.Nxg7! Qg6
Defend with the Minimum 23.f5 Qc6 24.Rd1 b5 25.Qd2 Nb6 Rc2 Black has a certain amount of counter- White wins the pawn ending after 19...Rxg7
White's usual theatre of attack is the king- 26.Qxd5 Nxd5 27.Nf7+ Kg8 28.Nh6+ play. 20.Qxf6 Qe4+ (20...Qh7 21.Qf8+ Qg8
side in the coming old-fashioned queens Rahman,Z-Venkatesh,M Chennai
22.Lxg7+ +) 21.Kg1 Qb7 22.Qxh6+
pawn game. However, in the next game Mi- 2010. Kg8 23.Qxg7+ Qxg7 24.Lxg7 Kxg7
chael Adams makes any projected white 7...00 8.Nd2 c5
25.Kf1 +. (2.Nd6 fails now to the pin 2...Qc7! for ficult to develop the queenside, So Karpov one should always look out for the opportu-
20.h5 example 3.g3 [3.Qxd5? Rd8 ] 3...Rd8 feels that he has to exchange on c5. nity to return material in order to get a good
Also good is 20.Nh5 Qxh5 21.Qxf6+ Kh7 4.Nc4 Qxe5 5.Nxe5) 2...Re8 3.Qxd5 14...Lxc5 position!
22.Qe7+ and Black's king is caught in a Qxd5 4.Nxd5 but this ending should be 14...Rb8 15.Rab1 Rd8 16.Le4! .
mating net: 22...Kg6 23.e4 (or the immedi- assessed as won for White, though there are 15.Lxc5 Rd8 16.Rfd1 Le6 17.h3 Rxd1+ Sveshnikov Evgeny
ate 23.f3!) 23...a5 24.f3 a4 25.g4 +. still technical difficulties. A rook is a strong Alternative moves can lead to an unpleasant Wu Shaobin
20...Qf7 21.Nf5 Kh7 22.Qe4 Re8 piece in such an open position with pawns position for Black: 17...Na5 18.Qb4 Nc4 C52 Beijing 2008
23.Qf4 Qf8 24.Nd6 Re7 on both wings. The win is easier after 19.Lxb7 Rxd1+ 20.Rxd1 Rb8 21.Lxa7 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Lc4 Lc5 4.b4 (D)
With such a bad king, Black is without de- 1...Qc5 2.Ne3 Rd8 3.Lc4! Qd6 4.Qxd6 or 17...h6 18.Rab1 Na5 19.Rxd8+ Qxd8 XABCDEFGHY
fence against Whites minor pieces: Rxd6 5.Lxd5 and both bishop and knight 20.Lb4 Nc6 21.Qb5 Nxb4 22.Rxb4.
24...Rd8 25.Qf5+ Kg8 26.Qe6+ Kh7 are actively placed and well coordinated. 18.Rxd1 Rd8! (D) 8r+lwqk+ntr(
27.Lxf6! Rxd6 28.Qf5+ Kg8 29.Qg6+ 2.Nd6 Qb1 3.Nf5 XABCDEFGHY 7zppzpp+pzpp'
+. This may remind you of the Capablanca-
25.Lxf6 Qa8+ 26.e4 Rg7 27.Lxg7 Kxg7 Alekhine example above. 8-+-tr-+k+( 6-+n+-+-+&
28.Nf5+ Kf7 29.Qc7+ 3...f6 4.Qxd5+ Kh8 5.Qd7
10 5.Nd6 h6 6.Qxb7 is similar to the game.
7zppwq-+pzpp' 5+-vl-zp-+-%
Psakhis Lev
5...Rg8 6.Nd6 h6 7.Qxb7 a5 8.Qb5 6-+n+l+-+& 4-zPL+P+-+$
Clearly, White is winning. He is ahead in
Lputian Smbat
material, and Black's king will remain weak. 5+-vL-zp-+-% 3+-+-+N+-#
Yerevan 1989
XABCDEFGHY
8...Rf8 9.g4 4Q+-+-+-+$ 2P+PzP-zPPzP"
Creating some space for his king and his
8-+-+-trk+( bishop while controlling some light squares 3+-zP-+-zPP# 1tRNvLQmK-+R!
as well. It should never be forgotten though, 2P+-+PzPL+" xabcdefghy
7+p+-+pzpp' that pawns can't move backwards. I will now
reveal that the game will end in a draw! 1+-+R+-mK-! The 'Evans Gambit', still very dangerous in
6p+-+-+-+& Such a move as 9.g4 is perfectly sound, but the hands of Grandmasters of the calibre of
5wq-+pwQ-+-% it commits White to accurate calculation. xabcdefghy Evgeny Sveshnikov, Nigel Short and Jonny
Meanwhile it was possible to win the game White's bishop-pair is becoming stronger Hector.
4-+-+-+-+$ without any risk: 9.Nc4 Rd8 10.Qxa5 and Karpov now makes his best decision of 4...Lxb4 5.c3 La5 6.d4 exd4 7.00 Nge7!
Rd1 11.Ne3 and Black can safely resign. the game. In his usual clear-sighted way he (D)
3+-+-+-+P# sacrifices a pawn to reach a drawn endgame. XABCDEFGHY
9...Qe1 10.Qd7 Qc1 11.Kg2 f5!?
2PzP-sN-zPP+" Desperation, but also the only chance to stir 18...h6?! 19.Kh2 a6 20.Rd6 Rd8
8r+lwqk+-tr(
up trouble. 21.Rxd8+ Nxd8 22.Qe8+ Kh7 23.Qf8 .
1+-+-+LmK-! 12.Qe7 19.Rxd8+ Qxd8 20.Lxa7 Qa8 21.Lxc6 7zppzppsnpzpp'
xabcdefghy Immediately winning was 12.Nf7+ Kg8 bxc6 22.Kh2 h5 23.Qa5 f6 24.a4 Qc8
6-+n+-+-+&
As we are approaching the ending, it may 13.Qd5 Qxb2 14.Ne5+ Kh7 15.Ld3. 25.h4 Lc4
appear that Black is OK here. However, just 12.Nxf5 Qxb2 is no longer a simple win. The opposite-coloured bishops make it im- 5vl-+-+-+-%
as in the previous example, White can coor- 12...Rg8 13.Nc4 possible for White to make progress.
dinate his pieces for a direct attack on the Many roads lead to Rome. Also winning are: 4-+LzpP+-+$
13.Nf7+ Kh7 14.Ld3 or 13.Lc4 or, fi-
black king. This is a challenging and useful
nally, 13.Ld3. Returning Material Gains 3+-zP-+N+-#
example, since it demonstrates the abilities The opening textbooks are filled with dan-
of the minor pieces in a position with no 13...fxg4 14.hxg4 Qf4 15.Qe6?
gerous gambits, where a player might sacri-
2P+-+-zPPzP"
outside 'noise'. This greatly reduces White's advantage. be-
1.Nc4! cause of his committal play, it was necessary
fice material in order to get the attack. 1tRNvLQ+RmK-!
In the middlegame, the same type of sacri-
1.Ne4 Qxa2 2.Nd6. to continue actively by means of 15.Ne5!
fice may occur, where material is offered for xabcdefghy
1...Qxa2 and White has a winning attack.]
time, space and momentum. One of Black's best defences. Rather than
Black takes the pawn and puts his money on 15...Rf8 16.Qe2 a4 17.Ne5 Rf6? accept all the pawns on offer, Black concen-
Let us establish that there is no need for
his queenside pawns. For some time now 18.Qe3? trates on development and achieves a good
the defender to meekly surrender to his op-
though, the queen will be missed in the de- This is a big mistake. First of all, there was position.
ponent!
fence. Objectively best was 1...Qd8 2.Ne3 an immediate win, but more important for
Offers of material may be accepted, but 8.Ng5 d5! 9.exd5 Ne5! 10.Lb5+ c6
dxe4 14.dxe4 Ld7 15.Rfd1 Lb5 16.Qc2 Even the coming short, technical phase is our purposes is that it is, in principle, the XABCDEFGHY
Lc6 17.e5 Nd5 18.Nfd4 00 19.Qc5 handled perfectly. wrong decision. We have already learned
Rfe8 Svidler,P-Morozevich,A Almaty 26...g6 27.Qe5 Qxe5 28.Lxe5 f6 29.Lc7 that in an ending the rook greatly increases 8-+r+-trk+(
2008) 13...Ng8 14.Lg3 a5 15.Lf4 a4 La6 in strength, whereas the pieces are stronger
16.Le3 Qa6 17.Nbd4 Ld8 18.Ld2 Ld7 29...Le7 30.Lxb6 axb6 31.Rc7. in a middlegame situation (with the queens
7+p+qvlpzpp'
19.Rac1 Lb6 20.Lb4 Qa7 21.Nc2 Lc5 30.Lxd8 Rxd8 31.d4 Re8 32.Re3! Re4 on). 18.Nd7! wins on the spot! 6p+n+p+-+&
22.Qd2 Ne7 23.Lxc5 Qxc5 24.Nb4 Qb6 33.Rxe4 fxe4 34.Rc7 f5 35.Rxa7 Lc4 18...Qxe3 19.fxe3
25.a3 00 26.Rc2 Rfc8 27.Rfc1 Qd8 36.Rb7 b5 37.b3 Lxb3 38.Rxb5 Lc4 White no longer has any attacking chances, 5+-+pzP-+-%
28.Na2 Rxc2 29.Rxc2 Rc8 30.Rxc8 39.Rb7 and the pawn on b2 is a weakness. With ma- 4-+-zP-+-zP$
Qxc8 31.Qc3 Qxc3 32.bxc3 Ng6 A superb game by White. terial greatly reduced, Black has excellent
Bojkovic,N-Vojinovic,J Pozarevac 2009. 10 drawing chances. 3+-+-+N+-#
12.e5! Ng8 13.Le3 Qb4 14.Nfd4 19...Rb6 20.Nc4 Rb4 21.Kf3 g6 22.e4 2PzPRvLQzPP+"
The biggest danger to Black now is the pawn Exchanging Kg7 23.e5 h5 24.gxh5 gxh5 25.Kf4 (D)
lever f4-f5. Rendle tries to stop it. Exchanging pieces is a rational way to XABCDEFGHY 1+-tR-+-mK-!
14...Nh6 15.Rac1 Nf5 defend when you are under pressure. Try to
15...00 leaves Black with the same pre- determine which are the well-placed enemy 8-+-+-+-+( xabcdefghy
dicament after 16.Rc7! Ld8 (16...Re8 pieces and aim to remove them from the Have your pupils analyse this position in
17.Lxh6 gxh6 18.Qg4+ Kh8 19.Rfc1 +) board. If you can keep your own well-placed
7+-+-+-mk-' pairs. Ask them to present their conclusions
17.Rc3 Lb6 (17...f6 18.Rfc1 +) 18.Qd2 pieces then so much the better! 6-+-+-+-+& before you demonstrate Huebner's continua-
Ng4 19.Rxc8!. The following game provides us with an tion.
16.Nxf5 exf5 17.Rc7! excellent example of play at the highest 5+-+-zP-+p% 1...Lxh4! 2.Rxc6
Good, but not quite as strong is 17.Lc5 level. White gets the initiative early in the 4ptrN+-mK-+$ 2.Nxh4 Nxd4 3.Qd3 Nxc2 4.Rxc2 Qa4!
Lxc5 18.Rxc5 when Black also has to suf- game, but Karpov is able to break Kas- 5.Rxc8 Rxc8 6.Nf3 Qxa2 and Black
fer. parov's grip by exchanging pieces at the 3+-+-+-+-# should win.
right moment. He is even willing to enter the 2...Rxc6 3.Nxh4 Rxc1+ 4.Lxc1 Qa4!
17...Ld8 18.Rc3 b6 19.Nd4 00 20.a3
Qa4 21.Qf3 Qd7 22.Rfc1 (D) endgame a pawn down!
2-zP-+-+-+" Without this double attack (which has to be
XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-+L+-! seen when embarking on 1...Lxh4) Black
Kasparov Garry would have no advantage.
8r+lvl-trk+( Karpov Anatoly xabcdefghy 5.Qg4
A33 Moscow 1984 A good moment to ask your pupils how they 5.a3 Qxd4 6.Nf3 Qe4 .
7zp-+q+pzpp' 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 would continue: 5...Kh8
5.Nxd4 e6 6.g3 Qb6 7.Nb3 d5 8.cxd5 25...Rxb2! Huebner avoids weakening his king's posi-
6-zp-+-+-+& Nxd5 9.Lg2 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Le7 11.00 Or 25...h4 26.Kg4 Rxb2. tion. It was possible to play 5...h5 6.Qxh5
5+-+pzPp+-% e5 12.Le3 Qc7 13.Nc5 00 14.Qa4 (D) 26.Nxb2 a3 Qxd4 .
XABCDEFGHY A good illustration of the rule that the rook's 6.a3 Qc2
4-+-sN-+-+$ pawn is the knight's worst enemy. The queen both attacks and defends.
3zP-tRPvLQ+-# 8r+l+-trk+( 27.Lc4 7.Qf4 Kg8!
27.e6 Kf6 (27...a2 28.e7 a1Q 29.e8Q Again Huebner continues in the best way, by
2-zP-+-zPPzP" 7zppwq-vlpzpp' Qxf1+ 30.Kg5 Qf6+ =) 28.Lc4 axb2 =. playing it safe. Meanwhile, White would be
1+-tR-+-mK-! 6-+n+-+-+& 27...axb2 28.La2 h4 all right after 7...Rc8 8.Le3 Qe4?
28...Kg6. (8...Kg8! ) . This looks strong, but fails to
xabcdefghy 5+-sN-zp-+-% 29.Kg4 Kg6 30.Lb1+ the sacrifice 9.Qxf7! Qxh4 10.Qxb7 when
Flawless play by White over the past ten 4Q+-+-+-+$ 30.Kxh4 Kf5 31.e6 b1Q 32.Lxb1+ Kxe6. White will win the a-pawn too, with enough
moves. Black has been driven passive and 30...Kf7 31.Lf5 h3 32.Kxh3 b1Q for the exchange.
cannot free himself. 3+-zP-vL-zP-# 33.Lxb1 Ke6 8.b4 Rc8
22...Re8 23.Qg3 Lb7 2P+-+PzPLzP" A remarkable escape! 8...Qe4 was very strong too.
23...g6 24.h4 Lb7 25.h5 +. 9.Le3 Qd1+ 10.Kh2 Qh5 11.g3?! Rc3
24.e6! Rxe6 1tR-+-+RmK-! Hort Vlastimil
12.a4 Rb3 13.Kg2
24...fxe6 25.Rc7 ; 24...Qe7 25.Nxf5. xabcdefghy 13.Ld2 h6! wins.
Huebner Robert
25.Nxe6 Qxe6 26.Ld4 + 13...Rxb4
The problem for Black is that it is quite dif- Germany 1982
With two pawns, Black has a material ad- 9...Rc2+ 10.Kb1 Rxf2 11.Nc1 e4 away a defender of that square and piles up Pert Richard
vantage. Things will be decided on the 12.Lb5? Rcc2 on the e-file. Rendle Thomas
queenside; note how far the white knight is 01 16.Kxc3 Nc8! 17.Rae1 Nd6 18.f3 Rhe8 C03 Canterbury 2010
from the real battlefield, the queenside! 19.Re2 Re7 20.Rhe1 Rae8 (D) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Le7 4.Ld3 c5
We have studied some of the principles of
14.a5 Rb1 15.Qf3 Qxf3+ 16.Nxf3 b6 XABCDEFGHY 5.dxc5 Nf6 6.Qe2 Nc6 7.Ngf3 Nb4 8.0
rook and pawn versus two pieces on the ba-
Creating the passed pawn that will win the 0 Nxd3 9.cxd3 Lxc5 10.Nb3 Le7
sis of several more or less 'classical' posi- 8-+-+r+-+(
game. 11.Lg5 (D)
tions. Now let's investigate a few games
17.axb6 a5 18.Lg5 a4 19.Le7 Rxb6 XABCDEFGHY
20.Ne1 Rb2 21.Lc5 h5 22.Nd3 a3!
from the 2011 Tata Steel Chess Festival in 7+p+ktrp+p'
Wijk aan Zee. We will see many of our fa-
23.Lxa3 Rb3
miliar themes return. 6-+psn-zpl+& 8r+lwqk+-tr(
01
Sachdev Tania 5zp-+p+-+-% 7zpp+-vlpzpp'
Knaak Rainer Lahno Kateryna 4-+-zP-+-+$ 6-+-+psn-+&
Forintos Gyozo Wijk aan Zee 2011
Skopje 1972 XABCDEFGHY 3+PmKLzPP+-# 5+-+p+-vL-%
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-mk-+( 2P+N+R+PzP" 4-+-+P+-+$
8r+-wq-trk+( 7+-+-+p+p' 1+-+-tR-+-! 3+N+P+N+-#
7zpp+l+pvlp' 6-+p+-+p+& xabcdefghy 2PzP-+QzPPzP"
6-+n+p+p+& 5zp-+-+-+-% The strategy is complete. Black's active 1tR-+-+RmK-!
pieces dissuade White from his pawn break.
5+-+-+-+-% 4Q+-+-+-+$ The doubled pawns on f7 and f6 cannot be xabcdefghy
4Q+-zP-+-+$ considered a weakness if White cannot get The critical position. What do you think
3+-wq-zP-+-# to them. Black should do now?
3+-sN-zPN+-# 2PtrL+-zPPzP" 21.Na3 b6 22.Kd2 Lxd3 23.Kxd3 f5 11...Qb6?!
24.Nb1 c5! It is hard to believe that this is a mistake, but
2PzP-+-zPPzP" 1+-+KsN-+-! Reminding Ivanchuk that Black has a queen- from now on Pert develops an enduring ini-
1+-mKR+L+R! xabcdefghy side pawn majority. tiative. It appears that Black must force a
25.Nc3 Kc6 26.a4 Re6 27.Rc1 h5 decision with 11...h6, pre-empting e5:
xabcdefghy In the diagram position, White has an obvi- 28.Rcc2 h4 29.Rc1 Rg6 30.Rcc2 Reg8 11...h6! 12.Lh4 (12.Lxf6 Lxf6 13.e5 Le7
The first move is obvious. Ask your pupils ous material advantage. However, the posi- Note the switch to another half-open file 14.Rac1 00 15.Rc2 a5 16.Rfc1 Ld7
to calculate and to make an accurate assess- tion of her king is perhaps slightly shaky. next to the doubled pawns. 17.Nc5 Lxc5 18.Rxc5 Qb6 19.R1c3
ment. Can White get rid of the pressure? 31.Nb1 Ne8 32.Nc3 Nc7 33.e4 Rac8 20.Qc2 Rxc5 21.Rxc5 Lb5 22.d4
1...Nxd4! 2.Rxd4 Lxa4 3.Rxd8 Rfxd8 30.Qd4 Finally, to get active, but now the doubled a4 23.Nd2 Qa6 24.h3 Ra8 25.Qc3 Ld7
4.Nxa4 Rac8+ 5.Nc3 Lxc3 6.bxc3 Forcing the exchange of queens. In principle pawns disappear. 26.Nf1 Qe2 27.Qd2 Qe4 28.a3 Lc6
Rxc3+ 7.Kb2 this is a bad idea when you are playing with 33...fxe4+ 34.fxe4 Rg5 35.exd5+ 29.Ng3 Qh4 30.Rc3 Ra6 31.Ne2 Qg5
Play was forced until now. Black's next the minor pieces. However, in the present This was a very instructive game, which 32.Nf4 Qf5 33.Nd3 Ra8 34.Nb4 Rc8
move is still part of his combination. situation White's material advantage, and the could easily be bypassed, as in my experi- 35.Qc2 Qf4 36.Qd1 Qe4 37.g3 h5 38.h4
7...Rdc8 fact that it is White's king which is under ence many players completely ignore games g6 39.Kh2 Kg7 40.Re3 Qf5 41.Rf3 Qg4
The excellent coordination of Black's rooks pressure may well justify this decision. The which are drawn; they simply don't play 42.Nc2 Lb5 43.Ne3 Qe4 44.Rf4 Qd3
and the fact that White is still not fully de- question is, though, can Black win the a- them through! Short showed how to juggle 45.Qf3 Rc7 46.g4 Qe2 47.Qg2 hxg4
veloped promise Black a winning edge. Play pawn after trading queens? Meanwhile, with doubled pawns and come out the other 48.Nxg4 Qf1 49.Qxf1 Lxf1 50.h5 gxh5
is only equal after 7...Rc6 8.Le2 Rb6+ White could also win by means of 30.Nd3 side intact. 51.Nf6 Kf8 52.Rf3 Ke7 53.Rg3 Rc2
9.Ka1. Rb5 31.Ke2 Rd5 32.Qb3 and after 54.b3 axb3 55.Rxb3 La6 56.Rf3 h4
8.Nd4 32...Qxb3 33.Lxb3 the ending is winning 57.Kh3 Rd2 58.Rf4 Rd3+ 59.Kxh4
8.Ne1 R3c6! 9.Nd3 Rb6+ 10.Ka1 Rc2 for White. Failing to appreciate danger is a common Rxa3 60.Ng8+ Ke8 61.Nh6 b5 62.Rxf7
+. 30...Qxd4+ 31.exd4 Rxa2 (D) mistake at the chessboard and can lead to a b4 63.Kg5 b3 64.Rf3 Le2 65.Rg3 b2
8...e5 9.Nb3? Material equilibrium has been restored. How- purely defensive position. Let see the fol- 66.Rxa3 01 Gu Xiaobing-Le Thanh Tu
9.Ne2 R3c6! +. ever, isn't that rook trapped on a2? White's task lowing game, where Black makes precisely Subic Bay 2009) 12...Qb6 13.e5 (13.Rac1
is not too difficult after 31...Ke7 32.Kc1 Rb4 this error.
distraction in order to stop the opponent 'Queen's Gambit'. Black's position looks 33.Nf3 Kd6 (33...c5 34.Ne5!) 34.Lb3 f6 35...g5!
from running you down. Developing coun- ghastly, but he has two bishops and he may 35.Kc2 c5 36.Kc3 cxd4+ 37.Nxd4 Kc5 Preparing ...Rh1. The standard way to win
terplay from a defensive position is an art, so be able to tie White down on the dark 38.Ne6+ Kd6 39.g3 and White wins as after such endings is by using the rook's abilities
let's see how the job is done. squares. I wouldn't like to be playing Petro- 39...Rxb3+? 40.Kxb3 Kxe6 41.Ka4 the (long-range, cutting off the king, controlling
We learn very early that damaging our sian with Black or a player of immense pa- pawn ending is easy. But look what happened: both dark and light squares) to their maxi-
pawn structure is a bad idea. Doubled tience, but it is very tough for White to in- XABCDEFGHY mum. White will never be able to shift as
pawns, isolated pawns, tripled pawns are to crease his advantage. quickly between kingside and queenside as
be avoided lest a bad endgame lurks in the 10.Kd2 8-+-+-mk-+( Black.
wings. That may be true, but there are cer- Just supporting Ld3. Of course Black will 36.Lb3 h5 37.Nb4 h4 38.Nc2
tain circumstances when we can make a not exchange on this square. 10.Nge2 is
7+-+-+p+p' 38.gxh4 gxh4 39.d5 c5 40.Nc2 Rh1
poor pawn structure work for us. another steady move, but in the following 6-+p+-+p+& 41.Nxa3 Rxh2 42.d6 Rh3+ 43.Kc2
There are a few observations worth noting: recent game Black easily held the balance: Rxb3! 44.Kxb3 h3 +.
1) If your pawn structure is worse don't rou- 10...Nd7 11.Nf4 Nb6 12.f3 Ld6 (it is very 5zp-+-+-+-% 38...Rh1 39.gxh4 gxh4 40.Nxa3 Rxh2
tinely swap the pieces off. Stay in the mid- important that White cannot contest the dark 4-+-zP-+-+$ According to plan, Black has traded her
dlegame and aim for the initiative. squares. This forms the larger part of Black's passed a-pawn for a passed h-pawn.
2) Isolated or doubled pawns generally mean 'compensation' for the pawn weakness) 3+-+-+-+-# 41.La4 Rxf2 42.Lxc6 h3 43.Nc4 Rf1
open lines next to those pawns. Get your 13.Kf2 00 14.h4 h6 15.g4 Rae8 16.Re1 44.Kb4
pieces on those open lines. Re7 17.Rg1 Kh8 18.Nxg6+ (paradoxical, 2r+L+-zPPzP" 44.Ne3? Rc1+ +.
3) If you must swap pieces, keep your active but he did not like 18.h5 Lh7 19.Ng2 Rfe8 1+-+KsN-+-! 44...h2 45.Ne3 Rb1+ 46.Kc5 f5!
pieces on the board at all cost. If you can tie 20.Nh4 [20.Rd1 f5! dissolving the doubled 46...Rc1+! 47.Nc4 f5 +.
the opponent down, you might be able to pawns!] 20...Lh2 21.Rh1 Lf4!, with a xabcdefghy 47.La8
stop him from realising his strategical ad- serious hit on the dark squares) 18...fxg6 32.Nd3? 47.Nxf5 Rc1+ 48.Kd6 Rxc6+ +.
vantage. Thus the matter is not clear-cut. 19.Ld3 Kg7 20.h5 g5 21.Re2 a6 22.Rd1 What a pity! The intrepid rook had to be 47...Re1 48.Nc4
Grischuk,A-Bruzon Bautista,L Wijk caught by 32.Kc1! Ra1+ 33.Lb1 Ra4 48.Nxf5 Ra1 49.Le4 Ra5+ 50.Kd6 Rxf5
Ivanchuk Vassily aan Zee 2005. At this level, the opposite- 34.Nc2 c5 35.Kb2 (not 35.dxc5? Rc4 and +.
Short Nigel coloured bishops mitigate in favour of a Black has an edge) 35...c4 36.La2! Ke7 48...Re4
D35 Linares 1992 draw. 37.Lb3! (a very neat way to win the rook) 01
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 10...Nd7 11.Ld3 a5 12.Nf3 Nb6 13.b3 37...cxb3 38.Kxb3 and again the pawn end-
5.Lg5 Lf5 6.e3 c6 7.Qf3 Lg6 8.Lxf6 Kd7 14.Ne1 Lb4 15.Nc2 Lxc3+ (D) ing loses for Black after 38...Rb4+ Bok Benjamin
Qxf6 9.Qxf6 gxf6 (D) 39.Nxb4 axb4 40.Kxb4.
XABCDEFGHY Kazhgaleyev Murtas
XABCDEFGHY 32...Ra1+ 33.Kd2 a4 Wijk aan Zee 2011
8r+-+-+-tr( The rook is no longer trapped, and therefore XABCDEFGHY
8rsn-+kvl-tr( it is Black who holds an edge!
7+p+k+p+p' 34.Kc3 a3 35.g3 (D) 8r+-+-+-+(
7zpp+-+p+p'
6-snp+-zpl+& XABCDEFGHY 7zpp+-+-+k'
6-+p+-zpl+&
5zp-+p+-+-% 8-+-+-mk-+( 6-+-zp-+-+&
5+-+p+-+-%
4-+-zP-+-+$ 7+-+-+p+p' 5+-+Pzp-+-%
4-+-zP-+-+$
3+PvlLzP-+-# 6-+p+-+p+& 4-zP-+PzpN+$
3+-sN-zP-+-#
2P+NmK-zPPzP" 5+-+-+-+-% 3+-+-+-+r#
2PzP-+-zPPzP"
1tR-+-+-+R! 4-+-zP-+-+$ 2P+-+-+-+"
1tR-+-mKLsNR!
xabcdefghy 3zp-mKN+-zP-# 1+-+-vLKtR-!
xabcdefghy Unstereotyped. Short supposedly gives up
On his road to the World Championship his main trump card. In reality Black is look-
2-+L+-zP-zP" xabcdefghy
final against Kasparov back in the early ing deeply into the position. White cannot 1tr-+-+-+-! The ending is dynamically equal, but very
1990's, Nigel Short seemed willing to play open up the game without preparing and complicated of course. Even with so few
all sorts of openings where doubled pawns carrying out the e4 advance, so Black takes xabcdefghy pieces, White plays for an attack on the king.
were involved. This is one such case in the
40.Nf6+ Kh8 47...Rxe5 48.Ld4 Rce8 49.Re6! + ; defend against any forthcoming black attack 21.Rxe1 Re8 22.Re5!
Black should be able to hold a draw after 47...Re2 48.Kg3 Rg8+ 49.Kxf3 Rxe5 and eventually round up the pawn on f3. Control of the position is what all strong
40...Kh6. A sample line runs: 41.Ng8+ 50.Ld4 Rf8+ 51.Kg4 Rff5 52.Lxe5+ Instead, after 11.d4 Black also has it all to chessplayers desire and this is what 22.Re5!
Kh5 42.Ne7 Rf3+ 43.Lf2 Ra3 44.Rh1+ Rxe5 53.Kf4 Rh5 54.Rd7 Kg8 55.b5 prove: 11...fxg2 12.Qf3 Re8 13.Lg5 a5 gives to Nakamura. 22.Rxe8+ Qxe8
Kg4 45.Rh4+ Kg5 46.Rh2 Kg4 47.Nf5 Kf8 56.Ke4 +. (13...Lg4 14.Qxg2 Lh5 15.Nd2 Qd6 23.Qe5 Qxe5 24.dxe5 might give Black
Rxa2 48.Nxd6 Kf3 49.Rh3+ Kg4 =. 48.Kg3 16.Re5 Lg6 17.Rae1 Kf8 18.Lh4 Ng8 some drawing chances.
41.Rg6?! 48.Lxa7. 19.Lg3 Qf6 20.Ne4 Lxe4 21.Qxe4 Qg6 22...Rxe5 23.dxe5 Lg6
41.b5!?. 48...a5 49.Rh6+ Kg7 50.Rg6+ Kh7 51.d6 22.Qe2 Rad8 23.d5 f6 24.Lc2 Qf7 23...Qg6 24.Qxg6 Lxg6 25.Ld5.
41...Rc8 Rd8 52.Re6 Rg8+?! 25.Re6 Rxd5 26.Lb3 Rg5 27.Re3 10 24.Qxg5 Qe4 25.Qd8+ Kh7 26.Qh4+
41...Rh1+! 42.Kf2 (42.Ke2 f3+ 43.Kf2 Black should draw with 52...Re4 53.Re7+ So,W-Shukuraliev,A Guangzhou 2010) Qxh4 27.gxh4 f6
Rc8 ) 42...Rc8 . (53.Kxf3 Rxe5 54.Rxe5 Rxd6) 53...Kg8 14.Nd2 a4 15.Lc2 Le6 16.Rxe6 fxe6 27...Lh5 28.Kh2 Kh6 29.Kg3 mops up,
42.Lf2! Ra3 54.Kxf3 Rxe5 55.Rxe5 Rxd6. 17.Qh3 g6 18.Re1 Qd6 19.Rxe6 Qd5 with the help of Ld1xf3.
Not 42...f3 43.Le3! + and since Black 53.Kh3?! 20.Nf3 Ld8 21.Rxf6 Lxf6 22.Lxf6 Rf8 28.exf6 gxf6 29.Ld5 (D)
cannot set-up a mating attack, the weakness White has excellent winning chances after 23.Lxg6 hxg6 24.Qh8+ Kf7 25.Qg7+ XABCDEFGHY
of d6 will tell. A sample line: 43...Rh1+ 53.Kxf3 Rf8+ 54.Kg2 Rb2 55.Re7+ Ke6 26.Qe7+ Kf5 27.Nh4+ Kg4
44.Kf2 Rc2+ 45.Kxf3 Rh3+ 46.Rg3 Kh6 (there are some neat tactics after 28.Qe2+ Kh3 29.Qe3+ 10 Shirov,A- 8-+-+-+-+(
(46.Kg4 Rg2+ 47.Kxh3 Rxg6 48.Ng4 + 55...Kg8 56.Ng4 Rd2 57.d7 a4 58.Kg3 a3 Lahno,K Benidorm 2008.
) 46...Rxg3+ 47.Kxg3 Rxa2 48.Ne8 +. 59.Le1! [59.Le3 Rd3 60.Nh6+ Kh8 11...Re8 12.d4
7+-zp-+-+k'
43.Ng4 Rxa2?! 61.Nf7+ Rxf7 62.Rxf7 a2 =] 59...Rd3+ 12.Qxf3 Lc5. 6p+-+-zpl+&
Black could have forced a repetition by 60.Kh4 a2 61.Lc3! Rxc3 62.Nf6+ +) 12...Lg4 13.Lg5 h6
means of 43...Rc1+ 44.Kg2 Rc2 45.Nf6 56.Kg3 Rb3+ 57.Kh4 Rb4+ 58.Ng4+ 13...Qd6 14.Qd3 h6 15.Lxf6 Lxf6 5+p+L+-+-%
(45.Kg1 Rc1+ 46.Kg2 Rc2 ; 45.Rh6+ Rxg4+ 59.Kxg4 Rxf2 60.d7 Rd2 61.Kf5 16.Nd2 Qxc6 17.Qg6 Le6 18.Qh5. 4-+-+-+-zP$
Kg7 46.Kf1 [46.Rxd6?? Rg3+ +] a4 62.Kf6!! (D) (62.Ke6 a3 63.Re8 a2 14.Lxf6 Lxf6 15.Nd2 Qd6 16.h3!
46...Rc1+ 47.Kg2 Rc2) 45...Rc8. 64.Ra8 Kg6! [64...Kg7 65.Rxa2! +] Very good timing. Far from helping Black, 3+-zP-+p+P#
44.Rxd6 65.d8Q [65.Rxa2? Rxa2 66.d8Q Re2+ the pawn on f3 is simply getting in his way! 2PzP-+-zP-+"
Now White has an edge. 67.Kd7 Rd2+ +] 65...Rxd8 66.Rxa2 =) 16...Lh5
44...f3 XABCDEFGHY Or 16...Rxe1+ (16...Lxh3 17.Qxf3 +) 1+-+-+-mK-!
44...Rc1+ 45.Kg2 Rc3 46.Rh6+! Kg7 17.Qxe1 Lxh3 18.Qe4! (D)
8-+-+-+-+( xabcdefghy
47.Rh3 Rxh3 48.Kxh3 b6 49.Lh4! and XABCDEFGHY You could say that this was the culmination
the pieces coordinate well.
45.Kg1! Re2 46.Kh2 Rxe4 (D)
7+p+PtR-+-' 8r+-+-+k+( of White's plan which began with 11.g3.
6-+-+-mK-mk& 29...a5 30.b4 axb4 31.cxb4 Ld3 32.Kh2
XABCDEFGHY 7+-zp-+pzp-' Lc4 33.Le4+
8-+r+-+-mk( 5+-+-+-+-% 6p+Pwq-vl-zp& 33.Lxf3 Lxa2.
33...Kh6 34.a3
7zpp+-+-+-' 4p+-+-+-+$ 5+p+-+-+-% Easy does it and total self-belief from Na-
6-+-tR-+-+& 3+-+-+-+-# 4-+-zPQ+-+$ kamura. He saw no ghosts, displayed no fear
of Short's attack and won comfortably in the
5+-+Pzp-+-% 2-+-tr-+-+" 3+LzP-+pzPl# end.
1+-+-+-+-! 10
4-zP-+r+N+$ 2PzP-sN-zP-+"
But how does one acquire this elusive
3+-+-+p+-# xabcdefghy 1tR-+-+-mK-! quality of self confidence? Here are some
White combines mating threats with support good starting tips:
2-+-+-vL-mK" for his passed pawn: 62...a3 (62...Kh5 xabcdefghy 1) Work hard.
1+-+-+-+-! 63.Re5+ Kg4 64.Ke7 Kf4 65.Ra5 +) which is an effective centralization. 2) Play a lot.
63.Re1! (63.Re3 Kh5 64.Ke7 a2 =) 17.Qc2 Lg5 18.Ne4 Qxc6 3) Listen to good advice from people you
xabcdefghy 63...Kh5 64.Ke7 +. 18...Qg6 19.Qd3 intending Lc2, is very respect and trust.
47.Nxe5! 53...Rb1 54.Re7+ good for White.
19.Nxg5 hxg5 20.Qf5 Rxe1+ Counterplay
White is better, but not winning. 54.Ng4.
20...Qg6 21.Qxg6 Lxg6 22.Ld5. Counterplay is the main currency of the
47...Rxb4 54...Kh6??
successful defender. You need to create a
This is a blunder, undoubtedly influenced by 28...Rg8+ 29.Kf2 Rg4
Basic Defence the fatigue of a long game and the time 29...Rg6 30.Nd3!.
situation on the clock. 54...Rg7! 55.Nxf3 30.Lb3 Rh4 31.Nc7 Ra7 32.Ne8!
Andrew Martin Rh1+ 56.Nh2 Rd1 57.Lg3 Kg8 should Starting the final attack on the king.
end in a draw. 32...Rxh2+ 33.Kg1 Rh4 34.Rf6 h6
Concept 5.00 Le7 6.Re1 b5 7.Lb3 00 8.c3 d5 55.Le3+ Rg5 35.Rf8+ Kh7 36.Rf7+ Kh8
The topic of defence will have to be ap- 9.exd5 e4?! (D) 55...Kh5 56.Rh7 #. Or 36...Kg6 37.Rg7+ Kh5 38.Lf7 # or
proached by the coach at some stage. It is so XABCDEFGHY 56.Nf7+ Kg6 57.Nxg5 Rd1 58.d7 a4 38.Nf6 #.
important when training young players to 59.Nxf3 Kf6 60.Lg5+ Kg6 61.Re6+ 37.Nf6
show them how to attack, how to create 8r+lwq-trk+( Kf5 62.Re5+ 10
combinations and to fire the imagination. And Black finally resigned!
But the other side of the coin is not so far
7+-zp-vlpzpp' 10 Navara David
away and learning how to defend is a most 6p+n+-sn-+& Spoelman Wouter
important skill. Vocaturo Daniele Wijk aan Zee 2011
The purpose of this short article is to help 5+p+P+-+-% Siebrecht Sebastian
the coach teach basic defence.
XABCDEFGHY
4-+-+p+-+$ Wijk aan Zee 2011
Let me list what I think are the skills
XABCDEFGHY 8r+l+-tr-mk(
needed to become a good defender and then 3+LzP-+N+-#
we will deal with them in order. 8r+-+-trk+( 7+pvl-wqpzp-'
2PzP-zP-zPPzP"
1) Self confidence.
7+p+-+p+p' 6-snp+-sn-zp&
2) Counterplay is the essence of defence. 1tRNvLQtR-mK-!
3) Exchanging can break an attack. 6p+-+-tRp+& 5zp-+-zp-+-%
4) Return material to get a good position. xabcdefghy
5) Attack with the maximum, defend with The 'Herman-Steiner' variation, considered 5+-+-zpl+-% 4-+-zP-+-sN$
the minimum. very dubious, but of course, very unclear.
4-+-+-+-+$ 3zPLsN-zP-+P#
Black can often whip up a dangerous attack.
Self-Belief It takes a great player like Nakamura to ex- 3+NsN-+-zP-# 2-zPQvL-zPP+"
Lets begin with self-belief. This is such an pose it.
10.dxc6 exf3 11.g3!? (D) 2PzPP+L+-zP" 1+-+-tRRmK-!
important quality which helps us to develop
our full potential. Most players have enor- XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-+-mK-! xabcdefghy
mous talent for chess which lies unfulfilled A complex position. Navara now embarks
simply because they do not believe in them- 8r+lwq-trk+( xabcdefghy on an interesting adventure:
selves. Material is equal. Nevertheless, the pieces 16.Lxf7!?
How does this apply to defence? Consider
7+-zp-vlpzpp' are doing very well indeed after Black is fairly comfortable after 16.Nf5
the following game. 6p+P+-sn-+& 23.g4! Lc8?! Lxf5 17.Qxf5 a4 18.La2 e4.
There are two important, interlinked com- The point is 23...Lxc2? 24.Na1! + or 16...Qxf7 17.dxe5
ponents which help a competitor to keep in 5+p+-+-+-% 23...Kg7 24.Rb6 or, finally, 23...Le6 Not 17.Ng6+ Kg8 18.dxe5 Nfd7 19.Nxf8
form. You have to play a lot and you have to
play with inspiration. Don't underestimate
4-+-+-+-+$ 24.Nc5. The best chance was 23...Ld7 (19.e6 Qxe6 20.Nxf8 Nxf8) 19...Nxe5
24.Nc5 (24.Lf3 Kg7 25.Rb6) 24...Lc6 when Black is better.
the second item on the shortlist. 3+LzP-+pzP-# 25.Lxa6 Kg7 26.g5 h6 27.h4 hxg5 28.hxg5 17...Nfd7 18.Ng6+ Kg8 19.Nxf8 Nxe5
Without inspiration it's easy to become
jaded and results can nosedive at this point.
2PzP-zP-zP-zP" Rh8 29.Le2 . 20.f4
24.Rb6 Speed is of the essence. White needs to push
At the London Chess Classic 2010 Nigel 1tRNvLQtR-mK-! Or 24.Nc5. his kingside/central majority, otherwise the
Short seemed to be lacking inspiration and at 24...Rd8 pieces will be too strong.
world-class level, any weakness is going to xabcdefghy No better is 24...f5 when 25.gxf5 Lxf5 20...Nec4 21.Lc1 Qxf8 22.b3!? Nxa3
be exploited. A remarkably self-confident move. It's very 22...Nd6 23.e4.
(25...gxf5 26.Nc5 Kg7 27.Nd5) 26.Rxb7
easy to see why 11.g3 has been more or less Lxc2 27.Nc5 should win. 23.Lxa3 Qxa3 24.Nb5 Qe7
Nakamura Hikaru ignored for so long as it seems to expose Perhaps 24...cxb5 25.Qxc7 Nd7! planning
25.Nc5 f5 26.gxf5 gxf5 27.Lc4+ Kh8
Short Nigel weak light squares around the white king. 26.e4? Qc5+ 27.Qxc5 Nxc5.
28.Nd5
C89 London 2010 But Short never even gets to close to getting
28.Ld5 was also very strong. 25.Nxc7 Qxc7 26.e4
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Lb5 a6 4.La4 Nf6 in. Basically Nakamura believes that he can
This is hard to assess. In principle Black is 31.Lxg7? Rd2 +. XABCDEFGHY Black's position looks scary with the king
better, unless White is able to push his 31...Rab8 32.h3 f6 being all exposed. However, it seemed that
pawns as fast as possible to prevent Black Again both sides have consolidated and play 8-+-+-+k+( Black is getting out of trouble with the fol-
from consolidating. remains equal. Black has blocked the diago- lowing combination:
26...Ld7 27.e5 Nd5 28.f5 Rf8 29.Rf3 b5 nal, while White has blocked the d-file and
7tr-sn-wq-+p' 1...Ra1+ 2.Kf2 Rf1+ 3.Kxf1 Lc4+
30.f6 Le8 31.Qf5 gxf6 32.exf6 Qf7?? has positioned his bishop in the best possible 6-+-+l+-vL& And winning White's queen.
This blunders the game. A draw is the out- way. 4.Ld3!!
come after 32...Kh8! 33.Rxe8! Rxe8 34.f7 33.Rb2 Qb5 34.Qb1 Qd5 35.Qd1 Rbc8 5+p+-wQL+-% First (instead of White moving his king out
Rf8 35.Qe6 Kh7 36.Qe4+ with a perpet- 36.Rd2 Qe6 37.Kh2 Rd7 38.g3 Rdc7 4-+-+-tR-+$ of the check) changes the whole picture.
ual. Shirov has doubled rooks on the c-file and is 4...Lxd3+ 5.Kf2 Qxe5
33.Rg3+ Kh8 34.Rg7 Qxg7 35.fxg7+ now ready to penetrate. 3+-zp-zP-+-# and now
Kxg7 36.Qe5+ Kg6 37.Qb8 Nf6 38.Re7 39.Lb2 2-+-+-+PzP" 6.Rf8 #
10 Tactically defending the square c1. is possible!
39...Qxa2 40.Le5 Qxd2? 1+-+-+-mK-! 10
Aronian Levon The proverbial mistake on move 40 (al-
Shirov Alexei though White is not winning yet). Correct xabcdefghy
Wijk aan Zee 2011 was 40...Rc1! 41.Qxc1 Rxc1 42.Rxa2
XABCDEFGHY fxe5 43.Rxa5 (43.Ng2?? b3 +) 43...Rxe1
44.Rb5 Rb1 45.Rxe5 b3 46.Rxe4 Rf1
8r+-+r+k+( 47.Rb4 Rxf2+ 48.Kg1 and the rook end- Fdration Internationale des checs (FIDE)
7+p+-+pzp-' ing is a draw.
41.Qxd2 fxe5 42.Qd5+
6-wQ-+l+-zp& Only White has chances here. However, the In FIDE and in the Trainers Commission we
knight is still passive and the passed pawns
5zp-sn-+-+q% on the queenside are a real issue. never joke about the quality of our plans and
4-+P+p+-+$ 42...Rf7 43.Kg2 Rcf8 44.h4 Kh8?!
general work. This fact allows us to joke about
44...a4 45.Qxe4 Rxf2+ 46.Kh3 a3 .
3+-+-zP-vL-# 45.Qxe4 Rxf2+?!
2P+-+-zPPzP" Exact calculation is required for the draw
everything else.
after 45...b3! 46.Nd3 b2 47.Nxe5 Rxf2+
1+R+RsN-mK-! 48.Kh3 Rf1 49.Ng6+ Kg8 50.Ne7+ Kh8
xabcdefghy (50...Kf7? 51.Nf5 b1Q 52.Qe7+ Kg6
53.h5+ Kxf5 [53...Kxh5 54.g4+ Kg6
Levon Aronian is a real genius in positions 55.Qxg7 #] 54.g4 #) 51.Ng6+ =.
with unequal material. Here he decides to 46.Kh3 b3 47.Nd3 b2 48.Qb7!?
unbalance the game with
48.Nxf2 Rxf2 49.Qa8+ Kh7 and White
24.Rd5!? Lxd5 25.Qxc5 Red8 26.cxd5 cannot win.
Qxd5 27.Qc2
48...R8f7?
As we know, trading queens is, in principle, The note to move 51 explains why this is a
what White should avoid: 27.Qxd5 Rxd5 mistake. Black could still draw with 48...a4
28.Rxb7 Rd2 29.a3 Ra2 and with such 49.Nxb2 a3 50.Nd3 a2 51.Qa6 Rd2
passive pieces White cannot be better. 52.Nb4 h5 53.Nxa2 Rff2 54.Qa8+ Kh7
27...b5 28.Qb2 b4 55.g4 =.
This is more or less forced after 24.Rd5. 49.Qb5! a4 50.Nxb2 a3 51.Nd3 Rf1
Play is dynamically equal. 51...a2 52.Nxf2 a1Q 53.Qe8+ Kh7
29.Le5 Qd2 54.Qxf7 shows why Shirov's 48th move
Again Shirov offers to trade queens. was a mistake.
30.Qa1 52.Qa4 Rh1+ 53.Kg4
30.Lxg7 Qxb2 31.Lxb2 Rd2 . And Black resigned
30...Qe2 31.Ld4 10
Black with his last move (...Lxc1) was hop- both the f- and g-pawns of White's have ad-
ing to simply trade bishops before getting vanced already. A Very Special Ending
out of the pin (on the d-file). It turned out to 5.Qc7 Rxb2 6.a4 Lh3 7.a5 Rg2+ 8.Kh1
be a mistake as White has another and better Ra2 Uwe Boensch
option than the immediate recapture on c1. Now the a-pawn is lost too. White resigned.
16.Rxd7! Qxd7 17.Qg4 Qxf5 01 Concept 37.Kf3 e5 38.Lc3 g4+ 39.Kg2 fxe4
Or 17...g6 18.Nxh6+ Lxh6 19.Qxd7. On July 11th, 1972 in Reykjavik, the fa- 40.Kxh2 Kd5 [40...e3 41.Kg2 e4 {41...e2
18.exf5 Hromadka Karel mous World Championship match Spassky 42.f4 gxf3+ {42...exf4 43.gxf4 Ke6 44.Kf2
And White won. Prokop Frantisek vs Fischer started. The first game was Kf5 45.Le5 +} 43.Kxf3 Kc5 44.Kxe2
10 Prague 1926 marked by an unforced bishop sacrifice in Kxb5 45.Lxe5 +} 42.Kf1! Kc5 43.a4
XABCDEFGHY the ending, which will be our theme in this Kc4 44.Le1 Kd3 (D) {44...Kb3 45.a5
Arakhamia Grant Ketevan survey: Kc4 46.axb6 axb6 47.Ke2 exf2 48.Lxf2
Spassky Boris 8-+-+-+k+( Kxb5 49.Ld4 Kc6 50.Ke3 +}
Roquebrune 1998 Spassky Boris
7+-wql+p+-' Fischer Robert
XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+(
6p+-zp-+pzp& Reykjavik 1972
8-+-tr-+k+( XABCDEFGHY 7zp-+-+-+p'
5+pzpPvl-+-%
7+p+-+-zp-' 8-+-+-mk-+( 6-zp-+-+-+&
4-+-zp-sN-zP$
6-zpn+-tr-zp& 7zpp+-+-zpp' 5+P+-+-+-%
3+-+P+-zPL#
5+-wqp+-+-% 6-+-vlpzp-+& 4P+-+p+p+$
2PzPP+QzP-mK"
4-+p+lzPL+$ 5+P+-+-+-% 3+-+kzp-zP-#
1+-+-+-+-!
3zP-zP-wQNzP-# 4-+-+-+-+$ 2-+-+-zP-+"
xabcdefghy
2-zP-+-+-zP" Here Black played 3zP-+KzP-+-# 1+-+-vLK+-!
1+-+RtR-mK-! 1...Lxf4?
2-+-+-zPPzP" xabcdefghy
With hopes to ruin White's pawn structure.
xabcdefghy However, Black forgets that White doesn't 1+-vL-+-+-! 45.fxe3 Kxe3 46.Lc3 Kd3 {46...Kf3
Here the ex-World Champion played have to recapture but has a better move: 47.Le5 h5 48.Lb8 e3 49.Lxa7 h4 50.gxh4
1...Lxf3 2.Qe7! xabcdefghy g3 51.Lxb6 +} 47.Le5 Kd2 {47...e3
His opponent decided not to recapture right This pin and the entrance to the seventh rank 29...Lxh2?! 48.Ke1 +} 48.Lf4+ e3 49.Lh6 Kd3
away, but to first exchange the queens with is very powerful. A dubious choice by the future 11th World 50.Ke1 Kc4 51.Lf4 Kb4 52.Lb8 Kxa4
2.Qxc5? 2...Lc1 3.Le6! Champion. Even if this move is sufficient 53.Lxa7 Kxb5 54.Ke2 +] 41.Kg2 e3
White overlooked (or underestimated) that This is a pretty move using the fact that for a draw, it in any case makes play more 42.Kf1! +) 31...Kd6 32.La3+ Ke5 33.e4
Black has another option than the natural Black's bishop is pinned. difficult for Black in the future. Right at the f5 (33...g5 34.Lb2+ Kd6 35.Lxf6 +)
recapture on c5. Black responded with the 3...Qc8 start of the search for a move, a goal must be 34.Lb2+ Kd6 35.Lxg7 f4 36.g4 Kc5
unexpected After 3...fxe6 4.dxe6 White's passed pawn is formulated which is based on an evaluation 37.Lf8+ Kb6 38.Lb4 f3 39.Ke3 +.
2...Lxd1!! unstoppable. of the position. Here Fischer over-estimated 31.Ke2 h4
Now Black will have a rook, a bishop, and a 4.Lxf7+ Kg7 his position and set himself an over- If Black plays 31...g5 32.Kf3 g4+ 33.Kg2
knight for the white queen and pawn. This in 4...Kh8 would only shorten the end by two ambitious goal. After 29...Ke7 30.h3 h4 34.Kxh2 h3 then White wins with 35.f3
itself isn't necessarily a decisive material moves: 5.Qf6+ Kh7 6.Lxg6+ Kg8 (30.Ke4 f5+ 31.Kd4? Lxh2) 30...e5 = fol- f5 36.e4 Ke7 (36...gxf3 37.Kxh3 fxe4
advantage, but combined with the weak- 7.Qf7+ Kh8 8.Qh7 #. lowed by 31...Ke6, Fischer had no problems 38.Le3 +) 37.e5 +. See the variations
nesses around the white king, it gives Black 5.Le8+ Kg8 6.Qf7+ in drawing. after 32...g5 instead of 32...Ke7.
the upper hand. And Black resigned as mate is unavoidable. 30.g3 h5 32.Kf3
3.Qxb6 Lxg4 4.Qxb7?! 10 30...Ke7!? (maybe this would be the best After 32.gxh4? Ld6 Black's strategy works
This only makes life easier for Black. practical try) 31.a4 (31.Ld2 Kd6 32.Lb4+ and he can continue to play for a win.
4...Rb8 Boz Haluk Ke5 [32...Kd7 33.Ke4 e5 34.Kf3 +] 33.
32...Ke7 (D)
Now the rook enters to the second rank Denni Helene e4 f5 [33...g5 34.Lc3+ Kd6 35.Lxf6 +] 32...h3 leads to a win for White after
which is very strong, especially because Correspondence 1963 34.Lc3+ Kd6 35.Ke3 g5 36.Ld4 b6
33.Kg4 Lg1 34.Kxh3 Lxf2 35.Ld2! +. If 36...Kc5 there then follows 37.La3+ 5.Nc5! Simagin Vladimir
32...g5?! 33.Kg2 g4 34.Kxh2 h3 35.f3 f5 Kc4 38.Lf8 g6 39.Le7! f5 40.Kf4 Kd5 This is the second intermediate move, Beilin Mikhail Abramovich
(35...gxf3 36.Kxh3 f5 37.e4! fxe4 38.Le3 41.Lf6 a6 42.b6 Kc6 43.Ke5! Kxb6 threatening to fork with Nd7+. Vilnius 1946
+) 36.e4 Ke7 37.e5! a6 38.a4 axb5 44.Ld8+ Kc5 45.a5! winning. 5...Ke7 6.axb5! XABCDEFGHY
39.axb5 Kf7 40.Le3 Kg6 41.Kg1 Kh5 37.La3 Ke4 As an end result of the combination, White
(41...f4 42.Lxf4 Kf5 [42...gxf3 43.g4 +] This move was criticised by many commen- is up a pawn. 8r+-+-trk+(
43.fxg4+ Kxg4 44.Kh2 +) 42.Kf1 gxf3 tators. But it is no worse than the moves 6...Nd6 7.Ra1 Nc8 8.Lc4 Lg8 9.f4 Lf7 7+N+-+qzp-'
43.Kg1 Kg4 44.Kh2 f2 (44...f4 45.gxf4 f2 suggested: 37...a6, 37...Kc4 or 37...e5: 10.e5
46.Lxf2 Kxf4 47.Lg3+ Kg4 48.b6 +) 37...e5 38.Kg4 Ke4 39.Lc5 a6 (39...b6? Soon all of the black pieces will become 6p+-+Rsnpzp&
45.Lxf2 Kf3 46.Lb6 f4 47.gxf4 Kxf4 40.Lxb6! axb6 41.a5 f5+ 42.Kg5 f4 paralyzed and the white king can freely enter
48.Lc7 Kg4 49.Ld6 Kh4 50.Le7+ Kg4 43.exf4 exf4 44.a6 f3 45.a7 f2 46.a8Q+ the Black camp. 5+p+-+-+-%
51.Lf6 +. Ke3 47.Qg2 +). 10...fxe5 11.fxe5 Rb6 12.Ke3 Le8 (D) 4-+-zP-+-+$
XABCDEFGHY 37...a6 38.b6 (38.bxa6 bxa6 39.Kf4 Kc4 XABCDEFGHY 3+Q+-+-+-#
40.Le7 is not enough for a win either:
8-+-+-+-+( [40.Lf8 g5+ 41.Kf3 {41.Ke4 a5 42.Le7 8-+n+l+-+( 2PzP-+-zPPzP"
f5+ 43.Kf3 g4+ 44.Kf4 Kb3 {44...Kd3? 7zp-+-mk-zp-'
7zpp+-mk-zp-' 45.Lg5! +} 45.Lh4 Kxa4 46.Ke5 Kb3 1+-tR-+-mK-!
6-+-+pzp-+& 47.Kxe6 Kc4 48.Kxf5 Kd3 49.e4 a4 50.e5 6-tr-+p+-zp& xabcdefghy
a3 51.e6 a2 52.Lf6 g3 53.e7 a1Q!
5+P+-+-+-% {53...g2?? 54.e8Q g1Q 55.Qb5+ Kc2
5+PsN-zP-+-% In the position above, White is a pawn up.
4-zPL+-+-+$ White's last move was Nxb7. The knight on
4-+-+-+-zp$ 56.Qc4+ Kd1 57.Qd3+ Kc1 58.Qc3+
Kd1 59.Qa1+ +} 54.Lxa1 g2 55.e8Q b7 is now indirectly protected due to the
3zP-+-zPKzP-# g1Q g1Q with a draw} 41...Kd3 42.Le7 3+-+-mK-+-# discovery threats in the air. Remarkably,
Black has a way to still win a piece.
2-+-+-zP-vl" g4+ 43.Kf2 g3+ 44.Kf3 g2 45.Kxg2 Kxe3 2-+-+-+PzP" 1...Nd5!
=] 40...Kd3 41.a5 e5+ 42.Kf3 g5 43.Lxf6
1+-vL-+-+-! g4+ 44.Kf2 g3+ 45.Kxg3 Kxe3 = ; 38.Lf8 1tR-+-+-+-! This powerful intermediate move wins!
2.Re2
xabcdefghy axb5 39.axb5 Ke4 40.Lxg7 [40.Kf2 f5 xabcdefghy The knight (on d5) couldn't be captured be-
41.Lxg7 e5 and ...f4 = ; 40.Lc5 e5 =]
33.Kg2 hxg3 34.fxg3 Lxg3 35.Kxg3 Kd6 13.Ra6! cause of the back rank problem: 2.Qxd5
40...Kxe3 41.Lxf6 b6 42.Ld8 Kd3 Qxf2+ 3.Kh1 Qf1+ with a back rank mate.
36.a4! This move indirectly protects the b5 pawn. If
43.Lxb6 Kc4 = ; 38.Kf4 g5+ 39.Kf3 axb5
The bishop should be brought into play via now 13...Lxb5 14.Rxb6. 2...Qxb7 3.Rc5 Rad8 4.Re5 Qf7!
40.axb5 g4+! 41.Kxg4 Ke4 42.Lc5 e5
a3 and in addition the b5-pawn will be pro- 13...Ld7 14.Kd4 Le8 01
43.Kh5 f5 44.Kg6 f4 45.exf4 exf4 46.Kf6
tected. Black has no choice but to sit and watch
Kd5 47.Lf2 b6! =) 38...Kc6 39.a5 (39.Lf8 Balashov Yuri
36...Kd5 (D) how White improves his position move by
Kxb6 40.Lxg7 Ka5 41.Lxf6 Kxa4 Biyiasas Peter
XABCDEFGHY move.
42.Kf4 b5 43.Ke5 b4 44.Kxe6 b3 45.Kd5 Manila 1976
15.h4 Ld7 16.Le2 Rb8 17.Nxd7 Kxd7
8-+-+-+-+( Kb4! [45...Ka3?] 46.e4 a5 =) 39...Kd5.
18.Lf3! XABCDEFGHY
37...Kc4?! 38.Lf8 g6 (38...Kb3 39.a5
7zpp+-+-zp-' [39.Lxg7? Kxa4 40.Lxf6 Kxb5 41.Kf4
This move stops any plan of counterplay to 8r+-wq-trk+(
activating the black rook through b7-c7.
6-+-+pzp-+&
Kc4 42.Ld4 a5 43.Ke5? {43.Kf3 =}
18...Rb6 7+pzpl+pzp-'
43...b5 44.Kxe6 a4 45.Lf6 b4 46.e4 a3 Naturally, the b5-pawn was taboo because of
5+P+k+-+-% 47.Kf7 b3 48.e5 b2 49.e6 b1Q 50.e7 Qh7+ the fork (with Lc6+).
6p+n+-+-zp&
51.Kf8 - the 'wrong' side is having to fight 19.Kc5 Rb8 20.h5 Kd8 21.Lc6 Ke7 5+-+-zpN+-%
4P+-+-+-+$ for a draw] 39...g5 40.a6 bxa6 41.bxa6 f5
22.Ra3 Kf7 23.Le4
3+-+-zP-mK-# 42.Kf3 g4+ 43.Kf4 Kc4 [43...e5+ Now Black is helpless; either the white king
4-+-+P+-+$
44.Kxe5 g3 45.Lc5 Kc4 46.Lxa7 Kb5 will enter to c6 or the rook through the d- or 3+LzP-+Q+-#
2-+-+-+-+" 47.Kxf5 Kxa6 48.Ld4 g2 49.e4 +] f-files.
1+-vL-+-+-! 44.Ld6 Kb5 45.Kg5 Kxa6 46.Kf6 Kb5 23...Ke7 24.Kc6 Kd8 25.Rd3+ Ke7
2PzP-+-zPPzP"
47.Kxe6 Kc4 48.Kxf5 Kd3 49.e4 a5 50.e5 26.Kc7 1tR-vlR+-mK-!
xabcdefghy g3 51.e6 g2 52.Lh2 +) 39.Le7 f5 40.Kf4 10
Kb3 41.a5 Kc4 42.a6 bxa6 43.bxa6 Kb5 xabcdefghy
rook to d8. No, as after the immediate cap- In hopes for perpetual checks... 44.Ke5 Kxa6 45.Lc5! +. [47...Ke4 48.Kf6 g3 49.Lxe5 g2 50.Lh2
ture on d3, White has a hidden trap with 7...Qxd3 8.Qe5+ Kg8 9.Qxe6+ Kg7 38.Lc5! a6 +] 48.Kf6 g2 49.Lxe5+ Ke4 50.Lh2 +)
2.Rxc3!, using Black's back rank weakness. 10.Qe7+ Kg6 11.Qe6+ Kg5 12.Qe7+ 38...b6? 39.Lxb6 axb6 40.a5 +. 44.Kg6! a5 45.Kf6 Ke4 46.Lxe5 Kd5
Kf5 13.Qf7+ Kg4 14.f3+ Kg3 15.Qg7+
XABCDEFGHY Kf4 16.Qh6+ Ke5 17.Qg5+ Ke6
39.b6! f5 40.Kh4 f4? 47.Lc7 g4 48.Kf5 Kc4 49.Kxg4 Kb4
Fischer does not find the best defence and 50.Kf5 Kxa4 51.Ke5 Kb5 52.Kd6 a4
8-+-tr-+-mk( True, there were many checks, but finally quickly loses. With 40...Kd5 he could have 53.Ld8 a3 54.Kc7 a2 55.Lf6 Ka6 56.La1
White is running out of them. put up stiffer resistance: 41.Lb4! (41.Ld4? + ; 42...e5 43.Kg6 e4 44.Kxg7 e3
7+p+-+p+p' 01 f4 42.Lxg7 fxe3 43.Kg3 Kc5 44.a5 Kb4 45.Lxe3+ Kxe3 46.Kf6 Kd4 47.Ke6
6p+p+lwq-+& Alekhine Alexander 45.Kf3 Kxa5 46.Ld4 e5 47.Lxe3 Kb5 Kc4 48.a5 +.
48.Ke4 a5 49.Kxe5 Kc6! 50.Ke4 a4 43.Le3
5+-+-+N+-% Bogoljubow Efim
51.Kd3 a3 52.Kc2 Kd7 53.Kb3 Kc8 Other bishop moves such as, for example
Wiesbaden 1929
4PzP-+PwQ-zP$ XABCDEFGHY 54.Lf4 a2 55.Kxa2 Kd7 = Blacks king 43.La3, 43.Lf2 and 43.Le7 also win.
cant be driven away from its pawn ; 41.Lf8 43...Ke4
3+-vlL+-+-# 8-tr-trnmk-+( g6 [41...Ke4 42.Lxg7 Kxe3 43.a5 f4 43...g6+ 44.Kh6 e5 45.Lg5 e4 46.Le3
2-+-+-zPP+" 7zpp+-+-zpl'
44.Kg4 f3 45.Lf8 f2 46.Lc5+ Ke2 Kf6 47.Ld2 Kf5 48.Lg5 +.
47.Lxf2 Kxf2 48.Kf4 Ke2 49.Ke5 Kd3 44.Lf2
1+-tR-+-mK-! 6-+-+pzp-zp& 50.Kxe6 +] 42.Kg5 Ke4 43.Kf6! Kxe3 44.Lg5 Kd5 45.Kg6 Kc5 46.Le3+ Kb4
xabcdefghy 44.Kxe6 Kd4 45.Kd7 f4 46.Ld6 f3 47.Kf7! (47.Kxg7? Kxa4 48.Kf6 Kb5
Therefore, it is very important to first in-
5sN-+-+-+-% 47.Lg3 +) 41...Ke4 (41...Kc6 42.a5 Kd5 49.Kxe6 Kc6 =) 47...Kxa4 48.Kxe6 Kb5
43.Kg5 Ke4 44.Kg6 Kxe3 45.Kxg7 e5 49.Kd7 +.
clude the trade with 4PzP-snP+-+$ [45...Kd4 46.Kf6 Kd5 47.Ld2 Kd6 44...Kf5 45.Lh4 e5
1...Lxf5
Now after
3+-sN-+P+-# 48.Lf4+ Kd5 49.Le5 Kc4 50.Kxe6 Kb4 45...g6+ 46.Kh6 e5 47.Lg5 e4 48.Ld2
51.Kd7 Kxa5 52.Kc7 +] 46.Kf6 Ke4 Kf6 (48...Kg4 49.Kxg6 Kf3 50.Kf5 e3
2.e5!! (D) 2-+-+-mKPzP" 47.Ld6 +) 42.Lf8 Kxe3 (42...g6 43.Kg5 51.La5 +) 49.Le3 Kf5 50.Lg5 +
Is White still saved? 2.exf5 Rxd3 Black is
already free to escape with the king via g7. 1+-tRR+L+-! Kxe3 44.Kxg6 +) 43.Lxg7 f4 44.a5 f3 (zugzwang).
45.Lf8 f2 (45...e5 46.Kg3 Ke2 47.Lc5 e4 46.Lg5 e4 47.Le3 Kf6 48.Kg4 Ke5
Not quite! xabcdefghy 48.Kf4 Kd3 [48...f2 49.Lxf2 Kxf2 49.Kg5 Kd5 50.Kf5 a5
XABCDEFGHY Black almost managed to get out of his trou- 50.Kxe4 +] 49.Le3 +) 46.Lc5+ Kf3 50...Kc4 51.Kxe4 Kb4 52.Kd5 Kxa4
8-+-tr-+-mk( bles, all he needs is, to play ...e5 and then his 47.Lxf2 Kxf2 48.Kg5 Ke3 49.Kf6 Kd4 53.Kd6 Kb5 54.Kc7 a5 55.Kxb7 +.
only real bad piece can get back to the game 50.Kxe6 +. 51.Lf2 g5 52.Kxg5 Kc4 53.Kf5 Kb4
7+p+-+p+p' with ...Lg8. But it is White's turn and 41.exf4 Kxf4 (D) 54.Kxe4 Kxa4 55.Kd5 Kb5 56.Kd6 (D)
Alekhine found a nice way to make use of XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
6p+p+-wq-+& the temporary discoordination between the
5+-+-zPl+-% black pieces. After a difficult start, Black is 8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+(
close to getting out of his troubles. All he
4PzP-+-wQ-zP$ needs to play is e6-e5 and then Black's only
7+p+-+-zp-' 7+p+-+-+-'
3+-vlL+-+-# real bad piece can get back to the game with
Lg8.However, it is White's turn and
6pzP-+p+-+& 6-zP-mK-+-+&
2-+-+-zPP+" Alekhine found a nice way to make use of 5+-vL-+-+-% 5zpk+-+-+-%
the temporary lack of coordination between 4P+-+-mk-mK$ 4-+-+-+-+$
1+-tR-+-mK-! the Black pieces.
xabcdefghy 2.Nb5! Nxb5 3+-+-+-+-# 3+-+-+-+-#
This is forced. Otherwise, Black would lose
2...Ld2!! 3.Qxd2
the a7-pawn.
2-+-+-+-+" 2-+-+-vL-+"
3.exf6 Lxf4.
3...Qxh4 4.Rc3 Qd4 3.Rxd8 Rxd8 4.Nxb7! 1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
The first intermediate move!
And the pin is deadly. Here are the rest of
4...Rb8 xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
the moves of the game:
If 4...Rd2+ then 5.Ke3 Nbd6 6.Kxd2 42.Kh5! Kf5 Spassky played superbly: 56....a4 57.Kc7
5.e6 fxe6 6.Qe1 Lxd3 Ka6 58.Lg3 a3 59.Le5 a2 60.La1 +.
Nxb7 7.Rc8 followed by 7.Ra8 and 42...g5 43.Ld6+ e5 (43...Kf5 44.a5 e5
Here White tried his last chance:
8.Rxa7 with an easy win for White. 45.Lc5 Kf4 46.Kg6 g4 47.Ld6! g3 10
7.Rxd3
Finding Moves Zwischenzug
Uwe Boensch Susan Polgar
Concept refutations. Concept In the next example, everything seems to
The most important aspects of the algo- Eliminate alternatives until only a single As you probably already know, the Ger- be fine for Black. However, Black has a
rithm for finding moves (according to move is left. man word zwischenzug stands for inter- problem. The bishop on b4 is on an unpro-
C.Lutz): Compare: a) the opponents options; b) the mediate move or in-between move. This tected square which enables White to win a
1. Evaluate the position and formulate a position. important topic, however, is often forgotten pawn.
realistic goal. 4. Calculate and evaluate the candidate in many books on chess tactics. I found over
Evaluation of the position according to moves. the years that even good players simply Polgar Susan
specific criteria. Calculate the candidate moves in turn (us- forget about zwischenzug a lot more fre- Cuijpers Frans Andre
Which goal should be achieved? (equality, ing steps 2 and 3 recursively). quently than they do about other types of Wijk aan Zee 1986
an advantage, counterplay, etc.). Note the results, evaluate the position. tactics such as forks, pins, or discoveries etc. XABCDEFGHY
Which manoeuvres (exchanges, etc.) make How reliable is the evaluation? Lets first see a couple of simple examples
sense?. Which variations are forced (candidate from my own experience. 8r+-wq-trk+(
The evaluation and the goals determine the variations)?
Rodriguez Daniel
7zpp+n+pzp-'
search. Keep an eye open for safety nets.
If the aim is not achieved, then a new goal Is the calculation stopped too soon / too Polgar Susan 6-+p+psnp+&
must be formulated (steps 5 and 6). late? Tunja 1989
Has anything new been spotted during the XABCDEFGHY 5+-+p+-+-%
2. Search for the appropriate candidate
moves. search?
8r+-+kvl-tr( 4-vlPzP-+-+$
Search for candidate moves: these are 5. Is it worth repeating the calculation? 3+ sN-zPN+-#
moves which you think of straight away (at Was an appropriate candidate move found? 7zpp+-+pzpp'
most, 3 to 6 moves). How much thinking time do you still have
6-+N+psn-+& 2PzP-vLQzPPzP"
First sift through and evaluate the candi- left?
date moves, then calculate. Have new ideas cropped up? 5wq-+-+-+-% 1tR-+-+RmK-!
Have certain types of candidate move been The move has been found and there is little
4-+-zP-+-+$ xabcdefghy
overlooked? thinking time left and no new ideas: go How can White win a pawn?
Questions: What is the disadvantage of the straight to step 7. 3+-sN-+-+P# 11.Nxd5! Nxd5
opponents last move? How can I improve The move has been found and you have a 11...Lxd2 12.Nxf6+ intermediate check.
the position of a piece? etc. lot of thinking time left and/or new ideas 2PzP-+lzPP+" 12.cxd5 Lxd2
Dvoretskys question: What is my oppo- have been found: formulate an optimistic
nent intending? goal, move to step 6 and continue calculat-
1tR-vLQ+RmK-! Now comes another intermediate move:
13.dxe6! La5
Things which are hard to spot: long moves, ing candidate variations. xabcdefghy After 13...Lxe3 14.Qxe3 Black is down a
moving a piece backwards, quiet moves, No move has been found and there is This game is from the World Junior Cham- pawn too.
moves which put a piece on a square which plenty of thinking time left, and possibly pionship. My opponent's last move was 14.exd7 Lc7 15.b4 Qxd7 16.Rab1
is being attacked, moves along the same new ideas have cropped up: search for op- 12.Nxc6, assuming that I would either re- White is up a pawn and I won this game.
line, delayed moves, etc. tions you may have overlooked, get rid spond with the natural ...bxc6 or ...Lxd1. 10
During the search, new candidate moves of any ballast (Dvoretsky) and move to step However, he was up for an unpleasant sur-
might appear. 6. prise as I chose neither. I went with the in- Now let's see some examples from other
No move has been found and there is little termediate move
3. Classify and compare candidate moves. players.
The variation tree should be kept as small thinking time left: formulate a pessimistic 12...Qxc3
as possible. goal and move to step 6. Instead. This wins a piece! Tiviakov Sergei
The first moves to consider are captures, 6. Restarting the calculation with different 13.Qxe2 Giorgadze Giorgi
checks and forcing moves. goals and new ideas. Or 13.bxc3 Lxd1 14.Rxd1 bxc6. Gausdal 1992
Promising combination? First eliminate According to circumstances, return to step 13...Qxc6
weaker defences. 1 and formulate a new goal (this should re- And I won a little later. Can Black win a piece here by capturing
Doubtful combination? First look for direct main an exception). 01 with 1...Rxd3? Then if 2.Qb8+, retreat the
was one of the painful moments of my ca- Here are the rest of the moves of the game: 7. Is the planned move a blunder? White has a great material advantage, he will
reer where I missed the final touch to a 'per- 20...Nc6 21.Ld5 Rf8 22.f7 Nd8 23.Lxb7 Check the planned move again to see not be able to win. The correct evaluation is,
fect' game. What I played also wins but it Nxb7 24.Rg3 Rxf7 25.Re3 Nd8 26.b5 whether it is a blunder. for the moment, almost beyond the reach of
was not as precise. Being happy with a tech- Rf4 27.d3 d5 28.Re7 dxc4 29.dxc4 Nf7 If the move is a blunder: return to step 6 even the strongest engines.
nical win, I played If 29...Rxc4 30.Rd1 Rd4 31.Rxd4 cxd4 and formulate a new goal. 1...a2 2.Kb2 Ra3! 3.Ka1 Kd7
XABCDEFGHY 32.Rxa7. If the move is not a blunder, go to step 8. 3...Ra4 4.a7 Ra5 5.f5! - see main variation.
30.Rd1 Ng5 31.Rxa7 Rxc4 32.Ra6 Rc2 8. Play the move! 4.a7 Ke7 (D)
8rsn-+-+-+( 33.Rxb6 c4 34.a4 Ra2 35.Ra6 Nf3+ XABCDEFGHY
7zpl+-+-+p' 36.Kf1 Nd2+ 37.Rxd2 Rxd2 38.Rc6 Example 1 - Van Scheltinga
Rc2 39.b6 XABCDEFGHY 8R+-+-+-+(
6-zp-zp-zPpmk& 10 7zP-+-mkp+-'
5+-zp-+L+-% 8R+-+-+-+(
Conclusion 7+-+-mkp+-' 6-+-+p+p+&
4-zPP+-+-+$ But how would you know when to stop
5+-+pzP-zP-%
3zP-+-+-+-# your calculation during a game? When did 6P+-+p+p+&
you calculate deep enough? Well, there is no
5+-+pzP-zP-% 4-+-zP-zP-+$
2-+-zP-zP-zP" magic rule.
Generally speaking, when there are no 4-+-zP-zP-+$ 3tr-+-+-+-#
1tR-+-mK-tR-! more forceful moves (such as check, capture 2p+-+-+-+"
xabcdefghy of attacking a piece) in sight, it is a good 3zp-+-+-+r#
time to stop and evaluate the position at the 2-+ mK-+-+" 1mK-+-+-+-!
20.Le6 end of the variation.
And missed the outstanding finish to this Remember, many games are decided by 1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy
beautiful game with 20.Rb1! and after who calculates further. And indeed in sharp 5.f5!
20...gxf5 followed by 21.Rb3 when it and tactical positions, this could prove to be xabcdefghy If this pawn sacrifice had not been calcu-
would have been 'game over' immediately. decisive. This is a demanding example, illustrating the lated, then White would be losing.
necessity for deep calculation of variations. 5...exf5
The choice of the first move will depend on [5...gxf5 is refuted by 6.g6 (or 6.Rh8)
these very calculations. The original comes 6...fxg6 7.Rh8 g5 8.a8Q Rxa8 9.Rxa8 g4
from Van Scheltinga. 10.Rg8 Kf7 11.Rg5 +.
FIDE TRG 1.Kc2! (D) 6.e6!
XABCDEFGHY Once more this is the only move which does
not lose, but it wins the game for White.
8R+-+-+-+( 6...f4!
Trainers 7+-+-mkp+-' 6...fxe6 7.Rh8 e5 8.a8Q Rxa8 9.Rxa8 f4
(9...e4 10.Ra7+ Kd6 11.Ra6+ Ke7
6P+-+p+p+& 12.Kxa2 e3 13.Kb3 e2 14.Ra1 f4 15.Kc3
f3 16.Kd2 +) 10.Kxa2 f3 (10...Ke6
Awards 5+-+pzP-zP-% 11.Re8+ Kf5 12.dxe5 +) 11.Kb3 f2
4-+-zP-zP-+$ 12.Ra1 e4 13.Kc3 e3 14.Kd3 +.
7.Rh8!! (D)
3zp-+-+-+r# (see next diagram)
2-+K+-+-+" The actual point, which was hard to calcu-
The Tree of Chess 1+-+-+-+-! late. 7.exf7? is only good enough for a draw.
After 7...Kxf7 8.Rh8 f3 9.a8Q Rxa8
xabcdefghy 10.Rxa8 f2 11.Ra7+ the black monarch
1.a7? a2 2.Re8+ Kxe8 3.a8Q+ Ke7 cannot go to the 6th rank, since then Ra6+
Trophy 4.Qb7+ Kf8 5.Qc8+ Kg7 6.Qc1 Rb3 followed by Rf6 wins for White. Nor can it
7.Qa1 Ra3 =. This position had to have get any closer to the white rook since it has
been foreseen and evaluated. Although to guard the f-file.
XABCDEFGHY Example 2 - Gurgenidze 13...g6 after a lengthy thought. She clearly knight to e5. Fortunately, I found the elegant
XABCDEFGHY anticipated the upcoming sacrifice but mis- 15.Le4!! move which unpins my knight.
8-+-+-+-tR( evaluated its outcome. After that White wins. For example,
7zP-+-mkp+-' 8-+k+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY 15...Lxe4 (15...dxe5 16.Lxb7 Nxe2
17.Kxe2 Qxb7 18.Qxe5 f6 19.Qe6+ Rf7
6-+-+P+p+& 7mK-zp-+-+-' 8rsn-wq-trk+( 20.gxf6) 16.Nc6 Nd3+ 17.Kf1. Also after
5+-+p+-zP-% 6-+-+-+-+& 7zpl+-+p+p' 14...Qe8 (14...dxe5 15.Qxe5 Ng2+
16.Rxg2 f6 17.Le6+) the same idea pre-
4-+-zP-zp-+$ 5+-zP-zp-+-% 6-zp-zp-+p+& vails: 15.Le4!! Lxe4 16.Ng4.
3tr-+-+-+-# 4LzP-+-+-+$ 5+-zp zpLzP-% 15.Nxf7!!

A second sacrifice! If now 15...Kxf7 then
2p+-+-+-+" 3zp-+-+-+-# 4-zPP+-sn-+$ 16.Qg7+ Ke8 17.Lf6 and the black queen
2-+-+-+-+" is trapped. Therefore 17...Rxf6 is a must but
1mK-+-+-+-! 3zP-wQ-+N+-# after 18.gxf6 Black is lost. The idea behind
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-! 2-vL-zPPzP-zP" this sacrifice is that if I capture 15.Kxe2
xabcdefghy now, then after 15...dxe5 16.Qxe5? Black
7...f3 1tR-+-mK-tR-! can pin the white queen with 16...Re8.
7...Kxe6 8.a8Q Rxa8 9.Rxa8 Kf5 This famous study by Gurgenidze is splen- 15...Nxc3 (D)
10.Ra7 Kxg5 (10...f6 11.gxf6 Kxf6 didly suited as an exercise in finding hidden xabcdefghy
12.Kxa2 g5 13.Kb2 g4 14.Kc2 g3 15.Kd3 moves. 14.Nxe5!! XABCDEFGHY
g2 [15...Kf5 16.Rg7 +] 16.Ra1 Kf5 1.Lb3! (D) Of course this is an easy combination to 8rsn-wq-trk+(
17.Rg1 f3 18.Ke3 Kg4 19.Kf2 + ; XABCDEFGHY spot. After 14...dxe5 15.Qxe5, Black's posi-
10...Ke4 11.Rxf7 Ke3 12.Kxa2 f3 tion is rather hopeless due to the weakness 7zpl+-+N+p'
13.Kb3 f2 14.Kb4 Ke2 15.Kc5 +) 8-+k+-+-+( of the dark squares around the black king. 6-zp-zp-+p+&
11.Rxf7 +. However, the more challenging part during
8.a8Q Rxa8 9.Rxa8 f2 10.Ra7+ Kxe6
7mK-zp-+-+-' the game was to find the various resourceful 5+-zp-+LzP-%
11.Ra6+ Kf5 12.Rf6+ Kxg5 13.Rxf7! 6-+-+-+-+& counterattacking moves that Black had, and
4-zPP+-+-+$
(D) not less importantly, their refutations.
5+-zP-zp-+-% 14...Nxe2 3zP-sn-+-+-#
XABCDEFGHY
4-zP-+-+-+$ However, before continuing further with the
2-vL-zP-zP-zP"
8-+-+-+-+( game moves, let's look at some other inter-
3zpL+-+-+-# esting options that Black had. I had to calcu- 1tR-+-mK-tR-!
7+-+-+R+-' late very carefully before going forward with
2-+-+-+-+" xabcdefghy
6-+-+-+p+& the sacrifice in my last move. 14...Qe7 (D)
1+-+-+-+-! XABCDEFGHY 16.Nh6+!
5+-+p+-mk-% This was an unexpected check. Instead of
xabcdefghy 8rsn-+-trk+(
4-+-zP-+-+$ Here too, precise calculation is called for in
the game move of 16.Nh6+, if I decided to
3+-+-+-+-# order to be able to decide on the correct 7zpl+-wqp+p' play 16.Nxd8 Rxd8 then White would end
up being a piece down. Even after 17.Le6+
2p+-+-zp-+" move. The continuation 1.b5? a2 2.b6 cxb6 6-zp-zp-+p+& Kf8 18.Lxc3 White would still lose be-
3.cxb6 a1Q 4.b7+ Kd8 5.b8Q+ Ke7 cause of the pin with 18...Re8.
1mK-+-+-+-! 6.Qe8+ Kf6 = is not sufficient for a win. 5+-zp-sNLzP-% 16...Kg7 17.Lxc3+ Rf6 18.Lxf6+ Qxf6
1...e4 2.b5 e3 (D) 4-zPP+-sn-+$
xabcdefghy 19.gxf6+ Kxh6 (D)
(see next diagram) My opponent actually saw everything up to
13...Kg4 14.Rxf2 g5 15.Kxa2 Kg3 3zP-wQ-+-+-# this point. In the post game analysis, she told
3.La4!!
16.Rf5 2-vL-zPPzP-zP" me that she totally forgot that in this posi-
A fantastic multi-function move! The bishop
10 tion, she no longer has her rook on f8 any-
controls the d7- and e8-squares. At the same 1tR-+-mK-tR-!
time, it blocks the a-file and thus prevents more. White has a significant material ad-
the a-pawn from promoting with check. xabcdefghy vantage. Therefore, the position is already
3.b6? cxb6 4.cxb6 Kd7! 5.b7 a2! 6.Lxa2 e2 winning no matter what. Unfortunately, this
is one of them with the idea to 'pin' the
Here Black is also surviving after 19...Lxg4 This in-between move wins a piece. After 7.b8Q e1Q . variations. This one is by Amatzia Avni.
(but not 19...Ne4 20.Nxg6 [20.Nxe4 19.Nxe5 Lxe5 Black would still get some XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
Qxh4 +] 20...Lxc3 21.bxc3 Lxg4 22.f3 counter chances.
Lh3 23.fxe4 Rg8 24.Rf7+ Kxg6 25.Qf2 19...Kg8 8-+k+-+-+( 8-+-+-tR-vl(
Kh5+ 26.Kh1 Lg2+ 27.Kh2 Lxe4 Moving into a discovery with 19...Kxh6
28.Lg5 Qxg5 29.Rxe4 +) 20.Qxg6+ would be deadly too.
7mK-zp-+-+-' 7+-sn-+-+-'
Kh8 21.Lxh6 Rg8 22.Lxg7+ Rxg7 20.hxg7 Nxd3 6-+-+-+-+& 6-+-+-+-+&
23.Qh6+ Kg8 24.Ng6 Nh7 with compli- 20...Nxe3 21.Qxe3.
cations. 17.Lxh6!? was also not bad with a 21.Qxd3 (D) 5+PzP-+-+-% 5+-+P+-+-%
strong attack after 17...Lxh6 (17...Nxg4 XABCDEFGHY 4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+-+-+p+$
18.Lxg6+ Kxg6 19.Rxe8 +) 18.g5 Lg7
19.gxf6 Lxf6 20.Ne4 . 8r+lwqr+k+( 3zpL+-zp-+-# 3+-+k+-+-#
17...Ng4 7zpp+-+-zP-' 2-+-+-+-+" 2-+-+-+K+"
This was my top choice. After 17...hxg5
18.Nxg5+ Black is lost. 6-+-zp-+p+& 1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
18.gxh6 Nde5 xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
The key variation that I spent a considerable
5+-zpP+-sN-%
3...e2 1.d6! (D)
amount of time calculating was 18...Nxe3 4-+P+-+n+$ 3...a2 4.b6 cxb6 (4...a1Q 5.b7+ Kd8 1.Rxh8? Nxd5 =.
19.hxg7 Nxf1 (D)
XABCDEFGHY 3+-sNQvL-+-# 6.b8Q+ Ke7 7.Qe8+ Kf6 8.Qh8+ +) XABCDEFGHY
5.cxb6 a1Q 6.b7+ Kd8 (6...Kc7 7.b8Q #)
8r+lwqr+-+( 2PzP-+-zP-+" 7.b8Q+ Ke7 8.Qe8+ Kd6 9.Qd7+ Kc5 8-+-+-tR-vl(
7zpp+n+-zPk' 1+-+-tRRmK-! 10.Qc6+ Kb4 11.Qb5+ Kc3 (11...Ka3 7+-sn-+-+-'
12.Qb3 #) 12.Qe5+ +.
6-+-zp-+p+& xabcdefghy 4.b6 cxb6 6-+-zP-+-+&
21...Lf5 4...c6 5.b7+ Kd7 6.b8Q e1Q 7.Qd6+ Ke8
5+-zpP+-+-% My opponent actually thought he was doing 8.Qxc6+ Kf7 9.Lb3+ Kg7 10.Qb7+ Kf6
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+P+-+-+$ OK, until he realized that after 21...Nxe3 I 11.Qb6+ Kg7 12.c6 +. 4-+-+-+p+$
don't have to recapture on e3. I can play 5.cxb6 e1Q (D)
3+-sNL+N+-# 22.Qxg6! instead. The rest was easy. XABCDEFGHY 3+-+k+-+-#
22.Nce4 Ne5 23.Qe2 Kxg7 24.Kg2 Qe7 2-+-+-+K+"
2PzP-wQ-zP-+" 25.Lf4 Nf7 26.Qd2 Qd7 27.Qc3+ Ne5 8-+k+-+-+(
1+-+-tRnmK-! 28.Nxd6
7mK-+-+-+-' 1+-+-+-+-!
10
xabcdefghy 6-zP-+-+-+& xabcdefghy
The next position came from one of the 1...Le5! 2.d7
At first I was trying to make one of the games which I played only a few months
forceful moves such as the sac with after the game above.
5+-+-+-+-% 2.dxc7? Lxc7 =.
2...Ne6 3.Re8 Nf4+ 4.Kg3
20.Lxg6+ or 20.Ng5+ work. Those ideas In this game, my opponent was my old 4L+-+-+-+$ 4.Kh2? Lc7 5.Rc8 La5 = ; 4.Kf2 Lc7 =.
did not work. But it was quite pleasurable rival (and friend), the legendary former
when I finally noticed the hidden quiet move Women's World Champion Maia Chibur-
3zp-+-+-+-# 4...Lc7
20.Qg5!! that unexpectedly wins the game! 4...Nh5+ is followed by 5.Kh4! Lc7
For example, 20...Qxg5+ 21.Nxg5+ Kxg7
danidze at the Calvia Chess Olympiad. 2-+-+-+-+" 6.Kxh5 g3 7.Rg8 winning. If Black gives
22.Rxe8 and the black knight on f1 gets Polgar Susan 1+-+-wq-+-! double check with 4...Ne2+ there follows
Chiburdanidze Maia 5.Kf2 g3+ 6.Ke1! (6.Kf1? g2+! [the king
trapped after 22...Nd2 23.Re2 Kf6 24.f4.
Black also loses after 18...Lxh6 19.Lxh6
A17 Calvia 2004 xabcdefghy is diverted by the black knight] 7.Kxg2 Lf6
Rxe1 20.Rxe1 Nxh6 21.Lxg6+ Kxg6 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Lb4 4.Qc2 00 6.b7+ Kd8 7.b8Q+ Ke7 8.Qe8+ or 7...Lc7 with a draw in each case)
5.a3 Lxc3 6.Qxc3 c5 7.b4 b6 8.Lb2 d6 10 6...Lc3+ (6...g2 7.d8Q+ Ld4 8.Rg8
22.Re6+ Nf6 23.Qg5+ Kf7 24.Qxh6
Lxe6 25.Ng5+ Ke8 26.Nxe6 Qe7 9.g4 Lb7 10.g5 Nh5 11.Rg1 e5 12.Lh3 g1Q+ 9.Rxg1 Nxg1 10.Qd5 + and ac-
Nf4 13.Lf5 g6 (D) Example 3 - Avni cording to the tablebases, White can force
27.Qh8+ +.
After only 13 moves we have reached an And here is another study to help with the mate in 22 moves) 7.Kd1 La5 8.Rxe2
19.Ng5+! finding of moves and the calculation of
original position. Maia had just played
Kd4 9.Ra2 (9.Rg2 Ke5 10.Rxg3 Ke6 6.Re5!!
11.Rd3! +) 9...Lc7 (9...Lb6) 10.Ke2 A wonderful finish. Once more, the ending Calculate Deeper
Ke5 11.Ra8 +. of two minor pieces against a queen is
5.d8Q+ Nd5+! (D) Black's best option. Susan Polgar
Counter-check! 6...Lxe5+ 7.Kxg4 Ke4 8.Qa8
XABCDEFGHY White will win, but he has a lot of work in Concept 15.g4!
front of him. There are two types of positions in chess, This is a very important move. Otherwise
8-+-wQR+-+( 10 ones which require precise calculation, and the black knight returns from h5 to f6 and
others where you can largely rely on intui- Black has a decent position. At first glance,
7+-vl-+-+-' tion and judgment. a move such as g4 looks rather risky, espe-
6-+-+-+-+& One of the common mistakes many play- cially once your king has already castled to
ers make is that they try to calculate every- the kingside. However, here White by play-
5+-+n+-+-% thing, even at times when there is no need ing energetically will justify the aggressive
4-+-+-+p+$ for it. By doing so, they spend a lot of time play.
on the clock. This then cause them to end up 15...fxg4 16.hxg4 Nhf6 (D)
3+-+k+-mK-# in time trouble, which in turn results in mis- XABCDEFGHY
takes or even blunders on the board.
2-+-+-+-+" However, in this article, I would like to 8r+lwqr+-+(
1+-+-+-+-! share with you some of my personal experi-
7zpp+n+-vlk'
ence where actually calculation is crucial. In
xabcdefghy fact, the point is to calculate deeper and 6-+-zp-snpzp&
more precisely than the opponent.
FIDE TRG Trainers Awards 2008-2009-2010 The first example is from a game of mine 5+-zpP+-+-%
Medals 2008 2009 2010 which I played in a small open tournament 4-+P+-+P+$
Botvinnik Mikhail Petrosian Arshak Azmaiparashvili Zurab Tukmakov Vladimir in Oklahoma in 2004. This was my first
(Men Trainer) Armenia Georgia Ukraine tournament after a long break since my WC 3+-sNLvLN+-#
match against Xie Jun in early 1996.
Furman Symeon Ye Jiangchuan Ye Jiangchuan Dokhoian Yury 2PzP-wQ-zP-+"
China China Russia
(Women Trainer) Polgar Susan 1+-+-tRRmK-!
Euwe Max Mikhalchishin Adrian Mikhalchishin Adrian Bykhovsky Anatoly Hulsey Mark
(Juniors Trainer) Slovenia Slovenia Russia E71 Saltwater 2004 xabcdefghy
Boleslavsky Isaac Jussupow Artur Grivas Efstratios Dvoretsky Mark 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Lg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 This is another key moment in the game.
(Author) Germany Greece Russia 00 6.Lg5 h6 7.Le3 c5 8.d5 e6 9.Ld3 17.g5
Nbd7 10.Nf3 exd5 11.exd5 Re8 12.00 It was clear that White has significant ad-
Petrosian Tigran Lputian Smbat Nikitin Aleksandr Illescas Miguel Nh5 13.Qd2 Kh7 14.Rae1 f5 (D) vantage in development, and especially in
(Special Achiev.) Armenia Russia Spain view of the rather committing 15.g4, I have
XABCDEFGHY to find to right follow-up to it. In this posi-
Botvinnik Mikhail Bondarevsky Igor Chebanenko Vyach. 8r+lwqr+-+( tion, I had three tempting lines to choose
Soviet Union Soviet Union Moldavia from. Each of them requires substantial deep
Boleslavsky Issac Bykhovsky Anatoly Koblenz Aleksandr 7zpp+n+-vlk' calculation. In addition to the move I played,
Soviet Union Russia Latvia 6-+-zp-+pzp& I also considered 17.Qc2, and even
Gurgenidze Bukhuti Furman Sumeon Zaitsev Igor 17.Lxh6. Let's first examine the interesting
Georgia Soviet Union Russia 5+-zpP+p+n% complication that can arise starting with
Geller Efim 4-+P+-+P+$ 17.Qc2 Black's only response to defend the
Hall of Fame
Soviet Union pawn on g6 is 17...Nf8. Now, there are two
Nikitin Aleksandr 3+-sNLvLN+P# logical roads: 18.Nh4 to simply attack the
Russia 2PzP-wQ-zP-+" pawn on g6 the third time, but Black seems
Kart Viktor to be OK after 18...Nxg4 19.Lxg6+ Kg8
Ukraine 1+-+-tRRmK-! 20.Lxe8 Qxh4 21.Lf4 (21.f4 Lxc3
Samarian Sergiu xabcdefghy 22.bxc3 Lf5 +) 21...Ne5, or first sacrific-
Romania ing with 18.Lxg6+ Nxg6 and then 19.Nh4.

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14307146 Masimba Merekizadeck Zimbabwe 19900015 Sokhna Serigne Mactar Senegal

8700591 Mbatha Constance Zambia 6356036 Somali Beyhan Turkey

FIDE Trainers Commission

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 216 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 1

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 2 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 215

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 214 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 3

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov 2053993

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 4 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 213

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 11

Batuev Anton - Matveev 174 Camacho Guillermo - Hernandez 47

10 Teams Belavenets Sergey - Rauzer 80 Capablanca Jose Raul - Alekhine 93

Beliavsky Alexander - Brodsky 198 Capablanca Jose Raul - Flohr 79

Beliavsky Alexander - Byrne 186 Capo Vidal Uriel - Gonzalez 173

Score Table (Draw-

the ratification by the coming FIDE EB or PB. 3 India 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 13 21

FIDE TRAINERS COMMISSION (TRG) 5 Armenia 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 12 20

FIDE Trainer Awards 2011 7 Israel 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 7 17

Nomination Paper 8 Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 12

Please, return the present nomination application to

2 Jakovenko Dmitry 1 1 5 3 70.00 2744 +01.3

5 Malakhov Vladimir 1 1 1 7 5 71.43 2771 +05.4

Match Points 2 0 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 15 83.33

3 Shulman Yuri 0 0 7 2 35.71 2516 -10.5

cable to womens competitions.

GM Psakhis Lev grams, and academies.

Ganguly Surya Shekhar

3 Guseinov Gadir 0 4 1 37.50 2523 -05.1

27 2008 24.12-30.12 Al Ain UA Emirates UAE 1 Board Points 2 3 1 1 3 2 3 3 2

28 2009 27.05-01.06 Sulaimaniyah Iraq IRQ 1 Match Points 2 2 0 0 2 1 2 2 1 12 66.67

29 2009 20.06-22.06 Chennai India IND 2

2 Akopian Vladimir 1 1 0 1 1 9 6 66.67 2762 +10.2

44 2010 10.11-14.11 Cali Colombia COL 1 Board Points 1 2 3 2 2 1 2 2 3 20 56.94

45 2010 26.12-30.12 Singapore Singapore SIN 8 Match Points 0 2 2 2 1 0 1 2 2 12 66.67

46 2011 10.01-15.01 Athens Greece GRE 3

6 Mastrovasilis Athanasios 0 1 4 2 50.00 2601 +04.9

Match Points 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 8 44.44

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 17

5 Postny Evgeny 1 0 5 2 50.00 2547 -06.7

4 Milos Gilberto 0 0 0 7 2 28.57 2495 -11.6

TRG SEMINAR LIST

2 2004 12.12-17.12 Singapore Singapore SIP 1

3 2005 01.04-07.04 Berlin Germany GER 2

4 2005 00.08.14.08 Phoenix USA USA 1

5 2005 04.11-10.11 Berlin Germany GER 3

FM Mohamed Faraq Amrou

4 Abdel Razik Khaled 0 0 0 1 6 2 33.33 2460 -00.6

7zp-+-+qmk-' 6-+-+-+-zp& 2 Erdogdu Mert 0 0 0 0 0 6 08.33 2292 -11.20

3 Yilmaz Mustafa 0 0 0 1 0 6 1 25.00 2464 -01.00

6-vlQ+p+p+& 5+-+l+p+-% 4 Can Emre 1 0 0 1 7 3 50.00 2618 +15.7

5 Esen Baris 0 0 0 1 0 7 2 28.57 2443 -06.6

5+-+-zP-+-% 4-+-+-zP-+$ 6 Firat Burak 1 0 4 2 50.00 2520 +05.6

4P+-+-zPK+$ 3+p+-+-wQP# Board Points

3+-+L+-zP-# 2-vL-+-+PmK" A Diary interesting concept, which rarely has been

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 24 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 193

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 30 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 187

4-+-+-+-+$ 88.Kf1 Ne3+ = (88...Nf2!? 89.Kxf2 =). XABCDEFGHY

5+-+-+-zpp% 5+-+P+-+-% Gelfand Boris

5+-+-+-+-% 5+-zp-zPp+-% 3+-zP-+-+-# 58.h5 Ke6 59.Kf2 Kf7 60.Kg3 Kg7

3+n+-+-+-# 3+-+P+-mKP# 1+-+-+-+-! Kh4 68.Qh8+ Kg3 69.Qg7+ Kf2 70.

4P+-snqvL-zP$ 2-+-+-+-+" 4-zP-mK-zP-+$ XABCDEFGHY

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 64 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 153

8-vl-wqNsnl+( xabcdefghy 9.a7 Kc4 10.Kc7 XABCDEFGHY

FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 66 FIDE TRG Yearbook 2011 151