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Test Your Chess IQ, Books 1 & 2
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Grandmaster Preparation
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POLUGA YEVSKY, L. & DAMSKY, I.
The Art of Defence in Chess
SHEKHTMAN, E.
The Games of Tigran Petrosian Volumes 1 & 2
SHERESHEVSKY, M.1.
Endgame Strategy
SHERESHEVSKY, M.1. & SLUTSKY, L.M.
Mastering the Endgame Volume 1
SMYSLOV, V.
125 Selected Games
SUETIN, A.S.
Modern Chess Opening Theory
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 The Sicilian Labyrinth
Volume 2
by
Lyev Polugayevsky
Translated by
Ken Neat

PERGAMON CHESS
Member of Maxwell Macmillan Pergamon Publishing Corporation
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English translation copyright 1991 K.P.Neat

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
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otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First English Edition 1991

Library of Congress Cataloglng-In-Publlcatlon Data

Applied for

British Library Cataloguing In Publication Data

Polugaevski, Lyev 1934-
The Sicilian labyrinth. - (Pergamon Russian chess series).
Vol. 1
1. Chess
I. Title
794.12
ISBN 0-08-037796-3

Distributed In the United States and Canada

by Macmillan Publishing Company/New York
866 Third Avenue, New York NY 10022. 212-702-2000

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Contents

Part One: Middlegame Strategy 1

Introduction 3

1 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure 5

The Benefits and Drawbacks of 'Weak' Pawns 8
Pawn Majorities 17
Blockade 21

2 The Battle for the Central Squares 25

The d5 Square 30
The e5 Square 41

3 Open Lines 48

4 Piece Values 59

5 Strategic Sacrifices 76
Sacrifice of a Pawn 76
Sacrifice of a Minor Piece 85
Sacrifice of the Exchange 96
Sacrifice of the Queen 108

Part Two: Endgame Silhouettes 117

Introduction 119

6 Life-Lines 121

7 The Power of the Bishops 131

8 Minor Pieces in Opposition 140

Postscript 159

Index of Games 160

 Part One

Middlegame Strategy
Introduction
Play which is unsystematic, chaotic
and unintelligent - this is our most dan-
gerous enemy. And, on the contrary, a
clearly directed, well-balanced strategic
plan is a sound foundation of any open-
ing.
Always and everywhere, whether we
are engaged in offensive operations (the
Najdorf Variation), conducting trench
warfare (the Paulsen and Scheveningen
Variations), or preparing a counter-blow
in the centre, we must have a clear
impression of those global problems which
have to be solved, and for the sake of
which a concrete plan of action is con-
structed or put into effect.
The strategy of the Sicilian Defence is
very difficult to master. All the general
laws are applicable to it, but it also
contains a mass of contradictions and
exceptions to the rules.
Thus the severe consequences of being
behind in development are well known,
yet in the NajdorfVariation (Polugayevsky
and Poisoned Pawn Variations) at an early
stage and under the fire of the enemy
pieces, Black permits himself the luxury
of strolling about with his queen. In the
Scheveningen Black huddles on the back
3
three ranks, but how much explosive
force is concealed in this outwardly passive
variation! And how can it be understood
that in one and the same variation, one
and the same piece can be both the
'leading light' and absolutely helpless;
one and the same square can be both a
strong outpost and a completely useless
'wasteland'; or the same 'spoiled' pawns
(doubled or isolated) can be both a plus
and a minus in the position.
It is with the study of these difficult
nuances, and with the resolving of the
great number of strategic mysteries, that
the Sicilian player struggles all his life. By
assimilating step by step the strategy of
the Sicilian Defence, we are able more
easily to penetrate into the 'spirit' of other
openings, and more quickly to master
their middlegame ideas.
To analyze in detail the finest subtleties
of strategy is obviously beyond the powers
of any author, especially in a single work.
And, of course, I have not set myself such
an all-embracing aim, especially since
everything is constantly changing. My
desire has been simply to 'illuminate' the
most problematic strategic questions that
constantly arise in practical play.
1 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure

Every concrete situation on the board

has its own characteristic pawn pattern,
1
and on the orderliness of its ranks, their
interaction and mobility, the fate of the
entire strategic plan largely depends.
In the Sicilian Defence the little pawn is
assigned a particular, I would say, excep-
tional role. The white pawn advances f2-
f4 (in the great majority of variations) and
g2-g4 (in the Keres Attack and other
similar schemes) and ... bS for Black have
become second nature to us. And the
player who does not use them resembles a
hunter without a gun.
But each pawn step must be approached 8 .tf3 laa7
with a heightened sense of responsibility, 9 1!e2! lac7
since the impasses of the Sicilian labyrinth
In order to develop his bishop at b7,
are too cunning to allow incautious steps.
Black must first move his rook. He loses
At times and in certain cases even the
material after 9 ... lad7 10 eS dxeS I1ltJc6
most standard pawn manoeuvres can have
1!c7 12 ltJxb8 1!xb8 13 .tc6.
extremely undesirable consequences, if
they are carried out hastily, and are not 10 lad 1 ltJbd7
based on a firm positional foundation. 11 a4
Here are two instructive examples.
The retribution begins. The premature
S myslov-Kottnauer 7 ... bS is exploited 100% by White.
Groningen 1946
11 bxa4
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
Black is forced to break up his queenside
ltJc3 a6 6 .te2 e6 7 0-0 b5 (1)
pawns, since on 11 ... b4 there would have
Here Black's early activity clearly does followed 12 ltJa2, when 12 ... as is bad in
not bode well. He hurries to carry out a view of 13 ltJbS.
typical idea, but to the detriment of his
12 ltJxa4 .tb7
kingside mobilization. By energetic play
13 e5! (2)
Smyslov refutes the dubious tactics of his
opponent, who has forgotten about the After this breakthrough in the centre
development of his pieces. White has a decisive initiative.

S
6 Middlegame Strategy

And now his bishop too, since on 19 ...

'ti'xf4 he wins by 20 'ti'c8+ tle7 21 'tWxb7
2
tlf6 22 liIxd7 ~g6 23 g3 'tWf5 24 liIa7.
19 ... .td6 20 .txd6 liIb6 21 'tWxd7+!
Black resigns

Balashov-Polugayevsky
Tallinn 1973
1 e4 cS 2 ttJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ttJxd4 ttJf6 S
ttJc3 a6 6 g3 eS 7 ttJde2 ttJbd7 8 .tg2 .te79
0-0 (4)

13 ... ttJxeS
Things are also not very bright for
Black after 13 ... dxe5 14 .txb7 exd4 15
.txa6.
14 .txb7 liIxb7 IS 'ti'xa6 'ti'b8 16 ttJc6
ttJxc6 17 'ti'xc6+ ttJd7 (3)

I have had this position several times,

with Black usually achieving a good
game. Nowadays g3-g4 is more usually
prepared before castling, by playing 9 h3
immediately.
9 ... bS 10 h3 .tb7 11 g4?!
In the given situation this is a rash step,
Black thought that he had everything leading to a weakening of the dark squares
in order, but ... and of the pawns in the vicinity of White's
own king.
18 ttJcS!!
11 ... b4
A 'little' surprise. For the sake of open-
ing lines, White does not begrudge his Not allowing White to complete his
knight. planned regrouping: 12 a3 and 13 ttJg3.
18 dxcS 12 ttJdS ttJxdS
19 .tf4! 13 exdS 0-0
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure 7

It is clear that Black has no difficulties. in such cases, he loses time. With his next
In fact, it is rather the opposite - he can move Black 'gnaws' at White's pawn
hope to obtain the better game, since in chain, the soundness of which was under-
the future the position of the white king mined by his premature lith move.
may become uneasy.
14 e4 5
White must hurry with this move,
before Black has time to play his rook to
c8.
14 ... bxe3
Black aims to open up the game, but 14
... i.g5 was objectively stronger, enabling
him to gain control of the dark squares.
15 liJxe3 a5
Now the exchange of dark-square
bishops does not work: after 15 ... i.g5
20 ... f5!
16 liJe4 i.xcl Black has to reckon with
21 'ib5
the interposition of 17 liJxd6. The move
played secures c5 for his knight. Only now did White sense the uneasiness
of his situation. He did not care for 21
16 ICel liJe5
gxf5 i.c8 22 'it'c6 i.xf5 23 i.b6 'it'b8, but
16 ... ICc8 was interesting, with the idea this would perhaps have been the lesser
on 17 i.e3 of nevertheless reverting to the evil.
old plan of 17 ... i.g5.
21 .ta6
17 i.e3 ICe8 22 'it'e6 fxg4
18 liJa4
Now on 23 i.b6 Black has a choice: 23
The only chance. If Black has time to ... 'it'c8, keeping his extra pawn, or 23 ...
play... i.g5, White's weaknesses will 'it'b8 24 hxg4 .ig5.
quickly make themselves felt.
23 hxg4 .th4!
18 ... liJxa4
After this Black's attack develops swiftly.
19 'it'xa4 ICa8!
It is difficult for White to find a defence
Black switches his bishop to the c8-h3 against the numerous threats.
diagonal, since sooner or later he will
24 i.e4 'it'f6
have to lift the blockade at e4.
25 'it'e2
20 :iiac1 (5)
Or 25 llc2 :a:ac8 26 'it'a4 l:'i:c4!.
20 'it'b5 i.a6 21 'it'c6 was essential, to
25 ... g6
prepare the exchange of queens. White
26 wg2
decides to carry out this manoeuvre at his
own convenience, and, as often happens 26 'it'd2 was better.
8 Middlegame Strategy

26 ... llab8 to 31 ... 'tWxf2+ 32 ~hl (32 ~h3 llf4) 32 ...

27 llhl llb4 't!Vh4+ 33 ~gl llf4.
All the black pieces are splendidly 31 ... .id3!
coordinated, literally carving open White's
Of course, Black could also have won
position both along the diagonals (the
by 31 ... 'tWG+ 32 ~gl .id3 33 lle3
bishops) and along the files and ranks
'tWxg4+ 34 llg3 fi'xg3+ 35 fxg3 .ixc2 36
(the queen and rooks). The spirit of
llxc2 llG 37 llc6 llxg3+ 38 ~f2 lld3 39
combination is in the air! Thus, for
llxd6 ~g7 40 ~e2 lld4, but the move
example, on 28 G comes the tactical blow
played is more quickly decisive.
28 ... llxe4! 29 fi'xe4 .id3! 30 g5 .ixg5 31
.ixg5 ~xg5+ 32 ~g4 fi'xg4+ 33 fxg4 32 'tWxd3 fi'xf2+ 33 ~hl llf3 34 llc8+
.ie4+, when Black gains excellent winning ~g7 35 llc7+ ~f6 36 g5+ ~xg5 37 llc2
chances in the rook ending. 'tWg3 38 ~d2+ ~f5 39 1t'g2 ~xe4 40 llc4+
~xd5 White resigns
28 llh3
In this game Black carried out in full
Intending after 28 ... llc4 to clear the
his strategic plan of exploiting the weaken-
situation by the unexpected reply 29 llG!
ing made by White in the opening, and as
28 ... .ig5 a result he was able to mount a swift
attack on the flank.
Now on 29 llG there follows 29 ... .if4
and 30 ... fi'h4, with a decisive attack.
29 b3 .ixe3
30 llxe3 (6) 1.1 The Benefits and Drawbacks of
'Weak' Pawns

6 Not every weakening and not every

deformation of the pawn structure is a
'natural disaster'. Everything, of course,
depends on the particular features of the
position. In the Rauzer Variation, for
example, Black often voluntarily goes in
for doubled f-pawns, simultaneously break-
ing up his king's shelter in the event of
possible kingside castling. But this risky
undertaking also has certain advantages:
as compensation Black acquires the two
bishops, the open g-file, and a powerful
pawn mass in the centre.
30 llxe4!
If White should succeed in cracking
Removing the bishop which is guarding this hard 'nut' by e4-e5 or f4-f5 and in
G. exploiting the insecure position of the
black king, he has every chance of punishing
31 llxe4
Black for his seditious idea of spoiling
31 fi'xe4 would have lost immediately his own pawns.
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure
Especially unpleasant for Black is the
blockading f4-f5, when the oxygen supply
to his dark-square bishop is seriously
reduced.
But when White delays his initiative on
the e- and f-files and allows Black to
reinforce his position, especially by ex-
changing queens, Black's central pawn
mass is often transformed into a powerful
force. And the opening of a 'second front'
- apart from the c-file Black also acquires
the g-file - affords him, especially in the
endgame, many additional possibilities.
Smyslov-Botvinnik
Moscow 1948
1 e4 c5 2 ttJf3 ttJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 ttJxd4
ttJf6 5 ttJc3 d6 6 ~g5 e6 7 ~e2 ~e7 8 0-0
0-0 (7)
7
9 ttJdb5
Smyslov avoids active play in the centre
(by 9 <tJh1 and 10 f4) and chooses a
dubious plan, involving the weakening of
the black king's castled position. But its
implementation leads to the loss of two
tempi.
9 a6
10 ~xf6 gxf6
9
10 ... ~xf6 11 ttJxd6 'flIc7 was also
possible, with a good game for Black. But
Botvinnik uncompromisingly sticks to
his principles!
11 ttJd4 <ii1h8 12 <ii1hl lIg8 13 f4 ~d7
Black can be happy with the outcome
of the opening. He has fully completed his
development and occupied the g-file,
whereas for the moment White has not
created any real threats at all.
14 ~f3?
Passively played. The only way for
White to achieve any play was by the
active 14 f5, and if 14 ... ttJe5, then 15
~h5, threatening 16 ~xf7 and preparing
ttJc3-e2-f4, transferring the knight to the
kingside.
14 lIe8
15 ttJxe6?
A serious positional mistake, which
strengthens Black's central pawns. Now
White can only submissively watch to see
which effective plan the opponent will
choose - ... d5 or ... e5.1t was still possible
to try 15 f5 or else 15 ttJce2.
15 ... bxe6
16 ttJe2 d5
The pawn phalanx begins to advance.
N ow Black threatens 17 ... dxe4 18 ~xe4
f5 and 19 ... c5, unmasking his bishops.
17 f5?
In this game Smyslov is simply un-
recognizable; here he catastrophically
weakens the dark squares. Evidently he
was psychologically depressed by the
course taken by the game. In the opinion
of Keres, he should have played 17 'flId3,
and somehow tried to defend after 17 ...
dxe4 18 i.xe4 f5 19 Itadl lIc7 20 ~f3
'flIc8.
10 Middlegame Strategy

17 ... 'WIe7 18 e4 dxe4 19 1Wd4 e5 20

'@xe4 .i.d6
9
The black bishops begin to display
aggression.
21 g3 .i.b5
22 'fIe2 (8)

Here there are many ways to win; 33 ...

1Wel, for example.
34 'fIe2 .i.d5 35 'ti'e3 .i.d4 36 'ti'd3 1We3.
and after 37 1Wxe3 .ixe3 38 .i.g2 .i.xf3 39
.i.xf3 lld2 40 ltJe2 :ilxa2 White resigns

22 ... exf5!
Suetin-Botvinnik
Opening up the game is in the spirit of
Moscow 1952
the position. Now the bishops will be
helped by the rooks. 1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 ltJe6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 5 ltJc3 d6 6 .ig5 e6 7 1Wd2 h6 8 .i.xf6
23 exf5 llee8 24 lU2 lle3 25 .i.g2
gxf6 9 0-0-0 a6 10 f4 .id7
On 25 ltJc3 there could have followed
One of Botvinnik's patent variations at
25 ... .i.c6 26 .i.g2 .i.xg3!
that time. A tense, uncompromisingposi-
25 ... 'fIe7 26 ltJgl .i.d3 27 'fi'd2 e4 28 tion is reached, conforming to his fighting
llf3 lle8 29 lldl style.
Exchanging queens by 29 llxe3 'fi'xe3 11 .ic4 h5 12 Wb 1 'fi'b6 13 llhn
30 'fi'xe3 llxe3 would have led to the loss
A fundamental mistake, since simplifi-
of the b2 pawn.
cation favours Black - in the endgame it is
29 .i.e5 easier for him to exploit the strength of
30 b3 his two bishops and the half-open c- and
g-files. White should have played 13 ltJb3.
(diagram 9)
13 ... 'ti'xd4 14 'fi'xd4 ltJxd4 15 llxd4
30 liel!
:ilc8 16 .i.b3
All the black pieces are ideally placed.
Here the bishop is essentially out of
31 bxe4 .i.xe4 32 .i.n lhdl 33 'fi'xdl play, and therefore it would have been
lld8 better to retreat it to e2.
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure
16 ... I1g8 17 I1d2 h4 18 f5
White tries at all costs to activate his
bishop.
18 \tie7
19 I1dfl (10)
10
19 ~h6!
By this positional pawn sacrifice Black
seizes the initiative.
20 fxe6 fxe6 21 I1xf6 I1ef'S 22 ~xf'S i.xf'S
23 I1fl ~h6 24 ~e4 i.e3 25 I1e2 ~gl
White's extra pawn does not play any
part, whereas the black bishops have
gained freedom. Having no opponent,
the dark-square bishop is especially strong,
and in general Black has an obvious
advantage. True, given accurate play by
White it is objectively insufficient for a
win, since after 26 g3!, as played, Suetin
returned the pawn to relieve the situation
on the kingside. And, in view of the
limited material left, White had very real
chances of saving the game. There is no
point in giving the remaining forty moves.
The game was played in the last round of
the USSR Championship, and Botvinnik,
naturally, battled to the utmost, since the
* For the remainder of the game, cf. Botvinnik's Half a Century of Chess p.l77 (Pergamon,
1984).
11
title of USSR Champion was at stake. In
the end, exploiting White's inaccuracies,
Black gained an important victory.*
This example clearly demonstrates that
in the endgame Black feels quite content.
He can calmly leave his king in the centre
at e7 for the defence of his d6 and f6
pawns, and the availability of the g-file in
combination with the advance of the h-
pawn is a valuable aid to his active play.
Things are much more serious for
Black if White avoids simplification and
acts energetically and purposefully. In
this case, as is evident from the following
game (where one of the performers is
again Botvinnik!), the doubling of the f-
pawns causes Black a great deal oftrouble.
Keres-Botvinnik
Moscow 1956
1 e4 e5 2 lbf3 lbe6 3 d4 exd4 4 lbxd4
lbf6 5 lbe3 d6 6 .tg5 e6 7 'ti'd2 h6 8
i.xf6 gxf6
Black has thrown down the gauntlet,
but doubts were expressed about the
advisability of choosing such a complex
and intricate variation in the present
game, since it was played in the last round
of the tournament, and Black only needed
a draw to gain first prize.
Also, he should not have disregarded
the fact that, by this time, theory had
accumulated considerable experience, and
energetic plans for White had been found,
seriously undermining the reputation of
the given variation.
9 0-0-0
At the Olympiad in Moscow, 1956,
Larsen chose against Botvinnik the plan
12 Middlegame Strategy
of kings ide castling, and from the opening
gained an advantage: 9 ndl a6 10
i.e2 h5 11 0-0 i.d7 12 <t>hl 't!b6
13 liJb3 i.e7 14 f4 h4 15 liJa4 'fi'a7
16 liJac5 dxc5 17 'fi'xd7+ <t>f8, when
Black gained a draw only with great
difficulty.
9 ... a6 10 f4 h5 11 <t>bl i.d7 12 i.e2
t!Vb6 (11)
11
13 liJb3!
Keres was excellently prepared for this
game. It is very important for White to
keep the queens on; only in this case can
he hope for an advantage. From the
previous example we know that the ex-
change of queens after 13 nhfl 'ifxd4
14 'fi'xd4 liJxd4 15 nxd4 i.c6 would
favour Black.
13 ... 0-0-0
14 nhfl ltJa5
In the game Byvshev-Livshits, Lenin-
grad, 1953, Black replied 14 ... <t>b8,
and on 15 nf3 he incautiously played
15 ... ltJa5. After 16 liJd5! exd5 17
liJxa5 White built up an irresistible attack.
And yet, in Keres' opinion, Black should
have removed his king to a safer place.
15 nf3
White had a choice between 15 liJxa5
and the move in the game. He preferred
15 nf3, although after 15 liJxa5 1!xa5
16 nf3 <t>b8 17 'ifd4 i.e7 18 b4 1!c7
19 liJd5! exd5 20 nc3 i.c6 21 exd5 it
is not apparent how Black can defend.
15 ... liJxb3 16 axb3 <t>b8 17 liJa4 1!a7
(12)
The exchange on a4 is unpleasant for
Black (the rook moves across to b3 with
gain of tempo), while 17 ... 1!c7 leads
to great difficulties after 18 1!d4
i.e7 19 nc3 i.c6 20 liJb6 with the
threat of 21 liJd5.
But with the black queen out of play,
Keres is able to begin a combination.
12
18 f5! 14e7
Black should have agreed to the spoiling
of his pawns after 18 ... exf5 19 exf5
14c6, and used his bishops to defend
his weaknesses.
19 fxe6 fxe6
20 :i:a:xf6!
The queen's unfortunate position at
a7 tells, since 20 ... .ixf6? fails to 21
'ifxd6+ and 22 '2Jb6+. Therefore Black
has to reconcile himself to the loss of a
pawn.
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure 13

20 ... lih7 of the enemy king? In this game White

clearly demonstrates how dangerous it is
Of course, not 20 ... .ixa4? on account
to 'joke' with the king.
of 21 lixe6, while on the counter-
attack 20 ... b5 White had prepared 21
lin .ie8 22 lig7! bxa4 23 'fi'b4+ <it>a8 24 13
e5!, when Black is lost.
21 lig6! b5
Black attempts to escape from the vice.
22 lbc3 'fi'c5
23 lba2!
This clever knight manoeuvre consoli-
dates White's advantage.
23 ... <;t>a7 24 lbb4 lif8 25 .if3 h4 26 h3
.ic8 27 lbd3 'fi'c7
12 .id3
27 ... 'fi'd4 is very strongly met by 28
WeI! A quite different set-up arises after the
immediate 12 f5!?, with the idea after 13
28 lbf4 lif6 29 .ig4! lixg6 30 lbxg6
g3 of preparing 14 .ih3, with pressure
Now 31 lbxe7 and 32 'fi'xd6 is threat- on e6.
ened. Black is helpless. The game
12 ... 'fi'a5
concluded:
13 <it>bl b4
30 ... .ib7 31 .ixe6 .id8 32 .id5
Although Black plays into the oppo-
.ixd5 33 'fi'xd5 lin 34 e5 Black resigns
nent's hands, since from c3 the knight
switches to the kingside where it is much
more active, at the same time he has to
Geller-Larsen stick to his principles and consistently
Copenhagen 1966 carry out his counter-plan, which involves
developing his queenside initiative by the
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4
advance of his b- and a-pawns.
lbf6 5 lbc3 d6 6 .ig5 e6 7 'fi'd2 a6 8
0-0-0 .id7 9 f4. .ie7 10 lbf3 b5 11 14 lbe2 lig8
.ixf6 gxf6 (13)
But here one can argue with Black,
The opening clash has again placed since he diverges and wastes a tempo.
on the agenda the following question: Correct was 14 ... 'fi'c5 15 f5 a5 16 lbf4
which is more important - (a) the pawn a4 17 lic 1 lib8 with chances for both
mass, created by Black in the centre, sides, as in the Fischer-Spassky match,
although at the cost of disrupting his 1972.
pawn harmony, and his pair of bishops,
15 lbg3 'fi'c5
for the moment waiting in the background,
16 lihel lia 7
or (b) White's initiative and good attacking
chances, on account of the insecure position Prophylaxis against e4-e5, but alas ...
14 Middlegame Strategy

17 eSt dxeS 18 fxeS lLlxeS 19 lLlxeS there would have been technical difficulties
fxeS 20 1fh6 for White.
After the breakthrough in the centre 29 ... Ith4 30 lLld4 Wc7 31 Itg7 .i.f6
White's pieces have begun operating at 32 lLle6+ ~b6 33 ~g6 .i.c3
full power, whereas Black's forces are
On 33 .. , .i.h8 there would have follow-
scattered.
ed 34 g3 Ith2 35 lLlc5+ and 36 lLlxa6.
20 fS
34 lLlcS+ ! .i.c6
21 1fxh7 Itrs (14)
The knight is immune on account of
35 Itd5 mate.
14
3S lLla4+ Wc7 36 lLlxc3 bxc3 37
Itg3 Wb6 38 Itxc3 .i.xg2 39 Itd6+
WcS 40 Itd2
Constructing a mating net.
40 ... Wb441 Wb2 .i.e4 42 a3+ WaS 43
Itd6 Black resigns
Another frequent occurrence in the
Sicilian Defence is the doubling of Black's
pawns on the e-file. In this case also, two
kinds of evaluation are possible.
22 b3!
Only this concrete move justifies White's
strategy. Now, from c4, the bishop will Kupreichik-Polugayevsky
keep the e6 pawn in its sights. Geller USSR 1976
correctly judged that the weakening of
1 e4 cS 2 lL'lf3 d6 3 .i.bS+ lLld7 4 d4
the dark squares in his position would not
lLlf6 S lL'lc3 cxd4 6 'tlfxd4 eS 7 'tlfd3 h6 8
be dangerous, reinforcing his evaluation
.i.e3 .i.e7 9 .i.c4 0-0 10 0-0 lLlb6 11
with the variation 22 ... 'tlfc3 23 lLlh5 e4
.ib3 iLe6 12 lL'lh4 'tlfd7 13 .ixe6 fxe6 (15)
24 .i.xe4! (after 24 .i.c4 .i.f6 25 lLlxf6+
1fxf6 Black has everything in order) 24 ...
fxe4 25 lLlg7+ Wd8 26 lLlxe6+ We8 27
1fg6+ Itn 28 1fg8+.
22 ... e4 23 .i.c4 'tlfeS 24 'ifhS+ Wd8
2S Itxe4 'tlfc3 26 lLle2
Despite the following exchange of
queens, White's attack continues.
26 ... 'tlfh8 27 1fxh8 llxh8 28 llxe6
llxh2 29 llg6
29 llxa6 llxa6 30 .i.xa6 Wc7 31 lLlf4
was tempting, but after 31 ... .i.c6
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure
Black's pawn trio, which has arisen
after the exchange on e6, is only apparently
threatening. In fact it has little mobility,
and resembles more of a rigid structure.
Had White now played 14 i.xb6! axb6
15 ltJg6 lHd8 16 llfdl followed by the
doubling of rooks on the d-file, Black
would have been condemned to passive
defence, since he would hardly have been
able to make the freeing advance ... d5,
and sooner or later his pawn weaknesses
would have been bound to tell.
But even after the game continuation
14 ltJb5 ltJe8 15 ltJg6 lld8 16 e4 a6 17
ltJc3 1We8 18 l'bxe7+ ltJxe7 19 llad1
llae8 20 i.b6 :ad7 21 a4 White 'froze'
the black pawns in the centre and retained
an advantage.
A quite different situation arose in the
following game.
Bouaziz-Salov
Szirak 1987
1 e4 e5 2 l'bf3 ltJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 5 ltJc3 d6 6 i.e2 e5 7 l'bb3 i.e7 8
0-0 0-0 9 i.e4 a6 10 a4 i.e6 11
i.xe6 fxe6 12 i.g5 lle8 13 a5 (16)
Black has the same pawns as in the
previous game, but the situation here is
15
radically different. Black's pieces are
harmoniously placed, and the open f-file
allows him to build his plans on the
kingside, to where his queen now aims.
His pawn mass controls important squares
in the centre, and at the right moment it
may be able to advance. Therefore
White must keep a careful watch on the
d5-square.
13 ... 1We8! 14 1We2 1Wg6 15 i.xf6 lIxf6
16 llad1 llet'S 17 l'ba4
White carries out a three-move knight
manoeuvre, hoping to exploit the weakness
of the d6 pawn, but in doing so he clearly
underestimates the dynamic strength of
the black pieces. He should have played
17 lld3, with a complicated game.
17 ... :af4 18 f3 l'bd8! 19 ltJb6 ltJn
20 l'be4
White has carried out his aim, not
sensing the calamity lying in wait for him.
20 ltJg5
21 ~h1 (17)
17
21 ltJxe4!!
A combinational blow, struck at the
right time by Black thanks to his occupation
of the f-file. After 22 fxe4 'it'xe4! White
loses immediately on account of his
16 Middlegame Strategy
unprotected back rank.
22 ltJcl 'i!Vh5
23 ~gl d5
This thematic advance in the centre
signals the beginning of the end for
White. 22 fxe4 is again not possible, on
account of 22 ... i.c5+!.
24 ltJe3 i.c5 25 liId3 i.a7 26 Ilel
liIxf3!
In such a position Black cannot deny
himself the pleasure of sacrificing a
rook!
27 gxf3 liIxf3
Here White decided to avoid any
further suffering, and resigned. On 28
liIfl Black wins easily by 28 ... i.xe3+
29 liIxe3 'i!Vg5+, while if 28 'fi'g2 the
simplest is 28 ... liIf2 29 'fi'xf2 ltJxf2 30
~xf2 e4 31 l:Ib3 d4.
But the e-pawn 'tandem' occurs most
often in the Scheveningen Variation:
Ivanchuk-Polugayevsky
Biel 1989
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 5 ltJc3 a6 6 i.e2 e6 7 0-0 i.e7 8 f4
0-0 9 i.e3 'fi'c7 10 a4 ltJc6 11 'fi'el
ltJxd4 12 i.xd4 e5 13 i.e3 exf4 14 i.xf4
i.e6 15 'fi'g3 l:Ifc8! 16 ~hl (16 e5
ltJe8!) 16 ... ltJd7 17 i.g4 l:Ie8 18 i.f5
Here the two players preferred not to
commit themselves any further. 18 ...
i.f8 19 l:Iadl ltJe5 20 'i!Vh3 g6 21 i.xe6
fxe6 22 i.xe5 dxe5 (18) would have
have led to a critical position for the
Scheveningen set-up, of a type which
has frequently occurred in practice;
Straightforward arguments suggest
18
that the e-pawns are weak. But in fact
they constitute a harmonious pair, which
essentially cannot be threatened. After
all, most of the minor pieces have already
been exchanged, and only the white queen
can attack the centre, but here its black
opponent easily copes with its defensive
duties. And the 'knight v. bishop' oppo-
sition does not bring White any real gains,
since the e-pawns control the important
d5 and d4 squares, not allowing the
white knight to break loose. White's
advantage on the open f- and d-files
is temporary, and Black can easily neut-
ralize it. For example: 23 l:Id3 l:Iad8
24 l:Idf3 i.g7, and if 25 l:If7, then, apart
from 25 ... 'fi'xf7, Black also has the
simple 25 ... l:Id7, while if 24 l:Ifdl, then
24 ... l:Ixd3 25 'fi'xd3 l:Ic8!, and his pos-
session of the c-file is no less important
than the d-file, in view of the weakness
of the c2 pawn. For these reasons my
young opponent did not view his chances
with any great optimism, and he offered
a draw.
As fate would have it, in the same
tournament Ivanchuk again had to
deal with doubled e-pawns (true, in a
different variation), but this time as
their owner. However, he did not gain
any pleasure from this.
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure
De Firmian-Ivanchuk
Biel 1989
1 e4 c5 2 ttJf3 ttJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ttJxd4
ttJf6 5 ttJc3 d6 6 i.c4 e6 7 i.e3 i.e7 8
!Ve2 0-0 9 0-0-0 a6 10 i.b3 ttJd7 11 c;t>bl
\!ie7 12 f4 ttJc5 13 f5! ttJxb3 14 axb3
i.d7 15 lIhfl ttJe5 16 ttJf3! i.e6 17 ttJxe5
dxe5 18 fxe6 fxe6 19 'fi'g4 lIxfl 20 lIxfl
't!id7 21 lIdl 'fi'e8 (19)
19
Here the picture is radically different:
the e-pawns cause Black considerable
trouble. Compared with the previous
diagram, in the present position White
has several virtues: (1) to begin with,
a real advantage on the d-file, which
is difficult for Black to neutralize; (2)
an active dark-square bishop, cre-
ating threats on the kingside; (3) in
some cases the exchange of dark-
square bishops will also favour White,
since Black loses control over d6 and
his e-pawns may end up in a critical
state.
Already White could have won one
of the e-pawns by force with 22 i.h6 i.f8
(22 ... jJ6 is bad on account of 23
lIfl, while 22 ... g6 would seriously
weaken the dark squares) 23 i.g5
(threatening 24 lId8) 23 ... 't!ie8, and
now 24 i.f6 or 24 'fi'g3 forces Black to
17
part with his e5 pawn. But the contin-
uation chosen in the game is also
pretty strong.
There followed 22 h4!? c;t>h8, and
suddenly the American grandmaster
clearly underrated his position - after
23 i.g5 he ... offered a draw! What he
was frightened of is not clear. After the
forced 23 ... i.xg5 24 hxg5! (the only
way) White has the opened h-file, and
there can follow 24 ... i.e8 (otherwise
25 lIhl) 25 lId6 i.f7 26 !Vg3 !Vc527 lId7,
winning material.
Summing up, it can be said that in
the Sicilian Defence it is foolish to be
excessively orthodox in one's conclusions
regarding the deformation of the pawn
structure. Very much depends on the
different latent features in this or that
position. And a chess player's mastery
consists precisely in his skill in penetrating
into the secrets of these nuances.
1.2 Pawn Majorities
When there is a clash of pawns, parti-
cularly on the flanks, it is not always
between equal numbers. For example,
White may have a pawn advantage on the
queenside, and Black on the kings ide, or
VIce versa.
And usually the two opposing players
focus their attention on that part of the
board where their pawn ranks are longer,
i.e. they pin their hopes on their pawn
majorities. 'Quantity is transformed into
quality' - this law is successfully realized
in chess; i.e. where a side has more pawns,
there, naturally, his chances of success are
more real.
18 Middlegame Strategy
Geller-Polugayevsky
USSR Championship 1983
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 e6 5
lLlc3 d6 6 .te2 lLlf6 7 .te3 .te7 8 0-0 0-0 9
f4 a6 10 a4 'fIc7 11 ~hl lie8 12 .tgl e5 13
lLlb3 exf4 14 as lLle5 15 lixf4 .te6 16 lLldS
.txdS 17 exdS lLlfd7 (20)
20
The conflict on the board is determined
by the pawn arrangement. White has a
material advantage on the queenside (four
pawns against three), while Black's hopes
are associated with his extra pawn on the
kingside and with the e-file. The immediate
events demonstrate that White's trumps
are the more important.
18 e4
White does not hide his plans, and
quickly carries out a broad offensive with
his pawn army.
18 ... g6 19 lLld2 .tg5 20 lid4 f5 21 b4
lie7
Black's only chance lies in piece play
along the e-file.
22 e5! liae8
White's strategic advantage is undis-
puted; he has completely solved the problem
of exploiting his pawn majority. But at
this culminating moment he suddenly
loses the thread. Instead of 23 liet?! (a
self-pinning move!) 23 ... lLlf7 24 exd6?!
(24 .tfl was better) 24 ... 'iWxd6, correct
was 23 lib!, and if 23 ... lLlf7 24 .tfl,
setting Black difficult problems.
Estrin-Boleslavsky
Moscow 1964
1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 lLle6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 e6 5
lLlb5 d6 6 .tf4 e5 7 .te3 lLlf6 8 .tg5 .te69
lLlle3 a6 10 lLla3 .te711 lLle4 lLld412 lLle3
0-0 13 .txf6 .txf6 14 lLled5 .tg5 15 e3
lLle6 16 .te2 lLle7 17 lLlxe7+ 'iWxe718 lLld5
'iWd8 19 0-0 (21)
21
This type of position occurs very fre-
quently in the Sicilian Defence. White has
a centralized knight, while Black possesses
the two bishops. The chances are most
probably about equal, and success goes to
the player who is more purposeful 10
carrying out his plan ..
19 ... lie8
20 'iWb3?!
What for? After all, Black will not
blunder away his b-pawn, while White's
queen will be badly placed, preventing
him from advancing his b-pawn at a
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure
convenient moment.
20 ... ''d7
21 Itfdl?!
21 Itadl is more natural, leaving the
other rook at f1 for security, since Black is
planning ... f5.
21 ... IteS 22 a4 Wh8 23 lId3 f5!
Exploiting the opponent's planless play,
Black seizes the initiative.
24 f3 ''f7
2S Itfl
The effect of White's unfortunate 21st
move is felt: he is forced to waste a tempo
on defence.
2S ... i.xdS!
An opportune moment to clarify the
situation. White cannot play 26 nxd5 on
account of 26 ... fxe4.
26 exdS ''e7 (22)
22
The pawn configuration has determined
the nature of the struggle. White has a
pawn majority on the queenside, but it is
not at all in evidence, since the pawns
have not been advanced. Black, on the
other hand, has four pawns against three
in the centre and on the kingside, and he is
fully prepared for advancing ... e4.
19
27 ''dl as
This move is not without purpose - it
has prophylactic aims. Black realizes that
... e4 will not run away, and therefore he
deprives White of even a hint of activity
on the queenside, since in the event ofb2-
b4 the c-file is opened for the black rook.
White did not believe Black, and never-
theless advanced his b-pawn. He was
evidently unable to endure any longer
such an unpromising position.
28 b4? axb4 29 exb4 Itc1 30 ''b3 Itxfl +
31 i.xfl e4!
The planned advance takes place. The
opposite-colour bishops merely increase
the potential of Black's attack.
32 Ite3 ''eS 33 ''e4 i.f6 34 Ita3 ''d4+!
3S ''xd4 i.xd4+ 36 Whl ne8
In all factors Black is superior to his
opponent, the rook at a3 making an
especially wretched impression. It is not
surprising that the game concludes within
a few moves.
37 fxe4 fxe4 38 g3 :ric139 Wg2 Ite2+ 40
Wh3 hS 41 g4 e3 42 as e2 43 i.xe2 Itxe244
gxhS :ri b2 White resigns
Kuzmin-S veshnikov
Minsk 1976
1 e4 eS 2 ltJf3 ltJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 S ltJe3 eS 6 ltJdbS d6 7 ltJdS ltJxdS 8
exdS ltJe7 9 c3 ltJg6
(diagram 23)
10 a4?!
White's hopes are associated with 10 ...
a6: he then gains an excellent game after
11 ltJa3, 12 ltJc4 and 13 a5. But Black is
not obliged to toe the line. Theoretically
the strongest continuation is considered
20 Middlegame Strategy
23
to be 10 ~a4t ~d1 11 ~c4~ ~1C..b'S \,'2
1!xb5+ 1!d7 13 a4! a6 14 'ti'xd7+ 'It'xd7,
when the resulting complicated ending is
judged to favour White. However, Svesh-
nikov has his own opinion on many posi-
tions of this variation.
10 ... i.e7 11 g3 0-0 12 .tg2 f5
The logical development of events.
Black associates his hopes with his pawn
majority on the kingside, and White - on
the queenside.
13 0-0 f4
Sveshnikov considers that first 13 ... a6
14 lba3 would have been more effective,
and only then 14 ... f4.
14 c4 .tf5
Now there is no point in playing 14 .. ,
a6, since after 15 lbc3 White includes his
knight in the defence.
15 c5
If 15 tLlc3, then 15 ... 'ti'c8 16 b3
i.h3! with a dangerous initiative.
15 ... e4!
16 g4?
This reckless play proves unsuccessful.
16 i.xf4 lbxf4 17 gxf4 a6 18 lbxd6 ..txd6
19 cxd6 'ti'xd6 was essential, with a
continuing struggle.
16 ... f3 17 gxf5 fxg2 18 liel lixf5 19
lixe4 (24)
24
19 ... ..th4!
Provoking a fresh weakening, since
White loses after 20 i.e3 'ti'f6 21 'ti'd2
laaf8 22 lie6 .txf2+ 23 .txf2 lixf2 24
lixf6 lixd2 25 J;ixf8+ 'It'xf8. It becomes
clear that, as a result of the cut and thrust,
Black's pawn detachment has gained the
first success.
20 f4 dxc5 21 d6 'ti'd7 22 lia3 liafS 23
lbxa7 .tg5!
The half-alive pawn at g2 shows its
teeth!
24 'ti'b3+ 'It'h8 25 'ti'e6 'ti'xe6 26 lixe6
..txf4 27 ..txf4 lbxf4
As a result, White has not in fact
succeeded in getting rid of the annoying
pawn.
28 liel lidS 29 lbb5 lid2 30 liae3 g5!
With the idea of 31 ... g4 and 32 ...
lbh3+.
31 tLlc3 lixd6, and Black easily realized
his material and positional advantage.
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure
1.3 Blockade
When talking about blockade, what is
usually understood is a piece (most often
a knight or bishop) standing in the path of
a passed pawn. However, a pawn itself
can cope excellently with the role of
blockader. In such instances it tries to
'pin to the wall' the enemy pawns, by
limiting or altogether depriving them of
mobility.
Two creative achievements by Geller
are convincing examples on this theme.
Geller-Fischer
Curarao 1962
1 e4 c52 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5
lbc3 a6 6 .te2 e5 7 lbb3 i.e7 8 0-0 0-0 9
.te3 !fc7 10 a4 .te6 11 a5 lbbd7 (2S)
25
12 lbd5!
This continuation determines White's
subsequent strategy. The given position
had been thoroughly studied by Geller,
who has always been famed for his handling
of the opening. At the very least White
easily and naturally gains a great positional
advantage, mainly due to the fact that by
the advance of his a-pawn he has secured
21
a blockade of the queenside and prepared
the ground for his overall plan: c2-c4,
b2-b4 and c4-c5, since Black is unable to
move his b-pawn without detriment to his
position.
12 ... lbxd5
White also retains the advantage in the
event of 12 ... .txd5 13 exd5 b5 14 axb6
lbxb6 15 c4! a5! (1S ... lbbd7 16 lbaS!
'i1.fc8 17 b4, and White has a decisive
superiority on the queenside, Kostro-
Pokojowczyk, Poland 1972) 16 'i1.xa5
Etxa5 17 lbxa5 lbbxd5 18 .td2lbf419 b4,
Bradvarevic-Nemet, Bled 1963.
13 exd5 .tf5
14 c4 .tg6?
. Fischer persists in trying for counterplay
on the kingside with ... f5, but he does not
succeed in making this 'active' move,
since he has to try and repulse White's
growing initiative on the queenside. As a
result, the bishop manoeuvre proves to be
a serious loss of time. He should have
defended with 14 ... lUc8 and then 15 .. ,
'ifd8, with the idea of exchanging the
dark-square bishops by ... i.g5.
15 'i1.c1 lbc5?!
It was essential to try and sharpen the
play by 15 ... f5, although it would not
have achieved the desired result after 16
c5! f4 (16 ... dxcS 17lbxcS lbxcS 18 b4f4
19 .txcS .td620 .tg4, occupying the key
outpost at e6, or 18 ... 'Sfc8 19 bxcS 'ifxaS
20 d6 with the unpleasant threat of 21
'ifb3+ - Rabar) 17 cxd6 'ifxd6 18 .tc5
lbxc5 19 lbxc5, when Black is in great
difficulties. In blocking the c5 square,
Fischer underestimated the strength of
White's 17th move. Therefore 15 ... llac8
looks more tenacious, or 15 ... 'i1.fc8,
waiting to see what White will do.
16 lbxc5 dxc5 (26)
22 Middlegame Strategy

instantly.

26 26 'fi'b4 'fi'c7 27 nxd6 'fi'xd6 28 nbl

'fi'c7 (27)
Mednis regards this move as the decisive
mistake, and considers that resistance
would still have been possible if Black
had played 28 ... g6. I think that even then
Black's position would have been un-
enviable.

17 b4!
The opening up of the queenside brings
White an appreciable advantage. The
black pieces are pinned down and are
forced to defend passively.
17 .. , nac8
Of course, not 17 ... cxb4?, since White
interposes 18 i.b6 and then plays 19 c5,
when Black is suffocated. 29 'fi'a4!
18 'fi'b3 .ltd6 Allowing the second rook to go to b6.
19 JUdI 'fi'ei
29 ... .ltd7 30 'fi'a3 E:xa5 31 nxb7 'fi'xb7
The threat of winning a pawn by 20 32 'iWxa5
bxc5 i.xc5 21 i.xc5 'fi'xc5 22 'fi'xb7 'fi'xa5
23 nal forces Black to waste precious Success for White is not far off. The
time. resulting ending is clearly favourable for
him - his efforts in the opening and
20 bxc5 i.xc5 21 i.xc5 E:xc5 22 E:al! middlegame have not been in vain. The
The white rook aims for b6, from game concluded:
where it will support the advance of the d- 32 ... g6 33 h3 'fi'bl + 34 <;t>h2 .ltf5 35
pawn. 'iWc3 'iWe4 36 .tf3 'fi'd4 37 'fi'xd4 exd4 38 g4
22 ... nd8 23 lIa4 i.f5 24 lIb4 .ltc8 25 .ic8 39 c5 a5 40 c6 <;t>f8 41 d6, and Black
nb6 nd6 resigned without resuming.
Fischer tries to obstruct White's passed
pawns, but it is well known that heavy
pieces are poor blockaders, and therefore Geller-Ivkov
his plan of defence does not succeed. But Hilversum 1973
in the event of 25 ... :!a:xa5 26 d6 'fi'd7 27
i.f3 Black's position would have collapsed 1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 lLlf6 5
 Dynamics of the Pawn Structure
tDe3 a6 6 .ie2 e5 7 tDb3 .ie7 8 0-0 .ie6 9
f4 'fie7 10 a4 tDbd7 11 Wh1 l:l:e8 (28)
Black's last move cannot be called a
mistake, but it would seem to be an
inaccuracy. At any event, as the course of
the present game shows, White is able to
gain a great positional advantage. Therefore
11 ... 0-0 was correct.
12 f5 i.e4
13 a5!
The blockade of the queenside comes
into White's strategic plan. Now it is
difficult for Black to create counterplay,
since his queenside pawns are immobilized,
and his pieces too are unable to achieve
coordination.
13 ... 0-014 .ixe4 'it'xe4 15 E:a4 'it'e6 16
.ie3 l:l:fd8 17 'it'f3
Strengthening the placing of his pieces,
Geller keeps in reserve the advance of his
g-pawn, and as though says to his
opponent: "make a move".
17 ... h6
By weakening his kingside, the Yugo-
slav grandmaster parries White's pawn
storm (on 18 g4 there would follow 18 ...
tDh7).
18 E:aa1! tDe5
23
19 tDd5
At just the right time! The unfortunate
position of the black queen tells.
19 ... tDxd5 20 exd5 'it'b521 tDxe5 dxe5
22 'it'g4 'it'xb2 (29)
29
23 i.xh6?!
This may be good enough to win, but it
is not the quickest. Geller recommends 23
c4. But why not play 23 E:abl! 'it'xc224
.ixh6 .if6 25 E:bel 'it'd3 26 E:fdl and
then 27 .ixg7! followed by 28 f6, or 23 ...
h5 24 'it'xh5 'it'xc2 25 l:l:xb7 'it'd3 26 l:l:f3
etc.? I have no doubt that this would have
won immediately.
23 ... e4 24 E:ab1 'it'e5 25 e4 e3
Black has acquired a counterchance -
his e-pawn, and therefore White must be
extremely accurate.
26 E:be1
26 E:xb7? fails to 26 ... .td6 27 .if4 e2,
when it is Black who wins.
26 ... 'it'd4
27 E:f4 'it'f6
On 27 ... 'it'c3 White wins by 28 l:l:efl,
and if 28 ... .tf6 29 .ixg7!
28 E:e4!
24 Middlegame Strategy

All precisely calculated. The position is

won for White, since his d-pawn proves to 30
be stronger than the e-pawn.
28 ... 'fi'xh6 29 llxe7 lle8 30 'fi'e4 llxe7
31 'fi'xe7 'fi'f4 32 h3
White is not in a hurry to pick up the e-
pawn, but first makes an escape square
for his king.
32 .. , 'fi'xf5
33 d6 'fi'e6 (30)
Black's last move allows Geller to
conclude the game prettily, but the position
34 d7!
is also lost after 33 ... 'fi'f6 34 'fi'xf6 gxf6 35
Il:xe3 Il:d8 36 lld3. Winning a whole rook. Black resigns.
2 The Battle for the Central Squares

It is hard to overestimate the importance

of the given theme. To me it seems
31
advisable to make a concrete study of
typical procedures concerning the battle
for the central squares, and to draw some
general conclusions which will help players
to acquire the necessary practical skills.
What will be discussed are situations
where one of the players, guided by a
certain strategy, or sometimes even by
need, allows a weakening in the centre of
the board, offering some distinctive ad-
vantages (which, however, in certain cases
are a 'bait') to the opponent. Or where the
seizure of a central square is carried out Supporting the knight, but weakening
using a number of standard techniques. the central d5 square. 9 ... ltJe6 is considered
But first let us examine in a general safer.
context the problem of weak squares,
10 ltJb5!
light or dark, and the serious consequences
to which this can lead. White's plan is to exchange knights. In
We will see for ourselves how dangerous the event of 10 i.xd4? exd4 11 ltJb5 O-O!
it is to break the laws of strategy, when 12 ltJxd4 't!fb6! Black takes the initiative.
the guilty party commits a serious ex-
10 ... 0-0
posure of certain small or large sectors,
allowing the opponent free domination Development first and foremost, and
over them. so Black offers a pawn sacrifice. It is
unfavourable for White to accept it: 11
ltJxd4 exd4 12 i.xd4? 't!fa5+ 13 ~e2 :.iiIe8
140 d5! 15 i.xg7 (15 cxd5 :.iiIxe4+ 16fxe4
Gaprindashvili-Servaty
i.g4+) 15 ... :.iiIxe4+ 16 ~f2 't!fc5+ 17 ~g3
Dortmund 1974
't!fe3! with an attack.
1 e4 c52 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 g6 5
11 i.e2
c4 i.g7 6 i.e3 ltJf6 7 ltJc3 ltJg4 8 't!fxg4
ltJxd49 't!fdl e5 (31) 11 't!fd2 is also possible.

25
26 Middlegame Strategy

11 ... 'tWh4? 1 e4 c5 2 tt:Jf3 tt:Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:Jxd4

tt:Jf6 5 lbc3 d6 6 .tg5 e6 7 'tWd2 a6 8 0-0-0
Black goes in for forcing play, but
h69 .tf4 .td710 .tg3 'tWc711 f3 lbe5? (33)
miscalculates. He should have continued
11 ... tt:Jxb5 12 cxb5 d6, and if 13 .tc4
.te6, with a defensible position. 33

12 tt:Jxd4! exd413 .txd4 'tWxe414 .txg7!

'tWxg2
Black was pinning his hopes on this
intermediate move, but he overlooks that
he is irreparably weakened on the dark-
square diagonal.
15 'tWd4!
In the style of the last century! The
sacrifice of both rooks leads to inevitable
mate.
This knight manoeuvre merely worsens
15 'tWx hi + Black's position. 11 ... 0-0-0 was better.
16 Wd2 'tWxal (32)
12 f4 tt:Jg6 13 .te2 .te7 14 Wbl e5?

32 A positional mistake. By initiating

17 ~f6!!
This move of terrible strength concludes
the game. Black resigns, since on 17 ...
~xa2 comes 18 .th6, and the checks
quickly come to an end. Such was the
retribution for his loss of vigilance over
the dark squares.
Nezhmetdinov-Dubinin
Cheboksary 1950
premature play in the centre, Black cata-
strophically weakens his light squares,
and Nezhmetdinov immediately exploits
this.
15 lbf5! j,xf5 16 exf5 tt:Jxf4 17 .txf4
exf4 18 'ti'xf4 0-0-0 19 j,f3 Wb8 20 .td5!
The dominance of the white bishop is
obvious. Black lacks space, and is forced
passively to await his dismal end. The
activity of the white pieces grows with
every move, in the end leading to positional
suffocation.
20 ... E:hf8 21 llhel lId7 22 'ti'g3 tt:Je8
23 tt:Je4 Wa7
Playing White in such a position is
sheer pleasure.
24 lIe3 'tWd8 25 lIb3 .tf6 26 'tWe3+ Wb8
27 lIb6 'ti'c8 28 lld3 lIe7 29 lIdb3 (34)
A picturesque position! Black simply
has no moves.
 The Battle for the Central Squares
34
29 ... 'ifxf5 30 J::txb7+ lixb7 31 llxb7+
Wc8 32 lbxd6+ Black resigns.
S myslov-Botvinnik
Moscow 1954
1 e4 c5 2 lbc3 lbc6 3 g3 g6 4 .,tg2 .,tg7 5
d3 d6 6 lbge2 (35)
35
6 .. , e5!
Before the present game this move had
virtually never been played in a serious
event, yet without good reason. White is
prevented for the moment from advancing
d3-d4, and at the same time his bishop at
g2 is restricted. The weakening of Black's
27
d5 square is of no great importance, since
he has sufficient means for controlling
it.
7 lbd5 lbge7
8 c3?!
The plan chosen by White is strategically
incorrect, since his striving to play d3-d4
at all costs does not achieve the desired
result. Wrongly, he voluntarily gives up
the struggle for d5, an aim which would
have been served by the logical 8 lbec3.
Now Black rids himself of the one draw-
back to his position.
8 ... lbxd5 9 exd5 lbe7 10 0-0
White is inconsistent. He should have
continued along the planned path: 10 d4
exd4 11 cxd4 cxd4 12 lbxd4 0-0 13 0-0,
with only slightly the better prospects for
Black.
10 ... 0-0
11 f4?!
Since here 11 d4 exd4 12 cxd4 c4 13
'ifa4 'ifc7 14 .tg5 .td7 15 'ifa3 .if5 is not
very good (Black has a positional ad-
vantage), Smyslov tries to seize the initiative
in another way, but in doing so he
markedly weakens the dark squares in his
position. The quiet 11 i.d2 followed by
12 'ifb3 and 13 llae1 was more in the
spirit of the position.
11 .,td7
12 h3?!
White is afraid of 12 ... 'ifc8 and
commits a fresh weakening. He should
have tried 12 fxe5 dxe5 13 i,g5 (13 d6!? is
also interesting) 13 ... h6! (13 ... f6? J4
Ji.e3 'ifc 7 15 .,tj2 lbf5 16 d4 exd4 17 cxd4
c4 18 lbf4. with a promising game) 14
il..xe7 'ifxe7 15 c4 J::tae8 16lbc3 f5 17 'ifd2,
and although Black stands better. all the
play is still to come.
28 Middlegame Strategy
12 ~e7
13 J.e3
The best arrangement of the white
pieces would still have been 13 J.d2, 14
~b3 and 15 liael.
13 ... liae8
Black is the first to complete his
mobilization, and his pieces are very
harmoniously placed, which allows him
to retain the initiative.
14 ~d2?
Botvinnik regards this as a routine
move, leading to serious difficulties, since
the queen is badly placed on the c1-h6
diagonal, and he rightly suggests that 14
J.f2 would have been better.
14 ... 4:JfS IS J.fl hS 16 liael (36)
Good or bad, White should have decided
on 16 g4 hxg4 17 hxg4 4:Jh6 18 g5, creating
counterplay.
36
16 ~d8!
But now after 17 g4 hxg4 18 hxg4 4:Jh4
White has to part with one of his bishops.
17 <t>h2
17 fxe5 fails to 17 ... J.h6 18 ~c24:Je3,
when White's position collapses.
17 J.h6!
The poor position of the white queen at
d2 becomes clear. In addition, the threat
of 18 ... exf4 19 4:Jxf4 h4! looks unplea-
sant.
18 h4
It was with a heavy heart that White
went in for this further weakening, this
time creating additional 'holes' on the
light squares. But what other remedy can
be suggested against a future .,. h4?
18 ... ~f6!
The clump of white pieces, huddled
together in the 'basement', looks quite
helpless. And it is not surprising that
Black's excellently coordinated forces land
a crushing blow on the kingside, where,
'throbbing' painfully, the opponent has
numerous weaknesses.
19 J.e4 exf4 20 4:Jxf4 4:Jxh4! 21 J.e3
4:J fS 22 J.xfS
22 4:Jxh5 fails to 22 ... gxh5 23 J.xf5 (23
J.xh6 ~xh6) 23 '" J.xe324 nxe3 ~g5!!,
when Black wins the exchange. The game
now concluded:
22 ... 't!IxfS 23 ~g2 't!Ig4 24 ~e2 ~xe2+
2S lixe2 lieS 26 liee1 life8 27 J.fl h4 28
nxeS nxeS 29 d4 hxg3+ 30 <t>xg3 ligS+
31 <t>h2 lifS 32 J.e3 exd4 33 exd4 <t>h734
~fl gS 3S 4:Je2 Iixfl+ 36 J.xfl fS White
resigns
Geller-Reshevsky
Palma de Mal/orca 1970
1 e4 eS 2 4:Jf3 e6 3 d4 exd4 4 4:Jxd4 4:Je6 S
4:Je3 d6 6 J.e2 4:Jf6 70-0 J.e78 J.e3 0-0 9
f4 J.d7 10 4:Jb3 as 11 a4 eS12 <t>hl4:Jb413
J.f3 lie8 (37)
 The Battle for the Central Squares
37
In this variation Black tries to gain
counterplay on the queenside by advancing
his a-pawn. In doing so, however, he
weakens a number of squares. But how is
White to exploit his advantage? With
the following subtle rook manoeuvre he
succeeds in disclosing the drawbacks to
Black's set-up. The rook is transferred to
the d-file, but the main subtlety of White's
plan is well camouflaged.
14 lIfl! :f!e4 15 fxe5 dxe5 16 lid2 'fie7
17 'iWgl!!
This is the point! Black's dark squares
on the queenside, especially b6, begin to
crumble.
17 ... .id8
Black is forced to make awkward
defensive moves.
18 lIadl .ie6
18 ... liJxc2 fails to 19 lIxc2 .ixa4 20
liJa1!, when White's minor pieces control
all the most important squares.
19 .ie5
An important interposition, forcing
Black to give up the exchange for practically
no compensation.
19 ... ne8
29
20 'iWfl lIxe5
The weakening of Black's f7 square
does not allow him to play 20 ... lIxe4, in
view of 21 liJxe4 liJxe4 22 .ixe4 .ixe423
lId7 etc.
21 liJxe5 'fie7 22 liJb3 .ib6 23 'fie2 g6
24 liJb5 lia8
Such moves are not made willingly.
25 liJcl
The technical phase commences. The
white knight aims for d5, and when it
arrives there, the game will be over.
25 ... liJa6 26 liJa2 liJe5 27 liJae3 h5
Parrying 28 liJd5 for the moment on
account of 28 ... i.xd5 29 exd5 e4, with
counterplay for Black.
28 :ael 'fifS 29 :ad6 liJcd730 lIddl 'fih6
31 'iWd2 'iWfS 32 'iWd6 'fih6 33 'iWd2 'iWfS
With both players short of time, White
repeats moves.
34 h3 ne8 35 liJd6 lii:d836 liJc4 .ie737
liJd5! (38)
38
This move essentially concludes the
game.
37 ... liJxd5 38 exd5 liJf6 39 'figS liJxd5
40 liJxe5 'iWg7 41 e4 f6, and without
30 Middlegame Strategy
waiting for his opponent's reply, Black
resigned.
Now let us turn directly to the problem
of the central squares. We will dwell in
detail on the analysis of two main points,
d5 and e5, which feature recurrently in
the majority of Sicilian variations.
2.1 The d5 Square
The author would like to focus the
reader's closest attention on this square,
since in the Scheveningen, Paulsen, Sozin
and even the NajdorfVariation, it provokes
such a strong clash of interests of the
opposing sides, and fierce arguments over
it take place so often. The d5 square is
weakened by Black, and so here the basic
question is as follows: either White gains
complete control of the desired post, or
else Black succeeds in securely covering
it.,
S myslov-R udakovsky
Moscow 1945
1 e4 c5 2 lLln e6 3 d4 cxd4 4lLlxd4 lLlf6 5
lLlc3 d6 6 i.e2 i.e7 70-00-08 i.e3 lLlc6 9
f4 'ilc7 10 'ilel lLlxd4 11 i.xd4 e5 12 .ie3
i.e6 13 f5 i.c4? 14 i.xc4 'ilxc4 (39)
39
On his 13th move Black made a serious
positional mistake, by exchanging the
light-square bishops (he should have played
13 ... i.d7 followed by 14 .. , i.c6), and
White immediately exploits this.
15 i.g5!
A text-book example of how to exploit
the weakness of the d5 square in such
positions. White eliminates the last enemy
defender of this important strategic out-
post, after which his knight becomes sole
master of it.
15 ... lUe8 16 i.xf6 i.xf6 17 lLld5 i.d8
On 17 '" 'ilxc2 there would have followed
18 nf2, and if 18 ... 'ilc5, then 19 lIeI and
20 lLlc7, winning the exchange.
18 c3 b5 19 b3 'ilc5+ 20 ~hl lIc8 21
lIn ~h8
Of course, Black could have dug in
with 21 ... f6, but this passive defence
would not have held any promise. After
transferring his heavy pieces to the kingside
and advancing his g- and h-pawns, without
the least hindrance White would have
decisively stormed the enemy king's posi-
tion.
22 f6! gxf6 23 'ilh4 lIg8 24lLlxf6 lIg725
llg3
With the threat of 26 'ti'xh7+!
25 ... i.xf6 26 'ti'xf6 llg8 27 lIdl d5 28
nxg7 Black resigns
Smyslov-Denker
Moscow 1946
1 e4 c5 2 lLlc3 lLlc6 3 g3 g6 4 i.g2 i.g75
d3 e6 6 i.e3 lLld4 7 lLlce2! d6 8 c3 lLlc6 9 d4
cxd4 10 lLlxd4 lLlxd4 11 i.xd4 e5 12 i.e3
lLle7 13 lLle2 0-0 14 0-0 i.e6 15 'ild2 'ti'c7
16 nfc1! f5 17 c4 fxe4 18 lLlc3 lLlf5 19
 The Battle for the Central Squares 31

.'ilw4 lLlxe3 20 'fi'xe3 h6 21 lIdl lIfd8 22

Y"c1 lIac8 23 b3 b6 (40)

40

This invasion of the eighth rank is the

Guided by strategic principles, White
should aim for the exchange of light-
square bishops, and obtain a centralized
knight against a dark-square bishop
cramped by its own pawns. And in this
sense his next move is an ideal solution.
24 lLlc3!
Now Black could avoid the exchange
by 24 ... 'it>h7, but after 2S .ie4! followed
by h2-h4-hS he would find himself in a
critical position.
24 ... 'fi'e7 25 .idS 'it>h7 26 .ixe6 'fi'xe6
27 lId3 lIc7 28 lIcdl lUi 29 lLle4 .if8 30
lIdS 'fi'g4 31 lIld3
The final preparations before the win
of a pawn. In the event of 31 ... 'fi'e6 White
continues 32 'fi'd2 lIfd7 33 cS! bxcS 34
lLlxcS.
31 ... .ie7 32 lLlxd6 .ixd6 33 lIxd6 lIdf8
34 'fi'xe5
White has accurately worked out the
consequences of giving up his f2 pawn.
He builds up a decisive attack with his
heavy pieces.
34 ... lIxf2 35 lId7+ :!l2f7 36 :!lxf7+
l1xf7 37 lId8! (41)
point of White's forcing operation. The
storm clouds are gathering over the black
king.
37 ... :!lg7 38 'fi'e8 g5 39 'fi'h8+ 'it>g640
lId6+ 'it>f7 41 'fi'xh6
With the loss of a second pawn the fate
of the game is decided. Smyslov concludes
with his customary elegance.
41 ... 'fi'f5 42 lIdl! 'fi'c5+ 43 'it>g2 'fi'e7
44 lUI + 'it>g8 45 'fi'f6 't!e8 46 't!f5 g4 47
:!lf2 't!e7 48 't!d3 l1g549 :!le2 't!f8 50 't!e4
lIg7 51 't!d5+ 'fi'f7 52 l1e6! Black resigns
Karpov-Nunn
Amsterdam 1985
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 liJf6 4 lLlc3 cxd4 5
liJxd4 a6 6 i.e2 e5 7 lLlb3 JL.e78 0-0 0-0 9
.ie3 .ie6 10 't!d2 liJbd7 11 a4 :!lc8 12 a5
't!c7 13 :!lfdl IHd8 (42)
The two players have completed the
mobilization of their forces, and play is
entering the middlegame. In positions of
this type the struggle revolves around the
dS square. Karpov carries out an overall
strategic plan with his customary merciless
consistency.
32 Middlegame Strategy

42 43

14 \IIel \IIc6 15 J.f3 J.c4 16 ltJcl! 31 ... bxa5 32 b5 axb5 33 cxb5 Itc5
Manoeuvring this knight to the magic On 33 ... nc3 White wins by 34 b6 ..tb8
square. 35 b7, when the black rook is trapped.
16 ... h6 17 ltJla2 ltJc5 18 ltJb4 \IIe8 19 34 J.xc5 ltJxc5 35 J.fl a4 36 \IIc2 a3 37
g3 nc7 20 J.g2 ndc8 21 b3! J.c4 ltJe6 38 lIld3 ltJd4 39 \IIa2 ..tb6 40
nxa3 Black resigns
An important interposition, enabling
White to be fully prepared in the near And now another modern illustration
future for c2-c4, conclusively depriving of how White succeeds in 'building a nest'
the opponent of counterplay on the c-file. at d5.
21 ... J.e6 22 ltJcd5 ltJxd5 23 ltJxd5
J.xd5 24 nxd5
Popovic-Polugayevsky
The rook feels no less happy than the Sarajevo 1987
knight on this central square.
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
24 ... nc6 25 JIadl ltJe6 26 c4 J.g5 27 ltJc3 a6 6 g3 e5 7 ltJb3 J.e7 8 J.g2 ltJbd7 9
J.a7 naS 28 J.b6 J.d8 29 J.e3 J.c7 a4 b6 10 0-0 J.b7 (44)
The passive plan of defence chosen by
the English grandmaster hastens his defeat. 44
29 ... J.g5 was more tenacious.
30 \IIe2 b6
Now the attempt to escape from the
vice no longer helps.
(diagram 43)
31 b4!
This leads by force to loss of material
for Black.
 The Battle for the Central Squares 33

11 ne1! d5. And in principle, White would like to

exchange off all the enemy pieces covering
In this well known position this rook
this square, ideally leaving his 'proud'
manoeuvre seems completely harmless.
knight facing a powerless bishop.
In fact it is an essential part of a profound
However, is the weakening in the centre
and camouflaged plan for gaining total
always ruinous for Black? In the Sicilian
control of the central d5 square.
Defence it is both premature and incorrect
11 ... 0-0 to draw such a conclusion. In many in-
12 lbd2! stances Black is able to exercise strict
surveillance, and then the d5 square is
Revealing the secret of the planned
merely an enticement for White, and that
operation. The rook has vacated fl, and
is all. This means that, captivated by the
the manoeuvre lbd2-fl-e3 has become a
idea of controlling at all costs the strategic
reality.
outpost, White is not in fact able to
12 nc8 transform his dream into reality, since
13 lbfl lbc5 Black's vigilant watch stands in his way.
This is vividly demonstrated in one of
Passive vegetation is not to Black's
the popular lines of the Sozin Variation:
taste, but this pseudo-activity merely plays
into the opponent's hands. 13 ... nc7 was 1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5
better. lbc3 a6 6 ~c4 e6 7 ~b3 b5 8 f4 i.b7 9 f5 e5
10 lbde2 lbbd711 lbg3 i.e7 12 ~g5 (45)
14 ~g5 lbe6 15 ~xf6 ~xf6 16 lbe3
Here Black discovered that the intended
16 ... lbd4 would be refuted by 17lbcd5!
i.xd5 18 exd5 'ifd7 19 c3 lbf5 20 'ifg4.
16 ... g6 17 lbcd5 ~g7 18 c3 ~h8 19
'ifb3 n b8 20 ned1 ~a8 21 'ifc2 'ifc8 22
1!Ve2 nd8 23 lbc4
There is no point in continuing the
account of this game (especially since in
severe time trouble Popovic blundered
and lost); White obviously has an over-
whelming advantage.
The preceding examples demonstrate The battle for domination in the centre
the main weapon used by White in the has reached its peak. It will certainly turn
battle for the key square: recognizing the out badly for Black if he allows White to
priority of the knights in this type of realize unhindered his chief strategic idea.
position, he happily gives up his dark- This is what happened in the following
square bishop for a knight, and then, if game:
the opportunity should present itself, he
tries to lure the opponent into the exchange
of light-square bishops. After this, Black Polugayevsky-Donner
to a significant degree loses control over Beverwijk 1966
34 Middlegame Strategy

Yes, dear reader, do not be surprised at

seeing me in the role of the 'white cavalier'. 46
Being a hopelessly obstinate Sicilian player
as Black, I would have played 1 e4 all my
life if I knew that my opponent would
reply 1 ... c5. In the given instance I had
no doubts about which opening my
opponent would choose, and I was there-
fore not averse to 'indulging myself as
White in the Sozin Variation.
12 ... 1Llc5?
My calculations prove to be psycho-
logically justified. The Dutch grandmaster
the position of the dark-square bishop is
is not familiar with the subtleties of this
unenviable! The outcome is essentially
line, and he commits a strategic mistake,
decided, accuracy merely being required
removing his knight from the sphere of
of White.
influence over d5.
21 ... lLlb6 22 lLlg4 lLlxd5 23 lixd5 f6 24
13 .ixf6 .ixf6
'ti'd3 lle6 25 lldl 'fi'a8 26 a3
14 .idS
White has no reason to hurry, and
We are already familiar with this
before taking decisive measures he opens
procedure, exposing the 'wound' in Black's
an escape square for his king.
set-up.
26 ... ~d8 27 lLlxh6+ gxh6 28 'fi'd2 'ti'b7
14 ... .ixd5
15 lLlxd5 He has to give up a pawn, since on 28 ...
wg7 White wins by 29 lld3.
The knight comfortably occupies its
favourite square. 29 'fi'xh6 'fi'g7
30 'fi'e3!
15 ... .ih4 16 'fi'f3 0-0 17 0-0-0 lIe8 18
Wbl lLld7 Of course, with the queens on it is
easier to exploit the exposed position of
An admission that he was wrong. The
the black king.
black knight hurries to f6 or b6, to get rid
of its annoying opponent, but it is already 30 ... 'fi'g4
too late. With the following manoeuvre 31 g3 ~d7
White confirms his hegemony in the
31 ... ~c4 loses to 32 'ti'b6.
centre of the board.
32 ~ld3
19 lLln! .ig5
The final preparations. In the event of
So as to put the e3 square under fire.
32 ... ~c4 White was intending 33 ~xd6
20 h4 .th6 ~xd6 34 ~xd6 l:txe4 35 ~d8+ Wg7 36
21 lLlh2! (46) l:td7+ Wg8 37 'ti'c3! E:c4 38 'ti'a5.
Misfortune strikes from the other side; 32 ... Wf7 33 'ti'h6 'ti'g7 34 'ti'h5+ We7 35
 The Battle for the Central Squares
'it'd1 'it'h6 36 b3 lId8 37 ~b2 lId7 38 ~b1
lId8 39 'it'e1 lIdc8 40 'ifb4 lId8 41 a4
Black resigns
As we see, all Black's misfortunes stem
from his bad bishop, since after exchanges
he does not have left a single minor piece
which is ready to 'argue' with the knight
at d5.
F or a long period White was triumphant
in this variation, but then, nevertheless,
came happier times for Sicilian players.
They gradually delved into the subtleties
of the position and rendered harmless
White's dangerous plan.
In this respect the following two games
were of enormous significance, raising
Black's spirits and, on the contrary, causing
despondency in White.
Let us return to our standard position:
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5
lbc3 a6 6 i.c4 e6 7 i.b3 b5 8 f4 i.b79 f5 e5
10 lbde2 lbbd711 lbg3 i.e7 12 i.g5 (47)
R.B yrne-Fischer
Sousse 1967
12 ... lIc8
An important link in Black's general
plan. The rook occupies its customary
35
square and in many instances joins actively
in the play. Now after 13 i.xf6 lbxf6 14
lbh5 he has a pleasant choice between the
restrained 14 ... 'ti'b6 15lbxf6+(15lbxg7+?
~f8 16 lbh5 'it'e3+ 17 ~fl lbxe4) 15 ...
i.xf6 16 'it'd3 i.g5! when the position is
unclear (17 i.d5 lIxc3! 18 'it'xc3 i.xd5 19
exd5 0-0 20 ~e2 b4, with the initiative for
the exchange), and the sharp 14 ... lIxc3!?
15 bxc3 i.xe4 16 lbxg7+ (16 0-0 lbxh5 17
'it'xh5 d5 18 a4 0-0 19 axb5 'it'b6+ 20 ~hl
axb5, with an excellent game for Black,
Neikirch-Minic, Krakow 1964) 16 ... ~f8
17 lbh5 lIg8 18 lbxf6 i.xf6 19 'it'h5 d5!,
with complications not unfavourable for
Black.
13 0-0 h5!
F or a long time the audacious advance
of the rook's pawn did not occur to
anyone, but it is precisely here that the
golden truth lies. Unexpectedly the white
knight at g3 begins to feel the ground
shifting under its feet. If now White sticks
to his standard plan: 14 i.xf6 lbxf6 15
lbd5, then Black wins a pawn: 15 ... h4 16
lbxf6+ gxf6! 17 lbe2 i.xe4. Black's idea
came as a shock to White, who in his
panic committed a serious weakening.
14 h4? b4 15 i.xf6 i.xf6 16 lbd5 i.xh4
17 lbxh5 'it'g5 18 f6 g6!
Not giving in to provocation: 18 ...
lIxh5? 19 lIf5.
19 lbg7+ ~d8 20 1If3 i.g3 21 'iWd3
i.h2+ 22 ~f1 lbc5 23 lIh3 1Ih4!
The subsequent forced simplification
reduces to nought White's last hopes.
24 'it'f3 lbxb3 25 axb3 lIxh3 26 'iWxh3
i.xd5 27 exd5 'it'xf6+ 28 <ct7e1 'iff4 White
resigns
Events developed rather differently in
the following game:
36 Middlegame Strategy

Bednarski-Lehmann 0-0-0 0-0 16 'ti'e2 b4 17 liJd5 .ixd5 18

Palma de Mallorca 1967 .ixd5 a5 19 ~bl a4 20 lId3 'ti'c5, with
chances for both sides, Tringov-Bukic,
To 13 ... h5! White reacted with 14
Skopje 1971.
.ixf6 liJxf6 15 1ff3 (48), but on his very
next move he regretted this.
There is a perhaps even more heated
conflict around the d5 square in the
48 Chelyabinsk Variation of the Sicilian
Defence, more often called the Sveshnikov
Variation in honour of its creator .
. . . I recall that distant time when I first
came across young Zhenya Sveshnikov,
playing on the junior board in the Russian
Federation team. He fairly frightened us,
the older members of the team, with his
reckless (yes, that's what we all thought)
move order: 1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 liJc63 d4 cxd44
liJxd4 liJf6 5 ltJc3 e5 6 liJdb5 d6 7 .ig5 a6
8 .ixf6 gxf6 9 liJa3 b5 (49).
15 ... lIxc3! 16 'ti'xc3 h4 17 liJe2 'ti'b6+
18 ~hl liJxe4 49

A tragic situation for White, for whom

one can only feel sympathy. The black
pieces, especially the two duets of queen
and knight, bishop and h-pawn, work
wonders on the board.
19 'ti'h3 ltJg5! 20 'ti'g4 h3 21 lIglliJe4 22
lIafl liJfl+ 23 lIxfl 'ti'xfl 24 'ti'xg7 hxg2+
25 lIxg2 'ti'xe2!
A picturesque position. The mortal pin
on the hl-a8 diagonal allows Black to
indulge in such a 'luxury' as giving up a Our persistent attempts to dissuade the
rook. lad were in vain. There was no limit to his
stub bornness, and the opinions of experts
26 .ixf7+ c.t>d8! 27 'ti'xh8+ ~c7 28
were immediately rejected, if they attempted
'ifc8+ 'iittxc8 White resigns
to encroach on his precious brain-child.
The lesser evil for White is evidently 15 Years passed, Zhenya grew up, but he
.id5, although 15 ... ltJxd5 16 liJxd5 h4 continued playing his variation (with
gives Black an excellent game. Thus 13 success, moreover!), becoming more deeply
0-0 is a dubious move, and therefore accustomed to it, and working out more
theory suggests 13 .ixf6 liJxf6 14 'ti'd3, and more new details of his scheme. And,
although this is sufficient only to maintain paradoxically enough, the variation lived
the balance. For example: 14 ... 'ti'c7 15 and flourished, since no one was able at
 The Battle for the Central Squares 37

all seriously to shake its foundations. ~h5 .tg7 13 c3 0-0 14 0-0 (50)
Fate must indeed have been pleased that
such a stubborn person should appear,
endure all the sufferings, and nevertheless 50

force chess theory to believe him and to

bow its head before him!
How is the Sveshnikov phenomenon to
be explained?
Black's losses in diagram 49 appear
to be heavy: his pawn structure has been
ruined, and the white knight will penetrate
onto its favourite square. Does Black have
any pluses in return? It turns out that he
has, and there are several:
(1) The phalanx of black pawns, although
deformed, is sufficiently mobile, and can
14 f4!
successfully attack the enemy centre.
(2) The knight at a3 is clearly out of Timoshchenko's idea, which he first
favour, and time is required to bring it employed in a game against Lukin,
into play. Moscow 1973. In this way Black parries
(3) The presence of Black's light-square the threat of 15 exf5 .txd5 16 f6.
bishop means that the white knight in the
15 lbc2?!
centre is not guaranteed a carefree life in
the future. Theory now recommends 15 liIfdl or
(4) An important trump is the open g- 15 E:adl as being more accurate.
file; while White is relying on the d5
15 f5!
square, Black will have good prospects of
building up a kingside attack along it. The natural continuation of the plan
Therefore everything is not so simple. chosen by Black. Only energetic play can
To all appearances, and experience con- guarantee him success. The black pawns
firms this, the pluses and minuses com- are becoming dangerous, since 16 .txd5
pensate for each other, and the outcome 17 exd5 lbe7 followed by 18 ... e4 is
of the 'Chelyabinsk' argument is decided threatened.
by the mastery of the player with White, In this variation it is clearly seen how
and with Black. More eloquently than the presence of Black's light-square bishop
any words, the examples below demon- does not allow White to become master of
strate this. the d5 outpost.
16 lbcb4!?
In reply White tries to initiate play in
Klovan-Timoshchenko
the centre and on the queenside. In the afore-
Odessa 1974
mentioned Lukin-Timoshchenko game,
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 the attempt to break up the queenside
lbf6 5 lbc3 e5 6 lbdb5 d6 7 .tg5 a6 8 lba3 pawns by 16 a4 was not a success: after 16
b5 9 .txf6 gxf6 10 lbd5 f5 11 .td3 .te6 12 ... .txd5! 17 exd5 lbe7 18 axb5 e4! 19 .tc4
38 Middlegame Strategy

axb5 (also possible is 19 ... llc8 20 'fIIe2j3 f4 e4 26 .ixb5 .ihS 27 f3 'fIIc5+ 28 lLle3
21 gxf3 exj3 22 'fIIe6+ Wh8, with a exf3 29 'fIId3 f2+ 30 Wxf2
dangerous initiative for Black, Drukker- 30 llxf2!? .ixdl 31lLlxdl was possibly
Kozyrev, Tyumen 1978) 20 .ixb5 llb821 better, although even in this case Black's
c4 lLlxd5 22 lla7 (22 llfd1 lLlc723 lLlb4 attack continues.
lLlxb5!) 22 ... lLlc7 23 llfal lLlxb5 24 cxb5
'fIIf6! 25 llc7 llbc8 26 llaa7 llxc7 27 30 ... .ixdl
llxc7 'fIIxb2 28 'fIIe2 d5 Black gained the 31 llxdl Wh8!
advantage. Preparing to bring into battle his last
16 ... lLlxb4 reserve - his rook on the g-file.
17 lLlxb4 a5! 32 Wg2 llg8 33 lLlfl .ixc3+ 34 lLlg3
The strongest reply, essentially refuting .ixb2 35 'i!fxd5 (52)
White's plan. The other continuations to
have occurred in practice, 17 ... d5 and 17
... 'fIId7, leave White with the better
chances.
18 exfS
There appears to be no other move. If
18 lLld5, then 18 ... .ixd5 19 exd5 e4,
while on 18 lLlc6 Black wins by 18 ... 'fIIc7
19 exf5 .ic4! 20 .ixc4 bxc4 21 'fIIO lla6!
18 ... .in 19 'fIIh3 'fIId7! 20 lLlc2 dS 21
lladl (51)

In this position the simplest way to

conclude the game was by 35 ... 'fIIe3,
when 36 ... llxh2+ is unavoidable. But
here, in all probability, time trouble
interfered, resulting in a terrible blunder
(the most vexing thing was that up till
here the Novosibirsk grandmaster had
played simply splendidly).
35 ... llxh2+?? 36 Wxh2 '4!ff2+ 37 'ffg2
'i!fxf4 38 'i!fxb2+ Black resigns

21 ... lla6! Gutierrez-Sveshnikov

The opening battle has been won by Cienfuegos 1979
Black. His pawn column in the centre is a 1 e4 cS 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4
formidable force. lLlf6 5 lLlc3 e5 6 lLldbS d6 7 .ig5 a68 lLla3
22 'fIIg4 llh6 23 'fIIe2 f3! 24 gxf3 'fIIe7 25 bS 9 .ixf6 gxf6 10 lLld5 f5 11 .id3 .ie6 12
 The Battle for the Central Squares 39

't!fh5 i.g7 13 0-0 (53) 17 b3 'ti'd7

18 i.d3?!
53 An imperceptible inaccuracy, which
allows Black to gain counterplay. Theory
considers the strongest to be 18 lafdl
~h8 19 't!fh4 i.xd5 20 laxd5 (or 20 i.xd5).

18 ... ~h8

An important prophylactic move, by

which Black provides his king with a
more secure place and vacates the g-file
for his rook.
19 I1c4?!
A second error by White. 19 lDc4!
13 ... f4! looks much stronger, bringing the knight
A well known position in the Chelya- into play.
binsk Variation, which harbours numerous 19 ... f5
pitfalls, and where exceptional accuracy 20 lafcl (54)
is demanded of both sides.
Superficially the doubling of rooks on
14 c4! the c-file looks very convincing, but Black's
The critical continuation in the battle reply shatters White's hopes.
for an advantage, introduced by the Czech
master Prandstetter. White wants to 'stir
54
up' his bishop by giving it more freedom.
14 ... bxc4!
The strongest reply. 14 ... b4 is un-
promising for Black, since it blocks the
position.
15 i.xc4 0-0
16 laacl lab8
In the game Matanovic-Sax, Buenos
Aires 1978, Black managed to develop an
attack in a rather original way: 16 ...
l'Lle7!? 17 lafdl Iic8 18 l'Llxe7!? ''xe7 19 20 j"xd5!
'ti'e2 ~h8! 20 i.xa6? (not the best) 20 ...
laxc121 laxc1 f5! 22exf5 i.xf5 23l'Llb5 e4 The point of Black's plan. His central
24 l'Llc3 ''g5 25 f3 exf3 26 ''xf3 i.g4 27 pawns begin advancing, sweeping away
'ti'd5 i.e5 28 lDe4 ''g7 29 i.f1 f3! 30 ~c2 everything in their path.
fxg2 31 i.xg2 i.f3 32 laf2 j"d4! 21 exd5 l'Llb4 22 ilc7 ''e8! 23 ''h3
16 ... 'it'h8! is also possible, with a
double-edged game. The exchange of queens is also clearly
40 Middlegame Strategy

to Black's advantage. Simple moves are often the strongest!

23 ... e4 24 i.e2 ltJxd5 25 i.h5 ~e6 26
lla7 f3 27 llxg7 ~xg7 28 gxf3 ~h6 29 f4
~h8 30 lldl ltJxf4 White resigns
And now a game where White triumphs.
But to be fair, it should be said that the
Chelyabinsk Variation is not responsible
for Black's defeat.
Karpov-Dolmatov
Amsterdam 1980
1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 5 ltJe3 e5 6 ltJdb5 d6 7 i.g5 a6 8 ltJa3
b59 ltJd5 i.e710 i.xf6 i.xf6 11 c3 0-012
ltJe2 llbS 13 i.e2 i.g5 14 0-0 (55)
55
The white queen is switched to the kingside,
and work on the d-file is handed over to
the rook. Experience has shown that after
15 a4 or 15 b4 Black has counter-chances.
15 ... 'it'd 7
This manoeuvre proves ineffective.
Instead Black had two reasonable replies:
15 ... a5, or 15 ... g6 and then 16 ... f5 (the
immediate 15 ... /5!? is also interesting),
with complications.
16 ~g3 f6?
Again I would disagree with Black.
Why shut the bishop at g5 out of the
game, and seriously weaken the light
squares? The bishop manoeuvre 16 ...
i.d8, preparing to bring it out later to b6,
would have logically met the demands of
the position.
17 Ilfdl a5 18 ltJa3 ltJa7 19 h3!
A typical procedure: the exchange of
light-square bishops is prepared, after
which the yawning 'holes' in the centre
will become very perceptible.
19 ... ~h8 20 i.g4 lUe821 i.xe6 'it'xe6
22 'it'd3 ~e5 23 ltJe2 g6 (56)

56

14 ... i.e6!?
The more aggressive plan with 14 ... a5!?
is also possible, when Black gains quite
adequate counterplay on the queenside.
For example, if 15 b4 i.e6 16 a4 bxa4 17
llxa4 axb4 18 cxb4 ltJe7 etc. Better is 15
'it'd3! (the strongest reply) 15 ... i.e6 16
llfd 1 'it'd7 17 Wg3 h6 18 b4 i.d8 19 ltJce3
~h8 20 lld2 ltJe 7 21 llad 1, when White
retains pressure.
15 'it'd3! 24 b4!
 The Battle for the Central Squares
After the opening of the game on the
queenside the black pieces find themselves
pinned down, while the white rooks
acquire freedom.
24 ... axb4 25 lbcxb4 lib7 26 a4! bxa4 27
lixa4
Material is level, but Black's position is
quite unappealing on account of the poor
placing of his pieces, and, in particular,
on account of its major defect: the loss of
control over d5.
27 ... f5 28 lia6 lbc8 29 lia8 cj;g7 30
'ife2 fxe4
The exchange of knights does not
improve Black's position: 30 ... lbe7 31
lbxe7 i.xe7 32 lbd5, and White has an
'eternal' knight.
31 'ifxe4 'iff5 32 'ti'e2 l:oIf7 33 c4 i.h4
Black's attempt at a counterattack is
easily parried.
34 lin lbe7 35 lia6 'ti'd7 36 'ti'e4 lbxd5
37 lbxd5 i.e7 (57)
The resulting position is a purely
technical one. The superiority of the
white knight over the black bishop is
obvious, and in such positions Karpov
unerringly hits the target:
41
38 lifa1 i.f8 39 'ti'e2 lic640 li6a3! lic5
41 lif3 lixf3 42 'ifxf3 'ti'f7 43 'ifg4 h5 44
'ti'e4 lic8 (44 ... cj;h 7 45 lia3 i.g7 46 lif3
'ti'e6 was more tenacious) 45 lia3 'iff546
lia7+ cj;h6 47 'ife3+ g5 48 'ti'e2 lib8 49
g4! hxg4 50 hxg4 'ifb1 + 51 cj;g2 lib7 52
lixb7 'it'xb7 53 'ti'f3! 'ti'c8 54 'ti'f6+ cj;h755
'ti'f7+ Black resigns
2.2 The e5 Square
While the d5 square most often falls
into White's hands, the neighbouring
square e5 is more likely to come under
Black's domain. In the struggle for it
Black uses various means, induding the
ready-made prescription of exchanging
bishops, only this time not the light-
square, but the dark-square bishops.
Thomas-Boleslavsky
London 1947
1 e4 c5 2 lbc3 lbc6 3 g3 g6 4 .i.g2 i.g75
d3 d6 6 lbge2 e6 70-0 lbge78 ..td2 i.d79
'ti'c1 lbd4 10 lbxd4 cxd4 11 lbe2 h5 12 c4?
(58)
The English master did not even suspect
that this move was strategically so poor
42 Middlegame Strategy

that the initiative would instantly pass to 27 llf6

Black. He should have played 12 h3, and
In the event of 27 llg3 llxg3 28 hxg3
if 12 ... h4 13 g4.
'iYg5 29 ttJf3 'iYe3+ the decisive weakening
12 ... h4 13 f4 hxg3 14 ~xg3 ~e6 15 lU3 of the dark squares again tells.
(59)
27 ... llg7 28 ~hl lIdg8 29 116f2 ttJg4
30 lle2 ttJe3 31 llff2
59 This loses by force, but there was no
longer any choice.
31 ... ttJxg2 33 llxg2 llxg2 34 llxg2
llxg2 35 ~xg2 'iVg5+ White resigns

Tarnowski-Boleslavsky
Debrecen 1961
1 e4 e5 2 ttJf3 ttJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 ~xd4
ttJf6 5 ttJe3 d6 6 f4 e6 7 i.e2 i.e7 8 .tf3?!
(60)
15 ... g5!!
Now the e5 square becomes the main
outpost for the black pieces, and White's
position immediately becomes unpromis-
mg.
16 ttJf1
A practical chance was offered by the
exchange sacrifice 16 fxg5 ttJe5 17 'it'd 1!?
16 ... gxf4 17 i.xf4 ttJe5 18 E:g3 i.f6 19
'it'd2 'iYe7 20 'ti'b4 i.e6 21 llel b6 22 ttJd2
0-0-0 23 llf1 llhg8
After completing the mobilization of
his forces, Black goes onto the attack. White diverges from the usual develop-
White is not in a position to undertake ment in the Scheveningen, and chooses a
anything. plan which does not cause Black any
difficulty at all.
24 'it'a3 ttJg4
25 llgf3 i.e5! 8 ... i.d7 9 ttJde2 'it'b6 10 b3 a6 11 a3
The exchange of bishops is of course to While White is extravagantly wasting
Black's advantage. Now the dark squares time, his opponent completes the develop-
fall into his possession. ment of his pieces.
26 .txe5 ttJxe5 11 ... E:e8 12 'it'd3 'it'e7 13 g4? (61)
 The Battle for the Central Squares
61
This speculative play meets with a
hostile reception, and White's position
collapses like a house of cards.
13 ... gS!!
A typical strategic procedure for gaining
control of e5. Now the initiative is
completely in Black's hands, and he is
able to dictate the play.
14 h4
This attempt to confuse matters is
easily parried.
14 ... gxf4 IS i.xf4 hS! 16 gS lLJg4 17
i.xg4 hxg4 18 'iM'l?
Exactly in the style of Steinitz - the
king is the strongest piece, but not in the
middlegame! 180-0-0 lLJe5 19 i.xe5 dxe5
20 Wb2 may have offered chances of
resisting, although even in this variation
White is condemned to a difficult life.
18 ... lLJeS 19 i.xeS dxeS 20 wg3
Having started, White has to continue
in the same vein.
20 ... .tcS 21 wxg4 .td4! 22 liadl
After 22 lih3 Black's attack would
have developed as follows: 22 ... i.xc3 23
lLJxc3 f5+!, while if 22 lLJxd4, then 22 ...
43
exd4 23 lLJe2 e5+ 24 Wf3 f5 etc.
22 ... i.xc3 23 lLJxc3 fS+! 24 gxf6 lig8+
2S Wh3 'ifxc3 26 hS i.bS 27 'ifxc3 lixc3+
28 Wh4 licg3 29 h6 li3g6 White resigns
The same procedure occurred in the
last game of my match with Tal.
Tal-Polugayevsky
Alma Ata 1980
1 e4 cS 2 lLJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLJxd4 lLJc6 S
lLJbS d6 6 c4 lLJf6 7 lLJlc3 a6 8 lLJa3 i.e79
i.e2 0-0 10 0-0 b6 11 i.e3 lLJeS 12 f3 i.b7
13 'ifel lie8 14 'iff2 lLJed71S JUdI 'ifc716
liac1 liac8 17 Whl 'ifb8 (62)
In this popular line of the Scheveningen,
both sides have completed the mobilization
of their forces, and now White begins to
display aggression (the match situation
forced him to take such a step).
18 g4?! h6!
It would seem that this move should
be criticized, since we have stated
several times that, when an attack is in
progress, it is dangerous to make even
the slightest weakening of the king's
pawn screen. But it should not be
forgotten that the white king is also in
44 Middlegame Strategy
the line of fire where the pawns are
being thrown forward, and that naturally
its own position is also being exposed.
19 h4 lLlh7
20 ~f4 g5!
Black is not afraid of ghosts! For the
sake of a valuable square one can take a
risk. He has accurately worked out the
consequences of the opening of the h-file.
Now White should have chosen 21 .tg3!?
21 hxg5 hxg5
22 .tg3 lLlhfS
At just the right time. The black knights
succeed in establishing control over e5, f4
and h4.
23 'ifh2 lLle5 24 'ifh6 lLlfg6 25 wg2 'ifc7
The queen urgently returns home.
26 J:ih 1 .tf6
Making way for the queen. Black's
pieces coordinate excellently on the dark
squares. A veritable triumph for 'black'
strategy!
27 lLlc2 'ife7 28 lLle3 lLlh4+! 29 Wf2
29 ~xh4 gxh4 30 f4lLlg6 followed by 31
... ~g7 is no more comforting for White.
29 ... lLleg6 30 J:icdl .tg7 31 'ih5 i.e5
(63)
Decisive. The exchange of bishops is
like a knife to the heart for White.
32 ~xh4 gxh4
33 lLlg2 ~g3+
Black's position is easily won, since on
34 '~f1 there follows 34 ... Wg7 35 g5 JIh8
36 'ifg4 lLle5. (But at this point he agreed to
a draw, since this was all he required to
secure overall victory in the match -
Translator's note)
In the Sicilian Defence Black gains
control of e5 most often by making the
thematic advance ... e5, when the white
pawn stands at f4. In the overwhelming
majority of cases, the Najdorf and Scheven-
ingen Variations are viable precisely thanks
to this freeing manoeuvre, a fact which
has been confirmed by hundreds of games.
Matanovic-Polugayevsky
Moscow 1977
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 lLlf65
lLlc3 a6 6 .te2 e5 7 lLlb3 .te7 8 0-0 .te6 9
f4 'ic7 10 a4 lLlbd7 11 .ie3 0-0 12 Whl
(64)
12 exf4
This variation is very well known to
 The Battle for the Central Squares 45

me. For many years I have played it as

Black with great pleasure, since the resulting
positions conform to my style and tastes
(cf. also my match with Karpov, Vol. 1
p.57).
13 lIxf4 liJe5 14 a5 lIac8 15 liJd4 liJfd7
16 'ifd2
Experience has shown that in this line
Black achieves a good game. The pride of
his position is the centralized knight at e5,
which stands like a sentry, simultaneously
acting as both defender and attacker.
Thus the game lansa-Balashov, Cien-
fuegos 1975, developed as follows: 16 22 liJf6!
nn g6 17 i.h6!? llfe8 18 liJf5 i.f8 19 Not allowing the opponent any respite.
i.xf8 liJxf8 20 liJe3 liJfd7 21 'ifd2 'ifc5 22
23 ... lIxc3 is threatened.
lIfdl llc6, and Black equalized.
23 'ti'e3 liJc6! 24 i.b6 'ti'e7 25 ~h2 liJd7
16 ... lIfe8 17 liJf5 i..f8 18 lIfl ~h8
19 h3 The white pieces have become entangled,
because they lack coordination.
Preventing the possibility in certain
variations of the black knight going to 26 'ti'd2 liJxb6
g4. 27 axb6 liJe5
19 ... g6 The black knight again establishes itself
20 liJh6? at its fine post of e5.
A semblance of 'activity'. In fact the 28 J:lafl 'ti'd8
white knight proves to be out of play, a
Now the b6 pawn falls, and the outcome
factor which Black is able to exploit. The.
is decided. The game concluded:
Yugoslav grandmaster should have played
20 liJd4, and after 20 ... i.g7 21 i.d3 liJc5 29 ,tg4 'ti'xb6 30 i.xe6 fxe6 31 liJdl
22 liJce2 contented himself with an equal 'ti'c6 32 'ti'f4 J:lfS 33 'ti'h4 J:lxf2+ 34 J:lxfl
game. 'ti'b6 35 ~g2 'ti'd4 36 liJc3 b5 37 liJe2 'ti'e3
38 liJf4 'ti'xe4+ White resigns
20 .,. ,tg7
21 i.d4
21 i.d3 is more accurate, freeing the
Mestel-Polugayevsky
'hands' of the knight at c3.
London 1986
21 ... 'ti'd8
1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 liJxd4 liJf6 5
22 g3 (65)
liJc3 a6 6 i.e3 e6 7 f4 b5 8 'ti'f3 i.b7 9 i.d3
The threat of 22 ... 'ti'h4 forces White to liJbd7 10 g4 b411liJce2 liJc512liJg3 liJfd7
agree to this weakening. 13 0-0-0 g6 14 h4 'ti'c7 15 ~bl i.g7! (66)
46 Middlegame Strategy
66
Black responds coolly to the rapid
advance of the white pawns. His king has
not yet castled, and he retains the choice
of evacuating it to the queenside.
16 hS eS!
The most resolute and critical reply.
Otherwise Black might 'miss the boat'. By
attacking the knight, he gains control of
the central outpost at e5.
17 ttJb3
17 h6 is not dangerous on account of 17
... i.f6, when Black now castles on the
kingside, and White's attack comes to a
standstill.
17 ... exf4
18 'tWxf4
18 i.xf4!? came into consideration.
18 ... i.eS 19 'tWf2 0-0-0 20 i..d4
I would have preferred 20 E:h3!?, since
the exchange of bishops favours Black.
20 ... ttJe6? (67)
During the game I completely over-
looked White's reply, thinking that the
exchange of dark-square bishops was
inevitable. After the only correct continu-
ation 20 ... .ixd4! 21 ttJxd4 ttJe5 Black
has a splendid position. He has a pair of
fine knights, and by continuing 22 ... <it>b8
and 23 ... lic8 he would have had very
real prospects on the open file.
67
21 c3!
It transpires that White is by no means
obliged to take on e5. The opening of
lines demands extreme accuracy on the
part of Black. Thus 21 ... bxc3 22 i..xc3
i.xc3 23 E:c 1 is not good, since the
position of his king gives cause for alarm.
21 ttJdcS!
The best chance, forcing White to
calculate variations with limited time for
thought.
22 cxb4
On 22 ttJxc5 dxc5 23 i.xe5 'tWxe5 24
cxb4 cxb4 25 'tWa7 Black had prepared 25
... ttJc7!
22 ... ttJxb3 23 .txeS dxeS 24 axb3 <it>b8
2S E:c1
Routine play, allowing the black queen
to improve its position. The immediate 25
i..c4!? suggested itself.
2S ... 'tWd6 26 i..c4 ttJd427 E:hel liId728
..tdS?!
Handing the initiative to Black. 28
 The Battle for the Central Squares
1!t'd2 was correct.
28 ... 1!t'xb4 29 1!t'f6 Ite8 30 .txf7 t'Llxb3!
31 .txb3 1!t'xb3 32 Itc3 Itdl +
In the time scramble Black fails to find
a more favourable continuation. After 32
... 1!t'e6!? he would have gained slightly
the better ending. The sharp 32 ... 1!t'b5!?
also came into consideration, and if 33
47
Itec1 gxh5! 34 gxh5 Itg8! But now the
game proceeds by force to a draw.
33 Itxdl 1!t'xdl + 34 ~a2 1!t'xg4 35
1!t'd6+ ~a8 36 Itc7 (36 Itc6!) 36 ... gxh5 37
Itxb7! ~xb7 381!t'd5+ ~b8 391!t'd6+ ~b7
40 1!t'd5+ ~c7 41 1!t'c5+ ~d7 42 1!t'd5+
Draw agreed. 42 ... ~e7 is not possible
on- account of 43 t'Llf5+.
3 Open Lines
Active piece play is the alpha and omega
of the Sicilian Defence. To a marked
degree it is assisted by open lines -
diagonals for the bishops and files for the
rooks. It is mainly along these 'highways'
that the direction of strategic operations
is planned, and that the outcome of
battles is largely decided.
One detail should be emphasized. In
contrast, for example, to the Ruy Lopez,
where there can be a confrontation of
rooks along the a- and e-files, or the
Queen's Indian Defence, in which at a
very early stage of the opening all four
bishops may come into contact, in the
Sicilian Defence this is rarely observed.
Each side has his own zone of influence.
The initial opening moves already deter-
mine the sphere of interests: Black is
given the c-file, and White the d-file.
It is hardly necessary to demonstrate
how important the c-file is for Black. In
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it
serves him faithfully, whether for mounting
an attack or counterattack along it, or
using it for positional manoeuvring. We
have seen this in numerous examples. To
picture Black without the moves ... llc8
or ... 'fi'c7 is simply unimaginable.
Later I will be once more touching
specially on the role of the c-file in the
section on the endgame.
Naturally, the neighbouring semi-open
d-file is White's property. Irrespective of
where his king castles, the white rook has
its favourite post at dI, where it directly
takes part in the battle for the centre
along this file. And sometimes, to open
48
the d-file completely, use is made of the
e4-e5 breakthrough.
Something similar also occurs on the
diagonals, where both White and Black
have their missions prepared. Thus White's
dark-square bishop proceeds along the
cl-h6 and the gI-a7 diagonals, while the
hI-a8 diagonal is most often controlled
by Black's light-square bishop.
It would be naive to think that such an
allocation of roles is definitive, and cannot
be changed. Of course this is not so:
things can also work out differently. But
these are more likely to be individual
exceptions. The author will be emphasizing
the most general cases, which are encoun-
tered both in the study of the opening,
and in practice.
But these 'life-lines' do not always
operate at full power. Often enemy pawns
stand in the way of the pieces, restricting
them. This most often occurs with Black,
who may lack space - a common phenom-
enon. Therefore I consider it appropriate
to once again draw the readers' attention
to the counterblow in the centre, where I
mainly have in mind ... d5 for Black. This
has already been mentioned in the section
on defence (cf. Volume 1). There Black's
counterblow was carried out in reply to a
flank pawn attack by White, and had the
aim of opening up the game and exploiting
the exposed position of the enemy king.
But here the reader will be shown
several games where, with the help of this
freeing manoeuvre, Black was able to
increase sharply the activity of his fre-
quently very cramped pieces.
 Open Lines
Klyavin-Boleslavsky
Minsk 1957
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4
lLlf6 5 lLlc3 d6 6 i.c4 e6 7 0-0 i.e7 8 i.b3
0-0 9 Whl (68)
White's attempt to save a tempo on 9
i.e3 is precisely refuted by Boleslavsky.
This was one of the first games in which a
new method of defence was employed.
9 . lLlxd4!
10 'ti'xd4 b6!
A deep strategic plan, in which tactical
features playa considerable role.
11 f4
As shown by the game N .Zhuravlyev-
Suetin, Riga 1962, in the event of 11 i.g5
Blackalso has good prospects. After 11 ...
h6 12 i.h4 i.b7 13 lladl llc8! 14 lld2 a
positional exchange sacrifice gave Black
the advantage: 14 ... llxc3! 15 bxc3 lLlxe4
16 i.xe7 'ti'xe7 17 lld3 d5.
In the game Jezek-Boleslavsky, Vienna
1957, events developed rather differently,
but here too Black won by energetic play:
11 ... i.b7 12 f4 llc8 13 f5 llc5! 14 i.h4
exf5 15 exf5 'if c8 16 11 ae 1 llxf5 17 llxf5
"it'xf5 18 i.c4 i.d8 19 i.d3 'ti'd7 20 llfl
"it'h3! 21 ligl lLlg4 22 i.g3 i.f6 23 lLle4
49
i.xe4 24 i.xe4 (24 'ti'xe4 'ti'xh2+!) 24 ...
'ti'xg3!, and White resigned.
11 ... i.a6
12 llet (69)
In a game with Geller, Curatyao 1962,
Fischer tried 12 lIB, and after 12 ... d5!
13 exdS i.c5 14 'ti'a4 i.b7 15 i.e3 exd5 16
i.d4 the Soviet grandmaster failed to find
the strongest move 16 ... a6! (he played 16
... lle8?), after which Black has a decisive
advantage.
69
12 ... d5!!
The resulting complications confirm
the correctness of Black's strategy. His
initiative develops so swiftly that White
does not have time to draw breath, and
the opening up of the position allows the
black bishops to 'rampage' at full power.
13 exd5 lLlg4 14 lLle4 i.c5! 15 'ti'd2
15 lLlxc5? is bad on account of 15 ...
'ti'h4, while 15 'ti'dl is strongly met by 15
... 'ti'h4 16 h3 exd5! 17 i.xd5 llad8 18 c4
llfe8!, with numerous threats.
15 ... 'ti'h4 16 g3 'ti'h5 17 lLlxc5 bxc5 18
'ti'g2
18 dxe6 fails to 18 ... i.b7+ 19 Wgl c4!,
when against the deadly queen check at c5
there is no defence ..
50 Middlegame Strategy

18 ... i.b7! 31 'fi'hl

The bishop plays the role of an 'X-ray
radiologist' .
19 h3
White has great difficulty in finding a
move. For example, if 19 c4, then 19 ...
llac8!, creating the unpleasant threat of
20 .. , exd5 21 cxd5 c4.
19 ... e4 20 i.xe4 exdS 21 i.O 'fi'h6 22 f5
'fi'b6!
Unexpectedly the black queen leaps
across to the queenside, creating new
threats.
23 'fi'gl d4+
24 i.g2 lUe8
Black has an appreciable advantage,
and this allows him to sacrifice a piece.
Even so, White should have rejected the
material and played 25 i.f4, although
after 25 ... ltJe3 Black has the initiative.
25 hxg4 i.xg2+ 26 Wxg2 'fi'e6+ 27 Wh3
llxel 28 'fi'xel lIe8 29 'fi'O 'fi'xe2 30 .if4
(70)
On 31 g5 Black has the forcing variation
31 .,. llh2+ 32 Wg4 g6! 33 fxg6 (33 i.e5
'fi'e4+ 34 'fi'f4 gxf5 mate) 33 ... 'fi'c8+! (not
33 ... hxg6? on account of 34 llei! 'fi'c8+
35 Wf3 'fi'c6+ 36 lle4!) 34 Wf3 'fi'c6+ 35
wg4 't!Ve6+ 36 eM3 't!Vd5+ 37 Wg4 h5+ 38
gxh6 'fi'h5 mate.
31 ... h5
32 llel
White's position is also hopeless after
other continuations. After the loss of his
queen he could have resigned.
32 ... llh2+ 33 'fi'xh2 hxg4+ 34 Wxg4
'fi'xh2, and Black won on move 49.
Sigurjonsson-Stein
Reykjavik 1972
1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 ltJe3 a6 4 d4 exd4 5
lLlxd4 lLlf6 6 f4 lLlbd7 7 lLlf3 e6 8 i..d3
lLle5! 9 0-0 i..e710 a4 0-011 Whl b612 b4?
ltJxd3 13 exd3 .ib7 14 'fi'b3 lIe8 15 .ie3
(71)

70 71

The Icelandic player's handling of the

30 lle2!
opening has been unpretentious, as a
The victory fanfares can already be result of which Black has gained fully
heard! equal chances. The two bishops, if space
 Open Lines
can be opened for them, will become an
important factor. Therefore Black's follow-
ing actions are absolutely justified.
15 ... d5!!
16 e5 d4!
The central pawn, by sacrificing itself,
has cleared the hl-a8 diagonal, and given
Black fine counterplay. Suddenly, White's
position unexpectedly collapses - nearly
all of Stein's pieces operate purposefully
and precisely, as though aware of the firm
hand of their commander.
17 lbxd4
Other continuations are even worse: 17
exf6 is very strongly met by 17 ... .ixf6!,
while if 17 .ixd4, then 17 ... .ixf3 18 exf6
.ixf6! 19 .ixf6 1!xf6 etc.
17 lbg4
18 .igl (72)
72
18 lbxh2!
A beautiful and unexpected combi-
national blow.
19 E:fc1
19 Wxh2 fails to 19 ... ~xb4!, while on
19 lbxe6 there follows 19 ... 'fi'xd3 20 IUc1
'fi'h3! The move played leads to the loss of
a pawn and an inferior position for
51
White. 19 IUdl lbg4 20 lbf3 was more
tenacious, when the win for Black still
requires a good deal of work.
19 ... lbg4 20 lbe4 .ixb4! 21 lbg5 1!d5
22 lbgf3 'fi'xb3 23 lbxb3 .id5 24 lbfd2
.ic3 25 nabl b5 26 axb5 axb5 27 lbe4
.ixe4 28 dxe4 Iic4 29 g3 h5 30 Wg2 nd8
31 nc2 .ixe5!
After this loss of a second pawn White
with a clear conscience could have resigned,
which he did only on move 41.
R.Byrne-Andersson
Amsterdam 1979
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 a6 5
i.d3 g6 6 b3 d6 7 0-0 i.g7 8 i.b2 lbf6 9 c4
0-0 10 lbc3 lbbd7 11 E:el E:e8 12 .ifl b6
13 'fi'd2 .tb7 14 E:adl 'fi'c7 15 f3 Ii:ad8 16
'fi'fl lbe5 17 Ii:c1? (73)
73
The position is a typical 'hedgehog', in
which the Swedish grandmaster is a great
specialist. Notable features of this set-up
are the deployment of Black's rooks at e8
and d8, and also the fianchetto of both his
bishops. White's last move displays a
definite loss of vigilance; he does not
sense the danger associated with the
hanging position of his knight at d4 on
52 Middlegame Strategy
the long diagonal. 17 'it'hl was correct.
17 ... d5!
This counterblow stems logically from
the deployment of the black pieces, which
after exchanges in the centre acquire
enormous scope. True, the idea looks
dangerous in view of the opposition of
rook and queen on the c-fUe. But Andersson
has noticed one very significant detail: the
closed h2-b8 diagonal is suddenly opened,
and the black queen enters the main
arena.
18 exdS
18 cxd5 suggests itself, but then lying in
wait for White is a series of terrible blows:
18 ... lbfg4!! 19 'ti'g3 lbd3!! 20 'ti'xc7 (20
hd3 hd4+ 21 'it'/1 lbxh2+, winning
the queen) 20 ... i.xd4+ 21 ~hl lbdf2+
22 ~gl lbh3++ 23 ~hl lbgf2 mate. A
triumph for the knights!
18 ... lbfg4!
19 'ti'g3 (74)
On 19 'ti'd2 (19 /xg4 lbxg4 loses
immediately) there would have followed
19 ... i.h6 20 f4 i.xf4! 21 'ti'xf4 lbf3+!,
when White loses his queen.
74
19 lbxf3+!!
The knight sacrifices present a spectacle
of amazing beauty! This is where White
feels the lack of a rook at dl to defend his
knight on d4. His reply is forced, since 20
lbxf3 fails to 20 ... 'ti'c5+ 21 'it'hl lbf2+ 22
~gl lbe4+, when his queen is again lost.
20 gxf3 i.xd4+ 21 'it'hl 'ti'xg3 22 hxg3
lbe3
White's hopes are dashed. He loses a
pawn, since 23 dxe6 i.xf3+ is totally bad.
23 i.d3 exd5 24 exd5 lbxd5 25 E:xe8+
llxe8 26 i.e4 i.xe3 27 .ixe3 lbxe3 28
i.xb7 lbxa2
After an exchange of blows Black has
won a second pawn. White's attempt to
regain one of them merely hastens his
defeat.
29 ~e6 a5
30 E:xb6 E:b8!
A mortal pin, after which the remainder
is simple:
31 ~g2 ~fS 32 iib5 lbb4! 33 'it'f2 We7
34 'it'e3 Wd635 'it'd4 We736 E:xb4 axb4 37
.td5 Wd6 38 i.xf7 E:fS 39 .id5 E:f5 40
.ie4 lag5 41 g4 h5 White resigns
Karpov-Andersson
Milan 1975
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 e6 3 d4 exd4 4 lbxd4 ttJe6 5
ttJb5 d6 6 e4 ttJf6 7 lblc3 a6 8 ttJa3 .te7 9
.te2 0-0 10 0-0 b6 11 .te3 .tb7 12 laet
lle8 13 'ti'b3 ttJd7 14 E:fdl E:e8 15 lld2
'ti'e7 16 'ti'dl 'ti'b8 17 f3 .ta8 18 'ti'fl ttJee5
19 ttJabl ttJf6 20 Whl h6 21 E:ddl .tfS 22
ttJd2 lled8 23 'ti'f2 ttJed7
The regrouping of the forces by each
side is typical of the 'hedgehog' system.
Black has finally deployed his rooks at e8
and d8, and his knights at f6 and d7,
enabling him to achieve coordination and
 Open Lines
to prepare a break in the centre. White, in
turn, has securely reinforced his centre
and controls more space. By playing 24
lLlf1, he would have included the rook at
d1 in the supervision of the d5 square,
retaining the better chances. But he was
evidently lulled by the quiet course of the
game and, not thinking that anything
extraordinary could occur, he played ...
24 a3 (75)
24 ... d5!?
Initiating a 'commotion' in the centre.
By this pawn sacrifice Black opens a path
for his rook at e8, and uncovers the h2-b8
diagonal for his bishop. True, as concrete
events demonstrate, it has to be admitted
that objectively this 'sacrifice' is not
altogether correct. Even so, from the
practical viewpoint Andersson chooses
the best chance, since otherwise White
will dictate matters.
25 cxd5 exd5 26 exd5 .td6 27 lLlf1
Itxe3?!
For the sake of the dark squares, Black
does not begrudge giving up the exchange
too. But, as we will see later, his rook
would have come in useful. He should
have chosen 27 .,. b5, preparing 28 ...
lLle5.
53
28 lLlxe3 i.xh2
29 lLlf1?
A serious error. Had White played the
energetic 29 lLlf5!, threatening by 30 d6 to
sever the coordination of the opponent's
queen and bishop, then it would have
been difficult for Black to put forward
any counter-arguments. Thus on 29 ...
i.f4 there could have followed 30 E:bl!
'ife5 31 i.d3 lLlc5 32 i.c2, intending 33
E:e1 or 33 'ifd4.
29 i.f4
30 E:c2 b5!
Andersson plays in purely positional
style, restricting the bishop at e2 and
securing the b6 square for his knight.
31 i.d3 lLlb6
32 .te4
White clings to the d5 pawn, but his
bishop will be in a hanging position.
Would it not have been better to play 32
lie2!? and immediately get rid of the d-
pawn, but relieve the situation by exchan-
ges?
32 lLlc4!
Black does not pay any attention to this
pawn, but improves to the maximum the
placing of his pieces, while simultaneously
restricting the opponent's possibilities.
33 a4 E:e8
A continuation of the same course - the
main thing is to improve the placing of
the rook, since in any event White's
passed pawn will be securely blockaded.
34 axb5 axb5
35 E:e2 j(,e5
With the threat of 36 .. , lLlxb2.
36 ~c5 lLld6!
37 lLla2?!
54 Middlegame Strategy
Intending lbb4-c6, but White's dream
proves unrealizable, and his knight is shut
out of the game. He should have admitted
his mistake and retreated his bishop: 37
i.bl. Perhaps 37 ... llc8 did not appealto
Karpov, but then 38 \!Yfl is possible, and
if 38 .. , i.xc3 39 bxc3 llxc3, then 40 llc2
(40 ... lbxd5? 41 llxd5! llxc2 42 \!Yxc2).
37 ... lbdxe4! 38 fxe4 i.d6 39 \!Yc2 lle5!!
(76)
76
The Swedish grandmaster's conduct of
the game is impressive. The rook uses the
transit square e5 to switch to the kingside,
and White begins to feel keenly the
weakness of his dark squares.
40 g3
Not 40 lbg3? E:g5 41lbf5 llh5+ 42 ~gl
lbg4, when apart from 43 ... 'ti'b6+ Black
threatens the piquant mate 43 ... .ic5+ 44
'ti'xc5 E: hl+!
White defends h2, but now he weakens
the light squares, and his king will be in
trouble if the bishop at a8 should break
free.
40 .,. \!Ye8 41 lldel .ib7 42 ~gl ttJh7!
Again brilliantly played; Andersson's
play is worthy of the highest praise. The
knight is transferred to g5, creating great
difficulties for White on his weakened
territory.
43 lbc1
The knight hurries across to help, but it
is too late.
43 ... lbg5 44 lbd2 i.b4! 45 Wf2
It is dangerous to go to g2 on account
of 45 ... f5!
45 ... i.xd2
Only here should Black be criticized,
since he misses the strongest move 45 .. ,
\!Ye7!, which would have won quickly: 46
ttJd3 \!Yf6+ 47 ~g2 i.xd248 ttJxe5 .ixel
49 llxel \!Yxe5. However, the move played
also leaves White with little hope.
46 llxd2 lbxe4+ 47 E:xe4 llxe448 lbe2
.ic8 49 lbc3 llel 50 lbe2 llal
All White's hopes rest on his d-pawn,
but sooner or later Black must be able to
coordinate his queen and rook and exploit
the open position of the enemy king,
while securely blockading the passed pawn
with his bishop.
51 lld4 \!Yd8 52 'ti'c6 i.d7 53 'ti'd6 'ti'e8
54 \!Yf4 'ti'c8
White is faced with the serious threats
of 55 ... \!Yc5 and 55 ... ~h3, against which
he has no satisfactory defence.
55 b4 .th3
56 'ti'e4 .tf5?!
For some reason Black deviates and
makes things more difficult for himself.
The consistent 56 '" llfl + 57 ~e3 .tf5 58
'ti'g2 'ti'e8+ 59 ~d2 llal wins easily:
57 'ti'e3 'ti'c2 58 g4 .td7 59 'ti'e4 'ti'b3 60
'ti'd3 \!Yb2 61 'ti'e4 lla8 62 'ti'e3 lla2 63 d6
E:a8 64 lle4 .tc6 65 'ti'd4 'ti'bl 66 lle7
'ti'hl (77)
 Open Lines
77
The lengthy manoeuvres, in which White
has been aiming for the exchange of
queens, and Black has avoided it, have
not essentially changed the evaluation of
the position. And despite Karpov's des-
perate resistance, Andersson still retains
very real winning chances. Now 67 d7
fails to 67 ... 1!h4+.
67 1!f4 1!g2+ 68 ~el l1al + 69 ~d2
1!d5+ 70 1!d4 l1a2+ 71 ~c3 1!f3+
71 ... ~a3+ 72 ~d2 1!a2+ 73 ~el
1!bI+ 74 ~d2 lla2+ 75 ~e31!fl! is more
con vincing.
72 ~e3 ~a3+73 ~d2 lIa2+ 74 ~el
~1+ 75 ~f21!g2+ 76 ~el1!hl+ 77 ~f2
lIal 78 lIc3 1!g2+ 79 ~e3 1!f3+ White
resigns
Despite a few blemishes, Vlf can be
proud of this brilliant performance, which
appeared in chess literature throughout
the world.
Georgadze-Polugayevsky
Tbilisi 1978
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4lLlxd4 lLlc6 5
lLlb5 d6 6 c4 lLlf6 7 lLllc3 a6 8 lLla3 i..e79
olle2 0-0 10 0-0 b6 11 olle3 i..b7 12 1!b3
55
lLld7 13 llac1 lIe8 14 lIfdl (78)
14 lLlc5?!
In the given specific instance this is a
poor manoeuvre, since in the near future
the black knight will be attacked by the b-
pawn. The immediate 14 ... ~c8! was
correct, preparing 15 ... 'fIc7 and 16 ...
1!b8.
15 1!c2 i..f6?!
Another dubious decision; the d6 pawn
should not have been left undefended.
Black should first have determined the
position of his queen: 15 ... 1!c7 16 lLlabl
lIad8 17 a3 1!b8 18 b4 lLld7, although
White would have carried out an ideal
regrouping, exploiting the time lost by
Black.
16 liJabl! 1!c7
17 a3 liJe5?
White has an overwhelming advantage,
since the black knights have come to
grief. It was already too late for 17 ...
~ad8, on account of 18 b4lLld7 19lLld5!,
but the text move also leads to loss of
material. The lesser evil was 17 ... lLla7 18
b4 liJd7 19 1!d2 liJc8.
18 f4 liJg6 19 b4 liJd7 20 1!d2 olle7
20 ... Iii:ad8 also fails to save Black after
56 Middlegame Strategy
21 'ixd6 'ic8 22 1!t'd2.
21 e5! (79)
White lands a crushing blow along the
d-file, and Black is made to pay for his
negligence. With the loss of his central
pawn his position becomes hopeless, and
he merely endeavours somehow to confuse
matters, hoping for a miracle.
21 ... liJh4 22 exd6 'ie6 23 ~n ~f8
b5
This comes like a cold shower to Black,
whose last hopes disappear on the light-
sq uare diagonal.
24 ... 'ie8 25 liJa4 liJf5 26 liJxb6 liJxb6
27 .txb6 liJxd6 28 a4
28 1!t'e3 liJf5 29 'if2 was simpler, not
allowing the blockade at c5. Black would
have had to resign.
28 ... liJe4
29 'ie3 liJc5
Black has been a little fortunate, and
for the moment the c-pawn is blocked,
but things are still hopeless for him.
30 a5 liJd7 31 e5 axb5 32 e6? (80)
The miracle occurs. White tries to win
immediately and underestimates a posi-
tional queen sacrifice. The straightforward
32 .txb5 .tc6 33 'id3 liJf6 34 liJc3 would
have denied Black any chances.
32 ... .txe6 33 ~xb5 .txb5! 34 lIxe8
Itexe8 35 Itel i.e4!
The black pieces have begun to operate
at full strength. To avoid the worst White
has to give up his passed pawn, otherwise
24 after 36 ~f1 liJxb6 37 axb6 i.c5 38 'if3
.id5 he risks losing.
36 .id4 Itxa5 37 liJd2 lIa3 38 lIc3
Ital + 39 ~f2 Ita2 40 ~gl Ital + 41 ~f2
Ita2 Draw agreed
Karpov-Hort
Moscow 1971
1 e4 e5 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 liJxd4 ltJf65
ltJe3 e6 6 g4 liJe6 7 g5 liJd7 8 .te3 a6 9 f4
.ie7 10 Itgl liJxd4 11 'ixd4 e5 12 'id2
exf4 13 .ixf4 liJe5 14 .te2 ~e6 15 liJd5!
(81)
Only this active move secures an opening
advantage for White. If 15 0-0-0 then
after 15 ... 'ia5! Black has an excellent
position with prospects of an attack.
 Open Lines 57

all Black's future plans.

81

15 ... i.xd5
16 exd5!
22 'ti'f6
By recapturing in this way Karpov not
only cramps the opponent's pieces, but Karpov considers that 22 ... i.xh2 was
also increases the activity of his light- more tenacious, at least restoring material
square bishop. It is true that White also equality.
retains some advantage after 16 'ti'xd5,
23 h4!
but in this case his e4 pawn would require
defending. The sickly white pawn is unexpectedly
transformed into a powerful force.
16 ... G"tJg6
17 ~e3 h6!? 23 ... 'ti'f5 24 :!ib4! i.f6 25 h5
White has a spatial advantage, and Of course, not 25 Itxb7?? on account of
therefore it is easy to explain Black's 25 ... :!ixh6 26 'ti'xh6 'ti'xd5+.
desire to gain counterplay, even at the
25 ... G"tJe7
cost of some risk. Now the character of
the position changes sharply. Both White's 25 ... G"tJe5? immediately loses a piece to
and Black's pieces gain great freedom of 26 :!if4.
movement along the open lines and dia-
26 IU4 'ti'e5
gonals.
27 lif3
18 gxh6 i.h4+ 19 'i!1dl gxh6 20 i.xh6
A miraculous display of tight-rope
i.f6 21 c3 i.e5
walking by the white rook - it is both
Black appears to have successfully attacking, and helping with the defence.
regrouped and created the unpleasant
27 ... G"tJxd5
threat of 22 ... 'ti'h4, but ...
After 27 ... 'ti'xh5? 28 :!ixf6 'ti'h 1+ there
22 :!ig4! (82)
follows 29 -tf1.
This difficult move not only parries the
28 :!id3 Itxh6
threat, but also activates the white rook,
whose amazing manoeuvres will disrupt 28 ... G"tJe7 is decisively met by 29 i.f4.
58 Middlegame Strategy

29 llxd5 ~e4 (83) pieces on the board! In the given game the
rook has literally tried all 'professions'.
First it operated on the g-file, then it
switched to work on the fourth rank, and
then came a new change of scene - the d-
file. And finally, just before the curtain
comes the finale: by modestly retreating,
the insatiable white rook sets its sights on
the e-file - if Black plays 30 ... IIh8, then
there follows the winning 31 :iIe3.
30 ... ~hl + 31 ~c2 ~xal 32 ~xh6 i.e5
33 ~g5

Now the black king has nowhere to go.

30 IId3!
The white rook's amazing energy is
worthy of the highest praise! After all,
beginning with the 22nd move, it is
practically the only piece that Karpov has
moved, and this with a large number of
In this hopeless position Hort did not in
fact manage to make his next move, and
he lost on time. A wonderful game, which
was awarded a special prize at the Alekhine
Memorial Tournament, and was named
by the Yugoslav Informator as one ofthe
best achievements of 1971.
4 Piece Values

The real worth of a piece is by no means

bound to correspond to its nominal value.
We are not talking about exceptional 84
conditions, where even a little pawn can
sometimes prove stronger than a bishop
or rook. We will take normal playing
positions, in which nothing extraordinary
is happening. But even here it is often not
possible to place an equals sign between
the values of a white and a black piece of
the same denomination.
It is one thing when, say, a knight or
bishop is operating at full power, and the
character of the position allows its maxi-
mum potential to be used, but quite
11 b5!
another if it is passively placed and its
possibilities are restricted. The consequences of this move had to
Imagine that some piece has ended up be accurately evaluated, since 12 'i!c2 is
on the 'fringe' and is essentially isolated possible with a double attack on c6 and
from the main centre of events (this h7. It was the poor position of the white
happens most frequently with a knight), knight that prompted Black to carry out
where as a result the opposing side the given operation.
essentially has a superiority in force. Here
12 'i!e4
are two examples demonstrating this.
Chikovani believed me, and not without
justification. On 12 't!fc2 Black had
prepared 12 .. , ltJdb4 13 .ixh7+ ~h8 14
Chikovani-Polugayevsky
'i!b 1 (14 'i!e4 .ib 7!) 14 ... dxe5 15 dxe5
Mogilev 1978
g6 16 .ixg6 fxg6 17 'i!xg6 'i!d3, when the
1 e4 c5 2 c3 ltJf6 3 e5 ltJd5 4 d4 cxd4 5 queen comes to the defence of its king,
ltJf3 ltJc6 6 cxd4 d6 7 .ic4 e6 80-0 .ie7 9 and in this position the extra piece is
't!fe2 0-0 10 ltJa3 a6 11 .id3 (84) much stronger than the three pawns.

59
60 Middlegame Strategy

White therefore tries to attack in a

different way, but here too he will con-
stantly be aware of his knight being 8S
'under arrest'.
12 ... g6 13 .ih6 lte8 14 ltadl
It later transpires that there is nothing
for the rook to do on the d-file, and that
14 ltael would have been preferable,
defending the outpost at e5.
14 ... .ib7 15 'ti'g4 dxe5 16 dxe5 'ti'e7 17
ltdel
An admission of his inaccuracy, since
after 17 ltfel Black would have renewed 23 gxf3
the pressure on e5 by 17 ... nad8, with the
threat of 18 ... 't:Jdb4. Forced: if 23 'ti'xf3 't:Jd4.

17 ... ltad8 23 ... 't:Jxe5 24 .if4 .id6 25 .ixe5 .txe5

18 h4 26 lIdl

Black also has an excellent game after Played in the hope of exploiting the
the more cautious 18 .tbl. weakness of the 8th rank, since after 26
't:Je3 i.xb2 Black, with material equal,
18 ... 't:Jdb4 has a completely won position. Black
19 .ie4 't:Jd3 could have avoided the exchange of rooks,
The a2 pawn is not worth bothering but he had accurately worked out all its
about. consequences.

20 i.xd3 nxd3 26 ... E:xdl 27 E:xdl 'ti'xe2 28 ltd8+

~g7 29 'ti'g5
21 h5
Without the light-square bishop this 29 hxg6, with the idea of meeting 29 ...
attack is not to be feared, and Black hxg6 with 30 'ti'h4, does not work, since
makes his final preparations for launch- Black has 29 ... 'ti'xg6. But now both 30 h6
ing a counter-offensive. How much easier mate and 30 'ti'xe5+ are threatened ...
life would be for White if his knight, 29 ... .th2+!
instead of being at a3, were, say, at 30 ~g2
c3.
It is clear that after 30 ~xh2 'tWxf2+ 31
21 lted8 ~h3 (not 31 'ti'g2 'tWh4+) 31 ... 'ti'xf3+
22 't:Je2 Black has many pleasant ways to win.
Hurrying to bring the stranded knight 30 ... h6
into playas quickly as possible, but White 31 'tWe7 .ie7!
has already 'missed the boat'.
This very fine bishop manoeuvre disrupts
22 ... nxf3! (85) the coordination of White's forces, and
 Piece Values
maintains its light-square colleague in
its menacing attacking position. If now 32
lld 7, which White had prepared, there
follows simply 32 ... 'ti'f5, and 33 llxc7
allows mate in two moves.
32 'ti'f8+ c,tf6 33 'ti'h8+ c,tg5 34 lld4
"Everybody back!"
34 ... 'tlff5 35 c.tfl ~xf3 36 c,tel1Wbl + 37
c,td2 'ti'xb2+ 38 c,td3 ~e2+ 39 c,te3 ~f4+
40 llxf4 'ti'xh8 White resigns
Boleslavsky-Bondarevsky
Gagra 1952
1 e4 c5 2 ttJf3 ttJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ttJxd4
ttJf65 ttJc3 d66 g3 e5?! 7 ttJde2 ~e7 8 ~g2
0-0 9 0-0 a6 10 h3 b5 11 .te3 b4 12 ttJd5
ttJxd5 13 exd5 ttJa5 14 b3! (86)
86
The reader should not be surprised that
both earlier and later the author frequently
makes use of Boleslavsky's games. This
is no accident. I am convinced that any
player, even the very strongest, can and
should learn from his games (especially
the Sicilians!). As regards his depth of
penetration into the mysteries of the
Sicilian Defence, for both sides moreover,
it is doubtful if anyone could compare
61
with Boleslavsky. He had a virtuoso feeling
for the dynamics of the opening, and
always aimed for a complicated and double-
edged struggle, although by nature he was
one of the most modest grandmasters
with whom I have had the pleasure of
rubbing shoulders.
In the present game Boleslavsky has
played his favourite variation with 6 g3.
Black has handled the opening badly, and
his knight has ended up in an 'off-side'
position, as emphasized by White's last
move.
14 ... ttJb7 15 'ti'd2 a5 16 a3 bxa3 17
llxa3
Thus Black has not in fact succeeded in
resettling his knight. At b7 it looks
comfortable, but where can it go to? After
all, the a5 pawn requires defending.
17 ... ~d7
18 f4!
Play on both flanks. In the event of 18
'" exf4 White gains d4 for his knight,
from where it can aim for c6. Now Black
should have left his rook alone and
played 18 ... 'i!lc7, since he should not
have been concerned about the variation
19 fxe5 dxe5 20 d6 ttJxd6 21 i.xa8 Itxa8,
with compensation for the exchange.
18 ... Itc8 19 f5 a4 20 b4! l::i:c4 21 g4 h6
22 ttJg3 ~g5 23 ~xg5 'i!lxg5 24 'i!lxg5 hxg5
Black has managed to get rid of his
'bad' dark-square bishop, but his difficulties
have not disappeared, since in 'reserve' he
also has a 'bad' knight. Were it standing
not at b7, but at f6, the picture would be
quite different!
25 c3 f6
26 ttJe4 (87)
Strategically the game is decided. White's
strong blockading square e4 for his minor
62 Middlegame Strategy
pieces, in combination with his queenside
pawn majority, leads to a quick result.
87
26 ... g6 27 fxg6 Wg7 28 ltJd2 E:c7 29
~e4 ~e8 30 c4 ltJd8 31 E:cl i.xg6 32
i.xg6 rt;xg6 33 l1xa4 ltJf7
The black knight rushes about in search
of a refuge, but all in vain - White has
both a material and a positional advantage.
34 b5 l:ih8 35 Wg2 f5 36 gxf5+ Wxf5 37
b6 lIb7 38 lIa7 ltJd8 39 lIft + Wg6 40
lIxb7 ltJxb7 41 ltJe4
Black resigns, since on 41 ... l1h4 White
wins by 42 l:if6+ ~g7 43 l:ixd6! l:ixe444
l:id7+ Wf645 l1xb7 l:ixc4 46 E:c7 l:ib447
b7 e4 48 d6 We6 49 d7.
A subtle feeling for the pieces, skill in
correctly evaluating their prospects, and
the ability to get rid at the right time of
'evils' such as 'poor-quality' knights,
bishops etc. - all these are important
playing components, of which a player
should have mastery.
It is well known that, when there is a
clash of plans, 'good' and 'bad' pieces
normally exist side by side, and a striving
to raise their quality can lead to sharp
conflicts. The principle here is a general
one: you must try by exchanges to neutralize
the opponent's active forces, while leaving
yourself with pieces with an enhanced
efficiency.
R.Byrne-Polugayevsky
Montilla 1975
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
ltJc3 a6 6 i.e3 e6 7 i.e2 ~e7 8 g4?! b5 9 g5
ltJfd7 10 f4 b4 11 ltJa4 i.b7 12 i.f3 ltJc6!
(88)
88
White's opening play has been far from
good. The combination of 7 i.e2 with the
Keres Attack has wasted an important
tempo, and his knight has been forced to
occupy a poor square, since e2 was
occupied. Black chooses the most sensible
course. He intends to exchange White's
centralized knight, after which he will be
able to attack the 'unwieldy' knight at a4.
He does not fear 13 e5 on account of 13 ...
'ilYc7, while on 13 'ilYd2 he has prepared 13
... ltJxd4 14 .txd4 e5 15 'ilYxb4 i.c6!
13 h4 0-0
14 0-0
After prolonged thought, the American
grandmaster made his choice with a heavy
heart. Queenside castling is no longer
practicable, in view of the dismal fate of
the knight at a4. Even so, under the
 Piece Values
circumstances I think that 14 ltJe2 was the
best way out, although after 14 ... 'fi'a5 15
b3 ltJc5! 16 ltJb2 (16 ltJxc5 dxc5 and then
17 ... '1J.ad8 is dubious for White) 16 ...
'1J.fd8, preparing ... d5, Black has an
excellent game.
14 ... ltJxd4 15 .ixd4 e5 16 fxe5 dxe5 17
.ifl .ic6 18 c3 'fi'aS 19 b3 '1J.fd8!
The initiative has completely passed to
Black. The white pieces have blocked the
f-file, and this allows the black rook to
move from f8 without fear, vacating this
square for the knight.
20 cxb4 'fi'xb4
21 'fi'e 1 'fi'b 7
Of course, Black does not agree to the
exchange. With the queens on it will be
easier for him to exploit the exposed
position of the white king.
22 tWe3 ~xa4
23 bxa4 .tc5! (89)
With merciless consistency, Black carries
out his basic plan: he removes from the
board White's most active piece, his dark-
square bishop, and clears the path for his
knight to d4 and f4. In doing so he is not
diverted: 23 ... ltJc5?! 24 Iiad1 ltJxa4 25
'1J.d5!.
63
24 'fi'e2 .ixfl+ 25 tWxfl 1tJf8! 26 '1J.abl?
Here White misses his last chance of26
tWc5!, trying to tie the black pieces to the
defence of the e-pawn.
26 ... tWe7
27 .ih5
White was very much relying on this
move. On 27 ... g6 there follows 28 .ig4,
preventing the knight from moving to the
centre via e6 and d4, while after 27 ... Ita7
he has 28 '1J.b6!, and 28 ... ltJe6 is again not
possible, on account of 29 'fi'xf7+.
27 ... ltJg6!
A brilliant solution! Since the opponent's
bishop has proved a worthy match for the
knight, Black continues his general strategy:
he goes in for an exchange, removing
White's last active piece. As a result, one
form of advantage (knight against bishop)
is transformed into another - Black's
rooks and queen are clearly superior to
White's heavy pieces, since the white king
is hopelessly exposed.
28 .ixg6 hxg6 29 :!:lbdl 'fi'e6 30 <t;h2
:!:lac8
The enormous difference in the placing
of the kings is obvious. White is unable to
block both open files, and along one of
them the black rook triumphantly breaks
through into his position.
31 lIxd8+ :!:lxd8
32 'fi'e2 Iid4!
(diagram 90)
The concluding stroke. The black
rook approaches the enemy king by ...
:!:la4-a3, against which White has no
satisfactory defence.
33 a5 lIa4 34 :!:In :!:lxa5 35 <t;g3 lIa3+
36 :!:lf3 :!:lxa2 37 'fi'd3 'fi'b6! 38 'fi'fl 'fi'b239
64 Middlegame Strategy
~4 ''h2 40 E: g3 E: f2
White resigns. The black piece duo has
literally torn to pieces the position of his
king.
Spassky-Portisch
Toluca 1982
1 e4 c5 2 lLlc3 d6 3 g3 lLlc6 4 i.,g2 g6 5 d3
.tg7 6 f4 ~6 7 lLlf3 lLlge7 8 0-0 0-0 9 i.e3
lLld4 10 llbl E:b8 11 lLle2 lLlxf3+ 12 i.,xf3
b6 13 g4?!
S passky has played the opening stage
unpretentiously, and the Hungarian grand-
master has achieved a fully equal game.
With his last move White wrongly takes
upon himself additional duties. After all,
a clash of pawns in the centre now takes
place, for which Black is better prepared,
since his bishops coordinate excellently
along the long diagonals, whereas White's
bishops do not have much scope, and, as
will be seen from what follows, they will
be playing a defensive role. Therefore the
quiet 13 ''d2 and 14 c3 was better.
13 f5
14 lLlg3 i.,b7 (91)
91
It is no longer a question of White
having any advantage, of course, but
rather the opposite - he has begun to
have problems with his centre. Now 15
exf5 came into consideration, to clarify
the situation by exchanges, or else 15 c3.
But White is in an aggressive mood. One
gains the impression that, in rejecting the
well-tried method of simplification, both
here and later he clearly underestimates
the strength of the enemy pieces. As a
result, from a slightly inferior position he
ends up in a difficult one.
15 gxf5 exf5
16 c4
This is wrong: the weakening of the d4
square can only be to Black's advantage.
White should have chosen between 16 c3,
16 i.,g2, or even 16 exf5.
16 ... ''d7 17 ''d2 E:be8 18 E:bel lLlc6
The 'hole' at d4 makes itself felt. On 19
exf5 there follows 19 ... lLld4 20 i.xd4
.ixd4+ 21 Wg2 gxf5, when White begins
to have trouble with the hl-a8 diagonal.
19 i.,g2 lLld4
20 Whl?!
For some reason White does not at all
wish to get rid of the opponent's active
 Piece Values 65

pieces. In the first instance he should have 24 ttJe2 h3

eliminated the centralized black knight, 25 i.f3
since later, when he is pinned to the wall,
The h-pawn is taboo: in the event of 25
he does this, but in a much less favourable
i.xh3 Black has a pleasant choice between
situation. After 20 i.xd4 i.xd4+ 21 ~hl
25 ... lhe4 26 i.xd7 lie3+ 27 ~gl lixd3,
Black stands better, but White can hold
and the simple, but even more convincing
the position.
25 ... i.xe4+ 26 ~xe4 ~xh3 27 ~d5+ (27
20 ... fxe4! ~xg6 'ilxe2!) 27 ... ~h7 28 ltJxd4 lixf4!
21 dxe4
25 ... ~e7
Again an inaccuracy. Good or bad, 21 26 ~d2
i.xe4 was essential, since White cannot
Since 26 ltJxd4 'ilxf4 is bad, Spassky
endure any longer Black's powerful light-
finds the only way to avoid losing im-
square bishop.
mediately. Now on 26 ... i.xe4 White has
21 ... h5! (92) 27 ltJxd4, but misfortune strikes from the
other side.
26 ... g5!
With the terrible threat of 27 ... g4.
27 Wgl (93)

93

Emphasizing the bankruptcy of White's

play. The threat of ... h4-h3 becomes
deadly. White is clearly too late with the
exchange i.xd4, on which Black now
recaptures with the pawn, obtaining a
passed d-pawn. Up till here Portisch has directed the
battle brilliantly. It only remained to
22 ~d3 h4
make a slight addition: 27 '" d3!, opening
23 i.xd4
up the bishop at g7, and the win for Black
Forced, otherwise 23 ... h3 is decisive. would have been not far off.
Here is the main variation: 27 ... d3 28
23 ... cxd4!
~xd3 i.xe4 29 i.xe4 ~xe4 30 ~xe4 (30
This way, rather than 23 ... i.xd4 24 ~xh3 loses to the spectacular 30 ... :laxf4!.
ttJe2 i.xb2 25 :lagl, when White gains and if 31ltJxf4 i,d4+) 30 ... 'ilxe4 31 fxg5
counterchances. :lafe8 32 Wf2 i.xb2, followed by 33 ...
66 Middlegame Strategy

~a3 and 34 ... ~c5+. of Black's position. In particular, 30 ... a6

By missing this winning chance, Black is threatened, and if 30 ~xa7 the simple
makes things rather more difficult for 30 ... 'ifxb2 is an adequate reply.
himself.
30 ~xa7 'iJ.a8
27 ... gxf4? 31 ~b5 'iJ.xa2
28 ~xd4 "ti'f6
It has become much easier for White to
A further inaccuracy: 28 ... "ti'e5! was breathe, and now the stabilizing 32 'iJ.f2
stronger, but time trouble was already suggests itself. But in time trouble he
interfering. Black was apparently afraid rushes forward and ... blunders away
of 29 ~f5 (here 29 ~b5 no longer works, his central pawn.
on account of the simple 29 ... a6 30 ~xd6
32 'ifxd6 'iJ.xb2 33 'iVxf6 'iJ.xf6 34 e5?
'fid8 31 'iJ.d1 'iJ./6) 29 ... 'iJ.xf5 30 exf5
'iJ.g6+ 35 <tIhl ~xf3+ 36 'fixf3 .ixe5! 37
"ti'd4+ 31 'iJ.f2! (31 "ti'/2 "ti'x12+ I, or 31
'iJ.xh3 f3! (94)
'f!Ixd4 hd4+ 32 <tIh1 h/3+) 31 '"
'iJ.xe 1+ 32 'f!Ixel ~xf3 33 "ti'e6+, but in my
opinion he had no reason to fear this 94
variation. I offer an analysis, where it is
apparent that he can easily avoid perpetual
check: 33 '" <tIf8! 34 "ti'c8+ <tIe7 35 "ti'e6+
<tId8 36 "ti'g8+ <tIc7 37 "ti'f7+ <tIc6! 38
"ti'e8+ <tIc5 39 "ti'c8+ <tIb4, and White can
resign, or 35 "ti'c7+ <tIf6 36 "ti'd8+ (36 'Wid7
<tIg5l) 36 ... <tIxf5, and wins.
I should mention too that White also
fails to save the game by 33 "ti'e8+ ~f8 34
"ti'g6+ (34/6 "ti'x/6135 'iJ.x/3 "ti'g5+ 36 <tI12
"ti'g2+ 37 <tiel "ti'x/3 38 "ti'g6+ <tIh8 39
"ti'/6+ ~7 40 "ti'h4+ <tIg8 41 "ti'd8+ <tIh7, Despite the limited material, Black has
and it is all over) 34 ... <tIh8 35 "ti'e8 (35/6 a menacing initiative, in view of the
~e21) 35 ... "ti'g7+ 36 'iVg6, and now the powerful coordination of all his pieces,
simplest is 36 ... 'Wixg6+ 37 fxg6 ~g2! 38 the passed f-pawn, and, most important,
'iJ.xf4 ~h6 39 'iJ.h4 <tIg7 with an easy win. the clear domination of bishop over
Therefore 28 ... 'iVe5! would have won. knight.
29 ttJb5 lld8 38 'fift?
Why so passive? It is true that 29 ... a6 is This finally ruins White's game. His
now unclear, on account of 30 ttJxd6 lld8 only chance was 38 'iigl!, when Portisch
31 e5, while on 29 ... 'iVg6+ White has was intending to continue 38 ... nbg2 39
only one reply, but a fairly dangerous llxg2 fxg2+ 40 <tIgl ng4! 41 'iJ.h5 ~b8
one: 30 <tIf2! (30 <tIhl 'fixe41 is very and then 42 ... <tIg7.
unpleasant) and then 31 'figl.
38 ... llbg2! 39 'iidl j.f4! 40 ttJd4 f2 41
But the natural 29 ... 'fie6! was in the
ttJf3
spirit of the position, defending the d6
pawn and maintaining all the advantages Or 41 ttJe2 fl='iV+! 42 'iixfl 'iixe2.
 Piece Values
41 ... .ie3 42 lld8+ ~g7 43 lld7+ ~f6
White resigns. In this game he paid the
price for his disdainful attitude to the
opponent's active pieces.
"Which is stronger, knight or bishop?"
is an eternal question, although in the
abstract sense the two pieces are equivalent.
An answer should be sought in the very
character of the position. In open situations,
where the battle is over a wide front and
there is an unrestricted range of action, a
bishop is usually superior to an enemy
knight. But in closed positions with a
stable pawn structure, where the bishops
do not have much scope and where there
is a manoeuvring struggle for control of
important central squares (especially if
they have been weakened), the knight
plays the major role.
De Firmian-Polugayevsky
Bie/ 1989
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
ltJc3 a6 6 f4 e6 7 .id3 b5 8 e5?! dxe5 9 fxe5
ltJd5 (95)
95
Only a few moves have been made, and
White already finds himself in an inferior
position, although he would not appear
67
to have committed any 'crime', and the
break in the centre seems logical in view
of his lead in development. But this
appearance is deceptive; in fact White's
eighth move is over-hasty. And the point
is not that with his own hands he has
given scope to the black bishops. Much
more serious are the concrete features of
the position: White was counting on 10
.ie4, and only at the last moment did he
see the "terrible" check at h4 (after the
preliminary 10 ... ltJxc3) , while he also
had to reject 10 ltJe4 on account of the
unpleasant reply 10 ... ltJb4!, when 11
.ie2 is tactically refuted by 11 ... 'it'xd4!.
Kingside castling is also unsatisfactory in
view of 10 ... .ic5.
We have seen for ourselves how great
the 'value of a move' is in the Sicilian
Defence, and you, dear reader, must
never forget this.
Such is the fate of our opening: it will
not tolerate non-concrete thinking and
demands extreme accuracy from the very
first steps.
10 ltJxd5 'it'xd5
11 ltJf3 ltJd7
11 ... .ic5 also looks good, but Black is
dreaming of more.
12 0-0 .ib7
A voiding 12 '" ltJxe5 13 ltJxe5 'ifxe5 14
'iff3.
13 'it'e2
Now the play will be all one way, since
White parts with his bishop. Only 13 'ifel
was in the spirit of the opening. Then
Black has a choice between the sharp 13
... .ic5+ 14 ~hl .id4 15 .if4 (bad is 15
'fIg3 .ixe5! 16 ltJxe5 ltJxe5 17 'fIxg7 0-0-0
followed by 18 ... llhg8) 15 ... g5!? and the
safer 13 ... ltJc5 14 .ie2 .ie7!, when to 15
'fIg3 he has the very strong antidote 15 '"
68 Middlegame Strategy
lbe4! 16 'ixg7 'ic5+! 17 'it>hl 0-0-0 with
an obvious advantage. Even so, although
Black has an excellent position, there
would be a tense struggle in prospect.
13 ... lbc5 14 'it>hllbxd315 exd3 i:.e716
i:.g5
In order to deprive Black of the advan-
tage of the two bishops, but the light-
square bishop which remains 'alive' is
much stronger than the white knight.
16 ... i:.xg5 17 lbxg5 0-0 18 a3
Of course, the American grandmaster
could not be happy with the rook ending
after 18 'ie4 'ilfxe4 19lbxe4 i:.xe4 20 dxe4
lIfd8 21 lIadl lIxdl 22 lhdl lIe8 and
then 23 ... h5.
18 h6
19 lbf3 lIae8 (96)
96
Black has an easy game. He intends to
double rooks on the c-file, which, as is
known, is given over to him 'for eternity'.
It is pointless for White to dispute this
file: 20 lIac1 lIfd8 21 d4 lIxc1! 22 llxc1
'fi'e4 (22 ... 'ib3 23 lId 'ilfa2 is also very
attractive) 23 'ilfxe4 (23 'ilfJ2 'ilfJ4) 23 ...
i:.xe4, and the d4 pawn condemns White
to a difficult life.
20 h3 lIe7 21 lIadl lIfe8 22 E:d2 lIet
Black exchanges a pair of rooks, depriv-
ing White of his last chance on the f-file.
The superiority of the black pieces is
undisputed, the role of the light-square
bishop being particularly marked. White
is forced to defend passively, thinking
only of parrying concrete threats.
23 lIxel lIxel + 24 'it>h2 'ilfe5 25 d4 'ie4
Inviting White to go into a hopeless
ending: 26 'ilfxc4 bxc4! followed by 27 ...
c3. Here the superiority of bishop over
knight is clearly seen.
26 'ilfe3 JIbl
The noose draws tighter. White is faced
with a heavy-piece attack along the back
rank (27 ... 'ilfJl). If 27 J:le2, then 27 ...
i:.xf3 28 gxf3 lIdl 29 JId2 'ilfcl.
27 'it>g3 'ic1
28 'if2 (97)
At this point my opponent was in
severe time trouble, whereas I had plenty
of time. Having gained a great positional
advantage, I began looking for a forced
win. The first move to occur to me was 28
... 'ilfh I, but I immediately noticed the
nasty trap 29 l1e2! lIfl 30 lIe 1! lIxf2 31
'it>xf2, when the black queen has nowhere
to go.
 Piece Values
Then the idea struck me: what if 28 .,.
i.xf3? I quickly evaluated the variation
29 gxf3 'fIh 1 30 'ih2 (the only move) 30 .. ,
llg1+31 llg2(3J Wj4g5+32We311el+,
and wins) 31 ... 'fIxh2+ 32 ct>xh2 lld 1, and
White loses material. I also looked at the
preparatory 29 llc2, which is met by the
simple 29 .,. 'fIdl, andif30 gxf3 'fIhl with
the same consequences.
I quickly checked everything again,
and, not allowing the opponent to gather
his wits, swiftly played ...
28 i.xf3?
Looking at the position from the side, I
cannot help wondering how the idea
could ever have occurred to me of giving
up my fine bishop. It is well known that,
when one side is deprived of counterplay,
the main thing is not to hurry and not to
force matters unnecessarily, the more so
if account is taken of the opponent's time
trouble. Why then did Black break this
sacred principle? To be frank, I have to
admit that I had an elementary halluci-
nation - I completely rejected the possibility
of White taking the bishop with his king,
thinking that the king could not step onto
the f-file! What is the secret of such an
oversight? I think it is very important to
give a correct interpretation of what
happened, since such an occurrence is
very common in practice with all chess
players, and is therefore of a textbook
nature. In the given situation, what could
have happened with me was either: (1)
excessive fatigue in the fourth hour of
play (the first time control in this game
was 2 hours for 40 moves), or (2) relaxation,
res ulting from excitement associated with
the euphoria of imminent victory.
Taking account of my state at that
moment, I am personally convinced that
it was the second factor.
This instructive instance shows how
69
important it is to restrain one's emotions,
and even at the very height of the struggle
to maintain a clear mind.
Let us return to the diagram.
The most critical move appears to be 28
'" g5!?, when White's rook cannot move
on account of 29 ... 'fIf4 mate; i.e. it is
almost complete zugzwang. But White
does have one try for counterplay: 29
liJh2! with the threat of 30 liJg4 (29 ... h5
30 'fIe3). True, Black in turn has the
cunning reply 29 ... f5!, and to avoid the
worst White has to sacrifice his knight: 30
exf6 'fIc7+ 31 Wg4 'fIxh2. But the adven-
tures do not end there - 32 d5! leads to a
genuine clash, with unclear consequences.
Thus on 32 ... lIcl!? White does not play
33 dxe6? nc4+ 34 Wh5 lIh4+ 35 wg6
i.e4+, but 33 Wh5!, when the fate of the
game is very much in the balance (33 ...
i.xd5 34 lIxd5! exd5 35 'ti'e3).
Therefore the key to the solution lies in
an unhurried positional increasing of the
pressure. And here the logical 28 ... i.e4!
suggests itself, preventing 29 lIc2. The
most probable continuation is 29 lle2
i.d3 30 :ad2 i.c4 31 lIc2 'fIdl 32 l::td2
'ti'b3, when it is very difficult for White to
suppress the energy of the black pieces. 30
j.f5 also looks convincing.
29 Wxf3
The worst for White is over. I im-
mediately felt despondent, since in this
game from the last round I desperately
needed a win for a share of first place. The
maximum effort was required to again
take myself in hand and find the correct
plan.
29 'ti'hl!
It is only by the combined coordination
of queen and rook that Black has any
chance of creating an attack on the white
king.
70 Middlegame Strategy

30 Wg3? 43 't!d3 \!fxd3+ 44 wxd3 llf3+ is

hopeless.
Short of time, White makes the most
natural move, but an incorrect one. He 43 ... llf3 44 \!fe2 llf4+ 45 ~d5
should have included his rook in the
White loses his queen after 45 Wc3
defence by 30 \!fe3! llfl + 31 llf2, with
llc4+ 46 ~b3 \!fbI + 47 \!fb2 \!fdl +, while
real drawing chances.
45 Wc5 fails to 45 .. , lle4.
30 ... 11ft 31 'fi'e2 llf5! 32 llc2 llg5+ 33
45 ... lic4!
Wf3 \!fh2
The concluding blow. Now the white
Black has succeeded in creating threats
king is surrounded.
against the king, but White's resources
are not exhausted. 46 lid6 \!fxh3
47 \!fxc4
34 We4! llf5
35 nd2? (98) White has little choice, since on 47 e6
comes the mating finish 47 ... \!ff5+ 48
This finally ruins White's game. Only
\!fe5 \!fd3+.
35 \!fe3! would have allowed him to offer
a tenacious resistance. 47 ... bxc4 48 Wxc4 \!fxa3 49 b5 \!fa4+
50 Wc5 \!fc2+ 51 ~d5 \!fb3+ 52 Wc5
'ifc3+ 53 Wd5 \!fb4 White resigns

Boleslavsky-Lisitsyn
Leningrad 1956
1 e4 c5 2 ~f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ~xd4 ~f6 5
~c3 g6 6 i.e3 i.g7 7 f3 0-0 8 \!fd2 ~c6 9
0-0-0 ~xd4 10 i.xd4 \!fa5 (99)

99

35 ... \!fg3!
36 \!fe3 \!fg6!
The trap snaps shut. The white king
cannot escape from the bl-h7 diagonal.
37 d5 exd5+
38 llxd5
38 Wxd5 loses immediately to 38 ...
\!fe6+ 39 ~d4 \!fc4 mate.
38 ... llg5+ 39 Wd4 llxg240 lld8+ Wh7 11 Wbl!
41 lld6 \!ff5 42 b4 ll1'2! 43 llxa6 In this well known position White does
 Piece Values
not hurry to begin his kingside pawn
storm, but first makes a prophylactic
move, associated with a profound strategic
idea. In earlier games Boleslavsky carried
out another interesting plan: II i.c4 i.e6
12 i.b3 i.xb3 13 cxb3!.
11 ... eS 12 i.e3 i.e6 13 a3!
Now the d6 pawn is attacked. The
immediate 13 'fi'xd6?? is not possible on
account of 13 ... i.xa2+! 14 lbxa2 llfd8.
13 ... llfd8
14 lbbS!
The point of White's plan. 14 ... 'ixd2
15 l1xd2 d5 is met by 16lbc7, and so Black
is forced to move his queen.
14 ... 'ia4
White's reply is quite unexpected.
IS c4!!
A brilliant idea! Giving up a pawn,
White exchanges bishops and seizes control
of the highly important d5 square.
IS ... i.xc4
If Black declines the sacrifice, after 15
... a6 16 ltJc3 and then 17 ltJd5 he has no
compensation for the defects of his position.
16 lbc3 'ib3 17 i.xc4 'ixc4 18 i.g5!
~e6 19 i.xf6 'ixf6 20 lbdS (100)
71
The triumph of White's strategy! - a
typical case of the superiority of knight
over bishop. The loss of a pawn is of no
significance, and the absence of any
counterplay for Black gives White an
overwhelming advantage.
20 ... tWb4 21 'fi'e2 i.fS 22 'if1 llac823
g3 'igS 24 h4 tWb6 2S g4 gS
And this is desperation. Black loses
instantly.
26 hxgS 'ixgS 27 llhS 'ig6 28 gS! h6 29
llxh6 'ixg5 30 llhS Black resigns
And now let us examine a performance
by the same Boleslavsky, where a black
knight is superior to a white bishop.
Yudovich-Boleslavsky
Moscow 1942
1 e4 cS 2 lbf3 l'Llc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4
l'Llf6 S l'Llc3 d6 6 i.e2 eS 7 ltJf3 h6 8 0-0 i.e7
9 h3 i.e6 10 liel 0-011 i.f1 llc8 12 l'LldS
ltJd7 13 g4 lle8 14 c4 l'LlfS IS i.e3 l'Llg6 16
'id2 l'Llh4 17 lbxh4 i.xh4 18 i.g2 i.g5!
(101)
White's tame, unthematic play in the
initial stage has allowed Black to carry
72 Middlegame Strategy
out an important strategic procedure: the
exchange of dark-square bishops, after
which his knight at d4 becomes invulner-
able. The white knight, on the other hand,
can always be attacked by Black's bishop.
19 b3 i.xe3 20 ttJxe3 ttJd4 21 f4 b5
Opening the c-file and not allowing
White to play 22 ttJc2.
22 exb5 'fi'b6! 23 f5 i.d7 24 ~hl
24 ... ttJc2 was threatened.
24 ... i.xb525 liacl 'fi'b726 lixe8 lixc8
27 liel lixc1 + 28 'fi'xel i.e6
Reminding White of the weakness of
his e-pawn. Now 29 'fi'b 1 is too passive,
when Black has several promising replies:
29 ... 'fi'b4, 29 ... 'fi'e7 and 29 ... as.
29 ttJd5 i.xd5
30 exd5 a5
As a result we have an object lesson on
the theme: 'good knight against bad
bishop', especially when paired with a
queen.
31 'fi'c4
32 'fi'e8+
Had White gone into the ending, his
extra pawn on the queenside would have
been devalued.
32 ... 'it'h7 33 'fi'el ttJe2 34 'fi'e3 'bc335
"tWa7 ttJe2 36 'fi'e3 ttJf4 37 i.e4
37 ~h2 was more tenacious.
37 ... ttJxh3 38 f6+ 'it'g8 39 i.g2 'bf4,
and Black without difficulty realized his
material advantage.
In the Sicilian Defence, 'antagonism'
can arise not only between bishop and
knight; sharp differences also occur between
enemy bishops. In practice we constantly
encounter the concepts of 'good' and
'bad' bishops. The contrast between them
is especially apparent in middlegame
positions with opposite-colour bishops,
where the superiority of one of them is
sometimes of primary importance.
More than with any other World
Champion, the theme of opposite-colour
bishops frequently occurred in the games
of Mikhail Botvinnik.
Neikireh-Botvinnik
Leipzig 1960
1 e4 e5 2 ttJf3 ttJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 ttJxd4
ttJf6 5 ttJe3 d6 6 i.e4 e6 7 i.b3 i.e7 8 0-0
0-0 9 ~hl
This king manoeuvre is by no means
dictated by concrete considerations. White
has only one way to fight for the initiative
- 9 i.e3 and 10 f4 (cf. Geller-Vatnikov,
Kiev 1950, Volume 1 p.34).
9 ... 'ba5
10 f4 b6
White's loss of time on the ninth move
has meant that Black will be able to
eliminate the enemy bishop, while opening
wide scope for his own bishop.
11 e5
This merely helps Black. He has priority
on the hl-a8 diagonal, and White should
not have voluntarily exposed it.
11 'be8
A typical idea. Black declines White's
'request' to open the f-file.
12 l:tf3 ttJxb3 13 ttJc6 'fi'd7 14 ttJxe7+
'fi'xe7 15 axb3 f6
Forced events have led to a position
where the value of the bishops is far from
the equivalent. Black's light-square bishop
will rake the entire board along the long
 Piece Values
diagonal, whereas its dark-square opponent
passively runs up against the f4 pawn. If
all the heavy pieces were to be exchanged,
the opposite colour bishops would lead to
a draw, but here, by contrast, the presence
of queens and rooks only aggravates the
difficulty of White's position. With his
last move Black undermines the centre,
aiming to bring his knight into playas
quickly as possible. Now, in Botvinnik's
opinion, the lesser evil for White would
have been to sacrifice his e5 pawn, in
order to activate his bishop.
16 exd6 ltJxd6 17 lld3 ltJrs 18 lla4
Nothing favourable comes of this ven-
ture. White should have chosen 18 ltJe4.
18 ... 'ti'e8! (102)
102
A subtle positional manoeuvre. Black
is operating on the light squares, and he
threatens 19 ... i..b7 and 20 ... 'ti'g6. The
queen-bishop combination will be very
aggressively aimed at g2.
It is curious that a similar situation
often occurred in Botvinnik's games. For
example, back in 1939 in the USSR
Championship, in the decisive last round
game with Kotov, it was this light-square
duet of queen and bishop which enabled
him to gain the title of Champion.
73
19 ltJe4 bS
20 lla5?
This loses quickly. The rook should
have immediately returned home, to defend
the back rank.
20 ... .i.b7 21 ltJd6 ltJxd6 22 llxd6 lld8
Preparing the deadly 23 ... 'ti'c6 or 23 ...
'ti'g6. White is no longer helped by the
exchange of queens: 23 nxd8 'fi'xd8 24
'fi'xd8 (or 24 'fi'e 1 'fi'd5 25 'fi'e2 'iJ.d8 26
.i.e3 'fi'd1+) 24 ... llxd8 25 i.e3 lld1+ 26
.i.gl lld2, and the g2 point falls.
23 'fi'd2 E:xd6 24 'fi'xd6 'fi'd8! 2S 'fi'xe6+
Il:f7 26 'fi'el lle7 White resigns
Whereas in this game we witnessed the
triumph of Black's light-square bishop, in
the next we see the hegemony of White's.
Karpov-Mecking
Hastings 1971172
1 e4 cS 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 S
ltJc3 a6 6 .te2 e5 7 lLlb3 .te6 8 f4 'fi'c7 9 a4
lLlc6
The customary place for the knight in
this set-up is at d7. Now White achieves
domination in the centre.
10 fS .txb3 11 cxb3 'fi'b6 12 .tgS
Eliminating the last defender of d5.
This method is well known to us from
earlier games.
12 '" .te713 .txf6 i.xf6 14 ltJdS 'fi'a5+
IS 'ti'd2 'ti'xd2+ 16 Wxd2 i.gS+ 17 Wd3
0-0 18 h4 .td8 19 'iJ.ac1
Although the queens have left the
arena, the play is not technical, but is
more of a middlegame nature, since White's
hopes are associated with a pawn attack
on the kingside.
74 Middlegame Strategy
He prevents 19 ... ttJe7, on which there
follows 20 ttJxe7+ i.xe7 21 l:i:c7.
19 ... a5 20 ~d2 l:i:b8 21 g4 ttJb4
In anticipation of coming events, Black
can no longer endure the enemy knight in
the centre, and by exchanging it he tries to
weaken somewhat the opponent's attacking
power.
22 i.c4 ttJxdS
23 i.xd5 (103)
103
The diagram position is the best illus-
tration of how enormous the difference
in strength can be between two pieces of
the same value. The black bishop is
simply faceless, and even on the open gl-
a7 diagonal it is idle. The white bishop, on
the other hand, is aiming at the king, and
has no opponent, and when White opens
files in this region for his rooks he will
essentially have an extra piece in the
attack.
23 ... g5
Black tries his last chance, trying to
block the white pawns, but it does not
achieve the desired result.
24 fxg6 hxg6 25 ~d3 ~g7 26 h5
After appropriate preparation the open-
ing of the h-file is inevitable.
26 ... i.b6 27 l:i:h3 i.c5 28 l:i:f1 f6 29
hxg6 ~xg6 30 l:i:tbl l:i:be8 31 l:i:h7 ~g5 32
~e2 ~f4
Black is absolutely helpless, and now
his king rushes headlong into the noose.
One interesting detail: with the exception
of the b2 pawn, all the white pieces are on
light squares!
33 l:i:lh3 i.d4
On 33 ... ~xg4 Karpov had prepared 34
l:i:hl l:i:g8 35 i.xg8 l:i:xg8 36 l:i:fl, winning
easily.
34 l:i:g7
Mate is unavoidable. Mecking could
find nothing better than to lose on time.
The apotheosis of light-square strategy!
We also see a similar picture in the
following game, which was played thirty
years earlier.
Boleslavsky-Kotov
Moscow 1942
1 e4 c5 2 ttJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ttJxd4 ttJf6 5
ttJc3 ttJc6 6 ttJdb5 d6 7 i.f4 e5 8 i.g5 a6 9
i.xf6 gxf6 10 ttJa3 b5 11 ttJd5 i.e6 12 c3
i.g713 ttJc2 f514 exf5 i.xf515 ttJce3 i.e6
16 'iff3 0-0 17 i.d3 ttJe7 18 ttJxe7+ 'ifxe7
19 0-0 'ifg5 20 i.e4 l1ad8 21 i.d5 'iff4 22
l:i:fdl l:i:fe8 23 g3 'ifxf3 24 i.xf3 i.h6 25
ttJdS i.xd5 26 i.xd5 l:i:b8 27 i.e4 i.f8
(104)
White's domination on the light squares
is obvious. In an attempt somehow to
suppress the opponent's initiative, Black
has chosen the path of simplification, but
this has not brought him any significant
relief - the difference in the activity of the
two bishops is too striking. White carries
out the general plan of a kingside offensive,
and by opening lines exploits the power of
 Piece Values
his bishop, which is absolute master of
the position. In this sense the present
game has much in common with the
previou!;l one.
104
28 IId3 IIec8 29 .idS :!:ic7 30 ~g2 ~g7
31 g4!
The pawn storm begins. Black can do
nothing to counter White's plan, and is
forced to observe events passively.
31 ... .ie7 32 ~g3 h6 33 Itf3 .if6 34
IIdl b4 35 c4 IIb6 36 b3
White has no reason to hurry; he
completes his preparations, and then with
75
everything ready he embarks on the decisive
attack.
36 ... a5 37 h4 IIa6 38 ~h3 a4 39 IIgl
axb3 40 axb3 .id8 41 g5 hxg5 42 hxg5 IIa2
43 ~g4 IIca7 44 ~5! e4 45 g6! (105)
A combinational blow, which logically
crowns White's strategy. Since 45 ... exf3
fails to 46 gxf7+ ~f8 47 IIg8+, Black has
to submit to the 'authority'ofthe g-pawn.
45 ... f6 46 IIh3! IIxf2+ 47 ~6 IIe7+ 48
~xd6 f5 49 IIh7+ ~f6 50 g7 .ic7+ 51 ~c6
:!:ixg7 52 Jah6+ ~e5 53 lixg7 .id854 Jag8
e3 55 ~xd8 f4 56 ~c5 e2 57 Jars Black
resigns
5 Strategic Sacrifices
A chess player who chooses the Sicilian
Defence must be prepared for all sorts of
surprises, and in particular for the most
desperate sacrifices. In various forcing
variations of an especially attacking nature,
these sacrifices are constantly present;
without them the tense 'Sicilian life' is
simply inconceivable.
I remember the USSR Championships
from days of old. How many spectators,
with their hearts in their mouths, followed
the games of the young Mikhail Tal!
Especially on those days when the Riga
player had White against the Sicilian. For
they knew that Tal was bound to afford
them pleasure, by sacrificing something
at e6 or d5!
When we examined the games in the
chapter on attack, we saw for ourselves
how many combinational storms began
with a sacrifice. But now, when the
discussion is about strategy, we will be
studying sacrifices of a different type, the
main aim of which is not to get at the
enemy king, but to achieve certain posi-
tional gains. These may be the implemen-
tation of a concrete strategic plan, or the
gaining of a spatial advantage for our
pieces, or a change in the balance of
forces (of course, not material, but real!)
in our favour, when the customary pattern
of the struggle is disrupted.
Moreover, the attention of the reader
will be concentrated largely on typical
strategic sacrifices, present in different
variations of the opening, and in the
76
hands of the experienced Sicilian player
representing a well-polished weapon. For
example, the sacrifice of a minor piece
(usually offered by White), or of the
exchange (this is more likely to be by
Black). Only the sacrifice of the queen is
an exception, for it is understandable that
such an expensive 'pleasure' cannot become
a typical undertaking. But even it has its
own typical Sicilian motifs.
In view of the enormous amount of
information on this topic, for its study it
will be best to classify strategic sacrifices
by the value of the piece given up.
5.1 Sacrifice of a Pawn
This is usually carried out for the opening
of files and diagonals. Remember the pawn
sacrifice by White in the NajdorfVariation
(I e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5
lbc3 a6 6 i.g5 e6 7 f4 'ti'b6 8 'ti'd2 'ti'xb2),
and by Black in the Kasparov Gambit (I
e4 c5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 e6 5
lbb5 d6 6 c4 lbf6 7 lb Ic3 a6 8 tba3 d5).
These operations have the aim of obtaining
certain gains in compensation: a lead in
development, exploiting of weak squares,
the advantage of the two bishops, restricting
the mobility of the enemy pieces, and so
on. A strategic pawn sacrifice does not
usually count on an immediate effect, but
on the obtaining, or maintaining, of a
long-term initiative.
 Strategic Sacrifices 77

Shipov-Polugayevsky
At the cost of a pawn Black has gained
Yalta 1962
a great advantage in force on the kingside,
1 e4 c5 2 iLlf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 iLlxd4 a6 5 and even the exchange of queens does not
.i.d3 .i.c5 6 iLlb3 .i.a7 7 0-0 iLlc6 8 'tWg4 bring White any relief: 13 'ti'xd8+ Wxd8
(106) 14 ~gl (14 .i.e3 also does not help: 14 .. .
he3 15 fxe3 liJxe3 16 1If2 iLld1) 14 .. .
iLlf3+! 15 ~hl iLlxf2+ 16 1Ixf2 .i.xf2,and
106
the knight at f3 is immune on account of
mate at gl.
13 ... 'ti'f6
Black begins surrounding the white
queen.
14 f4 lIh6 15 'ti'g8+ We7 16 h3 l1h8
(107)

8 iLlf6!
The critical reply. This pawn sacrifice is
justified, since Black gains time for the
development of his pieces and obtains the
g-file for an attack. Had White been less
obstinate, he would not have fallen in
with the opponent's wishes, but would
have preferred 9 'ti'h4.
9 'ti'xg7 lIg8 10 'ti'h6 lDe5 11 Whl
The trap snaps shut. Now the lesser evil
In such a position one cannot delay. Of
was 17 'ti'g5 lDf2+ 18 Wh2 l1xh3+ 19 gxh3
course 11 .i.f4 looks stronger, although
lDf3+ 20 Wg2 lDxg5 21 fxg5 'ti'e5 22 l1xf2
even in this case Black has the initiative
-txf2 23 Wxf2 'ti'h2+ 24 We 1, when the
after 11 ... iLleg4 12 'ti'h3 (12 'ti'h4 lDxf2!
struggle is not yet over. The continuation
13 lIxf2 'fJ.g4 14 'ti'h6 lDgS! 15 'ti'xh7
in the game leads to a rapid decision.
hf2+ 16 Wxf2 'il.xf4+ and 17 ... 'ti'g5) 12
... e5 13 .i.g3 d5 14 'ti'h4 dxe4 (15 i.c4 17 fxe5 'ti'xfl + 18 ..txfl l1xg8 19 i.f4
e3!). ..tb8!
11 .i.e2!? occurred in the game Ljubojevic-
This dispels White's last hopes. Now
Lobron (Plovdiv 1983), but after 11 ...
the e5 pawn is lost, and the black knight
lDeg4 (instead of 11 ... b5?! as played) 12
remains alive, since on 20 hxg4 there
.i.xg4 (12 'ti'h3 lDxf2! 13 'il.xf2 'ti'b6, or 12
follows 20 ... I:Ih8+ etc.
'tWf4 .i.bS) 12 ... l1g6! 13 'ti'h3 lDxg4 Black
has fine play. 20 g3 lDxe5
11 ... lIg6 12 'ti'h4 lDfg4! 13 'ti'xh7 The rest is a matter of technique:
78 Middlegame Strategy

21 ~e3 b5 22 ~a5 ~e7 23 b4 d6 24 experiment as early as the 12th move

~xe5 dxe5 25 <i!lg2 ~xa5 26 bxa5 ~b7 27 seems too reckless, and some grandmasters
a4 llae8 White resigns called it a 'trick'. Ljubojevic's play certainly
involved some risk, but it was a risk ... of
drawing, if Black should defend correctly.
But how else in our day do you win a
Ljubojevic-Andersson
game against an equal opponent? I should
Wijk aan Zee 1976
mention that to find at the board a series
1 e4 c5 2 ~f3 e6 3 d4 exd4 4 ~xd4 ~e6 5 of 'only' moves is very, very difficult, and
~c3 'WIe7 6 ~e2 a6 7 0-0 ~f6 8 ~e3 ~e7 9 such a task is severe for any defender,
f4 d6 10 'WIel 0-0 11 'WIg3 ~d7 (108) even such a brilliant one as VIf Andersson.
One should also not forget about the
108 enormous fatigue caused by the process
of seeking to save a game, and hence, as a
consequence, the appearance of mistakes.
12 ... dxe5
13 fxe5 ~xe5

The challenge is accepted!

14 ~f4 i.d6
15 :!ladl
The mobilization of the white pieces is
complete. The vertical and diagonal pins
are highly unpleasant for Black, and the
A well known, standard Scheveningen
deadly 16 ~b3 is threatened.
position, where everything would appear
to have been thoroughly studied. But the 15 ... 'lYb8!
present game once again demonstrates
The Swedish grandmaster rises to the
that the inquisitive thinking of a chess
occasion, finding a subtle solution, and
player will always find a use, and that for
perhaps the only correct one. Black vacates
the creative process there are no closed
c7 for his bishop.
doors.
16 l1d3!
12 e5!?
The two sides are worthy of each other.
What is new here is not the idea itself of
With this brilliant rook manoeuvre Ljubo-
the central breakthrough, but its setting.
jevic begins to operate actively along the
An analogous pawn sacrifice had already
third rank, creating combined threats.
occurred, although with various 'additions':
12 liadl b5 13 e5 (Geller-Timman, 16 ... Gt::le8
Hilversum 1973), 12 <i!lh 1 b5 13 e5 (Tal-
Defending the bishop at d6, in order to
Hartston, Hastings 1973174), or 12 <i!lh1
answer 17 ICe3 with 17 ... Gt::lg6.
b5 13 a3 lIb8 14 e5 (Hartston-Karpov,
Nice 1974), and in every case White 17 Gt::le4 i.e7
gained a dangerous initiative. White's 18 lIe3!
 Strategic Sacrifices
Not allowing Black any peace; the
bishop at c7 has to be saved.
18 ... lbc6!
And again Vlf intuitively finds the
best solution. The position is full of
complicated variations. 18 ... i.c6 seems
sounder, but analysis by Timman shows
that after 19 lbg5! Black's e6 comes under
fire: 19 ... h6 (or 19 ... i.d6 20 'fIh3 h621
lbdxe6!) 20 lbgxe6 fxe6 21 lbxe6 lIxf4 22
lhf4 lbf7 23 lbxc7 'fIxc7 24 i.c4 'fIb6+
25 lIe3! lbd6 26 i.xf7+ lbxf7 27 lIxf7!
<:JiJxf7 28 'fIf2+, and White wins.
19 i.xc7 lbxd4!
Black was obliged to foresee this reply.
19 ... 'fIxc7 would have failed to 20 lbf6+
<:JiJh8 21 'fIxc7 lbxc7 22 lbxd7 lbxd4 23
lIxc7.
20 i.d3 "iWa7
21 lbc5 (109)
109
21 i.b5
From the objective viewpoint, I cannot
agree with those commentators who con-
sidered this manoeuvre (which, in my
opinion, is positionally fully justified) to
be incorrect. It is another matter if one is
guided by psychological considerations.
Indeed, after the text move a storm begins
79
on the board, the consequences of which
were quite unpredictable. This was under-
standably a boon to the temperamental
Yugoslav grandmaster. But who knows
what was going on at that moment in the
mind of the cautious Andersson? Possibly
he too was hoping to seize his chance in
the mutual 'scuffle' ... Of course, 21 ...
lbxc7 22 'fIxc7 i.b5 23 lIf4 i.xd3 24
lIxd4 lIac8 was sounder. True, White
can force a spectacular draw by perpetual
check: 22 i.xh7+ <:JiJxh7 23 'fIxg7+! <:JiJxg7
24 lIg3+, but whether or not the two
players saw this combination remains an
open question.
22 i.e5 lbc6
Timman gives the fine variation 22 ...
i.xd3 23 i.xd4 i.xfl 24 lbxe6 fxe6 25
i.xa7 lIxa7 26 "iWb8!
23 i.xh7+!
White has as though used the queenside
as bait, achieving in this region a solid
concentration of black forces. But in fact
his hopes are associated with the king-
side.
23 ... <:JiJxh7
24 lIf4
White could have forced a pretty draw
by 24 i.xg7 lbxg7 25 'fIxg7+! <:JiJxg7 26
lIg3+. If Ljubojevic saw it, then the rook
manoeuvre in the game clearly testifies to
his aggressive intentions.
24 ... f6
In this mind-boggling position there
are a number of other interesting possi-
bilities. Analysts have made a deep study
of 24 ... f5, and have come to the conclusion
that it does not give Black equality. Here
is the main variation given by Timman:
25 lIh4+ <:JiJg8 26 'fIg6 lbxe5 27 "fi'xe6+
lIf7 (27 ... lbj7 28 lIch3!) 28 'iWxe5 lId829
80 Middlegame Strategy

llch3 lld1 + (29 ... llf6 30 c4!) 30 Wf2

llfl + 31 Wg3 f4+ 32 'it>g4 lLlf6+ 33 wg5,
110
when the checks come to an end, and the
black king is mated.
I think that the continuation recom-
mended by Ve1imirovic is nearest to the
truth: 24 ... lLlxe5!? 25 llh4+ wg8 26
'irxe5 'irb6!. With this quiet queen move
Black defends his e6 and prepares the
freeing 27 ... f6. Timman tries to refute it
by suggesting 27 a4 f6 (to 27 ... j.xa4!?
White does not reply 28 llxa4 'irxb2 with
the better chances for Black, but 28 'ire4
16 29 'irxa4 'irxb2 30 'ird4!, retaining the
initiative) 28 'irxe6+ 'ifxe6 29 lLlxe6. 30 ... g5?
However, I agree with Mark Dvoretsky,
The decisive error. In severe time trouble,
an active participant in this dispute, who
Black misses the only move 30 ... 'irxa2!,
quite reasonably considers that the ending
when his queen gives as good as it gets
after 29 .. , j.c6 30 lLlxf8 'it>xf8 is more in
and also begins creating threats. Thus 31
Black's favour; at any event, it is White
'ifxa8? is dubious on account of31 ... g5!,
who has to think of how to draw.
when 32 llh6 allows a mating finish: 32 ...
25 llh4+ 'it>g8 'ifb1 + 33 'it>f2 'iffl + 34 'it>e3 'iff4 mate,
26 'ifh3 ! lLld8 while if 32 llg4, then 32 ... lLld6. Therefore
White has to force a draw: 31 'irh7+ 'it>fl
The great Steinitz would have been
32 'ifh5+.
happy with such a retreat, but after the
It should be added, however, that
game Andersson himself did not try to
considerable 'blame' for Black's mistakes
uphold it. After the correct 26 ... f5! there
lies with Ljubojevic, whose rich imagination
is apparently no way for White to win,
set his opponent a mass of complicated
and there is only a draw with 27 llh8+
problems.
'it>fl 28 fi'h5+ We7 29 'ifg5+ 'it>fl, when
nothing is achieved by 30 j.xg7 lLlxg7 31 31 IIh6
llh7 llg8 32 'it>h1 llad8.
Good enough to win, but 31 llg3 with
27 j.d4 the threat of 32 llxg5+ was simpler.
It is possible that, when he made his 31 ... lla732 llch3 'fi'g7 33 llg6 llm 34
24th move, Black underestimated this c4
apparently modest bishop move.
Black resigns. A fantastic game!
27 ... b6 28 lLlxe6 lLlxe6 29 'ifxe6+ 'iffl
Black seems to have everything in
order, but White exploits the undefended Fedorowicz-Gheorghiu
position of the rook at a8. Reykjavik 1986
30 'ife4 (110) 1 e4 c5 2 1tJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 a6 5
 Strategic Sacrifices 81

i.d3 ttJf6 6 0-0 d6 7 c4 i.e7 8 ttJc3 0-0 9

'tle2 b6 10 b3 i.b711 i.b2 ttJfd7 12 lIadl
g6 13 i.bl lIe8 14 ttJc2 ttJc6 15 ttJe3 ttJf6
16 f4 'tlc7 17 g4 (111)

111

21 ... d5!
Including the dark-square bishop in
the action. Bad now is 22 exd5 exd5, when
The players have chosen one of the the rook at e8 is not to be trifled with.
fashionable lines of the Paulsen Variation,
22 Wg2 i.c5
in which Gheorghiu is a great specialist.
23 ttJg4 ttJa7
Constantly employing it with Black, the
Romanian grandmaster has a feel for the With the dual aim of clearing the light-
most subtle nuances of this set-up. And square diagonal and of shifting the knight
here he picks the right moment for a from b5.
positional pawn sacrifice on the queenside.
24 ttJh6+ WfS
17 ... b5! 25 .te5
This typical break, in combination This allows the devaluation of White's
with the following operation in the centre, queenside pawns. He should have con-
allows Black to uncoil like a compressed sidered 25 ttJd4.
spring. At the cost of a pawn the black
25 ... ttJxb5
pieces begin working actively, exploiting
26 'tlxb5
the gl-a7 and hl-a8 diagonals.
White seeks salvation in the endgame.
18 g5 ttJh5
It seemed more dangerous to him to keep
19 cxb5
the queens on, but in fact after 26 axb5
White should not allow himself to be dxe4 27 .txe4 i.xe4+ 28 'tlxe4 lIa2+ 29
diverted. It looks more logical to build up Whl he could have hoped to find counter-
his attacking forces on the kingside with chances.
19 ttJg4!?
26 ... 'tlxb5 21 axb5 dxe4 28 lId7
19 ... axb5 20 ttJxb5 'tlb6 21 a4 (112)
This needless activity merely worsens
21 'iJxd6 would have lost the exchange White's position. He should have chosen
after 21 ... i.xd6 22 lIxd6 i.a6. 28 IHel! e3+ 29 WfI.
82 Middlegame Strategy

28 ... lIe7
29 lIxe7
113
Or 29 lIxb7 lIxb7 30 .ixe4 lIa2+.
29 ... ~xe7 30 lIc1 .ib6 31 ~ f5 32
gxf6+
It is undesirable for White to give
assistance to the black knight, but other-
wise his own will be blocked in.
32 ... ttJxf6
33 ~e2 lIaS!
The black rook, now unrestricted,
embarks on concrete action: the b5 pawn
Black hopes to retain his extra pawn, but
cannot be saved.
forgets about the time loss involved. He
34 lIe4 lIxb5 35 .ixf6+ ~xf6 36 .ixe4 also fails to equalize by 9 ... .ixbl 10
.ixe4 37 llxe4 lIxb3 38 lle5 .ie7! 39 Ii:xbl e6 11 .ixf6! gxf6 (11 ... 'fINxf6 12
ttJg4+ ~e7 40 lle4 lIh3, and a few moves dxc5 dxc5 13 'fINa4+ b5 14 'fINe4) 12 d5, but
later Black realized his material advantage. the cool 9 ... .id5 10 ttJbd2 e6 11 c4.ixf3
12 'fINxf3 cxd4 would have maintained
equal chances.
Georgadze-Tal 10 ttJbd2 .ixf3 11 'fINxf3 e6 12 .ixf6!
USSR Championship 1978 'fINxf6
1 e4 e5 2 ttJf3 d6 3 .ib5+ Practically forced, since 12 ... gxf6 13 c4
.ih6 14 lIadl clearly favours White.
When Black is playing for a win, this
check has a depressing effect. Tal avoids 13 'fINxd5
the simplifying 3 '" .id7.
As a result White has restored the
3 ... ttJc6 4 0-0 .id7 5 lIel ttJf6 6 e3 a6 7 material balance, whereas the black king
.ixe6 is unable to find a comfortable shelter.
7 .ia4 or 7 .if! is more common. White 13 ... 'fINe714 'fINe5 exd4 15.exd4 'fINd6 16
readily parts with his bishop, since he has 'fINe4 'fINb4 17 ttJf3 .ie7 18 lIe3!
in mind a concrete pawn sacrifice.
The threat of 19 lIb3 prevents Black
7 ... .ixc6 8 d4!? .ixe4 9 .ig5 from castling, and his queen is forced to
embark on a dangerous journey.
(diagram 113)
18 ... 'fINxb2 19 lIbl 'fINxa220 lIxb7 lIe8
The idea of White's pawn sacrifice is
(114)
clear: to gain a lead in development and
to use the e-file for his rook. White completely dominates the battle-
field, and had he played 21 'fINe5!, Black
9 ... d5?
would not have lasted long. However, the
A very dubious, if not incorrect decision. move chosen -
 Strategic Sacrifices 83

1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 ltJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4

ltJf6 5 ltJe3 d6 6 .ig5 e6 7 "ifd2 a6 8 0-0-0
.id79 f4 .ie7 10 ltJf3 b5 11 .ixf6 (115)

21 d5
- also looked convincing enough:
21 ... .if6
11 ... ~xf6!?
22 llxf7 llel +
One comes across the original ideas
Taking the rook allows mate: 22 ... Wxf7
and deep plans of Vladimir Simagin in
23 'ti'xe6+ Wg6 24 ltJe5+.
various openings, but his innovative spirit
23 ltJel e5 manifested itself particularly in the Sicilian
Defence, when playing it with Black. The
The rook is again taboo: 23 ... Wxf7 24
inherent features of this defence evidently
'ti'xe6+ wg6 25 ng3+.
created favourable ground for his rich
24 llxf6! imagination. Back in the 1960s Simagin
wrote: "I am an old supporter of the
An indefatigable rook! Gaping holes
Sicilian Defence, and I believe in its
appear in Black's position, in which the
future. Perhaps in some 30-40 years' time,
white queen takes complete charge.
on opening a theory book, a player will
24 ... gxf6 25 "iff5 0-026 "ife6+ Wg727 read: 1 e4 is not possible on account of 1 ...
"ifd7+ Wh8 c5t"
11 ... gxf6 is usually played here. At the
If 27 ... llf7 then 28 llg3+.
cost of a pawn Black gains the two
28 "ife7 bishops and avoids weakening his positi~n.
He hopes that, with castling on opposite
White has an overwhelming advantage,
sides, the extra pawn will not be of any
and it was only his subsequent inaccurate
great importance. However, it has to be
play which allowed Black to save the
said that White was later able to shake the
game.
reputation of Simagin's bold plan.
12 "ifxd6 ii.e7 13 "ifd2 b4 14 ltJe2
Sakharov-Simagin An unfortunate retreat. In the game
Tallinn 1965 Gufeld-Simagin. played a few rounds
84 Middlegame Strategy

later, White found the correct way: 14 29 fxe5 fxe5 30 lLlf5 i.f8 31 lld8!
lLla4!, when 15 'ti'xd7+ was already
The threat of 32 lLlh6+ forces Black to
threatened. The game went 14 ... lLlb8(l4
exchange one pair of rooks, which slightly
... lla7 is unpleasantly met by 15 'ti'e3!) 15
worsens his position. White's chances are
'ti'd4 'ti'c7 16 1Ll b6 lla 7, and now the quiet
already preferable.
17 ~bl would have secured White an
advantage. 31 ... llxd8 32 'ti'xc4+ ~h8 33 lLle3 h6
34 llti
14 .,. lla7 15 ~bl 0-0 16 lLled4 'ti'b6 17
lLlxc6 i.xc6 18 'ti'el llc8 A semblance of activity. 34 :!le 1 or 34
lldl was sounder, but White overrates
The initiative gradually passes to Black,
his position.
and it is now White who has to defend.
34 ... 'ti'b6 35 lLld5 'ti'e6 36 ''O ~g8 37
19 1Lle5 i.b5 20 i.d3 :!lac721 llO f622
1If3 :!lc8
lLlg4 i.xd3 23 llxd3
The game has again become level, but
Of course, not 23 cxd3? on account of
White is under the impression that he
23 ... :!lc2 24 :!lf2 b3!.
stands better.
23 ... :!lxc2 (116)
38 llf2 a5 39 :!lc2 :!lxc2 40 ~xc2 'ti'c6+
41 ~d2 ''c5 42 b3 'ti'd4+ (117)
116

117

Black's strategy has been justified - he

has regained his pawn and achieved an
The sealed move. The ending is slightly
excellent position.
better for Black, but with correct play the
24 lLle3 ~5 game should end in a draw. In the opinion
25 :!ld2 :!l2c3? of Simagin, his opponent incorrectly
evaluated the position or else analyzed it
Pretty, but unconvincing. Black most
insufficiently well. The white knight,
probably overlooked his opponent's reply,
proudly deployed in the centre of the
which cancels out all his achievements.
board, evidently had a hypnotic effect.
He should have played 25 .,. :!l2c7 followed
But the first impressioo can often be
by 26 ... 'ti'b7, attacking the e4 pawn.
deceptive: the black bishop is in no way
26 lLlc2! 'ti'b7 27 'ti'e2 ~3c4 28 lLld4 e5 inferior to the enemy knight.
 Strategic Sacrifices
43 'fi'd3 'fi'al
44 'fi'c4?
An oversight. After 44 'fi'c2 'fi'gl 45
liJe3 the game should have been drawn.
44 ... 'fi'xa2+ 45 <t>e3 <t>h7 46 'fi'c8
'fi'xb3+ 47 <t>e2 'ti'b2+ 48 <t>f3
Moving onto the back rank would have
failed to 48 ... 'ti'bl + and 49 ... 'fi'xe4.
48 ... 'fi'a3+!
49 <t>g4 b3
It is all over. Perhaps it was this move
that Sakharov overlooked when he played
44 'fi'c4?
50 'fi'b7 b2 51 <t>f5 'fi'b4! 52 'fi'f7
After 52 liJxb4 bl='fi' White loses a
piece.
52 ... 'fi'd6 53 'fi'b7 h5 54 g4 'fi'g6+
Quicker was 54 ... bl='fi' 55 'fi'xbl .
g6+, with inevitable mate.
55 <t>xe5 Ab4 56 gxh5 'fi'd6+ White
resigns
5.2 Sacrifice of a Minor Piece
The strategic sacrifice of a knight or
bishop at b5 is an attractive idea for
White in the Sicilian Defence. Obtaining
three pawns for the piece and exploiting
his spatial advantage (which is considerably
assisted by his control of the d-file), he
normally aims first to restrict the black
forces, and then gradually to begin advan-
cing his pawn armada. Naturally, in
carrying out his global idea, White will
happily aim for the exchange of queens,
since in this case his a-, b- and c-pawns
can boldly advance, without worrying
about exposing their own king. Of course,
85
in a number of instances this typical
operation by White can be debatable.
Everything depends on the effectiveness
of Black's piece play.lfhe should succeed
in developing this on a large scale, White's
passed pawns may essentially become a
'colossus with feet of clay'.
Rauzer-Makogonov
Leningrad 1934
1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 liJxd4 lbf6 5
lbc3 d6 6 ,tg5 a6 7 'fi'f3 lbbd78 0-0-0 'fi'c7
9 'fi'g3 b5 (118)
10 i.xb5!
Historically, this was one of the first
games in which this type of piece sacrifice
occurred. Without delaying, White takes
determined action, and the three pawns
will be excellent compensation for his
piece.
Events developed somewhat differently
in the game Konstantinopolsky-Akshanov,
Vinnitsa 1934, where the moves 9 ... i.e7
10 f4 b5 were included. There the point
of the sacrifice II i.xb5! lay in the
'quiet' move 12 l:Ihe1, preparing the
thematic e4-e5. Thanks to mistakes by
Black, White quickly achieved a winning
86 Middlegame Strategy

position: 11 .txb5 axb5 12 llhe1 b4 (also .txc4+ 28 bxc4 'fIxc4+ 29 WeI 'fIe4+ 30
possible is 12 ... 0-0 13 e5 ti:Jh5 14 'fIj3 Wd2 'fId4+ 31 Wc2 'iVc4+ 32 ~b2 'fId4+
ti:Jxf4!, with equal chances) 13 ti:Jcb5 33 Wb3 'ifd3+ 34 Wb2 'ifd2+ 3S Wb3
'fib8 (13 ... 'fIc5 14 e5 dxe5 15 fxe5 0-01 is 'fId3+ 36 Wa4 'fIc2+ 37 Wb4 'ii'd2+ 38
much stronger, when, by returning the Wc4 'fIc2+ 39 Wd4 'fId2+ 40 We4 'fIe2+
piece, Black succeeds in sheltering his 41 Wf4 'fi'xf2+ 42 wg4 'fi'xg2+ 43 Wh4
king) 14 e5 dxe5 15 fxe5 lixa2 16 ~bl! 'ifxh 1 44 'fi'g3 Black resigns.
lla5 17 exf6 'fIxg3 18 fxg7! llg8 19 hxg3
11 ... 'fib8, which occurred in a game
llxb5 20 .txe7 lib6 21 .th4 llxg7 22 ti:Jf5
Bronstein-Najdorf, will be examined later.
llg4 23 ti:Jd6+ lixd6 24 llxd6, and White
realized his material advantage.
12 ... b4 was also played in the later 119
game Mnatsakanian-Ustinov, Moscow
1960. Black managed to parry the attack,
since White's play was not the best: 13
ti:Jcb5 'fIb8 14 e5 llxa2 15 ~b1 lia6 16
exd6 (he should have included 16 .txf6
gxf6, and then 17 exd6!) 16 ... .id8 17 ti:Jf5
0-0 18 ti:Jxg7 ~h8 19 .th6 llg8.
In 1975, in a game with Anetbayev,
Vitolinsh introduced a new way of con-
ducting the attack: 12 ti:Jdxb5 'fIb8 13 e5!
dxe5 14 fxe5 ti:Jxe5 15 lihe1 ti:Jc4 16 'fIc7!,
with a decisive advantage for White. IS ...
12 ttJxd6+ j(,xd6
ti:Jed7 also loses to 16 .tf4 'fIb7 17 .td6
13 lixd6 ttJh5
lIa6 18 ti:Jc7+ ~f8 19 .txe7+ ~xe7 20
ti:Jxe6 E:xe6 21 llxe6+ ~xe6 22 lie1+ ~fS 13 ... 0-0 is more accurate, when 14
23 h4! h6 24 'fId3+ ~g4 25 'fIh3+ WhS 26 llxd7 ttJxd7 15 .th6 does not achieve
'fIf5+ g5 27 hxg5 'fIxg2 28 ti:Je2 ti:Jd5 29 anything after 15 ... 'fIe5 16 f4 'ii'f6.
ti:Jg3+ Wh4 30 lIe4+ Wxg3 31 llg4+ Wh2
14 'ii'h4 h6
32 llxg2+ Wxg2 33 'ii'xd5+, and White
won a few moves later (Gusev-Zhuravlyev, In this particular variation Black is
USSR 1976). happy to exchange queens, since after 15
'fIxh5 'fIxgS+ 16 'ii'xgS hxgS 17 h3 g4
10 ... axb5
White's kingside pawns are significantly
11 ttJdxb5 'fIa5 (1/9)
weakened.
In a game Konstantinopolsky-Gersten-
15 j(,e3 ttJhf6
feId, Lvov 1940, 11 ... 'fIcS was tried.
16 f3?
After 12 .te3 'fIc6 13 ttJxd6+ j(,xd6 14
lhd6 'fIb7 IS e5 ttJe4 16 'fIxg7 IU8 17 A pointless waste of time. 16 lihdl
llxd7! .ixd7 18 ttJxe4 'fIxe4 19 i.cS 0-0-0 looks stronger, and if 16 ... E:b8 17 E:ld4.
20 .txf8 .ia4 21 b3 E:d2 the white king
16 ... E:b8
managed to shelter from perpetual check:
17 E:d4
22 Wxd2 'fId4+ 23 WeI 'fIa 1+ 24 Wd2
'ii'd4+ 25 We2 'fIe4+ 26 Wfl .tbS+ 27 c4 17 a3! and then 18 E:hdl was slightly
 Strategic Sacrifices 87

better. the strategic sacrifice on b5 has occurred

in hundreds of tournament games. And
17 ... 'ib6 18 ttJa4 'ib5 19 b3 e5 20 l:[c4
therefore particular honour and praise
'ia5 21 'iel 'ia8 22 'ig3
are due to the remarkable Soviet masters
Preventing Black from castling, and Rauzer and Konstantinopolsky, who were
not allowing him to bring his king's rook many years ahead of their time. Long
into play. before this boom, at the very 'birth' of the
sacrificial idea, in a burst of inspiration
22 ... .ia6 23 lic7 .ib5 24 ttJc3 'ia5 25
th6Y brilliantly displayed not only great
ttJxb5 'ixb5 26 lidl 'ia5 27 Ita7 'ic3 28
combinational skill, but also amazing
lld3 'ial + 29 Wd2 Itc8 30 c4 g5?
depth of penetration into the essence of a
In approaching time trouble Black very complicated problem.
misses a chance to connect his rooks with
30 ... 'ib2+ 31 Wdl We7! followed by 32
... lihd8. Now White forces the exchange
of queens, increasing his advantage.
121
31 We2! 'if1 32 'ifl 'ixfl+ 33 .ixfl
(120)

In the endgame Black cannot cope with
the three passed pawns. The game con-
cluded:
33 ... ttJ bS 34 We3 0-0 35 l:[d6 Wg7 36 b4
ttJe8 37 l:[b6 ttJe6 38 l:[d7 ttJb8 39 l:[db7
ttJc6 40 .ic5 l:[g8 41 a4 ttJd8 42 l:[b8
l:[xb8 43 l:[xb8 ttJe6 44 .ie7 f6 45 c5 Wf7
46 l:[b7 Wg6 47 .id6 ttJ8g7 48 Wc4 l:[a8
49 a5 ttJd4 50 l:[bS l:[a 7 51 l:[b6 ttJge6 52
a6 g4 53 fxg4 Wg5 54 b5 ~f4 55 l:[b7 l:[a8
56 l:[f7 ~xe4 57 l:[xf6 Black resigns
During the past quarter of a century
Bronstein-Najdorf
Buenos Aires 1954
11 ... 'ib8
Compared with the previous example,
Black chooses a more modest path.
After the game Bronstein wrote that at
the board he had been unable to evaluate
the position after the rook sacrifice in the
event of 11 ... 'ia5 12 lixd6!? .ixd6 13
'ixd6.
It is interesting to note that such a
sacrifice occurred in the game Lilienthal-
Kotov, Moscow 1942. True, Black is not
obliged to take the rook on move 12, and
by continuing 12 ... ttJxe4! 13 ttJc7+ 'ixc7
14 lhe6+ fxe6 15 'ixc7 ttJxg5 16 h4 .ie7
88 Middlegame Strategy
he achieves an excellent game.
In the game Kotov accepted the sacrifice,
and succeeded in parrying White's attack:
13 ". lIb8 14 e5 lIxb5! (on 14 ". lIb6?the
following pretty variation was possible:
15 exf6! lIxd6 16 fxg7! lIg8 17 li:Jxd6
mate) 15 exf6 gxf6 16 li:Jxb5 'ifxb5 17 i.e3
i.b7 18 lIdl i.xg2 19 'ifg3 i.d5 20 b3
<tie 7 21 'fi'c7 lIa8 22 c4 'iYc6 23 'iYxc6
i.xc6, and Black realized his material
advantage.
12 li:Jxd6+ i.xd6 13 'ixd6 'iYxd6 14
lIxd6
Thus Black has a piece for three pawns
(nominally, material equality), but in fact,
as will now be seen, it is not easy to
restrain the advance of the white pawns.
14 ... h6!
15 i.d2!
It is important to retain this strong
bishop, even though it has to retreat to a
rather awkward position (blocking the d-
file). 15 i.e3 would have been answered
by 15 ". li:Jg4, while if 15 ..th4 g5.
15 i.b7
16 f3 O-O? (122)
After castling kingside the Argentine
grandmaster was possibly hoping to put
piece pressure on White's queenside pawns.
But this plan is incorrect. 16 ". O-O-O! was
much stronger, obtaining the chance of
counterplay by ... g5-g4, while at the same
time Black's king can take part in the
battle against the powerful passed pawns.
17 b3!
A subtle move, securing an excellent
post for the white king. Black has no
particular counterplay, and he is forced
to wait and see what the opponent will do.
17 ... lIfc8 18 ~b2 li:Jc5 19 i.e3 e5 20
lIhdl
Now, when all the white pieces have
achieved coordination, the infantry will
be thrown forward.
20 ... li:Je6 21 lIb6 i.c6 22 li:Jd5 i.xd523
exd5 li:Jc5 24 lIb5 li:Jfd7 25 c4 e4 26 i.xc5
Bronstein deliberately forces matters,
sacrificing a pawn in the process, but this
allows his pawns to advance irrepressibly
towards the eighth rank.
26 ... li:Jxc5 27 fxe4 li:Jxe4 28 d6! liIxa2+
29 ~a2 li:Jc3+ 30 ~a3 li:Jxdl 31 c5 li:Jc3
32 lIa5 li:Jd5 33 c6 tLlf6 34 lIa6 ~f8 35 b4
~e8 36 b5 tLld7
In a severe time scramble Najdorfseeks
a last chance to save the game.
37 Ita7 Ilb8 38 E:xd7 lIxb5 39 lIa7
lIb8 40 d7+ ~e7 41 d8='fi'++ ~xd8 42
c7+ ~c8 43 cxb8='fi'+ ~xb8 44 lIxn
Black resigns
Vasyukov-Averbakh
Moscow 1957
1 e4 c5 2 tLlf3 tLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tLlxd4
tLlf6 5 tLlc3 d6 6 i.g5 a6 7 'iYd2 i.d7 8
0-0-0 b5 9 ..txf6 gxf6 10 ~bl e6 (123)
 Strategic Sacrifices
123
11 ~xbS
White boldly sacrifices a piece for three
pa wns, but here this is not so effective,
since Black is able to coordinate his
forces.
11 ... axbS 12 l'LldxbS ~b8 13 l'Llxd6+
~xd6 14 ~xd6 ~xd6 IS Ihd6 c:t;e7
Black connects his rooks, and thereby
places a barrier in the path of the queenside
pawns.
16 llhdl .E:a7
17 l'LlbS
Vasyukov aims for active play, otherwise
Black will calmly strengthen his position
with ... l'Lle5, ... IIc8 etc.
17 ... llb7 18 1I6d2 IIhb8 19 b3 l'Lla5!
A verbakh chooses a continuation based
on precise calculation. ~n the variation 20
l'Lld6 lic7 21 l'Llxf7 l'Llc4 22 .E:d3 .ic6! 23
l'Lld6 l'Llxd6 24 .E:xd6 i.xe4 Black has an
undisputed advantage.
20 l'Lld6 .E:c7 21 c:t;al ~c6 22 f3?
But this is an error, which loses a pawn
by force. The point is that White's knight
has no good retreat square, and therefore
he should have supported it by 22 f4, and
if 22 ... .E:d7 23 e5.
89
22 lld7
23 c4 (124)
23 ... llbd8!
Of course, not 23 ... llxb3? on account
of 24 l'Llc8+! (24 axb3? l'Llxb3+ 25 c:t;a2
l'Llxd2 26 .E:xd2 .E:xd6) 24 ... c:t;d8 25
.E:xd7+ ~xd7 26 axb3 c:t;xc8 27 c:t;b2, with
advantage to White.
24 eS
What else? 24 c5 is adequately met by
24 ... l'Llb7, with the two threats of ...
l'Ll xc5 and ... l'Llxd6. But after the loss of a
pawn White is bound to lose the game.
The conclusion was:
24 ... fxeS 2S l'Lle4 .ixe4 26 lixd7+
IIxd7 27 IIxd7+ c:t;xd7 28 fxe4 l'Llb7 29
c:t;b2 l'Lld6 30 a4 l'Llxe4 31 b4 fS 32 as ~c6
33 c:t;b3 hS 34 bS+ c:t;cS 3S c:t;c2 l'Lld6 36 b6
l'Llb7 37 a6 c:t;xb6 38 axb7 c:t;xb7 White
resigns
A conflict at b5 often arises too in the
Sveshnikov Variation, but here the battle
is different in character. The resulting
positions are notable for their great
dynamism, and Black's piece play is so
powerful that in practice White's experi-
ment often ends in failure.
90 Middlegame Strategy
Bronstein-Vukic
VrSac 1979
1 e4 e5 2 ttJf3 e6 3 d4 exd4 4 ttJxd4 ttJf6 5
ttJe3 ttJc6 6 ttJdb5 d6 7 i.f4 e5 8 iog5 a6 9
ttJa3 b5 10 ioxf6 gxf6 11 ttJd5 f5 (125)
12 ttJxb5!?
Of course, Bronstein, a player of enor-
mous and original talent, could not
disregard such a tempting sacrifice. White
gives up his 'bad' a3 knight for three
pa wns, but his other knight is excellently
placed on the central d5 square, supporting
the advance of his queenside pawns. True,
grandmaster Sveshnikov, a great expert
on this variation, considers that "White's
positional pluses do not compensate for
his material deficit. Black must play
energetically, i.e., making use of his extra
piece, begin an attack on the enemy king
before the opponent advances too far his
queenside pawns".
12 ... axb5
13 .i.xb5 i.d7
Sveshnikov's arguments are based on
l3 ... i.b7!, which he considers the strongest
,in the given position.
14 exf5 lIbS
The most usual, although 14 ... i.g7!
and 14 ... 'it'g5!? are also possible, with
double-edged play.
But 14 ... lIa5! also comes very seriously
into consideration (analysis by Sveshnikov),
and if 15 a4 (15 c4?! lIg8 16 0-0 'ilxb5!? 17
cxb5 ttJd4 18 a4 i.xf5, with the threats of
19 ... i.h3 and 19 ... i.e4), then 15 ... ttJd4!
16 i.xd7+ Wxd7 17 ttJe3 'ti'a8! 18 c3 'ti'e4
19 cxd4 exd4 20 'ti'g4 lIe5!, while if 19 b4
'ila8 20 cxd4 exd4 21 'ti'g4 lie8, or 190-0
ttJxf5 20 ttJxf5 'it'xf5 21 b4 lIa8 22 1!fd5
i.e 7. In all these variations White does not
have compensation for the sacrificed piece.
15 a4 'ti'g5
15 ... ttJd4! 16 .txd7+ Wxd7 is more
promising, with chances for both sides.
Now the straightforward advance of the
queenside pawns is dubious: 17 b4 'ti'c8!
18 c3 'ti'c4 19 ttJf6+ We7 20 ttJe4 d5! 21
cxd4 dxe4 22 dxe5 We8! 23 f4 e3! (Karasev-
Andrianov, Severodonetsk 1982), or 17
a5 IIb5 18 ttJb6+ 'ilxb6 19 axb6 'it'xb6 20
0-0 llg8!, with a complicated struggle.
16 g4
16 ttJe3 is sufficiently well met by 16 ...
ttJd4.
16 ... 'ti'h4
The old move 16 ... h5 leads to an
advantage for White after 17 h4 hxg4 18
hxg5 'ilxhl+ 19 iof1.
17 'ti'd3 i.h6 18 e3 0-0 19 'ti'g3 i,g5 20
b4
An interesting alternative available to
White is 20 'it'xh4 .txh4 21 g5.
20 ... Wh8 21 'ti'xh4 i.xh4 22 0-0-0
lIfe8?
22 ... lIfe8 followed by 23 ... e4!? is
more accurate.
23 Wb2 Wg7
 Strategic Sacrifices 91

After 23 ... liJxb4 24 cxb4 iLxb5 25 30 liJf5

axb5 lhb5 White has an undisputed
30 iLe2 liJd4 31 :iI xd4 exd4 32 f4+
advantage. Perhaps Black should have
~xh4 33 liJf5+ ~h3 34 iLf3 dxc3+ 35 ~c1
complicated matters by 23 ... e4!?
was also possible.
24 f3 iLe8? (126)
30 ... iLd7 31liJg7+ ~xh4 32 lld2 Black
24 ... h6 was more tenacious. resigns

Peresypkin-Sveshnikov
Kiev 1973
1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 liJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 liJxd4
liJf6 5 liJc3 e5 6 liJdb5 d6 7 iLg5 a6 8 liJa3
b59 i.xf6 gxf6 10 liJd5 f5 (127)

25 g5! .txg5
On 25 ... h6 White has the decisive 26
liJf6!.
26 E:hgl Wh6
27 h4
White would have won immediately
11 .ixb5!? axb5
after 27 f4! exf4 28 lld3 f6 29 liJxf6 etc.
12 liJxb5 E:a7
27 ... iLd8
Initially this bishop sacrifice was con-
If 27 ... iLxh4, then 28 llg4. sidered more promising than 11 liJxb5,
but with the years the theory and praxis of
28 liJe3! Wh5
this variation have made considerable
28 ... iLe7 would not have saved Black advances. Not wishing to lose ourselves in
after 29 llxd6+! f6 (29 ... iLxd630 llg5!) the opening maze, we will merely remark
30 lle6 llb7 31liJg4+ Wh5 32 llxf6! iLxf6 that after the strongest move 12 ... lla4!,
33 liJxf6+ Wxh434 llg4+ ~h3 35 iLfl+ as shown by numerous tournament games,
~h2 36 llg2+ ~h3 37 liJe4 liJxb4 38 White can hardly hope to win. 12 ...
llf2+ ~h4 39 llh2 mate. "ifa5+!?, an idea of English players, is also
interesting.
29 f6 h6
13 liJxa7 liJxa7
After 29 ... iLxf6 30 llxd6 iLxh4 31 liJf5
iLg5 32 f4 exf4 Black is mated by 33 iLe2+. In the game van der Wiel-Tiller,
92 Middlegame Strategy

Groningen 1977178, Black tried 13 ...

'fi'a5+!?, but after 14 c3 'fi'xa7 15 exf5
.ixf5 16 'fi'D .ig6 (16 ... .ie6!? may be 128
better) 17 ct:Jf6+ We7 18 ct:Jg4 f5 19 lbe3
'fi'd7 200-0 f4? (20 ... e4!? is stronger, and
if 21 'fi'f4 .ig7 22 lbc4 lbe5 23 lbxe5
.ixe5, with the initiative for Black) 21
lbd5+ Wfl 22 a4 .ih6 23 lbb6 'fi'c7 24 a5
e4 25 'fi'h3 .ig7 26 lbd5 'fi'd8 27 lbxf4 he
went on to lose.
14 'fi'f3
In later games improvements for White
were found, namely 14 exf5!? or 14 c3.
14 ... ct:Jc6 24 ... lbd4 25 lbd5 ct:Jf3 26 lIxe6
The sharp 14 ... ct:Jb5!? occurred in T. What else? If 26 'i!fe7, then 26 ... 'fi'xe7
Horvath-Vasyukov, Zalaegerszeg 1977: 27 lbxe7 .ixa2+ 28 ~xa2 lbxgl.
150-0-0 (if 15 c3lbc7!) 15 ... lbc7 16 ct:Jb6
26 ... 'i!fxe6 27 'i!fg4 'i!fxg4 28 llxg4
.ib7 17 'fi'b3 fxe4 18 Wbl .ie7 19 ct:Jc4
lbxh2 29 JIg1 lbf3 30 JIh1
.ia8 20 lbxe5 0-021 lIhel ct:Je8 22 ct:Jg4
'fi'd7 23 D Wh8 24 'fi'c3+ f6 25 ct:Jf2 exf3 26 Black finds a clear-cut way to realize
gxf3 lbg7, with chances for both sides. his material advantage:
15 O-O-O?! 30 ... lbd2+ 31 Wa1 e4 32 lIe1 .ig5 33
a4 1:txf2 34 b4 e3 35 ct:Jxe3 lbf3 36 lld1
15 c3 is significantly stronger.
.ixe3 37 JId3 ct:Jd4 38 c3 lbb3+ 39 Wb1
15 ... .ih6+ 16 Wb1 fxe4 17 'fi'xe4 0-0 18 .ic1! White resigns
g4 Wh8 19 lIg1 f5 20 gxf5 .ixf5 21 'i!fc4
"ife8!
In the following game White gives up a
The only move! 21 ... 'i!fd7 loses to 22 knight for only two pawns, but Black's
lbf6!, and if 22 ... 'i!fd8 23 llxd6. pieces are so restricted within his own
territory that, despite his nominal material
22 ct:Je3 .ie6!
advantage, one can only sympathize with
By sacrificing his d6 pawn, Black retains his fate.
his powerful bishops.
23 'i!fh4
(diagram 128)
A.Sokolov-J ansa
23 .if4! Dubai 1986
24 llxd6
1 e4 c5 2 ct:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5
There is no choice. On 24 c3 there ct:Jc3 a6 6 f4 'i!fc7 7 .te2 e6 8 0-0 .ie7 9 a4
would have followed 24 ... 'i!ff7 25 a3 d5 ct:Jc6 10 Wh1 0-011 .ie3 lle8 12 .if3 lIb8
etc. (129)
 Strategic Sacrifices
The players have chosen one of the
currently most popular lines of the
Scheveningen. In the Karpov-Kasparov
matches of 1984/85 and 1985, 13 'id2
was given a serious testing, but Sokolov
chooses a more aggressive continuation.
13 g4 i.fS
l3 ... lbxd4 14 i.xd4 e5 came into
consideration.
14 g5 lbd7
15 .ig2 lba5
Black fails to find the correct plan, and
within four moves he will admit his mistake.
The truth had to be sought in the continu-
ation 15 ... g6 16 'ie2 b6 17 liadl .ib7.
16 .igl b6 17 'ih5 g6 18 'ih3 .ig7 19
liadl lbc6 (130)
93
Black realizes that on the edge of the
board his knight is doing nothing, and he
hastens to bring it back into play, but it is
already too late. However, on 19 ... .ib7
there would have followed 20 f5, with
advantage to White.
20 lbdb5!
White chooses a favourable moment to
strike a dagger-blow, and panic ensues in
the black position.
20 ... axb5 21 lbxb5 'id8 22 lbxd6 lifS
22 ... lie7 loses to 23 f5.
23 e5
Shutting the dark-square bishop out of
the game. The white knight has effectively
blocked in the enemy forces, severely
restricting their movements.
23 ... lbe7
24 'id3 lbc5
Forced, since 25 lbxc8 was threatened.
25 'it'a3 i.d7
Missing the last chance to offer any
resistance, which was by the counter-
sacrifice 25 ... lbd5! 26 lbxc8 'ixc8 27 c4
lbxf4! (27 ... lbe728 a5, with an obvious
advantage) 28 ~xf4 .ixe5, and although
29 liffl leaves White with the advantage,
Black retains hopes of survival.
26 a5 lia8 27 b4 lba4 28 b5
The white pawns sweep away everything
in their path. 28 ... ~xa5 fails to 29lbb7.
28 ... lbc5 29 .ixc5 bxc5 30 lbb7 'ic8 31
c4 lbf5 32 lbxc5 lia7 33 a6
The beginning of the end.
33 ... ~d8 34 b6 .ifS 35 bxa7 .ixc5 36
a8='i 'it'xa8 37 'ixc5 'it'xa6 38 'ic7
Black lost on time.
94 Middlegame Strategy
And now we will examine the positional
sacrifice on a central outpost.
In the following game White plays the
audacious move ltJc3-d5, in order to
activate his hitherto idle pieces, and also
to create a 'demarcation line' on the e-file
to disrupt the coordination of the enemy
forces.
Tal-Larsen
Bled 1965
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4ltJxd4 e6 5
ltJ c3 d6 6 .te3 ltJf6 7 f4 .te7 8 'iVf3 0-0 9
0-0-0 'iVc7 10 ltJdb5 'iVb8 11 g4 a6 12 ltJd4
ltJxd4 13 i.xd4 b5 14 g5 ltJd7 15 .td3 b4
(131)
131
16 ltJd5!? exd5
17 exd5
This knight sacrifice at d5, when the
black king has already moved away
from the danger zone, may at first seem
openly cavalier, but it caused a great stir
in the chess world. Over a period of
several years, analysts from various coun-
tries carried out analyses which were
published on the pages of chess magazines.
Was the sacrifice correct? Did Black have
a defence? Replies came at intervals of a
month, a year, two years ... It was clear
that to refute Tal's idea at the board
would have been an exceptionally difficult
task. And the Riga grandmaster is abso-
lutely right when he says that "years of
analysis and minu tes of play are not at all
the same thing".
The Ex-World Champion was guided
both by positional considerations and by
his intuition. In concrete terms - White
aims to exploit the remoteness of the
black pieces from the kingside, whereas
his 'fighters' are already prepared to
strike a decisive blow against the castled
position. (The standard two-bishop sacri-
fice at h7 and g7 is threatened).
17 ... f5
Tal's instinct did not betray him. The
Danish grandmaster does not choose the
best plan of defence. Later it was shown
that the way to save the game was by the
highly committing move 17 ... g6! Larsen
evidently considered this continuation,
but was concerned about such an obvious
weakening of the dark squares in his
position. In his notes Tal himself gives
two possibilities for White to continue the
attack.
The first consists in advancing the h-
pawn: 18 h4 ltJ c5 19 h5 ltJ xd3+ 20 II xd3
.if5 21 hxg6 fxg6! 22 lIxh7 Wxh7 23 lIe3
'iV~7 24 'iVe2 lla7!! 25 .txa7 .td8! 26 .td4
Wg8 27 'iVh2 'iVh7, and Black defends
himself.
If White continues his piece attack with
18 lIhe1, then Black defends as follows:
18 ... .td8 19 'iVh3 ltJe5 (19 ... .tb6? 20
.txg6! Jxg6 21 l1e7) 20 'iVh6 .tb6 21 fxe5
(after 21 .txb6 ltJxd3+ 22 cxd3 'WIxb6 23
h4 .tg4 Black wins) 21 ... .txd422 lIe4!
.tf2! 23 lin 'iVa7 24 e6 .tb7. Although
the resulting position is double-edged,
Black's material advantage should tell in
the end.
 Strategic Sacrifices 95

18 lIde1 lIn Black's only practical chance would be to

On 18 ... i.d8 comes the piquant 19
'fihS liJcS 20 i.xg7! liJxd3+ 21 <t>bl (21
cxd3? 'fic7+) 21 ... liJxel (21 .. , liJxf422
'fJ/h6) 22 g6 <t>xg7 23 'ti'xh7+ <t>f6 24 g7
lIn 2S g8= liJ mate!
19 h4 i.b7 (132)
20 i.xfS
More in Tal's style was the sharper 20
g6 hxg6 21 hS gS 22 i.xfS, and if 22 ...
lIxfS, then 23 lixe7 liJeS 24 h6! liJxf3 2S
h7+ <t>f8 26 Ihg7. But no win is apparent
after 22 ... i.f6 23 i.e6 'ti'f8!, and therefore
Tal himself considers the continuation
chosen to be the most correct.
20 ... l:lxfS
20 '" liJf8 can be met by 21 i.xh7+.
21 Ja:xe7 liJeS
give back the piece: 27 ... i.f3 28 'ti'c4+
~h8 29 1If7 'ti'xd6 30 lIxf3.
2S 'ife2 'ifxe7 26 'ti'xf3 dxeS 27 lIe1 lId8
After 27 ... 1If8 28 lheS 'ti'xeS 29
'ti'xf8+ ~xf8 30 i.xeS the resulting ending
with opposite-colour bishops is easily
won for White.
28 lIxeS 'ti'd6
29 'ti'f4!
Threatening 30 lIe8+. White's material
advantage assures him of the win. The
game concluded:
29 ... llfS 30 'ti'e4 b3 31 axb3 lUI + 32
<t>d2 'ti'b4+ 33 c3 'ti'd6 34 i.cS! 'ti'xcS 3S
lIe8+ lIfS 36 'ti'e6+ <t>h8 37 'ti'n Black
resigns
And now let us see how Tal himselffell
victim to just such a knight sacrifice.
Stein-Tal
Moscow 1961
1 e4 cS 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 liJxd4 liJf6 S
liJc3 a6 6 i.gS ttJbd7 7 i.c4 'ti'a5 8 'ti'd2 e6
9 0-0-0 bS 10 i.b3 j.,b7 11 lIhe1 liJcS 12
j.,xf6 gxf6 13 'ti'f4 j.,e7 14 'ti'g4! 0-0-0
(133)
133

21 ... 1If7 fails to save the game after 22

1Ixf7 <t>xf7 23 g6+ hxg6 24 hS, when the
black king is completely exposed. Larsen's
attempt to confuse matters proves unsuc-
cessful.
22 'ti'e4 'ti'f8 23 fxeS llf4 24 'ti'e3 l:lf3
In the event of 24 ... i.xdS White had
prepared 2S exd6 l:lxd4 (25 ... j.,xh1 26
lIxg7+) 26 'ti'xd4! i.xhl 27 b3. Now
96 Middlegame Strategy

15 .id5! On 24 ... <t>b7 White has the decisive 2S

lite8!
The prelude to White's following combi-
nation. It is the exchange of light-square 25 Wb1 ltJa4 (134)
bishops which allows Stein two moves
The impression is that Black has created
later to land a typical. combinational
counterplay, but Stein has calculated
blow. The immediate IS ltJdS is weaker
everything exactly.
on account of IS ... lithe8.
15 ... b4 16 .ixb7+ Wxb7 17 ltJd5!
Strategically this is completely justified.
The weakness of the light squares and in
particular White's control of the key
square c6 give him a powerful initiative.
Another factor which should be empha-
sized is the 'faceless' black bishop, which
is unable to take any part in the game.
17 ... exd5
Black is forced to accept the sacrifice,
since 17 ... lithg8 is met by the stunning 18
ltJc6!!, and other continuations also lose,
26 l1d4! tiJxb2
for example:
27 Well!
17 ... .ifS 18 'fi'hS exdS 19'fi'xf7+ litd7
20 'fi'xdS+ etc. This subtle move refutes the opponent's
17 ... hS 18 'fi' g7 exdS 19 exdS lithe8 20 hopes. Now the black pieces become
'fi'xf7 'fi'c7 21 ltJc6 .ifS 22 litxe8! entangled.
The attempt to launch a counterattack
27 ... 'fi'c5 28 lite3 Wb7 29 E:c3 Itb5
by 17 ... b3 also proves unsuccessful.
After 18 axb3 'fi'al+ 19 Wd2 'fi'xb2 20 A little trap. On 30 E:xcS there follows
ltJc3 Black cannot play 20 ... dS on 30 ... dxcS!
account of 21 exdS fS 22 'fi'O ltJe4+ 23
30 'fi'a3 'fi'xa3 31 litxa3 E:xd5 32 tiJa5+
litxe4!
Black resigns
18 exd5 l1d7
19 ltJc6! 'fi'xa2!
Tal takes the correct practical decision;
5.3 Sacrifice of the Exchange
returning the sacrificed material, he looks
for a way to complicate the play. It
This is one of the most popular positional-
would have been pointless to hold on to
type gambit operations, especially the
the extra piece by 19 ... 'it'c7, since after 20
exchange sacrifice at c3 by Black, which
'it'xb4+ Wc8 21 'fi'c4 the future for Black
today has already become a standard
is bleak.
stratagem. For it Black normally receives
20 'fi'xb4+ Wc7 21 tiJxe7 Itb8 22 'fi'a3 solid compensation: a central pawn plus
'it'c4 23 ltJc6 Itb3 24 'fi'a5+ litb6 freedom on the c-file, on account of the
 Strategic Sacrifices 97

complete break-up of the opponent's 21 ~a6 lLle5! 22 Iixc3 ~h7 23 Iih3 'ti'd5
queenside. 24 ~d3 ~g8!

White's forces are scattered, and it is

difficult for him to resist against the
Ra vinsky-Simagin excellently coordinated actions of Black's
Moscow 1947 queen, knight and bishop.
1 e4 e5 2 1Llf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 lLlxd4 lLlf6 5 25 Iie3 ~h6 26 l1g3 h4 27 Iih3 ~g5 28
1Llc3 g6 6 ~e2 ~g7 7 0-0 0-0 8 lLlb3 lLlbd7 ~e2 a5 29 lLle1?
9 ~h1 b6 10 f4 ~b7 11 ~f3 Iie8 12 ~e3
A mistake, which hastens White's
(135)
inevitable defeat.
29 ... ~xc1 White resigns
135
Grandmaster Vladimir Simagin later
wrote this about the exchange sacrifice
which he made in this game: "The exchange
sacrifice by Black occurred in many later
events and subsequently became a fairly
conventional stratagem, by which Black
destroys the opponent's centre".
It is interesting to note that eleven years
later, Simagin again sacrificed the exchange
at c3 in a game with Ravinsky.

12 ... :axe3!
136
Here compensation for the exchange is
provided by the excellent placing of all
Black's pieces, and in addition he picks
up an important central pawn.
13 bxe3 lLlxe4 14 ~d4 e5 15 fxe5 dxe5 16
'ti'e 1!
Naturally, the variation 16 ~xe4 ~xe4
17 ~e3 ~c6 does not satisfy White, and
therefore he aims for complications, but
the attempt to confuse matters is parried
by Simagin's accurate play. Ravinsky-Simagin
Moscow 1958
16 ... exd4 17 i.xe4 lie8 18 .txb7 :axel
19 Iiaxe1 dxc3 20 l1e3 h5! 13 i.d4?
Only after securing his king's position This move allows Black to destroy
can Black demonstrate the strength of his White's centre and firmly seize the initiative.
queen. 13 lLld2 should have been played, as in the
98 Middlegame Strategy

game Nei-Ragozin, Riga 1952.

Padevsky-Botvinnik
13 ... llxc3! 14 bxc3 liJxe4 15 liJdl Moscow 1956
liJxd2 16 'iVxd2 R.e6
1 e4 e5 2 liJf3 liJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 liJxd4
Black has not only been victorious in liJf6 5 liJe3 d6 6 R.e4 e6 7 0-0 R.e7 8 R.e3
the centre, but has also seized the important 0-09 R.b3 liJa5 10 f4 b6 11 'flf3 R.b712 g4
hl-a8 diagonal, forcing the opponent to lle8 13 g5 (138)
switch to cheerless defence.
17 e4 'fIe7 18 lladl b6 19 llf2 R.a8 138
Black's threats along the diagonal
become ever more real, and when his
queen reaches there, it will all be over.
20 h3 gxf5!
The opening of the g-file is fatal for the
white king.
21 gxf5
On 21 lhf5 there follows 21 ... 'ifc6.
21 ... Wh8 22 Whl lIg8 23 lIgl 'ife6
13 ... lIxe3!
The guns are aimed - it only remains to
14 bxe3
fire!
F or the exchange, White loses his central
24 'ifg5 'ife4
pawn and the hl-a8 diagonal is opened,
25 R.e3 (137)
placing him in a critical situation. In
Botvinnik's opinion, a less unpleasant
137 alternative was 14 gxf6 lIxe3 15 'ifxe3 (of
course, not 15 fxe7 lIxf3 16 exd8='if
'iJ.xfl+ 17 lIxfl lIxd8) 15 ... R.xf6,although
even here the insecure position of the
white king makes Black's game prefer-
able, since his two bishops have a great
future.
14 ... liJxe4 15 'ifg4 'ife8! 16 1If3
The attempt by the Bulgarian player to
mount an attack is parried by Botvinnik's
precise play.
16 ... liJxb3 17 axb3 f5 18 'ti'h4
25 ... liJg4+!!
If 18 gxf6 the best reply is 18 ... lIxf619
The shot rings out.
f5 exf5 20 liJxf5 .Jtf8 21liJh6+(or 21 lIafl
White resigns lIg622 liJh6+ gxh6) 21 ... lIxh6 22 'ifxc8
 Strategic Sacrifices 99

llg6+ 23 ~f1 .i.xc8 24 llxa7 .i.g425 llff7

.i.h3+ 26 ~el lle6, and Black wins.
18 ... e5 19 llh3 h6 20 'ih5
White seeks practical chances - he
threatens 21 gxh6.
20 ... 'ixc3 21 lldl exd4 22 .i.d2
22 .i.xd4 also does not help on account
of 22 ... 'ixc2 23 gxh6 ltJf6.
22 ... 'ie6
23 gxh6 (139)

23 ... ltJg5! 24 llg3 'ihl+ 25 ~f2ltJe4+
White resigns. Such a splendid creative
achievement has to be admired!
18 bxe3?
White has illusions of an attack. This is
why he keeps his rook at h3, although he
should have played 18 lixc3ltJxe419 llc2
e5 20 IUc1 i.d8 21 ltJc6, with a double-
edged game.
18 ... ltJxe4
19 .i.el f5
Black's powerful centralized knight is
much stronger than the faceless rook at
h3.
20 lld3 .tf6 21 'ia2 lle8 22 ~hl (141)
22 ... ltJxc3 23 i.xc3 llxc3 24 llxc3
.i.xd4+ etc. was threatened.

Khasin-Boleslavsky
Leningrad 1956
1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 5 ltJe3 d6 6 .i.e4 e6 7 0-0 .i.e7 8 .i.e3
0-0 9 'ie2 a6 10 lladl 'fi'e7 11 .i.b3 b5
12 a3 ltJaS 13 f4 .i.b7 14 .i.f2 ltJxb3 15
exb3 llae8 16 lld3 'ti'd7 17 llh3 llxe3!
(140)
A familiar stratagem, which has be-
come a universal means for seizing the
initiative. 22 ... h6!
100 Middlegame Strategy
Exploiting the strength of his light-
square bishop, Black aims to open the g-
file for his heavy pieces; then his attack
will be irresistible.
23 h3 ~h7 24 'ith2 g5 25 fxg5 i.xgS 26
1!fe2 i.f6 27 g3 i.a8 28 1!fh5
This pointless queen sortie is doomed
to failure.
28 ... llg8 29 i.d2 ltJxd2 30 llxd2 i.e5!
The coordination of all the black pieces
is impressive.
31 lld3 llg5 32 1!fe2 1!fg7 33 1!fel
If 33 ltJxe6, then 33 ... llxg3!
33 ... 1Vg6 34 ltJe2 f4! (decisive) 35 lldf3
fxg3+ 36 ltJxg3 i.xf3 37 l::i:xf3 llxg3 38
llxg3 1!fxg3+ 39 1!fxg3 i.xg3+ 40 'itxg3
'itg6, and Black won a few moves later.
Jansa-Polugayevsky
Skara 1980
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
ltJc3 a6 6 i.e2 e6 70-0 i.e7 8 f4 0-09 'ithl
ltJc6 10 i.e3 i.d7 11 a4 llc8 121!fel ltJb4!
13 1!fg3 (142)
142
White's instinct betrays him, and he
plays straightforwardly, clearly under-
estimating Black's possible reaction. He
should have chosen instead 13 lldl!? or
13 1Vd2.
13 ... llxc3! 14 bxc3 ltJxe4 15 1!fel
15 1!ff3 ltJxc3 16 1!fxb7 was probably
better, although even in this case Black
has a pleasant choice: 16 ... d5, 16 ... a5, or
(possibly strongest) 16 ... ltJbd5 17 i.g1
ltJxe2 18 ltJxe2 1!fc8! White hopes to
exploit the insecure placing of the black
knights, but their linkage withstands the
durability test.
15 ... ltJd5
16 i.f3
On 16 i.d2 there would have followed
16 ... 1!fc7, or 16 ... i.h4 17 g3 i.f6.
16 ... ltJdxc3
Not fearing ghosts, the black knights
continue their dance duet in the centre of
the board.
17 ltJe2 i.f6
18 i.d4 i.xd4!
Black sticks to his principles. By retaining
his pair of 'steeds', he retains a positional
advantage.
19 ltJxd4 f5
20 i.xe4
White's nerves give way. He gets rid of
one knight, but Black, exploiting the
wonderful outpost in the centre, replaces
it with the other.
20 ... ltJxe4 21 1!fb4 1!fc7 22 llabl i.c8
23 llbdl (143)
Since 23 1!fb6 is met by 23 ... ll17!
White changes his approach and shifts
the weight of the struggle to the centre
squares.
 Strategic Sacrifices 101

36 lIe3 ..ta4 37 ltJf3 ..te6 38 lIb3 lIa4

39 ltJd4 ..tdS 40 lIbl ltJeS! 41 h3
White sealed this move, but preferred
not to torment himself any more.

Panov-Simagin
Moscow 1943
1 e4 eS 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 S
ltJe3 g6 6 ..te3 ..tg7 7 f3 0-08 ltJb3 ..te6 9
'ti'd2 ltJbd7 10 0-0-0 ltJb6 11 g4 lIe8 12
..th6 (144)
23 ... 'fi'e3!
One of the most difficult moves in the
game. It is in the endgame that the black
pawns will acquire the necessary mobility.
24 'fi'xe3 ltJxe3
2S lIdel Wf7
Black no longer has to worry about the
defence of his pawns, and his hands are
freed for him to occupy the c-file.
26 as ..td7 27 lIe3 lIe828 lIfelltJdS 29
lIb3 'iJ.e7 30 g3 ..tc8
For the third time the bishop takes up
12 ... ..th8!
its initial position, allowing the rook to
become more active. The forefather of strategic exchange
sacrifices for Black was Vladimir Simagin,
31 lIdl g6
who had a patent on this invention. Not
Parrying 32 ltJxf5. begrudging material, Black maintains on
the al-h8 diagonal his powerful bishop,
32 wgl lIe4
which in a complicated middlegame often
33 1I a3 ltJe3
proves stronger than a passive white
It is very pleasant for the knight to rook. From afar it literally pierces the
return to its favourite square e4! opponent's queenside, where his king is
placed.
34 1Id3 ltJe4
3S e3 ..td7 13 ..txfS 'fi'xfS 14 ltJd4 ..te4 IS gS ltJfd7
16 ..th3 e6 17 Wbl ltJeS 18 f4
And now the bishop, which for a long
time has been 'living modestly', has also White underestimates the opponent's
acquired an 'appetite'. The remainder is tactical resources. Not worrying about
clear without explanation. loss of material, Black aims at all costs to
102 Middlegame Strategy

mount an attack. ... ~e6 26 nd8+ Wg7 27 e8=tD+ Wh8 28

nxc8, or 25 ... ~d5 26 ~xc8 'fi'a5+ 27
18 ... tDf3!
Wb2, with a draw in both variations.
19 tDxf3
25 ... ~xe6 26 ~xe6 fxe6 27 na4 tDxa4
A rook up, and yet it is not easy to
28 c4 nd8 29 Wa2 'fi'b4 30 nel nd3 31
defend! Possibly White should have played
nxe6 tDc3+ White resigns
19 'fi'e3 tDxd4 20 lhd4!, with a double-
edged game.
19 ... ~xc3
Byvshev-Tolush
20 bxc3
Leningrad 1954
If 20 'fi'xc3, then after 20 ... ~xa2+ 21
1 e4 c5 2 tDf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tDxd4 tDf6 5
Wxa2 nxc3 22 bxc3 'fi'c8! Black maintains
tDc3 a6 6 ~g5 tDbd7 7 ~c4 g6 8 h4 ~g7 9
his attack.
'fi'd2 0-0 10 0-0-0 tDe5 11 ~b3 tDc6 12
20 ... d5! 21 'fi'cl tDa4 22 exd5! tDxc6 bxc6 13 h5 tDxh5 14 g4 tDf6 15 ~h6
(146)
White has successfully defended and,
as shown by Simagin in his analysis,
could have gained a draw. 146

22 ... ~xa2+!
23 Wal
23 Wxa2? is bad on account of 23 ...
tDxc3+! 24 Wal 'fi'b4!, or 24 Wb3 'fi'c5!
23 'fi'c5
24 dxe6 tDxc3 (145)

145

15 ... ~h8!!

In making this exchange sacrifice, Black

25 nd4?
This loses. Correct was 25 e7! (but not
25 exj7+ ~xj7 26 ~xc8 "iVa5+ 27 ~b2
tDe2! 28 nd8+ ~g7 29 "iVaI 'fIb4 mate) 25
was guided by the following considerations:
he has available the open b-file, and by
retaining his dark-square bishop he gains
the chance to mount an attack on the
queenside. In addition, he has the two
bishops, which in positions of this type
are a powerful force.
16 g5 tDd7 17 ~xfS 't!xfS 18 f4 tDc5 19
nh4 h5!
Black hides his king behind one of the
opponent's pawns and thereby neutralizes
 Strategic Sacrifices 103

the attack. A mistake, but all the same White's

position was lost.
20 gxh6 'itth7 21 litgl .tf6 22 lith2 as
36 ... 'tWa7!! White resigns
It now becomes clear that Tolush was
correct in his evaluation of the position -
White begins to get into difficulties.
23 'tWe3 a4 24 .tc4 litb8 2S eS .th8 26
Khasin-Stein
.td3
Tallinn 1965
26 a3 was more accurate, when it is
1 e4 cS 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 S
difficult for Black to open the al-h8
ltJc3 a6 6 .te2 e6 7 f4 .te7 8 .tf3 0-0 9 0-0
diagonal, on which his play is based.
'tWc7 10 'itthl ltJc6 11 g4 ltJxd4 12 'tWxd4
26 ... 'tWd8 ltJd713 gS bS14 fS .tb71S .te3 ltJeS! 16 f6
27 'tWg3 gxf6 17 gxf6 .txf6 18 .th6 (148)
Now 27 a3 is too late, since after 27. ...
'tWb6 28 ltJdl dxe5 29 fxe5 ltJxd3+ 30 cxd3
'tWxe3+ 31 ltJxe3 .txe5 32 llc2 .td4
Black's endgame advantage is undisputed.
27 ... ltJxd3+ 28 cxd3 dxeS 29 fxeS a3! 30
'tWe3
30 litel was more tenacious, defending
the e5 pawn.
30 .. , i.fS!
31 d4
On 31 litdl there could have followed
31 ... axb2+ 32 litxb2 ~xb2 33 'ittxb2
'tWb8+, winning the e5 pawn.
18 ... Wh8!!
31 ... cS 32 dS axb2+ 33 ~xb2 llxb234
A deliberate exchange sacrifice, for
'ittxb2 'tWb8+ 3S 'ittal .txeS 36 'tWxcS (147)
which Stein had aimed far in advance.
Two bishops, a centralized knight, and
domination of the dark squares - this is
the compensation by which the Lvov
grandmaster was guided.
19 i.xfS ~xfS 20 liadl :ad8 21 .tg2
i.g7
Creating the threat of 22 ... ltJc4.
22 'ti'f2 ~ g8
23 'ti'h4
White is over-optimistic, and naively
104 Middlegame Strategy

imagines that there is nothing threatening Akopian-Boleslavsky

him. 23 ~d2 was correct, vacating dl for Moscow 1965
the other rook or (in the event of ... b4) for
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 lLle6 3 d4 exd4 4 lLlxd4 e6 S
his knight, and not fearing 23 ... lLlc4 in
lLle3 d6 6 .ie3 lLlf6 7 .ie2 .ie7 8 0-0 0-0 9
view of 24 fi'xf7!.
f4 .id7 10 <i!thl lLlxd4 11 .ixd4 .ie6 12
23 ... fS! 24 ~del lLle4 2S ~f2 .id3 a6 13 ~f3 lLlhS 14 .ie3 lLlf6 IS ~g3
'ie7 16 e5 dxeS 17 fxeS fi'xeS 18 .id4 fi'f4
There was the incidental threat of 25 .. ,
19 .ie3 We7 20 .ih6 (150)
b4 26 lLldl lLld2!
2S ... lLlxb2 26 lLle2 lLlc4 27 lLlg3 .id4 28
~fe2 fxe4 29 lLlxe4
If 29 .ixe4, then 29 '" .ie5 or 29 ... 'if7
is unpleasant.
29 ... fi'g7
30 lLlgS? (149)
Here time trouble interferes. After 30
lbg3! White's defences would have held.

149

20 ... g6!
Boleslavsky justifiably avoids the repe-
tition of moves, reckoning that the slight
material concession will merely improve
his position. His two bishops and powerful
pawn centre are bound to have their say.
21 .ixfS .ixfS 22 .ie2 eS 23 'ti'fl .ig7
24 ~el ~d8 2S .idl hS 26 Ei:ge3 e4

By energetic play Black cramps the

30 ... .ie3!
The only way! The plausible 30 ... .if6
would have given White drawing chances
after 31 'ti'xh7+! 'ti'xh7 32 lLlxh7 Ei:xg2 33
~xg2 ~xh7 34 ~xe6, when the limited
material makes the win for Black techni-
cally very difficult.
31 .ixb7 .ixgS 32 'ti'e4 dS 33 'ti'xe6
'ti'xb7 34 ~gl d4+ 3S ~gg2 ~fS 36 h4
~fl + 37 ~h2 .if4+ White resigns
white pieces.
27 a4 'ti'b6 28 b3 'ti'b4 29 lLla2 'ti'd2 30 h3
lLle8 31 Ei:3e2 fi'd6 32 e4 as
Black has no reason to hurry, and for
complete comfort he also blocks the
queenside.
33 .ie2 fS!
Now Black's advantage is clearly appa-
rent. His strategy has triumphed. White
has no way of opposing the advance of
 Strategic Sacrifices
the f-pawn, which draws the noose still
tighter.
34 lldl ~c7 35 llxd8 ~xd8 36
~d4
The weakening of the dark squares in
White's position also tells.
37 lld2 ~e5 38 lLlc1 f4 39 lle2 lLld6 40
lld2 lLlf5 41 i.dl Wh7 42 lld8 f3 White
resigns
Matulovic-Krnic
Yugoslavia 1982
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 lLlf6 5
lLlc3 i.b4 6 e5 lLld5 7 ~g4 O-O!? (151)
151
The idea of this original exchange
sacrifice belongs to one of the strongest
Belorussian players from the past, Gavril
Veresov. White's slight lack of develop-
ment, and the great possibilities open to
Black's dark-square bishop, provide a
certain compensation for the loss of the
exchange.
Numerous analyses, both theoretical
and practical, have shown that White can
retain an advantage. Thus, in particular,
he need not pick up the rook immediately,
but can first play 8 i.d2, and only after 8
105
... lLlxc3 9 bxc3 i.e7 continue 10 i.h6.
The game Wedberg-Pokojowczyk, Copen-
hagen 1984, went 10 ... g6 11 h4!? (also to
~el
White's advantage is 11 hf8 hf8 12
i.d3 d6 13 f4 dxe5 14 fxe5 lLld7 15 0-0
lLlxe5 16 'WIf4, or 13 ~g3 ~a5 14 0-0 dxe5
15 lLlf3, Ftacnik-Helmers, Gjovik 1983)
11 ... ~a5 12 ~g3 lld8 13 h5, and White's
initiative on the h-file is appreciable.
However, this in no way detracts from the
innovation ofVeresov, whose experiment
continues to be studied.
8 i.h6 g6 9 i.xfS ~xfS 10 ~g3
In the game Chavez-Estevez, Nicaragua
1981, White preferred a different plan,
and came under an attack: 10 lLle2lLlc6 11
~g3 d6! 12 0-0-0 dxe5 13 lLlxd5 exd5 14
a3 i.e 7 15 lIxd5 i.f5 16 'Llc3 i.xa3! 17
bxa3 ~xa3+ 18 Wd2 i.xc2!
10 ... lLle6
10 ... ~c5 offers Black more hopes,
with the sequel 11 a3 ~xd4 12 axb4lLlxb4
13 .td3 lLl8c6 14 f4 lLlxd3+ 15 cxd3 lLlb4
16 Wd2 b6. Now 17 :aa4 is a mistake on
account of 17 ... b5, Gufeld-Plachetka,
Vinkovci 1982, but White can try for an
advantage with 17 :ahe1!? i.b7 18 ~e3.
11 'Llxe6 bxe6
12 a3
This weakening of the queenside favours
Black. White could have gained an advan-
tage by 12 .tc4!? 'Llxc3 13 bxc3 i.a5 (13 ...
~c5 14 cxb4 ~xc4 15 a3 a5 16 ~d3, or 14
'" ~xb4+ 15 <t;fl ~xc4+ 16 <t;g 1 favours
White) 14 ~e3! The bold 12 O-O-O!? also
came seriously into consideration.
12 ... .ta5 13 b4 i.e7 14 'Llxd5 exd5 15
~c3 .tb6 16 i.d3 ''g7
Exploiting the diagonal pin, Black
opens up the position, giving scope to his
bishops.
106 Middlegame Strategy
17 0-0 i.b7 18 liIae1 d6 19 1i'al dxe5 20
1i'xe5?!
Strangely enough, in the endgame the
situation becomes favourable for Black,
although he is a clear exchange down.
White would possibly have done better to
continue 20 liIxe5, keeping the queens on.
20 1Wxe5
21 liIxe5 (152)
152
21 ... i.d4!
The dark-square bishop begins to
demonstrate its strength, and the weaken-
ing of White's queenside pawns begins to
tell.
22 liIe2 liIe8
23 liIdl
23 liIbl looks more logical, so as then
to advance the a- and b-pawns.
23 ... e5 24 <iitfl i.e3 25 f3 f5 26 i.b5
<iitf7 27 liId3 <iitf6 28 llee3 d4 29 lIxc3!
The black pawn mass in the centre is
too threatening, and only by returning
the exchange can White maintain the
balance.
29 ... dxe3 30 lId3 lIe7 31 lId7?
The exchange of rooks leads to a lost
bishop ending. White's defence had evi-
dently cost him a great deal of strength,
and in addition the onset of time trouble
increased the probability of a mistake. 31
liId8! was correct.
31 ... liIxd7
32 i.xd7 f4!
Fixing the f3 pawn on a light square.
33 b5
33 <iite2 is very strongly met by 33 ... e4!
33 ... i.dS 34 i.e6 i.e4+ 35 <iite1 <iite7
Now the activation of the black king
decides matters. The game concluded:
36 a4 <iitd6 37 i.e8 g5 38 g3 <iite5 39 gxf4
exf4 40 i.d7 <iitb4 41 i.e6 h5 42 i.e8 i.d5
43 <iite2 g4 44 fxg4 hxg4 45 <iitf2 .te4 46
i.d7 i.xe2 47 i.xg4 i.xa4 White resigns
We will now consider two instances
where it is White who appears in the role
of 'disturber of the peace'. However, in
contrast to situations where he conducts a
direct attack on the king in the centre or
on the wing, the positional exchange
sacrifice occurs much more rarely.
Stein-Parma
Lvov 1962
1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
ltJe3 a6 6 i.g5 e6 7 f4 1Wb68 ltJb3 ltJbd79
1Wf3 1We7 10 a4 b6 11 i.d3 i.b712 0-0 i.e7
13 1Wh3! e5 14 lIael 0-0 15 <iithl liIfe8 16
ltJd2 ltJfS 17 i.e4! exf4? 18 i.xf4 ltJg6 19
i.g5 i.e8 20 1Wg3 i.e6 21 i.xf6! i.xf6 22
ltJd5 i.xd5 23 i.xd5 lIad8 24 e3 <iith8 25
ltJf3 'lYe7 26 lIdl 'lYe7 27 ltJd4 liIfS (153)
The first impression is that Black's
position is solid, but the following exchange
sacrifice changes the evaluation.
 Strategic Sacrifices
28 Iixf6!
An elegant blow, typical of Stein's
ebullient style. And the point is not that it
is landed in the vicinity of the black king:
rather, the sacrifice is of a positional
nature. White eliminates the main piece
holding Black's position together - his
dark-square bishop, at the same time
breaking up his pawns. The black rooks
make a pitiful sight and are of no use for
anything, whereas White's knight and
bishop essentially occupy the entire stage.
In other words, the play is all at one end.
28 ... gxf6 29 !Vf2 wg8 30 lIft!
White methodically intensifies the pres-
sure, remembering that "the threat 1S
stronger than its execution".
30 ... lIde8 31 lbf5 !Vd8 32 !Vg3
With the incidental threat of h4-h5;
now the enemy pawns fall one after
another.
32 ... WhS 33 lbxd6 lIe7 34 lIxf6 lIxe4
35 lbxf7+! lIxf7 36 lIxf7 lIeS 37 c4, and
White won a few moves later.
Karpov-Sax
Linares 1983
107
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5
lbc3 d6 6 g4 h6 7 lIgl J..e7 8 J..e3 lbc6 9
!Ve2 J..d7 10 h4 lbxd4 11 J..xd4 e5 12 J..e3
J..c6 13 !Vd3 !VaS 14 0-0-0 lbxe4 15 lbxe4
d5 16 !Vb3! dxe4 17 J..c4 lIt'S (154)
When beginning his operation on the
14th move, Black underestimated (or
perhaps overlooked) Karpov's strong reply
16 !Vb3!, which forced the opponent to
make the awkward move 17 ... :af8,
leaving his king in the centre (after 17 ...
0-0 18 g5 hxg5 19 i..xg5 White has an
irresistible attack).
18 :adS!
White's reaction is not long in coming!
Now he guarantees himself 'permanent
access' to the light squares.
18 ... i..xd5
Forced, since on 18 ... 'iYc7 there is the
strong reply 19 i..b5!
19 i..xd5 :ad8
20 .tc4
20 J..xb7 is unpleasantly met by 20 ...
J..c5, when after the exchange of dark-
square bishops White's initiative may
evaporate.
20 ... .ib4
108 Middlegame Strategy

21 c3 b5! 33 i.a4 g6
34 'iVf3 'it>c8 (155)
The Hungarian grandmaster defends
tenaciously.
After 21 ... i.d6 22 'iVxb7 'iVc7 White 155
has a choice between 23 'iVxc7 i.xc7 24
i.xa7, and 23 'iVxe4, in each case with an
obvious advantage.
22 i.e2 i.d6
23 'iVdS
If 23 i.xb5+, then 23 .. , 'it>e7, and Black
coordinates his rooks.
23 ... 'it>e7
Black's desire to active his rooks is
quite understandable, but Karpov's reply 35 E:e7!!
comes as a 'cold shower'. A splendid conclusion to White's pre-
24 .tc5! i.xc5 ceding strategy. The rook is immune on
account of a forced mate: 35 ... 'ti'xe7 36
24 ... 'iVc7 loses to 25 'iVxe5+ 'it>d7 26 'ti'a8+ 'it>c7 37 'iVa7+ 'it>d8 38 'ti'b8 mate.
i.xd6 'iVxd6 27 lidl, and 24 ... f6 is also
bad, in view of 25 i.c4!, with irresistible 35 ... :adl +
threats. 36 'it>xdl 'ti'xe7

25 'iVxc5+ 'it>d7 26 'iVxe5 'iVc7 27 'ti'f5+ 36 ... E:d8+ 37 E:d7! leads to a queen
'it>e7 ending where White is two pawns up.

In the event of 27 ... 'it>c6 White was
intending to continue his attack with 28
'iVxb5+ 'it>d6 29 'ti'b4+ 'iVc5 30 'iVb7 'it>e5
31 llel 'iVxf2 32 'iVe7+ 'it>d5 33 lid1+ 'it>c6
34 'iVxe4+ 'it>c7 35 'ti'e7+ 'it>c6 36 lin etc.
28 'iVxe4+ 'it>d7 29 'iVf5+ 'it>e7 30 E:el
lld6
Now the black king succeeds in sheltering
on the queenside, but it is there that it
meets its end.
31 i.c4+ 'it>d8
32 i.xb5 a6
32... :af6 did not work on account of
the spectacular variation 33 'ti'd5+ 'it>c8
34 lle7!! 'iVxe7 35 'ti'a8+ 'it>c7 36 'iVxa7+
'it>d6 37 'ti'b6+ 'it>e5 38 'ti'd4+ 'it>e6 39 i.c4
mate.
37 'ti'a8+ 'it>c7 38 'ti'a7+ 'it>d6 39 'ti'b6+
Black resigns, in view of the inevitable
39 ... 'it>e5 40 'ti'd4+ 'it>e6 '41 ,ib3 mate.
5.4 Sacrifice of the Queen
In any opening a queen sacrifice is an
out-of-the-ordinary event, and in the Sici-
lian, like a flash of lightning, it can provoke
genuine panic in the enemy position. For
sending your queen off to the 'block', you
must have very serious grounds. The
normal criterion for such a step is the
sharply enhanced activity of the lesser
pieces, the united efforts of which the
enemy queen, left in 'splendid isolation',
is unable to oppose.
 Strategic Sacrifices
van den Berg-Larsen
Beverwijk 1959
1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 liJxd4 liJf6 5
liJc3 g6 6 i.e2 i.g7 70-00-0 8 liJb3 liJc69
~hl a5 10 a4 .i.e6 11 f4 'ti'b6 12 f5 i.xb3
13 cxb3 'ti'b4!! (156)
The black queen voluntarily climbs
into the trap. It turns out that the Danish
grandmaster has devised a shrewd queen
sacrifice, after correctly evaluating the
resulting non-standard position.
14 i.e3 liJd7 15 i.c4 liJb6 16 liJa2
White has no choice, since after 16 ttJdS
liJxdS 17 exdS liJeS his position is signifi-
cantly worse.
16 ... liJxc4! 17 liJxb4 liJxe3 18 'ti'e2
Larsen considers that 18 ttJxc6 was
better, on which he was intending to play
18 ... bxc6 19 'ti'e2 liJxfl 20 l'.ixfl cS, with
advantage to Black.
18 ... ttJxfl
19 liJxc6
Black would also have gained excellent
play after 19 liJdS, by continuing 19 ...
liJxh2. If now 20 ~xh2, then 20 ... .i.eS+
21 ~hl gxfS 22 exfS ~h8 with attacking
109
prospects, while 20 f6 is well met by 20 '"
i.xf6 21 liJxf6+ exf6 22 ~xh2 lUe8.
19 ... liJg3+!
Devaluing White's kingside pawns,
which would have been impossible had he
not transposed moves on the 18th move,
but played 18 liJxc6 instead.
20 hxg3 bxc6 (157)
157
Despite his material advantage (queen
against rook and bishop), White's position
is unpromising: his pawns are compromised
and weakened, on both the queenside,
and the kingside, and the pressure on
the b-file is unpleasant. At the same
time there are no vulnerable points in
Black's position, while his rooks and
dark-square bishop are a powerful com-
bined force.
21 b4!
White finds a practical chance; by
giving up a pawn, he creates a passed
pawn on the a-file.
21 ... axb4 22 a5 c5 23 Ii:a2
With the idea of blockading Black's
pawn phalanx by b2-b3. But this idea is
not achieved without cost: White has to
110 Middlegame Strategy

part with his g3 pawn.

23 ... i.e5
24 'fi'c4
On 24 g4 there would have followed 24
.. , c4! 25 'fi'xc4 llfc8 26 Wfl llc2.
24 ... i.xg3 25 b3 lltb826 cot>gl cot>g727
'it>f1 lla7 28 'it>e2 i.e5
An alternative plan was also possible,
involving the advance of the kingside
pawns by 28 ... h5, and if 29 fxg6 fxg6 30
'fi'e6, then 30 .,. i.e5 with the threat of 31
.. , llba8.
29 cot>f3 i.d4 30 g4 g5 31 a6 i.e5 32 lla4
cot>f6 33 'it>g2 llh8! 34 'fi'b5?
Nezhmetdinov-Chernikov
White underestimates Black's activity
Rostov-on-Don 1962
on the kingside. He should have defended
with 34 'fi'e2. 1 e4 c5 2ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4ltJxd4 g6 5
ltJc3 i.g7 6 i.e3 ltJf6 7 i.c4 0-0 8 i.b3
34 ... h5!
ltJg4 9 'fi'xg4 ltJxd4 10 'fi'h4 'fi'a5 11 0-0
35 gxh5 g4!
i.f6 (159)
The trio of rook, bishop and pawn now
performs the concluding 'dance'.
36 h6
This hastens White's defeat, but 36
'fi'b6 would not have helped on account
of 36 ... llaa8 37 'fi'b7 c4! 38 llxb4 cxb3 39
llxb3 llac840 llb2 llcl 41 a7 llxh5, or
else 39 a7 llac8 40 'fi'b8 llc2+ 41 'it>gl
llxh5 42 a8='fi' llc1 + 43 'it>f2 llh2+ 44
'it>e3 llc3 mate.
36 ... lIxh6!
The concluding attack has been accu-
rately calculated by the Danish grand-
12 'fi'xf6!!
master to the end.
Stupendous! The position becomes one
37 'fi'b8 llh2+ 38 'it>f1 g3 39 'fi'xa7 g2+
in which the combinational gift of Rashid
40 'it>gl i.d4+ 41 'it>xh2 gl ='fi' + 42 'it>h3
Nezhmetdinov is very much in its element.
i.e5 (158)
The queen is sacrificed for just two minor
White resigns. The final position deserves pieces, but Black's lack of development
a diagram. and the resulting weakness on the dark
 Strategic Sacrifices 111

squares allow Nezhmetdinov to display

his talent in all its glory.
12 ... ltJe2+!
This interposition is the best reply: the
white knight is diverted from the centre
(12 ... exf6 is unpleasantly met by 13
i.xd4 and 14 ltJd5). The variation 12 ...
ltJxb3 favours White: 13 axb3! 'ti'xal 14
'ti'xe7 1i'a5 15 i.h6 'ti'd8 16 ltJd5!
13 ltJxe2 exf6 14 ltJc3 lie8 15 ltJd5 lIe6
16 i.d4 ~g7
For the moment Black has managed to
'plug' the hole at f6, but White's initiative 24 f4!
does not die away. Not allowing the opponent the slightest
17 liadl respite - each move creates a new threat.

The heavy artillery joins the battle, also 24 ... i.xfl

directing its fire at the critical f6 square. 25 ~xfl lic8
17 ... d6 18 lId3 i.d7 19 lIf3 i.b5 An amazing position - White's three
minor pieces prove stronger than Black's
This attempt to change the course of queen and rook.
the struggle does not succeed. White's
initiative is so strong, that even Black's 26 i.d4! b5
great material advantage cannot save him 27 ltJg5 lic7
from catastrophe. All the same the 17 square is vulnerable,
20 i.c3 1i'd8 and now comes a textbook combination
with two themes - d~coy and double attack.
20 ... 'ti'a6 loses instantly to 21 ltJc7
'ti'c6 22 ltJxe6+ fxe6 23 lIxf6! 28 i.xf7+! lIxf7 29 lIh8+!! ~xh8 30
ltJxf7+ ~h7 31 ltJxd8 lIxe4 32 ltJc6
21 ltJxf6! i.e2 lixf4+ 33 'iit'e2
After 21 ... lixf6 22 lIxf6 'ti'xf6 23 Black resigns. No one can remain indif-
i.xf6+ ~xf6 is it is Black who is a pawn ferent to such a masterpiece!
down. 21 ... i.xfl also fails to 22 ltJg4+
~g8 23 i.xe6, with irresistible threats.

22 ltJxh7+ ~g8
Kostro-Simagin
On 22 ... 'iit'xh7 there would have Varna 1966
followed 23 lIx17+ ~h6 24 i.xe6 i.xfl 25 1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4
i.d2+ g5 (25 ... 'iit'h526 lIh7 mate) 26 i.f5 ltJf6 5 ltJc3 d6 6 i.g5 e6 7 'ti'd2 a6 8 0-0-0
'ti'h8 27 h4! lIg8 28 'iit'xfl, when Black has h69 i.f4 i.d7 10 ltJxc6 i.xc6 11 f3 d512
no moves. 'ti'el i.b4 13 a3 i.a5! 14 exd5 ltJxd5 15 b4
23 lIh3 lIe5 (160) (161)
112 Middlegame Strategy

161 162

15 ... lDxf4!! Black's plan for strengthening his

position is simple: he will double rooks on
A highly unexpected idea. For the
the c-file, after which the exchange of the
queen Black gains just rook and bishop,
light-square bishops is bound to result in
but the weakened position of the white
the fall of White's queenside pawns.
king is an important trump for him on the
queenside. 24 h4 llac8
25 g4
16 llxd8+ .txd8
17 lDe2 White has missed the boat - the activity
of the black pieces increases inexorably.
In Simagin's opinion, 17 lDe4! was
better, and if 17 ... 0-0 18 c4. 25 ... i..c4! 26 .txc4 llxc2+ 27 lld2
E:2xc4 28 'ti'g3 g5! 29 h5 llc3 30 't!fd6
17 ... lDxe2+
E:xa3
The exchange of knights proves favour-
The game concluded:
able to Black, who completes the mobil-
ization of his forces. 31 'ti'b6 E:c4 32 'ti'b8+ ~g7 33 'ifd6
llcc3 34 f4 E:e3+ 35 ~f1 gxf4 36 'ifc7
18 .txe2 0-0
E:al + 37 ~g2 f3+ White resigns
19 'iff2
White delays. He should have hurried
with 19 h4 and then g4-g5.
Chandler-Yudasin
19 .tf6 Minsk 1982
20 lldl b5
1 e4 c5 2 lDf3 lDc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lDxd4
After 21 .. , a5 Black will be ready lDf6 5 lDc3 d6 6 .tc4 e6 7 .te3 .te7 8 'ife2
to attack. White's attempt to save the a6 9 0-0-0 't!fc7 10 .tb3 0-0 11 g4 lDd7 12
honour of his king by fleeing does not E:hgl lDc5 13 g5 b5 (163)
succeed.
The players have chosen one of the
21 ~2 .td5 22 .td3 llfc8 23 ~e2 llc3 sharpest lines of the Sozin Variation - the
(162) Velimirovic Attack, where the value of
 Strategic Sacrifices
every move is very high (the battle being
on opposite wings) and the slightest
inaccuracy can lead to immediate disaster.
Apart from 13 g5, White also has the
audacious 13 ttJf5!?, as played in the game
Sokolov-Salov, Nikolayev 1983, which
the reader will have met earlier (cf. Vol. 1,
p.77).
This position is well known in theory.
Nevertheless, an analysis of it demands
hundreds and hundreds of hours, and to
dra w any categorical conclusions is danger-
ous.
14 ttJxc6
For those who like sharp play, there is
also wide scope in the study of 14 't!h5!?
14 ... ttJxb3+ 15 axb3 't!xc6 16 't!h5
White's idea is simple: to transfer his
queen and rook to the h-file. Black's fate
hangs by a very fine thread, but one which
nevertheless does not break.
16 ... b4
17 .td4
Preparing a shrewd blow. If Black
impulsively plays 17 ... bxc3?, he is
immediately punished: 18 't!h6!! e5 19
.txe5. Thus a fearful queen sacrifice is
threatened, but he finds a defence. It
113
should be mentioned that on 17 lId4
Black would have replied 17 ... bxc3 18
e5 .tb7 19 lIh4 h6 20 gxh6 g6 21 lIxg6+
ct>h8.
17 ... .tb7!
18 lIg4
It transpires that on the intended 18
't!h6 Black had devised a no less fearful
counter-sacrifice: 18 ... e5 19 ttJd5 't!xd5!,
and White is punished for his recklessness,
while if 18 ttJd5 exd5 19 't!h6 't!xc2+! 20
ct>xc2 lIfc8+ 21 ct>b1 gxh6 22 gxh6+ ~
23 :9:g7 dxe4 24 lIxh7 ct>e8 25 lIh8+ ct>d7
26 lIxc8 lIxc8 27 h7 f6, or 25 JIgl e3!.
I cannot recall another instance of two
'fearless' queens sacrificing themselves so
frequently in different variations, over
such a short time.
18 ... bxc3 19 lIM cxb2+ 20 .txb2 (164)
20 ct>xb2 is also met by 20 ... 'fi'xe4!
164
20 ... 'fi'xe4!
Thus the exchange of compliments has
ended in Black's favour. White merely
threatened the sacrifice, whereas Black
put it into practice. For the queen Black
gains a rook, bishop, pawn, and ... peace
of mind on the kingside .
21 lIxe4 .txe4
114 Middlegame Strategy

22 .i.a3
Kral-Barlov
White's only target is the d6 pawn, but Budapest 1987
Black pays no attention to it, and sets his
1 e4 e5 2 liJf3 liJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 liJxd4
sights on the enemy king.
'iVb6 5 liJb3 liJf66 liJe3 e6 7 .i.e3 'ti'e78 a3
22 ... lUe8 23 ~d2 ~ab8 24 Wb2 ~b5! a6 9 f4 d6 10 .te2 b5 11 .i.f3 .i.b7 12 'ti'e2
.i.e7 13 0-0 lile8 (165)
A brilliant manoeuvre. Now 25 f4 is
bad, in view of 25 ... .i.f6+ 26 WeI .i.c3!
27 ~xd6 .i.xc2! 28 Wxc2 .i.e5+ 29 Wbl 165
(29 Wd2 .i.xd6 30 .i.xd6 ~d5+, winning)
29 '" ~xb3+ 30 Wa2 ~xa3+ 31 Wxa3
.i.xd6+ 32 Wb3 .i.xf4, with an obvious
advantage.
25 h4 .i.f6+ 26 wet .i.e5 27 'ti'g4 ~xb3!
28 'ti'xe4 ~xa3 29 ~dl

It is time to take stock of the situation,

and it is unfavourable for White. Black is
complete master of the position, and had
he now continued 29 ... ~ac3! (preventing
30/4 on account of 30... ~3c4) 30 h5 g6
Pointless. White has played the opening
31 h6 a5 (pointed out by Yudasin), it is
passively, and Black could have calmly
hard to believe that White would have
castled: after 13 ... 0-0 14 g4 lilfe8 his
escaped the worst.
position is flexible. The rook move is not
29 ... g6? 30 f4 .i.c3 31 'ti'b7! dictated by necessity, and is simply a loss
of time.
N ow the consequences of the mistake
on move 29 are apparent. The white 14 g4 liJd7 15 g5 0-0 16 'ti'f2 liJa5?
queen has gained wide scope.
A serious mistake. Black should employ
31 ... ~e4 32 ~xd6 ~xf4 33 ~e2 Wg7 prophylaxis: 16 ... ~fe8 and then 17 ...
.i.f8, when he has no grounds for concern.
The picture has changed sharply, and it
is now Black who is obliged to play 17 liJxa5 'iVxa5
accurately, e.g. 33 ... .td4? 34 ~xd4 ~xd4 18 f5
35 't!Yb8+ Wg7 36 'iVe5+.
Exploiting the remoteness of the black
34 ~d3 .~xh4 35 'iVe7 ~e4+! 36 Wf3 queen from the centre of events, White
.te5 37 <t>xe4 .txe7 38 ~xa3 as immediately begins an attack. But first 18
.tg2 and only then 19 f5 seems more
The limited material makes a draw
convincing, so that the black knight should
inevitable. The conclusion was:
not occupy e5 with gain of time by
39 ~d3 5+ 40 gxf6+ ~xf6 41 ~d7 .tb6 attacking the bishop.
42 ~xh7 a4 43 l:lb7 .i.c5 44 lilb5 .td6 45
18 ... liJe5!
lila5 a3 46 e4 .tb4 47 ~a4 .te5 Draw
agreed This knight is Black's only hope, but he
 Strategic Sacrifices
had to foresee the coming complications.
19 i.b6?
White naively assumes that Black has
blundered, and himself runs into a mine.
He should have retained his valuable
light-square bishop: 19 i.g2! lDg4 20 'ig3
lDxe3 21 'ixe3 d5 22 'it'h I! 1Wd8 23 f6 gxf6
24 exd5 with advantage, or 22 ... d4 23
'ixd4 i.xg5 24 fxe6 fxe6 25 'ie5, and
Black loses his e6 pawn.
19 lDxf3+
20 ~hl (166)
Mistakes never occur singly. White is
tactically short-sighted, otherwise he would
have played 20 ~g2, when it is unlikely
115
that Black has anything more than
perpetual check: 20 ... lDh4+ 21 ~gl
lDf3+.
20 ... 'ixe3!!
In any standard of event, such a queen
sacrifice would be assured of a brilliancy
prize.
21 bxe3 exf5
Even a brief glance is sufficient to
reveal who is in charge: the bishop at b7
has no equal! On 22 l::i:ael Black has the
decisive 22 ... lDxel 23 l::i:xel i.xe4+ 24
~gl l::i:xc3, while 22 'ig2 is adequately
met by 22 ... l::i:xc3 23 i.a5 (23 exf5 i.c6)
23 ... i.xe4! 24 i.xc3 lDxg5.
22 'ie2 l::i:xe3!
A voiding the false trail 22 ... i.xe4?? 23
l::i:xf3 lIxc3 24 'ixe4.
23 i.e3 i.xe4
24 :i1xf3 i.xg5
Putting the finishing touch. White is a
queen up for just a bishop(!), but the pin
on the hl-a8 diagonal is deadly.
25 ~gl i.xf3 26 'ixf3 i.xe3+ 27 ~g2
i.d4 28 'idl i.e5 29 a4 lafe8 30 axb5
l::i:xe2+ White resigns
 Part Two

Endgame Silhouettes
Introduction
The question naturally suggests itself:
"What relationship does the Sicilian
Defence have with the endgame?"
One can understand this when talking
about the middlegame, linked by hundreds
of threads directly to the opening, but the
endgame, the most distant phase of the
game, that is another matter ... However,
let us cast our doubts aside. I will venture
to assert that in the Sicilian Defence, as in
no other opening, the resulting endgame
silhouettes largely possess a shape very
similar to the outline of the opening itself.
Try picturing a typical Sicilian ending
119
without the c-file. And in an ending
with doubled f-pawns, arising after the
exchange of queens in the Rauzer Variation,
does one not feel the direct influence of
the opening? Or take, for example, the
ending with a black knight at c5 or e5
against a light-square bishop, and Scheven-
ingen or Dragon set-ups instantly come
to mind.
Thus, without trying for an absolutely
complete picture, a very close relationship
within the Sicilian labyrinth can be estab-
lished between the three phases: opening,
middlegame and endgame.
6 Life-Lines

The Sicilian player cannot contemplate queens, but he chose for this an inappro-
existence without the c-file, especially priate moment. As a result the c-file
when it comes down to an endgame. 'slammed shut', and Black was left without
Without exaggeration it can be called a counterplay.
'life-line', since only on it does Black have
the feeling of being the real master.
Incidentally, White prefers not to contest
Polugayevsky-Kotov
this file. He has his own life-line - the
Moscow 1961
d-file.
Experience shows that in the endgame 1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 ltJe6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4
the semi-open c-file brings Black much We7 5 ltJe3 e6 6 i.e3 a6 7 a3 b5 8 ltJxe6
greater dividends than the d-file does for Wxc6 9 i.e2 i.b7 10 0-0 We7!? (10 ... llc8
White. And when, due to some extra- or 10 .. , ltJe7!? is stronger) 11 'tWd3 lld8
ordinary occurrence, this road unexpectedly (11 ... ltJf6 is better) 12 i.d4 ltJf6 13 'ire3
becomes blocked to Black, halting the lle8 14 f4 i.e5 15 lladl d6 16 i.f3 i.xd4
traffic, his fortunes in the ending im- 17 Wxd4 We5 18 Wxe5 dxe5 (167)
mediately decline. Numerous examples of
this could be given, but I will dwell on one 167
episode from my own experience.
In 1961, playing for the 'Burevestnik'
team in the USSR Championship for
S ports Societies, I met grandmaster Alex-
ander Kotov. This game took place on an
evening which was memorable for both of
us: fate had decreed that our weddings
should take place on the very same day,
and that morning, before our encounter,
we had both registered our marriage!
On arriving for the game, each of us at
heart was hoping to give to his wife a
19 e5!
memorable chess present ... With my
very first move I decided to disconcert the White controls the d-file, and he now
venerable grandmaster with 1 e4! (of sets about seizing the outpost at d6.
course, he never expected such 'impudence'
19 ... i.xf3 20 llxf3 ltJd721 ltJe4 <3ie722
from me!).
Ilg3!
In the Paulsen Variation Kotov went in
for a variation with the exchange of Completely paralyzing the opponent.

121
122 Endgame Silhouettes

Black is forced to choose between 22 ... 15 ~xf3

g6, catastrophically weakening the f6
White cannot be satisfied with 15 IIxf3
square, and the move played, which
fxe6 16 IIafl ~g4.
condemns his rook to a pitiful role.
15 ... fxe6 16 ~h3 ~c5+ 17 'it'hl ~c4!
22 ... lIhg8 23 IId6 ~b8 24 IIb6!
An important detail. With the future in
Not allowing Black a moment's peace:
mind, Black provokes a weakening on the
the murderous 25 lIb7+ is threatened.
queenside.
Black does not have any satisfactory
continuation. 18 b3 ~c8
19 IIadl e5! (168)
24 ... IIc7 25 ~f6 itd8 26 Ja:xg7 Ja:dl +
27 Wf2 ~d7 28 E:d6!
A subtlety foreseen in advance by
White, which dashes Black's hopes of
getting rid of the white knight. 28 ... IIxd6
29 exd6+ Wxd6 is obviously not possible
on account of 30 ~e8+.
28 ... IIcl 29 ~xh7 lIxc2+ 30 We3
IIxb2 31 ~g5 lib3+ 32 We2 IIb2+ 33 Wdl
Wd8 34 IIxf7 Wc8 35 ~xe6 IIa7
Or 35 ... IIb7 36 IIf8+!
36 ~f8 Black resigns
Now it will be understandable why Not worrying about the weakening
Black has such a high regard for the c-file. of the d5 square. Much more important,
All the squares on it come within the after the exchange of queens, is the
influence of his pieces, but in the endgame weakening of the c3 square on the c-
the piece which plays the leading role on file, along which Black's rook begins to
this file is the rook. operate.
20 ,tg5
In order to eliminate the enemy knight
Belyavsky-Marin
controlling the central squares. The alter-
Szirak 1987
native 20 ~d2 would hardly have been
1 e4 c5 2 ~f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ~xd4 ~f6 5 any stronger: 20 ... ~xh3 21 gxh3 IIac822
~c3 a6 6 f4 e5 7 ~f3 ~bd7 8 a4 ~e7 9 lif3 lic6 23 lid3 IIfc8 24 ~e 1 'it'f7, and
~c4 'ia5 10 'ie2 0-0 11 ~a2 exf4 12 0-0 the pressure on the c-file is more important
~e5 13 ~xf4 ~e6 14 ~xe6 ~xf3+! than White's initiative on the semi-open
d-file, where the only weakeness - the
This innovation, found by Marin, is
d6 pawn - is securely defended by the
much stronger than the line hitherto
bishop.
considered by theory: 14 ... fxe6 15 ~g5!
'fi'c5+ 16 'it'h 1 'ic8, which apparently 20 ... ~xh3 21 gxh3 IIac8 22 ~xf6 ~xf6
does not get Black out of his difficulties. 23 IId3
 Life-Lines 123

White could have gone into a rook
ending by 23 liJd5 llxc2 24 liJxf6+ llxf6
25 llxf6 gxf6 26 llxd6, but after 26 .,.
Wf7! 27 lId7+ Wg628 llxb7 lle229 llb4
(29 'i:J.b6 llxe430 llxa6 'fJ.b4 is no good for
him) 29 ... Wg5 30 Wgl h5 he would not
have gained complete equality, although
he could have counted on saving the
game.
23 'fJ.c6
24 Wg2 (169)
169
b4 33 ltJd5 'i1.xc2 34 liJxb4 'i1.b2, preparing
35 .. , llcI.
25 llxfS+! WxfS
26 W! i.a5?!
This second inaccuracy allows White
to overcome his last difficulties, which
would not have been possible if Black had
played 26 ... we8 (preparing 27 ... Wd7
and 28 ... i.a5) 27 ltJe2 E:xc2 28 Itxd6
i.c7 29 lld3 lIb2. In view of the active
placing of his pieces and the weakness of
the h-pawns, Black would have retained a
slight advantage.
27 liJe2 E:xc2 28 Itxd6 Itb2 29 lId5
i.b6
After 29 ... b6 30 E:xe5 E:xb3 31 ltJd4
Black cannot play 31 ... E:xh3, on account
of 32 ltJe6+ wg8 33 ltJg5.
30 E:d7 'iJ.xb3 31 E:xb7 E:f3+ 32 Wg2
llf2+ 33 Wg3 'iJ.xe2 34 E:xb6 E:e3+ 35
wg2 E:xe4 Draw agreed

24 ... .td8?!
With White short of time, Marin wrongly
simplifies the position, thereby making
things significantly easier for Belyavsky.
After the obvious concentration of his
forces on the c-file, 24 ... llfc8 25 llff3
Wf7! (it was evidently this king manoeuvre
that Black overlooked), it would have
been difficult for White to find the best
way out of a very difficult situation. The
correct solution, found later by Marin,
lay in the paradoxical move 26 h4!, securing
a post for the white king at h3. His main
idea is revealed in the variation 26 h4 We6
Morovic-Polugayevsky
27 Wh3 i.d8 28 'fJ.g3! g629 llgf3 i.a5 30
Lucerne 1982
liJd5 llxc2 31 Itf6+. However, Black can
make better use of his chances, by 29 ... Since White has not managed to create
i.e7 30 Wg4 b5 31 axb5 axb5 32 Wh3 (32 any concrete threats against the black
h5 b4 33 liJd5 gxh5+ 34 Wxh5 llxc2) 32 ... king (30 llg5 'f1.e3!), he prefers to exchange
124 Endgame Silhouettes

queens, with the hope of gaining a draw in his kingside pawns to their fate, but in
the ending. return he lays waste White's queenside.
30 'iff7+ 'ifxf7 40 ~xh7 Wc4 41 lith6 Wb3 42 litxg6
31 ~xf7 Wxb2 43 litxa6 litxc3
The seventh rank seems to guarantee The tragedy for White is that the black
White against any difficulties. If now 31 rook on the third rank cuts his king off
... E:el, then 32 lixel Wxt7 33 E:e6 lid8 from his h-pawn .
34 c4, and Black has no chance of winning.
44 Wg2 b4 45 h4 b3 46 h5 Wc147 h6 b2
But at this culminating moment the c-
48 h7 bl = 'if 49 h8='if
file comes to Black's aid.
In such positions the result depends on
31 ... E:c8!
who it is to move.
It transpires that after 32 E:xb7 E:xc2
49 ... 'ifc2+ White resigns
Black's threats along the second rank are
much more serious.
32 c3 E:el 33 E:xel Wxf7 34 E:e6 E:c5!
35 E:xd6 We7 36 E:e6+
Only now is the point of the black
rook's splendid manoeuvre revealed. It is
not possible for White to go into the pawn
ending: 36 E:b6 libS 37 E:xbS axbS 38 b3
Wd6 39 c4 gS! 40 Wg2 hS 41 wO WeS 42
We3 b4! followed by 43 ... bS, and he
cannot be on both sides at once.
36 ... Wd7 37 E:e5 Wd6 38 E:e6+ Wxd5
39 E:e7 (171)

Mariotti-Tal
Leningrad 1977
Black has an undisputed advantage.
White's play on the kings ide has come to
a standstill, whereas Black has a powerful
initiative, the c-file providing decisive
assistance. With his next few moves he
doubles rooks on it, and threatens by ...
a3 to secure for himself the c3 square as a
transit point. An important role in the
coming events is assigned to his strong
dark-square bishop.
39 b5!
26 ... lId727 litedl g6 28 h5 Wf8 29 hxg6
The quickest way to win. Black abandons hxg6 30 b3 ~dc7 31 lIhl We7 32 lith7
 Life-Lines 125

This is ineffective, since on the h-file
there is nothing for the white rooks to do.
But what else can be suggested? Perhaps
White should have decided on 32 bxa4.
32 ... a3!
Black keeps the white king on the back
rank, and avoids being diverted by 32 ...
hd4?! 33 Jlxd4 ~xc2 34 bxa4.
33 nh2 Jle3
34 Jldl ~e3
The beginning of the end; 35 ... .ixd4 is
now threatened.
35 'i:le2
Essentially White is completely stale-
mated. His next move is a cry of despair.
36 e3 bxe3 37 We2 .ie338 Jld3 i.xf439
'i:lxf4 ~xf4 40 nxe3 ~xe3+ 41 Wxe3 ne4
42 ~g2 Jlxe5 White resigns
Ljubojevic-Portiseh
Wijk aan Zee 1972
I e4 e5 2 'i:lf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 'i:lxd4 'i:lf6 5
'i:le3 a6 6 i.e4 e6 7 i.b3 b5 8 0-0 i.e7 9 f4
0-0 10 f5 e5 11 'i:lde2 'i:lbd7 12 'i:lg3 .ib7
13 i.g5 Jle8 14 i.xf6 'i:lxf6 15 a3 'ti'b6+ 16
Whl 'ti'e3 17 Jlf3 'ti'g5 18 'ti'd3 'ti'h4 19
Jlel l::i:e7 20 Jle2 Jlfe8 21 h3 'ti'g5 22 'ti'e3
'ti'xe3 23 ~fxe3 Jlc5 24 Jld3 (173)
Black's pressure on the c-file is highly
unpleasant for White, who on account of
the weakness of his c2 pawn is unable to
occupy d5. Black's plan is to advance his
queenside pawns, to open up the position
for his bishops.
24 .. , a5!
25 Jldd2 h5!
Another powerful side thrust. White
cannot allow ... h4, since there would
follow a typical exchange sacrifice at c3,
and the e4 pawn would fall. Therefore he
is forced to make a weakening move.
26 h4 Wf8?
It is difficult to grasp the idea behind
this move, especially since in certain
variations the h7 square will come in
useful for the black king. The consistent
26 ... i.a6 followed by 27 ... a4 and 28 ...
b4 would have put White in an impossible
situation.
27 Wh2
In order to defend the h4 pawn.
27 ... .lta6 28 'i:ld5 'i:lxd5 29 exd5 ~5e7
Taking measures in advance against 30
'i:le4, but now White has time to come to
the aid of his pawn.
30 Wh3 a4!
31 ~a2 b4

Black's threats are still very serious,

since on 32 ~f2? there follows 32 ... bxa3
33 bxa3 ~c3 with a winning position.
32 ~e4

The best chance.

32 ... bxa3
33 ~xa4! i.e4!
The strongest move. 33 ... i.b5 34
~xa3 ~xc2 did not work in view of 35
126 Endgame Silhouettes

li:txc2 li:txc2 36 li:ta8+ (this is where the
unfortunate position of the black king
tells) 36 .. , i.e8 37 i.b3 li:txb2 38 i.a4.
Black exploits the fact that after 34 i.xc4
li:txc4 35 l:!xc4 l1xc4 he is threatening
mate at h4.
34 b3 i.b5 (174)
the g-file, the significance of which in the
endgame is hard to overestimate.
Szabo-Stein
Tallinn 1969
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 ttJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 5 ltJc3 d6 6 i.g5 i.d7 7 1Wd2 li:tc8 8
0-0-0 ltJxd4 9 1Wxd4 1Wa5 10 i.xf6?! gxf6
11 f4 i.g7 12 Wbl 1Wc5 13 f5 1Wxd4 14
E:xd4 h5 (175)

35 l1xa3?
This leads to a hopeless position. The
only continuation was 35 li:ta5!, and if 35
... l1xc2, then 36 l1xc2 l1xc2 37 lixb5 g6 White has played the opening inaccu-
38 li:tb8+ wg7 39 l1b7 with a draw. rately. Thus the premature exchange on
f6 must be criticized; instead of lO i.xf6
35 ... l1c3!
theory recommends lO f4 as strongest.
Inflicting a mortal grip on the oppo- The resulting ending is favourable to
nent. On 36 l1a5 there follows 36 '" Black, who has the open c- and g-files.
i.d7!.
15 .tb5 i.xb5 16 ltJxb5 a6 17 tLlc3 i.h6
36 ..tbl e4!
This is the only diagonal where the
37 Wh2 e3
bishop can show its worth, since obviously
38 l1d4
White will not allow it to go to e5. In
Or 38 l1dl i.xh4. addition, Black begins operating on the g-
file, his h-pawn acting rather like a
38 ... i.f6 39 l1b4 i.e5! 40 l1xb5 e2
battering-ram.
White resigns
Now White had to play 18 tLld5!,
covering the f4 square. Instead he begins
The influence of the c-file is increased if
an action on the queenside, which does
Black has available another open file.
not bode well for him.
This often occurs in the Rauzer Variation,
when after the exchange on f6 he acquires 18 l1b4?! b5
 Life-Lines
19 a4 .td2!
Black takes the opportunity to get rid
of his bishop, which, strictly speaking, is
not the pride of his position. White's
extra pawn will be of no significance. It is
much more important that, in the double
rook ending, the 'working' open files
belong to Black.
20 axb5 axb5 21 Itxb5 .ixc3 22 bxc3
Itg8 (176)
The white pawns come under attack,
whereas Black's pawn mass is immune,
and this gives him the advantage.
23 g3 E:g424 :!1el lixc325 E:b8+ Wd7
26 lih8?
White plays aggressively, but this merely
aggravates his difficult position. It would
have been better to exchange a pair of
rooks: 26 E:b7+ lic7 27 :!1xc7+ Wxc7.
26 ... h4!
The triumph of Black's strategy. White's
broken pawns make a pitiful sight.
27 lixh4 Iixh4 28 gxh4 E:h3 29 E:e2
Wc630 wet Wc5 31 Wd2 Wd4
The difference in the placing of the
opposing sides' pieces is so striking, that
the outcome is not in doubt. The rest was
127
simple:
32 h5 Itxh5 33 c3+ We5 34 We3 Ith3+
35 Wd2 Itf3 36 Wc2 lif4 37 Wd3 Ith4 38
Itg2 Itxe4 39 Itg7 Wxf5 40 Itxf7 d5 41
Ith7 e5 42 h4 Itg4 White resigns
And now let us see what role in White's
fate is played by the d-file. The readers'
attention is drawn to two games where,
by-passing the middlegame, the play goes
straight from the opening to the endgame.
Ivkov-Taimanov
Belgrade 1956
1 e4 c5 2 ~f3 ~c6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ~xd4
~f6 5 ~c3 d6 6 ,tg5 e6 7 ''d2 i.e78 0-0-0
0-0 9 f4 ~xd4 10 ''xd4 h6 11 i.h4 ''a5 12
e5 dxe5 13 ''xe5 ''xe5 14 fxe5 ~d5 15
.ixe7 ~xe7 (177)
In the mid-1950s this position caused a
considerable stir. One who worked par-
ticularly fruitfully on it was Boleslavsky,
who played it both as White, and as
Black. White's advantage on the d-file is
undisputed; the only defect of his position
is the weakness of his e5 pawn, which
allows Black to hope for equality.
16 ,td3
128 Endgame Silhouettes
Best. On 16 .ib5 or 16 .ic4 Black has
the strong reply 16 ... a6! (cf. Litvinov-
Boleslavsky, USSR 1959, p.146).
16 ... .id7?
Later Boleslavsky showed that only 16
... b6! gives Black chances of full equality.
17 .ih7+ Wxh7
18 lIxd7
As a result the open file has made its
important contribution. Black is forced
to sacrifice his queenside, picking up the
central pawn in return.
18 ... lLlc6 19 lIxb7 lLlxe5 20 lIel!
This and the following rook manoeuvre
casts doubts on Black's 16th move. Nothing
is achieved by 20 lLlb5 i:tfb8!.
20 ... f6 21 i:te3! lIfb8 22 lIe7 ne8 23
lLlb5 lIab8
The weakness of the black a- and e-
pawns gives White a great advantage in
the variation 23 ... a6 24 lIxc8 lIxc8 25
lLld4 lIe8 26 lIa3.
24 lIa3 a5
25 lIxe8
Avoiding the trap 25 lIxa5? lIxb5!.
25 ... i:txe8 26 lLld4! lLle4 27 lIe3 e5 28
b3! (178)
Ivkov conducts this part of the game
brilliantly, not allowing the opponent to
complicate the play. He has accurately
worked out the consequences of the pawn
ending: 28 ... exd4 29 lIxc4 lIxc4 (the
rook ending is quite hopeless for Black)
30 bxc4 wg6 31 Wb2! Wf5 32 Wb3 We633
Wa4 Wd6 (33 ... /5 34 Wxa5/4 35 Wb6 g5
36 c5 g4 37 c6) 34 Wb5 f5 35 Wb6 Wd7 36
Wc5!, and wins. Black is forced to go into
the knight ending, which looks fairly
dismal for him.
28 ... lLld6 29 lIxe8 lLlxe8 30 lLle6 a4 31
bxa4 Wg6 32 a5 Wf7 33 a6 We6 34 a7 lLlb6
35 lLlb4 Wd6 36 e4!
While Black is dealing with the a-pawn,
White will have time to make gains on the
kingside.
36 ... We5 37 lLld5 lLla8 38 lLle3 Wb6 39
lLlf5 Wxa7 40 lLlxg7 lLlb6 41 g4! lLlxe4 42
lLlf5 e4 43 lLlxh6 lLle5 44 h4 Wb6 45 h5 'i!7e5
46 Wd2 Wd5 47 lLlf5 lLlf3+ 48 'i!7e2 lLlg5 49
h6 Black resigns
Tal-Sisniega
Taxco 1985
1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 lLlxd4 lLlf6 5
lLle3 lLle6 6 .tg5 e6 7 'ti'd2 i.e7 8 0-0-0 0-0
9 lLlb3 a5 10 a4 d5 11 .tb5!
The latest word in fashion. This invention
belongs to the Latvian player Vitolinsh.
11 ... lLlxe4
Tal must be thankful to his colleague
on the Latvian team. Slightly later, at the
Candidates Tournament in Montpellier,
1985, in this variation he scored a brilliant
victory over Korchnoi. That game went
11 ... dxe4 12 'ti'xd8 i.xd8 13 lIhel lLla7
14 .ic4 h6 15 .ixf6 gxf6 16 lLl xe4 f5 17
lLld6 i.c7 18 g3 b6? 19lLlxf5! exf5 20 i.d5,
 Life-Lines 129

with crushing threats.

I.Zaitsev-Taimanov
12 ltJxe4 dxe4 13 'ti'xd8 .txd8 14 .txd8 Yerevan 1962
ltJxd8 15 ltJc5 f5 (179)
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 e6 5
ltJc3 a6 6 .te2 'ti'c7 7 a3 b5 8 tiJxc6 'ti'xc6 9
179 .te3 .tb7 10 'ti'd4 llc8 11 0-0-0 ltJf6 12
lld2 .tc5 13 'ti'xc5 'ti'xc514 .txc5 llxc515
.tf3?! (180)

At the cost of a pawn White has gained

secure control of the d-file and hindered
the development of Black's queenside.
15 ... b6 16 ltJxe4 .tb7 17 :!:lhe1 .td5 18
f3 would hardly have been any better for 15 g5!
Black.
This emphasizes the clumsiness of the
16 :!:ld6 rtJf7 17 :!:lhdl rtJe7 18 .td7 :!:lf7? previous 'step' by the white bishop, and
pursues a number of aims: first of all, ...
Allowing a tactical blow. 18 ... .txd7 19
g4 is threatened, and Black takes control
llxd7+ rtJf6 should have been played,
of f4 (preventing a future /2-/4) and e5 (to
when, in Tal's opinion, by continuing
where his rook may move). And in general,
20 III d6 White would have retained the
the plan of a kingside squeeze is aimed at
advantage.
achieving an advantage in force in that
19 ltJxe6! .txd7 region, since good prospects along the
20 tiJc7 .txa4 fifth rank are opened up for the rook at
c5, and it harmonizes well with the initiative
There is nothing else, since the game
on the c-file, where ... a5 and ... b4 is
immediately concludes after 20 ... ~c8 21
intended.
llxd7+ rtJf6 22 tiJe8+.
16 ~hdl
21 tiJxa8 tiJe6 22 tiJb6 .te8 23 ~6d5
.tc6 24 llxa5 rtJf6 25 tiJd5+ rtJg6 26 tiJe3 White cannot passively mark time. His
Black resigns play is based on the d-file; for example, on
16 ... g4? he has prepared 17 ioxg4!
And in conclusion, a game where there
16 ... h5
was a sharp argument between two
'neighbours' - the c- and d-files. But this haste is uncalled for. Taimanov
130 Endgame Silhouettes

overestimates his possibilities and fails to

take account of White's chances on the
181
semi-open file. The watchful 16 ... i.c6,
securely defending d7 and preparing 16 ...
g4, would have retained for Black all the
advantages of his position.
17 lId6 i.c6
18 h4?!
White is looking the wrong way. He
misses an interesting tactical possibility:
18 ~d5! exd5 19 exd5. After 19 ... g4! 20
dxc6 gxf3 21 lIxf6 fxg2 an unusual double
rook ending is reached, where, in my.
opinion, Zaitsev would have had every ~d5 i.xd5 24 exd5 lIc4!
chance of gaining a draw: 22 cxd7+ rj:;e7
The 'duel' of the two files has concluded
(22 ... rj:;d823 lIxj7 h4 24 h3) 23 lIO! (the
in favour of the c-file, all the squares on
f-file must not be given up to the black
which are essentially in Black's possession.
rook) 23 ... h4 24 h3 lIg525 :gl followed
His rook switches at just the right time to
by 26 lIf4 and 27 rj:;d2.
the fourth rank, where it defends the h4
18 ... gxh4 pawn, which, although doubled, is very
19 lIh1 valuable.
19 ~d5 again came into consideration, 25 d6 0-0
although after all the exchanges on d5
A very rare instance in the Sicilian
Black would have retained an extra pawn
Defence of kings ide castling being carried
and play on the g-file.
out so late. The second black rook comes
(diagram 181) efficiently into play, and the remainder is
clear without commentary.
19 a5!
26 lIh3 lIf4! 27 Wb1 lIb8 28 Wa2 lIb6
Reminding the opponent ofthe opposite
29 rj:;b3 Wg7 30 lIh1 Wg6 31 lIa1 h3 32
wing. In view ofthe threat of 20 ... b4, the
lIg1 Wh6 33 i.a8 hxg2 34 lIxg2 lLle8 35
e4 pawn requires assistance.
lId3 lIxd6 36 lIe3 ~c7 37 .to lLle6, and
20 lId4 e5 21 lId2 b4 22 axb4 axb4 23 White lost on time.
7 The Power of the Bishops

Neither in the opening nor 10 the In addition, when most of the pieces
middlegame is the 'eminence' of the have left the battlefield, the two bishops,
bishops displayed so powerfully as it is in by restricting the opposing pieces, as
the endgame. Especially, when one side though clear the way for their own king,
has the so-called 'advantage of the two which advances and becomes one of the
bishops'. This is not an abstract conception, most active participants on the board.
but a very real one, and it rests on a firm Finally, there is one other important
positional basis. feature: the bishops are not tied to each
There is obviously no need to dwell on other, and if some favourable moment
certain specific instances, when, let us should arise, one of them can be exchanged,
say, both bishops are completely lacking leaving that bishop which has superiority
in space, being, for example, squeezed by over the opponent's knight or bishop. In
their own pawns, and where the advantage other words, here we see the transformation
of the two bishops is therefore essentially of one type of advantage into another.
fictitious. Such instances are atypical. In For a striking illustration of this, I give
practice, the duel between the bishop pair two instructive episodes.
and the enemy knight and bishop, or two
knights, normally takes place in endings
which are nominally equal for White and
Black, in which there are pawns on both
wings and there are no particular restric-
tions on the movements of the pieces.
It would be absurd to assert that the
two bishops are all-powerful, but defending
against them is a very difficult and thankless
task, and the weaker side often lacks the
patience and nerve to avoid errors even in
a drawn situation. This phenomenon is
encountered time after time in tournament
games.
What then is the secret of the hegemony
of the bishop pair in the endgame? First
Sidorov-Polugayevsky
and foremost, it is their ability to control
Riga 1954
a large number of squares on the board,
and thus restrict the actions of the enemy Black is a pawn up and has several
knights. And the more open the position, ways of winning. But the method chosen
the more strikingly this factor manifests is the quickest, and is of a textbook
itself. nature.

131
132 Endgame Silhouettes

46 ... i.d7! i.xa4 f5 32 g3 ~6 33 h4 i.c8 34 i.dl h6

35 i.e2 a5 36 i.b5 ~e5 37ltJc4+ ~d5 38
The bishop retreats, setting its sights on
ltJe3+ ~c5 39 i.e8 g5 40 hxg5 hxg5 41
the c8-h3 diagonal.
i.g6 f4 42 gxf4 gxf4 43 ltJg2 ~c4 44 ltJxf4
47 ltJlg2 i.d8! ~b3 45 i.xe4 ~xb2 46 i.c6 ~xc3 47 rt;fl
~d2 (183)
And now the second bishop does exactly
the same. The piece arrangement for
which Black is aiming becomes clear: his
dark-square bishop will occupy g5, and
his light-square bishop - e6; this ideal
deployment completely paralyses the white
knights. Thus the principle of restriction
triumphs!
48 ltJf4 i.gS 49 ltJe2+ ~e5 50 ltJc3 i.e6
51 ~e2

On 51 ltJe2 Black wins by 51 ... i.c4 52

ltJg3 ~4! 53 ltJgf5 (53 ltJe2+ ~J3 54
ltJg 1+ ~g3 55 ltJe2+ ~J2, or 53 ltJgf1
hJ1 54 ltJxJ1 W/3+ 55 ~e 1 i.f4) 53 ...
Material is equal, and it is hard to
~3 54 ltJd4+ ~ 55 ltJf5 i.d3, when
believe that White cannot manage to give
the bishops conclusively 'suffocate' the
up one of his pieces for the a-pawn.
white knights.
Nevertheless, his task is not an easy one.
51 ... ~d4
48 ..tb5?
52 ltJcdl .ic4+
This apparently very obvious move
White resigns. After 53 ~f2 (53 rtld2
(blocking the fl-a6 diagonal) is already a
i.d3) Black has a pleasant choice: 53 ...
serious inaccuracy. White had the possi-
i.d3 54ltJf5+ rtlc4, or 53 ... ~d3 54 ltJb2+
bility of 48 ttJd5!, which, in Kasparov's
~c3.
opinion, would have led to a draw after 48
... ..ta6+ 49 rtlg2 .tc4 50 f4!, or 48 ... .tf5
49 ltJe3.
Arnason-Kasparov 48 it.f5
Dortmund 1980 49 ltJd5?
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5 Mistakes never occur singly. White
ltJc3 a6 6 i.e2 e5 7 ltJb3 i.e78 ..tg5 i.e69 forgets about one of the features of the
i.xf6 i.xf6 10 'tWd3 ltJc6 11 ltJd5 .ig5 12 two bishops, mentioned above, that in
0-0 ltJe7 13 ltJxe7 'tWxe7 14 lifdl Ii:d8 15 certain situations one of them can be
ltJa5 0-0 16 ltJc4 d5 17 exd5 :axd5 18 'tWf3 advantageously 'sold'.
:afd8 19 Ii:xd5 .txd5 20 'tWf5 b5 21 ttJe3
49 ... .td3+!
i.b7 22 :adl lixdl + 23 i.xdl g6 24 'tWd3
50 it.xd3 rtlxd3
'tWb4 25 'tWd7 'tWe7 26 'tWd3 e4 27 'tWd2 'tWd8
28 'tWxd8+ ..txd8 29 c3 ~g7 30 a4 bxa4 31 We have here a very striking example
 The Power of the Bishops 133

of the supenonty of a bishop over a The pawns advance, leaving behind them
knight. The bishop is best placed on the large areas of open space, and when they
back rank, since it deprives the white come into contact with the opponent's
knight of the important square b6, from pawn defences they also create open
which it could halt the advance of the zones in the enemy position. It can happen
rook's pawn. that one wing is insufficient for the bishops,
and so that they should not be cramped,
51 WeI a4
the battle is also conducted simultaneously
52 Wdl a3
on-the opposite wing, i.e. the action front
Black has made very good progress is widened.
with his a-pawn. Now White loses after 53
lLlb4+ Wc3 54 lLla2+ Wb2 55 lLlb4 j.,e7 56
lLlc2 a2, when as is easy to see, he soon
Stein-~iagrnarsuren
ends up in zugzwang: 57 f4 .td6 58 f5 i.e5
Sousse 1967
59 Wd2 .tf6 and 60 ... .,tg5.
1 e4 c5 2 ttJf3 lLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 e5 5
53 wet Wc4!
lLlb5 h6 6 lLllc3 lLlf6 7 lLld6+ .txd6 8
Kasparov plays the ending splendidly. ~xd6 ~e7 9 ~xe7+ Wxe710 .te3 d6 11 f3
He drives away the white knight, depriving .te6 12 0-0-0 E:hd8 (184)
it of the b4 square.
54 lLle3+ Wb3 184
55 f4
On 55 lLlc2 Black would have won by
55 ... i.g5+.
55 ... i.c7!
56 Wbl
Otherwise 56 ... i.f4 is decisive.
56 ... a2+
57 Wal i.a5!
The last finesse. It was not yet too late
to go wrong with 57 ... i.xf4?, when 58 White has the advantage of the two
lLlc4! would have led to a draw. bishops, but for complete 'happiness'
they need scope. For this ,reason he begins
58 ttJd5 i.d2
advancing his kingside pawns, exploiting
And without waiting for 59 ... i.el, a weakening in the opponent's position
Amason resigned. The future World ( ... h6).
Champion displayed fine technique in
13 g4! E:ac8 14 h4 ttJe8 15 E:h2 a6
this ending.
It is unpleasant to concede the b6
To display their power, the bishops square, but what else can Black do? He
clearly need scope. In the endgame this is must somehow activate his game on the
most often achieved by pawn offensives. queenside.
134 Endgame Silhouettes

16 gS hxgS 17 hxgS bS 18 .i.b6 l1d7 19 We see here one of the phenomena of

lbd5+ .i.xdS 20 exdS l1b7 modern chess: an English opening has
transposed into a ... Sicilian Defence, or,
The only move. If 20 ... lbb8, then 21
more precisely, into one of its variations-
.i.h3, winning the exchange.
the Maroczy Bind.
21 .i.e3 lbb8
12 lbdS
Other moves are unacceptable. Black
The most critical continuation. White
must defend his e5.
hurries with this manoeuvre, before Black
22 f4 has time to play 12 ... l1fc8. White does
not achieve any advantage by 12 .i.e2
As soon as the position is opened up, it
l1fc8 13 b3 a6 14 lbd5 "ti'xd2+ 15 Wxd2
will become impossible to oppose the
lbxd5! 16 cxd5 .i.d7.
bishops.
12 ... 'ti'xd2+
22 ... lbd7 23 i.h3 l1e4 24 l1e2 libe7?
Ivkov is happy to simplify the position,
This loses the game, since Black's rook
but the resulting ending proves to be
finds itself trapped. However, after other
cheerless for him. Later the strongest way
continuations his position would also
for Black was found to be 12 ... 'ti'xa2! 13
have remained difficult.
lbxe7+ Wh8, with a sharp game.
2S .i.d4 f6 26 gxf6+ gxf6 27 b3 nxd4
13 Wxd2 iLxdS
27 ... 11b4 also does not help, in view of
Now 13 ... 'tJxd5 fails to 14 cxd5 i.c8 15
28 Wb2 and 29 c3.
b3, when the white rook invades at c7.
28 l1xd4 lbb6 29 l1d3 l1eS 30 .i.g2lbe7
14 exdS nfe8 (185)
31- nh3!
Beginning a decisive attack on the king.
31 ... lbbxdS 32 l1h7+ ~ 33 fxeS dxeS
Or 33 ... fxe5 34 l1d2 We8 35 .i.e4.
34 l1d2 f5 3S .i.h3 lbf6 36 l1h8+ wg7 37
l1e8 f4 38 l1g2+ we7 39 l1gS!
Completely paralyzing the black pawns.
39 ... lbfe8 40 l1d8 lbf6 41 b4 l1e4 42
l1xeS l1xb4 43 l1d6 Black resigns

Polugayevsky-I vkov We have seen the game move swiftly

Belgrade 1969 from the opening directly into the endgame.
White has the advantage of the two
1 lbf3 lbf6 2 e4 c5 3 lbe3 lbe6 4 d4 exd4
bishops, aimed at the queenside, and his
S lbxd4 lbxd4 6 'fi'xd4 g6 7 e4 d6 8 .i.e3
king is already in the centre, which is very
.i.g7 9 13 0-0 10 \Wd2 .i.e6 11 l1el "ifaS
 The Power of the Bishops
valuable, if account is taken ofthe possible
exchange of all four rooks on the open
file. But these factors, on their own, are
insufficient for a win. There are no weak-
nesses in Black's position, and he has the
chance of establishing his knight at c5 (...
t'iJd7-e5). To restrict the movements of
the enemy knight and to secure space for
his bishops, White must set his pawns in
motion.
15 .te2
A few rounds later in the same tour-
nament, I obtained exactly the same
position in my game with Ostojic. In it I
was able to improve White's play, by
finding the ideal solution: 15 lIxc8+!
Hxc8 16 g3! The transference of the
bishop to the h3-c8 diagonal is the main
link in White's overall plan. The bishop
not only covers the square d7, but is also
ready to attack the queenside: 16 ... Hc7
17 i.h3 t'iJd7 18 Hell :axel 19 Wxc1, and
after the exchange of the second pair of
rooks, the bishops will be impossible to
stop. Ostojic continued 19 ... t'iJb6 (no
better is 19 ... t'iJe520 .txa7 t'iJd3+ 21 We2
t'iJxb222 .te8 b5 23 .ta6, or 19 ... t'iJe520
~e2 followed by 21 b4) 20 Wc2 Wf8 21 b3
We8 (186).
22 a4!. The black knight is not only
135
deprived of any active possibilities, but it
also comes under attack by the a-pawn.
After 22 ... Wd8 23 a5 t'iJc8 24 .txc8 wxc8
25 .txa7 White won easily.
15 ... a6 16 b4! WfS 17 a4 t'iJd7 18 as!
Fixing the black pawns on light squares.
In the future they may become a target for
the light-square bishop. Note how the
pawns have taken away all the important
squares from the knight.
18 ... .tb2 19 lIe2 ~xe2+ 20 Wxe2 i.g7
21 Wb3 lIe8 22 .td2!
Thus White has completely carried out
his plan on the queenside, and yet for the
moment Black can hold the position,
since on this part of the board he has
sufficient force. It becomes clear that
White must expand the battlefield, by
shifting the centre of gravity to the opposite
wing, when the passive black pieces will
be unable to defend on two fronts simul-
taneously. Therefore White embarks on
the second stage of his plan: he gives the
signal for a kingside pawn storm.
But before beginning to advance his
pawns, there is one little problem he must
solve: should he exchange rooks? With
his last move White emphasizes that he is
not afraid of the black rook, since none of
the key squares on the c-file are available
to it. And since in the operations on the
kingside and in the centre, sooner or later
the position will be opened up, White
quite rightly decides to retain his own
rook.
22 ... .td4
Both now and later Black sticks to
waiting tactics, freeing White's hands to a
marked extent. Perhaps he should have
tried to complicate the situation by 22 ...
e6.
23 g4! wg7
136 Endgame Silhouettes
24 g5!
The same blockading method as on the
queenside.
24 ... lIc7 25 lIdl Wf8 26 f4 i.g7 27
i.g4 ~e8 28 lIft i.d4 29 h4 i.g7 30 h5
i.d4 31 lIhl i.g7 32 lIh3 ~f8
When you have a large spatial advantage,
it is very important not to do anything
premature. The main thing is not to
hurry, and the last few moves show that
White is adhering to this wise rule. After
all, it is very unpleasant for Black to
conduct a difficult defence, especially
when he does not know when White will
switch to decisive action.
33 h6!
White discovers Black's most vulnerable
point: unexpectedly it proves to be the h7
pawn! The road to it is lengthy for the
light-square bishop, and the white rook.
33 ... i.d4 (187)
187
34 lId3!
Inviting Black to make up his mind.
Where should the bishop move to? To his
horror, Black discovered that 34 ... i.al
(or 34... i.h8) was bad in view of the
forcing 35 i.xd7! lIxd7 36 i.c3! i.xc3 37
lIxc3 (threatening mate on the back
rank) 37 ... 'ifte8 38 b5! axb5 (otherwise
after 39 bxa6 bxa6 40 lIc6 lIa741 :ilc8+
rtld7 42 lIh8 the h-pawn falls) 39 rtlb4
rtld8 40 rtlxb5 lIc7 41 lIxc7 r31xc7 42 e5!,
when he is in zugzwang - he must guard
the b7 pawn, but White is ready for e5-e6
followed by f4-f5 and g5-g6, clearing the
way for the h6 pawn. These variations
strikingly demonstrate the strength of
White's 33rd move. If Black retains the
rooks, then after 40 ... e6 41 r31b6 exd5 42
exd5 lIe7 43 lIc4! lId744 lIe4 a zugzwang
position, extremely rare in rook endings,
is reached.
Therefore, however unpalatable the
admission, Black's bishop has to abandon
the long diagonal.
34 ... i.a735 i.h3 i.gl 36 i.c3
The bishops have exchanged roles. Now
White dominates on the al-h8 diagonal,
and thanks to this he is able to carry out
the long-awaited breakthrough.
36 r31e8
37 e5 i.h2?
The same waiting tactics, but essentially
these tactics lead to a slow and passive
loss. It would have been better to try 37 ...
dxe5 38 fxe5 i.h2 39 d6 lIc8 40 dxe7 lIc7,
although Black's position would have
remained very difficult.
38 exd6 exd6 39 lIe3+ r31d8 40 lIe4
The last move before the time control.
Of course, 40 i.xd7 r31xd741 i.f6 would
have won.
40 ... i.gl
This loses immediately. Black could
have prolonged his resistance by 40 ...
lIc8, when a certain accuracy is demanded
of White. The win is achieved as follows:
 The Power of the Bishops 137

41 lie2! .txf442 .tf6+! (the following is a long diagonal for the dark-bishop. White's
false trail: 42 hd7? r:tJxd743 lif2 .te5t 44 only hope is to hold on to the d5 square,
he5 dxe5 45 lixf7+ r:tJd6 46 lixh7 e4, even at the cost of giving up his light-
and Black gains slight chances) 42 ... square bishop.
li:'lxf6 43 .txc8 r:tJxc8 44 gxf6 .te5 45 b5!
axb5 (Black cannot permit b5-b6, when
the rook penetrates to c7) 46 r:tJb4 r:tJb8 (or 188
46 ... hf6 47 lie8+ r:tJd748 lift) 47 r:tJxb5
Wa7 48 lixe5! dxe5 49 d6 r:tJb8 50 r:tJb6
r:tJc8 51 d7+ Wxd7 52 Wxb7 e4 53 a6 e3 54
a 7 e2 55 a8='it' e 1='it' 56 'it'c8+ Wd6 57
'it'c6+ <tIe5 58 'it'e8+.
41 .txd7
Black resigns. On 41 ... Wxd7 there
follows 42 .tf6, when there is no defence
against lle7-e8-h8.

22 .td5 li:'lxd5 23 li:'lxd5 l:te4 24 J:lhdl

Suetin-Yuferov
Moscow 1972
1 e4 e5 2 li:'lf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 li:'lxd4 ttJf6 5
It:lc 3 a6 6 .tg5 e6 7 'it'f3 h6 8 .txf6 'it'xf6 9
'ti'xf6 gxf6 10 .te2 h5 11 h4 .td7 12 a4?!
li:'le6 13 li:'lb3 lieS 14 a5 li:'lb4! 15 0-0-0
One cannot approve of the way in
which White has played one of the lines of
the Najdorf Variation. The advance of
the a-pawn has caused nothing but trouble;
the weakening of his queenside is evident.
The knight at b4 is invulnerable (since
pa wns cannot move backwards I), and
this allows Black to carry out the following
steps, since the d5 square is covered. He
opens up the position in the centre, using
his f6 pawn as a lever, after which his
bishops become rampant.
15 ... e5! 16 r:tJbl f5 17 .tf3 .te7 18 exf5
.txf5 19 lid2 lie7 20 .te4 .te6 21 g3 f5
(188)
The infantry begins to advance. 22 .tf3
is of course met by 22 ... e4, opening the
Here White could have eliminated
Black's advantage of the two bishops by
exchanging on e7, but this would not have
made things any easier for him. The
remaining black bishop would have been
incomparably stronger than the poorly
placed knight at b3, and the d-pawn
would have been free to advance. Therefore
White clings to the d5 square as long as
possible.
24 ... .tf8 25 lid3 lih6 26 ttJel lie5 27
b4?
This further weakening merely hastens
the end. The knight should have returned
to b3.
27 ... lie4
28 li:'la2 f4
Preparing 29 ... .tf5, e.g. 29 li:'lac3 .tf5
30 li3d2 fxg3, retaining very strong
pressure.
29 gxf4
White is even prepared to give up a
138 Endgame Silhouettes

pawn to get rid of the bishop at e6, but Black has to defend against 19 .th5+.
this does not save him from defeat.
18 ... h5 19 lLId6+ "irxd6 20 "irxa7 (189)
29 ... .txdS 30 llxd5 llxf4 31 b5 llxh4
All this had occurred previously. One
Black has a healthy extra pawn, which game went 20 .. , "irxh2, and White was the
is ready to advance. And in the end it first to create real threats. But in my home
finally decided the game, although this analysis I had been fortunate enough to
took a further forty moves. find a significant improvement for Black.
Our picture of the two bishop 'monopoly'
would be incomplete, if we did not touch 189
on another variety of endgame, where the
balance of forces is two bishops and a
pawn against rook and knight. Both in
the middlegame, and in the endgame,
such positions often occur in the Sicilian
Defence - as a result of strategic exchange
sacrifices.

Am.Rodriguez-Polugayevsky
Biel1985
1 e4 e5 2 lLIf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 lLIxd4 lLIf6 5
lLIe3 a6 6 .tg5 e6 7 f4 b5 8 e5 dxe5 9 fxe5
"ire7 10 exf6 "ire5+ 11 .te2 "irxg5 12 "ird3
"irxf6 13 llfl "ire5 14 lldl J;Ia7 15 lLIf3
"ire7 16 lLIg5 f5 17 "ird4
The Cuban grandmaster is always ready
for a theoretical argument, and therefore
he chooses what was then the most topical
line of the Polugayevsky Variation.
17 ... "ire7!?
The latest word of theory. Without the
least 'embarrassment' Black continues
moving only his queen. This exception to
the rule is based on concrete calculation.
18 lLIge4
Black is caused more difficulty by 18
.th5+ g6 19 "irxh8 "irxg5 20 .to, with a
position which is difficult to evaluate. By
the text move White also wins the exchange,
but on the opposite side. For the moment
20 ... "ire5!
The centralization of the queen - first
and foremost! This move depressed my
temperamental opponent: it turns out
that the white king also does not feel safe.
Therefore Rodriguez hastens to exchange
queens, but the ending is unpromising for
White.
21 "ird4 lLId7!
22 "irxe5 lLIxe5
Black has three excellent minor pieces
and clear play in the centre and on
the kingside, where he has a two-pawn
majority. There is no way in practice for
White to realize his extra exchange and
pawn on the opposite wing. Black merely
has to keep an eye open for tactics .
23 ~d2
White castles artificially and vacates
the el square for his rook.
 The Power of the Bishops 139

23 ... .td6! 32 .tfl .te5

33 e3
Black finds the best arrangement of his
bishops. 23 '" .tc5 seems more aggressive, 33 lLlb3 was slightly better, although it
but after 24 h3 and then nfel he could is unlikely that this would have substantially
have had problems on account of his changed the course of the game.
knight being undefended.
33 ... .td5 (190)
24 ~c1 ~e7
25 nfel
With the cunning trap of 26 .txb5!?
axb5 27 nxd6 ~xd6 28 lLlxb5+ ~d5 29
lLlc3+ ~d4 30 lLlb5+.
25 ... .td7
26 .tn
Waiting tactics are pointless here, since
Black can increase his positional advantage
without difficulty, by advancing his pawns.
White should have tried a2-a4, so as
somehow to disturb Black's composure
on the queenside.
The triumph of the bishops. For com-
26 ... JIe8 27 ~bl g5 28 h3 h4 plete happiness it only remains for Black
to await a favourable moment to advance
Blocking the flank and fixing the
'" g4.
weakness at g2.
34 a3 lLlg6! 35 JId2 lLlf4 36 ~al JIg8!
29 lLle2 .te6 30 lLld4 .ib731 .td3 M6!
37 lLle2 g4
Black has accurately worked out the
White is helpless; his rooks make a
consequences of the piece sacrifice: 32
poor showing in the struggle against the
lLlxe6 ~xe6 33 .txf5+ ~xf5 34 Ii:xd6
black bishops .
.txg2 and White stands badly, or 32 .txf5
exf5 33 lLlxb5 .tb4! 34 lLld6 .ixel 35 38 b4 .ta7 39 lLle3 .txe340 llxe3 gxh3
lLlxc8 .tb4, winning easily. 41 gxh3 JIg3! White resigns
8 Minor Pieces in Opposition

Bishops display their virtues not only frivolous explanation, but at any rate, in
when they are together. Also as an later events I have frequently seen this
independent unit, in the endgame the balance of forces in Karpov's games, for
bishop is often a more important piece example, against Timman, Miles, and
than the knight, if, as mentioned earlier, others.
there are no special factors making their
mark. The bishop is more long-range
than the knight, and therefore it coordinates
Karpov-Miles
better with a rook and with the king,
London 1982
which in the endgame takes an active part
in the play. 1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 lLlf6 5
The opposition of bishop and knight is lLlc3 g6 6 .i.e3 .i.g7 7 f3 0-0 8 'ti'd2 lLlc6 9
a common occurrence in the Sicilian g4 .i.e6 100-0-0 lLlxd4 11 .ixd4 'ti'a512 a3
endgame. But what is surprising is that ~ab8 13 h4 ~fc8 14 lLld5 'ti'xd2+ 15 ~xd2
there is a higher percentage of games .i.xd5 16 exd5 a6 17 .i.e2 lLld7 18 f4 lLlc5
where the light-square bishop dominates, 19 ~h3 lIc7 20 lIe3 b5 21 .txg7 Wxg722
irrespective of whether it belongs to White ~d4 a5?! (191)
or to Black.
If one studies the technical phase of
Karpov's and Fischer's games, it transpires
that both have had a liking for this piece
when playing White.
I will risk expressing an objective opinion
as to why, for example, Karpov came to
like the light-square bishop. Strangely
enough, I consider myself to blame! In
the earlier chapter 'The Triumph of the
Experimenter' (cf. Volume 1) I annotated
the fourth game of my match with him,
where in the endgame I had a very
powerful knight against White's light-
square bishop. But in a paradoxical way, Superficially it appears that Black has a
I contrived to lose that ill-fated game ... sound position, and that his knight is no
Who knows, perhaps the young Karpov weaker than the white bishop.
came to believe in the magical power of But this is not so. White has managed
the light-square bishop? I hope that the to prepare for an attack on the kingside
reader will excuse the author for such a and in the centre along the e-file. Black's

140
 Minor Pieces in Opposition 141

knight does not have a strong point at eS, lIxd8+ Black resigns
and at cS it is insecure on account of b2-
Here is a similar picture, which also
b4. In the light of this it was wrong for
arose from the Dragon Variation:
Black to weaken his queenside pawns; it
would have been better to carry out the
manoeuvre ... ltJa4-b6.
23 b4! ltJa4
Miles was afraid to play 23 ... axb4
because of 24 lIxb4!, when there are
serious difficulties over the defence ofthe
bS pawn.
24 bxa5 ltJc3
25 .tfl WfS
On 2S ... :aa8 Karpov was planning the
king manoeuvre 26 Wb2 ltJa4+ 27 Wb3
ltJcS+ 28 Wb4.
Psakhis-Taborov
26 Wb2 lIbc8 27 Wb3 :ac5 28 a6! ltJxd5
Baku 1979
29 :axd5! :axd5 30 lIc3!! (192)
Here too the ending favours White.
Again one square, eS, has been taken
away from the black knight, and the
other, cS, can be controlled by the b-
pawn. Along the e-file the white rooks
have easy play, while the h-pawn ties the
black king to the back rank and creates
future mating motifs.
Black tries to improve the placing of his
pieces, especially his knight, by bringing
it closer to the centre.
20 ... ltJf6 21 lIh3 :ac5 22 c4 :aac8 23
:ab3
A series of fantastic moves! After 30 ... Preventing counterplay with ... bS.
lIxc3+ 31 Wxc3 ItcS+ 32 Wb4 :ac7 33
23 ... b6 24 .te2 lLle4 25 lId4 f5 26 g4!
.ig2 Black's position is hopeless. This is
where the power of the bishop is fully The attempt to establish the knight in
revealed! the centre has not succeeded. White
undermines its support at fS, and then his
30 ... lId8 31 :ac7! :adl 32 .txb5
bishop goes to work.
Now the a-pawn cannot be stopped.
26 ... Wf7 27 :ae3 1I5c7 28 Wa2 a5 29
32 ... e5 33 a7 exf4 34 lIb7 lIb 1+ 35 gxf5 gxf5 30 .id3 lIg8 31 .ixe4 fxe4 32
Wa4 lIxb5 36 l1xb5 f3 37 lIb8 f2 38 lIdxe4 a4 33 f5! (194)
142 Endgame Silhouettes
194
At the cost of a pawn Black has gained
some counterplay, and therefore White
rightly decides not to cling to his slight
material advantage. He is pinning his
hopes on an attack in the double rook
ending, and here his f-pawn serves as a
battering-ram.
33 ... lIgl 34 lIe6 lIft 35 lig3 lIxe4 36
lIg7+ ~f8 37 f6! lIxf6 38 lIxh7 lIft 39
llg6 1Ih4??
A blunder in time trouble. True, the
straightforward 39 ... llccl would also
have lost after 40 lih8+ ~f7 41 lIg7+ ~f6
42 1If8+ ~e5 43 lIg5+ ~d4 44 lIxfl lhfl
45 lIh5. The only move to offer saving
hopes was 39 ... lIhl!, when after 40 ligg7
lixh6 41 1If7+ ~e8 42 llxe7+ ~d8 43
lId7+ Wc8 Black retains practical drawing
chances.
40 nh8+ Wf7 41 lIg7+ Black resigns
Is it logical that the endgame from the
Dragon Variation with a light-square
bishop against a black knight should
always favour White? This cannot be
asserted, since the final conclusion depends
on two factors: the jumping ability of the
knight and the mobility of the bishop.
This is splendidly illustrated by the
following episode.
Dolmatov-Watson
Sochi 1988
1 e4 e5 2 .!Df3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 .!Dxd4 .!Df6 5
.!De3 g6 6 .te3 .tg7 7 f3 0-0 8 Wd2 .!De6 9
g4 .te6 100-0-0 .!Dxd411.txd4 Wa512 a3
lIab8 13 h4 b5 14 .!Dd5 Wxd2+ 15 lIxd2
.txd5 16 exd5 a5 17 .te2 .!Dd7 18 lie1
lIfe8 19 b3 b4 20 .txg7 <it'xg721 Wb2 lie5
22 .tft ~ 23 lIe4 bxa3+ 24 <it'xa3 lie3
25 .te2 .!De5 26 lIe4 lIe3 (195)
195
Compared with the preceding games,
we see a completely different situation.
The white bishop is restricted by its own
pawns, whereas Black's knight at c5 is
impregnable and coordinates very well
with his rooks. With the constant threat
of ... a4 the white king feels insecure, and I
think it unlikely that many will be found
who are willing to play this position as
White. The main thing for Black is to
choose an appropriate moment for decisive
action.
27 Wb2 a4?!
The young Englishman is let down by
his impetuosity. After all, Black has no
reason to hurry, and he should first have
strengthened his position to the maximum.
Grandmaster Vasyukov suggested here
the very strong 27 ... h6!, intending the
 Minor Pieces in Opposition
later blockading move ... g5. If White
himself plays 28 g5, then after 28 ... h5 the
h4 pawn will require defending, and Black
has in prospect the chance of creating a
passed h-pawn (if only by 29 ... /6). 28 f4
can hardly be recommended for White,
since there then follows 28 ... a4 29 b4 a3+
30 Wa2 ltJe4, exploiting the weakening of
the e4 square.
28 b4 a3+ 29 Wa2 ltJd7 30 bS ltJcS
This is not bad, but 30 '" ltJb6!? came
very seriously into consideration, tying
White to the defence of his d-pawn.
31 llb4 We8 32 gS Wd8 33 i.dl Wc734
lle2 l1xe2 3S .ixe2 l1a8?
Black shows inadmissible carelessness.
How could he break the principle of the
blockade? Correct was 35 ... Wb6! 36
Wxa3 lIa8+ 37 Wb2 f5!, when Black can
hope to save the game.
36 b6+ Wb7 37 i.bS llaS 38 i.c6+ Wb8
(196)
An amazing metamorphosis has taken
place: over just a few moves the position
has changed beyond recognition, and the
faceless white bishop has suddenly become
dominant.
39 llf4 ltJa6 40 c3 Black resigns
143
The light-square bishop also enjoyed
special 'patronage' in the endgame under
Bobby Fischer. The theme of the conflict
between this bishop and a knight occurred
several times in his games, and two
m~sterpieces - against Rossetto and
Taimanov - received world recognition.
Fischer-Rossetto
Buenos Aires 1960
1 e4 cS 2 1tJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4
ltJf6 S ltJc3 eS 6 ltJdbS d6 7 i.gS a68 i.xf6
gxf6 9 ltJa3 dS 10 ltJxdS i.xa3 11 bxa3
i.e6 12 i.c4 VaS+ 13 Vd2 0-0-0 14 lldl
Vxa3 IS 0-0 lIhg8 16 Ve3 Vxe3 17 fxe3
Wb8 18 i.b3 llg6 19 ltJb6 Wc7 20 llxd8
ltJxd8 21 ltJdS+ i.xdS 22 i.xdS ltJe6 23 h4
hS 24 llfS llh6 2S llf3 llg6 26 Wf2 b6 27
lIfS l1h6 (197)
197
The duel of rook and bishop against
rook and knight has undoubtedly gone in
White's favour. Fischer brilliantly exploits
the defects in Black's position: his pawns
at f7 and h5 can no longer be repaired.
28 i.c4!!
A far from obvious manoeuvre, empha-
sizing the possibilities of the white bishop.
Attacking the a6 pawn, Fischer simul-
144 Endgame Silhouettes

taneously prepares 29 .te2, forcing the 1 e4 c5 2 t'iJf3 t'iJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 t'iJxd4

black knight completely onto the defensive: 'iNc7 5 t'iJc3 e6 6 g3 a6 7 .tg2 t'iJf6 8 0-0
28 ... b5 29 .te2 t'iJg7 30 11D 11g6 31 c3, t'iJxd4 9 'iNxd4 .tc5 10 .tf4 d6 11 'fi'd2 h6
and then White transfers his bishop to the 12 11adl e5 13 .te3 .tg4 14 .txc5 dxc5 15
a2-g8 diagonal via dl. The difficulty of f3 .te6 16 f4 11d817 t'iJd5 .txd5 18 exd5 e4
White's decision lay in the need to take 19 11fel 11xd5 20 11xe4+ ~d8 21 'fi'e2
account of the following manoeuvre. 11xdl + 22 'iNxdl + 'fi'd7 23 'fi'xd7+ ~d7
24 11e5 b6 (198)
28 ... t'iJc5
29 ~f3 t'iJb7
198
The American grandmaster appears to
have miscalculated, but this is a false
impression. Fischer has taken everything
into account, and he now carries out one
of his favourite stratagems.
30 .txf7 t'iJd6 31 lixh5 t'iJxf7 32 'Ct>g4!
The 'mist' disperses. White's king infil-
trates into the enemy position, and the
black knight is unable to combat success-
fully the h-pawn. Such a piece sacrifice
frequently occurs in Fischer's games.
Taimanov has purposefully headed for
32 ... 11g6+ 33 'Ct>f5 11xg2 34 11h7 11f2+ the endgame, assuming that a draw will
35 ~g6 be imminent. But White has retained an
advantage which, although it at first sight
Rossetto seeks salvation in a rook
seems slight, is enduring, and in the hands
ending, but with a series of accurate
of Fischer will be especially appreciable.
moves White uses his active king to
We see the same balance of forces as in
realize the power of his passed pawn.
the previous game, and again the domi-
35 ... 11xc2 36 11xf7+ 'Ct>c6 37 a3 l1g2+ nation of the white bishop over the black
38 ~xf6 11a2 39 ~e5 11xa3 40 11f6+ ~c5 knight is very apparent.
41 11ft! By controlling a great amount of space
along the diagonals, the bishop literally
The rook stands behind the pawn,
'severs' the knight, depriving it of any
enabling it to advance unhindered.
strong points.
41 ... 11xe342 11cl +! ~b4 43 11hl a5 44
25 .tf1!
h5
Familiar motifs! The bishop is moved
Black resigns, since he is helpless against
to c4, from where it can operate on two
the passed h- and e-pawns.
fronts.
25 ... a5 26 .tc4 11fS 27 ~g2 ~6 28
'Ct>f3 t'iJd7 29 11e3 t'iJb8 30 11d3+ ~c7 31 c3
Fischer-Taimanov t'iJc632 11e3 ~d6 33 a4 t'iJe7 34 h3 t'iJc635
Candidates Match, Vancouver 1971 h4!
 Minor Pieces in Opposition 145

The point of the last ten moves becomes b7.

clear. White has fixed the weak squares
54 ... ~a7
on the queenside, he has brought his king
closer to the centre, and now he begins to Or 54 ... tbc8 55 iLd5+ ~c7 56 ~a6.
harass Black on the kingside.
55 i.dl ~b7
35 ... h5? 56 i.f3+ ~e7

Taimanov's nerves give way, and he In the event of 56 ... ~a7 57 i.g2 Black
commits a serious positional mistake, by is in zugzwang, and he is forced to allow
placing his pawns on light squares. Essen- the white king in at c6.
tially, Black takes on the heavy burden of
57 ~a6 (199)
defending his pawn phalanx against the
encroachment of the white bishop. For
the time being he should have stuck to
waiting tactics.
36 E:d3+ ~c7 37 lId5! f5 38 lId2 lIf639
E:e2 ~d7 40 lIe3 g6 41 i.b5 lId6 42 ~e2
~d8 43 J:ld3! ~c7 44 lIxd6 ~d6

Fischer chooses the most clear-cut path,

and by the exchange of rooks he takes
play into a typical minor piece ending,
where the weakness of the g6 pawn (in the
near future the white bishop is bound to
reach e8 or f7) gives the bishop an enormous
superiority over the knight. In general
Thus, White has overcome the first
outline the plan for realizing the advantage
obstacle. Now he must carry out the
consists of three parts. First the helplessness
second stage of his plan, for which in the
of the black knight is exploited, and by
diagram position he has to transfer his
employing the method of zugzwang, the
bishop to e8 and give Black the move.
white king infiltrates deep into the enemy
Then another zugzwang position will
queenside.
anse.
45 ~d3
57 ... tbg8
With the threat of 46 i.xc6 ~xc6 47 58 iLd5 t'iJe7
Wc4 Wd6 48 Wb5 ~c7 49 Wa6 Wc6 50 c4
No better is 58 ... t'iJf6 59 i.f7 tbe460
~c7 51 ~a7 ~c6 52 ~b8.
i.xg6 tbxg3 61 ~b5!, when the white king
45 ... tbe7 46 i.e8 ~d5 47 i.f7+ Wd6 48 heads towards the knight.
Wc4 Wc6 49 i.e8+ Wb7 50 Wb5 tbe8 51
59 i.c4 tbc6 60 i.f7 tbe7 61 i.e8
i.c6+ We7 52 i.d5! tbe7 53 i.f7 Wb7 54
i.b3! The aim is achieved, and now comes
the third and concluding part of this chess
White manoeuvres brilliantly with his
'scenario'.
bishop; he now transfers it to the long
diagonal and evicts the black king from 61 ... ~d8 (200)
146 Endgame Silhouettes

62 i.xg6 23 ... i.b7! 24 g3 llc825 lhb5 axb5 26

ttJb6 llc7 27 :adl
In similar fashion to the previous game,
White sacrifices a piece to create some Hoping to defend both c2 and the e-pawn.
passed pawns, which the black knight is
27 ... i.e4 28 :ad8+ ~h7 29 llc8 llb7!
unable to combat.
30 ttJa8
62 ... ttJxg6 63 Wxb6 ~d7 64 ~xc5 ttJe7
What a bishop! The doomed white
65 b4 axb4 66 cxb4 ttJc8 67 a5 ttJd6 68 b5
knight is forced to make for the distant
ttJe4+ 69 ~b6 ~c8 70 ~c6 ~b8 71 b6
corner of the board.
Black resigns. Fischer's fine technique
30 ... lle7 31 ttJb6 llb732 ttJa8 lla733
makes an indelible impression. Now let us
ttJb6 llxa2 34 ttJd7 ~g6!
turn to some examples where the light-
square bishop is in the service of Black. The black king advances, and the white
pieces are unable to prevent its raid, an
enormous role again being played by the
Litvin ov -Bolesla vsky light-square bishop.
Belorussian Championship 1959
35 ttJf8+ ~g5 36 llc7 ~g4! 37 llxf7 b3!
1 e4 c5 2 ttJf3 ttJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ttJxd4 (202)
ttJf65 ttJc3 d6 6 i.g5 e6 7 'fi'd2 i.e78 0-0-0
0-09 f4 ttJxd4 10 'ixd4 h6 11 i.h4 'fi'a512 202
e5 dxe5 13 'ixe5 'fi'xe5 14 fxe5 ttJd5 15
i.xe7 ttJxe7 16 i.b5 a6! 17 i.d3 b5! 18
i.e4 llb8 19 lld6 b4 20 ttJa4 llb5! 21 :ael
ttJf5! 22 i.xf5 exf5 23 llb6 (201)
Black has played the opening superbly
and has securely neutralized White's
pressure on the open file. Gradually the
advantage in the endgame passes to him,
in view of the enormous activity of his
light-square bishop.
 Minor Pieces in Opposition
Boleslavsky plays the endgame bril-
liantly. This pawn thrust opens up the
position, and the powerful coordination
of rook and bishop, combined with the
advance of the black king into enemy
territory, creates a mating net around
White's king. The remote white pieces
are unable to offer any help.
38 exb3 <M3!
39 ~d2 b4!
Taking away the last square. Now the
white king has nowhere to go.
40 lIe7 llxb2+ 41 ~d1 lIxh2 42 llxg7
~e3 43 ~e1 lle2+ 44 ~d1 lle3
With the deadly threat of 45 ... .1f3+.
White resigns
Dolmatov-H. 0 lafsson
Akureyri 1988
1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
ltJe3 a6 6 f4 ltJbd7 7 ltJf3 e6 8 a4 ltJc5 9
.1d3 b6 10 0-0 .1b7 11 'ti'e2 .ie7 12 .id2
0-0 13 b4 ltJxd3 14 cxd3 lle8
Black's position is highly dynamic, and
he has in prospect the central counter ...
d5, opening up the game for his bishops.
15 b5 ltJd7 16 d4 a5 17 ;gael ltJf6 18
'ti'd3 d5 19 e5 ltJe4 20 ltJe2 lle4! (203)
147
A purely positional pawn sacrifice,
after which the two black bishops begin
to dominate the board. The extra white
pawn is not noticed, since Black controls
the blockading square d5.
21 llxe4 dxe4
22 'ti'xe4 'ti'd5!
Into the endgame as quickly as possible!
Here the bishops will be in their element.
23 'ti'xd5 .1xd5
24 llet
Perhaps Black has been too hasty? -
after all, White has taken control of the
open file. One has to give the Icelandic
grandmaster his due: he had anticipated
everything beforehand.
Black unexpectedly offers the exchange
of one pair of bishops (we are by now
accustomed to this procedure!), obtaining
a passed pawn, the open a-file, and ... a
clear advantage of bishop over knight.
While for White the c-file is essentially
'empty' .
24 ... .ib4!
25 .ixb4
White did not like 25 .1e3, if only
because of 25 ... .ib3.
25 ... axb4
26 ltJe1
This knight manoeuvre has the aim of
blocking the b-pawn and simultaneously
covering the a-pawn. No alternative is
apparent.
26 '" b3 27 ltJd3 ;ga8 28 ltJb2 h6!
The situation on the queens ide has
been stabilized, and Black begins harassing
White on the opposite side. This is a
characteristic procedure: when there is
play on both wings, it can be especially
difficult for a knight to oppose a bishop.
148 Endgame Silhouettes

29 na7?! for White to keep a watch on the opposing

rook and king.
29 h4 was more sensible, in my opinion,
and if 29 ... g5, then 30 hxg5 hxg5 31 fxg5, 37 dxeS+ <t1xeS
obtaining f4 for the knight, while on 29 ... 38 ~d2 nt'S
h5 White has the adequate reply 30 nc7!,
Here something extraordinary occurred:
tying the king to the f-pawn. I was present
after making his last move, Black . . .
at this game, and it seemed to me that
offered a draw, in a position where it is
Dolmatov was labouring under the false
not apparent how White can save the
impression that his position was better, in
game. For example 39 ne3+ <t1d4 40
view of his extra pawn.
nd3+ ~c5 41 nc3+ <t1b4. Well, one
29 ... gS 30 fxgS hxgS 31 ltJc3 ltJxc3 32 should be thankful for small mercies!
llxc3 <t1g7 33 <t;f2 <t1g6 (204)
Draw agreed

Hjartarson-Polugayevsky
Reykjavik 1987
1 e4 cS 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 lLlf6 S
ltJc3 a6 6 i.e3 e6 7 'fWd2 b5 8 f3 ltJbd7 9
0-0-0 i.b710 g4 h611 i.d3 lLleS 12 <t1bl b4
13 ltJce2 dS 14 exdS lLlxdS IS i.f2 i.e7 16
h4 'fWd7! 17 gS lLlxd3 18 'fWxd3 hxgS 19
hxgS J::1xhl 20 J::1xhl 0-0-0 21 i.g3? i.xgS
22 'fWc4+ ltJc7 23 'fWxb4 i.f6 24 'fWaS 'fWe7!
2S i.eS i.xeS 26 'fWxeS 'fWf6! 27 'fWxf6 gxf6
(205)
Threatening the unpleasant 37 ... <t1f5.
As in the previous game, we observe the
splendid coordination of rook, bishop
and king. The white knight is tied to the
a-pawn and is in a pitiful position.
34 g4
On 34 ~e3 there would have followed
34 ... nh8 35 h3 i.xg2. White's task is to
create a fortress and not allow the enemy
king into his territory. But as the immediate
events show, this is not easy to do.
34 ... f6! 3S exf6 ~xf6 36 ~e2 eS
Breaking down the last barrier in front The resulting ending has developed to
of the king. Despite the simplification Black's clear advantage. His ideally placed
and the limited material remaining, Black's bishop is the pride of his position. The
advantage is very appreciable. It is difficult bishop's role is markedly enhanced when
 Minor Pieces in Opposition 149

the pawns are unbalanced (here Black has light-square bishop which comes into
a majority in the centre, and White on the conflict with a knight? No, one should not
queenside ). come to such an absurd conclusion. Of
course, endings occur where there is also
28 nn ltJd5 29 nn ltJe3 30 b4 e5 31
plenty of employment for the dark-square
ltJb3 5?!
bishop. For example, I recall the following
Black, short of time on the clock, fails ending of mine, in which I was able to
to find the strongest continuation: 31 ... evaluate very precisely the potential of
nd1+ 32 'it'b2 f5 33 f4 (33 ltJc5 nd2, and my bishop.
White is lost) 33 ... ltJg4, immediately
terminating the struggle.
32 ltJc3 f4
Scholl-Polugayevsky
33 ltJc5 nd4!
Amsterdam 1970
From this point Black finds the best
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5
moves.
ltJc3 ltJc6 6 i.c4 e6 7 i.e3 a6 8 i.b3 ltJa5 9
34 a3 0-0 b5 10 f4 'iNc7 11 f5 e5 12 ltJde2 i.b713
ltJdS ltJxd5 14 i.xd5 ltJc415 'iNcl i.xd516
This leads to loss of material. White
exd5 nc8 17 b3 ltJxe3 18 'iNxe3 'iNc5 19
could have offered a resistance by 34
'iNxc5 nxc5 (206)
ltJd3, rejecting the idea of eliminating the
b7 bishop, although after 34 ... ltJc4
followed by 35 ... f5 Black has an undis- 206
puted advantage.
34 ... ltJc4!
35 ltJxb7
On 35 'it'a2 Black wins by the elegant 35
... nd2!, and if 35 ltJQ,3, then 35 ... ltJxa3+
36 'it'a2 lIc4!, depriving White of any
chances.
35 ... 'it'xb7
36 a4
It is White's undoing that 36 'it'a2 fails
20 c4!
to 36 ... nd2! 37 nxd2 ltJxd2, when the f3
pawn is lost. During the game White was very much
relying on this clever reply. Had Black
36 ... ltJb6! 37 b5 ltJxa4 38 bxa6+ 'it'xa6
risen to the 'bait' and won a pawn, White
39 ltJxa4 nxa4 40 'it'b2
(after the exchange of one pair of rooks)
Or 40 nh2 Ita3 41 Ith5 f6. would have gained counterplay on the c-
file.
40 ... 'it'b541 nhl 'it'c442 llh7 lla743
'it'et na3 White resigns 20 ... bxc4 21 bxc4 i.e7! 22 nfcl 'it'd7!
So, in the Sicilian endgame is it only the Just in time Black succeeds in including
150 Endgame Silhouettes

his second rook in the attack on the c4

pawn. Imagine for a moment that the 207
white knight were standing at g3; then
after lLle4 it would be Black who would be
thinking of how to draw. But it is precisely
the poor position of the knight at e2 that
determines the outcome of the game.
23 lIabl lIhc8 24 lIb7+ ~e8 25 lIa7
lIxc4 26 lIxc4 lIxc4 27 lIxa6 lIc5
With the fall of the d5 pawn the dark-
square bishop will acquire enormous
power.
Fuchs-Evans
28 E:a8+ .id8 29 lLlg3 lIxd5 30 lLlh5
Havana 1967
Or 30 lLle4 f6 31 ~f2 ~d7 32 E:a7+
The position is roughly level, and the
.ic7.
presence of opposite-colour bishops makes
30 .,. ~d7 a draw very probable. The simplest con-
31 lLlxg7 e4! tinuation for White would have been 32
b3, but instead he unexpectedly decided
White has achieved material equality,
to part with his excellent knight, and rely
but his position has become hopeless, in
on his bishop. And this is what came of
view of the overwhelming superiority of
it ...
bishop over knight, ensuring the swift
and unhindered advance of the central 32 lLlxb4? E:xb4 33 b3 E:b6 34 gel ltJe6
pawn pair.
The knight heads for c5 or d4. The
32 ~tl E:a5! 33 lha5 i.xa5 34 lLlh5 light-square bishop, tied to the b-pawn,
i.c3! 35 h4 d5 36 g4 ~d6 37 lLlf4 ~e5 38 proves completely helpless, and is essen-
ltJe2 i.a5 39 a4 d4 40 lLlcl d3 41 lLlb3 tially a slave of this pawn.
And without waiting for 41 ... i.c3, 35 lIc6 E:fb8 36 E:xb6 E:xb6 37 f3 \t>f6
White resigned. 38 \t>f2 lLlc5 39 lIdl ~e6 40 ~e3 E:b4
Black's advantage is obvious. He is not
It would show a lack of'respect' for the
in a hurry to win a pawn, but first
Sicilian knight if we were not to pay due
strengthens his position.
attention to it. Therefore we will now give
some examples where it is the knight that 41 E:d2 f5
is master of the position. Its superiority 42 iLc6
over a bishop usually occurs when the
The white bishop can not endure being
knight has strong points, while the oppo-
out of play any longer, and it aims to
nent's bishop lacks sufficient mobility on
occupy a better square.
account of the pawn formation. This was
clearly seen in the ending examined earlier 42 ... E:xb3+ 43 ~e2 1Ib4 44 \t>e3 lIb!
from the game Dolmatov-Watson (p. 45 .td5+ \t>f6 46 .ta2 E:b6 47 iLd5 h5
142). We will now continue this theme. (208)
 Minor Pieces in Opposition
In beginning this .. p~wn offensive,
Black's aim is to provoke a weakening on
the kings ide. Now White should have
replied 48 g3, to avoid leaving his pawns
on light squares, but he commits a serious
positional mistake.
48 h4?
Now Black succeeds in blocking the
white pawn phalanx on squares of the
same colour as the bishop, thus ensuring
the future hegemony of his knight, since
White's bishop is condemned to the
unenviable role of defending his weak-
nesses.
48 ... l1bl 49 lia2 f4+ 50 'i.t>e2 g5!
Preparing an infiltration route on the
dark squares, since White does not have
control of them.
51 hxg5+ c;.t>xg5 52 l1a8 'i.t>h4 53 lIg8
The only way of preventing the king's
invasion, but it is already very difficult for
White to keep an eye on all the black
pleces.
53 ... l1b2+
54 'i.t>fl lbd3
Beginning a combined attack on the
151
white king, but 54 ... lIc2! (taking away
the c4 square from the bishop) was
probably more subtle, and if55 ~f7, then
55 ... ltJd3! 56 lIh8 c;!;>g3! 57 lig8+ C;!;>h2
followed by the unavoidable 58 '" lif2
mate.
55 lIg6?
This loses immediately. White's last
chance was to pursue the knight by 55
~c4! Black's winning chances would then
have been associated with the knight
manoeuvre ... ltJb4-c2-e3. In the event of
55 ... lbb456 llb8 he would have the very
strong check 56 ... lib1+, when after 57
'i.t>e2 (not 57 'i.t>f2 ltJd3+) White is forced
to allow the black king in at g3.
55 ... lif2+ 56 'i.t>gl lie2 57 'i.t>h2 llel
And the trap snapped shut: against the
mating threat of 58 ... lbf2 there is no
satisfactory defence. In the concluding
position the superiority of the knight over
the bishop is clearly seen.
Geller-Muehnik
USSR 1970
1 e4 e5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 ltJxd4 lbf6 5
ltJe3 a6 6 ~e2 e5 7 ltJb3 ~e6 8 0-0 lbbd7 9
a4 iie7 10 as 0-0 11 ~e3 lie812 f3 'ti'e713
'ti'd2 llfd8 14 lifdl 'ti'e6 15 liac1 i..e4 16
Axe4 'ti'xe4 17 lbd5 ltJxd5 18 'ti'xd5 'ti'xd5
19 lixd5 lie6?! (19 ... g6 or 19 ... lIc4 was
correct) 20 l1d2 lide8 21 e3 f6? (21 ... g6!
was better) 22 lial 'i.t>f7 23 lbc1 lbe5 24
AxeS dxe5 25 e4 lId826 lidS liee8? (26 ...
lixd5 offered more chances) 27 lia3
lIxd5 28 exd5 Ad6 29 lIb3 lle7 30 lib6!
(209)
This rook manoeuvre completely ties
down all the enemy pieces.
152 Endgame Silhouettes

After a short stroll, the knight returns

to its post. Time trouble is over, and
White can calmly choose a winning path.
Black decided not to await his fate, and
resigned, since after 42 b4 his position
collapses.
And now another game by Geller
where he was able to demonstrate the
power of his knight.

30 rtle7
31 ltJd3 rtld7
31 ... f5 is not possible, in view of 32
ltJxe5.
32 rtlf2 g6
33 rtle3
White has no reason to hurry, and he
brings his king to the centre. Black is
helpless, since on 33 ... f5 there follows 34
Uitumen-Geller
h3 and 35 g4, when he runs out of pawn
Palma de Mal/orca 1970
moves, and is forced to play his king to e7,
when ltJxe5 is decisive. Therefore he is Here we see a similar picture. The
obliged to await passively the development bishop's activity is restricted by the pawn
of events. White can easily fix the oppo- barriers, especially at e4. White's only
nent's pawns on dark squares, thus chance is to create a passed b-pawn, but
restricting the black bishop still further, in this case his king is diverted to the
whereas his knight is able to 'stroll' queenside, when it is unable to combat
around the entire board. the opposing passed pawn on the very
distant h-file. The ideal placing of the
33 ... rtle7
black knight must be emphasized. It ties
34 g4 E:d7
White to the defence of his e-pawn, and,
On 34 ... e4 the simplest is 35 fxe4 i.xh2 when the opponent advances his b-pawn,
36 e5! it simultaneously controls b5. In order to
picture the situation more clearly, let us
35 rtle4 rtld8 36 h4 rtlc8 37 h5 rtlb8 38 h6
imagine for a moment that, rather than a
Fixing the h7 pawn, just in case it light-square bishop, White has a dark-
should prove useful. square one. The evaluation of the position
would be radically different!
38 ... rtla7 39 b3 rtla8 40 ltJf2 rtlb8 41
ltJd3 43 c3 bxc3
 Minor Pieces in Opposition 153

44 Wxc3 Before looking at some complex endings,

let us examine the most common instance
The alternative 44 b4 would have offered
of a win in endings with opposite-colour
more hope, but would not have saved the
bishops, when one of the players is able to
game: 44 ... gS 4S hxgS+ WxgS 46 Wxc3 h4
create two passed pawns on opposite
47 bS lbxe4+ 48 ~b4 h3 49 b6 lbd6 SO
wings. The general rule runs: the greater
WcS h2 SI .to e4 S2 .thl e3, and wins.
the distance between the pawns (a minimum
44 ... lbxe4+ 45 Wc4 lbg3! 46 .tf3 of two files), the easier it is to win. An
exception is provided by two rooks' pawns,
Black also wins after 46 .tdl, when by
a- and h-, since then the weaker side can
46 ... lbfS 47 b4 lbxh4 and 48 ... lbfS his
move his king to the corner of the opposite
knight gets back in time.
colour to the enemy bishop, and on the
46 ... e4 47 .tg2 We5 48 b4 lbf5 49 b5 other wing he can give up his bishop for
lbd6+ the passed pawn.
The black knight displays amazing
vitality. After carrying out a deep raid, it
returns in time to its favourite post at d6!
50 Wc5 'bxb5!
Removing the last barrier. The white
bishop proves powerless in the battle
against the e-pawn.
51 Wxb5 Wd4 52 .to We3 53 .tg2
Wd3 White resigns

In the section devoted to strategy, the

author touched on the problems not only
of bishop and knight in opposition, but
also bishops themselves, in particular
opposite-colour bishops. In the endgame
too the opposition of bishops is in itself a
common occurrence. But in contrast to
the middlegame, the presence of opposite-
colour bishops in endings is a significant
drawing factor. Even a material advantage
of one or two pawns by no means guaran-
tees a win. And yet, although the drawing
boundaries of opposite-colour bishop
endings are considerably extended, they
can pose many thorny problems. Here
two factors are very important: the quality
of the bishops, and the nature of the pawn
structure, in particular the presence of
passed pawns.
Vasyukov-Boleslavsky
Kharkov 1956
33 ... h5!
The start of the correct plan. Black
must prevent 34 hS, after which White
would have good drawing chances. But
now White cannot prevent the creation of
a second passed g- or f-pawn.
34 g4
34 g3 would not have helped, since
Black would have gradually put into
effect his ultimate aim of creating a
passed pawn: 34 ... g6 3S i.bS Wg7 36
i.e8 f6 37 We4 Wh6 38 wO gS. Now
154 Endgame Silhouettes

everything proceeds smoothly: 39 ~g2

(39 hxg5+ fxg5 40 J.b5 g4+ 41 ~g2 ~g5
and 42 ... h4, creating the desired passed
g-pawn) 39 ... g4 40 J.a4 f5 41 J.b5 a5 42
J.a4 ~g6 43 J.e8+ ~f6, after which
Black transfers his bishop to e7, moves
away his king, and advances his f-pawn
with an easy win, since if White captures
gxf4 he loses his h-pawn.
34 ... hxg4 35 h5 a5 36 J.b3 ~ 37
Wxg4 <l;e7
Against the a- and f-pawns White is
powerless.
30 h6!
38 ~f5 J.d4 39 ~e4 iLc3 40 ~5 f6
Three factors determine White's ad-
Black is not afraid of ghosts. It is vantage:
pointless for White to go chasing the g- (I) The blockade of the kingside, enabling
pawn, since then he will be unable to him to fix the black pawn at h7, which can
catch one of the passed pawns: 41 ~g6 easily become a target for the light-square
~d6 42 ~xg7 f5+ 43 ~g6 f4 44 ~f5 0 45 bishop. In addition, the pawn at h6 has a
~4 f2 46 J.c4 ~c5! 'depressing' effect on the black king, and
the preconditions are created for a mating
41 ~4 ~d6 42 ~d3 J.e5 43 ~e4
attack on the eighth rank.
If the king goes the other way, 43 ~c4, (2) The difference in value of the two
then the f-pawn will immediately start bishops. Black's is shut in, but after the
advancing. exchange on g4 White's bishop will invade
at e6, approaching closer to the h7 pawn.
43 ... ~c5 44 ~f5 ~b4 45 ~g6 a4 46
(3) The presence of the rooks favours
J.e6 a3 47 J.a2 ~c3 48 .ie6 J.d449 .ib3
White. His rook is guaranteed the open
~b2 50 ~f5 J.c3 White resigns
file.
30 ... .tfS
If Black first plays 30 ... fxg4, then the
Karpov-Kavalek
above advantages operate one hundred
Nice 1974
percent: 31 i.xg4 .if8 32 iLe6+ ~h8 33
1 c4 c5 2 ~f3 g6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ~xd4 ~c6 5 f5! ri:a5 34 lib! ri:a3+ 35 ~e2 :!lxa2+ 36
e4 ~f6 6 ~c3 d6 7 .ie2 ~xd4 8 't!xd4 iLg7 ~fl .ixh6 37 f6!, and the curtain comes
9 J.g5 0-010 't!d2 J.e6 11 ri:cl 't!a5 12 f3 down.
lifc8 13 b3 a6 14 ~a4! 't!xd2+ 15 ~xd2
31 ~c3
ri:c6 16 ~c3 liac8 17 ~d5 Wf8 18 .ie3
~d7 19 h4 J.xd5 20 exd5 iI6c7 21 h5 ~g8 Karpov does not like sacrificing pawns
22 f4 ~c5 23 iLg4! ~e4+ 24 ~d3 f5 25 unnecessarily, and here he parries the
J.f3 b5 26 g4! bxc4+ 27 iIxc4 llxc4 28 threat to the a-pawn (31 ... ri:a5). And yet
bxc4 ~c5+ 29 .ixc5! lixc5 (212) it must have been difficult to reject the
 Minor Pieces in Opposition 155

very tempting 31 gS, which virtually 33 ..te6+ \t>f6

stalemates Black. Later the Ex-World 34 ..tg8 lic7
Cham pion himself made a detailed analysis
Black has to give up a pawn, since he
of this move:
loses after 34 ... i.xh6 3S Ii:xh6 \t>g7 36
After 31 ... ~aS 32 Ii:bl l:i:xa2 comes
lhh7+ \t>xg8 37 lixe7.
the resolute 33 cS! l:i:a3+ 34 \t>e2 dxcS
(34 ... :i:ia2+ 35 \t>el l:i:a3 36 c61 Ii:xj3 37 35 i.xh7 e6
lic 1I, and the pawn cannot be caught) 3S
In the event of 3S ... \t>f7 White wins
d6! exd6 36 i.dS+ \t>h8 37 lib8, and
prettily: 36 fS gS 37 f6! exf6 38 i.fS! \t>g8
Black is helpless.
39 h7+ \t>h8 40 l:i:bl.
Or 32 ... lla3+ 33 lib3 Ihb3+ (33 ...
llxa2 34 c5 dxc5 35 d6 e6 36 d7 c4+ 37 36 i.g8 exd5
\t>xc4 l:i:d2 38 lib7 ~e7 39 lib8+ \t>j7 40 37 h7 ..tg7
lih8 lixd741 l:i:xh7+, with advantage to
This hastens Black's defeat. 37 ... lixc4+
White) 34 axb3 as 3S \t>c3 \t>f7 36 \t>b2 eS
38 \t>d3 Ji.g7 39 i.xdS licS was better,
37 dxe6+ \t>xe6 38 ..tdS+ \t>d7 39 \t>a3
although his position would have remained
i.e7 40 \t>a4 ..td8 41 .tg8 \t>e8 42 \t>bS,
difficult.
and White is close to his goal.
This all looks very convincing, but in 38 Ji.xd5 .th8 39 \t>d3 \t>f5 40 \t>e3
Karpov's analysis, in my opinion, there lie7+ 41 \t>f3 a5 42 a4 l:i:c743 ..te4+ \t>f6
are some unresolved problems. Black is 44 :i:ih6 lig7
not obliged to play 36 ... eS immediately;
One has to feel sorry for Black. 44 ...
he does better to move his king, and only
\t>g7 fails to 4S lixg6+ \t>xh7 46 ligl+
then attempt to activate his bishop: 36 ...
\t>h647 E:hl+ \t>g748 lih7+.
\t>e8! 37 \t>a3 eS! 38 \t>a4 (38 dxe6 d5+ 39
\t>a4 dxc4 40 bxc4 i.d6, with a clear draw) 45 \t>g4 (213)
38 ... exf4 39 \t>xaS i.e7 40 b4 .txgS, and
it is not clear whether White can win. In
addition, it is more accurate for Black to 213
play 32 ... \t>f7! immediately, and only
after 33 l:i:b2 l:i:a3+ 34 :i:ib3 to go into the
bishop ending: 34 ... lhb3+ 3S axb3 \t>e8
36 \t>c3 as, gaining a tempo, when on 37
\t>b2 there follows 37 ... eS! etc.
So that at the board Karpov's intuition
did not let him down!
31 ... fxg4
32 i.xg4 \t>f7
It seems essential for Black to move out
of the danger zone. But, in Karpov's
opinion, 32 ... l:i:c7 33 i.e6+ \t>h8 34 fS Black resigns. The final position shows
l:i:b7 followed by 3S ... Ii:b8 was more clearly what is meant by bishops of
tenacious. different 'calibre'.
156 Endgame Silhouettes

29 Itc4 White would have broken into the

214 opponent's position.
28 ... IIhc8!
Portisch exploits the chance offered to
him. White should now have agreed to an
equal position: 29 h3 i.c1! 30 b3 i.b2, but
he stubbornly continues playing for a
win, and overlooks a cunning trap by his
opponent.
29 i.d5 lIc2+
30 ~f3?
And this is already the decisive error.
Smyslov-Portisch
30 ~f1 was correct.
Portoroz 1971
30 h3!
The light-square bishop is markedly
31 g3 Itxh2! (215)
superior to its dark-square opponent.
The bishop at h6 is essentially attacking
an 'empty' diagonal (along it there is 215
simply no play), whereas the white bishop
is very actively placed. In particular it is
aimed at f7 , and if the white rooks should
build up an attack on the king, the bishop
will be a formidable piece. In addition,
along the fifth rank the white rook is
creating a mass of difficulties for Black.
All this gives White a significant advantage.
24 Ithdl Itad8
25 b4!
White undoubles his pawns and creates It transpires that on 32 gxf4 there
a pawn majority on the queenside. follows 32 ... Itg2 and then 33 ... Itbg8
with mating threats, which White is unable
25 .. axb4 26 Itb5 Itb8 27 Itxb4 i.f4
to avert. With the loss of the h-pawn, its
Black has only one possible target: the neighbour finds itself in trouble. Now it is
h2 pawn, but it is not of any particular the dark-square bishop which has acquired
importance. colossal strength, whereas White's bishop,
on the contrary, is out of play. As a result
28 Itd3?!
of this metamorphosis, the two sides have
Up till now Smyslov has acted con- exchanged roles.
sistently, but here he commits a serious
32 Itc3 Itg2 33 Itc7+ ~d8 34 Itxf7
inaccuracy. He had available the simple
Itxg3+ 35 ~f2 h2 36 Ith7 Itgl
manoeuvre 28 i.a6!, depriving the black
rooks of the square c8. After 28 ... i.xh2 For the h-pawn White has to 'pay' with
 Minor Pieces in Opposition
a rook.
37 llh8+ We7 38 llh7+ wfS 39 a5
39 llh8+ Wg7 40 llxb8 loses to 40 ...
.tg3+.
39 ... hI =~ 40 llxhl llxhl 41 a6 We7!
42 a7 llbh8
White resigns, on account of the forced
variation 43 a8=~ 118h2+ 44 Wf3 llfl +
45 Wg4 Ii:gl+ 46 wO llg3 mate, or 43
We2 118h2+ 44 Wd3 Ii:cl! and 45 ... lld2
mate.
Gufeld-Ermenkov
Yurmala 1978
1 e4 c5 2 lL'lf3 lL'lc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lL'lxd4
lL'lf6 5 lL'lc3 d6 6 .tg5 e6 7 ~d2 a6 8 0-0-0
.td79 f4 b510 lL'lxc6 J.xc611 ~e3 .te712
.txf6 .txf6 13 lL'ld5 J.xd5 14 exd5 e5 15
~e4 ~e7 16 t5 ~a7 17 Wbl ~f2 18 .td3
0-0 19 c3 ~f4 20 ~xf4 exf4 21 llhel .te5
(216)
216
The diagram position cannot be called
absolutely equal, although material is
level and there are also opposite-colour
bishops. If, in comparing the chances of
the two sides, 'trifles' are taken into
account, the black bishop is seen to have
157
some advantage (even though a slight one
for the moment!) over the white bishop.
The bishop at d3 runs up against the'
pawns at d5 and f5, whereas the bishop at
e5 is freer in its movements, especially if
one keeps in mind the prospect of lines
being opened on the queenside by ... a5
and ... b4.
The pawn formation is also a little
more pleasant for Black. After all, White
cannot hope to make use of his extra
pawn on the queens ide, since this leads to
the undesirable opening up of the position.
Black, on the other hand, is ready without
fear to advance his kingside pawns.
Psychologically too, his game is easier to
play, since he has the clearer aims. True,
all this relates more to the field of general
considerations. Given a certain accuracy,
White should of course be able to maintain
the balance. As an initial step he should
evidently have eliminated the f4 pawn by
preparing g2-g3, when Black would have
been unable to create here a pawn phalanx.
White's next move looks rather unnatural,
but Gufeld is planning to improve the
activity of his bishop, by advancing his a-
pawn.
22 Ii:e4 Ii:fc8 23 a4 Ii:c5 24 .te2 g5!
Preparing a path to f6 for his king.
Simultaneously, Black wants to exploit
his pawn majority.
25 fxg6 hxg6
26 Wc2
26 axb5 was better.
26 ... Wg7
27 llb4?
In order to justify the action of the rook
on the fourth rank, it was essential first to
exchange pawns. After 27 axb5 axb5 28
llb4 White would have tied Black to the
defence of the b5 pawn. But now Black
158 Endgame Silhouettes
succeeds in getting rid of his weakness.
27 ... bxa4! 28 lIxa4 a5 29 lIda1
White moves his rook away, but wrongly,
since he is not able to create any threats
on the a-file. 29 h3 was correct, and if 29
... f5 30 l:tc4, forcing simplification.
29 '" f5 (217)
217
The Bulgarian player consistently carries
out his plan, and the white bishop be-
comes very restricted. Even so, 30 h3 was
essential now instead of the passive text
move.
30 1I1a2?! g5 31 h3 Wf6 32 e4
White's nerves give way, and he exposes
the dark squares, having overlooked the
opponent's reply. 32 .tn was better.
32 ... lIe8!
33 b3
33 llxa5 lha5 34 l:txa5 .ixb2 did not
appeal to White.
33 ... i.d4 34 Wd3 .tf2! 35 llxa5?
White has pretty well spoiled his position,
but he had no right to take this pawn,
since it leads to the loss of a piece.
35 ... .tel! 36 llxe5 l:te3+ 37 Wc2
llxe2+ 38 Wb1 llxa2 39 lle6 llxg2 40
Iixd6+ Wf7 41 e5 f3 42 lld7+ We8 43 e6 f2
44 d6 f1 +'ti' 45 lle7+ WfS White resigns
Postscript
Our lengthy path through the intricate
Sicilian labyrinth is complete. Let us
mentally once again recall everything.
Before us, as in a kaleidoscope, have
flashed by hundreds of games, diagrams,
typical and non-standard positions, thou-
sands of moves of different character,
strong and ... weak. How many impro-
bable mysteries, original ideas, deeply
calculated combinations, and sometimes
serious blunders have been concealed in
them!
We have constantly encountered the
solving of complicated problems, which
at times have been very difficult. But step
by step we have advanced, one moment
proceeding smoothly, the next plunging
into wild and unfathomable complications.
From this lengthy analytical journey in
the Sicilian Defence we have emerged, I
hope, different players: hardened, self-
confident, not losing our composure at
anxious moments, not doubting our
choice ...
The main problem facing the author
was this: to arm the reader with a reliable
guide, so that he should not lose his way
in the maze of one of the most popular
openings of our time, with its complex
middlegame patterns and subtle endgames.
And if even to a slight degree this aim has
been achieved, the author will consider
that his work of more than two years was
not in vain ...
To all Sicilian players, I wish you
success!
Index of Garnes

(bold type indicates that the player had the white pieces)

AKOPIAN-Boleslavsky lO4 BYRNE R.-Andersson 51

-Fischer 35
ANDERSSON-Byrne R. 51
-Polugayevsky 62
-Karpov 52
-Ljubojevic 78 BYVSHEV-Tolush lO2
ARNASON-Kasparov 132 CHANDLER-Yudasin 112
AVERBAKH-Vasyukov 88 CHERNIKOV-Nezhm.etdinov 110
BALASHOV-Polugayevsky 6 CHIKOVANI-Polugayevsky 59
BARLOV-Kral 114 DE FIRMIAN-Ivanchuk 17
-Polugayevsky 67
BEDNARSKI-Lehmann 36
DENKER-Sm.yslov 30
BELYAVSKY-Marin 122
DOLMATOV-Karpov 40
BOLESLAVSKY-Akopian lO4 -Olafsson H. 147
-Bondarevsky 61 -Watson 142
-Estrin 18
-Khasin 99 DONNER-Polugayevsky 33
-Klyavin 49 DUBININ-Nezhm.etdinov 26
-Kotov 74
-Lisitsyn 70 ERMENKOV-Gufeld 157
-Litvinov 146 ESTRIN-Boleslavsky 18
-Tarnowski 42
-Thom.as 41 EVANS-Fuchs 150
-Vasyukov 153 FEDOROWICZ-Gheorghiu 80
-Yudovich 71
FISCHER-Byrne R. 35
BONDAREVSKY-Boleslavsky 61 -Geller 21
BOTVINNIK-Keres 11 -Rossetto 143
-Neikirch 72 -Taimanov 144
-Padevsky 98 FUCHS-Evans 150
-Sm.yslov 9
-Sm.yslov 27 GAPRINDASHVILI-Servaty 25
-Suetin 10 GELLER-Fischer 21
-Ivkov 22
BOUAZIZ-Salov 15
-Larsen 13
BRONSTEIN-Najdorf 87 -Muchnik 151
-Vukic 90 -Polugayevsky 18

160
 Index of Games 161

-Reshevsky 28 KUZMIN-Sveshnikov 19
-UitUDlen 152
LARSEN-Geller 13
GEORGADZE-Polugayevsky 55 -Tal 94
-Tal 82 -van den Berg 109
GHEORGHIU-Fedorowicz 80 LEHMANN-Bednarski 36
GUFELD-Ermenkov 157 LlSITSYN-Boleslavsky 70
HJARTARSON-Polugayevsky 148 LITVINOV-Boleslavsky 146
HOR T-Karpov 56 LjUBOjEVIC-Andersson 78
-Portisch 125
IV ANCHUK-De FirlDian 17
-Polugayevsky 16 MAKOGONOV-Rauzer 85
IVKOV-Geller 22 MARIN-Belyavsky 122
-Polugayevsky 134
MARIOTTI-Tal 124
-Taimanov 127
MAT ANOVIC-Polugayevsky 44
jANSA-Polugayevsky 100
-Sokolov A. 92 MATULOVIC-Krnic 105
KARPOV-Andersson 52 MECKING-Karpov 73
-Dolmatov 40
MESTEL-Polugayevsky 45
-Hort 56
-Kavalek 154 MIAGMARSUREN-Stein 133
-Mecking 73
MILES-Karpov 140
-Miles 140
-Nunn 31 MOROVIC-Polugayevsky 123
-Sax 107
MUCHNIK-Geller 151
KASPAROV-Arnason 132
NAjDORF-Bronstein 87
KA V ALEK-Karpov 154
NEIKIRCH-Botvinnik 72
KERES-Botvinnik 11
NEZHMETDINOV-Chernikov 110
KHASIN-Boleslavsky 99 -Dubinin 26
-Stein 103
NUNN-Karpov 31
KLOVAN-Timoshchenko 37
OLAFSSON H.-DollDatov 147
KLYAVIN-Boleslavsky 49
PADEVSKY-Botvinnik 98
KOSTRO-Simagin III
PANOV-Simagin 101
KOTOV-Boleslavsky 74
PARMA-Stein 106
-Polugayevsky 121
PERES YPKIN -Sveshnikov 91
KOTTNAUER-SlDyslov 5
POLUGAYEVSKY-Balashov 6
KRAL-Barlov 114 -Byrne R. 62
-Chikovani 59
KRNIC-Matulovic 105
-De FirlDian 67
KUPREICHIK-Polugayevsky 14 -Donner 33
162 Index of Games

-Geller 18 -Sakharov 83
-Georgadze 55
SISNIEGA-Tal 128
-Hjartarson 148
-Ivanchuk 16 SMYSLOV-Botvinnik 9
-Ivkov 134 -Botvinnik 27
-Jansa 100 -Denker 30
-Kotov 121 -Kottnauer 5
-Kupreichik 14 -Portisch 156
-Matanovic 44 -Rudakovsky 30
-Mestel 45
SOKOLOV A.-Jansa 92
-Morovic 123
-Popovic 32 SPASSKY-Portisch 64
-Rodriguez AIIl. 138
STEIN-Khasin 103
-Scholl 149
-Miagmarsuren 133
-Shipov 77
-Parma 106
-Sidorov 131
-Sigurjonsson 50
-Tal 43
-Szabo 126
POPOVIC-Po1ugayevsky 32 -Tal 95
PORTISCH-Ljubojevic 125 SUETIN-Botvinnik 10
-SlIlyslov 156 -Yuferov 137
-Spassky 64
SVESHNIKOV -Gutierrez 38
PSAKHIS-Taborov 141 -Kuzlllin 19
-Peresypkin 91
RAUZER-Makogonov 85
SZABO-Stein 126
RA VINSK Y-Simagin 97
TABOROV-Psakhis 141
RESHEVSKY-Geller 28
TAIMANOV-Ivkov 127
RODRIGUEZ AM.-Po1ugayevsky 138 -Fischer 144
ROSSETTO-Fischer 143 -Zaitsev I. 129
T AL-Georgadze 82
RUDAKOVSKY-SlIlyslov 30
-Larsen 94
SAKHAROV-Simagin 83 -Mariotti 124
-Polugayevsky 43
SALOV-Bouaziz 15
-Sisniega 128
SAX-Karpov 107 -Stein 95
SCHOLL-Polugayevsky 149 TARNOWSKI-Boleslavsky 42
SER V A TY -Gaprindashvili 25 THOMAS-Boleslavsky 41
SHIPOV-Polugayevsky 77 TIMOSHCHENKO-Klovan 37

SIDOROV-Polugayevsky 131 TOLUSH-Byvshev 102

SIG URJONSSOI\' -Stein 50 UITUMEN-Geller 152

SIMAGIN-Kostro III VAN DEN BERG-Larsen 109

-Panov 101 V ASYUKOV -Averbakh 88
-Ravinsky 97 -Boleslavsky 153
 Index of Games 163

VUKIC-Bronstein 90 YUDOVICH-Boleslavsky 71
WATSON-Dobnatov 142 YUFEROV-Suetin 137
YUDASIN-Chandler 112 ZAITSEV I.-Taimanov 129