tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64644968337300374962024-03-12T19:21:09.549-07:00Musings on ChessSundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-27576867487228445822023-03-23T09:48:00.001-07:002023-03-23T10:17:24.497-07:00Theory of Corresponding Squares<p> In Endgame theory, especially in King and Pawn endgames there is a concept known as Corresponding Squares (Sister Squares as mentioned by some Russian authors) which always seemed as quite a complex part of the endgame for me since my childhood. My memory vaguely wanders around some books by Jonathon Speelman and Averbakh. Personally, I have never had this concept in any of my endgames. I also, do not recall having even seen them in recent praxis. OfCourse Dvoretsky and Mueller have also dealt with this topic in their own endgame manuals in a very detailed manner. </p><p>In a recent game of Rasmus Svane, I happened to notice an endgame with four pawns for each side and his opponent having the better minor piece and a better placed King. My friend Thorsten Cmiel had shared the following position with a comment that it needed to be solved by the system of corresponding squares.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy4eGULV3ZakQ47q0iqi2mj1L5Zonw0HYTrz3RCnAnM7iPewdTr-BtxE99wSkRhrF_LmlFDQIsLOr0OzPL-_iPDzEXuSkmOI2fWHoyCYYMZiZD52W5y0YBuSXF0EOO45NA9kDT27JFvm_CeqWcenAayw4f4IYuGfOYGKj-rCa3nJeLZAK9M6gwyaEkQ/s520/Kourkoulos%20Arditis%20Stamatis%20-%20Svane%20R..%20(56.Nd7).gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy4eGULV3ZakQ47q0iqi2mj1L5Zonw0HYTrz3RCnAnM7iPewdTr-BtxE99wSkRhrF_LmlFDQIsLOr0OzPL-_iPDzEXuSkmOI2fWHoyCYYMZiZD52W5y0YBuSXF0EOO45NA9kDT27JFvm_CeqWcenAayw4f4IYuGfOYGKj-rCa3nJeLZAK9M6gwyaEkQ/s320/Kourkoulos%20Arditis%20Stamatis%20-%20Svane%20R..%20(56.Nd7).gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kourkolos-Svane Eu Ch 2023</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>This is the position from the abovementioned game after White's 56th move. I wanted to take a look at this position and try to understand if it indeed had to be solved by the process of corresponding squares. A very basic look at the position gives a thought that this position ought to be won for White as the Knight would sooner or later win the f7- pawn and with it the game! Pawns being on a single flank and fixed on the same coloured squares as their own Bishop for Black seem to be a clear disadvantage. Black has complete lack of control of dark squares, and would not this mean that White would simply get his Knight to either d6 or d8 and finish the game off?</p><p>Looking a little further we see the Black's only chance to save the game (if indeed there is) is to use the long-range Bishop's power to stop White's knight from the reaching the squares from which it can attack Black's weakest spot on f7. Let us work backward on how this can be achieved. It is clear that the Bishop cannot control the dark squares namely g5,d6 and d8 from where the White's Knight can win out pawn on f7. So, logically the Bishop should prevent the Knight from reaching those dark sqaures by controlling the light squares from which the Knight can reach those key squares. This leads us to identifying the key squares that need to be controlled as follows: -</p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">e8, c8, b7, b5, c4, e4, f3, h3</span></i></p><p>If the Bishop can take care of these squares and stop White's Knight can reaching them it is safe to say that Black will manage not to lose the game. So is this knowledge enough to make a draw in this position? Let us see the further course of the game.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>56...Bb7! 57.Nb6 Ba6! 58.Na4</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidr85g6G9CvmFSyYZYg1pDps_-MZVHjuUvujJykXj7z-rapzf9u6ZBoD5K45ByP_SXLOUyx6mPPwbIICzs5v1NMZeSH8qa_jGYGJ1OyviAS7Z-P6AHT8JquffiyIPzehLKhQXBh868i_h7fgZWmdx_fbfS7A5yAyWgI9AUUB9ruKpOoeruANSCXuI3Jw/s520/Kourkoulos%20Arditis%20Stamatis%20-%20Svane%20R..%20(58.Na4).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidr85g6G9CvmFSyYZYg1pDps_-MZVHjuUvujJykXj7z-rapzf9u6ZBoD5K45ByP_SXLOUyx6mPPwbIICzs5v1NMZeSH8qa_jGYGJ1OyviAS7Z-P6AHT8JquffiyIPzehLKhQXBh868i_h7fgZWmdx_fbfS7A5yAyWgI9AUUB9ruKpOoeruANSCXuI3Jw/s320/Kourkoulos%20Arditis%20Stamatis%20-%20Svane%20R..%20(58.Na4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />This is the position that was shared by Thorsten, and it was here that Black had gone wrong and went on to lose the game. Let us see how the game continued<p></p><p><b>58...Bb5? 59. Nc5! Bc6 60. Nb3 Be4 61. Nd4 +- </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBdAccqKOmBYHWS4Y6FtJR_bwqm6G4txfQQWkfW78_hsaXX9lJHHdnyWjF_L5kT3yxzLLHfm1Z9MS_7B4DzrlW5s-JtlbGHRuMolWZ2deZjvZHUu8sxGHCvZYXzVr4H0luvl8UHhY9u8jkgyWF-Aq5SRH4WWWIBAGN7rxjrY6b0yfdzrJTi9MitTzfw/s520/Kourkoulos%20Arditis%20Stamatis%20-%20Svane%20R..%20(61.Nd4).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBdAccqKOmBYHWS4Y6FtJR_bwqm6G4txfQQWkfW78_hsaXX9lJHHdnyWjF_L5kT3yxzLLHfm1Z9MS_7B4DzrlW5s-JtlbGHRuMolWZ2deZjvZHUu8sxGHCvZYXzVr4H0luvl8UHhY9u8jkgyWF-Aq5SRH4WWWIBAGN7rxjrY6b0yfdzrJTi9MitTzfw/s320/Kourkoulos%20Arditis%20Stamatis%20-%20Svane%20R..%20(61.Nd4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here we see that Black cannot stop White's Knight from reaching the key squares from where the f7-pawn can be attacked. So Black resorted to desperation with <p></p><p><b>61...g5</b> but White went on to win the game after <b>62. fxg5 Bd3 63. Nc6 Bc2 64. Nd8 Bg6 65. Nb7 Be4 66. Nd6 Bg6 67. Ne8+ Kg8 68. Kf6 Kf8 69.Ng7 1-0 </b></p><p>Black resigned as he loses another pawn.<b> </b>Taking a look at the last diagram we see that the <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>d4</b></span></i> square is an incredible one for White's Knight. From here he is threatening to jump to <i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">c6, b5 and f3</span></b></i> and Black's Bishop has no square on the board from where it can stop all these three jumps.</p><p>This leads us to understand that White' Knight must be absolutely stopped from reaching d4 at any cost in order to save the game. This means that we should not let the Knight reach <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>b3, c2 and e2</b> </span></i>as well!</p><p>Given this understanding, going back to the 58 th move we see that Black had to play </p><p><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">58...Bc4!</span> </b>as he has to meet<b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">59. Nc5</span> </b>with<b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Bd5</span></b> (from this square Black controls both the key squares b7 and b3 and thus holds fort)</p><p>Coming back to our topic of corresponding squares, they are squares which our pieces have to be ( in this case our Bishop) corresponding to the opponent's (in this case the Knight) at a given time. From the given example we see the Corresponding to <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">c5</span></i> for White's Knight Black's Bishop has to be on <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">d5</span></i>. So this is a corresponding square. No other square on the board would help black save the game! By thinking further we come to the following set of corresponding squares:-</p><p><br /></p><p> <u>White Knight</u> : <u>Black Bishop</u></p><p>1. d7 : b7</p><p>2. b6<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> : a6</span></p><p><span>3. c5<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> : d5</span></span></p><p><span><span>4. c3<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> : d3</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>5. d3 : f3</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>6. f2 : f5, g2</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>7.c1 : d1</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>8. a2 : c2</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>There could be further correspondence squares, but as far as I mapped out these seem to be enough. Based on the above chart, I also give a sample line. In fact the chart was worked out from moving pieces around and is given in retrospection!</span></span></span></p><p><span><b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">58.... Bc4! 59. Nc3 Bd3! 60. Nd1 ( 60.Na2 Bc2!) 60.... Bf1 61. Nf2 Bg2! 62. Nd3 Bf3! 63.Nc5 Bd5!</span></i> </b>and we are back to a position that was already analysed.</span></p><p><span>By practical application in this position I could understand the concept of corresponding squares a little bit better. It is actually working things in reverse. This is a key idea in composing Chess Studies, as my friend Grandmaster Sandipan, who being a very inventive composer, can no doubt vouch to. Since I do not have any personal experience in composing studies, I could relate this to composing a poem, particularly in Venba metre ( a form of Tamil Poetry) where each word needs to be in correspondence or relation with the next and previous one and many a time the composition of poetry goes in reverse like the 4th line of the poem and then going backward with the third line and so on!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJj6TUWO1iA0mfLlGASE34BI-fCzFyCXNI1Q6kkSBCck1PuDF_GANhdP2truQp0SutI0SNQ32Kn3mRCy79j0soRuqcw09UxItY6t3Vxv0-4dSuYZCwqba_9dvTLKWN-xl10DTvR23yOa2lq_9JHQwH922gFJXDihexQkoAiHkuzML95DrZjj5mkwNGWQ/s520/Keres%20Raud9.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJj6TUWO1iA0mfLlGASE34BI-fCzFyCXNI1Q6kkSBCck1PuDF_GANhdP2truQp0SutI0SNQ32Kn3mRCy79j0soRuqcw09UxItY6t3Vxv0-4dSuYZCwqba_9dvTLKWN-xl10DTvR23yOa2lq_9JHQwH922gFJXDihexQkoAiHkuzML95DrZjj5mkwNGWQ/s320/Keres%20Raud9.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>In order to understand this endgame better, I tried to see what happens if it were Black to move here. We have established that the Bishop cannot move and so it needs to be seen as what happens after a move such as </span></p><p><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>1... Kg8!?</i> </b>White wins after<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>2. Nd7! Bb7 3. Nf6+ idea Ne8</i> </b>and the Knight reaches d6 and wins the game<span style="color: #2b00fe;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">or if <i style="color: #2b00fe;">2... Bc6 3. Nb6!</i> </span>wins for White as Black is not able to reach the corresponding square a6 on time with his Bishop.</p><p><span>This shows that the corresponding squares are also positions of mutual zugzwang and Black does not have any extra moves with his King!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KM4937kgvgBYiJmsskS8hcpCZmvXwKLq14Ab2jglNewsy9OaiL_oR9HlGUKf58jfuquVvJMul5gELX-NFM0HP4eUkUFli11_t8nDvtVRoowlYRbgb0W7HAFOVOlVdBNi2p20slPgfrwWclVrhJ7_Q1v56pcJyNLU6NxWrIV4HbY-D02ekoG1__UsHQ/s536/Hey.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KM4937kgvgBYiJmsskS8hcpCZmvXwKLq14Ab2jglNewsy9OaiL_oR9HlGUKf58jfuquVvJMul5gELX-NFM0HP4eUkUFli11_t8nDvtVRoowlYRbgb0W7HAFOVOlVdBNi2p20slPgfrwWclVrhJ7_Q1v56pcJyNLU6NxWrIV4HbY-D02ekoG1__UsHQ/s320/Hey.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span><span>The above position is a composition by <b>Hey</b> taken from Averbakh's monumental comprehensive Chess Endgames. Black is needs to defend both the a5 pawn and also against White's Knight reaching f7. </span></span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CHbWKD9ZRtjxjzPyeArVigcdoq6JoHX4cSEGTzvEXlILSza2porXI4WXN16arPUOaq3aLcwAVCtgDbmpf6_HvgZ_PyYH-5bFIldnjd96aLJ3Sear64ghMQHlKUYFIK8WEAUm7slxZ0knwyp0piflcfyhX9GCckSYUT_GFSjp69aUn7YyYgpoMvsTEA/s520/Bondarenko.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CHbWKD9ZRtjxjzPyeArVigcdoq6JoHX4cSEGTzvEXlILSza2porXI4WXN16arPUOaq3aLcwAVCtgDbmpf6_HvgZ_PyYH-5bFIldnjd96aLJ3Sear64ghMQHlKUYFIK8WEAUm7slxZ0knwyp0piflcfyhX9GCckSYUT_GFSjp69aUn7YyYgpoMvsTEA/s320/Bondarenko.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span><span><span>This position is a composition of Bondarenko and a more complex one compared to the previous position. But White still draws the game with right play. I urge the readers to analyse these positions and check for themselves how this is so. I have given the solution in the replayable link as a chessbase file which contains all three positions with their varied lines.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>I forgot to mention the important principle that came to mind while studying these endgames, it reminded me of the <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Knight's inability to lose a move against a Bishop</span></i>, perhaps this is the key to why this endgame is not indeed won for the side with the Knight. OfCourse everything depends on the specifics of a position and all rules are only generalizations.</span></span></span></p><p>I would like to thank my student Rajesh with whom I moved the pieces around and discussed the Svane game and throughly enjoyed doing so! I also thank Thorsten for sharing the above position and hinting at looking at the Principle of Corresponding Squares! </p><p>There are much more complex positions in King and Pawn Endgames in the Principle of Corresponding Squares, but these examples illustrate a slightly different theme ie. Knight versus Bishop endgames with positional advantage for the side with the Knight.</p><p>Happy learning Corresponding Squares Principle in Endgames!</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=VryTqgBTHFckeH+ZakNaNmkXtEBu8PawJwMiWVLVBxa/m/i2zk1Woc60vSsOSjvq" target="_blank">Replayable link to the games</a><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-51167175233887352072022-10-22T19:59:00.002-07:002022-10-23T00:40:51.470-07:00Thoughts on Anish and Sandipan master classes ( Pro Chess Diaries)Grandmasters Anish Giri and Sandipan Chanda were giving a master class on the same day (Oct 21st, 2022) in Pro Chess, and I was given an opportunity to witness the interesting Chess Lessons being discussed in those sessions. Any Chess fan would of course be thrilled with it and my experience was absolutely the same too! In this article I share a few interesting positions and thought processes I encountered from these sessions, for the readers to get a view of the nuggets of wisdom that were unearthed there. <span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><i><b>First Session- Anish Giri</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div>Anish discussed two of his recent games from the recent Olympiad that took place in Chennai. Interestingly both the games featured the currently popular (and one of my favourites) Catalan Opening. The first game was his game against Nils Grandelius with the Black pieces. I remember seeing a game between the same two people in Doha 2014 from close quarters. It was a wonderful endgame and I believe that ever since Anish has won quite a few good games against Nils. This Olympiad's game was also a very good one, from which I will share few interesting moments.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyzKRLW-9kLaMeNQM6w7PZsv-5Vg7i2YlTKk1-LKXEIS12B98IkKBmYRq28Gd1OTW_URDTTGcX-Vcbk4QW8hVx4_WdSkJcF8OYs9vIPB6JtJhWLshf-8c2MLhlDro4HP2mN7erPSONglQWB6HAeyVvmnfI8FVJRd-AP-i8YIGLqweiH_EG7JSz9-1jA/s504/Grandelius%20N..%20-%20Giri%20A..%20(15.Bf4).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyzKRLW-9kLaMeNQM6w7PZsv-5Vg7i2YlTKk1-LKXEIS12B98IkKBmYRq28Gd1OTW_URDTTGcX-Vcbk4QW8hVx4_WdSkJcF8OYs9vIPB6JtJhWLshf-8c2MLhlDro4HP2mN7erPSONglQWB6HAeyVvmnfI8FVJRd-AP-i8YIGLqweiH_EG7JSz9-1jA/s320/Grandelius%20N..%20-%20Giri%20A..%20(15.Bf4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Here Anish continued with <b>15...g5!</b> and as he explained the idea is not to go for mate, but to drive the bishop away from a good diagonal. Personally, I liked the idea of getting a better version of stonewall.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK_wXUbFH2s3Cx9c4QLxgRfLceI3dXoiT00N-xNOjCUjC7MnQ4HG135w16XZx7_3e4za5hXS_Dbn04xwGAMjX2X3zH7c09z2U7PGzS4b7xTA6k0us_woygtnRYcwMSkFMm5IOFwezD-XXBX2ap-0x5sY3WPIGepBMDNoAlCI6BFYFtKBLu9JmNyt-xA/s504/Grandelius%20N..%20-%20Giri%20A..%20(28...Bxe5).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK_wXUbFH2s3Cx9c4QLxgRfLceI3dXoiT00N-xNOjCUjC7MnQ4HG135w16XZx7_3e4za5hXS_Dbn04xwGAMjX2X3zH7c09z2U7PGzS4b7xTA6k0us_woygtnRYcwMSkFMm5IOFwezD-XXBX2ap-0x5sY3WPIGepBMDNoAlCI6BFYFtKBLu9JmNyt-xA/s320/Grandelius%20N..%20-%20Giri%20A..%20(28...Bxe5).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Slowly Black took over when Anish outplayed his opponent in a technical fashion and won a pawn on the 29th move. However, the most interesting moment of the game is yet to come. It appears that Black should win easily being a pawn up, but things did not turn out to be as easy as it meets the eye. We join the position after Black's 44th move <b>44....Bf8!?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5yf0_D_Sove9IcvO1AlPiv2ZIaa7PbPdHIdYnoaoPVTTBNlVoncmA85R6oxHyAbZxbkpUavjZkyUHE1Z-Xg23PTijwt7uiKxunbsl22W7g1UMj4OHCItOdZthHMNlANo5a8Rg4qwmUe0HErhswIU5MW3e7fOQ5_7AF8HyvzHzh6tlk-sq7H8TxrGSQ/s504/Grandelius%20N..%20-%20Giri%20A..%20(44...Bf8!).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5yf0_D_Sove9IcvO1AlPiv2ZIaa7PbPdHIdYnoaoPVTTBNlVoncmA85R6oxHyAbZxbkpUavjZkyUHE1Z-Xg23PTijwt7uiKxunbsl22W7g1UMj4OHCItOdZthHMNlANo5a8Rg4qwmUe0HErhswIU5MW3e7fOQ5_7AF8HyvzHzh6tlk-sq7H8TxrGSQ/s320/Grandelius%20N..%20-%20Giri%20A..%20(44...Bf8!).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div>As Anish explained, Nils started shaking his head here and was clearly disappointed with the way the game turned out and started going downhill from here. The Question posed to us was - Can White do something to save the game? I would urge the readers to think about this before reading the explanation further down.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was considering all the moves, and nothing seemed too satisfactory to the extent that I started thinking about e4 later on ЁЯШД. The idea when Anish pointed elicited an expression of utter amazement and showed the beauty and depth hidden in seemingly simple positions. White can actually sacrifice the piece with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">49. Qxa6! Bc5 50. Qxb5 Bxb6 51.e3. </span>There is nothing forced after this, but White's compensation being as follows: -</div><div><br /></div><div><i>1. The a-pawn being a diverting tool to keep Black's pieces at bay.</i></div><div><i>2. In order to use the extra piece Black has to create an attack against White's King. </i></div><div><i>3.To do this he needs to go for a f4 break sooner or later, but this leads to a wrong color h-pawn.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>But I still find it extremely hard to fathom the idea that only one pawn is enough for the piece when so much more material remains on the board. An endgame well worth deep study as Capablanca would have put it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anish showed his game versus Eric Hansen next, where he had the White pieces. Let us look at some interesting moments from that game.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3pFbfwApZtkExqMh-jmS-7Q--njZUlDPKlewDhfFIOmjQtU1FMWkratJuKpTADQl2IWqgMybfJx6B0RwhNdRfLqrmgoERMZydHweFt5WiSGoQNKMFcYfd3qsW0Y_apdVlNCYXrPhwv6akgpwKyd3gTLHKX-4WqwF3P3LYlj-OvEwB22ochJwXRkbYw/s520/Giri%20A.%20-%20Hansen%20Eric%20(16...Nd5!%20).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3pFbfwApZtkExqMh-jmS-7Q--njZUlDPKlewDhfFIOmjQtU1FMWkratJuKpTADQl2IWqgMybfJx6B0RwhNdRfLqrmgoERMZydHweFt5WiSGoQNKMFcYfd3qsW0Y_apdVlNCYXrPhwv6akgpwKyd3gTLHKX-4WqwF3P3LYlj-OvEwB22ochJwXRkbYw/s320/Giri%20A.%20-%20Hansen%20Eric%20(16...Nd5!%20).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Position after Black's <b>16...Nd5!? </b>Anish asked us a quick question; "would you play this or not- Yes, or no?" Almost all of us answered with a 'no' clearly not liking the reply <b>17. Rxc6, b</b>ut Pragg alone answered with "am not sure" which Anish told us was the right answer! The move was not as bad as it does on first looks! There were several other interesting moments and questions from the game, but I conclude with a position that arose in a variation from the game.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo15eGgf-_TC-s3oT6Q44YzJf1adQ8kyk83fZmuoJX9KPELwTPgDVlKzTcPBTuh3IMCJWkQVQqLBwfOfRvfmyvmuViWG5l6mTK2zrEDbgYunTqGNoUBrmgjM9sPe6w6S9Q46uxC5k1j_e7dDGqaGk9AEO1PONqc9ZVnbcu451qdLFs8AtdBR_BLFOow/s520/Giri%20A.%20-%20Hansen%20Eric%20(32...Bh4).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo15eGgf-_TC-s3oT6Q44YzJf1adQ8kyk83fZmuoJX9KPELwTPgDVlKzTcPBTuh3IMCJWkQVQqLBwfOfRvfmyvmuViWG5l6mTK2zrEDbgYunTqGNoUBrmgjM9sPe6w6S9Q46uxC5k1j_e7dDGqaGk9AEO1PONqc9ZVnbcu451qdLFs8AtdBR_BLFOow/s320/Giri%20A.%20-%20Hansen%20Eric%20(32...Bh4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>How should White continue here? Anish had planned to play <span style="color: #2b00fe;">33.Nh1!</span> here with the idea of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Bc6</span> followed by <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Kg2</span> and <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ng3</span> if required. I hit upon this move pretty easily as I was aware of the Miles vs Makarichev 1984 where there was a similar Nh1 idea in an endgame!</div><div><br /></div><div>Let us move on to the next session of Sandipan: -</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>Second Session - Sandipan Chanda</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>It was a pleasure to listen to my friend Sandipan in his role as a lecturer. From my experience I know his zeal for Indepth analysis in endgames and compositions. Here is the first position he showed.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcF2Lo7lKeVyJs_gZhpVdWFDogdY3IWS_7Q8_rbkVqFS79g4aDnKesBZmaz5lG6YrCjCmQ9Z4roPO39U2RojRo4arFnQ3mJkf39PvlVpJGVVW3lVVjwCfHq7k_9F4eFzD8sG2GI7WcNLWQJZLOT0Tn9vrw5KXtRpBIqTPcS4TJsToAyL43v9T9sYq8g/s504/Keres%20Raud1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcF2Lo7lKeVyJs_gZhpVdWFDogdY3IWS_7Q8_rbkVqFS79g4aDnKesBZmaz5lG6YrCjCmQ9Z4roPO39U2RojRo4arFnQ3mJkf39PvlVpJGVVW3lVVjwCfHq7k_9F4eFzD8sG2GI7WcNLWQJZLOT0Tn9vrw5KXtRpBIqTPcS4TJsToAyL43v9T9sYq8g/s320/Keres%20Raud1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div>Sandipan asked us to evaluate this position. Many of us felt that Black was doing fine because of the wonderful knight on d5. However, this was not the real picture as we later saw in the game. Here White continued <b>h4! </b>which was an important move. It is a good idea to fix Black's structure with a pawn on h5 which will be to White's advantage in all coming endgames.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLwDNsXIsRGSs55zEVAjlzQVi475RT4UB4qwCOvFIEdoTeoTm5BWWIh-I1flGcM-2KKO8gmc8ttVVxMw-U3GclHUk2taT-k4lxccO15p2TAewA0hJsZlPRfdPe5beyTU8xZy4187HJ3-5qCid0D4zdIXkydxj4_5OUSnrcGPhF9rM5YDb4XtmMKcoYA/s504/Keres%20Raud2.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLwDNsXIsRGSs55zEVAjlzQVi475RT4UB4qwCOvFIEdoTeoTm5BWWIh-I1flGcM-2KKO8gmc8ttVVxMw-U3GclHUk2taT-k4lxccO15p2TAewA0hJsZlPRfdPe5beyTU8xZy4187HJ3-5qCid0D4zdIXkydxj4_5OUSnrcGPhF9rM5YDb4XtmMKcoYA/s320/Keres%20Raud2.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div> Sandipan also posed us conceptual questions like whether the exchange of light squared Bishops is to White's or Black's advantage. Visually it seems that it favours Black, but a deeper look shows that it favours White! For example let us see this position.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhTZDEGEkIPkl78CiHZeZNLeYjjrAQ_3JsWF-G5HzTe07VWxxOK6fIPnLCYOEHL7gOOKgnMZYzZvGXkXjzXo96KJIxBNAolXbSUIU6EWpOQFg6RzBtU4Vio8-ZDC8SphkE_R0j3zrz0xjxXmavZfBF_Wr_uQlsa_J1rvu0i4sN2S4PSYYW5DYk3Sceg/s504/Keres%20Raud3.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhTZDEGEkIPkl78CiHZeZNLeYjjrAQ_3JsWF-G5HzTe07VWxxOK6fIPnLCYOEHL7gOOKgnMZYzZvGXkXjzXo96KJIxBNAolXbSUIU6EWpOQFg6RzBtU4Vio8-ZDC8SphkE_R0j3zrz0xjxXmavZfBF_Wr_uQlsa_J1rvu0i4sN2S4PSYYW5DYk3Sceg/s320/Keres%20Raud3.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>White has the strong plan of g4-f4-f5 and f6 which leads to a winning advantage. The exchange of the light squared Bishops has helped White's King to come to the centre really quickly and this leads to a big advantage.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhws0xyjmeimgwsW8AuG2myLD_BAFli2butVUKVv-cBp0EQlcGRHbGCc_8aM5SMf32k1yFRVQpMgvUMn8wlKgpydxWJBK2NKfXxGgSPdpYif1oP1DLofL6QlyyanY_gdE6nke1T47Dx1rc1QLnZ_QZl22kSYCv3wb0QMOWmfcQR2LesXp86s-Xe08JCYw/s504/Keres%20Raud4.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhws0xyjmeimgwsW8AuG2myLD_BAFli2butVUKVv-cBp0EQlcGRHbGCc_8aM5SMf32k1yFRVQpMgvUMn8wlKgpydxWJBK2NKfXxGgSPdpYif1oP1DLofL6QlyyanY_gdE6nke1T47Dx1rc1QLnZ_QZl22kSYCv3wb0QMOWmfcQR2LesXp86s-Xe08JCYw/s320/Keres%20Raud4.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Sandipan also had a golden piece of observation in such endgames. He mentioned that in open positions when the Knight is defending against the Bishop, the presence of an isolated pawn (like e5 pawn here) is better for defence as it controls entry squares of the opponent's King!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB1w_EmMmUeaAw8wUcT-ug2kNu89IoW5s3mLRgSF2wntMAZgaWkcsRYF34uOOTEqqWVttFOwRxluuJ_whp1-T1nSkjFW5uQnBafLy8mDdZ72xkUp-jG8KiS5PZJyR9hlm3xhke1_HO67q5ifPgwZPgjqSeEAOeAIoqCNVrgOM_J1SF7M69mLGINfAVg/s504/Keres%20Raud5.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB1w_EmMmUeaAw8wUcT-ug2kNu89IoW5s3mLRgSF2wntMAZgaWkcsRYF34uOOTEqqWVttFOwRxluuJ_whp1-T1nSkjFW5uQnBafLy8mDdZ72xkUp-jG8KiS5PZJyR9hlm3xhke1_HO67q5ifPgwZPgjqSeEAOeAIoqCNVrgOM_J1SF7M69mLGINfAVg/s320/Keres%20Raud5.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>This was another position that Sandipan gave us to find the plan. The first part of the plan was to bring the Bishop to e2 in order to force Black to play g6. But how can this factor be significant? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLs2hDKHVdpqyAyRakPZu618VHVtsXKlY0XLIP0CInHq7y-nd8JZAdSiyFSMZXDJZq_JXkmacQM9SsOLhDCVE-Q3UYng4fVWfPTC9pM1VJiXyR9iZ3oUYMqbaKvKn5FQhuM4pNCUiQpryu1SlACOnJy4owAx0ocHIEGGoLPhi9FW4Ooul9RoHYT65sQ/s504/Keres%20Raud6.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLs2hDKHVdpqyAyRakPZu618VHVtsXKlY0XLIP0CInHq7y-nd8JZAdSiyFSMZXDJZq_JXkmacQM9SsOLhDCVE-Q3UYng4fVWfPTC9pM1VJiXyR9iZ3oUYMqbaKvKn5FQhuM4pNCUiQpryu1SlACOnJy4owAx0ocHIEGGoLPhi9FW4Ooul9RoHYT65sQ/s320/Keres%20Raud6.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Later on White reached this position and exchanged one of the Bishops for opponent's Knight. Black has meanwhile taken his King to the centre to defend the weakness on d6. How to make further progress from here remains to be seen.With the presence of the pawn on g6, White actually decides to prepare and walk his King up the dark squares like Nigel Short!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafpACtpFD03Xw8R_Lk4q2LpJRcU0nzWAJ1DMErRrVGdc_g5zobL8Na4IQR-G5JOFCr3Spj3EP5xf4uhmQAKAUt5UXcuP0ylkS834UmO19bE9A-iUmlszAmjPJMGZeVXrCG5YuY8U1_5OpOi2GTQ-lALhHMIz64R6EnN-s0QedL6mWiMtr63dJYop6vw/s504/Keres%20Raud7.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafpACtpFD03Xw8R_Lk4q2LpJRcU0nzWAJ1DMErRrVGdc_g5zobL8Na4IQR-G5JOFCr3Spj3EP5xf4uhmQAKAUt5UXcuP0ylkS834UmO19bE9A-iUmlszAmjPJMGZeVXrCG5YuY8U1_5OpOi2GTQ-lALhHMIz64R6EnN-s0QedL6mWiMtr63dJYop6vw/s320/Keres%20Raud7.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The position speaks for itself! White used the King as an extra piece which was the decisive factor in tilting the position in his favour. This is my concluding position and I thoroughly enjoyed the several interesting endgames that Sandipan showed us from the games of computer engines! I hope this gave the readers enough chess food to munch on! </div><div><br /></div><div>My thanks to Anish,Sandipan, Ganguly and ProChess. Adios.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-9152965356852752722022-10-10T03:41:00.002-07:002022-10-10T03:44:40.608-07:00You are your own enemy<p><i> "<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); color: #8a5a02; font-family: cursive; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;">рдЖрддреНрдореИрд╡ рд╣реНрдпрд╛рддреНрдордиреЛ рдмрдиреНрдзреБрд░рд╛рддреНрдореИрд╡ рд░рд┐рдкреБрд░рд╛рддреНрдорди:"</span></i></p><p><i><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); color: #8a5a02; font-family: cursive; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;">-Bhagavath Geetha</span></i></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">The above quote from the Bhagavath Geetha (the dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna) means that the Self is one's own and friend and that it is also its own enemy! The verse is quite philosophical and has its own deeper meanings for the seeker. However, my idea of quoting the above statement was not with that in mind. From the perspective of a chess, can a unit of our army be a friend or foe depending on the circumstances? From experience we know that the answer is a resounding, yes!</span></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">While coming across a recent game of Nihal Sarin, these thoughts about a typical chess strategy emerged, which I will try and enlist to arouse the curiosity of the interested reader.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mLmODOqpZzgtG9IRsTJ9fI4Ft63D9kAVobebjnIuGMHMCfRASEne6MP5S-hnNEHU2V_VbC7yHe1F9P7lw2ZdIdyM6mfaUt7cNKGvzhBCZ_Je2uoBpJqF2vVPEjlLR_Wzam6iztd5u33AZrNNCKMPetD6O3cncc4nPpdIRsI06JjO8mJZYMWkLzH4nw/s500/Nihal%20Sarin%20-%20Kuzubov%20Yuriy%20(63...Rxh6).gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mLmODOqpZzgtG9IRsTJ9fI4Ft63D9kAVobebjnIuGMHMCfRASEne6MP5S-hnNEHU2V_VbC7yHe1F9P7lw2ZdIdyM6mfaUt7cNKGvzhBCZ_Je2uoBpJqF2vVPEjlLR_Wzam6iztd5u33AZrNNCKMPetD6O3cncc4nPpdIRsI06JjO8mJZYMWkLzH4nw/s320/Nihal%20Sarin%20-%20Kuzubov%20Yuriy%20(63...Rxh6).gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nihal Sarin-Kuzubov ECC 2022</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-align: center;">We join the position after Black's 63rd move. Nihal played a fine game and outplayed Kuzubov from a balanced position and reached here. White's exceedingly active King and active pieces along with the fact that the Black's Bishop is sort of helpless in attack seem to show that White has a big advantage. At the moment White is a pawn down, but this is not of much relevance as all Black's remaining pawns are weak and can be captured sooner or later. White continued with the obvious tempo gaining capture</span><p></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><b>64.Nxg5+ Kg7 65. Rxh6 Kxh6 66. Ne4 Kg6 67. Nxc5 Kg5 68. Nb3 Kxg4 69. Nxa5 Be1 70. Nc4 Kf5</b></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><b>71. a5 Bxa5 72. Na5 </b>and the game was drawn. </span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">It is a bit surprising that the game ended in draw so soon, when it looked like White was dominating. Readers can pause and try and find how Nihal could have improved before reading further.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"> Let us turn our attention once again to the previous diagram, apart from the advantages that was listed earlier, there is one more feature which is, perhaps the most important. White has the choice of winning all of Black's pawns at will, but not all the pawns are of equal value! Ultimately, White wants to win the a-pawn and either queen it or collect Black's Bishop for the same. As regards Black's counterplay he would strive to give up his Bishop for the a-pawn and let his King eliminate White's only other pawn on the kingside. When we understand this factor we also see the importance of Black's pawn on g5 from our perspective! It impedes his own King from getting at White's pawn on g4, so Black's pawn effectively is the Saviour of White's g4 pawn!!</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">This meant that White had to resist the allure of capturing the g-pawn with a check and instead could have calmly continued with </span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">64. Rxh6 Kxh6 66. Nxc5 </span>an illustrative line would be as </span>follows: -</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">66...Kg6 67. Nb7 Kf6 68. Na5 Be1 69. Nc6!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sS5S9elcYiQQDDkY3bbdUlAWSW1bxQFujeYpRwtKWRhMYzsGFCELnDSLMvy0PTVzPBW2SggNp4wbBSqqJzMw2XTp0xczbuF02TPQhnyrBXBw8ZlyWBkKq81s5H6CN9kipK1gvkYX4jiprV94ncWa4Qie6bqzHPQPilS-I8VPTF5kXRQ479Hh2tYK5w/s500/Nihal%20Sarin%20-%20Kuzubov%20Yuriy%20(68.Nc6).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sS5S9elcYiQQDDkY3bbdUlAWSW1bxQFujeYpRwtKWRhMYzsGFCELnDSLMvy0PTVzPBW2SggNp4wbBSqqJzMw2XTp0xczbuF02TPQhnyrBXBw8ZlyWBkKq81s5H6CN9kipK1gvkYX4jiprV94ncWa4Qie6bqzHPQPilS-I8VPTF5kXRQ479Hh2tYK5w/s320/Nihal%20Sarin%20-%20Kuzubov%20Yuriy%20(68.Nc6).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>and White has achieved a domination like in the Kasparian's book of 2545 studies!<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 69...Ke6 </span>will be answered by<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 70. Nd4+ </span>and e5 is a mine that the Black King cannot step on due to fork.</p><p>The whole game was wonderfully played by Nihal in the style of Smyslov and it was a pity that he could not win the game with the non-capture! After looking at this game, it was impossible to not let my thoughts wander towards the very famous Karpov-Kasparov game 9 from their 1984 match.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyrt0vHhHXpuILtNlCnr2lES45jwPuNgnAgcGuLrtwEqUSSXYUynYKWGlm9h9wYHKE0D0v-GHO2oMRAkuEwfv5-BCxWoQnCMnSm1VRM5_gq7p6gY_P72pWpvYJDjkWRJV_fcKFIXiDkDYbAjdz-FGwjQjR7jiE1J3UhEW9UAAOl_VmlJBF0NwZCwJDw/s500/Karpov%20A.%20-%20Kasparov%20G.%20(46...gxh4%20).gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyrt0vHhHXpuILtNlCnr2lES45jwPuNgnAgcGuLrtwEqUSSXYUynYKWGlm9h9wYHKE0D0v-GHO2oMRAkuEwfv5-BCxWoQnCMnSm1VRM5_gq7p6gY_P72pWpvYJDjkWRJV_fcKFIXiDkDYbAjdz-FGwjQjR7jiE1J3UhEW9UAAOl_VmlJBF0NwZCwJDw/s320/Karpov%20A.%20-%20Kasparov%20G.%20(46...gxh4%20).gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Karpov-Kasparov 1984 Match game 9<br /><br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table>This is a very famous position after Black's erroneous 46th move <b>... gxh4</b>. Here Karpov played the celebrated <b>47. Ng2!!</b> <div>instead of recapturing on h4 with the pawn. Here too it is the same principle, if White had a pawn on h4, his King would be blocked from accessing that square and getting an entry further down into enemy's camp. So White willingly sacrifices the h4-pawn for utilizing the space for his King.</div><div><br /></div><div>One more position from the same game warrants attention.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kuvvJXVaXpHquwqDKOEdT8si8t0crM0zeBhT6fmaW8N2rCQmD2AU-W3XiAg0hWO_M3Z5LTN710HiRODGtuU5kOWt3w5vRroAjj9sUL3z1_uHzKebHIDZaOiLFjmcrk7cksPZwTqZLICqPMhKzO5uCkDMHjNicF5Y_Kh4YbjvC4x5AXuh1sbj6MjjLw/s500/Karpov%20A.%20-%20Kasparov%20G.%20(54...Ke7!).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kuvvJXVaXpHquwqDKOEdT8si8t0crM0zeBhT6fmaW8N2rCQmD2AU-W3XiAg0hWO_M3Z5LTN710HiRODGtuU5kOWt3w5vRroAjj9sUL3z1_uHzKebHIDZaOiLFjmcrk7cksPZwTqZLICqPMhKzO5uCkDMHjNicF5Y_Kh4YbjvC4x5AXuh1sbj6MjjLw/s320/Karpov%20A.%20-%20Kasparov%20G.%20(54...Ke7!).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p>This is the position after Black's 54th move and here White could not resist capturing the d5 pawn with the check!</p><p><b>54.Nxd5+? Ke6 </b></p><p>Instead, Kasparov and several other annotators give <b>54...Kd6 55. Nf6/Nc3 Bxf3 </b>to be a draw. This follows the exact principle we discussed earlier, the d5 pawn was blocking Black's King from marching forward to attack White's pawn on d4 and so the d5-square being available to the King is more important than the pawn on d5! This idea was missed by the Legends Karpov and Kasparov too, in the same game!</p><p><b>55.Nc7+</b> and the game went on where Kasparov lost after further errors. But as analysts like Kasparov himself, Marin, Dvoretsky, Marin and Mueller have pointed out Black still retained the draw at various other points in the game. The lines become more and more complex, but the central idea is that Black keeps fighting because of the activity of the King. Here Black draws with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">56....Kd6!</span> as pointed out by Averbakh. Instead, Kasparov chose the passive <b>56....Kd7?</b> and ultimately lost.</p><p>Going back to the previous diagram, Karpov should have instead continued with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">54. Nh5!! </span>eschewing the temptation to capture the pawn with the check and let Black's d-pawn live! This endgame was deeply analyzed by Marin and Dvoretsky and they came to the conclusion that White is indeed winning in the end in 2005. But there is a striking similarity between both games in the principle of letting opponent's pawn be his own source of destruction!</p><p>Things do not stop here; I also would like to point out a game between two engines to illustrate the same concept. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP6HHsa4_jM31D_oYv-NItWZ60uhVwlxq1PtKFX0eisHArhClRCXbL0gP1YTCEJIwK7QYsgrrKTcGiJ04ZhBpgYziBDYclSkp7X-HJrKIdCqjwlsq8BfafVunUOMU2ABG5LS3zQDC7QNSyRB8k8ZSE3xg_PSpNn69YXRCl-s1M9PUVWg3YAOkday1gA/s500/Stockfish%20-%20Komodo%20(96...Kf6).gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP6HHsa4_jM31D_oYv-NItWZ60uhVwlxq1PtKFX0eisHArhClRCXbL0gP1YTCEJIwK7QYsgrrKTcGiJ04ZhBpgYziBDYclSkp7X-HJrKIdCqjwlsq8BfafVunUOMU2ABG5LS3zQDC7QNSyRB8k8ZSE3xg_PSpNn69YXRCl-s1M9PUVWg3YAOkday1gA/s320/Stockfish%20-%20Komodo%20(96...Kf6).gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Stockfish-Komodo 2020<br /><br /><br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table>This highly complex endgame was analyzed by Danny Rensch of chess.com, and Peter Doggers also wrote an article about this couple of years ago. Black has two big weaknesses on h5 and a6 which are usually sufficient for the opponent to force a victory. Here, however the unique arrangement of pawn structure is such that, Black can stay passive with his Bishop on c8 and King going shuttling between h6 and f6 and maintain a blockade. The most important feature is that White's King does not have an entry point to infiltrate to Black's Queenside. Stockfish took care of the brilliantly by using Zugzwang to lose its own pawn on d5.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>99.Bf5!! </b>forcing Black to capture on d5 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>99...Bxd5 100. Bd3 Bb7 101.Bc4! </b></div><div><br /></div><div>and White effectively used Zugzwang idea to infiltrate with his King into the opponent's camp using the d5- square as the key transit point!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnU3X69IMeYdek0WRYMkRsBLJtgZkPR45HTnKmsJXGqXqCyyNjm4P2eb0KtrqwaFFFCwejcUxuncdVzJZhyTeH0JeAbbBLyPieWnxyec3poYR3K3Wslb4T23s5Dg2LMdAsa9OkAM0efnkezae_MeGLU4N8DbAQiPjXXI9iHYxOALoFmfe442dCwHO2g/s500/Stockfish%20-%20Komodo%20(105.Kd4).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnU3X69IMeYdek0WRYMkRsBLJtgZkPR45HTnKmsJXGqXqCyyNjm4P2eb0KtrqwaFFFCwejcUxuncdVzJZhyTeH0JeAbbBLyPieWnxyec3poYR3K3Wslb4T23s5Dg2LMdAsa9OkAM0efnkezae_MeGLU4N8DbAQiPjXXI9iHYxOALoFmfe442dCwHO2g/s320/Stockfish%20-%20Komodo%20(105.Kd4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> White reached this position later on the game and won in an efficient manner.</div><div><br /></div><div>On this note I would like to narrate a story which has been narrated by the exemplary storyteller and my friend International Master V.Saravanan. This goes back to end of 90s when Harikrishna as a very young kid was under the tutelage of International Master and endgame expert V.Koshy. Saravanan had gone to visit them one particular day and they were analyzing an endgame. At a given moment both Saravanan and Koshy had assumed that a particular recapture of a pawn was automatic, when Hari suggested an alternative saying, " Let us not capture that pawn, it is our friend! " . Although I have not seen the position, I am assuming Saravanan was talking about this concept </div><div><br /></div><div><b></b>In Conclusion: -</div><div><br /></div><div>1.In chess we cannot capture our own pieces and pawns. It can so happen that our own forces impede us from achieving our objective, so finding an effective way of sacrificing them can be the way to go forward!</div><div><br /></div><div>2. To be more specific our own pawns can be a shield for the opponent as they prevent the access to our pieces (especially the King) to get at the opponent. </div><div><br /></div><div>3.Similarly we can extrapolate it to opponent's pawns and should sometimes restrain from capturing them (even with a check!) if they inhibit the activity of their own monarch!<br /><p>The games with analysis by Kasparov of his own game from his matches against Karpov book and Dejan Bojkov's analysis of the Stockfish game from chess.com blog are enclosed apart from Nihal's game as a replayable board below.<span></span></p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=AaXoD9huz304aFujel6SImo2GxcVY3frPi+DkMoESrZQw3YnhrQ+PV3BQMV9UIwn">Link to the games discussed</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><p></p><p></p></div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-58946068588106157782022-08-04T04:22:00.002-07:002022-09-02T08:09:55.247-07:00Castling into it (King's Placement-2)<p><br /></p><p> Fischer used the term 'Castling into it' to signify Castling into a flank with a risky or a weakened pawn shelter. I am using this term more broadly to signify a risky King placement because we show our cards too early.We had earlier looked at the factor of King's placement being an important one based on games of Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Ganguly. This is a time honoured problem, and one that is not easily understood even by the all time greats. From the games of Steinitz until modern ones, this has been something to ponder about. I was recently looking at a game from 1948 World Championship match tournament between Keres and Botvinnik, that sparked an interest to revisit this topic. </p><p><b>Keres-Botvinnik Round 5 Hague/Moscow World Championship Tournament 1948</b></p><p><b>1.c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3.Bg2 d4!? </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4Nfrw4x81X-rxkSrmOv70WvtlQSzEqJORAYMErZvVP7CFOYYq1baJqyQ5hW3DUHU6QM3xxIfPAGuvLCeTeRfrQLNZCgfHm4vkAFtXTnYasYU3h5Ck1Ep5YrCicgtH_DbrwPA4sWh3_1jVaqhb_LQ6_DsJ2xMXGXVH4OPQYoK6D8_pmwx7Wh8WKDFsw/s500/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(3...d4)%20(1).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4Nfrw4x81X-rxkSrmOv70WvtlQSzEqJORAYMErZvVP7CFOYYq1baJqyQ5hW3DUHU6QM3xxIfPAGuvLCeTeRfrQLNZCgfHm4vkAFtXTnYasYU3h5Ck1Ep5YrCicgtH_DbrwPA4sWh3_1jVaqhb_LQ6_DsJ2xMXGXVH4OPQYoK6D8_pmwx7Wh8WKDFsw/s320/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(3...d4)%20(1).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>An interesting attempt to grab more space. This was what Carlsen tried too in the most recent World Championship versus Nepo. Botvinnik does not rate this move highly, but his move has stood the test of time and is considered to be good even to this day!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p><b>4.b4!? </b></p><p>Keres goes for the most ambitious approach akin to an accelerated Benko. Nepo settled for normal reverse Benoni with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">4.Nf3</span> and later <span style="color: #2b00fe;">d3</span> etc. This was the infamous ninth game where he later got his Bishop trapped on b7 and went on to lose.</p><p><b>4...c5 </b></p><p>Botvinnik recommends <span style="color: #2b00fe;">4...a5</span> to play for the conquest of the c5-square as the better option and quotes the game Goldberg-Bronstein 1947. While this seems like the more flexible option, the text move should not be bad as well.</p><p><b>5.b5</b></p><p>Once again, Botvinnik does not think highly of this move. Instead he recommends <span style="color: #2b00fe;">5.bxc5 Bxc5 6.Ba3</span> like a Benko gambit with an extra pawn on the a-file. Though one must say that Benko's main idea consists of using open files for the rooks and the material parity may actually reduce some of Black's activity. But, yes its a fine option of course. However, I feel the move played by Keres also has its advantages, it strengthens White's control on the long diagonal and takes away the natural c6-square from Black's Knight despite relinquishing the tension.</p><p><b>5...e5</b></p><p>The most natural response taking more space in the centre, but <span style="color: #2b00fe;">5...a6!?</span> also came into consideration to break up White's pawn structure.</p><p><b>6.d3 Bd6 7.e4?!</b></p><p>This move is where White starts to drift in the wrong direction. Was there a need to close the powerful long diagonal in White's possession? Perhaps Keres did not like an eventual preparation for e5-e4 pawn break by Black as in a Benoni. In this regard I found a passing comment by Botvinnik quite instructive. Those who have studied Botvinnik's works know that he holds Capablanca in very high regard, and here he suggests an idea for White which Capablanca would have played if he had this position. His suggestion is to play <span style="color: #2b00fe;">7.Nd2!?</span> and only when Black plays <span style="color: #2b00fe;">7....f5</span> White would reply with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">8.e4!</span> In this way White would have retained the long diagonal open. Keres too does not like his move at all and instead recommends <span style="color: #2b00fe;">7.e3</span> to keep the diagonal open, like a normal Benoni type position.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiadx-3oEMrq6SRCysVEZFsYYC2uMt2YQeEgX0nDPSX-kmvlHPRUj93UXE2Cms7mCZZ9NygoUeJ6ZRAuKrc6OSzdV4fFLMqNwHSuC5M-_rz6UGIX2XqR3_2jciN1q2UqsoRstkDFxJSybRV6desPIxpy0boqE70N3ss1AGLcU50nhfPG5OmHhgxQLqug/s500/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(7.e4).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiadx-3oEMrq6SRCysVEZFsYYC2uMt2YQeEgX0nDPSX-kmvlHPRUj93UXE2Cms7mCZZ9NygoUeJ6ZRAuKrc6OSzdV4fFLMqNwHSuC5M-_rz6UGIX2XqR3_2jciN1q2UqsoRstkDFxJSybRV6desPIxpy0boqE70N3ss1AGLcU50nhfPG5OmHhgxQLqug/s320/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(7.e4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>7.... Qc7 8.Ne2 h5!</b></p><p>This Rook pawn foray is typical against a fianchetto especially so when opponent's Knight is not on f3. In this case the idea of the move is not only for a direct attack, but a more subtle one. In this King's Indian closed central structure, White is clearly aiming for f2-f4. So, Black is aiming to make this harder for White. If White answers with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">9.h3</span> Black can answer with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">9...h4 10.g4. </span>This makes f2-f4 break of White impossible. And coming to the game continuation of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">9.h4, </span>this leads to a weakening of the g4-square when White eventually goes for his <span style="color: #2b00fe;">f2-f4</span> break.</p><p><b>9.h4 Nh6 10.0-0?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xwQ0eMDM7v8TxkwfiJJ6jEE4lSoTZJVoj1ewIjBAkkHOiv5VL9ZCzC-XHe-0XK9PYuTed0yfou7he64pa-zvBM22Cb8Qth4P_gf7JatQj4iCn5CWXz-QhCD3rJDeloixuE0DXcGIC7p8RowzPdl4iKipGTKThd0K-3RxcTDEaw9_d9L-Rk4ggZkwxA/s500/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(10.0-0%20).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xwQ0eMDM7v8TxkwfiJJ6jEE4lSoTZJVoj1ewIjBAkkHOiv5VL9ZCzC-XHe-0XK9PYuTed0yfou7he64pa-zvBM22Cb8Qth4P_gf7JatQj4iCn5CWXz-QhCD3rJDeloixuE0DXcGIC7p8RowzPdl4iKipGTKThd0K-3RxcTDEaw9_d9L-Rk4ggZkwxA/s320/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(10.0-0%20).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>Here we come to the critical moment of the topic. Surprisingly, neither Keres nor Botvinnik comment about this decision to castle. Usually in an analogous position in a King's Indian Defence castling is very normal. Yet, this position has specific features which makes me question the decision to commit the position of the King to the Kingside. Importantly White has already closed the whole of his centre and even the Queenside in terms of his pawn structure. If White had pawn on c2 and b2 instead of c4 and b5, then he would have had the possibility of a central break with c2-c3. This would have meant that Black's King would not have a completely safe haven on the Queenside. However, in the current situation White does not have a pawn break in the centre or Queenside. This clearly favours Black in hiding his King on the Queenside later on in the game. Keeping this in mind, White surely should not have determined his King's placement to the right side of the board, but instead waited! This decision can be compared with the f5-f6 decision in the Ganguly-Fedoseev game discussed in the previous article.</p><p><b>10...Bg4 11.f3</b></p><p>Both Keres and Botvinnik do not like this weakening move and instead suggest Nd2-f3-h2 to cover the soft g4-square,</p><p><b>11...Be6 12.f4 Bg4 13. f5</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-Sl7_pwMPXcok1dr_Dy2wcKZblGvZ_-q8GYNK-Wlq5IE7hmAEb6Git2MiH7SudqoGZ3Mt4ts0utsEMj4Ov8w_TKf0uvF-LsX3ceTshtL2Itez5crIE27XCapiN07I4ngdUVa5plFsZ-WX0fcHIsmHW5Id2Vexeh-FivTdvCB8zVWBgiPMTkgU5aD6A/s500/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(13.f5).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-Sl7_pwMPXcok1dr_Dy2wcKZblGvZ_-q8GYNK-Wlq5IE7hmAEb6Git2MiH7SudqoGZ3Mt4ts0utsEMj4Ov8w_TKf0uvF-LsX3ceTshtL2Itez5crIE27XCapiN07I4ngdUVa5plFsZ-WX0fcHIsmHW5Id2Vexeh-FivTdvCB8zVWBgiPMTkgU5aD6A/s320/Keres%20Paul%20-%20Botvinnik%20Mikhail%20(13.f5).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>In this game Keres' has lost a lot of flexibility by moving his pawns forward particularly to f5 and b5. Black has the pawn levers g7-g6 and a7-a6 and can use them as and when he wants them! White cannot open up any side of the board at his own bidding. This is a major disadvantage. Couple this with the King on g1 situated like a sitting duck, and Black can slowly but surely develop his attack after due preparation. The strategic battle has been lost.</p><p>Rest of the game is very interesting and instructive and features a lot of dramatic moments! The full game with comments has been shared as a link to a replayable board at the end of the article.</p><p>While studying this game, I could not help but recollect another game which featured a similar theme. The game was one between Kramnik and Meier from Dortmund 2014. It was a rare one that Kramnik lost as White against the German Grandmaster with whom he had a fabulous score until then. I will bring up the opening part which is relevant for the topic, up for discussion.</p><p><b>Kramnik-Meier Dortmund 2014 Round 1</b></p><p><b>1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 d5 5.0-0!?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQGLMwHhQu11Q28Nd8P9CM2GL3ixisSYmHqEKAQpLhBrbZVNKffmwVddrbIqyKnAh8SJaUkxrCcjyAkf8dxqlRotw9bHaewDvyclew8XwIa9x8FvcPypXKsVkwz9DbxMmZ6-pRs2Jha0QLofirwXhs4iG3KATFNXwaWttCgLRfZeVOk4Z2iLnn_d6YA/s500/Kramnik%20Vladimir%20-%20Meier%20Georg%20(5.0-0).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQGLMwHhQu11Q28Nd8P9CM2GL3ixisSYmHqEKAQpLhBrbZVNKffmwVddrbIqyKnAh8SJaUkxrCcjyAkf8dxqlRotw9bHaewDvyclew8XwIa9x8FvcPypXKsVkwz9DbxMmZ6-pRs2Jha0QLofirwXhs4iG3KATFNXwaWttCgLRfZeVOk4Z2iLnn_d6YA/s320/Kramnik%20Vladimir%20-%20Meier%20Georg%20(5.0-0).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Kramnik has contributed extensively to every opening that he has ever played. Here too he has played games with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">5.cxd5</span> and upheld the reverse Maroczy structure. In this game I get a feeling that he wanted to explore and not play his prepared openings.<p></p><p><b>5..... d4! </b></p><p>Ofcourse Black grabs space and opts for a Reverse Benoni. This time it is even more favourable when compared with the previous game.</p><p><b>6.a3</b></p><p>As Meier rightly points out in his comments, the inclusion of 6.a3 a5 seems to be in Black's favour and hence this decision is puzzling. For starters the Knight can never reach c2 via a3 after this.</p><p><b>6....e5 7.d3 a5 8.e4?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yMLbMbNTIOPmwN2IXnS-UqrIa5j2fOc40T39-admURqnDPLH_7v9V9BUC0kF5hE0_Yi3HeXpGZwDDBj-T82hwPTTImJ-lBbVfA-UK7TvBMCJy6LlpKXHLDzzemRFu3XW3rEdG49nbYsjyyZOE8mM0ddRoxfMfdItiThL0w61Zo7V2JgiINz96hghow/s500/Kramnik%20Vladimir%20-%20Meier%20Georg%20(8.e4%20).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yMLbMbNTIOPmwN2IXnS-UqrIa5j2fOc40T39-admURqnDPLH_7v9V9BUC0kF5hE0_Yi3HeXpGZwDDBj-T82hwPTTImJ-lBbVfA-UK7TvBMCJy6LlpKXHLDzzemRFu3XW3rEdG49nbYsjyyZOE8mM0ddRoxfMfdItiThL0w61Zo7V2JgiINz96hghow/s320/Kramnik%20Vladimir%20-%20Meier%20Georg%20(8.e4%20).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>A surprising '<i>Lapsus Manus</i>' from the legend! Almost all of the points that were discussed in the Keres-Botvinnik game ring true here too. White has castled early and Black has not! He needs to keep the possibility of a central pawn break open. Since, he has already closed the right wing with c4, completely locking the central structure with e4 is extremely dangerous. Kramnik who is steeped in tradition, would without a doubt, know the Keres-Botvinnik game, yet he too falls for a similar strategic trick! As they say in Tamil (родрооро┐ро┤рпН) роЖройрпИроХрпНроХрпБроорпН роЕроЯро┐роЪро▒рпБроХрпНроХрпБроорпН which means 'even the mighty elephant can slip'. To err is human of course and this makes the game even more interesting and lovable for us as amateurs. The way Meier conducted the rest of the game was impeccable and a lesson in dealing with these kinds of positions.</p><p><b>8....Be7 9.Ne1 h5!</b></p><p>This familiar( for us, now!) retort sort of refutes White's strategy. If only Black had also castled earlier, White's position would have been absolutely fine and one could even say that White's chances of getting an attack on the Kingside would be faster than that of Black on the Queenside. However, that one unplayed move( castling of Black) <b> </b>is the<b> <i>key feature of the position and tilts the position overwhelmingly in Black's favour. </i></b></p><p><b>10.f4 h4 11.f5 hxg3 12.hxg3 g6!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUI2xcVgPY3Rw4pkRq3neI0qCZuEl3a9terXsMOjQ9FIlwB56mmsVkcLPRYKpqk2Ft0Z8iJUYGcdFoe2yjltrWblopUfOKjQNi61yTEe8jtWqGRHHJZpj_vBTEg8Eu2rXwgnkMcl90i_o7SXZCK98SZ7rCEuOugxmb-nSmWXfp2Zl4eE104ZHlqicIQ/s500/Kramnik%20Vladimir%20-%20Meier%20Georg%20(12...g6!).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUI2xcVgPY3Rw4pkRq3neI0qCZuEl3a9terXsMOjQ9FIlwB56mmsVkcLPRYKpqk2Ft0Z8iJUYGcdFoe2yjltrWblopUfOKjQNi61yTEe8jtWqGRHHJZpj_vBTEg8Eu2rXwgnkMcl90i_o7SXZCK98SZ7rCEuOugxmb-nSmWXfp2Zl4eE104ZHlqicIQ/s320/Kramnik%20Vladimir%20-%20Meier%20Georg%20(12...g6!).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>Black relentlessly uses his chance to open up the position against White's King and outplayed his mighty opponent thoroughly and won a very fine game. Kramnik is in the same sort of crisis that Keres came under and could not save himself either.</p><p>The rest of the game with Meier's fine comments have been added as a replayable link along with the full game of Botvinnik- Keres with my comments.</p><p>Conclusion:-</p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">1.When the centre is closed, never castle without reflection when opponent has not yet shown his hand.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">2.Remember Lombardy's fine saying- Castle if you must, Castle if you so desire, but never Castle just because you can!</span></i></p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=/aVe1zCesHs2+PPbaTMqZA4iFv+F0RqwXvlnRBEiAGY84PMel0NUq7ohmYvcJtdS">Replayable links to the entire games and comments</a><br /></p><p>Sources:- Botvinnik's Critical and Analytical Works, Keres' book on the World Championship 1948 and Meier's annotations from the Chess Base Magazine.</p><p><a href="http://musingsonchess.blogspot.com/2022/05/kings-placement.html">Link to my previous article on this topic</a><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-59413066564140555772022-05-20T09:52:00.004-07:002022-05-20T23:14:44.500-07:00Striking Originality<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><i>"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation" - Herman Melville</i><p></p><p>I agree with this quote in part, as the ideas of success or failure seems moot to me especially when viewing chess as an art. To me originality is even more important in this age of information than in any other time.</p><p>Today is the birth day of my friend and a long time colleague Grandmaster M.R.Venkatesh. On this occasion I happened to think about some of his games and some of his memories. I know him from the time he was perhaps 7 or 8 and what was always striking about his (chess) personality from then was his original approach to the game. Earlier I attributed it ( incorrectly so!) to his lack of formal training. But with passing age I am able to keenly appreciate this quality in a chess player as the most profound one! There were always instances of awe, surprise, disdain and mockery too when coming across some of his decisions but with time when one grows over those immediate emotions they seem to show the unique chess artist that he indeed is. </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p>From my observation I have found him to be a raw artist who had good visualization skills and was quite alert to tactics and especially so if there was a possibility of creating an attack. He has won innumerable games with, not only masterpieces but also attack springing out of nowhere and the opponents left with a feeling of ' my position was good, but he defeated me with an unsound attack' too! In this regard I find a similarity in chess approach of his with the legendary Judit Polgar. A strong tactical and attacking feel overpowers inferior opening or middlegame positions many a time. This has proved right many a time in practice and is also quite logical as a checkmate ends the game!</p><p>Last year IM Niranjan had produced a well researched video about Venkatesh's most interesting games after duly consulting with him. I share the link below for interested viewers to see those excellent games.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrtnTnWm9fM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrtnTnWm9fM</a><br /></p><p>In the current article I do the exact opposite- no research, but just some spontaneous thoughts ! First I share a game of what caught my eye while randomly looking at the database. <b>Venkatesh plays White against the German Grandmaster Huschenbeth from the Gibraltar event 2018</b></p><p><b>1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 d6 5.Bc4 dxe5 6.Nxe5 e6</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6FLFO3A94angFpz-S9Bdc1HA7yQx9k-E6Zsn6W41S5zuzEexvyz6VlRw9MMGC_f6Lt8PxofYnJasgKa4M1EtMYTpF6AHPcUST9kbww-7ApyGZFMz8iYOks-CWBeakNNQfBNmiLFdYd_AKVh23OP1BpVqy5UtHrDVc_ZMGP0iyviItuDuRtt7QlfEfA/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6FLFO3A94angFpz-S9Bdc1HA7yQx9k-E6Zsn6W41S5zuzEexvyz6VlRw9MMGC_f6Lt8PxofYnJasgKa4M1EtMYTpF6AHPcUST9kbww-7ApyGZFMz8iYOks-CWBeakNNQfBNmiLFdYd_AKVh23OP1BpVqy5UtHrDVc_ZMGP0iyviItuDuRtt7QlfEfA/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />To me already this looks to be a fresh position compared with other heavily analysed lines of the Alapin Sicilian.<p></p><p><b>7.0-0 Bd6 8.d4 0-0 9.Nd2!?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS83qQtGIfLRIUEzmynSDl1YrD2-jkQdR1NbSt20D7Sxvk-tMlXwEmItIarg3bqmfagwhSyq5HH_ChoM5dfwhqtODHxgcEIk1JwFSG_t8lUAqdiJeYCq42ytSHL6salQxDxqSI0qgGyd7J6l5KSePfWKCP2FaolHMn29IgI4YM5jarpTBvjTkLy1PBdg/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS83qQtGIfLRIUEzmynSDl1YrD2-jkQdR1NbSt20D7Sxvk-tMlXwEmItIarg3bqmfagwhSyq5HH_ChoM5dfwhqtODHxgcEIk1JwFSG_t8lUAqdiJeYCq42ytSHL6salQxDxqSI0qgGyd7J6l5KSePfWKCP2FaolHMn29IgI4YM5jarpTBvjTkLy1PBdg/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><p> </p><p>The Knight seldom lands on d2 in IQP (Isolated Queen Pawn ) positions, but there you go! He does not have any preformed bias about how to treat a particular position. Creativity can very well kick in in unforeseen ways even early on in chess.</p><b>9.... cxd4 10.cxd4 Qc7 11.Re1 Nc6 12.Nef3!? </b><p></p><p>Whether it is objectively good or not is not important, there is a certain feeling that White has somewhat misplayed the opening. But what is important is that White wants to retain attacking chances by maintaining as much forces as possible on the board.</p><p><b>12...Ncb4 13.a3 b5!?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavq7yqbWojKHNkP657FD7LdOWUa_fwA9AKsO1P7k-r9ea8v4A00wOL81SLFyQ8IGZaiQjw8m4OIPsMUlP-6RGzvi6T5ziGsTmaYRN3Y7CG1FGAMixF6SxjpBV9Na6K7uXq59MyirHbUWK4lj4zXCX1ng50aZ5RJbV7yqqw2Rz75ASjILHevb6pokagg/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavq7yqbWojKHNkP657FD7LdOWUa_fwA9AKsO1P7k-r9ea8v4A00wOL81SLFyQ8IGZaiQjw8m4OIPsMUlP-6RGzvi6T5ziGsTmaYRN3Y7CG1FGAMixF6SxjpBV9Na6K7uXq59MyirHbUWK4lj4zXCX1ng50aZ5RJbV7yqqw2Rz75ASjILHevb6pokagg/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b> <b>14.Bxd5! </b>I am pretty sure that he made this decision without even batting an eyelid. Normally it is not an easy decision to give up the light square Bishop for a Knight but in this position,given the situation he has, he needs to do what he absolutely has to. <b><i>Smyslov's decisions against Ribli</i></b> from their candidates match comes to mind, though I must say it is quite different also. On this note another incident comes to mind. We were solving the following position setup by Jacob Aagard in one of his training camps in Chennai. He was later mentioning that none of the Grandmasters whom he had given to, had actually solved this problem including Gelfand. Needless to say Venkatesh solved it easily and so the game decision was even easier for him.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwew1iSSDQu9UJC6JKTI028zbNfAn0g__hW64ElY5YKUzKEOfrhQpmXrkKlYMbXxnD8sywFKUL83c3KhSRVGRSxnxwTwmiftyTbEKVgSZhENoCwLX16NzeOl1OQsgBhpDTt7mysyb3fnD7NhdB1ZOELGfjfNQxnAAQGBd9snD2bTZaKS5l9_E1SsFGcg/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwew1iSSDQu9UJC6JKTI028zbNfAn0g__hW64ElY5YKUzKEOfrhQpmXrkKlYMbXxnD8sywFKUL83c3KhSRVGRSxnxwTwmiftyTbEKVgSZhENoCwLX16NzeOl1OQsgBhpDTt7mysyb3fnD7NhdB1ZOELGfjfNQxnAAQGBd9snD2bTZaKS5l9_E1SsFGcg/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White to move</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The above diagram is a position from a game between Aagard and Rowson where White did not manage to find the winning decision here. Interested readers may check it out! Solutions in the replayable game link at the end of the article.</p><p>Back to the main game.</p><p><b>14...Nxd5 15.Ne4 Bb7 16.Bd2!?</b></p><p>An unassuming move, but White takes his time to get his pieces out into the game, little by little.</p><p><b>16...Rac8 17. Rac1 Qb6 18. Ne5!?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TV2ga-XM2aMtxXhGz2TqKxAo0vtreg0RE8EKQLbFqZYoLqStZcunpMdyde9eqSfEBKghMvHMNP03jiZzT-Dut_vot586PDJjXnCQZoWJK0SVTiJdlSDiJSf9xWVzfVeEO1U4hGrgKdqLCwFBCywAi6xSHN4tGtmQQ5YuQlg4jyTExbowsgbjgwBKAQ/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TV2ga-XM2aMtxXhGz2TqKxAo0vtreg0RE8EKQLbFqZYoLqStZcunpMdyde9eqSfEBKghMvHMNP03jiZzT-Dut_vot586PDJjXnCQZoWJK0SVTiJdlSDiJSf9xWVzfVeEO1U4hGrgKdqLCwFBCywAi6xSHN4tGtmQQ5YuQlg4jyTExbowsgbjgwBKAQ/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>The Knight which earlier retreated to avoid exchanges, comes back to its logical square. White utilizes the tactics in the position to get his pieces back to proper squares.</p><p><b>18...Rxc1 19.Bxc1 Qc7 20. Nxd6 Qxd6</b></p><p>Finally White has also managed to exchange opponent's academic good Bishop for this pawn structure( Dark Squared one), nevertheless it is hard to imagine that Black's remaining Bishop is not better than White's remaining one!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7szJAszfhIWhrLpzK9KMndmVMhU4xEaYZU7W9wr6z5ZbGmEBA-DqFhkIhUQXeK-2G2xbTQ0LxHuWXX6kdpTFEITo0QcUn1bA8n9tnVEBLGjR7XB9Dh_p2Wlf6-6ejpza0OjRUJq2jUNErGckS0dQfsUPchApcrS-NlK3NQ8chaXc_vzCrF9k7Yq-htA/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7szJAszfhIWhrLpzK9KMndmVMhU4xEaYZU7W9wr6z5ZbGmEBA-DqFhkIhUQXeK-2G2xbTQ0LxHuWXX6kdpTFEITo0QcUn1bA8n9tnVEBLGjR7XB9Dh_p2Wlf6-6ejpza0OjRUJq2jUNErGckS0dQfsUPchApcrS-NlK3NQ8chaXc_vzCrF9k7Yq-htA/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Here White would ideally like to bring some of his pieces to provoke some weaknesses on Black's kingside. A direct attempt like <span style="color: #2b00fe;">21.Qg4 </span>would be of no avail as Black has the very strong response <span style="color: #2b00fe;">21...Nf6! </span>This would clear the d5 square for the Queen and White makes no headway towards provoking any sort of weaknesses on the kingside. So White went for</p><p><b>21.Qb3! a6 22.Qg3</b></p><p>Quite concrete play. White used the threat to the b5 pawn to reach a safer square on the Kingside - namely g3. Here Black cannot gain a tempo with a future ...Nf6</p><p><b>22...Rc8 23.Bh6 g6 24.h4!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMC9M1rPqHLc4bvupgWC_QqpftlceSldBUlMGHeHlaKvBJwFbUZfxmDO4BYSzK-IWrmLAgEQ53iQDG7Ub51AJszI0gUsqKJQC-8OYqnxqFDGa_TQT2-C2qYYA32cCM0nXOwdBufQ7A5v-PDc28xJRSI1BxATEaGxiBLRueg-X3lWGlvnByb6wkCtJqA/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMC9M1rPqHLc4bvupgWC_QqpftlceSldBUlMGHeHlaKvBJwFbUZfxmDO4BYSzK-IWrmLAgEQ53iQDG7Ub51AJszI0gUsqKJQC-8OYqnxqFDGa_TQT2-C2qYYA32cCM0nXOwdBufQ7A5v-PDc28xJRSI1BxATEaGxiBLRueg-X3lWGlvnByb6wkCtJqA/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>All of a sudden White has made some progress towards an attack against opponent's King. Suddenly his Bishop on h6 in the vicinity of opponent's King seems threatening. White also brings in all forces to soften up the weakness on g6 with h4-h5. An idea such as <span style="color: #2b00fe;">...Ne7</span> by Black would be answered by the tactical shot <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Nxg6! </span>Black's formally good looking pieces like the Knight on d5 and the beautiful Bishop on the long diagonal suddenly seem to lack perspective in the crucial sector of the board. For a practical player playing Black this is enough trouble and he has more of a headache if his mind goes back a few moves and contemplates the safe and solid edge he seemingly had!</p><p><b>24...f6 25.h5! </b></p><p>Yes, White will relentlessly attack, as Capa would like to quip 'Enmasse'</p><p><b>25... fxe5?</b></p><p>I do not envy the situation of the Black player. No one likes to be the oject of such an onslaught. And no wonder mistakes creep in. Tartakower was spot on when he said 'The Game of Chess owes its existence to such mistakes'! For the record Black had a defence in giving up a pawn with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">26... Nc7 27.Ng6 Qxg3 28.Nxe7+ Kf7 29. fxg3 Kxe7 </span>Black can hold this position as White has a deficiency in pawn structure and Black has the better Bishop in a position of Opposite Coloured Bishops. However, one knows from practical experience that these are the hardest decisions to make. Do you accept the offered Piece or sacrifice a Pawn!?- Try solving this question in the heat of the battle!</p><p><b>26.hxg6 Qe7 27.Re5 Kh8 28.gxh7</b></p><p>White mercilessly opens up the last of Black' King's Pawn cover.</p><p><b>28...Qf6 29.Rxe6</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsP1UxhqR9FrlzZX-6FkQbwySBV-RiFbYt2KVCYkmiqu_a2BvOYQE7J3OMwfY2Zv8ZQn0osIeuZPExmVuWnYfQHIDXLEXnDijVmoGXfKVgFGm8_S594vVrnNXhkG8NfQKYlLGXf2Fwwr0m09VbUAbxpqm3Fkk7Q40NxEkEj9ruH6sXBF9SAcnZ45zKg/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsP1UxhqR9FrlzZX-6FkQbwySBV-RiFbYt2KVCYkmiqu_a2BvOYQE7J3OMwfY2Zv8ZQn0osIeuZPExmVuWnYfQHIDXLEXnDijVmoGXfKVgFGm8_S594vVrnNXhkG8NfQKYlLGXf2Fwwr0m09VbUAbxpqm3Fkk7Q40NxEkEj9ruH6sXBF9SAcnZ45zKg/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>29...Qxd4 30.Re5! 1-0</b><p></p><p> White's switchback with Rook blocks the Queen's path to defend her King and Black had to give up. A wonderful game. A nonchalant opening phase was followed by a preparatory middlegame phase and then all of a sudden there was Blitzkrieg finish. I have seen this numerous times in Venkatesh's games since childhood and have thoroughly enjoyed them, even at times from the receiving end.</p><p>In Comparison I was reminded of a game of a young Judit Polgar while eyeing this game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHnyxRiZfVreXrVjf-ib52M7PNnc_4Myt_cLxGOxFf7VzIKWQePCZcZj9bTK6WkjLm_KGADZYndslSlhmxBnL0G951zDom23cqMn9MtxEbQsbWgAmQJ9IAFiFy5Aicgtdnr5oNITCIyAMUWYcBOwAZPbtTtRI84HrtWEZEZ2U3Iy-Kw3ZThcRtSnmXg/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHnyxRiZfVreXrVjf-ib52M7PNnc_4Myt_cLxGOxFf7VzIKWQePCZcZj9bTK6WkjLm_KGADZYndslSlhmxBnL0G951zDom23cqMn9MtxEbQsbWgAmQJ9IAFiFy5Aicgtdnr5oNITCIyAMUWYcBOwAZPbtTtRI84HrtWEZEZ2U3Iy-Kw3ZThcRtSnmXg/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We join the action after <b><i>Black's move 15 in the game between Polgar and Tiviakov from Madrid 1994</i></b></p><p>White continued with </p><p><b>16.a3 Bb7 17.Bd3 Rc8 18.Bb1 b5 19.Qd3 </b></p><p>Note how White is taking her time to create a complex position with all pieces remaining on the board and intending to hit at the opponent's Kingside if given an opportunity. However one has to admit that if we look at it objectively White may not have made the critical moves and may have allowed Black to comfortably equalize.</p><p><b>19..Na5 20.Ne5 Nc4 </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Z2tTcDeURsmF1RDedQCbA51LqTZBD25QnYZsyYNym3xAY3Juhu9-cZ8fzPRrQrbUybIWI1LV2axl-IqiSxhpj5UVIeO6Knexy4HP_aAp8G9z6XFcy0fzwz2OMwfe-i0sTv0jXAX6fQFjQqSEgREqT-kzIM-HPLUy5O18OpzgTsKNGfjyQeoQIHPxYQ/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Z2tTcDeURsmF1RDedQCbA51LqTZBD25QnYZsyYNym3xAY3Juhu9-cZ8fzPRrQrbUybIWI1LV2axl-IqiSxhpj5UVIeO6Knexy4HP_aAp8G9z6XFcy0fzwz2OMwfe-i0sTv0jXAX6fQFjQqSEgREqT-kzIM-HPLUy5O18OpzgTsKNGfjyQeoQIHPxYQ/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>21.Rc2!? </b>As we saw in the last game, here White understands that she does not hold any grounds to embark on an attack( this can only backfire!) but instead accepts to make patient even slightly defensive moves. Patience is the key in attack too, natural attackers seem to sense this. An apt Tamil proverb goes 'рокрпКро▒рпБродрпНродро╛ро░рпН рокрпВрооро┐ роЖро│рпНро╡ро╛ро░рпН ' . It means - Those who can wait will end up ruling the World!</p><p><b>21...Nd6 </b></p><p>The problem for Black in such positions is one of a choice, many moves look good and it is possible to stray if one takes it too easy.</p><p><b>22.f3</b></p><p>White is careful to prevent any forays on e4 and at the same time is ready to drop her Bishop back to f2 in order to defend the isolani on d4 if needed.</p><p><b>22...g6 23.Bf2 Re8 24.Ba2 Bf8 25.Re2 Bg7 26.Rfe1</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcPIfD31oi1vK2psqYiKVq6DcBpOE4YU8T55Q09KJ3Io3uN6obXlvuwE1FTEegqplMs82JfAhwZfxmgqRBsftJowo9tYkgLk83Ver5KOHDO8Sei1r2kg6-d8QmU-mIveDA3-TxzhUDwRYiqEGitauJZrscr6U2jsYqOX31_Ov9wVl-cOl3Z-aKvqiHA/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcPIfD31oi1vK2psqYiKVq6DcBpOE4YU8T55Q09KJ3Io3uN6obXlvuwE1FTEegqplMs82JfAhwZfxmgqRBsftJowo9tYkgLk83Ver5KOHDO8Sei1r2kg6-d8QmU-mIveDA3-TxzhUDwRYiqEGitauJZrscr6U2jsYqOX31_Ov9wVl-cOl3Z-aKvqiHA/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Note how effectively White has placed her pieces in the cardinal sector of the board- everything in the centre and/ or pointing at the opponent's kingside. As of now White still keep waiting constructively and keeps herself ready to pounce, if needed, like a cat!<p></p><p><b>26...Nd5 27. Nxd5 exd5?</b></p><p>Black slackens, perhaps as a result of the deceptively simple moves on the opponent's part and takes way too much liberty. Now his Bishop on b7 remains shut out from the game, it was better to continue with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">27...Bxd5</span> maintaining the equilibrium.</p><p><b>28.Qd1! </b></p><p>A wonderful retreat clearing the way for the e5 Knight to come to c5 if needed. <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">One always needs to pay attention to weak squares, whether we use them or not comes later!</span></i></p><p><b>28....a5 29.h4!</b></p><p>Given an opportunity White inches her way forward with the 'h'-pawn. Logically it also makes sense with a Knight on e5. If, White manages to soften Black's structure on g6 then the Knight on e5 becomes even more secure, as it cannot be driven away with an f7-f6 .</p><p><b>29...Qc7 30.h5!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WPpdM0fNTx69GLjcRW5iglG2f3JwE_2RtjtFLgpska3RhC7twvqr_EOkcmeq0kw5982nvgZzhkez8nmCN_--sX-pveWU4MKpyancpES-lcyO5XdQDd272M37XHf3fHpN2Ed4pt0ssBg8TiD1yr11oeEEYxkk5JWoO3B4UtC4Ua4lhMULFWioe0zfFQ/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WPpdM0fNTx69GLjcRW5iglG2f3JwE_2RtjtFLgpska3RhC7twvqr_EOkcmeq0kw5982nvgZzhkez8nmCN_--sX-pveWU4MKpyancpES-lcyO5XdQDd272M37XHf3fHpN2Ed4pt0ssBg8TiD1yr11oeEEYxkk5JWoO3B4UtC4Ua4lhMULFWioe0zfFQ/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />If you thought that the Rook Pawn forays began with Alpha Zero, am sorry you are wrong<b> ЁЯШК</b><p></p><p>Korchnoi said that Strategic activists have a penchant for Rook Pawn pushes, but here as we see, so do the attacking players!</p><p><b>30....Nc4?</b></p><p>Once again the defender's task is an unenviable one. How does one expect an offer of an exchange of the centralized Knight on e5 to be wrong. But Judit exploits a hidden motif in the position.</p><p><b>31.h6!!</b></p><p>Once again a future day Alpha Zero concept. Here it is supported by a fine tactical idea.</p><p><b>31... Bh6</b></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">31...Bf8</span> White would have continued with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">32. Ng4 Rxe2 33.Qxe2</span> and the pawn on h6 remains a thorn in Black's flesh</p><p><b>32. Ng4 ! Rxe2 33. Nh6+ Kg7</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv1WJgW4ASS9DsCL3yGiD3GhOe-sM5bIg2pYUJE-Sl9gZiTu0Kd5tKaKL-gLv4LDy2CUPe4K_h8swmSCNXtWd6dwXsegfFwNDL5wpWLiRS1AeE4BhigOoQsIb_UoFEE-zVpwskjNvu0BvHhNW6w4Il_TwfyNE970ZAhQtfyxKw6Td6T8WYZhBLcLYcQ/s500/1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv1WJgW4ASS9DsCL3yGiD3GhOe-sM5bIg2pYUJE-Sl9gZiTu0Kd5tKaKL-gLv4LDy2CUPe4K_h8swmSCNXtWd6dwXsegfFwNDL5wpWLiRS1AeE4BhigOoQsIb_UoFEE-zVpwskjNvu0BvHhNW6w4Il_TwfyNE970ZAhQtfyxKw6Td6T8WYZhBLcLYcQ/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />While going for the pawn thrust h6, White obviously had to see until here, but preferably even further. A cursory look at the position suggests the possibility of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Nf5+!? </span>That destroys Black's structure and gives a static feature to play on in the future as a compensation for the sacrificed pawn. Also Black's King remains weak. This, however was not what Judit chose. She valued time ( tempi) more than structural weakness and instead went for a more brutal yet veiled attack against Black with<p></p><p><b>34.Re2! Kxh6 35.Qe1!! </b></p><p>Basically, this was White's point. She forced Black to spend a tempo with his King to get to h6 and then White prepares to utilize the weakness on dark squares based on both diagonals and files. Here White's Bishop gets to g3 and the Rook becomes dominating on the seventh Rank with an eventual Re7. Black has no defense against this irresistible onslaught.</p><p><b>35...Kg7 36.Re7 Qb6 37.Bxc4</b></p><p>After this exchange of Bishop for a Knight White crashes through with her attack on the dark squares.</p><p><b>37.... bxc4 38.Qe5+ Kg8 39.Be3</b> ( with the idea of Bh6 and a mate on g7) </p><p><b>39...f6 40. Qf4 Kf8 41.Rxh7 Kf8 42.Qh6 1-0</b></p><p>There are a few similarities in the way both the games developed, a quiet opening, a maneuvering equilibrium phase and then an explosive attack that clinched the win. Lack of top opening preparation meant that both White players were always inventive and resourceful in tactics and more importantly development of an attack in an unorthodox yet beautiful manner.</p><p>With this I conclude by once again wishing a very happy birthday to the fabulously original </p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=G0G2WDGbX+un1zmLfqPUjVkjSunj6GxEFskxGxJaslAeWiGkqcvFAKEdMqP0i71a" target="_blank">replayable links to the games discussed above</a><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-70994686827904670272022-05-03T04:26:00.002-07:002022-05-03T04:26:40.092-07:00King's Placement<p>" <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Castle if you need to, caslte if you so desire, but do not castle just because you can</span></i>" - <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">William Lombardy"</span></i></p><p>Recently while preparing for a lecture topic for ProChess on the topic of Determining the position of the King, I was evoked by some pleasant trip upon my memory lane. From the very little of what I have studied, I feel that this concept was first vocalised by the first World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz. He actively contemplated the idea of being flexible with the King in the centre, when normal norm in his time was to quickly castle and prepare a sacrificial attack. Steinitz envisioned the King as a strong piece which can take care of itself. We all know that by the mobility it possesses the King can be considered to be as good as a minor piece or even better in an endgame. But, far more importantly, the safety of the King is the prime mover of a Chess game, as Checkmate culminates a game. For this reason the King is considered to be a piece that is of inestimable value.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p>While playing Fischer Random Chess I came across the teleportation of the King even from b1 to g1 square! If the opponent was preparing for an attack on the Queen's wing, this would completely be a cold shower to his ideas. Coming to think of it, this is a valid concept in a normal Chess game too. Castling as an aid to quick development especially in open games is a fact that no one can deny. But, thinkers like Steinitz dared to question an all encompassing approach to play. If in a given position, the King retains the flexibility to remain in the centre, to castle short or castle long, in itself this is an advantage, because opponent has to be wary of this before deploying his forces on a particular flank. As a corollary to this we can also see that if a side has prematurely determined the position of his King ( say to a particular flank) then it gives his opponent a free hand to concentrate all his forces towards the happening flank.</p><p>I will share three specific positions from the games that I had prepared for the lecture. To begin with </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1ighhq4GXtBArAWevsOvja_a7BhF5MCwMpa67E1f7vqOaRKQPyGSTMZNU2g49SFVXPswSIoNRhlFgdWWf9veqCotcKs5WsewspJW99lMymjei7KGs1OJv5WGG7Pst875JHX1-4i_GTAlV5KGwplJrbg5bqDt0nNg0kZGufF2ZRpVh8TrfFrdIA26Pg/s500/Radjabov%20T...%20-%20Vachier%20Lagrave%20M...%20(10.0-0).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1ighhq4GXtBArAWevsOvja_a7BhF5MCwMpa67E1f7vqOaRKQPyGSTMZNU2g49SFVXPswSIoNRhlFgdWWf9veqCotcKs5WsewspJW99lMymjei7KGs1OJv5WGG7Pst875JHX1-4i_GTAlV5KGwplJrbg5bqDt0nNg0kZGufF2ZRpVh8TrfFrdIA26Pg/s320/Radjabov%20T...%20-%20Vachier%20Lagrave%20M...%20(10.0-0).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>is a position after White's 10th move from the 2nd game of the World Cup semifinal between <b>Radjabov and Maxime Vachier Lagrave from 2019. </b></p><p>Here in reply to White's castling move, Black too replied with <b>10...0-0 ?</b></p><p>But the seemingly innocuous move is (believe it or not !)the decisive mistake! Radjabov continued with </p><p><b>11.e5! </b>and developed a ferocious attack against the opponent's King which was later translated into win of material and finally the game.</p><p>Black could have probably stayed flexible with his King and continued with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">10... Bc6 </span>and <span style="color: #2b00fe;">11...Nd7</span> before deciding on where to castle or whether to stay in the centre for a while. Of course this is easier said with the benefit of hindsight and having seen White's masterpiece. </p><p>The next position we will look at is from the 2nd game of the World Championship match between <b>Steinitz and Lasker in 1894.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2b4rfPCG_MfkYpD3Ju859p5jgYcimzl2yGcXaiD-B8r490mfwQfumLQJUz8quus-LSePuxOk6Qtw4nH-im6uyuCOdh7Gp1YNxThbuJ3P5EBI2zvuLR26cpuxDQdtPQVS9sq-97VKIYhKdyAS1_V5kf6MD144xMO9gco18GlwxztgL1d5pYUUbZq8v9A/s500/Steinitz%20William%20-%20Lasker%20Emanuel%20(11...Qc7).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2b4rfPCG_MfkYpD3Ju859p5jgYcimzl2yGcXaiD-B8r490mfwQfumLQJUz8quus-LSePuxOk6Qtw4nH-im6uyuCOdh7Gp1YNxThbuJ3P5EBI2zvuLR26cpuxDQdtPQVS9sq-97VKIYhKdyAS1_V5kf6MD144xMO9gco18GlwxztgL1d5pYUUbZq8v9A/s320/Steinitz%20William%20-%20Lasker%20Emanuel%20(11...Qc7).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>In this position which was clearly aimed for by Steinitz he continued with <b>12.Ng5! </b></p><p>He had waited for Lasker to castle and made use of the pawn hook on g6 to open the h-file in the quest for an attack against the opponent's monarch. In comparison with the previous position the central position is more fluid and the decision of White's King to remain in the centre is more audacious. He knew that Lasker would reply</p><p><b>12.....d5 </b>and had prepared the answer<b> 13.f3!! </b></p><p>This move can be appreciated on various levels like <i>overprotecting the central strong point, and taking care of stabilising the centre before embarking on a flank attack</i>. He was true to his principles and won a fine a game by creating a strong attack and thereby winning material and the game. I can't but help think about the parallel of Game 2 from 1990 World Championship match between <b>Karpov and Kasparov where Kasparov came with 19.f3!!</b> in a Ruy Lopez to calmly strengthen the centre before embarking on an attack against the opponent's King. Though, I must admit that this is quite off topic ЁЯШБ</p><p>The final position I want to show is once again from a very modern game. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56a7l7KYNBfLCQtBa6K2HdH3O3K5zvuny9biT2FCabGX_ldpHDtfZYrmtevdbjWprQQJFjkXUYy-EbW0avP0UXjbVk6hM5GPIBEEu6vEG4gz6mrBnh3b2AEYnAgCjOFcE6Ht4vQjdv4G_EY1zRnVk5WU3l7neFMy2CgpYa89FEB2h7gpX2LeC0FNzlQ/s500/Ganguly%20Surya%20Shekhar%20-%20Fedoseev%20Vladimir1%20(16...g6).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56a7l7KYNBfLCQtBa6K2HdH3O3K5zvuny9biT2FCabGX_ldpHDtfZYrmtevdbjWprQQJFjkXUYy-EbW0avP0UXjbVk6hM5GPIBEEu6vEG4gz6mrBnh3b2AEYnAgCjOFcE6Ht4vQjdv4G_EY1zRnVk5WU3l7neFMy2CgpYa89FEB2h7gpX2LeC0FNzlQ/s320/Ganguly%20Surya%20Shekhar%20-%20Fedoseev%20Vladimir1%20(16...g6).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This is a position from the World Cup Rapid game number 5(rapid) between Ganguly and Fedoseev. Ganguly has played the opening inventively and has acquired some nagging pressure against Fedoseev's Chebanenko. Here, interestingly Black had no weakness in pawn structure, but his prime concern is:- where to place his King? If he goes to the kingside, White will get an incredibly strong attack with f6 in connection with ideas based on g7 square mates. There could also be ideas based upon Bh6 followed by fxg6 and h4-h5.</p><p> If Black stays in the centre, he needs to be always looking for an opening up of the position with fxe6. And the c-file is already open on the Queenside which means that his King cannot feel entirely safe there too.</p><p>Going by this logic, White should have continued to be flexible with his central pawn position and gone for <span style="color: #2b00fe;">17.Rac1!? </span>or even a radical attempt to prevent Queenside castling forever with<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 17.b4!?</span></p><p>The point to note is that White can be flexible because he does not have to fear <span style="color: #2b00fe;">gxf5</span> because of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Qg7!</span> anytime and an immediate<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 17....exf5 (</span> in reply to <span style="color: #2b00fe;">17.Rac1) </span>would run into<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Bh6 </span>catching Black's King in the centre as a target!</p><p>In the game White continued with <b>17.f6?! </b>which let off the pressure in terms of flexibility. This pawn thrust is good if Black castles on the Kingside, but is committal in the sense that it closes the centre permanently. Now Black could have safely castled long or as it happened in the game, later use the d7- square as a safe haven for his King since there is no possibility for White to open up the centre with pawn breaks. Of course this has no relevance with the fact that White went on to lose this game, but it nevertheless remains a pivotal moment where had White waited flexibly maybe he could won the game and the match too.</p><p>The three positions show that this is a concept that is quite hard to grapple with even for the very best, but this can be a good start to rethink Steinitz and the theory of determining the position of the King. I wish the interested readers to delve deeper and happily research into this fascinating old/modern concept.</p><p>Here is a replayable link to the games that were discussed.</p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=jxvz8mijz1quHLfNxIgKKDC0f9UqO++9t4QVP66O9evumrCwvJot4oGgfAUwHLU8">https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=jxvz8mijz1quHLfNxIgKKDC0f9UqO++9t4QVP66O9evumrCwvJot4oGgfAUwHLU8</a><br /></p>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-54751411713652853512022-04-14T23:09:00.002-07:002022-04-14T23:09:46.569-07:00Anish Giri - Master class ( ProChess Diaries)<p> I came to know of Anish Giri's master class in ProChess not so long ago, and without second thoughts joined it! I remember first meeting Anish as a young prodigy completing his second Gm norm( if i remember correctly) at the Groningen Open 2008-2009. The next time I met him it was already in the Qatar Masters where he was one of the elite and was almost winning the event with a 6/6 start. His journey from a child prodigy to one of the very best has been filled with excitement for chess lovers. Besides his achievements, he has always maintained a friendly and pleasant demeanor and that perhaps made him a crowd puller always. </p><p>So, coming back to the master class lesson, he started off the session with his usual pleasant humour and made everyone comfortable by letting everyone know that he knows all the students of the class ! To warm up he shared a few positions from a recent chess.com Blitz event, which would usually be blasphemy in Soviet times, but he clearly elaborated on why he did this. People (especially the elite group students) would have seen all top level games and it would be hard to quiz them there, so he chose his online Blitz game- fair enough logic!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqPGlHZ0cTnnNG79UCnprTwwDZ708Lj7-DSs07OPTaWw7HRtmXKFsjg9V__XE7g9aKxVN64La0MZnAbzTqMZXMeDzTGTBATDUQ03lt9YU1fXjxxQEmk2XhqxdzxkYqxB5GL5IumrTZXZ4ab2wpSpDj3xWmYsffCY6WqFapupi3sMXYHAwIRRrgALOIA/s516/Sarana%20Alexey%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(34.Nf4).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqPGlHZ0cTnnNG79UCnprTwwDZ708Lj7-DSs07OPTaWw7HRtmXKFsjg9V__XE7g9aKxVN64La0MZnAbzTqMZXMeDzTGTBATDUQ03lt9YU1fXjxxQEmk2XhqxdzxkYqxB5GL5IumrTZXZ4ab2wpSpDj3xWmYsffCY6WqFapupi3sMXYHAwIRRrgALOIA/s320/Sarana%20Alexey%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(34.Nf4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This is a position from his game( as Black ) against Sarana after White's 34th move. He asked us to think up and come up with our ideas. Having to specifically think about this position most of us came up with 34...<span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ree5! 35.Be5 Ne5+ 36.Kg3 Bh6 37.Rf1 Nd3</span> etc. However keeping in mind that this is a blitz game and both sides were probably playing this position in less than a minute, one has to understand how complex the position actually is and Anish had chosen <b>34... Ne5 </b>which is perhaps the most natural option.</p><p>Let me offer you one more position after a few more moves.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnnSLxRBTf4p_YCHtBZUaBNuANS71YzN3O_F8nnLw9InqsBbjImPh2vWG1n12Sq4H_LvhNqmBv3g5A2CI9Rt6X_ixiR7XZMjsKDRkp5e424Uu8Lxb7v-e6m0pQnkhj5so4lM3SKxcr-oI9PpVDvZSQel6HZrRkSMX51EL1FFsz6NMRGKD2FsIHcC5SQ/s516/Sarana%20Alexey%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(38.Nxb6).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnnSLxRBTf4p_YCHtBZUaBNuANS71YzN3O_F8nnLw9InqsBbjImPh2vWG1n12Sq4H_LvhNqmBv3g5A2CI9Rt6X_ixiR7XZMjsKDRkp5e424Uu8Lxb7v-e6m0pQnkhj5so4lM3SKxcr-oI9PpVDvZSQel6HZrRkSMX51EL1FFsz6NMRGKD2FsIHcC5SQ/s320/Sarana%20Alexey%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(38.Nxb6).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This is the position after White's 38th move and we were asked what we would choose here. I came up with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">38...Rf3+ 39. Rf3 gxf3</span> followed by <span style="color: #2b00fe;">...f2</span> and Anish remarked that this is right and is indeed what he chose. The game went <b>39.Kg2</b> by the way. However Abhimanyu Mishra came up with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">38...Rb8</span> and at the end of his line reached a position like this </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjpRfQPkRfmmJMDGCgJPiadFxAiTsemKE7IlTSynI93dHC3hU3DQfGpKmw_MCVBTKuxDl2KzvGauuidXEB8PhiVcEN4DJc4Q4Ot9dIIflxzP4s109ZaPIrBorhsMQ3Q6zPuKUH-sJ8hvZvTgdQghxAdLbMkyuTqp-taHHnXU7TT6uEsGo56Z8JIVDUg/s516/Sarana%20Alexey%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(45...Rc4).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjpRfQPkRfmmJMDGCgJPiadFxAiTsemKE7IlTSynI93dHC3hU3DQfGpKmw_MCVBTKuxDl2KzvGauuidXEB8PhiVcEN4DJc4Q4Ot9dIIflxzP4s109ZaPIrBorhsMQ3Q6zPuKUH-sJ8hvZvTgdQghxAdLbMkyuTqp-taHHnXU7TT6uEsGo56Z8JIVDUg/s320/Sarana%20Alexey%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(45...Rc4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I have seen positions with 2 Rook pawns and a Vancura draw in Dvoretsky's endgame manual, but as usually happens, was not sure of the result, especially so if asked at gunpoint with limited time! The advanced King and back rank cut off were enough to create doubts. Anish too was not sure, but later as it turned out to be a draw complemented Abhimanyu on his immaculate knowledge of precise endgames! (Abhimanyu Mishra is the youngest Grandmaster and a child prodigy)</p><p>There were several other very interesting moments from Anish's blitz game and we lost track of time when we were looking into the intricacies of it.</p><p>Later on Anish came to the main topic of his lecture( Yes all this was merely a warmup!!) which were his games versus Vishy Anand. Once again excuse me for a slight digression, I have seen Anish converse in Russian with Kramnik and in fluent English with Vishy and also Dutch with his countrymen. Genetically he has the ideal make up of Russian and Nepali and maybe going further back Indian too! And ideally for a promising junior and now a permanent elite player he is living in Europe where his chess skills have been honed to perfection. Despite all this many people including myself consider him to stylistically similar to our own legend Vishy Anand. So, when he announced the topic of the lecture during the session, it was quite intriguing as an observer for me. He narrated various meetings with Vishy right from his childhood until some very recent games too. He chose and discussed various games of theirs starting from 2011 until 2020 and the games included Classical, Rapid and Blitz too! Let me share with you a few impressions of these</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zzh8hxfhE4D40tmWR5BYSMRxv_SbjJ9biYi4yLeDSpy3TUz8qb9VsccOYyIp5u9jM3qV0QDqBfOO12YEd8wAAoBRfOMUNbqbmo9JFt-gvMTtCXywO9nYqsnvrb8o1DcKzKoRrjMOUuvGTfjWKILS-H4jtb2qrp2HZfUKXSUCB2PBVliNefW2ks9XEA/s516/Anand%20Viswanathan%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(12...c5!%20N).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zzh8hxfhE4D40tmWR5BYSMRxv_SbjJ9biYi4yLeDSpy3TUz8qb9VsccOYyIp5u9jM3qV0QDqBfOO12YEd8wAAoBRfOMUNbqbmo9JFt-gvMTtCXywO9nYqsnvrb8o1DcKzKoRrjMOUuvGTfjWKILS-H4jtb2qrp2HZfUKXSUCB2PBVliNefW2ks9XEA/s320/Anand%20Viswanathan%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(12...c5!%20N).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This was from his very first game versus World Champion Anand from Tata Steel 2011 where he has introduced <b>12...c5</b> as a novelty in this position. The lecture also contained an incredibly quick review of the evolution of various lines in a particular opening position that he was discussing. For example in this opening Anish rattled out various move order tricks and older games like Carlsen-Karjakin 2009 which changed the direction of how the top players approached a certain line and how they changed with time and the reasons behind the same! This should be very useful for upcoming talents on how a broad erudition can be a formidable weapon in the hands of a top player.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3O6bEbh_maxowtAxzBA64C3azGVFnXhyoJcaxJY8p0AICDuLbyEhsce0iirnva-nT2H3aOiZEdExmCB-ecYf695ksgz7WGDkzRcofwJF6vD00GlcrZUdgNYIg60vTueYF-YCLpafZW2o4gcfAwG6Cho6OuLv2OlP9XsmLN1XOZn536gdwWpxnJwTiw/s516/Anand%20Viswanathan%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(20...b5!%20).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3O6bEbh_maxowtAxzBA64C3azGVFnXhyoJcaxJY8p0AICDuLbyEhsce0iirnva-nT2H3aOiZEdExmCB-ecYf695ksgz7WGDkzRcofwJF6vD00GlcrZUdgNYIg60vTueYF-YCLpafZW2o4gcfAwG6Cho6OuLv2OlP9XsmLN1XOZn536gdwWpxnJwTiw/s320/Anand%20Viswanathan%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(20...b5!%20).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This is a position from the same game after move 20. This was around the time that Black started turning over the tables a little bit and changing the trend of how the game proceeded. In the end this was ended in a hard fought draw after some brilliant defense by Vishy, but as Anish pointed out, one where he missed a complex path to win at the very end in a Rook Endgame.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4pGZYEXC5eBC3-OnmFMpD876gGtLhgOe2uoTQPk9tmEp0k4dADK1Ohf4hOyf9LYSiEod6Fv8lk-DUegfC4ekMePhXl7bP1YAJcpvE2F_Vvcxe-GKC7ncxbPPpzBToH-LvFe4EYGXcOsqe3aAfxpNqSYq1eLH0ITVLLiklJ8Z_HQbdugW-McHCe0NJw/s532/Giri%20Anish%20-%20Anand%20Viswanathan%20(27.Rxg4).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4pGZYEXC5eBC3-OnmFMpD876gGtLhgOe2uoTQPk9tmEp0k4dADK1Ohf4hOyf9LYSiEod6Fv8lk-DUegfC4ekMePhXl7bP1YAJcpvE2F_Vvcxe-GKC7ncxbPPpzBToH-LvFe4EYGXcOsqe3aAfxpNqSYq1eLH0ITVLLiklJ8Z_HQbdugW-McHCe0NJw/s320/Giri%20Anish%20-%20Anand%20Viswanathan%20(27.Rxg4).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This was a position from Anish's White game against Vishy from Tata Steel 2013. He mentioned that he learnt that with the Knight on e6 there is not much of a Kingside attack even if White gets his Knight to f5 and also his Rooks and pieces on the Kingside might turn out to be offside. Later the game ended in a draw. But this was a very instructive position from my viewpoint where two great players teach how they perceive a position and hint at important factors which can help students nurture their own thoughts in their quest for improvement.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21nk4TP84sGh4pQmAQDMUuQmFNOUo-pIuuw06pEbOTYDWfp_wQ5fX1x6Ka2vsi3Se13CzmSnzg1LZOo5QlCMUCC7T2sBmmtF4OKdoQwanUohUI0UXiUiBTF32_tc0I0lo1swk9a-KJBjP81tcSl4MCv46G9OB9uCAET-3kvjCgjS49PZDOqsB5l59OA/s532/Giri%20Anish%20-%20Anand%20Viswanathan%20(12.Qb1!).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21nk4TP84sGh4pQmAQDMUuQmFNOUo-pIuuw06pEbOTYDWfp_wQ5fX1x6Ka2vsi3Se13CzmSnzg1LZOo5QlCMUCC7T2sBmmtF4OKdoQwanUohUI0UXiUiBTF32_tc0I0lo1swk9a-KJBjP81tcSl4MCv46G9OB9uCAET-3kvjCgjS49PZDOqsB5l59OA/s320/Giri%20Anish%20-%20Anand%20Viswanathan%20(12.Qb1!).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Next up this position was from Anish's excellent victory from their 2015 Bilbao encounter. Witnessing the few games that were shown in this lecture, I could not help but thinking of the ideological battles like in Steinitz/Chigorin times were each player upholds a certain preferred way to play. Vishy clearly loves Knights and Anish as he admitted loves the pair of Bishops. When great players fight it out with different styles and preferences, the result is just a treat for the students of the game!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7IK0OvrLjkwFM0nrRlmVq6gWQXn4iuru7x1SchMRe5I6stYnUaORbzl2gsBAbnRAT-Sx2RTuZpgoSgin8AF2a9ae026YolKqrSB13nTLAXzCuWpujShKMVMxBb-bJx2Z89H-v05_jMVRg38tiD8yzMVNuL5Rg7AU8VowQpSn6XLaQmYg69psYneFvA/s516/Anand%20Viswanathan%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(20...Qh5%20).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7IK0OvrLjkwFM0nrRlmVq6gWQXn4iuru7x1SchMRe5I6stYnUaORbzl2gsBAbnRAT-Sx2RTuZpgoSgin8AF2a9ae026YolKqrSB13nTLAXzCuWpujShKMVMxBb-bJx2Z89H-v05_jMVRg38tiD8yzMVNuL5Rg7AU8VowQpSn6XLaQmYg69psYneFvA/s320/Anand%20Viswanathan%20-%20Giri%20Anish%20(20...Qh5%20).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Anish also looked at his loss versus Vishy from Shamkir 2019. This is an instructive moment after Black's 20th move. I had seen this game earlier and had my own impressions of it and of course knew the move, but I thoroughly enjoyed the positional ideas of Anish, who in his inimitable way explained how a position which was more pleasant for Black could end up being a strategically lost one in a course of just a few careless moves. White continued with <b>21.Bc7! </b>and went on to win in an instructive fashion, but like I said earlier, more than a move, it is important to understand the key ideas in a position and how they evolve.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnFnspt_-haw5EzP-UDnxdiEJA9oAxEhmE7lE2JJCwnCd-9lFp1-dhbir1vVK9Rbd-vendCAsJOIWrhnlC2xuPJ7wmV9F3-Ddp-g5w-JJu5CUJG9TYMx1dG69OhXHwZTx2tmS9VmbsuEcJP23LKQiohRYoeGAaoKyN47xXXlgC3Fv3CdjOkPvpjn2Sw/s532/Giri%20Anish%20-%20Anand%20Viswanathan%20(35...Kg7).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnFnspt_-haw5EzP-UDnxdiEJA9oAxEhmE7lE2JJCwnCd-9lFp1-dhbir1vVK9Rbd-vendCAsJOIWrhnlC2xuPJ7wmV9F3-Ddp-g5w-JJu5CUJG9TYMx1dG69OhXHwZTx2tmS9VmbsuEcJP23LKQiohRYoeGAaoKyN47xXXlgC3Fv3CdjOkPvpjn2Sw/s320/Giri%20Anish%20-%20Anand%20Viswanathan%20(35...Kg7).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Finally a position from their Blitz game from 2021 Zagreb. Anish is White and solve for this position for a White victory. ( Hint:- There are 2 solutions)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-56327662278688803052022-04-13T02:35:00.001-07:002022-04-13T02:36:41.310-07:00Ivanchuk's classics by Krasenkow ( Prochess diaries) <p> After a month, it so happened that again I could attend another Krasenkow's lecture on Ivanchuk. This time he looked two games of Ivanchuk in contrasting styles, one a positional build up ending up in a complex endgame and the other a famous attacking masterpiece.</p><p>The first game was Ivanchuk's victory over Azmaiparashvilli from 2002. I had not seen this game earlier, and that gave a greater freshness in approaching the position. Like last time I will offer a few interesting moments from the lecture with the explanatory ideas. Without further ado let us jump into the positions.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcxG6vpQo1wYFJZOfNRWLtooxGnVGLbm5DGUbkP28BcMl9uVqii1O_YE9gPNzvImTuLeWUJETAlTjvtPk2khDKlG_OeH2pq7qpyjqbM_Ebxo9GjIuPNgDBKNr1bkRMPHoSR7f_OBch1cwRKyPGyLJFuCfGR98sGNWhWmZtC6oNtMQHQBER5uZirb4FA/s532/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(18...b6%20).gif"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcxG6vpQo1wYFJZOfNRWLtooxGnVGLbm5DGUbkP28BcMl9uVqii1O_YE9gPNzvImTuLeWUJETAlTjvtPk2khDKlG_OeH2pq7qpyjqbM_Ebxo9GjIuPNgDBKNr1bkRMPHoSR7f_OBch1cwRKyPGyLJFuCfGR98sGNWhWmZtC6oNtMQHQBER5uZirb4FA/s320/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(18...b6%20).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />At this moment I expected a normal move like Ke2, however Ivanchuk came with <b>19Kd2!? </b>which was quite clever in terms of timing. White understood that Black wants to stop further expansion of White's Queenside pawns, so the last move b7-b6 signaled an idea of a7-a5 and preempting this Ivanchuk decide to take his King for a walk along the light squares. Also pay attention to the fact that despite a blocked central position (closed one) here the Bishop is a better piece than the knight, because Black knights lacks any meaningful squares/ outposts and White's Bishop works well in unison with his pawn structure.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L2RZLRfcZmnmSWacppoc0gpEOnl0vW8YPZUWa5by6XveziwaLJfTfheYWNn9CLPtzo3Lb-F06FBwPf2ud7F8Rcp1i3Bt-UKIHFla1kNMr-Bofie1UVcSygtahjg7xV0hUdZzfOXpgFAX3gDsF0koqjJpQFXKbGJvfpNM75RiFT40MaINRAAyqjFntw/s532/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(30...Rh7).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L2RZLRfcZmnmSWacppoc0gpEOnl0vW8YPZUWa5by6XveziwaLJfTfheYWNn9CLPtzo3Lb-F06FBwPf2ud7F8Rcp1i3Bt-UKIHFla1kNMr-Bofie1UVcSygtahjg7xV0hUdZzfOXpgFAX3gDsF0koqjJpQFXKbGJvfpNM75RiFT40MaINRAAyqjFntw/s320/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(30...Rh7).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br />Travelling further into the game we reach this position after Black's 30th move. White's king maneuver via the light squares reminded me of a game <b>Petrosian-Lokvenc 1953</b> from a Kings Indian. Here Ivanchuk continued with <b>31.h4! </b>and as rightly pointed out by<b> </b>Grandmaster Krasenkow in such positions one needs to create a second target of attack or a weakness, one cannot win by attacking one weakness alone ( in this case c7)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84zewMprapfGqvA6xLsB1rDdOZf7RhfyCXoZGycZt742QhxF-xwxHCG_qjgxcUUpn4gqb9pdh0N_zjAzGUHy0s6aiRtvzjF3cjoq9ywBXrcT4oQgMTFWKDXSKp2uNEuJpL8MDlJemBC8py0hKhlWbco8boS-95mNmUTa3xDznh0rpTgdwgHSMYr3_fQ/s532/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(32...Nf6).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84zewMprapfGqvA6xLsB1rDdOZf7RhfyCXoZGycZt742QhxF-xwxHCG_qjgxcUUpn4gqb9pdh0N_zjAzGUHy0s6aiRtvzjF3cjoq9ywBXrcT4oQgMTFWKDXSKp2uNEuJpL8MDlJemBC8py0hKhlWbco8boS-95mNmUTa3xDznh0rpTgdwgHSMYr3_fQ/s320/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(32...Nf6).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br />This was perhaps a very important critical moment in the game, here Krasenkow gave us some time to come with our decision, I decided on the forcing 33<b>Rf2+ Ke4 34Bxb6 Ng4 35Rg2</b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span>and this was exactly what happened in the game. Interestingly at this moment neither Ivanchuk in Chess Informant or Ribli in Mega Database consider any other alternatives. Here Krasenkow suggested <span style="color: #2b00fe;">33.h6! Ng4 34.Bc1 Nh6 35.Rh2</span> with a sort of a zugzwang and also commented that , <i>"an attractive move need not always be right a simpler move might suffice"</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKyHsYTx6mRUr-k4bGTCi-GpB0P5Mr7J0qSUFXmiYA56DaaCKkPKCvFF-9-ZdNuCzQ5fgk-NKROGcYcQ_abkpXbDOFlgHkEsIPKOkdHw_mUveXURtq_M95jvRCAXZkoG7Lnb5pb9lzU22rh0Cl7gYj2zz_cNRxJdwcs4mCESfypuYeatEbsuLg1jyFw/s532/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(37.Rg8).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKyHsYTx6mRUr-k4bGTCi-GpB0P5Mr7J0qSUFXmiYA56DaaCKkPKCvFF-9-ZdNuCzQ5fgk-NKROGcYcQ_abkpXbDOFlgHkEsIPKOkdHw_mUveXURtq_M95jvRCAXZkoG7Lnb5pb9lzU22rh0Cl7gYj2zz_cNRxJdwcs4mCESfypuYeatEbsuLg1jyFw/s320/Ivanchuk%20V%20-%20Azmaiparashvili%20Z%20(37.Rg8).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i>This is perhaps the decisive moment of the game. Black needs to decide the placement of his King on this move or on the next one after say e5-e4, here Azmai chose Kd4 intending to hit at White's c4 pawn. But this proves to be too slow to generate any sort of meaningful counterplay. In Rook endgames usually the defensive side should aim for counterplay by activating his own passed pawn and Black's King needs to be on d2 to support the passed e-pawn, so either here or on the next move after e5-e4 Black should have played his King to d2. Krasenkow showed some further lines on how this would have been sufficient for a draw. This moment was missed by earlier annotators and so White's earlier decisions were all deemed to be right. This shows how complex the rook endgames are, even for the best of the best! Retrospectively if this is a draw, the previous diagram also becomes important in the eternal search for the truth! Anyways a wonderful instructive moment and a game in totality. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would invest further time to unearth the hidden gems from this particular game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next up was Ivanchuk's brilliant win as Black over Topalov from Linares 1999. This game has a lot of wonderful moments too and some very pretty variations. But as a teaser I will just provide 2 gorgeous decisions of Ivanchuk.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ4Sap5XBvWxfbzJVH_KZiavE795SwJysx0tOvtF__ZWYcgwOKuCtafKwMM34EZhQTph_gY57is6lgB7FdmZnzpGdCrU9j9q6pPrJUxPf5d7cHy861T-ABMlHqajI5F4bGiXRGcqaQtH_1IdjWzJCjckhj2eq4dVa_Qw_slUU2AKfRL394W-31bHk1w/s532/Topalov%20V%20-%20Ivanchuk%20V%20(14.Qd3).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ4Sap5XBvWxfbzJVH_KZiavE795SwJysx0tOvtF__ZWYcgwOKuCtafKwMM34EZhQTph_gY57is6lgB7FdmZnzpGdCrU9j9q6pPrJUxPf5d7cHy861T-ABMlHqajI5F4bGiXRGcqaQtH_1IdjWzJCjckhj2eq4dVa_Qw_slUU2AKfRL394W-31bHk1w/s320/Topalov%20V%20-%20Ivanchuk%20V%20(14.Qd3).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p>Black has a lead in development and he needs to do something dynamic and immediate to keep up the pressure. There are a lot of choices, but Ivanchuk chose <b>14...e4!! </b>and never took his feet off the accelerator for the rest of the game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeSdzdH0kCjvA_QmI2h2GjfPrAfP55Z2NfkAnhPdnnSXPLQPOwlDqBjUGE2W_ZRxE432kbxr5V3DDY_XtfLhvute6LJprUP_o3Vb_vLkYgltzRW_IS1JN0E0UF8afyJTL_3ZY9BOLN4UwYpq-8qWHl2CR4FNsVTQqiCtu-RkUXCrMXVx8e6cic_w79g/s532/Topalov%20V%20-%20Ivanchuk%20V%20(18.Qb2).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeSdzdH0kCjvA_QmI2h2GjfPrAfP55Z2NfkAnhPdnnSXPLQPOwlDqBjUGE2W_ZRxE432kbxr5V3DDY_XtfLhvute6LJprUP_o3Vb_vLkYgltzRW_IS1JN0E0UF8afyJTL_3ZY9BOLN4UwYpq-8qWHl2CR4FNsVTQqiCtu-RkUXCrMXVx8e6cic_w79g/s320/Topalov%20V%20-%20Ivanchuk%20V%20(18.Qb2).gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Here he rang the death knell for the opponent's monarch with <b>18....Ne2!! </b>and White's King wandered in the centre for the rest of the game but ultimately could not save himself. A game in a wonderful romantic spirit of yesteryears - the golden age of Morphy and co come to mind. I would urge everyone to check out these two masterpieces of Ivanchuk and enrich their armoury of chess ideas!</p></div><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-17746832736241664212022-03-02T00:01:00.001-08:002022-03-02T00:02:43.763-08:00Ivanchuk in the eyes of Krasenkow (ProChess Diaries)<p><span><br /></span><span><br /></span> I had the opportunity to be a student in Michal Krasenkow's lecture on Ivanchuk's positional games. This was quite a new experience for me. Until now I had only been associated with Pro Chess as a coach giving a lecture, and this time thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to attend Grandmaster Krasenkow's lecture as a student. First of all it was a welcome invitation to look at the games of one of my favourite players- the inimitable Ivanchuk! Krasenkow is a very strong Grandmaster who is a contemporary of Ivanchuk and has unique insights into the games of Ivanchuk. </p><p>In the backdrop of a raging war at his doorstep he could not hide his emotions, but nevertheless did his first lecture for Pro Chess. I liked the way he presented his lecture, first he gave several positions with time to think for the students to come up with their own decisions. This way we progressed through the game <b>Ivanchuk-Beliavsky Eu Club Cup-2001</b> pondering over several critical moments. I will present a couple of positions to illustrate the point.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc2DJNMMg4spz50hAnNwc2Mu8mTsgrR0RwJ5P7hJ0ubAgZxUnumXFOtDd8ApOKhI0BbtkAiBMLOZyb4EhHQwCMT4Z7MeaZmWP6dS7yGp4b7mca3nnq0PDeE46n-ogAZlfHjCal74q6Y95zqyVrJKj-p69kcYGJqI2awIiP4HsrBbDMMHV_Brw6kKHfVg=s516" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc2DJNMMg4spz50hAnNwc2Mu8mTsgrR0RwJ5P7hJ0ubAgZxUnumXFOtDd8ApOKhI0BbtkAiBMLOZyb4EhHQwCMT4Z7MeaZmWP6dS7yGp4b7mca3nnq0PDeE46n-ogAZlfHjCal74q6Y95zqyVrJKj-p69kcYGJqI2awIiP4HsrBbDMMHV_Brw6kKHfVg=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Diagram 1</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjp3Ilm9htUMxon-BZYtHSwhbWwCw3LlQFgzIEo6PERj2wG3uG5i-MrXwPVUSVi8qLK5HtpswqiQcQ2AuoNEOaCa7uS9_xz65EGakRrrtWzQK60pL9QoP36ZNF9Ex-1JbD03HKu0TxfmiWOZt7xKac_bJe0-kbxr_QIyWANWzKJNy5N3jeZoTOwOZU6Dw=s516" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjp3Ilm9htUMxon-BZYtHSwhbWwCw3LlQFgzIEo6PERj2wG3uG5i-MrXwPVUSVi8qLK5HtpswqiQcQ2AuoNEOaCa7uS9_xz65EGakRrrtWzQK60pL9QoP36ZNF9Ex-1JbD03HKu0TxfmiWOZt7xKac_bJe0-kbxr_QIyWANWzKJNy5N3jeZoTOwOZU6Dw=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Diagram 2</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It is White to move in both the positions. Readers can ponder over it for a while.</p><p> Krasenkow was giving his own views of the various positions at the end of questions over the critical moments session. There were several key features which were explained, which were, although quite basic and fundamental to good positional play are nevertheless missed during the heat of the battle and the pressure of the clock.</p><p>For example in diagram 1, I wanted to play a developing move like <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Rfd1</span> to capture the d-file and retain the pressure, whereas Ivanchuk had in fact played <b>Qc5! </b>and as Krasenkow rightly put - " The advantage of Bishop over a knight increases in the endgame"</p><p>And in the second diagram, my choice was to play <span style="color: #2b00fe;">b3</span>, though I was not too happy with moving my Queenside pawns up the board and creating some targets in terms of weak squares. Ivanchuk came with the creative and strong <b>Re2!</b> which I had failed to consider. His point is to use a rook for the defence of the second rank and activate his other rook via the 5th rank to probe Black's weakened pawns.</p><p>To conclude: In Krasenkow's opinion this was one of the very best games of Ivanchuk! I had not seen this earlier, truly showing that there are hidden gems scattered around amidst the pebbles on a river bed. Readers can find the link to the above mentioned game here below.</p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=LJUhTKV5bX2RVCIjDGMWMQMj35de3ndgnHQ0G6aFf/KxwUCzFP2MZhqERI9Fsjed">https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=LJUhTKV5bX2RVCIjDGMWMQMj35de3ndgnHQ0G6aFf/KxwUCzFP2MZhqERI9Fsjed</a><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibFSIznarsBxugK2GXvA3OcgP-ZjEDkfWP2MDWIyL37DIt59AOyPnlop63aSbUXrQvZJFvEIyBTg0arLbuNSwjR4n1oU10Gf46KTI-VeLMvuAydP9vVNTmKtoZgYP-ssz_h5HMKibzGgn8V21-gBC4Oy6lEcGaPjX83662t_3dF-O0FtAtKx39mDMsTw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-7977863000533790822021-12-29T08:22:00.003-08:002022-01-11T23:33:11.674-08:00In the footsteps of a plan<div class="st__content-block st__content-block--text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Neue Helvetica W01", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.65rem;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">тАЬThe important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries to comprehend only a little of this mystery every day.тАЭ-Albert Einstein</span></i></p></div><div class="st__content-block st__content-block--text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141414; font-family: "Neue Helvetica W01", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.65rem;"><br /></p></div><p><br /></p><p> Observing a position in one's own way and looking for ways to understand what is going on, is a key characteristic of any improving player. There are many different ways and aspects in a single game that attracts the attention of a seeker, and this as I come to see is an ever growing process. I had a look at a couple of older games recently and tried to view the position in terms of pawn structure and exchanges which are always a fundamental aspect of Chess Understanding.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXjRoVu9JswaW8v9pYS43F2z8-3zHoQSig75_moLHqlqOk6RSZEvUqaUNRT8t0qECNPvpZolOc-yi1VY6xVvRfbb-SLEAgCCaUdSo0fagKF5UidukbXz5j5QB3n3byFmFexiAXhZ7U_rHcu5CeHOBgg_QPudsnUr9KP3pT_sR_0pIxeDNgIUm4pMOm6Q=s516" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXjRoVu9JswaW8v9pYS43F2z8-3zHoQSig75_moLHqlqOk6RSZEvUqaUNRT8t0qECNPvpZolOc-yi1VY6xVvRfbb-SLEAgCCaUdSo0fagKF5UidukbXz5j5QB3n3byFmFexiAXhZ7U_rHcu5CeHOBgg_QPudsnUr9KP3pT_sR_0pIxeDNgIUm4pMOm6Q=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ponomariov-Kramnik 2003<br /><br /><br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span><a name='more'></a></span>For example let us start from the position after 9 moves from a game between 2 world champions.<div>White played</div><div><br /></div><div><b>10.Nxd5 exd5</b><br /><p>It is a common idea in Queens Gambit and sometimes in Queen's Indian positions to block the long diagonal of the light square Bishop of Black, especially after b7-b6.</p><p><b>11.Bg2 Nf6 12.0-0 Ne4 13.Rc1 Bb7</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8o4T-8lBfUtfoRzEZowgCX2L2K0K4J4UBsFm8eMzjqCbrzTy3ccAX06sVZxD_anGTp5bQ9VlhqHqQIIShM8AIwIHFiJ7xUzUuiT7_AasPBpnA2yQmdrVz-ncDL622cpi4jX7jstBJjwgecGudbP9iTF-N11-eV9VDDJUZ1CCP85uy2b0ofGJRuKEdEw=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8o4T-8lBfUtfoRzEZowgCX2L2K0K4J4UBsFm8eMzjqCbrzTy3ccAX06sVZxD_anGTp5bQ9VlhqHqQIIShM8AIwIHFiJ7xUzUuiT7_AasPBpnA2yQmdrVz-ncDL622cpi4jX7jstBJjwgecGudbP9iTF-N11-eV9VDDJUZ1CCP85uy2b0ofGJRuKEdEw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>Black chooses to develop the Bishop to b7. Again this is not an easy decision, knowing that the Bishop will more or less be inactive there. In Queens Gambit where Black aims for hanging pawns, Black sometimes prefers the e6 square for the Bishop where it is more active and at the same time fulfils the task of defending the central pawn. Here, however he might be running into Ne2-f4 time and again. The fact that White has fianchettoed his Bishop, makes one wonder if f5 might be a more interesting spot for the light square Bishop in such a piece placement.</p><p><b>14.Qc2 Rc8</b></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">14... Nxd2 15.Qxd2 Re8 16.Nf4 c6 </span>was a possible option to gain the pair of Bishops. Though, White still remains a trifle more pleasant because of the fixed pawn structure and nice placement of his minor pieces, nevertheless this a clearer way for Black to continue.</p><p><b>15.Rfd1 Bd6</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr5ge6303Qrl3bcHGHcQz1czN4pkYeDepX9bw0L3ZNu3iH4-0LPgsgbBTtVbzk7O4eR02n_Zf8M0G1ZOqVtdYJidHcp6y0r55evZkHRXqHXq6qPlPeWkScqyrJ6wqwtX-5s94eRAK-cjB_V31lf1vcLurpWeA6FuSXW_5ImNH0PqrT1RP_G1NwFes-Ww=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr5ge6303Qrl3bcHGHcQz1czN4pkYeDepX9bw0L3ZNu3iH4-0LPgsgbBTtVbzk7O4eR02n_Zf8M0G1ZOqVtdYJidHcp6y0r55evZkHRXqHXq6qPlPeWkScqyrJ6wqwtX-5s94eRAK-cjB_V31lf1vcLurpWeA6FuSXW_5ImNH0PqrT1RP_G1NwFes-Ww=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>16.Bb4!</b></p><p>A very interesting decision. An exchange variation of Queen's Gambit ( or a Carlsbad structure) where Black has already committed b7-b6 has its own set of nuances. White's dark square Bishop is clearly inferior to Black's counterpart, so in that sense it is natural that White seeks such an exchange. This is especially so, since Black's pawn stands on b6 and not b7. In this case Black's c-pawn remains backward whether on c7 or c6. The more active idea for Black is to go for hanging pawns with c5 break, but even in that case the exchange of dark squared Bishops is in White's favour. Note that an exchange of one more pair of minor pieces also seems to favour White, as Black finds it hard to defend the central structure with lesser minor pieces and also to drum up his own counterplay on the kingside.</p><p><b>16...Qf6</b></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">16...c5</span> seems to be a more natural option, whence White would have continued with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">17.dxc5 bxc5 18.Be1 Qe7 19.Nc3 </span>when White initiates some minor piece exchanges and puts pressure on the hanging pawns of Black. Steinitz and Karpov loved such positions! <span style="color: #2b00fe;">16...Bxb4 17.axb4</span> is a favourable exchange for White, as Black's a- pawn would also remain backward after that.</p><p><b>17.Nc3 Nxc3 18.Qxc3 c6 19.Bxd6 Qxd6 20.b4!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb3x5s54f0kDjSClpJK3A-Cf4QLqeKKFQgMI-k2og_CaZHjaZCWSqENKBoW2uskd2IIzHap2-2Q_7AghrXwo5FUWShlOCe_X-mHm2gp-GY2QXtnHHXbB9FJ5ATep0IHK18perEuTvhMTQorqHGlwNDCQNS-l2VtxSUsEovWrowbsBv8qtiK3KDqErYRQ=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb3x5s54f0kDjSClpJK3A-Cf4QLqeKKFQgMI-k2og_CaZHjaZCWSqENKBoW2uskd2IIzHap2-2Q_7AghrXwo5FUWShlOCe_X-mHm2gp-GY2QXtnHHXbB9FJ5ATep0IHK18perEuTvhMTQorqHGlwNDCQNS-l2VtxSUsEovWrowbsBv8qtiK3KDqErYRQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>White's position has improved quite a bit. He has a queenside clamp, Black retains a backward pawn on c6 and also has the worse Bishop.</p><p><b>20....Rc7 21.a4!</b></p><p>There are 2 pawn levers in the position, namely b4-b5 and a4-a5.<b> </b>Going for the direct approach with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">21.b5</span> is also possible<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 21...Rfc8 22.Bh3 Rd8 23.bxc6 Rxc6 24.Qb4! </span>when white retains some advantage due to the possession of the c-file and a better pawn structure. But, as a defender it is much more difficult when the aggressor maintains the tension and keeps all the options open. As Nimzowitsch rightly said 'the threat is stronger than execution'. White keeps black guessing in the game.</p><p><b>21... Bc8 22.a5 Ba6 23.Ra1 Bb5 24. Rdc1 Re8 25.axb6 axb6 </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGHl97KlffCtf4Wpg6MwYt-S2LOE1LsgpRen3dHRcsdbBjDQGjbEdUbEfMRPlMJY3JeEUmPq38luG1Uf2dGvVIhJwdJlD5GLdT0M49Yk496WtPQwGx1ocbery-IgA7g2WZ5ZW9V_8ezotLOfPb1b7YHBqCelR0MAsc0YK7Gaa4Wa2jwGrumidZLdKkSA=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGHl97KlffCtf4Wpg6MwYt-S2LOE1LsgpRen3dHRcsdbBjDQGjbEdUbEfMRPlMJY3JeEUmPq38luG1Uf2dGvVIhJwdJlD5GLdT0M49Yk496WtPQwGx1ocbery-IgA7g2WZ5ZW9V_8ezotLOfPb1b7YHBqCelR0MAsc0YK7Gaa4Wa2jwGrumidZLdKkSA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>26.Bf1!</b></p><p>A wonderful exchange, this time it appears to be exchanging our good Bishop for the opponent's bad one. But we need to look at the position deeper. Remember Bronstein's quote of '<i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Bad Bishop protects good pawns</span>'.</i> Here Black's dark squared Bishop protects the c-pawn and also the a6 square which can be used as a strongpoint for White. After the exchange of Bishops, only Major pieces remain on the board and Major pieces are quite poor defenders (as pointed out by Pachman in his Modern Chess Strategy!), they are not suited for such a task of merely defending pawns and squares. They need more active occupations.</p><p><b>26... Bxf1 27.Kxf1 Rb8 28.Ra6 Qd7 29.Kg1 h6 30.Qa3 Rcc8</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjySGUHdwylD__oHzrWkRTy8SMP5QMQYCkFBSDeiqL-ignMyPcZESCkF0jrTVqMREjiE1Sh54a84TbgNe3rhrBPaKTF-lXAxVhxU-UksRxKHMpYdsYHslToIfD7JyjF3yPIsgWpIOygmb5aEbsMRGA8jaDYJsXEn1EbtsJsWu_xs3fQJ9ly5ucShBXZFA=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjySGUHdwylD__oHzrWkRTy8SMP5QMQYCkFBSDeiqL-ignMyPcZESCkF0jrTVqMREjiE1Sh54a84TbgNe3rhrBPaKTF-lXAxVhxU-UksRxKHMpYdsYHslToIfD7JyjF3yPIsgWpIOygmb5aEbsMRGA8jaDYJsXEn1EbtsJsWu_xs3fQJ9ly5ucShBXZFA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>This is another very interesting moment from the game. It is clear that White has made progress and the most natural way to play would be to try and infiltrate along the a-file and probe for more weaknesses there. There is also another approach, one that is again mentioned from the manuals of Chess Strategy right from Nimzowitsch's times- <i>Opening up a second front or creating a second weakness</i>. Clearly White cannot be doing anything on the kingside right? Or can he!? White continued with</p><p><b>31.h4!</b></p><p>This is a very different way to look at the position. If we were in pure Rook endgames, this would always be a useful move to prevent the opponent from gaining space with g7-g5 and also eliminating any sort of weak pawn on h2 even in the remotest scenario. The structure where the pawn chain remains intact and one pawn protects another is very economical with the King protecting the base pawn on f2. But with the Queens remaining on the board, entirely different dynamics are at work. So what does White really want!? The further course of the game will enlighten us on this aspect.</p><p><b>31...Qf5 32.Ra7 g5 33.h5! Qf3</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCvO6dj_ZJA-yHPWIpcR9E1FuujQAZkfYSDhcbfcjTboU3GzH1OteTdESghBgpYOmtBruL3axsKlwatYZGiiKM-Spa0Lvz9Aivd4sR1JPaI8b4gDL7kDzGVxoy8yStXZpVuqXcCmynr87tV_aBlTfErjDDraLXqVYNkZCP41qKAUyB5PlWX_sxqI4W5A=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCvO6dj_ZJA-yHPWIpcR9E1FuujQAZkfYSDhcbfcjTboU3GzH1OteTdESghBgpYOmtBruL3axsKlwatYZGiiKM-Spa0Lvz9Aivd4sR1JPaI8b4gDL7kDzGVxoy8yStXZpVuqXcCmynr87tV_aBlTfErjDDraLXqVYNkZCP41qKAUyB5PlWX_sxqI4W5A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>White has ensured that the h-file remains closed as any opening up there, would weaken his own King. Now his idea becomes clearer, he understood that Black would not enjoy just sitting tight in a prospect less position and baited Black with hopes of Kingside counter play. Black might even end up winning the h-pawn, but he has lost some time and taken his Queen on a dangerous foray, straying from defense. Now the Queenside and central pawns turn out to be more of a weakness and we should not forget that g7-g5 also weakens Black's kingside a little. In short a brilliant and veiled trade off, effectively done!</p><p><b>34.Qd3 Kh8</b></p><p>The line <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">33...Qxh5 34.Qf5! Qg6 35.Qxg6 fxg6 36.Rd7! </span>when Black's weak pawns start to feel awkward is a good illustration of White's concept!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>35.Qa6! Kg7?! 36.b5! c5 37.dxc5 bxc5 38.Qg6! 1-0 </b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">The death knell finally rang loud unexpectedly on the second front which was envisioned with White's 31.h4! Quite a fine game by Ruslan who outplayed Kramnik in a sort of Quiet looking position out of the opening. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Now fast forward 10 years and let us look at a very similar position from the same opening, this time between two other World Champions!</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmH41Qx8eDFkqmYjOAm_Tcs4GWKJFkp4VlSuqqmciavv56QIqOzqdmjd7jTIkbm66MdX3zI7AOyBb6zrqKuHyGz1loRmegkyCSWRVKYNPQdicP3pgr3mVio89fTx-4zoyZZMBFmkmS5pzLhQdIalS3Yx0K6VEzc3WbbubcuBXyjVI5Ozh4Ws7jGzpoGQ=s516" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmH41Qx8eDFkqmYjOAm_Tcs4GWKJFkp4VlSuqqmciavv56QIqOzqdmjd7jTIkbm66MdX3zI7AOyBb6zrqKuHyGz1loRmegkyCSWRVKYNPQdicP3pgr3mVio89fTx-4zoyZZMBFmkmS5pzLhQdIalS3Yx0K6VEzc3WbbubcuBXyjVI5Ozh4Ws7jGzpoGQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carlsen-Anand Moscow 2013</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />as in Ponomariov Kramnik White continued with <p></p><p><b>10.Nxd5 exd5 11. Bg2 </b></p><p>and here Black responded with </p><p><b>11...Bb7 ?!<br /></b></p><p>Again as seen from the last game, the Bishop is a problem piece in these kind of positions. A very interesting approach has been mentioned by Krasenkow in the annotations to this game in Mega Database and one that has been tried out by some other players. He suggests <span style="color: #2b00fe;">11...Nf6 </span>as Kramnik did but the idea was to follow up with<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 12.0-0 Bf5! </span>This is a much better square for the Bishop especially considering the fact that White has fianchettoed his light squared Bishop. Black takes away the c2-square from the opponent's Queen and perhaps the rook too. This means that White finds it harder to put pressure against the backward c7-pawn. Overall, with more active pieces(especially the light square Bishop) Black seems to maintain some sort of dynamic equilibrium!</p><p><b>12.Bb4!</b></p><p>Carlsen improves upon the execution of the plan from the last game, by immediately offering an exchange of dark squared Bishops. In his day Botvinnik would say, I knew this plan from a game of Levenfish versus Kotov etc , and I guess Carlsen would have said, I knew this from Ponomariov- Kramnik.ЁЯШЛ</p><p><b>12...Nf6</b></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">12...c5 </span>would have led to<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.Bc3 Nf6 15.0-0 Ne4 16. Nf4!? </span>White's pieces are ideally placed to face the hanging pawns and the position is unpleasant for Black.</p><p><b>13.0-0 Re8 14.Rc1 c6 15.Bxe7 Rxe7</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihjajJyEOR2oGSOm9miS52Nlx1MnW4abSUgEbWSdt1sQ9jVdRfoHiJxwNqXN7-iBH7TOnYnRgNC6STWbSRXwd6cMNebBD-yOFEAAYHd9K_j5-06Z5KRA1250s338ldHHJqBUe1m8EIt6TUSccoRA5nEkdPPmqDca0wiEQ6bcvjOk9F3zjm9OaMUIsxpQ=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihjajJyEOR2oGSOm9miS52Nlx1MnW4abSUgEbWSdt1sQ9jVdRfoHiJxwNqXN7-iBH7TOnYnRgNC6STWbSRXwd6cMNebBD-yOFEAAYHd9K_j5-06Z5KRA1250s338ldHHJqBUe1m8EIt6TUSccoRA5nEkdPPmqDca0wiEQ6bcvjOk9F3zjm9OaMUIsxpQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Slightly different placement of pieces when compared with the previous game. Since, Black's knight is not on e4 Magnus prefers the more active f4-square for his Knight and in general plays for the Botvinnik like plan of central pawn roller with f3-e4. For the moment he maintains flexibility with</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>16.Re1 Qd6 17.Nf4 Bc8?!</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Black tries to retrace the steps of his Bishop to come to a more useful diagonal ie c8-h3. Unfortunately, Black loses time in doing this and at this moment lacks proper coordination. If Black had played something like <span style="color: #2b00fe;">17...Rc7 </span>White would have slowly improved with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">18.b4 </span>and would have kept improving his position and intensifying the pressure in the long run. As a defender these kinds of positions without any clear prospects are perhaps the hardest to play.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>18.Qa4!</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">White understands that Black's plan is to play Be6 and specifically prepares a response against it. He gains a tempo by attacking the c-pawn and prepares the central break e4 in quick time.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b> 18....Rc7 19.f3 Be6 20.e4</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzgpoDWVOC6zIJ3Fp6E88rvFLSDy6Ct2FZ4ec0N3bnZuAK1skjoiyxzf3dFcUFUw3YBvZKf-jG3Lp0oNgPhlOZ6jq_NO_p5WP0ec6sKlAntDu8SLbDqQqyrJuTvii1c_XCdsY-WN9e_PxJwRbA3JmsC-DLcXaEX5_85akWheyjm_1iyR_ZnRfSj24lFg=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzgpoDWVOC6zIJ3Fp6E88rvFLSDy6Ct2FZ4ec0N3bnZuAK1skjoiyxzf3dFcUFUw3YBvZKf-jG3Lp0oNgPhlOZ6jq_NO_p5WP0ec6sKlAntDu8SLbDqQqyrJuTvii1c_XCdsY-WN9e_PxJwRbA3JmsC-DLcXaEX5_85akWheyjm_1iyR_ZnRfSj24lFg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">The picture reminds me of a certain <b><i>Botvinnik versus Keres game from USSR Championship 1952</i></b> from a Carlsbad structure where the arrival of e4 on the board signified a complete domination.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>20...dxe4</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">This improves the sphere of influence of White's light square Bishop, but the central pawn roller was hard to deal with anyway, especially considering Black's lack of coordination.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>21.fxe4 Qd7 </b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFlFiVjFsrEUVoCpFrKhQbQYh0bzZVH32SHTw472G-rGJm583oIwQlpNy-HP3X4OJY4yjI-UFnXRU7DdQEqjbtJIQain6He_nPpE6gzIExkku53Nao1BS-QXFfwHwXLD5NHmI4CdzBH3O9noEgpPFJQ_Tn66IpqTGhMS-1_SBWRimTs-UshZHGyQ1Wkw=s516" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFlFiVjFsrEUVoCpFrKhQbQYh0bzZVH32SHTw472G-rGJm583oIwQlpNy-HP3X4OJY4yjI-UFnXRU7DdQEqjbtJIQain6He_nPpE6gzIExkku53Nao1BS-QXFfwHwXLD5NHmI4CdzBH3O9noEgpPFJQ_Tn66IpqTGhMS-1_SBWRimTs-UshZHGyQ1Wkw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">White has a very good advantage in space and is a picture of great coordination when compared with Black. Magnus transforms this into an advantageous endgame with deft moves in his typical manner.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>22.d5! cxd5 23.Qxd7 Rxd7 24.Nxe6 fxe6 25.Bh3! Kh8 26.e5 Ng8 27.Bxe6 Rdd8 28.Rc7 d4 29.Bd7!1-0</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">White's pieces completely dominate their counterpart and there is no stopping the e-passed pawn.</span><span style="background-color: white;">White achieved a complete domination in the endgame almost effortlessly. That just shows how dangerous Black's position was.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">The above two games showed some ideas in relation to the dark squared Bishop exchange in this specific pawn structure. This is just a very minor part of enjoying the beauty of Chess. It opens out a new avenue of approach to understanding the inner harmony hidden in any position. I have barely scratched the surface and would love to continue to appreciate the delights that Caissa is bound to offer us. To explore this idea further I will conclude by presenting two more diagrams from recent games of very strong players where White tried to exchange the dark squared Bishops in this pawn structure.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Happy Explorations and a great new year to one and all.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyXDNsOSfQiKndzp8U2lkNZ_2ymjNGQgCX9lw7J6FITKeEIH-guUxCCIoChsQoS92uhwWz1M3GltutN5BJfBsUMBOxzvlWIxY0u5A1EwenJcpVsWk3yKL1hyfwMg95vxzUvYP4N3ayrVzy4cAbOf8mANULftAL4FQCAY7zW4RBMN7hAcFw8UF1TaapRw=s516" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyXDNsOSfQiKndzp8U2lkNZ_2ymjNGQgCX9lw7J6FITKeEIH-guUxCCIoChsQoS92uhwWz1M3GltutN5BJfBsUMBOxzvlWIxY0u5A1EwenJcpVsWk3yKL1hyfwMg95vxzUvYP4N3ayrVzy4cAbOf8mANULftAL4FQCAY7zW4RBMN7hAcFw8UF1TaapRw=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kramnik-Pelletier 2015</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p><br /></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinbSqKWG6K39E52dSZ5mUN1x7QZ4OJJ1WqtsG1DkQM9JkrMIv9lhwPZj3XhDxOWPk64bku2iLy2eAafEJjMS6qyspazycBw2t7mOkSZVhiYYFb6ODXWgFB2-QKjjZi9cD7rQo3sGltGWI2j_TJsviSuW0jPVlDwS1KpjH2759r_L8Vzjnxk6aneoY8gw=s532" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinbSqKWG6K39E52dSZ5mUN1x7QZ4OJJ1WqtsG1DkQM9JkrMIv9lhwPZj3XhDxOWPk64bku2iLy2eAafEJjMS6qyspazycBw2t7mOkSZVhiYYFb6ODXWgFB2-QKjjZi9cD7rQo3sGltGWI2j_TJsviSuW0jPVlDwS1KpjH2759r_L8Vzjnxk6aneoY8gw=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Vidit-Shankland Prague 2020</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>I have enclosed the relevant games which have been taken from Mega and which includes analysis of GM Ftacnik, GM Krasenkow and my own ideas which have been added in detail as a replayable link.</div><div>Vidit's game is also included with his own annotations.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=gt7mxPa0rsWVMbJZYajikOrbdA/7sIRd3U4fl5FxZtEXPeTb6aIRHlNCy65e8qU0">Link to the replayable games</a><br /></div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-57737387573694913102021-12-04T04:27:00.001-08:002021-12-05T03:11:55.368-08:00Epic Catalan Battle<p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Staring at the Abyssmal depths of chess" Jonathon Rowson</span></i></p><p>The ongoing World Chess Championship between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi is covered most extensively and is perhaps the only time in my memory where so many living legends are commenting upon the games live! Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Peter Svidler,Fabiano Caruana, Vasyl Ivanchuk and Judit Polgar are all commenting live in various channels. There are numerous others too, but just looking at the names I cannot help imagining myself as Buridan's ass who is unable to make a proper choice!</p><p>With all the talks of draws and death of Classical Chess in World Championships in the background, yesterday's game destroyed all such illusions. It is the most grueling World Championship slugfest I have ever seen! To get into the depths of such a fascinating game is beyond the depths of a mortal human, so I will restrict myself to jotting down several interesting moments from this classic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9np6TAEDUlLxfkBA-jaqdB29wjbg-pgA4M4lM1fRIulwKnPhMqKO6F0lPUs_1SmSLif_R_tbKFtL8jJklQxLlvDrIMJ9nfqFPN0ywckooM5dD3XP1WN6Gfuwi7H7Qo6-KI3fvDk_15O8L/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252810.Nbd2%2529+%25281%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9np6TAEDUlLxfkBA-jaqdB29wjbg-pgA4M4lM1fRIulwKnPhMqKO6F0lPUs_1SmSLif_R_tbKFtL8jJklQxLlvDrIMJ9nfqFPN0ywckooM5dD3XP1WN6Gfuwi7H7Qo6-KI3fvDk_15O8L/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252810.Nbd2%2529+%25281%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><b>10.Nbd2!? <span></span></b></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>A very interesting and rare line, but a typical Catalan theme of sacrificing a pawn in the opening. Carlsen showed his intentions that he is geared up for a long and uncompromising fight. Kramnik admitted that despite being a Catalan player throughout his life for both colours he has never actually studied this particular position or line!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-RDcIWdCZGyc_dHtEXmaRpJT5LlSRrgsRd5JoAYkzEV0Z0NyWJJr5dd4qxXHkJcf3GPbi6ma3bbWFa4HgJ7-sUM1W0_4Q4lL5H4xyEA7_PNdOPHClBWDzmu-DT1o3LVGIBQgDJG3BKNo/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="854" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-RDcIWdCZGyc_dHtEXmaRpJT5LlSRrgsRd5JoAYkzEV0Z0NyWJJr5dd4qxXHkJcf3GPbi6ma3bbWFa4HgJ7-sUM1W0_4Q4lL5H4xyEA7_PNdOPHClBWDzmu-DT1o3LVGIBQgDJG3BKNo/" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>There were some chaotic and fun lines analysed by Kramnik and Svidler in Ilya Levitov's youtube channel. A rather romantic and chivalrous line where no one is sure what is really happening! Such is the depth and beauty of chess!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPkWoD_leQEmKAo9FkuhP8hyFY47-xaeZ4XH5Ew8A0SOznyldxVKWZkoMhTW7VX_U1kW_N8sV1L8BzVlbEaWlthhRwVwfikaE-xBmOnV4uyoNp7x55Ywgh61vENQDiFMjC0HVA0szJI4b/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252817...gxf6%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPkWoD_leQEmKAo9FkuhP8hyFY47-xaeZ4XH5Ew8A0SOznyldxVKWZkoMhTW7VX_U1kW_N8sV1L8BzVlbEaWlthhRwVwfikaE-xBmOnV4uyoNp7x55Ywgh61vENQDiFMjC0HVA0szJI4b/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252817...gxf6%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>17....gxf6!</b></p><p>The idea of exchanging the dark square Bishop for Black's Knight is a possibility in a Catalan, and Black rightly refrains from exchanging Queens at the moment. If he does so, even though Black has the Bishop pair in the endgame, there are some problems he will have to face. The doubled pawns on f6 can be a weakness, the weakness of the square c5 because of having played b5. And also it is very important to note the wonderful placement of the Knight on d3 from where it blocks the d-file and is ready to jump to c5, or f4 as required. Ivanchuk with his inimitable erudition mentioned this Knight as Romanishin's knight . The origin of such a name is beyond my knowledge of those classical games. Note to myself- Check Romanishin's games on these structures.</p><p>I was reminded of two games in these structures where a pure Knights versus Bishop endgame can be a big headache for Black. <b>Ulf Andersson - Ivanov Sweden 2000 and Kramnik-Deep Fritz game 1 Bonn 2006. </b>These two games (among many others surely!) illustrate the dangers of such endgames. One needs to pay attention to these positions more minutely. I came across Ulf's particular game in Aagard's Excelling at Positional Chess I believe.</p><p>From Black's point of view it made absolute sense to keep Queens on the board and only exchange them under more favourable circumstances. I could not help but remember <b>Seirawan-Ivanchuk Amber Rapid 1994</b> in this regard which too deserves a closer look. Ivanchuk would go on to exchange Queens under favourable circumstances and win a Rook Knight versus Rook Bishop endgame.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFnTUc81FDv0dSzQNUljXby1IL1OMyNSIWVK4bK2AYFLULL0j6eBRCnYlfGvq2cQOJIbC5W5jywZPdgDQddoRJxnK0BLxt7OaM04fr5czyIuRTIgvQtq6OLl4s02meK3d_7RuDtNoGwmU/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252824...Kg7%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFnTUc81FDv0dSzQNUljXby1IL1OMyNSIWVK4bK2AYFLULL0j6eBRCnYlfGvq2cQOJIbC5W5jywZPdgDQddoRJxnK0BLxt7OaM04fr5czyIuRTIgvQtq6OLl4s02meK3d_7RuDtNoGwmU/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252824...Kg7%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This interesting and instructive moment came after Black's <b>24th move</b> <b>Kg7. </b>Kramnik was explaining prophylactic thinking with the position before<b> 24....Kg7. </b>He said it will be useful for Black to question what White intends to do, and then one can come up with the idea that White wants to do e3 and Qe2 to improve the position a little bit. So, instead of<b> 24...Kg7 </b>Kramnik's suggestion <span style="color: #2b00fe;">was</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">24...Rd5 </span>with the idea of meeting<span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">25.e3 </span>with<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 25...Bxe3 26.fxe3 Rad8!</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"> </span>It was very interesting to observe his thought process. In this regard he is a successor of Karpov in appraoch to the game- always looking at the position from opponent's angle. Anand, Ivanchuk and Kramnik all of them felt that White's position was more pleasant after <span style="color: #2b00fe;">25.e3!? </span>but the World Champion thought for a long time before continuing with<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><b>25.Rd2!? </b>demonstrating the depth and richness of chess! When he indeed avoided playing <span style="color: #2b00fe;">25.e3</span> at this moment I was drawn towards the thought that perhaps he did not want to loosen the stable post for his knight on d3 in an eventual endgame versus the dark squared Bishop, as this is what happened in his game versus <b>Karjakin in their first game of the World Championship match 2016 </b>which started from a Trompovsky! ( Or Perhaps Magnus' reasoning was entirely different!) This endgame needs to be studied in addition to the Ulf Andersson and Kramnik game mentioned earlier. In passing I would also like to mention Kramnik's version of how Andersson became a very strong endgame player. Apparently he would play casual games with his friends by removing Queens (for both sides from the startposition), sometimes Queen and a minor piece and sometimes some changes in pawns etc!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrVYfBrF950qT5SLS-l4dBckH0mc47hVX4sjG_0gXOVx5o53IRM9pmRaCaofj1nYIUrNzXmVhNF8YvYPe8c1d_1SrsNTLuQxmg40nlgcuUBjpoRWi38Y_daLrqLcFu_K5GgRTwrGiHBiS/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252829...Be5%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrVYfBrF950qT5SLS-l4dBckH0mc47hVX4sjG_0gXOVx5o53IRM9pmRaCaofj1nYIUrNzXmVhNF8YvYPe8c1d_1SrsNTLuQxmg40nlgcuUBjpoRWi38Y_daLrqLcFu_K5GgRTwrGiHBiS/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252829...Be5%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Black had answered <b>25.Rd2</b> with <b>25...Rac8</b> provoking an exchange of Two Rooks for a Queen. After a while we reached this position. This particular exchange is a huge topic in itself and one that is not easy to understand. Here the experts preferred White and the way the game went reinforced their opinion. <i>The Question of King safety is a very important feature in evaluating positions with Queen </i><i>against two rooks</i>. Here White's King is safe and relatively Black's King is not. The doubled pawns, themselves can turn out to be weak especially since White has a Knight and apart from that there are possibilities of White launching an attack against Black's King with his 2 Rooks and a Knight. Especially vulnerable are the light squares like the Pawn on f7 and sometimes the g8 square when White infiltrates both his Rooks to the eighth rank and so on. In the position from the diagram White continued with</p><p><b>30.h4!</b></p><p>which was a wonderful move which Carlsen played in time trouble with 5 minutes left on his clock for his remaining 10 moves. This quickly dispelled the illusion of White being happy with a draw. He further safeguards his Kingside structure before embarking on any further operations. As, tempo play is definitely not the need of the hour. Nepo answered with</p><p><b>30....h5?!</b></p><p>The pawn thrust h4 many a time elicits a similar response from the opponent. But, here it is a clearly a problem as Black abandons his h-pawn to a light square and it does not have a pawn to protect itself because of the doubled pawns. This is clearly a concession from a positional point of view.</p><p><b>31.Kh2!</b></p><p>This was another star move, taking some more time to secure the King and stop eventual checks before proceeding further. Carlsen made this move with just 3 minutes (and no increment) remaining on the clock. Kramnik was also expecting this. Kramnik noted an important weakness of Chess Engines, he felt that they were not good at evaluating Queen versus Pieces material imbalance. There is a tendency for the engines to overestimate the Queen's power. This has always been the case for a long time, but apparently even now engines find this too abstract to understand. In this regard, he quoted his game as <b>White against Ding Liren from the Berlin candidates 2018</b>. That was prophetic! Little could he have known a very similar occurrence was going to happen in this very game! From my own experience I know engines used to overestimate the Queen versus 3 minor pieces position arising in a Gruenfeld. But that was a decade ago :-) For Example check the game <b>Aronian-Sutovsky Reykjavik 2004.</b> In this regard I remember a game of <b>Ivanchuk versus Aronian from Russian Team Championship 2006</b> which was won by Ivanchuk in which he had 3 minor pieces against Aronian's Queen in an Anti Marshall. Kasparov once commented in New In Chess stating that the engines dissuaded the top players including himself from realizing the potential for White in that line as they always asess it in Black's favour!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjCh-Ox3uxp-oZJ9Lq1za_qLiRWxzUKmaZjYT_9kfKIOC0DI8dHkG0Y_RnI6oWZkuiaNxmn6EvOmtgkKB6fBSax29dxuIs8MunAQnR_drV3HUyLl4jeBngt8aqLBsc4b6jbLRhk4oj8xS/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252832...Qd6%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjCh-Ox3uxp-oZJ9Lq1za_qLiRWxzUKmaZjYT_9kfKIOC0DI8dHkG0Y_RnI6oWZkuiaNxmn6EvOmtgkKB6fBSax29dxuIs8MunAQnR_drV3HUyLl4jeBngt8aqLBsc4b6jbLRhk4oj8xS/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252832...Qd6%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Here Magnus erred with <b>33.Rd1? </b>White should have maintained coordination with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">33.Rcc2!</span> intending to meet <span style="color: #2b00fe;">33... Bxa3 with 34.Nf4! Qb4 and 35.Rd7</span> and White's attack crashes through. Magnus was extremely short of time and we need to remember that there was no increment as well. Slowly Nepo was also catching up in time trouble. Kramnik once again was expecting <span style="color: #2b00fe;">33.Rcc2!</span> Apparently Black is even better after Magnus' mistake although one is not sure about the extent of Black's advantage. Perhaps White has enough resources to draw. However the time trouble phase had huge drama in store for spectators.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHIhRUd_r0v9mJL_QoWz2E84PiitMbEnlDwqGbtwVlHPCyu_o-cSUt4px0CI1CMMgwfRWxySHs26blJVJf57dk6khRk5RVlqByO9AojJXFVx0GXV3nPuitY4rhkvkqLp6xLZr71Pm_cAk/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252835.Rc5%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHIhRUd_r0v9mJL_QoWz2E84PiitMbEnlDwqGbtwVlHPCyu_o-cSUt4px0CI1CMMgwfRWxySHs26blJVJf57dk6khRk5RVlqByO9AojJXFVx0GXV3nPuitY4rhkvkqLp6xLZr71Pm_cAk/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252835.Rc5%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>In this position Black refrained from taking <span style="color: #2b00fe;">35...Bxb4</span> and perhaps wanted more with <b>35....e5. </b>At this moment Nepo was quickly catching up in terms of time trouble. If he had captured on b4 he perhaps would have had no danger of losing the game as White lacks coordination to win the a-pawn in the first place before other things. Black is surely better, but maybe White will hold it with solid play.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBy9Eo_RNG6fjB9A3gFakNvlL8bUc7VKQDx0GXQKWtwSzu6mM5BEjKJ6esZRwGj5kKy2llWrk7SzYzFt3Z3GgiQxMd1_qlvpwIjv51u7zQRdffh6hsIPEAFDSVE7_mUvR1mqlcPRzb-rg/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252839...Qxb4%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBy9Eo_RNG6fjB9A3gFakNvlL8bUc7VKQDx0GXQKWtwSzu6mM5BEjKJ6esZRwGj5kKy2llWrk7SzYzFt3Z3GgiQxMd1_qlvpwIjv51u7zQRdffh6hsIPEAFDSVE7_mUvR1mqlcPRzb-rg/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252839...Qxb4%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Move 40 and Magnus went for the most natural <b>40.Nxe4 </b>However he had a cute little domination in the form of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">40.Rdc2! f5 41.Nxa4 Qxa4 42.Rdc3</span> and in a four versus four pawn structure and doubled f-pawns Black will lose the game slowly. Here the game was just beginning it seems!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJWDxhVqPcvjN3EAQQlwSgJbvWg96aLT6twky2QzPfeEaYAQe8i_KfsYeCAn9msipYdOjdKVSrOiQacdtXINO-S_q0dN6eglUkgwZz5JXb7G0WOhkLcZJPA5kH7FKSKQwEjL4aSzpOqTv/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="847" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJWDxhVqPcvjN3EAQQlwSgJbvWg96aLT6twky2QzPfeEaYAQe8i_KfsYeCAn9msipYdOjdKVSrOiQacdtXINO-S_q0dN6eglUkgwZz5JXb7G0WOhkLcZJPA5kH7FKSKQwEjL4aSzpOqTv/" width="320" /></a></div><br />Annotators were showing a lot of imaginative and fun lines, This for example found by Miro. This position arose after not so forcing lines and quite far from the actual game, but here Black is powerless with 2 Queens to stop a mate so he sacrifices all his pieces with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">....Be7 Rxe7 Qh1+ Kh1 Qd1+ Kg2 Qh1+</span> and draws the game with a stalemate trick!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_Iav6L0_uuVghbO5bQB8J4SfkMw8HiXfcSMsdUH0lBvYv4sPSJmMZs8aDJU1sG5bcClGzdHJpmCVNiP9OQXnHpS2lIG-Wp5kWTA50YmW9h4Y7PRxasNApqvEswItgkFE82RoYBXlIBQi/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252882.Rxa7%253D%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_Iav6L0_uuVghbO5bQB8J4SfkMw8HiXfcSMsdUH0lBvYv4sPSJmMZs8aDJU1sG5bcClGzdHJpmCVNiP9OQXnHpS2lIG-Wp5kWTA50YmW9h4Y7PRxasNApqvEswItgkFE82RoYBXlIBQi/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%252882.Rxa7%253D%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>After move 82 this position was reached and it was well past midnight and I decided to call it a day as a spectator and fell asleep. Magnus however was only getting started! Remember the game <b>Kramnik-Ding Liren Berlin 2018</b> that Kramnik was talking about earlier? White has got a much favourable version compared to that. The fact that in computer terms this game is a draw etc does not make any relevance to a practical game. It is very hard to defend this position as Kramnik rightly pointed out, maybe the computer will draw with its constant ability to accurately calculate and find some perpetual checks in long lines. This is hardly possible for a human, and especially so for a defender. We think in terms of plans and ideas and the resources to save more often than not remain behind a veil to us.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hTiYP8nBDHs8jXsGmxtT2WM7VRz0KMRPzZgCuox6nbq6mMqpRTNbCd-GxsjXSp-9Oxs1zrMoHmnoEBqQXyCYbrJKAW_9DhWvRW3BPf9vhg48uX-PyF248EwOfTu2R7QJ0g8aeu5T6oqA/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%2528118.Ke3%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hTiYP8nBDHs8jXsGmxtT2WM7VRz0KMRPzZgCuox6nbq6mMqpRTNbCd-GxsjXSp-9Oxs1zrMoHmnoEBqQXyCYbrJKAW_9DhWvRW3BPf9vhg48uX-PyF248EwOfTu2R7QJ0g8aeu5T6oqA/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%2528118.Ke3%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Position after White's 118th move!! Here Giri pointed out that <span style="color: #2b00fe;">118...Qb6!</span> draws instead of Nepo's <b>118...Qa5</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PNlvg59tPQMX428oo-5Ninmrh2VnHLAlTJzSCCIFVIlEEjoEfRaAONhhYdE1yW3nW4-Df4BczJaLemT5onsfmwHraQ-I5b7zk4WS2gNgAhDVYwj12vNiBJ_DATP453bwZBT8n16qK282/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="597" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PNlvg59tPQMX428oo-5Ninmrh2VnHLAlTJzSCCIFVIlEEjoEfRaAONhhYdE1yW3nW4-Df4BczJaLemT5onsfmwHraQ-I5b7zk4WS2gNgAhDVYwj12vNiBJ_DATP453bwZBT8n16qK282/" width="320" /></a></div><br />Intending to force the Knight to d4 and keep White' pieces tied up by means of a pin. Maybe pinning the Knight with the Queen can be a reasonable way to approach this otherwise complex position which I do not claim to know anything about! This endgame needs to be checked in detail and at leisure.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Anish Giri himself defended a marathon game against Magnus in Tata Steel 2017</b> where he had a lone queen against Magnus' Rook, light squared Bishop and h and g pawns. He defended really well to draw the game. There was an extra defensive idea of wrong coloured Bishop in those positions. </p><p>However even with f and g pawns and a Rook and Dark Squared Bishop against a lone Queen did not prove to be sufficient to win in another game that I had watched live. <b>Vijayalakshmi-Xu Jun Doha 2014. </b>It seems to me that Rook Knight and 2 connected passed pawns pose more of a problem against a lone Queen than Rook and Bishop and 2 connected passed pawns. This is perhaps because of the unique L-Shaped movement of the knight as pointed out by Magnus and Anish which the Queen finds hard to combat . A Bishop's movement is within her reach!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTqJur1i1bpqrIDgrcISv3-bAfaCPEFUFwVhfjCB-ZYTfhTF0uD5P0pPwCqau3n7UhqJtiXLcNbxbxeWE68w5pXEahKeeEugOI14M9wcStcySiGqf5tyvn57htFFrjpTNbfhCkAcFcNQU/s532/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%2528136.Ng7%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTqJur1i1bpqrIDgrcISv3-bAfaCPEFUFwVhfjCB-ZYTfhTF0uD5P0pPwCqau3n7UhqJtiXLcNbxbxeWE68w5pXEahKeeEugOI14M9wcStcySiGqf5tyvn57htFFrjpTNbfhCkAcFcNQU/s320/Carlsen+Magnus+-+Nepomniachtchi+Ian+%2528136.Ng7%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Final position after move 136, the longest ever in World Championship history. White King can go to g8 and hide from checks. Phew! This drama needs to be fathomed in for months to come!</p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=GRoGyY7QPatVE+okdiC4VLQOWnu5WmKmeOJq/GDQi19FjTRPWyOkyyMblB2o7Rqh">Link to all the games mentioned</a><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-79772554979610203482021-11-22T19:54:00.003-08:002021-11-25T05:28:08.306-08:00The ever new Rook and Pawn Endgames<p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"All Rook Endgames are drawn"- Siegbert Tarrasch</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Alireza Firouzja has been stealing all the limelight in the Chess world recently and rightly so too! He is the youngest to reach 2800 ever and has catapulted himself to the second spot in World Rankings. His final round game against Shakriyar Mamedyarov drew a lot of attention among the spectators, as if he could win he would reach 2800 and also would be increasing a whopping 30 points in the European Team Championship tournament alone! As luck would have it he reached a Rook and Pawn endgame with 2 pawns to Shak's 1. It was not such a common Rook endgame to say the least. Nevertheless as Tarrasch remarked the drawing tendencies in Rook endgames should never be underestimated. But that does not mean that players can play them without errors. Let us catch up with the game a few moves earlier.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCEhPzaaFtHRfiJOq9WXuMb4wkuvwai9Mxbc-0tn4BWP9Z6FBEvLdk7ylnf5ZT1L8GxRnCj-GXFNuDgPLSE0jgc5ifp94uArqmbtnbzOtu8E7p1xn31PPb43ASbK0KPa-eQMViweXaLFk/s532/Firouzja+Alireza+-+Mamedyarov+Shakhriyar+%252834...Rd2%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCEhPzaaFtHRfiJOq9WXuMb4wkuvwai9Mxbc-0tn4BWP9Z6FBEvLdk7ylnf5ZT1L8GxRnCj-GXFNuDgPLSE0jgc5ifp94uArqmbtnbzOtu8E7p1xn31PPb43ASbK0KPa-eQMViweXaLFk/s320/Firouzja+Alireza+-+Mamedyarov+Shakhriyar+%252834...Rd2%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>35.c4 Rxb2 36.Rxc7+ Ke6 37.Rc6 Kf5 38. cxb5 Rb3 39.b6 Rxa3 40.b7 Rb3 41.Ra6 Rxb7 42.Rxa4</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45zJehXzC0ntVnRFLQKACG0RFu3wg3rrZDC7lwa7h0vedEcwdAYVggs24BW4exLg724EPNdLTTCJs555dsHN3hGGKqBLWXApOnwihvP4YrTs-L5m7Som3OhuFbw6dBL78ELo8adxHMp5q/s532/Firouzja+Alireza+-+Mamedyarov+Shakhriyar+%252842.Rxa4%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45zJehXzC0ntVnRFLQKACG0RFu3wg3rrZDC7lwa7h0vedEcwdAYVggs24BW4exLg724EPNdLTTCJs555dsHN3hGGKqBLWXApOnwihvP4YrTs-L5m7Som3OhuFbw6dBL78ELo8adxHMp5q/s320/Firouzja+Alireza+-+Mamedyarov+Shakhriyar+%252842.Rxa4%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>42...e4 </b></p><p> Black can avoid this the move and instead resort to waiting. But pushing the pawn to e4 is not wrong and seems just fine for Black. After move 40 I suppose Black would have had sufficient time to delve deep into the position.</p><p><b>43.Ra5+ Kf6 44. Kf1 Rb3</b></p><p>Black wants to cut the White King off from reaching the third rank. This is a logical way to play, though by no means the only way. For instance <span style="color: #2b00fe;">44...Rb8!?</span> is absolutely fine too</p><p><b>45.Ke2 Rc3 46. Ra8 Rb3 47. Rf8+ Ke5</b></p><p>Now we need to pay attention to the fact that Black's King has been cut off on the f-file. So if White can walk his King over to the Kingside and shepherd his g-passed pawn to promotion he will win. Of course Black could not have played <span style="color: #2b00fe;">47...Kg5 48.Rf4</span> and white would get his King to e3 and pick up the pawn.</p><p><b>48.Kf1!</b></p><p>So, Firouzja is clearly going for the plan mentioned above. And the position is extremely critical. Without a deep knowledge of the endgame, it is even difficult to understand this to be a critical position let alone finding the right way! It would be interesting to know how much time Black had at this moment, but unfortunately I do not know this. I am assuming there was no untoward time pressure here. Let us see how the game continued.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLMIAhR_VxQ8Gwn_ZOiyjkFfY2sVpVVu4G8E3sgtu1dukFNwdzk0bfqWF_y3VS_NV-zCuWypogmbfHVXHmyRwsLdNMznWwtVg-F7Ec8maUHvhivDTGLgmUTmDz9R7FHsstUHfBauT9uP5/s532/Firouzja+Alireza+-+Mamedyarov+Shakhriyar+%252848.Kf1%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLMIAhR_VxQ8Gwn_ZOiyjkFfY2sVpVVu4G8E3sgtu1dukFNwdzk0bfqWF_y3VS_NV-zCuWypogmbfHVXHmyRwsLdNMznWwtVg-F7Ec8maUHvhivDTGLgmUTmDz9R7FHsstUHfBauT9uP5/s320/Firouzja+Alireza+-+Mamedyarov+Shakhriyar+%252848.Kf1%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>48...Kd4? 49.Kg2 Rb7 50.Kh3 Ke5 </b></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>50...Rh7+ 51.Kg4 Rg7+ 52.Kf5</b> </span>would not have changed anything</p><p><b>51g4 1-0 </b></p><p>There is no way to stop the march of the g-pawn, so Black resigned</p><p>So, the question arises, is there nothing Black could have done to save the game? There is nothing obvious after all. In looking for answers to this question let us travel back in time one hundred and thirteen years!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ST1r8jkom-oTpmcXWb20vSnkor_8JA398buPAFgCHolEvnm4tEyLxP_i8AHwsBOWnSC1ee2r5oHUTuD1HgLmna4sSd6iu5K2vyd2GUVB0PhjiA705PtbNDYy-0Eb5gBDzMnzECUvEBmU/s532/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252859.Ra5%2529.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ST1r8jkom-oTpmcXWb20vSnkor_8JA398buPAFgCHolEvnm4tEyLxP_i8AHwsBOWnSC1ee2r5oHUTuD1HgLmna4sSd6iu5K2vyd2GUVB0PhjiA705PtbNDYy-0Eb5gBDzMnzECUvEBmU/s320/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252859.Ra5%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Teichmann-Alapin Prague 1908</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>59...Rb3 60.Rc5 Ra3 61.Rb5 Rc3 62.Rb8 Ke5 63. Rf8 Ra3 64.Re8+ Kd4 65. Rd8+ Ke5 66.Rf8 Rb3</b></p><p><b>67.Rf7 Ra3 68.Rf8 Rb3 69.Kf1</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF5Ua1aLQxp05XXVO2OUQJljVTMLCiqUf_QB6fEOHTYvskqOzt4JIBd3tzIFxjpXFg9jWBJsIAKygPfyTVvpzEEKESa1tSQ_30y-K9IsPm9wF53cZS-6buRjFQUx9bwjQq7ZBzEN4p2qi/s532/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252869.Kf1%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF5Ua1aLQxp05XXVO2OUQJljVTMLCiqUf_QB6fEOHTYvskqOzt4JIBd3tzIFxjpXFg9jWBJsIAKygPfyTVvpzEEKESa1tSQ_30y-K9IsPm9wF53cZS-6buRjFQUx9bwjQq7ZBzEN4p2qi/s320/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252869.Kf1%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>This game too has taken a similar course as did the <b>Firouzja-Mamedyarov</b> game. Black kept waiting with his Rook on the third rank, and after a certain point White cut Black off on the f-file and then threatens to shift his king to the kingside and help queen his g-passed pawn.</p><p>Alapin realized that this position was critical and did not want to allow White's King a free and easy path to h3.He played the counterintuitive and brilliant</p><p><b>69...Rf3!!</b></p><p>which was the only move to save the game. Psychologically it is quite a difficult decision to offer an exchange of Rooks when being a pawn down as most of the King and Pawn endgames are losing. But this thought often <i>filters our vision for the only move to save sometimes</i>. Exceptionally this one King and Pawn endgame seems to be a draw. The difficult part is to consider this move.</p><p><b>70.Re8+</b></p><p>The critical idea would have to be<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 70.Rxf3 exf3 71.Kg1 Kf5 72.Kh2 Kg4! </span>and its a draw because White's King lacks an entry on the kingside for the lack of an imaginary 'i' file. If <span style="color: #2b00fe;">71.Ke1 Kd5 72.Kd1 Kc5 </span>Because of Black's pawn on f3 controlling e2 square White will not be able to convert his distant opposition into a closer one. This means that the position is a draw as White cannot approach and win Black's f-pawn without giving up his own g-pawn. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">73.Kc1 Kd5 74 Kb2 Kd4!</span> =</p><p><b>70...Kd4 71.Rd8 Ke5 72.Kg2 Rf7!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-c_qeqfYCNd9893x2yB-ANWbHddxCEAJPp9fpQUXd_kqTdp_8GzfIM6vs9IcMEVxPmayR3dy0eY97MNNRji_GCpJxyezLonwo1DkvuVVG9QGAiRJaqO62IF-NxSQN-LNmL68QwGCipR9M/s532/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252872...Rf7%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-c_qeqfYCNd9893x2yB-ANWbHddxCEAJPp9fpQUXd_kqTdp_8GzfIM6vs9IcMEVxPmayR3dy0eY97MNNRji_GCpJxyezLonwo1DkvuVVG9QGAiRJaqO62IF-NxSQN-LNmL68QwGCipR9M/s320/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252872...Rf7%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Rook is ideally placed on the f-file. It keeps an eye on the f2-pawn and ties down White's King.<p></p><p><b>73.Rd2 Rf8 74.Ra2 Rf7 75.Ra5+Ke6 76.Rg5 Rf8 77.Kf1 Rf3 78.Ke2 Ra3 79.Rg4 Ke5 80.Rf4 Rb3</b></p><p><b>81Rf8 Ra3!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlFcc0-4ORRsGgMXuOx31LJZRfoMRZwtOhniq6rpXSo0H7q0xvPKAJ1DwnnvU7lshnaeCDxJRBa5Re54iqXLjqPaehlbXLx8AuQqQOtCS1Ob4yJrnZypESO5cB_3J5pwxRFUkoHb05ALb/s532/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252881...Ra3%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlFcc0-4ORRsGgMXuOx31LJZRfoMRZwtOhniq6rpXSo0H7q0xvPKAJ1DwnnvU7lshnaeCDxJRBa5Re54iqXLjqPaehlbXLx8AuQqQOtCS1Ob4yJrnZypESO5cB_3J5pwxRFUkoHb05ALb/s320/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252881...Ra3%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>After moving back and forth White has found no way to make progress and reached back to the earlier position he began with!</p><p><b>82.g4</b></p><p>It seems that White cannot make progress without this move. However this pawn move means that White's king is cut off on the third rank and cannot reach h3.</p><p><b>82....Rb3 83.Rf5+ Ke6 84.Kf1 Rb1+ 85.Kg2 Rb3!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6XL82A2Zdrrk0fGRZgenxn36XJ0Tp-afa04TOJfThEa2YPfuWIOALFHsZbDNeAR-cC0Kq4-PPnADeFZl0DM7kYe89UwraIs1MjjT79mfacVA3mU2Ubxwe-Aidb8v6LDkpyhHFudfdktY/s532/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252885...Rb3%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6XL82A2Zdrrk0fGRZgenxn36XJ0Tp-afa04TOJfThEa2YPfuWIOALFHsZbDNeAR-cC0Kq4-PPnADeFZl0DM7kYe89UwraIs1MjjT79mfacVA3mU2Ubxwe-Aidb8v6LDkpyhHFudfdktY/s320/Teichmann+Richard+-+Alapin+Simon+%252885...Rb3%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>Black cuts off White's King from reaching the third rank. White may push his g-pawn without the support of the king, but that can be easily dealt with.</p><p><b>86.Rf8 Ke5 87.Rf5 + </b></p><p>If<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 87.g5 </span>Black can calmly answer with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">87...</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ra3! 88.g6 Ra6!</span>=</p><p><b>87...Ke6 88.Rh5 Kf6 89. Rh3</b></p><p>Offering an exchange of Rooks here is the only way to bring the king up. However, White needs to forget about cutting off Black's King along the f-file and Black draws easily.</p><p><b>89....Rb4 90.Kg3 Rb3+</b> </p><p>and the game was drawn. The game was superbly handled by Simon Alapin and can be considered a model for how to defend such endgames!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVDXsQeJ_DOQzpQMiMs_pt9ZX9x4PEOpC6xLRuRECzaFoQlFCjLTi7F_tHMMONOJ5C1NREeFORZ85fZ-7Nv7YnG1XlpPjGUSCu4C3Uk1fxPvVHtzjYJC13WmKwPOwsbofJsoEX2t1iPNA/s532/Hellers+Ferdinand+-+Rozentalis+Eduardas+%252860...Rf7%2529.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVDXsQeJ_DOQzpQMiMs_pt9ZX9x4PEOpC6xLRuRECzaFoQlFCjLTi7F_tHMMONOJ5C1NREeFORZ85fZ-7Nv7YnG1XlpPjGUSCu4C3Uk1fxPvVHtzjYJC13WmKwPOwsbofJsoEX2t1iPNA/s320/Hellers+Ferdinand+-+Rozentalis+Eduardas+%252860...Rf7%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hellers-Rozentalis Malmo 1997</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Let us take a look at another game featuring the same endgame. Rozentalis, another good endgame player faltered and could not hold his way in this position. This shows the difficulties that lurk behind a deceptively simple position.<p></p><p><b>61.Kf1 Kf5</b></p><p>This is not wrong in itself but is not necessary. And if the right idea is not known, Black can drift off to a lost position in matter of one move! King on the e-file is ideal.</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">61...Ke5 62.Ke2 Kd5 63.Ra5+ Ke6 64.Ra4 Ke5</span> there is nothing to fear as White's <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ke3</span> can always be answered with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Rf3+. </span><i>Note the ideal placement of the Rook on the f-file.</i></p><p><b>62.Ke2 Rb7?</b></p><p>This loses the game.</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">62...Ke5</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"> </span>there is nothing to fear as we already saw. By moving the rook away from the f-file, Black allows white to cut off his king on the f-file and also reach the safe haven of h3 to support his g-pawn's push further.</p><p><b>63.Rf8+! Ke5 64.Kf1! </b></p><p>and White is winning. We know that Rf3 is the only way to hold this position as in Alapin's game which is not possible here. Black continued further but could not stop White's King in assisting the promotion of the g-passed pawn. White won after some further moves.</p><p><b>In Conclusion:-</b></p><p>1.The tendencies of draw in a rook endgame are huge as was pointed out by Tarrasch, but time and again we see how easy it is to err and falter.</p><p>2.There arises critical moments in play when something that is counter intuitive to a superficial look becomes absolutely necessary. If we truly understand the needs of the position, it is possible to find such moves.</p><p>3.There are several fundamental principles seen in action in this endgame, like Cut off on the f-file, the possibility of a pawn endgame draw due to the peculiar structure of pawns and finding the ideal placement of King and Rook for both the defensive and attacking side. To integrate all this and find the clear path in play is the key to the art of endgame play.</p><p>Perhaps with quickening of time controls and abolishment of adjournment sessions we have lost a bit of our ability to synthesize and holistically conceive plans in the endgames !? A study of endgames never ceases to amaze and teach us new facets of the game always.</p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=EVRF8+0ZrxPz3cRT1i5O0nb5rkzS4mxpD+7vAmZHzDLY0kAh2qHgP/wDqnpvyxis">Link to the analysed games</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-71460182013679336302021-11-19T10:31:00.002-08:002021-11-27T21:41:12.339-08:00Color Complex in Chess<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: MaruthamRegular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"роорпБродро▓рпН роОройрокрпНрокроЯрпБро╡родрпБ роиро┐ро▓роорпН рокрпКро┤рпБродрпБ роЗро░рогрпНроЯро┐ройрпН</em></strong><br style="font-family: MaruthamRegular; font-size: 13.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /></span><p><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: MaruthamRegular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">роЗропро▓рпНрокрпЖрой роорпКро┤ро┐рок роЗропро▓рпНрокрпБрогро░рпНроирпН родрпЛро░рпЗ"</span></em></strong></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">(рокрпКро░рпБро│родро┐роХро╛ро░роорпН роЕроХродрпНродро┐рогрпИропро┐ропро▓рпН родрпКро▓рпНроХро╛рокрпНрокро┐ропроорпН)</span></p><p>Roughly translated this deep statement of sage Tholkappiyar ( dating to at least 4000 years ago) goes, "The inherent tendencies of Space and Time are the fundamentals- thus say the realized ones." </p><p>Applying this concept to Chess, Space consists of squares and Time consists of the move at hand. Time has varied other applications, so I will stick to looking at space in the present article. </p><p>The concept of Space (squares) in chess is one of the hardest to comprehend and one which would enhance the perception level of a player greatly. Understanding squares in one's own way is always enriching and this can be a continual journey in learning even by visiting games which are previously known too. For example I was recently browsing through the game <b>Von Gottschall- Nimzowitsch, Hannover 1926 </b>from the book<b> Chess Praxis. </b>The following position occurred after White's 18th move.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BpWp7ry3A2Fonl1_Mz5hq13ZNzGf2Ugt7X529c736UyHBjw7TJVXbOgxXKapoSBhGp2Vi4Q419zjEF0hKbmwNONc0yawXYDCccmoXWZjEOx00jOlpnTK3lh-SIbkARwJOLbUYcQ7qi8D/s532/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252818.Rfd1%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BpWp7ry3A2Fonl1_Mz5hq13ZNzGf2Ugt7X529c736UyHBjw7TJVXbOgxXKapoSBhGp2Vi4Q419zjEF0hKbmwNONc0yawXYDCccmoXWZjEOx00jOlpnTK3lh-SIbkARwJOLbUYcQ7qi8D/s320/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252818.Rfd1%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Not an everyday position in an Isolated Queen Pawn structure, but the basic ideas still remain the same. Black has the Bishop pair in the endgame, but he is bit behind in development. White has more control of the key d5-square and threatens to play the d4-d5 pawn break. This gives a clue on how Black should continue to keep the game going. He continued with:<span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><b>18... Bb4! 19.a3 Bxc3 20.Rxc3 Bd7</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafJc2l6uZ8WQR88bCNStVsoDSzD0R0ZJL7Z02443Ya4-T5FbsAsU0c8QNrEk1Lbx6AGWzMPj1Y9jOIEvwNU62nnEtAEDxAd14e0MkKRDWTBSDgEX4aEpdi3LdIEXR4X6RFepOxExVo1Bj/s532/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252820...Bd7%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafJc2l6uZ8WQR88bCNStVsoDSzD0R0ZJL7Z02443Ya4-T5FbsAsU0c8QNrEk1Lbx6AGWzMPj1Y9jOIEvwNU62nnEtAEDxAd14e0MkKRDWTBSDgEX4aEpdi3LdIEXR4X6RFepOxExVo1Bj/s320/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252820...Bd7%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>To a certain extent Black's decision of giving up his Bishop pair was surprising, but if we look at control of d5 square it is a logical one. To keep the Isolani in check is more important than holding on to the Bishop pair. Because White's central isolani is on a dark square and he only has a dark square Bishop left among his minor pieces, his control of light squares is not very good. His isolated pawn in itself is much less of a weakness than in other endgames in similar structures. It is easy to see that the d-pawn can be defended easily with the Bishop and Black's Rooks piling up on the pawn would be of no avail. Here White started drifting with</div><div><br /></div><div><b>21.Rc5?! Rxc5 22.dxc5</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The exchange operation looks absolutely natural at first glance. White gets rid of his isolated pawn, gets a queenside majority, connects his pawns and opens up the d-file!! Seriously, can anything be wrong with this?! Let us put aside the first appearances and take a deeper look at the position with fresh eyes. Like I mentioned earlier, the isolated d-pawn could not be considered as a weakness at all in this endgame as Black has no pieces to attack it. Even though White has a 3 vs 2 majority on the queenside if we pay attention to the placement of the pawns ( especially the pawn on c5) we can see that pawns being placed on dark squares and the absence of the light square Bishop means that Black's light square Bishop and 2 pawns easily hold back White's 3 pawns on the Queenside. There is no way for White to create a passed pawn at all! This means that Black's 4vs 3 kingside majority is mobile and there is a potential to create a passed pawn. We also need to note that as long as White had the pawn on d4, Black had no majority on the kingside and the act of correcting White's pawns led to the creation of a potentially dangerous Black's Kingside majority!</div><div><br /></div><div>Going back to White's 21st move, he probably could have continued with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">21.d5! Rxd5 22.Rxd5 exd5 23.Rc7 Bc6 24.Bxa7</span> which equalizes immediately or if <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">21...exd5 22.b4! Ra6 (21...Rb5 22.Bc5!) 23.Rxd5.</span> Let us head back to the game continuation:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b>22...Bc6 23.f3 f6 24.Kf2 Kf7 25.Rd4</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">perhaps <span style="color: #2b00fe;">25.b4!?</span> came into consideration, to keep the queenside pawns connected. Nevertheless White will not be able to create a passed pawn as he would not be able to lift the light square blockade.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b>25....a5! 26.g3</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">It is hard to say if White should have played <span style="color: #2b00fe;">26.b4</span> as this would have helped create an infiltration file for Black's Rook.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b>26..a4!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpgrNU6GGkRm84RhlVgUmgUWdsgH8QsoZ5_393DrQnQj6SQj21E_UCS6YCoBCT5rjH_rpl4BOmrCgwZB3f14Ya2aY12hCL6HIq4BJvTj-_SamYDlTiS1etfe-bxgM4yDnFV-Sn7GupJMw/s532/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252826...a4%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpgrNU6GGkRm84RhlVgUmgUWdsgH8QsoZ5_393DrQnQj6SQj21E_UCS6YCoBCT5rjH_rpl4BOmrCgwZB3f14Ya2aY12hCL6HIq4BJvTj-_SamYDlTiS1etfe-bxgM4yDnFV-Sn7GupJMw/s320/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252826...a4%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Black has made significant progress. His Queenside pawns with support of the Bishop hold back White's 3 pawns back effortlessly. He can now turn his attention to slowly but surely start mobilizing his kingside majority. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>27.f4?!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">White<b> </b>tries to hold back Black's majority ( particularly e5 and g5) and outwardly it looks logical, but as we have already seen, the more White places his pawns on dark squares, the more he loses control of the light square complex. It is a good time to remember what Capablanca taught us about such positions as a general rule- to place the pawns on opposite color of the only remaining Bishop. This would ensure that there would at least be a minimum control of both colors of the chessboard! Of course one needs to see that the pawns themselves would not be a weakness in themselves if placed on light squares in this case. But as regards understanding the chess board with a view to square/color complex control Capa's rule makes utmost sense! Going by this logic it makes sense for White to go for</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">27.g4!</span> instead with the idea of holding fort on the light squares with a subsequent <span style="color: #2b00fe;">h2-h3.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>27...h5!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">This is extremely logical and Black clamps White's pawns down on dark squares and increases control of his light square complex. In positions with opposite colored Bishops on the board with the presence of Rooks, the side that tries to improve and go for a win needs to activate his king and use it as a strong attacking force. Black's move clears a path for his King to f5 via g6. <i><b>King's activity</b></i>, to the extent of almost being an extra piece in play in comparison with the opponent depends on the concept of control of color complex. Pay attention to the fact that Black's king has an easy path to f5 and even further on the light squares, whereas White's King is heavily curtailed by his own pawns on the dark squares and by opponent's pieces on the light squares! In the end this turns out to be the decisive factor in this game.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>28.h3 Rh8!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">This is not as difficult to understand as other mysterious rook moves of Nimzo. He simply stops g4,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>29.Rd1 Kg6 30.Rd4 Kf5 31.Bd2</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3ReuQdpBfuFLtYdwjKKBKgNhZz6VlG8-p4KALJTwnwYXnNJeYKM3zknIlxKs-uEDdxeySW1jAXPzrxsTfw_xWuh7N3XotBPMBX4ppNC7LH00O4G3dEMXcLo5u3gla3l4Is31otzrLT7o/s532/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252831.Bd2%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3ReuQdpBfuFLtYdwjKKBKgNhZz6VlG8-p4KALJTwnwYXnNJeYKM3zknIlxKs-uEDdxeySW1jAXPzrxsTfw_xWuh7N3XotBPMBX4ppNC7LH00O4G3dEMXcLo5u3gla3l4Is31otzrLT7o/s320/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252831.Bd2%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Black has improved the position of his King, next in line is creating a passed pawn or mobilizing the kingside majority. Here he can create a passed pawn with e5 and after an eventual opening up of the f-file , use that to infiltrate White's camp especially through the light squares eg f3! This explains his next mysterious rook move.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>31...Rf8! 32.Be1 e5 33.fxe5 fxe5 34.Rh4 g5!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">By using little tactical ideas, Black keeps expanding on the kingside.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>35.Rb4 Ke6+ 36. Ke2 e4 37.Bf2 Rf3</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IlIpJtmvCYE0nw2MaftBibQByV2ftf70Q-NqY-ha9noKhjNPNuKR90FZj4lBgjlU0m9VozsYtcczV22MA357eczlMlVixS7oqAOXKVTQ_WR7gnpOw7n_qsyyDZchGLOaDaNpmLcYacO-/s532/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252837...Rf3%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IlIpJtmvCYE0nw2MaftBibQByV2ftf70Q-NqY-ha9noKhjNPNuKR90FZj4lBgjlU0m9VozsYtcczV22MA357eczlMlVixS7oqAOXKVTQ_WR7gnpOw7n_qsyyDZchGLOaDaNpmLcYacO-/s320/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252837...Rf3%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Black has improved even further, he has created a passed e-pawn and also activated his Rook on the Third rank. White's pawn on h3 and b2 can be targets for attack.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>38.Rb6 Ke5!!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">An incredibly deep move. It is fairly obvious that Black needs to advance his king further to make progress, but it is not easy to see how to do it. So, Black uses all his ingenuity to make progress. In this particular position the idea is based on a famous endgame theme- namely the ZugZwang, but one that is quite easily missed in non theoretical positions from my experience. Nimzowitsch's decision making is based on prophylaxis which constantly takes into account what one's opponent will do and either preventing it or making good use of it. This style was championed in a later day by Petrosian and Karpov! Here for example if Black would have played <span style="color: #2b00fe;">38....Kd5 39.Rb4</span> there is no easy progress. But to recognize that this position was a sort of mutual Zugzwang and the best decision is to pass the move on to the opponent always fascinates me!</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>39.Rb4 Kd5!! </b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">So Black has managed to pass the move to his opponent. But what is the is significance behind it? Well, Black recognizes that White's Rook on b6 is not as secure as it would be on b4. To understand let us take a look at this line:- <span style="color: #2b00fe;">40.Rb6 </span>would have been answered by <span style="color: #2b00fe;">41...h4! 42.gxh4 gxh4 43.Bxh4 Kxc5! </span>gaining an important tempo attacking the Rook on b6<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 44.Rb4 Rxh3 -+. </span>We have seen the importance of <i>space</i>(squares) earlier, this instance also shows the importance of the other important element on the chessboard- <i>T</i></span><i style="text-align: center;">ime.</i></div><div><i style="text-align: center;"><br /></i></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>40.h4 gxh4 41.gxh4 Rh3</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">The opening up of the third rank has increased the sphere of influence of the Rook. Now Black keeps an eye on the h4 pawn. This severely restricts the Bishop on f2 which is burdened ever more to defend both the c5 and h4 pawns.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>42.Rd4+ Ke5 43.Rd8 Bd5!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxa8okO6mfgmFDO2LpHE3GuNoOkbCgDbz_kGsLEGPFveIgd-50XtX71APrmJJI1_GtNo5ZxdHvn_UrZIdr270bdfHXsau_ZdJ9461nV1bvfL3sUqh02AvNgtEfOpoGNcr9ecZEuqan2jH/s532/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252843...Bd5%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxa8okO6mfgmFDO2LpHE3GuNoOkbCgDbz_kGsLEGPFveIgd-50XtX71APrmJJI1_GtNo5ZxdHvn_UrZIdr270bdfHXsau_ZdJ9461nV1bvfL3sUqh02AvNgtEfOpoGNcr9ecZEuqan2jH/s320/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252843...Bd5%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Black takes the time to shut the d-file and threatens to play Rb3 in order to win the b2-pawn. While White is hard pressed to defend against this, Black would use the time to advance further along the open lines created in the kingside with his King.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>44.Re8 Be6 45.Rd8 Kf4</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Here it was perhaps better for Black to first shake White's King away from e2 so that he can get an entry point on f3 for his own King. For example he could have started with</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;">45...Bc4+! 46.Kd2 Bd5! ( </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">once again threatening Rb3</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;">) 47.Re8 + Kf5 48.Rf8 Kg4 </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">when it is too difficult to hold back the relentless march of Black's monarch. White just has too many weaknesses ( b2,c5,h4) to contend with and once Black King reaches f3, he would sooner or later shepherd the e-passed pawn to a Queen.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>46.Rf8+ Bf5</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Here too <span style="color: #2b00fe;">46...Kg4</span> was an idea</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>47.Rf7 Rh2 48.Re7?!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Here it was better to play <span style="color: #2b00fe;">48.Kf1</span> as analyzed deeply by Huebner, but I refrain from giving the same as the lines are very deep and complicated and shifts the focus from the primal idea of the article. I will attach the analysis as a link to a replayable board at the end of the article.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>48...Bg4+ 49. Ke1 Kf3 50.Rf7+ Kg2</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Note how Black's King walks up right into White's rear through the weakened light squares.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>51.Kd2 Kf1!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKUohzLHwYq-g8udgOBAX8J2xHr-A2v0OXyzhSmNMcIVGj5030Znb6Y0e22UuJWmWnGd8OjIRQeTbyOioHxbKyHs8gpgiZw3L5Qiq0QywIowRwD28bXDpn3JO7O2_uMIW9Zp4SsMpD5z5/s532/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252851...Kf1%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKUohzLHwYq-g8udgOBAX8J2xHr-A2v0OXyzhSmNMcIVGj5030Znb6Y0e22UuJWmWnGd8OjIRQeTbyOioHxbKyHs8gpgiZw3L5Qiq0QywIowRwD28bXDpn3JO7O2_uMIW9Zp4SsMpD5z5/s320/Von+Gottschall+Hermann+-+Nimzowitsch+Aron+%252851...Kf1%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Triumph of Black's strategy! Black won soon after</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>52.Ke3 Bf3 53.Bg3 Rxb2 54. Bd6 Rb3+ 55.Kd4 Kf2 56.Rg7 e3 57.Bg3 Kf1 58.Rf7 e2 59.Re7 Bc6 0-1</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">A truly thought provoking game which had very many moments worth observing minutely. Looking at this game, I was reminded of another not too popular game which I had seen in the amazing book <b>Bobby Fischer- A study of his approach to chess by Elie Agur. </b>I decided to take another look at that one too and it appeared to show me, a new side of itself! Let us join the action after White's 10th move</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-fttSax0haJxHYBHDNxxAcepAxc2BAn99myPZCy70xuiC6TU1pQKn6__7LpahpdS_wcPGyUr7W481XxVuDrjR7accE7uuzcFBedzq6rrrcGPCni2I-CJwUcCF71ZSVpi43ovdL8AblQF/s532/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252810.Be3%2529.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-fttSax0haJxHYBHDNxxAcepAxc2BAn99myPZCy70xuiC6TU1pQKn6__7LpahpdS_wcPGyUr7W481XxVuDrjR7accE7uuzcFBedzq6rrrcGPCni2I-CJwUcCF71ZSVpi43ovdL8AblQF/s320/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252810.Be3%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pachman-Fischer Varna(Ol) 1966<br /><br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">We are out of an obscure opening position in an IQP again, and this time Fischer continued with</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>10...Na5!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">He defended the extra pawn and forces White to accept a favorable trade of minor pieces i.e. to give up his light square Bishop for Black's Knight.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>11.Bxc4 Nxc4 12.Qa4+ Bd7 13.Qxc4 Bc6</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Black got his light square Bishop to the ideal square of c6 from where it bolsters the d5 square for an eventual Blockade and also controls the long diagonal and makes the absence of White's light square Bishop felt more keenly.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>14.Bg5!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Of course White is not going to sit and lay down his arms, he rightly fights for the control of d5-square.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-9Do9sQrJ6Q2cbGcoTnbEx_n5WmpDDtU1jFIq-Wg0zY7bsqSws-guOZu6dJStPDIP6ymYMFQ92NCeYDKUnxNc1sAQ2pbu3UzzqaICijWOeuC2rPjo9AwU_KApm9G232vfCEW5C60SCJF/s532/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252814.Bg5%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-9Do9sQrJ6Q2cbGcoTnbEx_n5WmpDDtU1jFIq-Wg0zY7bsqSws-guOZu6dJStPDIP6ymYMFQ92NCeYDKUnxNc1sAQ2pbu3UzzqaICijWOeuC2rPjo9AwU_KApm9G232vfCEW5C60SCJF/s320/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252814.Bg5%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Here Fischer typically continued with a combative</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>14...Qa5!? </b>instead of a simpler move like <span style="color: #2b00fe;">14...0-0. </span>He was willing to accelerate the tension in a position and test its dynamic potential. White replied with </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>15. Qc5?</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Carrying forward the lessons from the last game, this is clearly a step in the wrong direction. He loses the dynamism inherent in the position totally and also Black is clearly much better prepared for the endgame with his King in the center. A surprising error from a player such as Pachman! He should have continued with 15.Bxf6 gxf6 and sacrificed a pawn at a suitable moment with d4-d5. trying to play against Black's King in the center. The game perhaps would have been in dynamic balance.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>15...Qxc5 16.dxc5 a5!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Just as in the Nimzowitsch's game, this pawn advance stops white from connecting his Queenside pawns and his majority is stymied before it even started!</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>17.Rfd1</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mOp7ccgjIqN5pjhZQ_qWb8mzaqq6BFiolSCnOggbFnh5F92aJS3VYTk7yoNlMxNAOD7L3DRSAWDjqRvJnykJnlyLi9zc13MuDmiTUHWfIi8pbde6d09LdccqTPhm1JfP1w20vvn-LqvP/s532/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252817.Rfd1%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mOp7ccgjIqN5pjhZQ_qWb8mzaqq6BFiolSCnOggbFnh5F92aJS3VYTk7yoNlMxNAOD7L3DRSAWDjqRvJnykJnlyLi9zc13MuDmiTUHWfIi8pbde6d09LdccqTPhm1JfP1w20vvn-LqvP/s320/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252817.Rfd1%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Outwardly it seems that White can hardly have any dangers in the position, but this is highly deceptive. Here Fischer came up with the brilliant</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>17...h5!!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">I love this concept. Since Black needs the King in the center, in the endgame, he does not want to castle. This means that he needs to activate his King's Rook, so he starts with h5 and if given time he would activate his Rook after an eventual h5-h4 and Rh5. The rook pawn advance also has an idea of increasing the power of the long diagonal Bishop with an eventual h4-h3 if allowed. Of Course with this thought process in mind, one needs to expect opponent's most likely response. In this case it is</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>18.h4</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">So, Black's earlier ideas listed came to a standstill. Does that mean he didn't have any deeper idea? This is far from the truth, Fischer understood that White would play h4 and this would in turn place White's pawns on the dark squares which leads to losing control of light squares. We have seen this in Nimzo's game too, if White places more pawns on the same color of his Bishop the opposite color complex becomes weak and invites opponent's pieces to occupy them. Fischer is a master of timing, he induces White to fix the pawn on a dark square with h4 which will weaken White's light squares in the long run.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>18...Nd7!</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Having isolated the c-pawn, Black next threatens it. Not <span style="color: #2b00fe;">18..Nd5 19.Ne4!</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b>19.Be3 Ne5 20.Bd4 Nd7 21.b3</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Of course <span style="color: #2b00fe;">21.Bg7 Rg8</span> and then Black takes on g2 does not make any sense for White.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><b>21....Rg8!</b> </div><div>with the idea <span style="color: #2b00fe;">g7-g5.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><b>22.Be3 Ne5</b></div><div>the Knight comes back after the g7 pawn is protected.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>23.f3 Ng6 24.Bf2 Nf4</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Black's knight maneuvering is pretty impressive. With every little move he is making White commit some weakness.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>25.Be3 Nd5!</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpS7z8ydz0C29gsMupX19Zzm4kd_YRwQBJsTMxXcX-pc8C-lxrfxf5ro99NjNXZn5KvkEG1Yho1LOhm_uZPlTlmTzoQkimn1OMSBaxOzqqIgKm6KbNJGpgHzfQqI9hQ57cDEbk_kPw8Eo/s532/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252825...Nd5%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpS7z8ydz0C29gsMupX19Zzm4kd_YRwQBJsTMxXcX-pc8C-lxrfxf5ro99NjNXZn5KvkEG1Yho1LOhm_uZPlTlmTzoQkimn1OMSBaxOzqqIgKm6KbNJGpgHzfQqI9hQ57cDEbk_kPw8Eo/s320/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252825...Nd5%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>After traversing a lot of squares the Knight comes back to d5, but after forcing some changes in White's position. Note that in this position White's Bishop on e3 is unprotected which forces a knight exchange.</div><div>Compare this position with the one after White's 18th move for better understanding of the little differences.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>26.Nd5 Bd5 27.Rd4 Kd7 28.Rc1 Kc6 </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Black's King feels at home on c6. Note how each and every unit of Black's is patiently improved and it all falls into a perfect picture!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>29.Rc3 f6! 30.f4</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Once again White's idea to hold back Black's majority ( especially e6-e5 and g7-g5) seems very natural. But once again as we have seen in Nimzo's game the more White places his pawns on dark squares, the more he loosens his light square complex. It is enjoyable to observe how Black makes White dance together to his tunes! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>30...Rgd8 31.Kf2 a4!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5labuLJdoQcxGrXSqWFFwfNn1V_xqhyphenhyphen4nJ4eFPqxkMULKRjlm6CKM-PZmmp0aHoiSL8LGCkg-OruhK4wRvwnwe8mXtr6smOd8O2YuhKCWukewUIkp9-hAPwfwaV10eCP1CN7BwMNKwhA/s532/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252831...a4%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5labuLJdoQcxGrXSqWFFwfNn1V_xqhyphenhyphen4nJ4eFPqxkMULKRjlm6CKM-PZmmp0aHoiSL8LGCkg-OruhK4wRvwnwe8mXtr6smOd8O2YuhKCWukewUIkp9-hAPwfwaV10eCP1CN7BwMNKwhA/s320/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252831...a4%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div>Once again wonderful timing. Black takes the opportunity to either open up the a-file for activating his Rook or force White to further weaken his pawn structure on the Queenside. Reminiscent of Nimzo's game again!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>32.Rxa4 Rxa4 33.bxa4 Bxa2 34.Rc2 Bd5 35. Rb2 Ra8 36.Rb4 Ra5 </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Fixing the weakness on a4, White's pieces are absolutely helpless. To begin with he is going to lose his pawn on a4.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>37.g3 Kc7 38.Bd4 Bc6 39.Be3 Bxa4 40.Rd4 Bd7 41.Rd2 Ra8 42.Rb2 Rb8 43.Rd2 Ra8</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtceUc71YYH1e4kXXMxt2ARb3S9OEmrQQXQBpIrYQqz_s3oAQcHTMahCbpK9U1iHE7I2UeSjEZ7o8sqCe-7xpIe5aZpffp-A8HFpOUC5i9VH1u0h87F47uBBH1Nhd03cdypZ4D5Tsn0lMh/s532/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252843...Ra8%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtceUc71YYH1e4kXXMxt2ARb3S9OEmrQQXQBpIrYQqz_s3oAQcHTMahCbpK9U1iHE7I2UeSjEZ7o8sqCe-7xpIe5aZpffp-A8HFpOUC5i9VH1u0h87F47uBBH1Nhd03cdypZ4D5Tsn0lMh/s320/Pachman+Ludek+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252843...Ra8%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />In this adjourned position, Pachman resigned! Although it may seem a bit premature, he saw no defence against the slow but sure King march of Black to f5 or g4 via d8-e8-f7-g6. His Bishop would occupy a great square on d5 and Black has all the freedom to attack White's weakness, whereas White is completely helpless to even create a semblance of a threat to Black. A wonderful game where Fischer used all of Nimzowitch's ideas in an improved fashion.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrewK1Rqa6ktmH_ymOQcO7hWsRaSBXdMVLvkhnhhcpII5a4uSAB8m_jglXNBLxsY0wBEZw5yrAdtY2jbmTv9P2yVQWsB3bNuqPuaxOmd8ZoRon_DT95n8NVepiPjKEV-7JDWOlV2x3VtfJ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="369" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrewK1Rqa6ktmH_ymOQcO7hWsRaSBXdMVLvkhnhhcpII5a4uSAB8m_jglXNBLxsY0wBEZw5yrAdtY2jbmTv9P2yVQWsB3bNuqPuaxOmd8ZoRon_DT95n8NVepiPjKEV-7JDWOlV2x3VtfJ/" width="177" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Conclustion:-</span> </div><div><br /></div><div>1.Space is an important factor, and in Chess we can understand it in terms of squares. </div><div>2.To extend it further we can understand it in terms of color complexes</div><div>3.How one side dominates the other by using this dimension of space may be the key to enhancing one's perception about the great game.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlR7Z1afkvw6UTOkL6lTGWUSZyZgWtCOzu7BGnqWQQ3l8L7A5paJb0R7vkZRT7eWYrYRAc0pn7WK-iaCb3aRmd8EjwMjm2OS2m2H8YQ_Z1VLaeSYFGN8F7ykCp8BjD5LP9cNJ_aBIO900/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlR7Z1afkvw6UTOkL6lTGWUSZyZgWtCOzu7BGnqWQQ3l8L7A5paJb0R7vkZRT7eWYrYRAc0pn7WK-iaCb3aRmd8EjwMjm2OS2m2H8YQ_Z1VLaeSYFGN8F7ykCp8BjD5LP9cNJ_aBIO900/" width="160" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Fischer imbibed Chess as a child learns a language, intuitively and individually. Let us celebrate the individuality and innate intelligence inherent in each one of us. Adios</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=X4Br83gb3RU+Ru1pnnn0f0+Nco+NqiDwGcM6nAHQQ/YjcoCFMawld5eEcZW0GrgZ">A link to the replayable games</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>(In Nimzowitsch's games Huebner's analysis has been included too from Mega and clearly indicated.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div> </div><div><b><br /></b><p><br /></p></div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-15365370243264600592021-08-26T00:04:00.005-07:002021-08-29T01:37:55.345-07:00Mighty Blockading KnightsThe first introduction to the game of Chess lay in the fascination of Knights for me. They are the most unique pieces on the chessboard and the ability to fork a King and Queen and/or Rook(s) were simply fascinating to understand as a child. World Champion Capablanca considers that the Knight is a very dangerous piece for an amateur but as one's strength develops he starts appreciating the value of Bishop. While, this is very true, the fascination with Knights nevertheless does continue as one grows into a stronger player with a deeper study of Chess Strategy.<div><br /></div><div>When talking about passed pawns, Nimzowitsch was the first teacher who taught about blockading them. Of course this has always been known to masters intuitively and were employed in their games. Nimzowitsch discusses his thoughts about Knights being excellent blockaders of passed pawns. In addition when we come to the concept of protected passed pawns, there is no better piece to blockade than the knights. They not only block the passed pawns, but they attack its protector! This is only possible because of the Knight's unique movement pattern on a chessboard.</div><div><br /></div><div>When looking at a recent game of Caruana against Shankland, I was very impressed with the strategic depth and control he showed in the game.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZxTwdTtguiqNSZdQAVnyGXZF2X2eDsx6MdN6AX6DELd8xFSGX6qJ0HmdxmiJNfM5ngOz_644zDtRwkYxU3mR-LMu1UgT8F2SmN1sIshQ0ed2QNITUSlwlDVCuJKCpk1uaR_sGaKnz5p3/s548/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252814.Ne1%2529.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZxTwdTtguiqNSZdQAVnyGXZF2X2eDsx6MdN6AX6DELd8xFSGX6qJ0HmdxmiJNfM5ngOz_644zDtRwkYxU3mR-LMu1UgT8F2SmN1sIshQ0ed2QNITUSlwlDVCuJKCpk1uaR_sGaKnz5p3/s320/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252814.Ne1%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Caruana-Shankland Sinquefield Cup 2021</b><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span><a name='more'></a></span>This is the position after White's 14th move in the above mentioned game. It continued with <div><br /></div><div><b>14....d5 15.N1c2! </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>White brings in the Knight on e1 to be a <b>reserve blockader</b> to the Knight on e3. Typically Nimzowitschian!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>15...Be6 16.Qe1!?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This is indeed a very clever move. White's Queen does not belong to d1 is quite clear, but its not clear where it should go to. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">16.f3 or 16.f4 </span>seem to be more natural continuations. White treats the position in a deeper fashion. He thinks about what his opponent's idea is. Black would probably like to move his knight away from f6 and then go for kingside pawn expansion with f7-f5. White actually wants Black to start executing that idea before going for his natural pawn break with f2-f3. The point being, Black would not be able to recapture with his Knight on e4 after White's f2-f3 and fxe4.So, in effect White wants to create a protected passed pawn for Black, which would ensure the safety of his Knight on e3 as it cannot be attacked by a Black pawn any longer! In doing so, he does not want to just wait with any move, but play a constructive one! So, the text move keeps the f3 idea in mind and intends to bring the queen via e1-h4 diagonal into the game.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>16... Nd7</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>It is very hard to criticize such a natural move, but as we have discussed this plays into White's hands.</div><div>Black could have also waited with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">16... Rad8</span> perhaps.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>17.f3 f5 18.fxe4 fxe4<br /></b><br /><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSzMlIm8yhVNIej_2JO-gM1RZg6HL_EYsM2huomjJn4mEkwkaeR-jfJ4fvJyZJnDM3pZJTGXYOR-7aaiYztPge0fzO7KhL8V73KILftY9xg_GLtcOaQkjgLZT5dbA0wZg88Mu3sJnEpcb/s548/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252818...fxe4%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSzMlIm8yhVNIej_2JO-gM1RZg6HL_EYsM2huomjJn4mEkwkaeR-jfJ4fvJyZJnDM3pZJTGXYOR-7aaiYztPge0fzO7KhL8V73KILftY9xg_GLtcOaQkjgLZT5dbA0wZg88Mu3sJnEpcb/s320/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252818...fxe4%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>This was the position that White was aiming for, now, the Knight on e3 is in an ideal position. It blocks the e-passed pawn and at the same time keeps an eye on its protector on d5. Its ably supported by a reserve Knight on c2. Nimzowitsch would have simply loved Caruana's position!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>19.Bf4!</b></div><div>Another fine positional move. White clearly understands that his position has great <i>potential</i>( room for improvement)- in Mihai Suba's terms. Whereas Black's position has reached its zenith and gradually moving towards its nadir! White avoids exchange of Rooks and creates space to improve his pieces further.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>19...Rf7 20.Qg3 Nf6</b> <b>21.Rf2 Qd7 22. Raf1 Raf8 23.Qh4!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaActnAbe6XfuTOSfoPWoSVAH3_vm-NTSe5oD2v5F_lOMmITssq7zHt-qlF_QRNpH76cTLcy9U8EfWtrGoXaXKWzSfSc6CNRlTLV1V2rym0j027jlZeMNr5cgABeflEGCvVYXUjW2umH4/s548/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252823.Qh4%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaActnAbe6XfuTOSfoPWoSVAH3_vm-NTSe5oD2v5F_lOMmITssq7zHt-qlF_QRNpH76cTLcy9U8EfWtrGoXaXKWzSfSc6CNRlTLV1V2rym0j027jlZeMNr5cgABeflEGCvVYXUjW2umH4/s320/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252823.Qh4%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div>Compared to the last diagram White has improved his pieces greatly. Outwardly it appears that Black has also managed to improve his pieces, but there is a subtle difference in the piece coordination. White is creating serious threats along the f-file whereas Black is just defending and hoping the strike would not be too hard. Once the Bishop unmasks itself from f4 and moves over to g5 or h6, Black's weakened dark squares are going to be a major source of concern for him.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>23....Ne8</b></div><div><br /></div><div>To remove the knight from the danger zone on the f-file. But this gives an opportunity for </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>24.Ng4!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>'Whenever an opponent makes a move we need to observe what squares the move gains and relinqushes control of . This is a fundamental way of looking at a position'. This idea was said by my Friend GM Arun Prasad several years ago after he attended a camp of the Israeli Grandmaster Alon Greenfeld . This has also been mentioned by my friend Grandmaster Ramesh in his book Fundamental Chess: Logical decision making. He calls it the <i>drawback principle- </i>what's the drawback behind the current move?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>24....Nd6 25.Nce3!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>aptly bringing the reserve blockader into play and freeing up the g4 knight for more aggressive actions.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>25....Ne7 26.Ne5 Be5 27.Be5 </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>finally white has transformed his advantage into something tangible. The weakness of dark squares and the absence of the fianchetto Bishop seems telling.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>27...Ndf5?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>perhaps <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>27...Rf2 </b></span>was better as that would not result in an immediate loss, but positionally Black's position looks very suspect anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>28.Ng4! +-</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeowDwUuE-Ti5ExIulARVB09dt8MUYFPjdRm1bg8Lvw8APWeTmN1R9vbHQAhzXOLaV2Mq8vvKVuIftQQNERY3j8XoW24ZCf_KNaRN6cNE4CnhHzPxnA1DOb-7dxEDk9oeB7q9wdx5xCejq/s548/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252828.Ng4%2521%252B-%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeowDwUuE-Ti5ExIulARVB09dt8MUYFPjdRm1bg8Lvw8APWeTmN1R9vbHQAhzXOLaV2Mq8vvKVuIftQQNERY3j8XoW24ZCf_KNaRN6cNE4CnhHzPxnA1DOb-7dxEDk9oeB7q9wdx5xCejq/s320/Caruana+Fabiano+-+Shankland+Sam+%252828.Ng4%2521%252B-%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>A complete rout of Black's army on the dark squares is imminent. White has crowned his strategic play with crisp tactics!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>28...h5 29.Qg5! hxg4 30.hxg4 Ng7 31.Qh6!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>White's domination is too much for the piece sacrificed, he is going to earn material back with interest if Black decides to avert checkmate, and the rest is simple.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>31...Nef5 32.gxf5 Rxf5 33.Rxf5 Rxf5 34.Rxf5 Bxf5 35.g4!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Typical of Fabi, concrete action in an overwhelming position.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>35...Be6 36.Qxg6 Qf7 37.Qh6 e3 38.Bf3! 1-0</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Having played through this game, one cannot help but remember an old game of Nimzowitsch.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnqi1nfzYRn609kJKn0WkkpGO8XW9iWEadIecxiaTEv4QPII24LloMig_a8L1TYjWfVNncuLw6ZkEHex9MkDynBfhRaHCqfzgTo_k4gLmdWleLt_2EqnSyK-ql-jqzZUVWZ4nGsfkPDRH/s548/Nimzowitsch+Aron+-+Behting+Karl+%25285...fxe4%2529.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnqi1nfzYRn609kJKn0WkkpGO8XW9iWEadIecxiaTEv4QPII24LloMig_a8L1TYjWfVNncuLw6ZkEHex9MkDynBfhRaHCqfzgTo_k4gLmdWleLt_2EqnSyK-ql-jqzZUVWZ4nGsfkPDRH/s320/Nimzowitsch+Aron+-+Behting+Karl+%25285...fxe4%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nimzowitsch-Behting Riga,1919</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This is a position after Black's 5th move in a game of Nimzowitsch as mentioned by him in his seminal work "My System". Here the most natural and common move is <span style="color: #2b00fe;">6.Nc3. </span>However Nimzo came up with<div><br /></div><div><b>6.Ne3!!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>He gave this move an exaggerated double exclamation marks, Although his evaluation of the move may not be wholly correct he explains the reasoning behind his move by the idea that he is even disregarding playing for straightforward development, by instead playing for <i>blockade</i> of the e-pawn.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>6...c6 7.Bc4!!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Once again an exaggerated double exclamation mark by Nimzo, but the idea behind this move is to force Black to play d5 and later use it as a weak point to attack aided by the active blockader on e3( the strong knight)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7...d5 8.Bb3 Be6 7.c4 Qf7 10.Qe2 Nf6 11.0-0 Bb4! 12.Bd2 Bd2 13.Nd2 0-0</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-tlTlh3Bd_setHM3DW_OfeBCJv6IAYGzPgVsfD0NT4y8IW4X5vdqIIcfYa6vju2ZwGi3qWwW0wmHMFvCDuN6sLGWwsRQRQFDNrxH4btwQU0IqDMeH7NjytQ7RZaZcEo9movzDubBvGyR/s548/Nimzowitsch+Aron+-+Behting+Karl+%252813...0-0%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-tlTlh3Bd_setHM3DW_OfeBCJv6IAYGzPgVsfD0NT4y8IW4X5vdqIIcfYa6vju2ZwGi3qWwW0wmHMFvCDuN6sLGWwsRQRQFDNrxH4btwQU0IqDMeH7NjytQ7RZaZcEo9movzDubBvGyR/s320/Nimzowitsch+Aron+-+Behting+Karl+%252813...0-0%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b>14.f4!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>White willingly creates a protected passed pawn for the opponent. The diagram shows a fine picture of Blockade and attacking the base pawn of the protected passed pawn. All of White's pieces are aimed against turning the protected pawn duo into a weakness instead of strength! This was Nimzo's concept of Knight being the best blockader as far as I understand.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>14... dxc4 15.Ndxc4</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The so called strong point on d5 has been destroyed which shows a triumph of White's strategy. White went on to win a fine game. The whole game with complete annotations of Nimzowitsch can be seen at the end of the article.</div><div><br /></div><div>Slightly diverging from the theme of the article, the above game of Nimzowitsch triggered the thoughts of a famous game of Bronstein's against Mikenas in 1941. It starts from the diagram where we entered the Nimzowitsch's game. He gives a very compelling reason to how he arrived out at what he considers as the best move in the position which is <b>6.Be2!! </b>That is the beauty of chess, from the same position two great masters can logically arrive out variety of different solutions and make them appear equally good. A look at the database , though shows that <b>6.Nc3</b> is still the mainline. At the end of the article one can see Bronstein's whole game with his fine annotations from his instructive book "200 Open Games"</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming back to the topic of Knight blockade, let us take a look at a game of the Patriarch Mihail Botvinnik.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cf-UU0fgJdl22eK54FU7RhMguWNVDFinbP-uQjH2vQR1KpoEGwZTZiUQ7w2xcsP1-r7NhJqeiscW-biCpND_MQt7iOYeT94zX7slMZKZZbD3g3Vz29CTmJ1qrtdhDadlK-6jrCzR3_LS/s548/Botvinnik+Mikhail+-+Moiseev+Oleg+Leonidovich+%252813.0-0%2529.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cf-UU0fgJdl22eK54FU7RhMguWNVDFinbP-uQjH2vQR1KpoEGwZTZiUQ7w2xcsP1-r7NhJqeiscW-biCpND_MQt7iOYeT94zX7slMZKZZbD3g3Vz29CTmJ1qrtdhDadlK-6jrCzR3_LS/s320/Botvinnik+Mikhail+-+Moiseev+Oleg+Leonidovich+%252813.0-0%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Botvinnik-Moiseev 1951</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>In this position after White's 13th move Black continued with</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>13...a6 14.a4</b></div><div><br /></div><div>White overprotects his strong pawn on b5 where it restricts opponent's pieces. However Botvinnik points out that <span style="color: #2b00fe;">14.bxa6</span> is a very interesting possibility which makes the b6-pawn weak and a target of attack.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>14....Bb4 15.Qc2 Qd7 16.Rfb1 Re8 17.Ba3 Bxa3 18.Rxa3 Qd6 19.Ra2</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Here Botvinnik rightly points out that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">19.bxa6</span> </b>as a much stronger intermediate move. His point is that White could have stopped Black from completely locking up the Queenside, which during the game Botvinnik did not consider as a problem.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>19...a5</b></div><div>This changes the position a little bit, as Black locks up the Queenside wholly. Nevertheless, we see the ideal features of the Knight blockade on c3. The c-passed pawn itself is not strong at all, and the pawn on d5 can remain a long term target right up to the endgame. We only need the mighty knight on c3!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4rvAPi__TIUhXXXSe53wGKj6sCndSqHgrGztwY9OtvORQgHc6YcEPJ0tdEd64sJXuhzxIj1XdipHzG2QaQ5X9WFTtL8_GDfmhYnGGpBgt_NqMAi5O04axhpsOb5szQJicfnOAX_4uL_G/s548/Botvinnik+Mikhail+-+Moiseev+Oleg+Leonidovich+%252819...a5%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4rvAPi__TIUhXXXSe53wGKj6sCndSqHgrGztwY9OtvORQgHc6YcEPJ0tdEd64sJXuhzxIj1XdipHzG2QaQ5X9WFTtL8_GDfmhYnGGpBgt_NqMAi5O04axhpsOb5szQJicfnOAX_4uL_G/s320/Botvinnik+Mikhail+-+Moiseev+Oleg+Leonidovich+%252819...a5%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>20.Qc1 Nbd7 21. Qa3 Qxa3 22.Rxa3 Nf8 24.h4</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The game entered a long manoeuvering phase, and at the very end White broke through on the kingside and after that destroyed Black's d5-c4 protected passed pawn duo. The way the rest of the game continued was quite instructive and is worth taking a look at.The full game with Botvinnik's analysis from his best games book is attached at the end.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fabiano's resemblance to the patriarch is not only at a superficial level, but also shows that he is a proud successor to the patriarch in his approach to the game.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_RcuOoHBR-gmtUMTVhCdBiClb25ByQ3S8TD9LwyfkHKi78xnfCDL4zdbsJJMRUhigX9SI1jWQLN7nMJ-MksdyICybmcaZYTDfHcd4TP7qeq80ju-FRdx-SXhR1ufdfEFCCZP0WL1rcax/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="383" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_RcuOoHBR-gmtUMTVhCdBiClb25ByQ3S8TD9LwyfkHKi78xnfCDL4zdbsJJMRUhigX9SI1jWQLN7nMJ-MksdyICybmcaZYTDfHcd4TP7qeq80ju-FRdx-SXhR1ufdfEFCCZP0WL1rcax/" width="135" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yd14KKhd7R4TdiDZZ-uigG0-AFzwZ0tCL48jSz6EjJ4Dg3lQ69vtKkNP8SkDchyphenhyphenVf3-0ih4ksT1pVAPdtKp5QVuI76snyhmfCzvivEDia0YwecHhcuuEV1EwE7tL3FPEdpRHjnZpeAsI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="383" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yd14KKhd7R4TdiDZZ-uigG0-AFzwZ0tCL48jSz6EjJ4Dg3lQ69vtKkNP8SkDchyphenhyphenVf3-0ih4ksT1pVAPdtKp5QVuI76snyhmfCzvivEDia0YwecHhcuuEV1EwE7tL3FPEdpRHjnZpeAsI/" width="135" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></div>Finally, the blockade of the protected passed pawn on c3 in this game triggered me to the thoughts of another classic game of a child prodigy Sammy Reshevsky.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrv5xcC4yx1YAS64N3n1UUUjbUNRDKDDRsxyqcXKwq4oTEPGe6pbYdwAYsZK9XezaLKwwPW_2FbklVXRKVLmuX1u5W2U87184X42Zr1gFtLnQv9LyQDG8atYwutbwp5uc3e0Wp7ztNopw/s548/Reshevsky+Samuel+Herman+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252815.b3%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrv5xcC4yx1YAS64N3n1UUUjbUNRDKDDRsxyqcXKwq4oTEPGe6pbYdwAYsZK9XezaLKwwPW_2FbklVXRKVLmuX1u5W2U87184X42Zr1gFtLnQv9LyQDG8atYwutbwp5uc3e0Wp7ztNopw/s320/Reshevsky+Samuel+Herman+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252815.b3%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Reshevsky-Capablanca Margate 1935</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />This is a position from the Sammy's game against the great Cuban after 15th move. Capablanca continued provocatively with</div><div><br /></div><div><b>15...Qa5? </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>when White answered with<b> </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>16.b4!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Again as we have seen in the other games, White allows Black to create a protected passed pawn to secure his knight on c3.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>16...Qd8 </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>He could not have taken on b4<b> (<span style="color: #2b00fe;">16..Qxb4</span>) </b>, as White Rook would infiltrate the seventh rank after<span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"> 17.Rb1 and 18.Rxb7</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">17.Qa4! a6 18.b5!</span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span>as in the Botvinnik's game earlier Reshevsky tries to open the Queenside up. Here the primary </span><span>weakness for Black is the d5 pawn, but unlike in Botvinnik's game there is also a second target on the Quenside. Because of this Black's position is strategically untenable!</span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><b>18...Re6 19.Rab1 Rb8 20.Rb2 Be7 21.bxa6 Rxa6 22.Qc2 Ne6 23.Rfb1 Ra7 24.a4!</b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVe97XGhlEwuKu4Z1WdOFDaEM-vxJ0gvOUs5nLw13cQ5zFiuiG6NYCkaNrLo7ZCYjWvigHjmghKYqetsuyr1Ma4wFWqdgAJ_6k_UyuEp_ASVw3jNQajcOa-pclxKszQS7_hBVsy5CYiWVU/s548/Reshevsky+Samuel+Herman+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252824.a4%2521%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVe97XGhlEwuKu4Z1WdOFDaEM-vxJ0gvOUs5nLw13cQ5zFiuiG6NYCkaNrLo7ZCYjWvigHjmghKYqetsuyr1Ma4wFWqdgAJ_6k_UyuEp_ASVw3jNQajcOa-pclxKszQS7_hBVsy5CYiWVU/s320/Reshevsky+Samuel+Herman+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252824.a4%2521%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><span><br /></span></div>White kept targeting both b7 and d5 weakness and outplayed the World Champion by purposeful play. The remainder of the game is worth careful study too.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I have enclosed all the games discussed here with its full annotations from Reshevsky, Botvinnik, Nimzowitsch and Bronstein in the link given below. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=vBM4Ue2KavFiQr44CAXIeWMpV5hsY5VshL3dIhYrrHET0e3zO6s1sYQuRvpCYJcr">Link to the full games and annotations</a></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>To conclude:-</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Knight is one of the best blockaders of a passed pawn, and especially a protected passed pawn, as it can attack the protecting pawn.</i></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">As a strategic idea, the blockading side can even create a protected passed pawn for the opponent to make it a target of attack.</span><br /></i><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b>Reference Books used:-</b></div><div>My system- Nimzowitsch</div><div>My Best Games- Botvinnik ( Moravian publications)</div><div>Reshevsky on Chess</div><div>200 Open Games- Bronstein</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><br /></div><br /><br /> </div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><span><!--more--></span>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-4487639000278879102021-07-05T22:51:00.004-07:002021-07-08T11:23:18.754-07:00Hypermodern Games of Chess<p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">'In chess the tactics may change but the strategic fundamental principles are always the same, so that Chess
Fundamentals is as good now as it was thirteen years ago.' -Capablanca</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Control of centre has been considered as heart of Chess strategy from time immemorial. But as the Cuban World Champion has pointed out, the fundamentals remain the same, though application may change in course of time. I quote Capa from his edition of Chess Fundamentals in 1934:-</p><p><i>'In chess the tactics may change but the strategic fundamental principles are always the same, so that Chess
Fundamentals is as good now as it was thirteen years ago. It will be as good a hundred years from now; as long in fact
as the laws and rules of the game remain what they are at present.'</i></p><p>When Chess fundamentals was released for the first time in 1921, the Hypermodern era in chess had not flourished in full flow, whereas thirteen years later it had a great number of adherents- Reti,Nimzo, Tartakower to name a few and not to be left behind were the World Champions Alekhine and Capa too!</p><p>The Hypermodernists as they liked to call themselves came up with an idea that centre control need not be achieved only by pawn occupation of central squares,<i> </i>but can equally be done from pieces controlling the centre from flanks. Coming back to the Cuban genius' comment the fundamental principle of central control is all inclusive and gives one room for improvement as and when the situation arises. This is a typical feature in any artistic endeavour.</p><p>While taking a look at a recent game of Indian Super talent Erigasi, these thoughts about central control by various means were sparked. What if a flank pawn was given up in return for a central one in ordered acquire control of central squares? Surely this must be a method envisioned by Hypermodernists, right?<i> </i></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5a5GBRmMRnhN6HvaJVz_-DkIBcXlVGxwHpAqfPAiUbe5Tj5NWUDi04YQlyjGtPYqR5pibABux6kFdYeDDX0jJgba3zuYzZI5I4Trdygy-QC59fdqZOFBBiGab9W_EVs7BqMwPwMOzATkc/s548/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252815...g6%2529.gif" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5a5GBRmMRnhN6HvaJVz_-DkIBcXlVGxwHpAqfPAiUbe5Tj5NWUDi04YQlyjGtPYqR5pibABux6kFdYeDDX0jJgba3zuYzZI5I4Trdygy-QC59fdqZOFBBiGab9W_EVs7BqMwPwMOzATkc/w320-h320/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252815...g6%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p>This is a position from the game Erigasi versus Aronian from the recent event Goldmoney Asian Rapid 2021.This is a normal looking position in a Hanging Pawn's structure. Here Erigasi continued with <p></p><p><b>16.b4!</b></p><p>which sparked added interest into a position with dynamic equilibrium. This is a real sacrifice of a pawn, which cannot be regained by any forced sequence of moves. So, what is the logic behind such a venture? White, wants to secure the central d4 square firmly in his control for occupation of his dark squared Bishop. The opened c-file can be a factor later on in the game. In the shorter run White gains a few tempi with which he can build upon his initiative on the Kingside. Of course he also runs the risk of remaining a pawn down for the whole course of the game against none other than Aronian! And bearing in mind that this was a rapid game, the intuitive decision is even more commendable!</p><p><b>16...cxb4 17.Bd4 Qd8 18.Rc1 Bb7 19.Qf3 Qd6</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4g8rFbFHz2rtM0c2lwKTALySimglPBV0pXyhN2R3diJWwwgnP6UxSIMDLJfFzQMEVlAq1ClxUo0ZCjmO5FWWcN5cZdiewUp_5VwJ92_7DNjt7RJ4nea7H_afvN755HVspW4ld2D7xTst/s548/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252819...Qd6%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4g8rFbFHz2rtM0c2lwKTALySimglPBV0pXyhN2R3diJWwwgnP6UxSIMDLJfFzQMEVlAq1ClxUo0ZCjmO5FWWcN5cZdiewUp_5VwJ92_7DNjt7RJ4nea7H_afvN755HVspW4ld2D7xTst/s320/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252819...Qd6%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b><br /><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>In the last few moves White has gained a few tempos to bring his pieces into the striking zone of Black's kingside. He continued amassing more forces with </p><p><b>20.h4!? </b></p><p>However, at this moment White had a veiled tactical opportunity by means of<b> </b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">20.Nf5!? gxf5 21.Bc5! Qxc5 22.Rxc5 Bxc5 23.Qg3 </span>check followed by<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 24.Qc7 w</span>inning material similar to Lasker- Bauer theme using a double attack. But Black can avoid this with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">21...Qd8 22.Bxe7 Qxe7 23.Qg3+ Kh8 24.Rc7!</span> with another double attack. Black can survive though, with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">24...Ne4! </span>and the game goes on.</p><p><b>20...Rfc8 21.h5 a5 </b>and now White continued with</p><p><b>22.Bf5!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWk5f3nUuWVEVcw9gUkAZzcKdWwQvnvm5mZ7WW67eYYg_-XJKc-H8L7Yn0MpF4LVrBey85sbm0UrXigpzylANcK88cwm7GIrfCCw_V5tDsqsKQRvODCLo8i8-0_tZ94wRYwGcFOnOwBv0/s548/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252822.Bf5%2521%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWk5f3nUuWVEVcw9gUkAZzcKdWwQvnvm5mZ7WW67eYYg_-XJKc-H8L7Yn0MpF4LVrBey85sbm0UrXigpzylANcK88cwm7GIrfCCw_V5tDsqsKQRvODCLo8i8-0_tZ94wRYwGcFOnOwBv0/s320/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252822.Bf5%2521%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Not a difficult tactic based on overload, but nevertheless a pretty one! Of course Black cannot recapture with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">22..gxf5</span> because of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">23.Nxf5</span> and Black's Queen is powerless to stop either a deadly check on g3, or defend his Bishop on e7.The game continued with</p><p><b>22....Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Ne8?!</b></p><p>Perhaps it is here that Black starts drifting. Maybe Black could try to contest the c-file via 6th rank with<b> </b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">23...Ra6!?</span> I have a feeling White has positional compensation for the pawn deficit, but this is debatable!</p><p><b> 24.Qg4 </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa5cUsRc5wdTl-3ZFnRz0R2kUMq3sqD2tTAll9Lcx7Y3XpVxRKr0gIN1RFOKUA3OCQUeF6r1xj98MeEzU_wH_2a7VUhcJEg3cqzlbabTOUS07l4RNUJjxxxe3SP2RBM9_TqClf7TS5WVG/s548/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252824.Qg4%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa5cUsRc5wdTl-3ZFnRz0R2kUMq3sqD2tTAll9Lcx7Y3XpVxRKr0gIN1RFOKUA3OCQUeF6r1xj98MeEzU_wH_2a7VUhcJEg3cqzlbabTOUS07l4RNUJjxxxe3SP2RBM9_TqClf7TS5WVG/s320/Erigaisi+Arjun+-+Aronian+Levon+%252824.Qg4%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>White has slowly but surely moved his pieces near the striking zone, and Black falters falling prey to a cute though not a standard tactic. Black continued with </p><p><b>24...Ng7?</b></p><p>Black apparently can still hold his fort with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">24...Nf6 25. hxg6!? hxg6 26.Qg5 Nh7! </span>which shows that the position is still in equilibrium, though the character of the game has been widely transformed! What William Cluley postulated in 1850s still remains true! (Chess is a game of equilibrium )</p><p><b>25.Bxg6?!</b></p><p>White was alert to win a pawn using double attack. However if he had chosen the right order of moves eg <span style="color: #2b00fe;">25.Bxg7! Kxg7 26.Bxg6</span> Black's position is collapsing surprisingly quickly. However this being a rapid game, one is not warranted to criticise a player's decisions with an eagle's eye.</p><p><b>25...fxg6 26.Bxg7 Rc8</b>!</p><p>This is the difference compared to the variation 25.Bxg7-Black is not forced to recapture.</p><p><b>27.Rd1</b></p><p>However from a practical point of view, White has regained his lost material and Black's King lacks a proper pawn cover. When short of time this usually tilts the balance in favour of the attacker, which happened after further interesting moments when Erigasi Arjun was able to crown his highly creative play with a well deserved victory.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJ5a4VZ2KY7Uw5nDDvKjn03YLStxuKhtWD0Hj26x7N5BJv-AyRbRpH0kGd9U958CbWAlb90D-CBClA2D8uKLBLOeUKIRxgY9wtEtxtSHUgp7SIV6E8YFjK_mcy5pZuiyMkMT5Up6KcJQd/s548/Sargissian+Gabriel+-+Bok+Benjamin+%25286...exd5%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJ5a4VZ2KY7Uw5nDDvKjn03YLStxuKhtWD0Hj26x7N5BJv-AyRbRpH0kGd9U958CbWAlb90D-CBClA2D8uKLBLOeUKIRxgY9wtEtxtSHUgp7SIV6E8YFjK_mcy5pZuiyMkMT5Up6KcJQd/s320/Sargissian+Gabriel+-+Bok+Benjamin+%25286...exd5%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This is a position after White's 6th move from the game <b>Sargissian-Bok Benjamin</b> European Team Championship 2017. </p><p>Here the Armenian Grandmaster continued with</p><p><b>7.b4!?</b></p><p>with an idea in spirit similar to the game we have discussed earleir. White embarks on this flank pawn thrust/sacrifice in order to secure the complete control of the central d4-square. He also opens the c-file in the process and gains a few tempi for maximising his development.</p><p><b>7...cxb4 8.Bb2</b></p><p>It is important to note that White also stops Black's normal development as he has to waste a further move in protecting his g-pawn before moving his dark squared Bishop, which would in turn delay his castling. Such factors also come into account while observing the pawn sacrifice.</p><p><b>8....Nc6 9.Rc1 a6?!</b></p><p>I have a feeling that Black's position does not warrant such a luxury as to make a pawn move on the queenside in order to stop Bb5.</p><p><b>10.Nd4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKUwMHTrmPMc40mdjO0ommD6aTOagg2SzHp-guVqAFuTsD7zBGLGhQ_SgqZp9rjt_dxdG7MVlbES-FE7tqWXb48m0SB_oTC-8E4B2nmTQLtxFA8LGZ4Bfl8dmyUrXmWx-Kbf9Euk_RYK5/s548/Sargissian+Gabriel+-+Bok+Benjamin+%252811.Bxd4%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKUwMHTrmPMc40mdjO0ommD6aTOagg2SzHp-guVqAFuTsD7zBGLGhQ_SgqZp9rjt_dxdG7MVlbES-FE7tqWXb48m0SB_oTC-8E4B2nmTQLtxFA8LGZ4Bfl8dmyUrXmWx-Kbf9Euk_RYK5/s320/Sargissian+Gabriel+-+Bok+Benjamin+%252811.Bxd4%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><br /></p><p>I love this position, the Bishop on d4 is super powerful. He also threatens to bring his other Bishop to a dominating diagonal with Bd3 on the next move.</p><p><b>11...Bf5 12.Be2 Qd7 13.Qb3</b></p><p>by putting pressure on d5, White stalls any freeing ideas associated with Rc8 etc.</p><p><b>13...Be6 14.0-0 f6 15.Bh5+ Bf7 16.Bxf7+ Kxf7?!</b></p><p>Surely better was<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 16...Qf7 </span>and now perhaps<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 17.a3!? </span>is worth considering to meet <span style="color: #2b00fe;">17...bxa3 </span>with<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 18.Qb6!?</span></p><p><b>17.Bb6 Be7 18.Rc7</b></p><p>White has made full use of the gambit. He has captured the c-file and entered the seventh Rank. Black's King remains dodgy on f7 and Black's pawns are falling one after the other soon.</p><p><b>18...Qd6 19.Rfc1 Rhe8 20.Ba5</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9ktQ2AxSaQMEr-zf3vhlBj07Rx0NV1APUuZX9yVWOS9GQntVwE3JKzjyNoBvOAq2B9KVu3ymmZrED7znV1kf6hmWA_Ps6b3MgL81ey2vyctqGxViqNVF23z6MJ4DutQ1WX4D1Q5ESr28/s548/Sargissian+Gabriel+-+Bok+Benjamin+%252820.Ba5%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9ktQ2AxSaQMEr-zf3vhlBj07Rx0NV1APUuZX9yVWOS9GQntVwE3JKzjyNoBvOAq2B9KVu3ymmZrED7znV1kf6hmWA_Ps6b3MgL81ey2vyctqGxViqNVF23z6MJ4DutQ1WX4D1Q5ESr28/s320/Sargissian+Gabriel+-+Bok+Benjamin+%252820.Ba5%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>White regains material with interest and soon enough won the game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtD_n-UzKykXFRnKRumPjt-BKaQKsbElfA8-xa13iRgo3OA0n4BYRmCexvTZ3EJaDz6i4rCp5_l0LJqLZPJ9iyX5F8aVU3QNyVcr6aBHpQmf0zZ9Fut6Taw3csbVxEUIkEL3jpn9WTkRG/s548/Stahlberg+Gideon+-+Sultan+Khan+Mir+%25289.Be3%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtD_n-UzKykXFRnKRumPjt-BKaQKsbElfA8-xa13iRgo3OA0n4BYRmCexvTZ3EJaDz6i4rCp5_l0LJqLZPJ9iyX5F8aVU3QNyVcr6aBHpQmf0zZ9Fut6Taw3csbVxEUIkEL3jpn9WTkRG/s320/Stahlberg+Gideon+-+Sultan+Khan+Mir+%25289.Be3%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The next game we are going to deal with is one from the enigmatic genius Sultan Khan. How can I not include this example! In his game against Stahlberg from the Prague Olympiad in 1931, things have clearly gone wrong for the British Champion. He has wasted tempi in the opening, is on the verge of losing his Bishop pair to White's a3 and his Knights on e7 and g8 have trouble even breathing! Here he came with the spectacular wing gambit which is the theme of our study. His excellent feel for squares and the statics of a position shine with clarity. Readers would ofcourse know of his excellent win against Capa in a Queens Indian with a2-a3 which was a deep move to indirectly control the centre. The system which is currently named after Petrosian was first used by Mir Sultan Khan to indirectly control e4 square by preventing Bb4. </p><p>He continued in the above position with</p><p><b>9....b5!</b></p><p>At the cost of one pawn, Black strives to stay in the game and not get run over immediately. He gains control of d5 square which is of paramount importance to complete his development. only if one the knights can come to d5 can the other go to e7 and the king can castle to safety. Without a doubt this is Black's best chance of a defence and one that looks aesthetic too!</p><p><b>10.cxb5 Nd5 11.0-0 Nge7 12. a3 Ba5 13. Bg5 h6 14.Bxe7 Nxe7 15.Be4 c6!</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfVvt3VjVCY99iSWLSxzEn6OgyD6aUYEk4y1NE_WII1e356CPeggfcMWGaAOchKMu-ZQ6AB81IOk1RqvNXYHjgHyuTFk1n1UYmPn73P_YQWHeVABFDVH1SgWIFMT_DEpYPQPhrA0jB1k_/s548/Stahlberg+Gideon+-+Sultan+Khan+Mir+%252815...c6%2521%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfVvt3VjVCY99iSWLSxzEn6OgyD6aUYEk4y1NE_WII1e356CPeggfcMWGaAOchKMu-ZQ6AB81IOk1RqvNXYHjgHyuTFk1n1UYmPn73P_YQWHeVABFDVH1SgWIFMT_DEpYPQPhrA0jB1k_/s320/Stahlberg+Gideon+-+Sultan+Khan+Mir+%252815...c6%2521%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The audacity of the move is stunning! Black wants to preserve his light square Bishop even at the cost of making his pawn structure more ugly. But he opens lines and creates more freedom to his pieces. White's advantage remains, but Black is changing the character of the game and making a fight out of what he has within his means.</p><p><b>16.bxc6 dxc6!?</b></p><p>Sultan still wants to preserve his light squared Bishop. He absolutely knew no prejudice with regard to so called 'correct play' as he was completely self taught like a future day Alpha Zero ЁЯШБ</p><p><b>17.Na4 0-0 18.Nc5 Rb8 19.b4 Bb6</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWApLsyvN91ste7Jt1e7l6wEBmrTOXWPUzR3338QEHoDbMQOrYdZHcm9KQnXfjCJqFnStzHRuzfMu7GMRrw66PkhYTsf1scjaUIpXIw12VyLih1GwlKgjtpGd2bQdbpwqqfPrMmO1UA8U/s548/Stahlberg+Gideon+-+Sultan+Khan+Mir+%252819...Bb6%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWApLsyvN91ste7Jt1e7l6wEBmrTOXWPUzR3338QEHoDbMQOrYdZHcm9KQnXfjCJqFnStzHRuzfMu7GMRrw66PkhYTsf1scjaUIpXIw12VyLih1GwlKgjtpGd2bQdbpwqqfPrMmO1UA8U/s320/Stahlberg+Gideon+-+Sultan+Khan+Mir+%252819...Bb6%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>White's advantage still very much remains as both sides have not committed any sort of errors. But the nature of play has become different. Black fought and drew this game at the end! This is indeed creditable against such a formidable player as Gideon Stahlberg. White further won another pawn by playing</p><p><b>20.Nxb7 Rxb7 21.b5</b></p><p>I wonder if Sultan himself would have traded quality for the prospect of winning a pawn. The fact that White's advantage remains just as before and only got transformed is an unshakable truth as is with energy in this universe! Nevertheless at a later point White committed errors at the face of stiff and original resistance from the master craftsman wielding the Black pieces. At the end Black drew the game being one pawn down in an opposite colored Bishop position. One can only wonder at the foresight of Sultan Khan at vehemently refusing to exchange his light squared Bishop for his opponent's counterpart. Of course its not correct to reason out an artists masterpiece, its just there to be enjoyed. The rest of the game is a wonderful example of the beauty of staying in the moment that Sultan did really well.</p><p>A few further games remain to be discussed on this fascinating theme of undermining the centre with a flank pawn thrust , but that is for another day in a continuation blog. The replayable link to the full game scores and some thoughts are given below.</p><p><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=FqF7RHDa4budIeNZwMbYEojJD3dzgGyy/1iRpOEz5EhUHWkONfTe5fN726Qzh3Rp">https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=FqF7RHDa4budIeNZwMbYEojJD3dzgGyy/1iRpOEz5EhUHWkONfTe5fN726Qzh3Rp</a><br /></p>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-54517319776338213222021-06-24T03:36:00.003-07:002021-06-24T03:50:32.173-07:00Singular Strategy<p><i> "This inexorable consistency in
the realisation of his strategic conceptions
is, in my view, the main trait of Boris Gelfand
the chess player." Vladimir Kramnik</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>From experience we know that Chess is quite a complex game where we do not comprehend, leave alone control things on the board. As an observer, I have always been fascinated about a player having a wholesome vision of what is going to happen in the longer run and is steering his army in the short run always keeping the bigger picture in mind. This is clearly illustrated in classical games where one player is clearly stronger than the other and hence is able to carry his plan forward in totality giving quite an instructive view to the aspiring student. As many Gurus rightly feel, this has become increasingly rare in modern chess, because the contemporary master never willingly submits to opponent's will and instead throws the kitchen sink at him and even if he were to perish, would like to alter the course of the game. </p><p>Nevertheless there are definitely few occasions in which a player dictates the course of the game as per his vision, and the rarity of such a scenario makes it even more special. Today being the birthday of one of my favourite players( Boris Gelfand) seems like a good time to discuss this aspect. I quote Kramnik from the preface to Boris Gelfand's book- My Most Memorable games( 2004)</p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">'What impresses me most is his ability to
create games, where all the moves, from the
first to the last, are as though links in a single
logical chain. This inexorable consistency in
the realisation of his strategic conceptions
is, in my view, the main trait of Boris Gelfand
the chess player.'</span></i></p><p>As always World Champion Vladimir Kramnik is clear and to the point! I am sure Boris would agree with him regarding what he considers as his forte. Games at the very top where miniscule errors are exploited and a grand strategy comes to fruition always enthrall me. <b>Boris Gelfand</b> describes this trait of his playing style as one which ,he imbibed from his childhood hero- <b>Akiba Rubinstein</b> who had shown a consistent flair for this aspect in numerous games throughout his career. Let us get started with the chess part</p><p><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4G_Fu1DASaK7ZzR1dzAUyS-3DJF4j0MGVo4JkL8aQFtChYn1oGiR5eVWvOoRzdqPToXsSobkXm_jzDPyn0tueD7OKR5iO3UuGSWls_M9uc8hSJBK3U1Vjz3jZ5y0IlvTRd_r9tbtpg9K/s548/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%25287.Qc2%2521+%2529.gif" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4G_Fu1DASaK7ZzR1dzAUyS-3DJF4j0MGVo4JkL8aQFtChYn1oGiR5eVWvOoRzdqPToXsSobkXm_jzDPyn0tueD7OKR5iO3UuGSWls_M9uc8hSJBK3U1Vjz3jZ5y0IlvTRd_r9tbtpg9K/s320/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%25287.Qc2%2521+%2529.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelfand-Anand Moscow 2012</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><!--more--></span> </div>This is position after White's 7th move in the 7th game of the World Championship match between Gelfand and Anand, White's idea is not to worry about maintaining the pawn chain intact on the Queenside with an eventual b4, but to be flexible enough to agree to a transformation of pawn structure with cxb6 and play for simple development. The game continued<div><br /></div><div><b>7.... b6 8. cxb6 Nxb6 9.Bd2 c5 10.Rc1 !? </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Developing all the Queenside pieces features from time to time in Queen Pawn Openings. Here it makes a unique impression. White again gives Black a choose to transform the pawn structure either with c4 or as happened in the game with </div><div><br /></div><div><b>10...cxd4 11.exd4 Bd6 12.Bg5 0-0 13.Bd3 h6 14.Bh4 Bb7 15. 0-0</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_EuoT2fe-ZoYcV1atPU8tQLMC4HBjNI9nm1AGUXLyF8MbCTdyHXvkuk6MD80yqTpnmLh5oTQLjsLoXrrxshZ3_2wTFeUJ7PApRsp2b3znwNYpW36VJ1ecoVj1hNvmWHsSkUU8CuYP99e/s548/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252815.0-0%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_EuoT2fe-ZoYcV1atPU8tQLMC4HBjNI9nm1AGUXLyF8MbCTdyHXvkuk6MD80yqTpnmLh5oTQLjsLoXrrxshZ3_2wTFeUJ7PApRsp2b3znwNYpW36VJ1ecoVj1hNvmWHsSkUU8CuYP99e/s320/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252815.0-0%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>Quite a few changes have happened since the last diagram. Importantly the pawn structure has changed. The given pawn structure is optically favourable to Black as he has 2 pawn islands to White's 3 and also the pawn on d4 is isolated and can become a potential weakness. One is reminded of Capa's famous victory as Black over Lasker in their World Championship match in 1921( game number 10). However, things are not this simple, <b>a given pawn structure can become a weakness or not based on the pieces that are present on the board</b>. So. here we see a significant difference between Capa's game, where there were only Rook, Queen and Knight on the board. And more importantly the problem child in the Queens Gambit ( Light squared Bishop) was no longer there! Coming back to the present game, Black's problem piece is the light squared Bishop which is imprisoned by its own pawns. White's strategy will be to play against that piece and utilise the Queenside majority and the strong squares for his knight that are inherent in this specific pawn structure- namely e5 and c5 squares. At this moment Black continued with</p><p><b>15....Qb8?! </b></p><p>and as Boris points out in notes to the game, Black could have got his fair share of chances in the game with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">15...Bf4! </span>The problem with this move is that it allows White to trade the dark squared Bishops and thereby increase his influence on the dark square complex for the reminder of the game. The game went</p><p><br /></p><p><b>16.Bg3!? Rc8 17.Qe2 Bxg3 18.hxg3</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVT7ndCB9KUtRLxtc_AKDZivZYd3Omv6MrKEjCxVwapgnZFAqS6GrR5KTHJK1Y6Q1IMdONBdYfTetTl0SMb3esqPHfyglECUxynqY1vveH_5C6NTf6P_SuNxQOtLUetM_8AX5UYt4Wq14/s548/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252818.hxg3%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVT7ndCB9KUtRLxtc_AKDZivZYd3Omv6MrKEjCxVwapgnZFAqS6GrR5KTHJK1Y6Q1IMdONBdYfTetTl0SMb3esqPHfyglECUxynqY1vveH_5C6NTf6P_SuNxQOtLUetM_8AX5UYt4Wq14/s320/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252818.hxg3%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>It is clear that White's chances on the dark squares are significantly improved. Black's light squared Bishop will struggle to get out as there is never going to be e6-e5 break in the future too. As<b> Tarrasch</b> observed, the <b>Knight on b6</b> is also a problem piece in many a situation! White can use the e5 or c5 squares as strongpoints for his knights and get a back up support with f4 or b4. As it happens, c5 and play on the Queenside is more natural. Added to this White is going to fight for the control of c-file.</p><p><b>18...Qd6 19.Rc2 Nbd7 20.Rfc1 Rab8 21.Na4</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwloiM_Bf6lgco9uSyn7fFXwd9lHhthKljcs6LZhXy43bcOMJi-IjuHnezD3_n0v6UjSGzpdLxCKpzFJJsodSdN_rkFnhmES51NvXH1hpsjHrnc2qZGJcWBlDa3rPATGQ2H5aMHjmM3W8u/s548/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252821.Na4%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwloiM_Bf6lgco9uSyn7fFXwd9lHhthKljcs6LZhXy43bcOMJi-IjuHnezD3_n0v6UjSGzpdLxCKpzFJJsodSdN_rkFnhmES51NvXH1hpsjHrnc2qZGJcWBlDa3rPATGQ2H5aMHjmM3W8u/s320/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252821.Na4%2529.gif" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>White starts to get rolling with his plan of playing for c5 square and c-file. Here Anand decides to change the character of the game with <p></p><p><b>21...Ne4?!</b></p><p>and even though this has been labelled as an inaccuracy in hindsight, it seems to me that the text move is a very natural bid for counterplay. Even at the cost of a pawn Black would like to get some breathing space for his Bishop on b7.<br /><br /></p><p><b>22.Rxc8 Bxc8 23. Qc2! </b></p><p>White will not waver even a bit from his plan of playing for the control of c-file. In the live commentary to the game World Champion Karpov showed another idea to take control of the dark squares <span style="color: #2b00fe;">23.Qe1!? </span>which was also very strong!</p><p>Here Black lashed out with</p><p><b>23... g5?!</b></p><p>and which was unfairly criticized in my opinion. As the World Champion pointed out in his comments at the press conference after the game, " In a bad position all moves are bad" or some words to convey that meaning. Legends with their intricate feel for the game, understand ( even if computers don't) about the liveliness of a given position. And even if the move turns out to be bad, I am in complete agreement with the spirit behind World Champion Vishy Anand's move.</p><p><b>24. Qc7!</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8S129gwh0XaJqUWzCaGr_n2bILr0QyvTM0GYIJR5_YQgQnvkA86f6T6x8H-GkkZBQLFz2Oa7m2YmPSeZf4IyP18YCSIyZAy_iRYSBkx2sITgdt3TjUD0pGots7zVt8SJPnBlHWcE9s65/s548/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252824.Qc7%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8S129gwh0XaJqUWzCaGr_n2bILr0QyvTM0GYIJR5_YQgQnvkA86f6T6x8H-GkkZBQLFz2Oa7m2YmPSeZf4IyP18YCSIyZAy_iRYSBkx2sITgdt3TjUD0pGots7zVt8SJPnBlHWcE9s65/s320/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252824.Qc7%2529.gif" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>As <b>Nimzowitsch</b> has taught us a long time ago, the idea of controlling an open file comes to fruition when the seventh or eigth ranks can be infiltrated!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>24.....Qxc7 25.Rxc7 f6? 26.Bxe4! dxe4 27.Nd2 f5 28.Nc4 Nf6 29.Nc5</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpshJ4qZ8uMW0HJmwG2sklL-q_bZz7rbYSebnXs-fUuRAL7Xu_3eutjIe3HIFx_CmUSEjvn2gXBWDLDy9u5RByLit_6pmNnNdc5SlrQl-1vyeF0Xp6xksUDB2fDO1sg1_3HvzB2JLQCOEg/s548/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252829.Nc5%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpshJ4qZ8uMW0HJmwG2sklL-q_bZz7rbYSebnXs-fUuRAL7Xu_3eutjIe3HIFx_CmUSEjvn2gXBWDLDy9u5RByLit_6pmNnNdc5SlrQl-1vyeF0Xp6xksUDB2fDO1sg1_3HvzB2JLQCOEg/s320/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252829.Nc5%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The game has moved forward like a mathematical problem, where one simplifies the equation and arrives out step by step at the solution. In Chess terms, the exchanges have magnified White's advantage. He is in complete possession of the weakened dark squares of the opponent and the perennial problem with the light square Bishop remains for Black.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>29....Nd5 30.Ra7 Nb4 31.Ne5?! Nc2! 32.Nc6 Rxb2 33.Rc7 Rb1+ ? 34. Kh2 e3</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRRWkHDeustIugyURv6XPE-Aky4TX59wtnZw8ziqfySO3v2EUysMfKKfcv2rik874WzXpBV_0Fw8isUhkYfr17oTJJHwIoaBZF_JTPy_8FmS9JwH4vvOCDxG7p4e8DKlRj9B-K6Xis2dt/s548/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252834...e3%2529.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRRWkHDeustIugyURv6XPE-Aky4TX59wtnZw8ziqfySO3v2EUysMfKKfcv2rik874WzXpBV_0Fw8isUhkYfr17oTJJHwIoaBZF_JTPy_8FmS9JwH4vvOCDxG7p4e8DKlRj9B-K6Xis2dt/s320/Gelfand+Boris+-+Anand+Viswanathan+%252834...e3%2529.gif" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>35.Rxc8+ +-</b></div><div> and white was able to capture the problem piece of Black's at the very square where it was born!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>35...Kh7 36. Rc7+ Kh8 37.Ne5 e2 38.Nxe6!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div> with mate to follow forces Black's resignation.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have attached Boris Gelfand's detailed notes to this game as he has annotated for the Chess Base Magazine 149, for readers who want to delve deeper into the truth and the myriad ways to vary. The problem with the dark squares and the development of the light Squared Bishop is an age old problem in such structures, and not even World Champions are immune to this hard defence sometimes. Kasimdhzanov-Kramnik Tromso Olympiad 2014 comes to mind when Kramnik too had to bite the dust in a slightly different pawn structure for White, although Black's suffering was sort of similar.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a link to a replayable board for the above mentioned games.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=bkpOWEq1qYqu2jLnhHdO8BuLc+4thvsZXClj0AFMH0HD309jZkd9SRLGY5/gUQnb">https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=bkpOWEq1qYqu2jLnhHdO8BuLc+4thvsZXClj0AFMH0HD309jZkd9SRLGY5/gUQnb</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I conclude by wishing Boris Gelfand a very happy 53rd Birthday and let the readers sit and savour the fine game of chess!</div><div><br /></div><div>Reference:-</div><div>My Most Memorable Games ( Edition Olms)- Boris Gelfand</div><div>Mega Database</div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-8756583333361361592020-08-29T22:45:00.008-07:002020-08-30T02:02:05.980-07:00A Question of Timing<p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> " Chess is a matter of delicate judgement knowing when to punch and how to duck"- Bobby Fischer</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Eleventh World Champion's quote is quite famous and profound.</span> Chess as in life is all about timing. This includes the art of waiting. Knowing when to wait and when to act, would definitely be the hallmark of any great chess player or artist. A recent favourite of mine is this poem by one of the most famous Tamil poets of all time- Thiruvalluvar on the importance of timing.</p><p><span style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #f76541; font-family: Latha, Verdana;">"</span><span style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #f76541; font-family: Latha, Verdana;">роХрпКроХрпНроХрпБроТроХрпНроХ роХрпВроорпНрокрпБроорпН рокро░рпБро╡родрпНродрпБ рооро▒рпНро▒рпБроЕродройрпН</span><br style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #f76541; font-family: latha, verdana;" /><span style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #f76541; font-family: Latha, Verdana;">роХрпБродрпНродрпБроТроХрпНроХ роЪрпАро░рпНродрпНрод роЗроЯродрпНродрпБ</span><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;"><span style="color: #f76541; font-family: Latha, Verdana;"> "</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;">A rough translation would be 'One should be like the Crane Bird, which waits almost indefinitely for its prey and when the time to strike arises swoops in on it.'</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;">Thinking from the viewpoint of a chess player, this seems to be of primary importance. In fact this is also what Bobby said about Chess! I would like to share a few interesting game positions which stem from this theme.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2G2MuVp0o2RlTCe8Oc1LZs_Z49FRFHy5fC7heRPIx1kDn18Kcm5fCmFRsNcDei5_bHvMnuVIkTfrtVALt4bJv_uXozHFpj5XojYK8crpF5uH3bKYsLyS6Udxiq8eSyVcii5bwV83J11E/s436/Pos18.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2G2MuVp0o2RlTCe8Oc1LZs_Z49FRFHy5fC7heRPIx1kDn18Kcm5fCmFRsNcDei5_bHvMnuVIkTfrtVALt4bJv_uXozHFpj5XojYK8crpF5uH3bKYsLyS6Udxiq8eSyVcii5bwV83J11E/s0/Pos18.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Aronian-Jakovenko 2010 Olympiad,Russia</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In the above position after 32 moves White continued with <b>33.Nf2!? </b></span><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;">which is intended to simply improve and regroup his pieces in such a manner so as to make use of future opportunities that are presented. Also, to begin with c6 weakness is directly attacked. So Black replied with </span><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>33...c5</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b></b>and the game continued with<b> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>34.Nd3 Ra5 35.Ke2 !</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: latha, verdana;"> </b><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;">and already Black's not in an easy position to find moves! This signifies ( atleast practical) advantage of White in this position. And here Black continued with </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>35....Kg7</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezxT_aFxv7RUq27O4uGFNYGRpv0qfUwdab9lsKvGBMMzaMNz3PM5E4LDDsGWtQUKKZoYafto-RTVt_ZfIVbfbwecy0X5O3onuLbonyn7RDX9ozlbrEPExen7CGXLzBsax7maLbnhJq5di/s436/Pos20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezxT_aFxv7RUq27O4uGFNYGRpv0qfUwdab9lsKvGBMMzaMNz3PM5E4LDDsGWtQUKKZoYafto-RTVt_ZfIVbfbwecy0X5O3onuLbonyn7RDX9ozlbrEPExen7CGXLzBsax7maLbnhJq5di/s0/Pos20.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;">And this moment seems especially instructive to me. White still waited with </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>36.Rc2! </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;">White keeps all his pieces in readiness while yet not taking any action. He can feel that his opponent is an uncomfortable position because he cannot play the releasing move <span style="color: #2b00fe;">36...cxd4</span> because of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">37.Rc7!</span> winning a piece and continuing this further, he sort of expects Black to release one of his pieces from the seventh rank so as to prepare for cxd4 on the next move. So in a sense it was a cleverly veiled trap by Aronian, clearly waiting for an opportunity to strike. Maybe Black should continue waiting too with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">36...Kf8!?</span> but clearly that was not his idea of playing his King to g7 earlier. Instead Black went for the most natural move</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>36.... Bf8?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"> in order to release his pieces from a possible skewer by the Rook on the 7th rank. And at this moment Aronian shows his keen eye for striking at the weakness which is not that easy to spot too! The Bishop while occupying the f8-square denies it to his monarch and this in turn makes the square e8 a very pretty one for White's light squared Bishop. Essentially Black's weakest point in this position is pawn on f7 which has been spotted by Aronian's eagle eye! The game continued with </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>37.Bc6! Nb8 38.Be8!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;">and White won the game in few more moves because of the weakness of f7-pawn and his better coordination.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6N_BM5LPHbKBQkq0sgK7jMyJ1C7apbgpypAm7rrsaAGGQ0ZveNXpCMKVisCvE_f0eoM5Yv9ijj2nYggU5HB9rP5s3TSQyUOKAySpVRY7bRUeEG58VqHZU57LiDhIFGalswha5FL8Tl0RW/s436/Pos21.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6N_BM5LPHbKBQkq0sgK7jMyJ1C7apbgpypAm7rrsaAGGQ0ZveNXpCMKVisCvE_f0eoM5Yv9ijj2nYggU5HB9rP5s3TSQyUOKAySpVRY7bRUeEG58VqHZU57LiDhIFGalswha5FL8Tl0RW/s0/Pos21.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Anand-Giri Shamkir 2019</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /><br />In this position after 19 moves, Anand came up with a simple waiting move </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>20.Bg3!?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;">But things are not that simple, White's dark squared Bishop would love to occupy the fine post on b6 from where it can not only block the whole of Black's queenside pawn formation but also defend his central pawn on d4. Reaching the target square seems far fetched, but from White's point of view the advantage is that its quite an uncommon and veiled idea in this position. White waits until he is presented with an opportunity to improve even further. The game continued with</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b>20...Qh5?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><b><br /></b><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;">Black loses awareness of whats the key to position and embarks on pseudo activity. He could have ofcourse played <span style="color: #2b00fe;">20...Rd7!</span> and the game goes on. One cannot be too harsh and criticize this decision as White's next move is quite an easy on to miss I believe.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;"><b>21.Bc7! Rd7 22.Bb6!</b><br /></span></span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHOUEO-CFWmk5iNpq2BiWiafsrdk6HVWNZDfu8SKcyP7nnK-rfN_NeM4Ze0f_EenI7i0l6ODbYpo0FMfLAN-mpI6ZXslhSj1pdEP08lF7r8KZU6fXb5wNVSCereLrBmzfdbiGpx11P4EP/s436/Pos24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHOUEO-CFWmk5iNpq2BiWiafsrdk6HVWNZDfu8SKcyP7nnK-rfN_NeM4Ze0f_EenI7i0l6ODbYpo0FMfLAN-mpI6ZXslhSj1pdEP08lF7r8KZU6fXb5wNVSCereLrBmzfdbiGpx11P4EP/s0/Pos24.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;">A minute change in the position, but one that has a great impact. White's Bishop is brilliantly positioned to block Black's majority and protect d4 pawn. Also the c5 square seems vulnerable. White improved his position even further with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ne1</span> and consolidated his pluses to win a very fine game. The continuation of the whole game can be seen at the end with a link to a re-playable board.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL3XE9yA5c44q-04QyaMlK0kG6UqMlhGS3b1-09IkI_xqa8V1vie8-1p3MyDH1bJ1AHHLtGG2e5oO0q5MYfbDfrYW3Bzx5uEPAuMQNrcANRAnlr9m88I5kvS7UeAx63mWI4n84Wcsa3I9/s436/Pos22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL3XE9yA5c44q-04QyaMlK0kG6UqMlhGS3b1-09IkI_xqa8V1vie8-1p3MyDH1bJ1AHHLtGG2e5oO0q5MYfbDfrYW3Bzx5uEPAuMQNrcANRAnlr9m88I5kvS7UeAx63mWI4n84Wcsa3I9/s0/Pos22.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><span>This interesting position was shown to me by Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram. He asked me to guess what Black's move was here? I was thinking of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">...Rac8, ... a6, ...Nb6 </span>. Those being the active moves in the position. But he asked me to come back with some other suggestion. Another look into the position made me think of slowly getting the Kingside/ Central majority rolling with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">....Rae8!? </span><span>or even something audacious such as</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> ...a5? </span>While this position is still right out of the opening, and there are many ways to continue, Arvind told me that before continuing any of these plans Black decided to exchange White's most active piece before embarking on further plans. He also revealed to me who the players were! It turned out the game was played between <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Stockfish and Leela Chess Zero in March 2020 in TCEC 17th season</b></span>. In this position Leela continued with</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>16...Nb8! 17.Rab1 Nc6</b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span>and here White decided to retain both knights on the board with</span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><b>18.Nf3 </b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span>and the manoeuvring phase continued with</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>18... Rac8 19. Rec1 b6 20.Bc3 Rfe8 21.a3 Bf8</b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgnwGSXUEImnFmF-NaVGp-9nwgrPouQNpQUyBsjfRSeJDqt3ZA02pZft8vKTkD_4ZUb1pQNAty0QnbynkbSey3UAE9NQS7NdE94dW4lflTRLRbtttCLkpajy7w9_yN4t6GYWxoJqTANct/s436/Pos23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgnwGSXUEImnFmF-NaVGp-9nwgrPouQNpQUyBsjfRSeJDqt3ZA02pZft8vKTkD_4ZUb1pQNAty0QnbynkbSey3UAE9NQS7NdE94dW4lflTRLRbtttCLkpajy7w9_yN4t6GYWxoJqTANct/s0/Pos23.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span>Compared</span><span> to the last diagram it seems that Black is improving more efficiently the placing of his pieces rather than White. Here White continued with</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>22.Nf1?!</b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><b>s</b>till perhaps under the ilusory search for an advantage.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>22... Rcd8 23.Rcd1 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 a5! 25.b5 Nb8!</b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46oRZVyPSf-8byTPxIkLx5Ir4IvCEsH-rh0wpp-bs6jPZ8ZjvXJ-0FCPhK6h41m_JBFXgyHYJclo_kD1Kc7ELxuR2t0K34H0ffg6Ocjdw5DaNbPvj7MOOqHMZ_G1952VWkeGcmPEZV5P0/s436/Pos25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46oRZVyPSf-8byTPxIkLx5Ir4IvCEsH-rh0wpp-bs6jPZ8ZjvXJ-0FCPhK6h41m_JBFXgyHYJclo_kD1Kc7ELxuR2t0K34H0ffg6Ocjdw5DaNbPvj7MOOqHMZ_G1952VWkeGcmPEZV5P0/s0/Pos25.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the second time in the game the Knight retreats to its home square, but his advantage is growing in proportion. Now Black has skillfully tempted White to over reach with his Queen side pawns. Also important to note that Black has the juicy c5-square for his Knight and he would now slowly but surely divert his attention towards pushing his central majority. In principle the idea seems similar to the <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Anand-Giri</b></span> game examined earlier. The game continued for many more moves but Black was successful in the end.</div></span></div><p>In Conclusion, I would like to thank Aravindh for sharing the rare game which is not available in databases! And also reiterate the following points:-</p><p><span style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #2b00fe; font-family: Latha, Verdana;">Timing is a key aspect of Chess as pointed out by Bobby Fischer.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <span>One has to have Crane like skills knowing when to wait and when to strike</span>.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;">A link to the games discussed - <a href="http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2020/8/30/Game41556156.html">http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2020/8/30/Game41556156.html</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f5fafa;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #f76541; font-family: Latha, Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></i></p></div></div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-52546527373164237852020-08-27T09:24:00.004-07:002020-08-27T09:38:47.438-07:00родро▒рпНроЪрпЖропро▓рпН<em style="background-color: #f5f5eb; font-family: latha; text-align: justify;"><strong>"ропро╛ропрпБроорпН роЮро╛ропрпБроорпН ропро╛ро░ро╛ роХро┐ропро░рпЛ</strong><br /><strong>роОроирпНродрпИропрпБроорпН роирпБроирпНродрпИропрпБроорпН роОроорпНроорпБро▒рпИроХрпН роХрпЗро│ро┐ро░рпН</strong><br /><strong>ропро╛ройрпБроорпН роирпАропрпБроорпН роОро╡рпНро╡ро┤ро┐ роЕро▒ро┐родрпБроорпН</strong><br /><strong>роЪрпЖроорпНрокрпБро▓рокрпН рокрпЖропро▓рпНроирпАро░рпН рокрпЛро▓</strong><br /><strong>роЕройрпНрокрпБроЯрпИ роирпЖроЮрпНроЪроорпН родро╛роорпНроХро▓роирпН родройро╡рпЗ "</strong></em><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: latha;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: latha;">роЗродрпБ роХрпБро▒рпБроирпНродрпКроХрпИропро┐ро▓рпН роЗроЯроорпНрокрпЖро▒рпНро▒рпБро│рпНро│ </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: latha;"><span style="background-color: #f5f5eb; font-family: Latha; text-align: justify;">роЪрпЖроорпНрокрпБро▓рокрпНрокрпЖропройрпАро░ро╛ро░рпН</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: latha;">роЗропро▒рпНро▒ро┐роп рокро╛роЯро▓рпН</span><span style="font-family: latha;"><b>. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">родро▓рпИро╡ройро┐ройрпН роХрпВро▒рпНро▒ро╛роХ ро╡ро░рпБроорпН роЗрокрпНрокро╛роЯро▓ро┐ро▓рпН , роЕро╡ро░рпН роХрпВро▒рпБро╡родрпБ роироорпН рокрпЖро▒рпНро▒рпЛро░рпНроХро│рпБроХрпНроХрпБ роЗроЯрпИропро┐ро▓рпН роЙро▒ро╡рпЗродрпБроорпН роЗро▓рпНро▓рпИ. роОройроХрпНроХрпБроорпН роЙройроХрпНроХрпБроорпН роХрпВроЯ роОро╡рпНро╡ро┤ро┐ропро┐ро▓рпБроорпН роорпБройрпНройро▒ро┐роорпБроХроорпН роЗро▓рпНро▓рпИ .роЗро╡рпНро╡ро╛ро░ро╛ропро┐ройрпБроорпН роиро╛роорпН роЗро░рпБро╡ро░рпБроорпН роЕройрпНрокро┐ройро╛ро▓рпН роТройрпНро▒рпБ роХрпВроЯрпБроХро┐ро▒рпЛроорпН, рооро┤рпИ роирпАро░рпИропрпБроорпН роЪрпЖроирпНроиро┐ро▓родрпНродрпИропрпБроорпН рокрпЛро▓. роЗроирпНрод роЙро╡роорпИроЕро┤роХрпБроорпН роЖро┤роорпБроорпН рокрпКро░рпБроирпНродро┐роп роТройрпНро▒рпБ . рооро┤рпИ роОроЩрпНроХро┐ро░рпБроирпНродрпЛ ро╡ро╛ройродрпНродро┐ро▓ро┐ро░рпБроирпНродрпБ ро╡роирпНродрпБ роорпБройрпН рокро┐ройрпН роЕро▒ро┐ропро╛ роЪрпЖроирпНроиро┐ро▓родрпНродрпБроЯройрпН рокро┐ро░ро┐роХрпНроХ роорпБроЯро┐ропро╛ ро╡рогрпНрогроорпН роХро▓роХрпНроХро┐ройрпНро▒родрпБ. роТройрпНро▒ро┐ройрпН рокрогрпНрокрпИ рооро▒рпНро▒рпЛройрпНро▒рпБ роЙро│рпНро╡ро╛роЩрпНроХро┐ родродрпНродроорпН роЗропро▓рпНрокрпБроХро│рпИ рокро░ро┐рооро╛ро▒ро┐роХрпКро│рпНроХро┐ройрпНро▒рой . роЗроирпНрод рокро╛роЯро▓рпН роХрпБро▒ро┐роЮрпНроЪро┐родрпН родро┐рогрпИропро┐ро▓рпН роЕроорпИроирпНродрпБро│рпНро│родрпБ , роЕродройрпН роЙро░ро┐рокрпНрокрпКро░рпБро│рпН рокрпБрогро░рпНродро▓рпН роОройрпНрокродрпИ родрпКро▓рпНроХро╛рокрпНрокро┐ропроорпН роХрпБро▒ро┐роХрпНроХро┐ройрпНро▒родрпБ . роЕроирпНрод ро╡роХрпИропро┐ро▓рпБроорпН роЗродрпБ роТро░рпБ рооро┐роХроЪрпН роЪро┐ро▒роирпНрод роЙро╡роорпИ !</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">роЗро╡рпИ ропро╛ро╡рпБроорпЗ родро▒рпНроЪрпЖропро▓ро╛роХ роироЯрокрпНрокродрпБ. родрооро┐ро┤ро░рпН роЕроХродрпНродро┐рогрпИ рооро░рокро┐ро▓рпН родро▒рпНроЪрпЖропро▓рпБроХрпНроХрпБ роТро░рпБ роЙропро░рпНроирпНрод роЗроЯроорпН роЙрогрпНроЯрпБ . роХро│ро╡ро┐ро▓рпН роороЯрпНроЯрпБроорпН роЕро▓рпНро▓ роХро▓рпИроХро│ро┐ро▓рпБроорпН родройрпНроорпБропро▒рпНроЪро┐ропро┐ройрпНро▒ро┐ родро╛ройро╛роХ ( роироорпН роорпВро▓рооро╛роХ) роироЯрокрпНрокро╡рпИ родро╛ройрпН роЪро┐ро▒роирпНрод рокроЯрпИрокрпНрокрпБроХро│рпН роЖроХро┐ройрпНро▒рой . рооройро┐родро░рпНроХро│рпН роорпБро┤рпБ роТрокрпНрокроЯрпИрокрпНрокро┐ро▓рпН роЪрпЖропро▓рпНрокроЯрпНроЯро╛ро▓рпН роЗро▒рпИ родройрпНройрпИ рокро▓рпНро╡рпЗро▒рпБ роЕро┤роХро┐роп роХрпЛрогроЩрпНроХро│ро┐ро▓рпН ро╡рпЖро│ро┐рокрпНрокроЯрпБродрпНродрпБроорпН . роиро╛роорпН роЪрпЖропрпНроп ро╡рпЗрогрпНроЯро┐ропродрпЖро▓рпНро▓ро╛роорпН роироорпН роЕроХроирпНродрпИропрпИ ро╡ро┐ро▓роХрпНроХро┐ роЕроирпНрод родро░рпБрогродрпНродро┐ро▓рпН роТро░рпБ роХро░рпБро╡ро┐ропро╛роХ роЪрпЖропро▓рпНрокроЯро╡рпЗрогрпНроЯрпБроорпН роЕро╡рпНро╡ро│ро╡рпЗ. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">роиро╛ро│рпИ роОройрпНройрпБроЯрпИроп роирпАрогрпНроЯ роиро╛ро│рпН роирогрпНрокро░рпН родро┐ро░рпБ роХрпКроЩрпНроХрпБро╡рпЗро│ро┐ро▒рпНроХрпБ рокро┐ро▒роирпНрод роиро╛ро│рпН . роЕро╡ро░рпН роТро░рпБ роЪро┐ро▒роирпНрод роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ ро╡рпАро░ро░рпН, роЪро░рпНро╡родрпЗроЪро┐роп рооро╛ро╕рпНроЯро░рпН , роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ роЙро▓роХро┐ро▓рпН рокро▓ роЪро╛родройрпИроХро│рпН рокроЯрпИродрпНродро╡ро░рпН. роЗроирпНрод родро░рпБрогродрпНродро┐ро▓рпН роОройрпНройрпБроЯрпИроп роиро┐ройрпИро╡рпБ 25 роЖрогрпНроЯрпБроХро│рпН рокро┐ройрпН роирпЛроХрпНроХро┐ роЪрпЖро▓рпНроХро┐ро▒родрпБ. 1995 роЗро▓рпН роЕрогрпНрогро╛ рокро▓рпНроХро▓рпИ роХро┤роХродрпНродро┐ро▓рпН рокрпКро▒ро┐ропро┐ропро▓рпН рооро╛рогро╡ро░ро╛роХ роЗро░рпБроирпНродро╛ро░рпН роЕро╡ро░рпН. роЗроирпНродро┐роп родрпЗроЪро┐роп рокрпЛроЯрпНроЯро┐ропро┐ро▓рпН ( роирпЗро╖ройро▓рпН 'роЕ' роОройрпНро▒рпБ роЕро┤рпИроХрпНроХрокрпНрокроЯрпБроорпН) рокроЩрпНроХрпЗро▒рпНроХ родрпЗро░рпНро╡рпБ рокрпЖро▒рпНро▒ро┐ро░рпБроирпНродро╛ро░рпН . роЖройро╛ро▓рпН роХро▓рпНро▓рпВро░ро┐ роироЯрокрпНрокрпБ рооро▒рпНро▒рпБроорпН родрпЗро░рпНро╡ро┐ройрпН роХро╛ро░рогрооро╛роХ роЕроирпНрод рокрпЛроЯрпНроЯро┐ропро┐ро▓рпН роХро▓роирпНродродрпБ роХрпКро│рпНро│ ро╡рпЗрогрпНроЯро╛роорпН роОройрпНро▒рпБ роОрогрпНрогро┐ропро┐ро░рпБроирпНродро╛ро░рпН . рокро┐ройрпНройро░рпН роЕроирпНрод рокрпЛроЯрпНроЯро┐ роЪрпЖройрпНройрпИропро┐ро▓рпЗропрпЗ роироЯрокрпНрокродро╛роХ роЕро▒ро┐ро╡ро┐роХрпНроХрокрпН рокроЯрпНроЯродрпБ. роЕродрпБ роороЯрпНроЯрпБрооро┐ройрпНро▒ро┐ рокрпЛроЯрпНроЯро┐ роирпЗро░роорпБроорпН родрпЗро░рпНро╡рпБроХро│рпБроХрпНроХрпБ роЗроЯрпИроЮрпНроЪро▓рпН роЕро│ро┐роХрпНроХро╛род рокроЯро┐ роорпБроЯро┐ро╡ро╛ропро┐ро▒рпНро▒рпБ. роЗродрпЖро▓рпНро▓ро╛роорпН родро▒рпНроЪрпЖропро▓ро╛роХ роироЯроирпНродродро╛ро▓рпН роороЯрпНроЯрпБроорпЗ роЕро╡ро░рпН рокроЩрпНроХрпЗро▒рпНроХ роорпБройрпИроирпНродро╛ро░рпН . роЕрокрпНрокрпЛродрпБроорпН роХрпВроЯ рокрпЖро░ро┐родро╛роХ ро╡рпЖро▒рпНро▒ро┐ родрпЛро▓рпНро╡ро┐ропро┐ройрпН роорпАродрпБ роиро╛роЯрпНроЯрооро┐ро▓рпНро▓ро╛рооро▓рпН " роиро╛ройрпН роХро▓рпНро▓рпВро░ро┐ рооро╛рогро╡ройрпН , роОройрпН роКро░ро┐ро▓рпН роироЯрокрпНрокродройро╛ро▓ ро╡ро┐ро│рпИропро╛роЯрокрпНрокрпЛроХро┐ро▒рпЗройрпН " роОройрпНро▒ рооройроиро┐ро▓рпИропро┐ро▓рпН родро╛ройрпН роХро│рооро┐ро▒роЩрпНроХро┐ройро╛ро░рпН . роЕройрпИро╡ро░рпБроЯрпИроп роОродро┐ро░рпНрокро╛ро░рпНрокрпНрокрпБроХрпНроХрпБроорпН ро╡ро┐ропрокрпНрокрпВроЯрпНроЯрпБроорпН ро╡роХрпИропро┐ро▓рпН роЗро▒рпБродро┐( 17 ро╡родрпБ) роЪрпБро▒рпНро▒рпБроХрпНроХрпБ роорпБройрпНройро░рпН роЕро╡ро░рпБроорпН родрпЗ. ро╡рпЖ . рокро┐ро░роЪро╛родрпН роОройрпНро▒ роорпБройрпН роиро╛ро│рпН родрпЗроЪро┐роп ро╡ро╛роХрпИропройрпБроорпН роорпБройрпН роиро┐ро▓рпИропро┐ро▓рпН роЗро░рпБроирпНродройро░рпН . родро▒рпНроЪрпЖропро▓ро╛роХ роЕро╡рпНро╡ро┐ро░рпБро╡ро░рпБроорпЗ роЗро▒рпБродро┐ роЖроЯрпНроЯродрпНродро┐ро▓рпН роорпЛродрпБро╡родро╛роХ роЕроорпИроирпНродродрпБ. роЗро▒рпБродро┐ роЪрпБро▒рпНро▒ро┐ро▓рпН ро╡рпЖро▒рпНро▒ро┐ рокрпЖро▒рпНро▒рпБ родрпЗроЪро┐роп ро╡ро╛роХрпИропройрпН (роирпЗро╖ройро▓рпН роЪро╛роорпНрокро┐ропройрпН) роОройрпНро▒ рокроЯрпНроЯроорпН роороЯрпНроЯрпБрооро▓рпНро▓ро╛родрпБ роЪро░рпНро╡родрпЗроЪро┐роп рооро╛ро╕рпНроЯро░рпН роОройрпБроорпН рокроЯрпНроЯроорпБроорпН рокрпЖро▒рпНро▒ро╛ро░рпН. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">роЕроирпНрод роЖроЯрпНроЯродрпНродро┐ро▓ро┐ро░рпБроирпНродрпБ роТро░рпБ роЪро┐ро▓ родро░рпБрогроЩрпНроХро│рпН рокроЯроЩрпНроХро│рпН ро╡роЯро┐ро╡ро┐ро▓рпН :</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJiwaVFMgLHuDtqSnWxncKh7tcST-yudh_inXRdJdAd6qpVEAGsU8apnjMGDDWbubwZlTz9k2ZJ5uhUVw-25npUG6kasIqIRcFErQQJJTGRtd2jHMpyIsfnfhhUxLAoMR4Cboc1rTCkwS/s300/Konguvel+P.+-+Prasad+D+V.+%252823.Bxg6%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJiwaVFMgLHuDtqSnWxncKh7tcST-yudh_inXRdJdAd6qpVEAGsU8apnjMGDDWbubwZlTz9k2ZJ5uhUVw-25npUG6kasIqIRcFErQQJJTGRtd2jHMpyIsfnfhhUxLAoMR4Cboc1rTCkwS/w240-h240/Konguvel+P.+-+Prasad+D+V.+%252823.Bxg6%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4oAqYf-izegPZYa1c11J9hAwbpEBvYM8zm45J5onYSsgacbuiTJWSA8hDYhZK2dgzR5PnBpbjchxth4DaFuzgO9cJi-IxreKX6Ed8dVtaF6Tk3UBHHpUXvLUjof5kzHW0hebmw8GeYax/s350/Konguvel+P.+-+Prasad+D+V.+%252833.Rxe5%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4oAqYf-izegPZYa1c11J9hAwbpEBvYM8zm45J5onYSsgacbuiTJWSA8hDYhZK2dgzR5PnBpbjchxth4DaFuzgO9cJi-IxreKX6Ed8dVtaF6Tk3UBHHpUXvLUjof5kzHW0hebmw8GeYax/w224-h224/Konguvel+P.+-+Prasad+D+V.+%252833.Rxe5%2529.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">роиро┐ро▒рпИро╡ро╛роХ роТро░рпБ роХрпБро▒ро│рпЛроЯрпБ роорпБроЯро┐рокрпНрокродрпБ рокрпКро░рпБродрпНродрооро╛роХ роЗро░рпБроХрпНроХрпБроорпН роОройрпНро▒рпЖрогрпНрогрпБроХро┐ройрпНро▒рпЗройрпН .</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: start;" trbidi="on"><i><span style="color: red;">"ро╡роХрпБродрпНродро╛ройрпН ро╡роХрпБродрпНрод ро╡роХрпИропро▓рпНро▓ро╛ро▓рпН роХрпЛроЯро┐</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: start;" trbidi="on"><i><span style="color: red;">родрпКроХрпБродрпНродро╛ро░рпНроХрпНроХрпБ родрпБропрпНродрпНродро▓рпН роЕро░ро┐родрпБ"</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: start;" trbidi="on"><i><br /></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: start;" trbidi="on"><i><br /></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: start;" trbidi="on"><span face="" style="color: #222222;">ро╡ро▓рпИродро│ роХрпБро▒ро┐рокрпНрокрпБроХро│рпН :-</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: start;" trbidi="on"><span face="" style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: start;" trbidi="on"><span face="" style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;">1.<a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=xUgqJyIC+Y4oR/z6+/eVG+D7PIkXEWvBTdSHrW0OC6g18mS+IgGnY0aiwxEmmHli "> </a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=xUgqJyIC+Y4oR/z6+/eVG+D7PIkXEWvBTdSHrW0OC6g18mS+IgGnY0aiwxEmmHli ">https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=xUgqJyIC+Y4oR/z6+/eVG+D7PIkXEWvBTdSHrW0OC6g18mS+IgGnY0aiwxEmmHli </a>(</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #222222;">роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ роЖроЯрпНроЯроорпН )</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2.<a href="http://kuralthiran.com/KuralThiran/KuralThiran0377.aspx">http://kuralthiran.com/KuralThiran/KuralThiran0377.aspx</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Latha;"><span><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div><br /><div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Latha;"><span><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Latha;"><span><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Latha;"><span><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Latha;"><span><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Latha;"><span><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div><em style="background-color: #f5f5eb; font-family: latha; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: justify;"><strong><br /></strong></em></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-50807180058306204852020-08-15T07:56:00.005-07:002020-08-16T06:12:55.867-07:00роХро╛ро▓роорпН роЕро▒ро┐родро▓рпН <p><i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span><span style="font-size: small;">"</span><span face="" style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #f76541; font-family: latha, verdana;">рокроХро▓рпНро╡рпЖро▓рпНро▓рпБроорпН роХрпВроХрпИропрпИроХрпН роХро╛роХрпНроХрпИ роЗроХро▓рпНро╡рпЖро▓рпНро▓рпБроорпН</span></span></i></p><span face="" style="background-color: #f5fafa; color: #f76541; font-family: latha, verdana;"><i> ро╡рпЗроирпНродро░рпНроХрпНроХрпБ ро╡рпЗрогрпНроЯрпБроорпН рокрпКро┤рпБродрпБ "</i></span><div><span face="" style="color: #f76541; font-family: latha, verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span face="" style="color: #f76541; font-family: latha, verdana;">роХро╛ро▓роорпН роЕро▒ро┐родро▓рпН роОройрпБроорпН роЕродро┐роХро╛ро░родрпНродро┐ро▓рпН ро╡ро│рпНро│рпБро╡рокрпН рокрпЗро░ро╛роЪро╛ройрпН роЗропро▒рпНро▒ро┐роп роорпБродро▓рпН роХрпБро▒роЯрпНрокро╛ роЗродрпБ. ро╡рпЖро▒рпНро▒ро┐ родрпЛро▓рпНро╡ро┐роХрпНроХрпБ роХро╛ро▓родрпНродрпИ рокрпБро░ро┐роирпНродрпБ роХрпКрогрпНроЯрпБ роХро╛родрпНродро┐ро░рпБродрпНродро▓рпН ро╡рпЗрогрпНроЯрпБроорпН роОройрпНрокродрпИ роОро│ро┐роорпИропро╛рой роЙро╡роорпИ роорпВро▓рооро╛роХ ро╡ро┐ро│роХрпНроХрпБроХро┐ро▒ро╛ро░рпН.<br /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="" style="color: #f76541; font-family: latha, verdana;"><span><span>роОрокрпНрокроЯро┐ роХро╛роХроорпН роЕродрпИ ро╡ро┐роЯ ро╡ро▓ро┐роорпИропро╛рой роЖроирпНродропрпИ рокроХро▒рпНрокрпКро┤рпБродро┐ро▓рпН ро╡рпЖро▓рпНро▓рпБроорпЛ роЕродрпЗ рокрпЛро▓рпН роТро░рпБ роиро▓рпНро▓ роЕро░роЪройрпБроХрпНроХрпБ рокроХрпИропрпИ ро╡рпЖро▓рпНро▓ роЪро░ро┐ропро╛рой роХро╛ро▓роорпН ро╡ро░рпБроорпН ро╡ро░рпИ роХро╛родрпНродро┐ро░рпБроХрпНроХ ро╡рпЗрогрпНроЯрпБроорпН роОройрпНроХро┐ро▒ро╛ро░рпН.</span></span></span></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>роЪро┐ро▒рпБ ро╡ропродро┐ро▓ро┐ро░рпБроирпНродрпБ роОройроХрпНроХрпБ роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ ро╡ро┐ро│рпИропро╛роЯрпНроЯро┐ро▓рпН роИроЯрпБрокро╛роЯрпБ роЙрогрпНроЯрпБ.роЪрпКро▓рпНро▓рокрпН рокрпЛройро╛ро▓рпН рокрпЖро░рпБрооро│ро╡рпБ роЪро┐роирпНродройрпИропрпЛроЯрпНроЯроорпН роЕродрпИ роЪро╛ро░рпНроирпНродрпЗ роЗро░рпБроХрпНроХрпБроорпН. </div><div><br /></div><div>роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХроорпН роОройрпНрокродрпЗ ро╡ро╛ро┤рпНро╡ро┐ройрпН роТро░рпБ роЪро┐ро▒ро┐роп рооро╛родро┐ро░ро┐ родро╛ройрпН роОройрпНрокродрпБ рокро▓ роЪро╛ройрпНро▒рпЛро░рпНроХро│ро┐ройрпН роХро░рпБродрпНродрпБ. ро░ро╖рпНропро╛ро╡ро┐ройрпН родро▓рпИ роЪро┐ро▒роирпНрод роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ ро╡рпАро░ро░рпН Kasparov ' How Life Imitates Chess ' роОройрпНро▒рпБ роТро░рпБ роирпВро▓рпН роОро┤рпБродро┐ропрпБро│рпНро│ро╛ро░рпН. роОройрпН рокроЯрпНроЯро▒ро┐ро╡рпБроорпН роЕродрпИропрпЗ роОройроХрпНроХрпБ роЙрогро░рпНродрпНродрпБроХро┐ро▒родрпБ. роЕродройро╛ро▓рпН роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ ро╡ро┐ро│рпИропро╛роЯрпНроЯрпБ роЕройрпБрокро╡роорпН ро╡ро╛ро┤рпНро╡ро┐ро▒рпНроХрпБроорпН, ро╡ро╛ро┤рпНро╡ро┐ройрпН роХро▒рпНро▒ро▓рпН роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХродрпНродро┐ро▒рпНроХрпБроорпН рооро┐роХро╡рпБроорпН роЗро▓роХрпБро╡ро╛роХ рокрпКро░рпБроирпНродрпБроХро┐ро▒родрпБ!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzmWLHHh4qeEMKHYAPKiGV8zJ3aMMC_yQvcZ0OniS7eFjcspMFZXxaYYoGDzPTsrvVbMQZ-AGkv4N4nxiaX_MYIEvRoFPDZS-_Ku4tJhq-P-zfnhuJrogYTVolcO42quaSWz_j8PbYLCe/s548/Aronian+Levon+-+Jakovenko+Dmitrij+%252835...Kg7%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="548" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzmWLHHh4qeEMKHYAPKiGV8zJ3aMMC_yQvcZ0OniS7eFjcspMFZXxaYYoGDzPTsrvVbMQZ-AGkv4N4nxiaX_MYIEvRoFPDZS-_Ku4tJhq-P-zfnhuJrogYTVolcO42quaSWz_j8PbYLCe/w200-h200/Aronian+Levon+-+Jakovenko+Dmitrij+%252835...Kg7%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aronian-Jakavenko 2010 olympiad<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />роЗроирпНрод роироХро░рпНро╡ро┐ро▓рпН роЕро░рпЛройро┐ропро╛ройрпН <b>36.Rc2!?</b> роОройрпНро▒рпБ ро╡ро┐ро│рпИропро╛роЯро┐ройро╛ро░рпН .роХро╛ро▓роорпН роХро░рпБродро┐ роХро╛родрпНродро┐ро░рпБроирпНродро╛ро░роВ . роОродро┐ро░ро╛ро│ро┐ рокрпКро▒рпБроорпИропрпИ роЗро┤роироВродрпБ 36...<b>Bf8</b>? роОройроВро▒ро╛ро░роВ, рокро┐ро▒роХрпБ<b>37.Bc6! Nb8 38. Be8! </b>роОройрпНро▒рпБ роЖроЯрпНроЯроорпН роироХро░рпНроирпНродродрпБ. f7 роХроЯрпНроЯродрпНродро┐ройрпН рокро▓ро╡рпАройродрпНродро┐ройро╛ро▓рпН ро╡рпЖро│рпНро│рпИрокрпН рокроЯрпИ ро╡рпЖро▒рпНро▒ро┐ропрпБроорпН роХрогрпНроЯро╛ро░рпН. <b> </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>роЪроорпАрокродрпНродро┐ро▓рпН<b> роХро╛ро│роорпЗроХрокрпН рокрпБро▓ро╡ро░ро┐ройрпН</b> роЪрпЖропрпНропрпБро│рпИ рокроЯро┐родрпНродрпЗройрпН </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #3f51b5; font-family: notosansreg, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">"роХро╛роХрпНроХрпИроХро╛</span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХро╛роХрпВроХрпИ</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХрпВроХрпИроХрпНроХро╛</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХро╛роХро╛роХрпНроХрпИ</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #3f51b5; font-family: notosansreg, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХрпЛроХрпНроХрпБроХрпНроХрпВ</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХро╛роХрпНроХрпИроХрпНроХрпБроХрпН</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХрпКроХрпНроХрпКроХрпНроХ</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> тАУ </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХрпИроХрпНроХрпИроХрпНроХрпБроХрпН</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #3f51b5; font-family: notosansreg, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХро╛роХрпНроХрпИроХрпНроХрпБроХрпН</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХрпИроХрпНроХрпИроХрпНроХро╛</span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span face="" lang="TA" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">роХро╛ "</span></span></div></div><div><span lang="TA" style="line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">родро╛ропрпН роорпКро┤ро┐ родрооро┐ро┤ро╛ропрпН роЗро░рпБрокрпНрокро┐ройрпБроорпН, роиро╛ройрпН роЖроЩрпНроХро┐ро▓ ро╡ро┤ро┐ропро┐ро▓рпН рокро│рпНро│ро┐ропро┐ро▓рпН рокропро┐ройрпНро▒родро╛ро▓рпН</span><span face="" style="color: blue; font-family: latha, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">роЗро▓роХрпНроХрог роЕро▒ро┐ро╡рпБ роОройроХрпНроХрпБ роЪрпБродрпНродрооро╛роХ роХро┐роЯрпИропро╛родрпБ! роЕродройро╛ро▓рпН, роорпБродро▓рпН рокро╛ро░рпНро╡рпИроХрпНроХрпБ (роОройроХрпНроХрпБ) ро╡ро┐ро│роЩрпНроХ роорпБроЯро┐ропро╛ роХро╡ро┐родрпИропро╛роХро╡рпЗ родрпЛройрпНро▒ро┐ропродрпБ.</span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">роЗро░рпБрокрпНрокро┐ройрпБроорпН роЗроирпНрод ро╡ро░ро┐роХро│ро┐ройрпН роорпАродрпБро│рпНро│ роИро░рпНрокрпНрокро┐ройрпНрокро╛ро▓рпН роЗрогрпИропродрпНродро┐ро▓рпН родрпЗроЯ роорпБропройрпНро▒рпЗройрпН.рокро▓ роорпБро▒рпИ ро╡ро╛роЪро┐родрпНрод рокро┐ройрпН роХрпКроЮрпНроЪроорпН ро╡ро┐ро│роЩрпНроХродрпН родрпКроЯроЩрпНроХро┐ропродрпБ.</span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">роОройрпН рокрпБро░ро┐родро▓рпБроХрпНроХрпБ роОроЯрпНроЯро┐роп рокроЯро┐, роЗро╡рпНро╡ро╛ро▒рпБ рокрпКро░рпБро│рпН рокроЯрпНроЯродрпБ:</span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">роХро╛роХрпНроХрпИроХрпНроХрпБроорпН роХрпВроХрпИроХрпНроХрпБроорпН роЖроХро╛родрпБ . <b>роХро╛ро▓роорпН родро╛ройрпН роОродрпБ ро╡рпЖро▒рпНро▒ро┐ рокрпЖро░рпБроорпН роОройрпНрокродрпИ роиро┐ро░рпНрогропро┐роХрпНроХрпБроорпН</b> (рокроХро▒рпНрокрпКро┤рпБродро╛ роЕро▓рпНро▓родрпБ роЗро░ро╡ро╛ ). роЕро░роЪро░рпНроХрпНроХрпБ родройрпН роиро╛роЯрпНроЯрпИ роХро╛рокрпНрокродро▒рпНроХрпБ роХрпКроХрпНроХрпБ рокрпЛро▓ роХро╛родрпНродро┐ро░рпБроХрпНроХрпБроорпН родро┐ро▒ройрпН ро╡рпЗрогрпНроЯрпБроорпН (роУроЯрпБроорпАройрпН роУроЯ роЙро▒рпБроорпАройрпН ро╡ро░рпБрооро│ро╡рпБроорпН ). <b>роЕрокрпНрокроЯро┐ роХро╛ро▓роорпН роХрпИроХрпВроЯро┐ ро╡ро░ ро╡ро┐ро▓рпНро▓рпИ роОройрпНро▒ро╛ро▓рпН родро┐ро▒роорпИ ро╡ро╛ропрпНроирпНрод роЕро░роЪро░ро╛ро▓рпН </b></span><b style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">роХрпВроЯ</b><b style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"> ро╡рпЖро▒рпНро▒ро┐ ро╡ро╛роХрпИ роЪрпВроЯ роорпБроЯро┐ропро╛родрпБ.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">роорпБроЯро┐ро╡ро╛роХ роХро╛ро▓роорпН роЕро▒ро┐родро▓рпН роОройрпБроорпН роХро░рпБродрпНродрпБ роОройроХрпНроХрпБ роЗройрпНройрпБроорпН роЗро░рогрпНроЯрпБ роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ роЖроЯрпНроЯроЩрпНроХро│рпИ роиро┐ройрпИро╡рпВроЯрпНроЯро┐ропродрпБ. роЕро╡рпИроХро│ро┐ройрпН роЙроЪрпНроЪроХроЯрпНроЯроЩрпНроХро│рпН рокро┐ройрпНро╡ро░рпБрооро╛ро▒рпБ<b> </b></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7xtxBLvp36YEAajg83ZL_UwEH2VW76yJ1G-QcwPoZcu3RjtUCzwRnn9fYI8HQkvDMp6iKqEdT8WCmSJpaWj41dqt5zeTHkFt257i1M60Eto1gHqljThM36Zg_hpUhzvirkduznS3qBwP/s564/Pos3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7xtxBLvp36YEAajg83ZL_UwEH2VW76yJ1G-QcwPoZcu3RjtUCzwRnn9fYI8HQkvDMp6iKqEdT8WCmSJpaWj41dqt5zeTHkFt257i1M60Eto1gHqljThM36Zg_hpUhzvirkduznS3qBwP/w200-h200/Pos3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpha Zero-Stockfish 2018<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66nHvgYxtV8kp5W4FrQI3wqIRBA2UMXRN_9yqpapTUkQuisUSlaraeNvmPaLC_VYRAS69ITc1wxj5vdm4LFO_PRvFXKtSS65ZDKPgBG3lugcaz2opjkiv1k57vhblVbejleekQQWo0q2h/s564/Pos4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66nHvgYxtV8kp5W4FrQI3wqIRBA2UMXRN_9yqpapTUkQuisUSlaraeNvmPaLC_VYRAS69ITc1wxj5vdm4LFO_PRvFXKtSS65ZDKPgBG3lugcaz2opjkiv1k57vhblVbejleekQQWo0q2h/w200-h200/Pos4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karpov-Kasparov 1984<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">роЗро░рпБ роЗроЯроЩрпНроХро│ро┐ро▓рпБроорпН, роХро╛родрпНродро┐ро░рпБроирпНрод ро╡рпЖро│рпНро│рпИ ро╡рпАро░ро░рпНроХро│рпН роОродро┐ро░ро╛ро│ро┐ропрпИ роОродро┐ро░рпНрокро╛ро░ро╛ро╡рогрпНрогроорпН<b> 56.Ka2!! </b>рооро▒рпНро▒рпБроорпН<b> 47.Ng2!! </b>ро╡рпИродрпНродрпБ ро╡рпЖройрпНро▒ройро░рпН.</span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">ро╡ро▓рпИродро│роХрпН роХрпБро▒ро┐рокрпНрокрпБроХро│рпН :-</span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2020/8/16/Game281510812.html" target="_blank">http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2020/8/16/Game281510812.html</a> (роЪродрпБро░роЩрпНроХ роЖроЯрпНроЯроЩрпНроХро│рпН )</span></div><div><br /></div><div>2.<a href="https://www.kuruvirotti.com/iyal-tamil/kalamegam-poems/kaakkaikka-kaakoogai-kalamega-pulavar/">https://www.kuruvirotti.com/iyal-tamil/kalamegam-poems/kaakkaikka-kaakoogai-kalamega-pulavar/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="" style="font-family: latha, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-81212432503259759662020-07-01T02:52:00.000-07:002020-07-01T02:52:07.232-07:00Endless Endgame Experience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="color: blue;">"Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous and varied ways"-Vladmir Kramnik</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i>
Unlike other games, there is no dearth of action in Chess. And this is a very good thing for chess lovers all over the world. My friend R.Karthik brought to my attention a particular position from a from the game Radjabov-Caruana, Chessable Masters. It had the material distribution Rook and Bishop against a lone rook, to which Caruana is no stranger! One can recall his key games against Svidler from Candidates 2016, and Duda in the 2018 olympiad where he could not figure out the win over the board. But things have started turning around for him as was shown by his game against Gareyev in the US Championship 2019 and in the following position against Radjabov which he won despite there being a draw with 'right' play for his opponent. Of course, to me this only shows that it is quite a tall order for any one, even the very best to keep the concentration going at all times, and also recalling the ideas to win or draw at the right moment with a ticking clock! This is being shown time and again in the games of many strong Grandmasters, that the endgame though seemingly simple has still lot of drama and beauty to offer us.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDx19IOsxguf10igIkzIy5lZ2-DekBZUPjPUXiQQudOgB13Ma-PmDyTzjPyPbwbup71vz40yv0p_hS9xIuUsGomo7gR-u9IvqOi8XC4H4xfqH_UJqJvKPucpv7ImsIhYHSqR5TlExT8bX/s1600/Radjabov+T+-+Caruana+F+%2528108...Bf6%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDx19IOsxguf10igIkzIy5lZ2-DekBZUPjPUXiQQudOgB13Ma-PmDyTzjPyPbwbup71vz40yv0p_hS9xIuUsGomo7gR-u9IvqOi8XC4H4xfqH_UJqJvKPucpv7ImsIhYHSqR5TlExT8bX/s320/Radjabov+T+-+Caruana+F+%2528108...Bf6%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Radjabov-Caruana 2020</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is the position after Black's 108th move ...Bf6. White has an unenviable task of trying to escape out of the woods unscathed. I will share my thought process in the above position as an observer trying to figure out if there is indeed an escape route. And let us assume that we all know the Philidor position well and would ofcourse steer away from it, in order to save this position.<br />
<br />
Firstly <span style="color: blue;">109.Rh6?</span> fails to <span style="color: blue;">109....Ra7 </span>with<span style="color: blue;"> 110...Ra8+</span> to follow and shortly mate after<span style="color: blue;"> 111...Kf7</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
The next and the more tempting idea was<span style="color: blue;"> 109. Rg4 </span>intending to meet <span style="color: blue;">109...Rc7</span> with <span style="color: blue;">110.Re4+ Be5 111.Rg4!?</span> The idea behind this man-oeuvre is to keep the Rook within the supporting distance of White's King, if Black tries to win the Rook as in the Philidor position with a check on c8, then another on h8 and g8. However let us see continue with the variation <span style="color: blue;">111....Rc8+ 112. Kh7</span> and now the <span style="color: blue;">112....Kf5! </span>and even though this seems to be a win, I had seen a similar stalemate idea earlier while analyzing positions with such a material balance, which also works here. <span style="color: blue;">113.Rg5!+</span> saves the day for White.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctyOiJuXp71wwtRzlppHjgukkIYrAbbLz1YAjVLWruqX6mR-LBuD8H8yJCvheDQ9p_CncfX9TzTtsbfbBCW-utmUrIMc6IM3HERL6lMgz1RDtbdfXSUZvFse6U0uDyfwhbDoN_V399Lc-/s1600/Radjabov+T.....+-+Caruana+F.....+%2528113.Rg5%252B%2521%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctyOiJuXp71wwtRzlppHjgukkIYrAbbLz1YAjVLWruqX6mR-LBuD8H8yJCvheDQ9p_CncfX9TzTtsbfbBCW-utmUrIMc6IM3HERL6lMgz1RDtbdfXSUZvFse6U0uDyfwhbDoN_V399Lc-/s320/Radjabov+T.....+-+Caruana+F.....+%2528113.Rg5%252B%2521%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
However, finding such pretty ideas can give one a wrong sense of confidence in the feasibility of an idea! One tends to wish that these pretty ideas can lead to the desired result and stop us from noticing keenly the other features in the position. A deeper look showed that Black was by no means forced to play <span style="color: blue;">111....Rc8+? </span>but instead switch back and come for checkmating the White's King from a completely different side with the calm <span style="color: blue;">111....Rc1!! </span>This surely deserves another diagram<span style="color: blue;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbEmTizMYxxQ2PiI1boVjaViX3tSAXErcOC3LRmbGYgffGHyUYDlE3BugJ1nS2e1H5C9nuJ7pAjxgPRpo1BLaIc-0ZWTbcApAWbKxsuvK4OkqJ0ljaPZXApHnrOCKzMKyeehNZPlQx04S/s1600/Radjabov+T.....+-+Caruana+F.....+%2528111...Rc1%2521%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbEmTizMYxxQ2PiI1boVjaViX3tSAXErcOC3LRmbGYgffGHyUYDlE3BugJ1nS2e1H5C9nuJ7pAjxgPRpo1BLaIc-0ZWTbcApAWbKxsuvK4OkqJ0ljaPZXApHnrOCKzMKyeehNZPlQx04S/s320/Radjabov+T.....+-+Caruana+F.....+%2528111...Rc1%2521%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
White seems completely powerless to stop the impending calamity, for example<span style="color: blue;"> 112.Kh7 Kf5 113.Rg2 Rh1+ </span>and now after<span style="color: blue;"> 114.Kg8 </span>another pendulam manoeuvre wins the game <span style="color: blue;">114...Ke6! -+</span><br />
By switching back and forth with the king and also changing the direction of attack with the Rook, Black has cleverly managed to step away from the stalemate trick mentioned earlier- Fascinating!<br />
<br />
So, after the not so obvious refutation I was back to square one on how to fight for a draw in the initial position. The next idea that popped up was after recognizing that this position was analysed as a variation of Lolli's position with the King's on the Knight file ( White's King on g8 and Rook on f1- Black's King on g6, Bishop on g5 and Rook on lets say a7). The key defensive idea in this position is to check the Black's King from the 6 th Rank. I came to know of this after studying this position based on the work of Grandmaster Matthew Sadler in his blog. (<a href="https://matthewsadler.me.uk/the-endgame/rook-bishop-vs-rook-part-ii/">https://matthewsadler.me.uk/the-endgame/rook-bishop-vs-rook-part-ii/</a> )<br />
<br />
Last year, when I spent sometime studying these positions, <i>I came to an approximate conclusion that even if White plans to reach the 6th Rank, he needs to do so from a place where he has maximum safety</i>. In this position White's target square for the Rook is <i><b>a6 </b>or<b> c6</b></i>. <i>It is very important that the target square should be on the opposite coloured square of the opponent's Bishop which would then not be able to take it away from our rook. And in order to reach the target square, the path should also be on a light square for the same reason</i>, and this led to the idea which saves White in the original position.<br />
<br />
White should have continued with <span style="color: blue;">109.Rg2!!</span> in the original diagram and now White would answer <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">109....Ra7</span> </span>with <span style="color: blue;">110.Rc2!</span> and <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">109....Rc7</span></span> with <span style="color: blue;">110.R</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">a2! </span>And this is good enough for a draw.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Let us come back into the game, Radjabov continued with <b>109.Rg3 ? </b>and the problem with this approach, though not obvious is possible to glean from the idea mentioned earlier about Black's Bishop taking squares away from Opponent's Rook. Caruana continued with <b>109....Ra7! </b> and in turn Radjabov replied with the not so testing continuation <b>110.Re3+? </b>which was answered by<b> 110....Be5! </b>wherein Black reached the<b> Philidor position </b>and duly won the game in a few more moves<b>. </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">The question is what would have happened if White had played <span style="color: blue;">110. Rb3</span> instead intending to give checks to the Black King from the 6th Rank. In reply Black would have actually taken away the key b6 square from White's Rook with <span style="color: blue;">110.... Bd4!! a</span>fter which he would have been powerless to save the game as seen after <span style="color: blue;">111.Rb4 Rg7+ 112. Kf8 Rg4 </span>and Black again wins in a manner known to us from the Philidor's position.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Can White try and play <span style="color: blue;">109. Rg1</span> instead and try the same plan to reach the 6th rank and hold the position. This did not intuitively seem right, but let us look at the variations anyway. If Black continues with <span style="color: blue;">109....Ra7</span> then white gets the chance to play <span style="color: blue;">110.Rc1</span> and next up will reach the target square c6 and hold the position. However, in reply to <span style="color: blue;">109.Rg1</span> Black has the accurate <span style="color: blue;">109....Rc7! </span>(taking away the c6-square from the rook)<span style="color: blue;">110.Rb1 Bd4!!</span> taking away the b6 square from the rook. And now White is lost because he has no time to reach the 6th rank as a1 square is controlled by the dark squared Bishop and eventually White has to allow Black to reach a Philidor's win after <span style="color: blue;">111.Re1+ Be5!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">This endgame showed a lot of intriguing ideas, primarily revolving around square control/ domination and also various Stalemate and Checkmating patterns. Last year I had analysed various situations in Rook and Bishop versus Rook endgames and had a very meaningful exchange of ideas with my friend Grandmaster Sandipan Chanda, who is perhaps India's most original and erudite when it comes to the last part of the game. While he too was working on similar positions, he sent me one of his pretty compositions in this endgame.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAteWqhxAGBNiUrDR0mL9sDPhZpm8-4ZBDNYGFiiILDicpcAjQ-lqjUAe8cioFUhtG2wNeZnj5IsJWIEckYpdl9rrHnRtXoVbOlqXY4EaebabzZYZ-bQ28qO8XHX1gs9hKu669-sw9aoC/s1600/Sandipan+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAteWqhxAGBNiUrDR0mL9sDPhZpm8-4ZBDNYGFiiILDicpcAjQ-lqjUAe8cioFUhtG2wNeZnj5IsJWIEckYpdl9rrHnRtXoVbOlqXY4EaebabzZYZ-bQ28qO8XHX1gs9hKu669-sw9aoC/s320/Sandipan+2019.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sandipan Chanda 2019</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">It is Black to move here and to the outward eye, Black's pieces appear scattered and do not seem to be creating any immediate threats. However, so very swiftly Black combines his pieces and at the same time dominates White's Rook from coming to the aid of his King's defence by checking the opponent's King. Readers can think about this position and find their own way before reading the solution given below.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Black continues with <b>1.....Bf3+ 2.Kg1 Bd5!!</b> taking away both b3 and g8 squares from White's Rook.</span><br />
White continues with <b>3.Rc8! </b><span style="color: blue;">( 3.Re8+ Be4 leads to a Philidor) </span><b>3...Ra1+ 4. Kh2 Kf4! </b>( looks familair to us now!) <b>5.Rf8+ Kg4! 6.Rf1! ( another stalemate trick) Ra2+ 7. Kg1 Rg2+ 8. Kh1 Rg3+ 9. Kh2 Rh3+ 10. Kg1 Kg3! </b>leads to a mate soon. A unique position which was staggeringly beautiful.<br />
<br />
I would like to thank <b>Philidor</b>( for being the pioneer in analysing Rook Bishop versus Rook positions) without whom we cannot proceed anywhere in Chess, <b>Lolli </b>( a famous Italian theoretician from the 18th century who also enriched our knowledge of such positions), <b>Matthew Sadler</b> for his wonderful blog, <b>Sandipan Chanda</b> for his original contribution and <b>Karthik</b> for sharing this wonderful position with me.<br />
<br />
Further Reading:-<br />
<br />
1.Lasker's Manual of Chess( on the Philidor position),<br />
<br />
2.Matthew Sadler's blog https://matthewsadler.me.uk/the-endgame/rook-bishop-vs-rook-part-i/<a href="https://matthewsadler.me.uk/the-endgame/rook-bishop-vs-rook-part-i/">https://matthewsadler.me.uk/the-endgame/rook-bishop-vs-rook-part-i/</a><br />
<br />
Ofcourse, one should try and appreciate the beauty in such endgames by playing through and questioning various ideas in a variety of positions. This endgame once again, despite a previous study on the subject revealed to both Sandipan and I, that there are always new and varied viewpoints even in seemingly simple positions and many more beautiful creations lying calmly waiting for their discoverers!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here is a replayable pgn link to the Caruana Radjabov game.<br />
<br />
<head>
<link href="https://pgn.chessbase.com/CBReplay.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/jquery-3.0.0.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/cbreplay.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Chessable Masters GpB"]
[Site "chess24.com INT"]
[Date "2020.06.21"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Radjabov, T......"]
[Black "Caruana, F......"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[Annotator "Kidambi,Sundararajan"]
[PlyCount "228"]
[EventDate "2020.06.21"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "The Week in Chess 1337"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2020.06.22"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.06.22"]
[SourceQuality "2"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. e3 Be7 5. b3 O-O 6. Bb2 c5 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. bxc4
Nc6 9. O-O Nb4 10. Be2 b6 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. a3 Nc6 13. Rc1 Rc8 14. Re1 cxd4 15.
exd4 Bd6 16. Bd3 Bf4 17. Rc2 Ne7 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 Ng6 21. h4
Bb8 22. h5 Nf4 23. h6 Qf6 24. g3 Qg6 25. hxg7 Rfd8 26. Re3 Qg4 27. Qf1 h5 28.
Kh2 Ng6 29. Qh3 b5 30. c5 Ne7 31. Qxg4 hxg4 32. Nh4 Nd5 33. Re1 Bc7 34. Ng2
Kxg7 35. Ne3 Nxe3 36. Rxe3 Kg6 37. Bc3 Rd5 38. Kg2 Rh8 39. Rb2 a6 40. a4 Rb8
41. axb5 axb5 42. Re1 e5 43. dxe5 Rxc5 44. Re3 Kf5 45. f3 Rc4 46. Rbe2 b4 47.
fxg4+ Ke6 48. Bb2 b3 49. Kf3 Bd8 50. Rd3 Be7 51. Rh2 Bf8 52. g5 Rc2 53. Rdd2
Rbc8 54. Ke4 R2c4+ 55. Kf3 Kf5 56. Rhe2 Rc2 57. e6 Rxd2 58. Rxd2 fxe6 59. Rd3
Rb8 60. Re3 Rb6 61. Re1 Kxg5 62. Ke4 Bd6 63. Bd4 Ra6 64. Kd3 Bxg3 65. Rb1 e5
66. Bc5 Rc6 67. Be3+ Kg4 68. Rxb3 Kf3 69. Bd4 Bf4 70. Bxe5 Bxe5 71. Ra3 Rc8 72.
Rb3 Rd8+ 73. Kc4+ Ke4 74. Kb5 Kd5 75. Rd3+ Bd4 76. Rb3 Ra8 77. Kb4 Rb8+ 78. Ka4
Bb6 79. Kb4 Kd4 80. Ka4 Kc5 81. Rc3+ Kd5 82. Rb3 Kc6 83. Rb1 Rh8 84. Kb4 Bd4
85. Kc4 Rh4 86. Rd1 Be5+ 87. Kd3 Kd5 88. Ke3+ Bd4+ 89. Kf3 Ke5 90. Rf1 Re4 91.
Kg3 Re3+ 92. Kg4 Ke4 93. Rf4+ Kd5 94. Rf3 Re8 95. Kf5 Rg8 96. Rf4 Be5 97. Rf3
Bd4 98. Rf4 Be3 99. Rg4 Rf8+ 100. Kg6 Bd4 101. Rh4 Be5 102. Ra4 Ke6 103. Rg4
Rh8 104. Kg5 Rf8 105. Kg6 Bf4 106. Kg7 Rf7+ 107. Kg8 Be5 108. Rg6+ Bf6 109. Rg3
(109. Rg4 $2 {was my idea, but its wrong because of} Rc7 (109... Ra7 110. Re4+
Be5 {would lead to a similar win}) 110. Re4+ Be5 111. Rg4 Rc1 $3 {had missed
this idea initially} ({and not} 111... Rc8+ {as I had thought} 112. Kh7 $1 $11
Kf5 (112... Kf7 113. Rg7+ $11) 113. Rg5+ $1 {is a drawing idea that I knew})
112. Kh7 Kf5 113. Rg2 (113. Rh4 Rc8 114. Rh5+ Kf6 $19 {White is in a zugzwang
and he has to allow the decisive ...Kf7 the next move.}) 113... Rh1+ 114. Kg8
Ke6 $19 {The problem with the move 109 Rg4 is the thought behind it, I felt I
wanted to avoid losing a Rook to the Lasker manoeuvre( as mentioned in his
book Lasker's Manual of Chess while discussing Philidor position) Ra8 + Kh7,
Rh8 + Kg6, and Rg8+ winning the Rook. Coupled with the fact that I spotted the
idea of Stalemate and felt that this was the drawing line. However, it seems
that this is a superficial impression! White's Rook staying within the range
of our kings support (g4 or g5) is not a defensive technique that seems to
work. The stalemate idea, is also more of an exceptional and emergency measure.
Of course this is all said with the benefit of hindsight. Perhaps with
confronted with a similar position with limited time on the clock, it makes
sense to go to for an idea which seems to work here. To Check on the 6th Rank
on a light square( opposite to that of Opponent's Bishop) and keep maximum
flexibility to reach that square- in this case c6 and a6.}) (109. Rg2 $3 {
Keeping the Rook on a light square and getting the option to give a check on
c6- agian a light square!} Ra7 110. Rc2 $1 {I remembered this idea from the
Knights file Lolli position. The Rook should be able to check from the 6th
rank in order to draw this.}) (109. Rg1 $2 {is losing too!} Rc7 $1 ({not}
109... Ra7 110. Rc1 $1) 110. Rb1 Bd4 $3 111. Re1+ Be5 {Philidor!! -+}) (109.
Rh6 $2 Ra7 110. Rh5 Ra8+ 111. Kh7 Kf7 $19) 109... Ra7 110. Re3+ (110. Rb3 Bd4
$1 {( Sandipan's composition- idea)} 111. Rb4 (111. Rd3 Be5 {-Philidor}) 111...
Rg7+ 112. Kf8 Rg4 {Philidor}) 110... Be5 111. Rf3 Rg7+ 112. Kf8 Rg4 113. Re3
Ra4 114. Kg8 Rh4 0-1
</div>
</div>
Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-58910496157130222002020-06-12T07:09:00.000-07:002020-06-12T07:27:16.568-07:00Remembering Maxim Sorokin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Maxim Sorokin, the lovable Russian Grandmaster has always evoked pleasant memories for me. Back, during the turn of the millennium he was one of the few foreign Grandmasters who regularly played in the Opens. Later on I was fortunate to attend a couple of training camps with him, where I could interact with and observe him. I remember Maxim as an ever smiling coach, enthusiastic and genuinely passionate about Chess and the students development. Among his chess qualities, his amazing erudition and love for the endgame were remarkable and as infectious as his smiles! Alas he was taken away too early from this world due to an unfortunate road accident in 2007.....<br />
<br />
These thoughts came to the fore when I re visited an Opposite coloured Bishop endgame, which was shown to me by Maxim in one of the camps. It was perhaps shown to him by his coach, Alexander Panchenko whose book on the Theory and Practice of Endgames would always be with Sorokin during the classes.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHnMzjKvLDW_u_tOGkUDQpYxR6HYmoIuBBRg29_yosgxntz6ikpt4Ev9-8zGayVwvkPWszrJ0-NpafG94Ks4MSrfpsc5yAK-HzF16G8Yv2GYOM9futc5n20dVXbLYTwNywPnAjvAeqbyS/s1600/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHnMzjKvLDW_u_tOGkUDQpYxR6HYmoIuBBRg29_yosgxntz6ikpt4Ev9-8zGayVwvkPWszrJ0-NpafG94Ks4MSrfpsc5yAK-HzF16G8Yv2GYOM9futc5n20dVXbLYTwNywPnAjvAeqbyS/s320/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This is a position from the game <b>Schoeneberg versus Starck</b> from a German event in 1968. This is a remarkable position illustrating quite a few points about endgames with Bishops of Opposite colours. White is to move and in the game White went wrong with <b>58.Kf3 ? </b>and later went on to lose .<br />
<br />
The Bishop on c8 is such a well placed piece as it ties the Black King to the defence of the e6 and f5 pawns( or as Maxim would say " The Principle of Binding") White needs to achieve some sort of a light square blockade in order to draw this endgame. But direct attempts at sacrificing the light square Bishop for 2 pawns( e and f) will not lead a draw, as White cannot change Black's Knight pawn to become a wrong colour Rook one! So White needs to use all his remaining army efficiently to stand any chance of withholding Black's onslaught by his connected central pawns. The pawn on h3 serves a useful function by keeping the g-pawn at bay, and as already mentioned the Bishop on c8 is doing great and this leaves as only with the task of improving one's King.<br />
<br />
It takes a keener eye to spot that the pawn on b5 is more of a hindrance for White than anything else.Remarkably enough White 'only' needs to sacrifice the non relevant pawn on b5 as Sculptor sculpts a Sculpture by chiseling the non releavant part of the stone and bringing to life his art form!<br />
<br />
So, White should have continued with<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">58,b6!! Bb6 59. Kf3 Ke5 60.Ke2 Kf6 </span>(<span style="color: blue;"> </span>Black needed to bring his King over to f6 in order to start pushing his e-pawn up the board)<span style="color: blue;"> 61. Kd3 e5 62. Kc4 e4 63. Kd5! </span> and White's King reaches just in time to prevent Black from playing Ke5 followed by f4. If Black could reach the e4-f4 pawn configuration he would win, but he is short of that by one tempo.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07V7PZ3gGhQwU7kaItlckkTtEbtHxgxMj3AjOjCE16XMT6awl2l-yrolk-mYSHTFOhOE6ySR8l0O-Pnpvb_cwzzUkC44D_1woGyxAoqMckvtsVC018ISlawWC2nWnrOX4wZ-xeswShUyX/s1600/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252863.Kd5%2521%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07V7PZ3gGhQwU7kaItlckkTtEbtHxgxMj3AjOjCE16XMT6awl2l-yrolk-mYSHTFOhOE6ySR8l0O-Pnpvb_cwzzUkC44D_1woGyxAoqMckvtsVC018ISlawWC2nWnrOX4wZ-xeswShUyX/s320/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252863.Kd5%2521%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Also another very important aspect of this position is the absence of a pawn on b5 for White. If it were still there, Black would promote his e-pawn to a new Queen with e3. This explains the significance of the vacating sacrifice on the first move! So, this short variation leading to a draw illustrated a lot of ideas namely:-<br />
<br />
1.The Bishop binding the opponent's king to the defence of his pawns from the rear( principle of binding)<br />
2. The King being an active piece even in defence, should never be forgotten.<br />
<br />
3. The power of the vacating sacrifice especially so in Opposite coloured Bishop endgames, where material may not be the biggest criteria in evaluation.<br />
<br />
This partly concludes the study of this beautiful position.<br />
<br />
<b> Part 2</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The beauty of Chess is that Caissa always keeps enlivening herself and is keen to show a fresh and unseen part of artistry to those who are willing to explore. When discussing this endgame with my friend International Master Satyapragyan he came up with an original idea which initially I thought was losing, but one that was based on superficial observation!<br />
<br />
What if, White does none of the points mentioned earlier and tries an entirely different approach with<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">58.Kg3 </span>( with the idea h4) and now Black replies with the clever <span style="color: blue;">58...Ke7 </span>to keep the e5 square open for the Bishop to check White's King. And now White continues with his planned <span style="color: blue;">59.h4 </span>and Black can continue with <span style="color: blue;">59...Be5+! </span>Instead Black can also try<br />
<br />
(<span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">59...gxh4 60.Kxh4 Kf6</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span>and to all appearances this position looks lost for White as Black will get his connected pawns moving, right? However White has a very unlikely way out. He continues with <span style="color: #38761d;">61.Kg3 e5 62.Bb7! </span>and this position is a draw only due to the unfortunate position of the Bishop on d4! as <span style="color: #38761d;">62...e4 </span>would be answered by<span style="color: #38761d;"> 63.Kf4! </span>and Black cannot stop losing both of his pawns for White's Bishop. This position deserves a diagram. This illustrates that we need to pay attention to every little detail in a position!Black's only plan would be to bring the King up and get e4 without giving any concessions. But this does not seem to be possible, because of the fact that White will keep his King on f3 and at the right moment attack the f-pawn with Bc8)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhgbdbDDkNO3lpulTtTqdNQtTM4BKPgS84wsb3P3SVwBVoJX4-swCjJqVlusQxELcUA1q9Re9uM4ElTJp-SXxVi203O0EYmN_Zqb6iqemmtbKV1_SKo0bI12ALIpvI1CrMZ7VIOB4kC9Y/s1600/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252862.Bb7%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhgbdbDDkNO3lpulTtTqdNQtTM4BKPgS84wsb3P3SVwBVoJX4-swCjJqVlusQxELcUA1q9Re9uM4ElTJp-SXxVi203O0EYmN_Zqb6iqemmtbKV1_SKo0bI12ALIpvI1CrMZ7VIOB4kC9Y/s320/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252862.Bb7%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Let us go back to the position after <span style="color: blue;">59...Be5+ </span>and now White should play <span style="color: blue;">60.Kg2! </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">(</span><span style="color: red;">60.Kh3? </span>gives Black that one extra tempo to win the game. Black would play<span style="color: red;"> 60...g4+</span><span style="color: blue;">! </span><span style="color: red;">61. Kg2 Kf6 a</span>nd Black nips any sort of counterplay associated with two distant passed pawns by controlling the h-passer at the very early stages<span style="color: red;">)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">60... gxh4 (</span>Now Black does not have the time for <span style="color: red;">60...g4 61.h5! f4 62.h6 </span>and White's counterplay is enough to hold. The h-pawn has reached too far up the board!)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">61.b6! </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">(</span>It is important to get the b-passer to b7 in order to tie the Bishop up and restrict it's mobility. It would have been a mistake to start with <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">61. Kh3 Bc7! 62.Kxh4 Kf6 </span>and this would lead to a win for Black as White is not in time this time to reach Kf3/Bb7 position to prevent e4 and f4 together)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">61....Kf6 62.Kh3 Bg3 63.b7!</span> leads to an incredible position. Even though White is two pawns down at the moment, Black cannot hold on to atleast one of his extra pawns because of the particular configuration of Pawns.Black is not able to get his pawn to e4 without allowing White to capture the h4 pawn.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9qlDZzDS7v3LZDUn93CgERW-KU0McZQLt4tyy6TDQVSBQMSM75G2XOjOhJWB5n-cOiHFqynpTD4nomA1RPvtHLQ6buQEcHFxpxeBVC8heiWYlbk1WiO-BGNk78EzBcQ6094-M8icpXOW/s1600/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252863.b7%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9qlDZzDS7v3LZDUn93CgERW-KU0McZQLt4tyy6TDQVSBQMSM75G2XOjOhJWB5n-cOiHFqynpTD4nomA1RPvtHLQ6buQEcHFxpxeBVC8heiWYlbk1WiO-BGNk78EzBcQ6094-M8icpXOW/s320/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252863.b7%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Once White wins the h4- pawn Black is not in a position to win the game even if his pawns reaches e3 and f3, White can simply sit with King on f1 and Bishop on c6 or b5 depending on the circumstances.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oDQx1WPzpE7EFVp6PJE6e_-ulb0Z2cSWCis8Id3cIJKalLXQ17foWE2uojiRcImlKZ8lKKXsiVLIaRjX7pyog1bmpTqIblDyUZxIVY315KlFx4U06_4i93oiHhG6o3qfwrIHlhm4AiaN/s1600/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252871...e3%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oDQx1WPzpE7EFVp6PJE6e_-ulb0Z2cSWCis8Id3cIJKalLXQ17foWE2uojiRcImlKZ8lKKXsiVLIaRjX7pyog1bmpTqIblDyUZxIVY315KlFx4U06_4i93oiHhG6o3qfwrIHlhm4AiaN/s320/Schoeneberg+Manfred+-+Starck+Bodo+%252871...e3%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Even this position seems to be a draw! So, as of now the alternate approach <span style="color: blue;">58.Kg3 !?</span> seems to draw, if only by a thread!</span><br />
<br />
This is dedicated to <b>Maxim Sorokin</b>, and my thanks also to IM S.Satyapragyan who posed purposeful questions and changed the existing idea of the position. Also, I would like to mention that Mihail Marin's chapter on Karpov's Opposite Coloured Bishops in his Learn from the Legends book, gave some ideas to push one's limits in these positions.<br />
<br />
The whole endgame with some deeper variations has been given below as a replayable PGN.<br />
<br />
<head>
<link href="https://pgn.chessbase.com/CBReplay.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/jquery-3.0.0.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/cbreplay.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "DDR-ch17 Final"]
[Site "Weimar"]
[Date "1968.02.19"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Schoeneberg, Manfred"]
[Black "Starck, Bodo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D79"]
[Annotator "Kidambi,Satyapragyan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2B5/8/3kp3/1P3pp1/3b4/7P/6K1/8 w - - 0 58"]
[PlyCount "20"]
[EventDate "1968.02.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "19"]
[EventCountry "DDR"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2000"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.11.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.11.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
{[#]} 58. Kf3 $2 (58. b6 $1 {The idea of the move becomes apparent in the
final position.} Bxb6 59. Kf3 Ke5 60. Ke2 Kf6 61. Kd3 e5 62. Kc4 e4 63. Kd5 $1
{With a White pawn on b5, Black would promote his e-pawn with e3!} e3 (63...
Kg6 64. Kc4) 64. Ba6 Kg6 65. Be2 $11 {This is the simplest draw}) (58. Kg3 {
This surprisingly seems to draw too! But play becomes quite concrete} Ke7 $5
59. h4 $1 Be5+ (59... gxh4+ 60. Kxh4 Kf6 61. Kg3 e5 62. Bb7 Ke7 (62... e4 {
doesnt work due to the bad placement of Blacks Bishop on d4} 63. Kf4 $1 $11)
63. Kf3 Bb6 64. Bc6 Kd6 65. Bb7 Kc5 (65... Bc7 66. b6 Bxb6 67. Bc8 {=}) 66. Bc8
e4+ 67. Kf4 $11) 60. Kg2 $1 (60. Kh3 {would be a mistake due to} g4+ 61. Kg2
Kf6 62. h5 f4 63. Bb7 f3+ {Blacks King can catch the h passer before it
reaches h7 etc.}) 60... gxh4 ({Black doesnt have time for} 60... g4 61. h5 f4 (
61... Kf6 62. h6 f4 63. h7 Kf5 64. Bb7 f3+ 65. Bxf3 gxf3+ 66. Kxf3 Kg6 67. Ke4
$18) 62. h6 f3+ 63. Kf2 Bd4+ 64. Kg3 Be5+ 65. Kf2 $11) 61. b6 $1 {It is
important to get the b-pawn to b7, this will tie up the Black's Bishop later
on.} (61. Kh3 Bc7 62. Kxh4 Kf6 $19 {wins for Black as White is not in time to
prevent e5-e4- he needed his King on f3 and Bishop on b7 as we have seen
earlier}) 61... Kf6 62. Kh3 $1 Bg3 (62... Bd6 63. Kxh4 e5 64. b7 e4 65. Kh3 Ke5
66. Bd7 f4 67. Bb5 f3 68. Kg3 Kf5+ 69. Kf2 Bc5+ 70. Kf1 Ba7 71. Ke1 Kf4 72. Kf1
Bb8) 63. b7 Bb8 64. Kxh4 e5 65. Kg3 e4+ 66. Kf2 Ba7+ 67. Ke2 f4 68. Kf1 f3 69.
Bg4 Ke5 70. Bd7 Kf4 71. Bc6 Ke3 (71... e3 72. Bb5 Ke5 (72... Bb8 73. Ke1 Bd6 (
73... Kg3 74. Kf1 Be5 75. Bd3 $11) 74. Kf1 Ke5 75. Bc6 e2+ 76. Kf2 Bc5+ 77.
Kxf3 $11) 73. Bc6 $11) 72. Ke1 Kd3 {Black cannot make any progress.}) (58. h4
gxh4 59. Kh3 Bf2 60. Kg2 Bc5 61. Kh3 Ke7 62. Kxh4 Kf6 63. Kg3 e5 64. Bb7 e4 $1
$19 {This position is a draw with the Bishop on d4 instead of e5.}) 58... Ke5
$2 (58... Bb6 $1 {would have won for Black!}) 59. Bd7 $2 (59. b6 $1 $11 {
would have led to a draw as earlier.}) 59... Bb6 $1 60. Ke2 Kf6 61. Kf3 (61.
Kd3 e5 62. Kc4 e4 63. Kd5 e3 $1 $19 {There is a world of difference between
the positions with and without the white pawn on b5!}) 61... e5 62. Bc6 Ke6 63.
Bb7 e4+ 64. Bxe4 fxe4+ 65. Kxe4 Bf2 $1 66. b6 Kd6 67. Kf5 Bh4 $1 0-1
</div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-55609516781372581282020-04-12T05:37:00.000-07:002020-04-29T08:20:24.283-07:00The Chess Machine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: blue;">"<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">If I have seen further than others, it is by </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">standing</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> upon the </span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>shoulders of giants</i><b>" </b><i>Isaac Newton</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What can we learn from the (Chess) Machine? This is a common question that grips many a chess enthusiast, these days. But what I wish to touch upon here is, what we can learn from the Cuban Genius Capablanca, who was nicknamed "The Chess Machine" in the last century. His play was characterized by quickness of thought, effortlessness of ideas and a brilliant intuition. He was rightly compared to Mozart, because of his early proficiency in the game, and for him Chess was truly his native language! He was absolutely self taught and there are even myths that the first Chess book he read was the one he wrote :-) ( Chess Fundamentals). Chess Fundamentals is a fine book, which reflects Capablanca's approach to Chess in his writings also. The underlying theme, is simplicity and clarity of thought! Botvinnik once remarked, that whatever one needs to know about Chess is contained in Capablanca's book! I feel Capa's approach to chess is also shared by two of his esteemed successors- Robert Fischer and the current world Champion Magnus Carlsen. When looking at their games too, one cannot but help admire the clarity of thought and the tendency towards simplicty!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Although there is a popular opinion that. the really old games are outdated and there is not much to learn from them, I do not really buy it! The point I wish to make is that the future great players have absorbed a lot from their predecessors and the older masters like Capablanca, were truly Giants. I will share a few positions from the games of Capablanca, and look at it in comparison with similar ones that occurred in the games of later day greats.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVyOECVS5xy8uxxfccUBqeiehiGMV3RekWnqjXNxA_iEQ20LQ5-V5yvVHwYJ_kjrRgfVGR7gV0BB3_9FRwX_mYUw36WwoMYBlPWyNNjlymA1PrMCeuubzfLXPuUYY7T_fsaRFic8cnaI0/s1600/Aronian+Levon+-+Nakamura+Hikaru+%252837.a4%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVyOECVS5xy8uxxfccUBqeiehiGMV3RekWnqjXNxA_iEQ20LQ5-V5yvVHwYJ_kjrRgfVGR7gV0BB3_9FRwX_mYUw36WwoMYBlPWyNNjlymA1PrMCeuubzfLXPuUYY7T_fsaRFic8cnaI0/s200/Aronian+Levon+-+Nakamura+Hikaru+%252837.a4%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcX7Z6rMtzDAWnaHW6KvraCbZQCdsbQmne6qHli56-XNv0tJ7DbikzfroYoT7taSsqRMWNkqs2EB70P43pXYY-6U5Si1h0DYfTuZR4sIvbg-3K_u0goUvdef2lebs3_dNkmurFm8PHx_l/s1600/Capablanca+Jose+Raul+-+Corzo+Juan+%252842...Ng7%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcX7Z6rMtzDAWnaHW6KvraCbZQCdsbQmne6qHli56-XNv0tJ7DbikzfroYoT7taSsqRMWNkqs2EB70P43pXYY-6U5Si1h0DYfTuZR4sIvbg-3K_u0goUvdef2lebs3_dNkmurFm8PHx_l/s200/Capablanca+Jose+Raul+-+Corzo+Juan+%252842...Ng7%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The first diagram is a game between <b>Capablanca and Corzo from the 9th game of their match in 1901</b>! And the second diagram is <b>from the second game of the Match between Aronian and Nakamura St.Louis 2014.</b>White won both these games, because of the better pawn structure ( note how the four pawns of the opponent are effectively controlled by the three pawns plus Bishop controlling a colour complex) and the better minor piece( Bishop against Knight). White's majority is more effective than his opponent's.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI_9crWS7oS6SXFjYa_gnSB3DvD9YaRLBpjGUy4i658SghSBOgWIUH9ecp3YFO0uYnegEOoYYXEx8Gsz5-vStjoZiRdHpEfih_MsoyM32l_cxBrUE9xoHjVhPXhqDvdPN4LFsMOkUfhRF/s1600/Short+Nigel+D+-+Kramnik+Vladimir+%252824.Bh4%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI_9crWS7oS6SXFjYa_gnSB3DvD9YaRLBpjGUy4i658SghSBOgWIUH9ecp3YFO0uYnegEOoYYXEx8Gsz5-vStjoZiRdHpEfih_MsoyM32l_cxBrUE9xoHjVhPXhqDvdPN4LFsMOkUfhRF/s200/Short+Nigel+D+-+Kramnik+Vladimir+%252824.Bh4%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPl_NpKbIh4E-JC1OgCodFcYVrazwdi1HLiKpFbcu2HccypWiD97hOxjBCaBf1dKle9ohXHXr6dcy2-v8ae2ZsWR47gzByaAxMLQ2-2aUzURaQA6q_0Ap3H4fDTGnb2Xc0gsO2dUPHzKQv/s1600/Winter+William+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252815.gxf3%25C2%25B5%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPl_NpKbIh4E-JC1OgCodFcYVrazwdi1HLiKpFbcu2HccypWiD97hOxjBCaBf1dKle9ohXHXr6dcy2-v8ae2ZsWR47gzByaAxMLQ2-2aUzURaQA6q_0Ap3H4fDTGnb2Xc0gsO2dUPHzKQv/s200/Winter+William+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252815.gxf3%25C2%25B5%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
These 1st very famous position is from the game <b>Winter versus Capablanca Hastings 1919</b>, and the second one is from the (more) recent <b>Short-Kramnik</b> encounter from <b>London 2011</b>. Needless to say, that Black won both the games using the principle "<i>Cutting off pieces from the scene of action</i>" in the words of Capablanca! Take a look at the Bishop imprisoned by his own pawns in both the positions. Black simply won by taking the play to the other side of the board where White effectively was down a piece in both the games.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WrZSb_dovhy8Wi1M7MrH2J6cKa14RMWMSEgFSh_vj5RBNfOiW84Va5uYDdTFJadzOcM2MsVppaj8ZwNZS8GQTn0C8k0697g_xecygraT3jGNL4pWaHyLvKDovEbW85Rv7aG7dkyZjjZB/s1600/Kline+Harry+P+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252823.Rf2%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WrZSb_dovhy8Wi1M7MrH2J6cKa14RMWMSEgFSh_vj5RBNfOiW84Va5uYDdTFJadzOcM2MsVppaj8ZwNZS8GQTn0C8k0697g_xecygraT3jGNL4pWaHyLvKDovEbW85Rv7aG7dkyZjjZB/s200/Kline+Harry+P+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252823.Rf2%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kline-Capablanca 1913</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
This was a position from the game <b>Kline-Capablanca New York 1913. </b>Did Black's surprising decision to part with a beautiful Knight for not such a powerful Bishop with <b>....Nxd3!</b> inspire Fischer in the following two games in his historic 1971 Match versus Petrosian. Fischer chose <b>Nxd7!!</b> in the 7th game as White in the first diagram, and chose <b>.......Nxb2</b> ! as Black in the 6 th game of the match in the second diagram.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcgpWRll9xZ07sP4JjJQBGjIeGtppTQFKRnDfFKcuXmzFab_F48nrmE7SLGMMV-vuiqU-SFzfgFNSq3NVi2NL1TKEQFVGgJVdZKZWYeSUB8Eb_qEq91VC5Q1M8Q4ke_5YXF5bYBreYpxA/s1600/Petrosian+Tigran+V+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252828.Qe2%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcgpWRll9xZ07sP4JjJQBGjIeGtppTQFKRnDfFKcuXmzFab_F48nrmE7SLGMMV-vuiqU-SFzfgFNSq3NVi2NL1TKEQFVGgJVdZKZWYeSUB8Eb_qEq91VC5Q1M8Q4ke_5YXF5bYBreYpxA/s200/Petrosian+Tigran+V+-+Fischer+Robert+James+%252828.Qe2%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmr3ypwGlS3VrAHVJcG-nL6Oc39UhOE96z3bgLqYnMFGCScnMZcbbwbHfAfUUPgnUtOGw80eIqZSrUh05ILfrWbFDARiE4zCERe5Ym9EQ5sDs3MQxOWOyGUWbs42o6va6kJlJXQ38nlWMv/s1600/Fischer+Robert+James+-+Petrosian+Tigran+V+%252821...Bd7%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmr3ypwGlS3VrAHVJcG-nL6Oc39UhOE96z3bgLqYnMFGCScnMZcbbwbHfAfUUPgnUtOGw80eIqZSrUh05ILfrWbFDARiE4zCERe5Ym9EQ5sDs3MQxOWOyGUWbs42o6va6kJlJXQ38nlWMv/s200/Fischer+Robert+James+-+Petrosian+Tigran+V+%252821...Bd7%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
To conclude, lets look at two positions, one from Capa's praxis and the other from Magnus'. These were the final positions of their games where their opponent's resigned. The strong central pawns sealed the deal for Black in both these games. And apart from that, the plan adopted by Magnus was quite similar to what Capa did in his game against Kan. Black improved his pawn structure with every exchange and the pawns, always captured towards the center and succeeding in conquering more and more space which eventually resulted in a victory!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNLcd-ye5856j3oIA_fF0T3CyskVWK-ZsopOloB8lQ5VYGvzaK8mYytPqVB698RUhRNKgdEbEnDbHgKTHD5c-meWM3F-WtNo9RA7stjHzbCK3nAD98zZ0YUm0SHuo5r2WXpUtifsE4rMC/s1600/Radjabov+Teimour+-+Carlsen+Magnus+%252859...Rf1%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNLcd-ye5856j3oIA_fF0T3CyskVWK-ZsopOloB8lQ5VYGvzaK8mYytPqVB698RUhRNKgdEbEnDbHgKTHD5c-meWM3F-WtNo9RA7stjHzbCK3nAD98zZ0YUm0SHuo5r2WXpUtifsE4rMC/s200/Radjabov+Teimour+-+Carlsen+Magnus+%252859...Rf1%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Radjabov-Carlsen Moscow 2012</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEmgqH-xBX4CmSzwUpsTLC86Eq6dMpsco-OscvXLQpray-_mklIvJy-IqO568MIpxe5wxbsI6cJxZcskIyFAqfbjIPL9ylLFoX2-mk4iuR-mZAN4yIxHESwxKM0IXxkydZ71dMxi3yz9H/s1600/Kan+Ilia+Abramovich+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252856...Rxe4%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEmgqH-xBX4CmSzwUpsTLC86Eq6dMpsco-OscvXLQpray-_mklIvJy-IqO568MIpxe5wxbsI6cJxZcskIyFAqfbjIPL9ylLFoX2-mk4iuR-mZAN4yIxHESwxKM0IXxkydZ71dMxi3yz9H/s200/Kan+Ilia+Abramovich+-+Capablanca+Jose+Raul+%252856...Rxe4%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kan-Capablanca Moscow1936</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
If the likes of Fischer, Kramnik and Carlsen can seek inspiration from Capablanca, why not us?<br />
<br />
<br />
The games can be viewed in a re playable board,here.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=/fjnNTyyGPsZRqUKc8NZF88OfbA34qSGMe+iTgipi5sc7VlZljnKdPuixGfx/BGz">https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=/fjnNTyyGPsZRqUKc8NZF88OfbA34qSGMe+iTgipi5sc7VlZljnKdPuixGfx/BGz</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-53905165351037992022020-04-03T09:23:00.001-07:002020-04-05T21:44:51.901-07:00Retro Commentary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are so many reminiscences of the past in various spheres of activity. I found it particularly funny when cricket scores were updated in espncricinfo with a retro live theme! And with the dearth of inflow of activity television channels too have decided to resort to re telecasting old programs. In many ways as Chess players and enthusiasts are very fortunate because it is much more feasible and pretty to revisit olden games. The FIDE candidates tournament too had to be stopped due to the current situation, and continuing with the current trend, I thought why not pretend to commentate on a Retro Candidates event? And What better event than the famous Zurich 1953 with the inimitable comments of David Bronstein! Lets delve into the second round duel between Efim Geller and former World Champion Max Euwe. To maintain the purity of time travel I will give below the comments of Bronstein in descriptive notation! For those who are not used to this can check the re playable board given at the end for the currently used Algebraic notation. I have also included some of my observations in italics.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the best games in the tournament, and the winner of a beauty prize. White starts a strong Kingside attack by sacrificing his QBP. Geller has every chance of succeeding if Black according to tradition, counterattacks on the Queenside. Euwe however, carries out two remarkable ideas:</div>
<div>
1) he makes good use of communication with the Queenside to attack the Kingside, and</div>
<div>
2) he lures his opponent's forces deep into his own territory in order to isolate them from the defense of their Kings.</div>
<div>
It is extremely interesting to see how White's pieces dig deeper and deeper into their frontal attack on the King while Black regroups circuitously.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Geller-Euwe Round 2 Candidates Zurich 1953</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>1. P-Q4 N-KB3 2.P-QB4 P-K3 3. N-QB3 B-N5 4. P-K3 P-B4 5. P-QR3 BXN ch 6.PXB P-QN3</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>7.B-Q3 B-N2 8.P-B3</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYxtAQXsNAJwGGmgwPBXvt2M1Sos-Wf2E-gFXTVhbd6HscD0PDWwYdnINNS8ufvbVNuVSkf9H4tqinMf6C86rPzzXeAgFlHaH25EXCcfvCmOCA3d0LLETb5pveMq3TEsQEVWaipaWvfhG/s1600/Geller+Efim+P+-+Euwe+Max+%25288.f3%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYxtAQXsNAJwGGmgwPBXvt2M1Sos-Wf2E-gFXTVhbd6HscD0PDWwYdnINNS8ufvbVNuVSkf9H4tqinMf6C86rPzzXeAgFlHaH25EXCcfvCmOCA3d0LLETb5pveMq3TEsQEVWaipaWvfhG/s200/Geller+Efim+P+-+Euwe+Max+%25288.f3%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div>
A small but important detail in the opening: as a result of Black's substitution of P-QN3 and B-N2 for the usual N-QB3 and 0-0, White , who failed to react correctly in time with N-K2, has to spend an extra tempo to prepare P-K4. Such details must never be overlooked, but they should not be overemphasized either. It is sometimes said that White's advantage consists of the first move; if he loses a tempo the advantage should go to Black. In practice, however, White's advantage is that has a greater choice of possible plans to suit his taste; when play is in full swing the loss of a single tempo is not always of great importance.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<i><span style="color: blue;">7.N-K2 !? B-N2 8. N-N3 0-0 9. B-Q3 BXP ( If Black does not capture the K-NP then White need not lose a move with P-KB3) 10.R-KN1 B-N2 11.P-K4 gives White a strong attack.</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<b>8....N-B3 9.N-K2 0-0 10. 0-0 N-QR4 11. P-K4 N-K1</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Black moves the Knight to avoid the pin B-N5 and to answer P-B4 with ....P-B4, blocking the Kingside. White therefore takes control of KB5 before moving his KBP. Defending the QBP is pointless: it was already doomed by White's 5th move.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>12. N-N3 PxP 13. PxP R-B1 14. P-B4 NxP 15. P-B5 P-B3 16. R-B4</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhqEFZVzZ0QMThXzDLRXYdpHJ6aUV-Pfy8PzgtIt1zvl71y7f6xYta1mdssN1Xgz5y918bM5G-rPwOfcS7Cf7kTDgrqQB3Z5eroRG5YJFgZESDp3Nud0u1OTBcEnTsB-6g8rNbbCx08lO/s1600/Geller+Efim+P+-+Euwe+Max+%252816.R-B4%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhqEFZVzZ0QMThXzDLRXYdpHJ6aUV-Pfy8PzgtIt1zvl71y7f6xYta1mdssN1Xgz5y918bM5G-rPwOfcS7Cf7kTDgrqQB3Z5eroRG5YJFgZESDp3Nud0u1OTBcEnTsB-6g8rNbbCx08lO/s200/Geller+Efim+P+-+Euwe+Max+%252816.R-B4%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
White's attack becomes threatening. Black's last move was necessary because White intended to advance his pawn to B6 and to answer .... NxP by pinning the Knight and attacking the King with the combined force of Queen, Rook, and three minor pieces. Now White needs only two moves to transfer his Queen and Rook to the KR file, after which nothing it seems, will save the Black King.</div>
<div>
But Euwe is not easily upset, Remember that in his life he played more than seventy games against Alekhine, the most dangerous attacking player of his time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>16.... P-QN4 ! </b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
The beginning of a remarkable plan. It is clear that any defensive maneuver on the kingside that depends on pieces without significant scope - R-KB2, Q-K2, etc.- is doomed to fail. But Black has another defensive resource- counterattack! The QB, the QR and the Knight on QB5 occupy good launching positions, and all that remains is to activate the Queen. The basis for counterattack is Black's preponderance on the central squares. With P-QN4 Black reinforces his Knight's position and opens the way for the Queen to N3. Nevertheless, the impression is that these operations will be too late.<br />
<br />
<i> With this in mind and the benefit of hindsight, it seems to me that perhaps white could have considered <span style="color: blue;">16.P-QR4. </span>And wouldn't Sultan Khan ,Petrosian or a later day Karpov have played that move as White!?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Continuing this discussion further down, could Black have started with <span style="color: blue;">15.... P-QN4 16. P-B6 NxP</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">17.B-N5 ( or 17.P-K5 N-Q4) Q-N3</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i>
<b>17.R-R4 Q-N3 </b><br />
<br />
Pinning the White Queen to the defense of the QP, Black impedes White's plan to play Q-R5. Incidentally if <span style="color: blue;">17.Q-R5 Q-N3 18. N-K2 N-K4 </span>an echo variation arises; White has no time for R-KR4<br />
<br />
<b>18. P-K5 NxKP 19. PxP NxB 20. QxN QxP</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Each of White's moves requires careful and accurate calculation. Here, for instance the natural <span style="color: blue;">20.PxP would not have worked because of 20...Q-B3.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="color: blue;">20.... PxP </span>was an option for Black which seems to improve the structure. However, that is not the priority for Black, his Queen is a key participant in the Whirlwind counter attack that Black unleashes later on in the game, And for that, clearly she needs activity!</i><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<b>21.QxP ch K-B2 22.B-R6 R-KR1</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqSaDx7pOC5xfhhJir7lDDcQk1NTD8xiRWh268lbgCnTH9Isp6wffMHauITmLeiR8or-vq2FPbwgFd6WjdJm2r2uBp9xjsh5HiuqavNRSq4e6ZJzPWDTYoK5gf_o-YjQY7KgTmlCtNzey/s1600/Geller+Efim+P+-+Euwe+Max+%252822...R-KR1%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqSaDx7pOC5xfhhJir7lDDcQk1NTD8xiRWh268lbgCnTH9Isp6wffMHauITmLeiR8or-vq2FPbwgFd6WjdJm2r2uBp9xjsh5HiuqavNRSq4e6ZJzPWDTYoK5gf_o-YjQY7KgTmlCtNzey/s200/Geller+Efim+P+-+Euwe+Max+%252822...R-KR1%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
Black's 16th move P-QN4 was the beginning of a strategic plan of counter attack, and the Rook sacrifice is its main tactical blow, aiming to divert White's Queen far from its QB2 and to use that time to attack the King.<br />
<br />
<i>The Imagination and the concept of the idea is truly brilliant.As Bronstein has already pointed out, Euwe has a unique experience of playing a lot of games versus Alekhine, and can it not do wonders to one's whole board vision? There were of course various other alternatives in this rich position. For Example</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>1) <span style="color: blue;">22...Q-Q4 !? 23.R-K4 R-B3 in order to meet 24.QR-K1 with R-K3 </span>and Black has a nice position.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>2)<span style="color: blue;">22...R-B5</span>( Bronstein's suggestion) perhaps the game can go on with <span style="color: blue;">23.R-KB1 Q-Q4 24.R-K4 RxP 25.R-K2 R-KR5 26.N-B5 </span>and the position remains extremely complex</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>3)<span style="color: blue;"> 22...P-N5(</span> is a try with a devious trap in mind for example <span style="color: blue;">23.PxP ? R-KR1!! 24.QxR R-B7 25. P-Q5 BxP 26. R-Q1 RxP ch 27. K-B1 Q-R3 ch </span>wins the game! This is of course based on the defense for White which could have happened in the game) But White can carry on with <span style="color: blue;">23.R-KB1 </span>retaining complex play.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>4)<span style="color: blue;"> 22....R-B6!? </span> is another idea which threatens Q-Q4 and if need be undermine White's control of K4 with a possible RxN in mind. <span style="color: blue;">23.R-KB1 Q-Q4 24. N-K4 K-K2!! </span>and amidst all the Chaos Black might quietly let his monarch run away to safety from the centre of action. And this might tilt the balance in his favour.</i><br />
<i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i>
<b>23.QxR R-B7</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The threat is mate in a few moves... RxP ch, ..... Q-B5 ch, etc. Careful analysis, which required no less than a week, proved that White could avoid the mate by means of a few very difficult only moves. Necessary is <span style="color: blue;">24.P-Q5. If 24...Q-N3 ch 25. K-R1 Q-B7 26. R-KN1 BxP, </span>White is saved by <span style="color: blue;">27.R-K4!</span> If at once <span style="color: blue;">24...BxP, </span>not <span style="color: blue;">25.R-Q4 </span>but only <span style="color: blue;">25.R-Q1 </span>then after <span style="color: blue;">25....RxP ch 26.K-B1 PxB, </span>neither <span style="color: blue;">27.RxP </span>nor <span style="color: blue;">27.RxB </span>is good, but again an "only" move, <span style="color: blue;">27.QxP.</span> Still, Black has a Bishop and two pawns for a Rook, which, considering the exposed position of White's King, gives him good winning chances. Needless to say, there was no practical possibility of Geller's finding all these moves over the board.<br />
<br />
Analysts have also demonstrated that the overall idea of .... R-KR1 was premature. R-B5 was better first. Nevertheless, it will be hard for chess lovers to agree. A move like 22....R-KR1 is not easily forgotten.<br />
<br />
<b>24. R-QB1 RxP ch 25. K-B1 Q-N6 26. K-K1 Q-KB6 White Resigns</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b>Concluding Thoughts:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Bronstein's comments to this impressive game were no less of a masterpiece than the game itself.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>The two most important moments in the game were 16...P-QN4 and 22...R-KR1, both required great imagination and flight of courage, which were both abundantly available to the Chess Artist Max Euwe. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>To a certain extent I am also reminded of the 24th Round game between Keres and the eventual winner Smyslov from the same tournament. White would use all his might to attack the King Rook pawn in order to deliver a mate, but finally it amounted to one solitary pawn and better central control of the opponent diffused the attack surprisingly easily.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>The position after White's 22nd move is very rich and would definitely enthrall the imagination of many a reader. The variations indicated are only a spark to delve into the position further.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Signing off with respect to Bronstein, Geller and Euwe!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Au Revoir!</i></b><br />
<head>
<link href="https://pgn.chessbase.com/CBReplay.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/jquery-3.0.0.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/cbreplay.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "1953.08.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Geller, Efim P"]
[Black "Euwe, Max"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E28"]
[Annotator "David Bronstein,Kidambi"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1953.08.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "30"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "Candidates"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
{One of the tournament's best games, and the recipient of a brilliancy prize.
White initiated a powerful attack on the king by sacrificing his c4-pawn. This
attack gave Geller every hope of success, provided Black held to the
traditional sort of queenside counterattack. Euwe, however, carried out two
remarkable ideas: 1) utilizing his queenside lines of communication for an
attack on the king's wing, and 2) decoying the enemy's forces deep into his
own rear area, with the aim of cutting them off from the defense of their king.
It's a most diverting spectacle to watch White's pieces in their frontal
assault on the king, burrowing further and further, while Black is
transferring his forces by roundabout routes.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4.
e3 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 $5 7. Bd3 (7. Ne2 $5 Bb7 (7... Nc6 8. Ng3 Ba6 {
transposes to the main line.}) 8. Ng3 O-O 9. Bd3 Bxg2 {and if Black doesnt
take on g2, white does not have to lose a move with f3. - Kidambi} 10. Rg1 Bb7
11. e4 {gives White a strong attack. -Kidambi}) 7... Bb7 8. f3 {A small but
significant opening subtlety: Black substituted .. b6 and .. Bb7 for the more
usual Nc6 and .. 0-0; and White, who failed to notice in time to react
correctly with 7 Ne2, must now spend an extra tempo preparing e3-e4. Such
details should never be underestimated, but neither should they be overvalued.
Occasionally it is said that White's advantage consists of his right to the
first move: should he lose a tempo, then, the advantage must necessarily pass
to Black. Practically speaking, however, the advantage of playing White boils
down to greater freedom in selecting a plan to suit one's tastes; once the
game has settled into its ordained track, the loss of a single tempo is not
always so serious.} Nc6 9. Ne2 O-O 10. O-O Na5 11. e4 Ne8 {Black retreats his
knight to forestall the pin with 12 Bg5, and to be able to answer f3-f4 with ..
f7-f5, blockading the king's wing. White therefore secures f5 before advancing
his f-pawn. It would be senseless to defend the pawn at c4 now: that pawn was
doomed by White's fifth move.} 12. Ng3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Rc8 14. f4 Nxc4 15. f5 f6
({Again with the benefit of hindsight} 15... b5 $5 {looks like an option} 16.
f6 {and this is perhaps not as dangerous as it seems} Nxf6 17. Bg5 (17. e5 Nd5)
17... Qb6 {- Kidambi}) 16. Rf4 {Diagram [#] White's attack has become rather
threatening. lack's previous move was necessary to forestall White's intention
to push his pawn to f6, and then, after 16.. N:f6, to pin the knight after all,
piling up on the king with the combined firepower of queen, rooks and three
minor pieces. Even now, White needs only two moves to transfer his rook and
queen to the h-file, and then it might appear that nothing could save the
black king. Euwe, however, is not easily flustered. Remember that in his
lifetime he played more than seventy games with Alekhine, the most feared
attacking player of our time.} (16. a4 $5 {With the benefit of hindsight,
would a Sultan Khan or Petrosian have played this move?}) 16... b5 $1 {The
beginning of a remarkable plan. Clearly, any defensive maneuvers on the
kingside are foredoomed, since they involve pieces with an inconsequential
radius of activity (.. Rf7, .. Qe7, etc.). But Black does have another
defensive resource, and that is counterattack! The bishop at b7, the rook at
c8. and the knight at c4 are all weli-based; all that remains is to bring up
the queen. The basis for this counterattack is Black's preponderance on the
central squares. With 16..b5, Black reinforces the knight on c4 and opens a
path for the queen to b6. Still, one cannot help feeling that his operations
are too little and too late ...} 17. Rh4 (17. Qh5 Qb6 18. Ne2 Ne5) 17... Qb6 {
Pinning White's queen to the defense of the d-pawn, Black prevents the
intended 18 Qh5. After 17 Qh5 Qb6 18 Ne2 Ne5, we get the echo-variation, with
the white rook unable to get to h4.} 18. e5 Nxe5 19. fxe6 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 (20.
exd7 Qc6 $1) 20... Qxe6 {All of White's moves required detailed and precise
analysis. Here, for example, the natural 20 ed would fail to 20.. Qc6.} (20...
dxe6 {is perhaps improving the structure, but thats not the priority here. The
Queen is a key participant in the whirlwind counter attack that Black
unleashes and she needs more activity!- Kidambi}) 21. Qxh7+ {Thus, White has
broken through after all, at an insignificant cost. Once again, Black's
position appears critical.} Kf7 22. Bh6 Rh8 {If lack's 16th move was the
beginning of his strategic plan of counterattack, then this rook sacrifice is
its fundamental tactical stroke, with the aim of drawing the white queen still
further a field and decoying it away from the c2 square, meanwhile attacking
the king.-Bronstein The imagination and concept is truly brilliant. As
Bronstein pointed out earlier Euwe's unique experience of playing such a lot
of games with Alekhine. Can it not do wonders to one's whole board
perception!? There were ofcourse various other alternatives for Black in this
rich position.-Kidambi [#]} (22... Qd5 $5 23. Re4 Rc6 {to meet Rae1 with Re6,
gives Black a nice position.-Kidambi}) (22... Rc4 {was the move suggested by
Bronstein. Perhaps with the continuation like} 23. Rf1 Qd5 24. Re4 Rxd4 25. Re2
Rh4 26. Nf5 {But the position remains extremely complicated.-Kidambi}) (22...
b4 $5 {is a try with a devious trap in mind} 23. Rf1 $1 {With threats of Nf5
and Bxg7 etc in the air.} ({Not} 23. axb4 $2 Rh8 $1 24. Qxh8 Rc2 25. d5 Bxd5
26. Rd1 Rxg2+ 27. Kf1 Qa6+ $1 $19) 23... b3 (23... bxa3 24. Nf5) 24. Nf5) (
22... Rc3 $5 {is another idea which threatens Qd5 and Black intends to
undermine White's control of e4 with a possible Rxg3 in mind.} 23. Rf1 Qd5 24.
Ne4 Ke7 $1 {and in a chaotic position, Black might take his King to safety by
running away from the epicentre of actions. This might tilt the balance in
Black's favour.-Kidambi [#]} (24... Rc2 25. Bxg7 $1)) 23. Qxh8 Rc2 {Diagram
[#] Threatening mate in a few moves: 24.. R:g2+, 25.. Qc4+, etc. Detailed
analysis, requiring more than just one week's time, showed that White could
have saved him-self from mate by finding a few "only" and very difficult moves.
First, he has to play 24 d5; if then 24.. Qb6+ 25 Kh1 Qf2 26 Rg1 B:d5, White
saves himself with 27 Re4!; and on the immediate 24.. B:d5, not 25 Rd4 - only
25 Rd1! works: after 25.. R:g2+ 26 Kf1 gh, neither 27 R:h6 nor 27 R:d5: once
again, the only move is 27 Q:h6. Black would still have bishop and two pawns
for his rook then, which would leave him good winning chances, considering the
open position of White's king. It goes without saying that Geller had no
practical chance to find all of these moves over the board. The analysts also
showed that the ..Rf8-h8 idea was actually a little premature, and that .. Rc4
first was better. However, those who love chess will find it difficult to
agree with this. Moves like 22.. Rh8 are not forgotten.} 24. Rc1 $2 (24. d5
Bxd5 (24... Qb6+ 25. Kh1 Qf2 26. Rg1 Bxd5 27. Re4 $1) 25. Rd1 $1 ({Not} 25. Rd4
) 25... Rxg2+ 26. Kf1 gxh6 27. Qxh6 $1 ({Neither} 27. Rxd5) ({Nor} 27. Rxh6))
24... Rxg2+ 25. Kf1 Qb3 26. Ke1 Qf3 {Concluding Thoughts: Bronstein's
comments to this impressive game were no less of a masterpiece than the game
itself. The two most important moments in the game were 16...P-QN4 and 22...
R-KR1, both required great imagination and flight of courage, which were both
abundantly available to the Chess Artist Max Euwe. To a certain extent I
am also reminded of the 24th Round game between Keres and the eventual winner
Smyslov from the same tournament. White would use all his might to attack the
h7 pawn in order to deliver a mate, but finally h7 only amounted to one
solitary pawn and better central control of the opponent diffused the attack
surprisingly easily. The position after White's 22nd move is very rich and
would definitely enthrall the imagination of many a reader. The variations
indicated are only a spark to delve into the position further. Signing off
with respect to Bronstein, Geller and Euwe! Au Revoir!} 0-1
</div>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-27758331855135523582020-03-26T10:50:00.001-07:002020-03-28T10:33:21.944-07:00In Search of Harmony<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
" <i><span style="color: blue;">Perhaps Chess and Music are drawn together by laws of harmony and beauty that are difficult to formulate and difficult to grasp</span></i>" -<i><span style="color: magenta;">Vassily Smyslov</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></i>
With an abundance of time at one's disposal these days, I came across an instructive and thought provoking piece of analysis from an endgame which occurred in the recent game Wang Hao-Vachier Lagrave in the candidates tournament. The author (and my friend) Grand master Vishnu Prasanna is not only a gifted player and trainer, but also a fine thinker! Looking at this fascinating game and comments , triggered a variety of thoughts in approaching a chess position.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo899H4RQzW5IuuY00rLVIdZh6NkCNCdhGNk9HuDlDE6H1RgI8qOvIHt6ugNgeTRg4wNVQByqlraeWCgfc4iVuzOq4fErXDaA6jPeWCMHiAOmYTmRUIFXxqRyY6WNhM_QiBvmTb_QMlGI/s1600/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252832...Bc8%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo899H4RQzW5IuuY00rLVIdZh6NkCNCdhGNk9HuDlDE6H1RgI8qOvIHt6ugNgeTRg4wNVQByqlraeWCgfc4iVuzOq4fErXDaA6jPeWCMHiAOmYTmRUIFXxqRyY6WNhM_QiBvmTb_QMlGI/s320/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252832...Bc8%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Wang Hao-Vachier Lagrave Round 6, Candidates 2020</b><br />
<br />
This is the position after Black's 32nd move Bc8. As Vishnu rightly points out in the ChessBase India video, Black's main problem in this position is that his <b>Knight on a5 is out of play</b>. Had it been on d6, the position would not at all be bad for Black. But such small differences, sometimes as little as one tempo can alter a position diametrically.<br />
<br />
They key factor in this position that seems to determine White's advantage is the<b> superior position and activity of his King</b>. White need not actually just be contended with the fact that his King has reached a commanding post on d4, but can even strive to improve the royal monarch's position by rolling a red carpet! Let us see how the game continued:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b> 33.Nb5 a6 34.Nc7 ?! </b><br />
<br />
Can there be anything in the world with winning a pawn without any resistance? Well, if only things were that simple! Here again Vishnu's explanation is crisp and efficient! His reasoning is that Black tr<b>ades off a pawn to improve the position of his Knight from a5</b>. <b> Steinitz </b> in his Modern Chess Instructor has put forward a view that Rook Pawns are not qualitatively equal in strength to other pawns on the board as they control only one square wherever they stand, relative to pawns that stand on other files which control two! It may not have too much relevance here. However I do feel that White's Knight moves too far away from the critical square of d6, a square which is key for both White and Black( to blockade the mighty passed pawn for Black and to evict the blockader for White). And if in turn Black establishes a strong blockade on d6 it also means that White's King cannot be used more efficiently from d4. Just Imagine a situation in which White wins the b-pawn instead of a-pawn: this would be immediately fatal for Black as White's King would march onward to c5 and further up the board and wreak havoc. So, in this position the b6-pawn is a vital link in Black's position which is acting like a dam against White's King. So in some ways, White does not even need to win the b-pawn but instead merely coax Black to push it forward one square to b5! This is perhaps all White needs in this position as illustrated by the following line.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">34. Nc3!! b5 35. Kc5 Kd7 36. Kb6! Nb7 37. Ne4 with a winning advantage</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAd667QXH4iQwBFyNDD50yZj8WjEEw-xvMGm9h-H9jWQA1-_lnx5rtq336IOp1y7yjBXUoKJUNy9O396C1HDK0lfYrV2G9i_q4sOYLOT0k4XpA9OhUD9RxlDQ369hf04xmHUUFQfb6qjI/s1600/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252837.Ne4%252B-%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAd667QXH4iQwBFyNDD50yZj8WjEEw-xvMGm9h-H9jWQA1-_lnx5rtq336IOp1y7yjBXUoKJUNy9O396C1HDK0lfYrV2G9i_q4sOYLOT0k4XpA9OhUD9RxlDQ369hf04xmHUUFQfb6qjI/s320/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252837.Ne4%252B-%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This position deserves a diagram. The visual effect clearly shows the decisive role played by the activity of the King!<br />
<br />
If Instead Black decides to answer <span style="color: magenta;">34. Nc3 with Kd6 35. Ne4+ Ke7 36.Ke5 b5 37. g4 Nb7 38.d6+ </span>with a huge advantage again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0ABXU-M2Lq94TYHo-87o6FHKWqixpn4UEcAB2pX0wazY3KxTeItG-gvRpR5oi1zp1arOa7AmiC-AUDuD0YIw5vXi_hgkDQSPEym0sgDyQKMpvOmKmwpOXFNUkpbhJyzfIyF1gZnrBNmO/s1600/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252838.d6%252B%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0ABXU-M2Lq94TYHo-87o6FHKWqixpn4UEcAB2pX0wazY3KxTeItG-gvRpR5oi1zp1arOa7AmiC-AUDuD0YIw5vXi_hgkDQSPEym0sgDyQKMpvOmKmwpOXFNUkpbhJyzfIyF1gZnrBNmO/s320/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252838.d6%252B%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Another position from a line, which I feel deserves a diagram. Note that the King conquers more dark squares, only this time on the other side!<br />
<br />
These 2 positions led me to ponder, <i>Isn't ( Positional)Chess a constant trade off between control of and Relinquishment of Squares on every move?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Let us get back to the game continuation:-<br />
<br />
<b>34. Nc7 Kd6 35. Na6 Nb7 </b> and already we reach the next and perhaps the decisive moment in the game.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9dMj7vX5BmHNebSN8tjchIKLQzS2J6zfoxUonnfZEI-bC6W84cZQZjluAl2XTkZAq5G1L9kUgk8Mk7VfFFTXL6DIPA7GTM7nwwzyOwJo6Hzxls2vAM5ilo4GyL-I3ja00TFFeYWeU57S/s1600/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252835...Nb7%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9dMj7vX5BmHNebSN8tjchIKLQzS2J6zfoxUonnfZEI-bC6W84cZQZjluAl2XTkZAq5G1L9kUgk8Mk7VfFFTXL6DIPA7GTM7nwwzyOwJo6Hzxls2vAM5ilo4GyL-I3ja00TFFeYWeU57S/s320/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252835...Nb7%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Here White nonchalantly continued with <b>36.g4? </b>which might even be the decisive mistake after which a win no longer exists according to Vishnu. First of all it is a bit weird to fix the pawns on a light square while having the light squared Bishop, but perhaps White completely relaxed here and missed the simple response <b>36....g5! </b> which not only fixes the g-pawn on a light square, but also the pawn on f3. However, I do not think that the Good/Bad Bishops is a relevant factor here. I feel the key to this position is control of dark squares and White needs to keep a path ( on dark squares) open to his King's conquest. So, by retaining the pawn on g2, White could have manoeuvred his Knight to e3, and then continued with f4-g4 and g5, which would inturn secure the e5-square for his King. And this would definitely retain winning chances in the position.<br />
<br />
So, the right move was <span style="color: magenta;">36. Nb4! Bd7 37. Nc2 Ke7 38.Ne3 Nd6 39.f4! followed by g4-g5 and Ke5.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
After <b>36....g5 </b>the game carried on with<b> 37.</b> <b>Nb4 Bd7 38.Nc2</b> and so on. Here instead White had an interesting attempt to play for a win with<br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">38. Nc6!?</span> according to Vishnu and he analyses some fine lines. I liked two resulting positions which are fortresses indicated here below as diagrams!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mrFMO2rBxqr61JPJeVn11JbvVlCUinU0A-ixoFDOcMeUXf3hY6IpLb-feXyLVWUGvLEuTUfNl83Bns7COJReROVkAo430-K2-ktKl3D3JEUD4LyNOU3NDP81qAoONhXiZvMcGvlR0Y_S/s1600/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252843...Nd6%252B%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mrFMO2rBxqr61JPJeVn11JbvVlCUinU0A-ixoFDOcMeUXf3hY6IpLb-feXyLVWUGvLEuTUfNl83Bns7COJReROVkAo430-K2-ktKl3D3JEUD4LyNOU3NDP81qAoONhXiZvMcGvlR0Y_S/s320/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252843...Nd6%252B%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3QOd9QTz-xv6UzJ1crs4OGQhZLW-EghdotkPdfm5l6whSujKwxnWLdAGGYQeCdR1oZFObs8RBJEVDFczYV6nMkXRNdpsZ2JNlXCv64pjkf7eoDK8s-S-dEVC2qJ_h3Zt0CvKhUVCrP90/s1600/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252842...Nc7%2521%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3QOd9QTz-xv6UzJ1crs4OGQhZLW-EghdotkPdfm5l6whSujKwxnWLdAGGYQeCdR1oZFObs8RBJEVDFczYV6nMkXRNdpsZ2JNlXCv64pjkf7eoDK8s-S-dEVC2qJ_h3Zt0CvKhUVCrP90/s320/Wang+Hao+-+Vachier+Lagrave+M+%252842...Nc7%2521%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
The first diagram is particularly pretty. the team work of the Knight on d6 and the pawns on f6 and b6 forming an unbreachable barricade to the White's King controlling all the key entry squares. In fact the Black King does not even have that big a role to play with such an impregnable formation of his other units! Also one has to bear in mind the role played by White's own pawn on d5, which blocks the way for his King via d5!<br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZD5kRzoEiRTtNFQfBcQntrlGz1qB6Rau5VVYmYNKpdXvQ10040usc8zZbIe3G9JN-T4V9OjIMXsR-uEaSvZ3xGCI_PUUFALO6oA3FllTNXicaekQ-SPiZIKgwkJuT0O0oQLjfNEcCiO-m/s1600/Kramnik+Vladimir+-+Grischuk+Alexander+%252856...Ke7%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZD5kRzoEiRTtNFQfBcQntrlGz1qB6Rau5VVYmYNKpdXvQ10040usc8zZbIe3G9JN-T4V9OjIMXsR-uEaSvZ3xGCI_PUUFALO6oA3FllTNXicaekQ-SPiZIKgwkJuT0O0oQLjfNEcCiO-m/s320/Kramnik+Vladimir+-+Grischuk+Alexander+%252856...Ke7%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><b style="background-color: white;">This is the final position of the second game of the Kramnik-Grischuk match, Kazan 2011 which illustrates the idea clearly!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>My musings about this very interesting game are as follows.</i></b></span><br />
<i><br /></i>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>1.The position of the King and its activity are one of the key aspects of the initial position.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>2. The King should not be content to reach d4, but should strive to march onward to c5-b6 or e5 as dictated by the needs of the position and opponent's moves</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>3. Colour complex is another key factor, in this instance White's control of dark squares is pivotal.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Or in Short, (Positional)Chess is a game of trade off between control of and relinquishment of squares on every move! .............</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"> Thanks to Sagar and Chessbase India, where I found the video.Here is a link to the video of <b>Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna's</b> invaluable commentary on the game.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h67gVtn_t9A&t=485s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h67gVtn_t9A&t=485s</a></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Here is the game below with detailed comments on a replayable board.</span><br />
<head>
<link href="https://pgn.chessbase.com/CBReplay.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/jquery-3.0.0.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/cbreplay.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"]
[Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"]
[Date "2020.03.23"]
[Round "6.4"]
[White "Wang Hao"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Sundararajan Kidambi,Vishnu Prasanna"]
[PlyCount "165"]
[EventDate "2020.03.17"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "The Week in Chess 1324"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2020.03.23"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.03.23"]
[SourceQuality "2"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 b6 11. h4 e6 12. h5 Qh4 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. f3 Bb7 15.
Qd2 cxd4 16. cxd4 Rfd8 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Bg5 Bf6 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21.
Qe3 Kg7 22. Kf2 Rh8 23. Rh1 Rxh1 24. Rxh1 Rh8 25. Rxh8 Kxh8 26. Qc3 Kg8 27. d5
Qxc3 28. Nxc3 Na5 29. Bd3 exd5 30. exd5 Kf8 31. Ke3 Ke7 32. Kd4 {With an
abundance of time at one's disposal these days, I came across an instructive
and thought provoking piece of analysis from an endgame which occurred in the
recent game Wang Hao-Vachier Lagrave in the candidates tournament. The author
(and my friend) Grand master Vishnu Prasanna is not only a gifted player and
trainer, but also a fine thinker! Looking at this fascinating game and
comments , triggered a variety of thoughts in approaching a chess position.-
Kidambi} Bc8 {position is deceptively simple, but White has a huge advantage
because of the fact that the knight on a5 is badly placed.-Vishnu This is the
position after Black's 32nd move Bc8. As Vishnu rightly points out in the
ChessBase India video, Black's main problem in this position is that his
Knight on a5 is out of play. Had it been on d6, the position would not at all
be bad for Black. But such small differences, sometimes as little as one tempo
can alter a position diametrically. They key factor in this position that
seems to determine White's advantage is the superior position and activity of
his King. White need not actually just be contended with the fact that his
King has reached a commanding post on d4, but can even strive to improve the
royal monarch's position by rolling a red carpet! Let us see how the game
continued: -Kidambi} 33. Nb5 a6 34. Nc7 $6 {Can there be anything in the world
with winning a pawn without any resistance? Well, if only things were that
simple! Here again Vishnu's explanation is crisp and efficient! His reasoning
is that Black trades off a pawn to improve the position of his Knight from a5.
Steinitz in his Modern Chess Instructor has put forward a view that Rook Pawns
are not qualitatively equal in strength to other pawns on the board as they
control only one square wherever they stand, relative to pawns that stand on
other files which control two! It may not have too much relevance here.
However I do feel that White's Knight moves too far away from the critical
square of d6, a square which is key for both White and Black( to blockade the
mighty passed pawn for Black and to evict the blockader for White). And if in
turn Black establishes a strong blockade on d6 it also means that White's King
cannot be used more efficiently from d4. Just Imagine a situation in which
White wins the b-pawn instead of a-pawn: this would be immediately fatal for
Black as White's King would march onward to c5 and further up the board and
wreak havoc. So, in this position the b6-pawn is a vital link in Black's
position which is acting like a dam against White's King. So in some ways,
White does not even need to win the b-pawn but instead merely coax Black to
push it forward one square to b5! This is perhaps all White needs in this
position as illustrated by the following line. - Kidambi} (34. Nc3 $3 b5 (34...
Kd6 35. Ne4+ Ke7 36. Ke5 b5 37. g4 Nb7 38. d6+ {I think White has a huge
advantage-Vishnu}) 35. Kc5 Kd7 36. Kb6 Nb7 37. Ne4 $18 {[#] Vishnu}) 34... Kd6
35. Nxa6 {The Knight being too far away from the critical square d6 from where
the Blockader needs to be evicted is an important feature of the position.
Perhaps, this outweighs the material consideration of a pawn here.- Kidambi}
Nb7 {By giving up the a-pawn Black has activated his N which was the chief
problem of his position.-Vishnu} {Here White nonchalantly continued with} 36.
g4 $2 {which might even be the decisive mistake after which a win no longer
exists according to Vishnu. First of all it is a bit weird to fix the pawns on
a light square while having the light squared Bishop, but perhaps White
completely relaxed here and missed the simple response g5! hich not only fixes
the g-pawn on a light square, but also the pawn on f3. However, I do not think
that the Good/Bad Bishops is a relevant factor here. I feel the key to this
position is control of dark squares and White needs to keep a path ( on dark
squares) open to his King's conquest. So, by retaining the pawn on g2, White
could have manoeuvred his Knight to e3, and then continued with f4-g4 and g5,
which would inturn secure the e5-square for his King. And this would
definitely retain winning chances in the position.- Kidambi A fundamental
error fixing the pawn on a light square-Vishnu} (36. Nb4 $1 Bd7 (36... Nc5 37.
Bb5 Bf5 (37... Bb7 38. Be8 Ke7 39. Bc6 Bc8 40. Nc2 Ba6 41. Ne3 {In the game
fortress existed mainly because White cannot force the exchange of Bishops or
achieve d5-d6.-Vishnu}) 38. g4 $1) 37. Nc2 Ke7 38. Ne3 Nd6 39. f4 $1 {
important move-Vishnu} Be8 40. g4 Bd7 41. g5 Be8 42. Ke5 {Black has too many
weaknesses in this position to save this-Vishnu}) 36... g5 $1 {After this,
there is perhaps no longer a win! -Vishnu} 37. Nb4 Bd7 38. Nc2 ({An
interesting winning attempt would be} 38. Nc6 $5 f6 39. Bb5 Be8 ({But the
critical move is} 39... Bxc6 $1 40. dxc6 (40. Bxc6 Nd8 41. Bb5 Nf7 42. Ke4 Ke7
43. a4 Nd6+ {looks like a fortress-Vishnu}) 40... Nc5 41. Ke3 Ne6 42. Ke4 Nc7
$1 {This fascinating position turns out to be a fortress.-Vishnu} 43. Bc4 Ne8
44. Kf5 Ke7 {The Knight has too many squares for instance a8,a6,c7 etc. The B
is not able to dominate it and Blacks King protects f6 whever it is
attacked-Vishnu}) 40. Na7 Bg6 41. Bc6 Nd8 42. Nb5+ Ke7 43. Nc3 {This isnt
really a fortress, White has good winning chances there.-Vishnu}) 38... Ke7 39.
Ne3 Nd6 $1 {Any attempt to make the right exchange is not possible, atleast
not without Black's cooperation.-Vishnu} 40. Nd1 (40. Nf5+ Nxf5+ 41. Bxf5 Ba4 {
White has no way to breach this fortress.-Vishnu}) 40... Ba4 41. Nf2 (41. Nc3
Bd7 42. a4 f6 43. Bb5 Nxb5+ 44. Nxb5 Bc8 {is really not giving any chances for
White because all White's pawns are fixed on light squares.-Vishnu}) 41... f6
42. Be2 Be8 43. Nd1 Ba4 44. Nb2 Be8 45. Bd1 Nb5+ 46. Kc4 Nc7 47. Bb3 Kd6 48.
Kd4 Nb5+ 49. Kd3 Nc7 50. Nc4+ Kc5 51. Nd2 Bb5+ 52. Ke4 Bd7 53. Nf1 Nb5 54. Ng3
Nd6+ 55. Ke3 f5 56. gxf5 Bxf5 57. Nxf5 Nxf5+ 58. Ke4 Nh4 59. Ba4 Kd6 60. Be8
Ng2 61. Bf7 Ne1 62. a4 Nc2 63. Be8 Ne1 64. Bb5 Ng2 65. Bc4 Nh4 66. Bf1 Kc5 67.
Bh3 Kd6 {This position reminds me of the second game Kramnik-Grischuk Kazan
Match 2011, where Sasha defended a position where he was a pawn down with a
stable knight blockade on d6!-Kidambi} 68. Be6 Ng6 69. Bf7 Nh4 70. Be8 Ng2 71.
Bb5 Nh4 72. Bd3 Kc5 73. Bf1 Kd6 74. Bh3 Ng6 75. Be6 Nh4 76. Bf7 Ke7 77. Bh5 Kd6
78. Bg4 Ng2 79. Kf5 Kxd5 80. Kxg5 Ke5 81. Kg6 Nf4+ 82. Kf7 Nd3 83. Ke7 1/2-1/2
</div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464496833730037496.post-6750299945469450262019-06-24T23:32:00.001-07:002019-06-25T02:14:45.162-07:00According to the wizard of Kozhikode<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<br />
After Murali's Queen sacrifice in Asian continental, another game featuring an even more spectacular Queen Sacrifice started making rounds across the internet chess audiences. This happened in a game between Grandmaster Mchedlishvili and International Master Rathnakaran in the ongoing 2nd Goa international chess tournament. I have been meeting Rathnakaran right from my junior days in various events. I can't remember even one occasion of not greeting me with a smile! A very pleasant and nice chap, but when it comes to Chess he becomes totally transformed. He could sacrifice many a material with utter disdain, but he would never take his eyes off your King for all his other niceties! As a player he is quite unique in modern Indian circles, as far as I know he is perhaps the only player who has no formal chess training, no deep study/preparation and a skill and understanding that is completely honed by self learning by playing tournament games as well as Blitz and Bullet online. So, nobody really knows how he perceives chess( not even himself!) and he lets his moves speak for him, When I came across his recent interview to Sagar Shah ( immediately after the game) I really enjoyed listening to it. Sagar has done a great job of making Rathnakaran speak a few things about the game which give a glimpse of whats happening behind the scenes in his mind! This was extremely interesting and I think it would benefit chess lovers at large, so I am discussing the game with some comments of my own. I also kept in mind not to interfere the artistic aspect of the game and have reduced my comments to the ones which are absolutely necessary and in a way not to obstruct the view of Rathnakaran's comments.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrp9Om1W3axJaTcAE2r6G_yjTbN6RD4gL7_LSgVaJc6D1G2haXRlUC7gHuxNmYjRqGdaqWnQtis9un5QL-WKzjgO1leeZXX7PBc5QnVXpJ93xSgGBl2AfSSSsNsDBImG27OuH0ZSVATWrE/s1600/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%25288.cxd5%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrp9Om1W3axJaTcAE2r6G_yjTbN6RD4gL7_LSgVaJc6D1G2haXRlUC7gHuxNmYjRqGdaqWnQtis9un5QL-WKzjgO1leeZXX7PBc5QnVXpJ93xSgGBl2AfSSSsNsDBImG27OuH0ZSVATWrE/s320/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%25288.cxd5%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We join the action after white's 8th move <b>cxd5. </b> All the games that reached this position earlier continued with the "normal" <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">8....Qxd5. </span>But Rathnakaran did not like the fact that White could take <span style="color: blue;">9.Bxf6 </span>and gain control of the f4-square for his Knight. Because of this he decided to play the incredible <b>8.....Nxd5!!</b> sacrificing his Queen for at the moment only one minor piece but holding the initiative. Knowing Rathnakaran I can be very sure that this was pure improvisation and a decision that he would take very naturally. Even then, as a spectator it still thrills me to see such flamboyance exhibited! The game continued with <b>9.Bxd8 Nxc3 10. Qb3 Nxe2!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN7QN38ONRQG1O6el1Ra6M2LHleV-p8Wi_R1NThU0HSkFSu3jNBIAiOiotW5lrJc7QDVgRaKni5VQx4cVnsibbWJ52Kz15YRyVmcvD4o9JSDWYuUGvOLZIx314r1kASIBPj95NRG2NPyW/s1600/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252810...Nxe2%252B%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN7QN38ONRQG1O6el1Ra6M2LHleV-p8Wi_R1NThU0HSkFSu3jNBIAiOiotW5lrJc7QDVgRaKni5VQx4cVnsibbWJ52Kz15YRyVmcvD4o9JSDWYuUGvOLZIx314r1kASIBPj95NRG2NPyW/s320/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252810...Nxe2%252B%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">As Rathnakaran points out he was considering not to take the pawn with <span style="color: blue;">10... Nb5 !?</span> in order to keep the Bishop on f1 shut. But he felt that taking a pawn was important and also more than that white's e-pawn can at a later point of time, drive away the Black's Knight(s) from the d4 square with an eventual e2-e3. The game continued with</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>11.Kd1 Ned4 12.Qe3 </b> and now Rathnakaran went for <b>12....Be6!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9TmfwivtCpSJqK4Mmy4NxBUKda8nJjNoUEl-bc2x5IVIb9fNlrpylIGsKFg5HwGCR08geK1JgaczIvw9dBCCCt2mOA67gUfUZyRhq-hvMh4v_zkZ3jg1YQUwUtn4jPmf81BDCdkXfQch/s1600/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252812...Be6%2521%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9TmfwivtCpSJqK4Mmy4NxBUKda8nJjNoUEl-bc2x5IVIb9fNlrpylIGsKFg5HwGCR08geK1JgaczIvw9dBCCCt2mOA67gUfUZyRhq-hvMh4v_zkZ3jg1YQUwUtn4jPmf81BDCdkXfQch/s320/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252812...Be6%2521%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">This is such a pretty move, Black is in absolutely no hurry to regain some material at all. Instead he simply focusses on bringing more pieces into play and retaining the coordination in developing an attack. At this moment Sagar asks why Rathnakaran didnt take back the piece on d8 with his King, to which he simply answers that it is passive! And the next question and answer actually was the highlight of the whole interview for me. Sagar says that White has lot of options and that Black has only one minor piece for the Queen, to which Rathnakaran's one word answer sums up everything " <i><span style="color: blue;">But King d1</span></i>"!!!! This to me is the summation of Rathnakaran's chess philosophy, <span style="color: blue;">Time over material and he never takes his eyes of the ultimate goal of chess-Checkmate!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">The game went on with <b>13.Bg5 h6 14. Bf6 gf6 15.Kc1 0-0-0 16.Bh3</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8TVTPLKSInKQ-96NjOkI0qmsWc3WJbzogCnTh0ZhF33wFvlaH8O-GxoXxJtklFw3qiL3PFNv3YwselHc_W9a9jvtWcZyKQlhBO5iQwi0h0bb-vU2VgQnu-WVB2TQFaHflvUZSA-XhgJb/s1600/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252816.Bh3%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8TVTPLKSInKQ-96NjOkI0qmsWc3WJbzogCnTh0ZhF33wFvlaH8O-GxoXxJtklFw3qiL3PFNv3YwselHc_W9a9jvtWcZyKQlhBO5iQwi0h0bb-vU2VgQnu-WVB2TQFaHflvUZSA-XhgJb/s320/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252816.Bh3%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">and here we perhaps come to the critical position of the whole concept behind this sacrifice. Here the game went <b>16...Bc5 </b>When discussing this position with Sandipan Chanda he pointed out to me that while he was watching the game live, he felt that this was the key moment where Black went wrong and most likely he missed White's response. Pondering over this position I considered the continuations <span style="color: blue;">16... Kb8, 16...Rd5, 16...Bc4 and 16...Ne5 </span>The details of the variations can be seen in the replayable version of the game I will be attaching towards the end. As Sandipan also pointed out after briefly checking with the engine Black's strongest continuations were <span style="color: magenta;">16...Kb8, 16...Ne5 and also 16...Ba5 </span>. In his opinion objectively Black lost the thread a little bit after allowing White to answer <b>16....Bc5 </b>with<b> 17.Bxf5! </b></span><b style="color: blue;"> </b><span style="color: blue;">the point being 17...Nb3 + fails to 18.Qb3 and the Bishop on e6 is pinned</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">. </span>A very interesting observation which happens time and again to every practical player! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The game went on with <b>17....Nxf5 18.Qxc5 Nxh4 19.gxh4 Rd4!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizE-0gBcXrdyBgTjXxsqsjhKnmmtrYveTI0WsSvKqeNks5jsoCCKtw4E_Yjp9CHB5RwkDccGczXOb0rAGPC27sZtdVjeGaZ6opWf0zmBjCmLXn_maz8tWAC4D7-l7DLF-9pv8Bu3aVL7Px/s1600/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252819...Rd4%2521%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizE-0gBcXrdyBgTjXxsqsjhKnmmtrYveTI0WsSvKqeNks5jsoCCKtw4E_Yjp9CHB5RwkDccGczXOb0rAGPC27sZtdVjeGaZ6opWf0zmBjCmLXn_maz8tWAC4D7-l7DLF-9pv8Bu3aVL7Px/s320/Mchedlishvilli+Mikheil+-+Rathnakaran+Kantholi+%252819...Rd4%2521%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">I like the brevity of Rathnakaran's comments here ala Bronstein. He says he felt that he had a minimum draw here. He says White's rooks are not connected and he has threats like Bg4 and Ne5( after doubling the rooks) and he only needs to take care of a7-pawn! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">There were of course lot more interesting moments which I give below in the repayable board. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I really liked the way the game went on and how Rathnakaran kept on adding fuel to his initiative and at the end even the strong and experienced Georgian GM has to concede defeat, which only shows the difficulty in defending such positions for anyone!</span><span style="background-color: white;">I have included all Comments of Rathnakaran and some of my own thoughts with some suggestions from Sandipan.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<link href="https://pgn.chessbase.com/CBReplay.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/jquery-3.0.0.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/cbreplay.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "2nd Goa GM"]
[Site "Antalya"]
[Date "2019.06.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Mchedlishvilli, Mikheil"]
[Black "Rathnakaran, Kantholi"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2609"]
[BlackElo "2338"]
[Annotator "Rathnakaran,Kidambi"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2013.11.26"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.06.19"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5 4. g3 Nf6 5. d4 e4 6. Nh4 d5 7. Bg5 Bb4 8. cxd5
Nxd5 $3 {With Rathnakaran one can be pretty sure this was over the board
improvisation! As Sagar also mentions in the interview.In comparison to
Karthikeyan's Queen Sacrifice, this is fundamentally different. First of all
Black wins only one minor piece for the moment, but keeps postponing winning
the second minor piece for as long as possible in order to hold on to the
initiative. Here the compensation is not square weakness, but the weak King of
the opponent. It lacks shelter throughout the game! A very dynamic factor
which is very well kept in control by Rathnakaran.-Kidambi} (8... Qxd5 9. Bxf6
gxf6 {I did not like Black.-f4 square is weak ( Rathnakaran)}) 9. Bxd8 Nxc3 10.
Qb3 {is forced-Rathnakaran} (10. Qc2 Nxd4 {Rathnakaran}) 10... Nxe2+ {This
doesnt look logical, but material is also important-Rathnakaran} (10... Nb5+
11. Kd1 Nbxd4 12. Qe3 {At some point Black's knight could be driven away from
d4 by e2-e3.} Be6 13. Bg5 {or} (13. Bxc7 {I am not sure ( Rathnakaran)})) 11.
Kd1 Nexd4 12. Qe3 Be6 $1 {After this White has so many options and you have
only one piece?( Sagar) But d1 King!!! ( Rathnakaran) Seriously, what courage!
Rathnakaran is not really counting pieces, but focussing only on the
opponent's King as he aptly points out in just one word!-Kidambi} (12... Kxd8 {
is passive( Rathnakaran)}) 13. Bg5 (13. Bxc7 Rc8 14. Bf4 O-O) 13... h6 14. Bf6
{Did you consider this?(Sagar) No, not at all. I was thinking what was on f6!?
(Rathnakaran)} gxf6 15. Kc1 O-O-O ({Kidambi-} 15... Rd8 $5 {With the idea of
not allowing White to capture f5 with check or get some threats along h3-c8.
But, ofcourse castling long was the most natural option}) 16. Bh3 Bc5 {Perhaps
as opined by Sandipan Black missed Whites next move. But only Rathnakaran can
tell what exactly happened. The downside of this move is that White is able to
simplify the position, especially exchange the minor pieces which were
completely offside. -Kidambi I considered a few different alternatives for
Black with the basic idea of maintaining all 4 minor pieces on the board. They
are} (16... Kb8 $5 17. Ng6 Nf3 18. Nxh8 Bd2+ 19. Qxd2 Rxd2 {The fact that
White's Rooks are not coordinated and that his pieces completely lack
coordination means that he cant hope to hold this position.}) (16... Rd5 $5 17.
Ng6 Rhd8 18. Nf4 Rc5+ 19. Kb1 {At the moment the Knight on f4 seems to hold
whites position from collapsing immediately.} Bf7 20. Rc1 Rxc1+ 21. Kxc1 Kb8 {
and despite exchange of one pair of rooks its not obvious how White is going
to release his position( especially the Rook on a1 and the King still remains
weak!)}) (16... Bc4 $5 17. Nxf5 (17. Qxe4 Rhe8 18. Bxf5+ Kb8 19. Qg4 Ne5 $1 $19
{Blacks pieces are swarming around the central squares and in the near future
around Whites King.}) (17. Bxf5+ Kb8 18. Bxe4 (18. Qxe4 Rhe8) 18... Rhe8 {
A look at the position is enough to observe the power radiated by the combined
effort of all Black's pieces. White is helpless.}) 17... Ne2+ 18. Kc2 (18. Qxe2
Bxe2 19. Nd4+ Kb8 20. Nxe2 {White is a pawn down and behind in development.})
18... Bd3+ 19. Kb3 Kb8 20. a3 Bd2 $1 {is another picture of domination!}) (
16... Ne5 $5 17. Rd1 c5 $1 {is another aesthetic picture. The way Black's
minor pieces dominate the centre and at the same time keep all of White's
pieces inactive is impressive.-Kidambi}) (16... Ba5 $1 {is also very strong.
Pointed out by Sandipan}) 17. Bxf5 $1 {In Sandipan's opinion Black probably
missed this idea, as no one would allow this if they had already seen it
coming.-Kidambi} Nxf5 (17... Rhe8 $5 {brining one more piece into play and for
the moment not letting the Knight on h4 into the game also came into
consideration.-Kidambi}) 18. Qxc5 Nxh4 (18... Nfd4 $5 {Again from strategic
point of view, not exchanging the White's knight which is stuck in the corner
for the central black knight came into consideration.But as always Rathnakaran
has his own truly original ideas!-Kidambi}) 19. gxh4 Rd4 $1 {I had a feeling I
had minimum draw. His Rooks are not connected. All my pieces are targetting
his K. There are lot of threats like Bg4 and Ne5. I only have to take care of
a7-P.(R)} 20. b3 Rhd8 21. Rb1 {Do you consider candidate moves like normal
players?(S) Difficult to say.... Very rarely!(R)} (21. Kb2 Rd2+ 22. Ka3 R8d5
23. Qf8+ Kd7 24. Qg7+ Ke8 25. Qh8+ Ke7) 21... Bg4 {First of all I wanted to
stop Rb2, but I do not know whether I am stopping it or not!( Laughs) . Also
stops Qh5. But it could be dubious because of Rg1( smiles)} 22. Kb2 {I would
think that White has got out of jail in this position. This might even be
objectively true, but the course of the game shows White is practically under
lot of pressure. Even quite a strong GM such as Mchedlishvilli can't survive
the renewed wave of attack that Rathnakaran unleashes.-Kidambi} Nb4 23. Ka1 b6
24. Qc3 c5 25. a3 (25. Qg3 Bf3 26. Rhc1) 25... Nd5 ({What about} 25... Rd3 26.
Qxf6 Nc2+ {(Sagar). The Queen will come to c6(Rathnakaran)}) 26. Qc1 h5 27. Rg1
Rd3 28. Qc4 Rd4 29. Qc1 Rd3 {Were you okay with draw at this point?(Sagar)
Yeah I could not calculate :-) (Rathnakaran)} 30. b4 Nc3 31. Qb2 Nxb1 $5 {
Rathnakaran takes a simple practical decision- Kidambi} (31... Be6 {As
suggested to Sagar in his online analysis by some viewers.} 32. Rbc1 Na4 {
White is getting counterplay( Rathnakaran). Perhaps Rathnakaran was in time
trouble as if we continue the line for a few moves White appears defenceless.}
33. Qxf6 Rxa3+ 34. Kb1 Ba2+ 35. Kc2 cxb4 $1 {Another gorgeous position!-Kidambi
}) 32. Rxb1 Rf3 33. bxc5 Rdd3 34. Qb5 {Now I think its almost over(
Rathnakaran) because of the 2 Rooks and the Bishop and the a1-K} Rxa3+ 35. Kb2
Bd7 36. Qc4 Ra4 37. Qg8+ Kb7 38. Rd1 Rxf2+ {First I create a passed and pawn
and am gaining some time!(Rathnakaran)} 39. Kb3 Rf3+ 40. Kb2 Rb4+ 41. Kc1 Rc3+
42. Kd2 Rxc5 43. Ke1 Ba4 {Rathnakaran uses the dynamics of all the resources
in the position with great efficiency and beauty!-Kidambi} 44. Qf7+ Rc7 45.
Qd5+ Bc6 46. Qxh5 Rg7 47. Rd6 Rb2 {(Sagar)- Do you think this was your best
game so far. (Rathnakaran)- Practically, yes!} 0-1
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
Here is a link to the wonderful interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvkYfqK3VLg&feature=youtu.be<br />
<br />
I like to sum up the above game thus:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: blue;">1.I feel this is a very different type of Queen Sacrifice( albeit with the same material compensation) compared to the Firouzja-Karthikeyan game.</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>2.Here the compensation is very dynamic and depends wholly on the weak king of the opponent. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><b>3.Pawn structure does not play as big a role as in the other game.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><b>4.The coordination and cooperation among the attacking units is a telling factor.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><b>5.And if I may borrow Capa's expression, 'Direct attack En Masse' seems to be the order of the day!</b></span><br />
<br />
For non Indian readers who do not know Rathnakaran, I can recommend Parimarjan Negi's wonderful column in 2 different issues of New in Chess Magazine namely 2015/3 and 2016/8. He discusses 2 of his games against Rathnakaran ( Delhi 2007 and Mangalore 2008) and also one of Rathnakaran's games against Sethuraman ( Bhopal 2013).<br />
<br />
To conclude I offer one of the most fascinating positions I have ever seen from the wizard of Kozhikode.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQb1Mm7fnG1G5c_luXGExE6AP_X3KiXLCulWyQ2lE9uzz5A8zkOTXD1AAQ5_vJb6Tax0wYt6_45zk-R5m4DRtUue96_wP6rszyAuXy5a8HdSBTV-skCBKhBCv_8FUoC5NUYWqjkgNYES1/s1600/Rathnakaran+K+-+Karthikeyan+P2+%252854...Qa8%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQb1Mm7fnG1G5c_luXGExE6AP_X3KiXLCulWyQ2lE9uzz5A8zkOTXD1AAQ5_vJb6Tax0wYt6_45zk-R5m4DRtUue96_wP6rszyAuXy5a8HdSBTV-skCBKhBCv_8FUoC5NUYWqjkgNYES1/s320/Rathnakaran+K+-+Karthikeyan+P2+%252854...Qa8%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This is the final position of his drawn game ( he is white) against Grandmaster P.Karthikeyan in the National Championship 2018. Interested readers can check this game on line, to me this is beyond words and explanations! I thank Sagar for the interview, Sandipan for his comments and Satyapragyan for turning my attention towards the game while it was happening!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sundararajan Kidambihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420045022135338225noreply@blogger.com0