‘To withdraw is not to run away’
(Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote)
Black is not allowed to castle. What is the winning move for White?
1. Bd5-e4!!
This finesse, attacking the knight while keeping an eye on the bishop, wins a piece.
1. … Bc6xe4
If 1…f6 2.Rxe5+ fxe5 3.Bxc6+ wins the house.
2. Ra5xe5+ Ke8-d7
3. Re5xe4+−
Spoelman,Wouter
Krasenkow,Michal
Hilversum 2009 (7)
In this complex position, where both kings are under attack, it is not easy to remain in control and find the winning move.
White played the enthusiastic 32.Rxf6+? but was unable to gain more than a draw after 32…Kxf6 33.Qh6+ Kf7 34.Qh7+ Kf8 35.Qh8+ Kf7 36.Qe8+ Kg7 37.Re7+ Rxe7 38.Qxe7+ Kg6 39.Qxa3 Qf1+ 40.Ka2 Qc4+ 41.Kb1 41.Qb3 Qa6+ is still a perpetual. 41…Qf1+ 42.Ka2 Qc4+ 43.Qb3 Qa6+ 44.Qa3.
32. Re1-e5!!
White coolly builds up his attack with the threat of 33.Rxf6+ and 34.Qg5+.
32. … Qb5-b4
32…Ra1+ does not achieve anything: 33.Kxa1 Qa6+ 34.Kb1 Rxb2+ 35.Kxb2 (35.Qxb2? Qxf1+ 36.Ka2 fxe5) 35…Qb5+ 36.Kc3 Qc4+ 37.Kd2 Qd4+ 38.Ke2 Qxe5+ 39.Qe3+−.
33. Rf1xf6+! Kf7xf6
34. Qc1-g5+
The queen + rook duo gives White an unstoppable attack.
34. … Kf6-f7
35. Qg5-h5+ Kf7-f6
35…Kg7 36.Rg5+ Kf8 37.Qh6+ Ke8 38.Qe6+ Kd8 39.Rg8+ Kc7 40.Rc8+ Kb6 41.Rxc6+ Kb5 42.Qxd5++−.
36. Qh5-h8+! Kf6-f7
36…Rg7 37.Rf5+ Ke6 38.Qh6+ Kd7 39.Qxg7++−; 36…Kg6 37.Qg8++−.
37. Qh8-e8+ Kf7-f6
37…Kg7 38.Rg5++−.
38. Re5-e6+ Kf6-g5
39. Qe8-h5+ Kg5-f4
40. Qh5-f5#
B – Intermediate moves
An intermediate or in-between move (also called ‘Zwischenzug’) interposes itself in the flow of a forced series of moves3. For example, the players are involved in a series of exchanges; then one of the players introduces a new threat right in the middle of the series. It does not stop the exchanging process, but it slightly modifies the position. Such moves, which frequently cause a slight but decisive alteration of the position, we call intermediate or in-between moves.
Take another situation, say in economics. A farmer sells strawberries to a supermarket. The intermediary (i.e. the supermarket) will make certain slight modifications, like wrapping the strawberries in plastic, and will then sell them in shopping centres. Frequently in such cases we can notice that although the product is nearly the same, the price is often quite different!
Here is a characteristic example from chess.
Prins,Lodewijk
Lehmann,Heinz
Leipzig Olympiad 1960 (11)
White is in a desperate situation.
1. … Rg2-g6??
Black could have won easily with 1…Ke7! 2.Rf3 Rg6+ 3.Kxb7 Rf6.
2. c5-c6+!
The devil is in the detail!
2. … b7xc6
3. Rf6xf2 Kd7-d6
4. Rf2-d2+ Kd6-e5
5. Rd2-c2
And the draw was agreed, as White will take the c- and then the a-pawn: 5…Kd5 (5…c5+6.Kxc5=) 6.Rc5+ Kd4 7.Rxc6.
A great escape by Lodewijk Prins.4
Berczes,Csaba
Banusz,Tamas
Zalakaros 2010 (5)
Black is better, because the pawns are stronger than the knight, but White has a trick that gives him an attack.
1. Ng4-h6+!! g7xh6
2. Rb7-b8+
2. … Kg8-h7??
An unfortunate try to keep the material.
Black could have got a draw with the defensive Zwischenzug 2…Bc8! 3.Rxc8+ Kh7 and now the most accurate is 4.Kf3=.
3. Rb8-h8+ Kh7-g6
4. Rh8xh6+
And after 5.Bc1+ mate will follow.
Kavutskiy,Konstantin
Wang,Philip Xiao
Century City 2010 (5)
1. Rb5-b6?
1.Kc2! would have won by one tempo: 1…Ba1 1…Be5 is now impossible because of 2.Rxe5. 2.Rb6 Be5 3.Kd3 Ke7 4.Ke4 Bd6 5.Kd5
1. … Bc3-e5
Allowing Black to capture the pawn just in time.
2. Kc1-d2 Kf6-e7
3. Kd2-d3 Be5-d6
4. Kd3-e4 Ke7xe6
½-½
McNab,Colin
Brunello,Sabino
Edinburgh rapid 2007 (1.1)
There followed 1.Qf5? cxd4 and ultimately Black, a pawn up, won the game.
What White missed was:
1. Ng4-h6+!! g7xh6
1…Kh8 2.Qg4 Qe7 3.dxe5 fxe5 4.Bxe5!+−.
2. Qf4-g4+
An intermediate move which protects the rook.
2. … Kg8-h8
3. d4xe5 Qd8-c8
4. e5xf6!+−
The last Zwischenzug, winning on the spot. After 4…Qxg4 5.f7+ Re5 6.Bxe5+ Qg7 7.Bxg7+ Kxg7 8.Ra1! White collects a piece.
Saric,Ivan
Malisauskas,Vidmantas
Novi Sad Ech-tt 2009 (3)
In the game, White went for a draw with 1.Qg7+? Ke6 2.Qe7+ Kf5 3.Qh7+ Kxf4 4.Qh6+ Kf5 5.Qh7+.
The winning sequence included two in-between moves:
1. Qg4-d7+ Kf7-g6
2. f4-f5+!
Closing the first emergency exit.
2. … Qe4xf5
3. Qd7-g7+ Kg6-h5
4. g2-g4+!
And closing the second one.
4. … Qf5xg4
5. Qg7-h7#
A beautiful mating sequence.
Tal,Mikhail
NN
Leipzig simul 1958
Here’s a celebrated example from a simultaneous exhibition. In this position, probably the result of a Dragon Sicilian, the black king is still in the centre. Black has no advantageous retreat after
1. g4-g5
So he went for an in-between operation with
1. … Rh8xh1
1…Nh5 is much better for White, with his well-centralized position and safer king: 2.Nb3 Qd8 3.Bd4±.
Tal was ready for the intermediaries contest, and replied:
2. g5xf6!!
Black followed up on his idea and probably felt he was winning after
2. … Rh1xd1+
only to be surprised by the great move
3. Nc3xd1! Qa5xd2
White has only a knight to match Black’s queen and rook, but he is completely winning after the consistent
4. f6xg7!
Black is now unable to parry the threat of promotion with mate in one and the attack on the queen.
Rossetto,Hector
Sherwin,James
Portoroz Interzonal 1958 (12)
One of the main characteristics of in-between moves is that they tend to provoke chain reactions. When a player interposes an intermediate move, his opponent will often also play one in reply. Here the perilous position of White’s bishops was tested by the obvious
1. … Ra1-b1
It seems that White can save the bishop with an intermediate move:
2. Bb4xd6
But Black counters with his own intermediate move:
2. … f4-f3+!
3.Kxf3 Rxb3+4.Kg2exd6−+.
The desperado
The desperado is a special type of in-between move. When it is a piece’s destiny to be captured, it may make sense to turn it into a sacrifice to create inconveniences for the opponent. Before disappearing, like the heroes in Sam Peckinpah’s westerns, the doomed piece brings chaos in the enemy camp.
White has two attacked pieces: the bishop on c3 and the queen on h3. The bishop will be lost, so like a real desperado, instead of accepting the inevitable he takes out his gun and wreaks havoc:
1. Bc3-a5!
With a typical desperado move, the condemned piece, instead of passively giving up, sacrifices itself in order to kill as many men as possible in the process! Here this is the only winning idea, but it is quite sufficient.
The ‘norma
l’ follow-up would have been 1.Nxf6+ Qxf6
Analysis diagram
2.Qh4 2.Bxd4!, another desperado, is better, with equality 2…Qxh4 3.gxh4 dxc3 with a big advantage to Black.
1. … Qd8-e7
A) After the sequence 1…Bxh3 2.Bxd8 Bxg2 (2…Bxd8 3.Bxh3) 3.Nxf6+ Kg7 4.Be7 Bc6 5.Bxf8+ White is winning. Notice that the condemned bishop has killed queen and rook before accepting its inevitable fate;
B) On 1…Qxa5 2.Nxf6+ Kg7 3.Qh4 wins, as does 3.Nxh5+ gxh5 4.Qxh5 with 5.Rxd4 to follow.
2. Ne4xf6+ Qe7xf6
3. Qh3-h4 Qf6xh4
4. g3xh4+−
Miles,Anthony
Comp Deep Thought
Long Beach 1989 (1)
The English player Tony Miles was a kind of desperado by his behaviour and his unpredictable results. He once surprised Karpov, the reigning World Champion, by replying to 1.e4 with the suicidal 1…a6 – and won, of course. In a famous tournament played in the Netherlands, he suffered back pains, continued the tournament lying on a stretcher… and won it.
During the following game, in a desperado contest Miles defied an opponent who was not known for being timorous either. Both sides played according to the same motto: take no prisoners.
1. d2-d4 d7-d5
2. c2-c4 d5xc4
3. e2-e4 Ng8-f6
4. Nb1-c3 e7-e5
5. Ng1-f3 e5xd4
6. Qd1xd4 Bf8-d6
7. Bf1xc4 0-0
8. Bc1-g5 Nb8-c6
9. Qd4-d2 h7-h6
10. Bg5-h4 Bc8-g4!
11. 0-0-0
11.Qe3 was wiser, but prudence was never the main virtue of the Englishman.
Black now launches an ultra-violent sequence beginning with
11. … Bg4xf3!
The in-between move 12.Bxf6 Qxf6, followed by a second: 13.Nd5, is not better due to 13…Qh4 14.gxf3 Ne5 15.Be2 Rad8, for example: 16.Kb1 c6 17.Ne3 Qxf2.
12. g2xf3
The beginning of a tactical flurry, from which the program will emerge as the winner.
12. … Nf6xe4!
After this move, Miles is used as punching-bag by the machine. In Chester Himes’s novel If trouble was money the heroes and victims are happily singing ‘If trouble was money, I would be a millionaire’5.
The attacked queen could try to commit suicide in desperado fashion with the inventive 13.Qxh6!?, but according to our computer-supported analysis, Black keeps the edge after the typical desperado sequence 13…gxh6 14.Bxd8 Nxf2 15.Rhg1+ Kh7 16.Bf6 Rg8 17.Rdf1 (17.Bxf7 Nxd1 18.Bxg8+ Rxg8 19.Rxg8 Kxg8 20.Kxd1 Kf7 21.Ne4 Bxh2) 17…Rxg1 18.Rxg1 Rg8 19.Rxg8 Kxg8 20.Bh4 Ne5 21.Be2 Nfd3+ 22.Kc2 Nf4.
13. Bh4xd8 Ne4xd2
14. Bd8xc7!
Another excellent in-between move, but Black rises to the occasion with a final and decisive desperado.
14. … Bd6xh2!
15. Bc7xh2 Nd2xc4
with a decisive advantage, and ultimately a win in the endgame.
Shirov,Alexey
Svidler,Peter
Foros 2008 (10)
The position looks equal because of the mutual weaknesses (c4 and e6) and also the material on the board (only major pieces gives drawish tendencies). Svidler plays with fire and provokes a volcanic reaction, at his own expense, with the impatient:
24. … b7-b5?
Black looks for a general liquidation, exploiting the pin on the c-file. 24…b6, for example, was more solid, with a very slight plus for White.
25. Re4-h4!
A classical Zwischenzug; before taking the pawn White threatens mate.
25. … h7-h6
26. a4xb5 Qb4xb5
27. Rh4xh6
If Black takes the rook, White gives a Zwischenschach on g6, saving his queen while retaining the option of taking Black’s. After
27. … Qb5-f5
Black had to play a pawn-down ending and eventually lost.
Krasilnikov
Beckmann
corr. 1974/75
White has just taken on d6, and Black resigned here, having calculated the deadly consequences of
1. … e7xd6
2. Be4-c6+ Ke8-d8/f8
3. Qe2-e8#
It appears that Black’s decision to resign was premature. Can you spot why?
1…Bc3+!!
Analysis diagram
After this intermediate check it is White who has to resign. The variation is very simple: 2.bxc3 exd6 3.Bc6++ Kf8 4.Qe8+ Kg7 With the vacation of this escape square for Black’s king, White’s attack ends and so should the game.
On quiet moves as well as intermediate moves, we advise the reader to consult the remarkable articles by Mark Dvoretsky named The Instructor on the website ChessCafe.com, which are a constant source of inspiration for many players and trainers all over the world.
C – Alignment
Most chess moves are made along vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines. It is useful to pay attention when several pieces are on the same line, because this is a potential motif for combinations. This is even more important when the king and the queen are involved.
Gelbmann,Norbert
Gyimesi,Zoltan (variation)
Siofok jr 1996 (1)
White’s position looks awkward in spite of his big material advantage (two pieces up). There is a threat of mate on h4 or h3, and should White’s rook move in order to make luft for the king, then Black could give mate on g2. 1.Qf4 might be considered, but after QxQ, Black is winning.
So we should reconsider the position, in order to find motifs that could help White escape, i.e. tactical factors that might work against Black. Can you see a glimmer of hope? The only favourable factor for White is that the black king and queen are aligned on the same vertical, the g-file, which is also occupied by the g1 rook. That said, it is still necessary to get rid of the two g-pawns.
Hence the only defence – and also the winning move – is
1. Qc1-h6!! g7xh6
1…Be4 2.Qh2 Qxh2+ 3.Kxh2 Bxc2 4.Nxd8+−.
2. g2xf3
This example is quoted from Martin Weteschnik’s interesting book Understanding Chess Tactics (Quality Chess 2006). The author states that the lining-up of several pieces (two or more) is always a significant factor, regardless how many obstacles may stand between them.
Acs,Peter
Kortchnoi,Viktor
Ohrid Ech 2001 (3)
Viktor Kortchnoi notices that White’s king and queen are standing on the same line. He seizes the occasion and trades the menacing rook by
1. … Qf6xg5??
The winning move was suggested by Jacob Aagaard in Chess Defense (Quality Chess): 1…Rf8!! Attack is the best form of defence. 2.hxg6 2.Rxg6 is the same. 2…Qa1+ 3.Kg2 Rxf2+ 4.Qxf2 Rxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Qd4+ and wins.
2. Qg3xg5 g6xh5
Alas for Black, his own pieces are also involved in an alignment:
3. Ra7-a8!
Black resigned because after 3.Ra8 Rg4+ 4.Qxg4 hxg4 5.Rxg8+ Kxg8 6.a4 the pawn promotion cannot be averted.
Short,Nigel
Timman,Jan
London 2008 (2)
Once you notice the alignment of the two queens, you will tend to look at possible combinations involving the knights.
After a long think, Short played 1.Qb3 and White retained some advantage, but lost in the end. But
1. Ne4-d6!!
threatening 2.Nxc6+, was winning
1. … c7xd6
1…Qxd6 2.Nf7+.
2. Ne5xc6+ Kd8-d7
3. Nc6xb8+
‘The magnificent knight move works because the rook is so badly placed on b8 (…) The fact that this combination was found at all has nothing to do with candlelight or traditional English breakfasts, but with a contemporary phenomenon: the computer. It is doubtful whether a human being would have found it’ (Timman in New In Chess 2008/7).
Let’s hope our readers will be able to contradict this assumption.
Gomes Filhojose
Neto,Carolina
Rio de Janeiro 1942
Black can expose the fundament
al defects of White’s position – an annoying pin and the dubious position of his king – in two ways, which lead to one and the same position.
1. … Rh8-g8!!
Bringing the rook on the same file as the white king. Now …Nh4 followed by …g7-g5 is inevitable.
1…Nh4+!! first amounts to the same.
2. c2-c3 Ng6-h4+!
3. g3xh4 g7-g5!
4. Rf1-g1 Bh5xf3+
Or first 4…gxh4+.
5. Qe2xf3 g5xh4+
6. Kg2-h2
In the event of 6.Qg4 Rxg4+ 7.hxg4 Qxf2+ 8.Kh1 Qf3+ 9.Kh2 Be3 wins.
6. … Qf6xf3
7. Rg1xg8+ Ke8-e7
8. Rg8xa8
8.Rg7 was hopeless: 8…Rf8 9.Rf1 Bxf2−+.
8. … Qf3xf2+
9. Kh2-h1 Qf2-f3+
10. Kh1-h2 Qf3-g3+
11. Kh2-h1 Qg3xh3#
The English author John Nunn pointed out in his book Secrets of Practical Chess that all moves with pieces played along a line controlled by the opponent are very difficult to see when no material is taken.
Here are some examples involving such vertical intrusions.
Andersson,Ulf
Mestel,Jonathan
London MD 1982 (13)
In this game, Black played the rook to d5 and lost eventually. There was an instant win with a pretty rook move:
1. … Rd8-d2!
2. Rd1xd2 Qg3xe1+
3. Kg1-h2 Bg7-e5+
4. g2-g3 Qe1xd2+
Invisible Chess Moves Page 3