Invisible Chess Moves

by Emmanuel Neiman

  1. … h7-h5!!

  With the idea of hiding the king on h7 after the pawn exchange. Then the g-file is available for the black rooks to invade White’s king position.

  1…Qa3 was played in the game, and after 2.Qd2 f5 3.gxf5 White obtained attacking chances against the black king: 3…gxf5 4.exf5 Rg7+ 5.Kh2 Qxf3 5…Bxf5!. 6.Rg1.

  2. g4xh5 g6xh5

  3. Kg3-h2 Qa4-a3

  With a clear advantage to Black.

  C – Unexpected exchanges

  Another important positional principle concerns exchanging operations. The art of trading the right pieces is an indispensable weapon in the armoury of a chess player. When the game begins, experienced players know already that in a given opening, a certain minor piece will prove superior to the others, as for instance the ‘good’ bishop in many positions.

  Böhm,Hans

  Kortchnoi,Viktor

  Moscow 1975 (12)

  1. d2-d4 Ng8-f6

  2. c2-c4 g7-g6

  3. Nb1-c3 d7-d5

  4. Ng1-f3 Bf8-g7

  5. c4xd5 Nf6xd5

  6. Bc1-d2 0-0

  7. e2-e4 Nd5-b6

  8. Bd2-e3 Bc8-g4

  9. Bf1-e2 Bg4xf3

  10. g2xf3 Qd8-d7

  11. h2-h4 Nb8-c6

  In such a position, the prominent minor piece on both sides is the dark-squared bishop. Both the white and the black dark-squared bishop influence both wings, and both are essential for attacking as well as defensive purposes, whatever the scenario according to which the game may progress. Such a minor piece is roughly as strong as a rook in most cases.

  12. d4-d5! Nc6-e5?

  12…Na5 was forced, with an edge for White.

  White now played 13.Qb3, discarding without any calculation the ‘ridiculous’ 13.Bxb6, which exchanges a dominant bishop for a badly-placed knight3. This respect for principles honours the two players (Kortchnoi, fighting with Karpov for the chess crown in those days, obviously did not consider the possibility of the exchange). It clearly demonstrates their knowledge, but also a certain tactical casualness, because after the exchange on b6, 14.f4 wins a piece!

  13. Be3xb6 a7xb6

  14. f3-f4

  Black can try to put up some resistance with

  14. … Ne5-c6!

  15. d5xc6 Bg7xc3+!

  16. b2xc3 Qd7xc6

  attacking c3 and c4, but after the cool

  17. Qd1-d3 Rf8-d8

  18. Qd3-e3 Ra8-a3

  19. Rh1-h3

  White has a big advantage, and must be winning.

  Another story on the same theme, where Black forgets about the possible exchange of the ‘sacred’ dark-squared bishop.

  Ye Rongguang

  Van Wely,Loek

  Antwerp 1997 (2)

  1. d2-d4 Ng8-f6

  2. Ng1-f3 g7-g6

  3. Bc1-g5 Bf8-g7

  4. Nb1-d2 0-0

  5. e2-e3 d7-d6

  6. Bf1-c4 c7-c5

  7. c2-c3 b7-b6?

  This is a good positional idea, but it contains a serious tactical flaw.

  7…d5 or 7…Nbd7 were fine for Black.

  8. Bg5xf6! Bg7xf6

  9. Bc4-d5+−

  And White won.

  Gheorghiu,Florin

  Wirthensohn,Heinz

  Biel 1982 (1)

  In this position from the English Opening, the black pieces are invading the centre while White is counting on the long diagonal and his initiative on the c-file to keep the advantage.

  Grandmaster Gheorghiu demonstrated his manoeuvring abilities after 1.Na4 and ground down his opponent with his superior strategic strength. Simpler would have been the win of a piece by

  1. Bg2xd5!

  After 1.Na4 Black is slightly better according to the programs.

  1. … Be6xd5

  2. e2-e3 Nd4-e6

  2…Be6 is better, with a clear advantage for White after 3.exd4 Qxd4 4.Qc2; or 2…Bf7 3.exd4 Qxd4 4.Qc2 Rfd8 5.Na4 Qxd3 6.Qxd3 Rxd3 7.Nc5±.

  3. e3-e4 f5xe4

  4. d3xe4

  The bishop is trapped in the middle of the board. True, the fianchetto bishop in this type of position has a huge influence on the play as it is the main defender of the king and it is very active along the diagonal. But is it worth two pieces?

  A similar possibility occurred in a game between two high-level players.

  Kamsky,Gata

  Tiviakov,Sergey

  Daugavpils 1986 (9)

  Kamsky played the natural

  15. Ne2-d4?

  This blunder has been recorded in 17 games, mostly at a high level.

  15. … Bg7xd4!

  16. Be3xd4 e7-e6

  17. Nd5-e3 e6-e5

  18. Bd4-a7 Rb8-b7

  The bishop is trapped. Black wins a piece and the game, even though Kamsky fought on till the 68th move!

  One must admire Tiviakov’s clear-headedness. 13 years later, Matthew Sadler, member of the world elite, was content with 15…Bb7 with equality and later on Slobodj an-Sadler, Germany Bundesliga 1998/99, ended in a draw.

  D – Unusual position of a piece

  Another positional dogma concerns the role of the chess pieces. For every piece there is an ‘ideal’ situation, for instance a strong central square for the knight or the seventh (second) rank for the rook. There are also ‘nightmarish’ situations. Many rules prescribe that you should not lock in your bishop with your own pawns, or bring out the queen too early; not put knights or rooks on a fianchetto square, etcetera.

  The analysis of the following game and the interview with Kramnik (from New In Chess Magazine 2007/8) enable us to understand this type of blindness a little better.

  Krarrmik,Vladimir

  Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar

  Moscow 2007 (8)

  The position is favourable for White, thanks to the superior position of his Queen+Knight duo: ready to attack the black king which is still in the centre. If unassailable by enemy forces, such a centralized knight can display considerable power.

  For the moment, the white rook is attacked. Where should we put it? Kramnik played 17.Rd1.

  The best of all possible lines would have been:

  17. Ra1-b1! Ra8-b8

  18. d5xc6 Qd8-d4

  19. Qg4-d7+ Qd4xd7

  20. c6xd7+ Ke8xd7

  All this was analysed by the Russian player during the game, but in his calculations he did not foresee that after 21.Nc5+ Kc6 22.Na4! wins on the spot.

  ‘For a classical player like me it was difficult to transfer my knight in two moves from e4 to a4’, wrote Kramnik.

  Another case of a ‘knight on the rim’ is the following:

  Karpov,Anatoly

  Yusupov,Artur

  Moscow ch-URS 1983 (3)

  The black pieces look menacing, but White can parry all threats with great accuracy. He has to play some quite unnatural moves with his king, queen and rook!

  38. Kh2-g3!

  Best, even though it requires strong nerves and perfect calculation.

  38. … f5xg4

  39. Kg3xh4

  The king is now the most advanced white piece – not always a great achievement when queens are still on the board.

  39. … g4xh3

  40. f2-f4 Qa6-e6

  41. Qd1-h5!

  The main threat was 41…Qf5 followed by 42…h5, and if 43.Qxh5+ Rh6. There was also the drawing threat 41…h2, forcing the rook to occupy the retreat square h2: 42.Rxh2 (otherwise 42…h1Q+ wins) 42…Qe7+ 43.Kh3 Qe6+.

  41. … Qe6-e7+

  42. Kh4xh3 Qe7-f7

  Now White must find another ‘only move’ to secure the win.

  43. Rc2-h2!+−

  Counter-intuitively, the rook blocks the king’s retreat.

  43. … Qf7-d7+

  Now in case of 43…Rg3+ the queen is protected after 44.Kxg3.

  44. f4-f5 1-0

  Polgar,Judit

  Lazic,Miroljub

  Dortmund 1990 (10)

  The position looks equal, with White’s good central knight compensating for the we
akness of his d-pawn. Which move gives White an edge?

  The standard placing of the rooks would be Rfd1 followed by Rac1, with some pressure on c7. This would be ‘ideal’: one rook on the semi-open file and the other behind the most advanced pawn. Nevertheless, the young Hungarian player preferred the subtle:

  22. Ra1-d1!!

  The normal 22.Rfd1 was worse, simply because after 22…Red77 23.Rdc1? (23.Nc3 is better, when Black has the advantage after the typical pawn push 23…e4!) 23…Rxd5 wins a pawn, as after 24.Rxc7?? there is a back-rank mate beginning with 24…Rd1+.

  22. … Re7-d7

  23. Rd1-c1!

  Now White places the rook on the open file, with a slight advantage.

  The king is the piece that can make the most surprising moves because of the following paradox:

  - Like the knight, it is a short-range piece that we ought to centralize for the maximum effect when the material on the board is limited.

  - Before the endgame, the risks linked to checkmate or diverse multiple attacks involving checks are such that we nearly always look for security, and try to hide it in a corner.

  Here are some possible surprises.

  Cassidy,F.

  A Thousand Endgames 1910

  White has several methods here: to go after the a-pawn, to prevent the typical defensive sacrifice …a4-a3 (turning the knight pawn into a rook pawn means an immediate draw), or to try and slow down the comeback of the black king.

  1. Kc1-c2!

  Threatening to collect the a5 pawn.

  1. … a5-a4!

  A good move, thwarting White’s plan to take the pawn while aiming for the …a4-a3 sacrifice. In order to prevent this, White must play the surprising

  2. Kc2-b1!!

  2.Kc3? a3! 3.b4 Ke7 4.Kb3 Kd6 5.Kxa3 Kc6 6.Ka4 Kb6=.

  2. … a4-a3!

  3. b2-b3!

  The only winning move. As the technique consists in bringing the king in front of his pawn, the less far this pawn is advanced, the better.

  3. … Kf8-e7

  4. Kb1-a2 Ke7-d6

  5. Ka2xa3 Kd6-c6

  6. Ka3-a4!

  6.Kb4? Kb6=.

  6. … Kc6-b6

  The only square for the black king to draw would be a6.

  7. Ka4-b4 1-0

  Topalov,Veselin

  Kramnik,Vladimir

  Elista Wch m 2006 (2)

  White to play and draw

  1. Kd6-d7!

  1.Ne6+ was played in the game, where Black won: 1…Ke8 2.Nc7+ Kd8 3.Ne6+ Kc8 4.Ke7 and now:

  A) 4…b5 5.d6 Rd1 6.Nc5 b4 7.d7+ Rxd7+ (7…Kc7 8.Na6+=) 8.Nxd7 b3 9.Nb6+ Kb7 10.Nc4=;

  B) 4…Rh1−+ was played in the game: 5.Ng5 b5 6.d6 Rd1 7.Ne6 b4 8.Nc5 Re1+ 9.Kf6 9.Ne6 Rxe6+ 10.Kxe6Kd8. 9…Re3

  1. … b7-b5

  2. Ng5-e6+ Kf8-f7

  3. Ne6-d8+ Kf7-f6

  4. Nd8-c6 Re1-b1

  Now a hard-to-see move draws:

  5. Kd7-d6!

  With this switchback the king arrives just in time to stop the b-pawn. It is both a backward move and a paradoxical switchback of the king, who only four moves earlier went forward with 1.Kd7.

  Topalov makes a very interesting comment about this position, and about the concept of invisibility: ‘I have to say it is practically impossible to decide on 55.Kd7, as moves like 59.Kd6 do not occur to human minds’ (Topalov-Kramnik, 2006 World Chess Championship, On the edge in Elista, Russell Enterprises).

  5. … b5-b4

  6. Kd6-c5 b4-b3

  7. Kc5-b4 b3-b2

  8. Kb4-b3=

  Kennard,Walter

  1915

  White to play and mate in 4

  What is the ideal place for White’s rook? Precisely the one that allows him to mate in four, isn’t it?

  The solution to this riddle is the paradoxical

  1. Rf1-c1

  The rook moves to the most heavily obstructed file on the board: behind its own tripled pawns. But this bizarre placement starts to make sense after the following sequence:

  1. … b6-b5

  1…c5 2.Rd1 b5 3.Rd5 bxc4/b4 4.Rxc5+.

  2. c4-c5 b5-b4

  3. c3xb4+ Ka5-b5

  4. c2-c4#

  And the rook is not so useless on the c-file after all!

  Miroshnichenko,Evgeny

  Ledger,Stephen

  Plovdiv tt 2010 (1.8)

  1. d2-d4 Ng8-f6

  2. Ng1-f3 c7-c5

  3. d4-d5 b7-b5

  4. Bc1-g5 Qd8-b6

  5. Bg5xf6 Qb6xf6

  6. c2-c3 Qf6-f5

  7. a2-a4 Bc8-b7

  8. a4xb5 Bb7xd5

  9. Nb1-d2 e7-e6

  10. Ra1-a4 Bd5-b7

  11. Qd1-a1 Qf5-c2

  12. e2-e4 f7-f5

  Here more than one move is winning for White, but the most elegant is:

  13. Ke1-e2!

  The white king makes way for the knight. Another road to success would be 13.Ne5 fxe4 14.Nec4 Be1 15.Ne3 Qxa4 16.Qxa4+−.

  13. … a7-a6

  14. Nf3-e1

  14.b3! was even stronger, in order to prevent the following queen sacrifice.

  14. … Qc2xa4

  15. Qa1xa4 a6xb5

  16. Qa4-c2 f5xe4

  17. Nd2xe4 d7-d5

  18. Ne4-g5 Bf8-e7

  19. Ng5xe6 Ke8-d7

  20. Qc2-f5 Kd7-d6

  21. Ne1-d3 Nb8-d7

  22. g2-g3 g7-g6

  23. Qf5-f4+ Kd6xe6

  24. Bf1-h3+ 1-0

  Compare with the game BoppRamini featured in the next chapter.

  Short,Nigel

  Timman,Jan

  Tilburg 1991 (4)

  White has a dominating position and ideally placed major pieces. They are controlling the only open file and have already infiltrated the seventh rank. In addition, the white queen is anchored in the close vicinity of the black king. Nevertheless, to convert this domination into something concrete is not easy. How can we add an extra element to the attack on the kingside? The white knight cannot be brought along because of Black’s threats on the long diagonal.

  Short found a phenomenal solution.

  31. Kg1-h2 Re8-c8

  If Black reacts with 31…Bc8 there follows:

  A) 32.g4! hxg4 Or 32…Bxd7 33.gxh5 with unstoppable threats. 33.Ng5! Bxd7 34.h5! With a winning attack, for example 34…gxh5 35.Qh6;

  B) Also winning is the cool 32.Ng5! Bxd7 33.Rf4 Qa8 33…Bc8 34.Nxf7 Rxf7 35.Qxf7+ Kh8 36.Qxg6 and the mate is near. 34.Nxf7 Rxf7 34…Kh7 35.Qg5!. 35.Qxf7+ Kh8 36.Qxd7+−.

  32. Kh2-g3! Rc8-e8

  33. Kg3-f4! Bb7-c8

  34. Kf4-g5!!

  Black resigned in view of 34…Bxd7 35.Kh6! with mate to follow.

  Another impressive variation consists in 34…Kh7 35.Qxg6+ Kh8 36.Qh6+ Kg8 37.Kf6! (37.Kxh5 also mates).

  In the following wild position, White has a forced win following the same scheme.

  (see next page)

  Morozevich,Alexander

  Aronian,Levon

  Morelia/Linares 2007 (3)

  Morozevich has sacrificed two pawns in order to trap the enemy bishop, the white rook is under attack and both kings look in danger. How can White win?

  1. Qf6-d8+!

  The game saw: 1.Rf3 Rf1 Still possible was 2.Qd8+ Kg7 3.f6+ Kh6 4.Kh4!! Qe1+ 5.g3 Qe4+ 6.g4 Qe1+ 7.Rg3. Now Black escapes: 2.fxg6? Rxf3+ 3.Qxf3 After 3.gxf3 hxg6 White has no winning chances due to his exposed king.

  3…Qe1+ 3…Qxd4?? 4.Qxf7+ Kh8 5.Qxh7+ 4.Kf4 hxg6 5.Qxd5 Qf2+ 6.Nf3 and a draw.

  1. … Kg8-g7

  2. f5-f6+ Kg7-h6

  3. Kg3-h4!!

  The white king is used as a gatekeeper.

  3. … Qa1xd4+

  4. g2-g4 Qd4-b4

  The only move to defend against the threatened mate on f8.

  5. Qd8-f8+!! Qb4xf8

  6. g4-g5#

  E – Anti-developing moves

  In the opening, it is very important to develop your pieces as quickly as possible. This principle is not easy to contradict, even with good tactical ar
guments.

  Bopp,Thomas

  Ramini,Edgardo

  Correspondence 2000

  1. e2-e4 Ng8-f6

  2. e4-e5 Nf6-d5

  3. d2-d4 e7-e6

  4. c2-c4

  In this correspondence game, Black thought that an intermediate check would come in handy, in order to force some exchanges.

  4. … Bf8-b4+

  He had certainly not taken White’s answer into account…

  5. Ke1-e2!!

  After this move, which contradicts all developing principles, Black loses a piece: 5…Ne7 5…Nb6 6.c5 Nd5 7.a3 leads to the same result. White snares the bishop using the ‘Noah’s Ark’ trap, i.e. by advancing his pawns like breaking waves: 6.a3 Ba5 7.b4 Bb6 8.c5.

  Porreca,Giorgio

  Bronstein,David

  Belgrade 1954 (10)

  This is a classical example of retro-development. Though it seems slightly dubious, we can still appreciate the beauty of the idea. Black would like to castle queen-side (but f7 is attacked), and to play …e7-e6 (but there are winning sacrifices for White).

  So he chose to prepare both by the clever

  1. … Bh7-g8!?

  To defend f7 and e6 by …e7-e6. What is so difficult here is the decision to move the bishop from an open diagonal to a non-existing diagonal, as John Emms put it.

  Nowadays, the all-seeing programs would play the more direct (and better) 1…Nb6! 2.Bb3 0-0-0 with the idea 3.Bxf7 e5∞.

  2. Nf4-d3 e7-e6

  3. Bc1-f4 Bf8-d6

  4. Bf4xd6 Qc7xd6