How to Be a Winner at Chess
Page 3
As far as most of us are concerned, the bishop and knight are equal in value. The bishop gets around faster, but is limited to squares of one color. The knight takes more time to reach a distant part of the board, but he moves from a black square to a white one, or from a white square to a black one. This means that sooner or later he can reach every square on the board, regardless of color.
The moral is, then, that exchanging bishop for knight, or knight for bishop, is an even exchange. Let’s see how this works out in a position we’ve already encountered. (D)
Assume that it’s White’s move and his queen pawn captures Black’s king pawn (d×e5). Black takes White’s bishop with his b5-pawn (...b×a4). Momentarily Black has won a piece for a measly pawn.
But now White’s advanced pawn captures Black’s knight (e×f6). This is an even exchange. White has parted with a bishop and captured a knight. Or put the other way round: Black has parted with a knight and captured a bishop. (D)
After e5×f6
However, two bishops have a bit of advantage if opposed by a bishop and knight. Two bishops are even more of an advantage if they are opposed by two knights.
When the two bishops are working well together, all the squares on the board – white and black – are within their range. In such cases, as you might suspect, their scope is considerable.
The standard checkmate with the two bishops (next diagram) is a good example of the power of the combined bishops, especially on the open board. (D)
White gives check by playing the whitesquared bishop to g2 (Bg2+) and this is actually checkmate! Note how White’s cooperating long-range bishops reach across the whole board to “put the finger” on Black’s lone king.
Inexperienced players are often unclear about the difference in value between a rook and a bishop (or knight). To repeat: the rook has a value of 5 points. A bishop or knight is valued at 3 points.
The moral is clear: Don’t part with one of your rooks for an enemy bishop or knight. But if you can capture an enemy rook in return for your own bishop or knight, then by all means do so.
If you lose a rook in return for a bishop or knight, you are said to “lose the Exchange” – in other words, you’re on the short end of the exchange. If, however, you capture a rook in return for your own bishop or knight, you “win the Exchange.”
Note that a rook (value – 5 points) is worth more than a bishop or knight plus a pawn (total value – 4 points). But match a rook (value – 5 points) against a bishop or knight plus two pawns (total value – 5 points) and there you have material equality.
Let’s see how this works out in actual play. (D)
As it stands White has a rook for a bishop and two pawns. Black is the Exchange down, as we say, but he is two pawns ahead. Material is therefore even.
However, if we remove one of the black pawns, then Black has only one pawn for the Exchange and is behind in material. Remove still another black pawn and Black is a clear Exchange down.
Winning Material
As you’ve seen in Chapter 2, winning material should lead to checkmate. Now that you know the values of the pieces, you are in a better position to appreciate the importance of making a net profit in capturing.
Our next diagram illustrates the point: (D)
White to play
White plays his knight from e2 to f4 (Nf4) attacking Black’s queen. (D)
After Ne2-f4
After this move (Nf4) Black’s queen is lost no matter what he does.
His best move is to capture White’s rook with check (...Q×h1+). But then White’s knight at g3 captures the queen (N×h1) and Black has lost his queen (value – 9 points) in return for the white rook (value – 5 points). Black should lose the game.
Even the best of us can lose material through inattention. José Capablanca, a former world champion, once found that he was forced to lose a piece as early as the ninth move because of his careless play. Did he resign? Not at all! He fought on for 54 moves before giving up.
However, all his hard work was wasted. One careless move, and his game was compromised! Of course, he may have held out only because no one likes to resign – especially at a very early stage. It was said of Capa that when he had to resign, he did it, “with the hauteur of a millionaire giving a dime to a beggar.” In that way, perhaps, he softened the sting of losing.
With a good grasp of values of the chess pieces, we can now proceed to learn methods of getting the most work out of our chess units.
The next three chapters describe ways of rendering our opponent powerless by certain kinds of raiding attacks. These are the techniques of winning material and thereby laying the groundwork for checkmating your opponent.
Chapter Four
The Three Strongest Moves
1. Checks
Here’s an interesting experiment to try on your chessplaying friends. As you know, it’s customary to announce “Check!” whenever you check your opponent’s king. However, such an announcement is not required by the rules.
Now for the experiment. Try giving check without announcing it. You will be amazed – and entertained – at the frequency with which your opponents will overlook that they are in check.
The point is this: most players are so lacking in alertness that they overlook the most important fact in the game of chess. That most important fact is a check – an attack on the king.
Chess players often complain that in any given position they don’t know what to do; they don’t know what to look for.
Here, then, is the first thing to look for: “Am I in check? Am I giving check? Am I in a position to give check? Is he in a position to give check?”
If the answer to any of these questions is “Yes!” then you have a goal, an indicator, a hint as to what you must think about and how you must proceed.
A check, you see, is peremptory and menacing. It cannot be ignored. As explained in the first chapter, something must be done about it. Either the checking piece must be captured; or the checked king must be shielded from attack.
Because the check is preemptory, it frequently enables us to win material. If you watch for the right opportunities, you will see how the priority of check enables you to win material.
Priority of Check
Before we go on to practical examples, let’s be clear about what we mean by priority of check.
When you threaten the king with a check and menace something else at the same time, your opponent must above all guard against the check. The priority of check may inflict a crushing loss of material on him. (D)
White to play
In the diagram White plays queen to a4 check (Qa4+). (D)
This is a check and more than a check: it also attacks Black’s bishop at b4. But Black, subject to the priority of check, must parry the attack on his king, and thus he must lose his bishop!
After Qd1-a4+
Forking Check
The next diagram show a stratagem that you will find most profitable. Black’s queen is attacked by White’s bishop on g5. Instead of trying to save his valuable queen, Black plays a move that looks idiotic. (D)
Black to play
He plays ...queen takes bishop (...Q×g5). Naturally White replies with queen takes queen (Q×g5). (D)
As Black has given up his queen for only a bishop, you might conclude that he has a hopelessly lost game. In most cases you would be right, but not here.
After Qg3×g5
For now Black plays ...knight to f3 check (...Nf3+). (D)
After ...Nd4-f3+
This attacks White’s king and queen – or, as we say of such knight moves, it forks the king and queen.
White would of course be delighted to move his queen to a safe spot – but this is out of the question. The inexorable priority of check forces him to attend to his king’s safety.
After the white king moves – and he must move – Black captures the white queen (...N×g5). Now if you review this transaction, you will find that Black made a sham “sacrifice�
� of his queen and won a bishop. The technique for gaining material was a check – a forking check.
A check also does the trick in our next diagram. (D)
White to play
Black has two rooks for two bishops, which is quite a material advantage. But White’s bishop to g7 check (Bg7+) spells disaster for Black. (D)
After Bh6-g7+
Why? If Black doesn’t take the bishop, he loses his queen with no compensation whatever. On the other hand, if Black does capture the bishop (...K×g7), then his king no longer protects his queen, and White replies queen takes queen check (Q×e5+) with a decisive material advantage.
Again priority of check has left the defender without resources. He has to save his king, and leaves his poor queen to her gruesome fate.
Removing the Defender
Another valuable winning technique is seen in the following diagram. We call this method of attack “removing the defender.” (D)
White to play
White plays the deadly bishop takes knight check (B×c6+), sawing off the black queen’s protection. (D)
After Bf3×c6+
Naturally Black would like to save his queen; but the priority of check makes that impossible. He must get out of check, with the result that he loses his queen. This is one of the most frequently used winning techniques. Opportunities to use it come up very often in practical play, and you will find it useful to be familiar with this winning method.
The next diagram illustrates still another method of exploiting priority of check. (D)
White to play
White plays bishop to c4 check (Bc4+). White is not only checking; he has uncovered an attack by the white queen on the black queen. We call this type of attack “discovered attack.” (D)
After Bd3-c4+
Black can answer this check in various ways; but no matter what he does, his loss of material will be so heavy that he might just as well resign right now. One judicious check and Black has nothing left to play for!
By now your batting eye for checks and checking moves ought to be sharpened quite a bit. At the beginning of this chapter we emphasized the need for looking out for checks. Let’s go a step further. We want to look not only for checks, but for checks that contain an additional threat.
When you check your opponent, you coerce him. You limit his replies to some sort of move that gets rid of the check. If you can combine the check with an additional threat, so much the better.
What you are doing is this: in one single move you double your attacking potential and at the same time greatly narrow down your opponent’s choice of defensive action.
Take the next diagram, as a very simple example. White is giving check with his bishop. The bishop of course is immune to capture being guarded by White’s rook. (D)
Black to play
Priority of check deprives Black of any defense against this “skewer” attack. He must move his king, allowing White to play bishop takes rook (B×f8) Thus White has forced the win of the Exchange, leaving him with rook against a knight. This is a sure win for White.
Again in the following diagram White has reason to gnash his teeth over the priority of check. (D)
Black to play
As the position stands, White is ahead in material. But now comes the nasty check ...bishop to c5 check (...Bc5+). (D)
After ...Bf8-c5+
This exposes White’s queen to a “discovered attack” by the black rook. (This situation, by the way, reminds us very much of the second diagram on page 33). White would like nothing better than to save his queen, but his job is to get out of check.
Result: he loses his queen with no compensation whatever.
The “Discovered” Check
Turn to our next diagram, which introduces a special kind of check: the “discovered check.” This type of check comes about when piece A moves and thereby uncovers (or “discovers”) a check by piece B. (D)
Black to play
The black bishop on g5 moves and thereby creates a discovered check by the black queen. This type of check can have a terrific impact if you apply yourself to get the most power out of it.
The black bishop has eight different squares to play to in order to give discovered check. The best move is ...bishop to e3 discovered check (...Be3+). (D)
Why is this best? Because it not only attacks White’s king; it also attacks – doubly! – White’s knight on the f2 square. No matter how White plays, he must lose the doubly menaced knight.
After ...Bg5-e3+
Double Check
Sometimes the piece that uncovers a discovered check also gives the check as well. This involves a “double check,” about which you want to notice two things.
The first is that the only way to answer a double check is to move your king – if you can. The second is that the double check is one of the deadliest weapons in chess. (D)
White to play
In the diagram, for example, White has a terrific attack against the exposed black king. Just what is the finishing touch that puts Black’s king out of his misery?
White can give a discovered check by moving his bishop, but Black has a winning reply in ...bishop takes queen (...B×h5).
Hence a discovered check won’t do – or will it? The right way is bishop to g7 double check (Bg7+). (D)
After Bh6-g7+
Now Black cannot capture the queen because he is also in check from the white bishop. All that remains is king takes bishop (...K×g7). But then comes rook to f7 checkmate (Rf7#). (D)
After Rf1-f7#
For the last example in this chapter we have a really devastating double check. (D)
Black to play
Black plays ...bishop to c3 double check (...Bc3+). (D)
After ...Be5-c3#
White cannot capture the black queen because the black bishop is also giving check! Nor can White capture the black bishop because the black queen is also giving check! Nor can White move his king out of check. In fact he is checkmated!
These ten examples of check have hammered away at the theme that while all checks are dangerous to the king, many checks are dangerous to other pieces as well.
So far we have seen how a check may be combined with another threat. Now we proceed to another type of attack which is found far more often: attacks without check.
Chapter Five
The Three Strongest Moves
2. Capturing Threats
Have you ever noticed how an unexpected capture can immediately decide the fate of the game.
Even first class masters may underestimate the strength of a capture. Where the capture has a most unlikely look about it, they may miss the possibility of the capture altogether. (D)
Black to play
One of the most drastic examples I know of occurred in the London Tournament of 1951, the most important international tournament of that year. Van Scheltinga, a leading Dutch master, had won a pawn from C.H. O’Donel Alexander, England’s outstanding player.
White’s pieces are somewhat tied up but he seems quite safe. There is an ominous detail, quite overlooked by White, in that his queen is way off to the side instead of playing an active role in the game.
Imagine the shock to White when his opponent plays ...queen takes rook (...Q×f3). (D)
After ...Qe4×f3
White has to resign after this loss of his rook, the point being that if he plays pawn takes queen (g×f3), Black replies ...bishop takes pawn (...B×f3#) mate.
Captures, as you see from this example, can be almost as deadly as many types of checks. So we consider captures – and the threat of captures – among the outstandingly strong moves on the board. Captures like check, decide the fate of many a game.
How to Win Material
Captures are of two kinds – even exchanges and all other kinds.
When you capture your opponent’s queen and he captures yours in return we have an even exchange. When your opponent captures one of your pawns, and you capture one of his in
return, that is another kind of even exchange. If one player captures a bishop and the other captures a knight, that is still an even exchange. For these pieces have the same value. (See page 26).
However, in this chapter we’re interested in the other kind of captures – the kind that wins material for one player and loses material for the other.
How deeply ingrained capturing is in the mind of a chess master can be seen from this story. Blackburne, the great English nineteenth-century master, often went on tour when he would give a series of simultaneous exhibitions. In the course of these exhibitions he would take on anywhere from twenty to fifty opponents at the same time.
At once such exhibition, one of Blackburne’s hard-pressed opponents ordered a drink for himself to relax a bit. When the drink arrived, he set it at the side of his board. As Blackburne arrived at the table, he saw the drink, assumed that it had been ordered for him, picked it up, and finished it off at one gulp. He won that game very quickly.
Later in the evening someone asked Blackburne what happened at that particular table. “Why, nothing remarkable,” he replied. “My opponent left a glass of whisky en prise; I captured it en passant, and won easily!”