How to Play Chess like a Champion

by Fred Reinfeld

  It may seem carping to you to dwell on these inexactitudes. But these careless moves breed a spirit of general carelessness which plays hob with the defense in really dangerous situations.

  4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bc4 ... (D)

  White develops with a threat: 6.B×f7+ K×f7 7.Ne5+ regaining the piece advantageously. Or even 6.Ne5! B×d1? 7.B×f7 mate. Such things have been known to happen in broad daylight.

  5...e6

  Blocks the diagonal of White’s bishop and therefore rules out the threat. But here we see the proverbial cloud no bigger than a man’s hand: White is far ahead in development, with three pieces in play to Black’s single piece.

  6.h3 B×f3 7.Q×f3 ... (D)

  Now White has three pieces out and Black has none developed!

  7...c6?

  He wants to prevent Q×b7. All well and good, but 7...Nc6! serves the purpose and develops a piece.

  Of course Black is still far from lost. With a rook ahead you can commit many chess crimes and still live to tell the tale. But the little mistakes add up and add up, until one fine day...but watch what happens.

  8.d3 Qf6? (D)

  And this is all wrong. Again and again we see how the loser avoids the simple, obvious course that would give him a position more solid than the Rock of Gibraltar, to wit: to play out his g8-knight (...Nf6); play out his f8-bishop (...Be7); and get his king into safety (...castles). After that Black could snap his fingers at White’s attempts to work up an attack.

  9.Qg3! ...

  Fantastic as it may seem, I have a hunch that hereabouts Teichmann sees the germ of the glorious combination that soon breaks loose.

  9...Nh6

  Now he develops! Here that classic time-wasting move ...h6 was in order, to stop White’s powerful Bg5.

  10.Bg5 Qg6 11.Nb5!? ... (D)

  An inspired swindle, made possible by the fact that Black’s queen is far from home base. If Black had any inkling of what devilish plans are being formed against him, he would play 11...Na6 and get away with it. Instead he grabs:

  11...c×b5?? (D)

  12.Q×b8+!! R×b8 13.B×b5 mate (D)

  Breathtakingly beautiful! No matter how worldly and cynical the chess master may become, he never loses his appreciative feeling for those moments of pure poetry that give chess its greatest charm.

  Simuls

  Nowadays, when chess masters are teachers, psychiatrists, stockbrokers, and even engineers, they have a source of income outside chess and are not financially dependent on it. There was a time, however, when the masters were dependent for their living, if that is not too strong a term, on what they earned from chess.

  In order to keep body and soul together they would tour the provinces – just like the old time actors’ troupes – and give simultaneous exhibitions in the leading chess centers. On such occasions they would play anywhere from twenty to fifty opponents as a rule at so much – more often so little – a head. Topnotchers in the profession received as much as $50 for an exhibition, lesser men received very little. I myself was once rewarded with an embarrassed “Thank you,” an item which did not have to be entered on my tax return.

  There is a whole chessic folklore about these exhibitions. For example, W.E. Napier used to tell about a simultaneous exhibition he gave during the depression in a Pennsylvania town which was the metropolis of a large surrounding farming area. The exhibition went as anticipated and soon Napier was winning pieces all over the place. Later he was a queen ahead in some games, but no one resigned. Everyone played on as if his life depended on it and held on with fantastic tenacity.

  Napier’s eyes threatened to glue together and his feet seemed to be giving out, but slowly he checkmated his inexorable opponents one by one.

  The next day the mystery was explained. The farmers, rather than hire a hotel room, preferred to play on into the small hours, which would get them back home not too soon before milking time! Whenever old-timers get together, they can match this story and even top it.

  In its day, however, when there was little postal chess and when really good chess literature was hard to come by, the simultaneous exhibition played a valuable educational role. Often it gave the amateur the only glimpse he ever got of the world of master chess. Here is one of the classics of simultaneous chess, produced by one of its greatest specialists.

  Mieses – Amateur Vienna Game

  1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 N×e4!? (D)

  A temporary sacrifice. The idea is that if 4.N×e4 Black biffs right back with 4...d5 regaining the sacrificed piece with a fine game. There is a fly in the ointment, however, White need not accept the sacrificed knight.

  He can switch to some threat or other, still keeping the black knight on ice. This leads to a complicated game in which the weaker player can easily go wrong.

  4.Qh5! ... (D)

  A terrifying move for Black: White threatens Q×f7 mate and he still keeps the black knight under attack. If Black panics, for example, by playing 4...g6? then 5.Q×e5+ with a decisive gain of material for White.

  Black to be sure, has a playable defense after 4.Qh5!. Before we see what it is, let’s review the play up to this point because it points to a very important moral.

  When the amateur hits on a clever idea – or perhaps I should say a clever-looking idea – he reaches out impulsively and plays the move at once. It never occurs to him that his beautiful idea may be no better than a wormy apple. Does the idea win by force? Can the opponent spoil it? What counter-resources has the opponent? Does he have a crushing counterthreat?

  Just asking these questions doesn’t mean that the beautiful idea doesn’t work. It means that you must ask yourself these questions before you embark on the combination. (D)

  In the amateur game from the previous chapter, when White played 15.Nd5?! in the position of the diagram without foreseeing all the consequences, the move turned out to be a mistake; yet he finally won the game.

  Now in this game Black plays 3...N×e4!? which is not a mistake; yet he loses the game. In other words, there is a lack of foresight in both games. But there the resemblance ends. For the previous game was between two amateurs, whereas this one is between an amateur and a master. Trust the master to bamboozle his opponent! The moral is that it’s doubly dangerous for an average player to plunge into complications against his far more experienced opponent.

  4...Nd6 (D)

  The only move. Black guards the mating threat, defends his knight, and attacks the white bishop. Good work.

  There is a slight but unavoidable drawback to this move. By blocking Black’s d-pawn it delays the development of Black’s queen bishop. This tells Black that the development of his queenside pieces (queen bishop and queen rook) is likely to be delayed somewhat. Black has been warned, you see, that he must be alert to advance his development as rapidly as possible.

  The fine player takes note of these clues and puts them to good use. The weak player overlooks them and is therefore at a loss when it comes to weighing the positional factors or planning for the future.

  5.Bb3 ...

  The safest course is 5.Q×e5+ recovering the pawn. But since the master is quite sure of himself against his quaking opponent, why should he play the simplest line?

  5...Be7 6.d3 ... (D)

  Now Black should develop with 6...Nc6 and then drive off the annoying white queen with ...g6.

  6...0-0

  In 999,999 cases out of a million this would be a good move, getting the king to safety. Not so here, though, because of the commanding position of White’s queen right in the heart of the castled position. Mieses now has a dangerous attack and forces it for all he’s worth.

  7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Ng5 ... (D)

  Threatening 8.Q×h7 mate. Black is in trouble. The simplest way to get rid of the mating threat is to remove the intruder: 8...B×g5. But then after 9.B×g5 in reply, Black has a new problem. He cannot play 9...f6 because his f-pawn is pinned. (This pin will play a very important role later on.)

  However, 9...Ne7 won’t do because of 10.Nd
5 with a nasty pin that leaves black helpless. Nor will 9...Qe8 serve the purpose, for then comes 10.Nd5 threatening to win the queen with N×c7.

  8...h6 (D)

  This seems to be about all he has – to drive away the impertinent knight. But who says the knight has to run away?

  9.h4! ...

  A brutal surprise, very typical of the play between the master and the amateur. The master is always able to find moves completely unforeseen by the amateur.

  In this case the point is that after 9...h×g5 10.h×g5 White puts the newly opened h-file to good use by playing 11.Qh8 mate.

  But suppose Black declines the knight? Well in that case White still has an active threat: namely 10.Qg6 (Black’s f-pawn is pinned, and White threatens checkmate on the move) 10...h×g5 11.h×g5 Re8 12.Qh7+ Kf8 13.Qh8 mate.

  What is Black to do? He finds the only logical line, but unfortunately it’s too late even for logic. Black is paying a heavy price for his foolhardiness in daring to “mix it” with a master.

  9...Ne8 (D)

  In order to play ...Nf6 to guard his kingside. (Of course, if this precious knight had remained at f6 to begin with, White would never have been able to work up such a furious attack.

  10.Nd5! ... (D)

  The beginning of a really exquisite sacrificial idea which Mieses must have seen in about one-millionth of a second.

  10...Nf6

  Now White can win without much trouble by playing 11.N×f6 B×f6 12.N×f7 and Black as they say is “busted.” But Mieses prefers to “play to the gallery” and who can blame him? His next move is electrifying.

  11.Qg6!! ... (D)

  Threatens 12.N×f6+ B×f6 13.Qh7 mate – the old refrain. Black gets nowhere with 11...h×g6 for then comes 12.N×f6+ B×f6 13.h×g5 (again the open h-file) 13...Re8 14.Q×f7 mate. (D)

  Analysis after 14.Q×f7 mate

  But what’s this? In this moment of desperation Black realizes that his f7-pawn is not pinned and that he can capture the white queen. So:

  11...f×g6 (D)

  12.N×e7+ Kh8 13.N×g6 mate! (D)

  A delightful tableau. Checkmate with the minor pieces always seems miraculous. Think of the master finding this beautiful combination while playing against twenty or thirty opponents!

  Here’s another classic from the archives of simultaneous play. In this game, too, the master rudely jolts the amateur’s attempt to create complications.

  Canal – Amateur Center Counter Game

  1.e4 d5 2.e×d5 Q×d5 3.Nc3 Qa5

  Tsk-tsk! The whole maneuver – bringing out the queen early in the game – violates one of the basic rules for good opening play. Black compounds the felony by committing it against a master. (D)

  4.d4 c6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Bf4 e6 7.h3 B×f3

  Black exchanges a developed piece and brings a new White piece into action. This is the kind of mistake that we have seen in earlier games. The punishment is lively and drastic.

  8.Q×f3 ... (D)

  Let’s take stock before the deluge. Black is still safe. Yet he’ll be checkmated only six moves later. That means, logically considered, that what he does from now on will cause the fatal damage.

  What should Black do to remain with a whole skin? Always the same story – remember our earlier recommendation from page 65 (Teichmann-Amateur, note to Black’s 8th move). He should play ...Nf6 followed by ...Be7 and then ...castles. This is the automatic precaution against a quick loss.

  8...Bb4

  Not fatal, but it could be a step toward perdition.

  9.Be2 Nd7

  Ditto.

  10.a3! ... (D)

  This move says, STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! but Black is blind and deaf. He says to himself, “This move is pointless. He can’t play a×b4 because then I reply ...Q×a1+ with the Exchange ahead.

  All very true, but suppose that Black plays some move which changes the picture – which makes it possible for White to sacrifice?

  10...0-0-0?? (D)

  And this is the move – so plausible and harmless looking – which sets the stage for a magnificent sacrificing combination by White. Incidentally, castling “long” should be generally suspect because it gives the king a long front to defend. This may become particularly troublesome in situations where the defending queen is far from home. That’s what happens here.

  11.a×b4!! ...

  How often do we see this kind of move in master play – the impossible becomes possible!

  11...Q×a1+ 12.Kd2!! Q×h1 (D)

  Now Black has a crushing lead in material – but White has a forced checkmate:

  13.Q×c6+!! b×c6 14.Ba6 mate! (D)

  Truly a combination in the grand manner. Who can help admiring the wizardry of the master, who plays with such superb imaginative splendor in the midst of tawdry routine chess?

  Snatching the Initiative

  But you may say, it’s not so hard after all, to get the initiative when you’re playing the White pieces. Even playing twenty other games, or more, doesn’t quite make up for having the initiative that comes more or less naturally from playing White.

  Is this a worthwhile argument? I don’t think so. If you examine games in which the master has Black, you will find that that doesn’t stop him from snatching the attack quickly. For example:

  Amateur – Leonhardt Center Game

  1.e4 e5 2.d4 e×d4 3.Q×d4 ... (D)

  And here you see the flaw in the argument. Give the average player the white pieces and what does he do? He fritters away his natural initiative in short order. In this case he brings out the queen early, violating a basic rule of good opening play.

  3...Nc6! 4.Qe3 Nf6 (D)

  There you have it. Only four moves have been played and already Black has the initiative because he has more pieces in play.

  5.Bc4 Ne5

  Attacking the bishop.

  6.Bb3 Bb4+ (D)

  A move with a subtle point. White should reply with a developing move, such as 7.Nc3 or 7.Bd2. In the opening always concentrate on development! Instead he plays the obvious, automatic reply:

  7.c3? Bc5! (D)

  Attacking the queen and relying on the fact that he can answer 8.Q×c5 with the pretty knight fork 8...Nd3+ winning the white queen.

  8.Qg3?? ...

  A blunder, but it must be admitted that Black’s devilish reply was hard to foresee.

  8...B×f2+!! (D)

  What a move! White resigns, for if 9.Q×f2 the knight fork ...Nd3+ wins his queen. Or if 9.K×f2 the alternative knight fork ...N×e4+ still wins his queen. White has learned the hard way that the master is not to be trifled with.

  The British master Blackburne produced many games of this sort. He flourished during the Victorian period, when there was still a great deal of contact between master and amateur. And for a mere shilling he gave a lesson that was both elegant and pointed, as in the following game.

  Blackburne was a versatile player. He could be brilliant or solid, depending on the opponent and the occasion. On the Continent they feared him so much that he was nicknamed “the Black Death” – a pun on his name. In the thousands of games played with amateurs he played with all the pent up energy of a volcanic eruption.

  Amateur – Blackburne Jerome Gambit

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 (D)

  This game has started as a Giuoco Piano (see page 46, Amateur-Reinfeld) – generally leading to a quiet, uneventful game. But here White, without waiting to complete his development, rushes right into a violent attack.

  Such wild rushes can often succeed against a terrified amateur. The experienced master, however, takes the premature attack in stride and then hits back with a paralyzing broadside.

  4.B×f7+? K×f7 5.N×e5+? N×e5 6.Qh5+ ... (D)

  White has two pawns in return for his two sacrificed pieces. This is nowhere near enough compensation, but he hopes to rattle his opponent by menacing his king. In the process he may regain some of the lost material. If Black were an amateur, he would very likely fall in with White’s plans and cling grimly to his material. This must
be foolish policy, for example, 6...Ke6 7.f4 and White wins back one of the sacrificed pieces.

  But Blackburne, being a master, has very different ideas. His notion is to give back some of the material in order to gain time to snatch the initiative. He will gain time by attacking the white queen and by bringing out his pieces while the white queen grabs material.

  6...g6!

  This looks like a blunder, but, as you’ll see, Blackburne has his wits about him.

  7.Q×e5 ... (D)

  Now White attacks bishop and rook. This double attack is effective as far as it goes – White must win more material. But it’s all part of Blackburne’s scheme.

  7...d6!

  Black saves the bishop, which in this case is more valuable than the rook.

  8.Q×h8 Qh4! (D)

  As far as material is concerned White has a definite plus, with the Exchange and two pawns ahead. But as far as the dynamics of the positions are concerned, the picture is quite different. Black is already threatening 9...Q×f2+ 10.Kd1 Bg4 mate. White’s king is menaced and his queen is far away.