25…g3+26.Kh1 gxf2−+
Simplest. 26…exf4, as played in the game, is also advantageous for Black.
Back
Solution 6 signal 4 (page 113)
Black’s position seems slightly loose, especially the d7-knight which is attacked by the white rook on the d-file. But it appears to be safely protected by the other knight, and Black’s game looks solid, unless you notice the fork distance between the king and the f-knight, which enables White to win on the spot:
26.g4!+− Kg7
26…g5 27.h4.
27.g5 Nxe4 28.Rxd7 Rc2 29.Nxe5 Rxf2+ 30.Kg1 Rf5 31.Nac6 Rxg5+ 32.Kf1 Rf5+ 33.Ke2 a6 34.Re7 Nc5 35.Nd4 Rg5 36.b4 Na4 37.Rxf7+ Kg8 38.Re7 Nc3+ 39.Kd3
1-0
Back
Solution 1 signal 5 (page 121)
Black’s rook is far advanced and aggressively posted on the second rank, but at the moment it lacks connection with its own army.
32.Nd2!
and the rook cannot escape. White won an exchange, and a bit later the game.
Back
Solution 2 signal 5 (page 121)
The white queen has infiltrated deeply into the enemy lines, without assistance of her army. Black, not White, is able to benefit from this advanced position, by trapping the queen.
20…Bg4!−+
Closing the emergency exit.
21.c5 Bf8
Now both the queen and the game are lost.
22.cxd6 Qa7 23.Qxf8+ Rhxf8 24.Rd2 c5 25.Ba5 Rab8 26.Rc1 Rb5 27.Bc7 Be6 28.Rdc2 c4 29.bxc4 Rb4 30.Nb2 Qd4 31.Nd1 Rxc4 32.Rxc4 Bxc4 33.Ne3 Bxa2 34.Rd1 Qc3
0-1
Back
Solution 3 signal 5 (page 121)
21.b4!
The rook is trapped along the 5th rank.
21…RC8
Defending against 22.Bc4, but there is another way of catching the rook.
22.a4!
22.Be4? Rb5 and Black is fine.
22…Rc3 23.Ka2!
Now Be4 cannot be prevented. Not 23.Be4? d3! 24.Bxd3 (24.Bxd5 dxc2+; 24.Rxd3 Rdxd3 25.Bxd3 Ra3) 24…Rd4 and Black is much better.
23…Rxd3
So Black decides to ‘sacrifice’ the exchange. White is winning.
24.cxd3 a5 25.Rb1 g5 26.Rhf1 b6 27.fxg5 Bxg5 28.Rf5 Rxf5 29.gxf5 Kg7 30.bxa5 bxa5 31.Rb5 Bd2 32.Kb3 Kf6 33.Kc4 Bc3 34.h3 Kg5 35.Rb7 Kxf5 36.Rxf7+ Kg6 37.Rf4 h5 38.Kd5 Kg5 39.Re4 Bb4 40.Rxd4 Ba3 41.Ke6 Bc5 42.h4+ Kg6 43.Rf4 Bb4 44.d4
1-0
Back
Solution 4 signal 5 (page 122)
118…Nd7!
Black dominates the enemy knight, and will attack it with a king march (…Kd6-c6-b5) that cannot be averted. White’s knight has to go to c5, but this loses a pawn, and the game.
119.Kd2
The immediate 119.Nc5+ is no help: 119…Nxc5 120.dxc5 Kd7 121.Kd2 Kc6 122.Ke3 Kxc5.
119…Kd6 120.Ke2 Kc6 121.Ke3 Kb5 122.Nc5 Nxc5 123.dxc5 Kxc5 124.Ke2 Kd6 125.Kd2 Ke6 126.Kd1 Kf5 127.Kd2 Kf4 128.Kd1 Ke3 129.Kc1 Ke2 130.Kb1 Kd2 131.Ka1 d4 132.cxd4 Kc2
0-1
Back
Solution 5 signal 5 (page 122)
The fianchettoed knight apparently has an escape square on c5. But Black has a trick here:
25…Qb6!
Attacking queen and knight. White has to take, but after 26.Qxb6 axb6 the knight is dominated, and lost after 27.Nd8 Rc8, or 27…Rd6.
Back
Solution 6 signal 5 (page 123)
16.Bg6!! 0-0
On 16…fxg6 17.Nxe6 wins the queen. This surprising trapping of the queen is the point of the combination.
After 16…hxg6 17.Qxh8+ wins the exchange.
17.Bxh7+ Kh8
And Black resigned.
Back
Solution 1 signal 6 (page 132)
20.Rxa3!
And Black resigned.
After 20.Rxa3 Qxa3 21.Qf6 he has to give up the queen to prevent checkmate.
Back
Solution 2 signal 6 (page 132)
The queen is protecting the bishop. If the white queen were able to take the bishop on f6, it would threaten checkmate on g7. That is what White can enforce with
20.Rd7!
1-0
Back
Solution 3 signal 6 (page 132)
The only defender against the checkmate on h7 is the crucial f6-knight. Unfortunately for Black, White is able to either deviate or eliminate it with a fork:
18.Nd7!
18…Nxd7 19.Qh7#.
18…Qc7 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Qh7 is also checkmate.
Back
Solution 4 signal 6 (page 132)
The queen is the only protection against check mate on d6. That is why no sacrifice is too expensive in order to remove it:
30.Qa5!! Qxa5
On30…Qd8 31.c7 wins.
31.Bxd6#
Back
Solution 5 signal 6 (page 133)
60.b6! Rxa4
60…Rb7 61.Rc6 is an easy win.
61.b7
61.Rc4+ first is also possible.
61…Rb4 62.Rc4+!!
1-0
A beautiful deflection, of both the rook (which keeps the b-pawn under control) and the bishop (which guards against Nc2+, forking rook and king). there could follow 62….Bxc4 63.Nc2+ kc3 64.Nxb4 and the b-pawn will be crowned, or 62…Rxc4 63.Nxc4 followed by 64.b8Q.
Back
Solution 6 signal 6 (page 133)
White’s four pieces are looking toward the king, while the knight on e5 holds the black defence. This is a typical case of a crucial defender, and White now played the logical
24.Rxe5! dxe5 25.fxg6 fxg6
If 25…hxg6 26.Nh5+ gxh5 (26…Kg8 27.Qh6+−) 27.Qg5+ and mate. Now comes another sacrifice, in order to destroy the last guards of the king.
26.Nh5+! Kh8
If 26…gxh5 27.Qg5+ Kh8 28.Rf7 Rg8 29.Qh6 and mate.
27.Qh6e6 28.d6
Or 28.dxe6 with Rf7 to come.
28…Qa7 29.Nf6 Red8
On 29…Qg7 White wins with 30.Qxg7+Kxg7 31.d7.
30.d7
1-0
Back
Solution 1 Signal 7 (page 140)
White’s queen might appear trapped, but this is not the right signal here. The problem is that no piece can defend the light squares around White’s king.
28…Rxh3+!
0-1
If 29.gxh3 Ndf4, followed by mate.
Back
Solution 2 signal 7 (page 140)
Black’s king faces three enemy pieces: the bishop, the rook and the queen, and is quite isolated here. Only the f8-rook is able to assist immediately in the defence. White can win by force:
23.Bh6!
1-0
If 23…gxh6 24.Qxh6 and mate is unavoidable; or 23…Rg8 24.Bxg7+ Rxg7 25.Re8+, winning the queen.
23…Rg8 24.Qf7
Back
Solution 3 signal 7 (page 140)
The black queen is the main defender here, against three white pieces that are aimed at the black king’s castle.
28.Bxg6! fxg6
After this sacrifice to destroy the fortress, White is able to deflect the enemy queen thanks to the alignment on the a5-d8 diagonal:
29.Ba5! Qxa5 30.Qxg6+ Kf8
On 30…Kh8 31.Qh6+ Kg8 32.Rg3+ and checkmate follows.
31.Rg3!
1-0
There is no defence against a quick checkmate: 31…Ke7 32.Qh7+ Ke8 33.Rg8#, or 31…Nf5 32.Qg8+ Ke7 3 3. Qh7+etc.
Back
Solution 4 signal 7 (page 141)
Black’s queen and bishop are far away. White wins by combining the forces of his bishop, rook, queen and e5-pawn.
28.Rh6! Rd8
After 28…gxh6 29.Qxh6 is crushing. On 28…g6 29.Bxg6 wins.
29.Rxh7+ Kg8 30.Qg5 g6 31.Bxg6 f6 32.Qxf6
1-0
Back
Solution 5 Signal 7 (page 141)
25.e5!
A typical move, opening the diagonal for the white bishop and closing the line of defence of the black bishop.
25…dxe5
On 25…Rb6 the queen exchange 26.Q
xb7 Rxb7 followed by the sequence 27.Bxa6 Rbb8 28.Bd3+ Kh8 29.bxc3 is winning for White. Now comes a typical obstruction move:
26.Bf6!+− Rg8
If 26…gxf6 then 27.Rg1 with mate.
27.Bd3+ Kh8 28.Qe4
1-0
Or 28.Qg6.
Back
Solution 6 signal 7 (page 141)
It is clear that Black’s pieces are too far away from the main action, that is: the dark squares around the black king!
20.Nxg7! Kxg7
If 20…Bg4, 21.Qxf6 wins a piece.
21.Bxh6+!
‘Play it again, Sam!’
21…Kg6
Black keeps defending the f6-knight. If 21…Kxh6 White forces mate with 22.Qxf6+ Kh5 23.Rg3.
22.Nd5 Nh7
After the retreat 22…Bd8, 23.Bxf8 wins.
23.Qg3+ Kh5 24.Nf6+ Nxf6 25.Qg5#
1-0
Back
Part III - Looking for the Right Move
Introduction
Chapter 16 - Candidate Moves
Chapter 17 - Accurate Calculation
Chapter 18 - Test: Is There A Combination?
Introduction
We now enter the fourth and fifth phases of our thinking process.
After we have examined the position (‘Global vision’, page 13), analysed it (see Part I, p. 25) and chosen a general course of action (Part II, p. 69), we have to make a concrete decision, i.e. choose a specific move. This topic can be divided into two parts:
- one (phase 4) consists of making a selection of moves (so called ‘candidate moves’) that we need to investigate further, in order to select the best among them;
- the other (phase 5) consists in calculating the variations.
Schematically, it is easier to consider that part one is ‘selecting the candidates’ and part 2 is ‘calculating them’, but in practice it is difficult to separate the two operations. Specifically, when we pick up a few candidate moves, the calculating process may suggest a new candidate that originally wasn’t taken in account. This can be explained with a classical example (from the remarkable Imagination in Chess, see the bibliography on page 223):
Calculation
White must first calculate the forced variation
49.Rxe6 Bxe6 50.Rxe6
This looks like a win for White because of the terrible mate threat 51.Rg6+ hxg6 52.Qh8#.
Refutation
Then we see the refutation of the idea:
50…Qxc2!
50…Bf8 51.Rg6+ is checkmate all the same. But after the text the black queen controls g6. This position can be assessed as unclear.
The Masked Candidate
Now we can look for a new candidate move, which was completely out of consideration at the first examination of the position.
Since the threat of Rxe6 is so strong, and can only be parried by …Qxc2, it is logical to try and find a way to prevent this defence:
49.c4!! bxc3
50.Rxe6 Bxe6 51.Rxe6
and White wins (Sax-Partos, Biel Interzonal 1985).
For this reason, I won’t give a specific order for these two phases. We have to perform both tasks correctly.
In the next two chapters we will see some important points regarding both the selection of candidate moves and the calculation.
Chapter 16
Candidate Moves
Seeing unexpected possibilities
Oren,Menachem
Dyner,Boruch Israel
Tel Aviv 1952
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 c5 5.d5 0-0 6.e4 d6 7.Ne2 Nfd7 8.0-0 b5 9.cxb5 a6 10.bxa6 Nxa6 11.Nbc3 Rb8 12.b3 Nb4 13.Bb2 Ne5 14.Na4 Nbd3 15.Bc3 Ba6 16.f4 Ng4 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Rf3 c4 19.bxc4 Rb4 20.Rxd3 Bxc4 21.Ra3 Qa5 22.Bf3 Bb3?
22…Bxe2! 23.Qxe2 Rxa4 would have held because after 24.Rxa4 (24.Qb2+ Nf6) 24…Qxa4, 25.Bxg4 is a mistake, due to the double attack 25…Qd4+.
23.Rxb3 Qa7+
Here there are eight legal moves for White. Most people would not spot the winning one. Yet, once you have calculated that the king moves lose quickly (losing the queen or getting checkmated), and eliminated9 as useless the parades with the queen (on d4) or the rook (on e3), you are left with knight jumps. Two of them are useless, but one wins on the spot: the extraordinary
24.Nb6!!
which lures the black queen to the same file as her rook, thus creating an alignment. 24…Qxb6+.
The b4-rook is now pinned, which allows White to escape and win: 25.Qd4+ (25.Nd4 also wins) 25…Qxd4+ 26.Nxd4 Rxd4 27.Bxg4 with an easy win for White.
There are also situations where you have to consider every possible move. Most often this will happen in the endgame. Sometimes, when the stakes are very high, and when every move can mean the difference between winning and losing, you will have to consider improbable alternatives.
Taking every move into account
Romanko,Marina
Zhukova,Natalia
Antakya Wch 2010 (1.1)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d5 7.Bg5 c5 8.dxc5 d4 9.Qc2 Nbd7 10.e3
10.b4 (½-½, 40) Morozevich-Shirov, Biel 2011 (6).
10…h6 11.Bh4 e5 12.exd4 exd4 13.0-0-0 Nxc5 14.Nf3 Qb6 15.Nxd4 Rd8 16.f3
Black, a strong player, could have won by force here. Can you calculate the winning continuation?
16…Rxd4!
16…Bd7 was seen in the actual game, which ended in a draw.
17.Rxd4 Nb3+ 18.Qxb3!
Of course, you have to consider this move first, because a capture is the simplest way to parry a check. Did you? Very well, let’s continue the line then!
18…Qxb3 19.Rd8+
How do you like this position? It looks as if White is winning, yet there’s a surprising winning move for Black. What are the possible moves here?
19…Ne8!!
The purpose of this sacrifice is to deviate the rook, so that the normal follow-up 20.Bd3+ will not be possible anymore, because the d3-square won’t be controlled by the white rook.
After 19…Kh7 20.Bd3+ g6 loses (yet another surprising interpolation was available with 20…Bf5! and the position after 21.Bxf5+ g6 22.Rxa8 Qxc4+ 23.Bc2 Qxh4 is still playable for Black) 21.Bxf6 and mate: 21…Bf5 22.Rxa8 and so on.
20.Rxe8+ Kh7
With a big advantage for Black.
Here’s another example:
Taimanov,Mark
Larsen,Bent
Vinkovci 1970 (13)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5 0-0 6.Bf4 Bxc5 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.e3 d5 9.a3 Qa5 10.Rc1 Be7 11.Be2 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nd5 13.Bxd5 exd5 14.Qb3
Here the imaginative Dane uncorked
14…g5! 15.Bg3
If 15.Bxg5 Bxg5 16.Nxg5, 16…d4! wins a knight thanks to a double threat.
15…g4 16.Nd4 Nxd4 17.exd4
17…Bg5!
Threatening the rook on c1 and also threatening to give a nasty check on e8, while the white king is still in the centre.
18.0-0!
Probably the best decision: White sacrifices an exchange in order to keep his king safe, while Black’s castle has been damaged by his adventurous play.
18…Bxc1 19.Rxc1 Be6 20.h3!?
After 20.Qxb7 Qb6 21.Qxb6 axb6 22.Be7, White should hold the ending.
20…gxh3 21.Be5
White mounts a very dangerous attacking set-up; if the queen join the attack on g3, it will be checkmate.
21…f6! 22.Ne4 fxe5 23.Qg3+
This looks like a winning attack for White. Should the king go to h8, Qxe5 would be possible, taking the bishop with check on the next move. But the square f7 is not ideal either, because of the nasty check on g5 with the knight. Larsen had seen the paradoxical solution from afar:
23…Bg4!!
A crucial deviation, in order to force White to take on g4 with the queen, thus losing his ideal coordination. The key point is that the queen on e5 would enable the rook to join the party on c7. Instead, Black would lose after both 23…Kh8 24.Qxe5+ Kg8 25.Qxe6+ Rf7 (25…Kg7 26.Qe5+ Kg8
27.Rc3! with a fatal check on g3 to come) 26.Nd6 Rf8 27
.Nxf7 Rxf7 28.Rc8+ White wins; and 23…Kf7 24.Ng5+ Ke7 25.Qxe5 Rf6 (25…Qb6 is also losing after 26.Rc7+): 26.Rc7+ with a crushing attack for White.
Now the queen has been attracted on g4, the attack is over.
24.Qxg4+ Kh8!
Now the coordination of White’s pieces has been spoiled: from g4, the queen does not have access to the crucial e5-square, where it attacks the king while enabling the rook to land on c7.
25.Ng5 Qd2 26.Rc7 Qxf2+ 27.Kh2 Qxg2+ 28.Qxg2 hxg2 29.dxe5 Rac8 30.Rxb7 Rc2 31.Nf7+ Kg7 32.e6 Kf6 33.e7 g 1Q+ 34. Kxg1 Rg8+
0-1
Footnotes
9 We call this method of elimination. The frequent use of this method explains why strong grandmasters fall victim to simple tactics: if in a position where they have two possibilities, the ‘normal’ one loses, they play the second one, without even calculating it, because they know that it is the only chance.
Chapter 17
Accurate Calculation
Pawn ending
Berry,Neil
Rendle,Thomas
Bunratty 2012 (3)
1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.b4 d6 6.Bb2 e5 7.dxe5 Nfd7 8.Bg2 dxe5 9.Qb3 0-0 10.c5+ Kh8 11.0-0 Qe7 12.Nc3 c6 13.Nd2 Nf6 14.Rfd1 e4 15.e3 Be6 16.Qa3 Nbd7 17.Ne2 Bg8 18.h4 Ne5 19.Nf4 Rfd8 20.Bd4 Nd5 21.Nxd5 Rxd5 22.Bf1 a6 23.Qc3 Rad8 24.Be2 Nd3 25.Nb3 Ne5 26.Nd2 R5d7 27.Nb3 Bxb3 28.Qxb3 Nf3+ 29.Bxf3 exf3 30.Qc3 Kg8 31.Rd2 f4 32.Qc4+ Qf7 33.Qxf7+ Kxf7 34.gxf4 Ke6 35.Rad1 Rd5 36.Kh2 Kf5 37.Kg3 Ke4 38.a3 R8d7 39.Kg4 h6 40.Rc1 h5+ 41.Kg3 Bh6 42.Rc4 Bxf4+ 43.exf4 Rxd4 44.Rcxd4+ Rxd4 45.Rxd4+ Kxd4 46.Kxf3 Kc3 47.f5 gxf5 48.Kf4 Kb3
Tune Your Chess Tactics Antenna Page 13