6. RESULTADOS
6.5 LANCES SOBRE OBJETOS FLOTANTES
6.5.5. AGRUPACION DE DEPREDADORES EN LANCES SOBRE OBJETOS
Though despised by most players, the doubled pawn is not all bad, and often it can be an actual advantage. First, a doubled pawn gives its owner an extra open file for his Rooks; second, Of the pawns are central) they allow for coverage of critical squares that would not be possible if the pawns were undoubled and 'healthy' .
(103)
Diagram #103 is a simple example of these things. The doubled pawns give White many interesting possibilities. For example, the open b-file is a result of the doubling. Even more important is their fine central influence. The c3 pawn guards d4 while the c2 pawn gives d3 support. White can also switch into another central position: by playing c4 he gets greater control of d5, and c2-c3 re-establishes control of d4. Normally a c4, d3, e4 pawn formation leaves d4 very weak. Here that is not the case-thanks to the trusty doubled pawns!
1 69
1 7 0 / H O W T O R E A S S E S S Y O U R C H E S S
White to play.
Diagram #104 shows a common situation--one which begin
ners find very puzzling. Both sides have developed their pieces in a solid but unimaginative fashion. Now White plays
1.Be3!
offering Black the chance to double his pawns. Black replies with 1 . . .Bb6, refusing to comply, and instead allows White to double Black's! Have they both gone mad? The answer, of course, is no. It just so happens that their moves are all based on very logical considerations. With 1 .Be3 White actually dreams of having his pawns doubled! After 1 . .. Bxe3 2.fxe3 White would have gained a lot: an open f-file plus added control of d4 and f4. In particular, the d4 square was a potential home for Black's pieces. Now it is taboo. With all this in mind, Black retreats by 1 . . .Bb6 and welcomes 2.Bxb6 axb6 since then Black would have use of the a-file while his pawns are all quite sturdy (none of the weakness that one associates with doubled pawns). In fact, it is also possible for Black to simply leave his Bishop on c5: l . .. ReS 2.Bxc5 dxc5 after which Black would enjoy play down the newly opened d-file plus greatly increased control over the d4 square.
In the following game Black plays an opening where he actually begs White to give him the added central control and extra open file that only doubled pawns can bestow. Kaplan
Larsen, San Antonio 1972.
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6
W E A K P A W N S - S T R O N G P A W N S / 1 7 1 (105)
:"::"::"::"::":,:',',:'::,:' . . . . ... ;:::::::::.:":; .
In the Caro-Kann, White usually has control of the useful e5 square-a square that often turns into a juicy home for a White Knight. In this line however, Black's doubled pawn on f6 keeps unwanted visitors out of e5 and also gives Black use of the newly opened g-file. Later in the game this same pawn on f6 may decide to advance to f5 where it gains control of e4. True, Black's pawn on h7 is doubled, but he hopes that the dynamic potential inherent in his pawn structure will more than make up for this m inor weakness.
6.Nf3 BfS
This Bishop steps outside the pawn chain before . . . e7-e6 is played.7.Be2 Qc7
S.O-ONd7 9.c4 e6 10.Bd2 Bd6
Since White's pieces have no footholds in the center (thanks to the doubled pawns!), Black decides to make use of his open g-file and play for a kingside attack via ... Rg8 and .. ,0-0-0,1 1.Kh1 Rg8 12.cS?
Chasing the Bishop from its strong diagonal is nice, but giving up the critical d5 square is too high a price to pay.12 ... Be7 13.Qc1 Be4 14.Bf4 QaS 15.Bg3 h5!
All of a sudden the 'weak' h-pawn joins in the fray.16.Rgl fS 17.Nd2 h41 18.Bd6? BdS 19.Bxe7 h3!
Who would have guessed that the once despised h-pawn was destined for such great things?20.f3 hxg2+ 2 1.Rxg2 Rxg2 22.Kxg2 Kxe7
Black understands that he probably won't be able to mate his opponent. However, he has new things to crow about: White's pawn structure is now inferior to Black's-with targets on d1, f3, and h3, Black can look forward to an endgame with confidence.23.Nc4 Bxc4
White's Knight can't be allowed to jump into d6.24.Bxc4 Nf6
Adding a superior minor piece to1 7 2 / H O W T O R E A S S E S S Y O U R C H E S S
his list of positional advantages. Aside from d5 , this Knight has designs on the attractive f4 post.
25.Qf4
Else Black would have played . . . Qc7, ... Nh5, and ... Nf4.25 ... RdS 26.a3 b6 27.b4 Qa4 2S.Ra2 bxc5 29.dxc5 Qdl
Black allowed White to get rid of his weak d-pawn in exchange for complete domination of the open d-file. It's instructive to see how Black keeps trading his positive imbalances in for other, but no less useful, advantages.30.Bfl RgS+
White's King is not looking very healthy.31.Kf2 Nd5 32.Qd2
32.Qd6+ Kf6 leaves Black with a decisive attack.32 ... Qb3
Since White's King is so unhappy, Black no longer has any desire to trade Queens.33.Rb2
Giving up a pawn in a desperate bid for counterplay.33 ... Qxa3 34.Ra2 Qxb4
Only now, with material in Black's pocket, will the second player take the heat off the White King and trade into an endgame.35.Rxa7+ Kf6 36.Qxb4 Nxb4 37.Rb7 Nd5 3S.Bc4 RcS 39.Kg3 f4+
The doubled pawn continues to play a useful role in the game. Now it gives the Knight an excellent post on e3.40.Kf2 Ne3 41.Bd3 RhS 42.Rc7 Nd51 43.RxcG
Nb4 Forcing a decisive simplification.44.RdG Nxd3+ 45.Rxd3 Rxh2+ 46.Kgl Rc2 47.Rd4 Rxc5 4S.Kf2
Sadly for White, 4S.Rxf4+ Rf5 is completely hopeless.
4S ... Rc2+ 49.Kf1 Kg5 50.RdS Kh4 5 1.Rg8
Black's King cannot be allowed into g3.51 ... f5
The fl pawn played a useful but quiet role throughout this game by defending e6. Now it takes a more active interest in events and prepares to turn the e-pawn into a monster.
52.Rg6 e5 53.ReG e4 54.fxe4 fxe4 55.Rxe4 Kg3 5G.ReS Rc1+,
0-1 . Funnily enough, the once doubled f-pawn will soon turn into a Queen.Larsen put it well when he said, "In this variation, m any endings are won with the aid of the seemingly humble [doubled]
center pawns."
In our next example we see a case of ugly doubled and isolated pawns taking back seat to more important considerations.
Fischer-Euwe, Leipzig Olympiad 1960.
1.e4 cG 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.cxd5 Nxd5 s.Qb3!
White doesn't mind that Black will give him doubled-isolated
W E A K P A W N S - S T R O N G P A W N S 1 1 7 3 pawns on f2 and f3. He expects to get a lead in development that will more than compensate for this structural flaw (a common ease of Black's favorable imbalance-pawn struc
ture-battling White's-initiative based on development). Never known that 13 ... Qd7! 14.Nxd5+ Qxd5 1 5.Qxd5 exd5 leads to an endgame where Black's isolated d-pawn is weaker than White's doubled pawns simply because the d-pawn is situated on an can't exploit it because he'll be unable to develop his kingside normally."
15 ... RdS?
Better was 15 . . . Qxb5 1 6.Rxb5 Kd6! though Fischer points out that White would still retain a clear advantage after 17.Rb7 f6 l S.Ke2 Kc6 19.Rfl a5 20.Be3.16.Be3 Qxb5 17.Rxb5 Rd7 IS.Ke2
White feels that he can win the Black apawn any time he wants to, so he first hurries to get his remaining Rook into the game.
IS ... f6 19.Rdl!
Getting rid of Black's only active piece.19 ... Rxdl 20.Kxdl Kd7 2 1.RbS!
1 7 4 / H O W T O R E A S S E S S Y O U R C H E S S
Black's pieces would gain some measure of freedom after 2 1 .Bxa7 Bd6 22.Rb7+ Kc6 23.Rxg7 Bxh2. 2 1 ... Ke6 Stopping the threatened Bc5. 22.Bxa7 g5 23.a4 Bg7 24.Rb6+ Kd5 25.Rb7 and White went on to win the ending.
It may appear that doubled-isolated pawns are never useful and may at best be offset by some other advantage (as in the Fischer-Ewue game). However, this is by no means the case.
The following game presents a sound argument against this opinion. Hammie-Silman, San Francisco 1975. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.&4 Qa5 8.0-0 0-0 9.Nb3 Qe7 10.f4 d6 1 1.Be2 b6 12.Bf3 Bb7 H.Rf2.
We seem to be in the middle of a typical Sicilian Defense-the amateur may think that Black is supposed to play on the queenside with . . . b6-b5, while White will try for a kingside attack with g2-g4. However, Black upsets the apple cart with an insane looking move. 13 ... Na5!1.
This offers to accept doubled-isolated Rook pawns! Naturally, White couldn't resist the temptation to chop on a5; stopping Black from jumping into c4 and Simultaneously destroying his opponent's pawn structure.
14.Nxa5 bxa5 15.Bd4 Nd7 16.Nd5 Bxd5
Playing for a superior Knight versus a bad Bishop.17.exd5 Bxd4 18.Qxd4 Qe5
Believe it or not, even though Black has those horrible looking a-pawns he realizes that his advantage will increase if he can trade the Queens. Why? Black allowed his pawns to be doubled in the first place because heT
W E A K P A W N S - S T R O N G P A W N S / 1 7 5
saw that he would be able to use the open c-fiIe and b-file to pressure White's pawns on c2 and b2. Since the presence of the Queens gives White some chance for kingside counterplay, Black welcomes their exchange. This leaves White with only one point of attack-the pawn on e7-but Black can easily defend it with a Rook on b7 and a King on f8. 19.Rdl Rab8 20.e3 Rb7! This prepares to defend e7 with the Rook and also to double on the b-file. Black enjoys an active position.
At this point I can hear the sharp reader say that though the doubled pawns did indeed give Black play on the b-file, they themselves are not serving any dynamic role in the game. This assumption is shown to be false when we look at diagram #108.
Black to move.
This is the type of position that could have arisen from our previous game. With White's Bishop looking useless and the e7 pawn solidly defended, Black is ready to play for a decisive break-through. He can only do this with the help of his dynamic a-pawns: 1 ... a4! Now we see that the a-pawns are being used as battering rams. Black knows that if he can destroy the base of the pawn chain on b3, then c4 will be deprived of protection and die. 2.Bd1 a3! Usually Black plays 2 ... axb3 followed by ... a7-a5-a4. However, he sees another idea in the position. 3.Rc2 Not 3.Re2 Rxc4 and the pin on the b-file leads to the win of a pawn.
3 ... a5 Here comes the other one! 4.Re3 a4 when after 5 . . . axb3 the doubled pawn has been transformed into a powerful passed pawn on a3.
1 7 6 / H O W T O R E A S S E S S Y O U R C H E S S
We have seen that doubled pawns defy any absolute label of good or bad; however, sometimes their lack of flexibility can tum potentially useful doubled pawns into weak targets.
After
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 0-0
would be unassailable after 8.Bd3. Instead, Black wisely takes note of the potential target on c4 and does everything he can to attack it.7.e4 Ne8
Black can defend his kingside with . . .f7-f5 and this Knight can also go after c4 with . . . Nd6.8.Bd3 Ba6 9.Ne2 Nc6!
followed by . . . Na5 with strong pressure against c4.This last example shows us that if your opponent has doubled pawns, you must strive to take advantage of their inherent
ness on c4 is completely safe since Black's pieces are unable to get to it. Seeing that White would cement his advantage if he
W E A K P A W N S - S T R O N G P A W N S ( 1 7 7 succeeds in moving his Knight and playing f2-f1, Black begins a plan Lo control the f4 square himself and stop whiLe from White Knight had to move to make f2-f4 possible, but this took the Knight away from the center and weakened d4.
4.Be3
The space gaining f2-f4 advance is still threatened.4 .
. .c5! 5.d5 Nf4!
Black forced White to push his pawn to d5 since now 6.Bxf4 exf1 gives Black use of the eS square.
6.Be2 N$
and Black has effectively stopped White from gaining ground on the kingside.The closed position makes the Knights more valuable than the Bishops.
How did White's doubled pawns influence the play in the Janowsky-Nimzovich game? Were they a negative factor or was White simply outplayed? While White
was
clearly outclassed, the doubled pawns also played a part in the direction the game followed. The reasoning for this goes as follows: If White's left White with fewer options than normal . In view of this, Black came up with a plan that stopped White's kingside play and, as a result, left White with nothing to do anywhere.1 7 8 / H O W T O R E A S S E S S Y O U R C H E S S
Botvinnik-Reshevsky,
World Championship Tournament 1 948.
Black to play.
This position, like the previous one, seems nice for White, who has a lead in development, atacking chances on the kingside, two Bishops, and more space. Yet the truth is that Black's game is preferable. The reason is that Black has no weaknesses in his camp and he is well positioned to defend himself on the kingside. Black's main trump however, is the very weak pawn on c4 (easily attacked by . . . :-.Ia5 and . . . Ba6) ; a pawn that White will have great difficulties in defending.
1 ... Na5
Though behind in development, Black moves an already developed piece. As strange as it may seem, the move makes perfect sense.
Black has two main concerns: 1) attack the pawn on c4; 2) defend his kingside. The move chosen (L.Na5) starts to ad
dress the first problem. In contrast, a developing move like L.Bd7? has nothing to do with the position- it does not attack c4 and it has nothing to do with kingside defense.
2.Ng3 Ba6 3.Qe2 Qd7!
A wonderful dual-purpos'e move. The Queen can now go to a4 and increase the pressure on c4. The other point of . . . Qd7 is that it allows Black to play . . . f7-f5. This advance would stifle White's aggressive intentions down the b1-h7 diagonal.4.f4 f5!
Black does not rush to win the c4 pawn. He reasons that if he can form an unpassable defensive shield around his King, then he can later win the c4 pawn (and theW E A K P A W N S - S T R O N G P A W N S 1 1 7 9 game with it) without risking an unhappy kingside debacle.
5.Rael
Black would only increase his pressure on c4 after 5 .d5 g6! 6.dxe6 Qxe6 7.exf5 gxf5 .5 ... g61
Here we have an interesting battle of ideas: White attacking on the kingside, Black on the queenside. Happily for Black, his targets on the queenside are ready made and permanent (weak pawns on a3, c3, and c4) . White's plan is more wishful thinking. He has no clear object of attack and thus he finds himself in a state of despera
tion; for if he fails on the kingside, he will surely perish on the opposite wing. mack then merely has to strike a balance on the kingside for an eventual win.
6.Rdl Qf7 7.e5 ReS
So that after 8.exd6 Nxd6 the c5 pawn will be defended.S.Rfel dxe5!
9.dxe5 Ng7
Now Black's kingside is as solid as a rock.l O.Nfl RfdS
Reshevsky shows great patience. His last move ends any White fantasies of play down the open d-file.1l.Bf2 NhSI l2.Bg3
and not 1 2.g3, which would lead to death along the a8-hI diagonal after 1 2 . .. Qe8 followed by 13 ... Qc6 and 1 4 .. . Bb7.l2 ... QeS 13.Ne3 Qa4
White was left without prospect'> while Black's play on the queenside was just getting started. Black eventually won.C H A P T E R T W O