CAPÍTULO 5: PRUEBA DEL SISTEMA DESARROLLADO
5.5 C ASOS DE P RUEBA
One of our most important tasks in a game is to maximise the power of our pieces. Each individual piece has its own way of moving which demands a specific strategic treatment if it is to achieve optimum effectiveness. The rooks, for example, desperately need open fJ.J.es so that they can penetrate into the enemy position, the 7th and 8th ranks in particular, where they can exert tremendous pressure.
21 1 Capablanca (black)
Alatortzev (white)
Black controls the c fJ.J.e but if he immediately doubles rooks on it White can open the a file by 2 aS! with full equality. For this reason Capablanca played 1 . . . Qb7! in order to answer 2 aS with 2 . . . bS creating a strong passed pawn. If now 2 Rfcl Rfc8 3 Qd2 Qc7 ! 4 Rxc6 Qxc6, Black establishes full control of the vital file, so White should try to exchange queens by 2 Qe2! and 3 Qf3 , since rook endings are notoriously difficult to win. Instead he makes his first small mistake with 2 Rfbl(?) and play continued 2 . . . Rfc8 3 h3 (the intended 3 aS fails to 3 . . . bS! because White's back rank is undefended if he cap
tures the pawn) 3 . . . a6! 4 Qa3 Rc2! (already Black has a clear advan
tage and even after White's best play of simplifying with S Re i Rxc l + 6 Rxcl Rxc l + 7 Qxcl bS ! the queen ending with a passed pawn.gives Dlack excellent winning chances. In the game White tries to activate his
Effective use of pieces I 1 3 7
queen but allows an instructive combination which reveals the power of a rook on the 7th rank) 5 Qd6? Rxf2 ! 6 Qg3 Re2 7 Resigns. Black had to calculate an important variation here : if 6 Kxf2 Rc2+ 7 Ke l Qxg2 8 QbS+ Kg7 9 Qe5+ Black escapes perpetual check by playing 9 . . .
Kf8! 1 0 Qd6+ KeS 1 1 Qb8+ Ke7 1 2 Qa7+ Kf6 winning.
212 Simagin (black)
GeUer (white)
White has a central pawn majority but it is not easy to exploit this directly because mack's pieces are weU placed to cope with the advance of the d pawn. The correct plan is to take over the c file by the surpris
ing 1 Ba6! Bxa6 2 Qxa6 Rxc l (there is no other way to guard the pawn on a7) 3 Rxcl QaS 4 Bd6 RdS 5 e 5 ! (normally such a move, leaving the d pawn backward, is strategicaUy bad, but here it is the strongest con
tinuation since 1t secures the entry point at c7 and prepares to contain Black's coming attempt at a counter-attack) 5 . . . Bg7 6 Rc7 Qe4 7 Nd2 Qe l + 8 Nfl NfB (or 8 . . . NbS 9 Qc8! etc.) 9 Qxa7 Bh6 1 0 Rxf7 Qbl 1 1 Qe7 ReS 1 2 Rxh7 Resigns.
An open file in itself is not enough. An entry point is required if our rooks are to penetrate down the ftle, a 'turning point' as it is sometimes called. The next two positions illustrate this theme.
2 1 3 Composed position by
Nimzovitch
1 3 8 / Effective use of pieces
White should exploit the file by Rg6! and since exchangin
g
wouldallow White to recapture with the h pawn he succeeds in doubling rooks on the me with a decisive advantage. On the other hand, the seemingly powerful ! Ng6 Rh7 proves ineffective.
2 1 4 Pachman (black)
As will be seen, if White's pawn were on b2 or b3, or Black's pawn on b5, the game would be drawn! In the first case Black would be unable to use the c4 entry point successfully, and in the second case he could not answer I Rfc I with I . . . Rfc8 in view of 2 ReS ! when it is White
Another useful principle to remember when we are planning to open a file is that the threat is usually stronger than the execution; in other words, before opening the flle we build up maximum power with our major pieces, as illustrated in the following study by Euwe.
(See next diagram) I a4! Kd7 (the only way that Black can contest the Kxe4 White would already threaten 7 axb5 axb5 8 Rxa8 Rxa8 9 Rxa8 Kxa8 1 0 f4 ! Kb7 1 1 d5! with a won pawn ending) 6 a�b5 axb5 7 Rxa8 Rxa8 8 Rxa8 Kxa8 9 exd5 exd5 1 0 Kf4 g6 1 1 g4 h6
Effective use of pieces I 1 3 9 2 1 5
12 h4 Kb7 1 3 h 5 winning. Note how White delays opening the ft.le until he can exchange pieces to reach a won pawn ending!
(2) 2 . . . bxa4 (trying to cross White's plan but giving himself a weak
pawn on a6) 3 Rxa4 Kc7 4 Rba 1 (threatening both 5 Rxa6 and 5 b5) 4 . . . Kb7 5 Ra5 Rhc8 6 Kf3 RedS 7 e4 dxe4+ 8 Kxe4 Rdc8 9 Re5 Rc6 1 0 R 1 a5 Rac8 1 1 d 5 ! exd5 + 1 2 Raxd5 R6c7 1 3 Kd4 Kb6 1 4 f4 R7c6 1 5 g3 R8c7 1 6 h4 ReB 1 7 h5 R8c7 1 8 b5 axb5 1 9 Rxb5 + Ka6 20 Rec5 winning.
2 1 6 Yudovitch (black)
-Rauser (white)
A position which is similar to the Queen's Gambit variation we examined earlier (after 1 3 . . . e4), when we stated that White's plan is to exploit the half-open c file. Play continued: 1 a5 ! Nd5 2 a6 ! (weakening the
pawn on c6 and so increasing the effectiveness of the coming occupa·
tion of the c file) 2 . . . b6 3 Rdcl Bf5 4 Nxd5 cxd5 5 Bb5 ! Bd7 6 Bc6 ! (giving up his 'good' bishop for the greater cause of exploiting the c file) 6 . . . Bxc6 7 Rxc6 Rec8 8 Qc3 Qd7 9 Rac 1 Rxc6 1 0 Qxc6 Qxc6 1 1 Rxc6 (despite the massive exchanges, White shows that even in the
end-game the control of an open file can be a decisive factor) 1 1 . . .
1 40 I Effective use of pieces
NeB 1 2 Nb l ! (aiming for bS) 1 2 . • . KgB 1 3 Nc3 RdB 14 NbS Rd7. So Black's pieces have been forced into passive positions and White begins
a new phase of the game with an attack on the other wing by 1 5 g4!
Ke7 16 ReB Nd6 1 7 Nxd6 K�d6 1 B b4 Rc7 1 9 RhB h6 20 bS Rcl + 21 Kg2 Ke6 22 RaB Rc7 23 Kg3 g6 24 h4! Kf6 25 Rd8 Ke6 26 g5! hxg5 27 hxg5 Rc2 28 Ra8 Rc7 29 Rb8! giving us a position which merits another diagram, as an·exarnple of an entry point along the 7th rank.
2 1 7 Yudovitch (black)
Rauser (white)
White threatens 30 Rb7 Kd6 3 1 Kg4! when Black is in zugzwang i.e.
any move is to }$ disadvantage ; if 3 1 · . . . Rc2 32 Rxf7, or 3 1 . . . Rd7 32 Kf4 Ke6 33 Rxd7 Kxd7 34 Ke5, or 3 1 . . . Rxb7 32 axb7 Kc7 33 Kf4 Kxb7 34 Ke5 etc., a variation which reveals the usefulness of the protected b7 square. In the game Black tried 29 . . . Rc2 and lost as
follows: 30 Rb7 Rb2 3 1 Rxa7 Rxb5 32 Rb7 Rbl 33 a7 Rat 34 Rxb6+
Kf5 35 Rf6+ Kxg5 36 Rxf7 Rgl + 37 Kh2 Rat 38 Kg2 Resigns.
This example pin-points a common feature of open flle control: it often forces the enemy pieces into a passive position, but then another factor has to be introduced into the situation to take advantage of this passivity. Our next example also illustrates a mixture of play in the open me combined with action on the other wing.
(See next diagram) White's control of the b ftle offers him little at the moment because his only entry point at b7 cannot be occupied immedi
ately in view of . . . DeS driving away his rook. The correct plan is to launch a king side attack whilst maintaining pressure down the nle, so as to occupy Black simultaneo�ly on both sides of the board. Play went: I Bg5 ! f6 (I . . . Bf6 2 Bxf6 Qxf6 3 Rb6! followed by doubling rooks on the b flle gives White a clear plus) 2 Bf4! (better than 2 Be3 which would not threaten 3 f4 because of 3 . . . Bxc3 ! so White must exchange the dark-squared bishop in order to create concrete threats on
Effective use of pieces I 1 4 1
1 4 2 I Effective use of pieces
There is an interesting line after 1 0 . . . Rb8 I I c4! Bd6 1 2 f4 Nxe4 1 3 c S Be7 1 4 Bd3 Nf6 I S Bd4 and the active white pieces fully compen
sate the sacrificed pawn.
1 1 Nb6 Rb8 1 2 Nxc8 Qxc8
13 eS NdS
14 Bel !
This modest retreat is much stronger than 1 4 Bd4 cS ! equalising.
14 . . . cS I S c4
Allowing the black knight to reach c6 where White will have to exchange it for his bishop, but 1 5 a3 c4! 1 6 Qd4 c3 1 7 b3 f6 would give Black counter-chances.
I S Nb4
16 b3 0.0
17 Bb2 Qc7
Not a mistake in itself but the start of a faulty plan. He must eliminate the strong pawn on eS, so 1 7 . . . f6! was the correct move when White continues 1 8 Bf3 Nc6 19 Bxc6 Qxc6 20 Re 1 fxeS 21 BxeS with a clear positional plus in view of Black's weak central pawns (either the d pawn remains backward or if 2 1 . . . d6 22 Bb2 eS Black has also given him·
self a bad bishop on e7).
219
1 8 Bf3
18 . . . d6?
Jakobsen (black)
Effective use of pieces I 1 43 Black pursues his mistaken idea of opening the d me for the exchange of the major pieces and a rapid draw. However, the opening of the a l h8 diagonal for White's dark-squared bishop provea a decisive factor in the corning attack. Even with loss of time, Black should still play
White's advantage clearly lies in his powerful bishop and the weakness of the a6 and c5 pawns. Taken individually neither of these factors is sufficient in itself; Black can counter the pressure on the bishop's diagonal by . . . Bf8 or even . . . Bf6, and White can only exploit the weak pawns if he can obtain control of the d fLie, which seems impos
sible at the moment. However, taken together they allow White to form a promising strategic plan : with his next move he quickly increases his pressure on the king side to force Black on the defensive, then takes the opportunity to occupy the d flle and fmally after the exchange of
In no way a direct mating attack, but introducing the positional threat of 26 Bf6! forcing Black to concede the d file.
25 Kh7
26 Bc3! (see next diagram)
It is almost unbelievable that it is Otis unobtrusive move which proves the decisive factor. Not only does it prevent Black's sole counterplay of . . . a5-a4 but also threatens 27 BaS again forcing Black to concede the d fJ..Ie. Surprisingly, there is nothing to be done about the latter, because 26 . . . Qc7 would allow the manoeuvre Re l , Re3 and Rg3 attacking the king, since 27 . . . Rd3? fails to 28 Qe4+ winning the rook.
1 44 I Effective use of pieces g file. So White must quickly find a way of exploiting the d fLie.
29 Qf3 !
Tilis simple move is the answer. As the black queen is guarding the entry point at d7, she must be eliminated! The resulting doubled pawn is not so serious in this position where it cannot easily be attacked by pieces and is just as good a defence against Black's pawn majority.
Some players have an obsessive fear of doubled pawns and of course it would be a different matter if they were instead on c2 and c3, crippling his own pawn majority there. Black decides to bring his king over, since 29 . . . Qe8 30 Qb7 ! is good for White.
34 Ra7 Rd6
Sometimes a file is only half-open, with an enemy pawn blocking the rook's path to the 7th rank. When such a pawn is isolated or backward Rfd l Rff6 , attack and defence are evenly balanced, with the important difference that White's rooks on the d me are much more actively posted than Black's. Another factor is that the white rooks can choose their time to move away and attack somewhere .else, whereas Black's
1 46 I Effective use of pieces
rooks can only leave the defence o.f the d pawn when White relinquishes the pressure. Play continued: 4 R1d3 KfB S f4! and now White's plan is clear ; by advancing his king side pawns he will force the black rooks away from the defence of the pawn. S . . . ReB 6 Kf2 Rh6 7 h4 Ke7 B moment but is in JlO way forsaken by his colleagues and is now threaten
ing to become active by . . . c5. White's plan is first to prevent this advance and then to apply pressure on the pawn by doubling rooks on the me. So 1 Qb3 ! applies pressure down the b me and on the d pawn, without compensation) B Ng3 Ng7 (strangely enough, there is no way of saving the c pawn, as B . . . c6 9 BfS artd 1 0 Bxg4 leads to a decisive
Effective use of pieces I 1 4 7 1:' . . . RfB ! 1 3 Qc2 ! Qh6 1 4 Qc7 Bc8 (the entry of White's queen is decisive, as is shown by the line 14 . . . h4 I S Ne2! Bc8 1 6 QeS) 1 5 QeS h4 1 6 Ne2 QhS? (setting a trap, as now 1 7 Qxd5+? fails to 1 7 . . . Be6 and 1 8 . . . g3 with a strong attack, but White's simple reply 10on leads to an untenable position for Black) 17 Nc3 gJ ! 1 8 11 ! ReS (or 1 8 . . . Be6 19 NxdS Qf7 20 Bg6!) 1 9 Qxd5+ Be6 20 Qd6 Bc4 2 1 NdS Re6 2 2 Qxe6! Nxe6 23 Nf6+ K f7 24 NxhS Bxfl 2 5 Kxfl Resigns.
223 Composed position by
Nimzovitch
lbis is the position that Nimzovitch uses in 'My System' to explain the important strategy for play on a half-open me. By l NdS the knight occupies t�e 'out-post' square in front of the pawn at d6 and this position is well supported from the rear. If, however, drives it away by . . . c6 then the d6 pawn is weakened, an obvious but instructive point.
224 Lilienthal (black)
Botvinnik (white)
Here is a practical example of how to exploit such a key square on a half-open me : I NdS ! Rc6 2 Bxg7 Nxg7 3 h4! and Black only has the choice between two evils, either allowing the knight to remain at its
1 48 I Effective use of pieces
dominant post where it is ready to join in the attack on the king, or else driving it away by . . . e6 when his d pawn becomes weak. It is interest
ing to note that, if Black had recaptured on g7 with his king instead of the knight and could now exchange the knight on dS by . . . Rd8 and . . . Nc7, he would first of all Jose time, allowing White t� advance his pawn to hS , and secondly he would only exchange one weakness for another, since White would recapture on dS with the e pawn and apply pressure down the e me against the backward pawn on e7. The game
Eff.:ctive use of pieces I 1 49 Bg5 ! Rfe8 2 Bxf6 Dxf6 3 Nd5! (there is no need to waste time guarding the c pawn, since 3 . . . Qxc2 fails to 4 Rf2 QcS 5 Rc l and 6 Nc7) 3 . . . Bd8 4 c3 b5 5 b3 QcS 6 Kh l . Rac8 7 RD and a comparison of the minor pieces reveals White's clear superiority. After the best continu
ation 7 . . . f6 White would have two strong plans open to him. He
Clearly d6 is an ideal post for a white knight and as White does not wish to allow the black knight in at the equaUy useful dS square he retains his knight on c3 and proceeds : 1 NSe4! bS 2 Nd6 Rb8 3 fS ! Bd7 4 Rf2 open lines, in this case diagonals. It is weU known that a bishop which controls a diagonal aimed at the enemy king can often prove a decisive winning factor.
(See next diagram) TI1e powerful black bishop on b7 ensures the suc
cess of the foUowing piece sacrifice: 1 . . . gxf4! 2 bxcS (after 2 exf4 Rhg8 ! 3 Nf3 Ne4 Black has a fine position without losing material) 2 . . . NxeS ! 3 cxb6 (or 3 exf4 QxcS+ 4 Kh l RhgS etc.) 3 . . . Rhg8 4
1 5 0 I Effective use of pieces 227
Smejkal (wllite)
e4 (White tries to block the dangerous diagonal. There is an elegant win after 4 Nf3 Rxg2+! 5 Kxg2 Rg8+·6 Khl Qg5 !) 4 . . . Rg6! 5 Nf3 Rdg8 ! 6 Rf2 Qc5 7 Kfl Ng4! 8 Re2 fxe4 9 Ba4 d6 1 0 Rb5 Qxc4 1 1 Qc2 (or I I Nh4 f3 !) I I . . . Qxc2 1 2 Rxc2 exf3 1 3 Bxf4 (or 1 3 gxf3 Ne3 +!) 1 3 . . . fxg2+ 1 4 Kg1 R£6! 1 5 Rb 1 Rxf4 1 6 Bd7+ Kxd7 1 7 Rxc7+ Kd8
18 Rxb7 Ne3 19 Resigns.
228
Taimanov (white)
Apart from his vital occupation of the c flle, White has two other ad·
vantages, the extra pawn and two bishops, which are offset by the fact that the pawn is doubled and only the dark-squared bishop seems effective at the moment. As the black knights are protecting all the important points, it looks as though White cannot make any progress.
However, it turns out that he wins with surprising speed once he 'finds' the correct diagonal for his ))itherto bad bishop. The fmish was:
1 Bfl ! h6 2 g3 ! g4 3 fxg4 Rd8 4 Bxb6 Nxe4 5 Ra7! Resigns.
We have already discussed the question of good and bad bishops, so we will just cite two examples in which the more active bishop proves an important element of the winning strategy.
Effective use of pieces I I 5 1
229 Pilnik (black)
Kotov (white)
The main point of White's I aS ! is of course to save t11e pawn but its strategic significance is to pin down ·Black's a6 pawn on a white square to add to the oilier pawns on white squares (dS, e6, fl) which are not 'flXed' in ilie same way but at ilie moment block the bishop on c8, making it far less effective than his white counterpart on d3 . Play went : I . . . Bb7 2 Ral ! (making way for ilie king to move across, and better ilian 2 Rcl Rc8 3 K.fl Ne4 pinning ilie knight) 2 . . . Rc8 3 Kfl Kf8 4 Nd2 Ne4 5 Ke2 Nxd2? (iliis exchange only helps White to exploit his advantage; in view of his bad bishop, Black should seek counterplay by 5 . . • Rc3 ! 6 Nb4 Rb3 7 Ra4! when White has more difficulties ilian in ilie game) 6 Kxd2 Rc7 7 Nb4 Ke7 8 Be2! (vacating d3 for ilie knight from where it will have a choice of cS or eS, and at the same time planning a pawn advance on the king side to restrict Black's position even furilier. Note tluat once again an enemy weakness is exploited in indirect fashion because Black's pieces are tied down to its defence and cannot cope wiili action on ilie oilier wing) 8 . . . Kd8 9 Nd3 Nd7 I 0 places yet anoilier pawn on a white square, rendering t11e black bishop a prisoner in its own camp. White's winning plan is sintple enough: he will regroup his pieces in preparation for hS which will expose the newly created weakness on fl) 19 Be2 Nb8 20 Nd3 Ke7 2 1 NeS Nc6 22 Kb2!
(the difference in the two positions is now clear; Black dares not allow ilie exchange of knights because the bishop ending is lost for him after both 22 . . . NxeS 23 dxeS foUowed by 24 Re i !, and 22 . . . Kd6 23 Nxc6 Rxc6 24 Rei !) 22 . . . Rb7+ 23 Kc3 Kd6! (a tactical trick, as
1 S 2 I Effective use of pieces
Although Black's bishop is very well placed, we can hardly talk of good and bad bishops in this position. Black's main advantage at the moment lies in his pawn majority on the queen's wing. The reason for this is that it is more difficult . to advance a king side majority unless one has distinct attacking chances, whereas a queen side majority is easier to exploit, particularly in the end-game when the enemy king is usually on the other wing. However, this advantage in itself is insufficient to win the game for Black ln the particular position before us. So he decides to aim for an ending with additional factors in his favour by first preparing an attack on the king's wing, thus forcing White to exchange pieces in a way which will only benefit Black. Let us see how this is achieved: 1 . . . g6 ! (threatening the powerful . . . hS if White does nothing, with a strong attack on the king supported by his active bishop) 2 Rxd8 Rxd8 3 Rd l Rxd l +! 4 Bxd l Ne4! (the surprising point, exchanging on his own tenns, because S Nxe4? Qxe4 6 f3 Qb l ! 7 Qb3 c4! 8 Qa4 bS! wins the a2 pawn for Black. Th.is means that White must allow the exchange of knights on g3 , crippling his pawn majority and even more importantly weakening the pawn on g2. Suddenly it is to Black's advantage to reach a bishop ending which is practically a forced win as we shall see!) 5 Qd3 Nxg3 6 hxg3 Qe4! 7 Qxe4 Bxe4 8 Be2 Kf8 9 f3 BdS 1 0 a3 f5 ! (again a surprising move placing a pawn on the same colour as the bishop, but it is in fact the winning move because in this position Bl�ck's most urgent task is to fix White's weak king side pawns. If now 1 1 g4?
Effective use of pieces I I 53
When we come to bishops of opposite colour endings, we know that it is often difficult to win even with a two pawns advantage. This is mainly because our bishop cannot attack pawns or squares defended by the enemy bishop. Our next two examples are typical of such endings.
23 1
B. 11
Composed positionDespite his material advantage White can make no progress. If he plays his king over to cS, Black simply defends the pawn by . . . Bc4, whereas
Despite his material advantage White can make no progress. If he plays his king over to cS, Black simply defends the pawn by . . . Bc4, whereas