Vistas de componentes y conectores

b1) 6 ... Bg6 7 e5! h6 8 Bh4 (2 points) is similar to note ‘a’. White wins a piece for a pawn.

b2) 6 ... Bg4 7 Bxf6! (1 point) wins a piece for a pawn, as shown above.

You have scored ____ out of 9 points.

Tactical Themes

Removing the Defender, Counting, Pin Solutions to Game 31

I.Gouleas-G.Zikos Athens 2001

Dutch Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 f5 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 c5 c6 6 Bf4 Nbd7 7 b4 Ne4 8 Nxe4 fxe4 9 Ne5 Qf6 10 e3 g5 11 Bg3 h5 12 Nxd7 Bxd7 13 Be5 (*) Qxf2+ 1-0

For White (1)

Position after 10 ... g5

11 Bg3?

White missed the chance to play 11 Qh5+ Kd8 12 Bxg5, pinning and winning the black queen (2 points). White could have also won material with 11 Nxd7 Bxd7 12 Be5 skewering the queen and rook.

(1 point) For Black

(2) 10 ... g5? loses the queen! Almost anything was better, including 10 ... Be7 developing a piece. (1 point)

(3) 11 ... h5? allows White to skewer the queen and rook with 12 Nxd7 Bxd7 13 Be5, which wins the exchange after 13 ... Qh6 14 Bxh8 Qxh8. (1 point)

Black’s best way to avoid the skewer threat is with 11 ... Qh6! (2 points), which also prevents queen checks on h5.

You have scored ____ out of 7 points.

Tactical Themes

Double Attack, Pin, Skewer Solutions to Game 32 M.Homfeldt-H.Hepting Nuremberg 2001

Colle Opening

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 e3 Bg7 4 Be2 0-0 5 0-0 d6 6 Nc3 Nbd7 7 Qd2 e5 8 Nb5 e4 9 Ng5 h6 10 Nh3 d5 11 b3 Nb6 12 c4 c6 13 Nc3 Be6 14 Ba3 Re8 15 Nf4 Bc8 16 f3 g5 17 Nh3 Bf5 18 Nf2 Bg6 19 Bc5 ½-½

For White

(1) 9 Ng5 does not allow a tactic. However, it should be noted that after 9 ... h6 10 Nh3 the knight is vulnerable to an unfavourable exchange on h3, compromising the pawn shelter around White’s king. Black spurned this possibility of ... Bxh3 at moves 12 and 13.

(2) 16 f3? allows Black to gain material (see below). 16 cxd5 or 16 Rac1 would have been better. (1 point)

(3) White is already facing some material loss, but 17 Nh3? makes things worse.

Position after 17 Nh3

This knight retreat allows Black to gain material with 17 ... exf3! (2 points). A piece is attracted to f3, after which a pawn fork ... g4 wins either a piece or the exchange:

a) 18 Rxf3 g4 19 Rxf6 Qxf6 20 Nf4 and Black wins the exchange. (1 point) b) 18 Bxf3 g4 and Black wins a piece. (1 point)

Instead of 17 Nh3, White should play 17 Nh5! Nxh5 18 fxe4 with a discovered attack on the h5-knight.

White’s strong centre gives compensation for the material loss. (1 point) For Black

You have scored ____ out of 9 points.

Tactical Themes

Attraction, Fork, Discovered Attack Solutions to Game 33

L.Andreassen-F.Prohl

Tromsoe 2008

Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Bf5 4 h3 e6 5 Nf3 Be7 6 Be2 Nd7 7 c3 Qc7 8 Nbd2 f6 9 exf6 Bxf6 10 Nf1 Ne7 11 Ng3 Bg6 12 0-0 e5 13 Re1 0-0-0 14 Ng5 (*) Bxg5 15 Bxg5 Rde8 16 Bg4 e4 17 Rc1 Rhf8 18 c4 h6 19 Bxe7 Rxe7 20 cxd5 Qf4 21 dxc6 Qxf2+ 22 Kh2 bxc6 23 Rxc6+ Kd8 24 Qc1 1-0

For White

(1) 11 Ng3? missed the chance to win a piece with 11 g4!.

Position after 11 g4 (analysis)

White attacks the f5-bishop and intends to trap the other bishop with g4-g5. After 11 ... Be4 12 g5!

White wins a bishop for a pawn. (2 points) For Black

(2) 10 ... Ne7? deprives the f6-bishop of retreat squares and allows White to trap it, as outlined above. (1 point)

You have scored ____ out of 3 points.

Tactical Themes Trapped Piece

Solutions to Game 34 D.Poniatowski-K.Crist Auburn Hills 2003 Vienna Game

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Bb4 3 Qg4 g6 4 Nd5 Nc6 5 a3 d6 6 Qe2 Bc5 7 c3 a6 8 Nf3 Nf6 9 Nxf6+ Qxf6 10 h3 Be6 11 d3 0-0-0 (*) 12 Bg5 Qg7 13 Bxd8 Rxd8 14 g3 f5 15 Bg2 fxe4 16 dxe4 Rf8 17 b4 Ba7 18 0-0 g5 19 b5 Nb8 20 bxa6 Nxa6 21 Rab1 g4 22 hxg4 Qxg4 23 Rb2 Qxg3 24 Rxb7 Bh3 25 Nh4 Kxb7 26 Qb5+ Bb6 27 Qe2 Qxh4 28 Rb1 Rxf2 29 Rxb6+ Kxb6 30 Qxf2+ Qxf2+ 31 Kxf2 Bxg2 32 Kxg2 Nc5 33 Kf3 Ka6 34 Kg4 Kb5 0-1

For White (1) 9 Nxf6+?

White missed the chance to play the powerful move 9 d4!.

Position after 9 d4 (analysis)

With 9 d4 White threatens the c5-bishop and also a deadly pin on the f6-knight with Bg5. Let’s look at some possible variations:

a) 9 ... exd4 10 Bg5! (2 points). Black cannot defend the pinned knight and faces heavy material losses.

b) 9 ... Ba7 (or 9 ... Bb6) 10 Bg5! (1 point) is the same.

c) 9 ... Nxd5 10 exd5 (1 points) leaves White attacking both the c5-bishop and the c6-knight.

Position after 10 exd5 (analysis)

Black’s best chance here is to counterattack with 10 ... Na5! 11 dxc5 Nb3 12 Rb1 Bf5!. The rook on b1 is trapped but White still comes out material ahead after 13 Qd1! Bxb1 14 Qxb3 (2 points). White can also play 11 Bh6 (instead of 11 dxc5) 11 ... Nb3 12 Rd1 Ba7 13 dxe5 when White is a pawn up and Black’s king is stuck in the centre of the board. (1 point)

For Black

(2) 8 ... Nf6? allows a potentially decisive pin on the knight with Bg5, and White can exploit this immediately with 9 d4!, as demonstrated above (1 point).

(3) 11 ... 0-0-0?

Position after 11 ... 0-0-0

Castling queenside puts the rook on the same h4-d8 diagonal as the queen, thus allowing White to win the exchange with the skewer 12 Bg5!. (2 points)

You have scored ____ out of 10 points.

Tactical Themes

Pin, Trapped Piece, Skewer Solutions to Game 35 M.Liebzeit-L.Gibbons Winnipeg 2003

Irregular Defence

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Qf6 3 Nc3 c6 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd4 Bc5 6 Be3 Ne7 7 Be2 0-0 8 0-0 Rd8 9 f4 Qh6 10 Qd2 g6 11 e5 d5 12 f5 Bxd4 13 Qxd4 Qf8 (*) 14 e6 f6 15 fxg6 f5 16 gxh7+ Kxh7 17 Rf3 Ng6 18 Rh3+

Kg8 19 Bh5 Kh7 20 Bxg6+ Kxg6 21 Rh6+ Qxh6 22 Bxh6 Kxh6 23 Qf6+ Kh7 24 Qxd8 Bxe6 1-0 For White

(1) White is still doing well after 11 e5 but this move does not take advantage of White’s huge lead in development and the weakness created by Black’s last move.

Much stronger is 11 f5!. (2 points)

Position after 11 f5 (analysis)

This discovered attack on the queen seizes the initiative on the kingside and gains material by force.

For example:

a) 11 ... Qf8 12 f6 traps and wins the knight on e7. (2 points)

b) After 11 ... g5 White has many promising continuations. For example:

b1) 12 Bxg5 Bxd4+ 13 Kh1! Qd6 14 Bxe7 Qxe7 15 Qxd4, when White has won a key pawn and Black’s king is completely unsafe. (1 point)

b2) 12 e5 (1 point) clears the e4-square for the knight.

Position after 12 e5 (analysis)

Notice how nearly all of White’s pieces are ready for the upcoming attack on the king, whereas Black’s entire queenside is still undeveloped. This must have consequences for Black. One possible continuation is 12 ... Nd5 13 Nxd5 cxd5 14 Bxg5 with a double attack on the queen and rook. Other continuations are even worse for Black due to his undeveloped pieces and the power of White’s attacking forces.

For Black

(2) 10 ... g6? allows White to begin a decisive kingside attack, as outlined above. It was much better to counterattack in the centre with 10 ... d5. (1 point)

You have scored ____ out of 7 points.

Tactical Themes

Discovered Attack, Trapped Piece, Double Attack Solutions to Game 36

M.Pollock-K.Stevenson