The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3: Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill!

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The

ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill by

Karsten Muller and

Merijn van Delft

2010 Russell Enterprises, Inc. Milford, CT USA

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill by Karsten M tiller Merijn van Delft

ISBN: 978-1-888690-66-8

© Copyright 20 10 Karsten MUller, Merijn van Delft All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any manner or form whatsoever or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published by: Russell Enterprises, Inc. P.O. Box 5460 Milford, CT 06460 USA http://www.russell-enterprises.com [email protected]

Cover design by Janel Lowrance Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Signs and Symbols

6

Introduction

7

1. Principles and Methods of the Defender la) Chess is not Checkers 1b) Intennediate Moves 1c) Calculate to the End 1d) The Elimination Method 1e) Prophylaxis If) Structural Weaknesses Ig) Do Not Panic Ih) "Being" instead of "Doing"

9 10

12 13 14 16 17

19

2. Defending against an Attack on the King

2a) Counterattack

26

2b) Exchange Attacking Potential

29

2c) Bringing in More Defenders 2d) A Spanner in the Works

33 36

2e) Evacuating the King from the Danger Zone

38

2f) Destroying the Hannony of the Attacking Army

39

2g) Closing Inroads 2h) The King as an Important Defender

42 44

3. Fighting against the Initiative

3a) Counterplay 3b) Tactical Defense 3c) Wresting the Initiative from the Opponent

46 48 51

3d) Neutralizing the Initiative

54

The

ChessC~fe

Puzzle Book 3

4. Perpetual Check

57

5. Stalemate 5a) In the Endgame

60

5al) Second-rank Defense: Rook+Bishop vs. Rook

60

5a2) Bishop versus Rook

61

5a3) Queen versus Rook

63

5b) In the Middlegame

64

6. The Right Exchange 6a) A Very Problematic Rule of Thumb

66

6b) Exchanging Pieces and Changing the Character of the Position

68

6c) An Active Rook Should Be Exchanged

70

6d) A Rook Fighting a Minor Piece Welcomes Exchanges

70

7. Exchange Sacrifices 7a) Russian Exchange Sacrifices

76

7b)B\ockade

79

7c) Opposite-color Bishops

80

7d) A Strong Unopposed Bishop

83

7e) The Initiative

86

7f) Typical Exchange Sacrifices 7fl) The Sicilian Exchange Sacrifice

89

7f2) The French Exchange Sacrifice

91

8. Defense against a Minority Attack 8a) White's Objectives

95

8b) Defensive Motifs against the Minority Attack

97

4

9. Defending Inferior Endgames 9a) Activate the Rook

lO3

9b) The Defender Exchanges Pawns

lO7

9c) The Mighty Passed Pawn

lO9

9d) Fortresses

112

10. The Great Tigran Petrosian

117

11. Easy Exercises

124

12. Tests

131

Solutions Chapter Exercises

164

Easy Exercises

186

Test Solutions

190

Bibliography

216

5

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Signs and Symbols

1-0

White wins

0-1

Black wins

Y2-Y2

Draw agreed

+

check

""

mate a strong move

!!

a bril1iant or unobvious move a weak move, an error

7)

a grave error

!?

a move worth consideration an equal position

;!;

White stands slightly better

±

White has a clear advantage

+-

White has a winning position

:j:

Black stands slightly better

=+=

Black has a clear advantage

-+

Black has a winning position

00

an unclear position

00

with compensation

01

Olympiad

m

match

ch

championship

wch

world championship

corr

correspondence game

[W]

White to move

[B]

Black to move

(D)

see the next diagram

6

Introduction I just tried not to make my position worse - and. more importantly, not to make it better. World Champion Contender David Bronstein The book is finally ready! What you are holding in your hands is Part 3 of the ChessCafe Puzzle Book series. Originally this book was planned to come out a bit earlier; but since both authors have been involved with a multitude of chess projects, things have been somewhat delayed. In this regard (and at the risk of being viewed as immodest) we would like to take particular note of Karsten's bestseller, Bobby Fischer: The Career and Complete Games ofthe American World Champion, and Merijn's new book (co-authored with his father), Developing Chess Talent. Chess enthusiasts will find both of considerable interest and they should both be available at chess dealers worldwide. Both authors you say? The ChessCafe Puzzle Books I and 2 were written by Karsten Muller alone. But fans of the ChessCafe Puzzle Book series need not be worried: basically nothing has changed - you are still looking at a good old Karsten Muller product, since he was responsible for the selection of at least 90% of the positions and came up with the basic concept. The expected "who did what" question is easy to answer: Karsten focused on the variations and Merijn on the text. This should not be taken too literally, however. We both checked every move and every word in the book, and even switched roles at times, so it really was a coproduction. The underlying concept was that Karsten's mathematical background and Merijn's psychological background would complement each other nicely. While this should not be taken out of perspective either, we think it worked out well. That we both live in Hamburg, Germany was not essential, in view of modern communication options, but it also did not hurt. So what is this book about? As you may know the first book in this series was about tactics, and the second about strategy. This third book is about defense. It is in fact an area in which Karsten himself felt he could use some improvement. One of the best reasons for writing a book is because you would like to read it yourself. Defense is a special subject. Of course, we all like to attack and win. Who wants to be under pressure, defending, suffering and then lose? Nobody, naturally, but the first step is to realize that defending has many faces. If your opponent has played a desperate, incorrect piece sacrifice for instance, you may have no choice but to defend. And the reward is usually fitting: not just a draw, but a win. There are many more scenarios when coldblooded defense is rewarded with a full point. The world's strongest players are, without exception, phenomenal defenders and legendary fighters. That brings us to our next point: it is all about choosing the right mindset. You need to learn to enjoy defense, to take pleasure from putting up the most stubborn resistance possible. Chess is a game of mistakes; don't worry if something goes

7

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 wrong, just keep on fighting. A positive attitude is essential. Throughout this book, you will encounter positions that appear difficult to solve unless you have an optimistic approach. And that difficulty gets turned up a notch in a real game situation, as there is nobody tapping on your shoulder during the game motivating you to find an unexpected brilliant defensive move! There are two types of defenses - (a) "Heroic," i.e., saving lost positions; and (b) "Casual," i.e., basic defensive technique. Both are of vital importance. For the former you should have enough energy and mental strength to fight hard at the board to make the conversion of the winning advantage as difficult as possible for your opponent, while still enjoying yourself. We hope to give you reasons for this in the present volume by showing how tenacious defense is often rewarded. To be able to master this difficult art fully, you should know the basic defensive techniques and themes, and that is where we start. Principles like "Do not panic" and "unforced thinking" (sometimes also described by the phrase "Chess is not Checkers") playa significant role. If you violate them, then you may pay the price. Instead, you should keep a clear head, try to put the pressure on your opponent and try to enjoy the defensive task at hand. This does not mean, for example, trying to draw by making mass exchanges just for the sake of exchanging. This is not the way the game works. You end up assisting your opponent, and your opponent may sense that you are scared. The art of defense is connected more to concepts like prophylaxis, calm calculation, maintaining confidence and a clear head, as well as elimination (or removal) methods, counterattacking at the right moment and the exchange of attacking or winning potential. Because of the strong influence of computers, chess has become much more concrete and now players are willing to take higher risks when grabbing material. You should participate in this trend and improve your defensive skills and your confidence when playing passive positions. Of course, we all want to win attractive attacking games, but when this approach does not work or is not available, then adjust to the circumstances and defend. The best way to train your defensive skills is to play inferior positions against strong opponents and to analyze the games later. The next best is probably to study the concepts of defense and to solve a lot of exercises. And that is what this book is all about. A final word about the difficulty of the exercises: different readers will experience different degrees of difficulty for the same problems. Not to worry. Do not be concerned if you cannot solve an exercise, if you make mistakes or generally suffer through the solving process. It is not the test results but the training effort that counts and that will help you to become a stronger player. Good luck! Karsten Muller Merijn van Delft Hamburg, April 20 10 8

Chapter 1 Principles and Methods of the Defender 28.~e3

.llf4! and after 29.Axf4 ~xc5 a5 31..lld6 ~c3 32.~xa5 and the opposite-color bishops give White excellent chances for a draw. 25 ... ~xh2+ 26. 'it'fl Ac6! The bishop switches diagonals with deadly effect.

la) Chess is not Checkers

30.~a4

The first important principle of the defender is that you are not forced to take pieces as in checkers. Always have a fresh look at the position and consider your options. In the example below the legendary Garry Kasparov found himself in the unusual role of defender, as he is of course known for his irresistible attacks. He either miscalculated something, or maybe forgot about the "chess is not checkers" principle? 01.01 GKasparov (2775)V.Kramnik (2775) Dos Hermanas 1996 [BI

27.Ag5 The most stubborn defense would have been 27.~a5! forcing Black to find 27 ... Ac7!. 27 ... Ab5+ 28.~d3 ~e8! While Black brings his last piece into play, White is completely helpless although a rook up. 29.~a2 ~hl + There was even a forced mate available: 29 ... ~xd3+! 30.~xd3 (30:i!fxd3 '{;;1hl + 31.~e2 'liYel#) 30 ... '{;;1hl+ 31.~e2 '{;;1g2+ 32.'i&e3 ~xe4#. 30.~e2 Etxe4+ 31.~d2 ~g2+ 32.~cl ~xa2

33.Etxg3 ~al+ 34.~c2 ~c3+ 35.~bl ~d4 0-1 White resigned because of 36.Af6 Axd3+ 37.~a2 Abl +! and mate follows.

24 ... ~xf3! 25.~xf3? This automatic recapture is surprisingly a mistake. Kasparov had to think in an unforcing way and bring new forces to the defense: 25.~a2!! would have been a fantastic second rank defense. The prototype of this defense is a black queen on c7 in the Sicilian, taking care of defending the soft spots on g7 and h7. Black now has nothing better than 25 ... ~xfl + 26.~xfl 'liYxfl + 27.~xfl ~c8

In line with the "chess is not checkers" principle, you have to free yourself from stereotypical thinking. In the following example White was in a somewhat dogmatic positional thinking mode, whereas the position was asking for highly dynamic solutions. 9

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 33.Axc5!! dxc5 34.d6 and the strong dpawn combined with threats against the black king provide White with nice compensation for the piece, for example:

01.02 V.Shishkio (2463) A.Areshcheoko (2575) 73. UKR-ch Kharkov 2004 [W]

34 ... 4Je6 (34 ... 4Je8 35.d7 §a8 36.E:xe4! 4Jd6 37.§e6 §d3 38.4Jf6) 35.E:xe4 4Jf8 36.§e8 §f7 37AJf6. 29 ..• axb3 30.axb3 E!a3 3Vi~jlg2

29.E!ael? This is too slow. It seems that the knight must go to the beautiful blockading square e4. But there are no such forced automatisms in chess. Instead there is a big battle for the initiative going on. 29A~g4! would have been strong and only after 29 ... e4 is there is time for 30.§ael. The calm 30.E:abl also comes into consideration. Now after neutral moves, White can continue with the disturbing 4Jf6. If Black continues to attack on the queenside, a nasty surprise awaits:

31 ..• 8:xe3! Now it's Black who lands the first tactical blow. 32.E!xe3 bxc4 33.E!dl cxb3 34.4Je4 lclb5 The knight does an excellent job in defending both d6 and a3. 35.lcld2? The last chance for counterplay was 35.4Jxc5! dxc5 36.d6 4Jxd6 37.§xd6 since the direct 37 ... b2?! 38.E: xa3 bl'l!!f 39.E:a8+ ~f8 40.E:xf8+ ~g7 41.§ff6! only leads to a draw. 35 ... b2 36.Wf2 36.E:xa3 4Jxa3 37.4Jbl 4Jxbl 38.E:xbl e4 and Black is winning. 36 ... lclc3 37.Wel e4 38.lclb1lclxb1 0-1

30 ... axb3 31.axb3 bxc4 (31...lh3 32.Axc5!! dxc5 33.d6 is similar) 32.bxc4 §a4.

Ib) Intermediate Moves This principle logically follows from the previous one: always be on the lookout for intennediate moves. Both sides can at any point decide to interrupt a seemingly forced variation with an intermediate move (a/k/a a zwischenzug).

10

Principles and Methods of the Defender 01.03 J.Speelman (2597)P.Ricardi (2474) FIDE-weh k.o. Las Vegas 1999 (B]

01.04 S.Bromberger (2505) J.Timman (2565) Gennan Bundesliga 2006 [B)

28 ... Axh2+? Black couldn't resist the temptation to execute the classical double bishop sacrifice. Instead he should have settled for the modest 28 ... 'lil'e7 29.~xh2 -'ixg2 The standard procedure 29 ... 'lil'h4+ 30.~gl .llxg2 doesn't work because the rook is hanging. 30.E!dl! A strong zwischenzug. White refuses to be victim of Black's brilliant attacking play. 30.~xg2? only leads to a draw after 30... 'lil'g5+ 31.~f3 'lil'h5+ 32.~g3 while Black should stay clear of 32 ... .§e5? since after 33.~xf7+! all tactics neatly work in White's favor. 30 ... ~h4+ 31.~xg2 'l11Ig4+ 32.~f1 ~xc4+ 33.~el ~c3+ 34.E!d2 b5 Perhaps Black missed that 34 ... .§d8 is refuted by the strong 35.'lil'c21, 35.~b3 Now White simply is a piece lip. 35 ... ~al + 36.E!dl ~e537.Ab2'l111h238.~d5

30..•Axb2!? The intermediate move 30 ... iic3!? is met by 31..§e7! and now after 31...~xb2 White can take back with 32.~xb2! (In this case 32 ..llb5?? allows 32 ... 'lil'c1 #) 32 ....§xb7+ 33.'§xb7 and as Oliver Reeh has pointed out, Black can't win because of his imprisoned king. 31.Ab5! An intermediate move in both a timely and spatial sense. It not only interrupts the nice tactical flow of moves Black initiated, but also physically blocks the b-file. 31.'lil'xb2? loses to 31. .. .§xb2+ 32.~xb2 'lil'b4+. 31...Ad4 32. ~xb8+! The point ofWhite's previous move: an emergency exit into the ending. 32..•~xb8 33.E!e8+ ~xe8 34.Axe8 Axf2 35.h5 The endgame is easily drawn because of the presence of opposite-color bishops. 35 ••. -'ie3 36.c3 f2 37.Ab5 ~g8

~gl+ 39.~e2 ~g4+ 40.~f1 ~h3+

41. ~g2 ~f5 42. ~c6 ~h3+ 43.~e1 1-0

Ac5 41.Ac6 ~d6 42.Ab7 ~e5 43.Ac6 a5 44.a4 Ae3 45.Ab7 d4 46.cxd4+ Axd447.~f1 Y2""'ll

In the following fascinating example both sides have intermediate moves at their disposal.

A special kind of intermediate move is the desperado: a piece that will be lost anyway grabs some material along the way.

38.~c2 ~f8 39.~dl ~e7 40.~e2

11

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 01.05 A.MilesComputer Deep Thought Long Beach 1989 (B)

01.06 F.Va II ej0 Pons (2686)-

1 ... ~xe4 2 •.Q.xd8?! The stunning desperado 2.'li¥xh6!? would have been more tenacious: 2 ... gxh6 3.~xdB ~xf2 4.§hgl + ~h7 5 ..1.1.£6 (5.§xd6!? cxd6 6.Jlh4 is an interesting try to confuse the issue) even when 5 ... .§.gB! (5 ... M4+? 6.~c2 .\lg5 7.l£ld5I£lxdlB.Ad3+ <;tJgB 9.Axg5 hxg510 ..§.xg5+ <;tJhBl1..§.h5+ ~gB12 ..§.g5+=, Aagaard) 6 ..§.dfl §xgl 7 ..§.xgl §gB reduces White's attacking potential. 2 ... ~xd2 3 ..Q.xc7 .Q.xh2 4 ..Q.xh2 ~xc4 and Black went on to win.

27..§a5? When entering complications, you must be sure to calculate correctly, especially if you have safer alternatives in reserve, such as 27.§a4 .§.d8!? 2B.h3 (but not 28.~h4?? g5 29.'€¥xe4 [29.~g3 §d3 wins] 29 ... ~xf2+! mating) and 27.§a2. 27 ... Jl.xf2+ 28.'ltxf2 'ltxa5

~l(asparov(2804)

Linares 2005 (W)

29.~xe6

Ie) Calculate to the End A very important tactical device is to always calculate to the end. Even when it seems that the tactics are over, you have to look one step further. This takes a lot of discipline, but can be very rewarding. Of course, this principle is universal, but especially when on defense, there is little room for mistakes. A related psychological pitfall is when, under pressure, one tends to look for a forced draw. Blinded by the wish to end the game, one may forget to calculate to the end.

Vallejo probably stopped his calculations here and concluded that he had a draw. But Kasparov had seen one move further: 29 ... .1lxg2! 0-1 29 ... Ad3? 30.l£lxfB Axfl 31.~xfl ~xfB is indeed a draw, but 29 ... Axg2! 30.l£lxfB (30.~xg2 ~b6+; 30.<;tJxg2 ~d5+) 30 ... Axfl 31.l£lxh7 ~h3 wins immediately.

12

Principles and Methods of the Defender Even the very best players sometimes calculate one move too short: V.Kramnik (2772) - V.Anand (2783) World Championship Bonn 2008 [WI

Id) The Elimination Method Sometimes the easiest way of finding the best move is by eliminating the bad ones. To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, if you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Be careful though. When all eliminated moves seem to lead to a draw, make sure the remaining move isn't losing instead of winning. 01.07 End of a Study by Grigoriev [B)

Kramnik started a forced sequence with 29.4)xd4? (29.i!¥g8 was the best chance to fight) 29 ... ~xd4 30.E{dl 4)f6 31.E{xd4 4)xg4 32•.§d7+ ~f6 33.E{xb7 E{c1+ 34.M1

Kramnik had most probably stopped his calculations here. But Anand had seen one move further: 34... 4)e31! 35.fxe3 fxe30-1

1 ... ~e1! All other moves lose by force: 1...~c3? 2.i!¥d4+ \t>b3 3.i!¥al+-; 1...~e3? 2.i!¥g2 cl~ 3.i!¥g5++-; 1...~e2? 2.~a2 ~dl 3.~d4 c1 i!¥ 4.~d3 +-; 1...~c1? 2.i!¥a2 ~d13.~d4 c1i!¥4.\t>d3+-. 2.~a5+ ~d13.~a4 ~d2 4. ~a2 ~c3!! = A bodycheck against the king and the queen simultaneously, a rarity indeed. The following example is from The Magic o/Chess Tactics and analysis of the German trainer and analyst Claus Dieter Meyer is used:

13

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 01.08 Analysis of A.Shirov (2670)J.Lautier (2635) Munich 1993 [B]

So by elimination, we are left with the main line: 66 ... Ag2! ( 66 ... Ahl also works for our purposes here) 67.~f6 'tfle8 68.'tfle6 'tfld8 69.E(CS Ab7 70.J1f6+ ~e8 71.§.c7 §.e3+ 72.AeS 13.xeS+ 73.~xeS Ae4 74.~f4 ~d8 75.§.a7 ~c8 76.§.xa6 'it'b7

Obviously the bishop must move. So the candidate moves are 66 ... ,a,hl, 66 ... Ag2, 66 ... Ae4, 66 ... lid5 and 66 ... ~eS+. As the elimination method shall be used, it is a good idea to start with the bad ones and eliminate them as quickly as possible. As 66 ... lieS+? looks suspicious, we suggest starting with it: 67.~f6 .§h3 68.Ac5+ ~g8 69 ..§cS .§h6+ 70.~e7 +- and the bishop is lost first and the game later. Next on the list is 66 ... Ae4? but the bishop is in the way here. So we calculate 66 ... Ae4? 67.~f6 ~eS (67 ... 'if1gS 6S.1":kS+ ~h7 69.'it'g5 1":1h3 70.§h8#) 68.~e6'it'd869.Ab6+-. So far so good. Now it is much more difficult to decide between the three remaining candidate moves. As it is all about keeping the black king near the dangerous h8-comer, we continue to look, this time at 66 ... Ad5? 67.1":1c5! .ile6 68.~f6 Ad7 69.§c7 ~e8 70.1":1a7 \t>d8 (70 ... Ac6 71..§.e7+ 'if1dS 72.Ab6+ '
Meyer came to the conclusion that Black is most probably able to survive because of his passed pawns. In any case this is by far the best chance to continue the fight. 1e) Prophylaxis A refined form of defense is prophy laxis. According to the famous chess trainer Mark Dvoretsky, a prophylactic move contains both a defensive and an offensive element. In other words, it anticipates the opponent's idea and, at the same time, improves your own position. Experienced players have intemalized this concept and constantly use prophylactic - or preventive thinking. This concept is not assimilated well by beginners, since on one hand they simply prefer to attack and on the other, it demands putting oneself in someone else's situation, i.e., asking what would be played ifit were the opponent's move. Another aspect of prophylaxis is looking far ahead. 14

Principles and Methods of the Defender World Champion Tigran Petrosian was said to prevent his opponent's attacking ideas long before his opponent even thought of them. 01.09 N.Mitkov (2578)S.Rublevsky (2657) Poikovsky 200 I [B]

the Black monarch escapes. 22.~g3 g6 Now 22 ... .!2lg5? 23 . .!2lf6+! gxf6 (23 ... ~h8 24.§.xgS ~dB 25.§h5+-) 24:€hh6 "€i'dB 25.h4 is winning for

White. 23.~f6+ ~xf6 24.~xf6 ~d8 25.~xg6+ %-Yl As we mentioned above, preventive measures are also possible even when there is not any imminent danger. 01.10 J.Rowson (2548)P.Wells (2497) Blackpool Weekend Congress 2004 [W]

19 ..•Jtc8! Of course White wanted to install the knight on f5. 20.~f3 ~h7! And obviously the exchange sacrifice on f6 had to be prevented. 21.~h5 ~b6 In fact 21.. ..!2lg5!? is playable as well as after 22 ..!2lf6+ gxf6 23.d.xf6. 28.g3! "After talking to my pieces, my king was the most convincing - he will feel much safer on a light square, all the more so given that White will probably have to take on c5 to make progress." (Rowson) 28 ... ~ca8 29.E!a2 .1l.g7 30.~g2! h5 30 .. .[5 31.~b4 §cB was the alternative. 31. ~b4 ~d8

Black has the fantastic defensive resource 23 ... §.a7!!, something seen before in Kasparov-Kramnik (01.01). After 24.§'xh6 (24.~xh6 .!2lh7 25.§f3 f6 works neatly as well) 24 .. .f6, the rook defends along the seventh rank. Following 25.§h8+ \fit7 26.~h5+ '!Je7

32.Jtxc5 dxc5 33. ~xc5 b6 34. ~e3 E!xa5 35.~bxa5 E!xa5 The defender exchanges as many pieces as possible to reduce White's attacking potential. 36.~xa5 bxa5 37.'/Nxe4 ~d6? 37 ... .I1.fB! 3B.f5 "€i'e7 "is as good as equal" (Rowson) because of the blockade on the dark squares. 38.f5! Opening up the white squares around the black king. 38... gxf5?! 3B ...'it>fB!? was more tenacious, but White should 15

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 prevail in the long run after 39.fxg6 fxg6 40 ..a.d3 ±. 39. ~e8+ Af8 40.Axh5 ~f6 41.c5 ~g7 42.c6Ad6 43. ~d7 ~e5 44. ~xf7+ ~h8

Ad6 15.Ad2 ~b6 16.4Jc7+ ~fB 17.4JxaB ~dB IB.~e6 +-. 12.4Jd3 e6 13.Af4 Ad6 14.Axd6 ~xd6 15.4Jf5 ~f8 Again a forced retreat. And now, instead of 16.'l~H3? 0-0-0 when Bronstein was not worse anymore (and even managed to win later), White should play 16.4Je5!, when the critical line is 16 ... Ah7! (16 .. Ajd5? runs into 17 ..llxd5 cxd5 1B.4Jxd7 'itJxd7 19.4Je3 ~c7 20.c4+-, Jones-Pedersen, Copenhagen 2005) 17.4Jxf7 Axf5 18.4JxhB 0-0-0 19.Axe6 Axe6 20.§xe6 ~xhB and White is for choice although matters are not totally clear.

45.~h3!

11) Structural Weaknesses

Someti mes even strange looking measures are the order of the day:

In many cases it is enough to defend calmly and wait to see what happens. The typical case is a passive, but otherwise healthy position. If you do have a structural defect in your position, active defense is often called for.

Again, nice prophylaxis. White showed a good feel for handling his king in this game. 45 ... a4 46.Ag6 ~g7 47.~e8+ Af8 48.c7 ~h6+ 49.Ah51-0

01.11 GPorreca - D.Bronstein Belgrade 1954 [B]

01.12 A.Karpov (2690)M.Taimanov (2530) Leningrad 1977 [8]

Bronstein has played inaccurately in the opening and must be very careful now. White has strong pressure on the light squares, which must be neutralized with 1l ... Ag8! as 11...e6? runs into 12.Axe6 fxe6 13.4Jxe6 ~a5 14.'~)"e2

25 ... .£Jb6! If Black waits passively, then White will sooner or later advance on the kingside with good winning chances. That's why Taimanov acted immediately with the text move. 16

Principles and Methods of the Defender 26.§xa5 26.Axa5? fails to 26 ...
Ig) Do Not Panic

of Black's previous move, opening up the diagonal to white's king. 27.-'tfl

This principle of the defender goes without saying, but still takes many instructive fonns. Good defense requires not only technical skills, but also - and foremost - keeping a cool head.

27.bxe4? ~xa5 28.Axa5 'i1¥e5! 29.'~bl (29.Axb6
is a pretty fork. 29.'~b4 ~f3+ with a strong attack) 29 ... ~xa5 30.E!xb6 ~b3+ winning the exchange. 27 ... §xa5 28 ..1lxa5 ~c5! 30.~fl ~e3

29.Axb6 ~xb6 30.hl cxb3 31.axb3 g6?! Black could have solved his problems with 31...~xb3 32.'l!,i'bl (32.~bl ~e8=) 32 ... E!a3 33.11c4 'l!.i"a5! 34.E!xb3 E!al 35.E!b8+ W 36.E!b7+=. 32.fxg6 hxg6 33.M ~g7 34.b5 f5 35.exf5 4Jxf5 36.§b3?! 36.E!bl

01.13 Z.Medvegy (2512)K.Miiller (2515) Gennan Bundesliga Hamburg 2007 (BI

would have been more precise.

36... ~d4

24 ... §bcS 25.4Jc6 Here I was convinced that I must counterattack immediately and quickly played 25...~h4?? without checking everything in detail, which turned out to be a big mistake. Black must exchange on c6 first and offer very tenacious resistance: 25 ... .llxc6 26.dxc6 ~h4 27.Axd6 ~xe4 37.b6? After 37.E!bl, Black needs the

Here A.e7 is no longer possible. 28.Ab4

same trick as in the game to keep the position balanced: 37 ... E!a3! 38.b6

~f2!

~g3+1 39.~xg3

E!xg3 40.hxg3 ~e4 37 ... §al 3S.§bl 38.~e2 ~c5! 39.b7 ~c2! is a killing back-ranker. 38 ... 4Jg3+!! 0-1 After 39.hxg3 the rook returns to the h-file

41..§b2

~e3=.

with devastating effect.

29.'l!.i"xf2 ~xf2+ 30.~h2 .§xel 3Ulxel ~d3 32.Ac3 E!xc6 33.E!dl E!d6 34.~g3 E!d5 and the struggle continues. 26.-'txd6 4J xe4 27.Ae7! Now White isjustwinning. 27...4Jg3+ 28.~gl ~4 29.f6 ~h8 30. ~2 ~g5 31.§e5 ~g6 32.§e3 4Je4 33. ~c2 ~xc6 34.dxc6 4Jd6 35. ~xg6 hxg6 36.§cl 4Jc4 37.§ec3 4Jxb2 3S.c7 4Jc4

17

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 the draw as well. 37.Eldc3! would have been the best defense, giving up a rook for the powerful black-square bishop. Obviously it was hard to adjust to the new circumstances. After 37 ... Axdl 38.~xdl Axc3 39.bxc3 ~b6 Black is only slightly better. 37 ... Axdl

38.'§xdl 4)e3 39 . .§dd2 4)xc2+ 40..§ xc2 §b3 41.
39.'§xc4! An instructive exchange sacrifice that decides the game.

39 ... bxc4 40 . .§xc4
01.15 N.Mitkov (2563)I.Krush (2436) Montreal2006[BI

A common phenomenon is that mistakes always seem to occur in bunches.

01.14 K.Kulaots (2530)E.Alekseev (2609) Moscow Aeroflot Open 2004 (WI

73 ... h5 74.§.f7+ f4 ~h8 Black holds on, for example, 77.§f6+ ~g7 78.
36.Adl?? The prophylactic 36.'it'a2 was called for and would have still given White good winning chances (Gershon). 36... §b7! Suddenly Black has excellent compensation for the exchange. 37.§'c2?? This throws away

18

Principles and Methods of the Defender the endgame. In the following example Alexei Shirov was under strong pressure, but kept fighting and was rewarded with a draw.

on a6 would give White a winning rook ending. 60.~d6 13a5

01.16 L.Aronian (2759)A.Shirov (2699) WCh Candidates Finals Elista 2007 [B}

49 ... 13b8? Now Black gets into serious trouble. 49 ... ~g4! would have been a more active defense. 50.13dl! Bringing the third white piece to a dominating position. 50 ... 13xb4 51.13d4 ~f3 52.l£l xa6? Too hasty. First the elegant maneuver 52.:8e4! :8a4 53.:8h4 ~g3 54.:8d4! :8b4 and only now 55.4Jxa6 c5 56.4Jxc5 is simply winning. 52 ... c5! Instead of panicking or even resigning, a calm look at the position reveals this pretty tactical defense. 53.l£l xc5 ~e3 54.13h4 ~d2 55.l£la6 As Krasenkow has pointed out, 55.~e5!? would have required high-class defensive skills from Black's part as well, for example, 55 ... ~c3 56.:8h3+ ~c2 57.a6 f6+! 58.~xf6 :8b5 59.a7 :8a5 and Black is still hanging on. 55 ... 13a4 56.l£l xc7 ~d3 57.a6 13a5 58.13f4 ~c3 59.~e7 13c5? 59 ... :8al! 60.f6 :8el + 61.~d6 :8al would have been the correct defense. Still Black isn't out of the woods yet, since winning the pawn

61.f6? Throwing away the win. 61. \t'c6! ~xa6 62. \t'b6 :8e5 63.4Jxa6 would have won a piece and after63 ... ~d3 64.4Jc5+ ~e3 65.:8n ~e2 66.:8el+! \t'xel 67.4Jd3+ ~e2 6S.4Jxe5 f6 69.4Jg6, the game as well. 61 ... .Ilxa6 62.l£lxa6 13xa6+ 63.'i:tfe7 13a7+ 64.~f8 ~d3 65.13h4 ~e3 66.13h7 ~f4 67.13xf7

67 .. ,13a6! An essential move. 68.~g7 liz-liz 6S ... ~g5! 69.:8fS :8b6 70.f7 :8g6+ 71.~h7 :8h6+ is a nice drawing mechanism. Ih) "Being" instead of "Doing" In his remarkable book Chess for Zebras (which is the sequel to his equally remarkable The Seven Deadly Chess Sins) Jonathan Rowson introduced the

19

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 46.i!:rgl i!:rf3+

concept of "being instead of doing." As human beings, we are inclined to always do something when we are in battle, but in chess it is sometimes better to just hold the position and do nothing ("being") instead of actively undertaking something ("doing"). For the defender, we find this a very useful piece of advice. As we mentioned above, when you have structural weaknesses, you should defend actively, but in other cases active defense may be counter-effective. Of course it is not always easy to decide what is called for.

47.'~{f2=.

42 ... Axe1 Axf2

43.~xh2 ~f1+ 44.~f2 45.~xf2 e4+

0--1

In the following example, White should also not think too much about taking direct measures against Black's attacking set up, but just do nothing but do this really well as Tony Miles used to put it:

01.18 V.Anand (2799)L.Aronian (2739) MorelialLinares 2008 (WI

01.17 V.Georgiev (2525)P.Eljanov (2675) Corus B Wijk aan Zee 2007 (WI

29.~d2? Again misguided activity, improving a piece that shouldn't have been improved. After maintaining the position with 29.~b6 ~b8 30.~c5, White still holds according to Aronian. 29 ... E!,e2 30.~f3 After 30.-'1.h4 §xd2! 31.§a8+ AfS 32.§xf8+ ~xf8 33.~xd2 'it'g8! (Aronian) the opposite-color bishops decide the game in Black's favor. 30 ... E!,e3!! 31.fxe3 'l!\'xf3

41. ~gl?? Misguided activity, since the rook cannot escape anyway. Ironically, by doing nothing ("being"), White could have cashed in automatically. 41.§bl, 41.§a3 or 41.§c1 wins. White should improve his position little by little. Now Black grabs his chance with 41 ... ~d3! creating sufficient counterplay. 42.E!,el?? And again the mistakes occur in bunches. Correct was 42.~xh2 ~xe3+ 43.'it'g2 i!:rxe4+ 44.~fl i!:rf3+ 45.i!:rf2 i!:rhl +

32.~c2

fxg3 33.hxg3 34.
~xg3+

A related rule of thumb is that you shouldn't play on the side where the opponent is stronger.

20

Principles and Methods of the Defender 01.19 N.Short (2665)(il(asparov(2775) Amsterdam Euwe Memorial 1996 [BI

breakthrough. He should have played 27.gxh5! and after 27 ...lLlxh5, White wins with 28.~xfl!! ~xf7 29.l:~xf7 ~xf7

30. ~xg6+ 'i!tf8 31. ~h6+ <£lg7 32 ..Q..g6! +-. 27 ... h4 28. ~e3 <£Ie8 29.Ae4 <£Ie7 30.J1c6 <£Id5 31. ~e4? 31.~f2± 31 ... <£Ixc3!! A pretty tactical escape from the positional bind.

32.A,xc3 ~b6+ 33.~g2 E!e7 34.J1a8 E!c4 35.~b7 ~xb7 36.Axb7 E!b8 37.Aa6 §.b6 38.§.al §.cc6 39.Axb5 §.xb5 4O.E!a8+ ~g7 41.§.a7 ~f8 42.§.a8+ ~g7 43.§.a7 ~f8Y2-Y2

20...h5? Since Black cannot follow this up, it just weakens his defenses on the kingside. Kasparov should have played on the queenside instead: 20 ... a5 21.a3 ~d7 22 ..ild3 ~d5 and Black's chances to survive are higher than in the game. 21.h3! Instructively keeping control over the kingside. 21 ... a5 22.a3 E!d7 23.E!f3 ~d8 Black "hunkers down." Ifhe blithely continues 23 ... §fd8? White crashes through with 24.~ xfl! 'i!txfl

"Doing" instead of "being" seems to have been a relative weakness of the young Kasparov, as can be seen from the following example.

01.20 R.Kholmov (2540)(iKasparov (2200) URS-ch sfDaugavpils 1978 (B]

25.~xg6+ ~g8 26.~f1 +-. 24.E!bl Ag5 25.E!bfl axb4 26.axb4 A,e7? 26 ... h4 is better, but it is still White who

has a big advantage.

32 ... g5? An active attempt to create counterplay. After the quiet 32 ... 4:Jd5 33.~f3 f5 34.~e5 g6 Black has a solid blockade. 33.§.hl! Now only, White benefits from the advance of Black's gpawn. 33 ... <£If5 34.h5 <£Id6 35.~f3 ~e6 36.g4 <£Ie4 37.§.el+ ~f7 38.E!e2 E!d8 39.Ael White's last three

27.E!bl? After keeping Black's counterplay to a minimum, White misses his chance for a decisive

moves were clever and now he has complete control over the position. 21

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 39... Eld5 40.Ag3 Eld7 4Vi£7e4 Ele7+ 42.<;£fd3 §d7 43.h6 Eld8 44.h7 Elh8 45.Elh2 <;£fe7 45 ... ~g6 46.d5! cxd5 47.~d4 is similar. 46.d5! Turning the white king into a major force. 46 ...cxd5 47.<;£fd4 <;£ff7 48.Ac7 <;£fe6 48 ... ~g6 49 ..8h3! Don't hurry! 49 ... .8xh7 50 . .8xh7 ~xh7 51.'i!fxd5 winning.

49.Elh6 <;£fe7 50.<;£fxd5 4Je3+ 51. <;£fc6.£l xg4 52.Elh5 4Je3 53.Ab6 4Jf5 54.Ac5+ <;£fe6 55.<;£fb7 <;£fd7 56.<;£fb6 4Jd6 57.Elh6 .£le4 58.Ad4 g4 59.Axf6 .£lxf6 60.§xf6 §xh7 61.§g6 §e7 62.Elxg4 §e6+ 63.<;£fb7 <;£fe7 64.§g5 Eld6 65.§c5 1-0

22

Principles and Methods of the Defender Exercises (Solutions on page 164) EOl.Ol A.Grischuk (2717)V.Malakhov (2679) WCh Candidates s/fElista 2007

E01.03 J.Poigar (2735)RKasimdzhanov (2670) FIDE-WCh San Luis 2005

[B) How should Black defend his pawn on e6?

[B) How can Black save himself from White's full-blown attack?

E01.02 Y.Porath - B.Larsen Moscow Olympiad 1956

E01.04 S.Skembris (2480)D.Mastrovasilis (2280) GRE-ch48thAthens 1998

IB) How does Black deal best with the threats along the a2-g8 diagonal?

[B] How should Black proceed in this tense situation?

23

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3

E01.05 L.Aroshidze (2526)D.Vocaturo (2445) Mediterranean Ch Antalya 2009

E01.07 E.Bacrot (2709)L.Aronian (2773) 17th TCh-Europe 2009

(WI White must keep a clear head in this sharp battle. Take your time and find the right square for the king!

[BJ Black is under strong pressure and must calculate to the end. Which alternative is better - 23 ... 'it'g8 or 23 ... §g7?

E01.06 A.Motylev (2677)S.Rublevsky (2702) Poikovsky 2009

E01.08 J.Rowson (2527)A. Yermolinsky (2583) World Open Philadelphia 2002

[WJ Both sides are attacking but White should be better because of his better pawn shield. But how to proove this?

[WI Yermo lin sky probably assumed that he has good counterplay. But Rowson had calculated very deeply and proved this to be an illusion. Can you do the same?

24

Principles and Methods of the Defender

EOl.09 S.Erenburg (2579)D.Ludwig (2461) Pan-American Intercollegiate South Padre Island 2009

[WI What is White's first priority?

EOl.ll E.Inarkiev (2675)A.Shirov (2755) Poikovsky 2009

[B] Find Black's small saving path by the method ofelimination!

EO 1.1 0 A.Shirov (2723)L.Dominguez Perez (2712) Corus Wijk aan Zee 2010

E01.12 Doroshkievich - Fedorov USSR 1981

(B) Eliminate either 30 ... Ag7 or 30... AeS.

[B] First overcome the shock of White's last move, 1.'liYb2-eS. Then make a list of candidate moves and eliminate all but two of them. Then decide which of the two you should play.

25

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Chapter 2 Defending against an Attack on the King 2a) Counterattack

forces; now the black pieces are not in each other's way. 20 •.i1.g5? After 20.gxh7+ ~xh7 21.h6 g6! Black uses the enemy pawn as a shield for his king. Probably White should go in for 20.h6 fxg6 21.hxg7 Axg7 22.~h6 when at least Black doesn't have anything decisive. 20 ... Ae5 21.gxh7+ Possibly White counted on 21.f4, but after the accurate 21. .. 4Jxe4! 22.4Jxe4 Axd4!, Black crashes through. Here 21.h6 fxg6 22.hxg7 ~fc8! already looks significantly worse. 21. .. ~xh7 22.4)b3? Allowing concrete tactics. Retuming with 22.Ae3 may be most stubborn.

After having given some general advice for the defender in the first chapter, starting with this chapter we will discuss more specific themes. The first and most obvious situation is being subject to a direct attack on the king. What to do and how to handle such a particularly dangerous situation? There is a whole range of strategies and themes that can be helpful. The first of these is the good old counterattack, i.e., trying to get to the enemy king first. Who better than Kasparov to show how this works: 02.01 M.Adams (2741)GKasparov (2804) Linares 2005 [B]

22 ..• 4)xc2! Clarifying who's the attacker and who's the defender. 23.4)xc5 4)a3+ 24.~a2 ~xc5 25.4)a4 4)c2! Creating a very pretty checkmate on b2. 26.~b1 ~a3 0-1 And White resigned because of 26 ... ~a3 27.~xc2 ~fc8!.

18... .11,f6! A strong and elegant move, as it attacks and defends at the same time. Trying to close the kings ide with the typical 18.. .fxg6? 19.hxg6 h6 does not work here because White crashes through with the even more typical 20 ..ilxh6! gxh6 21.~xh6 Af6 22.g7! Axg7 23J!dgl, winning. 19.E!dg1 Aa8! A very economic placement of

The speed of an attack often counts more than material. In the following example, the white pawns look very menacing, not an easy situation to handle. 26

Defending against an Attack on the King 02.02 P.Lukacs (2485) E.Grivas (2505) Budapest 1993 [B]

44 ... ~d81 The key is to go for a counterattack, to focus on the white monarch on hI. 45.f6+ 45.'lli'f4 'lli'd5! 46.~f3 (46.~h2 .a.g5 -+) 46 ... 4)f2+ 47.~h2 'lli'a2! 48.f6+ ~f7 is winning, since the white royal pair is under attack. 45 ... .Q.xf6 46.exf6+ ~xf6 47.~e3 ~e5 o-} White is helpless against the black rook joining the attack (keep in mind that 4:)[2 is a potential mate in one).

27

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 Exercises (Solutions on page 166) E02.01 Gofshtein - Shchekachev France 1996

E02.03 GKasparov (2851)J.Piket (2633) KasparovChess GP g/60 Intemet 2000

[B] How can Black handle all those threats?

[B] What to do in this seemingly hopeless situation?

E02.02 A.Grosar (2495)J.Hellsten (2485) EU-chT (Men) Pula 1997

E02.04 S.Marj anovic (2524)D. Velimirovic (2558) YUG-ch 55th Subotica 2000

[B) The black kings ide is not a pretty sight. Time for a counterattack!

[B] The exchange is hanging on f8 and more importantly White is dreaming of a mate on g7. Should Black panic?

28

Defending against an Attack on the King 2b) Exchanging Attacking Potential If there are no chances for a counterattack, and it comes to a direct clash offorces, a very important factor is the number of attackers versus the number of defenders. In the inspiring books Attack with GM Julian Hodgson 1 and 2, the gifted author even makes use of graphics to count the respective forces. While this may oversimplify matters, it certainly is an interesting thought. Our next theme is based on it: exchanging attacking potential. By trading off the most dangerous pieces, it is sometimes possible to stop an attack in its tracks. In addition, offering a bit of material to accomplish massive exchanges is a typical defensive method. 02.03 C.Engelbert (2269) Z.Lanka (2503) International Hamburg-ch 2002 [B)

23.g3? 23.a5 was called for. 23 ... Etc8 24.Ae3 Etd3 25.Etabl b5 26.axb5 llxb5 27.Etedl Etd8 28.Etxd3 exd3 29.f3 Etxd5 30.'ifjlf2 'ifjle6 3l.'ifjlel Ete5 32.'ifjld2 f4 33.gxf4 Eth5 34.Agl 'ifjlf5 35.Etb4 Eth6 36.Etb2 Eth4 37.'ifjle3 Etxf4 38.Af2 Eta4 39.11g3 'ifjle6 40.~d2 ~d5 4l.'ifjle3 Etal 42.Etd2 a5 43.f4 a4 44.f5 a3 45.f6 ~e6 46. 'ifjld4 Etc147.§.f2 'ifjlf7 48.Ad6 §.c4+ 49.'ifjle5 Eta4 50.§.g2 Ac4 51.§.g7+ 'ifjle8 52.§.e7+ 'ifjld8 53.f7 11.xf7 54.§.xf7 a2 55.§.f8+ 'ifjld7 56.§.f7+ 'ifjlc6 57.Elc7+ 'ifjlb6 58.§.cl al ~+ 0-1 Another very important rule of thumb is that opposite-color bishops favor the attacker. The logic is simple: the pressure applied by the attacking bishop can never be neutralized by the defending bishop (unless one starts a counterattack!). The following example is a case in point, as Black misses an opportunity to offer an exchange of queens: 02.04 O.de la Riva Aguado (2496) A.Shirov (2722) Andorra2001 (B)

19 ... ~h6! Taking the queens off the board before White can even start thinking about an attack. 20.~xh6 20.4Jxe4 ~xh3 21.4Jg5+ ~f6 22.4Jxh3 Axa3 23.l."ixa3l."ic3 leaves Black very active in the endgame. 20 ... gxh6 2l.~xf8 Etxc3 22.Axh6 Etxb3 And Black is clearly on top, but with best play White should be able to hold.

31...§.g7? This move is too neutral. Black should strive for the exchange of queens with 31. .. ~b6! since after 29

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 32:(wd2 ~c6 33AJd3 ~c3 34.'ffi'h2 E!g7 his defense is coordinated. 32.~d3 .§g3? Necessary was 32...~b8 but White stays on top after a move like 33.4Je5!?

13 ... d xe5 14.Axe5 4Jxe5!? (Gallagher analyzes 14 ... g6 and 14 ... ~e8) thereby radically reducing White's attacking potential. Most probably it does not equalize completely but White's attack is definitely slowed down: 15.Llxd8 Llxd816 ..llg2 Lla717 ..§d1 (17.Ae4 g6 18.~e2 E!ad7 19.f4 4Jc4 20.h5 Ac5 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.~h2 ~d4 and Black's bishop performs the defensive task of the dragon bishop.) 17 ...§ad718.Llxd7 A xd719.Ae44Jg6.

33.~xf4Axf434.~xf4~b835.~d4

.§xf3 And now, of course, 36.§.xh7+! ~xh7 37.~h4+ 1-0

In the next case Black can even think about sacrificing his queen to reduce the attacking potential: 02.05 R.Ciemniak (2415)A.Allen (2170) [B81] Weh U20 Buenos Aires 1992

l.e4c5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~ xd4 Ae7 8.g5 ~fd7 9.h4 ~c610. ~h5 ~xd4 1l.Axd4 0-012.0-0-0 b513.e5! ~f6 5.~c3 d6 6.Ae3 a6 7.g4

and Black keeps defending stubbornly. 14. ~e2 d515. ~e3 Ab716.Ad3 M 17.~e2 a518.h5 ~g719.f4 ~h8 20.~g3 20.hxg6 fxg6 21.§xh7+! ~xh7 22.~h3+ '
Ever since this stem game, White has won a lot of fine attacking games with this strong thrust. A few pages of analysis by Gallagher can be found in his Beating the Sicilian 3. 13 ... g6?! Hodgson relates how his first idea with Black was to give up the queen with

In the following example White continually strives for the exchange of queens, and Black successfully avoids it:

30

Defending against an Attack on the King 02.06 A.Shirov (2690)V.Kramnik (2740) Linares 1997 [BJ

27... ~c7! The correct decision, since direct tactics do not bring the desired result: 27 ... 4Jxb2? 28.~xb2 ~c7 29. ~c2 J;txc3 30.l:!e2! +- (Shirov); 27 .. :{~lxb4? 2B.cxb4 4Jxb2 29 ..11b7.§bB 30 ..§d7 4Jc4 3Ulxa6 ~xb4+ 32.~c2± (Shirov). 28. ~b71 Also right. Important is that 28.Ad3? fails to 28 ... 4Jxb2! 29.~xb2 ~bB and the opposite-color bishops work in

Black's favor. 28... lila3+! Starting with this excellent move Black has it all worked out to a draw. 29.c129.~al4Jc2+ is a perpetual because the ~b7 has to be protected.

29 ... JU4+! The only move, but it works. 30.gxf4 ~xf4+ 3U~d2 E!d8 32.E!edl 32.Ah7+ can simply be ignored with 32 ... ~h8. 32 ... E!xd2 33.E!xd2 Yz-Yz Draw agreed in view of 33.~ xd2 ~f1 + 34 ..§dl ~f4+ with a perpetual.

31

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Exercises (Solutions on page 167) E02.05 B.Gelfand (2693)K.Georgiev (2625) Calvia Olympiad Mallorca 2004

E02.07 A. Vitolinsh - L.Sandler USSR 1986

IB) White just took on f7, which looks fairly intimidating. Is there any hope left?

rW) Exchanging attacking potential is not an easy job here, what is the correct way to proceed?

E02.06 Nogovicin -A.Chudinovskih USSR 1986

[B) You may find it scary to be Black here, but in fact there is a very strong way to take over the initiative. Can you find it?

32

Defending against an Attack on the King 2c) Bringing in More Defenders

02.08 V.Anand (2788)P.Leko (2752) Moscow Tal Memorial 2009 [B)

The counterpart of reducing the opponent's attacking potential, is bringing in more defenders. Sticking with Hodgson's logic, if you don't manage to reduce the number of attackers, you have to increase the number of defenders. 02.07 A.Beliavsky (2668) T.Oral (2546) EU-chTLeon2001 [B)

According to Anand, Black's problems are almost impossible to solve at the board. With the help of the computer, the correct path out of the labyrinth can be found relatively easily: 23 ••• Ac8? 23 ... .§f6! 24.~elltd5! is the right track as Black manages to get all his pieces involved in the defense: 25.fle7+.

32 .•. ~a2! Bringing back the queen to the defense. After 32 ... ~g8? White simply wins with 33J~b7. 33.E{b7 E{6d7! Picking the other rooks loses: 33 ... E!8d7 34.flb8+ ~f7 35.'~e8+ \t'f6 36.~h8+ flg7 37.~f8+ and a rook is lost. 34.~xc5+ ~f7 35.E{c7 ~a1 36.d4 ~e1 37. ~xa7 ~e7 38. ~a2+ ~g7 With the king on a black square and the heavy pieces well coordinated, Black is out of trouble. 39.E{c6 E{d6

40.d5 E{xd5 41. ~b2+ ~h7 42. ~f6 ~xf643.Etxf6 Yz-Yz The next example shows that defending can indeed be extremely difficult for humans:

25 ... ~g8! 26.axb5 (26 ..§e8+ ~xe8 27.Axe8 .§e6! is the key idea, giving black compensation for the queen)

26 ... 'lird6! 27.flxa6.§xa6 28.bxa6~xa6 29 ..§e8+ flf8 30.flxf8+ ~xf8 31.~e8+ ~g7 32.~e5+ ~h7 33.~xd4

and here Shipov points out the cool idea 33 ... ltf7! 34:~d7 ~h8! with equality because ofthe weak back rank. 24.E{g6+ ~h7

33

25.axb5 E{f6 26.E{xf6 t'Yxf6

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 27.~c2+

.Q.f5

28.~xc4

30.h3! This small preventive move strongly underscores that White's king is the safer one. 30 ... 'it'h8 The variations 30 ... .8c7 31 ..8a8 and 30 ... .8f8 31.'ffi'xb5 d3 32 ..8a6 illustrate that Black's rook now has difficulties becoming a good defender, while White's manages to enter the attack.

Elc8

29.~d5axb5

31.'~xb5 Elf8 32.Ela6 ~g7 33.Eld6 d3 34. ~b6 ~e5 35.,1lg6 d2 36.,1lxf5 ~xf5 37.~d4+ 'it'h7 38.~xd2 Elf7 39.f3 h5 4O.Eld5 ~g6 41. ~a5 Elg7 42.h4 ~b1 + 43.'it'h2 ~xb244.Elxg5Elxg545.~xg51-0

Exercises (Solutions on page 168) E02.08 B.Brinck Claussen (2385) M.Sher (2535) Farum 1993

E02.09 M.Carlsen (2690) V.Topalov (2783) MorelialLinares 2007

[B) It's about time Black brings in some pieces to defend his king. Can you see how this is best done?

[B) Black's position looks fairly hopeless, as he is about to lose the knight. Is there any defense left?

34

Defending against an Attack on the King

E02.10 M.Carlsen (2528)A.Volokitin (2671) Biel2005

E02.12 D.Gormally (2557)Z.Hracek (2591) EU-chT Gothenburg 2005

[B) Things are starting to look scary for Black; how can more defenders be brought in?

[B] Black is about to get outnumbered on the kingside; what can he do?

E02.11 V.Kramnik(2759)M.Carlsen (2772) Dortmund 2009

E02.13 M.Krasenkow (2609)V.Iordachescu (2550) EU-ch Istanbul 2003

(B) Carlsen failed to find the only defense against Kramnik's ferocious attack. Can you do better?

[B) How is Black supposed to keep his position together?

35

The

ChessC~fe

Puzzle Book 3 02.09 C.Ahues - NN Bremen simul 1920 (WI

2d) A Spanner in the Works Don't always believe what you see! Once you are intimidated by the forceful attacking moves of your opponent, you will lose for sure. Always try to keep a critical attitude, and go out with a bang ifnothing seems to work anymore. This brings us to the next theme: throwing a spanner in the works, i.e., injecting a disturbing move that disrupts the smooth flow of a combination. CD) 1. ~xf6 Black was convinced and resigned here (1-0). A critical look reveals 1... ~g41 and it is White who can resign. By the way l...~el + was

also better than resigning, since after 2.'it>h2 ~xc3 3.~xc3 Black can put up a stubborn fight for the draw.

36

Defending against an Attack on the King Exercises (Solutions on page 170) E02.14 I.Nataf (2553)M.Bluvshtein (2462) Montreal 2004

E02.16 A.Giri - M.van Delft Den Bosch blitz 2009

[W] Things don't look good here; is there a way out?

[B) In Giri-Van Delft played in the 2009 Dutch blitz team championship, the most frequently seen moves were consistently (but unknowingly) played from moves 6-16. Then 17.E!g3 was a novelty, but still analyzed by Bologan in his book The King s Indian - A Complete Black Repertoire. What refutation does Bologan give?

E02.15 A.Suetin - V.Bagirov 31. URS-ch Leningrad 1963

[B] Black has not reacted very well to a creative queen sacrifice and is in extreme danger. Can you see a way out?

37

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 2e) Evacuating the King from the Danger Zone

02.11 V.Belov (2595)A.Dreev (2650) 9th Aeroflot Open Moscow 2010 [B)

Sometimes the king's residence is about to be ovemm and the only defense left is to bailout. That would be by running away immediately or having to open a flight route first. 02.10 J.Stocek (2518)V.Neverov (2569) Prerov2001 [B]

Dreev solved the problem immediately: 17... ~d8! After 17 ... e6 18.0-0 ~d6 19.:8ae1 Black must do something for his king anyway, but then White's knight can come quickly: 19 ... 'it'd7 20.'tIilhl 'tJc7 21.4Jg4 with a slight initiative. 18.0-0 'it'c719.a4 19.'it'h1 can now be answered by 19 ... 'it'b8 20.4Jg4 ~g7 21.:8ael e6 22.4JeS :8c7=. 19... ~b8 20.1i,b5 e6 21.1i,xc6 ~xc6 22 . .£id3 Yl-Yl and a draw was agreed as Black is certainly not worse after 22 ... Ad6.

34 ... dxe5? The king cannot survive in the middle. There was a very pretty and surprising way to bring it to safety: 34 .. .'~d3+ 35.~al O-O-O! and Black is fine. Suddenly castling queenside on move 34 has greatly accelerated the evacuation of his king. 35.E!xe5+ 'it'f8 36. ~hl ~g7 Inserting a check on d3 wouldn't have helped either: 36... ~d3+ 37.~al ~g7 38.!'1g5+ ~f6 39.~h6+ 'tIile7 40.:8eS+ 'it'd7 41.'l£yhl! 'tIild6 42.:8el! creating a winning attack by moving both pieces backward! 37.E!g5+ ~f6 38.~h6+ 'it'e7 39.E!e5+ ~d7 40.~d2+ ~c6

Sometimes the king can sUlvive deep in enemy territory - the so-called "steel king." 02.12 V.Gashimov (2759)A.Grischuk (2736) 7th World Team Championship Bursa2010[B]

41.~d41-0

The safety of the king is an extremely important factor in the middlegame and you should always take this into consideration and take measures, if necessary: 38

Defending against an Attack on the King At first sight Black seems to be in great danger, but Grischuk has calculated precisely that this is an illusion: 29 ... ~a4!! After this brilliant move, the attack is over as the king heads for a safe haven. Losing is 29 ... ~xh5? 30.axb4+ ~xb4 31.gxh5 (Van DelftlRis in Chess Vibes Openings) 30.axb4 30.§f4 wouldn't help either, as after 30 ... \(;hh5 31.gxh5 (31.§.xb4+ ~xa3-+) 31. .. 4::\a2+ 32.§'xb4+ 4::\xb4 33.axb4 §.d8 Black is technically winning. (Van Delft/Ris) 30... ~xd3 31.~a5+ ~b3 White has run out of checks, while he has to deal with mate and the hanging bishop. 32.Eixc3+ ~xc3+ 33.Ad2 b6! A strong zwischenzug, forcing White to give up control over e5. 34.~xb6 ~e5+ 35. ~dl J1,b7! Returning material is the easiest way to bring the rooks into play.

36.~xb7

Eihd8 37.Eif3+

~a2

38.Eif2

38... ~bl!Touchdown! 39.~f3Eiac8 Threatening mate on el, so White is forced to play 40. ~b3+ ~b2 41.~xb2+ ~xb2 0-1 after which Gashimov resigned, as he can't prevent entering a lost pawn ending after §'c2 and§'xd2.

Exercises (Solutions on page 171) E02.17 V.Anand (2735)V.Kramnik (2765) Las Palmas 1996

E02.18 B.Gelfand (2695)J.Polgar (2718) George Marx Memorial Pacs 2003

[B) This position from the Sicilian Rauzer was a topical in the mid-1990s, with White trying a direct attack on the black king. What was Kramnik's instructive way to tum back the attack?

(W] The White king is in grave danger, and it seems impossible to escape. Can you find a way out?

39

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 21 .•. fxe6? Now White's attack kicks in.

21) Destroying the Harmony of the Attacking Army

Surprisingly, in the middle of this raging attack, Black has time for 21...E!e8! which lends extra support to the essential e6-square and leaves White at a loss for a convincing attacking move. 22.E!e4 (22.E!efl fails to the strong zWischenzug 22 ... Ah4! which completely destroys the harmony of White's army) 22 ... .Q.xe6 Now after the spectacular 23.E!xe6!? (23.Axe6 fxe6 24.'~fxg6+ .l1g7 and the attack has come to a halt) 23 ... fxe6 24.'lli'xg6+ Ag7 25.E!f3! (the rook has stable squares on the third rank) 25 ... ~d7! (after 25 ... b5 26.E!h3 Black has to find the preventive 26 ... \t>f8! 27 .E!f3+ ~g8 leading to a repetition of moves) 26.Eif6! (26.E!h3? E!e7! was Black's point) 26 ... b5 27.Axe6+ Eixe6 28.E!xe6 E!f8 Black comes out on top. 22.E! xe6! Very powerful. 22 ... ~g7 After 22 ... 1be6 23.~xg6+ the bishop on e6 lacks support: 23 ... 'lli'g7 (23 ... Ag7 24 ..llxe6+ with a quick mate to follow) 24 ..llxe6+ E!t7 25.Axt7+ ~f8 26.~xf6 and White has won back everything with interest.

As we have mentioned before, your opponent's attacking set-up might look more impressive than it really is. Sometimes there might be a way to disrupt the harmony between his pieces. The right push at the right place might throw some ofthe pieces out of balance, after which the attack loses momentum. The following example illustrates this concept.

02.13 V.Anand (2725)B.Gelfand (2700) Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1996 (B]

23.E!xe7+ Axe7 24.E!xf8 Jtxf8 25.h4! 1-0 The white attack simply continues.

40

Defending against an Attack on the King Exercises (Solutions on page 171)

E02.19 I.Nepomniachtchi (2587)S.Brynell (2501)

E02.20 A.Anderssen - P.Morphy Paris 1858

Corns C Wijk aan Zee 2007

(B) Can you find a way to embarrass White's attacking position?

(B) Black's position is very tough to handle: he is facing a giant pawn on d6, his king is in trouble and counterplay seems far off. Can you find Black's only defense?

41

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 2g) Closing Inroads

save the bishop, which leaves his king rather helpless. 3Vi!filbl The following line illustrates well the power of Black's attack: 31.'it>b2 ~xa3+ 32.'it>c3 ~a5+ 33.~c2 ~a2+ 34.'~c3 .§c8+ 35.'~b4 Ad8!. The Najdorf bishop that often just quietly sits on e7 doing a useful job keeping the Black position together, now joins the attack with decisive force. 36..§al Aa5+ 37.'it>b5 .§b8+ 38.~c6 (or 38.
In some positions a very straightforward form of defense is possible: closing the inroads to the king's residence. In such cases, to prevent further damage, you should not hesitate to give back some material. 02.14 J.Borisek (2443) E.Sutovsky (2639) IS.Vidmar Memorial Terme Zrece 2003 [W]

The following historic game not only helped Leko on his way to win the Dortmund 2002 candidates (giving him the right to challenge Kramnik for the world championship), but also caused a true Sveshnikov hype that was to hold on for several years. Leko showed new ways to beat off White's kingside attack: 25.~d3? This is not decisive enough and gets punished by a nasty tactic. White had to take preemptive action and close inroads immediately with 25.<£lb3! since after 25 ... axb3 26.cxb3 .§cb8 White can prevent the bombshell on b3 with 27.'~c2! and has decent compensation for the pawn after 27 ... ~xf3 28 ..§hfl ~g4 29:~'d3 as was pointed out by Ftacnik. 25 ... .§ab8+ 26.~b3 axb3 27.cxb3 27.~xc3 bxa2+ 28.'it>xa2 .§xc3 doesn't work either, as White remains with many weaknesses in addition to remaining a pawn down. 27 ... .§xb3+! Black grabs his chance and invades the white position with a well-calculated sequence of moves. 28.axb3 a2+ 29.~xa2 .§a8+ 30.Aa3 ~b4! The key move: there is no way for White to

02.15 A.Shirov (2697) P.Leko (2722) Candidates semifinal Dortmund 2002 [B)

23 ... f4!? An ambitious try to establish a blockade on the black squares. 23 ... 'iiJ x c2 24.exf5 ~b2 25.~g4+ <£lg6! 26.fxg6 hxg6 would have been another

42

Defending against an Attack on the King way of closing inroads and is roughly equal. 24.Ab3?! The bishop has no real prospects here if Black is careful. More natural is 24.Jlbl 4Jg6 25.e5! dxe5

26.Jlxg6 (26.d6!? md8 27J~dl .!"\xbl! 28..!"\xbl.!"\xd6 should be fine for Black) 26 ... hxg6 27.~xe5 ~xe5 28.~xe5 with a level position. 24... 4)g6 25.Etc1 ~f6 26. ~f5 ~e7 Black has managed to establish the black-square blockade he was aiming for. 27.§c4 a5 28.h3

28 ...§b4! Exchanging one pair of rooks further strengthens Black's control over the position. 29.§xb4 axb4 30..Q.dl 32.Etc2 ~g7 33.~h2 ~e3 34.11.0 ~eI35.Etc7 ~g3+ 36.~hl 4)e5! A very pretty Eta8 31.Etf2

~a7

sight: having accurately calculated all lines, Leko was finally able to put the knight on its dream square. White tried to get a perpetual, but didn't succeed:

37.Ah5 Etxa2 38.§xf7+ 4)xf7 39.~xf7+ ~h6 40.~f6+ ~xh5

41. ~f5+

~h6

42. ~f6+

~g6

43.~h4+ ~g7 44.~e7+ ~f7 45.~g5+ ~f8 46.~d8+ ~e8 47. ~f6+ ~g8! 0-1 White resigned, as

he realized that after

48.~g5+ ~f7

49.~f5+ ~e7 50.~e6+ ~d8 51.~xd6+ ~c8 52.~c5+ ~b7 53.~xb4+ ~a8!, the

black king will have escaped from the checks. A game of tremendous depth, both conceptually and tactically. Exercises (Solutions on page 172) E02.21 H.Bastian (2411)R. Tisch bierek (2486) ch-GER Konigshofen 2007

E02.22 A.Goldberg (2330)A.Kovalev (2400) Berlin 1987

[B) Black has several moves to stay in the game, but only one of them gives him the upper hand.

[W] Black has deadly threats based on his extremely strong "Dragon Bishop." Is there any hope left for White?

43

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 2h) The King as an Important Defender

when Black can get the upper hand with a remarkable series of moves: 36... .tlg7! 37.il1e6+ ~f7 38.il1xd5+ and now watch this: 38 ... ~g6! 39.f5+ 'it>g5! 40.f6+ .tlf5 41.!!f2 il1e5 42.il1d2+ 'it>g6 and finally the black king is safe, not in the least because he did a good job defending himself. 35 ... ~cl+

We would like to finish this chapter with a final, significant principle, one that was already pointed out by the first official world champion Wilhelm Steinitz: The king itself should be considered a defensive unit. In Hodgson's terms, the king should be added to the box of defenders (which is compared to the box of attackers). On a related note, Hodgson, among others, gives the king four points for practical purposes, i.e., stronger than a knight or a bishop, but weaker than a rook.

36.'i&h2 .§h8+ 37.Wg3 §ag8+ 38.Wf2 .§xg2+! Such a sacrifice comes naturally. 39.Wxg2 ~hl+ 40.Wf2 §h2+ 41.'i&g3 ~gl + 42.Wf3 .!£)d4+ and White had seen enough. 0-1 In the next example the king can defend itself almost singlehandedly:

02.16 E.Berg (2539) -A.Graf(2605) EU-chT 15th Gothenburg 2005 [BI

02.17 A.Shirov (2719)P.Svidler (2754) World Cup Khanty Mansiysk 2009

34 ... 'i&f7! After the more passive 34 .. .'ot)f8? 35.'~g6 !!a7 36.f5 lieS 37.'~h6+ 'it>gS 3S.!!e3 Black gets duly mated. 35.§ xd5? This allows Black to take over the initiative. White had to try 35.il1h7+ ~xf6 36.il1xd7.

[BI 23 ... ~a7! 24.ldf6+ Wh8 24 ... 'it>g7?? runs into 25AJeS+ 'it>h6 26.il1h4*. 25.~h4Wg7!!

44

Defending against an Attack on the King "This spectacular move (Steinitz would be delighted!) parries White's attack, and Black keeps a decisive material advantage." (Krasenkow in CBM 134) 26.E{e3 26.4::lh5+ 'it'fB 27.'ljH6 ~xf2+ 28. ~xf2 4::lxf2 29.~xf2 gxh5-+

(Krasenkow) . 26,..§d6 27.E{f3 h6 28.4Je4 §xd5 29. ~f6+ Wg830.E{c3 4Je5 31.E{f4 ~xa2 32.Wh2 ~e2 33. ~h4 §a6 34.g4 g5 35 . .£J xg5 hxg5 36.t\'xg5+ E{g6~1

Exercises (Solutions on page 172) E02.23 J.Fang - J.Rizzitano Newton 1984

[WI Blackjust took on h3, what to do?

E02.25 E.Liss (2513) - I.Smirin (2652) Tel Aviv 1999

[B] White thinks he is attacking, but nothing is further from the truth. How did Black continue?

E02.24 S.B.Hansen (2499)M.Kopylov (2421) Intemational Hamburg-ch 1999

(B) Where would you put your king, defending this position as Black? 45

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Chapter 3 Fighting against the Initiative 34 .•. a3! After a spectacular and basically winning combination, the young Carlsen played some sloppy moves and now Black can fight his way back into the game. With the text, Kotronias opens up the white king's position, which guarantees enough counterplay. 35.hxa3 35.'ll-f'xa3 §a7 is not possible. 35 ... gxh6 Eliminating this dangerous passer is one step closer to safety. 36. ~xe5 A better try might have been 36.~bl but after 36 ... §xf6 37.'ll-f'xe5 ~f2 White doesn't seem to have anything better than a perpetual either. 36... ~d3! After this final key move, there is nothing left for White but to give a perpetual. 37. ~eS+ ElcS 3S. ~e5+ Etc7 39. ~eS+ EtcS 40. ~e5+ Yl-Yz

3a) Counterplay Having discussed the direct attack on the king and how to defend against it, we now turn to the more general theme of the initiative and how to fight it. The initiative is a central concept in chess, and yet not a very easy one to explain. The initiative cannot be seen, it can only be felt. The side that dictates matters on the board is said to have the initiative. Indeed the initiative can often lead to an attack on the king, but it does not necessarily follow that it does. Especially on an amateur level, having the initiative is a most powerful weapon, because most people do not know how to defend properly or simply do not feel like defending; they lose heart and with it the game. In this section we will examine this tricky subject and we will see that it is not as difficult as one might imagine. If your opponent is in possession of the initiative, the first thing you need to do is to see if you can get some counterplay.

Often correct defense comes down to precise calculation. In the following example Black had everything under control because of his strong passed pawn that provided enough counterplay:

03.01 M.Carlsen (2581)V.Kotronias (2599) Calvia Olympiad Mallorca 20041B)

03.02 M.Kaminski (2395) H.Stefansson (2495) Cappelle la Grande 1993 IB)

46

Fighting against the Initiative 1 ... exd3! This is not a gamble, but based on accurate calculation. 2 ..11.a7 The obvious reply, emphasizing the strength of the pawn on b7. 2 ... E!xb7!! Black can give up some heavy material, since by now his own passed pawn has become very strong. 3.~ x b7 d2

4.~xd7 ~xd7 liz-liz It all fits very neatly: the white bishop obviously cannot interfere and the white rook has no access to a I. White will have to return his queen, after which a dead equal position remains.

Exercises (Solutions on page 173)

E03.01 C.Hansen (2626)GHertneck (2572) German Bundesliga 2002

E03.02 U.Kunsztowicz (2305)K.MiiUer Hamburg-ch 1988

[B) Black looks fairly tied up by the dominating pawn on d7. Is he able to create counterplay?

[B) What would have been the correct way to create counterpJay?

47

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 110 ... ~e7! 111.g6 ~f8 with a wellknown fortress. 107 ... .£)f6 108.§.g7 Af4109.§.f7 Ag5110.~c5 .£)e4+ 11 O... {)xg4 111.'it>d6 {)e3 112.mS+ AdS 113.c7 <£lc4+ 114.'it>c5 ~xc7 115.Eif7+ ~cS 116.~xc4 with a winning version of a classical ending. 1l1.~d5 .£)f6+ 112.~e6 .£)e4 1l3.~e5 .£)c5 1l4.~f5 .£)d3 115.§.g7 Ac1 1l6.~e4 More convincing would have been 116.g5! hxg5 117.h6 Ab2 l1S.Eib7 Aa1 119.Eia7 Ab2120.Eia2!. The bishop has nowhere to hide. 120 ... Ae5 121.Eid2 winning. 116... .£)f2+ 117.~f5 .£)h3 118.13h7.£)f2119.13d7

3b) Tactical Defense A very important defensive device is the so-called tactical defense, which means a clever move that indirectly (by tactical means) defends against a threat. Needless to say, finding such moves demands a positive attitude towards the defensive task at hand (fighting for your last chance and not giving up before the game is really over) and an open mind (looking for creative solutions ). 03.03 A.Fishbein (2505) - B.Lopez (2403) USA-ch San Diego 2004 [BJ

119 ... Ag5?! A sample variation after the more stubborn 119 ... Ae3 would be 120.Eif7 (120.fig7?! is answered by 120 ... {)h3) 120 ... Ac1 121.fib7 .lle3 122.fib3 Ag5 123.Eif3 {)d1 124.'it>e6 {)e3 (124 ... 'it>c7 125.Eif5 AdS 126.g5 wins.) 125.fif7 'it>dS 126.Eid7+ ~cS 127.Eig7 <£lxg4 12S.c7 J,te3 129.fixg4 ~xc7. We have reached the previously mentioned classical ending. 130.Eig3 J,tf4 131.fid3 Ag5 132.~f7 11f4 133.~g7 'it>c6 134.fif3 Ag5 135.Eig3 ..Q.d2136.Eig6+ 'it>d7137.Eixh6 Axh6+ 13S.~xh6 'it>e7 139.~g7 winning. 120.13g7 .£)h3120 ... ..Q.d2121.g5! hxg5 122.h6Ac3123.<;tJg6! wins. 121.13xg5! Converting to a position where the

105 ... Ae5? This direct defense is not enough. Correct would have been 105 ... Af6! 106. c;t>c5 (of course 106.Ei xd6? Ae7 is the point) 106... <£le4+ 107.~xb5 <£lf2 winning the g4-pawn, after which Black should be able to hold the draw. 106.~c5 .£)e4+! A clever trick, but Fishbein doesn't fall for it. 107.~xb5! Now in the remaining ending one can see that a rook tends to outclass two minor pieces on an open board (whereas in the middlegame the opposite is usually the case). The tempting 107.c;t>d5? fails to 107 ... <£lf6+ lOS.'it>xe5 {)xd7+ 109.cxd7+ 'it>xd7 110.g5 and now the easy-to-miss 48

Fighting against the Initiative remaining knight is helpless against the white passed pawns. 121 ... l£lxg5 122.~g6 ~c7 123.~xh6

l£lf7+

124.~g71-0

The following example underlines the importance of always keeping a cool head. Black panicked because he had missed White's last move (10.Ag5) and felt obliged to resign. 03.04 J.Mueller - S. Tidman Bunratty Masters 2007 [B)

After the hidden tactical defense 10 ... jtb4! it's even Black who has the upper hand. The obvious 10 ... Ae7 would also have been better than resigning since 11.-'1.xe4 (after 11.Axe7 ~xe7 the bishop on e4 is indirectly defended again) 11...Axg5 12. ~c3! Winning back the pawn. 12 ... c6 13.-'1.xc6+ ~xc614.~xc6+ ~f815.~f3 admittedly gives White the initiative, but nothing is decided yet. 11.c3 11. ~xb4 'l£fxg5 and -'1.e4 is indirectly defended. 1l.J1xd8 Axd2+ 12.~xd2 Axg2 winning back a rook. After 11.-'1.b5+ every legal move except 11.. .'it'f8 does the job. 11 ... ~d5! 11...Ae7 still works as well. 12.l£l0 12.Axe4 '«Yxe4+ is with check. 12.cxb4 Axg2 again wins back a rook. 12... Axd313. ~xd3 Ad6 and it does not look like White has enough compensation for the gambit pawn.

49

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Exercises (Solutions on page 174) E03.03 R.Antonio (2540)P.Roca (2365) Yangon zt 1998

E03.05 V.Bologan (2620)A.Onischuk (2657) Biel1999

[B] Can you keep Black's shaky position together?

(B) This is a known theoretical position from the Petroff Defense. Why doesn't Black simply lose a piece here?

E03.04 J.Becerra Rivero (2500)H.Spangenberg (2530) Matanzas 1994

[B] Black has many options, but only one of them keeps him in the game. Can you spot it?

50

Fighting against the Initiative 3c) Wresting the Initiative from the Opponent In the best case scenario, you can even wrest the initiative from your opponent. This is comparable to a "steal" (intercepting the ball) in basketball. Again, you need to believe in your chances while defending in order to be able to take over. 03.05 M.Chandler - U.Andersson Sarajevo 1985 [B)

17...d4! A typical pawn sacrifice to bring the powerful bishop on c6 to life. Black is comfortable from this point on. IS.e7 tfJIxe7 19.Axd4 Axd4 20. tfJI xd4 tfJIg5 21. tfJIc4+ hS 22.tfJle2 h6! Black's compensation is of a positional nature, which means that he can take the time to improve his king's position. 23.h3 .§.ceS 24.tfJlg4 tfJId2 25.tfJlg6 §.xf1+ 26.§.xfl §.el 27.'§'xel tfJIxel+ 2S.h2 tfJIcl 29. tfJIf5 Y2-Yl The fight for the initiative usually already starts in the opening: 03.06 S.Dolmatov (2608)S.Sivokho (2469) [C78] Chigorin Memorial St Petersburg 2000

15 ..•f6! The legendary defender Ulf Andersson is not going to 1"'ait in this position and let White play f6 himself. For example: 15 ... b5? 16.f6! gxf6 17.Ah6~h818.exf6.Q.xf619.-'txf8and

Af6 is hanging. 16.exf6 Of course not 16.fxe6? fxe5; 16..Q..d4 fxe5 17.Axe5 d4! is similar to the game. 16 ... j},xf6 17.fxe6

1.e4e5 2.4)£3 4)c6 3.Ab5 a64.Aa4 4)f6 5.0-0 b5 6.Ab3 Ac5 7.a4 §.bS S.c3 d6 9.d4 Ab6 This is a well-known position from the Archangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez. As in almost any opening, White has decent chances for a theoretical edge, but a player like Shirov can be found on the black side of the discussion. Black tends to have "laser bishops" on b6 and b7, which gives his position great counterattacking potential. Ten years ago Dolmatov came up with an interesting new concept for White in this position.

51

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 10.a51? The psychology behind this move can only be understood if we have a brieflook at the main line first. In that line, 10.axbS axbS 11.4Ja3 0-0 12.4JxbS Ag4, Black has sacrificed a pawn for smooth development in the best gambit traditions. The black king is safe and his pieces are in perfect harmony. White does have to solve concrete problems and he is very far from cashing in on his (backward) extra pawn on b2. Without special preparation, White can easily end up worse. Now, objectively speaking, lO.aS!? shouldn't be a problem for Black, but often it will be White who sacrifices a pawn for active play. Black, who may have been looking forward to a game of attacking chess, suddenly is forced into the role of defender, something he may have problems adjusting to. 10..• ~xa5? This definitely gives White the initiative. lO ... Aa7 l1.h3 0-0 l2 ..ile3 fla8! (l2 ... exd4l3.cxd4 4Jxe4 l4.~c2 ~e8 lS.4Jc3! with excellent gambit play. l2 ... 4Jxe4!? l3.,ildS exd4 is a complex alternative that tends to leave White with an edge after the complications are over, starting with l4 ..ilxe4 dS lS.4Jxd4) 13.4Jbd2 Ab7 14.flel fle8 is the correct way of playing, as in Anand-Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 2010. 1l.gxa51 A strong positional exchange sacrifice. 1l ••. Axa5 I2.dxe5 ~g4 After 12 ... dxeS l3.~xd8+ ~xd8 l4.4JxeS the majority of black pieces are under attack.

B.Ag5! The point, as Black is now forced to seriously weaken his kingside. B ... f6 l3 ... ~d7 14.e6! fxe6 lS.4Jd4 is even worse. I4.exf6 gxf6 I5.Ah4 and the stage was set for a nice attacking game by White. I5 ... c5 I6.h3 h5 I7.4)bd2 gb7 I8.Ad5 gg7 I9.e5 ~xe5 20.,£)xe5 dxe5 2I.4)e4 gh6 22. ~f3 ggg6 23.gdI 'i.fjlf8 24.Ae6 ~e8 25.Axc8 ~xc8 26.Axf6 'i.fjlg8 27.Ag5 ~f8 28.~xf8+ 'i.fjlxf8 29.Axh6+ gxh6 30.~xc5 Ab6 3I.~d7+ rlJe7 32.~ xe5 ge6 33.~d3 gd6 34.h4 rlJf6 35.rlJf1 rlJf5 36.g3 a5 37.rlJe2 ge6+ 38.~d2 gd6 39.geI ~g4 40.ge4+ ~f3 4I.gf4+ rlJg2 42.gf5 b4 43.c4 Ad4 44.gxa5 Axb2 45.gxh5 Ac3+ 46.rlJc2 rlJf3 47.gb5gd448.~xb4gxc449.~d3

gc8 50.gf5+ rlJg2 51.4)c2 ~h3 52.~e3 jlb4 53.h5 gc6 54.gb5 Ac5 55.h6 jlxe3 56.gh5+ ~g4 57.gh4+ ~f3 58.fxe3 gd6+ 59.lit'c4 gd8 60.h7 gh8I-0

52

Fighting against the Initiative Exercises (Solutions on page 174) E03.06 C.Horvath (2519)Yu Shaoteng (2535) Budapest 2000

E03.08 A.shirov (2746)Y.Anand (2762) FIDE-Wch k.o. New Delhiffeheran 2000

(W] White enjoys a material advantage, but is therefore seriously lagging in development. Is there a way to wrest the initiative from his opponent?

[BI Positions that normally lead to a win, no longer do so against the world's best defenders. How did Anand save himself here?

E03.07 A.Shirov (2751) - Y.Akopian (2660) Merida 2000

[BI In positions with opposite-color bishops, the initiative usually counts for a lot. How should Black proceed?

53

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 3d) Neutralizing the Initiative

03.08 S.Rublevsky(2658) J.Polgar (2681) Russia-The World Moscow 2002 IB]

Related to the previous subject is neutralizing the initiative before it can be fully developed. 03.07 L.Kritz (2549) B.Macieja (2613) EU-ch 6th Warsaw 2005 (B)

16 ... 11,g4! Giving up the pair of bishops to catch up in development is by far the best practical decision as Black gets some activity. The retreat 16... .§.d8? is strongly met by 17.'l~d +and White's position plays itself. 17.lil b5 17 .,a,xg4? <£lxd4 18.~xd4 .§.ad819.§c1 ~d6! wins back the piece with a level position. 17 ... ~xb5 18.Axg4 ~d819. ~c2 Ad6 20.g3

21 ...f6! This little pawn move shuts <£lf3 out of the game for the time being. This gives Black time to finish his development. 22.lilel 22.<£ld2 ~d7 followed by .§.e8. 22 ... b6 23.c4 Ae6! The right defense. 23 ... ~xc4?? 24.~g3 g5 25.~d6! gives White a mating attack and 23 ... dxc4? 24.~g3 g5 25.h4! is very dangerous as well. 24. ~g3 Af7 Effectively cutting offthe seventh rank. 25.cxd5 ~xd5 26.~xa7 ~e8 27.lilf3 ~xd4! YZ-YZ Solving the remaining problems with an elegant little tactic. In the following example Black is also seriously lagging in development.

20 ... h5? Judit Polgar wants to take the initiative completely, but this goes too far. She should have tried to neutralize White's play with 20 ... <£ld4 21.~xc7 -'txc7 22.§fc1 ~e5 and Black can hope to defend. At least it is by no means

54

Fighting against the Initiative easy to overcome such an active setup. 21. ~e2 Etd5 22.Axh5 .£)d4 23. ~g4 jle5 24.Etbcl ~e7 25. ~e4 f5 26. ~g2 f4?1 Too reckless, but good advice is hard to give. 27.Axd4? Rublevsky misses the strong blow 27.lk8! which wins the f4-pawn and with it, basically the game: 27 ... ~Sd7 (27 .. .'lll'd7 28.~xd8+ 'lll'xd8 29.gxf4 Axf4 30.-Ilg4+-) 28.§xd8+ ~xd8 29.gxf4+- (Ribli). 27 •.. Axd4 2B.ruel EIe5 29.EIxe5 ~xe5 30.Af3 fxg3 31.hxg3 Ab6 32.Axb7 EId3 33.Af3 EIxa3? Too greedy. With opposite-color bishops the speed of the attack usually counts for a lot, so 33 ... §d2! was called for, e.g., 34.§f1 §xf2 3S.~xf2 ~e1+=. 34.citilhl? 34.§c8+! wins directly: 34 ... ~f7 (34 ... ~h7 35.'l!l'h3+ ~g6 36.§c6+ ~f7 37.'l!l'd7++-) 35 ..llliS+ 'lll'xh5 36.'lll'b7+ ~f6 (36 ... ~g6 37.~e4+ 'il9gS 38.'l!l'dS++-) 37.§c6+ ~eS 38.'ll1b8+ 'it'e4 39.'lll'f4+ ~d3 40.~c4+ 'it'd2 41.~d6+ +- (Ribli). 34... EId3 35 ..1le4 ~h5+ 36.
03.09 Lacasa - Comas Fabrego Spanish Team Championship 1993 [B)

14... EIae8!? In some lines the rook is better positioned here than after the normal 14 ... §ad8 15.
55

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Exercises (Solutions on page 175) E03.09 V.Mikhalevski (2531)A.Kaspi (2510) IsraekhT 1999

E03.10 GSchebler (2534) V.BoRsch (2523) Gennan Bundesliga Mtilheim 2007

[B) White is exerting tremendous pressure along the d-file. What can Black do?

(B) White has a nagging initiative in the ending. Is there an escape exit?

56

Chapter 4 Perpetual Check If you have studied the first three chapters, you are already familiar with the majority of defensive themes. The next few chapters will deal with more specific themes. In this fourth chapter, we deal with a theme everyone knows, perpetual check. If you have a winning position, that is often what you have to watch out for. As a defender it will often be your last chance of saving the game. In the middlegame a counterattacking queen versus an open king usually forms the basis of this motif. This is difficult for a computer, as the following fascinating example shows.

advancing the kingside pawns and a timely d5-d6. Instead of resigning, Kasparov should have simply tried 45 •.. ~e3 going for the perpetual. Now after 46.~xd6 the position still looks hopeless, but finding the only move 46 •.. 13.e8! would keep Black in the game. It is all about believing in your own chances. 47.h4!? 47.~d7+ §e7 does not lead anywhere and 47.§a7+ is not possible because the black queen controls a7.

04.01 Computer Deep BlueGKasparov (2785) N. Y. Man versus Machine 1997 [WI

45.13.a6? After this move Kasparov resigned, believing the machine. But he could have drawn. So 45:{;}
47 ••. ~xe4 The simplest. It is instructive to see that 47 ... h5 also draws, even though White keeps his bishop: 4B.Af3 ~c1 + 49.~f2 itrd2+ 50.Ae2 ~f4+ 51.~gl ~e3+ with a perpetual. Note that 47 ...§.e7? 4B.Af3 ~c1 + 49.'~f2 ~d2+ 50.~g3 ~el + 51.~g4 h5+ 52.~xh5 ~g3 runs into the surprising shot 53.itre6+!! §xe6 54.dxe6+ Iit>gB 55.§aB+ ~h7 56.§hB+! Iit>xhB 57.e7 winning. 48.13.a7+ ~g8 49.~d7 ~f4+ with a perpetual. In the following example Arkell used all his creativity to make the variations work.

57

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 04.02 Gdanski - Arkell European Clubs Cup Neum 2000 [B)

this move will soon reveal itself. 34.hxg5? This natural capture allows Black so solve his problems. With 34.~c1

gxh4 35.~g4+ 'it'h8 36.~f3 37.gxh4 White can continue to fight for the full point. 34... c5! Now this works. 35.~g2 The main line runs 35.4Jxe5 AxeS 36.~xe5 ~dl + 37.'it'h2 ~h5+! This check would not be available without the inclusion of g5 and hxg5. 38.~g2 4Jf4+! 39.gxf4 ~g4+ with a standard pattern. 35 ... cxb4 36.axb4 ~a2 37.Acl Axb4 38. ~c8+ ~g7 39.{)d4 Ac3 and here Gdanski decided to give perpetual check himself: 40.{) xe6+ fxe6 41.~d7+ ~h842.~e8+ VI-VI ~g8

If Black just sits and waits, White will make his extra pawn count. So he uncorked 33 ...g5!! The logic behind

58

Perpetual Check Exercises (Solutions on page 175) E04.01 V.Kramnik(2751)
E04.03 Y.Pelletier (2479) J.Piket (2635) Biel1999

[B) This position is the result of extremely deep Grtinfeld preparation by Kasparov. Can you see how Black keeps the draw?

[B) Piket found the best way to draw. Can you do the same?

E04.02 V.Mikhalevski (2516)R.Odendahl (2332) Dieren 1999

[B) How to use Black's activity and the exposed king?

59

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Chapter 5 Stalemate One ofthe elements that make the royal game so fascinating is paradox. Sometimes a very large material superiority does not lead to a win. Every now and then a passive defender can hold, if he makes sure that he has absolutely no moves left. In other words, with a stalemate. This is of course first and foremost a theme for the final phase of the game.

05.01 L.Espig - Ernst Thessaloniki Olympiad 1988 [WI

Sa) In the Endgame Many paradoxical results are a result of the stalemate rule. There are several endgames in which stalemate plays a major role. For instance, two lone knights cannot force mate (if the defender has no pawns left). King and single pawn versus king is often drawn if the defending king gets right in front of the pawn. Queen versus rook's pawn and queen versus bishop's pawn, on the seventh rank, are often drawn, if the defending king is next to its pawn and the attacking king outside the winning zone. We cannot discuss all these endings in detail here, therefore we will concentrate on a few cases.

At first sight White's position looks very precarious. But it does hold if he uses his rook to defend the second rank: 1.~c2 Ac3 White is in a kind of zugzwang, but the following trick saves him. After 1...~h2+ 2.~dl! Black's rook has to leave the second rank immediately. 2.~dl ~d3 2 ... ~d4 3.~e2 ~c4!?

Sal) The Second-rank Defense: Rook + Bishop versus Rook This defense was not as well known as the Cochrane defense (the rook pinning the bishop from behind) in precomputer days, but now it is just as common:

is a typical trick you should be aware of as the automatic 4.~dl? (4.~c1=)now loses because of 4 ... ~hl+ 5.~e2 ~b3 -+. 3.~d2+! The point of the defense. 3 ... ~c4 3 ... Axd2 is the

60

Stalemate stalemate this type of defense is all about. 4 •.§g2 .§e3 5.'it'c2 .§e1 6 ..§g4+ Ad4 7.'it'd2 13.a1 8.'it'e2 .§a2+ 9.'it'f3 ~d3 10. .§g6 Again preparing a second rank defense. 10....§f2+ 11.'it'g4 Ae512.13.g5 'it'e4 And a version of the starting position is reached. 13 •.§g6 .§g2+ 14.'it'h5! Ag3 15 . .§g4+ 'it'B 16 ..§g7 .§a2 17..§f7+ Af418.'it'g6 'it'e419.'it'f6 .§a6+ 20.We7 'it'e5 21.'it'd7 Ag5 22 ..§f8 .Ilf6 23.,Etf7 'it'd5 24.'it'e8 .§e6+ 25.'it'd7 .§d6+ 26.'it'c8 'it'c6 27 . .§c7+! 'it'b6 28 . .§b7+! 'it'a6 29.13.d7 .§e6 30 ..§f7 Ae5 31.'it'd7 13.d6+ 32.'it'e7 'it'b6 33 ..§f5 .\lh2 34..§f6 Yl-Yl As this defense is so common nowadays we want to show one example, where the attacker managed to create confusion: 05.02 K.Piorun (2489) K.Jakubowski (2502) ch-POL Warsaw 2010 [B)

.§e7+ 82.Wd6 .§d7+ 83.'it'c6 is our stalemate again. 83 ....§c7+ 84.'i!7d5 .§e7 85 ..§a6 .§c7 8S ... ~c7!? 86.'it'd6 .§d7+ 87.'it'e5 83.~xd7

The critical moment is reached. So far everything has gone according to plan for Black, but now he faces a problem. 87 ... .§dl?! This move does draw, but it is no second rank defense anymore. 87 .. .:1:'!e7+ 88.~f6 B:b7! 89.B:a8+ ~c7 90 ..lle4 B:b8 and 87 ... B:c7 88.~f6 B:b7 89.B:c6 with the stalemate point 89 ... B:f7+!? 90.<;>eS .§e7+ 91.~dS .§c7 were in the spirit of the second rank defense. 88.Ag4 .§d3 89 ..§c6 'it'e7 90..§c7+ 'it'd8 91.13.a7 .§e3+ 92.Wf6 .§e1? 92 ....§d3! was the only move, e.g., 93.~eS ~e8 94.-'1.f5 .§dl 95.-'1.e4 .§el leads to a typical Cochrane defense. 93 ..§d7+ ~e8 94..§d2 'it'f8 95 ..\le2 Wg8 96..§d8+ 1-0 5a2) Bishop versus Rook

79 ... .§d7!? 80 ..§h6

~d8

8l.Af5

One typical drawing method is the stalemate defense in the comer that the bishop cannot control.

61

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 endings as described in this chapter against a friend or a computer to test your defensive abilities!

05.03 M.Marin (2583)REdouard (2597) Benasque 2009 (B)

5a3) Queen versus Rook This ending is of course in general won for the queen. But sometimes it runs into stalemate defenses, which are hard to break over the board. 05.04 A.Morozevich (2747)D.Jakovenko (2671) Pamplona 2006 (WI Black has a typical set-up, but must avoid a few traps: 97 ..• Ae5 98.E!a7+ 'itJb8 99.E!e7 1.ld6?! This square is dangerous. Here it still draws as the rook is attacked. 99 ... ~3 to keep the bishop at distance is morelogical.l00.E!d7 ilc7101..§g7 Jle5 102.E!f7 Ad6? Now the bishop is too close to White's king. 102 ... Ah2103.~b6 ~l + 104.~c6Ah2l05.Elg7 M4draws. Krasenkow pointed out the relevance of the diagram position in ChessBase Magazine 116: "Almost every practical queen versus rook ending results in this position, which (with White to move, of course) is Black's last defensive line! In fact, it is much more important than the Philidor position, i.e., <M3;~h4 - ~gl, Elg2." 110.~g3+ 110.'~e5!? is the easiest way. As a rule it is good if the queen acts from a distance and controls one of the checking squares 12, g2 or h2. 110... ~gl 111.~g313g2+ 112.~h3+ (Krasenkow). Another method shown by Krasenkow is giving the move to Black: 110.'~al ~f2 111.~d1 E1g2+ 112.~f4 Elh2 113.~d2+ ~gl 114.~e1+ ~g2 115.~g4+-. llO ... 'itJhl 111.'itJf3?? Now the desperado rook draws. 111. ~e5 or 111. itff4 win as given above. 111 .••&2+! 112.'itJe3 E!e2+ 113.'itJd3 E!d2+ 114.'itJxd2 Y~h

l03.'itJb6! Suddenly White creates mating threats. 103 •••'itJa8?! This loses the bishop directly because of a double attack. After l03 ... Aa3 a typical fight starts, in which the rook finally manages to dominate the bishop, e.g., 104.Eld7 ~c8 l05.Eld5 Ab2 l06.~c6 Ac3 l07.Eld3 Ab4 108.Eldl Ac3 l09.Elcl Ad2 llO.Elc2 Aa5 111.Ela2 Ac7 112.Ela8+ Ab8113.~b6+-. 104.E!a7+ 'itJb8 105.E!d71-0 Try to defend such 62

Stalemate Exercises (Solutions on page 176) E05.01 A.Grischuk (2726)J.Polgar (2707) Biel2007

E05.03 Karklins - Gufeld American Open 1999

[B] Usually two connected passed pawn guarantee victory. How did Judit Polgar prove that this is an exception?

[W] With very precise defense White can rescue himself before Black coordinates properly. How?

EOS.02 Novikov - J.Polgar Pamplona 1991

E05.04 A.Herbstman and L.Kubbel 1. Price Troitzky Tumey 1937

[B] Black can still draw despite her cornered king. Can you see how?

[W] Usually three knights win against one. So White must make sure that after an underpromotion there will not be much play left...

63

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 E05.05 Y.Afek 1981

[W] White will lose all his pawns but not the game. Can you see how?

desperado rook defense. (40.~a4 'itlhB 41.-,£\xh6+- should win in the long run.) 40 ... t!cl + 41.'itlg2 §c2+=; 39.~b7+ wins easily as the stalemate defenses are eliminated and Black's poor bishop will be his undoing: 39 ... ~xb7 40.t!xb7+ Ac7 41.-,£\xd6+- and White's knight reigns supreme. 39 ... .§cl + 4O.~g2 ttrc2+ 4v3lh3

5b) In the Middlegame A stalemate before the endgame phase is very rare, so we keep this section short: 05.05 H.ReefschUiger (2430) R.Seppeur (2310) Gennan Bundesliga 1983 [B]

White had probably thought that Black's point is to take the rook b 1 now. But a shock awaited him as Black just sacrifices his major pieces: 41 ... .§hl + 42.'§xhl ttrg2+ Yz-Yz

Black tried one last trick as he is lost in any case. 38... ~c8!? 39.ttrxbS? and White faIls for it. 39.t!b7+?! Ac7 40:~xcB? is also wrong as it runs into a

64

Stalemate Exercises (Solutions on page 177) E05.06 C.McNab (2480)A.Groszpeter (2520) Aalborg 1992

E05.07 D.Campora (2505) - Zhou Weiqi (2353) Seville 2003

[B) At first sight Black seems to be dead lost. But he had a stalemate surprise in store. Can you find it?

[WI How could Campora have saved himself?

65

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3

Chapter 6 The Right Exchange The importance ofthis theme can hardly be overestimated. Every exchange should be considered very carefully as usually one side benefits more from it than the other. In what follows, we will deal with the problem mainly from the perspective of the defender and stress only a few themes which occur often in practical play. Two important aspects are also touched upon in other chapters: exchanging attacking potential (Chapter I) and the side with less material wants to exchange pawns (Chapter 9). One more warning before we start: simply trying to exchange everything is not a good strategy. If every exchange comes with some sort of concession (loss of activity, weakening the position), your position may quickly go from bad to worse. Besides, on a psychological note, your opponent will sense that you are scared. Do not try to force exchanges just for the sake of exchanging.

other advises avoiding exchanges, maintaining attacking potential. The following position shows a typical related problem from the defender's point ofview. 06.01 J.Polgar (2630)L.Ljubojevic (2580) Buenos Aires Sicilian Theme 1994 (WI

\Vhite has compensation for the sacrificed pawn and she faces a difficult choice. How much attacking potential is needed to keep her initiative? 30. ~h5? This mistake is very easy to make. But in the long run this attack is going nowhere. White should try to exchange Black's active major pieces with 30.~xc2! ~xc2 3Ukl t!xc1 32.t!xc1 (Dorfinan).

6a) A Very Problematic Rule ofThumb The general form of this guideline is: The side with a material advantage wants to exchange pieces, while the other side wants to exchange pawns. But this rule has many exceptions. Never use it without careful consideration! One major problem is that the attacker does not want to exchange his attacking potential. So if the attacker is up in material, one guideline advises exchanging pieces to get closer to a technical endgame, reducing the potential complexity; the

66

The Right Exchange Pure opposite-color bishops endings have a very large drawish tendency. With rooks this is reduced and the guideline from the middlegame that opposite-color bishops favor the attacker gains more importance. In this case White benefits from both guidelines and can hold relatively easily, e.g., 32 ... ~b8 33.'it'gl Ad8 34.ml Af6 35.~c1 ~b4 36.~c8+ 'it'h7 37 .~c4. To exchange the active and strong pieces of the opponent is a much better guideline than just advice to exchange or not to exchange pieces. We will deal with several aspects of it soon. 30...1tg5 31.E!f3 ~h8!

32.E!.efl? Judit Polgar follows her strategy to attack, but Black's next move undermines the harmony between the white pieces and starts a counterattack. 32.~xf7? runs into 32 ... ~cxf7 33.~xf7 ~f2 -+; 32.Axf7 ~xe4 33.~ef1 and 32.~b3!? are preferable, but White's position is difficult to play in any case. 32 ... ~e2! Now White has trouble moving her pieces around. 33.h4 J1f4 34. ~g4 34.g3? .ilxg3 -+ 34 ..• E!c2 35.h5? 35.~gl is more tenacious. 35 .•• E!d2?! Directly bringing all reserves with 35 ... ~fc8 is even stronger. 36.E!xf4? A desperate attempt to change the course of events. But now Black is technically winning because of the possibility of

combining an attack against the a-pawn and White's kingside. 36.~gl is again called for. 36 •.. exf4 37.~xe2 E!xe2 38.E!xf4f6 39.E!f3 E!.c840.E!b3 E!.a2 41.E!b7 E! xa4 42.E!a7 E!d8 43.1tf7 E!xe4 44.E!xa5 E!e7 45.J1g6 ~g8 46.~h2 ~f8 47.~g3 E!.c748.1tbl E!d4 49.E!.a8+ ~e7 50.E!g8 E!.c3+ 5Vit'f2 E!d2+ 0--1 Usually a good guideline is that the defender wants to reduce the enemy attacking potential:

06.02 H.Nakamura (2601)J.Rowson (2558) Monarch Assurance Port Erin 2004 [W]

Nakamura should try to reduce the pressure by exchanges even at the price of a pawn: 39.~el? 39J~ral ~xg3+ 40.t.¥xg3 ..Q.xal 41.~f4 ~g7 42.~g2 and 39.~f5 ~xg3+ 40.'it'h2 ~xf5 41.~xf5 should be tenable because of the reduced material and White's active pieces. 39 ... 1td4+ 40.
The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 06.03 V.lkonnikov (2560) R.Palliser (2389) Monarch Assurance Port Erin 2005 [BI

06.04 K.Spraggett (2606) P.Anuprita (2059) XXVII Andorra Open Arinsal2009 [B]

Usually Black should keep pieces on the board to create as much confusion as possible, but here his activity enables 29 ... .§e3! 30.t:(I(xe3 fxe3 31 ..§xf5+
violates the guideline that the defender of weaknesses should not be exchanged. Here Black's queen is the sole defender of the light squares, which are now in White's hands. 58 ... i~rb2+ 59.~f3 ~bl draws easily. 59 . .!il xc4? Now the position is too static and White constantly has to watch out for counterplay against the h5-pawn. 59.dxc4! forces Black to guard the passed pawn, which will keep him passive: 59 ... ~g8 (or 59 ... AfB 60.~d2 'it'g7 61..£)g4 'it'f7 62..£)xe5+ ~e6 63.4Jd3 ~f6 64.~c2 ~gS 6S.cS and White wins) 60.cS ~f7 61.c6 ~e8 (61...~e6 62.'£)f5 Af8 63.~d3 and Black has no moves left) 62.'it'd3 ~d8 63.4JdS .ru8 64. ~c4 A perfect example of good knight versus bad bishop. 64 ... .£ld6 6S.4Jxb4 ~c7 66.~b5 Axb4 67.~xb4 ~xc6 68.~c4 and the pawn ending wins easily. 59 •••
6b) Exchanging Pieces and Changing the Character ofthe Position

The exchange of queens in particular has to be considered very carefully as the nature of the endgame is usually completely different from the middlegame: (D) 58 ... t?/xc4? This is a big mistake as all counterplay disappears and White gets complete control. This is very important for the side with the knight as it needs time for its maneuvers. Furthermore, it

68

The Right Exchange 06.05 Wang Yue (2739) T.Radjabov (2761) Corns Wijk aan Zee 2009 [W]

66 ... .Q.x b4? The defender should only trade into a pawn ending when absolutely sure that it is drawn. After 66 ... ~f6, Black can prevent the invasion on the queenside or get counterplay with his h-pawn: 67.~c5 (67.<£lc6~e6 68.<£lb8 lte3 69.<£la6~d6 keeps the white pieces at distance) 67 ... ~g5 68.<£lc6 Jle3+ 69.~d5 ~xh5 70.<£lxe5 ~g5 and the h-pawn (the worst enemy of the knight) will ensure thedraw.67.Wxb4~668.Wc5Wg5

69.Wd6 Wxh5 70.Wxe5 Wg4

71.Wf6! White has accurately calculated until the end. 71. •. h5 n.e5 h4 73.e6 h3 74.e7 h2 75.e8~ hI ~ 76. ~e4+ 1-0 A fitting final move - the right exchange. The following position arose from a typical King's Indian and shows the g7bishop in good shape:

25.~bl?! After the exchange of queens, the weaknesses on the light squares in Black's camp no longer play any role. White should keep the queen on the board to retain the potential to create an attack later. Furthermore, the g7-bishop cooperates well with the rooks in the coming endgame, while White can hope that his ~+<£l duo will be worth something in a possible attack: 25.~e2 t!f4 26.<£le4 g4 27.t!ael a4 28.fxg4 t!xg4 29.g3 t!f4 30.~hl t!ffS.

Now Radjabov gives 31.\'ijd3 in CBM 129, but we think that 31.4Jc3!? may be more precise. White is for choice, but his advantage is slight. 25 ... ~xblt 26.Elaxbl

69

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3

26 ... e4n Radjabov brings his bishop into play at the cheap price of a pawn. 27AJxe4 27.fxe4?! Ad4+ 28.~hl §xfl + 29.§xfl Axb2 (Radjabov) is certainly not what White wants. The character of the play is now completely different. Black's long-range pieces have a free hand on the queenside. 27 ••.1,ld4+ 28.~h1 a4 29.h4 gxh4 30.~h2l3.fb8 31.b3 axb3 32.axb3 l3.a2 33.l3.fd1 ~f7 34.l3.d2

40.f4? This fatal 40th move leads to a technically lost endgame. White must activate his rook: 40.§e2! M6+ 41.~h3 Ae5 42.§e4 §c1 43.§h4 Af6 44.§e4 ~g5 45.§h4= (Radjabov). 40 •.• .1lf6+ 41.~h313.b3! 42.~h2 h4 43 •.i£)e2 43.<£le4 ~f5 44AJxf6 ~xf6-+ (Radjabov). 43 ... ~f5 44.13.a2 l3.b4 45.13.a8l3.xc4 46.13.e8l3.b4 47.13.e6 l3.b3 48.g4+ hxg3+ 49 •.i£)xg3+ ~g4 50 •.i£)e2l3.b2 51.~g2 Ae5 52.~f2 52.§g6+ ~f5 53.§g5+ ~f6 54.~f3 Axf4 -+ (Radjabov). 52 ... 1,lxf4 53.l3.e7 ~f5 54.l3.f7+ ~e5 55.~f3 Ad2 56.l3.xc7 ~xd5 57..i£)g313.b3+ 58.~g2 .1lf4 59 . .i£)e21,le5 60.~f2 ~e4 61.13.h7 13.f3+ 62.~e1 d5 63. ~d2 d4 64.13.h4+ ~d5 0--1 6c) An Active Rook Should Be Exchanged.

34 .•• l3.a3! Black avoids the exchange of course. With two rooks each, the character of the play may be somewhere between a middlegame and an endgame but after a rook exchange, a technical endgame arises. Black goes for this but he wins the b3-pawn in the process. 35.~h3 l3.axb3 36.13.xb3 l3.xb3 37.~xh4 ~g6 38.l3.c2l3.b139..i£)g3 h5

As this motif occurs so often and is so important, we have decided to give it special attention. A rook can gain a lot in strength when it can operate actively and freely. It is not on the board just to passively defend a pawn. So the defender should either activate his own rook or try to exchange the attacking one.

70

The Right Exchange 06.06 M.Adams (2685)J.Lautier (2620) Tilburg Fontys 1996 [W]

58.c5 bxc5+ 59.~c4 ~b6 60.~d5 ~a5 61.~xc5 ~xa4 62.~c4 Yz-Yz

6d) A Rook Fighting Against a Minor Piece Welcomes Exchanges

This is also because of the guideline that a rook gains in strength the more freely it can operate. 06.07 A.Motylev (2641)A.Shirov (2706) FIDE-Wch k.o. Moscow 200 I [B) 45.h4? White should keep this important move in reserve. He should rather try to force the exchange of rooks on his own terms or to use his active rook to invade: 4S.EldS Ele6+ 46.EleS ~f6 (after 46 ... Eld6 we have reached the same position but with the white rook moved one square to the left. Now it is time for 47.h4! Eldl 48.ElgS+ ~h6 49.ElbS Eld6 50!~eS Elg6 S1.~fS Eld6 and White's rook invades: 52.EleS ~g7 S3.Ele7+ ~f8 54.Ele6 winning.) 47.Elxe6+ ~xe6 48.~f4 ~f6 and the reserve tempo decides: 49.h4! ~g6 SO.~eS ~g7 Sl.~fS winning. 45 ... Ete6+ 46.Ete5 After 46. 'it'f4 Black plays the similar 46 ... Elf6!. 46 ... ~f61 Lautier exchanges the active rook and uses the defense by opposition in the resulting pawn endgame. 47.Etxe6+ ~xe6 48.~d3 ~d71 By keeping the distant opposition, Black manages to save the draw. 49.~c3 ~c7 50.b4 axb4+ 51.~xb4 ~c6 52.~b3 ~d6 53.~c2 ~c6 54.~d3 ~d6 55.~c3 ~c5 56.~b3 ~d6 57.~b4 ~c6

White's bishop on c5 keeps his position together and therefore must be exchanged at all costs. Otherwise Black could easily drift into a lost position. 39 ... Ad8! The key move. 40 . .£Id4+ ~b7 41 ..£Ie6 Ab6 42 •.£Ixg5 YZ-YZ and a draw was agreed in view of 42 ... Elxa7 43.4Jxh7 JlxcS 44.bxcS 'it'c6 4S.4Jg5 Ela2=. The picture has changed completely; the active black rook now comfortably draws. A related guideline is that you should not exchange rooks when you are an exchange down.

71

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 06.08 I.Sokolov (2685)V.TopaIov (2757) Corns Wijk aan Zee 2005 IB]

62.~e3? Afterwards Sokolov found an amazing way to win: 62.§f4! t'g4.

59 ... .§xb3? is a bad positional mistake as Black's rook is a kind of coordinator of its minor pieces. They form a perfect team. This cannot be said of the poor passive rook on b2 and the other white pieces. It just cannot be right to exchange White's passive rook on b2 for Black's active one. 59 ... §e3! was required to keep the active rook on the board, e.g., 60.f6.

Now it is not easy to find a useful move for White because of the pressure of Black's active rook on c3. After 61.
72

Now comes his point, 67.
The Right Exchange 06.09 B.Avrukh (2565)V.Mikhalevski (2540)

Following the same strategy, getting rid of all the pawns. 71.axbS Also insufficient is 71.~c6 b3 72.~c3 Ae2

Isreal-ch Ram at Aviv 1998 [W]

73.axb5 Axb5 74.~c7+ ~g8 75.\tlxb3 Ae2 76.h6 .Ild3

Reaching a well-known fortress. Now back to the game:

71•...1l,xbS 72.Etg6 Ae873.l3g1 73.~g5 <M"6 74.~xa5 b3 75.'ct>c3 ~g7 76.\tlxb3 ~h6 with a draw. 73•..
Black's coordinated attacking forces must be reduced, so 32.g4? is a fatal mistake as it allows the invasion of Black's rooks. 32:iiYdl ~f6 and now the key exchange 33.~f3! ~cc6 34.~xf6 §'xf6 35.~g4=, and White can defend as Black's attack is not nearly as dangerous as in the game. Here the royal pair feels much more at ease. 32.•. .13f7! Suddenly it becomes clear that the f-file is what it's all about. 33:i*d1 33.~f3 ~b6+ 34.~c2 ~c7+ and the white rook is completely useless while the black rooks start a deadly attack. 33.~h3 ~df6 34.~d3 ~f1 + 35.'ct>c2 ~7f2+ and Black has a very powerful attack, as you can verify for yourself. 33... .§df6 34.~c2

.§f10-1

Exercises (Solutions on page 177)

E06.01 V.Tseshkovsky (2570)V.Bagirov (2495) Lvovzt 1978 (0)

[B] How to win this won position?

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The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

E06.02 S. Tiviakov (2695)M.Marin (2564) Porto Mannu Open Palau 2009

E06.04 I.Asmundsson (2338)D.Collier (2274) 18th EU-Cup Chalkidiki 2002

(B] What is the correct drawing strategy?

[B] How to fight for the light squares?

E06.03 Jacob Aagaard Practical Chess Defence (Quality Chess 2006)

E06.05 A.Shabalov (2200)A.Vitolinsh (2410) lurrnala 1985

[B] How to deal with White's dangerous passed e-pawn?

[WI Black has just sacrificed an exchange to take the initiative. How to react?

74

The Right Exchange

E06.08 J .Adler (2318)E.L' Ami (2541) German Bundesliga 2005

E06.06 U.Andersson (2630)F.Nijboer (2485) Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1990

[B) How to deal with White's strategic initiative?

[B] Is there any hope for Black left?

E06.09 A. Yusupov (2605)S.Dolmatov (2620) Wijk aan Zee 1991

E06.07 V.Anand (2755)A.Dreev (2673) FIDE World Cup final Hyderabad 2002

(B] How to exchange?

[BJ To exchange or not to exchange, that is the question.

75

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Chapter 7 Exchange Sacrifices This is of course a universal motif, which can be used by the attacker and the defender. In a way it is also a special form of exchange, which was dealt with in Chapter 6. But as it is so important, we decided to devote a whole chapter to it. An important reason for the frequent occurrence of exchange sacrifices is the fact that the relative value of the rook depends very much on its prospects in a given position. A rook can be extremely strong when attacking in an open position. But it can also be very weak when condemned to passive defense of a pawn or when it is locked in by other pieces. Rooks tend to be unhappy in closed positions; they need open files.

It seems that White is well-placed and can soon attack both wings, especially the kings ide. But Alekhine's next move changes this picture radically: 20... §.b4!? This kind of rook lift is called the "Russian" exchange sacrifice. 21 ..\l.xb4 Searching for counterplay on the kingside with 21.h4!? was the alternative. 21 ...cxh4 22 •./fld2 ./flc5 22 ....!'k8!? 23.<£lb3 <£le5 24.§.fc1 '€i'b6 25.<£ld2 Ab7

7a) "Russian" Exchange Sacrifices The following type of sacrifice is a real classic as it limits the prospects of the enemy rooks and improves the those of our own minor pieces:

is also perfectly playable and more or less dynamically balanced. Part of Black's compensation is that the roles of attacker and defender have been reversed. Now Black is attacking on both wings. In a way this might be an even more harmonious set-up than that in the game as there Black's c5-knight is very well placed but also in the way of other pieces. On e5 this is not the case. 23 •./flh3 ./fld7?! This retreat is inconsistent. Too greedy is 23 ... <£lxa4? 24.'€i'a2 <£lc3 25:i~'xa5 ~xa5 26.
07.01 A.SeleznievA.Alekhine Triberg 1921 (B]

76

Exchange Sacrifices bishop combined with the defended passed pawn and the fine c5-square provide a nice picture. The white rooks lack open files. 24.c5!? Usually it is a good strategy to open roads for the rooks. White can also wait with, e.g., 24JHcl. 24 ..• Jl,xd3 25.exd3!? Selezniev wants more than 25:€Yxd3 .£Ixc5 26 ..£Ixc5 "€Yxc5 27JUc1 Jlc3=. 25 .•• dxc5 26 •.§fel .£le5 27 •.§e3 27.ii:hc5? runs into 27 ... .£If3+. 27 •.• .§cS? The more active 27 .. J~dS should hold, e.g., 28.d4 (28."€YxcS "€YxcS 29 ..£IxcS §xdS 30..£Ib3 .£Ic6looks fairly solid as well) 2S ... .£Ig4 29.§e4 .£If6 30.dxcS .£IxdS 31.§dl Jlc3 32.iild3 e6 and Black has enough compensation as a result of his well-anchored minor pieces. Knights especially want to have stable outposts that are either central or near one of the kings. 2S . .§cl ~d7

29.d4? The motifis right, but Selezniev had to insert 29.iile2! ~xdS and only now 30.d4! .£Id7 31.dxcS as 31.. ..£IxcS? can be met by 32. iilc4!. 29 ... .£lg4! Now this square was available to the knight. 30 . .§e4? Mistakes always seem to come in pairs. 30.§e2 c4 31..£Ic5 i;1{xd5 32.'€Yxc4 ~f3 should be more or less balanced. 30 ... c4 31 •.£lc5 ~f5 32.~e2 32.§xe7 ~h5 33.d6 ,€\,xh2+ 34.'iMl .M6 35.d7 §dS and Black wins. 32 ... b3? Alekhine misses the brilliant

stroke 32 ... .£Ixf2!! 33."€Yxf2 ~xd5 34.§f4 c3 35.h4 §dS 36.§dl e5 -+ and Black has more than enough compensation for the rook. 33.'§xg4 b2 34.~xb2 ~xg4 Black has won the exchange back and now White has to be very careful not to be worse. 35.'§xc4?! The more direct 35.'~b7!?, with the idea 35 ... .ilxd4 36 ..£Ie6 §eS 37.~b5 §cS 3S.~b7=, is probably better. 35... h5 36. ~c2? This gives Black the initiative for good. After 36.h3! "€Yf5 (36 ... '€\'xh3? falls into the trap 37 . .£Ie6! §xc4 3S.iilbS+ ~h7 39 ..£Ig5+-) 37:€Yb7 gS 38.~g2. White is only slightly worse as he is more active than in the game. 36...h4 The rest is instructive but not directly relevant to the theme, so we give it without comment. 37. ~d3 .§d8 3S.f3 ~h5 39. ~e4 hxg3 40.hxg3 ~g5 41.'it'g2 ~d2+ 42.'it'h3 Jl,f6 43 ..§c2 ~h6+ 44.'it'g2 'it'g7 45.g4 .§hS 46.'it'f2 .§bS 47.'it'e2 .§b4 4S •.§d2 ~h2+ 49.'it'e3 ~gl+ 50.'it'e2 Axd4 51 •.£ld3 .§b152 •.£lcl Jl,c3 53.~xbl ~g2+ 54. 'it'd3 ~xd2+ 55.'it'c4 ~d4+ 56.'it'b3 Jl,aI57.'it'a3 ~c5+ 5S.'it'a2 Af6 59.g5 ~xd5+ 60 . .£lb3 ~xg5 61.~el ~g2+ 62.~d2 ~xf3

63.~xa5g564.~e1 ~c365.~xc3

Axc3 66.a5 Axa5 67 •.£lxa5 g4 6S.41c4 g3 69.41d2 'it'g6 70.'it'b2 'it'f5 71.41f3 'it'f4 72.41gl 'it'e3

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The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

07.02 Liublinsky - Botvinnik Moscow Ch 1943 [B]

rooks are free; White is winning. 4 ...c5

5.E!.f1 f5 6.Ag3 Ad7 7.E!.ad1 f4 8.Af2 g5! Starting an attack typical for the King's Indian. 9.g4?! White wishes Black must sacrifice the exchange as otherwise his bad pawn structure will be his undoing. 1 ... E!.d4!? This brings ~a6 back to life, shields the weakness on c5 and limits the prospects of White's rooks. Objectively speaking, White still has the upper hand, but by changing the character of the position, Black has created practical problems. 2.~e2 2.Axd4 is also perfectly playable, e.g., 2... cxd4 3.4Ja4 c5 4.4Jb2 Ab7 5.~fl. Prophylaxis against Black's coming play on the kingside. 5 ... ~f8 6.4Jd3 f5 7.~ael f4 8.a3±. To open the queenside for White's rooks. 2 ... Ac8 3.~xd4 cxd4 4.Af2?! Liublinsky does not manage to adjust to the changed circumstances. Correct was 4.Ad2! c5 5.a3 f5 6.~dbl f4. (D)

to close the position completely, but this fails. 9 ...fxg310.Axg3 Ah3

1l.E!.f2? This destroys the hannony of the defending forces, but Black's position is also much easier to play after ll.~fel ~f8 12.~d3 h5. 1l ... h5 12.E!.fd2 h4?! 12 ... ~f8 is even more precise 13.Af2? 13.Ael ~f814.~g2! was the last chance to put up a real fight. 13 ... E!.f814.E!.d3 E!.f415.
7.b4! It is very important to open roads for the rooks and a pawn is a cheap price to pay for this. 7 ... axb4 8.axb4 cxb4 9.~b3 (Euwe, Nunn) 9 ... Ae610 ..l1xb4 ~f711.~a4Axc412.Ac5 and now the

78

Exchange Sacrifices iscoming.19 ...~xf3+ 20.~xf3 Elxf3 21.Axg5 Elxd3 22.AxdS Ele3 23.Ab6 Elxe4 24.Axc5 Ele2 25.Eldl -'lg4 26.h3 Axh3 27.b4 Af5 2S.Ad6d3 29.bxa5 h3 0-1 7b) Blockade This also has a lot to do with the prospects of the rooks. If the minor pieces manage to occupy good blockading posts, then the material advantage may prove to be irrelevant. The following example is a very famous one and might bore more experienced readers. Be that as it may, our younger readers not yet be familiar with it, and it must be included in any collection of exchange sacrifices.

compensation for a rook is a strong unopposed bishop. And here Black's d5-knight is also a tower of power. From a practical point of view it is probably better not to take the exchange with 26.h4!? .£Je7 27.t=!g3 4Jd5 28.t(rd2 and White maintains his chances for play on the kingside. 26 .•• 4)e7! 26 ... b4? allows White to open the position for his long-range pieces with 27.d5! t=!xd5 28.~xe6 fxe6 29.'i:;hc4±. 27.Axe6 fxe6 2S.~f14)d5 29.Elf3 Ad3

07.03 S.Reshevsky - T.Petrosian CandidatesTournamentZiirich 1953 [8]

White threatens to develop a dangerous initiative in the center and on the kingside. But Petrosian has a surprise in store: 25 ... Ele6! A no-nonsense move, setting up a white-square blockade based on 4Je7-d5. 26.a4 26.Axe6 fxe6 27.!H3 4Je7 28.t=!efl 4Jd5 and White cannot make real progress. One typical form of

30.Elxd3f White takes the emergency exit to prevent Black's initiative from becoming stronger and stronger. Now the position is more or less equal and peters out to a draw: 30 •.. cxd3 31. ~xd3 b4 32.cxb4 32.c4? is met by 32 ... 4Jb6 33.d5 exd5 34.cxd5 t=!xd5 35.Ad4 ~e6 36.t(rb3 ~d6. 32 ... axb4 Also possible was 32 ... 4Jxb4 33.t(rb5 ~xb5 34.axb5 4Jd3 35.t=!e2 t=!b8 36.~d2 t=!xb5 37.f!.xd3 t=!xb2 38.d5=. 33.a5 ElaS 34.Elal ~c6 35.Acl ~c7 36.a6 ~b6 37.Ad2 b3 3S. ~c4 h6 39.h3 b2 40.Elbl ~hS 4l.Ael

%-% A blockade is also one of the weapons when you are fighting with a couple of pieces against the queen.

79

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 strategy. The two greedy moves both fail as the queen gets targets: 32 ... .Ilxb2?? 33.l"lxb2 l"lxb2 34.~d4++-; 32 ... l"lxb2? 33.l"lxb2 .\lxb2 34.'li¥bl +-. 33.'if}el11,c4 34.'if}f2 e6 35.~c2 Ad5 36.~dl b4 37.axb4 §x b4 38.~e2 §b3 39.'if}g2 'if}g8 1'2Yz We feel that it took a player ofAdams' class to stay calm and successfully deal with White's situation. Here the players agreed to a draw.

07.04 M.Adams (2670)V.Ivanchuk (2740) Dortmund 1998 [B)

7c) Opposite-color Bishops The famous theme "attacking with opposite-color bishops" was regarded very highly by the Soviet chess school. When you attack on one color complex (supported by your powerful bishop), the opponent can be remarkably helpless as his own bishop lives in another world (i.e., the other color complex). In the following example Karpov found a strong way of defending his central pawn on e4 and gave an instructive lesson in (counter-) attacking with opposite-color bishops.

Black must make sure that he gets secure anchor squares for his pieces, so 25 ... §xd3! is a strong sacrifice. Ivanchuk is in a class in his own when it comes to judging the relative value of pieces. 25 ... g5? 26.f4 gives White a dangerous initiative. 26.cxd3 §xd3 27 :~e2 §b3 28.§dl g5! 28 ... l"l xb2+?! 29.~xb2 .\lxb2 30.~xb2 plays into White's hand as the rook is much stronger than the bishop in endings like this. 29.§d2 After 29.l"ld3?! Black can enter the endgame, 29 ... l"lxb2+ 30.~xb2 .\lxb2 31.~xb2, with confidence, as now 31...Ac4! gives him good counterplay. 29 ..• 'if}g7 30.~e4 a5 31.'if}c1 b5 32.'if}dl

07.05 A.Karpov (2725)B.Gelfand (2690) Linares 1993 [W]

20.Etd5! This move just feels very good. 20... §he8 20 ... .\lxdS 21.exd5 l"le7 22.l"ldl ± (Karpov).

32 ••• a4! Ivanchuk calmly follows his

80

Exchange Sacrifices In the next example a blockading knight also plays a major role: 07.06 Wright - Huss England 1973 [W]

White has very good play on both wings, while his passed pawn and minor pieces control the entry squares on the central files. On the queenside, Black's weakened king is always in danger because of the presence of oppositecolor bishops, while on the kingside there are also many weaknesses on the light squares waiting to be exploited. A white knight on f5 would be especially strong.

l.laxf5! A very strong sacrifice that eliminates Black's counterplay completely. The alternative 1..Q.xg4 .Q.d3 2.~e2 e4 is less clear. 1 ... laxf5 2.Axg4 lafS 3.4)de4 ~ xe4 4.~xe4 ~e7 4 ... c6 5.Ae6+ ~h8 6.~h5 ~b6+ 7.~h2 ~xb2?

To summarize, White's position is untouchable. 21.Ad3 lad8 22.ladl laed6 23.Ae2 .il,xd5 24.exd5 Now we enter the scenario just described. 24 .. :~·b7 25. ~h4 Af8 26 . .il,c4 laxd5? Understandably, Gelfand gives the exchange back, but his weaknesses on the light squares remain. 26 ... h6 27.Eiel ~c8 is more tenacious. 27 •.il,xd5 laxd5 28.lael lad8 29.~xf6 White is strategically winning. 29 ... ~c7 30.g3 Ad6 31.~g5 lad7 32.lae8+ ~b7 33.4)e4 ~c6 34.~f5 .il,e7 35.~g2 lac7 36.lahS ~g6 37.~d5+ ~c6 38.~xc6+ ~xc6 39.laxh7 ~d5 40.~d2 Af6 41.~c4 \t1d4 42.lah6 lac6 43.g4 lae6 44.h4 For a moment the black king looked fairly active, but White's play on the kingside kicks in first. 44..• \t1d5 45.g5 1-0

loses in view of8.~g6! ~c2 (8 ... ~xal 9.l£lg5! hxg51O.~h5+ .Q.h611.~xh6# is the point) 9.Eicl! ~d3 lO.Eic3 ~dl 11.l£lxd6 and the attack crashes through. 5.Ae6+ \t1h8 6.a4a5 7.laa3! Creating a "swinging" rook. 7 ...c6?! Ultimately this just gives White targets. But the position is extremely unpleasant to defend in any case. 81

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 7... '!f1eS is more tenacious. S.~g4cxd5 9.Axd5 f!adS10.f!b3 Black lacks any form of counterplay and is strategically lost. 10 ... b511.axb5 a412.f!b4 a3 13.bxa3 ~a7+ 14.b6 ~xa3 15.l3.b1

problem piece in the King's Indian main line is often not the notorious Ag7, but the 4Je7. The difference is 21.~b3 (21.4Jc6 '££YeS is nothing for Black to worry about) 21...{jf4 22.Ab5 4J6h5! followed by '!f1g5. 21.~b3! Instead of Black playing a positional exchange sacrifice, it's now White stealing the show with a positional pawn sacrifice. 21.4Jxd5 {jxd5 22.AxfS AxfS

~d316.f!d1 ~e3+ 17.~h2 ~xb6

IS. ~g6 ~c719.l£lg5 hxg5 20.ite4 ,£lf6 21.~h6+ ~gS 22.Ad5+ l3.f7 23.~xf6 f!dfS 24.f!f11-0 In the next example Black's compensation is not so obvious: 07.07 J.Stanke (2322)M.van DeJft(2341) International Hamburg-ch 2003 [BI

is the position I was striving for, when something like 23.Aa6 {je3 24.-rtJxdS §xdS 2S.§fel Ac5 26.~hl and now 26 ... §d2!? (untypically exchanging rooks but freeing a7) 27.§e2 §xe2 28.Axe2 as leaves Black with enough compensation in view of White's offside king. 21 ... l£lf4 22.Aa6? This gives Black another chance to get back on track. Instead, 22.Ab5! leaves Black fairly tied up. 22 ... ~d4+? Missing the chance. After 22 ... b5! 23.~hl ~b6 White will do some damage control with 24.4Jd3 4Jxd3 2S.Axe7 §feS 26.Axb5 §xe7 27.Axd3 but Black is obviously the one playing for a win after 27 ... ~xb3 28.axb3 e4 23.~h1 ~d2 24.f!gl Af6?? This just loses. Of course Black should play 24 ... §fd8! 25 ..§adl '!f1f2 26.{jd3 4Jxd3 27 ..§xd3 (During the game I didn't realize that 27.Axe7 can be answered by the simple 27 ... .§eS - instead I thought that it was

19 ... Axd5! Here I (MvD) decided to sacrifice the exchange on f8 and figured that going for the opposite-color bishops would be most fitting. 19 ... 4Jfxd5?! 20.4Jbxd5 4Jxd5 21.4Jxd5 Axd5 22.AxfS AxfS with the bishop pair would have been more standard, but after something like 23.b3 Ac5+ 24.~hl Ad4 25.§c1 -rtJe7 26.-rtJc2 White is going to take over slowly but surely by trying to exchange more pieces. 20.l£lcxd5l£lfxd5? During the game I didn't realize that White is not forced to take on d5. Therefore it would have been better to pick the unfortunately placed 4Je7 instead and take back with 20 .. '4Jexd5 On a side note, Black's real 82

Exchange Sacrifices a pity that 27 ...Y:f!fc5 and 27 ...Y:f!fh4 were both not working) 27 ... §xd3 28.Y:f!fxd3
7d) A Strong Unopposed Bishop This is one of the most solid fonns of compensation for the exchange as the bishop is a long-range piece the opponent might find very hard to neutralize. In most of the previous examples this factor already played a role, and now we will look at even more extreme examples. In the 1990 KasparovKarpov world championship match in New York, Kasparov developed some fantastic ideas, pushing the limits of what's possible in chess. 07.08 A.Karpov (2730)GKasparov (2800) (E92] NewYorklLyon(mll) 1990 1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 .Q.g7 In the King's Indian, just as in the Sicilian Dragon, the black-square bishop often is equivalent in strength to a rook. 4.e4 d6 5.4)£3 0-0 6.Ae2 e5 7.j;te3

7 ••. exd4!? A very ambitious move. 7 ...
alternative. Not good here is the standard 7 ...
gives Black pretty positional compensation for the sacrificed 83

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 material. 15 ... 4Je6!? Kasparov felt that 15 ... 4Jd4 16.4Jxd4 exd4 was not particularly principled. 16.4Jb6 axb6 17.l:~xd7 .\lxd718.~d2J.te8!

relates how, influenced by the third match game, he was toying with the extravagant idea 13... ~e714.Af2~xeS 15.~e6 (15.~xe6! l"'%xe2 [or 15 ... ~xe6 16.Ab5] 16.4Jxe2 ~xe6 is the problem: here Black does have a pawn, but more importantly no positional compensation for the exchange - Ae8 bites on granite and White has good control over the black squares) 15 ... ~xf2+!? 16.l"'%xf2 ~xe6 before he realized that he could reach the same at the cost of only an exchange. 14.~xe3 ~f8! Of course not 14 ... 4Jg4?? 15.4Jxc6+- 15.4)xc6 Two years later the variation was tested again, but again White could not prove anything: 15.4Jcb5 ~xc516.l"'%acl ~b6 17.~f2 ~d7!. Simply developing the remaining pieces. 18.l"'%fdl l"'%e819.Afl Ah6 20.l"'%c3 4Jb4 gave Black good compensation in Gelfand-Kasparov, Linares 1992 and in fact he went on to win the game. At this point 21.a3 4Ja2 22 ..§.b34JeI 23.l"'%c3 4Ja2 with a move repetition would have been the logical outcome. 15 ••. bxc6 16.'i1lhl E!b8! The start of a great rook maneuver. 17.4)a4 E!b4 18.b3 Ae6 19.4)b2 4)h5 20.4)d3 E!h4 21. ~f2 ~e7 22.g4! White had to be very careful; only this move guarantees the draw.

Kasparov explains that a correct (or almost correct!) queen sacrifice can be recognized by the ability of the minor pieces to work together and cover up all the potential weaknesses the enemy queen is probing for. 19.b3 e4 20.4Jel? A very passive move. (White might as well play 20.4Jg5 since he will lose the a2-pawn in any case.) 20 ... f5 2l..11dl 4Je5 22.4Je2 l"'%xa2 23.~d5!? Karpov wants to return the queen, but the remaining ending will be very bad. 23 .. .'~e7 24.~b4 e6 25.~xe6+ ~xe6 26.4Jxa2 and although Karpov clearly lost the opening battle, he managed to escape with a draw, Karpov-Kasparov, New York (3) 1990. 8.4)xd4E!e89.f3 c610.~d2 10.Af2! dS 1l.exd5 exd5 12.0-0 ~e613.e5 is the right move order, preventing the exchange sacrifice. 10.••d5 1l.exd5 cxd5 12.0-0 4)c6 13.c5(D) 13 ... E!xe3! One of Kasparov's most famous innovations. His bishop pair, especially the black-square giant, will give him ample compensation. Kasparov

84

Exchange Sacrifices

22 ••. Ad4! Forcing the perpetual. Black should not become over-optimistic, since after 22 ... ,a,xal? 23.t=1xal ~f6 24.t=1el .£Ig7 25.'ti¥g3 his rook remains locked in. 23. ~xd4 Elxh2+ 24.~xh2 ~h4+Yz-Yz

07.09 C.Richter (2442)M.Bosboom (2390) [E69) TCh-NED 2006 Playing in the same spirit is Dutch chess artist Manuel Bosboom. Rather than making a positional concession, he gives up material. 1.d4 ~f6 2.~f3 d6 3.g3 g6 4.Ag2 Ag7 5.e4 0-0 6.~e3 ~bd7 7.0-0 e5 8.e4 e6 9.h3 exd4 10.~xd4 ~a5?! Bosboom's personal interpretation of the King's Indian Fianchetto Variation. 1l.Ae3 The preventive 11..£Ide2!? is also good enough for an edge. 1l... 4)b612.4)b3 ~h513:~xh5 4)xh514.4)a5 Ele8 14... .Ile615.g4 4:ll616.t=1fdl is the main line, with an edge for White. 15.g4

15 ... Ele5!? The introduction to a creative positional concept. 16.e5 ~f6 17.f4 Elxe5! That was the point, giving up the rook for the black-square bishop. 18.Axe5 dxe519.Elad119.g5!? .£Ifd7 (19 .. AJe8 20.e5 .£Ic7 21.t=1adl .£Ibd5 22 ..£Ixd5 cxd5 23.Axd5 .£Ixd5 24.t=1 xd5 .ilxh3 25.t=1fdl) 20.e5 .£If821.t=1adl.£le6 22 ..£Ie2 h6 23.h4 and in both cases Black's minor pieces have not managed to organize sufficient counterplay. 19 ... ~fd7 20.e5 g5 21.e6? Faced with an original set of problems, White goes astray. The text allows Black to install a strong knight on d5 that gives him time to bring his remaining pieces into play. 21.fxg5 .Ilxe5 22.t=1fel was called for, when the pressure of White's rooks is strongly felt. 21...fxe6

22.fxg5? 22.f5, to undennine the d5outpost, was better, but after 22 ... exf5 23 ..§.xf5 h6, White's advantage is only very minimal. 22...4)d5 23.~e2 Ae5!? Typically Bosboom is not interested in restoring the material balance with 23 ... .£Ie3 24 ..£Ixb7 .£Ixfl 25.'~xfl t=1b8 26.Axc6 -'ixb7 27.Axd7 Ad5 28.b3 c4 29.bxc4 .a.xc4=. 24.Elf3? 24 ..£lc4 ~c7 25.4Jc3 is more circumspect. 24 ... Ae7 25.~e4 b5 26.~a3 4)e5 27.Elf2 Elb8 28.4)e2 Ad7 29.Ae4e4 By now Bosboom is fully enjoying himself and keeps improving his position with little 85

The

ChessC~fe

Puzzle Book 3

steps. 30.'{tIg2 Ab6 31.§ffl AdS 32.4Jed4 AxgS 33.4Jf3 Af6 34.4JxeS AxeS 3s.Axh7+ '{tIg7 36.b3 exb3 37.axb3 as 3S.§del Ae3 39.§e2 a4 40.bxa4 b4 41.Ad3 b3 42.4Ja3 §b4 43.'{tIg3 §xa4 44.4Jbl AM 45.§b2 Ad6+ 46.'{tIf3 eS 47.4Jd2 §d4 4S.Ae4 Ae6 49.Axb3 4Jf4+ SO.~e3 §d3+ Sl.'{tIf2 Ae5 52.§a2 §xh3 S3.Ae4 §e3 54.§bl ~f6 55.Afl Ad5 S6.§ab2 Ad4+ S7.~el §e3+ SS.'{tIdl Axb2 Only now Black takes back the exchange. S9.§xb2 ~eS 60.§bS §g3 61.§gSl\t'd4 62.'{tIe2 e4 63.§fS eS 64.§dS §e3+ 6S. '{tid! 4Jd3 66.Axd3 exd3? Rewarding White for his defensive effort. 66 ... Bxd3 is winning. 67.4Jf3+ '{tIe4 6S.4Jd2+ I\t'd4 69.4Jf3+ ~eS 70.4JxeS §a3 71.~d2 '{tId4 n.4Jf3+ l\t'e4 73.4Jg5+ '{tId4 Y...-'12

positive evaluation for Black afterwards: 17 ... 0-0! lS.A xeS Declining the sacrifice doesn't pose problems either: 18.b4 cxb3 (18 ... h6 19.ilxc5 hxg5 20.Axe7 'liixe7 21.a3 Bad8 22.'liie2 g4 23.Badl Bd4=, Kasparov in New in Chess Magazine 2005/3) 19.Axb3+ 6LJxb3 20.'liixb3+ ~c4 21.~xc4+ bxc4 22.:§abl ilc6 23.f3 Bfd8= (Kasparov). lS ... AxeS 19.4Je6 ~b6 20.4JxfS §xfS

7e) The Initiative

Black has the bishop pair, strong pressure on the dark squares (especially against £2) and the initiative. So White has to play carefully to equalize as he already faces some problems. 21.4JdS Kasparov has shown that Black has nothing to fear from the alternatives: 21.a4 ilxf2+ (21...b4 22.6LJd5 6LJxd5 23.exd5 ilxf2+ 24.~hl b3 25.Ae4 ~e3 26.Af3 e4 27.Ag4 ~c5 28.Ae6+ ~h8 29.d6 e3 30.d7 ~b6 31.Axc4 Axg2+ 32.~xg2 ~g6+ 33.~h3 ~h6+ with a perpetual) 22.~hl Ad4 23.axb5 axb5 and 21.~e2 ~e6 with good counterplay in all cases. 21 ... AxdS 22.exdS Axf2+ 23.'{tIhl 23.Bxf2?? runs into 23 ... 6LJg4-+. 23 ... e4 24. ~e2? White starts to lose the thread. 24.d6 e3 25.ilf5 (25.d7? g6) 25 ... g6 26.Ah3 ~g7 27.d7 6LJh5= (Kasparov).24 ... e3

07.10 R.Kasimdzhanov (2678) GKasparov (2804) Linares 2005 [B]

The following sacrifice was in a way invented by the computer program Deep Junior. Kasparov and his second Dokhoian had noticed that it shows a

86

Exchange Sacrifices 000 5.Ad3 d5 6.~f3 c5 7.000 dxc4 8 . .11,xc4 cxd4 9.exd4 b6 10.Jtg5 .11,b711.~e5

25.~fdl? This moves an important defender away from the kingside. Kasimdzhanov wants to activate both rooks, but this plan is too ambitious and too slow. Black's attack will prove decisive. 25.§adl ~d6 26.ilfS ~h8 27.§xf2 exf2 28:~xf2 .£lg4 29.'l!¥h4 §xf5 30.~xg4~xdS 31.h4 h5 32.§xd5 §f1 + 33.~h2 hxg4 34.a4 (Kasparov) still gives White good drawing chances. 25 ... ~d61 Slowly but surely directing all pieces to the white king. 26.a4 g6 27.axb5 axb5 28.g3 ~h5 Inviting everyone to the party. 29. ~g4 Jtxg3! Decisively opening up the king's position. 30.hxg3 The alternatives do not work either: 30.'l!¥e6+ ~xe6 31.dxe6 .Ilh4-+; 30.§gl ilxh2 31.~xh5 ilxg1 32.§xgl §f1 33.'l!¥g4 §f2 34.§g2 e2 -+. 30 ... ~xg3+

11. .. ~c6!? This active move scores best as it wrests the initiative from White at the cost of the exchange. The main lines 11...ilxc3 and 11...ile7 give White dangerous play. 12.Jlxf6 ~xf6 Wells' point. 12 ... gxf6? 13 ..£lxc6 Axc6 14.dS! plays into White's hand, e.g., 14 ... Axc3 15.dxc6 Axb2 16. ~g4+ ~h8 17.§adl 'l!¥c7 18.Axe6+- BuckleyKunte, London 2001. 13.~d7 ~h4 14.4)xf8 ~xf8

3V~g2 ~f2+ 32.~h3 ~f5 33.~hl

h5 34. ~xg6+ ~xg6 35.~hgl ~xgl 36.~xgl+~f70-1

The psychological advantage of having the initiative is also felt in the following example: 07.11 I.Krush (2411)P.Wells (2517) [ES4) Hastings 2002 1.d4 ~f6 2.c4 e6 3.~c3 Jlb4 4.e3

IS.a3! A strong zwischenzug that disrupts the harmony of Black's attacking army. 15 ... Ae716.d5 Ad6 Black uses his initiative to take ever increasing aim at White's king. 16 ... ~xc4 17.dxc6 ~xc6 18.f3 Aa6 is the alternative. 17.f4 17 .g3 ~xc4 18.dxc6 ~xc619.f3 "My feeling is that

87

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 with the bishop pair and a pawn against rook and knight Black should be OK, although ... the assessment of any exchange sacrifice will also rest upon the availablity of open tiles for the side with the spare rook. For this reason there is for me no question of White being worse eithel~'(WelisinCBM87).17...exd5?This may be too optimistic. Over the board, White's defense is difficult to conduct of course. 17...aaS18.g3 AcS+ 19.~g2 ~f6 20.ih2 .Jlxa3 is preferable. White's advantage is only very slight. 18.~xd5 IB.g3? AcS+ 19.~g2 ~f6 20 ..JlxdS §dB and Black's initiative gives him compensation. 18... ~e5

23.§d2! ± "This is the move I missed. I have had to revise my view of Black's attack. The theoretical status of the whole line requires a boost here!" (Wells). 19 ... ~g4 20.h3 .1l.c5+ 2Vi&hl ~e3 22.M 22.4Jxe3?? ~xh3+ 23.~gl Axe3+ 24.§f2 'iJfxg2# 22 ... Ad4Yz-Yz 7f) Typical Exchange Sacrifices A final note about exchange sacrifices - some exchange sacrifices just have to be made:

70) Sicilian Exchange Sacrifice The Sicilian exchange sacrifice on c3 is very well known. As a rule ofthumb, it is always correct when White has castled queenside and has to take back with the b-pawn as in the following classic example. 07.12 S.Movsesian (2668)GKasparov (2851) [B80] Sarajevo 2000

19.~e2? Now Black has at least enough play for the exchange. 19.93! is the critical test: 19 ... Ac5+ 20.~g2 (20.~hl? 4Jxc4!! 21.gxh4 §d8 "gives Black a ferocious attack, as I saw during the game. White's king really needs the h3-square" Wells). 20 ... ~g4 21.Aa2 ~xdl 22.l"Ifxdl! 4Jg4

1.e4 c5 2.~f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~ xd4 4Jf6 5.~c3 a6 6.Jle3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.'1~/d2 ~bd7 9.0-0-0?! It is more accurate to start with 9.g4. 9 ... Ab7 10.g4 ~b611.~f2 ~fd712.'i&bl?! The wrong preventive move. White should prevent the exchange sacrifice with 12.Ad3 §c8 13.4Jce2! 12 ... f!c8 13 ..1l,d3 13.4Jce2 should still be tried. (D)

13 ... f!xc3! Black gets tremendous compensation for the exchange and his attack is easier to play than White's. 14.bxc3 ~c714 ... 4Ja4!? 15.4Je2 Ae7 is the more flexible alternative since the queen may also go to a5. 15.~e2 Jle7 88

Exchange Sacrifices with 23.c4!. Black stays on top though after 23 ... dxc4 24.g6 cxd3 25J'!xd3 !:!cB 26.!:!d2 Ae5 (Kasparov). 23 ... .§cS 24.~al dxe4?! 24 ... Axb4! 25.'lfth2 'lftc2 -+ (Kasparov) is even more convincing. 25.fxe4

16.g5 0-01 Kasparov calmly brings his king's rook into play. His king is in some danger on the kingside of course, but as his attack is faster, this will not be a real problem. 17.h4 4)a4 IS.Acl?! White doesn't really have time for such slow moves and should go for IB.h5 immediately. IS .•• 4)e5 19.h5 d5! 20:~'h2 Ad6 21:~h3? 21.'lftf2 and Kasparov's suggestion 21.Af4 are more critical, but there can be no doubt that Black's attack is more dangerous. 21 •.• 4)xd322.cxd3

25 ...J1xe4! Starting the decisive attack. 26.g6 26.dxe4? runs into 26 ... Ae5+ 27 . .tld4 Axd4+ 2B.!:!xd4 'lftxcl+ 29J!xc1 !:!xc1# (Kasparov). 26...J1xhl27. ~xhl Jtxb4 2S.gxf7+ ~fS!? Using the f7 -pawn as a shield is a good practical decision. Objectively 2B ... ~xf7 29.Ab2 {)xb2 30.!:!cl .l1c5 31.d4 .tla4 wins as well. 29.~g2 29 ..l1b2 'lftc2 -+. 29 ....§bS! The final key move. 30.J1b2 4)xb2 31.4)d4 4)xdl! Using a nice mating pattern. 32.4)xe6+ ~xf7 0-1 and White resigned in view of 33.'liYxg7+
22 ... b4! 22 ... .tlxc3+? 23 ..tlxc3 'lftxc3 24.Ab2 plays into White's hands, who gains time and gets rid of his passive knight. 23.cx b4? This does Black's job and opens roads that should be closed

07.13 D.Neukirch - D.Minic [D87] WchTU261lthfin-AKrakow 1964

l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4 ..£) xd4

89

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 /i)f6 5./i)c3 a6 6 ..1l,c4 e6 7 •.1l,b3 b5 S.f4 Ab7 9.f5 e5 10./i)de2 /i)bd7 1l.Ag5 Ae712./i)g313cS Black has developed the queenside first to obtain the option to sacrifice on c3 as early as possible. 13.Axf6 13.0-0?

without any risk. Critical is 16.4Jxg7+ 'itlf8 17.4JhS

17...§g8?! (17 ... dS!? is more precise, e.g., 1B.0-0 AcS+ 19.~hl .£lxhS 20.~xh5 §gB 21.§f3 ~gS) 1B ..£lxf6 Axf6 19 :-ll¥hS as in Cosulich-Minic, Bari 1970, and now 19 ... d5 20.0--0-0 leads to sharp play.16 ... lilxh517.~xh5d51S.a4 0-0 19.axb5 ~b6+ 20.Whl axb5 21.13adl ~c6 22. ~g4 jU6 23. ~g3 h6 24.h313e8 25.h413cS 26. 13fel

runs into Fischer's mighty blow 13... hS!! 14.h4 b4 lS.~xf6 Axf6 16.4JdS Axh4 17.4JxhS ~gS 1B.f6 g6 19.4Jg7+ ~dB 20J:!f3 Ag3 21.~d3 Ah2+ 22.~fl4JcS 23.§h3 §h4 24.~f3 4Jxb3 2S.axb3 §xh3 26.~xh3 Axd5 27.exdS ~xf6+ 28.~e1 ~f4 0-1 R.Byrne - Fischer, Sousse 1967.13 ... /i)xf614.lilh5

26 •.. ~b7!? A good decision from a practical point of view as the white rooks have problems finding any prospects. 26 ... 'l!¥xc3 27.~xc3 ~xc3 28 ..1lxdS is easier to play for White than the game. 27.13e213c5 2S.13f1 ~e7?!

White hotly contests the d5-outpost. But Black wins the battle for the square with 14...13xc3! 15.bxc3 Axe416.0O? Now Black gets complete control

90

Exchange Sacrifices The zwischenzug 28 .. .'~c7 is more precise, as now 29.l.'~e3?! ~e7 30.h5 can be met by 30 ... ~g5. 29.hS Jl.h4 30.'~g4 §.xc3 31.§'xe4! The best chance to fight, as White gets counterplay on the light squares.

31 ... dxe4 Jl.f2?!

32.~xe4

§.c8 33.§.dl

Korchnoi probably did not hesitate long before he uncorked 12 ... §.xf3!? 13.gxf3 c4 Korchnoi keeps the position closed to stabilize it for his knights. The direct approach, 13 ... 4J x e5 14.~e2 4Jxd3 15.cxd3 ~xc3, is less logical. 14.Ae2 4JxeS1S.Aa3 4JfS

16.f4 4Jg617.Ag4 4Jgh4 lS.Jl.b4 ~c7 19.aS ~f7 After his knights occupied stable squares, the maestro directs the rest of his pieces toward the white king. 20.f3 Ad7 21.E!ael ~g6

22. \t>hl Ac6 23. ~f2

34.§.dS? This runs into a deadly attack based on opposite-color bishops. After 34.1'Hl White should be able to hold. 34 ... ~gS!

3S.~f3

Ag3 36.\t>gl

~h40-1

7f2) French Exchange Sacrifice The French exchange sacrifice on f3 is not as well-known, but just as typical: 07.14 R.Felgaer (2509)Y.Korchnoi (2634) Olympiad Bled 2002 [B]

23 ... d4! Korchnoi brings his bishop into play in an instructive way. A pawn is a cheap price to pay for this. 24.A xfS 4J xf5 2S.cxd4 AdS 26.c3 26.Elgl ~f6 27.c3 4Jh4 28.Ele4! 4Jg6 29.itd6 ~d8 30.itb4 ~f6 is also more or less dynamically balanced. 26 ... ~h5 27 .§.eS ~h6 2S.§.e4! White has calmly defended so far. 28 ... ~h3 29.§.gl b6 30.~g2 ~hS 31.a6 §.cS

91

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 17.~e3

19.f4 ~xd3 E1xf4 and Black was not worse in Wolff-Moskalenko, Wijk-B 1992. 15..§ac1

32.j},d6n A tactical oversight. But this position is not easy to defend for White as he can hardly do anything. In fact, he has to do nothing, but as Tony Miles once remarked, he has to do nothing well. 32.'~g4 ~h4 33.h3 looks like a decent way to go about it. 32 ... g6 33 •.Q.e54)h40-1

e5 18.dxe5

~xe5

20.~xd3 ~xf4 21.~xf4

The following discussion is based on Viktor Moskalenko's in ChessBase Magazin 133: 07.15 J.Garrido Dominguez (2310)V.Moskalenko (2540) [C06] Roquetas Mar 2006

15 .•. .§xf3!? "Black's main idea and typical in the French Defense. White has many weaknesses in his pawn structure and the king is unsafe now" (Moskalenko). 16.gxf3 1;td717.~g5 g6 lS.~hl .§fS 19 . .§gl Against 19.~xg6 Black defends with 19 ... hxg6 20.~xg6+ ~g7 21.E1g1 "iife7. 19 .•• 4)f4 20.~g3 20.~bl 'it'g7!? 21.~g3 ~b8 (Moskalenko) is similar to the game. 20 .•. ~bSt?

l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)d2 4)f64.e5 4)fd7 5.c3 c5 6 •.Q.d3 4)c6 7.4)e2 cxd4 S.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 4) xf610.4)f3 Ad611.0-0 0-0 12.Af4

12 ... 4)h5!? Moskalenko's favorite move. In the main line, after 12 ... Axf4 13.~xf4 ~e4 14.~e2, Black also has the thematic option 14 ... E1xf3!? 15.gxf3 ~g5 with typical compensation. 13.1;txd6 ~xd6 14.~d2 a6 Moskalenko takes the time to secure his strategically important ~c6 and to avoid that, White can try to exchange his Jld3, which may be restricted later. He has also tried another option: 14".Ad7 15.E1ad1 E1xf3!? 16.gxf3 E1f8

21 •.§gdl?! The rook can be used in another way: 21.E1cdl!?
Exchange Sacrifices 23.EJ.bl? Running into a counterblow. After 23.a3, White is not worse, but it is very difficult for him to make progress because of his broken pawn structure, e.g., 23 ...
Exercises (Solutions on page 180) E07.01 D.Sadvakasov (2631)A.Delchev (2601) Olympiad Calvia 2004

E07.02 L.Portisch - T.Petrosian San Antonio 1972

[B] White had counted on his dangerous double attack. But what did he underestimate?

(B) White has more space and a strong threat. But Petros ian kept a clear head and defended calmly. Can you do the same?

93

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 E07.03 L.Dominguez (2601)I.Morovic Fernandez (2556) Capablanca Memorial Havana 2002

E07.05 J.M.Lopez Martinez (2563)A.Khalifman (2624)

[BI Black's position looks a bit clumsy. How to untangle?

[BI How to evaluate this position from the Sicilian Sveshnikov?

EU-ch Dresden 2007

E07 .04 A.Shirov (2726)V.Anand (2784) Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1999

[WI To take on e5 or not'?

94

Chapter 8 Defense against a Minority Attack Sometimes the pawn structure indicates a clear plan for further pawn play and optimal piece placement. The so-called Karlsbad structure, which most often arises via a Queen's Gambit Declined with cxdS exdS is a case in point. White wants to advance his b-pawn to provoke a weakening of Black's pawn chain b7-c6-d5 on the queenside.

reached his first aim and undermines Black's structure.

8a) White's Objectives We start with two games to illustrate White's ideas before we discuss various defensive methods and schemes. 08.01 E.Geller-N.Golovko (D36) Moscow 1970 1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.4Jf3 4Jf6 4.4Jc3 e6 5.1ig5 4Jbd7 6.cxd5 exd5 The typical Karlsbad pawn structure is reached. 7.e31ie7 S. ~c2 0-0 9.Jl,d3 13eS 10.0-0 4JfS 1l.13ab1 White indicates that he wants to start a minority attack with b4-bS. The alternative plan is to play for an attack based on White's kingside majority, e.g., with a set-up 4Jge2, f3, ~ae1, playing for e4 (or sometimes g4) is outside the scope of this discussion. 11 ... a5!? A good preventive measure to get rid of the potentially weak a-pawn and bring the queen's rook into play, if White opens the queenside. 12.a3 .Q.e6 13.b4 axb4 14.axb4 4J6d7 15.1ixe7 ~xe7 16.b5 White has

16... .Q.g4?! Counterattacking on the kingside is one of Black's options. But here the plan ultimately leads to nothing as it is far too slow. The typical alternative 16 ... cS! 17.dxcS 4JxcS 18.~bcl §ecS was better as Black has more activity to compensate for the static weakness. 17.bxc6 bxc6 17 ... Axf3? lS.cxd7 if1gS 19.93 §ed8 20.~xb7 if1hS 21.Ae2 +- and the attack is stopped for good, while the static weaknesses remain. 18.Ae2 ~f6 19.13b7 13e6?! Black still follows his plan to attack on the kings ide. But here it makes matters only worse as his pieces will be stuck there. So 19 ... ~eb8 was called for, to keep White's advantage within bounds, e.g., 20.~xbS §xbS 21.~cl 4Jg6 22.~b1 ~xb1+ 23.if1xbl ~d6 24:~'b7 4Je7 and Black has only one weakness, which makes it very difficult to storm his citadel. 20.§fb1 ~h6 21.4Jd2 ~g5 22.Jl,xg4 ~xg4 23.h3 ~h5

95

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3

24 . .£l£1! Geller proves that Black's attack has come to a dead end, while his invasion on the queenside is just beginning. 24•.• ~g5 25 •.£le2 .§.d6 26 •.§.c7 ~f6 27 •.£lfg3 .§.a6? Too artificial. 27 ... .§ b8 was more tenacious, e.g., 28.{)fS '§xbl+ 29.~xbl .§e6 30 ..§c8 g6 31.{)h6+ ~g7 32.{)g4 ~fS 33.~b3 hS 34.{)g3 ~gS 3S.{)h2±. 2S. .£lf5 .§.e6 29 . .§.bb7 g6 30. .£lh6+ g7 31 . .£lg4 ~dS 32 . .£lf4 .§.d6 33 •.£le5 .£lxe5 33 ... .§b6 34.l:~xb6 ~xc7 3S ..§xc6 .§xc6 36.~xc6 ~xc6 37.{)xc6 {)b6 38.{)b4 is technically winning. 34.dxe5 .§.d7 35 •.§.xd7 .£l xd7 36.e61-0

And (b) 12 ..§ab1 a513.{)a4Ag414.{)eS ..Q..e6 lS.a3 g6 16.{)cS E!ec8 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 {)g419.{)xg4 Axg4 20.h3 Ae6 21.b5 !"1.ab8 22.bxc6 bxc6 23 ...Q..a6± Rychagov-Kosic, Ikaros 2002 12... .£lg6 13. .£ld2 Ae6?! 13 ... {)h4 looks more logical. 14.b4 .§.adS 15 . .§.fcl a6 16..£la4 .£lg4? Black's attack has no real point. It was better to try 16... Ac817.{)cS {)d7 or 16... 4Jd717..£lfl ~h41S ..§.a2 .§.e719..£lc5 Ac8 20.a4 .§.d6

08.02 A.Chernin (2583) T.Markowski (2531) [D30] Budapest zt 2000 l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3 •.£lf3 c6 4.jlg5 .\le7 5.Axe7 ~xe7 6.e3 .£lf6 7 ..£lc3 0-0 S.~c2 .£lbd7 9.cxd5 exd510 ..Ild3 .§.eSll.0-0 (0)

21. ~d2! Good prophylaxis against the attack. Now it is clear that White will defend his kingside while his play on the other wing cannot really be stopped because of the deployment of Black's forces. 21. .. ~h6 The alternatives don't solve the problems either: 21 ... .§e8 22.b5 axb5 23.axbS b6 24.4Ja4 cxbS 25.Axb5±; 21...~g5 22.bS {)h4 23.f4 ~f6 24.bxa6 bxa6 25.!"1.b2±.

11. .. .£lfS Two further examples to illustrate White's chances and plans: (a) 11...{)e4 12.b4 a613J:~abl fS 14.{)a4 .§f81S.
96

Defense against a Minority Attack 22.b5 /ilh4 22 ... axbS 23.axbS EleS 24.ElaS ElddS 2S.ElbS and Black is completely tied up. 23.bxa6 bxa6 23 ... b6? 24.'~b4! bxcS 2S.~bS+24.E!.b2 E!e8 25'E!b8 ~g5 26.e4! This powerful move decides the game. Of course, not 26.i£lxa6?? i£lf3+ 27.gxf3 i£lxh2+ -+. 26 ..• ~h5 26 ... ~xd2 27.i£lxd2 dxe4 2S.Axa6 Elxd4 29.l'hc8+- 27.e5 E!.h6 28.~f4 /ilg6 29.Axg6 E!xg6 30.h3 /ilh6 31.4Jg3 1-0

8b) Defensive Motifs against the Minority Attack We start with measures on the queenside:

c6 will be backward, but if Black has a knight that can reach c4, this weakness will be safe from attacks along the c-file. A weakness is only a weakness if it can be attacked. 14 ... i£ld6? 1S.bS plays into White's hand and 14... axb4IS.axb4 Ela3? (lS ... bS still works) should be avoided because of I6.i£lxdS! 15.~c2 IS.Elfcl axb416.axb4 Ela6I7:~c2 4Jd61S.Elal Elfa819.Elxa6 Elxa620.4Jd2 g6andBlack is better. 15 ... axb4 16.axb4 4Jd6 17.E!b3 /ilb618.4Je5 E!.fc819.4Jd3 4J bc4 20.4Jc5 White's knights strike air while Black's knights influence both wings. Kramnik now increases the pressure on the kings ide in typical fashion: 20...E!.e8 21.113 g6 22.E!.c1 E!.a7 23.~d1 h5 24.'i!Jh1 ~g5 25.E!bb1 E!ae7 26.E!.a1/ilf5 27.E!a2

08.03 P.Nikolic (2635) V.Kramnik (2790) Amber-blind Monte Carlo 1998 [B]

Black has already managed to exchange the bishops and to establish his knight on e4, which is also an important idea, of course. The ideal square for a black knight is d6 and a white knight is most often well placed on d3. On these squares they enjoy maximum flexibility. 14... b5! A typical and effective way to stop the minority attack. The pawn on

Now Kramnik launches a final assault: 27 ... 4Jcxe3! 28.fxe3 E!xe3 29.E!.f2 ~h4 30.~d2 4Jxd4 31.E!.cfl4Jf5 32.E!xf5 gxf5 33./ild1 E!.el34.~gl E!8e2 35.~c3 E!.xd1 0-1 and White resigned in view of 36J'lxdl ~f2+ 37.'~h2 ~xgU.

Often b4-bS can be met by c6-cS to keep the queens ide closed and to get play in the center as a result of Black's space advantage there:

97

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 49.~g2

08.04 I.Khmelniker (2225)S.Erenburg (2494) ISR-ch Tel Aviv 2002 (B]

~e5

Ela3 50.h5 gxh5 51.gxh5 52.Elel f5 53.~gl f4 0-1 and

White resigned as the second rank will finally be opened. Sometimes Black's knight can be used effectively to stop b4-b5.

08.05 H.Nakamura (2657)V.lordachescu (2609) [D36] Sigeman & Co Malmo/Copenhagen 2005 (B]

lS ... J1,a3! This enables the following pawn thrust. 18 ... El.c8?! 19.bxc6 El.xc6 20.~b31eaves White on top because of his better pawn structure. 19.Elcdl c5 20.dxc5 itxc5 21.itc3 .£)e4 Black's isolated d-pawn is fully compensated for by his active pieces. 22.J1,al J1,d6 22 ...
21 ... .£)c7 The alternative 21...Axd3 22:li1txd3 g6 , to meet 23.b5 with the typical 23 ... c5, equalizes as well.

22 ..£)e5 J1,xd3 23 ..£)xd3 g6 24.Elal ElbS Black keeps his rook for play in the center and on the kingside. White can use the a-file anyway, but he does not need two rooks for this job. 25.Ela2 ~g7 26.Elcal h5 27 . .£)f1 .£)e4 2S . .£)d2 h4 29.h3 g5! Black has

26.~xa7ElaS27.~xb6Ac528.Eld7

successfully gained space on the kingside. 30. .£)f3 f6 31 . .£)c5 ~dS

itxb6 29.Elxe7 Elxe7 30..£)c3 Aa5 31 ..£)d5 Eld7 32..£)f4 ~f7 33.Ad4 Ad2 34..£)e2 Elxa2 35 ..£)c1 Ela3 36.Eldl Ac3 37..£)e2 J1,a5 3S.Elbl Ela4 39.Ac3 A xc3 40 •.£) xc3 Elc4 41 ..£)e2 Eldc7 42.Elb3 Elc2 43 ..£)d4 Ela2 44.Elbl Elc3 45.g4 ~e7 46.h4 Eld3 47.Elcl Eldd2 4S.Elf1 ~d6

32..£)d2 .£)d6 33.Elel ~e8 34. ~d3 ~h5 35.f3? This move creates a weakness that may backfire later. It is better just to wait with something like 35.fib3, an example of the guideline that just being is sometimes better than doing. 35 ... Elbe8 36. .£)fl ~g6!

98

Defense against a Minority Attack

Defenders of weaknesses shall be exchanged! 37.~xg6+ ~xg6 3S.~f2 ~cb5 39.E!eal ~c3?! 39 ... f5!?, with the idea 40.
35.f3? 40.E!a3 ~cb5 41.E!a8 b6 42.E!xe8 E!xe843.~b3 ~c444.~e2 f5 45.~d3 ~b2+ 46.~c2 ~c4

15.Etfel?! 15.~f5!? (Seirawan) is better to reduce Black's attacking potential and to neutralize his pair of bishops. 15 ...11.g4 16.~d2 ~g5 17.g3 h5 1S.f4 18.e4? gives Black an attack after 18 ...
47.~d3%-%

The next game illustrates Black's chances on the kings ide and shows that putting the bishop on d6 is one of the key ideas. 08.06 U.Adianto (2520)Y.Seirawan (2600) [D65] Jakarta 1994

1.d4 ~f6 2.c4 e6 3.~c3 d5 4.~f3 ~bd7 5.Ag5 Ae7 6.e3 0-0 7.E!cl a6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ad3 c610.~c2 E!eS 11.0-0 ~fS 12.Axf6 Axf6 13.b4 Ae7 14.E!bl Ad6 The bishop works on both wings.

20.h3? Voluntarily weakening the kings ide structure. It is better to continue play on the queenside with 20.
99

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 17.4::lxc6 ti'xc6 lS.a4
23 ... J1xf4! A winning combination; White's position is falling apart. 24.exf4 4)xf4

25.~f3

4)xh3+ 27.E!edl ~g5 28.E!d3 f5 Black wins a fourth pawn and keeps the initiative. 29. 'i£ilhl fxg4 30.~g2 30 ..§gl.§el! ensures Black's material lead. 30 .•. E!f8 31.§el E!ae8 32.E!ddl 'i£ilg7 33.E!xe8 E!xe8 34.E!f1 E!e3 35.4)e2 E!h3+ 36.'i£ilgl ~e3+ 37.~f2g5 38.~xe3 E!xe3 The remaining ending is easily won by simply pushing the kings ide pawns. 39.4)cl 'i£ilg640.4)b3g341.4)c5h3 42.4) xb7 g4 43.4)d8 g2 44.E!cl g3 45.4) xc6 §e2 46.4)e5+ 'i£ilf5 47.4)f3 'i£ilf40-1

a5 17.~dl b4 lS.axb4 axb4 19.E1fel bxc3 20.bxc3 ~dS with counterplay in Martins-Limp, Sao Paulo 1998. 16... a5 17.~e3!? 17.iixb5
26.~xh3 ~xd2

Of course Black can also playa minority attack sometimes and then it is White's part to attack on the kings ide, if the conditions are right:

22 ... 'i£ilg7? The wrong move order. After 22 ... h5 23:~h4 rt/g7 24.g4 .§hS Black can defend. 23.g4! Now White has a vicious attack that cannot be stopped. 23 ... E!b3 24. ~h4

08.07 J.M.Degraeve (2540) J.Grant (2208) IB13] Mondariz zt 2000

l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Jt.d3 4)c6 5.c3 4)f6 6.J1f4 J,tg4 7.~b3 ~d7 8.4)d2 e6 9.4)gf3 Axf3 10.4)xf3 Ad611.Jt.xd6 ~xd612.0o 0-0 13.E!ael E!ab8 14.4)e5 b5 15.a3 ~fc8 15 ... a5 16.Axb5
24 ... h5 24 ... .§b2? is nicely refuted by <;t>xf6 26.'§xh7 .§fS 27.g5*;

25.~xf6+!!

100

Defense against a Minority Attack 24 ...
~e7 34.~f7+ ~d8

35 ..§.xf6 .§.c1+ would have been fairly convincing as well. 29 ... E!.xf3 30.4)xf3 gxf5 31.~g5+ r;t>f8 32. ~xf5 r;t>e7 32 ... .§.b6 33.<£)e5 rtle7 34 ..§.el rtlfB (34 ... f8 35.4)e6+ r;t>e7 35 ... rtlf7 36.
101

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Exercises (Solutions on page 181) E08.01 Y.Pelletier (2579)M.Gurevich (2633) Gibraltar 2006

E08.03 Analysis of A.Lytchak (2436) - V.Bonsch (2540) Gennan Bundesliga 2005

[B) White has announced his ambitions on the queenside. How to defend?

(BJ Why did Lytchak refrain from 20.b5?

E08.02 R. Wojtaszek (2591)L.B.Hansen (2567) EU-chT (Men) 15th Gothenburg 2005

(B) White has just played b4-b5. How to react?

E08.04 V.Blazos - I.Makka (2220) Nikea2004

[B) White obviously wants to increase the pressure on the queenside. How to deal with this threat?

102

Chapter 9 Defending Inferior Endgames It is very important to just keep on fighting tenaciously and not to lose heart. Usually the opponent is under more psychological pressure to win a technically won endgame. The defender already "wins" when he achieves a draw. Many players do not study endgame theory and strategy deeply nowadays and concentrate more on opening theory. So you can always hope to escape. We concentrate on very few themes here which occur often in practical play and have saved or won many valuable half-points.

9a) Activate the Rook As the relative strength of a rook depends a lot on the task it has to do, this theme is very important. Usually the rook should not defend purely passively or block passed pawns. According to Dr. Tarrasch's old rule, it should be behind passed pawns, enemy or friendly. In general, the rook is a good defending and counterattacking unit when it can operate freely: (D) 46 .•. 4ifjle6? Fatal passivity. Short probably had already lost confidence that he might be able to save the game two pawns down. Otherwise he certainly would have found 46 ... E1c5! to use the rook for a counterattack: 47.a5 (47.~e3 E1c4 [47 ... E1c3+ 48.~d2 E1h3 49.a5 Wxe4 50.a6 E1h8 draws as well] 48.~d3 E1.xe4 49.a5 ~d5 50.a6 E1.e8 and Black draws) 47 ... E1.c3+

09.01 GKasparov (2805)N.Short (2655) PCA -World Championship London (9) 1993 [B]

48.'~g4 ~xe4

49.a6 E1.c8 50.a7 E1.a8 5l.E1.a5!? The horizontal cut-off is usually a strong attacking weapon, but in this case Black's king is just in time: 51...~d4 52.~f5 ~c4 53.~e6 ~b4

54.E1.al ~c5 55.~d7 ~b6 56.E1.b! +

White asks Black's king a typical question. Where are you going to hide? 56 ... ~c5!. The active solution is right as is most often the case in rook endings. (56 ... ~a6? loses to 57.~c7 E1.xa7+ 58.~c6+-) 57.E1.b7 E1.h8!= and

103

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 White's pieces have lost coordination so that Black's active forces can defend. 47.«it>e3 «it>d6 48.«it>d4 «it>d7 49.«it>c4 «it>c6 50.«it>b4 ~e5 51.E!c1+ «it>b6 52.~c4 1-0 White's rook is a tower of power, controlling everything. Therefore Short resigned. In the following example even a pawn is sacrificed to avoid a passive defending rook. 09.02 C.Schlechter - E.Lasker World Championship 1910 [BI

64 ... ~c6!? Lasker can now just wait as White has no way to make real progress. To see the difference between the need for direct activity and the possibility of waiting is one of the chief skills of a good defender like Lasker. 64 .. .f4? rushes it too much in view of 65.E!.b3! E!.xc2 66.§f3 +- (Schlechter). 65.~b8 E!xc2 66.E!b6+ «it>g767.h5 E!c4 68.~g6+ «it>h7 69.~f6 ~c5 Yz-Y2 An active rook on an open board can sometimes work wonders.

Lasker was a very tenacious defender who never stopped fighting until the very end. 54••• ~e4!! Waiting passively is not sufficient, e.g., 54 ... 'it'g7? 55.c4 ~a3+ 56.'it'f4. Black is playing almost without his king in sharp contrast to White. 56 ... ~c3 57.hS a4 58.~a6 a3

09.03 Cheparinov - Grivas Asenovgrad 1985 [WI

S9.'it>xf5 E!.xg3 60.'it>e5 ~h3 61.§a7+ 'it'h6 62. 'it'd4 and the c-pawn will decide the game. 55.~c5 «it>f6 56.~xa5 ~c4 57.~a6+ «it>e5 58.~a5+ «it>f6 59.~a6+ «it>e5 60.~a5+ «it>f6 61.~a2 White has won the a-pawn, but the price was very high. His passive rook is a sorry sight. 61 ... «it>e5 62.~b2 ~c3+ 63.«it>g2 «it>f664.«it>h3

Black should be winning because of his material advantage, but a lone minor

104

Defending Inferior Endgames piece usual faces big problems converting such an advantage against an active rook: I.Elcl Ae6 2.Elc5 a4? Z... dZ! 3.~eZ a4 is much better and should win as White's rook does not play such a dominant role then. The difference is that 4.~b5?? is no longer available because of 4 ... .1lc4+. 3.Elb5 Axa2 Now 3... dZ can be met by 4.E!b8+ ~e7 5.~eZ AxaZ 6.E!xb4. 4.Elxb4 j},b3 5.'itle3 j},c2 6.Elb7! The position still looks fairly hopeless, but so far White is doing a goodjob. 6 ... f5 7.Elh7 g48.fxg4fxg4 (D) 9.Elh4? This allows the pawns to break through. After 9.~dZ! White can construct a fortress: 9 ... a3 lO.E!a7 g3 11.E!xa3 g2 (11...gxh2 lZ.E!al and

White picks up all the pawns) lZ.E!aland Black can win the rook, but not the game, e.g., 12 ... ~f713.~e3 ~f6 14.~f4 d215.~e3 dl'l);it 16.E!xdl Axdl 17.~f2=(Grivas). 9 ...a310.Elh8+ 'itlg7 1l.Ela8g312.Elxa3 gxh213.Elal d2

0-1

Exercises (Solutions on page 182)

E09.01 S.Flohr-M.Vidmar Nottingham 1936

E09.02 Y.Kortschnoj (2665)A.Karpov (2725) World Championship Baguio City 1978

(B] What is Black's first priority in this famous classic?

[B) In this highly important game Karpov missed the draw. Can you do better?

105

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 E09.03 S.Sale (2385) I.Armanda (2326) Zagreb 2009

IB] Can you find the only way to draw?

E09.05 R.Felgaer (2509)J.Rosito (2424) ARG-ch nnd Pinamar 2002

IB] How to defend this rook ending?

E09.04 P.Leko (2725)V.Korchnoi (2659) Coms Wijk aan Zee 2000

IB] How to increase Black's activity?

106

Defending Inferior Endgames 9b) The Defender Exchanges Pawns In Chapter 6 it was noted that in general, the side that is ahead in material seeks to exchanges pieces, the other side pawns. One of the reasons is that without pawns, a very large material superiority - most often an extra rookmay be required to win. Another reason is that it is easier to defend when there are only pawns remaining on one wing, as then no second front can be opened. In the first example, each of the defender's pieces can hold one wing after the pawn exchanges: the Black bishop stops the b-pawn and the king the h-pawn. White can win the bishop but not the game because he is left with the wrong rook's pawn.

74.f7 Jlc5 75.Adl +-. 67.fxg4 f5+! The point of the defense. Now Black's king can hold the kingside by itself. 68.gxf5 ~f6! The point of the previous move. Of course not

68 ... gxf5+?? 69.'it'xf5 'it>f8 70.'it'g6+-. and sooner or later the bishop will be overloaded. 69.Ae6 gxf5+ 70.Jlxf5 ~g7 7Vit'f3 ~h8 VI-VI Black can simply give up his bishop for the bpawn. Sometimes even a piece can be given to eliminate the last pawns. 09.05 S.Volkov (2587)M.Kobalia (2537) RUS-Cup final Ekaterinburg 1999 [BI

09.04 Li Shilong (2540) M.van Delft (2378) 3rd ACT Amsterdam 2006 [BI

~xg5 and White's h-pawn will also eventually fall after which a draw will result. 50.h7

48 ... Axc4!! 49.E!xc4

E!h2 51.E!c7

~g6 52.~d3 E!xh7 54.E!c6+ ~g5! This

53.~f4+ ~h6

66 ... hxg4 Just waiting is insufficient as White can use the principle of two weaknesses and open a second front on the kingside: 66 ... Aa7? 67.gxh5 gxh5 68.f4 f6 69. ~f5 ~d6 70. 'it'xf6 'it'c6 71.'it>e6 'it'xb7 72.f5 'it>c7 73.f6 'it>d8

had to be foreseen as 54 ... 'it>g7? loses:

55AJe6+ 'it>g8 (55 ... ~h8 56.!!c8#) 56.!!c8+ ~f7 57.4Jg5++-. 55.~e6+ ~f5 56.~xd4+ ~e5 57.E!c5+ ~d6 58.E!g5 E!hl V:z--VI and the game was later drawn.

107

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 Exercises (Solutions on page 183) E09.06 O.Almeida (2475)Y.Lapshun (2452) VIII Open Sants 2006

E09.08 V.Potkin (2295)V.Zaitsev (2425) RUS-Cup Moscow 1998

[BI White has won the opposition, but he did not win the game. Why?

[WI How to use the reduced number of pawns to draw?

E09.07 I.Naumkin (2435)M.Cornette (2447) XIII Luigi Serra Montecatini Terme 2006

E09.09 L.E.Johannessen (2534)J.Piket (2646) German Bundesliga 2002

fBI It may be surprising, but Black saved himself Can you do the same?

[B] How did Piket save the day?

108

Defending Inferior Endgames 9c) The Mighty Passed Pawn

A far advanced dangerous passed pawn is worth a lot in the endgame. As usual we have to be selective and will examine two specific cases. First, a lone knight is not a good defender against a passed pawn.

direction. White's web could be destroyed by 58 ... .iJd6 59.~xd3 \t'xh4 as White's king is badly placed on d3: 6O.f6 ~g5 6U7 .iJxf7 62.b7 .iJe5+. This check saves Black. 63. ~e4 .iJc6 64.~d5 .iJb8 65.~d6

09.06 V.Laznicka (2637)V.Bologan (2692) World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 [W]

The most dangerous pawn is the rook's pawn, but here White's b-pawn is also quite dangerous as after 54.h4! Black's king is incarcerated and a fascinating fight between the king and the knight begins. 54...d5 55.~g2 d4 56.~f2 d3

and now White draws by "perpetual attack" of the knight: 65 ... h5 66.\t'c7 .iJa6+ 67.\t'b6=. 59.~e3 ~g4 59 ... d2 60.'it>e2! (Golubev in Chess Today #3310) does not work as White's king can walk around the mine field: 60 ... dl ~+ 61.~xdl .iJb7 62.~d2 .iJd6 (62 ... .iJc5 63.'it>e3 +-).

57.~e14)b7 58.~d2

5S ... 4)c5? A jump in the wrong

Even now some care is required: 63. ~e 1 (63.~c3? ~xh4 64.f6 .iJe4+ 65.'it>d4 .iJxf6 66.b7 .iJd7=; 63.~e2? 4Jxf5 64.b7 .iJd4+ 65.~d3 .iJc6=) 63 ... .iJb7 64.\t'f2 .iJd6 65.~g2 .iJb7 66.\t'g3 .iJd6 67.~f4 .iJb7 68.~e5+-. 60.f6 d2 61.~e2!

109

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 61.'it'xd2 .tle4+ should be avoided. 61 ..• 4)d7 62.f7 lit'f5 63.b7 lit'e6

64.f8'filtl-O

46.~g7+ 'it'f8 47.~h7 ~c5+ 48.'M4+-,

Postny) 46.~g7+ 'it'h8 47.§h7+ 'it'g8 48.t7+ ~xt7 49.gxf7+ ~xh7 50.f8'li¥ dl ~=. 43. lit'c3 ,§c844.g5!

The second theme is the fight against passed pawns in rook endings. How to deal with them? There are two important guidelines: the rook should be behind a passed pawn or the king should blockade it. In the following example, both methods playa vital role together with White's own pawn majority: 09.07 V.Anand (2752)V.lvanchuk (2711) Eurotel Trophy Prague 2002 [W]

42 ..§d7! The right square for the rook (behind the most advanced pawn). 42 ... .§f8 Trying to win with 42 ... ~c8?! is very risky, e.g., 43.g5 c3 44.gxf6 d2 45.~e5! ~f8 (45 ... c2? backfires:

Well timed, based on accurate calculation. 44 ..• .§f8 44 ... fxg5? runs into a powerful attack based on the mighty connected passed pawns: 45.f6 b4+ 46.
110

Defending Inferior Endgames Exercises (Solutions on page 184) E09.10 Z.Azmaiparashvili (2676)V.Anand (2757) FIDE Grand Prix Dubai 2002

(W] How to neutralize Black's army of ants?

E09.12 R.Bator (2405)E.Bareev (2555) Saltsjobaden 1987

[B] How did Bareev save his king?

E09.13 P.Blatny (2540)P.Haba (2520) CZE-ch Zlin 1997

E09.11 E.Bareev(2675)A.Naiditsch (2641) FIDE World Cup Khanty Mansiysk 2005

(B] Only with accurate defense can Black hold a draw here. Can you see how?

[B] What is Black's best bet?

111

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 E09.14 S.Atalik (2632)L.Pantsulaia (2611) 37th Olympiad Turin 2006

(WI White's passed h-pawn gives him a draw. But how to achieve it?

9d) Fortresses One of the defender's main weapons in an endgame is to reach a safe set-up, when the attacker cannot make material superiority count as there are no weak points to attack and storm. The following fortress against the queen is typical:

the king can also move, if it does not allow the queen to sacrifice itself favorably or to enter via f8: 88 ... §e6! Now the queen sacrifice does not work. The greedy 88 ... f( xd6+? fails in view of 89.exd6 ~f6 90.~c6+-; 88 ... ~g8? is also wrong: 89:~xg6+ fxg6 90.~d6+-. The defender always has to watch out for such sacrifices that destroy his secure camp! 89.\tIc6 §g6 90.\tId7

§e6 91.~d4 \tIh7 92.~c3 \tIg7 93. ~b2 \tIh7 94. ~b8 \tIg7! 94 ... h5? allows the fatal invasion 95.'£'H8+-. 95. ~b2 \tIh7 96. ~f2 r3)g7 97. ~e3 §g6 98. ~f3 §e6 99. ~c3 \tIh7 100.~g3 §g6 101.~f4 r3)g7 102.~e4 §e6 103.~f5 §g6 104. ~h3 §e6 105. ~g4+ §g6 106.~f5 §e6 107.~xe6 fxe6 108.r3)xe6 h5 109.\tId7 h4110.e6 h3111.e7 h2 Yz-Yz The attacker often needs more men to storm a fortress, which is another important exception to the rule the side which is ahead material exchanges pieces, discussed in Chapter 6.

09.08 Wang Rui (2474) C.Sandipan (2560) Asia-ch 5th Hyderabad 2005 [B)

09.09 B.Christensen (2277) T.Hillarp Persson (2596) Politiken Cup Helsingor 2009 [WI

White cannot force zugzwang since the rook has two safe anchor squares and

White should not exchange his rook:

59.§xb5? 59.Axb5 a3 60.g3+ 112

~f3

Defending Inferior Endgames 6Uha3+ ~xg4 62.~a4 (now the exchange of rooks wins, but if White is not sure about it then he should opt for 62.Ae2+) 62 ... ~xa4 63.Axa4 h5 64.~dl + ~g5 65.~h3 h4. One last trick, but 66.g4 +- simply wins. 66.gxh4+?? is of course wrong as Black will reach one of the most famous fortresses against a bishop, the one with the wrong rook's pawn. 66 ... ~h6 67.~g4 ~g7 6S.~g5 59 ... ~xb5 60.Axb5 a3

~hS"'.

61.Ac4 ~xg4 and Black has a fortress as White cannot use the sharp endgame weapon zugzwang in an effective way. 62.Ae6+ ~f4 63.<\tIh3 h6 64.Aa2 <\tIe3 65.cifjlg3 <\tIe2 66.<\tIh4 <\tIf2 67.g3 <\tIf3 After 67 ... h5?? 6S.Ad5+puts Black into fatal zugzwang. 68.Ad5+ ~f2 69.g4 <\tIe3 70.<\tIh5 ~f4 71.Aa2 <\tIg3 72.Ab3 YZ-YZ (72.~e6 also does not help, 72 ... ~f4 73.~xh6 a2 74.Axa2 ~xg4"'). Pure opposite-color bishop endings have a very large drawing tendency as the bishops live in different worlds and so very often the defender can construct a fortress. Before trading down in such an endgame, the attacker has to be sure that this is correct: 09.10 V.Malakhov (2706)I.Smirin (2662) World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 [B)

47... ~d6? Black must avoid the rook exchange. The following lines show that he can even sacrifice his bishop in some cases: 47 ... f5! 4S.b6 (4S.~c4 13c7+ 49.~d3 §e7-+) 4S ... 13d6! 49.'\t>c2 (49.b7 ~b6+ 50.~c4 Ae5 51.~d3 13b2 52.Af3 [52.~e3 f4+ 53.~f3 ~xb7 54.Afl and with rooks White's fortress can be stormed, e.g., 54 ... ~f6 55 ..1lc4 §e7 56.Afl !J.c7 57.~d3 13h7 5S.13c3 Ae5 59.13c6+ '!;;g7 60.13b6 13h161.13bl ~f6 62S'fie2 ~g5 63.13b3 ~f5 64J~id3 ~gl 65.!'=ib3 Ad4 66.13a3 ~e4-+] 52 ... ~f6 53 ..1lg2 f4 54.Ad5 ~f5 55.Af3 [55.§fl ~b5 56.Ag2 g4 57.~e4 13b4+ 5S.~xe5 f3-+] 55 ... 13b3+ 56.~e2 §e3+-+) 49 ... f4 (Black can also give up his bishop with 49 ... §xb6 50.13xd4 ,!;;f6

and White cannot hold, e.g., 51.§dl f4 52.§al ~d6 53.-'1.f3 [53.§dl §xdl 54.xdl f3-+ ] 53 ... ~e5 54.!'h5+ ,!;;d4 55.~a4+ ~c5 56.§al ~a6 57.§c1 ~a3 58.~d2+ ~d4 59.e2 §e3+-+) 50.b7 Aa7 51.~xd6 f3 52.~a6 AbS 53.13aS fxg2 54.§xbS fl ~ 55.~gS+ xgS 56.bS~+ ~f7-+. 48.<\tIc4 Ae5 4S ... 13h6 isjust too slow: 49.~xd4 §h2 50.13g4+ ~f6 51.13xg3 §xg2 and now the cool 52.§f3+ ~e6 53.~d4"'. 49.~xd6 .1lxd6 50.<\tId5 .Q.b8 50 .. .f5!? 51.b6 (51.~xd6? f4 52.b6 f3 S3.b7 fxg2 54.bS~ fl~-+) 51...f4 52.~e4"'. 51.<\tIe4 <\tIf6 52.b6 <\tIe6

113

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 53.b7 f5+ 54.\tIf3 \tId5 55.\tIe3+ \tIc4 56.Afl+ ~c3 57.~e2 Ac7 58.Ah3 f4 59.Afl \tId4 60.\tIf3 \tIe5 61.Ag2 \tId5

45.Axb7?! 45.exd5 exd5 (45 ... Jlxa6 46.~xa6 exd5 47.b7 and the b-pawn is a powerful force) 46.11d3 (Knaak) was much better. Here it is rather questionable whether or not Black can survive. And of course this position is much easier to play for the machine than the game continuation. 45 ... ~xb7

46.exd5 exd5

47.~a7

.§5c7!?

Kasparov sets a very deep trap into which the computer falls. Fortresses are one area of the royal game where humans are still superior to the silicon monsters. 48.~xb7?! (48.~a5!?)

48 ... .§xb7 49 ..§xd5 .§.c6! 50 ..§db5 62.Afl In opposite-color bishop endings positional considerations often take precedence over material ones. Here Malakhov does even not need his b-pawn. But he can also keep it by

62.'it'e2+ 'it'c5 63.'it'fl 'it'd4 64.'it'e2 fl ~+ 65.Jlxfl =. But 65.'it'xfl? must be avoided: 65 ... 'it'e3 66.Jlh3 f3 -+ . 62 ... ~c6 63.Ag2 ~xb7 64.Afl ~b6 65.Ag2 \tIc5 66.Afl \tId4 67.~e2 Ab6 68.Ag2 ~c3 69.Afl VI-VI

Sometimes playing for a fortress already begins in the middlegame: 09.11 Computer Deep JuniorGKasparov (2847) New York Man-Machine 2003 [W]

50 ... h5 Black has an impregnable fortress as the white rooks are tied to the defense of the b-pawn. Deep Junior does not understand the very nature of this concept and plays on. 51. ~f2 .§e6! assures that White's king remains out of play. 52.f4 g6 53.~g3 ~g7 54.~h4 \tIh6 55 . .§.lb4 .§d6 56.g3 f6 Threatening §bxb6 §xb6?? g5 followed by mate. But such a threat is of course never overlooked by the machine. 57.g4

hxg4 58.hxg4 \tIg7 59..§b3 59.f5 g5+ leads to nothing as 60.'it'h5?? is refuted by 60 ... §b8 61.b7 §h8#. 59 ... .§c6 60.g5 f5 61 ..§.b1 VI-VI

114

Defending Inferior Endgames Exercises (Solutions on page 184) E09.15 Computer ShredderComputerYACE Paderbom 2003

E09.17 M.Middelveld -Z.Peng Dutch women Championship Haaksbergen 2009

{W] When the knight wants to construct a fortress, it must always make sure that it will not fall into zugzwang. So check this before making your decision!

[B) In opposite-color bishop endings the fortress theme plays a major role. Usually the defender can hold. But this is an exception as White has almost no space. How did Peng use this?

E09.16 N.Khurtsidze (2420)GGuseinov (2667) Open Baku 2009

(W] What is White's first priority?

115

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Chapter 10 The Great Tigran Petrosian One of the best defenders was former world champion Tigran Petrosian. He was famous for his instructive exchange sacrifices (see Chapter 7) and the way he employed preventive thinking. To be a strong defender does not mean to have an entirely passive attitude - such as keeping everything defended and only try to stop threats. Such an approach does not work. Petrosian's way to play can be better described as luring his opponents pieces forward into swamp land, where they will become mired and then he will land a powerful counterblow. The next game is quite typical. Petrosian got into a very difficult position relatively early, but he always kept counterplay and made Spassky's job as difficult as possible: 10.01 B.Spassky- T.Petrosian [B14] World Championship Moscow 1966 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 {)f6 5.{)c3 g6!? An interesting sideline against the Panov Variation, with the idea of temporarily sacrificing the d-pawn. 6. ~b3 Ag7 7.cxd5 0-0 8.g3 The game can be nicely compared with the following more common sequence: 8.Ae2 ~a6 9.Af3 'ffio'b6 10.i11xb6 (back then 10AJge2!? was thought to be critical) 10 ... axb6 11..£lge2.£lb4 12.0-0 §.d8 13.d6 §'xd6 14.Af4 §.d71S.§.fdl.£lbdS (IS ... .£lfdS was the move preferred in later games) 16.AeS §.d817 ..£lf4 .£lxf4 (17 ... .£lxc3!? 18.bxc3 §.a3 is the alternative) IB.Axf4 Ag4 19.1ixb7 l'h7!. This novelty was prepared by Ruud Janssen and me

(MvD), before B... ~a6 was picked up again by the elite players a few years later. 20.M3 Jlxf3 21.gxf3 ~dS 22.Ae3

22 ... .£lxc3! A key move in Black's defense. 23.bxc3 §.a3 24.c4 (our analysis went 24.§.dc1 eS 2S.dxeS Axe5 26.Jlxb6 §'d3= Janssen & Van Delft 1998) 24 ... §.a4 25.c5 bxcS 26.dxc5 §.c~ 27.§.ac1 f5 28.c6 ~f7 29.c7 lieS 30.~b6 .la.d6 31.§.c2 ~e6 32.h3 §.b4 33.Ac5 §.b7 34.~xd6 exd6 3S.§.c6 §.bxc7 36.§.cxd6+ <$Je7 37.a4 §.c1 38.'~g2 §'xdl 39.§'xdl §.a8 40.§.d4 ~f6 4l.f4 <$Jg7 42.~f3 ~h6 43.~g3 ~hS 44.§.d7 ~h6 4S.§.d4 ~hS 46.§.c4 §.a7 47.§.b4 §.a8 4B.§.b7 '/z-'/z Solleveld-Van Delft, Dutch U20 Ch, Leiden 1999. 8 ... {)a6 9.jtg2 ~b6 10.~xb6axb611.{)ge2 {)b412.0o §d8 13.d6 §xd6 14.Af4 §d7 15.§fdl {)bd5 16.Ae5 Ah6?! Judging from the above sequence, normal would have been 16 ... §.d8 17 . .£lf4 .£lxc3 IB.bxc3 §.a3 with counterplay. 17.a3 e6?! 17 ... §.dB is still an important option, for example, IB ..£lxdS ~xd5 19.JlxdS §'xd5 20 ..£lc3 §.da5!? 21.!J.c7 Ag4 22.§.el e623.Axb6

116

The Great Tigran Petrosian .§ 5a6 24.Ac5 .!lf3 and the two bishops provide definite compensation for the pawn deficit. 18.4) xdS 4) xd519 ..§.d3 .Il.gS 20.AxdS!? A remarkable and interesting positional decision, to give up the strong bishop in order to eliminate the strong defending knight. 20 .•.exdS?! The position has a closed character now, which eases White's tasks as he can keep complete control and activate his forces easily. It is typical that the side with the knight wants complete control. After 20 ... .§xdS 21.<£\c3 '§da5 it is astonishingly difficult to convert White's initiative into something tangible, e.g., 22.<£\e4 (22 ..§adl!? Ad7 23.d5 h5 looks suspicious, but again it is not so easy for White to reach something real) 22 ... -'te7 23.Af6 Af8! A defender of weaknesses should not be exchanged! 24 ..§b3 b5 25.Ae5 Ae7 26.Ad6 Ad8 27 ..§dl-'1.d7 and Black's drawing chances are greater than in the game. 21.h4 Ad8 22•.§.c1 .§.e722 .. .f6 is met by 23.'§dc3 fxe5 24.dxeS d4 25.~xc8 .§xc8 26 ..§xc8 d3 27.<£\c3 'it'f7 28.f4 and White will round up the far advanced d-pawn soon. 23.4)f4 Ae6 24•.§.dc3

24 •.• j},d7! Petrosian's preserves his valuable bishop. This is the only way to keep practical drawing chances.

24 ... .§e8? 2S.<£\xe6 fxe6 26 ..§c8 .§xc8 27 ..§xc8 \tlf8 28 ..§b8+-. 2S.4)xdS .§.e6 26.j},c7 ~g7 27.j},xd8 .§.xd8 28.4)e3 bS 29.dS .§.b6 30.4)c2?! Removing the knight from its strong post gives Petrosian counterplay on the kingside. It was better to pressurize the queenside with the rooks first, e.g., 30..§b3 .§d6 31..§c7 b6 32 ..§bc3+- and Black has no counterplay. 30 ... h6! Creating a little bit of counterplay on the kingside. 31.4)b4 gS 32.hxgS hxgS 33.~g2 .§.f6 34 . .§.e3 .§.h8 3S.4)d3? A serious mistake wasting most of the advantage. 3S ..§eS! destroys Black's coordination as 3S... .§fh6 is met by 36.'it>f3 \tlf6 37.\tle4 .§hl 38.'§xhl '§xhl 39.<£\d3 .§dl 40.f4+-. 3S ... .§.d6! Reminding the knight of its former task. 36.4)eS? Now the position is more or less equal. The knight had to return: 36.<£\b4 but Black's counterplay 36 ... -'1.h3+ 37.'~gl E!.dh6 38..§ec3 JUS 39.f3 .§h2 gives him good drawing chances anyway. 36 ••• .Q.h3+ 37.~f3 .§.xd5 38 . .§.c7 38.g4 .§e8 39 ..§cel fS and the bishops escapes. 38 ... Jle6 39 . .§.x b7 .§.cS The active 39 ... .§d2!? was an alternative as Black should be able to hold the endgame after 40.'§xb5 AdS+ 41..§xd5 .§xdS. 40 ..§.a7 40.b4 is answered by 40 ....§d5. 40... JldS+? Unnecessarily activating White's king. The immediate 40 ... .§c2 was called for. 41.~g4 .§.c2 Petrosian's sealed move. A well-chosen moment as it is clear that the difficult questions may be studied at home. 42.~xg5 Elxf2 42 ... .§xb2!? 43.E!.d3 (after 43.f4?! Black can defend with 43 ... .§a8) 43 ... .§a8 44 ..§c7 Aa2 (44 ... Ae6? 45 ..§f3 .§f8 46 ..§f6+-) 45.f4 b4 46.axb4 '§xb4 and with pawns only on one wing, Black has reasonable chances to survive, but matters are not completely clear. One 117

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 advantage of the game continuation may be that it is more difficult to play for White. 43 . .!£Jd3

43 ... §f3! Petrosian must reduce the attacking potential. 44.§ae7? Removing the active rook from the seventh rank is a concession. 44.1:'!xf3 Axf345.'it'f4Ad546.t'l.d7 Ac647.1:'!c7, with good winning chances, was called for. But in practical play such an advantage is very hard to convert. 44 ... §xe3 45.§xe3 f6+r The defensive set up is more effective with the pawn on a dark square to complement the bishop. 46.'it'f4 r:!;f7 47 . .!£Jb4 .\lc4 4S.§c3 §h2 49.b3 .\le6 50•.!£Jd3 §a2

51.§c7+? The alternative 51.b4!? is more logical as it keeps the position more closed, e.g., 51...'it'e7 52.4Jc5 .ild5

53.1:'!d3 and White's winning chances are much better than in the game as he has more control. 5l ... 'it'g6 52 . .!£Jc5 .\lf7 53.§b7 Because of the reduced material, Black has decent drawing chances, for example, 53.1:'!a7 b4 54.a4 §a3 55.§b7 Axb3 56.§xb4 Adl. 53 ... §xa3 54.§xb5 §al 55.~e4 §fl+ 56.r:!;e3 §el+ 57.r:!;f3 §f1+ 5S.r:!;e2 §bl 59.~d2 §gl60.'it'f2 §cl 61.b4 §c2 62.'it'e3 §c3+ 63. r:!;f4 §d3! Destroying the coordination of White's king and knight. 64 ..!£Jf3 64.4Je4 Ad5 64....\ld5 65 ..!£Jh4+ r:!;f7 66.§b8?! 66.1:'!b6 was more precise, but Black should draw nevertheless, e.g., 66 ... 1:'!c3 67.b51:'!b3 6S.4Jf51:'!f3+ 69.'it'g4 §b3. 66 ... §d4+ 67.r:!;e3 §e4+ 6s.r:!;f2 r:!;e7! 69 ..!£Jg6+ r:!;d7 70 . .!£Jf4 70.b5 'it'c7 71.1:'!fS 1:'!b4 72.4Jf4 1:'!xb5 73.4Jxd5+ 1:'!xd5 74.1:'!xf6 'it'd7 with a theoretically drawn rook endgame. 70 ... .\lc6 7l . .!£Jd3 Black's defense is based on 71.b5 'it'c7!. 71 ... r:!;c7 72.§fS .\lb5 73..!£Jf4

73 ... r:!;d7 74.§f7+ 74.4Jd5 is met by 74 ... §d4. 74 •.. r:!;eS 75.§b7 §xb4 76.~d5 §b2+ 77.'it'e3 §b3+ 7S.r:!;f4 .\lc4 79 . .!£Jxf6+ r:!;fS YI-YI The message is clear: always keep on fighting!

ll8

The Great Tigran Petrosian In the next example, Petros ian manages to take away the initiative from a young Mikhail Tal, but Misha does miss several wins later: 10.02 M.Tal- T.Petrosian le97] URS-ch Riga 1958

1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ab5 a6 4.Aa4 4)f6 5.0-0 Ae7 6.§el b5 7.Ab3 0oS.c3 d6 9.h3 4)a510.Ac2 c511.d4 'ItIc7 12.4)bd2 Ad7 13.4)f1 4)c4 14.4)e3 4) xe3 15.Axe3 Ae6 16.4)d2 §feS17.f4 §adSlS.fxe5 dxe5 19.d5 Ad7 20.c4 §bS 21.a4 b422.a5!

Tal has achieved a stable advantage as Black has no counterplay on the queens ide, while his long-term prospects on the kingside are good if Black remains passive. 22 ... §fS 23.Aa4 -'lxa4 24.§xa4 §bdS!? The start of an ingenious plan to disrupt Tal's set-up. 25.'ltlf3 §d6 Petrosian's point. The rook will swing over to the kingside. 26.4)b3 4)d7 27.§aal.§g6

2S ..§f1 Ad6 29.h4 'ItIdS 30.h5 §f6 31.'ItIg4?! 31.~g3! is more precise. (D) White only needs the move g2-g3 to consolidate his advantage. But now comes another famous instance of Petrosian's hallmark sacrifice:

31 ... .§f4!1 32.Axf4 32J!xf4 exf4 33.Axf4 ~f6 34.Axd6 ~xd6 gives Black a solid blockade. 32 ... exf4 33.4)d2

33 ... 4)e5? Blockade is the right concept of course, but Black' pieces have more active options after 33 ... Ae5!. 34.~xf4? "White must now play accurately, which is rather difficult. Any experienced player knows how a change in the character of the play influences your psychological mood .. .In addition, Mikhail Nekhemevich did not like defending" (Kasparov in On my Great Predecessors). 34.~h3 limits the counterplay and gives White a clear advantage. 34... 4) xc4 35.e5

119

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 44.~xa6

/ilxdl

45.~xa7 ~xd6

46.~d7

35 ... /il xe5! Petrosian continues in consequent style. 35 ... 4Jxd2? 36.exd6 4Jxfl 37.1:hfl h6 3B.b3 gives White dangerous passed pawns and a position in which Tal is like a fish in the water. 36.4)e4 h6 37.§'ael? Now Petrosian even gets some chances to play for the full point. He has managed to wrest the initiative from Tal completely. Certainly no small achievement against the Magician from Riga. After 37.b3, White is certainly not worse. 37... Jl,bS! 3S.§.dl c4 39.d6

46 ... ~xf6?! The surprising 46 ... E!d8! wins easily, as White's camp is split in two, e.g., 47.t1xd6 E!xd6 4B.a6 gxf6 49.a7 E!d8-+ . 47. ~xdl §.b8? Missing the decisive zwischenzug 47 ... t1a6! 48.E!f4 E!bB-+.

/ild3

4S.§.f3? The rook is already well placed

40. ~g4? 40.~e3 was forced, but after 40 .. .'~d7 Black remains for choice. 40 ... Jl,a7+ 4V~hl f5 The sealed move. Black should be winning, but in the resumption, Tal manages to confuse Petrosian: 42./ilf6+! WhS 42 .. .'~xf6?? 43."i!rxc4++-. 43.~xc4 /ilxb2

for attack and defense. The queen's position should be improved with 4B:~d3 b3 49.a6 (Kasparov) with the idea of exchanging the queenside pawns to eliminate the second front. 4S ... §.aS? This allows White's defensive forces to hold the kingside. After 48 ... E!b5 49.'~el 'itth7 50.E!b3 E!xa5 51.t1xb4 E!al + 5Z.'itthZ E!fl-+ (Kasparov), Black's attack decides. 49.~elf §.xa5 50.~xb4 With pawns only on one wing, White is able to hold.

120

The Great Tigran Petrosian But one critical moment is yet to come: 50...13e5 51.'~f4 ~h7 52.~h213d5 53.13ft ~g5 54.~f3 ~e5 55.~gl 13c5 56. ti\'f2 13e5 57. 'M'f3 13a5

The next game shows that Petrosian was also a very strong tactician, which is quite typical for the tenacious defenders:

58.~h2 ~h8 59.~gl13a2

10.03 T.Petrosian - B.Spassky [E66] Moscow 1966

Vilf3 4Jf6 2.g3 g6 3.c4 j},g74.j}.g2 0-0 5.0-0 4Jc6 6.4Jc3 d6 7.d4 a6 8.d5 4Ja5 9.4Jd2c510.'li1fc2e5 1l.b3 4Jg4 12.e4 f5 13.exf5 gxf5

60. ~d5? Tal seeks activity as usual, but losing control over e3 should have had fatal consequences. 60.!=!el was called for. 60 ... ~c2? Kasparov shows the way to win: 60 .. :i:ire3+ 61.~h2 !=!a4 62.'~yd8+ ~h7 63 ..§.xf5 14.lildl!? A retreat in typical Petrosian style. Spassky seems to be lured into the following premature attack. 14...b5 15.f3 e4 16.Ab2 exf3 17.Axf3 -'txb218.'li1fxb24)e519.Ae2

63 ... .§.d4!!. Instructive geometry! 64.E!d5 E!g4 65.E!d3 ~e5+ 66.~gl 'l!Ye4 67.'l!Yd5 E!xg2+ 68.~hl ~xd5 69.E!xd5 E!g5-+. 61.~a8+ ~h7 62.~f3 Etcl 63.13xcl ~xcl+ 64.~h2 'tfjc7+ 65.'it'h3 'li1fe5 66.g4 fxg4+ 67.~xg4 ~g5+ 68.'it'h3 'li1ff6 69. 'li1fe4+ ~g8 70. 'li1fe8+ 'li1ff8 71.'li1fxf8+ 'it'xf8 72.~g4 'it'f7 73. 'it'f5 YZ-YZ

19 ... f4? Spassky, true to his style, starts a direct attack. But he is not ready for it. 19 ... Ad7 20.~e3 'l!Yf6 is better. 20.gxf4? Exchanging Black's active 121

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 rook with 20.E!.xf4 E!.xf4 21.gxf4 is even stronger: 21...tlJg6 22.tlJe4 4Jxf4 23.~hl Af5 24.4Jdf2±. 20 .•. .\lh3 20 ... E!.xf4 does also not neutralize White's initiative completely, e.g., 21.E!.xf4 ~g5+ 22.~hl ~xf4 23.4Jc3 ~d4 24.E!.f1. 21 ..£)e3!

21 ....\lxf1? Too greedy. Spassky most probably has difficulties switching over to defense. Black had to try to exchange as many pieces as possible with 21. .. l''1.xf4 22.l"!.xf4 ~g5+ 23.l"!.g4 4Jxg4 24.4Jxg4 Axg4 25.Axg4 ~xg4+ 26.~hl ~d4 27.E!.gl + ~h8 28.~xd4+ cxd4 29.4Je4 4Jb7 and the limited material gives Black practical drawing chances according to Kasparov. 22 ..§xfl.£)g6 23..\lg4! (D) The last critical moment has arisen. 23 ... .£)xf4? runs into a thunderous attack. 23 ... ~f6! was the last chance to fight, e.g., 24.Ae6+ ~g7 (24 ... ~h8 25.~xf6+ l"!.xf6 26.f5 4Je5 27.4Je4!±,

Kasparov) 25.4Jf5+ ~h8 26.~xf6+ E!.xf6 27.cxb5 4Jf8 28.4Je4±. 24. .§xf4! .§xf4 25.Ae6+ .§f7 26 •.£)e4 'i!!1Ih4 26 ... E!.aa7 27.4Jf5 ~f8 28.~f6+-27 . .£)xd6 'i!!1Ig5+ 28.~hl .§aa7 28 ... ~xe3 29.Axf7+ ~8 30.~h8+ ~e7 31.4Jf5+~d7 (31 ... ~xf7 32.~g7+ ~e8 33.4Jxe3 +-) 32.Ae6+ ~c7 33.~xh7++-

29.Axf7+ .§xf7 30.'i!!1Ih8+! 1-0 A beautiful finishing in style of this masterpiece!

122

The Great Tigran Petros ian Exercises (Solutions on page 185) EIO.Ol M.Botvinnik- T.Petrosian World Championship Moscow 1963

EIO.03 I.Lipnitsky- T.Petrosian URS-ch18 Moscow 1950

[B) The guideline that opposite-color bishops favor the attacker plays into White's hands here. How did Petros ian deal with the problem?

[B) The drawish tendency of rook endings often helps the defender. But in this case Petrosian did not find the path to salvation. Can you do better?

EIO.02 R.J.Fischer- T.Petrosian Santa Monica 1966

EIO.04 T.Petrosian-M.Botvinnik URS-chI9 Moscow 1951

[B) At first sight White's initiative looks extremely dangerous. But Petrosian showed that this is deceptive. Can you do the same?

[W] How to save the wayward steed?

123

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 El 0.05 A.Bannik - T.Petrosian URS-ch24 Moscow 1957

[BI In this very messy and difficult position, Black has only one way to continue the fight. Can you find it?

Easy Exercises (Solutions on page 186) We now get to the exercise section; this is basically a warm-up for the subsequent test section. The test section contains positions which are in general more difficult than these next two dozen exercises. The "Easy Exercises" are equivalent in diffculty to the one-pointers in the "Test" section. Whether you choose to do a few of the "Easy Exercises" and then go on to a few problems in the "Test" section, or prefer to play straight through both, the value is in the voyage: Whether you get every solution correct or not is less important than the spending of serious time trying to solve these positions.

El1.01 V.Egin (2395)-GSerper (2590)

Ell.02 S.Grigoriants (2503)S.Volkov (2554)

Uzbekistan 1993

RUS Cup final 4th Elista 2000

[BI Black seems to be in dire straits, [WI How to fend off Black's attack? doesn't he, as his knight is dominated. 124

Easy Exercises

Ell.03 V.Ivanchuk (2709)A.Shirov (2751) Amber-blind 9th Monte Carlo 2000

(W] Is White lost?

Ell.05 A.Kovalevsky (2405)V.Gagarin (2410) Rossia 1991

[W) Can White defend?

El1.04 S.Kostyra (2365)GKiselev (2365) Polska 1992

(B] Can White's attack be stopped?

EI1.06 KSakaev - K.MiiUer German Bundesliga, HSK-Porz, Hamburg 2007

(B) As White's attack is based on the presence of opposite-color bishops, it is not so easy to parry, in spite of the extra rook. What to do?

125

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Et1.07 D.SteUwagen (2396)J.Delemarre (2415) NED-chT playoffEnschede 2002

[WI All of Black's army is aiming at White's kingside. Can you fortify it nevertheless?

Ell.09 B.Tasic (2245)J.Dorfman (2555) Nice 1993

[B) Should Black recapture on b5?

Ell.OS LStohl (2534) - E.Sutovsky (2664) EU-chT (Men) Leon 2001

[B) White wants to bring his knight into the attack. What to do?

Ell.tO T.Thorhallsson (24S0)RNijboer (2580) VISA OP Reykjavik 1998

[WI How did White force a draw?

126

Easy Exercises

Ell.ll D.Velimirovic (2535)I.Ivanisevic (2460) YUG-ch53 Belgrade 1998

(B) Can Black's 4Jg4 reunite with the rest of the forces?

Ell.13 Zhang Pengxiang (2360)Peng Xiaomin (2530) Lee Cup 4th Beijing 1997

(W] Where to hide?

Ell.12A.Wohl (2438)D.Karatorossian (2345) Ubeda2000

Ell.14 D.Zifroni (2500)A.Kaspi (2525) CzemiakMemorial, Tel Aviv 1998

[B) Has White gone too far or is Black defenseless?

(B) All rook endings are drawn according to Dr Tarrasch 's old aphorism and this is no exception as Kaspi proved. Can you do the same?

127

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Ell.17 A.Fedorov(2580)GGiorgadze (2595) RUS-Cup Krasnodar 1997

Ell.15 B.Gelfand (2700)V.Salov (2665) Dos Hermanas 1997

(B) How did Salov take the initiative?

(WI How did White force a draw?

Ell.16 M.M.Ivanov (2500)J.Dorfman (2585) Enghien les Bains 1997

(B) Did Black manage to parry the onslaught?

Ell.I8 V.Varavin (2505)A.Fominyh (2545) RUS-Cup Perm 1997

(BI Where should the queen go?

128

Easy Exercises

Ell.19 M.IlIescas Cordoba (2635)V.Andersson (2655) Ubeda 1997

[B) Is Black lost?

Ell.21 V.TopaJov(2783)L. van WeJy (2683) Corns Wijk aan Zee 2007

(W] Loek van Wely has tried one last joke. How did Topalov call the bluff?

Ell.20 V.lvanchuk (2730)V.TopaJov (2750) Las Palmas 1996

[B) How to deal with White's attack?

Ell.22A.Gavrilov (2481)RHandke (2513) 39th Rilton Cup Stockholm 20 I 0

(W] Find the only saving square!

129

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Ell.23 K.Asrian (2575)A.Nadanian (2410) ARM-ch Yerevan 1999

Ell.24 S.Sarno (2399)O.Touzane(2352) Mitropa Cup, Leipzig 2002

[W] How to defend against Black's threat to take on h3?

[W] Black's attackers outnumber the defenders. What to do about it?

130

Tests You have one hour for each of the sixteen tests, a time limit that is probably best measured with a chess clock to simulate a game-like athmosphere. Solve them from the diagrams and write your solutions on a sheet of paper. To get a more precise value, we advise you to take your average over all 16 tests. Of course the values (your "Elo as a Defender") must be taken with a large grain of salt. 0-1: Study the chapters again! 2-3: below 1500 4-5: 1500 6-7: 1700 8-9: 1900 10-11: 2100 12-13: 2300 14-15: 2500 16: Challenge the World Champion! Even more important than the result of this calculation is that you make a concerted effort to solve the positions and to enjoy yourself while doing so. There is a paradox here: If on the one hand you are comfortably reading a chess book, feeling you understand everything, you may in fact not be learning anything. lion the other hand you really put a lot of effort in and feel stupid because you couldn't solve the exercise ("looking for the edges of your comfort zone" in Rowson's words), in reality you may in fact be learning something. Another idea is to compete with your friends to add spice to the task. In any event, the right mindset is the real key to being a tenacious defender!

131

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 1 (Solutions on page 190) T01.01 Minev - Keller Bern 1977

[B] How to exploit the pin along the d-file?

T01.03 D.Botto - L.Christiansen Buenos Aires U 18 1975

[W] How to counter dangerously active army?

Black's

TO 1.02 I.Miladinovic (2565)L.Degerman (2490) Sigeman & Co Malmo 1998

TO 1.04 J.Rukavina (2460)S.Kishnev (2370) Sibenik 1987

[W] Black's mighty b-pawn seems to decide the day, doesn't it?

[B] White's major pieces are well coordinated, but his king is also exposed, so there should be a defense. Can you find it?

132

Test 1

TOt.05 K.MiiUer (2558) R.Kempinski (2533) International Hamburg-ch 1999

[B) Find Black's only defense!

TO 1.06 M.Wahls - E.Dizdarevic Liechtenstein 1985

[W1 How to defend against the threats?

TOl.07 MacDonald - Burn Liverpool19IO

[B) Find Black's last chance!

TOt.08 D.Svetushkin (2486)C.lonescu (2446) Ciocaltea Memorial Bucharest 2000

[B] Black's kingside pawn shield is tom to pieces. What to do about it?

133

The ChessOife Puzzle Book 3

Test 2 (Solutions on page 191) T02.01 P.Lukacs (2475) Z.Gyimesi (2480) HUN-ch Budapest 1996

T02.03 L.Ftacnik (2585)S.B.Hansen (2499) International Hamburg-ch 1999

[B) How to coordinate Black's defense?

[W] White must be very careful because of his exposed king. Find his only defense!

T02.02 B.Damljanovic (2587)H.Banikas (2542) EU-ch 4th Istanbul 2003

T02.04 A.Shirov (2500)J.Lapinski (2200) Daugavpils 1990

[B] How to deal with White's dangerous a-pawn?

[B) In this sharp line of the King's Gambit Shirov has thrown the kitchen sink at his opponent. Is he winning?

134

Test 2

T02.05 N .Lubbe (2353)N.Huschenbeth (2404) 81 st ch-G ER Bad Liebenze1l20 10

T02.07 I.Tsesarsky (2430)A.Kaspi (2510) ISR-ch op RamatAviv 1999

[W] Can White avoid falling into fatal zugzwang?

[B] Is Black's king caught in a mating net?

T02.06 T.Petrosian - M.Botvinnik Wch25-Moscow 1963

T02.08 T.Todorov (2420)T.Balogh (2425) Krynicazt 1998

[B] How to deal with the threat against Black's e-pawn?

[B) White has counted on winning back the exchange. How to react?

135

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 3 (Solutions on page 193) T03.01 R.Cifuentes ParadaGMiios Santiago 1987

[B] Black cannot take the bishop, but is nevertheless not lost. Can you see why?

T03.03 A.Miles (2565) V.Smyslov (2610) Tilburg 1984

(BJ How to solve Black's problems?

T03.02 Z.Efimenko (2439)I.Miladinovic (2519) EU -ch 2nd Ohrid 200 I

(B] Black's Ab4 is under attack and his king is not entirely secure. Is he lost?

T03.04 V.Dinstuhl (2416)M.Mulyar (2446) Bermuda-B 2003

(BJ How to deal with the threatened back-rank mate?

136

Test 3

T03.07 Z.Hracek (2615)A.Shirov (2720) Ostrava 1998

T03.05 M.Botvinnik - T.Petrosian Wch25-Moscow 1963

[WI How to use White's activity?

[B] How to co un terattack?

continue Black's

T03.06 D.Tyomkin (2504)Y.Stisis (2374) ISR-ch op Tel Aviv 1999

T03.08 R.Vaganian (2623)A.Shirov (2746) Istanbul 012000

[WI Black has given a piece for the initiative. How did Tyomkin neutralize it?

[B] How can Black survive against all those threats?

137

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 4 (Solutions on page 194) T04.01 L.van Wely (2645)A.Aleksandrov (2654) EUCup Chalkidiki 2002

T04.03 Zezulkin, Y (2415) Kozakov,M (2265) Polanica Zdroj 1993

[W] How to consolidate White's material advantage?

(B] To take or not to take, that is the question.

T04.02 Zhang Zhong (2530)Tong Yuanming (2505) Tan Chin Nam Cup Beijing 1998

T04.04 Linn - Rosenfield corr.1987

(8] How to repel White's attack?

[8] Can Black survive?

138

Test 4

T04.05 T.Petrosian - O.Moiseev URS-ch Moscow 1951

T04.07 L.Gofshtein (2498)E.Rozentalis (2620) ISR-chT playoff Tel Aviv 2002

[B) What to do with the attacked knight?

[B) White has sacrificed a knight, but can count on getting the material back. What is the best way to give it back?

T04.06 L.van Wely (2683)P.Svidler (2728) Corns A Wijk aan Zee 2007

T04.08 J. van der Wiel (2525)M.Kobalia (2500) Hoogovens-B Wijk aan Zee 1998

[B) White's forces are aiming at the kingside, but he can also just continue to increase the pressure in the center. What to do about it?

[B) Both kings are under attack, but White seems to be faster, or... ?

139

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Test 5 (Solutions on page 196) T05.01 Z.Efimenko (2546)G Tunik (2469) Moscow Aeroflot Open 2002

[B] Black can't avoid losing material, but should he also lose the game?

T05.03 A.Morozevich (2749)V.TopaJov (2711) Dortmund 2001

[B] How to stop White's attack?

T05.02 N.Rashkovsky (2530)B.Shovunov (2320) RUS-ch Elista 1996

[B] How to take advantage of White's exposed king?

T05.04 S.Baumegger (2456) O.Lehner (2407) TCh-A UT Baden 2010

[B] What can Black do here?

140

Test 5

T05.05 V.Topalov (2801)T.Radjabov (2700) MoreliaiLinares 2006

[B] How to deal with Topalov's kingside attack?

T05.07 KLieder (2091)D.Abel (2294) DEM U 18 Willingen 2007

[WI White to move and draw.

T05.08A.Shirov (2751)J.Piket (2633) Amber-blind 9th Monte Carlo 2000

T05.06 I.Glek (2590) - A.shirov (2706) Corsica Masters Open Bastia 200 I

[BI Rook and knight endings are often

[WI How to control the chaos?

tactically tricky. How could Shirov still have saved himself?

141

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 6 (Solutions on page 198) T06.03 A.Shirov (2685) L. van Wely (2605) Tilburg Fontys 1996

T06.01 A.Finkel (2500) B.Kantsler (2535) Israel 1998

[B] How to take the sting out of White's attack?

[B] Which king is more exposed?

T06.02 M.Krasenkow (2661)Xie Jun (2542) Sufe Cup Shanghai 2000

[B] How to parry White's attack?

T06.04 M. Taimanov - B.Larsen Vinkovci1970

[B] Taimanov has started one of his dangerous attacks. But he had missed a detail. Which one?

142

Test 6

T06.05 L.Ftacnik (2540)J.Murey (2505) New York Open 1987

[W] White has played a bit carelessly in this typical fortress, but he can still save himself in a study-like way. Can you find it?

T06.07 S.Rublevsky (2639)Peng Xiaomin (2629) CHN-RUS Summit Men Shanghai 2001

[B) Everything depends on the strength ofthe various passed pawns here. What is Black's first priority?

T06.08 C.Hansen (2626) E.Sutovsky (2651)

T06.06 Grigoriev 1938

[W] Sometimes a knight can look really helpless. But here it can reach the pawn just in time. Can you see how?

North Sea Cup Esbjerg 2001

[W] Black's attack seems to be quicker, or... ?

143

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 7 (Solutions on page 200) T07.01 J.Rowson (2485)M.Adams (2670)

T07.03 V.Rogovski (2443)S.Kuznetsov

London 1998

UKR-ch Ordzhonikidze 2001

[WI Can White still defend against Black's dangerous queen and minor pieces?

[WI How to deal with Black's kings ide attack?

T07.02 J.Lautier (2658)J.M.Degraeve (2589)

T07.04 K.Miiller-J.Waitzkin

Clichy2001

Mermaid Beach GM Bermuda 1998

[B] How to deal with the threat against Black's rook?

[BI How to organize the defense of Black's exposed king?

144

Test 7

T07.05Y.Zilberman (2516)B.Avrukh (2609) TelAviv 1999

T07.07 E.Alekseev (2715)P.Svidler (2727) RUS-ch Moscow 2008

(B) How to neutralize White's initiative? [W] Black's only problem is his slightly misplaced king. But how to take advantage of it?

T07.06 A.Shirov (2685)(1l(asparov(2785) Yerevan Olympiad 1996

T07.08 E.Bareev (2688)R.Ruck (2546) EU-chT Gothenburg 2005

(B] How to use Black's initiative? (W] Can you find White's only defense?

145

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3

Test 8 (Solutions on page 201) T08.03 G Vescovi (2525)R.Leitao (2550) BRA-ch playoffItabirito 1998

T08.01 A.Shirov (2722)A.Morozevich (2749) Astana2001

[B) It looks like White just wins another pawn and the game. But looks can be deceptive.

[W] How to deal with the invasion of Black's queen?

T08.02 V.Kotronias (2590) P.Ricardi (2575) NajdorfMemorial Buenos Aires 1997

[B) How to deal with White's attack?

T08.04 L.Gutman -A.Vitolinsh USSR 1979

IB] The Latvian Alvis Vitolinsh was a great master of sacrificial attacks, but here he had to defend. He did it in style. Can you do the same?

146

Test 8

T08.05 M.Marin (2425)M.Condie (2425) Oakham 1986

[B) How should the game end?

T08.07 GGajewski (2540)S.Movsesian (2642) EU-ch Dresden 2007

[W] Black's king is so far away that the active rook can hold. (Hint: in one variation the endgame t=!+ft versus Y£f arises, which is drawn according to the tablebases. )

T08.06 Privalov - M.Hrabinska Lvov rapid 2001

T08.08 R.Ruck (2548) D.Fridman (2661) German Bundesliga Eppingen 2009

[W] Black has the better minor piece and superior structure, but White is to move.

[W] Black's passed b-pawn is threatening to march forward to victory. What to do about it?

147

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 9 (Solutions on page 203) T09.01 J.Polgar (2677) A.Karpov (2710) Dos Hermanas 1999

[B] How did Karpov equalize on the spot?

T09.03 F.VaUejo Pons (2629)M.Adams (2742) Linares 2002

[B] How to parry White's attack?

T09.02 J. Timman (2590)P.Leko (2630) Groningen 1996

T09.04 M.Grabarczyk (2487)R.Wojtaszek (2569) POL-ch Poznan 2005

[B] Leko missed the only defense over the board. Can you do better?

[B) With his two extra pawns White would technically be winning. But Black is to move ...

148

Test 9

T09.05 A.Karpov (2735)A.Shirov (2710) Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1998

T09.07 D.Jakovenko (2760)E.Bacrot (2721) Dortmund 2009

[WI Karpov drew easily. Can you do the same?

[BI Despite the drawish tendency of opposite-color bishop endings, Black's situation is desperate. But there is an amazing way to survive. Can you find it?

T09.06 T.Markowski (2568)B.Gelfand (2681) Rubinstein Memorial Polanic;aZdroj 2000

T09.08 A.Morozevich (2749)M.Adams (2744) Dortmund 2001

[B) How did Gelfand save himself?

[B) How to deal with White's mating threat?

149

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 10 (Solutions on page 204) TI0.01 D.Ntiloudi (1913)S.Meenakshi (2310) Kalamaria 2006

[B] Should Black exchange queens?

Tl 0.03 V.Mikhalevski (2540) L.Shmuter (2485) Israel 1998

[W] From a material point of view White is fine. But what about his incarcerated rook?

TI0.02 Zhu Chen (2476)F.Petritaj (2210) Acropolis Open Athens 2006

T1 0.04 V.Anand (2795)L.Oll (2650) EUCup final Belgrade 1999

[B] Black's pawn is obviously lost. But what about the game?

[B] How to deal with the threat against the e8-rook?

150

Test 10

TIO.05 J.Lautier (2625)V.TopaJov (2700) Elista Olympiad 1998

T1 0.07 K.F.FoudziM. Vachier Lagrave (2358) WYb 12 Heraklio 2002

(W] Black has a strong attack on the dark squares. What to do about it?

(WI Usually two extra pawns win even in a rook ending. But here Black's king is so vulnerable that White can save himself. Can you see how?

TlO.06A.Shirov (2699)M.Kazhgaleyev (2604) Corsica Masters Bastia2002

(B) How can Black use the famous queen+knight duo to draw?

Tl 0.08 P. Tregubov - K.MiiUer Gennan Bundesliga 2008

(B) One ofthe authors, playing Black, missed the best defense. Can you do better?

151

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 11 (Solutions on page 206) Tl1.01 K.Slechta (1935)P.Benes (2189) Prague 2006

Tll.03 A.Sbabalov (2601)C.Lutz (2606) Istanbul Olympiad 2000

[B) What is Black's first priority?

[B) How did Lutz rescue himself?

Tll.02 V.TopaJov (2813)V.Kramnik (2743) World Championship Match Elista 2006

T11.04 F. Vallejo Pons (2666)P.Svidler (2733) Leon 2004

[WI Topalov missed the way to draw here. Can you do better?

[WI White has a study-like way to save himself. Can you find it?

152

Test 11

Tl1.05 T.Petrik (2515)I.Saric (2393) Pula 2006

[B) How to deal with White's dangerous a-pawn?

Tl1.07 J.Timman (2635)L.van Wely (2605) Breda 1998

[B) Is Black lost?

Ttl.08 Zhao Jun (2552)L.D.Nisipeanu (2668) World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2007

Tl1.06 I.Glek (2553)S.Mamedyarov (2722) ECU Club Cup Ftigen 2006

(B) How to deal with White's pawns?

(W) How can White force a draw?

153

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 12 (Solutions on page 207) T12.01 E.Berg (2610)R.Robson (2491) Arctic Chess ChaIlenge Tromso 2009

IB] Ray Robson needed a draw in this rook ending for a grandmaster nonn. How did he achieve it?

TI2.03 D.Jakovenko (2711)A. Volokitin (2684) ForosAerosvit 2008

[B} To defend actively or passively?

TI2.02 B.Gelfand (2720)V.Kramnik (2788) Moscow Tal Memorial 2008

TI2.04 T.Radjabov (2751)M.Carlsen (2765) Baku FIDE Grand Prix 2008

[W] While calculating far ahead Kramnik missed White's only defense. Can you spot it?

[WI Magnus' mighty pawns seem to be unstoppable. How to defend?

154

Test 12

Tt2.05 E.Postny (2616)D.Baramidze (2561) Gennan Bundesliga 2007

Tt2.07 S.Berezjuk (2435) C.Joecks (2375)

[WI How did Postny rescue his knight?

[BI There is only a very narrow path for Black to continue the fight. Can you find it?

T12.06 B.Ziiger (2430) C.Landenbergue(2415)

Tt2.08 V.Gaprindashvili (2390)A.Rustemov (2573)

Switzerland (ch) 1991

Wichern Open Hamburg 1999

[WI Can Black's dangerous attack be stopped?

Erfurt 1993

(WI How to stop Black's a-pawn?

155

The ChessCaft Puzzle Book 3

Test 13 (Solutions on page 209) T13.01 J.Timman (2578)L.van Wely(2617) Corus Wijk aan Zee 2004

[B] How to defend with Black?

T13.03 V.Anand (2799)S.Mamedyarov (2760) Corus Wijk aan Zee 2008

[B] How to deal with White's dangerous passed pawns?

T13.02 R.Kasimdzhanov (2668)D.Sadvakasov(2595) Samba Cup Skanderborg 2003

T13.04 K.Miiller-R.Appel Bundesliga Hamburg 2009

[B] How did Black prove that White's compensation is insufficient?

[W] White has two ways to draw. Find one of them!

156

Test 13

T13.05 J.Piket (2640)GKasparov (2795) Linares 1997

T13.07 D.Jakovenko (2710)P.Leko (2755) Moscow Tal Memorial 2007

[WI White's days seem to be numbered, but Piket managed to find a saving resource. Can you do the same?

[WI How to deal with Black's passed dpawn?

T13.06 L.Ftacnik (2585)O.Cvitan (2570) Germany 1997

T13.08 Analysis of GKasparov (2625) - U.Andersson (2610) Moscow 1981

[W] In this typical King's Indian fight, a highly critical moment has been reached. To continue play on the queenside or not?

[BI Ulf Andersson had most probably seen this position over the board. How does Black save himself?

157

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Test 14 (Solutions on page 211) T14.01 K.Georgiev (2666)V.Kotronias (2587) EU-chT Gothenburg 2005

T14.03 M.Lindinger (2322)A.Albers (1995) International Hamburg Champ. 2006

[BJ How to deal with White's passed pawn?

[B] Black's rook has only one saving square. Find it!

T14.02 A.Braun (2465)P.D.Nielsen (2646) Gennan Bundesliga 2005

T14.04 T. Wanderer (2206)A.Kopinits (2096) Graz2006

[B] White's attack is more dangerous than it looks at first sight. But Nielsen found a defense. Can you do the same?

[WI At first sight White is in zugzwang and the active black king will win. But this is deceptive ...

158

Test 14

T14.05 K.Miiller (2500)M.Hoffmann (247S) Gennan Bundesliga 2007

(BI What is Black's best bet?

T14.06 V. Topalov (2757)M.Adams (2741) Linares 2005 '

(BI How to continue Black's attack?

T14.07 S.Karjakin (2723)S.Mamedyarov (2719) World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009

(BI How can Black draw this rook ending?

T14.0S R.Ponomariov (2739)E.Bacrot (2700) World Chess Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2009

[BI Ponomariov's last move 82.'it'f7 was a mistake, How did Bacrot exploit it?

159

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3

Test 15 (Solutions on page 212) Tl5.01 P.Keres - OJ.KaiJa Baltic-FIN U26 Tartu 1938

TlS.03 K.Shantharam (2260)D.Prasad (2445) Madras 1994

[BI The great Paul Keres is threatening mate in three moves. What to do?

[B] White's rooks want to invade quickly. What to do about it?

TlS.02 A.Shirov (2695)M.Kazhgaleyev (2600) 6th Corsica Masters, Bastia 2002

Tl5.04 A.Motylev (2634)J.Polgar (2681) EUCup Chalkidiki 2002

[W] Opposite-color bishops favor the attacker. How did Shirov use the guideline here?

IB] Whose attack is more dangerous?

160

Test 15

Tl5.05 K.Sasikiran (2573)L.van Wely (2643)

Tl5.07 F.de la Paz (2456) J.C.Gonzalez Zamora (2515)

FIDE-Wch k.o. New DelhilTeheran 2000

Carlos Torre Wimbledon 18th Merida 2005

[B] White has many threats but Black is to move ...

IW] Pawn endings can often be calculated until a final result is reached. How can White draw here?

Tl5.06l.Sokolov (2691)L.Aronian (2724)

TlS.OS J.Lautier (2676)V.Bologan (2679)

ESP-chT Honor I Merida 2005

Poikovsky 2004

IB] How did Aronian rescue himself?

IW] Can White hold this endgame?

161

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 Test 16 (Solutions on page 214) T16.01 R.AkessoD (2486)T. Wed berg (2473) Scandic Hotels CC Stockholm 2000

[B] How to unpin Black's bishop?

T16.03 Gimpel- Shubin USSR 1977

[B] Attacking with opposite-color bishops is a very important theme. Since White has clearly made a lot of progress at his end, it's time to hit back.

T16.02 A.Dreev (2615)L.Yudasin (2615) Manila Interzonal 1990

[B] How did Yudasin use his passed cpawn to escape?

TI6.04A.Goldin (2595)B.Macieja (2470) Krynica 1997

[B] How can Black keep fighting?

162

Test 16

T16.05 M.IIlescas Cordoba (2635)V.Anand (2765) Leon 1997

(B] How to stop White's attack?

T16.07 S.Atalik (2595)M.Gurevich (2635) New York Open 1998

[B] It seems that Black's king cannot be rescued or... ?

T16.06 I.A.Nataf (2526) A.Miles (2584) Mondariz Zonal 2000

[WI Should White take on b3?

T16.08 S.J.Joshi (2310)M.Muralidharan (2330) India (ch) 1993

[B] White seems to have everything under control, doesn't he?

163

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

Chapter! E01.01: The best way of defending the pawn on e6 is with the prophylactic 35 ... iif1f7! . After other moves, White keeps a serious advantage: 35 ... El.Sc6? 36J:he6++-; 35 ... El.3e6? 36.El.xb5±; 35 ... El.xg3?! 36.El.xe6+ '
harmless) 24 ... El.xb2+ 25.~cl Axf5 26.El.xe5 El.xc2+ 27.~xe2 .llxe2 2S.E!xeS+ ~xeS 29.E!xeS+ \t'xeS 30.<;t>xc2 and Black wins easily. The immediate 22 ... E!xa2? is not possible because of 23.E!xeS+ ~xeS (23 .. .f.t/xeS 24.E!xe7+ <;t>xe7 25.~d6+ ~eS 26.~e7*) 24:~xb4++-. 23.iif1xb2 ~f6+ 24. ~d4 iif1g7 25.Elexe8 .§xeS 26.'§xe8 ~xd4+ 27.{} xd4 'iflf6 Black is still completely tied up and Polgar converts without any problem: 2S.f4 b6 29 . .§dS Ab7 30 . .§xaS AxaS 31.'iflb3 Ad5+ 32.iif1xb4 Axa2 33.iif1b5 .1lb134.c3!34.~xb6 allows 34 ....llxe2! . 34... iif1e7 35.iif1xb6 iif1d6 36.c4 Ad3 37.c5+ iif1d5 3S.{}c6 iif1e4 3S ... ltxf5 39.4Je7+ was the final point; White wins. 39.{}e7 Ac2 40.c6 Aa441.c7 Ad742.iif1c51-0 E01.04: After 36 ... .§a3? White escaped by means of a petite combinaison. The preventive 36...\t'g7! would have given excellent winning chances, for example 37.E!e7 (37 ..§b6 Ad3 3S.<;t>f2 E!xd4 39.~e3 .§c4 40 ..llxf6+ \t'xf6 41.~xd3 El.xf4 is close to winning) 37 ... E!a3 3S ..a.b2 .§d3 39.4Jxf5+ gxf5 40.E!xe7+ <;t>g6 and Black is clearly better. 37.{}xf5! An elegant way to get out of the pin, threatening mate in one. 37 ... gxf5 3S.Axf6 exf6 39.ElcS+ 'iflg7 40.e7 White can also force the draw with his other passed pawn, 40.e6 E!e3 41.c7 Aa642 ..§aSAb743.E!bSAa644.E!aS=. 40 ... Ab5 41.eS~ AxeS 42.'§xe8 Elc3 43 . .§e7+ iif1g6 44 . .§c7 .§c2 45.c6 d4 46.iif1h2 d3 47 . .§d7 .§xc6 4S ..§xd3 Elc2 49.iif1g3 Ela2 50.Elf3 iif1h5 51.Elb3 iif1g6 52.iif1f3 Elc2 53.'iflg3 Ela2 54.ElbS 'iflg7 55.EleS iif1f7 56.Elel iif1g6 57 . .§gl iif1h5 5S.Elf1 Elb2 59 •.§f2 Elxf2! Of course

164

Solutions the rook ending is also drawn, but the following stalemate finishes the game quicker. 60.'it'xf2 'it'h4 61.'it'f3 h5 62. 'it'f2 Yl-Yl EDt.05: 24.'it'c1?? This natural move is wrong as the king no longer defends the queenside well. The amazing 24.'it'al! wins for White, e.g., 24 ....~.J6 25.AxeS 4"Jxdl + 26Jtd4 Ae6 27.~b4 4Je3 2S.Axg6 +- (Van Delft/Ris in Chess Vibes Openings). 24 ... .11.hS 25.h7 e6 26 ..1lgS?? "A mistake never comes alone. Necessary was 26.AxeS 4"Je2+ 27.~bl iii'f6 (27 ... 4Jc3+? doesn't work in view of28.~xc3 Axc3 29.hSiii'+ Axh8 30.E!xhS+ ~g7 31.Ad4+ e5 32.Axe5++-) 2S.Ah6+~e7 29.~c7+ ~xeS 30:~cS+ t1dS 31.t1xd8+ ~xd8 32.Etdfl 4"Jg3 33.Ag7 .1lxg7 34.h8t1+ Axh8 35.EtxhS+ ~c7 36.Etxf3 <£le4 and this ending, two exchanges down, should be fine for Black (compare Karjakin-Radjabov, Sochi 2008). "(Van Delft/Ris) 26... 'li1ta5 27.E!d3 4)xa2+ 2S.'it'bl 4)c3+ 29.E!xc3 .1lxc3 30.Jl.h6+ 'it'e7 31.Jl.g5+ 'it'd7 32.'li1txc3 'li1txc3 33.h8'li1t 'li1txh8 34.E!xh8EtxgS! 0-1 EOI.06: 32.f3? The resulting endgame is better for White but Black has very good drawing chances. White had three options to defend prophylactically: 32. ~c1 d4 and now the strong preventive move 33.~hl!! followed by 34.f3 is close to winning (Van DelftlRis in Chess Vibes Openings) as 33 ... Etxg2? can now be met by 34.Etxb7+ ~xb7 35.Axg2 +-. 32.~h5 with the idea 32 ... Etdf8 33.g3 Eth8 34.~dl d4 35.Etxb7+ is also very strong. And finally 32.~d2 d4 33.f3 t1xf3 34.E!bl should be winning as well. 32... E!xg5 33.fxe4 'it'bS 34.exd5 exd5 35.E!7a2

~g6 36.E!el ~xf6 37.E!e7 .11.cS? 37 ... Etb6 38.Etxf7 d4 39.cxd4 Etxd4 40.E!c2 Ad5 is more active. 3S.E!b2+ 'it'aS 39.Etd2?139.Ae2!?= 39... E!dd6 4O.E!e5?! .1lb7 41.!le7 !lb6 42.E!e8+ 'it'a7 43.E!a2+ E!a6 44.Etee2 E!xa2 45.E!xa2+ ga6 46.af2 gaI47.E!f4 E!cl 4S.h4 !lxc3 49.h5 E!e3? 49 ... Etg3 is more tenacious. 50.h6 !le8 51.!lxf7 E!h8 52.E!f6 jtcS 53.jte2 'it'b7? 54 . .1l£3! adS 55.h7 c3 56 . .1lxd5+ 'it'c7 57.E!c6+ 'it'd7 58 ..1lg8 'it'xc6 59.h8'li1t c2 60. 'li1tc3+ 'it'b761.'li1txc21-0

EOI.07: 23... 'it'g8? Aronian has most probably ended his calculations one move too early. 23 ... Etg7! 24.Axf7!? (after 24.t¥f5 Black forces exchanges by giving back the piece with 24 ... 4"Jf6 25.t¥xf6 ~xf6 26.Etxf6 E!d8 27.E!afl Etxd6 2S.E!xf7+ Etxf7 29.Etxf7+ ~e8 30.Etxb7 Etxe6=) 24 ... Etxf7 25:~'h7 Etf4! 26.h4 (26.g3?! 'I11f6!) 26 ... Af3! (the safest way out) 27.~h6+ (27.Etael?! ~f6 28.~xd7 gxh4) 27 ... lt'g8 28.'111g6= (Van DelftlRis in Chess Vibes Openings) 24.E!xf7! E!xf7 25.E!f1 The tempting 25 .'1£rg6+?! ~hS 26. ~xf7 fails to 26 ... t¥f6 (Van Delft/Ris) . 25 ... 4)fS 25 ...
The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 uncoordinated pieces, he is unable to deal with White's passer. 28 ... ~xf6 29.~xf6+ 4)g7 30.d7 b4 31.cxb4 cxb4 32.d8~+ .§xd8 33.~xd8+ ~h7 34.~b6 .sl,e4 35.~xb4 Ad3

accepted the draw offer with seconds on his clock. But 31.b4! wins directly, so 30 ... ~g7? has to be eliminated and 30 ... lte5!= played.

36.~a51-0

EOl.ll: 30•.. f3? 30 ... ~e4+! 3l.f3 ~e3! (After 32.~d5? I:Xg8! 33.I:Xxh7+ ~xh7 34. ~xf5+ Black even wins in view of 34 ... I:Xg6! -+) 32 ... I:Xb6! 33.~h3 I:Xxh6 34.~xh6 ~xf3+ 35.I:Xg2 ~fl + 36.I:Xgl ~f3+= (Inarkiev in CBM 131). 31.~f11 ~g7 32.Etxg7 Cit'xg7 33.E!.xh7+! 1-0 32.~fl

EOl.08: 19.~xa7! The sacrifice can only be refuted by accepting it. 19 ... ~c2 20 •.§d2 ~cl+ 2I.~h2 AgS 22.E!.e2 Af4+ 22 .. .'~dl 23.I:Xel llf4+ 24.~gl +-; 22 .. :~fl 23 ..§c2 Af4+ 24.g3 ~d3 25.I:Xc3 ~e2 26.~g2 +- 23.g3 ~dl

"Yermolinsky stopped his analysis in a position which looks highly promising for Black, but J gave my full effort to see one move deeper, and that made all the difference" (Rowson in Chess for Zebras). 24.4)gl! 1-0

EOl.12: Jacob Aagaard discusses this example in detail in his excellent book Practical Chess Defence and we use his analysis. Let us start with the weak candidate moves and eliminate them one by one: I. .. Ad5? runs into a back rank combination: 2.E!.c2 ~d7 3 •.§c8+ E!.e8 4. ~c71-0. 1...f5? 2:~xc7 I:Xxc7 3 ..llc4±; 1...h6? 2.~xc7 I:Xxc7 3.I:Xd8+ ~h7 4.I:Xb8 .!::!.c6 5 ..Ilb7 I:Xcl + 6.~h2 .Ilxb7 7.I:Xxb7 +-; 1...f6? 2.~xc7 I:Xxc7 3.Ac4 <M7 (3 ... I:Xc6 4.f3 ± ) 4 ..!::!.d6 ±. So 1. .. ~f8 and 1...g6 remain. Aagaard prefers the pawn move and we agree as it solves the problem of Black's back rank permanently. Chapter 2

E02.01: 1 ... ~b4+? Black understood that the only chance was a counterattack, but this is the wrong way of doing it. The right way was 1 ... ~xg7 2.I:Xg6 ~h8! 3.!"lxg7 !"lc2! and suddenly Black is back in the game: 4.~dl (4.~g6 Ab4+ 5.~dl?? does not work in view of 5 ... .!::!.d2+ 6.~cl I:Xc8+ 7.~bl .Ild3+) 4 ... Ae2+ 5.~xc2 Axg4 6.I:Xxg4 I:Xxf2+ 7.~d3 §.f3+ 8.~e2 I:Xf7 and Black should be able to hold as Aagaard points out in Practical Chess Defence. 2.Cit'xfl.§xf2+ 3.Cit'gI1-0 and Black had to resign in view of 3.~gl !"lg2+ E01.10: 30... Ag7? ~-~ and Shirov 4.'~hl !"lh2+ 5 ..!::!.xh2. 166

EOl.09: 26.~bl! strong prophylaxis in typical manner. Now White's attack will crash through. 26 ... Etf5 26 ... .l.txf4?? 27.Axf4 .!::!.xf4 28.4Jxd5 +- 27 . .sl,d4 g6 27 ... Axf4 28.Axg7 .!::!.xg7 29.4Jxd5+28.4) xd5 E!. xd5 29 . .sl,c3 .sl,c5?! 30.Etxd5 Etxd5 31.b7! Cit'f732 . .§el .sl,d6 33.~xc4 ~d7 34.~c8 .sl,xf4 35.~xd7+ E!.xd7 36.Etfl E!.xb7 37.Etxf4+ Cit'e7 38.Ab4+ ~e8 39.E!.f8+ ~d7 40.Etf7+ 1-0

Solutions

E02.02: 26 ••. EIf3? In the game this worked as well. Objectively stronger though is the fantastic 26 ... E!g3+!! 27.fxg3 (27.~hl? ~c2 wins) 27 ... ~c5+ and White cannot escape the checks: 2S.'~jlg2 (2S ..Ile3?! <£Ixe3 29.E!dd4 ~c1 + 30.~f2 <£Id5 with initiative, Har Zvi; 28.E!dd4 <£Ixd4 29 ..ile3 'itfc3 30.h6 ~el+ 31.~g2 and now 31... <£If5! 32.gxf5 ~e2+ with a perpetual) 2S ... ~c2+ 29.E!d2! ~xe4+ 30.~h3 ~hl + 31.E!h2 ~fl + with a perpetual (Har Zvi). 27.h6?? Losing instead of winning. After the strong 27.E!c1! ~b7 28.h6 ~xe4 29.gxf5 White does escape from the checks: 29 ... ~g4+ 30.'it'fl ~h3+ 31.~e2 E!xf2+ 32.'itlxf2 ~h2+ 33.~el 'itfgl + 34.~e2 ~g2+ 35.~d3 'iiYf3+ 36.Ae3 winning. 27..• 'ltc2! The only move, but it does completely change the picture. 2S.EId2 'ltbl + 29.~g2 Forced, as 29.~h2 E!h3+! 30.~xh3 ~hl '*' mates. 29 ... 'ltxe4 30.EId8 'ltxg4+ 30... E!h3+! would have made us of the same mating pattern. 31.~f1 .£lg3+ 32.~e1 EIe3+ 33.lifld2 .£le4+ 0-1 E02.03: Black saved the day with 42 ... 'ltc21 43. 'ltf6 .£lfS! and White had to settle for a draw with 44. 'ltx b6 .£lh4+ 45. ~h2 .£lf3+ 46. ~g2 .£lh4+ 47.~h2 .£lf3+ 4S.~g2 .£lh4+ 49. ~h2lh-lh E02.04: 26 ... 'ltd7! There is no reason for panicking at all. First of all Black is two pawns up and has a positionaIIy strong position, which makes the exchange on f8 highly irrelevant. All he has to do is simply prevent the checkmate. Last but not least, the white king is not entirely safe either. True, trying to save the exchange does not

work: 26 ... E!e8? 27.E!xf6! and 26 ... Ag7? 27.'iiYg4. 27.EIxf6? 27.~hl ~hS 28..IlxfS E!xfS 29.E!gl with sharp play was caIIed for. 27...exf6 2S.'ltf3 .£leS 29.'ltxf6? This completely backfires, as Black now starts a deadly counterattack. White can still fight in the ending after 29. ~g3+ ~g4. 29 ... 'ltg4+ 30.~f2 EIfe8 31.EIdl 31.E!gl <£Id3+ 32.~fl E!el '*' makes the point quite visually. 31. .. .£ld3+ 32.EIxd3 EIe2+ 33.~fl 'ltg2,*, 0-1

E02.05: 16 ... ~xf7? Now White indeed gets a winning attack. To be able to defend successfully Black has to reduce White's attacking potential. He can do so by giving up the queen: 16... <£Ixf4! 17.<£IxdS E!xdSl8.~c2 <£Ife6 19.~xc4 .§.d4 as pointed out by Gelfand. Black has stopped the attack for the moment and given time to consolidate he is certainly not worse here. 17.Axd5+ ~g6 After 17 ... <£Ie6 18.~h5+ ~gS 19.E!xe6 White's attack crashes through. 18.EIe5! A powerful move bringing in more forces to the attack. IS ... Af51S ... h619.'t¥1h5+ 'itlh7 20.Af7 E!f8 (20 ... E!a6 21..IlxeS wins) 21.~g6+ ~h8 22.Jlxh6! and mate is not far off (Gelfand). 19.EIxf51 Effectively deciding the game. 19 ... ~xf5 20.'lth5+ .11,g5 21.'ltxh7+ ~f6 22 ..11,xg5+ Ii:!Jxg5 23 ..11,f7! Not the only way to win, but a nice one. 23 ... 'ltd6 24. 'ltxg7+ ~f5 25.JtxeS 1-0 E02.06: 1 ... EIel!! An incredible move. Moments ago it looked like White was attacking, but it turns out that in reality his position is badly overextended. With this powerful move, Black reduces White's attacking potential and takes over completely. 2.EIxel 2.fxe6 just 167

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 costs a piece and after 2... ~xd13.~xdl .,Q,xe5 4.exf7 .,Q,xd4+ 5.
Black can simply play 4 ... ~xe5 or go for even more with 4 ... .,Q,xg2+!? 4 ... ~e7 5.~xd8+ ~xd8 6.§.xe5 ~d2 7.§.g1 ~f2 0-1 And White's badly coordinated pieces cannot prevent the mate. E02.07: 1.l3xd7? This looks likes it exchanges quite a lot of pieces, but unfortunately not the right ones. The remaining black pieces will find their way to the white king. Correct would have been 1.~xf3! Axf3 2.Axe2 and after 2 .. .lb8 3 ..,Q,b5 ~c7 White gets rid ofthe next group of pieces with 4.Ac6! Axc6 5.4Jxc6Axf2+ 6.~xf2 ~xc6when after 7 .~d4! a roughly balanced position remains. 1... A,xf2+ 2.c;tJhl §.xd7 3.§.xd7 Ag3! The key attacking move, giving up the queen for a pretty mate: 4.§.xa7 §.h2+ 5.\ft'gl f2+! The final point. 6"~'xf2 §.hl # 0-1 E02.08: 22 ... .£\d3+! A clever check, based on the fact that ~hl is under attack. After other tries Black gets mated: 22 ... 4Je6? 23.~hgl ~e4 24. ~h6 wins and so does 22 ... g6? 23.~h6 4Je6 24.h5 g5 25.Axg5, crashing through. 23.lit'bl.£\xe5 24.fxg7Now 24.Bhgl is simply answered by 24 ... ~xf6. 24 ... f6 24 ... ~xg7 25.Bhgl+ 4Jg4 26.Ad4+ f6 27.~g5+ ~f7 28.~h5+ '$ig7 29.~g5+ also leads to a perpetual. 25.§.hgl?? This ambitious move is too slow. The correct finish of the game would have been 25.~h8+ ~f7 26.~h5+ '$ie6 27.~hf1! 4Jac4 28.~xf5+ ~f7 29.~h5+ with a perpetual. 25 ... .£\f7 26.Ad4 .£\c4?! Stronger would have been 26 ... Ae6!

27.~g6 ~ac8 and Black gets his counterattack going. 27.§.g6 .£\ce5?? Giving White an unexpected chance. At this point accuracy was needed. Black successfully defends after 27 ... 4Jd2+! 28.~xd2 (28.~c1 ~f3! exchanges queens) 28 ... Bel+ 29.~dl ~xdl+ 30.~xdl.ae6 with a winning position. 28.Axe5 §.xe5 29.§.h6n Too clever, undoubtedly in time trouble. There was a simple mate in two available: 29. ~h7+! ~xh7 30.g8~#. 29 ... .£\xh630.~xh6 Ae6 31.§.gl ct;f7 32.b3 §.g8 Now it's all over. 33.§.g6 ct;e7 34.§. xf6 ~hl + 35. ct;b2 ~g2 36.Etg6 ~e4 0-1

E02.09: Topalov couldn't see a defense and resigned here. Sometimes a defense can be truly hidden. In this case after 64 ... ~d5+! 65.ct;h2 eSt The queen is eyeing g8 and ready to retreat backwards to save the knight. 66.~h7+ \ft'f867.~h8+ ~g8 There is no win available, as even after 68. ~h6 ~d5! the position is dead equal. E02.10: With the standard 21 ... f5! Black sets up a second rank defense and prevents any nasty sacrifices on f6 such as 21...Bxb2?? 22.Bf6! winning. 22.e4 After 22.exf6 ~g3+ 23.~hl Black wins with the cool-headed 23 ... E:b5! 24.fxg7 Bxh5 25.gxf84J+! ~g7 and if it weren't for the useful defender on c8, 26.4Jxe6+ would have won. Now it's all over after 26 ... Axe6. 22 ... ~b6+?! More logical was the immediate 22 ... ~xb2. 23.\ft'hl ~d8 24•.£\f2 §. xb2 25.Etgl ~e8 26. ~h4 Etxc2 27.Etg2 c5 Now that the bishop will get to the long diagonal, Black has everything under control. 28.§.egl Etg8 29.~g3 A,b7 30.~b3 A,xe4 31..£\ xe4 §.xg2 32.§.xg2 fxe4 168

Solutions 33.~b7 ~h5 34.~xe4+ ~f5 35.~e3 .§d8 36.~g3 .§d7 37.~h2 ~e40--1

E02.n: 25 ... ~c7? This allows the activation of the knight with tempo. Van Delft and Ris give the following analysis in Chess Vibes Openings: 25 .. J~d8? also doesn't work in view of 26:i11h6+ 'i&g8 27.!:!xe6! fxe6 (a better defense is 27 .. :~d4! but after 28JH6!, with the point 28..:~xc4 29.'~g5+ ~f8 30.!:!xc6, White is still on top) 28. 'l1'Yxe6+ g7 29. 'l1'Yg8+ f6 (29 ... h6 30.'~f8+ g5 31..£le4+! fxe4 32.h4+ ~g6 [32 ... ~g4 33.~f4+ ~h3 34.11.fl *-] 33. ~g8+ and mate on g5) 30.tH8+ ~e5 and now the fantastic 31..£lb5! decides Black's fate. Black has no defense against 32.i;;\
32.i\i'd6+ Ad7 33.Ae6 wins. Relatively the best was 29 ... i\i'c8 but after 30.~xh7 Black's position looks really grim" (Van Delft/Ris). 30.b4 .£i xb4 31 . .§ xe6+! Destroying the last pawn shield of Black's king. 31 ...fxe6 32.~xe6+ ~d8 33.~f6+ ~c8

34.~xf5+ ~d8

34 ... Ad7 35.l£\d6+ winning the queen. 35. ~f6+ ~c8 36.axb4 ~d8 37.Ae6+ Ad7 38.~c3+ ~b8 39 ..Q"xd71-0

E02.12: 24... .§f7? This doesn't solve the problem. Similarly unsatisfying is 24 ... ~g7? 25.e6! ~xh6 26.§xh6 ~xe6 27.§xg6+ ~f7 28.f5! and White retains a clear advantage, as pointed out by Ftacnik. The right solution is to bring in another defender (second rank defense!) with 24 ... .§.b7! when after 25. ~xg6+ ~g7 26 ..~c6 ~xg4 27.~xd5+ ~e6 an extremely sharp position with chances for both sides remains. Importantly all Black's pieces are at work here. 25.~xg6+ .§g7 25 ... ~f8 26.f5! is equally unpleasant. 26 •.§xh7! Winning back the piece. 26 ... .§xg6 27.'§xe7 Axg4 28.'§c7? The opposite-color bishops are notoriously in favor ofthe attacker. As long as there are heavy pieces on the board, the draw is far off. The following variations show how White could have gone about it: 28.~f2! ~f8 (28 ....§.c8 29.e6! Axe6 30 ..§.hl ~f8 31.§xe6! winning) 29 ..§.a7 .§.c8 30.§hl c3 31.e6! again opening the long diagonal with power. 31...§g8 32J:U7+ ~e8 33.§hh7 Axe6 34 ..§.e7+ f8 35.f5! and Black's defense breaks (Ftacnik). 28 ... Af5 29.Wf2 .§b130 •.§xb1 Axh131.a4 Af5 32.a5 Wf8 33.Ac5+ we8? 33 ... ~g8! was the last chance to fight fora draw. 34..§e7+ ~d835.'§f7 Ae4 36.f5 .§g2+ 37.~f1 .§g5 38.Ae7+ we8 39.Axg5 Wxf7 40.e6+ 1-0 E02.13: 26 ....§d6! Starting with this "only" move, Black brings in a defender with every move. 27.exf7+ ~xf7 28.~e2 ~c6 Unpinning and overprotecting the sixth rank. 29 ..£id3 .§e4?! 29 ...M6! would have been more active. 30.f3 .§ee6 31 ..£if4? 31.l£\f2! giving the knight a stable square on e4 would have been more tenacious. 31 ... .§e5 32.~f2 ~c4 33.g3 ~b3! 169

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 By now Black is ready to switch back from defensive maneuvers to counterattacking. 34 . .§e1 .§d1

35.'§xd1 ~xd1 + 36.~g2g5 37.Ad4 Ac50-1 E02.14: 44.~f4!1 Throwing a spanner in the works, distracting the black queen so it won't be able to take the rook with check. Remember: when you are in severe trouble, you have to check all legal options, since the solution might be hidden somewhere. After 44.'~xgl? Black can eliminate everything with check: 44 ... ~xcl + 45.'
24.Axd8 .§xd8 25.Ad3+ .§xd3!? Fighting back, but it's not clear whether this gives better chances for survival than the modest 25 ... ~g7 26.§xf7+ ~g8. 26.cxd3? White could have won

the pawn on f7 without loss of tempo by means of 26.§f6+! ~g7 (after 26 ... ~g5 27.l''!.lf5+! <;t>g4 28.cxd3 the black king doesn't get out alive) 27.§xf7+ ~g8 28.cxd3 with good winning chances, 26 ... ~xd3 The queen controls the important f5-square. 27 ..§f6+ ~g5! Now this is possible. 28.E!.xf7 h4! Black is fighting back by all means. 29.~g1 ~e3+ 30.E!.7f2 ~h5? This unfortunate move throws away the previous defensive efforts. After the consistent 30 ... h3!, it seems very unlikely that White can win in view of his exposed king: 31.gxh3 (31.g3 Af3! nicely keeps the white pieces restrained) 31...~h4! 32.4JeZ Ab5 33.<£lg3
33.Etd1 a4 34.h3 ~h7 35.4Jd5 ~c5 36.~f6+ ~g7 37.a3 ~g6 38.~g4 ~g7 39.Ete1 ~d6 40.~e3 ~g6 41.4Jf5 ~d8 42.Ete6+
170

Solutions E02.16: 17 ... .!fjb4?? If you chose this move as I (MvD) did in the game, you score no points since that just loses. 17 ... i;\tf7 is a decent option scoring some points, but the maximum points go to the amazing 17 ... ~g4!! and suddenly Black takes over. 18.Ae3 .!fjcd3+ 19.~d2 .!fjxf2 2O.~gl.!fjxh3 21.'§xg6 .!fjxg122 . .§gxg1 and soon: 1-0

E02.17: 17 ... .§fe8! An excellent decision, creating a flight route for the king via f8 to e7. 18. ~e2 In case White tries to break through anyway, he has to give up his very important blacksquare bishop, which gives Black strong central domination, while his king will be perfectly safe: 18.Axf6? Axf6 19J!xh7+ ~gB 20.~h5 ~xf4+ 21.~bl ~f8 and Black is clearly better. 18 ... h6J Again based on cool judgment, since White is not going to give up his important bishop on h6. 19 . .§f1 ~g8! Now White has to decide on his bishop's future. 20 ..\lh4 .!fjd5 It is clear that Black has won the opening battle and his position is in fact slightly preferable. E02.18: 21.§d8+!1 A fantastic way to open a escape route for the king. A nice find by Gelfand, considering the fact that it was a rapid game. There were certainly other moves to choose from, but all of them leave Black with a strong attack. Taking on b7 right away allows mate in two: 21.i;\txb7?? Ae3+ 22.'~bl 'iiia2#. 21 ... ~xd8 After 21...'iiixdB? 22.'I¥rxb7 0-0 23.c3! the white king is perfectly safe. 22.~xb71 A double rook sacrifice like in the old days! 22 ... ~al+ 22 ... .Ile3+ doesn't work anymore since after 23. ~dl i;\tal + 24.\te2 all black pieces are hanging.

23.~d2 ~xh1 24.~b8+ ~d7 25.~b7+ 25.i;\txhB? ~xg2+ 26 ..ile2

i;lt'g6! leaves Black with the initiative.

25 ... ~d8 Now the position is completely balanced. After a tense struggle, in which both sides played for a win, Black eventually came out on top. 26 •.!fjg5 J,te3+ 27.~xe3 ~e1+ 28.~f3 ~xgS 29.~b8+ ~d7 30.~b7+ ~e8 31.~b8+ ~d8

32. ~x b4 h5 33.Axa6 f5 34..\lh5+ ~f7 35. ~d6 ~g5 36 ..\le4 ~e7 37.b4 ~xd6 38.exd6 .§d8 39.bS .§xd640.~e3~e741.Ad3gS42.e4

f4+ 43.~e2 eS 44.Ae4 §d4 45..\ld5 e4 46.b6 e3 47.b4 .§d2+ 48.~e1 ~d8 49.b5 g4 SO.Ae4 §b2 51.Ad5 h4 52.h3 f3 S3.gxf3 g3 S4.f4 g2 SS ..\lxg2 §xg2 S6.eS §b2 0-1 E02.19: 18•.. .\la6? After this move the position remained highly unclear, but Black could have gone for the tactical IB ... 4Jxe4! 19.dxe4 (19.i;lt'f3 4Jd6! 20. i;\txa8 ~b7 and the white queen does not get out alive) 19 ... i;\tb5 20.i;lt'e3 and here the powerful 20 ... ~a6! is a rude awakening. Now Black wins back the piece without his queen being trapped. After 20 ... i;\txb2 21.§.fbl ~c2 22 ..ilb3 the black queen is snared. 19.e4 ~e7 20.§f3 .§ad8 21 . .§g3 ~h7 22 . .§f1 .\le8 23 ..\lb1.!fje8 24.e5 g6 25.Ac1 §h8 26.§g4 .!fjg7 27 . .!fjg3 .!fjfS 28•.!fje4 ~g7 29 ..1lb2 .\lb7 30..!fjd6 .\le6 31.d4 Axd6 32.d5 Ac7 33.d6 ~e8 34.dxc7 §c8 3S.J;\.xf5 exfS 36.§g3 Ae4 37. ~h4 ~e6 38.§d1 ~h7 39.§d6 ~xe4 4O.§dxg61-0 E02.20: 39 ... e31 Morphy found the only move to stay in the game. In fact this little pawn move disturbs the coordination between the white pieces; they suddenly look a bit clumsy. 171

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 39 ... Ei cS? 40. ~f6! is even stronger than it might look at first glance. 39 ... ~gS? 40.Eig3! is another nasty one. The rook cannot be taken because then the dpawn is through. 40.l3.xe3? Anderssen cracks completely. It was time to save the half-point with 40.~f6 Eixc4 41.~fS+ EigS 42.~f6+=. 4o ... l3.xc4 41.tlYf6l3.c1+ 42.'iflh2 tlYxf4+ 0-1 E02.21: 44 ... l3.g5!! A great example of closing inroads. Either the g-file will be closed or the white queen will be distracted from the diagonal to b8. 44 ... ~xh4+ 45.~xh4 Eifxf6 is roughly equal and the immediate 44 ... l1.g6 45.'~'bS+

~g7

46.~gS+

~xf6

(46 ... ~h6 47.~fS# is a nice mate) 47.'~h8+ wins back the queen with an equal position. 45. tlYxg5 After 45.hxg5 Eie3 46.~g4 ~e5+ 47.~hll1.f7 Black remains two pawns up. 45 ... .11.g6 46.4)g4 l3.e8? Unfortunately Black starts to slip. 46 ... h5 47.4Jf2 ~f6 still keeps a technically winning position. 47.h5 .11.e4? This loses the house. 47 ... Af7 was needed, so that after 48.<£Ih6 Ae6 all squares are covered. White in turn can save himself with the cooI49.~f5! based on a pretty mating pattern with <£If7. Black has nothing more than a perpetual. 48.4)h6 1-0 48.<£Ih6 efS 49.~g8+! Eixg8 50.<£If7# is nice checkmate based on the same pattern. E02.22: 1.l3.d2? This meets with a brilliant refutation. The only defense was closing inroads with 1.c3! bxc3 followed by 2.Eixd4 (2.Eixc3? meets with another fantastic refutation: 2 ... Eid1 + 3.'it>c2 Eic1+!!. The rook is "untouchable," but now White doesn't have any choice but to take it with his king. 4.'it>xc1 ~al+ 5.~d2 ~xc3+

6.~dl ~d3+

7.'it>c1 e3!. Without this little guy White would survive, but now it's all over. S.~e1 Ac3, winning.) 2... Axd4 Here another major effort is needed for White to stay in the game; the key move is 3.i.H5! (3.~c2? e3 leaves Black dominating) and after 3 ... c2+! 4.~xc2 ~a2+ 5.~dl ~b1 + 6.'it>d2 ~d3+ 7.~c1 ~c3+ S.~dl 'l!1xb3+ 9.~e1 ~b1 + 10.'~d2 White is still hanging in there and the following attempt doesn't change that: 10 ... e3+ l1.~e2 i£yb5+ 12.~d3 ~xd5 13.Eif4! 'l!1g2+ 14.~dl =. 1 ... e3! A truly elegant introduction to what is about to follow. 2. tlYxe3l3.f4!! 0-1 A hammer blow of the most powerful sort. 2... Eif4!! 3.~xa7 Eixf1+ 4.'~a2 Eial#. What a picture! E02.23: 21.gxh3? Now Black's attack becomes really serious. The white king should have defended f3 itself with 21.~f2! which allows Black to give a perpetual with 21...Axg2 22.'it>xg2 'l!1h2+ but nothing more. 21 ... tlYxf3+ 22.'iflgl tlYxh3 22 ... <£Ie6 first was the alternative. 23. tlYe3? 23.Af4 was the only chance to stay in the game. 23 ... tlYh2+ 24.'iflfl f51 The open f-file will decide matters. 25.l3.d2 tlYh5 26.'iflg2 fxe4 27.4)g3 tlYf3+ 28.~xf3 exf3+ 29.'iflxf3 l3.f8+ 30.'iflg4 jtxc3 and Black had no problems converting. E02.24: 26 ... 'iflh8? Many times this would have been the right square, as it allows the other pieces to help in the most economical fashion. In this case however, the king has to play an active role itself with 26 ... 'it>f8! since after 27.~xd7 (27.exd5 EieS is now clearly better for Black) it enables the strong centralizing 27 ... EieS! when it's White who has to start thinking about damage 172

Solutions control with something like 28.~f5 Jtc6 29.~xc5 dxc5 30Jk4 f5 31.Elxc5 fxe4 32j~e2 and Black is slightly better. 27.exd5!? Understandably, White tries his luck in the attack. Objectively stronger might be 27. ~xd7 ~c6 2s.~xc6 ~xc6 29.Eld4 with a clear advantage in the ending. 27 ....(~'e3! The only move to stay in the game. Here 27 ... EleS 28.~h4!just loses as the white queen combines attack (h7) with defense (el). 28.§.a1 §.dd8 29 ..~h5 ~g7 30.'l!\'xh7+ ~f8 31.§.f1 So far Black has done well in a difficult position, but now he cracks under the enduring pressure. 31 ... ~e7? After the cool 31...~e5 it's not clear whether White has more thanjust compensation for the exchange. 32. ~h4 §.h8? Now White wins by force. 32 ... ~g5 still gives chances for survival. 33.'{11{xf6+ ~d7 34. 'l!\'xf7+ ~d8 35.J1.f51-0 E02.25: 22 ... ~f7! The black king is not afraid and clears a square for the queen on g8. 23.!3.h3 'l!\'g8 24.§.h8? This tactic just does not work. The natural alternative 24.fxg6+? ~xg6 25.~xg6+ ~xg6 26.Elh6+ 'it'f7 27.Elh7+ 'it'xf6 2S.Elfl + also fails to 2S ... .f'lf4 29.~xf4 exf4 30.Elxf4+ and here any legal king move wins. It turns out that only the modest retreat 24.~g2! keeps White in the game. 24 ...gxf5! And suddenly it becomes clear that White isn't winning the queen, which leaves Black simply a piece up. 25. 'l!\'g7+ 'l!\'xg7+ 26.fxg7 Ad7 0-1 Chapter 3 E03.01: 36... ~h7?! Not a bad move in itself, after which the repetition of moves is a natural outcome of the game. Because of some deeply hidden tactical

details though, Black had even better at his disposal: 36 ... h3+!! would have been the introduction to a fantastic winning sequence. 37.'it'fl (taking the pawn with 37.~xh3 allows the brilliant 37 ... E!.xd7!! 38.~xd7 [3S.E!.xd7 ~xf3 is the same] 3S ... ~xf3 with the deadly threat of Elh6. Now after 39. ~cS+ ~h7 40.~f5 the undefended position of the white rook decides the issue: 40 ... ~xdl with a technically winning position.) 37 ... ~xf3!! Here Black can even allow his rook to be taken with check, because of the powerful little guy on h3. 3S.~xdS+ ~h7 39.~gS+ (39.~h4+

E!.h6 40.dS~ h2! also wins) 39 ... ~xgS 40.d8~+ ~h7 41.~d3 ~g2+ 42.~e2

And now this position only wins because of 42 ... Elf6! (the immediate 42 ... h2 doesn't work because of 43.~f3) 43.~e3 h2 and White is helpless. A remarkable set ofvariations! 37.§.h1 Preventing the nasty little pawn move. 37 ... 'l!\'e7 The right decision as well, keeping the dangerous d7 under control. 38.§.d1 'l!\'f6 39.§.h1 t}fe7 4O.§.d1 t}ff6 Y~Y:z E03.02: 25 ...fxg6?? This blunders a piece. With 25 ... E!.c6! Black could have created a so-called "swinging rook," taking advantage of the exposed white king position. After White's strongest reply, 26.Ah5!, (instead, 26.gxt7+ E!.xt7 27.Jlxe4 dxe4 28.~xe4?? allows 2S ... ~g5+ 29.~g2 E!.g6! 30.~xg5 Elxg5+ 31.'itlh2 E!.f6! mating) Black can give up the exchange with 26 ... Elf6! 27.gxf7+ ElSxf7! 2S.Axf7+ 'it'xf7 29.E!.c7+ ~gS and White won't be able to prevent the perpetual with E!.g6-h6. 26.a4! An unpleasant surprise. 26 ... !3.c4 26 .. .'~d7 27 ..!txe4 ~g4+ 2S.Ag2 doesn't work either. 27.§'xc4 t}fxc4 28.t}fxc4dxc4 29.J1.xe41-0

173

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 E03.03: 17 ... Ae7! A very strong tactical defense. After other moves, White gains the upper hand: 17 ... exf5?? l8.~xe8+ ~c7 19 ..\ld8+ is the tactical defense White based his play on. 17 ... Ab4? l8:l~txf7 bxc4 (18 ... Axel 19 ..\lxe6! ~b8 20.~xd7 gives White a winning attack) 19. ~xd7+ 'it'b8 20.Af4+ 'it'a8 21.c3 and now the sacrifice on c3 doesn't give Black full compensation. lS.Axe6?! This just isn't enough. The most stubborn defense would have been the queen sacrifice 18.Axb5!? exf5 19.Axd7+ 'itJb8 20.Axe7 ~xe7 21.§xe7 and Black still has to show some good technique after 21...~xa2 22.c3 ~d8 and Black is clearly better. 18 ..\lxe7?? doesn't work because of the simple l8 ... exf5 lS ...fxe619. ~g4 .Q.xg5+ 20. ~xg5 ~bS There is nothing wrong with 20 ... ~xa2. 21.~xg7 .£lb6 22.Etxe6 Etxe6 23.~xhS+ .£le8 24.a3 ~e7 25.l3.d3 ~f4+ 26.~b1 l3.el + 27.~a2 ~e4+ 2S.l3.b3 a5 29.~e3 ~f1

by Becerra Rivero and Moreno. This leaves us with the only move to keep hope alive: l...~ xf2!! The rook that was hanging on f7 anyway, gives itself up for the greater good. 2.'it'xf2 ,llxd3 3.§xd3 Axd6 and Black has done a great deal of damage control. 2.~xe5! Now it's all over. 2 ... l3.fd7 After 2... ~ff6 3.§xd6 §xd6 4.~h8+ W the worst is yet to come for Black: 5.Ae5! winning. 3.~hS+ ~fi 4.ru3+ ~e7 5.~gSl-0

30.~g3+~a731.l3.d3.£lb632.~b3 Ete4 33.~a2 Ete1 34.~b3 .£ld5 35.a4 l3.e4 36.e3 bxa4+ 37. ~e2 l3.e1

E03.06: 16. ~e3 This one can be found by means ofelimination. 16...Ae517.b4! The key move, throwing the Black pieces off balance. The twin variations l7.~xe5?? .\lxf2+ and l7.~g5?? ~f3+! l8 ..\lxf3 Axf2+ show White is walking a tightrope. Additionally 17. ~c3 .\lb4 18. ~e3 Ac5 only leads to a draw. 17...Axb4After17 ...~xb4l8.~xe5the aforementioned variations are no longer available. lS.0-0! Now white is simply an exchange up. lS....Q.e319.l3.b1 Ae2 20.Etb7 4Jg4 21. ~xa7 ~e5 2l....\lxd2 22.~xa5 Axa5 23.§b5 regains the piece. 22 ..£lf3 ~xe2 23.l3.bS.Q.b4 24.l3.x b4 1-0

3S.~g4 ~xf2+

39.l3.d2 .£le3+

40.~d3~f1+0-1

E03.04: 1 ... l3.xd6? This loses immediately. 1...Ae7? 2.~g3 .\lxd6 (2 ... §xd6 3.~xe5! is the same) 3.~xd6! ~xd6 4.~xe5! ~ff6 5.§xd6 ~xd6 6.~xf6 ~xf6 7 ..\lxf6 with a winning ending according to Becerra Rivero and Moreno in Informant 62. 1.. ..\lxd3? 2.~xf7 Axe4 3.~d8 with a winning attack. 1...~d7? 2.~c4 ~xd3 3.§xd3 .\lxc4 4.~d8 ~b4 5.'itfc1!! 'it'f7 (5 ... Aa6 6.Aa3 wins) 6.~xc4 ~xc4 7.bxc4 with a technically winning position. A pretty finish would be 7 ... §d6 8.~xf8+! ~xf8 9.Aa3 ~e7 10.f4! as again pointed out

E03.05: 20 ... Ab1!! A very elegant tactical defense. The bishop moves with gain of tempo, disconnecting the white rooks and thereby creating back rank problems. 20 .. .f5? also saves the piece since the white f-pawn is pinned, but it does leave the initiative with White after something like 21.§ad1 ~c4 22.h3!? 21.'l\?tel 21.§xe8+ ~xe8 doesn't change anything. 21. .. .Q.f5 Black is perfectly fine. 22.~d1 'l\?txd1 23.l3.exd1 l3.adS 24.f3 ~g7 YI-YI

E03.07: 26 ... ~a4? This allows a nasty tactic. 26 ... d3! would have been a good start. After the forced sequence 174

Solutions 27.§xd5+ (27.cxd3? c2 and 27.§)(d3? don't work) 27 ... exd5 28.§xd3 ~c1+ 29.'it'g2 ~xc2 it is White who should start looking for a perpetual with 30.~d4. 27.§.xe6! Crashing through. 27 ... §.xg3+ This is good damage control, but White still gets a technically winning position. 27 ... Axe6 28.§xd4+ wins the queen. 27 ... 'it'xe6 28.§el + 'it'd7 29.~xe7+ ~c6 30.~d6+ wins the house. 28.hxg3 4)f5 29.i:/h7+ 'it'xe6 30.i:/g6+ 'it'd7 31. i:/ xf5+ 'it'c6 32. i:/f6+ 'it'c5 33.i:/e7+ 'it'c4 34.i:/e5 'it'c5 35.f4 b5 36.f5 'it'c6 37.i:/f6+ 'it'c5 38.i:/e5 'it'c6 39.§'xd4 i:/al + 40.'it'f2 i:/hl 4l.§'xd5 i:/xd5 42.i:/xc3+ 'it'd6 43.i:/d3 a5 44.'it'e3 a445.i:/xd5+ 'it'xd5 46.'it'd2 b4 47. 'it'c1l-0 ~c1 +

E03.08: 24 ... g5! A moment ago it looked like White was in possession of the initiative, but now he has to worry about keeping his kingside together. 24 ... §hc8?! 25.§xc8 §xc8 26.1='!.xb7 4:Jd8 27.1='!.b6 is still unpleasant for Black. 25.g3 h5! Again very much to the point. 26.§.bx b7 §. xb7 27.E!. xb7 h4 28.'it'g2 hxg3 29.hxg3 gxf4 30.gxf4 E!.h4 3l.'it'g3 E!.hl! The black rook and knight are a surprisingly effective duo in this position, as will be illustrated by the following variations. 32.'it'g2 White sensibly decided to repeat moves. 32.Ab5? 4:Jd4 33J1.e8 is refuted by the cool 33 .. .'M8! and now 34.lixf7?? blunders apiece to 34...§h7. 32.§b64:Jd4 33.§a6?? also blunders a piece, since after 33 ... §dl the bishop is trapped in the middle of the board! 32... E!.h4 33.'it'g3 §.hl34.'it'g2 %-Yz E03.09: 29 ... E!.h5! Black kept a cool head and found a creative rook maneuver to neutralize the pressure.

30.c6 §.d5! Returning the piece, but also forcing the exchange of one pair of rooks. 31.§.xd5 exd5 32.E!.xd5? Faced with such stubborn resistance, White goes too far! A perfect example of how good defense can win you games. The normal course of the game would have been 32.cxd7+ §xd7 33.~xa5 §c7+ 34.~bl ~e4+ 35.~al 'ffi'c4 with an equal position. 32 •.• 4)f8! An unpleasant surprise. 33.§.xd8+ 33.§e5 4:Je6! leads nowhere. 33 ... i:/xd8 34. i:/e5+ 4)e6 0-1 E03.10: 22 ... §.fc8!! A very dynamic solution, sacrificing the pawn to get counterplay along the b-file. After 22 ... b5? 23.4:Jc5 as 24.~d2 White enjoys the superior minor piece. 23.'it'd2 White realizes that he should keep the files closed. 23.
Chapter 4 E04.01: 32 ... 'i!Jh7! Unpinning the rook. 33.E!.gl?! Not really putting Black to the test. 33.~e7!? §fl + 34.'it'h2 §xal 35.d8~ ~e3 36.~xg7+ <;t>xg7 37.~e7+ 175

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 ~gS

3S.'('iYf7+

~hs 39.~f6+ ~h7

40.~xal ~xe6 (Krasenkow) should be

drawn of course, but White can continue to fight. 33... .§f3! A pretty rook sacrifice, ensuring the perpetual. 34. ~bS 34.gxf3 ~xf3+ 35.§g2 ~f1 + 36.~h2 Ae5+ 37.§g3 ~f2+ 3S.~hl 'ti¥fl + 39.~h2 is a perpetual as well. 34... .§xh3+ 35.gxh3 ~e4+ with a perpetual. Yl-Yl E04.02: 3S••• ~xc5+? Black misses his chance. Instead 3S ... AdS! forces the perpetual: 39.'ti¥a3 ~e3+ 40.~b2 ~eS+ 41.~c3 'ti¥xh2+ 42.~c1 'ti¥gl + as pointed out by Mikhalevski. 39.~b2 i:i1/f2+ Now it is too late for 39 ... AdS because of 40:~a3 ~xa3+ 41.~xa3 ~xeS 42.§b7 with a winning ending (Mikhalevski). 40.~a3 ~xeS 40 ... Ad5 41.§b2! and 40 .. .'~c5+ 41.~b4 don't work either. 41.~e6+
Chapter 5 E05.01: 61 ... ldg4! 62.ldd3 62.<£lxg4 stalemate is the point. 62 •.. ldh2+ 63. ~e4 Idg4 After 63 ...~xg3? 64.<£le5 Black's knight is dominated and 64 ... ~h4 can be met by 65.<£lf3++-. 64.lde5 Idf6+ 65.~f3 65.~f5 ~xg3 66.~xf6 <;!;>xf4= 65 ... ldg4 66.ldc4 Idh2+ 67. ~e4 1df16S.lde3 Id xg3+ 69.~e5 ~h2 70.~d6 Idh5 7t.f5 Idg7 72.f6 Y:z--Yl

E05.02: t ....§a7!? Going for the second rank defense still holds. The game went 1... §bS? 2.~gS! l"tb2?! (2 ... §bS 3.§h6+ ~g7 4.§h7+! ~gS 5.§e7! ~hS 6.Ae6 §b7 7.§eS+ ~g7 8.ElgS+! ~h7 9.~f6! +-) 3.<;!;>f6 Elh2 4.Elg3 Elf2 S.Elh3+ 1-0 2.~e5 .§g7 3 . .§a6 3.Elh6+ ~gS! 4.,ile6+ ~f8! leads to the typical stalemate defense, S. 'it'f6 Elf7+!=. 3 ... ~gS 4.Ag6 4.'it'e6 Elf7= 4 ... ~fS!= E05.03: t. ~f6? Direct active play with the e-pawn loses. First the bad position of the bishop must be exploited with 1.~h4 ~d7 2.f3 h5 (2 ... ~e6 3.fxg4 Afl 4.~gS ~xeS 5.h4 Ad3 6.hS ~e4 7.'it'h6 ~f4 8.gS ~g4 9.g6 and the final black pawn will be exchanged) 3.f4 ~e6 4.~xhS 'it'fS and now everything is prepared for the amazing stalemate final: 5.~h4 ~xf4 6.e6.Q..fl 7.e7 Ab5 8.h3 g3 9.e8~ AxeS stalemate (Peters). 1.•. ~d8 2.~f7 Af13.e6 Ac4 4.~g7 ~e7 5.~xh7 ~xe6 6.~g6 ~e5 7.~g5Ae6o-1

E05.04: 1.ldg1lde3+ 1...el ~ 2.
176

Solutions E05.06: 1 ... l£lf3+! The correct knight check. 1.. ..£Jh3+? 2.-Y> E05.07: 42.13xg7+ ~xg7 43.13a7+ ~hS 0-1 and Campora resigned but the stalemate was "just around the comer:" 44.13xh7+ ~xh7 45 •.if)g5+ fxg5 46. ~xg6+ ~xg6 stalemate Chapter 6 E06.01: 54...13g3? This hasty exchange of rooks throws away the win. 54 .. JU8! 55.t~gl Eib8+ 56.<;>a4 Eia8+ 57.
White's activity and attack give him winning chances. With four rooks on the board the position has more of a middlegame character, which plays into White's hands. The greedy 44 ... Eihl +?! 45.<;>g3 Eixa4? runs into 46. Ei bb7 +-. 45.~g3 45.~a5 is met by 45 ... ~dl! (Marin). 45 ••. h5 46.h4 <;!tfS 47.13d6? This makes the defense very easy. By now White's best chance was the exchange of rooks: 47.Eixbl Eixb148.a5 ~a149.Eid5 Eia4 (Marin) was called for, but should be tenable for Black. 47 ... 13g1! This counterattack guarantees the draw. 4S.13db6 Yz-Yz E06.03: 1. .. 13b1!! The only way to accomplish some exchanges in order to weaken the harmony of the attacking army. The alternatives all fail to convince: 1...~g5? 2.h4 ~xh4 3.Eiel ±; 1...Eixg2+? 2.~xg2 ~e2+ 3.g7 3.e8~ Eixg2+ 4.~xg2 ~g5+ 5.~hl ~xc1 + 6.Jlgl! another key move with the bishop, winning) 3.e8~ ~xe8 (3 ... Eixc5 4.'i¥Yxt7+ ~h6 5.~f8+ Y/ffg7 6.Y/ffxc5 wins) 4.~xe8 Eixa2 5.Eih8+!
The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 highly unpleasant because of White's strategic initiative on the light squares. 20.fidc1 e4! 21.Abl ~a5 "Looks slightly shocking in that both the potential defenders of d5 have completely abandoned ship. However, control of d5 in itself has only so much mileage. The self-entrapment of the bishop on b3 helps to ensure that the black minor pieces do a great 'holding job' on white's rooks. Concede one set of light squares to gain control of another set. To me this was excellent and very original defense." (Wells in ChessBase Magazine 92) 22.~e3 Aa4 23.~d5 ~d6 24.fiel ~b3 25.fia3 ~e5 26.g3 fifd8 27.~d2 Ae7 28.~f1 Af8 29.~fe3 ~e6 30.~b4 ~d3? It is not necessary to give up a pawn. After 30 ... .£\b3 Black has a strong initiative. 31.Axd3 exd3 32. ~d2 Ax b4 33.exb4 Ae2 34. 'it>g2 fide8 35.fie3 ~e7 36.~xe2 dxe2 37.~xe2 fid8 38.fie5± fid4 39. ~e3 ~d7 40.fie3?! f6 41.fie7 ~e8 42.h4 'it>h7 43. ~c5 fie4 44.~a7 fixe7 45.~xe7 fic846.~d6 fid8 47. ~c5 fie8 48. ~d6 Yz--~ E06.05: 20.'it>hl?? This runs into a direct attack. 20 ..llxg6? is also wrong as Black gains control after 20 ... hxg6 21.~xg6+ 4Jg7 22.~hl ileS 23.~g4 ~f6. The attacking potential must be reduced by 20 ..£\e2! .£\xe2+ (20 ... .£\c6? 21.c£Jg3±) 21.Axe2 ~c7 22.ild3 and Black has enough compensation for the exchange but not more. 20 ... ~h41 21.'it>gl fif8 22.~e2 Now it is too late for this because of 22 ... ~ xf3+ 23.fixf3 fixf3 24.~g3 fixf2l? 25.'it>xf2 ~xh2+ 26.'it>e3 ~xg3+ 27.'it>d2 e5 28.fifl ~f4 29.fihl Ah3 30.'it>el e4 31.Axe4 dxe4 32.fidl ~e6 33.'it>bl ~f8 34.fid8

~el+ 35.'it>a2 Ae6+ 36.b3 ~f2 37.fid2 ~f3 38.~g5 ~c3 39.fie2 M5 40.'it>bl h5 41.fig2 ~f3 42..§g3 ~e60-1

E06.06: 22 ... 'it>f7? This allows White to keep all the rooks on the board, with his rooks active and Black's passive. The tactical trick 22 ... §eS! almost equalizes as 23 ..§ xf6+?! runs into 23 ...'!:le7 24 ..§c6 ~d7 25 ..§f6 ~e7=. So White must try something like 23 ..§c6, but after 23 ... .§adS he is only very slightly better. 23 . .§e6 .§d7 24•.§el ~e7 25.Eke6 ~d5 26.a5

26 ... fib8? Too passive. Black must try to exchange pawns and to get some prospects for his rooks with 26 ... bxa5 27.c£Jxa5 .§bS 2S.c£Jc4 ~g7 even ifhis queens ide structure is weakened. But activity is much more important here as a rook usually gains a lot in strength if it can be used to create counterplay. White remians for choice after, e.g., 29.h4 of course. 27.axb6 axb6 28.~d6+ 'it>f8 29.e4 ~c7 30 ..§xf6+ 'it>g7 31.~e4 fie7 32.fif3 b5 33.b3 bxc4 34.bxe4 fib4 35 . .§e3 ~e8 36 . .§ee3 .§c7? 36 ... h5 is more tenacious. 37.~g5 fie8 38.h4 Even the mating attack 3S . .§e7+!? ~f6 39.'§xh7 is playable: 39 ...~xg5 40.§f3 .§xc4 41.h4+ ~g4 42 . .§ff7 '§c2 178

Solutions 43.fl,f4"". 3S ... h6 39.4)e6+ ~f6 40.4)f4 ~f7 41.:5£3 :5b7 42.:5ce3 4)d6 42 ... 4Jf6 43.4Jd5 fl,c6 44.fl,e5 +43.4) xg6+ 1-0 E06.07: 36 ... :5bbS? Too passive. White's pressure against fT will be very difficult to deal with. Counterplay with 36... fl,xd2 37.fl,xd2 g5! (Lutz in CBM 92) is the order of the day: 3S.fl,d5 g4 39.4Jd2 fl,bS=. 37.:5xdS+ §.xdS 3S.Ac4 4)fS? This just wastes valuable time. Black's last chance is to try to get some activity with 3S ... b5!? 39.Axb5 g5. 39.:5a7 4)e6 The rook exchange 39 ... fl,d7?! runs into 40.fl,xd7 4Jxd7 41.e6! 4Jf6 42.e7 4JeS 43.il.b5 +(Lutz). 40.:5b7 :5eS 41.:5xb6 4)fS 42.4)g5 :5e7 43.f4 4)d7 44.:5b7 ~fS 45.4) xf7 4) xe5 46.:5bS+ 1-0

~xd7 54.AfT Af2 55.il.xg6 \t'c7 56.g4 fxg4 57.~xh5 il.xh4 5S.~xg4 Jlf2 59.<:tJd5 \t'dS 60.'!ie6 <:tJeS=. 49 ... ~xd750.AgSh651.Ah7 Af2 52.Axg6 ~c7 53.~d5 Axg3 54.~e5

Axh4

55.~xf5 Ag3 56.~g4 Af2 57.~h5

Ae3 5S.f5 ~d6 59.Af7 59.f6 '!ie6 60.f7 ~e7 61.b6l.txb6 62.'!ixh6 '!if8= 59 ... ~e7 60.~g6 Y:z-'l2 E06.09: Black's rook must remain on the board as otherwise he will fall into zugzwang sooner or later: 4S ... :5bS! 4S ... fl,xg2+? 49.'!ixg2 ~el (after 49 .....QJ6 50.'!if3 <:tJfS 51.fl,dl Ae7 52.fl,gl ~f6 53.'!ie2 Ae7 54.fl,g6 .fidS 55.fl,h6 '!ig7 56.'§h5 ~f6 57.'!id3

E06.08: Black must exchange rooks in order to construct a fortress: With rooks on the board White wins easily, e.g., 39 ... :5dS! 39 ... ~f7? 40.~b7 fl,dS 41.fl,xb6 axb6 42.a7+- or 39 ... <:tJe7? 40.Ab7 Ac5 41.b6+-. 40.:5xe6 ~f7 41.:5d6 :5xd6 42.exd6 ~e6 43.d7 ~e5 44.~d3 AdS 45.h4 g6 46.g3 Ab6 47.~c4 ~e6 4S.f4 ~d6 49.Ad5 49.~d3 '!ie7 50.~e2 h5 White's rook manages to break free no matter, what Black does, e.g., 57 ...'!ig6 [57 ... '!igS 58.fl,xf5 '!ig7 59.~e3 <:tJg6 60.<:tJe4 '!ig7 61.fl,h5 .fidS 62.'!ie3 .fie7 63.f5 iaJ6 64.'!ie4 .fidS 65.f6+ ~xf6 66.l''!f5+-] 5S.e7 '!if7 59.fl,xf5 'iJ)xe7 60.fl,h5 '!if7 61..§h7++-) 50.'!if3 il.g3 51..§e3.flli2 52 ..§el.fig3 53.fl,e2 +- (D)

and Black's fortress can not be stormed, e.g., 51..~d5 ~dS 52.\t'd3 Ab6 53.'!ic4

with decisive zugzwang. 49.:5g1 After 49 ..§g5 Black can even enter the rook endgame with 49 ... b3 50 ..§xc3 b2 51..§gl bl~ 52.'§xbl fl,xbl as White's king can not be activated in time, e.g.,53 ..§c2 fl,b4 54.fl,g2 .§xa4 55 ..§g7+ 'iJ)eS 179

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3

56J'id7 Elxc4 57.Elxd6 §.d4= (Yusupov). 49 .•. Ad4 50.labl lag8 51.ladb3 Af2! 52.t'!fl Ag3+ 53.
30.Jixc6 ~xc6 31.Elxd6 ~c7 with a level position. 25 ..•f5 Black's mobile pawn majority will give him enough compensation for the exchange. Furthermore his position is easier to play. 26.Axf8 ~xf8 27.Ae2 Ah6 28 ..E!c2 Ac8 29.~c3 ~fd7 30.t'!el et\f6 3l.Afl f4 32•.E!ce2 .E!f8 Black also has alternatives to demonstrate that he is not worse: 32 .. .f3!? 33.gxf3 Af5 34 ..£le4 (34.§.b2 Af4 35 ..£le4 .£lfxe4 36.fxe4 Axe4 37.~g4 ~g7 3S:flh4 h6=) 34 ... .£lfxe4 35.fxe4 Ag4 36.~g2 Jixe2 37.'flxe2 §.fS 3S:~'g4 ~f7=; 32 ... .Q.f5!? 33.~a4 ~xa4 34.~xa4 ~d7 35.et\e7+
Solutions

E07.05: Black is for choice as he has IS ... d5! 19.J,lg2 19.4Jxg8 dxe4 20.Etgl Af3 with very strong compensation according to Rogozenko in CBM 118. 19...Axa3! 20.bxa3 J,le6 21.~xgS E!xgS 22.E!gl rJlc7 23.00-0 ~d6 "White has terrible pawns, which I can hardly even name as a 'structure.' His major problem is the lack of any activity." (Rogozenko) 24.Af3 E!cSl Black's active rook must remain on the board. Another example of the guideline that the side with the rook welcomes exchanges and the side with the minor piece(s) wants to avoid them. 25.~b2 ~a5 26.E!g7? Misguided activity, but White's task is unpleasant in any case. 26 ... ~c4+ 27.'ifjlal ~xa3 2S.J,lh5 E!xc3 29.J,lxf7 E!c7 30.Axe6 E!xg7 31.Axd5 ~c2+ 32.'ifjlbl ~d4 33. .Q"b3 E!g2 34.h3 §xf2 35.§gl ~xb3 36.axb3 'ifjlc5 37.§g6 a5 3S.§xh6 'ifjlb4 39.§b6 §f3 40.'ifjlc2 E!c3+ 0-1 Chapter 8 E08.01: lS ... ~cSl Heading for the ideal square on d6. 19.~b2 19.4Jb3 4Jd6 20.4Jc5 g6 21.4Jf4 Af5 and Black is fine. 19 ... ~d6 20.a4 JU5! Good timing to get rid of those bishops. 21..Q"xf5 ~xf5 22.~c3 22.b5?! runs into 22 ... 4Jxe3! . 22 ... ~g6 23.b5 ~gh4! As it appears Black is suddenly having a strong initiative on the kingside. Now 23 ... 4Jxe3?! is answered by 24.Etel. 24.~f1 ~g5 25.f4 and now instead of 25 ... ~dS?! which ultimately led to a win in the game as well, Gurevich could have played 25 ... 4Jf3+! with a very strong initiative

after 26.~hl 4Jg3+ (The fantastic 26 ... 'I'i¥g3!?, threatening 'i!i'h2!, is met by the simple 27.gxf3 and Black has nothing more than a perpetual) 27.4Jxg3 'i!i'xg3 28.gxf3 'i!i'xh3+ 29.~gl Etxe3 30.'i!i'g2 'i!i'f5 with ideas like Ete6 and EtaeS. E08.02: 16... c5! The typical reaction. Black's knight on b6 is excellently placed to defend the isolani and to create play on the queenside. 17.dxc5 ~xc5 IS.§hel rucSI9.E!fdl ~b4 20.§bl ~a3 21.E!b3 ~e7 22.~d4 Ag4 23.E!el ~f6 24.f3 Ad7 "All Black's pieces are perfectly placed, while the central pawn is well defended. Black has no problems at all." (Marin) 25. ~f2 §a3 26. ~b2 E!aaS 27. ~f2 §a3 28. ~b2 §aaS %-% E08.03: 20.b5? would have been premature as it allows Black to open the queenside on his terms: 20...cxb5! The typical 20 ... axb5?! 21.axb5 c5 plays into White's hand in view of22.dxc5 4Jxc5 23.Etal and White is in control. 21.axb5 E!ec8 22.~b2 a5! With the idea 4Jb6 and good black prospects on the queens ide (Marin in CBM 107). E08.04: Activity is the order of the day: 23 ... ~e4! 23 ... b5? is met by 24.Ag5! with strong pressure, e.g., 24 ... Eta6 25.Etcl EtcS 26.Etbc3 ~fS 27.Axf6 gxf6 2S.g3 24.E!cl?! 24.Etb2 g5 25.~h2 4Jc3 is the lesser evil. 24 ... ~d2 25.E!bc3 ~c4 and now 26.b5? ran into 26...cxb5 27.§b3 §as 2S ..1\c7 §a3 29.E!xa3 .1\xa3 30.§bl §c8 and Black managed to convel1 later. So 26.4Je5 is more tenacious, but Black remains for choice after 26 ... 4Ja3.

181

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 Chapter 9 E09.01: 36 .•. §.b8? Black had to change the guard of a6 and free his rook for activity, which is very often of crucial importance in rook endings: 36 ... ~c7! 37.~c5 ~b7 38.~d6 §e8 39.§a3 g5! (39 .. .f4? 40.exf4 §e2 41.g4+-; 39 ... d4?! 40.exd4 §e2 4U'k3 §xg2 42.§xc6 is not convincing as White's activity is still very dangerous) 40.g3 (40.§c3 f4 41.exf4 gxf4 42.!"lxc6 §d8+ 43.~c5 d4=) 40 ... g4! 4l.fxg4 fxg4 42.§c3 !"lf8= (Dvoretsky in his excellent Endgame Manual) 37.a3 §.a8 38.e4! A typical technique to convert an advantage in the endgame: Flohr opens a second front. 38 ... fxe4 39.fxe4 dxe4 40.~xe4 §.an This passivity is fatal. This was the last chance to free the rook with 40 ... ~c7! but White has won a lot of time now and his winning chances remain good after 41.h4! ~b6 42.g4 .§f8 43.h5 (Dvoretsky). 41.~f4 h6 42.h4 ~e6 43.~g4 §.a8 44.h5 g5 44 ... gxh5+ 45.'iftxh5 !"lg8 46.g4+- (Alekhine) . 45.g3!? A useful prophylactic move to prevent any invasion by Black's rook via f4. 45 ... §.a7 46.~f3 §.a8 47.~e4 §.a7 48.~d4 ~d6 49.~e4 We6 50.§.e5+ ~d6 50 ... ~f6 51.§c5 §c7 52.!"la5 !"la7 53.'iftd4 ~e6 54.~c5 §d7 55.!"lxa6 §d3 56.!"lxc6+ 'iftf7 57.a4 §xg3 58.!"lxh6+- (Levenfish, Smyslov). 51.§.e8 c5 51...a5 52 ..§h8 axb4 53.§xh6+ 'iftc5 54.axb4+ ~b5 55.!"lg6 and White wins. 52.§.d8+ ~c6 52 ... 'iftc7 53.!"lh8 cxb4 54.§h7+ ~b6 55.!"lxa7 ~xa7 56.axb4 and the pawn ending is easily won. 53.§.c8+ Wb6 54.§.xc5 §.h7 55.§.e5 ~c6 56.§.e6+ Wb5 57.Wf5 §.f7+ 58.§.f61-0 E09.02: 57... a5? Korchnoi showed the

right way in his work Practical Rook Endings (Olms 1999): 57 ... !"lc4! 58.c6 §c3 59.!"ld6 b3 60 ..§xf6 ~d8 61.§d6+ 'ifte7 62.§e6+ 'iftd8=; 57 ... !"le5?! 58.§b3 §xf5 59.§xb4 is probably drawn as well, but not as convincing as Korchnoi's solution. Too passive is 57 ... !"le7? 58.c6 b3 (58 ... §e5 59.c7 !"le8 60.'iftc6 a5 61.!"ld5 and Black will be mated) 59.!"lg3 !"le8 60.!"lxb3 §e5 61.§g3 §b5+ 62.'iftxa6 §bl 63.!"lg7 and White wins. 58.§.g3! White is a pawn down for the time being, but his active pieces give him a winning initiative. 58 ... b3 Now it is too late for 58 ... !"lc4 59.c6 'iftd8 60.c7+ ~e7 61.§e3+ ~d6 62.!"ld3+ \t'e5 63.§d8 b3 64.c~ !"lxc8 65.!"lxc8 a4 66.!"lc5+ ~d4 67.§b5 ~c4 68.~a5 a3 69. !"l b4+ ~c3 70.~a4 a2 71.§xb3+ ~c2 72.!"la3 ~b2 73.~b4+- (Kasparov). Not working either is 58 ... !"ld4 59.'iftxa5 ~c7 60.~b5 §f4 61.!"lg7+ ~d8 62.~c6+-. 59.Wc6 Wb8 59 ... §d4 60.§xb3 a4 61.§b5 §h4 (61...!"lf4 62 ..§a5 ~b8 63.~d7 !"lxf5 64.c6! is a trick to remember) 62.!"la5 ~b8 63.~d7 ~b7 64.~e6 and the white f-pawn will decide the game. 60.§.xb3+ Wa7 61.§.b7+ Wa6 62.§.b6+ Wa7 63.~b5 a4 64.§.xf6 .§f4 65.§.xh6 a3 66.§.a6+ ~b8 67 . .§xa3 .§xf5 68..§g3 §.f6 69.§.g8+ ~c7 70•.§g7+ WcS 71.§.h71-0 E09.03: 66 ... §.fl+? The wrong direction. Only 66 ... !"la4! works: 67.g5+ (67.~f5 can be met by the fantastic stalemate defense 67 ... !"l f4+! or 67 ... !"lxg4! ) 67 ... 'iftxh5 68.!"lh7+ ~g4 69.g6 and now Black's rook saves the day in typical fashion: 69 ... !"la6+ 70.~f7 !"la7+ 71.~g8 !"la8+ 72.~g7 ~g5=; 66 ... !"la5? 67.'§d6 is winning for White. 66 ... !"la6+? 67.'~f5 §a5+ 68.~e4 182

Solutions E!a6 (6S ... E!a4+ 69.E!d4 E!a6 70.E!d5 is the same) 69.E!d5 and White wins. But not 69.E!d4?? 'it'g5! with a typical fortress). 67.f.t'e5 13e1+ 68.~f4 13f1+ 69.~g3?? This throws away the win. 69.~e3! avoids the stalemate defense and wins: 69 ... E!gl 70.E!d6+ 'it'h7 71.'it'f4+-. 69 ...13g1+ 70.~f3 13xg4! and Black draws with this pretty trick after all. v,.-v,. E09.04: 26... ~fS? Black must activate the bishop immediately. A typical scenario when fighting against the knight: 26 ... ~d4! 27.E!xb7 E!al 2S.a4 (2S.E!d7 Ac3 29.E!e7 ilb4 30.E!e2 ~f7 3l.f3 gxf3 32.gxf3 ~xel 33.E!xel E!xa2 and Black's very active rook compensates for the pawn minus) 2S ... ilc3 29.E!e7 ilb4 30.E!e5 ~f7 31.c5 'it'f6 32.E!e4 a5 33.c6 ~f5 34.E!e2 E!cl 35.c7 E!xc7 and again Black has excellent drawing chances (Korchnoi in CBM 75). 27.a4?! 27.'it'e2!? is even better: 27 ... E!a12S.a4 E!a2+ 29.'~d3 E!xf2 30.c5 AdS 31.E!xb7+-. 27 ... Ad4 2S.~e2 b6 29.13d5 Af6 30.4Jd3 E!c3?f 31.13b5 h5 32.~d2 h4 33.4Jf4 h3 34.g3 ~gS 35.4Jd5 13f3 36.~e2 Ad4 37.4Je3 Ac5 3S.b4 AfS 39.a5 bxa5 40.bxa5 a6 41.13bS ~f7 42.4J xg4 13f5 43.f4 1-0 E09.05: 67... .§e3? White's active king wiII playa decisive role in typical fashion now. It has to be cut off with 67 ... E!f3! and Black survives in all cases, e.g., 6S.E!e6 (6s.E!xh5 'it'xc6=; 6S.~xh5 E!f5+ 69.~g4 E! xe5=) 6s ... E!h3 (68 ... E!g3+ 69.'it'xh5 E!gl works as well) 69.E!f6 h4 70.~g6 E!e3 71.e6 ~xc6 72.~f7 h3 73.E!f2 ~d6! The only move to save the draw. 74.E!d2+ ~e5 (The passive solution

74 ... ~c7 75.e7 E!f3+ is also playable) 75.e7 ~f4= 6s.~f6 ~xc6 69.~e7+ ~d5 69 ... ~c7 70.E!xh5 ~c6 71.e6 E!el n.E!h2 'it'd5 73.'it'd7 winning. 70.e6 .§e5 71.~d7 ~e4 72.e7 ~f4 73 •.§e61-0 E09.06: 50... a4! 50 ... 'it'd5? 51.a4! ~c5 52.~d7 ~b4 53.'it'c6 ~xb3 54.~b5 and 50 ... ~d4? 51.'it'd6 a4 52.bxa4 ~c4 53.a3! are both winning for White. 51.b4 51.bxa4 ~d5 52.~d7 ~c5 53.~c7 'it'b4 54.'it'b6 'it'xa4= 51 ... a3! v,.-v,. and a draw was agreed as the bpawn will fall. But not 51. .. 'it'd5? as White queens with check after 52.a3 ~c4 53.~d6 ~b3 54.b5 ~xa3 55.b6 'it'b2 56.b7 a3 57.bStii'++-. E09.07: 60 ... g6! Only this way, since the others are losing: 60 ... g5? 61.~e5 'it'gS 62.'it'f6 g4 63.~g6 g3 64.'£\f4 ~hS 65. 'it'xh6 'it'gS 66. ~g6 ~hS 67.h6 'it'gS 6S.h7+ 'it'hS 69.~h6 g2 70 ..£\g6#; 60 ... ~gS? 61.~e5 ~f7 62.'it'f5+-. 61.4JfS+ ~g7 62.4J xg6 ~f6 63.4Jf4 ~g5! Black needs to stick to the hpawn. 63 ... 'it'f5? 64 ..£\e6 'it'f6 (64 .. ,f~g4 65 ..£\g7 ~g5 66.~e6+-) 65.'it'd6 ~f5 66.~e7 ~g4 67 . .£\g7+- 64.~e5 64.~e6 ~xf4 65.~f6 ~e4 66.~g6

'it'e5 67.~xh6 'it'f6 is a trivial draw as well. 64... ~g4 65.~e4 ~g5 66.~f3 ~h4! Preventing ~g3. White cannot make progress. 67.~f2 ~g4 6S.~e3 ~g5 69.~f3 ~h4 v,.-v,.

E09.08: 59.g5! With this move White creates a defended passed pawn. The other moves lose because the black bishop does a good job keeping the bpawn in check and supporting his own f-pawn: 59.gxh5? f5 60.h6 'itlf7 61.h5 ~gS 62.'it'd3 ~h7 63.~c4 ~bS-+; 59.~f3? hxg4+ 60.'it'xg4 f5+ 61.'itlg5 183

The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 f4 62. 'it'g4 ~t7 -+. 59 ... f5 60. \tIf3 \tId7 60 .. .f4 61.'it'e4 ..Q.bB 62.~f3 ~f5 63.~g2 ~e5 (63 ... ~e4?? 64.g6+-) 64.'it'f3 doesn't change anything. 61.\tIe3 \tIe6After61...~c7 it is time to use the g-pawn to distract the bishop: 62.g6! 'it'xb7 63.g7 Axg7 64.~f4 Af6 65.~xf5 Axh4 66.'it'g6=. 62.\tIf3 Wd5 63. \tIe3 VI-VI E09.09: 56... .£!f5! 56 ... d5?! draws as well, but is much more complicated, e.g., 57 ...Q.eB (57.g5 .£lf5 5B. 'it'g4 .£le3+ 59.~g3 .£lf5+ 60.~h3 'it'f4 61.Ag6 .£le7 62.Ac2 d4 63.Ah7 .£lc6 [even 63 ... d3 64.Axd3 .£lc6 is playable] 64.g6 d3 65.g7 .£le7 66 ...Q.xd3 'it'e5 67.h5 ~f6 6B.h6 .£lgB 69.h7 'it'xg7=) 57 ... .£lf5 5B.h5 .£ld4+ 59.~g3 (59.'it'e3 .£le6 60.1td7 d4+ 61.~f3 .£lg5+ 62.~g3 ~f6 63.11f5 ~g7 64.~f4 ~h6 with a fortress) 59 ... ~f6 60.h6 .£le6 61.~h4 .£lg5 62.~h5 .£le6 63 ...Q.a4 .£lf4+ 64.~h4 .£lg6+ 65.'it'g3 'it'g5=. 57.gxf5 \tIxf5 VI-VI E09.10: 37. .§el! 37.fxg6? ~e6 and Black is not worse in view of his dangerous passed pawns. 37... d2?! 37 ... ~xel + 3B.~xel ~t7 39.~d2 c4 40.'it'c3 ~f6 41.fxg6 'it'xg6 42.Ac1 +(Stohl). 38.\tIxe2 gxf5 3B ... c1 ir1 39.~xc1 and the bishop defends cl. 39.\tIxd2 Wf7 40.Wxc21-0 E09.11: SO ... d4+? Black should wait with 50 .. .'~e6! 51.'it'd4 'it'd6 52.f3 'it'e6 as White cannot make progress because 53.g4? runs into 53 ... g5!-+ when the resulting second passed pawn will be decisive. 50 ... 'it'd6? 51.'it'd4 'it'e6 52.f3 'it'd6 53.g4 'it'e6 (53 ... g5 54.gxh5 does not work here, because the black king is too far away.) 54.gxh5 gxh5 55.f4+-. 51.\tId3 \tId5 52.f3 we5?!

52 ... 'it'c5!? is much more tenacious as White has to win the queen ending after 53.g4 ~d5 (53 ... g5 again simply loses to 54.gxh5 +- ) 54.gxh5 gxh5 55.f4 ~c5 56.f5 'it'd5 57.f6 'it'e6 5B.~xd4 'it'xf6 59.~d5 ~f5 60.~c6 ~g4 61.~b7

'it'xh4 62.'it'xa7 ~g4 63.a5 h4 64.axb6 h365.b7h2 66.bB~hl~+-. 53.Wc4 1-0 E09.12: 1 ....§xh4+! 2.~xh4 Ad5! VIVI and a draw was agreed in view of 3.§.g4 (3.Axd5 e2 -+) 3... ~f6+ 4.~g3 Ae5+ 5.'it'h3e26.~h4+ (6.Axe2Ae6=) 6 ... ~g5 7.Axe2 Axg2+= (Bareev in Informant 45). E09.13: 35•.. a5? 35 ... Ac5! 36.E! xa6 'it'e7 (Blatny), to establish a solid blockade, was called for. Black has reasonable drawing chances. 35 ... E!aS? also does not work: 36.d6 AdS 37 .§.b7 E!cS 3S.Af3 ~xc4 39.Ad5 +-. 36.d6 Ad837..§b5a438.c5a339.Ac4f6 40 ..Q.e6 fxg5 Or 40 ... ~aS 41.§.b7 a2 42.§.f7+ ~gS 43.~a7+ +-. 41 •.§b71-0 41.AxcB?? a2-+ E09.14: 53.\tIg6? The white king walks into a fatal check. 53.~f6! draws, e.g., 53 ...'it'xb2 54.h6 'it'a3 55.h7 b2 56.hSir1 bI 'li'f 57.~aB+ ~b4 5S.~bB+ .£lb5 59.ir1f4;!;; 53.h6? .£lt7+ 54.~g6 .£lxh6 55.~xh6 ~xb2 56.g4 'it'c3 57.g5 b2 58.g6 b 1~ 59.g7 ~b3 is an elementary win. 53 .•• \tIxb254.h6~a3 55.h7b2 56.h8~ bl~+ 57.~g7 ~b2+

58.\tIh7 ~c2+ 59.~g8 ~c4+ 60.\tIh7 ~e4+ 61.\tIg8 ~d5+ 62.\tIg7 ~xg2+ 63.~h7 ~h3+ 64.\tIg7 .£!f5+ 65.~g8 ~b3+ 0--1 E09.1S: 99.e6! The game went 99.~f2? 'it'e4 lOO.'it'xg2 'it'xd4 101.'it'g3 Ad7 l02.'it'f2 (102.'it'f4
Solutions ~b2-+)

l02 ... ~xe5 l03Aje2 d4 105.<£lc1 itc4 106.~dl

104.~el ~b5

~f4 107.~d2 ~e4 10B.~c2 ~e3

109.~bl 0-1. 99 •.• ~xe6 100.~f4 and White's fortress cannot be taken: 100 ... Ad1 101.~h3 ~f6 It is also not possible to penetrate on the queenside: 101...~d6 l02.~e3 ~c6 103.~d2 itg4 104.4Jgl ~b5 105.~c3 A.f5 106.<£lf3 and Black can make no progress as the bishop cannot control d3,e2,f3 and h3 at the same time. 102.4:)g1 Ab3 102 ... .1lc2 103.4Je2 .Ile4 104 ..£lgl Gt'g6 105.~g4 ~h6

E09.17: 58...b5! brings White into fatal zugzwang. 59.~cl?! This loses immediately. 59.~dl!a360.~c1 is more stubborn as Black also has no waiting move now. But White's bishop is so bad that the following technical method wins: 60 ... axb2+ 61..\lxb2 ~xb4 62.~d2 ~c4 63 ..\lc3 b4 64 ..Ilb2 (64.Aal Ab365.Ab2.\la4-+ ) 64 ...itbl 65 ..Ilal itd3 66.itb2 ~b3 67 ..\lc1 ~a2+ (Baburin in Chess Today #3236). 59••• a30-1 Chapter 10

106.~h4 .\lf5107.~g3 ~g5 108.~xg2 ~f4

109.<£le2+ ~e3 110 ..£lc3 ~xd4 111.<£lxa4= 103.4:)f3 Ac4104.4:)g1

Af1105.~g4 ~g6106.~f4 ~h5

107.4:)h3 ~h4107 ... Ae2 lOB.~g3= 108.4:)g1 Now we have reciprocal zugzwang with Black to move. 108 ...Ad3 The alternative is a draw as well: 10B ... .\la6 109.~f3 ~g5 110.~xg2 ~f4111.~f2 ~e4112.~el

~d3

113.<£le2 ~c2 114.<£lf4 .\lc4 (114 ... .\lb7 115.<£lg2 ~d3 116.~dl ~xd4 117 ..£lf4 ~c3 llB.~cl d4 119 ..£le2+= and White's king will reach the saving comer al in time) 115.<£lg2 ~b2 116.~d2 ~xa3 117.\t>c3 ~a2 (117 ....\le2 llB.<£le3 .\lf3 119.<£lc2+ ~a2 120.~b4 ~b2 121.<£la3 .Ildl 122.<£lb5=) 118.<£le3=. 109.~f3 Ae4+ 110.~f2 ~g4111.4:)e2 Af3 112.4:)c3 ~f4 113.4:)xa4 ~e4 114.4:)c5+ ~xd4 115.4:)e6+ ~c4 116.4)g5= E09.16: 73.~h5! Black's king must not reach the saving comer h8. The hasty 73.a8~? lets the win slip in view of 73 .. J~xa8 74 ..\lxa8 ~g6=. 73 ... ~f7 74.Jld5+! 1-0 and Black resigned because of 74 ... ~e7 75.a8~ t:!xa8 76.Jlxa8 ~f7 77 ..Ild5+ ~f8 7B. ~g6 +-

EIO.Ol:21 ... f6! and in the resulting endgame Black is even slightly better. Staying in the middlegame with 21...t:!h6? gives White a very strong attack after 22.t:!d5! ..Ilxd5 23.~c5 ~f6 24.cxd5 t:!d8 25:~i'fB+ ~d7 26.i¥Yb4 ~e8 27.~xb7 §.d7 2B.~c6 and Black can hardly move. 21...~g4? 22.f3 and now the greedy 22 ... i¥Yxc4?? runs into 23. i¥Yg5 with mate to follow. 22. ~xe6+ ~xe6 23.'§'xe6+ ~f7 24•.§.e7+ ~g6 25.a5 .§.ad8 26.Ad6 .§.he8 27.'§'xe8 .§.xe8 28.f3 .§.el+ 29.~f2 .§.al 30.Ab4 .§.b1 31.Aa3 .§.b3 and the game was drawn later on. EIO.02:20 ... 4:)c5! A well calculated move. 20 ... .\lc5?? runs into 21..Ilxc5 <£lxc5 22.t:!c6+ +- and 20 ... h5? 21.ite3 ± gives White a dominating position. 21 •.§.c6+ 21.t:!xf8? <£lxe6-+ 21 ... ~b7 22 . .§.xc5 .§.xd4 23 . .§.cf5 After 23.§.f7+ ~b6 24.t:!cB? Petrosian's point is revealed: 24 ... itc5! 25.t:!xhB t:!f4+ 26.~h2 t:!xf7 and Black's dangerous activity gives him the upper hand. 23 •.. .Q.d6 24 . .§.f7+ ~c6 25 ..§.xg7 b4 26.~a4 .§.d5 Of course Black's superior minor piece provides enough compensation for the pawn. 185

The Chess Cafe Puzzle Book 3 27.b3 Ae5 2S.§.e7 c3 29.§.e6+ .Q.,d6 30.§.e4 §.fS 31.§.xfS .Q.xfS 32.~f2 .Q.d6 33.§.e2 §.f5+ 34.~e3 a5 35.§.f2 §.e5+ 36.~f3 §.f5+ 37.~e2 §.e5+ 3S.~f1 h5 39.§.e2 §.f5+ 40.§.f2 Y:z-~ EIO.03: 72 ... §'xe4? First White's queenside has to be undermined with n ... a4! 73.~b7 (73.bxa4? even backfires completely: 73 .. Jhe4 74.~b7 ~xc4 75.~xc7 ~xa4-+)

73 ... axb3 74.~xc7 b2 75.~c6+ ~d7 76.~xb6 !'lxe4 77.~xb2 ~xc4 7S.~b6 ~d4 79.~xf6 e4 80.~e6 E'!xd5 81.~xe4 ~xf5 with a draw. 73.~b7 §.e3 74.§.f7 a4 74 ... ~xb3 75.~xf6+ ~d7 76.~f7+ ~d6 77.~cS e4 7S.~xc7 .§xa3 79.f6+75.§'xf6+ ~d7 76.bxa4e4 76 ... ~xa3 77.'§f7+~d6 78.~cSe4 79.~xc7 ~xa4

80 ..§c6+ ~e5 Sl.d6+- 77.§.f7+ ~dS 7S.§.xc7 §.O 79.d6 §.xf5 SO.§.e7 e3 S1.~c61-0

EIO.04: 94.~dS! After 94.4:Ja5? the rook will win the domination game: 94 .. ,~b5 95.4:Jb7 .§b3+ 96.~c2 ~a3 97.4JdS ~xa6 9S.4Jf7 .§g6 99.~d3 ~g7 lOO.4:Jh6 ~g3+ 101.~e2 ~e6102.~f2 ~g6 trapping the knight. 94.a7? runs into 94 ... .§a4 95.~c3 ~xa7 96.4:JdS .§d7 again trapping the knight. 94 ...§.d4+ 95.~e3 §.e4+ 96.~d3! The right square. 96.~f3? ~eS 97.4:Jb7 (97.4:Jf7 .§f8-+) 97 ... .§aS98.~f4 ~xa6 99.4:JdS ~a7 100.~f5 ~d7 101.<£le6 ~f7+ +-. 96 ... §.f4 After 96 ... .§e7 the knight joins its king with 97 .4Jb7 ~e6 9S.4Ja5 .§xa6 99.4Jb3=. 97.a7 §.a4 98.~f7! Now the knight escapes. 9S ... §.xa7 99.~g5 §.a3+ 100.~e2 ~-~ EIO.05: 21 ....Q.cS? Only 21...4Jxg6! holds: 22.4Jg7+ ~fS 23.Axe7+ ~xg7 24.M6+ ~h7 25.Ag5 ~h8! (25 ... ~gS?

26.i!¥xh6 4Jd4 27.~f6 tii'xc2+ 2S,~al 4Jf5 29.i!¥g5 ±) 26:{;¥d7 .§f8 27:~xb7 hxg5 2S.g3 and White might be slightly better, but all three results are still possible. If Black takes on h4, then f7 will always be his Achilles' heel: 21...~xh4? 22.Axf7+ 4Jxf7 23.<£lc7+ <;fifS 24.i!¥f5 ~c4 25.b3 winning, or 21...~xh4? 22 ..§xf7 4Jxf7 23.~f5 winning. 22.~g7+ Iit}f8 23 ..Q.xe7+ ~xg7 24 •.Q.f5 ~f4 25.§.xf4 ~xf4 26..Q.xc8 1-0 Easy Exercises

EI1.01: 1... ~c6!!0-1 In fact it is White who resigned after this powerful blow. EI1.02 : 73.§'xe4! This solves all technical problems. 73.hS~? and now, instead of taking the queen with a likely draw, Black has a perpetual with 73 ... ~hl + 74.~g3 .§gl =. 73.~g2?! ~f4 doesn't spoil anything, as long as White returns to the original position with 74.~g4+ ~f5 and now finds 75.~xe4! . 73 ... ~xe4 74.~g2 §.a2 75.hS~ .Ei:xe2+ 76.~g3 and the rest was easy: 76 ... §.a2 77.~h7+ ~d4 7S.a7 e2 79.~f2 ~c3 SO. ~c7+ ~d2 S1.~d6+1-0

El1.03 :No, he is winning after 23. ~d1! The alternatives lose: 23.Af1? ~xal 24.'§xh6? ~xfl * and 23.<£lel? ~g5+ 24 ..§g4 'l*xg4+ 25.~hl ~g2* 23 ... §.xd1+ 24.§.xd1 ~e6 25..Q.xh7+ 'It>f8 26.§.f4+ 1-0 winning the queen on the next move. El1.04 :Yes, Black can save the draw with 1 ... .Q.xg5 2.~xg5 ~f5! 2... M5? 3.4:Jxd5! Ag6 (3 ... ~xd5 4.Ah6+ .llg6 5.i!¥xd5 wins) 4.4Je7+ ~xg7 5.4:Jxc6 .§xc6 is technically winning for White. 186

Solutions Now White has nothing better than 3.Ah6+ ~h8 4. ~f6+ %-% Ell.OS: I. ~e3? This logical move loses a crucial tempo. The correct way of defending was from the side with 1.~e2! .§f5 (1.. ..§f3 2.Elaxe7 and White has a winning counterattack) 2.~c3+ t7 61.Ac3 Black will prevail, for example, 61. .. ~e7 62.~f4+ f7-+. 58...~f7 59.~b8 §,d860. ~f4+ ~f6 61. ~c7+ ~e8 62. ~c6+ §,d7 63 ..1lc3 Or, for example, 63.i;¥c8+ i;¥d8 64.i;¥e5
Et1.07: 33.g3! It looks dangerous to open up the long diagonal, but Black cannot exploit it. Instead 33.'tlxe6? runs into 33 .. J~g4 34.0lc5 Axg2 35.i;¥f5 .ilh3+ 36.
37.exf6 .1ld5 38.Ae4 Ac4 39.Jl.g6?! This makes it technically slightly more difficult, but White's win is not in any doubt. 39.l"ldl Ab6 40 ..§d7 was more precise. 39 ... Jl.d4 40.£1 e5 40 ... .ild5 41.l"lc1 .ile4 42.l"lc2 h3 43.l::!.d2 e5 44.Af5 'xf7 45.Axh3 +- 41.§,e41-0 El1.08: 36 ... 4)e5! Suddenly Black takes over the initiative. 37.~xe5 %% and a draw was agreed in view of 37... ~f2+ 38.'hl ~f3=.

El1.09: 1 ... axb5? There was no time for taking back on bS. Black should have countered with 1.. ..§d8! 2.l"lal (2.bxa6? l"lxdl + 3.0lxdll"la7 4.~xe4 Ae7 wins for Black) 2 ... l"ld4! 3.0le4 l"lxb5 4.e3 l"lxe4 5.i;¥xe4 .§xb2 6.i;¥xe4 l::!.b5 with a level position. 2.4)e4? 2.i;¥h4 wins on the spot. 2 ... Ae7 3.Ag5?! It was time to force a draw with 3.i;¥f3 .§d8 4.0lf6+
187

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 80 ... ~f7! 81.~a8 l£\e5 82.~a7+ I£\fd7= and the black pieces are organized. 80 ... l£\f2? 81.~f6 4:\g4+ 82.'~le7 doesn't work either. 8Vifjlf4 ~f7 82.Ete2 .£!f183.Etf2 ~f6 84.Etxfl 1-0 Ell.12: 30 •.. Ad3! Black can still defend h7. The other standard moves for defending h7 that the attacker has to reckon with are I£\f6, Af5 and 'ltJc2. The alternatives allow mate: 30 ... 'ltJxg5?? 31.'ltJxg5+ ~h7 32.'ltJxh5+ ~g8 33.'~g5+ ~h7 34.~e3, a standard mating procedure. 30 ... ~e8?? 31.~h7+ ~f8 32. tjxf7 # is even quicker. 31.Ete3 ~b6! First a defensive move and now comes the counterattack! 32.h3 h4 33.~xh4 Ag6 34.~h6 '£!xd4 35 . .£Jh7 ~bl + Another move can be added to the list of potential h7 defenders! 36.~h2 Axh70-1

Ell.13: 23.~gll In this case passive defense is right. Other moves lose in a fairly straightforward manner: 23.'ith3? ~g5 24.~xd4 '€¥h5+ 25.~g3 ~h2+ 26. ~xg4 f5 #; 23.'itg3? 'ltJg5 24.f4 exf3 25 ..llxd4 1£\e3+-+. 23 ... ~h4 24.Etfel! The only move, but it is sufficient. 24 ... e3?? This doesn't work. Correct was 24 ... ~xa4! 25.A.e5 I£\xe5 26.~xa4 I£\g4 27.'~xe4 (27.~c2 ~e8 gives Black enough play for the rook) 27 ... ~xf2+ 28.'ithl tjh4+ with a perpetual. 25.Etxe3?? A blunder in return. 25 ..llxd4! e2 and now the typical 26:{tJxc7 wins. 25 ..• ~h2+ 26. ~f1 Etf4 27.Etael ~hl+ 28.~e2 ~xg2 29. ~bl?? Now Black's attack crashes through. After 29.~dl ~xf2 30.tjcl ~f4 the struggle continues. 29 ... .£Jxe3 30.~xe3 Ete8+ 31.~d3 ~g6+ 32.cif}d2 Etxf2+ 33.~dl ~g4+ 34.~c1 ~f4+ 35.~dl ~f3+ 0-1

Ell.14: 58•.. Etg3! Black should head for a queen ending though. 58 ... gl tj+? 59.~xgl 'itxgl 60.h7 ~b3+ 61.'itc6 ~c3+ 6ut'd5 and 58 ... ~b3+? 59.r.t>a5 ~c3 60.h7 both win for White. 59.Etxg3 ~xg3 60.c8~ gl~+ 61.~c5 ~bl+ and Black holds the draw relatively easily: 62. ~b5 ~g6+ 63 ..~c6 ~bl + 64.~a7 ~h7+ 65.~a6 ~g4 Yz-Yl Ell.IS: 31 .•. Etd8! A clever way of exchanging rooks since fl is hanging. 32.Etxd8? 32.~del 'ltJd3 33 ..~xd3 ~xd3 34.E!e2 ~g4 would have been more stubborn. 32 ... ~xfl 33.~a4 Etg2+ 34.Ad2 ~xf4 35.~d7 .£Jg5 36.cif}a3~xe537.~e8~g638.~d7

Etxh2 39.Etg8+ ~h7 40.Etd8 ~g6 41.Etg8+ ~h5 42.~d3 c4 0-1 Ell.16: 29 ••• Etg8! A cool move after which White's attack is over. 30. ~h6+ 30.4Jxd5 tja5+ doesn't work either. 30... ~f7 31.~h7+ ~f8 32•.£!xd5 ~a5+33.~f1 ~xd534.~h6+~e8

0-1 El1.17: 25.Etd6!! A spectacular move, and the only way to keep the game going. 25 ... .£!xd6 25 ... cxb2+ 26.'itbl I£\xd6 27 .~xf6= is similar to the game. 26.~xf6+ .£!f7 26 ... r.t>e8? 27.4Jxd6+ ~d7 28.~e6+ ~d8 29.~f7+ even loses. 27.Axf7 27.'ltJg7+ 'ite8 28 ...'txf7+ tjxf7 29.l£\d6+ rtie7 30.4:\f5+ leads to a perpetual as well. (30.4Jxf7? is met by 30 ... ~ag8!) 27 ... ~xf7 28. ~xh8+ ~g8 29. ~f6+ l/z-Yz Ell.18:32 ... ~f6! Other moves simply lose: 32 ... ~g5? 33.~xg5 4Jxg5 34.~h8+ r.t>xe7 35.~xa8+-; 32 ... 'ltJcl? 33.'ltJe2 +-. 33.Etxh7 33.l£\d5 ~xf5 34.tjdl ~e8 is also about equal. 188

Solutions

33;•. 'it'xe7 34.~e4+ ~eS 3S.~h4+ 35:ft1 xb7 ~f4 36.(~>g1 ~e3+ 37.'it'hl Wf4 is another way of repeating moves. 3.S .. :~f6 36:f}fe4+ 'f}fe5 37. 'f}fh4+ ~f6 38. 'f}fe4+ 'f}feS 39. 'f}fh4+ 'f}ff6 40. 'f}fe1 + ~eS 41. 'f}fh4+ %--% Ell.19: 20...'it'g8! It was close, but after this cool reply Black is still in the game. 20 ... h6? 21.Axh6 <£Ig8 22 ..llg5+ <£Ih6 23.f6 with a devastating attack. ,21.Axf6 The only way to make progress, but obviously giving up the strong black-square bishop is a serious positional concession. 21.E1.g3 ~h8! 22.E1.h3 ~g8 would be a draw. 21 ... Jtxf6 22. ~xh7+ 'it'f8 The black king is ready to escape to the queenside. Besides, in the game White fails to realize that his attack is over -- a common psychological pitfall. 23.~h8+?! It was time to regroup with 23.l:!d3 l:!e5 24.E1.ddl and White is better coordinated than in the game. 23 ... 'it'e7 24. 'f}fhS §d7! Another key move in Black's defense. 2S.§e1 + 'it'dS 26.§xe8+ ~xe8 27. 'f}fh8+~ This time the consequences are more serious. Again centralizing with 27.~dl! ~d8 28.l:!d3 was asked for. 27 ... ~e7 28.4Jdl? Once more 28.'itfh5 but by now Black is clearly better after 28 ... ~d8 28 ... d4! Andersson has calculated very well and now takes over the initiative. 29. 'f}fg8 'f}feS 30. ~xti+ ~d8 31.§h8+ 31.~e6 l:!e7! and White's weak back rank will cost him the game. 31 ... 'it'c7 Now the black king .is safe, White is lost. 32. ~e8 32.E1.e8 ~xf5 33.~c4 d3! 34.E1.el 'itfg5 with a winning attack. 32... ~xfS 33. ~el §e7 34. t\'g3+ ~b6 3S.Jlc4 t\'xc2 36.Ab3 0-136 .. :f}fxg2+ 37.t\'xg2 §e1*

Ell.20: 21. .. §g4!1 Incredibly cool defense (i.e., counterattack), allowing the discovered check. 22.E!.xf6 After most moves Black now replies with .a.d5, while 22.<£Ixg7+ ~h8 23.<£Ixe8 E1.xg2+ leads to mate. Additionally, after 22.<£If4+ d5 it is Black who has a winning attack! 22 ... §xg2+ 23.'it'fl t\'bS+0-1 Ell.21: 34:f}fg8+ 34.~xa2?? E!a8+ 35.~bl E1.al# 34... ~e7andnow it was safe to take the rook: 35. ~xa2 1-0 Ell.22: 88.~gl? 88.~fl! is forced in view of 88 ... ~xg7 89.E1.xf5 <£Ie3+ 90.~el=. 88 ... 'it'xg7 89.§xfS?! This loses the rook immediately. But 89.~f1 ~g6 90.h5+ ~f6 91.E!a6+ ~g7 92.E!a5 l:!d5 is also hopeless in the long run. 89 ... E!.dl+ 90.~g2 4Je3+ 91.'it'f3 4JxfS92.hS ~h693.g4 4Jg7 94.~e4 §e1+ 9S.~f3 §fl+ 96.'it'g3 4Je6 97.fS 4JgS 98.~h4 E!.f3 99.f6 §h3* 0-1 Ell.23: 2S.E!.f2! Bringing in another defender in typical fashion. 25.E!fal? <£Ixh3+! 26.~f1 (26.gxh3? E1.g5+ 27.~f1 ~xh3+ 28.~el E1.g1 + 29.'~d2 E!g2-+ ) 26 ... <£Ig5 27.'~f2 E!xb5= (Mikhalevski). 2S ...cS 26.t'f:}xcS t'f:}xh3+ Of course Black should try something, but it's not going to be enough. 26 ...'itfg3 27.~f1 is also winning for White. 27.gxh3 ~xh3 28.§h2 §gS+ 29.E!.g2 E!.hS 30.~f1 ~hl+ 31.~f2 ~h4+

32. ~e2 §x bS 33.l3.a8+ ~ti 34. ~a1 1-0 Ell.24: 26.~e11 This brings in another defender and secures the vulnerable f2square. 26 ..§7c2? is also better for White, but gives Black much more counterplay: 26 ... <£Ixf2 27.~xf2 'i£fxhl 189

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 2B.exfl exf3+ 29.exf3 ~h2+ 30.~e3 ee8 32.ef2 ~d1 and as a result of White's exposed king, the position is not easy to play. 26 ... ~g8 26 ... exf3 27.exf3 (27.Axf3? ~h2+ 2B.~xfl efS 29.ecB
~xc2 31.~xd6

Test Solutions Test 1 TOl.Ot: 1...~c6? This allows White to escape. Winning was 1...~bS! 2.ed1
(Christiansen in his excellent book Storming the Barricades, Gambit 2000); 19.~h5? t2tgS+ 20.t2txgS AxgS and

Black's mighty bishops give him the upper hand. 19.fxe3?? iixe3+ 20.ef2 exf2 21..~.xf7+ ~f8 22.~h1 lig2+ 23.~gl ee2 #. 19,.. ~f3 20. ~xf7+ ~d7 21.Ab5+ E(.c6 22.~g8 Ag5 0-12 points for 19.1ixf7+!. TOl.04: 1. .. ~c7+? This doesn't work. 1...ee1! protects the queen and seems to hold, e.g., 2.ef7 (2.dS ee2=) 2... t2txgS 3.exg5 ee2+ 4.~h3 exa2 5.d5 eg8=. Not enough is 1...eeS? 2.d5 eel 3.d6 t2te5+ 4.t2txe5 e1xe5 5.d7 edS 6.ef7± 2.E(.f4 E(.f8 3.E(.g3! A nasty surprise, the rook is invulnerable. 3 ... E(.c2+ 4.~h3 ~d7+ 5.E(.gg4 Ek3+ 6.~h41-0 2 points for 1...ee1!. T01.05: 22,..g6! Other moves are losing: 22 ... edS? 23.exdS+ lixdS 24.iic4+ t2te7 25.Axb5+ ~f7 26.iic4+ ~eB 27.t2td5! +-; 22 ... b4? 23.ltb3 edS 24.Jla4+ ~f7 25Jhd8 exdS (25 ... t2txdS 26:~xh7 +- ) 26.'~xh7 ltd6 27.I~hh5+ '1!Je7 2B.g6+-; 22 ... eb7? fails to 23.iid5!; 22 ...
Solutions 31.Ac5 ~xe6 32.§xe6 §dl"" 0-12 points for 22 ... g6!. T01.06: 14.Ac2? This does not parry Black's second threat. White has two ways to deal with both: 14.g3 is the solid way: 14 ... .£lf2+ 15.'g2 .£lxd3 (15 .. .'~xd3 16.El.xf2=) 16.El.d1= and 14.h3 the enterprising way: 14 .. .'~h4 (14 ... .£lf2+ 15.El.xf2 Axf216.'~xf2 ~xd3 17.Ae3) 15.El.f3 .£lf2+ 16.\!ih2 g5 17.Ad2 g4 lS.El.g3 ~dS 19.Ac2 h4 20.[!xg4 4Jxg4+ 21.hxg4 and in both case White has compensation for the exchange. 14... .£!xh2 0-12 points, if you either saw that 14.g3 keeps the material balance or 2 points for the exchange sacrifices after 14.h3. T01.07: 33 ..• ~g4!! This one can only be found at the board if you keep a very positive frame of mind. 33 ... ~dS? 34.l~hg5+ \!ih7 35.Ag4 'hS 36.\!ig3 +- 34.§ xg4 .£!f3+ 35. 'i!i'g2? A serious error turning an advantage into a disadvantage. The king had to be activated with 35.'g3 4Jxd2 36.El.xg5+ since after 36 ...\!ih6 (36 ... \!ihS 37.El.g6 El.g7 3S.l"l xg7 'xg7 39 ..ild1 ±) White has 37.'g4! . 35 ... .£!xd2 36.13xg5+ 'i!i'h6 37.h4 .£!xb3 38.13f5 .£!xa5 39 ..Q.e2 'i!i'g7 40.h513f7 41.§g5+?! 'i!i'h8 42.h6?! §f6 43.§h5 §f4 44.§g5 .£! xc4 45.Ad3 .£! b2 46 ..Q.c2 c4 47.13g7 .£!d3 48.Abl §xf2+ 49.'i!i'g3 §b2 0-12 points for Burn's amazing shot 33 ... ~g4!!. T01.08: 27 ... 'i!i'f8! It's time to get out of there; the king will be perfectly safe on e7. 28.Ah6+ 2S.Abl El.e5! is similar. 28 ... 'i!i'e7 29.§fel+ .£!e5 30.Axb3 ~b6+ 31.~d4 ~xb3 32.-'1.g5 Jlxg5 33.§bl ~g3 0-1 2 points for 27 ... 'fS !.

Test 2 T02.01: 28 ... .£!f6! Other moves lose without a fight: 2S .. :~g7? 29.~h5+ ~h7 30. ~g5 +-; 2S ... El.d7? 29.fxe5 El.gS 30.~e4+-; 2S ... 4Jg7? 29.El.h3+ ~gS 30:~h7+ ~t7 31.E!.g3 l"lgS 32.fxe5+-. 29.fxe5 .£!h7 30..£!d4? 30.El.xfS+ El.xfS 31.e6 ~e3 32.~h5 is critical and gives White some winning chances. 32.4Jg3? is met by 32 ....1lel =. 30...13xf331..£!xf3 ~f2 32 . .£!g5 .£!xg5 33.~xg5 §f8 34. ~h6+ 34.h3!? was the last chance to play for a win, but Black should be able to hold after 34...~e2 35.E!.d4 E!.f1 + 36.~h2 ~xe5+ 37.~xe5+ dxe5 3S.El. xc4 Ad6. 34... 'i!i'g8 35.~g6+ %-% 1 point for 2S... 4Jf6!. T02.02: 29 ... 13b7? 29 ... El.cS! would have been the only defense: 30.El.xb3 (30:i1i'e6 El.cfS 31.E!.xb3l"lxa7 32.El. xa7 ~xa7 33.Axd5) 30 .. ,El.xa7 31.El.xa7 ~xa7 32 ..ilxd5 with the initiative according to Ribli in CBM 96. White certainly retains some winning chances as opposite-color bishops favor the attacker, but Black is still in the game. 29, .. El.fS? 30.El.xb3! El.xb3 31.Axd5 El.b6 32.~c5 El.b7 33.~xfS++-. 30.13xb3! Breaking through on the white squares. 30 ... §cxb3 31.Axd5 §3b5 31...El.bl + 32.El.xbl El.xb1 + 33.\!ig2l"lb6 34.~xb6~xd5+ 35.'gl+- 32.Axb7 §xb7 33.~c6 1-0 33 •.. 13bl+ 34.13xbl ~xc6 35.13b8+ Af8 36.13xf8+ 'i!i'g7 37.a8~+- 2 points for 29 ... El.cS!. T02.03: 51.~f5? 51.cxd6! Ae5+ (51...El.h4+ 52.l"lh3 Ae5+ 53.'h1 l"lxh3+ 54.~xh3 exd6=; 51...El.ag4 52,~xg4 El.xg4 53.dxe7 Axe7 54.\!ih3=) 52.\!ih3 El.h6+ 53.~g2 El.a2+ 54,El.f2! . This rook sacrifice is the point 191

The ChessC'!-fe Puzzle Book 3 of the defense. 54 ... .§h2+ 55.\£?gl .§axf2 56.~g4+ (56.dxe7 is playable as well as 56 ... .lld4 is met by 57.~g4+=) 56 ... \£?h6 57.~e6+ itf6 5S.dxe7 '§hg2+=; 51.c6? runs into 51...Ae5+ 52.~h3 .§h6+ 53.\£?g2 .§a2+ 54 ..§f2 .§h2+ 55.\£?gl .§hxf2 56.tltg4+ \£?f6 57.tlth4+ \£?f7 5S.tlth5+ ~fS 59.c7 .§g2+ 60.~hl (60.\£?fl .§af2+ 61.\t'el .llc3+ 62.\£?dl .§gh) 60 ... 8h2+-+. 51 ... Ae5+ 52.\tihl 52.\£?h3 .§h6+ 53.\£?g2 .§a2+ 54 . .§f2 .§h2+-+ 52 ... §h4+ 53.§h3 §hg4 54. ~f2 Ad4 0-1 55. ~e2 §gl + 56. \tih2 Ae5-+ I point for 51.cxd6! and 2 more, if you calculated until 54 ..§f2!. T02.04: 14 ... Ae7? This loses. 14 .. .'~Jge7! 15.4Jxc7+ \£?dSI6.4JxaS d6 and White's attack is repelled.15.Ad6! \tidS 15 ... cxd6 16.'!~HS# 16.~fS+! AxfS 17.Axc7# 1-02 points for 14 ... 4Jge7!. T02.05: 61. \tie4? The wrong direction. The king must head directly to the kingside: 61.~g6! (8aburin) 61...\£?f3 62.~h5 ~g3 63.b4! (63.a5? Axa5 64.fle3 Ab6 65.4Jg4 .llc5 66.~g5 Ab4 67. ~f5 Ad2 -+ ) 63 ... Axb4 64.fle311c5 65.4Jfl+ ~g2 66.~g4 Af2 67.a511c5 6S.a611f2 and now comes the point of White's defense, which was noted by Markus Lammers: 69.~f4!! ~xf1 70.a7 Jl.xa7 71.~g3=. 61...\tig3! 62.\tif5 \tif3 63.4Jh2+ \tig2 64.4Jg4 \tig3 and White loses the first pawn because of zugzwang. 65.a5 Axa5 66.4Je3 \tif2 67.4Jg4+ \tif3 6S.\tig5 \tig3 69.\tih5 Ad21 The same procedure nets the next pawn. 70.b4 Axb4 71.4Je3 Ad2 72.4Jfl + \tig2 73.\tig4 Ag5 0-1 A nice final move to underscore the dominance of the bishop. Niclas Huschenbeth went on

to win the German championship . 61. \t'g6 gets one point and two more, if you calculated until69.~f4!!. T02.06: 3S... §d7! Activity is the order of the day. 3S ... .§e7? 39 ..§e5 4Jd7 40.flxf7 ~xf7 41.'§xh5+- 39.4Jxe6+ Axe6 40.§xe6 §dl+ 41.Afl Or 41.~f2 flg4+ 42.\£te2 .§bl 41. .. a5 41...~f7!? 42J~(e3 (42 . .§a6 flg4 43 ..§xa7+ ~e6) 42 ... 4Jg4 43.8a3 4Jxh2 44.~xh2 8xfl was clearer. 42.§e3 4Jg4 43.§a3 a4 44.h3 4Jh2 45.\tixh2 §xfl 46.§xa4 §f2+ 47.\tig1 §c2 4S.§a3 §xc4 49.§H §c2 50.a4 §a2 51.§f4 §a3 52. \tif2 §a2+ 53.\tiel §a3 54.§f5 h4 55.gxh4 §xa4 'li-'li 2 points for 38 ... .§d7!. T02.07: 44 ... \tixg4? This loses. 44 ... ~g6! is the right square: 45 ..§3xe5 (45.h5+ \t'h6 46.8f7 '§bI47.Af8+ \t'g5 48.Ae7+ \£th6=) 45 ... .§bI46.h5+ 4Jxh5 47.g xh5+ ~f6 4S . .§7e6+ ~f7= (Tsesarsky in CBM 70); 44 ... ~f6? 45.Ad6 .§b5 46 . .llxe5+ .§xe5 47.,§7xe5 +-. 45.§7xe5 §b3 45 ... flh3+ 46.~g2 4Jf4+ 47.~h2 tltxfl 48 ..§g3+ ~xh4 49.ite7# 46.H+ \tig3 47.§g5+ \tixh4 4S.§g4+ \tih5 49.§xb3 4Jh3+ 50.~g2 ~a2+ 51.\£lxh3 ~xb3 52.Ag2 ~e6 53.a4 ~f5 54.Ae3 c5 55.\tig3 ~e5+ 56.Af4 ~el+ 57.\£lh3 ~e6 58.\£lg3 ~el + 59. \tih2 ~f2 60.§g5+ \£lh6 61.§xc5+ \tig6 62.§g5+ ~f6 63.§g4 \£lf5 64.Ag3 ~d2 65.§e4 \£lf6 66.Ae5+ ~f5 67.Af4 ~b2 6S.Ag3 ~d2 69.§e5+ \tif6 70.f4 ~b4 71.Ah4+ \tif7 72.§e7+ \tifS 73.§e4 ~b2 74.f5 ~bS+ 75.\£lh3 ~b3+ 76.\£lg4 ~c2 77.AH \tif7 7S.Ag5 ~bl 79.§e7+ \tifS SO.f6 ~gl + Sl.\£lh5 ~h2+ S2.\tig6 ~gl 192

Solutions S3.E!h7 ~g3 S4.E!hB+ 1-0 1 point for 44 .. .'~g6!. T02.08: 22 ... E!f4? This makes matters worse. 22 ... g5! 23.~xfB ~xfB and Black is better as 24.~d6+?
~xfB

25.~bB±

again both sides are about to give a perpetual. 2B ... ~xb5? 29.axb5 ~xc4 30.'lt!xe4+-; 2B ... 4Jd2? 29.~h5+ ~g8 30.§xb4+-. 29.~h5+? The simple 29.~xc6 'It!xc6 30.§b6 wins a piece. 29 ... <;tIgS 30.~g6 .Q.xf4 31.~e7+ 31.~h8+? ~t7 32.~h7 Ah2+ 33.~hl 4Jg3+ 34.~xh2 4Jfl + 35.'~gl ~h2+ 36.<;t>xfl ~xg2+ 37.~el ~e4+ 3B.'ifi>d2 ~xd4+ 39.'~e2 ~e4+-+ 31 ... <;tIfS 32.~g6+ <;tIgS Yz-Yz 2 points for 28 ... ~d6!.

~gB

26.~xcB+ ~h7

27.4Jdl ~d2 28.§gl 'It!xc2 sets White serious problems converting the material advantage. 24 •.11xfS <;tIxfS 25.~d6+?! 25.~c7!+- 25 ... <;tIgS 26:~'dS+ <;tIh7 27.~xcS 1-0 27 .. .'~xc3 (27 ... ~f2 28.§eB ~fl + 29.<;t>h2 'It!f4+ 30.~gl ~c1 + 31.~f2 ~xc2+ 32.4Je2 +-) 28.~f5+ g6 29.~xt7+ ~g7 30.§e7+2 points for 22 ... g5!. Test 3 T03.01: 1 ... ~d6? This loses on the spot. The right defense would have been 1...~d7! threatening a standard perpetual and thus winning the bishop anyway: 2 ..s.txb3 ~g4+ 3.'~jlfl axb3 4.~g7+ ~e6 5.~g8+ ~f6 6.~xb3 ~xe4

and Black can hold the queen ending. 2.~eS+ <;tIf6 3.e5+ ~xe5 4. ~hS+ <;tIf5 5 •.11 xg6+ <;tIe6 6.~xe5+ <;tIxe5 7 ..Q.f71-0 1 point for l...'lt!d7!.

T03.02: 2S ....Q.d2? This move should have lost. 2B ... ~d6! was the correct defense: 29.§dl (29 ..Q.xc6 ~xd4+ 30.'~h2 dxc6 31.§xb4 4Jd2 32.~g4 f5 33. ~g6+ ~f8likely ends in a perpetual) 29 ... Ad2 30.Af2 'It!xf4 31.Axc6 dxc6 32.§xd2 ~xd2 33.~xe4 §xa4 and

T03.03: 44 ... g5! Black gives up the bishop, but gets several pawns in return. 44 ....s.tel +? 45.'ifi>h3 §c3 46.AeB §xg3+ 47.e3=. 60. <;tiel §.as 61.§,dl + <;tIc462.§,d6 §,hS? Finally Miles can solve the problem of his passive bishop. Amazingly 62 ... ~b4 still seems to draw, e.g., 63.Ad3 f!.al + 64 ..Ilbl f!.a7 65.f!.xe6 f!.h7 66.f!.xe5 l"!.hl + 67.~c2 f!.el= 63.Ad3+ <;tIc5 64.§,xe6 <;tId4 65.§,d6+ 'iIle3 66.<;tIc2 E!cS 67.§,d5 193

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 ~f4 6S.~b3 §c7 69.Ac2 §cS 70. ~b4 §c7 71.§c5 1-02 points for 44 ... gS! and 1 more if you also saw 47 ... h3+.

30 . .£lxe6 .§fd7 3l •.§xd7 .§xd7 32. ti1/xf5 .§f7 33. ti1/d3 ti1/d7 34. ti1/e2 ti1/c6 35 ..£ldS ti1/c1 + 36.,1l.dl 1-0 2 points for 1S.
T03.04: 35 ... §cS? This doesn't really work well. 35 ... h6? 36.~e4 ~gS 37. ~e7 +-. Correct is the natural 35 ... g6! creating granite for the bishop: 36.a4 (36.§d1 §xa3 37.'l:ff3 4Jb2 3SJhd4 §al+ 39.M1 ~aS!) 36 ... 4Je5 37.~e6 §c5 and in both cases White is slightly better, but Black is alive and fighting. 36.ti1/f5 .£lc5? Blundering a piece. 36 ... 4Jb2! was the only way to keep the game going: 37.Ab7 §b8 38.ile4 ~gS 39.~dS ~eS 40.§f4 h6 41.Ae4 ~g8 42.~e5± 37.Jl.h31-0 2 points for 35 ... g6!.

T03.07: 2S ... ti1/b7+! The right square for the queen. 2S ... ~b6+? 29.~cl ~b1 + 30.
T03.05: 50.~f6! The greedy 50.
T03.08: 25 •.. ~h7? This doesn't do the trick. 2S ... §e2? 26.§f3+- doesn't work either. Correct would have been the calm 2S ... ~eS! 26.i'!xb7 (26.~h6? ~fS) 26 ... §e2 27.~h6 ~fS 28.~gS ~a3= (Hubner). 26 ..§xb7 §dS 27.f5 exf5 2S.§xd7 §xd7 29 . .£lxf51-0 1 point for 25 ...AeS! and 2 more if you saw until 27 ... ~f8. Test 4 T04.01: 24.~el! The right defense. 24.§d1? §xd5+ 25.~xd5 i'!d8 26. ~xdS+ 'l:fxdS+ 27. '#Je 1 = 24... ti1/xb2 25.ti1/c3 ti1/b5 26.e4 ~hS 26 ... ~bS 27.§cl ~d6 28.~cS+- also leaves White in control. 27. ti1/xe5 .§feS 2S. ti1/d4 f5 29.f3 fxe4 30.fxe4 .§c8 31.a4 ti1/a5+ 32.ti1/d2 ti1/b6 33.a5 ~f6 34 . .§cl ~f3 35.§xcS ~hl + 36.~f2 .§xcS 37.eS .§fS+ 3S•.£lf4 ~al 39.e6 .§bS 40.~f3 g6 41..£lxg6+ ~g7 42 . .£lf4 ~f6 43.ti1/d3 ~hl+ 44.~g4 .§g8+ 4S. ~h5 ti1/e146. ti1/d4+ ~fS 47.g4+ 1-0 I point for 24. ~e I!. 194

Solutions T04.02: 32 ... ~e6? This meets with a powerful refutation. The correct defense is 32 .. .1:H8! 33.1:!xh4+ 4Jxh4 34.~h7+
T04.04: 1...E!dl+? Too optimistic. Black should take his losses and give his queen for the powerful black-square bishop: 1...~c1 +! 2.-'tfl (2.Axc1 4Jxcl 3.§fl 4Je2+ 4.
T04.05: Black should settle for the unnatural square with 36... 4)g7! as the alternatives are clearly worse: 36... 4Jh6? 37.i*b2
The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 b4 with counterplay (Gofshtein). 21 .•• b4!? Consistently aiming for counterplay. 22.c4?! 22:~e4!? 'ft1e7 23.Ab5 !'!ed8 24.Ac6 !'!acB 25.cxb4 .\l.xb4 26.~xdB+ ~xd8= (Gofshtein) 22...~f6 23..§e2.§ed8 24..§ed2 Ac5 25.~e4 E!acS 26.Ae2 .§eS 27.~g4 Axe3 2S.fxe3 .£lc5 29.Af3 ~e51? 30.E!e2 E!cdS 31 ..§d4 !it'g7 32.Ad5 E!e7 33.~f3 E!d6 34.E!f4 .§f6 35.'§xf6 ~xf6 36.!it'c2 ~e5 37.g3 f5 3S.~f4 ~xf4 39.gxf4 h6 4O.!it'd2 !it'f6 41 ..§h2 h5 42.!it'e2 E!h7 43.!it'f3 h4 44.b3 E!hS 45 ..§d2 E!dS 46.E!h2 .§hS Y2-YZ 2 points for 20 ... Ab7!. T04.08: 39 ... Ae71! Excellent defense found at the board by Kobalia. Other moves are clearly worse: 39 ... §.b8? 40.4Je4 ~el 41.g5+-; 39 ... ~f1+? 40.'~xh4 ~el + 41.'ifth3 ~f1 + 42.'~g3 ~gl+ 43.'iftf4 ~f1+ 44.§.f3 ~cl+ 45.§.e3 'ft1f1+ 46.~g5 ~c1 47.~f7+ ~h7 48.'~h5+ ~g8 and now the brilliant attacking finish: 49. ~g6! 'ft1xe3 50.'ft1h7+ 'iftfB 51.'ft1xg7#; 39 .. .'~el? 40.'li¥f7+ ~h7 41.'ft1f3 §.b8 42.~e3 'ft1f2 43.~e4+ ~gB 44.§.f3 ~el 45.g5 Af2 46.'li¥xel Axel 47.g6 b4 4B.c4 Ac3 49.4Jf7+-. 40 . .£lxb7 40.~e8+ ~h7 41.~xe7 'li¥f1 + 42.'ifth4 ~xd3 43.4Jxb7 ~d2! and believe it or not, Black is threatening mate in two. Therefore White has to settle for a perpetual. 40 ... ~fl+ 41.!it'g3 ~gl+ 42.f4 ~fl+ 43.!it'e4 43.§.f3 ~c1 + 44.~e4 'li¥bl+ 45.§.d3 ~el+= (Ribli). 43 ... ~el+ 44.d4 ~gl+ 45 . .§e3 ~dl + Yz-Yz and a draw was agreed in view of 46.~d3 ~xg4+ 47.~e4 47.~e4 'ft1g1+ 48.~e3 ~dl+= 47 ... ~dl+ 4S.E!d3 ~gl+ 49.~e3 ~g4+ = (Ribli). 3 points for 39 ... Ae7!!. TestS TOS.Ol: 32 ... ~xf3! Solid defense. 32 ... ~c5? 33.Axc7 'ft1xc7 34.§.xf7! tJ'xf7 35.Ac4± (Ribli in CBM 88). Losing the f7-pawn is very harmful as it is much more difficult to construct a fortress without it, because of the exposed king. 33.~xf3 .§xa5 and Black is by no means worse: 34..Q.fl E!ae5 35 •.§dl Ae7 36.~e3 !it'g7 37.Ae2 .£lf6 3S.•11.£3 h5 39.h3 E!e5 40. ~d4 E!ee5 41 ..§bl .§b5 42.E!c1 .§ee5 43.E!el E!e544•.§c1 E!bc5 45 . .§bl .§b5 YzYz 1 point for 32 ... 'ft1xf3! . TOS.02: 33... ~d7+? This loses without a fight. There was an escape available with 33 ... ~h1+ 34.~g4 ~d1+ (34 ...'ft1d7+? 35.'>t>g5 ~f5+ 36.'li¥xf5 gxf5 37.~xf5 'iftf7 38.'>t>g5 §.bl 39.f5 gives only White hopes to win) 35.f3 and now the key move: 35 ... §'xh4+!! 36.gxh4 (36.'>t>xh4? tJ'hl+ 37.'>t>g4 'ft1h5#; 36.'ft1xh4 ~d7+ 37.'>t>g5 'ft1f5+ 38.~h6 'li¥f8+ with a perpetual) 36 ... 'ft1gl + with a perpetual. 34.h2 h5 35.~xg6+ fS 36. .Q.d6+ E!e7 37.~f6+ eS 3S.~xe7+ 1-0 2 points for 35 ...§'xh4+! !. TOS.03: 22 ... .§e5! With this accurate move Black even turns the tables. Of course not 22 ... hxg5?? 23.4Jf6+ gxf6 24.'ft1h7#; 22 ... '>t>hB and 22 ... §.e7 get 1 point each. 23.f4 .§f5! A weird square for the rook, but it's all based on precise calculation. 24.g3 24.4Jg3 g6 25.'ft1e2 §.xf4-+ 24...g6 25.~h4e41 Black is not in a hurry taking the knight. 26.h2 After 26.4Jf3 Ae7! the queen gets trapped: 27.ifyxh6 (27.~g4 h5-+) 27 ... ..Q.xe4 2B ..\lxe4 §.h5 -+ . 26 ... g7 196 Solutions 27. ~g4 hxg5! Now the knight is taken under more favorable circumstances. 2S.4)xg5 .§xg5 29.~xg5 ~b6! Pinning the rook on e3. 30.f5 J1e7 31.~f4 ~xb2 32 . .§xe7 ~xc2+ 33.'§1e2 ~xf5 34.~xf5 gxf5 35..§e8 .§d7 36 . .§d2 ~f6 37.~g1 4Je5 38.~f24Jd3+ 39.~e3J1c640 ..§bS .§e7+ 0-12 points for 22 ... §e5!. TOS.04: 104 ... ~e4? The wrong direction. After 104 .. stg4 105.§g6+ ~h3 Black's active forces cannot be defeated, e.g., 106.§g5 (106.f5 114 107.g4 §b2+ 10S.~f3 §b3+ 109.~f4 §b4+ 110.~e5 §xg4=) 106 ... h4 107.gxh4 (107.g4 §b2+ 10S.~f3 §b3+ 109.~e4 ~g3=) 107 ... ~xh4 10S.§gS §a3109.f5§a5=.105.~g2!Theking must join the battle. The greedy 105.§xh5? §b2+ 106.~gl ~f3 107.§g5 §bl+ 10S.~h2 §b2+ 109.~h3 §bl= spoils it. 105 ... .§b2+ 105 ... §b5 106.~h3 ~f3107.~h4 §b1 10S.§xh5+106.~h3 ~f3 107..§xh5 .§g2!? sets a trap.10S ..§g5? Now the rook is in the way of White's escape route. Only 108. ~h4!! wins as Black cannot avoid the rook exchange after 10S ... §xg3 109.§g5+-. 10S... .§g1109.~h2 .§g2+ 110.li£lh1 .§f2 111..§g6!? White threatens to advance his pawn in typical fashion 111 ... .§a2? The king had to retreat immediately with 111... ~e4 to stop the advance of White's pawns, e.g., 112.~gl §a2113.§b6~f3114.§b3+ 't'g4 115.~f1 §c2 116.§e3 §a2 117.§e2 §a3=. 112.f5 .§a5 113.f6 .§f5 After 113 ... §aS!? White also has to improve his king first: 114. ~gl (114.f7? is refuted by 114 ... §fS 115.§g7 ~f2!=) 114 ... §bS115.f7 §fS 116.§g7~e4117.g4't'e5118.g5We6 119.g6 ~f6 120.§gS+-. 114. Ii£lg1 ! Now White's pawns will decide the day. 114... ~e4 115.g4 .§f4 116.li£lg2 li£le5 117 .g5 ~f5 118 . .§g7 ~e6 119.~g3 .§f1120.~g41-0 3 points for 104 ... ~g4. TOS.OS: 26 ... 4Jh5! A clever way of wresting the initiative from White. The knight is untouchable for obvious tactical reasons. 27.4Jce4 27.§xfS+!? §xf8 2S.§xfS+ JlxfS 29.4Jxh5 ~xh5 30.~e1 gxh3 31.~e6+ ~f7 32.'€Yxh3 is almost equal. 27 ... 4Jxg3+ 28.4J xg3 gxh3 29.b3 .§aeS 30.~h2 .§xf5 31..§xf5? 31.4Jxf5! ~e5+ 32.'t'xh3 ~hS 33.~h6 gives White good drawing chances. 31. .. .§e5?! The preventive 31...h6! would have been strong. 32. ~g5! Reducing the pressure by taking off the queens. 32 ... ~xg5 33.Jlxg5 4Jc2! Keeping up the pressure. 34.Jld8? This runs into a tactical shot. 34.~d2 and 34.Af4 were much better practical chances. 34... 4Jd4! 35 ..§f4 .§e3 36..§g4 ~f7 37 . .§e4 .§xb3 0-1 2 points for 26 ... 4Jh5!. TOS.06: 32 ... 4JeS? This simply loses. 32 ... 4Jg4+' 33.~f3 (33.'t'e2 §e6+ 34.~f3 [34.4Je4 §xe4+ 35.~f3 §ed4=] 34 ... 4Jh2+ 35.~g3 §gS+! gives Black a nasty initiative as well) 33 ... §f6+!! A fantastic piece sacrifice giving Black an enduring initiative: 34.~xg4 §g8+ 35.~h5 §xf2 36.§a6+ (36.4Jf5 §xf5+ 37.~h6 §f3 38.~h7 §g2 39.§d5 §h3+ 40.§h6 §hg3 41.§dS+ ~b7 42.§d7+ ~c8 43.§a7 ~bS 44.§e7 §xa2=, Glek) 36 ... WbS 37.4Jf5 §xf5+ 3S.'it'h6 §f2 39.~h7 §fg2=. 33.4Jb5 Effectively unpinning the knight. 33 ... .§h3+ 34.~e21-0 2 points for 32 ... 4Jg4+ and 2 more for 33 ... §f6+!!. 197 The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 T05.07: 38.~xf7+! All other moves are fairly hopeless, but this queen sacrifice saves the draw. 38... Etxf7 39.Etc8+ ~g7 and in view of 40.Etxf7+ ~xf7 41.Etc7+ ~e8 42.Etc8+ ~e7 43.Etc7+ ~d8 44.Etc8+ = Yz-Yz a draw was agreed. 1 point for 38. ~xf7!. T05.08: 27.g3! Staying calm and simply blocking the g-file turns out to be most effective. More concrete moves tend to backfire: 27 ..£\d6+? ,1lxd6 28.E!.e8+ ~b7! 29.~xc4 E!.xg2+ 30.~hl E!.xh2+ 31.~gl E!.g2+= with a perpetual (Mikhalevski). 27.Axe7? E!. xg2+ 2S.~hl E!.g4 29 ..£\d6+ cxd6 30.~fS+! ~b7 31.~d7+ ~aS 32.'~1C8+ ~a7 33.~c7+ ~aS 34.Axd6 E!.g8 3S.,a,g3 .ilg4 36.E!.d2 ~xc3 is better for White, but gives Black too much counterplay. 27,..Etg4 28.~f3 j'ta3 29.4)d2 ~xa4 30.4) xb3 Etg8 31.4)d4 Ad7 32.Eta1! 1-0 1 point for 27.g3!. Test 6 T06.01: 20 ... ~b6!The only way, other logical moves fail: 20 ... .£\xal? 21..£\f7+ ~g8 22 . .£\xdS lhxdS 23.~xc6+-; 20 ... AxeS? 21.dxeS ~b6 (21..A::\xal 22.'~xc6 E!.cS 23.~xdS ~xd5 24.AxdS .£\b3 25.AgS +-) 22. ~xb6 .£\xb6 23.Af7! .£\xal 24.AgS ~g7 2S ..ilxe8 E!.xeS 26.E!.xal E!.xe5 27.Ae3+-. 21.4)f7+ 21.~xc6? ~xc6 22 ..£\xc6 doesn't work because of 22 ... .£\b6! 23.Af7 .£\xa124.AxeSE!.xe8. 21 ... ~g8 22.4)h6+ ~h8 23.4)f7+ 23.~f7? is met by 23 ... §e7 when only Black can play for a win: 24.AxdS §xf7 2S ..£\xf7+ ~gS 26.Ac4 h6!? 23 ... ~g8 24.4)h6+ ~h8 25.4)f7+ Yz-Yz 1 point for 20 ... ~b6!. T06.02: 26 ... Af5? This meets with powerful refutation. The counterattack 26 .. .'~·f4! draws by force: 27.Ac4+ (27.E!.xc5? dxcS 28.Ac4+ ~xc4 29.g6 ~e4+ 30.~fl hxg6 31 ..£\xg6 llb7 -+; 27.§c4 ~xh2 2S.g6 ~xf2+ 29.~d2 hxg6 30.~xg6+ ~h8=) 27 ... Ae6 2S ..ilxe6+ .£\xe6 29.~xe6+ ~h8 30.§xc7 ~xh2 31.-tlfS ~gl + 32.~e2 ~xg5 33 ..£\xd6 E!.xf2+! 34.~xf2 ~d2+ 35.~f3 ~d3+= (Ftacnik). 26 ... ~g7? doesn't work either: 27 ..ac4+ ~hS 2S . .£\g6+! ~xg6 29.~xfS+ ~gS 30.~xg8* 27.Ac4! Distracting the black pieces. 27 ...d5 27 ... Ae6 2S.g6 hxg6 29.§g2+-; 27 ... .£\d3+ 28.~d2 d5 29.g6 Axg6 30.Axd3+-. 28.g6! The key move, opening files against the black king. 28 ... hxg6 2S ... .ilxg6 29.-tlxg6 hxg6 (29 ... ~xg6 30.Axd5+ ~hS 31.~xg6 hxg6 32.§xc5 +-) 30.§g2 +- 29.Etg2 dxc4 30.4) xg6 102 points for 26 ... ~f4!. T06.03: 20 ... Etc8! After this counterattacking move it turns out that White's king is in fact the more exposed one. 21.4)e4 Etc4 22.4)g5+ ~g6! A very cool reply. 23. ~g3 4)h5! Another accurate move, leaving Black firmly in control. 24.~f3 24.~xeS §g4+ 2S.~f2 ~g2+ 26.'\t'el §xg5 27.AxgS ~xgS leaves Black on top as well. 24:~'h3 '£\f4! only makes matters worse. 24 ... ~xf3 25.4)xf3 Ad6 26.Etadl Ab8 27.Etd2 Etg4+ 28.Etg2 Etxg2+ 29.~xg2 4)f4+ 30.~hl 4)e2 31.Af2 e4 32.4)h4+ ~g5 As they say, endings are better for Black in the Sicilian. 33.Ete14)f4 34.Etxe4 Etxh4 35.Axh4+ ~xh436.a4e5 37.axb5 axb5 38.c4 ~g4 39.cxb5 ~f3 40.Etc4 e4 41.Etc8 Ad6 0-12 points for 20 ... §cS!. 198 Solutions T06.04: 23 ... Ag4! Throwing a spanner in the works. 23 ... ~h8? 24.~xe5+ ~g8 25.~xe6+ ~h8 26.~e5+ ~g8 27.§c3+-; 23 ... ~f7? 24.4:Jg5+ ~e7 25.~xe5 ~f6 26.§c7+ Vrfixc7 27.>{lfxc7+ .ild7 28.~xb7 §c8 29. and now comes the point of White's defense: 70 ..ilb3! (70.Af7? §g7 -+ ) 70 ... §h6 (70 ... ~f4 71.~xh5 ~g3 72.Ac2=) 71.~g5 ~h8 72.iidl + ~e4 73.Axh5=. 66 ... §.g5 67.~h2 After 67.~g2 h4 68.~h3 hxg3 69.~g2 <;tJf4 70.Af3 ~c5 71.Aa8 ~c2+ 72.~gl (D) Black breaks the fortress with the typical 72 ... g2 73.~h2 Bf2 74.Ac6 gl~+ 75.~xgl ~g3-+. 67 .•. ~f2 68.~h3 §.xg3+ 69.~h4 §.g7 70.Ac6 §.h7 71.jtd5 ~e3 72.jlg8 §.h8 73.Af7 ~f4 74.Ab3 §.b8 75.Ac4 §.c8 76.Ae6 §.c6 77.Ad5?! 77 ..ilf7 §c7 78.Ae6 ~e5 79.Ah3 §h7 80.Ag2 ~f5 81..ilfl ~f6 82.11.a6 §a7 83.11.e2 §e7 84.Af3 ~f5 85.Adl §c7 86.Ae2 §d7 87.11.b5 §dI88.Ac6 ~g6 89.Ae4+ ~h6 90.11.f5 §d4+-+ 77.•• §,c2 78.~h3 ~g5 0-12 points for 66.Ae6! and 2 more if you calculated untiI70.Ab3!. T06.06: 1 . .£Je8! 1. 199 The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 T06.08: 32.'i!?taS+ ~g7 33•.§xf7+1 White is just in time to force a perpetual: 33 ... ~xf7 33 ... ~h6?? 34.~f8+ ~g5 35.~xe7+ ~g4 36.'~h4# 34.'i!?td5+ \filf6 34 ... e6 35.~d7+ ~f6 36.~d8+= 35.'i!?td4+ ~f7 35 ... ~e6 36.~e4+= 36.'i!?td5+ ~f6 37.'i!?td4+ e5 38.'i!?td6+ \filf7 39.'i!?td7+ ~f6 40.'i!?td6+ ~f7 41. ~d7+ ~f6 Yz-Yz 1 point for 33 ..§xf7+!. 30. Test 7 T07.04: 2S ... cxd5? This loses immediately. 28 ... Ae5!! is the only defense: 29.Ac4+ (29.~a4 ~e7 30.Jlxc6 .§ad8; 29.Jle4+ Jld6 30.Af5+ ~e7 31.'§xd6 ~xd6 32.Ag5+ f6 33.Axf6+ ~xf6 34. ~xd6+ ~xf5 35.t1xc6 ~f4; 29.Axc6+? ~xc6 30.~c4+ ~b7 31..§d7+ ~b8 doesn't work) 29 .. .'~)eB 30.Axf7+ ~xf7 31..§d7+ ~e6 32.~e7+ ~f5 33.~f7+ Af6 34.'§d5+ cxd5 35.~xd5+ Jle5 36.~f7+ 11.f6 37.~d7+ ~e5 38.~c7+ ~d5 39.c4+ ~e6 40.~xg3 .§aeB 41.c5 ~f7 and in all cases Black has very good chances to survive. 2B ... .§adB? 29.Jlf4+-; 2B ... Axb2+? does not help: 29.~xb2 cxd5 30 ..§.xd5+ ~e6 31. t1b3 +-. 29.Af4! The killer. 29 ... ~h4 Other moves don't help either: 29 ... ~xf4+ 30.~xf4 ~c6 31.t1xf7+-; 29 ... ~h6 30 ..§xd5+ ~eB 31..§e5+ ~d7 32 ..§e7+ ~cB 33.~c4+ ~d8 34.~c7# 30.t\'d6+ \fileS 31.~c6+ ~e7 32.Jld6+ ~dS 33.~xaS+ ~d7 34.'i!?tb7+ ~xd6 35 . .§xd5+ ~e6 36.t\'d7+ ~f6 37.'i!?td6,. 1-03 points for 2B .. .Jle5!!. T07.01: 25 . .§gf3? There was no need to panic. With the cool 25.~gl! White would have stayed on top: 25 ... Jlh3 26 ..§ff3! Simply defending. 26 ... Axg3 27.hxg3 dxe5 28 ..§e3 ~fB 29.~c7 ~g5 30.~e7+! +-. 26.g4 26.Jlxb8 ~xb8 27.g4 '§xd6 28.~xf7+ ~c6 29J~xd6+ ~xd6 30.~xh7 ~dl + 31.'~b2 ~xg4 32. ~a7 and Black was slightly better in Cuevas Rodriguez-Wallace, Yerevan 1996. 26 ... t\'e8 27.AxbS t\'xbS 2S..§f1 ~xd6 29 ..§xf7+ ~eS Yz-Yz 2 points for 25 .. .'~f8!' T07.03: 2S.'i!?tc4? 2B. T07.05: 20••. t\'fS! Bringing the queen back into play. Other moves are not satisfactory: 20 ... 1"!ee8? 21.~c6 1"!acB 22 . .§adl±; 2o ... c6?! 21.~d7 (21.~b3!?) 21..:~f8 22 ..§adl is similar to the game, but a slightly better version 200 Solutions for White because of the weakening move ... c6. 20 .. J~ae8?! is also less precise, e.g., 21.~c4 (21.E!adl!?) 21...E!d8 22.E!e3 E!ed6 23.E!f1 and White will win a pawn. Black has some compensation of course, but White is for choice. 21 •.§adl ~e8 22. ~d7 22.E!d3 ~d6 23.~b7 (23.~c4 E!xd3 24.~xd3 ~d8 25.~e2 ~e7 26.E!dl E!d8!=) 23 ... ~c8= (Avrukh). 22 ••• .§c8 23. ~ xe8+ .§exe8 24 . .§d7 .§ed8 25 ..§edl J3.xd7 26 ..§xd7 ctW8! The white rook will be thrown out again. 27.g4 hxg428.hxg4g529.~1 ~e830..§d5 f6 31..§d3 .§d8 32.~e2 .§xd3 33.~xd3 ~d7 34.~c4~d6 35.a4c5 36.c3 Yl-Yl2 points for 20 ... ~f8!' T07.06: 26 ••• ~e4! The right preparation, as immediate checks turn outto be too early: 26 ... ctJhf3+? 27.~hl ~e4 28.~g2!± (Shirov); 26 ... ctJdf3+? 27.~f1±. 27.Ag3 Y:r--Yland a draw was agreed as Black has no more than a perpetual: 27.Ag3 ctJhf3+ 28.'it>hl ctJel + 29.'~gl ctJdf3+ 30.'it>£1 ctJc2 31.d6! 'it>d7 32.Af4 ~xf4 33.~xc2 ctJxg5+ 34.~f2 ~xg4 35.~e2! "and White is by no means worse" (Shirov); 27.E!xd2 ~bl + 28.i11f1 ctJf3+ 29.'it>f2 ~x£1 + 30.'it>x£1 ctJxd2+ 31.'it'el ctJe4=. 1 point for 26 ... ~e4!. 'it'f5 with good winning chances: 31 .••h6 32. .§c8+ ~f7 33.g4? White has no time for this. 33. ~f1 + was called for, but Black keeps winning chances after 33 ... ~f5 34.g4 ~xf1 + 35.~xf1 E!d2. 33... ~e4 34. .§c4 ~d5 0-12 points for 31.~c2!. T07.08: 41..§xg7? 41.E!d7! ctJf5 (41...e2 42.d5+ 'it>f6 43.E!d6+ '!le7 44.E!xg6 hxg6 45.E!e4+ '!ld646.E!e5! E!f8 47.Ael E!xf4 48.E!xe2+-) 42.d5+ 'it>f6 43.c7 E!xg3+ 44.'it>h2 and White is winning: 44 ... e2 45.E!c6+ ctJd6 46.E!dxd6+ (Ribli) 46... 'it>g7 47.E!e6+-. 41. .• .§xg7 42.c7 ~d7 43.~f3 .§xg3+! 0-1 I point for 41.E!d7! and 2 more if you calculated until 44.'it>h2. Test 8 T08.01: 55 .•. ~b4? Morozevichmisses 55 ... E!xh5! 56.E!a5+ 'it>b4 57.E!xh5 stalemate. 56 . .§b6+ ~c5 57 . .§xh6 ~b4 58.~c2 .§c3+ 59.~d2 .§h3 60 ..§h8 ~c5 60 ... '!lxb3 61.h6 '!lb4 62.h7 'it>b5 63.E!bS++- 61.~c2 ~b5 62.~d2 ~c6 63.h6 ~b7 64.b4 ~a7 65.~e2 .§h4 66.~£3 .§xb4 67•.§g8 .§h4 68 . .§g6 ~b7 69.~g3 .§hl 70.~f4 ~c7 71.~f5 ~d7 72.~f6 ~e8 73.~g7 1-0 I point for 55 ... E!xh5!. T07.07: 31 . .§cl? "Nerves and timetrouble - Alekseev misses his chance to save the game and win the tournament with 31.~c2! E!d8 (31...h6? 32.~c8+ '!le7 33.E!f1 +-) 32.'~c5+ (32.~c7!? 'it>e8 33.~xb7=) 32 ... 'it'g8 33.~xe3=" (Stohl in CBM 127); 31.~g2? h5 32.E!el ~g4 gives Black a strong initiative, e.g., 33. ~xb7 e2 34.'it>f2 h4 35J~!xe2 hxg3+ 36.'it'el ~d4 37.'~aS+ 'it'f7 38.~b7+ 'it>g6 39.~e4+ ~xe4 40.E!xe4 gxh2 41.~h4 T08.02: 26 ...d4! After the exchange of queens White's attack is over but his structural deficits remain. 26 ... ~xd6? 27.E!xd5 ~h6 2S.E!dg5 plays into White's hand. 27.~xc6 .§xc6 28.'§xd4 b4 29.d7 .§d8 30.j}.d2 30J:!el .§c7 31..§e8 E!dxd7 32.'§xd7 '§xd7 33.Ae5 f6-+ 30... .§c7 31 . .§g5 .§cxd7 32..§xd7 .§xd7 33.~c2 .§c7+ 34.~d3 .§c5 35..Q.e3 .§xg5 36..Q.xg5 Ac5 37.£3 37.AdSAxf2 38.ilxa5 ilc5 201 The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 39.~c4 !iJ..e7 40.Axb4 Axb4 41.~xb4 f5-+ 37 ...f6 38•.Q.f4 Ab6 39.~c4 ~f7 40.~d5 g5 41.Ad6 h5 42.Ab8 45.Ae5 g4 46.fxg4 fxg4 47.hxg4 'it'g5 Other moves lead to mate: I9 .. .fxe5? 20.~h6+ ~g8 21..§.gl + ~t7 22 ..§.g7+ 'lie8 23.~g6+ .§.f7 24.~xf7#; I9 ... ~e7? 20.~h6+ ~h7 (20 ... 'lig8 21..§.gl+ ~f7 22.~g6#) 21.~xf8+ 48.~e2 ~f3-+ ~g8 22.~h6+ ~h7 23.~xf6+ ~g8 45 ... ~h5 46.~f1 Ad4 47.Ac7 a4 48.bxa4 Axb2 49.~e2 Ad4 50.~d3 b3 51.a5 g4 52.fxg4+ fxg4 53.hxg4+ ~xg4 54.a6 b2 55.~c2h3 56.Ae5 ~f5 57.Ah2 57.!iJ..xd4 h2 58.a7 hI ~ 59.~xb2-+ 57 ... ~e4 58.~bl ~d5 59.a7 Axa7 60.~xb2 ~e461.~c2 ~f3 62.~d3 ~g2 0-1 and White resigned in view of63.Ae5 Af2 64.~e2 .Q.g3 65 ..Q.xg3 ~xg3 66.~f1 h2-+. 2 points for 26 ... d4!. 24 ..§.gl + +-. 20.~xd3 20:t!¥xd3 is much worse: 20 ... fxe5 21.~g6 .§.xf2+ 22.~c3 .§.xh2 23 . .§.gl i!i'fS-+. 20 ... ~e7 21.e4 Now 21.~h6+ is met with 21...~h7+ check! 21 ... ~g7 22.~h5+ Maybe 22.',~Yxg7+ ~xg7 23.Axc7 should have been tried. 22 ... ~g8 23 ..Q.d4 c5 24.Axc5 Etc8 25.f4 25.Ad6 would have been more stubborn. 25 ... ~a6 26 ..Q.f2 ~b4+ 27.~e2 Etxa2 0-1 3 points for I9 ... Ad3!! 20.~xd3 ~e7. ~g643.~e4f5+ 44.~d3 h445.~e2 ~xg4 49.~fl T08.03: 28. ~h2? It would have been correct to swap queens: 28.~xg4 hxg4 29 ..§.e4 (29Jhf4? Axg5! 30 ..§.xe8 Jlxf4-+. Also possible is 29.4Je4!? f3 30..§.gl 'lig7 31..§.xg4 f5 32.gxf6+ Axf6 33 ..§.fl -'te7) 29 ... f5 30.gxf6 '§'xf6 31..§.fxf4 .§. xf4 32 ..§. xf4 !iJ..xh4 33.4Je4 and White is slightly better (Finkel) 28 ... Ad8! Suddenly Black starts a nasty counterattack. 29.l£le4? This makes matters worse. 29 ..§.xe8 .§.xe8 30 ..§.xf4 (30.~xf4? ~h3+ 31.'ligl .ilb6+-+) 30 ... .§.el+ 31.4Jf1 ~dl 32.~f2 '§'e2 33.~f3 ~el is the lesser evil (Finkel). 29 ...f3 30.Etgl Etxe4!! A brilliant piece of calculation, killing all White's hopes of saving the game. 31.Etxg4 Etxel+ 32.Etgl Etfe8 33.~f2 33.~g3 .§.xgl + 34.~xgl Aa5 35.'lih2 .§.e2+ 36.'lih3 Ac3-+ 33 ... Etle2 34.~g3 34.~xf3 .§.8e3 35.'~f1 Ab6-+ (Finkel) . 34 ... Ab6 35.Etfl Et8e4 36.~h3 Etg4! 0-1 I point for 28.~xg4 and 1 more for 29 ..§.e4 or 29.4Je4. T08.04: 19... Ad3!! Fantastic defense! T08.05: 31 ... Eta2+! 32.~bl Etb2+! 33.~al Y:rYz is completely forced and gets 1 point. T08.06: 36.~c2! Etxa2 37.~xb4 Etxe2 38.c6 Ete5 39.~d3 Ete2 40.~b4 YZ-YZ and as the knight dominates the rook, a draw was agreed. 2 points if you saw this line until the end. T08.07: 58.Etg6? 58.a6! bxa6 59.§g6 4Jb4 60.§xh6+ ~g7 61.§d6 (61.§h2 a5 62.~c7 a4 63.§b2 a3 64.§xb4 transposes) 61...a5 (61...Ae4 62.~a7=, Reeh) 62.'lic7 a4 (62 ... Ae8 63.~b6 a4 64.~a5 4Jc6+ 65.'itlxb5 a3 66 ..§.d2=) 63 ..§.d4 a3 64.§xb4 a2 65.~xc6 al~ 66.'§'xb5 This position is a draw: 66 ... ~t7 67.§b7+ ~e8 68.~c7 ~a5+ 69.'~d6 ~d2+ 70.~c7 ~d8+ 71.~c6 ~a8 72.~c7 ~e7 73.~b6+ ~e6 74.c6",. 58... ~b4! 58 ... ~h7?? 59.§xc6! bxc6 60.a6+- 59.Etxh6+ ~g7 60.Etd6 ~a6+ 61.~a7 ~xc5 62.Etxc6 bxc6 63.~b6 ~a6! 0-11 202 Solutions point for SS.a6 bxa6 59.§.g6 and 2 more, if you calculated until the endgame §. +ft versus "(j;f. T08.08: 44.~e7! Convincingly using a known drawing mechanism. 44 ... ~xe7 44 ... §.aS 45.§.a7! .§as 46.§.xaS+ E!.xaS 47.,axb3! 4Jxb3 48.E!.d3 ~d2 (4S ... 4Jd4 is met by 49.§xc3 gS SO.§.c4 gxf4 Sl.§.xd4 f3 52.h4=) 49.§.xb3 ~xf4 50.gxf4 .§a4 Sl.§.f3= (Baburin in Chess Today #3267) 45.4)g6+ ~h7 46.4)f8+ 39.~xcl ~xe2 40.hxg4 ~xg4 41.~h6 ~hS+ 42. ~xhS gxhS 43."Q.fl ~a8 44.Axb5 §.bS and Black is slightly better (Stohl). 38 ... Jl,f3 39 . .Q.xf3 ~xf3+ 40. Test 9 54.~a4 ~c6 55.~a5 ~c4+ 56.~g3 T09.01: 22 •.. Af4! Solving all back rank problems. 22 ... §'xd4?? 23.E!.cS+ §.dS 24.§.xdS+ 4JeS 25.§.dxeS*; 22 ... J1e5?! 23.E!.xe5 §'xd4 24.~f5 and 22 ... ~d6?! 23.Ae4! leaves White with the initiative. 23.Axf4 23.Axf6? gxf6 24.§cdl §'xd4 25.Ah7+ ~xh7 26.§'xd4 Ae5 gives Black excellent winning chances because of his powerful bishops. 23 ... ~xd4 24.Ab1! Axb1 25.Ae5 ~d7 26.Axf6 Ad3 27.Ac3 f6 28.~e3 ~c6 57.~f5+ T09.02: 30... ~e7? This loses without a fight. The surprising 30 ... 4Je4!! had to be found: 31.4Jxe4 g6 32.4Jd6 ~e7 33.ik6 (Timman in Informant 681119) and Black is certainly not worse. 31.~c8+ 4)e8 32.4)f5 h5 32 ... ii1e6 33.Ad7 +- 33.4)xe7 ~xe7 34:~d7+ 1-02 points for 30 ... 4Je4!!. T09.03: 36 ... ~f2! Very much to the point. 37. ~g5 Jl,e2! The real key move. 38.hxg4 38 ..§xe2 §. xc1 + 92.gxh6 Yz-Yz 1 point for 43 ... §.d4!. T09.05: 45.f3! An elegant little move. 45.fxg3? §hS 46.~f2 E!.hl! (Shirov) plays into Black's hands. 45 ... ~h8 YzYz 1 point for 45.f3!. T09.06: 60 ... b5! This move can be found by means of elimination. 61. ~b7 Ae3 62.f4 62.a7 Axa7 63.<;tJxa7 b4 64.'it>b6 ~d6 6S ..\lxf7 ~eS 66.'it>cS 'it>f4 67.AdS b3= (Ribli) . 62 ... ~f6 Yr-Yz and 203 The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 a draw was agreed inviewof63.a7 Axa7 64.~xa7 ~g6 65.~b6 ~h5= (Ribli). 1 point for 60 ... b5!. his g-pawn. The correct defense was 40 ... g6! 4l.Axg6+ (4l.f6e1~42.Ag8+ ~h8 43.ltf7+ ~h7=) 4L.~g7 42.§e8 (the difference is 42 ..§b7+ ~f6 43 ..§f7+ and here Black has 43 ... rtlg5!) 42 ... 4Jd4 43.Ah5 'it>f6 44.~g3 .§c2= (Ribli); 40 ... h5?? 41.Ag6+ ~h6 4Z.h4 el~ 43 ..§h8#. 41 ..£tg6+! 4l.fxg6+? ~g7 42 ..§g8+ 'it>f6 43 ..§e8 4Jd4 44.g7 el'lt1 45 ..§xel ~xf7= (Ribli). 41 ... ~g7 42.Elb7+ Wf6 43.Elf7+ Here Black has no 'it'g5 available. Therefore: 43 ... ~e5 44.Ele7+ Wd5 44 ... ~6 45 ..§e6+ ~g7 46.Jlli5! +- 45.f6 ~d4 46..£th5! Elbl 46 ... .§ b8 47.f7 .§f8 48 . .§e8 g4 49.rtlg3+- (Ribli); 46 ... g4!? 47.Axg4! .§b8 48.Ah5 .§f8 49.f7 ~xc5 50 ..§ e8 +- . 47.f7 .§fl 48 . .13 xe2 1-0 48 ... 4) xe2 49.Jlf3+ +- 2 points for 40 ... g6!. T09.07: 76..• jtg3? Now the black king cannot cross the diagonal b8-h2 directly. which will cost him the game. So 76 ... Ab8! was necessary: 77.Ae2 ~a5! This is the right direction. (77 ... ~c3? is refuted by 78.Axb5 Ag3 79.'it>e6 ~d4 80.Ae2 ~e4 (80 ... ~c5 8l.Af3+-) 8l.Adl Ac7 (81...Ae5 82.AcZ+ ~f4 83.Axg6 Jlc7 84.Af5 +- ) 82.~f6 ~d5 83.Af3+ ~d6 84.~xg6 ~e7 85.h5 'it'f8 86.Ad5 +- and the king is cut off from the saving comer. So White wins as his pawns are four files apart.) 78.'it>e6 (78 ..lld3 'it>b6 79.Axg6 Af4 80.h5 rtlc7 8l.~c5 b4 8Z.Af7 Ae3+ 83.'it>b5.\lf4 B4.Ad5ltdZ 85.~c5 ~c8=) 78 ... 'it'b6 79.'it>d7 and finally the king can head to the kingside: 79 ... ~c5! 80.Ad3 (80.c7 ltxc7 8l.~xc7 ~d5 8Z.~d7 rtle5 83.~e7 ~f5 B4.d7 'it>c5 does not help: 80.Ae4 Ab8 (80 ... ~d4 8Ulxg6 AbS 82,1xc6 84.h6 .1la7 85.Ae8+ 'it>c7 86. ~d5 +- ) 8l.Axg6 ~d5 82.h5 'it>e5 83.c5 86.~e6+-) 86.h6 ~d5 87.h7 Ae5 88.c7 +- . 79 ..1l.e4 ~b5 80.'i&d7 ~c5 81 ..1l.xg6 1-0 and Bacrot resigned in view of 81. •. Wd5 82.h5 We5 83.c7+- 2 points for 76 ... Jlb8! and 2 more for calculating untiI79 .. .'~c5!. TestlO TlO.01: 65 ... t4'f7? Exchanging queens would have been a fairly straightforward draw: 65 ... 'lt1xe4+ 66.'it'xe4 'it>h5 67.4Jg2 (67.4Jf5 ~g4=) 67 ... ~g4 68.~d5 (68.~e3 f5=) 68 .. .f5 69.'it>e5 f4 70.~f6 f3 71.4Je3+ ~xh4=. 66.~f5+ Wh5 67.~e2+ 67.4Jd6 was easier: 67 ... ~g7 68.'lt1f3+ ~g6 69.'lt1g4+ ~h7 70.'lt1xg7+ 'it'xg7 71.4Jf5+ ~g6 72.~g4 ~f7 73.'it>h5 +-. 67 ... Wg6 68.t4'd3 ~c7+ 69.4)d6+ Wh6 70.Wg4 Wg7? 70 ... 'lt1g7+ 71.'it>h3 ~gl 72.4Jf5+ 'it>g6 73.'lt1g3+ ~xg3+ 74.4Jxg3 f5 75.4Je2 +71.~e8+ 1-0 I point for 65 ... 'lt1xe4+. T09.08: 40 ...g5? It was not easy to foresee that Black needs to get rid of TlO.02: 82 ...h3! 82 ... ~e5? 83.~g4 h3 84.~xh3 'it>f5 85.'it'h4! +- as White has reached a key square for his g-pawn. 83.g4 After 83.gxh3 ~e5 84.~g4 ~f6 85.'it>h5 ~g7= Black reaches the saving comer in time. 83 ... we6 and in view of 204 Solutions ....I!Ig3l!1f685.I!I,h31!1g5l1-l-I. 'il'e5 + 33.g3 'il'e 1-+ 32 ••. *",g6" draw was agreed.] point for 82 ... h3!. 33. ~f3 jtd4 34.4:)d3 ~gS 3S.~e4. ~e3 36.~xe3 jtxe3 37.~g3g6 38.~f3 Jld4 39.~e2 ~g7 40.~d !it'f6 41.~d3 Af2 42.4:)f3 ~fS· 43.!it'e2 Aa7 0-1 3 points for calculating until 27.dxe6 no matter if you started with 25.'l!#'e8+! or 25 ..£le6!. TIO.03: 48.~c6? This does not work. 48. ~e6! would have been the right direction: 48 ... .Q.g5 49Jhf6 ltxf6 SO.~xf6 (Mikhalevski) and Black can't win, e.g., 50 ... .£lgS 51.h4 {)f3 52.h5 .£lg5 53.~g6~e7 (53 ... 00 54.'~h7=) 54.f6+ ~e6 55.~g7 {)f7 56.~g6.£ld6 57.~g7=; 48.~d4? also just loses: 48...Ag5 49. ~e4 {)e5 50.h4 .£lxg6 Sl.hxg5 .£le5 52.gxh6 {)xg4 53.h7 ~g7 S4.~d5 ~xh7 5S.~c6 {)h6-+. 48... 4:)eS+ 49.~xb6 4:)xg6 50.fxg6 Ae151.h4 Axh4 52.!it'xaS f5! 53.gxfS Af2 54.!it'b5 h5 55.!it'c6 h4 56.f6 h3 57.~d7h2 58.!it'e6 hI ~ 0-12 points for 48. ~e6!. TlO.04: 34•.. .i£le5? 34.. J~a8! 35.Axe8 (35.~g3 E!eb8 36 ..£ld4 h5 37.gxh6 E!xb2 38 ..£lxb2 .I1xb2 39.'l!#'b3 .Ilxd4) 35 ... E!xa3 36.bxa3 {)eS! (Tyomkin) and Black is better in both cases. (36 ... {)el+? 37.~f2=) ; 34 ... .£le1+? 35.~g3 .I1xf3 36.Axe8 .I1xd137.Ab5± 55.Axe8 13.xe8? 35 ... .I1xf3+ 36.~fl Elxe8 37:~a4 E!b8 limits the damage. 36.!it'g3 Axf3 37.~c3 .Q.xdl 37 ... E! xe7 38.d6!! E!e8 39.dxc7 E!c8 40.~xe5 .I1xdl 41.~e7+- 38.~xe5 .Q.a4 39.b4 1-02 points for 34 ... E!a8! and 2 more if you calculated until 36 ... .£le5!. 1 point for 34 ... .£leS? 35.Axe8.Q,xf3+. TIO.OS: 25.4:)f5? This just loses. It was time to create a counterattack: 2S.~e8+! {)f8 26 ..£le6 fxe6 27.dxe6 .£lf2+ 28.~h2 ~xe6 29.~xe6+ .£lxe6 30 ..§el (Wells) is better for White. 25 ..£le6! fxe6 26.~e8+ .£lf8 transposes to 25.~e8+!' 2S ... 4:)f2+ 26.!it'h2 ~e5+ 27.4:)g3 4:)e4 28.~b3 Af2 29.13.d3 h5! 30.Jlxh5 4:)xg3 31.13.xg3 ~xh5! 32.§.xg6 32.E!c3 TIO.06: 64 ••• .i£le4? This allows the exchange of queens, after which the apawn quickly decides. It was time to create counterplay with the typical 64 ... h4! 65.Jlg4 (65.a6 {)f5=) 65 ... .£lfS 66.Axf5 ~e5+ 67.~gl (67.g3 ~e2+ is a perpetual as well) 67 ... ~el + with a perpetual. 65. ~f4+ !it'e7 66 . .Q.c6 ~d6 67.~xd6+ .i£lxd6 68.a6 4:)c8 69.!it'g3 !it'f6 70.!it'f4 g5+ 71.!it'e4 !it'e6 72 •.Q.b7 4:)a7 73.!it'd4 !it'd6 74.!it'c4 h4 75.!it'b4 !it'c7 76.~cS !it'b8 77.!it'd51-0 2 points for 64 ... h4!. TlO.07: 52.13.g1+ !it'h3 53.13.h7+ White can also wait for some time with 53.Elfg7 but after 53 ... a4 54.E!7g6 E!ab3 5S.Elg7 a3 he has to use the drawing mechanism 56.f!h7+ Elh4 57 ..§hg7=. 53 ..• 13.h4 S4.13.hg7 Yl-Yl and because of the threat 55.El7g2 followed by 56.f!h2#, a draw was agreed. One sample line runs 54 ••• 13.h8 55.13.7g2 !it'h4 56.13.g4+ !it'h5 57.13.g5+ ~h6 58.13.g6+ !it'h7 59.13.g7+ !it'h6 60.13.7g6;t I point for spotting the drawing mechanism. TIO.08: 1 ... 13.e8? Exchanging queens with 1. .. ~g7! saves a lot of trouble, since in the remaining ending the dream team king+rook+bishop easily compensates for the pawn minus; 2.~xg7+ ~xg7 3.Ele5 Abl 4.a4 .Q,a2 5.aS bxa5 6 ..£le4 Axd5 7.{)xcS Ac4=; 205 The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 1...~xb2? 2.<£lg4 'fJg7 is too risky though: 3.'fJg5 !"!d6 (3 ... Axh5? 4.'fJxd8+ ~h7 5.'~h4 ~g6 6.d6+-) 4.!"!h6 and White has a dangerous attack, e.g., 4 .. .f5 5.<£le3 ~al + 6.~h2 ~e5+ 7.~gl 'l¥tal + 8.<;t>f2 ~b2+ 9.<;t>f3 'l¥tf6 10.'l¥tf4; l..J~d6?! is not as good as 1.. .'~g7!, but still offers saving chances after 2.4Jg4 'l¥tg7 3.~xg7+ ~xg7 4.4Je3 so it gets 1 point. 2.~g4 Etel + 3. 1...'~g7!. Test 11 T11.01: 49 ...§.x b2? Black must destroy the mating net at any price: 49 ... el ~+ 50.~xel !"!xb2 51. <£le2 + ~e3 52.!"!e5+ ~d3 !"!e3 66.4Jc5 b3-+. 59 ... h5 60.d6 §.dl! 61.~e6 b4 62 . .£)c5 Etel+ 63.~f6 63.<£le6 !,,!xe6+ 64.'it'xe6 'it'dS-+ 63 ... §.e3 0-1 2 points for 55.~d7!. T11.03: 53 ... §.xb4U The right move at the right moment, creating enough counterplay. 54.axb4 a3 55.~g2 a2 56.§.hl al ~ 57.§.xal §'xal 58.§.c7+ c4? 41.g4+-) 4Lfxe4+ fxe4 42.g4!=) 40.~d2 e4 41.f4 ~dS 42.~c3 e3 43.'it'd3 e2 44.':txe2 <;t>c4 45.<;t>e3 ~xb4 46.~d4! with excellent drawing chances. 50 ..£) xe2+ 1-0 and Black resigned in view of 50... ~d3 51.§.d5 * I point for 49 ... el~+. T11.02: 55 . .£)e6+? This allows the black king to the queenside. 55.<;t>d7! stops the direct approach of Black's king and holds: 55 ... b5 (55 ... !"!e7+ 56.~cs b5 57.d6 !"!e3 5S.d7 !"!c3+ 59.<;t>d8 b4 60.<£le6+ ~f7 61.4Jg5+=; 55 ... 'it'g7 56.4Je6+ 'it'f6 57.4Jc5 b6 5S.<£la6=) 56.<£le6+ 'it't7 57.4JdS+ <;t>f6 58.4Jc6 Finally the knight has everything under control, e.g., 58 ... !"!e4 59.d6 b4 60.'it'c7=. 55 ... ~e8 56 . .£)c7+ ~d8 57.~e6+ ~c8 58. The hidden point. 46 ... 'it'a3 47.g4! hxg4 48.h5 b4 49.h6 b3 50.h7 b2 51.h8'1¥t bl'fJ 52.~a8+ ~b2 53.'fJb7+ ~c2 54.'fJg2+= 39 ... 206 Solutions give a bodycheck with 64 ... ~dS! 6S.a6 (6S.<;>b4 ~c6 66.a6 ~d4+ 67.<;>aS §dS+ 68.<;>b4 §d4+ 69.~c3 §d8=) 6S ... §b6+ 66.~c3 ~b8 67.a7 §as 68.<;>b4 ~c6=; Other moves also lose instructively: 64 ... ~a6? 6S.~c4 <;>d6 66.<;>bS §as 67.a6 r:Jc7 6S.§cl + r:Jd7 (68 ... ~bS 69.§hl r:Jc7 (69 ... §a7 70.§hS+ ~c7 71.§gS+-) 70.§h7+ <;>d6 71.a7+-) 69 ..§hl .§bS+ 70.~aS §gS 71.a7 <;>c7 72.§h7+ ~c6 73.~a6 .§f8 74.§hl .§gS 7S ..§c1 + +- ; 64 ... .§d8? 6S.a6 .§a8 66.~b4 r:Jd6 67.r:JaS ~c7 68.§c1 + +- 65.a6 .§b6+ 66. ~c4.§b8 67.a7 .§aB 6B.~b5 ~c7 69.~a6 .§hB 70 ..§c1 + ~d7 71. ~b7 .§h2 1o I point for 64 ... r:JdS!. Tl1.06: 65 ... §h7! 6S ... ~a6+? 66. ~bS .§xf6 (66 ... §a7 67 ..§g7 +- ) 67.h7 .§h6 68.~gS+ r:Jf7 69.hS~+- 66.§g6 §hB! and the threat <;>f7 forces the draw. 67.§g2 Ya-VI 1 pointfor6S ... .§h7! 66.§g6 §hS!=. T11.07: 33 ••• ~c1 +? This natural check is not enough. Black had a fantastic defense available: 33 ... ~xf4! 34.4Jh7+ ~gS 3S.4Jf6+ exf6!. The following queen sacrifice, to reduce White's attacking potential, is the point of the defense. It is easy to overlook as diagonal moves backwards with the queen are often missed by the human eye. (3S ... .§xf6? 36.Axf6 ~cl + 37.~h2 4Jg4+ 3S.'~xg4 exf6 39:~g6 i\1'h6+ 40.i\1'xh6 Axh6 41.~e7+-) 36 ..§eS+ i\1'fS 37.§xfS+ ~xfS 38.Ag3 .§e4= (Har Zvi). 34.~h2 .£lg4+ Other tries do not save Black either: 34 ... 4Jf1 + 3S.~h3 §xf4 (3S ... i\1'c3+ 36.~g4 4Jh2+ 37.~hS+-) 36.4Jh7+ ~g8 37.4Jf6+ '§xf6 3S.Axf6+- (Har Zvi); 34... §xf4 3S.4Jh7+ r:Jg8 36.4Jf6+ .§xf6 37.-'txf6 4Jg4+ 38.i\1'xg4 exf6 39.§eS+ r:Jh7 40.~hS+ i\1'h6 41.~xh6+ ~xh6 42 ..§e7+- (Har Zvi). 35.~h3 Etxf4 36•.§e1 ~c3+ 37.g3 Etf6 3B•.£lh7+ ~gB 39 . .£l xf6+ .£l xf6 40 . .§xe7 ~cB+ 41. ~g21-0 The queen sacrifice beginning with 33 ... .§xf4 gets 4 points. Tl1.08: 39 . .£le6? This doesn't generate enough counterplay. White could have forced a draw with 39.4Jg6! 4Jxg3 (39 ... ~f7 40.hS! ~e6 41.4Jf8+ ~f6 42.4Jh7+=) 40.~xg3 hS (40 ... ~h7? 41.hS even loses) 41.4Je7+ ~h7 42.~fS .§g4+ 43.<;>h3 ~h6 44.4Jg8+= (Nisipeanu) 39 ... .£lxg3 39 ... 4Jxh4 40.E:fS+ <;>h7 41.~h3 E:e4 is the alternative. 40.~xg3 '§xa4?Blackhad to take measures against White's attack first: 40 ... .§e4 41.E:fS+ (41.4Jf4 c;tJf7 42.4JhS+ ~g6 43.4Jf4+ <;>fS 44.4JhS+ ~eS 4S.4Jxg7 dS) 41...~h7 42.4Jf4 gS 43.hxgS hxgS 44.4Jh3 ~g6 when, in both instances, he still has winning chances. 41.h5 Ete4 42.§fB+ ~h7 43 . .£lf4 .§e5 VI-VI 1 point for calculating the line 39.4Jg6 ~f7 and 1 for calculating 39.4Jg6 4Jxg3. Test 12 T12.01: 55 ....§e1! The only way, as the a-pawn must be given up in any case. King moves lose: S5 ... ~e8? 56.gxh3 Elhl S7 ..§xa2 .§xh3 58 ..§a8+ ~d7 59.<;>f7 and Black's king is on the wrong (long) side of the pawn, so that White can reach Lucena's famous win: 59 ... Elh7+ 60.~g6 E:hl 61.f6 §gl + 62.~f7 E:f163.~g7 .§gl + 64.c;tJf8 E:g2 65.f7 and now White wins by building a bridge, 65 ... E:g166.E:a4 E:g2 67.'§d4+ ~c7 68.~e7 .§e2+ 69.~f6 .§f2+ 70.~e6 .§e2+ 71.~fS .§f2+ 72 ..§f4+-; 55 ... <;>g8? 56 ..§aS+ <;>h7 57.gxh3 .§bl (S7 ... .§hl S8..§xa2 .§xh3 59.~f7 is lost 207 The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 as Black's rook is misplaced and cannot leave the h-file quickly) 5B.§xa2 §b6+ 59.~g5! and Black's king is either cut off on the eighth rank, when the ending is won as a rule, or Black's rook must remain passive, which loses as well, e.g., 59 ... §b7 60.h4 §g7+ 61.~f6 §b7 62.§e2 'it'h6 63.§e6 §a7 64.§d6 §b7 65.~e6 §a7 66.f6 §al (66 ... ~g6 67.h5++- ) 67.'it'e7 §a7+ 6B.§d7 §al 69.f7 §el+ 70.~fB 'it'h7 71.§d5 §e2 72.§h5+ ~g6 73.§hB §el 74.~g8+-. 56.Eta8+ 56.§ xa2 does not help: 56 ... hxg2 (even 56 ... h2 57.§a8+ §e8 58.§al §e7= is playable) 57.§xg2 §al 58.§e2 §a6+ 59 ..§e6 .§a7= 56 ... Ete8 57.Etxa2 hxg2 58..§xg2.§aS 59 ..§e2 .§a6+ 60 •.§e6 Eta71? Circumspect defense. Robson wants to drive the king away with checks. 61..§b6 .§f7+ 62.~g6 E!g7+ 63.~f6 .§f7+ 64.~g5 .§g7+ 65 ..§g6 .§a7 66..§f6+ ~g7 Of course not 66 ... ~e7? 67.~g6 §al 68.'iftg7 §gl + 69.§g6 §fl 70.§e6+ ~d7 71.~g6+- and Black's king is cut off. 67 . .§c6 ~f8 68 . .§h6 .§g7+ 69 . .§g6 Eta7 70. Etf6+ ~g7 71 . .§h6 .§a1 72.Etg6+ ~f7 73 •.§f6+ ~g7 74•.§g6+ Yz-Yz 1 point for 55 ... §el!. T12.02: 37.~e2! 37.'\;:')·dl? §c1!-+ 37 ... .§c1 38•.§d1 ~c8 39 . .§xe1 ~c5+ 40.~h1 Etc4 41.~d3 ~c6+ 42.~g2 ~xg2+ 43.~xg2 .§c2+ 44.~f2 .§xa2 45 . .§b1 f5 46 . .§xb5 ~f7 47.h4 YZ-YZ 1 point for 37:~e2! §c138.§dl. Tl2.03: 35 ... .§xe4? This active defense backfires. Passive defense was called for: 35 ... §e5! 36.§gel (36.*1h6 .§xf5 37.§xg6+ fxg6 38.~xg6+ ~f8 39.~xf5+ ~e7=, Ftacnik) 36 .. .'l;i surprise. 36 •••f5 36 ...§xe3? runs into 37.gxf7+ ~xf7 3B.§f1 + +- (Ftacnik). 37.~xf5.§4e7 37 ... §xe3? is again not advisable: 38.~f7+ ~hB 39.~h7#. 38 •.§B? This allows a tenacious defense. Ftacnik pointed out the path to victory: 38..§gel!.§f8 39.~h5 .§g7 40.§f3 §xf3 41.*1xf3+-. 38... ~e41 and White went on to win nevertheless, but now matters are not 100% clear anymore. 2 points for 35 ... §e5!. Tl2.04: 32.~f3+? This check is not strong enough. More forceful play is needed: 32.~d7! ~g8 (32 .. .'~e7 33.*1c8+ *1eB 34.~f5+ ~g8 35.~d5+ ~h8 36.*1h1+ ~g8 37.*1d5+=) 33:€k8+ .{tf8 34.~xb7 .{te7 (34 .. .'l;i<e7 35.~d5+ '1Jg7 36. 36. ~f5+ 36. 38.~bl ~e7 39.~c1 Ah6+ .Q"e3-+ 36 ... ~d8 37.~a5+ 40.~dl b6 38.~d5 e1~ 39.~a8+ ~d7 40.~b7+ ~e8 0-1 I point for 32.*1d7!. Tl2.05: 29.Jta7! "The only move that saves the knight. An amusing position has arisen with a bunch of pieces in the comer." (Postny in CBM 118) 29.§xcB? 208 Solutions 31.j},a7 lac7 32.Ab6 lab7 YZ-YZ 2 points for 29.J:ta7!. 1.~xg3?? 1.§g7+!! J:txg7 rtJxg7 3.AxfS+ ~xfS 4. T12.06: 2"~xg7+ T12.07: 1 ... ~e5? This loses. First a number of other tries which do not work: 1...~g7? 2AJe7+ ~f7 3.~h5+ ~f6 4.\~"f5#; 1...§b6? 2. f$}e6 8.~e7+ ~xf5 9. ~xf8+ +- 1... ~xd3! gets 2 points and 2 more, if you saw untiI6.!!e7+ 'l!1f7. T12.08: 77.~f4! The correct way. 77 .•. ~c2 Or 77 ... 'it'c4 7S.4:Je2 a3 79.4:Jc1 =. 78.~d5! The last key move. 7S.4:Je2? loses: 78 ... a3 79. Test 13 : .. :: ..::::::".: T13.01: 40 ... ,§a7! 0-1 A Classic seventh rank defense, with the idea §:i7': g7 to take over the attack. 40 ... §g7? even loses: 41.e7 ~d7 42.'i;1xf6 ~xe7 43. ~xe7 E! xe7 44.E!fS+ +-. After 40 .. .f5? 41.e7 §a7, White has 42.~fS! E!xe7 43.~xe7 fxe4 44.~xe4 when he is certainly not worse. White's resignation is obviously a bit premature, but after 41.~e3 Ae5 42.~xd4 j},xd4 Black's victory is only a matter of time. 1 point for 40 ... §a7!. T13.02: 25 ... ~e5! The knight will land on d7 where it is a tremendous defender until the very end of the game. Instead 25 ... Axe6? 26.~xe6 gives White the upper hand as 26 ... §xc3? runs into 27.§xf7 §xf7 2S.'il11xf7 §cS 29.tH6+ rtJg8 30.'li1te6+ +-; 25 ... .ile8? is only good enough for a draw, e.g., 26.4:Jd5 §xc2 27 :ifJe7 4:Jh6 28.§f8+ 4:JgS 29.§xgS+ §xg8 30.' 209 The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 ~d3 63A:Jc3! f5 64.4Jd5=. 57 .. .ct/c7 Against 57 ... 'i!fe6 Appel showed the way to draw directly after the game: 58.4Jg5+ 'it'd7 (58 ... 'it'xf6 59.~d4 b2 60.4Je4+ ~e6 61.4Jd2 4Jf3+ 62.~c3 4Jxd2 63. T13.05: 45.Ae7+! Only this way. 45.~xd6+? ~g8 46"~Ye6+ 47.~xh3 ~f2+ 48.~hl ~h7 e2 49.Ad8+ '\t>g8 50.'tf'!e6+ ~f7 51.~xe2 ~xd5+-+ 45 ... ft/g8 45 ... ~xe7 46.'ffi'e6+! This check forces a draw. (After 46.'ffi'xg7+? ~f7 47.~g5+ '\t>d7 48.'tf'!xe3 ~xd5. Black can continue to fight for the full point, although White can probably hold with best defense.) 46 ... ~f8 47.~c8+ ~e7 48.~e6+ ~d8 49.~xd6+ ~c8 50.~c6+= 46.~e6+ ~f7 47.~c8+ Jlf8 48.~g4+ Ag7 49.~c8+ ft/h7 50.~xh3+ Ah6 51.Ag5! ~f2+ Yz-Yz I point for 45.Ae7+and 1 morepointfor45 ... ~xe7 46.~e6+!. T13.06: 23.bxc7?? This runs into a nasty surprise. 23J'!el ?? does not parry the threat either: 23 ... ~xg2+! 24.~xg2 ~h3+!! 25.~xh3 .:£lg5+ 26.~g2 4Jh4+ 27. '\t>fl g2+ 28.c,tJf2 l2:lh3"". A fantastic twin variation!; White must give up an exchange with 23.gxh3! 'ffi'xh3 24.§.f2 to stop Black's attack for good: 24 ... gxf2 25.~xf2 axb6 (25 ... cxb6? 26.axb6 a6 27 .Afl ~d7 28 ..:£la4 ±) 26 ..:£ld5! b5 (26 ... c6? 27.Afl ~e6 28.4Jc7 §.xc7 29.dxc7 +-; 26 ... bxa5? 27.dxc7 ±) 27JiJxc7 §.d8 28 ..:£lxb5 (Ftacnik in Informant 711623) with excellent play for the exchange. 23 ••• Axg2+! This one is still more or less standard. 24.ft/xg2 ~h3+!! Not difficult once you see it, but still very pretty. 25.ft/xh3 4)g5+ 26.ft/g2 ltlh4+ 0-13 points for 23.gxh3 ~xh3 24.m2. T13.07: 44.Axd3! It's best to eliminate it right away. 44.4Jd2? runs into 44 ... 4Jc3! 45.§.f1 4Jdl + 46.~e4 .§.e8+ 47.~d4 4Jxb2 48 . .§.xf7+ ~g6-+; 44.Axa6? gets 1 point as White can continue to fight: 44 ... 4Jc5 (44 ... b3 45 ..:£ld2 §.e8 46.Ab5 4Jxd2+ 47.~xd2 §.e2+ 48.'\t>c3 d2 49.'§'xc2 bxc2 50.~xc2) 45 . .Q.b5 4Jb3 46 . .§.fl d2 47 ..:£lxd2 §.xd2 48. §. f4 butlakovenko's move is doubtlessly stronger. 44... Axd3 44 ... .§.xd3+ 45.'it'xe4 .§.c3+ 46.~d4 §.xf3 47.§.xc2 .§.xg3 48.~c5 b3 49.§.f2= (Postny). 45.4)el Aft 45 ... .:£lxg3 46.4Jxd3 4Jf5+ 47.~e4 ~f6 48 ..§.c6+ ~g5 49.4Jc5= (Postny) . 210 Solutions 46.\t'xe4 .§d2 47 •.§bl Ac448.b3 Ae649.'it'e3 .§d850•.§b2.§c8 51.a5 Af5 52.g4 .§eS+ 53.\t'f4 '§xel 54.gxf5 .§al 55 . .§g2+ \t'fS 56..§c2 .§xa5 57.f6 \t'g8 58 •.§g2+ \t'fS 59•.§c2 WeS 60 . .§e2+ WfS liz-liz 3 points for 44.~xd3! ~xd3 4S. Test 14 T14.01: 76••. .§f7! Now the king can hide from checks on the f-file. 77.Wg2 We4 7S.h7 Wf5 liz-liz I point for 76... Eit7!. T14.02: 45 ... ~d51 The only move to stay in the game. Black's king will find safe haven on the kingside. Other moves lose: 45 ... ~xa2?? 46.'~c7 ~e6 47. 48.~dB+ ~e8 49.~xe8#; 4S ... ~d7? 46.~bB+ ~dB 47.~eS+ Ae6 (47 ... ~d7 4B.~d5+ ~c7 49.~xf7+ ~d7 50.~f8+-) 48. l'~ep~iY T14.03: 55 ... .§dl? 5S ... Eic1! way to save the game: 56.a5~d1 57.Eid5+ (Or 57.a6 Eic7+ 58.~b6 E!c6+ 59.~a5 ~c7 60.a7 Eicl! 61.a8-tli: ~c6=) 57 ... 'it'e6 58.Eih5 Eibl + 59. Eic1 + 60.EicS Eixc5+ 61.'it'xc5 ~d7 62.'itJb6 ~c8= 56.a5 Wd8 57.a6 .§d7+ 58.Wb81-0 1 point for 55 ... Eic1!. .. T14.04: 39. 39 ... \!tf4 (39 ... e4 40.~e3! exf3 41.'itJxf3 42.'it'g4 ~e4 43.~g3 ~f5 44.~f3=) 40.\!tf2 e4 (40 ... ~g5 41.'itJe3 ~xhS 42.f~)e4 \!tg6 43.~xe5 hS 44.f4 h4 45.~e6 ~g7 46.~e7 ~g6 47.f~)e6=) 4l.fxe4 ~xe4 42.'~g3 and as White is quick enough in all resulting races, the end of the game would now most probably be 42 .. .'~f5 43.~f3 ~e5 44.~e3=; also not good enough is 39.'it'f2?? 'it'f4 40.~g2 (40.'it'e2 e4 41.fxe4 ~xe4-+) 40 ... ~g5-+. 39..• Wf4 40. We2 e4! Giving Black the opposition. 41.fxe4 \t'xe4 42.Wf2 Wd4 43.Wf3 Wxc4 44.We4 Wb4 013 points, if you saw that White always gets the opposition after 39.~e2! and is in time in the races. ~eS T14.0S: 23 ... ~e8? This doesn't solve Black's problems. 23 ... -tld4! is the right move to stay in the game: 24.Eixd3 (24. The ChessCaje Puzzle Book 3 better. 24.Ete3 ~g8 25 . .£lc3 Cit'd7 26. ~e41-0 2 points for 23 ... 4::\d4! and I more if you calculated untiI27.~g2 §.d3!. Cit'c8 52. Cit'e7 1-0 and Black resigned in view of52 ...§e2+ 53.§e5 §.e2 54.f5 §xe6 55.f6+- 2 points for 49 ... g4!. TI4.06: 26 ... Ete6?? This one loses because of White's strong reply. 26 ...§'xd3!! This injects the oppositecolor bishops theme into the position. 27.§.xd3 (27.§'xe6? §.d7 -+) 27 ... §.g8! Pointing the rook in the right direction. (27 ... ile4? is not convincing: 28.~d2 ~xd3 29.~xd3 f5 30.hxg3 ~xg3+ 31.~fl ±) 28.e4 Axe4 29.§.xg3 (29.§.xf7?! is met by 29 ... 4::\e2+!! 30.~f2 ~xh2+ 31.~el §.e8! 32.~xe2 ~xe2+ 33.~xe2 Ad5+ 34.§.e3 which should be drawn as well) 29 ... t¥1xg3+ 30.hxg3 Axe2 31.§.xf7= (Tyomkin) 27.e4!Now the tactics surprisingly work in White's favor. 27 ... .£lh5 27 ... §.xe4 28.,ilf1! §.el 29.§xg3+- (Tyomkin) 28 ..1lc4 ~h4 29.Axe6+ fxe6 30.gxh5 ~xh5 31.Etd3 Etg8+ 32.Etg3 Etd8 33.Ae3 e5 34.Etf1 h6 35.b4 a6 36.b5 axb5 37.axb5 Axb5 38.Etg7 c6 39.~a2 Aa6 40. ~e6+ Cit'b8 41. ~d6+ 1-0 and Black resigned in view of 41 ... Etxd6 42.Etf8+ ~e8 43.El,xe8+ El,d8 44.El,xd8"" 2 points for 26 ... §'xd3!! and 2 morefor 27 ... §g8!. TI4.07: 49 ... El,b2? This runs into a magnificent counter-shot. The cool 49 ... g4! 50.§.d5+ 'it'e8 51.§g5 ~b8 52.§g8+ ~a7 53.~e7 §d4 54.§d8 §f4 55.«Tid7 §xf2 56.§g8§f7+ 57.~e8§h7 58.§xg4 §h8+ 59.~xc7 §h7+ draws as White's king finds no safe shelter from the checks. 50.f4!1 Suddenly Black is completely lost. 50 ... El,f2 After 50 ... gxf4 51.§h5 Black's f-pawn shields White's monarch from the rain of checks like an umbrella (Mark Dvoretsky coined this most appropriate term). 51.El,d5+ TI4.08: 82 ... Cit'f5!1 As White cannot take the knight, Black's king uses the moment to march to g5, which draws. Instead 82 ... 4::\h7? loses: 83.~g6 4::\f8+ 84.'it'g7 4::\e6+ (84 ... ~f5 can now be met by 85.4::\f3! 4::\e6+ 86.~g8 4::\f8 87.4::\e5! 'it'g5 88.4::\f7+ ~g6 89.~xf8+-) 85.~g8 4::\g5 86.4::\f3+! 4::\xf3 87.h7 +-. 83 . .£lf3 83.~xf8 'it'g6 loses the gpawn. 83 ... .£lh7 84.Cit'g7 .£lf6 85 . .£ld4+ Cit'g5 86 . .£le6+ Cit'h5 87..£lc7 ~g5 88..£ld5 .£le8+ 89.Cit'h7 .£ld6 90 . .£lc3 .£lf7 91 •.£le4+ Cit'f4 92.Cit'g7 .£lxh6 93.Cit'xh6 Cit'xe4 %-Yz 1 pointfor82 ... f5!!. Test 15 TI5.01: 21 ... ~e3+ Black happily goes for the counterattack. There is no need to panic with 21 ... §.xf7? 22.~xf7+ ~xf7 23.§.xf7 ~xg2! 24.~xg2 4::\e3+ 25.~f3 4::\e4 26.§e7=; 21...g6?? 22.4::\d8+ +22.Cit'hl Axg2+! 22 ... ~xb3? 23.axb3 Axg2+ is the wrong move order because of24.'it'gl.ilxfl 25.~d5 h6 26.4::\e5+= 23.~xg2 ~xb3! and the knight fork on e3 decides the game in Black's favor: 24. ~e4 24.4::\h6+ gxh6 25. ~g4+ ~h8 26.§xf8+ §xf8 27.axb3 still runs into 27 ... 4::\e3+ -+ 24... ~d5!? Other moves win as well, but this fits with the theme. 25 . .£lh6+ Cit'h8 26 . .£lf7+ El,xf7 27.~xd5 .£le3+ 28.~g3 .£lxd5 29.El,xf7 .£lc3 30.El,e7 .£lxa2 31.d5 '3ig8 32.d6 El,d8 33.El,e6 '3if7 0-1 3 points for calculating untiI23 ... ~xb3!. T15.02: 35.~f2! The right introduction. 35 ... ~c6 Other moves all seem to end in a perpetual: 35 ... §e8 212 Solutions 36.'I~H6+ ~g8 (37 .. :~c2+ 38.~gl 37.1'hd4! exd4 'i!i'cl + (38 ... 'i!i'xc3 39.'~g5+ ~f8 40.'i!i"h6=] 39.~f2=) 38 ..llxd4 'i!i'c2+ 39.~gl ~cl + 40.~f2 'i!i'd2+ 41.~g3 'i!i'el + 42.~h2=; 3S ... 'i!i'xdl 36.'~f6+ E!.g7 37.t1d8=; 35 ... ~g7 36.'i!i'f6 'i!i"c6 37.'i!i'xeS 'i!i'xc3 38 ..~e8+ ~g8 39.'ffi'e5= 36.§.xd4! Shirov does it again. "36.t1xf7? is the wrong way: 36 ... dxc3 37.E!.d7 ~h6! 38.'i!i'fS (38.E!.xb7 ~f8-+) 38 ... ~f4+! 39.~xf4 exf4 40.~xb7 E!.c8 41.E!.bl c2 42.~cl ~g7-+ , followed by ~f6, ~e5 and Black wins." (Golubev). 36...exd4 37.~xd4+ f6 38.~xf6+ ~xf6 39.Axf6+ §.g7 40.e5 'itJgS 41 ..1l xg7 'itJxg7 Black's remaining winning potential is not enough to win: 42.'itJg3 AcS 43.'itJf4 'itJg644.h4Ae645.~.Ilb346.'itJf4 Ac2 47.'itJg3 'itJf7 4S.'itJf4 'itJe6 49.'itJg5 'itJxe5 50.h5 'itJe6 51.'itJh6 'itJf6 52.g5+ 'Ia-Yz I point for 35.~f2! and 2 more for 36.~xd4!. TIS.03: 1 ... .Ila5! The only defense, opening the third rank for the rooks. 1...~xd3? 2.~aa8+-; 1...~d7? 2.h5+(Prasad in Informant 60/603) 2.§.xa5 §.dxd3 3.g4 §.g3+ 4.'itJf2 §.bf3+ 5. 'itJe2 e4! It all fits very neatly. 6.§.aaS §.g2+ 7.'itJe1 §.gl + S.'itJe2 §.g2+ 'IaYz 2 points for 1...ltaS! 2.E!.xa5 E!.dxd3=. TIS.04: 20 ••• §.xc3! Of course the black-square bishop needs to be removed. The alternatives don't work very well: 20 ... ~xd4? 21.'i!i'eS .llgS+ 22.~xgS ~xc3 23.bxc3 .§dS 24.'i!i'h6 .§hS 25.~xh5 gxh5 26.i!¥xh5±; 20 ...M6? 21.E!.xd8+ 'i!i'xd8 22 ..Q.xf6 ~xf6 23.ltd3± 21.bxc3 21.E!.xd8+? ~xd8 22.~xc3 .llg5+-+; 21.'i!i'eS? ltf6! 22.~xf6 ~xc2+! 23.~xc2 ltb3+-+. 21...§.xd4 2l....Q.xa3+ 22.~d2 E!.xd4+ "is also possible, but the text has a very unhurried feel about it which emphasizes Black's utter confidence that her darksquare domination will carry the day." (Wells) 22.cxd4 ~xd4 By now it's clear that Black has the more dangerous attack. 23.c3 ~c5 24.'itJd2 Ag5+ 25. 'itJc2?! 2S.~eI was called for. 25 ... 'itJg7 "The patience that comes from such a qualitative superiority offorce. I'm sure Judit didn't feel as if she was material down here. Her pieces have an enduring superiority which belies the simple number-crunching of relative material values." (Wells) 26.Ad3 Af6 27.§.b1? 27.c4 limits the damage. 27... ~xc3+ 2S.'itJd1 Ag5 29.'itJe2 Ag4+ 30.'itJf1 Af40-12 points for20 ... E!.xc3!. TIS.OS: 33 ... Ad4+ First saving the bishop with gain of tempo. 34.'itJh2 §.xg5! Simple and elegant. 34... 4Jf8? 3S.d7 4Jxd7 36.E!.xd7 .Q.e3 37.g3 (Ftacnik) 37 ... E!.b4 38 ..§e2 E!.cxc4 39.4Jxf7 ±. 3S.fxg5 35.E!.xd7? E!.gc5 36.E!.xb7 E!.d8 37.d7 ~f8-+ (Ftacnik). 35 ... §.dS 36.§.d2 .Ilc5 37.§.d5b6 Van Wely has managed to stabilize the position and the superior number of his pieces finally prevailed: 38.g3 'itJf8 39.§.e2 4J b8 40.§.ed2 §.d741.§.a2 4Jc642.§.a8+ §.dS43.§'xdS+4':)xdS 44.'itJg2 4Jb7 45.d7 'itJe746.13e5+ 'itJxd7 47.§.e4 4':)d6 48.§.h4 Ae3 49.§'xh7 Axg5 50.h4 Af6 51.g4 213 The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 3 c;t>e6 52.g5 Ae5 53.c;t>f3 ~xc4 54.h5 gxh5 55.l3.xh5 c;t>f5 56.l3.h7 ~d6 57.l3.h5 .1lg7 0-12 points for 33 ... ~d4+ 34.'it'h2 ~xg5!. T1S.06: 36... l3.h4! Excellent judgment. Both the queen ending and the pawn ending are drawn. 37.c;t>h3 37.~xb4 axb4 38.a5 b3 39.a6 b2 40.a7 bl~ 41.aS~+ ~g7 results in a drawn queen ending. 37... l3.xf4 38.gxf4f5 39.c;t>g3 39.h5 'It'g7! and White doesn't make progress. 39 ... c;t>g7 40.h5 c;t>h7! 41.~h3 YZ-YZ I point for 36 ... ~b4!' TIS.07: 47.h3! The right decision. Other moves are losing: 47.~c5? ~e5 48.'it>xb4 'it'd4 49.~b3 'It'd3 50.'ifta4 e5 51.b4 e4 52.b5 e3 53.b6 e2 54.b7 el ~ 55.bS"i!¥ ~al+ 56.~b5 "i!¥b2+-+; 47.'It'e4? e5 48.'it'd5 b3 49.~c4 e4 50.'it>d4 e3 51.'it'xe3 'it'e5 52.'it'd3 'it'f4 53.d5! e4! 49.c;t>xe4! c;t>e6! 50.c;t>d4! ~d6! 51.c;t>e4 51.'iftc4 'it'e5 52.'it'xb4 'it'f4 53.c4 ~xg4 54.b4 ~f3= 51 ... c;t>e6! 52.c;t>d4! ~d6! 53. ~e4 ~e6! Yz-Yz 2 points for 47.b3!. TlS.08: 59.c;t>f2! Yes, by taking distant opposition. 59.~f3? 'It'f7 60.'it'e3 'ifte7 61.~f3 ~d6 62.'it'e4 g3 ~f2-+ 59 ... c;t>e8 60.c;t>e2 c;t>d8 61.c;t>d2 c;t>c7 62.c;t>e3! 62.'It'c3?? g4 63.hxg4 h4-+ 62 ... ~d6 63.~d2! ~e5 64.~e3 'it'd5 65.c;t>d3 ~e5 Y:rYz 1 point for 59 .lit'f2!. Test 16 T16.01: 31 ... l3.a2! With the idea of ... .ilb3. 31...~al? 32.~a6 (32 ..ilc2?? Ac6+ would be too hasty.) 32 ... ~g7 33.Ac2+- 32.l3.h7 Black's point is revealed in the line 32 ..ild5 Ac6!! A hammer blow, after which it's White's turn to keep a cool head and find 33.~d7! (33.~xa2? Axd5+ -+) 33 ... ~xf2+ 34.~xf2 Axd7= 32... l3.d2 Yz-lh 3 points for spotting 31...~a2 32 ..ild5 Ac6!!. TI6.02: 1... l3.f5+!1 The only way out. 1...~c8? 2.~e8+! ~xe8 3.f7+ ~g7 4.fxe8~ c1 ~ 5.~f7+ Iit'h6 6.~h7+ 'It'g5 7.h4+ 'it'f6 (7 ... lit'g4 8.Af5+ Iit'f4 9.~h6++-) S.~f7+ lit'e5 9.~e7+ 3.lit'f3 ~xg6 4.~eS+ 1it'f7 5.~c8 is dead drawn. 2 ... l3.xf6 3.l3.e8+ l3.f8 4.l3.xf8+ T16.03: 1 ... l3.xg2+! 2.~h1 2.~xg2? ~g4+ 3.Ag3 Ac6+ 4.f3 ~xdl-+ 2 ... l3.gl+!3.l3.xg13.lit'xgl? ~g4++3 ... Ac6+ 4.f3 .1lxf3+ 5.~xf3l3.xd6 Yz-Yz I point for 1.. ..§.xg2+ and I more for calculating untiI5 ... ~xd6. TI6.04: 47 ... c;t>h6? This loses. 214 Solutions (Mikhale~~~~~:' 47 ... E!e5! 48.~e7+ ~f5! (After48. ..~4? 49.~+ t!f5 50.~h6+ g5 51.~c7Black's exposed king will be his undoing, e.g., 51...E!ff6 52.~c1 + ~e4 53.~h7+ E!g6 54.~b7+ ~f5 55.~f7+ E!gf6 56.~c8+ ~e5 57.~fe8+ E!fe6 58.~b5+ ~d5 56.E!b2 Bc5 57.t!c2= CBM 79) 53.b6 Now taking would have· been fine as well: 53.E!xb3E!xb3+ 54.'it>c2 E!xb5 55.E!xg5=. 53 ...4)e4 54.Elxb3 Elxb3+ 55.~a2 Elb5 56.Elg4 4)<:5+ 59.~c3+ ~f5 6O.~f3+ ~e5 61.~be2+ 4)bl + 60.~a2 4)c3+ %....%3 points for 52.E!gg2!. \t'd4 62.~c3#) 49.~f8+ E!f6 50.~ab4 ~xb4 51.~xb4 E!fe6 and Black can still fight although White's advantage is not in doubt. But now he faces a difficult technical job, while in the game he could finish Blackoffwith a few well calculated blows. The countercheck 47 ... ~e5+? forces the desirable exchange of queens, but 48.~xe5+ t!xe5 49.h4+! \t'h5 50.~f3+ \t'h6 51.~f4+ wins a rook. 48.~f8+ ~h7 49.~g5 ~xh3+ 50.~xh31-0 and as White can always prevent Black from giving away queen and rook for free to force stalemate, Macieja resigned. Ofcourse not 50.gxh3? ~xb2+ 51.\t'g3 E!d3+ 52.~h4 E!xh3+ 53.\t'xh3 ~h2+ 54.~xh2 stalemate. 2 points for 47 ... E!.e5!. Tl6.05: 21 ... Ae4! 0-1 This not only prevents a loss, but wins on the spot. 21...Ae4 22.~xc5 E!xc5 23.Axe4 E!xc3 24.bxc3 57.~4)bl+58.~a24)c3+59.~ T16.07: 50 ... ~f4! The ambitious 50 ... 215 The Chess Cafe Puzzle Book 3 Bibliography Aagaard, 1., Practical Chess Defence, Quality Chess 2006 Bologan, v., The King s Indian - A Complete Black Repertoire, Chess stars 2009 Christiansen, L., Storming the Barricades, GAMBIT 2000 Comas Fabrego, L., True Lies in Chess, Quality Chess 2007 Dvoretsky, M., Dvoretsky s Endgame Manual, Russell Enterprises, Inc., 2003 Emms, J., The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess, Everyman 2007 Franco, Z., Counterattack!, GAMBIT 2009 Grivas, E., Chess College i:Strategy, GAMBIT 2007 Hodgson, J., Attack with GM Julian Hodgson i-2, Hodgson Enterprises 1996 Kasparov, G., On my Great Predecessors i-5, Everyman 2004-2006 Kasparov, G., and Keene, R., Kasparov on the King s Indian, Batsford 1993 Korchnoi, v., Practical Rook Endings, Olms 1999 Marin, M., Secrets of Chess Defence, GAMBIT 2003 Meyer, C.D., and Muller, K., The Magic of Chess Tactics, Russell Enterprises, Inc., 2002; and as ChessBase Fritztrainer DVD, 2009 Muller, K., and Pajeken, W., How to Play Chess Endgames, GAMBIT 2008 Nunn, 1., and Galagher, J., Beating the Sicilian 3, Batsford 1995 Rowson, J., Chess for Zebras, GAMBIT 2005 Rowson, 1., Seven deadly chess sins, GAMBIT 2000 Stohl, I., Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces, GAMBIT 2001 Volokitin and Grabinsky, Perfect your Chess, GAMBIT 2007 Magazines and Periodicals Chess Informant ChessBase MEGABASE 2009 ChessBase Magazine ChessVibes Openings by Merijn van Delft and Robert Ris weekly internet newspaper Chess Today daily internet newspaper by Alexander Baburin et al. New in Chess Magazine (esp. Rowson's Review of Practical Chess Defence in no. 112007) Endgame Comer @ Chesscafe.com by Karsten Muller 216

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