99 | March 23n2013

1 of 8

let’s improve your chess

training

thegrandmaster'seye By GM Erwin l'Ami

A sharp TarraschIt seems the recent beating I received in Wijk aan Zee did wonders for me because my results have improved since! In the Dutch League I had a sharp battle against Berelowitsch.

l'Ami,E (2624) - Berelowitsch,A (2562)Dutch league, 09.03.2013

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5Not a big surprise. My opponent is a particular connoisseur of the Tarrasch Defence.4.cxd5 exd5 5.¤f3 ¤c6 6.g3Recently I had ventured 6.dxc5 d4 7.¤a4 ¥xc5 8.¤xc5 £a5+ 9.¥d2 £xc5 10.¦c1 twice, and with decent results. It doesn't feel like a refutation, though!6...¤f6 7.¥g2 ¥e7 8.0–0 0–0 9.dxc5 d4 10.¤a4 ¥f5

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11.a3Needless to say, my memory didn't help me much at this point. That may have been a good thing this time, though! The official refutation, which I saw upon arrival back home, is 11.¥f4 ¥e4 12.¦c1 but this doesn't seem all that clear to me after 12...h6!? when 13.e3 is well met by 13...g5 14.¥d6 b5! with unclear play, while 13.a3 followed by b4 looks rather slow now. 11...¤e4This looks very logical. The f6 square is vacated for the bishop and Black will be ready to plant a knight on c3 the moment White pushes b2–b4. It doesn't quite work out, though. I believe 11...¥e4 12.b4 £d5 offers better chances of obtaining play for the pawn.

12.b4 ¥f6 13.¥b2 ¤c3The d4–pawn was threatened by b4–b5 so Black has to follow through.14.¥xc3 dxc3 15.£b3 c2 16.¦ac1

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A critical moment in the game. White intends to bring his knight back into the game with ¤c3 when both e2–e4 and ¤d5 are serious threats.16...¦e8I'm inclined to say something reproachful about this move but, given the fact that I can't provide a satisfactory alternative, I will refrain from doing so.17.¤c3 a5Because 17...¥xc3 18.£xc3 ¦xe2 is punished with 19.b5 ¤a5 20.¤d4!.18.b5 a4 19.£d5!Black's point was 19.¤xa4 ¤a5! 20.£b4 ¦e4! .19...¤e7 20.£xd8 ¦exd8 21.e4Rounding up the c-pawn.21...¦ac8 22.exf5 ¥xc3 23.¦xc2 ¦xc5 24.¦fc1 ¦dc8 25.¤e1 b6Mutual blindness. I thought my previous move prevented 25...¥b2 but obviously it does not. It's very questionable whether 26.¦xc5 ¥xc1 27.¦xc8+ ¤xc8 28.¥xb7 ¤d6 29.¥c6 ¤c4! 30.¤c2 ¢f8 31.¥d5 ¤b6 32.¥a2 f6 gives White any winning chances. Despite being two pawns up I don't see a clear way forward. 31.f6!? is better, in order to create weaknesses on the

kingside. For instance, 31...gxf6 32.¥d5 ¤b6 33.¥a2 ¢e7 34.¢f1 when further activating the king would cost Black his f7–pawn.26.¤d3 ¦5c726...¦c4 looks bad and is bad after 27.¤e5 ¦4c7 (27...¦4c5 28.¤d7!) 28.¤c6 since the bishop can't be removed due to ¤xe7+. 27.¤b4 ¥e5 28.¤c6 ¢f8The last fighting chance lay in 28...¤xc6 29.bxc6 ¥d6 but with such a giant on c6 this should be a technical win.

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29.¦d1!I like this move a lot. It stops Black's pieces from occupying the d-file and prepares to pick up the a4–pawn with ¦c4 (which would otherwise have been met with ¥b2).29...¤xf5 30.¥h3 g6 31.¥xf5 gxf5 32.¦c4All the pawns are falling.32...¥f6A funny finish would have been 32...f6 33.f4 ¥b2 34.¦d3 ¦e8 35.¢f1 and there is nothing to stop White from trapping the bishop with ¦c2 followed by ¦d1.33.¦xa4 ¦e8 34.¦d5The rest is easy. The final moves were made with my opponent in huge time-trouble. 34...¦e6 35.¦xf5 ¦d7 36.¦a6 ¢g7 37.¦xb6 ¦d1+ 38.¢g2 ¦a1 39.¦a6 ¦b1 40.¤b4 ¦xa6 41.bxa6 1–0 �n

99 | March 23n2013

2 of 82 of 3

guessthemove By IM Merijn van Delft

training let’s improve your chess

In this game quiz you can get a maximum of 40 points by answering the eight questions that follow the eight diagram positions. More important than points though, is that you enjoy playing over the game and learn a few new ideas. If you feel that the quiz questions are generally too difficult for you, don’t be discouraged by the point system. You can simply make a quick guess at the diagram positions and enjoy the beauty of the game.

The art of counterattackAfter the example in CVT 80, the following game takes the whole thing to the next level: the opponent is allowed in pretty far and the position almost cracks under the strain, but the counterattack comes just in time.

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Naumkin,I (2475) - Vitiugov,N (2609)Cappelle la Grande, 19.02.2008

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e62...c6 3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.¤c3 e6 5.¥g5 h6 6.¥xf6 £xf6 is the normal move order to reach the Moscow Variation.3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.¥g5 h6 5.¥xf6 £xf6 6.¤c3 c6 7.e3 ¤d7 8.¥d3 dxc4 9.¥xc4 g6 10.0–0 ¥g7Black has the bishop pair, which is a nice long-term asset, but his position is still cramped and he lags behind in development. White has more space and easy development, but it's not so easy to turn this into something concrete. 11.e4

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Question 1Would you play:A) 11...b5 to create counterplay on the queenside;B) 11...e5 to block White's advance in the centre;C) 11...0–0 to continue with simple development.

11...0–0!Allowing White to dominate in the centre, believing in the counterattacking potential of the black position, 5 points. 11...e5 12.d5 ¤b6 13.¥b3 ¥g4, followed by exchanging

everything on f3, is a solid option but doesn't equalise completely, 3 points. 11...b5 12.e5 £e7 13.¥d3 is premature and may just leave Black's queenside weakened, therefore no points.12.e5 £e7White has gained space but his central pawns can also become vulnerable.13.£e2 ¦b8Breaking with 13...c5 isn't effective yet because of 14.d5.14.a4 b6 15.¦fe1If White eliminates the bishop pair with 15.¥a6 ¥xa6 16.£xa6, Black can blow up White's central pawn chain with 16...c5!.15...¥b7 16.¦ad1 ¦fd8 17.h4After centralising all his pieces, White now turns his attention to the kingside.

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Question 2Would you play:A) 17...¥a8 to harmonise the position and free the b-file for the ¦;B) 17...£b4 to exploit the weakness of the b4 square and create counterplay;C) 17...¤f8 to defend the kingside and free the d-file for the ¦.

17...£b4This is pushing things to the limit, taking away

an important defender from the kingside. It's very interesting to see what happens (2 points), but objectively it's not good. 5 points go to the solid alternative 17...¥a8 since here 18.¤e4? runs into 18...c5!. Another solid option is 17...¤f8 (4 points) since 18.¤e4 is again answered by 18...c5!18.h5Opening up the b1–h7 diagonal for attacking purposes.18...g5 19.¤e4

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Question 3Would you play:A) 19...£xa4, grabbing the pawn and trusting the strength of the black position;B) 19...b5 to counterattack on the queenside;C) 19...c5 to counterattack in the centre.

19...b5!Fighting for the initiative, 5 points. 19...c5 20.¤d6! cxd4 21.¤xb7 ¦xb7 22.¦xd4, followed by ¦ed1, leaves White firmly in control, therefore no points. 19...£xa4 is refuted by 20.¤fxg5! hxg5 21.¤xg5 ¤f8 22.b3 £b4 and now 23.h6! ¥xh6 24.£h5 with a lethal attack (no points).20.¥a2 bxa4For better or worse, the £ had to retreat

99 | March 23n2013

3 of 8

guessthemove By IM Merijn van Delft

training let’s improve your chess

with 20...£e7.21.¥b1A logical move, but it loses momentum. 21.¤d6 ¤f8 is now solid. White could have whipped up a strong direct attack with 21.¤fxg5! hxg5 22.¤xg5 £e7 23.£g4 and now 23...¢h8 24.£f4 ¦f8 (24...¢g8 25.¦d3) 25.¤e4, with major problems for Black.

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Question 4Would you play:A) 21...¥a8 to increase the pressure against b2;B) 21...c5 to open up the centre as well;C) 21...£e7 to retreat now that the queenside job is done.

21...£e7!Black shouldn't push his luck, so he makes a swift retreat, 5 points. 21...c5 22.¤exg5 is very unclear and it is unnecessary to allow it, 2 points. The same goes for 21...¥a8 22.¤exg5 (2 points)22.£c2

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Question 5Would you play:A) 22...c5 to counter in the centre;B) 22...¢f8 to sidestep the check on h7;C) 22...¤f8 to secure the defence of h7 square.

22...c5!This counterattacking measure forces White to show his hand, 5 points. 22...¢f8 looks playable, but isn't necessary, 2 points. 22...¤f8

23.¤c5 is too passive and should be avoided, therefore no points.23.¤exg5!White also senses that there is no way back.

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Question 6Would you play:A) 23...cxd4 since it's only a check on h7;B) 23...¤f8 to prevent the white £ from entering;C) simply 23...hxg5 to pick up the piece.

23...cxd4!Thanks to the strong Dragon ¥ on g7, Black is not mated so easily, 5 points. 23...¤f8 was the safe alternative, 3 points. 23...hxg5 fails to 24.£h7+ ¢f8 25.h6 therefore no points. 24.£h7+ ¢f8 25.¦xd4 ¤xe5!White's pawn centre has disappeared. 26.¤xe5 hxg5 27.¦xa4?This pawn was unimportant. White is losing track. After 27.h6 ¥xe5 28.¦xe5 £f6 29.£d3 the struggle continues.

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Question 7Would you play:A) 27...¦d2 to take possession of the second rank;B) 27...¥xe5 to start some back-rank tactics;C) 27...£f6 to stop the advance of the h-pawn.

27...¥xe5!With this move Black takes over, 5 points. 27...¦d2 is not concrete enough and 27...£f6

is too modest, therefore no points in either of these cases.28.¦xe5 ¦d1+ 29.¢h2 £f6The £ takes over the function of the Dragon ¥.30.¦e2 ¥c6 31.¦g4 ¦xb2 32.¦xb2 £xb2 33.¥c233.¥g6 £xf2 and Black is quicker.33...¦c1 34.£h6+ £g7 35.£xg7+ ¢xg7 36.¥a4

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Question 8Would you play:A) 36...¥xa4 to keep the extra pawn in the rook endgame;B) 36...f5 to try chasing the ¦ away from the fourth rank;C) 36...¢h6 to go after the weak h-pawn.

36...f5!Winning material in a study-like way, 5 points. 36...¢h6 37.¥xc6 ¦xc6 38.¦a4, with the idea of g4, is not easy to crack, therefore no points. 36...¥xa4 37.¦xa4 is even further from winning, so no points.37.¦xg5+37.¦d4 e5! 38.¦b4 a5! wins the ¥.37...¢h6 38.¦g6+ ¢xh5 39.¦xe6 ¥xa4 40.¦a6 ¥c6 41.¦xa7 ¢g4The dust has cleared and Black went on to win the endgame:42.f3+ ¢f4 43.¦e7 ¦c2 44.¢g1 ¥b5 45.¦b7 ¥d3 46.¦e7 ¥c4 47.¦c7 ¦c1+ 48.¢h2 ¦c3 49.¦c5 ¦c2 50.¦c7 ¢g5 51.¢g1 ¥d3 52.¦a7 ¦c1+ 53.¢h2 ¢f4 54.¦e7 ¦c6 55.¢g1 ¦b6 56.¢h2 ¦g6 57.¦a7 ¥f1 58.¦a2 ¢e3 59.g4 f4 60.¢g1 ¥d3 61.¢g2 ¦c6 62.¦a3 ¦c2+ 63.¢g1 ¦d2 0–1

Conclusion: The first official World Champion Steinitz also used to test his ¢ to the limit to see how much it could handle, thereby raising the general level of defence. In this game Vitiugov risked a bit too much, but was eventually rewarded. n

99 | March 23n2013

4 of 8

training let’s improve your chess

guidelinesinthejungle By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering

Lasker-LilienthalMoscow, 1936

OLD LOGIC We start with a classic example in a French game which has found many followers since.

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23...¢d8!Let's just hear what Lilienthal had to say about his decision: “Black has to bring his rook from h8 into the game. But castling is dangerous: White is all geared up for an attack on the kingside. Because of this I decided to send my king in the other direction.” Sounds sensible enough, does it not? Beyond that, you can observe that the position is closed and as a result the king will be safe on c7. When Black opens up the b-file with §b5–b4, the king will even be able to assist here, controlling some important entry squares.24.¥d1 ¢c7Lasker intended to meet 24...b4 with 25.axb4 axb4 26.¦a1 ¦a8 27.¦xa8+ ¤xa8 28.¥a4 after which Black can win a pawn with 28...¤xd4 or 28...¤xe5 , but in both cases White gets a superb central knight as compensation. 25.£d2 ¦b7Lilienthal later considered this too cautious, suggesting 25...b4 26.axb4 axb4, noticing that after 27.¥c2 followed by ¤f3–g5, Black had to reckon with b2–b3. This is of course a logical countermeasure against an early king walk: trying to open up the position to expose the enemy king. In fact, the immediate 27.b3 would be a serious try.

26.¤g5 ¢b8 27.¥e2 ¥c8 28.b3Lasker decides it is time to open up “his opponent's wing”.28...£xa3“After his indecisive 25th Black suddenly becomes extremely bold” - Lilienthal on his own choice of moves! He went on to win a complicated game against the former world champ, but here considered 28...¥d7 , planning ¢a7 and ¦hb8, to be a better continuation.

Sanchez-BrunelloCrespi Memorial (Milan), 2012XIIIIIIIIY

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BATTLE ON TWO WINGS Here is a modern-day example. The same pawn structure as in the first example, but this time the white king is on d2. This makes it perhaps easier for White to advance his kingside pawns, though at the same time his own king will be more vulnerable when Black succeeds in breaking through on the queenside.17...¢e8!Following in the footsteps of Lilienthal! The king moves towards a safer place, aiming to connect the rooks before the action starts on the queenside.18.g4 ¥d7 19.¦hg1 b4 20.axb4 axb4 21.¦gb121.g5 hxg5 22.¦xg5 bxc3+ 23.£xc3 ¢f8 24.¦ag1 ¦a8! and Black grabs the initiative. 21...¢d8 22.cxb4 ¦xb4 23.£c3 ¦xb1 24.¦xb1 ¢c7Mission completed. Black is ready to bring his king's rook into the game, while his king is safe on c7.

25.¦b5?! ¦a8 26.¦c5A rather unfortunate manoeuvre which misplaces the rook, which cannot cause much danger on its own.26...£d8 27.£b2 £b8 28.£xb8+Or 28.¦b5 £a7 threatening 29...¤xe5 30.dxe5 ¥xb5 31.£xb5 ¦b8.28...¦xb8With the queens off, the black rook has free play with its counterpart still being locked in on c5. Black won easily.

Yang-KamskyWorld open (Philadelphia), 2011XIIIIIIIIY

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BATTLE ON ONE WING Here it is very probable the battle will be fought on the kingside. Therefore Kamsky takes appropriate measures.26...¢d8 27.¤a2 ¢c7 28.¤ac1 ¦af8Thus Black has completed his artificial castling. In the meantime White is trying to create play on the queenside. 29.¤b3 ¥b6 30.a4 ¢b8 Just in time. 31.a5 ¥d8! This allows Black to keep the queenside closed whichever pawn, a or b, White advances. This very much resembles the outcome of Petrosian's 18...a6! in the 7th match game against Spassky in 1966 (see supplementary games). Now Black still has a long way to go on the kingside, but at least his king, unlike the white one, is out of the way, and he later managed to outwit his opponent. Another nice example of a king walking away from the battle scene is Zubarev-Shyam, 2nd Chennai Open 2010.

Majestic manoeuvresTake your king for a walk in the heat of the middlegame. In some positions it is the logical thing to do, in other cases it may be quite a surprising act.

99 | March 23n2013

5 of 8

training let’s improve your chess

furtherexamples By IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering

Anand-CarlsenAmber rapid (Monte Carlo), 2011XIIIIIIIIY

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STAY OR GO? A typical kind of King's Indian fight on both wings, here coming from a Ruy Lopez. What would you play here? Considering the previous six game fragments, it would be natural to opt for the same move as Anand (note, this was a rapid game): 23.¢f1 Yet Carlsen considers this the wrong plan. It is too late for 23.¤d1, he says, because of 23...g4 24.hxg4 hxg4 25.¤xg4 ¤xg4 26.fxg4 ¥h4 followed by ¤f6. 23.¢h1 had to be played: 23...g4 24.¦g1 White seems solidly placed, but it will not be easy to retain his initiative on the queenside. 23...¢f7 24.¢e1 Here the white plan is just too slow, the point being that Black can act quickly and open up the g-file and invade. 24...g4 25.¢d1 gxh3 26.gxh3 ¦g8 27.¢c2 £g2 Black is already threatening to win a piece (£xe2 and ¦g2), while the white kingside pawns are an easy target. White's initiative on the queenside has come to a standstill as a result of the king march. 28.¦h1 £xe2 29.¤xe2 ¦g2 30.¢d3 ¤b6 31.¦bg1 ¦bg8 32.¦xg2 ¦xg2 33.a5 ¤xc4 34.¥c1 b5 and Carlsen converted his material advantage. So here the king transfer did not work; it simply took too long, allowing Black to expand his initiative. Of course, there are further examples where majestic manoeuvring did not obtain the desired effects (check for instance, Lupuluscu-Bologan, Greece 2010, where White managed to open up the position of the enemy king). Still, it remains a typical strategic means which should not be lightly discarded!

Sachdev-HübnerPrague, 2011

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WITH MAJOR PIECES As you know from CVT 65 "Major Pieces in the Twilight Zone", the location of the king is crucial in positions with only major pieces. Having the initiative against a vulnerable king is a big advantage here. No wonder you can find the occasional stroll to the opposite side. Here Black has the upper hand, but still has to break through on the kingside. In order to do so, he starts by bringing his own king into safety. This strongly resembles Petrosian-Unzicker, Hamburg 1960, where the future world champion, in a superior position, first brought his king from g1 to b1 before starting an offensive on the kingside. 34...¢f8! 35.¢e3 ¦g7 36.£e4 ¢e8 37.¢d2 ¢d8 38.£e3 White was probably focused on stopping g6–g5, but she had some active possibilities to take into account as well. Perhaps 38.f4 was worth a try, while 38.a6 seems useful to include, to obtain some entry squares (c6 at least )for the queen. 38...¦gf7 39.£g5 ¢c7 40.¦gf1?! £d7! With this retreat the queen threatens to enter the queenside, exposing the white king. 41.¦a1 £e8 42.£e3 ¦f5 43.¢c2 £d8 44.¦af1 ¢b8 45.¦a1 a6 46.¢d2 ¢a7 47.¢e2 g5 Finally, but also decisively! 48.hxg5 ¦xg5 49.¦g2 ¦gf5 50.¦h2 £g8 51.¦f2 £xg3 And Black won.

Winants-BeukemaDutch league, 2013

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Fridman-AnandBaden-Baden, 2013

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A FUTILE CHECK? 1.d4 f5 2.¤c3 ¤f6 3.¥g5 d5 4.¥xf6 exf6 5.e3 ¥e6 6.¤h3 g5 7.¥e2 £d7 8.¥h5+ Black has embarked upon an ambitious set-up (g7–g5) and moving the king is the consistent follow-up. The question remains whether the check is really useful or is only superficially strong. The only other game where this position arose had continued with 8.f4 (instead of White's last ¥e2–h5). Similar examples where the bishop got stuck on h5 are Nasri-Reinderman, Jakarta 2011 and, to a lesser degree, Schwierskott-Shirov, Main Ordix rapid 2010. 8...¢d8 After 8...¥f7 Black would lose a vital defender, for example 9.¥xf7+ £xf7 10.£f3 ¥b4 11.0–0 ¥xc3 12.£xf5 9.¤g1 Apart from the bishop on h5, this knight serves no further purpose on h3, so Winants starts to regroup his pieces. Black uses the time to find a good spot for his king on the other side of the board. 9...¤c6 10.¤ge2 ¤e7 11.f3 c6 12.£d3 ¢c7 13.0–0–0 ¤c8 14.g4 Now 14.e4 seems the logical move, trying to profit from Black's vulnerable king and open up the game. However, Black seems solid enough and it does not seem as if White will achieve much with the central advance (although, when the e-file is opened up, the bishop on h5 will at least have some purpose!). In the game White luckily escaped with a draw.

PREPARING FOR THE ENDGAME Heading for an endgame can also be a valid reason for taking your king for a stroll. In the diagram position the queens are very likely to disappear from the board and, because of that, Black would prefer to keep his king in the centre, for instance on e7. Apparently Anand was not satisfied with that and sent his king towards c7 where it also defends the pawn on b7. 22...¢d8 23.¥d1 23.¦fb1, vacating f1 for the knight, was an alternative. 23...¢c7 24.¥xa4 White is not winning much of a pawn, considering his doubled c-pawns. Though White disposes of his bad bishop, it is Black who obtains the active pieces. 24...¤c6 25.¥xc6 ¥xc6 26.£xc5 26.¦b2 ¦a3 27.¤b1 ¦a4 28.¤d2 ¦ha8 and Black is also on top. 26...dxc5 27.¦b2 ¦a3 28.¤b1 ¦a4 29.¤d2 ¦d8 After 29...¦ha8 30.g4 ¦xa2 31.¦xa2 ¦xa2 32.¢e3 Black is still better, but White has at least achieved some coordination. 30.¦e1 ¦d6 31.g4 ¥e8 Here the advantage of already having the king on c7 is obvious. Thus the king walk has yielded Black a slightly improved version of the endgame that was to come. Later Anand had a real winning chance before the game ended in a a draw.

99 | March 23n2013

6 of 8

tacticstactics By IM Robert Ris

training let’s improve your chess

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99 | March 23n2013

7 of 8

practicalendings By IM Robert Ris

training let’s improve your chess

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The king in the mating attackUnlike in the opening and the middlegame, the ¢ should be used as actively as possible in the endgame. In fact, the ¢ can become one of the strongest pieces in this phase by joining a decisive mating attack.

Li Chao-GagunashviliIndonesia Open (Jakarta), 15.10.2012XIIIIIIIIY

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Both sides have only one ¦ and two §s, but it's clear White is pushing for the win with his connected passed §s. In CVT 63 we looked at two similar examples and now we'll see what happens when the ¢ appears to support them.62.f6+ ¢f7?The ¢ picks the wrong square. Instead, Black should have played 62...¢e6! with the idea of answering 63.¦f3 with 63...¦b5! as 64.f7? (64.g6? drops the f-pawn as well.) runs into 64...¦b4+ 65.¢e3 ¦b3+ 66.¢e4 ¦xf3 67.¢xf3 ¢xf7 and Black even wins.63.¦f3!The ¦ is ideally placed here, threatening to play 64.g6. Possibly the Georgian GM had only counted on 63.¢f5 which allows Black to save the game with 63...e4+!63...¦a863...¦b5 no longer works in view of 64.g6+ ¢xg6 65.f7 and the f-pawn is unstoppable. 64.¢f5!Here the ¢ comes into action. White has calculated correctly that Black's passed a-pawn can't cause any harm.64...a3 65.g6+ ¢g8 66.g7! ¢f7Temporarily taking away the g6 square from the white ¢. In the event of 66...a2 , White has 67.¢g6! ¦a6 (67...a1£ 68.f7#) 68.¦h3 ¦xf6+ 69.¢xf6 a1£ 70.¦h8#.67.¦c3 a2Covering the seventh rank with 67...¦a7 allows 68.¦c8 and nothing can be done against

69.g8£.68.¦c7+ ¢g8 69.¢g6 and Black resigned, in view of 69...a1£ 70.f7#. 1–0

Ris-IngvasonReykjavik Open, 2013XIIIIIIIIY

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White is a § up, but on the other hand it is quite difficult to make progress since the black ¦ and ¤ are stopping the advance of the b-pawn. However, the black ¢ has been cut off on the seventh rank, while the ¥ prevents the ¢ from escaping to the queenside. White only needs to activate his ¢.57.¢f4! ¤d3+57...¤xc6 loses to 58.bxc6 ¦c4 (58...¢e8 59.¦a8+! ¢e7 60.c7 and the c-pawn queens.) 59.c7 ¢e8 60.¦a8+ ¢d7 61.c8£+! ¦xc8 62.¦xc8 ¢xc8 63.¢xg4 and the § ending wins easily, e.g. 63...¢d7 64.¢g5 ¢e7 65.e5 ¢f7 66.¢h6 ¢g8 67.¢g6+–.58.¢g5!Ignoring the g-pawn, although 58.¢xg4 would have been possible too.58...¤xf2I remember it was my intention to meet 58...¦b2 with 59.¢g6! ¦xf2 60.¦a8+ ¢e7 61.¦e8+ ¢d6 62.¦d8+ and on the next move the ¤ will be taken.59.¢f6 ¢g859...¤xe4+ fails to 60.¥xe4 ¦xe4 61.¦a8#. 60.¢g6 ¢f8

(diagram)

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61.¦a8+! ¢e7 62.e5! and Black resigned, as nothing can be done against the mating threat on e8. Note the unfortunate § on g4, which prevents the ¦ from giving check. 1–0

Greenfeld-SwinkelsBatavia GM (Amsterdam), 2013XIIIIIIIIY

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White had been pressing almost from the opening (see CVO 219) until a few moves prior to the current position. Now the tables are turned and it's White who has to fight for his life. 66.¦h7+White tries to be smart and provoke the black ¢ to move up the board in order to trade off the remaining §. Although there isn't anything wrong with the text, White could also have opted for 66.¥xb1 ¦xb1 67.¦a6 and since the black ¢ has been cut off on the sixth rank, it's not clear how Black can make progress. 66...¢f6 67.¦h6+67.¥xb1 is still an option.67...¢e5 68.f4+?

99 | March 23n2013

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8 of 8

training let’s improve your chess

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23.¦xc8! [23...¦xc8 24.£xb7+–] 1–0 De Graaf-Winkels, TCh-NED Meesterklasse 2012–13 Netherland NED (6.9), 16.02.2013

20.£h8+! ¢xh8 21.¤g6+ ¢g8 22.¦h8# 1–0 Khrapatin-Race, US Amateur Team East 2013 Parsippany USA (1), 16.02.2013

26.¦h7+! ¢xh7 27.¤xf6+ exf6 28.£h4+ ¢g7 29.£h6# 1–0 Thorfinnsson-Raddatz, Reykjavik Open 2013 Reykjavik ISL (5.38), 22.02.2013

20...¦xe3! 21.d6 [21.£xe3 ¥d4–+] 21...¦xf3 22.dxc7 ¦xf1+ 23.¦xf1 ¦c8–+ 0–1 Danov-Grigorov, Karpos Open 2013 Skopje MKD (1.40), 09.03.2013

27...¥xc3! [28.£e3 ¥xa5–+; 28.£xc3 £xf2+ 29.¢h2 £xg2#] 0–1 Istratescu-Vachier Lagrave, 11th Meurthe Festival KO Nancy FRA (2.2), 10.03.2013

31...¦xe2+! [32.¦xe2 ¤f3+ 33.¢d3 ¦xe2 34.¢xe2 ¤xg1+–+] 0–1 Lorenzo de la Riva-Espinoza Palomino, I Montcada Closed Montcada i Reixac ESP (5.2), 08.03.2013

21.¥xf6! ¥xf6 22.¦d8+! [22.¦d8+! ¦xd8 23.£xc5+–] 1–0 Sanal-Nikolovska, Karpos Open 2013 Skopje MKD (1.69), 09.03.2013

29.¤g6+! ¢h7 [29...fxg6 30.¥xg6+–] 30.¤e7+ g6 31.¤xc8 1–0 Bogdanovski-Georgieva, Karpos Open 2013 Skopje MKD (1.57), 09.03.2013

27...¦xc2! 28.b4 [28.¢xc2 ¥xe4+ 29.¢c3 £c5+ 30.¢b3 ¥d5+ 31.¢a4 (31.¦xd5 £xd5+ 32.¢b4 ¥d2+ 33.¢a4 £c4+ 34.b4 £xf1 –+) 31...¥c6+–+] 28...¥xe4 29.¢a1 £e3 0–1 Kacakovski-Parligras, Karpos Open 2013 Skopje MKD (1.12), 09.03.2013

24.¦xa5! ¦c2 [24...bxa5 25.¤e5 ¦c2 26.¤xc6 ¦xe2 27.¦xe2+–] 25.¦c5! [25...bxc5 26.£xc2; 25...¦xe2 26.¦xc6 ¦xe1+ 27.¤xe1+–] 1–0 Bjerke-Norowitz, Reykjavik Open 2013 Reykjavik ISL (2.41), 20.02.2013

18...¦f3! 19.dxc6 [19.gxf3 £xh3 20.dxc6 £h1#] 19...¦xh3 20.gxh3 £g5+! [20...£xh3–+] 21.¢h2 £g4 0–1 Handler-Stefansson, Reykjavik Open 2013 Reykjavik ISL (5.26), 22.02.2013

31...h2+! 32.¢xh2 £h4+ 33.¢xg2 [33.¢g1 £h1#] 33...¤xe3+! 34.¢g1 [34.fxe3 ¦f2+ 35.¢g1 £h2#] 34...¤xd5 0–1 Moradiabadi-Bercys, UTD Turner GM Invitational 2013 Richardson USA (3), 10.03.2013

solutionspage 6

Correct would have been 68.¥xb1 ¦xb1 69.f4+ and White draws on the spot.68...¢d4!This move had certainly been overlooked by the experienced GM from Israel. In the event of 68...gxf4 69.¦h5+! (69.gxf4+? ¢xf4 70.¦f6+ (70.¥xb1 ¤e3+ 71.¢h2 ¤g4+ and Black wins.) 70...¢e5! 71.¦f5+ ¢e6 72.¥xb1 ¤e3+ and Black picks up the ¦.) 69...¢d4 70.¥xb1 ¦xb1 71.gxf4 White has succeeded in trading off Black's remaining §. After the text the black ¢ has a very strong position in the centre and controls the e3–square for the ¤.69.¥xb169.¦d6+ fails to 69...¢c5!.69...¤e3+!

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70.¢h2The ¢ doesn't have a good square, since both 70.¢f3 ¦f1# and 70.¢h3 ¦h1# lead to an immediate mate.70...¤g4+ 71.¢g2 ¤xh6 72.fxg5 ¤g4Of course, 72...¦xb1 73.gxh6 ¦b6 is also

possible, and after picking up the h-pawn Black doesn't have any problems eliminating the others §s as well.73.¥h7 ¤e3+ 74.¢h2 ¢e5 75.g4 ¢f4 76.g6 ¦c7 0–1

Conclusion: As we have seen in virtually every issue, the position of the ¢ plays a key role in the last phase of the game. In all three examples the ¢ was decisive in the outcome of the game. The more pieces are exchanged, the more responsibility the ¢ has in supporting the remaining pieces on the board. Without the aid of the ¢ the results of these three games might have been completely different. n

practicalendings By IM Robert Ris