Formation Attacks

Joel Johnson
© Joel Johnson,June 2010

Revised: September 2010

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CONTENTS
Preface 9
Harry Lyman 9
PurpoSe of the Book 10

Section A - Attack Skills 11

Analyzing Chess Positions 12
Candidate Moves 12
Move Searching 12
Move Search Order 13

Basic Attack Techniques 15

Checking 15
Chasing Pieces to Better Squares 16
Defender Attack 16
The Role of Pawns 17
Trojan Pawns 19
Opening Gambits 20
Pressure 21
Automatic Moves 23
In-Between Moves 23
Rejection of Moves 24
Missed Opportunities 27

Advanced Attack Techniques 30

Anchoring 30
Tempos 32
Threat Pins 33
Invisible Defenders 35
King Hunting 37
Sacrifice or Not? 39

Attack Guidelines 41
Attacking Elements 44
Speed 44
Number of Attackers 46
Pawn Structure 48
Weak Squares 49

Attacking Process 49

Weaknesses 50
Identifying Weaknesses 50
Creating Weaknesses 52
Exploiting Weaknesses 57

Section B - Attack Info 59

Computers 60
How do computers affect a game of chess today? 61
Using my computer as a tool 61
Checking your analysis 63
Working on new opening lines 63
Computer abuse 63
Interpreting computer output 63

Preparing for an Opponent 68

Most Thrilling Game Ever? 78

Amazing Endgame Mates 81

Section
,
C - Attack Games 87
"
Fianchetto Bishop 88
Games #048 - #088 88
Fianchetto Bishop with h5 133
Games #089 - #093 133

Fianchetto Bishop with h6 139

Games #094 - #103 139

Fianchetto Bishop without an h-Pawn 151

Games #104 - #115 151

Fianchetto Bishop with f5 165

Games #116 - #119 165

Fianchetto Bishop with Open f-File 172

Games #120 - #125 172

Fianchetto with Bishop on h8 177

Games #126 - #129 177

Fianchetto without Bishop 181

Games #130 - #150 181

No Pawn Weaknesses 204

Games #151 - #251 204

Capture on f6 (f3) or h6 (h3)

Games #151 - #155 204

Capture on h7 (h2)
Games #156 - #173 210

Capture on 97 (92)
Games #174 - #187 226

Capture on f7 (f2)
Games #188 - #193 239
 "Laying" a Bishop or Knight on f6 (f3) or h6 (h3)
Games #194 - #211 245

Force weakness by threatening checkmate

Games #212 - #235 262
Queen and Bishop Point at h7 (h2)
Games #212 - #222 262
Queen and Knight Point at h7 (h2)
Games #223 - #229 272
Queen/Rook and Bishop/Knight Point at g7 (g2)
Games #230 - #235 279

f6 (f3) to weaken Pawn formation

Games #236 - #241 284

Overwhelming force at the point of attack

Games #242 - #251 291

Open f-File 303

Games #252 - #261 303

Open g-File 313

Games #262 - #267 313

Open h-File 322

Games #268 - #269 322

Queenside Castling 325

Games #270 - #291 325

Uncastled King 348

Games #292 - #373 348

.,. Capture on f7 (f2)

Games #292 - #318 348

Check along e-file

Games #319 - #327 370
 Check along h5-e8 (h4-e1) diagonal
Games #328 - #334 378

Knight check
Games #335 - #346 383

Defender moves King on his own

Games #347 - #356 391

Check along a4-e8 (a5-e1) diagonal

Games #357 - #368 400

Capture on d7 (d2)
Games #369 - #370 408

Capture on d8 (d1)
Game #371 410

Back rank check

Games #372 - #373 410

f5 Played 413
Games #374 - #377 413

f6 Played 418
Games #378 - #392 418

h5 Played 430
Games #393 - #394 430

h6 Played 432
Games #395 - #429 432

Capture on h6 (h3)
Games #395 - #407 432

Capture on g7 (g2)
Games #408 - #412 442
 Fishing Pole
Games #413 - #419 445

Placing or capturing on f6 (f3)

Games #420 - #421 453

Threaten checkmate to create a weakness

Game #422 454

Overwhelming force at point of attack

Games #423 - #427 455

Pawn storms
Games #428 - #429 458

Mating Net 460

Games #430 - #435 460

Indexes 467

Glossary of Terms 467

Players Index 470

Openings Index 488
Preface A book like this requires a great
amount of time and effort from
more than one person. I am
As a Chess Master who has
grateful to all of those who
spent many years playing
helped make this dream a
aggressive and attacking chess,
reality. Among the most
I was quite dismayed during a
prominent people were Phil
recent visit to my local
Terrill, Jerry Snitselaar, and
bookstore. I was in search of a
Kevin Musil, who were very
book that covered a wide array
generous with their time. Thank
of attacks against many Pawn
you.
formations in an organized
fashion. Needless to say, my
search came up empty. The Harry Lyman
books on attacking fell short in
many ways. Many of the books I also want to thank the person
were simply a small collection who equipped me with the
of attack games with no skills, knowledge, and
instruction about the art of imagination necessary to play
attacking or about the skills attacking chess. That person
required to become a great was the late Master Emeritus
attacker. None of them Harry Lyman. During the
provided the reader with any mid-seventies, I spent a
reference information about considerable amount of time
attacking or the weaknesses of with Harry going over various
various Pawn formations. None games at the Boylston Chess
of them contained games with Club in Boston, MA. During
attacking themes like the these sessions, I was always
Traxler Variation of the Two amazed at the number of
Knights Defense, and the Jack incredible ideas that would
Young "Fishing Polen. None of stream from his mind. No
them contained any wild matter how dull or uneventful
attacking ideas that can stream the position, he always seemed
from opening gambits such as to find something that I would
the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, never have even considered.
King's Gambit, Scotch Gambit, Many of these ideas involved
Nakhmanson Gambit, etc. So, some type of sacrifice or tempo
as a result, I felt compelled to gain (and many times both).
write the ultimate attack book, And, of all the wonderful traits
and this is it! Harry had, his ever festive and

9
cheerful mood was the greatest
of any person I have ever
known, which is something that
I always admired about him. As
you get older, you realize just
how difficult this can be. After
months and months of working
extremely hard on this book, I
have found myself at times,
very cranky, and impatient in
my dealings with people. The
seemingly endless hours to
write a 500 page book like this
one took it's to" on me in many
ways. It is my hope that you
can realize that I was simply
worn out and not reflective of
my personal feelings about any
of you. With the book
completely done, I fully expect
to return to my more festive
self, much like my chess idol,
Harry Lyman.
Purpose of the Book
What I have attempted to
accomplish with this book is:
1) explain general attacking
guidelines;
2) show many attacking
techniques;
(,3) discuss the different
elements of attacks;
4) provide useful information
about how to fully start,
conduct, and conclude a
successful attack;
10
5) delve into the identification,
creation, and exploitation of
weaknesses; and Illustrate
many methods of attacking
various Pawn formations.
Because of the infinite number
of positions in chess, it is.
impossible to show every
possible attack. Instead, this
book tackles many of the most
common attacking themes,
organized by Pawn formation in
one convenient source.
In addition, this book is less
concerned about the early part
of the game, which mayor may
not have errors (for example,
unsound play), as long as the
attack portion of the game is
relevant. For the most part, the
games end in checkmate,
unless the attack is too
exceptional to exclude from the
book. An example of an attack
game, not ending in checkmate,
is the Kasparov - Topalov
game.
As, the beauty and inte"ectual
qualities of chess cannot be
denied, my hope is that the
contents of this book educate
and inspire you to expand your
attacking skills, so you can start
creating some masterpieces of
your very own!
Section A
Attack Skills
Analyzing Chess
Positions
One chess skill gets used over
and over, for every chess move,
for every game. And, that chess
skill is analyzing. You cannot
be successful without being
able to analyze in an organized
fashion. You need to be able
to accomplish this in an
accurate, clear, concise, and
quick manner. This includes
visualizing where the pieces are
on the board, without actually
moving them. As a professional
chess coach, I am amazed at
how few chess players are able
to actually perform this task in a
timely method.
How does a chess player do
this? The next two sections
provide all that information.
Candidate Moves
Most young chess players
move way too quickly in chess
tournaments. Generally, this
happens because they tend to
play the first move that comes
to mind. Chess Masters do not
t~ink in this fashion.
determine the best move to play
without considering the most
likely choices? The list of
choices are called, "Candidate
Moves".
In order to come up with a list of
Candidate Moves, the Chess
Master views the board to
determine available open files
and diagonals, outposts for
Knights, and the pawn structure
for both sides. Searching for
squares where his pieces would
be most effective, followed by
creating a plan (where to direct
his pieces, what to attack, and
in case of necessity, how to
defend).
From the list of Candidate
Moves, each move must be
analyzed to determine which is
the best move.
Move Searching
Searching for Candidate Moves
requires diligence and
accuracy. One of the worse
habits that weak chess players
have, is to just eliminate moves
from possible inclusion because
they seem on the surface to be
really bad.

First of all, Chess Masters Now, my opponent has just

always look for more than a made his move. You need to
single move. How else can you ask yourself the following

12
questions:
What did my opponent do?
Is he threatening anything?
What is he planning to do?
Do I need to defend?
Maybe to a square where he
can attack two of my pieces at
the same time. Quite often your
opponent is planning on doing
something that once he
threatens it, it will be too late for
you to defend. You must
anticipate his next moves well
in advance.

Have I completed my Do I need to defend?

development?
Defending moves should only
What did my opponent do? take place after you check all
your offensive possibilities. If
You cannot win chess games your opponent attacks your
consistently by ignoring what Knight and on the other side of
your opponent does. You need the board you have a bunch of
to be able to determine what he checks leading to checkmate,
did and why? Just by doing this you don't need to bother with
every move, you will have a defending, as the game will be
reasOJlable chance to be over before he gets the chance
successful. to capture your Knight.

Is he threatening anything? Have I completed my

development?
Did he directly attack one of my
pieces? Did he pin one of my During the opening phase of the
pieces? So, next move he can game, developing your pieces
attack it again. Maybe, he has to be an extremely high
made a mate threat. You priority.
cannot defend what you cannot
see. So, be focused on finding Move Search Order
out exactly what the threat is.
What order do we search for
What is he planning to do? moves?
Is he planning to move
someplace else from there?

13
Check Moves
Start with your most valuable
piece and look at squares
closest to the enemy King.
Needless to say if you find a
checkmate (double check to be
sure, maybe the square is
protected), then the search is
over. Thus, the saying, "Check,
it may be Mate!"
to make it move to a better
square is a waste of time.
Attacking a piece because you
hope he does not see it, is also
a waste of time.
Some good reasons for
attacking a piece are:
o Pinning the piece to a
bigger piece;

Mate Threats o Wanting to capture a pinned

piece with a smaller piece or
Not as strong as a check just getting more favorable
leading to a mate because your numbers; .
opponent gets the opportunity
to make a non-defending move o Attacking two pieces at the
(like a check of his own). The same time and your opponent
benefits are, maybe, he does can only defend one;
not see your threat or more
importantly, he needs to o Making your opponent move
weaken his King safety to to a worse square.
defend the threat.
o Defending the piece creates
Piece Captures a weakness that you can
attack; and
Are there any pieces (Queen,
Rook, Bishop, or Knight) that I o Wanting to trade for the
can capture? Start with the attacked piece.
biggest piece and work down.
Look at Pawn captures last. Look at Pawn threats last.
Beware of threatening a Pawn
,piece Threats that you really don't want to
capture. For example, if the
Can I threaten any pieces? You attack and capture of the Pawn
should not be attacking a piece requires two or more moves, is
just for the sake of making a it worth that price?, can my
piece attack. Attacking a piece opponent do something more

14
severe to me with those two
moves?, etc. You need to ask
yourself those questions.
Defense
A very common mistake is to
make a flimsy attack instead of
defending. For example, your
opponent attacks your Knight,
so instead of defending, you
decide to attack his Knight.
Rarely is this a good idea. First
of all, generally speaking, your
opponent gets first crack at
taking, which means he will
most certainly gain material, or
at worse, break even.
Improve a Piece
Find a move that will increase
the value of one of your pieces.
Limit a Piece
Find a move that will either
force one of his pieces to move
back or prevent his piece from
advancing to a menacing
square.
Mastering the skill of analyzing
requires a massive amount of
practice and hard work. But,
once you get it down, you will
not regret the investment.
IS
Basic Attack
Techniques
Checking
Checks should be saved until
they are useful. Why? The
reason is because useless
checks help out your opponent
by making his position easier to
play. Now for an example.
Black, rated around 2150,
played ~b6+ followed by ~c5.
If his intention is to attack my
Bishop on c4, then why not play
~c7 instead and keep the
check on my King alive and in
play? White was eventually
going to have to play 'lfilh 1 for
defensive purposes. The end
result is Black gave White a
free move and made my
position easier to play, by
 . . all possible Black n attacking the
eliminating the equation. pieces, the to be a high
checks from defender has
priority.
Chasing P·leces to Better
Squares ------------ Game #001 ------------
(W) FearN~ EviI (2231)
)
2128
mon mistake
Another very comopponents to (8) mrmaJlc
[B23] ICC 3 0,( 06/28/2004
is players forCl~g
s to better d6 3.f4 g6
p~ec:,. example: c5k~'t.ltc4 4}~696.~
4.4}l~ d3 0-0 8.0-06hxg6
relocate their 1.e4 b6

i..d,a~Ja
squares. Here s

~ E~~.
\JiOi!!~ L'~ t
>z _ ~c
10'lh4

<~~A'~ ~fi.
12...
gb8 1l.f~g
ei
4}d413.4}g5
.

•
i'am~'.~.
~~.!!. m ~~~l~mlJI~
.""eM .,.'//.-*~: .• t .
•
• ~·<B4-~~. B,
< t~ ~~ ~. . .:~~
~
•• ·.d.£l~r~~ ~A.j~£,!
aft • f!lrif{u<a .
.!!. -
?/::j,
-e~4-!b.lW
4-'jP\~ a9'.~~,
l¢7ra ~
a
.!!. • •

~
4-.
.~.~.
.I:::!.\
!b.u.3~~
1"1 ;gj
.¢
~'.!!.B
~!.
~ 'aft6
m. . §
-jff~
.!!. . "..

~M •D ~ m~
.!!. •
.!!. B
4-

•
• ,-,

t~
Black intends Ionf playing
J~
~,~tj~~L~~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;__
J:'\ e5
the hole'Ug
on
..... ... I:::!. ,i< • _
to take contro ~ White play . ed 13. oIlg5,

po~rtJ~~aYs wou~.th~9ht
e5. So. what d? Despite a rabng White has Just Plaren mate ff
in this
of 2050. ey Knight to e5. whl~
the move h3 h which
not for Blac ~reatens
on 16,
to
to chase m
. where I was
headed. Than s which Whrte h' Rook.
cap ture with IS
for
IS the help.I

Defender Attack 13. ... e6~. ,

all of White
a serious threat This move ignores Black .. s
When you ha:ebeing defended threa IS In
ts . However,
like checkma ~ opponent's trouble regardless.
by one of you

16
14.Elxf6! The defending White Rook on
gl is rendered powerless to
Capturing the lone defender of stop the checkmate on g2. If
the h 7 square. White responds with 27. ~)(e1,
then 27 .... ~g2,*,. While
14.... ~eS
27. ~b1 is no better as Black
A desperate attempt to flee, but can still play 27.... ~g2 '*' .
the Black King cannot go far.
The Role of Pawns
15. t'/h7+ 'tf}fS16. ~xf7# 1-0
Pawns have many different
Another fairly easy example roles in attacking chess by both
where Black is able to finish off their presence and their
White by not only attacking the absence. The presence of
defender, but, making the Pawns can serve to block both
defender useless. enemy pieces and even your
own pieces. When a game of
------------ Game #002 ------------ chess starts, every piece except
the Knights are blocked in by
(W) Muhamor7 (1680) Pawns. Relocating Pawns to
(8) FearNoEvil_US (2200) squares that do not block your
[B02] GameColony.com, 50, own pieces is a key opening
09/21/2005 strategy.
1.e4 4)f6 2.4)c3 d5 3.exd5
4)xd5 4.4)xd5 t'/xd5 5.4)f3
jlg4 6.jle2 e5 7.0-0 4)c6 S.c3
e4 9.4)h4 jlxe210.t'/xe2
0-0-0 11.g3 g612.b4 f513.a4
Ae714.c4 t'/d415.~bl Axh4
16.gxh4 4)e517.c5 4)f3+
lS.'tf}hl t'/e519.t'/xf3 exf3
20.Ab2 ~f4 21.JlxhS ElxhS
22.d3 )3eS 23.a5 a6 24.b5
axb5 25.Elxb5 ~g4

Threatening checkmate on g2,

which forces White to respond
with 26. ~g1.
The presence of a White Pawn
26.)3g1 )3e1 0-1

17
on f6 is causing Black major
headaches. The Pawn is
serving many purposes. First of
all, the Pawn controls several
key squares in Black's camp,
namely, f6, g7, and e7. The
Pawn also blocks in Black's
dark squared Bishop, severely
limiting its' scope. But, the most
important task that the White
Pawn on f6 is accomplishing, is
preventing Black from
adequately defending his
kingside. The Black Pawn on f7
blocks out all ?f Black's pieces The game continued with:
from the possible defense of the
h7 square. As a result, Black 19•... ~g8 20.~h6 Jl.xf3
resigned here, as White's next 21. ~xh7 c.!ld7 22.gxf3 ~d4
move of §h4 attacking the weak
h7 square, cannot be defended. In this particular example, Black
actually wound up winning the
Ridding yourself of Pawns can White Bishop on g7.
open up lanes for your pieces,
especially Rooks, which are Normally, however, it is more
most effective on open files.

In the next position, White has

mistakenly just captured the
Black Pawn on g7 with his
Bishop. After Black plays §g8,
his Rook has been transformed
into an attacking machine for
the mere cost of a Pawn.
(
,

"Ridding yourself of Pawns

can open up lanes for your
pieces"

18
common for the Bishop to
retreat and the Black Rook on
g8 to become a major
contributor to an attack on the
opponent's King by pointing
directly at it along the g-file, as
in the previous position.
This game concluded with:
16•... ~g817•.Q.b2 4)e3
18.~e1 ~xg2+ 19.c;!?h1
~xh2# 0-1
"Capturing enemy Pawns in
front of your King is not a
wise maneuver."
Trojan Pawns
Long ago, people were thinking
up ways on how to get an edge
by offering up an expendable
enticement. From the ancient
tale of the Trojan Horse came
the sayings, "Don't look a gift
horse in the mouth" and
"Beware of Greeks bearing
gifts." The times have changed,
but the lessons learned still
apply.
Chess players are every bit as
savvy and frequently offer gifts.
And, because Pawns have the
least value and frequently get in
the way, they generally are the
19
first to be dangled.
You always need to be careful
about capturing Pawns. You
have to say to yourself, "What is
the downside to grabbing this
Pawn?" Attackers are well
aware that ridding themselves
of "in the way" Pawns can really
open up avenues of attack for
their pieces. As a result, they
constantly think up creative
ways of making their opponent
capture Pawns in front of their
own King. Let's check out an
example:
------------ Game #003 ------------
(W) Raymond Rotor (2140)
(8) Joel Johnson (2200)
[B03] 1985 World Open
Championship, Philadelphia,
PA, (Round 6), 07/06/1985
1.e4 4)f6 2.eS 4)dS 3.d4 d6
4.f4 g6 S.4)f3.Q.g7 6.c4 4)b6
7.4)c3 dxeS 8.fxeS 0-0 9.Ae3
Ag410.~d2 cS11.dS 4)8d7
12•.Q.h6 Axf3 13.gxf3 4) xeS
14.0-0-0 4)bxc41S.\'tf4 ~b6
16.Axc4 Axh617.~xh6
4)xc418.b3 \'tb419.~d3
t\ta3+ 20.C3Jd1 4)b2+ 21.c;!?c2
4)xd3 22.~xd3
Black is the exchange and two
Pawns ahead, but White has a
straight forward plan to play h4,
11'>, hxg6, and ~xh7#.
So, because the White King is After just a few moves, it is
somewhat exposed and White's King position that is
because Rooks are more exposed to the Black forces.
powerful when they can be
placed on open or semi-open 27.... Elxc3+! 0-1
files, I decide to sacrifice two
Trojan Pawns to open up some Black wins the White Queen
lines of attack for my Rooks. after 28. ~xc3 §'xd5+ 29. ~c2
§.c5.
22•... c4+! 23. bxc4 b5!
24.cxb5 Elac8 25.~c1 ~b4 Opening Gambits
26.~c2 Elfd8 27.~b3
Other reasons for giving up a
Pawn are to gain tempos, and
achieve a development
II advantage in the opening that
~~ckers are well aw~~e that can be converted into an attack.
rlddl,~g themselves of In the There are many, many gambits,
way Pawns can really ope~ like the King's Gambit (1. e4 e5
/up avenues .of a~,ck for their 2. f4), Queen's Gambit (1. d4 d5
pieces. 2. c4), etc. Some are sound,
some are not sound, while
others are very unclear. But, as
a group, they all tend to lead to
unbalanced, exciting positions.

20
 defender will crack and lose the
game.

A common error by weaker

chess players is trading off
pieces to release the pressure
off their opponent, much like the
following game.

------------ Game #004 ------------

(W) Austin Terrill (1560)

(8) Joel Johnson (2209)
[B01] Valley Chess, Scottsdale,
AZ, (Round 3), 03/12/2006
White has given up a Pawn for
a lead in development. Black f.e4 d5 2.exd5 ttxd5 3.~c3
already feeling the pressure, did tta5 4.Jl.c4 ~f6 5.h3 Jl.f5
not defend very well, as the 6.~f3 ~bd7 7.0-0 e5 8.~el
game continued with: 0-0-0 9.d4 exd4 10.4)xd4
4)b611.Jl.xf7 c5 12.~xf5
7 .... Ad6 8.~d5 ttf89.e5 ~xdl13.~xdl c414.Jl.e6+
4)xe510.4)xe5 Jl.xe511.~el ~fd7
f612.4)xc7+

and White went on to win in

twenty-two moves.

Pressure

In chess games involving strong

human players, the number one
reason for winning or losing
games is pressure. Tactical
means, a positional advantage,
or some combination of both
can create pressure. If the
player with the advantage in the There are many methods of
position can continue to pile on exploiting a pin, but in this
the pressure, eventually the

21
position, the best choice is to Knight and the powerful White
increase the pressure by piling dark squared Bishop.
on the pin with more attackers.
Eventually, Black will be forced
to relinquish the pinned Knight
on d7. Why? Well, Black cannot
break the pin on the Knight on
d7 after White plays 15. Af4.
And, Black also has problems
defending the Knight with more
pieces. So, a simple plan for
White could be, develop the
Bishop to f4, double the Rooks
on the d-file, and attack Black
defenders of the Knight on d7,
like a future Black Rook on d8
and the Black Knight on b6. A In addition, now Black has no
sample line could be: 15..11f4 g6 more pin problems, no more
16.c£)e3 ~a617.E!d2 .11c5 18.E!adl
E!d819 ..11g5.11xe3 20.fxe3 E!f8 King exposure problems, and
21..11xd7+ c£)xd7 22.E!xd7 and most importantly, no more
Black is in trouble. pressure. Life is grand! The
rest of the game illustrates how
However, White mistakenly far things have swung in Black's
decided to focus on attacking direction.
the defender at all costs, as
19.J1.e6 g6 20.4)e3 c3 21.b3
follows: t'/e5 22.J1.c4 h5 23.~d5 t'/f4
24.Etel Etf8 25.Ete2 g5 26.Etd3
15•.Q.e3 .Q.c5 16.4)d5 .Q.xe3 g427.h4g3
17.4)xb6+ J1.xb618..Q.xd7+
~b8
This move exposes all of
White's dark-squared
Four moves ago, White had a
weaknesses.
lethal pin on a Black Knight on
d7 and the other Knight on b6 28.fxg3 t'/xg3 29.J1.d5 Ac7
was tied up defending the White 30.4)f1 J1.b6+ 31.4)e3 ~f4
target. Now, White has forced 32.J1.f3 Etxf3 0-1
Black to trade those two
useless Knights for a White

22
Automatic Moves Thinking that your opponent
must automatically recapture
As a chess coach, nothing anything that you take is a huge
drives me crazier than flaw in your thought process
automatic moves. Just because and you will lose many, many
your opponent took something games if you have this flaw.
of yours, does not mean than
you have to capture it back, or In-Between Moves
vice-versa.
What is an In-Between Move?
Black has just played E! x c3.
It is a move that happens at the
beginning or middle of a
combination that upsets the
way things turn out. The move
is generally a check or
checkmate threat, although it
could just be a threat stronger
than continuing with the
combination. This tactic is also
known as Zwischenzug.

------------ Game #005 -----------

(W) TNTDYNAMITE (1924)

(B) FearNoEvii (2211)
The automatic move here would [A40] ICC 1 8 Internet Chess
be for White to capture the Club, 05/12/2004
Black Rook with 'l:rxc3.
However, that move loses the 1.d4 b5 2.e4 .1l.b7 3.Ad3 a6
White Queen. Instead, White 4.4)13 4)f6 5. t\'e2 e6 6.0-0
can play E!e8+ first, deflecting Ae7 7.c3 d6 8.E{el4)bd7
the Black Bishop, followed by 9.Ag5 h610.Ah4 g511.Ag3
capturing the Black Rook on c3 c512.4)bd2 t\'b613.e5 dxe5
14.4)xe5 cxd415.cxd4 t\'xd4
for free. Chess Masters are 16.4)xf7
always looking at every option
available and every opportunity White has just played the move
their opponent provides. i£lxt7, which loses the game.

23

My opponent was thinking that I
would respond with ~xf7 and he
could counter with ~xe6+,
followed by winning the Black
Bishop on e7. This would
completely shatter Black's
position and leave Black
completely and hopelessly lost. been around forever, players
However, White did not see that
Black has an In-Between move
and does not have to play the
Automatic Move (~xf7).
16..•. ttdS!
The Black Queen can
simultaneously threaten
checkmate and protect the e6
,Pawn , while the White Knight
cannot get away. The game
ended fairly quickly afterwards.
17.~e4 ~xf718.gad1
Now armed with an extra piece,
Black just trades off everything
to an easy won endgame.
18.•.• ~ xe4 19.Axe4 ttxe4
20. t:txe4 Axe4 21.gxd7 AdS
22.AeS ghdS 0-1
Rejection of Moves
One of the worse habits that
lower rated chess players have,
is to just eliminate moves from
possible inclusion because they
seem on the surface to be really
bad.
For me, the greatest aspect of
chess is how the game enables
tremendous amounts of
creativity and imagination.
Even though the game has
continue to find new and
amazing ideas. Many of these
amazing ideas come from
positions where a particular
move seems so obviously bad,
that it takes an exceptional
mind to overrule your eyes and
instincts.
Learning to spot moves of this
nature requires significant
training and insight. The vast
majority of chess players are
not equipped with this skill.
Check out the amazing position
24
that occurred in the following
game.
------------ Game #006 ------------ weaknesses in White's position,
(W) Stefan Levitzky
(8) Frank Marshall
[C10] Breslau, Germany, 1912 moves.
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)e3 e5
4.4)f3 4)e6 5.exd5 exd5 6.Ae2
4)f6 7.0-0 Ae7 8.Jl.g5 0-0
9.dxe5 Ae6 10.4)d4 A xe5
11.4)xe6 fxe612.Ag4 ~d6
13.Ah3 §ae8 14.t\'d2 Ab4
15.Axf6 §xf6 16.§adl ~e5
17.~e2 Axe318.bxe3 ~xe3
19.§xd5 4)d4 20.~h5 §efS
21.§e5 §h6 22. t\'g5 §xh3
23.§e5
23.... ~g3!! 0-1
This is stunning to say the least.
Over 95 percent of all chess
players would simply reject the
move 23 .... ~g3!! as bad
25
because, "It just loses my
Queen". When in reality, the
move attacks all of the
namely, the h2 square and the
f-Pawn and h-Pawn pins after
the eventual 4)e2+ and ~hl
---------- Game #007 ------------
The other side effect of
amazing or simple shocking
moves is what I refer to as
"Deer in Headlights" Syndrome
or you could call it "Shock and
Awe". Basically your opponent
is so stunned by your move that
he is unable to rationally work
his way through all the details.
And, despite the fact that the
move is not absolutely perfect,
from the point of view that the
move does not win in all
variations, the defender
responds poorly and you win.
Here is one such game:
(W) Pete Karagianis (2102)
(8) Emil Anka (2502)
[E11] 2004 National Open, Las
Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
(Round 1),06/10/2006
l.d4 4)f6 2.4)f3 e6 3.e4 Ab4+
4.Ad2 t\'e7 5.g3 4)e6 6.Ag2
.Q.xd2+ 7.4)bxd2 d6 8.0-0 e5
9.d5 4)b810.e4 a511.e5 dxe5
12.4)e4 0-0 13.lilexe5 4)xe4
14.!3el f515.4)d3 c416.4)f4
g517.4)e6 Axe61S.dxe6 4)c6
19.~d5 !3ae8 20.4)d4 4)xd4
21.~xd4 4)d6 22.Ad5 !3d8
23. ~c5 b6 24. ~c6 f4 25.!3e5
~hS 26.!3ael b5 27.~c5 ~gS
2S.!3xg5+ ~xg5 29.e7+ ~hS
30.exdS~ ~xdS
Here, White played the stunning
move, 31. E!e8!!. Black was so
surprised by this move, that he
resigned, despite the fact that
he can defend the position with
31. ... 'ltf6 32. E!xfB+ 'ltxfB
33. 'ltd4+ ~g7 34. ~xf4. White
has an advantage of roughly a
half a Pawn. Certainly, no
reason to resign.
31.!3eS!! 1-0
The next example is from one
of my tournament games.
26
----------- Game #008 ------------
(W) Joel Johnson (2202)
(8) John Williams (1984)
[820] Master Trek, Arizona
State University, Tempe, AZ,
(Round 4), 12/02/2008
l.e4 c5 2.d3 4)c6 3.g3 g6
4.Ag2 Ag7 5.f4 e6 6.4)f3
4)ge7 7.0-0 0-0 S.~hl d5 9.e5
4)d410.c3 4)xf311.~xf3 !3bS
12.Ae3 ~c7 13.~f2 b6
14.4)a3 Aa615.!3adl c4
16.d4 b517.4)c2 AcS1S.Ad2
~a5 19.a3 ~a4 20.Acl a5
21.g4 Ad7 22.!3g1 !3b6
23.!3dfl b4? 24.axb4 axb4
25.4)xb4 !3xb4? 26.cxb4
~xb4 27.Ah3 ~b3 2S.!3g3
~b6 29.!3fgl !3aS 30.Ae3
~b4
We have reached a position
where White has been
preparing the break through
move, f5. As part of this
analysis, White and Black are 34 .... gxf5 35.l!xg7+ ~h8
both looking at the move 36..o.g511 1-0
34. ~)(f5.

Black has determined that the

sacrifice is unsound and does
nothing to stop it, almost daring
White to play the move. White,
on the other hand has done a
substantially better job of
analyzing the position and
clearly sees an astounding
follow up continuation. So ...
31.f5! exf5 32.gxf5 ~xf5
33.Axf5 Axf5
So far, nothing unexpected has Final Position
happened. But, things are
about to change. The move Ag5 leaves Black
with two basic choices, take the
White Rook on g7 and lose his
Queen on the move Ad2+ or
suffer an even worse fate after
the move 37. Af6. Not exactly
what Black had expected.

Missed
Opportunities
My worse feeling is playing a
game of chess that looked so
promising for an amazing and
incredible finish and the position
34.ttxf511 petered out in some way, and
later, when I get home to
And, the moment both players
analyze the game, I realize that
have been waiting for, has
I had, as expected, missed a
arrived.
dazzling mating combination.

27
You find yourself staring at the
computer screen, as your chess
engine displays the fantastic
checkmate in about what
seems to be a split second.
And, yes, even chess masters
miss great moves. The real
difference between chess
masters and other players is
that when we miss a move, we
tend to anguish over the error
more and take all the necessary
steps to make sure that it does
not happen again. As a result,
we are always improving, which
is one of the main reasons that
we have become masters in the
first place. There are a bunch
of American Chess Masters that
I have played through the years
in tournaments with what I
consider, less than average
talent, but through immense
dedication and hard work have
been able to eventually reach
the 2200 threshold to earn the
Chess Master title. Bottom line,
if you want it bad enough, you
can do it too.
Here is a missed opportunity
from one of my tournament
games.
------------ Game #009 ------------
(W) Joel Johnson (2240)
(8) Richard Ding (1943)
[C 15] Master Trek, Arizona
State University, Tempe, AZ
(Round 1), 08/25/2007
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 Jl,b4
4. ttd3 Jl,xc3+ 5.bxc3 4)e7
6.e5 0-0 7.tth3 4)g6 S.4)f3 c5
9. ttg3 4)c6 10.h4 tta5
11.Ad2 4)ge712.Jl,d3 c4
13.Jl,xh7+ Cjflxh7 14.h5 4)f5
15.ttf4 4)h616.g4 Jl,d717.g5
4)f5 lS.g6+ CjflgS 19.ttg4 f6
20.h6 4)xh6 21.fIxh6 gxh6
22.Cjfle2 fxe5 23.tth5 'f!jc7
24.4)g5 exd4 25.4)f7 d3+
26.cxd3 cxd3+ 27.Cjflf14)dS
2S.4)xh6+ Cjflg7 29.4)g4 fIf5
We are nearing the end of a
hard fought battle where White
is in the midst of a speculative
all-out attack and Black being a
young scholastic chess star that
probably has not had much
experience in fighting off
vigorous attacks and is
desperately struggling to
survive.

28
At this point, I play the easily
winning move, 30. ~h7+ (check
move, biggest piece, closest
square to the King -- as
discussed in the Move
Searching chapter).
However, despite looking for
other moves, I was bummed
that I missed a sparkling
conclusion: 30. Ah6+ ~g8
31. ~xf5!! exf5 32. 4Jf6+ ~h8
33. g7t:.
Position After Analysis
And, the game ended as
follows:
30..~h7+ ctlf8 31.g7+ ctle7
32.g8~+ ctld6 33. ~xf5 1-0
One of the top players of all
time, Paul Keres misses a
crushing finish. Yes, this
happens to everyone, as
29
nobody is porfocl, oven World
Champion contonders.
------------ Garno #010 ------------
(W) Paul Koros
(8) Leho Laurentius
[B13] correspondence, 1934
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5
4.c4 4)f6 5.4)c3 4)c6 6 ..Q.g5
dxc4 7.d5 4)e5 8.~d4 4)d3+
9.Axd3 cxd3 10.4)f3 e6
11.0-0-0 Ae712.~he1 0-0
13.~xd3 ~a514.d6 Ad8
15.4)e5 Ad7 16.Eth3 4)d5
17.Ae7 4)xc318.bxc3 Ab5
19.ctlh2 j'txe7 20.dxe7 ~fe8
White missed the crushing
move, 21. ~f4!. He likely looked
at 21. ~f4 f5 (Black loses
quickly after 21. ... §xe7
22. ~h4.) and dismissed the
move because he missed the
shocking next White move,
22. ~h6!!, which leads to a
forced checkmate after
22 .... gxh6 23. ~g3+ ~h8
24. ~f7#.
"Yes, this happens to
everyone, as nobody is
perfect, even World
Champion contenders."
Position After Analysis
And, the game concluded, as
follows:
21.4)g4 .§xe7 22 ..£if6+ gxf6
23.ttxf6 .§d7 24.itg5+ ~f8
25..§xh71-0
30
Advanced
Attacking
Techniques
Anchoring
What is anchoring?
Anchoring is an advanced
technique generally associated
with the trading of pieces.
Usually, anchoring is done by
placing a piece on a square that
is protected by a Pawn, and
your opponent has the
opportunity to trade, but
because you have anchored the
piec~, you either are able to get
a passed Pawn or fix a set of
doubled Pawns. As a result,
your opponent will frequently
decide not to trade.
This example also includes a
strategy to combat this
technique.
1. Etb5
White could have also played
1. E!b4 with the same idea of
undoubling his c-Pawns. At this
point, Black has several
options. First of all, he could
simply trade the Rooks and
head for the King and Pawn
ending where his King position
will give him an advantage.
Or, secondly, he could keep the
Rooks on the board and playa
move like E!e8 followed by
attacking those weak queenside
Pawns with his Rook. Or, lastly,
Black can use a defensive
technique to combat the
anchoring. This defensive
technique involves attacking the
White Rook with something
smaller (usually a Pawn) to
force it off the anchoring
square.
1...• a6 2.Etb4 c5
Once again Black chooses the
defensive technique to combat
the anchoring by attacking the
Rook with a Pawn again, and
now, White has nothing better
than trading Rooks.
3.Etxb8+ ~xb8
31
The end result, White was
eventually forced to trade
Rooks into a lost King and
Pawn ending. The game could
have continued as follows:
4.~gl ~c7 5.~f2 ~d6 6.~f3
~e5 7.~e3 f5 8.~f3 f49.h3
~f5
Not 9.... gS, as 10. ~g4 gives
White some undeserved play.
10.a5 g5 II.g3 h5 12.gxf4
gxf4 13.~f2 ~e4 14.~e2 f3+
15.~f2 ~f4
It's really over now.
16.~gl ~g317.h4 c;f}xh4
18.c;f}f2 c;f}g4 0-1
------------ Game #011 ------------
Now for a game example of the
Advanced Attacking Technique,
Anchoring.
(W) FearNoEvii (2246)
(8) tjo (2048)
[B07] ICC 5 0, 11102/2003
l.e4 d6 2.d4 4)f6 3.~c3 g6
4.Ac4 Jlg7 5.4)ge2 0-0 6.f3
b6 7.Ae3 .11.b7 8.t\'d2 c5 9.h4
cxd410.4)xd44)c611.0-0-0
a6 12.h5 4) xh5 13.g4 4)f6
14.4)xc6 Axc615.Ah6 b5
16.Axg7 bxc4 17.Axf6 exf6
18.t\'h6 ~e8 19.4)d5 .11.xd5
20.exd5 ~e2 21. t\'xh7+ c;f}f8
22.Etdel

22..•• !!e5
This is the only square that the 5.4)xd4 exd4 6.'/hxd4
Black Rook can move to and
still provide cover for his King's Now, White has two pieces
only escape square, namelye7. developed to none for Black
23.f4
Now, it's hopeless, as Black
must give up protection of the
e7 square or lose his Rook.
1-0
Tempos
A tempo is a unit for measuring
chess moves. Players that
routinely give away free moves
often find themselves in a world
of hurt after a very short time.
The following game is one such
example.
•••••••••••• Game #012 ••••••••••••
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) womenhave·velQ (1903)
[C44] ICC 5 0,12/22/2003
1.e4 e5 2.d4 f6
Normal is 2.... exd4. This move
takes away the best square for
the Black Knight on g8.
3.Ac4 ~c6 4.4)f3 4) xd4
This moves a piece that was
already developed, again.
and White has a firm grip on the
center. Essentially, White is
ahead two tempos (moves).
6 ••.. Ab4+ 7.Jld2 Axd2+
8.~xd2
Now, White has three pieces
developed to none for Black.
8 .••. d6 9.0-0-0
Nine moves into the game,
White has castled and
developed all his pieces. Black,
on the other hand, has no
pieces out. This cannot be good
for Black.
9 ••.• jtd7 10.f4 '/he711.!!he1
32
b6 12.e5 0-0-0 13.e6 hopeless.

White has a crushing position.

It's just a matter of choosing
which way to put Black away.
13. Aa6 <it>b8 14. ~d5 c6
15. ~xd6 is also good, but Black
gets to trade Queens. Keeping
the Queens on the board will
maximize my pressure, besides
this position is worth more than
a Pawn.
Threat Pins
A Threat Pin means that the
pinned piece can move, but if
the piece moves, another
threat, like checkmate, will be
executed.

13.... Jlc614.Jld5 Ah715.f5

h516:~·e4

Time to eliminate the lone

defender.

16.•.. j}.xd5 17:~xd5 Ciflb8

18.4)h3 4)h619.~d3

Black's Queen on e4 is pinned

by White's Rook on e1 because
if the Black Queen moves away
from the e-file, the White Rook
can proceed to e8 for a back
rank checkmate. As a result,
Black's Queen is said to be
"threat pinned". This is one of
my own personal teaching
19.... 4)g4 terms. Frequently, I assign
terms that describe particular
Black had to play something chess techniques. A list of them
like 19. ... c5 to get some help. can be found in the Glossary at
Even then, the position is pretty the back of the book.

33
------------ Game #013 ------------ 20.~xg5! 4)xc4

(W) Joel Johnson (2245) On 20 .... hxg5, White

(B) Mark Webb (1045) checkmates with 21. E!h3#.
[B23] Chess Emporium,
Phoenix, AZ, 05/12/2002 21.Eth3 h5

l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 d6 3.f4 4)f6

4.Jlc4 Ag4 5.4)f3 Axf3
6.~xf3 4)c6 7.d3 4)d4 8.~dl
e5? 9.f5! Ae7 10.0-0 ~c7
II.Jlg5 h612.Axf6 Axf6
13.4)d5 ~d814.c3 4)c6
15.~h5 0-0 16.Etf3 4)a5
17.Etg3 Ag5 18.f6! g6
19.4)e7+ ~h7

Once again, Black has an issue

with a threat pin. Black's
g-Pawn cannot capture
anything because White can
mate with 'ltJg7#, thus leaving
the Black h-Pawn undefended.

22.Etxh5+ gxh5 23.~g7. 1-0

Now, because the Black King And, on.e of. my favorite pin
cannot move to g8,g, 7 or g,6 the games IS this gem.
Black Pawn on h6 is threat
pinned. Why? Well, because if ----------- Game #014 ------------
his h-Pawn captures anything
(W) David Bronstein
on g5, Black will get "side rank"
(B) NN
mated or H-file mated. What
[C22] SMX Moscow, Russia,
this means is that the Black
1950
Bishop on g5 is unprotected.
So ... l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3. ~xd4 4)c6

34
4. ~a4 4)f6 5.4)c3 d5 6 ..Q.g5
dxe4 7.4)xe4 ~e7 8.0-0-0
~xe4?
9.§d8+! ~xd8
10.... rtJe7 does not help, as the 16.cxb3 exd5 17.d4 h6
Black Knight on f6 is also
pinned on that square too.
10.~xe41-0
Invisible Defenders
What is an Invisible Defender?
Well, it is a piece that defends
another piece indirectly. Say
what? Or another way to look
at it is, you can move your
piece to a square that looks
unprotected, however, if your
opponent decides to capture it,
you will either win material or
checkmate. Thus, the piece
looks undefended, but in reality,
there is an Invisible Defender.
When attempting this tactic, you
MUST be sure to have a solid
threat or plan. Putting a piece
on a square because you hope
your opponent will take it, is not
a good idea. You will be just
setting yourself up for a bad fall.
------------ Game #015 ------------
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) Storchnoi (2020)
[B23] ICC 5 0, 10/1212003
1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5
4)ge7 7.fxe6 fxe6 8.d3 d5
9.Ab3 b5 10.a4 b4 11.4)e2
4)a5 12.Ag5 Axb2 13.§bl
Jlg714.0-0 0-0 15.exd5 4)xb3
18.Jlxe7 ~xe7 19.dxc5 §d8
20.4)ed4 ~xc5 21.§cl ~b6
22.~hl Ag4 23.~d3 a5 24.h3
Jlxf3 25.4) xf3 d4 26.4)h4 g5
27.4)f5 ~e6
White is down a passed Pawn,
but has some compensation for
the Pawn, namely, both his
Rooks are on uncontested open
files, his Knight is actively
placed on f5, the Black King is
somewhat exposed, and White
has a clear path to victory, all
set up by an Invisible Defender.
35

"When attempting this tactic,
you MUST be sure to have a
solid threat or plan. Putting a
piece on a square because
you HOPE your opponent will
take it, is not a good idea."
If Black captures the White
Rook, White will play
29. ~e7+, winning the Black
Queen. So, even though the
White Rook is not directly
defended, Black cannot capture
it. In addition, the move directly
threatens the Black Queen and
provides White with a direct
path to the Black King.
28...• '{td7 29.gg6 gf8
30.gxg7+ '{txg7 31.4)xg7
gxfl + 32.'{txfl rt/xg7 33. '{tc4!
This move finishes Black.
Black was hoping to defend the
passed d-Pawn with E!d8,
however, by playing ~c4, White
is not only attacking the
unprotected d-Pawn, but also
preventing E!d8 because of
34. ~c7+, winning the Black
Rook.
1-0
In the next game, White is able
to win a piece because of an
Invisible Defender. Let's see
how.
------------ Game #016 -----------
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) saknight (2120)
[B07] ICC 5 0, 06124/2004
l.e4 d6 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)c3 g6
4.Ac4 .ilg7 5.4)ge2 0-0 6.f3
c6 7.Ab3 e5 8.Ae3 4)bd7
9.'{td2 a510.a4 b611.h4 h5
12.Ah6 Aa6 13.Axg7 rt/xg7
14.dxe5 dxe515.0-0-0 4)c5
16. '{tg5 '(te7 17.4)g3 4) xb3+
18.cxb3 '{te6
White looks slightly better, but
with the help of an Invisible
Defender is able to come
crashing through quickly.
36
 will give you everything you
need to know about King
Hunting.

Guidelines for King Hunting

Force the King Toward Your

Pieces

As a general rule, you want to

force your opponent's King
toward your pieces and away
from his defending pieces.
Eventually, all your pieces will
19.~d6! 4)h7 have his King completely
surrounded and checkmate will
On 19.... ~xd6, 20. 4Jf5+ wins follow soon.
the Black Queen.
Force the King Away From
20.4)xh5+ 1-0 His Shelter

On 20 .... ~h8, Black loses his Frequently, your opponent will

Queen after 21. ~h6 threatening have a clear path towards some
mate on g7. piece or Pawn cover that can
shelter his King. You need to
King Hunting prevent him from reaching his
cover.
Okay, your opponent's King is
nearly cornered. He has no Look For Checkmate
way of defending the squares
around his King, so what does Always look for checkmate.
he do? He makes a run for it Determine what squares you
and now, we have the have covered around his King
beginning of a bona fide King and what squares you need.
Hunt. This is where our King Maybe you can force
Hunting skills are tested. Can checkmate right now.
you corner the King? Do you
know what you should do? Can
you seal the deal? This section

37
First Choice - Check Moves 1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5
During a King Hunt, the first
4)ge7 7.fxe6 fxe6 8.d3 0-0
9.0-0 d510.Ah3 b611.~e1
moves to look at are check 4)a5 12•.l1Jl5 c4 13.Aa4 cxd3
moves. They are the only 14.cxd3 h615.Axe7 ~xe7
moves that will checkmate the 16.exd5 ~c5+ 17.d4 Axd4+
King. However, playing a check 18.4)xd4 ~xd4+ 19.Cl/hl exd5
move only because it is a check 20.Elxf8+ Cl/xf8 21. ~e8+ Cl/g7
move is not a good idea. 22.Elfl h5 23.Elf7+ Cl/h6
Check moves have the
advantage of limiting your
opponent's defensive
responses, but unless they
checkmate, lead to checkmate,
force the King toward your other
pieces, or force the King away
from his shelter, you are simply
helping out your opponent.

Be Aware of the Squares

Controlled by the Defenders

It is critical to be aware of what

squares are controlled by your
opponent. What pieces can
block your checks? What
pieces can capture your
checking piece?
Use Many Pieces
More attackers equal a greater
chance of success.
---------- Game #017 ------------
(W) FearNoEvii (2201)
(B) Arion (2166)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 05/15/2004
At first glance, it would appear
that Black is controlling just
enough defensive squares
around his King to defend. He
is, after all, shielded by two
Pawns, a Black Queen that
guards dark squares around the
King (h8, g7, f6), and a light
squared Bishop that guards all
the light squares along the c8-
h3 diagonal. Now, what should
White do? Well, White has
really only one check, namely,
~fH+. Should White proceed
with this move? What does this
move accomplish? First, the
move forces the Black King to
move toward White's other
pieces and away from the
shelter of the hand g-Pawns.
In addition, the Black Queen
cannot block because the White
Queen and Rook control the g7
square.
24. ~f8+ 'i!i'g5
Now, the Black King is in front
of his Pawn cover. The next
step is to push him further
forward and away from the h6
square. Are there any check
moves that can accomplish this
task? Yes, 25. 'l:Je7+.
Why does 25. 'l:Je7+ work?
Because Black cannot respond
with 25 .... ~h6, attempting to
hide behind the Pawn shelter,
due to 26. E!h7#. Thus, the
Black King is further flushed
forward toward the White
pieces.
25. 'ike7+ 'i!i'g4
Now, the Black King is
completely surrounded. So,
what are the possible check
moves and do any of them help
us? The best looking checks
are: 26. 'l:Je2+, 26. Ad1 +, and
26. h3+. 26. ~e2+ relinquishes
control of the h4 and g5
squares, helping Black get back
39
to his I )awn sholter, which is not
good. 2(, ..ltd II would be
checkmate if not for 2() .... ~)(d I,
but does win the Black Queen.
Good, but we should look for
something better. Don't settle
for the win of a Queen when
there is a likely checkmate.
Keep looking. 2(). hj+
continues to force the Black
King forward to g:i, after which
there appears to be a few really
good checks. So ...
26.h3+ ~g3
There are several checkmates
in this position. Can you spot
them?
They are:
1) 27. E!f3#
2) 27 . .£\e2#
3) 27. ~e1 'l:Jf2 28. 'l:Jf2#
27.13f3=11: 1-0
"Don't settle for the win of a
Queen when there is a likely
checkmate."
Sacrifice or Not?
The decision of whether to
sacrifice material or not, can be
a very tough one. Most Master
level chess players only
sacrifice when they can clearly
see a favorable outcome. From about how Black is going to
my point of view, this is the low defend my attack.
risk, low reward approach. As
an aggressive, attacking chess
master, my threshold for a
sacrifice revolves around
whether or not I can see any
way for my opponent to counter
my attack. At first, those
decisions were flawed because
I did not possess the
experience and knowledge to
rationally make the correct
choice. Over time, those
dilemmas became easier to
handle and predict. Now, let's
examine a sample game.
What I see is after Black
captures my Knight on h7, and I
------------ Game #018 ------------ respond with h5, my attack is
going to be brutal. All my
(W) Joel Johnson (2200)
pieces will be attacking the
(8) Melvin Zhang (2015)
Black King, which is now
[C55] Massachusetts G/60
opened up. In addition, Black's
Championship, Natick, MA,
queenside pieces are mere
04/08/2001
spectators. So, Black has no
l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Jlc4 4)c6 easy way to remedy the White
4.4)f3 4)f6 5.e5 4)e4 6.Jld5 attack and White's attack will be
4)c5 7.c3 dxc3 8.4) xc3 .A.,e7 sustained for an extended
9 ..A.,e3 0-0 10.a3 a511.~c2 d6 length of time. So, I decided to
12.0-0-0 4)e613.h4 ~e8 proceed down this path. Now,
14.4)g5 g6 let's see what happened in the
rest of the game.
White is faced with an
interesting dilemma. Should I 15.4)xh7!? CjJ}xh7 16.h5 CjJ}g8
sacrifice my Knight on h7 or 17.hxg6 fxg618.!lh6
not?
Not, 18. exd6 even though it
When I analyze the move saves White a Pawn, it helps
15. ~xh7, I am very concerned Black free up his tangled pieces

40
somewhat.
18.... 4)xe5 19.13dhl Af6
20.f4 Ag7 21.136h4 4)c6 22.g4 the line, you will be able to
Threatening 23. f5 winning back
my piece. g4 also allows my
Queen to reach the h2 square,
if the need should arise.
22.... 4)e7 23.Aa2
It was obvious that Black had
decided to play c6 and d5,
shutting out my Bishop, so I
countered by making plans to
redeploy the Bishop along the
bl-h7 diagonal.
23.... c6 24.~h2 d5 25.Ahl
~f7 26.f5
Time to start opening up Black's
position.
26.•.. 4)d8 27..Q.c5 ~d7
28.13el13e8 29.fxg6+ 4)xg6
Black has no good moves. On
29.... ~g8 30. §h8+ Axh8
31. ~h7+ ~f8 32. ~xh8#.
30.13f1+ ~g8 31 •.Q.xg61-0
My attacking experience
enabled me to be able to follow
my instincts by making the
Knight sacrifice. Playing blitz
games really helps in gaining
that experience. If you lose,
there is no real penalty, so that
when you are playing a
tournament game with a State
or National Championship on
make the correct decision.
Attack Guidelines
Attacking is the single most
difficult skill to acquire in chess.
It requires both tactical and
positional knowledge along with
a vast and extensive knowledge
of mating patterns.
Your choice of openings directly
affects your chances of
achieving an attack.
Conservative openings
generate conservative results.
Winning Swiss System
tournaments requires that you
win. Draws cause you to fall
behind the leaders. In addition,
strong players cannot afford to
routinely draw weaker players.
Many titles, including the title of
Chess Master, are based on a
player's USCF/FIDE rating.
Draws to weaker players cost
you rating points and affect your
chances for achieving these
titles.
The male rituals of pounding
one's chest and head butting
are symbolic of a state of mind.
Having an attacking attitude is
essential for success. Be
41
confident, yet rational, that your
attack will work, and then, make
it happen. Review the game
afterwards to see if your
opponent missed some
defensive resource, or you
overlooked an easier win.
Nothing can kill your attack
faster than one of your own
Pawns blocking out your
pieces. You cannot capture or
run through your own pieces.
As a result, smart defensive
players will seize the
opportunity whenever possible
to utilize their opponent's
Pawns as shields. As the
attacker, you must be aware of
this and proceed accordingly.
instead, White played .ile2,
Black would have been unable
to fend off White's attack, as the
threat of .ilxh5 cannot be
adequately met.
Piece attacks are significantly
faster than Pawn storms.
Nearly all successful Pawn
storms at the master level are
the result of either:
a) the opponent giving
away free Pawn move
tempos, thereby
speeding up the Pawn
storm; or
b) the player conducting the
Pawn storm has a
completely safe King,
which enables him to
proceed with his attack
at a snail's pace (slow,
yet steady).

Advancing defensive Pawns

permanently relinquish control
of the squares that they pass
by. Pawn moves, in front of
your King, can have lasting
consequences related to the
safety of your King. Strong
attacking players love it when
their opponents weaken their
own King position without any
Black has just played the move,
provocation. Think twice before
h5. White incorrectly played
proceeding down this path.
gxh6? (en passant) thereby
enabling Black to utilize White's
King position can drastically
Pawn on h6 as a shield. If

42
alter the point of attack,
especially in the case of
castling. By castling late, you
can cause your opponent
problems with piece placement.
Should your opponent be
pointing his pieces towards the
kingside or the queenside?
This is a real dilemma that can
have a huge effect on the
outcome of your attack.
The uncastled King has
inherent weaknesses on f2 ef7)
and along the e-file. Every
player is told about these issues
when they first start playing,
and yet, it is very common for
players to forget or assume that
they have these weaknesses
covered. Quite often, it just is
not true.
Half-hearted attacks are
doomed from the start. Your
attack must be unrelenting and
resourceful. Letting up only
allows your opponent the
opportunity to regroup and get
back into the game.
Fear of losing is the first feeling
that must be eliminated from
your system. If you lose, then
you can determine why you lost
and fix the problem, so it will not
happen again. If you
continuously take this approach
towards every chess game, you
43
will find that the losses will
decrease over time. This is
what learning is all about.
Your attacks will require lots of
experimentation, practice, and
imagination. Expect to lose
many games at first, followed
by erratic results, until your
attacking skills are honed.
Be aware of how trades impact
your attack.
------------ Game #019 ------------
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(B) Sergio4 (1945)
[B02] ICC 3 0
l.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.Ac4 c6
4.~f3 e6 5.4)c3 d6 6.d4 dxe5
7.dxe5 4)xc3 8.~xc3 ~b6
9.~g3 ~d410.Ad3 4)d7
11.4)f3 ~b4+ 12.c3 ~b6
13.0-0 4)c5 14.Ac2 g6 15.b4
4)d716.Ae3 ~c717.Etadl
jtg7 18.Ad4 0-0 19.h4 c5
20.bxc5 4)xc5 21.h5 b6
"Be aware of how trades
impact your attack."
White has the opportunity to
trade Pawns on g6, however, as
soon as he does this, all of a
sudden, Black has side to side
defensive possibilities with his
Queen on c7 and maybe by
moving his Rook to t7.

Instead White wisely chooses to
build up on the weak h7 square,
delaying the capture on g6 until
the numbers are favorable.
22. tth4 -'lb7 23.4)g5
Now, Black is faced with the
threats of 24. hxg6 and
24.4jxh7.
23.... h6 24.hxg6 fxgG
44
Not 24 .... hxg5?, as White
mates with 25. ~h7#.
25.j\xg6-{tc6 26.f3 4)d7?
27.j\h7+ ~h8 28.-'le4 ttc7
29.4)xe6 ttc8 30.4)xg7 ~xg7
31.e6+ 4)f6 32.-{tg4+ ~h8
33.t\'g6 t\'e8 34.t\'h7# 1-0
Attacking is more enjoyable
than defending and also more
rewarding in the long run.
Attacking Elements
What is important during
attacks? Speed of the attack?
Number of attackers? Pawn
structure? Weak squares? To
a certain degree, all of these
factors can affect the outcome
of an attack.
Speed
Attacks possess the
characteristics of the pieces
being utilized by the attacker.
Queens, Rooks, and Bishops
are fast moving, long and short
distance attackers that can
quickly and efficiently end a
game in a heartbeat. Kings,
Knights, and Pawns are slow
moving, short-range attackers
that require many moves to
reach the point of attack. For
this reason, Pawn storms tend
to be extremely slow in
developing, unless you can get
a few free Pawn moves by
attacking opponent pieces, to
get the ball rolling. There are
positions where speed is not
important, as in the following
sample game.

White is able to reach a position

where he can leisurely buildup
a kingside attack, breaking
through only after enough
attackers are in position.

------------ Game #020 ------------ 13•••• 'Z.J

r.. eS 14.9"g
oM. 4 oM.
lYe7
15.Jl.f4 e416.4)f2 h517.~ael
(W) FearNoEvii (2200) 'ltIe6 IS.h4 \flhS 19.h5 h6
(8) R-172 (2239)
[B23] ICC 50,03/17/2005

1.e4 e5 2.4)e3 e6 3.f4 d5

4..Q.h5+ Jl.d7 5. 'ltIe2 d4 6.4)dl
j'lxh5 7.'ltIxh5+ 'ltId7 S.'ltIe2
4)e6 9.d3 4)f6 10.4)f3 Jl.e7
11.0-0 0-0 12.4)e5 4) xe5
13.fxe5

White is forcing Black to retreat

the only Black piece controlling
any squares in the h3 to f6
block. White quickly seizes
control of these squares and
then, builds up an attack force 20.'ltIg3
with pieces within that block of
squares. Lastly, the superior Freeing the g4 square for the
force is able to crash through White Knight followed by
Black's defenses. freeing up the f2 square so
White can double up his Rooks
on the f-file.

4S
20.... ~h7 21.~g4 a5 22.gf3 as one player having a localized
ga7 23.E!cfl a4 24.j'txh6! material advantage. White's
attack has to succeed. Why?
White is exploiting his superior Numbers. The number of White
localized material advantage on attackers at the point of attack
the kingside. (Bishop on c4, Bishop on g5,
Knight on f6, Knight on f3,
24.... Ac5 25.j'txg7! ~xg7?
Queen on h4, Rook on f1, etc.),
Black had to play 25 .... E!g8 for overwhelms the lone defender,
any chance. Black's Bishop on g7.

26.~f6+ ~h8 27. ~g5 1-0 In the following game, Black

mistakenly castled kingside,
Number of Attackers despite the fact that all of his
pieces were located on the
When the number of attackers queenside.
is greater than the number of
defenders at the point of attack, ------------ Game #021 ------------
the attacker has many more
(W) Joel Johnson (2229)
options at his disposal,
(8) Phil Terrill (1650)
including the sacrifice of
[B03] Valley Chess, Scottsdale,
material to penetrate the
AZ (Round 3), 02/26/2006
opponent's position.
l.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.d4 d6
4.Ac4 4)b6 5.Ab3 dxe5
6.~h5 e6 7.dxe5 c5 8.c4 4)c6
9.~f3 g610.~g4 Ag711 ..Q.f4
~c7 12.~c3 a6 13.0-0-0
0-0 14.~g3 ~a515.4)e4
~bxc4

Black has serious issues. He

I refer to situations, like these,
has two undeveloped pieces,
the Rook on a8 and the Bishop
on e8. He has four other pieces
that are misplaced and unable
to defend his King, the Knights
on a5 and e4, the Queen on e7,
and the Rook on ffi. While,

46
White has all of his pieces
except the Bishop on b3, ready
to pounce on the Black King.
Notice that even the White
Rook on hI could easily join the
attack after the moves h4 and
h5, or after the opening of the
g-file as in the game.
------------ Game #022 ------------
And, now a second, more
complex game against a young
Arizona scholastic superstar.
(W) Joel Johnson (2269)
(8) Dipro Chakraborty (2022)
[C02] Master Trek, Arizona
State University, Tempe, AZ
(Round 1), 10/24/2009

1.e4 e6 2.d4 c5 3.c3 d5 4.e5

Ad7 5.4)f3 ttb6 6.Ae2 -'lb5
7.0-0 j'txe2 8.ttxe2 c4
9.4)bd2 4)e710.b3 cxb3
11.axb3 4)g612.~e1 Ae7
13.c40-0 14.c5 ttc715.h4
4)d716.4)b3 a617.g3 ~fc8
18.-'lg5 h619.Axe7 4)xe7
20.4)h4 4)c6 21. ttd2 4)a7
22.f4 g6 23.~f1 ~g7

Black has been migrating his

16.4)f6+ ~h8? pieces away from his King.

As crazy as it may appear,

Black needs to complicate the
position, in an attempt to garner
some play. For example,
16.... Axf617. exf6 ~xb3+
18. axb3 e5 19. bxc4 exf4 20. ~g5
(threatening ~h6 and itlg7#)
~b6 (intending to respond with
~xf6) 21. ~xf4.
17.tth4 h518.g41-0

Black, faced with a crumbling

and overwhelmed kingside,
decides to give it up. It is clear at a glance that Black

47
has made a strategical error
concerning kingside defenders.
The Black Pawns alone will not
be enough to fend off White's
attack.
24.f5! exf5 25.E!xf5!
The point of the move 24. f5! is
that 25. §)(f5! is very playable. If
Black were to accept the Rook
sacrifice, he would lose quickly
after 25 .... g)(f5 26.4J)(f5+ ~f8
27.~)(h6+ ~e8 28.4Jd6+.
25 •••• E!e8 26.E!afl
As a result of not having
enough defenders for his King,
Black has many weak squares
around his King. So, I start by
piling up the pressure along the
f-file.
26.•.• E!e7 27.~f4 ~f8
4R
Black played 27 .... 4Jf8 because
he needed to defend f7 and
thought that the Black Knight
was needed on e6 to defend the
g7 square. However, I am
about to blow open Black's
position by exposing other
devastating weaknesses on the
f6, f5, h5, and h6 squares.
28.E!h5t!
Without this move, Black might
have realistic chances of
painfully holding.
28 •••• gxh5 29. ~f6+ CZlg8
30.~f51-0
Pawn Structure
Not only the Pawns in front of
the enemy King, but also, all
Pawns affect the attack.
White has a Pawn wedge from
c2 to f5. In addition, White
controls the b5 and d5 squares
where Black may try to
counterattack or break the
wedge. Because of the overall
Pawn structure, White can
leisurely build up an attack by
utilizing the area (f3 to h5, block
of squares) to relocate his
pieces closer to the action
before breaking through Black's
defensive position.
Weak Squares
Weak squares around your
King can end a game quickly
regardless of the other factors.
Below, White's abundance of
weak squares around his King
made defense an impossible
task. Black is able to finish off
White with just a small number
of attackers for this reason.
49
Whito cannot avoid chockmate
becauso of tho woak h2 square.
Attacking Process
What is the process followed to
turn the starting position into a
full raging attack? Even though
there is no blueprint, I have
been able to categorize my
games into something
approaching a blueprint.
Basically, the steps utilized to
formulate a general attacking
plan. From my point of view,
the steps of the Attack Process
are as follows:
Play an aggressive opening
Play an aggressive opening that
points your pieces towards
where you expect the enemy
King to be placed. But, do not
be surprised when your
opponent decides that he would
prefer to castle the other way,
so as to avoid the cross hairs of
your attack.
Create weaknesses
Create weaknesses in the
Pawn structure in front of the
enemy King. Frequently, your
opponent will do this for you,
unprovoked. But, even if he
does not, you should be
prepared to force weaknesses
that you can later exploit. The Complete the attack
best way of accomplishing this
task is to threaten checkmate or Complete your attack by either
the capture of one of the
defender's cover Pawns.
Mobilize your pieces
Mobilize your pieces towards
the enemy King. This action
forces your opponent to defend,
otherwise you will end up with a
greater number of attackers
than he has defenders. When
you have numbers, your attack
'will become significantly
stronger and sacrifices will
become available. As you
approach his King, you should
search for moves that force
your opponent to create more
weaknesses that you can
exploit.
Exploit the weaknesses
checkmating your opponent or
winning enough material to
close out the game. This book
will provide you with many
ideas of how you can
accomplish this task, based on
your opponent's Pawn
formation.
Weaknesses
Identifying Weaknesses
The process of identifying
weaknesses can be very
difficult. First of all, there are
two types of weaknesses, ones
that can be exploited and those
that cannot. Let's start with a
position with weaknesses that
cannot be exploited.

Exploit the weaknesses in your

opponent's King position. Try to
understand where your
opponent is weak and focus
. your attack on that location.
This book contains many
examples illustrating this step.
With practice, you should be
able to envision how to
accomplish this.

50
White has a weak Pawn on b3, As we examine the position for
as both his King and Bishop are weaknesses in the White camp,
unable to protect the Pawn. we cannot miss the White weak
spots, namely, the g2 and h2
However, because the Pawn is squares. Letis look at each
on a light square, Black is square individually.
unable to attack the weak
Pawn. Therefore, I would call
that weakness, an unexploitable
weakness. In the same
position, we can see that Black
has weak Pawns on as and f6.
These Pawns are on the same
colored square as the White
Bishop, thus are very
vulnerable to attack and are
thus, exploitable weaknesses.
White can win the position by
playing Ad4, followed by g5 to
win the pinned Black f-Pawn.
The g2 square is currently
In the next game, Black exploits
attacked by the Black f-Pawn
weaknesses around White's
and defended by the White King
King.
and White Knight. The square
can be fairly easily attacked
-------- Game #023 ---------- again by Black after the moves
~d7 and 'l!i1h3. However, there
(W) regal (2125)
is no real way to eliminate the
(8) FearNoEvii (2252)
defender of the square (White
[B02] ICC 3 1, 03/2512006
Knight on el), so you can
1.e4 4)f6 2.e5 ~d5 3.~c3 deliver checkmate.
4)xc3 4.dxc3 d6 5.Jl.f4 ~c6
6.Jl.b5 Jl.d7 7.exd6 cxd6 On the other hand, the h2
8.4)f3 ttb6 9.Jl.xc6 Jl.xc6 square is another story. That
10.b3 g6 11.0-0 Ag7 12.J1e3 square is only protected by the
~c7 13.Jl.d4 e5 14.J1e3 0-0 White King. Furthermore,
15.c4 f5 16.~cl f417.J1d2 e4 which is extremely important, is
18.4)el f319.g3
the fact that White has no real
way of adding more defenders

51
to the square. And, Black can
easily get his Queen to h3 via
d7 for his first attacker of the
square, followed by playing E!f5
and E!h5 for the second and
decisive attacker. Now, for the
remainder of the game.

19..•• ~d7 20.Ae3 §ad8 21.c3

~h3 22.J1d4 §f5 23..11.xg7
§h5 24.4) xf3 exf3 0-1

Here, the h7 square is very

weak. So, I play 23. E!a7 setting
up the Queen sacrifice
exposing the weak h7 square. 24.4)g5+ ct!1h8 25. ~xh6+
.11.xh6 26.§h741= 1-0
------------ Game #024 ------------
Creating Weaknesses
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) chairmanfrem (1977) Every Pawn move, in front of
[B23] ICC 30, 12/20/2006 your opponent's King, causes a
weakness. This includes Pawn
l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6 moves that you routinely do,
4.4)f3 e6 5.1tc4 4)ge7 6.f5 like g6 to fianchetto a Bishop,
exf5 7.d3.i1.g7 8.0-0 a6 9.a4
§b810.~el b511.axb5 axb5 h6 to prevent a pin, f5 to attack,
12.4)xb5 0-0 13.4)c3 d5 etc. Players choose these
14.exd5 4)b415.j'lg5 f6 moves because they feel the
16.d6+ ct!1h817.dxe7 ~e8 positive advantages of the
18.exf8~+ ~xf819.~h4 fxg5 moves outweigh the negatives
20.4)xg5 h6 21.4)f7+ ct!1h7 (weaknesses).
22.g4 4)xc2 23.§a7 4)e3

Attackers must be able to see During the natural flow of an

beyond Black's h6 Pawn to attack, you will need to create
realize that the h7 square is the weaknesses in your opponent's
real weakness. Now, the time King position, if he has not
has come to expose the weak already done this for you.
h7 square and checkmate Some of the most common
Black. methods of creating

52
weaknesses are to threaten
checkmate, capture pieces only
protected by Pawns in front of
his King, threaten to capture
one of the Pawns in front of his
King, etc.

Black felt that by following up

with rJilg7 and ~g6, all would be
okay. However, once White
was able to place a Knight on
fS, all of Black's dark square
As of now, Black has no Pawn weaknesses (h6 and g7) were
weaknesses in front of his King. exposed.
White, however, can force Black
to create Pawn weaknesses in
his position by playing either f6
or Ah6 threatening checkmate
on g7. In response, Black will
have no other choice than to
play g6. After which, White will
be able to exploit all the weak
dark squares around Black's
King on his way to victory.

This time around, White can

capture Black's Knight on f6
forcing Black to severely
weaken all the squares around
And here, we see an illustration
his King or face being down a
of how some players routinely
full piece.

S3
weaken their King position. fianchettoed Bishop creating
weak squares all around the
Black has just played Axg7 and King.
now threatens to capture
White's Pawn on b2. Black also
intends on playing Ae6 next
move to further provoke White
into making some Pawn
weaknesses. I have played the
Black side of this position for
years and I am amazed at the
responses White will play.
White has played everything
against me, including Ac3, c3,
and §bl to protect the White
b-Pawn. Although, the most
common White move is castling
queenside, followed by creating The most common method of
a Pawn weakness, like a3, in trading off the fianchettoed
response to the follow up move, Bishop in front of the castled
Ae6. How would you defend the King is to setup a Queen and
White b-Pawn? Bishop battery as shown above.
White uses his Queen to
Fianchettoed Bishop support the Bishop and Black
cannot move the Bishop
A common practice in chess because he will lose his Rook
openings is to fianchetto a on f8. It should also be noted
Bishop in front of a castled that in nearly all cases, it is bad
King. This setup can add an for Black to trade Bishops.
additional layer of defense for Why? Because the trade
the King, while placing your allows White's Queen to invade
Bishop on a long diagonal Black's position. All White
attacking many squares. The needs is one more piece to
downside is, once the Bishop is assist and it is checkmate. For
gone, the King can be very example, a Rook on h4, a
vulnerable to attack. Knight on gS or f6, a Bishop on
the al-h8 diagonal, a Pawn or
As a result, attackers will King on f6, etc. would lead to
attempt to trade off the mate.

54
If Black chooses, there are two
methods that are frequently
used to hinder White's plan of
trading off the fianchettoed
Bishop in front of the castled
King.
The first method involves
playing h6 before the Queen
and Bishop get lined up,
followed by placing the King on
h7 to help protect the h-Pawn.
This method is the best way,
but requires you to anticipate
White's intentions. So, when
White develops his Bishop, in
this case to e3, you must be
aware that he is likely going to
play ~d2 followed by ~6.
After White plays Ae3, you
need to immediately play h6.
Then, on ~d2 you can protect
your h-Pawn with CjfjIh7.
When you don't have time to
55
play h6, you can move the Rook
away so when the Bishop goes
to h6, you can retreat with Ah8.
The down side to defending
your fianchettoed Bishop in this
fashion is that you are
vulnerable to back rank mates.
Later in the game, in order to
ease the back rank pressure,
you may have no other choice
but to force the trade of Bishops
with Ag7.
Another common ploy of
attackers is to open the h-file for
their Rook(s) against the
fianchetto by playing h4, hS, and
hxg6.
After the two moves of h4 and
hS, White is ready to open the
h-file for his Rook on hI with the
move hxg6. This form of attack
is very dangerous for the
defender and must be taken
for a sa~ple o~~~ Game #105
seriously Ret
happeninth at can
positions. ese types of

After only eight

White, Black h moves by
Black is co as severe issues

Wh~e ~x~i.;
After the h-file is 0 will la ncemed that White .

checkm~te mov~ ;0,

has more than en.:::'nhed, 11. Jl.g5, 10. Jl.xf6 and
firepower to BI weak Black tries the
quickly. ack .... h6?
8 .... h6?

~reqUentIY, ~'s ope~ :::eB~~Ck, Wh~e

Unweakened K"rng Positio n Unfortunatel J
those routi
oves opponents I ne pos~ion w~h
can tear
them into trouble p ay that gets and win
ack King 1
the move 9. Jl.xh6
following ex
am~e ' as In the
. 9.Axh6!
very quickly
.
.

---------- Game #025 -----------
~:,) ~e:;NOEVii (2200)
[C15] IC~~~ROOS (2075)
, 3/19/2007
Sacrificing a B·
Pawn defend IS~OP for the two
Black King ;~hln front of the
cover Bla~k lOUt his Pawn
Whit~ attack.cannot fend off the

9 xh6 ~ xd4
911.0-0-0
.... gxh6c 10.oM.
4. ~d3 d~e4 5 ~.~c3 Ab4
1.e4e62 d4d
6. ~h4 ~c6 7 .'Z.)
·~fxe4 ~f6 13.~ce4 1~l2.~g5 "t!Je7
30-0 8.Ad3

56
 Here is the information for the
Fianchetto Bishop section:

Final Position

Whenever playing a move like As discussed in the "Exploiting

h6, be sure that your opponent Weaknesses" section, knocking
cannot simply rip off the Pawn. out the fianchetto Bishop is a
key method for attacking these
Exploiting Weaknesses formations.

Every Pawn formation. In addition, the h7 (h2) square

possesses its' own unique can be a source of concern for
weaknesses. As such, the the defender. As, quite often,
largest section in this book the defending King is the lone
(Section C) provides many defender of the square.
illustrations and examples of
how to exploit the particular
weaknesses of each Pawn
Formation. And, at the
beginning of each Pawn
Formation section, a diagram of "Every Pawn move, in front of
the Pawn Formation along with your opponent's King, causes
a description of the weaknesses a weakness."
for the Pawn Formation exists.

57
section B
Attack Info
 1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Jlh5 4)f6
Computers 4.0-0 4) xe4 5. ~e2 4)g5
6.4)xg5 ~xg5 7.d4 ~e7
Back in the late sixties, 8.dxe5 4)d4 9. ~d3 ~xe5
computers were in their infancy 10.4)c3 Jlc511.itd1 4)e6
and International Master David 12.Ete1 ~d4 13.~f3 0-0
Levy made a famous bet of 14.Ete4 ~d6 15.Eth4 ~e5
16.Jld2 f5 17.Ete1 ~f6
10,000 pounds that no chess 18.~h3 ~g6 19.4)d5 c6
computer would be able to beat
him within ten years. In 1978,
he won his bet by defeating the
strongest computer at the time
in a match. However, all the
attention and publicity this bet
generated set off a race to have
computers beat the best chess
players in the world. In 1989,
the computer, Deep Thought,
crushed Levy in an exhibition
match. And in the years since
then, computers have made
significantly more progress in
chess. Computers are at the
point where they are better than 20.Etxe6 ~xe6 21.4)f4 ~xa2
the best players in the world.
22.Etxh7 cxb5 23.g3 Etf6
24.Jlc3 ~f7 25. ~h4 ~a1 +
Here is a game between two of 26.~g2 ita6 27.Jlxf6 ~xf6
the best computer chess 28.~h5+ 1-0
playing engines from the 2009
Computer World Championship, Computers now give the best
where Rybka dominated the players in the world odds, like
event. Pawn and move. As a result, it
is impossible to think about
------------ Game #026 ----------- serious chess without
considering the affects of the
(W) Rybka (Computer) computer on the game.
(8) Shredder (Computer)
[C67] WCCC Pamplona Open
class, Pamplona, Spain
(Round 6), 05/1312009

60
HoW do computers affect game, they just do not take
a game of chess today? place any more.

First of all, as one might expect, Security

computers have had a dramatic
affect on the quality of chess Tighter security measures have
games. Many chess players been put in place at important
noW have a "portable events to prevent cheating with
Grandmaster" on their laptop computers.
that they can refer to whenever
they have a question about any Using my computer as a
position. All this quality chess tool
advice helps players to see
through rouges and smoke The computer is a great tool if
screens. Players could used properly. Some great
intimidate other players in the uses for a chess computer are:
past almost at will without fear
of retribution. This is no longer Training yourself
true. Why? Computers are the
reason. You can fool me once, Setup a position and have the
but next time, aided with computer play out the position
analysis from my computer, I against you. The computer is
will beat you. Computers have the ultimate sparring partner.
elevated everyone's chess The computer never gets tired
playing strength. One might or turns you down for any
call it, progress. reason. The computer is
always ready for battle, any
A couple of other side effects time, day or night.
are:
Or, if you are young and very
The Disappearance of talented like 2009 U. S. Chess
Adjourned Games Champion, Grandmaster Hikaru
Nakamura (ICC handle =
In the past, chess games would "Smallville"), you can just toy
be adjourned after four hours of with the "Beast" computer on
play. Now, because computers the Internet Chess Club, much
could routinely be used to assist like he did in the following
a player with an adjourned game.

61
 S3.Ciflxe1 4)c5 84.Cifle2 4)xa4
------------ Game #027 ------------
S5.Cifle1 4)c5 S6.Ciflf2 Cifle4
(W) Beast (3709) S7.Ciflg2 Ciflxd5 SS.Ciflg3 Ciflc4
S9.Ciflg4 Ciflxb5 90.Ciflg3 a4
(B) Smallville (3348) 91.Ciflf3 a3 92.Cifle3 a2 93.Ciflf2
[AOO] ICC 3 1, 06/08/2005 al4) 94.Cifle3 Ciflc6 95.Ciflf3
4)ab3 96.Ciflg4 4)d4 97.Ciflg5
1.4)c3 g6 2.e4 .s1.g7 3•.s1.c4 e6 4)de6+ 9S.Ciflf5 Cifld799.Ciflg4
4.4)f3 4)e7 5.0-0 d6 6.d4 0-0 b5 100.Ciflf3 b4 101.Ciflg3 b3
7 •.s1.g5 h6 S•.s1.e3 b6 9.t?fd2 102.Ciflf3 b2 103.Ciflg4 bl4)
Ciflh7 10.d5 e5 11.4)e1 f5 12.f3 104.Ciflf5 4)a3 105.Ciflg4 4)b7
f413 •.s1.f2 g514.4)d3 h5 106.Ciflf5 4)fS 107.Cifle4 4)d8
15.gae1 4)g6 16.ge2 Ah6 10S.Cifld3 4)b5 109.Ciflc4 4)a7
17.4)e1 g41S.t?fd3 a619.a4 110.Cifld3 4)cS 111.Cifle4 Cifle6
4)d7 20.Ciflh1 4)f6 21.b4 gf7 112.Cifle3 d5 113.Cifld2 c5
22.gg1 g3 23.hxg3 fxg3 114.Cifld1 e4 115.Ciflc2 d4
24•.s1.xg3 h4 25.Axh4 4) xh4 116.Ciflb2 Cifld5117.Ciflc1 c4
26.g3 4)g6 27.gh2 Ciflg7 11S.Cifld2 e3+ 119.Cifle1 Cifle4
2S.Ciflg2 gfS 29.4)d1 ghS 120.Ciflf1 d3 121.Cifle1 c3
30.ggh1 .s1.g5 31.gxh8 4)xhS 122.Cifld1 c2+ 123.Ciflc1 e2
32.4)f2 4)g6 33.c3 t?feS 34.b5 124.Cifld2 Cifld4 125.Cifle1 cl4)
a5 35.4)c2 4)e7 36.4)h3 126.Cifld2 4)b3+ 127.Cifle1 Ciflc3
Axh3+ 37.gxh3 t?fg6 3S.Ciflf2 12S.Ciflf2 4)c5 129.Cifle1 4)ce6
ghS 39.gxhS CiflxhS 40•.s1.a2 130.Ciflf2 4)c7 131.Ciflf3 el4)+
4)d7 41.4)e14)c5 42.t?fc2 132.Ciflf2 4)c2 133.Ciflf1 4)eS
~h6 43.4)g2 4)g6 44.Ac4 134.Ciflg2 4)fe6 135.Ciflf2 4)f6
t?fh2 45 •.s1.f1 Ciflg7 46. t?fa2 136.Ciflf3 4)d6137.Ciflg3 4)c6
4)fS 47.Ac4 4)h7 48.Ciflf1 13S.Ciflg2 4)2d4 139.Ciflh3
t?fh1+ 49.Ciflf2 t?fc1 50.,Q,e2 4)4f5140.Ciflg24)fe7141.Ciflf2
4)f6 51.t?fc4 Ad2 52.g4 t?fxc3 4)g6142.Cifle1 Ciflc2 143.Ciflf2
53.t?fxc3 Axc3 54.Ad1 Ad2 d2 144.Ciflg2 dl4) 145.Ciflf1
55.4)h4 4)gS 56.Cifle2.s1.g5 4)c3 146.Ciflf2 4)cd5 147.Ciflg2
57.4)f5+ Ciflf7 5S.Ac2 4)e7 4)ce5 148.Ciflg1 4)de4
59.4)g3 4)d7 60.Cifld3 4)g6 149.Ciflg2 4)d4 150.Ciflg1 4)gf4
61.4)f5 Ciflf6 62.Ciflc3 4)h4 151.Ciflh1 4)fg4 152.Ciflg1
63.4)xh4 Axh4 64.Cifld2 Ciflg5 4)de3153.Ciflhl4)df5
65 •.s1.d1 Ciflf4 66.Cifle2 4)f6 154.Ciflg1 4)f3+ 155.Ciflh1
67.Ciflf1 4)h7 68.Ciflg2 Ae1 4)fg3# 0-1
69.Ciflf1 Ag3 70.,Q,e2 4)g5
71.Ciflg1 4)xf3+ 72.Ciflg2 4)e1+ See the rather amusing final
73.Ciflf1 4)c2 74.Ciflg2 4)e3+
position at the top of the
75.Ciflh3 Ae1 76.g5 Ciflxg5
n.Ciflh2 Ciflf4 7S.Ad3 4)g4+ following page.
79. Ciflg2 4)f2 SO.Ac2 4) xe4
81.Ab3 4)c5 S2.Ciflf1 4)xb3

62
 speed. There now exists
computer software specifically
designed for "booking up" on all
your new opening lines.

Computer abuse

Much like the advent of

calculators, which caused many
teenagers to abuse the new
technology to the point where
they could not add without the
contraption, computer chess
engines can have the same
Final Position effect on players. Some
players are unable to analyze a
I doubt there are too many position because whenever
people in the world good they have a position that they
enough to beat the Beast in a 3 need to "figure out", they head
1 (3 minute, 1 second straight for the computer. Sure,
increment per move) time the computer can generate
game, much less humiliate the reams of analysis in a matter of
Beast by checkmating it with six seconds. But, if you rely on the
Knights! computer all the time and do
not calculate everything by
yourself first, you will find your
Checking your analysis
powers to analyze greatly
diminished over time. After all,
Whether writing a book or
your trusted companion is not
article, or sanity checking your
allowed in tournament halls.
analysis, the computer is
extremely valuable.
Interpreting Computer
Working on new opening Output
lines
When a computer generates a
list of moves/variations, all with
With the assistance of a
an evaluation, what does this
computer, you can learn new
mean? If the computer is
opening lines at a much greater
analyzing a position where one

63
side is ahead a Knight and the
computer says the position is
equal, what does that mean?
What is the point of having a
computer, if you cannot
understand what the computer
is providing you?
Understanding what the
computer is telling you about a
position is just as important as
the position evaluation itself.
Also, being able to decipher
whether the position is a good
one to play against a person is
very important. If the computer
says the position is good for
your side, but because the
position is too complicated for
you to handle as a player,
should you just blindly play
down that line? The computer
says yes, I say definitely not. If
you have a brutal attacking
position, and you won the
game, but afterwards, you
consult your computer, and it
says that he could have
defended. Does that mean you
should not have played that
line?
And, most importantly, is the
move considered best by the
computer, really the best move?
All of these questions are valid
and I will try to provide some
insight, as to my feelings on
each of these dilemmas.
64
"Understanding what the
computer is telling you about
a position is just as important
as the position evaluation
itself."
Now, let's look at a few
examples.
In the first example, my best
student, Joshua Zhu, gives up a
Pawn in the opening for
development and positional
pressure.
------------ (;ame ~:ZIJ ------------
(W) Manoj Panikkar (1900)
(8) Joshua Zhu (:Z043)
[B02] 2009 Arizona State Grade
Championships, Gilbert, AZ
(Round 3), 01/10/2009
t.e4 4)f6 2.4)e3 d5 3.exd5
4)xd5 4.4)xd5 ttxd5 5.d4 4)e6
6.e3 e5 7.~e2 Ae78.dxe5
4)xe5 9.Af4 4)g6 to.Axe7
0-0
After ten moves, Black is down
a full Pawn. However, my
computer shows a position
evaluation of White being
ahead slightly at a value of
+0.38. Why did White get
shortchanged 0.62 of a Pawn?

"Computers have elevated
everyone's chess playing
strength. One might call it,
progress."
As a Pawn ahead should
translate into a position
evaluation of +1.00. Well, the Pawn? There are a lot of
answer is that he did not get
shortchanged. Black gave up
the Pawn for development and
pressure. In games involving
humans, pressure is the
number one reason why players
lose games. And, the good
chess players really understand playing style? Not many
how to convert a lead in
development into positional
pressure on an opponent.
Joshua does this and his
opponent cracks, making a
crucial error on move 20.
11. ~c4 ~f5 12.4)f3 Ae6
13.~d3 ~c514.J1g3 ~ad8
15.~b5 ~c816.Ae2 f517.h3
~d5 18. ~a4 a6 19.4)d4 b5
20. ~c2? ~xd4 21.Ad3 ~d5
22.0-0-0 ~fd8 23.~bl f4
24.J1h2 ~xd3 25.~xd3 ~xd3
26.~xd3 Af5 27.~dl Axd3+
28.~xd3 ~f5 29.~c2 4)e5 0-1
"In games involving humans,
pressure is the number one
reason why players lose
games."
And, if we continue to examine
this game, we wonder if White
should have grabbed that extra
Black Pawn on his 10th move,
Axc7? Was it worth giving Black
so much pressure for a mere
considerations that go into
making such a decision. First
of all, is my opponent good
enough to convert his positional
advantage into a win? Do I feel
confident in my abilities to
defend the position? Is this my
masters would take that Pawn.
The majority of them would
prefer to complete their
development and wait for an
opportunity later in the game,
where they can hopefully
capture the material at a lower
6S
cost. They would also prefer to What a lapse, the right move is
have Black "waste" a move ~h7+ and this is not a good
defending that Pawn. position to throwaway a tempo.

Here, we check out the best 17.•.. ctlf718.ith7 4)g6

swindle of my chess career. 19.~h6 itf6 20.~el ~h8

------------ Game #029 ------------ Now, my Queen is trapped.

(W) Joel Johnson (1690)
(8) 111111 (1690)
[C54] (Round 5), Boylston
Chess Club, Boston, MA, 1974
What should I do here? What
move gives me the best chance
to come back?

My best swindle of all time

came early in my chess career
in a five round swiss
tournament at the Boylston
Chess Club in Boston,
Massachusetts. What really
makes this incredible was not
only the game, but both of us
had perfect 4-0 scores and we
were on board 1 playing for first
place. Although I don't
remember who the player was, I My computer says that the best
remember the game like I just move is 21. ~)(h8. This
played it, mainly because I have represents a huge flaw that
shown it to so many people many players overlook when
over the years. evaluating the output from
computers. Is the best move
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3 ..Q.c4 .Q.c5 suggested by the computer,
4.c3 4)f6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4
.Q.b4+ 7.4)c3 4) xe4 8.0-0 really the best move? Does the
.1lxc3 9.d5 Af6 10.~el 4)e7 move provide me with my best
11.~xe4 d6 12..1lg5 .1lxg5 chances for making a
13.4)xg5 0-0 14.4)xh7 ctlxh7 comeback? The answer is that
15.ith5+ ctlg8 16.~h4 f5 the computer could care less
17.ith8+?? about your chances in the
position. It can only calculate

66
the value of a position. I ended
up playing the move 21. ~xg6+
because I felt that it gave me
my best chance to come back
from an almost certain defeat.
The plan did work as you can
see from the remainder of the
game.
21. ~xg6+ ~xg6 22.13xh8 b6
23.Etee8 ~g4 24.J1e2 itd4
25.h4!
Taking away g5 as a possible
escape square for the Black
King and attempting to force a
draw with 26. Ah5+ g6 followed
by endless Rook checking.
Queen to up a piece in a mere
eig ht moves!! 1-0
A different type of example
involves a very common human
skill that the computer just has
problems with, namely,
simplification. The computer
provides you with what it thinks
is the best move. For a person,
forcing the position to become
easier to win by trading off
some pieces, regardless of
value, is frequently not reflected
in the computers top choice of
moves.

25 .... ~e5

Black unwisely decides to give

back the surplus material in
hopes of being able to win the
position all over again, but the
resultant position is far from
equal.

26.13xe5 dxe5 27.Jlc4 ~f6

28.13e8! e4?

If 28.... Ab7 29. l!e6+ followed

by 30. l!xe5. But, the text move
is even worse.
29.J1a6 J1b7 30.13e6+ ~f7
31.J1xb7
And, White won some moves
later. Amazing!! From down a
Many high level players would
play 1. ~xf5 gxf5 2. ~xf5
trading down to an easier win.
The computer does not even
consider this move as a real
choice.
There are many other positions
where the computer

67
recommends a move as being Ask your friends and
the best move and for practical teammates about your
purposes, the human player opponent. Maybe some of
would be better off playing them have played your
another move. opponent before and can
provide some insight into his
Preparing For An style, tendencies, and
weaknesses.
Opponent
2) Locate Past Games
Chess masters spend countless
hours preparing for battle. Search the internet for past
Whether it is studying openings, games played by your
endgames, or a particular opponent. I find the website,
opponent, they are constantly www.chessgames.com to be
working to improve their skills an invaluable resource when
and their performances in preparing for strong opponents.
competitions. Also, serious chess players like
myself, save loads of chess
Frequently, you know who you games from various sources,
are going to play ahead of time. including all of my past games
Whether it's that guy that in chess databases.
always wins your section or an
invitational tournament where 3) Play Through All of your
all the other combatants are Opponent's Games
known prior to the start of the
event, or a match, like the While performing this task, you
United States Chess League should be verifying the
(USCL), where you know your information supplied to you by
opponent a few days prior to others. In addition, you should
playing. be searching for games that
illustrate weaknesses in your
How does a chess player opponent's play. And, lastly,
prepare for future encounters? you should be thinking of how
your opponent's openings
1) Gather as much match up with your opening
information as possible about repertoire. Will you be able to
your opponent. exploit his weaknesses utilizing
openings that you already play?

68
Or should you play something played several matches for the
ne~, in order to surprise your Boston team, but struggled to
opponent in a line that you feel play well primarily because I
he should play? These are had trouble focusing without an
tough questions that I will opponent sitting opposite me.
address shortly. The moves were transported
via telephone and runners. All
In 2007, I was an alternate for that commotion was distracting
the Arizona Scorpions in the and it affected my play. The
United States Chess League. USCL games are played over'
What that means is, I could play the internet and your opponent
a maximum of two games for is right there, just like when
the team during the season. As playing chess on the ICC,
it turned out, I did play in two where I play thousands of
games for the Scorpions that games and feel very
year. My preparation for my comfortable. One of the other
first game and the game itself differences between the two
follows. leagues is that in this
information age, it is easier for
My USCL debut came in the teammates to pass information
fourth match of the year against and thoughts among
the Tennessee Tempo. On the themselves via email. The
Sunday preceding the match, Arizona Scorpions do this for
the official lineups for each every match.
team became known and now, I
have a serious chess game to My opponent is revealed and
prepare for. Hundreds of chess his identity is FM John Bick and
players from all over the world I have three days to prepare for
watch these games on the this game. Because I have
Internet Chess Club (ICC). For never played John, or even met
a chess professional like him, I need to research my
myself, this is an excellent opponent. The first step is to
opportunity to showcase my gather information about my
skills. opponent. The best source for
information is
Also, I am one of the few www.chessgames.com.
players in the league that also Virtually every chess master in
played in the National Chess the world has games on this
League back in the 80s. I site, including yours truly. Other

69
games of his came from ------------ Game #030 -----------
Arizona players that have
played him, his past games (W) Sandor Torok (2311)
played in the league, and a few (B) John Bick (2247)
other sources. [C30] First Saturday
September, Budapest, Hungary,
After I finished playing through (Round 3), 09/04/2006
about 50 of his games. I have l.e4 e5 2.f4 Ac5 3. ldf3 d6
come to the following 4.ldC3 [df6 5.Ac4 c6 6.4Ja4
conclusions: Jlb4 7.a3 Jla5 8.b4 ltc7
9.fxe5 dxe5 10.4Jc5 b6
1) There is 110 way that I go II.ldd3 l~xe4 12.~e2 Jlf5
down the Petroff's lines. I do
13.Jlb2 4Jd714.b5 0-0
15.bxc6 ldd6 16..11h3 Axd3
not know any theory on this and 17.cxti3 l~c5 18..o.a2 4Jf5
I do know that there is a lot of 19.0-0 ll)xd3 20.o1tc3 EIe8
new stuff in this opening. 21.~e4 g6 22.~c4 §e6
23.~~bl e4 24 ..Q.xd3 ~xd3
2) I could just play my Center 25. ~xd3 exd3 26.g4 4Jh6
Game and avoid the Petroff 27.4)d4 §e4 28.h3 jle5
29.41b5 .o~xc3 30. l l)xc3 §c4
completely like that. This is
31.41d5 §c5 32. lL\b4 a5
what he is likely expecting. 33.41xd3 §xc6 34.§abl f6
35.§fcl §ac8 36.EIxc6 E{xc6
3) He is very positional and 37.\"t>f2 rJJf7 38.\t1e3 ~e6
avoids tactical frays. a brutal 39.4)f4+ ~d6 40.~d4 f5
clash in styles. He is prone to 41.g5 41f7 42.4)d5 ldxg5
tactical blunders when the 43.ldxb6 41xh3 44.4Jc4+ ~e6
45.§el+ ~f6 46.rJJd5 E!a6
game gets too complicated (see 47.~c5 g5 48.d4 4Jf4 49.41e5
Game #033). The following 4Je6+ 50.~c4 E{d6 51.EIdl
three games (Game #030 to 41xd4 52.\1ic5 ~xe5 53.§el+
Game #032), I found the most rJJf6 54.~xd6 g4 55.\"t>d5 4)f3
interesting. 56.EIe2 h5 57.~c4 h40-1

4) I frequently play the King's ----------- Game #031 ------------

Gambit and could easily get him
into that by either playing 1. e4
or 1. f4. If I chose this opening. I
need to study and understand
the following game.
If he decides the Sicilian
instead, I could go down this
path, as I playa similar position
after the following move order:
1. e4 c5 2. '£)c3 .£Jc6 3. f4 e6

70
 ~ · ~--
_i._~,;U?_jge! ). (I''1 _cxC1'(
-t ). ';:.!x(
~_ ,-I •.,'.7' . ·;::\'xcl·:l
{_.~X\, ....
!,:", ..() 8..•
1"-- ,.
(W) developer (1860)
(B) JD (1935)
[882] ICC 5 0, 08/02/2008
l.e4 c5 2.l,df3 e6 3.d4 exd4
4.4Jxd4 4Jf6 5.4Jc3 d6 6.f4
Ae7 7.tclf 3 0-0 S.,~d3 a6
9.0-0 b5 10.a3 .o.b711.~hl
4Jbd7 12.~el EteS 13.~g3
E!cS14.e5lclh515.~g4 gG
16.4Je4 .o.xe417.-'lxe4 d5
ls.Ad3 4Jg7 19. ~h3 ~b6
20.,Q.d2 a5 21.Etael h4
22.a xb4 axb4 23.b3 .£le5
24 ..Q.e3 ~bS 25 . .o.xc5 Etxc5
26.4Jd4 f.(ecS 27.g4 Etc3 2S.f5
Jlg5 29.f6 lodeS 30. ~g3 AhG
31.lclxe6 fxe6 32.f7+ ~fS
33.fxeS~+ ~xeS 34.~f3
E!Sc7 35. tfyf6 ~cS 3G..Q.b5+
E!7c6 37.~h8+ £f:}d7
3S.tfjtxh7+ 1-0
------------ Game #032 -----------
This game is something that I
feel comfortable doing once I
get the wedge position. If he
changes up before this though,
I could run into problems
playing this position with White.
(W) PrincessTornado (1638)
(8) JD (1928)
[ADO] ICC 50,08/03/2008
1.g3 e5 2.Ag2 d5 3.d3 c6
4.ldc3 Jle5 5 ..£lf3 '/he7 G.O-O
4Jf6 7.e4 d4 S.4Je2 AdG 9.h3
'" I''1
c5 lO.b3 lclC6 1l.a3 Ad7
{:''''f'~
•... ,....
a/.)
\.~ 12. .£lh2 0-0 13.f4 4JeSI4.f5
f615.g4 Ac716.h4 .£ld617.g5
~hSI8.l.dg3 E!fc819.~h5
~fS 20.4Jg4 lcle7 2Vi!;f2 lclgS
22.g6 h6 23.E!hl b5 24.4JO c4
25. lclfh2 cxd3 26.cxd3 Ab6
27.E!a2 E!e3 28.~e2 f.(ae8
29.Jld2 Etc2 30.E!aa1 4)b7
31.E!acl 4)a5 32.h4 4)b3
33.E!xc2 E!xe2 34.E!dl a5
35.4)f3 .£lxd2 36.l2lxd2 axb4
37.axb4 ~xb4 3S.4)f2 Aa5
39.t}'f3 E!xd2+ 40.E!xd2
~xd2+ 41.\t'fl ~el# 0-1
------------ Game #033 ------------
One of my teammates directed
me to the following game, as
proof on how my opponent
blunders and miscalculates in
complex and tactical positions.
(W) John Bick (2249)
(B) Adam Strunk (2113)
[D85] ICC 75 30 u United
States Chess League,
09/10/2008, Chicago Blaze
versus Tennessee Tempo
1.d4 4)fG 2.c4 g6 3.4)e3 d5
4.exd5 4)xd5 5.Ad2 Ag7 G.e4
4)bG 7.Ae3 .£leG S.Ab5 0-0
9 . .£lge2 4)a5 10.b3 e5 11.d5 cG
12.dxcG hxc6 13.Jld3 'itle7
14.~c2 AeG15.lclg3 E!fd8
1G.0-0 c517.lclb5 ~b7
IS.Axc5 E!ac8 19.h4 AfS
20.Elfc1 lcld7 21. ~a4 4) xe5
22.bxe5 E!xd3 23.~xa5 Axe5
24.E!dl Ac4 25.E!xd3 Axd3
71
26.a4 a6 27.~d2 Axe4 ~h5. As I play through the
28.4)d6 .11.xd6 29. ttxd6 Axg2 sample games, I feel that this is
30.ttxe5 h5 31.ttg5 .11.h3 the move that I am looking for.
32.4)xh513b8 33.4)f6+ f/}g7
34.13el ~f3 35.4)e4 ~xe4 0-1 A move that he has likely never
seen before and will come as a
At this point, I have digested all complete surprise to him, and a
the experience and wisdom that move that will help me exploit
my teammates have supplied. my advantage as a tactical
From my research and player. At this point, I tell the
everything I now know about team about my research and
FM John Bick, I have decided my intention to play 3. ~h5 in
that if he plays the Alekhine's the King's Gambit.
Defense, which I play regularly
and know extremely well, I can The next set of games (Game
just wing it during the game. If #034 to Game #043) form my
John plays the Sicilian, I can research on this opening
play the line that I stated variation.
previously. But, the most likely
course for John is to play e5 ------------ Game #034 ------------
and against the King's Gambit,
he is likely to play 2.... .1lc5, as (W) Dr. Julius Perlis
in the aforementioned Torok- (8) Georg Marco
Bick game. Later on Monday, I [C30] Vienna, Austria, 1904
start dissecting the Torok - Bick
l.e4 e5 2.f4 Ac5 3. tth5 d6
game. The first step I took, was 4.fxe5 g6 5. ~f3 dxe5 6.Ac4
to completely review the game, tth4+ 7.g3 ttf6 8.4)c3 -'l,xgl
move by move, and with the 9.ttxf6 4)xf610.13xgl Ah3
assistance of my chess 11.d4
computer, I try to understand
what happened in the game (1l.d3 c6 12..1ld2 ~bd7 13.~dl
and why. The next step was to ~g414.§hl 0-0 15.~3)
return to the website and kick in 11 .... 4)c612.Ag5 4)g4
the Opening Explorer feature on 13.4)d5 4)xd414.0-0-0 0-0
the site. I proceed down the 15•.11.f14)f216.Af64)c6
game, move by move, looking 17.~d2 .11.xf118.~xf2 Ac4
for alternate moves that I can 19.b3 Axd5 20.exd5 4)b4
play against him. While doing 21.j\e7 4)xd5 22.Axf8 f/}xf8
this step, I stumble on the
23.13dl 4)b6 24.c4 c6 25.a4 a5
26.g4 f/}e7 27.g5 ~f8 28.~fd2
variation: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 .1lc5 3. 13h8 29.13d3 h6 30.13h3 h5

72
31.Ete3 4)d7 32.h4 Elf8 33.§f1 37.Axe4 fxe4 38.~e3 Ci!lg8
rtJe6 34.~e2 fS 3S.g xf6 Elxf6 39.Elg1 ~f7 40.ElgS ~f6
36.Etxf6+ 4)xf6 37.~d3 eS 41.Eleg2 Eld8 42.EleS EldS
38.13g3 4)g4 39.~e4 4)f6+ 43.ElgS Elf5 44.Ele5 Elxg5
40. ~e3 4)g4+ 1/2-1/2 4S.ElxgS ~f7 46.Ele5 ~f6
47.~xe4 §d6 48.~f3 Eld5
____________ Game #035 ------------ 49.~g4 Eld6 SO.Ele8 §e6
Sl.Ele8 ~f7 S2.~gS Ele1
S3.Ele7+ ~e6 S4.§xe6+ ~dS
(W) R Hewitt SS.EleS+ ~d6 S6.~f6 Elh1
(8) B Copley S7.~g7 Elh4 S8.~xh7 1-0
[C30] Correspondence, 1949
------------ Game #037 ------------
1.e4 eS 2.f4 AeS 3. ~hS 4)e6
4.Ae4 ~f6 S.4)e3 4)ge7 (W) P Buecker
6.4)f3 g6 7.fxeS ~g7 8.~gS
h6 9.~f6 ~h710.Axf7+ (8) M Maier
~xf7 11. ~xh8+ 4)g8 12.4)dS [C30] Dortmund Open, 1987
~d8 13.d4 Af8 14.0-0 ~g7
15.4)gS hxgS 16.AxgS+ 4)ee7 1.e4 eS 2.f4 AeS 3.~hS 4)e6
17.Axe7+ 4)xe718.Elxf8+ 1-0 4.fxe5 g6 S.~e21Z1xeS 6.e3
Af8 7.d4 lZle6 8.4)f3 Ag7
------------ Game #036 ------------ 9.Af4 d6 10.1Z1bd2 Ad7
11. ~e3 4)f6 12.h3 0-0
(W) Gerard Welling 13.Ad3 Ele8 14.AgS ~c8
lS.0-0 4)hSI6.~h2 dS
(8) Mergits 17.~f2 dxe418.4)xe4 fS
[C30] Gent open, 1985 19.4)eS h6 20.Ad2 b6
21.Ae4+ ~h7 22.4)d3 Ae6
l.e4 eS 2.f4 AeS 3. ~hS ~e7 23.Jl.bS Ad7 24.Elae1 Elxe1
4.~xe5 ~xeS S.fxeS Ad4 2S.Elxe1 ~f8 26.1Z1f4 ~d6
6.4)f3 4)e6 7.e3 AxeS 8.4) xeS 27.g3 4)f6 28.Axe6 ~xe6
4)xeS 9.d4 4)g610.4)a3 a6 29.4)eS 4)e4 30.Elxe4 ~xe4
1l.Ad3 4)8e7 12.0-0 d6 31.1Z1xd7 Ele8 32.h4 ~e7
13.4)e4 0-0 14.4)e3 Ad7 33.1Z1eS AxeS 34.dxe5 ~xeS
15.Ad2 Ae616.b4 bS17.g3 3S. ~f3 ~e4 36.Ci!lg2 gS
}3ae8 18.Elfe1 4)e8 19.4)f5 37.hxgS hxgS 38.4)dS ~e2+
4)b6 20.Elad1 f6 21.h4 dS 39.~f2 ~xf2+ 40.~xf2 Eld8
22.exdS 4)xdS 23.hS 4)ge7 41.e4 e6 42.AxgS Eld643.Af4
24.h6 4)xfS 2S.AxfS g6 Ele6 44.4)e3 ~g6 4S.Ci!le2 Ele7
26.Ae6+ Ci!lh8 27.a4 4)b6 46.Ci!ld3 Eld7+ 47.Ci!le3 Ci!lf6
28.a5 4)dS 29.~f2 f5 30.Af4 48.4)e2 Eld8 49.4)d4 Ele8
4)xf4 31.gxf4 Ae4 32.Jl.b3 e6 SO.eS ~g6 Sl.~e4 ~f6 S2.a4
33.§e3 §d8 34.Elde1 Eld6 Ci!lg6 S3.b3 ~f6 54.b4 ~g6
35.§3e2 Ele8 36.Ae2 Elde6

73
55.cxb6 axb6 56.a5 c5
57.axb61-0
------------ Game #038 ------------
(W) Frank Zeller (2455)
(B) G Schwalbe (2150)
[C30] Neckar Open,
Deizisau, Germany,
(Round 2), 04/06/1998
1.e4 e5 2.f4 jlc5 3. ~h5 d6
4.fxe5 g6 5.~f3 dxe5 6.jlc4
~e7 7.4)c3 c6 8.4)ge2 jle6
9.jlxe6 ~xe6 10.d3 4)d7
11.Ad2 0-0-012.0-0-0 f6
13.g4 4)e7 14.4)g3 E{hf8
15.E{dfl b5 16.~b1 4)b6
17.h4 b4 18.4)ce2 E{d7
19.4)c1 4)c4 20.dxc4 E{xd2
21.4)b3 E{fdS 22.4)xd2 E{xd2
23.~c1 E{d6 24.b3 ~d7
25.E{d1 jld4 26.~b1 ~c7
27.g5 4)g8 28.4)e2 ~a5 29.h5
fxg5 30.4)xd4 exd4 31.hxg6
h6 32. ~f7 ~dS 33.ftxa7
E{xg6 34.E{xd4 E{d6 35.E{xd6
~xd6 36. fta8+ ftb8
37.~xc6+ ~c7 38.~e6+ 1-0
----------- Game #039 ------------
(W) J Claesen (2248)
(B) Hans Klip (2327)
[C30] Belgian Interteam
Antwerp, Belgium,
(Round 6), 1999
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Jl.c5 3. ~h5 4)f6
4.~xe5+ Ae7 5.4)c3 0-0
6.itb5 4)c6 7.e5 4)g48.4)f3
d6 9.d4 dxe5 10.dxe5 4)b4
11.Ad3 b612.Jle4 Jla6
74
13.ita4 jlc514.Ad2 ~f2
15.a3 4)xhl16.axb4 jlf2+
17.~d1 Jlfl18.ftc6 E{b8
19.93 Jl.g2 20.~e2 jlxg3
21.E{gl jlxf3+ 22.Axf3 ith4
23.E{xh1 jlxf4 24. ite4 -'lg5
25.Ae11/2-1/2
------------ Game #040 ------------
(W) Luis Rodi
(B) Raul Monier
[C30] Najdorf Memorial, Buenos
Aires, Argentina, (Round 1),
09/09/2000
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Ac5 3. ith5 d6
4.fxe5 g6 5.itf3 dxe5 6.jlc4
ith4+ 7.g3 ite7 8.4)c3 c6
9.4)ge2 jle6 10.jlb3 4)d7
11.d3 0-0-0 12.Jld2 h5
13.0-0-0 f5 14.h4 Elf8 15.Jlg5
ite816.d4 Axb317.axb3 fxe4
18.itg2 exd419.4)xe4 4)h6
20.~xd4 4)f5 21.Elhe1 ~f7
22.4)e6 ftxe6 23.4)xc5 4)xc5
24.E{xe6 4) xe6 25.jld2 EldS
26.Ele1 E{d6 27.itf2 E{hdS
28.Jl.b4 c5 29.Jlxc5 Elc6 30.b4
b6 31.itg2 ~c7 32.b51-0
------------ Game #041 -----------
(W) Luis Rodi (2225)
(B) Bernardo Mailhe (2400)
[C30] 1st Masters Pinamar,
Argentina, (Round 6),
3/13/2001
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Ac5 3.ith5 d6
4.fxe5 g6 5.itf3 dxe5 6.Jl.c4
Ae6 7.Axe6 fxe6 8.4)e2 4)c6
9.d3 ~e710.h4 h611.~g3
0-0-0 12.~f1 ~f813.~xf8+
~xf8 14.Jld2
(14.4)d2 g5 15.4Jf3 gxh4 16.~xh4
~f617.~h5 4Jge7 18.Ad2 Ab4
19.c3 Ad6 20.0-0-0 ~g6 21.~xg6 31. ~e2 ~d8 32.a4 ~g6
{))(g6 22.g3 ~f8 23.~f1 hS)
14.... 4)f6 15.4)bc3 4)h5
16.~f3 ~xf317.gxf3 Jle7
18.0-0-0 Jlxh4 19.~hl g5
20.4)dl ~f8 21.~h3 4)d4
22.4)gl 4)g3 23.c3 4)de2+
24.4)xe2 4)xe2+ 25.<3lc2 4)gl 'litxe3+ 48.'litxe3 ~xe3 49.a5
26.~hl4)xf3 27.Jle3 h5
28.Jl.f2 Jlxf2 29.4)xf2 g4
30.~xh5 g3 31.4)h3 g2 32.a4
gl~ 33.4)xgl4)xgI34.~xe5
~d7 35.d4 ~f2+ 36.<3lb3 4)f3
37 .~b5 4)d2+ 38.<3la2 b6
39.e5 a6 40.~b4 a5 41.~b5
4)c4 42.d5 ~d2 43.dxe6+
~)(e6 44.<3lbl c6 45.~b3
~dl+ 46.<3la2 <3lxe5 0-1
------------ Game #042 ------------
(W) Alexander Shabalov
(2601)
(8) Aleksandar Stamnov
(2231)
[C30] Philadelphia National
Congress, Philadelphia, PA
(Round 1), 11/26/2000
l.e4 e5 2.f4 Jlc5 3.4)(3 d6
4.Jl.c4 4)c6 5.d3 4)f6 6.4)c3
Ag4 7.4)a4 exf4 8.4)xc5 dxc5
9.Jl.xf4 ~e7 10.h3 Jl.xf3
11. ~xf3 4)d4 12.'litf2 b5
13..Q.b3 0-0 14.0-0 4)e6
15.Jl,e5 4)xe4! 16.dxe4 c4
17.Jl.xc4 bxc418.~ael c5
19.~e2 ~fe8 20.'litxc4 ~ad8
21.Ac3 ~h4 22.~e3 ~d7
23. ~b5 ~e7 24.~ef3 ~d8
25.~f5 h6 26.~d5 ~ee7
27.'lita4 ~xd5 28.exd5 ~xd5
29.~el ~d7 30.~g4 ~g5
33.~f1 ~d5 34. ~f3 ~d7
35. ~c6 ~d8 36. 'litb7 4)g5
37.~e7 ~d5 38.h4 4)e6
39. ~xa7 ~h5 40.Ael 4)d4
41. ~e7 f6 42.c3 4)c2 43.Af2
~e5 44. ~d8+ <3lh7 45. ~d2
~e4 46.~cl 4)e3 47.Jl.xe3
c4 50.~al ~e7 51.a6 ~a7
52.<3lf2 g5 53.hxg5 fxg5
54. <3le3 1-0
Over the next couple of days, I
reviewed the games over and
over. When I arrived at the
match site, I was early and had
time to review one last time. I
had determined that the key
game was the one that follows.
So, I looked at it some more.
After White's fifth move, I
analyzed what would happen if
Black played the move
5.... 4Jd4, instead of 5.... 4Jxe5.
This would turn out to be very
important.
------------ Game #043 ------------
(W) P Buecker
(B) M Maier
[C30] 1987 Dortmund Open,
Dortmund, Germany
l.e4 e5 2.f4 Jlc5 3. ~h5 4)c6
4.fxe5 g6 5.~e2 4)xe5 6.c3
7S
 A.fS 7.d4 .£le6 S•.£lf3 A.g7
9.A.f4 d6 10..£lbd2 Ad7
11.~e3 .£lf612.h3 0-0
13.A.d3 ~eS 14.A.g5 ~eS
15.0-0 .£lh5 16.'(!jIh2 d5
17.~f2 dxe41S..£lxe4 f5
19..£le5 h6 20.A.d2 b6
21.Ae4+ '(!jIh7 22..£ld3 A.e6
23.A.b5 A.d7 24.~ael ~xe1
25.~xe1 ~fS 26 ..£lf4 ~d6
27.g3 .£lf6 2S.Axe6 ~xe6
29 ..£le5 .£le4 30.~xe4 ~xe4
31 ..£lxd7 ~eS 32.h4 ~e7
33 ..£le5 Axe5 34.dxe5 ~xe5
35. ~f3 ~e4 36. '(!jIg2 g5
37.hxg5 hxg5 3S..£ld5 ~e2+
39.~f2 ~xf2+ 40.'(!jIxf2 ~dS
41.e4 e6 42.Axg5 ~d6 43.Af4
~e6 44 ..£le3 '(!jIg6 45. '(!jIe2 ~e7
46.'(!jId3 ~d7+ 47.'(!jIe3 '(!jIf6
4S..£le2 ~dS 49..£ld4 ~eS
50.e5 '(!jIg6 51.'(!jIe4 '(!jIf6 52.a4
'(!jIg6 53.b3 '(!jIf6 54.h4 '(!jIg6
55.exb6 axb6 56.a5 e5
57.axb61-0
The last decision was to decide
whether to play 1. e4 or 1. f4.
Ultimately, I decided to play
1. f4 because I felt it gave him
fewer options and because
most "old time" players really
enjoy playing the From's
Gambit. Now, for the game:
------------ Game #044 ------------
(W) Joel Johnson (2211)
(B) John Bick (2249)
[C30] ICC 75 30 u United
States Chess League,
09/17/2008, Arizona Scorpions
versus Tennessee Tempo
76
1.f4 e5 2.e4 A.e5
At this point, I just sat and
twiddled my thumbs for five or
six minutes. Much like playing
poker online, you need to
create the illusion that you were
somewhat taken aback by his
bet (move), 2.... Ac5 and
needed time to come up with a
response.
The surprise move! From this
point forward, Black's clock
starts seriously ticking and
ticking. It is obvious that I have
blindsided him and now,
everything related to this game
is in my favor.
3.... .£le6 4.fxe5 g6 5.~e2
As in my key game,
P Buecker - M Maier, I like
placing the Queen here instead
of t\'f3, which happens in many
of the sample games.
5.... .£ld4
Here, John plays the move that
I had just finished looking at,
prior to the start of play. Not
that it mattered because my
preparation has resulted in a
huge time advantage already
and a great idea of how to
proceed.
6. ttd3 ~e7 7.c3 4)c6 8. ~g3

I have reached the position that This is the key move to refuting
I wanted, when I decided to Black's 13.... ~eS? The point is
play this line. Black has no place good to
relocate his Queen. On
8.... d6 14 .... ~fS, White wins after
15 . .§f1, 16. t7+, and
In several of the sample games, 17. fxg8(~)+. On 14.... ~c2,
Black frequently employed the White wins by playing 1S. .§c1
move, ~xgl to avoid losing the ~xb2 16. .§bl ~xa2 17. dxeS.
tempo after White plays 9. d4 And, on 14 .... ~dS:
attacking the Black Bishop.
The extra tempo is important to 14.... ~d5 15.c4!
Black's defensive chances.
Black wanted to capture my
9.d4 jlb6 10.Ab5 Bishop on bS in response to me
grabbing his Knight on eS and
At this point in the game, I really should I decide to snatch the
want to play .Q.gS, but I can see Bishop on d7, he would simply
that Black will respond with f6, recapture with his Knight on eS.
and the eventual capture of my The move c4 foils Black's plan
e-Pawn on e4. So, by playing by protecting the White Bishop
10. AbS first, I am threatening to on bS and leaving Black's
win his Knight on c6 with the Knight on eS hanging.
move dS and on the eventual
~xe4+, I will be able to get all 15.•.. 4)d3+
my pieces developed without
blocking in this Bishop, say Black is still trying to hold onto
after the move ~e2. his piece.

10.... Ad711.Ag5 f612.exf6 16.t\'xd3 itxg517.f7+!

ttxe4+ 13.4)e2 4)e5?
This is a desperate attempt by
Black to complicate the
position. However, I routinely
play complicated games and
have no problems sifting
through everything.
This move wins the piece for
good.
17.... rt/xf718.Axd7 4)f6
19.0-0 ~ad8 20.4)e4 1-0
Advanced preparation for this

77
game made a huge difference
in the outcome of the game.
Most Thrilling
Game Ever?
Defense, Traxler Variation): 30S
(W) Christopher Van de Loo
(8) M Hesseling
[C57] Weekend Tournament,
Holland, 1983

Playing attacking chess is very l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ac4 4)f6

popular with chess fans 4.4)g5 Ac5
everywhere. There is nothing
like having a crowd of people The Traxler Variation of the Two
watching and waiting for your Knight's Defense is a toe-to-toe,
every move. Whether the heart pulsating, free-for-all
scene is a local chess club brawl. This opening variation is
tourney, an International event, not for the faint of heart.
or the United States Chess
5.4) xf7 j\xf2+ 6. C(!1xf2 4) xe4+
League (which is broadcast 7.C(!1e3 t:/e78.c3 4)d4 9.C(!1xe4
over the Internet Chess Club), t:/h4 10.C(!1e3 t\'f4+ 11.C(!1d3 dS
nothing stirs up the crowd like a 12•.£lxd5 .£lf5+ 13.C(!1c4 b5+
brutal attacking game of chess. 14.C(!1c5 t\'h415.4)xe5 0-0-0
The next game shown exceeds 16.c4 E{xd5+ 17.cxd5 E{d8
all the requirements of drawing 18.4)c3 4)c6
fan interest. I would have loved
to have seen this game in
person. No matter what you
say about the following game,
you cannot deny that this game
takes you on the chess joy ride
of your life! So many ups and
downs, and just when you think
it is coming to a conclusion, it
just gets more exciting! One
has to wonder, is this game for
real? Anyways, I hope you
enjoy it, as much as I did.

----------- Game #045 ------------ 19.t\'a4!!

Related Game (Two Knight's Simply amazing and shocking!

78
And, this IS the be As the Black fo
the position! st move in the White Kin rces surround
to ~onder outgl~~~ellcannot help
19... :iWe7+ 20 f3J b White get out f .' How will
21. 'ltc4 4)d4+ '2-2 x 5 t'{xe5 would seem i~ this. mess?" It
23.~a5 4)c6+ 24·!a4 Ad7+ point in time b pos~lble at this
25.~xa7 .wa64)b8+ and do hap 'enu.t miracles can
battling to t~ If you keep
e very end.
White seems to h
Black's vicious attave escaped
time being
. . However ack forI the
.
your King that dee .' pacing
opponent's territo p ~nto your
considered very dry as to be
say the least. Wh·angerous
Ite w·n ' to
worry about his Kin ,I need to
the remainder f g s safety for
o the game

79
Yet another awesome position!
First appearances seem that
White is all done, as Black has
the White King pinned down in
the corner and threatens a
bunch of checkmates. But,
Black is losing now.

39.Etee7 itxg2 40.Etb7 Etc5

41.c7

White's constant back rank

35..Q.g5+! Etxg5 36.Etadl +
<lIe8 37.Ethel+ <lIf8
mate threat from here on, ties
up Black's Queen badly. As a
result, White is able to slowly
advance his queenside passed
Pawns up the board.

For the cost of his Bishop,

White is finally able to fend off
Black's attack and develop his
Rooks. Now, it is Black's King
that is more exposed.

White begins to take control of

the game, as his pieces
become more active.

38•••• itxh2

41 •••• itg4

80
The White Rook on e 7 is
poison.

42.!!f7+ ~e8

Again, capturing the White

Rook leads to checkmate.

43.b4 Etc2 44.a4 h5

One has to wonder aloud, what
is the impact of all this Pawn
advancing?

45.a5 h4 46.b5 h3 47.4)c6

Now, we see White's plan to
disconnect Black's Rook from
the defense of the c8 square.
Basically, Black is attempting to
Queen another Pawn and White
is making every effort to
checkmate the Black King.
After all, isn't that the true
objective of the game?
Final Position
White checkmates Black after
48.... ~c8+ 49.§b8 ~f8 50.§d7
§e2 51.§xc8+ §e8 52.§xe8+
~xe8 53.c8~# 1-0
Amazing Endgame
Mates
These next two games are
amazing! As frequently, I see
players give up on checkmating
themes, in favor of Pawn
grabbing when the endgame
arrives. You need to always be
looking for checkmate, even if it
seems impossible, as both of
these games prove.

47•••• h2 48.Ilxg71-0

81
------------ Game #046 ------------

(W) Vassily Ivanchuk (2746)

(8) Alexey Shirov (2745)
[D91] Bazna Tournament,
Bazna, Romania (Round 7),
06/21/2009

1.d4 ~f6 2.e4 g6 3.~e3 d5

4.Jlg5 ~e4 5..Q.h4 e5 6.exd5
~xe3 7.b xe3 ~xd5 8.e3 Jl.g7
9.~f3 ~e6 10.Ae2 exd4
11.exd4 0-012.0-0 b613.r!e1
Jlb7 14.~a4 e6 15.~e3 r!fe8
16.r!fe1 a617.~e1 b518.~e2
~ xd4 19.exd4 Jlxd4 20.Jlf3
r!xe3 21.~xe3 Jlxe3 22.Jlxd5 59.g4 hxg4 60.h5 e4 61.h6 e3+
62.r:tJe1 .llg8 63.4)xa2 f5
Jlxd5 23.~xe3 Jlxa2 24.Jlf6 64..lle5 <l/e4 65.Ae7 f4
b4 25.r!e7 b3 26.~d3 a5 66.4)e3+ <l/f5 67.4)d5 Jlh7
27 .~e5 g5 28.r!b7 h6 68.<l/e2 g3 69.<l/f3
29.~xb3 a4 30.~e5 Jld5
31.r!d7 a3 32.r!d8+ ~xd8
33.Axd8 r:tJg7 34.Aa5 r:tJg6 Finally, the power of the pieces
35.Ae3 f6 36.f3 h5 37.r:tJf2 e5 takes over the game and
38.g3 r:tJf5 39.~d7 Jle6 Black's passed Pawns start to
40.~e5 g4 41.fxg4+ r:tJxg4 fall.
42.h4 a2 43.Jlb2 Ad5 44.~d3
r:tJf5 45.Jla1 .lle446.4)e5
.lld5 47..llb2 r:tJg4 48.~a4
Jlb3 49.~e5 Ad5 50.~d7
r:tJf5 51.r:tJe3 Ae6 52.~b6
<l/g4 53.<l/f2 <l/f5 54.~e4 <l/e4
55.4)e3 Jld7 56.4)d1 Jle6
57.4)e3+ <l/d3 58..1la1 Ae4

A very tough endgame where

Black gives up a piece for
Pawns and attempts to hang on
for a draw.

69 .... e2 70.<l/xe2 g2 71.<l/f2

82
f3 72..1lb6 ~e6 73.4)c3 ~f7
74.Ae3 ~g6 75.4)d5 ~f7
76.c3Jxf3 .1lbl 77.4)c3 Ac2
7S.c3Jxg2 ~g6 79.~g3 ~h5
SO.lz)d5 ~g6 81.~h4 -'lbl
s2.Ag5 .1lc2 83.4)f6 -'lf5
"You need to always be
looking for checkmate, even
if it seems impossible"
the Black light-squared Bishop
is a mere spectator of the final
execution of checkmate.)
86.... Ae6 87. ~g5 Af5 88.Af8
Ae6 89.<i11h6 Af5 90.11.g7#.
Now, even though that last
game was a bit too much too
handle, and a complete shock
to your system, the next game
will rock the very foundation of
all your chess beliefs. You will
want to go back and question
everything that you have ever
been taught about the game of
chess after you witness this
incredible finish.

------------ Game #047 ------------

(W) Jesus Nogueiras (2557)

(8) Maikel Gongora (2417)
[A21] Cuba Championship,
Las Tunas, Cuba (Round 12),
04/14/2001

l.c4 e5 2.4)c3 d6 3.d4 exd4

s4.h71-0 4:/txd4 4)c6 5.ttdl g6 6.e4
-'lg7 7.-'ld3 4)f6 8.4)ge2 4)g4
And, when it looks like the 9.f3 4)ge5 10.0-0 Ae6 11.b3
game had petered down to a 4)xd312.ttxd3 ttd713.Jl.b2
draw, because it would seem 0-0-0 14.ttd2 f515.exf5
that Black can surely draw after Axf516.4)g3 Ad4+ 17.~hl
ttg7 18.Etadl Ae5 19.Jl.al h5
1Jg7 and captures on h7. But, 20.4)d5 J1,xal 21.Etxal h4
no, White has the most 22.4)xf5 gxf5 23.h3 4)e5 24.f4
incredible of all mating nets and 4)c6 25.Etael EtdeS 26.EtxeS+
the game could have continued Etxe8 27.Etel tth8 2S.ttf2
with: 84 .... ~g7 85.h8~+!! ~xh8 Etxel+ 29.ttxel a5 30.~h2
86.Ah6 (the Black King is ~b8 31. t\'c3 ttd4 32. ~xd4
completed surrounded, while
4) xd4 33.g4 c6 34.4)e7 ~c7
35.4)g6 h5 36.4)xh4 a4

83
37.4)xf5 4)xb3 38.cxb5 cxb5
39.g5 4)c5 40.g6 4)e4 41.g7
4)f6 42.4)e7 ~d7 43.4)d5
4)g8 44.f5 ~e8 45.4)c7+ ~f7
46.4)xb5 d5 47.~g3 ~xg7
48.~f4 ~f6 49.h4 4)e7
50.4)d4 4)g8 51.4)e2 4)e7
52.4)g3 a3 53.h5 4)g8 54.4)f1
4)h6 55.4)e3 d4 56.4)d5+ ~f7
57.~g5 ~g7 58.f6+ ~h7
59.~f4 4)f7 60.~e4 ~h6
61.~xd4 ~xh5 62.4)b6 ~g6
63.4)d7 4)h6 64.~d5 ~f7
65.~e5 4)g4+ 66.~f5 4)e3+
67. ~g5 4)c4 68.~f5 4)e3+
69.~f4 4)d5+ 70.~g5 ~e6
71.4)c5+ ~f7 72.4)e4 ~e6
73.~g6 4)f4+ 74.~h6 4)d5
75.~g5 4) xf6

Black has decided that he has

had enough of all this dancing
around, so he gives up his
Knight for White's passed
f-Pawn, with the idea of then,
running his King over to capture
White's last Pawn, to secure the
draw. This seems like very
sound and accurate strategy,
after all we all know that White
cannot win the game with just a
Knight. This is called
"Insufficient Mating Material".
Or, can he?
We have reached an incredible
position! Black is checkmated
Really, what is by force on all possible moves.
"Insufficient Mating
80•.•. ~xa2
Material"?
On 80 .... ~bl, White
checkmates after 81.-i)cS ~xa2

84
82.'iffc1 <i1tal 83.<i1tc2 'itla2
84. 4Jd3 'itlal 85. ~cl a2
86. 4Jb3#.
And, on 80.... 'itlal, White
checkmates Black after 81.~c1
~xa2 82.~c5 ~al 83.'itlc2 'itla2
84.4Jd3 'itla185.~c1 a2 86.~b3#.
The meaning of the chess term
"Insufficient Mating Material"
has also been forever altered.
As now, I realize that, "Yes, a
lone Knight CAN checkmate a
King!"

8VitJlc2 <i!/a182.4)c5 <i!/a2

83.4)d3 <i!/al 84.4)cll-O

Seeing is believing! Yes, it is

checkmate with just a Knight!
And, there was no way for
Black to avoid the checkmate
after capturing White's last
Pawn on a2.

Position After Analysis

"Yes, a lone Knight CAN

checkmate a King!"

Final Position

Black is checkmated after

84 .... a2 85. ~b3#. And,
another of the world's great
myths has been shattered and
exposed!

85
Section C

Attack Games

Formation:
Fianchetto Bishop
As discussed in the "Exploiting
Weaknesses" section, knocking
out the fianchetto Bishop is a
key method for attacking these
formations.
In addition, the h7 (h2) square
can be a source of concern for
the defender. As, quite often,
the defending King is the lone
defender of the square.
------------ Game #048 ------------
(W) FearNoEvii (2209)
(8) dgp115 (2000)
[B23] ICC 5 0, 11/23/2003
1.e4 c5 2.~c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5
~ge7 7.fxe6 dxe6 8.d3 0-0
9.0-0 ~e510.~e1 ~xc4
11.dxc4 4)c612.Ag5 ~a5
88
13.~h4 ~d414.Ah6 ~xc2
15.4)g5
This represents one of my
favorite methods of attacking a
Fianchetto Bishop formation.
White's last move, 15. 4JgS,
takes aim at Black's weak h7
square. Only the Black King
defends this square and now
White has two attackers on that
square (one directly with the
Knight on gS and one indirectly
with the Queen on h4). You
should also notice that by
delaying the trade of Bishops
on g7, White is preventing Black
from adequately defending his
weak h7 square. Trading the
Bishops prior to playing 4JgS
would give Black the additional
defensive options of ~h8, hS,
h6, etc.
15.... Ad4+ 16.<3lh1 ~d8
17.j'txf8 h518.Etxf7 ~xal Much like the previous game,
19:~f4Axc3 White has taken the same
approach to attacking Black's
Black had no way to avoid formation. However, Black has
checkmate in this position. attempted to defend his position
by placing his Queen on the <.1-1
20.13g7+ .1lxg7 21.~f7+ 1-0 square. The idea being that if
White captures his Bishop on
•••••••••••• Game #049 ••••••••••••
g7, he can replace the piece
with his Queen and defend the
White attacks with the same
h7 square. However, the h7
approach as the last game, but
square is still weak and White
Black ventures to defend
does not have to trade the
employing another method.
Bishops to make progress.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200) 16.~xh7! Axh6?
(8) lakerda (2320)
[B23] ICC, 02107/1999 Black had to try either ~)(h 7,
which loses his Queen after
1.e4 c5 2.~c3 ~c6 3.f4 g6
4.~f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5 17. Ae3+, but gives Black
~ge7 7.fxe6 dxe6 8.d3 0-0 mucho material for his Queen,
9.0-0 a610.a4 b611.~e1 ~d4 or §d8. But, either way, White
12.tth4 ~xc213 ..1lh6 ~c6 has compensation for the lost
14.~g5 ~d4+ 15.<c!lh1 ~xa1 Rook.

17.~xh6 ~g718.~f6+ ~xf6

19.)3xf6 ~e5 20.h3 ~c2
21.~d5!?

The idea behind this move is to

prevent Black's queenside
pieces from coming to the aid of
Black's King by pinning Black's
f7 Pawn. Also, as an added
benefit, it weakens Black's g6
square and hinders any Black
plan of running for his life.

21 .... exd5 22.Axd5 Eta7

23.)3f4g5

89
Black needed to try
23 .... .1lg4, even though he
would still be hopelessly lost.
24. ttxg5+ 4)g6 25. ttxg6+ 1-0
------------ Game #050 ------------
The idea being that if White
captures her Rook on f8, she
can capture the White Knight on
gS, then hopefully, grab the
White Bishop on f8 as well.
However, White's response has
to come as a complete surprise.

Once again, White has taken 14.Jlxf8 Axg5

the same approach to attacking
Black's formation. However,
Black tried to defend by playing
her Bishop to f6.

(W) Joel Johnson (2240)

(8) Amanda Mateer (1525)
[B23] Chess Emporium,
Phoenix, Al, (Round 3),
09/08/2002

l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6

4.4)f3 jlg7 5.Jlc4 e6 6.f5 exf5
7.d3 fxe4 8.dxe4 4)ge79.0-0-
0-0 10.ttel b611.tth4 Jlb7
12.Ah6 4)c8 13.4)g5 15.Elxf7 Jlxh4 16.-'lh6 4)e5

Checkmate is unavoidable, on
16.... CjfjIh8, White can mate
Black with 17. Ag7+ CjfjIg8
18. E!)(d7:11=.

17.Elf8:11= 1-0

In the next two games, Black

lashes out at White while
attempting to complicate
matters.

13•••• Af6

90
•••••_______ Game #051 ------------
(W) FearNoEvii (2270)
(B) theuglyface (1932)
[823] ICC tourney 308375
(3 0) (Round 4), 09/24/2007
1.e4 c5 2.~c3 ~c6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 J1g7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5 exf5
7.d3 ~ge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.~el
4)d410.~h4 ~xf3+ 11.l3xf3
fxe4 12.dxe4 d5 13.Ag5 dxc4
14.jlxe7 ~d4+ 15.~h1l3e8
16.f!d1
It makes a lot of sense to grab
the d-file prior to playing .£)cI5
and 4)[6.
16.... ~e5 17.~d5 Ae6
18.4")f6+ Axf6 19.Axf6 ~h5
This move is forced, in view of
White's intended ~h6 and
~g7#.
91
20. ~xh5 gxh5 21.l3g3+ ~f8?
Black had to play 21. ... .£1g4,
giving up a piece to survive.
22.l3g7 Ag4
The only way to avoid
checkmate is by playing
something like 22 .... !!ed8
23. !!al ~e8 24. !!g8+ ~d7
25. !!xd8+ !!xd8 26. !!dl + which
easily wins for White.
23.l3xh7 1-0
------------ Game #052 ------------
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(C) abdu (2176)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 03/19/2007
1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 d6
4.4)f3 g6 5.Ac4 Ag7 6.f5 gxf5
7.d3 fxe4 8.dxe4 4)f6 9.0-0
0-0 10.~e1 e511.~h4 Ae6

This is one of those positions
where it is better to attack than
defend. At the very least, White
will end up getting the Black
Knight on f6 for the Bishop on
c4, and the attack.
12.... Axc4
On 12.... h6 13. 4Jxe6 fxe6
14. Axe6+ \fj>h7 15.1U5+ \fj>gB
16. Axh6 and White stands
significantly better.
13.E[xf6! h6
previous two games. But,
when Black responded with
11. ... Ae6, then the
possibility of 12. 4Jg5!
appeared.
------------ Game #053 ------------
A full illustration of another
approach for eliminating the
dark squared Bishop and what
can happen.
(W) MysteryMan (2202)
(8) gladiator95 (2120)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 12/06/2008

1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6

White also has a dominating
position after 13.... E!.eB
14.~xh7+ ~fB 15.E!.f2 E!.e7 16.b3
.1le617.4Jd54Jd4 IB.4Jxe7 ~xe7
19.Ae3 E!.dB 20.c3.
14.E[xh6! f5
4.4)(3 Jlg7 5.Jlc4 e6 6.f5 exf5
7.d3 4)ge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.~e1
fxe410.dxe4 4)d411.~h4
4)ec6

Black needed to play

14.... E!.eB to survive a bit
longer.

15.E[h8+! Axh816.~h7# 1-0

A couple things worth noting

about this game are:

I) 15.E!.xh6! would not have

been possible if Black still
had his g-Pawn on g6. Rather than the usual method
of knocking out the Black
2) My plan was to attack with Fianchetto Bishop with Bh6,
Ah6, and then, 4Jg5 as in the White can utilize another

92
method of knocking out Black's
fianchetto Bishop. How? By
checking with a Knight on f6
and threatening to follow up
with ~h7#, White can force
Black to part with his Bishop on
g7, leaving all the dark squares
around his King weak, as well
as the h7 square.
------------ Game #054 ------------
Very similar to Game #053, in
which White plays 4Jf6+ to
knock out the Fianchetto
Bishop. Afterwards, White can
sacrifice his Queen on h7, play
~h3+, and mate with the move
~h8#.

12..Q.g5 'ltb6 (W) MysteryMan (2203)

(8) bobfishrules (2195)
Black is playing right into [B23] ICC 3 0, 10/13/2009
White's hands.
1.e4 c5 2.~c3 ~c6 3.f4 g6
13.4)d5! 'ltxb2 14.~f6+ Jlxf6 4.~f3 Jlg7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5 exf5
15.Axf6 ~xf3+ 16.~xf3 4)d4 7.d3 4)ge7 8.0-0 0-0

17.'ltxh7+1! 1-0 9.'lte1 ~d410.'lth4 ~xf3+

The game could have
concluded with: 17.... ~xh7
18. ~h3+ ~g819. ~h8#.
Black was hoping for
17. ~h6?? 4Jxf3+ 18. gxf3 ~xf6.
11.~xf3 ~c6 12.j\g5 'ltc7
13.~d5 'lte514.~f6+ Axf6
15.J1.xf6 1-0
After Blacks Queen retreats,
say to d6, possibly thinking that
he is preventing White's

93
possible next move of ~h6,
White checkmates with
16. ~xh7 + )fj>xh7 17. t!h3+ )fj>g8
18. t!h8#.
Final Position
------------ Game #055 ------------
Black has lost his dark squared
Bishop, then, undertakes to
defend his kingside position
with the moves h5 and )fj>h7.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) maxharm (2153)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 11/15/2006
l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 e6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 Jl.g7 5.J1c4 4)e7 6.f5
exf5 7.d3 d6 8.0-0 0-0 9. itel
4)bc610.tt1h4 fxe411.dxe4
4)e5 12.4)xe5 dxe513.J1e3
White really wants to play Ag5,
followed by 4)d5, but Black has
the tactic 13.... ~d4+, winning
94
the White Bishop on c4.
However, once the White
queenside Rook gets to dl,
then White will be free to
proceed with the plan of AgS.
13.... b6 14.Etadl tt1c7
15.Ag5
Attacking the Black Knight on
e7 is crucial, as it prevents the
White Knight from penetrating
the Black position via dS.
15...• 4)c6 16.Etd3 4)a5
17.4)d5 tt1b718.4)f6+
Stripping away Black's dark
squared Bishop.
18..•. Axf6 19.Axf6
Now, Black will try to hang on
with h5 and ~h7.
19••.• h5 20.itg5 ~h7 21.J1d5
4)c6
Black's kingside is loaded with
weaknesses. In particular, the
Black g-Pawn on g6 is threat
pinned to the checkmate on g7.
So, if White can attack the
Black h-Pawn with a Rook, then
Black will get checkmated very
quickly. Notice that if Black
attempts to play t!g8 to defend,
White can play t!xhS+ and
~xh5#. So, the only other
problem is: How do I get a Rook
to the h-file? Breaking the pin on the g-Pawn
with KgB, just enables the White
22.E{f5! Queen to infiltrate with Qh6.

Blocking out Black's Bishop 21. ttxh5+ 1-0

from the attack of the h3
square. ------------ Game #057 ------------

21 .... j'le6 23.Eth3 J}.xf5 And, one more great method of

24.E{xh5+ gxh5 25. 't}fg7 # 1-0 penetrating Black's weak dark
____________ Game #056 ------------
Black employs the same
strategy as in Game #055, but
this time around, White finds
another way to weaken the h5
square. How? By pinning the
Black g-Pawn along the d3 to
h7 diagonal with White's light-
squared Bishop. Different
approach and moves, but with
the same affect.
(W) FearNoEvii (2212)
(8) Fios (2172)
[823] ICC 30, 11107/2007
squares once the fianchetto
Bishop has been taken out and
Black attempts to defend with
h5.
(W) MassCarnage (2200)
(8) PerceiveThis (1809)
[B23] ICC tourney 363332
(30) (Round 2), 04/18/2010
l.e4 g6 2.4)c3 Jtg7 3.f4 c5
4.4)f3 4)c6 5.Jtc4 e6 6.f5 exf5
7.d3 4)ge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.'t}fel
fxe410.dxe44)d411.Jtg5
4)xc2 12.'t}fh4 4)xal

l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6

4.4)f3 j}.g7 5•.A.c4 e6 6.f5 exf5
7.d3 fxe4 8.dxe4 4)ge7 9.0-0
0-0 lO.ttel a61l.a4 4)e5
12.4)xe5 .A.xe5 13•.1lg5 tteS
14.tth4 4)c615.4)d5 Ag7
16.4)f6+ Jtxf617.J}.xf6 h5
l8.'~g5~h7

Pinning Black's g-Pawn also

weakens the h5 square.

19.e5 4)d4 20.Jtd3 4)e6

95
15.4)f6+ .Q.xf6 16•.Q.xf6 h5
Once again, Black attempts to
defend by playing hS and ~h7.
But, Black's dark-square
weaknesses are too severe.
17:{!tf4
Much better than 17. ~gS
because the gS square should
be left open for the White
Knight.
17•.•. ccflh718.4)g5+ ccflg8
19.4)xf713xf7 20:lth61-0
Black has no method of
defending the two threatened
checkmates, namely, 20. 'ltJg7'"
and 20. 'ltJh8"'. The dark square
weaknesses around Black's
King prove to be fatal, as Black
was unable to prevent White's
Queen from penetrating.
Final Position
96
------------ Game #058------------
Unlike the previous games,
where Black chose to move the
Knight on e7 before the pin
could fully materialize, instead
Black elects to defend the
Knight. However, his defensive
moves, fle8 and AfB, leave his
f6 and f7 squares completely
abandoned. Subsequently,
White was able to overrun the
poorly placed Black defenders
at the point of attack.
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) shermanator (1984)
[B23] ICC 3 0,05/27/2008
l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 j},g7 5•.Q.c4 e6 6.f5 exf5
7.d3 4)ge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.i!tel h5
10.*h4 fxe411.dxe4 4)d4
12.Ag5 13e8 13.4)d5 Jl.f8
The Black pieces retreat to
defend White threats, in hope of
holding the position. However,
back peddling with your pieces
to inferior squares is a very
poor method of playing chess.
Here it severely weakens the f7
square and the dark squares
around the Black King.
14.4)e5 d615.4)xf7
IS. -N6+ is also very strong.
15•••. 1ta5 16.4)f6+ ~g7
17•.11.h6# 1-0
81 ck was overwhelmed by 10.b5 4)e7 II.d4 4)g6 12.Ag5
W~ite attacking piece~ and ~as 15.4)bd2
'/hc8 13.Axf6 gxf6 14.d5 Ah3
'/hg4
unable to prevent a minor piece
checkmate.
Another, somewhat barbaric,
method of beating up a
fianchetto formation is to place
your Queen directly in front of
the g-Pawn, and then, exploit
the pin by playing a Knight to
either f4 or h4.

Final Position

------------ Game #059 ------------

The next two games display a

very unique method of taking
down the fianchetto Bishop
16.4)c4?
position by placing your Qu:en
directly in front of the opposing
White's best move here is to
g-Pawn, followed by placing a
capture Black's Bishop on h3.
Knight on either f5 (f4) or h5
However, this is such an
(h4).
unnatural move that many
players would not. eve.n
(W) Miru (1872)
consider it. If White did play
(8) FearNoEvil_US (2200)
16. Axh3, Black could continue
[B02] 5 0, GameColony.com,
the attack with moves like ~xh3,
12/28/2005
~h8, '£\f4, and §g8.

l.e4 4)f6 2.'/he2 e5 3.g3 4)c6 16.... 4)f417.'/hd2 Jtxg2

4.c3 Jtc5 5.Jtg2 d6 6.4)f3 0-0 18.4) xb6
7.0-0 Ad7 8.M Ab6 9.a4 a5

97
There is no need for Black to
play the automatic move cxb6,
as White is quickly heading
down a checkmate path.
lS.... Axf319.4)c4 4)h3#
0-1
------------ Game #060 ------------
(W) Bobby Fischer
(B) Oscar Panno
[A04] Buenos Aires,
Argentina, 1970, (Round 8)
1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 e6 3.d3 4)c6
4.g3 g6 5.Ag2 .Q.g7 6.0-0
4)ge7 7.13e1 d6 S.c3 0-0 9.d4
cxd410.cxd4 d511.e5 Ad7
12.4)c3 13cS 13..Q.f4 4)a5
14.13c1 b515.b3 b416.4)e2
Ab517.t!td2 4)ac61S.g4 a5
19.4)g3 t!tb6 20.h4 4)bS
White has amassed his pieces
directly in front of the Black
King, in anticipation of an
98
assault on the Black King.
Some of Black's pieces are
misplaced on the queenside
and thus, incapable of
supplying Black with enough
defenders to hold off White's
pending kingside attack.
And, much like other games
where the attacker has a big
advantage in firepower,
sacrifices will occur.
21.Ah6 4)d7 22.t!tg5
Amazing, the same barbaric
maneuver (see Game #059),
being played by Fischer!
22.... 13xc1 23.13xc1 Axh6
This leads to another class of
games where the fianchetto
Bishop has been eliminated and
the opposing Queen is either on
f6 or h6. Once this happens,
defending becomes
considerably more difficult as
the attacking Queen only needs
one more piece to assist for
checkmate to take place, much
like this game and the ones that
follow.
24.~xh6 ~c8 25.~xc8+ ~xc8
26.h5 ~d8 27 .~g5 ~f8
Black's pieces are poorly placed
for defending White's attack.
28.Ae4!
The point being that Black
cannot capture the Bishop
because the White Knight on g3
would recapture and end up in
that huge hole on f6, with
checkmate to quickly follow.
And, with the Bishop on e4,
White now has enough material
pointed at the Black King to
finish him off.
99
28•••• ttle7
29.~xh7!
Why does this work? The main
reason is because Black has
two pieces that are doing
nothing to help defend. So,
White can give one piece away
and still have an "extra" piece
for attacking in the area around
the Black King. The other
reason why the sacrifice works
is because there are so many
weak squares around the Black
King that Black cannot defend.
29...• .£.xh7 30.hxg6 fxg6
31.Axg6 .£.g5 32..£.h5 .£.f3+
33.~g2 .£.h4+ 34.~g3 .£.xg6
White's Knight will finally reach
his destination, the hole on f6.
With the White Knight posted
there, Black's King will be
prevented from fleeing the
kingside via e8 and the White
Queen will have enough help to l.e4 ~f6 2.e5 ~d5 3.d4 d6
checkmate Black's King.
35.~f6+ fl}f7 36.'/hh7+ 1-0
Checkmate follows after
36.... ~f8 37. ~g8#.
------------ Game #061 ------------
The Fianchetto Bishop has
been eliminated and the
opposing Queen is either on f6
(f3) or h6 (h3)' Defending is
considerably more difficult as
the Queen only needs one
more piece to assist. And, as
this game proves, do not
underestimate the power of the
King, as an attacking piece!
(W) Nigel Short (2660)
(8) Jan Timman (2630)
[B04] lilburg, Netherlands,
(Round 4), 10/01/1991
4.~f3 g6 5.Ac4 ~b6 6.Ab3
Ag7 7. '/he2 ~c6 8.0-0 0-0
9.h3 a5 10.a4 dxe5 II.dxe5
~d412.~xd4 '/hxd413.Elel
e614.~d2 ~d515.~f3 '/hc5
16.'/he4 '/hb417.Ac4 ~b6
18.b3 ~xc419.bxc413e8
20.13dl '/hc5 21.'/hh4 b6
22.Ae3 '/hc6 23.Ah6 Ah8
24.Eld8 .1l.b7 25.Eladl .1l.g7
26.El8d713f8
"do not underestimate the
power of the King, as an
attacking piecel"
27.Axg7 fl}xg7 28.131d413ae8
29. '/hf6+ fl}g8
The White Queen just needs
one more piece to attack g7 for
a checkmate.
30.h4h5
100
Black has prevented White from Final Position
playing h5 and h6, so that White
could use his h-Pawn to attack ------------ Game #062 ------------
the g7 square and checkmate
Black with 'ltYg7*. So, with that When your Queen gets to h6 (or
plan thwarted, how can White f6), it is not necessary to attack
proceed? and force mate on g7. A great
alternative is to force Black to
Once again, a Queen is firmly capture your checkmate helper
entrenched on f6 (or h6), just (say the Knight on h5 in this
waiting for another piece to help case) to open up the g-file for a
out with the checkmate. And, Rook, or the bl-h7 diagonal for
astonishingly, this time it is the your Bishop. The next few
White King himself that makes games provide several
the trek up the board, despite examples of how to accomplish
all the heavy Black artillery still this task.
remaining on the board. Black
is totally hopeless against this (W) FearNoEvii (2200)
plan. (8) morozov (2075)
[B06] ICC 30,07/30/2007
31.\!1h2! Hc8 32.\t1g3 Hce8
33.\!1f4 Ac8 34.\t1g5 1-0 l.e4 g6 2.d4 J1g7 3.4)f3 d6
4.4)c3 a6 5.a4 b6 6.A.d3 A.b7
With 35. ~h6 and 36. 'ltYg7# to 7.0-0 4)d7 8.tte2 e6 9.Hel
follow. 4)e710.A.d2 0-0 II.e5 Axf3

101
12:ltxf3 d5 13.4)e2 c5
14.c34)c6
15.ttg3 4)a5 16..11.g5 ttc7
17.tth4 cxd418.cxd413fe8
19.13acl ttb7 20.4)g3 b5
21.axb5 axb5 22..!lh6 Axh6?
Black should play 22 .... .1lh8 to
slow down White's attack.
23. tli'xh6 ttb6
102
Black is finished now. Not only
is the White Queen deep in
Black's position on h6, but
White also has more attackers
than defenders. This enables
White to give away his Knight,
so he can checkmate with the
Queen and Bishop.
24.4)h5! gxh5
Opening up the bl-h7 diagonal
for White's Bishop.
25.Axh7+ Ciflh8 26.Ag6+ Ciflg8
27.tth7+ Ciflf8 28.ttxf7# 1-0
----------- Game #063 ------------
When your Queen gets to h6 (or
f6), it is not necessary to attack
and force mate on g7. A great
alternative is to force Black to
capture your checkmate helper
(say the Knight on f5 in this
case) to open up the g-file for a
Rook, or the bl-h7 diagonal for
your Bishop.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) GrandMouster (1871)
[B06] ICC 3 a, 07/30/2005
l.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.4)c3 Ag7
4.Jl.c4 e6 5.f3 4)d7 6.Ab3 c5
7.4)ge2 cxd4 8.4) xd4 4)gf6
9.Ae3 0-0 10.ttd2 a611.h4
4)c512.0-0-0 4)xb3+ 13.axb3
b5

14.h54)xh5
A typical Yugoslav Attack game
where Black accepts the White
Pawn sacrifice on h5. The idea
is White wants to attack the
weak h7 square with the Rook
on hI by playing h4-h5 to either
trade on g6 or play g4 to chase
away the Black Knight after
/i)xh5. In either case, the White
Rook ends up directly attacking
the weak h7 square.
15.g4
Now, White forces the Black
Knight off the h-file, giving
White's Rook on hI more
power.
15.... 4)f616..Q..h6 e5
17.Axg7 ~xg718.~h6+ ~g8 (W) Varun Krishnan (2078)
19.4)f5 (8) Eugene Yanayt (2255)
Another perfectly good plan for
103
White is to attack the defender,
the Black Knight on f6, which
defends the checkmate on h7,
with the move 19. ~d5. White
frequently chooses this plan of
attack in positions of this type.
19.... g xf5
19.... Axf5 is not much better,
as Black is hopelessly lost.
White could respond with
20. exf5 with the plan of playing
21. g5 and 22. f6.
20.gxf5 1-0
------------ Game #064 ------------
Related Games
(Queen & Bishop Mate):
118,181,273
When your Queen gets to h6 (or
f6), it is not necessary to attack
and force mate on g7. A great
alternative is to force Black to
capture your checkmate helper
(say the Knight on f5 in this
case) to open up the g-file for a
Rook. Additionally, White
checkmates Black with a nice
series of Queen and Bishop
maneuvers to bring this brawl to
a conclusion.
[B79] Western Class
Championships, Agoura Hills,
CA, (Round 1), 03/13/2010
1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 g6 6.Ae3
j'lg7 7.f3 4)c6 8. ~d2 0-0
9.Ac4 Ad7 10.0-0-0 ~a5
11.~bl13fc812.Ab3 4)e5
13.g4 b5
14.Ah6Axh6
The start of a brutal Black
attack, and how does White
respond to the attack? By
matching Black's offensive,
blow for blow.
15.~xh6 Axg4 16.fxg413xc3
This is a thematic sacrifice in
this opening. However, it works
better when Black has his dark
squared Bishop.
17.bxc3 4)xe4
104
Black has no intention of
defending and continues with
his attack.
18.4)f5!
Opening up the g-file, but Black
plans on closing up the file with
his Knight on e5. Any move
that can slow down the other
guy's attack, even just for a
single move, can help win the
game. Basically, it is a
checkmate race and every
move counts.
18.... gxf519.gxf5 4)xc3+
20.~a1 4)xd1 21.13g1+ 4)g6
The conclusion of the game is
an elegant Rook sacrifice
followed by a forced Queen and
Bishop checkmate.
 ~d710.'lth3 c511.f4 a6
12.0-0-0 'lte813.dxc5 ~xc5
14.g4 a515.a4 Jld716.'lth4
~c617.~b5 ~xb3+ 18.cxb3
~b4 19.~d6 'ltb8 20.~bl b5

At this point in the game, I can

see the conclusion. My plan is
to play Af6, 4::Ig3, Axg7, ~f6+,
and 4::Ih5 forcing Black to
capture my Knight, while at the
same time opening up the g-file
for my Rooks.

22.gxg6+! hxg6 23.'ltxg6+

~h8 24.'lth5+ ~g8 25.'ltxf7+
~h8 26. 'lth5+ ~g7 27.'ltg6+
~h8 28. 'lth6 # 1-0

------------ Game #065 -----------

When your Queen gets to h6 (or

(6), it is not necessary to attack
and force mate on g7. A great
alternative is to force Black to
capture your checkmate helper
(say the Knight on h5 in this
case) to open up the g-file for a 21.Jlf6 ~a6 22.~g3 gxd6
Rook, or the bl-h7 diagonal for
This is a desperation move.
your Bishop.
Black should have tried the
unconventional 22. '" -'ixf6,
(W) Joel Johnson (2200)
because if White responds with
(8) Leonid Raisin (2335)
23. ~xf6, then Black has
[B06] Waltham CC GJ30,
23 .... ~d8. Had Black
Waltham, MA, (Round 3),
proceeded down this path, I
02/23/2001
was going to play 23. exf6 h5
1.e4 c6 2.d4 g6 3.~c3 j\g7 24:~g5 ~h7 with a tremendous
4.Ac4 d6 5.'ltf3 e6 6.~ge2 attack, for example, 25.4::Ixt7
~e7 7.j\g5 d5 8.Jlb3 0-0 9.e5 Etxt7 26.gxh5 ~g8 27.'~h4 g5

105
28.fxgS.
23.Axg7 f/jxg7 24. ~f6+ Ciflg8
25.4)h5 gxh5 26.gxh5 1-0

The game could have continued

with 26.... Ek8 27. E!hgl+ ~f8
28. E!g7 Ae8 29. E!xh7 followed
by E!h8:11:.

------------ Game #066 ------------

In the next two games, White

attacks Black by playing Ah6 to
trade off the Black Fianchetto
Bishop, and once again, White's
Queen is entrenched on h6,
then White attacks the defender
ofthe h7 square. And, lastly,
White shuts down Black's
escape route, preventing Black
from fleeing the mating net.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) tjo (1919)
[B07] ICC 5 0, 10/15/2003
l.e4 d6 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)c3 g6
4.Ac4 Ag7 5.4)ge2 0-0 6.f3
b6 7.Ae3 Ab7 8.~d2 c5 9.h4
cxd410.4)xd44)c611.4)xc6
Axc6
Normally, Black wants to play
4)eS and ~4 forcing White to
capture with his Bishop. By
trading first, Black is forced to
play an unfamiliar position.
Another typical Yugoslav Attack
game where Black accepts the
White Pawn sacrifice on hS.
12.h5 4)xh513.g4 4)f6
Now, the goal is to knock out
the fianchetto Bishop, as in the
previous examples.
14.Ah6 d515.Axg7 Ciflxg7
16. ~h6+ Ciflg8
The next step is to eliminate the
defender of h7, namely, the
Knight on f6.
17.Axd5 Axd518.4)xd5 ge8
19.0-0-0 ~b8 20.4)xf6+ exf6
Lastly, much like the advice
provided in the King Hunting
section, I want to prevent
Black's King from fleeing, so,
before playing ~xh7+ and
~h8+, I cutoff the Black King's

106
escape square (e7) fiIrst. 18.b4!! ~d8

~Iack gets check

21.Etd71-0 S.... ~xb4 19 mated after
____________ Game # 4Jh5 21.E!xh5 .~f5 exf5 20.4')d5
067 ------------ 23.~xh7*. g h5 22.4Jf6+ ~hS
(W) Alexey Shiro 19.e5
[B32] Monaco ~UbOjeViC
(8) Ljubomir L' v
Fr~eing
2.~f3 ~
Amber, 1995' rance, Melody up the e4

4.~xd4 g6 5 ~ c6 3.d4 cxd4 ~

1.04 c5 Knight on c3 square for his

~f6 7.Ac4 0-0c:1176.Ae3

...d7 10.1Itd2 ~a' 3 d6 9.f3
the defender' he can attack
namely, the BI he checkmate

~f6 15g~ ....~.h4

ack Knight on f6'
12.b5 4)xb513
14.axM xM
a6 19.... dxe5 20 "
.....e4 ~e8 .

16:~xh6 e6 17.0-0-0 ln~~F~~=---

~ ~ ~ ~~r.&.._
~_
ii"l.n_~"r..i~~% t .;l.~1k.
.Jth6 J1xh6
wa5?
oM.

,rlA ;.~ri!'
=-- •

fI ' ••
~~~~t.tm ~ff(t." ~ . ' .
riHJffi~. • • ,.~. .~
~!!.
eh ob
•§ 21.g5!

mabng net aro e IS bUilding a

Black
17 shouldHave
.... E!eS. .played Once. again, Whit' .
missed White' YlOusly King. und the Black

In his de&.enses mo
next move .
not want to co' t st players do 21 .... 4)xe4
resistance M~n e~ with passive
myselfacti~e
prefer includ:unter-Play,
st, If not all,
.
Black
2\.
22 • n t,"\h~ ~sothlng
... Ihas r.:
. beHer, as
mol with
II \') Hllhr; Jl
(2 ~
.
.M. ,.( ••. 1. '.,o)I() t- \"118
. . . . . l.P' , ,.>.1 . wol(, followed cs b
107 Y
25. 'ttlg7.) 24. 'ttlh7 •.
22.fxe4 exd4 23•.§xd41-0
Closing the door on Black's
King. Always check where the
King is running off to before you
actually start chasing him. I
know that sounds rather
obvious, but I have witnessed
too many players checking first
and looking afterwards, when it
is too late to contain your
opponent's King.
Final Position
Black's escape square is d6
and the White Rook on d4 is
preventing that option. White
would checkmate with
24. l!1'xh7+ ~f8 25. 'ttlh8+ ~e7
26. 'ttlf6+ ~f8 27. Elh8 •.
108
------------ Game #068 ----------••
And, like the last two games, at
the proper moment, White shuts
down the escape route of the
Black King.
(W) MysteryMan (2321)
(8) Tornon (2053)
[B03] ICC tourney 345597
(30) (Round 3), 05/07/2009
1.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.d4 d6
4.Ac4 4)b6 5.Ab3 g6 6.~f3
e6 7. ~g3 Ag7 8.4)f3 0-0 9.h4
4)c610.4)c3 dxe5 11.dxe5
4)d412.Ag5 4)xf3+ 13.gxf3
ttd4 14.f4 Ad7 15..§d1 ~b4
16.a3 tta517.h5 Ac618.f3
ttc5 19..§d3 4)d5 20.4)e4
tta5+ 21.\t1d1 Ab5 22.c4 Aa6
23.~h4
The proper method of attacking
these positions is to pile up
behind the Pawn on h5 before
 dJU~h
trading off on g6 ' e speclall
.
when
the 61 ack
move g5.cannot
By by y with escaping
Shutt' down the Black K" '
capture on g6 aymg the e route. 'ng s

h
. d'
In errng
Black along
' you are
defensiv'
his s e trres for
econd ran k.
26. ... h 5 27.Af6 4)e3+
In a lost positi
~.
23.•,. {lb6 24.hxg6 fx g6' things worse ,~s
unleashes on, this
Black makes
move just

Once a~ain, Black is I ' b3. While's Bishop on

on making a run ~lor .Itpvia
focus is preve~tin now my
annrng
th
escape square S e f7 28.""cl4)f
0, 5 29.Axe6+ It>h8
g Black's plan. Now, the Bla .
ck
25.c5 {lc4 checkmated a~k alsoisgets
cornered Bl King
30. 'lWxh5+ gx~5 er 29.... ~h7
32. §xg7+ ~h8 33. Axf5+ ~g8
31.§xh5#
and results in Black d3 I~ poison
The White Rook on .
mated after' 25 getting
26.Axe6+ §f7 2' ... Axd3
28.~xg7+" ~ 7.~xh7+ ~f8
30.e xf6+ ~f8x3g17.~h8#.
~9.Af6+ §xf6

30.ttxh5+!
Black'
outnumlsbcomPletelY
ered at th .
attack, a pen e pOint of
sacrifices ect scenario for
Position After Analysis

32.Etxh6:tr: 1_~Etxh5+ 4)h6

26.I!d7 30 .... gxh5 3

109

Final Position
The Black King is completely
surrounded by White's minor
pieces.
----------- Game #069 -----------
A Yugoslav Attack game where
Black decides to recapture o.n,
g6 with his f-Pa~n. But, ~Ite s
attack happens Just too qUickly.
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) fish head (1911)
[B77] ICC tourney 330397
(w21 150) (Round 2),
08/21/2008
1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 g6 6.A.c4
.llg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Jl.e3 4)c6
9.~d2 Ad7 10.h4 4)e5
11.A.b313c812.h5
no
We have reached a typical
Yugoslav Attack position.
12•... 4)c4 13.A.xc4 13xc4
14.hxg6 fxg6
Black's choice of 14.... fxg6 over
14 .... hxg6 is a wise one. How
does this decision alter the
position? First, keeping the
h-Pawn strengthens Black's
h-file defense, and in particular,
the h8 square which can
become a major headache. In
addition, the Black R~ok on f8
has the option of moving to f7
for more defense. And, lastly,
heaven forbid, it opens up a
"running lane" for the Black
King.
15.4)de2 ~a5 16•.llh6 1317
17.Jl.xg7 ~xg7 18.g4 Jl.c6
19.0-0-0 4)d7
Black's last two moves make
defending the weak e6 square
very difficult.
20.{)f4 4)e5 21.4)e6+ Cjfj>f6
22.{)g5 gxc3
A very common. idea for .~Iack
in this opening IS to sacnflce an
exchange on c3 to bus~ .up .
White's queenside position In
front of the W~ite Ki~~.
However, in this position,
Black's King is in deep trouble.
23.'ltf4+!
26.E{f8+ Cjfj>g7 27.4)e6+ Cjfj>h7
28.E{h1+ 1-0
With 28.... .§h3 29. '§xh3# to
follow.
------------ Game #070 ------------
The future World Champion
demonstrates another method
of attacking the Sicilian Dragon
without playing the normal Ah6
to immediately trade off the
Black fianchetto Bishop.

No need to play the automatic (W) Viswanathan Anand

move, 23. b c3?, when .the move (8) Andrew Jonathan Mestel
x
23. ~f4+ just wins outnght. [B76] London, England, 1985

23.... Cjfj>g7 24.gxh7+ Cjfj>g8 1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

25.Etxf7 gxf3
Too much firepower around the
Black King leads to a quick
finish.
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 g6 6.Ae3
.1lg7 7.f3 0-0 8.~d2 4)c69.g4
Ae6 10.0-0-0 4)e5 11.h4 Ac4
12.J1.h3 Aa6 13.h3 tta5
14.Cjfj>h1 tta315.g5 4)h516.f4
4)c6 17.Ag4 4)b4

111
White plays g5, instead of the
normal h5, daring Black to
blockade the White h-Pawn with
4Jh5. So, now White can
seriously damage Black's
kingside Pawn structure and
open up the f5 square for his
Knight.
IS.Axh5 gxh5 19.4)f5 EtfeS
20.4)xg7 ~xg7 21.~d4+ e5?
Better is 21. ... \flg8, even
though White can exploit
Black's dark square
weaknesses by repositioning
his Bishop to b2 via c1.
Because the Black f-Pawn is
threat pinned, forced mate
follows after: 25 .... h x g6 26.§.gl
§.xc3 27.!!xg6+ fxg6 28.~g7#.
------------ Game #071 -----------_
An exchange sacrifice by Black
busts up White's fianchetto
Pawn formation, leaving the h2
square exposed, extremely
weak, and vulnerable.
(W) Hal Terrie
(8) John Curdo
[A81] 65th Massachusetts
Open, Andover, MA, 1996

22.~xd6 EtaeS 23.~f6+ ~gS l.d4 f5 2.g3 4)f6 3.Ag2 g6

24.Etd7 EtfS 4.e3 Ag7 5. ~b3 4)e6 6.4)d2
e6 7.4)h3 0-0 s.o-o ~hS 9.e4
We have reached an interesting fxe410.4)xe44)xe411.Axe4
position where White can d5 12.Ag2 e5 13.Ag5 ~d6
exploit the threat pin on Black's 14.dxe5 4)xe515.Ae3 e6
16.Af4 h617.~hl
f-Pawn.

25.g6n 1-0 17••.. .11.xh3

112
It is unusual for players to trade
their Bishop for anything other
than the White fianchetto
Bishop. However, Black has
decided that White's dark
squares are extremely weak
and vulnerable. So ...
18.Axh3 §xf4 19.9xf4 4)f3
20 •.s1g2?
White needed to play 20. ~gl
immediately to defend his dark
square weaknesses,
particularly, the h2 square.
20 •••• ~xf4 21.Axf3 Ae5!
Much stronger than the
automatic move, 21. ... ~)(f3.
0-1
And, White cannot avoid
checkmate.
Final Position
113
------------ Game #072 ------------
An example of what happens
when the attacker just
overwhelms the defender at the
point of attack. White just had
too much firepower which
prevented Black from repelling
the White attack.
(W) FearNoEvii (2224)
(8) pedago (2158)
[B07] ICC 3 0, 05/30/2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)c3 g6
4 ..1ld3 .1lg7 5.4)f3 0-0 6. ~e2
c5 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.e5 4)g4 9.h3
4)h610..ilg54)f511.0-0-0
~a5 12.~b1 4)c6 13.4)d5
Ae614.c44)fd415.4)xd4
4)xd4
Black's pieces seem active, but
the squares that they control
are of limited value.
16.4)xe7+ ~h817.~e3 b5
18..Q.f6!? bxc4
Black really should play
18.... .i1,xf6. Understandably,
Black does not realize just how
weak his g6 square is, as we
shall see later on.
19.~h6~g8?
This was Black's last chance to
save himself with 19.... Axf6.
20..Q.xg6!
Another incredible position and
once again, Black is hopelessly
lost. Now that the g6 square
has fallen, the h7 square
becomes exposed.
20..•. Af5+ 21.4)(f51-0
After 21. ... fxg6, Black gets
checkmated after 22. Axg7+
fixg7 23. ~xg7#.
114
------------ Game #073 ----------_
Once again, a finishing touch
resulting from overwhelming
power at the point of attack!
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) Hungover (1842)
[BOO] ICC 150, 11/2112009
l.e4 b6 2.d4 Ab7 3 ..Q.d3 e6
4.f4 4)f6 5.~e2 c5 6.c3 g6
7.4)f3 Ag7 8.0-00-0 9.4)bd2
d5
10.e5
White wants to keep the center
closed with the idea of just
making Black's light squared
Bishop a mere spectator.
10••.• 4)g411.h3 4)h6 12.g4
4)d713.~f2
Clearing the f1 square for
White's queenside Knight in
preparation for building up a
kingside attack.
13.... cxd414.cxd4 ~c8
15.~f1 ~e8 16.A.e3 ~h8
17.~g3 ~g818.~af1
It is clear that White is prepared
to blast open Black's kings ide
starting with the impending
move, f5. So, Black attempts to
counter by playing f5 first.
18.... f5 19.exf6 4)gxf6
20.4)e5 ~xe5 21.fxe5 ~g8
22.~d2 EXf8 23.~xf8 .11.xf8
24.J1.g5 ~e8 25. ~f2 .11.g7
The start of a long journey to
the hole on d6.
26.... ~a4 27.4)c3 ~b4 28.a3
'litf8 29.~h4 ~e8 30.4)b5 h6
31.~d6 ~a4 32.Jle3 ~b8
33.Axg6 EXf8
115
At this point, Black finally
realizes that I have no intention
of grabbing material on the
queenside. Checkmate is
always the first priority.
White has too many attackers,
as Black's Queen and Bishop
on b7 watch from afar.
34.~xf8 .11.xf8 35.~f7+ ~g7
36.J}.xh6+ ~xg6
36.... 4)xh6 is also checkmate
after 37. ~xh6+ 'it>gB 3B. ~hB #
(or 38. ~h7#).
37.~h5+ \!lh7 38.A.)(f8+ 4)h6
39. ~xh6+ \!lg8 40. ~g7 '" 1-0
----------- Game #074 ------------
The next five games illustrate
how weak the h7 (h2) square
can be in this formation,
especially if the attacker is able
to open the h-file for his Rook. 21 .... ~fc8 22.exf6 1-0

(W) FearNoEvii (2228) ------------ Game #075 ------------

(8) maherrera (2084)
[C 11] ICC 3 0, 09/13/2007 White just ignores the threat to
his weak h2 Pawn and suffers a
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 4)f6 brutally quick execution.
4. ~d3 a6 5.e5 4)fd7 6. ~g3 c5
7.4)0 4)c6 8.Ae3 cxd4 (W) goingnowhere (2054)
9.Axd4 4)xd410.4)xd4 ~b6 (8) MysteryMan (2200)
11.0-0-0 g612.f4 Ag713.h4 [A40] ICC 30,03/17/2009
0-0 14.h5 ~c7 15.Ad3 4)c5
16.4)f3 4)xd3+ 17.~xd3 Ad7
18.4)g5 1.d4 b5 2.e4 Ab7 3.4)d2 a6
4.4)gO 4)f6 5.Ad3 e6 6.0-0
d6 7.~el4)bd7 8.4)fl Ae7
White's last move was designed 9.4)g3 h6 10.e5 4)d5 11.c3 g5
to provoke a kingside weakness 12.4)h5 g4 13.4)d2 dxe5
in the Black camp. However, I 14.dxe5 ~g815.4)e4 4)xe5
was expecting him to play h6, 16.Afl Ad617.Axh6 ~h4
not the weak move, f6. 18.4) xd6+ cxd6 19.4)g7+
~xg7 20.Axg7 0-0-0 21.Axe5
dxe5 22. ~e2 f6 23.g3 ~h5
24.Ag2

18...• f6? 19.4)xh7! ccflxh7

20.hxg6+ ccflg8 21. ~h4

Now, the Black King is in a 24.••. ~h8 25.c4 ~xh2+

26.ccflfl ~)(g2+!
mating net.
Also checkmating for Black is

116
76 .... ~hl+ 27. -'1,xhl Etxhl+
28. ~g2 4Jf4 =II: •
27.cIJxg2 4)f4+ 28.~gl Elhl=ll:
0-1
____________ Game #076 ••••••••••••
Black allows White to capture
his e-Pawn on e7 with a Knight. ~xh716.~h2+ .ilh6
Normally, that would not be a
big deal, one would think, but in
combination with our identified
h7 Pawn weakness and the
open h-file, it proves fatal.
(W) MysteryMan (2261)
(8) ktv (1950)
[B06] ICC 3 0,04/18/2009
Black cannot let the e-Pawn fall.
Black needed to play
13.... ~b5+ followed by
14.... Ete8. Now White can force
the Black King to the h-file and
expose the Achilles' Heel of this
Pawn formation.
14.4)xe7+ ~h815.Elxh7+
17.~xh6# 1-0
----------- Game #077 .-----------
One of my students cashes in
big at the 2005 US Open after
this last round crush! And, yes,
he comes straight down the
h-file.

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Ag7 3.J1.e3 d6 (W) Simone Sobel (1815)

4.4)c3 4)f6 5.f3 0-0 6. ~d2 (8) Phil Terrill (1544)
4)bd7 7.h4 c5 8.dxc5 4)xc5
9.h5 4)xh5 10.g4 4)g3 11.Elh3 [A46] 2005 US Open,
4)xf112.~xf1 ~b6 Phoenix, AZ (Round 9),
13.4)d5 ~xb2?? 08/14/2005

1.d4 b5 2.4)f3 j'tb7 3.g3 4)f6

4.Ag2 e6 5.0-0 j'te7 6.4)bd2
d6 7.c3 4)bd7 8.Ele1 c5 9.e4 c4
10.e5 dxe511.dxe5 4)d5
12.4)d4 a6 13.~g4 g6
14.4)2f3 h515.~e4 4)c5
16.~c2 4)d3 17.Eld1 ~c7

From this point on, Black begins

to assert himself by opening up
the h-file, doubling his Rooks on
the h-file, and improving the
value of all his pieces. There is
no need to rush the attack,

117
when you can make it even Also, leading to mate is:
better. 35 .... §8h2+ 36. .£lxh2 .£lf4:1.

On 36. §xe3 or 36. ,ilxe3, Black

mates with 36 .... §8h2:1.

18.Af1 ~xe5 19.Ad2 h4

20.~ xe5 ~xe5 21.Ete1 ~d6
22.Etad1 hxg3 23.fxg3 0-0-0
24.a4 ~f6 25.Af4 ~b6
26.axb5 axb5 27.Ag2 ~d5
28.Ad2 Eth7 29.Ete2 Etdh8

Black has continued to point all

his pieces at the White King,
Final Position
including opening the h-file for
his Rooks, while White is
------------ Game #078 ----------
having trouble coordinating her
pieces.
(W) Jose Capablanca
(8) T A Carter
30..Q.f3 J1d6 31.Ae1 e5
32.J1.f2 Etxh2 33.Ag4+ ~b8 [C30] 8t. Louis, Missouri, 1909
34.~f3 Eth1+
1.e4 e5 2.f4 J1c5 3.~f3 d6
Or Black could have 4.c3 Ag4 5.fxe5 Axf3 6.ttxf3
dxe5 7.J1.c4 ~f6 8.d3 0-0
checkmated with the stunning
34 ... , ~xf2+! 35. §xf2 §hl +
9.Ag5 ~bd7 10.~d2 c6
36. c;tJg2 .£le3:1 .
11.0-0-0 b5 12.Ab3 J1.e7
13.h4 ~c514.J1c2 ~e615.g4
g616.Axf6 Axf617.g5 Ag7
35. 'Ilg2 ~e3+ 18.Etdg1 ~f4 19.~f1 'Ilh8

118

nother example of ho~
~-file weaknesses c~n. sink your
kingside. White is willing. to
cr ifice a Rook for a Kmght to
sa . th
exploit this weakness In. e
Black camp. And, despite .
having extra material, Black will
have difficulty staving off the
White attack.
24 •••• Ete6 25.Eth1 h6 26.gxh6
Af6 27. ~g4 Etg8
The only method of delaying the
impending checkmate is to play
Ag5+ and ~g6.
28.~g7+!
Completely opening up the
h-file for White's Rook on h1.
28.•.• Etxg7 29.hxg7+ ~g8
30.Eth8:11: 1-0

21.h5 gxh5 22.Etxh5 4)xh5

23. ttxh5 Etae8?
Black needed to counter with
23 .... ~d6, enabling the Black
Queen to help out with the
defensive move ~g6.
24.~f5
On 24. ~hl, Black was goi~~ to
play 24 .... h6 in a bid to utilize
the White Pawn as a defender.
Final Position
------------ Game #079 ------------
The next set of examples focus
on how important and valuable
the Fianchetto Bishop is to the
defender's prospects of fending
off an attack. Once that Bishop
is gone, the large number of
weak squares around the
defender's King can become

119
too much to handle. And,
frequently, the attacker can
sacrifice a Rook or even a
Queen in some cases· to
accomplish the objective.
(W) MysteryMan (2208)
(8) califo1 (2049)
[B01] ICC 3 0, 08/17/2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 ~xd5 3.4)c3
~a5 4.j'lc4 4)f6 5.4)f3 c6
6.d4 Ag4 7.j'le3 e6 S.h3 Jlxf3
9. ~xf3 .A.e7 10.0-0 0-0
11.Ad3 4)bd712.~g3 .§fdS
13..§ae1 4)fS14.f4 4)d5
15..A.d2 4)xc3 16.bxc3 Af6
17..§e2 g6
We have reached an important
juncture in the game. White
has pointed all his pieces at
Black's King and it is time to
move in. If Black can survive
the attack, he wins due to a
better Pawn structure.
120
lS.f5! exf5 19.9xf5 j'lh4
20.~xh4 gxf5
Essentially, White has sacrificed
the exchange to eliminate
Black's Finachetto Bishop and
tear open the Black kingside.
These dark square weaknesses
leave him vulnerable to attack
and accordingly, the game ends
fairly quickly.
21.ge5 ~xa2 22.~f6 ~b1+
23.\\>h2 ~d124.Ah61-0
The threat of 25. VJtg7* cannot
be adequately thwarted.
------------ Game #080 ------------
We see just how important and
valuable the Fianchetto Bishop
is to the defender's prospects of
fending off an attack. But, is
the fianchetto Bishop really
worth a Queen?
(W) Tigran Petrosian
(8) Ludek Pachman
[A04] Bled, Yugoslavia, 1961
1.4)f3 c5 2.g3 4)c6 3.jlg2 g6
4.0-0 jlg7 5.d3 e6 6.e4 4)ge7
7.ge1 0-0 S.e5 d6 9.exd6
~xd610.4)bd2 ~c711.4)b3
4)d4 12•.QJ4 ~b6 13.4)e5
4)xb3 14.4)c4 itb5 15.axb3 a5
16..A.d6 .A.f617.~f3 \\>g7
lS.ge4gdS
Black's pieces are very poorly The White Bishop controls the
placed and in no position to two squares (h6 and f6) that
defend the Black King. As a Black's King could flee to, and
matter of fact, the only Black return to his shelter. And, mate
defender standing in the way of cannot be avoided, as:
is the Black Bishop on f6. So ...
21 .... e5 is met with 22.h4+ ~h5
23.Af3+ 13.g4 24.Axg4 #;

21 .... .£lf5 leads to checkmate

after 22.f4+ ~g4 23 ..£le5+ 'itfh5
24.M3#;

21. ... ~h5 is no better, 22.§h4+

~g5 23.f4+ ~f5 24 ..£le3#; and

21. ... .£ld5 does nothing to

counter White's original threat
of 22. h4+ 'itfh5 23. 13.f3 # .

------------ Game #081 ------------

19. ttxf6+!t ~xf6 20.j'te5+
~g5 21.j'tg7! 1-0
In the next four games, the t7
(f2) square becomes weak after
the defending Rook moves
away from f8 (fl).

Final Position

121
Black decides to play
aggressively and directly attack
the White King. The decision
leads to a very interesting and
unique attack.
White severely undermanned
on the kingside.
17..•• fxe2 18.13fc1

14.dxe5

18.... 13xf2!! 19.cif}xf2

14.•.• 4)g415.h3 f3!

Black is forcing the White

position open, where his
advantage in attackers can
result in a checkmating attack
on the White King.

16.hxg4 Jl.xg417.Jl.h1?

White needed to play 17. 4::lf4 to

hang in there. 17. Ahl? causes
the f-file to open up, the White
Rook to vacate f1 weakening
the f2 square, gives Black a
passed Pawn on the 7th rank,
and most importantly, splits the
White forces in two, leaving
19.••. e1tt+!
Forcing White to capture the
new White Queen with his
Rook, thus blocking the White
King's escape via the e1

122
Square. If either the White King Wijk aan Zee, Holland, 1995
or the White Bishop capture the
Black Queen on e1, the
protection line to the White
BishoP on h1 will be broken.
20.gxe1 t\'h2+ 0-1
l.d4 e6 2.4)f3 d5 3.e4 4)f6
4.4)e3 e6 5.e3 4)bd7 6.t\'e2 b6
7.Ae2 Ab7 8.0-0 A,e7 9.~dl
0-0 10.e4 dxe411.4)xe4 t\'e7
12.4)e3 e5 13.d5 exd5 14.exd5
a6 15.4)h4 g6 16.Ah6 ~fe8
17.t\'d2 A,d618.g3 b519.Af3
b4 20.4)e2 4)e4 21. t\'e2 4)df6
22.4)g2 t\'d7 23.4)e3 ~ad8
24.Ag2

Final Position

On 21. .1lg2 ~f8+ 22. ~f5 ~xf5#.

While, 21. ~f1 ~xhl + 22. ~f2 24•.•. 'Z)xf2! 25.<l}xf2 ~xe3
§f8+ 23. ~f5 ~xf5 #. 26.A,xe3 'Z)g4+ 27.<l}f3
4)xh2+ 28.<l}f2 4)g4+ 29.<l}f3
••---------- Game #082 -----------
Black spurns the draw and
correctly plays on for the win!
Black gives up a Knight,
followed by an exchange 29.... t\'e6
sacrifice to draw the White King
toward the center of the board
White can do little to safeguard
and the rest of Black's forces.
his King against the buildup of
Black's pieces along the e-file
(W) Roberto Cifuentes-Parada and the subsequent shocking
(8) Vadim Zvjaginsev follow-up continuation.
[D45] Wijk aan Zee Open,

123
30.Af4 King toward th e Black forces
32.Axe3 Et xe3+ 33.ciflxg4 .

.-*,.¥Il(';-. •
Ac8+
~., ~S .~­
_~.···B1~~
t'{:..J~iJ..
. .:~'Jk.'~ fD
t
..
••
Preventing the .

, ~ • ~~.
retreating via IhWhrte King from
34.\t> e h3 square.
~.~a. g5h6+!35.\t>xh6
.ft ~tG.~'@wm
~d~.li.r ;~~ c~:~~";ated ~~~4, .
On etlher 35 ~f6
White

30 .. 35•••• lIe5 0-1

tt. .... C:!.e8! Shutting the d .
IS a forced check. White King. oar behind the
moves from thO mate In eight
Black. IS position for

This rnave dnves

. the White

124
___ --------- Game #083 ------------ recapture White's Bishop on f6.
Instead, ~Iack plays a shocking
2009 U.S. Chess Champion move designed to drive the
Hikaru Nakamura exposes White King towards the Black
White's weak f2 square in an forces.
amazing and shocking way.
22.~xf2 J1.c5+
(W) Mikhail Krasenkow (2668)
(B) Hikaru Nakamura (2648) C~mpletely flushing White's
[A14J Casino de Barcelona, King out into the open and
Barcelona, Spain (Round 2) away from his Pawn shelter.
10/19/2007 '
23.~f3laxf6+ 24.~g4 4)e5+
25.~g5
1.4)f3 !z)f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5
4.Jlg2 j),.,e7 5.0-0 0-0 6.b3 a5
7.4)c3 c6 8.d4 4)bd7 9:~c2 b6 For the mere cost of a Queen
10.e4 Aa611.4)d2 c512.exd5 Black's pieces have become'
cxd413.4)b5 exd5 14.4)xd4 extremely active around the
17:ltdl bxc418.bxc4 ~b6
gc8 15.§el b5 16.J1.b2 §e8 k d
na e White King.
19.9bl
21.Axf6dxc4 20.4)c6 §xc6 25.... §g6+ 26.~h5 f6

!~e Black threat of 27.... ~h6.

21 .... ~xf2+!!
IS Just too much for White.
No automatic moves here like 27.laxe5 §xe5+ 28.~h4 Jl.c8
Black playing a move to ' 0-1

125
 ·t·on After Analysis
POSII

126
22.h xg6 hxg6 23.ttxg6 ~f8
Black has no time to grab the
White Rook on h3 because of
24. JlJ6 and 25. ~xg7#.
24.gn Ae6
When the number of attackers
seriously outnu~be~s the ..
defenders, like In thl~ position,
sacrifices occur leading to
checkmate. All you need to do
is find the right moves.
And, here, Black defended the
obvious checkmate on f7, but
he missed the unstoppable ...
25. ~xg7+! ~xg7 26 •.Q.f6+
~g6 27.Elg3+ .Q.g4
28.Elxg4+
~h5 29.Elg5+ 1-0
------------ Game #085 -----------
Avery cool and unique finish
brought on by overwhelming
127
force at the point of attack.
And, always remember that you
are not forced to promote your
passed Pawn to a Queen.
(W) Albert Sandrin (2310)
(8) Phil Le Cornu (2220)
[A16] 1949 US Open,
Omaha, NE,
(Round 10),07/21/1949
l.c4 4)f6 2.4)c3 d5 3.cxd5
4)xd5 4.g3 g6 5 ..Q.g2 Ae6
6.4)f3 4)xc3 7.bxc3 Ag7 8.0-0
0-0 9.d4 c6 10.e4 .Q.c4 11.§el
4)d7 12•.Q.e3 tta5 13.4)d2
.Q.a614.ttb3 c515.e5 cxd4
16.cxd4 4)b6 17.§acl §ac8
18.§c5 §xc5 19.dxc5 4)d7
20.e6! 4)xc5 21.exf7+ ~h8
22.ttd5 b6 23 •.Q.d4 4)d3
24.§xe7 ttxd2?
Trading Queens keeps it closer,
but leads to an easy win for
White.
25.EleS h6 26.ElxfS+ ~h7
White correctly insures that
Black is terminated right now.
27.ElhS+l AxhS
On 27 .... <itJxh8, White
checkmates after 28. f8(~)+.
2S.fS~# 1-0
Final Position
128
------------ Game #086 ----------••
A combination of a weak
h-file and overwhelming force at
the point of attack, lead to the
sacrifice of two pieces and
checkmate.
(W) Grigory Serper (2540)
(8) Viktor Korchnoi (2645)
[A29) CITS, New York, NY
(Round 5), 1996
1.c4 ~f6 2.~c3 e5 3.~f3 ~c6
4.g3 Jlh4 5.Ag2 0-0 6.0-0
EleS 7.~d5 Ac5 S.d3 ~xd5
9.cxd5 ~d410.~d2 d611.e3
~f5 12.~c4 a5 13.Ad2 a4
14.h4 Ab6 15.~a5 ~d7
16.~c2
A Black attack from this starting
point does not seem very
realistic, but watch what
happens.
16.... h5
Although Black's position
seems a bit awkward now, over
the next few moves, he
reorganizes his forces in
preparation for his attack.
17.gael h4 18.~c4 ~e7
19. ~c2 hxg3 20.hxg3 g6
21. ~xa4 ~g7 22. ~c2 13.h8
23.~c4 ~g5 24.4)xb6
White has allowed Black to
build up a kingside attack, and,
to make things even worse,
White's pieces are poorly
placed for fending off the attack.
24.... ~h5 25.13.fe1 ~h2+
26.~f1 4)xg3+1!
Permitting Black's light-squared A Knight sacrifice by Black
Bishop to join in the attack.
And, the other reason why this
sacrifice works is because
White's pieces are not in
position to help defend White's Pawn formations for each side
King.
27.fxg3 Ah3
28.Jl.xh3
Not much choice as defending
the White Bishop on g2 with
something like 28. Ac3, leaves
White vulnerable on the h1
square after 28 .... ~hl + 29. <i!7e2
~xg2+ etc.
28.•.. ~xh3+ 29.~f2 ~f5+
0-1
Checkmate follows after
30. <i!7g2 ~h2!+ 31. <i!7xh2 ~f2+
32. <i!7h3 ~h8+ 33. <i!7g4 ~f5 #.
------------ Game #087 -----------
leaves nearly all of White's
pieces effectively useless in
preventing Black's attack. This
occurred because the resultant
effectively locked out all of
129
White's pieces, except his
light-squared Bishop, from the
defense of his King. The
finishing touch is also quite
unique and special.
resultant Pawn structure
effectively shuts out White's
pieces from the kingside.

(W) Anvar Nazarov (2410)

(8) Aleksandar Wohl (2371)
[A 14] Asian Championships,
Calcutta, India, (Round 6),
08/13/2001

1.c4 e6 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.g3 d5

4.b3 c5 5..llg2 4)c6 6.0-0 Ae7
7.cxd5 exd5 8.Ab2 0-0 9.d3
d410.4)bd2 4)d511.~c1 ~e8
12.4)e4 b613.a3 a5 14.~e1 f5
15.4)ed2 Af6 16.4)b1 ~a7
17.~c2 ~ae718.~cd1 Ab7 25 •..• 4)e3+!J
19.Ac1 ~h8
This move cuts off nearly all of
White pieces from the kingside.

27.~g2 Axh2
26.fxe3 fxe3
28.~f1 ~g3+ 29.~h1

20.~f1 ~d6 21.~c4 f4 22.g4

4)e5 23.4)xe5 Axe5 24.Af3
Ac6 25. ~c2

Very shortly, it will become

increasingly apparent how the 29.... Ag1! 0-1

130
White cannot avoid checkmate, positions where they can grab a
for example, 30. E!xgl ~h3# or Pawn, and then, defend. But,
30. Axc6 ~h2#. even the computer dislikes
Black's position.
____________ Game #088 ------------
11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 4)g4
The "Poison Pawn" Sicilian 13.Axg4 Axg4 14.~f4 Ad7
provides White with a huge 15.4)d5 ~a516.4)xe7+ ~h8
17.e6! ~d818.~af1 ~xe7
development advantage and a
brutal attack for the mere cost
of a Pawn. A dream come true
for aggressive chess players
and Black pays dearly for this
transgression.

(W) Alexander Beliavsky

(8) Viktor Kupreichik
[870] URS, 1973

1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

4.~ xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 g6 6.Ae2
.1lg7 7.f4 0-0 8.0-0 ~b6
9.Ae3~xb2

10.~d3~b4

Normally, computers favor

131
Even stronger is 21. ~c3!. either:
threatening 22. ~xg7!.
26.... ~e6 27.'~f6+ ~dS 28.~e5+
21 .... gxf5 ~c6 29.~cS#; or

Black is in deep trouble here. If 26.... ~e8 27.Af6 b6 28.'i!:Yg8#.

Black had tried 21. ... ~xe6
instead. White could have
played 22.~xg7 gxfS 23.~gS .£lc6
24.Ad4+.£leS 2S.~g3 ~e8
26.AxeS+ 'i!:YxeS 27. ~g8+ ~xg8
28. ~xeS+ with a huge edge.

22.Jl.d4 itxe6

The position is hopelessly lost.

On 22.... Axe6. Black gets
checkmated after 23.~xg7 h6
24.~f7+ ~g8 2S.'i!:Yg3+ ~xf7
26:~'g7# as Black's Queen and
Bishop prevent the Black King's
escape.

23.nf8+ itg8 24.l!xg8+ «llxg8

25. itg3 «llf7 26. itxg7+ 1-0

Black is checkmated after

132
 formation, many times Black will
Formation: respond with h5. When this
Fianchetto Bishop happens, my first preference for
attacking that setup is to castle
with h5 queenside and play g4. The
goal is to tear apart the
defender's Pawn cover.

(W) FearNoEvii (2200)

(8) KnightTourist (2042)
[B07] ICC 30, 11/22/2006

l.e4 d6 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)c3 g6

4.Ac4 Ag7 5.f3 0-0 6.4)ge2
a6 7.a4 b6 8.Ae3 Ab7 9 ..~d2
4)c6 10.h4 h5

The majority of the games in

this section focus on attacking
the h5 square. Eliminating the
fianchetto Bishop is still a
consideration also. While,
games where the defender tries
to prevent entry into his King
position with the move ~h7,
often find that the f1 square
subsequently has insufficient
defenders.
11.0-0-0 e512.}3dgl4)xd4
Related Games 13.4)xd4 exd414.Axd4 'i!le7
(Fianchetto Bishop with h5): 15.g4
55-58,61
With the idea of tearing apart
____________ Game #089 ___________ ~il:~;g~awn cover in front of

When White plays h4 against a 15.•.• c5 16.~e3

1\ ~
.!::Ioae8
Fianchetto Bishop pawn 17.gxh5 4)xh518.}3xg6 d5

133
19.~xd5 tte5 20.gxg7+ ~xg7 ------------ Game #090 --------__••
21.h5 ~h7 22.h6 ~e6 23.f4
tth824.gg1 Black pushes back the White
Queen, locks down the White
24. e5 was also really strong. King position, then plays g4 to
tear apart the White Pawn
24.... gg8 25.f5 ~d4?
cover, much like the last game.
Black had to play 25 .... !!xgl +.
(W) lobus (1873)
(8) FearNoEvii (2321)
[DOO] ICC 3 0, 12/10/2006

1.e3 d5 2.d4 g6 3.c4 j'tg7

4.~f3 c6 5.~c3 j'tg4 6.j'te2 e6
7.h3 j'txf3 8.j'txf3 ~d7
9.cxd5 exd5 10.0-0 ~e7 11.b3
0-0 12.j'ta3 f5 13.~e2 ge8
14.~f4 ~c815.~d3 ttf6
16.g3 ~d617.j'tg2 ~e4
18.j'txe4 fxe4 19.~c5 ~xc5
20.j'txc5 a6 21.gc1 gadS
22.j'tb6 gd7 23. tte2 gf7
24.gc2 j'tf8 25.j'ta5 j'td6
26.~g2 gef8 27.j'te1 ttg5
28. ttg4 tte7 29.h4
26.gg7+! gxg7 27.~f6# 1-0

29.... ~g7 30.gh1

Final Position

134
The first step is to drive the
White Queen back behind her
Pawn formation.
30.... h5 31:~e2
Next step, seal off White's
pieces from the front ~f White's
kingside Pawn formation.
31 .... §f3 32.§h3
Now, bring the attackers closer.
In a position like this one, there
is no reason not to include all of
your attackers before opening
up the position to attack. Some
players would even go so far as
to move their King all the way
over to the queenside before
crashing through.
32 •••• tke6 33.a4 §Sf7 34. tkd2
~g4 35. tke2 ~7f5 36.~d2
lime to break through White's
defensive setup.
36•••. g5 37.hxg5 §xg5 3S.~e2
h4 39.<if/h2 ~h5 40.<if/g2 <if/g6
41.~d2 hxg3 42.§xg3 ~xg3+
43.fxg3 tkh3+ 44.<if/g1 tkh1+
45.ctlf2 ~f5+ 0-1
----------- Game #091 ------------
In positions with lots of
firepower still left on the board At first sight, many of you would
you want to make sure that yo~r expec~ ~hat Black has q~ite a bit
King is safe. of positional play for being
down the exchange. But, in
(W) David Fryer (2080)
(8) Jo Kristian Loberg (1923)
[B26] Gibtelcom, Caleta,
England, (Round 6), 02/01/2009
1.e4 e5 2.4)e3 d6 3.g3 4)e6
4 •.11.g2 g~ 5.d3 .11.g76•.Q.e3
.11.e6 7:~d2 tkd7 S.h3 h6
9.4)ge2 4)f6 10.4)f4 a6
11.4)xe6 fxe612.0-0 4)d4
13.4)d1 e514.e3 4)e615.§b1
h516.f3 §eS17.a3 b51S.b4
exb419.axb4 ~aS 20.4)f2
tke7 21.h4 0-0 22.4)h3 4)h7
23.4)g5 4) xg5 24..11.xg5 a5
25.bxa5 ~xa5 26..11.h3 4)d8
27.§b3 .11.f6 2S..11.e3 e6
29.~fb1 tke6 30.tkf2 §f7
31 •.11.b6 ~a6 32•.11.xdS .11.xdS
33•.11.xe6 Ab6 34•.11.xf7+ <if/xf7
35.d4 exd4 36.exd4 tke4
37.<if/h1 .11.xd4 3S.tkfl '/be2
39.~xb5 ~a2
.
13S
reality, White's King is actually
less exposed that Black's King.
At this point in the game, Black
is probably feeling quite good
about his position. However,
White has a forced checkmate
starting with the shot ...
42.Etxh5+!! gxh5 43.~e6+
Cit'h7 44.Etb7+ j'tg7 45. ~f5+
1-0
------------ Game #092 ------------
As I already mentioned, the
defender's Pawn on h5 (h4) is
always going to be a possible
target for the attacker.
(W) B-Wall (2200)
(B) Gbrown (1868)
[087] ICC 5 0, 07/14/2009
136
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 d5
4.cxd5 4)xd5 5.e4 4)xc3
6.bxc3 Jlg7 7.-'lc4 c5 8.4)e2
0-0 9.Jle3 4)c6 10.h4 h5
11.Cit'fl cxd4 12.cxd4 4)a5
13.Jld3 b614.e5 e6
15.4)f4 -'lb716.4)xh5
You always have to consider
piece sacrifices that result in the
elimination of your opponent's
Pawn cover. The soundness of
these sacrifices largely depends
upon the number of attackers
and defenders remaining after
the sacrifice. Here, White
seems to have more than
enough attackers.
16•... gxh5 17.~xh5 Ete8?
17.... f5 was a must here.
Defending tough positions
should not be overlooked when
evaluating positions. Playing
Black's position will require
much greater accuracy and
precision.
18.Eth3 Cit'fS 19.~g3 ~d5
(W) Alexander Motylev (2710)
(8) Sebastien Feller (2570)
[878] European Club Cup,
Ohrid, Macedonia, (Round 5),
10/08/2009

l.e4 c5 2./df3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

4./dxd4 /df6 5./dc3 g6 6.Jte3
Ag7 7.f3 0-0 S. ~d2 /dc6
9.Ac4 Ad7 10.h4 h5 11.0-0-0
/de5 12.Ab3 ~cS 13.Ag5 ~c5
14.Cit'bl b5

20.~xg7!! Cit'e7

On 20 .... ~xg7, White can

checkmate two different ways.

1) 21.Ah6+ ~h8 22.Ag5+ ~g8

23:~h7+ ~f8 24. 't!rh8#.

2) 21.~h6+ ~g8 22.Ah7+ ~h8 15.g4 a516.gxh5 4)xh5

23.Ag6+ ~g8 24.'~h7+ ~f8 17./dd5 ~eSlS.4)f4
25:~xf7#.
No surprise here as the focal
21. ~xf7+ CifldS 22.jlg5+ 1-0 point of the attack is h5.

IS•.•. 4)xf419.~xf4 4)c4

------------ Game #093 ------------
20.~g3 a4 21 ..a.xc4 bxc4
O . h5· th & I . t 22.h5 ita5 23.Jtd2 c3
nce again, IS ~ IOC~ POIn 24.Axc3 13xc3 25.hxg6 f5
ofthe attack and White WinS 26.13h713b8 27.~h4 ~xb2+
this brawl by the slimmest of 2S.Ciflxb2 'ltb4+ 29.Ciflal Axd4
margins, a mere single tempo.
At a glance, White's position
would appear to be bleak, as it

137
looks like Black has just enough games of this type.
squares covered around his
King and White's King is
completely surrounded.
However, things are not always
as they appear to be.

Final Position

And, just in the nick of time, as

White mates Black after
31. ... Iit>xg8 32. ~h7+ ~f8
30.Eth8+ ~g7 33. ~f7#.

White checkmates Black after

30.... .1l,xh8 31. ~h7+ 'iM"8
32. ~f7# (or 32. ~xh8#).

31.Etg8+!t 1-0

The move §.g8!! prevents the

Black King from escaping to f6
after ~h7 +. The end result is
that White checkmates Black
one move before Black
checkmates White. Basically, a
win instead of a loss because
every single move counts in
these attacking brawls! Position After Analysis

The speed of the attack

becomes extremely important in

138
 (W) Joel Johnson (2245)
Formation: (B) Jim Beauregard (1672)
Fianchetto Bishop [B24] Valley Chess (G/30),
Phoenix, AZ (Round 4),
with h6 07/08/2007

1.e4 e5 2 ..£le3 .£le6 3.g3 g6

4.f4 Ag7 5.Ag2 e6 6.d3 .£lge7
7 ..£lf3 d5 8.~e2 0-0 9.0-0
dxe4 10.dxe4 b6 II.Ae3 Ab7
12.Etadl ~e8 13.g4 Aa6
14..£lb5 .1lxb2 15.e4 .1lg7
16..£ld6 ~e717.e5 Etad8
18..£lg5 h6 19..£lge4

This Pawn Formation, like other

fianchetto Bishop positions,
needs the Bishop to hold things
together. Even with the Bishop,
the formation still has weak
points on h6 and t7, and in
some cases, h7. Players that
utilize this Pawn Formation,
frequently attack with the move 19.... .£lxe5 20.fxe5 Axe5
f5, which can often team up with
a Pawn on e5 to spearhead an Black has decided that giving
attack on the opposing up his Knight for White's two
kingside. center Pawns and play against
both of White's Knights and
------------ Game #094 ------------ kingside, were worth it.
However, White has no
Elimination of the fianchetto intention of sitting back and
Bishop for a Rook leaves defending.
Black's dark squares terminally
weak. 21.Axh6 Axd6 22.~xd6!

139
Eliminating BI I
squared Bish ack s dark
to exploit the : ena~les White
position. ack king

22 ~e5
24..... ~c623.~f6+ ~h8
13xd6

~",,,.~ ~s Ii
f',i\~t.'4.J~". :f.~.
.•
..a..~~. ~~~ :I: ~~"///.~'
_ ,..... ~~r~ ~:I:~
~',,'''..',
~~3~ {(; •....
~~J..~.ft
• J'&.
m •• ~
~. ~
)'l-

• PosilionAfterA .
.ft B nalYSls

~.•
B .f:fN<i.3 ----
~ m"'~ Game 11095 - - - -
~=-~~~~~~~-~~L
25-AII7+III-O
,
with Ihemov~s ~'S
White weake .
kingside
Black is able I g , Afterwards,

alq/~'!"S.
Flushing Black's K' for his ma'or 0 open the h-file

~afe attac~C
had appeared 10 bing from whal resun is The end

;~.
7
kingside POSil a barely
speCially seeing
mating I Invasion and
a ong lhe h-file
method utilized by Whrte
a !heto (WI Pete
Joel r Fenger (1800) .
Ma~:~~son
exploit Black' (B)
!
a~nfic~
squares is 10 weak dark [A53] (2205)
squared Bisho
indeed
his dark-
p, QUite ironic (R
11/15/200~e,
State universl'tyrek, Arizona
ound 2),
Tern
AZ

1.d4 ~f625·~
4.g31tg4 4 lilc6 3.~f3 d6
~hite checkmate
7.~b3b68.A 2e56.d5~b8
5.... C3i1xg7 26 ~ s Black after lilbd7 lO.h31Z5Ae7 9.lilbd2
27. tt1g7 + C3i1 • 'e..Je8+ C3i1h6
29. 4Jf6+ ~x~4 28. h4+ C3i1xg4
31. §f3:t1=. 30. i;ih6+ C3i1g3 White decides to
push back the BI play g4? to
the cost is a ac~ Bishop, but
weak klngside

140
 '" 6 12.0-0 h5
11.g4? ~g .
. , Bishop IS on
Because ~hl~~~anteed at least
g5, Black IS g I r his Rooks.
one open file 0
2S.~f3 'ltg2" 0-1
11096 _
~ xg6f8fxg6
h4 hxg4 14.~
~hS 16:ltd3 ~6+ It'e7
__________ Game

15.~4
IHI
17.~e ~f4
4
5
AxgS 18.Axg~8xg6
20.'/tf5
. WMe plays the.
Once agaIn,
eak g4? Allo~n
. g Black to np
'de with a
2l.~ae1
19.hxg

~~F~r~~l~Bi~
w
apart
Wh'Ie's klngsl .
'd Rook sacnfice.

i •.. g.~~~<u ~~ GinS~mU~~

Knight an

~ ~~
~~ '..I,t ¥.» '~
." - . (2354)

!iI.~-~....~~'..•.•.....,,~ Nationa~ 1),

(W) Mark (2611)
(B) lidar Ibragl0 en Las
~.a.~
..... ~r.:!i: .•~.M.~
.....''''tifi! ¥J.l.~
[A25] 0611112005

·~'~~···~.·f. 2.~c35'~b4~ts ~:'5xd5~xt1

@ "egas,
Y' (Roun f5

~m l.c4 e5
~f6
~".",~~~. ~~~~ :a.dt~~!~~::~c416.~d
• .!l. ...... 4.Ag2 8.<13
•..
.a. ~~~ 4.~"...
~ ~,~~ ~ J.,k 2
&J!
~d t::'> ~
.!1 ..... RA ....e7 4 15 x e4 fxe4
w 412.Ab2
•..• 1t d
1;.itc2 gae818,

141
'lte6 19.4) xd6 cxd6 20.Ad4
4)g4 21.Etadl Etf7 22.h3 4)h6
23.~h2
23 .... Ag4 24.Etd2
The Black Bishop is poison.
Black is easily winning after
24. hxg4 4Jxg4+ 2S. ~gl ~h6.
24...• Af3 25.Axa7 Etf5
26.Axf3 exf3 27.g4? 'lte5+
28.~gl 4)xg4! 0-1
Checkmate follows after:
29. hxg4 E!h4! 30. gxh4 (30. E!el
~h2+ 31. ~f1 ~hl #) ~gS+
31. ~h2 ~g2#.
------------ Game #097 -----------
Again, Black weakens his
kingside with a subsequent gS
move. And, we have another
mating attack along the h-file,
after some very nice positional
sacrificial play from the New
England legend, John Curdo.
142
(W) John Curdo
(8) Sergey Kudrin
[B27] Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Memorial, Watertown, MA
(Round 4), 12/13/1998
l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 g6 3.d4 cxd4
4. 'ltxd4 4)f6 5.Ah5 a6 6.Aa4
h5 7.Ah3 4)c6 8. 'ltd3 Ag7
9.0-00-0 10.4)c3 d611 ..Q.g5
Ah7 12.Etfel 4)a5 13.4)d5
4)xd514.exd5 Ete815.Ete2 h6
16.Ah4
16.... g5
Black plays the same move that
got White blasted in the
previous game. But, the
primary difference between the
games, is that White is already
castled, so opening the h-file for
his Rook is no longer an option.
However, in both games, the
move weakens the Pawn cover
in front of the defender's King.
17..Q.g3 .Q.xb218.gael Af6
19.h4
It is still a good idea to play h4
to weaken Black's kingside
Pawns, even though the White
Rook is not on hI.
19.... ~d7 20.hxg5 hxg5
21.f!e6!?
The idea behind this move is to
block out Black's pieces,
preventing them from defending
Black's kingside. Also, the
Black f-Pawn defends the
vulnerable g6 square, thus
capturing White's Rook would
leave the front door wide open
for White's Queen. For
example, 21. ... fxe6 22. ~g6+
Ag7 23 . .£)xgS with checkmate to
follow.
143
21 .... 4)xb3 22.cxb3 ~g7
23.4)d4 fxe6 24.4)xe6+ ~h6
25.f4!
Not only to weaken Black's
Pawn cover for his King, but
paving the way for White's King
to step up.
25.... g4 26. ~f2 1-0
Final Position
White's checkmate threat of
27. !!hl:ll= cannot be adequately
defended.
So, even though opening the
h-file for White's Rook did not
seem plausible back when
Black played g5, here we are at
the end of the game and how
does White chose to finish off
Black? By clearing a path for
his Rook to reach the h-file via
the h1 square.
------------ Game #098 ------------
Black plays h5, h4, and hg3 to
weaken White's kingside. The
combination of controlling the
gl-a7 diagonal and the h-file,
along with a superior force at
the point of attack leads to a
spectacular finish.
is opening up the h-file. How
long will it be before a Black
Rook reaches the h8 square?
Not long.
22.fxg3 Ah6 23.}3c2 J}.e3+
24.~h2

(W) Andre Lilienthal

(8) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
[E67] Baku, 1951

1.d4 ~f6 2.c4 d6 3.~c3 e5

4.~f3 ~bd7 5.g3 g6 6.Jlg2
Jlg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.b3 exd4
9.~xd4 ~c5 10.b4 ~e6
11.~b3 ~d712.Ab2 ~e5
13.~a5 ~d4 14.a3 c5 15.~a4
Ag416.Axd4 cxd417.Axb7
h5 18.jlg2 h4 19.h3 Ae6
20.13c1 l;1c8 21.~b2 24 •••• ~g4+!? 25.~h1

Black would definitely have

some compensation for the
sacrificed Knight after 25. hxg4
'ffirg5 26. Af3 f5 27. gxf5 'ffirxf5.
25.•.. ~g7 26. '/tel l;1h8

And, just like that, Black has a

Rook on the open h-file,
pointing at the White King.

27.~d1

White is hoping that he can

21 •.•. hxg3 trade off some of the attackers
so that his queenside Pawns
We can already see that Black can rule in the endgame.

144
 Amazing, not only did Black
pitch his Rook, but his Queen
too! Anyways, if we have
learned anything from this book,
it is, "Who needs a stinkin'
Queen?". A forced minor piece
checkmate follows!

30.\t>xh3 Eth8+ 31.\t>g2 Eth2+

32. \t>f3 4)e5+ 33. \t>e4 f5+

Black could have thrown away

27•••. Etxh3+!! 28•.1lxh3 ~h8
29.Clflg2?
his Rook too before
checkmating White with !!h5+, if
he had been so inclined.
34.Etxf5 gxf5:t1= 0-1

The only move that avoids

immediate checkmate is the
crazy looking 29. !!xf7+, so who
can blame White for missing
such a move.

Final Position

------------ Game #099 ------------

Similar to the last game, Black

plays h5, h4, but after White
29•••• ~xh3+!! attempts to keep the h-file
closed with the move, 12. g4,

145
Blacks sacrifices a piece to
blow open White's kingside.
(W) Richard Cowan (1820)
(8) Joel Johnson (2240)
[B02] Valley Chess,
Phoenix, AZ, (Round 2),
11/22/2009
1.e4 4)f6 2.d3 d5 3.4)d2 4)c6
4.g3 e5 5.Ag2 h5
This move prevents White from
blockading the Black h-Pawn
and pinning Black's Knight with
the move 14. Ah3.
14.Ahl4)xg415.~e2 4)d4
16.4)xd4 Axd4
Even stronger for Black was
16.... ~g5! 17. 4J2f3 4Je3+
18. 4J x g5 h2#.

Announcing early that I plan on 17.~b1 tth4

coming straight down the h-file. Also, 17.... ~g5 still cannot be
6.h3 dxe4 7.dxe4 Ac5 8.4)gf3 defended by White.
tte7 9.0-0 Ae6 10.b3
18.tte1 ttg3+ 19.~f14)h2#
0-1

---------- Game #100 ------------

Once again, the attacker places

a Bishop or Knight on g5 with
immunity and causes severe
issues for the defender. And,
White exploits the hidden
weakness of the h7 square.

(W) FearNoEvii (2200)

(8) chairmanfrem (1977)
[B23] ICC 30, 12/20/2006
10.••• 0-0-0 11.~e1 h4
12.g4 Axg4! 1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 e6 5.Ac4 4)ge7 6.f5
White's King is exposed to most exf5 7.d3 Ag7 8.0-0 a6 9.a4
of Black's forces after this ~bSl0.tte1 b511.axb5 axb5
sacrifice. 12.4)xb5 0-0 13.4)c3 d5
14.exd5 4)b4 15.Ag5 f6
13.hxg4h3! 16.d6+ ~h817.dxe7 tte8
18.exfStt+ ttxfS19.tth4 fxg5
20.4)xg5 h6 21.4)f7+ ~h7

146
22.g4 4) xc2 23 .~a7
'R 4)e3

147
 Ab712.4::}xf6+ ~xf613.0-0
.11e714.c3 0-0 15.Ad2 ~e5
16.Etae1 Af617.f4 ~c5+
18.~h1 Ah4 19.Ae3 ~c6
20.Af2 .slf6 21. t\'g4 Etad8
22.Ete3 a5 23.Abl g6 24.Eth3
.slg7 25. t\'h4 h6

And, yet another method of

exploiting and uncovering the
weak h7 square.

31.4::}f6+ ~h8 32.~xh6+! 1-0

White checkmates after 26.Etg3 d5 27.e5 b4 28.Ad4

32 .... Axh6 33. §h7#. .sla6 29.Ete1 bxc3 30.bxc3
Etb8 31.f5 exf5
------------ Game #102 ------------

Overwhelming force at the pOint

of attack leads to White
sacrificing material to break
through.

(W) Denny Juswanto (2505)

(8) Zhu Chen (2495)
[886] Makita-Lakoni GM,
Jakarta, India (Round 5),
02/20/2004

1.e4 c5 2.4::}f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

4.4::} xd4 4::}f6 5.4::}c3 a6 6.Ac4
e6 7.a3 b5 8.Aa2 Ab7 9. t\'e2 32•.11xf5! g5?
4::}c6 10.4::} xc6 Axc6 11.4::}d5

148
Black cannot capture the 14.4)h4 4)df615.h3 4)g8
Bishop because of 32.... gxf5
33. e6 f6 34. e7 with a huge
advantage. Black had to try
32 ... , §b7 in an attempt to
provide more support for his
pieces along the second rank.

33.13,xg5 ~h8 34.gxg7! ~xg7

35.e6+ f6 36. ~g3+ ~h8
37.~g6 ~c7 38.e71-0

And checkmate cannot be

I

avoided.

____________ Game #103 -----------

16.g4
Related Game
Unlike some of the other games
(Windmill Attack): 327
in this section where a player
tried the move g4 (or g5), in this
One of the most unique chess
games ever played. Normally, game, White is gaining space
windmill attacks occur utilizing a by playing this move. Yes, the
Rook and Bishop, but in this weakness part of the equation
game White sacrifices his still exists, but Black is not in
Queen to windmill Black with a position to exploit it.
Knight and Bishop. The
16.••. 4)hf6 17.f4 e6 18.4)f3
windmill attack nets White some exd5 19.cxd5 h5 20.e5 b4
"in the way" Black defenders, 21.4)dl 4)e4 22. ttd3 f5 23.e6
and then, a checkmate. ~a5 24.gxf5 gxf5 25.4)h4
.a.a6?
(W) Alexander Alekhine
(8) Alan Fletcher Black's response seems quite
[E66] London, England, 1928 reasonable, skewering White's
Queen and Rook along the a6-
1.~f3 4)f6 2.c4 c5 3.d4 4)c6 f1 diagonal. However, White
4.d5 4)b8 5.4)c3 d6 6.g3 g6 has a very stunning and
7..1l.g2 .11.g7 8.0-0 0-0 9 ..11.f4 surprising reply.
h610.ttd2 ~h711.e4 4)h5
12.Jl,e3 4)d713.gael gbS

149
 ."i\7_."_ -__*
attack. This process can be
repeated until White has

~~
~S _ ~S,~. inflicted the maximum damage
to Black.
~~ ~ ...... ~"~
~:I.ft • ~~
~~~'~'4."'. . . . .
29.4)xf8+

-~' ... ~¥~'~I~

.. '.. 7U ~ ~~~
..ll. -1&\ ~~ "";.l First
RookWhite
on f8. removes the Black
~~ _~f.~~, ~.
m'·····7_~a
..ft'~~ -r. • .ft
-~ ..~~- ..•... -~-
~M~
.....•4J~§~~
29 •..• ~h8 30.4)g6+
Now, White returns to g6 for
another discovered attack on
the Black King.
26.~xe4!! fxe4 27.Axe4+
Cllh8 28.4)g6+ Cllh7 30...• Cllh7 31.4)e5+ Cllh8
32.4)f7 =11= 1-0

And, with the Black Rook on f8

gone, Black is unable to stop
the checkmate.

White has a windmill tactic with

a Knight and Bishop. What t~at
means is: White can move his
Knight anywhere with che~k,
then come back to g6, forcing
the Black King back again to. Final Position
the h7 square, and once again
into the path of the discovered

150
 Black's Bishop

simultaneouSI~nd
t n° White capt,:;e:nnot both
o on g7, Blac c recapture the
Forma 10 . SO hop
so~.~?
protect his.h7
chetto IS White Bishop h do I bring this

secn:~d~r
°
Flan tan h-Pawn square. Because
withou up in this does not
~WE;~r~»'~'*~~~~m
'B .~~ h-pa~J
• 'B,-~f~
when the de ou do not
=

~".t··D dramaticall~:~~~ consid~red

have a This

•~. ~,
need to play 'dsupthe

.~
be

• 'B ~~ ~.
• B
• - attackand . thedelenders

~BBB~ "~
a maJor flaw In
Pawn formation.

• ~B mB B. S • .l.B~fir
•
~BmB.~
~B ~~~ B mt. ~Rf~
. Ku,. B,t .!~.,/~~ ..
•
• - ·w·" •
ThisPawnformation
more than It sh
, .
occurs
ould. Players
Pawn
~\~~';e;'.
m ....
~"4~-~
.~,~, ~~
ft m,B ~
\~
mda~ .~''''. B :il;<~~
pla~, ~ 1b.!W~.
Al,,~.u-'~ B t=>1"1 W'
~ .~
are taught to center. As

Play~~Z§)~~t~....J.~~~-~~---=~D
captures towae
any even
a result, m
Maslers, frequ1ently
f g6 will
when l!; , 8
h,g6 instead ~ ~,Without .. bove from Game #4
thinking abou~ ~ The lack of
recaptunng 0 ghat is best for Position a, 15" move
after White s
their KingPOS::~re
an h-Pawn IS. If ____________
Game #1 04 _

weakness by lise . . Ie example 01

diagramm~ d osition Here is a.slm po h-Pawn means

col~,,:,
In the tom Game what haYingh'!tto Bishop .
(see right )15" move, to the Flan"wt,ite'S attack IS
tI48 after While s to prevent formabon. swift.
WMe played :'I.h6
able to defend powerful and
Black from beJn~eqUateIY. Why
his h7 square ~ because after
is this true? It IS

151
(W) MysteryMan (2215)
(8) lordazol2 (2084)
[B23] ICC 30, 11/16/2007
1.e4 c5 2.~c3 d6 3.f4 ~f6
4.Ac4 g6 5.~f3 Ag7 6.f5 0-0
7.d3 ~c6 8.0-0 ~d4 9.fxg6
hxg6
------------ Game #105 ---------•••
Another very simple example of
what having no h-Pawn means
to the Fianchetto Bishop
formation. White's attack
comes too fast and too easy
when Black has no h-Pawn.

(W) FearNoEvil (2200)

(8) Laurin (2125)
[B07] ICC 5 0,07/20/2006

1.e4 d6 2.d4 ~f6 3.~c3 g6

4.Ac4 ilg7 5.f3 0-0 6. l L}gc2
c6 7.11e3 e5 8.~d2 b5 9 ..Q.b3
a510.a4 b411.~d1 ~a6
12.h4 exd413.~xd4 ~c7
14.h5 ~c5 15.hxg6 hxg6

10.~g5

Preserving the White Knight is

important to White's
checkmating plans.

10.... e611.~e1
~xc2
12.~h4 ~xa113.Etxf6

Capturing the only defender of

the h7 square.

13.... Ete8 16.Ah6 ~xb3 17.cxb3 Etd8

18..Q.xg7 ~xg7 19. ~h6+ 1-0
Black cannot escape the White With checkmate to follow after:
attackers.
19.... <it>g8 20. i:Yh8*.
14.~h7+ ~f815.Etxf7* 1-0

152
.....••••---- Game #106 ------------

Much like Game #1 04, ~xcept

Black gives up a Pawn In an
attempt to generate some
counter-play.

(W) MysteryMan (2210)

(8) Claude41 (2101)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 05/05/2009

l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 d6

4.4)f3 4)f6 5.Ac4 g6 6.f5 Ag7
7.d3 a6 8.a4 '(fJJc7 9.0-0 4)a5
lo.Aa2 b5 11.axb5 axb5
12./f)xb5 '(fJJb6 13.4)c3 .sla6 19.~xf6! dxc1 '(fJJ+ 20.~xc1
14./f)g5 0-0 15.fxg6 hxg6 ~fc8

Capturing White's Rook on f6,

leads to 21. ~h7#.

21.Axf7+ 1-0

And, White checkmates after

21. ... <{tIf8 22. 4Jh7#.

16.~e1 c4+ 17.~h1 cxd3

18.t\'h4!

Black's kingside is weak and

vulnerable, primarily because of
the aforementioned h7 square
weakness.

18.... d2 Position after Analysis

153
------------ Game #107 ------------
I have shown this position to
many students and you will not
Here, Black decides to play ~g7 believe how few of them can
so that he can defend his h7 find White's simple next move.
square with the move §h8.
17.E{h7! lclf5 IS.E{xhS+ AxhS
19.~h7+ ~fS 20.tyf7# 1-0
(W) FearNoEvil (2200)
(8) nrf (2162)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 12/25/2006 ------------ Game #108 -----------.

l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 g6 3.f4 Ag7 This time around, Black decides

4.lclf3 a6 5.a4 b6 6.Ac4 Ab7 to play f5 and run her King
7.f5 e6 S.fxg6 hxg6 9.d3 4)e7 towards the center.
10.0-0 d5 II.Ab3 4)bc6
12.4)g5 0-0 13. ~el Ad4+ (W) MysteryMan (2200)
14.~hl ~g7 (8) beatchess (2061)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 12/05/2008
Black is desperate, so he
decides to play ~g7, so that he l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 lclc6 3.f4 g6
can respond with §h8 when 4.4)f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5 d6
White attacks his h7 square. 7.fxg6 hxg6 S.d3 4)ge7
But, that same Rook needs to 9.0-0 Ad7
defend the t7 square also,
which is too much responsibility
for a single defending piece.

Perhaps, Black has some

thoughts about castling
queenside and transforming the
15.tyh4 fihS 16.f!xf7+ ~gS open h-file from weakness to

154
strength. However, by attacking 16.ll)ce4 # 1-0
the weak f7 square, White
convinces Black that castling ------------ Game #109 ------------
kingside is necessary.
In the next two games, Black
10.4)g5 0-0 11.~g4 ,a,d4+ knocks out White's kingside
12.Ci&h1 ~g713.~h4 f5 Knight quickly to prevent any
kind of Queen and Knight
Rather than play §h8, similar to checkmate. However, the end
the last game, Black decides to result of this preventive action is
play f5. to accelerate White's remaining
pieces toward the h-file
14.~h7+ ~f6 weakness, which still remained.

(W) MysteryMan (2200)

(8) KEVINEMMS (2175)
[B23] ICC tourney 332249
(3 0) (Round 4), 09/23/2008

1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6

4.4)f3 Ag7 5 ..Q.c4 e6 6.f5
4)ge7 7.fxg6 hxg6 8.d3 4)d4
9.0-0 4)xf3+ 10.~xf3 0-0
11.Ag5 a612.a4 Elb8?

15.e5+!

This move clears the e4 square

for White's Knight and Black
gets checkmated in all lines.

15.... 4)xe5

On 1S. '" ~xeS, White could

have checkmated Black by
either 16. itig7+ §f6 17. M4# or
16. 4)f3+ ~f617. AgS#. This move does nothing to help

155
out Black's position. Frequently,
Sicilian players do not place a
high enough value on defending
their King. A queenside attack
can only work if your King is
safe.

13.~g3 d614.~h4 E!eS

15.E!f3 ~e7 16.E!afl 4)e6
17.E!h3 4)e5 IS.~h7+ ~fS

Final Position

------------ Game #110 ------------

Much like the last game, Black

The basic issue with Black's
position is the huge advantage
White has in attackers versus
defenders on the kingside,
leading to a quick end to the
game.
19.~hS+!
Placing the White queenside
Rook on f1 facilitated the
execution of this checkmating
combination.
19.... AxhS 20.E!xhS+ ~g7
21.Af6# 1-0
knocks out White's kingside
Knight quickly to prevent any
kind of Queen and Knight
checkmate. However, the end
result of this preventive action
was to accelerate White's attack
down the h-file.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) music3 (1646)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 09/13/2007
l.e4 e5 2.4)e3 4)e6 3.f4 d6
4.4)f3 g6 5.Ae4 Ag7 6.f5 4)f6
7.d3 0-0 s.o-o a6 9.fxg6 hxg6
10.a4Ag4
Black is worried about the
White Knight on f3 enough to
initiate a trade for it.

156
1l.~e1 Axf3 20.~xh8+!

Fearing the White Knight and
Queen mating combination,
Black decides to just eliminate
the White Knight. However,
there is more than one way to
"skin a cat".
White trades off his Queen for
the last two Black kingside
defenders.
20.... ,1lxh8 21.E!xh8+ ~g7
22.E!h7+ ~f8 23 ..o.h6 # 1-0

12.E!xf3 .£)d413.E!h3 .£)xc2

14.~h4 .£)xa115.Ag5 .£)h5

Black makes a feeble attempt to

block off the h-file.

16.g4~h7?

Black had a miracle defense

here after 16.... Ad4+ 17. c;t>hl
07. ~g2 ~b6) ~d7 18. gxhS Af2!
19. t\'xf2 ~xh3 20. hxg6.

17.gxh5 E!h8 18.hxg6+ ~g8

19.Axf7+ ~f8
Final Position
Black's King is in a mating net,
as all exits are closed off.

157
------------ Game #111 ------------ 24.axb3 Elc2+ 25.li&g3 ~c3
26.Ag5! ~xa127.~h8+ 1-0
The next three games illustrate
further the h-file weakness in
combination with overwhelming
force at the point of attack.

(W) B-Wall (2211)

(B) Alena (2336)
[087] ICC 5 0, 11/02/2009

1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.41c3 d5

4.cxd5 41 xd5 5.e4 41 xc3
6.bxc3 c5 7.Ac4 Ag7 S.41e2
41c6 9.Ae3 0-0 10.h4 Ag4
11.f3 Ad712.h5 cxd413.cxd4
~a5+ 14.<i!i'f2 ElacS 15.hxg6
hxg616.Ab3 ElfdS Final Position

Another mating net for White.

Black gets checkmated after
27 .... Axh8 28. ~xh8+ ~g7
29. Af6#.

------------ Game #112 ------------

More of the same, further

illustration of the h-file
weakness in combination with
overwhelming force at the point
of attack.

(W) Buc-kafy (2016)

17.41f4 e6 lS.e5 41e719.g4
Ac6 20. ti:\'gl
White's Queen is heading
straight for the weak h-file.
20.... 41d5 21.41xd5 Axd5
22.~h2 Axb3 23:~h7+ <i!i'fS
(B) MysteryMan (2200)
[A05] ICC 3 0, 11/21/2008
1.41f3 d6 2.g3 g6 3.Ag2 Ag7
4.0-0 41f6 5.d3 41c6 6.e4 h5
7.41bd2 Ad7 S.a3 ~c8 9.§el
Ah310.Ah1 Ah611.41c4
41g4 12.Axh6 Elxh6 13.4)g5

158
4)ge5 14.4)xh3 ~xh315.4)e3 position is already dominant
h416.jlg2 ~d717.~d2? 4)d4 and easily winning. Why?
18.~dl hxg319.hxg3 Too much power, as Black has
both Rooks, his Queen, and
Knight aimed at the White King.
While, White really only has one
defender, his Bishop on g2.

23.... Elhl+! 24.Axhl Elxh1+

25.~xh1 ~h3+ 26.~g1 4)f3*
0-1

------------ Ga me #113 ------------

Another h-file issue rears it's

head after White attempts to pry
open Black's King and finds
himself exposed after Black
19.... 0-0-0 20.c3 /ile6
21.~d2 Eldh8 22.d4 4)g5
trades in his Queen.
23.dxe5?
(W) Robert Fontaine (2567)
(8) Maxime Lagrave (2595)
[A89] French Championships
Aix-Ies-Bains, France
(Round 10), 08/23/2007

1.4)f3 f5 2.d4 4)f6 3.g3 g6

White is in serious trouble here
and the only real method of
avoiding checkmate here was
make a run for it with the move
23. lit>f1. In any case, Black's
4.Ag2 Ag7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 d6
7./ilc3 4)c6 8.b3 e5 9.dxe5
dxe510.Aa3 e411.Axf8
~xf812.4)d4 4)xd413.~xd4
Ae614.~d2 h515.Elad1 h4
16.~g5 r:tJf717.~f4 ~c5
18.4)b5 hxg3 19.hxg3 Elc8
20.4)d4Ad7
White badly wants to expose
Black's King, but he should be
worried about his own King and
the aforementioned Pawn
Formation weaknesses.

159
21.g4? Just two pieces for a Queen
and Black has a stranglehold on
White's move is very optimistic the position. This book has a
and overly aggressive. While bunch of these, as having two
White wants to pry open Black's very active pieces can easily
Pawn cover, but the risk to his bully a Queen around.
own King is very real.
27.~c4 Ad6+ 28.~gl Ah2+
21 .... 4)xg4 22.4)xf5 Axf5 29.~h1
23.Eld5 ~xd5 24.cxd5
Repeating the position to "gain"
White has removed Black's time on the clock, no doubt.
Queen from the board, but now
comes an immense wave of 29 .... h5
Black counter-play.
Black's method of removing the
24 .... Ae5 25. ~c1 Ah2+ discovered threat of 30. d6+.
26.\&h1 Elh8

White's King is completely

surrounded and the threatened Black has no intention of forcing
discovered check means that a draw here.
White cannot place anything
valuable on a dark square. 31.jl.f3 4)xf2+ 32.Elxf2

On 32. ~g2, Black wins White's

160
Queen with 32 Queen or in thO
33. <i!txh2 Ad7+·.... Ah3+ promoting to ISQcase, just
a ueen.

~~: .(ic6xf2 33. 'i!7g2 J}.gl

On 34. <i!tfl Black h

edge with
:9,xg2.
34 ....
§h as a big
2 35. Ag2

Pro~oting to a .
decisive but.t .Queen IS
checkm~te I IS neither a
This move °tr very elegant.
. s arts a
piece King Hu t super minor
helpless to pr n and White is 37 •••• J}.e3+!!
In general YO~velnt checkmate
~~arch Chec~
fa,' ways want to· Black tosses h·
the final thre IS. Rook too for
an being cont mate, rather
ent to win a Pawn check e minor pieces and
mate.

161
38.C3}xh4 g5+ 39.C3}h5 4)g3+
Final Position
0-1
Black checkmates White after
40. ~h6 g4*.
------------ Game #114 ------------
While White is trying to fend off
the basic checkmate idea of
i"i'h5 and .£Jg4, Black is able to
build up an overwhelming
attack force, which leads to
another nice finish.
(W) Alexei (2118)
(8) FearNoEvil (2200)
[A25] ICC 3 0, 06/20/2006
1.c4 e5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.g3 Ac5
4.Ag2 d6 5.4)f3 f5 6.0-0 4)f6
7.e3 0-0 8.d4 Ab6 9.4)d5 f4
10.4)xb6 axb611.d5 4)e7
162
12.b3 fxg3 13.hxg3 ~e8
14.Ab2 ~h5
White fears Black's impending
.£Jg4, as played in some of the
earlier games in this section, so
he plays ...
15.4)h2 Ag416.~c2 Ah3
17.b4 4)g6 18.c5 4)g4
19.4)xg4 ~xg4
Much like Games #059 and
#060, where the attacker places
his Queen directly in front of the
fianchetto Pawn structure
followed by moving a Knight to
h4 (h5) or f4 (f5).
20.cxb6 Axg2 21.~xg2 4)h4+
Winning faster is the incredible
21. ... ~f3+ 22. 'it'h2 .£Jf4!!
23. exf4 f!f6, threatening E!h6+
and f!hl *.
22.C3}h24)f3+
The plan is to lock down White's If White moves his King to the
King and build up my forces in h-file, he gets mated with the
front of the White King. maneuver l!h5+ and !hh 1 *'.

23.~g2 cxb6 24.Elh1 Elf5 ~xg3+ 30.fxg3 Elxfl +

29....
25.g ac1 Elaf8 26.Elcfl e4 31.~g2 El8f2+ 32.~h3
27:tf!c3 4)e5 28.~c7 Elxh1# 0-1

Too much firepower leads to a Final Position

brutal mating combination.
------------ Game #115 ------------
28.... ~f3+ 29.~gl
The power of White's light
squared Bishop creates a major
distraction and White is able to
take down Black with a powerful
In-Between move.

(W) MysteryMan (2200)

(8) geemurfi (1974)
[B23] ICC 30, 10/12/2009

1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 g6 3.f4 Ag7

4.4)f3 4)c6 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5
4)ge7 7.fxg6 hxg6 8.d3 a6
9.a4 d6 10.0-0 4)e5 11.4)xc5
dxe5 12. ~f3 0-0

163
Having no h-Pa
worried about wn leaves Black
around his Kinthe squares Remember, no auto .
White is focu g, In particular moves, White doe not matlc
square and sfted on the f6 ' recapture the Kn' sh have
l to
respo a er Black's Ig t here
nse of f6 b
become targeh., oth g6 and e6
19 .Ilh6
' ! ~f7 .
20.4:\xf6+! 1-0

_.~l " .A.~r-~

-g ~
~~.
r~
~~
!~

~.'~'
~~~~~-~
w <~~~~ ~,t
~ ~.~ :w~~
~·0
~

~ ~~~~~~
~g ~~
• •~

~<"~
--
<

ft ~"3~ 1i~. •
/'< •
.... ..
... <.

.~ . f t . .~
~~•.ft'. m~~
"i~ft~ ~•..,
~\"1~
fn~ '~" ~ft~
~ .§~f~~

164

Formation:
Fianchetto Bishop
with f5
Playing f4 (f5) is a great
aggressive way to attack your
opponent. The f-Pawn can be
utilized to open up the f-file
leading to another attacking
lane for your Rook(s). The
downside is the move also
opens up your King to enemy
pieces along the diagonal
(a2-g8 or a7-g1) and along the
seventh rank.
------------ Game #116 ------------
(W) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
(8) Yuri Kotkov
[C67] 17th RSFSR
Championship, Krasnodar,
USSR,1957
165
l.c4 ~'5 2.1z) f.~ .'z)c6 3 ..0.b5 4)f6
4.0-0 lz)x(~4 5.E!c1 l L)d6
6 . .'z) xc5 .O.c7 7 ..0.d3 0-0 8.{}c3
4)xc5 9.E!xc5 J1f6 10.E!e3 g6
11.~f3 J1g7 12.b3 4)e8
13 ..o.a3 d6 14.E!ae1 {}f6
15.h3 4)d7 16.4)d5 f5
White's pieces are extremely
active, while Black is playing
shorthanded without the Bishop
on c8 and the Rook on a8.
17.{}xc7
White sacrifices his Knight to
draw the Black Queen away
from the Black kingside and to
open up the d5 square, as an
entry point for White's Queen to
penetrate Black's position. This
can work because Black has
not developed all his queenside
pieces.
17.... 'It!/xc7 18.~d5+ 'i!7h8
19.f!e8 4)f6 20.f!xf8+ .o.xf8
21.Ab2.Q.g7
22.Ac4! Ad7 23.Axf6
It is actually more accurate to
play ~f7 first with the threat of
!';!e7.
23 .... Axf6 24. ttff7 ~d8?
Black needs to try 24 .... Ag5 for (W) Eugene Meyer (2510)
a chance.
25.~c8+! 1-0
The Black Queen is overloaded
and cannot defend both the f6
and f8 squares.
On 2'5 .... ~xe8, White
checkmates Black after
26. tixf6#, while 25 .... Axe8
leads to 26. ~g8 # .
------------ Gam e #117 -------___ .•
One of the biggest victories of
my chess career. Last round in
a big International tournament
in beautiful Bermuda against a
strong chess player with a top
prize at stake. This was the
first game that I had published
in Chess Life magazine.
As I mentioned above, pushing
the f-Pawn can cause defensive
issues along the seventh rank.
In this game, the threat of my
Rook moving to the seventh
rank caused White to
compromise his back rank
defense, leading to a King Hunt
His King gets driven from his
side of the board all the way to
my side of the board.
(8) Joel Johnson (2310)
[A25] 1990 Bermuda
International, Paget, Bermuda,
(Round 5), 02/04/1990
l.c4 eS 2.l£)c3 4)c6 3.g3 g6
4 ..11.g2 Ag7 5.e3 4)ge7 6.gbl
as 7.a3 d6 8.b4 axb4 9.axb4
AfS 10.d3 tid7 11.4)dS 0-0
12.4)e2 ~ae8 13.0-0 4)d8
14.bS 4)c8 IS.Aa3 c6
16.4)dc3 4)e717.4)e4 c5
18.4)2c3 h6 19.b6 4)dc6
20.{)b5 4)c8 21.4)c7 ~d8
22.{)dS ~h8 23.f4 f6 24. ~a4
4)8e7 25.4)c7 Ah3 26.Axc5?
166
the surface, butBlac~Slble
This move seems se .
on
much counter-play. w~7ts too
should continue to e
.~plolt~e
holes in Black's position. the

Black has been slo I

h..
IS pieces clos w y moving
the White Kin er and closer to
c£:lxe3! expose g. Th.e move
28.4Jxc5 ~g4
26... , jlxg2 27 f/!J
29 xg2 dxc5 White's ba k s the Issue of
rank. c rank and seventh
30.f!bel ga8 3 .4) 7e6 4)f5
1'
32.f!f2 h5 33 .\Yhl ~b3~h3gfb8
35.gxe3 g a 1 + 36.gg1 gba8
Jockeying for b
placement E etter piece
positions r~su~~ntuaIlY, better Black is threateni
Rook on the ng to place a
opportunities ~ In tactical followed b seventh rank
the advantage~r the player with . y check '
either g2 or h2 mate on
forced to play .'..so White feels
34.f!g2
37.ge2 gxgl+ 38.vxg1
rlh gal+
"0 ne of the b'
of my ches~ggest victories Now, the Kin .
White will tt g Hunt IS on.
round in a b' career. Last
on Black'sa .dempt to find cover
tourname~~ .International Sl e of the board
Bermuda a ~n beautiful
chess Playe;al.ntst a strong
WI h a to .
~~.\t'f2l\txh2+ 40 I!
.f/!Je3 ~gl+ 42 .vc
.
4 ~h 1+
.... /f3
at stake.II P prize

167
42 .... 4)d4 43.~b2 4)xe2
44.~d5 ~g2+ 45.~d6
The White King has been able
to find temporary shelter on
Black's side of the board. Now,
It is time for Black to bring back
his pieces to finish off the job.
. .. . Bishop and mistakenly opens
The Brltls~ Island na!lon of
Bermuda I.S located In the
North A!lantlc Ocean, roughly
670 miles southeast of the
state of North Carolina.
45 .... ~c6+ 46.li!/e7 EtaS
47.4)d7 4) xg3 4S.4)ec5 Ii!/gS
0-1
49 .... ~f5# is checkmate and
White has no means of
defending the square.
168
Final Position
------------ Game #118 -----------.
Related Games
(Queen & Bishop Mate):
064,181,273
White gives up his fianchetto
up his kingside. And, Black
finds a way to puncture White's
position in the center. Then,
finishes him off with a nice
Queen and Bishop mate.
(W) David Peng (2245)
(8) Joel Benjamin (2583)
[E 15] 2009 World Open,
Philadelphia, PA,
(Round 1),07/01/2009
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.lilf3 b6
4.g3 Aa6 5.b3 Ab4+ 6.11,d2
Ae7 7.Ag2 0-0 s.o-o d5
9.cxd5 exd5 10.4)c3 Ab7
11.ll)e5 4)a6 12.§cl .Q.a3
13.gbl ~e814.e3 Ad615.f4
15 .... c5 16.g4 §d817.~e2
4)c7 18.g5 Axe5 19.dxe5 4)e4
2o..Q.xe4 dxe4 21.§fdl §d3
22.Ael ~d7 23.§xd3 exd3
24.~d2 4)b5 25.4)xb5
25.... ~d5 26.e4 ~xe4
27.~b2 d2!
The point of this move is to
169
prevent White from using this
square to escape with his King.
Basically, after White captures
the Pawn on d2, the square will
be occupied with a White piece
and unavailable to the White
King.
28.~xd2 ~hl+ 0-1
And, the game could have
concluded with 29. <£tf2 tig2+
30. ~e3 tif3 #. Now, we can
see the point of the move d2.
------------ Game #119 ------------
A relentless attack by Black with
loads of sacrifices, finally nets
the White King. It is very
important to understand how
the Black move, 12 .... e3,
separates White's forces from
his kings ide. Effectively, the
move splits the White forces in
two, leaving the White King
somewhat vulnerable.
(W) Vassily Ivanchuk
(8) Artur Yusupov
[E67] Brussels, Belguim,
(Round 9), 1991
l.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3.Ag2 g6 4.d4
4)d7 5.4)c3 Ag7 6.4)f3 4)gf6
7.0-0 0-0 8.~c2 §e8 9.§dl c6
10.b3 ~e711.Aa3 e412.4)g5
e3 13.f4 4)f8 14.h4

14.... .Q.f5 15.~b3 h616.lilf3
lilg417.b5 g518.bxc6 bxc6
19.1ile5 gxf4 20.lil xc6 ~g5
21.Axd6 lilg6 22.lild5 ~h5
23.h4
Black feels like he has a
localized material advantage
and starts sacrificing loads of
material in an attempt to
checkmate White.
170
23 .... lilxh4 24.gxh4 ~xh4
25.lilde7+ ~h8 26.lilxf5
~h2+ 27.~f1 Ele6 28.~b7
Elg6 29.~xa8+ ~h7
This game drives my computer
insane because the game is so
complicated. None ofthe
computer output makes any
sense.
30.~g8+!!
This is the only move that White
can play to stay in the game.
30.... ~xg8 31.lilce7+ ~h7
32.4)xg6 fxg6 33.4)xg7
"This game drives my
computer insane because the
game is so complicated."
33.... lclf2!! Final Position

Black plans on playing

34 .... 4:)h3 with a checkmating
net.

34.Axf4

White has nothing better than to

give back the material with
hopes of hanging in just a bit
longer.

34.... ~xf4

White's position is hopeless and

all that remains are a few spite
checks and some other
delaying moves.

35.lcle6 ~h2 36.§db1 4)h3

37.gb7+ \figS 3S.ElbS+ ~xb8
39.Axh3 ~g3 0-1

171
Formation: (W) FearNoEvil (2200)
(8) COSCO (1946)
Fianchetto Bishop [B23] ICC 5 0,05/11/2004
with Open f-File 1.e4 e5 2.4)e3 .£le6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 ltg7 5.Ae4 e6 6.f5
.£lge7 7.fxg6 fxg6 8.d3 0-0
9.0-0 d510.Jlh3 ~h611.~hl
a5 12.a4 .£ld413.Ag5 .£lxf3
14.f!xf3 f!xf3 15.~xf3 dxe4
16.dxe4 ~e7

Much like other fianchetto

Bishop formations, knocking out
the fianchetto Bishop really
weakens the King position.
And, no f-Pawn leaves both the
f-file and the seventh rank
17.f!f1 .£le6 18.4)d5!
vulnerable to attack. The
defender needs to secure each This move opens up the
of these avenues of attack. a2-g8 diagonal with disastrous
results for Black.
In the first set of games, the
attacker utilizes the f-file to 18.... exd5 19.exd5 .£ld4
penetrate the defender's King 20.d6+ ~h8?
position.
Black has no idea what is
------------ Game #120 ------------ coming. He needed to play the
move c4 to block out the check.
Control of the f-file and a weak Black's back rank is very weak
back rank cause a stunning and White takes full advantage
finish. of the weakness.

172

21.~f8+!! Axf8 22.E{xf8+
~g7 23.E{gS =11= 1-0
Final Position
------------ Game #121 ------------
Control of the f-file leads to the
Black King getting flushed and
checkmated.
173
(W) FearNoEvil (2200)
(8) cinconnu (2155)
[823] ICC, 04/03/1999
l.e4 e5 2 ..£le3 .£le6 3.f4 g6
4.Ae4 Ag7 5 ..£lf3 e6 6.f5
4)ge7 7.fxe6 fxe6 8.d3 0-0
9.0-0 d5 10.Ab3 .£la5 11.t\'el
4)xb312.axb3 d413.4)e2 4)e6
14.Ag5 t\'eSI5.t\'h4 4)e5
16.4)xe5 Axe5 17.E{xf8+
t\'xfS 18.E{fl ~d6 19.Ae7
Axh2+ 20.~hl ~c7 21'E{fS+
~g722.~f6+
Missing the elegant Invisible
Defender move, 22. §h8! which
mates faster.
22.... ~h6 23.E{f7 t\'e5
24. ~h4+ ~h5 25.Ag5 =11= 1-0
------------ Game #122 ------------
More of the same, as total
control of the f-file and back
rank issues lead to infiltration by 27.§xf6 Ae8 28.§f8+ ~g7
White. 29.~xh7+ ~xf8 30.~g8# 1-0

(W) FearNoEvil (2200) ------------ Game #123 ----------_.

(8) Plimsol (2340)
[B23] ICC 5 0, 03/19/1999
1.c4 c5 2.~c3 ~c6 3.f4 g6
4 ..Q.c4 Ag7 5.~f3 e6 6.f5
~gc7 7.fxe6 fxe6 8.d3 d5
9 ..Q.h3 b510.a3 c411.Aa2 0-0
12.0-0 ~h8 13.\'l)h1 a6
14.~e1 Ad7 15.~h4 d4
16.~e2 cxd317.cxd3 ~g8
Very similar to Game #122.
White takes control of the f-file
and utilizes an Invisible
Defender to run rampant
through Black's defenses.
(W) Noah Raskin (1633)
(8) Joseph Hoffman (1428)
[B23] Master Trek, Arizona
State University, Tempe, AZ,
(Round 3), 09/12/2009

1.e4 c5 2.~c3 41c6 3.f4 g6

4.41f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5
~ge7 7.fxg6 fxg6 8.d3 0-0
9.0-0 a6 10.a4 d5 11.Ab3 d4
12.41e2 \flh813.~el e5
14.~h4 Af615.Ag5 4)g8
16.Elf2 ~e717.Elaf1 Ae6
18.Axe6 ~xe6 19.Axf6+
41 xf6 20.41g5 ~e7

18..1lg5 ~e819.h3 §c8

20.~f4 Af6 21.Axf6+ 4)xf6
22.4)g5 e5 23.41d5 41h5
24.41f6

24. g4 is also very strong here.

24 .... Elxf6 25.Elxf6 4)xf6

26.§f1 ~e7

Now, with the power of the

Invisible Defender, White just
runs through Black's position.

174
21.E:t xf6 §xf6 22.§xf6 14.h4 cxl(~ IS.axh:~ h616.h4

And, once again with the power The point of playing b4 twice,
of the Invisible Defender, White was to regain the a2-g8
just runs through Black's diagonal for the light-squared
position. Bishop.

22 .... 4)d8 23.§f8+ ~g7 16.... 4)b7 17..o.b3+ ~h8

24.~xh7+ ~xf8 25.~h8* 1-0 18.~el ~d619.fih4 ~g8
20.Axg8 §xg8 21.Ae7 fjc7
____________ Game #124 ------------ 22.4)g5 h6 23.§f7 lL)d8

Once again, letting the

aggressor take control of the
f-file leads to a drastic result.

(W) FearNoEvil (2200)

(8) Mrfitzer (2041)
[823] ICC 3 0, 08/15/2007

l.e4 c5 2.lilc3 4)c6 3.f4 g6

4.~f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5
4)ge7 7.fxg6 fxg6 8.d3 d5
9.Ab3 0-0 10.0-0 4)a5
1l.j'tg5 c4 12.Aa4 d4 13.4)e2
e5
24.~xh6+ 1-0

Black gets checkmated after

24 ..... llxh6 2). tlh7#.

------------ Game #125 ------------

The last game of this section is

the one game in which the
defender has control of the
f-file.

(W) Leonid Stein

(8) Vladimir Liberzon
[B09] Erevan, Armenia,

175
(Round 3), 1965 No better is: 24 .... \"/17 2'5. '~e'5+
~e7 26. <£Ig8#.
1.e4 d6 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)c3 g6
4.f4 Ag7 5.4)f3 0-0 6.e5 4)fd7
7.h4 c5 S.h5 cxd4 9.~xd4
dxe5 10.~f2 e611.hxg6 fxg6
12.~g3 exf413.Axf4 ~a5
14.Ad2 4)f615.Ac4 4)c6
16.0-0-0 ~c5

Position After Analysis

25. ~xh6+ 1-0

17.~h4 4)h51S.4)e4 ~b6

19.c3 4)a5 20.1le2 h6

The main issue with Black's

position is the queenside
Bishop and Rook being
undeveloped.

21.g4! 4)f4 22.Axf4 Elxf4

23.EldS+

Black's kingside is about to be

overpowered by White
attackers.
23.... ElfS 24.4)f6+ C(!lhS
Final Position
The game could finish with
25 .... Axh6+ 26. !!xh6+ ~g7
27. !!h7+ ~xf6 28. !!xf8#.

17(,
 ------------ Game #126 ------------
Formation:
Fianchetto with The first game features
sacrificing a Rook for the
Bishop on h8 fianchetto Bishop after opening
up the h-file.

(W) FearNoEvil (2229)

(B) Big-Master (2144)
[B06] ICC 3 0, 09/13/2006

1.e4 g6 2.d4 ltg7 3.{)c3 d6

4.-'lc4 4)f6 5.f3 0-0 6.~gc2
b6 7.Ae3 Ab7 S.t'1d2 4)bd7
9.h4 EleS10.h5 ~fS11.hxg6
hxg6 12.0-0-0 c5 13..a.h6
AhS

When the defender places the

Fianchetto Bishop on h8, the
back rank becomes extremely
weak. In addition, the h7
square is a huge target and a
very weak spot. And, should
the h-file get opened, the h6
and h8 squares are
considerably weaker with the
Bishop on h8, instead of g7.
It should also be mentioned that
Black can always play the move
Ag7, ifthe back rank pressure 14.JlxfS ElxfS15.Elxh8+
~xhS 16.~h6+ ~flg8
become too great.
The two main reasons why
And, as with all Fianchetto White can playa move like
Bishop formations, knocking out 15. !! xh8+, are 1) the Black
the Bishop remains a key Bishop is a huge defensive
strategy to weaken squares piece and very important to
around the opponent's King. Black's defending chances;

177
and 2) the White Rook on h 1
can easily be replaced with
another Rook (Replacement
Attacker) after the White Rook
on d1 moves over to h1.

17.flh1lclh5 1S.~xg6+ 1-0

------------ Game #127 ------------

A Knight sacrifice on h7 shreds

Black defending Pawns, leaving
his King completely naked and
defenseless.
lS.4)xh7! ~xh7 19.hxg6+
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
~xg6
(8) Ideonomy (2244)
[B06] ICC 33 If 19.... ~g8 20. g7!, and
1.c4 g6 2.d4 ltg7 3.4)c3 d6 19.... fxg6. leads to mate after
4.4)f3 4)c6 5 ..Q.e2 e5 6.Ae3 20.Af8+ ~g8 21.t'!xh8+ ~t7
4)f6 7.d5 4)e7 S.h3 0-0 9.~d2 22.t'!h7+ ~g8 23.~h6 t'!e7
flcS10.Ah6 AhS 24.t'!g7+ ~xf8 25.~h8#.
20.AfSl-0

11.0-0-0 a6 12.4)g5 b5 13.h4

b4 14.4)bl 4)g4 15.Axg4
Axg4 16.f3 Ad7 17.h5 4)cS Final Position

178
Black cannot avoid checkmate,
for example:

20 ... , Ag7 21. ~h6+ Axh6

22. ~xh6#

20 ... , ~g5 21. t'!h6+ ~xh6

22. ~xh6#

•.••••------ Game #128 ------------

Much like the last game, White

plays 4Jxh7 to kick the attack
into high gear. And, usually the
aggressor gives up a Rook for
the Bishop on h8, if the
opportunity shows itself. But, in
this game, the Queen gets the
honors.
(W) Stefan Gross (2371)
(8) Dietmar Biasi (2124)
[B10] 8th Danube Open,
Aschach, Austria,
(Round 1), 1999
2S.~xh7
A tactic leading to either a
checkmate (like here) or the win
of a Queen. This time, the
Bishop heads for f6, leaving the
Black King in a mating net.
2S.... !i&xh7 29 ..{lg5+ ~gS
30.l'4'IxhS+ ~xhS 31.11f6+ 1-0

1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.~d2 ~f6
4..£\gf3 .{lg4 5.-'le2 e6 6.0-0
4)bd7 7.e5 ~gS S.d4 ~e7
9..§el c510.c4 cxd411.~xd4
Axe212.l'4'Ixe2 ~c6 13.~xc6
b xc614.l'4'Ig4 g615.~f3 .{lg7
16.Ag5l'4'1b6 17.cxd5 cxd5
18. ~a4 l'4'Ib7 19.Ele3 0-0
20..§b3 ~ b6 21.l'4'Ih4 ElacS
22.Jl,h6 Elc4 23.l'4'Ih3 ElfcS
24..§el AhS 25.Elbe3 Elc2
26..£\g5 ~c4 27.Elb3l'4'1c7
The Black Bishop on h8 is
Black's only real defender.
After 31. ... \tlg8 32. t'!h3, Black
cannot prevent 33. t'!h8#.
------------ Game #129 ------------
A brutal attacking game where
White reaches the promised
land just in the nick of time.
(W) FearNoEvil (2200)
(B) FreddWiliiams (2058)
[B12] ICC 30, 01/16/2007

179
1.e4 c6 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)c3 g6 Because of 26. Ah7+, White can
4.4)f3 Jlg7 5.Jld3 0-0 6.h4 h5 now checkmate Black with
7.Ag5 d6 8.t\'d2 f!e8 9.Jlh6 successive check moves after
Ah810.4)g5 4)bd711.Ac4 e6
12.0-0-0 d5 13.Ad3 dxe4 27 ..•. <it>g8 28. itJg 7:11= .
14.4)cxe4 4)xe4 15.4)xe4 4)f6
16.Ag5 4)xe4 17.Axe4 t\'b6
18.c3 Ad719.t\'f4 c5 20.Af6
cxd4 21.Jlxh8 ~xh8 22.t\'xf7
dxc3

The best defense is a great

offense. Defending should only
take place if you have nothing
better. And here, a forced
checkmate is considerably
better than defending.

23. t\'f6+ \tIg8 24. t\'xg6+ \tIf8

25. t\'f6+ \tIg8

The point of the last three

Queen moves was to force the
Black King to the g8 square.
From there, White can play ...

26.Jlh7+! \tIxh7 27.f!xd7+ 1-0

IHO

Formation:
Fianchetto without
Bishop
This Pawn Formation leaves a
lot to be desired when the
defender is without his Bishop.
All the squares that the Bishop
would have defended become
instantly weak, along with the
h2 (h7) square .
••••-------- Game #130 ------------
Here is a simple illustration of
how weak this Pawn Formation
can be, especially when the
attacker has a Bishop that can
attack the weaken squares
around the defender's King
position.
(W) FearNoEvii (2320)
(8) dougie (2235)
181
[B23] ICC 30, 02/28/2007
1.c4 c5 2 . .£lc3 ~c6 3.f4 g6
4.~f3 .Q.g7 5 ..o.c4 e6 6.f5
~ge7 7.fxg6 hxg6 8.d3 d5
9.Ab3 b5 10.a4 Axc3+
Computer Move - Q.xc3
A common Black ploy is to trade
the Bishop on g7 for the White
Knight on c3. Computers
frequently employ this strategy,
and because some players feel
that they can emulate a
computer, you will see this from
time to time. The two major
flaws with this thinking are
people cannot play like
computers and trading the
Black Bishop on g7 leaves all
the dark squares very weak.
11.bxc3 c4 12.axb5 cxb3
13.bxc6 bxc2 14.t?/xc2 ~xc6
15.0-00-0
16.~f2 ~g717.e5! 14.... c4 15.~c2 ~xe2
16.cxb4
The move 17. e5! controls f6
and enables White to anchor a
Bishop on f6, at a later time.
Having no fianchetto Bishop
makes White's plan fatal.

17.... ~e7 18.Ag5 ~c7

19.Af6+ ~g8 20. ~h4 1-0

------------ Game #131 ------------

Another elementary checkmate

via an unexpected method.

(W) Vladislav Vorotnikov

(8) Igor Ivanov 16.... ~xf1+! 0-1
[C26] Vilnius, Lithuania 1977
White is checkmated after
l.e4 e5 2.~c3 ~f6 3.g3 Ab4 17. ~xf1 Ah3+ 18. ~gl .§e1 *.
4.Ag2 0-0 5.~ge2 c6 6.0-0 d5
7.d4 exd4 8.~xd4 c5 9.~dl ------------ Game #132 ------------
dxe4 10.~xe4 ~xe4 II.Axe4
ttJe7 12. ~d3 .§e8 13.Axh7+ It is only natural to counter a 96
\!}h814.c3 (g3) weakness, by opening up
the h-file with the your h-Pawn,
regardless of whether or not
your opponent has his
Fianchetto Bishop. The next
three games are examples of
this technique.

(W) ledzepp (1856)

(8) FearNoEvil (2200)
[A46] ICC 3 0, 07/29/2005

l.d4 b5 2.~f3 Ab7 3.g3 ~f6

4.Ag2 e6 5.0-0 a6 6.c3 d6
7 ..§el ~bd7 8.Ag5 Ae7
9.~bd2 c510.dxc5 ~xc5

182
 b3 4)ce412.J1.f4 h6
11.4) 2 5 14.Ae3 ~c7
White is checkmated after
13·'*~dlh516.J1.xg5 4)xg5 26. ~f1 El.xf2*.
1;.4) b4 18.~d3 Axg2
19.<i!lxg2 ~b7+
17.a4 9
20.4)f3 h4 ------------ Ga me #133 ------------
21.\!lgl
H-file weakness in ?ombination
with a lack of kings Ide
defenders leaves the Black
King easy prey.

(W) Joel Johnson (2320)

(8) Tony Miller (1982)
[B10] Monadnock Marathon,
Jaffrey, NH, 10/25/1980

1 e4 c6 2.4)c3 d5 3. ~f3 d4
'" 4 '"'f6 5.e5 dxc3 6.exf6
4.j!,c
d2+ 7'UAxd2 ex f6 8 .0-0-0
cx 4 9 .M.e 2+ ~e5 10. t?td3
~d . 9
Ae711.4)f3 gC 7 12 • h4! O-O?
oM.

hxg3 22.hxg3 4)g4 13.4)g5!

~hl
23.~b ~.
21 .... d4 + 24 'i!lg2 Elh2+ White plays a Fishing Pole
25.<i!lgl 4)h3+ 0-1 . the reverse order.
maneuver In

13.... fxg5 14.hxg5 g6

Final Position

183
15.Elxh7!! ~xh7 16.Elhl + H-File Mate
~g717.Ac3+ f618.t\td4 4)d7 1.~g5 ~h8 2.~h6 !'!g8 3.~xh7+
~xh7 4.!'!h3#
Black also gets checkmated
after 18. ... §h8 19. !,!xh8 ~xh8
20. ~h4+ ~g7 21. ~h6#.

19.\'tIh41-0

------------ Game #134 ------------

This is a very good example of

what I call an "H-file mate".
Starting from a position similar
to the one in the next diagram,
you can play ~g5 (not 'lirh4?
which enables Black to defend
with h5) with the idea of'lirh6
and 'lirg7 #. Black counters with Final Position
~h8, so he can defend the
mate with !'!gS. However, by (W) Joel Johnson (2200)
playing Bg8, Black blocks his (8) Charles Laamanen (1955)
last potential escape square [B23] Billerica Saturday Swiss,
and is vulnerable to an H-File Billerica, MA, (Round 2),
Mate (f'rxh7+ and §h3#). 08/03/1985

l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 d6 3.f4 4)c6

4.Ac4 e6 5.4)f3 4)f6 6.d3 a6
7.a4 Ae7 8.0-0 0-0 9.t\tel
Ad710.t\tg3 ~h811.Ae3 e5
12.f5 4)d4 13.Elf2 Elc8
14.4)g5 t\te815.a5 .Q..b5
16.Ad5 4)xd5 17.4)xd5 Axg5
18.f6 4)e2+ 19.Elxe2 .(lxe3+
20.Elxe3 g6

"H-File Mate"

IH4

21.~g5 -'ld7
Black realizes what is going to
happen, so he defends the h3
square to stop !!h3.
22.g4 ~e6 23.Etg3
23. ~h6 wins the Queen, but I
want to checkmate.
23 c4 24.~h6 Etg8 25.~xh7+
1-0
And, White checkmates Black
after 25 .... ~xh 7 26. Z!h3 # .
------------ Game #135 ------------
Another game where the
h-file weakness, in combination
with a back rank weakness,
leads to a stunning checkmate.
185
(W) Judit Polgar
(8) J Fernandez Garcia
[B07] Dos Hermanas, Spain,
1993
l.e4 d6 2.d4 4Jf6 3.4Jc3 4Jbd7
4.Ae3 e5 5.f3 c6 6. ~d2 Ae7
7.0-0-0 ~a5 8.g4 b5 9.~bl
lLlb6 10.b3 Etb8 11. ~el b4
12.4Jce2 -'le6 13.g5 .£)fd7
14.f4 exf4 15.4Jxf4 .£)a4
16.4Jge2 Ac4 17..o.d2 .o.xg5
18.Etgl Axe2 19 ..£)xc2 .O.xd2
20.Etxd2 4Jc3+ 21.4Jxc3 bxc3
22.Etd3 0-0 23. ~h4 t"Jd8
24.~h3 g6 25.Etxc3 lLlf6
26.Ag2 Ete8 27.~h6 Etb4
28.d5 cxd5 29.exd5 .£)g4
30. ~d2 ~b6 31.Etfl !!d4
32. ~g5 !!e5 33. ~h4 t"Jb4
34.!!c8+ ~g7 35.~xh7+!!
~xh7 36.!!xf7+ ~h6
37.!!h8+ 1-0
Black is checkmated after
37 .... ~g5 38. h4#.
------------ Game #136 ------------ 16. .£)d5! exd5 17..£)g5 1-0

The next three games relate to The game could have continued
the control of the g7 square by with 17.... f618.Axd5+ Ae6
19..£jxe6 'lt1e 7 20 ..£jxf8+ <it'h8
the aggressor which leads to
21..£jx g6 '"' .
back rank issues.
------------ Game #137 -----------_
(W) Joel Johnson (2320)
(8) Gary Nute (2055)
Right from the start, the
[B23] Monadnock Marathon,
Boylston Chess Club
Jaffrey, NH, 10/25/1980
Thanksgiving Open was a
1.e4 c5 2.'£)c3 .£)c6 3.f4 g6 momentous event, as
4 ..£)f3 Ag7 5.Ac4 e6 6.f5 Grandmaster Lev Alburt had
.£)ge7 7.fxe6 dxe6 8.0-0 0-0 just defected from the Soviet
9.d3 a6 10.a4 .£)d4 11.Ag5 Union and was playing in his
~c712.~d2 .£)ec613.~h1 b6 first tournament in the United
14.Ah6 Axh615.~xh6 .£)xc2 States. After the following
game, I am sitting alone on top
of the standings with four points
and have earned the right to
play Grandmaster Lev Alburt.

I am very excited because I will

be playing the Black pieces
against GM Lev Alburt and I
have studied all of his Black
games because he plays the
Alekhine's Defense, just like
me. I cannot wait to spring
1. ... .£jf6 on him! So, what
happens, he plays 1. c4 and the
Black has grabbed my game was over at that moment,
c-Pawn because he expects me as I was emotionally
to play 16. .£jg5, which he can devastated.
defend with 16.... f617. Axe6
Axe6 18. .£jxe6 'lt1f7. However, Having control of the g7 square
an In-Between Move in this formation, enables White
dramatically alters the variation. to exploit the back two ranks
with Rooks to finish off Black.
(W) Joel Johnson (2276)
(8) Jon Frankie (2367)
[B23] Boylston CC
Thanksgiving Open, Boston,
MA, (Round 4),11/25/1979
1 e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 e6
4'4)f3 d5 5..11b5 4)ge7 6.exd5
~xd5 7 ..11 xc6+ bxc6 S.d3
4)xc3 9.b xc3 c4 10.0-0 \'i\'d5
1l:~e2 .11a6 12.d4 A,d6 13.f5
0-0 14.f6 \'i\'h5 15. \'i\'e4 ~abS
16.4)e5 c517.J1f4 g51S ..11g3
gb2 19.~ab1 ~xa2 20.4)d7
Axg3 21.hxg3 ~cS 22 . .£lxc5
~g6 23.~xg6+ hxg6 24.~a1
gxc2 25.~xa6 ~xc3 26.~xa7
gxg3 27.4)e4 ~g4 2S.4)d6
gf8
29.gb1! ~xd4 30.4)xf7 c3
On 30 .... ~xf7, White mates
after 31. ~b8+ ~f8 32. ~g7+ ~h8
33. ~xf8#.
31.~h6+ ~hS 32.~bb7 ~dl +
33.\flh2 1-0
------------ Game #138 ------------
Much like the other games in
this category, Black has weak
dark squares around his King.
In addition, the f7 square is also
weak despite Black appearing
to have a multitude of
defenders around his King.
(W) Jack Peters
(8) William Lombardy
[C95] Lone Pine, CA, 1977
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ab5 a6
4 ..11a4 4)f6 5.0-0 Ae7 6.~e1
b5 7.Ab3 d6 S.c3 0-0 9.h3
4)bS 10.d4 4)bd711.c4 Ab7
12.4)c3 c6 13..11g5 b4 14.4)a4
exd4 15.4) xd4 g6
16.c5
A Pawn sacrifice aimed at
exploiting Black's f7 square.
187
16.... dxe5 17./ilf3 Ele8
18. ~e2 .£lh5

Black's last two moves show

how oblivious he is to the
danger along the a2-g8
diagonal.

19.~e4 Elf8 20.Ah6 /ilg7

21.Elad1 ~e7 22.e5 Elae8
23.e6 fxe6 24.Elxe6 ~h8
25./ilg5 /ilf6 26.Elee1 Ae8
27./ilf7+ ~g8

White refuses to allow Black to

close off the a2-g8 diagonal as
checkmate awaits at the end. The a2-g8 diagonal has been
completely cleared and now
White can finish off Black.

33.~g8+! Elxg8 34./ilf7=11= 1-0

Black attempts to block off the

diagonal to no avail.

28./ild6+ /ild5 29.Elxd5 exd5

30.~xd5+ Ae6 31.Elxe6/ilxe6 Final Position
32.~xe6+ ~h8
------------ Game #139 ------------

A surprising Queen sacrifice

188
exposes the back rank proposition. Although, I doubt
weakness that enables the that White had anticipated the
Black pieces to swarm the sparkling and brilliant
White King. conclusion to the game.

28.... 4)e1+ 29.~g1

(W) Janez Barle
(8) Iztok Jelen
[C15] , Bled/Portoroz Interzonal,
Yugoslavia, (Round 10), 1979

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)e3 Ab4

4.~ge2 dxe4 5.a3 Ae7
6.4)xe4 4)e6 7.e3 4)f6
8.4)xf6+ Axf6 9.4)g3 e5 10.d5
f)e711.Ae4 0-0 12.~f3 4)g6
13.4)e4 Ae7 14.0-0 ~h8
15.Aa2 f5 16.4)d2 Ad6
17.4)e4 e418.~e2 Af419.g3
Axel 20.Elfxe1 Ad7

29.... ~h1+!! 30.~xh1 Elf1+

0-1

21.f4 exf3 22. ~xf3 f4 23.Ele1

t}tg5 24.Ele4 4)h4 25.~f2 fxg3
26.'ltxg3 4)f3+ 27.~h1 ~xd5
28.E!e2

Allowing a discovered check is Final Position

always a dangerous
The game could have

189
 Axg2~. 31. ~gl Ac6+
concluded wi
32. §g2

concluded withC~Uld have

Position After A na IYSIS
. And the game
25. ~f5+ (The 4.... r::tJxg7
------------ Game #140 ---- --------
?ouble check ~ower ~f the
Impossible ~ akes It
The first of thre
utilize the b . e games that ~g8 26. ~h6~. Black to escape.)
using a Kni;~~c concept of
checkmate in t~nd a Bishop to
IS formation.

(W) Sveshnikov
(8) Rusian Sh
[B30] M erbakov
(R oscow ch-URS
ound 6), 1991

1.e4 c5~ge7
4.0-0 t
2 ~f 4Jc6 3.J1b5 e6
7.Ac2 d5 8 .c3 a6 6.Aa4 b5
10.a4 ~g6 iet d4 9.Ae4 Ab7
12.13.xa8 A :xb5 axb5
14.J1xa8 ~xa 13.~a3 ~a7
16.cxd4 c~d4~715.~b3 ~b7
18.bxa3 ~xe5 .~xd4 Axa3
20. ~g3 0-0 2 19.Ab2 ~c4 Position After A na IYSIS
.
~b6 23. ~e5 t-t~3 g6 22.d3

190
____________ Game #141 ------------ 15.4)d4 Axg2 16.~xg2 t\'c8
17.4)c6 t\'b7
2009 U. S. Chess Champion,
Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura
(ICC handle = "Smallville") sets
an astonishing trap that his
fellow GM falls for. Instead of
winning White's Knight with a
deadly pin, Black finds himself
on the short end of a Knight
and Bishop mate, all because of
the most implausible of all
moves.

(W) Smallville (3562)

(8) IIdar (2678)
[E15] S18B (Round 6),
03/18/2006
1.d4 e6 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.c4 b6
4.g3 Aa6 5.b3 Ab7 6.Ag2
Ab4+ 7.4)bd2 Ac3 8.~bl
Axd4 9.0-0 Ac5 10.b4 Ae7
1l.Ab2 0-0 12. t\'c2 g6
13.Jlc3 d614.~fdl4)bd7
Oops, it looks like Nakamura
has blundered and lost his
Knight on c6. However, with
higher ELO ratings, the awful
looking moves are not
mistakes, but bait, which is the
case here.
18.t\'e4!!

What an amazing resource, as

the move defends the pinned
Knight and it threatens to win
both Black's Bishop and Queen!

18.... 4)xe419.4)xe7# 1-0

------------ Game #142 ------------

A different flavor of the Knight

and Bishop checkmate, as the
Pawn on f6 gets involved too,
and despite spotting Black
Rook odds.

191
 17.4)e5 ~c71S.Ab2 4)d7
19.4)g4 4)c5 20.~e3 4)e6
21.~h6cxd5

Black is unaware of the danger.

Black needed to make running
room for his King with a move
like 21. ... f!fc8.

(W) Henry Bird

(B) Pinkerley
[C50] London, England, 1850

1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ac4 Ac5

4.0-0 4)f6 5.c3 0-0 6.d4 exd4
7.cxd4 Ab6 S.e5 d5 9.exf6
d xc410.Ag5 g611.d5 4)b8
12.b3 cxb313.~xb3 Ag4 22.~g7+! 4)xg7 23.4)h6+
14.4)bd2 Axf3 15.4)xf3 ~d7 'li!}hS 24.fxg7# 1-0
16.Ac1 c6

Final Position

192
••••••------ Game #143 ------------

As with any Pawn Formation,

overwhelming force leads to
sacrifices and the ripping apart
of the defender's King position
as in the next set of games
(Games #143 - #150).

(W) Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

(2542)
(B) Benik Galstian (2254)
[A57] EU-ch U18,
Peniscola, Spain,
(Round 1), 09/29/2002
Although the Black King looks
somewhat safe, the additional
1.d4 c5 2.d5 4)f6 3.c4 b5
4.~c2 bxc4 5.e4 e6 6.4)c3 attackers and the open f-file
Ab7 7.Jtxc4 exd5 8.exd5 d6 turn out to be deadly.
9.4)ge2 Ae7 10.4)g3 0-0
11.0-0 g6 20.~xe5!

Knocking out Black's best

defensive piece leading to a
sacrificial checkmating attack.

20.... dxe5 21.4)h5+! gxh5

22.~f7+! 1-0

Black has some kingside

defenders, but none of them are
guarding the weak light
squares.

12.Ag5 4)bd7 13.~ae1 ~e8 "overwhelming force leads to

14.f4 h6 15.f5 ~g7 16.fxg6 sacrifices ... "
fxg617 ..1lf4 4)g418.h3 4)ge5
19.Jlxe5+ 4)xe5

193

Final Position
~xf7
Mate follows after: 22 ....
23:~'h7+ ~f8 24.~xh6+ ~g8
2S.d6+ AdS 26.AxdS #.
Position After Analysis
194
------------ Game #144 ---------___
White starts sacrificing pieces
on the kingside, while his
Queen is out in left field
somewhere (on a1). But, after
a few moves, the White Queen
joins in to hunt down the Black
King.
(W) Larry Christiansen
(8) Vasser Seirawan
[B08] USA, 1978
l.lilf3 g6 2.e4 Ag7 3.d4 d6
4.4)c3 4)f6 5.Ae2 0-0 6.0-0
4)c6 7.d5 4)bS S ..ilg5 c6
9.~d2 ~c710.§adl4)bd7
11.§fel a5 12.Jlfl a413.a3
§eS 14.h3 4)b6 15.Ah6 cxd5
16..il xg7 f/}xg7 17.exd5 Ad7
lS.§e3 §a5 19.§d3 4)c4
20.~cl §c5 21.4)g5 4)xa3
22.§d4 h6 23.4)ge4 4) xe4
24.§xe4 4)c4 25.§dd4 4)b6
26.§h4 EthS 27.~al EtaS
28.Ad3 g5 29.~xh6 ~xh6
30.E!h4+ ~g7
Capturing the White Rook gets
Black checkmated after White
inches his Queen closer to the
Black King. For example,
30 .... gxh4 31.~cl+ ~h5
32:~'dl + ~g5 33.~d2+ ~h5
34.'i!Ye2+ ~h6 35.~e3+ wh5
36:i!Yf3+ Wg5 37.~xf7l£)xd5
38.~g7+ ~f4 39.l£)e2#.
31.E!h7+ 'it>f6 32.~h6+ f/lg7
33.E!h7+ f/lf6 34.4)e4+ f/lg6?
Trying to play defense in this
position is extremely difficult. 4)d4 9.d3 c6 10..G.e3 l~e6
But, the very unsafe looking
move, 34 .... ~e5 was best here. 13.Axf4 d5 14.exd5 4)xd5
35.t\'dl g4 36.~d2 ~xd5
And, Black get mated after
either 42 .... ~f3 43. l£)e2 # or
42 .... ~f5 43. hxg4 #.
------------ Game #145 ------------
A White Queen sacrifice leads
to a minor piece King Hunt!
(W) Rudolf Charousek
(8) Englander
[C20] Kaschau, 1894
1.e4 e5 2.4)e2 4)f6 3.f4 d6
4.4)bc3 Ag4 5.h3 Axe2
6.Axe2 4)c6 7.0-0 Ae7 8.Ac4
11.4)e2 a612.4)g3 exf4
15.Ae5 0-0 16.t\'h5 Ac5+
17.f/lh2 g618.t\'g4
Tempting Black into the forking
of his Queen and Rook.

18.... 4)e3?

37.~h6+ f/lf5 38.~xf7+ f/le5

39. ~g7+ f/le6 40.~f6+ f/le5
41.~xd6+ f/lf442.g3+ 1-0

195
19.~xe6!
This startling move caps off a
very powerful King Hunt.
19 .... 4)xf1+?
This is actually a mistake as
Black is essentially trading his
active Knight for the inactive
White Rook on a 1.
20.Etxfl fxe6 21.Axe6+ Etf7
22.Etxf7 ~e8
Now, White walks the Black
King up the board away from
Black's defenders.
23.Etf6+ ~g7 24.Etf4+ ~h6
25.Eth4+ ~g5 26.Etg4+
Also mating is: 26.4Je4+ <it'xh4
27.g3+ ~h5 28.g4+ ~h6 29.g5+
~h5 30.ltg4+ <;!)h4 31..11g3#.
26.... ~h6
27.4)f5+ gxf5 28.•QJ4+ ~h5
29.Etg5+ ~h6 30.Etg8+ ~h5
31.g4+ fxg4 32.Axg4+ ~h4
33.Ag5# 1-0
Final Position
------------ Game #146 ------------
A similar Queen sacrifice to the
previous game. It is more of
the same, as Black is
overwhelmed by superior forces
at the point of attack.
(W) FearNoEvii (2220)
(8) Muad-dib (2016)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 08/06/2006
1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 d6 3.f4 4)f6
4.Ac4 e6 5.4)f3 a6 6.a4 4)c6
7.d3 Ae7 8.0-0 ~c7 9.~e1 b6
10.~g3 ~f811.~h1 Ab7
12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 4)h5
14.~g4g6
 the bleak looking !.JfB is Black's
best move.

1\ xe6+ '(fJff7
IS.exf6 fxc 6 19 ..u.,

15.J1h6+ ~gS 16.Eiael EidS

"more of the sam e , as Black

.or I k is overwhelmed at the
·15 overwhelmed by supen k II B ~Ct of attack even without the
h oint of attac. POIn ,
forces at t e p White Queen.

20.j'txf7+ c::!Jxf7 21.4)g5+ 1-0

17:~xe6!! Af6?
Final Position
Black's position is hopeless, as

197
Black gets checkmated after
21. ... ~g8 22. f7#.

15.Ah6+ 4)g716.§ael Ae8

17.Axe6 \!lg818.j'tb3 4)d4
Position After Analysis 19.4)xd4 cxd4 20.4)d5 ~d8
21.~f3 §c8 22.4)f6+ Axf6
____________ Game #147 ____________ 23.exf64)f5

Like the last game, same

opponent, same colors, same
opening, same variation, but
this time, he is older and wiser!
Or, not!

(W) FearNoEvil (2203)

(8) Muad-dib (2033)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 08/06/2006

1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 d6 3.f4 4)f6

4.Ac4 e6 5.4)f3 a6 6.a4 Ae7
7.d3 ~c7 8.0-0 4)c6 9.\!lhl
Ad710.~el b611.~g3 \!lf8
12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 4)h5 The weaknesses of Black's
14.~g4 g6 position are quite apparent, the
back rank and the g-file after
Black's cramped King position the upcoming Queen sacrifice!
and the lack of his Rook on h8
lead to another mating attack. ' 24. ~xf5! gxf5 25.~xf5 ~c5

19H

Now, the Black Queen is unable interesting position. In White's
to fend off the two checkmates
Protecting t'!g5 # leads to:
27.... ~xf6 28.f{xe8:11= 1-0
------------ Game #148 ------------
A very interesting battle with
three distinct phases.
Ulti~ately, Black loses because
White ends up with a localized
material advantage on the
kingside.
(W) FearNoEvil (2200)
(8) Ppizarro (2305)
[B07] ICC 4 0,11/13/1999
1.e4 d6 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)c3 g6
4.0 c6 5.Ae3 b5 6.a3 4)bd7
7:~d2 a6 8.4)ge2 Ab7 9.Ah6
Axh610.t\'xh6 t\'c711.4)c1
c5 12.d5 b4 13.4)d1 t\'b6
199
yve hav.e reached a very
has.te to attack Black's kingside,
. White has gotten his Queen
stuck out of play on h6 while
Black is prepared to c~stle
queenside, and even open up
the p.osition to expose the poor
posItion of White's pieces. So,
what should White's plan be?
Wel.I,. White needs to keep th·e
position closed, use his pieces
to control the c4 square and
retreat his Queen to ke~p Black
out.
14.a4 a5 15.4)e3 4)e5 16.b3
Aa617.4)d3 4)ed7 18.4)b2
At this point, Black realizes that
he has lost the battle for control
of t~e c4 square, and once
White parks a piece on the c4
square, Black's Queen will be
completely deprived of an entry
point into White's position. So,
Black felt compelled to sacrifice
his c-Pawn. The move, c4, also
gives the Black Knight an
outpost on the c5 square.
Armed with the Pawn
advantage and control of the
key c4 square, White is able to
force Black to retreat.
18.... c4 19.4)exc4 llxc4
20.4)xc4 ~d4 21.f!d1 ~c5
22. ~e3 ~c7 23.lle2 0-0
24.0-04)c5
Now, both Black and White
have completed their
development and castled.
Strategically, though, White has 34.f!xf5 gxf5 35.g6 hxg6
a big advantage. Why? Well,
primarily because Black's
Knight on c5, Black's Rook on
a8, and Black's Queen are
"disconnected" from the
kingside.
200
So, what's the plan for White?
White's plan is to open up the
kingside and use his superior
numbers there to checkmate
the Black King.
Over the next few moves,
White proceeds to carry out his
plan by mobilizing his pieces
towards the Black King and
trading off (eliminating) Black's
only defenders, leaving his King
to fend off the checkmate.
25.~h6 f!ac8 26.~hl4)e8
27.lld3 4)g7 28.f4 f5 29.exf5
4)xf5 30.Axf5 f!xf5 31.g4
f!f7 32.f5 f!f6 33.g5 f!xf5
36.~xg6+ ~h8 37.f!gl e5
38. ~h6+ ~h7 39. ~f6+ 1-0
------------ Game #149 ------------
Usually when you eliminate the
defender's fianchetto Bishop,
you utilize your corresponding
Bishop to exploit the
weaknesses around the enemy
King, much like some of the
earlier games in this section.
However, instead, in this game,
White sacrifices that Bishop to
lure the Black King up the board
for a King Hunt.
(W) George Grigore (2542)
(8) Tornike Sanikidze (2559)
[D93] Limpedea Cup Baia
Sprie, Romania (Round 10),
 Luring the BI .
05/20/2009 board, away ~rCk KI~g up the
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 6 cover. am hiS Pawn
4.4)f3 Jlg7 5.1.ft·/i) 3
c d5
7.dxc5 ~a5 8 E{ lO-O 6.e3 c5
9.Axc4 ~xC5·l~ dxc4 22 .... rlh
24. ~xf7 ~h63. t1Yf8+ Iitlh5
"g'xh6 2
11.0- 0 ~a512 h· Ab3 /i)c6 26.~g7! 25.~f8+ Iitlh5
§d8 l4.4)d5 ~ x35~a6 l3.e4
Axb2 16.~c2 l5.exd5
What
Queena rna
beauff
I ul series of
Whi~e has lured B . forcing 81 v~s, eventually
trading in his F lack Into
retreat avac to kill off his
for White's RO~~nche.tto Bishop enue.
that the loss of ~ Wh~te feels
weakened dark s atenal and the 26.... h6
Black's King a quares around
re worth th

p~ fron[,~r"'tlons
o f a Rook and P e from
price Now, White re
the remainder awn. And, ..
really hard to
argument.
the game, it is Queen in
up any real Pawns,
In where
addition Ih~he
Wh't Black
his
Black
King is
Black from' e I e prevents .
back behind ~~r getting his King
IS Pawn cover.
18.~c5 ~b6 i·~XCl /i)b4
16.... Axcll
20.jlxd5 E{xd 59.~xe7 /i)xd5
2l.~e8+ rlh "g'g7
------------ Game #150 ------------ 17.f5

White sacrifices a Queen and a Many players have a h~rd time

Rook for a sparkling checkmate recognizing when pushl~g y.our
with two Bishops and two Pawns in front of your King IS
Pawns! good thing to do. Why?
Because one slight error leads
(W) Tigran L Petros ian (2558) to your opponent attacking your
(8) Ara Minasia~ (2487) exposed King, instead of the
[C67] 66th Armenian other way around. For many of
Championship, Yerevan, these players, it is easier to.
Armenia, (Round 4), blame themselves for opem~g
03/19/2006 up the position in front of their
King. When in reality, the
1.e4 e5 2.~f3 4)c6 3.Ah5 ~f6 actual problem was that they
4.0-0 ~ xe4 5. ~e2 ~g5 lacked the skill to balance the
6.~xg5 ~xg5 7.d4 ~e7 offensive and defensive aspects
8.dxe5 ~d4 9.~d3 ~xe5 of the advanced Pawns. This
10.J1,d2 4)e611.Ele1 ~d6 skill is acquired over time and
12.~h3 Ae7 13.Jl.d3 c6
14.~c3 ~c715.f4 g6
with a great deal of practice,
16.g40-0 basically, trail and error, mostly
error!

17.... ~g5 18. ~e3 Af6

19.Elfl d5

White has more than enou~h

compensation for the gambit
Pawn.

202
20. fx g 6
White ignores the piece fork
move, d4, in favor of busting
open Black's kingside position.
20.... d4 21.gxh7+ ~g7
22.~e1!
Maintaining a connection to the
c3 square.
26.••. Axf6 27.Axf6+ ~h6
28.Etf5 4)g7?
You know you have a bad
position when your best moves
in this position are ~c5 and
~b5. The text move, ~g7,
opens up the possibility for a
very cool finish to the game.

22.... dxc3?

Black needed to play 22 .... ~e7

to hang in there.

23.jlxc3l'Nb6+ 24.~h1 Ad4

25.~h4 4)e6

29.Eth5+ 4)xh5 30.g5# 1-0

26.ttf6+

Even though 26. f!xt7+ is a

stronger move, I for one, am
very grateful for the conclusion
of this game.
Final Position

203
Formation:
No Pawn
Weaknesses
No pawn weaknesses would
seem like the ideal defensive
setup for your King. However,
after you plow through all the
great games in this section, you out of this book.
may think otherwise. There are
an assortment of methods for
busting this Pawn formation.
From my research, the methods Quebec City, Canada, 1947
for crumbling this Pawn
Formation are:
1) Capture on f6 (f3) or h6
(h3);
2) Capture on h7 (h2);
3) Capture on g7 (g2);
4) Capture on f7 (f2);
5) "Laying" a piece on f6
(f3) or h6 (h3);
6) Force weakness by
threatening checkmate;
7) f6 (f3) to weaken Pawn
formation; and
8) Overwhelming force at
the point of attack.
The first group of games
(Games #151-#155) focus on
captures on f6 (f3) or h6 (h3),
that cause Pawn structure
weaknesses in front of the
enemy King.
------------ Game #151 ------------
White turns a pin on the Black
kingside Knight into a game
ending Pawn structure
weakness. And, even though
Black can sacrifice his Queen to
prevent White's checkmate, the
game was too unique to leave
(W) Daniel Yanofsky
(8) Jules Therien
[C10] Canadian Championship,
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3 •.£ie3 dxe4
4 •.£i xe4 .£id7 5 ..£if3 .£igf6
6 •.£ixf6+ .£ixf6 7.Ad3 Ae7
8.0-0 0-0 9 ..£ie5 e5 10.dxe5
Axe5 11.ite2 b6
Black ignores the possibility of
White pinning his Knight with
the move, .11g5. The remainder
of the game revolves around
204
the pin and the kingside
weaknesses it eventually
causes.
12.-'1.g5 ,!lb7 13.Etadl "iWe7
must surrender his Queen to
avoid checkmate.
------------ Game #152 ------------
Black sacrifices an exchange
on f3 and overwhelms White's
exposed kingside with a pair of
Knights.

(W) Ig2 (2065)

(8) FearNoEvii (2200)
[A40] ICC 150,06/27/2007

l.d4 b5 2.e4 Ab7 3.~d2 a6

4.c4 bxc4 5.Axc4 e6 6.~gf3
~f6 7."iWb3 "iWc8 8.d5 ,!le7
9.0-00-0 10.Etel Ac511.~f1
c6 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.e5 ~d5
14.a3 a515."iWc2 ,!la6
16.,!lxa6 ~xa617.Ae3 Ae7
18.Ag5 "iWd8 19.Axe7 "iWxe7
Once you get past the Invisible
Defender cuteness of the text
move, you can realize that the
move 14. Axh7+ is much more
powerful. For example,
14 .... ~xh7 15. !!d7 'ii\'xd7
16. .£)xd7 .£)xd7 17. ~d3+ ~g8
18. ~xd7.

14.... Etfd8 15.Axf6 gxf6

After the trade on f6, Black's

kingside is ripped apart and the
end is swift.

16."iWg4+ ~h817."iWh4 f5 20.h4?

18.4)f6 ~g7 19."iWg5+ 1-0
Inviting Black to sacrifice an
After 19.... ~h8, 20. 'ii\'h6, Black exchange on f3, followed by

20S
capturing the h-Pawn. If not
now, then soon.
20.... h6 21.4)g3 4)ac7
22.4)e4
White makes a very common
mistake, namely, he feels that
Black will not give up a Rook for
a Knight. Why? He incorrectly
feels that the Rook is worth
more. In this case, and in many
of the games that follow, the
weaknesses and King exposure
caused by the capture, more
than compensate for the slight
loss of material.
22 .... Elxf3! 23.gxf3 ~xh4
24. ttc4 4)f4
This Knight is extremely well
posted, as it controls the square kingside. And, White finishes
directly in front of the White
King and prevents running via
the e2 square.
206
25.ttfl
Boxing in the White King.
White should wait for Black to
play ~h3 before committing to
this move.
25. . .. ElfS 26.Eladl 4)cd5
27.4)g3 4)h3+ 2S.~g2 4)df4+
29.~hl4)g5+ 0-1
Final Position
And, White gets checkmated
after 30. <it>gl ~xf3#.
------------ Game #153 ------------
Like the last game, White
sacrifices an exchange and
utilizes his two Knights to create
havoc on Black's weakened
off the game with a beautiful
checkmate combination.
(VV) Rudolf Ch 23 ....26.4)~7!
<;t>g8 c5 24 h ~c7 25.4)g6+
(8) Gyozo arousek
[DOD] 1897 Exner
28.4)g6+ <;t>
" g8 <;t>f8
29.4)g4 1-0~h7
27.h6

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe

4.4)xf3 e6 5 Ad 4 3.f3 exf3
g
4)c6 7.0-0 Ae7 4)f6 6.c3
9.4)c4 'It!c8 10 'It!.4)bd2 Ad7
1l.J1d2 Ac6 i2" e24)d8
13.J1g5 Ad514·4) fe 5 0-0
.Axf6Axf6

!.~~Iii@
mn~&g ~~~-
'~,t ~lf·.ii~
••.• t.~i
B • •~~ ....•~
..~~.~.
Bw·j~~ '.~
ft ¥~ .,}J{,~~
Final Position

White has an
'Fr,
,~~ •
·'§~ft~
__B§W,. . 3
checkmate aftunstoppable
31. 4)f6# . ~
er 30. "t:1g7+ ~xg7

I!/h7 19, tti..~~~

15.~xf6 gxf6 16.Axh7+
'it'xh717'1t!
18.t;\'g4+
------
--- Game #154 -
WMe h '
forcing
check.
:~ no Inrention of
raw wrth a perpelual ~verloading ~.:pe~lar
Young scholasli
David Adelberg
hisallda':squared
Ishop. which hImself

Et~7;13o'l•t!ho4xf6+ I!1f8 res~~And.

ZO.Hf1 J;! 8 sacrifice on f6 ows While to
22.4)e3 Pawn _ak
again. Ihe ani klngside
once
With Black's . ness is 100 greal
t"eceS
d~~
blocked oul eilher (W) Pedram .
the Black King up defending (S) David A:t::,un (2332)

~
hIs h-Pawn rte can push
becomes a m n Ihe board unlil
[B85] 2009 Arie erg (2196)
Championshi zona Slare Chess
8lack's side. ajar thorn in (Round 4) · 05/06/2009
P. Scottsdale· AZ.

207
1.e4 c5 2~f635d6
4.4)xd4 4)f 3.d4 cxd4
't: 7.0-0 Ae7 8?4~6 6.Ae2
-0 10.Ae3 'It. 'LJc6 9.a4
1 2.a5 4)xa5 13C~51d1.~h1 EleS
14 .f xe5 ~ • xe5
16.4)a4 ~;e5 15.Af4 ~c5
1S.4)f5 b6 {917.Ae3 AdS
.4)d6 ElfS

Final Position

------------ Game #155 -----

o --.
ne of the most fa
games in histo mous chess
decides to utT ry, Paul Morphy
sacrifice on t~lze a Queen
creating the k.e f3.square for
Black's Bish weaknesseSin .lngslde
Who
overloaded op on d8 is Formation. Ite's Pawn
b oth the f6 and
and can not defend
b6 squares
20 . (W) Loui
. ••. gxf6 21.jlh6 (8) P s Paulsen
[C48 aul Morphy
] New York, 1857
White immedi ,y he~ds for
the weakeneda: ack klngside
1.e4 e5 .sic5
4.Jl.b5 2 4)f53 04)c6 3.4)c3 4)f6
21 .... f5 22 El .
~..til'xf4 e5 2;:~r 23.1il'd4 f6 9EleS
1\
7 .....
I'\. • -0 0-0 6 r..
xc6 dxc6 8 1\ ..... xe5
.Jl.xfS b5 2 . " g3+ ~hS ....e2 4) xe4 1 ....c4 b5
2S.4)cb7! 1_07 .4)c5 4)c6 }lbf3 ~e61:';'~~ ~xe4
.11.d 14.a4 bxa415".M, 313.h4
7 16.Ela2 ~aeS17.~a6
t=r · 8 xa4

from the de~ lack's Queen

Blocking out B
King. ense of the Black

208
17.•.• ttxf3!! 18.gxf3 gg6+
19.<it1hl Ah3 20.gdl
20. §gl leads to a quick
checkmate after 20 .... !!xgl +
21. ~xgl !!el + 22. ~fl !!xfl 41:.
20•••. J1g2+ 21.<it1g1 J1xf3+
22. <it1fl J1.g2+ 23. <it1g1 J1h3+
24.<it1hl Axf2
209
25.ttfl
White's best choice for
preventing the threatened
checkmate, namely,
25 .... Ag2#.
25 .... Axfl 26.gxfl ge2
27.gal gh6 28.d4 Ae3 0-1
Final Position
The second set of games
(Games #156 to #173) hinge
on the capture on h7 (or h2)
leading to h-file weaknesses,
much like the effect of having
no h-Pawn in the Fianchetto
Bishop formation.
------------ Game #156 ------------
The most basic form of capture ------------ Game #157 -----------
on h 7 (h2) is the Bishop
sacrifice like the following game For me, the great Mikhail Tal
illustrates.
(W) Harry Nelson Pillsbury
(8) NN
[031] Newark, New Jersey,
1899
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 c6
4.4)f3 Jld6 S.e4 4)e7 6 ..Q.d3
0-0 7.e5 Jlc7
8.Jlxh7+ ~xh7 9.4)gS+ ~g6
Black loses his Queen after
9.... ~g8 10. ~h5 !!e8 11. ~h7+
<it>f8 12. ~h8+ ~g8 13. ~h7+ <it>e7
14. .1lg5+.
10.~g4 fS 11.ttg3 ~d7?
12.~h41-0
Black's h-file is indefensible and
checkmate on h7 is inevitable.
had a way of making the
complicated seem so easy.
Many of his attacks are so
smooth, just like the next two
games.
(W) Mikhail Tal
(8) NN
[B42] Exhibition, 1975
1.e4 cS 2.4)f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4) xd4 a6 S..Q.d3 4)f6 6.0-0
~c7 7.~h1 d6 8.f4 4)bd7
9.4)d2 Jle7 10.4)2f3 0-0
11.tte2 4)cS12.e5 dxeS
13.fxeS 4)fd714 •.Q.gS 4)xeS
1S..11.xe7 4)xf316.gxf3 ttxe7
"the great Mikhail Tal had a
way of making the
complicated seem so easy.II
210
 ------------ Game #158 ------------

Even against another former

World Champion, the Axh2+
move works.

(W) Boris Spassky

(B) Mikhail Tal
[E14] Montreal, Canada
(Round 10), 1979

1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)f3 b6

17.Axh7+ ~xh7 18.Eth3+
\f;>g8 19.4)f5! '£tg5 20. '£th5!
1-0
4.e3 Ab7 5.Ad3 d5 6.b3 Ad6
7.0-00-08.Ab2 4)bd7
9.4)bd2 '£te710.Etc1 Etad8
11.'£tc2 c512.cxd5 exd5
13.dxc5 bxc5 14. '£tc3 gfe8
15.Etfd1 d4 16.exd4 cxd4
17.'£ta5

Final Position
17•.•. 4)e5 18.4)xe5 j'txe5
Capturing White's Queen with
19.4)c4 Etd5 20. '£td2 j'txh2+!
21.~xh2? (~f1) gh5+
20.... 'l!t'xh5, leads to checkmate 22. ~g1 4)g4 0-1
after the In-Between move,
21. 4:)e7+ CjfjIh7 22. E!.xh5#. White resigned because of
While, not capturing the White either: 23 .... ~h4 and
Queen leads to ~h8 #.

211
24 .... ~hl. or 23 .... E!hl +
24. ~xhl ~h4+ 25. 'it>gl ~h2+
26. ~f1 ~hl •.

11 ..l1.xh7+ ~h8

As one might expect, the

Final Position
----------- Game #159 ------------
The Woman's World Champion
displays her attacking skills.
She is the complete package of 12.~fl cxb213..l1.xb2 f6?
brains and beauty!
Bishop is poison. Black would
be much worse after
11. ... ~xh712. ~g5+ ~g6
13. h5+ ~h614. b4 ~f5 15.
~dxf7+ E!xf7 16. ~xf7+ ~h7
17. ~xd8.

(W) Alexandra Kosteniuk

(2409)
(8) Carel-Peter Gouw
[COO] Wijk aan Zee,
Netherlands, Corus Reserve,
(Round 5), 01125/2000

1.e4 e6 2.4)f3 d5 3.4)c3 Ah4

4.e5 4)e7 5.h4 c5 6.4)b5 0-0
7.c3 Aa5 8.d4 a6 9.4)d6 cxd4
10.Ad3 dxc3

212
Black should have tried ~xe7 7.f4 a6 8.4)f3 c5 9.~d2
13... , ~g8. The move 13.... f6 4)c6 10.dxc5 ~xc5 11.0-0-0
just adds more weaknesses for h5 12.Jl.d3 b4 13.4)e2 a5
14.~hel 0-0
Black to defend and does
nothing to aid in the defense of
the h-file.

14.4)g5!

Black has no time to resolve

issues, as White's attack is
coming fast.

14..•. fxg515.~h5 4)g8

16.Jl.xg8+ CZlxg817.hxg5
13xf2+ 18.CZlxf21-0

The dual threats of 19. ~h8#

and 19. ~f7# cannot be met
adequately. 15.Jl.xh7+ CZlxh7 16.4)g5+
CZlg817.~d3 ~e818.~h7+
___________ Game #160 ____________ CZlf8 19.~h5 g6 20. ~h6+ CZle7

After 15. .1lxh7+, White hunts

down Black's King. Please take
notice on how White is very
careful to not allow the Black
King to run away to his shelter
on the queenside, an extremely
important consideration when
King Hunting.

(W) David Pruess (2422)

(8) Jesse Kraai (2502)
[C14] Berkeley Masters,
Berkeley, CA (Round 2),
12/15/2008 King Hunting Guidelines:

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 4)f6 Force the King Away From

4.Ag5 A,e7 5.e5 4)fd7 6.J1.xe7 His Shelter

213
Frequently, your opponent will
have a clear path towards some
piece or Pawn cover that can
shelter his King. You need to
prevent him from reaching his
cover.
White slowly shifts his pieces
around in preparation for a
kingside attack. While Black
has not done anything about
attacking White's King on the
queenside.

21.l'!th41 15.h4 4)f8 16.Ad3 ~c7

17.Jlg5 ~g4 18.4)e4 Jle7
This move prevents Black from 19.Jlc1 4)f6 20.~eg5 Jld6
escaping to the queenside. 21.c5

21 .••• ~f8 22.Eld3 b3 23.Elx b3 Provoking Black into the poor

~b4 24.~d4 ~xd4 25.~h7+
~g8 26.Elh3 4)xe5 27.~f6+
~f8 28. ~h8+ ~e7 29. ~xe8+
~xf6 30.fxe5+ ~g5 31.Elg3+
1-0
move 1U4 which leaves the
Black Queen in jeopardy.
21 ..•. Jlf4? 22.Axf4 ~xf4
23.~e5

White checkmates Black after White is completely surrounding

31. ... ~g4 32.~d8+ f6 33.~xf6+ Black's Queen.
c;tJh5 34.~h8+ ~g5 35J~f1 ~xa2+
36.<It>d2 ~xg3 37.hxg3 ~3
38.~h4#.

------------ Game #161 ------------

After trapping Black's Queen,

White terminates Black with
some fancy Knight moves.

(W) Emory Tate (2456)

(8) Nicholas Adams (2267)
[B11] World Open, Philadelphia,
PA, (Round 7), 07/06/1995

1.e4 c6 2.~f3 d5 3.4)c3 dxe4 23 •••• bxc5 24.g3

4.~ xe4 ~f6 5. ~e2 e6 6.d4
.4.e7 7.Jld2 b6 8.c4 .Q.b7
9.0-0-0 4)bd7 10.4)c3 0-0
11 ..4.f4 Ele812.~c2 ~f8
13.~b1 ~g614.Ac1Ad6
Black's Queen is trapped.
23 •..• ~xd4 25.Axh7+ ~8~h7
26.Elxd4 cxd4 27 .~gxf7 c5

214

What makes strong attackers
like Emory Tate so dangerous,
is that after a combination like
the one just played, you quickly
realize that he is not done with
you (checkmate to follow!).
28.4)h6+! 1-0
Black is checkmated after any
of the following:
28.... ~h8 29. ~g6 ... ;
28.... ~f8 29. ~g6 ... ; or
28.... g)(h6 29. t\'g6+ ~h8
30. ~f7"'.
___________ Game #162 _________
Starting with an exchange
sacrifice to lure Black's Queen
away from the action and the
defense ofthe f7 square,
fallowed by A)(h7+, leading to a
215
beautiful all-out checkmating
attack!
(W) Tigran L Petrosian (2558)
(8) Pavel Smirnov (2614)
[B85] Aeroflot Open, Moscow,
Russia, (Round 5), 02/12/2006
l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 a6 6.Ae3
e6 7.a4 4)c6 8 ..11.e2 .11.e7 9.0-0
0-0 10.f4 f!tc7 11.\t1hl ge8
12.a5 4)xa5 13.e5 dxe5
14.fxe5 f!txe5 15..11.f4 f!tc5
16.4)a4 'lt1a717.Ae3 4)d5
18.Agl b5 19.Ad3 Af6
20.4)xb5 ttd7 21.4)bc3 AdS
22.4)c5 f!tc7 23.4)xd5 exd5
Black's pieces are poorly placed
along the first rank and they are
useless in defending White's
kingside attack.
24.gxa5!
Dragging the Black Queen
away from the defense of the f7 10••.. 4)g4 II.f4 t?/e8 12.g3
square. t?/h5 13.Cl/g2

24.... ttxa5 25.Axh7+ Cl/f8

Black is checkmated after

25 .... Cjfj1xh7 26.'~h5+ ~g8
27:if1xfJ+ Cjfj1h7 28.'l!i'h5+ ~g8
29.'l!i'xe8+ Cjfj1h7 30JU8 Cjfj1h6
31.Ae3+ g5 32J~h8+ Cjfj1g7
33.Ad4+ M6 34.'l!i'g8#.

26.t?/xd513a7 27.b4 t?/b5

28.c4 t?/xb4 29.t?/d6+ Ae7
30.13xf7+! Cl/xf7 31. t?/d5+ 1-0

Black is checkmated after

either: 31. ... Cjfj1f8 32. 'l!i'g8# or;
31. ... Cjfj1f6 32. ~e4#. 13.••. Agl!

Black gives up the Bishop, so

------------ Game #163 ------------ his Queen can infiltrate and
force the White King toward his
After 9.... Axh2+, Black gets a
pieces.
relentless and crushing attack.
Lots of amazing moves aimed 14.4)xgl tth2+ 15.Cl/f3
in ripping apart the defender's
cover.

(W) Glucksberg
(8) Miguel Najdorf
[AB5] Warsaw, Poland, 1929

l.d4 f5 2.c4 4)f6 3.4)c3 e6

4.4)f3 d5 5.e3 c6 6.Ad3 Ad6
7.0-00-0 8.4)e2 4)bd7 9.4)g5
Axh2+ 10.Cl/hl

Capturing the Black Bishop just

leads to Black getting his piece
back right away after
10.... Cjfj1xh2 11. ~g4+ Cjfj1g1
12. 'l!i'xg5. 15••.. e5t!

216
A fantastic "blow up the position (W) Alexander Morozevich
in front of White's King" move (2742)
by Black. (8) Loek Van Wely (2697)
[C10] Corus, Wijk aan Zee,
16.dxe5 4)dxe5+ 17.fxe5 Netherlands (Round 12),
Ii)xe5+ 18.~f4 4)g6+ 19.~f3 01/26/2002

l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 dxe4

4.4)xe4 4)d7 5.Ad3 4)gf6
6.'/te2 c5 7.4)xf6+ 4)xf6
8.dxc5 J1.xc5 9.Ad2 0-0
10.0-0-0 '/td511.~bl '/hxg2
12.4)f3 '/txf2 13.'/he5 4)d7

19.... f4!!

Another fantastic move!! The

point being that Black's Bishop
and Rook are more powerful
without the blocking Black
f-Pawn.
14.Axh7+ ~xh715.'/hh5+
20.exf4 Jlg4+ 21.~xg4 4)e5+ ~g8 16.}3hgl Ae3 17.Axe3
22.fxe5 h5# 0-1 '/txe3 18.}3g3 '/hc5? 19. '/hh6
1-0
----------- Game #164 ----------- After 19.... g6, White
checkmates with 20. §h3.
Most attack games with the
.1lxh7 sacrifice tend to be violent
in nature. However, in this ----------- Game #165 ------------
game, Morozevich puts
The -'l,xh7 Bishop sacrifice is
together a quiet, positional
followed by the maneuver of
attack, which is just as
"Laying of the Bishop on f6".
overwhelming.

217
(W) Jon Loftur Arnason
(B) Alexey Dreev
[C07] Reykjavik Open,
Iceland 1990
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3 ..£ld2 a6
4 •.£lgf3 e5 5.dxe5 Axe5 6.Ad3
.£lf6 7.0-0 'l!Ie7 8.a3 Ae7
9.Elel 0-0 10.e5 .£lfd711 •.£lb3
.£le6 12..Q.f4 .£lb6 13.e3 .£le4
14.tte2 h5 15•.£lbd4 .Q.d7
16..£lxe6 Axe6
17..£lg5 A,xg518.A,xg5 Elae8
19.A,xh7+ ~xh7 20. ~h5+
~g8 21.Jl.f6
"laying of the Bishop on fa" -
pay close attention to this
maneuver in your attacks.
Here, the move .1lf6 completely
shuts out all the Black
defenders and prepares to
exploit the weak g7 square in
front of the Black King.
21 ••.. gxf6 22. ~g4+ ~h7
218
23.exf6~h6
No choice, as playing
23 .... §g8 to stop 24. 'ltJg7.,
leads to 24. 'ltJhS •.
24.f4~xf4
Once again, 24 .... §g8 leads to
checkmate for White after
25. 'ltJh4+ <itJg6 26. ~gS+ ~h7
27. 'ltJh5 •.
25. ~xf4+ ~g6 26.h4 1-0
The only way to protect White's
threatened checkmate,
27. 'ltJg5+ ~h7 28. 'ltJg7., is for
Black to play 26.... §g8.
Unfortunately for Black,
26.... §g8 is answered by
27. 'ltJg5+ ~h7 28. 'ltJhS •.
------------ Game #166 -----------
Another game with the Axh7+
followed by a sacrifice of the
other Bishop on g7. This
double Bishop sacrifice to strip
the defender of all his Pawn
cover, happens more frequently
than one would think. And, if
that was not enough, White
gives up his Knight too.
(W) Walter Browne
(B) Kneebone
[B89] England Championship,
(Round 5), 1985
l.e4 e5 2 ..£lf3 .£lf6 3.d4 exd4
4.4) xd4 .£le6 5..£le3 d6 6.Ae4
e6 7.Ae3 Ae7 S. 'ite2 0-0
9 0-0-0 a6 10.ghgl tte7
li.g4 .£lxd412.Axd4 b5
13.Ad3 h4 14.e5 dxe5
15..Q.xe5 'ita5
16.g5 .£ld717.-'lxh7+! ~xh7
18.~h5+ ~gS 19.Axg7t ~xg7
20.~h6+ ~gS
21.4)d5
The move .£)ci5 blocks out the
219
Black Queen from the kingside.
21••.. exd5 22.g6 .£lf6
White turns his g-Pawn into a
battering ram and comes right
through the front door.
23.g7 .£lh7 24.gxfS'it # 1-0
Final Position
------------ Game #167 -----------
The same type of attack as the
last two games, however this
time Walter Browne is on the
losing end.
(W) Anthony Miles
(B) Walter Browne
[040] Lucerne, Switzerland,
1982
1 ..£lf3 e5 2.e4 .£lf6 3 •.£le3 e6
4.e3 4)e6 5.d4 d5 6.dxe5 Axe5
7.a3 a6 S.h4 -'la7 9.Ab2 0-0
10.lacl
12.c5 4)d4 22.... c3;Jg8 23 .~c
R 4 1-0
xfl}·exd4 4) xd4
14.Ad3 Ac6 ~3.~xf3 Ad7
16.Axe4 ~c7 17.0-0
5.4)e44)xe4
laad8

~ .• ~s ~~~~~
,~,;.f;f
• ~'i.~t .'. . .'.
~~.~B.~
ri··~.~~~ •
• Iii

~~~~~~.
~ ~ ~ U,.~~~~~
.~~§......
~ ... .n. :rm
~~~~~~~~~~t!~~~~~~~~L"'="3
3
_ '" Final PosRion
------------ Game #168 ------
c3;Jg8 20.Axg7Xh719.~h5+
18.Axh7+! c3;J
VYhRe sacrifices --
pieces in a light ~hree minor
ar~ quite efficie~~~oP sacrifices
These double B' checkmating attack.
mng fast
stripping of II In the
cover Mak~ Black's Pawn (W) Eero EO
extre~ely vlnl g the Black King (B) Aa Inar Book
maJor
. piecesu nerable
(0
t
0 White's [COO] G~~~ngerslev
1929 enburg, Sweden ,
Rooks). ueen and

3.~c3 AM
l.e4 e6 2.4)f3 d
~f6+
20....
22. c3;Jxg7 2 1. ~g5+ c3;Jh8

~~~aluse bIO~~:~hl; 9~~o--"'XM8.A~26~;XM

An important. ;.,A.d3 c5 5.a31.
it thdiS attack
ack's f-Pawn a vance
preventing
obta,mng BI
. . assist
Queen or Rook
'
~~ce
thus
ack's K·109 from
from his
unusual
usually
a~d
Wh't' e has pi
v~amblt a very
against the
second rank ong the Fre ry passive and .
devel~e
f6 or f5 . ' say after the move whatnch Defense
has WIll . BY dOlOg. solid
so
definite received? A '
with all his m' pm~nt advantage
Inor pieces

220
developed to good squares and
his King castled, while Black's
queenside is completely
undeveloped.
to.Elet b6tl.exd5 4)xd5
t2.4)xd5 exd513.4)d4 j},b7
t4.Ele3 4)d7
An odd looking position with
White's Bishops both pointing
221
directly at the Black King. Also,
White's Rook is already lifted
and immediately ready to join in
an attack on the Black King.
The White Queen is also just a
single move from sitting on the
Black King's doorsteps. Can
the end be far away?
Clearing the path for a double
Bishop sacrifice! The White
Knight was in the way, so why
not just chuck it?
15•••• j},xc6 16.j},xh7+! C{flxh7
17.~h5+ C{flg818.j},xg7! C{flxg7
19.Elg3+ <3lf6 20.Elel 1-0
Preventing the Black King from
fleeing.
Final Position
And, despite the three "extra"
minor pieces, Black cannot
defend both checkmate threats, sacrificing the Bishop on h7,
namely, 21. 'itgS =11= and 21. 'itf3 =11=. this process is accelerated
greatly.
---------- Game #169 -----------

This time around, White plays

Ah7+ to speed up the attack,
despite no h7-Pawn for Black.

(W) MysteryMan (2200)

(8) apawnup (1923)
[DOO] ICC 203,08/14/2009

l.e4 d5 2.d4 dxe4 3.~c3 Af5

4.f3 exf3 5. t\'xf3 Ac8 6.Ac4
e6 7.~ge2 ~f6 8.Etfl c6 9.g4
ttd710.Ag5 Ae711.0-0-0
0-0
17.Ah7+!

Unlike the previous games, the

purpose of White's move Ah7+
is not to expose the Black King,
but to speed up the attack on
the Black King.

17•••• lccflxh718.~h5+ ccflg8

19.Ethl f5 20.g6 1-0

----------- Game #170 -----------

Black decides to decline the

Bishop sacrifice this time and
12.Ad3 h6 13.Ad2 t\'dS succumbs to a beautiful Queen
14.h4 ~bd715.g5 hxg5 sacrifice and minor piece mate.
16.hxg5 ~d5
Now, with the h-file open, the (W) Miguel Najdorf
(8) NN
natural plan would be to place a [D37] Rafaela, 1942
Queen and Rook on the h-file
and checkmate Black. But, by l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.~c3 ~f6

222
4.~f3 a6 5.cxd5 ~xd5 6.e4 "smothered checkmate"?
4)xc3 7.bxc3 A,e7 S.Ad3 0-0
9.0-0 c5 10.'/te2 cxd411.cxd4 22.'/txf7+!I-lf!Ixf7 23.~d7#
!leS 12.Eldl ~c6 13.Jl.b2 b5 1-0
14.Elacl J1.b715.d5 exd5
16.exd5 ~b4 17.Jl.e4 4:\xa2 ____________ Game #171 ____________
18.~e5 4)b4
Gregory Kaidenov takes down
the future World Champion with
an awesome finish.

(W) Gregory Kaidanov

(8) Viswanathan Anand
[042] Moscow, Russia 1987

l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5

4.c4 4:\c6 5.cxd5 '/txd5 6.4)f3
e6 7.4:\c3 '/tdS S.J1.d3 ~f6
9.0-0 Ae7 10.a3 0-0 11.Elel
b6 12.Ac2 Aa6 13.b4 Ac4
14.b5 4:\a515.~e5 ElcS
16.Ele3 Elc717.Etg3 EleS
19.Axh7+! ~fS 20. '/th5 .1lxd5 IS.Ah6 AfS 19.J1.g5 J1.e7
21.Elxd5 ~xd5 20.J1.xf6 Axf6

Black's King is surrounded by 21.Axh7+ ~xh7 22.'/th5+

his own pieces. Can you say, ~gS 23.4:\e4 .1ld5 24.Eth3
~fS?

223
Black needed to play g6 here. 14.gae1 gfd815.e5 ~e8
16.~f2 .11xg5

25:ltxf7+!t 1-0
17..s1xh7+! ~f8
Just as it seems that the Black
King is getting away, White Capturing the White Bishop is
lowers the boom. The game no better, as White can play
18.<i)xg5+ ~g8 19:1il'h4 <i)e7
could have concluded with
20:~h7+ ~f8 21.t\'h8+ <i)g8
25 .... §xf7 26. <i)g6+ ~g8
27. §h8#. 22.<i)h7+ ~e7 23:~xg8 Ab5
24 ..£x:t5+!!, where Black gets
checkmated after: 24 .... exd5
------------ Game #172 ----------- 25.e6 §d7 26.exf7+ ~d8
27.fxe8t\' # .
This time, Black tries to run
away from the Bishop sacrifice 18.fxg5 dxe5 19.~h4 ~d6
on h7 and White finds a brilliant 20.~g6+ ~e8
way to finish Black off.
If you think Black is hanging on
(W) Yuri Rusakov by a thread, you could not be
(B) Boris Kalinkin more wrong.
[B96] Lodz, 1963

1.e4 c5 2.~f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

4.~ xd4 ~f6 5.~c3 a6 6 ..11g5
e6 7.f4 .Q.d7 8.~f3 ~a5
9.~d2 ~c610. .Q.d3 gc811.a3
.Q.e7 12.0-0 0-0 13.~h1 ~c7

224

21.~xf7+!! 4)xf7 22.~xf7
White can also checkmate after
22. Ag8.
22.... 'llxf7 23.~fl + 'lle8
24.~f8. 1-0
----------- Game #173 -----------
All of the previous games had
Bishop sacrifices on h7. This
game utilizes a Rook sacrifice
on h7 to open up the h-file.
(W) Joel Johnson (2235)
(8) Pedro Moura (2000)
[C21] Sypherd Home (G/3)
Glendale, AZ (Round 1),
12118/2007
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3 ..Q.c4 4)f6
4.~f3 j\e7 5.e5 4)e4 6. ~xd4
4)c5 7.4)c3 4)e6 8. ~e4 4)c6
9•.1\e3 b6 10.0-0-0 j\b7
1l.Ad5 ttc8 12.~hel 0-0
225
13.h4 4)a514.4)g5 j'lxg5
15.hxg5 j\xd516.4)xd5 ~e8
17.~hl4)f8
18.~xh7!!
This move does not seem
possible as the square is
protected by both the Black
Knight on f8 and the Black King
on g8, but it is the correct move
by a very large margin. One of
the primary reasons that
18. E!xh7!! works is because
White has a Replacement
Attacker (the Rook on d 1) that
can be moved over to the h-file
to take its' place.
18•.•. 4)xh719.~hl 4)f8
20.tth4
The point of the White Rook
sacrifice is that the White Knight
prevents the Black King from
running away via the e7 square
and White dominates the h-file.
20 •.•. ~g6 21. tth7+ <iflfS 4.~f3 ~ge7 5.d4 cxd4
6.~xd4 ~xd4 7.ttxd4 .£)c6
S.ttf2 ~e7 9.~d3 0-010.0-0
a611.~e3 b512.~b6 'ite8
13.Etael Ab714.f5 EtbS
15.<iflhl ~e5 16.Ac7 ~xd3
17.cxd3 EtcS1S.~f4 d6
19.ttg3 b4

22.tthS+ 1-0

The game could have

concluded with 22 .... 4':))(h8
23. E!)(h8#.

The third set of games (Games 20.Ah6 ~f6 21.,1l.xg7 1-0

#174 to #187) hinge on the
capture on g7 (or g2) leading to On 21. ... .1l)(g7, 22. f6 and
g-file weaknesses. 23. 'itJ)(g7 # follow.

----------- Game #174 ----------- ------------ Game #175 ------------

The first game in this set Black appears to castle

illustrates a basic checkmate. kingside right into the teeth of
White sacrifices a Bishop on g7, White's attack. White utilizes a
followed by attacking the pinned Bishop sacrifice on g7 to rip
Black Bishop with a Pawn. open the Black kingside.

(W) FearNoEvii (2200) (W) IIdiko Madl (2426)

(8) naka (2054) (8) Daniel Summermatter
[823] ICC 3 0,12/06/2006 (2341)
[B81] Geneva, 1988
l.e4 c5 2 •.£)c3 e6 3.f4 .£)c6

226
1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4)xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 d6 6.Jle3
a6 7.g4 A,e7 8.g5 4)fd7 9.h4
4)c610.~h5 0-0

It would seem that White is very

close to having a strategical
won position already.

11.0-0-0 4) xd4 12.Axd4 h5

13.j}.d3 ~e8

21. ~xh7+!! 1-0

A different type of h-file mate,

as White mates after
21. ... 'ifjlxh7 22. hxg6#.

----------- Game #176 ------------

A temporary Knight sacrifice on

g2 leads to a complete blasting
14.-'lxg7! ~xg715.~h6+ open of the White kingside
'Ilb8 position.

Black is faced with massive and (W) vinod (2069)

overwhelming force at the point (8) MysteryMan (2336)
of attack. [A40] ICC 3 0, 04/30/2009

16.e5 4)f817.4)e4 4)g6 l.d4 h5 2.4)f3 .Q.h7 3.e3 a6

18.4)f6 Axf6 19.9xf6 Etg8 4.a4 b4 5.h3 4)f6 6.Jl.h2 e6
20.b5 ~f8 7.4)bd2 d6 8 •.Q.d3 4)bd79.0-0
.Q.e710.e4 h611:l!te2 g5 12.c4
hxc313.Axc3 ~g814.e5 4)d5
15.Jl.h2

227

15•••. 4)f416:/te3 4)xg2!
Completely busting open
White's kingside position.
17.c«flxg2 g4
Black wins back the Knight and
opens up all avenues for the
attacking Black pieces, like the
g-file for the Black Rook on g8,
etc.
228
18.exd6 gxf3+ 19.c«flh1 j}.xd6
20.Ae4 1th4 21 •.£.xf3 1txe4
0-1
White is checkmated after
22. Etgl ~xf3+ 23. ~xf3 .1lxf3+
24. Etg2 Etxg2 25. h4 Etg4#.
------------ Game #177 -----------
First the Knight sacrifice on g7,
immediately followed by a
Bishop sacrifice on h6, leads to
a King hunt.
(W) Sergey Karjakin (2523)
(8) V 8 Malinin (2434)
[C45] Sudak Ukraine
International (Round 7),
08/0712002
1.e4 4)c6 2.d4 e5 3 ..£.f3 exd4
4 ..£. xd4 ith4 5.4)c3 J1.h4
6.Jl.e2 .£.f6 7.0-0 Axc3 8 •.£.f5
itxe4 9.Ad3 itg4 10.f3 ita4
II.bxc30-0
12.4:)xg7 ~xg713.Jl.h6+
ctl xh6
Black's played his best choice
for a move and White has loads 20..11.xg4+ 1-0
of compensation for the two lost
pieces.
14.~d2+ ~h515.g4+ ~xg4
16.fxg4+ ~xg4+17.~h1
We have reached an interesting
position where White is ahead
by roughly a Pawn according to
my computer. However, this is
one of those positions where
Black will need a computer to
defend.
17.... d6?
Black needed to play 17.... f6
to stop White's next move.
18.!U6!
Encircling the Black King from
behind, as the White Rook on
a 1 can attack from the front.
18...• t'/g5 19.Ae2+ Ag4
Black is checkmated on all
moves:
20 .... ~xg4 21. §h6#;
20 .... ~xg4 21. §gl + <it'h4
22. ~xg5+ ~h3 23. §h6#;
20.... ~h4 21. ~el + <it'xg4
22. ~e4+ ~h5 23. ~xh7+ ~h6
24. ~xh6+ ~g4 25. §gl #.
Final Position
----------- Game #178 -----------
An extremely well executed
positional attack based around
a vicious pin on White's Knight
on f3. Unlike, the other games,
Black does not win back his
229
material right away, but the
relentless pressure eventually
succeeds. And, how did this all
get started? Yes, with a Knight
sacrifice on g2.

(W) K-Georgiev (3215)

(8) elDenso (3472)
[014] ICC 5 3, 12/15/2003

1.~f3 dS 2.d4 ~f6 3.c4 c6

4.cxdS cxdS S.~c3 ~c6 6 •.4.f4
.4.fS 7.e3 e6 8.'/kb3 Jl.h4
9 •.Q.bS 0-0 10.0-0 Axc3
II.Axc6 Axb2 12.Jl.xb7
Axal13.Elxal ~hS 14..a.xa8 18.•.• gSI19.AbS g4
~ xf4 IS.Jl.c6 20.hxg4fS

Black is also winning after

20 .... ~xg4+ 21. ~f1 .il,xf3.

21.gS f4 22.Ae2

IS •••• ~xg2116.~xg2 .a.e4

17.~dl 'lth4 18.h3

White is in a pickle, as there is

no real way to safely break out
of the pin. Despite still being down a
Knight, Black is winning easily
because of:

230
 1) White's King exposure;
2) White's useless Rook on
a1;and
3) Overwhelming force at
the point of attack.

22..•• Elf5 23.exf4 Elxf4

24.ciflgl Etg4+ 25.«lJfl ithl+
26.~gl Elxgl =11= 0-1

----------- Game #179 ------------

Not really much of a game, as

one of the best players of
all-time, makes an elementary
error. But, it is very instructive,
in that the game clearly shows
how the capture of the g-Pawn
can really weaken the h7
square.
(W) Semon Palatnik
(8) Efim Geller
[000] Rostov, Russia 1980
1.d4 ~f6 2.-'1.25 d5 3.J'txf6
exf6 4.e3 J'te65.~d2 ~d7
6.c4 J'tb4 7.cxd5 jlxd5 8.~e2
0-0 9.4)c3 4)b6 10.a3 J'txc3
1l.bxc3 c5 12.J'td3 cxd4
13.cxd4 J'txg2??
The opening of the g-file for
White's Rook, not only gives a
direct attack on the Black King,
but leads to a quick and abrupt
end to the game.
14.Etgl J'tc6
15.Etxg7+ 1-0
This sacrifice works because
without the g-Pawn, Black is
unable to defend his h7 square.
White checkmates after
15 .... r:;)(g7 16. ~g4+ r;fthB
17. ~f5 followed by 18. ~)(h7=11=.
------------ Game #180 ----------
An exchange sacrifice and
Rook sacrifice leads to a
positional checkmate.
(W) Paul Keres
(8) Laszlo Szabo
[B66] Budapest, Hungary, 1955
l.e4 c5 2.~f3 4)c6 3.d4 cxd4
4.~ xd4 ~f6 5.4)c3 d6 6 •.l1.g5
e6 7. ~d2 J'te7 8.0-0-0 0-0
9.f4 a610.e5 dxe5 11.4)xc6
bxc6 12.fxe5 4)d7

231
 18.gxd7

The Black Knight was the only

Black piece really doing
anything. The Black Knight was
attacking White's weak e-Pawn
and was defending a couple of
squares around the Black King
(f6 and fa). The remainder of
the Black forces are relatively
useless when it comes to the
defense of the Black King.

18••.• J}.xd7 19.Jld3 h6

20. ttf4 ~f8?
13.h4
Faced with the impending
A little "Fishing Pole" strategy 21. "ltf6, Black needed to try
can go a long way! 20 .... ~c5, so he could answer
with 21. ... ~e3+, if White tried
21. ~f6.

Black has a bunch of poorly

placed pieces.

21.gxg7!! ~xg7 22. ~f6+ ~f8

23.Jlg(; 1-0

White has a very nice positional

checkmate. On 23 .... !!e7,

232
White mates with 24. ~h8 •.

____________ Game #181 ---------

Related Games
(Queen & Bishop Mate):
064,118,273

This time, a double rook

sacrifice on g7 leads to
exploitable weak dark squares
all around Black's King.

(W) Joel Johnson (2213)

(8) Austin Cambon (1775)
[823] Joshua Tree June Open,
Joshua Tree, CA, (Round 4),
06/25/2005
l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 d6
4..11c4 e6 5.4)f3 Ae7 6.0-0
~f6 7.d3 0-0 8.tte14)d7
9.ttg3 4)b6 10.Ab3 4)d4
1l.4)xd4 cxd412.4)e2 .ll.h4
13.~h3 e5 14.f5 a5 15.a4
C(fJh816.g4 d517.\T1h1 dxe4
18.dxe4 Ad7 19•.85 Axg5
20.Etg1 Jl.f6 21•.Q,d2 Ac6
22.Etg4 4)d7 23•.ll.c4 4)c5
24.Jl.d3 Axa4 25.~ag1 4) xd3
26.cxd3 ttd7?
Black has no clue what is
coming, otherwise he would
have kept his Queen defending
the f6 square and moved a
Rook to either g8 or a6 for more
defensive support. White's
attack works because of all the
weak dark squares around the
Black King.
27.~xg7! Axg7 28.~xg7 \T1xg7
29. ~h6+ \T1h8
On 29 .... <i!lg8, White can force
the King to h8 with 30. ~g5+.
Playing 30. f6 would be an error,
letting Black's Queen aid in the
defense with 30 .... ~g4.
30.~f6+ \T1g831.Ah61-0
------------ Game #182 ------------
White starts a brutal mating
attack after capturing on g7 with
his Rook.
(W) Dr. Carl Hartlaub
(8) MWTesta
[C21] Bremen, Germany, 1912
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3
4.Ac4 cxb2 5.Jl.xb2 Ab4+
6.4)c3 d6 7.4)f3 4)f6 8.0-0
Axc3 9.Jl.xc3 0-0 10.e5 4)e4
11.Ab2 Ag412.ttd4 Axf3

233
 middle is Black's overloaded
Rook on fa.

21 •.•• dxe5 22.J1.xe5+ f6

23.J1.xf6+ ~xf6 24.~g8# 1-0

Now, White puts the open g-file

to good use and all of White's
pieces are pointing directly at
the Black King. And, I cannot Final Position
stress enough about the lack of
development by Black. Many of ------------ Game #183 -----------
these attacks occur due to
cause and effect, with the Black starts a very original
cause being a lack of piece attack sequence starting with
development. another Rook sacrifice on g2.

16.~1 itd717.'ltd2 4)g6 (W) Dardo Botto

18.itd4 4)e5 19.~xg7+1 C/}xg7 (B) Larry Christiansen
20.~gl+ C/}h8 [B61] Buenos Aires, Argentina,
No better is 20 .... ~f6, as Black 1975
gets mated after 21. ~h4+ 1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
preventing any escape via e 7. 4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 4)c6
6.Jlg5 j\d7 7.'ltd2 ~c8 8.j\e2
4)xd4 9.itxd4 ita510.j\xf6
gxf611.0-0 ~g812.4)d5 ~xc2
Black has major weaknesses 13.M ita314.J1..c4
along the a 1-h8 diagonal and
the back rank. Stuck in the Black has a very strong Rook

234
on the open g-file pointing 21.~a4+ ~f8 22.~hl Ag2+
directly at White's King. So, he 23.~gl §d2#.
decides to chuck it for a brutal 19.... -{tf3 20. -{txf7+ <if1d7
checkmating attack. 21.-'lb5+ ~c6 22. ~g8 -'lg5
0-1

Blocking out White's Queen.

14.... ~xg2+ 15.<if1xg2 Ah3+

16.<if1g1 ~f317.~e3 Jl.h6
18.~dl

Final Position

White cannot prevent ~g2#.

---------- Game #184 ------------

One of my students, Richard

Cowan plays this attacking gem
and it all starts with the sacrifice
of a Rook on g2.

(W) Nithin Kannan (1230)

(8) Richard Cowan (1432)
[BOO] Valley Chess,
18•..• ~xe3! 19.~d5 Phoenix, AZ., (Round 2),
12/07/2008
White gets checkmated after
19.fxe3 .Q.xe3+ 20.§f2 §xf2
l.e4 a6 2.~f3 b5 3.d4 Ab7

235
4.Ad3 4)f6 5.4)bd2 e6 6.e5
4)d5 7.0-0 d6 8.exd6 cxd6
9.b3 4)c3 10.ite1 4)d7
11.Jl.b2 ~d512.Jl.e4 4)7f6
13.Jlxd5 ~xd514.c4 bxc4
15.bxc4 4)c7 16.d5 Jl.e7
17.Jl.xg7 ~g818.Ab2 exd5
19.Jl.f6 4)e6 20.Axe7 itxe7
21.cxd5 Axd5 22.~e4 <3ld7
23.~b1 f5 24.~ed2
24.•.• ~xg2+! 25.<3lxg2 itg5+!
26.<3lh1
236
26•••• itxd2!!
What a stunning move!! And, it
is Black's only winning move.
The move 26.... ~xd2!! works
because it eliminates both of
White's defenders of the Knight
on f3 in one fell swoop.
On 27. ~xd2, Black checkmates
after 27 .... .Q.xf3+ 28. <:Jgl !!g8+
29. ~g5 !!xg5#.
27•••• Axf3+ 28.~g2 Jl.xg2+
29.<3lxg2 ~g8+ 30.<3lh1 ~d5+
0-1
------------ Game #185 -----------
When a Knight, Bishop, or Rook
will not do, just use your Queen
to sacrifice on g7! And, much
like the last two games, the
checkmating pieces will be a
Rook and Bishop.
(W) FearNoEvii (2229)
(8) CondorMan (1906)
[C21] ICC 3 0,07/2512006
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Ac4 4)c6
4.4)f3 d6 5.4)xd4 4)xd4
6.itxd4 4)f6 7.4)c3 Ae7 8.h3
0-0 9.Jl.e3 Ae6 10.g4 a6 11.g5
4)d7 12.4)d5 Axg5 13.~.g1
Axd514.Axd5 Jlf615.~d2
c616.Jl.h3 4)e517.0-0-0 4)f3
18.ite2 4)xg119.~xg1 ite7
20. itg4 <3lh8 21.h4 ~ae8
22.f3t\'e5 23.e3 d5 24.Ad4
~e6
25.t\'xg7+1 Jlxg7 26..Q.xg7+
~g8 27.Jlf6+ 1-0
--------- Game #186 ------------
More of the same, White uses
his Queen to plow through
Black's position via the g7
square. The end result is a
minor piece King hunt.
(W) Joshua Waitzkin
(8) Edward Frumkin
[B45] New York Open,
New York, NY 1987
1.e4 e5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 exd4
4.~xd4 ~f6 5.~e3 ~e6
6•.Q.e3 Jlb4 7.f3 d5 8.Ab5
Ad7 9.Axe6 bxe6 10.e5 ~g8
1l.a3 JlaS 12.b4 Ae7 13.f4
~e7 14.~a4 0-0 IS.~eS as
16.e3 ~c817.0-0 ~b6
18.t\'g4 ~e4 19•.Q.f2 tte8
20.~fel Jlc8 21 ..Q.h4 \f1h8
237
22.a4 Ab6 23.~adl AxeS
24.bxe5 ~b2
2S.~e3 ~xdl
Hmmm, when someone offers a
free Rook, you have to ask
yourself, "Why?". And,
afterwards, if you cannot see
why he is willing to give you a
Rook, then accept the material,
to see why. Accept the sacrifice
in the quest for learning. You
will either win the game, if he
has nothing, or you will learn
something, if he does.
Basically, a win-win situation.
Players learning to attack and
analyze should all have this
mind set. Being worried about
losing for any reason
(especially the loss of rating
points or your standing on a list)
is counter-productive to
learning. Worrying and
protecting your rating is the first transposes to the game
step towards stunting your continuation after 28. ~h3+ ~g6.
learning growth and can
prevent you from attaining your 28.~g3+ ~h6 29.J1.g7+ ~h5
30.~g5+ ~h4 31.4)f3* 1-0
long term personal chess goals.
Focus on learning and
ultimately, the rating points will
come. As a Chess Coach, I am
constantly dealing with this
issue with my students. Once
they appear on the Top 100 in
the United States list, their
progress slips from meteoric to
a slow trickle.

Final Position

------------ Game #187 ------------

And, one last minor piece King

hunt started with a Queen
sacrifice on g7.

(W) Hans Runde (1951)

Amazing! Using his Queen as
a battering ram to blast open
the Black King, followed by a
minor piece King Hunt.
26..•. ~xg7 27.J1.f6+ ~g6
If Black plays 27 .... ~h6, it just ~e814 •.Q.xd5 exd515.~e1
(8) Morten Jensen (1743)
[B14] ASKOs KM 2003, gr. A
Blindern, Oslo, Norway
(Round 6), 04/08/2003
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5
4.c4 4)f6 5.4)c3 e6 6.4)f3 .Q.e7
7.J1.d3 0-0 8.0-0 b6 9.J1.f4
J1.b7 10.~c1 dxc4 11..Q.xc4
4)d512.4)xd5 .Q.xd5 13.J1.c7
~d716.4)e5 ~b517.~g4

238
Ab4 1S.~e3 4)a6 19.4)d7
gfcS
20. itxg7+!!
Why does this sacrifice work?
Black's pieces are too far away.
20.••. ~xg7 21.~g3+ ~h6
22 •.Q.f4+ ~h5 23.4)f6+ ~h4
24.~h3=11= 1-0
Final Position
239
The fourth set of games
(Games #188 to #193) hinge on
the capture on f7 (or f2) leading
to weaknesses along the f-file,
the a2-g8 diagonal, and/or the
back rank.
------------ Game #188 -----------
The first game illustrates how a
basic f7 weakness, in
combination with a back rank
weakness, can be terminal.
(W) FearNoEvii (2268)
(8) isisis (2163)
[C21] ICC 2 2, 03/21/2007
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3 ..Q.c4 4)f6
4.4)f3 4) xe4 5.itxd4 ~d6
6 ..Q.h3 ~c6 7.itf4 Ae7 S.Ae3
0-0 9.4)c3 .Q.f6 10.0-0-0 Axc3
11.hxc3 a512.a4 ite7
13.~he1 ~dS 14.Ac5 h5
15.Axd6 cxd6 16.~xd6 hxa4
17.Aa2 a3 1S.~g5 ~h6
19.'/txf7+!! ~xf7 20.~e8. 1-0 players would say, "Why not?, it
----------- Game #189 ----------
The basis of a short story,
entitled, "Last Round" by
Kester Svendsen.
White captures on f7 with his
Knight, then transforms the pin
on the Rook into a very
dangerous passed Pawn.
(W) Rudolf Charousek
(8) Jakob Wollner
[C21] Kaschau, 04/09/1893
l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3
4.Ac4 ~f6 5.4)f3 Ac5
6.~xc3 d6 7.0-0 0-0
As a general rule, it is very
unwise to trade a Knight and
Bishop for a Rook and Pawn at
this stage of the game. Many
240
is an even trade." But, in
reality, it is not an even trade.
Because the Rooks are of
limited use at this stage of the
game, it is a huge advantage to
have the two minors. But,
White saw that the passed
e-Pawn will easily compensate
for the poor trade.
10.e54)g411.e6'/th4?
Overly ambitious, 11 .... !!xf2
was significantly better. For
example, 11. ... !!xf2 I2.e7+
!!f7+ I3.<iflhI ~xe7 I4.1txf7+
<iflh815.~d2 ~e3 I6.~eI with
roughly an equal position.
12.exf7+ <ifJf813.Af4 4)xf2
14.'/te2 4)g4+ 15.<ifJhl Ad7
16.~ael 4)c6
17.'/te8+! ~xe818.fxe8it+
A double Queen sacrifice with
the aim of clearing the f-file for
a discovered checkmate!
18...• -'1.xe8 19.A,xd6 # 1-0
Final Position
•••••------- Game #190 ------------
White sacrifices a Knight on fl
leading to a remarkable and
unique checkmating attack. A
combination of weak squares,
blocked in pieces, and
somewhat hidden back rank
issues lead to a very special
conclusion.
(W) Andrei Volokitin (2551)
(8) Zdenko Kozul (2556)
[830] Milan Vidmar Memorial
Portoroz, Slovakia, (Round 2)
07/04/2001 '
1.e4 c5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.~c3 e5
241
4.-'1.c4 d6 5.d3 A,e7 6.0-0 A,e6
7.~d5 ~f6 8.~g5 A,xd5
9.exd5 ~b8 10.f4 exf4
11.A.xf4 0-0 12.t\'e2 ~bd7
13.~ael ~e8
14.~xf7!? ~xf715.t\'e6+ ~f8
Why did White sacrifice his
Knight on fl a couple of moves
ago? Certainly not for a measly
single check. If not, then what
is White's plan?
16.g4 a617.g5 b5
Black has no clue what is
coming.
"Focus on learning and
ultimately, the rating points
will come."

18.Jje3!
White'~ moves are not about
attackl~g ~he Black Knight on
ta.WhIte s plan is far more
dangerous and serious.
18•••• 4)e5 19.Jlxe5 dxe5
20.g611 1-0
Did you notice that the Black
242
h-P~wn was threat pinned?
WhIte checkmates Black after
~g: §h~X!~ 21. Elh3 followed by
------------ Game #191 -----------
A seemingly impossible Axt7+
leads to an even more amazing
forced checkmate.
(W) Gustav Neumann
(8) Adolf Anderssen
[C52] Berlin, Germany, 1860
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Jlc4 Ac
4.b4 Axb4 5.c3 Aa5 6.d4 5
exd4 7.0-0 dxc3 8.~b3 ~f6
9.e5 ttg610.4)xc3 Axc3
11.~xc3 4)ge712.Aa3 0-0
13.Jjadl d5 14.exd6 cxd6
15.Jjxd6 tth5 16.Jjel 4)g6
17.Jjxg6
A.ls~ very strong is 17. Ab2
aIming at the weak g7 Pawn.
17...• ttxg6 IS.AxfS Ah3
Black is mated after 18.... ~xf8
19. ~a3+ ~g8 20. §e8#.
19.4)h4 '/tg5 20. ttxh3 ElxfS
21.Axf7+!! 1-0
Mate on all moves! Simply an
outstanding, amazing, and
awe-inspiring move leading to
checkmate, no matter how
Black respondsl
On 21. ... ~h8 22.41g6+ ~xg6
23.Ax~ h6 24:~fS §g8 2S.'iM7
liJe7 26.§xe7 bS 27. 'IWxg8+ ~xg8
28. §e8#.
On 21. ... §xf7 22.§e8+ §fB
23.~e6+ ~h8 24.§xfB •.
On 21. ... ~xf7 22:~e6#.
------------ Game #192 ------------
A double piece sacrifice which
leads the Black King to the
center of the board for an easy
checkmate.
(W) Walther Von Holzhausen
(8) Siegbert Tarrasch
[e50] Frankfurt, Germany, 1912
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ac4 4)f6
4.d4 exd4 5.0-0 d6 6.4)xd4
Ae7 7.4)c3 0-0 S.h3 Ele8
9.Elel4)d7
10.Axf7+!! '/}xf7
Not much choice here, as not
capturing leads to 11. 4)e6
winning Black's Queen.
11.4)e6! '/}xe6
Again not much choice, as the
Black Queen is trapped.
243
12.ttd5+ ~f6 13. ttf5 # 1-0 16.••• tth517.Ag3

The White Bishop is no longer

------------ Game #193 ------------
defending the f2 square
First with a checkmate threat, because the White Bishop is
then with a passed Pawn, Black tied down to the defense of the
sheds the defenders of the f2 h2 square.
square. And, after the capture
of White's f-Pawn, Black has a 17•.•• e2 IS.}3el
dazzling method of finishing off
White. Now, the White Rook is unable
to protect the f2 square.
(W) M Hewitt IS..•. }3xf2 19..£id2 }3afS
(8) Wilhelm Steinitz 20.e4
[C23] London, England, 1866

l.e4 e5 2.Ae4 f5 3.d3 .£if6

4 ..£ie2 Jle5 5.e3 .£ie6 6.d4
exd4 7 ..£ixd4 fxe4 S.Af4 d5
9.J1.h5 j}.xd410.ttxd4 0-0
II.Axe6 hxe612.tta4 Ad7
13.Jlg5 tteSl4.tth3 .£ig4
15.Ah4 e3 16.0-0?

At this point in the game, you

are probably thinking that Black
will finish White off with some
sort of back rank tactic utilizing
his Passed e-Pawn. But the
remainder of the game is both
astonishing and unbelievable.

Now, Black works to remove the 20••.• }3xg2+121.~xg2

f2 defenders.

244
21 ••.• ~h3+!! 22.'i!/xh3
Both 22. ~gl and 22. ~hllose
after 22 .... ~f2!.
22 ••.• 4)e3+ 23. \flh4
23.••• 4)g2+ 24. \flgS IlfS+
2S.\flg4 hS+ 26.\flh313f2=11=
0-1
245
Final Position
The fifth set of games (Games
#194 to #211) are based on the
placement of an attacking piece
on either f6 (f3) or h6 (h3). The
idea being that if the defender
captures the piece, there will be
severe ramifications and not
capturing is also disastrous for
the defender. No Hope Chess
- do not place a piece on these
squares hoping that your
opponent will do something
dumb.
------------ Game #194 ------------
White plays a double piece
sacrifice, checkmating theme.
(W) Bill Wall
(B) William Wall
[C10] Tacoma, WA, 1969
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 dxe4 13.h3 b414•.sl.h2 a5
4.4)xe4 .1l.b4+ 5.c3 Aa5 6 •.Q.g5
4)e7 7.Ad3 0-0 .

15.4)f6+ gxf6 16.exf6 .sl.d6

8.4)f6+ gxf6 9.Axf6 "ltd7
10.Axh7+ ~xh711.ith5+
~g8 12.ith8# 1-0
----------- Game #195 -----------
17.4)g5 4)f418.~e4 4)g6
19.~g4 I!fdS 20. ~h5 ~f8
21. ~xh7 e5 22.I!d3 ~e8
23.I!adl 4)f8 24. ~h8 I!dbS
25.I!h3 4)dS 26•.sl.xe5 4)de6

White lays down a Knight on f6

in front of Black's King, fueling
White's sustained attack that
eventually leads to a
checkmate.

(W) William Lombardy

(8) Edmar Mednis
[COO] New York Championship,
New York, NY (Round 1),
05/25/1957

l.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.4)d2 dxe4

4.dxe4 h6 5.4)gf3 4)f6 27.I!h7 4)xg5 28.Axd6
6.J1.h5+ .1l.d7 7 •.1l.xd7+ "ltxd7 4)gxh7 29.I!el + ~e6
8. ite2 .1l.e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.e5 30.I!xe6+ fxe6 31.itg7 1-0
4)d5 11.4)e4 h5 12.I!dl 4)c6

246
....---------- Game #196 ------------
A "cannot turn down" Knight
sacrifice on h3 leads to a brutal
all-out mating attack.
(W) quanta (2190)
(8) MysteryMan (2266)
[A40] ICC 3 0,08/12/2008
1.d4 b5 2.e3 Ab7 3.~f3 a6
4.a4 b4 5.c3 bxc3 6.bxc3 ~f6
7.Jla3 e6 8.Axf8 \fIxf8 9.Ad3
h6 10.0-0 g5 11.~bd2 d6 23.... Axe4 24.4)xe4 tth4
12.e4 ~bd713.Etel Etg814.e5 25.ttc2
4)d5 15.~e4 g4 16.~fd2 ~f4
17.Afl dxe518.dxe5 ~xe5 It is obvious that White plans to
19.~c5?
In an effort to eliminate Black's
Bishop on b7, White actually
seriously increases the value of
the Black Bishop and Black's
position in general.
19•••. ~h3+! 20.gxh3
247
20. 'it>hl loses the White Queen
after 20.... ~xf2+. So, turning
down the Knight sacrifice was
not really an option.
20..•. gxh3+ 21.Ag2 Etxg2+
22. \fIfl ~g4 23.~de4
Not 23. ~xb7, as Black
checkmates with 23 .... §xf2+
24. 'it>gl §g2+ 25. ~hl ~f2# or
25. 'it>f1 ~xh2#.
make a run for it, so ...
25.... Etd8! 26.Etadl 4)xh2+
27. \fIe2 ttg4+ 28. \fIe3 ~f3 =11=
0-1
------------ Game #197 ------------
This time around, White places
a Knight on g3 after the opening
of the g-file, thinking that he
should be able to defend his
kingside. However, the h2
square is even weaker than g2.
(W) Vulpecula (2223)
(8) MysteryMan (2241)
[A40] ICC 3 0, 11/16/2007
l.d4 b5 2.e4 jlb7 3.Ad3 a6
4.4)f3 4)f6 5. ~e2 e6 6.0-0 d6
7.4)bd2 4)bd7 8.Etel Ae7
9.4)fl h610.c3 g511.e5 4)d5
12.~e3 ~f413.~c2 ~xd3
14.~xd3 g415.exd6 .!lxd6
16.4)e5 .!lxe517.dxe5 4)xe5
18.~c2 ~g819.4)f5?
The main issue with White's
move, ~fS, is that Black has the
In-Between move of
19.... "ftrdS!, followed by 20. ~e3
~f3+ 21. ~h1 ~xe1 with a
winning advantage. However, I the weak h2 square, White tries
missed that move and played
~f3+ directly, which is also a
very good move.
"Laying down a piece on f3
(f6) or h3 (h6) can be a very
strong attack maneuver."
19.•.• 4)f3+ 20.gxf3 gxf3+
21.4)g3 ~h4 22. ~d3
248
White is worried about the g2
square and wants to counter
Black's 22 .... "ftrh3 with 23. t\'f1.
However, the h2 square is even
weaker.
22 •..• ~d8 23. ttfl ~d5!
Faced with the direct attack on
to provide more support with
the moves h3 and ~h2, where
the White Queen on f1 can help
out with the defense.
Unfortunately for White, there is
a flaw with his desperate plan.
24.h3 ~xg3+ 25.fxg3 ttxg3+
26.~hl ~h5 0-1
Checkmate follows after Black
plays 27.... f2+ or 27 .... Etxh3+.
---------- Game #198 ------------
A lay down Knight move starts a
very unusual attack that
concludes when Black's central
Passed Pawn mass becomes a
checkmating force.
(W) Vladimir Malakhov (2700)
(8) Vadim Zvjaginsev (2654)
[E97] 5th Karpov It Tournament.
Poikovsky, Russia. (Round 6).
03/23/2004
1.4)f3 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 ~7
4.e4 d6 5.,a.e2 0-0 6.0-0 e5
7.d4 4)c6 8.d5 4)e7 9.4)d2 a5
10.a3 Ad711.b3 c612.Ab2
ttb613.dxc6 bxc614.~a4
ttc7 15.c5 d5 16.~b6 ~ad8
17.j'tc3 ~xe4 lS.~xe4 dxe4
19.j'txa5 ~f5 20.~c4 ttbS
21.j'txdS ~xd8 22.b4 Jle6
23. ~e1 ~d4 24.~a5 *c8
25.~d1 Jlh6 26.Citlh1 Af4
27.a4 Jld5 2S.Jlc4

41 .... e3!!

Those pesky Black passed

28.... ~f3 29.tte2 ~xh2
3o.Axd5 cxd5 31.f3 ~xf1
32.~xf1 e3 33.c6 d4 34.~d1
Ag3
Not only does White have to
worry about Black's kingside
attack, but now Black's Passed
Pawns are slowly becoming a
major concern too.
35.f4 e4 36.~b3 d3 37.ttxe3
(tg4 3S.~b1 tth4+ 39.Citlg1
tth2+ 40.Citlf1 ith1+ 41.itg1
Pawns are now so strong that
-Black can just ignore the fact
that his Queen is hanging. The
result is a forced checkmate.
As for White, faced with the
threat of Black playing
42 .... e2 #, what choice does he
have, but to capture the Black
Queen?
42.itxh1 e2+ 43.Citlg1 d20-1
White cannot adequately
defend his back rank and
checkmate cannot be avoided.
--------- Game #199 --------
A very unique version of this
attack method. Black plays
10.... ~h2 to attack White's
Rook on f1 before playing

249
11. ... ~f3+.
(W) Loek Van Wely (2681)
(8) Peter Acs (2591)
[E48] Essent Crown
Hoogeveen, Netherlands,
(Round 6), 10/19/2002
9 ..•• 4)g410.h3 4)h2 11.Ele1
4)f3+ 12.gxf3 ~g5+
12.... t1Yg5+ earns Black a free
move by insuring that when he
captures the White Pawn on h3,
it will be with check.

13.~hl ~h414.4)f4 .Q.xh3

1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 J1b4
4.e3 0-0 5 •.Q.d3 d5 6.cxd5 15.4)cxd5
exd5 7.4)ge2 Ele8 8.0-0 J1d6
9.a3
Black decides to seize control
of the unchallenged space in
front of White kingside Pawn
formation (h3 to f6 rectangle).
As a result, this facilitates
Black's upcoming attack.

"Black plays
10.... 4)h2 to attack White's
Rook on f1 before playing
11 .... 4)f3+."
15.... Ele6!

Leaving White with two poor

choices, either let the Black
Rook join the attack or capture
the Rook with his best defender.

16.4)xe6 J1f5+

Making contact with White's

Bishop on d3 is critical to
Black's checkmating plans.

17.~gl ~h2+ 18.~f1

250
 ~e5 22.Ab2 ~g5 23.axb6
ax b6 24.d6 Ax b5 25.cx b5 ge6
26.Ac4 gxd6 27.ga1 gxal
28.gxal4)e5 29.~b3

18.... Ag3!! 0-1

This is a beautiful positional

checkmating move. Black
checkmates White after either: 29••.. 4)f3+ 30.Ci!i'hl 4)g4
19. fxg3 Ah3# or 19. ~d2 -'\.xd3+
20. §e2 ~hl #. White is in a world of hurt here.
On 31. ~c2 to stop 31. ... ~xf2#,
--_••-_._-_. Game #200 -••---••-.-. Black wins with 31. ... §d2!.
31.g3 ~f5 32.Ae2 gd2
After 29 .... ~3+, Black's pieces 33.ga8 4)xf2+ 34.Ci!i'g2 4)el+
swarm the White King, leading
to a Queen sacrifice and mate. Black's pieces are swarming
around the White King.
(W) Lajos Portisch 35.Ci!i'gl4)h3+ 36.Ci!i'h1
(8) Zsuzsa Polgar
[045] Hungary, 1991 White's King can no longer hold
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 c6 4.e3off Black's forces, a~ there are
~f6 5.4)f3 4)bd7 6.~c2 lld6 just not enough White .
7.b3 0-0 8.Ae2 dxc4 9.bxc4 e5 defenders around the White
10.0-0 ge8 11.gb1 ~e7 King.
12.gd1 e413.4)d2 c514.4)f1
b6 15.a4 Ab7 16.4)g3 g6
17.4)b5 Jlb818.Aa3 h5
19.4)fl ~e6 20.a5 Jla6 21.d5

251
 ------------ Game #201 ------------

"Laying a Bishop" on f6 or h6 is
also a very strong attack
technique. The first game is a
simple example of this attack
idea.

(W) Israel Albert Horowitz

(8) NN
[C24] New York, NY, 1939

l.e4 e5 2.Ac4 ~f6 3.d4 exd4

4.~f3 Ab4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.0-0
0-0 7.e5 ~e4 8.Ad5 ~c5
36•... itxfl+1! 37.Axfl ~f2+ 9.bxc3Aa5
38.ciflgl ~f3+ 0-1

10.~g5 ~e611.ith5 ~xg5

Final Position 12.Axg5 ite8

White gets checkmated after Black's position is extremely

39.~g2 -M3+ 40.~h3 §xh2#. cramped and White controls all
the space in front of Black's
Pawn Formation.

252
 4.g3 Ab7 5 •.Q.g2 .Q.c7 6.0-0
0-0 7.d5 cxd5 8.4)h4 c6
9.cxd5 4)xd5 10.4)f5 4)c7
11.e4 d5 12.~c3 .llf613.exd5
cxd514.Jl.f4 ~ba615.13el
'litd7 16..Q.h3 4)e6

13•.Q.f6J! h6 14.'litg6 1-0

------------ Game #202 ------------

Once again a "lay down" Bishop

starts the process of ripping
apart Black's kingside position.
Turning down these types of White exploits the pin on
sacrifice offers is very tough for Black's d-Pawn to transfer his
the defender. Why? Because queenside Knight to the
the aggressor is just as likely to kings'ide, for a subsequent
start capturing defenders to attack on the Black King.
smash open the kings ide
position, if the defender decides 17•••• .Q.xb2 18.13bl -'tc8
to not capture the "hanging" 19.~g5 .Q.f6 20. 'lith5 .Q.xg5
piece. After all, in his mind, he 21 •.Q.xg5 13e8
has already given the piece
The number of White attackers
away.
in front of Black's King position
is significantly greater than the
(W) Chanda Sandipan (2563)
number of Black defenders, so
(8) Sergei Tiviakov (2648)
the end is likely very near.
[E17] Canadian Open, Ottawa,
Canada, (Round 9),07/1412007
And, it all commences with a
"lay down" Bishop move.
1.d4 ~f6 2.c4 e6 3.~f3 b6

253

22.Af6gxf6
Black may have been better off
shifting some of his queenside
pieces to his kingside defense,
say with the move, 22.... 4Jac7.
23. t\'h6 .£iae5
One cannot underestimate the
power of White's Knight on f5.
Besides controlling some key
squares around the Black King,
the Knight is also preventing
Black's King from fleeing via the
e7 square.
24.Etbdl
White continues to build up
pressure on Black's position. In
addition, the White Rook can be
lifted from the d1 square too.
24•••. t\'b7 25.Etd4! .£ie4
26.Etexe4 dxe4 27.t\'xf6 ~e7
254
28..£ih6+ ~f8 29. ~h8+ ~e7
30•.£if5 # 1-0
------------ Game #203 ------------
A lay down Bishop move leads
to a violent kingside attack by
Black, even though Black's King
sits completely naked on the
Black's first rank.
(W) Alexander Beltre (2245)
(B) Emory Tate (2439)
[B33] 3rd Annual Foxwoods
Open, Ledyard, CT,
(Round 6), 04/15/2001
l.e4 e5 2 ..£if3 .£ie6 3.d4 exd4
4 ..£ixd4 e5 5..£ib5 4)f6 6 ..£ile3
d6 7 ..£id5 .£ixd5 8.exd5 .£ie7
9.e4 .£if5 10.j'te2 g511.0-0
j'th6 12.M a6 13•.£ie3 a5
14.bxa5 Etxa515.a4 Etg8
16•.£ie4 .£id417.Ad2 EtaS
18.e5 dxe5 19..£ixe5 ~xd5
20.AM b6 21.Etel
21 ..•. j'th3 22.f3 g4 23.4)e4 9.gel b510.4)fl b411.h4 as
Ae3+ 24.\f1hl Axg2+ 12.Jl.f4 a413.a3 bxa314.bxa3
2S.ccflxg2 gxf3+ 26.\f1hl *xe4 4)a5 15.4)e3 Jl.a6 16.Jl.h3 d4
27.Ab5+ ccfldS 17.4)fl4)b61S.4)gS 4)dS
19.j'td2 Jl.xg5 20.j'txg5 *d7

28.Ae6 *g6 29.Axf3 e4

30.ge4 exf3 31.gxd4+ \f1e8 21.*h5 gfeS 22.4)d2 4)e3
32.ttxf3 *gl+ 0-1

••••••----- Game #204 ---.-----

After laying down his Bishop on

f6, former World Champion
Bobby Fischer dissects the
weaknesses on Black's
kingside. .

(W) Bobby Fischer

(8) Lhamsuren
Myagmarsuren
[COO] Sou sse Interzonal,
Sousse, Tunisia, (Round 3),
1967 23.Jl.f6

1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.4)d2 4)f6 Black has all his pieces on the
4.g3 e5 5.Ag2 4)e6 6.4)gf3 queenside and the move, .aI6,
Ae7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e5 4)d7 further limits his defensive

255
responses by locking in Black's
f-Pawn. Now, both 97 and h7
are extremely weak and Bobby
goes after both squares.
23 •••• ~e8 24•.£)e4 g6 25. 'ltg5
.£)xe4 26.E{xe4 c4 27.h5 cxd3
28.E{h4 E{a7 29..G.g2 dxc2
30.~h6~f8
(Round 4), 1979
1.e4 c5 2•.£)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4 •.£)xd4 .£)f6 5 •.£)c3 a6 6 •.11.e3
e5 7 •.£)b3 lle6 8.~d2 .£)bd7
9.f3 E{c810.g4 .11.e711.0-0-0
.£)b612.h40-0

13.h5 .£)c4 14•.11.xc4 E{xc4

15.g5 .£)d7 16.E{dg1 ~c7
31.~xh7+! 1-0 17.g6 E{c8

Another h-file mate after

31. ... ~xh7 32. hxg6+ ~xg6 33.
Ae4# or 32 .... ~g8 33. §h8#.

------------ Game #205 ------------

Laying down the Bishop occurs

on the h6 square, followed by
capturing on g7 to sacrifice the
Bishop.

(W) Andras Adorjan

(8) Zoltan Ribli
[B90) Interzonal (play-off), 18•.11.h6.11.f6
Budapest, Hungary,

256
Capturing the White Bishop just France, (Round 9), 04/1912003
brings the White Queen directly
on top of the Black King.
19.9xh7+ ~xh7 20.jlxg7
Axg7 21.h6 .1lf6 22. ~g2 1-0
l.e4c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 a6 6.j'tg5
e6 7.~f3 4)bd7 8.0-0-0 ttc7
9.~bl.1le710.ttg3 b5
11.j'td3 b4 12.4)ce2 4)c5 13.f3
gb814.4)b34)xd315.cxd3
0-0 16.4)f4 ~h817.d4 gb5
18.h4 a5 19.9cl tta7

Final Position

White mates Black no matter

what he does. For example:
23. itIg7+ -'1.xg7 24. hxg7+ \tIg8
25. E!h8#.
------------ Game #206 ------------
Once again, it's the Ah6, "Lay
down move" and unlike Game
#205, Black has no choice to
accept the sacrifice which leads 24. E!xc8.
to more piece sacrifices and a
successful King hunt.
20.e5 dxe5 21.dxe5 4)d5
22 ..1lh6! gxh6
No choice here, as protecting
the g7 square with 22.... E!g8,
leads to a White checkmate
after 23. .11.xg7+ E!xg7 24. E!xc8+
E!g8 25. itIxg8# and 22 .... g6 just
loses a Rook after 23 . .11.xf8 and

(W) Bozidar Ivan.ovic 23 .... E!g8 is met with the

(8) Gennadi Ginsburg Invisible Defender move
[895] 21 st Metz Open, Metz, 24. E!xc8.

257

Sacrificing the White Knight on
f4 and setting up another
sacrifice as well.
26.... ~xf4
27.~xh7+!! ~xh7 28.~h3+
~g6 29. ~h6+ ~fS 30.~el
Cutting off the Black King's
escape route to d6 via the e5
square. Now, the Black King
has to deal with the move g4+
and needs another flight
square.
30.... ttxgS 31.g4+ ~f4
32."#th2+ ~xf3 33.~d4+ 1-0
Black is checkmated after
33.... ~)(g4 34. figl •.
258
----------- Game #207 ----------.
Former World Champion Boris
Spassky decides to utilize his
Queen as the lay down piece
and with such great effect, a
forced checkmate in all
variations!
(W) Gilles Andruet
(B) Boris Spassky
[E 11] Germany, 1988
l.d4 ~f6 2.c4 e6 3.~f3 Jl.b4+
4.Ad2 Axd2+ S."#txd2 dS
6.~c3 0-0 7.e3 ~e7 8.~cl
~dS 9. ~c2 ~bd7 10.cxdS
exdS 11•.Q.d3 ~f8 12.~e2 c6
13.0-0 ~g6 14.~g3 ~e8
IS. ttcs ttdS 16.~d2
16.•.• ~h417.b4 a618.a4
Jl.d7 19.~bl ~g4
White is following the standard
game plan for the Queen's
Gambit Exchange Variation by
executing a Minority Pawn
Attack. While, Black is setting
up his pieces in front of the
White King.

20.t\'c2 g6 21.b5 axb5 22.axb5

h5 23.bxc6 bxc6 24.1~Ue1 t\'f6
25./ildf1 Ela3 26.Ele2 c5!

White accepts the Pawn

sacrifice and loses control of
the e5 square. Why is the e5
square so important? With the
Knight on e5, Black is poised to
exploit the White's weak light
squares (f3 and g2). Position after analysis
27.dxc5/ile528.Ab5
------------ Game #208 ------------

First, Black lays down his

Bishop on f3 and when White'
does not bite, he gets more
forceful by laying down his
Queen too on h3, giving White
a choice of how to get mated.

(W) Otis Field

(8) Oscar Tenner
[C58] New York, NY, 1923

1.e4 e5 2./ilf3 /ilc6 3.Ac4 /ilf6

28.•.. t\'f3t 0-1
Forced checkmate after any
White move. The game could
have concluded with: 29. gxf3
4)exf3+ 30.~hl -'Ul3 31.Axe8
Jlg2#.
4./ilg5 d5 5.exd5 /ila5 6.d3 h6
7./ilf3 e4 8.t\'e2/ilxc4 9.dxc4
Ac510.0-0 0-0 11./ilfd2 Ag4
12.t\'e1 t\'d713.1Elb3 J'tf3
14.Af4 t\'g415.J'tg3 /ilh5
16./ilxc5/ilf417./ilxe4

259
 6.4)xd7 .!lxd7 7.0-0 'lth4 8.c4
0-0-0 9.c5 g6 10.4)c3 .!lg7
11.4)e2 ~he8 12.Ae3 4)g5
13.~cl .!lg4 14.c6 CZlbS
15.tta4 .!lf816•.!lf4 b6
17.4)c3 a5 18.j\g3 tth5
19.4)b5

17...• 'lth311 18.gxh3 4) xh3:f1:

0-1

---------- Game #209 -----------

Much like the last game where,

first, Black lays down his Bishop 19.•.• .!lf3 20.4)xc7 .!ld6
on f3 and when White does not 21.4) xe8??
bite, he gets more forcing by
laying down his Queen too on
h3, giving White a choice of
how to get mated. The main
difference between the games,
is that in this game, Black is
fighting off a furious White
attack at the same time.

(W) Julio Becerra (2552)

(B) Dean Ippolito (2402)
[C43] HB Global Chess
Challenge, Minneapolis, MN
(Round 5),0512012005

l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.d4 ~xe4 White blunders in a complicated

4 ..!ld3 d5 5.4)xe5 4)d7 position. White's best line was
21.~6 Axg3 22.fxg3 ~xe6

260
23.gxf3 ~c7 24.f4 f5 25.b4
with a solid advantage for
White.
21...• tth3! 22.c7+
been kept off the seventh rank
(the c7 square).
17.4)xe4 4)f618.gacl4)xe4
19.9xe4 ttd5

The game is over after a few

White spite checks.

22••.• ~b7 23.cxd84)+ ~b8

0-1
.--------- Game #210 ------------

Another very unique "lay down

Queen" game. And, although
Black could have avoided
checkmate in the final position,
the maneuver is just too good to
exclude.
20.gc7 Jld6 21.gd7 gadS
(W) Aron Nimzowitsch 22.gxd6!
(8) Bjorn Nielsen
[B17] simul, Copenhagen, Black Bishop's is the only
Denmark, 1930 defender keeping Black in the
game. And, without it, the game
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 dxe4 is over.
4.4)xe4 4)d7 5.4)f3 4)gf6
6.4)g3 e6 7.Jld3 c5 8.0-0 Ae7 22•..• gxd6 23. ttf6 1-0
9.c3 0-0 10.gel b6 II.h3 Ab7
12.Jl.f4 J1xf3 13.ttxf3 cxd4 The only way to avoid
14.cxd4 4)d515.Jle4 4)7f6 checkmate for Black is to
16.Ae5 4)xe4 surrender his Queen with the
move, 23 .... ~xe5. Accepting
Standard in isolated Pawn
the Queen sacrifice with
structures is to control the
23 .... gxf6 leads to checkmate
square directly in front of the
after 24. !!g4+ IIt>h8 25 . .1lxf6 •.
Pawn. In this case, it would be
the d5 square. If Black had Faced with those two very poor
maintained a Knight on d5, then choices, Black decides to pack
it in.
White's Rook would also have

261
 maintain an advantage after
------------ Game #211 ------------
17.... exf5 18.~xd7 4jxd7
White plays a brilliant 19.Axb7 E!ad8 20.E!c7 4Jf6
checkmating combination that 21.E!xd8 Axd8 22.E!c8. But, the
includes a strange looking Rook game would still be in doubt.
sacrifice and a Queen lay down Clearly, Black overlooked
move! White's stunning next move.

(W) Simon Kuemin

(8) Ruedi Staechelin
lE06] Swiss Championships,
Switzerland, (Round 2),
07/08/2005

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4)f3 4)f6

4.g3 c6 5.Jlg2 Ae7 6.0-0 0-0
7.~c2 b6 8.b3 Ab7 9.Ab2
4)a610.4)c3 c511.l3fdl ~c8
12.cxd5 cxd413.4)xd4 4)b4
14.~d2 4)bxd515.l3acl 4)xc3
16.l3xc3 ~d7

18.l3c7!! ~xc7 19. ~h6! gxh6

20.4)xh6# 1-0

The sixth set of games (Games

#212 to #235) are centered
around the attacker threatening
checkmate, so as to force the
defender into making a
weakness that can be exploited
later. I have sub-divided this
section further by type of
checkmate threatened.

The first sub-division (Games

#212 to #222) deals with the
Black's only chance was to
attacker's Queen and Bishop
capture the offered Black
pointing at h7 (h2). Almost in
Knight. White would still

262
every game, the defender found 15.•.. f5 16..11.c2 4)g6 17.~el
it necessary to play g6 (g3), e4 18.4)d4 ~h4 19.93?
which led to an extreme h-file
weakness that the attacker was Less of a weakness is h3.
able to exploit.
19.... ~h3 20.4)e6?
------------ Game #212 ------------
White really needs to address
his h2 square weakness with
Black plays ~h4 threatening
the move 20. f4, which provides
checkmate on h2 and forcing a
White with peripheral defensive
weakness in the White kingside.
resources along the second
Subsequently, Black exploits
rank.
the holes around the White King
position.

(W) Yankee (1992)

(8) FearNoEvii (2214)
[B02] ICC 3 0, 05/23/2007

l.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.c4 4)b6

4.c5 4)d5 5 ..11.c4 e6 6.4)c3
4)xc3 7.bxc3 d6 8.cxd6 cxd6
9.exd6 Jlxd610.d4 4)c6
11.4)f3 0-0 12.Jld3 e513.d5
4)e7 14.c4 b6 15.0-0

20.... 4)h4 21 •.1l.xe4 fxe4

22.gxh4 .1l.xh2+ 0-1

Black checkmates White after

23. ~hl Ag3+ 24. ~gl ~h2+
25. ~f1 ~)(f2 # •

------------ Game #213 -----------

Another game where the

attacker did not exploit the
h-file to complete his attack.
But, the threat of exploiting the

263
h-file opened up the long
diagonal for an original
checkmate.
(W) Smyth
(8) Herman Helms
[ASS] New York, NY, 05/23/1915 attack down the h-file.
l.d4 fS 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.c4 e6
4.4)c3 b6 S.e3 Ab7 6.Ad3
.Q.d6 7.a3 as 8.0-0 0-0 9.itc2
4)c610.e4 fxe411.4)xe4
4)xe412.Axe4
12.••. 4)xd413.Jl.xh7+ ~h8
14.4)xd4 tth41S.g31txd4
16.Jl.d3 ~f317.Ae3 ites
18.~ael ~af8 19.Jl.xb6 ithS
20.Ae3 ith3 21.Jl.e4 ~8fS
Wanting to head for the h-file
and daring White to capture
with his light-squared Bishop,
so Black can exploit the long
as-h1 diagonal instead.
22•.Q.xfS itg2+ 23.~xg2
~xg3#O-1
------------ Game #214 ------------
The White Queen and Bishop
battery forces Black to play the
weakening move, g6, and White
follows suit with a relentless
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) kshark(2080)
[C21] ICC 30,09/26/2006
l.e4 eS 2.d4 exd4 3.Ac4 4)f6
4.4)f3 Ae7 S.eS 4)e4 6. itxd4
4)cS 7.4)c3 4)e6 8.tte4 4)c6
9 ..Q.e3 0-010.0-0-0 a6
White already has a dominant
position. Why? Space, as White
is fully developed, controls the
center, and is prepared to
attack.
11.Jl.d3 g6 12.h4 fS 13.exf6
.Q.xf614.hS 4)e71S.hxg6
hxg6 16.~h6 ~g7 17.~dhl
4)fS
264
 ---------- Game #215 ------------

More of the same, Queen and

Bishop battery line up for a
checkmate threat, which leads
to Black creating a g6
weakness. And, as in many of
the games with this Pawn
Formation, a h-file attack
ensues.

(W) Joel Johnson (2216)

The h-file weakness has
mushroomed into a full blown
attack where White has
overwhelming force at the point
of attack, Black's kingside. This
condition generally leads to
loads of sacrifices to strip the
remaining defenders, like in this
game.
(8) Mike McGrath (1804)
[B02] Burk Sectional,
Gilbert, AZ, 06/11/2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 4)f6 3.4)c3
4)xd5 4.Ac4 c6 5. ttf3 e6
6.4)ge2 Ae7 7.d4 0-0 8.Ad2
4)d7
White has a nice space
advantage again and is also
ahead in development.

18.Elxg6+! ~xg6 19.ttxf5+

~f7 20.Elh7+ 4)g7

On 20.... ~g8, White

checkmates Black just like in
the game. While, if Black plays
20 .... ~e8, then White mates
after 21. *g6+.
21.4)g5+ \t»g8

Black may think that he has

gotten away, but nothing could
be further from the truth.
9.h4 b6 10.Ad3 4)7f6 11.g4
22.Elh8+! ~xh8 23. tth7 41= 1-0 4) xc3 12.bxc3 .llb7 13.g5 4)d7

265
14.tte4 g6 15.h5 j\xg5
16.hxg6 j\xd2+ 17.~xd2
fxg6?
Black is already lost, as
17.... hxg6 18. §ag1 ~f6 19. §h6 13.ttf4 J'tb714.tth4
leaves White in total control.
18.ttxe6+ ~g7
19.E{xh7+ ~xh7 20.ttxg6+
~h8 21. tth7 =11= 1-0
------------ Game #216 -----------
Yes, the same Queen and
Bishop mate threat leads to the
same g6 weakness, but the
finish is anything but ordinary.
(W) Maxim Rodshtein (2623)
(8) Andre Diamant (2526)
[D27] 48th World Junior
Championship, Puerto Madryn,
Argentina (Round 3),
10/23/2009
l.d4 d5 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.c4 dxc4
4.e3 e6 5.J'txc4 c5 6.0-0 a6
7 ..Q.b3 4)c6 8.4)c3 cxd4
9.exd4Jte7 10..i1g5 0-0
II.ttd2 4)a512.Jtc2 b5
White threatens to capture the
the Black Knight on f6 followed
by ~xh7=11=. So, Black feels
forced into playing the
weakening move, g6.
14..•• g615.d5 b416.E{adl
exd517.E{fel bxc3
18.E{xe71 ttxe7 19..Q.xf6 ttd6
20.4)g51 1-0
As, Black cannot avoid
checkmate. On 20.... h5, White
has the spectacular 21. ~xh5!!
gxh5 22. Ah7*.
266

Position After Analysis
----------- Game #217 -----------
The next four games all utilize a
Queen and Bishop battery to
force a kingside weakness, then
exploit the h-file weakness on
the way to a Bishop and Rook
checkmate. However, the
journeys to arrive at the same
place were quite different,
inspirational, and educational.
(W) Vachier Lagrave (2703)
(8) Peter Svidler (2739)
[C89] Donostia Chess Festival
Donostia, Spain (Round 4),
07/11/2009
1.e4 e5 2•.£lf3 .£lc6 3.Jlh5 a6
4.J1a4 .£lf6 5.0-0 Ae7 6.~el
h5 7.Jlh3 0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5
~xd5 10•.£lxe5 .£lxe5 II.gxe5
c6 12.d4 Ad6 13.~el ~h4
14.g3 ~h315.~e4 g516.~fl
267
ith517..£ld2 f518.~el f4
19.Adl f3 20..£le4 Ah3
21. ttd3 ~ae8 22.Ad2 ~xe4
23.ttxe4
23.... Axg3!!
Neither of White's Pawns are in
position to capture the Black
Bishop on g3. If 24. fxg2, Black
can respond with 24 .... f2+
25. !it>hl f1('~)+ 26. ~xf1 ~xf1 #
and on 24. hxg2, Black has the
entombing move, 24 .... .A.g2
threatening the very powerful
move 25 .... 'l!t'hl #.
24.Axf3 Axh2+ 25.~xh2
Ag4+ 26.~gl Axf3 27.tte6+
~g7 28. ~e5+ ~f6 29. ~h2
~h60-1
There is no avoiding checkmate
for White. As, 30. ~e5+ ~f6
31. 'l!t'e7+ 'l!t'fl puts an end to
White's spite checks.
------------ Game #218 -----------

Much like the last game, Black

utilizes a Queen and Bishop
battery to force a kingside
weakness, followed by
exploiting the h-file weakness
on the way to a Bishop and
Rook checkmate.

(W) Belitzmann
(B) Akiba Rubinstein
[C48] Warsaw, Poland, 1917

1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.4)c3 4)f6

4.Ah5 4)d4 5.Ac4 Ac5
6.4)xe5 "t!/e7 7.4)d3 d5
8.4)xd5 "t!/xe4+ 9.4)e3 Ad6
10.0-0
16.... "t!/xh2+ 17.ctlxh2 hxg3+
18. ~gl Eth1 =11= 0-1
------------ Game #219 ------------

The poor placement of White's And, another example, like the

Knights on d3 and e3 are
preventing White from
developing his queenside
pieces.
10.... b5 11.Jlh3 Ab712.4)el
~h4 13.g3 ~h3
Black has a very strong
position, as his pieces are
extremely active and pointing at "t!/e711.d4
tho White King.
14.c::i h-;11 15.cxd4 h4 16.~e2? Bishop battery leads to a g6
White mistakenly thought his
Queen could help defend his
second rank after the Pawn
exchange on g3. 16. -tlf3 was
necessary.
previous two games.
(W) Paul Keres
(B) Vidrik Rootare
[C29] Tallinn, Estonia, 1942
1.e4 4)f6 2.4)c3 e5 3.f4 d5
4.fxe5 4)xe4 5.4)f3 Ab4
6."t!/e2 4)c6 7.4) xe4 dxe4
8. "t!/xe4 0-0 9.c3 Aa5 10.Ac4
Ah612 ..1l.g5 "t!/d7
Once again, a Queen and
weakness in the defender's
camp, resulting in dark square
weaknesses all around the
Black King.

268

13.Jl.d3 g6
This dark square weakness is
more severe than normal
because Black's dark squared
Bishop is a spectator on the
queenside and the White dark-
squared Bishop will be
anchored on f6, waiting to
assist another White piece in
the final checkmate.
14.Jl.f6 ttg4
Black attempts to prevent
White's Queen from reaching
the h6 square, and despite
Black's best efforts, he cannot
defend the weak dark squares
around his King.
15. ~e3 1:Jh5 16.h3 l3e8
17.0-0-0 ~e718.g4 ~d5
19.1:Jd2 Axg4 20.hxg4 ~xg4
21.~h6 ttf4+ 22.~xf4 ~xf4
269
Black finally has gotten rid of
the pesky White Queen, but
White does not need the Queen
to checkmate here.
23.13>th7! CC!lxh7 24.13hl + ~h5
25.13xh5+ 1-0 ".
------------ Game #220 ------------
Much like the last three games,
White weakens his kingside
with the move g6 after White
threatens checkmate with the
White Queen and Bishop
pointing at the h7 square. The
rest of the game revolves
around attacking all the weak
dark squares around the Black
King.
(W) Rudolf Spielmann
(B) Baldur Hoenlinger
[815] Vienna, Austria, 1929
l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.~c3 dxe4
4.4)xe4 4)f6 5.4)g3 e6 6.4)f3
e5 7.Jl.d3 4)e6 8.dxe5 Axe5
9.a3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.b4 Jl.e7
12.Jl.b2 fle7 13.b5 4)a5
14.4)e5 Jl.b7 15.4)g4'/tdS
16.4)e3 4)d5
17.'/th5 g618.4)g4 Af6
19.4)xf6+ 4)xf6 20.flb6 lacS
21.laadl fle7 22.lafel 4)e8
23.4)f511
Because the e-Pawn is pinned
270
and the h7 square is extremely
weak, Black cannot capture the
White Knight. For example,
23 .... gxfS 24. AxfS and
25. ~xh7"'.
23.••• '/te5 24.lae5 Ad5
25.4)e7+! flxe7 26.flxh7+!
'lflxh7 27.lah5+ 'lflg8 28.lab8:f1:
1-0
----------- Game #221 --------
Black feels the pressure of
possible checkmate threats and
decides to play the weakening
h6 move. Then, the
overwhelming force at the point
of attack seals Black's fate.
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) pepperoni (2110)
[C24] ICC 3 0, 11/2012009
l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Jl.e4 4)f6
4.4)f3 4)xe4 5.'/txd4 4)f6
6.jl.g5 A.e7 7d~c3 0-0 8.0-0-0 ------------ Game #222 ----
4)cb9. i!'Jh4

,ifi-
• f.!2~~8t ~WJ'"
. . j~.~t ~~hkeintg~ide
Black decide
i! ~~t:geOaOkde~ding
---

.3~ . W····~~
• .411~ fI~ .Instead.roesButto complicate thing~
_, __,...
.....

• tt_~ )~~
F.IH~ . - ~
", ".. •

~ =~ed
.
deier,::~ ~anove,the
I e Just keeps
e.

n attacking.
0
I

lfl~
• ~ ~_ .~.~ j"0J Midk~~~~~ (2200)
(W) Myst

~....~,1l;- ~:fr. ~
(B)

_ m'tl.'fjHJ.1 [BI7] ICC tou

(30) (Round ~)~~~~~~09
(1942)

10.Ad3 h6 11 !.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3

12. i!'Jxh6 'U
1"\b4.,:1l.xh6
• gxh6 .4:\£3 .e6
6,4:\xe4
A.e79 4:\d7
.Q..f4 - 5e2,ijlc3
7'lk' 3 4:\gf6
4)xe4 dxe4
8.Jl.xe
11.0-0-0 J1.t;f610.J1.d3 b6 4
13.g4 4)d5 IJ :i~hgl 0-0
c5 16.dxc5 g~c5 2 gc8 15.g5
12 .... ~e5. All oth er
Black's only real c
hance was
moves lose
13.4)g5 4) xd3+ .
15.Etg3 Ag6 14.gxd3 A.f5
will just give away his Queen. Black had to play 24 .... f5 to
prevent an immediate mate.

25•.£ixe6+ *g5+ 26.gxg5#

1-0

The second sub-section

(Games #223 to #229) deals
with the attacker's Queen and
Knight pointing at h7 (h2).
Generally speaking, the
defender frequently plays h6
(h3) to defend, however when
the Queen and Knight attack
both h7 and f7, it can cause
problems that quite frequently
18.gxf6! Axe4 19.9xg7+ \Tlh8 cannot be solved.
20.Axe4 J'txf6
White's Rooks are just too ----------- Game #223 ------------
much to handle.
A Queen sacrifice leads to a
21.gxh7+ \Tlg8 22.gg1 + very nice checkmate with three
minor pieces.

(W) W Rudolf
(8) NN
[C33] 1912

l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Jl.c4 Ac5

22 •••• j'tg5 23.J'txg5 gxg5
24•.£i xg5 ge8
4.d4 *h4+ 5. \Tlfl J'lb6 6 •.£if3
itdS 7.Axf4 .£ie7 8 •.£ig5 0-0
9.ith5
As discussed at the beginning
of this subsection, once the
Queen gets to h5 (h4), the
defender has to deal with
threats to both h7 (checkmate)
and f7 (frequently just as
serious, like here).

272
9•... h6 10.Jlxf7+ C(flh8
Black's position is completely
hopeless, as White has just too games. One of the ideas that
many attackers around the
Black King.
11.~xh6+! gxh6 12.11.e5 # 1-0
Final Position
•••••------ Game #224 ---------- Queen to infiltrate also.
In the early 1990s, I shared a
house with two other chess
masters, Brian Wall and Jack
Young. In addition, Joe Fang
and David Vigorito were
constant and welcomed guests
in our Chess Den, which
contained hundreds of chess
books. Jack Young invented
dozens of comical chess
openings, 15 of which are
featured in "How to Play Chess
Like an Animal". While, Brian
Wall has played and won with
every legal opening move for
White and Black in USCF rated
Jack showed Brian during that
time frame was the "Fishing
Pole". Brian loved this
attacking idea so much that he
has become the leading
authority. He has two wonderful
videos on You Tube illustrating
the Browne - Baltier Fishing
Pole game (see Game #414).
This game is a "Fishing Pole"
game. The signature idea is to
place the kingside Knight in
front of the opposing King, then
play h5 (h4) if your opponent
attacks the Knight. You are
willing to sacrifice the Knight
because it will open the h-file
for your Rook and the
defender's Knight on f3 (f6) will
be displaced allowing your
(W) Karss (2276)
(B) B-Wall (2365)
[C65] ICC 3 0, 04/17/2009
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Jlh5 4)f6
4.0-0 4)g4 5.4)c3 h5 6.d4
exd4 7.4) xd411.c5 8.4)f5
Prior to this move, Black was
comfortable that his attack was
coming along just fine. But, in
all the Fishing Pole games that I
have seen where White has
played ~f5, Black's attack has
273
snowballed into some type of
unstoppable force. First of all, it
gives the attacker some more
tempos and it opens up the
g 1-a7 diagonal for Black's dark
squared Bishop.
8 ...• d6 9.41xg7+ ~f810.41f5
j'txf511.exf5 ~h412.h3
(W) TioHoracio (2237)
(8) gbsalvio (1900)
[C78] FICS, 09/01/2009
l.e4 e5 2.41f3 41c6 3.j'th5 a6
4.j'ta4 41f6 5.0-0 41g4 6.d4
exd4 7.41xd4 h5 8.41f5 Ac5
9.41c3 d6 10.41 xg7+ ~f8
11.41f5 .Q.xf5 12.exf5

Defending with the move

12. M4 is not much better, as
Black wins after 12.... Axf2+
13. ~h1 ~xh2!! 14. Axh2 Ag3 as
in Game #225.

12••.. ~g3 0-1

12...• ~h4 13.j'tf4 j'txf2+

14.~hl

Final Position

------------ Game #225 -----------

Another "Fishing Pole" game,

except White attempts to put up
a better defense in vain.

274
 1 e4 a6 2.d4 ~ 3c4 bxc4
4:J'l.xc4 e6 5d6 ~.e5 4)fd7
3· Ab7 6.4)f3
4)f6 7.~e2 0.exd6 J'l.xd6
9.0-04)c61 2 4)xe5 4)xe5
11.d5 4)ce51 •
13 dxe6?
• White should
Way too gre~tace for the
play Ab3 an
storm.

t~

Final Position

White is checkmated ~xh2"'.

8 §h2 after
13•..• ~ 4 16.h3 J}.c5+
17. §xf2 ~f3+ 1 . h4! 14.exf7+ «<flf8
15.f4 4)g 0-1
17.«<flh1 ttg3
------------ Game #226 ------------
. the mate on
Or even be~er I; ~)(h3"'.
White is too busy attacking .
ry about hiS the move with 1 ....
K· to wor
Black's Ing Black takes a
. Then, I"
own King. the "Fishing Po e
pageboo
hand outko:o flip this game
a~d
around. "Brian Wall hasI played
al openmg
on with every eg d Black in
w Ii White an "
(W) mefis (210:~ (2219)
move or
USCF ra ted games.
(B) My ste3ryoM08/09/2008
[BOO] ICC •

275
 xf4 itdS 10.e5 ~e~hS
911.it
..11 h5 h6 12.Axf7

BE E~ I~:ih.ft
t~
.~~S 11
_ 13.h4

.jm.E'~u.~.
t.,,_~. I"~t.p~;~
. ~~_~.~
~ '_.~ ~ ~
~ ~"'."'Il-_
~~)\. ~..~ ~~~
I:~ ~~~~j
.-er.:_,
8'

~~"·~,ft -.:.:::.~~.~
~,ft._~~
ft~~,. ~ ~-~~<iTt ~ft~~q~.
,....., .
~ ~4.
at:'> - • •~ .!!. _
•

~.. ~!i. .'.

1"1 ft"; __
@ .t:'>\G&
Final Position 6 ~f6 15.~g6
168~~
13.... d614.e t.6
On 18. 'll-xg4, Black checkmates hxgS
W
h717.~f2 19'ixx~
·lth -'txg2#. .11 xg51 '.M. f6 gxf6 21.
0 x
---------- Game #227 - itf6+
.il,xe6 22'~h';7
23.~h12.+ .&1L
w + ~xh7
24.J;lxh3. 1-0
.
The "Fishing ~~:
I "attacking
another of. _ Game #228 _
IIk~ ide~
g,!~~: ~l!.Knightmare
theme creeps And, much 5 attack
the turns'll-h5
actual Fls Ing Pole" itseff, rt The
my own intoand
a rea
can be crushing. for Black.
(W) FearNoEv iI 2104)
(2200)
(8) minifiSherO~/25/2006 (W) Erdos
[823] ICC 3 0,
(8) Lichtner Austria, 1922
[000] Vienna,
1.e4 c5 2.~c3Ac4
~c63.f4e5
Ae7 6.d3
4.~f3 if1~7~f6 S.~g5 0-0
1.d4 d5 2.~~ 5.Jl.c4 e6 6.Jlg5
exf47.0- dxe4 3.f3 exf3
4.~xf3 ~2 ~c6 S.c3 0-0
I "
Many "Fishing Po ~In play here, .11e7
90-0~g
7.~ 4 10.~e4
3 j'txg5
t .sties are )
eharae en
with more to eom
e (like h4 . 1i.~fxg5 ~e
Blaek goes for the big fork,

276
unfortunately, he never has any probably thought at least he
time to take anything. had the g6 square covered.

15.... ~e7 16. 'ltg6n

A very powerful Invisible

Defender move that threatens
checkmate on h7, while the
White Queen itself is poison,
due to 17. ~f7#.

16.... 'ltg8

As mentioned, if 16.... ~xg6,

then White has checkmate with
his two Knights after 17. ~f7#.
12.tth5 h6 13.~xf7 ~xf7
14.ttxf7+ ~h815.~f6

17.'lth7+!!

Black cannot take either Knight, Deflecting the Black Queen

as 15.... ~xf6 leads to a back from the defense of the f7
rank mate after 16. ~e8+, while square.
15 .... fxg616. ~h7# and
15. '" hxg5 17. ~h5# do not 17.... ttxh718.~f7. 1-0
work either. In addition, Black

277
Final Position 11.h4

--------- Game #229 ------------Much like the Fishing Pole,

White plays h4 to discourage
White, after playing his Knight Black from capturing his Knight
to g5 to create the kingside when it reaches the g5 square.
weakness, sacrifices the Knight Why? Because capturing the
on h7 that leads to a minor White Knight on g5 will simply
piece King Hunt. And, Black's open the h-file for White's Rook
trading of Queens does nothing on h1. Basically, just trading
to slow down the White attack. one attacker for another. White
will end up with a strong
(W) Tigran Kotanjian (2567) attacker pointing at the Black
(8) Michael Hammes (2399) King no matter what happens.
[037] European Club Cup,
11.... a612.~g5 dxe4
Kallithea, Greece, (Round 4), 13.Jl.xe4 '/te514.~ee4
10/20/2008
White wants to eliminate the
1.d4 e6 2.e4 ~f6 3.~e3 d5 defender of the h7 square,
4.~f3 Jl.e7 5.J1f4 0-0 6.e3 e5 namely" the Black Knight on f6.
7.dxe5 Axe5 8.a3 ~e6 9. t\'e2
l\ta5 10.0-0-0 11,e7 14.... ~xe415.~xe4 '/ta5
16.~g5

Now that Black's Knight on f6

278
has been eliminated, White can
place his Knight back on the g5
square to threaten checkmate.
The threat of 17. ~)(h7 # causes
Black to create a weakness in
his kingside with the move g6.
16.•.• g6
This type of sacrifice really
speeds up the attack by at least
two full moves. So, in positions
where you have more than
enough attackers, you should
give this maneuver some
serious thought.
17•... \fIxh718.h5 ttf5?
Black, fearing the White attack,
plays a very poor move in an
attempt to trade off Queens.
But, in this case, the trade of
Queens does nothing to slow
279
down White's attack. Black
should have tried 18.... f5.
19.hxg6+ \fIg8 20. ttxf5 exf5
21.gxf7+ \fIg7 22.)g!h3 h5
23.~+ \fIf6 24•.A.g5+ \fIe5
25.f4+ 1-0
Final Position
Black is checkmated after
25 .... ~e4 26. Ad5 #.
The third sub-division (Games
#230 to #235) deals with the
attacker's Queen/Rook and
Bishop/Knight both pointing at
the g7 (g2) square. Generally
speaking, the defender
frequently plays g6 (g3) to
defend, but the gaping holes
around the defender's King are
usually just too difficult to
defend.
------------ Game #230 ------------ ------------ Game #231 ------____

Black tries to defend the After 23. ~g5 threatening

checkmate threat on g7, and
walks into another checkmate
combination.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) SenorGG (2055)
[B01] ICC 50
l.e4 d5 2.exd5 4)f6 3.4)c3 c6
4.dxc6 4) xc6 5.Ab5 e5
6.4)ge2 Ag4 7.d3 J1.c5 8.Ae3
Axe3 9.fxe3 ~b6 10.J1.xc6+
bxc611.~d2 ~xb212.0-0
Axe213.4)xe2 gbS
The position is somewhat
strange in that, even though the 14.g4 4lxf3+ 15.~xf3 a6
material is even and Black's
pieces seem more active, it is
White that has a dominating
position. Why? Well, there is a
really nice outpost for the White
Knight on f5. Also, the Black
Queen is actually out of play.
And, last of all, the White Rook
controls the open f-file. All of
these White advantages lead to
a quick finish.
24. ~g7:11=, Black is forced to
weaken, beyond repair, all the
dark squares around his King
with the move g6.
(W) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
(8) Romanov
[B88] 10th RSFSR
Championship, Semi-final
Arkhangelsk, USSR, 1950
l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4)xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 d6 6.J1.c4
e6 7.a4 A,e7 8.0-00-0 9.A,e3
Ad710.4)db54)e511.J'te2
J'tc6 12.f4 4)g6 13.J1.f3 4lh4
16.4ld4 e517.fxe5 dxe5
18.4lf5 4)d7 19.9adl Ag5
20.b4 J'txe3+ 21.~xe3 b5
22.a5 ~c7

14.4)g3 0-0 15.4)f5 gfe8

16.e4 ged817.~g5 4)e8
18.4)h6+ \t>h819.4)xf7+ 1-0

Checkmate follows after

19.... 'itJg8 20. ~h6+ 'itJh8
21. §f8:11=.
23.~g5 g6 24.4le7+ \t>g7
25.gxd7 Axd7 26. ~f6+ \t>h6

280
 either 4)g6 or g6. Against both
moves, White plans to proceed
by playing the move hS to either
chase the Black Knight away
from g6 or to play hxg6 to open
the h-file for his Rook.

S.... 4)g6 9.h5 4)ge510.jlg5

t!\'eS 11•.11.f6 g612.hxg6 4)xg6

Both of the Black Pawns

Threa~ening 28. fIhS .... and on
27.... AxfS, Black still gets
checkmated after 28. 4)xfS .....
27•••• t!\'a7+ 28.~f11-0
defending the Black Knight on
g6 (the f7 and h7 Pawns) are
pinned. The f7 Black Pawn is
pinned to the Black King and
cannot legally move. While, the
h7 Black Pawn is threat pinned
to a checkmate on the h8
square. So ...

------------ Game #232 ------------

Black finds himself moving his

kingside Knight around a bit too
much and pays the price.

(W) Rudolf L"Hermet

(8) Hagemann
[C22] Magdeburg, Germany
1888

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.~xd4 4)c6

4.ite3 Ab4+ 5.c3 Aa5 6 •.11.c4 13.ltxg6+! hxg6 14.~hS .... 1-0
~ge7 7.ltg3 0-0 8.h4
------------ Game #233 ---------
This time around White is
playing h4 in anticipation of White aims both his Rook and
Black playing one of the Knight at g7, forcing Black to
following defensive moves,

281
play the weakening g6. After
which, White's attack is quick,
powerful, and unstoppable.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(B) Spielmann (2164)
[CSS] ICC 3 0,03127/2007
1.e4 eS 2.d4 ~c6 3.~f3 exd4
4.J'tc4 ~f6 S.eS dS 6 ..ll.bS
~e4 7.~xd4 .ll.cS 8.0-0 0-0
9.J'txc6 bxc610.f3 ~gSII.f4
~e4 12.~c3 J'ta6
This move is played by Black
from time to time. And, it
always seems to leave Black's
King short a key defender.
13.gf3 J'tb614.\f1hl cS
IS.~fS ~xc3 16.bxc3 d4
Breaking the pin on the g6
Pawn seems like a good plan
282
for Black, however Black really
needed to attack the White
Knight on fS. Now, White has a
standard h-file mate.
20. t'/h6 gg8 21. ~xh7+ 1-0
Black gets checkmated after
21. ... ~xh7 22. !'!h3:11:.
------------ Game #234 ---------
Black threatens checkmate on
g2, as usual with games in this
subsection to create a kingside
weakness. And, White unwisely
decides to go Pawn grabbing
and between the extra tempos,
open f-file, and White kingside
weaknesses, Black is able to
finish off White with a flair.
(W) Alexander Steinkuehler
(B) Joseph Blackburne
[C54] Manchester, England
1863
1.e4 eS 2.~f3 ~c6 3.J'tc4 J'tc5
4.c3 ~f6 S.d4 exd4 6.cxd4
.ll.b4+ 7 ..ll.d2 J'txd2+ 8.~fxd2
~xd4 9.0-0 d6 10.~b3 ~xb3
11.t'/xb3 0-0 12.gel ~hS
13.eS ~gS 14.exd6 ~f4
IS.J'txf7+?
The Pawn taken is not worth
the open file that it provides for
Black's Rook on f8.
15..•. \f1h816.g3 cxd617.~c3
~h3+ 18.\f1g2 *f6
The open f-file becomes a real
problem for White.
19.Ad5 itxf2+ 20.CjfJh1
20..•. itg1 +t! 21.~xg1 ~f2+
22.CjfJg2 .Q.h3 =It: 0-1
Final Position
Clearly, a very unique
checkmate!
283
------------ Game #235 ------------
White sacrifices a Knight and
Bishop to decimate Black's
kingside. In the end, Black tries
to substitute pieces for Pawns
in a feeble attempt to shelter his
King, however, White simply
has too many attackers.
(W) Andrei Volokitin
(8) Sergei Rublevsky
[B84] SCG-chT, Budva,
Montenegro, (Round 6),
09/08/2004
1.e4 c5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.~ xd4 a6 5 ..Q.e2 ~f6 6.~c3
d6 7.0-0 .Q.e7 8.f4 0-0 9.a4
itc710.CjfJh1 b611.e5 dxe5
12.fxe5 ~fd7 13..Q.f4 .Q.b7
14..Q.d3 ~c515.itg4 ~c6
16.~d5!? exd517.e6 itc8
Black needed to hold his dark
squares with 'lWd8 and Af6 on
White's Ah6 mate threat.
18•.Q.h6 g6 19.Axf8 Axf8
20.exf7+ CZlh8 21.J}.f5!
Attacking defensel, as White
takes advantage of the threat
pin on Black's g-Pawn.
opponent's Pawn structure in
front of his King by playing f6
(f3). The attacking Pawn can
be used to either capture on g7
(g2) or as a helper in a mating
threat on the g7 (g2) square.
--------- Game #236 ----------__

Not only does White play f6 to

attack Black's kingside, but the
g-Pawn is right there too.

(W) sfbf (1658)

(B) BigV (1580)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 02/1212010

l.e4 c5 2.~c3 ~c6 3.f4 d6

4.~f3 ~f6 5.Ac4 e6 6.d3 .Q.e7
7.0-0 a6 8.a4 Ad7 9.t!Jel t!Jc7
10.CZlhl ~b411.t!Jf2 0-0
12.gg1 b5 13.Ab3 bxa4
14.~xa4e5
21 .... t!Jc7 22..Q.xg6! ~e5

22 .... hxg6 is not a real option

for Black here, because after
23. ~xg6 /iiJe7 24. ~f6+ ~h7
25. ~h4+ Ah6 26. Etf6, Black's
King exposure is too great.

23. t!Jg3 Ag7 24.J1.xh7 CZlxh7

25. tth3+ Ah6 26.gf6 ~ xf7
27.gafl gf8 28. tth5 ~g8
29.t!Jg6+ Ag7 30.~f5 ~e6
31.gxe61-0

The seventh set of games

(Games #236 to #241) deals
Whenever Black plays the
with the attacker utilizing his
move e5 in a position similar to
f-Pawn to weaken the
this one, White can play f5

284
creating a Pawn wedge from c2
to f5. The end result is a huge
space in front of the Black
kingside that White can either
build up a massive attack force
or, as in this game, Pawn storm
the Black King with his
attacking pieces right behind
the Pawns.
----------- Game #237 -----------
By the time Black feels forced
to capture the White Pawn on
f6, White has a replacement
Knight ready to step in and
cover those same squares,
namely g7 and e7, around the
Black King.

IS.fS as 16.g4 (W) FearNoEvii (2203)

(8) LV78 (2278)
White chooses to start a Pawn [C55] ICC 3 3, 10/0312003
storm behind the power of the
wedge. 1.e4 eS 2.d4 exd4 3 ..a.c4 ~f6
4.~f3 ~c6 S.eS dS 6 •.a.bS
16.... Ac617.gS ~hS18.ith4 ~e4 7.~xd4 Ad78.Axc6
~f4 19.Axf4 exf4 20.f6 AdS bxc6 9.0-0 Acs 10.f3 ~gS
11.f4 ~e412.~c3 0-0 13..a.e3
4)xc314.bxc3 Ab61S.fS cS
16.4)b3 c417.~d4 cS 18.~e2
Ac6 19.f6 ge8 20..a.f4 d4
21.~g3itd7

White will exploit all of the Black

Pawn pins, starting with the
f-Pawn.

21.g6! hxg6 22.gxg6 Axf6

23.*xf61-0 White wants to get another
attacker (preferably his Queen)
With checkmate to follow. for the g7 square to go along

285
with his Pawn on f6. White that the move 23. !!f2 is
would prefer not to capture on basically limited only to
g7, and offer Black some defense. While, the move
possibilities to utilize the White 23. !!f3 defends the checkmate
Pawn as a shield. It should be and provides White with the
noted that this defensive offensive option of a future §g3.
strategy will not work when all
the other squares around the 23.Etf3! gxf6 24.~f5
Black King are also weak.
The White f-Pawn has done his
22.~h5 job and the White Knight is
ready to step in to cover the
Black is already in some trouble same squares that the f-Pawn
as the White Queen will be able was covering, namely, g7 and
to exploit all the weaknesses e7. In addition, notice that the
around the Black King. move §g3 is in play now as an
offensive possibility.
22•..• ~d5
While, the real reason why
Black is doomed, is because all
of Black's pieces are located far
away from the Black King and
White's pieces are concentrated
in front ofthe Black King.

A position that I frequently

employ to instruct players about
options. Almost every player
when confronted with how to
protect the Black checkmate on
g2 will play the move, 23. !!f2.
A true attacking player will see 24.... \fIhS 25. ~h6 EtgS

286
26.itxf6+ 1-0 proceed here.

Black gets checkmated after 16.g4 h617.h4 cxd4

26.... ~g7 27. 'l!rx g7 .... 1S.g5dxe3?
___________ Game #238 ------------ Black mistakenly thinks that all
the passed Pawns will be
David Bronstein's imagination enough to win, however, he has
and creativity were very no idea what is coming.
inspirational. Over the years,
he pioneered many new ideas 19.9xf6 ~xc3
and original conceptions.
Completely ignoring White's
(W) David Bronstein checkmating threats, perhaps
(8) Efim Geller hoping to capture enough
[E27] Moscow, Russia, 1961 material to resurrect this
hopeless position.
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 llb4
4.a3 llxc3+ 5.bxc3 0-0 6.f3 d5
7.cxd5 exd5 S.e3 .A.f5 9.4)e2
/ilbd7 10.4)f4 c5 11.Ad3
Axd312.itxd3 ~eS13.0-0
gcs 14.~b1 ita5 15.~xb7
/ilb6

20.itg6!! fxg6 21.~xg7+ 1-0

White checkmates Black with

22. 4Jxg6 ... after either of Black's
two possible moves, 21. ... ~f8
or 21. ... ~h8.
White decides that a kingside
Pawn storm is the right way to

287
---------- Game #239 ------------
Black allows the f6 Pawn move
thinking that he would
temporarily lose a piece and
regain it after playing ~h8. But,
his plan did not take into
consideration, White refusing to
back down.
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) blackending (1674)
[B23] ICC tourney 340889
(5 0) (Round 3), 02/1012009
1.e4 cS 2.~c3 d6 3.f4 e6
4.~f3 ~f6 S.Jlc4 a6 6.a4 Jle7 20. !ig6 is also possible here
7.d3 0-0 8.0-0 ~c7 9.tte1
~c610.ttg3 Jld7 11.fS ~eS
and very strong, as Black is all
12.~xeS dxeS 13..a.h6 ~e8 pinned up.
14.f6! Jlxf61S.l3xf6 CZlh8
Black thought that he would be
fine after this move, as it would
seem that he can recoup his
piece.
288
16.l3afl!
Yes, Black can get his piece
back, but the White attack will
continue. For example,
16.... gxh617. !ixfl !ixfl
18. !ixfl ~d6 (only move)
19. ~5! exd5 20. Axd5
(threatening 21. !ixh7+ and
22. ~g8.) h5 21. !!xd7 'l!i'g6
22. 'l!i'xe5+ 'l!i'f6 with a winning
advantage for White.
16.... Jlc617.l3xe6 gxh6
18.l3xh6l3g819.~h4l3g7
20.l3f3
20.••. ~d6 21.l3h3 fS 22. ttf6
1-0
The checkmate threat of
23. !ixh7. is unavoidable.
------ Game #240 -----------
Black attempts to use White's
Pawns for defense. However,
White can break through.
(W) Farrukh Amonatov (2637)
(8) Artyom Timofeev (2637)
[B89] Russian Superfinals,
Moscow, Russia, (Round 1),
12/1812007
1.e4 c5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.~ xd4 ~c6 S.~c3 d6 6.Ae3
4)f6 7.Ac4 A.e7 S. ite2 a6
9.0-0-0 0-0 10.Jlb3 4)d7
Ivcflb1 itc7 12.f4 4)c5 13.f5
fle514.g4 b515.a3 ~bS16.g5
J3eS17.h4 b41S.axb4 4)xb3
19.cxb3 ~xb4 20.f6 AdS
21.h5 Jlb7
(W) Dragoljub Velimirovic
(B) Vladimir Bukal Sr
[B89] Yugoslavia, 1971
1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 4)c6
6.Ac4 e6 7.Jle3 A.e7 S.ite2
a6 9.0-0-0 itc710.Jlb3 0-0
11.g44)d712.4)f5

A thematic sacrifice these days

against the Sicilian, with the
idea of opening up a" the
attacking avenues for White's
pieces, b3-g8 diagonal for the
Bishop, g1-g7 file for the Rook,
and the d5 square for the
Knight on c3.

22.fxg7 h6?

Black has decided to utilize

White's attacking Pawns as
shields, which does not work in
this particular case because
White can break through.

23.gxh6 ~h7 24.~hg1 ~gS

25. itg2 "fIe7 26.4)f3 Jlb6
27.4)g5+ ~xh6 2S.4)xt7+
\Tlh7 29.itg6+U 4)xg6
30.hxg6+ ~xg7 31.Jlh6+ ~f6 12.... exf5 13.4)d5 itdS
32.~df1 + 1-0 14.gxf5 4)a515.4)xe7+ itxe7
16.Jld5 ~hS 17.~hg1 4)f6
------------ Game #241 --------- lS."fIf3 4)xd5 19.~xd5 4)c4
20.f6!
In a minor piece endgame,
White finds an "Epic" method The Pawn sacrifice leaves
for ensnaring the Black King. Black with a bunch of weak

289
 along with dark
isolated Pawns, ses around his
square weaknes
King.

29.gxf6n ggl +

There is n~ ~a~h6+' ~g8

23.f44)d7 out Both
29.... E!xg . 9 ~xf6
ds of pressure as
White has loa 'de pieces are 31. E!h8+ ;'1~-/3i:~xh5+ ~g8
Black's queensl here. So, 30. Axf6+ lead to checkmate.
32. E!h8+
tty much usele~~ 30.~d21
p~
n Black

~oId question here IS. ;c':.

nt
and
off the While a: at the
finish his develoP'::' for Black to ~ u'!:'
Taking the BI~ck
ok with either the
Rook leis
Bishop checkmate. Whrte
me time? In 0'

the remaind~r a
he will
:romPliSh this'='chess foi-
need to play pe f the game (not
wisely
square
n~~~11 ROO~re
get out o.

checks can
s his King to a
Black
be met with cap
a human trait).

290
by a piece other than the
Bishop or Rook.
30.... gg2+ 31.\fle31-0
The eighth set of games
(Games #242 to #251) is a
collection of games where the
attacker just has too much
firepower and overwhelms the
defender at the point of attack.
Ga #242
..---------- me ------------
Beginners are always counting
up how many pieces they are
ahead. But, if you are not using
them, what is the point of
having them?
(W)NN
(8) Henry Bird
[C45] England, 1850
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.d4 exd4
4.4)xd4 "C/h4 5.4)b5 Ac5
6.1tf3 4)f6 7.4)xc7+ \fldS
8.4)xa8 ge8 9.Jl.d3 4)xe4
10.0-0
Here Black has given away a
Rook, but has five very active
pieces in return for the material
lost. White on the other hand,
has many pieces still on their
original squares and a useless
Knight on a8. The end result is
an overwhelming force
advantage for Black in the area
of the White King.
291
10••.. 4)xf211.gxf2 ge1+
12.Jl.fl 4)d4 13."C/xf7?
The only way to put up a fight in
positions like this one, is to give
back some of the material.
13. 'ite3 is the only real chance
for survival.
13...• 4)e2+ 14.\flhl gxfl+
15.gxfl 4)g3* 0-1
----------- Game #243 -----------
Acceptance of a "poison" White
Knight leads to a shocking
conclusion to the game.
(W) Albert Fox
(B) HE Bauer
[C67] Antwerp, Belgium, 1901
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Jl.b5 4)f6
4.0-0 4) xe4 5.ge1 4)d6
6.4)xe5 Ae7 7.~1 0-0 8.d4
4)f5 9.c3 d5 10.ttd3 ge8
11.f4 4)d6 12.ge3 4)a5
13.4)d2 4)f5 14.gh3 4)h4
15.g4 4)g6 16.gh5 4)c6
A very unusual looking position
that contains an extremely
unusual checkmating
combination to conclude the
game.
17.4)dc4 dxc4?
Walking right into White's trap.
Much more sensible was
17.... h618.4)xg6 Axg4 19.4)xe7+
4)xe7 20.!!eS dxc4 21.~xc4 Ae6
22.Li)(e6 f)(e6 23.~)(e6+ Cifth8 with
an definite advantage for Black.
Although, I always tell my
students that if you cannot see
why a player offered you a
piece, then just capture the
offering. If the player is bluffing
then you win. If he is not, then
you will learn something.
ls.~)(g6n
It's a forced checkmate!
18.... h)(g6 19.4)xg6 fxg6
20.Axc4+ ccfJfS 21.};lhS. 1-0
------------ Game #244 ----------
Tal's coach, Alexander
Koblents, decides that tactics
are the way to beat Tal.
Obviously, not a good choice,
but we are grateful for this gem.
292
(W) Mikhail Tal
(8) Alexander Koblents
[B82] Riga, Latvia, 1965
l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4)xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 d6 6.Ae3
4)c6 7.f4 Ae7 S.'/tf3 0-0
9.Ae2 Ad710.0-0-0 4)xd4
11.Axd4Ac6
Primarily because Black has no
attack whatsoever, White
decides that he has enough
time to start a somewhat slow
moving Pawn storm, as is
normally the case with this type
of attack.
12.g4 '/ta5 13.g5 4)d7
14.~hgl b515.~h5 b4
16.~d3 bxc317.Axc3 '/txa2
IS.~h3Axe4
Black's light squared Bishop
comes to the aid of the Black
King. But, is it too late?
19.96! Jlxg6 11.0-0 c612.IUe1 0-0 13.a4
b6 14.4)e5 Ab7 15.a5 gc8
There was no good way to play 16.4)e4 ~c717.a6 J1a8
the position, as Black is lost. As 18.~h3 4)f4 19.'l!tg4 4)ed5
19.... hxg6 20. ~h8# and 20.ga34)e6
19.. " fxg6 20. ~xh7+ ~f7
21. ~xg7+ ~e8 22. Elh7 both win Black's poor piece placement
convincingly for White. leads to a beautiful finish.
21.J1xd5 cxd5 22.4)f6+ ~h8

20.ttxh7+! .11.xh7 21.gxg7+

~h8 22.ghxh7# 1-0
23.~g6!

---------- Game #245 ----------- 23. ~xe6 is also a very good

White lays down his Queen on
the g6 square, in the middle of
Black's Pawn cover, leading to
a beautiful finish.
(W) Nicolas Rossolimo
(8) Paul Reissmann
[e54] Puerto Rico, 1967
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3..1lc4 .1lc5
4.c3 4)f6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4
Ab4+ 7 •.1ld2 Axd2+ 8.4)bxd2
d5 9.exd5 4)xd510.~b3 4)ce7
move, as 23 .... fxe6 leads to
checkmate after 24. ~g6+ hxg6
25. Elh3#.
23 •••• ~c2 24.gh3! 1-0
Black gets checkmated after:
24 ... , ~g5 25:itxg5 gxf6
26.~xf6+ ~g8 27.~g4 ~g6
28:{)h6+ ~xh6 29.~xh6 Elfe8
30.~xh7+ ~f8 31.~h8#.

293
----------- Game #246 ----------- Capturing the White Queen with
31. ... gxf5 would lead to
Black decides to place all his checkmate after 32. Af3+ <&>h8
pieces over on the queenside, 33. {)xf7 ....
which leaves his King fending
off the all of White's forces. 32.1tf6+ ~g8 33.~ xg6 hxg6
34.A,e6! 1-0
(W) Alexey Dreev
(8) Eduardas Rozentalis
[E12] Vilnius, lithuania, 1988
1.d4 e6 2.e4 ~f6 3.~f3 b6
4.~e3 Ab7 5.a3 d5 6.exd5
exd5 7.g3 A,e7 8.1ta4+ e6
9.Ag2 0-0 10.0-0 ~bd7
11.Ag5 a6 12.~ad1 ~h5
13.Af4 ~xf4 14.gxf4 a5 15.e3
b516.1te2 b417.axb4 axb4
18.~e2 1tb6 19.~g3 b3
20.1tf5 ~f6 21.~h1 ~a2
22.1tb1 A,a6 23.~g1 ~g4
24.~d2 Ab4 25.Ah3 A,xd2
26.A,xg4 A,b4 27.~h5 g6
28.~f6+ ~g7 29.~e5 'the7 Final Position
30.~fd7 ~a8
Black is checkmated after
34.... Ad3 35. Etxg6+ Axg6
36. ~x~+ <&>h8 37. ~h6+ <&>g8
38. .£'Jf6....

----------- Game #247 -------

Black defends White's threat of

capturing on h7 by playing 96,
instead of h6. White utilizes the
hole in Black's position to build
up all his forces behind.

(W) Leo Forgacs

(8) Savielly Tartakower
31.~f5!1 ~f8 [C14] 8t. Petersburg, Russia,
(Round 18), 1909

294
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.~c3 ~f6 position with almost all of
4.Ag5 Ae7 5.e5 ~e4 6.~ xe4 Black's pieces tied down to
Axg5 7.~xg5 ~xg5 8.g3 c5 defending the f7 square. Now,
9.c3 ~c6 10.f4 ~e7 11.~f3
Ad7 12.~d2 0-0 13.Jtd3 c4 White can use this pressure to
14.Ac2 h515.0-0 a516.gael switch to a direct attack on the
b417.f5 exf518.g4 fxg4 Black King. This is a very
19.~g5 g6? important attacking theme that
frequently occurs with passed
19.... g6? creates a big hole on Pawns.
the f6 square.
23.••• ga6 24. ~e5 ctJh6
20.gf6 25.glf5 fxe6 26.~f7+ ~xf7
27.gh5+ ctJg7 28.gxg6# 1-0
The White Rook on f6 prevents
Black's f-Pawn from moving.
The effect of the stationary
Black f-Pawn is that Black's
queenside pieces are unable to
assist in the defense of Black's
kingside position along the
second rank.

20.•.. ctJg7 21.gefl Jte8

22. ~f4 ~d8 23.e6

Final Position

----------- Game #248 ------------

Overwhelming force at the point

of attack generally leads to a
very nice attack with loads of
sacrifices, like in this game.

(W) Michael Casella (2330)

(8) Jacek Stopa (2568)
White has a total grip on the
[B93] Western Class

295
Championshi
CA, (Round 3),
ps,04/13/2010'
Agoura Hills .
Bishop with 21
l.e4 cS 2 4:\f leads to a fo,..,;,;j· gxh6 also
i.afl'
~
4.4:\xd4 d6 3.d4 cxd4 after: 22.!lxf7!l checkmate
7.4:\£3 4:\bd S.4:lc3 a6 6 f4 24.!lxf8+ III xf7 23.!le8+ !l
0-0 10 0-0 7 8.a4 Ae7 9· A:S 26."II'c3+ g725.!lg8+ \Wi III
'/,tb6+ i2 ;xf411.Axf4 3 e727:l#1g7 •.
4:\xdSI4:';x~~
~6.ttc2 ttc517\b41S.c4
'/,txb213.4:\dS Black's best c .
2:.~g5 h6 19.~h";"~ AdS
4:\f6 tough posR· hance In this
• xh7+ 1flh8 xh7
move, 21
White·s
10; Reg~rdless,
p~~"rno~7i
was with the

located on ~u
Once again BI
ack's pieces are
and Black will
a computer to ~~~
s domInant
play like

adequately def:res t~at do not 22.j'txg7+ 1-0 .

Not only does thnd his kingside.
commence. e attack
In a strang e ~lashion,
but the concludin
also quite fa . g. moves are
scmatlng.
Garry Kasparov does just that
by continually increasing the
power of his pieces until they
are just dominating the entire
White kingside.
(W) Vladimir Kramnik
(8) Garry Kasparov
[E92] Munich International,
Munich, Germany, 1994
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 Ag7 minor pieces. How can this be?
4.e4 d6 5.4)f3 0-0 6.Jl.e2 e5
7.d5 a5 8.Ag5 h6 9.Jl.h4 4)a6 Queen? Well, I equate this
10.0-0 Ad711.4)d2 4)c5
12.b3
We have reached the critical
position, where Black choses to and spotless, while the other
sacrifice his Queen for two
minor pieces.
12.... 4)fxe4
A very bold decision, as Black
has decided to sacrifice his
Queen for two minor pieces and
a Pawn. Clearly, the World
Champion must realize that he
will have more than enough
compensation for the Queen.
Two minor pieces for a Queen?
This book contains several
impressive attacking games
where one side has decided to
give up their Queen for two
Are two pieces enough for a
state of mind to two cars
approaching an intersection.
One car is brand new, shiny
vehicle has so many dings and
dents, you are surprised that it·
is still running. The brand new
car, despite having the right of
way decides to allow the old car
to pass before proceeding.
Why? Well, the person in the
old car is not worried about
getting another ding or dent,
and feels like he can drive more
aggressively, while the person
in the new car wants his car to
stay that way. This mentality
applies to this situation. The
player with the Queen cannot
afford to trade itself for a mere
smaller piece, so the Queen
must back down from direct
confrontations. So, if the minor
pieces are really coordinated
and can proceed as a cohesive
297
unit, they can push the Queen computer, Black is now ahead
around relentlessly and win, by roughly just under a Pawn.
much like this game and
several others in this book. 22.cct>g2

13..11.xd8 4)xc314.~el
~fxd8
15.~cl4)xa216.~al4)b4
17.J1dl

Black's minor pieces are well

coordinated and controlling
loads of great squares. In
addition, the Black e and f
Pawns should help out also.
While, White's pieces are poorly
placed along the first rank.

22 .•.• 4)bd3 23.~gl f4 24.gxf4

~xf4

Black pries open the White

kingside and Black's pieces
begin to invade.

Also very strong are 29.... Ad4

and 29.... exf3+.
17••.• e418.~bl ~e819.~e3 30.fxe4 4)f4+ 31.cct>gl 4)cd3
f5 20.h4 ~f8 21.g3 ~ae8
Black continues to build up and
Black is slowly improving the
apply pressure to White's
position of each of his pieces.
exposed kingside. Every one of
And, despite the fact that Black
Black's pieces are extremely
is behind materially, he has
active and fully engaged to the
more than enough
task of attacking White.
compensation for the lost
material. According to my

298

32.e5
White's position is under
extreme duress and there is no
end to the enormous pressure
by all of Black's minor pieces.
32.... 4) xe5 33.~c1 ~h3
34.4)f3g4
You must have a computer to
defend positions like this one.
299
Humans start to melt down
when being forced to play
perfect chess, move after move,
under extreme duress and
pressure.
35.4)xe5
White, no doubt feeling
frustrated and powerless,
decides to give back his Queen
for two minor pieces, but the
resultant position is quite
hopeless.
35.... ~xe3 36.4)xd7 4)h3+
37.cwflg2 ~xfl 38.cwflxfl g3
39.\t1g2 4)f4+ 0-1
White gets checkmated after:
40.r&>f1 g2+ 41.~f2 Ad4 42.4)f6:+-
r:Jf7 43.M3 !!el+ 44.r:Jg3 gl~+
45 ..11g2 ~xg2+ 46.r:Jxf4 Ae5+
47.r:JfS ~gS#.
----------- Game #250 -----------
A typical Axh7+ game, where
White can take advantage of a
lack of Black defenders around
his King.
(W) Gunnar Gundersen
(8) A H Faul
[C02] Pietzcker Christmas
Tournament, Melbourne,
Austrailia, 1928
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3
cxd4 5.cxd4 Jlb4+ 6.4)c3 4)c6
7.4)f3 4)ge7 8.jld3 0-0

9.Jl.xh7+!
This is a typical Axh7+ sacrifice
game. White J·ust overwhelms
• ---------- Game #251 ------------
Black because Black s
defenders are very poorly
placed and unable to fight off
the White attack.
9 •••• CZlxh7 10.4)g5+ CZlg6
11.h44)xd4
Black attempts to distract White
from his kingside attack: But,
White is not dissuaded In a.ny
way and just ignores Blacks
feeble attempt.
12.*g4
White correctly spurns the win
f Black's Queen after 12. h5+
~h613. 4)xf7+ in favor of a
mating attack.
12•••• f5 13.h5+ CZlh6
300
14.4)xe6+ g515.hxg6# 1-0
Final Position
The point of attack ·In thOIS game
is Black's back rank and the
ultimate back rank wea.kness k
game is right herel White wor s
over Black's weakness, over
and over, until Black can no
longer defend.
As a result, we see th~t having
no Pawn weaknesses IS ~Iso a
Ily bad weakness. BaSically,
rea . hve
all Pawn Formations a
something wrong with them.
(W) Edwin Adams
(8) Carlos Torre-Repetto
[C62] New Orleans, LA, 1920
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 exd4
4. ttxd4 4)c6 5.Ah5 j\d7
6.J1.xc6 .Q.xc6 7.~c3 4)f6
8.0-0 J1.e7 9.4)d5 Jlxd5
10.exd5 0-0 11•.Q.g5 c6 12.c4
cxd5 13.cxd5 ge8 14.gfe1 a5
lS.ge2 gc8 16.gael itd7
17.j'txf6.11.xf6
White Queen. In addition, this is
not a hope chess move, as
White has a serious threat,
namely to capture the Black
Queen. White is pushing the
Black Queen around till Black
runs out of acceptable moves.
There is a plan behind all this
madness!

By trading for the Black Knight

on f6, White has exposed
Black's back rank weakness to
his two Rooks.
19.•.• itd7 20. itc7!!
18.itg4!

This is not a hope chess move,

as White has a plan to eliminate
all of the Black Queen's good
squares. Black gets mated
after 18.... ~xg4 19. Etxe8+ Etxe8
20. Etxe8#.

18.... itbS 19.itc4!

It seems that Black cannot

shake the White Queen, as
neither the Black Rook or the
Black Queen can capture the

301
What an amazing position, as outstanding and unique to
Black cannot capture the White exclude from this book.
Queen with either his Queen or
Rook! Why? The reason is all
because of Black's back rank
weakness.

20••.. 'ltb5 21.a4 'ltxa4

22. Ete4!!

Even more astonishing! Black

cannot capture White's Queen
with 22 .... fIxc7 because Black
gets checkmated after
23. fIxe8+ ~xe8 24. fIxe8*.
While, the White Rook on e4 is
also poison. If Black plays
22 .... fIxe4, White can Final Position
checkmate after 23. ~xc8+ ~e8
24. ~xe8+ fIxe8 25. §xe8*. The only way Black can avoid
checkmate is to lose his Queen
for nothing.

22..•. 'ltb5 23.'ltxb71-0

Even though this position is not

a forced checkmate for White,
this game is just too

302
 arais (1447)

Formatl~ . n· (W) Nick Desr;eia_zomlefer

(8) Soren Ale

Op en f-Flle· (1610) . Trek Scottsdale, AZ.

[C1S] UnI)ty 10/17/2009
(Round 2

~, 1.e4 ~.t1 t!i2:t if:

I

- 8m~8 8
• 8 ., ~.f!'·'8 .lixc3+I~;~0.a4 ~5 11.~2
. e6

m , 8m ~. m ~~~~itdlfxe1xll;~ 16.f!o
4itd3.... 3a68hH

m~
•-88-8,8.8 - . it~ll;~:Jb718.itg4
~8, .I", ~i~.
14.a5 0
{le517. , •

~-
•
-~
8 m 8.
~'-
•• ~Q.t.
.~~.~ ~t
t~, -Jf'~ ~
• • •- .-
., ... f!' ..•
~
H
• awn leaves the • • t~m
~~~ t'- ~~
.~~~~
•

•~'w ..,-Wo ~. ~ft~~~

aving
de nof-: en to attacks
specially ifthe _
fi ~:."m ....
fending
. Klngop

--'~'.4J.,ft_ ~.§
down the f-lile, e not have an •

~Pawn.
attackeraIsoddition
does the
In a be abie to exploit
attacker may 7) diagonal or
~,'~~,iilI.•_.!l.-m"
'CS: ~~.
~v~~tage of the fact
si~e
the a2-g8 one a good
just take:efending Pawns Neither hasa'!..ment. It is

ProVl~~
!W"
that
~ ignificanHy less
fro~lmost
job with prece pi looking at the

prole
three
~~s for your King, than
does.
obvious just
position above~re all of
too far fMBY
Black's pIeces. to be of any

H~ve,;;,.I~ite
2 --- k. gSlde
- Game #25 - from the .'ndefending. .
- . arne because
White wins thIS g "oree at the
real help
~oves
does get It
the next few
of overwhelmIng •.
k (Black's gOIng 0 .
to capitalize on the siluabon.

19.,A.h6!!~ 22:h5 {lxe5

point of altae 20 {lf41f;>h8
kingside).
21.Jl.g5 4)c

303
 The end result is a very nice
attack.

(W) FearNoEvii (2250)

(8) nardz (2107)
[B23] ICC 30, 10/16/2007

l.e4 c5 2..£lc3 e6 3.f4 d5

4 ..£lf3 dxe4 5 •.£l xe4 .£lf6
6 •.£lxf6+ 1txf6 7 ..Q.b5+ .£ld7
8.0-0 1txf4 9.d41tc7 10.d5 eS
11 •.£lxe5 Ad6 12..£lxf7
Axh2+ 13.~hl 0-0

23 •.£lg6+!!

White takes advantage of

Black's precarious King position
and the fact that Black's Knight
is undefended.

23 .... .£lxg6

White checkmates Black after

23 .... hxg6 24. hxg6+ ~g8
25. §h8+! <li'xh8 26. ~h5+ \\Jg8
27. ~h7+ <li'f8 28. 'l!1'h8#.
14.d6!
24.hxg6 h6 25.gxf7 e5
26.~xh6+ gxh6 27.Jl.f6+ ~h7 Threatening Black's dark
28.1tg7 # 1-0
squared Bishop and more
____________ Game #253 ___________ importantly, opening up the
a2-g8 diagonal.
Black decides to grab White's
14..•• .Q.xd6 15.Ac4!! ~xf7
f-Pawn which opens up the f-file 16.~xf7 ~h817.1tg4 -'l,e5
for the White Rook, the c1-h6 18.Ah6 g6 19.~afl .£lf6
diagonal for White's dark
squared Bishop, and provides Black was checkmated on all
White with two or more tempos. moves.

304
20.Etf8+ 1-0
••••- •••••• Game #254 - ••••••••-
A shocking move by Black
leaves White defenseless in all
variations.
(W) Bradley Sawyer (2116)
(8) Joel Johnson (2218)
[B03] 2005 US Open Quads,
Phoenix, Arizona, 08/0912005
1.e4 .£if6 2.e5 .£id5 3.d4 d6
4.exd6 exd6 5.e4 .£ib6 6 •.£ie3
g6 7.Ae3.Q.g7 8 ..£if3 0-0
9..Q.d3 .Q.g4 10.h3 Axf3
11.t\'xf3 .£ie6 12..£ie2 e5 13.d5
4)b414.Ad2 .£ixd3+ 15.t\'xd3
f516.gel .£id717.0-0 .£ie5
18. tta3 a5 19.Ae3 b6
20.Axe5 bxe5 21 ..£ie3 e4 22.f3
tth4 23 ..£ib5 Ae5 24.fxe4
fxe4 25..£ie7
White appears to have the
upper hand because the White
305
Knight is headed for the e6
outpost, which attacks the f8
square. After which, White will
gain control of the very
important f-file for his Rook and
shortly thereafter, control of the
entire position. So, as it turns
out, the time to strike is now,
before White's Knight navigates
to the e6 square.
25.••. Etf3!!
25 .... ~
""f3".. hangs b0 th R00ks,
but upon further review is
clearly the best move in this
position for Black. It is very
unusual for moves like this one
to work when the opponent is
also contesting the open f-file
with a Rook.
26.Etxf3 exf3 27..£ie6
After 27. ~xf3 ftfB, White has
nothing better than the bleak
28. ~xfB+.
27•••. Ad4+
27.... ftf8 is also very strong.
28. ~xd4 loses the White Rook
after 28 .... ~)(d4+ 29. 'itthl fxg2+.
28•••• fxg2+ 29.ccf1xg21tf2+
30.ccf1hl Ae5 0-1
And, White cannot avoid
checkmate. White is checkmated after:
30. gxh3 §h2".
----------- Game #255 ------------
---------- Game #256 ------------
A Black Rook on the seventh
rank, in combination with no A shocking Queen sacrifice and
White f-Pawn, leads to a subsequent King hunt takes the
shocking finish. Black King on a long journey
from g8 to g1.
(W) Isidor Gunsberg
(8) David Janowski (W) Edward Lasker
[e77] Hanover, Germany, 1902 (8) George Thomas
[A83] London, England, 1912
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3..Q.b5 a6
4.Aa4 4)f6 5.d3 Ac5 6.c3 l.d4 e6 2.4)f3 f5 3.4)c3 4)f6
't#Je7 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 d6 9.~el 4.J1.R5 J1e7 5.Axf6 Axf6 6.e4
.Q.a7 10.J1e3 Axe3 II.fxe3 d5 fxe47.4)xe4 b6 8.4)e5 0-0
12.exd5 4)xd513.Ab3 Ae6 9.Ad3 Ab7 10.'t#Jh5 't#Je7
14.Axd5 Axd5 15.e4 Ae6
16.d4 ~ad817.4)a3 exd4
18.4)xd4 4)a519.'t#Je2 c5
20.4)xe6 'l!txe6 21.c4 4)c6
22.4)c2 ~fe8 23.b3 f5 24.'t#Jf2
fxe4 25:{~'xc5 ~d2 26.4)e3
4)e5 27.~adl ~xa2 28.~d6

11.~xh7+n \\>xh712.4)xf6+
\\>h6

On 12.... ~h8, White

checkmates with 13. ~g6 ...

28.... 4)f3+! 29.\\>hl? 't#Jxh3+t! 13.4)eg4+ \\>g514.h4+

0-1

306
White can also checkmate
Black with 14.f4+ ~xf4 15.g3+
\tIf3 (15 .... ~g5 16.h4.) 16.0-0 •. [C06] 53rd Russian
14.... \?lf415.g3+ \?lf3
16.J'te2+ \?lg217.Eth2+ \?lgl
18.\?ld2. 1-0
I have always liked games
where they castle for
checkmate.
Final Position
------------ Game #257 ------------
White sacrifices a Rook and a
Knight and after missing a
checkmating shot, gets a rare
"do-over" when they reach the
identical position again a few
moves later. White gets it right
the second time around.
307
(W) Alexander Motylev (2552)
(8) Alexei IIjushin (2515)
Championship, Samara,
Russia, (Round 4), 2000
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)d2 4)f6
4.e5 4)fd7 5.J'td3 c5 6.c3 IZ)c6
7.4)e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6
~xf6 10.4)f3 h6 11.0-0 Ad6
12.4)g3 0-0 13..1l.c2 Etd8
14.Etel4)f815.4)e5 Ad7
16.f4 J'te817.Ae3 ~h4
18.Etfl 4)e7 19.f5 J'txe5
20.dxe5 exf5 21.Etf4 'iltg5
22. ~f3 4)eg6 23.Etxf5 ~e7
24.Etfl 4)e6 25.Eth5 4)g5
26.Etxg5 hxg5 27.4)f5 ~c7
28.Abl J'tb5 29.'ilth5 4)f8
30.J'txg5 Ete8
31 ..Q.f6! ~b6+ 32.\?lhl Axfl
33.4)h6+ gxh6
On 33 .... ~h8, Black gets
checkmated after 34.4)f7+ ~g8
3S:l!\'h8+ ~xf7 36:~xg7+ ~e6
37:~g4+ 00 38.'l!YhS+ ~g8
39.Ah7+ '£)xh7 40:~g6+ ~f8
41.~g7:11:.
34.t\'g4+? cJiJf7 35.ttg7+ cJiJe6
36. ttg4+ cJiJf7 37.tth5+ cJiJgS
We reach the identical position
before the error 34. ~g4+ and
now, White plays the correct
move:
3S.Jl.h7+!l1-0
Black gets checkmated after
either:
38.... ~xh7 39. ~f7:11:; or
38.... '£)xh7 39. ~g6+ ~f8
40. 'f:Ig7:11:.
---------- Game #258 ---------
White is able to exploit the
a2-g8 diagonal and also takes
advantage of the fact that two
defending Pawns provides less
308
protection for your King.
(W) Dr. Jeffery Darensbourg
(1406)
(8) ivanzug (1420)
[C 15] ICC 1 0, 08/02/2009
l.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.4)c3 Jl.h4
4.4)ge2 dxe4 5.a3 .1lxc3+
6.4)xc3 f5 7.f3 exf3 S.ttxf3
4)f6 9 •.1le3 0-0 10.0-0-0 4)c6
II.h3 4)d512 •.1lc4 4)ce7
13.g4 fxg414.ttxg4 e5
15.4) xd5 Jl.xg4?
White's discovered check is
worth more than a Queen.
16.4)xe7+ cJiJhS 17.4)g6+ hxg6
IS.hxg4+ tth419.13xh4:11: 1-0
----------- Game #259 -----------
White is able to shred Black's
kingside, and then, hunt down
the exposed Black King. Not
surprising, the open f-file was
pivotal to White's attack.
(W) Johannes Zukertort
(8) Joseph Blackbume
[A 13] Tournament, london,
1883
1.c4 e6 2.e3 4)f6 3.4)f3 b6
4•.Q.e2 .Q.b7 5.0-0 d5 6.d4
Jl.d6 7.4)c3 0-0 S.b3 4)bd7
9.Ab2"/he7 10.4)b5 4)e4
11.4)xd6 cxd612.4)d2 4)df6
13.f3 4)xd214..~xd2 dxc4
15.Axc4 d5 16.Ad3 ~fcS
17.gael gc71S.e4 gacS 19.e5
4)e8 20.f4 g6 21.ge3 f5
22.exf6 4)xf6 23.f5 4)e4
24.Axe4 dxe4 25.fxg6 ~c2
26.gxh7+ cct>hS
Black attempts to utilize White's ....
Pawn for cover, but Black has
no cover for the White Bishop.
27.d5+! e5
28. \l'tb4n g8c5
Black cannot accept the Queen
sacrifice: 28.... ~xb4 29.Axe5+
~xh7 30.E!h3+ ~g6 31.E!f6+ ~g5
32.E!g3+ ~h5 33.E!f5+ ~h6
34.M4+ ~h7 35.E!h5#.
29.gfS+!! cct>xh7
Black cannot avoid checkmate.
29... ~xf8 30.Axe5+ ~g7
(Whenever Black captures the
White Pawn on h7, the
overwhelming ~xe4+ comes
into play.) 31.Axg7+ r:Jxg7
32:~d4+ r:Jxh7 33.~xe4+ r:Jh8
34.~e8+ ~h7 (There are a wide
assortment of mating moves
from this position.) 35. E!h3+
r:Jg7 36. §g3+ r:Jf6 37. ~e6#.
30. \l'txe4+ CZi/g7 31.A)(e5+
w X.l'~8 32'diL6
1\ '"'7 .... S 33 oM.
+ wg •w xe7
1-0
------------ Game #260 ------------
Overwhelming force at the point
of attack leads to a deadly pin
and checkmate.
(W) Alejandro Ramirez (2499)
(8) Darmen Sadvakasov
(2611)
[E52] 3rd Aeroflot Festival,
Moscow, Russia, (Round 1),
02/17/2004
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 Ab4
4.e3 0-0 5.4)f3 d5 6.Ad3 b6
7.0-0 Ab7 S.c)(d5 exd5 9.4)e5
Ad6 10.f4 c5 II.g0 4)c6
12.4)xd5 Axe5 13.fxe5
309
 20.... .£)h3 21.!lf3?

White needed to play 21. Ete2 to

keep Black's Rook off the
seventh rank.

21 .••. !ld2 22.Ac3

13.... ~xd514.exf6 g615.h3?

'£)xd416.!lf2 .£)e617.~f1
!lfdS IS•.sl.c4 ~e4 19..sl.h2
.£)g5

Black continues to improve the

position of his pieces and inch
closer and closer to the White 22.... !lxg2! 23. ~xg2 ~xf3
King. 24.-'1.fl ~f2 0-1
20.~hl

Final Position

310
White cannot avoid checkmate, 23. "ittg741:.
as Black threatens the very
powerful 25 .... "ittgl 41: and White 22.~xh7
cannot defend that threat by
No better is 22. "itth4 g)([6
moving the Bishop on f1
23. g)([6 ~6 with a very strong
because of the checkmate on
position for Black.
the g2 square by either
25 .... "itt)(g241: or 25 ...• ~)(g2 41: . 22 .... 'iflxh7 23.g6+ fxg6
24.~g5+ 'iflg8 25. ~h4
_•••••••••• Game #261 ••••••••••••
One might think that White is
Quite the battle in this game, as doing well, but the truth is that
for quite some time it appears not only can Black defend, but
that Black is in trouble and Black is about to unleash a
about to get checkmated. In vicious counter-attack centered
fact, right at the point where around his powerful Knights.
Black is forced to lose his And, despite Black's King
Queen, the entire game flips. exposure, Black is able to keep
Black's Knights and Rook White's Queen at bay and
become a checkmating force completely surround the
that White cannot hold off. soon-to-be naked White King.

(W) Larry Kaufman (2444)

(8) Emory Tate (2397)
[B55] 1999 Virginia Open
Fredericksburg, VA, (Round 5),
01/24/1999
l.e4 c5 2.~f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.~xd4 ~f6 5.f3 e5 6.~b3
J1.e7 7.c4 a5 8.jle3 a4 9.~3d2
0-0 10.Ad3 ~c611.a3 ~d7
12.0-0 J\g5 13..11.f2 ~c5
14.Ac2 ~d4 15.f4 J1.g4
16.~xg4 ~xc217.fxg5 ~xa1
18.~c3 ~ab3 19.~f3 ~d3
20.~d5 ~bc5 21.~f6+ 'iflh8
25 •••. ~xg5 26.1txg5 §xf2
Capturing the White Knight just 27.§xf2 ~xf2
leads to checkmate after
21. ... g)([6 22. g)([6+ c;fth8 The first of many possible King

311
and Queen forks . .
If ~Ite
captures BIack"s Knight.

28.~xg6 4lf
!
30.g5 4ld2 3ie 29.g4 gf8
32.'t\>g2 .~xd6 gf1+

Black keeps .
Invisible Def:C:;kIn9 all those
potential Knig~t ~~r:~uares and

33.'t\>h3 4lc 4 .
35.g6+ 't\>h6e3~4.~e6+ 't\>h7
37.'ltbS .~xe5 4lf3 or 48. 'li\'xf2 ~)(f2 49 . c5 ~g3.
Wh t .
a a remarkable game!

"Games invol .
players fre vlng strong
down to wh q~entlY come
job of Piec: P~es a better
acement."

312
 g-file.
Formation:
open g-File (W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) clafa (1999)
[B23] ICC 3 5, 07/25/2005

1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6

4.J1c4 j'tg7 5.4)f3 d6 6.f5
gxf5 7.d3 fxe4 8.dxe4 4)f6
9.0-0 j'tg4 10.h3 j'txf3
11.~xf3 a612 ..1lf4 4)d4
13.~f2 h514..1ld5 4)xd5
15.4)xd50-0

Having an open g-file is a

double-edged sword. Yes, it
can be a very big defensive
weakness, but an open g-file
can also be a very potent
offensive weapon for the player
in control of the g-file.

The other problem is that your

King will likely navigate to hide
behind your lone h-Pawn, which
can leave you very vulnerable
along the a 1-h8 (h1-a8)
diagonal and on the h7 (h2)
square.
--------- Game #262 -----------
At first, White works on the
weak h7 square, which makes
both the g and h-files very
weak, before invading via the
16.c3 4)e617.Ae3 ~c8
18.~h4 c&>h8 19.~f5 f6
20.~h5 ~f7 21.~xh7+ ~g8
22.~f1 4)f8 23.~h5 e6
In positions (see diagram at the
top of the next page) like this, I
prefer to avoid sacrifices
because all of Black's pieces
are in the vicinity and capable
of defending the position.
Instead, attempting to exploit
particular weak squares seems

313
Adesperate attempt to ward off d6 7 .~a4 bS 8.~ xd4 bxc4
the pending fl and f8(0). 9.~e2 cxd3 10.~xd3 Ab6
11.0-0 0-0 12.~g3 ~e8
13.~xb6 axb614.~e2 Aa6
1S.c4 bS 16.j}.gS bxc4
17.Axf6 gxf6

Black has loads of weak

squares around his King,
including f5, ta, g7, h6, and h7.
And, the other problem is that
Black does not have enough
defenders in the vicinity.

28.~xfS!

Unleashing the power of the

White light-squared Bishop.

28.... exfS

On 28.... d xc4, White mates

after 29. f7+ ~h8 30. f8(~)#.

29.Jl.xd5+ <lJh8 30.j'lg7# 1-0

18.~g4+ <lJh819.ith4 t\'e6
_______ Game #264 _______ 20.~h5 §g8 21.~xf6 §g7

Aweak h-Pawn leads to a very All of Black's pieces are either

appealing, final checkmating tied up or out of play.
sequence. 22.§fe1 Ac8 23.§e3 c6
24.§g3 Ad7 2S. ~h6 gag8
(W) Alfred Post
(8) Alexander Flamberg Just when Black thinks he has
[C48] Mannheim, Germany, everything covered.
(Round 5), 1914
l.e4 eS 2.~f3 ~c6 3.~c3 ~f6
4..Q.bS ~d4 S.Ac4 AcS 6.d3

315
26.~xh7+! 1-0
White checkmates Black after
26.... §xh7 27. §xg8*.
------------ Game #265 -----------
A very nice strategical attack
concluding with a checkmate
right down the g-file.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) TheCrusher (2112)
[B07] ICC 50,12/25/2003
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d6 3.4)e3 4)f6
4.Ad3 g6 5.4)ge2 Ag7 6.f3
0-0 7.Ae3 e5 8. ttd2 exd4
9.4)xd4 e510.4)de2 4)e6
11.h4 4)h5 12.g4 4)f6 13.h5
4)e8 14.Ah6 4)e5 15.4)gl
~f6 16.Axg7 4)xg717.Ae2
gxh5 18.~d5 ~d819.~h6 f6
20.0-0-0 Ae6 21.4)f4 Af7
22.4)xh5 Axh5 23.gxh5 ite7
24.4)h3 itf7 25.ghgl ~h8
26.~bl gad8
316
White has a solid advantage
primarily because of the open
g-file and Black's King
exposure. In addition; Black's
Queen is tied down defending
the Knight on g7, which also
happens to be checkmate.
However, on the flip side, White
has a Knight on h3 doing
nothing, a Bishop on e2 tied
down to defending the Pawn on
f3, and the Rook on d1 could be
more useful on the g-file. So,
what's my plan? Well, I decided
that the best course of action
was to improve the position of
all those aforementioned
pieces, and thus, increase the
pressure on Black's position.
The easiest piece to fix is the
White Bishop. Why? Well, the
Black piece hindering the
Bishop is the Knight on e5 and
that Knight can be knocked out
with 27. f4. But, before playing
a move like 27. f4, we must
make sure that we aren't
helping Black out by chasing his
Knight to a better square. All
the forward moves, -tlg4, -tlf3,
.£ld3, and -tlc4 are protected by
White's Bishop. Don't make the
mistake thinking that the c4
square is protected, because it
isn't. The Black Knight also
cannot go toward his King to
help defend with either -tlg6 or
00. Therefore, Black's only
real choices are either
27 .... -tlc6 or 27 .... -tld7. After
the Black Knight retreats, my
Bishop is free to join in the
attack. And, because the Black
Queen is tied down defending
the g7 square, we can get
another free move attacking the
Black Queen with 28. Ac4. I
refer to this tactic as the
Invisible Defender. Basically,
the Bishop is protected by a
stronger threat somewhere else
on the board.
Pawn on f6 also.
29.gg6 gd7 30.gdgl ~d8
If you haven't already noticed,
Black is really tied up. He could
only move the Knight on d8 and
make some meaningless Pawn
moves. Now, he wants to play
31. ... -tlde6. I can prevent this
move by playing 31. f5.
Normally, I am reluctant to play
a move like this because it
opens up a permanent, big hole
on e5, suitable for a Black
Knight. But, I can see the
conclusion of the game coming.
More importantly, 31. f5 opens
up the f4 square for my Knight,
after which, I have enough
pieces involved in the attack to
finish Black off.
31.f5 a6 32.~f4 b5 33.j'td5 c4

27.f4 ~c6 28.j'tc4 'lJ/e7

The next piece to improve is the

Rook on d1 by doubling up the
Rooks on the g-file. There are
many moves that can
accomplish this task, like, §g2,
rig3, §g4, §g6, §d2, and §d3. I
chose 29. §g6 because it puts
the most pressure on Black's
position by attacking the Black 34.gxg7 'lJ/xg7 35.~g6+ 'lJ/xg6

317
36..~xf8+ 1-0

--------- Game #266 ------------

White chooses to weaken his

kingside Pawn formation, rather
than lose a Pawn. Afterwards a
fierce kingside attack by Black
pays off just before White can
promote one or more passed
Pawns.

(W) Champbuster (2425)

(B) FearNoEvii (2200)
[B02] ICC 5 0, 10/23/1999
19.... tth4 20.f4 4)g3+
l.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.4)f3 d6 21.c&>g2 4)xe2 22.fxe5 ~e4+
4.c4 4)b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.4)c3 23.c&>f2 4)xcI24.Ilxcl f5
g6 7.Ae2 Ag7 8.0-0 0-0 9.a4
a5 10.d4 ~c6 11.4)b5 Ag4 My thoughts here are that I
12.j'te3 Axf3 13.gxf3 need some more help for my
Queen. With each f-Pawn
White intentionally chooses to push, the Black passed Pawn
destroy his kingside Pawn becomes a bigger and bigger
structure rather than give away threat to White's King. In
the c4 Pawn. As a result, Black addition, the Black Rook on fa
responds with a kingside attack. also gets stronger with each
f-Pawn move.
13•... e5 14.d5 4)e7 15.ttb3
4)bc816.Ilacl b617.f4 4)f5 25.e6 f4 26.j'td4 f3 27.1te3
18.fxe5 j'txe519.c&>hl? 1th4+ 28. c&>gl f2+ 29.c&>g2
~g4+ 30.1tg3
This seems like a reasonable
move, however, White will be
forced to play f4 to defend the
checkmate on h2 which leaves
the g3 square vulnerable. A "the Black Rook on f8 also
better choice was Ad2. gets stronger with each
f-Pawn move."

318
 against the two White
connected passed Pawns.

30.... ~e4+ 31.\\>h3 ~f3

31. ... ~f5! with the idea of 37••.. h6! 38.e7 ttf2+ 39.j'tg3
32.... ~h5+ is even stronger. ~f6+ 40.\\>xg4 \\>f7 41.d6

32.j}.xf2 ~xg3+ 33.-'1.xg3

Black's attack has netted the
White Queen, but White still has
plenty of compensation.

33.... g5
White's exposed King is still a
problem and the attack
continues.

34.!le1 g4+ 35.\\>h4 '/tf5

36.~xd6 4lxd6 37.Axd6
Losing the d-Pawn was offset
by the emergence of the Black
Rook on a8 becoming liberated
and a key factor in both the
attack on the White King and
the defense of the back rank
41 •••• h5+ 42.\\>h3
The best defense for handling
the pesky White Passed Pawns
is to strongly attack the
exposed White King.

319
Final Position

320
The start of some great Queen and all that remains are a few
and Rook moves that exploit all spite checks.
of the Black kingside
weaknesses.

31.*g5
With the threat of 32. ~f6+ ~g8
33. 13g5#.
31••.. *d6 32.J~U6 *e7
33.*h6 e4 34.ge6!
Black cannot capture the White
Rook with either the Queen or
the f-Pawn.
34.... *d8
36.... gdl+ 37.~h2 *b8+
38.g3 gd2+ 39.~hll-0

The Black f-Pawn and

h-Pawn are both pinned.
35.... gg8 36.g)(f7

Black's position is hopeless

321
Formation:
Open h-File
An open h-file leaves both the
h7 and h8 squares as huge
targets. Placing an attacking
Rook on the h-file would pose
big problems for the defender.
----------- Game #268 ------------
Comebacks take place in chess
games for many reasons. First
of all, it is human nature to let
down when you believe that you
are way ahead and cannot
possibly lose. Second, the
losing side may be trying harder
than ever to generate problems
and complications for the
winning side. After all what
does he have to lose, the
position is already lost.
Sometimes other factors also
322
contribute to the winning side's
demise, such as fatigue,
overconfidence, time pressure,
underestimating the opponent,
and illness.
The best players realize that
these factors are at work and
continue to fight when down
and don't ease up when
winning.
(W) Joel Johnson (2226)
(8) Zach Raves (1879)
[C 18] Pueblo Open,
Tuscon, AZ., 07/18/2004
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3 ..£lc3 Ab4
4.e5 c5 5.a3 Axc3+ 6.hxc3
.£le7 7.itg4 0-0 8.A.d3 .£lbc6
9..£le2 c4
I have managed to get my
Bishop trapped by placing my
Knight on the wrong square.
Now, I am faced with the loss of
a Bishop. What should I do?
Well, there are only two real
choices in positions like these.
It's either "defend like crazy" or
"attack like crazy"1 Everything
else in between will definitely
lose. So, ...
10.jlxh7+ ""xh711.h4 ~h8
12.jlg5 ita5 13.h5 ""g8
14.""d2 .£lf515.h6 ~h7
16.hxg7 ~xg7

17.tth5 ~f818.g4!
Daring Black to capture my
d-Pawn.
18•... 4)cxd4?
Black needs his Knight for the
defense of his back rank.
19.4)xd4 4)xd4 20.tth8+ llg8
323
21. ttxg8+!! ~xg8 22.Af6 ~f8
23.gh8* 1-0
------------ Game #269 -----------
Once again, the weak h-file is
the target of the attacker.
(W) David Cummings (2357)
(B) Gary Basanta (2355)
[A30] Canadian Open,
Richmond, Vancouver, Canada,
(Round 9), 1999
1.4)f3 4)f6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 Ab7
4.Ag2 c5 5.4)c3 e6 6.0-0 d6
7.ge1 4)bd7 8.e4 a6 9.d4 cxd4
10.4)xd4 ttc711.Ae3 Ae7
12.gc1 gc8 13.f4 ttb8
14.tte2 0-0 15.Af2 h616.f5
e517.4)c2 gfe818.4)b4 AdS
19.94 4)c5 20.h4 4)fd7
21.4)bd5 4)f6 22.4)xf6+ Axf6
23.ttd2 Ae7 24.g5 hxg5
25.hxg5 4)d7 26.Ah3 ged8
27.~h2 gxc4
28.f6 Af8 29.gh1 d5 30. tte2
30•... fle7 31.ith5 g6?
Faced with White's pending
32. M5 threat, attacking Black's
weak h7 square, Black chose
g6 now.

32.1txg6+! fxg6 33.Jle6+ 1-0

Black is checkmated after either
33 .... 'iti'h7 or 'iti'hB by White
exposing the Rook on h1 with
either 'iti'gl:fl:, 'iti'g2:f1:, or 'iti'g3:f1:.

324
Formation: One of the negatives to castling
queenside is that your a-Pawn
Queenside Castling can instantly become a target of
attack, frequently forcing the
defender to use an extra move
to defend it.

------------ Game #270 ------------

The most basic queenside

castling checkmate occurs in
this game.

(W) Esteban Canal

(8) NN
[B01] Simultaneous, Budapest,
Hungary, 1934
Castling queenside can be both l.e4 d5 2.exd5 ~xd5 3 ..£.c3
very aggressive and extremely ~a5 4.d4 c6 5•.£.f3 J1.g4
dangerous. Attackers love 6.J1.f4 e6 7.h3 J1.xf3 8.1txf3
castling to the opposite side of J1.b4 9.J1.e2 .£.d7 10.a3 0-0-0
their opponents. II.axb4 'ltxal+ 12.~d2 'ltxhl

As White, an attacker may

castle queenside to place a
Rook on the d-file without
wasting a move and/or to
enable his kingside Pawns to
join in an all-out assault on a
kingside castled Black King.

As Black, defending against an

attacker, you may decide to wait
on castling to determine which
side is safest for your King.

In any case, many great games 13.'ltxc6+1 bxc614.J1.a6# 1-0

come out of these strategical
scenarios.

325

Final Position
------------ Game #271 ------------
Another basic checkmating
theme in positions where you
have a Bishop guarding all the
squares around your opponents
King. Unfortunately, this game
came against my chess coa~h,
the wonderful Harry Lyman, In
our only over the board
encounter. Harry Lyman was
the most inspirational person
that I have ever met.
(W) Joel Johnson (1911)
(8) Harry Lyman (Master
Emeritus) (2200)
[C56] Boylston Chess Club
Championship, Boston, MA,
04/22/1976
1.e4 e5 2•.Q.c4 4lf6 3.d4 exd4
4.4lf3 4lc6 5.0-0 4lxe4 6.Ete1
326
d5 7 •.Q.xd5 ttxd5 8.4lc3 tthS
9 4)xe4 A.e6 10.J1gS .Q.d6
li.4)xd6+ cxd6 12•.Q.f4 ~dS
13.c4 ttxc414 ..Q.xd6 0-0-0
lS..Q.g3
White's dark squared Bishop is
a dominating piece because it
controls two squares around the
Black King. The Bishop also
prevents Black from relocating
his King behind his Pawn cover.
IS•.•. Jlg4 16.Etc1 ~b417.a3
ttxb2?
The opening of the b-file for
White's Rook is very risky and
not advisable.
18.ttd3 .Q.xf3 19.9xf3 EtdS
20. tte4 Ethd8 21. ~f4 ~b6
22.Etbl g5? 23. ttxf7 ~5d7
24.tte61-0
24.... ~a5 loses immediately to
25. ~xc6+ bxc6 26. fib8 •.
 White Queen ~~t~IOCk out the
Final Position Black needed
and 23 .... e4. 22.... 'lWf4+
•.•••.-.---- Game #272 ----
Once again a Q ---
on c6, but u'nlike ~~en sacrifice
~ames, the ch e last two
Involved. eckmate is more

327
------------ Game #273 ------------
Related Games
(Queen & Bishop Mate):
064,118,181
The next three games illustrate
how powerful a Queen and
Bishop can be when attacking
an opponent's King on the
queenside.
The first game is a fairly simple
and very instructive Queen and
Bishop checkmate.
(W) Robert Radford (2040)
(8) Jon Dussik (1885)
[C 18] Pacific Coast Savannah
Open, Agoura Hills, CA
(Round 1), 07/1712008
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 Ab4
4.e5 c5 5.a3 Axc3+ 6.bxc3
4)e7 7. ~g4 0-0 8.Ad3 f5
9.exf6 gxf6 10•.1l.g5 gf7
11.'lth4 h612.4)f3 4)bc6
13.Ad2 ~c714.g4 c415..Q.e2
e516.g5 e417.gxh6 exf3
IS.hxg7 4)g6 19.~h6 'lte7
20.0-0-0 fxe2 21.gdgl Af5
22.gxg6
White was already in huge
trouble, so the end being near
should not come as a surprise,
but the finishing method is very
informative.
328
26.\flal 'lta4+ 27.\flb2 ~b3+
2S. \flal ~a3 # 0-1
------------ Game #274 ----------.
The Black Queen and Bishop
are working so well here that
both of Black's Rooks become
expendable.
White tried for some "Fishing
Pole" magic, but was unable to
force Black to capture the
"lure". Ultimately, White's
attack became stalled and
Black's counter-attack took
over.
(W) Jorge Pelaez
(8) Alejo Dovitiis
[A54] Havana, Cuba, 1993
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 d6 3.4)f3 4)bd7
4.4)c3 e5 5•.1\g5 Ae7 6. ~c2
c6 7.e3 0-0 S.Ad3 h6 9.h4
exd410.exd4 geSll.0-0-0
4)f8 12.\flbl a6 13.Axf6
Axf614.4)e4 .1l.g415.c5 d5
16.4)d6 ge717.Af5 j'txf3
IS.gxf3 b6 19.9hgl gbS
20.b3 bxc5 21.dxc5 ~a5
22.gg4 ge2!
This move draws the White
Queen away from defending the
b3 square and places it directly
on a possible escape square for
the fleeing White King.
No better is 24. axb3 ~a1 +
25. ~e2 ~b2+ 26. ~d3 ~e3"'.
And, the White Queen on e2
impedes his own King's escape. Generally speaking, the player
24•••• ~c3+ 0-1
Checkmate follows after either
25. ~e2 or 25. -'te2, Black plays the blink of an eye.
25 .... Etb1 +! 26. ~xb1 ~a1"'.
G #275
------------ arne
Black takes the Queen and
Bishop battery to the extreme,
pitching his Rook and two
Knights to clear the way.
(W) 8-Wall (2221)
(8) rabbitosky (2366)
[B78] ICC 50,08/28/2009
1.e4 c5 2.4lf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.~ xd4 4lf6 5.4lc3 g6 6.f3
.Q.g7 7.Ae3 0-0 8.j'tc4 4lc6
9.~d2 j\d710.0-0-0
Opposite side castling games
are always lots of fun. All out
assaults on each other's King.
that forces their opponent to
defend, usually wins. In this
game, White never gets any
attack and the game is over in
10.... gb8 11.\flb1 b5
------------ 12.4ldxb5 4le513.j'te2 ~a5
14.4lxa7?
It is very unwise to capture
Pawns in front of your King
position. As, it just opens up
files for the enemy Rooks. The
move 14. 4Jd4 keeps the a-file
closed and helps shuts down
the a1-h8 diagonal also.
14.... gxb2+1
The idea behind 14.... Etxb2+
was to open up the b-file for a
329
Replacement Attacker, his other White's weak dark squares,
Rook on f8.
Now, Black is clearing the the
a1-h8 diagonal for his Bishop.
16.gxf3
"Opposite side castling
games are always lots of
fun."
"Generally speaking, the
player that forces their
opponent to defend, usually
wins."
16.... ~xe4! 17.fxe4 itb4+
18.CCflc11ta3+ 19.CCflb1 gb8+
20.~ab5 j'txb5 0-1
especially the b2 square cannot
be adequately defended.
Final Position
Black checkmates after 21.Aa7
~b7 22:t;\''d5 .1lc6+ 23.Ab5 .1lxd5
24.Ad4 .1lxa2+ 25.~al Ab3+
26.~bl §xb5 27.Axg7 .1la2+
28.~al ~b2 •.
-------- Game #276 ------
Black plays a shocking Queen
sacrifice leading to a Bishop
and Rook checkmate.
(W) Li Chao (2643)
(B) Bu Xiangzhi (2704)
[C42] 2009 Chinese
Championship, Xinghua
Jiangsu, China (Round 7),
06/02/2009
1.e4 e5 2.~f3 4)f6 3.~xe5 d6
330
4.4)f3 4)xe4 5.4)c3 4)xc3
6.dxc3 A,e7 7.A,e3 4)c6 S. ~d2
Ae6 9.0-0-0 ~d7 10.h4 h6
1l.4)d4 4)xd412.A,xd4 ElgS
13.c4 c5 14.J1.c3 0-0-0 15.~e3
t\'a4 16.~b1 d5 17.cxd5
Axd5 IS. ~xe7?? ~xa2+
19.~c1 ~a1+ 20.~d2
t\'xd1+!! 0-1
Final Position
White gets checkmated after
21. ~xdl .1lf3+ and on either
22. ~c1 or 22. ~el, Black plays
22 .... §dl#.
----------- Game #277 -----------
In a wide open position,
Nakamura plays a shocking
checkmating combination to
bring the game to a stunning
conclusion.
(W) Gennadi Sagalchik
(8) Hikaru Nakamura
331
[C12] Tomeo Continental
Americano Buenos Aires
Argentina (Round 9) ,
08/27/2003 '
1.d4 4)f6 2.4)c3 d5 3.jtg5 e6
4.e4 A,M 5.4)ge2 dxe4 6.a3
A,e7 7.A,xf6 gxf6 S.4)xe4 f5
9.4)4c3 c610.g3 b611.A,g2
Ab7 12.~d3 4)d7 13.4)d1
~c714.c4 0-0-0 15.4)e3 ~bS
16.~c2 A,d617.f4 h51S.h4
4)f6 19.0-0-0 c5 20.d5 ~heS
21.4)c3 a6 22.~hel ~gS
23.4)f1 ~xg3 24.4)xg3 A,xf4+
25.~b1 A,xg3 26.~e2 A,cS
27.Eld3 Jle5 2S.4)a4 ~a7
29.Elb3 4)d7 30.J1.f3 ElgS
31.A,xh5 exd5 32.cxd5 b5
Black starts to move his Pawns
in front of his King. Why? The
reason is because White's Rook
and Knight are tripping over
themselves and are
uncoordinated. Over the next
few moves, as White struggles
to avoid losing his Rook, Black
is proceeding towards both
winning the encircled White
Rook and not as obvious, in the
direction of White's King.
33.4)c3 c4 34.Elxb5 J1.xc3
35.d6 ~xd6 36.Elxf5
The good news for White is that
his Rook has escaped!
"However, the bad news is ..."

36.•.• §gl+ 37.\fla2 ~xa3+!!
0-1
Wow!, what an awesome move!
Final Position
White is checkmated after
either 38. <it>xa3 !:tal # or
38. bxa3 !:tal #.
332
------------ Game #278 ------------
In the next two games, White is
able to sacrifice material to
create an inescapable
checkmating net.
(W) Joel Johnson (2207)
(8) Eric Hammond (1820)
[A03] Valley Chess, Glendale,
AZ. (Round 1),07/10/2008
l.f4 d5 2.d4 4)f6 3.4)f3 4)c6
4.e3 a6 5.c3 Ag4 6.Ad3 e6
7.h3 J1.xf3 8.~xf3 J1.d6 9.0-0
~e7 10.4)d2 0-0-0
II.M 4)a712.a4 4)d713.4)b3
Over the last few moves, White
has begun the process of
building up an attack, while
Black has started to back
peddle with moves like -tla7 and
-tld7. For the most part,
positions like this one are races.
Arriving with your attack first is Black Pawn on c7 prevents
frequently the deciding factor in Black from receiving assistance
determining who will come out from his other pieces along his
on top. How can you justify second rank.
those back peddling moves,
when your attack comes up a 19•.•. bxc6 20.bxc6 tte8
tempo or two short? 21 ..1l.bS $1e7 22. tta6 4)d6

13••.. fS 14.bS axb5 15.axb5

CZlb816.tte24)eSI7.tta2
4)db6 18.4)a5 g5

Checkmate cannot be avoided.

23.~a7+ <lieS 24.tta8+ 4)xa8

19.4)c6+!
The point of ~6+ is that Black
must capture and after Black
captures the White Knight, the
White Pawn on c6 acts to
permanently hem in the Black
King. The Black King cannot
run away from the White
invaders via the d7 square and
because of the Black Knight on
c8 and the Black Rook on d8,
he cannot flee via his first rank
either. Supplementary, the
25.l;txa8# 1-0
---------- Game #279 ---------
Similar to the last game, where
White sacrificed a piece on c6
to create a mating net. Except
this time, White sacrifices his
Queen.
(W) Dennis Waterman
(8) Romeo Samo
[C65] Mechanics Institute
Marathon, San Francisco, CA,
1974
l.e4 eS 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Jl.h5 4)f6

333
 press~laCk trades
o-O~ Feeling
atta~k'ng
re of White's
4 Ad7 6 Axe6 the.
pieces, t
4 \\te2 d6 5.d.... 7 8.0:0

~
I I defender. Bu,
.Ii.c6 7.4)<:3 we in his on y k is swifl and
x
Already, we ca~1
obsenre how
few defenders a
ck has in front
Especla~~~
White's a,: could not be?
strong: when you consider
has no more

""
of his King.
~~~~i[~~~r=l~II~~~~
~r.(h~_ ~ ~.Z
that Bla defenders.
d
queensl e

~~'iSt·J~t····:¥~f
~ml"~t"~~
lP. .J...... '~~%~.
~...at~ l~~~~~~~
... "'_"/~ ~~ ~x1a~.13a3 ~c8
15.axb5+~b8
14 Axa7+!!

~~1i1!~.,. ~.. ~i1

l '@ • ,

..
r."'.•.r.-..m. .'~~jif£.t~'
w

·.·Jr
•'~·~-lIPJ! _.~ i"~~m'.4
'R·~.~~~ .~ft.£,.:.
fil'Ji • _
• _.

~§f"'a .~~ .~ ~.
~ Wi~~l:j"~/~~- .~ft~~~
••

.~ ~.
I •
9.d5 ? Send Black's only L . ..
....ft _ ;{~~
~~f!i ~.!W
'• .§W ,/JL3
...
Why not. ieee back. .

defending p b bly thinking

9 .... A
d710.a4 Black wa~
pro aoing to es,:"pe
h r his that his King IS g and he will
. g to anc 0 h d7 square I
~e ~ole
White is prepann uare. And via t e head a Bishop or in
Knight
U on b5 games just ?e
a But, there is no gett 9

=~t~:.. p~~ys~imilar
~~~I:"S =~Ocking
m ch like Fishing 224227
G mes # -, nothing. White's next
ay after
move.
anchor a Kn.,g a manner. 17\\tc6111-0
his a-Pawn In en the a-file. fler
Wh~~ wan~(~ ~~Iack
for
captures Black is
17.... bxc6
chec,::~i:s 19. J:jral
his hIS Rooon b5.
Knight 4 followed by18.
20. J:j a8*.
10.... g6~~5A 3~b812.~c
AXb5
4)g4 13.cz.J

334
••••••••--- Game #280 -----------

Much like the last game, Black

castles queenside and finds
himself short of defenders.
While, White develops his
pieces very quickly and with the
overwhelming firepower, the
game is all over before Black
can even complete his
development.

(W) FearNoEvii (2200)

(8) Darkness (1864)
[C21] ICC 3 0
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Ac4 4)c6
4.4)f3 d6 5.4) xd4 Ad7 6.4)c3
'C/e7 7.0-0 0-0-0
Strategically, Black is already
busted, as the ratio of attackers
to defenders is just too great on
Black's queenside, a perfect
situation for sacrifices like ...

Positions like this one, where

one side has a huge advantage
in attackers, is where sacrifices
happen. Another reason why
this Rook sacrifice works is
because a Replacement
Attacker (the White Rook on f1)
can easily and very quickly
replace the lost Rook.

14•••• ~xa7 15.4)b5+ ~b8

8.Ae3 ~b8 9.4)xc6+ Axc6 16.~xb6 d5 17.ga1

Black is down to just one The White Bishop is poison.

defender, the Bishop on c6. 17•••. ite6 18.ga8+ ~xa8
19.~a7:11= 1-0
10.~d4 b611.a4 Ab712.a5
~f6 13.axb6 cxb6

335
-------- Game #281 ------------

Much like Game #275, White

allows Black to dictate the
attack in front of White's King
and never mounts any type of
attack on the Black King.
Strategically, providing Black
with an easy win.

(W) Marvin Rogan (2085)

(B) James Rizzitano (2542)
[B26] US Open, Chicago, IL,
(Round 3),08/07/1989
l.e4 cS 2.~c3 ~c6 3.g3 g6 Final Position
4 ..1lg2 .Q.g7 S.~ge2 d6 6.d3 e6
7 ..Q.e3 ~d4 8. ~d2 ~e7 White cannot avoid checkmate
9.0-0-0 t\'b6 10.gdel ~ec6 after: 22. ~xc2 bxc2+ 23. ~cl
11..Q.xd4 cxd412.~dl Ad7 '(Wxb2+ 24. ~d2 c1(.£l)+ 25 . .£lc2
13.c4 dxc314.~exc3 ~xc2+ 26. ~el ~xe24.

----------- Game #282 ---------

Just like the last game, White

allows Black to dictate the
attack in front of White's King
and never mounts any type of
attack on the Black King.
Strategically, once again
providing Black with a relatively
easy win and a very nice
finishing checkmate.

(W) Boris Gelfand (2665)

14..•. ~d4 IS.f4 gc8 16.ghfl (B) Vladimir Kramnik (2765)
tta617.CCI1bl bSI8.~e3 b4 [D45] European Club Cup
19.~e2 b3 20.a3 ~c2 21.gdl Berlin, Germany, (Round 2),
ttxa3!1 0-1 09/06/1996

336
1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.4)e3 4)f6 As discussed prior, White has
4.4)f3 e6 5.e3 4)bd7 6.~e2 no attack, therefore it is just a
.Q.d6 7.g4 Ab4 8.Ad2 ~e7 question of how and when will
9.a3 Jl.xe3 10.Jl.xe3 b6
11.Ad3 Jl.a6 12.~a4 dxe4 Black finish White off.
13.~xa6 exd3 14.~xd3 0-0
15.g5 4)d5 16.Ad2 f5 26.... 4)e3!
17.0-0-0
Attacking all the weak squares
The primary purpose of castling around the White King.
queenside is to somehow
generate a kingside attack. 27.4)xd4 Elxb2! 28.Elxb2
~a2+!0-1
But, as the game proceeds, it
becomes increasingly apparent White is checkmated after:
that Black will be doing all the 29. ~xa2 ~bl =11=.
attacking. Strong attacking
chess players insist on ------------ Game #283 ------------
attacking and not becoming
distracted away from their An all-out brawl ends with a
goals. Only defending if most shocking and extremely
absolutely necessary. powerful move by White.
17.... e518.~bl b519.~xb5
Hab8 20.~a5 Elb3 21.~a2 (W) Viktor Kupreichik
Hfb8 22.Elbl e5 23.Elhel ~e6 (8) Gennadi Timoshchenko
24.~al exd4 25.Elxe5? 4)xe5 [C02] URS, 1968
26.~xe5
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 e5 4.e3
~b6 5.4)f3 Ad7 6.4)a3 exd4
7.exd4 4)e6 8.Ae2 J'tb4+
9.~fl Ae7 10.h4 f6 II.Elh3
4)h612.Axh6 gxh6 13.~d2
0-0-0 14.exf6 Axf615.4)b5
e5 16.dxe5 Axh3 17.exf6 Jl.g4
18.a4 .Q.xf3 19.J'txf3 a6
20.~f4 axb5 21.Ag4+ Eld7
22.axb5 4)a5 23.~b4 ~e7
24.b6 ~h2 25.Elxa5 ithl+
26.~e2 Ele8+ 27.~e7! 1-0

Black has no way out. After

~xe7! 28. fxe7, Black
27....
cannot prevent mate, in face of

337
the dual threats of 29. EtaS. and 26.f6 ~e6 27.fxg7+ ~xg7
29. eS(~).. 28.~d5 4)c4 29.~f2?

Final Position 29••.. ~xd5t!

___________ Game #284 _________ Unleashing the unused Black
light-squared Bishop on c8, and
A Queen sacrifice by Black leading to a checkmate.
unleashes a minor piece 30.exd5 J1.f5+ 31.~c2 ~a1+
checkmating attack. 32.~xa1 .Q.xc2 0-1
(W) Joseph Blackburne
(B) George Mackenzie
[C45] London, England,
(Round 1), 1882

1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.d4 exd4

4.4lxd4 J1.c5 5•.Q.e3 ~f6 6.c3
4)ge7 7.4lc2 .1l.b6 8.4)ba3
ttg6 9.f3 4ld810.ttd2 4)e6
11.4lc4 d612.4)xb6 axb6
13•.Q.c40-0 14.g4 4)c6
15.0-0-0 4)e5 16.J1.e2 4lc5
17.Jl.xc5 bxc518.f4 4)c619.f5
ttf6 20.g5 'l!te5 21.M3 ~xa2
22.~b1 ~a7 23.4)e3 4)a5
24.4)g41!te7 25.~g2 ~h8 Final Position

338
White is unable to prevent 25.... ~d2+ 26. ctlcl ga8
Black from playing 33 .... EiaS.. 27.ttxb5 ~f3 28.ge3 gxa2
29.ga3
__------- Game #285 ----------

At a critical point in the game,

White decides to go Pawn
grabbing. The end result is
Black gets just enough tempos
to finish off White beautifully.

(W) Celso Zupide

(8) Sam Loyd
[C45] Paris, France, 06/27/1867

1.e4 e5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.d4 exd4

4.4) xd4 Ac5 5.Jle3 J1,b6
6.jlc4 ~ge7 7.~c3 0-0 8.ttd2
4)xd4 9.Jlxd4 Jlxd4l0.ttxd4
4)g6ll.0-0-0 a6l2.f4 ~xf4
13.<llbl ~e6l4.ttd2 h5
15.jlb3 d6l6.Ad5 gb8l7.h4
4)c5 l8.h5 h6 19.9dfl Ae6
20.g4 Jlxd5 2l.~xd5 ~xe4
22.tte3 ~g5 23.tta7 gc8
24. ttxa6 ~e4 25.gel
.
O~e oft~e ~ost u~behevable
finishes In thiS entire book,
starting with:
29.... gal+!! 30.gxal ttg5+
3l.ctlhl ~d2+ 32.ctlcl ~b3+
33.ctlhl

339
Smothered checkmate logic at
work here, along with an a-file
"side rank" mate.
34.gxcl ~d2+ 35.«3la2 ga8+
36.~a4 gxa4# 0-1
Final Position
----------- Game #286 ------------
Despite a naked King, White is
able to finish off Black with a
group of very active minor
pieces.
(W) Max Euwe
(8) Richard Reti
[B 10] Amsterdam Match;
Amsterdam, Netherlands, HCL
28, (Round 3),1920
l.e4 c6 2.b3 d5 3.exd5 cxd5
4 •.Q.b2 ~c6 5.g3 e5 6 •.Q.g2
j'le6 7.'ite2 ~c7 8.~f3 f6
9.0-0 j'ld6 10.~c3 a6 II.d4
~ge712.dxe5 .1l.xe513.~xe5
340
fxe514.gadl 0-0-0 15.gfel
h5 16.~a4 e417.f3 h418.fxe4
hxg3 19.exd5 Axd5 20.Axd5
~xd5 21.~e6+ «3lb8 22.gxd5
gde8? 23. ~xe8+ gxe8
24.gxe8+ «3la7
White's attack may not seem
like it will succeed, but it will.
Black loses his Queen after
25 .... 4:\xdS 26.Ad4+ \t>aS
27.4:\b6+ \t>bS 2S.Ae5.
26.Jla3 gxh2+ 27.«3lhl
Correctly, exploiting Black's
Pawns on g7 and h2 for cover.
27•... ~f7
White's position defies logic, as
his King is in the wide open
without any real defenders.
What this means is White not
only must coordinate his minor
28.ge7+! !

. t of the move,
This is the POIn
26. Aa3.

Final Position

---------- Game #287 ------------

The last thre~ ~maZing King

ames in this
section are a Black plays an
Hunts. Here, k sacrifice to .
amazing R~O
conclude t e hunt of the White
35.... gdl!!
King.
oks foolish, unless
(W) David Howell Ott This move 10 head to an
(8) Jonathan LeVI you can s~e
upcoming a d'ble
Incre I
Black Rook
sacrifice.

341
36.~xdl13xdI37.13f313xcl+
3S.~a213al+ 39.~b3
It would appear that the White
checkmate threat on fl cannot
be adequately defended. But,
not so fast ...
39...• 13xa3+!! 40.~xa3
Black instantly checkmates
after 40. bxa3 ~bl #.
40••.• ttal+ 41.~b4 tta4+
42.~c5 Ad4+ 43.~d6 'ltb4+
44.~c6 ttc5+ 45.~d7 ita7+
46.~d6 'lte7+ 47.~c6 ~e8
0-1
--------- Game #288 ----------
An exchange sacrifice, followed
by a remarkable Queen
sacrifice, leads to a sparkling
minor piece King Hunt, as
White, in textbook fashion,
systematically shepherds the
Black King away from the
defending Black pieces into the
teeth of the White attackers.
(W) David Norwood
(8) Sean Marsh
[COO] International (Open),
Walsall, England, 1992
1.g3 d5 2.~f3 ~f6 3.j'lg2 e6
4.0-0 A,e7 5.d3 c5 6.~bd2
~c6 7.e4 b6 S.e5 ~d7 9.13el
itc710.ite2 Ab7 II.h4 0-0-0
12.a3 h613.h513dgSI4.c4 d4
15.b4 g6 16.bxc5 bxc5
17.hxg613xg61S.13bl h5
19.~e4 h4 20.j'lg5 AfS
21.~xh413ggS 22.~f313h7
23.~d6+ A,xd6 24.exd6 'ltxd6
25.Af4 ite7 26.13xb7! ~xb7
27.ite4f5
2S.~xc6+!!
White finds a fantastic
checkmating sacrifice I
2S...• ~xc6 29.~ xd4+ ~b6
342
30.~bl + <3la6 31.Ab7+ <3la5
32.Ad2+ <3la4 33.Ac6+ <3lxa3
Final Position
343
class opponent to the brink,
doing everything but
checkmating the Black King.
This is one of the games that
cannot be excluded from the
book, even though the game
does not end in checkmate.
The attack is just too good to
exclude from the book.
(W) Garry Kasparov (2812)
(8) Veselin Topalov (2700)
[B07] Hoogovens A
Tournament, Wijk aan Zee,
Netherlands, (Round 4), 1999
24.gxd4 cxd4 25.ge7+~b6

Black gets checkm

25 .... flxe7 26 fI ated after
27.'~b6+ -'lob . xd4+ <iti>b8
29.~a7#. 7 28..£lc6+ <iti>a8

~
26.ttxd4+
2S.ttc31txd;a5 27.b4+ ~a4

The only move

White's th that stops
reate ned 29. ~b3 #
29.ga7 J1.b .
31.ttxf6 ~~;~igxb7 ttc4

Black
32. needed
<iti>b2 fia8. to try 31. ... §dl +
Checkmat (I
32.~xa6+ ~xb4
chooses t: ollows if Black
Bishop with ;~cePt the White
37. flc2+ ~ .... ~xf1
n~rvous when m getting
Personally, I start .
really 39. ~xe2#-. el 38. §e2+ fle2
King is in posT y opponent's
help checkm~tlon to possibly
e my own King.

344
 White is anticipating Black's
next move of~c5, which
enables White to trade his
queenside Knight for Black's
dark-squared Bishop. What is
important about the trade is that
it does not thwart White's plan
of swinging his Queen from the
kingside to the queenside.

15•••. ~c5 16.4)e4 ~xe5

17.4)xf6 ~xf618.~a5 4)c2
19.Jl.g5 -{txb2

Another example of a player

37..•• Elxd7 38.Axc4 bxc4 grabbing an enemy Pawn in
39.~xh8 Eld3 40.-{ta8 c3 front of his King with the same
41.~a4+ ctle142.f4 f543.ctlcl
gd2 44.'ita7 1-0 poor result.
______•••_ Game #290 ._•••__._._ 20.Elabl ~a3 21. 'ite5t

A sparkling attack by White Focusing on the weak dark

leads to an amazing finish I squares around the Black King.
White plays a very unique
21 ••.. 4)b4 22.Af4 4)a6
checkmating combination.

(W) Michael Bezold

(8) Andrei Kharlov
[A20] Neu Isenburg Open, Neu
Isenburg, Germany, (Round 3),
04/24/1992

l.g3 e5 2.Ag2 4)f6 3.c4 d5

4.exd5 4)xd5 5.4)f3 4)e6 6.0-
oAe7 7.d4 exd4 8.4) xd4
4)xd4 9.~xd4 e610.'itxg7
Af611.'ith6 Ae612.e4 4)b4
13.4)e3 'ite714.'ith5 0-0-0
15.e5

345
23.Jlxc6!
23. '§'xb7 is also a very strong
second best move.
23..•. bxc6 24.Elb8+ e>d7
25.Eldl + Jld5 26.Elb7+ e>c8
6.Ag5 h6 7 ..Q.h4 g5 8.Jlg3
4.)e4 9.4.)d2 4.)xc3 10.bxc3
Jlxc311.Elcl Jla512.h4 g4
13.e3 4)c614.Jlb5 Jld7
15.Elc5 'tie7 16.0-0 Jlh4
17.Elxd5 Jld618.4)c4 .Q.xg3
19.fxg30-0-0

27.~b8+ 1-0 At this point in time, we can

already see that White's attack
And, Black is checkmated after will be much more effective
27 .... 4)xb8 28 . .§.c7#. than Black's attack. Why?
Because White's King can hide
------------ Game #291 ------------ behind his Pawn cover on h2
and would appear to be
White plays a double Rook extremely safe. On the flip side,
sacrifice that leads to a unique Black's King is being swarmed
positional checkmate with a by White's pieces.
Queen, Knight, and Pawn.
20. 'tia4 ~e4 21.Elc5 e>b8
22.Elf4 ~e8 23.e>h2 f5 24.~f2
(W) Alexander Khalifman h5 25.Elh2 Elh6 26.d5 4.)e5
(8) Grigory Serper 27..Q.xd7 4)xd7 28.Elxb7+!!
[038] Saint Petersburg, Russia, e>xb7
1994
Much like the double Bishop
l.d4 4.)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4.)f3 d5 sacrifices elsewhere in the
4.4.)c3 Jlh4 5.cxd5 exd5 book, White strips Black of his

346
Pawn cover. The mating
combination works because:

1) Black's pieces act more to

enclose the Black King, rather
than defend it;

2) Black is unable to defend his

weak c7 square; and

3) Black's King cannot flee.

29.gxc7+! flJxc7 30.t\'xa7+

c&'c8 31.d6 1-0

Final Position

And, despite all the extra

material at Black's disposal,
there is no way for Black to
avoid checkmate.

347
Formation: The first group of games
(Games #292-#318) focus on
Uncastled King captures on the fl (f2) square.
Many of the games in this group
are either King Hunts or the
aggressor has a tactic to get
back the sacrificed material,
leaving the defender with his
King stuck in the center looking
for cover.

------------ Game #292 ------------

Intimidating the solid Caro Kahn

Defense is not easy, but this is
one method that can be utilized.

(W) Arkmaster (1430)

The Uncastled King has
(8) jamesfreddy (1385)
obvious and well known
[B11] Free Internet Chess
weaknesses on fl (f2) and
Server (FICS), G/3, 03/13/2010
along the e-file. Despite this
being common knowledge, the 1.e4 c6 2.~c3 dS 3.~f3 dxe4
two biggest groups of games 4.~xe4 J1fS S.~g3 jlg6 6.h4
are related to these two h6 7.~eS .11.h7 8.~hS g6
weaknesses. Each of the
groups is listed below:

1) Capture on fl (f2);
2) Check along e-file;
3) Check along h5-e8 (h4-e1)
diagonal;
4) Knight check;
5) Check along a4-e8 (a5-e1)
diagonal;
6) Defender moves King on his
own;
7) Capture on d7 (d2);
8) Capture on d8 (d1);
9) Back rank check;

348
9.Ac4 e6 10.~e2 .f}d7?? ------------ Game #295 ------------
Black needed to defend White's Another version of "Legal's
threat of 11. ?)xt7!. Mate" by one of my students,
Dr. Bogdan Anghel, against the
11•.f}xf7! f/}xf712.~xe6+
rtlg7 13.11/f7 =11= 1-0 Sicilian Defense.

____________ Game #293 ___________ (W) cucushow (1466)

The 18th Century French player
Kemur Sire De Legal became
famous for the following
checkmate, known as "Legal's
Mate", despite also being
Francois Philidor's chess coach.
(W) Harry Nelson Pillsbury
(8) Fernandez
[C25] Paris, France, 1900
(B) superking (1547)
[B23] ICC 30 10, 12/19/2009
1.e4 c5 2•.f}c3 .f}c6 3.f4 d6
4.Ac4 4)f6 5•.f}f3 .11.g4 6.e5
dxe5 7.fxe5 .f}xe5 8.4)xe5
.11.xd1 9.Axf7 =11= 1-0
------------ Game #296 ------------
And, another one with the
Blackmar Diemer Gambit.

1.e4 e5 2•.f}c3 .f}c6 3.f4 d6 (W) CommanderTyler (1692)

4..f}f3 a6 5.J1c4 Jl.g4 6.fxe5 (B) Hysteria (1490)
~xe5 7 •.f}xe5 Axd1 8 •.11.xf7+
rtle7 9 •.f}d5=11= 1-0 [000] ICC 3 0 u, 02/12/2010

1.e4 d5 2.d4 dxe4 3.f3 exf3

----------- Game #294 ------------ 4.4) xf3 4)f6 5.Ac4 c6 6 •.f}c3
Ag4 7 . .f}e5 Ah5 8.~xh5
Another "Legal's Mate". 4)xh59.J1xf7=11= 1-0

(W) Henry Buckle ----------- Game #297 ------------

(8) NN
[B30] London, England, 1840
1.e4 c5 2•.f}f3 d6 3 ..f}c3 e5
4.Ac4 4)c6 5.d3 .f}ge7 6.jlg5
Jlg4 7 •.f}d5 .f}d4 8.4)xe5
Axd19 ..f}f6+ gxf610.Axf7=11=
1-0
This time around, Black gets in
on the action. And, in case you
are wondering why I have
shown so many of these, it is
because I want to emphasize
that this trap can take place
with a wide variety of openings
and from a wide variety of

349
positions.
(W) Oudheusden
(8) De Vries
[C30] Amsterdam, 1934
1.e4 e5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 .11c5
4.4)f3 d6 5.f5 4)f6 6.h3 d5
7.4)xe5 4)xe4 8.4)f3
(W) MysteryMan (2299)
(8) Znebster (1899)
[B23] ICC 3 0,06/01/2009
l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 d6 3.f4 4)c6
4.4)f3 g6 5•.11c4 .Q.g7 6.f5 gxf5
7.d3 fxe4 8.dxe4 .Q.g4

9 ..11xf7+

8 •.•. '/th4+ 9.4)xh4 .1l.f2+ It should be noted that if the

10.~e2 4)d4+ 11.~d3 4)c5# Black Bishop on g4 was
0-1 protected, say by a Knight on
fS, then this tactic would not
---------- Game #298 ---------- work.

In addition to "Legal's Mate", 9 •••• ~xf710.4)g5+ ~g6

you also have to be worried that
your opponent can play Axt7+
after you pin his kings ide Knight
to his Queen, as in the following
game. White quickly gets back
his material, followed by
checkmating the exposed Black
King.
11.'/txg4
White has gained a Pawn and
completely exposed the Black
King.
11 •... 4)f612.'/tf5+ ~h6
13.4)f7 # 1-0

350
_--------- Game #299 ---------
And, in this game, White does
not have a "Legal's Mate", but
he does have a very nice minor
piece mating attack worth far
more than a measly Queen.
(W) Johannes Zukertort
(8) NN
[C28] Leipzig, Germany, 1877
1.e4 eS 2.4)c3 4)f6 3.f4 d6
4.4)f3 4)c6 S.Jl.c4 Jl.g4 6.0-0
Ae77.d3 4)hS 8.fxeS 4)xeS
Black avoids the standard Legal
mate because he has the f8
square for his King. However,
because White is castled and
the f-file is open, White is able
to continue with a superlative
minor piece King Hunt.
Basically, who needs a stink'n
Queen?
In Black's haste to attack White,
he leaves himself wide open to
the very plausible Queen
sacrifice starting with the move,
9. ~)(e5!'
9.4)xeS! j'txdll0.Axf7+ 'lflf8
11.AxhS+ Jl.f6
Black probably feels good about
his position, but he should not.
White's next move completely
rips the cover off of Black's King
position.
12.Elxf6+!! gxf6 13.Jlh6+ 'lfle7
14.4)dS+ 'lfle61S.Jl.f7+ 'lflxes
16.c31-0
What a magnificent mating net!
Despite having plenty of pieces
remaining, Black cannot
prevent White's checkmate
threat of 17.1U4# on the next
move.
351
 1.1.xa1 11. .Q.x~+
interesting con tinuation would
have been 10. 'd4 where White
~f8 12. .Q.g5 4)xr ~ for the lost
has com~ensa lOy complicated
material In aver
position.

~.~~_ ~S
i_J..~"
~~ t!IEI~:t • .t~~"%'t""~
~~
~~Jf!. 'B, ~
.~M. •
Final Pos..
't'on
•
B~ 'B~~~. !lEI•
~.,
•
~~~~.
.~~. •• B~~~.~
~ ~~~ft.
11!Jl-
W~~~
~~'l~~~~Lj~~.~~=~-~~::
-------- Game #300 ------------ ~
~4.~ ~~~ ~_.§ ~ . ~
8 12•.Jtg5 M~
13.~1 ~e 14•.A.bS ~g6.
\11~
oison Pawn
which leads to f7~nd
Black grabs a p Me being able 1l.Jl.xf7+
a
to capture °t~eckmating have played Ihe
subsequen Black should ove 14. '" d5!. 10
attack. very strong mWhiie Queen and
. Greco block oul the ssibil~y
thai
(WI Gioachmo
(8) NN.
[C54] M.sce
Ilaneous Game, Black
his queens. woul~d:ep::""'S
open up the po ble 10 develop
sometime
(Round 2), 1620 in Ihe near future.

1.e4 e5 2.4)f~ ~~46 3 Ac4 Ac5

6.cxd4 15.4)e54)xe5.
,

~f6
~xc3 7.~~~ 10"~'b3 wa~
4.c3 S.d xe4 8.0-0 15 ... d5 naN,
Jl.b4+ iXC3 Black had 1.0 pia: his last
Axd4?9.b . sl to SUrvive.
JU
.... apture the
Black had to c d play like a
Wh~e chance.
Rook on a1 an be like an
16.13xe5!
computer (?r ~io after all.) for
abacus? .It IS f the game. An
the remainder 0

352
"Greco lived during the early On 18. ... 1Je7, White
1600s and is considered by checkmates the Black King
some to be the first after 19. .11g5+ Af6 20. §e1 + 1Jf8
professional chessplayer." 21. Ah6=11=.

19..~f7:11= 1-0

----------- Game #301 -----------

Black finds himself way behind

in development and as a result
pays the price.

(W) MysteryMan (2200)

(8) mcworld (1911)
[B23] ICC 3 0, 10/18/2009

1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6

4.4)f3 j},g7 5.Ac4 4)d4 6.0-0
4)xf3+ 7 ..~xf3 a6 8.f5 4)f6?
9.e5! 4)g8
16.•.. g617.A.h6+ J1g7

10•.Q.xf7+! ~xf7 11.fxg6+

Black's g-Pawn is threat pinned, ~xg612.~f5+ ~h613.d4=11=
so ... 1-0
18.gf5+ gxf5

353
----------- Game #302 ------------ White's pieces and gives White
a bunch of free moves.
Black decides to grab a White
Pawn on f4 unleashing a 13.c3 dxc314.bxc3 ttf615.d4
somewhat surprising Af816.4)f3 e517.Ag5 ttd6
checkmating attack starting with 18.dxe5 ttc7??
19. Axf7!!+.

(W) Tony Sherwood (1644)

(8) Richard Perez (1938)
[B10] 2005 US Open,
Phoenix, AZ, (Round 8),
08/13/2005

l.e4 c6 2.4)c3 d5 3. ttf3 d4

4.Jl.c4 e6 5.4)ce2 4)e7 6.4)f4
4)d77.tte2 ttc7 8.d3 a5 9.a4
4)g610.4)xg6 hxg6 II.f4
Ab4+

Black needed to play

18.... ~c5, protecting the c4
square.

19.Axf7!!+ 1-0

White checkmates Black after

19.... ~xf7 20. ~c4+ ~e8
21. ~e6+ Ae7 22. ~xe7"'.

----------- Game #303 ---------

A very typical line in the King's

12.Ad2 ttxf4?
Bold-faced Pawn grabbing,
instead of developing your
pieces has a lot to do with what
happens in this game. This
move opens up the lines for
Gambit where White gives up a
Knight for development and a
very nice attack!
(W) Alexey Shirov
(8) J Lapinski
[C37] Daugavpils, Latvia, 1990

354
l.e4e52 f4 f 15.... flJd8
4.J1c4 g4 5: x 4 3.4lf3 g5
6. ~xf3 ~f6 ;0 gxf3
8.Axf7+ fIJ .e5 ~xe5
10.Jl.e3 - xf7 9.d4 ~xd4+

355
No better is 13... , ~e6 l.e4 e5 2•.£)f3 .£)e6 3.Ae4 4)f6
14. ~d5 •. 4.4)g5 Ae5 5..£) xf7

14•.£)d2:11: 1-0

5•••• Axf2+ 6.~e2 4)d4+

7.~d3 b58.Ab3
Final Position

-------- Game #305 ---------

There are loads of attacking

openings, but none of them
compare to the Traxler Variation
of the Two Knight's Defense.
The complications arising from
the positions in this variation
are simply mind blowing.

Related Game
(Two Knight's Defense,
Traxler Variation): 001 8 •••• 4) xe4U 9.4) xd8?

(W) J Reinisch It is pretty hard to resist taking

(8) Karel Traxler the Black Queen, but now the
[C57] Hostoun, Czechoslovakia, game ends with a beautiful
03120/1890 forced checkmate.

356
9•..• 4)c5+ 10.'iflc3
What makes this King Hunt so
amazing is that Black has
already pitched his Queen and
has to continue sacrificing
material, not for the usual
reasons like to shred defenders
or to expose the enemy King,
but because those attacking
pieces are "in the way"!
And, lastly, a two move combo
to get rid of the Black Knight
too. Why? Believe it or not, it
is in the way too. Once the
Black Knight is gone, White will
have no more cover for his
King.

10••.• 4)e2+ II:ltxe2 .Q.d4+

12.Ciflb4 a5+ 13.'iflx b5 Aa6+

Get rid of Black a-Pawn too, as

it is in the way.

15•••• 4)a6+ 16.'ifla4 4)b4+

17.'iflxb4 c5# 0-1

14•••• Jl.d3+

The third straight game with this

type of idea.

Final Position

357
 Final Position
xg xhl+9o~e211,:.,!~+
c6
19.~~e8~d8 20:~e8+ ~c7
Sa;'
4itxg6+~e8
8oJ1. c3
6 :f6?(It>C7) On 21. 00 .. _
1004)l 2 r...f7+ 13o"Z..J r...f7+ (20. ... the next page.
xg6 1 ~e5+ ~d8
i1e7
h \!1d8 15...., diagram on
~e8 16o"Z..J

358

Position After Analysis
21.~xc8+ ~b6 22:~xb7+ ~a5
23.b4#.
Position After Analysis
----------- Game #307 ---------
Black grabs a Pawn, which
gave White a couple of free
359
tempos and a considerable
amount of pressure. Then,
White becomes relentless in his
exploitation of the open d-file
and battering through Black's
pawn structure with his light
squared Bishop.
(W) Salomon Flohr
(8) Michal
[B02] 12th Kautsky Memorial,
Prague, Czechoslovakia,
(Round 3), 1935
l.e4 .£Jf6 2..£Jc3 d5 3.exd5
.£Jxd5 4.Ac4 c6 5.d4 Af5
6 ..£Jf3 e6 7.0-0.£JM 8.Ab3
Ag4 9.a3 .£J4a6 10•.£Je4 Axf3
11.t\'xf3 t\'xd4 12.Etdl t\'e5
13.Af4 t\'f514.t\'d3 Ae7
15.Ad6 t\'a5 16.Axe7 ~xe7
17.t\'d6+ ~e8
18.Axe6!
Black has no way to avoid
checkmate. On 18.... fxe6
19. ~)(e6+ ~f8 20.§d3 g6 21.<M6
~g7 22.~e7+ ~h6 23.00+ ~g7
24 ..£)g5+ ~h6 25.§h3:1:.
18•••• ~c7 19.-'1xf7+ 1-0
On 19.... ~)(f7 20..£)g5+ ~e8
21.§e1 + ~e7 22:~)(e7:1:.
------------ Game #308 ------------
ID+, then a King Hunt ensues.
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) chessman1337 (2025)
[B03] ICC 30,09/14/2007
1.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.d4 4)b6
4.a4 d6 5.a5 4)6d7 6.e6 fxe6
7.4)f3 4)f6 8.-'1d3 e5 9.dxe5
dxe5 10.4)xe5 ~d5 11.-'1f4
~xg2 12.~f1 4)bd7 13.4)c3
4)xe514.Axe5 c615.~e2
Ah316.0-0-0 ~g5+ 17.CjfJb1
Axfl18.~xf1 4)d7 19.f4 'l;th6
20.~e4 4)xe5 21.fxe5 ~e6
360
22.-'1c4 ~h6 23.Af7+ CjfJd7
24.~d1+ CjfJc7
25.4)b5+! cxb5 26.~d7+!
CjfJxd7 27.~xb7+ CjfJdS
28.'l;txa8+ CjfJd7
28.... 'lJc7 holds out longer but
still ends with White mating
Black after 29:lii')(a7+ 'lJc8
30..a.d5 itrg6 31.itrb7+ 'lJd8 32.e6
itrg1+ 33.~a2 ~a7 34.itr)(a7 'lJc8
35.~d7+ 'lJb8 36:~b7:1:.
29.~b7+ CjfJdS 30.e6 ~d2
31.'l;tb8=11= 1-0
-------- Game #309 --------
Black accepts the "Poisoned"
Pawn and the great Mikhail Tal
makes him pay.
(W) Mikhail Tal
(8) Georgi Tringov
[B06] Amsterdam Interzonal,
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1964
t.e4 g6 2.d4 Jl.g7 3.4)c3 d6
4.4)f3 c6 5.Jl.g5 ttb6 6. ttd2
ttxb2 7.13bt tta3 8 •.Q.c4 tta5
9.0-0 e6 to.13fel a6 II.Af4 e5
t2.dxe5 dxe5 13.ttd6 ttxc3?
Black needed to play 13.... f6.
14.13edl 4)d7
15•.Q.xf7+! ~xf7 16.4)g5+
~e817.tte6+ 1-0
Black gets checkmated after
17.... ~d818. 00+ f3)c7
19. 'itd6*.
__________ Game #310 ---------- enough material to win the
Alekhine's Defense is one of the be to stop his attack, not grab
most complicated and double-
edged openings. One misstep
by Black can bring the game to 8.~dl4)xaI9.ttf7+ ~h6
a quick end, much like this next
game.
(W) Grigor Minchev (2331)
(B) Bizhidar Ganchev
[B02] Sofia, Bulgaria,
11/22/1986
l.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.4)f3 g6
4.Ac44)b4
5.Axf7+ ~xf7 6.~g5+ ~g7
7.ttf34)xc2+?
This line is unsound, unless of
course Black wants to grab
material, instead of tenacious
defending. As a rule of thumb,
when defending, once ahead
game, your top priority should
more material.
10.d4 d6 11.4)e6+ ~h5
12.ttf3+ ~h413.J1.g5# 1-0
361
 Force the King Away From
His Shelter

Look For Checkmate

First Choice - Check Moves

Be Aware of the Squares

Controlled by the Defenders

Use Many Pieces

Final Position

--------- Game #311 ------------

Starting with 15. Axf7+, White

sends the Black King running
for his life.

(W) FearNoEvii (2200)

(B) lakeland (2014)
[B23] ICC 3 0,07/20/2004
15•.A.xf7+ f/}xf7 16.fxg6+
l.e4 c5 2.~c3 e6 3.f4 a6 4.a4 hxg6?
b6 5.~f3 Ab7 6.Ac4 ~e7
7.d3 d5 8 •.A.b3 ~d7 9.0-0 E{c8 Black best chance here is to
10.~el d411.~e2 ~c6 play 16.... <li'e8.
12.~g3 g6 13.f5 exf5 14.exf5
~a5 17.~e5+ f/}e618.*xg6+ ~f6
19.~f7+ f/}xe5 20.Af4+ f/}f5
Here we need a King Hunting 21.~g3+
refresher.
Force the King Toward Your
Guidelines for King Hunting Pieces

Force the King Toward Your Force the King Away From
Pieces His Shelter

362
21 .... \flg4 22. ~g6+ 1-0 Black needed to play 14.... e5.

Final Position 15.dxe6!

White checkmates Black after The point of 14. .1lh5 is the

22 .... ~h4 23. ~g5 #. Black King is in jeopardy.

----------- Game #312 ---------- 15•••• 4)e5 16.axb5 Jl.xb5?

17.~d5 ga71S.4)xb5 itxb5
A very rare game in which 19.9fdl ttb6
White attacks Black from all
directions and concludes the
game with a nice checkmate.

(W) Juan Manuel Bellon

Lopez
(8) Antonio Antunes
[D44] Platja,
Barcelona, Spain, 1994

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.4)c3 4)f6

4.4)f3 e6 5.Jl.g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5
7.a4 itb6 S.Jlxf6 gxf6 9.Jle2
.Q.b7 10.0-0 a6 11.d5 4)d7
12.4)d4 c5 13.4)c6 ggS
14.Ah5 -'\.xc6? 20.gxa6n

363
The Black Queen and Rook on
a7 are overloaded defending
checkmates on d7 and dB.
20...• gxg2+ 21.\flxg2 gxa6
22.Axti+ \fle7 23. ~d7+ 1-0
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.4)f3 g5
4.h4 g4 5.4)g5 h6 6.4) xti
\flxti 7.d4 d5 8.Axf4 Ae7
9.g3 4)f610.4)c3 h511.~d3
dxe412.4)xe4 Jlf5

13.4)g5+ \flg614.~xf5+t!
\flxf515.Ad3+ 4)e416.Axe4+
Final Position \flf6 17.Ae5 =11= 1-0

White mates after 23 .... 4)xd7

24. Etxd7*.

----------- Game #313 -----------

In the next four games, the

attacker captures on f7 with a
Knight.

White hunts down the Black

King by drawing it into the open
by giving away a Knight and a
Queen.

(W) H Delaire Final Position

(8) NN
[C39] 1901

364
------------ Game #314

~ llr~~~~T
IA~~'-~,~F"""~~!!!!!!!!""'-
g~~nd~ames ~"'~~ M ~~~
When I talk
to about -:- a -

~\!,1 ~~~"",f8t·
computer d needing
am talking ab: a position, I
. ~. '~
l..ft~ .•~•....
one. White like this .. j
compensatio I ns of
Knight. Blae n, o'.a sacrificed
•
.-.
..llfj,"f!·· l¢1
.....' .
and his Piece"ss KIng IS naked ., • ,• •

lik:ei:;:~Y
undevelo ed are
eveoy moP . He must pia
ger .~ • .;'.-.
~••
,,1i:.~..•~.'.~~'""'~./.
., .!l. • •
•
'.

~~f'{rt.~",i~.ft ~
mated, or
• IS game.
(W) Brian Wall (221
(B) Erie And
[B04) D
5)
erson (2119)
~ W '" .'\iii'
,t:!il'r-l" .
, ~l::\
brliz, time
enver
oddsMall
_ eh.ess Tables 10_ "- 4:JeS 11 A
mInutes, Black Whde 3 B-4:Jc3 a614' g:4l cS 12.b4 b6
and Arapah 5 mInutes 16th IS.gxb4 bS 16 A cxb4
(Round 1) oe, Denver, C'O 17.cS • xeS+ \!1xeS
, 07/0912009 '
l~ 4)f6 l-~~~lAn~~'
~~._..a..~SJ~F"'9!ffiW""""""=-
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f#ljt~-~· ~ ~~
m·····!?~~4·t··j
• ... .
2.e5 4)d5
3 dxe5 5.....
.cz.J r.. 3.d4 d6
f
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m/Ii,rr., ·~\~lri~.·
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g~~stly
Despite theposobon BI
d
ofone
Black's ack has e
fairly well. ' appearanc

9.d~~~ 10.
6.4:Jxf7\!1xf7 games involy' In tournament
8.c4 4:JSf6 1!1e6
tlf7 looks can be d e r~:?
How can this ':;' ;randmasteos.
Well,
am fairly certa.ecelvlng and I
In that Black is

365
usually much better prepared to
play the position and handle the
arising complications.
Personally, I would never play
this line with Black.
17•.•• ~a5?

Finally Black makes a mistake.

The only move keeping Black in
the game is 17.... g5.

18.f4+ ~f5 19.Jl.d3+ ~g4

Final Position

------------ Game #315 ------------

An all out attack by Najdorf

concludes with a sparkling
checkmating combination.
White plays loads of sacrifices,
including his Queen, which
leads to him checkmating Black
with his only two remaining
pieces, a Bishop and a Rook.
20.j'te2+ ~f5 21.g4 =11= 1-0
(W) Miguel Najdorf
(B) Dr. Samuel Szapiro
"Personally, I would never [C 10] Buenos Aires, Argentina,
play this line with Black. 1948
And, conSidering that I have
played the Alekhine's 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 dxe4
Defense for over thirty years 4.4)xe4 4)d7 5.4)f3 4)gf6
and love complicated 6.j'td3 A,e7 7.0-0 b6 8.4)e5
positions, even when my A,b7 9.4)xf6+ gxf6
King is exposed, that says a
lot,"

366

10.4)xf7
The beginning of an all out
assault on the Black King.
~xf7 11. ith5+ ~g8
10....
12.~el ~f813.~xe6 4)xe6
14.Ac4 itd6 15.Ah6 Af8
16.~el Ac817.ite8 Ad7
18.~xe6!!
367
Black has no way out of
checkmate.
18.••. ~xe8 19.~xe8+ Ae6
20.Axe6+ itxe6 21.~xf8# 1-0
------------ Game #316 ------------
Both players use their Knights
to capture on fl (f2), but Black
has a shocking surprise for
White, as he simply let's White
continue with the capture of his
Queen.
(W) F Alexander Hoffmann
(8) Alexander Petrov
[C54] Warsaw match, Warsaw,
Poland,1844
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ac4 Ac5
4.c3 4)f6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 4)e4
7.Ad5
7 •... 4)xf2 8.~xf2 dxc3+
9.~g3 cxb2 10.Axb2 4)e7
11.4)g5 ~xd512.4)xf7
After a move like 12. .£)xf7, one
would expect you to either
capture the Knight or move the
Queen. But, certainly not this ...
368
Despite the overwhelming
material advantage, White
cannot avoid being checkmated
by Black's very active minor
pieces.
--------- Game #317 ------------ Black's exposed King prevents
Black from defending his
Very similar to the Fried Liver position, even though Black has
Attack (1. e4 e5 2. oill"3 ~c6 plenty of defenders.
3. Ac4 ~f6 4. ~g5 d5 5. exd5
oi)xd5 6. ~xt7), White sacrifices
a Knight on f7 and sends the
Black King roaming into the
center of the board.

(W) Judit Polgar (2685)

(8) Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
(2580)
[CBO] Bled Olympiad,
Bled, Slovenia, (Round 4),
10/29/2002

l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)e6 3.Ab5 a6

4.J1.a4 4)f6 5.0-0 4) xe4 6.d4
b5 7.Ab3 d5 8.dxe5 Ae6 20.J\g5+ ~d7 21.4)e5+ Axe5
9.~bd2 4)e5 10.e3 d4 22.itf7+ ~d6 23.Ae7+ ~d5
1l.4)g5 Ad5 1-0

Black is checkmated after

24. ~f3+ 'lIre4 25. c4+ 'iflxc4
26. 'lIrb3 # •

------------ Game #318 ---------

White is willing to part with his

Queen for that capture and
check on f7. The end result is a
minor piece King Hunt and
checkmate.

(W) Eero Einar Book

12.4) xf7 ~xf7 13.1tf3+ ~e6
14.1tg4+ ~f7 15.1tf5+ ~e7
16.e6 j'txe617.l:iel1td6
18..Q.xe64)xe619.4)e41te5
(B) A Hiidenheimo
[C27] Helsinki, Finland, 1925
l.e4 e5 2.4)e3 4)f6 3.Ae4
4) xe4 4.1th5 4)g5 5.d4 4)e6

369
6.d5g6 does not have to worry about
the check along the e-file, au
contra-ire.

(W) Herman Helms

(8) Oscar Tenner
[C51] New York, NY, 1942

l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 .£le6 3.Ae4 Ae5

4.b4 Jlb6 5.a4 a6 6.a5 jla7
7.b5 axb5 8.jlxb5 .£lf6 9.Aa3
.£lxe410.~e2 .£lxf211 ..£lxe5
.£ld4??

Black needed to play 11 .... liJe7.

7.dxe6

Although, White sacrifices his

Queen, he could have captured
Black's Queen a few moves
later on. However, winning the
opponent's Queen is not the
main objective in chess.
Checkmating the opponent's
King is the ultimate goall

7 •••. gxh5 8.exf/+ ~e7

9.jlg5+ ~d6 10.0-0-0+ ~e5
II.gd5+ ~xe4 12.b3+ ~b4
13.gb5+ ~a314..£lbl+ ~xa2 12..£lxd7+ .£lxe2 13..£lf6:11: 1-0
15.ga5+ Jla3+ 16.gxa3:11: 1-0
----------- Game #320 ----------
The second group of games
(#319-#327) focus on e-file Starting with a Rook check
checks. along the e-file, White finds a
method for strapping down all
----------- Game #319 ---------- the Black pieces around his
King and utilizes his
Black figures that because he light-squared Bishop to work
has attacked White's Queen, he over Black's weak fl square.

370
15.f6!

h weak light
Exposing ted Black's King
squares ar~u~ost of all, f7).
(e6, d7, an

15 ••.. gxf6 16is.J1d7+

17.Ae64)g6
Af5 itd8ctlxd7 12.4)xe6!? fxe6 13.itg4 itb6?
19.itf5:11= 1-0
e here was
The best mov t who can blame
--------- Game #321 ----------- 13. ... 'l!t'xe5, tbulaYIn
. g that move
Black for no p ould need a
. I Tal attacking . tTal You w
A very tYPlca kes a agalns t'0 defend that
here he ma . computer
game, w.
speculative sa crifice and In position.

371
14.~d6! .1lxd615.ttxe6+ c&>f8 (W) Captain Evans
16..1le4!t (8) Alexander McDonnell
[C51] London, England, 1829
White is willing to part with his
light-squared Bishop in 1.e4 e5 2..£lf3 .£le6 3•.1le4 .1le5
exchange for his Rook taking 4.M Axb4 5.e3 .1le5 6.0-0
control of the f-file. .£lf6 7.d4 exd4 8.exd4 .1lb6
9.e5 d5 10.exf6 dxe4
16.•.. bxe417.~f1+ .£lf6
18.~xf6+ gxf6 19.Ah6 # 1-0 "The Evans Gambit"

Final Position 11.~e1 + c&>f8 12•.1la3+ c&>g8

13.d5.£la514..1le7ttd7
----------- Game #322 ------------ 15.fxg7 C&>xg716.ttd2ttg4
17.tte3+ C&>g818.ttxh8+!!
A routine Rook check by White
along the e-file leads to a Stunning and there is no
mating attack and a very defense for Black.
unusual Bishop and Rook 18•••. c&>xh8 19..1lf6+ ttg7
checkmate. 20.~e8# 1-0

Captain Evans is best known --------- Game #323 ------------

for his gambit creation, liThe
Evans Gambit". The next two The e-file weakness haunts
games illustrate the opening in Black again in "The Evans
all its' glory. Gambit". In addition, perhaps,

372
Black was expecting the ------------ Game #324 ------------
automatic move, 15. E!)(dl,
instead of the checkmating Young Steven Zierk takes down
attack that ensued. a strong Grandmaster in
amazing style, coming right
(W) Max Lange down the e-file.
(B) Karl Mayet
[C51] Berlin, Germany, 1853 (W) Loek Van Wely (2733)
(B) Steven Zierk (2333)
l.e4 e5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.Ac4 Ac5 [A50] 2009 Western States
4.0-0 d6 5.b4 ~ xb4 6.c3 ~c6 Open, Reno, NV (Round 2).
7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 J'tb6 9.h3 10/23/2009
~a510.Ad3 d511.exd5
ttxd5 12.~c3 tth5
l.d4 ~f6 2.c4 b6 3.~c3 Ab7
4.f3 e6 5.e4 d5 6.cxd5 exd5
7.e5 ~fd7 8.f4 c5 9.~f3 4')c6
10.J'te3 cxd4 11.4')xd4 Ac5
12.g3 0-0 13.J1g2 ~e8
14. itd2 ~dxe5

Black sacrifices a Knight for two

Pawns and an attack right down
the e-file.

15.fxe5 4')xe5 16..~e2

Faced with Black's threat of

13.gel+ ~d814.~g5 itxdl
15.~xf7+1 ~d716.Af5+ ~c6
17.~d8+ ~d618.J'tf4# 1-0
16.... {)c4, White plays the best
move. However, Black has
some "home brew" (a surprise
novelty) waiting in the wings.

And, just like that, the game is

over. White never bothers to "Black has some "home
recapture the Black Queen. brew" (a surprise novelty)
Why bother when you have a waiting in the wings."
checkmate?

373
16•••• .11a6!? 20•••• b5!

Usually it is the stronger player Offering up a Trojan Pawn for

that has an "Ace up his sleeve" White, where capturing the
and a waiting trick. However, Pawn opens up the b-file for a
here it is the underdog that is Black Rook and turning down
packing! the Pawn leaves White's Queen
unable to defend his King.
Here, Black offers up a second
piece sacrifice that cannot be 21.ttxb5 ElabS 22.tte2 ttd4+
turned down. Black will actually 23.<if/c2 Elfe8 24. t\'fl
receive one of his pieces back
by force and will have plenty of
compensation and pressure for
the other one. White will find his
King stuck in the center fending
off Black attackers.

17.titxa6 4)c418.4)f5 4)xe3

19.4)xe3 ttxe3+ 20.<if/d1

On 20. ~e2, Black can play

20.... ~g5 keeping White's King
in the center for his Rooks to
subsequently attack.

374
Despite being down a piece, will infiltrate White's position via
Black's active pieces more than the e2 and f2 squares.
make up for the lack of material.

24...• Etxb2+

Also very strong is 24 .... Aa3!

25. §bl §e3 with a very strong
attack for Black.

25.«tJxb2 ~d2+ 26.«tJbl Etb8+

27.4)b5 Jl.d4 0-1

••••••------ Game #325 -----------

White gets a bit too overly

optimistic about his attack and
leaves the e-file open for 19..•. ~e7+ 20.c&'fl Jl.xh6
Black's Queen to invade. 21.~xh6 'lte2+ 22.«tJgl
~xf2+ 23.«tJh2 4)e5! 24.Ethfl
4)f3+ 0-1
(W) Sean Higgins (2104)
(8) Joel Johnson (2200)
Black can also checkmate
[B02] Master Trek, Arizona
White after 24 .... ~g4+ 25. ~h3
State University, Tempe, AZ, §f3+ 26. Axf3 ~h2"'.
(Round 4),06/16/2007

1.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.c4 4)b6

4.d4 d6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.4)c3 g6
7..1l.e3 J1g7 8.Etcl 0-0 9.h3
~f5 10.g4 Jl.d7 11.j},g2 4)c6
12.h3 f513.4)ge2 fxg4
14.hxg4 Jl.xg415.~d2 e5
16.4)d5 Jl.xe217.4)xb6 Jlh5
18.4)xa8 exd419.Ah6?

White is too optimistic about his

attacking chances here. Truth is
that White's Queen cannot
defend both his Bishop on h6
and his second rank. After the
capture on h6, the Black Queen Final Position

375
White is checkmated after
either 25. ~h3 ~h4# or 25. ~hl
~h4+ 26. Ah3 ~xh3 # .
------------ Game #326 ------------
Black leaves his King in the
center for safety and the e-file
Rook check comes near the
conclusion of the game.
Black is seriously behind in
development and should not be
able to fend off all of White's
attackers.
18.f5 Ae7 19.f6 gxf6 20.exf6
Axf6 21.4)g5 Axg5
Weakening all of Black's dark
squares around his King.

22 ..11.xg5 f5 23. ~d4!

(W) Veselin Topalov (2743)
(8) Ljubomir Ljubojevic A powerful positional move
(2570) aimed at infiltrating past Black's
[B48] 2003 Amber Rapid, Monte Pawn cover.
Carlo, MNC (Round 7),
03/22/2003 23 .... ~f8 24. ~g7 ~f7
25.~g8+ ~f8 26.~xh7 ~f7
l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 27. ~g8+~f8 28. ~g6+ ~f7
4.4) xd4 4)c6 5.4)c3 ~c7 29.~d6 ~e4 30.~xe6+!
6 ..11.e3 a6 7. ~d2 4)e5 8.0-0-0
4)f6 9.f4 4)c4 10.Axc4 ~xc4 Taking advantage of the threat
II.e5 4)d512.4)xd5 ~xd5 pin on the Black d-Pawn.
13.\t1bl b514.~f2 Ab7
15.4)f3 ~c6 16.~d3 b4
17.~hdlAc8
30.... ~xe6

White has 31.§d8# on

30.... dxe6.
31.~xe6+ dxe6 32.~d8:j1: 1-0

------------ Game #327 ------------

Related Game
(Windmill Game): 103

Dubbed the "Game of the

Century", White unaware of the
danger, decides to put off
castling for a move, but ends up

376
never getting the chance, as
Black sacrifices his Queen to
unleash a brutal attack.

(W) Donald Byrne

(8) Bobby Fischer
[097] Rosenwald Memorial,
New York, NY,
(Round 8), 10/17/1956

1.4)f3 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 Ag7

4.d4 0-0 5.Af4 d5 6. t\'b3 dxc4
7.t\'xc4 c6 8.e4 4)bd7 9.J3dl
4)b610.t\'c5 j}.g411.Ag5
4)a412.t\'a34)xc313.bxc3
4)xe414..1lxe7 t\'b615.Ac4 18.j}.xb6
4) xc3 16.J'lc5
White needed to try either
18. Ad3 or 18. Ae2.

"Game of the Century" 18.... J'lxc4+ 19.~gl 4)e2+

White is caught in the midst of a

Black Windmill attack. As a
result, Black is able to capture
the White d-Pawn with his
Knight and return to the c3
square again, but as a
protected piece. So, after that
Black can capture White's
Bishop on b6 too. Basically,
Black gets loads of material for
his Queen.

20.~f14)xd4+ 21.~gl4)e2+
22.~f14)c3+ 23.~gl axb6
24. t\'h4 J3a4 25. t\'x b6 4) xd1

Not only does Black have a lot

16.... J3fe8+ 17.~f1 j}.e6!! of material for his Queen, but
his pieces are better placed too.

377
26.h3 ~xa2 27.~h2 {:)xf2
28.~el ~xeI29.thI8+ Af8
30.{:)xelAd5 31.{:)f3 {:)e4
32.1tbS b5
exposed to criss-crossing
Bishops. The checkmate was
named after Samuel Boden.
(W) Alexander Alekhine
(B) Vasic
[CiS] Banja Luka, Yugoslavia,
1931
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.{:)c3 Ab4
4.Ad3 Axc3+ 5.bxc3 h6
6.Jl.a3 {:)d7 7.1te2 dxe4
8.Axe4 {:)gf6 9.Ad3 b6

Black has no idea what is

coming.

33.h4 h5 34.{:)e5 ~g7

35.~gl Ac5+

White has no place to run to.

36.~f1 {:)g3+ 37.~el Ab4+

38.~dl Jl.b3+ 39.~cl {:)e2+
40.~bl {:)c3+ 41.~cl ~c2#
0-1

The third group of games

(Games #328-#334) illustrate
checks along the hS - e8 (h4 - 10.1txe6+! fxe611.Ag6# 1-0
e1) diagonal.
---------- Game #329 -----------
------------ Game #328 ----------
A variation of the checkmate
The hS-e8 diagonal weakness from the previous game with a
is exposed by White's Queen Knight and a Bishop instead of
sacrifice. This checkmate is two Bishops.
called, "Boden's Mate" and
results from a King being

378
(W) Bela Perenyi
(B) Laszlo Eperjesi
[B 17] Budapest, Hungary, 1974
l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.~d2 dxe4
4.~ xe4 ~d7 5.Ac4 ~gf6
6.~g5 e6 7.t?/e2 ~b6 8.Ad3
h6 9.~5f3 c5 10.dxc5 ~bd7
11.b4 b6 12.~d4 bxc5 13.~c6
t?/c714.t?/xe6+ 1-0
"Boden's Mate"
Final Position
Black is checkmated after
either: 14.... fxe615 . .11g6# or
14.... .11e7 'f:Ixe7#.
------------ Game #330 ------------
In a bizarre variation of the
King's Gambit, Black turns in a
marvelous King Hunt.
379
David Bronstein illustrates why
his imaginative and inspirational
chess play was adored by
chess players all over the world.
(W) Paul Keres
(B) David Bronstein
[e33] Friendly Blitz Game,
Zurich, Switzerland, 1965
l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.~c3 t?/h4+
4.~e2
4.... d5 5.~xd5 ~f6 6.~xf6+
gxf6 7 .~f3 Ag4 8.d3 Ah6
9. t?/el t?/h5 10. t?/b4 ~c6
11:~xb7 Axf3+ 12.gxf3
~d4+ 13.~d2 ~xf3+ 14.<I!1c3
ttc5+ 15.<I!1b3 ~d4+ 16.<I!1a4
0-0 17.c3 t?/b618.t?/xb6
axb6+ 19.<I!1b4 Ela4+!!
Awesome! Only one Rook is
needed for checkmate here,
along with Black's Bishop.
22.C(f}c4 b5+ 0-1
White gets checkmated after
either 23. <l1xd4 §d8# or
23. ~d5 §d8 #.
15•.•. ~xh3+!! 16.C(f}xh3 4)e3+
17.C(f}h4 4)f3+ 1S.C(f}h5 .11.g4#
0-1

------------ Game #331 ------------

Another check along the

e1-h4 diagonal leads to another
King Hunt of the White King.

(W) John Schulten

(B) Lionel Kieseritzky
[C33] Paris, France, 1844

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3 ..11.c4 ~h4+

4.C(f}f1 b5 5•.11.xb5 ~f6 6.~c3
4)g4 7.~h3 ~c6 S.~d5 4)d4
9.4)xc7+ C(f}dS 10.4)xaS f3
11.d3 f6 12 ..11.c4 d5 13•.11.xd5
.11.d614.~e1 fxg2+ 15.C(f}xg2
Final Position
------------ Game #332 ----------
White sacrifices his Queen for a
minor piece checkmating attack
on the Black King.

(W) Mikhail Tal

(B) Boris Gulko
[B82] Exhibition, 1969

1.e4 c5 2.~f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

White probably thought that he
was doing okay, but Black's
next move illuminates the issue
of White's King exposure.
4.~xd4 ~f6 5.4)c3 e6 6.f4
4)c6 7 •.11.e3 A.e7 S. ~f3 a6
9.0-0-0 ~c7 10.g4 4) xd4
11.A.xd4 e5 12.fxe5 dxe5
13.~g3 4)xg414.A.e2 ~a5
15.A.xg4 exd4 16.4)d5 ttxa2
17.tte5 tta1+ 1S.C(f}d2 tta5+
19.M ttdS 20.~hg1 f6
21.Ah5+ C(f}fS

380

22.§xg7! fxe5?
Black can suffer a bit longer
after 22 ... <it>xg7 23.f!gl + <it>h6
24.~f4+ ~xh5 25.~f3+ <it>h6
26.~g3 which leads to Black
being checkmated fairly soon.
23.§f7+ ~e8 24.§xe7+ ~f8
25.§fl + ~g8 26.§ff7 1-0
Final Position
381
Because Black cannot defend
both the f6 and e8 squares,
checkmate is forced.
------------ Game #333 ------------
White sacrifices a Knight in
order to open up the h5-e8
diagonal to jump start his King
Hunt.
(W) Artem Samson kin (2379)
(8) Hikaru Nakamura (2701)
[B43] PWC Open, Toronto,
Canada, (Round 4),04/19/2009
l.e4 c5 2.~f3 e6 3.~c3 a6
4.d4 cxd4 5.~ xd4 ttc7 6.Jl.d3
Jl.e7 7.0-0 ~f6 8.a4 b6 9.tte2
d6 10.f4 Jl.b7 11.Jl.d2 ~bd7
12.§ael ~c513.b4 ~xd3
14.cxd3 ~d7 15.§cl ttd8
16.f5 e5
17.4)e6! fxe6? 18.tth5+ g6
19.fxg6
 ker checks with
When the attac the h5 (h4) _
his Queen alon~ the defending
e8 (e1) diagOn~~ pinned, as in
h-Pawn bec~~ as a resul~ the
this game, a loit the pin by
attack~r can e~p(93).
capturing on g

19..•. 4)f6

382
Black resigns because of the the dangers here.
unstoppable checkmate after
32. §xa6+! ~xa6 33. ~a5". IS.§e8+!!

A brilliant method of exploiting

------------ Game #334 ------------
Black's poor King position and
A fascinating Invisible Defender all the weak dark squares
game where White exploits his around the Black King.
checkmating possibilities by
working over an "overloaded IS • ••• ~xe8 16.~xd4 ~eS
Black Queen".

(W) Akiba Rubinstein

(B) G G Bartoszkiewicz
[C56] Correspondence, 1897

1.e4 eS 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ac4 4)f6

4.d4 exd4 S.O-O JlcS 6.eS dS
7.exf6 dxc4 8.§el + ~f8
9.JlgS gxf6 10.Ah6+ ~g8
1l.4)xd4 Axd4 12.c3 AfS
13.cxd4 4)xd414.4)c3 Ag6?

17.4)dS!! 1-0

The Black Queen cannot

protect all the checkmating
squares. White checkmates
Black after either: 17.... ~xd4
18. ~e7"; or 17.... ~xd5
18. ~xf6 followed by ~g7" .

The fourth group of games

Black has so many weak dark
squares to defend and the
move -'1.g6 clearly illuminates
the fact that Black is unaware of
(Games #335-#346) are based
around the defending King
having to start running as a
result of an opposing Knight
check. Or, sometimes, the

383
opposing King is smother
mated.
----------- Game #335 -----------
Black falls for a basic opening
trap and gets smother mated.
(W) Paul Keres
(8) Edward Arlamowski
[B11] Szczawno-Zdroj, Poland,
1950
1.e4 c6 2.~c3 d5 3.~f3 dxe4
4.~xe4 ~f6 5.~e2 ~bd7
6.~d6# 1-0
Final Position
---------- Game #336 -----------
White plays a different flavor of
the smothered mate from the
last game.
384
(W) Emil Joseph Diemer
(8) NN
[000] SMX, Kelheim, Germany
1950
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.~c3 ~f6
4.f3 exf3 5.~xf3 ttxd4 6.~b5
ttdS 7 .Jl.f4 ~a6 8.Etd1 ~d7
9.tte3 b610.Jl.xc7!
White captures the only Black
defender of the d6 square.
10.... ~xc711.~d6# 1-0
Final Position
------------ Game #337 ------------
White spurns the automatic
move (~xc4) for a sparkling
checkmate. And, in case you
are wondering, this variation of
the Two Knight's Defense is
called the Nakhmanson Gambit.
(W) T Chan Wei Xuan (2264)
(B) Dmitry Schneider (2487)
[C56] Mindsports, Beijing,
China, (Round 5), 10/13/2008
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.d4 exd4
4.Ac4 4)f6 5.0-0 4) xe4 6.4)c3
4)d6
Accepting the sacrifice is
complicated but worth heading
towards.
7.4)xd4 4)xd4 S"~xd4 4)xc4
9.~el + i1e7 10"~xg7 ~fS
11.4)d5 d612.4)f6# 1-0
Final Position
------------ Game #338 ------------
Black grabs poisoned material
and pays the supreme penalty.
(W) Benjamin Blumenfeld
(B) NN
[C45] Moscow, Russia, 1903
385
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.d4 exd4
4.4) xd4 4)ge7 5.4)c3 g6
6.Ag5Ag7
You always need to check out
the unexpected.
S.ttxd4! 4)xd4 9.4)f6+ 'iflfS
10.Ah6# 1-0
------------ Game #339 ------------
White forgoes development so
that he can win a Trojan Pawn.
As a result, his King gets stuck
in the center and becomes
victimized by the Black minor
pieces.
(W) NN
(B) Johannes Zukertort
[C21] Berlin, Germany, 1868
l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Ac4 Ab4+
4.c3 dxc3 5.bxc3 ttf6 6.J1xf/+
1!Ixf7 0-0 10~e
9.Ag57.cxb4 ~ 7 8.4)c3 4)f6
II.Axf6 ~ f6lYb3 + d5
13.1!Id2 41c6141~~xd5+ Ae6
15.1!Ib2 Ac4 16·~f3 gadS
17.e5 .~cl 4)d4

------------ Game #341 ----

Knights rule in thO --------
IS game!
17••.. ~xf3! 18.~gl
0-1 ~ ~xg2!

Ifs mate after 19. !l xg24)f3#. (WI Clemens

(8) Eisenschm·d
- - Garne #340 __ [C51] Dorpat 't
, Estonia, 1890

~tllch exd4~xb4
2.~f3 ~c6
.D.cs·t~:
------ 1 4
WhKe utilizes his 4M eS 3
9.~C3
results in Queen for baK S.c3 .D.cS
8.0-0
4)ge712.~
p,ece checkmm: qUIck minor 114 .D.b6 d6
50"!5 dxe511.ge 1
started with a Kn:Ig hAnd, all
t check .this ~
fxe614 .cz.Jxe1 ~d6
r.. g6 ... e613....
1\ xe6

~~))BerthOld Bartsch
J
annan
'lit:r·
•
'/tg4 .D.xd4 ~?~x4g7+
.~e
adva?tage by n~:I~ a slight
Black can mai .
[DOD] Germa ny, 1948 ~g6mstead. p ymg the move
4.f3 exf32 ·5.~xxe4
l.d4d5 e4d 3.4)c3 4)f6 18.4)e6+ ~ 8
~b4 7.0-0-0 f3 ~xd4 6.Ae3 20.4)g5+ ~~8 19.4)f6+ ~f7
9.4)xc7+ ~ Ag4 8.4)b5 e5
~xb711 .... ~ e710.~xb7!'
c5# 1-0 .

386
Black finds himself checkmated
after 20.... <it'xf6 21.~e6+ ~g7
22.~t7+ ~h6 23.4)e4+ ~d2
24.Axd2+ Ae3 25.Axe3:#.

21.j'ta3!

Chucking a Bishop in order to

prevent Black's intended
21. ... ~xel:# and accelerating
White's checkmating plans.

21 .••• tltxa3

Better is 21. ... ~c4 keeping an

eye on the e6 square. Final Position
22. tlte6 4)d8

"Who needs a Queen when

you have two Knigh~I"
"Knights rule"

------------ Game #342 -----------

Black accepts a poisoned Pawn

and then, slips as things get
complicated.

(W) Teimour Radjabov (2728)

(8) Viswanathan Anand
(2779)
[B97] World Blitz
Championship, Rishon le Zion,
Israel (Round 5),09/07/2006

23. tltf7+ 4) xf7 24.4)e6:# 1-0 1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 a6 6 •.Q.g5

387
e6 7.f4 'ltb6 8.'ltd2 'ltxb2 Ab712.'ltg4 'ltxe5 13.Ad3
9.Elbl 'lta3 10.e5 dxe5 II.fxe5 4)f6 14.-'lxf6 'ltxf6 15.Elhel
4)fd7 12.4)e4 h6 13.Jl.h4 'lta4 h5
14.Jle2 4)e6?
15.4)xe6! g516.4)f6+ 1-0
Black is checkmated after
either: 16.... ~e7 17. ~d6#; or
16.... 4)xf617. 4Jc7+ ~e7
lB. ~d6#.
------------ Game #343 ------------
Black ignores his development
just enough, and finds himself
facing Tal's entire force pointing
at his uncastled King.
(W) Mikhail Tal
(8) NN
[B96] 1973
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 exd4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)e3 a6 6.j},g5
e6 7.f4 b5 8.e5 dxe5 9.fxe5
'lte710.'lte24)fd711.0-0-0
388
When I look at positions like the
one above, I cannot escape
noticing how many well placed
attackers White has and how
many poorly placed defenders,
Black has. And, time and time
again, the final result is lopsided
in favor of the aggressor.
16.4)xe6n j},e717.Jl.xb5+!
axb518.4)e7+ 1-0
White checkmates after
18. ... C{fjlfB19.E!dB+ Axd8
20.E!eB#
------------ Game #344 ------------
Playing Alekhine's Defense is a
double-edged sword. You need
have quite a bit of knowledge
and know how to combat odd
looking moves. Tal turns a
mistake into a swift and
effective end to the game.
(W) Mikhail Tal
(8) NN
[B03] simul, 1973
l.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.d4 d6
4.c4 4)b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5
Af5 7.4)c3 e6 8.4)f3 Ab4
9.Ad3 Ag4 10.0-0 c5 11.4)e4
cxd4 12.c5 4)6d7?
12.... .£\c8 is a smarter choice.
13.4)d6+ ~e7 14.4) xd4! 4) xe5
15.titxg4!
The Black Knight is overloaded 13 .... lfte7 is correct to save a
and cannot defend both the f7 move after 14. Ah6.
square and the Black Bishop on
g4.
15.... Axc5 16.Elxf7+ 1-0
Black has been fighting to
defend the f7 square and now
we find that the e6 square is
even weaker. Black is
checkmated after either:
16.... .£\xf7 17. 'ffitxe6+ lftf8
18. 'ffitxf7#; or 16.... lftxd6
17. 'ffitxe6#.
------------ Game #345 ------------
Another Queen sacrifice for two
minor pieces leads to a very
unbalanced game where White
is able to coordinate his pieces
with great effect.
(W) Jozsef Pinter
(8) Craig Thomson
[E17] Edinburgh, Scotland,
1989
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)f3 b6
4.g3 .Q.b7 5.Ag2 .Q.e7 6.4)c3
4)e4 7.Ad2 Af6 8.E{c1 .!l.xd4
9.4)xd4 4)xc3 10•.!l.xb7! 4)xd1
11.Elxd1 e5 12.4)f5 g6
13.4)g7+
A very odd place to put the
White Knight, but it is correct.
13••.• ~f8?
14•.Q.h6 ~e7 15.f4 exf4
16.0-0 4)c617.E{xf4 f6
18.Ele4+ 4)e5 19•.Q.xa8 titxa8
20.Elxe5+ fxe5 21 •.Q.g5+ ~f8
22.E{xd7 titc6
389
 ------------ Game #346 ------------
"Queen versus two minors"
Two of the world's best players
during the mid-1800s turn in an
awesome battle and
spectacular finish!

(W) Adolf Anderssen

(8) Lionel Kieseritzky
[C33] London, England, 1851

1.e4 eS 2.f4 exf4 3 ..Q.c4 ~h4+

4.<31f1 bS S•.Q.xbS 4)f6 6.4)0
~h6 7.d3 4)hS 8.4)h4 ~gS
9.4)fS c6 10.g4 4)f6

23.~xc7 ~d6 24•.Q.h6 ~d4+

2S.c&>f1 ~d1+ 26.c&>f2 ~d4+
27.c&>f3 ~d128.Etxa7 ~f1+
29.c&>e4 ~xe2+ 30.c&>dS ~xh2
31.4)e6+ c&>e8 32.<31d6 ~xh6
33.Ete7 # 1-0

11.~g1 cxbS12.h4 ~g613.hS

~gS 14. ~f3 4)g8

Black's Queen needed some

fleeing squares.

1S•.Q.xf4 ~f6 16.4)c3 j\cS

17.4)dS ~xb218 •.Q.d6?
Final Position
The position is roughly even
after 18. ctlc7+ <iftd8 19. Etdl.

390
18•.•. Axgl?
Black is winning after
18.... ~xa1+ 19. <ifj>e2 ~b2.
19.e5 ~xa1+ 20.Cifle2 4)a6?
Black needed to play 20.... Aa6
here, as his King really needs
the c8 square to get away.
21.4)xg7+ Cifld8
22. ~f6+! 4) xf6 23.Ae7:11= 1-0
The fifth group of games
(Games #347-#356) are based
around the defending King
deciding to move on his own
accord, not as the result of a
check.
391
------------ Game #347 ------------
One of my students, Chris
Dussik, turns pressure along
the f-file into a decisive attack
on the Black King.
(W) Chris Dussik (1773)
(8) Jason Kammerdiner
(1701)
[B23] Master Trek, Arizona
State University, Tempe, AZ.
(Round 4), 09/12/2009
1.e4 d6 2.4)c3 c5 3.f4 g6
4.lilf3 Ag7 5.Ac4 4)c6 6.f5
gxf5 7.d3 fxe4 8.dxe4 e6 9.0-0
4)e510.~xe5 Axe511.~h5
~e7 12.Ag5 Af6?
13.E{xf6!
The start of a brutal and quick
finish. White temporarily
sacrifices an exchange to both
eliminate the Black dark
squared Bishop and to harness
the subsequent pin on Black's
Knight into a two for one deal.
Normally, that would a great
deal just based on material
alone. However, White's dark-
squared Bishop is so strong
now that it is worth more than a
Rook all by itself.
13.... 4:) xf6 14.~h4 Etg8
15•.1lxf6 ~f816.4:)b5 ~d7
17.Etd1 d518.exd5 e5
19.tth3+ ~e8 20. 4:) c7# 1-0
Final Position
---------- Game #348 -----------
When playing the great Mikhail
Tal, you must expect all moves,
especially those that are
borderline sound, as in this
game.
392
(W) Mikhail Tal
(8) NN
[B99] 1973
1.e4 c5 2.4:)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4:) xd4 4)f6 5.4:)c3 a6 6.j'lg5
e6 7.f4 .1le7 8.~f3 ttc7
9.0-0-0 4:)bd7 10•.1ld3 b5
11.Ethe1.1lb712.ttg3 b4
A trademark Tal move?
"Create complications then
just out-tactic your
opponent."
13.4:)d5?!
A trademark Tal move, where
he plays something speculative
to blow open a position, where
his supreme tactical powers
would just overwhelm the
opponent. This game is no
exception to this strategy.
13.•.• 4)xd5 14.exd5 4)c5
15.dxe6 4)xd3+ 16.§xd3 f6
17.Jlh4 g5 18.fxg5 fxg5
19.Jlxg5 §g8
The pin on the White Bishop on
g5 is very deceptive.
20.Jlxe7! §xg3 21.§xg3 ~c5
22.Jl.f6 \tIf8 23.§f1 §c8
24.Jld8+ 1-0
----------- Game #349 -----------
White exploits the dark square
weaknesses around Black's
King. The amazing part of this
game is White's Rook sacrifice,
which on the surface does not
appear to work. But, the
computer agrees that the move
is both proper and crushing.
(W) Julio Becerra (2556)
(B) Justin Sarkar (2323)
[C10] 2006 US Championship,
San Diego, CA (Round 9),
03/1112006
Seems like Black has
everything covered, but that is
simply untrue.
22.§xf6+!! §xf6 23.~xh5+
~f8 24.§e3 §f5 25.Jlb4+
~g7 26.§g3+ ~f6 27.§g6+
~e5 28. ~e2+ 1-0
And, 28 .... ~d4 29. c3 '*' .
------------ Game #350 ------------
The King's Gambit is a hair
raising experience, especially
this particular line.
(W) Tim Wall (2370)
(B) Dean Ippolito (2430)
[C33] IV GM International,
Hampstead, England,
(Round 5), 10/29/1998
l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.4)c3 ~h4+
4. ~e2 d6 5.4)f3 Ag4 6.d4 g5
7.4)d5 \tId8

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 4)c6

4.4)f3 4)f6 5.e5 4)e4 6.Jl.d3
Jlb4 7.0-0 4)xc3 8.hxc3 Jl.xc3
9.§hl 4)xd410.4)xd4 Jl.xd4
1l.Jl.h5+ c612.~xd4 cxh5
13.Jl.a3 f5 14.exf6 gxf6
15.~g4 tlc716.§fel b4
17.Jl.xb4 h518.~f3 ~f7
19.Jlc3 §h6 20.§b4 Ad7
21.§f4t1d8

393
 (W) Friso Nijboer
(8) Loek Van Wely
Amazing, the White King is a [B81] Hoogovens Open
fighting piece! Tournament, Wijk aan Zee,
Netherlands, (Round 6), 1995
S.... c6 9.~d2 .Q.xf310.~a5+
b6 11.4)xb6 .Q.xe4+ 12.'tIxe4
axb613.~xaS ~el+ 14.'tId3 l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
'ticS 4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 d6 6.g4
4)c6 7.g5 4)d7 8.Jl.e3 .Q.e7
9.~gl a610.~g3 ~c711.~e2
4)c512.4)xc6 ~xc613.Ag2
b514.0-0-0 ~bSI5 ..Q.d4 'tIfS

15.Jl.xf4!

White's plan is simple, sacrifice

both Rooks to checkmate Black 16.t\'h5 'tIgSI7..Q.f6 AfS
with his Queen and Bishops. IS.e5 d5 19.4)e2 b4 20.4)d4
~c7 21.f4 4)e4 22 ..Q.xe4 dxe4
15•... ~xaI16•.Q.e2! ~xh1 23. ~e2 J'tc5?
17.Jl.g4+ f51S ..Q.xf5+ 'tIc7
19.~a7+ 'tIdS 20.~xb8+ 'tIe7 Black needed to protect the
21. ~xd6+ 'tIf7 22. ~e6+ 'tIg7 back rank with 23 .... .11b7.
23..Q.e5+ 1-0

----------- Game #351 ------------

Back rank issues lead to a very

unusual mating attack.

394

24.4)c6! ~xc6 25.~dS+ .1l.fS
26..1l.e7 h6 27.~xfS+ Cit'h7
2S.~xf7 Cit'g6
29.~f6+! 1-0
Black is checkmated after:
29.... gxf6 30. gxf6+ ~f7
31. ~h5#; or 29.... ~h7 30. g6+
'it>g8 31. Etf8 # •
395
------------ Game #352 ------------
White turns a stunning Queen
sacrifice offer into a successful
King Hunt.
(W) David Howell (2614)
(8) Ivan Sokolov (2655)
[C45] 7th Staunton Memorial
London, England, (Round 7),
08/14/2009
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.d4 exd4
4.4) xd4 .Q.b4+ 5.c3 Ac5 6.Ae3
.1l.b6 7. ~g4 g6 S.4)d2 4)ge7
9.~h4 4)xd410.cxd4 d5
11 ..Q.g5 Axd4 12.0-0-0 h6
13.exd5 hxg514.~xd4 §h4
15.4)e4 Af5 16.f3 Axe4
17.fxe4 Cit'fS1S.g3 ~h7
19.Ac4 ~d6 20.~hfl b5
21..Q.xb5 §xh2 22.~f6 ~xg3
23.§dfl §h7 24.J1.c4 Cit'e8
25.J1.b5+ Cit'fS 26.Jld7 ~cS?
Black had to try 26.... ~g8.
27..§6f3 ~h2 ------------ Game #353 ------------

Black plays a stunning Queen

sacrifice and turns the game
into a minor piece mating
attack.

(W) Miguel Quinteros

(8) Zoltan Ribli
[E39] Montilla, Spain, 1974

l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 Ah4

28. ~h8+!! f/Je7
Black gets checkmated after
2B . ... EixhB 29.Eixf7+ \tIgB
30.EifB+ <iflh7 31.Eilf7+ <iflh6
32.EixhB#.
29 ..§xf7+! 1-0
Black likely resigned because
under the best scenario, he will
lose his Queen. However,
White can checkmate instead
after either:
4. ~c2 c5 5.dxc5 0-0 6.Af4
4)a6 7.a3 Axc3+ 8.~xc3 4)e4
9.~d4 4)axc510 •.§dl d5
11.h4 4)a4 12.f3 4)ec3 13..§d3
f6 14.Ad2 e5 15.~h4 d4
16.e3
Black has a very strong position
because of better development,
better piece position, a safer
King position, and better Pawn
structure.

29.... Eixf7 30.'ffi'eB+ \tId6

31.i!\'e6+ ~cS 32:~c6+ ~d4
33.i!\'c3+ ~xe4 34.Eiel + \tIxdS
3S.tk6+ \tId4 36.Eie4+ \tId3
37.i!\'dS#

or:

29.... ~d6 30.i!\'f6+ <iflcS 31.~c3+

<iflb6 32.~b4+ ~a6 33.i!\'bS#. 16.•.• Jlf517.Axc3 4)xc3
18..§d2

396

18.••. dxe3!!
Black decides to sacrifice his
Queen for just a Rook and a
passed e-Pawn. Well, actually,
he made the sacrifice primarily
because he has White in a
mating net.
19.Etxd8 Etaxd8 20.Ae2 Etd2
All of White's pieces are unable
to do anything. Black has a
complete stranglehold on the
position.
21.g4 Ad3 22.c;flfl
Not 22. Axd3 §dl "".
22.•.• 4)xe2 23.4)xe2 Etxe2
24.c;flg1 Etd80-1
The White King is pinned down It is already over.
to the back rank and there is no
way to avoid checkmate after
Black moves his Bishop.
----------- Game #354 ------------
A discovered attack on White's
Queen leads to a stunning shot
by White and the start of an all
out barrage on the Black King.
(W) FearNoEvil_US (2200)
(8) sushibu (1652)
[C21] 5 0, GameColony.com,
09/18/2005
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Ac4 4)f6
4.4)f3 4)xe4 5.~xd4 ~e7
6.0-0 d5 7.Axd5 4)d6 8.Ete1
Ae6 9.4)c3 4)d7 10.Ag5 4)f6
11.Ete2 c;fld7 12.Etae1 h6
13.4)e5+ c;flc814.Axf6 ~xf6
15.~c5 4)f5
16.-'txb7+!!
16..•. c;flxb717.~c6+ ~b8
397
18.4)d7+ Axd7
i ~ ~~~ ~" ' - - Game #355 -------
~~!lI
..~~lIii...._ "" 7-'
"-*" .~fJtij ~ ~ ~J
~:~i' that was ~ot =;;,ery few games
Another f th -

~ .,~. '~~fl"~ :shet conc~usion. ~~~dtmhate at

~... ~ '~• l~ iPJ;l exclude
.i.,.l fr~~ ~d ~utstandingeto
• • III.
• • 00 unlq , e gam

~. e ook.

•-=,"==~_~~r.t:S~~L~~
••c..
h.~ ~. ~.. ::1 ~~I~~~
,.ft ~ .ft • E(~"~.' ..."
i-""L
Steinitz

~~w~~~ib HastingS~~~~~~~:rOn8alt1ional,
[C54] Ha . n Bardeleben

· 7/1895
t~ 5.d~ ~,;M;Ac4
,,, 1£4 e5 2 {If
19.1'!e8+! {lf6
+ 7.4)e3 d5 .exd4.!lc5
9.0-0 Ae6 10 A 8.exd5 4)xd5
II.Axd5 A d g5 Ae7
~xd5 13 A x 5 12.4)xd5
There's no way for Black to
avoid check ~; ~-tte2 ~d~ ~6~ 14.l'!e1
. 5 exd5 18.4)d4~~ e6
mate.

19.... Ae8 20 ~
21.~e8+ ~d8 2 xc8+ ~xe8
23.~xd8+ ~e62.~xa8+ ~d7
25.~b5# 1~0 24.~d5+ ~b6

Final Position

398
20. ~g4! g6 21.4)g5+ ~e8 15. ~b3 4)g6 16.Ab4 4)h4+
22.~xe7+ ~f8 17.~g3

White cannot take the Black

Queen because of the back
rank checkmate, which leads to
an interesting finish.

23.~f7+!! ~g8 24.~g7+ 1-0

The point being that capturing

the White Rook loses loads of
material and not capturing the
Rook leads to:

24 .... 'it'hB 25. §xh7+ 'it'gB

26. §g7+ 'it'hB 27. ~h4+ ~xg7
28. ~h7+ 'it'fB 29. ~hB+ 'it'e7 Despite White's advanced
30. ~g7+ ~eB 31. ~gB+ ~e7 positioning of his King, all
32. ~f7+ ~dB 33. ~fB+ ~eB
34. 4Jf7+ 'it'd7 35. ~d6#. seems fine and safe. However,
maybe White did not take
------------ Game #356 ----------- Black's counterattack serious
enough.
Who's kidding who? This game
17.•.. 4)h5+! 18.~xh4 h6
sure makes you wonder. For a 19.f4 hxg5+ 20.fxg5
while, it appears White is in
control because of a strong
dark squared Bishop, but Black
has an unreal mating attack.

(W) Evgeny Vladimirov

(8) Vladislav Vorotnikov
[D22] Leningrad, Russia, 1974

l.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.4)f3 a6

4.e3 Ag4 5.h3 Ah5 6.g4 Ag6
7.4)bd2 4)d7 8.4)xc4 e6
9.Ag2 Ae4 10.4)cd2 Ab4
11. ~f1 Axd2 12.Axd2 4)gf6
13.4)g5 Axg2+ 14.~xg2 4)f8

399
20.... ~xg5+!! 21.lit'xg5 f6+
22.lit'h4
On 22. ~g6, Black checkmates
the Black King after the move,
22 .... §h6 •.
22.... g5=11: 0-1
The sixth group of games
(#357 -#368) illustrate checks
along the a4 - e8 (a5 - e1)
diagonal.
------------ Game #357 ------------
A shocking mating combination
that ends with a check along
the a4-e8 diagonal. A Queen
sacrifice leads to a checkmate
with criss-crossing Bishops.
(W) Richard Teichmann
(8) NN
[B01] Berlin, Germany, 1914
l.e4 d5 2.exd5 ~xd5 3.~c3
~d8 4.~f3 Ag4 5.-'lc4 e6
6.h3 Jlxf3 7.~xf3 c6 8.d3
~f6 9. ~g3 ~h6 10.Ag5 ~g6
11.~b5 cxb5? 12.~xb8+!
~xb813.jtxb5=11: 1-0
------------ Game #358 ------------ 7.~el jtg48.e5 4)xe5 9.4)xe5
Black tries too hard to play
aggressive and forgets about
the a4-e8 diagonal which leads
to disastrous results.
(W) FearNoEvil (2200)
(8) Raghu-Kamath (2009)
[C21] ICC 3 0,09/29/2006
l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.jtc4 ~f6
4.~f3 d6 5.~ xd4 c5 6.~f3
Ag4 7.~c3 ~c6 8 ..11g5 ~d4
9.~d3 ~xf3+ 10.gxf3 Jlh5
Black needs this Bishop to
defend his King from checks
along the a4-e8 diagonal.
11.0-0-0 h6 12.Jlb5+ lit'e7
13.~d5+ lit'e614.f4 hxg5
15.f5+ lit'e5 16.f4+ gxf4
17.~c3+ lit'xe4 18.~d3+ lit'e5
19.§hel+ ~e4 20. ~xe4 =II: 1-0
------------ Game #359 ------------
Once again, White plays a
Bishop check along the a4-e8
diagonal leading to mini King
Hunt and an unusual
checkmate.
(W) William Potter
(8) Matthews
[C21] London, England 1868
l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 c5
4.4)f3 d6 5.Ac4 4)c6 6.0-0 d3
Jlxdl10.Jlh5+ f/Je711.Jlg5+
f6? 12.~g6+ f/Jf7 13.~ xh8 =II:
1-0
------------ Game #360 ------------
A very famous game, in which
White, in a superior position,
400
decides to sacrifice a Knight to ------------ Game #361 ------------
achieve a check along the
a4-e8 diagonal, resulting in aBlack gets greedy, attempting to
checkmate combination. win material early in the game,
instead of developing. Then,
(W) Paul Morphy White plays a Bishop check
(8) Duke Karl I Count Isouard along the a4-e8 diagonal
[C41] Paris, France, 1858 leading to a very nice
checkmating attack.
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 .1lg4
4.dxe5 j'txf3 5"~xf3 dxe5 (W) Paul Keres
6.j'tc4 4)f6 7.~b3 ~e7 S.4)c3 (8) Verbac
c6 9.j'tg5 b5 10.4)xb5! cxb5
11.j'txb5+ 4)bd7 12.0-0-0 [C01] Correspondence, 1933
ridS 13.Elxd7
1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.j'te3 dxe4
One of the methods of taking 4.4)d2 f5 5.f3 exf3 6.4)gxf3
4)f6 7.j'td3 c5 s.o-o cxd4
advantage of a pinned piece. I 9.4) xd4 f4 10.Elxf4 e5
refer to this technique as a 11.j'tb5+ ~f712.~h5+ g6
"Replacement Attacker". 13.Ac4+~g7

13.... Elxd7 14.Eld1 ~e6

The majority of chess players

15.j'txd7+ 4)xd716.~b8+
4)xbS17.EldS=II: 1-0
would play the simple
14. ~)(e5 dashing Black's hopes
of winning material. But,
instead, White plays the

401
shocking:
14:lith6+!! ~xh615.~h4+
~g716.J'th6=11: 1-0
----------- Game #362 ------------
Grabbing material instead of
developing, leads to White
tossing his Queen and checking
along the a4-e8 diagonal to set
the Black King in motion.
(W) Miguel Najdorf
(8) NN
[C29] Buenos Aires, Argentina,
1942
1.e4 e5 2.4)c3 4)f6 3.f4 4)c6
4.fxe5 4)xe5 5.d4 4)g6 6.e5
4)gS 7.4)f3 d6 S.Ad3 dxe5
9.dxe5 J'tc5 10.1te2 Ag4
11.4)e4 Ah6 12.Ag5 1td5
13.~d11ta5+ 14.c3 4)xe5?
15.J'th5+ ~f816.4)xe5!! Jl.xe2
17.4)d7+ <lieS
402
18.4)b8+ c6
Black had no choice, as White
has 19. E!d8# coming.
19.4)d6+ <lIf8 20.4)d7 =II: 1-0
------------ Game #363 -----------.
More of the same, as Black
chooses Pawn grabbing over
development, unleashing a
furious White attack, starting
with a Queen sacrifice along the
a4-e8 diagonal.
(W) Emil Diemer
(8) WLudwig
[DOD] Postal Chess, 1973
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.4)c3 4)f6
4.f3 exf3 5.4) xf3 J'tf5 6.4)e5
e6 7.g4 Ag6 S.1tf3 c6 9.g5
4)h5 10.Jl.e3 4)d7 11.0-0-0
4)xe512.dxe51tc713.Ag2
1txe5??
14.itxc6+!! bxc615.Axc6+ There was no way for Black to
rIIe7 16.r!d7+ ~e8 avoid checkmate.

20.~d7+ ~eS 21.r!xa7+ ~dS

22 ..Q.b6+ ~cS 23.r!xaS =11= 1-0

------------ Game #364 ------------

As my students know well, I

never show them my losses.
Why? Well, I tell them that they
already know how to lose and I
am showing them how to win!
But, for those who still want to
see one, here it is.

(W) Jon Dussik (1982)

(8) Joel Johnson (2220)
Not to win the Black Queen, [B01] Valley Chess,
remember chess masters play Glendale, AZ. (Round 2),
for checkmate! 05/04/2009

17.... ~e71S..Q.c5+ itd6 l.e4 d5 2.exd5 itxd5 3.4)c3

19.r!xd6 f5 ita5 4.d4 4)f6 5.4)f3 .Q.g4
6.h3 J1h5 7.g4 Ag6 S.b4!?

When you spend a lot of time

working with a player, like Jon,
you get to know each other
extremely well. As a result,
quite often we try out new
ideas. Not much has been
written about White's 8 th move,
but it leads to some very
interesting chess positions.

S••.• itxb4 9.Ad2 itd6

10.r!bl4)bd711.~xb7 c5
12.4)b5 itc613.r!c7 ite6+
14.ite2 J1e415.4)g5 itxa2
16.4)xe4 itbl+ 17.itdl

403
l)xdl+ IS.ccf1xdl'Z)xe4
19•.1l.g2 'Z)df6 20.g5! Elb8
21.gxf6 'Z)xf2+ 22.ccf1e2 'Z)xhl?
23.Ac6+ ccf1dS 24.Eld7+ 1-0

If 24 .... <it>e8, 25. li:Jc7 *.

If 24 .... <it>c8, 25.li:J)(a7*.

----------- Game #365 -----------

This book contains many

beautiful attacking games by
the great Rashid Nezhmetdinov.
In America, everybody knows
about Mikhail Tal. But, if you
ask them to name the ten 7.e5 dxe5 S.fxe5 'Z)d5 9 ..Q.h5+
greatest attacking chess
players of all-time, I feel very Here is that pesky check along
sure that Nezhmetdinov would the a4-e8 diagonal again.
be left off many people's lists.
As, he was, in my opinion, the 9 •••• ccf1fS
greatest attacking chess player
that nobody in America has Any other move loses the Black
heard of. Hopefully, this book Knight on dS.
will will open quite a few eyes.

Just when you think you know

how the game will end, you
encounter a surprising twist.
(W) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
(8) P Ermolin
[B71] Kazan Championships,
Kazan, Russia, 1946
'"Rashid Nezhmetdinov, in my
opinion, the greatest
attacking chess player that
nobody in America has heard
of. Hopefully, this book will
will open quite a few eyes."

l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 10.0-0 Axe5?

4.4)xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 g6 6.f4
j\g7 More Pawn grabbing - very
unwise.

404
1l.Jlh6+ ~gS 12.4) xd5 ~xd5

On the surface, it would appear
that Black is holding everything
together, but this is exactly the
kind of position that attackers
just love. A wide open position
with loads of options against an
under-developed opponent.
13.4)f5!! ~c5+
Black gets checkmated after
13. ~xdl 4)xe7#.
14•.1le3 ~c715.4)h6+ 1-0
Final Position
It's checkmate as either of
Black's responses 15 .... ~g7 or
15 .... ~f8 are met with
16. f!xf7#.
------------ Game #366 -----------
Another Nezhmetdinov game,
where he gives plenty of stuff
away and then, starting with
19. ~b5+, chases Black's King
up the middle of the board.

(W) Rashid Nezhmetdinov

"exactly the kind of position (8) Lusikal
that attackers just love. A [085] Simultaneous Display
Kazan, Russia, 1951
wide open position with loads
of options against an under- 1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 d5
4.cxd5 4)xd5 5.e4 4)xc3
developed opponent." 6.bxc3 c5 7.Ab5+ 4)c6 S.d5
~a5 9.~a4 ~xc3+ 10.~e2
Ad711.dxc6 bxc612..1lxc6

405
Eld813.~b3 ~xaI14 ..Q.b2 l.c4 4)f6 2.4)c3 e6 3.4)f3 d5
~bl 4.d4 c6 5.~b3 4)bd7 6.cxd5
exd5 7.e4 dxe4 8.4)g5 4)d5
9.4)xd5 cxd510.~xd5 Ab4+
11.\\>dl 0-0 12•.Q.c4 4)f6
13.~xd8 .Q.g4+ 14.\\>c2 Elaxd8
15•.Q.e3 h6 16.4)h3 Elc8
17.\\>b3 .Q.e718.Elacl b5!

Black uses the "Trojan Pawn" to

open the b-file for his Rook.

19•.Q.xb5

15.4)f3 ~xhI16.4)e5 e6
17•.Q.xd7+ Elxd718.~b8+ Eld8
19.~b5+

The start of a King Hunt and it

is a forced checkmate.

19.•.• rt;e7 20. ~b7+ \\>f6

21.~xf7+ \\>g5 22.4)f3+ \\>h5
23.g4+ \\>xg4 24.~xe6+ \\>f4
25.Jle5+ \\>xe4 26.4)g5 =11= 1-0
19•..• Elb8 20.\\>a4 a6 21.Jlc6
Elb4+ 22.\\>a5 Elfb8 23.d5
------------ Game #367 ------------ ,!ld8+ 24.\\>xa6 Ac8+ 25.\\>a7
4)d7 26.a3 El4b60-1
Black checks White along the
e1-a5 diagonal initiating an There is no way out for White.
awesome minor piece King On 27. Axd7, Black checkmates.
Hunt. the White King after
27 .... ~8b7+ 28. ~a8 ~a6=11=.
(W) Gyorgy Szilagyi And, on 27. Ab5, Black mates
(8) Janos Flesch (2390) White after 27 .... !!6b7+ 28. ~a6
[D43] Budapest, Hungary, 1955 !!a8+ 29. Aa7 !!axa7 =11=.

406
Final Position 12.axb5 axb5 13.Jl.xb5 Jl.xb5
14.~xb5+ ~f815.fxe3 13bS
--_._._•• _.- Game #368 ._._._-_•••-

After the Black King is forced to

move. White puts on a
marvelous display of attacking
power along the seventh rank.
The attack also takes full
advantage of a very unusual
back rank mate threat pin to
seal the deal.

(W) Josh Friedel (2555)

(8) Migchiel De Jong (2373)
[B43] 13th Unive Open.
Hoogeveen. Netherlands,
(Round 4). 10/19/2009
1.e4 c5 2.4)f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.4)xd4 a6 5.4)c3 b5 6.Ad3
Ab7 7.0-0 4)c6 8.4)xc6 Axc6
9.~e2 Ac510.Ae3 d611.a4
Axe3
16.13a7 4)f6
16.... §xb5 leads to a lost
endgame for Black after
17. §axf7+ <it?e818. §f8+ <it?d7
19. §xd8+ <it?xd8 20. {)xb5.
17.13xf6 gxf6

407
After 17.... ~xb5 Who
stranglehold B' Ite quickly
18. ~fxf7+ rIJ s8 lack with
20. 4Jd4. e 19. 4Jxb5 fIb6

IS.tth5 tteS

~J)~lf.f
•.
~~0 ~ d:~ •
.~
• .• •.•

~".I:.,
~U"~"Jo!J,~fW
l~
...

~: ieS.2. •• ~
~. ~
23.1N'7+1I1-0
~~~~~... jlJ,..
~
~~~b~L.l~ ~ ~_4>~~
~ ~~.!,l.!!Id~
§-~L
~:r"" Whorte checkm
either: !Of ates Black after
23 .... ~xf7
- 23 24 .M.
19.e51
.
.... 1t>e8 24 §
W*; or 23. :.. .;.h~+ . ehB*·
<M8 25:
7
While aims t g 24. i;l<xh '

Knight (via ~is'I~r ~e Wh~eWh~e

to his attack 0 add more forces
e.ther the (Games tl36~4I~r
The seventh ro
of games
Pawn on e5
w, Jo.n in. of a capture on ~7move
opposing King t 0) force the
because

19.•.. h6 (d2).
----------- Game #369 ------
Much like the I --
On 19.... fxe5 Wh·t reaches the seast game, White
20. f1h6+ rIJ 8' I e wins with Rook and tak venth rank with a
by 22. 4Jf6+~ 21. 4Je4 followed es full advantage
(W) Philip .
20.exf6 ~h7 21 .~e4
And, despite bein (8) Kevinp8 Lucchetti (2190)
exchange Wh.t g down the [B81] M Roser (2327)
, Ie's p. asters B
more than campensate.
Ieee activity Franee (Round 3),
esancon
04123n001

21 .... ttdS 22. ~ g5 hxg5 4.~xd4

l.e4 c5 2~f635d6
~f 3.d4e6cxd4
a6 7.g4 h6 s.Ji~C~59.Af3e5
6.Ae3

408
10.4)f5 J1e611.h4 h512.g5
~g4 13.J1xg4 hxg4 14.4)d5
~d7 15.a4 .§c8
16.axb5 axb5 17..§a7 jlxd5
18.~xd5 .§c7?
It's too late to force the White
Rook off the seventh rank.
19.96! 4)f6
20. ~xf7+ 1-0
409
Black gets checkmated after
20.... ~xt7 21. gxt7 #.
------------ Game #370 ------------
White chucks two pieces for
what looks like nothing much,
but then unleashes a furious
attack, starting with a Queen
sacrifice capture on d7, of
course.
(W) Adolf Anderssen
(8) Jean Dufresne
[C52] Casual Game,
Berlin, Germany, 1852
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.J1c4 J1c5
4.b4 J1xb4 5.c3 J1a5 6.d4
exd4 7.0-0 d3 8.~b3 ~f69.e5
~g610.~e14)ge711.Aa3 b5
12.~xb5 .§b813.~a4 Ab6
14.4)bd2 Ab715.4)e4 ~f5
16.Axd3 ~h5 17.4)f6+
This move looks rather silly, as
White sacrifices a Knight to
open up the g-file for Black's
Rook. But, White does have a
plan.
17•... gxf618.exf6 .§g8
19•.§ad1
Seemingly ignoring Black's
threat of 19.... ~xf3. Perhaps,
White has a stronger threat
elsewhere on the board?
19•... ~xf3 20•.§xe7+!? 4)xe7?
21. ~xd7+n 'tlxd7 22.jl.f5+
'tleS 23.-'ld7+ 'tlfS 24.-'lxe7=11=
1-0
The eighth group is a single
game (Game #371) where
White plays ~d8+ to force the
Black King to move.
--------- Game #371 -----------
Black is unable to resist a
"poison" White Knight and pays
the price.
(W) Richard Reti
(8) Savielly Tartakower
[B 15] Vienna, Austria, 1910
l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 dxe4
4.4) xe4 4)f6 5. ~d3 e5 6.dxe5
~a5+ 7 •.a.d2 ~xe5 s.o-o-o
4)xe4??
410
9.~ds+n 'tlxdSl0•.1l.g5+ 'tlc7
On 10.... ~e8, White
checkmates with 11. §d8#.
11•.a.dS =11= 1-0
The last group (Games #372 -
#373) is when the opposing
King moves because of a check
along the back rank.
------------ Game #372 -----------
Black allows his Queen to
become overloaded and unable
to defend two separate
checkmates.
(W) Alexey Shirov (2706)
(8) Alexander Motylev (2641)
[020] FIDE World
Championships KO,
Moscow, Russia (Round 3.3),
12/0212001
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 c5 4.d5 instead, utilizes his queenside
{)f6 5.~c3 b5 6 ..11f4 .11a6 Rook to rip apart Black.
7.~f3 b4 8 •.11xb8 bxc3
9.tta4+ ttd710.~xa6 cxb2
t1.~bl ~xb8 12.~e5 ~b7?? (W) Viktor Kupreichik
13.~xb2! 1-0 (8) Grurmann Martin
[B90] Muenster International
(Open), Muenster, Germany,
1991

l.e4 c5 2.~f3 d6 3.~c3 ~f6

4.d4 cxd4 5.~xd4 a6 6.h3
~c6 7.Ae3 e5 8.~de2 b5 9.g4
h6 10.~g3 .11e6 II.Jlg2 ~c8
12. ~d2 ~a5 13.b3 ttc7
14.~d5 Axd515.exd5 ~b7
16.0-0 ttxc217.~acl ~xd2
18.~xc8+ ~d7

Final Position

Black is checkmated in all lines,

for example:

13 .... ~xb2 14. 'iljrc6+ {)d7

(or 14.... )fjld8 15. 4)xt7*)
15. 'iljrxd7*.

13.... ~xa614. §xbB+ 'iljrc8

15. §xc8*.

13.... ~c814. §xbB ~xb8 Clearly, Black expects White to

15. 'iljrc6+ 4)d7 (or 15 .... )fjldB play the automatic move
16. 4)xt7*) 16. ~xd7*. 19. .1lxd2 here. However, White
has different ideas.
---------- Game #373 ---------

No automatic moves here, as

White decides to forget about The point of 19. §xf8!! is that
recapturing Black's Queen, and White can grab the Black

411
f-Pawn (not to be confused with 27.Etlc7+ Cit>e6 28.Ete7+ Cit>f6
ICC's fpawn) and the Knight on 29.Etf8+ Cit>g5 30.Etxg7+ 4)g6
b7, then come back for the 31.h4+ Cit>xg4 32.Etxg6+ Cit>hs
Black Rook. 33.Etxh6+ Cit>g4 34.Etg6+ 1-0

20 •••• Cit>e8 21.Etxb7 ~d2 Final Position

22.Etb8+ Cit>d7 23.Etxh8 ~xa2
24.Etcl ~xb3 25.4)f5 4)xd5 Black is checkmated after
26.Ethc84)f4 either:

The rest is a minor piece King 34 .... ~h5 §g5*; or

Hunt.
34 .... ~f4 35. ~d4+ flf7
36. §xf7*.

412
 4)xd5 4 •.Q.b~~ Ae6 8.4)e2
6 5 .Q.a4 4) xc3
Formation.
. .
Ae7 9i.~+
6.bxc3 e5 70_0 10.dxe5 4)d7
12.4:ld4 A1s
f5 Played 1l.f4 ....c 6 14 Ab3S"/tI!;
13·l::!e14)!>h416.4:l f
A 3

.m••-.i.
•
• _. .. .i••
.,
_ ~, 15.Cit'hl
~~:~d~S4:l~20.Ab2
~~.
~~~l···Jr~l~
~,
xd5 18.Etfl 9 "ZJXC

~.~. ~. r.~.:.
- . ' . ., - • •,
B..••
~,~. ~4J.
B~m••••~. ..~(~~~•
• -jln,
. •• ~.. • . q. ,~,~~
• • -~~.e...b_
Pushing your ed
~.!J.~,.
d prOViding~~~~,~
ry doublEHl 9 , ge in Ihe
-~t¢l.<it'
4 is ~§.. ~ •_.!J.
~~L~~~~---:-=
fPawntof5(f.)
4:lfU
ve
some additionallevera
t t the expense of 20.... "/tIg1 +!! 21.l::!xg1
cenler, bu a Mosl attackers are 0-1 _

willing to give ~ptter attack. In

King safety, a little on me #375 _ _
___________ Ga

~:~
defense for a e ker may be 'fi es a Rook,

la~ ~ating
addition, Ihf 1
a2.g8 (9 -a7) WMe sacn 'c II his Queen
able 10 exp ?' sl take advantage Bishop, and attack.
diagonal or JU t two defending for an awesom
of Ihe fact
Pawns provo
I~~forsignificanUy
your King, (W) Alexander
Morozevich

less prolect'o':"s do,

than Ihree Pa
(2732 1 Bologan (2665)
(B) V,ktor, Team ,

Champio)s~12112004
- - Game #374 _ . - [B121 Russ,an Sochi Russ,a,
- (1281) (Round 2 ,

1.e4 c6 2·:1~~7 6.~d3

(WI NamPhung ble (1038) 3 f3 4.4:lc3
e6
(8) tOilandtroou0513112009 b6
[ 0
B021 ICC 1 , AM s.A 6 8."/tId 0-0
1.e4 4)f6 2.4)c3 d5 3 .exd5 7.4)ge2 .Q.a

413
9.0-0-0 c5 10.a3 A)(c3
11.~)(c3 Axe2 12.Axe2 c4
13.h4 b514.~el 4)bc615.h5
~d7 16.g4 f6 17.Aft EtadS
18.Ah3 dxe419.f)(e4 4)(d4
20.g5 f5 21.~bl ~c6 22.h6
fxe4 23.~c3 e3 24.Etxd4!
~xhl+ 25.~a2 ~xh3
26.Etxd8 gxh6 27.gxh6 ~g4
28.~h8+! 1-0
414
And Black gets checkmated
after 28 .... C\f}xh8 29. §xf8+ ~g8
30. Ae5+ 'ltJg7 31. hxg7#.
Position After Analysis
------------ Game #376 ------------
Black goes Pawn grabbing and
just when it looks like he has
gotten back on defense, White
comes crashing through the
kingside. Just too much
firepower for White at the point
of attack. And, although this
game does not end in
checkmate, you will have to
agree that it belongs in this
book.
(W) Joel Johnson (2100)
(8) John Cline (2200)
[B23] Northeast Chess League,
Nashua, NH, 02/15/1979
1.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 g6
4.4)f3 e6 5.e5 4)ge7 6.Ab5
4)d5 7.4)e4 Ae7 8.0-0 f5
9.exf6 4)xf610.Axc6 bxc6
11.4)xf6+ Axf612.t\'e2 0-0
13.~bl t\'a514.d3 t\'xa2
15.Jld2 ~b8 16.f5 exf5
17.Ah6 ~d818.b3 t\'a5
19.4)g5 d6 20.g4 t\'c7
21.~bel Ad7
It's my move, what do I see?
First, I realize that I have given completely derail my plans. He
up two Pawns and need to do
something significant soon,
otherwise, the two Pawns down attack and win the endgame.
will eventually cost me the
game, Also, because I am
down two Pawns, I cannot play 24 .... !ifi>h8 25. ~f7 # mate and if
moves that will just trade off
pieces.
Next, I notice that all of White's
pieces are on the kingside,
while Black currently only has
one piece defending the
kingside (the Bishop on fa).
415
My plan, therefore, must be to
continue with my kings ide
attack by somehow exploiting
my localized material
advantage.
When I started analyzing this
position, I felt comfortable
playing a move like 22. gxf5.
However, as I looked some
more, the shocking move,
22. ~e7 popped up on my
radar. A very interesting move
indeed. Yes, the move loses
my Queen for Black's lone
kingside defender, but does it
work? You need to be really
sure when you give up your
Queen for what amounts to a
positional checkmating attack.
You need to be aware that
Black will be looking very hard
for ways to disrupt and even
could for example, sacrifice
some material back to kill my
So, I analyze: 22 .... Axe7
23. E!xe7 (threatening 24. E!g7+ if
24 ... !ifi>f8 25. ~xh7+ ~e8
26. ~f6+ !ifi>f8 27. E!h7#.)
23 .... E!f8 (only move) 24. E!g7+
!ifi>h8 25. E!xh7+ ~g8 26. E!g7+
!ifi>h8 27. E!el - Wow! Black
cannot stop the other White
Rook from also reaching the 7th
rank and joining in on the
attack. For example, if 27 ....
 ------------ Game #377 ----
The greatAk' ---
~~a
CI~~'n ~mer Chec~.Klng
Just trying to . hems the Rubinstein

a~
time on the some more by .into the

t~ommon eve~t!hISh'S ~ak

used quite a bit k. I.have BIshop along th Ing with his
in very dIagonal. Th e a7-g1
Ime control' b were the overwhelm' en. WIth
specified numlSber of on a Wh'tI e in elegant f fin'
,IS hes off
~oves
ased '"g force
specified amou t in a ashlon.
26 n of bme. (W) Georg R

~~:~he771I1a1 ;~;~/g1" L~a: R~blinstein

.... 1f.>h81.7 (B) Ak' otlewi
+ It>g8 31.Ag7 l~Oe8
[040]
· a and. 1907

1..~f3
!;::ew~~ t7_~ !i;~~ '"1f! {,:!.:~~~~
d4
Black has on dS e6
fn:"mate. to .avoid
. 31. ... !lt7 32 , !I xt7 oWIng
.1lxf7 ~O.'l,td1. b5 13·~_-'l.b1.
2.Jlxc4'l,te711 d3 dxc4
14.1te2 Jl.b7 .Jld3)adS
0-0
15.0-04le5

416
lO.Ii) )(e~ .w.)(e~ .1/.1'1 .lTLC /
18.e4 gac8 19.eS
White's only method of avoiding
an immediate checkmate was
23. A)(b7.

19.... .Q.b6+ 20.\flh1 ~g4

2l •.Q.e4 ~h4 22.g3?

The best move 22. h3 does not 23 .... gd2U

help here, as White is already
lost. For example, 22.h3 ~)(c3
23 ..1l)(c3 .1l)(e4 24.~)(g4 iW)(g4
25.h)(g4 ~d3 (threatening
26.... ~h3 •. ) 26.Cft>h2 ~)(c3.
The White Queen is
overloaded, as she needs to
defend the Bishop on e4 and
the weak h2 square.

24.~)(d2 A)(e4+ 2S.~g2 gh3

0-1

White cannot avoid Black's

intended 26 .... ~)(h2 •. He has
only two useless blocking
moves, .lld4 and ~f3, that only
slightly delay the execution of
the checkmate move.

417
Formation: ------------ Game #378 ------------

f6 Played A basic game that illustrates the

two biggest weaknesses in this
Pawn structure, namely the
a2-g8 (g1-a7) diagonal and the
h-file.

(W) jwoord4 (1686)

(8) FearNoEvil_US (2200)
[802] GameColony.com,
12/14/2005

1.e4 4)f6 2.4)c3 d5 3.exd5

4)xd5 4.t\'f3 4)xc3 5.t\'xc3
4)c6 6.a3 e5 7.Ab5 Ad6 8.d3
0-0 9..Q.xc6 bxc610.t\'xc6
.Q.d711.t\'f3 Etb812.4)e2 f5
Much like pushing your f-Pawn 13.0-0 ~e814.b3 Ac6
to f5 (f4), the attacker may be 15.'lth3 'ltg616.'ltg3 'lth5
17.f3
able to exploit the a2-g8 (g1-a7)
diagonal or just take advantage
of the fact that two defending
Pawns provides significantly
less protection for your King,
than three Pawns does.

In addition, because the

defender has a Pawn on f6 (f3),
then there is no Knight on that
square, which means one less
defender.

Lastly, as a defender, the

biggest concern has to be that
the Pawn Formation invites 17.... flf6 18.'ltg5 ~f7
buildup attacks. Refer to the 19.4)g3 Etf8 20. ~d2 .Q.c5+
21.~h1 flh6 22.Ab2 f4
section entitled, "Pawn
23.4)e4
Structure" for a discussion
related to this topic.

418
23 ••.• Elxh2+ 0-1
White is checkmated after
24. <i!?xh2 ~h5 =11= •
------------ Game #379 ------------
Frequently, an attacker Pawn
on g6 (g3) or e6 (e3) can
eliminate the need for an
attacking Bishop along the a2-
g8 (g1-a7) diagonal, as in this
game. White's attack takes full
advantage of the basic
weaknesses of this Pawn
formation.
(W) Joel Benjamin
(B) H Carter
[C42] Lloyds Bank Open,
London, England, 1982
l.e4 e5 2.4)(3 4)f6 3.Jl.c4
4)xe4 4.4)c3 4)f6 5.4)xe5 d5
6.Jl.h3 Ae7 7.d4 0-0 S.Jlg5 c6
9. ~d3 4)fd7 10.h4 f6
419
11.4)xd5 cxd5 12.Jl.xd5+ CiflhS
13.4)g6+ hxg6 14.h5 ~a5+
15.c3 ~xd5 16.hxg6+ CiflgS
17.ElhS+ CiflxhSlS.~h3+ CiflgS
19.~h7# 1-0
------------ Game #380 ------------
Much like the last game, the
attacker sacrifices the Bishop
along the a2-g8 (g1-a7)
diagonal and exploits the h-file
weakness in a very unique and
unusual fashion.
(W) N Kosolapov
(B) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
[C47] Kazan Open,
Kazan, Russia, 1936
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.4)c3 4)f6
4.d3 d5 5.exd5 4)xd5 6.Ae2
Jl.h4 7.Jl.d2 0-0 S•.£ie4 il.e7
9.0-0 f5 10.4)g3 g5 11 ..£iel
.£if4 12.f3 Jl.c5+
First the diagonal, then, shifting
pieces to the h-file.
13.~hlEtf614.c3 Ae6
IS •.£)c2 Eth6 16.Ae3 g4
17.AxcS 'tth418.Agl 'ttxg3
19.4)el AdS 20.b4 4)hS
21.Af2 'ttf4 22.fxg4
Seems like a reasonable idea,
attempt to free your congested
pieces, but unfortunately for
White having a Pawn on g4
sets up the concluding mating
combination.
22••.• itxh2+!! 23.~xh2 .£)g3+
24.~xg3 f4=11= 0-1
The White Pawn on g4 prevents a4 22 ..£)cl ~h8
the White King from escaping.
Now, it's time to go after the
---------- Game #381 ------------ h-file weakness.
Black plays the move f6 to
prevent White from playing f6,
which gave White a passed
420
Pawn on e6. The White Pawn
on e6 acts to hem in the Black
King.
(W) FearNoEvii (2200)
(8) Evergreen7734 (1883)
[C55] ICC tourney 290680
(3 0) (Round 2), 12/25/2006
l.e4 eS 2.d4 exd4 3.Ac4 4)f6
4.4)f3 4)c6 S.eS dS 6.AbS
4)e4 7.4)xd4 Ad7 8.Axc6
bxc6 9.0-0 AcS 10.f3 4)gS
II.f4 4)e412.4)c3 .£)xc3
13.bxc3 ite714.EtelAb6
IS.~hl cS 16.4)b3 Ac6
17.'ttg4 0-0 18.fS f6
19.e6 EtadS 20.Ad2 as 21.Ete3
23.Eth3 d4 24.4)d3 dxc3
2S.Axc3 Ae8 26. 'tth4 h6
27.Ad2 hS 28.4)f4 Etd4

29. t\'xh5+!! Axh5 30.E{xh5+
White can also checkmate with
30. ~g6+ ~g8 31. ~xe7+ ~h7
32. EIxhS#.
30.... ~gS 31.4)g6 t\'xe6
32.E{hS+ ~f7 33.E{xfS=II= 1-0
------------ Game #382 ------------
Not exactly the ideal Pawn
formation for Pawn storming.
Why? Because Pawn storms
are generally slow unless you
can earn a few "free" tempos by
attacking defending pieces in
front of the Pawn formation.
However, Black was able to
open White up enough to turn
his light-squared Bishop into a
monster piece, which along with
the h-file weakness leads to a
checkmate.
421
(W) Pragmatist (2202)
(8) FearNoEvii (2363)
[A40] ICC 3 0, 06/0BI2007
1.d4 b5 2.e4 Ab7 3.f3 a6
4.Ae3 4)f6 5.Ad3 e6 6.4)e2
d6 7.4)d2 4)bd7 S.c3 Ae7
9.E{c1 c510.0-0 h611.~hl
t\'c7 12.Ag1 g5 13.t\'el g4
14.f4 c415.Abl h516.e5 4)d5
17.f5 0-0-0 1S.fxe6 fxe6
19.exd6 Axd6 20.4)e4 h4
21.4)xd6+ t\'xd6 22.t\'d2
4)7f6 23.4)f4 h3 24.4)xd5
.1lxd5 25.E{f2 4)e4 26.Axe4
Axe4 27.E{e1 Ab7 2S.E{ee2
E{h5 29.E{f7
White wants to eliminate the
super strong Black Bishop, but
the Bishop is worth much more
than either of White's Rooks.
29•••• hxg2+ 30.E{xg2 Ad5
31.h3 E{dhS 0-1
The h-file cannot be defended,
as the threat is 32 .... EIxh2+
33. Axh2 ~xh2 =11=.
----------- Game #383 ------------
An amazing battle between two
of the best player's in the world
during the mid-1BOOs.
(W) Adolf Anderssen
(8) Max Lange
[C61] Breslau, Germany, 1859
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ah5
4)d4 4.4)xd4 exd4 5.Jlc4 4)f6
6.e5 d5 7.Jlh3 Jlg4 8.f3 41e4 17.itf3 tth4+ 18.ith3 itel+
9.0-0 19.~h2 Jlgl+ 0-1

White is checkmated after

20. ~hl Af2+ 21. ~h2 ~gl4l:.

------------ Game #384 ------------

Another game with an h-file

attack and a nice finish.

(W) John Curdo

(B) Robert Byrne
[B51] US Open, Chicago, IL,
08/10/1994

l.e4 c5 2.l~f3 d6 3.Jlh5+ 4)d7

9 .•.• d3 10.fxg4 Jlc5+ 4.d4 4)gf6 5.e5 ita5+ 6.4)c3
4)e4 7.Ad2 4)xc3 S.Axd7+
Black follows the play book, Axd7 9.Axc3 ita6 10.d5 e6
check along the a2-g8 (g1-a7) 11.4)g5 dxe512.ttf3 f6
diagonal and attack down the 13.dxe6 Ac6 14.itf5 Ae7
h-file. 15.0-0-0 g616.ith3 fxg5
17.Axe5 0-0 IS.ith6 §f6
11.~hl41g3+! 12.hxg3 itg5 19.h4AfS
13.§f5 h5!!

Moving the Black Queen just

allows White to defend the
h-file with !:!h5. Besides Black
just needs any vertical moving
piece, like the Rook on h8.

14.gxh5 itxf5 15.g4 §xh5+

16.gxh5 ite4

Unfortunately for White, in order

to address his h-file weakness,
he has to abandon his back
rank.
20.itxh7+!! ~xh7 21.hxg5+

422
<3lg8 22.gxf6 1-0 13.... .§f5#.

Black cannot avoid checkmate.

For example, 22 .... -'td6 23.t7+
Iiftf8 24.-'txd6+ Iiftg7 25.~e5+ ~f8
26.Af6 ~xa2 27 ..§h8#.
"Black pulls off a "Fishing
Pole" type of attack coming
right down the h-file."

------------ Game #385 -----------

Black pulls off a "Fishing Pole"

type of attack coming right
down the h-file.

(W) Heinz Krebs

(B) Emil Diemer
[A40] Germany, 1974

l.d4 e5 2.4)f3 e4 3.4)fd2 d5

4.c3 Ad6 5.e3 4)f6 6.Ae2 c6
7.0-0 h5 8.f3

11.... ~h1+ 12.~xh1 tth4+

13.~gl g3 0-1

------------ Game #386 ---------

Black upsets the Grandmaster

with a brilliant Queen sacrifice,
leading to a minor piece King
Hunt.

(W) Nick DeFirmian (2663)

8 .••. Axh2+ 9.~xh2 4)g4+
10.fxg4 hxg4+ 11.~gl
11. <it'g3 is no better, as Black
can checkmate White after
11. ... ~h4+ 12. ~f4 .§h5 and
(B) Emory Tate (2424)
[B56] New Jersey Open,
Somerset, NJ, (Round 3),
09/02/2001
l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4

423
4.4)xd4 4)f6 5.~c3 Ad7
6.Ae3 4)g4 7.Ag5 h6 8.Ah4
g5 9.Ag3 Ag710.h3 4)e5
II.Ae2 4)bc612.4)b3 h5
13.f3 h4 14.Af2 4)g6 15.0-0
Ae5 16. ~d2 ~c8
Black is pointing all his pieces
at the White King.
17.Ae3 Af418.E{fe14)ce5
19.4)d4 Axh3 20.gxh3 ~xh3
21.Ab5+ 'i!lf8 22.Axf4 4)xf4
23.E{fl a6 24.Ad3 ~g3+
25.'i!lh1 h3! 26.E{g1
It is the moment of truth and
Black is up to the challenge.
26.... ~g2+127.E{xg2 hxg2+
28.'i!lg1 E{h1+ 29.'i!lf2 E{xal
30.4)d1 'i!lg7 31.4)e2 E{c8
32.b3 f6 33.4)gl E{h8 34.Ac4
E{h1 35.Ae2 E{xa2 36.4)e3
E{a137.4)d14)eg6! 38.Ac4
4)h4 39.Ae2 E{xgl! 40.'i!lxgl
4)h3+ 0-1
With checkmate to follow after:
424
41.~h2 gl~+ 42.~xh3
~g2#.
------------ Game #387 ------------
One of my students, Michael
Oldehoff, utilizes the King's
Indian Attack to "shock" his
opponent by exposing White's
h-file weakness.
(W) Scott Price (2051)
(8) Michael Oldehoff (1823)
[E97] Valley Chess, Glendale,
AZ, (Round 1), 04/13/2009
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 g6 3.4)c3 Ag7
4.e4 d6 5.4)f3 0-0 6.Ae2 e5
7.0-0 4)c6 8.d5 4)e7 9.h4 4)e8
10.4)d2 f5 11.E{b1 4)f6 12.f3
In this opening, White needs to
produce counter-play on the
queenside to distract Black from
his kingside attack. However, in
this game, White has spent too
much time making unnecessary
moves like ltb4, §bl, and 4Jb3.
The end result is Black crashing
through White's kingside via the
weak h-file.
12.... f4 13.c5 g5 14.a4 4)g6
15.Aa3 !!f716.a5 AfS
17..£lb3 h51S.b5 g419.Ab4
Etg7 20.Ciflh1 g3 21.b6
22.fxe4 ~h4 23.h3 Axh3 24.~gl
Ae8 25.§f3 ~h2+ 26.~f1 ~hl#.
0-1
The next two games are attack
buildups behind big Pawn
wedges.
------------ Game #388 ------------

White plays a key Pawn

sacrifice on move 25 to open up
the a2-g8 diagonal for his
Bishop. Then, the power of his
piece buildup comes crashing
through Black's defenses.

(W) Igor Ivanov

(8) Sergey Kudrin
[A34] 1989 U.S. Open,
Chicago, IL, 08/1989

1.4)f3 4)f6 2.c4 c5 3.4)c3 b6

4.e4 d6 5.d4 cxd4 6.4)xd4
21 .... 4)xe4!! 0-1 Ab7 7.Ad3 e6 s.o-o Ae7 9.f4
0-0 10.f5 4)c611.Ae3 4)xd4
The only capture in the game 12..Q.xd41kc7 13.1ke2 Ac6
provides Black with an amazing 14.Etf3 a615.Etaf11kb716.a4
forced checkmate after either: e517.Af2 4)d71S.!!h3 !!fcS
19•.Q.e3 f6 20.1kh5 4)fS
22.4Jxe4 ~h4 23.4Jf6+ ~h8 21.!!g3 AdS 22.!!ff3 !!c7
24.4Jg4 hxg4 25.h3 gxh3 26.§el 23.!!g4 !!e7 24.!!fg3 !!a7
hxg2+ 27.~xg2 ~h2+ 28.~f1 25.c5
Ah3#;
A Pawn sacrifice to open the
22.h3ltxh3 23.4Jxe4 (or 23.gxh3 a2-g8 diagonal for the
~d7 24.~g2 4Jh4+ 25/3tgl ~xh3 light-squared White Bishop.
26.fxe4 ~g2 # ) ~h4 24.4Jf6+ ~h8
25.E!el M5+ 26.~gl ~h2+ 25•••. bxc5 26.Ac4+
27.~f1 ~hl#; or
Forcing the Black King into the

425
corner. These types of
positions are nearly impossible
to hold. As, White attacks
straight on after building up a
huge attacking force, while
Black is forced to defend from
the side.
26.••. ~hS 27.Elh4 g5
The pressure along the h-file
forced this move. Otherwise,
White would have had an h-file
mate after 28. ~xh7+ ~xh7
29. Etxh7+ ~xh7 30. Eth3#.
2S.Jlxg5 Elg7 29.Jlxf6 Jl.xf6
30.~)(h7+ 1-0
Black cannot hold off White's
attack. Checkmate follows after
either: 30.... Etxh7 31. Etg8#; or
30.... ~xh7 31. Etxh7+ ~xh7
32. Eth3+.1lh4 33. Etxh4#.
426
------------ Game #389 -----------
The King's Indian Defense
opening philosophy is built
around the idea of attack
buildups like the one in this
game.
(W) Lubomir Ftacnik
(8) Ognjen Cvitan
[E97] Bundesliga, Germany
(Round 2), 1997
1.d4 ~f6 2.~f3 g6 3.c4 Ag7
4.~c3 0-0 S.e4 d6 6.Jle2 e5
7.0-0 ~c6 S.d5 4)e7 9.~d2
4)e8 10.b4 fS 11.c5 4)f6 12.f3
f413.4)c4
13••.. gS
Black proceeds with his plan to
buildup his pieces behind a big
Pawn wedge.
14.a4 4)g6 lS.J1.a3 Elf7 16.b5
dxcS 17.Axc5 hS lS.aS g4
19.b6 g3 20.~h1 4)h7 21.d6 10.4)ge2 d611.0-0 bxc4
~h4 22.-'lg1 .Q.h3 23.bxc7 12.bxc4 4)bd7 13.f4 ~e8
.Q.xg2+ 24.~xg2 ith3+! 14.4)g3 .Q.a615.~ce4 ~xe4
25.~xh3 4)g5+ 26.~g2 4)h4+ 16.~xe4 4)b617.Ab2 f6
0-1

18.~f3 ~f8 19.~g5!

Final Position
White checkmates Black after
27. ~hl g2#.
------------ Game #390 ------------
Because White has an
overwhelming advantage in
attackers at the point of attack,
White is able to slice up the
Black kingside.
(W) Akiba Rubinstein
(8) David Janowski
[E32] Marienbad, Germany,
(Round 12), 1925
Why does this work? Well, all
of Black's pieces are out of play
on the queenside. How can this
attack not work?
19.... fxg5 20..Q.xh7+ ~h8
On 20.... ~f7, White
checkmates the Black King on
21.~g6+ ~e7 22.l!t'e6#.
21 ..Q.xg7+ ~xg7 22. 'ltg6+
~h8 23.~h3 itd7 24•.Q.g8+
itxh3 25.gxh3 1-0
If Black plays 25 .... E!xg8, then
White mates with 26. ~h6#.

1.c4 4)f6 2.d4 b6 3.4)c3 .Q.b7

4. itc2 e6 5.e4 .Q.b4 6 •.Q.d3 c5
7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 b5 9.b3 0-0

427
 29 .•.• ofld4 30. ~d3 oflh5
------------ Game #391 ------------
31.~f1
oflf4 32.Jlxf4 ~xf4
Despite White seemingly having 33.4)g4e4
enough defenders, Black's
A" of Black's pieces converge
light-squared Bishop proved too
on the f3 square, which
powerful along the h1-a8
normally is the strong point of
diagonal.
this particular White Pawn
formation. In this case though,
(W) Vasser Seirawan
Black simply has just too much
(8) Igor Ivanov
firepower.
[E21] 1991 US Championship,
Los Angeles, CA, 1991 34. ~e3 h5 35.4)f2 exf3 36.g3
4)e2+ 37.f/}h1 ~xh3!! 38.~g1
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)f3 b6 ~g2+0-1
4.4)c3 Jlb4 5. ~b3 4)a6 6.a3
Jlxc3+ 7.~xc3 c5 8.b4 0-0
9.dxc5 bxc510.b5 4)c711.e3
ofle4 12.~c2 f5 13.Ae2 Ab7
14.Ab2 f4 15.exf4 ~xf4
16.0-0 d617.a4 ~e718.Jlc1
~4 19.4)e1 ~6 20.Jlh5 ~f6
21.Jlf3 ~xf3 22.4)xf3 ~f8
23.~a3 e5 24.~e1 4)f6
25.oflh4 4)e6 26.4)f5 ~d7
27.~h3 g6 28.4)h6+ f/}g7
29.f3

Final Position

The game could have

concluded with 39. Eixg2 fxg2#.

----------- Game #392 ------------

The great Nezhmetdinov treats

us to a spectacular King Hunt
against one of the best players
in the world. White feeling

428
Black's kingside pressure down
the h-file, decides to head for
higher ground. However, after
Black sacrifices his Queen, the
White King is forced to run for
cover from the converging
Black minor pieces.
24.•.. gxf4!! 25.gxh2 gf3+
26.~d4 Ag7 27.a4 c5+
28.dxc6 bxc6 29.J1.d3 4)exd3+
30.~c4
The White King is completely
surrounded with no way out.

(W) Lev Polugaevsky

(8) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
[A53] 28th RSFSR
Championship,
Socci, Russia, 1958

1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 d6 3.4)c3 e5

4.e4 exd4 5.~xd4 4)c6 6.~d2
g6 7.b3 Ag7 8.Ab2 0-0 9.Ad3
4)g410.4)ge2 ~h411.4)g3
4)ge5 12.0-0 f5 13.f3 Ah6
14.~d1 f415.4)ge2 g5
16.4)d5 g417.g3 fxg318.hxg3
~h3 19.f4 Ae6 20.Ac2 gf7
21.~f2 ~h2+ 22.~e3 Axd5 30.... d5+ 31.exd5 cxd5+
23.cxd5 4)b4 24.gh1 32.~b5 gb8+ 33.~a5 4)c6+
0-1

Final Position

429
 12.4)g3 g613.~d2 h514.h3
Formation: 4)d7 15.4)g5 c5 16.f4 0-0
h5 Played 17.~ael ~g7

18.f5 exf5 19.~xf5!! Axg5

From a defensive standpoint.
the move h5 (h4) is very White has a dominating position
weakening and a huge target after Black accepts the Rook
for the attacker. As such. there sacrifice with 19.... gxf5
are few games with this 20.4)xf5+ 'Gt>g8 21.~d1 -'\.xg5
formation. 22.~xh5 Af6 23.exf6 ~xf6
24.~g4+ 'Gt>h7 25.-'\.g5.
----------- Game #393 ------------
20.Axg5 ~e8 21.4)xh5+ ~h7
White exploits Black's kingside 22.4)f6+ 4)xf6 23.Axf6 ~h8
24.~h5+! gxh5 25. ~g5 1-0
Pawn weaknesses to expose
the Black King to the power of
And, Black cannot stop White
White's Queen and Bishop. from checkmating. For
example. 25 .... ~f8 26. ~h5+
(W) kaspinha (2162)
~h6 (or 26 .... 'Gt>g8 27. ~xh8*)
(8) PALADINOO (2279) 27. ~xf7+ ~g7 28. ~xg7*.
[BOO] ICC 5 0.05/07/2009
l.e4 b6 2.d4 Ab7 3.4)c3 4)f6 ------------ Game #394 -----------
4.e5 4)d5 5.4)(3 e6 6.Ad3
Ae7 7.0-0 a6 8.4)e4 4)b4 9.c3 It appears that White plays
4)xd310.~xd3 h611.Ae3 d5 12. h4. thinking that he may

430
want to attack Black on the
kingside. However, as the
game progresses, it becomes
clear that it is Black that has the
initiative and the attack. At
which point, White's 12. h4 has
to be a regrettable action and a
definite target for Black's attack.

(W) Friso Nijboer (2578)

(B) Manuel Bosboom (2422)
[B15] Dutch Championships
2004, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
(Round 4), 07103/2004
26.4)e2 -'lxe2 27.~xa5
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 g6
4.4)f3 4)h6 5.h3 -'lg7
6.Af4 f6 7.Ad3 4)f7 8.0-0 0-0
9.Ag3 e6 10.~el 4)d7
11:~d2 a512.h4 a413.4)e2
e514.exd5 cxd515.4)c3 ~a5
16.-'lf1-'lh617.~dl

27.... 4)g3 28.~xd5+ ~f7 0-1

Attempting to avoid the

threatened checkmate of
29.... ~h1 to with 29. fxg3, just
leaves White with no way out of
17.... e418.4)h2 f519.4)e2 the resultant mating net.
4)f6 20.-'lf4 4)h5 21.Axh6
4)xh6 22.~d2 f4 23.c4 4)g4
24.4)xg4 Axg4 25.4)c3 ~xh4

431
Formation: checkmate, overwhelming force
at the point of attack, and a
h6 Played Pawn storm.

The first group (Games #395-

#407) deals with the capture on
h6 (h3).

A common theme in this

section, is sacrificing a Bishop
on h6 (h3) for two Pawns and
the full exposure of the enemy
King.

------------ Game #395 ------------

The common theme is executed

in this game to perfection. As
It should not come as a big
White sacrifices a Bishop on h6
surprise when I tell you that the
for two Pawns and full exposure
most common method of
ofthe Black King.
attacking this Pawn Formation
is by just simply capturing the
(W) Joseph Blackburne
h-Pawn, as it is both a
(B) Blanchard
weakness and a target.
[C25] London, England, 1891
However, one should not stop 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Jlc5 3.4)c3 4)c6
there, as there are an 4.4)f3 exf4? 5.d4 Jlh4 6.J1.xf4
assortment of methods for d5 7.e5 Jlxc3+ 8.bxc3 Jle6
busting this Pawn formation. 9.Jl.d3 h6 10.0-0 4)ge7
11.gb1 b612.'ltd2 0-0
From my research, the methods 13.Axh6
for crumbling this Pawn
Formation are: When attempting sacrifices of
this sort, it is important to have
Capture on h6 (h3), capture on other pieces ready to assist the
g7 (g2), Fishing Pole, "Laying" a Queen in checkmating the
piece on f6 (f3) or h6 (h3), force enemy King.
a weakness by threatening
13•••• gxh614.'ltxh6 4)g6

432
15.4)g5 E!e8 are both pointing directly at the
White King.

13.4)el4)e514.,Q.e2 ~h4
15.d4 4)g6 16.e4 ,Q.xh3
17.gxh3 ~xh318.f4 exf3
19.4)xf3 ttg3+ 20.~hl4)h4
0-1

------------ Game #397 ------------

Hikaru Nakamura intimidates a

3100 rated player (who thought
that was even possible?) and
runs him over on the kingside.

16.E!xf7 ,Q.xf717.~h7+ ~f8 (W) Smallville (3067)

18.~xf7# 1-0 (8) LittlePeasant (3121)
[B20] ICC 3 0, 04/11/2005
------------ Game #396 ------------
l.e4 e5 2.~h5 4)f6 3.~h4 e5
Another game where the 4.d3 ,Q.e7 5.jlg5 h6 6.4)f3 0-0
attacker sacrifices a Bishop on
h3 (h6). Then, Black attacks
the weak squares around the
White King to force checkmate.

(W) Ideonomy (2222)

(8) FearNoEvii (2200)
[B02] ICC 33

l.e4 4)f6 2.e5 4)d5 3.e4 4)b6

4.e5 4)d5 5.4)e3 4)xe3 6.bxe3
d6 7.exd6 exd6 8.exd6 e5
9.j},e4 Axd6 10.4)f3 0-0
11.0-0 4)e6 12.h3 e4

Black already has a space 7.j},xh6 gxh6 8.~xh6 4)h7

advantage and just needs to 9.h4 ,Q.f6?? 10.4)g51-0
add a couple more attackers to
his menacing Bishops, which White mates after 10.... ~a5+

433
l1.~dl Axg5 12.hxg5 E!e8 checkmate.
13.'~xh7+ ~f8 14:~h8+ ctJe7
15:~f6+ ~f8 16.!!h8# 1-0. (W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) somsak (2074)
----------- Game #398 ------------ [C15] ICC 3 0, 03/18/2009

Another Bishop sacrifice on h6, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.4)c3 Ab4

along with some White
defensive moves geared to
prevent Black from defending
his kingside.
4. ~d3 dxe4 5. ~xe4 4)f6
6.~h4 4)bd7 7.4)f3 b6 S.j'ld3
Ab7 9.j'lg5 Ae7 10.0-0-0 h6
11.Ethe10-0

(W) Aivars Gipslis

(8) Peter Puschkeit
[B14] Berlin, Germany,
(Round 1), 1995

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5

4.c4 4)f6 5.4)c3 e6 6.4)f3 j'lb4
7.cxd5 4)xd5 S.~c2 4)c6
9.j'ld3 h610.0-0 0-0 11.a3
j'le712.Etdl Ad713.~e2 Etes
14.~e4 4)f6 15. ~h4 ~a5
16.Axh6 gxh617.d5!

Preventing Black's Queen from

h· th h5
reac 'ng e square.
17..•• 4)xd5 lS.~xh6 4)f6
19.4)g5 4)e5 20.Ah7+ Ci!1hS
21.Ag6+ Ci!1gS 22.Axf7+ 4)xf7 ----------- Game #400 -----------
23.~g6+ 1-0
Black is checkmated after
either: 23 .... ~h8 24. <tJxf7"; or
23 .... eM8 24. ~xf7".
----------- Game #399 ------------
The usual Bishop sacrifice on
h6, but with a rather unique
12.Axh6 gxh613.~xh6 EteS
14.4)g5 AfS? 15.Ah7+ Ci!1hS
16.4)xf7# 1-0
Same sacrifice, however, when
White plays j'ixh6, he has no
other pieces in the vicinity and
cannot play ~xh6 grabbing a
second Pawn while having his
Queen in a dominating position.
None-the-Iess, White is still able
to exploit the Black King's
openness.

434
(W) Alexander Onischuk
(2641)
(8) Giovanni Vescovi (2611)
[E54] 3rd Karpov International,
Poikovsky, Russia, (Round 5),
04/20/2002
1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 Ab4
4.e3 0-0 5.Jld3 d5 6.4)f3 c5
7.0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4
9.Jlxc4 b6 10.Jlg5 Jlb7
11.Elel 4)bd7 12.Elcl Elc8
13.~b3 Jlxc314.Elxc3 ~e8
15.4)d2 h6
16.-'1.xh6
Despite all of White's other
pieces on the queenside and
the Black h-Pawn still being on
the board, White still
checkmates Black.
16.... gxh617.Elh3 Elxc4
Black attempts to reduce the
White attacking force.
435
18.4)xc4 ~g719.~g3+ ~h7
20. ~d3+ ~g7 21.4)d6 ~b8
Black has an overloaded
f-Pawn, which is defending both
the Black e-Pawn and the g6
square. White intends on
playing !!g3+ and !!xe6 to
exploit the issue.
22.Elxe6! fxe6 23.Elg3+ 4)g4
There is no way for Black to
allude the checkmate.
24.Elxg4+ ~f6
On 24 .... ~h8 25. ~g6, and
Black cannot avoid checkmate.
25.~h71-0
On 25 .... ~xd6, White
checkmates the Black King
after 26. '/t1g7+ <it>f5 27. '/t1g6#.
------------ Game #401 ------------
Black captures the White Pawn
on h3, but after White decides
not to accept the sacrifice,
Black just keeps giving away
more and more material.
(W) Arkadij Naiditsch (2697)
(8) Vladimir Kramnik (2759)
[C42] 2009 Dortmund,
Dortmund, Germany,
(Round 4),07/05/2009
1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.4)xe5 d6
4.4)f3 4)xe4 5.d4 d5 6.Jld3
Ad6 7.0-0 0-0 S.c4 c6 9.Etel
Af510.c5 Jlc711.4)c3 4)d7
12.~c2 EteSI3.Jle3 h614.b4
4)df6 15.h3 ~d7 16.4)e2
11.xh317.4)e511.xe51S.dxe5
Etxe519.f3 EtaeS 20.11.f4 Eth5

Despite having two pieces

hanging, Black has taken
control of the position.

21.fxe4 dxe4 22.Ac4 11.xg2!

When you do not accept the

sacrifice, frequently the attacker Final Position
will just keep grabbing more of
your defenders. Why not? In the ------------ Game #402 ------------
attacker's mind, he has already
given that piece away. Black attempts to sacrifice his
Bishop by capturing the Pawn
23.4)g3 Jlf3 24. ~b3 Eth4 on h3. And, Black's attack
25.11.d6 ~h3 26.Jlxf7+ ~h7 finishes with a Queen sacrifice
27.~b2 and a rare double Knight mate.

(W) NN
(B) Joseph Blackburne
[C50] Norwich, England, 1871

1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ac4 Jlc5

4.0-0 4)f6 5.d3 d6 6.h3 4)e7
7.11.g5 c6 8.11.e3 Jlb6 9.4)c3
4)g610.~d2 Jle611.Jlb3 0-0
12.Etadl ~d7 13.4)h2 Jlxh3
14.Axb6 Jlxg2

And, like the last game, where

the defender did not accept the
Bishop sacrifice, Black just
27.... ~xg3+n 2S.Jlxg3 Ethl+ keeps taking more White
29.~f2 4)g4* 0-1 pieces.

436
15.'itlxg24)f4 ------------ Game #403 ---
17.f3 4)6h5 1; !,6.'itlhl axb6
19.'itlgl ~h3 20.d4?
.~f2 4)g3+ Wh~e captu --
on h6, and ~~Sc~h~ Black Pawn
White needed t game, contin like the last
to prevent th . 0 play 20 . .§g2 g-Pawn. ues on with the
checkmate. e Impending Black
to mobilizing all his queenside "knightmare" for White.
pieces. The end result is a big
localized material advantage for (W) Boris Siff
White and a successful attack. (B) Isaac Kashdan
[E36] New York, NY, 1948
16...• ~h717.Jlxg7!? Jlxg7
IS. 'lth5+ ~gS? 19.!if4 'ltf6 1.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 Jlb4
20.!ih4 !ieS 21.'lth7+ ~fS 4.*c2 d5 5.a3 Jl.e7 6.cxd5
22.4)d5 'lte5 23.!ifl b5? exd5 7.Af4 c6 S.h3 0-0 9.e3
!ieS10.Jld34)bd711.4)f3
Black is attempting to distract 4)fS 12.4)e5 Jld6 13.0-0 4)e6
White from his attack, but the 14.Jlh2 g615.4)f3 4)g7
move b5 is nothing. 16.Axd6 'ltxd617.!ifc1Jl.f5
lS.4)d2 !ie7 19.b4 !iaeS
20.!iab1

24.f6! Jl.xf6 25.!ixf6 1-0

Faced with the dual checkmate
threats of 26. tiJ/xfl... and
26. ~h8 ... , Black decides to
pack it in.
20••.• .Q.xh3
The usual Bishop sacrifice on
h3 (h6) ignites a massive Black
attack.

------------ Game #404 ---------- 21.gxh3 !ixe3!! 22.Jl.fl

Another wonderful attacking Accepting the Black Rook with

game, full with many awesome 22. f xe3, leads to Black's Queen
sacrifices and concluding with a infiltrating via the g3 square.

438
 ------------ Game #405 ----
White ca t --------
This
moremove buys BI.ack a little bit
time to
~
h-P P ures the Bla k
place by kee ~et his Knights in awn, even thou
Queen at ba ping ~he White Queen is not· gh his
area. Then ~~ the immediate
longer. y for Just a bit
sacrifice Wh.t er a Queen
Black Ki~g w:t~ h~nts down the
minor pieces.
28.4')xe24') xe2+ 29.~h14')h5
30.ttd2
(W) Emil Sutov
(8) lIya Sm.' sky (2657)
e2 loses both th: lte ~night on [830] Israeli ~I~ (26~3)
Capturing the W .
and the Wh.t White Queen Tel Aviv, Israel a(RmPlonship,
~. ;0; .£\g3+ ~~. ~,::,~~n cl aller: 11/3012002 ' ound 6),
. whl ~xc1. '1-)xe2+

4.Ac4 d6 5.~3 4')c6 3.4')f3 e5

30 .•• 4')hg 3 + 31.~h2 4')f1+
32.«itih1
1.e4c524')
7.4')g5 0-0 8 f4Ae7 6.0-0 4')f6
h6 10.4')f3 Ji exf49.Axf4
12.exd5 4')a5 e6 11.4')d5 Axd5

439
 ------------ Game #406 -----------_

After White captures the Black

h-Pawn, the White Bishop just
sits there on h6. And, what
frequently happens in these
cases, the White Bishop just
keeps on taking stuff like the
Black Pawn on g7.

(W) Lev Milman (2474)

(8) Joseph Fang (2351)
[B19] Foxwoods Open,
Ledyard, CT (Round 6),
13.4)h4 bSI4.4)fS bxc4 03/26/2005
IS.Jl.xh6 gxh6 16.4)xh6+
\!lh717.4)f5 cxd3? l.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.4)c3 dxe4
4.4) xe4 AfS S.4)g3 J1.g6 6.h4
Clearly, Black underestimates h6 7.4)f3 4)d7 S.hS Ah7
9.Ad3 Jl.xd3 10. t\txd3 e6
White's attacking chances here. II.Af4 Ab4+ 12.c3 Ae7
Black needed to try 17.... E!h8. 13.0-0-0 4)gf614.\!lbl 0-0
15.4)eS cS 16.t\tf3 t\tb6
IS. ~xd3 \!lhS 19.Etael ~b6 17.4)xd7 4)xd71S.dS exdS
19.4)fS Af6 20.EtxdS t\te6
Black is already hopelessly lost,
as on 19.... E!e8, White can play
the very strong 20. ~c3,
threatening E!xe7 and ~xf6+.

20. ~h3+ 4)h7 21.Etxe7 c4+

22.\!lhl ttxb2 23.Ete4 EtgS
24.~xh7+!! 1-0

Forced checkmate, as a minor

piece King Hunt pursues after:
24.... ~xh7 25.E!h4+ ~g6
26.E!h6+ ~g5 27.h4+ ~g4
28.4.)e3+ ~g3 29.E!f3"" 1-0

440
21 •.1lxh6 ~e5 22. ~e4 ~c6 A very unique checkmate by
.23. ~f3 ~e5 24. ~e4 ~c6 White with just a Rook, Knight,
25.~g4! ~xd5 26 •.1lxg7 ~d3+ and Pawn
27.~a1 4)e5 28.~e7+!! ~h7 .

Capturing the White Knight with ------------ Game #407 ------------

28. ... Axe71eads to checkmate
after 29. Axe5+.
White accepts doubled f-Pawns
in exchange for Black's d-Pawn
and an open g-file. And, after
White castles queenside, the
attack along the g-file is furious
and relentless.

(W) FearNoEvii (2200)

(8) Takis38 (2070)
[C24] ICC 3 0, 04/06/1999

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Jlc4 4)f6

4.~f3 d5 5.exd5 .1lg4 6.~xd4!
.1lxf3 7.gxf3 .1ld6 8•.ilg5 .
4)bd7 9.4)c3 0-0 10.0-0-0 h6
11.Ah4 Ac512.~d2
29. ~g6+!t fxg6 30.hxg6+
'iflxg731.J3h7# 1-0

12•••• 4)e5 13.J3hg1!

Daring Black to play either 4)xc4

Final Position
winning a Bishop or 4)xf3.

441
However, after 14. ~xh6, Black
will have quite a few problems
avoiding checkmate.
13.... 4)g614.d6
4.Ad3 4)f6 5.4)bd2 e6 6.c3 d6
7.0-0 4)bd7 S.h3 Ae7 9.4)h2
c510.tte2 cxd411.cxd4 ttb6
12.4)df3 h6 13.Ad2 g5
14.Ac3 !!gSI5.4)g4

Exposing the Black f-Pawn to

the pin of the White Bishop on
c4 and thus, creating the threat
of 15. §xg6.

14.... 4)xh4 15:~xh6 4)f5

16.!!xg7+

The idea behind this move is to

replace the sacrificed Rook with
the other Rook. I refer to this
method of exploiting a pin as a
"Replacement Attacker".
15.... h5 16.4)xf6+ 4)xf6
16.... 4)xg717.!!gl 4)feS 17.e5 4)d51S.exd6 Axd6
IS.4)e4 Ad4? 19.4)g5 4)f6 19.4)e5 g4 20.hxg4 4)f4
20.4)xf7 4)g4 21.tthS# 1-0 21.t?/d2 Axe5 22.dxe5 !!xg4
The second group (Games White has no way to protect the
#408-#412) deals with a g2 square.
capture on g7 (g2).
23.Ad4 !!xg2+ 24.\I1hl 0-1
------------ Game #408 ------------
White gets checkmated after
White reaches a position where 24 .... §xf2+ 25. )fjlgl ~h3#.
he simply cannot defend his g2
square, leading to a quick minor ------------ Game #409 ------------
piece checkmate.
Mikhail Tal made it look so easy.
(W) InoyOaPogi (2167)
(8) MysteryMan (2220) (W) Mikhail Tal
[BOO] ICC 30,03/28/2009 (8) Roman Ozindzichashvili
[B22] Blitz, New York, NY, 1991
l.e4 a6 2.4)f3 b5 3.d4 Ab7

442
4.exd5 ~xdt 4)e6 3.e3 d5
l.e4 e5 2 4)f
6.exd4 e6 7 4)5.d 4 exd4
4)f6 9.0-0 Ae e3 ~d6 S.J1.d3
II.Ag513dS 710.13el0-0
13.Ae4.11d 12.~e2 4)b4
15.4)e5.11d714.13adl.11e6
17.13d3 h6 5 16.4)xd5 4)bxd5
d6 7.a4 b4 S ~J1.d3 e6 6.0-0
4.4)gf3 4)f6
4)d510.4)e4 el4)bd79.e5
12..11d2 h6 13~e7 11. ~e2 a5
h515.exd6 ex;..tIg6514 .4)h2
..11xg5

------------ Game #410 -----

Wh~e plays wh
devastatin at
-
~ooks like a
reality, Bla~kC~~db~nation, but in
White by sacn0fiICing
° Just trapped
hO
d
an turning the table IS Queen

(W) atrnin (2160)

[A40] ICC 3~n1age (2200)
(8) Masse
, 2/0112009

l.d4 b5 2.e4Ab73.4)d2 a6

443
17.••• .1l.xd6!
The point of 16.... ~g8!,
sacrifice the Black Queen for a
ferocious attack.
18.-'lxdS 4)f4 19.~d2
4 ..£if3 d5 5 •.1l.h3 .1l.b4+ 6.c3
.Q.d6 7 •.£ibd2.1l.g4 8.h3 .1l.h5
9.0-0 .£ihd7 10.Ele1 0-0
11 •.£if1 h6 12•.£ig3 .Q.g6
13•.£ih4 .1l.h714.4)gf5 ~c7
15.~f3 4)c5

White's best chances of holding

this position revolve around
giving back the Queen with a
move like 4Jf3. However,
regardless, Black has a very
good position.

19.••• Elxg2+ 20.Ciflfl Elxh2

21. ~xf4 Axf4 22.Ah4 Af3
0-1

White is checkmated after

23.~xe6+ fxe6 24.!3;el ~hl +
25 ..1lfl ~c8 26.c3 bxc3 27.bxc3 16•.£ixg7! Ciflxg717•.1l.xh6+U
~xc3 28.Ag3 ~c2 29..1lxf4 ~e2+ Ciflxh6 18.~xf6+ Ag6 19•.£if5+
30.<:i>dl ~xf1 #. 1-0

Black is checkmated after either

------------ Game #411 ------------
A common theme in this section
is after capturing on g7, the
aggressor plays Axh6+ to
further bust open the
opponent's King position, like in
this game.
19.... rlhh.M.
'E1 720. eg7# or
19.... <:i>hS 20. g4#.
----------- Game #412 ------------
A lack of kingside defenders
leaves Black unable to beat
back the White attackers.

(W) John Curdo (2411) (W) Lawrence Trent

(8) James Fried (2079)
[C24] Westlayan Game/60,
Middletown, CT, (Round 1),
04/25/1993
1.e4 e5 2.Ac4 .£if6 3.d3 c6
(8) Desmond Tan
[A45] BCF-chT 0203 (4NCL),
West Bromwich, England,
(Round 10), 2002

444
1.d4 4)f6 2.j\g5 e6 3.e4 h6 25.4)f7+ \'!lh7 26.h5 EtgS
4.Axf6 ~xf6 5.~d2 d5 6.4)c3 27.eS~ 1-0
c6 7.0-0-0 Ab4 S.e5 ~dS 9.a3
Ae710.f4 a511.4)f3 b512.a4
.Q.b413.~e3 .Q.xc314.~xc3
bxa4 15.h4 ~b6 16.Eth3 Aa6
17.Etg3 0-0 1S.f5 exf5

Final Position

Black is checkmated after either

27 .... !!xe8 28. ~g6# or
27.... !!xg3 28. ~h8#.
First impressions are that Black
should be able to attack the
The third group (Games #413-
White King along the b-file.
#419) deals with the "Fishing
However, Black only has a
Pole". For more information
Rook on fa and quickly finds
about the "Fishing Pole" refer to
that his kingside position is
the notes before Game #224.
actually much more vulnerable.

19.~e3 \'!lhS 20.e6 f6 21.e7 ------------ Game #413 ------------

EteS 22.4)e5 Eta7 23.Etxg7!
White has been able to utilize
his passed e-Pawn to both
disconnect the defending
pieces from the kingside and
completely tie down the lone
Black defending Rook.
Life Master Brian Wall
unleashes a "Fishing Pole"
attack against White.
(W) Greartinge (2045)
(B) B-Wall (2200)
[C65] ICC 5 0, 06/02/2009

23.... \'!lxg7 24.~g3+ \'!lhS 1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ab5 4)f6

445
4.0-0 4)g4 5.c3 a6 6 ..11.a4 J1.c5 following "Fishing Pole" game.
7.d4 J1.a7 8.J1.xc6 dxc6 9.~e2 They are titled "First Blood -
J1.e610.dxe5 ~e711.h3 Parts I & II". "Must see" videos
for any serious chess player
looking for more information
about the "Fishing Pole".

(W) Walter Browne (2550)

(B) Francisco Baltier (1550)
[C65] 40 Board Simul,
Las Vegas, NV, (Round 1),
10/11/2007

l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.J1.h5 4)f6

4.0-0 4)g4 5.h3

11••.• h5

h5 is the trademark move of the

"Fishing Pole". The concept
behind the move is that
capturing the Black Knight
unleashes all of Black's
attacking pieces, as the White
Knight on f3 is the key defender,
and is either displaced or lost
after Black plays the move
hxg4.
12..11.g5 f6 13.exf6 gxf6 5.•.. h5 6.4)c3 J1.c5 7.4)d5 a6
14..11.f4 0-0-0 15.hxg4 hxg4 8.-'1.a4 d6 9.d4 J1.a7 10.hxg4
16.4)d4 ~h717.f3 gxd4 hxg411.dxe5 gxf312.g3 h5
18.cxd4 .11.xd4+ 19.-'1.e3 g3 0-1 13.J1.h3
"You Tube videos illustrating
----------- Game #414 ----------
the following "Fishing Pole"
Life Master Brian Wall has game are titled "First Blood -
created two wonderful videos Parts I & II". "Must see"
on You Tube illustrating the videos for any serious chess
player."

446
 bullet game, seems like an
ambush of the worse kind. The
"redcoats" had better chances.

(W) NOODLE-NAUT (1834)

(B) B-Wall (1991)
[C65] ICC 1 0, 01/21/2010

1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.Ah5 4)f6

4.0-0 4)g4 5.h3

13•.•• 4)d414.E1e1 ~d715.e6

fxe616.e5 exd5 0-1

5 •.•. h5 6.d4 exd4 7.4) xd4

Ac5 8.4)f5 d6 9.4)xg7+ ~f8
10.4)f5 Jlxf5 11.exf5 tth4
12.~f3 4)d413.~xh7

From a strategical point of view,

Final Position
------------ Game #415 ---------
Life Master Brian Wall
unleashes yet another "Fishing
Pole" attack against White.
Having to face this attack in a
there is no way this attack
cannot work. Why? Well,
White is simply overwhelmed at
the point of attack because
three of White's pieces are
sitting on a1, b1, and c1 doing
nothing.

447
 1.-. • •
------------ Game #417

B mi One of the b ----

~,..~
~~ • DR Pole" attack
world unleas~:;laJ~rs in the
a FIshIng
~:J ~~A. %~~
~J~ ~
Hunt. • followed bya Kin

_ • g
• ~~~ ~~l'~
. ,.Jl~.!!;!j ¥.@~ (WI Veselin T
• ~BBJ.•"'. ~~:In,:onomariov
(8) R ,opalov

lm"~' ~li..
.!!. ~ .ft •

.~. ~.~r~.
,.R f(j
[E15]
Bulgaria.

t:: j!~ ~:~

·
(RO~~:~)' Sofia,
0512112005

--:=~~d-.Jt§~~L t 0_0~b4+
e6 3.4)f3 b6

~
e7 7.4)<:3 6_Ad2

~xh6 3.6. ~g,", 35.1-0~xh6+!!

34.g6+' 6 5 10.e5 4)e4 1 1 Ad3
.ge1 c6 9.e4
•...,.8+ .g xc3
1142.h4 h6c5 13•d xe5
. bxe54) xc3

449
 it looks like, smells like, tastes
like, yeah, you get it.

lS.Jl.h1

Preparing a Queen and Bishop 18.... hxgS 19.hxgS dxc3

battery aimed at the weak light
squares around the Black King.

IS •... fS16.exf6 Jl.xf617:{tc2

d4

20•.Q.f4?

Missing the crushing:

20. E!h8+!! ~ 21.t\'g6+ ~e7
22.gxf6+ gxf6 23.E!h7+ ~d6
24.Af4+ ~c6 25:~e4+ ~b6
26..1lc7+ t\'xc7 27.E!xc7 ~xc7
Something is "fishy" here, and if 28.t\'xa8.

450
20.... ~f7 21. ~g6+ ~e7
22.gxf6+ Etxf6 23.~xg7+ Etf7
24.Ag5+ ~d6 25.~xf7 ~xg5
26.Eth7 ~e5+ 27.~f1 ~c6
28. ~e8+ ~b6 29. ~d8+ ~c6
10.... d6 11.4)h5 hxg5
12.hxg5 4)xe413.Axe4 ~xg5
14.f4 ~h615.~f3 d5

16.Ah7+~h8

30..Q.e4+ 1-0 Otherwise, White wins the

Black Queen with 17. ~f6+.
Black is checkmated after
30.... 'lWxe4 31. 'lWc7#. 17.Ac2~g8

------------ Game #418 ------------

An excellent "Fishing Pole"

attack with a great finish.

(W) Rainer Knaak

(8) Andras Adorjan
[E45] Szirak, Hungary, 1985

1.d4 4lf6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 J1.h4

4.e3 b6 5.4)ge2 J1.a6 6.4)g3
0-0 7.e4 4lc6 8.Ad3 4)a5
9.Ag5 h6 10.h4

The trademark move of the 18.4)f6+ ~xf6 19.Ah7+ ~h8

"Fishing Pole". 20..Q.g6+ ~g8

451

21.Eth8+ 1-0
Black is checkmated after
21. ... ~xh8 22. 't!\'h3+ ~g8
23. 't!\'h7#.
----------- Game #419 -----------
Former World Champion
Mikhail Botvinnik plays a very
unique form of the "Fishing
Pole" by using the f-Pawn,
instead of the h-Pawn. After
which, he transforms his
kingside attack into a King
Hunt.
(W) Mikhail Botvinnik
(B) Vitaly Chekhover
[A 13] Russia, Moscow
(Round 16), 1935
1.4)(3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.b3 4)f6
4 ..11.b2 A,e7 5.e3 0-0 6.A,e2 c6
7.0-0 4)bd7 8.4)c3 a6 9.4)d4 34.•.. j},e5 35. t\'hS+ ~e7
dxc4 10.bxc4 4)c5 II.f4 f}jc7 36.t\'xg7+ ~d6 37.t\'xe5+
452
12.4)f3 EtdS 13.t\'c2 4)cd7
14.d4 c515.4)e5 b616.J1d3
cxd417.exd4 Ab718.t\'e2
4)f8 19.4)dl Eta7 20.4)f2 t\'bS
21.4)h3h6
22.4)g5! hxg5
Black has little choice but to
capture the White Knight on g5,
otherwise the Black f7 Pawn will
fall.
23.fxg5 4)Sd7 24.4)xf7 ~xf7
25.g6+ ~g8 26. t\'xe6+ ~h8
27.t\'h3+ ~g8 28.Af5 4)f8
29 ..11.e6+ 4)xe6 30.t\'xe6+
~h8 31. #h3+ ~g8 32.Etxf6!
.11.xf6 33. t\'h7+ ~f8 34.Etel!
Preventing the Black King from
fleeing and threatening
35. 't!\'h8#. This also starts the
King Hunt as does not have any
good choices for moves here.
~d7 38. ttfS+ ~c6 39.dS+ 22.... ~fe8 23.~f1 tte7
~c5 40.Jl.a3+ ~xc4 41. tte4+ 24.4)g3 as 2S.4)hS 4)d7
~c3 42.Jl.h4+ ~b2 43. ttbl :f: 26.4)xf6+!
1-0
Black gets checkmated on all
The fourth group (Games #420- moves. On 26.... .£lxf6 27. ~g5+
#421) covers placing or <lih8 28. ~g7#.
capturing a piece on f6 (f3).
26.... ~h8
----------- Game #420 ------------

Black finds himself with most of

his pieces disconnected from
the kingside and Nakamura
makes him pay.

(W) Hikaru Nakamura (2697)

(8) Alexander Postojev
(2364)
[B28] Ordix Open,
Mainz, Germany, (Round 3),
08/02/2008

l.e4 cS 2.4)f3 4)c6 3.4)c3 a6 27.Jl.g7+! 1-0

4.d4 cxd4 S.4)xd4 eS 6.4)de2
d6 7.g3 Ae78.Ag2 4)f6 9.h3
h6 10.0-00-0 11.Ae3 Ae6
12. ttd2 ttd7 13.~h2 bS 14.h3
tth7 IS.f4 ~ad8 16.fS Ac8
17.g4 h418.4)dS 4)xdS
19.exdS 4)b8 20.f6 Jl.xf6
21.~xf6! gxf6 22.Axh6
The reason that this sacrifice
works is because of Black's
poor piece placement, more
White attackers than defenders
around the Black kingside, and
the subsequent weak dark
squares around the Black King.
It's checkmate after 27.... ~xg7
28. ~g5+ ~h8 29. ~h6#.
----------- Game #421 -----------
I messed up by not realizing
that my clock had started.
When the game began, I had
only 45 seconds left for the
entire game. So, when faced
with this situation, I just
attacked in an effort to win
quickly.

453
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) Nightlife (1779)
[C02] ICC tourney 341410
(3 0) (Round 1), 02/18/2009
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3
cxd4 5.4:)f3 4:)c6 6.cxd4 ~b6
7.4:)c3 a6 S.Ae2 4:)ge7 9.0-0
4:)f510.Ag5 h611.Ae3 4:)xe3
12.fxe3 Ae713.~e1 0-0
14.t'tg3 Ad715.4:)d1 4:)a5
16.4:)f2 Ab517.Axb5 axb5
1S.4:)g4 <3lh7 19.4:)h4 Axh4
20.~xh4~dS
21.Etf6!!
Amazing, I have managed to
reach a winning position and
my last move just wins outright!
21 .•.• <3lgS 22.4:)xh6+! gxh6
23.~xh6
Threatening 24. ~g5+ ~h8
25. f!h6#. While, Black cannot
avoid checkmate with
454
23 .... f!e8 either, as White can
counter with 24. f!xt7! ~xt7
25. ~h7+ ~f8 26. f!f1+ ~f6
27. f!xf6#.
23 •..• ~xf6 24.exf6 1-0
And, with 11 seconds to spare!
The fifth group (Game #422)
covers threatening checkmate
to create a weakness in your
opponent's King position.
----------- Game #422 ------------
Shortly after the opening, White
ends up with a very strong
Bishop pair and once they team
up with the Queen, Black finds
it necessary to run for his life.
(W) MysteryMan (2200)
(8) hotmoose (1908)
[C44] ICC tourney 351861
(3 0) (Round 5), 09/10/2009
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Ac4 4:)c6
4.4:)f3 -'lc5 5.0-0 d6 6.h3 4:)f6
7.Ete1 h6 S.c3 dxc3 9.4:)xc3
0-0 10.a3 EteS11.b4 -'lb6
12.Ab2 -'le6 13.4:)d5 Axd5
14.exd5 4:)e4 15.Etxe4 Elxe4
16.Ad3 EleS17.dxc6 bxc6
1S.Ac2 ~d7 19.~d3 g6
20.~c3
Now, Black finds himself having
to flee his cover, but he will not
get far.
20.... \tIfS 21. t?/g7+ \tIe7
22.Af6+ \tIe6 23.Elel + \tId5
24.Ah3# 1-0
Final Position
The sixth group (Games #423-
#427) deals with overwhelming
force at the point of attack.
------------ Game #423 ------------
White turns an initiative from a
couple of free moves into an
overwhelming attack and a
beautiful finish.
(W) Max Judd
(8) Henry Harding
[C70] Cleveland, OH,
(Round 3), 1871
l.e4 e5 2.4)0 4)c6 3.Ah5 a6
4.Aa4 h5 5.Ah3 Ac5 6.0-0
t?/f6 7.c3 4)ge7 S.d3 h69.Ae3
Aa7 10.d4 4)g6 II.dxe5
455
4)cxe5 12.4)xe5 t?/xe513.Ad4
Axd4 14.cxd4 t?/e7 15.f4 0-0
16.f5 4)hSI7.e5 t?/g5 IS.4)c3
d619.t?/f3 Ad7 20.4)e4 t?/dS
21. t?/g3 dxe5 22.dxe5 'itlh7
23.Eladl t?/cS 24.J1.c2 Ac6
25.f6g6
26.4)g5+!! 'itlgS
On 26.... hxg5, White can
exploit the weak dark squares
around the Black King by
playing 27. ~xg5 threatening
~h4+, ~h6, and ~g7"'.
27.t?/h4 h5 2S.t?/xh5! 1-0
----------- Game #424 ------------
Black plays too conservative
and allows White to build up a
big spacial advantage. White
converted that space into a
kingside attack.
(W) Joel Johnson (2235)
(8) Ed Aldrich (1679)
[COO] Joshua Tree Open,
Joshua Tree, CA (Round 5),
01/27/2007
1.e4 e6 2.d4 ~e7 3 •.£ic3 d6
4.f4 Ad7 5•.£if3 h6 6 ..1l.d3
.£if6 7.e5 dxe5 S.fxe5 .£id5
9.0-0 0-0 10.~e1 f511.exf6
.£ixf612.~g3 .£ih5?
Black's light squares around his ~cS 7 ..£ic3 e6 S.d3 .£ic6
King are extremely weak and
forcing White's Queen to a
better square does not help.
13.~g6 .£if4
14.*h7+ C31f7 15..£ie5+ 'If/e8
16.~g6+ .£ixg617•.1l.xg6+ Elf7
1S.Axf7+ 'If/fS 19..£ig6# 1-0 ---------- Game #426 ------------
_______ Game #425 ---------
White limits the Black Rook's
ability to move, then moves in
for the checkmate with his extra
firepower. And, one of the
benefits of extra pieces is that
you can give them away!
(W) Gyozo Forintos
(8) Vasily Tomovic
[A11] Belgrade, Yugoslavia,
1957
1•.£if3 d5 2.g3 .£if6 3.j}g2 Jl.f5
4.c4 c6 5.cxd5 cxd5 6. ~b3
9.Af4 Ab4 10.~c1 0-0 11.0-0
~d712 . .£ie5 .£ixe5 13.Axe5
Aa514.e4 Ag615.exd5 .£ig4
16.d4 Ab617•.£ia4 .£ixe5
1S ..£ixb6 axb619.dxe5 exd5
20•.1l.xd5 ~a5 21.~fd1 Ah5
22.~d2 C31hS 23. ~b4 ~eS
24.Ac6 *cS 25.AxeS *xc1 +
26.C31g2 h6 27.~dS C31h7
2S..1l.b5 Ag6 29.a4 *c2 30.g4
Ae4+ 31.C31g3 *b1 32.f3
~g1+?
Black needs to get something
for his useless Rook by playing
32 .... !!xbS.
33.C31h3 .1l.xf3 34.Ad3+ g6
35.~hS+!! C31xhS 36.*fS+
C31h7 37.~xf7+ C31hS 3S.~fS+
C31h7 39.Axg6+! 'If/xg6
4O.~gS# 1-0
White finishes off his attack with
a sparkling checkmate.
456
(W) Carsten Hoi ------------ Game #427 ------------
(B) Boris Gulko
[A47] Thessaloniki, Greece, A startling Queen sacrifice
Olympiad,1988 leads to a swarming attack.

1.d4 eG 2.4)f3 c5 3.e3 4)fG (W) Ivan Cheparinov (2670)

4.Ad3 bG 5.0-0 J}.b76.4)bd2 (B) David Navara (2656)
cxd4 7.exd4 A,e7 S.ge1 0-0 [C88] European Team Chess
9.c3 dG10 ..~e2 geS11.4)fl
4)bd7 12.4)g3 AfS 13.J}.g5 h6 Championships, Crete, Greece,
14•.Q.d2 "ltc715.Jlc2 Jld5 (Round 5), 11/01/2007
1G.b3 "ltb717.4)h4 b5
IS. "ltd3 g5 19.4)f3 Jlxf3 1.e4 e5 2.4)f3 4)cG 3 ..o..b5 aG
20.gxf3 Jlg7 21.h4 gxh4 4.Aa4 4)fG 5.0-0 .o..e7 G.ge1
22.4)e4 "ltcG 23. 'llhl 4)h5 b5 7 ..o..b3 0-0 S.h3 Ab7 9.d3
24.gg1 'llfS 25.gxg7 'llxg7 d6 10.a3 "ltd7 11.4)c3 gfeS
2G.Jlxh6+ 'llxhG 27.ggl? 12.a4 b4 13.4)e2 d5 14.cxd5
4)xd5 15.4)g3 AfS16.Ad2 a5
d 17•.o..a2 4)d41S.4)xe5 ~d6
27. ~e3 ctJg7 28. ~g5 ctJ~ lea s 19.4)f3 gxe1+ 20..Q.xe1 4)f4
to roughly an even position. 21.4)xd4 ~xd4 22.~g4 ~eS
23.4)f5 h5 24.4)h6+ ~h7
27•••• f5 2S."lte3+ f4 29.4)xdG! 25..~f5+ ~xh6 2G..Q.d2 .o.d6
"ltxdG 30."ltd3 4)fS? 27..o..xf7

31."lth7+!! 1-0 27•••• "ltxf2+ 2S.'llxf2 ge2+

29.'llgl gxg2+ 30.'llfl ~xd2
Black is checkmated after 31.JlgS J}.g2+ 32.'llel ge2+
31. ... {)xh7 32. !!g6#.

457
33.~dl Af3 34:~h7+ ~g5
35.Ela2 Elh2+ 36.~el4)xd3+
0-1
Final Position
White is checkmated after
either 37. cxd3 Ag3+ 38. ~f1
Elhl ... or 37. ~f1 Elf2+ 38. ~gl
Ah2 ... .
The seventh group (Games
#428-#429) deals with Pawn
storms.
--------- Game #428 ----------
Black neglects his piece
development, opens up files in
front of his King, and places his
Queen in harms way, which
leads to a quick finish.
(W) Grigory Serper (2556)
(8) Dean Ippolito (2378)
[E38] US Championships 2003,
458
Seattle, WA, (Round 5),
01/13/2003
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 AM
4. ~c2 c5 5.dxc5 4)a6 6.a3
Axc3+ 7.~xc3 4)xc5 8.M
4)ce4 9. ~b2 d5 10.c5 h6
11.Ae3 0-0 12.f3 4)g513.j}.d4
4)e814.h4
Generally speaking, this is how
Pawn storms start with a couple
of free Pawn tempos.
14..•. 4)h715.e3 4)hf6
16.g4 4)d717.g5 hxg5
Most chess masters would
prefer to keep the files in front
of their King closed and play the
move h5.
18.hxg5 ~xg5
One has to question Black's
wisdom of opening both the
g-file and h-file in front of his
King.
19.0-0-0 e5 20.f4 exf4
21.4)h3
This is one of the problems with
Black's position. White can use
the Black Queen for free
development and attack
tempos. The end result is a
faster, more powerful White
attack.
21 •••• ~h6 22.Ad3 fxe3
And, the other problem with
Black's position is a complete
lack of development. The only
Black piece attempting to hold
off the White attack is his
Queen, which is simply not
enough defenders.
23.4)g5! ~xg5 24.EthS+! 1-0
Black is checkmated after
24.... ~xh8 25. ~h2+ ~h6
26. ~xh6+ ~g8 27. ~h7#.
----------- Game #429 ----------
White turns a spacial advantage Preventing the escape of the
from the Pawn structure into a Black King via the e7 square
checkmating attack.
(W) Joel Johnson (2235)
(8) Amanda Mateer (1710)
[B23] Chess Emporium,
Phoenix, AZ, (Round 2),
10/20/2002
l.e4 c5 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 e6
4.4)f3 d5 5.J1.h5 4)ge7 6. t\'e2
d4 7.4)hl a6 s.Axc6+ 4)xc6
9.d3 Ae710.a4 0-011.0-0
Ad7 12.4)a3 ~c7 13.h3 e5
14.f5
Setting up what I refer to as
"The Wedge" Pawn formation.
Most of "The Wedge" games
result in having a big spacial
advantage on the kingside from
which a major attack can be
launched.
14.... EtfeSI5.~f2 Af6
16.g4
Normally, a move like g4 would
not be very safe when you have
castled kings ide. But, here my
King is very safe as nearly all of
Black's pieces are on the
queenside and the center is all
locked up and blocked.
16.... h617.h4 EtacS1S.g5
hxg519.hxg5 AdS 20.~g2
~b8 21.Ethl Aa5 22. ~h4
~fS 23.f6
and insuring a quick
checkmate.
23..•. gxf6 24.gxf6 4)e7
25. ~hS+ 4)gS 26.Ah6 # 1-0
459
 dxe5 7.Ag5 AM s.o-o A xc3
Formation: 9.bxc3 'ltxdll0.§,fxdl 4)xe4
Mating Net II.Ad2 0-0-0 12.Ael f6
13.h3 Ah5 14.g4 Af7 15.a4
4)e716.c4 4)g617.Ad3 4)c5
IS.Aft 4)f4 19.Ad2 4)ce6
20.Ae3 h5 21.4)d2 hxg4
22.hxg4 §,h4 23.f3 Ag6
24.13acl 13dhS 25.4) b3

This section deals with

checkmating nets and many of
these occur in endgames.
Basically, true attackers do not
stop when the Queens come
off. 25.... 13hl+ 26.CIJf2 13Sh2+
27.CIJg3
------------ Game #430 ------------

Black takes control of the

h-file leading to a minor piece
attack, a mating net, and a very
nice checkmate.

(W) Dipro Chakraborty (1900)

(8) Joel Johnson (2205)
[BOO] Master Trek, Arizona
State University, Tempe, AZ.,
(Round 4), 10/25/2008

l.e4 4)c6 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 4)f6

4.4)c3 Ag4 5.Ae2 e5 6.dxe5 The White King is completely

460
surrounded and we just need a 4)bd7 7 •.Q.e4 h6 8.Ah4 e6
way to finish him off. 9.0-0 4)e510.~el g511.Ag3
e5 12.4)f5 Jle6 13..Q.d5 Axf5
27..•. f5! 28.J~)e5 14.exf5 tte815.Axe5 dxe5
16.~xe5+ Jle717.-{te2 -{te7
18.~el 4)ee419.~xe4 4)xe4
20. -{txe4 'i!lf8 21.Axf7 Jlf6
22.j}.g6 -{te7

28..•. 4)h5+!

Also, mating is 28.... oi)e2+.

23.-{txe7+
29.gxh5 f4+ 30.'i!lg4 ~h4#
0-1
An interesting choice by White,
trading Queens, even though
------------ Game #431 ----------- Black's King is exposed. Why?
Well, even though White is
In the next three games, the
down the exchange, White has
great attacker, Rashid
enough Pawns to compensate.
Nezhmetdinov shows us how
Also, White's pieces are very
this is done, including taking
active and are worth more than
down the great Mikhail Tal.
their face value. And, a similar
comment can be said about the
(W) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
Black pieces, basically, they are
(8) Leonid Shamkovic~ . NOT worth their face value.
[B94] 21 st USSR Championship,
Kiev, Russia, 1954 23•••• Axe7 24.4)d5 Jl.d8
25.~e6 'i!lg7 26.~d6
l.e4 e5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4 exd4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)e3 a6 6.j}.g5

461
Black cannot defend his second 29.J1hS Elc8 30.Eld6+ ~g7
rank which just tightens the 31.f6+ ~h6 32.4)e7 Elb8
noose around the Black King. 33.4)fS+ ~h7 34.f71-0

26.... hS 27.Eld7+ ~h6

Black chooses to hide his King

on h6 because disconnecting
his Rooks with \ttg8 did not look
very promising.

Final Position

White is threatening two

checkmates (35. fth6* and
35. Ag6*) and Black cannot
stop them both.

28.g4 --------- Game #432 ----------

White's move g4 prevents Black White plays a fantastic Bishop

from playing the move g4 which
would give the Black King the
g5 square for escaping the net.
Also, you should take note that
White has decided to play for
checkmate, instead of Pawn
grabbing.
maneuver to commandeer the
f-file, followed by sacrificing his
Queen for a super mate.
(W) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
(8) Genrikh Kasparian
[B 11] Riga, Latvia, 1955

28.... h4 1.e4 c6 2.4)f3 dS 3.4)c3 Jlg4

4.h3 .sl.xf3 S.1txf3 e6 6.g3 g6
Playing 29.... hxg41eads to 7.Ag2 Jlg7 8.0-0 4)d7 9.1te2
checkmate after 30. ttle3. d4 10.4)b1 eS 11.d3 4)e712.f4
1tc713.a4 0-0 14.fS f6

462
15.4ld2 Ah616.\fIh2 \fIh8
17.fxg6 hxg618.4lf3 Axel
19.13axe1 4le5 20.e3 4lb3
21.13ed1 13ad8 22.4lh4 ~e8
23.Af3 ~e6 24.Ag4 ~f7
25.4lf3 ~g8 26.h4 \fIg7
27.13f2 13d6 28.13dfl 13dd8
29.~e2 b6 30.h5 e5 31.hxg6
dxe3 32.bxe3 e4 33.d4 exd4
34.exd4 4lxd4 35.4lxd4 13xd4
36.e5 f5 37.Axf5 ~d5

41.~xg6+!! \fIxg6 42.131f6+

We have reached an interesting
position where White forces
Black to abandon the f-file with
the move ...
\fIg5 43.13f5+ \fIg6 44.137f6+
\fIh7 45.13h5+ \fIg7 46.Elg5+
Simply amazing, as Black is
forced to move his King in front
of his Rook on ha, thus
breaking the pin on the White
Bishop, freeing it to checkmate
the Black King.
46.... \fIh747.Af5:11= 1-0
----------- Game #433 -----------

38.Ae6! 13h8+ 39.Jlh3 4lxg6 It's one thing to brilliantly

40.13f7+ \fIh6 checkmate any random
opponent, and it is another to
And now, because White has run over a young Mikhail Tal,
complete control of the f-file and just a mere three years away
the only Black defender of his from becoming the World
King is the Black Knight on g6, Champion.
White can checkmate Black
after: (W) Rashid Nezhmetdinov
(8) Mikhail Tal

463
[C 17] USSR Championship,
Moscow, Russia, 1957
l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.4)c3 Jlh4
4.eS cS S.Jtd2 4)e7 6.a3 Jlxc3
7.Jlxc3 b6 S.h4 "ltc7 9.4)f3
4)d7 10.Jte2 4)c6 11.0-00-0
12.bxcS bxcS 13.dxcS 4)cxeS
14.4)xeS 4)xeS IS."ltd4 f6
16.f4 4)c617."lte3 gdS
IS.gadl eS 19.fxeS fxeS
20.JtbS Jlb7 21."ltg3 gd7
22.gf2 geS 23.h3 AaS
24.Aa4 Jtb7 2S.<ifJhl JtaS
26.gfS e4 27."ltxc7 gxc7
2S.gfxdS e3 29.gd7 e2
30.Ab3+ ge6 31.Jl.xe6+ <ifJfS
32.Axg7+ 1-0
And, Black is checkmated after
32 .... <:fe8 33. Af'7#.
----------- Game #434 -----------
White siezes the initiative and
invades the Black position via
the seventh rank, leading to a
464
beautiful finish. And once again,
no Queen is necessary.
(W) Alexey Suetin
(8) Vitaly Tseshkovsky
[A27] Kislovodsk, Russia, 1972
l.c4 eS 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.4)f3 fS
4.d4 e4 S.4)d2 4)f6 6.4)dbl g6
7.JlgS Jlg7 S.e3 4)e7 9.Ae2
d6 10."ltb3 h6 II.Jlf4 gS
12.Jlg3 4)g6 13.h4 gxh4
14.Axh4 4)xh41S.gxh4 0-0
16.g3 a617.4)d2 cSlS.dxcS
dxcS 19.9dl "ltaS 20."ltc2
Ad7 21.4)b3 "ltc7 22."ltd2
JleS 23.4)dS 4)xdS 24."ltxdS+
<if1h7 2S."ltxcS "ltxcS 26.4)xcS
Axb2 27.4)e6 ggS 2S.gdS
Af6 29.ghl Jlg6? 30.gd7+
Jtg7 31.cS gabS 32.Ac4 AeS
33.gxg7+! 1-0
Checkmate would have
followed after 33 .... §xg7
34.0N8+ <:fh8 35.§xh6+ §h7
36.§xh7#.
------------ Game #435 -----------
Behind a huge wedge, White
just crashes through Black's
kingside during a Dos
Hermanas Qualifier on the
Internet Chess Club.
(W) MassCarnage (2200)
(8) rspaine (2526)
[B23] S 16B Dos Hermanas
Qualifier (ICC), (Round 8),
03/16/2010
l.e4 cS 2.4)c3 4)c6 3.f4 e6
4.4)f3 dS S.AbS 4)ge7 6. t\'e2
d4 7.4)dl a6 8.Axc6+ 4)xc6
9.d3 Ae7 10.b3 0-0 11.0-0 bS
12.4)f2 Ab713.g4 4)b414.fS
eS
IS.~hl
White has a huge spacial
advantage on the kingside and
<itJh1 clears the gl square for
White's Rook.
465
IS.... ~c816.~gl f617.gS
~h818.g6c4
This Pawn formation (a massive
Pawn wedge from c2 to g6)
leaves White with a strategical
win. Why? Well, there are
three reasons.
The first reason is related to the
fact that the Black Pawn
formation completely shuts out
Black's pieces, leaving him very
vulnerable at the weakest point
of his formation (the h-file). His
Rook and maybe his Bishop
can help defend g7 with his
King, but the h7 square is his
Achilles' Heel.
The second reason is that
White controls a huge spacial
area in front of Black's King,
stretching from c1 to g5 to h5 to
h1. Within that area, White can
build up a massive force before
breaking through the Black 21.~xh6 gxh6 22. ~xh6 Etf7
kingside, if necessary. 23.g71-0

The third reason is White's White can also checkmate after

23. gxf7+ ~xf7 24. ~g6+ ~f8
attack happens significantly 25. ~g8#.
faster than Black's queenside
counter-play.

At this point in the game,

Black's King is in a Mating Net.
White wins simply by moving
his Queen to the h-file,
attacking Black's very weak h7
square, and when, Black
attempts to shield his weak h7
square with the move h6, White
can crash through by sacrificing
on h6. All of the following
moves work (~f1, 4Jh4, 4Jel,
and even, 4J x e5). I chose:
The threat of 24. ~h8# cannot
19.~h4 h6 20. ~h5 ~g8 be adequately defended.

Black tries to run away, but

there is no place to run to, as all
his pieces are in the way.

466
Glossary of Terms Fishing Pole:

Anchoring: An attacking technique where

the defender plays h3 (h6) to
Anchoring is an advanced encourage the Knight (most of
technique generally associated the time, but it can be another
with the trading of pieces. piece too, like a Bishop) to
Usually, anchoring is done by retreat. But, instead of
placing a piece on a square that retreating, the attacker simply
is protected by a Pawn, and plays h5 (h4) to support the
your opponent has the attacked piece. Thus, setting up
opportunity to trade, but a scenario where if the
because you have anchored the defender captures the attacked
piece, you either are able to get piece, he unleashes a brutal
a passed Pawn or fix a set of attack on his king by opening
doubled Pawns. As a result , up the h-file (or a-file) for the
your opponent will frequently attacking Rook and key squares
decide not to trade. for his other pieces.

Example Games: Example Games:

11,130,219,279
Automatic Move:
An automatic move is any move
where the chess player
assumes that his best move is
to simply recapture a piece, and
does so without thinking or
looking for other, possibly
better, moves. This is an
extremely bad flaw in a chess
player's thought process.
Example Games:
5,59,69,83,115,337,373
133, 180, 224-227, 385,
413-419
H-File Mate:
Much like a back rank
checkmate, except that the
checkmate occurs along the
h-file.
Example Games:
134,175,204,233,388
Hope Chess:
Making a move specifically
designed for suckering your
opponent into playing a dumb
move. Generally speaking, if

467
your opponent does not
cooperate with a bad reply, you
are left dangling in a
compromising position.
Example Games:
15,193,251
In-Between Move:
It is a move that happens at the
beginning or middle of a
combination that upsets the
way things turn out. The move
is generally a check or
checkmate threat, although it
could just be a threat stronger
than continuing with the
combination. This tactic is also
known as Zwischenzug.
Example Games:
5,115,136
Invisible Defender:
A piece that defends another
piece indirectly. Or another way
to look at it is, you can move
your piece to a square that
looks unprotected, however, if
your opponent decides to
capture it, you will either win
material or checkmate. Thus,
the piece looks undefended, but
in reality, there is an Invisible
Defender.
468
When attempting this tactic, you
MUST be sure to have a solid
threat or plan. Putting a piece
on a square because you
HOPE your opponent will take
it, is not a good idea. You will
be just setting yourself up for a
bad fall.
Example Games:
15,16,121,122,123,206,261,
265,334
Replacement Attacker:
An advanced technique
involving capturing a pinned
piece, followed by replacing the
given up piece with another
attacker to take its' place. Most
frequently the technique
involves Rooks. The technique
can also be utilized to open up
attacking lanes as in Game
#126 and Game #173.
Example Games:
126,173,275,280,360,407
Smothered Mate:
A checkmate occurring primarily
because the enemy King is
surrounded by his own pieces,
thus preventing his escape.
Example Games:
89,138,153,161,170,228,
306,335,336,337,341,374,
402,404
Tempo:
A tempo is a unit for measuring
chess moves. Players that
routinely give away free moves
often find themselves in a world
of hurt after a very short time.
Example Games:
12,29,44,93,224,234,253,
285,382,428
Threat Pin:
A Threat Pin means that the
pinned piece can move, but if
the piece moves, another
threat, like checkmate, will be
executed.
Example Games:
13,55,70,235,326
Trojan Pawn:
A Pawn that is intentionally
sacrificed for a wide variety of
reasons (piece development,
free tempos, open lines, trap
pieces, create a passed Pawn,
block an attack, lure the
opponent's King, etc.) and
providing plenty of
compensation for the given-up
material.
469
Example Games:
3,324,339,367
Wedge:
A very long Pawn chain that
diagonally splits all of the
pieces into two quadrants. The
player with the greatest amount
of space in front of the
opponent's King, generally has
a big advantage and wins the
game.
Example Games:
236,387,388,389,429,435
Windmill Attack:
An attacking technique, usually
with a Rook and Bishop, where
the attacker can repeatedly
check forcing the defender's
King into a discovered check,
followed by ripping off a
defender with a discovered
check.
Example Games:
103,327
Indexes
Player: Game Number
Abdu
(Ezzeldin, Abdelrahman
Hesham Mohamed): 52
Acs, Peter: 199
Adams, Edwin: 251
Adams, Nicholas: 161
Adelberg, David: 154
Ado~an,Andras:205,418
Aldave, Geonard
(nardz): 253
Aldrich, Ed: 424
Alekhine, Alexander:
103,328
Alena (Danielian, Elina): 111
Aletheia-Zomlefer, Soren: 252
Alexei: 114
Ameri, Hossein: 403
Amonatov, Farrukh: 240
Anand, Viswanathan:
70,171,342
470
Anderson, Eric: 314
Anderssen, Adolf:
191,346,370,383
Andruet, Gilles: 207
Anghel, Dr. Bogdan
(cucushow): 295, 403
Anka, Emil: 7
Antunes, Antonio: 312
apawnup
(Smith, Herman): 169
Arion: 17
Arkmaster
(Noah Raskin): 292
Arlanowski, Edward: 335
Arnason, Jon: 165
atmin: 410
Atoufi, Pedram: 154
Baltier, Francisco: 414
Barle, Janez: 139
Bartsch, Berthold: 340
Bartoszkiewicz, G.: 334
Basanta, Gary: 269
Basescu, Neil Blackburne, Joseph:
(pepperoni): 221 234,259,284,395,402

Bauer, H.E.: 243 blackending

Beast: 27
beatchess: 108
Beauregard, Jim: 94
Becerra, Julio: 209, 349
Beliavsky, Alexander: 88
(Hemant Bhatt): 239
Blanchard: 395
Biasi, Dietmar: 128
Blumenfeld, Benjamin: 338
Bobfishrules
(Frank Johnson): 54

Belitzmann: 218 Bologan, Viktor: 375

Beltre, Alexander: 203 Book, Eero Einar: 168,318

Benjamin, Joel: 118, 379 Borik, Otto: 306

Berry, Jr., Frank Dudley Bosboom, Manuel: 394

(Nightlife): 421
Botto, Dardo: 183
Bezold, Michael: 290
Botvinnik, Mikhail: 419
Bhatt, Hemant
(blackending): 239 Bronstein, David:
14,238,330
Bick, John (JD): 30, 31, 32,
33,44 Browne, Walter:
166,167,414
Big-Master: 126
Buecker, P: 37, 43
BigV: 236
buc-kafy: 112
Bird, Henry: 142, 242
Buckle, Henry: 294

471
Bukal Sr., Vladimir: 241 Cheparinov, Ivan: 427

B-Wall chessman1337
(Brian Wall): (Joshua Zhu): 308
92,111,224,275,413,415
Christiansen, Larry:
Byrne, Donald: 327 144,183

Byrne, Robert: 384 Cifuentes-Parada, Roberto:

82
Califo1: 79
cinconnu: 121
Cambon, Austin: 181
Claesen, J: 39
Canal, Esteban: 270
clafa: 262
Capablanca, Jose: 78
Claude41
Carter, H: 379 (Claude Mev): 106

Carter, T: 78 Clemens: 341

Casella, Michael: 248 Cline, John: 376

Chairmanfrem: 25, 100 CommanderTyler

(Tyler Sypherd): 296
Chakraborty, Dipro: 22, 430
Condorman: 185
champbuster
(Stefan Kristjansson): 266 Copley, B: 35

Chao, Li: 276 COSCO: 120

Charousek, Rudolf: Cowan, Richard

145,153,189 (Hysteria): 99, 184,296

Chekhover, Vitaly: 419 cucushow

(Dr. Bogdan Anghel): 295
Chen,Zhu:102

472
Cummings, David: 269 Dree~Alexey: 165,246

Curdo, John: Dufresne, Jean: 370

71,97,320,384,411
Dussik, Chris: 347
Cvitan, Ognjen: 389
Dussik, Jon: 273, 364
Danielian, Elina (Alena): 111
Dzindzichashvili, Roman: 409
Darensbourg, Dr. Jeffery: 258
Eisenschmidt: 341
Darkness: 280
elDenso: 178
de Boer, H (Maxharm): 55
Englander: 145
DeFirmian, Nick: 386
Eperjesi, Laszlo: 329
Delaire, H: 313
Erdos: 228
De Jong, Migchiel: 368
Ermolin, P: 365
Desmarais, Nicholas: 252
Euwe, Max: 286
developer: 31
Evans, Captain: 322
De Vries: 297
Evergreen7734:381
dgp115: 48
Ezzeldin, Abdelrahman
Diamant: Andre: 216 Hesham Mohamed (Abdu): 52

Diemer, Emil: Exner, Gyozo: 153

84,272,336,363,385
Fairhurst, William: 101
Ding, Richard: 9
Fang, Joseph: 406
dougie: 130
Faul, A H: 250
Dovitiis, Alejo: 274

473
FearNoEvii (Joel Johnson): Flores, Rafael
1,5,11,12,15,16,17,19,20, (rspaine): 435
23,24,25,48,49,51,52,55,
56,62,63,66,72,74,89,90, Fontaine, Robert: 113
100,105,107,110,114,120,
121,122,124,126,127,129, Forgacs, Leo: 247
130,132,146,147,148,152,
174,185,188,212,214,227, Forintos, Gyozo: 425
230,233,237,253,262,263,
265,266,280,311,358,381, Fox, Albert: 243
382,396,407
Frankie, Jon: 137
FearNoEvil_US
(Joel Johnson): 2, 59, 354, FreddWiliiams: 128
378
Fried, James: 411
Feller, Sebastien: 93
Friedel, Josh: 368
Fenger, Peter: 95
Frumkin, Edward: 186
Fernandez: 293
Fryer, David: 91
Field, Otis: 208
Ftacnik, Lubomir: 389
Fios: 56
Galstian, Benik: 143
Fischer, Bobby: 60, 204, 327
Ganchev, Bizhidar: 310
fishhead:69
Garcia, J Fernandez: 135
Flamberg, Alexander: 264
GBrown: 92
Flesch, James: 367
gbsalvio
Fletcher, Alan: 103 (Perego, Domingos Savio):
225
Flohr, Salomon: 307
geemurfi
(Murphy, Gary): 115

474
Gelfand, Boris: 282 Gunsberg, Isidor: 255

Geller, Efrim: 179,238 Haderach, Kwisatz

(Muad-dib): 146,147
Georgiev, Kiril
(K-Georgiev): 178 Hagemann: 232

Ginsburg, Gennadi: 206 Hammes: 229

Ginsburg, Mark: 96 Hammond, Eric: 278

Gipslis, Aivars: 398 Harding, Henry: 423

Gladiator95: 53 Hartlaub, Dr. Carl: 182

Glucksberg: 163 Helms, Herman: 213, 319

goingnowhere: 75 Hesseling, M: 45

Gongora, Mikael: 47 Hewitt, M: 193

Gouw, Carel-Peter: 159 Hewitt, R: 35

GrandMouster: 63 Higgins, Sean: 325

Greartinge: 413 Hiidenheimo, A: 318

Greco, Gioachino: 300 Hoenlinger, Baldur: 220

Grigore, George: 149 Hoffman, Alexander: 316

Gross, Stefan: 128 Hoffman, Joseph: 123

Guerrero, Enrique Rodriguez Hoi, Carsten: 426

(Vulpecula): 197
Horowitz, Israel: 201
Gulko, Boris: 332, 426
hotmoose: 422
Gunderson, Gunnar: 250

475
Howell, David: 287, 352
Hungover: 73
Hysteria
(Richard Cowan): 296
ideonomy: 127, 396
Ibragimov, IIdar
(lIdar): 96, 141
IIdar (Ibragimov, IIdar): 141
IIjushin, Alexei: 257
Ingerslev, Aage: 168
InoyDaPogi: 408
Ippolito, Dean: 209,350,428
isisis: 188
Isouard, Count: 360
Ivanchuk, Vassily: 46, 119
Ivanov, Alexander: 320
Ivanov, Igor: 131,388,391
Ivanovic, Bozidar: 206
ivanzug: 258
Jakob, Matt
(Tornon): 68
476
jamesfreddy
(LeBreton, James): 292
Janowski, David: 255, 389
JD (John Bick): 31, 32
Jelen, Iztok: 139
Jennen:340
Jensen, Morten: 187
Jif: 263
Johnson, Frank:
(Bobfishrules): 54
Johnson, Joel
(FearNoEvil)
(FearNoEvil_US)
(MysteryMan)
(MassCarnage):
1,2,3,4,5, 8,9,-11, 12, 13,
15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,
23,24,25,29,44,48,49,50,
51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,
59,62,63,65,66,68,69,72,
73,74,75,76,79,89,90,94,
95,99,100,104,105,106,107,
108,109,110,112,114,115,
117,120,121,122,124,126,
127,129,130,132,133,134,
136,137,146,147,148,152,
169,173,174,176,181,185,
188,196,197,212,214,215,
221,222,226,227,230,233,
237,239,253,254,262,263,
265,266,268,271,278,280,
Johnson, Joel (Continued) Kashdan, Isaac: 404
(FearNoEvil)
(FearNoEviLUS) Kasparov, Garry: 249, 289
(MysteryMan)
(MassCarnage): Kasparian, Genrikh: 432
298,301,308,311,325,354,
358,364,376,378,381,382, kaspinha: 393
396,399,407,408,410,421,
422,424,429,430,435 Kaufman, Larry: 261

Jones, Nancy Keres, Paul:

(ToilandTrouble): 374 10,180,219,330,335,361

Judd, Max: 423 Kevinemms: 109

Juswanto, Denny: 102 K-Georgiev

(Georgiev, Kiril): 178
jwoord4: 378
Khalifman, Alexander: 291
Kahnkin, Boris: 172
Kharlov, Andrei: 290
Kaidanov, Gregory: 171
Kieseritzky, Lionel: 331, 346
Kamath, Raghuveer
(Raghu-Kamath): 358 Klaman, Konstantin: 267

Kammerdiner, Jason: 347 Klip, Hans: 39

Kannan, Nithin: 184 Knaak, Rainer: 418

Karagianis, Pete: 7 Kneebone: 166

Karasev, Vladimir: 267 KnightTourist: 89

Karjakin, Sergey: 177 Koblents, Alexander: 244

Karl, Duke: 360 Kontic, Djordjije: 81

Karss: 224 Korchnoi, Viktor: 86

477
Kosolapov, N: 380
Kosteniuk, Alexandra: 159
Kotanjian, Tigran: 229
Kotkov, Yuri: 116
Kozul, Zdenko: 190
Kraai, Jesse: 160
Kramnik, Vladimir: 249, 282,
401
Krasenkow, Mikhail: 83
Krebs, Heinz: 385
Krishnan, Varun: 64
Kristjansson, Stefan
(champbuster): 266
kshark: 214
ktv: 76
Kudrin, Sergey: 97,388
Kuemin, Simon: 211
Kupreichik, Viktor:
88,283,373
Laamanen, Charles: 134
Lagrave, Maxime: 113
478
Lagrave, Vachier: 217
lakeland: 311
lakerda: 49
Lange, Max: 323, 383
Lapinski, J: 303
Large, Peter (Plimsol): 122
Laurentius, Leo: 10
Lasker, Edward: 256
Laurin
(Schulze, Harald): 105
Lazard, Frederic: 304
LeBreton, James
(jamesfreddy): 292
LeCornu, Phil: 85
ledzepp: 132
Levitt, Jonathan: 287
Levitzky, Stefan: 6
Ig2: 152
L'Hermet, Rudolf: 232
Liberzon, Vladimir: 125
Lichtner: 228
Lilienthal, Andre: 98 Malakhov, Vladimir: 198

UttlePeasant Malinin, VB: 177

(Ramirez, Alejandro): 397
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar:
Ljubojevic, Ljubomir: 67, 326 143,317

Loberg, Jo Kristian: 91 Marco, George: 34

lobus: 90 Marsh, Sean: 288

Lombardy, William: 138,195 Marshall, Frank: 6

Lopez, Juan Manuel Bellon: Martin, Grurmann: 373

312
MassCarnage
lordazolz: 104 (Joel Johnson): 57,410,435

Loyd, Sam: 285 Matamoros: 25

Lucchetti, Philippe: 369 Mateer, Amanda: 50,429

Ludwig, W: 363 Mathews: 359

Lusikal: 366 Maxharm (H, de Boer): 55

LV78: 237 Mayet, Karl: 323

Lyman, Harry: 271 McDonnell, Alexander: 322

MacKenzie, George: 284 McGrath, Mike: 215

Madl, IIdiko: 175 mcworld: 301

Maherrera: 74 Mednis, Edmar: 195

Maier, M: 37,43 mefis: 226

Mailhe, Berardo: 41 Menchik, Vera: 101

479
Mergits: 36 Motylev, Alexander:
93,257,372
Mestel, Jonathan: 70
Moura, Pedro: 173
Mev, Claude
(Claude41): 106 Mrfitzer: 124

Meyer, Eugene: 117 Mrmajic: 1

Michal: 307 Muad-dib

MidKnight98: 222
Miles, Anthony: 167
Miller, Tony: 133
Milman, Lev: 406
Minasian, Ara: 150
(Haderach, Kwisatz): 146, 147
Muhamor7: 2
Murphy, Gary (geemurfi): 115
music3: 110
Myagmarsuran, Lhamsuren:
204

Minchev, Grigor: 310 MysteryMan

(Joel Johnson):
minifisher: 227 53,54,58,68,69,73,75,76,
79,104,106,108,109,112,
Miru: 59 115,169,176,196,197,221,
222,226,239,298,301,308,
Monier, Raul: 40 399,408,421,422

Morgan, Ethan Naiditsch, Arkadij: 401

(sfbf): 236
Najdorf, Miguel:
Morozevich, Alexander: 163,170,315,362
164,375
naka:174
Morozov
(Alexandre Zienkiewicz): 62 Nakamura, Hikaru
(Smallville): 27, 83, 141,277,
Morphy, Paul: 155, 360 333,420

480
Namphung: 374
nardz
(Geonard Aldave): 253
Navara, David: 427
Nazaro~Anvar:87
Neumann, Gustav: 191
Nezhmetdinov, Rashid:
98,116,231,365,366,380,
392,431,432,433
Nielsen, Bjorn: 210
Nightlife
(Frank Dudley Berry, Jr.): 421
Nijboer, Friso: 351, 394
Nimzowitsh, Aron: 210
Nogueiras, Jesus: 47
NOODLE-NAUT: 415
Norwood, David: 288
Novak: 306
nrf: 107
Nute, Gary: 136
Oldehoff, Mike: 387
Onischuk, Aleksander: 400
481
Oudheusden:297
Pachman, Ludek: 80
PALADINOO: 393
Palatnik, Semon: 179
Panikkar, Manoj: 28
Pan no, Oscar: 60
Paulsen, Louis: 155
Pedago:72
Pelaez, Jorge: 274
Peng, David: 118
pepperoni
(Basescu, Neil): 221
PerceiveThis: 57
Perego, Domingos Savio
(gbsalvio): 225
Perenyi, Bela: 329
Perez, Richard: 302
Perlis, Dr. Julius: 34
Peters, Jack: 138
Petrosian, Tigran: 80
Petrosian, Tigran L: 150, 162
Petrov, Alexander: 316 Puschkeit, Peter: 398

Pillsbury, Harry Nelsen: quanta: 196

156,293
Quinteros, Miguel: 353
Pinkerley: 142
R-172: 20
Pinter, Jozsef: 345
rabbitosky: 275
Platz, Hans: 84
Radford, Robert: 273
Plimsol (Large, Peter): 122
Radjabov, Teimour: 342
Polgar, Judit: 135, 317
Raghu-Kamath
Polgar, Zsuzsa: 200 (Kamath, Raghuveer): 358

Polugaevsk~Lev:392 Raisin, Leonid: 65

Ponomariov, Ruslan: 417 Ramirez, Alejandro

(LittlePeasant): 260, 397
Portisch, Lajos: 200
Raskin, Noah
Post, Alfred: 264 (Arkmaster): 123,292

Postojev, Alexander: 420 Raves, Zach: 268

Potter, William: 359 regal: 23

Ppizarro: 148 Reinisch, J: 305

Pragmatist: 382 Reissmann, Paul: 245

Price, Scott: 387 Reti, Richard: 286, 371

PrincessTornado: 32 Ribli, Zoltan: 205,353

Pruess, David: 160 Rizzitano, Jim: 281

482
Rodi, Ermesto Luis: 40, 41 Sagalchik, Gennadi: 277

Rodshtein, Maxim: 216 Saknight: 16

Rogan, Marvin: 281 Samo, Romeo: 279

Romanov: 231 Samsonkin, Artem: 333

Rootare, Vidrick: 219 Sandipan,Chanda:202

Roozmon, Thomas: 416 Sandrin, Albert: 85

Roser, Kevin: 369 Sanikidze, Tornike: 149

Rossolimo, Nicholas: 245 Sarkar, Justin: 349

Rotlewi, Georg: 377 Sawyer, Bradley: 254

Rotor, Raymond: 3 Schickner: 272

Rozentalis, Eduardas: 246 Schneider, Cmitry: 337

rspaine Schulten, John: 331

(Flores, Rafael): 435
Schulze, Harald (Laurin): 105
Rubinstein, Akiba:
218,334,377,390 Schwallbe, G: 38

Rublevsky, Sergei: 235 Seirawan, Vasser: 144,391

Rudolf, W: 223 SenorGG: 230

Runde, Hans: 187 Sergio4: 19

Rusakov, Vuri: 172 Serper, Grigory: 86, 291, 428

Rybka: 26 sfbf (Ethan Morgan): 236

Sadvakasov, Carmen: 260 Shabalov, Alexander: 42

483
Shamkovich, Leonid: 431 Spassky, Boris: 158,207

Sharavdorj, Dashzeveg: 416 Spielmann: 233

Sherbakov: 140 Spielmann, Rudolf: 220

Shermanator: 58 Staechelin, Ruedi: 211

Sherwood, Tony: 302 Stamnov, Aleksandar: 42

Shirov, Alexey: Stein, Leonid: 125

46,67,303,372
Steinitz, Wilhelm: 193,355
Short, Nigel: 61
Stein kuehler, Alexander: 234
Shredder: 26
Stopa, Jacek: 248
Sift, Boris: 404
Storch, Larry (Storchnoi): 15
Simic, Vladica: 81
Storchnoi (Storch, Larry): 15
Smallville
(Hikaru Nakamura): Strunk, Adam: 33
27,141,397
Suetin, Alexey: 434
Smirin, lIya: 405
Summermatter, Daniel: 175
Smirnov, Pavel: 162
superking: 295
Smith, Herman
(apawnup): 169 sushibu: 354

Smyth: 213 Sutovsky, Emil: 405

Sobel, Simone: 77 Sveshnikov, Rusian: 140

Sokolov, Ivan: 352 Svidler, Peter: 217

Somsak: 399

484
Sypherd, Tyler Theuglyface: 51
(CommanderTyler): 296
Thomas, George: 256
Szabo, Laszlo: 180
Thomson, Craig: 345
Szapiro, Dr. Samuel: 315
Timman, Jan: 61
Szilagyi, Gyorgy: 367
Timofeev, Artyom: 240
Takis38: 407
Timoshchenko, Gennadi: 283
Tal, Mikhail:
157, 158, 244, 309, 321, 332, TioHoracio: 225
343,344,348,409,433
Tiviakov, Sergei: 202
Tan, Desmond: 412
tjo: 11,66
Tarrasch, Siegbert: 192
TNTDYNAMITE: 5
Tartakower, Savielly: 247, 371
ToilandTrouble
Tate, Emory: (Jones, Nancy): 374
161,203,261,386
Tomovic, Vasily: 425
Teichmann, Richard: 357
Topalov, Veselin:
Tenner, Oscar: 208,319 289,326,417

Terrie, Hal: 71 Tornon

(Matt Jakob): 68
Terrill, Austin: 4
Torok, Sandor: 30
Terrill, Phil : 21, 77
Torre-Repetto, Carlos: 251
Testa, MW: 182
Trent, Lawrence: 412
TheCrusher: 265
Traxler, Karel: 305
Therien, Jules: 151

485
Tringov, Georgi: 309
Tseshkovsk~Vimly:434
Van de Loo, Christopher: 45
Van Wely, Loek:
164,199,324,351
Vasic: 328
Velimirovic, Dragoljub: 241
Verbac: 361
Vescovi, Giovanni: 400
vinod: 176
Vladimirov, Evgeny: 356
Volokitin, Andrei: 190, 235
Von Bardeleben, Curt: 355
Von Holzhausen, Walter: 192
Vorotnikov, Viadisiav:
131,356
Vulpecula (Guerrero, Enrique
Rodriguez): 197
Waitzkin, Joshua: 186
Wall, Bill: 194
Wall, Brian
486
(B-Wall): 92, 111, 275, 314,
413,415
Wall, Tim: 350
Wall, William: 194
Waterman, Dennis: 279
Webb, Mark: 13
Welling, Gerard: 36
Williams, John: 8
Wohl, Aleksandar: 87
Wollner, Jakob: 189
womenhave-veIQ: 12
Xiangzhi, Bu: 276
Xuan, T Chan Wei: 337
Yanayt, Eugene: 64
Yankee: 212
Yanofsky, Daniel: 151
Yusupov, Artur: 119
Zeller, Frank: 38
Zhang, Melvin: 18
Zhu, Joshua
(chessman1337): 28,308
Zienkiewicz, Alexandre
(Morozov): 62

Zierk, Steven: 324

znebster: 298

Zukertort, Johannes:
259,299,339

Zupide, Celso: 285

Zvjaginsev, Vadim: 82, 198

487
Indexes A20 English
1 c4e5
290
Opening: Game Number
A21 English
AOO Uncommon Opening
1 c4 e5 2 Nc3
1. a3, b3, d3, g4, etc.
47
27,32
A25 English
A03 Bird's Opening
1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6
1. f4 d5
81,96,114,117
278
A27 English, Three Knights
A04 Reti Opening
System
1. Nf3
1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Nf3
60,80
434
A05 Reti Opening
A29 English, Four Knights,
1. Nf3 Nf6
Kingside Fianchetto
112
1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Nf3 Nf6
4g3
A11 English, Caro-Kann
86
Defensive System
1. c4 c6
A30 English, Symmetrical
425
1 c4c5
269
A13 English
1. c4 e6
A34 English, Symmetrical
259,419
1 c4 c5 2 Nc3
388
A14 English
1 c4 e6 2 Nf3 d5 3 g3 Nf6 4
A40 Queen's Pawn Game
Bg2 Be7 50-0
1 d4
83,87
5,75,152,176,196,197,382,
385,410
A16 English
1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3
A45 Queen's Pawn Game
85
1 d4 Nf6
412

488
A46 Queen's Pawn Game A89 Dutch, Leningrad, Main
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 Variation with Nc6
77,132 1 d4 f5 2 c4 Nf6 3 g3 g6 4 Bg2
Bg7 5 Nfl 0-0 6 0-0 d6 7 Nc3
A47 Queen's Indian Nc6
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 b6 113
426
BOO Uncommon King's
A50 Queen's Pawn Game Pawn Opening
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 1 e4
324 73,184,226,393,408,430

A53 Old Indian B01 Scandinavian

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 d6 1 e4d5
95,392 4,79,230,270,357,364

A54 Old Indian, Ukrainian B02 Alekhine's Defense

Variation, 4.Nf3 1 e4 Nf6
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 d6 3 Nc3 e5 2,19,23,28,59,99,212,215,
4Nf3 266,307,310,325,374,378,
274 396

A57 Benko Gambit B03 Alekhine's Defense

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4
143 3,21,68,254,308,344

A81 Dutch B04 Alekhine's Defense,

1 d4 f5 2 g3 Modern
71 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6
4 Nfl
A83 Dutch, Staunton 61,314
Gambit
1 d4 f5 2 e4 fxe4 3 Nc3 Nf6 B06 Robatsch
4Bg5 1 e4g6
256 62,63,65,76,126,127,309

A85 Dutch, with c4 & Nc3

1 d4 f5 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3
163,213

489
B07 Pirc
1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6
11,16,66,72,89,105,135,
148,265,289
B08 Pirc, Classical
1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6
4 Nf3
144
B09 Pirc, Austrian Attack
1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 f4 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4
125
B10 Caro-Kann
1 e4 c6
128,133,286,302
B11 Caro-Kann, Two
Knights, 3... Bg4
1 e4 c6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Nf3 Bg4
161,292,335,432
B12 Caro-Kann Defense
1 e4 c6 2 d4
129,375
B13 Caro-Kann, Exchange
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5
010
B14 Caro-Kann, Panov-
Botvinnik Attack
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5
4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6
187,398
490
B15 Caro-Kann
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3
220,371,394
B17 Caro-Kann, Steinitz
Variation
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4
4 Nxe4 Nd7
210,222,329
B19 Caro-Kann, Classical
4 Nxe4 Bf5 5 Ng3 Bg6 6 h4 h6
7 Nf3 Nd7
406
B20 Sicilian
1 e4 c5
8,397
B22 Sicilian, Alapin
1 e4 c5 2 c3
409
B23 Sicilian, Closed
1 e4 c5 2 Nc3
1,13,15,17,20,24,48,49,50,
51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,
100,104,106,107,108,109,
110,115,120,121,122,123,
124,130,134,136,137,146,
147,174,181,227,236,239,
253,262,263,295,298,301,
311,347,376,429,435
B24 Sicilian, Closed
1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g3
94
82S Sicilian, Closed, S.8e3 845 Sicilian, Taimanov
1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 NcS 3 g3 gS 4 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 eS 3 d4 cxd4
8g2 8g7 5 d3 dS S 8e3 4 Nxd4 NcS 5 Nc3
91,281 18S

827 Sicilian 848 Sicilian, Taimanov

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Variation
97 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 eS 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 NcS 5 Nc3 Qc7 S 8e3
828 Sicilian, O'Kelly 32S
Variation
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 as 851 Sicilian, Canal-
420 Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 dS 3 8b5+
830 Sicilian 384
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 NcS
140,190,294,405 855 Sicilian, Prins
Variation, Venice Attack
832 Sicilian 1 e4 c5 2 Nfl dS 3 d4 cxd4
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 NcS 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 NfS 5 f3 e5 S 8b5+
4 Nxd4e5 2S1
S7
85S Sicilian
833 Sicilian 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 dS 3 d4 cxd4
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 NcS 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3
4 Nxd4 38S
203
8S1 Sicilian, Richter-
842 Sicilian, Kan Rauzer, Larsen Variation,
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 eS 3 d4 cxd4 7.Qd2
4 Nxd4 as 5 8d3 1 e4 c5 2 Nfl dS 3 d4 cxd4
157 4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3 NcS S 8g5
8d77Qd2
843 Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3 183
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 eS 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 as 5 Nc3
333,3S8

491
866 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer 878 Sicilian, Dragon,
Attack, 7.•.a6 Yugoslav Attack, 10.castle
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 long
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 8g5 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
e6 7 Qd2 a6 4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3 g6 6 8e3
180 8g7 7 f3 0-0 8 Qd2 Nc6 9 8c4
8d710 0-0-0
870 Sicilian, Dragon 93,275
Variation
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 879 Sicilian, Dragon,
4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3 g6 Yugoslav Attack, 12.h4
88 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3 g6 6 8e3
871 Sicilian, Dragon, 8g7 7 f3 0-0 8 Qd2 Nc6 9 8c4
Levenfish Variation 8d7 10 0-0-0 Qa5 11 8b3
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 Rfc812 h4
4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3 g6 6 f4 64
365
881 Sicilian, Scheveningen,
876 Sicilian, Dragon, Keres Attack
Yugoslav Attack 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 g4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 8e3 175,351,369
8g7 7f3 0-0
70 882 Sicilian, Scheveningen
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
877 Sicilian, Dragon, 4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3 e6 6 f4
Yugoslav Attack 31,244,332
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 8e3 884 Sicilian, Scheveningen
8g7 7 f3 0-0 8 Qd2 Nc6 9 8c4 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
69 4 Nxd4 NfS 5 Nc3 e6 6 8e2 a6
235

492
885 Sicilian, Scheveningen,
Classical
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 8e2 a6
70-0 Qc7 8 f4 Nc6
154,162
886 Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin
Attack
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 8c4
102
888 Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin
Attack
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 8c4
Nc6
231
889 Sicilian
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Bc4
Nc678e3
166,240,241
890 Sicilian, Najdorf
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6
205,373
892 Sicilian, Najdorf,
Opocensky Variation
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 8e2
267
493
893 Sicilian, Najdorf, 6.f4
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 f4
248
894 Sicilian, Najdorf
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 8g5
431
895 Sicilian, Najdorf, 6.•. e6
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 8g5 e6
206
896 Sicilian, Najdorf
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 8g5 e6
7 f4
172,321,343
897 Sicilian, Najdorf
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 8g5 e6
7f4Qb6
342
899 Sicilian, Najdorf,
7... 8e7 Main line
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 8g5 e6
7 f4 Be7 8 Qf3 Qc7 9 0-0-0
Nbd7
348
COO French Defense
1 e4e6
159,168,195,204,288,424
C01 French,Exchange
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exdS exdS
4 Nc3 Nf6 5 BgS
361
C02 French, Advance
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 eS
22,250,283,421
C06 French, Tarrasch
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 eS
Nfd7 5 Bd3 cS 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ne2 C17 French, Winawer,
cxd4 8 cxd4
257
C07 French, Tarrasch
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 cS
165,287
C10 French
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3
6,151,164,194,315,349
C11 French
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6
74
C12 French, McCutcheon
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6
4BgSBb4
277
494
C13 French
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 BgS Be7
416
C14 French, Classical
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 BgS Be7 5 eS Nfd7 6 Bxe7
Qxe7
160,247
C1S French, Winawer
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Bb4
9,25,139,252,258,328,399
Advance
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Bb4
4eScS
433
C18 French, Winawer
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Bb4
4 eS cS 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3
268,273
C20 King's Pawn Game
1 e4eS
145
C21 Center Game
1 e4 eS 2 d4 exd4
173,182,185,188,189,214,
280,339,354,358,359
C22 Center Game
1 e4 eS 2 d4 exd4 3 Qxd4 Nc6
14,232
C23 Bishop's Opening C37 King's Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Accepted
193 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 95
4Nc3
C24 Bishop's Opening 303
1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nf6
201,221,407,411 C38 King's Gambit
Accepted
C25 Vienna 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 g5
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 4 Bc4 Bg7
293,395 304

C26 Vienna C39 King's Gambit

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 Accepted
131 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4
313
C27 Vienna Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Nxe4 C40 King's Knight Opening
318 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3
306
C28 Vienna Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Nc6 C41 Philidor Defense
299 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6
360
C29 Vienna Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 f4 C42 PetroY Defense
219,362 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6
276,379,401
C30 King's Gambit Declined
1 e4 e5 2 f4 C43 PetroY, Modern Attack
30,34,35,36,37,38,39,40, 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 exd4
41,42,43,44,78,297 4 e5 Ne4 5 Qxd4
209
C33 King's Gambit
Accepted C44 King's Pawn Game
1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6
223,330,331,346,350 12,422

495
C45 Scotch Game C56 Two Knights
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 d4 exd4 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Nf6
4 Nxd4 4 d4 exd4 5 0-0 Nxe4
177,242,284,285,338,352 271,334,337

C47 Four Knights C57 Two Knights

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Ne3 Nf6 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Nf6
380 4Ng5
45,305
C48 Four Knights
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Ne3 Nf6 C58 Two Knights
4Bb5 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Nf6
155,218,264 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5
208
C50 Giuoeo Piano
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Be5 C61 Ruy Lopez, Bird's
142,192,402,403 Defense
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Bb5 Nd4
C51 Evans Gambit 383
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Be5
4b4 C62 Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz
319,322,323,341 Defense
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Bb5 d6
C52 Evans Gambit 251
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Be5
4 b4 Bxb4 5 e3 Ba5 C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin
191,370 Defense
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Bb5 Nf6
C54 Giuoeo Piano 224,279,413,414,415
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Be5
4 e3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 exd4 C67 Ruy Lopez
29,234,245,300,316,355 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Bb5 Nf6
40-0 Nxe4
C55 Two Knights Defense 26,116,150,243
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Be4 Nf6
18,233,237,381 C70 Ruy Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Bb5 a6
4Ba4
423

496
C72 Ruy Lopez, Modern C9S Ruy Lopez, Closed,
Steinitz Defense, S.O-O Breyer
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 BbS a6 1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 BbS a6
4 Ba4d6 S 0-0 4 Ba4 Nf6 S 0-0 Be7 6 Rei bS
320 7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3 d6 9 h3 Nb8
10 d4
C77 Ruy Lopez 138
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 BbS a6
4 Ba4 Nf6 000 Queen's Pawn Game
2SS 1 d4dS
84,90, 1S3, 169, 179, 228,272,
C78 Ruy Lopez 296,336,340,363
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 BbS a6
4 Ba4 Nf6 S 0-0 014 Queen's Gambit
22S Declined Slav, Exchange
Variation
C80 Ruy Lopez, Open 1 d4 dS 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 BbS a6 4 cxdS cxdS S Nc3 Nc6 6 Bf4
4 Ba4 Nf6 S 0-0 Nxe4 BfS
317 178

C88 Ruy Lopez 020 Queen's Gambit

1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 BbS a6 Accepted
4 Ba4 Nf6 S 0-0 Be7 6 Rei bS 1 d4 dS 2 c4 dxc4
7 Bb3 372
427
022 Queen's Gambit
C89 Ruy Lopez, Marshall Accepted
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 BbS a6 1 d4 dS 2 c4 dxc4 3 Nfl a6
4 Ba4 Nf6 S 0-0 Be7 6 Rei bS 4 e3 Bg4 S Bxc4 e6 6 dS
7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3 dS 3S6
217
027 Queen's Gambit
Accepted, Classical
1 d4 dS 2 c4 dxc4 3 Nfl Nf6
4 e3 e6 S Bxc4 cS 6 0-0 a6
216

497
D31 Queen's Gambit
Declined
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3
1S6
D37 Queen's Gambit
Declined
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 Nf3
170,229
D38 Queen's Gambit
Declined, Ragozin Variation
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 Nf3 Bb4
291
D40 Queen's Gambit
Declined, Semi-Tarrasch
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 Nf3 cS
167,377
042 Queen's Gambit
Declined, Semi-Tarrasch,
7.Bd3
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 Nf3 cS 5 cxdS NxdS 6 e3
Nc6 7 Bd3
171
D43 Queen's Gambit
Declined Semi-Slav
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 Nf3 c6
367
498
D44 Queen's Gambit
Declined Semi-Slav
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 Nf3 c6 S BgS dxc4
312
D4S Queen's Gambit
Declined Semi-Slav
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6
4 Nf3 c6 S e3
82,200,282
08S Grunfeld
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 dS
4cxdS NxdS
33,366
D87 Grunfeld, Exchange
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 dS
4 cxdS NxdS S e4 Nxc3 6 bxc3
Bg7 7 Bc4 0-0 8 Ne2 cS
92,111
D91 Grunfeld, S.BgS
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 dS
4 Nf3 Bg7 S BgS
46
D93 Grunfeld, with Bf4 & e3
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 dS
4 Nf3 Bg7 S Bf4 0-0 6 e3
149
D97 Grunfeld, Russian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 dS
4 Nf3 Bg7 S Qb3 dxc4 6 Qxc4
0-07 e4
327
E06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 Bg2
Be7 5 Nf3
211
E11 Bogo-Indian Defense
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+
7,207
E12 Queen's Indian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6
246
E14 Queen's Indian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 e3
158
E15 Queen's Indian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
118,141,417
E17 Queen's Indian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 E45 Nirnzo-Indian, 4.e3,
Bb75 Bg2 Be7
202,345
E21 Nimzo-Indian, Three
Knights
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4Nf3
391
E27 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch 199
Variation
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4 a3 Bxc3+ 5 bxc3 0-0
238
E32 Nirnzo-Indian, Classical
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4Qc2
390
E36 Nirnzo-Indian, Classical
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4Qc2d5 5 a3
404
E38 Nirnzo-Indian,
Classical, 4...c5
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4 Qc2 c5
428
E39 Nirnzo-Indian,
Classical, Pirc Variation
4 Qc2 c5 5 dxc5 0-0
353
Bronstein (Byrne) Variation
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4 e3 b6 5 Ne2 Ba6
418
E48 Nirnzo-Indian, 4.e3 0-0
5.Bd3 d5
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5
E52 Nirnzo-Indian, 4.e3,
Main line with ... b6
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4 e3 0-0 5 Nf3 d5 6 Bd3 b6
260
499
E54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3,
Gligoric System
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4
4 e3 0-0 5 Nf3 d5 6 Bd3 c5
7 0-0 dxc4 8 Bxc4
400

E66 King's Indian,

Fianchetto, Yugoslav Panno
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7
4 Nf3 d6 5 g3 0-0 6 Bg2 c5
70-0 Nc6 8 d5
103

E67 King's Indian,

Fianchetto
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7
4 Nf3 d6 5 g3 0-0 6 Bg2 Nbd7
98,119

E72 King's Indian

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7
4 e4 d6 5 g3
101

E92 King's Indian

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7
4 e4 d6 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Be2 e5
249

E97 King's Indian

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7
4 e4 d6 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Be2 e5
70-0 Nc6
198,387,389

500