Contents Introduction Symbols
6 7
Part 1: Opening 1 Attacking the Uncastled King 2 Tiptoe down the h-file 3 Flush Out the Enemy King 4 Punish Careless Play 5 Strike while the Iron is Hot 6 Rooks Thrive on Open Files 7 Early Queenside Pawn Offensive 8 Classic Pins Game 9 Meet a Flank Attack with Counterplay in the Centre 10 The Centre: Dismantle and Occupy 11 Don’t be Afraid of Ghosts 12 Closing the Centre Invites a Deadly Flank Attack 13 Hinder Your Opponent’s Development 14 One Weakness Leads to Another 15 Hanging Pawns 16 White’s d6-knight 17 Respect Her Majesty 18 Tempt the Queen with your b-pawn 19 The Practical Piece Sacrifice 20 Opposite-Side Castling: Strike a Balance
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Part 2: Middlegame 21 Fuel the Fire 22 Eliminate the Leader 23 Inducing Weaknesses in the Castled Structure 24 Calm Defence Wins Games 25 Lure the Pawns Forward 26 What is a Queen Worth? 27 Attack and Defence 28 Centralization 29 Taking over a Colour Complex 30 Domination of the Only Open File 31 Nurture Your Space Advantage 32 Domination of a Square in Enemy Territory
28 29 30 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 41 43
4 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
101 WINNING CHESS STRATEGIES Prisoner IQP: Punish Stereotyped Blockading Exploiting the Backward c6-pawn A ‘Dim’ Knight Can Cost You Dear Make Your Opponent’s Passive Piece Disappear Opposite-Coloured Bishops with Major Pieces: The Initiative can be Decisive Don’t be Greedy; Invest Your Booty! Swinging Rooks The ‘V’ Pawn Bind Transformation of a Knight A Knight in the Centre can be Worth a Rook The Dormant b2-bishop Mobilize Your Majority Karpov’s Anti-IQP Treatment Creeping Pawns Prise Open a Fixed Pawn Cluster The Paralysing Pin Major Pieces in the Middlegame: The Third-Rank Two-Step Backward ‘French’ e6-pawn Bishop-Pair: The Roving Bishop Change the Scene with an Exchange Sacrifice Rook and Two Knights Tame Two Rooks Minority Attack The Queenless Pawn-Storm The h4-d8 Pin Attack in the Direction of Your Pawn-Chain Attack the Base of a Pawn-Chain If You Resign, You Lose!
Part 3: Endgame 61 Ê+Ï vs Ê: Horse and Cart 62 Typical Î+Ï Ending: Bite the Bullet! 63 Rooks Belong Behind Passed Pawns 64 Cut Off the Enemy King in Î+Ï Endings 65 Multiple Passed Pawns in Î+Ï Ending 66 Î+2 vs Î+2: Win the Race then Win the Game 67 Double Rook Endings: Be Active! 68 Î+Ï vs Í+Ï: The King 69 Two Rooks vs Rook + Bishop: Create a Passed Pawn 70 Î vs Ì: A Defensive Fortress Built with Straw 71 Î+Í vs Î: Know the Winning Technique 72 Î vs Ï: Nifty Rook
44 45 46 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 57 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 74 75 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 86 87 88 89 90 92
101 WINNING CHESS STRATEGIES 73 74 75 76
5
Î+Í vs Î+Ì: Outside Passed Pawn Decides Good Bishop vs Bad Bishop Í+Ï Ending: Dislodge the Defending Bishop Í+Ï Ending: Pawns on the Same Colour as the Bishop are a Liability 77 Winning Strategy in Opposite-Coloured Bishop Ending 78 Bishop’s Superiority over Knight in Ending with Pawns on Both Wings 79 Í+4 vs Ì+3 on Same Side: Careful Handling 80 Bishop-Pair vs Knight-Pair: Bishops Dominate with Pawns on Both Flanks 81 Bishop and Pawns vs Pawns: Close Out and Blockade 82 What a Difference a Rank Makes in Knight Endings 83 Active Pieces can Decide – Even in a Symmetrical Knight Ending 84 Good Knight vs Bad Bishop 85 Knight and Pawns vs Pawns: Blockade and Conquer 86 Queen Ending: Head for the Hills 87 Queen + Opposite-Coloured Bishops: A Lesson in Geometry 88 Queen + Pawns vs Rook + Pawns: Unhinge the Rook 89 Ë vs Î, Í and Ì: Connected Pawns Team up with the Queen 90 Í+Ì vs Î: Adding Queens Favours the Minor Pieces 91 Active Rook vs Passive Bishop and Knight 92 The Powerful Queenside Majority in Major-Piece Endings 93 The Smallest Advantage can be Decisive 94 Regrouping Pieces in Fixed Pawn Endings 95 Opening a New Front of Attack 96 Rook and Knight(s) Torment the Cornered King 97 Communication 98 Significance of the Bishop-Pair 99 The Ultimate Breakthrough 100 Use Your King! 101 Don’t Try to See Too Much; Play it Out on the Board!
93 94 95
100 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 110 111 113 114 115 117 118 120 121 122 123 124 125 126
Index of Players
127
96 97 98 99
16
B
101 WINNING CHESS STRATEGIES
r+-wrvk+ zp+n+p+p -+-zl+p+ +-+-z-+-+P+P+PZ +P+QVP+P+-+N+-+ +-+RML+R 9a: After White’s 16th move
W
-+r+r+k+ z-+-+p+p -+-v-wp+ +P+Ps-+l Q+-+-+-Z +P+-VP+P+-TNML+ +-+-+-+R 9b: After 24...Ëf6
W
-+-+r+k+ z-+-+p+p -+-v-+p+ +P+PsqVQ+-+-SlZ +P+-+-+L P+rT-+K+ +-+-+-+R 9c: After 28...Îc2!
Strategy 9 – Meet a Flank Attack with Counterplay in the Centre (9a) Neergaard-Simagin, corr. 1965. White’s ‘Maroczy Bind’ pawns on c4 and e4 seem to give him a grip on the centre, so he has just advanced his h-pawn toward the black king. A violent, uncompromising reply is needed: 16...b5! Shaking White’s grip is the only chance. He threatens to saddle White with a weak cpawn by ...bxc4. 17 cxb5 d5!! 18 exd5 e4! Black’s three pawn sacrifices have brought about a complete transformation. 19 Ëxe4 The lesser evil, as 19 fxe4 Ìe5 leaves White worrying about f3, g4, e4 and a nasty check on the a5-e1 diagonal. 19...Íxg4! 20 Ëf4 20 Ëxg4 Îxe3 21 Êf2 Íc5 and ...Ìe5 puts White under too much pressure. 20...Íh5 21 Êf2 Ìe5 22 Íg2 Íd6! 23 Ëa4 Îc8! Eyeing c2. 24 Îd2 Ëf6 (9b) Compared to diagram 9a, where he faced the prospect of total passivity, Black’s energetic reaction has resulted in all of his pieces taking part in an attack of their own. 25 Íg5 Ëf5 26 Ìf4 Íxf3! 27 Íh3 27 Íxf3 Íc5+ 28 Êg2 Ìxf3 29 Êxf3 Îe3+ 30 Êg2 Ëg4+ is decisive. 27...Íg4 28 Êg2 28 Íxg4 Ìxg4+ 29 Êg2 Îc2 30 Ëd4 Ìe3+ 31 Êf3 (31 Êf2 Íxf4) 31...Ëg4+ 32 Êf2 Íxf4. 28...Îc2! (9c) 0-1 A possible end to White’s torture is 29 Ëd4 Îxd2+ 30 Ëxd2 Ëe4+, etc. A lively display of the central counter-punch.
101 WINNING CHESS STRATEGIES
Strategy 10 – The Centre: Dismantle and Occupy (10a) Gokhale-P.Thipsay, Indian Ch 1993. White has a firm grip on the centre – time for an eviction attempt. 10...b5!? 11 cxb5?! 11 dxc6 is less greedy and much safer; from here on White is steam-rollered. 11...cxd5 12 exd5 Íb7! 13 Íf3 Îc8! The d5-pawn is not going anywhere. 14 Ìb3 14 Ëb3 Îc5. 14...Îxc3! All part of the strategy to take complete control of the centre. 15 bxc3 e4! Driving back the bishop, opening the a1h8 diagonal and vacating the e5-square. 16 Íe2 Ìfxd5 17 Íd2 Ìxc3 18 Íxc3 Íxc3 19 Îc1 Íe5 20 Ëd2 Ìd5! The knight is in its element on the board’s most central outpost. 21 g3 21 Ìa5 Ìf4! 22 Ìxb7 Ëg5 23 g3 Ìh3+. 21...Ëf6! (10b) Black has total command of the centre. 22 Îc2 22 Îc4 Ìf4! 23 Ëe3 (23 gxf4? Íxf4 24 Ëc3 Ëg5+ 25 Êh1! Ëh4 26 h3 e3+ closes the third rank) 23...d5 also favours Black. 22...Íc3! 23 Ëc1 Ìb4! 24 Îd2 24 Îxc3 Ìxa2. 24...Íxd2 25 Ëxd2 Ìd5 26 Îc1 Îe8 Now all four of Black’s working force are focused on the centre. 27 Ìa5 Ía8 28 Ìc6 e3! 29 fxe3 Ìxe3 30 Îc3 Ëe6 31 Ìd4 Ëe5 (10c) White is under too much pressure. 32 Ìc6 Ëe4! 33 Íd3 Ëd5 34 Ëe2 Íxc6! Black’s faithful knight is enough. 35 bxc6? Ëd4 36 Îc1 Ìg4+ 0-1
B
17
r+lw-tk+ zp+-spvp -+pz-sp+ +-+Pz-+-+P+P+-+ +-S-+-+PZ-SLZPZ +RVQ+RM10a: After White’s 10th move
W
-+-+-tk+ zl+-+p+p -+-z-wp+ +P+nv-+-+-+p+-+ +N+-+-ZP+-WLZ-Z +-T-+RM10b: After 21...Ëf6!
W
l+-+r+k+ z-+-+p+p -+-z-+p+ +P+-w-+-+-S-+-+ +-T-s-ZP+-WL+-Z +-+-+-M10c: After 31...Ëe5