Jeroen Bosch:

Training and Solitaire Chess

We all train in order to improve our results
in tournament games or competitions. There
are many accepted forms of training chess,
and all of them are useful to increase our
knowledge our improve our skills. Thus,
solving combinations, for example, will
increase our calculation abilities at the
board. A trainer who explains the ins and
outs of, say, isolated pawn positions, will
increase the knowledge of his pupils of
typical manoeuvres (which they can then
apply in their own games). While the
analysis of your own games may give you
important information on your strength and
weaknesses, and on which areas to work in
the near future. Yet, the way in which we
train is to some extent always artificial. I am
sure that all of you will recognize that it is
very hard to match the level of concentration
in an actual tournament game with that in a
training session. Moreover, who ever played
a game where next to your board suddenly
arrived someone who told you that now was
the time to find mate in four moves? Clearly
the harder we train, the easier the tournament
game becomes, and the closer we approach
the circumstances (and the competitiveness)
of a tournament situation the sooner we may
hope to achieve success. I have made much
the same points in the preface to my book
The Chess Combat Simulator (New In
Chess, 2006). This book is a collection of 50
chess games where the reader is asked to
step into the shoes of one side, and must
guess the best moves while playing through
a game. For finding the best moves you are
awarded points (and also for some of the
lesser alternatives), which raises the level of
competitiveness and makes it possible to
evaluate your performance. This kind of
format is often called 'Solitaire Chess',
FIDE Surveys Jeroen Bosch

because it enables a pupil to do this type of

exercise all by himself, as if he or she were
playing a game against an actual opponent.
Yet, the format is, in my opinion, also very
suitable for group training sessions. At the
end of the session all pupils will passionately
defend their moves hoping to gain points for
the alternative moves that they have found.
In my experience this raises the level of
concentration, and this method is a
reasonable way of imitating the conditions of
a tournament game within the, admittedly
still artificial, situation of a training session.
You will actually find many useful training
books with this type of exercise. In the
Netherlands such books have of old been coauthored by Max Euwe. Below is a
particularly useful game which I have taken
from one of these books (the game is not in
the modern databases!). However, the
analysis is significantly altered and all the
comments are my own. I hope you will find
this a useful game for your own training
sessions, and the method itself worthwhile to
consider.
Cotter : Berzeris
Los Angeles 1956
1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 de4 4.Ne4 Nd7
5.Bc4 e6 6.00 Ngf6 7.Ng3 Be7 8.d4 00
A typical middlegame position has arisen
where White has more space. Black,
however, has a solid position which he will
hope to free by either implementing c6c5,
or, far more rarely, by e6e5.
9.Qe2 c5 10.Rd1 b6 11.dc5 Bc5
Black has succeeded in freeing his game
somewhat. The pin along the d-file is
slightly awkward though, and White has a
slight edge initiative.
12.Ne5
White would be slightly better after 12.Bf4
Bb7 13.c3 Qc8 but it really isn't all that
much.
12...Qc7 13.Bf4 Ne5
1

Before you start the exercise proper, you

could ask your pupils whether Black can
play 13...Bf2!? This is best-met by 14.Kh1!
(14.Qf2 Ne5; 14.Kf2 Ne5 15.Be5 Qe5!
16.Qe5 Ng4 17.Kg1 Ne5+; 14.Kf1? Be3!
15.Qe3 Ne5+) 14...Bc5 (14...Bg3 15.Bg3
Ne5 16.Be5 Qc6 17.Rd4! and White has
great compensation for the pawn: he will get
a dangerous attack.) 15.Ng6 e5 16.Ne5!
(Stronger than 16.Nf8 which results in an
equal position after 16...ef4 17.Nd7 Bd7
18.Ne4 Ne4 19.Qe4 Re8 20.Rd7! Qd7
21.Qf4=) 16...Ne5 17.Be5 and White has
regained the pawn, and keeps a slight edge.
14.Be5 Qe7

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14...Bf2?? loses on the spot to 15.Kh1+.
This is the starting position of our exercise.
Your pupils should take the White side, and
they should write down the best move for
White. When the time is up, you execute the
actual move played in the game on the
demonstration board, you then give Black's
reply, and the exercise continues: again they
have to find the best move for White. Please
note that the moves played in the game may
not be the best moves, and stress the point
that they can also gain points with
alternative moves.

15.Qf3
16.Bxf6
17.Qf4
18.b4
19.Rd7
20.Qxf6+
21.Nh5
22.Qxc3
23.Bxe6+
24.Qg3+
25.Qg7+
26.Qxb7
Total number
of points

4 (6)
2
9
12
4
1
2
1
9
2
1
1
48 (50)

Bb7
gxf6
Kh8
Bxb4
Qxd7
Kg8
Bc3
f6
Qxe6
Kf7
Ke8
1-0

15.Qf3
The most direct way of playing. It looks
good, but since Black has a very surprising
defence, so it is actually not the strongest
continuation. White keeps an edge after any
of the following moves. Best in my opinion
is 15.Ne4.
- 15.c3 a5; 5 points
- 15.a3 a5; 5 points
- 15.Bd3 Bb7; 5 points
- 15.Ne4 (6 points) Nxe4 16.Qxe4 Bb7
17.Qg4 f5!? (17...g6 18.Qf4 when 18...g5 is
mandatory 19.Qg3)

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18.Bxe6+ (18.Qg3!) 18...Kh8 19.Qg3 f4!

FIDE Surveys Jeroen Bosch

20.Qh3 Bc8! 21.Bxc8 Qxe5 22.Ba6 f3

23.Bd3 h6 24.gxf3 Qxb2.
15...Bb7 16.Bxf6
This was White's idea of course, it appears
as if Black has no choice.
16...gxf6
This proves White right. Strongest was
16...Qxf6! and when you are discussing the
game afterwards with your pupils you could
hand out bonus points for finding this
defence or any of the following lines:
17.Qxb7 (17.Qxf6 gxf6 18.Nh5 f5 19.Nf6+
Kg7 20.Nd7 is nothing really after 20...Rfc8
21.Nxc5 Rxc5 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.Rd7+ Kg6
24.Rxb7 Rxc2 25.Re1 Re8 26.Rxa7 Rxb2=)
17...Bxf2+ 18.Kh1 Qh4!!

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This double attack is the point of 16...Qxf6.
(18...Bxg3? 19.hxg3 Qh6+ 20.Kg1 Qe3+
21.Kf1+-) 19.Ne4 (19.Bxe6 Bxg3 (The game
is equal after 19...fxe6 20.Ne4 or 20.Rd7)
20.Bh3 Be5 21.c3 Rad8!? (21...Rae8 22.Qf3
(22.Qxa7 Qf4 23.g3 Qf2 24.Bg2 Bf6
25.Rab1 Re2 26.Qb7 Rxb2 27.Rxb2 Qxb2) )
22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Rf1 (23.Qxa7? Qf4 24.g3
Qf3++ 25.Kg1 Rd2) 23...Bf6 24.Qxa7 Qf2
25.g4!=, planning 25Qxb2?? 26.g5+-)
19...Rab8 20.Qxa7 (20.Qc6 Rbc8 (20...Rfc8
21.Qd7 Qxe4 22.Ba6 Rf8) ) 20...Qxe4.
Please note that 16...Bxf3?? is a blunder
because of 17.Bxe7 Bxd1 18.Bxf8+-.
17.Qf4!
FIDE Surveys Jeroen Bosch

Clearly the best move, and much better than

17.Qh5 because White reserves the square
h5 for his knight. 17.Qh5 (3 points) brings
White no advantage after 17...f5 (17...Rad8
is also fine for Black) 18.Qh6

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this looks strong because of the threat of
19.Nh5, but Black can still defend.
18.Rd7 Qxd7 19.Qg5+ Kh8 20.Qf6+= is a
draw by perpetual, a recurring motif; 18.b4!?
Bxb4 19.Rd7 Qf6 (19...Qxd7 20.Qg5+ Kh8
21.Qf6+ Kg8 22.Nh5+- is the game) 20.Rb1!
Two black bishops are hanging, but Black
still has 20...Bc8! (20...Bc6? 21.Rc7 Rfc8
22.Rxc8+ Rxc8 23.Ba6+- (23.Rxb4 Qc3
24.Qh6!+-) ) 21.Rd3 a5 (21...Bc5 22.Qf3
Qh4! (22...Rb8?? 23.Ne4+-) 23.Qxa8 Qxc4
24.Rbd1 Qxc2 25.Qf3) 22.Qf3 Ra7 23.Qf4
e5 24.Nh5 exf4 25.Nxf6+= and the game is
about even. White regains the f4-pawn, but
Black's bishop pair compensates for his
slightly inferior pawn structure.
After 18.Qh6 Black has 18...Bxf2+! 19.Kxf2
Qc5+ 20.Qe3 Qxc4 21.Qg5+ Kh8 22.Qf6+
and White has to acquiesce in the draw.
Likewise, play is also equal after 17.Ne4 (3
points) Bxe4 18.Qxe4 f5 19.Qf4 Rfd8=.
17...Kh8?
Not 17...Rfd8 18.Nh5!+-. This is why
17.Qf4 is so much better than 17.Qh5.
17...f5! 18.b4! Drawing the bishop away
3

from square d4. Compare this to the

immediate 18.Rd7.
18.Nh5 Kh8! 19.Qe5+ f6 20.Qxe6 Bxf2+!
21.Kf1 (21.Kxf2 Qc5+ 22.Qe3 (22.Kf1
Rae8) 22...Qxc4) 21...Qxe6 22.Bxe6 Be3
23.Bxf5 Rad8; 18.Rd7 Qxd7 19.Qg5+ Kh8
20.Qf6+ Kg8 21.Qg5+= (not 21.Nh5? Qd4
+)] 18...Bxb4 19.Rd7! (19.Nh5 Kh8!
20.Qe5+ f6 21.Qxe6 Qxe6 22.Bxe6=)
19...Qxd7? what follows now is identical to
the game:
20.Qg5+ Kh8 21.Qf6+ Kg8 22.Nh5 Bc3
23.Qxc3 f6 24.Bxe6+ Qxe6 25.Qg3+ Kf7
26.Qg7+ Ke8 27.Qxb7+.
The only move was 19...Qf6! 20.Rb1 e5
(20...Bc8 fails to 21.Rd3 a5 (21...e5 22.Qf3
e4 23.Nxe4+-) 22.Nh5+-) 21.Qxf5 (21.Nh5
Qg6 22.Qg3 Qxg3 23.hxg3 Bc8 24.Rxb4
Bxd7 25.Nf6+ Kg7 26.Nxd7 Rfe8 is less
clear.) 21...Qxf5 22.Nxf5 Bc8 (22...Be4
23.Ng3+-) 23.Rxf7! Rxf7 24.Nh6+ Kg7
25.Nxf7 Bc5 (25...Bc3? 26.Rb3 Bd4
27.Nd6+-) 26.Nxe5 with two extra pawns,
but some technical difficulties due to the
bishop pair.
18.b4!

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The winning move is a decoy. Once the
bishop no longer controls d4, White can win
with the recurring decoying motif of Rd7.
The immediate 18.Rd7 (3 points) only draws
after 18...Qxd7 19.Qxf6+ Kg8 20.Qg5+
FIDE Surveys Jeroen Bosch

(20.Nh5? Qd4+) 20...Kh8 21.Qf6+. 18.Nh5

(2 points) is met by 18...Rg8! (18...f5
19.Qe5+! f6 20.Qxe6 Bxf2+ 21.Kf1
(21.Kxf2 Qc5+ 22.Kf1 Rae8 23.Qd7 Qxc4+
24.Rd3 Qg4= (24...Bxg2+) ) 21...Qxe6
22.Bxe6) 19.Bf1 (19.Rd7? Rxg2+ 20.Kf1
Qxd7 21.Qxf6+ Kg8+) 19...Rg6 and Black
is better.
18...Bxb4
There now follows a forcing sequence:
19.Rd7! Qxd7 20.Qxf6+ Kg8 21.Nh5 Bc3
The only defence, but it does not help after
22.Qxc3 f6

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23.Bxe6+!
Clearly the best move. 23.Nxf6+ (2 points)
Rxf6 24.Qxf6 was the actual game
continuation. White is winning, but in time
trouble the game ended in a draw by
perpetual! Also winning, but much more
difficult is 23.Qxf6 (2 points) Bd5 24.Qg5+
Kh8 25.Qe5+ Kg8 26.Qg3+ Kh8 27.Rd1+-.
23...Qxe6 24.Qg3+ Kf7 25.Qg7+ Ke8 26.
Qxb7 1:0.
I hope that in this short article I have raised
your interest in this particular training
method. Moreover, I hope you have enjoyed
this great attacking game with several useful
motifs, and an excellent defensive option for
Black on move 16!
4