Lev Alburt Chess Training Pocket Book Iipdf PDF

Foreword
o elements combine to make a strong chess player-

ffective thinking skills and appropriate knowledge.
Let's compare an aspiring club player with his idol, the
chess master. The master can normally see farther and more
clearly, and he knows more about all stages of the game.
But our club player can close these twin gaps through
training and learning. The great world champion Emmanuel
Lasker, our longest-reigning chess king, famously suggested
that he could train any reasonably intelligent person to be a
chess master. But very few of us have the opportunity to study
with a world champion.
Luckily, we have books. Our book is designed to sys-
tematically reinforce the knowledge you already have and to
fill the gaps in your chess knowledge, all the while training
you for the real thing-the game you want to win.
Chess thinking
This book will test, train, and sharpen your chess think-
ing skills. You'llleam how to:
• Spot tactics;
• See clearly several moves ahead (and to know how
far ahead you should look);
• Evaluate positions accurately.
4
This book will give you many additional thinking tips as
well. All together, it will teach you to "think like a grand-
master."
Chess knowledge
The book also addresses the second key element of suc-
cess-knowledge. It will reinforce your existing knowledge
of many positions and ideas, and it will give you critical in-
formation you still need to master. All knowledge is not
equal. Isolated bits of information must be built through
stages into an understanding of high-order rules and princi-
ples. In chess terms, this book will turn what you already
know into your active knowledge, ready to use when you're
actually playing.
Don't be discouraged when you're stumped! Your not
being able to solve some of the exercises is part of the au-
thors' plan, indicating gaps in your chess education. You'll
take the first step to bridge these gaps by studying the solu-
tions and explanations to the positions that stymied you.
The content
This book is the sequel to the best-selling Chess Training
Pocket Book: 300 Most Important Positions and Ideas, first
published in 1997. There have been no revolutionary
changes in chess during the past 11 years. The themes, mo-
tifs, and ideas in this book will be chiefly the same as those
in its predecessor. We present the same deflections to dis-
cover, back-rank weaknesses to exploit, in-between moves to
reveal, minority attacks to organize, and so forth-illus-
trated, of course, by a different set of instructive positions.
Some positions in this book have been selected from
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21st-century games; some are classics, carefully assessed by
grandmaster A1burt and colleagues, and literally thousands of
his students-and found to be particularly effective. Some
are lesser-known but valuable lessons from tournament play.
Some are from grandmaster games, including AI burt's own,
some from games of club players (including Lev Alburt's
students). Each diagram-distilled from thousands of
games!-ho1ds something special, important and useful to
you in a real game. All have been selected for their instruc-
tive value and have been carefully checked.
While it is a volume of grandmaster Alburt's Compre-
hensive Chess Course: from beginner to master and beyond
series, this pocket book by itself contains the major portion
of all practical chess knowledge. It is designed to save you
thousands of hours you'd otherwise need to spend playing
and studying.
So read the introductory chapters, and then simply open
the book to any page-and have fun. Remember, it's not that
important to solve a position the first time you see it, al-
though you should, of course, try. What is important is that
the position becomes part of your active knowledge, a piece
of cognition you can apply when appropriate-a helpful
friend for life.
Please let us know your comments and suggestions by
emailing al@outexcel.com.
-GM Lev Alburt, New York City, July I, 2008

-AI Lawrence, Wallkill, New York, July 1, 2008
6
Table of Contents
Foreword ........................................................ 4
Chess Notation ......... .. .. .. .. ... ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ....... R
Chess Symbols ...................................... ........ 10
Chapter One
Getting the most fron1 this book ...................... II
Chapter Two
Tactics: the dirty dozen .................................... 29
Chapter Three
The 320 key positions ...................................... 33
Chess Clubs & Chess Equipment ....... .......... . J 94
Index of Games ...................................... ....... 196
Index of Themes ........................................... 200
7
Chess Nota1tion
C
hess players around the world use "notation," a univer-
sal system for reading and wriiting chess. It's easy to
learn, and once you know it, you 'II be able to decipher
quickly any book or newspaper artic:le on chess.
The vertical columns of squares that run up and down
the board are called files and are lt~ttered. The horizontal
rows of squares that run sideways are called ranks and are
numbered. The intersection of a file :and rank gives a square
its name. Let's look at a board that gives the "address" of
every square:
8
To make writing and reading chess fast, each piece is as-
signed a single letter. In English, we use the abbreviations
on the right:
King - K
*
~ Queen
A Bishop=
Q
B
~ Knight - N
.i. Rook - R
~ Pawn the file it's on
We number each set of White and Black moves. So, the

moves 1. e4 d5 mean that, on his very first move, White
pushed the pawn in front of his king forward two squares.
Then Black pushed the pawn in front of his queen ahead two
squares in response. Captures are normally marked with an
"x." So the notation 2. exd5 means that White captured the
pawn. But you may see notation that doesn't bother with the
"x," as in "2. ed5." That's okay too.
Some other examples: Qh5 means the queen moves to h5.
Castling short is written 0-0, while castling long is 0-0-0. If
you get to play b8(Q)+ (another way to write the same move
is b8=Q+ ), it means that you promoted your b-pawn to a
queen and gave check. May all your moves be so powerful!
Another special convention: Although the word "ex-
change" means to trade, "Exchange" (with a capital "E")
means the trade of knight or bishop for a more-valuable
rook. A player who manages this trade "wins the Exchange."
9
Chess svmbols
+- White has a decisive advantage.
± White has a clear advantage .
;f Whi1l' has a slight advantage .
The chances are equal.
+ Black has a slight advantage .
+ Black has a clear advantage .
-+ Black has a decisive advantage.
11 A very good move

A good move
')
A weak move
?'! A hlunder
I' ) An interesting or provocative move,
often involving some risk
·n A dubious move
10
Chapter One
Getting the most from this book
T
he diagrams in this book are arranged four on each
left-hand page. Their solutions appear on the facing,
right-hand page. All 320 positions have been care-
fully selected and arranged, but not in a way that will give
you clues on what theme or tactical device should be em-
ployed to find the best move, or even how difficult your
task may be.
The main purpose of this book, after all, is to train you
for real chess competition. In a serious game, no one will
announce that you can win a rook by use of a pin, or that
there is an elementary mate-in-one. In fact, in some of
these positions-as in actual chess games-there are no
tactics involved, and no outright win (or even draw) pos-
sible. Your job is to find the best move under the circum-
stances-which may mean choosing between a number of
equally good moves.
Using hints
When approaching a position, think for a few minutes
and decide on a move-and then look on the right-hand
page, but only at the title of the solution (often a hint), and
at the text in italics, if there is some, below it. Imagine
11
you've gotten those ideas on your own-and with them
confirm your first choice, or look for another.
You should try to design your own ways to use this
book-there is no one-size-fits-all method. Still, we can
share with you some possible approaches.
Main method: Spend two or three minutes solving a
position. If you don't find "the" move (a move you are
certain is the best), use your intuition-that is, guess. Then
look at the right-hand page, using hints as described
above.
Role play: This is a real test. Set up a position from
this book on a board. Then imagine a real-life situation
and make it as realistic as possible. Set your and your op-
ponent's time on the clock (yes, use a clock). Stipulate
how many moves must be made before the time control
expires, or assume that the game has already gone into
sudden death. Assign your imaginary opponent a rating.
You may even want to visualize that you're playing a real-
life nemesis.
Perhaps you even want to imagine a specific tourna-
ment situation-for example, needing at least a draw to
win your class prize, which would dictate a "safety first"
approach. Give yourself, say, 30 minutes for five moves-
or 10 moves, if you want to train your play under the threat
of time pressure. Only after you decide on your move and
make it, go to the right-hand page.
12
Chess positions as zipped files
When we're working on our computers and want to
email information quickly or to store it in the smallest pos-
sible space, we "zip" our electronic files-compacting
them dramatically using special programs. On retrieval,
they can be quickly "unzipped" to burst into their full de-
tail. It's a very practical technique. Our minds can achieve
a similar effect. The 320 positions in this book are very
much "zipped" files. Engaged with the special programs
of your own problem-solving skills, each position will ex-
pand and make connections, providing volumes of chess-

playing knowledge.
Water under the bridge--and conserving
the truly important
Let's be honest about our common human failings.
One of them is forgetfulness. Alburt has been a world-
13
class GM for decades, and he forgets things about chess.
A chess player's knowledge can be compared to a city's
water reservoir. We always want to add to the pool to in-
crease our resources, but, at the same time, we realize that
water-like some of our chess knowledge-is sure to
evaporate. It's a law of nature. Here the analogy ends, be-
cause one glass of water is like another. Chess knowledge,
however, can be divided into a hierarchy of importance.
We must make it a point to review and remember the cru-
cial things.
While we can afford to let relatively unimportant in-
formation evaporate, we should conserve the essential
knowledge-we must remember the most important, use-
ful information. There are a number of ways for you to
make sure you never forget this essential knowledge and
that it remains immediately available to you when you
need it. For example, you can make diagrams of several
positions that you feel are important to remember. You can
put them in a conspicuous place, such as on the refrigera-
tor door.
If you use a computer, you can set up a special data-
base to store positions for daily review. (In the final sec-
tion of this book, we give you some information on chess
software that makes this possible. Please note that some
really good software is free on the web.) At the end of the
week, you can move these positions to a file for review
on a less frequent basis, once a week or once a month, re-
placing the old examples with new ones for your daily re-
vtew.
14
One of the simplest and best ways to retain the critical
knowledge is simply to carry this conveniently pocket-
sized book with you in all sorts of different contexts-
traveling, taking a break from work, having a quiet
moment with your coffee in the morning. By revisiting
these 320 positions, you'll make them never-to-be-
forgotten, old friends who will come to your aid on many
occasiOns.
And, like the friends they will become, there's no
order that's best to meet them in. Group them, take them
in page order, or simply open the book randomly-it's
your choice.
Building a personal theory
To become a strong player, you will find it very help-
ful to start to compile your own personalized chess theory.
Begin to compile positions that mean the most to you. The
320 positions in this book provide you with a foundation
to build, revise, and expand your own "personal theory" of
Treat everv diagram as a position in vour

ongoing game, not as a "problem."
Look-as in a real gam-tor the move
to make, not for a "solution" to find.
Don't trv to guess the authors' intent.
Never sav ''I can't lind it,"
as there is no "if'-but there is
a move vou must make.
15
It's extremely enective tor vou to
archive positions from vour own
games. In panicular, record
positions in which vou faced
problems and made errors.
the game. As you continue your chess growth, add to your
archives those positions that communicate essential ideas
in ways that are especially meaningful to you. And relo-
cate or delete positions that become redundant or no
longer useful. Let them evaporate! Keep in mind that iso-
lating what's truly impot1ant is the biggest part of the battle!
In compiling your personal theory, you will find that
you can profitably reorganize the material by themes. For
this purpose you can photocopy the pages of this book for
your own exclusive use. Or you can buy an extra copy and
cut out the diagrams for this reorganization. Since the
same position may embody several themes-decoy, queen
sacrifice, back-rank mate, or others-you may even find
it useful to copy a position as many times as it takes to file
it under all the themes it contains. One of AI burt's students
who jogs several miles a day carries a few torn-out pages
from second copies of earlier volumes of the Comprehen-
sive Chess Course so he can continue his studies, literally
on the run.
Archiving your own games will confirm that you are
moving to the highest level of learning. What we call
16
"knowledge" is sometimes really just the first rung on the
ladder of learning. As chess players, we first learn to iden-
tify-to name-a back-rank mate, then to recognize when
others use this idea effectively. Next we learn to identify
situations that hold potential for such a mate, to find these
mates in problems, and then, finally, to create (or prevent)
back-rank mating threats in our own games. This last step
is the highest level of learning, and the one we seek. For
without it, we're forever restricted to the ranks of the "ap-
preciator"; with it, we join the ranks of the creators.
As you archive your important positions, include brief
annotations containing the concrete lines of play that
would have resulted in a more desirable conclusion. Also
include notes on how to avoid any mental lapses that may
have led to the errors.
Among the key positions that represent the knowledge
necessary to becoming a strong tournament player, some
positions do need to be memorized-for example, Phili-
dor's rook and pawn versus rook endgame. But the exact
positions that best convey broader conceptual ideas may
differ from player to player. The example that's most rel-
evant to you will be the easiest for you to remember.
That's why compiling your personal theory is so impor-
tant. For instance, different examples can be used to
demonstrate the theme of back-rank mate. Lev's favorite
Good news! Chess skills

can be improved -bv training.
17
example is Bernstein-Capablanca, below. But you may
find another position more meaningful to you-perhaps
from one of your own games.
The art of training

No one is born with special skills. Some of us are born
with special potential, but no one can even know this po-
tential exists until it's developed into abilities.
One important way that this book is different from
other puzzle books or books on tactics is that solving these
specially selected positions will combine the learning of
essential knowledge with the training of all these essential
abilities and skills.
Visualization and intuition
One particularly valuable chess-playing skill is the
ability to keep emerging positions clearly in mind. We call
This book combines the learning

ot essential knowledge with
training in essential skills.
18
this skill visualization. Visualization helps you work your
way through the important lines by "seeing" the sequence
of moves-especially final positions you need to evaluate.
But another important ability is to be able to look at a
position and-without calculating many variations or per-
haps even any at all-have an idea (some players call it a
"feeling") of what the right move or plan may be. This in-
tuitive skill is often compared to "inspiration," and is
sometimes seen, incorrectly, as simply a gift from God.
But we all have the potential to develop our chess intuition.
Training your intuition
To train intuition, give yourself just one or two min-
utes per position. When you first begin intuition training,
you may be able to solve only one or two positions out of
eight correctly, being confident that you are correct and
seeing the reasons why. You may also solve another one
by simply guessing. This is a perfectly acceptable score
for the kinds of positions that we've chosen for this book,
even for an expert!
Training your analytical abilities
To train your analytical ability, however, you must
give yourself a much longer time period-for example, 20
minutes per position. Imagine yourself reaching a critical
juncture in a tournament game-a point at which it is im-
portant to calculate very carefully. You must check and
recheck, and you must be sure you have accurately visu-
alized and evaluated the positions at the end of each vari-
ation.
19
Under analvtic training conditions,
the goal tor an expert plaver is
to score at least 50°/o correct.
Do lots ot double checking!
Combine intuition and analysis to probe the same position
Try combining the two approaches. Choose a position
you want to study. You can work from diagrams or from
the position set up on a board. (Most players profit a little
more by taking the time to set up the position and then
studying it on the board; this process more closely ap-
proaches real playing conditions.) Apply your intuition for
one or two minutes, and make a written note of your
choice of moves.
Then use the position for analytic training, spending
about 20 minutes for a complete analysis-without mov-
ing the pieces. Visualize clearly every step, including the
end of each line. When you finish, record your lines. Then
move the pieces as you might in an adjourned game to ver-
ify and expand the depth of your analysis.
The sequence ot the combined

intuitive-analvtical exercise could be:
Studv the position tor two minutes, applving intuition;
Analvze in vour head for up to 20 minutes;
set up the position on a board and move the pieces
to check vour anaiVsis.
20
Try out these approaches. Invent your own. Find out
what works best for you!
Training with groups ofpositions
Training with groups of positions can be very effec-
tive. Let's take a look at two methods that we particularly
recommend-Dvoretsky's "balancing drill" and Alburt's
"antidote to tunnel vision."
Dvoretsky s balancing drill
The famous trainer Mark Dvoretsky developed this
one for his grandmaster candidates. Dvoretsky has them
set their clocks for twenty minutes. Then he gives them
four positions to solve, one at a time. Doing this same ex-
ercise, you will be faced with balancing your desire to ver-
ify your analysis of each position carefully against the
need to make a timely decision. After all, you have to
complete all four positions within the time limit. In a real
game, if you move too quickly, without having thought
deeply enough, you may choose a so-so move-and find
your position deteriorating. On the other hand, if you think
for a very long time trying to find the best move, you' II get
yourself in time trouble, and be forced into making hasty
decisions later.
Finding the right balance between qualitv

and time is the obiect of Dvoretskv's drill.
And this is a practical,
game-winning skill indeed!
21
After each position in this Dvoretsky exercise, stop the
clock and check your answer. If it's correct, start your
clock and go on. If your answer is incorrect, deduct up to
eight minutes from your remaining time before continu-
ing. (As in a real game, there must be a penalty for making
a bad move.) Vary the penalty depending on how far off
your solution is from the correct one-is it simply not the
best move, or is it a losing blunder?
You can also vary the time allowed for this kind of ex-
ercise, giving yourself more or less time, depending on
your strength, or on whether you want to concentrate on
developing analytic or intuitional skills. For instance, if
you solve everything correctly in just 20 minutes, reduce
the time to 16 minutes. (Congratulations, grandmaster!)
A/burt s antidote to tunnel vision
Years ago Lev had a student who, in spite of his con-
siderable experience, had a habit of sticking with a single
line of analysis, even when there were several other at-
tractive candidate moves-and even when his chosen line
became unclear. (This habit is common to many players.)
So Lev designed an exercise to address this problem.
In Alburt's antidote, you're facing four positions si-
multaneously. Your task this time, however, is to solve just
one out of the four. Four positions here play the role of
four candidate moves. Start with the most promising-look-
ing one-but don't stick with your first choice if it gets
murky. Be flexible!
22
How to think
Aaron Nimzovich, the great theoretician and one of
the original grandmasters crowned by Czar Nicholas at
the St. Petersburg tour-
nament of 1914, used
to stand on his head in
the corner of the hall
before a tournament
game. We suppose he
wanted to increase the
blood available to his
brain, hoping this
would help him think
more clearly. But you're
expecting some advice L--------------..J
that's a bit more practical, and you deserve to get it.
Use candidate moves
When you tackle a position, sometimes one move
leaps to mind immediately-that's your chess intuition at
work! But often two, three, or even four moves suggest
themselves. So, if one candidate move seems better than
the others, begin analyzing it immediately, and continue
until either you see you can reach a successful conclusion,
or the line becomes hazy. In the latter case, make a mental
note of what you've discovered so far, and go on to the
next candidate move.
Use support positions
There's a vitally important technique used by accom-
plished players to help them analyze accurately-the use
23
of support positions. Support positions are stepping-stones
along the way in your analysis, critical positions you want
to keep clearly in mind. You can foray ahead, but when
things get complicated or unclear, you go back to visualize
the support position to try a
different move or start over. If
you think of analysis as
climbing up a tower-getting
farther and farther away from
the solid ground that is the ac-
tual board position-support
positions are the platforms
along your climb that allow
you to stand on something
firm.
Reverse move order
Sometimes you "feel in
your bones" that you should
have a game-changing move,
but you can't quite find it. For
~ example, you may notice that
you have a preponderance of
force around the enemy's
king, whose defenders are not
well coordinated. You may
keep looking at an appealing
line, perhaps a sacrifice or other forcing combination, but
can't make it work. In such cases, try reversing the move
order of the line you're thinking about. Co-author AI
24
Lawrence has found a number of satisfying sacrifices
using this technique. When you look at Positions 8 and
246, for example, keep this technique in mind.
What-if thinking
Try what we call "chess daydreaming"-imagine what
great havoc you could wreak on your opponent if, for ex-
ample, his bishop were on a different square. You just may
find a brilliant deflection or other tactic that does the trick.
Positions 1 and 33 are examples of positions in which you
can successfully practice what-if thinking.
Double-checking after every move
After each actual move of the game, stop to recheck
your analysis, no matter how confident you are of the cal-
culations you've done earlier. Even the world's best play-
ers can benefit from this advice. Every time a move is
made, it's an opportunity to see one move farther and a bit
more clearly. So don't move automatically based on your
prior analysis-always double-check!
Process ofelimination
Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous
fictional detective, solved many a puzzling crime by the
process of elimination-and he preached the merits of this
thinking tool:
"Eliminate all other factors, and the one
that remains must be the truth. "
-Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of
the Four
25
You should also have faith in this logical precept. For
example, sometimes it's difficult to calculate all the ram-
ifications of a move. But perhaps you see that other rea-
sonable moves lead to losing positions for you. You must
then go with the line that's unclear. As long as you see a
line that does not clearly lead to your defeat, do not make
a different move that you see leads to a loss. It's not a rec-
ommendable technique to cross your fingers and hope
that your opponent won't find the lines you see. Chances
are, he will.
The Art of Evaluation
While some positions don't require evaluation to find the
best move, many do. Sharpen your skills by comparing
your assessments to ours! You may also study Lev's Build-
ing Up Your Chess (see page 208).
Switching perspective
Sometimes you can notice more of your opponent's threats
and other possibilities if you pretend to be him and see the
game from his side of the board for a moment. Ask your-
selfthe question "What's my opponent up to?"
Conclusion
Try the various techniques we've discussed here.
(Some may work better for you than others.) As chess
players, we don't know in advance which thinking tech-
nique-what tool-will be most effective in a given posi-
tion. But having many tools to choose from-and
knowing how to use them well-will definitely help.
Work hard and have fun on your road to chess mastery!
26
How to Think about a Position
• Review the position and choose tentative
candidate moves.
• As a rule, choose the most appealing
candidate move and analyze it. If it
leads to a desired outcome, make it. (If you
have enough time, take a brief look at the
other candidate moves to see if any of them
promise something better.) If the outcome is
unsatisfactory or unclear, begin to analyze the
next-most-appealing candidate move.
• Keep mental notes on your discoveries as you
go along. The "tricks" in one line will often
recur in other lines-and may sometimes sug-
gest a new candidate move to consider.
• When your intuition tells you that there
might be a forcing combination in the
position, but your analysis can't make it
work, try brainstorming techniques such as
reversing the move order and using what-if
thinking.
• In a timely fashion, make a decision-and
then double-check it.
27
28
Chapter nvo
Tactics: the dinv dozen
T
actics are the hammer and nails of chess. It's often
been said that 99% of chess is tactics, the short-
term cut and thrust of the game. Long-range plan-
ning (strategy) is the other I%. Whatever the exact mix
between tactics and strategy, it's true that most chess
games are won and lost tactically.
Over time chess players have given names to the most-
frequently occurring tactical ideas. Knowing their
names gives you a way to talk about them and think about
them.
You can also use this book to review a particular tactic.
The index toward the back of the book tells you how to
find examples of each tactic and of other themes as
well.
Below we give 12 of the most important tactics.
Pin-one of the most common tactics, occurring in
nearly every game. The pinning piece attacks one of
two enemy pieces along the same diagonal, rank or file.
The enemy piece in front can't move without exposing
the piece behind it, normally the more valuable piece,
29
to attack. Queens, rooks and bishoJps can pin; bishops are
the most frequent practicioners. (Examples are Positions
29 and 51.) A cross-pin is an interesting type of pin that
breaks an enemy's pin. (Position 253 is an example.)
Decoy-diverts an enemy piece to a certain square. In the
diagram below, White decoys BJlack's queen to c7 so
White can win the lady with 2. Qh7+. (Examples are Po-
sitions 1 and 8.)
Deflection-diverts an enemy piece from a particular
square. (Examples are positions 8 and 17.)
Double Anack-a single move that makes two separate
threats at the same time. The knight fork is perhaps the
most dreaded double attack. (Examjples are Positions 8 and
14.)
Black pins Whites knight Decoy: 1. Rc7! Deflection: 1. Rg5!
Double attacks Back-rank mate Skewer
30
Back-rank Mate-technically, a then1e based on a frequent
weakness, rather than a tactic- a king is checkmated on
his back rank, hemmed in by his own pawns. (Examples
are Positions 1 and 14.)
Skewer- the shish kebab of chess, the flip side of the pin.
Here the more valuable piece is attacked and forced to
move, exposing the less valuable piece behind it to cap-
ture. (Examples are Positions 19 and 254.)
Blocking-limits the mobility of an enemy piece in some
critical way. Sometimes called "obstruction," this tactic is
often used against the opponent's king to deliver check-
mate. (Examples are Positions 1 and 41.)
Discovered AUaell-move one of your pieces (preferably
with a check, capture, or threat) antd in doing so uncover
another of your pieces lurking behind it, attacking the
enemy at a different point. (Exampl,e s are Positions 29 and
42.)
Double Check-the nuclear warhead of chess! It's a form of
discovered attack. One of your ]Pieces moves, giving
check, and at the same time uncovers another of your
Blocking: 1. Ra3+! Discovered Attack.: Double Check:

1. ... Bxa3 2. b3, mate! 1. Be5+, 1. Bb5++ !!, mate!
31
pieces that gives check as well. (Examples are Positions
114 and 257.)
In-between Move-the mother of all surprise moves. You' 11
sometimes see the German word for it-Zwischenzug
(pronounced TSVISH-un-tsook). Your opponent makes a
move that he thinks forces a certain 1reply, but you come up
with a different move that turns the tables. Ah, Schaden-
freude! In the diagram below, White's king has attacked
Black's knight, and Black has answered by moving his
bishop to counterattack White's knight. White has an in-
between move that wins. (Examples are Positions 1 and
11.)
Overloadinu-really a theme, like back-rank mate. When a
piece has too many duties, it's a we:ak point in the enemy
camp. Concentrate on it. You may be able to apply one of
the basic tactics to take advantage of its plight. (Examples
are Positions 27 and 260.)
Desperado-another theme. Think of this as a kamikaze
chess piece. It's a tactic often used to achieve a stalemate.
(Examples are Positions 26 and 63.)
In-between move: I. b4!, Overloading: I. Rb8+ Desperado: I .... Bgl !!

I .... Bxb4 2. Nc2 I . ... Bxb8 2. Rj8, mate Also: discovered attack
32
Chapter Th1ree
The 320 kev positiions
33
1 2
After 1. Qcl-b1 After 1. Kb6-c6
3 4
White to move Black to move
34
1. uve in a Glass HouseP Don't Throw Stones!
1.... g6. The only move. Throwing a stone with 1.. .. Qc2 loses
to 2. Nf7+, exploiting Black's own weak back rank-as hap-
pened in Ruban-Veresov, 1975.
2. Make Your Opponent Prove R!

White has a won endgame, but he can go wrong-so test him!
1. ... Ka7. Now if2. b6+, then 2 .... Ka8, draw. To win, White
should play 2. Kc7. After 2 .. . . Ka8 3. Kb6 Kb8, White should
then avoid stalemate defenses with the counter-intuitive (mov-
ing away from the center) 4. Ka6.
You should know that in such endings, whenever the King can
get to the sixth rank ahead ofhis pawn, he can force a win. (The
exception is the rook pawn.)
3. Paradoxical Moves to the Rescue

1. Kc8! (not 1. Kd6 Bf5 2. Kc5 Bc8 3. Kb6 Ke4 4. Ka7 b5-+)
1. ... b5 2. Kd7!. Unbelievable! The White king is two ranks
behind the pawn. 2••.• b4 3. Kd6 (gaining one rank) Bf5 4. Ke5!
(gaining another rank) Bc8 5. Kd4 Be6 6. c8=Q, draw. (Prob-
lem by Brothers Sarichev.)
4. ATemP18Uon to Resist!
1. ... R2c6. The most prudent, and the best.
Not 1. ... Rxf2 2. Kxf2 Rc2+ 3. Kel !, and
White should win. (Compare Position
101.)
After 3. Ke I!
35
Game Sequence: A II four diagrams below are related to the same game
(Spassky-Evans, 1962), which started: 1. d4 NJ6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6
5.j3 c6 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 b5 8. 0-0-0 0-0 9. h4 bxc4 10. Bxc4 d5 11. Bb3 dxe4.
5 6
After 11 . ... dxe4 After 15. ... Nh5
1 8
After 17. ... Ne3 After 20. ... Nd7
36
5. Down in Front!
Have you ever been at a ballgame when someone in the seat in
front ofyou is standing up, blocking your view ofthe action? It
can happen on the chessboard too-here the White h-pawn
blocks the White rook.
12. h5! (if 12. fxe4 Bg4, White's attack comes to a halt). The
game continued 12 .... exf3 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Bh6 fxg2
15. Rh4!.What happens if Black had tried 15 .... Nh5, blocking
the h-file? See Position 6.
6. From Bad to worse

Black closes the h-file, but in return White gets to blast open
the g-file, with killing effect: 16. Rxh5 gxh5 17. Qg5.
1. Mate over Material

In the actual game, Black played 15. ... Ng4.
There followed: 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qxg2
(see diagram, right), allowing 17• ... Ne3.
Blacks knight wouldfork Whites queen and
rook, but its the only Black piece in the ac-
tion! Whites pieces dominate the kingside. After 17. Qxg2
18. Qh2, threatening both Rh7+ and Qe5+. After 17. Qg2,
Black could give back material with 17 .... Rh8 to avoid mate,
but even then White would clearly stand better. If 17 ... . f5,
18. Nf3 Rh8 19. Rdhl Rxh4 20. Rxh4 Nd7. (See Position 8.)
8. Open Road
Blacks queenside pieces are bottled up, while White eyes the
open h-file and his bishop rakes the a2-g8 diagonal.
21. Rh7+ (not 21. Ng5 Nf6!, covering both e6 and h7; but re-
versing the move order works!) 21 .... K.xh7 22. Ng5+, winning
the queen.
37
9 10
After 26 . ... g6 Black to move
11 12
38
9. The last to Err
Black has just played 26. ... g6? (instead of 26. ... Nell with
equality). Korchnoi now has an unexpected chance to win.
27. Rf8+ Kg7 (27 ... . Rxf8 Bd5) 28. Rxd8 Nxd8 29. Qxc7+,
winning a pawn. Instead, Korchnoi stumbles into a mating net:
27. Rf2? Qxe4!, White resigned (Korchnoi-Krush, 2007).
10. Rook-Sac zuuzwanu

After 1. ••. Ke8! 2. Kxh8 Kf7, White will eventually have to
move the b-pawn, enabling Black to queen and win. If 2. Kxg6,
then 2 . . .. Kf8 3. g3 Ke7 4. Kg7 Ke8.
11. one In-between Move Deserves Another!

1. Nxd6, Black resigned. If 1.... Rxb4, 2. Nt7
(Akopian-Sokolov, 2007).
12. Checmate on a Long Diagonal

Black should play 1. ••. Rxa2, with the idea of taking the bishop
on b2, with a winning game-for example, 2. Qb3 Rxb2 3. Qb2
c5. But the reason for this exercise is to make sure you put the
following White maneuver in your attacking arsenal: 1. •••
Bxd4? 2. Qh6+! Kg8 3. Qh8+, and mate in one (from Euwe-
Loman, 1923).
39
13 14
15 16
40
13. The All-lmponant Spare Tempo
White is a pawn up but needs to find a way to infiltrate with
his king to support and advance his extra pawn. To do this, he
must gain the opposition-forcing the other king to give way.
1. Bxc6! Kxc6 2. b4 Kd6 3. Kd2 Kc6 4. Ke3 Kd5 5. Kd3, 1-0
(Sutovsky-Georgiev, 2007).
After 5.... Kd6 6. Ke4 Kc6 7. d5+ Kd7 8. Kd4 Kd6, the reserve
move 9. a3 allows the White king to invade and win.
14. Unexpected oouble-Anack

Whites pieces do not support each other, and he suffers a
back-rank weakness while heavy pieces still roam the board.
1. ... Qc6!!, White resigned (Rogers-Ris, 2007).
Black's deadly twin threats are 2 .... Qxc1 and 2 . ... Rxe1+
(with ... Qxg2 mate to follow). And White can't capture the
queen because then ... Rxe 1 is mate.
15. Overburdened Pieces

Blacks c6-bishop supports the e4-knight, which in turn sup-
ports the c3-bishop. There are other signs promising successful
tactics-most importantly Whites active pieces.
The right move is 1. Ne7, after which Black's position collapses
(Gulko---Mikhalevski, 2007).
16. Jumping to the Defense

White's knight is untouchable because ofBxt7+, and 1.... Qe7
succumbs to 2. Ng5. Still, Black holds with 1. ... Nd5!-for
example: 2. Nxe4 N7b6 =, or 2. Nxd5 exf3 (game by John Ellis,
from GM Larry Evans' Chess Life column).
41
11 18
Black to move White to move
19 20
42
11. Deflecting her Suppon
1 .... Rfl+ 2. Kd2 Qxg6 3. Rxg6 Rxh1 4. Bxh6 Kh7 -+
(Strauts-Vitolins, 1988).
18. ladies First

White should look to attack; that's clear. Let's look at l. Ng6+
Kg8. Black's bishop stops the fork, while 2. Ba2+ is met by
2 .... Nd5. But all the elements are here.
1. Qxh7+ (deflecting that knight) 1. ... Nxh7 2. Ng6+ Kg8
3. Ba2, mate.
19. Boldest is Best

Only the White queen prevents ... Bxc3, mate. Enough said!
1.... Qa7, winning (Bivshev-Tolush, 1954).
20. How Far to lookP

White can't win solely by kings ide maneuvers, although he can
try: 1. Ke3 Kg5 2. Kf3 Kf6 (or 2 .... Kg6, but 2 .... Kh4loses).
White should now decide if 3. c4 works:
3 .... bxc3 e.p. 4. Ke3 Kg5 (first support
position, to be visualized clearly) 5. a4 (5.
a3 Kxg4 6. b4 axb4 7. axb4 loses the game,
and 7. a4 loses a tempo) 5 .... Kxg4 6. b4
axb4. All forced. (Second support position.
See diagram at right.) After 6. ... axb4
Here a master should see Black's counterplay after 7. a5?:

7 .... b3 8. Kd3 b2 9. Kc2 Kf3 10. a6 Ke2 ll. a7 b1=Q+
12. Kxb1 Kd2, and Black ends up a pawn. Thus, 7. Kd3! (pro-
phylaxis) and the a-pawn will still queen first, controlling the
h 1-square. A grandmaster will, hopefully, see all of this before
playing c2-c4 (Dvoretsky).
43
Game Sequence: All four diagrams below are related to the same game (Al-
burt-Polugaevsky, 1965), which began: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 c6 4. Qd3 g6
5. Bxf6 exf6 6. e4 dxe4 7. Qxe4+ Be7 8. Bc4 0-0 9. 0-0-0 f5 10. Qe3 Nd7.
21 22
After 10. ... Nd7 After 18. ... hxg6
23 24
After 21. ... Nf6 After 24. .. . Kg7
44
21. Be first wilh lhe Most!
When the players are castled on opposite sides, the first to get
an effective attack going generally wins. At times its a high-
wire tightrope act without a net-one false step can be fatal!
11. h4, seeking the open h-file. Such a pawn often should be
offered for free! Here 11. ... Bxh4 loses instantly to 12. Nf3.
The game continued: 11 . ... Nf6 12. Nf3 Ng4 13. Qe2 b5
14. Bb3 Bb4 15. Rde1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Qd6 17. h5 aS 18. hxg6
hxg6.
22. Saving the Bishop

Whites important light-square bishop is under attack. Here
Black threatens to win the bishop with ... a4.
19. a3 (If you chose 19. Ng5 or 19. a4, you also get credit.)
The game continued: 19 . ... a4 20. Ba2 Qxa3+ 21. Kb1 Nf6
(21. ... Qxc3 22. Bxt7+, winning).
23. The Knight on the Crossroads

White played 22. Ng5, trying to keep thee-file open and stop
... Ne4. Much stronger, however, was 22. Qe5!, with a decisive
advantage. The game continued: 22. . . . Ba6 23. Qf3 Ra7
24. Qxc6 Kg7.
24. find the Blow

No combination is born from thin air. White commands the h-
and e-files and controls the long diagonal from a2 to j7. His
queen has infiltrated the Black camp, and his knight is posted
on a typical kings ide-attacking square. So find the blow that sthere!
25. Nh7!. White wins the Exchange and the game, as 25 ....
Nxh7 loses immediately to 26. Rxh7+ Kxh7+ 27. Qf6, threat-
ening Rh 1+ (Alburt-Polugaevsky, 1965).
45
25 26
21 28
White to move White to move
46
25. Evervthing tor Mate
White looks forward to the long-term advantages offered by his
united, central passed pawns. But before the long-term comes
the short-term, and Black commands the c-file, while his queen
and knight loom on Whites airy kings ide. Can you find the
clincher?
1. ... Ret! (deflection) 2. Qxcl Qf3+ 3. Kgl Nh3, mate
(Youngsworth-Seirawan, 1979).
Remember this mating pattern!
26. The last Chance

When defending an inferior game, look for stalemate possibil-
ities.
1. Rd2+!. If Black captures, it's stalemate. If he doesn't, White
can hold.
21. Down but not Out

White is a bishop down, but his queen and rook dominate the
center and kings ide, and his bishop can leap onto the attacking
diagonal of a2-g8.
1. Re8+! Qxe8 (1. ... Bxe8 2. Qf8 mate) 2. Qxf6+ Kg8
3. Bc4+, winning (from Nezhmetdinov-Kotkov, 1957). Two
archetypical mates.
28. Epaulene Mate

Whites force is small but well aimed at the exposed king.
1. Qh7+ Nxh7 2. Rg6, mate. Remember this mating pattern!
Also winning is 1. Rg6+ Kh7 2. Rxe6+, but mate in two is even
better (Hoi-Gulko, 1988).
47
29 30
White to move After I .... B(d6)xh2+ 2. Kxh2 Ng4+
31 32
After4. f4 After4. ... Qh6
48
29. Punishing lhe Pinner
With rooks on board, look for back-rank weaknesses!
1. Bd3!, 1-0. The broken pin becomes a discovered attack. If
1. ... Rxal, 2. Rc8 mates. And if 1. .. . Re8, 2. Rxe5 (Capa-
blanca-Rossolimo, 1938).
30. Bishop Sac Morning-Aner

In such positions, Khl never makes sense. Kh3 is almost always
bad whenever a supporting bishop (on c8 here) is present, and
Kg 1 can be easily checked here, and found wanting.
Which leaves 3. Kg3. The game Filchev-Padevsky, 1952,
continued: 3 .... Qd6+ 4. f4. See Position 31.
31. Lei II Ride

4. ... Qh6! Remember: in this-and in most similar positions-
winning back material by 4. .. . e~f3 e.p. + 5. Kxj3 Nh2+ is a
bad error. Black may think: "l gave up a bishop for a pawn,
and an attack; now I get the Exchange (equals two pawns), so
it'll be materially equal." Not so! In the middlegame, two minor
pieces are equal to a rook and two pawns, so White will be a
pawn ahead-and there sno attack left!
32. Process of Elimination

5. Nf3! All other moves lose: 5. Qxg4 Bxg4 6. Kxg4 Qh2, or-
as in the game 5. f5 Qh2+ 6. Kxg4 h5+ 7. Kg5 Qg3+ 8. Kxh5
g6+ 9. fxg6 Kg7 10. Rxf7+ Rxf7, winning.
So, 5. Nf3 is the only choice. In fact, it leads to an unclear
game- even Fritz said so. Going back to Diagram 30, was the
sacrifice 1. ... Bxh2+ correct? Objectively not, as 1... . Qe7
(preparing 2.... Qe5) left Black with an edge; practically, both
moves were equally strong-after all, it's usually more difficult
to defend, as the course of this game confirms.
49
33 34
35 36
50
33. The Vanishing Bishop Act
1. Bb6, 1-0, as threats to Black's king (Qh6, mate) and queen
can't be stopped simultaneously (Benko-Fiister, 1958).
How do you find such a blow? Try some daydreaming-"ifnot
for that bishop, I'd mate him in one ... "
34. Nine Points versus lnliniiJ

1. ... Rd8, winning.
An easy move that many will find difficult to find, unable even
to imagine parting with a queen. Respect for the queen
shouldn ~become an obsession. Remember, the queen is worth
9 points. But the kings value is infinite.
35. Onlv the First Mate cou•s

Black threatens mate on the move. So White must be first.
1. Bb6+! Rc7 2. Qxg8+!, l-0 (2. fxg8=Q+ Be8 wiU also win for
White, but not so easily).
In the actual game (Nezhmetdinov-Paoli, 1954), White had a
second rook on gl. Thus, White had several roads to victory, but
none as swift as that chosen by Nezh above.
3&. oenection Perfection

Many combos make use of multiple weaknesses in the oppo-
nents camp. Here White double-attacks Blacks rook on d8,
while Blacks queen reinforces it from the short a5-d8 diagonal.
One more thing-Blacks bishop is "loose"-unprotected.
1. Qe7! White takes the c7-retreat away from the Black queen.
He gains a crucial tempo because this move also attacks the en
prise bishop. 1. ... Bc8 (no other moves work better; for exam-
ple, if 1. ... Rb8, 2. Qf6+ Kg8 3. Rd3 f4 4. Rh3, or 1. ... Rxd1 +
2. Rxd 1 Rb8 3. Qxf7) 2. b4!. Black must resign. If his queen
moves, his rook is lost (Gruenfeld-Schenkein, 1915).
51
31 38
39 40
52
31. Be Natural!
1. g5. Of course! Don't shy away from natural moves, even
when reading books. Natural moves are most often the best.
After 1. ••• Qd5 (other moves lose-for example, 1. ... Nd5
2. Bxb8 and 3.Ne5) GM Shamkovich (vs. ll
Zakharov, in 1962) played 2. Qb3! b5
3. Ne5 (see diagram, right) ..• e6 (taking the
rook gives White overwhelming attack; tak-
ing the queen gives him clearly a better end-
ing) 4. gxf6 Qxhl 5. Nf3, trapping the
After 3. Ne5
queen. Should you see it all when playing
1. g5? Of course not!
38. Exchanging the Defender

1. Rdl Qe6 (I. .. . Rxc7 2. Qd3) 2. Rxd7 Qxd7. A master
should foresee this position (when playing Rd1) and be ready
with the next move. 3. Nxa7+! Kxc7 4. Qe5+, winning (4 ....
Qd6 5. Nb5+; 4 .. .. Kb6 5. Qa5, mate).
39. Don't Even Call h a Sacrifice

1. •.• Rb4 2. Kbl 0-0 3. a3. Say, you played 1.. . . Rb4 hoping
for ... Rxf4 and .. . Bh6. White saw the threat and removed his
king. Now your rook must move. Have you planned for this
contingency? 3.... Rxf4! 4. Qxf4 Bxe5 5. Qd2 d5, and we'd
rather have Black here (Ravinsky-Shamkovich, 1953).
40. The Triumph ot the BiShop Pair

1. Bxg7+ Kg8 2. Bb2+! Rxg5 3. Nxg5 Qh5 (protecting h7)
4. Bb3+, 1-0 (Shamkovich-Antoshin, 1967).
53
41 42
43 44
54
41. Mating whh What's Len
You can sacrifice nearly everything-if you can mate with
what s left!
1. Rxh6+!! gxh6 (or 1. ... Kxh6 2. Qg5+ Kh7 3. Qh4+ Kg6
4. f5, mate) 2. Qg8+ (a superb example of the theme of block-
ing). White must see all this before giving up a rook, so all the
exclams go to the first move. 2•••. Nxg8 3. Bf5, mate (Sauer-
Hellner, 1956).
42. 1Wo Files and a Rank

White has all the power he needs to deliver mate. He just needs
a little imagination.
1. Qxf8+ Kxf8 2. Nd7+, 1-0 (Dobki-Groeger, 1989). White's
last move is a discovered attack, unleashing the power of
White's e 1-rook.
43. Push the Right Pawn

1. ••• c5! (Not 1. ... aS 2. a4 Ke5 3. axb5 cxb5 4. c4 a4+!
5. Kc3!+-) Now 2. c4 Ke5 3. cxb5 axb5 4. a4 bxa4+! leads to a
draw, as the Black king will be able to protect his c-pawn while
remaining in the square ofthe f-pawn. And Black holds in other
lines as well-for example, 2. Kc2 Ke7 3. Kd3 Kd7, ready to
meet Ke4 with ... Kd6.
You don 't need to see it all when playing 1. ... c5; its enough
to know that alternatives lose easily.
44. Pawns Don't Move BackWard

1. Nb4, undoing stalemate and, importantly, protecting the
pawn from behind. Not 1. a7? =,as the Black king now can't be
expelled from his comer-that's a basic drawish ending to re-
member!
55
45 46
41 48
56
45. Botvinnik's Exchange Sacrifice
1.... Rc4!!. Black's rook is untouchable, as the long diagonal at-
tack plus two queenside passers are too much for White to han-
dle. But how long can White tolerate the rook on c4? (In his
1969 match against Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky waited for
10 moves, took the rook, and then soon lost.) This idea is rightly
attributed to the sixth world champion Mikhail Botvinnik.
46. Technique
1. Rc2! The winning move, and an easy move to make. The
ending after 1. ... Rxc2 is easily won-for example, 2. Nxc2
Be2 (to meet 3. Nxb4 with 3.... Bd1) 3. Kf2 Bd1? 4. Nd4, and
the bishop is gone. The game Yakovenko-Sutovsky, 2007 con-
tinued 1. ... Ra3 2. Rc8+ Kg7 3. Rc7 Kg8 4. h5!, and White
won in a few moves. But no calculations are needed to play
1. Rc2!
41. Spare Rook

1. Rxg7! Kxg7 (1. ... Nxd5 2. Rxh7, mate). 2. Rg1+ Kh8
3. Bh6, and White wins (Anand-vanWely, 2007, a blindfold
game!).
48. How to Bring the bight to d5il

White threatens Bf3 and then d5; if 1. ... Rc7, 2. e6!. Thus, Pet-
rosian (against Reshevsky, Zurich, 1953) played 1. ... Re6, and
equalized. Reshevsky tried 2. a4, hoping for 2 . .. . b4 3. d5!,
but Petrosian continued 2...• Ne7, and after 3. Bxe6 fxe6
4. Qfl NdS 5. Rf3 Bd3 6. Rxd3, the draw soon followed.
57
49 50
51 52
58
49. Forced Move
1. fxe3 ( 1. Qxe3? Qxd4, winning, happened in Lee-Levine,
2002).
50. Get Closer, 0 King!

1. Rxh4? f4 2. Rh8 f3 3. Re8+ Kd2!, leads only to a draw. Thus:
1. Re7+! Kf2 2. Kd3 h3 3. Rh7 Kg2 4. Ke2 h2 5. Rg7+ Kh3
6. Kf2 hl=N+ 7. Kf3. The cornered knight is doomed
(Farago-Jacoby, 2002).
You can choose this line without analyzing seven-plus moves
ahead. The alternative, drawish line is just three moves long-
and that s all the calculus you need.
51. Go for a Kill

After 1. Bd2, White wins back a pawn, with a better game. But
much stronger is an attack on an unsecure Black king: 1. Bxti+
(Larsen-Davie, 1967) 1. ... Bxti (1. ... Kf8 2. Bxe8 Kxe8
3. Qg8+ Bf8 4. Bh6) 2. Qc8+ Bf8 3. Bh6, winning. Short and
convincing!
52. The Hook & ladder Trick

The e-file is a ladder, the queen is on top of it, on e4. The rook
is holding the ladder at its base on e8. 1. Rd8+, and White won
in Cohen-Mackenzie, 1985.
Remember this trick, which is a form of deflection. It crops up
now and then. (The title and the ladder analogy are from
Mackenzie's Chess Life article.)
59
53 54
White played 1. Rd2 White to move

and offered a draw.
55 56
60
53. Knight-BloCker
Black is better, which became obvious after 1. ••• e5! 2. d5
(2. Radl? Nc4) 2..•. Nc4 3. Re2 Nd6. The knight is much
stronger than the bishop, while the safely-restrained d5-pawn is
not dangerous. Additionally, Black controls the c-file and boasts
a potential passer (Eliskases-Flohr, 1937).
54. Take the Bait-and Draw!

1. Rxb2 Rh2+ 2. Kf3 = (if 2 ... . Rxb2, stalemate). This hap-
pened in Bemstein-Smyslov, 1946.
55. Do or Draw!
White should sense a combination is afoot. His rooks bear down
on the c- and d- files. His queen has penetrated the defenses of
the Black king. On the other hand, he is a piece down in ex-
change for two pawns. It's a critical moment. Here Vladas
Mikenas bailed out, forcing a perpetual check with Qh5+, Qf7+
(Mikenas-Kashdan, 1931 ). Fifteen years earlier, however,
David Janowski had found the right course.
1. Nd7! Nxd7 2. Rxd7 (White threatens both Qxf6 and Rxb7)
2•••• Bc6 3. Ne4! (the shot that Mikenas probably missed; now
all lines lead to the Black king's demise) 3 •••• Bxb2 (other
moves likewise strike out: 3. .. . Bxd7 4. Nxf6+ Kh6 5. Qh5,
mate-or 3 . ... Bxe4 4. Qxf6 Rg8 5. Rcc7) 4. Ng5+ Kh6 5. g4
g6 (5 . ... Kxg5 6. Qh5+ Kf6 7. Rf7, mate) 6. h4 Rh8 7. Qh7+!
(Janowski-Chajes, 1916).
56. The Narrow Path

1. Kfl, drawing. Not 1. Kf3 Bh4 or 1. Kfl Bd4.
61
Game Sequence: All four positions below are from Kasparov-Shirov, 1994.
51 58
White to move After4. .. . a5
59 60
After6. ... Qb8 After 10. ... Qa7
62
QN2 Is the Worst SQuare for a Knight
51. Small Price to Pav
1. Rxb7!!. White exchanges his clumsily placed rook for
Black's best minor piece, while forcing the second-best minor,
the c5-knight, to the worst square possible. 1.... Nxb7 2. b4!
The knight is caged. The game Kasparov-Shirov, 1994 contin-
ued 2.... BgS 3. Na3 0-0 4. Nc4 aS.
58. Passed Pawns Must Be Pushed-RiUhiP

Not here! Above all, the knight must be contained: 5. Bd3 axb4
6. cxb4 Qb8.
59. Choose Your Diagonal, Please

7. h4! Bh6 (7 . . .. Bd8 will cut off the f8-rook and take the only
available retreat square from the b7-knight). Now, however, the
e7 -square becomes available for the White knight. 8. Ncb6 Ra2
9. 0-0 Rd2 10. Qf3 Qa7.
&0. Dominance
11. Bb5! (better than the immediate 11. Nd7, allowing .. . Ra8,
as played in the game). If 11. ... Nd8 12.
Nd7 Ne6 13. Ne7+ Kh8 14. Nxf8 Qxe7 15.
Nxe6, with a clear advantage for White. And
after 11. .. . Rd8 12. Ne7+ Kf8 13. Nbd5
Ra8 14. Bc6 (see diagram at right), Black is
practically paralyzed. Note that many ( 14,
to be precise) moves after 1. Rxb7 in Posi- After /4. Bc6
tion 57, the Black knight is still haplessly
lingering on QN2.
63
61 62
Black to move Black to move
63 64
After 1. ... Rg2+ 2. Kf6 Black to move
64
61. Double Interference
1. •.• Bd2!, winning. If2. Bxd2 Qc2+ and 3 .... Qcl+, with
mate next move (Tannenbaum-Frumkin, 2003).
62. Trading Down to Satetv

Reality check: White is an Exchange up, and 1. ... Be4 loses to
2. Bd5+. Thus ...
1. ... Bgl + 2. Qxgl Qe2+ 3. Qg2 Qxg2+ 4. Kxg2 Be4+, draw
(Lilienthal-Tolush, 1936).
63.Perpetua1Rook
2.... al =Q+! 3. Rxal Ra2, draw. Whatever file White moves
his rook to, Black offers his rook again. If White captures, it's
stalemate (Bannik-Vistanetskis, 1961 ).
64. semng Up the Double AttaCk

1. ... Qd6+ (the fastest way to victory) 2. Kg(h)l (2. Kh3 al-
lows mate in one) 2.... Qdl+.
65
65 66
61 68
66
65. When Lun Is Not Enough
Chess players talk about giving the king luft, the German word
for air. They mean that the king has a bit ofbreathing room, an
escape square from a potential back-rank mate. But here h 7,
the luft square, is covered by Whites bishop, and White has a
threatening "cue" of queen and rook on the open d-file. Look
for a winning d~flection!
1. Ra7! Qb6 2. Rb7!, winning, since Black can't maintain the
double guard on d8 (from Mileika-Vojtkevich, 1963).
66. Strong Square Trade-on

With 1. c5, restricting Black's bishop and obtaining a strong-
hold on d6 for his knights, White secures a big advantage. Yes,
Black gets the d5-square for his knight, but White's gains are
much more important (Smyslov-Golombek, 1950).
&l The HandV Fork

Since the move of the knight is unique, it can offer surprises,
even in "simple" positions.
1. ... Rxe5 2. Rxe5 (2. Rd8+ Kf7) 2 . ... Nf3+ (Khodorov-
Duchovny, 1977).
68. Choosing a Plan

Here we need a strategic, not a tactical decision. White has
more space in this Philidor (or Ruy Lopez sans ... a6) tabia and
should look for ways to achieve an edge and to increase it. What
plan should he choose?
1. b3!. White prepares to set up a powerful Q+B battery aimed
at the Black king, and stands better (Tarrasch-Vogel, 191 0).
67
69 10
11 12
68
69. Exposing the Opponent's King
After 1. Nxti Rxti 2. Rxe6+, 2.... Be7 is forced (and is our
first support position), but what to do next? Keep exposing the
king! 3. Rxe7+ Kxe7 4. Ret+ Kf8 5. Qxh6+. White wins the
rook back (e.g., 5 .... Kg8 6. Qg5+), with decisive (three
pawns) material advantage (Grischuk-Bareev, 2001).
10. What Cements Black's Posilion:-

Of course, the d5-bishop does, so 1. Rxd5. This isn't even a
sacrifice! In Smirnov-Ni Huya, 2001, White soon got three
pawns for an Exchange: 1. ... Nxd5 2. Qxe6+ Qti 3. Qxh6
Nde7 4. Qxd6.
11. First, Restrict the Knight

The natural 1. h6 leads only to a draw after 1. . ..Ne6. Thus:
1. Kti NbS (Black's best try) 2. h6 Nd6+ 3. Kg6!, winning
(Grigoriants-Shaposhnikov, 2001 ).
12. Just Keep Checking

1. Qhl+ Nh4+ (1. ... Bh4 2. Bd4+) 2. Qxh4+! Bxh4 3. Bd4+
Bf6 4. Bxf6+ exf6 5. Rhl+ Kg7 6. Rh7+ Kf8 7. g7+! Kxti
8. g8=Q+ and 9. Rxc7 (Alekseev-Novikov, 2007). The line is
long-8 moves deep-, but very straight, or thin. There are
very few subvariations (branches on the tree of analysis). If you
missed finding the solution the first time, try to see if you can
do all the required visualization. To help you do this, make use
of support positions.
69
13 14
15 16
70
13. The lwischenzug
Blacks last move was Qc4xe4, attacking Whites queen and
bishop. The endgame after 1. Qxe4 Nxe4 (now this knight is no
longer attacked) seems likely-and good for Black.
1. exf6!. Remember: queens are valuable, but not sacrosanct.
1.... Qxc2 2. fxg7 Rg8 3. Nd4 Qe4 4. Rael Nc5 5. Rxe4 Nxe4
6. Ret, and on the next move Black resigned (Lilienthal-Ca-
pablanca, 1935).
14. The Direct Assault

1. Nh5!!, and Black's position collapses very quickly. 1. ...
gxh5 2. Rxti! Qe5 3. Rf5, 1-0 (Gaprindashvili-Blagidze,
1963). Mostly imagination, with just a bit of checking short,
simple lines.
15. lWo Queening Options

1. Rxd8!, winning (1. ... Nxd8 2. e7). Not enough to win is
1. exf7 Bf6 or 1. Rd7 Kf6, leaving White with just a rook versus
. .
a mmor ptece.
1&. Nowhere to Go
1. Na4, winning (Tolush-Aronson, 1957). Fortune favors a
prepared mind!
71
n JB
Black to move After I . Nbd2
19 80
72
JJ. Avoiding the Double Anack
1. ... Rg8!, with some compensation for a pawn (in Steinitz-
Wexler, 1867, Black lost after 1. ... Qe4+?? 2. Kd1!).
JB. Sudden Assauh

White's last move, the natural I. Nbd2, loses (better is the coun-
terintuitive 1. Nfd2).
1. •.. g5 2. Bxg5 (otherwise, 2 .... g4; e.g.: 2. Bg3 g4 3. a3
Nxd2, winning) 2.... Bxd2+ 3. Nxd2 Qa5, winning material
(Sangla-Karpov, 1968).
79. Timelv Breakthrough

1. e6! (not 1. Bxe7 Kxe7 2. e6? Bxe6) 1. ... fxe6 (now if 1. .. .
Bxe6, 2. cxd5) 2. Bxe7 Kxe7 3. Ne5 Be8 4. Qc2! Rf8 5. Qh7
(after 5. Ng6+, Black could put up resistance) 5.... Kd8
6. Qxg7, with a decisive advantage (Skripchenko-Matnadze,
2001).
80. Tale of 1Wo Files, a Rank, and a Diagonal

The most natural move is 1. Rd 1, winning the c5-pawn. Thus
it's not easy to search deeper to find 1. bxc4!, going for the kill.
1.... Bxa4 (I. .. Rb8 2. Re7+) 2. Rb2 Rd6 3. Bxd5, and White
won (Onischuk-vanWely, 2007).
73
81 82
83 84
74
81. The Classical Center's Burden
The subtle 1. ••• Qa7 continues to eye the d4-pawn, while
preparing ... b5 and denying White, in some lines, the tempo-
winning Nc4. White's center is now a liability, and he can't de-
velop his queenside. 2. e5. A concession, but what else is there
to do? If2. Nh4, 2 .... b5! 3. Qc2 Qxd4 4. Qxc6 Ne5, with the
idea of 5 .... Nd3. 2...• Nd5 3. Ne4 c5, and Black is better
(Taimanov-Geller, 1963).
82. Slav Active!

1. ••• e4!+ 2. Kxe4 Bd6, with good drawing chances. In
Alekhine-Teichman, 1921, Black slowly lost after 1. ... Kg8
2. Ke4 Rb8? (2 .... Rfl) 3. b4.
83. Pin to Win

1. Rxh7, winning (1 .... Kxh7 2. Qh5+ Kg8 3. Bxg6, and Black
has to give up his rook). In Euwe-Alekhine, 1935, Black
played 1.... f5 and eventually lost.
84. Setting Up a oouble-Anaell

Two targets-Rb3 and g2.
1.... c5! 2. bxc5 Qd5! 3. c6 Bxc6, and Black won material, and
the game (Tkachev-Fressine, 200 1). Another dominant theme
here-the pin. White's d4-pawn is pinned, and 2. Rg3 (double-
defense) isn't possible, as it leaves White's b1-rook en prise.
75
85 86
After 1. ... Ng4x.f2 White to move
81 88
76
85. Don't Panic
Both 2. Kxf2 and 2. Qxf2 lose to the in-between move 2 ....
Rxa 1, but White has an effective in-between move of his own,
2. Na4.
Thus, in Zita-Bronstein, 1946, Black first took the a 1-bishop
(1. ... Rxal) and only after 2. Rxal played 2.... Nxf2- and won.
Remember-reversing move order often works wonders!
8&. The Last Will be Rrst

White's best plan here is to improve (and how!) his worst-
placed piece, the g3-knight. 1. Qe2 Qe7 2. Rdl Bb7 3. Nfl .
The knight is going to d5. White's advantage is indisputable
(Geller-Lipnitsky, 1951 ).
81. Mating Net

Don't be tempted by 1. Nxf7. You can create a true mating net
with 1. Qxh7+!, and White forces checkmate after 1. ... Kxh7
2. Rh5+ Kg8 3. Ng6 (Kogan-Foster, 1937).
88. Oh, 11 OniV Mv Knight were on .. .

The Black knight is cut off from the action. However, with a
little fantasy, and some tactical resourcefulness, we can bring
him to a much better square.
1. ... Nc5! 2. Kg2 (2. dxc5 Bxc5+ 3. Be3 Rxe3 4. Nxe3 Bxe3+
and 5 .... Qb6+, winning the queen). 2..•. Nd3 3. Bg3 Bd6.
Black stands better (Short-J. Polgar, 2001 ).
77
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89o The Caged King
The pathetic position of the Black king suggests that extraordi-
nary measures are likely to work. 1. Qxe5! fxe5 2o Rfl ReS
3o Bd1 b5 4o Bb3, when 4o Rc4 delayed White's victory only
000
for a while (Gusev-Auerbach).
900 Simple RefUtation

1o Qe4! . This double attack wins, as 1. ... Nf6 is countered by
2. Bxf6 (from Tarrasch-Vogel, 191 0).
91. How Far to GalculateP

White, down a pawn, has several moves to consider-for ex-
ample, 1. Bg5 Nd7 (and then what?) or 1. b4.
The most promising is the Exchange sac, 1. Ra6!, which keeps
the Black king in the center: 1. Qxa6 2o Qxc5 Qe6 (2 .... Nd7
000
3. Bc6 f6 4. Qd6) 3o Bc6+ Nd7 4o Bxd7+ Kxd7 So Qa7+, and

it's becoming clear that all the fun is on White's side, even if the
path to winning isn't obvious. You didn't have to go beyond
this point in your analysis to know that this line would give
White the best chances (Alekhine-Yunge, 1942).
920 Knowledge= Power

For those in the know, it's an easy draw: 1o NbS+ 2o Kt3 Nf6
000
and 3o Nxg4. White has the so-called wrong color bishop-

000
his rook-pawn's queening square isn't controlled by the bishop.

It's an easy draw.
79
93 94
95 96
80
93. Triple Choice
1. •.. exf5!!. Black doesn't want to allow counterplay after 1....
gxf5 2. Nh5, or to exchange knights; White's "protected, con-
nected, passed pawns" (emerging after I .... exf5) are, and will
remain, completely immobile. The game Gligoric-Smyslov,
1959, continued: 2. Bel Nd5 3. Ne2 a5 4. Bc2. See Position
94.
94. Creating Your Own Passers

4.... Rb3! . This move, while not forced, is very strong. 5. Bxb3
cxb3 Ra4 Bf8 7. Bb2. See Position 95.
95. Final Blows

7.... Ne3!. The knight goes to c4. 8. Rfa1 (if8. Qxe3, 8 .... Qc6)
8.... Nc4 9. Ng3 Be7 10. Nfl Qc6 11. Rxc4 Qh1+! 12. Kg3.
See Position 96.
9&. The last Drop

12.... h5, 0-1. Black threatens 13 . ... h4, mate-and there is no
adequate defense.
81
91 98
99 100
White to move: Black to move

Should he accept a draw?
82
91. The Right Trade-on
1. ... Qb6!. Black is better after 1.... Qd5 too, but the text move
is stronger (Addison-Bisguier, 1963). "I've allowed Addison
to saddle me with doubled b-pawns," Bisguier said, "but gained
tempi by forcing him to undevelop his bishop." The game con-
tinued: 2. Qxb6 axb6 3. Bel Rd8 4. Nfl (4. Nef3 Ne4!) 4....
Rdl 5. Bb2 See Position 98.
98. How Should I Gapture:-

5.... Rxal!. After 5 .... Rxfl + 6. Rxfl Rxb2 7. Rc 1, White gets
some counterplay; after 6. Bxal Rxa2, Black should win.
99. Yes!!
White is lost, so he should grab a draw-offer and smile. For ex-
ample, I. Kxh 1 Qh3+ leads to checkmate, and 1. g4 fails too: I ....
Rh2+ 2. Kxh2 Qf2+ 3. Khl Qel+ 4. Kg2 Qxe2+ 5. Kgl Qxg4!+,
and White resigned in Strauss-Bisguier, 1979. There is a
forced mate-in-seven-long, but easy to find. And it's very
clear that Black can play for a win with no risk.
100. Think tor Your Opponent

Black (Lev Alburt) played I .... Bh6, missing 2. c5!. A psycho-
logical explanation for this oversight could be that Black's
light-square bishop was recently placed on e6, making c5 un-
thinkable. (The previous moves were Nd4, forcing ... Bd7, and
then Nf3). Black can still hold with 1. ... Kg8 2. Ng5 Be8 (Bis-
guier-Alburt, 1979).
"I don't know what I am going to play, so how can [my opponent]
know what I am going to play? "-GM Arthur Bisguier
83
101 102
Black to move After4. ... b6
103 104
84
101. The second Rank Anack
Black has control ofthe c-jile and the a8-hl diagonal, and has
infiltrated his opponents second rank. His demolition of White
is an exemplum of how to take tactical advantage of these
plusses.
1. ••• Rxf2 2. Kxf2 (relatively better is 2. Qg3! Rfc2 !!-not
2 .... Rcf2? 3. Qxf2, with good drawing chances) 2.... Rc2+
3. Kg3 (3. Ke1 Qxg2 4. Qb8+ Kg7 5. Qe5+ f6) 3 .... Rxg2+
(3 .... Qxg2+ also wins) 4. Kh4 (4. Kf4 Rf2+) 4.... Qe4+
5. Qf4 g5+, 0-1 (Alatortsev-Capablanca, 1935). Compare
with Position 4.
102. SWiR PuniShment

After l. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. N£3, Black can choose
from several good and some so-so moves, but 4 .... b6 isn't one
of them. 5. c4! spotlights the fact that Black has blocked the
only good retreat square for his knight. 5.... Nb4 6. Qa4+, win-
mng.
103. Defense bv Simplification

White threatened 1. Bxd6, so, in Bellon-Tamarkin, 2007,
Black played 1.... Rd8. A valid choice? No, as White has an-
other ace up his sleeve. 2. Nxe6 fxe6 3. Nxf6+, winning.
Black's best was to defuse White's attack by 1. ••• Nxe4.
104. The Saving eounter-Anack

The "normal" 1. ... Rac8 2. Nxe6 and 3. Bxd5 leaves White
with a winning edge. Black's situation looks bleak, so decisive
measures are called for. 1. •.• Rf2 2. Nxa8 Na4. Now rook,
knight, and (b3) pawn create a strong enough threat. After 3. Rd3
the draw, due to the coming perpetual, was agreed upon (Svi-
dler-Kasimzhanov, 2005).
85
105 106
101 108
86
105. Know Your Destination
Rook pawn and king versus king is draw ish. Here Whites king
gets blocked on the h-file or the Black king reaches h8 and
awaits stalemate. But Black must know the route.
1. ••• Kf2! 2. Kg4 Ke3 3. Kxh4 Kf4, draw.
106. Know What to Avoid

Opposition is a powerful endgame tool.
When the White king goes to b4 or c4, Black must take the op-
position with, respectively, Kb6 or Kc6. Thus: 1.... Kb7!, with
a draw. Active moves (toward the pawn) lose: I .... Kb6 2. Kb4,
or I. ... Kc6 2. Kc4. Note that Black has two squares from
which he can reach both b6 and c6; if in Position I 06 his king
was on b7, then I . ... Kc7 would be the right move.
101. so Manv Captures ...

Which capture is the best? Who cares, if the best move-with
a clear edge-is 1. e5! fxg3 2. hxg3. White's d5-e5 duo is awe-
some in the true sense of the word (Polugaevsky-Geller,
I958).
108. create a DeadiV Pin

Black's careless ... f6 allows White the sudden blow 1. Nxh7,
winning. If I .... Kxh7, then 2. Qh5+ (the g6-pawn is pinned)
and 3. Bxg6, winning the Black rook (Kudrin-Stanoevic,
I988).
87
109 110
111 112
88
109. Lonesome King
Development looks equal, and Black has an impressive-looking
preponderance ofpieces near the center. But notice his solitary
king, and the "loose " Black knight on d5.
l. Bxh7+ (Ng5 is also good) l . ... Kxh7 2. Qe4+ Kg8 3. Qxd5.
White, after picking up a pawn, regains his piece and gains time
by attacking another piece. 3.... Bf8 4. Ng5. White keeps the
pressure on and mounts a winning attack (Chemev-
Hahlbohm, 1942).
110. Hiuhwav to the Throne

Whites control ofthe h-highway straight to Blacks king allows
a direct sacrifice.
l. Bxg6! fxg6 (1 .... Kf8 is objectively better, but Black is ob-
viously losing) 2. Qxg6 Nd7 (other moves also lose) 3. Ng5
Qf6. See Position Ill .
111. Naked King

It may look as if Whites attack has stalled. But a deflection sac-
rifice down the h-file reveals that the emperor has no clothes-
and no effective defenders!
4. Rh8+! And it's mate on the move (Marshall-Bum, 1900).
112. Houdini-like Escape

White threatens to play Bc4, winning the pinned knight, or-at
least-the Exchange. But Black can get out with l. ... Rd8,
holding a draw (from Morozevich-Tkachev, 2007).
89
113 114
115 116
90
113. Turning the Tables
Black's threats are powerful: to grab a rook, to play ... Rh3,
while 1. Rxd7 allows mate in two. But after 1. Qxg3 Qxg3
2. Rxd7 (reversing the move order), White seizes the initiative
and is clearly better (Kir. Georgiev- Grischuk, 2007).
114. Which Move Wins:-

White is poised with a rook and two pawns on the seventh. But
Black seems to be blocking a breakthrough. What is Whites
correct sequence?
1. Rb8 Nxa7! doesn't work, so ... 1. a8=Q! Rxa8 2. c8=Q++
Kxc8 3. Kxc6, and the mate is unavoidable, e.g. 3.... Ra2
4. Rc7+! Kb8 5. Rf7. The position after 3. Kxc6 is the strongest
side's goal, and dream, in the normally drawish (with great dif-
ficulty) R+B vs. Rending (Kramnik-Leko, 2007).
115. X-Rav Power

1. Rxd3, winning (from the Alekhine Defense).
116. lWo Squares to Queen

1. Bxa6! bxa6 (other moves also lose) 2. b5, and White wins in
all lines, e.g., 2. ... Ne7 (or 2.... Nxf4) 3. b6 or 2 .... Ke8 3. bxa6
(from Gulko-Kasparov, 1981).
91
Game Sequence: All positions arefrom Agdestein- S. Polgar, 1996.
111 118
Should White castle? Black to move
119 120
92
111. Whose Anack Will Be First:-
Agdestein did castle (8. 0-0-0), but this was a risky decision. As
Susan Polgar noted, "There is a major difference. In front of
the White king there is only one pawn in its ideal initial guard-
ing position (on a2), while Black has all three guard pawns, on
fl, g7, and h7 ... " (from the highly recommended A World
Champions Guide to Chess). Black will use White's advanced
b-and c-pawns as hooks to pry the White king's position wide
open. White would show the better part of valor by developing
his kingside and castling short.
118. The Goal Is Clear, but How Do You Get There:-

It's clear that Black should try to open the queenside files, but
how? 8 .... a5! 9. Nf3 a4!. The most natural pawn sacrifice. The
game continued: 10. Nxa4 dxc4 11. bxc4. White overlooked
Black's brilliant reply; however, even the stronger 11. Qxc4
Nd5 (this knight goes to b4, to defend the c6-pawn and thus en-
able ... b5) favors Black.
119. Clear the Files!

This game isn't about pawns. When opponents have castled on
opposite sides of the board, the first attack to break through
usually carries the day. And open files are the lifeblood of the
attack.
11 ...• b5! 12. cxb5 cxb5 13. Bxb5.
120. Make Room tor Rooks

13 .... Ba6!. This eliminates a defender and clears the way for
the f8-rook to enter the battle in a hurry. Black quickly achieves
these objectives: 14. Bxa6 Rxa615. Nd2 (15. Nc5 was a more
stubborn defense) 15.... Qa8 16. Nc3 ReS. Five more moves,
and White resigned.
93
121 122
123 124
94
121. nme tor a Change
Strategic pluses are in Whites favor: bishop pair, more pawns
in the center. Blacks future looks bleak, unless he is able to
change the situation now. (Blacks only ace is his slightly better
development.)
1.... b5!. The only effective counterplay. 2. cxb5 axb5 3. Qxb5
Rtb8 4. Qd3 Na5 5. 0-0 Qc6. Blockading White's queenside-
with the better game (Tolush-Sokolsky, 1938).
122. The Natural

1. e5! dxe5 2. Nde4 (with the idea of Nc5) 2.... Qf5 3. Qf2,
with the decisive threats ofNd6 and Qb6 (T. Petrosian-Larsen,
1968).
123. Anticipate Your Opponent's Move

Black can move only his king. Use the idea ofZugzwang.
1. Qd5!. If 1. ... Kf8, then 2. Qd8, mate; 1. ... Kh8 2. Qd8+!.
124. Preparing the King's March

1. g4! Ke7 2. h4 Kd6 3. Ke4 b6 4. h5!. The unstoppable result
of 1. g4: now d5 becomes an outside passed pawn. White is
winning (Botvinnik-Flohr, 1944).
95
125 126
121 128
Black to move Wh zte

' to move
96
1250 First Secure Your Stalwan
Black is better: Whites d4-pawn is weak, which in turn secures
the c-jile for Black, since Rc 1 would lose that pawn. Blacks ex-
cellently posted horseman attacks the isolated pawn. To win,
Black should saddle White with a second weakness in the end-
ing-an important idea to remember-after (a6)-a5-a4, etc.
But Black should not rush! First must come 1o 000 h4, practically
securing his knight's excellent post (otherwise, White will play
g3, Kg2, and eventually g4.) The minority attack with the a-
pawn can now follow (Em. Lasker-Capablanca, 1921 ).
126olnto The Fire

1. Kg7!. White moves into a coming check-and saves the
game! 1. ••• a3 2. h6 a2 3. h7 al=Q+ 4. Kg8, draw. Were
White's first move 1. Kg6, after 3.... a1(Q) White wouldn't be
in check-but would be unable to reach the saving square, g8.
However, 1. Kh7 (another not-so-obvious move, staying in the
way of the passed pawn) also draws.
1210 Put Down the Fork and Pick Up the Knife

1. ... Rxb2 2. Rxb2 Nd3+ 3. Ke3 Nxb2 looks attractive, but
leads, amazingly, only to a draw after 4. Kd2. Thus 1.... Nc6 (or
1.... Kf8), and Black should eventually win.
1280 lWo Birds with One Slone

1. Rf2!. This move prepares the rook's lift to the c-file as well
as activation of the bishop. The game Rubinstein-Salve, 1908,
continues: 1.... Nd7 2. Bxe7 Rxe7 3. Qd4 Ree8 4. Bfl! Rec8
5. e3 Qb7 6. Nc5 Nxc5 7. Rxc5 Rc7 8. Rfc2. White is much
better after 8.•.. Qb6 (8 .... a5 was the only try) 9. b4! White
soon won. But don't overvalue White's initial edge-Hans
Kmoch once wrote that 100 years earlier, Rubinstein might
have been burned as a witch for winning such endings!
97
129 130
Black to move After I . .. . Rj8-h8
131 132
White to move After 6. e5
98
129. Predict and Preempt
What would White do if he were on move? A serious threat is
1. g4,followed by Ke4 and then h4 and h5 (see position 124).
Thus, Black should stop g4, but how? 1.... f5 allows the White
king to occupy, after 2. Kd4, either c5 or e5, and soon Black
pawns will start falling.
The only right move is 1. ... hS, ready to meet 2. Kd4 with 2....
b6. Black is completely safe. In fact, now White must play ac-
curately in order to draw.
130. Ripe tor Plucking

Black plans to play 2. ... Kg7, with a better game. His last move,
however, leaves Blacks queen overburdened, and his king too
vulnerable (better was first 1. ... Kg7, and only then ... Rh8).
2. Bfi!. Deflection: 2.... Qxfi 3. Nxe5 Qe8 4. Nxg6. For his
piece, White collects three pawns-and completely denudes his
opponent's king. 4.... Nd7. Black tries to establish a blockade
(on the e5-square). Other moves (4 .... Bxe2, or 4 .... Rg8) also
lose quickly. 5. Nexf4 Ne5. See Position 131.
131. Special Clearance

6. d7!. This second deflection unblocks the center, 6.... Nxd7
7. eS. The game is over. If 7.... Rg8, 8. Qf5 (Mamedyarov-
lvanchuk, 2007).
132. The Standard Counter-Blow

Not surprisingly, Black's best-and fully adequate-move here
is the archetypical6.... d5!, which leads to equality after 7. Bb5
(all other moves, including the tempting-to someone unfamil-
iar with this type ofposition-7. exf6, favor Black).
99
133 134
135 136
100
133. Strategv over Tactics
There are no apparent tactical threats on either side. Thus
Black should evaluate the validity of Whites positional
"threats" (are they real?), such as Bh6 or Qa3 (to induce ...
Bc8 or ... a5).
The plan with 1.... Kh8 and 2 .... f5 looks too slow. More prom-
ising is 1. ... bS, aiming for 2 .... b4, with a better game-uti-
lizing Black's queenside pawn majority (Barcza-Karpov,
1970).
134. Quick and Ferocious

Black is ahead in material, but his uncoordinated pieces, loose
pawns, and exposed king provide Whites queen with a rich vein
of targets.
1. NeS Bd7 ( 1.... f6 2. Qh3) 2. Qa3+ cS 3. Qt3, and White be-
gins to reap the harvest (Bronstein-Kotov, 1950).
135. King-and-Pawn Basics

1. c4!, draw (1. Kd2? c4 -+ ).
13&. let Zugzwang Do the Job

l. ... Bh4, with an immediate win. Not 1.... Bd6 2. Kf2 (aiming
for safety in Black's "wrong comer") 2 .... Bh2 3. Kf3 (threat-
ening 4. Kg4), with a draw by repetition.
101
131 138
139 140
102
131. Coiled Spring
A typical Reti (vs. Yates, 1924) position, reminding one of a
coiled spring!
White lashed out with 1. d4! with an advantage in all lines. The
game continued 1.... e4 2. Ne5 Bxe5 3. dxe5 Nh7 4. f4, with a
clear advantage.
138. Unsalisfactorv CBishop) Pair

Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin usually preferred
knights to bishops (in Russian, elephants) and excelled in cre-
ating positions in which the horsemen prevailed. Like Alexan-
der the Great, he used his mobile cavalry in masterly fashion
against the unwieldy pachyderms.
Besides the h-pawn march, White has a positional threat-f5,
exchanging his doubled f-pawn and opening up the game ( usu-
ally good for bishops). Thus: 1. ... f5!, and after 2. Bel Rf7 3. Ba3
Rc6 4. Bc5 Ra6!, knights match bishops in this complex game
(Em. Lasker-Chigorin, 1895).
139. The weaknesses

Were his h-pawn on h3, White would be worse, but not much.
Here, however, Black creates real weaknesses, and wins.
1.... h3 2. g3 (if2. g4, 2 .... Qh4) 2.... Qd7 3. Bd2 Bg4 4. Qfl
(if 4. Qd3, 4 .... Qf5), with substantial advantage for Black (Ru-
binstein-Spielmann, 1912).
140. The Right Kind or Suppon

1. Nf2 Kg6 2. Ng4, winning. Not 1. Ng5+ Kg6 2. h7 Kg7, draw,
or 1. Nf4 Kg8 and ... Kh7.
103
141 142
143 144
104
141. Power to the Bishops
This position is ripe for tactics-for example, 1. Bh 7+ Kh8
2. Nxj7+ seems to win (a little) material. But before going
deeper into a single line, lets examine other options. Mate on
parallel diagonals, anyone?
1. Qxh6, deflecting the g7-pawn. No further analysis is needed
(Malmgren-Quadrado, 1953).
142. Choosing the Target

For two pawns, White has a strong attack. But where is Black's
most vulnerable spot? On h6, or perhaps f6? 1. f4! Qb5
2. Nfxg7, and Black's position is untenable: 2•.•. Nxg7 3. Nf6+
Kg6 4. Nxd7 f6 (the risky-looking 4 . ... f5 was Black's best try
here) 5. e5! (Capablanca-Bemstein, 1911).
143. Eliminate the Kev Defender

Ifit weren 'tfor Blacks light-square bishop ... (sometimes a little
dreaming may help).
1. b4 Bb3. The point is: 1.... axb4 2. Qxa2+, and 3. Bc4, mate.
2. Qc2, winning immediately. Keres (against Westerinen, in
1973) played 2. Qd3, and it took him longer to win.
144. Abundance of Riches

Black can win-easily-in several ways; for example., 1....
Bxe7 or 1. ... Rxf2 2. e8=Q+ Rf8. He can also force check-
mate in three moves: 1. ••• Qel+ 2. Qxel Be3+ 3. Qxe3 (3. Qf2
Bxf2, mate) 3•••• Rfl, mate (Snyder-Browne, 1974).
105
145 146
141 148
106
145. Detlect to Protect
1. Ng8+ Rxg8 (1. ... Kg6 leads to the same thing after 2. Nf6
and 3. Bc7: bishop-plus-two pawns vs. Black's three pawns)
2. Bf6, and 13-year-old Capablanca won this 1901 Cuban
championship game (vs. Corzo) by forcing Black to trade off
his rook for White's d-pawn. Then Capa brought his king to
support his pawns, while the bishop held off Black's g-pawn.
146. Three Hopeless wavs to Re-Capture

Another achievement by a youngster, this time by a 14-year-
old girl. 1. ... Rxa3+!!!. Three exclams-one for each way to
capture the rook. All answered by mate in one (Grigoriev-
Nadyseva, 1973). Compare with Mikenas-Bronstein, Position
99 in CTPB (the first Training Pocket Book).
141. The Right Blow

Tactics are in the air. The straightforward 1. ... Qxf5 2. Qxe2
Qxa5 favors White after 3. Qe6+, but 1. ... Bc7 (deflection)
looks very promising. Or . ..
1.... ReS! The simplest, and the strongest, as it wins a piece
and the game-e.g., 2. Rxe5 Qxe5-decisive double attack!
(Geller-Tseshkovsky, 1976).
148. 3Y2 Moves

Not easy moves to find, as Black has other attractive-looking
moves! Still, 1. ... Nxe5 (decoy) 2. Rxe5 Ret+. Another
decoy-into a fork after 3. Kh2 Ng4+. Reflect for a moment on
this position, and you'll see the job is done, as 4. hxg4 allows
4 .... Qh4, checkmate (Butnorius-Panchenko, 1975).
107
149 150
151 152

Exchange rooks?
108
149. Good can Be an Enemv ot the Best!
White, down a queen, can force a draw by 1. Rh 7+ Kj8 (1 . ...
Ke8 2. Rg8, mate) 2. Rh8+ Kj7 (2 . ... Ke7 3. Rg7, mate). This
is his "fall-back" position. Lets look for more, ifjust for a few
minutes.
1. Rhg8!, and the mate is unavoidable (from Anand-Moroze-
vich, 2005).
150. Not Everv Road Leads to Rome

Black hasn't castled yet; his king and queen are on the same
open file, separated by only their bishop (deflection, anyone?),
and his h6-knight is both "bad" and vulnerable.
1. Bxh6! gxh6 2. f6, and White wins-for example, 2 .... Bc5
3. Re 1 Bxd4+ 4. Qxd4, (Carlsen-Bakro, 2007). Note that the
immediate 1. f6 isn't that convincing, as after 1. ... Bc5 2. Re 1
Bxd4+ 3. Khl (3. Qxd4 isn't possible here, as the el-rook is
unprotected) 3.... 0-0, and the game is not over yet.
151. The Kev to White's Posmon

Here, it's the g5-pawn, thus: 1. ... Bd2, and Black is much better
(Korchnoi-Huebner, 1982).
152. The comparison

Does Black prefer a rook ending or a pawn ending? Black is
much better after 1. ... Rdl !, as his pawns are safe, and White's
aren't (Ivanovic-Alburt, 1982). In a pawn-only ending, after
1. ... Rxf4 2. Kxf4 Ke6 3. Ke4 a6!, Black holds a draw, thanks
to a reserve tempo with his a-pawn.
109
153 154
Black to move; evaluate White to move
155 156
110
153. nvo Steps to a Draw
Black draws after 1. ... Nc6 (not 1.... Nxb7 2. a7) 2. Kd2 NbS!
(Duchovny-Buch, 1969).
154. Whose Pin Is MtghderP

Here, the one on the diagonal is superior. 1. Be7!, and White
wins (Volchok-Kreslavsky, 1970).
155. To Trade or Not to TradeP

Trade! 1. ... Qd8 forces the exchange of queens, with a draw the
most likely outcome. Larsen (vs. Botvinnik in 1967), being in
time trouble, played 1.... Kd7, and after 2. Qxa7+ Kc8 3. Qa6+
Kc7 4. Qc4+, ended in the now-lost, two-pawns-down ending.
156. Rook-and-BiShop Mate

The Black kings cramped position makes him vulnerable.
1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. Rh5+ Kg7 3. Bh6+ and 4. Bf8, checkmate!
(Santasiere-Adams, 1926).
111
151 158
159 160
112
151. Rank and File Mate
A forced mate in three.
1. Qxf7+ Rxf7 2. Rd8+ Rf8 3. Rxf8, mate (Lemachko---
Popova, 1970).
158. Prioritize!
1. ... c5 allows Black to create a passed pawn, while 1. ... g5
2. b4 Kg6 frees his rook. Your choice?
Of course, 1. ... g5, winning. If 1. ... c5 2. h4, and now the rook
is lost, and the game, too-e.g., 2 .... h6 3. Kg2 g5 4. h5.
159. The Real McCov

There are threats, and there are threats. Should Black, for in-
stance, stop the threatened double-attack on his king and rook
(i.e., Qd5)?
1. ... c5! A winning move, as 2. Qd5 loses to 2.... Be6 3. Qc6+
Bd7, and if 4. Qd5, then 4 . ... c4. Indeed, Black's threat of ... c4,
trapping White's bishop, proved to be very real (it's a well-
known trap from the Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Variation).
160. How to StOP Mate

Only 1. Qd4 (or 1. Qb4) 1. ... Rg6+ 2. Qg4 avoids an immedi-
ate loss, although Black still wins after 2 .... Re8 (even stronger
than 2 .... Bxg4, with a much better endgame for Black). In
Kirdetsof-Kann, 1918, White instead blundered with 1. Qc7,
and had to resign after 1. ... Rae8, which creates a second
threat-on White's back rank.
113
161 162
163 164
114
161. 19th-Centurv Redox
Any 19th-century romanticist would have found himself at
home in this King's Gambit position! White has sacrificed a
piece (for two pawns), and his queens ide is not yet developed
-but what an attack!
1. Qg6!+ Kh8 2. Bxh6!, forcing Alburt to resign in this training
game against Ted Field, rated USCF 1865 at that time (in 1997).
As the Russian proverb states, boldness captures cities.
162. Winning bv Retreating

1. Ngl! Rxb2 2. f5 Bxa2 3. Rcdl
White gives up his queenside pawns to create an unstoppable
attack (Kamsky-Shirov, 2007).
163. some cusetul) oavdreaming

White would love to play Qf6 and then Qg7, mate, but an im-
mediate 1. Qf6 is met by 1. ... Qxe5.
1. Nd5! (also winning is 1. Bxc4 Bxc4 2. Ne4 Qxe5 3. Qxe5
Rxe5 4. Nf6+ and 5. Nd7). 1.... Qxd5 (if 1.... Nd2+, 2. Kc 1!)
2. Bxc4 Qxc4 3. Qf6, and Black resigned, as the White king
can easily escape from checks (Karjakin-Alekseev, 2007).
164. The Right Judgment

White threatens to play g4+, achieving a theoretically won po-
sition (but won with great difficulty), B+N vs. the lone king.
But there is a forced draw-l. ... Qxg3+!. The very position of
the Black king, which is a source of his troubles, ironically al-
lows this stalemate.
115
165 166
161 168
116
165. Harvesung Pawns
1. c5! White utterly destroys his opponent's pawn structure. 1. •••
dxc5. If 1. ... Ne5, White has a pleasant choice between 2. Be3
and 2. Be2. 2. Be3 c4 3. Bxa7 Rxa7 4. Be2, and the weak Black
pawns start falling (lvanchuk-Leko, 2007).
166. Starling the Avalanche

With the White king far away, the time for decisive queens ide
action is now.
1. •.• Bd3! 2. Rcl (2. cxd3 also loses) 2.... c4 3. bxc4 Bxc2
4. Rxc2 Kc5, and Black is winning (Sakharov-Palatnik,
1967).
167. Stalemate Alen!

The natural-looking 1. Kf3 allowed Black to escape with I ....
Ng4!, and soon the draw was reached in Grischuk-J. Polgar,
2007. Instead, White wins with 1. f5!-e.g., 1. ... Ne4+ 2. Kf3
Nxg3 3. f6, and the pawn queens.
How to think: start with 1. Kj3, discover 1. ... Ng4 and, seeing
the win isn ~ there, or at least isn ~ clear, go on to examine the
second-most-natural move, 1. f5.
168. PoinUng Out the weakness

If White attacks thej7-pawn twice, Black has two adequate de-
fenders. But White can bring in reinforcements-and Black
canU
1. Bxfi+, winning. If 1.... Rxt7 2. Qc4; if 1.... Kh8, 2. Ne6
(Fischer-Fine, 1963).
117
169 110
111 112
118
169. The Obvious Sacrifice Thai Works
Black stands better (for one thing, he has more space). White
tries to make his defense easier by exchanging rooks along the
!-file.
Thus, Black must consider- and after some short analysis,
play -1. ... Nf4!. After 2. gxf4, Black must see that 2.... exf4,
with two threats, ... Bxal and ... f3, is good enough to justify the
knight sacrifice. And he has another attractive follow-up option,
2.... gxf4. See Position 170.
110. Making a Choice

2. ... exf4! (not so clear is 2 . .. . gxf4 3. Qg2). For his not-so-
active g6-knight (restricted, so it seemed, by the g3-pawn),
Black has received a pawn (which was important to protecting
the White king), plus a long diagonal for his previously re-
stricted bishop, and the threats ... Bxa1 and ... f3. In addition,
White's a4-knight remains cut off. Black is much better- at
least. White played 3. Nf2 (otherwise 3 .... f3 would have
picked up that knight). See Position 171.
111. Roll On!

3 •... g4! Black's g7-bishop is at least as good- most likely
better -than White's al-rook. Note that 4. Nxg4 fails to the
above-noted ... f3. The game continued 4. Rael Qh4 5. Nd3
Bd4+ 6. Rf2 g3, winning (Rosenberg-Palatnik, 1966).
112. Just in nme!

1. ... Kb3! "Un-stalemating" and gaining a decisive tempo to
bring his king closer. Black wins, tempo-on-tempo: 2. Kb7
Ka4+ 3. Kc7 Qh7+ 4. Kb8 (4. Kb6 Qhl) 4 .... Kb5 5. a8=Q
Kb6.
119
113 114
115 116
120
113. Superior Force Where ncounts
Blacks minor pieces, especially his knight, are stuck on the
queenside. Can White launch a successful attack?
1. Nxg7. This wins. 1. ... Rxg7 If 1.... Kxg7, 2. Bh6+ Kg8
3. Rg5+ Kh8 4. Qc3+. 2. Bh6 Qe7 3. Bxg7 Qxg7 4. h4 h6
5. Rc4, and Black resigned (Keres-Unzicker, 1956).
114. create a Mating Net

1.... Rgl! 2. g4 (or 2. Rxa3 Be6+) 2.... Re4 3. Ra5 Be6. White
resigned, foreseeing, for example, 4. Rg2 Rxg4! (D. Gure-
vich-Palatnik, 1996).
115. Total ParaiJSiS

The key to an (easy) win is to keep the Black forces paralyzed.
1. h4!, confining forever Black's king and rook. White then
brings his king into action and wins (Ubilava-Timoschenko,
1974).
116. The Iron Cage

Do you see the contours of# 17 5? White gets a big edge with
1. Qxe5 dxe5 2. Rxd8+ Kxd8 3. Bg5+. Now Black could go
into an ending a pawn down, with slim chances to draw after
3. ... Kc7. Instead, he played 3 .... Ke8 and got caged after
4. Bf6 Rg8 5. Rdl Bd7 6. Na4 Rb4 7. Nc5.
121
111 118
119 180
122
111. An Easv Move
Black is worse, but this is no time to think in general terms.
Rather consider how to defend against Whites double attack.
The method of elimination should help. 1. ... ReS!. The only
move. In Smyslov-Tolush, 1961, Black resigned after 1. ...
Qd8 2. Bb8!.
118. The Outside Passed Pawn

White achieves a won ending by force: 1. Qxfi+! Qxfi
2. Bxfi+!. (Be precise! 2. Rxf8+ Kxf8 3. Bxflleads to a dead-
drawn bishops-of-opposite-color ending.) 2.... Kxfi 3. Rxf8+
Kxf8 4. Kxf2. White creates an outside passed pawn on the c-
file, and wins (Larsen-Gligoric, 1956).
119. Securing the Kev Square

1. ... Bxc3!. The most precise way to secure the e4-square for
the Black knight. 2. bxc3 Bf5 3. Bxf5 Qxf5, with a clear advan-
tage for Black (Makogonov-Botvinnik, 1943).
180. ASubUe Move

To play for a win when slightly better in a quiet game like this,
the stronger side should keep creating problems for his oppo-
nent, forcing him to make difjicult choices.
1. a4! Now, after 1. .. . a5 (the lesser evil), White is only slightly
better-but he still can try to exploit the aS-weakness, say, by
playing R(e3)-c3-c5. After 1.... Kf6? 2. a5! a6 (Polugaevsky-
Tal, 1971 ), however, White is much better. In just ten moves, his
king triumphantly reaches the b6-square!
123
181 182
183 184
124
181. Defend and Deflect
White's situation looks bleak (e.g., 1. Rfl Ba6), but an 11-year-
old future grandmaster was ready for this challenge, which he
foresaw several moves earlier. 1. QO!. Now 1.... Qxf3 2. Rg1 +
leads to an immediate mate, while 1.... Qg6 2. 0-0-0 also loses,
albeit more slowly (Lemer-Koshtenko, 1962).
182. Good and Bener

Black can get a better ending after 1.... Bg2+ 2. Rxg2 Qxg2+.
But, knowing the useful mating pattern, he should find -on
Move 1 or at least by Move 2: 2.... Qfl+ 3. Rgl Ng3+ 4. hxg3
Qh3, mate (Gabis-Kogan, 1969).
183. An Important Discoverv

1. ... Nxd4, winning a pawn.
184. ASmall Gain Here, a Small Gain There ...

1. Bfl! a5 2. Bc4. With this maneuver, White: a) takes control
of the b5-square, to be used by his bishop and, later, his king;
and b) ties the Black rook, for many moves, to passive defense
of the f7 -pawn (Fischer-Taimanov, 1971 ).
125
185 186
181 188
126
185. How to Build an Impregnable Fonress
Black can achieve an easy draw with 1. ... Rxc7 2. Bxc7 b4!
(material for time, quantity for quality) 3. axb4 Ba6 4. d4 Bd3,
driving White's central pawns to wrong-color squares. Instead,
Ed Lasker (vs. Bogolubov, in 1924) played 1.... Kf7 and lost
after 2. Rxe7+ Kxe7 3. Bd2!, followed by K(g1)-f2-e3 and (d3)-
d4-d5.
186. Remember Panems, Not Exact Posmons

On the board is the King's Indian Attack - a King's Indian De-
fense with reverse colors. Any KID expert worth his salt would
not think here about how to save the f4-pawn-but about how
to sacrifice it! 1. e5! fxe5 2. f5 . White gets an e4-square for his
knight and a long diagonal for his bishop, while Black's extra
e5-pawn denies his pieces similar privileges. 2.•.. Bf7 3. Ne4
0-0-0 4. Qg4, and White is better (Botvinnik-Pomar, 1962).
181. nme to GambleP

Probably not, especially if facing a master. The tempting 1. Qc3
loses to 1. ... Nf2+ 2. Rxf2 Bd4!!. Also bad is 1. Bxg7 Re3!.
Perhaps 1. Nd2 is the lesser evil, compared to 1. h3 Ne3 2. Rc 1
Nf5, 1. Nc3 Re3, or 1. Bxa3Bxa3 2. Nxa3 Re3 3. Qd1 Rfe8.
188. AGood Trade

1. ... Nb4! 2. Bxa8 Nxa2. In the ending, R + 2 pawns beat B +
N, thus Black won material- and eventually the game (L.
Grigorian-Tal, 1967).
127
Game Sequence: /. d4 NJ6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0
6. Bg5 Na6 7. Qc 1 e5 8. d5 Qe8 9. h4 Nc5 10. Qe3 h5
189 190
White to move After 17. ... b4
191 192
After 20. ... Kg8 After 23 . ... cxb2
128
189. Where-and How-to Plav
11. f3. White decided to attack on the kingside. To accomplish
this, he has to play g4, which requires three preparatory moves.
White is also slightly better after 11. b4 (e.g., 11. ... Na4 12.
NbS and 13. Qb3), deciding in favor of queenside actions. The
game continues: 11 •... a512. Nh3 Bd7 13. Nf2 c6 14. g4. Note
how the t2-knight controls the key squares d3, e4, and g4. 14•
•.• cxd5 15. cxd5 hxg4. Otherwise, White would win a pawn,
and open the Black king, with Bxf6 and gxh5. 16. fxg4 b5 17.
h5 b4. See Position 190.
190. Threat Trumps Threat

18. h6!. White counters a threat to his knight by creating a much
stronger threat. 18•••• bxc3. Why not 18 .... Bh8? Because
19. h7+ wins; for example, 19 .... Nxh7 20. Qh3-a pattern to
remember! 19. hxg7 Kxg7 20. Bh6+ Kg8. See Position 191.
191. The Fastest Win

It's clear that White is winning. You want to find one way (out
of several) that is the fastest and simplest (perhaps, subjectively,
from your own point of view). 21. Bg7. White threatens mate
in two. 21. •.. Nh5 22. Qh6 f6 23. gxh5 cxb2. See Position 192.
192. AKnight Keeps Queen at Bav

Here, of course, 24. Rb 1 wins as easily as the move in the
game-but the game continuation is quite spectacular, and, im-
portantly, it shows how well a knight can guard his king against
checks from the opponent's queen. 24. hxg6 bxa1=Q+ 25. Nd1,
Black resigned. Would you believe this was a blitz game?
129
193 194
195 196
130
193. Mate on Parallel Diagonals
1. ReS!. The point of this move: if 1.... Rxe8, 2. Qxf6, mate.
Also losing is 1. ... Qb4 2. Qxf6+ (pin) and 1.... Kg7 2. Rxf8
Kxf8 3. Qxf6+ Ke8 4. Bf7+, with mate in no more than three
moves (Littlewood-Roth, 1966).
194. Which Pieces to leaveP

White is a pawn up, but he has to deal with a threat of ... Nc3.
Normally, a complete reduction to kings and pawns would be
the surest road to victory, but here this exchange brings the
Black king to the center unopposed, allowing eventual queen-
side penetration. All this leaves just one correct exchange:
1. Bxd5 Bxd5 2. Kf2. The White king marches to d4, with de-
cisive advantage (Reshevsky-Thomas, 1937).
195. Master Trader

Botvinnik once called a chess game a sequence oftrade-offs-
not just of pieces and pawns, but also of various strengths and
weaknesses. Here we have a typical castled-on-opposite-sides-
and-attacks-are-coming position. So far. 1. ... c4!. This move
gives White firm control of the d4 square. Why? 2. Be2 a6!!.
Remember this technique! Now a5 is met by ... b5, and b5 by
... a5, keeping the queenside closed while Black's kingside at-
tack will roll on (Spassky-Petrosian, 1966).
196. Mum-Purpose Move

White threatens Bh7+ and Rxd6, as well as the less ambitious,
but good enough to equalize, Be4. 1. ... Qe5 stops both threats
while preparing f7-f5, which will further improve Black's po-
sition. After 2. Qb2 (what else?) 2 . ... Qxb2 3. Rxb2 a5, Black
is better, as the d6-pawn is easily protected by K(g8)-f8-e7,
while ... a4, weakening White's queenside, can't be stopped
(Saemisch-Alekhine, 1926).
131
191 198
199 200
After ... ReB White to move
132
197. overwhelming Force
Were White on move, he'd play 1. Rxe5 and 2. Nc6. But
Black's attack comes first. 1. ... Qxb2+! 2. Kxb2 Bxd4+ 3. Kcl
Ral+, and White resigned (Stopa-Lopez, 2007).
198. Breaking the Blockade

1. Qg5!, winning. After Black's h4-rook moves, 2. Qe7 follows
(Jenni-Agrest, 2007).
199. Do It, Please!

As usual in Albin s Counter-Gambit, for a sacrificed pawn,
Black gets more space and faster development. His last move
threatens .. . Bd3, while castling loses White his h3-pawn.
1. Bb2!!. White continues developing. He now threatens b5,
followed by Nxd4. 1. ... Bd3 2. 0-0! Bxe2 3. Qa4 Bxf14. Rxfl.
White should have seen this position very clearly when playing
1. Bb2. Correctly, he judged it to be favorable. Indeed, Black is
in big trouble. The game continued 4 .... Kb8 5. b5 Nd8
6. Nxd4. Material is almost even, while White's attack is very
strong (Bondarevsky-Mikenas, 1950).
200. Geometrv of the Chessboard

White has only two pawns for a rook, so he must try to use his
temporary advantages: his own active pieces, exposed Black
king, and Black's loose d2-rook and pinned knight. 1. Rf3!+,
forcing 1. ... Kg8 (if the king moves to thee-file, Qe1+! wins
the d2-rook). 2. Qel Rd4 3. Bxd5+. Now, with the Black king
driven further back on the a2-g8 diagonal, White wins: 3....
Rxd5 4. Qe6+, leaving White up two pawns -and attacking
(Mamedyarov-Nielson, 2007).
133
201 202
203 204
134
201. At Everv Step, Stop to Think!
On his last move, White captured the h6-pawn with his hi-rook,
and then Blacks h8-rook recaptured. Black now expected 1. Q/8+,
recovering the sacrificed rook, with even material (but, of
course, quite a bad Black position anyway). Perhaps White
planned the same move when capturing on h6. But now, the po-
sition is already on the board and thus much clearer.
White found 1. Nc7+. The idea is first to deny Black's king the
escape square d7: 1.... Qxc7 2. Bb5+, forcing a Black piece to
d7, to be followed by Qf8, now checkmate (Krivosheya-Fei-
gin, 1994).
202. O+R Mate
1. ..• Rxa2, winning material. If 2. Kxa2, then 2 .... Qc3, and
3. Qcl is White's only way to avoid checkmate. (Cook-Krush,
1998). Compare with Position 24 .
203. The Good and the Best
The simple l. ... e3 leaves Black with a big edge. But even
stronger is 1. ••• Rae8!, and the game was over after 2. c4 exf3
3. Qxf1 Re3! 4. Qf2 0+ (Serkin-Trosman, 1956).
204. The Exposed King
Five Black pieces are aimed at the White king, with the sixth
ready to join in. 1. .•. Nxh2. Not-so-complex calculation shows
this works. The "normal" 1.... Qh4 2. Bxg4 would allow White
to hang on. 2. Kxh2 Qh4+ 3. Kgl Rxf2-an important support
position when considering 1. ... Nxh2. If 4. Rxf2?, then 4 ....
Bxg3 wins instantly: 4. Kxf2 Bxg3+ 5. Ke3 Qg5+ 6. Kd3 Bf5+
(visualize this position) also wins for Black. In the game Sark-
isova-Nizhegorodova, 1976, White tried 4. Nf5 and was
mated after 4 .... Bxf5 5. Qxf5 Rxg2+!.
135
205 206
201 208
136
205. To Draw or Not To Draw:»
To draw, with 1. Qh5+ Kg8 2. Qg6+, etc. The tempting 1. t7 al-
lows a spectacular refutation, 1.... Rxg2 (from Kupreichik-
Marjanovic, 1979, analysis by Dvoretsky).
206. Check Your AnalYsis at Everv Step!
Give yourselfat least 20 minutes here! Current world champion
Vishy Anand spent that much time considering his next move
(vs. Kasparov, 11th game, 1995 World Championship match).
Vishy had to choose between winning a pawn with 1. Nxe7, or
winning (he thought) the Exchange for a pawn with 1. b4. Its
a difficult choice-in both cases, White has approximately the
same (20-30%) winning chances. Whats your decision?
1. Nxe7!. As you'll see, it is not just the best- it's the only
choice. But did you foresee 1••.• ReS by Black?
201. Prepare the Retreat
2. Nd5 Bxd5 3. b4, with the above-mentioned 20-30% winning
chances. Anand decided to get an Exchange for a pawn. He
played (in Position 206) 1. b4, and-after the forced 1....
axb4-he quickly played 2. axb4 Rc4 3. Nb6 Rxb4+ 4. Ka3,
taking only a few seconds to make each move. As Black, you
should look for a way to punish this blitzing -before conced-
ing to the worse ending with 4 .... Rbc4 (your fall-back position).
208. Trust CYourseiD-but VerilY
Remember: you can see more in this position on a chessboard
(or diagram) than you could in your mind a move ago!
4 .... Rxc2!!. Rather than losing material, Black will be two
pawns up, winning (5. Rxc2 Rb3+). If only Anand had thought
a bit longer on his previous moves, he would have drawn this
game (e.g., after 2. Nxb4 or 3. Nxe7!-White's last chance).
137
209 210
211 212
138
209. The Power of lhe Passer
1.... Be5+ 2. Kc2 Qd3+! 3. Qxd3 exd3+ 4. Kbl (or elsewhere)
d2, and Black wins a piece and the game.
210. When Winning, Look for SimPiiciiV

1. Bxf5 prepares your next move, 2. Qd6, which wins a piece
(lvanchuk-Karpov, World Blitz 2007).
211. Remember Ibis Pawn Sacrifice!

White is stronger in the center and on the kings ide. He can cre-
ate a central passed pawn or attack on the kings ide.
Black will counter the first plan by blocking the d-pawn before
it reaches the sixth rank (preferably by placing his knight on
d6). And Black will try, with queenside actions and possible ex-
changes, to neutralize White's attacking attempts. Black's
chances (for an edge) lie mostly in the endgame. Thus, trying
to challenge the c-file with Rei isn't good for White.
In Polugaevsky-Tal, 1969, White played 1. d5!, and after 1....
exd5, then 2. e5!!. A typical- and very useful--maneuver.
However, if you preferred first moves like 1. Qf4 or 1. h4--that's
okay, too. 2.... Nc4 3. Qf4.
For a pawn, White activated his pieces--and
de-activated Black's bishop. 3.••. Nb2, going
for White's bishop. White's combination to
follow was home-cooked, and also arche-
typical. 4. Bxh7+ Kxh7 5. Ng5+ Kg6.
After 3. Q/4
212. Bring in More Anackers

6. h4! Rc4 7. h5+ Kh6 (if7 .... Kxh5, 8. g4+, and mate in four).
8. Nxfi++ Kh7 9. Qf5+ Kg8 10. e6!, with a big advantage.
139
213 214
215 216
140
213. Good Bad Bishop (and Vice-Versa)
White stands better (note his powerful bishop). In such favor-
able situations, we need to anticipate and preempt counter play.
1. e4!. This move secures the bishop and the f5-pawn, while
preventing the freeing ... b5: 1.... b5 2. cxb5 Bxb5 3. Rb 1, and
White wins a pawn. Yes, there is a small price to pay for 1. e4-
the White bishop no longer protects his kingside. As Mikhail
Botvinnik famously said, chess is about trade-offs, and this
trade-off does favor White. (The game is Botvinnik-Kan, 1939.)
The game continued 1.... Bc8 2. Qa4 Bd7 3. Qa7 Be8 4. Rb1
Rd6. Note how good White's bishop is (with practically all the
pawns on "wrong" squares) and how bad Black's bishop is-
limited not by his own, but by the opponent's pawns. Now
White's task is to find a winning plan. See Position 214.
214. Let's Win a Pawn

5. a4 wins a pawn. (Of course, White could also play 5. Qa8,
forcing 5 .... Kf8.) 5.... Kh7 6. aS bxa5 7. Qxa5!. The c5-pawn
won't run away. 7.•.. Ra6 8. Qxc5 Ra2. See Position 215.
215. What Is He Up To;:t

Black threatens to play ... Qg5, so White stops it: 9. Qe3!. Black
got some activity after losing a pawn~ frequent occurrence.
But it's only temporary. And White's bishop is still superior.
The game continued: 9.•.• Qa6 10. Rb8!. Offense is often the
best defense. 10.... Qa4 11. Kh2. White denies Black any
tempo-winning checks. In the game, White won quickly after
11. ... Ra3 12. Qc5 Ra1 13. Ra8. Let's look at another possible
line: 11. ... Qc2 12. Qg3 Ra 1 13. Rxe8 Qd 1. See Position 216.
216. fireworks
14. Qg6+ fxg615. Bg8+ Kh816. Bti+, and mate next move.
141
211 218
White to move After ... e5
219 220
142
211. ASaving Resource
1. Rxc3, and White holds.
218. The Struggle in the Center

Black succeeded in playing the freeing ... e5, but his troubles
aren't over: 1. Bf5!. Now 1.... exf4 allows, for instance, the
maneuver Nc3-a2-b4.
In this position as Black against Botvinnik, Yuriev (in 1928)
and Kan (in 1945) each played 1. ... exd4 2. Na4! Nb6 (the only
move), and now 3. cxb6 (Botvinnik-Yuriev) or 3. Bxc8
(Botvinnik-Kan) clearly favors White. Botvinnik quite easily
won both games.
219. Inducing Weaknesses

1. ••• Bh5! 2. g4 Bti. Now White's kingside pawn structure is
permanently damaged, inflicted with a dark-square weakness.
The gameAlekhine-Lasker, 1924, continued: 3. bxc6 Rc8 4. Qb2
bxc6 5. f5 Qd6, with a clear edge for Black.
220. Preparing the Fiancheno

1. ..• Qe8!. To be followed by ... Bb7, with a clear advantage for
Black (Neikirch-Botvinnik, 1960).
143
221 222
223 224
After 1.... f4 White to move
144
221. Too Far Apan
White wins by creating another passer--on thee-file. 1. d5+!
If 1.... exd5, 2. e6; if 1.... Kxb6, 2. dxe6 Kc7 3. e7 Kd7 4. exd6.
222. Murphy's Fearless Queen

Black, up a pawn, is clearly better--for example, after the po-
sitional 1. ... Bg4!. Paul Morphy (vs. Bird, 1858) played 1. •••
Rxt2 2. Bxt2 Qa3, with a strong attack:
3. c3! (the best) 3 •..• Qxa2 4. b4! Qat+
5. Kc2 Qa4+.
Here 6. Kc 1! led either to a perpetual check,
or to a small edge----at best-for Black after
6 .... Bf5. But it's usually more difficult to
defend, and here White blundered with A.fier 5· ... Qa 4+
6. Kb2, overlooking 6 .... Bxb4 7. cxb4 Rxb4+ 8. Qxb4 Qxb4+
9. Kc2 e3!. Moral: a sacrifice~ven if not 100% correct-can
be very effective!
223. ATrue Surprise

Black just played 1.... f4, expecting 2. Bxj4 e5! 3. dxe5 Nxe5,
and if 4. Qxe4?, B/5! 5. Qxf5 Nxc4-+.
White's best choice: 2. Qxe4!! fxg3 3. hxg3. For a piece, White
has two pawns, an attack over the h-file, and superb pawn struc-
ture----all in all, a much better game (Steinitz-Lasker, 1896).
224. Removing The Barrier

1. Bxd5! exd5 2. Rxg7+ Kxg7 3. Qf6+ Kg8 4. Rgl + Qg4
5. Rxg4+ fxg4. Material favors Black, but after 6. f5 (Bogol-
ubov-Mieses, 1925), he's losing, while 6. e6! was even
stronger. Compare with Position 222!
145
225 226
221 228
146
225. oenect Decov. Block, Promote!
The normal course leads to a quick draw, so unusual moves
should be examined. 1. Ba7! Bat 2. Kbt
Bc3 3. Kc2 Bat (see diagram, right).
What now? 4. Bd4! Bxd4. If 4.... exd4 5. Kd3,
and the h-pawn queens. 5. Kd3, and White
wins, e.g., 5. ... Ba 1 6. Ke4 (problem by
Heieker).
Ajier 3. ... Bal
226. The Check to End All Checks

t. KcS!. Now any check is met by a check--and the exchange
of queens: e.g., 1.... Qc7+ 2. Qc6+, 1. ... Qc2+ 2. Qc4+, or
1. ... Qg 1+ (or Qf2+) 2. Qd4+. White queens and wins (Botvin-
nik-Minev, 1954).
221. Recognizing Threats

The tempting 1. ... Qb6 allows 2. Qxh6+ and 3. Rh7, mate-as
happened in Lev's training game with a student, Eli Chang, who
found the mate in a few seconds. Best is t .... Rf8, taking care
of White's threats, creating your own threats, and setting up a
number of traps: 2. g3 and 2. h3 both lose to 2 . ... Qb8. Of
course, after 2. Bf3 (2 .... Qb8 3. Re7), or 2. Qdl (or 2. Qel),
guarding the first rank, White (a pawn up) is simply much bet-
ter.
228.Successfu1Provocation
Black is better after t .... Nc4. In Konstantinopolsky-Leven-
fish, 1943, the famous grandmaster played the "natural" 1. ...
Bh6, which allowed 2. c4! (a well-prepared trap sprung) 2. ...
Bxcl 3. Qxcl Kg7 4. Ne5 Nf6 5. d5, with a dangerous attack.
White won.
147
229 230
Win or Draw? White to move
231 232
148
229. Preparing Kh1
White wins by 1. Rg8!. (Not 1. Kh6 Kf7!, when in order to win,
White would have to return to the starting position.) Next White
plays Kh7 and g6, and soon reaches the winning Lucena posi-
tion with his king on g8 and pawn on g7. White wins by "build-
ing a bridge" (placing his rook on the fourth rank to fend off
checks). If, in position 229, it's Black to move, White still wins,
as his plan can't be stopped.
230. Which Side to castle on:-

Black just castled and expected White to do the same. However,
Steinitz (vs. Mongredien, 1863) played 1. h4!, with a strong at-
tack. All the White pieces are better than their counterparts, and
practically all are aiming at the Black king. The center isn't
locked, but is very stable. Also good was 1. 0-0-0, while 1. 0-0?
would have given up most of White's edge.
231. Active Defense

The knights retreats leave White in possession of the d4-
square-along with an edge. What else?
1. ... d4! 2. Nxd4 Nd5. For a pawn, Black got a great diagonal
for his hitherto inactive bishop, and pressure along the d-file
against White's backward d3-pawn. This game (Spassky-Tal,
1971) eventually ended in a draw.
232. Taking One tor the Team

l. Qxh7!!. Instead of defending, White attacks! After 1. ...
Rxg2+ 2. Kfl, Black has no more threats--while White's threat
(Qxf7) is decisive. Thus, in Botvinnik-Euwe, 1948, Black
played, on a previous move, not ... Rh8-g8, but ... f6, still to
lose after Qg3!.
149
233 234
Black to move After 3. Rj2
235 236
Black to move After 1. ... g7-g5
150
233. The Fatal weakness
The Black knight requires the f4-square. 1.... Rh4! 2. gxh4
Nf4. In Volkov-Rublevsky, 2007, White defended with 3. Qf2,
but lost material (and soon, the game) after 3 .... Nh3+ 4. Kg2
Nxf2 5. Rdel Qd2. But what if White played 3. Rf2 instead?
See Position 234.
234. How Far;J

To play 1. ... Rh4 in Position 233, Black didn't have to see
much further than 3.... Qxdl+ and 4. Rfl, and now 4 .... Qe2
5. Rf2 repeats the position. In other words, the draw is guaran-
teed. Of course, after 4. Rfl, it shouldn't be difficult to find a
winning maneuver: 4.... Qc2! 5. Rf2 Qg6+!.
235. Handv Resource

Black is down a piece (for a pawn) and has to defend against the
threat of Bxd7+, followed by Rb8+. But there is an escape
-with honor: 1. ... Qd3+!. A powerful decoy. After 2. Kxd3
(2. Ke 1 Qxb 1) Bxc6+, Black wins back a piece and stands bet-
ter (Isakov-N ikitin, 1947).
236. Storming the Barricades

Black wanted to stop the straightforward overrunning of his
position threatened by Whites g4-g5. Now things look locked
up on the kings ide, Blacks defenders seem to be watching their
monarch s back, and Whites queen is attacked. What is Whites
move?
2. Bxg5!, Lawrence-Pena, 2008, (2. fxg6 e.p.+ is also strong)
2.... fxg5 3. Nxg5+ Rxg5 4. Qxg5 Qg7 5. Qh4. White's two
extra pawns will roll forward, opening up the field for his rooks.
151
231 238
After I. b3 Black to move
239 240
152
231. No Retreat, No Surrender
1. ... Qa5!, preserving both Black's knight on c4 and his advan-
tage, because he will soon gain material.
Thus, in Averkin-Alburt, 1974, White played (instead ofb3)
1. Rd 1. The game continued: 1. ... Qa5 (the queen 's best place-
ment in most Benko Gambit positions) 2. a3 Rfb8 (another typ-
ical Benko move) 3. Ra2. See Position 238.
238. Go Into the Ending a Pawn Down:-

Yes, if it is a Benko Gambit ending. 3.... Qb6!. After 4. f4 Nd7
5. Kh2 (relatively better was 5. Be4) 5 .... Qb3! 6. Be4 (too late)
Qxc2 7. Bxc2. See diagram 239.
239. A'JVpical Blow

7 .... Nxb2 8. Bxb2 Bc4! 9. Rdal. See Position 240.
240. n·s Harvest nme!

9 .... Rxb2 10. Rxb2 Bxc3, and after 11. Rb7 Bxa1 12. Rxd7
Bxe2 13. Nd2 Rxa3 14. Rxe7 Ra2, Black is up a pawn-----e.nd up
a pin-----e.nd is winning. The Benko Gambiteer's dream game!
153
241 242
243 244
154
241. Searching tor an Alternative
1. Bxd7+ leaves White a pawn down. By comparison, even un-
clear continuations look attractive. 1. Bxf6! (1. Nxe5 is also
good) 1. ... Bxf6 2. Nxe5 Bxe5 3. Rxe5. White is down a piece
for a pawn-but his pins on the central files shackle the d7-
knight, while Black's king must feel like a headpin at a bowling
alley. 3...• Rf8 4. Qd5. See Position 242.
242. Extricating the King
White's last move (stronger, for example was 4. Re6) allows
Black to continue to resist. 4.... Rfi 5. Rael (5. Re2 keeps a
bigger edge) 5..•. Kf8 6. Qxd7 Nxc6 7. Qxc6 Qd4. While
White is still better, due to Black's still shaky king, the game is
far from over and ended in a draw (Bruzon-Flores, 2008).
243. Active Defense to the Rescue
Threat: 1. c7+. Black can stop the pawn thrust in three different
ways, but two of them are only short-term remedies: 1. ... Rg6
2. Rhl (or Rfl, Rei) Rg8 3. Rh7 Rj8 { Rb7+ !-the key tempo-
winner, followed by Ra 7, and then c 7(+) and Ra8+, winning.
The same scenario unfolds after 1. ... ReB. After 2. Rhl, the
threat of a back-rank mate keeps the Black rook glued down!
The save is 1. ... Rg7!! 2. Rhl Rb7+ 3. Kc5 (3. cxb7 =stale-
mate) 3.... Rbl, and Black's active rook, ready for from-behind
checks, secures a draw.
244. Giving nBaCk
Earlier, Black won an Exchange through clever play. But White
has managed to lodge an impressive knight on e5, while Blacks
bishop bites on granite. Whats Blacks best?
1. ... Bg7! 2. Nc6 (2. e4 or 2. Bg3 is objectively better, but still
losing). White gets the Exchange back, but Black now overruns
White's position. 2.... Rxc6 3. Qxc6 Qxe3+ 4. Khl Qe2, and
Black is crushing White (Avalos-Russell, 2008).
155
245 246
241 248
156
245. Double-Cheek to Checknlate
Black has several attractive moves to choose from--and one
real killer, 1. •.• Qfl +!. A powerful decoy! 2. Kxfl Ne3++!
3. Kgl Rfl, checkmate (Langeweg-Casa, 1968).
246. The Right Move Order

Unless you are an endgame expert, you 're likely to be attracted
by 1. Ke6, anticipating 1. ... Kc 7 2. d5, and White wins the pawn
and the game. However, checking your line-and thinking for
your opponent, who probably would look hard for an
escape-you'd find (let's hope) 1. ... d5 I 2. Kxd5 Kd7, with a
theoretically drawn position, as the opposition prevents White's
king from making further progress. Thus, back to square one.
1. d5!. Reversing the move order makes all the difference.
Black's pawn is doomed anyway (1 .... Ke7 2. Kg6, etc.), and,
if captured on (White's) sixth rank, leads to White's victory.
241. Ignore at Your own Peril

In Cheparinov-Moen, 2007, Black naively grabbed the White
queen (1. ... Rxa7), and after 2. d8=Q+ Kd5 3. Rdl +,resigned.
Of course, 1. ••• Rd8 was a must.
248. Yes, Black Has a Right to casue

The answer is in the title. 1. ... 0-0, with a winning game for
Black (Karjakin-Carlsen, 2007). Simple and beautiful--and
easy to miss.
157
Game Sequence: l .d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.Nj3 Bb4+ 5.Nc3 exd4
6.Nxd4 Qe7 (Aiburt-Romanishin, 1978)
249 250
251 252
158
249.1s lhe e4·Pawn Pure Poison:»
Of course, 7. f3 is too passive, so 7. Bxc4 (played in the game)
suggests itself. After 7•••. Qxe4+ (stronger and more prudent
was 7.... Nf6, with only a small edge for White), Lev had a
choice between 8. Be2 and 8. Kfl. He played 8. Kfl, the fol-
low-up he had in mind when deciding to take on c4. The game
continued 8. ... Bxc3 9. bxc3 Be6. See Position 250.
250. The Struggle to Keep lhe Rle Open

When sacrificing a pawn with 7. Bxc4 --intending to meet 7. ...
Qxe4+ with 8. Kfl-White had to foresee, and correctly eval-
uate, this position. White is down a pawn, and his kings rook
is, and will remain for a while, out ofplay. Thus, the rest ofthe
pieces must do the job.
10. Qb3 (10. Qa4+ is also good). The key to White's advantage
is to keep thee-file open while preventing Black from castling.
The game continued 10 . ... Bxc4 11. Qxc4 Nc6. Position 251.
251. Cutting on lhe Escape Routes

12. Bg5!. Black is prevented from castling, and 13. Rei looms
large. (Note: If Black had played 11. ... Ne7, or the somewhat
more stubborn 11. .. . Nf6!, White would cut off the Black
king's escape with 12. Ba3.) 12 . ... Qg613. Ret+ Kf8. See Po-
sition 252.
252. Rnding the Right Target

14. Nxc6!. This exchange relieves the pressure on White's
bishop-and targets (did you see it?) the a8-rook. 14 . ... bxc6
15. Qb4+ (this same check, and maneuver, was ready for 14 . ...
Qxc6) 15. ... Qd616. Qb7, winning the Exchange and the game
(16 . ... Re8 leads to mate in three).
159
253 254
255 256
160
253. The liberaUng Pin
The tempting 1. Bc5 doesn't win: 1. ... Bb6! (the cross-pin)
leads to a dead draw. After 1. Qc8+ White stands better, as
1. ... Bd8? is met by the now deadly 2. Bc5.
254. You Need a Fork to Eniov this Skewer

1. Qd5! wins the a8-rook if the Black queen moves, while 1. ...
Qxd5 or 1.... Nc6 2. Qxc6 leaves White up "only" a piece
(Alexander-Cordingly, 1947).
255. The Thin Thread

Black's position barely holds. Is there a key to a quick victory?
Yes. 1. Nd5+!, and it's all over (Yakovenko-Almazi, 2007).
256. The Perfect Target

Black would have been (relatively) better without his extra c5-
pawn! 1. Re8 Bg5 2. h4, winning the bishop, which was fatally
restricted by both White and Black pawns (Yusupov-Roman-
ishin, 1982).
161
251 258
259 260
162
251. The X-Rav
Here many roads lead to Rome (e.g., 1.... Nxb4, 1.... Re8). In
Popov-Ryumin, 1935, Black chose the most direct route: 1. .•.
Rxf3 2. Bxf3 (2. e4 was objectively better, but still losing) 2....
Qxf3+ 3. Kxf3 Nxd4++ 4. Kg4 Bc8+ 5. Kh4 NO, checkmate.
258. The Wonder Pawn

The threat of mate (on h7) requires Black to act forcefully. 1. •••
Rfl+ 2. Bxfl. Now 2 .... exfl=Q+ 3. Qxfl Qe4+ seems to lead
to a perpetual check. Can't Black do better? Some wishful
thinking, together with reversing the move order, might help.
2••.. Qe4+!!, winning (3. Qxe4 exfl=Q, checkmate). If you
didn't see this when playing l . ... Rfl +,that's okay--as long as
you stopped and thought before playing 2. ... exfl =Q+
(Ruchieva-Edelson).
259. Bementarv. Mv Dear Watson!

There is no need to spend time considering the complex conse-
quences of 1. •.• fxg6!, as the two alternatives aren't at all sat-
isfactory: 1. ... Qxg6loses to 2. Qxd7, and the natural I. ... hxg6
does the same-2. Qxd7 Rxd7 3. Re8+ Kh7 4. Rcc8, and mate
very soon, or loss of the queen (Alekhine-Colle, 1925, in
which Colle played 1... . hxg6?).
260. surprise!
Rather than defend against mate with 1.... Bxe6+, Black played
1. ••• Qh4+!! 2. gxh4 Re3+ 3. Bf3 Bxe6+, winning. The White
queen can't watch both e6 and f3 (Osloukhov-Nedebora,
1930).
163
261 262
263 264
164
261. The King Reigns Supreme
1. Be6+! Nxe6 2. dxe6. All forced. White gave up a pawn in
order to bring his king to c6. If2 . ... c6, then 3. b5 . In Gelfer-
Manievich, 1985, Black played 2.... Rxe6 and eventually lost.
262. Which wav Is the True Fortress:-

1. ... Kf8, and White can't make any progress. There are no
breaks in this fortress! While after 1. ... Kh8, White brings his
king to fl, plays g7+, and wins.
263. Using the Open File

1. Nxf7! wins a pawn, e.g.: 1. .•. Bxf7 2. Qxe7, and after 2 ....
Re8 3. Qxd8, the e8-rook is pinned and thus can't capture on e 1.
264. Breaking the Skewer

The White queen is attacked by the Black rook, and on any re-
treat, the deadly Rxe 1, checkmate, follows.
1. Be3! not only saves White but leaves him with a solid extra
pawn.
165
265 266
261 268
166
265. Winning-by Retreating
White is clearly better, and should try to do something now, ex-
ploiting weaknesses on c7 andf6. 1. Qd4 Ne6! 2. Qxf6 c6 3. Qxg7
Bxg7 4. Nc3 Nxf4 5. gxf4 Bxc3+ (or 5. .. . Be6) 6. bxc3 Be6 isn't
promising. Some imagination can help.
1. Bd2!!, with the unstoppable threat of Nxf6+, followed by
Bc3. White is, suddenly, winning (Zlotnik-DeTuriso, 1992).
266. First, Don't Panic!

White threatens to play Nf6+ and then mate on f7 or h7; if 1. ...
Rh3, 2. Nf6+ Kh8 3. Kfl, and mate on a8. Thus, in Yudovich-
Bebchuk, 1964, Black resigned. But he could have saved him-
self by not granting the White knight the f6 square with a check.
1. ... Kf8!, and 2. Nf6 is met by rook-checks from behind, while
after 2. Rfl+ Ke8! 3. Nf6+ Kd8, the king escapes.
261. Simple Solution

1. •.• Nd7!, offering to exchange White's active knight
(Anand-Kramnik, 2001). The game is equal. Compare Posi-
tion 263.
268. The Dream Mate (Re8)

White's fallback line, 1. Rb 1, is hardly attractive, e.g.: 1. .. .
Nf2+ 2. Kg2 Ne4, while the direct 1. Qxd3 is met by 1. .. .
Bxf3+, and if2. Bg2, then 2 . ... Qf2, winning.
1. Qxc8+!! Bxc8 2. exd3, however, turns the tables. In
Uhlman-Petz, 1984, Black resigned after 2 .... Qxf3+ 3. Bg2.
167
269 210
211 212
168
269. From Pin to Double Anack
1. Rc7! (deflection) 1. ... Qxc7 2. Bxe4, winning (Filipovich-
Silwa, 1962).
210. 1Wo weaknesses to Exploit

If only the White queen wasn't protecting her knight!
1. ... Re8! 2. Qdl Qxf3+!, winning. (The less forceful 2 ....
Rxe1+ 3. Nxe1 Qxf2 also wins for Black.) Opochensky-
Alekhine, 1925.
211. Bv Hook or bv Rook

1. Rexe5!-an excellent move, but not really a sacrifice-1 ....
Bxe5 2. Rxe5. For a rook, White gets a bishop and a pawn, and
also undermines Black's d4 knight. After 2 .... Rc8 3. Rd5 Ne2+
4. Kh2 Qc7 5. Ne4 f5 6. Qh6, Black resigned. Unsurprisingly,
the a 1-h8 diagonal proved to be fatal (Sasikiran-Shabalov,
2000).
212. casung a Net

After the natural 1. Bc3, the game Seirawan-Yusupov, 1983,
quickly ended in a draw: 1.... Bfl + 2. Kh2 Be2 3. Kg2 Bfl +.
However, White could set a trap: 1. Rd6, and if 1.... Rxd2?,
then 2. e4+, winning, since 2. ... Kf4 walks into a mating net.
Black draws with 1. ... Bfl+ (as above), rejecting the poisoned
bishop.
169
273 214
275 216
170
213. unorlhodoxv Triumphant
Very few would even consider, let alone make, a move like
l. ... Qf6!?. Yet, after 2. Qxf6 gxf6, Black's control over the d-
file and queenside pawn majority are more important than the
doubled f-pawns. (Note that 3. Ke2? will be met by 3.... Bc4+.)
White is slightly worse and must defend accurately. If so, he
can hold a draw. In Rogozenko-Morozevich, 2000, White
missed several opportunities to draw and eventually lost.
214. Parting with the Queen-MomentarilY

White has several promising moves--and one clear winner, 1. d7!,
1-0 (Geller-lvkov, 1973).
215. The cornered Rook

How can you exploit White's weak back rank? Note that the
al-rook has no moves (it can't even capture on a2). 1. ... Qb2!,
winning. But another way to pressure the a 1-rook, 1. ... Ra8,
fails to 2. Qxa8+. If you started considering 1.... Ra8, thinking
for your opponent should have revealed this to you-leading
you to 1.... Qb2!
21&. The Broken Banerv

Black stands better. After the simple 1. ... Rei+ 2. Rfl Rxfl+
3. Qxfl Qxe6, he's a pawn up. Let's look for more: 1. ... gxf6
2. Qxf6+, with perpetual check-thank you, no. What move
would hinder White's defense of the first rank?
l. ... Qxe6, winning. No further calculations, and definitely no
further evaluations, are needed (Daja-Staudte, 1958).
171
211 218

Who is better?
219 280
172
211. 1 onered a Draw, Would You Take u:-
Take it! Black is much better. Yes, material is even, but Black's
intact pawn structure leaves no targets for the White queen
(compare with Position 134). Indeed, the queen becomes a tar-
get. Hort-Alburt, 1977, continued: 1. Nf3
Bg7 2. Qh3 (2. Qg5 Re4, and after 3. e3 or
3. Be3, the queen is lost; other retreats
aren't much better) 2••.. Be6 3. Qfl (pro-
tecting the e2-pawn) 3 ••.• Bc4 4. Kg2
(preparing to protect the e2-pawn with a
knight) 4 ...• Rat 5. Ng1 . Amazing!-the After 5. Ngl
White queen hasn't a single legal move! Black won quickly.
218. The Third Move
Black has good chances for a successful attack, but the most
direct try, 1. ... Rej8, is met by 2. Ng5.
1.... Nf4! 2. gxf4 Rxf4. The knight is pinned, and the threat of
mate looms, but: 3. Ne5! (did you foresee it?) 3.... Rg4+, win-
ning the queen and the game (lbragimov-Krarnnik, 1991 ).
219. The Miahtv Duo
Can Black save his c2-pawn? If not, he'!/ be worse, e.g., 1. .. .
Rd3 2. Kg2.
1. ... Rc4! 2. bxc4 (2. Rei is better; after 2. . .. Bc5!, Black wins,
but not easily). Now it's all over: 2.... Bc5! 3. Kg2 Bxf2
4. Kxf2 b3, and White resigned (Yurgis-Botvinnik, 1931 ).
280. The lOng Double-Anacks
White threatens to move his bishop (say, to d5), then approach
with his king to win the g3-pawn, achieving a theoretically won
(but difficult) position. In Sveshnikov-Piscov, 1990, Black
avoided this ordeal and a likely loss by playing 1. ... g2, draw
agreed. If2. Nxg2, then 2.... Kgl; if2. Bxg2, then 2.... Kg3 .
173
281 282
283 284
174
281. The Poisoned Rook
White can exchange rooks and win a pawn, but first lets look
for more.
1. Qf6!. Forcing Black to capture on e7, after which Qh8,
checkmate, follows (Kviletsky-Roslinsky, I954).
282. Check and Decov

White's attack is very dangerous, but the right continuation isn't
obvious. For example, if I. Qf6, then I .. .. Qf8, while the auda-
cious I. Qe7 is met by I. ... Rxcl 2. Nf6+ Kh8, and if3. Qxf7,
then 3.... Rc7. But after 1. Nf6+, Black resigned (Kochiev-
Ubilava, 1975). If 1. ... Kh8, then 2. Nxd5! exd5 3. Qf6+!.
283. Cross-pin from Nowhere

Can Black escape in this seemingly hopeless position? Yes,
with a vengeance! 1. ... Qf5, and that's the end (Silic-Rokhlin,
I929). But it's hardly the outcome White expected when he
played I. Bg2-e4+??. (Instead, either I. Qe4+ or I. Rxc8 would
have won easily.)
284. Charge from Your King's Position

Whites attack is on the kings ide; Blacks, on the queens ide:
(b 7)-b5-b4, the minority attack.
1. g4! Nf6 2. Qh3. Also good was I. Qh3, and then g4 - a pure
transposition. The game Weeramantry-Tamarkin, I99I con-
tinued 2 .... Rfc8 3. Rf3 Qd6 4. Qh8+!, winning two pawns.
(White lost on time in this action-chess game.)
175
285 286
281 288
176
285. Pinned, but Still Powerful
After his two previous moves: Rg5xg7 (capturing a pawn) ...
Rf7xg7, and then Bb2xf6 (capturing a knight), White thought
this standard device secured his victory. He overlooked Black's
surprising counter. 1. ... Qg2+!!, winning-2. Rxg2 Rei+ and
then Rexg 1, checkmate (Uhlmann-Deli, 1962).
28&. Creating an overload

White is clearly better: His bishop is stronger than Blacks
knight, and the White pawn on h6 contributes to the Black
kings vulnerability. Very attractive is 1. Q/3, preparing Bf5 with
tempo. Anything better?
1. Bf5! Qxf5 2. Qe7. White threatens 3. Qg7, mate, while 2 ....
Qg6 loses to 3. Qe6+ (Lerner-Lehmann, 1978). The Black
queen can't protect both squares at the same time!
281. How to Recapture;t

Only with 1. ... Bxb5, even though White is clearly better after
2. Na3 Bd7 3. Qxd3 . In Mohrlok-Kramer, 1962, Black lost
after 1.... axb5 2. Qh5! d2+ 3. Bxd2! (to keep control of h6).
Now if 3. ... g6, then 4. Qd5-the decisive double-attack.
288. The Power of Zugzwang

Can Blacks fortress survive? Not if White correctly pinpoints its
vulnerable spots.
1. Kg8 Bg4. If 1. ... Be4, then 2. Nxe6. 2. Ng6 (exploiting an-
other weakness) 2 . ... Bdl3. Nh8 Bh5 4. Kg7, Zugzwang!
White wins the j7-pawn, and the game. Note: because White al-
ways has a tempo-winning king move, Position 288 is won for
White no matter whose turn it is to move.
177
289 290
White to move Afier I. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nj3f5 4. d4

e4 5. Bg5 Nf6 6. d5 e.'C/3 7. d.xc6fxg2
291 292
178
289. How to Win a Pawn
Hint: The h7-knight is restricted and under-defended. A second
attacker is needed.
1. Bxc4! bxc4! (to get counter play along the b-file) 2. Qh5.
White wins a pawn with good (50%?) winning chances
(Dreev-Tkachev, 200 1).
290. Avoiding DiSaster

The "normal" 8. cxd7+ was played in many games-not sur-
prising, since it's natural and appealing. (Lev observed it first-
hand at Dubna, 1970, in Razuvaev-Kupreichik). But after the
"unthinkable" 8 .... Nxd7 (pin turned discovered attack), White
is completely lost! Thus 8. Bxg2 was White's only choice.
291. The loose Kniaht

Besides the en prise knight, Black suffers a weakness on j7.
The solution is simple: 1. Nxti Kxti 2. Qh5+, and White winds
up a pawn to the good (Romanovsky-Yudovich, 1934 ).
292. Freeze the Weak Side, Run to the Strong Side

In American football, the offense sometimes ties up the defense
on one side ofthe .field, taking key defensive elements out ofthe
play-only to run to the other side. The basic idea works in
some chess positions.
Remember this technique: 1. Na5! Kxa3 2. Nc6, winning (from
Rabinovich-Belavenets, 193 7).
179
293 294
White to move A.fier 1. e4 e5 2. Nj3 Nc.:6 3. Bb5 Nge7

4. 0-0 g6 5. d4 Bg7 6. dxe5 Nxe5 7. Nxe5
Bxe5 8. Bh6 Bxb2 9. Nd2 c6 10. Rb1 Bd4
295 296
180
293. To control the File, first Block n
White should be better in this Ruy Lopez position-just look at
the Black knight on b 7. But White is also facing a concrete
problem-what should he do about the a-file?
1. Ba7!. White avoids exchanges that would relieve Black's
congestion and avoids surrendering the only open file. Addi-
tionally, he'll build a rook-battery behind the a7 bishop, to be
unleashed at the right moment (in Karpov-Unzicker, 1974,
White eventually opened the second front with f4, achieving a
substantial advantage).
294. Into the fire

In Kmoch-Gunnolt, 1934, White played 11. Nc4, threatening
Nd6, checkmate, but did he foresee 11 •••• Bc5 (as played)? Now
if 12. Ba4, then 12 .... b5, forking White's pieces. Indeed, White
foresaw the move. 12. Qd4!, and Black resigned.
295. Into the Frving Pan

White threatens Rxh6+. Thus in Radzievic-Macca, 2001,
Black defended with 1. ... Kh7. But it's not adequate.
2. Qxh6+!! gxh6 3. Re7+ Kh8 4. Rxh6, checkmate. 1. ••• Ra7
was Black's most stubborn defense.
296. Winning Maneuver to Remember

After 1. Qd5 Kg7 2. Qxb5 Qe4+, the game is far from over
(Dyakov-Ayansky, 1962, eventually ended in a draw).
1. Qc3+! Forcing the blocking 1. .•. Qg7, and then 2. Qc8+!
wins instantly. An important technique, worth remembering!
181
291 298
299 300
182
291. To Check, oenect!
White is down heavy material. Although Blacks king is in an
awkward position, the Black queens control over the fifth rank
prevents chances of a perpetual check.
White played 1. Rhl! Qxhl Qe5+!. The checks are now un-
stoppable and perpetual (Solovyov-Gutman, 2001 ).
298. The End of the Joumev

Blacks last move, ... Qf5-g4, was aggressive. But was it smart?
1. h3, and the queen is trapped and lost ( 1. ... Qh5 2. g4, or
1.... Qxg2 2. Rh2!). Steinitz-Bird, 1866.
299. The Big Break

Whites rooks are doubled-his formation is obviously aggres-
sive while Blacks is passive. Find the breakthrough.
1. d5! (of course). For only a pawn, White clears the road into
the enemy camp for his bishop and king, augmented by his ad-
vanced e-pawn. 1. ... exd5 2. e6 Rf8 (2 .... Rce7 3. Rxc6 Nxc6
4. Rxc6 Kd8 5. Bd4) 3. Be5, winning (Lilienthal-Makogonov,
1936).
300. oenection Detection

From an actual game, this one nevertheless has the feel of a
puzzle. Whenever you see a king that can't move, keep in mind
that one unblockable check is mate.
1. Re8+!! Rxe8 2. Qg4+! Qxg4 3. Nf6+, mate.
183
Game Sequence: Positions 301-303 are from Fischer-Geller, 1968,
which began: 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Ngf3 0-0
7.0-0 Nc6 8.Re1 Qc7 9.e5 Nd7 JO.Qe2 b5 ll .h4 a5 12.Nf1 Nd4 13.Nxd4
cxd4 14.Bf4 Ra6 15.Nh2 Rc6 16.Rac 1 Ba6.
301 302
A.fier /6 . ... Ba6? White to move
303 304
184
301. Force lhe Discoverv
Fischer has space on the ldngside and a battery on the king file.
But his bishop on the h2-b8 diagonal is blocked. Can he uncork it?
17. Bxd5!. You bet! This rips the position open. 17••.• exd5
18. e6 Qd8 19. exd7 Re6 20. Qg4! f5 (after 21. .. . Qxd7,
22. Rxe6 saddles Black with hard-to-defend pawns). The game
continued: 21. Qh5 Qxd7 22. Nf3 g6 23. Qh6 Bf6 24. Rxe6
Qxe6. See Position 302.
302. Eliminate the Dark-Square Defender
Without his /6 bishop, Black would be defenseless on the dark
squares. Any ideas? 25. Be5!! Bxe5 26. Rei f4 27. Rxe5 Qd7
28. h5! fxg3. See Position 303.
303. Across-me-Board Win
Black's bishop is en prise. In some lines, this is important.
29. hxg6!! gxf2+ (if 29 .... Rxf3 30. Re8+!
Qxe8 31. Qxh7+ Kf8 32. g7+ Ke7 33. g8=Q+;
if 29 .... Qg7 30. gxh7+ Kh8 31. Qxg7+
Kxg7 32. Kg2 gxf2 33. Re7+ Kh8 34. Kxf2)
30. Kxf2 hxg6 31. Qxg6+ Qg7 32. Rg5
Qxg6 33. Rxg6+ Kh7 34. Rxa6, 1-0. A.fter 34. Rxa6
304. WhV Did He ResignP

In this position from the 1963-64 U.S. Championship, a room-
ful of spectators, including grandmasters, did not understand
why Robert Byrne as White resigned to Bobby Fischer. (We've
made White's best move; he actually resigned before making
it.) Can you see the follow-up the kibitzers missed?
1.... Qh3+ 2. Kgl Ret+!!. The brilliant knockout punch missed
by the crowd. Now 3. Rxe 1 Bxd4, followed by . .. Qg2, mate.
··1 give 98 percr!nl o{my mental energy to chess. Others give

on~}' tlt'O percent! "-GM Bohhy Fischer
185
305 306
301 308
After 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 White to move

Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 6. Qg4 dxe4
7. Qxg7 Qf6
186
305. saved bv the Checll
1. •.• Rf5+!. The only-but easy-way to a draw. In similar po-
sitions, even grandmasters have missed this idea!
306. M•euvenng Is Not Enough

1. c4! bxc3 e.p. 2. b4. This technique for the stronger
side--sacrificing a pawn in order to create your own passer--is
common in bishops-of-opposite-color (BOOC) endings. It
works here as well, because the Black rook is tied to the defense
of the seventh (Black's second) rank, and so the game resem-
bles a pure BOOC ending.
Note how the White bishop effortlessly stops Blacks c- and e-
pawns--importantly, on the same diagonal. After 2 .... Rb7,
White played 3. b5, and eventually won. Stronger, however,
was 3. Rc4! (Sveshnikov-Stochek, 2000).
301. Winning the Exchange

8. Bh6!, with a threat ofQxf6 and then Bg7. Black can't avoid
losing the Exchange for no real compensation. If 8.... Nd7, then
9. Bb5 reinstates White's main threat.
308. An In-Between Move That Failed

1. Bg5! Bxf3!. Did you foresee this move? If so, great! 2. Qd2,
winning. Like Position 307, a standard winning technique to
remember. Note that 2 .... Qxd4 is met by 3. Bxh7+, an arche-
typical discovered attack.
187
309 310
311 312
White to Move Black to Move
188
309. The Mightv Rook
Should the queen retreat? No! 1. ... Qxdl+! 2. Nxdl Nf3+, fol-
lowed by 3.... Rei+, winning (Aitket-Kefler, 1955).
310. The linear Mate

White has several tempting possibilities, and two ways to win
outright. 1. Rxd8! gxhS 2. Nf6+ Kh8 3. RdS!, 1-0 (Lugovoi-
Ba1ashov, 2003). Also winning is 1. Qd5, followed by 2. Rdxg6
(using the pin).
311. Knight in FUll Control

1. Rg3!. This rook, of course, is untouchable. 1.... Qxc2 2. Qh6!
(the winning follow-up) 2.... RagS 3. Qxh7+, followed by
4. Rxg8, checkmate (Koltanowski-Halsey, 1959).
312. Entering the Sate Haven

White threatens to play Ra6+ and Kf5, then drive the Black
king away from the f6 pawn, capture the pawn with his rook,
and win. The time to act--if there is still time--is now.
(Endgame knowledge is, of course, a great help.) 1. ... fS+
2. gxf5 Kf7, achieving a theoretically drawn position.
189
313 314.
After I. d4 Nc6 2. N.f3 d6 3. d5 Ne5 White to move

4. Nxe5 dxe5 5. g3 e6 6. c4 Bb4+ 7. Nd
c6 8. Qb3 Qd6 9. dxc6 Ne7 10. a3 Qxc6
315 316
190
313. Babv Elephants
In a middlegame with open files, rooks are powerful pachy-
derms; in the wide-open board of the endgame, rooks are rag-
ing woolly mammoths with 10-foot tusks. But in the opening,
they wait meekly for deployment, like baby elephants clutching
their mothers' tails. (The game is Palatnik-Mestrovic, 1977.)
Both 11. f3 and 11 . Rg 1 involve serious concessions. GM Palat-
nik calculated-and then played-the bold 11. Qxb4!, suspect-
ing that the enemy bishop's current value might be greater than
his own rook's. The game continued 11 ..•. Qxh112. NbS Qc6
13. Be3. This is the strong developing move Palatnik foresaw
when sacrificing the Exchange. 13.... a6 ( 13 .... f6 or 13 .... b6
was a bit better, but Black's position is difficult). See Position 314.
314. Another oner on the long Diagonal

14. Bg2! (much stronger than 14. Nd6+) 14.... Nd5. If 14 ... .
Qxg2 15. Nc7+ Kf8 (or 15 .... Kd8 16. 0-0-0+, and if 16 ... .
Kxc7, then 17. Qd6, mate) 16. 0-0-0 f6 17. Rd8+ Kt7 18. Rxh8
and, with equal material, White has a decisive attack. 15. Nd6+
Kd7 16. cxd5 Qxd6 17. dxe6+ Kxe6 (White also wins after
the stauncher 17 .... Qxe6). See Position 315.
315. The last Touch

18. Bh3+!, winning, as 18 .... f5 is met by 19. Bxf5+, while
18 .... Ke7loses to 19. Bc5.
316. Shortening the long Side

White wins with 1. Ra2, after which Black's best practical
chance is to go into a queen vs. rook ending, as 1.... Re8 or
1. ... Rh8 loses quickly to 2. Kd7. Note that in the starting po-
sition, with Black to move, 1. ... Ra7+, draws easily.
191
311 318
319 320
192
311. An Unexpected Combination
Black's last move, ... c6, weakened the b6-square. 1. Rxh4!
Qxh4. If I .... Nxh4, then 2. Bg5, with a promising attack.
2. Qxh4 Nxh4 3. Nb6! Rb8. The rook would be even worse on
a7. 4. Bf4 Nf5. See Position 318.
318. Prisoners of the Queenside

5. d5!. White is down an Exchange, but the captivity of Black's
bishop and b8-rook is a greater factor. White is much better
(Anand-Ivanchuk, 1996).
319. AStronger Threat

Black is down a piece and a pawn; he must think attack. 1. ...
Rdg8! 2. Rf2. Or 2. Qxe7 Rxg2+ 3. Khl Bd5, and mate in a
few moves. 2.... Rxg2+ (deflection). 3. Kfl Bc4+ 4. Nxc4 Rgl,
checkmate (Raubitschek-Capablanca, 1906).
320. GiVe Awav to Get Awav!

Blacks king is more vulnerable than Whites, while trading
queens should lead to lost endings, since White is a pawn up,
with an active king. And there are no perpetual checks in sight.
1. ... Qc6+! 2. Kf5 Ng7+ 3. Bxg7. Black has gotten rid of the
knight; it's now easy to give away the queen-and on the right
square. 3.... Qg6+, leading to a stalemate. While Black's last
move is beautiful, credit and an exclam go to the first
check-when Black had to foresee the entire combination
(Pitch-lux, 1967).
193
Chess Clubs & Equipment
ur goal here is to give you a very quick guide to start mak-
O ing connections to the whole world of chess. Your enjoy-

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Chess clubs and your national chess organization are the
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The nonprofit United States Chess Federation is an excellent
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USCF offers a wealth of information online-you can even find
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Chess Life. By joining USCF, you can receive its full-color print
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U.S. Chess Federation: www.uschess.org
(phone: 913.787.1234)
Canadian Chess Federation: www.chess.ca
(phone: 613.733 .28.44)
English Chess Federation: www.englishchess.org.uk
(phone: 44 1424 775 222)
194
World Chess Federation (FIDE): www.fide.com-
will give you contact info for more than 150 countries.
An important tip-be careful to type the correct final letters of
the above website addresses. Some unofficial "organizations"
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ChessCafe (www.chesscafe.com)
Extremely popular worldwide, this award-winning website
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If you have a computer and access to the internet, you can
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195
Index or Galles
(Numbers at far right refer to pages.)
Addison-Bisguier, 1963: # 97-98 .. . . 83 Bisguier- Alburt, 1979: #100 . . . . . . . 83

Agdestein- S. Polgar, 1996: #117-120 . . 93 Bivshev- Tolush, 1954: #19 . . . . . . . 43
Aitket- Kefler, 1955: #309 .. ... ... .. 189 Bogolubov-Ed. Lasker, 1924: #185 .. 127
Alatortsev- Capablanca, 1935: #101 . . 85 Bogolubov - Mieses, 1925: #224 . . . . . 145
Alburt--Polugaevsky, 1965: #21-24 . . . 45 Bondarevsky- Mikenas, 1950: # 199 . . 133
Alburt- Romanishin, 1978: #249-252 . 159 Botvinnik-Euwe, 1948: #232 . . . . . . . 149
Alekhine- Colle, 1925: #259 . .... ... 163 Botvinnik- Fiohr, 1944: #124 ..... . . 95
Alekhine- Lasker, 1924: #219 . .. . . . . 143 Botvinnik- Kan, 1939: #213-216 ... . 141
Alekhine--Teichman, 1921: #82 ... . .. 75 Botvinnik -Kan, 1945: #218 . .. . .... 143
Alekhine--Yunge, 1942: #91 ... . .. . . 79 Botvinnik - Larsen, 1967: #155 . ..... 111
Alekseev Novikov, 2007: #72 . . .. ... 69 Botvinnik Minev, 1954: #226 .... . . 147
Alexander -Cordingly, 1947: #254 . . .. 161 Botvinnik Pomar, 1962: #188 . . . ... 127
Akopian- Sokolov, 2007: #II . . .. ... 39 Botvinnik Yuriev, 1928: #218 ... . . . 143
Anand - lvanchuk, 1996: #317-318 .. . 193 Bronstein--Kotov, 1950: #134 .... . . . 101
Anand- Kasparov, 1995: #206-208 . . . 137 Bruzon-Flores, 2008: #241, 242 . .. . 155
Anand-Krarnnik, 2001 : #267 . . ... . . 167 Butnorius-Panchenko, 1975: #148 . .. 107
Anand- Morozevich, 2005: #149 . . . . . 109 Byrne-Fischer, 1963 : #304 . . . . . . . . . 185
Anand-van Wely, 2007: #47 . . . . . . . . 57 Capablanca-Bemstein, 1911 : #142 . . 105
Avalos-Russell, 2008: #244 .. . .... . 155 Capablanca- Corzo, 1901 : # 145 . . . . . 107
Averkin- Aiburt, 1974: #237-240 .. . . . 153 Capablanca-Rossolimo, 1938: #29 . . 49
Bannik- Vistanetskis, 1961 : #63 .. . . . 65 Carlsen- Bakro, 2007: #150 . . . ..... 109
Barcza-Karpov, 1970: # 133 . . ...... 10 I Chang-Aiburt, 2008: #227 ......... 147
Bauer-Hellner, 1956: #41 . .. ....... 55 Cheparinov- Moen, 2007: #247 ..... 157
Bellon- Tamarkin, 2007: #103 ....... 85 Chemev- Hahlbohm, 1942: #109 . . .. 89
Benko- Fiister, 1958: #33 . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Cohen-Mackenzie, 1985: #52 . . . . . . 59
Bemstein- Smyslov, 1946: #54 . . . . . . 61 Cook-Krush, 1998: #202 :.......... 135
Bird- Morphy, 1858: #222 .. . . . ... .. 145 Daja- Staudte, 1958: #276. . . . . . . . . . 171
196
Dobki- Groeger, 1989: #42 . . . . . . . . . 55 Gulko-Mikhalevski, 2007: # 15 . . . . . . 41
Dreev-Tkachev, 2001 : #289 ... .... . 179 D. Gurevich- Palatnik, 1996: #174 . .. 121
Duchovny- Buch, 1969: #!53 . . ... . . Ill Gusev- Auerbach: #89 . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Dvoretsky (ending): #20 . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Heieker (problem): #225 . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Dyakov-Ayansky, 1962: #296 ... . .. . 181 Hoi-Gulko, 1988: #28 ... . . . . . ... . 47
Eliskases-Flohr, 1937: #53 . .. . . ... . 61 Hort-A1burt, 1977: #277 . ........ . 173
Ellis (Evans article): #16 . . . . .. . . .. . 41 1bragimov- Kramnik, 1991 : #278 .. . . 173
Euwe- Alekhine, 1935: #83 ..... .. .. 75 1sakov-Nikitin, 1947: #235 . ..... . . 151
Euwe-Loman, 1923: #12 . ........ . . 39 lvanchuk- Karpov, 2007: #210 . . .. . . 139
Farago-Jacoby, 2002: #50. . . . . . . . . . 59 1vanchuk- Leko, 2007: #165 . ... .. . . 117
Field-Alburt, 1997: #161. ...... .. .. 115 Ivanovich- Aiburt, 1982: #152 . .. .. . 109
Filchev- Padevsky, 1952: #30-32 . . . . . 49 Janowski- Chajes, 1916: #55 . . . . ... 61
Filipovich- Silwa, 1962: #269 ....... 169 Jenni- Agrest, 2007: #198 .. . .. . . . . . 133
Fischer-Fine, 1963: #168 .. . ... . ... 117 Kamsky- Shirov, 2007: #162 .. ..... 115
Fischer-Geller, 1968: #301-303 . . . . . 185 KaJjakin- Aiekeev, 2007: #163 ... . . . 115
Fischer- Taimanov, 1971: #184 ... .. . 125 Karjakin-Carlsen, 2007: #248 . . . . . . !57
Gabis-Kogan, 1969: #182 ... . . .. . .. 125 Karpov-Unzicker, 1974: #293 . . ... . 181
Gaprindashvili-Blagidze, 1963: #74. . 71 Kasparov-Shirov, 1994: #57-60 .... . 63
Gelfer-Manievich, 1985: #261 . ... . . 165 KereS-Unzicker, 1956: #173 ....... 121
Geller- Ivkov, 1973: #274 . .. . ...... 171 Keres-Westerinen, 1973: # 143 .. .. .. 105
Geller- Lipnitsky, 1951 : #86 . . . . . . . . 77 Khodorov-Duchovny, 1977: #67 ... . 67
Geller- Tseshkovsky, 1976: #147 .. . .. 107 Kirdetsov-Kann, 1918: #160 ... .. .. 113
Georgiev-Grischuk, 2007: #113 . . . . . 91 Kmoch- Gunnolt, 1934: #294 .... . .. 181
Gligorie-Smyslov, 1959: #93-96 .. . . . 81 Kochiev- Ubilava, 1975: #282 . . . . . . 175
L. Grigorian- Tal, 1967: #188 ... . . . . 127 Kogan- Fosler, 1937: #87 ... .. .... . 77
Grigorian~Shaposhnikov, 200 I : #71 . 69 Koltanowski- Halsey, 1959: #311 .... 189
Grigoriev-Nadyseva, 1973: #146 .. .. 107 Konstantinopolsky- Levenfish, 1943:
Grischuk- Bareev, 200 I: #69 . . . . . . . . 69 #228 .. 147
Grischuk- J. Polgar, 2007: #167 .. . . .. 117 Korchnoi-Huebner, 1982: #151 . . .. . 109
Gruenfeld-Schenkein, 1915: #36 . . . . 51 Korchnoi-Krush, 2007: #9 . . . . . . . . . 39
Gulko-Kasparov, 1981: #116 . .... . . 91 Kramnik-Leko, 2007: #114 . . . . .. .. 91
197
Krivosheya--Feigin, 1994: #201 ..... 135 Opochensky-A1ekhine, 1925: #270 . . . 169
Kudrin . Stanoevic, 1988: #108. .. . . . 87 Osloukhov-Nedebora, 1930: #260 .. . 163
Kupreichik- Marjanovic, 1979: #205 . 13 7 Pa1atnik- Mestrovic, 1977: #313-315 .. 191
Kviletsky -Roslinsky, 1954: #281 . . . . 175 Petros ian Larsen, 1968: # 122 . . . . . . . 95
Langeweg-- Casa, 1968: #245 . . . . . . . 157 Pitch- Jux, 1967: #320 .. .. . .. .. . ... 193
Larsen -Davie, 1967: #51. . . . . . . . . . . 59 Polugaevsky--Geller, 1958: #I 07 . . . . . 87
Larsen-Giigoric, 1956: # 178 .. . . . . . 123 Polugaevsky- Tal, 1969 : #211-212 . . . 139
Lasker Capablanca, 1921 : # 125 . . . . . 97 Polugaevsky--.Tal, 1971 : # 180 .. . . . .. 123
Lasker Chigorin, 1895: #138 . ... . . . 103 Popov--Ryumin, 1935: #257 . . . ... .. 163
Lawrence Pena, 2008: #236 ...... .. 151 Rabinovich Belavenets, 1937: #292 . 179
Lee Levine, 2002: #49 . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Radzievich Macca, 2001 : #295 .. .... 181
Lemachko Popova, 1970: # 157 . .. .. 113 Raubitschek -Capablanca, 1906: #319. 193
Lerner Lehmann, 1978: #286 .. . . ... 177 Ravinsky Shamkovich, 1953: #39. .. 53
Lerner Koshtenko, 1962: # 181 .. . ... 125 Razuvaev Kupreichik, 1970: #290 . . 179
Lilienthal Capablanca, 1935: #73 : . . . 71 Reshevsky - Petros ian, 1953: #48 . . . . 57
Lilienthal Makagonov, 1936: #299 ... 183 Reshevsky--Thomas, 1937: #194 . .. . 131
Lilienthal Tolush, 1936: #62: . . .. .. . 65 Reti .Yates, 1924: #137 . ... .. . . .. .. 103
Littlewood-Roth, 1966: #193 : ...... 131 Rogers- Ris, 2007: #14. ........... 41
Lugovoi -Balashov, 2003 : #310 ...... 189 Rogozenko- Morozevich, 2000: #273 . 171
Makogonov- Botvinnik, 1943: #179 .. 123 Romanovsky-Yudovich, 1934: #291 . 179
Malmgren- Quadrado, 1953 : #141. . .. 105 Rosenberg-Palatnik, 1966: # 169-171. 119
Mamedyarov- lvanchuk, 2007: #130-131. 99 Ruban- Veresov, 1975: #1. .. . . .. . . . 35
Mamedyarov-Nielson, 2007: #200 .. . 133 Rubinstein- Salve, 1908: #128 . . . ... 97
Marshall-Bum, 1900: #II 0-111 . . . . . 89 Rubinstein- Spielmann, 1912: # 139 . . I03
Mileika- Vojtkevich, 1963: #65 . . . .. . 67 Ruchieva- Edelson: #258 . . . . . . . . . . 163
Mohrlok- Kramer, 1962: #287 ...... 177 Saemisch- Aiekhine, 1926: #196 . . .. 131
Morozevich- Tkachev, 2007: # 112. . . . 89 Sakharov- Palatnik, 1967: #166 . . .. . 117
Neikirch- Botvinnik, 1960: #220 ..... 143 Sangla- Karpov, 1968: #78 . . . . . . . . . 73
Nezhmetdinov- Kotkov, 1957: #27 .. . 47 Santasiere-Adams, 1926: #156 . . . . . Ill
Nezhrnetdinov- Paoli, 1954: #35 . . . . . 51 Brothers Sarichev, problem: #3 . . . . . . 35
Onischuk- van Wely, 2007: #80. . . . . . 73 Sarkisova-N izhegorodova, 1976: #204 .135
198
Sasikiran- Shabalov, 2000: #271 . . . . . 169 Sveshnikov-Piscov, 1990: #280 ..... 173
Seirawan- Yusupov, 1983 : #272 . . . . . 169 Sveshnikov Stochek, 2000: #306 .... 187
Serkin- Trosman, 1956: #203 . ...... 135 Svidler- -Kasimzhanov, 2005: #I 04 . . . 85
Shamkovich-Antoshin, 1967: #40 . . . 53 Taimanov -Geller, 1963: #81 ...... . . 75
Sharnkovich Zakharov, 1962: #37. .. 53 Tannenbaum~Frurnkin, 2003: #61 ... 65
Short- J. Polgar, 200 I: #88 .... . . .. _ 77 Tarrasch Vogel, 1910: #68 . . . . ..... 67
Silie-Rokhlin, 1929: #283 . . . . . . . . . 175 Tarrasch- Vogel, 1910: #90 ......... 79
Skripchenko -Matnadze, 200 I: #79 . . 73 Tkachev Fressine, 200 I: #84 ....... 75
Smimov-Ni Huya, 2001: #70 ..... . . 69 To lush Aronson, 1957: #76 .. . . .. .. 71
Smyslov- Golombek, 1950: #66.. . . . 67 Tolush Sokolsky, 1938: #121 .. . ... . 95
Smyslov- Tolush, 1961: #177 .... . .. 123 Ubi lava Timoschenko, 1974:
Snyder- Brown, 1974: #144 ......... 105 #175-176 . . ..... 121
Solovyov- Gutman, 2001: #297 ..... . 183 Uhlman Deli, 1962: #285 ..... . ... 177
Spassky-Evans, 1962: #5-8 . . . . . . . . . 37 Uhlman Petz, 1984: #268 ......... 167
Spassky- Petrosian, 1966: # 195 ... . . . 131 Volchok Kreslavsky,l970: # 154 .... Ill
Spassky- Petrosian, 1969: #45 . . .... . 57 Volkov Rublevsky, 2007: #233-234 .. 151
Spassky--Tal, 1971 : #231 . . ......... 149 Weeramantry -Tamarkin, 1991 : #284 . 175
Steinitz- Bird, 1866: #298 . .. . . .... . 183 Yakovenko-Almazi, 2007: #255 .... 161
Steinitz- Lasker, 1896: #223 ...... . . 145 Yakovenko- Sutovsky, 2007: #46.... 57
SteinitZ---Mongredien, 1863: #230 ... . 149 Youngsworth--Seirawan, 1979: #25 . . 4 7
SteinitZ---Wexler, 1867: #77 ......... 73 Yudovich- Bebchuk, 1964: #226 .... . 167
Stopa- Lopcz, 2007: #197 .... . .... . 133 Yusupov-Romanishin, 1982: #256 ... 161
Strauss- Bisguier, 1979: #99 . . . . . . . . 83 Yurgis- Botvinnik, 1931: #279 . . . . . . 173
Strauts - Vitolins, 1988: # 17 . . . . . . . . 43 Zita- Bronstcin, 1946: #85 . . . . . . . . . 77
Sutovsky-Georgiev, 2007: #13 .... .. 41 Zlotnik -DeTuriso, 1992: #265 ... . .. 167
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199
Index of Themes & Ideas
(Numbers refer to positions.)
Activity: 82 276, 278, 279, 285, 294, 297, 311'

Attack: 55, 72, 74, 79, 80, 91, 96, 313,314,315,319
161,169,189,230,232,284 Desperado: 26, 63
Back-rank weakness: I, 4, 14, 29. Discovered attack: 29, 42, 78, 85,
34, 42, 65, 157, 160, 187, 268, 270, 100,112,183,290,294,308
275,276 Discovered check: 203, 208, 216,
Battery: 14, 68, 93-96, 219, 220, 235,247
228,257 Double attack: 7, 8, 14, 24, 49, 64,
Bishop Pair: 138, 139, 170, 197, 65, 67, 84, 90, 95, 102, 109, 127,
239,240,308 142. 147, 148, 159, 188, 200, 248,
Bxh7 sacrifice: 30, 31, 32, 211, 212 254,269,270,280,282,287,291
Blockade: 121,138,195,198,299 Double check: 114,212,245,257
Blocking: 1, 35, 41,201,225,296 Endings-
Pawn: 2, 3, 13 (reserve tempo), 20,
Breakthrough in the center: 79,
122 43, 105, 106, 124 (outside passed
pawn), 126, 129, 135,221, 246
Caging opponent's pieces: 37, 58,
Queen-side majority: 273
59, 76, 89, 127, 175, 176, 177,256,
Rook: 26, 54, 112, 152, 229, 243,
298,308,317-318
261,305 (R vs. pawns), 316
Castling: 249-252 Rooks on the 7th: 113
Centralizing: 48, 81, 82, 107, 132, Other: 3, 44, 50, 56, 71, 75, 92, 116,
137, 162,218,223 127, 136, 140, 145, 153, 166 (passed
Counter play: 20, 104, 133, 213, pawns vs. rook), 172, 178 (outside
242,285 passed pawn) 180, 184, 262, 280,
Decoy: 1, 8, 24, 49, 67, 109, Ill, 288,299,306,312
129, 148, 157, 182,225,235,245, Exposing the king: 47, 51, 69, 73,
254,282,291,320 74, 103, 110, 141, 161, 173, 204,
Defense: 16, 192, 205, 242 236,241,278
Deflection: 1, 8, 9, 14, 17, 18, 25, Fortress: 288, 292
27,29,36,49,52,65, 131,144,150, Games full or partial: 5-8, 21-24,
163, 181, 187, 193,222,224,225, 30-32,57-60,93-96,97-98, 110-111,
227, 255, 258, 260, 268, 269, 270, 117-120, 169-171, 175-176, 189-
200
192, 206-208, 211-212, 233-234, 263,268,273,284,293,310
237-240, 241-242, 249-252, 313- Open diagonal: 131, 231, 271, 289
315, 317-318
Open rank: 4, I 01, 222, 224, 260
In-between move: 1, 11, 73, 85,
206, 207, 208, 217, 264, 287, 305, Opening: 5, 117, 132, 159, 186, 189,
308,319 237,290,294,298,307,308
Interference: 1, 27, 61, 163,255 Outposts: 66, 213

Overloading: 15, 27, 260,286
Line clearance: 33, 37, 42, 222,
299,319 Pawn roll: 107, 166, 169, 236, 279
Loose (underprotected) piece: 36, Pawn Promotion: 71, 75, 114, 116,
109,291,303 198,209,221,225,255,258,274
Mating patterns- Penetration: 82, 180, 194,261,299
Arabian mate: 311 Perpetual check: 205, 272 (checks
Bishop + knight mate: 18, 294 and attacks), 297
Double diagonal mate: 19, 40, 41, Pin: 9, 29, 51, 83, 84, 87, 102, 108,
141, 143, 193 112, 154, 158, 168, 200, 206, 240,
Epaulet mate: 28 241, 253, 269, 279, 282, 283 (cross
Linear mate: 283, 310, 319 pin), 285, 290, 310, 315
Queen+ bishop mate: 27, 83, 84, 99, Pin breaking: 112, 158, 253
146,193,204,296
Plan: 53, 68, 81, 86, 117, 125, 133,
Queen + knight mate:25, 38, II 0,
213,230,293
232,233,234
Queen+ pawn mate:163, 212. 270, Positional sacrifice: 39, 45, 48, 57,
286 91 (dynamic), 97, 113, 121, 122,
186, 199, 211, 223, 228, 231, 249,
Queen + rook mate: 4, I 0 I, 202
271,306, 312,313-314 (dynamic),
Rook+ bishop mate 9, 12, 89, 114,
317-318
144, 156, 160, 181, 197,227
Rook+ knight mate: 11, 87, 104, Preventing a strong move: 20, 49,
245, 266, 311 103, 139,213,215,220, 247,251,
259,267
Rook + rook mate: 149, 285
Smothered mate: 41, 182, 20 I, 227, Protected passed pawn: 43
281 Removing the defender: 38, 42, 70,
Maneuver: 86, 123, 162, 218,234, 78, 90, 97, 120, 142, 143, 151, 179,
252,265,288,296 208,210,217,263,309
Open file: 5, 6, 12, 21, 23, 24, 36, Skewer: 19, 34, 88, 187,240, 254,
38, 73, 80, 118, 119, 120, 150, 157, 264,265
160, 181, 190, 191, 202, 250, 260, Stalemate: 1, 2, 26, 44, 54, 63, 164,
201
167,243,320 Transposition to an endgame: 62,
Strategy:66,93, 151,179,180,188, 97,98, 155,178,196,238,261,273
213 Under-protected piece: 290, 291
Three-way capture possible: 146 Unusual balance: 113, 134, 188,
224, 271, 277
Technique:46,292
Weak/Strong Squares: 53, 66, 86,
Threats: 281, 289
125, 128, 165 (weak pawn), 184,
Trade:38,97, 155,194,210 186,219,231,233
Trade off: 66, 97, 195,213 X-ray: 17, 52, 115
Trap: 1, 2, 4, 77, 187, 272 Zugzwang: I0, 288
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202
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Foreword

o elements combine to make a strong chess player-

-GM Lev Alburt, New York City, July I, 2008

We number each set of White and Black moves. So, the

11 A very good move

pand and make connections, providing volumes of chess-

Treat everv diagram as a position in vour

Good news! Chess skills

The art of training

This book combines the learning

The sequence ot the combined

Finding the right balance between qualitv

Black pins Whites knight Decoy: 1. Rc7! Deflection: 1. Rg5!

Double attacks Back-rank mate Skewer

Blocking: 1. Ra3+! Discovered Attack.: Double Check:

In-between move: I. b4!, Overloading: I. Rb8+ Desperado: I .... Bgl !!

After 1. Qcl-b1 After 1. Kb6-c6

White to move Black to move

2. Make Your Opponent Prove R!

3. Paradoxical Moves to the Rescue

After 11 . ... dxe4 After 15. ... Nh5

After 17. ... Ne3 After 20. ... Nd7

6. From Bad to worse

1. Mate over Material

After 26 . ... g6 Black to move

White to move Black to move

10. Rook-Sac zuuzwanu

11. one In-between Move Deserves Another!

12. Checmate on a Long Diagonal

White to move Black to move

White to move Black to move

14. Unexpected oouble-Anack

15. Overburdened Pieces

16. Jumping to the Defense

Black to move White to move

Black to move White to move

18. ladies First

19. Boldest is Best

20. How Far to lookP

Here a master should see Black's counterplay after 7. a5?:

After 10. ... Nd7 After 18. ... hxg6

After 21. ... Nf6 After 24. .. . Kg7

22. Saving the Bishop

23. The Knight on the Crossroads

24. find the Blow

Black to move White to move

White to move White to move

26. The last Chance

21. Down but not Out

28. Epaulene Mate

White to move After I .... B(d6)xh2+ 2. Kxh2 Ng4+

After4. f4 After4. ... Qh6

30. Bishop Sac Morning-Aner

31. Lei II Ride

32. Process of Elimination

White to move Black to move

White to move White to move

34. Nine Points versus lnliniiJ

35. Onlv the First Mate cou•s

3&. oenection Perfection

White to move White to move

Black to move White to move

38. Exchanging the Defender