Grandmaster versus Amateur
Edited by
Jacob Aagaard &John Shaw
Quality Chess
www.qualitychess.co. uk
First edition
Copyright©
20 1 1
20 1 1
by Quality Chess UK Ltd
Jacob Aagaard & John Shaw
GRANDMASTER VERSUS AMATEUR
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978- 1 -9065 52-8 5-5
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4 by John Saunders
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Contents
Preface
Key to Symbols used
1
2
3
Jacob Aagaard- Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
Peter Heine Nielsen-A Tale of Three Stories
Pavel Eljanov- From Amateur to 2700
4
John Shaw- From 1700 to Grandmaster- and Back
6
T iger Hillarp Persson - The Ulysses Effect
8
Jacob Aagaard- Fish Eat Danes for Supper
5
7
Boris Avrukh -The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Mihail Marin-It's an Amateur's World
Game Index
Name Index
Opening Index
4
8
9
37
55
87
99
137
151
177
191
193
196
Preface
This is the third collection of essays by various grandmasters that Quality Chess has published,
and the first such collection dealing with a topic other than the Sicilian Defence. Once again we
were able to assemble an enviable line-up of contributors, each of whom approached the subject
in their own way with their own ideas and experiences.
The idea for this book came from our good friend Jesse Gersenson, but the concept is not entirely
new. A long time ago Max Euwe authored a book entitled Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur. It was
only after the project was up and running that we were alerted to the existence of this book. To
avoid ripping off the Dutch World Champion we deliberately avoided reading his book. instead
preferring to do our own thing, and we hope the readers will agree when we say that the results
are pleasing!
The authors and their projects are as follows.
Jacob Aagaard
(born 1 973 in Denmark)
Danish/Scottish grandmaster with a top
rating of 2542. Most notable successes include
winning the 2007 British Championship (the
tournamement where he completed his GM­
title) and the Arco Open several times.
As an author his greatest successes have been
winning the ChessCafe Book of the Year 2002
for Excelling at Chess and more recently the
English Chess Federation's Book of the Year
20 1 0 (for Attacking Manual] +2).
Jacob was a co-founder of Quality Chess in
2004.
Chapter 1
-
Unknown amateur congratulates jacob on u·imzing the
ofthe Year at the 2010 London Chess Classic.
ECF Book
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
Rather than embarrass the audience with national stereotypes, Jacob presents five different
scenarios from his own games where grandmasters prevail over amateurs. Along the way he
identifies several underlying causes for their success, offering a wealth of practical advice for
amateurs wishing to bridge the gap.
Chapter 8 Fish Eat Danes for Supper
In this chapter Jacob shows some of his least proud moments, as well as explaining how they
came about. Rather than turning the chapter into a sea of sick excuses, he uses the examples to
highlight the ways in which the amateur can optimize his chances of beating a grandmaster.
-
Preface
Peter Heine Nielsen
5
(born 1 973)
Danish grandmaster with a peak rating of
2700. Peter has won a number of opens
and the gold medal on board one in the
2005 European Team Championship, but
his greatest achievement was undoubtedly
reaching the last 1 6 in the 20 1 1 World
Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. Outside the
tournament hall Peter has worked regularly
with Anand, since shortly after they met in
the 200 1 World Championship knockout
tournament in Moscow. Since 2005 Peter has
been Anand's chief second with considerable
success, although the World Champion has
pointed out that Peter has the drawback of
being "impossible to hide" (on account of his
towering height) .
Chapter 2 -A Tale of1hree Stories
Peter starts by identifYing three typical ways in which a Grandmaster - Amateur game might play
out, before providing an example of each scenario from his own practice. With a hearty balance
of insight, anecdotes and good humour, Peter's chapter is as entertaining as it is instructive.
Pavel Eljanov
(born 1 983)
Ukrainian grandmaster with a peak rating
of 276 1 , placing him at sixth in the world at
the time. Pavel is a regular on the Ukrainian
national team, including its gold medal
performance at the Calvia Olympiad in 2004.
His biggest tournament success was in May
20 1 0, when he won the Astrakhan Grand
Prix tournament by a full point. Recently he
seconded Boris Gelfand during his victory in
the 20 1 1 Candidates tournament in Kazan.
Chapter 3 From Amateur to 2700
Of the seven contributors to this book, Pavel was the only one who had not previously written
for Quality Chess. Nevertheless it quickly became clear that he was a real 'find' for this book,
and in this chapter he shares his views on a number of topics, including the role of talent, chess
education, psychology, opening preparation and choosing the right plan. The reader is guided
through a number of his successes and failures which played a role in his ascension from amateur
to world-class grandmaster.
-
Grandmaster versus Amateur
6
John Shaw (born
1 968)
Scottish Grandmaster without a peak rating.
(Okay, 2506 then.) John's biggest achievement
is that he was rated 1 745 at the age of 1 9,
and thus devoid of natural talent, and yet still
managed to become a grandmaster at the ripe
old age of 37. Over the years John has given
such illustrious players as Bacrot, Eljanov and
Shirov a tough fight, and eventually a draw
as well. He has been a regular on the Scottish
national team for almost two decades, and is
a three-time Scottish Champion. He wrote
two books for Everyman before co-founding
Quality Chess in 2004. He is almost finished
with his long-awaited treatise on the King's
Gambit and promises it will be out soon . . .
Chapter 4 From 1700 to Grandmaster- and Back
In his characteristically humorous and self-deprecating style, John describes his journey towards
the Grandmaster title, offering plenty of personal insights into the reasons for both his successes
and shortcomings.
-
Boris Avrukh
(born 1 978 in Kazakhstan)
An Israeli grandmaster with a peak rating of
2668, Boris was a regular for the Israeli team
from 1 998 to 2009. During this period he
won both gold and bronze individual medals,
as well as the overall silver medal with the team
at the Dresden 2008 Olympiad. Boris is the
winner of numerous open tournaments and a
renowned theoretician. In recent years he has
written four highly acclaimed books in the
hugely successful Grandmaster Repertoire series,
and has worked as a trainer and second for
World Champions of yesterday and tomorrow
alike.
Chapter 5
lhe Good, the Bad and the Ugly
In this chapter Boris presents five highly instructive games, exploring the various factors that
contributed to the respective successes of both the grandmasters and the amateurs. The games
have been divided into three categories, each of which has been named after a famous movie, for
no particular reason apart from sounding more interesting.
-
Preface
Tiger Hillarp Persson
7
(born 1 970)
A Swedish Grandmaster with a peak rating of
26 1 8, Tiger is known for his deeply original and
creative approach to chess. He has won many
opens and has been a regular on the Swedish
national team since the mid-nineties. Tiger's
fame sterns not so much from the final results
of his games, but more for their unusually rich
content. Win, lose or draw, he is never boring.
Aside from his active playing career he also
found time to write Tiger's Modern (Quality
Chess 2005), which was widely acclaimed.
Chapter 6 The Ulysses Effect
Never one to take the conventional route, Tiger begins with a bizarre-sounding quote from James
Joyce's classic novel. He then examines the meaning and reveals how it helped him to raise his
chess level from that of an aspiring amateur to a sabre-toothed grandmaster!
-
Mihail Marin
(born 1 964)
Romanian grandmaster with a peak rating
of 26 1 6. Mihail has represented Romania
in ten Olympiads and won an individual
bronze medal in 1 988. Although he has been
successful in his long playing career, his main
achievements have been away from the board.
He has for example worked as Judit Polgar's
second, including at the 2005 San Luis World
Championship, the only occasion in chess
history when a woman has taken part in a
World Championship contest.
While admitting a certain bias, we would
argue that Mihail's greatest achievements of all
are his books. Learn from the Legends (Quality
Chess 2004) won the ChessCafe.corn Book of
the Year award in 2005 . IM Jeremy Silman said
in his review "I can't recall having seen a better
book in the last two decades." More recently
Mihail wrote three volumes on the English
Opening in the Grandmaster Repertoire series,
which inspired a number of top-level players
to include this opening in their repertoires.
Grandmaster versus Amateur
8
Chapter 7 It's an Amateur's World!
In this, the penultimate chapter of the book (the last being Jacob's second chapter as detailed
above) , Mihail paints a warm and engaging picture of two amateurs, Dr Victor Tacu ("the good
Doc") of Romania and Jose Miguel Ridameya Tatche ("Don Josep") of Spain. Mihail has become
acquainted with both of these enthusiastic amateurs over the years, both personally and over
the board. After reflecting on his own career, including his experiences with these two colourful
characters, Mihail's conclusion is perfectly summed up by the chapter title!
-
We hope that this book will be enjoyed by grandmasters and amateurs alike, and without further
ado, we invite the reader to turn the page and get started.
Andrew Greet,
Quality Chess
Glasgow, October 20 1 1
Key to symbols used
;!;
+
±
+
+-
-+
;;;
+!
--+
i
co
??
!!
!?
?!
D
#
White is slightly better
Black is slightly better
White is better
Black is better
White has a decisive advantage
Black has a decisive advantage
equality
with compensation
with counterplay
with attack
with initiative
unclear
a weak move
a blunder
a good move
an excellent move
a move worth considering
a move of doubtful value
only move
mate
Jacob Aagaard
Danes Eat Fish for
Breakfast
Jacob Aagaard
10
Broadly speaking, there are two ways in which
a grandmaster might beat an amateur. Either
he plays well, when the difference between the
two is too much for the amateur to handle,
or he plays badly and wins through sheer
persistence. We will see some examples of both
scenarios in this chapter, but I would like to
start by identifYing some typical differences
between grandmasters and amateurs.
Grandmasters handle the pieces better
Kasparov famously said that "real chess
players" know where to put the pieces. Since
his list of real chess players excluded many
stars who have since crossed the 2700 barrier,
it most certainly did not include me. However,
I can see the truth in the argument, even if
I cannot see where the pieces belong. In any
case, our first game is a good illustration of this
principle.
Walter Burnett- Jacob Aagaard
Cumbernauld 2007
l .e4 cS 2.ltlf3 d6 3.d3
I am always happy to see such moves. Despite
a rating difference of about 400 points, my
opponent has effectively decided to outplay
me in the middlegame.
3 ... ltl c6 4.g3 g6 5.�g2 �g7 6.0-0 eS 7.ltl bd2
ltlge7 s.�el
To me it is not obvious that the rook is better
placed here than on fl , but so far I don't feel
offended by his piece handling.
8 ...0-0 9.c3 h6
The opening is more or less over and the
position is equal. White should now decide
if he wants to play in the centre or on the
queenside. Also, he should think about the
future of his bishop on cl and rook on al .
-7�'�
�£�itN/�•m
J�-�
6 �-- -�mr•-- - -m-,�� ff;rfif""��� ff;��----�
8
5�
�� �-�
.... ,z� �-%z� �z-
4
3
2
1
.....
-� ��r�
m�.-J�z�m���/�
� w�z � w� �w�
..
, .... �r�itii��t····%- %
�� �§�tdi: ��
�,,
..
..
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
lO.ltlfl
This makes no sense to me. The knight
could be headed to e3, but as the d5-square is
unattractive, the knight would not be seriously
better placed there than on d2. The knight
move also frees the d2-square for the bishop,
but this is not much of an improvement.
As we will shortly see, the true purpose of
White's last move is actually to prepare an
attack on the kingside. However, the pawn
formation and piece distribution do not favour
this strategy.
To me the most logical move would be 1 O.a3,
with the idea of meeting 1 O . . . a5?! with 1 1 .a4!
to get the c4-square for the knight. Instead I
would have chosen 1 0 . . . f5 or 1 0 . . . � e6, but
after l l .b4 White at least has some active
prospects on the queenside.
1o ... i>hs
This is a bit of a luxury and the normal­
looking 1 0 . . . �e6 was of course fine. I did not
really plan anything more than to improve the
king and work out what my opponent was
intending with his last move.
l l .h4?!
There it comes. But since the attack is
inadequately supported by the pieces, it is not
at all worrying.
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
l l ...fS!
Around here Walter probably realized
that I was not intending to meet 1 2.h5 with
1 2 . . . g5 and allow some sort of outlandish
piece sacrifice. Instead I was content to play
.. . lthg6 at some point and would therefore
have replied with 1 2 .. .f4, although it was also
tempting to take the pawn.
1 2.ctJih2
When he played this I already knew that I
would win the game without much trouble.
The knight is not going anywhere. White has
handled his pieces poorly; they don't play for
the same team and they are certainly not better
placed than they were at move seven!
The plan for Black is now simple, and merely
involves bringing the remaining pieces into the
game. This means the bishop, queen and rook.
It is not difficult to find good squares for them,
so I played the next few moves quickly.
1 2 ... J.e6 13.J.h3
Another mysterious move, and a further
example of bad piece handling. Black is of
course pinned for an instant, but what matters
more is that White has initiated the exchange
of his most important defensive piece.
13 .. .'1Wd7 I4.J.d2
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
11
14 .. J�f7!
Obviously Black has some strategically more
complex alternatives such as 1 4 . . . d5, but when
the opponent is not playing good moves, there
is no reason to force the issue. Against a GM
I would think deeply about which way to go.
Here it made sense to bring the last rook into
play and deal with concrete matters later on. In
such a situation it is unlikely that the amateur
will organize the defence in the best possible
way, so why not take your time building up
the attack?
IS.Wfcl
White is still dreaming of an attack on the
kingside.
IS ... �h7 16.h5 gxhS!
The dream is over - there will be no sacrifice
on g5 . Instead Black just has an extra pawn.
I7.ttlh4 E:afs
The last piece is developed and Black's
position is crushing.
1 7 . . . f4 is stronger according to the computer,
but I don't really understand why.
1 8.E:fl
Apparently White should play 1 8 .exf5 tt:l xf5
1 9.�xf5t �xf5 20.'\Wd l with better chances to
survive, but this does not make much sense to
me.
12
Jacob Aagaard
18 ... £4
Black has done everything possible to
strengthen his position, so the time has come
to start the attack. Basic stuff, but effective.
19 ..L:e6 ¥Mxe6 20.cl?g2
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
24.ttlh2 ¥Mxg3t 25.cl?hl l3fl 26.l3xfl l3xfl
27.¥Mgl l3xd2
0-1
20 .tt�g6!?
I like this move. The idea is to bring the c6knight into the game and thus make use of as
many pieces as possible.
.•
However, 20 . . . �f6! is stronger according to
the computer. It is the same principle, but also
Black gets quickly onto the g-file.
Black won this game won simply by putting
the pieces on better squares than the opponent.
This might seem like an extreme case, but you
would be surprised to see how many games I
have won in similar style over the years.
Often the problem of poor piece handling is
especially poignant in the endgame. Take the
following opposite-coloured bishop ending
where White failed to grasp the importance of
king activity in time.
Graeme Nolan- Jacob Aagaard
21.ttlxg6
Losing quickly. I was expecting 2 1 .tLl f5,
when my idea was 2 1 . . .tLlce7.
Oban 2006
21. ¥Mxg6 22.ttlf3
As so often happens, superior piece
b.andling leads almost effortlessly to a tactical
breakthrough.
••
22 fxg3 23.fxg3 h4!
White is too pinned and Black just wins.
•..
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
This ending is unpleasant for White, but
not necessarily lost. However, the next move
changed this.
32.h5?
Graeme's thinking is not difficult to follow.
Black is poised to play . . . .ib6-f2, winning both
pawns on the kingside, and so he tries to give
up the pawns in a more favourable way.
Unfortunately his plan has two serious defects.
Most obviously, he loses a lot of time as he
could at least have waited for the bishop to
come to f2 before advancing the h-pawn. But
more importantly, he did not think enough
about activating the king.
I was expecting the much better 32.a3!,
intending to activate the king.
It is well known that in opposite-coloured
bishop endings, the quality of your pawns is
more important than the quantity. I need a
g-pawn to win the game.
33.hxg6 fxg6 34.a5
8
76
5
4
3
2
1
a
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
If Black has a way to win this position then
I'm afraid it's beyond me. No matter what he
does, White will activate his king and obtain
a passed pawn on the queenside. The advance
of Black's kingside passed pawns will take a lot
of time and be reasonably well hindered by
the white bishop. An important factor in all
of this is that Black will struggle to get his king
into the game, and by the time he has won the
kingside pawns, White's own passed pawn will
be marching up the board.
32 ...hg5!
13
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
34 ....id8!
I did not spend a lot of time calculating the
alternative, but went with general principles.
By moving the bishop first I was freeing up a
path for the king (for some reason I did not
like the idea of the g7-h6-h5-h4 route; don't
ask why) as well as clarifying matters on the
queenside. At this point I had already envisaged
the set-up with my king on g3 and bishop on
b6. This is a very sound way of thinking, and it
worked beautifully in the game.
Even when such an intuitive decision
leads to success, it is always useful to analyse
the alternatives later in order to check if our
intuition was really correct, and thereby
improve it for the future. In this case it turns
out that my chosen move was not only sound
and practical, but was also the only technically
winning one!
34 . . . h5?
This was the alternative, as suggested by the
cold machine. Here is a very likely variation:
35 . .ic8 h4 36 . .ixa6 h3 37.-ifl h2 38 . .ig2 i'f7
Jacob Aagaard
14
39.a6 �e3 40.a7!
Giving up the asset in order to activate the
king.
40 . . .�xa7 4 1 .�cl � f6 42.mdl mg5 43 .me2
mf4 44.�h i �d4
b
a
c
d
e
f
g
h
To me this looks like a fortress. I cannot
imagine the black king successfully making
it all the way to a3 to win the a-pawn. The
white king would reach b5 long before the
black king can reach c6.
45. i> d3
The only way White can lose is by 45 .�g2??,
which is refuted by 45 ... h l ='1W! 46.�xh l
i>g3 47.mfl mh2 48 .�g2 g5 when White
is in zugzwang.
45 . . . i> g3 46. � e2 �a7 47. � fl =
The fortress is impregnable.
35.�c8 �xa5
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
36.�xa6?
White could have tried to prevent my plan,
had he seen it. But Black is winning all the
same:
36.\t>c l i> g7 37. � d l mf6 38.me2 �b6
39.�xa6 i> g5 40.mfl mf4 4 1 .\t>g2 me3
42.�c4
42.mg3 loses to 42 . . . md2 43 .�d3 �e3 and
the king goes to b l , winning the a-pawn.
42 . . . i> d2 43 .�b3 h5 44. i> g3 g5 45.i>g2
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
The feeling that this is a winning position
for Black is rather strong: he has a better
bishop, an extra pawn and a superb king. On
the other hand opposite-coloured bishop
endings are notoriously unfair. You can be
several pawns up, only to realize that they
are on the wrong colour and although your
half of the board has a big population, its
resources and prospects are no greater than
those of your adversary. However, in this
case there is a (rather spectacular) way of
breaking the attempted fortress.
45 . . . h4
The normal winning plan would be to put
the pawns on the same-coloured squares
as the enemy bishop, in order to prevent a
blockade, but on this occasion Black must
temporarily place all his pawns on dark
squares. In fact the decisive factors in this
position will prove to be the breakthrough
and - wait for it - the weakness of the c2pawn!
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
b
a
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
The first critical position. Although White
could arrange for his pieces to be on slightly
different squares, he is unable to prevent a
position of these general characteristics from
occurring. Now Black wins by giving most
of his pawns away:
47 . . . h3t! 48.<j;Jxh3 <j;Jxf3 49.�e6
And now for the second crucial moment.
c
15
d
e
f
g
h
Having returned the extra pawn with
interest, Black has increased the quality of his
pawns and decreased the quality of the white
pawns, as the ones on b3 and e4 both block
his bishop. The c2-pawn will fall and the game
is decided.
36 ... <j;J g7 37.<j;Jcl
The white king is entering the game way too
late.
37 <j;Jf6 38.<j;Jdl <j;Jg5 39. <j;J e2 <j;Jh4!
This is the simple way to play. The king goes
to h2, after which the h-pawn can advance
freely. 39 . . . <j;Jf4 40.mfL �b6t wins as on
move 36, but the game continuation is much
simpler.
•..
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
49 . . . b3!!
The big point. The bishop is now prevented
from returning to b3.
49 ... <j;Jxe4 so.<j;Jg4 �e3 leaves Black with
two extra pawns, but I seriously doubt that
he is winning. 5 l .�f5t <j;Jd4 52. <j;Jf3 e4 t
53 .<j;Jg4 How should Black make progress?
50.axb3 g4t!!
Deflection. The bishop is forced to abandon
the c2-pawn.
5 l .i.xg4 t me3
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Jacob Aagaard
16
The preparation for the advance of the
h-pawn is complete.
42 . .te6 .th6t 43.�e2 �g3 44.Ag8 h5
45 ..tfi h4 46.hg6 h3 47.f4 h2
0-1
''An easy win" was what I thought after the
game. As we j ust saw, things might have been
different had Graeme been more focused on
activating his king.
A particular element of piece handling is the
ability to think strategically - to get the pieces
working together towards a common goal.
The following game is a good example of how
this difference looks in practice. In this game
White gets no advantage from the opening,
but quickly outplays his opponent.
Jacob Aagaard - Peter Dittmar
Arco 2007
Dittmar is a solid guy who often makes
draws against grandmasters, so to beat him
effortlessly shows something about how I
improved in 2007, the year in which I finally
elevated my rating to the level necessary to
become a grandmaster (after having made the
three norms in 2004) .
I.d4 d5 2 ..tf4
The London System is not very good, but
having lost twice to it in Scottish weekend
congresses (one of these to Hugh Brechin, see
page 95) I decided to play it a few times mysel£
Unlike most grandmasters, I have never had a
really good opening repertoire.
2 ... c5 3.e3 tL!c6 4.c3 cxd4
With this move Black transposes to a line of
the Caro-Kann, which is home territory for
him.
s.exd4 tL!f6 6.Ad3 .tg4 7.�b3 �cs s.tLid2
e6 9.tL!gf3 .te7 10.0-0 0-0
8 - ��-�-J�;-
7
-·-,�.----%�
_%� �� �iW�i
645 ����a�w-0f-���f�-%'�'��
____
-�w-�w----%� �.JL�
�
3 _,J8l��� 'WlW
w� rcj
----%
�:� - ·j=
2 8 �!!1---- � 0
----- ;
1
a
b
c
d
-----
�
o
e
f
g
h
Although I am no general opening expert,
I knew that l l .�ael was the main move in
this position. I also knew that the objective
evaluation was that Black can prove equality
- which is not entirely the same as saying the
position is equal.
But at the board I decided to work out my
own strategy for the position, based on a
kingside attack. To do this I had to first create
a weakness in the black position and I decided
this could be done by taking on g6, once the
bishop would make it back there. As we shall
see, this is exactly what happened.
This does not mean that my idea was great;
only that the advantage of playing with an idea
was a great advantage to have.
1 I .tLie5!? .th5
I sort of expected this move, but in reality
l l . . .lt:lxe5! was the better choice, as those
with a database can work out. Without
going into details, I had missed a finesse that
renders 1 2.dxe5 considerably less strong than
I thought. The position should be about even.
12 ..tg5!?
Chapter 1 - Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
17
This was my second idea. I wanted to
advance the f-pawn to f5 , force Black to take
it and thus create a weakness on d5. I hoped
this would also give me better access to the
kingside.
12 ... llJe8!?
I was expecting him to go to d7, but this is
fine too.
13.he7 llJxe7 14.\Wc2
This was my intention. The queen was not
well placed on b3 and I wanted to provoke this
weakness on g6.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
14....tg6?!
Although objectively innocuous, this slight
weakening of the pawn structure should alarm
Black. White has the plan of h4-h5 to soften
the black kingside and take advantage of his
strong bishop. I would not go as far as to claim
a significant advantage, but Black has to be
more careful from now on, which is the typical
consequence of taking on a weakness.
It was better to play 14 . . . <;t> h8, in which case
I was planning 1 5 .f4 with some attacking
possibilities. But probably Black can fend
them off without too many problems.
I S.llJxg6 hxg6 16.llJf3
This is probably the most interesting moment
in the game. White has a few straightforward
plans, such as putting a rook on h3 and the
queen on h4, as well as the plan executed in
the game.
Black needs to come up with something to
counter these ideas, while at the same time
creating counterplay on the queenside. It
was time for a deep think. However, Dittmar
played his next four moves quickly, and soon
found himself in a desperate situation.
16 ... llJf6
I believe that Black's position would be
tenable if he placed the knights on d6 and f5,
eliminating both of the White plans mentioned
above, while preparing the . . . b7-b5 advance.
Instead the knights were quickly returned to
their previous positions.
17.'!We2 llJ c6 18J�ael 'Wc7 19.llJeS llJxe5?!
It is no longer easy to come with
recommendations for Black, especially
considering that if I saw this position without
any knowledge of the game's history, I would
be tempted to manoeuvre the knight from
c6 to f5 - which would of course reverse the
direction of the knight once again.
The biggest point here is that when making
the decision to exchange knights, Black had
failed to anticipate my 2 1 st move, nor had
18
Jacob Aagaard
he realized that the pawn on e5 would be a
significant part of a successful attack for White.
20.dxe5 CDd7
24 . .ixg6! fxg6 25 .1Mfxg6t � f8 26.�e3 CDxe5
27.1Mff6t tbf7 28.�h3 � g8 and by now the
most principled (though not the only) way
to win is by bringing in the other rook with
29.�e 1 ! .
I should say that I was far from sure about
the conclusion of this line, but generally
considered it his responsibility to work it out.
24.exf6 tbxf6 2S.Wh4?!
2I .h4!
Attacking the weakness on g6, which was
created as a result of my strategy laid down at
move 1 1 . I think it was only now that Dittmar
realized how powerful the attack really was;
and by now, it is already too late.
21..-l:UeS 22.h5 gxhS
22 . . . g5 is answered by 23.1Mfe3 and soon
after, f2-f4 with a strong attack.
23.'!W:xh 5 f5
Black is choosing between various evils,
which cannot have been fun.
23 . . . g6 loses by force:
Missing a defensiYe resource as part of
a mutual blind spot. I should have played
25 .1Mfg5!, which would not haYe reduced the
power of the attack much.
2S ...Wf7?
Although g6 is Black's weakest square,
neither player considered 25 . . . �f7! . Black
wants to play .. J:\h8, . . . §h6 and . . . �ah8 with
counterplay, so White has to find 26.1Mfg5 !
when he keeps a good deal of his advantage.
From now on the game is plain sailing. I don't
know if Dittmar believed I would allow . . . 1Mfh5 ,
but it is the only reason I can find behind the
last move. Again Black fails to anticipate his
opponent's aggression oYer the next few moves.
26.�e5 �ed8 27.�fel :1l:d6 28.� le3
Bringing in the last piece.
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
28 ...�ad8 29.� g3
A simple way to play; White is threatening
�eg5 winning lots of material. Black has no
good answer and quickly becomes desperate.
29 ...ltJ e4 30.�f3
I could also have taken on e4 and played
l'!h5, but I preferred to keep the position under
control and avoid calculation.
30 ...liJf6
Once I found a suitable way to avoid a queen
exchange after 30 . . . �e7 (yes, really!) , only
30 . . . g5 caused me any problems. Eventually
I found that after 3 l .l'!xg5t tt'lxg5 32.�xg5t
�g7 I could move the queen and there would
be no defence against 34.Ei:g3 winning.
3 l .g4!
I do as I teach - in this case, "Bring all the
pieces into the attack!" This includes pawns
that can be used offensively. Here I actually
thought my opponent would resign in view of
Ei:h5 and other threats.
31 ...d4 32.c4
I was sure that I had a direct win, but as long
as he was not allowed to play . . . Ei:d5 , I could
not see what he was going to do.
32 ..JWc7 33.g5 �6d7 34.gxf6 gxf6
34 . . . �xe5 allows mate in four.
19
35.�g3t �g7 36.�h7t
1-0
If you are an amateur and want to improve
your game, I would advise you to look at
"simple" grandmaster games (avoid the most
complex and confusing ones) and try to work
out why the GM puts his pieces where he does.
The change to your thinking will be seismic.
Grandmasters think in a less forcing way
I have described this phenomenon before, in
Excelling at Chess. Basically there is a tendency
for us to think along the lines of "I go there,
then he has to go there, then I go there, then he
has to go there . . .
"
As a general rule, this type of thought process
is not particularly helpful. It limits our
thinking, and thus can cause us to overlook
favourable alternatives for ourselves and, just
as importantly, for our opponents. However,
in a minority of cases it can yield a surprising
benefit. It is my beliefthat, in certain situations,
this manner of thinking can have the subtle
effect of forcing our will onto the opponent.
It is almost like casting a spell, making them
believe there is a 'natural' path for the game to
take, and at the end there will be some kind of
conclusion. The opponent may subconsciously
pick up on this way of thinking and become
'hypnotized' into following us down the path
of their subsequent demise.
To illustrate this, let me show you my first
glimpse of this concept, which occurred
over two consecutive rounds of the 1 9 9 1
Copenhagen Open.
Jacob Aagaard
20
Jacob Aagaard- Ib Andersen
8
7
Copenhagen 199 1
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20.�£4?
Swedish Grandmaster Thomas Ernst pointed
out that the feared 20.hxg3 tLlxg3t 2 l .fxg3
tLlg4 did not lose, because of 22.tLld4! and the
threats to the white king are benign. This shows
another difference between grandmasters and
amateurs, the ability to continue thinking
beyond something that looks impressive or
dangerous, to discover the real truth of the
position.
20 .. .tbxf4 2I.etJd6t
This is the position for which I had been
aiming for some time. My main point was
that after 2 1 . . . 'tt>b 8 22.tLlxf5 I am threatening
'\Wxf4t, the check being very important. Both
of us failed to see that Black had an alternative.
2 I . .. <.t>b8?
My opponent misses a brilliant pure queen
sacrifice.
The correct defence was: 2 1 . . .'Wxd6!! 22.1'l:xd6
gxh2 23.'\Wxc5t <j;>bs
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The rook and queen cannot cause damage to
the black king. The a7-pawn takes care of all
necessary defensive duties, and so White must
take a draw.
22.etJxf5 'We4 23.'Wxe4 etJxe4 24.hxg3
White has a pleasant advantage. The
conversion was a bit easier than it should have
been, but I
not one to complain.
am
24 ... etJ e6 25.f3 etJf6 26.b4 �b6 27.Eiacl h5
28.a4 a6 29.a5 �a7 30.tlJ e7
1-0
In the next round I was paired with Thomas
Ernst. At this point I was still unrated, and
thus certainly an amateur. Although the game
was not perfect by any means, it still showed
the vast difference between us when it came to
seeing what is possible at the board.
Thomas Ernst- Jacob Aagaard
Copenhagen 199 1
l .e4 c5 2.etJf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.etJxd4 etJf6
5.etJc3 g6
Thomas Ernst was a big expert on the
Dragon, but it was also in my repertoire, so I
decided to play it anyway "to learn something" .
The main thing I learned was not to be naive.
(It does not mean that I stopped - j ust that I
learned it.)
Chapter 1 - Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
6.J.e3 J.g7 7.f3 0-0 8.�d2 ttlc6 9.J.c4
J.d7 1 0.h4 Elc8 l l .J.h3 hS 12.0-0-0 li.JeS
13.J.g5 ElcS 14.'it>b1 bS 15.Eihe1 aS 16.£4
ttl eg4 17.e5
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21
Elx£7 1 9.e6 would have been even stronger.
The black position is in ruins, and White is
winning an exchange as well.
1 8 ... exf6
1 8 . . . ibxf6 is a slight improvement, although
after 1 9 .ibxf7t Elx£7 20.e6 my position would
still have been miserable.
19.e6
1 9 .ibxf7t! was simpler still. The text is not
bad, just more complicated.
19 ... axh3
h
17 ... a4?
Played with a woefully superficial
understanding of what was going on, I believed
that 1 8.exf6 exf6 was going to happen and I
was going to be fine. As it turns out, White has
not just one powerful reply (as discovered by
Thomas) , but a second even stronger one.
The correct way to play was 17 . . . b4!, as seen in
the following game, in which the players both
somehow managed to play the best moves
according to the computer all the way to the
end: 1 8.tt'la4 ibxa4 1 9.exf6 exf6 20.ibxa4
fxg5 2 1 .hxg5 Eld5 22.Ele4 '1Wb6 23.Ji.b3 Elxd4
24.Elxd4 ibxd4 25.'1Wxd4 '1Wxd4 26.Elxd4 Eld8
27. 'it> cl 'it> g7 28.'it>d2 f6 29.ibe6 fxg5 30.ibxg4
hxg4 3 l .fxg5 Elf8 32.Elxg4 Elf5 33.Elg3 Elc5
34.c3 bxc3t 35.bxc3 \t>£7 Yz-Y2 Kazoks Muschalek, corr. 2002.
1 8.J.xf6!
Thomas had seen deeper in his preparation.
Surprisingly White takes with the bishop as
the pawn has more possibilities.
Nowadays computers point out that 1 8 .ibxf7t!
20.e7?
But here even Thomas falls for forcing
thinking. White had a brilliant zwischenzug
in 20.tt'lxb3!!, after which the three threats of
tt'lxc5 , exd7 and e7 ensure that he will still win
a rook.
20 ... bxc2t?
In my turn, I fail to understand where
my chances lie, a bit like Burnett did in our
first game. I should have played 20 . . . bxa2t!
2 l .ctJxa2 '1Wa8 22.exf8='1Wt ibxf8 when Black
has counterplay on the queenside and the
position is not clear at all.
2 1 .ttlxc2 �b6 22.�xd6!
Jacob Aagaard
22
Thomas does
zwischenzug.
not
miss
this
second
22 JWxd6 23Jhd6
This endgame is pretty one-sided.
of confidence. If you don't believe in your
own abilities, you are less likely to trust your
evaluation of the position and consequently
seek some sort of security outside yourself, such
as an extra pawn. Here is a typical example:
23 ... �c6 24.exf8=Wft �xfS 25J�d8
Jacob Aagaard- Vereslav Eingorn
••
8
7
6
Berlin 1 997
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c
d
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g
h
25 .. .Ek4 26.g3 <±>g7 27.� d5 �c5 28.b3 �xc2
29.<±>xc2 �fl 30.�ee8 �xeS 3 1 .�xe8 �xg3
32.<±>d3 g5 33.<±>e2 gxf4 34.�e7 �fl 35.a4
bxa4 36.bxa4 �c5 37.� d5 �d6 38.�d8 �e5
39.a5 � h2 40.<±>fl � g4t 4I .<±>g2
1-0
Grandmasters know that
a positional advantage is better than
a material advant age
In my experience amateurs are reluctant to
take extra material when they should, but have
a tendency to do so when they should not.
I think it is all about confidence. When you
are under pressure from a grandmaster, it can
be psychologically difficult to accept a pawn
or a piece on offer. Often amateurs choose to
take a worse position with material equality,
and subsequently get hammered. At the same
time amateurs have a tendency to cash in on a
positional advantage far too soon, instead of
maintaining the pressure. Again it is a matter
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So far I have outplayed a strong grandmaster
by playing really boring chess. As this is not
my default setting, I was getting nervous;
when would I make a mistake?
To ease the pressure, I decided to win a pawn
and thus threw away my winning chances.
32.�f3!
This move was a good one, but my intended
follow-up was not.
32.tLl 3c5!? was another choice, when Black is
under pressure. But maybe the experienced
grandmaster would hold the position, and
then I would have to find a way to live with
myself...
32 ...'.Wc4!?
I thought I had prevented this. There is a
good deal of forcing thinking about my play in
this game as well.
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
33.�xc4t?
Once my opponent's last move appeared on
the board, I only had eyes for the extra pawn. I
did not even realize that the black king would
make it all the way to d5 .
Had it been the 20 1 1 me that was White here, I
would hope that I would have found: 33.�d 1 !
ctJ c3 34.�d8 �c8 35 .�d2 �c4 36.ctJ 7c5
33 ... bxc4 34 ..td5t .tf7 35 ..txf7t �xf7
36.CLld6t �e6 37.CLlxc4 �d5 38.CLl cd2
23
my inexperience kicked in; thinking I still had
the advantage (due to my extra pawn) I tried to
win the position and took unjustified chances.
Ten moves later I had to play an only move to
save the game, something I was neither ready
for nor able to do.
38 ... e4! 39.f3 f5 40.CLld4 g6 41 .�fl CLl b5!
42.CLlxb5 axb5 43.fxe4t fxe4 44.�g3 �e5
45.ctJ b3 CLl c3 46.CLl d4 h6 47.h3 �d5 48.�£4
�c4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
49.ctJ c6?
After this Black is winning. It was essential
to play 49.ctJ e6! � b3 50.lt:Jd4t � xa3 5 1 .ctJ c6!
when the endgame is still sharp, but should
end in a draw (in one of many possible ways) .
49 ... g5t! 50.�f5 �d3 5 1 .�g6 �xe3
52.�xh6 �f4 53.g3t �xg3 54.�xg5 e3
55.CLld4 �xh3!
Black should not allow the h-pawn to
become a factor. Eingorn is showing great
technique and I never got a second chance in
this game.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White has won a pawn, but his knights are
passive and his king totally out of play. I don't
think the position is really better for White
anymore, although he should not lose it. Now
56.�£4 e2 57.CLl c2 �g2 58.�e3 �fl
59.�d3 CLl d5 60.�d2 �f161 .CLlel CLl b6
0-1
Jacob Aagaard
24
In the next game White tries an interesting
gambit early on and Black initially responds
well. However, faced with inventive white
ideas, Black continuously chooses the wrong
track when it comes to deciding what material
to hang on to and what material to seek. This
factor alone decided the game.
Jacob Aagaard- Sandi Stojanovski
Copenhagen 20 1 0
l.c4
The English Opening? Basically this
tournament was a holiday for me and I j ust
wanted to have fun, so I decided to play some
openings I knew nothing about. Around that
time we were working on Mihail Marin's
Grandmaster Repertoire books on the English,
so I decided to give that a punt.
l. .. c5 2.g3 � c6 3.i.g2 g6 4.� c3 �g7 5.�8
e5
I reached this position sometime in the late
1 980s, when I gave up a pawn. This time I
decided on a slight improvement of the same
idea.
6.a3
Yes, I am definitely prepared to play b4,
given the chance.
6 ...a5
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
When I showed the game to a few friends
and picked up the d-pawn, my team-mate
from the Danish league, IM Torben S0rensen,
said "Yes! 7.d3 is definitely the most accurate
move here." I thought about this for a moment
and replied "You are most likely right", before
executing my move on the board to general
laughter.
7.d4!?
The idea is to exploit the d6-square and play
e2-e3 with a good game. My opponent reacts
strongly.
7 ... �xd4 8.�xd4 cxd4 9.�b5 d5! IO.c5!?
Ifl take on d5, Black has no problems.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
c
e
10 ...�£8!?
I really did not like this during the game,
and saw it as bad piece handling. But in fact
the position can take it if Black follows up
correctly.
I was expecting l O . . . ltJe7 l l . ttJ d6t � f8 with
unclear play.
l l . .bd5?!
Surprisingly this tempting move is a mistake.
l l .e3!
This was the most accurate move.
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Chapter 1 - Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
l l . . . id7!
Black has to show some respect at some
point. You can at times get away with moves
like 1 0 . . . if8!?, if you subsequently take your
development incredibly seriously.
l l . . .dxe3 ?! 1 2. ixe3 d4 is asking for trouble.
This is one of those cases where only pain is
associated with winning material.
.i �.t.�· �lll �'i'
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8
5
/.
2
/.----"
4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Here I believed everything was going great.
The game continuation seemed to vindicate
my opinion, but later I discovered that Black
had missed a good opportunity.
12 .. .'1We7?
Black defends the pawn, as expected. Both
of us missed the strongest continuation as a
result of forcing thinking, based on the notion
that Black has to protect £7.
Mter the correct 12 . . . mf8!! 1 3. ixf7 rJ1g7 Black
is simply better.
h
13.t2lxd4! exd4 14.Wa4t me7 (or 1 4 . . . id7
1 5 .Wxd4 f6 16. ixb7 and the queenside
pawns are fantastic) 15 . ixd4 f6 1 6.0-0
White has far too much compensation
for the piece. The computer's main line
continues 16 . . . mf7 1 7./"i:ad l Wc7 1 8 .c6
bxc6 1 9./"i:cl with a strong attack.
1 2.WI'b3 ixb5 1 3.Wxb5t Wl'd7 1 4.Wxd7t
mxd7 1 5 .exd4 exd4 1 6. ixd5 ixc5
The position is roughly equal.
1 I .. ..ixc5 12.WI'b3
25
13 ..ig5!?
I believed that everything was going
according to plan, but had failed to spot an
important detail in the event that Black
takes the bishop. You might criticize me for
expecting my opponent to be complicit to his
own demise, but he was! My chess might not
have been perfect, but my understanding of
psychology was.
The computer wants me to play 1 3 .h4, but the
general evaluation is not really different from
the game.
13 ... £6?
You cannot blame White for wanting to go
Jacob Aagaard
26
down the lines of the game, but you certainly
can blame Black for not seeking a deviation.
However, the reason for his play can be found
in the note to the 1 5th move.
At this point it was better to play 1 3 .. .'1Wxg5!. I
had expected to be winning after 14.lDc7t � f8
1 5 .lDxa8 'Wd8 1 6.i.xb7, but I had overlooked
a clever riposte:
8
7
6
5
4
3
the idea works. 1 9 . . . � xh6 (not 1 9 . . . � h8??
20.lDd5 'Wd6 2 1 .:1%xc5 'Wxc5 22.liJxf6 and
White wins) 20.'Wxg8 i.h3 2 1 .lDd5 'Wd6
22.b4 'Wf8 23 .'Wxf8t i.xf8 24.:1%fd l White has
real chances in the ending, but the game is far
from over.
�\-=!�. -""=--
2
1
a
�"""""--a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 6 . . . i.b4t! 1 7.axb4 i.xb7 1 8 .0-0 ha8
1 9 .bxa5 lD f6 with an unclear game.
14.i.d2 �f8 1 5.0-0
My opponent was thinking (dreaming)
about 1 5 .i.xg8 ? l'%xg8 1 6.i.h6t l'%g7, which he
was truly prepared to play. I can understand
why; his bishops are tremendous and White
is close to lost here. Obviously I noticed the
possibility, but never considered it seriously.
In fact the immediate 1 5 .:1%c l ! was a bit more
accurate, although the difference is not big.
15 @g7 16.:1%acl i.h3?
Another example of misevaluating material.
The idea behind White's last move was barely
hidden - except, it turns out, from Black.
.••
It was essential for him to prevent White's next
move with 1 6 . . . i.d7!, putting pressure on the
b5-knight. White is better here, but not greatly:
1 7.lDc7 :i%a7 1 8 .i.xg8 l'%xg8 1 9 .i.h6t This time
b
c
d
e
f
17J3xc5!
Deciding the game quickly.
g
h
17 .. :�xc5 1 8J3cl Y;¥f8 19.:i%c7t &iJe7 20.i.e6!
I like this move. The queen gets the e6square.
20 i.f5 2 I .i.xf5 gxf5 22.Y;¥e6 :ges 23.Eild6
@g6 24.:gxe7
Forcing mate, but of course everything wins.
1-0
•.•
I know that this was a complicated game
with various trick shots, but still the main
observation seems to ring true: Black defended
material that he should have let go, such as the
f7-pawn and the rook on a8 . He was hoping
that I would win the exchange by giving up
both my bishops and all my activity, and he did
not pay proper (any?) respect to the exchange
sacrifice on c5 . All of this adds up to losing in
24 moves after having the better position at
move 1 2.
27
Chapter 1 - Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
Grandmasters usually get an advantage
in the opening
Most grandmasters are diligent workers. And
most diligent workers in chess like to study the
opening - because of its concrete nature.
(I personally don't think the opening is the
most important part of chess to study, but
rather something you should only pay full
attention to when you have everything else
under control. But seeing as no one will ever
reach a level where the rest of their game is
under "control", the correct attitude towards
the study of the opening must be to increase
it as you improve. By the time you reach GM­
level, it should probably take up about 50% of
your study time, rather than the 95% which
most players stuck between 2500 and 2600
seem to think.)
In any case, we should think carefully about
our choice of openings, especially when facing
a well-prepared grandmaster. The following is
a good example of how sloppy preparation can
result in the amateur getting no chance to play
at all.
Sergei Tiviakov- Jacob Aagaard
Breda 1998
I .e4 c5 2.c!Llf3 c!Llc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.c!Llxd4 c!Llf6
5.c!Llc3 e5 6.c!Lldb5 d6 7 .ig5 a6 s.c!Lla3 b5
9.c!Lld5 .ie7 IO .ix£6 .ix£6 l l .c3 0-0 12.c!Llc2
.ig5 13.a4 bxa4 14J3xa4 a5 1 5 .ib5
I knew that Tiviakov played this and that
it had recently become fashionable. But for
some reason I did not make the connection
that the line recommended in my book on the
Sveshnikov Sicilian did not hold up to tighter
scrutiny. In this way I trundled along to the
abattoir. I could of course have researched the
line in advance, but I simply did not have the
discipline to do so. This lack of discipline is
probably the main reason it took me ten years
to make it from IM to GM.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
·-------/''""'--"'""
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 5 ... c!Lle7 16.c!Llcb4 .ie6
Later a clear path to equality was
demonstrated here: 1 6 . . . .ih3! 17.lLlxe7t Wixe7
1 8 .lLld5 Wib7 1 9.i.c4 ( 1 9 .c4 i.e6=) 1 9 . . . i.d7
20.:B:a2 � h8 2 1 .0-0 f5 22.exf5 i.xf5 23.lLle3
Wid? Yz-Yz Dominguez Perez - Leko, Yerevan
200 1 .
17.c!Llxe7t �xe7 1 8 .ic6 :B:ac8 19.:B:xa5 :B:xc6
20.c!Llxc6 �b7
This was all in my preparation, and meant to
be equal. But once I saw White's next move it
became obvious that I was lost.
•
•
•
•
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
28
Jacob Aagaard
2 1 .h4!
This zwischenzug comes with devastating
effect.
Previously the last word in theory was: 2 1. Wfxd6
E:d8 22.Wfc5 i.d2t 23. W fl (23. W e2?? Wfxb2
24.E:b5 Wfc2-+ Palau Viol - Moles Palleja,
Spain 1 993.) Now in Velasco - Ruiz, Spain
1995 , Black should have played 23 . . . Wfxb2!N
24.lt:Jxd8 i.f4 leading to an exciting draw:
8
7
6
5
4
3
i.a4 34.E:a8 i.c6 3 5 . W xb3 i.xa8 36.f3 i.c6
37.\t>b4 1 -0 Lecroq - Dzenis, corr. 1 999.
22.hxg5 Wfxe4t 23.�fl f6
An old game went 23 . . . i.b3 24.Wfc l f6,
Sutkus - Vaitonis, Lithuania 1978, but this had
not made it to the books or databases in 1 998.
After 25. W g1! fxg5 26.Wfxg5 Wfe1 t 27.\t>h2
Wfxf2 28 .:1'\ha1 White is close to winning.
24.E:a4 Wl'b7 25.Wfd3 i.f5!?
Trying to confuse the issue, but Tiviakov
keeps a cool head.
v- - - - - �···mm/
vnm.�-"""�/·=·/"
2
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
25 .g4! i.xg4! 26.Wfd5 ! and Black has a
perpetual check, but nothing more.
21...Wfxc6
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The following game shows White's idea:
2 l . . .i.f6 22.Wfxd6 E:c8
3 1 .Wl'xg7 Wfdl t 32.�h2 E:xf2 33.E:h6t �d5
34.Wl'b7t
At this point Julian Hodgson interrupted
the game (my 'thinking') by suggesting that I
simply resign instead of wasting my opponent's
time. His argument was so compelling that I
immediately complied.
1-0
It is worth pointing out that while I have lost
a few times like this as an amateur, I have won
Chapter 1 - Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
in the same way equally frequently as a titled
player. In any case, it is not only with this kind
of forced line that one can get into trouble. At
times it is also because we fail to anticipate a
dangerous positional idea from our opponent.
In the next game I chose a sideline against the
Sicilian. It is theoretically harmless, but my
opponent allowed a nice idea which should not
have been difficult to avoid, and once it was
unleashed Black's existence became difficult.
Jacob Aagaard- Alan Grant
Perth 2008
Alan is rated about 2200, but he is a clever and
resourceful player who has proven to be one of
my most troublesome opponents in Scottish
chess. I have drawn with him a number of
times, usually with me offering in a bad
position and Alan deciding not to go all in.
I.e4 c5 2.ctJf3 e6 3.h3 b6
This is universally recommended as the way
to go for Black.
4.d4 cx:d4 5.ctJxd4
much. Black should play his usual moves here,
with the exception of Alan's habitual . . . ltl c6.
s ....ih7?!
There is a bit of forcing thinking attributed
to this move. Black assumes that White is going
to defend his e-pawn, but I had something else
in mind. As a result Black ends up in a situation
where he should not have taken the material,
but instead fought for normal equality.
When I encountered this position I avoided
White's idea and equalized easily after
5 . . . a6! 6 . .ib2 Wlc7 7. id3 i b4t 8.c3 i e7
9.0-0 ltl f6 1 0.f4 d6= Williams - Aagaard,
Great Yarmouth 2007.
6.ctJ b5! .ixe4 7.ctJ lc3 .ih7 8.ctJd6t
A new move, but not an improvement. The
normal 8 . if4 ltl a6 9.Wid4! ttJ f6 l O . ttJ d6t
ixd6 l l . ixd6 gives White a small edge, as for
example in Wippermann - Fuchs, Germany
2005.
8 .ixd6 9.'Wxd6 ctJ e7!
I was hoping for a quick win after: 9 .. . tb f6
1 0. ia3 ttJ c6? l l . ttJ b5! l:l:c8
•..
a
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White has transposed into an Open Sicilian
with a minor change, which should not matter
29
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 2.'Wf8t!! l:l:xf8 1 3 . ttJ d6t r:j;; e7 1 4.ltlf5t r:j;; e s
1 5 . ttJ xg7# This is why I gave the check on d6
on move eight, but obviously I was dreaming.
IO ..id3 0-0 I I ..ia3 l:l:e8 12.0-0-0
Jacob Aagaard
30
14.�hel
White is now fully mobilized, and it is time
to start thinking about concrete measures.
14...i.a6?!
The objectively preferred option was to play
1 4 . . . lt:\ c6, but White can still claim a large
advantage after 1 5 .lLlb5 e5 1 6.f4! a6 1 7.tLlc3
d4 1 8.lLi e4 with a strong attack all over the
board.
White has great compensation for the pawn
and the position is practically difficult for
Black to play. This matters just as much as the
objective evaluation of the position. We are
liable to forget this human aspect of chess if
we spend too much time with computers.
1 5.i.xa6
I could also have played the combination
given on the next move, but I failed to spot the
preferable move order.
1 5 ... ltJxa6
12 ... ltJ c8?
A clear consequence of the practical
difficulties Black is facing. He had to find
1 2 . . . ltJ f5 ! with the point that 1 3 .i.xf5 is met
with 1 3 . . . '1Mrg5t 1 4.<j;Jb l '1Mfxf5 . White still has
strong compensation after 1 5 .f3, for example,
but the position definitely holds mutual
chances. I think I would still take White's side
on the basis that it would be harder to solve
Black's problems over the board, but obviously
it's 'game on!'
13."1Wg3
Now Black will find it hard to defend the
kingside against the combined pressure of the
queen and two bishops. Also the rooks will be
very active in the centre and the knight can
swing to the kingside quickly via e4 to g5 or f6
to complete the attacking team.
1 3 . . d5
Aimed against the knight's involvement.
However, the cost of not bringing any pieces
into play is starting to tell.
.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
20.l"i:e3! � g8 2 l .l"i:xd5 and the attack is
absolutely devastating. I did see the idea, but
wanted to play it on the next move.
16 ...'Wc7?
Losing without a fight.
1 6 . . . f6?! 1 7.lLlxd5! exd5 1 8 . ixf6 transposes to
the previous note.
Black could have offered more resistance
with 1 6 . . . lLl d6!, although White keeps a big
advantage after 1 7.lLlxd5 lLl f5 1 8 .'\Wg4 exd5
1 9.l"i:xe8t '\Wxe8 20.'\Wxf5 . Still this would have
enabled Black to fight on, something we will
talk about in a few moments.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
31
the middlegame and early endgame, he will
press on until there is no hope left. This is
partly because grandmasters are stubborn, a
quality which is invaluable in the hunt for the
title, and partly because they know that this
attitude brings result more often than their
amateur opponents expect. I have experienced
on many occasions that my opponents find it
almost ridiculous that I continue playing in a
"dead drawn" position, only to win the game
anyway. Sometimes after the game these same
opponents will try to convince me that the
position was indeed not worth playing on in,
in spite of the final result!
The following is just one out of many such
examples, where my opponent played really
well, but eventually was not rewarded for his
efforts because he somehow 'stopped going' at
some point.
Jacob Aagaard Paolo Tocco
-
Arco 2007
l .e4 e5 2.ctJf3 ctJ c6 3 ..th5 ctJge7 4.ctJ c3 g6
5.d4 exd4 6.ctJd5 ctJxd5 7.exd5 'Welt
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
17.£4
Suddenly the threat of CDxd5 is totally
winning.
17 ... d4 18.ctJd5 'Wds 19 ..txd4
1-0
Grandmasters keep on going
Probably the most important attribute for a
grandmaster is his tenacity. If he wants to win
a game, he will fight until there are only kings
left on the board. Even if he has a bad day and
spoils the advantage in the opening and fails
to make progress from his slight advantage in
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Grandmasters usually get an advantage in
the opening and this is no exception. Although
this was not part of my preparation, the game
has not strayed too far away from what I was
Jacob Aagaard
32
looking at in the morning. I instinctively knew
that the position was very good for me, but
was unable to calculate the simple refutation
accurately.
to prove that my slight edge was enough to
outplay him.
8 .ie2?
This throws all of the advantage away. White
is close to winning after 8 . @ fl !, when 8 .. ."Wc5
9.'1We2t l:iJe7 l O . .ig5 is terrible for Black, and
8 . . . tt'le5 9.'1Wxd4 ig7 1 0. if4 f6 l l .E!:el simply
wins a pawn. For some reason I did not have
the latter variation under control, despite it
being straightforward. So, what should have
been a 25-move win quickly went into muddy
waters.
•
8 1:iJb4 9.0-0 .ig7 10.a3 d3 l l .Axd3 �xd3
12 ..ig5?
Based on a tactical oversight, but we cannot
see everything.
.•.
12 ... £6?
Black also misses 1 2 . . . 1:fJxb2 1 3.E!:e l
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 3 . . . 0-0!!, when he would be better.
13.Y;Vxd3 0-0 14.d6!? Y;Vxd6 1 5.Y;Vxd6 cx:d6
The endgame is slightly favourable for
White because of the weak d-pawn. But
because my opponent cleverly keeps it on d7
instead of advancing it to d5, there is probably
not enough for a technical win. In general
my opponent did a good job of handling the
problems I tried to set for him, and was unable
a
b
c
b
c
d
e
d
e
f
g
h
f
g
h
16 ..if4 E!:e8 17.E!:fel <i>f7 1 8.E!:xe8 ci>xe8
19.E!:el t <i>f7 20. � d4 a6 21 .Axd6 .if8
22 ..ixf8 <i>xf8 23J�e3 b6 24.£3 E!:b8
25.<i>f2 .ib7 26.g4 13c8 27.13b3 b5 28.13d3
.id5 29.c3 .ic4 30.13d2 <i>f7 3 1 . � c2 ci>e7
32.tl:! e3 J.e6 33.<i>g3 13c5 34.h4 h6 35.f4
ci>es 36.13f2 f5 37.h5 gxh5 38.gxh5 <i>f7
39.<i>f3 13c8 40.13d2 <i>f6 4I.�d5t hd5t
42.13xd5 <i>e6
My opponent was understandably pleased
here. The worst dangers do indeed seem
to be over, but this does not mean that the
grandmaster will stop playing for a win.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
43.13e5t <i>f6 44.13d5 <i>e6 45.13d2 13g8
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
46J:!e2t cj{£6 47J:!el cj{f7 48J:'!e5 cj{£6
49.!'k5 cj{e6 50J:'!e5t cj{f6 5 1 .E:c5 cj{e6 52.a4
E:b8 53.E:e5t cj{f6 54.axb5 axb5 55.E:el
E:g8 56.E:al E:c8 57.E:gl cj{f7 58.E:dl cj{e6
59.E:d4 E:c4 60.cj{e3 E:c8 61 .E:dl E:g8
62.E:el E:g4 63.cj{f3t cj{f6 64.E:e5 E:h4
65.E:xb5 E:xh5 66.E:b6t cj{e7 67.cj{e3 d6
68.cj{d4 cj{e6 69.c4 E:hl 70.c5 E:dl t 71 .cj{e3
E:d5
33
75 ... cj{d4!
The only move to make a draw. The black
king is keeping his options open.
76.h3 cj{d3 77. cj{h4 cj{e4 78. cj{g3 cj{d3 79.b4
Here the unexplainable miracle happened.
Having played for many hours with his back
against the wall and solved all the problems
along the way, my opponent failed to make
his move within the available 30 seconds
and I won on time. By no means a deserved
win, but a full point on the score sheet all the
same.
1-0
Tocco declined my hand and said something
about my mother and ancient professions. I
asked the arbiter if this was entirely appropriate,
to which he said "You won the game, what
more do you want?" Quite right!
We were both growing tired and at this point
I somehow failed to play 72.c6!, which would
have j ustified my previous play and presented
Black with real problems, although he should
still be able to hold it with best play.
However, the game was not without a final
trick.
The final game of this chapter is a special case.
Played in the last round of the tournament,
my opponent was desperate for a draw, which
would secure him an IM norm. He approached
me before the game asking if i wanted a draw,
to which I declined. He then started reasoning,
which was totally out of order in my opinion
and deserving of one answer only: "I don't
care. "
72.E:xd6t E:xd6 73.cxd6 cj{xd6 74.cj{f3 cj{ds
75.cj{g3
However, once the game got underway, things
quickly went his way.
� '
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8
7 iffii
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
�
C.u.l
�
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Angelo Darnia- Jacob Aagaard
Arco 20 1 0
l .d4 d5 2.ttlf3 ttlf6 3.c4 e6 4.ttl c3 c6 s .J.g5
h6 6.J.xf6 '1Wxf6 7.'1Wb3 a5 8.e4 dxe4 9.ttlxe4
'\W£4 IO.J.d3 J.h4t 1 1 .cj{e2 f5!? 12.ttlg3
J.e7 13.E:hel a4 14.'1Wc3 0-0 1 5 .cj{f1 '!Wc7
16.c5 b6 17.b4 axb3
Jacob Aagaard
34
yet. If nothing else, it is clear that Black has
made major progress in the last ten moves!
� m
�
W%�
W%� �-- -.%�:-�
7 �� •
.r.%<3.6 � ���
�
,
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�-···
s
b
a
d
c
f
e
g
h
Black's opening play has been provocative
and rather poor. I simply wanted the game to
become unbalanced.
18.cxb6?
White misses the chance to get a winning
attack with 1 8 .'1Wxb3 bxc5 1 9 .Ei:xe6!. The
main point behind this combination can be
found in the following pretty line: 1 9 . . . �xe6
20.'1Wxe6t <;t> hs 2 1 .tll xf5 �f6 22.ctJ e5 �xe5
23.ctJ e7!
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
-
-�
2
�
a
b
c
b
c
d
e
d
e
f
g
h
f
g
h
29.�e2 gS 30.CLlfl eS 3 1 .f3 �g6 32.CLle3
g4 33.fxg4 f4 34.CL:lf5 �gS 35.h3 hS 36.g3
hxg4 37.hxg4 �xg4 38.gxf4 exf4
For a moment he thought I was going to
take the knight, which of course would mean
an instant draw.
h
It is already time to resign.
18 .. .1.Wxb6 19.1.Wxb3 'Wxb3 20.axb3 Ei:xal
21 .:!':!xal cS 22 ..ic4 cxd4 23.ctJxd4 �f6
24.:!':!a8 .ixd4 25.:!':!xb8 �h7 26.:!':!a8 .icS
27 ..ia6 .id7 28.:!':!xf8 .ixf8
This endgame is of course entirely
unwinnable, but there is no reason to stop just
a
There is no hope left, in the sense that
the position cannot be won. However, it is
definitely still possible for White to lose it.
As my grandmaster friend Alex Baburin once
said: "Give them some rope, and they will
hang themselves."
Chapter 1
-
Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
An example of a potential losing strategy for
White would be to move his king away from
the path of the f-pawn. In such positions I
have noticed that many amateurs choose to
do something, rather than just keeping their
position together (as Tocco did so excellently
in the previous game) .
40.'itt d3
40.�b7! was a simple way to keep the
important squares under control.
40 ...ic5 41.tLld5 f3 42.'ifte4 f.2
Suddenly there is some hope of at least
creating some practical problems for the
opponent.
43.b4 ia7 44.ifl ic6 45.b5 ih7 46.'ifte5
'itt g4 47.b6 ih8t 48.lLl c7 'itt g3 49. 'iftd4 'itt h2
50. 'ifte3 'itt g l
�
7 -i�
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m
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6
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
5 1 .ic4?
White has played rather poorly and already
this is a losing mistake. He should have put the
bishop on e2 or d3, the plan of tt::l e6-g5-h3xf2
would have given him fair chances to save the
game.
5 I ...ig2 52.tLla6?
52.tt::l e6 �d5 ! 53.tt::l g5 �xc4 54.tt::l h3t i>fl
5 5 .tt::l xf2 �h2! wins in 74 moves according
35
to the tablebases, but was still a better try for
White - not least because I would only have
had 50 moves to win the position after taking
the b-pawn!
52 ...id6
52 . . . �fl would have won more quickly, but
there is nothing wrong with the move I played.
53.tLlc7 ifl
Apparently queening the pawn wins in 75
moves, but there is no reason to be absurd.
54.ie6
�
m � �
�
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��
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_ _ %� ,������
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45 ��������"'"'
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6
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1 m m �-*--%
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
By now I had achieved everything I could
have wished for in this ending and managed to
reach the winning position I was so desperately
seeking. But here the miracle happened to my
opponent. Not only was he terribly nervous
in this game, but I was too. Had I won the
game I would have taken first place in the
tournament. I did not care one bit for the prize
money, but it would have been my third time
winning the event, and I really, really wanted
the big trophy.
However, it was not to be and my nervous
system simply overloaded, as research has
shown can happen to athletes when the stakes
become too high. Obviously it is a ridiculous
comparison, but I felt a bit like a football
Jacob Aagaard
36
player stepping up for an important penalty
shootout. I simply lost control of my emotions
and abilities, and played a horrible move far
too quickly.
54 ....ixc7??
Moving the bishop, for instance with
54 . . . .ie2, would have won directly. The same
was the case with 54 . . . i.c5t 5 5 . � f4 i.xb6,
which eliminates all counterplay. The one
thing I should not do is give him a passed
pawn on the seventh rank.
55.bxc7 .ia6
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
56 . .ic4!
56.i.h3 i.c8! was of course my point, but
now it is j ust a draw.
56 .ixc4 57.c8=Wf fl=Wf 58.Wfg4t Wfg2
•..
1/2-lf2
To summarize, the following qualities are
generally what separate the grandmaster from
the amateur:
� Piece handling
� Forcing thinking
� Choosing between material and
positional advantages
� Opening knowledge in practice
� Fighting spirit
Thus, if you are an amateur who wishes to
progress in the direction of grandmaster level,
my recommendation would be to focus on
these five issues.
Peter Heine Nielsen
A Tale ofThree Stories
Peter Heine Nielsen
38
When playing lower-rated opponents I have
found that, broadly speaking, the game tends
to follow one of three main storylines.
The first and most obvious scenario involves
a relatively smooth win for the stronger player.
Typically he will obtain some advantage from
the opening (or comfortable equality if playing
with Black) , before increasing the pressure until
the opponent collapses, bringing the game to
its natural conclusion, at least as seen through
the eyes of the winner and most onlookers.
Quite often matters are more blurry. The
stronger player falls into a dangerous or even
outright losing position, but manages to
keep the game complicated enough to pose
his opponent practical problems, to which
he eventually succumbs. The grandmaster
breathes a sigh of relief and the amateur curses
his ineptitude and/or "bad luck".
The third and least common story is
similar to the second, except that this time
the amateur holds his nerve and succeeds in
putting his illustrious adversary to sleep. (Even
grandmasters are not immune from occasional
bouts of "bad luck".)
My own professional career has featured a
certain number of all these scenarios, and I
have chosen to show you one of each. We will
begin with an encounter with a then fourteen­
year-old Norwegian kid, who was making his
debut on Board 1 in the German Bundesliga.
(As a matter of fact all three of the selected
games occurred in the German league; this was
entirely coincidental and nothing to do with
any grander scheme.)
Peter Heine Nielsen- Magnus Carlsen
slight roadblocks in 2005 and it was not until
2006 that he broke the 2600 barrier. Casting
him in the role of amateur certainly stretches
the definition of the term, but despite his
phenomenal abilities he was still only a young
kid who had a number of holes in his game.
Meanwhile I was a seasoned grandmaster rated
over 2660, and playing with the white pieces I
considered myself the clear favourite.
Heading into this game I already knew Magnus
quite well, and had done a few training
sessions with him. My impression from that
time - of an enormously talented kid, who
isn't especially hard-working or well prepared
in the opening - still stands. Sadly, my positive
score against him most certainly does not!
When playing with the white pieces the
usual strategy, at least for a theoretician such
as myself, is to put maximal pressure on the
opponent as quickly as possible. Against
lower-rated opponents this approach used to
practically guarantee me a huge advantage,
but in recent years the ubiquity of databases
and analysis engines, coupled with a rise in
high-quality opening books (not least from
the publisher of these pages!), has enabled
many amateurs to raise their opening level
considerably. Nevertheless, despite the ever­
increasing competency of my opponents, my
policy with the white pieces remains the same:
it's serve and volley, maximum pressure and if
all goes to plan, putting the opponent away
quickly.
l.tiJf3
All this talk of maximum pressure in the
opening, and then this modest first move!
What gives?
Bundesliga 2005
By the time of this game Magnus's rating had
already shot up to 258 1 , although he hit a few
I admit that the idea of playing 1 .e4 and going
for mate is not without appeal. I have taken this
approach plenty of times, and indeed we will
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
see an example of this kind of chess in the third
and final game of the chapter. Nevertheless I
have more frequently favoured queen's pawn
openings, and have found that a healthy mix
of l .d4, l .CU f3 and l .c4 works well. Many
players have the basis of a decent repertoire,
but have failed to pay sufficient attention to
the subtleties of different move orders. When
preparing for a particular opponent, one of
my first objectives is to look for patterns of
inconsistency in that regard. With Magnus
being a Griinfeld devotee at the time, the
flexibility of my chosen first move made it an
appealing choice.
l ... l!J f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 .tg7 4..tg2 0-0 5.0-0
d5 6.cxd5 CUxd5 7. l!J c3 l!J c6 8.d4
So now we end up in a normal Griinfeld
position anyway.
8 ... l!J b6
8.d5? is impossible as 8 . . . .txc3t wins a pawn,
so White is forced to play 8.e3 leading to the
main line after both sides castle.
Mter giving due consideration to all this, I
nevertheless decided to stick with the line I
had prepared.
9 .. J!e8 IO.d5!?
Nowadays this line has been more or less
abandoned in favour of 1 O.l"i:e l , but at the
time my chosen move was considered critical.
IO ... l!Ja5 I I . l!J d4 .td7 12.e4 c6 13.2:el
cxd5 14.exd5
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9.e3
Transposing to the main line, although
nowadays 9 d5!? is all the rage. In a sense the
latter move is the more principled attempt
to exploit the opponent's chosen move order.
This point is best understood in light of the
traditional move order, in which Black delays
castling: l .d4 CUf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 .tg7 4 . .tg2 d5
5 . cxd5 CUxd5 6.CUf3 CU b6 7.CUc3 CUc6! Now
39
�Y-
// / / / /
b
c
�
d
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z._,,%
/,
e
f
g
h
14 ... 2:c8
Two months later in the British League,
Jonathan Rowson surprised me with a nice
idea:
1 4 . . . CU bc4!?
My failure to achieve any significant
advantage in this game serves as a reminder
not to make oneself into a sitting duck by
repeating the exact same opening lines, as
this makes the opponent's task of preparing
way too easy. In my defence I would add that
the event was the 4NCL where the pairings
are announced just an hour before the start
of play, but even so!
1 5 .b3
Peter Heine Nielsen
40
As the owner of a pair of bishops I continued
the fight for a while longer, but never got any
real winning chances and the game ended in a
draw. Apart from the theoretical significance
of Black's 1 5th move, the only exciting aspect
of this encounter was that it was the final game
to finish in the decisive match of the season.
Happily it was enough to secure a 4-4 draw
for my Wood Green colleagues, which was
enough for them to take the 4NCL title.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 5 . . . e5!
In a previous game Rowson had preferred
1 5 . . .'1Wb6, but after 1 6.l[ke2 .!D e5 1 7.h3
iWa6 1 8 . .ie3 .!Dd3 1 9.Ei:fl e5 20.dxe6 fxe6
2 I ..!D c l he failed to equalize and eventually
succumbed in Stefansson - Rowson, Calvia
(ol) 2004.
The text move was the Scottish grandmaster's
prepared improvement - or rather, as
Jonathan modestly admitted after the game
- Levon Aronian's! It turns out that the two
players debated this same opening variation
in the French League earlier the same year,
eventually drawing a tough game. Aronian
deviated a few moves earlier with the
mysterious-looking 1 3 Ei:b l !?, and revealed
after the game that he did so in order to
avoid the very move that Jonathan then
went on to use against me!
1 6.dxe6 .ixe6 1 7 . .!Dxe6 Ei:xe6 1 8 .\Wxd8t Ei:xd8
1 9.Ei:xe6 .ixc3 20 . .ig5 fxe6 2 I ..ixd8 .ixal
22.bxc4 .!D c6
1 5.i.f4
So far we had both played rather quickly,
but here Magnus sank into thought. When
you find yourself 'out of book' against a
higher-rated opponent, especially one who
still appears to be following his preparation,
I would recommend aiming for a safe move,
leading to a playable position and hopefully an
interesting battle.
Instead, spurred on by the optimism
of youth, the future world number one
audaciously tried to refute my setup outright!
(At least, in terms of striving for an advantage
with the white pieces.)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 5 ... � bc4�!
The normal moves were 1 5 . . . h6 and
1 5 . . . .!D ac4 1 6.b3 .!Dd6 1 7.iWd2 .!D a8!? intending
to activate the queen on a5 or b6. All this I was
ready for, but after the game continuation I
had to start thinking on my own.
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
16.b3 lD b2!?
A highly imaginative move, which made
me wonder if the boy sitting opposite me was
not only ignorant, but also a genius. Although
the evidence of this game alone would not be
enough to reach a clear verdict, one can hardly
deny that time has shown the latter to be an
entirely appropriate description.
Alternatively 16 . . . 1Mi'b6 1 7.lt:lce2 lt:l d6
1 8 .1Mi'd2 is pleasant for white, as the black
knight is curiously a lot more severely
misplaced on a5 than a8!
17.1Mi'd2 ttl ac4! 18.bxc4 lDxc4 19.'1Wd3 lD b2
Now the point of Black's play becomes clear.
He intends to continue harassing my queen,
who will have to keep d4 and c3 protected, and
so at first it looks like the game is destined to
end in a draw by move repetition. But after a
long think, I managed to find a flaw in his idea.
41
25 ...i.xd4
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
26.d6t
After this move Black actually has a narrow
route to a draw; see the note to his 29th
move for details. With this in mind, 26.i.c7!
seems more accurate. My main line continues
26 . . . Ei:xc7 27.d6t Ei:c4!? 28 .i.d5t <j;>g7 29.i.xc4
lt:lxc4 30.1Mi'xc4 e5 3 1 .Ei:ad l and White keeps
some advantage, the main plan being to return
the exchange by taking on d4 at some point.
26 e6
26 . . . <j;>g7? loses to 27.1Mi'xb2 when either
capture on c3 is met by the crushing 28 .i.e5 t.
•.•
27.lD d5!
21 ...f5 22.1Mi'd3 lD b2 23.'1Wd2 lD c4 24.\Mrdl !
ttlb2 25.1Mi'b3!
Having forced a weakening of the a2-g8
diagonal, the queen leaves the d4-knight to
its fate in order to take up a menacing post
opposite the enemy king.
Peter Heine Nielsen
42
27 ...i.a4!
An early sign of what a great defender
Magnus Carlsen has become. The text move
forces me into a concrete tactical fight, whereas
less energetic alternatives would have enabled
me to strengthen my attack at will.
28.'Wxb7
28 .�b4!?
This move is also dangerous, but again Black
can hold with precise defence.
28 . . . hf2t! 29.'it?h l i.xe l 30J'!xe l
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
33.i.h5t 'it?g8 34.i.xe8 i.xe8 35 .E:e7 if7
36.�f6 �f8 37.d7 E:c6 38 .�xf7t �xf7
39.d8=�t+-) 33.i.xg4 i.c6 34.i.f3 lt:l c4
(34 . . . i.xd5 ? 35 .i.xd5 exd5 36.�xd5t 'it?g7
37.E:e6!!+-) 3 5 .i.h6 e5 36.�xc4 �xd6
37.i.g5t
3 1 . . .E:c4! is the simplest way to hold:
32.�xb2 gxf4 33.lt:lf6t 'it?f7 34.�e2 'it?xf6
35 .�xc4 �a5 36.E:b l i.c6 37.i.xc6 bxc6
38.�xf4=
32.i.f3!
An important move, bringing the bishop
into the attack and also opening the g-file.
From here Black has several drawing
options, but some are more demanding than
others . . .
h
30 . . . g5 !!
Neither 30 ... lt:l d3?! 3 l .�xa4 lDxe l 32.d7±
nor 30 .. J''k2 3 l .�d4 �a5 32J::!: e 5!± can
satisfy Black.
3 l .�d4
3 l .�xb2 gxf4 also leads to a draw, for
instance: 32.�e5 (or 32.i.f3 �xd6 33.gxf4
e5 34.fxe5 �e6 3 5 . lt:l f6t 'it?h8 36.lt:lxe8
E:c2 37.�xb7 �h6 38 .�g7t �xg7
39.lt:lxg7 lff xg7 40.E:b l :B:xa2 4 1 .E:b7t 'it?g6
42.E:xa7=) 32 . . . 'it?f7 (32 . . . i.c6 33.gxf4 lff f7
34.i.f3 hd5 3 5 .i.xd5 exd5 36.�xd5t 'it?f6
37.�d4t lff f7 38 .�d5 t=) 33.�xf4 (33.i.f3 ?
exd5 34.i.h5t 'it?g8 35 .�xd5t lff g7 36.i.xe8
i.xe8 37.�xb7t 'it?f8-+) 33 . . . i.c6 34.�h6
exd5 35 .�xh7t=
3 l . . . gxf4!?
Not the most efficient route to a draw, but
the most interesting one to analyse!
3 l . . .'it?f7?! is worse: 32.!£3! g4 (32 . . . exd5?
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
32 . . . i.d l !
The most effective, and certainly the most
elegant defence.
32 . . . e5?! makes things a bit more difficult:
33.E:xe5 E:xe5 34.�xe5 i.c6! 35.'it?gl 'it?f8!!
Not an easy only move to find. White has
many options here, but he lacks sufficient
firepower to get more than a perpetual.
For example: 36.�h8t lff f7 37.i.h5t 'it?e6
38.lDxf4t lff xd6 39 .�d4t 'it?e7 40.�e5t
'it?d7 4 l .�d4t 'it?e7=
32 . . . lt:l d3!? is a good alternative: 33.lt:lf6t
�xf6!? (33 . . . 'it?f7 34.i.h5t 'it?f8 3 5 . lt:l d7t
'it?g8 36.lDf6t 'it?f8=) 34.�xf6 lt:lxe l 3 5 . ih5
E:f8 (35 . . .i.c6t 36.1ff g l lt:l f3t 37.'it?f2 fxg3t
38.hxg3 E:f8 39.�xe6t lff g7 40.�e7t 'it?h6
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
4 Li.xf3 i.xf3 42.'tt> xf3;!;) 36.�xe6t � g7
37.�xe l 00
After Black's cheeky bishop move, the game
quickly ends in a forced perpetual:
43
which attacks both d3 and e6, was winning.
However, it turns out that Black has a clever
defence: 3 1 . . .i.xf2t 32. � h l o:lD c5 ! Protecting
e6 with tempo, and narrowly holding Black's
position together. 33.�d6!? i.xe l 34.Ei:xe l
'tt> f7 ! The final important move, giving extra
protection to e6, and attacking e7. By this stage
White has to start thinking about securing the
draw, and 35 .�d4! seems like the best way to
ensure that.
30 ..ie3!
Shielding f2 and challenging Black's control
over the a l -h8 diagonal.
I thought my chosen continuation was
completely crushing, but it turns out that
Black has a defence.
30 . . . i.xe3? 3 1 .Eixe3 Ei:bS 32.�c7! wins
instantly, as the black knight is hanging and
there is no good defence to �c3t.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
28 ... tLl d3 29.o:l2J e7t 'tt> h 8?
The decisive mistake.
Surprisingly 29 . . . Eixe7! would have enabled
Black to draw: 30.dxe7 �e8! 3 l .�a6!? During
the game we both thought that this move,
30 ... i.xa l ! ? is possible, but after 3 1 .Eixal Ei:b8
32.�a6! i.b5 33 .�a3 White protects the d6pawn and keeps a huge advantage.
30 . . . i.c3 3 l .Ei:ad 1 ! ctJxe 1 32.d7! reaches a fun
position; despite being temporarily a rook up
with dl also hanging, Black is totally lost.
44
Peter Heine Nielsen
3 1 .�a6!
This move has been an important theme in
a few variations, and here it decides the game.
31 ... lll xel
3 l . . . ctJ b2 32.Wxc4! ctJxc4 33.�xd4t e5
34.Elxe5 also wins quickly for White.
32.�xc4 ixal!?
Knowing I'm a sucker for cheap tricks,
Magnus attempts a final role of the dice.
The following game is a case in point. My
opponent is a regular player for the Hamburg
team, and a typical gifted amateur who
has decided to put his priorities elsewhere,
including as a successful poker player. Such
players often lack the time to prepare their
openings in great detail, but make up for it
with good over-the-board skills.
Dirk Sebastian- Peter Heine Nielsen
Bundesliga 20 10
l .e4 c5!?
Some extremists might consider this
move a mandatory choice against lower­
rated opposition, but generally with the
black pieces I am happy to obtain a playable
position with chances to outplay my opponent
later. Once again, specific preparation is an
important part of the process, involving the
search for weaknesses and inconsistencies in
the opponent's opening repertoire. Sebastian
seemed to have a penchant for offbeat Sicilians,
so I decided this would be a promising
battleground for me.
33 ... e5 34.�e6!
A nice touch to finish the game. As the long
diagonal is now blocked, there is no good
defence against Wf6t or Wxe5t mating, so
Magnus resigned.
1-0
Obviously things do not always go as smoothly
as in the above game. One of the most
important skills for any successful player is the
ability to remain competitive in unfavourable
situations, and score a decent number of points
from the games we should 'rightfully' lose.
2.lll f3 lll c6!?
I normally play . . . d6-based Sicilians, but
having discovered that my opponent generally
favoured anti-Sicilians with an early i c4, I
decided to leave the d-pawn at home in order
to retain the option of playing . . . d5 in one
move. I did not give much thought to what
I might do against 3.d4, as he almost never
played that way.
3.lll c3 g6 4.ic4
As expected.
4 ...ig7 5.0-0 e6 6.Elel
After the game, two of my 2700-rated
teammates pointed out that 6.d4!? actually
renders my chosen move order slightly
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
dubious, which seems like a correct evaluation.
Dirk commented that, as a regular participant
in late-night poker sessions, the Bundesliga
schedule involving a 1 0:00 a.m. start on a
Sunday was not exactly conducive to him
finding precise moves in the opening.
45
14 cxd4 15.CLlg3 d5 16.b5 'iff1c7 17.J\b3
..•
6 CLlge7 7.d3 0-0 8.a3 d6 9.J\d2 h6 IO.Eibl
b6 I I .J\a2 J\b7
..•
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
The opening phase has passed, and at this
stage I have got exactly what I was hoping for: a
perfectly sound position, with rich possibilities
to outplay my opponent. The lack of symmetry
is an important part of the equation, which
is why the Sicilian is considered such a good
choice when playing for a win with the black
pieces. The only caveat is that some sharp lines
have been analysed out to a forced draw, but
fortunately no one has written a book about
that yet.
12.b4 Elc8
1 2 . . . .:!Ll d4! would have been a bit more
accurate, for the reason explained in the
following note.
13.CLle2 CLl d4 14 . .:!Llfxd4
I had been cursing myself for glVlng my
opponent the chance to play 1 4 . .:!Ll exd4 which
looked more natural to me. I'll use the 1 0:00
a.m. excuse again.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
17 Eifd8?!
This was the moment where I started to drift,
while operating under the assumption that
everything was going well and my position
was already advantageous. Technically this is
true, as White's position lacks harmony and
his bishop on b3 is almost dead. Nevertheless
I had failed to appreciate that the position also
contains huge strategic dangers for Black.
••.
1 7 . . . dxe4 1 8 .dxe4 a6!? would have been a more
effective way of challenging the white position.
Even though the diagonal for the bishop on b3
has been opened, the effect is mostly optical. It
is hard for White to find a constructive plan,
and he is likely to come under pressure on the
queenside. Play might continue 1 9 .a4 Vfi c5
20.Vfie2 axb5 2 1 .axb5 Ei:a8!? intending . . . CLJ c8
with a good position for Black.
18.'iff1 e2 'iff1d7?!
1 8 . . . e5 did not really tempt me, as despite
Black's proud centre, he is somewhat stuck
for a reasonable plan. Furthermore the bishop
on b3 has woken up, which means White can
start thinking about f4.
Once again 1 8 . . . dxe4! was the right idea. Mter
1 9.dxe4 Black can even consider 1 9 . . . a6!? with
Peter Heine Nielsen
46
the point that 20.bxa6 d3! gives Black excellent
prospects.
19.a4 �h7?
A strategic blunder. This was the last chance
for 1 9 . . dxe4.
.
on my part to imagine that the rook would
be able to sacrifice itself on g2 just four moves
from now, but I played the move with this very
intention in mind. "Bishop to f8, knight to f5
and it doesn't look so bad" was pretty much
the way I saw it. A cold, objective assessment
might have favoured other moves, but would
hardly have helped me to win the game. At
times like this, a mixture of ignorance and
(over) confidence is the way forward!
21 .'i:Vg4!?
Technically not a bad move, but one
which gave me hope. Quieter play, perhaps
starting with 2 l .ib4, would have left me in a
depressing position with virtually no attacking
chances.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
20.e5!
It was only now that the sad truth dawned
upon me: positionally the game is already
over! The d4-pawn is chronically weak and
I have almost no active ideas to improve my
position. Objectively there is no doubt that
Black is clearly worse, although in view of our
respective ratings I still considered myself the
overall favourite.
Interestingly, a similar structure occurred in the
famous game Spassky - Kasparov, Reykjavik
1 988. In that encounter the white pawn was
unable to advance to e5, but Spassky was
nevertheless able to exert unpleasant pressure
against the d4-pawn, and after 1 9 moves
a draw was agreed. The legend has it that
Kasparov had already turned down one early
draw, so when Spassky offered for the second
time he added "If you don't take it this time,
then I will have to beat you!"
20 .. .:1:l:g8!?
It required a certain amount of optimism
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
22.lthf5?
If not plainly bad, this is at least a huge
practical mistake. Now my previous moves
start to make sense and my pieces spring to
life, for a price of only one pawn.
More pragmatic choices would have been
22.ib4 and 22.Wff4, both of which leave Black
in a dubious position with few prospects.
22 .. gxf5 23.Wfxd4 .i£8 24.h3?
.
Chapter 2 -
A
Tale of Three Stories
Preventing . . . Eig4, but White cannot afford
the time for this.
24.g3! was the right way to defend the kingside.
True, White takes a certain risk by opening the
long diagonal, but this is vastly preferable to
allowing . . . Eixg2 motifs, which turn out to be
more than mere optimism on my part. The
game might continue 24 . . . Eig6 25 .�e3 d4
26.�e2 when White keeps the better chances.
47
this harsh reality, I started looking for ways
to strengthen my position and hit upon the
text move. The idea is obvious: there is a good
chance that White will move his queen at some
point, and when that happens I will now be
ready to play . . . d4 followed by a quick . . . �b7.
Overall this is not a bad thought, and in
some ways it provides quite a useful example
of a practical, results-oriented approach to a
dubious position. However it turns out that
there was an immediate breakthrough - I just
failed to calculate it properly.
24 . . . Eixg2t? was my first intention, but
unfortunately White can repel the attack
with 25.cj;>xg2 Elc4 26.�b2! d4t 27. @ fl �d5
28.Eie4! winning instantly.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
The story of the game so far is not atypical.
From time to time grandmasters do get
outplayed by supposedly weaker opponents,
but very often they manage to turn the game
around. One of the key qualities that separates
higher-rated players from those beneath
them is the ability to seize a game-changing
opportunity when it arises. In the present
game I have already sacrificed one pawn, and
my instincts told me that this was the moment
to take resolute action. After investing quite
some time calculating the various options, I
came up with a surprising idea.
24 .ia8?!!
What can I say about this move? Well, I
spent most of my time looking at sacrificial
options - more about these in a moment - but
despite my best efforts, I was unable to make
the attack work. Having resigned myself to
.••
However, Black can win by switching the order
of the two rook moves:
24 . . . Eic4!
This could have led to a spectacular victory;
it is hard to believe that this is all happening
just four moves after Black first found
himself strategically busted.
25 .�b2
25 . .ixc4 Elxg2t! 26. @ fl .ic5 is instantly
crushing.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
25 . . . d4!
Best, although 25 . . . �d8 and 25 . . . Eih4 are
good enough too.
26 . .ixc4 Elxg2t 27. @ fl
48
Peter Heine Nielsen
worry. The immediate . . . l'!xg2 still does not
work, so for the time being everything is in
order for White.
On the bright side for Black, the g-file is still
open, so I decided to carry on pretending that
this offered compensation.
25 l'!g6 26.£3 h5 27.g4!?
A bold yet not at all bad reaction. It also
served as a sharp reminder that I was not the
only one trying to win this game.
. .•
b
a
c
d
e
f
g
h
27 . . . �d8!!
The queen calmly prepares to join the action
on the kingside. There is no defence, for
instance:
28 .�e2 l'!xf2t! 29. � d l l'!xd2t 30. � xd2 �g5t
3 l . � d l j,f3t 32.l'!e2 �g2
With a winning attack.
It's always a sad feeling when you realize you've
missed the opportunity to win in such grand
style. Still, we should not lose sight of the fact
that the most important thing is to win in
the end! When it comes to the rating list or
tournament prize chart, an ugly win is just as
valuable as a beautiful one.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
27 hxg4 28.hxg4 fxg4 29.l'!e2!?
29.fxg4 i c5 30.�f4 d4 offers Black decent
compensation.
..•
29 g3
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
•••
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
30.�g2!
White continues to play well, taking full
advantage of the shelter offered by the g3pawn.
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
25.�fl!
A good defensive move. Since the capture
on g2 will no longer come with check, the
aforementioned . . . l'!c4 idea is no longer a
30 ...�e7 3 1 .Y«f4 �g7 32.l'!hl l'!g8 33J!:!:h6
�f8 34J':!:h7
34.l'!xg6! scared me more, and rightly so. The
problem is that 34 . . . l'!xg6 35 .�d4! prevents
. . . j,g5 , and it is hard to see how Black can
meet the threat of l'!e l -h l . If he tries 35 . . . j,c5
then 36.�h4! only makes things worse.
34 ...�g5
49
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
37.a5??
A losing blunder, completely overlooking
the threat I created with the previous move.
During the game 37. ixe7 1Mfxe7 38.a5 was
worrying me a great deal. However, the
computer points out that 38 . . . iWg5 ! intending
. . . l:!h6 gives Black enough counterplay.
37.c3! is strongest, when it remains to be seen
if the bishop on a8 will ever see the light of
day.
35.ih4t
35 .iWb4t!? would have forced me to make a
tough psychological decision:
37 ... ixh4 38.iWxb4 d4!
Played instantly, as though the fact that
Black was winning was the most natural thing
in the world.
a) 35 . . . me8 is legal, but after 36 ixg5 l:!xg5 37
d4 the bishop on a8 must give up all hope of a
fruitful existence.
39J�hl
b) The sounder move would have been 3 5 . . . ie7,
begging for a repetition. Though it was not
an ideal result for me, in the circumstances
it would have been the lesser evil and I was
intending to settle for it if need be.
As it turned out, it never became an issue
because my opponent quite j ustifiably wanted
more than a draw.
35 .. .'�e8 36JWd4 ie7
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
39 .. .'!Wds!
A key move. The main idea is that after
sacrificing on f3 and playing . . . g2, the resource
of . . . l:!f6t! will enable me to weave a mating
net around the white king.
40.Wfc4 ixf3t
40 . . . iWg5 !? would have been even quicker
as the black king escapes to g7, but the move
played is perfectly sufficient.
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Peter Heine Nielsen
50
S.CLlc3 a6 6.i.c4 e6 7.i.b3 CLl bd7 8.Wfe2?!
I will insist on saying that this system strikes
me as illogical, although as we will see, it is
certainly not without venom. White wants to
develop as quickly as possible, and sacrifice
something before Black has consolidated.
4I .�xf3 g2 42.Wfc6t �f8
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
43.�xg2
There is no choice, as otherwise . . . E!:f6t
would lead to mate. The rest is easy.
43 ... �xg2 44.Wfd6t Wfxd6 45.exd6 �e8
46.axb6 axb6 47.�a1 �d7
0-1
This was not an error-free game, to put it
mildly, but a win is a win!
Fortunately the third scenario is the least
common. This is when everything works well
for the amateur, and the master is severely
punished for his overly ambitious play.
Stephan Berndt- Peter Heine Nielsen
Bundesliga 2006
Berndt is another talented German IM who
has decided to focus most of his attention
elsewhere, but he remains a regular player
in the Bundesliga. During my preparation
I noticed his fondness for a particular line
against the Najdorf, and decided it would give
me excellent chances to play for a win with the
black pieces.
l .e4 cS 2.CLlf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.CLlxd4 CLlf6
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8 b5
With hindsight, the safer 8 . . . lt:lc5!? would
have been a more sensible choice, but my
intention was to refute my opponent's concept
outright.
..•
9.i.g5 i.b7 10.0-0-0 �c8
One of White's ideas is that 1 O . . . b4 can be
met by l l .lt:l d5 ! with a huge attack.
1 1 .�he1
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
l l ..J'!:xc3!?
Played with the unwavering confidence of
one who believes his opponent has violated
the most basic principles of the Sicilian. At
this point I noticed that Sergei Movsesian,
one of my team-mates, had taken an interest
in my game. Six years previously, as a 2650+
grandmaster in his early twenties, Sergei was
defeated by Kasparov after allowing a similar
exchange sacrifice in a different Najdorf
vanauon. Kasparov subsequently wrote
in New in Chess that allowing the sacrifice
demonstrated a lack of chess culture.
When I glanced up towards Sergei, he gave
an acknowledging smile.
12.hxc3 'WaS
1 2 . . . '1Wc7 1 3 .ii.d5 !? ( 1 3 .f3!? is also decent)
1 3 . . . lt:Jxd5 1 4.exd5 e5 1 5 .f4! gives White a
huge attack.
1 2 . . . '\WcS!? has the point that 1 3 .ii.d5 ?! exd5
14.exd5t md8 1 5 .'!We8 is not mate. Instead
White should prefer 1 3 .f3! when his chances
are higher.
13.£3
51
helped by 1 5 . . . dxe4 in view of 1 6.fxe4 when
ctJxe6 ideas are in the air.
1 3 . . . ii.e7 looks sane and logical, but after
1 4.mb l ! Black is somewhat stuck for a move
as 1 4 . . . 0-0 runs into 1 5 .ctJxe6!.
14.'We3 hxc3 1 5.@b l !
Simple and strong. As . . . 'Wa3 n o longer
comes with check, my direct attack has
evaporated and I have to start thinking about
long-term compensation for the exchange.
This would not be at all unrealistic, if only
there were such a thing as long-term in this
position! What matters here is direct attacking
play, and unfortunately for me, only one side
has any such prospects.
1 5 ....ie7
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
16.CLlf5!
Launching the attack before Black can finish
developing. Berndt's choice is logical and also
brave, showing no respect to the more than
200-point rating gap. There is no sensible way
to decline the offer, so I am forced to unleash
the potential energy of the white pieces.
16 ... exf5 17.exf5 CLl e5
Another forced reply.
Peter Heine Nielsen
52
1 8.£4 tDc6 19 ..ixf6 gxf6 20J�d5
threats, only to find that my queen was about
to be trapped!
23 ... tD e5
A horrible move to play, but what else could
I do?
24.fxe5 dxe5 25.%Vc7 .ixd5
Alternatives are utterly hopeless. The text
leads to a rapid demise, although at least it
forces White to find one more clever idea.
26.%Vc8t! �g7
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
20 ...%Vb4?
20 . . . '\Wc? was a much better fighting chance.
Even though White remains better after
2 1 .'1Wxc3, it is the kind of position one often
manages to turn around. Mter the text it is
definitely not the case, as Berndt demonstrates
with a series of excellent attacking moves.
21 .a3! %Vxa3 22.%Vxc3 �f8?
22 . . . '\Wb4!? was the last chance, with some
moderate survival chances.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
23.:!'l:e4!
Quite a blow. There I was, feeling a hint of
relief at having stopped his immediate mating
The above game deservedly won the
Bundesliga Game of the Year award, and one
might wonder why I decided to select it for
this chapter. The answer is in the following
point, which remains true for me despite the
painful reversal suffered here. This is exactly
how the professional wants the amateur to play
against them!
From my perspective - as a long-time chess
professional with a rating in the high 2600s
- when I face a strong amateur around the
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
level of the two German IMs featured in this
chapter, my biggest fear is that they will find a
way to force a draw with a prepared opening
line. I will jump through hoops, changing my
openings and doing whatever I can to prevent
this from happening, but it isn't always easy. If,
on the other hand, the amateur comes to the
board ready for a fight and aiming to beat me,
I welcome the challenge. If the result doesn't
go my way then hats off, and indeed Stephan
Berndt deserves full credit for beating me in a
manner of which any grandmaster would have
been proud.
Nevertheless, I still think this is the right
approach for the higher-rated player. The
53
amateur gets his chances, but the master
prevails more often than not. The stronger
player should not be afraid to take calculated
risks, and should remain confident that his
superior abilities will make the difference in
complex, even slightly dodgy positions.
Let me end by highlighting the success that
this combative approach has brought me. In
the five-and-a-half years that have elapsed
since the above defeat, I have not lost a single
game to a player rated below 2500 (although
the Sebastian game had me worried for a
while!), and this is the primary reason for my
rise in rating which even brought me up to the
magical 2700 level for a brief period in 20 1 0.
Pavel Eljanov
From Amateur
to 270 0
56
Pavel Eljanov
No chess Grandmasters, even those ranked
among the greatest of all time, ever carried
the hallmark of glory and fame from birth;
there was nothing predetermined about
their subsequent success. Of course, Mother
Nature has endowed us all with various
gifts and abilities. Some of us are born with
a fine auditory sense, others benefit from a
phenomenal memory (which, incidentally,
is by no means the least thing a chess player
would choose to have!) , while certain
individuals possess a particular trait or set of
traits that are conducive to succeeding at chess.
And yet, even for attaining the rank of a
'mere' Grandmaster with a rating of around
2500 - let alone the level of a world-class player
- chess talent alone is wholly insufficient. All
Grandmasters (not j ust those with the "super-"
prefix) have travelled a long road of diligent
study and practice. The most capable learners,
such as Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin,
have obtained the Grandmaster title within
seven or eight years of first learning the game
(Magnus achieved it at the age of thirteen,
Sergei at twelve) , which might sound like
a long time to a non-chess-player, but is as anyone who has played the game for any
length of time can testifY - extraordinarily fast.
however; my best result was second place in
the 2000 Ukrainian Under- 1 8 Championship,
half a year before I obtained the GM title. To
tell you the truth, I never ranked all that highly
in Ukrainian chess. In the finals for various age
groups of the Ukrainian Youth Championships
I was never an outsider (I generally finished
in the top half of the table) , but the podium
was always occupied by players who were
objectively stronger than me.
As regards my chess style, I was not especially
remarkable in this area either - I played closed
openings and was always prepared to go into
an ending. A fact which no doubt left its stamp
on my game was that my childhood coaches
were players who openly leaned towards
positional chess; I am speaking of both my
father and Anatoly Astrakhantsev, a player of
Master standard and an excellent pedagogue.
I consider that my main chess talent - the
one I possessed to a greater degree than rivals
of my age who stood out as tacticians - was my
quick assimilation of typical chess patterns, my
easy absorption of the basic plans for playing
with various pawn structures and so forth. All
these things can be placed under the heading of
a player's general chess culture, the underlying
force which shapes our chess philosophy.
As for the writer of these lines, I needed
approximately twelve years to do it. (Having
taken my first steps at the age of five, I became
a Grandmaster at seventeen.) I was born
into a chess-playing family. My father is an
International Master who today is a well­
known publisher of chess books in Russian.
My mother too can play the game; I would
estimate her strength to be in the region of
1 800.
At the start of my career I displayed quite
good abilities - I had little trouble beating
players of my own age in the local chess club
in my home town. Any great successes in
children's chess or junior chess eluded me,
I am inclined to think that superior chess
education, compounded by experience in play,
is what constitutes the chief advantage that
professionals have over amateurs. Permit me to
quote an extract from Garry Kasparov's best­
selling book How Life Imitates Chess:
''A Grandmaster stores thousands
of patterns and fragments of chess
information in his memory - and is
constantly drawing on practical play to
add to this store (although the fact that
he can recall large numbers of games
and positions doesn't at all mean that the
recalling of names, dates and so forth is
Chapter 3
-
From Amateur to 2700
any the easier for him) . Adriaan de Groot
elegantly illustrated this 'chess memory'
factor by his researches of 1 944. In the
hope of uncovering the secrets of high­
level chess, he carried out a test with
players of various standards, ranging from
former champions to beginners. He asked
them to memorize a number of positions
from actual games, and then computed
the accuracy with which they reproduced
these positions from their heads. Among
the Grandmasters, the success rate was as
high as 92%. With the Masters the figure
was 72%, and with the average players a
mere 5 1 o/o."
"Another investigation, undertaken
in 1 973 by the American psychologists
William Chase and Herbert Simon,
helped towards a deeper understanding
of this phenomenon. They repeated
de Groot's experiment, but with one
important addition - namely a second
set of positions in which the pieces were
placed on the board at random, without
any chess rationale. Just as with de Groot,
the strong players were better than the rest
at reproducing the positions taken from
games. And yet when recollecting the
artificial positions, players of various levels
achieved roughly the same results. When
unable to rely on familiar patterns (which
the psychologists call 'perceptual chunks') ,
the masters evinced n o heightened power
of recall!"
Thanks to my first mentors, then, I was quite
an educated player from childhood onwards.
But as we know, there are always two sides to
a coin . . .
Here i s one o f my first encounters against
an opponent of Grandmaster standard. (Artur
was still an IM at the time, but he received the
higher title shortly afterwards.) At the time of
the game my own rating was 2 1 90.
57
Pavel Eljanov Artur Kogan
-
Krynica 1997
I.tlJf3 c5 2.c4 h6
Not the best method of reaching a Hedgehog
structure. On his next move or the one after,
White could and should have played e2-e4,
seizing the centre at once.
3.tlJc3 .ib7 4.d4 cxd4 5.tlJxd4 ttJf6
6 ..ig5
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
A playable but sub-optimal reply which
was mainly dictated by psychological
considerations. In my childhood I liked to set
up a spiny hedgehog formation when playing
with Black, but was less than comfortable on
the opposite side of the board and suffered
some unpleasant experiences when my
opponents managed to execute a thematic
freeing break with . . . b5 or . . . d5.
Although the Hedgehog can arise in different
forms, some of which work better than
others, my general verdict about the resulting
positions is as follows. Objectively White's
extra space in the centre should normally
enable him to claim a small advantage, but in
order to demonstrate his ascendancy he will
require exceptional skill as well as experience
in handling these positions.
58
Pavel Eljanov
With the benefit of time, experience and
detailed study of the Hedgehog's subtleties, I
lost my fear of chis prickly animal. In 2005
I succeeded in winning a good game against
Grandmaster Kudrin in a World Cup rapid
tie-break. The continuation was:
6.f3! d6 7.e4
Leading to a version of a Hedgehog
middlegame which favours White.
7 . . . e6 8 . .ie3 .ie7 9 . .ie2 0-0 1 0.0-0 a6 l l .'Wd2
'Wc7 1 2.:B:acl tt:l bd7
Black to hold the position, as demonstrated
in the following game:
a
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 3.a3! :B:ac8 1 4.b4!
Quite a modern way of playing the
variation; White is preparing to attack on
the queenside.
1 4 . . . W b8 1 5 .:B:fd l :B:fe8
White is always ready to meet 1 5 . . . tt:l e5 with
1 6. tt:l a4! .
I f 1 5 . . . .id8 then 1 6 . tt:l b3 .i c7 1 7. i f4 tt:l e5
1 8 . ixe5 dxe5 1 9.c5± maintains an edge for
White.
1 6. � h l
Perhaps a slightly more accurate continuation
would have been: 1 6. tt:l b3!? .idS 17 . .if4
tt:l e5 1 8 . .ixe5 dxe5 1 9 .c5 bxc5 20. tt:l xc5±
1 6 . . . .id8!
A standard transfer of the bishop to a more
aggressive position.
1 7. tt:l b3 .ic7 1 8 . .if4 tt:l e5 ?
An inaccuracy, condemning Black to a
miserable defence.
The superior 1 8 . . . d5! would have enabled
b
c
b
c
d
e
d
e
f
g
h
f
g
h
1 9.ixc7 :B:xc7 20.cxd5 exd5 2 1 .exd5 tt:l xd5
22. tt:l xd5 .ixd5 23.'Wxd5 :B:xe2 24.'Wd6
(24. tt:l d4 :B:d2!=) 24 . . . :B:xc l 25 .'Wxb8t tt:l xb8
26. tt:l xc l :B:e8 27. � gl � f8 28. � £2. :B:c8
29. tt:l e2 � e7 30. � e3 tt:l d7 3 1 . tt:l f4 tt:l f6
32.h4 g6 33.g4 h6 34.g5 hxg5 3 5 .hxg5 tt:l d7
36. tt:l d5t � e6 37. tt:l f4t � e7 38. tt:l d5t �e6
39. tt:l f4t � e7 40. tt:l d5t Yz-Yz Dolezal - S.
Kovacevic, Valencia 2009.
19 . .ixe5 ! dxe5 20.c5! :B:ed8 2 1 .'We3 b5 22.a4
bxa4 23. tt:l xa4
a
23 . . . :B:d4
Desperation, but in fairness it must be said
that Black's position was already barely
defensible, for instance:
23 . . . .ic6 24.:B:xd8t :B:xd8 25. tt:l b6±
23 . . . .ixe4 24.fxe4 'Wxb4 25. tt:l b6 :B:xd l t
26.:B:xd l :B:b8 27. tt:l d2±
Chapter 3
-
59
From Amateur to 2700
24. lt'l xd4 exd4 25. '\W g1 e5 26.c6 �a8 27. �xa6
E!:e8 28.b5 '\W a7 29. '\W fl Ei:b8 30.b6 E'i:xb6
3 l .ctJxb6 �xb6 32. '\W b5 h6 33. '\Wxb6 '\Wxb6
34.c7
1-0 Eljanov - Kudrin, Khanty-Mansiysk
( 1 .3 - rapid) 2005.
10 ... liJa6 1 1 .liJd2 .ib4 12.a3 .ixd2t 13.'1Wxd2
ltJc5 14.E!:d1
7.ctJxe4 �xe4 8.e3
Again it was better to seize the centre with
8.f3 �b7 9.e4±, but I was determined to avoid
any position resembling a normal Hedgehog!
8 ... f6 9.�h4 e5 10.liJb3
Here 1 0.�d3!?, forcing a bishop exchange,
was an interesting attempt: 1 0 . . . �b4t
( 1 0 . . . �xg2? l l .iWh5t; 1 0 . . . �xd3 l l .iWxd3
lt'l c6 1 2.ctJc2±) 1 1 .mfl �xd3t 1 2 . '\Wxd3
lt'l c6 1 3 .ctJ e2 ( 1 3. lt'l f5 g6f!; 1 3 .ctJc2 �c5f±)
13 . . . 0-0. Strategically White's position looks
attractive, what with Black's weak light squares
and vulnerable d7 -pawn, but in view ofWhite's
poor development and piece coordination he
cannot count on an advantage.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
14 ... a5! 1 5 ..ie2
The forthright 1 5 .b4 also promises little
after 1 5 . . . lt'l b3! 1 6 . '\W c3 a4 1 7. �e2 0-0 1 8 .f3
( 1 8.0-0 '\Wc7) 1 8 . . . �g6 1 9 .0-0 '\W c7f! . In all
variations Black obtains sufficient counterplay
thanks to the weak pawn on c4.
15 ... a4 16.0-0 0-0 17.£4
Continuing to play according to scientific
principles: the side that holds the advantage of
the bishop pair should strive to open up the
game. The text move also has a negative side
as Black secures the e4-square for his exclusive
use. But in any case the position remains
dynamically balanced.
60
Pavel Eljanov
After 1 7.f3 i.f5 1 8 .e4 i.e6 1 9.i.f2 Vfi c7
20. V!i b4 (20. Vfi d6 Vfi b7 2 1 .i.xc5 bxc5 22. Vfixc5
Vfixb2) 20 . . . d6 2 1 .:9:d2 :9:fd8 22.:9:fd l Vfi c6
Black likewise defends successfully.
28.:9:d4 (or 28 .h4!?) when it is hard to suggest
any kind of winning attempt for Black.
Another perfectly playable solution to the
position would have been:
26.e4!?
17 JWe8 18.i.g3 i.c6 19.fxe5 CLJ e4 20JWe1
ctJxg3 21 .'1Wxg3 'l®'xe5 22.'1Wxe5 fxeS
•.
s
7
6
B
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a
- - r r=- - - -
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
23.i.g4
No doubt I believed that Black was the one
who should be worried about maintaining the
balance. Otherwise I would have exchanged
off the bishops, and in the ensuing utterly
equal rook endgame I would most likely have
held the draw. Thus: 23 .i.f3 i.xf3 (23 . . . e4?!
24.i.g4 :9:xfl t 25. W xfl;!;) 24.gxf3 :9:a7 25 .:9:d5
:9:c7 26.:9:xe5 :9:xc4 27.:9:f2=
fu the game goes, the ending is still equal,
and neither player can realistically hope to win
it without some active help from his opponent
- which is exactly what I proceeded to supply!
23 ... :9:a7 24.�f2 �xf2 2S.<i>xf2 <i>f726.<i>e2?!
Not a serious mistake, but the prelude to
one. This was a moment where I should have
thought about the different plans available,
before choosing between one of the following
two options.
White could have obtained a more
comfortable version of the position reached in
the game by means of 26.i.f3 e4 27.i.e2 :9:a5
b
a
d
c
e
f
g
h
I am quite certain that this move did not
even enter my head, since at that time my
head contained the deep-seated, stereotyped
notion that in an endgame it is imperative
to arrange your pawns on the opposite
colour of squares to your bishop. While this
principle is of course valid in certain types of
endgame, in the present case it not of great
significance. The pawn move has the benefit
of seizing some space while providing an
ideal home for the king on e3, while Black
lacks a method of breaking through. There
could follow:
26 . . .'i> e7
26 . . . i.xe4?! 27.i.xd7 W e7 28 .i.b5;!;
27. W e3 :9:a5 28 .i.e2 :9:c5 29.:9:c l d6
29 . . . b5 30J'k3=
30.h4! i.d7 3 1 .g3 :9:c8 32. lt> d2
�� ��-��-�
•
it� i
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Chapter 3
-
From Amateur to 2700
White has constructed an impregnable
defensive position and can simply mark
time. It is worth noting that he also possesses
an active plan in <;t> c3-b4, which will keep
Black on his toes.
32 . . . j,e6 33.j,d3 :!:'!g8
If 33 . . . <;t> d7 then 34.j,e2 <;t> c6 3 5 . <;t> c3 <;t> cs
36.:9:fl is equal.
34.j,e2
34.:!:'!h l is also fine.
34 . . . g5 35.hxg5 :!:'!xg5 36.:!:'!h l =
26 <;t>e7 27.if3 e4 28.ig4 :!:'!aS
3 0. . .b 5 3 l .cxb5 j,xb5 32.j,xb5 :B:xb5
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33 .:!:'!d4! :!:'!xb2t 34. <;t> fl d5! 3 5 .:B:xa4!
Better than 35.:B:xd5 :!:'!b3 36.1"1d4 :!:'!xa3
37.1"1xe4t <;t> d6+ when the position is still a
draw, but Black has some incentive to play
on.
35 . . . <;t> e6
35 . . . <;t> d6 36.1"1a7 <;t> c5 37.l:'!c7t! is safe for
White.
36.:B:a6t <;t> es 37.a4=
8
29.h4?
This is a much more serious error, which
incredibly takes White's game to the brink
of defeat! It is always hard to admit what you
did wrong, but on this occasion I should have
swallowed my pride and played:
29. <;t> f2
This would have been enough to hold the
position without too much trouble.
Note that 29. <;t> d2? would be a mistake
as 29 . . . :B:g5 30.j,h3 b5! leads to a similar
scenario to that which occurs in the game.
29 . . . :B:c5 30.j,e2
30.:!:'!d4 is also good enough, for instance:
30 . . . b5 3 1 .cxb5 :!:'!xb5 32.:B:b4! :!:'!c5
(32 . . . :9:xb4 33.axb4 <;t> d6 34. <;t> e i <;t> ds
3 5 .j,e2) 33.j,d l =
61
76
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29 :!:'!c5 30J:�d4 h5!
I had completely misevaluated this move,
due to the same faulty thought process as
described in the note to White's 26th move.
Once again I was relying on my stereotyped
knowledge which told me that the pawn was
moving to an "incorrect" square, while failing
to take into account the more pertinent fact
•..
62
Pavel Eljanov
that my bishop would be driven to a horrible
location where it fails to contribute anything
positive.
3 1 .i.h3 h5! 32.cxh5 .txhst 33.�dl
Equally uninspiring is 33. � d2 d5 34.:8b4
� d6 35 .b3 id3 36.:8xa4 !::l c 2t 37. � d l !::l en=.
33 ... d5
Note that almost all of Black's pawns are
on the same-coloured squares as his bishop,
and as it happens, the move . . . g7-g6 would
also improve his position if he had time for
it. Despite this supposedly "anti-positional"
setup, a far more relevant feature of the
position is the difference in activity berween
the respective pieces. Is there any competent
player who could look at this position and
suggest that it is truly Black who has the "bad"
bishop?
On that note, I must stress that the presence
of rooks plays a vital role. Black's bishop is
a great piece, but only insofar as it supports
the piece which is poised to do real damage
to White's position, i.e. the rook. If White
could magically make the rooks vanish from
the board, then he would, at the very least, be
in no danger.
The only chance to save the game would have
been:
34.:8b4!
A waiting move which hints at a possible
activation of the rook on the b-file, should
Black move his bishop away. There might
follow:
34 . . . � d6
34 . . . � f6 should be met by 35.g4! g6
(35 . . . hxg4 36. ixg4 id3 37.:8b6t � e7
38.!::l b 7t=) 36.g5t (not 36. � e l ? � e5
37. � f2 !::l c 2t 38. � g3 hxg4 39. ixg4 ifl
-+ ) 36 . . . � e5 when Black is better, but the
advanced position of the g-pawn gives White
realistic hopes of counterplay.
3 5 . i f5 � e5 36.ig6 ic4 37.ixh5 ib3t
38. � e l !::l c l t 39. � f2 !::l c2t 40. � g3 !::l xb2+
White's position is dearly worse, but not yet
hopeless.
34 ... �f6 35.i.h7
This time White cannot save the game by
admitting his mistake with 3 5 . i h3. Black
simply replies with 35 . . . � e5, with rwo extra
tempos over the previous note, which is
enough to change the evaluation from dearly
better to winning.
35 ... ic4 36J�d2 i.h3t 37. �el :Sci t 38. �f2
63
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
Highlighting the fact that White's bishop
has fittingly been trapped in a cage made up
of Black's "anti-positional" pawns on light
squares. 38 . . . g6! would have been an even
more thematic way of clinching the victory.
rated 2749 and Black 26 1 7 at the time of the
game) I consider it a most instructive example
which expands on the topic being discussed.
39.g4 hxg4 40.h5
The bishop survives, but White has been
forced to give up a pawn while his position
remains rotten. The rest is easy for Kogan.
Dagomys 20 10
4o ... @gs 4L@g3 !!f8 42.!!fl !!f3t 43.!!xf3
gxf3 44 ..ig6 @f6 45 ..ie8 @e5 46 ..ih5 d4
47.exd4t @xd4 48.@fl .id5 49 ..ixa4 e3t
0-1
It is clear that my eventual demise in this game
was largely the result of my stereotyped thinking
and blind adherence to general principles, and
my failure to give due consideration to the
specific features of the position. Although
grandmasters are generally less prone than
amateurs to such errors, they are by no means
immune from them. We are not robots and
cannot constantly function without reference
to certain precepts and guidelines which have
become established over the long history of
our game. Indeed, a thorough knowledge of
typical chess principles is a fundamental part
of one's chess culture, without which one
could scarcely hope to succeed.
However trite it may sound, there are exceptions
to every rule. Indeed, if these exceptions did
not exist then chess would cease to be such an
interesting and profound game. When dealing
with this subject - specifically with regard to
the placing of pawns on the same-coloured
squares as one's bishop in the endgame - I
cannot help but recall the following example,
in which a strong grandmaster quickly
collapsed after his opponent employed this
very strategy. Although the game does not fit
directly with the title of the book (White was
Wang Yue Ildar Khairullin
-
This game had an important bearing on
the outcome of the Russian League, and I
witnessed the events first-hand. The Chinese
Grandmaster Wang Yue, my colleague in the
"Economist" (Saratov) squad, was facing a
strong young Grandmaster in the St Petersburg
team.
In the following position Black is doing
well. He has no weaknesses, his pieces are
harmoniously placed and his pawns are
arranged in accordance with well-established
principles. Meanwhile White is faced
with certain problems connected with his
overextended queenside pawns. All of this
makes it all the more fascinating to observe how
Black's position descended from promising to
losing within a mere four (!) moves . . .
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
35.h5!
Objectively speaking this move should not
really be any stronger than 35 .a5 bxa5 36.bxa5
e5+ when the evaluation is similar: White
stands worse, but he should be able to hold the
position with careful play. But seen within the
64
Pavel Eljanov
context of the match and overall tournament
situations, maintaining the tension was clearly
the right policy. Now Black must make an
important decision.
35 ...i.c8
Ildar decides to open up the game, giving his
bishop some space in which to operate. The
idea is correct, but it was better to implement
it on the kingside. In that case White would
have had to work hard for a draw, finding 'only
moves' on more than one occasion.
The best move was:
35 . . . ie8!
Planning either ... f5 to undermine the
h5-pawn, or . . . g6 to activate the bishop.
There is no way of knowing, but it is
possible that Black's adherence to another
standard principle - avoiding the creation of
additional pawn islands in one's position caused him to dismiss or underestimate the
second of the aforementioned ideas.
36. � d4!
White's problems are more severe after
36. if3 g6!, with two possibilities:
a) 37.hxg6 ixg6 38. t2J e4 (38 . t2J b3 i c2
39. t2J d4 ixa4 40. t2J c6t W d7 4 1 . tt:l xa7
ixb5+) 38 . . . t2J c4t 39. W d4 ttJ b2 40. t2J c3
ic2+
b) 37. W d3 gxh5 38.gxh5 ttJ f5 39. t2J e4 ttJ h4
40. t2J g3 ttJ xf3 4 l .exf3 f5 42. � d4 W d6
43. � c4 and if White holds out, it will only
be through a miracle.
36 . . . f5 37. if3 fxg4 38. ixg4 ttJ f5 t 39. � e5D
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39 . . . ttJ g3!?
39 ... t2J e3 40. ixe6 ixh5 4 l . t2J c4 t2J xc4 t
42. ixc4=
40. t2J b3 ixh5
40 . . . ttJ xh5 4 l . t2J d4 is fine for White.
4 L ixh5 ttJ xh5 42. ttJ d4
White's activity is sufficient to equalize, for
instance:
b
a
c
d
e
f
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h
42 . . . t2J g3 43. tD xe6 g6 44. ttJ d4 h5 45.e4 h4
46.f5 gxf5 47.exf5 h3 48.f6t W f7 49. tD f3=
8
7
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5
4
3
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b
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36.i.f3 eS 37.f5!
Putting another pawn on a light square. This
decision is justified by the gaining of space,
shielding of the g4-pawn, and restriction of
the enemy pieces, most notably the bishop.
37 �d8?
This is certainly not a losing move - the stock
.•.
65
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
of resilience in Black's position is too great for
that - but it was an inconsistent decision.
There was no reason at all to reject the move he
had been planning: 37 . . . a6! 38.bxa6 (38 .i,c6?
axb5 39.axb5 i, d?+) 38 . . . i,xa6 39. i, d5 @ d?
b
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It follows that Black could have held the game
by making any sensible move that does not
alter the pawn structure, for instance: 38 . . . i, d7
39.ctJ c4 'it> c7 40.ctJxd6 @ xd6 4 l . 'it> c4 i,c8
42.i,c6 Allowing a clever defence, but ifWhite
does not put his bishop here, then he will
never manage to achieve a zugzwang against
the enemy bishop.
h
Black retains a perfectly safe position
and indeed it is White who should take the
opportunity to force a draw while he has the
chance. This could be achieved by means of
40.a5 ! bxa5 4 l .ctJ b3 ctJ c4t 42.i,xc4 i,xc4
43. ctJ xa5 i,d5 44. 'it> d3 when White is in time
to rescue the knight, leaving a completely
drawn endgame.
s
variations (including the game continuation) ,
having the pawn on a7 instead of a6 makes the
difference between Black drawing and losing.
g
"
h
38.Wd3 a6?
Black completely overlooks his opponent's
one and only idea, which is to exchange
knights and try to bring about zugzwang.
The text move is a serious error, as in certain
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
42 . . . i,a6! Now we see why Black needed to
leave his pawn on a7 instead of a6! White's
only remaining attempt is 43.bxa6 'it> xc6
44.e4, but after 44 . . . 'it> d6 4 5 . 'it> b5 @ c? there
is no breakthrough.
66
Pavel Eljanov
It is only after this move that Black's position
becomes outright lost.
39 . . . lt'l xc4? leads to the same situation after
40. rJi xc4 rJi c7 4 L ic6! rJi d6 42. rJi d3 ( 42. rJi b4
is also good enough) transposing to the
position reached after White's 4 1 st move in
the game.
Black's final attempt at holding the position
consisted of: 39 . . . e4t! 40. ixe4 lt:lxe4 4 l . rJixe4
axb5 42.axb5 id7 43. lt'l d6 rJi e7 44. rJi d5
rJi d8
b
a
d
c
f
e
g
h
4I...e4t
If instead 4 l . . .axb5 42.axb5 ia6 43. rJi c4
i c8 44.e3 ia6 45.bxa6 'kt> xc6 46. rJi b4, the
pawn ending this time is hopeless for Black.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
The importance of the pawn on e2 is
revealed in the following variation: 4 1 . . . rJi c5
42. i> c3 a5 (42 . . . rJi d6 43. rJi c4 e4 44.e3 'kt> e5
4 5 . i> c3+-) In this position White can only
win by utilizing both free tempos with the
e-pawn.
The endgame looks depressing for Black,
but it is not clear if White can make progress
without exchanging the b-pawns. In the
event of an endgame with four versus three
on the kingside, I will not venture to make
a firm diagnosis, but I would risk suggesting
that Black's chances of drawing are greater
than White's of winning. The fixing of the
pawn structure works in Black's favour in this
instance.
a
40.c!Llxd6 <it>xd6 4I .i.c6!
Setting up a zugzwang situation based on
the poor enemy bishop, which finds itself
completely stifled. It is worth mentioning
that White's ultimate success also relies on the
modest e2-pawn which affords him up to two
spare tempos. Doesn't this speak in favour of
l .d4 being the best first move?
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
43.e3! (43 .e4? rJi d6 44. rJi c4 rJi c7 45. 'kt> d5
id7=) 43 . . . rJi d6 (43 . . . e4 44. rJi b3 rJi d6 45. rJi c4
rJi e7 46. rJi d5+-) 44. rJi c4 rJi c7 45. i> d5 id7
46. ixd7 'kt> xd7 47.e4!+-
42.<it>c4 e3 43.<it>d4 a5 44.<it>d3!
Avoiding the final pitfall of 44. 'kt> xe3 ? rJi c5
when the position should be a draw.
Chapter 3
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
-
From Amateur to 2700
h
44 ... �c5 45.�c3 .ia6 46.bxa6 �xc6 47.�c4
1-0
What was it that caused such a solid
Grandmaster, who loses extremely rarely, to
collapse so quickly in what should have been
a perfectly harmless position? The game had
proceeded in an orderly fashion, and to my
knowledge there was no time trouble.
Although, as the Russian saying has it,
the soul of another person is shrouded in
darkness, I will hazard a conjecture. I think
the reason why Black missed the winning
idea based on zugzwang lay in his opponent's
unconventional play which deviated from the
generally accepted rules for bishop endgames.
Such endgames are usually won by creating
weaknesses in the opponent's camp (which
was impossible for White here) , by a pawn
breakthrough (also impossible) , or by fixing
the opponent's pawns - not one's own - on the
same-coloured squares as his bishop. Black's
knowledge of these rules did something to
distort his perceptions, so that his sense of
danger was not triggered when it was needed.
As for Wang Yue, it might seem that he was
simply lucky, as winning such
against a strong grandmaster
impossible. While I agree that
grandmaster benefitted from
an endgame
is well-nigh
the Chinese
an element
67
of good fortune, it would be wrong not to
acknowledge the skill and fine judgement
he displayed in making those unorthodox
decisions which led to his opponent's collapse.
Determination and fighting spirit are
essential qualities for chess players of all
levels. It is a given that any successful player
- let alone a grandmaster rated over 2700
- will possess those attributes in spades.
Nevertheless, there are certain outstanding
individuals who are fighters through to the
marrow of their bones; players who, no matter
how drawn, unfavourable or lost the position
might appear to be, will doggedly seek out
every possible opportunity for a successful
outcome. Like a boxer who fights back after
being floored, they are ready time and again to
stand up and continue the quest for their own
knockout punch. Wang Yue is one of those
players to whom this description applies. In
spite of some fairly obvious chess defects, his
competitive qualities ensure him a place in the
cohort of the world's strongest players.
My View on the O p ening, as a
Grandmaster and Former Amateur
Not many grandmasters remain true to the
openings of their childhood. Few people
today know or remember that in his early
years Vladimir Kramnik constantly played the
Dutch Defence and the Sveshnikov Variation
of the Sicilian; or that Viswanathan Anand
and Boris Gelfand were adherents of the King's
Indian Defence; or that Peter Leko used to
play the Griinfeld and defend the Sicilian in
the Rauzer Variation. However banal it may
sound, we all change over time. Our opinions,
attitudes and tastes alter from one stage in our
lives to another, and it isn't at all surprising
that this phenomenon should extend to our
favourite game.
When I was a child, my father tried to impart
to me a taste for his own favourite openings:
68
Pavel Eljanov
the Griinfeld Defence and the Sicilian Paulsen.
As far as the latter was concerned, he and I
were destined for an utter disappointment. The
complicated strategic positions, in which Black
always has to keep his hand on his pulse and
react to an attack on his king with a counter­
attack in the centre and on the queenside, did
not suit me at all.
As to the Griinfeld, my results here were far
better. I played it from my earliest years right
up until 2008. In the Dresden Olympiad I was
defeated by Onischuk in a complex struggle.
For us, the Ukrainian team, this was the
decisive match. We were in contention for first
or second place, but after suffering a dismal
3Yz-Yz defeat we missed out on the medals
entirely and finished fourth. I have not played
the Griinfeld ever since.
With reference to the highest levels of
competition, why is it that such interesting
and double-edged openings as, for instance,
the King's Indian Defence, the Dutch and the
Benko Gambit, have now almost gone out
of use, with players of elite status employing
them only sporadically?
There is a widely-held opinion that the
elite caste is playing too solidly as a result of
being welcomed into elite tournaments with
high appearance money and prizes. Being
materially secure, these players are said to lack
the motivation to study double-edged and
risky schemes. I can scarcely agree with this
view of the matter. On the contrary, chess in
the last few years has become more combative
than ever before. Many organizers of leading
tournaments have taken to enforcing the
"Sofia'' rules. A few have even taken the more
radical step of implementing the 'football'
scoring system whereby a win scores three
points and a draw scores one, which offers
considerable motivation to play for a win.
I believe that the true explanation is
something entirely different. The world's
leading players have devoted thousands of
hours of analysis and practice to a variety of
opening lines, resulting in the accumulation
of vast amounts of knowledge and experience.
It seems to me that the rejection of certain
openings in favour of others is most likely a
reflection of their objective merits. This in no
way signifies that such a perennially popular
opening as the King's Indian is incorrect.
No - the point is rather that in this opening
Black shoulders quite a large strategic risk.
White will almost always obtain a tangible
spatial advantage, which drastically increases
the price of a mistake on Black's side. The
slightest hesitant step, and Black risks ending
up in a positional straitjacket. At the same
time, in skilled hands, the King's Indian can
be a powerful weapon; players possessing
tactical ingenuity and sangfroid can achieve
great success with it. An example is Teimour
Radjabov, the sole representative of the chess
elite who remains faithful to this opening.
I now invite my readers to immerse themselves
in the complexities of two openings that are
diametrically opposed in their conception and
philosophy: the Slav and King's Indian defences.
In both cases, I have deliberately focused
on set-ups that are not the most popular, so
as to avoid being drawn into an excessive
number of exhaustively analysed theoretical
lines which can sometimes lead deep into the
endgame. At the same time, the fundamental
characteristics and typical plans associated with
the two main openings are fully present in the
sub-variations I have chosen.
Pavel Eljanov - Mikheil Kekelidze
Saint Vincent 2005
I was rated 2639 at the time of the game, and
my opponent was 2473, so he might be classed
as a high-level amateur, depending on one's
point of view.
69
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
l .d4 d5 V\tjf3 etJf6 3.c4 c6 4.etJ c3 dxc4 5.a4
i.f5 6.etJe5 etJa6!?
Quite a rare variation, but certainly one
that has a right to exist. Vladimir Kramnik
used it three times not so long ago (albeit in
rapid and blitz games) , and this fact alone says
something for it! White already has to make a
decision: should he move his e-pawn a single
square, or should he go for a more ambitious
central expansion?
8 ... e5!
a) Allowing a queen exchange on d1 is
generally bad for White, and this position is
no exception: 9.lLlxe5 lLlxe5 1 0.dxe5 '\Wxd 1 t
1 1 .lLlxd 1 lLl b4 1 2.lLle3 ie6 1 3 .id2 0-0-o:::;::
Black has at least enough compensation for the
pawn, and may well be able to fight for the
advantage.
7.e3
The right choice! From analysing the more
aggressive line, I realized that it thoroughly
deserved to be rated as dubious:
7.f3?!
According to my analysis White is risking
more than Black here.
7 . . . lLld7 8.lLlxc4
White has to play this way if he is to stand any
chance of fighting for the initiative.
8.lLlxd7 is toothless: 8 . . . ixd7 9.e4 e5! 1 0.ixc4
( l O.dxe5 ie6) 1 0 ... exd4 1 1 .'1Wxd4 lLlb4
1 2.<;t>e2 ( 1 2.'1We5t ie6 1 3.0-0 '\Wf6+; 1 2.0-0
lLlc2 1 3 .'1We5t '1We7 14.'\Wxe?t ixe7 1 5 .Elb 1
0-0 Thanks to White's queenside weaknesses,
Black's position should be preferred.) 1 2 . . .'1We7
1 3.Elb 1 ie6 14. ixe6 '1Wxe6 1 5 .Eld1 ie7
(White is given distinct problems by 1 5 . . . c5!
1 6.'1Wf2 ie7+) 1 6.b3 a5 1 7.if4 0-0= Hillarp
Persson - Hector, Malmo 2007.
b) 9.e4
This move is the main line, but I don't see
how White can equalize!
9 . . . exd4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 0.exf5
1 0.'1Wxd4? lLl b4 is an utterly forlorn prospect
for White:
i) 1 1 .'1Wd1 ie6 1 2. i e2 ic5 1 3 .if4 ixc4
1 4.ixc4 '1Wf6 1 5 .ig3 0-0-0+ Black has
70
Pavel Eljanov
a strong attack, to which White will most
likely succumb.
ii) 1 l .ctJ e3 looks like the best attempt,
although Black keeps a clear advantage here
too: 1 1 . . .�e6 1 2.�c4 tt'l c5 1 3 .\MfxdSt 2"1xd8
1 4.me2
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superior pawn structure.
1 2 . . . <;t> fs 1 3 .tt'lxb7? \Mfb6!
The knight is trapped!
1 4.bxc3
1 4.\Mfxa6 cxb2 is no good for White.
1 4 . . . tt'l c7
1 4 . . . 2"\eS! was even stronger.
1 5 .\Mfd3 Wfxb7
6
2
%
a
b
c
d
.
e
f
g
h
1 4 . . . tt'l c2! 1 5 .2"\b l tt'l d4t 1 6.mfl tt'l db3
1 7.me2 tt'l d4t 1 s . <;t> n tt'l db3 1 9 .me2 �d6
( 1 9 . . . �e7+) 20.�xe6 tt'lxe6 2 l .tt'lc4 �c5
22.2"1d1 2"1xd 1 23.tt'lxd 1 me7 24.tt'l de3 2"\d8
25.tt'lf5t mf6 26.�e3+ White was worse
although he eventually managed to draw in
Van Wely - Mastrovasilis, Dresden 2007.
1 0 . . . dxc3
In the following game Black came within an
inch of beating a well-known Grandmaster.
a
b
c
b
c
d
e
d
e
f
g
h
f
g
h
1 6.\Mfxd7?!
The least of the evils was 1 6.2"\b 1 \Mrc8 17 .�e2,
though on completing his development
Black should still win.
16 . . . 2"\dS 1 7.�a6 Wfxa6 1 8 .\Mfxc7 �h4t?
Instead after 1 8 ... \Mfd3!-+ White is powerless
against the hail of threats.
1 9.g3 2"1e8t 20.mf2 Wfe2t 2 1 . <;t> g1 \Mfxf3
22.�a3t �e7 23.�xe7t 2"1xe7 24.\MfbSt 2"1e8
25 .\Mfb4t litgs 26.2"\fl Wfe3t 27.1ilg2 h5
28.\Mfd4=
White escaped and eventually drew in
Babula - Gisbrecht, Pardubice 1 996.
c) 9.dxe5
1 1 .\Mfe2t
1 l .bxc3 \Mff6!+
1 1 . . .�e7 1 2.tt'ld6t
After 1 2.�g5 <;t> fs 1 3 .�xe7t Wfxe7 1 4.bxc3
tt'l ac5 Black is better on account of his
a
Chapter 3
-
From Amateur to 2700
This is perhaps the safest move, although it is
still not very inspiring for White.
9 . . . Wh4t 1 0.g3 Wxc4 1 l .e4
Regaining the piece.
l l . . .We6 1 2.exf5
1 2.txa6 is well met by 1 2 . . . th3! 1 3 .txb7
E1d8 1 4 .We2 Cvetkovic - Meduna, Prague
1 979, and now after 1 4 . . . lt:Jxe5 ! 1 5 .ta6 tc5
Black develops an extremely strong attack.
1 2 . . . Wxe5t
12 ... Wxf5 ! ? is also not bad: 1 3 .txa6 ( 1 3.td3
We6 1 4.txa6 bxa6 1 5 .f4 j,c5 1 6.lt:le4 0-0)
1 3 . . . bxa6 1 4.f4 tc5 1 5 .We2 0-0 Black's
structural defects are fully compensated by
his active pieces.
1 3 . cJtf2 ltJ b4
White must be careful here.
14 j,h3
In the event of 1 4.tf4 Wxf5 (or 14 . . . tc5t
1 5 .cJtg2 Wxf5 1 6.We 1 t cJtfS+) 1 5 .We l t
te7 1 6.Eld1 ( 1 6.td6 We6 1 7.lt:lb5
ttJd5+) 1 6 . . . We6+ it isn't easy for White to
demonstrate compensation for the pawn.
1 4 . . . j,c5t
1 4 . . . lt:l c5!? is also interesting.
1 5 .cJtg2 0-0!
Black can afford to leave the knight en prise.
1 6.E1e 1
The knight is poisoned: 1 6.Wxd7? Elfd8
1 7.Wxb7 ( 1 7.f4 Wb8!) 1 7 . . . E1ab8-+
Tactics come to Black's aid after 1 6.tf4
ttJd5!, when White has nothing better than
71
going into a roughly equal ending: 1 7.Wxd5
( 1 7.ltlxd5 Wxb2t) 17 . . . cxd5 1 8 .j,xe5 lt:lxe5
1 9.ltlxd5 ctJd3 20.Elab 1 Elfe8 2 l .ttJc3 Ele3
22.E1hd 1 Elae8�
9.0-0
At this point it is Black who stands at a
crossroads.
9 ie7
There are rwo other interesting moves.
...
9 . . . j,c2?!
Pavel Eljanov
72
This was tried by Kramnik but to me, quite
honestly, it seems rather hazardous.
1 0.'We2 tLld7 l l .tLlxd7 'Wxd7
30.tLlxd5 cxd5 3 1 .'Wxf7t <i>c6 32.'Wxe6t W c5
33.'Wd7 E:ad8 34.'Wb5t <i>d4 35 .e6 b6 36.e7
E:a8 37.g3 E:ab8 38.f4 g6 39.<i>f2 a5 40.'Wc6
b5 4 I .'Wc3t
1 -0 Hammer - Hector, Malmo 20 1 0.
9 . . . j,d6!?
This is a more solid move, whose chief
exponent has been the Indian grandmaster
Jha Sriram.
I O .'We2 tLl c2 l l .E:a2!?
l l .E:b l ttJ d5! has occurred more often,
leading to complex play.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 2.e4!
1 2.a5?! grants Black some precious time for
development, and in the following top-level
blitz encounter Black solved his problems
without much trouble. 1 2 . . . j,e7 1 3 .tLla2
tLlxa2 1 4J1xa2 j,g6 1 5 .E:d l 0-0 1 6 .e4 E:ad8
1 7.f3 <i>hS I S .j,f4 f5 1 9.exf5 j,xf5 20.j,e5
c5 2 l .E:aa l 'Wc6 22.E:acl a6 23.g4 j,g6
24.j,xe6 'Wxf3 2 5 .'Wxf3 E:xf3 26.d5 j,g5
27.E:c3 j,e3t 28.E:xe3 E:xe3 29.j,c7 E:e8
30. W f2 E:d3 3 1 .E:xd3 j,xd3 32.<i>e3 j,c4
33. W e4 E:xe6t 34.dxe6 Y2-Yz, Carlsen Kramnik, Moscow (blitz) 2008.
The text move is much better, and was the
choice of Norway's 'other' child prodigy,
who has ascended to number rwo in the
national rankings behind Carlsen.
Incidentally, it is worth mentioning that
the computer's suggestion of 1 2.d5!? is also
worth investigating.
1 2 . . . 'Wxd4 1 3 .j,e3 'Wd7 14.E:ac l j,d3 1 5 .j,xd3
'Wxd3 1 6.'Wf3
Black is a long way behind in development.
Perhaps a defence exists, but in practice his
task is far from easy and in the game he
collapsed fairly quickly.
1 6 . . . 'Wd8 1 7.'Wg3 'Wa5 I S.E:fd l h5 1 9.h4 E:g8
20.j,g5 tLl a6 2 1 .E:d2 'Wc7 22.j,f4 'Wa5 23.E:cd l
j,e7 24.j,g5 j,xg5 25.hxg5 'Wc7 26.e5 ttJ b4
27.E:d7! 'Wxd7 28.E:xd7 W xd7 29.'Wf4 tLld5
a) l l . . .tLld5 1 2.a5!
Freeing an extra square for the rook.
Not 1 2.g4 j,g6 1 3 .tLlxg6? hxg6 1 4.'Wxc2
E:xh2 1 5 .'We4 'Wh4 1 6.tLlxd5 ( 1 6 'Wf3
E:h3) when Black has a beautiful winning
continuation:
73
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
1 6 . . . � d7!! followed inevitably by . . . Ei:h8 and
mate in a few moves.
1 2 . . . 0-0
8 :i;
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1 3 .g4! ixe5 1 4.gxf5 .ixh2t?
1 4 .. .Ct'l cb4 1 5 .dxe5±
1 5 . � xh2 �h4t 1 6.'it> g2 �g5t 1 7.'it>h3 exf5
1 8 . .ixd5 cxd5 1 9.f4 �h6t 20.<i>g2 Ei:fe8
2 l .�xc2+Grischuk - Sriram, Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 .
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White retains a minimal plus here, but
Black has nothing special to complain about
either; he is quite well placed on the dark
squares, and he has reasonable prospects of
counterplay on both wings. For instance:
1 5 .Ei:d1
1 5 .a5 Ei:h5!?
15 . . . �a5 1 6.e4 �h5 ! ?
1 6 . . . 0-0-0!? 1 7.e5 ( 1 7.l"i:b3 �h5 1 8 .f3
a5f±) 1 7 . . . l2Jfd5 1 8 .l2J e4 <i>bs 1 9.l"i:f3 Ei:hf8
20.l2Jg5±
1 7.�xh5 gxh5 1 8 .a5 0-0-0f±
d•- -%·!·-·
_____
___
_
,
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 2 . . .ii.g6!?
The Indian player's latest try.
If 1 2 . . . l2J c2 then 1 3.2"1b3 gives White an
edge.
1 3.l2Jxg6!?
This looks like the principled reaction.
1 3 .l"i:d1 �c7! 14.l2Jf3 l2J c2 1 5 .Ei:a2 l2J b4
1 6.Ei:a3 lLl c2 1 7.l"i:a2 l2Jb4 1 8 .l"i:a3 lLl c2 Yz-Yz
Maletin - Sriram, Delhi 20 1 0.
1 3 . . . hxg6 14.g3 ie7!?
1 3 .if4!
Only this move enables White to count on
the better game.
Pavel Eljanov
74
be acknowledged that this particular version
of the Slav middlegame is a favourable one
for him. He has managed to guard his centre,
his pieces are in promising positions and he
retains the initiative overall.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 3 . . . Wa5
1 3 . . . tt:\ d7 is well met by: 1 4.d5! tt:\xe5
1 5 .ixe5t
After 13 . . . a5 1 4 .1'l:d2 '1Wb6 1 5 .1'l: ad l Elad8
1 6.'1Wf3 Walt Black's position is sturdy but
rather passive.
14.\Wf3 Elad8 1 5 .Eiacl
Preventing the knight from coming to c2.
To my taste, the earlier deviation 9 . . . id6!?
leads to more interesting play in which Black
preserves chances to turn the game around.
In general, though, White ought to have a
minimal plus in all of these side variations.
Chess is a rational game, and it is only logical
that a sound yet quirky move like 6 . . . tt:\a6!?
should fall slightly short of full equality.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
13 ... b5!
Taking full advantage of White's slight
inaccuracy.
1 5 . . . lt::l e8
Again the exchanging manoeuvre with
1 5 . . . tt:\d7 is not a success: 1 6.\Wg3 'kt> h8
1 7.d5! cxd5 1 8 .lt::l xd7 Elxd7 1 9 .ib5 lt::l c6
20.exd5 exd5 2 1 .ltJxd5t
1 6.Wg3 � h8 1 7.f3 ltJd6 1 8 .ifl ±
The scenes both here and in the earlier note
with 1 3 . . . a5 are fairly typical of various lines
of the 5 . . . if5 Slav. Black's position is robust
but somewhat passive. White for his part has
no easy task to storm the enemy ramparts. He
has to manoeuvre skilfully and try to find a
chink in Black's armour. It must nonetheless
14.i.b3
The alternative was: 14.axb6 axb6 1 5 .Eixa8
Wxa8 1 6.f3 b5 1 7 .ib3 Wb7! 1 8. ltJ a2 l0xa2
1 9 .ixa2 ltJ d7 20.ltJxd7 (20.ltJd3 '1Wa7)
20 . . . Wxd7 2 1 . ie3 Ela8 22.ib3 Ela6=
14 ... a6
More precise would have been 1 4 . . . id6!
1 5 .if4 We7 1 6.f3 a6 when Black has succeeded
in arranging his forces comfortably and can
look to the future with confidence.
1 5.i.f4 i.d6
75
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
22 .ig6 23.Wf dl E:afs 24.E:e3 Wff7 25.f3 .if5
26.b4 Wfg6 27.Wfel h5 28.h4 .icS 29.@h2
Wfh6 30.E:e5 E:f5 3 1 .E:xf5 hf5 32.@hl
Wfd6 33.E:b2 Wff4 34.ctJ e2 Wfe3 35.@h2 .id3
36.Wfd2 Wfxd2 37.E:xd2 .ixe2 38.E:xe2 E:f4
39.E:d2 E:xh4t 40.@g3 g5 41 .E:c2 E:xd4
42.E:xc6 E:xb4 43.E:xa6 h4t 44.@h3 @f7
45.E:b6 d4 46.a6 E:a4 47.E:xb5 E:xa6
•..
lf2 - lf2
16 J�xf7 17 .ixd6 Wfxd6 1 8.e5 Wfd7 19.exf6
E:xf6 20J:�d2
White would keep a little pressure after
20.ti:Je4 .ixe4 2 l .Wfxe4 !l:afS 22.f3 ti:Jd5, but
Black's position remains very solid.
•.
•
20 ... ctJ d5 2 I ..ixd5 exd5 22.E:el
And now to the King's Indian Defence. I must
confess that ever since my childhood days, I
have been happy to see this opening played
against me. Quite frankly, for a long time I
considered it a semi-correct opening. With
the passing of time I became more objective
- especially after suffering a couple of painful
defeats at Radjabov's hands - but the fact
remains that I am always glad to occupy the
centre with my pawns!
Pavel Eljanov - Zdenko Kozul
Khanty-Mansiysk (ol) 20 10
A few words about my opponent: GM Zdenko
Kozul is assuredly no amateur, notwithstanding
the general theme of this book. He is a
highly inventive player and no respecter of
authorities. The opening, however, has never
been his strongest point, and he usually steers
clear of forced variations in this phase of the
game. Although his career has featured some
major successes - for instance, in 2006 he was
Champion of Europe I don't think he has
come close to developing his full potential.
The present game consists of two contrasting
phases. My opponent conducts the opening in a
manner that might be described as amateurish,
at least by the standards of a grandmaster rated
over 2600. But then, after a single inaccuracy
on my part, he demonstrates his tremendous
middlegame strength with a series of excellent
moves to restore the balance.
-
Since the focus of this section is on the
opening, I will give no further annotations.
Although the rest of the game was not error­
free, the evaluation never strayed far from
equality and the game eventually ended in a
draw.
76
Pavel Eljanov
l .d4 llJf6 2.c4 g6 3.ClJc3 �g7 4.e4 d6 5.llJf3
0-0 6.�e2 e5 7.0-0 llJ bd7
Of all the main continuations at Black's
disposal, Kozul chooses the least forcing one
available.
7 .. .l2l a6 is a serious alternative which also aims
at the c5-square. This move has the noticeable
advantage that the c8-bishop remains
unobstructed, but also some less obvious
defects: the e5-pawn is less well defended, and
- a matter of special importance for Kozul the ensuing number of forcing theoretical
variations is considerably higher.
In my view the most logical and strongest
move is 7 . . . l2l c6, applying immediate pressure
against White's centre and forcing the first
player to make an immediate decision.
8.�c2
I have also had occasion to play:
8 . .ie3 l2l g4 9 . .ig5 f6 1 0 . .ic l l2lh6 1 1 .'Wc2 c6
1 2.l"i:d1 'We7 1 3 .d5 c5
1 3 . . . l2lf7 may well be more accurate.
1 7 . . . 'Wc7! 1 8 . .id2 b5 1 9.CDb2 l2l f7 20 . .ixb4
f5 with counterplay.
1 8 .l"i:b 1 a5 1 9.a3! CD c5
1 9 . . . f5 20.l2lg5 fxe4 2 1 .l2le6 l2lf5 22.C2lxf8
'Wxf8 23.axb4 l2l d4 24.'Wd2±
20.axb4 axb4 2 1 .l"i:xb4 l"i:xa4 22.l"i:xa4 CDxa4
23 .'Wxa4 f5
24.c5!
The entire game seems to have condensed
into a single powerful sweep of my queenside
pawns.
24 . . . l2lf7 25 . .ia3 fxe4 26.'Wxe4 .if5 27.cxd6
l2lxd6 28.'Wb4 E'ld8 29.CDd2 'Wf6 30.'Wb3
W h8 3 l .CDc4 CDxc4 32 . .ixc4 e4 33.'Wxb7 e3
34.fxe3 l"i:e8 3 5 .d6 'Wg5 36.'Wf3 .ig4 37.d7
l"i:d8 38 .'Wg3 .if6 39 .l"i:d5
1 -0 Eljanov - Paragua, Ubeda 200 1 .
8 ... c6 9.d5
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 4.l2lb5! l2l b8 1 5 .b4!?
An interesting idea, but there was no reason
to force events; in the event of 1 5 .a3 a6
1 6. CD c3±, the insertion of the mutual a-pawn
moves is clearly in White's favour.
1 5 . . . a6 1 6.CDc3 cxb4 1 7.CDa4 CDd7
This justifies my play; a better line was
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
77
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
9 a5?!
This move turns out badly. The main line
here is:
9 . . . c5 1 0.�g5 !
A typical tool in this variation.
1 0 . . . h6
Practically forced, as the pin hinders Black's
plans.
1 1 .�d2
The main move, although 1 l .�e3!? is also
interesting: 1 1 . . .lbh5 (Black gains nothing
from 1 l . . . CD g4 1 2.�d2 f5 ? 1 3 .h3 lb gf6
1 4.exf5) 1 2.g3
...
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8
6
4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
1 2.g3!
This is the idea behind White's little
provocation two moves earlier! The g6-square
has been weakened, and in consequence
Black will have to forget about his standard
counterplay based on f7-f5 . The course of
the following game shows how unpleasant
Black's life may become when he lacks this
option.
12 . . . lb df6 1 3 .lDh4 lDh7 14. W h l �h3
Gurevich had already scored a crushing
victory three years previously from the same
position: 14 . . . h5 1 5 .CDg2 �h3 1 6.f4 �h6
17.CDd1 CD g7 1 8 .CDf2 �xg2t 1 9. W xg2 exf4
20.gxf4 g5 2 l .f5 Ei:e8 22.Ei:ae 1 �f6 23 .�c3
�e7 24.f6 1 -0 M. Gurevich - Mista,
Warsaw 2005.
1 5 .l"i:gl CD g5 1 6.a3
1 6.g4! would have been even stronger.
1 6 . . . �d7 1 7.b4 CDh3 1 8 .Ei:gfl b6 1 9 .bxc5
dxc5 20.a4 a5 2 l .�d3 CD d6 22.B:ae 1 �g4
23.f3 �c8
h
1 2 . . . lb df6 (better than 1 2 . . . a6?! 1 3 .a3 lD df6
1 4 . W g2 CD e8 1 5 .CDgl f5 1 6.exf5 �xf5
1 7.�d2± Eljanov - Praznik, Lj ubljana
2002.) 1 3 . W g2 �d7 ( 1 3 . . . lD g4 14.�d2 f5
1 5 .h3 lD gf6 1 6.lbh4±) 14.Cbgl lD g4 1 5 .�d2
f5 1 6.f3 CD gf6 1 7.l"i:ab l £Xe4 1 8 .£Xe4t
l l . . .CDe8
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
24.lDg2!
A typical scenario for this type of position:
White has fixed the queenside to his
advantage, and now focuses his attention on
the kingside.
24 .. .f5 25.f4! fXe4 26.CDxe4 CDxe4 27.�xe4
exf4 28.CDxf4 CDxf4 29.gxf4 �f5 30.�xf5
gxf5 3 l .l"i:g1 W h7 32.B:e6 �d4 33.�e3! �xe3
34.�g2
1 -0 M. Gurevich - Jojua, Plovdiv 2008.
78
Pavel Eljanov
This exchange secures White a huge
positional plus! Black's hopelessly weakened
light squares on the queenside are the
paramount factor here.
Instead after 1 2.cxd5 b6 1 3 .a3 a4 1 4.Axc5
( 1 4.lL:ld2 i.d7) 1 4 . . . bxc5 1 5 .lLlxa4 lLlh5, Black
obtains quite good compensation.
12 ... dxc5 13.cxd5 � e8 14.t2Jd2 .id7 15.a4
f5 16 . .ib5 t2Jd6 17.i.xd7 YMxd7
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 OJ:�dl tlJ c5
Black fared no better in the following game:
10 .. .'1Mfe7 l l .a3! lLl c5 1 2 .i.e3 h6 1 3 .lLl d2 lZ:l a6
14.lZ:la4! lL:l d7 1 5 .dxc6 bxc6 1 6.lL:lb3 lZ:lac5
1 7.lL:lbxc5 lL:lxc5 1 8.lL:lxc5 dxc5 1 9 .'.Mfa4±
Judging from the way the play went, I don't
think I was calculating more than two moves
ahead in this game. 1 9 . . . i.d7 20.l'l:d3 E:fb8
2 1 .1'l:adl i.e8 22.1'l:b3 E:xb3 23 .'.Mfxb3 i.f8
24.i.d2 '.Mfc7 25 .'.Mfg3 E:d8 26.i.c3 E:xd l t
27.hd l i.d6 28 .'.Mfe3 cj;Jh7 29.'.Mfd2 i.e?
30.i.xa5+- Eljanov - Strelnikov, Evpatoria
2003.
ll ..ie3 cxd5
In such positions, simple and logical moves
are usually the strongest. It is therefore hard
to understand why I refrained from the
most natural line: 1 8 .b3! E:a6 1 9. l[k4 lt:lxc4
20.bxc4 E:b6 2 1 .lLlb5 (2 1 .1'l:ab 1 !? E:b4 22.lt:la2)
2 l . . . E:bf6 22.1'l:fl ! fxe4 23.1'l:ae l ± with a
strategically won position.
8
7
6
5
4
3
1 8 ... :8:a6!
I had missed this resource.
2
1
a
12.i.xc5!±
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
19.t2Jc4
It is already rather late for 1 9 .b3, in view of
1 9 . . . E:b6 20.E:ab l E:b4 2 1 .lZ:lc4 fxe4 22.lL:lxe4
lLlxe4 23.'.Mfxe4 E:f4 24.'.Mfe2 E:d4 25 .d6 i.f6
Chapter 3
-
From Amateur to 2700
26.l"le l (26.�f3 � g7f±) 26 . . . �e6 27.f3 � g7
when Black has sufficient play.
79
White's advantage has evaporated and the
endgame ended in its natural outcome.
19 . fxe4! 20.�e2
Or 20.lt:Jxe4 CLlxe4 2 l .�xe4 l"laf6! 22.CLlxe5
�d6 23.CLlc4 �d7 24.f3 l"lf4 25 .�c2 �d4t
26. � h l �xd5 27.CLlxa5 � h8 and Black has
good compensation for the pawn.
..
The Best Laid Plans...
2I .fxe3 e4! 22.lLlxd6 �xd6 23.lLlxe4 l"lxdS
24."\W c4 �ffS 2S.�xd5
White has several possibilities, but not one
of them gives him anything tangible:
25.ctJxc5 �c6 26.l"lxd5 �xd5 27.�xd5t l"lxd5
28.CLlxb7 �xb2 29.l"la2 �c3 30. � f2 �b4
3 1 .l"lc2 l"ld3 Black should draw without much
trouble.
25 .ltk3 �xc3 26.e4 �d4t 27.�h l l"lh5
28.exd5 �g4! 29.d6t � h8 30.�d3 (30.l"lxd4
�xd4 3 l .�e6 l"ld5=) 30 . . . �f4 3 l .g3 �f2
32.h4 l"lxh4t! 33.gxh4 �xh4t 34. � g2 �g4t
3 5 .�g3 �e2t 36.�h l (36. � h3 �h5t
37.�h4 �f3t) 36 ... �e4t 37.�g2 �h4t=
2S ...%Yxd5
In chess as in life, we will achieve nothing
without a well defined plan. You may be ever
so gifted in the realm of tactics and calculating
variations, but if you drift aimlessly from move
to move against a strong opponent with a good
grounding in strategy, you are doomed to fail. It
must not be forgotten that the chess pieces are
a little army, and the players are commanders
who should be striving to seize the most
important strongholds on the battlefield.
The importance of a plan is underlined by that
well-known aphorism, "better a bad plan than
no plan at all" - which is, however, in the nature
of a joke and not to be taken too seriously. The
plan should be optimally geared to the require­
ments of the position and take the opponent's
possibilities into account. The following game,
which I contested against an opponent with a
rating of 2 1 30, is a case in point.
Pavel Eljanov
80
Thomas Freundlieb - Pavel Eljanov
Deizisau 2004
l .d4 �f6 2.�f3 g6 3.i.g5 i.g7 4.� bd2 0-0
5.c3 d5 6.e3
A familiar opening variation which has many
names. In Russian chess literature, practically
any lines in which White begins with l .d4 and
2.lt:.'lf3 followed by 3 .i.g5/f4 or 3.c3 are simply
given the common label of "Queen's Pawn
Opening". In English I have encountered
other names including the Torre Attack and
Tartakower Variation. Which name has the
most historical justification? Quite honestly I
have no idea.
Objectively White's opening should not
be too threatening, although in practice it
contains a fair dose of poison. Among the
long-term adherents of the present system
I can point to Tony Miles and Vladimir
Malaniuk, both of whom achieved excellent
results with it. The explanation lies not j ust
in the high playing strength of these famous
Grandmasters, but also in the characteristics of
the ensuing positions, which often tend to be
somewhat stodgy.
6 ... b6!?
Not the main line, but quite a good move.
Its chief aim is to prepare c7 -c5 without yet
deciding where the queen's knight will go. The
main line is 6 . . . lt:.'l bd7.
7.t£J e5
This move goes slightly against the general
principles of opening play, as White moves his
knight a second time without strict necessity
and before completing his development.
The move can hardly be called a mistake the position, just as before, is about equal.
But White's entire design, which this move
initiates, is faulty and leads him ultimately to
defeat.
Usually White sets his hopes on queenside play.
The most common moves are unsurprisingly
7.i.d3 and 7.i.e2, aiming to complete
development without delay. However, he can
also initiate immediate queenside action:
7.a4!?
7.b4 is also playable, but the text move was
played a few times by Malaniuk, whose
games are most certainly worth checking.
7 . . . c5
7 . . . a5 ?! has a major defect: if Black now
carries out c7 -c5 as planned, he will be
allowing White complete possession of the
b5-square) 8 .i.e2 i.a6 9.0-0 lt::l bd7 l O.i.b5
(or l O.i.xa6 :gxa6 l l .'We2 :gag 1 2.e4t)
1 0 . . . 'Wc8 l l .:gel i.b7 1 2.h3 e6 1 3 .:gcl :ge8
14.c4 c6 1 5 .cxd5 exd5 1 6 .'Wb3 :ge6 17.i.d3t
Malaniuk - Britton, Hastings 1 99 5 .
8.a5
8 . . . lt::l a6?!
A bit too passive.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Chapter 3
- From Amateur to 2700
The most principled reaction is: 8 . . . cxd4
9.exd4 bxa5 !? (9 . . . ctJ c6!?) The point is that
in the event of 1 o.'Wa4 (after 1 o. i,d3 ctJ c6
1 1 .0-0 :B:b8 Black has everything in order) ,
Black can highlight his opponent's lag in
development with the following nice idea:
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ctJ e6 1 5 .:B:xa8 i,xa8 1 6 .i,h2 'Wc7 1 7.Ela1 i,b?
1 8.ctJ e5 Ela8 1 9.:B:xa8t i,xa8 20.'Wa2 i,b?
2 1 .ctJ d3±
White maintains unpleasant pressure in spite
of the simplifications, as nearly all the black
pieces are poorly placed. Black succumbs to
the tension and attempts to cut the Gordian
knot, but the plan turns out badly.
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1 0 . . . 'Wb6! 1 1 .'Wxa5 'We6t (In the event of
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1 3 .i,xf6 exf6 1 4.'Wxd5 ctJ c6 1 5 .'Wxc6 i,f5
1 6.i,e2 Black is the only one taking risks.)
1 2.i,e2 ( 1 2.i,e3 i,h6!) 12 ... i,a6 Now White
has no choice but to play the ugly 1 3 .ctJ g 1 ,
which should be enough for us to conclude
that Black is doing well - though the position
remains quite complex.
9.i,e2 i,b? 1 0.0-0 ctJ e4 l l .i,f4
Black's position is playable, but the tension
created by the a5-pawn is a bit awkward for
him.
a
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c
d
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f
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l l . . . ctJ d6 1 2.h3 ctJ c7 1 3 .axb6 axb6 1 4.'Wb3
g
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2 1 . . . cxd4?!
It would have been better to continue
patiently with 2 1 . . .'Wb8 22.i,g4! f5 23.i,d 1
'Wa8 24.'Wxa8t i,xa8 25.i,a4±, though even
in the endgame White's pressure persists.
22.exd4 i,xd4?
A faulty combination.
23.cxd4 'Wc2 24.i,xd6 exd6 25.i,f1 'Wxd2
26.'Wa7±
Malaniuk - Timoshenko, Alushta 1 994.
7... c5 8.il.e2 il.b7 9.0-0
a
f
82
Pavel Eljanov
9 ... ctJ e8!
Highlighting the disadvantages of White's
seventh move. White is forced to withdraw his
pieces with loss of time, while the black knight
heads for its ideal home on d6.
IO.ih4?!
Opting again for an inferior plan. An
improvement is 1 0.i.f4 lZJ d6 l l .h3 followed
by ih2, when the bishop finds a safe haven and
the position remains unclear and full of play.
Even if Black succeeds in carrying out . . .f6 and
. . . e5, White retains possibilities of counterplay
thanks to his sturdy pawn structure and the
constant pressure of his pieces - especially the
bishop on h2! - against the centre.
10 ... ctJ d6 1 1 .£4 f6 12.ctJef3 ctJd7
manoeuvre to d6, intending a subsequent .. .f6
and . . . e5, is one of the main thematic plans
against the Stonewall structure.
The upshot is that White has failed to profit
from his right to the first move, and has ended
up in the role of defender. This is a direct
consequence of his choosing a plan that did
not suit the requirements of the position.
13.g4!?
There are two ways of evaluating this move .
In one sense White is continuing the policy
of aggressive expansion which began with
7.lLle5. Ultimately his position is not strong
enough to support a direct attack, and the
text move can be interpreted as a further step
along a path leading towards his eventual
demise. On the other hand, by preparing to
push the pawn to g5 on the next turn, White
prevents his opponent from carrying out his
main plan of moving the queen from d8 and
playing . . . e5.
Overall it is hard to reproach White for his
decision, especially considering that quieter
continuations would also have left him
struggling to equalize, for instance:
Mter 1 3 .c4 e6! Black preserves all the assets of
his position, and any opening of the centre is
likely to benefit him.
A reversed Dutch Stonewall formation
has been reached. Both sides have more or
less finished developing, so let's do a little
stocktaking. The transfer of the bishop to h4
(or h5 in a normal Stonewall) is a thematic
plan. It would usually take three moves (id2e l -h4) , but here White has managed it in two.
On the other hand he has wasted two tempos
flailing about with the knight (lLl f3-e5-f3);
furthermore the white bishop is less well placed
on e2 than on d3 . On Black's side, I have not
made a single redundant move; the knight
1 3 .id3 allows Black to carry out his main
idea, opening the centre on favourable terms:
1 3 . . . '\We8! 1 4.'\We2 e5 1 5 .fXe5 fXe5 1 6.lLlxe5
lLlxe5 1 7.�xf8t '\Wxf8 1 8 .dxe5 ixe5 1 9.�fl
'\WeS+
13 ... b5!
The central plan with . . . e5 is no longer an
option, so Black targets the queenside instead.
14.g5 iWb6 IS.ifl
Chapter 3
-
From Amateur to 2700
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This time my procrastination could have
seriously complicated my task. There was no
objection whatsoever to:
1 6 . . . b4!
When the players are attacking on opposite
wings, time is of crucial importance. Thus
the correct policy will almost always entail
consistent action in the sector where we hold
a preponderance of forces - as long as precise
calculation does not reveal a strong argument
to the contrary. Here the variations work out
dearly in Black's favour:
1 7.h5
Alternatives include:
1 7.cxb4 \Wxb4 1 8 .Elb l Elac8+
1 7.:8b l can be met by the calm 1 7 . . . a5 !?,
retaining all of Black's trumps.
1 7 . . . gxh5 !
...
1 5 . . . b4 is possible although the situation after
1 6.gxf6 exf6 1 7.c4 is not altogether dear.
The strongest move would have been
1 5 . . . a5! when the following variations turn
our in Black's favour: 1 6.h4 ( 1 6.a4 b4)
1 6 . . . b4 1 7.gxf6 ( 1 7.h5 gxh5 1 8.'1Wc2 cxd4
1 9 .exd4 'Ll e4+) 1 7 . . . 'Llxf6! 1 8.dxc5 \Wxc5
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White continues with his kingside play.
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S -::
Pavel Eljanov
1 8 .�a4
1 8 .tLlh4 fxg5 1 9.fxg5 e5+
In the event of 1 8 . gxf6 it is hard to decide
if Black should recapture with the knight,
bishop, or even the e-pawn, as all three leave
him with some advantage.
1 8 . . . .tc6 1 9 .iMi'c2 cxd4 20.exd4 bxc3 2 l .bxc3
l'l:ab8 22.l'l:ab 1 iMi'c7+
1 8 . . . .txf6 1 9 .tLl g5 tLlf5 20.axb5 axb5 2 l ..tg4
leaves White with a robust position.
Incidentally the immediate 1 7.gxf6 is also
possible, but after 1 7 . . . tLlxf6 1 8 .dxc5 iMfxc5
1 9.tLlb3 iMi'c8 20.tLl bd4 (20.a4 b4!) 20 . . . tLl de4+
the fact that White has not managed to open
the a-file clearly favours Black.
White could have highlighted the defects of
my last move with the help of an unexpected
thrust on the other wing:
1 7.a4! a6
After 1 7 . . . bxa4 1 8 .iMi'xa4 it is clear that Black
misses his rook on a8; the a-pawn is en prise,
and . . . a5 is unplayable. Note that 1 8 . . . iMfxb2?
is also impossible due to 1 9.l'l:ab 1 iMi'xc3
20.l'l:fc l trapping the queen.
Also 17 . . . b4?! 1 8 .a5 iMi'c6 1 9.dxc5 lLlxc5
20.cxb4 is good for White.
1 8 .gxf6
1 8 .h5?! gxh5 1 9.gxf6 .txf6 20.axb5 axb5
2 1 . tLl e5 tLl c4+
1 8 . . . tLlxf6
1 8 . . . exf6 is risky, as after 1 9 .h5! gxh5
20.axb5 axb5 2 l .c;ilg2! l'l:g8 22.l'l:h 1 White
succeeds in creating strong counterplay.
17 )tJe4
..
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
1 8.CZJxe4 dxe4 1 9.CLJd2 cxd4 20.cxd4 fXg5
2 1 .hxg5 j,xd4! 22.exd4 e3t 23.j,f3 exf2+
1 8.h5 gxh5 1 9.Ei:h l CLJxf2 20. <;t> xf2 cxd4
2 1 .cxd4
The best way to continue the fight was: 1 8 .j,e l !
The bishop has hardly any squares available,
but it remains the chief stanchion supporting
the 'sandcastle' that White has constructed
so tenaciously, and thus should be preserved.
18 . . . b4 1 9.CLJxe4 ( 1 9.cxb4 cxd4 20.CLJxd4 e5
2 1 .gxf6 CLJ exf6 22.fXe5 CLJxe5 favours Black)
1 9 . . . dxe4 20.CLJd2
18 ... etJxf2 19.@xf2 cxd4 20.cxd4 fxg5
85
The immediate 20 . . . e5! is also very strong.
2 1 .hxg5 e5!
A breakthrough in the most heavily fortified
place! As often happens in such situations, the
opponent's position collapses like a house of
cards.
White could also have tried:
23.\Mfgl
At this point, just as in the game, the
strongest continuation is:
23 . . . CLJ c4!
23 . . . CLJxf3 ? risks squandering Black's
advantage: 24.CLJxf3 Ei:de8 25.Ei:e l (25 .Wh2?
86
Pavel Eljanov
h5 26.gxh6 j,xd4! 27.exd4 Wxd4t 28.cJifl
Wxb2 29.l:l:e 1 Wc3-+) 25 . . . j,xd4 26.exd4
Wxd4t 27.\t>fl Wxb2 28.Wxa7 l:l:xe2
29.l:l:xe2 l:l:xf3t 30.l:l:f2=
23 ... l:l:de8 is reasonable, but less convincing
than the text move: 24.dxe5 (24.l:l:e 1 tLl c4)
24 . . . d4 25.e4 d3t 26.cJie 1 Wxg1 t 27.l:l:xg1
dxe2 28.cJ?xe2 j,xe5 29.tLlxe5 l:l:xe5+
24.Wh2 h5 25.gxh6 j,f6 26.tLlxc4 dxc4
27.l:l:afl l:l:de8
Black has a decisive attack.
What went wrong for White in this game?
He certainly cannot be reproached with
inconsistency in pursuing his plan. On the
contrary - right until the end he was looking
for counterplay against his opponent's king,
and he even threatened mate just three moves
before he resigned. The problem was that, in
terms of the objective features of the position,
his entire attacking strategy was inadequately
founded. Black's harmoniously placed pieces
were ready for the opening of the position
and this enabled him to deliver a decisive
counterattack against the exposed white
monarch. At moves 1 7 and 1 8 White had the
opportunity to admit that his plan was faulty
and obtain an acceptable game. The ability to
sense the critical point in the struggle - the
moment to give a new direction to a game that
is going badly - belongs to the essential skills
of any strong player.
Summary
25 ... dxc4 26.Wh2
The crude attack on h7 is easily repelled.
26 ... h5 27.gxh6 .ixd4 28.exd4 E:xd4 29.cJif2
E:xd2t
0-1
Knowing when to break the rules. Opening
preparation. Devising a good plan, and
recognizing the need to change one's plans
as required. These are just a few of the skills
that define one's overall chess ability, and each
of them had a certain significance for me as I
was climbing the ranks from amateur towards
professional play. Perhaps the chosen examples
and accompanying commentary will play a
small part in shaping the reader's own personal
journey through the 64-squared labyrinth.
John Shaw
From 170 0 to Grandmaster
- and Back
88
John Shaw
When I heard the title Grandmaster versus
Amateur my first thought was not of two
different players, but the same player at
different stages of his career. More specifically,
my own career. I played at an amateur level for
many years before becoming a GM. My first
competitive chess was at the age of 1 5 , then I
worked a little on my game, and at the age of
1 9 I was rated 1 745. By that stage, I had been
stuck in the 1 700s for three years. Not exactly
a meteoric rise.
However with sustained effort over the
decades I improved little by little and finally
scraped the Grandmaster title in 2006 at the age
of 37. In fact, the chapter title is a half-joking
reply I gave to GM Thomas Luther about what
I would call my chess autobiography.
For example, I have played the Slav Defence
for years and recently Jacob asked me what I
knew about the Exchange Variation. I spoke
honestly, sharing all my knowledge; it took
about a minute. For a GM that is feeble, but
my phobia about tactics is worse. Since I was
naturally weak in this area, I should have
worked hard to improve. Instead I avoided
studying tactics and especially avoided
anything that looked like a tactic over the
board. The lack of studying in this area was
not due to laziness; it was the same story as
with openings. "Tactics are just not for me," I
told myself.
For this chapter I looked back to see what
insights I could glean from my slow but steady
progress. The sad fact is that the lessons are
simple and trite. My strengths are in the areas
I studied hard; my weaknesses are in the areas
I neglected.
� An untalented player can become a GM
My studies started in the pre-computer
era, so my main tools were books. I studied
endings a lot because Mr Karpov said I should.
Tactics were not my thing and my knowledge
of opening theory was limited. Even after I
became an IM, my opening knowledge was
limited to skimming some chapters of Nunn's
Chess Openings. Since I put decades of effort
into studying chess, why did I essentially
ignore large segments of the game?
The answer is I created myself as a player in
the image I had of myself as a beginner. This
image was so fixed in my mind that it became
a caricature I lived up to. Studying endings is
a fine way to improve, but at a certain stage
a serious player must add some muscle in the
openings. I never did, because I told myself
that's not the sort of player I am.
So what lessons can be drawn from my
nefarious career?
if he works hard enough for long enough.
� Studying endings is a good way to
improve, just as everyone says it is.
� Be wary of the stories you tell yourself;
you may develop into the style of player
you think you are.
Let's see a few examples from my career to
illustrate the above points. For my own peace
of mind I have mainly chosen games where the
good guys win in the end.
One of my favourite books is Rook Endings
by Smyslov and Levenfish. I have read it from
cover to cover several times, so whenever
I reach a rook ending I feel I am on home
territory; nothing bad can happen to me
here. No doubt my confidence is excessive,
but I do score well when I reach a technical
position.
The following game against a 2600+ GM
is an example of a smooth, tactic-less win. I
remember it fondly because it helped me
achieve my first GM norm.
Chapter 4 - From 1 700 to Grandmaster - and Back
John Shaw- Hicham Hamdouchi
Gibraltar 2003
l .e4 cS 2.lZlf3 d6 3.i.h5t
89
obvious - White can eventually create a passed
pawn on the queenside while Black's kingside
majority cannot do the same due to his
doubled pawns. I just have to meet .. .f5 with
f3 (as I had read somewhere, when defending
against such a pawn structure "never capture,
only recapture") . My remaining task was to
exchange all the pieces to reach a winning
pawn ending.
Avoiding the main avenues of opening
theory. This habit hardened over the years and
led to me looking at the position after l .e4 c5
and deciding which pawn to place on the third
rank: I have tested 2.b3, 2.c3, 2.d3 and 2.g3 .
These days 2.a3 is too theoretical for my tastes.
3 lLld7 4.d4 lLlgf6 s.lLlc3 cxd4 6.'1Wxd4 a6
7.i.xd7t lZlxd7 8.0-0 e6 9.Ei:dl f6 10.a4
'1Wc7 l l .i.e3 i.e7 12.a5
Black did not choose the most challenging
response to 3.ii.b5t, so I have an edge.
•..
12 ... lL\ e5 13.lZlxe5 dxeS
1 3 . . . fxe5 might have troubled me more
in practice, but 1 4.'\Wb6 secures a pleasant
advantage.
14.'\Wa4t i.d7 1 5.'\Wa2 E!:c8
I had seen a few games in the Exchange
Variation of the Spanish ( The Complete Games
of Bobby Fischer was an early purchase) so
I felt at home here. The healthy/unhealthy
pawn structures are on different wings from
the Spanish version, but the basic point was
16 ...i.xa4
I don't recall if i had calculated the following
line: 1 6 . . . '\Wxc2? 1 7.CtJb6 E!:d8
John Shaw
90
The strongest line does not look familiar to me
now: l S .gac l '\Wxe4 1 9.gc4! '1Wg6 20.lthd7
gxd7 2 l .gxd7 l:t>xd7 22.'\W a4 t With a forced
mate.
Maybe I had spotted the simpler 1 8 .C2Jxd7
gxd7 1 9 .gdc l and '1Wxe6 next is strong. Yeah,
maybe.
17.Wfxa4t Wfc6
My pawn ending draws nearer, but 1 7 . <j{f7
1 8.c3!? leaves Black little hope of avoiding a
queen exchange, as j,b6 and gd7 are irritations.
. .
1 8.Wfxc6t gxc6 19.c3 gd6 20.�fl �f7
2 1 . �e2 gcS 22,gxd6 �xd6 23.�b6 f5 24.f3
Yes, I was ready for that one.
24 ... �e7 25.�d3 h5 26.b4
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
29 ... hxg4 30.ghl gxf3 3 1 .gh7t �c6
32.gxf3±
Over the next few moves Black could have
defended more stoutly, but it's a grim task and
not so relevant for our topic.
32 .. J�g8 33.c4 ges 34. �c3 �e7 35,gf7 fxe4
36.fxe4 �d8 37.�xd8 gxd8 38.ge7+There was nothing stunning about my
previous moves, but simple logical chess has
been enough to build up a winning position
against a strong GM.
38 ... gd6 39.c5 gdl 40,gxe6t �d7
26 ... g5 27.h3 �d7 28,gdl g4?
It's always tough to sit passively, but that's
what Black needed to do.
29.hxg4
Not really breaking my pawn-structure rule,
as Black's pawns remain doubled; more to the
p oint, my rook has the op en h-file.
Chapter 4 - From 1 700 to Grandmaster - and Back
winning pawn ending I have been dreaming of
since move 1 3 .
Mter the game G M Colin McNab instantly
calculated that 4 1 .!'l:d6t! was winning. For
example: 4 1 . . .!'l:xd6 42.cxd6 li?xd6 43. li?c4
li?c6
8
7
6
5
vm"''"---77:�'"
1"·="-------- /'
3
2
b
This is easy to win; the white king steps up
to support the pawns while Black cannot play
. . . li?d5 to blockade because of !'l:xa6.
52 ... !'l:e8t 53.'it>f4
A thoughtless move, m1ssmg the tactics
created by stepping onto the fourth rank. In
this case the slip does no harm but that was
just luck.
53.li?f3! was the move to keep the black
king quiet. For example: 53 . . . !'l:f8t 54.\i?e4
!'l:e8t 5 5 .\i?f5 The white king has crossed
the dangerous fourth rank. Now 55 . . . \i?d5
56.!'l:xa6 leaves White three pawns up.
4
a
91
c
d
e
f
g
h
44.b5t! And now 44 . . . axb5t 45.\i?b4 or
44 . . . \i?d6 45 .\i?b4. I could argue I was following
John Nunn's DAUT dictum (Don't Analyse
Unnecessary Tactics) and the rook ending in
the game is a simple win. The truth is I was
falling into the habit of avoiding all tactics and
I never spotted that 4 1 .!'l:d6t was a legal move.
4I. .. :Scl t 42.'it>b2 :Sel 43.'it>c2 :Se3 44.'it>d2
:Sb3 45.:Sd5t 'it>e6 46.:Sd6t 'it>es 47.:Sb6
'it>xe4 48.:Sxb7 'it>d5 49.:Sb6 'it>c4 50.c6
:Sd3t 5 I .'it>e2 :Sd8 52.'it>e3
53 ... \t> ds
I was shocked the black king could move,
but I had enough time to find the only move
to win.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
54.c7!
It was a good thing the win was simple, as
I was starting to wobble. The problem with
54.!'l:xa6 was 54 . . . !'l:e4t 5 5 .\i?f5 !'l:xb4=.
54 ... :Sc8 55.:Sxa6 :Sxc7 56.:Sb6
No more thought was required, as I knew
the wriggling caterpillar plan: a6, b5, !'l:b7, a7,
b6, !'l:b8.
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
John Shaw
92
56 .. J�H7t 57.'�g5 �c4 58.a6 )";fl 59.b5
�cS 60.)";b7
1-0
A fine result that showed some of my
strengths, but my weaknesses were lurking in
the shadows.
S.ttJc3
Now I believe 5.c3 is a sounder choice, when
after 5 . . . 1Wxc5 6.li:Ja3 Black must avoid a trap:
6 . . . ibxc3t? 7.bxc3 1Wxc3t
The following game is not at all representative
of my playing career. Instead it shows what
might have been if I had put serious effort
into studying opening theory. In this game my
opponent stumbles unluckily into one of the
few lines I knew well.
John Shaw- Vladimir Epishin
Groningen 1999
l.e4 cS V\ljf3 g6
An unusual choice for GM Vladimir
Epishin, who was rated 2657 at the time. It
was the final round and I guess he wanted to
avoid his normal solid lines against a much
lower rated opponent.
3.d4 �g7
Naturally 3 . . . cxd4 would have been met by
4.1Wxd4 to avoid as much theory as possible.
4.dxc5 WfaSt
a
b
c
d
f
e
g
h
8 .1Wd2! 1Wxal 9.li:Jb5 li:J a6 1 0.li:Jc3 li:J c5
l l .li:J d4+- 1he trap springs shut on the black
queen.
s ... ltJf6?
The problem with White's last move is
5 . . . ibxc3t 6.bxc3 1Wxc3t 7.ibd2 1Wxc5
��}AI£ �i���.t.
��
�� .t. w,�z .t. •
7 J�
"-- -" .t.
s
�
���
�.�
�B�
:�
z�
�
'"""�
z
�
: � � �� ��� %
�
� F�����r�
��
8 • �;;
8 � w� 8 w&
1�
' "" "•vm.rwi
�.
�
2
z,
a
b
c
d
'
e
f
g
h
I used to believe in White's compensation,
but now I like Black's extra pawn. A plan with
. . . d6, . . . li:Jf6, . . . li:J bd7 and . . . e5 will shore up
the allegedly weak dark squares.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
6.e5 ttJ e4 7.Wfd4 ttJxc3 8.�d2 ttJbS 9.Wfh4!±
I have generously awarded myself a couple
of exclams along the way, but I was merely
putting on the board moves I had learned from
Nunn's Chess Openings.
93
Chapter 4 - From 1 700 to Grandmaster - and Back
12.E:hel lb ds
No doubt planning . . . ctJ e6 but that scheme
doesn't even last one move.
13.tt:ld4 e6
1 3 . . . ctJ e6 fails obviously to 14.ctJxe6 fxe6
1 5 .iWg4.
14.ia4
The hole on d6 naturally attracts a knight.
14 .. .'?Mxc5
14 . . . a6 covers one problem, but 1 5 .ctJ b3
then creates another. The threat of i,a5 is trou­
bling due to the newly weakened b6-square.
Cover that with 1 5 . . . a5 and after 1 6.ctJd4 the
original problem reappears like magic.
IO.hb5
I was on my own now, but it's no hardship
with an extra pawn, a lead in development and
an obvious plan - castle long and put the other
rook on e l .
15.tt:lb5 0-0
IO ... lb c6 1 1 .0-0-0 h6
Regaining the pawn with l l . . . ctJxe5 is asking
for it after: 1 2.2"1he l e6 1 3 .iJ4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
16.ixh6!
Going after the king is more convincing
than 1 6 .i,b4 grabbing a mere exchange.
It is reasonable to accept on faith that
such a position must be great for White. A
couple of lines should convince the sceptics:
1 3 . . . ctJxf3 1 4.gxf3 iWd8 1 5 .iWxd8t Wxd8
1 6.c6+- or 1 3 .. .f6 1 4.i,xe5 fxe5 1 5 .ctJ g5 iWdS
1 6.iWg4+-.
16 ... f6 17.ixg7 �xg7 1 8.exf6t
I had spotted a way to force a winning
ending, which I generally prize above mating
middlegames.
1 8 .E:e3! would end the game with an attack in
rapid style. For example: 1 8 . . . g5 1 9.iWh5 tt:l f7
20.ctJ d6 At this point the computer suggests
94
John Shaw
Black should give up his queen, with d6, e3
and e5 being equally good/bad locations for
this mate-delaying ploy.
1 8 ... �xf6 19.ltld6
No clever moves required; the threat is
lLl e8t.
19 ... �£8 20.VNe7t <i>gS 2 1 .ltlxc8 �xeS
22.VNxc5 �xc5 23.�xd7+-
34.he6
Wildly out of character; it's the strongest
move and I had calculated it accurately, but in
my time trouble this was needless excitement.
Boring moves such as 34.g4 or 34.h6 would
have required no calculation and left no room
for accidents.
34 ... �fl
The only trick left for Black; it takes a little
fancy dancing to save the bishop.
35.�g7tD <i>d6 36.�d7t ci>c6 37.�dd1
�xe1 38.�xe1 ci>d6
The last point is that the pinning 38 . . . 1'%e8
fails to 39.id5t.
39.�g4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
That should have been the end of the drama;
with rwo extra pawns and a rook on the
seventh, the win is trivial. Despite dithering my
way into time trouble, I got there in the end.
23 ... b5 24.�h3 a5 25.a3 a4 26.�a2 �e8
27.�e3 <i>f8 28.�g3 �f5 29.�xg6 �xfl
30.h4 �fl t 3 1 .�d1 �fl 32.h5 <i>e7 33.�e1
�ef8
1-0
The database claims the game ended here,
but in fact I had no idea how many moves I
had made and blitzed on to about move 50.
Luckily, I didn't drop anything.
So, a triumph for my theoretical erudition.
Or rather, the Super-GM walked into a trap
from the only opening book I knew well. Just
imagine if a player had learned in great depth
from books and databases covering every
opening in his repertoire. If you are a serious
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
95
Chapter 4 - From 1 700 to Grandmaster - and Back
GM you should not have to imagine such
things; this is your everyday reality.
So what happens if a GM who never liked
opening theory stops doing the minimal
opening study he used to do? Bad things
happen, that's what. One memorable example
is my game against Hugh Brechin, a young
Scottish player rated around the 2000 level. We
will get to that game shortly, but first I would
like to show you an extract from a previous
game in which Hugh scored a surprise victory
over one of my colleagues.
Hugh Brechin- Jacob Aagaard
Edinburgh Premier 2007
This game started as a London System. Black
had been trying to create some tension, but in
doing so he gave his lower-rated opponent too
much rope.
a
b
c
d
e
f
h
This looks fatal but Black has a devious
defence. 39 . . . l"i:b 1 ! The tactics shake out to
a superior queen ending for White. 40.'\Wf7
l"i:xe l t 4 l . � f2 l"i:fl t 42.�xfl '\Wc4t 43. � f2
'\Wd3 44.'\We?! l"i:e8 45.l"i:h7t '1Wxh7 46.'\WxeSt±
White will win a pawn, but collecting the full
point will not be easy.
38 ...i.d6?
Allowing the youngster a chance for glory.
Stepping back with 38 . . . �g8! was the only
move and good enough to equalize.
39)tjg6t @gs 40.lD e7t ixe7
White to play and win.
38.llJh4
White could have struck at once with:
38.'Llxg7! �xg7 39.l"i:xg7
g
96
John Shaw
4I ...'it>hs 42.l3h7t
Reminiscent of Steinitz - von Bardeleben.
42 ... 'it>xh7 43.l3xe7t 'it>h8 44J&e5t 'it>gs
45J�Vg7#
1-0
l l .!xd6 ffxd6 12.dxc5 fixeS
I could have avoided the draw by declining
to recapture, but that would leave Black a
pawn down for nothing.
So I went into my game with some caution.
I was given excellent advice about my young
opponent: "He always plays 2.�f4, but you'll
win if you avoid any �xh7t tricks."
Hugh Brechin- John Shaw
Edinburgh Premier 2009
l .d4 dS 2.!£4
As expected, but I had a line ready; at least I
thought it was ready.
2 ... ltlf6 3.e3 cS 4.c3 ltl c6 s.ltld2 e6 6.ltlgf3
!d6 7.ltl e5 0-0 s.!d3 ffe7 9.0-0 ltl d7
A perfectly reasonable move, except that it
allows a clever forced draw. 9 . . . �xe5 1 0.dxe5
ctJ d7 would keep the game going.
13 ... 'it>xh7 14.fihSt 'it>g8 15.ltle4!
1 5 ... g6D
If on move 1 0 I had captured with the
Chapter 4
-
From 1 700 to Grandmaster - and Back
bishop, then White would now win with
1 6.lLlxc5 gxh 5 1 7.lLlxd7.
16.Y!Yg5! Y!Ye7 I7Jt:Jf6t @g? 18.�h5t @h?
19.�f6t @g? 20.t'il h5t
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
There is no way to avoid the perpetual check.
This was careless by me, but it's even worse if
you know the full story. The whole line had
been given on ChessPublishing by GM Eric
Prie. I glanced at the line and mentioned it to
one of Hugh Brechin's teammates who told
him about it. Meanwhile the whole line drifted
out of my memory until the odd-looking
l O.lLlxd7 gave me a mental nudge.
My confessions of a grandmaster are over; I
hope the tales of my foibles will help you in
your chess struggles.
1
lf2 l/2
-
97
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Boris Avrukh
The Good, the Bad
and the Ugly
Boris Avrukh
1 00
For this chapter I have chosen five games
relevant to the theme of the book, including
one of my own. They have been divided into
three broad categories, which might be seen as
loosely corresponding to the three adjectives
in the tide, although the question of what
constitutes a good, bad or ugly game will
depend on one's own perspective.
It soon becomes clear that the grandmaster
has the edge in theoretical knowledge, but
more importantly, he has a far superior
understanding of the ensuing middlegame
structure. A single slip on move 1 9 gave Black
a brief opportunity to get back into the game,
but he failed to capitalize. From there on, the
grandmaster made no mistake and the game
was completely one-sided.
Being a grandmaster myself, I will start with
the "Good", by showcasing two convincing
wins from the grandmasters and identifying
some of the principle reasons for their success.
The Grand-Terminator
Every player has their own strengths and
weaknesses relative to their overall playing
strength. Nevertheless, when it comes
to fundamental attributes as calculation,
positional understanding, opening preparation,
endgame technique and so on, a grandmaster
will outclass an amateur to varying degrees in
virtually all these departments.
With such an overwhelming advantage in chess
firepower, the grandmaster might at times
seem like an unstoppable killing machine!
Obviously when the amateur is a decent FM
or IM, the lines will start to become more
blurry, although by definition the higher-rated
player will still have the edge in most of the
areas affecting a player's overall ability.
The outcome of an individual game will
depend on how the players perform in a
variety of the aforementioned categories, but
in the majority of cases the grandmaster will
eventually prevail. I have chosen two games
to show how the grandmaster's superiority
in a few specific areas can yield a convincing
victory.
The first game features a King's Indian Defence.
Vitali Golod - Thai Ahergel
Tel Aviv 2000
With the white pieces we have my good
friend Vitali Golod, a very solid Grandmaster
who is also the current Israeli Champion.
His opponent, Tal Abergel, is nowadays a
respectable Grandmaster with an Elo over
2500, but the present game took place in the
earlier part of his career when he was rated
2279 . I am grateful to Vitali for sharing his
brief analysis of this game, which by the way
does not appear on the main databases.
l.d4 g6 2.c4 .ig7 3.e4 d6 4.ltlc3 ltlf6 s.ltlf3
0-0 6 .ie2 eS 7.0-0 ltlc6 8.d5 ltle7 9.b4
.
The Bayonet Attack against the King's Indian
gained a lot of popularity in the early 1 990s,
thanks primarily to the efforts of Vladimir
Kramnik. Vitali has a lot of experience in this
line, whereas his opponent did not have a
stable repertoire at this point. The difference in
understanding can clearly be felt as the game
develops.
9... ltle8
According to theory, this is Black's third
choice behind the more popular 9 . . .lbh5 and
9 . . . a5 .
IO.a4
A clever decision. Most probably Black was
ready for the main continuation of 1 0.c5, so
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Vitali gives him something different to think
about. Regarding the objective merits of this
move, it is enough to point out that such
players as Ivanchuk, Grischuk and Eljanov
subsequently employed it.
10...f5 ll.�a3!?
A rare move, but quite an interesting one.
The interesting l l .a5 ctJ f6 1 2. ig5!? has
been tested at the elite level. The stem game
continued: 1 2 . . . lt:J h5 1 3 .exf5 gxf5 1 4. � d2 lt:J f6
1 5 .c5 i d7?! (according to Radjabov 1 5 . . . a6!
was necessary) 1 6.b5! ie8 1 7.c6 b6 1 8 . lt:J h4
i f7 1 9 . i d3 ig6 20.f3 and White obtained
a clear strategic advantage in Ivanchuk Radjabov, Wijk aan Zee 2009.
101
1 2. ctJ d2 has been more popular, but after
1 2 . . . i h6 I believe Black should be okay.
1 2 . . . fxe4
The critical continuation looks to be
12 . . . h6! 1 3 . ctJ e6 ixe6 1 4. dxe6 fxe4 1 5 .b5
when White has interesting compensation
for the pawn, but the position is very
complicated.
1 3 . ctJ gxe4 ctJ f5 1 4.c5 ctJ xe4 1 5 . ctJ xe4 � h4
1 6. i d3±
White had the better chances in Bilobrk ]uric, Zadar 1 997.
12.lDd2 f4?!
Another bad move, violating one of the best­
known principles of the King's Indian: before
blocking the centre with . . .f5-f5 , Black should
almost always look to provoke f2-f3 from his
opponent.
With this in mind, 1 2 . . . lt:J f6 would have been
a better move, intending to meet 1 3 .f3 with
1 3 . . . f4, although it is obvious that . . . h7-h6 is
utterly worthless for Black here.
Another idea was 1 2 . . . fxe4 1 3 . ctJdxe4 lt:J f5 ,
although after 1 4. i d3± White keeps a pleasant
edge thanks to his control over the e4-square
and potential queenside attack.
l l . . . ctJ f6
This natural move should be virtually an
automatic choice for any seasoned King's
Indian practitioner.
1 2. ctJ g5!?
This move has occurred only once, but I
consider it the most principled option at
White's disposal.
13.c5
1 02
Boris Avrukh
White starts his thematic queenside
offensive. It was also worth considering
1 3 . ig4! ? , forcing a favourable trade of light­
squared bishops. No doubt Vitali considered
this, but decided to keep it in reserve.
22.cxd6
White keeps a clear advantage.
15.b5
White logically continues his queenside play.
13...g5 14.ttlc4 �g6
I found another game on the database,
which continued:
1 4 . .. l:!f6
Reinforcing the d6-pawn, and hoping to use
the rook for attacking purposes. Still, Black
is a long way from threatening anything on
the kingside.
1 5 .l:!c l i f8 1 6.b5 ttl g6
Csiszar - Binder, Salgotarjan 1 998. At this
point White inexplicably played 1 7 . 8 ,
which is wrong on numerous levels, and
eventually lost. Instead of this, I found two
attractive ways to improve his play:
a
15 ... b6
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Another defensive idea is 1 5 . . . dxc5 1 6. ixc5
l0d6. From this position 1 7.b6!? axb6 1 8 . ixd6
cxd6 1 9 .l:!b 1 looks promising for White, while
1 7 .f3!? also deserves attention, for instance
1 7 . . . l:!f7 1 8 .a5 if8 1 9 . ifL.± and White has
much the better game.
16.cxd6
1 6.cxb6 gives Black the option of 1 6 . . . axb6!
which minimizes his disadvantage.
a
1 7. ih5!?
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Preparing to exchange the knight, which has
the potential to become a powerful attacker.
White can also plough forwards on the
queenside with 1 7.b6 cxb6 (or 1 7 . . . dxc5
1 8 .bxc7 Vf1xc7 1 9 .d6! with a strong initiative)
1 8 .c6! with excellent prospects.
1 7 . . . ltJ g7 1 8 . ixg6 l:!xg6 1 9 .a5
White's attack seems to be much faster, for
example:
1 9 . . . g4 20.b6! axb6 2 l .axb6 cxb6
2 l . . .dxc5 22.bxc7 Vf1xc7 23.d6±
16... ttlxd6
Black decides to exchange a pair of knights.
In the event of 1 6 . . . cxd6 the best way for
White to continue his queenside offensive is
1 7 . i b4 followed by a5, as pointed out by the
victor.
17.ttlxd6
Another interesting option was 17 . ixd6
cxd6!? 1 8 .a5 , for instance 1 8 . . . l:!b8 1 9 .axb6
axb6 20. ih5 and White's chances are clearly
higher.
17...cxd6
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1 03
19.@hl?
Too cautious. In his notes to the game Vitali
explained that his intention was to meet the
anticipated . . . lt:l h4 with g3 , when his king
would be safe from any . . . f3 sacrifices or other
attacking ideas. However, the idea is too slow
and gives Black a surprising chance to obtain a
reasonable game.
The simple 1 9 .�cl was best; there is no need
to fear 1 9 . . . lt:l h4 on account of 20. i e6t! c;t>hs
2 1 . Wf g4! when Black is in serious trouble.
19...tZ�h4?
18.. .:!:U6
1 8 . . . ixg4 1 9.'1Mf xg4 Wf c8 is well met by
20. Wfe6t! c;t>h? 2 1 .�fc l with a clear advantage.
Missing a golden opportunity to get back
into the game. This could have been achieved
with 1 9 . . . ixg4 20. Wfxg4 f3 ! 2 l .g3 and now
the surprising 2 1 . . . Wf c8! 22. Wfxc8t �xeS
23.�fc l 1':k4! , stopping White from carrying
out his main plan of installing a rook on the
c6-square.
1 8 . . . Wf f6 also fails to solve Black's problems:
1 9 .�cl lt:l h4 20. lt:l b l ! Preparing to penetrate
with the rook to c6. Black's only chance is
20 . . .f3 but White still keeps a large advantage:
2 I . ixf3 lt:l xf3t 22. Wfxf3 Wfxf3 23.gxf3 i h3
24.�fe l �xf3 2 5 . ixd6 �d8 26. i a3 !±
20 @h7
...
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
20 . . . ixe6? soon leads to a hopeless situation
for Black: 2 1 .dxe6 �xe6 22. Wfb3 Wf d7 23. lt:ld5
Already threatening lt:l c7. 23 . . . �c8 24.�ac l
<j;lh7 2 5 . �xc8 Wfxc8 26.�cl Wfd8 27.�c7+-
Boris Avrukh
1 04
White has an overwhelming advantage and
Black's extra pawn is irrelevant.
21.'1Wg4
a
21...�g6?
b
c
d
f
e
g
decides the game in Black's favour: 23.gxf3
(after 23.g3 l::lx e6! 24.dxe6 .ixe6 White's
queen is trapped) 23 . . . .ixe6 24.dxe6 l::l f4!
2 5 . 1W g3 l::lxf3 26. \W g4 l::lxc3-+
22 . . . fxg3! ?
Certainly the best attempt t o complicate the
game.
In the event of 22 . . . � g6 23 . .ixd6 .ixe6
24.dxe6 \Wxe6 2 5 . \Wxe6 l::lxe6 26 . .i c7!
intending 'Ll d5 and a5 , Black faces a difficult
endgame.
23.fxg3 'Ll f3 !
Relying on tactics to defend the knight
indirectly.
h
This weak, time-wasting move enables White
to carry out all his positional ideas.
2 1 . . . '\W eS!
This would have been much more
challenging, although White can still
maintain the advantage.
22.g3!
Funnily enough, in his notes Vitali
considered 22 . .ixd6?? as White's best move,
but he completely missed the following
retort:
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
22 . . .f3!! Incredibly, this move immediately
24.2::\xf3!?
A remarkable idea which entails a queen
sacrifice. I found this the most interesting
move to analyse, although ultimately it is
not the strongest.
Objectively White's best continuation is:
24 . .i f5t .ixf5 2 5 .exf5 'Ll d2 26.2::\f2 l::l c 8
27 . .i b2 'Ll b3 28.2::\d l 'Ll c5 29 . .i a3 ! The
threat is to take on c5 followed by placing
the knight on e4, with a strategically winning
position. Black's only chance to prevent this
is to play 29 . . . � xa4!? 30. 'Ll xa4 \Wxb5, but
after 3 l . 'Ll b2 l::lc3 32. \Wb4± he does not have
enough compensation.
24 . . . h5 2 5 .2::\xf6 hxg4 26 . .i f7!
A nice idea which almost leads to a huge
advantage.
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
26 . . . Wl' d8?!
We will look at this natural move in order to
see one of the elegant points behind White's
queen sacrifice.
Unfortunately, it must be noted that
26 . . . Wl' h8!! saves the day, for instance
27 . .ig6t i>g8 28.!hd6 i.f8 29.!!d8 .i b7
30.!!d7 Wl' h6 3 1 . i.h7t i>h8 32.!!xb7
i.xa3 33.!!fl !!f8 34. i.f5 Wd6 and Black
holds.
27.!!xd6 i. d7
Hoping to obtain counterplay along the
c-file, but White has a convincing reply.
2 8 . i.g6t i>h8 29. if5 Wl' c7
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
a
b
23.hc8 E:xc8
c
d
1 05
e
f
g
h
The endgame is very bad for Black, as shown
by 23 . . . Wl'xc8 24.Wxc8 !!xc8 2 5 . tLl a2! followed
by penetration along the c-file.
24.tLla2!
Securing a huge advantage by preparing to
exploit the c6-square.
24... tLld7
24 . . . !!xc l 25 .!!xc l tt::l d 7 would have been a
bit more stubborn, although after 26.tt::l b 4 it is
hard to believe Black will survive for long.
h
30.!!c6!
This further material offering secures a large
advantage, since 30 . . . i.xc6 3 1 . dxc6+- is just
hopeless for Black.
22J:�acl tLlfB
22 . . .f3 23.g3 achieves nothing for Black.
a
25.E:c6!+-
b
c
d
e
Deciding the game easily.
f
g
h
1 06
Boris Avrukh
25.. Jhc6
Positional resignation, even after the better
25 .. .l':k7 26.a5 ! bxa5 27.l!fc l +- Black's
position is hopeless.
26.dxc6 tLlc5 27.tLl c3
The knight is heading for the ideal d5square.
27.. JU8 28..ixc5 bxc5
The next game is one of my own, and has
certain similarities with the previous one. I was
able to identifY a weakness in my opponent's
opening repertoire, and quickly obtained a
pleasant advantage. This time Black did not
have the prospect of a kingside attack - or
any other kind of counterplay for that matter
- and I went on to win a nice game without
giving my opponent any chances.
Boris Avrukh Ehud Shachar
28 . . . dxc5 is no better, as 29J:!d l followed by
l!d7 wins easily.
-
Israeli Championship 2002
My opponent is a FIDE Master with a rating
of 2374 at the time of the game. He is quite
well known in Israel, and has a reputation for
being difficult to beat. He has always been solid
in the opening, but during my preparation
I noticed a serious flaw in his repertoire. In
recent years he had almost always favoured the
Stonewall Dutch, even when his opponents
began with l .c4 or 1 . ltlf3 and refrained from
playing d2-d4. The Stonewall is generally a
respectable defence, but attempting to use it
as a 'one size fits all' opening is an amateurish
approach, and I set about finding a way to
exploit its drawbacks.
1-0
Black resigned in this remarkable picture of
absolute domination. One might consider this
the prototypical way in which a grandmaster
should beat an amateur, although of course
things do not always go so smoothly. By the
way, it is exceedingly rare for a grandmaster to
lose a game in such a humiliating fashion, as he
will usually see it coming and go to almost any
lengths to break out or complicate the game
in some way. I'm sure Thai Abergel learned
from this experience and I guarantee there is
no chance that he would lose a game in this
manner nowadays.
I.tLlf3!
It is not often that I refrain from my favourite
l .d4, but here I had every reason to do so.
l...e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 tLlf6 4..!g2 d5?!
Just as expected. As I already mentioned, I
believe the Stonewall to be dubious without
a pawn on d4, and consider 4 . . . .!e7 the most
reliable continuation here.
5.0-0 c6 6.d3
6.b3 il.d6 7. il.b2 0-0 8 . d3 is also decent for
White, but I wanted to retain the option of
playing aggressively in the centre with lt:l c3
followed by e4.
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1 07
6...-ics
7...ltJ bd7?!
Slightly unusual, and probably not a great
move. Black is trying to provoke d3-d4, but
this is absolutely not a part of White's plans;
meanwhile the bishop is slightly exposed on
c5 .
This leads to a positionally difficult situation.
7 . . . � e7 is sounder, although White has more
than one route to an advantage here too:
6 . . . � d6 is also not ideal, as the aggressive
7. CLl c3 0-0 8 . e4! is advantageous for White.
6 . . . � e7 is more solid, although 7.b3 0-0 8 . � b2
still gives White the more pleasant game.
It is worth adding that a queen exchange does
little to ease Black's task, as demonstrated
by the following recent encounter: 6 . . . dxc4
7. dxc4 (Recapturing works well, although
White can also consider 7.d4!? as in the
game Pappier - Vertes, e-mail 2006, leading
to a Catalan position with the move . . . f7 -f5
inserted for Black, which is not something
of which he should feel especially proud.)
7 . . . �xd 1 8J!xd 1 ltl bd7 9 . � f4 � c5 1 0 .e3!
(preventing any tricks involving ... ltl g4 and
. . . e5) 1 0 . . . 0-0 1 l . ctJ bd2 ll:e8 1 2 . CLl e5 � f8
1 3 . ttJ df3 ctJ c5 1 4.ll:d4 White had a nice edge
in Kogan - Cruz, Barcelona 20 1 1 .
a) 8 . � f4 0-0 9 . CLl bd2 is pleasant for White, for
instance 9 . . . ltl bd7 1 0 .d4! �d6 1 l .cxd5 cxd5
1 2. �xd6 �xd6 1 3 .l'!:fc l ltle8 1 4. �a4 and
White had a serious positional plus in Maltsev
- Raivio, Jyvaskyla 2000.
b) 8 . ctJ c3 0-0 9.e4 was played in one game,
which continued: 9 . . . fxe4 1 0 .dxe4 d4 1 l . e5
dxc3 1 2.exf6 gxf6 1 3 . �xc3 e5 At this point
a draw was agreed in Kaid - Schmittdiel,
Crailsheim 1 998, but it seems to me that after
1 4 . �h6ll:d8 1 5 .ll:ad 1 White retains the better
chances.
8.cxd5! cxdS
A sad necessity, as the desirable 8 . . . exd5 loses
a pawn after 9.d4, and 8 . . . ltl xd5 9.e4± is also
unpleasant for Black.
White's exchange on d5 was well timed for
two reasons. Firstly, in the Stonewall structure
Black would generally prefer to recapture on d5
with the e-pawn. Secondly, after the removal
of the c-pawns Black's queen's knight belongs
on c6 instead of d7, so it was important to wait
for it to move. By the way, the second of these
principles is also relevant in certain variations
of the Slav and Semi-Slav.
9 .if4
.
White brings the bishop to its best square,
while keeping the opponent guessing as to
whether the knight will be coming to c3 or d2.
9 . ctJ c3 is less flexible, although that did not
stop White from winning the following game
in a seemingly effortless manner: 9 . . . 0-0
1 0 . � f4 � e7 (IO . . CLl h5 looks like a better bet,
chasing the bishop away from f4.) l l . CLl a4
.
Boris Avrukh
1 08
id6 1 2 . ixd6 �xd6 1 3 .!%fc l f4? 1 4 . � c7 �e7
1 5 . �xf4+- Makarov - Arnold, Cappelle la
Grande 1 996.
9...0-0 lO.eLlbd2±
White has obtained a dream position from
the opening. Black's pawn structure is full
of weaknesses and his pieces are devoid of
coordination. Meanwhile White can improve
his position and develop threats easily by
combining play along the open c-file with the
occupation of the weak dark squares in the
centre.
�"��-�_,
6 �� ��� ,•. �
�------�� ·-··
���;�
�-----;� �
��
�-
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---%
5�
4 �
�� � �
%� � ! ���
?J..'-� �:-�/ � 8 ?t�.,t?t�
wi·--Jw�
8 ?t�if�
3
2
1
u-- -%w-- - ;•�=-- a
10...ti'b6
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Black also fails to equalize with:
l O . . . lDh5 l l . i g5
Also l l . i e5!? comes into consideration.
l l . . . �e8 1 2 .!%ac l
1 2. lt:lb3 i d6 1 3 .e4 allows 1 3 . . . f4! with
counterplay, due to the vulnerable position
of White dark-squared bishop on g5 .
(Instead 1 3 . . . fxe4 1 4.dxe4 �g6 1 5 . i e3±
would be much worse for Black.)
12 . . . h6 1 3 . lDb3 J.d6 1 4.i d2
And White keeps all the pluses of his
position.
ll.l:%acl
l l . lDb3 would have prevented the possibility
aoted in the next turn.
l l ...ttlg4
More challenging would have been:
l l . . . lDh5!
This at least forces White to find a few good
moves, although he can still retain a nice
advantage.
1 2. i e5!
1 2. i g5 h6 1 3 . lDb3 ixf2t! 1 4.!%xf2 hxg5
1 5 . lDxg5 lDe5! is less convincing.
1 2 . . . tDxe5 1 3 . �xc5
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
�Ei�
-�£·��--t�i
- - -"B�
" � r� - - -"�
·---- �tt� r//� �
4l)
��- - ):- �... •
�-� �'"""�... ••
�� �
�w-0 �"� ��}Jw-�
�§?i
"
�
�� ��t�J.�
�i#[.......iiii/wi1....
� r� -��---�
�
a
- - - --
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 3 . . . �xc5
1 3 ...lDxf3t should be met by 1 4 . lt:lxf3! (after
1 4 . ixf3 lt:lf6 1 5 . lDb3 i d7 White's advantage
has been greatly diminished) 1 4 . . . �xb2
1 5 .!%c2 �b6 1 6. �e7 �d8 1 7 . �a3 with
massive compensation.
1 4.!%xc5 lDc6 1 5 . lDb3
It is also worth considering 1 5 .e4!? fxe4
1 6.dxe4 lt:J f6 1 7.!%e l with long-term
pressure.
1 5 . . . i d7 1 6.!%fc l l:%ac8 1 7. lt:lbd4
White retains serious pressure, as Black is
unable to solve his problems by exchanging
pieces:
17 . . . lt:lxd4 1 8 . lDxd4 l:%xc5 1 9 .!%xc5 l:%c8 ?
20.!%xc8t ixc8 2 1 . lDb5 a6 22. lD d6
White wins a pawn.
12.e3!
A natural move, but it was important to
establish that Black has no way of exploiting
the f4-bishop's shortage of squares.
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1 09
16.'Wc7!
Logical and strong, as the ensuing endgame
is positionally winning for White.
16...'Wxc7 17.Eixc7 CLJb6
a
12...h6
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
This looks very slow, but it is hard to
recommend an
improvement.
1 2 . . . e5 ?
Ci:l
Ci:l
Ci:l
'1W
.!i
1 3 . xe5 gxe5 1 4 . xe5 xe5 1 5 . xc5 +- is
certainly not the answer.
13.CLJ b3 i.d6
The trade of dark-squared bishops almost
always favours White in the Stonewall
structure, but Black's position after 1 3 . . . Jie7
1 4. Jic7 '1Wa6 1 5 .e4± (or 1 5 .a3!?) is not much
fun either.
Another illustrative line is 1 7 . . . Ci:ldf6
1 8 . Ci:lc5 2"1e8 ( 1 8 . . . e5? runs into 1 9 . Ci:lde6 .!ixe6
20. Ci:lxe6 l"\f7 2 1 .h3+- when the knight is
trapped on g4) 1 9 .h3 ( 1 9 . Ci:la4!? is also strong)
1 9 . . . Ci:le5 20.f4 Ci:lf7 2 l . Ci:la4 and White is close
to winning.
18.h3
A good practical decision. I considered
1 8 . Ci:lc5, but rejected it on account of
1 8 . . . e5 1 9 . Ci:lde6 .!ixe6 20.2"1xb7! (20. Ci:lxe6
2"1f7±) 20 . . . 2"1fb8 2 1 .2"1xb8t 2"1xb8 22. Ci:lxe6 2"1c8!
when Black is a pawn down but has liberated
his position and obtained some activity for his
pieces.
18... CLJf6
14.i.xd6 '1Wxd6 15.CLJfd4!
Reminding Black of one of the reasons why
the Stonewall is a dubious choice when the
white pawn has not gone to d4.
15...a6
The threat was li:Jb 5 .
19.f4!
It is hard to refrain from such a pleasant
positional move. Now Black's pawn structure
is fixed, leaving him with the traditionally bad
'Stonewall bishop' and chronically weak dark
squares.
19... !!f7
Boris Avrukh
1 10
Black could have obtained some temporary
activity by means of 1 9 . . . tt:la4, but after the
accurate 20.l::1 f2 ! �f7 2 l .�cl b6 22.l'!fc2 i d7
23. tLl f3 ! , followed by tt:l e5 and tt:ld4, White
remains in complete control.
20.�c2!
White has more space and is ready to double
on the c-file, so it is best to avoid the rook
exchange.
20...�e7
Nothing much changes after 20 . . . i d7
2 l . tLl c5 (less accurate is 2 l . tLl a5 ?! i b5!)
2 l . . .l'!e8 22. � f2 i c8 23.a4 when White
continues to improve his position and
dominates across the board.
24.�fcl i.f7
Not the most stubborn defence. Black
should have exchanged some minor pieces
with 24 . . . ltJ fd7, although even here 25 .�c7
tLl a8 26. tt:lxd7 ixd7 27.�7c3 still leaves him
with an unpleasant position.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
25.g4!
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Creating additional targets on the kingside.
25...g6
After 25 . . . fxg4 26.hxg4 ltJ bd7 27.�c7 � f8
28. ltJ df3! it is unlikely that Black can survive.
26.�c7 �be8
a
21.tLlf3!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
26 . . . tt:lbd7? loses immediately to 27.g5 ! +-.
27.g5
There were plenty of other useful moves,
but I wanted to bring my light-squared bishop
into the game.
An elegant regrouping. The knight is heading
to e5, and the second knight will take its place
on d4.
27...hxg5 28.f:xg5 �h7
21... �b8
28 . . . tt:lfd7 29. tLl xf7 �xf7 30.�xb7 is a safe
extra pawn.
It is not yet possible to play 2 1 . . . i d7 in view
of 22.l'!c7 l'!b8 23. tLl a5 +- winning the b7pawn.
22.� bd4 i.d7 23.�e5 i.e8
Although White is clearly dominating, it is
still not easy to crack Black's position.
29.h4 �f8 30.e4!
Having made progress across all areas of the
board, White's decisive breakthrough comes in
the centre. It is fitting that this is made possible
by the fact that White's d-pawn never travelled
more than a single square forwards.
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
a
b
c
d
30...dxe4 31.dxe4 fxe4
e
f
g
h
3 I . . .l2J a8 32.1"lxe7 l"lxe7 33 .1"lc8 ttlb6 34.1"lb8
wins easily.
32.he4 CDd5 33.1"lxe7 l"lxe7
Obviously 33 . . . tt:lxe7 34.1"lc7 is hopeless for
Black.
34.1"lc8 �g7
111
Obviously the pawn IS untouchable:
35 . . . gxh5 36. �xd5 exd5 37. ttl f5t+35 . . . � e8 36.h6t <j;Jh7 (36 . . . <j;lg8 37. �xg6)
37. 1iff2 also wins easily.
36.h6t
The most thematic, although 36.1"lc1 ! ? also
wins instantly due to the following line:
36 . . . gxh5 37. �xd5 exd5 3 8 . ttl f5 t <j{gs
39. ttlh6t+36 . . . <j;Jh7
36 . . . \i?gS 37.1"lxe8 �xeS 3 8 . tt:lxe6!+37.1"lc2 � g8 3 8 . ttldf3
The position deserves a diagram, as Black is
completely paralysed.
' •�� D
��.i. ·..t
' ""� �
� �� �t
���
j �� ����
�jf!J
�� •lfll
� ,�� r��
: �� �,�� �
� �i ��
!�r
%Wffi
�JL
Wffi ��-�0< �
��
1�
�
s
7
6
s
�
2
..
a
b
�
c
- -- %
' --
�
d
e
f
g
h
I am really proud of the way I handled this
game, and I still consider it one of the best
positional achievements of my career.
35.h5!
1-0
A very nice way to finish the game. Here my
opponent decided enough was enough and
resigned. The following lines demonstrate the
hopelessness of his situation:
35 . . . 1"le8
What was it that enabled Vitali Golod and
myself to win so convincingly in these two
games? Both of us got off to a good start,
obtaining some advantage in the opening.
We both went for positional play focusing on
the centre and queenside (although Vitali also
had to keep an eye on his opponent's potential
kingside counterplay) . Vitali's strategy was
largely based on the weakness of the c6-square,
while I was able to benefit from the d4- and
e5-squares. In both cases our opponents were
unable to solve the problems and went down
painfully.
Boris Avrukh
112
Summary
A favourable opening; positional pressure; long­
term weaknesses in the opponent's position. If
a grandmaster is able to achieve these things,
then even a fellow grandmaster will have a
hard time defending. For an amateur, the task
will be almost insurmountable.
The Amateur Strikes Back
Now we will investigate a few examples where
the tables were turned, and the amateurs were
able to achieve some remarkable successes. We
will begin with a game featuring a relatively
small 200-point rating gap. On this occasion
the grandmaster plays the opening poorly,
and his 2330-rated amateur opponent is sharp
enough to exploit his early advantage.
Yochanan Mek- John van der Wiel
Dieren 2000
John van der Wiel needs no introduction,
having spent several years as the Dutch number
two and amassing a great deal of experience at
the very highest level. Yochanan Mek is a less
famous player, but nevertheless one who has
been heavily involved in Israeli chess for many
years. Over the board, he is an International
Master although his rating has never crossed
the 2400 barrier. He is also an experienced
tournament organizer, an international arbiter
and a well known study composer. (For a more
detailed biography of the man and his studies,
see Chapter 2 of Tibor Karolyi's Genius in the
over the board, which makes him a dangerous
opponent. He was kind enough to show me
his collection of wins against grandmasters,
including the present game which made a
particularly striking impression.
l.e4 d6 2.d4 ctJf6 3.CLl c3 g6 4.�g5!
Speaking as one who has some experience
playing the Pirc, I believe this system to be an
extremely dangerous one for Black to meet. As
a matter of fact, when I played this opening
I always began with the Modern Defence
move order, delaying . . . CLJ f6 until I had safely
avoided this system.
4...c6
Another direction is 4 . . . i.g7 5 . � d2 h6
6. i.h4 g5 7. i.g3 CLJ h5 8 .0-0-0 which also
looks pretty dangerous for Black.
5.'1Wd2 ttl bd7
5 . . . b5 6. i.d3 tLl bd7 7.f4 i.g7 is a more
popular move order.
6.f4
Background.)
Yochanan is known as a very positive
person, and this, along with his achievements
and service to the game of chess, has earned
him a lot of respect amongst his peers. As
the composer of hundreds of studies, he has
a great deal of imagination and inspiration
a
6 ..WI'a5?
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
.
A careless move. The queen on a5 might
discourage long castling, but apart from that
she serves no purpose and soon turns out to
be misplaced.
Chap ter 5 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Better would have been 6 . . . b5 7. � d3 Lt:lb6
(or 7 . . . �g7 first) 8 . ttJf3 � g7 9 . 0-0 0-0 when
Black stays in the game, although I would
certainly not recommend this line for him.
1 13
9 . . . d5 1 0.e5 Lt:l e4 looks attractive at first sight,
but the following encounter proved how
dangerous Black's position really is: 1 1 . We3
Lt:lxg5 1 2 . Lt:lxg5 e6
?..!Ll£3 b5
It is hard to suggest any reasonable alternative
to the plan of p ushing the b-pawn. Against
other continuations White would simply
develop and play e5 at a suitable moment,
after which the black knight would have a hard
time finding a good retreat square. By chasing
the white knight away from c3, Black at least
gives his own knight the option of moving to
d5.
s.id3 b4 9 .!Lle2
•
Already a2-a3 is a serious concern which
highlights the misplacement of the queen on
a5.
9...ia6
a
b
c
b
c
d
e
d
e
f
g
h
f
g
h
1 3 .f5 ! Were it not for this move, Black would
indeed have been fine. 1 3 . . . gxf5 1 4.g4! h6
1 5 . ttJ xf7! Excellent play by White. 1 5 . . . mxf7
1 6.gxf5 Lt:lb61his position occurred in Karolyi
- Beim, Tel Aviv 1 990, and here White could
have clinched victory as follows:
Other options also fail to offer Black much
relief:
9 . . .'\Wb6 loses a tem po. Indeed this position has
occurred plenty of times with Black to move,
which can hardly be a good sign for him. 1 O.e5
Lt:ld5 1 1 .0-0 � g7 Talla - Sisak, Frydek Mistek
1 99 8 . Here White missed a strong idea:
a
1 7 . Wg3! exf5 ( 1 7 . . . E!:g8 1 8 .fXe6t �xe6 1 9. Wf3t
m es 20. Wf6 c;t> d7 2 l .�f5+-) 1 8.E!:g1 c;t>e7
1 9. Wh4t c;t>es 20. Wf6 With a winning attack.
10.0-0
1 0 .a3 c5 l l . �xf6 Lt:lxf6 1 2. �xa6 Wxa6
1 3 .e5± was also strong.
IO d5?!
...
Black's position was already unpleasant, but
blocking the centre only makes matters worse.
1 14
Boris Avrukh
1 O . . . �xd3 would have been the lesser evil,
although White keeps a substantial advantage
here too. l l .cxd3! Now the c6-pawn will
become a target. ( 1 1 . '1Wxd3 '1W b 5 ! is not so
bad for Black) 1 1 . . . '1W b6 1 2.a3! bxa3 1 3 .bxa3
White is clearly better, but Black is still in the
game.
8
7
6
s
4
3
2
1
.�
�� � -,�. 'Y.
���
�
-"'"- "���!���w--!��a
q
�%"/�
Another thematic idea would have been
l l . �xf6!? tt:lxf6 1 2.e5 tt:le4 1 3 . '1W e3 and White
has a clear edge, for example 1 3 . . . e6 1 4. �xe4
dxe4 1 5 . tLl g5 ! ± .
·�
��
��
-- -% ��- - -"r"�
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� �
�
•• r�%�/.t.m
, . ,%.�g-----�
%�JtjW/:.
-�-���
�� • -M�
-�
a
ll.eS
�
b
�
�-�
�
c
d
e
f
g
�
h
1 6 .2::1x f5 ! exf5
After 1 6 . . . �h6? 1 7.E:xf7 �xg5 1 8 . '1Wxg5
'tt> xf7 1 9 .E:fl t 'tt> e8 20. tLl f4+- Black is
helpless against the threats.
1 7.e6 �e7
1 7 . . . tLl c5 !? is possible, although 1 8 .dxc5
1Mfxc5 1 9 .d4 1Mf e7 20. tLl xf7 E:g8 2 1 .E:e l ± is
much better for White.
1 8 .exd7t 'it>xd7 1 9 . tLl xf7 E:he8 20. tLl e5t 'tt> c7
2 1 .E:cl
White has a powerful initiative for the
exchange.
ll...ttle4 12.�e3 fS?!
Another mistake, leading to a strategically
miserable position for Black.
1 2. . . �xd3
This would have been a better practical
chance. White can maintain a large
advantage, but in order to do so he would
have had to find a remarkable attacking idea.
1 3 .cxd3 tt:lxg5 1 4. tLl xg5
After 1 4.fxg5 e6 White is better, but Black
is quite solid and in no immediate danger.
1 4 . . . e6 1 5 .f5 ! !
We already saw the same idea i n the Karolyi
- Beim game referenced above.
1 5 . . . gxf5
1 5 . . . exf5 ? 1 6 .e6 is just crushing.
13.a3!
I like this decision. By opening the queenside
White capitalizes on his development
advantage by targeting Black's weaknesses on
that flank.
1 3 .exf6!?
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
White could also have obtained a clear
advantage by accepting the sacrifice, but the
consequences of this move were not so easy
to foresee.
1 3 ...exf6
1 3 .. .l2J dxf6 1 4. l2J e5 leaves Black in a
depressing position and it is safe to say that
this was not his idea.
1 4.iixe4 dxe4 1 5.'W'xe4t ii e7 1 6.ii h4 'W' d5
1 7.'W' e3 !
It looks like Black is very close to obtaining
decent compensation for the pawn,
but unfortunately he has to sacrifice a
second.
also strong, for instance: 1 6... e6 1 7.c5 'W' c7
1 8 . iixe4 fxe4 1 9.t2J d2 iig7 20.'W'h3 l2J f8
2 1 .iih6±
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13...ib7 14.axb4 �xh4 15.c3
1 5.l::\a3 !? is also attractive.
15...'W'b6 16.b4
A good positional move, although White
was already spoiled for choice. 1 6.c4!? was
Y!
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16...a5!?
1 7... 0-0
Black would like to play 1 7...c;t> f7, but this
is refuted by 1 8. l2J g5 t ! fxg5 1 9.fxg5t c;t> e8
20.t2J f4 'W' d6 2 1 .l::\ fe 1 with a winning attack.
1 7 ... c;t> f8 1 8.f5 ! is also highly unpleasant for
him.
1 8.'W'xe7 l::\ ae8 1 9.'W'xb4 iixe2 20.l::\ f2±
Black does not have enough for two pawns.
Of course it would have been hard to judge all
these variations at the board, so Afek's move
was a much more pragmatic choice.
115
b
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It is exceedingly risky to open up the
queenside while behind in development; on
the other hand quieter continuations would
have left Black in a depressing strategic
situation with no counterplay.
For instance:
1 6... e6
Intending to develop the dark-squared
bishop and castle.
1 7.l::\a 5!
Establishing a bind over the queenside while
preparing to double rooks.
White should not rush with 1 7.c4? in view
of 1 7...iixb4 1 8.c5 l2J dxc5 ! 1 9.dxc5 iixc5
20. l2J ed4 l2J xg5 2 1 .fxg5 ii b4f± with an
unclear position.
There is a reasonable alternative in 1 7.l::\f b 1 !?
followed by c4-c5 , although ifWhite wanted
to opt for that plan it would have seemed
more logical to do so on move 1 6.
1 7...iig7
1 7... l2J xc3 ? does not work in view of
1 8. l2J xc3 iixb4 1 9.l::\a4! iixc3 20.l::\b 1 'W' c7
2 1 .ii fl +- when Black suffers a fatal loss of
material.
1 8.l::\fa 1 ±
1 16
Boris Avrukh
I think a better idea would have been
17 ... a4, preventing White from opening the
queenside immediately. Nevertheless White
maintains a clear advantage as follows: 1 8.Ei:al !
( 1 8 .c4 � a6 1 9 .c5 V1l b7 20. �xa6 V1lxa6 is not so
clear) 1 8 ...V1f c7 (intending . . . lt:J b6 next) 1 9 . c4!
dxc4 20.�xe4 fxe4 2 l . lt:J h4 lt:J b6 22.f5 with a
serious initiative.
18.c4?
Opening the queenside is the right idea, but
the timing is all wrong.
The right path was: 1 8.bxa5 Ei:xa5 1 9.Ei:b2! � g7
20.Ei:fb l � c8 (or 20 ...Ei:a7 2 1 . �h4! intending
to refute 2 l ...e6 with 22.�xe4! fxe4 23. lt:J g5
lt:J f8 24. lt:J g3! followed by a decisive sacrifice
on e4) 2 l .c4 e6 22.cxd5 exd5 23.Ei:c2!± and
thanks to the weakness on c6 White is clearly
better.
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17.Ei:abl
This move does not lose the advantage,
but there were a couple of more convincing
continuations:
1 7 .Ei:a4!? axb4 1 8.Ei:xb4 V1f c7 1 9 .Ei:fb l � c8
20.c4 e6 2 l .Ei:4b2± The threat of cxd5 is
difficult to meet.
1 7.bxa5 Ei:xa5 1 8.c4! is also strong, the main
point being that after 1 8 . . . Ei:xal 1 9.Ei:xa 1 e6
White can play 20.� f6! lt:J dxf6 2 l .exf6 V1l c7
22. lt:J g5 +- with a decisive attack.
17...'\Wc?
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This passive move is an incredible mistake
for a player of Van der Wiel's calibre. Thanks
to White's last move, his first real error of the
game, Black had the opportunity to reach a
playable position with: 1 8 ... dxc4! 1 9.�xc4
(after 1 9.�xe4 fxe4 20. lt:J h4 axb4 2 l .Ei:xb4
c5 22.Ei:xc4 � d5 23 .Ei:c3 e6 the evaluation is
similar) 1 9 ... lt:J b6! 20.� e6 axb4 2 l .Ei:xb4 � c8
22.Ei:fb l �xe6 23.Ei:xb6 h6 24.�h4 Ei:al !t and
Black is very much in the game.
-�
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
19.bxa5 lha5 20.cxd5!
Mter this simple capture Black's position
collapses like a paper house.
20...exd5
Obviously Black would have preferred to
recapture with the c-pawn, but after 20 ... cxd5
2 l .E:fc l Wf b8 (2 l... ii. c6 22. ii. b5 +-) 22.ii. b 5 +­
his position is hopeless.
21.i.xe4 fxe4
2 l ...dxe4 loses on the spot after 22.Wf b3!
E:d5 23.CtJ c3 .
22.e6 tlJb6
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24... E:a3 25.f7t cj{f8 26.i.h6t
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Unsurprisingly, White had some other
winning continuations. Here is an attractive
line shown by the computer: 26.CtJe5!? (there is
also 26.e7t ii.xe7 27. CtJ e5! with mate to follow
shortly) 26 . . . E:xe3 27.e7t � g7 (27 ...ii.xe7
28.ii.h6#)
23.f5!
An elegant solution, although the prosaic
23. CtJe5 ii. d6 24.f5 was also winning easily.
23 i.d6
..•
23 ... gxf5 gives White more than one way
to decide the game: 24.ii.f4 (there is also
24.E:xb6 Wfxb6 25.Wf f4! with a decisive attack)
24...CtJc4 (24 ...Wf d8 2 5 . CtJe5 is absolutely
hopeless for Black) 25.ii.xc7 CtJxe3 26.ii.xa5
ctJ xfl 27.CtJe5+- and Black cannot avoid heavy
material losses.
24.£6
A picturesque position! Black is absolutely
helpless.
26... cj{e7 27.Wfg5t cj{xe6 28.Wfg4t?!
It looks like White started to lose the thread
around here, since after 28.CtJ e5 Black could
have resigned immediately.
28... cj{xf7
28 ... � e7 29.CtJe5 is hopeless.
1 18
Boris Avrukh
29.tl:)gs t
A cleaner finish would have been 29.ltJ e5t
�e8 30. '1W e6t '1W e7 3 1 . '1Wxe7t fixe7 32.2"i:xb6
when Black has to resign.
34. fig7! 2"i:g8 35 .2"i:xc6 (3 5 . ttJ c3 !? is also strong)
3 5 . . . fi d7 36.2"i:xd6 '1Wxd6 37. fih6 White should
win this position, but Black still has chances to
resist.
33... 2"i:al t 34.�f2 ih4t
32...i.e7?
Black fails to exploit his unexpected chance
and gives up without a fight. He could have
offered greater resistance with 32 . . . 2"i:a l t
33. � f2 '1W e7! (but not 33 . . . 2"i:g8 ? 34. '1W g5 +-)
when White's pieces are a bit stuck and it
would not have been easy to find the winning
continuation:
Black resigned without wamng for the
obvious 3 5 . '\Wxh4 hxg6 36. '\W f6! with an easy
win.
1-0
Although White made a few inaccuracies along
the way, he always had the initiative and Black
never really looked like he would get back in
the game.
In the next game the story is altogether
different. The advantage swings dramatically
from one side to the other, but the grandmaster
makes the last mistake and pays the price. This
time the rating gap is more striking: White
weighs in at just 2 1 49, against his opponent's
formidable 2587.
Matthew Herman -Alberto David
Milan 2010
l.e4 cS 2.ti:)f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.CLlxd4 a6
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
This is one of many versions of the Paulsen
Sicilian, which is more widely known as the
Kan Variation.
s.i.d3
In my opinion this is the most challenging
reply, although 5 . lllc3 is certainly a serious
alternative.
S...i.cS
Many other moves are possible, but the
game continuation is the most fashionable
nowadays.
6.lllb3 i.e?
This leads to a complex Sicilian battle
with all the pieces on the board. I have used
the same system myself in recent years, and
have always considered it complicated and
somewhat dangerous.
6 ... ia7 is a serious alternative which has also
been played in a great many games.
7.f4
This is an important moment, as White's
seventh move goes a long way towards
determining his whole scheme of development
and future middlegame strategy. The move
played in the game has become quite
fashionable lately, but it is worth mentioning
a few of the main alternatives in order to
appreciate the diversity of possible plans.
7.c4 leads to a kind of Maroczy set-up.
7. ie3 d6 8 . lll 1 d2 is another possibility,
intending to play on the queenside with moves
like a4-a5 and lllc4.
7. '1Wg4! ? g6 8 . '1W e2 is one of the critical tests.
White hopes to show that Black's dark squares
have been weakened, while Black will try to
make positive use of the g-pawn's advance.
1 19
7...d6 8.i.e3 lllf6
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Highlighting one of the advantages of the
5. id3 system. White could of course have
opted for a more traditional arrangement with
'1W f3 , lllc3 , 0-0 , Ei:ae 1 and so on, but in that
case Black could obtain counterplay with the
typical ... b5-b4, hitting the knight.
9...lllc6 IO.'IWf3
White has tried several other moves as well.
1 O.c3 has been the most popular move, and
1 0. '1W e2 has also been seen in a fair number
of games. Some strong players have even tried
1 0 .a3, investing a tempo to prevent . . . lllb 4.
IO...lllb4
Personally I prefer a different approach,
which I employed in the following game:
1 0 . . . 0-0 1 1 . 0-0-0
Boris Avrukh
1 20
This seems risky, and White would probably
have been better off playing less ambitiously
with short castling.
l l . . .a5!
There is no knight on c3 , so I went after the
one on b3 instead!
1 2 . \t> b l
Black's last move was first introduced by
Fabiano Caruana, who won a fine game with
energetic play: 1 2. lZ'lc4?! a4 1 3 . .i b6 � e8
1 4 . lZ'lbd2 d5! 1 5 . lZ'le5 a3 1 6.b3 lZ'lb4 1 7. � b l
dxe4 1 8 . lZ'lxe4 lZ'lfd5 1 9 . .id4 f6 20. lZ'lc4 e5+
Perez Candelario - Caruana, Merida 2008.
12 . . . a4 1 3 . lZ'lc l a3 1 4.b3
This position occurred in Shavtvaladze Avrukh, Kallithea 2008, and here I should
have played:
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6
I would guess that White prepared this
move beforehand in order to improve on
one of Alberto's previous games in which he
experienced no problems: 1 1 .0-0 0-0 1 2 . .i f2
lt:J xd3 ( 1 2 . . . .i d7!?) 1 3 .cxd3 .id7 1 4 . lt:J c4 Elc8
1 5 . .i b6 � e8 16 . .id4 d5 Black was doing fine
in Kislik - David, Paleochora 200 8 .
'0
2
a
1 4 . . . lt:J b4!
.
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
This simple move should give Black an
excellent game.
1 5 .c3
If 1 5 . lZ'le2 then 1 5 . . . e5! is strong.
1 5 . . . lt:J xd3 1 6. lZ'lxd3 b5 17 . .i d4 .i b7
Black has excellent prospects on the light
squares.
On the other hand Alberto has a lot of
experience in this system, and his choice is
certainly not bad.
ll.g4!?
A very aggressive approach, and in my
view the most challenging one available.
In m y opinion the correct continuation would
have been l l . . .b5 1 2.g5 lZ'ld7 1 3 .0-0 .i b7
1 4.a3 lZ'lxd3 1 5 .cxd3 0-0 with double-edged
play.
12.g5 tLld7 13.�e2?!
Although this move shows a lot of
inspiration and creativity, obj ectively I must
regard it as questionable. The king may not
be in any immediate danger, but the position
is not blocked and there is every chance that
the centre could open up at some point in the
future.
1 3 .0-0 was more logical, and after something
like 1 3 . . . b6 1 4.a3 lZ'lxd3 (or 1 4 . . . lt:J c6 1 5 . � h3!)
1 5 .cxd3 0-0 1 6.Elac 1 ± White has slightly the
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
better chances, and we are reminded that the
c7 -square was not a good choice for the black
queen.
13...b6
There was nothing wrong with the more
active 1 3 . . . b5, for instance: 1 4.a3 CLlc6! 1 5 .h4
(Mter 1 5 .a4 bxa4 1 6J'1xa4 0-0 Black has a lot
of play on the queenside, and White's king
position might become an issue if the position
opens up.) 1 5 . . . CDc5 1 6 .h5 j, b7 Black will hide
his king on the queenside, meanwhile White's
king looks strange in the centre, and any
opening of the position could prove extremely
dangerous for him.
14.a3
8
What should Black do with the knight?
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14... lt:\xd3?
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h
A serious positional error, which turns
1 3 . <;t> e2?! from a bad move into rather a good
one. In the ensuing position the d3-pawn will
become a valuable shield, and it is now the
black king that faces an uncertain future, White
is poised to launch an attack in the centre and
kingside regions, and long castling is out of the
question. All this is a consequence of Black's
decision to open the c-file with his own hands.
1 4 . . . lLl c6! would have stamped a serious
12 1
question mark on White's strategy. Mter the
likely continuation of 1 5 .h4 j, b7 1 6.h5 0-0-0
Black's king is safe, while the white monarch,
by contrast, could easily become vulnerable in
the long term. I would definitely prefer Black
here.
What could have caused such a strong
grandmaster as Alberto David to commit such
a serious misjudgement? I am quite certain
that, had he encountered the position in a
different context, without having any prior
involvement in the game, then it would not
have taken him long to realize that 14 . . . lLl c6!
was the right move. By way of explanation, my
guess is that when he played lO . . . lLl b4 his sole
intention was to eliminate the bishop on d3 ,
and he never stopped to think about how the
requirements of the position had changed. To
put it more strongly, he 'forgot' that the knight
even had the ability to retreat.
8
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Black's only trump after exchanging on d3
is his light-squared bishop, which has the
potential to become a serious force in the event
that the position opens up. Unfortunately
Black lacks the time needed to carry out his
plans.
1 22
Boris Avrukh
16J!acl
Underlining the unfortunate position of the
black queen - another disadvantage of Black's
decision to exchange on d3.
16...'\Wds 17.�d4 :B:c8?
An inaccuracy which could have made
White's task easier.
It was necessary to bolster the kingside
with 17 . . . g6. Play might continue 1 8 .h4
(the tempting 1 8 . li:Jc6 .ixc6 1 9 .1::1xc6 gives
Black the interesting option of 1 9 . . . �xg5 !?)
1 8 . . . 1::1c 8 1 9 .1::1xc8 iMfxc8 20.h5 ms 2 l .b4
when White's chances are higher, but Black's
position remains sound and difficult to breach.
b
a
22. li:Jc4!
d
c
e
f
g
h
White is clearly better.
18...g6
Correcting the previous mistake.
Another reasonable option would have been:
1 8 .. .l2J c5 1 9.b4 ( 1 9 .f5 e5 20.f6 exd4 2 l .fxe7
iMfxe7 22 . .ixd4 0-0 is not so clear.) 1 9 . . . li:Ja4
20.f5 li:Jc3t
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18.h4?
Missing a natural and strong attacking
continuation:
1 8 .f5 !
Now Black faces a n uphill battle t o survive.
1 8 . . . 0-0
1 8 . . . e5 ? meets with a convincing refutation:
1 9 . li:Je6! fxe6 20. iMfh5t � f8 2 l .fxe6 iMf e8
22.:1!cfl t � g8 23. iMfxe8t 1::1xe8 24.exd7 1::1d 8
2 5 . li:Jc4+1 8 . . . li:Je5?! is also unsatisfactory, as after
1 9 . 1Wg3 or 1 9. iMfh3 it is hard to suggest a
reasonable defence for Black.
1 9 .f6! gxf6 20.:B:xc8 iMfxc8 2 l .gxf6 .ixf6
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Here White should play the simple
2 1 . � f2± maintaining slightly better chances
in a complex position. There is an interesting
alternative in 2 l .:B:xc3! ? :B:xc3 22. li:Jxe6! fxe6
23.fxe6, but after 23 . . . iMfc7 24. iMf f7t � d8
2 5 . iMfxg7 :B:e8 26 . .ixb6 iMfxb6 27. iMfxc3 � c8!
the situation is highly unclear.
19.:B:cfl !?
An interesting move, but objectively it was
stronger to play 1 9.:B:xc8 iMfxc8 20.h5 1::1f8
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2 l .b4!± when White keeps the upper hand
thanks to the passivity of his opponent's pieces.
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1 23
21...0-0?
Another serious mistake; evidently it was not
Alberto's best day. I examined a couple of other
interesting lines:
2 l . . .a5?!
Activating the bishop on a6 is a logical idea,
but Black can ill afford the time for it here.
22. etJ2f3!
22. etJ c4? would be a mistake due to the
exchange sacrifice 22 . . . Elxc4! 23.dxc4
1W c8 24.b3 a4! when Black obtains serious
counterplay.
22 . . . 0-0 23.h5 il.a6
A well timed advance, and the logical follow­
up to Black's previous move which covered the
f5-square.
Also not bad was 1 9 . . . Elf8 ! ? 20.h5 etJc5
when it is not clear how White can develop
his initiative.
20.fxe5
The piece sacrifice 20.f5 ! ? looks tempting,
although after 20 . . . exd4 (20 . . . 0-0? would be a
clear mistake in view of 2 l .h5! with a crushing
attack) 2 l .fxg6 etJe5 22.gxf7t 'tt> d7 23. 1W f5 t
'tt> c7 24. il.xd4 'tt> b8 the position is extremely
unclear.
20 ...etJxe5 21.�£4
24. 'tt> d 2!
A very strong move.
24. tt:l xe5 dxe5 2 5 . 1Wxe5 is worse due to
25 . . . Elc2t 26. 'tt> d l il.d6 27. W f6 il.e7 2 8 . 1W e5
il.d6= when Black forces a draw.
24 . . .'\W d7
24 . . . tt:l xd3 ? 2 5 . 1W h4 wins on the spot, and
24 . . . il.xd3 2 5 . 1W h4 forces Black to make a
bad piece sacrifice in order to stave off mate.
2 5 . hxg6 fxg6 26. 1W h2 h5 27.gxh6 tt:l xd3
2 8 .Elfg l
White has a strong attack.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
2 1 . . . 1W d7!
This was the safest and best idea. When
the opponent is poised to launch a deadly
attack, the possibility of exchanging queens
can be an invaluable resource.
Boris Avrukh
1 24
23. Wh2!
This rather obvious move would have been
extremely tough for Black to meet.
23 . . . W g4t
23 . . . lL\g4 24,Wh4 is hardly defensible for
Black.
24. lL\2f3
b
a
c
d
e
f
g
h
22.h5
White has nothing better.
If he tries 22. lL\c4 then 22 . . . :gxc4! 23.dxc4
W a4 24.:gc l 0-0 25 .h5 .i c8� gives Black
interesting compensation.
22 . . . W g4t 23. Wxg4 lL\xg4 24 . .i f4 lL\e5:t
White still maintains a slight plus, but the
queen exchange has made Black's position a lot
safer.
22.h5Wd7
Hoping to force a queen exchange with a
check on g4.
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One might argue that this move deserves
a second question mark, as White not only
misses a near-winning continuation, but
also allows his opponent to obtain the upper
fland.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
24 . . . lL\xd3 ! ?
This looks a b i t desperate, but I would regard
it as the best practical chance.
24 . . . .ixe4 2 5 . dxe4 Wxe4 26. W f4 W d3t
27.'i> f2 f6 2 8 . ci>g2 fxgS 29. lL\xe5 gxf4
30. lL\xd3 fxe3 3 1 .:gxf8t .txf8 32. ci>f3±
reaches a technically winning position for
White.
2 5 . <i> xd3
2 5 . hxg6 hS! is less clear.
25 . . . .ixe4t 26.'i> d2±
Black does not have enough compensation
for a piece.
23...gfe8!
Now Black is ready to meet the attack along
the h-file, and his last move also reminds us of
White's shaky king position.
24.hxg6
Nothing much is changed by 24.:gh2 .i f8
25 .:ggh l :ge7! when I do not see a good way
for White to meet the impending . . . d5 with a
decisive opening of the centre.
.
24 ..fxg6
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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6
5
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3
b
a
25.ClJf5!?
d
c
f
e
g
1 25
27.Ei:xh7 (no better is 27.gxh7t <i> h8 28 .Ei:h5
� g7 29.Ei:xf5 Ei:f8!-+) 27 . . . �g7 28. '@fxf5
'@fxf5 29.exf5 � c6! Not the only move, but
the strongest, improving another piece and
preparing to put the bishop on b5 or d7.
30. '2l e4 �xe4 3 l .dxe4 Ei:c4-+
26.i.d4
h
In a seriously worse position White desper­
ately tries to complicate matters. Objectively
the sacrifice is unsound, but over the board it
proved to be the correct choice,
The 'best' continuation was 2 5 . '@f h2 � f8
26. '@fh3, but after 26 . . . '@fxh3 27.:1hh3 d5
Black has a pleasant advantage and White has
absolutely no attacking chances. Though it is
impossible to say with any certainty how the
game would have finished from here, there is
every chance that David's grandmaster-calibre
technique would have brought home the
victory.
25 ...i.f8!?
This could also be considered a practical
decision, as Black keeps a big advantage while
avoiding any big complications.
In fact he could easily have accepted the
sacrifice: 25 . . .gxf5 26.g6 � f6!
a
26... ClJ c6?
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Once again refraining from capturing the
knight. This time the consequences are more
serious, as Black throws away his advantage.
Black could have refuted the attack with:
26 . . . gxf5 ! 27.g6 �g7! I can only assume that
this calm move skipped Black's attention for
the second time. 28.gxh7t (or 28.Ei:xh7 fxe4
and White has no ideas) 28 . . . <i> h8 Black is j ust
winning.
27.i.c3 dS?
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Amazingly Black leaves the knight for a third
time; perhaps he stared into the horse's eyes
and became hypnotized!
This time taking the knight would not have
been winning, but it would have maintained
approximate equality: 27 . . . '@fxf5 ! 28. '@fxf5 gxf5
29.g6 h6 30.g7 � e7 3 1 .Ei:xh6� In my opinion
the strong g7-pawn gives White enough
compensation to maintain the balance.
Boris Avrukh
1 26
b
a
28.'Wh4?
d
c
f
e
g
h
Now it is White's turn to falter. He could
have obtained a serious advantage with
2 8 . ctJ e3!, for example: 28 . . . d4 29. ctJ g4 �g7
30. � b4! ctJ e5 3 1 . ctJ f6t! (stronger than 3 1 . Wh2
h5 32. ltJ f6t �xf6 33.gxf6 Wb5 34. W g3 W f7!)
31 . . . �xf6 32.gxf6 W f7 33.Ei:g3±
28...E!:c7??
The decisive mistake, overlooking a simple
tactic. Black should have preferred one of the
following two ideas:
29 . . . gxf5 ? 30.g6 h6 3 1 .g7!--+ is extremely
dangerous for Black.
30. Wxh7t
After 30.axb4 �xe4 3 1 .dxe4 gxf5 32.E!:d l
W b7! Black stands better.
30 . . . Wxh7 3 1 .Ei:xh7 W xh7 32.E!:h l t W gS
33 .E!:hst W f7 34.E!:h7t W e6!?
Obviously Black can force a draw with
34 . . . ci>gs .
3 5 . ctJ d4t W e5 36. ctJ f6
White is temporarily a rook down, but he
should be able to hold the position as Black
has several pieces hanging.
28 . . . ctJ e5!
This seems like the most pragmatic, and also
the objectively strongest choice. White is
more or less forced into the following line:
29.d4 ltJ c4
29 . . . gxf5 30.dxe5 (30.g6? ltJ g4 is just bad
for White.) 30 . . . E!:c6 leads to an extremely
complicated position.
30.e5
28 . . . dxe4
This is not the strongest continuation, but it
leads to some amazing tactical complications:
29. ctJ xe4
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
fmc,,/m·�"'•N,•m/''m"··n=
v·='•...... ..
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
29 . . . ltJ b4!!
This amazing idea would have been almost
impossible to find over the board.
30 . . . a5 !
A nice way to activate the bishop.
3 l . ctJ e3 ctJ xe3 32. W xe3 � a6+
Black's chances are higher as the king is
vulnerable on e3.
29.ctJg7!
An elegant blow that decides the game
instantly.
Chapter 5
8
7
6
5
Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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29...'Wxg7 30.�xg7 �xg7
f
g
h
On the face of it, it looks like Black might
have some swindling chances based on his
active pieces and White's vulnerable king. But
from here White does everything right and
marches to victory like a professional.
3l.@dl �eS 32.�g3! �c8 33.d4
33 .�gh3! ? is also good enough, but the text
is more straightforward.
33... � c4 34.�xc4 �xc4
35.e5!
Now Black's position is absolutely hopeless
as both his bishops are locked out of play.
35 ...�c5
1 27
If 3 5 . . . i c8 then 36.!::k3 decides the game
easily.
36.�g4 ha3
This must have been an agonrzmg move
to play, but in any case Black's position was
hopeless and there was not much he could do
against the planned attack along the f-file.
37.bxa3 �gc7 38.�el �c6 39.@e2 �bS
40.@f2
1-0
Once again we can draw certain parallels
between the two grandmaster defeats. Although
it may seem a trivial point, we may note that
both of them had the black pieces. Although
a large gap in skill will usually overcome this
initial disadvantage, the privilege of the first
move is certainly an important factor, which
increases the amateur's chances to create
problems for his opponent; or at the very least,
to make it through the opening with a decent
position.
Secondly, both grandmasters attempted to
play for a win by employing double-edged
opening systems. Obviously there are pros
and cons to this approach: by unbalancing the
game the grandmaster reduces the probability
of a 'boring' draw, but runs the risk of falling
into difficulties in the event that the amateur
plays well. That is not to say they were wrong
to play that way, as both Van der Wiel and
David are successful grandmasters who
win more often than they lose. One of the
fascinating things about chess is that another
player of similar overall ability might go
for a completely different strategy, striving
for solid equality in the hope of outplaying
the amateur in a simplified middlegame or
endgame. One could reasonably expect such a
player to concede a certain number of draws
but suffer fewer losses, thus achieving a similar
percentage score over time.
Boris Avrukh
1 28
There is no absolute 'right or wrong'
concerning the level of risk one should
undertake when playing for a win against a
weaker opponent. The choice will depend on
one's own playing style and temperament, as
well as event-specific tournament or match
tactics.
I will end the chapter by exploring an
interesting phenomenon that often comes into
play when an amateur crosses swords with a
much stronger adversary.
The Rocky Balboa Effect
In Sylvester Stallone's Rocky, a part-time boxer
gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to step into
the ring with the reigning World Heavyweight
Champion. He seems hopelessly outclassed,
and yet against all odds, he withstands the
punishment, stands toe-to-toe with his elite
adversary, and lasts the full 1 5 rounds.
5.0-0 .ie7 6J3el b5 7..ih3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3
tLl b8
This strange-looking move characterizes the
Breyer System, one of the most important
variations in the Closed Ruy Lopez. It remains
a popular choice all the way up to the highest
level, and is regularly employed by such elite
players as Carlsen, Kamsky, Mamedyarov and
Svidler.
lO.d4 ttJbd7 ll.tLl bd2 .ib7
Black has invested two tempos improving
the position of the knight, which now enjoys
great flexibility on d7. Meanwhile the light­
squared bishop exerts considerable influence
on the centre from b7.
12 ..ic2
White protects the e4-pawn in preparation
for the thematic ctJ fl -g3 manoeuvre. Another
idea is to play on the queenside by means of
a4 and �d3 .
Chess players (usually) don't punch each other
in the face, but when we are presented with
a rare opportunity to do battle with someone
who would normally be considered way out of
our league, it can provide an incredible amount
of excitement and motivation to perform well.
This explains why we occasionally witness
games such as the following.
Ivan Cheparinov - Victor Havik
Gibraltar 20 1 0
Ivan Cheparinov has been Topalov's second
for several years and is rated in the high
2600s. Victor Havik, on the other hand, is a
Norwegian amateur who was rated j ust 2093
at the time of the game - a gap approaching
600 rating points.
l.e4 e5 2.tLlf3 tLl c6 3 ..ib5 a6 4 ..ia4 ttJf6
Normally Black waits for the enemy pawn to
come to a4 before moving his c-pawn. The main
line is 12 . . . Ei:e8 1 3 . tt:l fl � f8 14. tt:l g3 g6, and
now one of the principle continuations is 1 5 .a4
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
c5! (only now!) 1 6.d5 c4 when the position is
double-edged, but Black benefits from havin g
a stable outpost for his knight on c5.
13.d5
With this move White establishes a space
advantage and ensures that Black's light­
squared bishop will remain passive in the long
term. Compared with the previous note, the
c5-square loses a certain amount of its appeal
for the black knight. There is no pawn on a4 to
attack, and the b3-square is covered by a white
pawn instead of just the bishop. Furthermore,
White can consider chasing the knight with
b4, intending to meet . . . cxb3 with axb3,
which would not have been possible had the
white pawn already moved to a4.
13...g6
Preparing . . . tt:l h5, as is thematic in closed
Ruy Lopez positions.
13 . . . c4 gives White a pleasant choice between
1 4 . tt:l fl intending to play on the kingside, and
1 4.b3!? undermining Black's structure on the
queenside, both of which give him the better
prospects.
14.lL:\fl lL:\h5 15.ih6 �e8
The alternative is 1 5 . . . tt:l g7 when White
must make a choice:
a) In a previous game Cheparinov chose 1 6.g4,
but after the thematic regrouping 16 . . . tt:l f6
1 7. ctJ g3 @ hS! 1 8 . a4 tt:l gS Black was able to
repel the bishop while organizing his kingside
pieces quite harmoniously. The game continued
1 9 . � e3 c4 20. @ h2 (20.b3!? looks more
challenging) 20 . . . iMf b8 2 l . iMf d2 � c8 22.2::1 a3 f5
when Black obtained reasonable counterplay
and eventually prevailed, Cheparinov - Adla,
Pontevedra 2004.
b) 1 6 . tt:l e3! is a more attractive option. The
first game ever played from this position is
129
also one of the most instructive: 1 6 . . . tt:l f6
1 7.a4 <i> h8 1 8 .b3 2::1 b 8 1 9 . iMf e2 � c8 2 0 . axb5
axb5 2 1 .2::1 a7 tt:l g8 22. �xg7t <i> xg7 2 3 .2::1 e a l
tt:l f6 24. � d3 � d7 2 5 . iMf a2;l; Black was
doomed to passive defence and eventually
succumbed in Karpov - Gligoric, Leningrad
1 973. Any readers wishing to improve their
understanding of the Closed Ruy Lopez
should pay close attention to Karpov's games,
as he achieved a fantastic score in these
positions and was one of the greatest ever
connoisseurs of this opening.
16.lLlg3
The most challenging continuation, forcing
Black to make a decision with the knight.
White does not mind compromising his
kingside pawns, as the open f-file will make up
for it.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
16... llJxg3
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 6 . . . tt:l f4 can be met by 1 7 . iMfd2 �f6
1 8 . �xf4 exf4 1 9 . iMfxf4 when Black does not
have sufficient compensation for the pawn.
In a previous game Black tried 1 6 . . . tt:l g7
but failed to equalize: 1 7.a4 2::1 b 8 1 8 .b3 tt:l f6
1 9 . iMf d2 <i> hS 20. � d3 � c8 2 l .axb5 axb5
22.2::1 a7 tt:l g8 This position was reached in
Sideif Sade - Psakhis, Frunze 1 979, and here
the simple:
1 30
Boris Avrukh
20...£6 2I.i.e3 CDh6 22.h3 l::l f8 23.1::1 £2
A better idea may have been 23.g4 aS
24.:8:ab l !?, holding up Black's queenside play
and hoping to carry out g5 at an appropriate
moment.
8
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a
18.i.g5?!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
This move loses time and allows Black to
consolidate his position. Better would have
been 1 8 . � d2 with the possible continuation:
1 8 . . . �xh6 1 9 . �xh6 � f6 20.:8:fl � g7 2 l . � e3
Lt'l b6 (or 2 l . . .a5 22.a4 b4 23. � d3±) 22.a4!?
White switches his attention to the queenside
and keeps the better chances.
4
3
2
1
a
23...a5!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Now White should watch out, as both . . . a4
and . . . c4 could prove troublesome.
24.CD h2
The idea of transferring the knight to g4 does
not work well for White. 24.:8:b l a4 2 5 . � d3
would have been more logical.
24...i.c8
Directed against Lt'l g4. There was also
nothing wrong with 24 . . . a4 as after 2 5 . Lt'l g4
axb3 26. �xb3 c4 27. � c2 Lt'l d7 Black has a
comfortable game.
25.Eiafl a4 26.i.dl
20.:8:fl
An understandable decision, since after
26. Lt'l g4 �xg4! 27.hxg4 axb3 28.axb3 g5! Black
is in no real danger. It should be mentioned
that after 29. � c l White easily contains
his opponent's play on the a-file and so the
position is balanced, bur this was obviously
not a desirable outcome for Cheparinov.
Hoping to develop attacking chances along
the f-file.
26 ... axh3 27.axh3
18...'\Wc7 19.1Wd2 i.g7
Now Black has a reasonable game.
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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27...£5!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
131
28. . J�a2
Black has full control over the a-file, but j ust
as in several lines of the Ruy Lopez, this does
not yield him any tangible benefit, at least for
the time being.
29.\Wdl '.Wb7
Black's position looks attractive, but he
cannot achieve anything special at once, for
instance 29 . . . c4 30.b4 tLl a4 is met by 3 1 . Vfi e l
when the game remains balanced.
30.1Wbl '.Wa7
A great move. At first it may look as though
Black is playing aggressively, but in fact this
move is mainly a prophylactic one, designed
to prevents the opponent's main ideas of ii g4
and tLl g4.
28..tc2
Opening up the position by means of28.exf5
gxf5 29. ii c2 might easily have backfired after
the following strong idea:
The natural 3 1 . ii d3 would have been better,
for instance 3 l . . .:!::!:xf2 32.:B:xf2 fxe4 33 .:B:xf8t
iixf8 34. iixe4 Vfif7 3 5 . Vfi d3 iif5 36.iixf5 gxf5
37.c4! and White has no problems, although
he is not really better either.
31 ... gxf5?
Black immediately returns the favour and
puts himself in a dangerous situation.
2 8 . iih6 is more sensible, and after 28 . . . iixh6
29.'\W xh6 Vff g7 30. Vfi d2 ii d7 3 I . ii c2 the
position remains balanced.
3 1 . .. ctJ xd5 !
I am at a loss to explain why Havik rejected
this move, as well as Cheparinov's reasons for
Boris Avrukh
1 32
allowing it, as the following variations look
pretty clear-cut.
32. tt:l g4! ?
Maybe this was Ivan's idea, but i t fails to
impress. Alternatives are no better:
32.fxg6? does not work in view of 32 .. .2'!xf2
33. ixf2 tt:l xc3 and White cannot avoid
material losses.
32. ie4 is another idea, but after 32 . . . tt:l xc3
33.E:xa2 "!Wxa2 34. "1Wxa2 tt:l xa2 3 5 .fxg6 hxg6
36. ixg6 i e6+ Black is clearly better and
absolutely out of danger.
32..bfs
Now White dissolves the enemy kingside in
a more favourable way.
32... �xfl 33.hh7t c;!.>hs 34.J.xfl �xd5
35.c4!?
This natural move is the prelude to
unexpected complications. The alternative was
3 5 . "1W d3 when Black has a couple of ideas:
a) 3 5 . . . "1W e7 36. "1Wxd5 (36. i e4 tt:l f6 37. i c6
e4 3 8 . "1Wxb5 W e5! gives Black chances for
counterplay, although obj ectively he is still
worse.) 36 . . . m xh7 37.b4! is better for White.
b) 35 . . . tt:l xc3 36. Wxc3 m xh7 37. "1W d3 t e4!
3 8 . "1Wxe4t (but not 3 8 . "1Wxd6? E:xfL.! 39.E:xf2
i d4 when Black is doing fine) 38 . . . m h8
39. tt:l f3 White is better, but Black has some
practical counterplay.
35...bxc4
b
a
c
d
e
f
g
3 5 . . . ih6 can be strongly met by 36. ic2! tt:l c3
37. "\W e l b4 3 8 . i e3± with a large advantage.
h
32 . . . gxf5
Leading to a forced sequence which ends up
in Black's favour.
33. ixf5 E:xfL. 34. ixh7t m h8 3 5 . ixf2 tt:l xc3
36. "1W c2 b4
Black's positional superiority is indisputable;
meanwhile White has no way to exploit the
apparent vulnerability of his opponent's king.
36.bxc4 � c3 37.Wc2
a
37...e4!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
When playing this move Black was obliged
to see the strong follow-up on the next move.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
37 . . . "1W e7 was unsatisfactory, as after 3 8 . i e l
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
ctJ e2t 39. '1Mixe2 W xh7 40. '1Mi e4t W g8 4 1 .�xf8t
ii.xf8 42. tLl g4 White's advantage is beyond
doubt.
38.ii.xe4 �xf2!
A remarkable idea! Suddenly White must
forget about the technical task of converting
an extra pawn, and instead ready himself for a
direct conflict requiring accurate calculation.
39.�xf2 i.d4 40.tlJf3!
Sacrificing material is the way forward, and
a definite improvement over 40. t2J fl ?! '\Mi f7
4 I . ii. f3 ii.xh3! when Black has good chances
to escape.
40 '\Mialt 41.�h2 i.xf2 42.i.f5
•••
A slight inaccuracy.
42. ii. c6 was also less than ideal, as after
42 . . . t2J d l ! 43. '1Mi d2 '1Mi g7 44.g4 ii.xg4 4 5 . '\Mixd l
'1Mi f6 the opposite-coloured bishops give Black
good chances to survive.
42. ii. d3 !
This would have been strongest, although the
evaluation relies on the accurate assessment
of some difficult variations.
42 . . . t2J d l
4 2 . . . ii. e3 enables White to decide the game
with a neat queen manoeuvre: 43. '1Mib3! '1Mi a5
44. '1Mib8 '1Mi d8 4 5 . ii. f5 +43. '1Mi e2! ii. e3
43 . . . '1Mig7? loses instantly: 44. '\Mi eSt '1Mi g8
4 5 . '1Mih5t lt> g7 46. '1Mi g6t+-
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1 33
44. tLl e l !
Th e most accurate move, and a difficult one
to see in advance. Black's pieces are clearly
misplaced and he has no reasonable defence
against the threat of ii. c2.
44. 'Ll g5 looks tempting, but after 44 . . . ii.xg5
4 5 . '1Mih5t <i> g8 46. '1Mixg5t '1Mi g7 47. '1Mi d5t
'\Mi f7 48. '1Mixd6 '1Mie6 49. '1Mixc5 ctJ e3 Black has
chances to survive.
44 . . . <i> g7
Black has nothing better to do, so he avoids
a check on h 5 .
4 5 . ii. c2
White should win without difficulty.
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/ %% ��-��[j�
3 %%
,a1�, -t;tJr
- f"/
-.
��
21 �.
%� ;m%.,_,,Y""'
� �
�
a
43 ... ttJdl?
/
�
_____
b
c
d
e
f
g
%
h
Though it seems natural to open the long
diagonal for the queen, the text move is a
losing mistake. To be fair, the correct defensive
idea was far from obvious.
43 ... W g7!! The king marches defiantly towards
his aggressors! Actually the key idea is to cover
the f7- and f8-squares. Best play continues:
44. '1Mi d7t W g8 4 5 . '1Mi e6t W g7 46. '1Mixd6 'IMi c l !
Another difficult move. 47.h4 '1Mih6 48. '1Mi e7t
W g8 49. 'Ll g5 '1Mig6 5 0 . '\Mi dst lt> g7 5 1 . '1Mi d7t
W h8 52. '1Mi c8t W g7 5 3 . W h3± White retains
some pressure here, but I am pretty sure Black
should be able to hold it with accurate defence.
Boris Avrukh
1 34
48.\Wflt �h8 49.h4
44J!Mf8t �h7
Black's position is still precarious, but Havik
manages to find the only move to stay in the
game.
a
45.\Wflt?
b
d
c
f
e
g
h
Throwing away the win.
The tempting 4 5 . lt:J g5t � g6 46.h4 allows
Black to keep himself in the game with
46 . . . ixg3t!! 47. 'it> xg3 '® e5t 48. '®f4 '®xf4t
49. <i> xf4 lt:J b2!, although White still keeps
some winning chances in the ensuing endgame.
However, the simple 45. '®xd6! provides a
convincing route to victory: 45 . . . lt:J e3 (45 . . . '®g7
46. '®xd l ixg3t 47. 'it> gl +-) 46. lt:J g5t 'it> gs
47. '® e6t 'it> g7 48. '® f7t 'it> h6
50.\WeSt �g7 5 1.\We7t �g8 52.\Wflt �h8
53.\West �g7 54.\Wd7t �g8 55.\Wcst
Ivan is still not satisfied with a draw, and
indeed he is not risking anything by playing on.
55...\WfS
55 . . . 'it> g7 would have drawn more quickly,
although in order to appreciate this, one must
take into account the following pawn endgame:
56. � b7t W g8 57. � d5t c±> g7 5 8 . �xd l ixg5
5 9 . '® g4
8
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
49. '®h7t! W xg5 50.h4t W f6 5 I . '®h8t White
wins the enemy queen, and with it the game.
45...'.Wg7 46.\Wh5t '.Wh6 47.'Llg5t �g7
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Chapter 5 - Th e Good, the Bad and the Ugly
135
5 9 . . . m f6 60. 'Wxg5 t 'Wxg5 6 l .hxg5t m xg5
Despite appearances, Black is fine here: 62. m g 1
(62. m h3 ?? even loses to 62 . . . d5 63.cxd5 c4-+)
62 . . . d5! 63.cxd5 m f5 =
Black finds a beautiful solution. The more
mundane 5 8 .. . 'Wfl 5 9 . lt:l e4 'W gl t 60. m h3
lt:l f2t 6 1 . lt:l xf2 'Wxf2= was also good enough
to hold.
56.'We6t c;t>hS?!
59.'Wd7t c;t>g6 60.'We6t c;t>h7 6I.h5 'Wxd6!
56 . . . m g7 would have been more accurate,
and after 57. 'W d5 lt:l c3 5 8 . 'W b7t m g6
5 9 . 'Wh7t m f6 60. 'W d3 �xg5 6 l . 'Wxc3t m g6
62.hxg5 m xg5 the queen endgame should be
an easy draw.
57.CLlfit c;t>h7 58.CLlxd6?!
White could have caused his opponent more
problems with 5 8 .h5 'W g7 5 9 .g4, trying to
get the kingside pawns involved in the attack.
The correct defence is 59 . . . lt:l f2! 60.g5 �xg5
6 l . 'W f5 t m gs 62. lt:l xg5 'W eSt! 63. 'Wxe5 lt:l g4t
64. m g3 lt:l xe5 6 5 . lt:l e4 lt:l xc4 when it looks as
though Black should be able to hold, but it
would have been a tall order to find this idea
over the board.
A lovely way to force a draw. Incidentally
6 I . . . 'W f6!? would also have been good enough
to hold, but the text move is more forcing and
thus the clear first choice.
62.'Wxd6 CLlg4t 63.c;t>h3 CLl f2t 64.c;t>h2
CLlg4t 65.c;t>h3 CLlf2t 66.c;t>h4 .igS!t
1/2-lfl
The players agreed a draw in view of 67. m xg5
lt:l e4t 6S. m f4 lt:l xd6 69. m e5 lt:l xc4t 70. m d5
when White captures his opponent's last pawn.
Both sides made some mistakes along the
way, but overall Havik showed incredible
determination, resourcefulness and tactical
awareness in a position which was extremely
hard to defend, especially against such a
formidable attacking player as Cheparinov.
How can we explain his incredible perform­
ance? It looks to me as though the pressure
and sheer excitement of facing an almost
otherworldly grandmaster gave him an
incredible amount of motivation, and he was
able to elevate his concentration and overall
playing strength way beyond anything that
could be expected from a playing of his meagre
rating. This should serve as a warning never to
underestimate an opponent, no matter what
their rating (or lack of one) . You never know
where the next Rocky Balboa might be lurking!
Tiger Hillarp Persson
The Ulysses Effect
Ti ger Hillarp Persson
1 38
'/lny object, intensely regarded, may be a gate of
access to the incorruptible eon of the gods. "
7....th7 s..te2
Although this excerpt from James Joyce's Ulysses
(From Episode 1 4 : Oxen of the Sun; p.4 1 3
in the Penguin 1 969 edition) is written in a
joking spirit, when I first read it almost fifteen
years ago, it immediately made sense to me.
I had indeed been thinking along those lines
for some time, and the meaning of it turned
an already perceptible note within me into a
resounding chord. The sentence itself reeks of
pretentiousness, so I suppose a translation to
plainer English is in order. Freeing ourselves
from gods, gates and eons, we might end up
with something like: "When intensely studied,
any part of a greater whole, however small,
may grant you insights of a magnitude greater
than that of the part itsel£"
Still not making sense? In that case allow me to
illustrate with rwo of my own encounters with
experienced grandmasters, from my days as a
rising amateur with a rating that had not yet
reached 2400.
Tiger Hillarp Persson - Jonny Hector
Rilton Cup 1 9 9 5
Ld4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.� f3 �f6 4.� c3 e6 S ..tgS
dxc4 6.e4 hS 7.a4
I had studied the Geller Gambit in the Slav
a few years earlier, and not long before the
present game I stumbled over an inspirational
old game of Tal's where he won with the
text move. Even though I knew little of the
precise theory on the present variation, when I
encountered it over the board I decided almost
immediately to follow Tal's example. I had
previously devoted a huge - some would say
disproportionate - amount of intense study
time not to this specific variation, but rather to
the types of positions where White sacrifices a
pawn on c4 in order to gain space in the centre.
9..txf6 gxf6?!
9 . . .'��V xf6 1 0.axb5 cxb5 l l . 'i:l xb5 i b4t
1 2 . 'i:l c3 ixe4 1 3 .0-0 ixc3 1 4 . bxc3 'i:l c6
1 5 . 'i:l d2 is a bit better for White, but was still
the best option for Black.
10.0-0
For the time being the b5-pawn is indi­
rectly defended. In such situations, White
will generally look to execute a pawn break,
with the main candidates being b2-b3 and
d4-d5 . I decided that the best approach was
to simply castle and keep all my options
open.
10...a6 l l.dS!?
It is possible to play more patiently with a
move like l l . W c2, but I knew I was effectively
a tempo up on a normal position, as Black
does not usually play . . . h7-h6 so early. For that
reason I decided that the immediate central
break would be the most principled way to
continue.
Chapter 6
-
Th e Ulysses Effect
139
I had spent a good deal of time studying
these positions with my friend Ludvig
Sandstrom, and the "intense regard" paid off,
as the flick of the b-pawn is a typical device
and a move which I knew I should be looking
to play at some point. Although the game was
not "preparation" in the modern sense, I was
certainly well prepared to do battle on this
terrain.
13...cxb3 14JWxb3 '1Wb6 15.dxe6 fxe6
I6.lDh4! lDd7!
Not 1 6 . . . h5?! 1 7. ttl g6 Ei:h7 1 8 . ttl f4, when
Black has to let go of either the h5- or the e6pawn.
17..!h5t �d8 18.ttJg6 E:h7
Also l l . . .cxd5 1 2.exd5 b 4 1 3 .dxe6 fxe6
( 1 3 . . . Wxd l 1 4 . exf7t <±> xf7 1 5 . i.xc4t <±> g7
1 6. ttl xd 1 ) 1 4 . ttl d4 bxc3 1 5 . i.xc4 is quite
unhealthy for Black.
Black's position is already beyond defending.
Neither 1 8 . . . <±> c7 1 9 . CLl f4! ? Ei:ac8 20. CLl xe6t
<±> bS 2 1 . i.g4± nor 1 8 . . . Ei:g8 1 9 .Ei:ad 1 <Jl c7
20. ttl f4 ttl fS 2 L i. f7 is satisfactory for
him.
12.axb5 cxb5
19.ttJf4 ttJf8 20..!g4
There is something to be said for the more
solid 1 2 . . . axb 5 1 3 .Ei:xa8 i.xa8 1 4 . dxe6 W'xd 1
( 1 4 . . . fxe6 1 5 . W' c l �) 1 5 .exf7t <±> xf7 1 6.Ei:xd 1
although I prefer White here too.
a
20....!c8
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Another possibility is 20 . . . Ei:e7 2 1 .Ei:ad l t
<Jl eS 22. i.h5t Ei: f7 23 .Ei:d3 followed by W' d l ,
finishing the game in short order.
13.b3!
21.gadlt
Tiger Hillarp Persson
1 40
Black's position is a mess and the rest is
simple.
Tiger Hillarp Persson - Carlos Garcia Palermo
Zaragoza 1 9 9 5
2I..Jl:d7
2 l . . . W e8 22. � h5t W e7 23. ltJfd 5 t +-
I.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.tlJ£3 a6 4.e4 b5 5.a4
�b7 6.tt:l c3
22.tlJxe6t tlJ xe6 23.he6
a
b
23...�xf2t!
c
d
e
f
g
h
Black continues fighting, but his efforts are
in vain.
24.�h1
24.Ei:xf2? �xe6! was Black's idea, but now he
has nothing.
24.. Jhd1 25Jhd1 t �d4 26.1l*Td5t �e7
27.�xa8 �xe6 28.tlJd5t i.xd5 29.Wfxd5
i.c5 30.Wfd7t �f8 3l.�cl
1-0
7.�e2 e6 8.0-0 ttJ f6 9.i.g5
Although we have not yet transposed
directly to the previous game against Jonny,
I certainly felt comfortable swimming in the
same familiar waters.
9...h6?!
Again the same mistake!
"What a simple win," you might say. Yes, and
there is nothing wrong with those! Besides,
this was not a memorized theoretical line;
I won the game because I understood the
requirements of the position and played strong
moves.
Just a few months later I reached the identical
position against another grandmaster through
a different move order.
1o..L:£6 gxf6
Mter a completely different sequence
from move 2 onwards, we have now reached
the exact same position as in the previous
game. You've already seen the rest, more or
less.
ll.d5
Chapter 6
-
The Ulysses Effect
141
1 5 . . . fxe5 1 6. 'Ll xe5t <;t> g7 1 7. 'Ll e4 i s horrible
for Black.
16.'Lle4 fxe5 17.'Lld6t
1 7. 'Ll h4! �h8 1 8 .�d6 was even better, but
my solution is simple and good enough. The
remaining moves require no comment.
a
1I. ..ih4?!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Not a good move, although at least it had
the merit of diverging from the previous
game and thus forcing me to think for myself.
Fortunately the right continuation is not hard
to find.
12.dxe6 'IWxdl
It was better to try 1 2 . . . fxe6 1 3 . 'Ll d4 <;t> e7
although 1 4 . ilg4 is far from pleasant for Black.
13.exf7t @xf7 14.Eifxdl h5
17...ixd6 18.Eixd6 ilc8 19.�g5t @e7
20.Eih6 Elg8 21.Eih7t @f6 22.�e4t @g6
23.Eixh5 ile6 24.Eixe5 id5 25.Eia3 ixe4
26.Eixe4 �d7
I�
Black resigned without waiting for 27.�e6t
or 27.�f3 .
Both these games were played before I decided
to try my luck as a professional chess player.
I had beaten grandmasters before, but it
had generally been due to their mistakes in
positions that were slightly better for them.
The above two games were the first ones in
which I climbed into the driver's seat early
in the game and stayed there until the end. It
impacted me in two significant ways. Firstly my
self confidence improved, and secondly I had
found the "gate of access to the incorruptible
eon" by applying myself to the deep study of
one opening line!
Specializing in Specialization
15.e5!
Just because the queens are off, it does not
mean White's attack has come to an end.
15 Eie8
..•
It is possible to draw a clear dividing line
between two schools of thought when it
comes to chess training. One advocates that
you should start by studying simple positions,
mainly endgames, before working up to more
complicated material. The second school
starts at the beginning of the game and works
forwards from there. I myself belong to a group
of players who had to teach themselves, and I
believe the most important thing is to start at
the area that interests you the most, whether it
be endgames or openings. It should also not be
forgotten that it is possible to study endgames
1 42
Tiger Hillarp Persson
through openings and vice versa! The most
important thing is to study in depth. I believe
that studying a topic intensely for one hour is
generally worth around four hours of studying
half-heartedly. It is better to be excellent in one
area than decent in two, and developing your
skills in this way will make you much more
dangerous to professional players.
blunders.) When dealing with this subject,
there is one particular game that comes to my
mind. In the second round of a tournament
in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1 997, I was paired
against a significantly lower rated opponent
(22 5 5 to my 2475) with the black pieces. I
thought it would be a piece of cake . . .
Looking back on my own development, It IS
obvious that the time when I began to specialize,
by studying certain niche areas of the game in
great detail, was also the moment when I began
to ascend towards the level of a truly strong player
who would go on to become a Grandmaster. Up
to this point I was a decent player who knew
a certain amount of theory, but there was no
single aspect of the game that I had studied
deeply enough to understand it better than the
average professional. The key was not so much
that I won the two aforementioned games in
convincing style, but rather that I had learnt how
to study openings, along with their associated
middlegame structures, so that I would be
prepared for practically any eventuality. Having
come to appreciate the "Ulysses principle", I
continued to identifY particular opening lines
that I thoroughly enjoyed playing, and resolved
to become the "best in the world" at them. The
quoted part was obviously not very realistic,
but the important point is that I adopted the
mindset whereby I would push back boundaries
and go far beyond anything I had done before.
The process proved immensely beneficial and
to this day I still endeavour to keep the same
attitude when studying something.
Aarhus 1 997
Since becoming a grandmaster myself, I
have come to appreciate the danger in facing
an amateur who possesses some kind of
specialty. I have almost never been outplayed
by an amateur other than one playing on
"his" specialist territory. (I am discounting
games that I lost due to my own bad play or
B o Jacobsen - Tiger Hillarp Persson
l.g3 g6 2.i.g2 i.g7 3.e4 d6 4.ltJ c3 cS S.d3
ltJ c6 6.f4 e6 7.tiJh3!?
Objectively this is not a great move, but it
is decent enough that Nakamura used it as
recently as 20 1 0. With regard to my opponent's
experience with this system, it is enough to
point out that one of the earliest examples of
the present position occurred in the game B.
Jacobsen - 0 . Jakobsen, Hjorring 1 97 1 !
7... ttJge7 8.i.e3 0-0 9.0-0 b6 I O.g4
1 0 . m h 1 is a better move which prepares
to withdraw the bishop to g 1 , avoiding a
potential fork with . . . d5-d4. A recent high­
level game continued 1 0 . . . %1f d7 ( l O . . . d5!
intending ... dxe4 looks fine for Black) 1 l . il.g 1
il.b7 1 2. %1f d2 Ei:ae8 1 3 .Ei:ae 1 f5 1 4 . ltJ g5 4:l d4
and now after 1 5 . 4:l f3 it was obvious that
Black was doing fine in Nakamura - Sasikiran,
Bursa 20 1 0.
Chapter 6
-
Th e Ulysses Effect
1 43
10...f5
15.i.g3 <j;lh7?!
This is the typical answer to White's last
move, but in this particular position Black
could have seized the initiative in the centre
with 1 0 . . . d5! threatening to win a piece. Play
might continue l l .exd5 exd5 1 2 . � d2, and
now Black can play the thematic 1 2 . . . f5 ! under
more favourable circumstances.
If Black wanted to make a prophylactic
move on the kingside, then 1 5 . . . �g7 would
have avoided the reply mentioned in the next
note.
ll.gxf5 exf5 12.'Wd2 h6
I was happy to stop the knight from coming
back to f3 via g5 , but it was unnecessary and
therefore weaker than the natural 12 .. .'1i'� d7!
1 3 .E:ae l � b7 1 4. lt'l g5 h6 1 5 . ttJ f3 E:ae8 when
Black has a fine position.
13.E:ael Ei:b8
This move is clearly overcautious, but I was
still operating under the assumption that I
would win almost automatically by making
simple and safe moves. Although the text move
does not lead to anything catastrophic, there
was no reason to refrain from 1 3 . . . � b7 now
that the white knight does not have the g5square available.
14.i.fl i.f6?!
I did not like the look of 1 4 . . . 'W d7 1 5 . �h4
� b7 1 6.E:f3 E:be8 1 7.Ei:g3 when White's
kingside build-up seemed threatening. Still,
after 17 . . . c;t> h7 l S . c;t> h l lt'l d4 Black's chances
should be slightly higher.
16.<j;lhl
Possibly stronger was 1 6 .e5!? dxe5 ( 1 6 . . . � g7
1 7. �h4 'W d7 1 8 .e6 'W e8 1 9 . ttJ b5 is awkward
for Black) 1 7.fxe5 � g7 1 8 .e6 'W d4t 1 9 . c;t> h l
E:b7 20.E:f4 'W f6 2 1 .Ei:h4 with an unbalanced
position where Black has the better structure,
but White has a host of tactical ideas waiting
to be unleashed in the event that his opponent
fails to defend optimally.
16...b5 17.e5 i.g7 18.i.h4 'We? 19.'We3
E:e8?!
It was better to play 1 9 . . . E:b7, but I did
not want to allow White to capture on c5
with tempo after 20.a4 bxa4 2 1 . lt'l xa4 dxe5
22. ttJ xc5 . Again it was a misj udgement, since
22 . . . E:xb2 is more than okay for Black.
20.i.f6
Black may still be better here - at least if you
believe the computer programs - but I had
already consumed the majority of my allotted
time and had a bad feeling about the direction
the game was taking.
20 ...i.d7
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 44
Tiger Hillarp Persson
21.lLlg5t!?!
What a shocker! Just who did this guy think
he was? I would never have missed such a move
if I had the attack myself, but my opponent
was rated more than 200 points below me
and should by all standards not come up with
this kind of move! At least that is what I told
myself. . .
2 1...hxg5
The sacrifice must be accepted, as 2 l . . . � g8?
is refuted by 22.C2J d5.
27...gxf5
There was no choice, as both 27 . . .';j;> xf5 ? ?
2 8 .Ei:fl t and 2 7 . . . CtJ xf5 ? ? 2 8 . \Wxg6t lead to
immediate mate.
28.�h6t �f7 29.lLld5!
It was only at this point that I came to the
realization that I was not the one trying to win
this game.
29 ..�d8 30.�h7t
.
22.�h3t �g8 23.fxg5
Now the best Black can hope for is a draw, as
the game continuation soon makes clear.
23...dxe5!?
After 23 . . . ii.e6 24.l2J e4! dxe5 2 5 . ii.xg7
� xg7 26. \Wh6t � f7 27. '1W h7t � fS 28. \Wh6t
it is a draw. The text move is a risky winning
attempt. Objectively the game should still
end in a draw, but I had underestimated the
dangers lying in store for Black.
24.J.xg7 �xg7 25.�h6t �f7 26.�h7t �e6
At this point I thought I was winning.
a
30 ...<i>f8??
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
I have no idea what I thought I might
achieve with this move; most probably I was
still set on giving my opponent a chance to
blow everything by playing 3 1 \W hSt?? when
3 l . . . CtJ g8 wins for Black.
The only viable option was to accept the
move repetition with 30 . . . � e6. White can try
playing on with 3 l . CtJ xe7!? (instead 3 1 . \Wh6t
could lead to an immediate draw) 3 1 . . . CtJ xe7!
32. \Wh6t � f7 33.Eixe5 ! ? (33 . '1W h7t=) but
after 33 . . . Ei:b6 34. \Wh7t � fS White has no
choice but to take a draw with 3 5 . ii. d5! CtJ xd5
36. \W hSt with a perpetual.
3I.lLlf6!
I may be a rook and knight up, but the threat
of g6 will cost me everything.
Chapter 6 - The Ulysses Effect
3I...ie6 32.'1Wh6t @f7 33.'1Wh7t i>f8
34.if3 ig8
145
l.c4 f5 2.g3 tLlf6 3.ig2 g6 4.tLl c3 ig7 5.lLl f3
0-0 6.0-0 lLl c6
s
.i. B.t.. S ��- �
%- , �
�----%� �� ______
76 �•••/
_
Y-m r
%
-
,_, ,
ill �
� �?:'/ � �� �� -�
3 -�-d"------�
��: -'l' -etJW�
�� -� - ---%� -�
w� 8 w��wt!J
- ---%
- - - -%
2 8 w�
1 f- ·�·�=
������ ������
� ���� !� ���� ���.
!'%\\
a
I hardly knew what had hit me! After the game
I was puzzled and asked my Danish friends
"Who is this guy?" They kindly told me a bit
about Mr Jacobsen and his accomplishments,
including the following game which - had I
become aware of it before encountering Bo
over the board - would surely have made me
more wary of him.
Anatoly Karpov - Bo Jacobsen
Tallinn 1 968
This game was contested in a USSR vs.
Scandinavia junior match. The young Karpov
was still a couple of years away from becoming
a fully fledged professional player, but he
was a super-talented youngster who had
already captured the title of European Junior
Champion and cemented his reputation
as a rising star of Soviet, and indeed world
chess.
b
c
d
e
,
f
g
h
So, what does this game have to do with
the previous one? Well, once again we can see
Jacobsen combining a kingside fianchetto with
an early advance of his f-pawn. Given time,
he would almost certainly continue with . . . d6
and . . . e5, reaching exactly the same setup from
the opposite side of the board; albeit with the
knight on the more classical f6-square instead
of on the h-file.
A glance at the date in the game header shows
that almost three decades passed between this
game and my own encounter with Bo. Such
vast experience in playing positions of this type
- from both sides of the board! - must have
enabled him to develop a great deal of subtle
understanding of how to handle them.
7.d4 d6 8.d5 tLle5 9.ClJxe5 dxe5 IO.e4
This opening variation was not unknown at
the time of this game, but any existing body
of theory was well and truly in its infancy.
Nowadays it is more common to continue
with 1 0.c5 or 1 0 .'W b3 here. The move chosen
by Karpov is not bad, but it gives Black the
kind of position he desires, with chances to
launch a pawn storm against the white king.
IO...f4 ll.b3
Tiger Hillarp Persson
1 46
This is too slow to set Black any real
problems, and l l .f3 would have been
more challenging. Another idea is l l .gxf4!?
although here l l . . . ctJ h5! gives Black interesting
compensation.
bxc6 20. j,xe7 E\f7 when Black obtains
promising compensation for the pawn.
White's pawn structure on the queenside is less
than impressive, and the knight on c3 is still
several moves away from its optimal home on
d3 .
ll...g5 12.f3
15...id7
a
12..."11Nd6!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Opening preparation from 1 968 was
nothing like it is today, and I would guess that
Bo found this move over the board. It might
seem counterintuitive to place the queen in a
potentially exposed position, but the tactics
are on Black's side as the checks on the a7-gl
diagonal could turn out to be quite nasty.
16.a4
Another sensible idea was to block the
diagonal with the queen by means of 1 6. W e2
a6 1 7. W f2. Black should respond with
Jacobsen's suggestion of 1 7 . . . c5 ! ? intending
. . . e6 later, with a good position.
16 "11Nb 6t
•..
13.g4
Here is a nice line showing how effective
Black's crude attack might become: 1 3 .a4
W b6t 1 4 . � h l ( 1 4.Eif2? C2l g4! 1 5 .fxg4 fxg3
1 6.hxg3 Wxf2t 1 7. � h2 W d4+) 1 4 . . . ctJ h5
1 5 .g4? ( 1 5 . ctJ e2 g4! looks pretty unclear)
1 5 . . . ctJ g3t 1 6.hxg3 W h6t 1 7. � g l fxg3
1 8 .Eiel W h2t 1 9 . � fl j,xg4 20.Eia2 Elf7 and
Black wins, as Bo pointed out in the Danish
magazine Skakbladet.
1 6 . . . c5 is another reasonable move, although
in this case White is under no immediate
pressure and can aim to regroup with 1 7. j, b2
followed by a knight manoeuvre to d3 .
17.�h2?!
13...h5 14.h3 h:xg4 15.fxg4
1 7.Eif2 would have been safer, although
following 1 7 . . . a5 1 8 . j, a3 c5 1 9 .dxc6 bxc6
20. j,xe7 E\f7 the situation is similar to that
reached after 1 5 .hxg4 as noted previously,
except for the fact that the e4-pawn has the
potential to become weak in the future.
Bo also pointed out the line 1 5 .hxg4 j, d7
1 6.a4 W b6t 1 7.Eif2 a5 1 8 . j, a3 c5 1 9 .dxc6
17...�f7
Chapter 6 - Th e Ulysses Effect
1 47
2I.i.a3
After 2 l . ttJ a4 .txa4 22.�xa4 �ah8 White is
in big trouble since 23.�h l loses to 23 . . . �xh3!
24.2:'lxh3 �xh3 2 5 . 'kt> xh3 W f2-+ .
21...'We3 22.Wfel
a) 1 8 . . . '\W c5 1 9 . tt'l a4 Wxa5 20 . .t d2 'W a6 2 l . ctJ c5
leads to unclear play according to Jacobsen. At
the very least White has generated some activity
and distracted his opponent from the kingside,
which is a big improvement over the game.
b) Although a queen exchange would not have
been to Bo's liking, 1 8 . . . '\W d4! would have been
the strongest reply: 1 9 . '\Wxd4 exd4 20. ttJ d l
e5 2 l . ttJ f2 c 6 22. ttJ d3 �fe8 Black's chances
are objectively slightly higher, although the
position has stabilized and Karpov's legendary
positional technique might have come into
play.
18...�h8 19.'it>g2
Now it is too late to play 1 9 .a5 Wd4 because
White will not be able to protect both the
knight and the pawn on g4.
19...gh4 20.a5 Wfc5
20 . . . '\W d4? is less promising due to 2 1 . '1Wxd4
exd4 22. ttJ d l ! (Jacobsen) when the knight
comes to f2 and White keeps his house in order.
a
b
22...i.xg4!?
c
d
e
f
g
h
This sacrifice creates serious problems for
the defence, but there was an even stronger
continuation available.
After the calm 22 . . . '\W d3 ! White's position
is beyond redemption, for instance: 23.�d l
(23 .Elf2 tt'l xg4! 24.hxg4 Elah8 25 .Eldl �xg4t
26 . .txg4 'W g3t 27. \t> fl Elh l t 2 8 . 'kt> e2 'W e3#;
23. 'Ll e2 tt'l xe4 24. '\W d l tt'l d2! 2 5 . Ela2 .txg4!
26 . .txg4 Elxg4t 27.hxg4 '\W e4t 2 8 . 'kt> g l
tt'l xfl 29. '\Wxfl 'W e3t 30. '\W f2 'Wxb3-+)
23 . . . '\W c2t 24. 'Ll e2 �ah8 25.�hl .txg4! It is all
over.
23.hxg4 ltlxg4 24.ghl
The best defence since 24. '\Wxe3 ttJ xe3t
2 5 . 'kt> f2 �h2t 26. 'kt> g l l"lh3! (Jacobsen) wins
easily. The continuation might be 27.�f2 g4
28 . .tg2 tt'l xg2 29.�xg2 Elxc3 when White can
almost resign.
24... gxhl
24 . . . �ah8 !? is also excellent.
148
Tiger Hillarp Persson
25.'Wxe3 ctJxe3t 26.�xhl g4
33.�xe3!?
After 33. <;t> g l Black wins with the help of
some energetic play: 33 . . . �h8! 34. tt:l xa7 �h3!
3 5 . tLl c6 � h2t 36. <;t> f2 �g3t 37. <;t> xe3 �xe l t
3 8 . <;t> e2
27...f3 28.i.c5 i.h6 29.�el
29. <;t> g l also fails to save the game: 29 . . . �h8!
30. � f2 �f4! 3 l . �xf3 (3 l . �xe3 �h2t 32. <;t> g l
�g2t 33. � h l �xe3 34.�fl �g3 3 5 . �xf3
gxf3 36. � h2 � f4 reaches the same position)
3 1 . . .�h2t 32. <;t> g l gxf3 33. �xe3 �g2t 34. <;t> h l
�xe3 3 5 .�fl �g3 36. <;t> h2 � f4 and Black wins.
29... b6 30.i.xf3
The line 30. �xe3 �xe3 3 l . �xf3 �h8t
32. � g2 gxf3t 33. � xf3 'almost' equalizes,
ignoring the fact that it loses a piece after
33 . . . �d2.
30...bxc5 31.i.dl �g6
Even stronger was 3 l . . .�h8! 32. <;t> g l
(32. tLl b5 �f4t 33. <;t> g l �h3-+) 32 . . . � f4 when
the exchange sacrifice offers less resistance
compared with the game: 33.�xe3 (33 . tLl b 5 ?
�h3 34. tt:l xc7 � h2t 3 5 . <;t> f2 �g3t 36. <;t> xe3
�xe l t 37. <;t> e2 �xa5-+) 33 . . . �xe3t 34. <;t> g2
� d2 Black should win comfortably.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
38 . . . g3! 39. <;t> fl (39 . tt:l xe5 t <;t> g7 4o. <;t> fl �h l t
4 I . <;t> g2 �h2t 42. <;t> fl �xa5-+) 39 . . . �h l t
40. <;t> g2 �h2t 4 I . <;t> fl �xa5 ! The loss of the
bishop is a small price to pay to eliminate the
a-pawn. 42. tLl xa5 <;t> g5 ! 43. <;t> g l �d2 44. � f3
� f4 4 5 . �h5 �h2-+ The bishop runs out of
squares and Black wins.
33...i.xe3 34.ctJxc7 �h8t 35.�g2 �h4?
This was Bo's first serious mistake of the
game, and it could have cost him the win. The
Chapter 6 - The Ulysses Effect
right way was 3 5 . . . \tl g5 36. � e6t \tl h4 37. � g7
ii.d2 when Black should win without too much
trouble, as pointed out by the winner.
1 49
Another possible finish would have been
40. � b5 El:h6! 4 l .d6 exd6 42. � xa7 d5 43.exd5
E':xa6 44. � c6 E':al t 4 5 . i fl e4 and Black wins.
40... �h6 4I.@e2?!
White could have resisted slightly more
stubbornly with 4 l . � e6 or 4 l . ii.f3, although
in both cases Black should reply with 4 1 . . . ie3
when he wins without too much trouble.
White has to worry about the g-pawn as well
as possible rook invasions on b6, f2 and h2,
and it is all too much for the defence.
36.a6?
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Both players missed 36. ii.xg4! E':xg4t 37. \tl f3
El:h4 3 8 . \tl xe3 E':h3t 39. \tl d2 E':xb3 40. � e6
when White has excellent drawing chances.
36 ...�f4
Now Black is back on track and does not let
go.
37.@gl g3 38.�f3 �h2 39.�g2 @f7!
Preparing a decisive transfer of the rook
along the sixth rank.
4I...�b6
0-1
In the second game of this mini-match Bo
played l .f4 and obtained a reversed Leningrad
Dutch with an extra tempo. He soon built up
a huge attack and had Karpov in all kinds of
trouble, but he failed to make the most of it
and eventually took a draw while he was still
better in the endgame.
Had I been aware of all this I would surely
have taken my opponent more seriously, but
truthfully I should have done that anyway.
Sometimes there is no telling when you might
find yourself in your opponent's specialist
territory, so you should always remain on
guard.
Final Thoughts
So, is the formula for beating a grandmaster
a simple matter of learning a certain niche
area exceptionally well? Unfortunately this
is hardly a guaranteed recipe for success,
but it is certainly a good start, as one of the
biggest roads to improving in chess is to pay
attention to the fine details. If one is serious
about improving, one must sooner or later be
prepared to evolve and move forwards. Often
this will mean giving up your old favourite
1 50
Tiger Hillarp Persson
opening vananons or posltlon types and
learning new ones. I believe that one of the
keys to becoming a truly successful player is to
go through this process constantly, so that you
are always learning new ideas and patterns,
and thus continuing to grow and develop as
a player.
Mihail Marin
'
'
It s an Amateur s World
1 52
Mihail Marin
After graduating from the Polytechnic
Institute back in 1 989, I finally found myself
in a position I had dreamed about for a long
time: that of being able to dedicate most of my
available time to studying and playing chess.
My results over the final years of studentship
strongly suggested the possibility of embracing
the chess professional life, but, quite
paradoxically, my next important 'move' took
me entirely in the opposite direction. Indeed,
how else could one describe my decision to
spend the next season of the Romanian Team
Championship playing for a modest second
division team, comprised of amateurs, despite
having been offered attractive contracts by the
strongest first division teams?
It is hard to remember my exact train of
thought from more than twenty years ago,
but I must have had my own rather subj ective
reasons of taking such an important decision.
The 1 9 87 team championship had caused me
a deep feeling of frustration. Despite being
the only Romanian player to have qualified
for the Interzonal, I was confined to play on
the fifth board. According to the Romanian
Federation rules, the teams had to field their
players in the strict order of their international
title. By the time the championship took
place, I was still a FIDE Master, waiting for
the next FIDE congress in order to be awarded
with the International Master title. True, in
1 9 8 8 I was promoted to the second board,
but I was probably too immature to put the
aforementioned unpleasant situation behind
me.
My decision to step back to an inferior level
two years later was meant as some sort of
moral compensation for my seriously inj ured
ego. Finally, I would be the unchallenged top
board of my team and cause great fear among
my opponents! As expected, I scored an
"astronomical" result (all my opponents were
mere amateurs) , but the draw conceded in the
game below was the main reason for my team's
failure to qualify for the first division.
Tacu
- Marin
'
Romania 1 989
Victor Tacu is the most colourful Romanian
chess amateur I have ever met, and one that
perfectly suits the inner meaning of the term.
Despite being a successful medical doctor, his
true lifetime passion has always been chess.
Obviously the time he could dedicate to
chess was quite limited, but he nevertheless
aimed to maintain a professional attitude
towards his beloved hobby. There is a small
paradox involved here. Sometimes, only an
amateur can really break free of any inhibitions
and play a move just because he believes in
it, or he likes it, even though the ultimate
consequences cannot be predicted and the
risks involved are quite big.
Dr Tacu always tried to keep up with the
newest theoretical developments and he was
always among the first Romanian players to
get the latest NIC Yearbook or Chess Informant.
About thirty years ago, when I was a teenage
Candidate Master, he allowed me to step
into what he considered his chess sanctuary. I
remember the image of a room in which there
was hardly any breathing space left. All the
walls were covered by shelves overloaded with
chess books, and the majority of the floor also
was employed for the same storage purpose!
In fact, new (or very old) books as well
as new opening ideas are among Dr Tacu's
favourite subjects of conversation. Even
nowadays, at the age of 72, he orders a bunch
of Quality Chess books every few months and
calls me regularly asking for advice regarding
one new title or another. The balance between
our general chess culture and knowledge has
not always been like that, though. In the early
Chapter 7
-
1 53
It's an Amateur's World
eighties we once met in the centre of Bucharest
by pure chance and he told me in a low voice,
as if to keep the secret from the people passing
by us, "They've got Bronstein's Zurich ' 5 3 in
Russian at the Cre�ulescu library - go there
quickly and buy one for yourselfl Tomorrow
it may be sold out!" I am ashamed to confess
that I had no idea what he was speaking about,
but got the book anyway. It took me several
years to understand the value of this book, my
excuse being that at that time I had not learned
Russian yet!
Despite the friendship we had developed
since we first met, I sat down for the next game
with j ust one result on my mind: a crushing
win.
half a century; from its recent heroes I would
mention the ever stubborn (in a good sense)
Mihai �uba.
White's approach is quite ambitious. He
aims to restrict Black's minor pieces and get
a stable space advantage. Ever since I began
searching for an antidote, I had the feeling that
White's decision to make so many pawn moves
with his king still in the centre should enable
Black to obtain promising counterplay.
l.d4 etJf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 d6 4.etJc3 g6 5.e4 .ig7
This variety of Benoni, characterized by
a delayed . . . e6, was regularly employed by
Karel Hromadka and rightly bears his name.
During the 1 980s it became something of a
Romanian specialty as it was used regularly by
grandmasters Gheorghiu and Ghi�escu. The
latter offered to be my trainer when I was a
Candidate Master, and thanks to his help I was
able to qualifY for the Interzonal seven years
later.
As a devoted amateur, faithful to the
national values, my opponent also played the
Hromadka System on a regular basis. As we
will see, this was far from the only Romanian
specialty in his repertoire.
6.h3 0-0 7 .tg5 e6 s ..td3 exd5 9.exd5 etJbd7
IO.f4 a6 ll.a4
•
The systems of development based on h2-h3
against the King's Indian (to which we have
transposed after exd5) is usually attributed
to Makogonov by theoreticians. In Romania
however, many consider the combination
of h3 with .tg5 as a national variation, and
not without reason. Top Romanian players
have employed it regularly over more than
a
I I..."�eSt!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Black has to escape the pin immediately if he
is to cause problems to his opponent. IfWhite
is given time to complete his development
with tt:l ge2 and 0-0, he should be able to
consolidate his space advantage.
12.etJge2 etJh5!
By threatening . . .f6 followed by . . . tt:'l xf4,
Black keeps his momentum and questions the
position of the g5 -bishop.
13.tLle4
This was played almost instantly. My
opponent seemed to know what he was doing;
indeed I also had come to the conclusion that
the text move is the critical test to the whole
line. White has several other possibilities to
parry the threat, but none of them is entirely
satisfactory.
Mihail Marin
1 54
1 3 . cj;J d2 is quite weird, as the king will need
a lot of time to reach a safe square. 13 . . . f6
1 4 . �h4 �h6!
�
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5 �ft""'
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if
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s
7
6
4
3
2
'' "
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Immediately exerting some pressure against
His Majesty. 1 5 .Ei:fl f5 1 6.g3 tt:l df6 Black is
close to completing his development while
White's forces lack coordination, Parto� Korchnoi, Bucharest 1 966.
In a relatively strong student tournament,
had faced 1 3 . cj{ f2. In this case the opposition
of the f8-rook with the white king gives Black
the opportunity to commence active kingside
operations: 1 3 . . . f6 1 4 . �h4 g5 1 5 . � g3 f5 Black
was developing a nice initiative in Vasilescu Marin, Bucharest 1 986.
14 . . . tt:l e5!
This move had been mentioned by Parto� in
his annotations to the game mentioned in
the note to Black's 1 7th move below. Almost
twenty years later, Mihai �uba allowed this
trick in a rapid game against Judit Polgar
(at Debrecen 1 992 if i remember correctly) .
Despite being a specialist of the Romanian
system, he apparently did not know the
analysis of his former countryman. This
unpleasant experience induced him to
switch to the 1 0 . tt:l f3 Ei:e8t l l . cj;l fl line.
Parto�'s analysis continues:
1 5 .fxe5 'Wxg5 1 6.exd6 f5 !+
Black has excellent play on the dark squares.
As we see, Romanian players of different
generations have been trying to make the line
work and Dr Tacu must have been aware of
most of the analysis given above.
The move played in the game is largely a
product of the process of elimination. Since the
alternatives all offer Black good play, the knight
move is the only serious option remaining. But
even this is not enough to guarantee a smooth
ride for White. The delay in development and
the weaknesses left behind by the kingside
pawns make this whole line rather suspicious
for him and, as Dr Tarrasch was kind enough
to point out, "In bad positions all moves are
bad!"
Concretely, White threatens the deadly
tt:l xd6, forcing Black to adopt radical measures.
13...£6 14.�h4 ctlxf4!
A thematic move, underlining the fact that
White has neglected to castle.
15.ctlxf4 f5 16.ctle6
An important element in White's plan. The
e6-square is used to obstruct the e-file, at least
temporarily.
16...fxe4 17.ctlxf8
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
All these moves were played rather quickly,
and it was here that I finally delivered my
novelty.
sAU..tUif
-�
·� �� �
''"'"��
: �� �@a r@!'rlr�
5
a
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% r@i I@I@ !I
---!{-- - - � ��-0� �� �
1 �� � v �
a
b
17...exd3t!
c
d
e
f
155
rather quickly. I was thus surprised to notice
that the good Doc maintained his initial
excitement. His body language seemed to
suggest that he considered his position as
quite promising, which I must confess I found
rather irritating. Only now I understand that
this interpretation could have been correct if
my opponent had been a professional player.
As an amateur, Dr Tacu enjoyed the thrill of
competing in a complicated game against a
much stronger player with every beat of his
heart, possibly without thinking too much
about the objective evaluation of the position.
mM
g
h
Correctly evaluating the dynamic factors of
the position. White will either remain with his
king in the centre or give up another pawn or
two.
The less enterprising 1 7 . . .Ct:J xf8?! also offered
Black some compensation for the exchange,
although he eventually lost in Parto� - Ostojic,
Bucharest 1 973.
a
I9.1.Wg4?!
18.CDe6
The knight returns to block the e-file. In fact,
the whole assessment of the position depends
largely on the knight's stability. Unfortunately
I was unable to find my old notes and cannot
remember my original analysis, but I recall
that rather soon I was on unknown territory.
18... CtJ b6!
An important move. Several white pawns
are hanging now, and there is a threat to shake
White's position with . . . ii,xe6.
By this moment, I fully expected that my
opponent would understand the seriousness
of his situation and go down psychologically
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Just as with 1 3 . CtJ e4, this is the most
principled move, aiming to maintain the
outpost on e6. And just as on that occasion,
it tends to increase White's problems, since his
previous play has been a bit too adventurous.
In my comments for Chess Informant, I
suggested 1 9 .0-0 as a safer way out of the
complications. After 1 9 . . . ii,xe6 20.:t::l e 1 ii,e5
2 l .dxe6 Vfixe6, White should avoid 22. Vfixd3
CtJ xc4, with two pawns for the exchange and
excellent piece coordination for Black. Instead,
the critical move is 22.b3 !?, aiming to restrict
the enemy knight. I had ended my comments
with this last move, without giving any clear
evaluation.
Mihail Marin
1 56
20.Ei:fl
The only reasonable move, but it is quite
symptomatic of White's poor coordination
that he does not threaten Ei:f8t yet, as the
knight is pinned along the c8-g4 diagonal.
b
a
c
d
e
f
g
h
For the sake of the truth, it should be
mentioned that Black retains a strong initiative
with: 22 . . . � f5 ! 23.Eia2 � f4 The threat of
. . . � h2t forces White to block the bishop's
retreat, leaving it in a delicate situation. 24.g3
� d4t Black has completed his centralization
and has several promising plans at his disposal.
He can sacrifice his knight on c4, obtaining a
threatening pawn majority, or open the centre
with the more cautious . . . d5 . The h4-bishop
can be molested with . . . h6, and . . . Ei:f8 at any
moment would increase the pressure against
White's position.
s :iB£B!B;�
7 B & B� - � &
� �� -,��
i �-�%···
.
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6
5
4
8 -- ·lr-�-��
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.% " ·- ·!)j ·�
2 r- -/[j� �%·;;·�1 1� � m � .s
3
a
19 ...i.d4!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Preventing White from castling. It is
interesting to note that both kings are under
some pressure and the final result will largely
depend on who will be able to deliver concrete
threats first.
In my comments I had mentioned 20.Ei:cl ?! as
a possible alternative. Just as 22.b3 from the
earlier variation, this is aimed at preventing the
knight's activation via c4, but after 20 . . . � xa4
the threat of . . . � b4t immediately puts White
in a critical position.
20 .. .CLlxc4 2 1.�e4
Finally the threat of Ei:f8t has become real
and Black has to eliminate the enemy knight.
s :iB.i.BifB*7 �;���� �;; ������ �·
& B��r�----%�
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6
5 �
���li� �� �
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8 B�miVB� m
�
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.iP ·�& ·. ·�
2 r- -/[j� �f�-;;� �i B
1 r� � W .S B .
4
3
, .. �
a
b
c
21...i.xe6 22.dxe6
d
e
f
g
h
The net surrounding the white king is tighter
than that of his counterpart, but White only
needs one move (e6-e7) to create the decisive
threats ofl:l:f8t and � e6t.
22 .. ."\Wc6?!
Possibly intimidated by the great enthusiasm
my opponent continued to exude, I started to
panic. The plan of transferring the queen to
a5 or b4 is rather slow, and Black should have
opted for a more forcing continuation.
The simplest is 22 . . . d5!. White needs to
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
keep the e6-pawn defended in order to avoid
immediate disaster, but after 23. 1Mfxd5 (or
23 . '1W g4) 23 . . . ctJ e3 Black retrieves the exchange,
reducing White's attacking possibilities and
retaining a winning position.
22 ... ctJ e3! threatening ... d5 or ... tt:l xfl is just
as good.
23.'1Wf4!
Exchanging queens would annihilate White's
counterattacking chances, leaving him helpless
against the compact mass of enemy pawns.
The last move threatens a check on f7, forcing
a perpetual check at least.
1 57
a promising position, despite being the clear
favourite. Quite a pity, because the way I see it
now, the game is rather interesting.
I had the sense that things were different with
my old friend though. During our occasional
meetings in the decades that followed after
the game, he constantly reopened the subject,
mentioning some new idea that he got. In my
years as a "true professional chess player", I did
not find it useful to overload my memory with
details about an old game from the second
league. More recently I changed my opinion,
and now consider a regular return to the games
from one's youth to be an excellent method of
self-improvement.
Pushed by curiosity, I called Dr Tacu just a few
weeks before writing this text and, without too
much of an introduction, I asked him what he
remembered about our game. He immediately
pointed out that he should have castled on
move 1 9, and that in the final position he got
prematurely scared when accepting the draw.
The second assertion is only partly justified
(see the note at the end of the game) , but it
became obvious that for him this had been a
memorable game; one that he thought about
once in a while, and probably even replayed
on the board for the nth time again and again.
One happy aspect of being an amateur is that
one can remain focused on the artistic side of
the game, by not being in a permanent rush to
win prizes and rating points.
The right move was 23 . . . \W c?!, covering the
f7-square while threatening . . . \W aSt as well as
.. J!:e8. White has nothing better than 24. 1W f7t
1Mf xf7 2 5 . exf7t 'it> f8+ when Black's king is safe
and his powerful pawn mass should decide the
game.
Now is too late for 24 . . . \W c7? as there is
no check on a5, so 2 5 . e7 is just winning for
White.
I must admit that my memories about this
game ended abruptly somewhere around
the 1 5th move. Psychologically, I had little
incentive to remember the way I had misplayed
This simple move keeps trouble away from
the white king. The rook is taboo because of
mate in two, and so Black has to retreat his
queen.
24.'k!;>e2 Wfxg2t
25.E:f2
1 58
Mihail Marin
a
25 . . .\Wds
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
This move was accompanied by a draw offer,
which was accepted.
1!2-lf2
Given the exposed position of both kings, a
perpetual check is inevitable. The Doc was
right in thinking that after 26. 1W f7t <;t> hs
27 . .i f6t .ixf6 2 8 . 1Wxf6t <;t> gs 29. 1W f7t <;t> hs
he is not forced to keep checking, but if he
tries an active move such as 30.e7, Black
forces a draw himself by means of 30 . . . d 1 = 1W t
3 1 .Elxd 1 1We4t 32. <;t> f1 1W h 1 t and so on.
believe that the key moments for
understanding what actually happened in this
game, as well as the strengths and limitations
of the typical amateur prototype, are the moves
1 3 . lt:J e4 and 1 9 . '1W g4.
We can expect a chess book lover like Dr
Tacu to have an excellent chess culture.
This led him to know - or rather feel - that
if everything had been okay with his general
strategy, these ambitious moves were the only
ones to allow him to fight for an advantage.
Also, he had faith (perhaps too much of it)
in the opening system because it had been
employed by several strong Romanian players
from different generations.
The only problem was that, having only
limited time available for study, he was unable
to test this system of logical thinking with
concrete and thorough analysis (as I had
done) . Objectively speaking, this should have
led him to a defeat, but in every negative thing
there is a positive part too. Being convinced
about the correctness of his play, Dr Tacu kept
displaying overwhelming optimism, which
eventually inhibited me and caused me to miss
a relatively simple win.
We will dig a bit deeper into this theme by
examining two extreme cases, taken from the
practice of my old friend. In the first of them,
unj ustified optimism was severely punished,
but in the second a much stronger opponent
succumbed spectacularly.
Voiculescu - T, acu
Bucharest 1 9 82
The 1 982 Troianescu Memorial in Bucharest
remains ingrained in my memory as the first
really strong open tournament in which I took
part as a junior. I was only 17 at the time, but I
achieved a respectable score of 6/ 1 0. It was also
one of the first times my attention was drawn
to the colourful figure of Dr Tacu. I was on
my way to including the Hromadka Indian
in my repertoire, which made me follow the
following game with certain interest.
In what looked like a normal position with
better chances for White, the good doctor
decided to sacrifice a pawn.
1 59
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
19...b5?
Looking at the position, I quickly decided
that I was too weak to understand such tactical
finesses and returned to my own game. On
the way, I heard Dr Tacu's boasting to some
other player that he would "get compensation
at once" .
It must be said that such moves are thematic
in the given structure, especially with the white
queen placed on the vulnerable a4-square.
Nevertheless Black failed to take into account
some important factors. The b7-knight is
rather passive, and the pawn break does not
really improve the quality of Black's position.
The sacrifice would have worked out well had
the b7-knight been on, say, f6, but that is an
entirely different story.
The situation can be summarized in the same
way as 1 9 . \Mr g4?! from the previous game (the
reader may also have noticed the coincidence
regarding the move number) . The principled
moves only make matters worse if the position
is not right for them.
Instead of the over-optimistic sacrifice, Black
should have accepted that his position was worse
and tried to look for some relief with . . . l2J e5 ,
either with or without an exchange on e 1 .
By the way, 1 9 . . .l'he l t 20 .2"1xe l b5?! is not
really an improved version, although there
are some tactical nuances to consider. After
2 1 . cxb5 l2J b6 the spectacular 22. iMfxa6? would
be justified after 22 . . . 2"1xa6? 23.2"1e8t SLf8
24. bxa6+- when the dual threats of ii.h6 and
a7 are too much for the defence.
However, Black can defend better with
22 . . . <jj f8 !, covering the e8-square and making
the threat against the caged queen quite real.
But it turns out that all of this is academic.
Hit the rewind button again, and White can
improve earlier with 22. \Mr h4!, threatening to
develop a devastating attack with 2"1e7 followed
by l2J g5 .
Instead after 2 1 .cxb5 l2J b6 22. \Mr c2 axb5
23. SLxb 5 2"1b8, the threat of . . . c4 followed
by . . . l2J c5 gives Black some vague hopes for
counterplay.
21...bxc4 22.Wxc4 lDb6 23.\MfbS :5b8 24.:5el
Black's counterplay along the b-file has not
even begun, while the e-file will serve White
well in launching his final attack.
24...h6 25.:5e8t :5xe8 26.Wxe8t 'it>h7
a
27.Wc6!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Mihail Marin
1 60
A crushing, and rather thematic way to end
the game. Black resigned, as he cannot avoid
the loss of one of his badly placed knights.
1-0
This was a rather simple example, but the thing
I find most striking is the discrepancy between
Dr Tacu's evaluation of the sacrifice and the
objective reality. Just as with the previous game,
curiosity led me to ask the good Doc whether
he remembered the game above. He hesitated
a bit, then said that he would probably not be
able to find the old scoresheet in less than a
week. Five minutes later, he called back and
read to me all the moves . . .
Black's assessment and handling o f the position
certainly looked like 'amateurish' in the last
game, but in the next example a leading
Woman Grandmaster (who has since obtained
the full Grandmaster title) fell victim to this
kind of intuitive play, based on certain general
patterns.
Tacu - Dzagnidze
Bucharest 2008
preventing White from launching a pawn
attack. The unfortunate placement of the g7knight (similarly to that of the b7-knight from
the previous game) is balanced by the passivity
of the white bishop.
On the other hand Black should not
underestimate the power of an attack along the
b-file. The safest way of neutralizing it would
have been: 24 . . . 'tt> a8 2 5 . lL'l a5 :9:c7 Clearing the
d7 -square for the knight. 26.:9:b2 lL'l d7 27 .:9:fb 1
:9:b8 The queenside is well defended and Black
is ready to make progress on the opposite wing
with . . . h4 and . . . lL'l h5.
This all sounds logical enough when in analysis
mode, but would you be so patient when
facing a 70-year-old player rated somewhere
below 2 1 50? Why not open the kingside at
once and hope he will self-destruct within a
few moves?
24.. exf3? 25.ctJa5!
.
One of the principles known by every
amateur is that in positions with castling
on opposite wings, the speed of the attack
is essential. Therefore we should not be
in the least surprised that White did not
bother to recapture on f3 for the rest of the
game.
2 5 . gxf3 ? would allow Black get back on the
right track with 25 . . . 'tt> a8, followed by the
aforementioned regrouping.
25...ci>a8
25 . . . 'tt> c8 ?! would allow a similar combination
to that which occurred in the game, but in
a simpler form: 26. lL'l c6 bxc6 27. 'W a6t :9:b7
28.dxc6+After the text move, the next step for White is
doubling rooks on the b-file, but which is the
most effective way to do it?
Chapter 7
-
161
It's an Amateur's World
Black could have saved herself with
26 . . . ttl e4! , when White's position suddenly
becomes a bit loose. The threat of . . . ttl xc3
prevents the doubling of rooks and it turns
out that White has nothing better than
27.l"i:a6, threatening l"i:xa7t and leading to a
draw by perpetual: 27 . . . bxa6 2 8 . "Mf c6t l"i:b7
29.l':'i:b 1 l"i:hb8 30.l':'i:xb7 l"i:xb7 3 l . "Mf c8t l"i:b8
32. W c6t=
27.E1fbl
Now there is no satisfactory defence of
the b-pawn, since 27 . . . l"i:b8 loses too much
material after 2 8 . ttl c6.
27 .1.We8
.•
Immediately after the game, the Doc explained
that he was inspired to play this move because
of its similarity with Fischer's famous 1 9 .l"i:f6!!
from his game against Benko from 1 963. He
also thought that the rook was best placed
on b6, as it would create the latent threat of
l':'i:a6, while also supporting a possible knight
jump to c6. All this sounds wonderful, and
when we add in the aesthetic appeal and likely
psychological effect on the opponent, it is
hard imagine the reason for the conflicting
punctuation which accompanies the move.
In fact it turns out that Black has a route to
survival after the text move; see the following
note for details. However, the more restrained
26.l"i:b3! would have left her without a
satisfactory way of meeting the pile-up on the
b-file. For instance: 26 . . . l':'i:c7 27.l"i:fb 1 "Mf e8
At this point capturing on e8 and b7 would
give White some advantage, but it looks even
more promising to maintain the attack with
28. W a3! , when Black is in serious trouble.
26..J3c7?
Hoping to get rid of the queens at the cost
of the b-pawn. By this stage, a mere pawn
would be a small price to pay to avoid being
mated.
a
28.tD c6!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
The prosaic 28. 1Mfxe8t l"i:xe8 29 .l"i:xb7±
is of course excellent for White, but the
inspirational game continuation is just killing.
Every amateur in the world probably dreams
of playing such an attacking game, with several
pieces en prise.
28 bxc6 29.dxc6
••.
With the terrible threat of l':'i:b7.
Mihail Marin
1 62
was much sounder than in the previous two
games. Even though 26.:9:b6 was technically
inaccurate, it would only have cost him half a
point in the worst-case scenario.
More Amateur Adventures
a
b
29.. J�xc6?!
c
d
e
f
g
h
Overlooking the elegant finish.
29 . . . fxg2 30.:9:b7 '1Mf b8! would have prolonged
Black's resistance. White should not be in a
hurry to capture the queen, which is hardly
threatening to move away. The most accurate
continuation would have been 3 1 .h4! to ensure
some stability for the bishop. 3 1 . . .g4 32. Jiig3
White has both a material and positional
advantage, and should win without too many
problems.
30.:9:b8t!
Not too complicated, but a beautiful
conclusion of the attacking sequence based
on 2 5 . ctJ a5, 26.:9:b6 and 28. ctJ c6. Faced with
the perspective of being mated in two, Black
resigned. A great game for the doctor and one
that he surely will remember for a long time!
1-0
Playing through this game, it was as if the
amateur and his much stronger opponent
had changed seats. Black's rapid decline was
mainly caused by the careless 24 . . . exf3 ? . Later
she missed her one chance for redemption
(26 . . . ctJ e4!) and after that there was no turning
back.
The success of the Doc's intuitive attack was
largely due to the fact that his initial position
Returning to 1 9 89, my year spent in the
company of amateurs in the Romanian second
division convinced me that the need to win
game after game generates too much pressure,
making slips like those from my game against
Dr Tacu quite probable. When the season
was over I corrected my error and secured a
transfer to one of the strongest teams in the
top division. My 'amateur experience' proved
useful though, as following the opening of the
Romanian borders in 1 990, I became a fervent
participant in Spanish open tournaments.
Comparing with round-robin events,
to which I had become accustomed in my
previous practice, I noticed that most of the
games were to be played in the company of
opponents of lower strength. In most events a
1 OOo/o result against the amateurs was essential
in order to retain one's chances of winning the
tournament. I soon developed an excellent
'technique' for winning these encounters
effortlessly. There were however, a number of
occasions throughout the years when I was
outplayed by supposedly inferior adversaries.
Jose Miguel Ridameya Tatche - Mihail Marin
Badalona 1 9 9 1
When I sat down for the second round o f the
1 99 1 Badalona tournament, it seemed I had
nothing to fear. My opponent, a well aged
gentleman with white hair and a friendly face,
did not differ too much from the image I had
conceived of the typical Spanish amateur.
The opening phase of the game vindicated
the relaxed mood induced by these initial
thoughts.
1 63
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
l.e4 eS
I had given up the Sicilian soon after the
1 987 Szirak Interzonal, during which I had
been crushed by John Nunn in a game that
went on to be voted the best of the year. The
Open Spanish was a better fit for the purpose
of holding my own with Black in such strong
events as the Zonals, Interzonals, Olympiads
and national championships.
Initially, I feared that l . . .e5 might not be
enough to unbalance the game against weaker
players. There are many deviations from the
main lines that tend to lead to rather dull
positions. Experience taught me, however,
that there was no need to fear these secondary
lines. Many equal or supposedly 'drawn'
positions still offer plenty of scope to outplay
the opponent, and as the saying goes, it is a lot
easier to play for a win from an equal position
than an inferior one!
2.lLlf3 lL! c6 3.i.b5 a6 4.i.a4 l2Jf6 S.d4
To tell the truth, I cannot remember exactly
how pre-game preparation was carried out
before the massive implementation of chess
databases and analysis engines. I am pretty
sure, though, that my opponent knew I would
answer 5 . 0-0 with 5 . . . l2l xe4 and decided to
take me out of book as soon as possible.
It is interesting to reflect on how different
things look when viewed from the opposite
side of the board. Every strong player who
has the Open Spanish in his repertoire
knows that Black's life in the early phase of
the game is anything but easy. Provoking an
early unbalance in the centre implies certain
strategic risks. Black can start thinking about
'playing for a win' only after having navigated
the opening phase safely.
For many amateurs, who tend to have a
rather general level of opening preparation,
the complex strategic problems arising after
5 . 0-0 l2l xe4 represent some sort of nightmare.
Other main systems of the Ruy Lopez have
many elements in common with one another
and once you have studied, say, the Chigorin,
you will have a fair idea of how to handle the
Breyer, Smyslov and Zaitsev systems. This
general knowledge simply does not help if
you face the Open Spanish, which demands a
certain investment of time for specific study.
Most amateurs lack the time and/ or inclination
to study openings so comprehensively.
I actually included the text move in my white
repertoire for a while in my teenage years, but
soon I began to understand that it offers White
nothing but trouble when the opponent plays
accurately. By releasing the pressure against e5,
White allows his opponent to develop freely
and comfortably.
s ...exd4 6.0-0 i.e? 7.e5 lL!e4 8.lL!xd4 0-0
9.lLlf5 dS
As a result ofWhite's frequent knight moves,
Black already has an advantage in development.
Furthermore, I cannot help remarking that
the pawn structure has become typical for the
Open Spanish anyway!
a
b
c
d
lO.lLlxe7t lLlxe7 ll.c3
e
f
g
h
White can rarely do without this move in
the Ruy Lopez. It prepares the bishop's safe
retreat to c2, from where it will exert pressure
against the enemy kingside.
Mihail Marin
8
1 64
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d
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l l ...�f5?!
It seems that after a more than satisfactory
opening, I became prematurely relaxed. Black
obviously has easy play and I trusted that my
"anti-amateur" technique would simply reel in
another effortless point.
The bishop is certainly well placed on f5 ,
but the correct move order would have been
l l . . . lLl c5 ! 1 2. � c2 �f5 with a fine blockade on
the light squares.
12.�e3!
Oops! Suddenly the knight gets marooned
in the middle of the board. True, capturing
it will require some effort from White,
but I understood that I had stumbled into
completely unnecessary problems.
12. . tt:lg6
.
Intending to meet f3 with . . . lt:J g5.
13.Wfh5 Wfc8
Black has to give up on the idea of connecting
rooks, as there was no other way to maintain
his fragile piece configuration.
14.£3
The knight is trapped, but fxe4 is not yet
possible because of the reply . . . �g4 when
White's queen will be trapped! However, White
only needs to play � d 1 in order to make the
threat real. At this point I spent a considerable
amount of time looking for the best way to use
my 'spare tempo' , but I was unable to find the
best solution.
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a
14...£6?!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
A friend of mine once remarked that I have a
predilection for advancing my f-pawn. On this
occasion I should have resisted the urge, as the
move only weakens my kings ide.
It would have been much better to prepare
a retreat for the knight to c5 with the natural:
1 4 . . . b6
Frankly, I do not remember even having
considered this move during the game.
I may have rejected it because of:
1 5 . � c6
This wins a pawn, but the same thing
happens in the game anyway, and it would
have been better to sacrifice the soldier on
d5 rather than weaken the king's residence.
1 5 .b4 weakens the queenside too much,
and after 1 5 . . . c5! 1 6. � d l lLl xc3 1 7. lt:J xc3 d4
Black avoids a loss of material and has strong
counterplay.
1 5 . . . E:b8 1 6. �xd5 lt:J c5
Black has some compensation for the pawn.
He has good control over the light squares,
while White's position lacks harmony. The
queen is cut off the rest of the forces and the
e5-pawn is hanging.
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Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
8
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White can solve these issues with 1 7.f4,
but then his light squares would become
even weaker. It is also worth mentioning that
1 7. i!.xc5 ?! bxc5 gives him problems as, apart
from the obvious . . . �xb2, Black also threatens
to win a piece with . . . tt:J f4.
15.i.dl
White could have completed his development
with 1 5 . CLJ a3! ? before creating the threat of
fxe4, but the text move works fine.
15 ... ttJg5 16.exf6 gxf6 17.i.b3 'We6 18.i.xg5
fxg5 19.'Wxg5
Here I was, looking at my position with
disgust, not asking myself how long it would
take to win, but rather if I would be able to
save the game at all. Black is well coordinated
and has a central majority, which would have
offered good compensation for the pawn had
the king not been so vulnerable.
What follows was quite a typical story for a
number of my games from the early nineties. I
remember having read that Leonid Stein used
to say ironically "I am especially strong in this
type of position" , whenever he got a winning
advantage. Sadly, it often happened that I only
started to play at my best after my position had
become clearly worse, on the condition that
the game remained somewhat unbalanced and
complex.
20... c4 2l.i.c2 gae8 22.gadl
White has completed his development and
is ready to start preparing the knight's transfer
to d4, which would yield him a completely
winning position. Black must keep changing
the character of the position, in order to force
his opponent to continue adapting to new
situations until he eventually loses the thread.
22...'Wb6t 23.<lihl 'Wxb2 24.i.xf5 ge5!
Black is fighting hard to survive. It was
essential to prevent i!.xg6 before capturing on
a3 .
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1 66
Mihail Marin
2SJ':hd5!
White eliminates an important pawn,
relying on the fact that 25 . . . Eixd5 can be met
by 26. � e6t.
go wrong, as he had played so well up to this
point.
Somewhere around this point I remember
noticing that the friendly-faced old gentleman
sitting in front of me seemed to have undergone
a radical change in demeanour. Now he was
like a warrior fighting for his life and there was
a certain move, most probably the last one,
in which he seemed to have invested all his
physical energy, like a professional GM who
smells blood.
I had briefly been hoping that he would
fall into the trap 2 5 . � e6t ? Elxe6 26. "1Mfxd5
liJ f4 when White cannot defend g2 and a3
simultaneously, for instance 27. "1Mf g5t Elg6
2 8 :1Ll xc4 "IM.rxa2 winning.
2 5 . g4 would also have been less convincing
than the text move: 25 . . . "1Mfxa3 26.f4 "1Mf e7!
27. "1Mf h5 (Black equalizes after 27. "1Mfxe7 Elxe7
28.Eixd5 tLl h4, since 29. � c2? can be met by
29 . . . Ei:xf4!, exploiting White's weak back rank.)
27 . . . Ei:exf5 Limiting the material damage to
the minimum. 28.gxf5 "1Mf e4t 29. "1Mff3 "1Mfxf3t
3 0 .Ei:xf3 Elxf5 Black's compensation may not
be entirely adequate, bur he would have had
good chances to hold the endgame over the
board.
2S...'?Me2
A counterattacking move, armmg to keep
as much tension in the position as possible in
order to increase the probability of a mistake
from my opponent. I had learned from my
own practice that one important limitation
when playing as an amateur is that you
rarely meet players at a high enough level to
offer stubborn resistance in even the worst of
positions. I must confess though, that I had
started to doubt if my opponent would ever
a
26.Ei:ddl?
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White
decides
that
the
advantage
accumulated so far is enough, and signals
for a general retreat. Such a reaction is not
uncommon for amateur versus grandmaster
encounters. Perhaps the manner in which
Rldameya effectuated 2 5 . Eixd5 was also a sign
that his energy was fading.
White needed to calculate just one more
forced sequence after the correct 26. "\M.r c l !,
which maintains the tension in the centre. The
point is that after 26 ... Ei:xd5 White can answer
27.Eie l !, retrieving the temporarily sacrificed
material: 27 . . . "1Mf d2 28. � e6t cj{ g7 29. �xd5
"IM.rxd5 30. tLl c2± Once the knight gets to d4
White will be well on the way to victory.
26. J:Uxf5 27."1Mfd2
.
27. "\M.r c l "1Mfxa2 restores material equality and
the position is unclear.
27...b5
Black has good compensation, and can hope
to obtain counterplay against the c3-pawn
after the probable queen exchange.
28.tLlc2
Chapter 7
-
It's an Amateur's World
8
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a
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28 . . JH7?!
b
Y.
c
d
e
f
g
h
A hesitant move. I should have preferred
28 . . . ll:\ f4! , leading to similar play as in the
later phase of the game. Looking back, it
seems I had not yet adapted to the favourable
momentum shift.
29.�d8t?!
Returning the favour. 29. '\W c l ! would have
kept the queens on the board without giving
up the a2-pawn. In the long run, the black
Icing's lack of shelter may become a telling
factor.
29..J3f8 30.�d2 ltlf4!
I did not let the opportunity pass me by a
second time. The knight steps in, aiming to
attack the c3-pawn.
8
Ridameya was already in time trouble, and
did not realize that this overcautious move
would lead to the loss of a pawn.
3 1 . ll:\ d4 was necessary, although after
3 1 . . . '1Wxd2 32.E:xd2 E:e3 Black has excellent
compensation for the pawn. The kingside
majority is not threatening yet, while Black's
queenside pawns are pretty well advanced.
31...�xd2 32.E:fxd2 ltle2
With the c3-pawn about to fall, the game is
practically over.
33.ltl b4 ltlxc3 34.l3fl a5
The pawns are unstoppable.
35.ltlc6 l3e6 36.btJd4 l3d6 37.E:cl b4 38.btJb3
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Elegant, but certainly not the only way to
win.
6
5
39.l3xd6 b2 40.l3el b l =� 41.l3xb l ltlxbl
0-1
4
3
2
1
31.l3f2?
38...cxb3
7
1 67
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Having made it to the time control,
Ridameya understood that he had nothing
to play for and resigned. Although he was
obviously tired, I noticed that his face had
become very friendly again. Definitely an
amateurish attitude . . .
1 68
Mihail Marin
I was impressed by Ridameya's play in the early
middlegame, so I asked some of my young
Spanish friends about him and discovered an
interesting story. Josep (the Catalan version
of the Spanish name Jose) Ridameya used to
be an active Catalan Master in his youth, and
even took part in the Varna Olympiad in 1 962.
The team included two future grandmasters,
Arturo Pomar (who famously was a talented
pupil of Alekhine) and Diez del Corral, and
some other players who never became well
known.
Life as a chess player in Spain was not too
rewarding in those days, so Ridameya chose to
focus on his career. When he retired around
1 990, he made two major changes in his life:
he married an elegant lady of a similar age,
and started playing chess again. Most chess
players know that wives do not like it when
their husbands go away for tournaments, but
Josep found a simple solution: he taught his
wife the game! Since then they have been
travelling from one event to another, spending
more time on the tournament circuit than at
home. Even now, at the age of 82, Don Josep
plays more chess than myself according to the
FIDE Elo statistics!
It is quite encouraging to infer that playing
chess is like riding a bicycle to a certain extent:
once you have learned it, you never forget how
to do it. The fact that Ridameya was able to
retain his playing strength despite almost three
decades of relative inactivity makes a strong
argument for this hypothesis.
Mter the previous game I vowed never again
to underestimate any friendly-looking white­
haired adversaries, but this was not enough
to keep me out of trouble in my next game
against the very same opponent, despite having
the white pieces this time!
Mihail Marin - Jose Miguel Ridameya Tatche
Seville 1 992
l.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.� c3 e6 4.�f3 fS
As expected, Don Josep avoids the sharp
Noteboom variation (4 . . . dxc4) and the Semi­
Slav (4 . . . � f6) . During the thirties and forties,
Mikhail Botvinnik obtained some fine results
with the Stonewall Dutch and enriched it
with numerous attacking and positional ideas.
Ridameya would have been making his early
steps in chess in that period. If that is the case,
it is hardly surprising that he would have felt
more at home in this structure than his much
younger opponent.
s.iJ4
According to theory, the Stonewall setup is
only really effective in two scenarios: either
when White has committed his light-squared
bishop with g2-g3 , or has obstructed his dark­
squared bishop with e2-e3 . The move played
by White in the game is considered to be some
sort of punishment for Black's chosen move
order.
I drew a parallel with our previous game, in
which Don Josep also chose an inferior opening.
"Very well, this time I will be more careful and
will not let my advantage slip away!"
s...i.d6
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
6..ixd6?
Unfortunately I broke the aforementioned
promise on the very next move! The premature
bishop exchange allows the black queen to
occupy an excellent square, from which it
keeps both wings under observation. It also
enables Black to arrange his knights in the
optimal way, as we will shortly see.
Right was 6.e3!, maintaining the tension
and preventing Black from arranging his pieces
as in the game. White would be happy to see
6 . . . .1\xf4 7.exf4± when the open e-file increases
the vulnerability of the backward e6-pawn.
6...Wfxd6 7.e3 lD d7
1 69
Despite the lack of flexibility in his structure,
Black has managed to arrange his pieces in a
most harmonious way. Soon he will be able
to start a thematic kingside attack based on
. . . g5-g4.
12.:gfel?!
The only explanation I can offer for this
somewhat mysterious move is that I wanted
to prepare lLl e 5 . The immediate 1 2. lLl e5 is
premature because of 1 2 . . . lLl fg4! when 1 3 .f4
is impossible due to the hanging e3-pawn.
Unfortunately my chosen move was nothing
more than another cheap positional threat
which Black easily parries.
Preventing the occupation of the e5-square.
s.Wfc2
I am not sure whether the queen is optimally
placed here, but by attacking f5 , I had in
mind a simple trick. One golden rule of the
Stonewall structure is that Black should always
be ready to meet cxd5 with . . . exd5, avoiding
the opening of the c-file through which White
could invade his opponent's territory.
8... lDh6!
Unfortunately my opponent had heard about
that rule too; possibly before I was even born!
Note that this would have been undesirable
had the white bishop still been on f4.
9 ..id3 0-0 10.0-0 lD£6 ll.:gahl id7
As a professional player, I should have
remembered that time is of the essence in
positions with attacks on opposite wings;
see the earlier game Tacu - Dzagnidze for a
reminder of this theme. With this in mind,
1 2.b4 lLl f7 1 3 .b5 comes into consideration,
although after 13 . . . dxc4!? 14 . .1\xc4 :gfc8 I am
not convinced that White has any advantage.
His pieces are hanging along the c-file (partly
as an effect of the premature '® c2) , and the d7bishop will soon become active.
Maybe the best move would have been
1 2.2::\ fc l followed by b4 and a4, with a patient,
non-committal attack.
12...lD f7 13.b4
My initial intention may have been 1 3 .cxd5 ,
but it does not take long to realize that after
1 3 . . . cxd5 White is too slow to achieve anything
on the c-file. Quite logically so, since he has
spent two tempos placing his rooks behind
pawns!
13...g5!
This attacking move is fully in keeping with
Black's earlier play. His initial plan is to drive
the enemy knight away with . . . g4. Once the
e5-square is in no further danger of being
Mihail Marin
1 70
invaded, the active . . . CLJ g5 will increase Black's
kingside pressure. By this point I could hardly
believe my eyes: just 1 3 moves into the game
with the white pieces, I was facing a powerful
attack to which I could not find an obvious
antidote. I decided to carry out my own attack
and hope for the best . . .
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
14.b5 g4 15.ctJd2 ctJe4 16.bxc6 ixc6 17.cxd5
exd5
White embarks on a time-consuming
regrouping with the aim of occupying the f4and e5-squares. From a positional standpoint
this is all well and good, but Black's attack
proves to be quite potent, despite its apparent
strategic drawbacks.
White could have avoided serious trouble by
pressing on with his attack. Ironically, the
key step is to remove Black's "bad" bishop.
(Incidentally, in many Stonewall positions this
piece is not as bad as it looks; or at least it is
no worse than White's light-squared bishop,
which also finds itself restricted by the wall of
black pawns.)
A possible way of carrying out that plan
was: 1 8 . tt:l dxe4 fxe4 1 9 . �b5 It is curious that
in my previous encounter with Ridameya
I eventually managed to turn the tables by
attacking his "queen's bishop three" square,
but in the present game I completely neglected
this plan. 1 9 . . . tt:l g5 20. �xc6 bxc6
Black's queenside has withstood the first
wave of attack. Although the d5-pawn has been
isolated from its colleagues, the supposedly bad
bishop proves to be a useful defender, which
glues the queenside together and prevents the
infiltration of the enemy rooks.
a
a
18.ctJ e2?!
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
2 1 .2::\ ec l ! (Before imtlating the knight's
transfer to f4, it is essential to clear the e l ­
square. The immediate 2 1 . CLJ e2? allows
2 1 . . . tt:l h3t! 22.gxh3 2::\ xf2! and White is lost
because his king lacks an escape route to the
queenside.) 2 1 . . .m6 22. CLJ e2 2::\ afS Both sides
are regrouping logically, combining attack
with defence. 23. tt:l f4 tt:l e6 24. 1Mfxc6 tt:l xf4
2 5 . 1Mfxd6 2::\xd6 26.exf4 2::\ xf4 White's superior
rook activity is compensated by Black's space
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
advantage and the better mobility o f his king.
Overall the chances are about even.
8
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1
3
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a
;:
b
c
18... 'Llfg5 19.'Llfl
d
e
f
g
h
The knights continue their intended 'flow'
towards the central squares, but with the d3bishop blocking the way their progress will not
be simple. My last move was probably inspired
by Karpov's similar manoeuvres, which usually
succeeded in disarming his opponents' attacks
before they even got started. In this particular
case the method will not be as effective
because the attack has a more global character,
involving practically all of Black's pieces.
.
It may have been better to delay . . . h5 by means
of 1 9 . ltJf4 , although Black could then have
challenged the knight with 1 9 . . ttJ e6.
19 ...h5 20.'Llf4 h4 2l.i.e2
I remember evaluating the last sequence of
moves as a partial success. I reasoned that by
attacking the h5-pawn, I had managed to gain
a tempo for the knight's transfer to e5 . The
problem is that the other knight finds itself
stuck on the fl -square, where it has no active
prospects and - as we will shortly see - is not
even much use for defending the kingside.
21..JH'7!
A strong manoeuvre which is more typical
171
of the King's Indian than the Stonewall. The
main idea is to sustain the attack with . . . !'1g7,
although the rook also performs defensive
duties on the seventh rank, and might even
switch over to the queenside in some variations.
22.'Lld3
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
22... !'1g7
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
This is the most natural move, although Black
could also have prepared active operations on
the other wing with 22 . . . !'1c8 23. ttJ e5 !'1fc7! ?+
when White's poor coordination would have
made it hard for him to contest the open c-file.
After the text move, White must constantly
be on guard against knight sacrifices on f3 or
h3 . The prophylactic move <;iJ h l would partly
solve this problem, but would also create a new
one: the f2-pawn would require the knight's
defence, preventing White from occupying the
outpost on e5.
23.ttJe5
Finally the knight lands on the square which
has been calling to it since the fourth move.
23.. J3e8!
This final developing move demonstrates
Ridameya's deep understanding of the
position. The rook gets ready to sacrifice itself
Mihail Marin
1 72
for White's only active piece, after which the
attack will be ready to roll.
23 . . . ctJ h3t 24.gxh3 gxh3t would have been
premature on account of 2 5 . ctJ g3 hxg3 26.fxg3
followed by i.f3xe4, when White enjoys full
stability on the dark squares.
8
7
6
5
4
24...CLl h3t?
3
2
1
a
24.i.d3
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
This shuffling back and forth with the
bishop is a consequence of White's lack of
space. Since the d3-square is no longer needed
by the knight, White clears the second rank in
order to involve the queen in the defence of
the kingside.
Apart from lacking a concrete plan, White
suffers from the complete passivity of the
knight on fl . I cannot help but quote the
legendary Dr Tarrasch: "If one piece stands
badly, then the whole position is bad!"
Sometimes a knight on f1 (or f8 for Black) can
be a great defensive piece, but that is not really
the case here.
It seems fair to say that up to this point Black
has conducted the game like a grandmaster.
All his pieces are optimally placed, and they
collaborate well with each other as well as with
the pawns. By this stage both players sensed
that the position was ripe for a tactical blow.
For as long as Ridameya was able to rely
on his general chess culture, his play was
impeccable. But finally, when having to choose
between several tempting continuations, he
made a wrong decision. Quite logically so,
since the correct evaluation of each of them
required accurate calculation of relatively long
variations.
There were at least two continuations that
would have maintained or increased Black's
advantage.
First of all, 24 . . . h3 ! ?+ would have damaged
White's kingside structure, which could not
be kept compact with 25 .g3? because of:
25 . . . E1xe5 26.dxe5 ctJ f3t 27. W h l ctJ xe H
Perhaps my opponent overlooked that the
white queen would be under fire at the end of
this line. This detail, upon which the validity
of the whole line depends, is an incidental
element which has no connection to the
kingside situation or to Black's previous strong
play.
However, it turns out that Black had an even
stronger continuation available. What's more,
even without detailed calculation, there was
good reason for him to prefer it over the game
continuation.
Chapter 7
-
It's an Amateur's World
24 . . . lLl f3 t! 2 5 .gxf3 gxf3t
Compared with the game, Black has a
pawn on f3 instead of h3, which brings two
benefits. Firstly the pawn is more influential,
and its control over the e2-square might
make a difference. Secondly, the h-file is
kept clear, whereas a pawn on h3 might be
used as a shield by the white king.
26. cj;J h l
One important variation i s 26. lLl g3? hxg3
27.hxg3 lLl xg3! 2 8 . fxg3 Ei:xg3t, when,
deprived of the shelter on the h-file, the
white king is in mortal danger.
The text move is more resilient, but it also
fails to solve White's problems.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
26 . . . Ei:xe5!
The thematic sacrifice, eliminating White's
best piece.
27.dxe5 '1W g6 28. lLl g3 lLl xg3t!
The most effective way of opening the king's
position.
28 . . . hxg3 ?! allows White to defend with
29. i.xe4 g2t 3Q. cj{ g l fxe4 3 1 . '1W c5 when the
position is pretty unclear. Black's only direct
target is the h2-pawn, but White can defend
it with 1W d6 followed by e6.
29.fxg3 hxg3
Black has a massive attack, and a timely
. . . d4 will open the long diagonal with decisive
effect.
25.gxh3 gxh3t 26.tLlg3!
1 73
Unlike in the line above, this defence works
out well.
26...hxg3 27.fxg3
White threatens to capture on e4, after
which he will be left with an active knight
against a passive bishop.
The other method of continuing the sacrificial
attack was: 27 . . . lLl xg3 28.hxg3 Ei:xeS 29.dxe5
1Mfxe5 3Q. cj{ h l We can see that the h3-pawn is
the white king's best friend. Black's resources
are not yet exhausted though: 30 . . . d4 t 3 l .e4
'1Wxg3 Threatening a perpetual starting with
. . . 1W f3t . Now 32.Ei:fl ? allows 32 . . . 1W g2!t
33. '1Wxg2 hxg2t with a fork, but 32. '1W e2!
parries the main threats and offers White good
winning chances.
28.dxe5 Wfxe5
Threatening . . . lLl xg3 .
29.<.!ifl?
By now my opponent was in time trouble
and, sensing the shift in momentum, I
probably thought that the rest of the game
Mi h ail Marin
1 74
would be a formality. I hardly need state that
this kind of thinking can only be harmful,
especially as the situation on the board is still
quite complicated.
It is easy to see that 29. � h l ? leads to disaster
after 29 . . . d4!, opening the long diagonal. I
considered f1 to be a safer square for the king,
but I seriously underestimated Black's next
move.
30 . . . Ei:xg3! would have been much stronger,
keeping the queen centralized and threatening
. . . Ei:g2 . 3 l .l"i:e2 f4! This opens the kingside
completely, after which the white king will
not be able to avoid perpetual check. 32.exf4
1Mf xf4 t 33.Ei:f2 h2! Utilizing all the available
forces. 34.Ei:xf4 h l =W t 3 5 . \t> e2 1Mf h5t! The
last accurate check, preventing \t> d l -d2-c l and
securing a draw.
31.Wff2 Wfe5
A much better practical choice would have
been to eliminate public enemy number one
with 29.j,xe4! fXe4 30. 1Mf b2. In the resulting
position White has a small material advantage,
but Black's position is not easy to break.
However, the most important thing is that
the position has become one-sided, with no
serious dangers for White.
The queen retreats to her previous post,
having lost two tempos.
3 1 . . .h2 would lead nowhere after 32. 1Mfxg3
h l =W t 33. \t> f2 with an extra rook for White.
29 CDxg3t!
•••
The sacrifice is correct, but the follow-up is
not.
8 Wo'�%
30.hxg3
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w�i B •
wa
3
2
a
b
30 Wfxg3?
c
d
e
f
g
h
The right move was 32.Ei:e2!, preventing . . . h2
and putting an end to Black's attack.
32...h2?!
A venomous, yet objectively incorrect move.
•••
It is tempting, of course, to create the threats
of . . . h2 and . . . '� gl t, but both of them are
easily parried by White's next move.
The unexpected 32 . . . l"i:gl t! would have led to
a draw: 33. \t> e2 (33 . \t> xg l ? allows 33 . . . 1Mf g7t!
with mate to follow shortly) 33 ... Ei:g2t White
is best advised to cut his losses by returning
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World
with the king to fl , since 34. c±> d l ? leads to
trouble: 34 . . . '�xf4 3 5 .exf4 h2+ The h-pawn
will cost White a rook after a preliminary
. . . d4, leaving Black with an active position and
an extra pawn once the accounts have been
settled.
33.�f2??
I do not remember whether I was getting
short of time as well, but it is not especially
relevant. Of course the text move was a bad
mistake, but its refutation is tricky even for a
grandmaster to spot.
The correct path was 33. Wxe5 ! h l =W t
34. c±> e2 E!:g2t 3 5 . c±> d l ii,a4t 36.E!:b3 when
Black's attack has come to an end, and White's
material advantage will soon tell.
a
33...WI'c3?
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
The final mistake in this highly dramatic
game. Black could have left his queen en prise
for one more move with the stunning 33 . . . d4!!,
opening the long diagonal and leading to a
decisive attack. The main point is that 34. Wxe5
leads to mate after 34 . . . E!:g2t 3 5 . <±> fl h l =Wf#.
34.WI'bst �f7 35.ie2
White has regrouped properly and now the
black king comes into the limelight, an honour
that he would gladly reject!
1 75
35...d4
Too late.
36.ih5t �f6 37.WI'd6t �g5 38.:Bglt
1-0
The comedy of errors from the final phase
of the game hardly gives a hint about who was
the grandmaster and who the amateur. As for
the middlegame, the difference in class was
quite obvious, but not in the direction one
would expect! Only the final result restored the
'natural' order of things.
It is worth emphasizing a significant difference
compared with the previous game. In that
case, Don Josep only made one real inaccuracy
(26.E!:dd l ?) which enabled me to get back on
track, after which my superior playing strength
was enough to bring home the point. Towards
the end of the later game, numerous mistakes
were made on both sides, leading to a move­
by-move change in the position's evaluation.
Abstractly, this suggests that the position in
the second game was much more complex, as
a result of Ridameya's whole strategic concept
being much deeper and coherent from the
beginning.
There may be a good explanation for that. More
than half a year had passed since our previous
encounter, during which time Don Josep
had partaken in numerous tournaments and
possibly a good deal of home study too. His
former playing strength from his Olympiad
days probably started to return, although age
would have exerted its limitative influence as
well.
Mihail Marin
1 76
Final Thoughts
There is a saying that Fortuna always smiles on
the strongest players, bur why would it be so?
After all, for the result of a concrete game it is
not how well you play on average, but how you
play in that specific game.
Psychology surely plays a role. A grandmaster
is accustomed to the taste of success, and does
not abandon the secret hope of winning even
in the most dire of situations. This inner self­
belief is crucial if one is to exploit the smallest
window of opportunity received from Caissa.
For an amateur, the opportunity to beat a
much higher-rated opponent is an exceptional
occasion. The associated pressure and
anticipation of a memorable result can end up
costing him valuable energy and time, which
can easily lead him along the path towards a
painful downfall.
I am well aware of the fact that there is no such
a thing as a prototype for the amateur player.
I have chosen to portray two individuals who
correspond to my perception of this term,
and with whom I had the opportunity to get
acquainted.
cannot end this chapter without
acknowledging the fact that, strictly speaking,
none of the games presented above can be
classified under the thematic title of this
book. Dr Tacu's opponent from the third
game was an IM/WGM, who has since gone
on to obtain the full Grandmaster title. I did
not obtain my full GM title until 1 993, but
with all modesty, I was playing at the level of a
grandmaster for several years before that time.
I actually achieved my most impressive norm
at the 1 98 8 Thessaloniki Olympiad, where I
also got an individual board medal. I achieved
several of my best results before completing
the title, including winning my first national
title and qualifYing for two Interzonals.
This slight dissonance with the main theme
was of course not intentional, and was merely
the result of my choosing the examples which
best suited my discourse. Remembering Tal's
famous comment that "we are all amateurs" , I
will conclude by suggesting that grandmasters
might find that they have much to learn
from the non-professionals, in terms of the
enthusiasm provoked by playing, and the
preservation of good spirits irrespective of the
final results.
Jacob Aagaard
Fish Eat Danes for
Supper
Jacob Aagaard
1 78
This chapter is quite difficult to write; not
because I don't want to show the games I have
lost to lower-rated players as a grandmaster,
but because I really have not lost many games
to players with a rating under 2400 since
becoming a grandmaster!
8 .a3 ? ! lLl bd7 9.h3? c5 1 0 .e5 lLl h5 and White's
position was already disintegrating in Hj orth ­
Andreasen, Denmark 20 1 0 .
However, since I have been quite close a
number of times, I think I can give a pretty
good recipe on how to beat me. I think it
includes the following ingredients, although
not necessarily all of them:
� Play a good solid opening
� Play a lot of natural moves
� Be ready once you get your chance
Play a good solid opening
The basic idea here is to play the man. Don't
seek complications against someone of whom
the reply to "how does he play?" has always
been: "with an axe." The following two games
provide a good example of how the same player
changed tactic against me, with success.
Jacob Aagaard - Per Andreasen
Danish Leag ue 20 1 0
l.e4 g6 2.d4 i.g7 3.qj c3 d6 4.i.e3 a6 5.f4 b5
6.qjf3 i.h7 7.i.d3
I am no expert in these lines, but the
positions do fit my personality excellently.
Here my opponent played a risky move.
7... qjf6!? 8.e5
After the game he asked me if I had seen his
previous game in this line in the tournament.
I had, but had not fully registered that we
were in the same line. However, it was pretty
irrelevant, as a grandmaster would not play a3
and h3, not to speak of an axe-wielding mad
man.
9.qjxd5 i.xd5 I O.'We2
My opponent really liked this move. He felt
that the potential of a2-a4 was unpleasant and
that he had to act against it.
10... qjd7
This is probably not the best move. More
active was 1 0 . . . 0-0 with the idea that 1 l .a4 is
met with 1 l . . . lt:J c6! 1 2.axb5 axb5 . Here White
should avoid 1 3.Elxa8 ?! '1Wxa8 1 4 . i.xb5 ? ?
'1W a 1 t 1 5 . iW d 1 iW a5t, and instead play
1 3 .0-0, although after 1 3 . . . i.xf3 1 4 .gxf3 b4
his advantage is rather minimal.
11.0-0
This position could have fitted nicely in the
section on piece handling earlier in the book
(see page 1 0) . Black has not yet finished his
development while White is fully mobilized.
Thus Black should, as a default point, finish
his development before he does anything
active.
1 79
Chapter 8 - Fish Eat Danes for Supper
ll ... c5? 12.dxc5 dxe5
1 2 . . .CtJ xc5
1 3 . i.xc5
dxc5 was perhaps
the lesser evil, but after 1 4.c4 White is still
pleasantly better.
13.c4!
Per had not thought about this move
at all, but soon it becomes apparent that
White's advantage is simply overwhelming.
My opponent had been caught up in forcing
thinking, expecting the captures to continue
until the money runs out.
13...i.xc4 14.i.xc4 bxc4 15.W'xc4 exf4
1 6.i.xf4
18...W'b6t 19.<Jih1 ltjf6 20.E1b1!
1-0
Ten months later Per came with a more solid
attitude in mind. I am not sure he played
better; it was j ust more difficult for me to play
the position and for this reason he earned a
well-deserved draw.
Jacob Aagaard - Per Andreasen
Danish League 20 1 1
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tiJ c3 dxe4!
Per chooses to go for a solid position that fits
him much better than it fits me. Even though
I manage to get an advantage, it is not one that
fits my core strengths, and eventually I misplay
it.
4.ltJxe4 ftJd7 5.ftJf3 ftJgf6 6.tiJxf6t ftJxf6
7.i.g5 h6 8.i.e3 ltJd5 9.i.d2 c5 10.ltJe5
a6 11.c4 ltJf6 12.i.c3 cxd4 13.W'xd4 W'xd4
14.i.xd4
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This loses a piece, but 1 7 . . . 1W e8 1 8 .b4 is also
hopeless.
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18.c6
14 ...i.b4t?!
In the train on the way to the match, my
team mates had discussed the Slav and the
Caro-Kann for what seemed hours and hours,
until I tried to cut in with a joke: "I only play
c6 with White." And here we are . . .
This check is a matter of poor chess culture.
This is an ending and White does not want to
get his king 'into safety' . Instead he is only too
pleased to be forced to put it on the beautiful
e2-square.
Jacob Aagaard
1 80
14 . . . CtJ d7! is the correct move. Theory provides
us with an example: 1 5 . .i d3 ctJ xe5 1 6 . .ixe5
.i d7 17 . .i e4 0-0-0 l S .E!:dl .i b4t 1 9 . W e2 f6
20 . .id4 W c7 2 1 .a3 .i e7 22.l::!: d 2 Y2-Y2 ]. Polgar
- Korchnoi, Enghien les Bains 2003 .
19..ig2 l::!: a7 20.a3 .ie7 2I..id4 l::!: c7 22.cxb5
axb5 23..ib6 !:k2t 24J:!:d2 :!:!:xd2t 25. �xd2
.id7 26.:1:!:c1 b4 27 .ic5 .ixc5 28.:1:!:xc5 bxa3
29.bxa3 :!:!:b8 30.:1:!:c7 �b2t 3l.�e3 .ia4?!
15.�e2 0-0 16.g3 tt:\d7
32.�a7 �b3t 33. �d4 �xa3!
This is the critical moment of the game. I
thought for a long time here, trying to prevent
Black's counterplay, but did not manage to do
so. I was trying to do the right things, but they
are unnatural for me and I have not trained
enough to do them properly.
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a
17.l::!: dl?
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
I did not want to play 1 7 . .i g2, because it
would allow Black to get his bishop out with
1 7 . . . ctJ xe5 1 8 . .ixe5 f6 1 9 . .i d4 e5 and a check
on g4. However, this thinking is faulty in many
ways. I would here be able to play 20 . .i b6!,
when the threat of c4-c5 would be quite
serious; and at the same time Black would
lose his chance to use the d-file. Essentially the
game would be ready for the wrapping.
17... tt:lxe5 18..ixe5 b5!
I had missed this option entirely, which
shows my limited thinking. In what follows I
was able to present my opponent with a lot
of problems, but the advantage was never
anything serious.
•
3 l . . . .ib 5 ! was equal immediately.
Very good defensive play.
34..ic6 �a2!
I was hoping for, but in no way expecting
Black to play 34 . . . .ixc6 3 5 .l::!: xa3, when the
ending should be winning for White, although
the technical process would be far from trivial.
Per's move is much better.
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a
b
35.�xa4 �xf2
c
d
e
f
....
g
'/
h
The game is heading towards one of a few
possible drawn endings. The most likely
candidates are bishop and h-pawn versus king,
with the wrong colour in the corner, or rook
and bishop versus rook. With hindsight I
should have gone for the latter option, but at
the time it was not obvious.
36.h3
White's best chance was 36.l::!: a 8 t! <i> h7
37.l::!: a 7, intending 37 . . . <i> g8 3 8 . <±> e3 to drive
the rook away from the second rank. I am sure
the game would have been drawn anyway, but
at least I would have been able to create more
problems for him.
Chapter 8 - Fish Eat Danes for Supper
36...g5 37J;al �g7 38.�e3 �h2 39.�hl
�xhl 40.hhl f5 41.�d4 �f6 42.J.f3 e5t
43.�d5
8
6
5
4
3
2
a
43...e4
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
During the game I expected him to play
43 . . . g4! 44.hxg4 f4! 45 .gxf4 exf4 46. \t> e4 h5
with a draw.
44.J.dl h5!
Black also draws with 44 . . . e3 4 5 . i e2 h5!.
45.J.e2
4 5 . ixh5 f4 is an immediate draw.
45...g4 46.hxg4
It was also possible to lose, should I insist:
46.h4 f4! 47.gxf4?? g3 48. ifl e3 and so on.
46...fxg4
Or 46 . . . h4 47. gxh4 fxg4.
47.hg4 hxg4
Had it been me, I would have played
47 . . . h4, but this is all about character traits.
48. �xe4 �f7 49. �f5 �g7 50. �xg4 �g6
51.�£4 �f6 52.g4 �g6 53.g5 �g7 54.�£5
�f7 55.g6t �g7 56.�g5 �g8 57.�£6 �f8
58.g7t �g8 59.�g6
¥2-lf2
Obviously this is quite far from a win for the
amateur, but only one of the three boxes was
ticked. Let's move on to the second box.
Play a lot of natural moves
7
1
181
In my experience it is quite rare that the
untitled player outplays the grandmaster by
flashy play and great originality. Obviously
it can happen, it is just very rare. It has not
happened to me personally and whenever I see
another grandmaster lose to an untitled player,
it is usually because they are human and have
made some big mistake.
From this you can conclude that the way to
beat a grandmaster as an amateur is to get a
good position out of the opening and then play
simple and good moves. What often happens
is that the grandmaster will think about how
he is going to win the game and push too
hard. I am sure this is what happened in the
following game, in which I was cast in the role
of amateur against an experienced GM.
Jonathan Tisdall - Jacob Aagaard
Copenhagen 1 9 96
l.d4 CLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.ttl c3 J.b4 4.V!Vc2 0-0
5.a3 hc3t 6.V!Vxc3 b6 7.i.g5 J.a6
Jacob Aagaard
1 82
This variation was new at the time and my
opponent clearly did not know much about
it. His reaction was probably meant to be
creative, but in reality it was just reckless.
13...exd5 14.cxd5 .ixf1 15.:Shxfl b5
8.e3 d6 9.f3?
Not only wasting a tempo, but also
weakening the e3-square, as Bent Larsen
pointed out. The usual move at the time was
9 . � d3, while these days other approaches have
been successful too.
9...CLlbd7 lO.CLlh3 h6 ll.�h4 :Sc8
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Black is initiating a standard Benoni/
Benko counterattack on the queenside, the
main difference being that the white king is
usually safely tucked away on gl or h2 in such
positions!
16.<j;lbl b4! 17.axb4 \Wb6 18.b5
Trying to keep the floodgates closed.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Black has not played anything other than
natural developing moves, while White has
positioned his pieces a bit oddly and allowed
himself to fall behind in development. This
already adds up to a good game for Black,
but with his next move White makes matters
worse by putting his king in directly in the line
of fire.
12.0-0-0? c5 13.d5
White tries to keep the position closed; but
having played a2-a3 , he will not be able to do
so forever.
1 3 .dxc5 Ei:xc5 1 4.Ei:xd6 Wf c7 and . . . Ei:fc8 would
also give Black a big advantage.
1 8 .bxc5 Ei:xc5 would only accelerate the black
initiative, while 1 8 . � e l is strongly met by
1 8 . . . 'Ll e5 1 9 .e4 cxb4 20. Wfxb4 Wi a6 2 1 .Ei:f2
'Ll d3 22. Wf a5 Wf c4 when Black continues to
attack, as well as win material. For example:
23.Ei:fd2 CLJ c l 24. Wi a3 'Ll b3 25 .Ei:d3 Wf c2t
26. <i> a2 CLJ c l t and Black has won the exchange.
Chapter 8 - Fish Eat Danes for Supper
18...a6!
Quite an important move. Rather than
spending time winning back my pawn, I open
more lines on the queenside.
19.bxa6 Wfxa6 20.e4 l3b8!
1 83
a) 22. 'Wxb2 'W d3t 23. <;t> a l loses elegantly
to 23 . . .ltJ xe4! 24.fxe4 :ga8t 2 5 . 'W a2 Wf d4t
26. <;t> b l 'Wxe4t 27. <;t> a l 'W e5t 28. <;t> b l �b8t
29. � c2 'We2t.
b) 22. <;t> xb2 is met by 22 . . . �b8t 23. <;t> c2
tLl xd5 ! 24.exd5 'W e2t 2 5 . 'W d2 �b2t 26. <;t> xb2
'Wxd2t 27.�c2 'W d4t and Black will convert
the advantage easily.
I have no idea if I would have seen any of
this, but luckily there were other good options
at my disposal, such as 2 l . . .:gb4, so I would
probably have won the game all the same.
21...c4!
The pawn is included in the attack.
22.l3cl l3fc8
This move surprised a number of people,
who believed the rook belonged on the a-file.
The problem is that there is nothing there,
as a check on a2 does not lead to anything
significant. Doubling the rooks down the
b-file makes for more sense.
21.'Llf2
2 l .�cl prevents the ... c4 advance but allows
Black to finish in style: 2 l . . .�xb2t!
Black is not in a hurry; White is threatening
nothing.
23.i.xf6 gxf6!?
23 . . . tLl xf6 was also winning, but I wanted
the knight to go to the queenside. Besides, I
had seen everything that follows.
1 84
Jacob Aagaard
24. Wf d4 c3! is something I saw during the
game, while 24. lt:J d l is met by a nice little
refutation: 24 . . . lt:J c5 2 5 . Wfxc4 lt:J b3! and it is
game over.
24.. J�b3 25.ttlxf6t
White could create a bit of resistance with
2 5 . Wf c2, but Black wins with a series of not
too difficult moves: 25 .. J!a8 26. Wfxc4 Wl' a l t
27.'Jl c2 Wfxb2t 2 8 .'Jl d l lt:J b6 29. Wf c2 W d4t
30. � e l Elb2-+
25...tflxf6 26.Wfxf6 c3
The pawn becomes a key player in the attack
and White is quickly mated.
playing a last round game for a GM norm.
From this one might falsely conclude that
I already had the strength of a grandmaster
when this game was played. Sadly not. I played
occasionally good chess, but most of the time I
played poorly. The IM norms I made were based
just as much on luck as anything. For example,
the first norm included the following game:
Dharshan Kumaran - Jacob Aagaard
Budapest 1 996
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Quite undeservedly I managed to exploit my
opponent's time trouble with:
103...Wfe8t!? 104.b8=Wf?? Wfxc6t 105.Wfb7
Wfxb7t
0-1
A nice game by the amateur Jacob Aagaard,
but it did not contain any flashy moves.
1 8 . . . a6 and 20 . . . Eib8 were probably the best
moves of the game, but they showed no more
than a decent understanding of chess.
In many ways this was my first step towards
becoming a titled player. At the end of the
tournament I had scored a performance rating
of2447 and thus narrowly missed an IM norm.
However, this gave me a big confidence boost;
within nine months I had secured the title,
and one year later I had my first experience of
Be ready once you get your chance
The final ingredient is undoubtedly the most
important if you are an amateur and want to
beat grandmasters. To some extent you can
ignore the first two parts of the equation if you
include this third and important ingredient. If
you are 2 1 00-23 50 and play ten grandmasters,
the chances are that you will have a good
chance to win at least one of those games. It is
vital to seize these fleeting opportunities when
they arise.
Chapter 8
-
Fish Eat Danes for Supper
Here is the game that secured my Grandmaster
title, by virtue of elevating my rating above the
2500 level in the fourth round of the 2007
British Championship.
1 85
30.ctJdf3?
Missing another win: 30.l"i:e6t
3 1 . �xe6t <j{ xg5 32.h4t! <j{ f4
�xe6
Li Wu - Jacob Aagaard
Great Yarmouth 2007
b
a
c
d
e
f
g
h
33. � xd5 !!, which wins immediately because
of the threats of � e4# and � g5#. But who in
their right mind can see something like this?
30 ...'\Wflt 3l.�g3
8
7
6
5
4
28 ... �f7 29.ctJg5t �g6
At this point I was fearing 30. � g3!, which
wins the game immediately.
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
With both players desperately short of
time I rejected my other candidate moves
(namely 3 l . . .l"i:a4 and 3 1 . . . lLl d4!, the second
of which leads to a significant advantage) in
favour of a combination I did not have the
time to actually check. This is a direct result
of a lot of confidence, which is a great thing to
have when you were ready to resign just two
minutes before.
31. ..Wfglt? 32.ctJ:xgl gxglt 33.�f4??
Jacob Aagaard
1 86
We both failed to spot the refutation:
33. ctf f3! ltl d4t 34.<i> f4 �g4t
In this game I had the advantage after the
opening, but misplayed it and then blundered
badly on move 1 8 . Ever since I have been
running around the board trying to find
moves that did not lose immediately, while
simultaneously running out of time. A few
moves earlier I missed the chance to fight for
an advantage, and am once again on the back
foot. My only chance lies in my opponent's
limitations.
38.'1We7t
b
a
c
d
e
f
g
h
The knight has been derailed and White
wins after 3 5 . <i> e5 ! .
33. . .�g4t 34.�f3 etJd4t 35.Wfxd4 cxd4!
36.ltlh3 �e4 37.tLl f4t �gS 38.;gxe4 i.xe4t
39.�g3 d3
0-1
Not a bad move, as It J USt repeats the
position. But still it was worth pointing out
that White was easily winning after 3 8 . '®xc7t!
ct? h8 39. '® e5t ct? h7 40. '® e7t <i> h8. By now he
would have received a lot of extra time in which
to find the not too difficult combination:
Not an entirely uncommon situation. Grand­
masters have bad days as well; they blunder and
suddenly end up in difficult positions. For the
amateur, it is vital to keep a cool head in those
situations. Remember that no matter who the
opponent is, the pieces don't move differently;
a lost position cannot be defended . . .
a
Jasmin Bejtovic - Jacob Aagaard
Copenhagen 20 1 0
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
4 1 . '1Wxf8t! �xf8 42.�h2 and the ending is
trivial.
38 ...�h8 39.'1We5t
White offered a draw.
V2-1/z
White is of course still winning, and he can
always take the draw in a move or rwo, but
he was on course for an IM norm and before
the game he probably feared losing more than
anything else.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
It is easy to understand why someone would
act in this way in such a situation. In fact, I
Chapter 8
-
Fish Eat Danes for Supper
would go so far as to say that anything else
would be surprising. We therefore need to
be mentally prepared beforehand for the fact
that we might get a chance to win the game,
and decide exactly how we will react should
that chance arise. Virtually all elite athletes go
through a visualization process whereby they
see themselves winning the big race. I am not
suggesting that the reader should go out and
hire a sports psychologist; however it could be
useful to spend a few moments gathering your
inner confidence before the game, and thus
giving yourself the best chance to capitalize on
any opportunity that might arise.
In the above game my opponent did not need
to be an especially great chess player - he just
had to be ready to win.
A special case to remember
The last two games are from my worst
tournament performance since the early
1 990s. To add to the irony, it took place at
a time when I believe I was at the height of
my powers as a chess player. If you doubt
me, please check the game I played in the
second round against Alan Grant on page
29. Although far from perfect, this was still a
good game bearing in mind that it came in a
weekend congress that featured a time control
short enough to dissuade people with a weak
bladder from participating.
Unfortunately, I was suffering from something
of a 'perfect storm' of external forces limiting
my abilities. First of all, I had taken my wi fe
and seven-week-old daughter with me. This is
not something I can regret or categorize as a
mistake, but it was also not an ambitious move.
Secondly, after arriving at the tournament
venue I visited the book stall and decided to
purchase a puzzle book that initially impressed
me, as I believed that the author had put in
1 87
real work and found a lot of the same positions
that I had unearthed from recent tournament
practice. However, I soon realized that he
had simply lifted these test positions from
my column in the monthly British magazine
CHESS, thus plagiarizing my work. Later I
found out that he had not even tried to hide
his tracks, but had put them into the book in
the same order as they had appeared in the
magazine. (Not surprisingly the publisher
provided compensation, but unfortunately
this did not include Scottish rating points
squandered in this event!) .
We will rejoin the tournament at the fourth
round, which took place on a Sunday morning.
I had already lost a horrible game to an IM
the previous afternoon, after first blundering a
pawn and then a piece in a position that could
probably have been held. By Sunday morning
I was ripe - and sadly I was not facing a young
talent, who might become weighed down
by excessive respect for the Champion of the
Union, but rather an experienced lawyer who
could recognize a sucker when sat opposite him!
Jacob Aagaard - Neil Farrell
Perth 2008
1 88
Jacob Aagaard
the exchange incorrectly and my opponent
missed a few chances to seize the advantage,
I entered the ending with hopes of winning,
although the position should be held by Black
with decent play.
41.�g5 �c6 42J'�c8t �d7 43.�g8 �c6
44.i.f6 �c7 45.i.d8t �c6 46.�g6 �h6
47.�xh6 ltlxh6 48.�h4
White wins a pawn, but I did not think the
position could be won. The f5-square is too
strong.
48...ltlg4 49.f4 ltle3 50.�xh5 a4 51.�g6 h5
52.�h4 �d7 53.i.fl ltldl
58.�e6
5 8 .e8= lLl t <;t> c6 would have been equally
hopeless.
58... lLl d6
0-1
Despite my mistakes, this was an excellent
game by Neil. His opening was great, he
played sound and natural chess, and despite
making some mistakes when the game got
complicated, he kept on fighting. And the
moment the chance arose, he was absolutely
ready for it.
In the last round I was paired with an
1 800-rated player. By this time I obviously had
no chance of winning a prize and played "a bit"
fast in the hope of at least giving my family the
relief of an early train home. This is in no way
intended as an excuse, but simply to remind
the amateurs (who will comprise the maj ority
of the readers) that external factors can come
into play at the board. Grandmasters are
humans and they will have their own reasons
for playing the way they do - and sometimes
these are the wrong reasons.
Alistair Dawson - Jacob Aagaard
Perth 2008
A reckless gamble. I should have moved the
bishop and accepted that the game would be
drawn.
l.c4 c6 2.h3
54... ltl:xfl 55.f5 exf5 56.e6t �c7!
This was my opponent's preparation; already
a violation of our first principle.
Although not too difficult, we have already
seen a few occasions where the amateur was
unprepared for his moment of glory.
2...d5 3.ib2 ltl f6 4.\1;lfc2 e6 5.ltlf3 i.d6 6.e3
0-0
57.e7 ltle4!
I had of course missed this idea entirely,
even if it is not too difficult. I was simply too
frustrated about not being able to win the
game.
At this point White should go for 7.d4
leading to an equal middlegame. Instead he
decided to win the game in Internet Blitz
style!
7.i.d3?! ltl bd7 8.g4?
Chapter 8
-
Fish Eat Danes for Supper
1 89
White's last two moves fail to qualify as
either sound or natural, thus violating our
second principle.
a
14...e4
8 ... e5!
Classical chess. An untimely advance on the
flank is met with a counterstroke in the centre.
9.g5 CLle4
The way healthy chess supports aggressive
moves is sometimes a bit unreal. My
opponent looked surprised and soon quite
disappointed.
10.CLl c3
1 0 . .ixe4? would lose quickly to 1 0 . . . dxe4
l l . �xe4 ltl c5 1 2 . � c2 e4 and the light squares
are not doing too well.
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
14 . . . b4 would be premature, as 1 5 . � c2 e4
allows White to play 1 6.h4! and hold on to
his pawn.
15.c5 .tf8 16.CLld2 b4
Slightly inaccurate. I should have taken the
pawn immediately, but as said, I was playing a
bit quickly.
17.ygc2 ygxg5 18.£4
White gets rid of a weakness.
18 ...ygh4 19.tLlfl CLJ£6 20.h3
Sensing that the end was near, I played my
next move almost instantly.
10 ... CLlxc3 11.ygxc3 ge8
Preparing to put the bishop on f8 to
safeguard the king.
12.0-0-0 a5 13..tb 1 b5 14.d4
White accepts the burial of his bishops. How
quickly things can go wrong.
1 4 . cxd5 cxd5 1 5 . � c6 does not work, as after
1 5 . . . lt:l b6 the open c-file would be a liability
for White.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Jacob Aagaard
1 90
20 i.g4??
..•
Upon playing this move I went out to tell
my wife that we were in luck and would make
the early train comfortably. I was of course
expecting my opponent to resign, but it
quickly turned out that I had fallen into an
elaborate trap.
8 � �% �% � �-� � � -,�.,
21.h.xg4 'Wxhl?! 22.ctlh2!!
7
�� !� �- '�
jjj % 0% �� , � �
�� J� � �w--� ���
- b i �� lS
- --%u%?.:"/�3 •2r�
�
%m
�7� 1%f---%n�
�
;�.
lS �vm
6
5
4
2
1
%
%
-
•:r=t�, %•�'
,,,
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
burst into laughter when he played this
move. My queen is trapped and a rare case of
arrogance - not a trait I usually exhibit, as I
am simply not confident enough! - has been
deservedly punished.
22...'Wxdl t 23.'Wxdl �a7 24.g5
25.i.c2 f5
ctld7
After making this move I told my opponent
the lay of the land: "Just so you know, you
can have a draw whenever you want it." As it
turned out, this happened to be immediately!
He accepted my offer faster than the speed
of sound; at least it seemed that way, as I was
still finishing my sentence when he fumbled
franticly for my hand across the board.
llz-1/z
Rarely have I seen anyone as happy with a
draw as Alistair was; chuffed smile and feet
bobbing in the rhythm of life. Truly he was
not ready to win a game against a grandmaster,
but had we played on, I am not entirely sure
he would have either. Obviously the chances
are high, but who knows, he might even have
blundered back and lost the game. Who am I
to judge what makes other people happy? My
wife for one did not care the slightest that I did
not win a prize in the tournament, but she was
very happy that we managed to make the early
train back to Glasgow.
Game Index
Chapter 1 - Danes Eat Fish for Breakfast
Walter Burnett - Jacob Aagaard
Graeme Nolan - Jacob Aagaard
Jacob Aagaard - Peter Dittmar
Jacob Aagaard - Ib Andersen
Thomas Ernst - Jacob Aagaard
Jacob Aagaard - Vereslav Eingorn
Jacob Aagaard - Sandi Stojanovski
Sergei Tiviakov - Jacob Aagaard
Jacob Aagaard - Alan Grant
Jacob Aagaard - Paolo Tocco
Angelo Damia - Jacob Aagaard
10
12
16
20
20
22
24
27
29
31
33
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Three Stories
Peter Heine Nielsen - Magnus Carlsen
Dirk Sebastian - Peter Heine Nielsen
Stephan Berndt - Peter Heine Nielsen
38
44
50
Chapter 3 - From Amateur to 2700
Pavel Eljanov - Artur Kogan
Wang Yue - Ildar Khairullin
Pavel Eljanov - Mikheil Kekelidze
Pavel Eljanov - Zdenko Kozul
Thomas Freundlieb - Pavel Eljanov
57
63
68
75
80
Chapter 4 - From 1700 to Grandmaster - and Back
John Shaw - Hicham Hamdouchi
John Shaw - Vladimir Epishin
Hugh Brechin - Jacob Aagaard
Hugh Brechin - John Shaw
89
92
95
96
Chapter 5 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Vitali Golod - Thal Abergel
Boris Avrukh - Ehud Shachar
Yochanan Afek - John van der Wiel
1 00
1 06
1 12
1 92
Grandmaster versus Amateur
Matthew Herman - Alberto David
Ivan Cheparinov - Victor Havik
1 18
1 28
Chapter 6
-
The Ulysses Effect
Tiger Hillarp Persson - Jonny Hector
Tiger Hillarp Persson - Carlos Garcia Palermo
Bo Jacobsen - Tiger Hillarp Persson
Anatoly Karpov - Bo Jacobsen
1 38
1 40
1 42
145
Chapter 7 - It's an Amateur's World!
Victor Tacu - Mihail Marin
Voiculescu - Tacu
Victor Tacu - Nana Dzagnidze
Jose Miguel Ridameya Tatche - Mihail Marin
Mihail Marin - Jose Miguel Ridameya Tatche
Chapter 8
Jacob Aagaard - Per Andreasen
Jacob Aagaard - Per Andreasen
Jonathan Tisdall - Jacob Aagaard
Dharshan Kumaran - Jacob Aagaard
Li Wu - Jacob Aagaard
Jasmin Bej tovic - Jacob Aagaard
Jacob Aagaard - Neil Farrell
Alistair Dawson - Jacob Aagaard
-
1 52
1 58
1 60
1 62
1 68
Fish Eat Danes for Supper
1 78
1 79
181
1 84
1 85
1 86
1 87
1 88
Name Index
A
D
Aagaard 4, 9, 1 0, 1 2, 1 6 , 20, 22, 24, 27, 29,
3 1 , 33, 95, 1 77, 1 78 , 1 79, 1 8 1 , 1 84,
1 8 5 , 1 86, 1 87, 1 8 8
Abergel 1 00, 1 06
Adla 1 29
Mek 1 1 2, 1 1 5
Alekhine 1 68
Anand 5 , 67
Andersen 20
Andreasen 1 78 , 1 79
Arnold 1 08
Aronian 40
Astrakhantsev 56
Avrukh 6, 99, 1 06, 1 20
Damia 33
David 1 1 8 , 1 20, 1 2 1 , 1 25 , 1 27
Dawson 1 88
de Groot 57
Diez del Corral 1 68
Dittmar 1 6, 1 7, 1 8
Dolezal 5 8
Dominguez Perez 2 7
Dzagnidze 1 60, 1 69
Dzenis 28
B
Babula 70
Baburin 34
Beim 1 1 3, 1 1 4
Bejtovic 1 86
Berndt 50, 5 1 , 52, 53
Bilobrk 1 0 1
Binder 1 02
Brechin 1 6, 9 5 , 96, 97
Breyer 1 28, 1 63
Bronstein 1 5 3
Burnett 1 0, 2 1
c
Carlsen 38, 42, 56, 72, 1 2 8
Caruana 1 20
Chase 57
Cheparinov 1 28 , 1 29, 1 30, 1 3 1 , 1 3 5
Chigorin 1 63
Cruz 1 07
Csiszar 1 02
Cvetkovic 7 1
E
Eingorn 22, 23
Eljanov 5, 6, 5 5 , 57, 5 9 , 68, 75, 76, 77, 78 ,
80, 1 0 1
Epishin 92
Ernst 20
Euwe 4
F
Farrell 1 87
Fischer 89
Freundlieb 80
Fuchs 29
G
Garcia Palermo 1 40
Gelfand 5, 67
Geller 1 3 8
Gersenson 4
Gheorghiu 1 53
Ghi�escu 1 5 3
Gisbrecht 70
Gligoric 1 29
Golod 1 00, I l l
Grant 29, 1 87
Greet 8
Grischuk 73, 1 0 1
Gurevich 77
1 94
Grandmaster versus Amateur
H
Hamdouchi 89
Hammer 72
Havik 1 28, 1 3 1 , 1 34, 1 3 5
Hector 69, 72, 1 3 8
Herman 1 1 8
Hillarp Persson 7, 69, 1 37, 1 38 , 1 40, 1 42
Hjorth 1 78
Hodgson 28
Hromadka 1 53 , 1 5 8
I
Ivanchuk 1 0 1
J
Jacobsen 1 42, 1 45 , 1 46, 1 47
Joj ua 77
Joyce 7, 1 3 8
]uric 1 0 1
K
Kaid 1 07
Kamsky 1 28
Karjakin 56
Karolyi 1 1 2, 1 1 3, 1 1 4
Karpov 88, 1 29, 1 4 5 , 1 47, 1 49, 1 7 1
Kasparov 1 0, 46, 5 1 , 5 6
Kekelidze 6 8
Khairullin 63
Kislik 1 20
Kogan 57, 63, 1 07
Korchnoi 1 54, 1 80
Korobov 7 1
Kovacevic 5 8
Kozul 75, 76
Kramnik 67, 69, 72, 1 00
Kudrin 5 8 , 59
Kumaran 1 84
L
Lecroq 28
Leko 27, 67
Levenfish 8 8
Luther 88
M
Makarov 1 08
Makogonov 1 53
Malaniuk 80, 8 1
Maletin 73
Maltsev 1 07
Mamedyarov 1 28
Marin 7, 24, 1 5 1 , 1 52, 1 54, 1 62, 1 68
Mastrovasilis 70
McNab 9 1
Meduna 7 1
Miles 80
Mista 77
Moles Palleja 28
Movsesian 5 1
N
Nielsen 5 , 37, 38, 44, 50
Nolan 12
Nunn 88, 9 1
0
Onischuk 68
Ostoj ic 1 5 5
p
Palau Viol 28
Paragua 76
Parto� 1 54, 1 5 5
Perez Candelario 1 20
Polgar 7, 1 54, 1 80
Pomar 1 68
Ponomariov 1 78
Praznik 77
Prie 97
Psakhis 1 29
R
Radjabov 68, 75, 1 0 1
Raivio 1 07
Ridameya 8, 1 62, 1 66, 1 67, 1 68, 1 70, 1 7 1 ,
1 72, 1 7 5
Ridameya Tatche 8, 1 62, 1 68
Name Index
Rowson 39, 40
Ruiz 28
s
Stojanovski 24
Savchenko 7 1
Schmittdiel 1 07
Sebastian 44, 53
Shachar 1 06
Shaw 6, 87, 89, 92, 96, 1 8 5
Shirov 6
Sideif Sade 1 29
Simon 57
Sisak 1 1 3
Smyslov 8 8 , 1 63
Sorensen 24
Spassky 46
Sriram 72, 73
Stallone 1 28
Stefansson 40
Steinitz 96
Strelnikov 78
�uba 1 5 3, 1 54
Sutkus 28
Svidler 1 28, 1 78
T
1 95
Tacu 8, 1 52, 1 54, 1 5 5, 1 57, 1 5 8, 1 5 9, 1 60,
1 62, 1 69, 1 76
Tal 1 00, 1 3 8, 1 76
Talla 1 1 3
Tarrasch 1 54, 1 72
Timoshenko 8 1
Tisdall 1 8 1
Tiviakov 27, 28
Tocco 3 1 , 33, 35
Topalov 1 28
Troianescu 1 5 8
v
Vaitonis 28
Van der Wiel 1 1 2, 1 1 6, 1 27
Van Wely 70
Vasilescu 1 54
Velasco 28
Voiculescu 1 5 8
von Bardeleben 96
w
Wang Yue 63, 67
Wippermann 29
Wu 1 8 5
z
Zaitsev 1 63
Opening Index
Benoni 153
Caro-Kann 1 6 (by transposition)
Dutch Defence 1 45 (by transposition) , 1 68 (by transposition)
English Opening 24, 57, 1 06
French Defence 1 79
Griinfeld 39
Irregular 1 88
King's Indian Defence 76, 1 00
London System 1 6, 96
Modern Defence 1 78
Nimzo-lndian Defence 181
Pirc Defence 1 12
Ruy Lopez 31, 128, 1 63
Semi-Slav 33, 138, 140 (by transposition)
Slav 69
Sicilian 1 0, 20, 27, 29, 44, 50, 89, 92, 1 1 8, 142 (by transposition)
Torre Attack 80