Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge

109 Pages·1996·6.214 MB·English

by  Yuri Averbakh

English Translation Copyright© 1996 Ken Neat
First published 1996 by Cadogan Books plc, London House, Parkgate Road,
London SW I I 4NQ.
Distributed in North America by Simon and Schuster, Paramount
Publishing, 200 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, New Jersey 07675, USA.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic.
electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 1 85744 125 7
Cover design by Brian Robins
Typeset by Ken Neat, Durham
Printed in Great Britain by BPC Wheatons Ltd. Exeter
Contents
Introduction 7
1 A Little about Strategy and Tactics 8
2 Elementary Contacts 12
3 Attack and Defence 15
4 Tying and Pinning 18
5 Combined Attack 22
6 Second Wave of the Attack 26
7 Double Attack 28
One piece simultaneously attacks two enemy pieces 28
Two pieces simultaneously attack one enemy piece 30
Two pieces simultaneously attack two enemy pieces 32
8 Reciprocal Double Attack 36
9 Double Blow 38
10 Defence against a Double Blow 42
11 How a Double Blow Arises 46
12 Attack on the King 53
13 Mating Attack Mechanisms 57
14 Combinations and Sacrifices 62
15 Classification of Combinations 70
16 Winning Combinations 73
Combinations against the king 73
Combinations to win material 76
Combinations to promote a pawn 77
17 Drawing Combinations 79
Perpetual check 79
Stalemate 80
Blockade 81
Perpetual pursuit 82
Fortress 83
Drawing balance of forces 85
18 Chess Aesthetics 87
6 Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge
19 Strategy of Attack 95
Attack on the uncastled king 95
Attack on the kingside 98
Attack after cast Ii ng on opposite sides 103
Attack on the queenside 107
Index of Players and Analysts 1 I 1
Introduction
The middlegame is the most difficult and complicated phase of chess, but
also undoubtedly the most fascinating and interesting. Many major works
have been devoted to it, and in various books one can find hundreds of
examples from the m iddlegame, but it seems to me that such a mass of
material is most likely to frighten the average chess enthusiast, wishing to
improve his play in this stage of the game in order to achieve certain suc
cesses, and, more important, to obtain the maximum pleasure from playing.
It was for this reason that the author had the idea of writing a small book
devoted to the middlegame, and including in it only that which is most
important, most essential, so that subsequently the reader would be able
independently and competently to solve many problems arising during the
struggle on the chess board.
Since the middlegame is the most complicated phase of chess, as with
any complicated phenomenon various approaches can be made to it. Since
the main aim of the game is to give mate to the enemy king, which demands
a certain coordination of the forces, I consider that particular attention
should be devoted to the problems of concerted piece action.
In this book I have tried to reveal to the reader the deep significance of
these important concepts, and have aimed to show how the coordination of
the pieces arises during play. My main conclusion, which will make it much
easier to understand the basic struggle on the chess board, is that, despite
the countless multitude of different situations arising in the middlegame,
there are only two effective attacking procedures, leading to succe.ss - the
combined attack and the double blow. A mastery of these techniques, and
an ability to prepare them gradually, is extremely important.
And one more thing. Since in the middlegame the main target of attack is
his majesty the king, in this book great attention has been paid to the attack
on the king. Typical mating mechanisms, offensive techniques, and ways of
conducting an attack are aiJ considered.
The task of this small book is to help the reader to find his way through
the boundless ocean of chess, in which, according to the Indian saying: 'a
gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe.'
Yuri Averbakh
November 1995
1 A Little about Strategy
and Tactics
During the course of a game a a game, forty moves or more may
player repeatedly has to find be required, but to lose it is suffi
answers to two questions - what to cient to make one bad one! You
do, and how to do it. The answer to yourself will no doubt have several
the first question is given by chess times encountered this paradox. As
strategy, and to the second by grandmaster Richard Teichmann
tactics. · once aptly put it: 'chess is 90 per
It is well known that, in warfare, cent tactics!' Every player, from
strategy is assigned the leading role, beginner to World Champion, has
and tactics a subordinate one. experienced this at first hand
But on the chess board everything himself.
is different. Although here too In order to gain an impression of
tactics are largely subordinate to the connection between strategy and
strategy, their role is extremely tactics on the chess board, we wi 11
important. After all, on the chess examine a short, but highly instruc
board, except when a pawn is tive game, played by two Moscow
promoted, there are no reserves, and masters of roughly the same
this means there can be no addition strength. This game, incidentally,
to the existing forces, which them also demonstrates certain ideas and
selves are very limited. Therefore it procedures typical of the middle
is not surprising that even one game.
tactical mistake, oversight or
blunder may lead to defeat. And on Bonch-Osmolovsky-Baranov
the contrary, a successful tactical Moscow 1953
operation may immediately decide
the outcome of a game. During play, l e4 e5
especially in complicated, unclear 2 l2J f3 l2Jf6
positions, you have to be extremely Instead of defending his e5 pawn,
attentive. Otherwise unpleasant sur Black in tum attacks the opponent's
prises will await you at every step. pawn. This opening, developed by
Remember that, however success Russian masters in the 19th century,
ful your strategical plan, a tactical is called the PetroffDefence.
mistake can completely ruin it. Not It should be known that if 3 l2Jxe5
without reason is it said that, to win Black should first play 3 ... d6, and
A Little about Strategy and Tactics 9
only then take the e4 pawn. The White calmly replies I 3 0-0!, and if
point is that on the immediate I3 ... lf.Jd3 14 'ii'c4 lf.Jxc 1 15 l:.xc 1,
3 ... l2Jxe4 White has the strong reply when the bishop cannot move on
4 'W'e2, when the knight cannot account of 16lf.Jd5.
move on account of 5 ltJc6+, Therefore with his next move
winning the queen. Black switches his queen to the
3 d4 queenside, to where, to all appear
White, with the advantage of the ances, the opponent's king is
opening move, is the first to begin intending to take shelter.
play in the centre, simultaneously
opening lines for the development
of his pieces.
3 exd4
4 e5 l2Je4
5 'iixd4 d5
6 exd6 l2Jxd6
7 .i.d3 'ii'e7+
Experience has shown that
7. .. l2Jc6 8 'Wf4 g6 is more accurate
here. With the move in the game
Black plans to answer 8 ~e3 with
8 ... l2Jf5, exchanging knight for
bishop. But as we will see later, this
operation leads to a loss of time,
and to Black delaying the develop 10 . . . 'ii'b4
ment of his pieces. 11 'ii'e5+
8 i.e3 l2Jf5 Of course, there is no point in
It was not yet too late for Black to White exchanging queens. His lead
reject his initial plan. By playing in development is best exploited in
8 ... i.f5 9 l2Jc3 ltJc6 I 0 'i'a4 i..xd3 an attack.
he would have gained an acceptable 11 i..e6
position, whereas now he encoun 12 0-0-0 l2Jc6
ters significant problems. In the hope of mounting an attack
9 i.xf5 i..xf5 along the c-file, Black tries to buy
10 l2Jc3! his opponent off with a pawn.
It transpires that taking the pawn 13 'ii'xc7 ltc8
is extremely dangerous: on I 0 ... 14 'i'f4 'i'a5
i.xc2 there fo Il ows I I l:c 1 lf.Jc6 15 'i'g5!
(11 ... i..f5 12 ltJd5) 12 'ii'f4. It is true By offering the exchange (now
that here Black has 12 ... ltJb4!, but that he is a pawn up), White
10 Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge
switches his queen to an active 19 lt:Jxe6+
position with gain of tempo. Against such a check, ca11ed a
15 . . . 'ii'a6 double check, there is only one
16 :bel defence - the king has to flee, but
A picturesque position. White's where to? If 19 ... ~c8 20 .Ud8 mate,
pieces are fully mobilised and are while 19 ... ~e8 is met by 20 l2Jxg7+
ready for positive action, while .§Lxg7 21 ~g5+ <itf8 22 l:td8 mate.
Black has not yet resolved the That only leaves e7, but there too
question of safeguarding his king. the king does not find safety.
Therefore he decides on a desperate 19 . . . -i;;e7
counterattack. 20 it.g5+!
16 lt:Jb4 It is important not to let the king
17 lt:Jd4 l:lxc3 escape to f6.
20 f6
21 lt:Jd8+
Naively assuming that this
exchange sacrifice will lead to a
draw. For example: 18 bxc3 tt:Jxa2+ Here Black admitted defeat: there
19 ~d2 lt:Jxc3 20 ~xc3 ~b4+! 21 is no defence against mate in two
~xb4 'Wc4+ 22 ~a3 'Wia2+ with moves.
perpetual check. But White had seen In this game we see a clash of
beforehand that after the capture on two ideas, of two strategical pJans.
c3 the opponent's back rank would Relying on his lead in development,
be weakened, which allows him to White concentrated his pieces in the
strike a decisive tactical blow. centre, preparing an attack on the
18 'ir'd8+!! enemy king that had not managed to
Truly a bolt from the blue! castle. Black, after sacrificing a
18 ... ~xd8 pawn, was hoping for a counter-
A Little about Strategy and Tactics 11
attack on the queenside, where the has deprived it of the f6 square, and
white king had castled. But every the rook at el lands the fatal blow.
thing was decided by tactics - by The bishop at f8 and pawn at f6 not
sacrificing his queen, White was only fail to help, but actually hinder
able to refute Black's plan and to their king, by depriving it of the
conclude the game briiJiantly. vital squares f8 and f6. And the
Note that in the final mating king's rook, 1ike the remaining
attack all the white pieces took part black pieces and pawns, performs
(with the exception, of course, of the cheerless role of spectator to the
the king). And the actions of his execution of its own monarch.
pieces were excellently coordinated This game demonstrates the
- in the final position the rook at d 1 importance of assigning roles on the
takes away the black king's squares chess board. And in the following
on the d-file and defends the knight chapter we wi11 begin by trying to
at d8. The knight, in tum, deprives understand how the pieces and
the king of the f7 square, the bishop pawns coordinate one with another.
2 Elementary Contacts
The aim in a game of chess is to However, already in the initial
checkmate the opponent's king. But disposition in each camp one can
none of the pieces is able to achieve discern a number of contacts and
this on its own. As we know, to do links between the pieces and pawns,
this even the a11-powerful queen and that means, their coordination.
needs help. The pawns cover the pieces
For success in operations carried standing behind them from the
out on the chess board, the har attacks of the enemy pieces, and the
monious, coordinated action of the pieces, in tum, defend (support)
pieces is required. It is extremely these pawns, each at least once,
important to understand how this while simultaneously defending one
arises. We wil1 try to disclose what another. However, the initial
lies behind these exceptionally placing of the pieces also has a very
important concepts. significant defect - apart from the
Let us consider the initial knights, none of the pieces is able to
arrangement of the pieces. move, to say nothing of attacking
the opponent's pieces: they are
prevented from doing so by their
own pieces and pawns, which
restrict one another's freedom of
action.
Thus in the initial position we
discern three types of contacts
between the pieces (and also be
tween the pieces and pawns) of each
side - three forms of elementary
coordination.
1. Support - a piece (or pawn)
supports (defends) another piece (or
pawn).
The two sides are both Jined up in 2. Covering - a piece (or pawn)
two ranks facing each other. covers another piece (or pawn)
Between them is a large neutral against attack.
zone. All is calm and quiet- no one 3. Restriction - a piece (or pawn)
is threatening anyone else, and restricts either the movement, or the
indeed no one is able to do so. scope of another piece (or pawn).