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Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy: Learn from Kramnik, Karpov, Petrosian, Capablanca and Nimzowitsch (Everyman Chess) PDF

257 Pages·2007·13.32 MB·english
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The Giants of Strategy Neil McDonald EVERYMAN CHESS Gloucester Publishers pic www.everymanchess.com First published in 2007 by Gloucester Publishers pIc (formerly Everyman Publishers pIc), Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EClV OAT Copyright © 2007 Neil McDonald The right of Neil McDonald to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978 1 85744 5411 Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 480, 246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480. All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1 V OAT; tel: 020 7253 7887; fax: 020 7490 3708; email: [email protected]; website: www.everymanchess.com Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House Inc. and is used in this work under licence from Random House Inc. EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES Chief advisor: Byron Jacobs Commissioning editor: John Emms Assistant editor: Richard Palliser Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton. Cover design by Horatio Monteverde. Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays, Bungay, Suffolk. I Contents Introduction 5 1 The Seventh Rank 16 2 The Outpost and the Open File 36 3 Planning on a Grand Scale 53 4 Understanding Pawn Majorities 89 5 The Power of Pawn Breaks 108 6 How to Use the Pawn Ram 139 7 Restraint 172 8 Blockade 191 9 Provocation and Prophylaxis 235 I Introduction Have you ever heard someone use the make in Chapter One to get their rook terms 'blockade' or 'prophylaxis' and to its dream square. nodded wisely while wondering what they really meant? (Don't worry: the Introducing the person using these words probably Giants of Strategy doesn't understand their true meaning The strategic ideas will be discussed either.) Or have you always associated using the games of five superb chess the ideas of prevention and restraint masters: four World Champions and with defensive play? If so, you are one crown prince. missing out on a whole area of chess In an interview on his website, strategy. Vladimir Kramnik states: The aim of this book is to reveal If you want to reach the heights, you genuine secrets of strategy; for despite should study the entire history of chess. I the huge rise in chess knowledge over can't give any clear logical explanation for the last decades, there are areas of it, but I think it is absolutely essential to technique which are still at best only soak up the whole of chess history. vaguely understood by the chess pub Although Kramnik offers no defini lic. tive reason why we should study the We will have to be patient and start players of the past his games provide a with more familiar concepts such as a compelling answer. Here is just one rook on the seventh rank. Although, example which shows how he has bor even here, many players who are aware rowed various techniques from the of the excellence of a rook on the sev four other strategists considered in this enth rank would fail to make the sacri book, and then shaped them according fices that Capablanca and Petrosian to his own unique creativity. 5 Chess Secrets: The Giants on but there is an eVt'l1 beth'r squdre wniting for it 011 c5- and so the knight M.Apicella-V.Kramnik spends three moves getting ther~'. Kar Moscow Olympiad 1994 pov is king of the short manOCUVrl'. 12 12jdS C\xdS 13 exdS ~~fS 14 (4 0-0 15 1 e4 cS 2 0lf3 t;)c6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lj'lxd4 ~a4 as! lLlf6 SlLlC3 d6 6 eS Bbck begins a plan to seize control Petrosian was also fond of this of a complex of dark squares Oil the variation of the Sicilian. It blocks the queenside. A light square/dark square centre, after which Black can indulge in strategy involving restraint occurred manoeuvres on the wings: and there frequently in Nimzowitsch's games, was no greater expert at outflanking an but it rL'ceived greatest expression in opponent than iron Tigran. the games of Petrosian. 7 lLlf3 h6! 16 a3 ild7 17 ~d1 a4! Depriving the c4-pawn of the chance to be solidified by b2-b3. Phili dor was doing this in the 18th century! 18 b4 axb3 19 'iYxb3 4\a6! 20 cw~e3 'iiC7 21 a4 lLlcS! Your eye 011 the willgs, your //liud 011 the CClltre, that is the decpest II/Cllllillg positiollal play. Nimzowitsch. White is prevented from increasing his grip on the dS-square by exchang ing bishop for knight with and Blockade! Was this pawn sacrifice iLxf6. borrowed directly from the game Sul 8 h3 iLe6 9 0-0 ile7 10 ge1 .l:tc8 11 tan Khan-:\Iimzowitsch or via Tai- li.lb8! manov-Karpov Chapter Eight)? A Karpovian retreat. :\10 other 22 ~iLxcS ¥WxcS 23 ~xb7 MC7 24 ~b3 player has ever been more skilled at :ia8 using the back rank to increase the en The frontal pressure exerted by the ergy of his pieces than the 12th World black queen and rooks against tlw a4- Champion. The knight is well placed and c4-pawns, which l'ulmin<ltes in an 6 Introduction invasion of the enemy camp, is remi lanca called une petite combinaison a niscent of the classical play of Capab little combination of the kind that fills lanca. his games. With the help of a 25 ~d2 f5! zwischenzug (an in-between move) An essential advance, or else 26 ~e4 Black win.'> a pawn. will break the blockade. 40 .. JIel 41 lta2 ltxe2 42 ltxal ltxf2+! 26 ~blJ.h4 43 <Ji>xf2 J.xal 44 We3 Wg8 A probing move that forces a slight Black now has a winning endgame. loosening of the white pawn structure, It still requires some work, but none of followed by a retreat: a hit-and-run Kramnik's four 'advisors' were lacking technique perfected by Karpov. a fabulous technique in so-called sim 27 g3 J.f6 28 ~c3 e4 29 lta2 ~a5 30 ple positions. Itcl J.e5 31ltcc2 ltC5 45~e6 g6 Black only plays ... J.xe6 when he is assured of creating connected passed pawns, as opposite-coloured bishop endgames are notoriously drawish, even when one player has a substantial advantage in pawns. 46 c5 J.e5 47 g4 J.xe6 48 dxe6 d5 49 gxf5 gxf5 50 J.b5 <Ji>f8 51 J.c6 d4+ 52 <Ji>d2 J.f4+ 53 <Ji>c2 d3+ 54 WC3 J.e3 55 <Ji>C4 <Ji>e 7 56 <Ji>d 5 First restrain, then blockade, and lastly destroy! - Nimzowitsch. Black methodically cements his hold on the dark squares. 32 ~b5 Wh8 33 ~e3 ~b4 34 ~d4ltcc8 35 ~e6 ltxa4 36 ltxa4 ~xa4 37 ltd2 'iral! Now begins the 'Capablanca' phase, with the black queen and rook pene trating via the open files onto the op ponent's back rank. Step by step the 56 ... J.xC5! white pieces are ousted from the Another little combination: if 57 squares they need to defend. <Ji>xc5, 57. .. e3 and 58 ... e2 will queen. 38 <Ji>g2 ltb8 39 ~f4ltbl 40 ~e2 57 J.b5 J.d6 58 J.C4 iLC7 59 J.b5 Wf6 There now follows what Capab- 60 h4 J.g3 61 h5 J.C7 0-1 7 Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy So what is uniquely 'Kramnikian' that books on Petrosian were among about the above gamel the few available to him. Every creative First of all, it should be said that this player eventually finds their own style isn't a typical Kramnik game. If you of play, but the influence of other great want to see an archetypal Kramnik minds seems a vital part of the process. game, give him the white pieces and watch as he dismantles his opponent's A Hundred Years of queenside pawn structure with moves Chess Strategy like a2-a4, or else arranges a break What is the difference between chess as through in the centre with d4-d5 or e4- played in 1907 (the year of the oldest e5. He rarely plays a 'blockade' game. game in this book) and as played in Even so, there are some trademark 2007 (the year of the newest game)? Kramnik features: above all, the dy The old masters prior to 1907 cer namic twist he gave to the theme of tainly knew how to attack the king. blockade. Kramnik is perhaps the great They could make long and wide est exponent of the two bishops who ranging combinations, and find the has ever lived; and because the pawn most surprising tactical resources. In structure in the centre retained flexibil fact they knew how to handle the ity, he was able to put them to good use. queen, rook, bishop, knight, and king Whereas in a Nimzowitsch or Petrosian as well as modern players. blockade game, with its locked centre, But what about the humble pawn? the emphasis is on the knights. Yes, here is a big difference! At a more specific level, the creation Capablanca won game after game of a passed pawn or passed pawns as against the best players in the world the reward for a well thought out strat because he was far more sensitive to egy is a regular occurrence in Kram the needs of the pawn structure. He nik's games, far more so than in the made chess look easy, and it probably games of the other four masters. Any was pretty effortless for him most of one who wants to learn about the han the time; but it took genius to have an dling of passed pawns should study understanding that was so superior to his games deeply. that of his contemporaries. Like all knowledge, it seems that Nimzowitsch developed and classi the necessary information to allow a fied the science of restraining a pawn talent for strategic chess to unfold is front. He made chess much more col handed down from one generation to ourful by showing that pawn struc the next. The first chess book that Kar tures besides the 'classical' 1 e4 e5 and pov read as a young boy was by Ca 1 d4 d5 were fully playable for Black. pablanca; Petrosian is said to have slept As with Capablanca, he must have left for a time with a book by Nirnzowitsch many opponents bewildered as well as under his pillow; and Kramnik relates beaten. 8 Introduction Petrosian specialized in blocking a willingness to play a match for the the centre and outflanking his oppo world title with the Latvian on the nent with pawn moves on the wings, proviso that the challenger raise the Fischer has talked about the Petrosian stipulated stake money. Alas, there 'bear hug' that grips a careless oppo was no international chess federation nent. in those days and finding the necessary Karpov is brilliant in the 'jockeying' financial backing was beyond or manoeuvring phase, neither forcing Nimzowitsch. matters nor blocking things up, but Nimzowitsch's greatest tournament gently probing his opponent's pawn success was at Carlsbad 1929, where he structure from a safe distance until it finished half a point ahead of Capab suddenly falls to pieces, lanca and Spielmann, with players Kramnik aims for a subtle positional such as Rubinstein, Euwe and Vidmar attack that put his opponent's pawn trailing further in his wake. It must structure under unrelenting pressure, have been galling for Nimzowitsch that Nothing serious seems to be happen Bogoljubow, who came eighth in that ing, but then the defence unexpectedly tournament, found the means to chal buckles under, often allowing the crea lenge Alekhine for the World Champi tion of a passed pawn which proves onship later in the year. decisive in the endgame. It is quite re Nimzowitsch's own title bid never markable the number of wins that got further than carrying business Kramnik has squeezed out of 'equal' cards describing himself as the 'Crown looking positions: such is the refine Prince of Chess'. ment of technique these days. Even though as a practical player Nimzowitsch was never quite the Brief Biographies match of the 'big three' Emanuel Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine - he Aaron Nimzowitsch was an original thinker with an ex Aaron Nimzowitsch (1886-1935) was tremely interesting personality. His born in Riga, Latvia, After the up books include Die Blockade (1925), Mein heaval of the First World War and the System (1925) and Die Praxis meines Sys Russian Revolution, he went to live tem (1929), with English translations first in Sweden and then in Denmark, Blockade, My System and Chess Praxis where he was based in Copenhagen for respectively. My System became one of the rest of his life. the classics of chess literature and a In 1926 Nimzowitsch won a tour bestseller in many countries. nament in Dresden with 8112/9, finish ing 1112 points ahead of soon-to-be Nimzowitsch's style World Champion Alexander Alekhine. Nimzowitsch in general played differ Also in that year Capablanca expressed ent types of position to Capablanca, as 9 Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy he eschewed the classical 1 d4 d5 or 1 His greatest tournament success e4 e5 in favour of hypermodern open was at New York 1927, where he fin ings, including the Nimzo-Indian to ished with eight wins and twelve which he gave (half!) his name. draws; this was no less than three and The accent in his games was on re a half points ahead of Alekhine and straint of the enemy pawn structure, four and a half points ahead of which made him a particularly dan Nimzowitsch, who came second and gerous player as Black. Nimzowitsch third respectively. had a fertile imagination, and knew However, to the astonishment of how to utilize all the squares on the many in the chess world, later in 1927 board for his pieces. We see moves Capablanca lost his World Champion like lLlh1! (as White) or ... ~8! (as ship match against Alekhine by six Black) - which most players wouldn't wins to three with 25 draws. He was even notice are possible. never to be allowed another shot at the Nimzowitsch also invented an en title, though he remained a potent tire vocabulary to describe chess tech force, as demonstrated at Nottingham nique (see the section on Nimzo 1936, where he came equal first with witsch's writings below). Mikhail Botvinnik. Besides the two winners, Euwe, Alekhine and Lasker Jose Raul Capablanca were also in the field, making a total of Jose Raul Capablanca (1888-1942) was five present, future or past world born in Havana, Cuba. With his victory champions. at San Sebastian in 1911, where he tri Capablanca wrote several books, in umphed over most of the best players cluding My Chess Career (1920) and in the world (only Emanuel Lasker was Chess Fundamentals (1921). Botvinnik absent), he became one of the very few thought that the latter was the greatest players in the history of chess to win chess book ever written. the first international tournament in which they participated. Capablanca's style Capablanca became World Cham Capablanca was able to win game after pion in 1921 through beating Lasker in game against top notch opponents be a match with the score of four wins, ten cause his intuition was a more valuable draws and no losses. weapon than the imperfect level of Between 1916, when he lost to Cha technical understanding prevalent in jes at the Rice Memorial event in New his heyday. York, and 1924, when he was downed In so-called clear 'classical' posi by Reti at the great New York Interna tions he could see at a glance where he tional tournament, Capablanca was needed to undermine the enemy pawn undefeated in serious play, scoring 40 structure. Capablanca also knew in wins and 23 draws. stinctively which pieces he had to ex- 10

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