abc of middle games

8/8/2019 ABC of Middle Games

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ChessBase 10 Printout, Microsoft , 5/27/2010 1

Morphy,PaulLeCarpentier,C

ew Orleans 1849

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xabcdefghye4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 Black starts a

eries of exchanges, neglects to develops pieces, and creates pathways to hisng.orphy's two Bishops take advantage ofe mistakes. Morphy has given odds ofRook. exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc30-0 Morphy's two Bishops win the

ame for him.xb2 7.Bxb2 Bf8 Black has wasted aumber of tempos getting rid of his Kingawn. 8.e5 The purpose of 8.e-5 is topen the e-file as quickly as possible.6? Black helps out in his own demise.orphy develops a piece in anticipation the open file. 9.Re1 Never exchangehen you're behind in development and

our King is in the center. dxe5??very bad move. 10.Nxe5 Qxd1he two Bishops come to life and thend comes quickly. 11.Bxf7+ Ke7?ng to d-8 was the better move.

2.Ng6+ King to d-8 holds the fort.ack can't capture the Bishop

ecause... Kxf7?? Do you see the mate

in one? 13.Nxh8#1-0

C40

Morphy,PaulMcConnell,J

New Orleans 1849

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.d4exd4 5.e5 Qg6 6.Bd3 A spectaculargame that needs almost no annotations.Qxg2 7.Rg1 Qh3 8.Rg3 Qh5 9.Rg5Qh3 10.Bf1 Qe6 11.Nxd4 Qe7

There is a one move pause in the action.12.Ne4 h6 Morphy goes on theoffensive again and the game is over atmove 23. 13.Nf5 Qe6 14.Nfd6+ Bxd615.Nxd6+ Kd8 16.Bc4 Qe7 17.Nxf7+Kc7 18.Qd6+ Qxd6 19.exd6+ Kb620.Be3+ c5 Mate in 3 21.Bxc5+ Ka522.Rg3 b5 23.Ra3# Not bad for a 12year old.1-0

C02McConnell,JMorphy,Paul

New Orleans 1850[Gauthier]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 A game in which Morphy

mates his opponent's Queen.Pretend you're Morphy, play the Blackpieces. d5 Opening = French Defense3.e5 Morphy attacks White's d4-e5 Pawnchain at its base. This is standard chessstrategy. f7-f6? is not as good since itweakens the King's position.Morphy's plan is to open the c-file andgain an advantage on the Queen side.


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The game's dramatic ending, at move 14,is the result of play on this file.c5 Attack 4.c3 Defense Nc6 Attack5.f4 The entire game revolves aroundthe play for the d-4 square.

How does Black continue his attack onthe key square? Qb6 Attack 6.Nf3Defense Bd7 7.a3 White plans to follow-up with b4. Nh6 8.b4 Morphy can'tallow White to capture with 9.bxc.This would ruin Morphy's plan of takingthe c-file with his Rook. cxd4 9.cxd4d-4 is a key square. Both sides have twopieces paying hommage to d-4. A key

square is the square that the playersdefend, support, attack, and occupy for astrategic advantage.The location of this square may changeduring the course of a game. Rc8Morphy is playing the Sicilian defensewhere the idea is to take the c-file asearly as possible.Morphy wins the game as a result of playon this file. 10.Bb2 supporting the keysquare Nf5 attacking the key square11.Qd3 White didn't see that his b4-Pawn was weak and needed support.Morphy sees it and captures the weakPawn with INITIATIVE giving him anattack.Bxb4+ CHECKMorphy sacrifices the Bishop for anattack, taking advantage of his Queen

side strength which includes the Rook onthe open file.12.axb4?? This move loses quicklybecause of the mobility of Black'squeenside pieces.The finale is a three move combinationthat starts with the c6-Knight.Black's centrally posted f5-Knight alsoplays an important supporting role. Nxb4

Morphy has two Pawns for his Bishop.13.Qd2 The Rook comes to life. Rc214.Qd1? What's the winning move forBlack?It's a crusher. Ne3 White resigns, his

Queen is attacked and immobile: she'smated.Press Escape to close the game window.F10 for the next game.0-1

C01Morphy,Paul

Chamouillet,M\AlliesParis 1858

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 c58.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Bg5 Be6 10.Qd2 Nc611.Rad1 Be7 12.Rfe1 a6 13.Qf4 Nh514.Qh4 g6 15.g4 Nf6 16.h3 Rc817.a3 Re8 Watch and see how Morphy'sQueen Knight become a hero.Also pay attention to how Black'skingside falls apart. 18.Ne2 h5?not a good moveBlack is weakening his Kingside. 19.Nf4Nh7 Now Morphy's Knight exposes theweakness of the King's soldiers. 20.Nxe6fxe6 21.Rxe6 Bxg5 22.Rxg6+the initiative Kf8 23.Qxh5All the soldiers have disappeared.

See comments to Black's move no. 19.Rc7 24.Nxg5 Ree7 25.Qh6+ Ke8Mate in 4 26.Rg8+ Nf8 27.Rxf8+ Kd728.Bf5+ Re6 29.Qxe6#1-0


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Morphy,PaulNapoleon de Santos,A

New York 1859

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1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.b4Bb6 5.b5 Nd4 6.Nxd4 Bxd4 7.c3Bb6 8.Bc4 Qe7 9.d4 d6 10.0-0 Be611.Bxe6 Qxe6 12.f5 Qd7 13.Qd3 c614.Kh1 Nf6 15.Bg5 Bd8 16.Nd2 h617.Bh4 Nh7 18.Bg3 Bf6 19.bxc6bxc6 20.Nc4 Qc7 21.h3 Nf8The game pretty much ends right here.Morphy takes the initiative and never letsup until his opponent is mated 15 moveslater.Black had odds of a Rook when thegame started and he is still ahead by aRook at this point. 22.dxe5 Bxe5

23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.f6 Rd8Morphy wants another Queen. 25.fxg7Rg8 26.gxf8Q+ Rxf8 Morphy uses thedark squares to post his Queenaggressively. 27.Qe3 Rh8 28.Qc5Look how Black suffocates his King withhis next two moves. Rf8 29.Rf6 Qe7?30.Qxc6+ Qd7 31.Nd6+ Ke7 32.Nf5+Ke8 White moves to threaten mate in

one. 33.Qc5 White threatens mate on g-7. Qd1+ 34.Kh2 Rd7 Mate in 235.Qxe5+ Kd8 36.Qb8#1-0

C56Morphy,PaulAmateur

Paris 1859

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4exd4 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 This is aspectacular game featuring Morphy's

Knights.Morphy lures the Black Queen into thecenter to activate his Knight withinitiative. 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 Black's failureto castle early is partly to blame for theproblems that ensue.Morphy takes the initiative, regains hispiece and proceeds to smash Black'sKing side. 8.Nc3 Morphy's Knights winthe game almost by themselves.Notice how both Black's units in thefourth rank are pinned. Qh5 Morphy isable to regain his piece.He sacrificed a Bishop, remember?9.Nxe4 Black covers up his King. Be610.Neg5 ...0-0-0 is a way out of thecoming onslaught. Bb4Morphy smashes up the King side.11.Rxe6+ RRfxe6 Pay attention to how

the Knights continue to attack andprotect each other. 12.Nxe6 This movethreatens an insidious fork. Qf7Morphy has a move that attacks andprotects at the same time. 13.Nfg5 Qe714.Qe2 This Queen move, taking theopen file and overprotecting the Knight,is crucial to the attack.Morphy threatens Knight captures at c-7,


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check.Bd6 15.Nxg7+ The overprotector atwork: Black's Queen is pinned(immobile). Kd7 Morphy now takes andholds on to the initiative until the mate at

move 24. 16.Qg4+ Kd8White sacrifices a Knight in order toactivate his Bishop with initiative.17.Nf7+ Qxf7 18.Bg5+ Be7 19.Ne6+Kc8 Mate in 5 20.Nc5+ Kb8 21.Nd7+Kc8 22.Nb6+ ...King to d-8 leads tomate in one (1). Kb8 Solve the mate in2. 23.Qc8+ Rxc8 24.Nd7#1-0

C42Morphy,PaulBudzinsky,J

Paris 1859[Gauthier]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.0-0 Nc68.c4 Be6 9.Qb3 Na5 10.Qa4+ c611.Re1 f5 The game practically endsright here.Morphy just crushes his opponent.The problem is that Black has notcastled and Morphy goes to work in theopen e-file.A file is open when there are no Pawnson it. 12.cxd5 Notice that Black's c6-

Pawn is pinned. Bxd5 13.Bd2Black has to give up his best postedpiece.Or else he loses his a5-Knight. Nxd214.Nbxd2 b5 15.Qc2 g6Morphy sacrifices the exchange to lurethe King to the center. 16.Rxe7+ Kxe7

[ 16...Qxe7 17.Re1 Be6 18.Nb3 Nxb319.Qxc6+ Kf7 20.Rxe6 Qxe6

21.Ng5+ Press Delete for the mainline. ]

17.Re1+ Kf7 Morphy is willing to give upmore material to expose the Black King.18.Bxf5 Morphy sacrifices his Bishop for

two Pawns. gxf5 Now the White Queenis active (mobile). 19.Qxf5+ Qf6White is in total control of e-5 and theBlack King is exposed. RR20.Ne5+The Knight is an overprotected outpost inenemy territory.The Knight is protected by three (3) units,two pieces and a Pawn. Kg7 21.Qg4+Kh6 Morphy mobilizes toward the Black

King. 22.Re3 Black is lost. He has anidea for an attack that exposes White'sKing but it's too late. Bxg2 23.Kxg2Rhg8 White mates in two (2).Can you find it? 24.Rh3+ Qh425.Rxh4#1-0

C01Morphy,P(bl_sim)Smyth,S

Philadelphia 1859

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3Be6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.0-0 h6 7.Ne5 Bd68.f4 Nc6 9.c3 Qe7 10.Re1 Black givesup the a3-f8 diagonal (...BxN) and heblunders two moves later.

The weak diagonal leads to the loss ofthe game.Bxe5 11.fxe5 Nd7 12.b4 0-0??Black facilitates a combination on theweak diagonal and loses the game as aresult.Morphy takes the initiative for three (3)moves. 13.b5 Na5 14.Ba3 Qg515.Bxf8 Rxf8 16.Nd2 Bg4


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Morphy takes the initiative for three (3)more moves. 17.Nf3 Qe7 18.h3 Be619.Qa4 b6 Morphy develops his lastpiece. 20.Rad1 g5? not a strong moveMorphy moves to set up a Queen-Bishop

battery directed at the Black King.21.Bb1 Kg7 22.Qc2 Rh8Morphy maneuvers his Knight for theadvanced outpost at f-5.Fast forward to White's move no. 26.23.Nd2 h5 24.Nf1 h4 25.Ne3 Rh626.Nf5+ Black is forced to give up thebest piece to protect the light squares.Bxf5 27.Qxf5 Nf8 The action shifts to

the f-file and Black is terminated with aQueen sacrifice. 28.Rf1 Nc4 29.Rf3Ne6 30.Qg4 Qe8 31.Rdf1 Qxb5?Mate in 5 32.Rxf7+ Kh8 33.Qxe6Rxe6 Mate in 3 34.Rf8+ Kg7 35.R1f7+Kh6 36.Rh7#1-0

Morphy,PaulMcConnell,J


(Diagram)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.0-0 d6 7.d4 exd4

8.cxd4 Bb6 9.d5 Ne5 10.Nxe5 dxe511.Bb2 Qe7 12.Qb3 Nf6 13.Kh1 Ng4RR14.Qg3 Black thinks he has an attackagainst the White King. He makes onemistake and he is crushed.Morphy ends up winning the game withthe help of the long diagonal and hisdark square Bishop.Black's e-5 Pawn is in need of

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xabcdefghyoverprotection. It is a weakness. Qc5Black took away a defender from e-5, butnow he has the initiative.15.Bb3 It is a rookie's mistake toremove a defender and fail to follow-upproperly.Black blunders by removing e-5's onlyremaining defender.Nxf2+?? 16.Rxf2 Qxf2 McConnellwins the exchange.But now, Morphy starts his own attackusing the weak e-5 square as a pivot.17.Qxe5+ Kd8 18.Qxg7 Re8The e5-square is now used as apassage-way by the Bishop. 19.Bf6+Kd7 20.Qxf7+ Kd6 21.e5+ Rxe5Mate in 2 22.Qf8+ Kd7 23.Qd8#Morpy mates McConnell.

When the game started, McConnell hadodds of the Queen's Knight.1-0


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C46Blackburne,Joseph HenrySteinitz,William

London 1883[Gauthier]

1.e4 Annotations start at move 16. e52.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 exd45.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Be2 0-08.0-0 Ne7 9.Bf3 d6 10.Qd2 Nd711.Bh6 Ne5 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Be2 f614.f4 Nf7 15.Rad1 c6 16.Bc4! Bd7Black is in full control of e-5 with twoPawns and the f7-Knight looks on.

White wants to push his f-Pawn to startan attack, and still be able to deny Blackthe use of the e-5 square by his Knight.How is this done? 17.Bxf7 Rxf7 18.f5With the f7-Knight gone, e-5 is harmless.Nc8 Notice that Blackburne has ALL hispieces in play while Steinitz has almostNO pieces in play.Set-ups like this usually end in mate!19.e5 Black's position will collapse in afew moves. fxe5 20.Ne6+ Bxe621.fxe6 Re7 Blackburne (White) makesindirect use of the open files for a matingattack.First, he de-activates the e-7 Rook with apin. 22.Qg5 immobilizing the activepiece Qe8 23.Rd3 A limited advance inthe file so that the Rook can pivot to anew file that bears down on the enemy

King. Rxe6 24.Rh3 a weak squareQe7? Can you find the mate in three (3).Take your time. 25.Qh6+ Kg8 Mate in 226.Rf8+ Qxf8 27.Qxh7#1-0

D31Steinitz,WilliamMarco,Georg

Nuernberg 1896[Gauthier]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Opening = Queen'sGambit e6 Marco declines the offeredPawn.3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 Black has held out withhis d-pawn as long as possible.Now, he takes the initiative. dxe45.Nxe4 Marco can maintain the initiativewith a check. Nf6? Instead, he gives the

initiave to Steinitz on a silver platter.6.Nxf6+ CHECK Qxf6 7.Nf3 Bb4+8.Bd2 Bxd2+ 9.Qxd2 Nd7 Black's c8-Bishop is immobile.Look carefully at Black's position andimagine a plan to get his Bishop into play.It is going to take Black a number ofmoves to get his Bishop active. Not agood sign. 10.0-0-0! White supports thed4 square with his Rook.Since White is ahead a few tempos indevelopment, he can take the extramove to slide his King to safety. RR0-0Steinitz likes e-5 for his Knight. But itcan't go there just yet because there isnot enough protection for the outpostsquare. 11.Qe3! The Queen takes thesemi-open file and supports the strategicoutpost for the f3-Knight.

Black is not active on any files. Thiscontributes to his loss of the game. c5White takes the opportunity to open thed-file. 12.dxc5 The d-file is wide open.Qf5 three (3) weak squares 13.Bd3The ideal development move alsoattacks. Qxc5 White develops his lastpiece. 14.Rhe1 White is fully developedand in control of two open files.


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Qc7 Marco, as Black, did not want totrade Queens so as to keep up thepressure on White's King.Only problem is: Marco is about four offive tempi behind in development.

15.Ne5! Steinitz's Knight occupies aprotected strategic outpost in enemyterritory.This Knight is going to eat Black alive.Marco should get rid of it.Re8 Black has two Rooks on closedfiles and an undeveloped Bishop.16.Kb1 White slides his King into saferground.

Black has another opportunity to get ridof the well-posted Knight. Nf8?Black is cramped for space meaning thathis pieces are not very mobile.When this happens to you, try toexchange pieces. 17.c5! White takescontrol of d6.Look at how the e5-Knight is beautifullyset up for -c4-d6 to end up on an evenmore advanced outpost. f6 Black ishelpless on d6. He simply does not havea good move. 18.Nc4! The has eyesfor d6.Look at Black's development. All hispieces are on the first rank and hisRooks are not connected.Connected s help each Rook defendthe other. That way, if one is captured,the other Rook recaptures. Strong

players try to connect their Rooks earlyin the game. e5 Black seals the halfopen e-file. 19.Nd6 Steinitz takes aprotected oupost with initiative. Re7

[ 19...Rd8?! This is a variation from thegame moves. 20.f4 There's lots ofpressure on the-e file. exf4?? 21.Bc4+Kh8 22.Qxf4 Threatening f7+leading to the loss of the d8 Rxd6

23.cxd6 Black is in serious troublebecause of poor development and thetwo center files.Press the Delete key to return to themain line. ]

20.f4 Black can't play exf because Blackwill win the e7-Rook.This move (f-4) is possible, courtesy ofthe strong e-file. Bd7 21.f5 Now the e-file is shut down, just in case Black wasthinking of doubling his Rooks.The strong e-file has given Steinitz akingside attack. Even though it is partlyclosed now. Bc6 22.Bc4+ Kh8 23.g4

b6 24.g5 Attacking the dark squares tocreate a weak king side. fxg5 25.Qxg5Black's king side is now very weak. h626.Qh5 A very weak square (not well-guarded) bxc5 27.Nf7+ CHECK Kh728.Ng5+ Kh8 Attack the weak square.29.f6 gxf6 another weak square30.Qxh6+ Nh7 White exchanges to winthe two center Pawns. 31.Nxh7 Rxh732.Qxf6+ Rg7 33.Rxe5 Black Resigns.White is threatening h5-mate. TheBlack g7-Rook is pinned.Black's best defense is to capture the e5-Rook and lose his Queen.THE END0-1

D46

Capablanca,Jose RJaffe,Charles

New York 1910[Gauthier]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 c6 4.c4 e65.Nc3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0The next four (4) moves have to do withcontrol of the e-4 square.


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Count the number of units each side hasbearing down on e-4. This is the sametechnique grandmasters use. 8.e4 dxe49.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Nf6 11.Bc2Both sides have one piece eying e-4.

It's Black's move, he wants to preventWhite from having additional say on e-4.

How does he do it? (hint: green square)h6 h-6 prevents the pin and a potentialcapture. 12.b3 b6 The pressure ofCapa's Bishops overwhelms Black. Thegame ends at move 20. 13.Bb2 Bb7RR14.Qd3 A weak square is a square

that can use more protection. g6Black covers up one (1) weak square tocreate two (2) others?! 15.Rfe1 Nh516.Bc1 two birds with one stone Kg7Black's King side is very, very weak.Capa takes advantage with a winningcombination. 17.Rxe6! If Black takes theRook, Capa playsQueen x g6-check and mates on h7. Nf6Capa moves to occupy a strong (wellprotected) center square. 18.Ne5Black's best move is to take the Knight,but he doesn't do it. c5??Black activates his b7-Bishop, but heshould have been concerned about hisKing.The Bishops come alive and it's suddendeath for Black. 19.Bxh6+ Kxh6??Can you find the mate in two? 20.Nxf7+

It's mate in one regardless of the move,so Black resigns.Satisfy yourself that Black has no wayout. Kg7 21.Qxg6#1-0

D30Alekhine,AlexanderLeonhardt,Paul Saladin

DSB-17.Kongress (6) 1910[Gauthier]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.dxc5 Nf6 4.e3 e65.a3 Bxc5 6.c4 0-0 7.Nc3 Qe7 8.b4Bb6 9.Bb2 a5 10.c5 Bd8 11.Be2 b612.cxb6 axb4 13.axb4 Rxa1 14.Qxa1Qxb4 15.Ba3 Qa5 16.0-0 Re8 17.Rb1Bxb6 18.Qb2 Nbd7 19.Nb5 Ne4Alekhine makes a strange-looking moveto make use of an open file.

Alekhine was one of the greatesttacticians of all time. His boldconceptions on the chessboard areunparalleled. 20.Bf8! Alekhine isthreatening to win the Black Queen. Bd4The f3-Knight takes over and doesn't quituntil Black is mated.

[ 20...Rxf8 21.Ra1 Qxa1+ 22.Qxa1Bb7= Black has a Rook, a Bishop anda Pawn for his Queen. The position iseven.Press Delete to jump to the beginningof the line. Replay the variation. ]

21.Nfxd4 Rxf8 Alekhine was countingon (hoping) that Black would give up thee-7 square so that he could post hisKnight there. 22.f3 Alekhine takes thetime to remove the advanced outpost.Nec5 The d4-Knight takes the initiative

for two moves and ends up on e-7.23.Nc6 Qb6 24.Ne7+ Kh8The Knight's position on e-7 is crucial tothe coming finale. 25.Qc2 Notice thatALL Alekhine's pieces are in play ascompared to Black who has two piecesout of play.Do you remember that e-4 was formerlyoccupied by Black's Knight and that


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Alekhine chased it away? Bb7 26.Rb4Black does not understand what's goingon.Qd8?? Mate in 2 27.Qxh7+ Kxh728.Rh4# You have to replay this game.

Press the Delete Key.1-0

C30Alekhine,AlexanderTenner,Oscar

Cologne 1911

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.Nc3 Nf65.Bc4 Nc6 6.d3 Bg4 7.Na4 exf48.Bxf4 Nh5 9.Nxc5 dxc5 10.Be3 Ne5Alekhine takes the Black Knight withimpunity.He follows-up with an attack featuring hisBishops. 11.Nxe5 Black can have theQueen if he wants it. Bxd1 Alekhinelaunches the attack. The centralizedBishops play a key role.Contrast White's three (3) centralizedpieces with Black's two (2) pieces on theedge of the board.The end comes quickly. 12.Bxf7+CHECK Ke7 13.Bxc5+ CHECK Kf6Alekhine brings a fresh piece into thefray (a developing move). 14.0-0+CHECK Kxe5? Mate in 1 15.Rf5#1-0

B13Fahrni,HansNimzowitsch,Aaron

Karlsbad 1911[Gauthier]

1.e4 c6 Opening = Caro-Kann 2.d4 d53.exd5 cxd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.c4 Nc66.Qb3 e6 7.Nc3 Na5 8.Qc2 Nxc49.Bxc4 dxc4 10.0-0 Be7 11.Qa4+Bd7 12.Qxc4 0-0 13.Ne5 Qa5 14.Qd3Rfd8 15.Be3 Nd5! 16.a3 Be817.Nxd5 Qxd5 White makes a tacticalerror and Nimzo's light square Bishop

takes matters into his hands.White should be concerned about the a-6 to f-1diagonal. 18.Qe2? Handing overthe initiative and a Pawn. Bb5 19.Nd3Qe4 20.Rfd1 Nimzo attacks the weak,isolated Pawn with a fresh piece. Bf621.a4? Bc6 The long diagonal wins thegame for Nimzo. 22.Qf1 Black wins thed-Pawn. Bxd4 23.Nc5 Bxc5 24.Bxc5The coming combination wins anotherPawn. Rxd1 25.Rxd1 Qxa4Nimzo threatens Bishop captures at g-2winning the g2-Pawn.26.Ra1 Nimzo moves to attack twounits.

[ 26.-- Null move (the oppponentmakes "no move") is used in training tosee what the threats are.Black now captures the Pawn. Bxg2

If White takes the Bishop with theQueen, he loses his Rook. 27.Kxg2??Qc6+ 28.f3 Press Delete for the mainline. ]

26...Qc2 27.b4 a6 28.Rc1 Qf5White takes the open file. 29.Rd1Nimzo attacks the support of the WhiteBishop. a5 White centralizes a piece(increasing its mobility) and protects his


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Bishop.30.Qc4 Nimzo shuts down the open filewith initiative. Bd5 31.Qc1Nimzo begins play against a weaksquare. Qg4 The rest of the game is

about Nimzo threatening mate withxg2.32.f3 The g2-Pawn is pinned.Black has a strong move. Bxf3! 33.Rd2axb4 34.h3 Qg5 35.h4 Qg4 36.Qf1White is threatening to win the f3-Bishop(Queen x Bishop) Bd5 37.Qf2 b3Look how White plays the advanced b-Pawn.

Even in a losing effort by White, this isexemplary technique for stopping thecriminal passed pawn. 38.Bd4 Rc839.Bb2! Physically stopping the Pawn'sadvance. Rc4 40.Qe3 White threatensRook x Bishop. If Black responds exd,he's mated on e-8. h6 Securing againstthe threat of mate in the back rank.41.g3 Nimzo closes in on his opponent.The game is soon over at move 44. Re442.Qf2 Qh3 43.Rd1 ...Mate in 2 Re1+44.Rxe1 Qh1#0-1

D07Alekhine,AlexanderPrat

Paris 1913

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3dxc4 5.e3 Nf6 6.Bxc4 Bb4 7.0-0Bxc3 8.bxc3 0-0 9.Qc2 Ne7 10.Ba3c6 11.e4 h6 12.Rad1 Bd7 13.Ne5Re8 14.f4 Qc7 15.f5 Rad8 Alekhine'snext move draws the King into the f-fileunder the spell of his Rook at f-1.Not only does White "control" the center

squares, he's also occupying them withtwo (2) pieces and three (3) Pawns.White clearly has the stronger position.Alekhine's Bishops give an excellentassist in winning the game. 16.Nxf7

Kxf7 Black's pieces will remain confinedto the two back ranks for the entire game,thanks to White's domination of thecenter.Notice that Alekhine's light squareBishop has an enhanced role sinceBlack's e6-Pawn is now weak. RR17.e5Black's f-6 Knight takes on the role of aPawn.

The problem for Black is that his King ison a file that White controls and canopen at any time.Black moves to protect his high-priced"Pawn." Neg8 White's next move, withinitiative, continues his domination of thecenter. 18.Bd6 This is the next to lasttime that Black will move a piece in theentire game. The next time he moves apiece is to avert mate.Black is reduced to Pawn moves fromhere on. Qc8 White's next two moves dothe following:1) overprotect his strong e5-Pawn, and2) increase the mobility of two pieces forkingside action. 19.Qe2 b5 Black didn'treally have a good move. His piecesremain bottled up.The poor d7-Bishop and d8-Rook might

as well be frozen in ice. They can't goanywhere. In chess, mobility is life.20.Bb3 more Pawn moves a5 21.Rde1White's pieces are about to cause anexplosion right in front of Black's King.White's advantage is due to his controland occupation of the center squares.Black's doesn't have a strategy. He's

just "attacking" like an amateur. a4


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White sacrifices his Queen and opensthe file where the Black King is sitting.For his investment in the center, Whiteearns a mate in ten (10). 22.Qh5+!Nxh5 White moves and gets a double

check. 23.fxe6+ Black has one (1) moveavailable to him. Kg6 24.Bc2+Again, Black has one move.Take time to appreciate how Alekhine's"Two Bishops" dominate the board. Kg5The Bishops have mostly played asupporting role.It's Alekhine's Rooks that close thegame. 25.Rf5+ Kg6 26.Rf6+ Kg5

27.Rg6+ Kh4 28.Re4+ Nf4 29.Rxf4+Kh5 See a mate in two (2)? There'smore than one way to do it. 30.g3 Bxe631.Rh4#1-0

D30Nimzowitsch,AaronTarrasch,Siegbert

It, Peterburg 1914[Gauthier]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.e3 Nf65.Bd3 Nc6 6.0-0 Bd6 7.b3 0-0 8.Bb2b6 9.Nbd2 Bb7 10.Rc1 Qe7 11.cxd5exd5 12.Nh4 g6 13.Nhf3 Rad814.dxc5 bxc5 15.Bb5 Ne4 16.Bxc6Bxc6 17.Qc2 Tarrasch (Black) activates

his c6-Bishop and terminates Nimzo.Nxd2 Tarrasch clears the long diagonalwith initiative. 18.Nxd2 d4 The diagonalis wide open for the c6-Bishop.Both Black Bishops have the White Kingin their scope. 19.exd4 Tarraschsacrifices both Bishops for the win.Bxh2+ 20.Kxh2 Qh4+ 21.Kg1Tarrasch sacrifices the second Bishop.

Bxg2 22.f3 Tarrasch takes the open file.[ 22.Kxg2 Qg4+ 23.Kh1 Rd5 ]

22...Rfe8 23.Ne4[ 23.Kxg2?? ...Mate in 3 Re2+ 24.Rf2Rxf2+ 25.Kg1 Qh2# Press Delete for

the main line. ]23...Qh1+ 24.Kf2 Bxf1 25.d5

[ 25.Rxf1?? This move loses the WhiteQueen. Qh2+ 26.Ke3 Press Deletefor the main line. ]

25...f5 26.Qc3 ...Mate in 5 Qg2+27.Ke3 Rxe4+ 28.fxe4 Qg3+ 29.Kd2...Mate in 2 Qf2+ 30.Kd1 Qe2#0-1

D38Lasker,EdwardCapablanca,Jose R


1.d4 This is an outstanding game ofCapablanca's.Pay attention to how he is able to takeand maintain the initiave in the opening,in the middlegame and again in theendgame.We will point out everything just relaxand enjoy. Annotations start at move 8.d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Nbd75.Bg5 Bb4 6.e3 c5 7.Bd3 Qa5 8.Qb3Ne4 Capa, playing Black, threatens to

win a piece. 9.0-0 Capablanca takesand maintains the initiative for six (6)moves.

[ 9.h3?? cxd4 10.exd4 dxc411.Bxc4-+ White is a piece down.Press Delete for the main line. ]

9...Nxg5 White is force to recapture.10.Nxg5 The action shifts to the


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Queenside.Play the moves slowly.cxd4 White is forced to move his Knight.11.Nb5 A third move that maintains theinitiative. Nc5 12.Qc2 Nxd3 FOUR

13.Qxd3 a6 FIVE 14.Nxd4Can you figure out the sixth move thatmaintains the initiative? dxc4The sixth move in a row that maintainsthe initiative.15.Qxc4 ...b5 or ...b6 are blundersbecause certain light squares are weakWhite is threatening a Queen fork, ifBlack blunders. Bd7 16.Nb3

It looks like White has the initiave now.But Capa finds a way to take andmaintain the initiative for another five (5)moves! Qxg5 17.Qxb4 What's a goodmove that maintains the initiative?Hint: it's the light squares. Bc6See the threat of mate? 18.e4 a519.Qd2 Qxd2 20.Nxd2 What's themove for Black that maintains theinitiative? 0-0-0 21.Nc4 Bxe4 22.Rfc1Kb8 23.f3 Bd5 24.Nxa5 White controlsthe c-file for now, so Capa decides toneutralize it. Rc8 The file is neutralized.25.b3 White takes a key square.But Capa is not impressed, he takes theinitiative for two (2) moves. Rxc1+26.Rxc1 How does Capa challengeWhite's possession of the c-file. Rc8White has to move his Rook off the file or

exchange. 27.Rxc8+ Kxc8 The c-file isneutralized.Both Kings head for the center:Standard endgame strategy 28.Kf2 Kc729.Ke3 Capa takes the initiative for three(3) moves. Kb6 30.Nc4+ Bxc431.bxc4 Kc5 32.Kd3 Capa is able towin because of White's weak (poorlyguarded) c-Pawn.

The annotations end here. But werecommend that you play this endgameand study it with the aid of an analysisengine. e5 33.g4 f6 34.h4 g6 35.Ke4Kd6 36.f4 exf4 37.Kxf4 Kc5 38.h5

Kxc4 39.Ke4 b5 40.a3 Kb30-1

C11Alekhine,AlexanderFeldt

Tarnopol 1916[Gauthier]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6Alekhine's Knights win the game for him.Here, Alekhine moves to take e-4 for hisQueen's Knight. 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Ne4 f5Black weakens e-5 and Alekhine takesadvantage. 6.Ng5 Be7 7.N5f3Alekhine gives an example of basicchess strategy:Control, occupy and support keysquares. c6 8.Ne5! Alekhine ends upoccupying the weak square. 0-0Alekhine begins his support of the keysquare. 9.Ngf3 Fast forward to Black'smove 11. b6 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.0-0 Re8Alekhine wants to develop his Bishop to f-4 to provide additional support to hisstrong e5-Knight.How does Alekhine get rid of the well

posted Black Knight? 12.c4 Nf6 13.Bf4RRNbd7 Alekhine overprotects hisstrong Knight. 14.Qe2The "overprotector" Queen will end upusing the file to help win the game. c5Alekhine has a super strong center andhe is ready to sacrifice for an attack.The weak (poorly protected) e6-squareprovides the inspiration for the attack.


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15.Nf7 Kxf7 The overprotector comes tolife. 16.Qxe6+ Kg6 Mate in 2

[ 16...Kxe6 17.Ng5# Press Delete forthe main line. ]

17.g4 Be4 18.Nh4#

1-0

C68Alekhine,AlexanderVerlinsky,Boris

Odessa 1918

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6

dxc6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.d3 Qe7 7.Be3 Bg48.h3 Bh5 9.g4 Bg6 10.Qd2 0-0-011.Bxc5 Qxc5 12.Qe3 Qxe3+ 13.fxe3f6 14.0-0-0 c5 15.Nd5 c6 16.Nb6+Kc7 17.Nc4 b5 18.Ncd2 Ne7 19.b3h5 20.g5 Rc8 21.gxf6 gxf6 22.Rhg1Rhg8 23.Kb2 Kd7 24.a4 Ke6 25.Ra1!It's Black's move. He blunders bycreating a path (weak square) for White'sKnights to enter the game.Notice that for now, White's Knights arenot very mobile. f5? From here, theentire game revolves around Alekhine'sKnights and their access to the e-4square.Alekhine takes the initiative for seven (7)moves. 26.Ng5+ Kd6 The a-filebecomes crucial in the end. 27.axb5axb5 White makes way for his d2-Knight.

The e-4 square becomes the pivot ofAlekhine's operations.By the way, notice how Alekhinemaintains the initiative for five (5) moves.28.exf5 Bxf5 29.Nde4+ Bxe430.Nxe4+ This central Knight wins thegame practically by himself. Ke631.Nxc5+ Kd5 Alekhine exchanges tomaintain his control of the a-file.

If Alekhine doesn't exchange, Black canchallenge the a-file at any time with Rookto a8.32.Rxg8 Nxg8 33.b4 Nf6 Alekhineowns the e-4 square so he moves in.

34.e4+ Kd6 Alekhine takes the seventhrank and shuts Black's King in a box.35.Ra7 There's the box. Rg8 36.Rf7Rg6 37.h4 Black makes two "waiting"moves and that's all Alekhine needs toset up a mating net. Rh6 The c-Pawnwill deliver the mortal blow at move 41.38.c4 Rg6 Mate in 3 39.Nb7+ Ke640.Nd8+ Kd6 It's mate in one (1).

Who delivers the mortal blow? 41.c5#1-0

C24Gonssiorovsky,VAlekhine,Alexander

Odessa 1918[Gauthier]

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Qe2Be7 5.f4 d5 6.exd5 exf4 7.Bxf4 0-08.Nd2 cxd5 9.Bb3 a5 10.c3 a411.Bc2 a3 12.b3 Re8 13.0-0-0 Bb414.Qf2 Bxc3 15.Bg5 Nc6 16.Ngf3 d417.Rhe1 Bb2+ 18.Kb1 Alekhine matesWhite on the c-3 square, with his f6-Knight, at move 26. Nd5 19.Rxe8+Qxe8 20.Ne4 Alekhine maintains his

lock on c-3 with a Queen sacrifice. Qxe4White has to defend the c-3 square.21.Bd2

[ 21.dxe4?? Nc3# ][ 21.Qd2?? This is not the way toprotect c-3.White will lose his Queen. Qg6 22.Re1Bf5 23.Rd1 Finally! Nc3+ The Queenis forced to capture. 24.Qxc3


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Press Delete for the main line. ]21...Qe3! A second Queen offerDespite White's efforts, he can't shakeoff the weakness at c-3. 22.Re1White can't move his Bishop because of

the threat of mate at c-3.[ 22.Bxe3 Nc3# Press Delete for themain line. ]

22...Bf5 White finally takes the Queen.Make sure you see that White can'tcapture with the Bishop, or else it's mate.23.Rxe3 Alekhine maintains hisdominance on the dark squares. dxe3A Pawn fork 24.Qf1 ...Mate in 3 exd2

25.Bd1 Now the White King has anescape square at c-2. Ncb4No more escape square 26.Nxd2White's move 26 is irrelevant. Nc3#0-1

D46Capablanca,Jose RScott,GW

Hastings (6) 1919

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e65.Nbd2 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-08.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Nf611.Bc2 b6 12.Qd3 h6 13.b3 Qe714.Bb2 Rd8 15.Rad1 Bb7 16.Rfe1Rac8 17.Nh4 Bb8 18.g3 Kf8 19.Qf3Kg8 Capablanca has a mating attack,

compliments of the open file.Black's Queen is not safe behind the e6-Pawn. 20.Nf5 Qc7 Capa smashes theKing's position. 21.Nxh6+ If Black takesthe Knight, the White Queen captures atf-6 and is backed up by two loomingBishops. Kf8 Capa activates his Bishop.22.d5 cxd5 What's the combination thatweakens the dark squares on the

kingside and wins a pawn? 23.Bxf6gxf6 24.Qxf6 Ke8 Just like that, it'smate in 5!The open e-file started it. Seeannotations to Black's move number 19.

25.Rxe6+ fxe6 26.Qxe6+ Kf8 27.Qf6+Ke8 Can you find the mate in 2?28.Re1+ Qe5 29.Qf7#1-0

C62Adams,ETorre Repetto,Carlos


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 A famous game in which1. White wins and holds on to a strategicoutpost, and2. there is a stunning example of thepower of an open file. d6 Opening =Philidor's Defense 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4Nc6 Instead of simply moving back,White develops a piece and immobilizesthe Knight. 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6removing the offensive Knight Bxc6The fight for a key square begins. 7.Nc3Nf6 8.0-0 White tidies up his positionbefore moving on to the next phase ofhis development which will involve takingand holding on to a strategic outpost.Be7 9.Nd5! claiming d-5 as a strategic

outpost in enemy territoryd-5 is now the key square.The most effective outposts aresupported by Pawns. Bxd5White's Pawn now comes in handy,since the Queen can't capture. 10.exd5White maintains his outpost.Black's e7-Bishop has no mobility as aresult of White's strategy of taking and


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occupying d5.The outpost serves as a blockade ofBlack's d6-Pawn. The poor d6-Pawnends up shutting his own Bishop out ofthe game. 0-0 The King is safe, the

Rook is ready for action. 11.Bg5White attacks the last piece that has asay on his strategic outpost at d5. c6Black finds the oupost annoying andattacks it again. 12.c4 White defendscxd5 13.cxd5 White is able to maintainhis outpost.Play for the King file begins. Re8The Rook's scope reaches to e-1.

Once a Rook is on an open file, neverunderestimate its power, even if it'sasleep, like here. 14.Rfe1 a5 15.Re2White aims to double up on the e-file,good strategy for handling Rooks. Rc8?Black sets himself up for a combination.He doesn't realize he's weak on the Kingfile.It's not easy to see now but White willstart harrassing the Black Queen with allsorts of threats. 16.Rae1 White takesfull control of the file.White's power on this file wins him thegame. Qd7 White has a combinationthat exposes the weakness on the e-file.White takes and holds the initiative untilBlack resigns at move 23!Click on g-5 to capture the Knight.17.Bxf6!! Bxf6 18.Qg4! Threatening

to snatch the Black Queen.The Black Queen has to run. If shecaptures the White Queen, it'scheckmate on e-8.Press forward to see the variation. Qb5

[ 18...Qxg4?? mate in two 19.Rxe8+Check Rxe8 20.Rxe8# MATEPress the Delete keyto return to the main line. ]

19.Qc4!! Threatening to win the Queenagain:InitiativeIf Black captures the White Queen, he'scheckmated on e-8, same story as

before. Qd7 20.Qc7!! Threatening tosnatch the Queen a third time.If Black captures the White Queen witheither piece, he's checkmated on e-8.Qb5 21.a4! The Black Queen has tomaintain contact with her e8-Rook orBlack is mated. Qxa4 22.Re4 Qb523.Qxb7! Black resigns.His Queen has nowhere to run.

Press the Delete key to replay thecomedy.1-0

Euwe,MaxReti,Richard

Amsterdam 1920

XABCDEFGHY8r+l+kvl-tr({7zppzp-+-zpp'6-+-+-+-+&5wq-+-+pvL-%4-+-wQn+-+$3+-sN-+-+-#2PzPP+-zPPzP"1tR-+-tR-mK-!xabcdefghy

11...Qc5 White has an opportunity touse the strategy of "maintaining theinitiative"a) to gain time, and


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b) to take full control of the d-file.In three moves, White will accomplish anumber of strategic goals while Black isbusy scrambling for cover. 12.Qd8+A check always means you get another

free move: the initiative.Black only has time to run out of the way.Kf7 Click on the c3-Knight. 13.Nxe4White keeps the initiative!Black can't execute any chess strategies,he's busy playing defense. fxe4White develops the last piece.Click on d-1 14.Rad1 When you havethe initiative, your opponent is busy

defending and you have time to executegood chess strategy. Here, Whiteexecuted three strategies:1. He took full control of the Queen file,2. developed ALL his pieces, and3. he's threatening to win material.Press the Delete key to review, or pressthe Escape key to close the gamewindow.0-1

C83Euwe,MaxSpaans

Amsterdam 1923

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5

8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Be7 10.Nbd2 Nxd211.Qxd2 0-0 12.Rd1 Qe8 13.a4 Na514.Bc2 g6 15.Qh6 f6 The winningcombination starts here. 16.axb5 axb517.b4 Nc4 Euwe has a winningcombination featuring the two Bishops.First, he lures the Black Queen awayfrom the weak g6-square.Rewind to Black's move no. 15 to see

how the combination started. 18.Rxa8Qxa8 19.Bxg6 hxg6 20.Qxg6+ Kh8Euwe's Rook gets into the fray tothreaten mate. RR21.Rd4Spaans moves so that his e7-Bishop

protects the weak square and avertsmate. fxe5 22.Qh6+ CHECK Kg823.Qxe6+ CHECK Rf7 24.Rg4+CHECK Kf8 25.Bh6+ CHECK Ke8Mate in 2 26.Rg8+ Rf8 27.Rxf8#1-0

C66

Olland,AdolfEuwe,Max

Amsterdam 1920[Gauthier]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0d6 5.d4 Bd7 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Re1 exd48.Nxd4 0-0 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Bd3 Re811.f3 Rb8 12.Rb1 h6 13.Be3 a514.Qd2 Nh7 15.Ne2 Bf6 16.b3 Qe717.c4 Ra8 18.Ng3 Qe5 19.Rbc1 Reb820.f4 Qe8 21.Nh5 Be7 White's twoBishops win him the game.Here, White moves to activate his KingBishop. 22.e5 dxe5 23.fxe5 Bb4White maintains the initiative.He exchanges the King Bishop tomobilize his Queen for an attack alongthe light colored squares. 24.Bxh7+

Kxh7 25.Qd3+ maintaining the initiativeKg8 White has a very strong move.26.Bxh6!! White wins a Pawn. Qe6

[ 26...gxh6?? 27.Nf6+ The Queen ishistory. Kf8 Press Delete for the mainline. ]

27.Bxg7 Qg6 28.Qxd7 Qxh5White has a very strong Bishop.Take time to appreciate White's control


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of the dark squares in a certain quadrantof the board. 29.Bf6 Black's strategy oftaking the two flank files on the Queenside has failed miserably.As it stands now, White is up in material.

Black should capture the Rook on the e-file. a4? Euwe goes for the open file.This is a blunder that allows White's e-Rook to give an assist in winning thegame. 30.Re4 This is a temporary postfor the Rook. axb3 31.Rg4+ Kf8White plays to shut out the Black Bishopfrom the action. 32.c5 White dominatesthe dark squares. Re8 33.axb3

The a-file is finally open for Black. Ra2But it's mate in three (3) after Blackweakens his back rank. 34.Bg7+ Kg835.Qxe8+ Kh7 36.Qh8#1-0

C73Torres Caravaca,JAlekhine,Alexander

Sevilla 1922

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.0-0 d6 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.d4Nxe4 8.Re1 f5 9.dxe5 d5 10.Nd4Bc5 11.c3 0-0 12.f4 Qe8 13.Be3 Bb614.Nd2 Bb7 15.N2f3 Rd8 16.Qc2 c517.Nb3 c4 18.Nbd4 c5 19.Ne2 Qc620.Rad1 h6 21.Rf1 Kh8 22.Kh1 Qg6

23.Neg1 Qh5 24.Nh3 The focus of allAlekhine's moves from this point is hisb7-Bishop.White co-operates unwittingly. d4Alekhine sacrifices a Pawn to activatehis Bishop. 25.cxd4 Black has three (3)units bearing on d-4. All of them will beused in the coming combination. cxd426.Bxd4 Alekhine continues to exchange

on d-4 to remove the f-3 Knight from hiswatch-post. Bxd4 27.Rxd4 Rxd428.Nxd4 The b7-Bishop is all-powerfulnow.Alekhine moves to clear the last obstacle

blocking the Bishop's path to the King.Qxh3! White loses his Knight and setshimself up for... 29.gxh3??a spectacular ...mate in 2. Nf2+ 30.Kg1Nxh3# CHECKMATE0-1

D67

Janowsky,Dawid MarkelowiczCapablanca,Jose R


1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3Be7 5.Bg5 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c68.Bd3 Capablanca takes and keeps theinitiative for six (6) moves! (Ctrl-f to playBlack)Janowski, with the White pieces, simplyplays defense for the rest of the game.dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.h4 f6 11.Bf4Nxf4 12.exf4 Nb6 13.Bb3 Nd5 14.g3Pawn moves are weakening the lightsquares on White's King side. Qe8Capablanca heads for the weak squaresafter maintaining the initiative for six (6)moves. 15.Qd3 Qh5 Capablanca

occupies a weak square. 16.Bd1Janowski supports his weak squares(He's playing defense).Capa's most aggressively posted pieceis his Knight. How does he insure it'ssafety? Bb4 He de-activates Janowski'sKnight. 17.0-0 Capablanca sees that hisopponent has castled into a combinationthat can end the game in a draw. Bxc3


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18.bxc3 Capablanca now sacrifices hisKnight for a draw. Nxf4 19.gxf4 Qg4+20.Kh1 Capa can force a draw byrepetition.Both sides agree on the draw and shake

on it.Qh3+ 21.Kg1 Qg4+ 22.Kh1 THE END-

C01Capablanca,Jose RAlekhine,Alexander

Buenos Aires WCh (1) 1927

[Gauthier]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5exd5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nge2 Nge7 7.0-0Bf5 8.Bxf5 Nxf5 9.Qd3 Qd7 10.Nd10-0 11.Ne3 Nxe3 12.Bxe3 Rfe813.Nf4 Bd6 Capablanca takes the openfile. 14.Rfe1 The scope of influence ofthe e8-Rook extends to the e1 square.Because of this, Alekhine is able todevise a plan to win the c2-Pawn.Play from the perspective of the Blackpieces. Nb4 the initiative 15.Qb3 Qf516.Rac1 Nxc2 Black can win the Pawnwithout fear, because if White takes theKnight...17.Rxc2 Black takes the f4-Knight.

[ 17.Qxc2 After an exchange, Blackgets even. Qxc2 18.Rxc2 Black gets

his piece back with the threat of mateon e-1. Bxf4 If White dares take theBishop, he's mated.Press Delete for the main line. ]

17...Qxf4 The Bishop is pinned sincethere is the threat of mate on e-1.Black was able to win the c2-Pawn onlybecause of his Rook's quiet but powerfulinfluence on e-1.

Press the DELETE key to see the otherline. 18.g3 Qf5 19.Rce2 Capa is nowin full control of the e-file in exchange forthe lost Pawn.Capablanca and Alekhine are both

former world champions and tacticians ofthe highest rank. b6 End of annotationsAlekhine goes on to win the game whenCapablanca resigns at move 43. 20.Qb5h5 21.h4 Re4 22.Bd2 Rxd4 23.Bc3Rd3 24.Be5 Rd8 25.Bxd6 Rxd626.Re5 Qf3 27.Rxh5 Qxh5 28.Re8+Kh7 29.Qxd3+ Qg6 30.Qd1 Re631.Ra8 Re5 32.Rxa7 c5 33.Rd7 Qe6

34.Qd3+ g6 35.Rd8 d4 36.a4 Re1+37.Kg2 Qc6+ 38.f3 Re3 39.Qd1 Qe640.g4 Re2+ 41.Kh3 Qe3 42.Qh1 Qf443.h5 Rf20-1

D64Capablanca,Jose RMaroczy,Geza

Karlsbad 1929[Gauthier]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nc3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c68.Qc2 h6 9.Bh4 a6 10.cxd5 Nxd511.Bg3 Qa5 12.Nd2! Nxc3 13.bxc3c5 14.Nc4 White has the initiave sincehe knows that Black has to move his

Queen. Qd8 15.Rd1! White plans toopen the d-file and there's nothing Blackcan do about it. cxd4 16.Rxd4There is no question that White is incontrol of d6.Good players devise plans to control keysquares. Bc5 17.Rd2 Qe7 18.Be2 b6Capablanca takes the outpost with hisKnight. D-6 is a "key square."


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How many pieces does White havebearing on d-6? How many pieces doesBlack have bearing on d6?This is an important assessment thatstrong players always make in their

games. 19.Nd6! The Knight is on anadvanced post supported by two pieces.White will maintain control of the d6square even if Black captures the Knight.Nf6 20.0-0 Black knows that Capa isabout to take the long diagonal with hisBishop. Ra7 21.Bf3! Bd7 Which is theonly piece of Capa's that is not bearingon the center of the board?

How does this piece support theoutpost? 22.Rfd1 Notice how ALLwhite's pieces are bearing on the centerof the board.This is the mark of a very strong playerin a sound position.e5 Look at how Black's pieces are allover the place.Can you figure out what he's trying toaccomplish? He either didnt' have a planor was too busy defending White's strongmoves. 23.Bh4 Threatening Black'scastled position.If the White Knight goes to e-4, the f-6Knight is attacked and pinned at thesame time. (Not good)After an exchange on f-6, Black will haveto capture with his g-Pawn. g5Black ruins his castled position in a

different way. 24.Bg3 Black's castledposition is now riddled with holes.Black's light squares are weak on theKing side. Kg7 25.Be2 b5Capa attacks the weakened king side.26.h4 Black should get rid of the d6-Knight.It's usually a good idea to get rid of youropponent's strongly posted pieces. Rc7?

Black takes the semi-open file opposingthe White Queen.He should be paying attention to his kingside instead.

[ 26...Bxd6 27.Rxd6 Press the

Delete key for the main line. ]27.hxg5 hxg5 Capa's Knight has astrong move. 28.Nf5+ Bxf5 29.Qxf5Black resigns.Press forward to see how it may haveturned out. Re8 30.Qxg5+ Kh831.Qh6+ Kg8 White moves to pin theattacked piece. 32.Bh4!! The Knight is1) attacked and 2) pinned.

In most cases this means big trouble.Rc6 33.Rd6 White gives up a Rook towin a Queen. Bxd6 34.Bxf6 It's theQueen or mate. Qxf6 35.Qxf6and White has a big material advantageTHE END1-0

D52Euwe,MaxVan den Bosch,Johannes

Amsterdam 1929[Gauthier]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Qa5 7.Nd2 Bb48.Qc2 dxc4 9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.Nxc4Qd5 11.0-0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 b5 13.e4

Black can't capture the e-Pawn. Qd8[ 13...Nxe4?? 14.Ne3 Qd6 The Knightis history. 15.Qxe4 Press Delete forthe main line. ]

14.Ne3 Qb6 Euwe's c-4 square is strongbecause after the Pawn move, he willhave three (3) pieces bearing on thesquare.This all-purpose move helps the Knight


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and the Bishop come into play. At thesame time, Black won't have access to d-5 with his Knight if Euwe plays Pawn toe5.15.c4 This Pawn move sets up e5 for

White without fear of the f6-Knightposting itself on d5.If Black exchanges bxc, Euwe's Bishopand Knight are freed (in chess, mobilityis life). c5 16.cxb5 Making way for theKnight. The game ends before theBishop ever gets a chance to make anappearance. cxd4 Euwe takes theinitiative and Black's Queenside is

overrun with White's pieces. 17.Nc4Qb8 18.e5 Nd7 Black attacks thecenter Pawn. His only sign of life for theentire game. 19.Nd6+ Ke7 20.Rxd4 a6Euwe applies more pressure on the c-file. RR21.Rc4 The Bishop feels heatfrom three officers.Black's heavy guns are all busy(immobile) protecting the Bishop. Nxe5c-7: A weak square for BlackA strong square for White 22.Rc7+ Nd7What's Euwe's move that deserves adouble exclamation? 23.Qc5!!Euwe centralizes his Queen andpressures the Black King in to a badmove. Kf6? Mate in 2 24.Ne4+The King has one available square. Kg625.Qg5#1-0

B15Alekhine,AlexanderL'Echiquier Feminin

Paris 1932[Gauthier]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nf6 5.Ng3 e5 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf38.Qxf3 exd4 9.Bc4 Bb4+ 10.c3 dxc311.0-0 Nbd7 12.Re1+ Kf8 13.bxc3Bd6 14.Nf5 Ne5 Alekhine sacrifices theexchange and never relinquishes theinitiative until his opponent is mated.In the process, he sacrifices both Rooks.

15.Rxe5 Bxe5 16.Ba3+ Ke8 17.Rd1Nd5 This position displays the power ofthe open file.Alekhine wins the Knight. Press forwardto see why. 18.Rxd5 If Black takes theRook, he loses his Queen. Qf6Black sees the trouble and does not takethe Rook.Alekhine wins a second minor piece forthe price of one Rook.

[ 18...cxd5 19.Bb5+ CHECKThe King is immobile. Qd7Press Delete for the main line. ]

19.Rxe5+ Qxe5 Alekhine closes thegame from here.It ends in mate, seven (7) moves later.20.Nd6+ CHECK Kd7 21.Qxf7+CHECK Kd8 22.Nxb7+ CHECK Kc823.Bd6 Qxd6 Mate in 3 24.Nxd6+ Kd8

25.Be6 Re8 26.Qd7#1-0


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C15Lasker,EmanuelCapablanca,Jose R

Moscow 1935[Gauthier]

1.e4 Two former world champions go atit in this game.This game is a rare loss for Capablanca,primarily due to poor development andthe lack of scope and mobility for hispieces. e6 2.d4 White is in full control ofthe center.Look at the play that ensues for the e-4

square up to move number seven (7). d5Black challenges the center.In the opening, strong players makemoves that support, attack and occupycenter squares. 3.Nc3 Bb4 This moverestricts the Knight's mobility so that hecan no longer defend e-4.4.Nge2 The c3-Knight is still immobile,but now White can replace him if he'scaptured.The point is that White insists on havinga defender for his e4-Pawn.Opening play is play for control of thecenter. dxe4 5.a3 Be7 6.Nxe4White is in possession of the key square.A key square is one that the players

jockey to control. The last few movesrevolved around the e4-square.Go back to move 3 and pay attention to

the play for the key square. Nf6Play continues for the key square.7.N2c3 White threatens to capture the f6-Knight (a defender of the key square)and then plop his c3-Knight on the e4-square. Nbd7 This move supports the f6-Knight in case he's captured.You guessed it! Another move bearingon the key square. 8.Bf4!

Lasker develops his Bishop and createsanother key square.He maintains control of e5 from here on.Nxe4 9.Nxe4 Nf6 10.Bd3 Play for thekey square continues. 0-0 11.Nxf6+

Bxf6 12.c3 Notice that White is in fullcontrol of the e4-square. Qd5Black still wants some say over e4.13.Qe2! White is supporting the keysquare e-5 and doesn't want Black tohave the opportunity to push his e-Pawn.How do you choose key squares? Yourdecision should be based on1) familiarity with an opening and

2) what the position allows. c6 14.0-0Black's Bishop is cramped. Re8Simple development towards the center.15.Rad1 Ditto Bd7 16.Rfe1 White isfully developed.Look at the difference in scope of theWhite Bishops as compared to the BlackBishops. White has the superiordevelopment. Qa5 17.Qc2 g6Black's d7-Bishop is not in the gamebecause of the Pawns in its way.In essence, Black is one piece down.18.Be5 White takes a strategic outpost inenemy territory. This is a crucial chessstrategy as it keeps Black's positioncramped, remember the poor d7-Bishop?The fact that White's Bishop is supportedby a Rook and a Pawn assures White's

control of the e5-square. If Blackcaptures, White has enough backup torecapture. This guarantees that Black'sd7-Bishop will remain cramped. Thepieces need room to breathe (scope) orelse they're useless. Bg7 Black has twopieces in active play. 19.h4 White hasfive pieces in active play. Who do youthink is going to win the game?


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Look at how all White's pieces seem tohave a focus and purpose, like soldiersin formation.You should strive to develop your piecesso that they bear on the center and on

the opponent's King and good things willhappen for you.Qd8 The Queen is back on the defence.If you are on the attack, your opponent isgoing to be busy shifting his pieces tomeet your threats and won't have time tothreaten you.Chess players call this having theinitiative. 20.h5 Qg5 Look for White's

combination that1) gets both his Rooks in the file with thekey square, and2) helps to secure the key square.21.Bxg7! Kxg7 Black's only activepiece is the Queen. 22.Re5 Go back!Qe7 Notice that White is active on 5ranks while Black is active on threeranks.Controlling more space on thechessboard is a sign that your pieceshave more scope and that your're aheadin the position. 23.Rde1 White has fouractive pieces and Black has one activepiece. Control of the e-file and the e-5square keeps Black all locked up.The e5 Rook blockades the e6-Pawnand prevents Black from activating hisd7- Bishop. Rg8 24.Qc1 The Queen

increases her mobility and her scope(her effective range). Rad8Because White controls the center, lookat how fast he can shift his pieces toanother sector of the board. In threemoves, White will dominate Black'scastled position.This strategy is available to Whitebecause of the mobility of his pieces.

25.R1e3 ONE Bc8 26.Rh3 TWO Kf827.Qh6+ THREEWhite is on the offense.Black, on the other hand, needs aboutfive or six moves to activate his pieces

and this is after he gets his King out ofcheck. Rg7 White opens up a file,increasing the scope of his h3-Rook.28.hxg6 hxg6 Only a very strong playerwould even consider White's next move.29.Bxg6!! Winning the Pawn withimpunity.The g7- Rook is pinned (immobile) and ifBlack plays fxg6??, he loses his Queen.

You don't believe me? Press the arrowkey and see for yourself. Qf6

[ 29...fxg6?? 30.Qh8+ Check Kf731.Rf3+ Check Qf6+- and the lady ishistoryPress the delete key to return to themain line. ]

30.Rg5 Black's Queen doesn't havemuch mobility.There are two squares available to it, avery bad sign. Speaking of mobility,take at look at all Black's pieces.Black's game is lost. If he moves 30...

e7, he's mated. Ke7 Now the Queen iscut off by her own King.White has a good move, do you see it?

[ 30...Qe7?? 31.Qh8+ Rg8 32.Qxg8+Kxg8 33.Bh7+ Kh8 ( 33...Kf834.Rg8#Press the delete key to

continue with the sub variation. )34.Bf5# Press the delete key for themain line. ]

31.Rf3! Black's Queen is mated!Black played on to lose in 33 moremoves.THE END1-0


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B00Alekhine,AlexanderKristofil

Kecskemet 1936

1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nf3Bg4 5.Be2 0-0-0 6.Be3 e6 7.0-0 h68.Nc3 Qd7 9.Qe1 Bb4 10.Rd1 Nge711.a3 Ba5 12.b4 Bb6 13.Na4 Nd514.c4 Nxe3 15.fxe3 a6 16.c5 Ba717.b5 axb5 18.Bxb5 f6 19.Bxc6Qxc6 20.Qa5 Qa6 21.Qxa6 bxa6Alekhine takes the open file. 22.Rb1RRRhe8 Alekhine overprotects a strong

square.23.Rfc1 Strong players overprotectstrong squares.This seemingly insignificant move willhave important consequences. Kd7Alekhine attacks two weak units. 24.Rb7Black is forced to un-develop a piece.Ra8 Alekhine supports a new strongpoint with check.25.c6+ This move would not have beenpossible without the support of thec1-Rook, "the overprotector." Kd6The best move here is the one thatdevelops the f3-Knight to where theaction is.Notice that all the action is on thequeenside.26.Nd2 After Alekhine checks with his f3-Knight, the c7-Pawn will be unprotected.

The old weakness is a weakness anew.Rec8 Black un-develops another piece.And now, The d2-Knight enters the fraywith a splash. 27.Nc4+ Black should nottake the Pawn.Can you see why? Kxc6??Black blunders by moving into the Rook'sline of fire.White has a sacrificial combination.

28.Ne5+! Discovered check.Black has to move his King. He can'ttouch the e5-Knight.By the way, the poor g4-Bishop is "enprise" and totally helpless. Kxb7??

Mate in 3 29.Rb1+ Bb6 The Knightstake over. 30.Nc5+ Kb8 Mate in one (1)31.Nc6#1-0

E36Euwe,MaxBogoljubow,Efim

Bad Nauheim 1937[Gauthier]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2d5 5.a3 Be7 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 Nbd78.e3 0-0 9.Nf3 c6 10.Rd1 Ne811.Bg3 Nd6 12.c5 Nf5 13.Bf4 b614.b4 bxc5 15.bxc5 Qa5 16.Bd3 Nh417.Nxh4 Bxh4 18.Bd6 Re8 19.0-0The fate of the entire game turns onWhite's d-4 square.Pay attention to how almost every movefrom here on bears on d-4 and howWhite loses the game because of the d-4square. e5 20.Bh7+ Kh8 21.Bf5 exd422.exd4 Nf8 Black challenges White'sbest piece, the f5-Bishop, and readieshis Knight for duty as an attacker againstd-4. 23.Bxc8 Raxc8 24.Rd3 Bf6

25.Rfd1 Ne6 26.Ne2? Nxd4Black's Rook (on the open file) andBlack's Queen are both bearing on thee-1 square.This has a dramatic impact on theoutcome of the game. 27.Rxd4

[ 27.Nxd4?? Qe1+ 28.Rxe1 Rxe1#Press Delete for the main line. ]

27...Bxd4 28.Rxd4?? Qe1#


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E13Alekhine,AlexanderMilner Barry,Philip

Plymouth 1938[Gauthier]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 0-08.Bd3 d5 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Bxf6 gxf611.e4 Qh5 12.g4 Qg6 13.Qe2 Nd714.h4 c5 15.0-0-0 cxd4 16.Nxd4 Nc517.f3 Nxd3+ 18.Qxd3 Rfd8 19.Qb5Bxc3 20.bxc3 Rac8 21.Kb2 Rc522.Qa4 Ra5 23.Qb4 Rc5 Alekhine has

a sacrificial combination, courtesy of theopen file.In the end, the d-file and the Rook winthe game for Alekhine. 24.Nxe6 Rxd125.Rxd1 RRfxe6 Alekhine is able to winthe unprotected Bishop, thanks to theopen file. 26.Rd8+ Kg7 27.Rd7+ Kg8Alekhine ends up winning a Pawn.He sacrificed a Knight, remember?28.Rxb7 Black takes the initiative.Always look for moves that threaten theopponent in your games. Here, Blackhas a move with an insidious threat. Qe8Black has a threat that can win White'sQueen. 29.Kc2 Black wants his Queento take the attractive diagonal that runsfrom b-8 to h-2.The diagonal is attractive because theQueen's mobility will be greatly

enhanced.Black has the tactical means to achievethis goal. Qa8 30.Rd7 Look at howBlack enhances the mobility of hisQueen. Qb8 Alekhine moves tochallenge two center squares and tosupport his Rook. 31.Qd4 Black makesus of his mobility. Qh2+ 32.Kd3Alekhine has the much better position

due to his control of the d-file.Black now blunders and hands the win toAlekhine.Qxh4?? Mate in 3 33.Rd8+ Kh734.Qd7+ Kg6 35.Rg8#

1-0

B82Tal,MihailGulko,Boris F

Exhibition 1969[Gauthier]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.f4 Nc6 7.Be3 Be78.Qf3 a6 9.0-0-0 Qc7 10.g4 Nxd411.Bxd4 e5 Watch how the e-5 squareis the road that leads to Black's demise.12.fxe5 RRdxe5 Tal doesn't make theobvious move.He makes an aggressive move aimed atthe weak (poorly protected) e5-Pawn.13.Qg3 The center Pawn is pinned.Nxg4 14.Be2 Tal develops a piece witha threat. Qa5 Tal forces Black to give upe-5 to the White Queen. 15.Bxg4Black has to give up e-5 or he's down apiece. exd4 Black gives up the centerand Tal wins the game.For a great player like Tal, it's thatsimple. 16.Nd5 Qxa2 Tal makes astrong threat against the weak (poorly

protected) e-7 square. 17.Qe5The threat is mate in one (1). Qa1+Check 18.Kd2 Qa5+ Check 19.b4 Qd8Tal develops his last piece. 20.Rhg1Black has four (4) undeveloped pieces.f6 The finale starts here. 21.Bh5+ Kf822.Rxg7 fxe5 Mate in 6 23.Rf7+ Ke824.Rxe7+ Kf8 25.Rf1+ Kg8 26.Rff7


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Qd6 Mate in 2 27.Re8+ Qf8 28.Rexf8#1-0

C07

Tal,MihailZilber,Israel

Riga 1969

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5Qxd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Qh5 7.dxc5Bxc5 8.Ne4 Nge7 9.Bg5 Qg4 10.Qd3b6 11.0-0-0 0-0 Tal attacks the Kingside in sacrificial fashion. 12.Bf6 Qf4+

CHECK 13.Kb1 gxf6 14.g3 Qh6Tal has a plan to activate his Knights.15.g4 Qf4 16.g5 Both Knights arehelped by exchanges of the Pawns. fxg5Both Knights come alive. 17.Nfxg5 Ng6Tal plays to open the h-file. 18.h4 Nb419.Qh3 e5 20.Qg2 Bf5 Tal plays forthe h-file. 21.h5 Notice that the f7-Pawnis pinned. The King is in a line of fire.Kg7 22.hxg6 h6 Tal wins a Pawn.23.Bxf7 The Bishop is a very strong(well protected) outpost. Rxf7Instead of what seemed like a sacrifice,Tal ends up winning an exchange.24.gxf7 Black takes a piece, but he endsup activating the h-file. hxg5 25.Nxg5Qxf2 Mate in 8The isolated King makes a pitiful figure.26.Ne6+ Kxf7 27.Qg7+ Kxe6 28.Rh6+

Bg6 29.Qxg6+ Ke7 30.Rh7+Look at the White King's castled position.Kf8 Mate in 331.Qg7+ Ke8 32.Qd7+ Kf8 33.Rh8#1-0

D97Byrne,DonaldFischer,Robert James

USA-ch 1956[Gauthier]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d40-0 5.Bf4 d5 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c68.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg411.Bg5 Na4 12.Qa3 Nxc3 13.bxc3Nxe4 14.Bxe7 Qb6 Black is so aheadin development that White forgoes theexchange.Frtiz 5.00 says the best move is Bishop

captures Rook, at depth 11. 15.Bc4Fischer can safely capture the c3-Pawnbecause the White King is on an openfile.Press forward to see what we mean.Nxc3 If Byrne takes the c3-Knight,Fischer has time to win the e7-Bishop.This is possible because the King is onthe open file. 16.Bc5 Fischer moves totake the initiative.(He gets a free tempo.) Rfe8+ 17.Kf1Fischer, playing Black makes a stunningmove.Most analysis engines pick it upimmediately. Be6!! With this move,Fischer takes and maintains the initiativefor seven (7) moves and ends up aheadin material. 18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19.Kg1Fischer's Knight takes the initiative to win

a Pawn(d4), a Rook(d1), a Bishop(b6)and the game.This is one of the most famous chessgames ever played. Fischer wasfourteen years old and his opponent is agrandmaster. Ne2+ CHECK 20.Kf1Nxd4+! CHECK 21.Kg1 Fischer nowgoes after the Rook. Ne2+ CHECK22.Kf1 Nc3+ CHECK 23.Kg1


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Tal plays to deflect Black's Rook from h-7. 30.Rf4 bxc5 31.Rxh4 The BlackRook has nowhere to go.He must give up the weak square. Rxh4Tal's Queen takes over.

It's mate in six (6). Forget about thehanging Rook.32.Qg7+ Ke8 33.Qg8+ Kd7 34.Qxf7+Kd6 35.Qe7+ Kd5 Solve the mate in 2.36.Qxc5+ Ke4 37.Qe5#1-0

D71

Byrne,Robert EFischer,Robert James


1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d55.cxd5 cxd5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e3 0-08.Nge2 Nc6 9.0-0 b6 10.b3 Ba611.Ba3 Re8 12.Qd2 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe514.Rfd1 d-3 is a weak square. Whitedoesn't have a Pawn supporting it.Watch how Black's Knights destroy theKing's safety and set the stage for theBishops to win the game at move 20.Fischer was 19 years old when heplayed this masterpiece. Nd3! 15.Qc2Fischer takes the initiative from here andnever lets up until his opponent resigns.Click on f-2 to capture the Pawn. Nxf2

16.Kxf2 The other Knight takes overfrom where his comrade left off. Ng4+17.Kg1 Nxe3 18.Qd2 Fischer is notplaying for material advantage, he'slooking to expose the King.Pretty soon, Fisher will dominate thelong light square diagonal bearing downon the King.Click on the Bishop at g-2 to capture it.

Nxg2! 19.Kxg2 Fischer clears the longdiagonal with initiative. d4 20.Nxd4Bb7+ CHECK!!The two (2) Bishops take over and thegame practically ends right here. 21.Kf1

Qd7 Black threatens mate in three (3).Byrne resigns to end the saga thatstarted at Fischer's move 15.Press forward to see the possibilities.

[ 21...Qd7 22.Qf2 This is what couldhave happened. ( 22.--null move(allows you to skip the other side'smove to play a threat) Qh3+ 23.Kg1Bxd4+White has two legal moves.

They both result in mate and lose theQueen.Click on f-2. 24.Qf2The Black Queenmates.Figure out how she does it.Qg2# MATEBishops are dangerous animals!Press the Delete key to see the otherline. ) 22...Qh3+ 23.Kg1 Black luresthe defending Rook away from d-4 sohe can skewer the Queen. Re1+CHECKwith the threat of mate on g-2 24.Rxe1Bxd4 If the Queen takes the Bishop,it's mate on g-2. 25.Ne4 Bxf2+26.Kxf2 Qxh2+ 27.Ke3 Re8 28.Kd3-+Bxe4+ 29.Rxe4 Qxg3+ 30.Kc2 Qg2+31.Kc3 Qxe4 Black has a hugematerial advantage.

THE ENDPress the Delete Key to replay thepossibilities. ]

0-1


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B09Fischer,Robert JamesBenko,Pal C


1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4Opening = Three Pawns Attack Nf65.Nf3 0-0 6.Bd3 How does Blackweaken White's support of the d-4square?(Ctrl-f to flip the board) Bg4Black immobilizes the defender. 7.h3Benko takes the defender. Bxf3 8.Qxf3

Black attacks the weak square. Nc6White defends 9.Be3 Black attacksagain. e5 White can no longer maintainhis d-Pawn.Black is threatening a pawn fork on d-4.10.dxe5 dxe5 11.f5 Fisher's darksquare Bishop is a "good" Bishop since itbears on the opposing King's territory.The light square Bishop is blocked by hisown Pawn and is not doing so well rightnow. gxf5 RR12.Qxf5 Benko takes thestrong (well protected) outpost withinitiative. Nd4 Fischer is not going togive up his e3-Bishop. 13.Qf2The Black Knight is well placed on d-4 asan outpost. If White captures it, he willbe giving away his good Bishop. Ne8Fischer castles and attacks a weaksquare.

Can you find it? 14.0-0 f-7 is a weaksquare (poorly defended) for Black.Another weakness will soon be exposedat h-7. Nd6 15.Qg3 Fischer startsharrassing the Black King. Kh8Fischer wants to move his Queen to h-5to attack both weak squares on the Kingside. 16.Qg4 Notice that the darksquares are off limits to the White

Queen. c6 This pawn move preventsWhite's c3- Knight from moving to b5 andexchanging either of Black's Knights.The d4-Knight is Black's only stronglyposted piece and the d6-Knight is

nursing the weak f7 Pawn. 17.Qh5Two (2) weak squares for the price ofone Qe8 Fischer now decides toactivate his dormant light square Bishopfor an attack. How is this done?18.Bxd4!! exd4 Once a weak square,always a weak square, look at poor h-7.The King Pawn is now free to move but... 19.Rf6!! preventing any exchanges

that would kill the attack.And now the game is over for Black asthere is no way out. He will soon bemated or have to resign.

[ 19.e5? This is a bad move that justseems good on the surface. f5!and White's attack is now finishedbecause Black has counterplay.20.Qxe8 Nxe8= The game is nowabout even. The one mistake wouldcost White his attack.Press the Delete Key to go back to themain line. ]

19...Kg8[ 19...Bxf6? Mate in four (4) 20.e5 Ne421.Bxe4 h6 22.Qxh6+ Kg8 23.Qh7#Press the Delete key for the mainline. ]

20.e5 Do you see the mate threat? h6the c3 Knight has been in trouble sincemove 18. 21.Ne2 White's e2-Knight isnow safe and Black's Knight is now introuble.Benko resigned because if he saves hisKnight, he gets mated. Press forward.Nb5 Mate in 2 22.Qf5 Bxf6 23.Qh7#Escape closes the game window.


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