Angus Dunnington-Understanding the Sacrifice

5/19/2018 Angus Dunnington-Understanding the Sacrifice

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2/

underst nding

the

s crifice

s crifice

your

w y to

success

ngus

Dunnington

EVERYM N HESS

Everyman

Publishers

pic www everymanbooks com


3/

First published

in

2002 by Everyman Publishers pIc, formerly Cadogan Books pIc,

Gloucester Mansions, 140A Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HD

~ p y r i g h t

2002 Angus Dunnington

The

right of Angus Dunnington 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 retrieval

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 1

857443128

Distributed

in

North America by The Globe Pequot Press,

P O

Box 480,

246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480.

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8HD

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EVERYM N

CHESS SERIES

formerly Cadogan Chess)

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4/

ONTENTS

Preface

7

Introduction

9

The Importance of Structure

2

2 he Colour Complex

5

3

Pieces for Pawns

65

4

Rampant Knights

75

5 Bishops at Work

86

6 Exploiting Key Squares

99

7 The Exchange Sacrifice

1 9

8

he

Vulnerable King

2

9 The Restrictive Sacrifice

28

1

The Queen Sacrifice

37


5/

PREF CE

There are numerous puzzle books available that feature spectacular combinations

involving

one

sacrifice after another, the victim obligingly accepting an army of

pieces

on

the way

to

finding his king being caught in the heart

of

enemy territory.

These examples are indeed entertaining and can be quite instructive,

but

they also

take us a step further from an area

of

the game about which many players are

al-

ready rather apprehensive - positional chess.

In

fact

if

weighing up the implications

of

isolated

or

doubled pawns (or - even more complex - weak squares) can be

in-

timidating, then the subject

of

the positional sacrifice might seem alien to some

players.

In

order to maximise our chances it is important to study the positional aspects

of

the game to such an extent that we are able to develop an internal alarm system

designed to alert us to weak squares, pawns and structures

as

soon

as

they are cre

ated.

In

this way we are open to (our own) sacrificial suggestions when the oppor

tunity arises, material investment sometimes being the only way forward.

Many players are handicapped by a lack

of

confidence in their ability to accurately

assess the positional characteristics

of

a sacrificial variation,

and or

(equally impor

tant) their ability to conduct such situations properly

if

and when they happen.

The

result is,

of

course, coundess missed opportunities.

This

book

is aimed at helping those players who rarely contemplate a positional

sacrifice, with sixty examples providing a reasonably detailed, practical guide to the

pros and cons of investing material for positional gain

Angus Dunnington,

Casdeford,

June 2002

7


6/

INTRODU TION

I

Because positional sacrifices revolve

around one or more specific aspects of

the game the net result is a new situa

tion that must be accurately evaluated in

advance - otherwise material has been

given away for nothing. By reminding

ourselves of the fact that the points

score is just one factor in the chess

equation t should become a natural part

of

our thinking process to consider this

or that positional motif as standard pro

cedure, just as strong players do.

Marshall Ed. asker

New York 1924

Let s start with a few introductory

examples.

White has an extra pawn but Black

has a good bishop pair against two

knights in a fairly open position.

In

fad:

1 ttJe3

'i 'f4

seems to favour Black,

while 1 ttJc3 ' i 'cS 2 ttJd2 runs into

2 .txc3 3 bxc3 .txh3 due to 4 gxh3

'i'gS+, picking up the remaining knight

with a decisive structural advantage.

Instead White used a well-known sacri

ficial idea in an effort to convert his

current material lead into

an

albeit

modest positional advantage.

1 e5

i xe5

1... i cs 2 b4 would be embarrassing,

while dropping back to b8 or d7 re

moves Black s compensation.

2

xe5

cxd5

And certainly not 2 .....

xeS?

3 ttJe7+.

3 xd6

llxd6

4 c5

The point. The game has undergone

quite a transformation, with Black find

ing himself with an isolated pawn and

without the luxury of the bishop pair

(the surviving bishop

is the poorer

of

the two). Meanwhile White has control

9


7/

Understanding the

Sacrif ice

of

the traditionally desirable d4-square

and the advance

of

the c-pawn has cre

ated what is effectively

a

3-2 queenside

pawn majority.

Of

course these add up to only a

slight edge for White,

but

this is never

Iheless considerably more preferable to

the alternatives facing White when we

joined the game. There followed:

4 .. J:ta6 5 a4 ? td7 6 l:Ud1

:xa4

7

l:txa4 txa4 8 :a 1 (part

of

the grand

plan) 8 ... tc6 9 :xa7 :e 10 b4

White has something to bite on here,

although Black managed to hold the

draw.

Perhaps 5 ttJd4 :ta4 6 :tfd1 is a more

patient continuation, planting the knight

in the centre and reminding Black about

1

the target

on

d5.

Knights can be difficult creatures at

times and the search for a decent resting

place is a common problem. Strong

players think nothing of parting with a

pawn (or more) in return for

an

influen

tial outpost. As the next example dem

onstrates, such a policy

is

quite normal

even as the ending approaches.

Gelfand-Markowski

Rubinstein Memorial 1998

Both sides have minor weaknesses on

d6 and

e4 but

White's main problem

is

the prospect

of

Black's knight coming

to the perfect e5-square. For example

22 l::td2 ttJe5 23 :ted1 ~ f 24 :txd6

l::txd6 25 l::txd6 rJi;e7

is fine for Black.

On the other hand, 22 c5? dxc5 23 e5

1:[f8 24

e6

addresses ...ttJe5 in aggressive

fashion and seems very good for White,

but

Black can ignore the challenge to

his d-pawn with the thematic 22 ..ttJe5 ,

when 23 cxd6

tg4

24

i e2

i xe2 25

l::txe2

l::td8

offers sufficient compensa

tion thanks to White's broken pawns

and the superior knight on e5. How

ever, White has another resource avail

able which effectively turns the tables


8/1

on his opponent.

22

e5

Now 22...4JxeS 23 4Je4 l::t8 24

4Jxd6 leaves White clearly better, e.g.

24 ..4Jf7 25 4Jxc8 l::taxc8 26 l::td7 Con

sequently Black's next

is

forced.

22 .. dxe5

23lDe4

Far from establishing his knight on

eS,

Black has had to watch

as

White

'steals' his plan and achieves exactly the

same posting There

is

no longer a

pawn on d6 but the square itself is still a

concern for Black, and he has yet to

sort out the queenside pieces. Mean

while the 'extra' eS-pawn

is

a long-term

weakness that w ll probably be mopped

up at some stage.

t

is

safe to conclude

that White has more than enough com

pensation.

23 ..:f

23 ..l::t8 24 4Jd6 4Jf6 25 l::txeS gives

back the pawn without a fight and

White is left with the more active

forces. The text prepares to defend the

pawn from e 7 in order to free the

knight and complete the development

of the queenside.

24 c5

Standard, although 24

bS ?

has been

suggested. However, the text steps up

ntroduct ion

the pressure by clamping down on d6

and making c4 available for the bishop.

24 . .'itg7 25 i c4 :e 2684

Expanding and ruling out ...b7-bS.

Also possible is 26 :d6, e.g. 26

bS

27

. tb3 .tb7

28

:ed1

4J8 29 :d8, when

it

is

arguable whether Black's bishop .

better than before, or

26

... aS ?

27

bS b6'

28 cxb6 4Jxb6

29

tn

and White re

stores material parity with advantage.

26

..:e8?

A lesser evil is 26

...

b6 27 ':'d6 bxcS

(27 ...

. tb7 28 as) 28 bxcS, when Gelfand

evaluates the position after

28

...

4J8

(28 ...

. tb7

29 as) 29 :xc6 . tb7 30

l::td6

l::tc8 31 .tdS

.txdS

32 ':'xdS

as

clearly

better for White.

27 :f1 ':'e7

11


9/1

Understanding the acrif ice

If

27

...J::tf8

then 28

ltxf8 it>xf8

29

J::tn

+.

28

Itd2 b5

An instructive line

is

28

...aS

29

J::tdf2

axb4

30

J::tf7+

J::txf7 31 :xf7 ~ h

3 1 . . . ~ h 8

32

lDgS)

32 g4

gS 33

.ltd3

l:txa4 34lDd6

The

above diagram represents a

pleasant culmination

of

White's overall

positional approach

29 axb5 cxb5 30 i.d5 1 0

It

seems that

not

a great deal has

happened during the last ten moves, but

White's fantastic knight has restricted

Black's forces to such an extent that

there

is

now no adequate defence to the

threat

of

an invasion

on

f7

after

Ibragimov-Shchekachev

Russian Championship,

Moscow 1999

This time White already has well

posted knights, but he wants more.

Black

is

behind

n

development, his

kingside pawns are suspect, he

is

slighdy

cramped and only the rook

is

keeping

the king company. With thes'e factors in

mind White's opener

is

rather

easy

to

appreciate.

23

g4

The problem with the fIxed pawns on

f5

and e4 is their susceptibility to such a

pawn break. White decides to strike

now while Black's queenside pieces are

yet to join n the fun.

30

..J::tb8 31

J::tdf2

etc.

23

... fxg4

24

f5

12


10

Cutting the communication between

the bishop and g4-pawn and adding to

White s already greater control of the

e6-square.

24 ..

h5

25 h3 gxh3

26 ~ h

N ow White

will

be able to combine

the idea of tDe6 with a build-up on the

g-file.

26

..

.d7

After

26 tDc5 27

tDe6+

i xe6

28

fxe6 ~ g 7 29 tDf5+

~ h 7

the situation is

not

clear, but

27

~ x h presents White

with sufficient compensation in the

form of his more active forces, the e6-

square, the g-file and the isolated h

pawn.

27 tLle6 + ~ f 7

27...

txe6

should benefit White after

either recapture. 28

fxe6

gives White

one impressive pawn island whereas all

of

Black s kingside pawns appear vul

nerable. Perhaps 28 dxe6 is the more

accurate of the two, however, giving

White two connected, protected passed

pawns. Again Black s kingside is in ruins

and White can offer further support

to

his own pawns by lodging the king be

hind

on

f4.

28 :g 1

:g8

29 :xg8 ~ x g 8 30

:g1 +

~ h 8

3 ~ x h

ntroduction

White is only a pawn down and each

of his pieces - including the king - has

an important role to play in exerting

pressure on the kingside. Black has sit

ting ducks

on

e4 and h5, while the c7-

pawn

is

also under attack. Consequently

Black now seeks some activity

of

his

own.

3 ... Llb4 32 ~ h 4 tLld3 33 ~ x h 5

: f 34 ~ g 5

Unfortunately for Black the knight

on e6

is

as much trouble off the board

as

it

is

on, since a replacement pawn

will

be even more deadly.

34 .. Llf2?

This accelerates proceedings, but

with fS f6 and the introduction

of

the

other knight to come, Black s days were

anyway numbered (34 ..i xe6 35

l::th

1 +).

35 :f1 tLld3 36

:h1

+

:h

Or

if

36 ... g 8 then 37 tDg4 i xe6 38

dxe6 l::tg7 + 39 ~ f 6 l::txg4 40 e

is

deci

sive.

37 :xh7 + ~ x h 7

38 tLlf8

1-0

Another uncomplicated example,

where a combination of Black s struc

ture, vulnerable kingside, tardy devel

opment and the massive e6-knight

proved decisive.

13


11

Understanding the

acrif ice

Ehlvest-Markovic

Elista Olympiad (Men) 1998

Here the removal of Black's dark-

squared bishop coincides with the po-

tentially damaging advance

of

pawns in

front of the king, with g6 and h6 in par-

ticular (and h5 in some cases) attracting

our attention.

15

g4

Again a lead in development affords

White the facility to sacrifice a pawn in

favourable circumstances.

15 ..cxd5

The alternative

is

less desirable:

15

... fxg4

16

':xffi+ (16

.txg4

':x1 +

17

ltJx1 cxd5 18 ltJe3 e6 permits some

sort of consolidation)

16 ..

:ili xffi

17

.txg4

cxd5 18 .txc8 ili xc8 19 ili h5

cj;g7

20 :1 leaves Black terribly ex-

posed.

16 gxf5 i .xf5

17

~ g 4

White wants to maximise his options

on the light squares as well as eliminate

a defender. Now 17 e6

18

.txf5 exf5

19 ili b3 ili d7 20 'ili'xd5+ cj;g7 21 :ae1

(21

ltJc4

':f6)

21...ltJc6 22

:e

and

17

... iIi d7

18

:xfS

:xfS 19

'iic2

e6

20

.txfS exfS 21 :1 ltJc6 (21...f4 22

'ili'g6+) 22 ili xf5 ili xf5 23 :xf5 see

White win back the pawn with interest,

14

so Black prefers to keep the move.

17 ..

x g

1S 'ii'xg4

1S ... iJc6

Planning ... iIi c8. Otherwise Black

could consider 18 ...ltJd7 in order to

send the knight over to the kingside

after

19

:xffi+ ltJxffi. Then 20 h4

e6

21

ltJf3 ili f6 22 hxg5 hx.g5 23 ltJxg5 ili g6

24 ':1

is

awkward for Black, e.g.

24

:e8 25

'ili'h4

:e7

26ltJe4 etc.

19 h4 ii cS

20 ':xfS

+

'itxfS

20 ..

iIi xffi

21 :1 ili g7 (21...'iic8 22

ili h5)

22 'ili'e6+ cj;h8

23 ':7

wins for

White, 23

...

ltJd8 24

':xg7

ltJxe6 25

':xe7 giving the rook too much fun .

21 'ii'f3 +

White is ready to collect.

21

...

itg7


12

21...'itfe8

22

hxg5 hxg5

23

'i'xd5.

22

hxg5 "e6

22 ..hxg5

23

'i'xd5.

23

gxh6 +

"xh6

23

... itfxh6 24 i f4+

'itfg7 25

:f is

also very pleasant for White.

24

:f1

With Black's defences having been

stripped away it

is

not surprising that

this

is

possible. Obviously 24

.. i xd2

loses to

25 i g4+

'itfh6 26 : f5.

The game ended 24 ..:g8 25 :f

~ h

(25

... i g5 26

tbf1 )

26 "xd5 e5

27

lLlf1 "g6

28 g3

exd4

29

cxd4

:e8

30 : f4

:e7 31

: f8+ 1-0

Our

next example is a good illustra

tion of why we should be alert to posi

tional sacrifices during each stage of the

game, even if it seems that the opening

is yet to warm up.

Chatalbashev Todorov

Krynica Zonal 1998

Black has just played the sensible

looking

...

e6-e5, seeking to undermine

White's already modest influence

on

the

dark squares by winning control

of

the

c5-square. However, White has the

other colour complex in mind.

Introduction

12

c5

Always look for the most uncom

promising continuation This is particu

larly important when the opponent has

a specific, thematic plan in mind, for in

these circumstances only those moves

that seem positionally natural or forced

tend to be considered. Here, for exam

ple, d4-d5

is

almost automatic, keeping

the centre closed for the knights

as well

as shutting out the b7-bishop, but the

text is strong indeed.

12

.. dxc5

The

other way to accept the pawn

is

12

...exd4 when, after

13

cxd6, Black

must be careful as 13 ...

.txd6?

14 e5

tbxe5 15 tbxe5

.txe5

16 tbc4

wins for

White, while 13 ... i xd6 14 e5

i b6

5

75


13

Understanding the

acrif ice

as

is

excellent for White, who is ready

to push the e-pawn. 13 ..cxd6 is forced,

leading to a clear advantage to White

after 14 tbb3 (rounding up the d4-pawn

as well as threatening tbaS) 14 ..tbeS

(14 ..tbcS 15 eSt) 15 tbfxd4. Hoping to

side-step any trouble with 12 ...lte7 runs

into 13 c6 .ltxc6 14 ' :cl.

13

dxe5

ttJxe5 14 ttJxe5 'ii'xe5 1 5

ttJc4

The game has undergone quite a

transformation, with two important

black pawns having been removed from

the centre.

Not

surprisingly this

is

part

of

White's strategy, the chief aim

of

which is to take control of the light

squares.

15

. :ife6

1S

... iWd4

looks a bit too active,

16

'ii'c2 leaving White with tbaS, ' :adl, e4-

eS

etc.

16 ttJa5

b6

Unfortunately for Black he

will

suffer

on the light squares with

or

without his

bishop, as

16

...ltc8

17

.ltc4

is

strong.

17

..

:ii'b6? loses to 18 'it'dS, so Black

must choose between

17 ...

it'd6 18

'ii'hS ?

(18

'it' B 'it'

f6)

18 ..g6

19

'it' B or

17 ... it'g6 18 .ltdS .ltg4 19 .ltxt7+ ?

'ii'xt7 20 'it'xg4, with a clear advantage

6

to White in either case.

17 ttJxb7

xb7 18

e51

Black's extra pawn means absolutely

nothing. The light squares and Black's

exposed king are enough to give White

a decisive lead.

In

fact damaging Black's

structure and chasing down the light

squared bishop has resulted in there

being no safe haven for the king. Cas

tling long, for example, loses

on

the

spot to

19

.ltf5+.

18

..

i.e7

A fitting finish would be 18 ..' :d8 19

e6

'ii'dS

20

ext7+

~ x t 21

.ltc4

Returning to 18 ..i.e7, with Black

just one move away from relative safety

it is imperative that White strike while

the iron

is

hot ..

19

e6

Also very good for White

is 19

.lte4

c6 20 'ii 'B ' :c8

21

e6 0-0 22 ext7+

':xt7

23 .ltfS

lId8

24 .lte6 .ltf6 but the no

nonsense text really hits Black hard on

the light squares.

19

.. 0-0-0

19

..

0-0 20 ext7+ lIxt7

21

.ltc4 is

quite unpleasant, while 19 .. fxe6 20

.ltg6+

~ f 8 21

.lte4

c6

22

'it'B+

nets

White a rook.

20 exf7

i.f6

21

e2


14

Now

Black does

not

even have a

pawn to show for his troubles, and

there

is

nothing he can do to contest

the light squares.

21 ...

iii>b8

21...l:td6 defends one rank at the cost

of another: 22

.txa6

l:txa6 23

ile8+.

22

i.xa6

'it'd5

22

ilc6

23

. tb5

is

a lesser evil,

al-

though the route to inevitable defeat is

an unenviable one.

23 'it'b5

+ iii>a7

24 'it'a5 'it'd6

24

..< ti>b8 25

llad1 . td4

25 ... ilxdl

26

ilb5+)

26 :e and the end is nigh

..

ntroduction

25 ... ilxe6 26

. tc4+ is

final, which

leaves 25 ...

ilf4

26 ilxc5+ < ti>b8 27

iib5+.

Pawns make the most important con

tribution to every game, and the subject

of structural strengths and weaknesses

can be found throughout this book.

Here Black drastically alters the land

scape in a symmetrical and ostensibly

drawn ending.

Zalkind-Finkel

Israel 1998

25

':'e6

1 0

31 ... h4

A nice thematic move with which to

end the game, accentuating White's total

control of

the light squares.

Now

With two face-offs there are obvious

concerns for White

on

the h2-b8 diago

nal.

32 gxh4 gxf4 33 exf4

In

the space

of

two moves White has

seen his hitherto healthy looking mass

of united pawns break into three pawn

islands, each requiring a certain level of

protection

as

the ending unfolds.

Meanwhile it

is

true that Black has a

backward e-pawn but, in this situation,

at least there

is

no danger of losing

it.

33

.. ..h5

Of course Black

is

now looking to

exploit the structural weaknesses he has

17


15


inflicted upon his opponent, and from

h5 the bishop reminds White about his

other weakness

on

b3.

Note

that Black

need not be so concerned about b6 as

White

will

be too occupied defending

d4 and

f4

to have the time to attack.

33 i'xh4? recaptures the pawn but

after 34

i g3+

i xg3+ 35


16

Monitoring both

a4

and h5.

46 c,t>g3

.i.d2

47

.i.g1

47

i.c6?

i.e2 48

i .gl cj;e7

49

i.f2

~ d 8 50

i.g1

b5 51 axb5 a4 52 b6 a3 is

very nice indeed.

47 ...c,t>e7 48

i f2

~ d 49 .i.g1 .i.h5

0-1

The latest plan

is ...

i.e8 to trade bish

ops and create a deadly passed pawn

wit

b6-b5. Meanwhile White's bishop

is

cornered by its opposite number.

ntroduction

19


17

CH PTER ONE

I

The Importance of Structure

No

matter how many combinations and

tricks we play through,

or

how many

moves of the most tactical variations

of

our favourite openings and defences we

learn by heart , all this means nothing

if

we have never sat down and looked at

the immense practical significance

of

pawns.

The

pawn structure

is

the skde

ton of the position on which the pieces

are the flesh -

if

the skeleton is dam

aged in some way, then freedom

of

movement can become severely re

stricted. Doubled pawns, for example,

seem not to concern many players, who

believe such a minor inconvenience

w ll

play little

or

no part in a game that is

sure to be decided by some other, more

important (short-term) factor. Such

thinking,

of

course,

is

quite wrong -

pawns are the soul

of

chess and,

as

such, determine the roles

of

the other

pieces (whether good

or

bad). Weak

pawns tend

to

automatically lead to

weaker pieces, while generally weakened

formations can even render a whole

army practically redundant.

Another important by-product

of

2

imperfections in pawn formation is

weak

or

vulnerable squares, which are

also featured in this chapter.

McShane Comp P ConNers

Lippstadt 1999

With his last move White ignored the

attack

on

his h3-pawn by threatening to

damage Black s kingside structure. Sit

ting

on

Black s side

of

the board most

of

us would at least

think

twice before

grabbing the h-pawn because we have

learned to respect our king we casde

into safety, after all). However, this is

not the electronic way

of

playing (pawns


18/

The mportance o

Structure

mean points), so instead

of

the sensible as a sign, and offered Shirov the pawn.

13 ...J..e7 , when the continuation 14

exd5 lDxd5

15

J..xe7 lhe7 16 txe5

J..xh3 17 l1xe7 lDxe is an entirely logi

cal means of exploiting the hanging h3-

pawn, Black went ahead anyway.

13 .. Lxh317 14 .txh3 'iixh3 15

iLxf6 gxf6 16 lLle3

'iie6 7

lLlhf5

~ h 8 18 g

Suddenly Black's king

is

beginning to

look rather lonely over there ..

18 .Jlg8 19 lh1 lg5

20

lh4 lLld7

21 ii h 1 lLlf8 22

' i ih2

dxe4 23

lh

1

~ g 8 24

dxe4

la7

Who said computers don't have a

sense

of

humour?

25

lLlg4 la8

26

lLlgh6

+

'ith8 27

lLlxd6 1-0

Marin-Shirov

Spanish Team Championships,

Barcelona 2000

We reach the first diagram position

after the opening sequence

1

c4

lLlf6 2 lLlc3

g6

3

g3

.tg7

4

. tg2 0-0 5 d4 d6 6 lLlf3 lLlc6 7 0-0

a6 8 h3 e5 9 dxe5 dxe5 10 iLe3

.te6

White took the

\hreat

to his c-pawn

11

lLlg5 .txc4?

11...J..f5 and 11...J..d7 must be bet

ter.

12

b3

iLe6

12 ..h6

13

bxc4 hxg5 14 J..xg5

is

at

least a little better for White, who is in

possession of the bishop pair, the h

1-aS

diagonal and the b-me, while the d5-

square might come in handy, too. Nev

ertheless, this could be preferable to the

text, which is about to get rather ugly (at

least from where Black is sitting).

13

lLlxe6 fxe6

14

iLxc6 bxc6

Even those of us who shiver at the

thought of surrendering our g2-bishop

would be happy to make this trade on

c6, resulting

as

it does

in

leaving Black

2


19/

Understanding

the

acrif ice

.with four pawn islands, two of which

comprise doubled, isolated pawns. The

fact that Black has an extra pawn is ir

relevant here we might call it an extra

weakness), for the structural weaknesses

are long-term and White

is sure to at

least redress the balance eventually.

14

..

i xd1

15

l:tfxd1 bxc6

16

l:tac1ltJd5

17 . id2 as 18 ltJa4 is very good for

White.

15 'ii'xd8 1:tfxd8 16 i g5

Black s knight looks more useful to

him than his bishop at the moment, so

this pin makes sense, giving White time

to trade on

f6

if he so desires. In fact

Marin checks out

16

...ltJd5 just in case.

After

17

.ixd8 ltJxc3 18

.ixc

7 e4 19

l:tae1

ltJxa2 20 : d1 ltJc3 21 IId2 ltJd5

22 . id6 he evaluates the position as

clearly better for White. Black has a

pawn for the exchange but a few

vul-

nerable pawns remain.

16 .. a5

17

l:tac1 ct;f7

18

l:.c2 l:ta6

19 l:tfc1 ct;e8

Having doubled

on

the attractive

looking c-ftle White

is

ready to step up

the pace. This is certainly not the kind

of

position one would expect Shirov to

be

playing, being reduced

to

waiting

until White helps himself to a pawn

or

22

two - serious structural weaknesses that

Black could have avoided.

20

llJa4

There is no need to voluntarily take

on f6. Better to wait until Black has

spent a tempo with ...h7-h6, while the

pin also serves as another inconven

ience about which Black can concern

himself. Having said that, 20

.ixf6

.ixf6 21

ltJe4

.ie7

22 l:txc6

: xc6

23

: xc6 l:td 1+ 24 ~ g ~ d 7 25 IIa6 lIdS

does look quite promising for White,

although Black s bad bishop

is not so

bad. The text simply keeps the pressure

on and is therefore more accurate.

20

..

ct;e7

After

20

...h6 21 .ixf6 .ixf6

22

ltJc5

IIb6

23

ltJxe6 IId6 24ltJc5 White pock

ets a pawn and continues

to

dominate.

21 ct;g2 l:.d5

22

e3

e4

22

...

h6 23

.ixf6+ .ixf6

24

~ f 3

and

we might even see White s king take up

a royal residence on e4 - hence the de

fence

of

the d4-square with 22 e3. In

pushing the front e-pawn Black accepts

that it could soon fall, but this way the

bishop

is

given some breathing space.

23 i xf6 + i xf6 24 llJc5 l:tb6 25

. iJxe4

l:tb4

Unfortunately for Black his endeav-


20

ours to generate activity for his forces

ultimately fails because there are too

many weak pawns to protect, most no

tably the one on c6.

26lbcS

The flexible knight

is

the ideal minor

piece with which to exploit

both

v -

nerable pawns and squares. Able to op

erate on either colour complex, the

knight can hop in and out

of

enemy

territory, often picking up a pawn

or

two along the way. Marin's latest pre

pares to return the knight to

a4, the

edge

of

the board, ironically, acting as a

perfect base from which to carry out

aggressive operations (the as-pawn

is

also prevented from advancing, thus

denying Black a desirable simplifying

exchange

of

pawns). Consequently 26

lbxf6? 'itxf6

27

':'xc6 a4 28

':xc7

axb3

29 axb3 h5 30 ':'7c3 ':'db5 might well

lead to a double rook ending that

is

un

pleasant for Black, but the game con

tinuation

is

worse for the defender.

26

..

.eS 27

lba4 gS

28

':xc6

From a positional point

of

view 28 g4

seems appropriate in order to

fix

a cou

ple

of

pawns

on

the most suitable (for

White) colour squares. However, with

28 ..h5 ? 29 gxh5 g4 Shirov's rooks

threaten to generate annoying counter

play. Of course this should

not

be

enough to genuinely trouble White, but

it

is not

necessary to allow such a possi

bility. Anyway, the text bags a pawn.

28

...

g4

28 ..h5

is

an alternative, but a : n ~ k i n d

of

counterplay

on

the kings ide cannot

compensate for the broken pawns

on

the other flank.

29

hxg4 ' :xg4 30 ':6c2 ?

30

f4

i..d6 31 'itf3 h5 32

lbc

':'f5 33

The mportance o Structure

lbe4

is clearly better for White.

30

.. hS 31 f4 i.d6

32

'itff3 eS 33

lbc ' :cS

Not 33 ..

:d3

34 'ite4.

34 lbe4 ' :bS

3S

':h1 exf4 36 gxf4

' :g8 37

: c h ~

' :h8 38

lbg3

White rubs salt in Shirov's wounds,

the irony being that he now hunts down

a weak pawn that was created

as

a result

of

Black's efforts to shift attention away

from the shattered queenside White

eventually converted the

full

point

on

the 57th move.

Bacrot-Topalov

Bosna SuperGM 2000

1 d4

d6

2 lbf3

g6

3 c4 i.g7 4 lbc

cS S dxcS

Perhaps White wanted to avoid the

tricky system characterised by the

moves 5 d5 i..xc3+

6

bxc3

f5,

when

Black has surrendered his prized bishop

for a knight in order to later exert con

siderable pressure

on

White's (fixed)

broken queens ide pawns.

If

t is

is

the

case, then Black's reply

is

a shrewd psy

chological ploy

S ...i.xc3+ ?

Anyway


21

Understanding the scri f ice

6 bxc3

dxc5

7

ifxd8+

Whether the queens are involved

or

not makes no difference to White s

c-

pawns.

7 ..

~ x d 8

8 ttJe5 ..te6 9 g3 ttJd7

10

ttJxd7

~ x d 7

..tg2 ttJf6 ?

Offering the b-pawn

on

the grounds

that

12 i xb

7 ?

:tab8 13 i a6 ttJe

of

fers

Black ample compensation. White s

c-pawns are going nowhere and Black

can

always

target the c4-pawn

by

drop

ping back to d6.

12 l:lb1?

Not

impressed with the variation in

the previous note White declines the

offer, but now Black makes available an

even bigger prize

..

12

.. b6

24

The latest

is

an offer that White

could not refuse even

if

he wanted to,

for the c4-pawn cannot be saved what

ever happens, whereas Black

is

without

such a weakness.

13

..txa8 lba8 14 f3 ttJe8 1 5 ..t 4

..txc4

It is

always

nice to have a neat and

tidy pawn structure when your oppo

nent

is

busy keeping his intact, and

\such

a luxury certainly facilitates the

d e c i ~ i o n -

making process when

it

comes to con

templating a positional sacrifice.

In

the

diagram position Black can focus

on

his

opponent s queenside pawns (which are

still pretty

weak)

in the knowledge that

White has nothing to attack. Meanwhile

Black s forces will be better placed than

White s, the rooks unable to join the

game in more than a defensive role.

16 l:lb2

~ c 17

l:ld2 ttJd6 18

..txd6?

Ribli believes

18

~ f

to be more ac

curate than this committal exchange,

although we can appreciate the wish to

alter the pawn formation in the hope

of

opening up the game for his rooks.

18 .. exd6 19 f

19

e4

f5

20 exfS gxfS

is

fine for Black

according to Ribli, although I prefer this


22

to the game continuation because here

White's kings ide pawns remain intact.

19 ..

d5

20 e4

dxe4 21

fxe4

:e8

22

:e1 .i.e6

23 ~

~ b 5

Black has a couple of

juicy

targets on

one flank and no weaknesses

on

the

other, something that gives him excel-

lent practical chances in this ending.

24

f 4

~ c

25

:e3

a5

26 ~ g 5

b5

27 ~ h 6 b4 28 cxb4

axb4 29 iJ(xh7 :a8 30 ~ g 7 ~ b 5

Preparing the advance of the passed

pawn. Notice how the bishop serves

dual roles

of

holding the kingside to-

gether and putting pressure on White's

queenside.

31

h4

I guess Topalov was hoping for the

The mportance

o

Structure

following pretty finish:

31

llee2

c4

32

< t>f6

c3

33 llc2 ':'xa2 34 llxa2

i xa2

35

':'xa2 b3

Now

even two pawns beat a rook

31 ...c4

32 g4

c3 33 :g :xa2 0-1

Yet another case of a minor piece be-

ing more than a match for a rook. This

happens more often than we think, but

we tend to spend more time looking at

the points value

of

the pieces than the

actual value of weak pawn structures.

Movsesian-Kasparov

Bosna SuperGM, 2000

We have already seen how a mistake

that leads to doubled pawns in front of

a casded king can be disastrous. Here is

a typical example

of

the exchange sacri-

fice .:.xc3 in the Sicilian Defence,

Kasparov demonstrating in his own

inimitable style just how difficult life

can become for White

if

he has casded

q u e e n s i d ~

1

e4 c5

2 lOf3

d6

3

d4

cxd4

4

lOxd4 lOf6 5 lOc3 a6 6 .i.e3 e6 7 f3

b5 8 'ii'd2 lObd7 9

0-0-0

.i.b7 10 g4

lOb6 11 'ii'f2 lOfd7

12 ~ b

1 :c8 13

.i.d3

25


23

Understanding the

acrif ice

With his knights ready to pounce,

this positional sacrifice seems all the

more attractive for Black. Not surpris

ingly this specific position had been

played before this game, and Kasparov

has an improvement ready

on

Black's

previous play.

13

..:xe3

l

?

14

bxe3 fIe7

15

ttJe2

i .e7

16

g5

0-0

Castling into an attack, perhaps, but

White already has serious weaknesses in

front of his own king, so Black needs to

bring his rook into the game in order to

maximise the potential

of

his attacking

force.

17 h4 ttJa4

An earlier game went 17 ... dS 18

hS

dxe4 19 jlxe4 jlxe4 20

fXe4

~ c 21

26

jlc1 b4

22

cxb4 jlxb4 23 l:.h3 with the

better chances to White in Zagrebelny

Lingnau, Berlin 1993.

18 i.e1?1

The new situation has confused

White, who should play instead 18 hS

~ e S 19 h6

g6

which Ftacnik assesses as

unclear.

18 .. ttJe5 19 h5 d5 20 'fIh2

White is not willing to commit with

20 h6 g6, -e.g. 21 'ilfg3 jld6 22 'ilfg2

: c8,

when each

of

Black's pieces have a

role to play.

20 .. i.d6 21 'fIh3

Looking at the diagram pOSit10n

Black seems spoilt for choice

as

to how

to

continue his offensive but, with ad

vancing enemy pawns approaching his

king, Kasparov needs to conduct the

rest of his attack with some precision.

t

is

significant that the exchange sacrifice

afforded Black an extra minor piece in a

situation where White's rooks play little

or no part (given the opportunity, of

course, White

w ll

use his to help deliver

the

d e a ~ y

blow should he succeed in

prising open Black's kingside).

21 ... tJxd3 22 exd3 b4

Note that this and the p r v i o ~ s move

serve to force the doubled c-pawns out


24

of the way in order to facilitate an inva-

sion by the queen. The point

is

that,

apart from the fact that doubled iso-

lated pawns are sitting ducks waiting to

e

picked off, here Kasparov has re-

moved them through deflection,

whether this be a recapture (on

d3)

or a

forced capture. Their weakness does

not have to be demonstrated by actually

winning them, rather exploiting their

powerlessness by forcing the issue. Less

clear is lLIxc3 23

lLIxc3

ifxc3 24

..tb2 ifb4 2S g6, which even gives

Black an opportunity to lose the game

in the event of2S ..dxe4?

26

h6 ..teS 27

d4 etc. Instead Black should play

2S ...i:eS, when

26

d4 ..tf4 27 gxf7+

cJ;;xf7

28 ifg4 ..th6 results in the usual

unclear Sicilian.

23 cxb4

White s position

is

quite loose after

23

c4 dxc4 24 h6 g6 25(txc4 lIc8.

23 .. 'c8

24

~ a

Ftacnik gives 24 iff1 dxe4 2S fxe4

ifc2+ 26 cJ;;a1 ..teS+ 27 d4 ..txe4 28

..ta3..tdS.

24 .. dxe4 25 fxe4

Forced in view of

25

dxe4? ..teS+ 26

lLId4..txd4+ 27 :xd4 ifxel+.

25 ... i.xe4


The rest of the game is clinical:

26

g6

26

dxe4 ..teS+, or 26 :hg1 ifc2 27

lLId4 ..teS

28

ife3 ..tdS.

26

.. i.xh1 27 .-xh1 .i.xb4 28

gxf7+

28

gxh7+ cJ;;h8.

28 .. 29 .-g2 :b8

30

.i.b2

30 ..td2 ..ta3

31

..tel

..txel

32 : xel

ifb6 33 lLIc3 lLIxc3.

30 .. Llxb2 31 tLld4

31 cJ;;xb2 ..td2+ 32 cJ;;a1 ..tc3+

31 ... Llxd 1 32 tLlxe6 + ~ x f 7 0-1

33 ifxg7+

33lL1xc7

..tc3+)

33

...

cJ;;xe6

34 ifxc7 (34

~ 6

cJ;;f5) 34

..

..tc3+.

Markowski-Bunzmann

Rubinstein Memorial 1999


25

Understanding

the

acrif ice

Black s best here is 13 iLd7 followed

by l:tad8,

~ u p p o r t i n

the centre. In

stead Bunzmann chose the traditional

Old Indian Defence approach

o

queenside expansion.

13

.. b5?

14 c5

The idea behind this thematic pawn

offer

is

to undermine Black s centre by

challenging the base o the mini d6-e5

pawn chain. White hopes to exploits the

absence o the dark-squared bishops as

well as Black s slightly tardy develop

ment.

14

.. dxc5

14 exd4 15 cxd6 dxc3 16 dxe7 cxd2

17

exfS ii + cJ;xfS

is

slightly better for

Black, i anyone, but 15 ttlxd4 15 dxc5

16 ttlxc6 followed by e4-e5 is promising

for White.

15

dxe5 'ii'xe5

16 f4

'ii'h5

17

e5

After only a few moves Black s cen

tral presence has

all

but disappeared

whereas White suddenly has a powerful,

mobile kingside majority led by the

strong e-pawn. Meanwhile Black s

queenside majority enjoys no such ac-

tivity, and i the undefended c-pawn

falls he will no longer have a pawn to

show for his troubles.

28

17

..

b4

After

17

ttld5 18 g4 White defends

the h3-pawn out o the firing line be

fore taking on d5, while 17 ttl6d7 18

iLxc6 levels the points score but oth

erwise gives White the advantage.

18

tDa4

18 exf6 bxc3 19 ttlxc3 iLxh3 20 fxg 7

is

unclear and unnecessary. The text

focuses on Black s sorry queenside

structure.

18 .. Dd5 19

94

19

ttlxc5 iLxh3 20 ttld4 l:tac8.

19 . .'ii'h4

2

tDxc5

Black has a backward c-pawn that

can be attacked from both d4 and down

the c-ffie, a useful and secure ,outpost

on c5 and more space. This explains


26

Black's next, with which Bunzmann

aims to disrupt White's kingside pawns.

20 ... h5 2 ltJd4 ?

21

i.xds

cxds 22 ifxds l:ta7 leaves

White exposed on the light squares,

although White seems to be better any-

way.

2 ...hxg4

22

ltJxc6 'ii'g3

23

'ii'xd5

gxh3

And now White should have played

24 ltJxb4 :b 25 ltJbd3

with what

will

soon be an extra pawn.

Notice that Black's 4-2 queenside ma-

jority has now become a minority( )

thanks to the weakness of both c

pawns.

The spoiler

When in possession of the inferior

structure we should be on the lookout

to level the score by inflicting similar

damage to our opponent's pawns.

Adams-Shlrov

Sarajevo 1999

In

the diagram position White

is

in

danger of being left with a sorry looking

queenside pawn complex after a pawn

trade on d4

or

es. With this is in mind

Black improved his position.

The mportance

o

Structure

14 .. :ae8

Incidentally 14 ..exd4?

is

too early,

e.g.

15 ifxd4lbf6 16 'ifh4 i.e7 17 cs

(unleashing White's second bishop)

17 ...bxcs 18 lbgs h6 19 lbe lbxe

19 ...lbds 20 'ifg4) 20 'ifxe4 i.d6?

20

...: fe8 is the necessary lesser evil,

when White's bishops have the advan-

tage and Black's extra pawn

is

worth-

less) 21 'ifg6 .

15

c5

A nice spoiling tactic. White forces

his opponent to place a pawn on

cs

before Black can use the square

as

an

ideal outpost for a piece.

15 .. bxc5 16 dxe5 ltJxe5 17 ltJxe5

..txe5

18

..txe5

:xe5

19 'ii'd21

Highlighting another positional

29


27


downside to Black s new structure, for

now the as-pawn needs protection.

19 ..

fe8

20 :xe5

"xe5

2 :b1

e4 ?

Black returns the pawn to restore

equality in all departments.

22 iLxe4 iLe % -%

General Damage

The next seven examples feature vari

ous kinds

of

general structural damage

that are encountered

on

a regular basis

in practical play.

Kirillov-Garagulya

Russian Team Championships,

Smolensk 2000

With his forces aimed directly at the

30

queenside Black seems to be doing

quite well, with the lever thrust ...b7-b5

an obvious candidate

..

15 .. b5,(

Swayed by the general pressure on

the c-flle, but now White engineers a

near decisive structural advantage.

16

ltJd4 bxe4 17

ltJxe6

fxe6

18

b4

Black s protected passed pawn

is

ir

relevant here. What matters is the e6-

pawn and the general vulnerability of

the light squares created by the removal

of the bishop.

18

.. tJb7 19 f4

After embarrassing the b 7 -knight

White rules out ... tLle5. Black s best

now

is 19

...

c.t>h8 when 20 e5 d5 21 tg4 sees

White ready to start his pawn collection.


28/


Unfortunately for Black 21... :c6 runs 17

d6 +

iti>hB

1B g4 1

into 22 .txe6 ':xe6

23

'xd5 etc.

Instead Black played

19

....c7 and

now White missed a very promising

continuation in

20 .tg4 llJdB 2 e5

according to Tsesarsky, e.g.

2

...d5

22

llJxd5

etc.

Yevseev-Kokarev

Moscow 1999

Somehow Black has managed to send

his bishop

all

the way into d4, which

mayor

may not be a good thing.

In

any

case, an albeit temporary sacrifice

should have left Black s structure decid

edly suspect.

13 d6 1 "xd6

I'm not sure Black

is

too worse if he

turns down the offer with

13 n as

14

tDbS tDc

should be okay for the

second player. The problem,

of

course,

is

the d6-pawn, which

is

probably why

Black thought he had no choice but to

remove it. Nevertheless I prefer

n.

14llJb5 b6

The game continued in entertaining

fashion.

15

llJd51 llJxd5 16 cxd5 llJa6

Not

16 ...d6

17

tDxd4 cxd4 18 'xb6

axb6 19 ' :dl.

With the sacrifice taking on a restric

tive character on the queenside White

turns to the other flank, undermining

the defence of the e4-pawn in order to

open up the kingside. 18 tDxd4 cxd4

19

~

axb6 20

':d1 tDb4

21

a3 tDc

still favours White according to Tyom

kin.

1B ... te5 19 "d51 \

Better than 19

gxfS .txd6 20

tDxd6

'xd6

21 :d1

'c6

22 'c4 dS , when

Black comes out fighting.

19 ...txh2+ 20 xh2 "xb5 2

"e5

"xe2

22.th3

22 .th6?

'xg4 23

. th3

'g6

24 .

tf4

tDb4.

31


29/

Understanding

the acrif ice

22 ..fxg4

23

.i.h6

g3

24

~ g

gxf2+

25

~ h :g

26 :ac1

lLlb4

27 .i.xg7

:xg7

with a draw in view of

28

iWe8

:g8

29

iWe5 and so on.

While White succeeded in thwarting

his opponent's queenside development

by twice( ) putting his own pawn

on

d6,

Black reacted energetically. In fact

White would have g u a r a n t e ~ himself a

nice advantage had he concentrated

more on the long-term positional possi

bilities created

by

the initial sacrifice.

Instead of jumping into d5 in order to

lodge a second pawn on d6 White could

have played 15 tbxd4 cxd4 16 tli'xb6

axb6 17 td1 tbc6 18 b3

In this way White' patiently rounds up

the d4-pawn to emerge with the supe

rior structure and the two bishops. With

the remaining isolated d-pawn to go

with the vulnerable b-pawns Black can

expect to experience further structural

difficulties later in the game. Like the

fable

of

the hare and the tortoise, this

form of positional sacrifice

is

guaran

teed to present White with a definite

advantage that has long-term potential,

whereas White's choice in the game,

32

while clamping down on the queenside

and the dark squares, was based on a

more speculative, attacking foundation,

with resourceful defence from Black

effectively diffqsing White's initiative.

Kasparov M .Gurevich

Bosna SuperGM 2000

Black hopes that the bishop pair

compensates for his imperfect pawn

formation. Kasparov's next threatens to

spoil his opponent's strategy on both

fronts.

16 lLlf1

An aggressive retreat, threatening to

exploit the pin on the d-flle after

tbe3xd5, simultaneously ridding Black

of a good bishop and inflicting serious

structural damage in view of the forced

...e6xd5.

16

..

iWc7

Escaping the pin. However, with the

benefit of hindsight Finkel's suggestion

of

16

..i.d6 ? also makes sense, since

the thematic exchange sacrifice here

leads to an unclear position after

17

%:txd5

(17

tbe i.e4) 17

...exd5

18 tbe

:te8 19

tbd4 f4 20 tli'g4+ ~ h 8

17

:xd5 ?

Based purely o,n structural, positional


30

grounds, this is White's only means

of

trying for an advantage. Otherwise

Black's pieces enjoy too much activity.

17 .. exd5 18 lOe3

t is easy to appreciate what White

has for the exchange. The f7-e6-fS

pawn cluster has been broken, leaving

Black with two very weak pawns, and

the fall

of

the bishop pair has resulted in

Black now being rather vulnerable on

the light squares.

On

the other hand, of

course, Black has more material to

compensate for his structural difficul

ties, so the game is balanced. However,

Kasparov prefers this kind

of

'balance'

because there are problems to be

solved.

18

..

tfS

Black can expect to see one

of

his

pawns

fall

but he must be careful how

he addresses the situation. For example

the plausible looking 18 ..lIad8? can

easily lead to difficulties after

19

ttJd4,

e.g.

19

..

l::tfe8

20 ttJdxfs e s

21

g4+

'Wth8

22 f4 etc.

19lOd4

19

ttJxds

d6 20

ttJd4 lIae8

is

suffi

ciently active for Black, while 20 ttJxf6+

xf6 does not look like a good idea for

White

as

the front f-pawn can always be

The mportance

o Structure

dealt with by ... fS-f4.

19

..

txd4

,

Black parts with the second bishop

on his own terms.

20 cxd4lOe4 2 lOxd5

'iidS

22lOe3

' i ifS

23 ii h5

23

..

ad8

I like the way Black has coped with

his crumbling pawns since Kasparov's

attempt to unsettle

him

with lIxds.

Here

23

.....

xd4 ?

is tempting,

e.g.

24

xfS :ae8

25

l::td1

e s 26

xeS lIxes

27

ttJg4

: g s

28 ttJh6+

rJig7 29

i.xe4

'Wtxh6

30 :d6+ 'Wtg7 31 lIxa6 and the

ending

is

even. However, Kasparov

might well have opted instead for 24

ttJxfS ?

xf2+

25

'Wth1

xb2

26

lin

This is just the kind of position

33


31

Understanding the

acrif ice

White would be looking for when em

barking on this route. Black's bishops

have disappeared, leaving White's survi

vor with the run of the light squares,

White has an enormous knight where

Black's pawn once stood, his queen

could not be more aggressively posted

and even the rook is well placed on the

f-flle. Whether this furnishes White any

thing real

is

another question, but not

one that Gurevich would like to

ask

24

ttJxf5 ttJd6

25

ttJe3 ?

25

tiJxd6 :xd6 might help Black

since White has little influence on the

dark squares.

25 ... ii'xd4

26

:d1 'ii'g7

Again there is a more adventurous

possibility in

26 ... ifxb2 ? but Black is

more interested in safety.

27 :d5

WhS

Black has succeeded in trading his

original liabilities on d5 and f5 for

White's c3-pawn which, considering the

extra exchange,

is

a reasonable deal. The

positional theme has continued, though,

since Black still has a potential problem

in the a6-pawn (a8

is

not available for

defensive purposes) and his kingside

pawns are separated.

I t is

interesting

that White's forces seem less menacing

34

once the main targets have gone. All in

all

the situation

is

level, and a draw

should result with careful play from

both sides. Ironically Black's game plan

later changed quite drastically - here

is

the rest of the game - instructive and

entertaining:

2S 'ii'd1 ttJb7 29 b4 ':'xd5 ? 30

'ii'xd5 ttJdS 3 'ii'd6 ttJe6 32 'ii'xa6

ttJd4 33

h4 f5 34

ttJd5 ttJe2 + 35

c;tr>f f4

36

c;tr>xe2 fxg3

37

'ii'd61?

'ii'b2

+

37 ...:x1+ 38

'it>d3

:xg2 39 ifd8+

'ifg8 is equal.

3S c;tr>d3

3S ... xf2?

38 .. ifb1 + ? should draw, e.g. 39

'it>d4 ifb2+ 40 'it>c5 'ifx1+

41

'it>xb5

'ife2+ 42 'it>b6 (or 42 'it>c5 'if1+ 43

'it>c6 'ifc2+ 44 'it>b7 : f7+ 45 'it>b8

'ifxg2) 42 ... if1+

43

'it>c6 'ifc2+.

39 'ii'bS + Wg7

40

'ii'xg3 + WhS 41

'ii'bS + Wg7

42

'ii'c7 +

c;tr>fS

43

'ii'e7 + WgS

44

'ii'g5 + WhS 45 .te4

'ii'c2 + 46 Wd4 'ii'd2 + 47 Wc5

'ii'xg5 4S hxg5

' :xa2 49

c;tr>xb5

':e2

50

ttJc3 :e 5 Wc4 :g

52

b5

:xg5

53

b6 1-0

I wonder if Kasparov would argue

that his original positional exchange


32

sacrifice even contributed to Gurevich's

sudden rush of blood? Probably. Never

theless White's approach offered good

practical chances.

Our next game is different in that

Black's positional sacrifice, aimed at

crippling White's queenside pawns, in

volves voluntarily allowing damage to

his own pawns

on

the kingside.

Artashes Minasian-Ara Minasian

Armenian Championship,

Yerevan 1999

1 e4 lLlf6 2 e5 lLld5 3 d4 d6 4 c4

lLlb6

5

exd6 exd6 6 lLlc3 lLlc6 7

d5 ? lLle5 8 f4lLled7 9 'ii'd4 ?

Hoping to hinder Black's develop

ment by hitting the g7-pawn. Offering a

queen exchange with 9

..

iff6 might

leave Black's queenside vulnerable while

9

..

lDf6 is probably one knight move

too many. Anyway, Black has other,

completely different ideas.

9 ...

ie7

10

'ii'xg7

Consistent.

10 .. i.f6 11 'ii'g4

The alternative is 11 'ifh6, when after

11...'i'e7+ 12


33

Understanding the

acrif ice

13 .. Dc5 14 'ifg51? ifxg5 15 fxg5

. t f5

Black has obvious structural compen

sation for the pawn as well as a lead in

development, factors which combine to

maintain the balance. Now 16 liJf3

liJd3+ 17 i.xd3 i.xd3 18 c5 dxc5? 19

liJe5 i.a6 20 0-0-0 liJxd5? 21

:he1 is

a

touch better for White, but 18

...

liJxd5

19 cxd6 cxd6 20


34

h1-a8 diagonal afforded him by this

early

advance of Black's centre pawns.

8 ... cxb4?1

Ribli believes that Black should re

fuse the sacrifice, but not with 8 ..i.e6?

when 9 liJg5 i.xc4 10 d3 D) has been

seen in a couple

of

Ftacnik games.

10 ..cxb4 11 axb4 i.e6 12 liJxe6

fxe6

13

b5liJd4 14

e3

fic7

15

i.d2liJdf5

16

b6 ?

'fixb6

17

'fia4+

r:J;;f7 18

l:tb1 was

excellent for White in Ftacnik-Danner,

Vienna 1986, while 10 ..i.e6 11 liJxe6

fxe6 12 bxc5 d5 13 e4 0-0 14 'fig4 was

no improvement for Black in Ftacnik

Rogers, Groningen 1977.

t

seems

il-

logical to part company with the light

squared bishop with an essentially fixed

centre comprising pawns on c5,

d6

and

The

mportance

o Structure

e5.

Instead 8

..

e4 makes sense;e.g. 9 liJe1

i.e6 10

l:tb1

cxb4 11 liJxe4 i.xc4

12

axb4 d5

13

liJc3

a6

14 i .b2 d4

15

liJe4

0-0 16 d3 i .d5 17 liJf3 fib6 18 i.a3

: fd8

19

'fid2 liJf5 with chances for

both sides in Podzielny-De Firmian,

Essen 1999. 9 liJe1

f5 is

rather loose

and worked out well for White in Sura

jev-Mijailovic, Belgrade 1991, where

10

i .b2 i.e6 11 d3 exd3 12 liJxd3

i.xc4

13

bxc5 0-0 14 liJa4

i.f7

15

i.xg7

r:J;;xg

7

16

liJf4 d5

17

l:tb 1 left Black busy

defending weak pawns and squares.

9 axb4

lLlxb4 10 .i.a3

Apart from the obvious strategic

benefit to White

of

the target on d6,

Black also suffers here from losing time

in collecting the pawn.

10 ..

Llec6

10 ..liJbc6 11 liJb5 is pleasant for

White but 10 ..liJa6 11 liJe4 liJc5 leads

to complications. Martinovic-De Fir

mian, Bor 1984 continued 12 liJfg5 (12

liJxc5 dxc5 13

i.xc5 e4)

12 fic7 13

liJxd6+ 'fixd6 14 liJe4 liJxe4

15

i.xd6

liJxd6

16

'fia4+

r:J;;f8 17

fib4 liJe8

18

i.xb7 as

19

i.xc8 l:txc8 20 l:txa5 1-0.

Black's minor pieces are tiny.

iia4

lLla6

37


35


11...e4 is unpleasant for Black after

either

12

lbh4

g5

13

.i.xb4 gxh4 14

lbxe4 or 12 .i.xb4 exf3

13

.i.xf3, with a

clear advantage for White in both cases.

11...a5??

is even worse in view of

12

.i.xb4, exploiting two pins.

2 ~ 8 4

12 lbxe5 .i.xe5 (not 12 ..dxe5

13

.i.xc6+ .i.d7 14 Ld7 ilxd7 15lbb5)

13

.i.xc6+ .i.d7

(13 ... f B 14

.i.d5 and

13 ..bxc6 14 ilxc6+ .i.d7 15 ilxa6 are

poor for

Black)

14 .i.xd7 + ilxd7

15

ilb5

is

enough to put White in charge,

while

12lb

g

5 0-0

13

lbge4

is

more in

teresting. The text

is

the most enterpris

ing ofWhite s choices.

12 ..

f 8

Another possibility is 12 bc51?

13

lbxc5

dxc5 14 .i.xc5 e4 15

lbel

.i.xal

16

ilxal l:tg817 .i.xe4 ilxd218lbf3

By

now the invested pawn has be

come an exchange, the compensation

also altering to take the form of an at

tack on the king - predictably, in view

of the fact that Black s king was still

uncastled when White hit

out

with 8 b4.

In fact Black

is

in danger

of

being over

run here.

3 d

Black s latest could not really be met

38

with anything else With only two

knights develop


36

mass and near full development. Black

hasn't.

17 .. iff6

17

c 7

18

~ x d 6

txd6 19 txd6

~ x d 4 20 ilb4

is

very good for White.

18 f3

White has a practically decisive lead

and therefore keeps matters simple,

although

18

.txe4 ? fxe4 19

~ x e 4

seems strong.

18 ..exf3 19

x f 3

~ e 7

20

~ d 5 1

After all this effort Black cannot be

allowed to casde, although White

will

make an exception for 20 0-0-0 in view

of 21

txc6 txc6

22 ~ x a 7 and

23

~ x c 6 etc.

20 .. g51

The

mportance o Structure

Black's best is 20 ifgS, when both

21 'ifb3 and 21 .:tae1

both put

the ball

fIrmly back in Black's court. Unfortu

nately the text loses immediatelY;---

2 llJe4

2 ... ifg6 22 llJexd6 1-0

f

the owner

of

an isolated pawn has

nothing to compensate his liability the

defensive task can be difficult at any

stage of the game. White takes this one

step further in the following example.

Marciano-Apicella

French Championships 1999

Black has just taken the opportunity

to trade knights

on

d4 at a time when

recapturing with the c-pawn seems

39


37

Understanding the

Sacrif ice

forced in view of the fact that 'ifxd4

leaves the bishop insufficiendy pro

tected in the event of

.. ' ~ J x h 3 +

(or the

same problem after 22 l:txd4 l:te6 etc.).

However, the d5-pawn is Black's only

weakness, yet this will lose relevance

once White's own pawn stands on d4.

With this in mind White found a logical

and effective resource that doesn't let

Black

off the positional hook so readily.

221i xd41

Tbis must have come

as

an unpleas

ant surprise to Black, who was no doubt

waiting to shake hands after 22 cxd4

l:te6

23

'ifb3 l:tb6 etc.

22

.. tJxh3

+ 23

~ f

Black has won his pawn, as per plan,

but his structural weakness remains on

d5 (at least until White decides to cap

ture it ). Moreover the inevitable ex

change of queens

will

accentuate

White's advantage in the resulting end

ing thanks to his long-range bishop (the

knight would work better with a queen

than without).

3

tJf4

23 ... ifxd4 ? 24 l:txd4 liJg5 25 l:txd5?

liJxf3 26 :xd6 liJxe 1 27 ~ x e 1 l:te8+ 28

~ d 2 ~ f 8

looks okay for Black, but 25

i.xd5 liJe6 26

i.xe6

l:txe6 27 l:td7

40

makes a vital difference and is another -

unfavourable - prospect altogether for

the defender.

24 1i xf6 ' :xf6 25 g3 ltJh3

After 25 ...liJe6 26

i.xd5

b6 27 i.g2

White threatens to help himself to the

seventh rank, and 27 ...l:td8?? 28 l:txd8+

liJxd8 29 l:te8 mate

is

not a nice way to

go. Note that here the fall of the d

pawn clears the long diagonal, thus at

tracting unwelcome attention to the

queenside pawns.

26 'itg2

Both minor pieces reside on the king

side but bishop can enjoy a change of

scene in one move.

26

..

h6

27 ' :d2

Freeing the bishop by defending f2,

although the immediate 27 l:te7 ? could

be more accurate. Nevertheless Black's

pawns are weak anyway, and White will

soon have a majority that is more dan

gerous than Black's rather tame lot on

the kingside.

27

...

:d8 28 ':e7 b5 29 ':xa7

ltJg5

30 ':xd5

White's patient but incisive treatment

of his opponent's weaknesses has led to

a decisive advantage (this would not

have been the case had White accepted


38/

his

dull fate and automatically recap

tured on d4 with his c-pawn).

Not

sur

prisingly White soon picked up the bS

pawn and, eventually, the

full

point.

We

have seen instances where a seri

ous disadvantage can be direcdy attrib

uted to the presence

of

doubled pawns.

However, such a weakness can be

equally significant even

if

located

away

from the action area.

Rowson Turner

Redbus Knockout, Southend 2000

In the diagram position Black s dou

bled pawns

on

the queenside afford

White a sacrificial possibility on the

kingside, the point that the investment

of

a pawn on that flank will still leave

Black without a majority. Black has just

pushed the h-pawn with a view to un

dertaking active operations against

White s king. That this weakens the

gS-

square seems irrelevant at the moment

for the f6-pawn provides protection,

but after White s next Black has cause

to regret

...

h7-hS.

3 e5

With one multi-purpose move White

is

able to contemplate the following:

The mportance

o

Structure

generating

po


39/

Understanding the

acrif ice

24 ll'lxe5 fxe5

24 ...ltxe5?

25

f4.

25 g5

Already the h5-pawn is a problem,

e.g. 25 ...g6 26 f4 e4

27

'ifh6 or 26 ...lId8

27

.ltxe5 lId2+ 28 e2

'itf5

30

: h4 'itg6 31 .ic1

White is content to move to and fro

for a while given that Black is unable to

begin anything of his own. However,

the text does threaten to push g3-g4

now that White has both rook and

bishop ready to pounce on h6.

31 ...

id8

32

: e4

. ic7

33

: h4 . id8

34 :e4

Purely psychological - White has no

42

intention

of

kindly acquiescing to a

draw.

34 ..

ic7

35

. id2 : e6

36 f3

: e8

37

.ie1 : e6

38 . ic3

38 .. itf7

Not 38

...

.ltd6 39 f4 e3

ifi>f5

43

g4 'ifi>g6

43

...


40

clear position according to Rowson.

48l1g2

A key difference between the two

sides here

is

that White enjoys the lux

ury of being able to 'casually' group and

regroup his forces without incurring

risks. Unfortunately for Black he cannot

avail himself of the same facility,

as

we

are about to see.

4S .. lId7??

4B ...h4 is imperative, with similar play

to the previous note.

49 g51

Winning. The game ended as follows:

49 .. hxg5

50

':'xg5 +

~ f

51 ':'xh5

.i.d6 52

':'h6 + ~ g

53 h41

b5

54

h5 a5 55 lIg6 + ~ h 56 a41 bxa4

57

bxa4 lidS 5S .i.g5 ':'d7

59

lIh6 +

c i;>g7

60

':'g6 + ~ h 61 ':'e6 .i.fS 62

lIxc6 lId4

+ 63 Wf5

e4

64

fxe4 lId7

65

lIa6 .i.g7

66

e5 ':'f7 + 67 .i.f6

.i.fS 6S : xa5 wgS

69

: as ':'h7

70

e6 : xh5+

71

Wg41-0

It

should not escape our attention

that, yet again, the player

on

the receiv

ing end of a positional sacrifice

is

set

numerous strategic and practical prob

lems which tend to grow in gravity as

the game progresses and which, ulti-

The mportance

o

Structure

mately, are increasingly difficult to ad

dress.

Triplets

The next three examples feature in

stances in which the fate

of

doubled

pawns is exacerbated by the arrival of a

fellow foot-soldier on the same file

Chernyshov-Ovetchkin

Russian Tean Championship,

Smolensk 2000

1

d4

ltJf 2 ltJc3

d5

3 .i.g5 .i.f5 4

.i.xf6 gxf6 5

e3 e6

6

.i.d3

.i.g6 7

f4

A rather cheeky advance since it ne

glects the e4-square and invites Black to

clamp down with 7 .. f5.

In

fact this

leads to a tenable position for Black, as

does the preliminary trade

on

d3. In

stead Black sought to

punish his oppo

nent's latest by seeking to undermine

White's influence on the dark squares

now that the committal 2-f4 has also

neglected the e3-pawn.

7 ... c5?

Failing to spot White's response sug

gests that Black was in too positive a

mood here, the one distinction about

the text being that it

is

a theoretical

43


41


novelty.

8 f5

Rather than White being guilty

of se-

riously weakening his dark squares,

Black's neglection

of

his light squares

is

the real crime.

8 exf5

Black has to accept his three f-pawns

anyway, and

by

keeping the bishop in

the game the light squares should be

easier to defend. After 8

.txfS

9

.txfS

exfs

10

'ir'f3 White's position

is

even

more pleasant than in the game.

9 iWf3 lLlc6 10 lLlge2

10 iWd7

Black

is

eager to send his king over to

the queenside,

away

from the embar

rassment. Otherwise there

is

an altema-

44

tive in

10

cxd4

11

exd4

.tb4.

Then 12

0-0 .txc3

13

tiJxc3 0-0 14 'ir'xds tiJxd4

15

'ir'xb7 sees White shift his attention

to the queenside, while

13

tiJxd4 14

l:tae1

+

f

can lead to an interesting

situation after the following sequence:

15

ifxds ifxds

16

tiJxds l:td8

17

tiJe3

l:tg8 18

c3

tiJf3+

19

l:txf3 l:txd3 20 l:tf2

Ironically the feature

of

which Black

is

not too proud has survived intact

Unfortunately the future

of

the f-pawns

is

anyway in White's hands, which

is

where the pawns

will

be eventually

White can also play 12

. txfs

.txc3+

13

bxc3, which accepts imperfection in

White's own structure, although Black

is

hardly in a position to exploit this.

11

0-0

11

tiJxds ? looks good, Black's best

being

11

. tg7

12

c4 with an obvious

advantage to White, rather than 11 0-0-

o

12

tiJxf6 'ir'e6

13 ds

'ifxf6 14 dxc6

etc. The text

is

simple and takes

aim on

the f-file.

11 0-0-0

11

l:td8

is

a suggestion

of

Tsesarsky,

who gives 12

.txfS

12

.txfs

13

'ir'xfs

. th6 as

only slighdy worse for Black,

although White seems clearly better to

me

Even better for White

is 12

tiJf4


42

cxd4

13

lbfxd5 ~ e 7 14 exd4, e.g.

14 ..lbxd4 15 ife3lbe6 16 ~ b ~ c 17

lbxf6+ rl;e7 18 i xc5+ lbxc5 19lbxd7

lbxd7

20

l:tae1 +

Now

both 20 .. f 6 21lbe4+ rl;g7 22

lbd6 and 20

..

Wd6 21

%td1

+ c3;c7 22

~ x d 7 :xd7

23 lbb5

c3;d8

24

lbxa

7

are decisive.

12

x f

One down, two to go ..

12

.. x f

13 xf5 lbb4

13

... ife6 14 i xe6+ fxe6

15

lLcf6

~ g 7 16l:t1 ~ h 6

17

t8.

14

f2

, Black has a terrible position after the

obvious

14

'ifxf6 ~ e 7 15 i f2lbxc2 16

:tact

lbb4

17 'i'x1 or 17

lbf4.

14 .. Dxc2

The Importance

o

Structure

Or 14 .. h 6 15 lbf4 cxd4 16 exd4

with a clear lead to White. Black's re

maining f-pawns and the d5-pawn are

simply too weak in all these lines.

1 5 :ac 1 lDb4 16 lDf41?

16 'ifxf6 l:tg8 17 dxc5 ife6 18

'ifxe6+

fxe6 9lbf4

c3;d7 20 a3lbc6 21

b4

is

an extra pawn.

16

..

cxd4 17

exd4 ~ b 8

18

a3 lbc

19 lDfxd5

No comment.

19

....9420

l:tcd1

~ h 6 ?

20 ..i.g7 21 b4 is an unpleasant lesser

evil.

And now instead of21

%tfe1?

f5 22

b4 f4 , which

is

hardly earth-shattering

but a tad inconvenient, White could

have effectively ended the game imme

diately with 2 lbxf6 96

22

d5 etc.

M .Gurevich Shirov

Bosna SuperGM, 2000

White

is

happy to accept doubled e-

pawns here because this will then open

the d-file and allow

him

to pin the

knight, in turn exerting pressure on the

e5-pawn.

18 ..

x e

And Black is happy to oblige ..

19 dxe4

f 6

20 l:tad1

Forcing the

win

of a pawn.

45


43

Understanding

the

acrif ice

2 .. ife7 21 iLxd7 :xd7 22 l:txd7

ifxd7 23 fxe5 iLd8

Remember that White was intending

to reach this position when we joined

the game. White s

5 3

kingside pawn

majority sounds better than it looks, but

at least a number of squares are covered

by this bizarre centre. However, the

pawns are going nowhere and, should

Black win the e5-pawn, the material

balance

will

be restored only to leave

White with doubled isolated pawns.

24 ~ g

iLc7

25 iLd

a6

26

ifc3

%le6

Preparing to get the queen and rook

the right way round for an assault on

the e5-pawn.

27 %lf3 ife8 28 %ld3

46

The d-fue beckons

as 281: 5

g6

will

force the capture of the e5-pawn any

way. The text also means that Black

must spend a tempo creating an escape

square for his king, as 28 ...txe5??

29

i.xe5 I:txe5

loses to 30 iixe5.

28 .. h6 29 ifd2 ~ h 7

So nudging the h-pawn forward was

doubly

useful-

this time

29

....txe5?? 30

i.xe5 :xe5

runs into 31 l:d8.

3

iLc5 %lxe5 31 l:td7

Again White

will

have had this pre

pared much earlier. Nevertheless

Black s prospects are the more promis

ing,

e.g.

31...b6 32 .:xc7 bxc5 33 bxc5

:xe4 and the third e-pawn also comes

under pressure.

In

fact this

is

preferable

to Shirov s next, which

is

a nice way of

exchanging rooks but should result in a

level game.

31

... :td5 ?

32

exd5

Not

32 I:txd5 iixe4+.

32

.. ifxd7

33

ifd3

~ g 8 34 d6?1

Having given Black targets

on

the e

fue White now presents his opponent

with something to

aim

at on the d-ftle.

Better

is

34 e4 with a draw the probable

result. Now the passed pawn is in dan

ger of meeting the same fate as the e5-

pawn.


44

34 . d 8 35 h3 'ii'e6 36 e4

36 d7 f5 followed by ..

. l;;f7

favours

Black.

36

.. b6

Evicting a defender in preparation

for the coming approach of the king.

37

i..f2 ~ f 8 38 g4

38 d7?


45

Understanding the

acrif ice

The game ended:

50 'ifa7 'ife6 51 ~

51

~ f

1i b3+

52

ffe3 ffxe3+

53

~ x e g5 and White must surrender ter

ritory and the game.

51 ... ifa2 + 52 ~ g

52 ~ f iib3+.

5 .. x e 4 53 'ifc5 'ifd5 54 'ifc1

5

iic2+ iid3+.

54

.. g5

55

'ife1

~ d 56

a4 bxa4

57 'ifd1 ~ c 58 'ifxa4

58 iixd5 cxd5 59 b5

a3

60 b6

a2

61

b7

al ii

62 b8 ii iigl

+

63 ~ f

(63 ~ h

iif1 + 64 ~ g iif4+) 63 ... iif1 +.

58 .. ifd3 + 0-1

The final checking move with the

queen, ......c2+,

is

next and so White

decides to call it a

day.

Finally, here is a simple endgame

demonstration.

Ponomarioy-T opaloy

FIDE World Championship 1999

31 tbg4 ~ c 7

The alternative 31.. . i.g7 runs into 32

iixg5 iixa2+ 33 ~ h .i.xc3 34 iixe7,

e.g. 34 .....d2 35 e5 and the c5-pawn

drops.

32 e5 ? R.xe51

48

32

..

dxe5

33

liJf2 closes cages the

bishop behind a wall

of

pawns and

leaves White ready to cement his knight

on

e4.

33 tbxe5 dxe5 34 'ife2

~ d 6 35

c4

If

Black does

not

pay attention here

he will find himself trying to hold back

the tide

on

both flanks after White

sends his king on a mission to capture

the g5-pawn.

35 .. e4

Very good - Black has enough e-

pawns to go around.

Now

taking with

the pawn lets Black s king stroll in to e5

for what would be a tremendous out

post, so White parts with his a-pawn

instead.

36

'ifxe4 'ifxa2 +

37

..th3 'ifb2 38

..tg4

Now, instead of 38 .. iif2?? 39 f4 ,

forcing a decisive passed g-pawn in

view of 39 ...gxf4 40 ffxf4+ ffxf4+ 41

~ x f 4 Black could have drawn with

38 .. iff6 39

c i?h5

'iff51, e.g.

40 g4

'iff7

+

41 c i?xg5 'iff6

+

42 ..th5

ifh8+

etc.

In

the following instructive example

White needs a sacrifice to actually get at

his opponent s weaknesses.


46

Shirov-Short

Bosna SuperGM 2000

In the diagram position White already

has a considerable positional advantage

in that Black s pawns

all

occupy the

same colour complex as the bishop(s).

But thus far Black is managing to hold

everything together with the aid of his

bad bishop, offering the e6-pawn (and,

if

necessary, the g6-pawn) support. If

only White could find a way in to

Black s dodgy queenside

50

.tg4 :te8

5 h5 _

Ironically White s sacrifice is aimed at

loosening Black s ostensibly iron grip of

the f5-square; the reason why

will

soon

be revealed.

5 ... gxh5

52 .th3 h4

53 ~ h

The mportance o

Structure

Thus far White seems only to have

lost a pawn and simultaneously pre

sented Black with a passed pawn, but

White s active pieces are ready to

ex-

ploit the location of Black s king which,

were the position to open, might be a

problem. For example after 53 :hg8

54 fS

exfS 55

l:txf5+

~ g 56 :g2 f 8

57 l:.gf2 l:.e7 58 : f Black s weak

queenside comes into play, e g 58

:a7

59 .ie6 l:.g7 60

.ixd5

and White

will

emerge from the subsequent multiple

exchanges on f7 with a winning pawn

ending. Alternatively 58 g7 59 :xa6

spells the beginning of the end for

Black.

Instead Black anticipates the coming

advance.

53 ... te7 54 f5 :the8 55 :tg21 . tg8

Or 55 exf5

56

l:txf5+ e6

57

:g7

. ig8 58 l:.ff7+ Wd6 59 :Xe7 :Xe7 60

l:txg8 etc.

56 :tg6 + Wf7 57

:tgxe6

see following diagram

White is winning.

57 .. .'iPf8

57 l:.xe6

58

fxe6+ f6 59

:xd5

.ixe6 60 l:.d6 again leads to the decisive

pawn ending after

60 f

61 :xe6

l:txe6 62 .ixe6 Wxe6

63 h3

49


47

Understanding the

acrif ice

58 :xe7 :xe7 59 :xe7

~ x e

60

f6 11-0

Finally White will be able to exploit

his opponent s queenside pawns, with

5

60

< ttxf6 61

~ c 8 being the fIrst nail

in

the cofftn. Black has no time to defend

the b-pawn because the a-pawn

will

run

through.


48/

CH PTER TWO

I

The Colour Complex

During the opening phase in particular

we might concentrate

on

just one col

our complex with a view to later launch

ing an offensive or stepping up the

pressure exclusively on, for example,

the dark squares. Alternatively the

change in location (or removal) of one

or

more pawns,

or

an ostensibly unim

portant trade of pieces can alter the

power-sharing of a colour complex

considerably, in turn changing the na

ture of the general struggle. Such fac

tors, since they concern practically 50

of the board, can be decisive, which is

why opportunities to exploit a shift in

control of a colour complex tend not to

arise too often.

In this chapter we will look at exam

ples in which one player endeavours to

create favourable circumstances on a

specific colour complex with the aid of

a sacrifice. Not surprisingly the advan

tages of a sacrifice designed to claim

more than a fair share of this or that

colour squares in one or more sectors

of the board can be significant. More

over, opponents are usually on the

lookout for the more obvious destruc

tive or short-term sacrifice, so this posi

tionally oriented investment often

comes s a surprise, the implications of

which might still remain unclear

Documents

Angus Dunnington-Understanding the Sacrifice