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The Pr oj ect Gut enber g EBook of Chess St r at egy, by Edwar d Lasker#2 i n our ser i es by Edward Lasker

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Ti t l e: Chess St r at egy

Author : Edward Laskert r ansl ated by J . Du Mont

Rel ease Dat e: May, 2004 [EBook #5614][ Yes, we are more t han one year ahead of schedul e][ Thi s f i l e was f i r st post ed on J ul y 22, 2002]

Edi t i on: 10

Language: Engl i sh

Charact er set encodi ng: ASCI I

*** START OF THE PROJ ECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHESS STRATEGY ***

Pr oduced by J ohn Mamoun , Char l es Fr anks,and the Onl i ne Di st r i but ed Pr oof r eader s websi t e.

I NFORMATI ON ABOUT THI S E- TEXT EDI TI ON

The f ol l owi ng i s an e- t ext of "Chess St r at egy, " second edi t i on, ( 1915)by Edward Lasker, t r ansl ated by J . Du Mont .

Thi s e- t ext cont ai ns t he 167 chess and checker s board gamedi agr ams appear i ng i n t he or i gi nal book, al l i n t he f or m ofASCI I l i ne dr awi ngs. The f ol l owi ng i s a key t o the di agr ams:

For chess pi eces,


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R = RookKt = Kni ghtB = Bi shopQ = QueenK = Ki ngP = Pawn

Bl ack pi eces have a # symbol t o the l ef t of t hem, whi l ewhi t e pi eces have a ^ symbol t o t he l ef t of t hem. For exampl e,#B i s t he Bl ack bi shop, whi l e B i s t he whi t e bi shop. #Kt i st he bl ack kni ght , whi l e Kt i s t he whi t e kni ght . Thi s wi l ll et t he r eader i nst ant l y t el l by si ght whi ch pi eces i n t heASCI I chess di agr ams ar e bl ack and whi ch ar e whi t e. Thosewho f i nd t hese di agr ams har d t o r ead shoul d f eel f r eet o set up them up on a game boar d usi ng the act ual pi eces.

CONTENTS

TRANSLATOR' S PREFACEAUTHOR' S PREFACE

PART I

I . I NTRODUCTORY

I . Rul es of t he GameI I . Not at i on

I I . HI NTS FOR BEGI NNERS

El ement ary Combi nat i onsSi mpl e Cal cul at i onCompl i cat i ons

I I I . GENERAL PRI NCI PLES OF CHESS STRATEGY

I nt r oduct or yBal ance of At t ack and Def enceMobi l i t y

I V. THE OPENI NG

Devel opment of t he Pi ecesOn Losi ng MovesExampl es of Pr act i cal Pl ay

Pawn Pl ayPawn Skel et onThe Centr e

A. Ki ng' s Pawn GamesB. Queen' s Pawn GamesC. I r r egul ar Openi ngs

V. THE END- GAME

End- games wi t h Pi ecesPawn Endi ngsMi xed Endi ngs


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END- GAMES FROM MASTER- PLAY

Tei chmann- Bl ackburne ( Ber l i n, 1897)Ed. Lasker - Rot l ewi ( Hamburg, 1910)Bl ackbur ne- Schl echt er ( Vi enna, 1898)Bi r d- J anowski ( Hast i ngs, 1895)St ei ner - For gacz ( Szekesf eher var , 1907)Charousek- Hei nr i chsen ( Col ogne, 1898)

VI . THE MI DDLE GAME

Gener al Remar ksEvol ut i on of t he Pawn Skel etonObj ect s of At t ack"Backwar d" PawnsOn Fi xi ng a WeaknessWeaknesses i n a Pawn Posi t i onBr eaki ng up t he Ki ng' s Si deDoubl ed PawnsI l l ust r at i ons- -

v. Scheve- Tei chmann ( Ber l i n, 1907)Marshal l - Bur n (Ost end, 1907)

Manoeuvr es of t he Pi eces Open Fi l es and Di agonal sExampl e- -

Fred. Lazar d- Ed. Lasker ( Par i s, 1914)

PART I I

I LLUSTRATI VE GAMES FROM MASTER TOURNAMENTS

1. Tar t akower - Bur n ( Carl sbad, 1911)2. Leonhardt - Marshal l ( San Sebast i an, 1911)3. Spi el mann- Prokes ( Prag, 1908)4. Tar r asch- Capabl anca ( San Sebast i an, 1911)

4a. Howel l - Mi chel l ( Cabl e Match, 1907)4b. X. v. Y5. Gr i f f i t h- Gunst on ( London, 1902)6. Mason- Gunsberg ( New York, 1889)7. Marshal l - Tar r asch (Hambur g, 1910)8. Bl ackbur ne- Em. Lasker ( Pet r ogr ad, 1914)9. Sal we- Marshal l ( Vi enna, 1908)

10. Tei chmann- Amat eur s ( Gl asgow, 1902)11. Schl echt er - J anowski ( Par i s, 1900)12. Tei chmann- Rubi nst ei n ( Carl sbad, 1911)13. Tei chmann- Schl echt er ( Carl sbad, 1911)14. Spi el mann- Tar r asch ( San Sebast i an, 1912)15. Al j echi n- Ni emzowi t sch ( Pet r ogr ad, 1914)16. Yat es- Gunsber g ( Chest er , 1914)17. Ber l i n- Ri ga ( 1908- 1909)

17a. Maroczy- Berger ( Vi enna, 1908)18. Em. Lasker - Capabl anca (Pet r ogr ad, 1914)

19. Ed. Lasker - J anowski ( Scheveni ngen, 1913)20. Ed. Lasker - Engl und ( Scheveni ngen, 1913)21. Ed. Lasker - Al j echi n ( Scheveni ngen, 1913)22. For gacz- Tar t akower ( Pet r ogr ad, 1909)23. Yat es- Esser ( Angl o- Dut ch Match, 1914)24. At ki ns- Barr y (Cabl e Match, 1910)25. Em. Lasker - Tar r asch ( Muni ch, 1908)26. Capabl anca- Bl anco (Havanna, 1913)27. Ni emzowi t sch- Tar r asch ( San Sebast i an, 1912)28. Al api n- Rubi nst ei n ( Wi l na, 1912)29. Tei chmann- Spi el mann ( Lei pzi g, 1914)30. Tarr asch- Spi el mann ( Mannhei m, 1914)31. J ohn- J anowski ( Mannhei m, 1914)


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32. Ed. Laskcr - Mi eses ( Scheveni ngen, 1913)33. Barasz- Mi eses ( Br esl au, 1012)34. Em. Lasker - Ni emzowi t sch ( Pet r ogr ad, 1914)35. Ret i - Tar t akower ( Vi enna, 1910)36. For gacz- E. Cohn ( Pet r ogr ad, 1909)37. Marshal l - Capabl anca (New Yor k, 1909)38. Rot l ewi - Tei chmann ( Car l sbad, 1911)

38a. Rubi nst ei n- Tei chmann ( Vi enna, 1908)39. Rotl ewi - Rubi nst ei n ( Lodz, 1907)40. Rubi nst ei n- Capabl anca ( San Sebast i an, 1911)41. Ni emzowi t sch- Tar r asch ( Pet r ogr ad, 1914)41a. Em. Lasker - Bauer ( Amst erdam, 1889)42. Capabl anca- Al j echi n ( Pet r ogr ad, 1913)43. Capabl anca- Ber nst ei n ( Pet r ogr ad, 1914)44. Dus Chot i mi r ski - Vi dmar ( Car l sbad, 1911)45. Rubi nst ei n- Spi el mann ( Pi st yan, 1912)46. Thomas- Ed. Lasker ( London, 1912)47. Tar t akower - Aszt al os ( Budapest , 1913)

47a. Tar t akower- Spi el mann (Vi enna, 1913)47b. X v. Y48. Bl ackbur ne- Ni emzowi t sch ( Pet r ogr ad, 1914)

TABLE OF OPENI NGS

A. Ki ng' s Pawn GamesB. Queen' s Pawn GamesC. I r r egul ar Openi ngs

TRANSLATOR' S PREFACE

As t he f i r st edi t i on of Edward Laskcr ' s CHESS STRATEGY wasexhaust ed wi t hi n a comparat i vel y short t i me of i t s appearance,t he aut hor set hi msel f t he task of al t er i ng and i mpr ovi ng thework t o such an extent t hat i t became t o al l i nt ent s and pur posesa new book. I had t he pr i vi l ege of co- oper at i ng wi t h hi m t o asl i ght degr ee on t hat second edi t i on, and was i n consequence abl et o appreci ate the t r emendous amount of work he vol unt ar i l y t ookupon hi msel f t o do; I say vol unt ar i l y, because hi s publ i sher s,anxi ous t o suppl y t he st r ong demand f or t he book, wi shed tor epri nt i t as i t s t ood.

A l i t t l e l at er I under t ook t o t r ansl at e t hi s second edi t i on i nt oEngl i sh f or Messr s. Bel l & Sons. Onl y a f ew mont hs had el apsed,t he t our nament s at Pet r ogr ad, Chest er, and Mannhei m had t akenpl ace, sever al new di scover i es had been made, and i t i s t hegr eat est t est i mony t o Edwar d Lasker ' s i ndef ati gabl e devot i on tot he Ar t of Chess t hat I am abl e t o say that t hi s i s not a

t r ansl at i on of t he second edi t i on, but of what i s pr act i cal l y anew book. I t cont ai ns a new pr ef ace, a chapt er f or begi nners , anew i nt r oduct i on, new var i at i ons. Fur t her more, a l arge number ofnew games have t aken t he pl ace of ol d ones.

I have no doubt t hat any chess pl ayer who wi l l t ake the t r oubl et o st udy CHESS STRATEGY wi l l spend many a pl easurabl e hour .I nci dent al l y new vi st as wi l l be opened t o hi m, and hi s pl ayi ngst r engt h i ncreased t o a sur pr i si ng degr ee.

The aut hor says i n hi s pref ace t hat he appeal s t o t hei nt el l i gence and not t he memory of hi s r eaders . I n my opi ni on,t oo, t he st udent shoul d above al l t r y t o i mpr ove hi s j udgment of


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pos i t i on.

Than t he pl ayi ng over of games cont est ed by exper t s I can hardl yi magi ne a gr eater or pur er f orm of enj oyment . Yet I must at t heout set sound a note of warni ng agai nst i t s bei ng donesuper f i ci al l y, and wi t h a f ever i sh expect at i on of somet hi nghappeni ng. Every move or combi nat i on of moves shoul d be car ef ul l ywei ghed, and t he st udent shoul d draw hi s own concl usi ons andcompar e t hem wi t h what act ual l y happens i n t he game underexami nat i on.

Thi s appl i es par t i cul ar l y t o some of t he cr i t i cal posi t i ons setout i n di agr ams i n t he cour se of t he exposi t i on of t he sever algames.

The r eader woul d der i ve t he great est possi bl e benef i t f r om aprol onged st udy of such posi t i ons bef ore seeki ng to know how t hegames pr oceed. Af t er havi ng f ormed hi s own opi ni on about t hemer i t s of a par t i cul ar posi t i on, he shoul d compar e t he r esul twi t h t he sequel i n t he game i n quest i on, and t hus f i nd out wherehi s j udgment has been at f aul t .

The deeper st udy of t he t heor y of t he openi ngs i s of cour se anecessi t y t o t he st udent who wi shes t o become an expert , but t he

devel opment of hi s j udgment must pr ecede i t . To hi m Gr i f f i t h &Whi t e' s admi r abl e book, Modem Chess Openi ngs, wi l l be a per f ectmi ne of i nf or mati on. Ther e ar e thousands of var i ati ons, and i nmost of t hem t he act ual game i n whi ch t hey wer e f i r st t r i ed bymaster s i s named, t hus addi ng to t he i nt er est and val ue of t hework.

I must not omi t t o ment i on t he i nval uabl e hel p af f orded me by myf r i end Mr . J ohn Hart , t o whom my warmest t hanks are due.

J ULI US DU MONT.

AUTHOR' S PREFACE

THE l ar ge maj or i t y of chess pl ayer s who woul d l i ke t o i mprovet hei r game, have not t he necessary opport uni t y of pi t t i ngt hemsel ves agai nst pl ayer s of mast er - st r engt h, or at l east ofobt ai ni ng t he desi r ed i nst r uct i on f r om per sonal i nt er cour se wi t ht hem. I t i s f or such pl ayer s t hat t he pr esent wor k i s i nt ended.The books on whi ch t he l earner has t o r el y hardl y ever ser ve hi spur pose, bei ng most l y l i t t l e mor e than a di sj oi nt ed t abul at i on ofnumber l ess openi ng var i at i ons, whi ch cannot be underst ood wi t hout

pr el i mi nary st udi es, and consequent l y onl y make f or conf usi on. I nt he end t he connect i on between the var i ous l i nes of pl ay maybecome cl ear , af t er t he st udent has made an exhaust i ve st udy oft he subj ect , but ver y f ew woul d have ei t her t he t i me or t hei ncl i nat i on f or such pr ol onged l abour .

Theref or e another shor t er and l ess empi r i cal way must be f ound i nwhi ch to acqui r e the unders t andi ng of sound pl ay. My syst emoft eachi ng di f f er s f r om t he usual ones, i n t hat i t set s down at t heout set def i ni t e el ement ar y pr i nci pl es of chess st r at egy by whi chany move can be gauged at i t s t r ue val ue, t hus enabl i ng t hel ear ner t o f orm hi s own j udgment as t o t he manoeuvr es underconsi der at i on. I n my opi ni on i t i s absol ut el y ESSENTI AL to f ol l ow


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such st r at egi cal pr i nci pl es, and I go so f ar as t o asser t t hatsuch pr i nci pl es ar e i n t hemsel ves SUFFI CI ENT f or t he devel opmentand conduct of a cor r ect game of chess.

Even though i nst r uct i on i n chess i s possi bl e on ver y gener all i nes al one, yet I t hi nk i t advi sabl e and i ndeed necessary t oexpl ai n t he appl i cat i on of such pr i nci pl es t o t he var i ous phasesof each game of chess. Ot herwi se t he l ear ner mi ght undul y del ayhi s pr ogr ess, and l ose val uabl e t i me i n f i ndi ng out f or hi msel fcer t ai n essent i al s t hat coul d mor e pr of i t abl y be poi nt ed out t ohi m.

Wi t h regard to t he way i n whi ch I have ar r anged my subj ect andt he f or m of i t s exposi t i on i n det ai l , I have t hought out t hef ol l owi ng pl an.

Af t er di scussi ng at l engt h t he l eadi ng pr i nci pl es under l yi ngsound pl ay, I have f i r st t r eated of t he OPENI NGS, i n whi ch suchpr i nci pl es are of even more deci di ng i nf l uence t han i n any ot herst age of t he game, as f ar as coul d be done on br oad l i nes wi t houthavi ng t o pay at t ent i on t o mi ddl e and end- game consi derat i ons.

I pr oceeded as f ol l ows, by t aki ng as my st ar t i ng- poi nt t he "pawnskel eton" whi ch i s f ormed i n t he openi ng, and r ound whi ch the

pi eces shoul d gr oup t hemsel ves i n l ogi cal f ashi on. As aconsequence of t he pawns havi ng so l i t t l e mobi l i t y, t hi s "pawnskel et on" of t en pr eser ves i t s shape ri ght i nt o t he end- game.Appl yi ng t he gener al st r at egi cal pr i nci pl es t o t he f or mat i on oft he pawn skel et on, t he l ear ner acqui r es t he under st andi ng of t hel eadi ng i dea underl yi ng each openi ng wi t hout havi ng t o bur den hi smemor y. Not onl y that, he wi l l al so be abl e to f i nd a cor r ectpl an of devel opment when conf r ont ed wi t h unusual f orms ofopeni ng.

The most i mport ant r esul t of t hi s sys t em of t eachi ng i s t hat t hel earner does not l ose hi s way i n a maze of det ai l , but has i nvi ew at t he ver y out set , t he goal whi ch t he many possi bl evar i at i ons of t he openi ngs are i nt ended t o reach.

Bef ore I coul d pr oceed t o the di scussi on of t he mi ddl e game, If ound i t necessary t o tr eat of t he pr i nci pl es gover ni ng t he END-GAME. For i n most cases pl ay i n t he mi ddl e game i s i nf l uenced byend- game consi der at i ons. Here al so i t has been my endeavour asf ar as possi bl e to reduce my subj ect t o such pr i nci pl es as ar egener al l y appl i cabl e.

Fi nal l y, as r egards t he MI DDLE GAME, t o whi ch the whol e of Par tI I i s devot ed, I have agai n made t he handl i ng of pawns, t hehar dest of al l pr obl ems of st r at egy, t he st ar t i ng- poi nt f or mydel i berat i ons. I have shown at l engt h how t he var i ous pl ansi ni t i ated by t he var i ous openi ngs shoul d be devel oped f ur t her . To

ensure a t hor ough under st andi ng of t he mi ddl e game, I have gi vena l arge number of games t aken f r om mast er pl ay, wi t h numerous andext ensi ve notes. Thus t he student has not t o rel y onl y onexampl es t aken haphazar d f r om t hei r cont ext, but he wi l l at t hesame t i me see how mi ddl e- game posi t i ons, whi ch gi ve opport uni t i esf or speci al f or ms of at t ack, ar e evol ved f r om t he openi ng.

I t has been my desi r e to make the subj ect easi l y underst andabl eand at t he same t i me ent ert ai ni ng, and to appeal l ess t o t hememory of my r eader s t han t o t hei r common sense and i ntel l i gence.I hope i n t hat way not t o have st r ayed t oo f ar f r om t he i deal Ihad i n mi nd when wr i t i ng t hi s book, namel y, t o appl y t o chess t heonl y method of t eachi ng whi ch has pr oved pr oduct i ve i n al l


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br anches of sci ence and ar t , t hat i s, t he educat i on of i ndi vi dualt hought .

I f I have succeeded i n t hi s, I shal l have t he sat i sf acti on ofhavi ng cont r i but ed a l i t t l e t o the f ur t her i ng, i n t he wi deci r cl es i n whi ch i t i s pl ayed, of t he game whi ch undoubt edl ymakes t he st r ongest appeal t o the i nt el l ect .

EDWARD LASKER.

PART I

CHAPTER I

I NTRODUCTORY

I . RULES OF THE GAME

A GAME of chess i s pl ayed by t wo opponents on a square boar dconsi st i ng of si xty- f our Whi t e and Bl ack squar es ar r angedal t er nat el y. The f or ces on each si de compr i se si xteen uni t s,namel y a Ki ng, a Queen, t wo Rooks, t wo Bi shops, t wo Kni ght s, andei ght Pawns. Al l uni t s move accor di ng t o di f f er ent l aws, and t hedi f f er ence i n t hei r mobi l i t y i s the cri t er i on of t hei r r el at i veval ue and of t he f i ght i ng power t hey cont r i but e t owards achi evi ngt he ul t i mate ai m, namel y, t he capt ur e of t he opposi ng Ki ng.Bef ore I can expl ai n what i s meant by t he capt ur e of t he Ki ng, Imust set out t he r ul es of t he game i n f ul l .

Di agr am1 shows t he posi t i on t he f or ces t ake up f or t he cont est .The board i s so pl aced t hat t here i s a whi t e squar e at t he t opl ef t - hand cor ner . The Rooks t ake up t hei r posi t i ons at t he cor nersquares, and next t o t hem t he Kni ght s. Next t o t hose agai n aret he Bi shops, and i n the cent r e t he Ki ng and Queen, t he Whi t eQueen on a Whi t e square, and the Bl ack Queen on a Bl ack square.The ei ght pawns occupy t he r anks i mmedi at el y i n f r ont of t hepi eces. From t hi s i ni t i al posi t i on, Whi t e begi ns t he game i nwhi ch t he pl ayers must move al t ernat el y.

The pi eces move i n t he f ol l owi ng way: The Rook can move f r om anysquare i t happens t o be on, t o any ot her square whi ch i t canr each i n a st r ai ght l i ne, ei t her per pendi cul ar l y or hor i zont al l y,unl ess t here i s another pi ece of t he same col our i n t he way, i nwhi ch case i t can onl y move as f ar as t he square i mmedi atel y i n

f r ont of t hat pi ece. I f i t i s an opposi ng pi ece whi ch bl ocks t heway, he can move on t o the square that pi ece occupi es, t her ebycapt ur i ng i t . The pi ece t hus capt ur ed i s r emoved f r om t he boar d.The Bi shop can oper at e al ong ei t her of t he di agonal s of whi ch t hesquare on whi ch he i s s t andi ng f orms part . A Bi shop on a Whi t esquare can t here f ore never get on t o a Bl ack one.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | #R | #Kt | #B | #Q | #K | #B | #Kt | #R |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | | | | | | | |


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1 | | | | | | | | |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 2.

I f a pl ayer succeeds i n r eachi ng t he ei ght h rank wi t h one of hi spawns he i s ent i t l ed t o cal l f or any pi ece of hi gher gr ade, wi t ht he except i on of t he Ki ng, i n pl ace of such pawn.

Each move i n a game of chess consi st s of t he di spl acement of onepi ece onl y, wi t h t he except i on of what i s t er med "cast l i ng, " i nwhi ch t he Ki ng and ei t her Rook can be moved si mul t aneousl y byei t her pl ayer once i n a game. I n cast l i ng, t he Ki ng movessi deways t o the next square but one, and t he Rook t o whi ch theKi ng i s moved i s pl aced on t he square whi ch the Ki ng has ski ppedover . Cast l i ng i s onl y al l owed i f nei t her t he Ki ng nor t he Rookconcerned have moved bef ore, and i f t her e i s no pi ece bet ween t heRook and Ki ng.

Di agr am 3 shows a posi t i on i n whi ch Whi t e has cast l ed on t heQueen' s si de, and Bl ack on t he Ki ng' s si de. Cast l i ng i s notper mi t t ed i f t he Ki ng i n cast l i ng must pass over a squareatt acked by a host i l e pi ece. A squar e ( or a pi ece) i s sai d t o be

"at t acked" when t he squar e ( or t he pi ece) i s i n t he l i ne ofact i on of a host i l e uni t . A squar e ( or a pi ece) i s sai d t o becover ed or pr otect ed i f an opposi ng pi ece occupyi ng that square( or capt ur i ng t he pi ece) coul d i t sel f be capt ur ed.

When att acki ng t he Ki ng i t i s cust omar y t o cal l " check, " t onot i f y the opponent of t he f act ; f or t he at t ack on t he Ki ng

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | #R | | #R | #K | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | #P | | | | #P | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | | #P | | #P | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | | P | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | P | P | | | P | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | K | R | | | | R |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 3.

must be met i n some way or ot her . Thi s can be done by capt ur i ngt he at t acker or by i nt er posi ng a pi ece ( t hi s i s not possi bl e i ncase of at t ack by a Kni ght or a pawn) , or l ast l y by movi ng theKi ng t o a square whi ch i s not at t acked. The l at t er must not bedone by castl i ng. I f i t i s i mpossi bl e by any of t he t hr ee met hodsabove ment i oned t o avoi d the at t ack upon t he Ki ng, t he Ki ng i ssai d to be checkmat ed, and t he game i s ended.

I f a Ki ng i s unabl e to move, t hough not at t acked, and none of hi sr emai ni ng pi eces can move, t he Ki ng i s sai d to be st al e- mated,and t he game i s dr awn. A game i s al so drawn when nei t her si de has


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suf f i ci ent mat er i al l ef t t o enf or ce a mat e. ( Compar e page 63. )

I f a pl ayer r esi gns hi s game bef ore he i s actual l y mated, heacknowl edges t hat i n the end mat e i s unavoi dabl e, and the game i scount ed as a l oss t o hi m.

A game i s nul l and voi d i f i t i s shown that a mi st ake was made i nset t i ng t he board or men. The same appl i es when i n t he cour se oft he game t he posi t i on and number of pi eces have been al t ered i n amanner not i n accordance wi t h the pr oper cour se of pl ay, and thel at t er cannot be r e- const r uct ed f r om t he poi nt wher e t he er r orwas made.

I f a pl ayer havi ng t he move t ouches one of hi s pi eces he i s undercompul si on t o move i t ; i f he t ouches a host i l e pi ece he mustcapt ur e i t , pr ovi ded that t he pi ece can be pr oper l y moved orcapt ur ed i n ei t her case. Thi s r ul e i s of no ef f ect i f t he pi eceso t ouched cannot be moved or capt ured, as t he case may be. Sol ong as t he hand has not l ef t t he pi ece to be moved, t he l at t ercan be pl aced on any accessi bl e square. I f a pl ayer t ouches api ece wi t h t he sol e obj ect of adj ust i ng i t s posi t i on, he mustappr i se hi s opponent of hi s i nt ent i on by sayi ng "J ' adoube"bef or ehand. I t i s best t o move t he Ki ng f i r st when cast l i ng. I ft he Rook i s moved f i r st , and unl ess t he Ki ng i s pl ayed al most

si mul t aneousl y, a doubt mi ght ari se whether cast l i ng or a Rook' smove onl y was i ntended.

I f a pl ayer has cast l ed i l l egal l y, Rook and Ki ng must be movedback, and the Ki ng must make another move, i f t here i s a l egalone. I f not , any other move can be pl ayed. A pl ayer who makes ani l l egal move wi t h a pi ece must r et r act t hat move, and makeanot her one i f possi bl e wi t h t he same pi ece. I f t he mi st ake i sonl y not i ced l ater on, t he game shoul d be rest ar t ed f r om t heposi t i on i n whi ch t he er r or occur r ed.

I I . NOTATI ON

A speci al not at i on has been adopted t o make the st udy of gamesand posi t i ons possi bl e, and i t i s necessar y f or st udent s of t hegame to become thoroughl y conver sant wi t h i t . The or i gi nal andear l i est not at i on i s sti l l i n use i n Engl i sh, Fr ench, and Spani shspeaki ng count r i es. I t i s der i ved f r om t he or i gi nal posi t i on i nt he game, i n t hat t he squares t ake t he names of t he pi eces whi choccupy t hem. Thus t he corner squares ar e cal l ed R 1 (Rook' ssquar e or Rook' s f i r st ) , and t o di st i ngui sh t hem f r om one anot herQR1 or KR 1 (Queen' s or Ki ng' s Rook' s square) . The squar esi mmedi atel y i n f r ont are cal l ed QR2 or KR2. A di st i nct i on i s madebet ween Whi t e and Bl ack, and Whi t e' s R 1 i s Bl ack' s R 8, Bl ack' sR 2 i s Whi t e' s R 7, Whi t e' s K B 3 i s Bl ack' s KB6, and so on. K

st ands f or Ki ng; Q f or Queen; B f or Bi shop; Kt f or Kni ght ; R f orRook; and P f or Pawn. I n descr i bi ng a capt ur e, onl y the capt ur i ngand the capt ur ed pi eces ar e ment i oned, and not t he squares.

When conf usi on i s possi bl e, i t i s cust omary t o add whether Ki ng' ssi de or Queen' s si de pi eces ar e concer ned, e. g. KRx Q Kt . I nt hi s not at i on i t i s necessary t o bear i n mi nd whi ch Kt i s t he QKt , whi ch R i s t he KR. Thi s becomes i ncr easi ngl y di f f i cul t as t hegame goes on and pi eces change t hei r pl aces. Many set s ofchessmen have one Rook and one Kni ght st amped wi t h a speci alsi gn, t o show t hey ar e Ki ng' s si de pi eces. Thi s i s not necessar yi n t he case of Bi shops: a whi t e KBi s al ways on whi t e squares, awhi t e QBon bl ack squar es.


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A more modern not at i on i s t he al gebr ai c not at i on, whi ch has beenadopt ed i n most count r i es. I t has t he advant age of bei ngunmi st akabl y cl ear, and al so more conci se. Her e t he perpendi cul arl i nes of squar es ( cal l ed f i l es) ar e named wi t h t he l et t er s a- h,f r om l ef t t o r i ght , al ways f r om t he poi nt of vi ew of Whi t e, andt he hori zont al l i nes of squar es ( cal l ed r anks) wi t h number s 1- 8as bef or e, onl y wi t h t he di st i nct i on t hat t he r ank on whi ch t heWhi t e pi eces st and i s al ways cal l ed t he f i r st ; t hus t he squar e wenamed Whi t e' s QB2 or Bl ack' s QB7 i s now cal l ed c2 i n both cases.Bl ack' s QB2 ( Whi t e' s QB7) i s al ways c7. I n capt ur i ng, t he squareon whi ch t he capt ur e takes pl ace and not t he pi ece capt ur ed i snoted, f or t he sake of uni f ormi t y. I n t he case of pawn moves, t hesquares onl y ar e noted.

O- - O st ands f or cast l es on t he Ki ng' s si de; O- - O- - O st ands f orcast l es on t he Queen' s si de; : or x stands f or capt ur es; + f orcheck.

I n t he f ol l owi ng openi ng moves, both notat i ons are used f or t hepur pose of compar i son:

1. P- Q 4 P- Q4 1. d4 d52. P- QB4 P- K3 2. c4 e6

3. Kt - QB3 P- QB4 3. Kt c3 c54. PxQP KPxP 4. cd: ed:5. P- K4 QPxP 5. e4 de:6. P- Q5 Kt - KB3 6. d5 Kt f 67. B- - KKt 5 B- K2 7. Bg5 Be78. K Kt - K2 Cast l es 8. Kt ge2 O- - O

I n most books i n whi ch t he al gebr ai c notat i on i s used, bothsquar es of a move ar e wr i t t en out f or t he benef i t of t he student .The moves above woul d t hen l ook l i ke t hi s:

1. d2- d4 d7- d52. c2- c4 e7- e63. Kt b1- c3 c7- c54. C4 x d5 e6xd55. e2- e4 d5xe46. d4- d5 Kt g8- f 67. Bc1- g5 Bf 8- e 78. Kt g1- e2 O- - O

To concl ude: I wi l l gi ve t he denomi nat i on of t he pi eces i nvar i ous l anguages:

Engl i sh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K Q R B Kt P Cas t l esFrench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R D T F C P RoqSpani sh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R D T A C P EnrogGerman and Aust r i an . . K D T L S O- O ( O)

I tal i an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R D T A C O- O (O)Russi an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KP F L C K O- O (O)Dutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K D T L P O- O (O)Scandi navi an . . . . . . . . . K D T L S O- O ( O)Bohemi an . . . . . . . . . . . . . K D V S J O- O ( O)Hungar i an . . . . . . . . . . . . K V B F H O- O ( O)

CHAPTER I I

HI NTS FOR BEGI NNERS- - ELEMENTARY COMBI NATI ONS


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THE mental devel opment of t he chess pl ayer i s a gradual st r uggl ef r oma st ate of chaos t o a cl ear concept i on of t he game. Theper i od r equi r ed f or such devel opment l argel y depends upon t hespeci al gi f t s t he l ear ner may possess, but i n the mai n thequest i on of methods pr edomi nat es. Most begi nners do not t r oubl ever y much about any part i cul ar pl an i n t hei r st udy of chess, butas soon as t hey have l earnt t he moves, r ush i nt o t he tur moi l ofpr acti cal pl ay. I t i s sel f - evi dent t hat t hei r prospects undersuch condi t i ons cannot be ver y br i ght . The pl ay of a begi nner i spl anl ess, because he has t oo many pl ans, and t he capaci t y f orsubor di nat i ng al l hi s combi nat i ons t o one l eadi ng i dea i s non-exi st ent . Yet i t cannot be deni ed upon i nvest i gat i on t hat acer t ai n ki nd of met hod i s t o be f ound i n t he pl ay of al lbegi nner s, and seems t o come t o them qui t e nat ur al l y. At f i r stt he pawns are pushed f orward f r ant i cal l y, because ther e i s noappr eci at i on of t he power and val ue of t he pi eces. Consci ous oft he i nf er i or i t y of t he pawns, t he begi nner does not concl ude thati t must be advant ageous t o empl oy the great er power of t hepi eces, but i s chi ef l y concer ned wi t h att acki ng t he opposi ngpi eces wi t h hi s pawns i n t he hope of capt ur i ng t hem. Hi s ai m i snot t o devel op hi s own f orces, but t o weaken those of hi sopponent . Hi s combi nat i ons are made i n t he hope t hat hi s

adversar y may not see t hrough t hem, nor does he t r oubl e muchabout hi s opponent ' s i nt ent i ons. When most of hi s pawns ar e gone,t hen onl y do hi s pi eces get t hei r chance. He has a gr eat l i ki ngf or t he Queen and the Kni ght , t he f ormer because of hert r emendous mobi l i t y, t he l at t er on account of hi s pecul i ar st ep,whi ch seems par t i cul ar l y adapt ed t o take t he enemy by sur pr i se.When watchi ng begi nner s you wi l l f r equent l y observe number l essmoves by a per i patet i c Queen, r eckl ess i ncur si ons by a Kni ghti nt o t he enemy' s camp, and when t he other pi eces j oi n i n thef r ay, combi nat i on f ol l ows combi nat i on i n bewi l der i ng sequence andf ant ast i c chaos. Capt ur es of pi eces ar e pl anned, mat i ng nets ar ewoven, per haps wi t h t wo pi eces, agai nst a Ki ng' s posi t i on, wher ef i ve pi eces are avai l abl e f or def ence. Thi s unst eadi ness i n t hef i r st chi l di sh st ages of devel opment makes i t ver y di f f i cul t f ort he begi nner t o get a gener al vi ew of t he boar d. Yet t hesurpr i ses whi ch each move br i ngs af f ord hi m gr eat enj oyment .

A f ew dozen such games ar e by no means wast ed. Af t er cer t ai npar t i cul ar di sposi t i ons of pi eces have pr oved hi s undoi ng, t hebegi nner wi l l devel op t he per cept i on of t hr eat s. He sees dangersone or t wo moves ahead, and t her eby reaches t he second st age i nhi s devel opment .

Hi s combi nat i ons wi l l become more and more sound, he wi l l l ear nt o val ue hi s f orces mor e cor r ect l y, and ther ef or e to husband hi spi eces and even hi s pawns wi t h gr eat er car e. I n t hi s second st agehi s str engt h wi l l i ncrease st eadi l y, but , and t hi s i s t he

dr awback, onl y as f ar as hi s power of combi nat i on i s concer ned.Unl ess a pl ayer be except i onal l y gi f t ed, he wi l l onl y l ear n af t eryear s of pr act i ce, i f at al l , what may be t er med "posi t i onalpl ay. " For t hat , i t i s necessary t o know how t o open a game so ast o l ay t he f oundat i on f or a f avour abl e mi ddl e game, and how t ot r eat a mi ddl e game, wi t hout l osi ng si ght of t he possi bi l i t i es oft he end- game. I t i s hopel ess t o t r y t o memor i se t he var i ousopeni ngs whi ch anal ysi s have pr oved cor r ect , f or t hi s empi r i calmethod f ai l s as soon as t he opponent swerves f r om t he recogni sedl i nes of pl ay. One must l ear n to r ecogni se t he char act er i st i cs ofsound pl ay. They appl y to al l and any posi t i on, and t heunderl yi ng pr i nci pl es must be pr opounded i n a manner general l yappl i cabl e. And t hi s bri ngs me to the subst ance of my subj ect ,


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r ound whi ch I wi l l endeavour t o bui l d up a syst em compat i bl e wi t hcommon sense and l ogi c.

Bef ore I proceed t o devel op my t heme, I shal l set down a numberof el ement ar y rul es whi ch wi l l f aci l i t at e t he under st andi ng ofsuch si mpl e combi nat i ons as occur at every st ep i n chess.

I f we i gnore the comparat i vel y smal l pr oport i on of games i n whi cht he mat i ng of t he opponent ' s Ki ng i s accompl i shed on a f ul lboard, we can descr i be a normal , aver age game of chess i n thef ol l owi ng way. Bot h si des wi l l empl oy thei r avai l abl e f or ces moreor l ess advant ageousl y t o execut e at t acki ng and def ensi vemanoeuvr es whi ch shoul d gradual l y l ead to exchanges. I f one si deor t he ot her emer ges f r om t he conf l i ct wi t h some mat er i al gai n,i t wi l l gener al l y be possi bl e to f or ce a mat e i n t he end- game,whi l st i f both si des have succeeded by caref ul pl ay t o pr eser veequal i t y of mat er i al , a dr aw wi l l gener al l y ensue.

I t wi l l be f ound a l i t t l e l at er t hat a si ngl e pawn may suf f i ce,wi t h some f ew except i ons, t o achi eve a vi ct ory, and we shal ladopt t he f ol l owi ng l eadi ng pr i nci pl e f or al l combi nat i ons, vi z.l oss of mater i al must be avoi ded, even i f onl y a pawn. I t i s agood habi t t o l ook upon ever y pawn as a pr ospect i ve Queen. Thi shas a sober i ng i nf l uence on premat ure and i mpet uous pl ans of

at t ack.

On t he ot her hand, vi ct ory i s of t en br ought about by a t i mel ysacr i f i ce of mat er i al .

But i n such cases t he sacr i f i ci ng of mat er i al has i t scompensat i on i n some part i cul ar advant age of posi t i on. Aspr i nci pl es of posi t i on ar e di f f i cul t f or begi nner s to gr asp, Ipr opose to def er t hei r consi der at i on f or t he pr esent and t odevot e my at t ent i on f i r st t o such combi nat i ons as i nvol vequest i ons of mat er i al . Let us mast er a si mpl e devi ce t hat makesmost combi nat i ons easy bot h f or at t ack and def ence. I t amount smer el y t o a mat t er of el ement ary ar i t hmet i c, and i f t he begi nnernegl ect s i t , he wi l l soon be at a mat er i al di sadvant age.

Di agr am 4 may ser ve as an exampl e:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | | #R | | | #K |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | #P | #Q | #Kt | #R | | #P | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | | #Kt | #B | #P | | | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | | | | P | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | P | | Kt | | Kt | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | B | | Q | R | | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | | | R | | K | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 4.

I t i s Bl ack' s move, and we wi l l suppose he wi shes t o pl ay P- K4. Abegi nner wi l l pr obabl y cal cul ate t hus: I push on my pawn, he


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t akes wi t h hi s pawn, my Kni ght t akes, so does hi s, t hen my Bi shopt akes, and so on. Thi s i s qui t e wr ong, and means wast e of t i meand energy.

When t he begi nner consi ders a t hi r d or f our t h move i n such acombi nat i on, he wi l l al r eady have f orgot t en whi ch pi eces hei nt ended t o pl ay i n t he f i r st moves. The cal cul at i on i s per f ect l ysi mpl e upon t he f ol l owi ng l i nes: I pl ay P- K4, t hen my pawn i sat t acked by a pawn and t wo Kni ght s, a Bi shop and two Rooks, si xt i mes i n al l . I t i s support ed by a Bi shop, t wo Kni ght s, t wo Rooksand a Queen, si x ti mes i n al l . Ther ef or e I can pl ay P- K4,pr ovi ded the si x uni t s capt ur ed at K4 ar e not of gr eat er val uet han the si x whi t e uni t s whi ch ar e recapt ur ed. I n the pr esenti nst ance bot h si des l ose a pawn, t wo Kni ght s, t wo Rooks, and aBi shop, and t her e i s no mat er i al l oss. Thi s est abl i shed, he canembar k on t he advance of t he KP wi t hout any f ear .

Theref or e: i n any combi nat i on whi ch i ncl udes a number ofexchanges on one squar e, al l you have t o do i s t o count t henumber of at t acki ng and def endi ng uni t s, and to compare thei rr el at i ve val ues; t he l at t er must never be f or got t en. I f Bl ackwer e t o pl ay Kt xP i n t he f ol l owi ng posi t i on, because the pawn atK 5 i s at t acked t hr ee t i mes, and onl y support ed t wi ce, i t woul dbe an obvi ous mi scal cul at i on, f or t he val ue of t he def endi ng

pi eces i s smal l er . [ Foot not e: I t i s di f f i cul t t o compar e t her el at i ve val ue of t he di f f er ent pi eces, as so much depends on t hepecul i ar i t i es of each posi t i on, but , gener al l y speaki ng, mi norpi eces, Bi shop and Kni ght , are reckoned as equal ; t he Rook asequal t o a mi nor pi ece and one or t wo pawns ( t o have a Rookagai nst a mi nor pi ece, i s t o be t he "exchange" ahead) . The Queeni s equal t o t wo Rooks or t hr ee mi nor pi eces. ]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | | #R | | #K | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | | | #P | | #R | | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | #P | | #Kt | | #P | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | | | P | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | | P | | | | Kt | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | P | B | | | | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | | R | | K | | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 5.

Chess woul d be an easy game i f al l combi nat i ons coul d be t est edand pr obed exhaust i vel y by t he mat hemat i cal pr ocess j ust shown.But we shal l f i nd t hat t he compl i cat i ons met wi t h ar e ext r emel yvar i ed. To gi ve the begi nner an i dea of t hi s, I wi l l ment i on af ew of t he more f r equent exampl es. I t wi l l be seen t hat t hecal cul at i on may be, and ver y f r equent l y

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | #R | | | #R | #K | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | | | | | #P | #P | #P |


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| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | #P | #B | R | | #Kt | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | #P | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | | | P | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | B | P | | | Kt | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | | P | | | | P | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | | | R | | K | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 6.

i s, upset by one of t he pi eces i nvol ved bei ng exchanged orsacri f i ced. An exampl e of t hi s i s f ound i n Di agr am 6; Kt xP

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | | | | | | | #P | #K |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | #B | #P | | | | | | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | #P | P | #Kt | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | P | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | | | | Kt | | B | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | | | | | | | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | K | | | | | | | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 7.

f ai l s on account of R X B; t hi s l eaves t he Kni ght unpr ot ect ed,and Whi t e wi ns t wo pi eces f or hi s Rook. Nei t her can t he Bi shopcapt ur e on K5 because of R X Kt . l eavi ng t he Bi shop unpr ot ected,af t er whi ch BxKt does not r et r i eve t he si t uat i on because t he Rookr ecapt ur es f r om B6.

A second i mport ant case, i n whi ch our si mpl e cal cul at i on i s of noavai l , occur s i n a posi t i on wher e one of t he def endi ng pi eces i sf orced away by a t hr eat , t he evasi on of whi ch i s more i mpor t antt han t he capt ur e of t he uni t i t def ends. I n Di agr am 7, f or

i nst ance, Bl ack may not pl ay Kt xP, because Whi t e, by pl ayi ng P-Q6, woul d f orce the Bi shop t o Kt 4 or B1, t o pr event t he pawn f r omQueeni ng and the Kni ght woul d be l ost . A f ur t her exampl e of t hesame t ype i s gi ven i n Di agr am 8. Her e a pecul i ar mat i ng t hr eat ,whi ch occurs not

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | #B | | #Q | #R | | #K |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | | | | | #Kt | | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | #P | Kt | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |


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5 | | | R | | Kt | | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

4 | | | Q | | | | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

3 | | | | | | | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

2 | P | | | | | | P | P || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

1 | | | | | | | K | |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 8.

i nf r equent l y i n pr act i cal pl ay, keeps t he Bl ack Queen t i ed t o herKB2 and unavai l abl e f or t he pr ot ect i on of t he B at BI .

Whi t e wi ns as f ol l ows:

1. Kt xB, Kt xKt ; 2. RxKt , QxR; 3. Kt - B7ch, K- Kt 1; 4. Kt - R6 doubl ech, K- R1; 5 Q- Kt 8ch, RxQ; 6. Kt - B7 mate.

We wi l l now go a st ep f ur t her and t ur n f r om "acut e" combi nat i onst o such combi nat i ons as are, as i t wer e, i mpendi ng. Her e, t oo,

I ur gent l y r ecommend begi nners ( advanced pl ayers do i t as amatt er of cour se) t o pr oceed by way of si mpl e ar i t hmet i calcal cul at i ons, but , i nst ead of enumer at i ng t he at t acki ng anddef endi ng pi eces, t o count t he number of possi bi l i t i es of at t ackand def ence.

Let us consi der a f ew t ypi cal exampl es. I n Di agr am9, i f Bl ackpl ays P- Q5, he must f i r st have pr obed t he posi t i on i n t hef ol l owi ng way. The pawn at Q5 i s at t acked once and suppor t ed oncet o st ar t wi t h, and can be at t acked by t hr ee more Whi t e uni t s i nt hr ee more moves ( 1. R- Q1, 2. R( B2) - Q2, 3. B- B2) Bl ack can al somobi l i se t hr ee more uni t s f or t he def ence i n t he same number ofmoves ( 1. Kt - B4 or K3, 2. B- Kt 2, 3. R- Q1) . Ther e i s,consequent l y, no i mmedi ate danger , nor i s t her e anythi ng to f earf or some t i me t o come, as Whi t e has no ot her pi ece whi ch coul dat t ack t he pawn f or t he f i f t h t i me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | | #R | #B | #K | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | #P | | #R | | | #Kt | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | | | | | | #P | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | | #P | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | P | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | P | Kt | | | | P | B | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | | | R | | | | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | R | | | | K | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 9.

I t woul d be obvi ousl y wr ong t o move t he pawn to Q6 af t er Whi t e' sR- Q1, because Whi t e coul d br i ng another t wo pi eces t o bear on t he


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P, t he ot her Rook and t he Kni ght , whi l st Bl ack has onl y one morepi ece avai l abl e f or t he def ence, namel y, hi s Rook.

The f ol l owi ng exampl es show t ypi cal posi t i ons, i n whi ch si mpl ecal cul at i on i s compl i cat ed by si de i ssues.

I n Di agr am 10, t he poi nt of at t ack, namel y, t he Bl ack Kni ght atKB3, can be suppor t ed by as many Bl ack uni t s as Whi t e can br i ngup f or t he at t ack, but t he def ensi ve ef f i ci ency of one of Bl ack' spi eces i s i l l usory, because i t can be taken by a Whi t e pi ece. Thepl an woul d be as f ol l ows: Whi t e threat ens Bl ack' s Kni ght f or t het hi r d t i me wi t h Kt - K4, and Bl ack must r epl y QKt - Q2, becausecover i ng wi t h R- K3 woul d cost t he "exchange, " as wi l l appear f r oma compar i son of t he val ue of t he pi eces concer ned. The "exchange"i s, however , l ost f or Bl ack on t he next move, because

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | #R | #Kt | #B | #Q | #R | | #K | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | | #P | #P | | | #P | #B | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | #P | | | #P | | #Kt | #P | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | | Kt | #P | | B | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | | P | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | B | | | P | | Kt | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | P | P | | | P | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | R | | | Q | | R | K | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 10

Whi t e' s f ur t her at t ack on t he Kni ght by Q- B3 f orces t he Rook t odef end on K3, wher e i t gets i nt o t he di agonal of t he Bi shop,whi ch at present i s masked by Whi t e' s Kni ght . The sequel woul d be3. QKt xKt ch, RxKt ( not BxKt on account of BxR wi nni ng a whol eRook) , 4. BxR, and so on. A si mi l ar case i s shown i n Di agr am11.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | #K | #P | #Kt | | | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | #P | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | Kt | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | | | | B | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | P | | P | | | P | P | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | #B | | | | | | | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | | | | | K | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 11


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Her e, t oo, t her e i s a f l aw i n t he si mpl e cal cul at i on, because t hedef endi ng uni t s are not secur e. Begi nners shoul d devot e speci alat t ent i on t o t hi s posi t i on, whi ch i s i n pr acti ce of f r equentoccur r ence.

I t can be easi l y per cei ved t hat t he Bi shop cannot capt ur e thepawn at B7 on account of P- QR3. But t o t ake wi t h the Kni ght woul dal so be an err or , because Bl ack woul d t hen keep chasi ng away t hecover i ng Bi shop.

1. P- Kt 4; 2. B- Q6, K- B3; 3. Kt - K8, B- B2; and wi ns one of t hepi eces.

Fi nal l y, one more exampl e, i n whi ch one of t he def endi ng pi ecesbei ng pi nned makes si mpl e cal cul at i on i mpr act i cabl e.

I n Di agr am 12 i t seems at f i r st si ght as i f Bl ack coul d pl ayKt xP: al t hough Whi t e can pi n t he Kni ght wi t h R- K1

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | #R | | #B | | #K | | | #R |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | #P | | | | #Kt | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

6 | | | #P | #Kt | | | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

5 | | | | | | | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

4 | | | | | P | Kt | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

3 | | | | | | | B | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

2 | P | P | | | | | P | P || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

1 | R | Kt | | | | R | K | |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 12

and t hen at t ack i t once more wi t h hi s Kni ght , Bl ack woul d appeart o have suf f i ci ent pr ot ect i on avai l abl e, wi t h hi s Kt and B. Whi t ehas no t i me to doubl e Rooks, because i f he does so, af t er hi s R-K2 Bl ack woul d pl ay t he Ki ng away f r om hi s f i l e and al l ow t heKni ght t o escape.

But Whi t e can, by a si mpl e sacr i f i ce, br i ng t he sl umberi ng R atR1 i nt o sudden act i on:

1. . . . Kt xP; 2 R- K1, B- B4; 3. Kt - B3, Kt - Q3; 4. RxKt , Kt xR; 5. R-K1, and Whi t e wi ns t wo pi eces f or hi s Rook.

These i l l ust r at i ons wi l l be suf f i ci ent t o gi ve t he begi nner anunder st andi ng of economy of cal cul at i on i n al l ki nds ofcombi nat i ons. Hi s power of combi ni ng wi l l gr ow speedi l y on t hi sbasi s, and t hr i ve i n t he f i r e of pr act i cal exper i ence. Wher e anopponent i s mi ssi ng, t he gap must be f i l l ed by ref er ence t o suchbooks as t r eat of t he sci ence of combi nat i on and gi ve exampl est aken f r om actual pl ay.

CHAPTER I I I


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20/218

mat t ers f or begi nners: t he bal ance between t he cont endi ng f orcesi s by no means est abl i shed by t hei r numer i cal equal i t y. Aparamount f act or i s t he mobi l i t y of such f orces, and as soon asi t i s no l onger one of t he el ement ary cases of capt ur e andr ecapt ur e descr i bed pr evi ousl y, t hi s f act or must be t aken i nt oaccount i n order t o deci de, on a gener al sur vey, whet her t her e i sa suf f i ci ent def ence to an i mpendi ng at t ack, or whet her one' s owni nt ended at t ack i s l i kel y t o pr evai l . That mobi l i t y i s t he f i r stand f oremost consi der at i on shoul d be sel f - evi dent , si nce t her el at i ve val ue of t he pi eces can onl y make i t sel f f el t by thei rgr eat er or l esser mobi l i t y.

Except i n cer t ai n posi t i ons, whi ch ar e br ought about by somepar t i cul ar ar r ay of t he pi eces, t he i nt r i nsi c val ue of a Rook i sgreat er t han t hat of a Bi shop, because i t can command al l t hesquar es on t he boar d, whi l st a Bi shop i s t i ed t o i t s own col our ;Kni ght and Bi shop ar e consi der ed equi val ent , because t he Kni ght ' sadvant age i n bei ng abl e to act on al l t he squar es of ei t hercol our i s bal anced by t he f act t hat t he Bi shop can sweep l ongdi agonal s. Two Bi shops are, gener al l y speaki ng, of gr eat er val uet han t wo Kni ght s, because together t hey al so act on al l t hesquares, and thei r command of l ong di agonal s i s a cl earadvant age. The whol e of t hi s val uat i on, however, comes t o noughtwhen t he pi eces are hi nder ed i n t hei r mobi l i t y by t he pecul i ar i t y

of any par t i cul ar posi t i on.

We wi l l consi der one i nst ance f r om end- game pl ay, and one f r omt he openi ngs.

I n Di agr am 13, Whi t e der i ves no advant age f r ombei ng

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | | | | | | | #K | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | #P | | | | #P | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | #P | | #P | | #P | P | #P | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | P | | P | #Kt | P | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | P | | R | | | P | K |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | | | | | | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 13

t he exchange to t he good, f or t he Rook has no f i l e whi ch coul d beused to br eak i nt o t he Bl ack camp.

I n Di agr am 14, t he numer i cal equal i t y of f or ces wi l l not saveBl ack, because bad devel opment r educes t he mobi l i t y of hi s pi ecest o such an ext ent t hat he has no r esour ces wi t h whi ch he canparr y t he i mpendi ng at t ack.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | #K | #R | | #B | | #R |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | | #B | | | #Q | #P | #P | #P |


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| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | #P | #P | | #P | | | #Kt | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | #P | P | #P | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | P | | P | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | P | Kt | | B | Kt | P | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | | | Q | | P | K | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | R | | | | R | | | |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 14

Whi t e wi l l assai l t he Bl ack Ki ng' s posi t i on on t he Queen si de,and Bl ack i s unabl e t o concent r ate hi s f orces qui ckl y enough f ort he def ence of t he j eopardi sed ent r enchment s. Let us t her ef orebear i n mi nd t hat t he mobi l i t y of t he pi eces i s t he deci di ngf actor of t hei r ef f i ci ency, and t hat mobi l i t y i s t he hi ghestcr i t er i on by whi ch t o j udge t he mer i t s ( or demer i t s) of t hei roper at i ons.

We wi l l now consi der t hi s pr i nci pl e i n i t s appl i cat i on t o t het hr ee st ages of pl ay, namel y, t he openi ng, t he mi ddl e- game, andt he endi ng.

CHAPTER I V

THE OPENI NG

The onl y pi eces avai l abl e on t he f i r st move ar e t he Kni ght s. I norder t o devel op other pi eces as wel l , i t i s necessary to movepawns f i r st , and such pawn moves wi l l be best as gi ve an out l ett o as many pi eces as possi bl e. For qui ck devel opment i s of t heut most i mport ance, and he who succeeds f i r st i n pl aci ng al l hi spi eces, f r om t hei r i ni t i al awkwar d posi t i ons, t o such pl aces asgi ve them command of t he gr eat est possi bl e number of squares, hast he bet t er chance of concent r at i ng a super i or f orce on somei mpor t ant poi nt .

I t f ol l ows t hat Whi t e, havi ng t he f i r st move, i s, so t o speak,al ways mor al l y j ust i f i ed i n at t acki ng, whi l st Bl ack shoul d assumet he def ensi ve. I t i s a st ep i n t he r i ght di r ecti on, t o appr eci at et he t r ut h of t hi s pr oposi t i on. Unf or t unat el y most begi nner s f ai l

t o r eal i se i t , and so pave t he way, f r om t he f i r st , t o t he l ossof t he game.

There ar e not many devel opi ng pawn moves t o choose f r om.Apparent l y f r om t he poi nt of vi ew of qui ck devel opment onl y P- K4and P- Q4 need be consi der ed, si nce t hey f r ee bot h Bi shop andQueen, whi l st ot her pawn moves l i ber ate one pi ece onl y. General l yspeaki ng i t i s onl y r equi r ed to move two or t hr ee pawns t o al l owal l pi eces t o be devel oped, and i t i s good, on pr i nci pl e, t o makeonl y such pawn moves i n t he openi ng, whi ch ar e necessary f or t hedevel opment of pi eces. To pl ay ot her pawns r eal l y means t he l ossof a move. To " l ose a move" means t o make a move whi ch i s notessent i al t o the at t ai nment of a desi r ed posi t i on. Thus t he "l oss


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of a move" r esul t s al so f r om pl ayi ng a pi ece t o a gi ven squar e i nmor e moves t han necessar y.

I shal l now gi ve a f ew games showi ng t he f ar - r eachi ngconsequences of l osi ng moves. The f i r st one i s a t ypi cal t houghgl ari ng exampl e, whi ch i s very i nst r uct i ve and came t o my not i cesome t i me ago:

1. P- K4 P- K42. P- Q4 PxP3. QxP Kt - QB34. Q- K3 Kt - B35. P- KR3?

I wi l l not di scuss t he syst em of devel opment adopt ed by Whi t e i nhi s f i r st f our moves. The l ast move, however , can at once ber ecogni sed as f aul t y. I t i s t he l oss of a move such as occur s i nt he vast maj or i t y of games pl ayed by begi nners. I t wasunnecessary to pr event KKt - Kt 5, si nce t he Kni ght coul d not hol dt hat square permanent l y. I n any case B- K2 woul d have had t he sameef f ect , and devel oped a pi ece at t he same t i me.

5. . . . B- K26. P- QR3??

Thi s, of cour se, i s very bad. The consequences of t hi s l oss of asecond move are swi f t and deadl y.

6. . . . Cas t l es7. B- B4

At l ast a devel opi ng move.

7. . . . R- K18. Q- QKt 3

Anot her Queen' s move. The at t ack on the Bi shop' s Pawn may be ver yt empt i ng, but must necessar i l y be i ncor r ect - - and why? BecauseWhi t e i s much behi nd wi t h hi s devel opment . I t i s usel ess t oanal yse any ki nd of at t ack i n f ace of t hi s f act . The begi nnerf i nds i t har d t o get used t o t hi s way of t hi nki ng. He pr ef er s t ot r y to unr avel a l ong st r i ng of var i at i ons and combi nat i ons, i nwhi ch he wi l l most l y l ose hi s bear i ngs. Even str onger pl ayer sobst r uct t hei r own power s by r ef usi ng t o see the val ue of j udgi nga posi t i on on gener al mer i t s. They l ose val uabl e ti me i n t hi nki ngout endl ess var i at i ons, t o mai nt ai n posi t i ons whi ch coul d bepr oved val uel ess by gener al and l ogi cal deduct i ons.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | #R | | #B | #Q | #R | | #K | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

7 | #P | #P | #P | #P | #B | #P | #P | #P || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

6 | | | #Kt | | | #Kt | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

5 | | | | | | | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

4 | | | B | | P | | | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

3 | P | Q | | | | | | P || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

2 | | P | P | | | P | P | || - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |

1 | R | Kt | B | | K | | Kt | R |


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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 15

Then, as i n t he present posi t i on, r et r i but i on comes swi f t l y.

8. . . . P- Q4

Whi t e shoul d have consi dered t hi s move. I t was obvi ous, si nce t heopeni ng of t he K f i l e f or t he Rook i s most danger ous, f or t heWhi t e Ki ng.

9. BxP Kt xB

Bl ack coul d have pl ayed QxB at once.

10. QxKt QxQ11. PxQ B- Kt5 doubl e ch12. K- Q1 R- K8 mat e

A f ur t her exampl e i n whi ch the l oss of moves occurs, t hough notso gl ar i ngl y, i s t he f ol l owi ng f amous game, whi ch Morphy pl ayedagai nst t he Duke Kar l of Br unswi ck and Count I souard i n t he Royal

box at t he Par i s opera- house.

1. P- K4 P- K42. Kt - KB3 P- Q3

Accordi ng t o the pr i nci pl es set out above, Kt - QB3 woul d have beenbet t er , si nce t he text move shut s out t he Ki ng' s Bi shop.

3. P- Q4

Now t he Ki ng' s Pawn i s at t acked t wi ce. I t woul d be bad t o suppor ti t wi t h Kt - QB3, as Whi t e woul d exchange pawns and then Queens.Bl ack woul d t hus f or f ei t hi s chance of cast l i ng and l ose mucht i me i n br i ngi ng t he Ki ng i nt o saf et y and t he Rooks i nt o pl ay. P-KB3, of cour se, i s i mpossi bl e, as i t i s not a devel opi ng move,and moreover bl ocks t he nat ur al devel opment of t he Ki ng' s Kni ght .Protect i ng t he pawn wi t h t he Queen woul d al so bl ock ot her pi eces,and QKt - Q2 cannot be good, as i t bl ocks t he Queen' s Bi shop.

Si nce i t seems i mpossi bl e t o pr otect t he Ki ng' s Pawn, t he onl yal t er nat i ve woul d be t o exchange i t ; i ndeed i t i s on t he whol et he best cour se, al t hough i t al l ows a Whi t e pi ece t o t ake up adomi nati ng posi t i on i n t he cent r e. Wi shi ng t o avoi d t hi s, Bl ackpl ays

3. . . . B- Kt5

and, by pi nni ng t he opponent ' s Kni ght , i ndi r ect l y pr ot ect s t heKi ng' s Pawn. Thi s manoeuvre i s, however , i l l - advi sed, as Bl ack i sf orced t o exchange t he Bi shop f or t he Kni ght . The Bi shop wi l lhave moved t wi ce, t he Kni ght onl y once, t heref ore Whi t e wi l l havegai ned a move f or hi s devel opment .

4. PxP BxKt

Shoul d Bl ack pl ay PxP at once, Whi t e woul d exchange Queens,r el ease the pi n, and wi n t he pawn.

5. QxB PxP6. B- QB4


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Whi t e has now t wo pi eces more i n pl ay t han Bl ack, i nst ead of onl yone, and t he mobi l i t y of t he Whi t e Queen, whi ch Bl ack hi msel f hasbr ought out , begi ns t o have a t hr eat eni ng ef f ect on Bl ack' s game.

6. . . . Kt - KB37. Q- QKt3 Q- K2

Bl ack cannot cover hi s Ki ng' s Bi shop' s Pawn wi t h Q- Q2 because 8.QxP wi ns t he Rook, whi l st now Bl ack coul d pl ay 8. . . . Q- Kt 5ch i nr epl y, f orci ng t he exchange of Queens. The t ext move, whi ch i sf orced, bl ocks t he Bi shop, and at t he same t i me prevent s t hedevel opment of t he Ki ng' s Rook, al l of whi ch i s t he di r ectconsequence of t he l oss of one move.

8. Kt - B3

Whi t e r i ght l y di sdai ns t he gai n of t he Kni ght ' s Pawn, butprevent s t he exchange of Queens i n devel opi ng a pi ece. He pr ovest he super i or i t y of hi s posi t i on much more convi nci ngl y i n t hatway. Bl ack must now l ose yet another move to pr ot ect hi s Kni ght ' sPawn.

8. . . . P- B3

9. B- KKt 5 P- Kt 4

Bl ack must t r y t o devel op hi s Queen' s Kni ght at l ast . He cannotpl ay QKt - Q2 at once, si nce hi s Kni ght ' s Pawn woul d agai n beunpr otect ed; t her ef ore he pl ays t he move i n t he t ext , pr obabl yt hi nki ng t hat now Whi t e al so must l ose a move t o wi t hdraw hi sBi shop. But i n vi ew of t he f act t hat Bl ack' s game i s whol l yundevel oped, and t hat he pl ays pr act i cal l y sever al pi eces down,Whi t e sacr i f i ces hi s Kni ght f or t wo pawns: he f or esees t heposi t i on whi ch occur s a f ew moves l at er , when Bl ack i s hemmed i non al l s i des.

10. Kt xP PxKt11. BxKt Pch QKt - Q212. Cast l es QR R- Q1

Thi s i s t he onl y pi ece avai l abl e t o cover Q2, f or t he Ki ng' sKni ght i s pi nned. Whi t e has anot her pi ece i n r eser ve, hi s Ki ng' sRook, and agai nst t hi s Bl ack i s def encel ess.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | | | | #R | #K | #B | | #R |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | | | #Kt | #Q | #P | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | | | | | #Kt | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | B | | | #P | | B | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | | | P | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | Q | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | P | P | | | P | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | | | K | R | | | | R |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H


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Di ag. 16

13. RxKt

compar e Di ag. 12.

13. . . . RxR14. R- Q1 Q- K3

Thi s r el eases t he Ki ng' s Kni ght . Now Whi t e coul d wi n by pl ayi ngBxKt and BxRch, but he pr ef ers t o end up wi t h a magni f i centsacr i f i ce.

15. BxRch KtxB16. Q- Kt 8ch!! Kt xQ17. R- Q8 mat e

The f i nal posi t i on shows i n a st r i ki ng manner how a f ew wel l -devel oped pi eces can be wor t h mor e than many undevel oped ones,and t he whol e game i s an exampl e of t he f at al consequences whi chcan f ol l ow t he l oss of a move, si nce i t of t en l eads t o t hecompul sory l oss of f ur t her moves i n t he cour se of t he game.

"Thi s i s t he cur se of ever y evi l deed That pr opagat i ng st i l l i tbr i ngs fort h evi l . "

The l ogi cal sequence of t he moves i n t hi s game, as poi nt ed out i nt he comment ari es to i t , i s borne out by the cur i ous coi nci dencet hat I once had t he opport uni t y of pl ayi ng a game i n exact l y t hesame sequence of moves, agai nst a pl ayer t o whom Morphy' s"br i l l i ancy" was unknown.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The l eadi ng pr i nci pl e of al l openi ng moves i s made cl ear by t hef oregoi ng pages, namel y, r api d devel opment of pi eces, andconsequent l y t he avoi dance of t he l oss of a move i n any shape orf or m.

Bef or e t r eat i ng of t he var i ous systems of openi ngs, I wi l l say af ew words on t he pr i nci pl es of PAWN PLAY.

Each openi ng i s char act er i sed by a wel l - def i ned pawn f ormat i on,and concur r ent l y a cer t ai n method i n the devel opment of t hepi eces. Natural l y t he f or mat i on of a pawn skel et on i s not ani ndependent f act or , but must be evol ved wi t h a vi ew t of aci l i t at i ng the f avour abl e devel opment of pi eces. But whenconsi der i ng t he f or m of a pawn posi t i on and t hat of t he pi eces,we cannot shut our eyes t o the f act t hat pawn f ormat i on mustnecessar i l y be t he domi nant consi der at i on i n our mi nd. Pawn

f ormat i on i s of a more permanent char act er t han t hat of t hepi eces, i n consequence of t he l at t er ' s gr eater mobi l i t y. When wehave made a rash move wi t h a pi ece, t o whi ch our at t acki ngdi sposi t i on may have t empted us, we may st i l l have a chance ofr et r i evi ng t he posi t i on by t i mel y ret r eat . Once a pawn has movedi t cannot t ur n back, and onl y af t er t he gr eat est del i ber at i onshoul d we embar k on changes i n our pawn f ormat i on i n or der not t odi st ur b t he bal ance of t hi s "st at i c el ement " of t he game. But weshal l see that t he pawn skel eton whi ch was f ormed i n t he openi ngof t en weat hers t he st orm and st r ess of t he mi ddl e game, andf r equent l y pr eser ves i t s char act er r i ght up t o t he end- game. Iwi l l t her ef ore make pawn f ormat i on my st art i ng- poi nt i n anat t empt t o show t he way t hrough t he maze of t he openi ngs on t he


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basi s of gener al str at egi cal pr i nci pl es.

I f our pawn skel et on i s t o pr omot e t he f r eedom of al l t he pi eces,we must not bui l d i t up wi t h t he narr ow vi ew of devel opi ng mi norpi eces onl y, but must consi der f r omt he ver y f i r st i n whi ch wayi t wi l l enabl e the Rooks t o get i nt o act i on. We can uni t e theset endenci es i n maki ng the CENTRE OF THE BOARD t he mai n f i el d ofact i on f or al l our f or ces. Thi s means f or both si des K4 and Q4,and al so i n a l esser degr ee QB4 and KB4. We shal l get a cl eari nsi ght i nt o t he posi t i onal advant age of havi ng command of t hecent r e l ater on, when di scussi ng the mi ddl e game. At pr esent Iwi l l onl y t ouch t he subj ect i n a gener al way, expl ai ni ng i t i n anel ement ar y f or m, whi ch wi l l be suf f i ci ent t o devel op anunder st andi ng f or pawn st r ategy i n t he openi ng. I n t he cour se off ur t her deducti ons, af t er t he gr asp of t hi s di f f i cul t st age oft he game has become st r onger , I wi l l go i nt o det ai l s whi ch wi l lal l ow t he subj ect t o be st ated i n a more pr eci se f orm.

Pl aci ng t he pi eces i n t he cent r e i s of val ue, because ther e t heyhave more mobi l i t y t han near t he edge, whi ch, of cour se, l i mi t st hei r r ange of act i on, and al so because f r om t he cent r e aconcent r at i on of f orces on a gi ven poi nt can general l y beef f ect ed i n t he qui ckest way.

I n most cases t wo cent r e squares become i naccessi bl e at once,t hr ough t he opponent pl aci ng one of hi s pawns i n t he cent r e;t heref ore i t woul d seem a good pl an t o l ur e that pawn away, andt hi s i s r ender ed f easi bl e by pl ayi ng P- K4 or P- QB4 when t heopponent has a pawn on hi s Q4, and P- Q4 or P- KB4 when he has apawn on K4. I n the f ol l owi ng we wi l l consi der such manoeuvres ascoul d appl y ei t her t o Whi t e or Bl ack, f r om t he poi nt of vi ew ofWhi t e, t o whom t he i ni t i at i ve i s, as poi nt ed out above, a sor t ofbi r t h- r i ght . Nat ur al l y, shoul d Whi t e l ose a move, as, f ori nst ance, 1. P- K4, P- K4; 2. Kt - KB3, Kt - QB3; 3. P- QR3? t heposi t i on i s r ever sed, and Bl ack i s bound t o obt ai n t he i ni t i at i vewhi ch i s Whi t e' s bi r t hr i ght .

The pawn moves ment i oned above al so have t he t endency of gi vi ngt he Rooks an opport uni t y f or act i on. A Rook st andi ng behi nd anadvanced pawn may support i t s f ur t her advance, or , i f t he pawnshoul d be exchanged, mi ght get an open f i l e.

The damage we wi sh t o i nf l i ct on our opponent we must , of cour se,t r y to avoi d our sel ves. Thus we wi l l not easi l y gi ve up a cent r epawn unl ess we can obt ai n some ot her advant age i n doi ng so. Thi sadvant age may be, t hat i n exchangi ng t he cent r e pawn we open upl i nes of att ack f or our pi eces, or t hat we are abl e t o pl ace oneof our pi eces i n a commandi ng posi t i on i n the cent r e of t heboar d.

The f ol l owi ng exampl e may ser ve as an i l l ust r at i on. Supposi ng

Whi t e pl ays af t er

1. P- Q4 P- Q42. P- QB4

Hi s ai m i s t o t empt Bl ack' s cent r e pawn away and t o make hi s QB4and K4 accessi bl e f or hi s own f or ces. Bl ack mi ght be j ust i f i ed i nt aki ng t he pawn, i f he r eal l y coul d hol d t he pawn t hus gai ned. Weshal l show l at er on t hat t hi s i s not so, and t hat Whi t e can wi ni t back easi l y and advant ageousl y. Ther ef ore Bl ack i s morel i kel y t o pl ay 2. P- K3. Not 2. . . . Kt - KB3; f or af t er 3. PxP,KtxP; 4. P- K4 woul d open Whi t e' s game and dr i ve the Kni ght awayat once, gai ni ng a move. Supposi ng, however , Bl ack pl ays 2. . . .


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B- B4; shoul d Whi t e now t hi nk mechani cal l y, " I wi l l t ake hi scent r e pawn and consequent l y have t he bet t er game, " hi s deduct i onwoul d be wr ong. For af t er exchangi ng hi s Bi shop f or t he Kni ght ,whi ch ot herwi se woul d dr i ve hi s Queen away, Bl ack br i ngs t hel at t er i nt o a domi nati ng squar e i n t he cent r e.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 | #R | #Kt | | #Q | #K | #B | #Kt | #R |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |7 | #P | #P | #P | | #P | #P | #P | #P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |6 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |5 | | | | #P | | #B | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |4 | | | P | P | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |3 | | | | | | | | |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |2 | P | P | | | P | P | P | P |

| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |1 | R | Kt | B | Q | K | B | Kt | R |

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A B C D E F G H

Di ag. 17.

3. PxP BxKt4. RxB QxP

Bl ack' s Queen cannot easi l y be dr i ven away f r om her commandi ngposi t i on, part i cul ar l y as Whi t e must l ose a move t o save hi s QRP.Meanwhi l e Bl ack gai ns t i me f or concent r at i ng hi s f orces f or anat t ack whi ch wi ns t he Queen' s Pawn.

5. P- QKt 3 Kt - QB36. P- K3 Cast l es QR7. Kt - B3 P- K4

and wi ns t he QP, or

5. P- QR3 Kt - QB36. P- K3 Cast l es QR

and P- K4 i s agai n a thr eat hard f or whi t e t o meet .

Thi s posi t i on shows, t hat t o br i ng one' s opponent ' s cent r e pawnaway and t o keep one' s own, does not under al l ci r cumst ances meant he command of t he cent r e, but t hat t he openi ng up of f i l es anddi agonal s f or one' s pi eces t owards t he cent r e i s an i mport ant

moment i n t he f i ght f or posi t i onal advant age.

Consi der at i ons of t hi s ki nd wi l l hel p t o i mpr ove our j udgment i nmany of t he var i ous openi ngs t r eated i n t he f ol l owi ng pages.

We wi l l cl ass t he openi ngs i n thi s way:

A. Whi t e 1. P- K4.

( a) Bl ack 1. P- K4( b) Bl ack 1. Any ot her move

B. Whi t e 1. P- Q4.


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( a) Bl ack 1. P- Q4( b) Bl ack 1. Any ot her move

C. Whi t e 1. Any ot her move

We shal l f i nd t hat openi ngs cl assed under C gener al l y l ead t oposi t i ons t r eated under A and B.

A. We have al r eady come to the concl usi on t hat af t er 1. P- K4, P-K4 Whi t e does wel l t o t r y t o f orce t he exchange of Bl ack' s cent r epawn on Q4 or KB4, and t hat Bl ack wi l l t r y t o count er act t hi s,unl ess by al l owi ng the exchange he gets a chance of exert i ngpr essure i n t he cent r e by means of hi s pi eces.

We wi l l f i r st see what happens when Whi t e undert akes t he advancei n quest i on on hi s second move. Super f i ci al l y the di f f er encebet ween 2. PQ4 and 2. P- KB4 i s t hat i n t he f i r st case t he pawnt hus advanced i s cover ed, whi l e i n t he second i t i s not . Anopeni ng i n whi ch a pawn sacri f i ce i s of f er ed, i s cal l ed a"gambi t "; 2. P- KB4 i s t her ef or e a gambi t .

2. P- Q4 i s onl y a gambi t i f af t er 2. . . . PxP Whi t e does notr ecapt ur e t he pawn. Nevert hel ess t hi s openi ng has been cal l ed t he

"cent r e gambi t , " and t hough t he denomi nat i on i s not cor r ect wewi l l adher e t o i t , as i t i s i n gener al use.

A ver y consi derabl e di f f erence between the cent r e gambi t and theKi ng' s gambi t l i es i n t he f act t hat i n t he f or mer accept ance i scompul sory, whi l st i n t he second i t may be decl i ned.

For : 2. P- Q4 t hr eatens t o take t he Ki ng' s Pawn. To def end i t bymeans of 2. . . . P- Q3 i s unwi se, si nce Whi t e exchanges pawns andt hen Queens, by whi ch Bl ack l oses hi s chance of cast l i ng andi mpedes t he devel opment of hi s Rooks. 2. . . . Kt - QB3 i s al so bad,si nce af t er 3. PxP, Kt xP; 4 P- KB4, Whi t e dr i ves t he Kni ght away,gai ni ng a st r ong hol d on t he cent r e, and Bl ack has nocompensat i on f or gi vi ng up hi s cent r e pawn. I t may be ment i onedher e t hat af t er 2. . . . Kt - QB3, 3. P- Q5 woul d be a usel ess move,as t o begi n wi t h i t woul d be i nconsequent , si nce P- Q4 was pl ayedi n order t o cl ear t he cent r e, and moreover i t woul d bl ock up adi agonal whi ch coul d be most usef ul t o the Ki ng' s Bi shop.

We concl ude now t hat Bl ack cannot hol d hi s pawn at K4. He mustr el i nqui sh t he cent r e by 2. . . . PxP. He wi l l now ei t her at t emptt o br i ng away Whi t e' s Ki ng' s Pawn by advanci ng hi s own QP t o Q4,or t r y to ut i l i se t he Ki ng' s f i l e, whi ch was opened by hi s secondmove, and operat e agai nst Whi t e' s KP. The Rooks are i ndi cat ed f ort hi s t ask. We shal l r ef er t o t he execut i on of t hese pl ans l at eron.

I n t he Ki ng' s gambi t , Whi t e' s at t empt t o br i ng away Bl ack' sKi ng' s Pawn may be saf el y i gnored.

The move 2. P- KB4 does not t hreat en t o t ake t he Ki ng' s Pawn, asBl ack woul d wi n Whi t e' s KP by Q- R5ch. Bl ack can theref ore devel opi n secur i t y wi t h 2. . . . B- B4, and i f t hen Whi t e pr event s t he Qcheck by Kt - KB3, t her e i s no obj ect i on t o Bl ack pr ot ect i ng hi sKi ng' s Pawn wi t h P- Q3, as the Ki ng' s Bi shop i s al r eady devel oped.Af t er 4. B- B4, Bl ack has st i l l no need t o pr ot ect hi s KP wi t h Kt -QB3, but can pl ay Kt - KB3 f i r st , because af t er 5. PxP, PxP; 6.Kt xP woul d be answered by 6. . . . Q- Q5 wi nni ng a pi ece. Bl ackkeeps t he upper hand i n t hese ear l y encounters because he hasmade a devel opi ng move wi t h a pi ece, whi l st Whi t e has pl ayed a


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pawn move whi ch i s usel ess f or t he pur pose of devel opment .

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Di ag. 18.

Di agr am18 shows t he posi t i on whi ch r esul t s f r om t he f ol l owi ngpl ausi bl e moves:

2. P- KB4 B- B43. Kt - KB3 P- Q34. B- B4 Kt - KB35. P- Q3 Kt - B36. Kt - B3 B- KKt 5

I f Whi t e wi shes t o cast l e on t he K si de, whi ch must have been hi si nt ent i on when pl ayi ng 2. P- KB4, he wi l l have to pl ay Kt - QR4 andKt xB.

Though t hi s i s of no di sadvant age t o Bl ack, he coul d avoi d t heexchange of hi s KB by pl ayi ng 2. . . . P- QR3 i nst ead of B- KKt 5. I ft hen Whi t e pl ays P- B5 i n order t o hi nder t he devel opment ofBl ack' s QB and to br i ng out hi s own, t he pr essur e on Bl ack' s KPi s r el i eved per manent l y, and sooner or l at er Bl ack wi l l br eakt hr ough on t he Q f i l e, as hi s QP i s no l onger needed at Q3 f ort he suppor t of t he cent r e pawn.

A di f f er ent pawn f or mat i on i s t he r esul t i f Whi t e enf orces theexchange of Bl ack' s cent r e pawn at once. Thi s he can do bypl ayi ng P- Q4, e. g. :

2. P- KB4 B- B4 or 4. P- B3 Kt - KB3

3. Kt - KB3 P- Q3 5. P- Q4 PxQP4. P- Q4 PxQP 6. PxP B- Kt 35. Kt xP

Here Bl ack can get an ear l y advant age by at t acki ng Whi t e' s KP,t aki ng possessi on of t he K f i l e af t er cast l i ng on t he K si de.

Al l t hi ngs consi der ed, t he student shoul d i n my opi ni on decl i net he gambi t , as i n doi ng so he can get an easy and sat i sf actorydevel opment . The t r eat ment of t he "Ki ng' s Gambi t accepted, " whi chai ms at hol di ng t he gambi t pawn, i s most di f f i cul t and l eadsear l y i n t he game t o such compl i cat i ons as none but an exper t canhope t o mast er.


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[ Footnote: As an exampl e of t he di f f i cul t pl ay whi ch ensues whenBl ack def ends t he pawn i n t he Ki ng' s Gambi t , I gi ve t he l atestvar i at i on of an at t ack i nt r oduced by Pr of essor I . L. Ri ce, andcal l ed t he "Ri ce Gambi t ":

1. P- K4, P- K4; 2. P- KB4, PxP; 3. Kt - KB3, P- KKt 4; 4. P- KR4, P- Kt 5;5. Kt - K5, Kt - KB3; 6. B- B4, P- Q4; 7. PxP, B- Q3; 8. Cast l es! BxKt ;9. R- K1, Q- K2; 10. P- B3, Kt - R4; 11. P- Q4, Kt - Q2; 12. PxB, Kt xP;13. P- QKt 3, Cast l es; 14. B- R3, Kt - B6ch! ; 15. PxKt , QxP; 16. R- K5!B- B4! ! ; 17. Kt - Q2! Q- Kt 6ch; 18. K- B1, Q- R7; 19. BxR, P- Kt 6; 20.B- B5, P- Kt 7ch; 21. K- K1, Q- R5ch; 22. K- K2, Kt - Kt 6ch; 23. K- B2,Kt - K5ch; 24. KxP, B- R6ch; 25. K- R1, K- R1; 26. Kt xKt , R- KKt 1; 27.R- Kt 5, wi t h i nt erest i ng possi bi l i t i es .

Number l ess i nt er est i ng var i at i ons ar e possi bl e, but t hei rdi scussi on does not l i e wi t hi n t he scope of t hi s wor k. They wi l lbe f ound i n books t r eat i ng of t he anal ysi s of t he openi ngs. ]

I t i s t her ef or e unwi se f or t he begi nner t o accept t he gambi t ,unl ess t here be a chance of compensat i on f or t he di sappear ance ofhi s cent r e pawn, by f orci ng t he exchange of Whi t e' s cent r e pawnas wel l . The f ol l owi ng l i ne of pl ay woul d f ul f i l t hi s condi t i on:

1. P- K4, P- K4; 2. P- KB4, PxP; 3. Kt - KB3, Kt - KB3; 4. Kt - B3, P- Q4!Bl ack t her eby abandons t he gambi t pawn.

On pr i nci pl e, and when he has t he choi ce, t he begi nner shoul dgi ve pref erence t o si mpl e and cl ear devel opment i n t he openi ng,r at her t han t o the gai n of a pawn, when t hi s i nvol ves di f f i cul tand i nt r i cat e pl ay. Thi s pr i nci pl e must al so gui de us i n ot heropeni ngs.

A good exampl e i s t o be f ound i n t he so- cal l ed "Dani sh gambi t , "[ Footnot e: The names of t he var i ous openi ngs, whi ch I ment i on f ort he sake of compl et eness, are general l y der i ved f r omt owns orcount r i es i n whi ch t hey wer e f i r st extensi vel y pl ayed andanal ysed. ] whi ch wi l l l ead us back t o those openi ngs i n whi chWhi t e pl ays P- Q4 on hi s second move. Af t er 2. P- Q4, PxP, Whi t ehas t he opt i on of sacr i f i ci ng two pawns t o obt ai n a ver y r api ddevel opment 3. P- QB3, PxP; 4. B- QB4, PxP; 5. QBxP. I t may now bej ust possi bl e f or Bl ack t o avoi d t he many t hreat s whi ch Whi t e canbr i ng t o bear wi t h hi s beaut i f ul l y pl aced f orces, per haps bygi vi ng back one or both of t he pawns gai ned. But t hi s quest i oncan onl y be of i nt er est t o us i f t her e i s no oppor t uni t y ofadopt i ng a si mpl e l i ne of devel opment at t he out set . As i t i s,t hi s oppor t uni t y i s not want i ng. Al l t hat Bl ack needs t o do i s t opush on hi s Queen' s Pawn as soon as possi bl e, t hus f r eei ng hi sown Queen' s Bi shop.

2. P- Q4 PxP

3. P- QB3 P- Q4

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