Chess Strategy by Edward Lasker (inspirational novels .TXT) 📕

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A B C D E F G H

Diag. 138.

11. … Kt-K1

Intending to intercept the diagonal of the White KB by P-KB4. If Black plays P-KKt3 with the same intention, White plays P-KR4-5 and PxP, and brings the Rook into play.

12. Q-R3 P-KB4

P-KR3 would lead to an immediate disaster: 13. BxP, PxB; 14. QxRP, P-KB4; 15. P-KKt4. The move in the text avoids the immediate attack on the King, but the King’s Pawn is now “backward,” and White immediately fastens on this weakness.

13. BxB QxB

14. Castles KR R-B3

15. KR-K1 Kt-Q3

16. R-K2 B-Q2

17. QR-K1 R-K1

18. P-QB4 Kt-B2

19. P-Q5 KtxKt

20. RxKt P-KKt3

21. BxP was threatened.

21. Q-R4 K-Kt2

22. Q-Q4 P-B4

23. Q-B3 P-Kt3

24. PxP B-B1

25. B-K2

The Bishop now settles at Q5, and whether Black takes the pawn or not, he is paralysed either by the pawn itself, or the pin of the Bishop if the pawn is taken.

25. … BxP

26. B-B3 K-B2

27. B-Q5 Q-Q3

28. Q-K3 R-K2

29. Q-R6 K-Kt1

30. P-KR4

The deciding manoeuvre, tearing up the chain of pawns in front of the K.

30. … P-QR3

31. P-R5 P-B5

32. PxP PxP

33. RxB Resigns.

After RxR, 34. RxR, RxR; 35. QxPch wins a piece. A beautifully concise game.

GAME NO. 27

White: Niemzowitsch. Black: Tarrasch. French Defence.

1. P-K4 P-QB4

This opening is called the Sicilian Defence. White, however, adopts a continuation which leads into a variation of the French Defence.

2. P-QB3 P-K3

3. P-Q4 P-Q4

4. P-K5 Kt-QB3

5. Kt-B3 Q-Kt3

6. B-Q3 PxP

Black seeks to demonstrate that White’s QP is weak. The present game, however, seems to prove that White is able to guard it adequately, thus permanently supporting the KP too. It would therefore appear to be better to attack the KP itself, and to play P-B3 on the fifth move. Now B-Q2 would be better than the text move. As White cannot give further support to his Q4, he would have to play PxP, and the protection of the K5 would have to be undertaken by pieces, which is not desirable.

7. PxP B-Q2

Not KtxP, 8. KtxKt, QxKt, because of B-Kt5ch.

8. B-K2

The B cannot go to B2 on account of Kt-Kt5 and B-Kt4.

8. … KKt-K2

9. P-QKt3 Kt-B4

10. B-Kt2

Now White’s centre is safe from further attacks. True, White has forfeited castling, but as he dominates the King’s side, where Black cannot undertake anything, there is no harm in P-Kt3, preparatory to “artificial castling.”

10. … B-Kt5ch

11. K-B1 B-K2

Directed against 12. P-Kt4, driving off the Kt. Now Kt-R5 would follow.

12. P-Kt3 P-QR4

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A B C D E F G H

Diag. 139

This manoeuvre is unwise; White counters with 13. P-QR4, a move which was necessary in any case, in order to develop the QKt via R3, this being the Knight’s only chance of getting into play, because, as long as the QP is attacked three times the lines of B and Q must not be interrupted. That is a weakness in White’s game, and it was necessary for Black to prevent his Kt being driven off by P-KKt4. P-KR4 was the correct move. Then White also had to play P-KR4 to prevent P-KKt4-5, in which case Black could have played l3. … P-KKt3, and have brought his Rooks into concerted action. P-KKt3 would have been necessary before castling, because White’s B-Q3 would have attacked the KKt. The latter could not then capture the Queen’s Pawn on account of a discovered check, e.g. l2. … Castles; 13 B-Q3, KtxP?; 14 KtxKt, KtxKt; 15 BxKt, QxB?; 16 B-R7ch, and QxQ.

In Diagram 139 Black’s P-QR4 is not only a lost move, but moreover allows a White piece to settle permanently at QKt5. It also prevents the Knight from playing to QR4, from where White’s P-QR4 could be answered by Kt-Kt6 eventually.

13. P-QR4 R-QB1

14. B-Kt5 Kt-Kt5

All these skirmishes only result in the exchange of pieces, and as long as Black’s KRis out of play this can only be of advantage to White.

15. Kt-B3 Kt-QR3

This is in order to drive off the B. Black should have exchanged his own inactive QB, as the White B might become effective on the Diagonal QKt1-KR7, whilst Black’s QB has no future.

16. K-Kt2 Kt-B2

17. B-K2 B-Kt5

Black cannot yet castle, because of 18. B-Q3 Kt-KR3, 19. B-QB1).

18. Kt-R2 Kt-QR3

19. B-Q3 Kt-K2

20. R-QB1 Kt-B3

21. KtxB QKtxKt

22. B-Kt1

White’s last eight moves completed his development, and his Bishops lie in wait for the attack on the Black King. Meanwhile Black has effected nothing. On the contrary, he

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A B C D E F G H

Diag. 140

has exchanged his valuable KB, and also allowed his KKt to be driven off. His King’s side is bare, and castling would be fraught with danger. If Black castles now, White plays Kt-Kt5, and Black must weaken his position by P-R3 or P-Kt3, and White would advance his KtP or RP and force an exchange, opening a file for his Rook. In consequence Black decides to forfeit castling and to bring his KR to bear on the KB file. For this also Black must first play P-R3, and White obtains an open file by P-Kt4- Kt5. The sequel is shown here.

22. … P-R3

23. P-Kt4 Kt-K2

24. RxRch BxR

25. Kt-K1

White waits first, to see whether Black is going to castle, and meanwhile tries to exchange Black’s QKt, which commands his QB2 and Q3.

25. … R-B1

26. Kt-Q3 P-B3

27. KtxKt QxKt

28. PxP RxP

29. B-B1 Kt-B3

30. P-Kt5 PxP

31. BxP R-B1

32. B-K3 Q-K2

33. Q-Kt4

This provides against Black attempting to free his Bishop by P-K4. Black’s B-Q2 is countered by B-Kt6ch. White new wins surprisingly quickly, through the greater mobility of his pieces.

33. … Q-B3

34. R-Kt1 R-R1

35. K-R1 R-R5

Here Black could have held out a little longer by defending his KtP: 35. … K-B1; 36. R-Kt3, R-R5; 37. Q-Q1, K-Kt1; 38. B-Kt5, QxP (RxP, 39. Q-R5); 39. R-Q3, QxP; 40. BxR, QxB.

36. Q-Kt3 RxP

Compulsory. B-Kt5 was threatened, and after R-R1, QxP, QxQ, RxQ, the RP wins easily.

37. BxR KtxB

38. QxP Q-B6ch

39. Q-Kt2 QxQch

40. RxQ KtxP

41. P-R4 Resigns.

GAME No. 28

White: Alapin. Black: Rubinstein.

Sicilian Defence.

1. P-K4 P-QB4

At first glance this move would seem to lose time, as it does nothing towards the main object of opening strategy, namely, the development of pieces. But we shall find that it does contribute to that aim, although indirectly. For one thing it could, by a transposition of moves, lead into an opening in which P-QB4 is played in any case; in other openings it is of use, in that it acts from the first against the formation of a strong white centre. Concurrently it prepares the opening of a file for the Rooks.

2. Kt-KB3 Kt-KB3?

Black should not play Kt-KB3 as long as White’s P-K5 means the clear gain of a move. There are plenty of developing moves to choose from.

Two systems of development can be followed by Black according to whether the KB is to develop at K2 or Kt2. In the first case (compare Game No. 29) P-K3 is played. In the second case, the opening might take this course: 2. … Kt-QB3; 3. P-Q4, PxP; 4. KtxP, Kt-B3; 5. Kt-QB3, P-Q3 (not P-KKt3 at once, because White would exchange Knights and drive off the KKt by P-K5); 6. B-K3, P-KKt3, and B-Kt2. White’s position is superior, as he has a pawn in the centre in conjunction with greater mobility. Black will find it difficult to bring his QB into play. Nevertheless his position is compact and difficult to get at.

3. P-K5

Undoubtedly Rubinstein had taken this move into account when playing 2. … Kt-KB3. His idea was to provoke the advance of the KP. The pawn at K5 is weaker than at K4, particularly as Black’s QBP prevents its natural support by P-Q4. Moreover Black’s Q4 is free from interference by White. White refutes this ultra subtilty by simple and straight-forward play, and he gets such an advantage in development that his attack succeeds before Black is able to demonstrate any weakness in White’s game.

3. … Kt-Q4

4. Kt-B3 KtxKt

5. QPxKt Kt-B3

6. B-QB4 P-Q3

After 6 … P-K3, 7. B-B4 would restrain the QP.

7. B-B4 PxP

At this early stage Black has no satisfactory means of development. The QP is attacked three times, and therefore the KP cannot move, nor can the KB be developed at Kt2. B-Kt5, in order to play BxKt and PxP, is refuted by BxPch. The move in the text which brings about the exchange of Queens, but develops another White piece at the same time, is more or less forced. It is instructive to watch how White’s advantage in development soon materialises.

8. KtxP QxQch

9. RxQ KtxKt

10. BxKt P-QR3

White’s threat of B-Kt5ch could not be parried by B-Q2 because of 11. BxPch.

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