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

4. RxB QxP

Black’s Queen cannot easily be driven away from her commanding position, particularly as White must lose a move to save his QRP. Meanwhile Black gains time for concentrating his forces for an attack which wins the Queen’s Pawn.

5. P-QKt3 Kt-QB3

6. P-K3 Castles QR

7. Kt-B3 P-K4

and wins the QP, or

5. P-QR3 Kt-QB3

6. P-K3 Castles QR

and P-K4 is again a threat hard for white to meet.

This position shows, that to bring one’s opponent’s centre pawn away and to keep one’s own, does not under all circumstances mean the command of the centre, but that the opening up of files and diagonals for one’s pieces towards the centre is an important moment in the fight for positional advantage.

Considerations of this kind will help to improve our judgment in many of the various openings treated in the following pages.

We will class the openings in this way:

A. White 1. P-K4.

(a) Black 1. P-K4

(b) Black 1. Any other move

B. White 1. P-Q4.

(a) Black 1. P-Q4

(b) Black 1. Any other move

C. White 1. Any other move

We shall find that openings classed under C generally lead to positions treated under A and B.

A. We have already come to the conclusion that after 1. P-K4, P-K4 White does well to try to force the exchange of Black’s centre pawn on Q4 or KB4, and that Black will try to counteract this, unless by allowing the exchange he gets a chance of exerting pressure in the centre by means of his pieces.

We will first see what happens when White undertakes the advance in question on his second move. Superficially the difference between 2. PQ4 and 2. P-KB4 is that in the first case the pawn thus advanced is covered, while in the second it is not. An opening in which a pawn sacrifice is offered, is called a “gambit”; 2. P-KB4 is therefore a gambit.

2. P-Q4 is only a gambit if after 2. … PxP White does not recapture the pawn. Nevertheless this opening has been called the “centre gambit,” and though the denomination is not correct we will adhere to it, as it is in general use.

A very considerable difference between the centre gambit and the King’s gambit lies in the fact that in the former acceptance is compulsory, whilst in the second it may be declined.

For: 2. P-Q4 threatens to take the King’s Pawn. To defend it by means of 2. … P-Q3 is unwise, since White exchanges pawns and then Queens, by which Black loses his chance of castling and impedes the development of his Rooks. 2. … Kt-QB3 is also bad, since after 3. PxP, KtxP; 4 P-KB4, White drives the Knight away, gaining a strong hold on the centre, and Black has no compensation for giving up his centre pawn. It may be mentioned here that after 2. … Kt-QB3, 3. P-Q5 would be a useless move, as to begin with it would be inconsequent, since P-Q4 was played in order to clear the centre, and moreover it would block up a diagonal which could be most useful to the King’s Bishop.

We conclude now that Black cannot hold his pawn at K4. He must relinquish the centre by 2. … PxP. He will now either attempt to bring away White’s King’s Pawn by advancing his own QP to Q4, or try to utilise the King’s file, which was opened by his second move, and operate against White’s KP. The Rooks are indicated for this task. We shall refer to the execution of these plans later on.

In the King’s gambit, White’s attempt to bring away Black’s King’s Pawn may be safely ignored.

The move 2. P-KB4 does not threaten to take the King’s Pawn, as Black would win White’s KP by Q-R5ch. Black can therefore develop in security with 2. … B-B4, and if then White prevents the Q check by Kt-KB3, there is no objection to Black protecting his King’s Pawn with P-Q3, as the King’s Bishop is already developed. After 4. B-B4, Black has still no need to protect his KP with Kt-QB3, but can play Kt-KB3 first, because after 5. PxP, PxP; 6. KtxP would be answered by 6. … Q-Q5 winning a piece. Black keeps the upper hand in these early encounters because he has made a developing move with a piece, whilst White has played a pawn move which is useless for the purpose of development.

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8 | #R | | | #Q | #K | | | #R |

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

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

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

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4 | | | ^B | | ^P | ^P | #B | |

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3 | | | ^Kt| ^P | | ^Kt| | |

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2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | | | | ^P | ^P |

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1 | ^R | | ^B | ^Q | ^K | | | ^R |

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A B C D E F G H

Diag. 18.

Diagram 18 shows the position which results from the following plausible moves:

2. P-KB4 B-B4

3. Kt-KB3 P-Q3

4. B-B4 Kt-KB3

5. P-Q3 Kt-B3

6. Kt-B3 B-KKt5

If White wishes to castle on the K side, which must have been his intention when playing 2. P-KB4, he will have to play Kt-QR4 and KtxB.

Though this is of no disadvantage to Black, he could avoid the exchange of his KB by playing 2. … P-QR3 instead of B-KKt5. If then White plays P-B5 in order to hinder the development of Black’s QB and to bring out his own, the pressure on Black’s KP is relieved permanently, and sooner or later Black will break through on the Q file, as his QP is no longer needed at Q3 for the support of the centre pawn.

A different pawn formation is the result if White enforces the exchange of Black’s centre pawn at once. This he can do by playing P-Q4, e.g.:

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

3. Kt-KB3 P-Q3 5. P-Q4 PxQP

4. P-Q4 PxQP 6. PxP B-Kt3

5. KtxP

Here Black can get an early advantage by attacking White’s KP, taking possession of the K file after castling on the K side.

All things considered, the student should in my opinion decline the gambit, as in doing so he can get an easy and satisfactory development. The treatment of the “King’s Gambit accepted,” which aims at holding the gambit pawn, is most difficult and leads early in the game to such complications as none but an expert can hope to master.

[Footnote: As an example of the difficult play which ensues when Black defends the pawn in the King’s Gambit, I give the latest variation of an attack introduced by Professor I. L. Rice, and called the “Rice Gambit”:

1. P-K4, P-K4; 2. P-KB4, PxP; 3. Kt-KB3, P-KKt4; 4. P-KR4, P-Kt5; 5. Kt-K5, Kt-KB3; 6. B-B4, P-Q4; 7. PxP, B-Q3; 8. Castles! BxKt; 9. R-K1, Q-K2; 10. P-B3, Kt-R4; 11. P-Q4, Kt-Q2; 12. PxB, KtxP; 13. P-QKt3, Castles; 14. B-R3, Kt-B6ch!; 15. PxKt, QxP; 16. R-K5! B-B4!!; 17. Kt-Q2! Q-Kt6ch; 18. K-B1, Q-R7; 19. BxR, P-Kt6; 20. B-B5, P-Kt7ch; 21. K-K1, Q-R5ch; 22. K-K2, Kt-Kt6ch; 23. K-B2, Kt-K5ch; 24. KxP, B-R6ch; 25. K-R1, K-R1; 26. KtxKt, R-KKt1; 27. R-Kt5, with interesting possibilities.

Numberless interesting variations are possible, but their discussion does not lie within the scope of this work. They will be found in books treating of the analysis of the openings.]

It is therefore unwise for the beginner to accept the gambit, unless there be a chance of compensation for the disappearance of his centre pawn, by forcing the exchange of White’s centre pawn as well. The following line of play would fulfil this condition:

1. P-K4, P-K4; 2. P-KB4, PxP; 3. Kt-KB3, Kt-KB3; 4. Kt-B3, P-Q4! Black thereby abandons the gambit pawn.

On principle, and when he has the choice, the beginner should give preference to simple and clear development in the opening, rather than to the gain of a pawn, when this involves difficult and intricate play. This principle must also guide us in other openings.

A good example is to be found in the so-called “Danish gambit,” [Footnote: The names of the various openings, which I mention for the sake of completeness, are generally derived from towns or countries in which they were first extensively played and analysed.] which will lead us back to those openings in which White plays P-Q4 on his second move. After 2. P-Q4, PxP, White has the option of sacrificing two pawns to obtain a very rapid development 3. P-QB3, PxP; 4. B-QB4, PxP; 5. QBxP. It may now be just possible for Black to avoid the many threats which White can bring to bear with his beautifully placed forces, perhaps by giving back one or both of the pawns gained. But this question can only be of interest to us if there is no opportunity of adopting a simple line of development at the outset. As it is, this opportunity is not wanting. All that Black needs to do is to push on his Queen’s Pawn as soon as possible, thus freeing his own Queen’s Bishop.

2. P-Q4 PxP

3. P-QB3 P-Q4

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

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

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6 | | | | | | | | |

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

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4 | | | | #P | ^P | | | |

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3 | | | ^P | | | | | |

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2 | ^P | ^P | | | | ^P | ^P | ^P |

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1 | ^R | ^Kt| ^B | ^Q | ^K | ^B | ^Kt| ^R |

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A B C D E F G H

Diagram 19.

After 4. KPxP, QxP, Black’s position is at least as easy of development as White’s. In the position set out in Diagram 19, White cannot play P-K5, because Black wins a pawn by PxP without hindering his own development in the least. The equalising power of Black’s P-Q4 in all KP openings where White has played P-Q4 can be noticed in many variations. I shall now give a few typical examples, which will show the line of play that can be adopted in many similar cases, and which can often be evolved one from the other by altering the order of the moves.

I. CENTRE GAMBIT

2. P-Q4 PxP

3. QxP Kt-QB3

4. Q-K3 Kt-B3

5. Kt-QB3 B-K2

6. B-Q2 P-Q4!

II. KING’S BISHOP’S OPENING

2. P-Q4 PxP

3. B-QB4 Kt-KB3

4. P-K5 P-Q4!

III. SCOTCH GAMBIT

2. Kt-KB3 Kt-QB3

3. P-Q4 PxP

4. B-B4 Kt-B3 4. P-B3 P-Q4!

5. P-K5 P-Q4!

IV. SCOTCH GAME

2. Kt-KB3 Kt-QB3

3. P-Q4 PxP

4. KtxP Kt-B3

5. Kt-QB3 B-Kt5

6. KtxKt KtPxKt

7. B-Q3 P-Q4!

In no case should Black forfeit his chance of playing P-Q4. It is tempting after 2. P-Q4, PxP; 3. Kt-KB3 to cover the pawn at Q5 by P-QB4, but in that case White would sacrifice a pawn by P-QB3, by this means opening the Queen’s file for himself, and so preventing Black from ever playing P-Q4. Thus, for the loss of a pawn, White has a paramount advantage in position.

For after 4. … PxP, 5. KtxP (Diagram 20) White has developed both Knights, and his Bishops are free, whilst Black has none of