Chess

Chess
PDF generated using the open source mwlib toolkit. See http://code.pediapress.com/ for more information. PDF generated at: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 16:03:41 UTC
Contents
Articles
Chess Chess Strategy Chess Strategy/Development Chess Strategy/Mobility Chess Strategy/The center Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings Chess Strategy/Weak and strong squares Chess Strategy/Pawn structure Chess Strategy/Queenside pawn majority Chess Strategy/Open lines Chess Strategy/Minor pieces 1 2 3 6 9 13 17 20 26 29 34
References
Article Sources and Contributors Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 42 43
Article Licenses
License 44
Chess
Chess
Welcome
Chess is an ancient strategy game that originated in India. It is played by two individuals on an 88 grid. The objective is to maneuver one's pieces so as to trap the opposing king in "checkmate". This book will cover the basic pieces of chess, before going on to some more advanced topics. The history of chess began in India during the Gupta Empire where its early form in the 6th century was known as chaturanga, which translates as "four divisions of the military" infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariotry, represented by the pieces that would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively. In Sassanid Persia around 600 the name became shatranj and the rules were developed further. Shatranj was taken Some chess pieces: (from left to right) a white king, a up by the Muslim world after the Islamic conquest of Persia, with black rook, a black queen, a white pawn, a black the pieces largely retaining their Persian names. In Spanish knight, and a white bishop "shatranj" was rendered as ajedrez, in Portuguese as xadrez, and in Greek as zatrikion, but in the rest of Europe it was replaced by versions of the Persian shh ("king").
Table of Contents
1. Arranging The Board 2. Playing The Game 3. Notating The Game 4. Tactics 5. Tactics Exercises 6. Strategy 7. Basic Openings 8. Sample chess game 9. The Endgame 10. Variants 11. Tournaments 12. Famous Games 13. Puzzles 14. Optional homework
Chess
Related Wikibooks
Chess Opening Theory treats the chess openings in much more detail. Chess Strategy provides a more detailed understanding of chess strategy.
Associated Wikimedia for Chess Commons Article Category Images Wikinews Wikipedia Category Article News Portal Encyclopedia Wikiquote Article Quotes Wiktionary Definition Category Dictionary
Chess Strategy
Introduction
If one piece is badly placed, your whole game is bad. Siegbert Tarrasch, chess master at the turn of the twentieth century. Strategy in chess is the overall art of forming a plan. A quote from the second World Champion, Emmanuel Lasker, goes, "A bad plan is better than no plan at all." This simply means that the ability to plan and make decisions about what the position calls for is one of the most important parts of playing great chess. Remember: it is not what you call for, it is what the position calls for. Modern-day chess strategy was, in a sense, discovered by the scientific thinker Wilhelm Steinitz, who was also the first World Champion. This method of evaluating a position, and then making a plan based on this evaluation, was developed in the 19th century. Steinitz's idea was that chess was divided into positional elements, which are listed here: 1. Development 2. Mobility 3. The center 4. The positions of the kings 5. Weak and strong squares 6. Pawn structure 7. Queenside pawn majority 8. Open lines 9. Minor pieces These elements were further developed by later thinkers like Nimzowitsch, Capablanca and Alekhine, who all made their own contribution to the strategy of the game. Capablanca said himself, in his instructive, timeless, and quintessential primer, Chess Fundamentals, that "in chess the tactics may change but the strategic fundamental principles are always the same, so that Chess Fundamentals is as good now as it was thirteen years ago.... It will be as good a hundred years from now; as long in fact as the laws and rules of the game remain what they are at present." This means that, while openings go in and out of style, and tactics may be refuted, basic chess strategy will always remain the same. It doesn't matter which opening you play, or what style you play in; the rules of chess strategy will always be helpful.
Chess Strategy
Steinitz's Four Rules of Strategy

1.The right to attack belongs to the side that has a positional advantage, which not only has the right to attack, but the obligation to do so, else the advantage will evaporate. The attack should be concentrated on the weakest square in the opponent's position. 2.If in an inferior position, the defender should be ready to defend and make compromises, or take other measures, such as a desperate counterattack. 3.In an equal position, the opponents should maneuver, trying to achieve a position in which they have an advantage. If both sides play correctly, an equal position will remain equal. 4.The advantage may be a big, indivisible one, or it may be a whole series of small advantages. The goal of the stronger side is to store up the advantages, and then to convert temporary advantages into permanent ones.
Using this Wikibook

This Wikibook assumes that the reader understands the rules of chess and algebraic notation. While it is up to the reader whether he/she should continue further from here, this book lays the foundation for all great chessplayers, as described above.
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player. New York, NY: Chess Information and Research Center, 2000. Capablanca, Jose Raul. Chess Fundamentals. New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1921.
Chess Strategy/Development
Development
At the very beginning of a chess game, both players compete in a process called development. The process of development comprises three main tasks: Moving all pieces to their most advantageous squares. Occupying and attacking (controlling) centre squares. These are: e4, e5, d4, and d5. Hindering the opponent's development without wasting moves (tempi). Being ahead in development is the aim of the opening. An advanced player can easily convert a lead in development into a larger advantage by way of attack or combination. It is therefore that the process of development is about being efficient. In order for a campaign of development to be successful, it must adhere to several laws which can be discerned from the works of Wilhelm Steinitz, Siegbert Tarrasch, and Aron Nimzowitsch: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Each piece must be moved only once during the opening. Pawn moves are made only to control centre squares, open lines for pieces, or attack more valuable enemy pieces. Pieces must not be placed where they can be attacked by less valuable pieces. Develop first the pieces which have fewer options or a certain home. Consider the King's safety at all times.
An advantage in development
An advantage in development is quite easy to spot - you will have more pieces out than your opponent. When possible, try to combine attack and development; try to develop with gain of time. For example, after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, White has attacked the e5-pawn, forcing Black to defend it. Of course, Black could easily defend the pawn with 2....d6, but this doesn't develop a piece. Black's best moves here are either 2....Nc6, developing and defending, or 2....Nf6, developing and attacking the e4-pawn. An advantage in development, all other things being equal, is an advantage, as you have more pieces out that can easily attack an uncastled king. An important thing to remember about development is that it is a dynamic advantage, that is, if you do not use it immediately it will evaporate. This fits in nicely with Steinitz's first law of strategy.
Gambits
Most of the time, gambits are sacrifices to gain a lead in development. One example of a gambit to gain time to develop pieces is the Danish Gambit, where White quickly develops his bishops, which can expertly use the open diagonals of the board. 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2. White has received an enormous lead in development for his two pawn investment. In this position, Black will try to exploit his material advantage while bringing out his pieces, while White will aim for a quick attack that will prove the validity of his lead in development. Black can play a countergambit, a sacrifice of one of his pawns to equalize in development. Black normally plays in this position the countergambit 5....d5!, giving up one of his extra pawns to gain time on the White bishop. 6.Bxd5 Nf6 and White has nothing better than 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7! 8.Qxd8 Bb4+ =/=
Sound or not?
The great master, Steinitz, once said: "The only way to refute a gambit is to accept it." Some gambits don't aim for a lead in development. For example, the Smith-Morra Gambit in the Sicilian Defense goes 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3. This gambit is considered unsound at master level. Although White gets a lead in development, in this case Black expects to eventually catch up. The main reason for this pawn sacrifice was to gain the open c- and d-files for White. Gambits of this nature are considered unsound because of the abstract nature of the advantage; it is disputed whether the open lines are enough for the sacrifice.
What to do if your opponent has a lead in development

If your opponent has a lead in development, the most important thing to do is to get your king safely castled. Remember that if the opponent has a lead in development, he can open lines--right up to your king. That's not good, because open lines to your king mean that pieces can easily get to him, and easy access to the king means mate sooner or later. After the king is safely tucked away in a corner, your next objective is to get out the rest of your pieces. This will refute the pawn sacrifice. The final step is to keep your material advantage until the endgame, or use the extra material to attack the opponent's king.
What to do with a lead in development
a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a
h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Grnfeld--Spielmann Shopron, 1934 Position after White's 12th move
Board's FEN notation:

Here is the FEN chess notation for the current position on the board: r2q1rk1/pb1nppbp/1p4p1/3p4/3P1P2/1QN1P3/PP1B2PP/2R1KB1R wKFeel free to use it in a chess program that can interpret FEN notation Now you have the advantage! Here are the priorities for you, in no particular order: 1. Open lines to the enemy king. If you do this, the king becomes a sitting duck in the center of the board. 2. Keep the opponent's king in the center. The center is normally where all the action takes place, and it is not particularly safe to keep the king where the action is. Also, a centralized king blocks communication from the pieces, which suffer from a lack of coordination. 3. After both of the above are accomplished, try to either mate the king or regain your lost material. All of these actually make sense, because if your opponent's king is stuck in the center, open lines are like highways leading to the king! The game at right, Grnfeld--Spielmann, went from here 12....e5! 13.fxe5 Nxe5!! 14.dxe5 d4! 15.Nd1 Bxe5. At the cost of a knight, Black has opened up lines in the center. He now has a clear advantage because, despite his piece deficit, the king is wide open and White's pieces are uncoordinated. 16.e4!? Bxe4 17.Nf2 Bd5 18.Qh3 Qe7 19.Be2 d3! The center has been destroyed and White's king loses the game for him. White resigns on move 34 (...Bxe1).
References
1. Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. The King in Jeopardy, rev. ed. New York, NY: Chess Information Research Center, 2001. 2. Capablanca, Jose Raul. Chess Fundamentals. New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1921. 3. Silman, Jeremy. The Amateur's Mind, 1st ed. Los Angeles, CA: Siles Press, 1999. Mobility
Chess Strategy/Mobility
Mobility
Said the physician and chess master Siegbert Tarrasch, "Cramped positions bear the germs of defeat." Mobility and spatial advantages are key to a positional understanding of chess. A spatial advantage in a game will allow you to move your pieces from one edge of the board to the other faster than the opponent. In general, the side with a weak pawn or weak square to defend has a spatial disadvantage, as he would have by reason, needing to huddle up all of his pieces together to defend that weak point. A spatial advantage allows you more territory to maneuver through. If your opponent has a spatial disadvantage, this is a long-term plus for you. The spatial advantage allows you to build up slowly, letting your opponent stew in his own juices for as long as you want him to. The advantage in space will not go away.
Playing with a spatial advantage

The principal idea of a spatial advantage is to not make too many exchanges. Think of a bottle of water. If you have a spatial disadvantage and your pieces are the water, the air is the remaining maneuvering space you have. But as the water is drunk (pieces get exchanged), there is more space for you, and material is still level!
The principle of two weaknesses

a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Keres--Capablanca Amsterdam 1938 Position after Black's 21st move
Board's FEN notation:
7 Here is the FEN chess notation for the current position on the board: 2r3k1/2q2ppp/prpb2n1/8/2QN4/1P5P/PB3PP1/2RR2K1 w-Feel free to use it in a chess program that can interpret FEN notation
This is the rule that states that when a player has two separated weaknesses in his position, he is strategically lost. In the diagrammed position at right, White (Keres) has his pieces at their optimal posts. Every piece is pressuring a weak point in Black (Capablanca)'s position. The queen is especially well-posted; she is attacking both weak pawns at a6 and c6. Black's chances of surviving this game are pretty bad, but he can still struggle on. Therefore, White creates a third weakness and Black's position collapsed: 22.Ne6! Qb8 23.Ng5! Rb7 24.Qg4 Bf4 25.Rc4 Rb5 26. Nxf7!! White sacrifices his knight to create a kingside weakness, for after 26....Kxf7 27.Rd7+ and White wins due to the weakness of the g7-pawn. Black declined the sacrifice with 26....Re8! 27.g3 Qc8, hoping to alleviate the pressure by making the transition into an ending. However, Black's game is still lost due to the organic weaknesses on a6 and c6. 28.Rxf4 Qxg4 29.Rxg4 Kxf7 30.Rd7+ Re7 31.Rxe7+ Kxe7 32. Bxg7. White is up two pawns and won on move 38. In that position Black's pawns were already sufficiently protected, so White created a third weakness in the position and concentrated all of his efforts on it. This is another thing a spatial advantage provides: the ability to switch your troops between weaknesses quickly and effectively. Black's forces were tied up defending his weak pawns, and subsequently could not deal with White's kingside assault. Note also that due to the weaknesses on a6 and c6, Black is cramped due to the fact that these pawns will have trouble advancing to gain space. Also, Black could not move for losing the pawn.
Overextension
To be overextended means that you have more space than you can control. This can result in one of three things for your opponent: 1. Receiving weak pawns as targets. 2. Penetration into your camp. 3. Outposts for his pieces. Of course, none of these things are good. After exchanges, his pawns will be safe in his camp, while your pawns will be deep into his territory. This will allow him to easily line up pieces against them for target practice. Dr. Lasker said, "Distrust a pawn move; check carefully its balance sheet." What this means is that every pawn move weakens squares. So, after your pawns have advanced into enemy territory, many squares in your camp become weak. The opponent's rooks and queens can penetrate through open files into your position, and knights can take up "holes" that would be safely guarded by pawns, but are now weak because these guards have advanced. One example of overextension in the opening is the Alekhine Defence, 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4, White hopes to prove that his pawn center gives him a spatial plus. Black hopes to refute this, saying that White's pawns are overextended and will become weak later in the game. The actual result depends on how both players play.
a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a
h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Antoshin--Ivkov Polanica Zdroj 1970 Position after Black's 17th move

Antoshin--Ivkov Polanica Zdroj 1970 Position after Black's 9th move In this example at right, in the first diagram, White (Antoshin) has a huge space advantage. He can seek active play on either the kingside or the queenside. He will obviously be able to switch his pieces from wing to wing faster than Black, whose pieces are gridlocked on the back rank. However, Black (Ivkov)'s position has no defining weakness in it, yet there is a chance that White's pawns will become overextended. Antoshin here, rather recklessly, proceeds to expand in every direction possible. However, just like the Ottoman Empire of Turkey, he got overextended and his position collapsed only eight moves later! The game continued from here: 10.g4 g6 11.Bh6 Ng7 12.b4?! White's last move was questionable. Black can make some liberating moves here that will seriously expose White's weaknesses. 12....b6 13.Qd2 Nf6 14.Ke2? White's king will become a target for Black's pieces, which will penetrate through the soon-to-be-opened b-file. 14....Kh8 15.Rag1 Bd7 16.Rg3 Qc7 17. Rhg1 b5! The second diagram has been reached. White has been slowly preparing for a kingside attack, since he correctly believes that his spatial advantage would not go away. However, he has left his queenside bare. Now his queenside caves in. 18.h4 bxc4 19.Bc2 cxb4 20.axb4 Rab8 21.h5 Rxb4 22.hxg6 fxg6 23.Rh1 Rb2 24.Kd1 Qa5 25.Ng5 Nxg4 26.Bxg7+ Kxg7 27.Rxh7+ Kg8 28.Qc1 Bxg5 29.Qxg5 Qa1+ 0-1. A drastic example of the risks of overextension. White ignored the fact that extra space
Chess Strategy/Mobility could leave his position riddled with holes.
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player, New York, NY: Chess Information & Research Center, 2000. Morrison, Chris et al. Mastering Chess: A Course in 21 Lessons. New York, NY: Dover 2006. Silman, Jeremy. The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery. 2nd ed., Los Angeles, CA: Siles Press, 1999. Development The center
Chess Strategy/The center

The significance of the center
Many inexperienced chess players will often ignore the center. This is a horrible idea. The center is the most important part of the chessboard, as pieces from the center can easily move to either flank with great speed. However, amateurs often prefer to concentrate on the king's side of the board. This is an incorrect mindset, and this page will tell you why.
The five schools

Let's start out with a little history:
The Romantic School

Starting in the mid-1800s, a school of thought called Romanticism began to take hold in the chess world. Romanticism is the philosophy of many players, that the king's flank is the most important. Romantic players often played for tactics alone, ignoring the center. In fact, winning came second to winning with style.
The Classical School

Then came the first World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, who crushed his opponents with his deep positional understanding. He was the first modern master to impress upon his students the importance of the center. Some of his later disciples, including Tarrasch, Lasker, and Capablanca, went on to spread his beliefs about the center. Tarrasch was the leader of this school of thought, and was called "the father of Classical dogma".
The Hypermodern School

In the 1920s there was a revolution in chess. Several Central European players like Reti, Nimzowitsch, and Gruenfeld burst onto the chess scene to dominate chess during the next few decades. Their ideas formed the basis for the Hypermodern school. The idea was that a large pawn center would eventually overextend itself and become a target. Nimzowitsch in particular believed in the importance of piece play against the center. His legacy, the Nimzo-Indian Defense, is very popular today with the world's strongest grandmasters. It involves restraining the central pawns with pieces.
10
Russian Dynamism
During the 1930s Hypermodernism and Classical dogma often clashed with each other. Classical dogma was more popular than Hypermodernism, and eventually two openings threatened to dominate international chess: the Queen's Gambit Declined and the Ruy Lopez, both sound classical openings. In the end, after Alekhine's death, a new generation of Soviet masters took hold, introducing a new philosophy regarding the center. The Russian Dynamism, a blend of Hypermodernism, which stresses piece play, and Classicalism, which emphasized the pawn center, came with a welcome change to the Indian Defenses and the Sicilian Defense. The idea behind the Russian Dynamism was that it is okay to allow central pawn weaknesses for dynamic piece play. This brought with it a variety of new openings, such as the Boleslavsky Variation in the Sicilian Defense (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 e5!), which allows a hole on d5 in return for active play against the e4-pawn.
The Modern School

Essentially, the Modern school was introduced by Bobby Fischer. Fischer believed that a dose of all three schools was the correct approach to chess, and had wonderful games using all ideas, including his many great victories with the Najdorf Sicilian. Later world champions like Karpov and Kasparov built up on his work, leading to the present-day school of thought that all previous ideas were correct in their own way.
The pawn center

What Classical masters emphasized was the importance of the pawn center. This is still good today, and will be good for a long time. For example, the game at right, Keres-Fine, Ostend 1937, shows an instructive example of the pawn center.
Keres--Fine Ostend, 1937 Position after Black's 20th move White has a mighty pawn center, and here is how he brilliantly exploits its power: 21.d5! White sacrifices a pawn to blunt Black's pieces and advance his e-pawn. 21....exd5 22.e5 Nd7 23.Ng5 Nf8 24.Nxh7! White's pawn center allowed him to start a brutal attack and won in seven moves. Notice how White's central pawn duo was very strong where they stood. Even standing on e4 and d4 the pawns can be very powerful, too. Black's passive formation would have allowed White to keep his pawns where they stood, influencing the course of the game. White could have played the pawn break d4-d5 at any moment in the game, followed by the advance e4-e5 to kick back the Black knight, with further preparation. Also, it is a typical idea: to
Chess Strategy/The center block d5 and then follow with e4-e5. e4-e5 immediately would have allowed Black to sink his knight on d5. However, with the intermezzo d4-d5, Black's pieces were blunted and White immediately seized the initiative.
11
Play against the pawn center

If your opponent has a massive pawn center, there is often no need to fear if you have significant counterplay. Although a pawn center marks out a spatial advantage, you can try undermining its support. For example, in one game against Letelier at Leipzig 1960 [1], Fischer, as Black, played 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0-0. This is a Fischer idea, which is simply a move-order tool. 5.e5 Ne8 6.f4 d6 7.Be3 White erroneously believes that his center is invincible. As Fischer will prove, this idea is wrong. 7....c5! Fischer sacrifices a pawn to undermine the center and open lines to White's uncastled king. 8.dxc5 Nc6 9.cxd6 exd6 10.Ne4 Bf5 11.Ng3 Be6 12.Nf3 Qc7 13.Qb1 dxe5 14.f5 e4! Black's pawns have supplanted White's in the center. White is coming under serious attack and cannot hold back the threats to his king, which eventually came through on move 23. Another example of undermining in the opening occurs in the Alapin Variation of the Sicilian Defense. 1.e4 c5 2.c3 White hopes to build up a strong pawn center. 2....Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 e6! Restraining the pawn center and opening up the a3-f8 diagonal for Black's bishop. 6.Nf3 d6! Destroying the beachhead at e5. Black is assured of an even game. Let's begin with a simple axiom. The purpose of maintaining a pawn center is to squeeze the opponent for space. You will have more space if you can deny the opponent's pieces squares. However, if your center looks nice but does not really gain space (i.e. it gives him squares), then it really doesn't mean anything at all! That was what Black had in mind when he played the following game, which is Scheichel--Adorjan, Hungary 1971 [2]. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 The ultra-hypermodern Grnfeld Defense, which gives White a pawn center so that Black can target it. In this game, White plays the super-sharp Exchange Variation. 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 O-O 8.Ne2 c5 9.O-O Nc6 10.Be3 Qc7 11.Rc1 Rd8 This position has been played over and over in many Grnfeld games. White is trying his best to uphold the integrity of the center, while Black is trying to destroy it. 12.h3 White would like to play f2-f4, gaining even more space, but after ...Bg4 Black would be able to chop off one of the defenders of d4. 12...b6 13.f4 e6 14.Qe1 Na5 15.Bd3 f5! Hoping for the weakening 16.e5? when 16...c4 17.Bb1 Bb7 would give Black domination over the light squares. 16.g4 Bb7 This position deserves a diagram.
Scheichel--Adorjan, Hungary 1981 ' Position after Black's 16th move White's center is under attack by all of Black's pieces! White should not play 17.exf5 gxf5 18.gxf5 Re8, which would leave Black with more active pieces and leave White with an exposed king and weak pawns. 17.Ng3 Qd7 18.Rd1
Chess Strategy/The center cxd4 19.Bb1? An error. White cannot afford this loss of time. 19...Nc4 20.Bxd4 e5! The center is blown to bits and White's uncoordinated pieces are exposed. 21.fxe5 fxg4 22.Qe2 Qc7 23.Qxg4 Nxe5 After the resultant pawn exchanges, we see that all that is left of White's once-mighty pawn center are two weaklings on c3 and e4. Also note that Black's minor pieces are infinitely superior to White's. 24.Qg5 h6 25.Qe3 Rf8 26.Kg2 Ba6 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.Bxe5? Critically weakening the dark squares. Qxe5 29.Bc2 Bc4 30.Bb3 Bxb3 31.axb3 Qxc3 32.Qxc3 Bxc3 33.Rd7 Rf7 and White resigned. He is down some material, and the endgame is hopeless for him.
12
The pawn center as regards the attack

Going back to the position in Keres--Fine, we notice that the pawn center was one of the things that guaranteed a successful kingside attack. Control of the center is vital to the success of the attack on the flank. An attack on the flank, therefore, is dependent on the attacker's control of the center or the closed center. Either way, this kind of attack is only successful when the defender cannot land a counterpunch in the center. For example, the game at right, Rodriguez--Tringov, Buenos Aires 1978, shows this drastically.
Rodriguez--Tringov Buenos Aires, 1978 Position after White's 18th move All of Black's kingside pawns are on their initial squares, so it appears that it would be hard for White to attack there. However, this is not the case. Indeed, there is an avalanche of pawns hanging over Black's head! However, this attack is sure to fail for three reasons: 1. White's king is awkwardly placed. 2. Black is not castled on the kingside. 3. Black can counterattack in the center. Black, noting all three of these conditions, decides that the time is ripe for classic Sicilian counterplay. 18....d5! Black counters a wing attack with play in the center. The sacrifice of the pawn is only temporary, for if 19.exd5, 19....Qc5+ 20.Kg2 Bxd5, with an excellent game for Black due to the open center and his bishop pair. 19.Kg2 dxe4 20.Kh2 e3! Now it is easy to see that White's kingside pawn advance was premature and left the kingside overextended. Black's counterattack in the center stopped the attack before it began. Meanwhile, White is powerless to stop Black's central play. 21.Bg2 Rd8 and White resigned because there is no stopping penetration on the second rank with 22....Rd2.
13
When the center is stable

However, in the case of a stable center, where the defender cannot hit back in the center, a wing attack is usually a good idea. For example, if a wing attack is started, the defender can't do anything about it in the center. He will have to sit passively and defend, waiting for the attacker to slip. Otherwise, he will usually get mated. Of course, you could riskily play for mate on the king's wing, or you could push for a stable spatial advantage in the center. Both options are good, but it's usually just a matter of taste.
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player, rev. ed. New York, NY: Chess Information Research Center, 2001. Vukovic, Vladimir. The Art of Attack in Chess. London: Cadogan Books, 1993. Silman, Jeremy. The Amateur's Mind, 1st ed. Los Angeles, CA: Siles Press, 1999. Mobility The positions of the kings
References
[1] http:/ / www. chessgames. com/ perl/ chessgame?gid=1008397 [2] http:/ / www. chessgames. com/ perl/ chessgame?gid=1015578
Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings

King positions
King position is one of the most important things in chess (technically, it is the most important thing in chess). This is for the simple reason that no matter how much material advantage you have, no matter how much central control you have, no matter how weak your opponent's pawns are, if you are checkmated, all of these advantages amount to moot. King position is also the thing that amateurs constantly pay attention to, never seeming to understand the ideas behind queenside expansion, or a central pawn center. They always either become irrationally nervous about their own king, or they completely ignore the other part of the board, going all out for the attack.
The castled king position

The castled king position is one of the most effective defenses against attack. It is strongest when the king is covered by three pawns in a row, on (for Black) f7, g7, and h7 on the kingside, or a7, b7, and c7 for the queenside. This is because there is really no weakness for the opponent to focus on, and he will have to advance his pawns or sacrifice material to create weaknesses there, so that he can attack. The king can stay behind his wall of pawns, safe in the knowledge that the opponent will never get to him there.
On attacking the king in general

In the early days of chess, when Romanticism dominated, attacking the king was the most important idea of all games. There would often be a series of brilliant sacrifices to draw the king out from its cover. This all changed when an American master named Paul Morphy came along and crushed the opposition using positional principles, much in the way that Steinitz would thirty years later. However, today such attacks, known informally as "barry", are rarely seen. Back in the 19th century, defensive chess was not yet well-known, and sacrifices would often work. Today, many defensive tactics are well-known, such as returning material in order to halt an attack.
14
The king in the center

Often it is suicidal to keep one's king in the center. Why? Look at it this way. The center is the most important part of the board. Logically, if one can gain influence in the most important areas, one will have an advantage. However, to get active play in the center, one has to open files there. And with the center of the board opening up, the king will feel very uneasy, as he is a sitting duck for all of the enemy pieces bearing down on him on the open lines. Not only does the king itself become weak, but the squares around it become weak. You may notice, for example, that f2 (or f7 for Black) is the weakest square in the original position because it is only protected by the king. Piece sacrifices on this square are very common. Take for example, the game at right, Ret--Wolf, Teplitz-Schnau 1922.
Ret--Wolf Teplitz-Schnau, 1922 Position after White's 15th move Here Black exploited the semi-open nature of the center and the fact that the king was stuck there with the shot 15...Nxf2! Black exposes White's king position. 16.Bh7+ If 16.Kxf2 then 16...Ng4+ 17.Ke1 Qxe3+ 18.Ne2 Bf5! 19.Bxf5 Qf2+ 20.Kd2 Rxe2+ 21. Kc3 Qxc5+ and Black wins. 16...Kh8 17.0-0 Nfg4 18.Nxa8 White decides to grab material to compensate for the poor position he has acquired--but Black has seen more deeply into the position. 18...Nxe3 19.Qe2 Nxf1 20.Bb1 Nxh2 21.Nb6 Nef3+! White must have overlooked this sacrifice. 22.gxf3 Qg5+ 23.Kxh2 Rxe2+ 24.Nxe2 Qe5+ 25.Ng3 Qxb2+ 26.Rc2 Qxb1 27.Re2 Be6 28.f4 g6 29.Na8 h5 30.Nc7 h4 31.Nh1 Qd3 32.Rf2 Bf5 and White resigned. Black has a decisive material advantage and a continuing attack. In addition to the way the attack was conducted, one must also realize that the sacrifice was purely intuitive, backed up by a few short-term calculations. At the grandmaster level, there are many cases of such speculative sacrifices. The point is that grandmasters, with their great experience and extremely useful intuition, can easily evaluate a key strategic point of an attack, something that computers will never be able to do. Grandmaster intuition is a fantastic guide, and helps the masters play moves like 15...Nxf2! Also, note that Black was not playing for mate. If an attack leads to the win of material then you must call it a success. Don't just keep lashing out; regroup your material and then use your advantage in force, which will win the game.
15
The necessary preconditions for an attack

Before the attack is conducted in full, one or more conditions must be fulfilled. This was the mistake that the Romantics and amateurs alike made: the conditions are not always fulfilled. In general, two or more of the following requirements must be met to conduct a successful attack on the king: 1. Control of the center, or else that it is closed, so that the defender cannot land a counterblow there. 2. A general space advantage in the area where the enemy king resides. 3. General weaknesses in the opponent's king position. 4. The number of attackers is more than the number of defenders. 5. Open lines to the king. 6. The majority of your army is posted in the king's sector, or if not, your army can easily get there with speed and efficiency. Without these prerequisites, the defender will either have excellent chances for a successful counterattack or a successful defense. Note that most combinations of material will suffice to attack a king; in a game Reti--Alekhine, Baden-Baden 1925, Alekhine successfully attacked White's king even while the queens were swapped off.
The pawn storm

A pawn storm is the use of an avalanche of pawns to bust holes in the king's castled position. This is the slowest, but usually the most accurate, way to attack the king. For example, if you have a piece attack against a king, the only way to get in against a strong castled king position is by sacrificing material, or else inducing him to create weaknesses in the position. Pawn storms are usually good for the following reasons: 1. They induce weaknesses in the king's position. 2. The exchange of these pawns will create open lines for attack. 3. They can support the attacking pieces. 4. They can drive away enemy defenders of the castled position. 5. Near the end of an attack, a pawn may promote after reaching the back rank to help continue the attack. For example, the "career" of an h-pawn, as regards the attack, as described by Vladimir Vukovic in his classic, The Art of Attack in Chess, goes as follows: 1. h3 A pawn drives a piece away from g4, so as to support another pawn or piece coming to g4 for the attack (supporting the "little bayonet"). 2. h4 The h-pawn becomes part of an attacking formation in conjunction with a knight on g5 and a rook on h1. 3. h5 The pawn goes to h5 to either drive away a defending piece on g6, or else exchange itself for a pawn on g6, weakening the king's position and opening lines for attack. 4. h6 The pawn drives a wedge into the kingside dark squares, forcing ...g7-g6 and allowing his pieces to exploit the weakened dark squares. 5. h7(+) The pawn checks the king, creating an immediate threat to Black's position. 6. h8(Q) The pawn promotes and continues the attack as a queen.
16
Open lines in the attack against the king

Open lines to the king are like highways. Your pieces can travel easily and efficiently down them to reach their goal. That is why it is essential that the king castle as soon as possible in an open position. The opponent can exploit these highways with his rooks, queen, and bishops, which will make attacking your king all the easier. Take a look at it this way. Is it easier to attack a king on g8 that is surrounded by pawns on f7, f6, and h7, or f7, g7, and h7? The first one, of course, becomes a rook shifting to the g-file followed by the queen coming in will quickly mate. In addition, these pawns lose their defensive value as they advance, because the further advanced pawns are, the easier it is for pieces to get behind them. Pawn sacrifices to get to an enemy king are not rare, either, because no price is too high to pay as long as your last pawn delivers mate.
Alekhine--Astals Keskemet, 1927 Position after Black's 26th move The position at right was excellently played by someone on everyone's list of "greatest attacking players of all time", Alekhine. Amongst Tal, Morphy, and Kasparov, Alekhine was a rare bird who was a natural attacking player. As fourth World Champion, it was said that to beat Alekhine you had to beat him three times: once in the opening, once in the middlegame, and once in the endgame. In fact, it was Alekhine who established the tradition of extensive opening preparation that is a hallmark of the world's top GMs today. It seemed as if one only needed to give Alekhine a lime and he could make lemonade. The first thing Alekhine took into account when looking at this position were the possibilities for attack. Black is cramped, and his bishop pair is quite meaningless in this closed position. He also noted that his knight was strongly posted on e5, and Black has no play on any part of the board. Perhaps if Black could open up the position, his two bishops would become meaningful in a central counterattack, discussed on the previous page. However, Alekhine also notices that such action is impossible in this position. Thus, he decides not to rush the attack, but to begin by advancing a pawn. 27.h4! White plans to set up a battery of queen and bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal, threatening mate. The h-pawn advance discourages defense with ...g7-g6 because then White could answer with h4-h5. 27....Raa8 28.Bb1 h5 The threat was 29.Qc2 g6 30.h5. 29....f7-f5 would not be good, as it would leave Black with a permanent weakness on e6, upon which White could direct his pieces. 29.Qf3 g6 30.g4! hxg4 31.Qxg4 White has successfully used a pawn storm to break open lines on the kingside for attack. In addition, the pawn advance has created weaknesses on the kingside, which White can exploit with his knight and queen. 31....Bg7 32.Ba2 32.h5 was stronger, although this move is also good, preventing Black from moving his f-pawn for lateral defence of the kingside. 32....b4 33.Bc4! Black's last move was a bid for active play, which of course White refuses. 33....bxa3 34.bxa3 Qa5 35.Qe4 If 35.Nxg6 immediately, then 35....Rxd4. 35....Qc7 36.Qf4 Rab8 37.h5! Opening the g-file for
Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings the rooks. 37....gxh5 38.Kh1 Rb7 39.Rg1 Qe7 40.Rxg7+ Kxg7 41.Rg1+ Kh7 42.Nxf7! Black resigns because of 42....Qxf7 43.Bd3+ Qg6 44.Qf8!!. When playing over this game, note not only how Black was denied all counterplay, but also how the pawn advances opened up lines to the enemy king. In this manner, White could slowly create weaknesses in Black's position. After a certain point, it was too much for Black to handle, and he could not survive it.
17
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. The King in Jeopardy, rev. ed. New York, NY: Chess Information Research Center, 2001. Capablanca, Jose Raul (edited by GM Nick deFirmian). Chess Fundamentals, rev. ed. New York, NY: McKay Chess Library, 2005. Silman, Jeremy. The Amateur's Mind, 1st ed. Los Angeles, CA: Siles Press, 1999. Vukovic, Vladimir. The Art of Attack in Chess. London: Everyman Publishers, 1998. The center Weak and strong squares
Chess Strategy/Weak and strong squares

The importance of individual squares
Many amateurs make a mistake in chess. They play for mate, or the win of material, or even the creation of a weak pawn. But many of these amateurs fail to recognize the importance of squares. Seizing squares is just as important as taking pawns, or getting a lead in development, or getting a better minor piece, etc.
Weak squares
Weak squares are squares which cannot be defended by a pawn. These weak squares are thus open to occupation by an enemy piece. For White, weak squares can usually be found along the 4th and 3rd ranks, while Black's weak squares are often on the 5th and 6th ranks. One of the qualities of a weak square is that it increases the value of the piece that occupies it. This is especially true for knights, which need advanced support points to be effective. Let's look at a classic example from the sixth World Champion, Mikhail Botvinnik. At right is the game Botvinnik--Flohr, Moscow 1936. White here played 33.c5!
a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
18
a b c d e f g h
Botvinnik--Flohr Moscow, 1936 Position after 32...Qd8-e7

Botvinnik--Flohr Moscow, 1936 Position after 39.b4! This move has a manifold purpose. For one thing, it prepares the queenside attack with b3-b4-b5, and more importantly, it clears a route for the knight to d6 via b1-a3-c4-d6. d6 is White's stronghold and Black's weak point. A knight there would be a thorn in Black's side, and he would feel compelled to hack it off, bequeathing on White a strong, protected, passed pawn. 33...a5 Black stops the advance of the b-pawn, but the knight maneuver cannot be stopped. 34.Nb1 Qf8 35.Na3 Bd8 36.Nc4 Bc7 37.Nd6 The White knight has reached its dream square and dominates the board. Now he has a beautiful position--but what to make of it? Botvinnik gives us an instructive lesson. 37...Rb8 38.Rb1 Qd8 39.b4! So White gets in his advance after all. This is the point--Black can tolerate a knight on d6 by itself. However, by opening a second front against the b-pawn, he forces Black to exchange off the knight on d6, leaving White with a strong, passed pawn. Incidentally, this is another example of the common theme of the principle of two weaknesses. 39...axb4 40.Rxb4 Bxd6 41.exd6 And now White gets his passed pawn, plus pressure against the weak pawns on b7 and e6. 41...Qa5 42.Rdb3 Re8 43.Qe2 Qa8 44.Re3 Kf7 Here White should play 45.Kg1! to take the sting out of Black's next move, but he still won anyway: 45.Qc4? b5! 46.Qc2 Rxd6 47.cxd6 c5+ 48.Kh3 cxb4 Although Black has succeeded in taking off the protector of the d-pawn, it is still a strong passed pawn and White is still winning. 49.Qc7+ Kg8 50.d7 Rf8 51.Qd6 h6 52.Qxe6+ Kh7 53.Qe8 b3 54.Qxa8 Rxa8 55.axb5 Rd8 56.Rxb3 Rxd7 57.b6 and Black resigned. The theme of a two-front war held through until the very end--Black was unable to handle both passed pawns at the same time and so capitulated.
Weak complexes of squares

Oftentimes, it is not just a single square that is weak. Sometimes, a whole network of same-colored squares can be weak. These weaknesses can be accentuated by the elimination of the bishop that stands on the color of those squares, because that is one less defensive force for those squares. In a practical game situation, this often occurs when a fianchettoed bishop is exchanged on g7, leaving a complex of weak dark squares on the squares f6-g7-h6, and sometimes the squares f8 and h8. Here is a classic example of such complexes of weak squares.
19
a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a
h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Rubinstein--Salwe d, 1908 Position after Black's 14th move This is Rubinstein-Salwe, d, 1908. Black is here ready to rectify the dark-squared holes in his position with 15...Nd7 and 16...c5, therefore 15.Bc5! is necessary. White could then continue blockading the dark squares on the queenside: 15...Rfe8 16.Rf2 Nd7 17.Bxe7 Rxe7 18.Qd4 Ree8 19.Bf1 Rec8 20.e3 Qb7 21.Nc5 Nxc5 22.Rxc5 Rc7 23.Rfc2 White has achieved a full blockade of the queenside pawns and the Black pawns are now fixed targets. The dark squares become staging points for the White heavy pieces. Now Black's best was to play 23...a5 to stake out some space of his own. However, Black lost after 23...Qb6? 24.b4! a6 25.Ra5 Rb8 26.a3 Ra7 27.Rxc6! Qxc6 28.Qxa7 White won a pawn and soon, the game. While examining this game I want the reader to realize that not only did Black lose control of the dark squares on the queenside, the weaknesses on them, e.g. d4, c5, a5, and a7, served as strong outposts for White's heavy pieces. On these squares White was able to build up pressure, until something finally cracked and Black lost material. Then, through his pawn advantage, White was able to convert to a win.
"Empty" square complexes

Sometimes, the weak square complexes in the center are not so easily visible. Of course, it is pretty easy to see that Black has enormous dark-square holes with a king on g8, pawns on f7, g6, and h7, with a White queen on h6 and a White bishop on b2. However, sometimes the holes are not easily seen and are not really holes. This most usually occurs in the center, a pawn-free, open center. The principles are still the same, though. Take the next example, Tukmakov--Palatnik, Odessa 1970. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 Bb4 8.Nxc4 Nd5 9.Qd2 c5 10.e4 cxd4 11.Qxd4 Here is a critical opening moment. Black's two pieces are forked. In addition, the pawn on g7 is hanging. What should he do about it? 11...0-0! Of course! Now the captures open the board for Black's pieces to get to the White king. 12.exd5 Nc6 13.Qf4 exd5 14.Qxf5 dxc4 Black has dangerous threats, and the White king is still wide open to Black's rooks. 15.Kf2 Re8 16.Ne4 Qd4+ 17.Be3 Qxb2+ 18.Be2 Nd4 19.Nf6+!? White attempts to regain the initiative. 19...gxf6 20.Qg4+ Kh8 21.Qxd4 Bc3 22.Qxc4 Black would seem to be in trouble. He is a piece down, his kingside pawns are ragged, and White has nearly completed his development, but wait--the idea of the dark squares is still alive! 22...Rxe3! A brilliant move that allows the remaining Black pieces to assume the role of custodians of the dark squares. Although there are no pawns to "outline" the dark squares in the center, they are still there! 23.Kxe3 Re8+ 24.Kf2 Bd4+ 25.Kg3 Qd2! A clever little "quiet" move that continues to follow Black's plan of dominating the dark squares. The threat is 26...Rg8+ and 27...Qh6#. 26.f4 Rxe2 27.Ra3 Rxg2+ 28.Kh3 Rg6 29.Rg3 Rh6+ and White resigned, because Black has an unstoppable attack on the dark squares and
Chess Strategy/Weak and strong squares mates after 30.Kg4 f5+ 31.Kxf5 Rf6+ 32.Kg4 Qxf4+ 33.Kh3 Rh6+ 34.Kg2 Qf2#.
20
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player. New York, NY: Chess Information Research Center, 1997. Capablanca, Jose Raul (edited by GM Nick deFirmian). Chess Fundamentals, rev. ed. New York, NY: McKay Chess Library, 2005. Silman, Jeremy. The Amateur's Mind, 1st ed. Los Angeles, CA: Siles Press, 1999. Soltis, Andrew. Pawn Structure Chess. New York, NY: David McKay Company, Inc., 1995. The positions of the kings Pawn structure
Chess Strategy/Pawn structure

The soul of the game
In every chess primer, there seems to be one bit of wisdom that is quoted over and over again. This is the quote by the French master Philidor, who said, two hundred and fifty years ago, "Pawns are the soul of chess." But what does it mean? GM Andrew Soltis expresses everyone's feelings in his excellent book, Pawn Structure Chess: "There always used to be one bit of advice that was always fobbed off by the authors. 'As Andre Philidor once said, the pawns are the soul of the game.' 'Great,' I'd say to myself every time I read this. 'A Frenchman who's been dead for two hundred years is saying I shouldn't worry about losing my queen or being checkmated. I should be worried about pawns.'" He then goes on to explain why pawns are so important in chess strategy. The answer is simple. Pawns are very immobile, almost motionless for the majority of the game. But it is this immobility that gives the position its character. The pawn structure lays out the terrain for the coming battle, providing lines for your army. Pawn Structure Chess is more about characteristic, specific structures that can arise from certain openings and the basic plans for each side. However, we are not going to go so in-depth in this book.
"Weak" pawns
Often the amateur will cringe in horror when noticing "weak" pawns. They notice the doubled pawns on c3 and c2 and immediately favor the other side. This is not right! Chess is a game of dynamics. While "textbook weak", "weak" pawns may not really be weak and in fact may offer dynamic chances for one side or another! To illustrate this point, let's look at a generalized example, Hammie--Silman, San Francisco 1975. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 The popular Accelerated Dragon. 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.O-O O-O 9.Nb3 Qc7 10.f4 d6 11.Be2 b6 12.Bf3 Bb7 13.Rf2 (diagram)
21
a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a
h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Hammie--Silman San Francisco, 1975 Position after White's 13th move Black is cramped. He would like to get his natural play on the queenside (since that is usually where Black plays in the Sicilian), but it seems that White's knights are hampering him. So, what does he play? 13...Na5! Black is willing to accept doubled pawns in exchange for dynamic play on the queenside. In this case, the pawns cannot be easily attacked, so what's the big deal? However, the challenging reader may ask, "What's so great about the doubled, isolated pawns? Did they play a part in the fight?" Silman gives us an instructive lesson. 14.Nxa5 bxa5 15.Bd4 Nd7 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 Bxd4 18.Qxd4 Qc5! Black wishes to trade queens, because then White will be deprived of any counterplay on the kingside. 19.Rd1 Rab8 20.c3 Rb7! Black eventually won. Now suppose, for instructional purposes, the game went on: 21.Qxc5 Nxc5 22.b3 Rb4 23.Rb2 Rab8 24.Rab1 Kf8 25.g3. The sharp reader might be saying that the doubled pawns did not actually give Black the advantage; it was the open b-file. He would be proved wrong after 25...a4! 26.Bd1 a3! The typical idea is to take on b3 and advance the other pawn. However, another equally strong idea is available in the position. 27.Rc2 a5 28.Rc3 a4 Now we see the point--after ...axb3 axb3, the "weak" pawn on a3 has been turned into a powerful passed pawn.
The different types of structure

These structures have dynamism to them; they can be classified as either good or bad.
Doubled pawns
Doubled pawns are most commonly seen on c2-c3, f2-f3, c6-c7, or f7-f6. This occurs when a bishop exchanges itself for a knight on one of those natural developing squares. Doubled pawns are not always weak. However, it is true that the flexibility of a pair of pawns is significantly decreased if they are doubled. Let's look at a line in the Nimzo-Indian Defense: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 White has doubled pawns now. The pawn on c3 is safe from harm, but the pawn on c4 is a target for Black's pieces. Or, in a famous game from their 1972 World Championship match, between Spassky and Fischer, the doubled pawns ensured that White's queenside play was shut down and Black could freely proceed on the kingside. He eventually won.
22
The isolani
When we talk about an isolated pawn we are usually speaking of a d-pawn. This IQP (Isolated Queen's Pawn) formation usually occurs in the Queen's Gambit. The main negative of an isolated pawn is that it itself is weak and has no neighboring pawns to guard it. In addition, the square in front of an isolated pawn becomes an excellent outpost for a knight, since there are no neighboring pawns to kick out the rude knight. However, isolated pawns have their pluses, too. An isolated queen pawn, especially, has additional pluses. Isolated queen pawns stake out a slight central space advantage, give its owner play down the open c- and e-files, and provide chances for a dynamic attack. The sacrifice on d5 of a pawn on d4 is the same as converting potential energy into kinetic energy. Let's look at an example.
Keene--Miles Hastings, 1975-76 Position after Black's 10th move This is Keene--Miles, Hastings 1975. White has an isolated queen pawn. However, Black has no really great way to make use of this fact. 11.Bg5 Note that Black cannot take on d4 because of 11...Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Bxh7+ winning the queen. 11...Nb4?! Black should have taken time to develop his bishop. 12.Bb1 b6 13.Ne5 The e5-outpost is another benefit that is derived from the isolated d-pawn. 13...Bb7 14.Re3! White plays for mate. He must play actively, lest the pawn on d4 becomes a problem for him. 14...g6 15.Rg3 Rc8? Black does not sense the danger. Instead, he plays a move which wastes time. According to Keene, Black should have sacrificed the Exchange with 15...Nc6 16.Bh6 Qxd4! 17.Qxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxf8 Kxf8, with only a slight advantage to White. 16.Bh6 Re8 17.a3 Nc6 Now a series of sacrifices tear apart the Black king. 18.Nxg6! hxg6 19.Bxg6! fxg6 20.Qb1! Ne5 21.dxe5 Ne4 22.Nxe4 Kh7 23.Nf6+ Kh8 24.Bg7+! Kxg7 25.Qxg6+ with mate to follow. As you can see, this was not a really great example of the "weakness" of the isolated queen pawn. Instead, it was a perfect illustration of the active piece play that such an isolani gives its opponent.
Other isolated pawns

Isolated pawns are not always on d4. Sometimes Black has them on d6, which makes the weakness look even bigger than usual because now White has an outpost on d5, not d4--which is even further advanced then the post given to White in a normal IQP position. However, these pawns have their pluses, too. d5 is more easily guarded by Black pieces, so a White knight will find it hard to occupy without being exchanged. For example, d5 in the Najdorf Sicilian is usually guarded by a knight on f6, a bishop on e6, and occasionally, a knight on b6. A d6-pawn also covers the important e5- and c5-squares.
23
Hanging pawns and the isolated pawn couple

A structure that can easily derive from the IQP is what Nimzowitsch dubbed "the isolated pawn couple", with pawns on c3 and d4. A formation like this gives the second player good outposts on the squares in front of the isolated pawn couple (for an example, refer back to Rubinstein--Salwe, d 1908). However, this is not the whole story. These pawns have the potential to become "hanging pawns", on c4 and d4. In addition, the pawn on d4 is no longer weak with the c-pawn there, and White still gets his kingside chances as in the IQP. Hanging pawns on c4 and d4 are very hard to evaluate. Nimzowitsch once said that the hanging pawns must be advanced, but most players advance it either too early or too late, that the human consciousness is not used to the idea of "being in the air". In addition, the advance of either pawn leaves weak squares in its wake. Either way, the hanging pawns on c4 and d4 gain space, but are subject to pummeling down the open c- and d-files. Let's look at an example.
Ogaard--Flesch Hastings, 1975-76 Position after White's 16th move Black is playing against the hanging pawns, which take away the knights' posts on c5, d5, and e5. If he could get one to advance he would have nice outposts for his knights. Therefore, he plays 16...e5! This forces the d-pawn to leave. 17.Be3 exd4 18.Bxd4 Ne5 19.Qf5 Nxd3 Now Black eliminates White's bishop pair advantage. 20.Qxd3 Rfd8 21.Qc3 Ne4 Heading for c5. It's clear that Black has taken the upper hand. 22.Qb2 Nc5 23.Qc3 Ne6 Black's nimble knight dominates the clearly worse bishop on d2. 24.Be3 Rd6 25.Rc2 Qd7 26.Qb4 Rd3 27.a4 It may seem as if White has made progress. He is about to play a4-a5 when Black's queenside is weak. However, Black gets a strong attack on White's king by marching forward his f-pawn. The knight on e6 is also useful in this respect, guarding f4. 27...f5 28.g3 f4 29.gxf4 Nd4! 30.Bxd4 Qg4+ 31.Kh1 Qf3+ 32.Kg1 Rc6! Lifting the rook to assist in the devastation. 33.f5 Rxd4 34.h3 Rg4+!, and White had to resign (35.hxg4 Qxg4+ 36.Kh2 Rh6#, checkmate). Note how masterfully Black played against the hanging pawns. First he isolated one, then eliminated the advantage of two bishops. With White advancing on the queenside, Black was able to launch a successful attack on a weakened White king while White's forces were distracted on the queenside. Eventually Black converted his structural and minor piece advantage into victory.
24
Backward pawns
A backward pawn is a pawn whose neighbors have advanced ahead of it and cannot advance. In the past, backward pawns were always looked down upon as weaknesses. However, today they are considered an intrinsic part of modern opening theory. For example, in the 6.Be2 variation of the Najdorf Sicilian, Black often accepts a backward pawn on d6 after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5! Black voluntarily takes a backward pawn on d6. Although the knight will move, Black's pawn on e5 controls d4 and f4 and also blockades e4, giving Black pressure there. In addition, Black is also threatening to play the thematic ...d6-d5 at any moment in the game, giving White something to worry about. The move ...e7-e5 also kicks back the White knight to a less enticing square. However, backward pawns can be weak. Specifically, although the pawn itself may be easily defensible, the square in front of it is a tasty outpost for the enemy pieces, especially a knight. Also, due to its inability to advance, the backward pawn is an easy target for heavy pieces. At right is the game Unzicker--Taimanov, Stockholm 1952.
Unzicker--Taimanov Stockholm, 1952 Position after White's 13th move White has just played 13.b3?, a move which weakens the knight on c3 and thus, the pawn on e4. This is the kind of pressure I was talking about earlier--if Black can line up his queen and bishop to target e4, White will be forced to defend passively to preserve material equality. Black also has a backward pawn. However, it can hardly be considered a weakness, since it is securely defended by a bishop and queen, while White cannot muster enough force to take the pawn. Nor can he move his knight to d5, since then Black would take it, retreat his knight to b8, advance the kingside pawns, redeploy his knight to f6, and have good kingside chances due to his space advantage in that area and active bishop pointing in that direction. So in this position Black played 13...Rc8 14.Bb2 Rc7! A multi-purpose move. The first purpose is to gang up on the c3-knight with ...Rf8-c8, after Black moves his queen to a8 to target the e4-pawn. 15.Nb1 Qa8 16.Nbd2 Ne8! (<-- I think Nd8 ?????)Black redirects his knight to e6, where it can choose from c5 and f4 as squares. In addition, Black has opened the long, light diagonal for his queen-and-bishop battery, and opened the c-file for his rooks. 17.Bd3 Ne6 18.Rc1 Rfc8 19.Nh2 Nd7 20.Nhf1 Ndc5 21.Ng3 g6 White was aiming for f5, where he would exert pressure on d6 and its only defender, the bishop on e7. 22.Ne2 Bg5! After 22...Nxe4 23.Nxe4 Bxe4 24.Bxe4 Qxe4 25.Nc3 White has lost a pawn, but he has gained use of d5 and e4 as outposts. Black's move is stronger, keeping White tied down. 23.Nc3 Nd4 24.Ncb1 d5! Breaking open the center and exposing White's confused pieces. All of Black's pieces are active. 25.exd5 Nxd3 26.cxd3 Rxc1 27.Bxc1 Bxd5 28.f3 Rc2 29.a4 If 29.Rxe5? Qc6 30.Re1 Rxc1 31.Rxc1 Qxc1 32.Qxc1 Ne2+ and Black wins. 29...b4 30.Kh1 Qc6 and White resigned! He has no good way to prevent ...Nxb3.
Chess Strategy/Pawn structure So the backward pawn was not really "bad", but what good did it do for Black's position? For one thing, it protected e5 for a while. Second, without the backward pawn on d6, Black would never have been able to force in the line-opening 24...d5!. The result of the game depended on this advance--without it, Black could not have broken through. The reason this advance was so effective is that White's pieces were confused and passive. There was no way to get to them except through the center. After the center was open, White's ranks were in chaos and they were subject to attack by Black's active, well-coordinated army. As any general knows, this is a recipe for disaster.
25
Passed pawns
Most players think passed pawns are always good. In the endgame, this is certainly true. However, this is sometimes not true, especially in the middlegame. Passed pawns can get in the way of their own pieces and become a bottleneck. This is especially true when a knight blockades it. Knights are excellent blockading pieces because, although relegated to the role of defensive barricade, their ability to jump over pieces allows them to exert pressure on the squares behind the pawn. The American World Champion, Bobby Fischer, played a famous game against the then-World Champion, Boris Spassky, in the World Championship match in 1972, with a passed pawn.
Spassky--Fischer, Reykjavk 1972 ' Position after Black's 17th move Most masters of the early twentieth century would here conclude that White has a large advantage. After all, he has more central space, a protected passed pawn on d5, two bishops, and a weak pawn on b6 to target! The opposite is in fact true: Black has the advantage because he has a knight versus a bishop in a closed position; the pawn on b6 is easily defended, White has weak pawns on c4, c3, and a4, and the d-pawn only serves to block White's actions on the d-file. As a result, White has no plan. 18.Rb2 Rb8 19.Rbf2 Spassky correctly transfers the rooks to the kingside, which is where all the action is taking place. 19...Qe7 20.Bc2 g5 21.Bd2 Notice how White is playing planlessly, due to the passivity of his two bishops. However, Black has a clear plan of playing his knight to f4 while exchanging White's best pieces, the rooks. Then he will target the weak White pawns. Thus, he plays: 21...Qe8 22.Be1 Qg6 23.Qd3 Nh5! Trading off the rooks and swinging the knight into f4. 24.Rxf8+ Rxf8 25.Rxf8+ Kxf8 26.Bd1 Nf4 The difference between minor pieces is clear. Here Spassky blundered with 27.Qc2 and promptly resigned after 27...Bxa4!, which wins two pawns and crashes through. However, it is more instructive to see what would have happened had Spassky played 27.Qb1. 27.Qb1 Qf6 28.g3 Ng6 29.Bf2 Ne7 30.Bc2 31. Nc8 31.Qd1 Ke7 32.Be3 Kd8 33.Kg2 Nd6 34.Qe2 Qf7! There is little that White could do about Black reaching this setup. Black's knight sits unassailably on d6. Were the pawn on d5 not there, White could play Qd2 and chase it away. However, the pawn is there, and it sits on its outpost attacking both c4 and e4. This shows the disadvantage of White's passed pawn--it blocks the actions of his pieces. Black's next move will be 35...Qe8, winning a pawn. So White probably would have
Chess Strategy/Pawn structure lost the game in any case.
26
References
Silman, Jeremy. How to Reassess Your Chess. Los Angeles, CA: Summit Publishing, 1993. Soltis, Andrew. Pawn Structure Chess. New York, NY: David McKay Company, Inc., 1995. Weak and strong squares Queenside pawn majority
Chess Strategy/Queenside pawn majority

Queenside pawn majority
This is the odd-one-out of the various strategic elements. Why did Steinitz pick a queenside pawn majority as one of the most important strategic concepts? Why isn't the kingside majority, or the central majority, more important? To clarify, the central majority is more important for the majority of the game. However, as the game nears the endgame, a queenside pawn majority becomes more and more important. The reason lies in that of creating passed pawns. As we know, it is easiest to create a passed pawn if you have a pawn majority. However, since in the majority of games the king castles short, both kings are farther away from the queenside. And without kings, a pawn breakthrough becomes easier, since there is no enemy king to hamper the creation of a passed pawn. That is why kingside majorities are less valuable in the endgame--the king can stop pawns on its own.
The queenside majority in the endgame

With pieces on the board, the task is slightly more complicated, but the priority remains the same: Try to create a breakthrough before the enemy king arrives. Let's look at a game from the German master Rudolf Teschner, who shows us how to convert the majority into account.
Teschner--Golombek, Hamburg 1955 ' Position after Black's 21st move White has a slight edge in this endgame because of his queenside pawn majority. However, both kings are located near the queenside, and if White simply tries to break through on that side of the board, it will likely be a draw. Thus, White needs to create a second front. He did so with 22.g4! White takes aim at the Black kingside, with an unusual minority attack. 22...Ne8 23.g5 hxg5 24.hxg5 Bd6 25.Nf3 g6 26.b4! Now that Black's kingside majority has been
Chess Strategy/Queenside pawn majority crippled (the f-pawn cannot advance and the entire majority of three is held back by White's minority of two), White can continue going about his business on the queenside. 26...Be7 27.Kb2 Nd6 28.c5 Nf5 29.Qe4 Ke8 30.Qe5! Qxe5 31.Bxe5 The trade of queens does not relieve the pressure on Black's position. All it did was deny Black any counterplay against White's king. 31...a5 32.a3 axb4 33.axb4 Bd8 34.Kb3 Ne7 35.Nd2 Nd5 36.Ne4 Be7 White has made significant progress. He has advanced his majority and crippled Black's. His "bad" bishop confines the activity of Black's "good" bishop. The majority is not actually doing anything, but it is holding Black's king down with the threat of b4-b5 and c5-c6. That threat became real after White's subsequent 37.Bf6! Now the exchanges on f6 would lead to a hopeless king-and-pawn endgame, so Black retreats even further back: 37...Bf8 38.Kc4 Kd7 39.b5 Kc8 40.Nd2 Kd7 41.Nf3 Be7 42.Ne5+ Ke8 43.Bxe7 Kxe7 44.Ng4 This ending is winning for White. Black's pieces are still tied down to the defense of the queenside. 44...Nf4 45.Nf6 Kd8 46.b6 Now the threat is 47.c6, creating a decisive breakthrough. 46...e5 47.Ne4 Kd7 48.Nd6 Nh3 49.Nxb7 Nxg5 50.Kd5 and Black resigns. The threat of creating a passed pawn from the queenside majority proved to be decisive in the last half of the game. Note that often the case is that the stronger side has threats, but cannot find a meaningful way to break through. In this case, another weakness must be created elsewhere, and through the stronger side's superior mobility, switch attacks from one wing to another, so that the defender cannot parry all of the threats. Also, the pawn majority was nearly motionless until the end: however, it played a crucial role in the preceding battle.
27
Pawn majorities in the middlegame

Much of the time in the middlegame, pawn majorities can be a precondition for attack. This next game was played by seventh World Champion Vassily Smyslov. Although not #1 yet, his skillful mastery in this game shows how to milk the advantages of a queenside majority.
Gereban--Smyslov, Moscow 1949 Position after White's 21st move Black has a majority of pawns on the queenside. White must use his pieces to blockade them, lest they become a serious threat. Because he needs to maintain this blockade, White cannot seek active play. Considering this, Smyslov decides to start a pawn attack on the kingside, opening lines and weakening the White king. 21...f5 22.Nc2 Nf7 23.Be7 Bf6 24.Bxf6 Nxf6 25.Nb4 Because Black is attacking, White needs to find counterplay, and finds some in pressure on the d5-pawn. 25...Bb7 26.Bf3 Qd8 27.g3 Weakening the White king position. However, there is little else to do. The idea is good--transfer the bishop to g2 and apply more pressure to d5. However, Black refutes this maneuver quite simply. 27...Ng5 28.Bg2 Nge4 29.Nxe4 Nxe4 30.Nc2 Of course capturing on e4 would leave the kingside bare. 30...g5 31.Ne1 Qf6! Instead of trying to win the Exchange, Black instead continues building up for
Chess Strategy/Queenside pawn majority the attack. 32.Nf3 f4 33.exf4 gxf4 34.g4 White has temporarily kept the lines closed. Remember that he must leave forces on the queenside to blockade the pawns. 34...Rad8 35.Rfe1 h5 36.Ne5 hxg4 37.hxg4 Now Black opens a different file, and swings his heavy pieces to the h-file to attack. 37...Qh4 38.Qf3 Rd6 39.Rad1 Rf8 40.Bf1 Rh6 41.Bg2 b4! The power of the queenside pawn majority finally shows itself. White still struggled on: 42.Kf1 Ng5 43.Qe2 f3 Winning a piece. The game is won for Black here. 44.Nxf3 Nxf3 45.Bxf3 Rhf6 46.Kg2 Rxf3 47.Qxf3 Rxf3 48.Kxf3 Bc6 49.Re5 c3! White could hold were it not for this move. The attack has died out, but the queenside majority lives! 50.bxc3 bxc3 51.Rc1 Qh3+ 52.Kf4 Bd7 53.Re3 Qxg4+ Actually, the attack still continues, so it appears that my last comment was bogus! 54.Ke5 Qe6+ 55.Kf4 Qf5+ 56.Kg3 c2 The majority makes its final blow., so White resigns.
28
Majority vs. minority--The minority attack

After the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Nf3 Be7 7.e3 O-O 8.Bd3 Re8 9.O-O c6 10.Qc2 Nf8, we reach a topical position of the Queen's Gambit Declined. It features a spine of pawns that is not easily broken, because pawn breaks by either side would lead to a weak d-pawn. So, both players must work on the wings. Here White's best plan is regarded as being the Minority Attack, which features a minority attacking a majority of pawns. Here White usually plays 11.Rab1 to prepare b2-b4-b5, and exchanging on c6. The point of this maneuver is to create a weak c-pawn that will last the entire game. If Black ever tries to exchange it off with ...c6-c5, then after dxc5 he will receive a weak d-pawn. And without this, White still has a clear endgame advantage. Simple, and winning, right? The answer is no. Black also gets good play on the side of the board where he has space, the kingside. Usually this involves sacrifices on h3 and g2 to weaken the kingside light squares. The outpost on e4 is also extensively used. 11...Ne6 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.b4 a6 14.a4 Be7 15.b5 White is considered to have an edge here, because Black's kingside attack usually is just a little too slow to develop.
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. The King in Jeopardy. New York, NY: Chess Information and Research Center 1999. Soltis, Andrew. Pawn Structure Chess. New York, NY: David McKay Company 1995. Pawn structure Open lines
Chess Strategy/Open lines
29

Open lines
Open lines are incredibly important in chess. In fact, a game is automatically drawn if there are no open lines. Why? Because the opposing armies have no way to get in to the other side's position without substantial losses of material! There have been several instances of this. For example, A. Petrosian--Hazai, Schilde 1970, at right.
A. Petrosian--Hazai, Schilde 1970 ' Position after White's 45th move This position may look composed, but the pawn chains are typical of the King's Indian Defense. Were White to play in this position, he would have no trouble at all in winning with 46.b6!, breaking through. However, it is Black to play, and he is hard-pressed to find a way to stop this advance! If, for example, 45...Kb7, then 46.b6! still wins, because 46...cxb6 47.Qb5 wins due to Black's light-squared weaknesses, also typical of the King's Indian Defense (this should make sense now because we have already discussed weak color-complexes). So, Black must resort to drastic measures. 45...Qb6! Shocking! Black gives up his queen for the knight! However, when you think about it, this makes perfect sense, because the knight is the only piece that could break through the dark-squared bind. And now the queen cannot get in after the game moves: 46.Nxb6+ cxb6 47.h4 gxh4 48.Qd2 h3! Blockading the position completely. After 49.gxh3 h4, the game was clearly drawn and was agreed drawn in six moves. Of course, you can try telling your computer that White isn't better, but it's simply too stubborn! Note that the lack of open lines in the endgame gave Black the draw. This is one of those rare positions in chess literature, where Black has assumed a full defensive perimeter around his position. Without open lines, although White had a material advantage, there was simply no way to get in and make his extra material felt.
30
Open and half-open files

These are very important in chess strategy. Half-open files will give your rooks pressure on enemy pawns (if they're your half-open files). For example, in the Open Sicilian, two open files have been created by move 3. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 Now Black has an open c-file and White has an open d-file. Black usually gets some kind of pressure on the queenside, while White gets pressure down the d-file. It's part of both players' respective plans.
Pressure down a half-open file

Pressure down a half-open file can be enormous. Take the following position, from Smyslov--Denker in the USSR vs. USA match:
Smyslov--Denker, USSR vs. USA 1946 ' Position after Black's 24th move Black is obviously worse here. Although he has the advantage of the two bishops, in this case it is hardly an advantage, because the dark-squared bishop is totally passive on g7, being blocked out by its pawn chain on d6 and e5. This means that White has light-squared central outposts to work with if the other bishop is exchanged. White has space, but most importantly, a big hole on d5 and a weak pawn on d6 to work with. However, there is no effective way to use these squares right now because Black still has a light-squared bishop defending his holes. Therefore, White played the sensible 25.Bd5! Exchanging off Black's main trump, the bishop pair, and also eliminating the defender of the light squares. As a rule you can deal with a bishop pair by exchanging one of the bishops and creating a more manageable bishop-vs. knight situation, or bishop vs. bishop situation. 25...Kh7 26.Bxe6 Qxe6 27.Rd3 White starts laying siege to Black's d-pawn. 27...Rc7 28.Rcd1 Rf7 29.Ne4 Bf8 30.Rd5! Qg4 31.R1d3! After the immediate 31.Nxd6?, then 31...Bxd6 32.Rxd6 Qxd1+ 33.Rxd1 Rxd1+ holds the endgame. 31...Be7 32.Nxd6 The pawn falls at last. White won on move 52.
Pressure down an open file

Although no pawns lie on an open file, rooks and queens can still exert enormous pressure down it, especially when there are enemy pieces on it. One of the most effective ways to do this is known as Alekhine's Gun, after the following famous game, Alekhine--Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Ne7 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 O-O 8.c3 First White secures his long pawn chain. 8...b6 9.f4 Ba6 10.Nf3 Qd7 11.a4 Nbc6 All these moves have been played before, and are still played today. Now Alekhine introduced a novelty (at the time). 12.b4! Breaking open a file that will be used later. 12...cxb4 13.cxb4 Bb7 Black was afraid of some tactics that might of popped up based on b4-b5. 14.Nd6 The knight is now a tower of strength and is actually pretty hard to
Chess Strategy/Open lines exchange. It also ensures the domination of the c-file because c8 has been controlled. This is a useful thing to know: The best way to control a file is to control its back rank. 14...f5 15.a5 Nc8 16.Nxb7 Qxb7 17.a6 Qf7 18.Bb5 N8e7 19.O-O h6 20.Rfc1 Rfc8 Not exactly what Black wanted to do, but allowing White domination of the c-file with 19...Nd8 20.Rc7 didn't exactly look appealing either. 21.Rc2! Qe8 22.Rac1 Slightly more accurate was 22.Ra3 followed by 23.Rac3 and 24.Qc1. 22...Rab8 23.Qe3 Again, more accurate was 23.Rc3, 24.R1c2 and 25.Qc1. 23...Rc7 24.Rc3! White finally sees the light and invents Alekhine's Gun. The formation rook-rook-queen suddenly pops into his mind. 24...Qd7 25.R1c2 Kf8 Rushing the king over to help in the defense. 26.Qc1 White has established iron control over the c-file and soon wins, accordingly. 26...Rbc8 27.Ba4! b5 Sacrificing a pawn in desperation. The threat was 28.b5, winning a piece. 28.Bxb5 Ke8 29.Ba4 Kd8 It seems for a moment that Black has everything covered. However, the resourceful Alekhine realizes that this is only momentary, that Black is in Zugzwang, and thus cannot move at all! He therefore plays the quiet, but brilliant: 30.h4! A waiting move that demonstrates the strength of White's position. However, the more straightforward 30.Nd2, 31.Nb3, and 32.Na5 would have won easily enough. Nevertheless, Alekhine's move made a greater impression on the spectators. Black struggled on for a few more moves, and then realized the nature of his position and resigned. So in this game, White realized that pawns were not the only things that can be pressured by rooks. Sometimes, you can look for bigger gains and win on the spot.
31
Penetration on an open file

Penetration is one of the simplest goals of possession of an open file. If you can penetrate down into the enemy position and dominate there, you will have a clear advantage because he will be unable to dislodge you (most of the time) and meanwhile, you can cause chaos in the king's position and the pawns there. Here's a simple endgame example:
Instructive example Material is level. However, White can assume an immediate advantage with 1.Rc7, dominating the seventh rank and penetrating into the enemy position. Note also, that Black's pawns and king are very weak when the rook is on such a powerful square. Also, Black's rook is driven to passivity after 1...Rb8 2.Kf2 Now the king follows the rook. He will penetrate as well, and the game will be decided by a march of queenside pawns.
32
Ranks
If files are the means to an end, then the ranks are the end itself. A file is best used when there is a rank down which to penetrate. Most often, this rank is on the first, second, or third (for the opponent). Here is a nice game Vasiliev--Zilberstein, Ukraine 1993.
Vasiliev--Zilberstein, Ukraine 1993 ' Position after White's 16th move Black is clearly better because of his outposted knight on e4 and his queenside space advantage. In addition, White has weak light squares. However, all of this is meaningless if Black cannot arrange a breakthrough. So, knowing this, Black plays 16...a5! Creating tension on the a-file. 17.a3 Ra6! 18.Ne2 Rfa8! First Black builds up on the a-file before opening it. Now White is forced to abandon the file. 19.Rab1 axb4 20.axb4 Ra3 21.Ng3 R8a4! Now the rooks make way for the queen. Black is planning to move on to the 2nd rank. 22.Nxe4 dxe4 Now Black also has the d-file cemented under his control. 23.Rf2 Qd3 24.Qc1 Ra2 25.Qe1 Rc2 26.Rd1 Raa2 The "blind pigs" dominate the second rank! White is losing. 27.g3 Bd8 28.Bc1 Rxf2! An elegant queen sacrifice. 29.Rxd3 Rg2+ 30.Kf1 exd3 White resigns, because the rooks dominate the position, especially the second rank. Let's review Black's winning plan: 1. Creating tension on the a-file. (16...a5!) 2. Doubling rooks on the a-file. (17...Ra6 and 18...Rfa8) 3. Opening the a-file and dominating it. (19...axb4 and 20...Ra3) 4. Moving the queen to the new outpost on d3. (23...Qd3) 5. Penetrating on the 2nd rank. (24...Ra2, 25...Rc2, and 26...Raa2) This plan is typical of such positions, and is a good one to bear in mind.
Diagonals
Diagonals are crucial operating lines for the bishops. Because bishops can only operate diagonally, they need active diagonals in order to be effective. One example should suffice to show the need of bishops for diagonals. A line in the Danish Gambit goes: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 For two pawns, White has a capital development and two bishops placed optimally on their best diagonals. 5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Nge2 Nxe4?! This move is bad. Although Black is up three pawns now, White's two bishops decide the game in his favor. Black has a horrible development and now exchanges off the only two pieces he has developed. 8.O-O! Nxc3 9.Nxc3 Bxc3? 10.Bxc3 O-O Black undoubtedly thought he would be safe here, because after 11.Qd4 Qf6 there is no mate, and
Chess Strategy/Open lines Black is three pawns up. However, White mates after 11.Qg4! g6 12.Qd4 and now the power of the bishops shows itself on the open diagonals. The f-pawn is pinned, and otherwise there is no way to prevent mate on g7.
33
Open lines in the attack on the king

An easy way to create an attack is to first create a weakness. Another easy way to create an attack is to open some lines. However, when you create a weakness, wouldn't it be better to open some attacking lines to the enemy king while you're at it? It would, logically, double the strength of the attack, with weaknesses and lines everywhere, all leading to the enemy king. The following game masterfully shows all of these ideas in action, with a lesson from the sixth World Champion, Mikhail Botvinnik.
Botvinnik--Larsen, Palma de Mallorca 1967 ' Position after Black's 20th move Here White played 21.Rd7, which logically penetrates into Black's position on the seventh rank. He eventually went on to win a long, hard endgame. However, he had very little time on his clock. With enough time, everyone was sure that Botvinnik would find the best move, 21.Nf6+! This creates a weakness (on f6), opens a file (the g-file) and opens a diagonal (the long, dark one). In addition, the seventh rank is cleared for the rook's use. Considering that no price is too high for the king, it's a worthwhile sacrifice! 21...gxf6 22.Qg4+ Kh7 23.Rd7! White uses all types of open lines in his attack against the enemy king. 23...Re7 Or 23...Be7 24.Be4+ Kh8 25.Rxe7, with mate to follow. 24.Be4+ f5 25.Bxf5+ Opening more lines for mate. 25...exf5 26.Qxf5+ Kg8 27.Qf6 Ne5 28.Bxe5 Rxe5 29.Qxf7+ Kh8 30.Qh7#. This was an example of a strong attack, preceded by a line-opening sacrifice that created a weakness in Black's king position. It turned out to be enough to win. Unfortunately, White did not find this incredible winning resource, a winning combination. However, this does not mean that the idea was wrong. The knight sacrifice on f6 is common. It opens lines, specifically the a1-h8 diagonal and the g-file for White's use. It also weakened the seventh rank for the rook to come in and penetrate. Also, the long, light diagonal from b1 to h7 was weakened, and e4 was cleared for the bishop to use that diagonal. After the king was checked about a little, the rook came down and used the all-too common idea of the seventh rank. The rook on the seventh rank played a major role in the attack by delivering the winning blow. In many cases, the rook on the seventh increase the power of such an attack. Then the bishop was sacrificed to open even more lines. Then, using the weak dark squares in Black's position, White was able to mate.
34
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player. New York, NY: Chess Information and Research Center 1997. Tal, Mikhail and Damsky, Iakov. Attack with Mikhail Tal. London: Everyman Chess 1994. Queenside pawn majority Minor pieces
Chess Strategy/Minor pieces

Differences between the minor pieces
Understanding the relationships between minor pieces is crucial to chess. It's more important than most other things, including space, pawn structure, and sometimes even material. It's also one of the most misunderstood. For example, for many years the position in Spassky--Fischer, Reykjavk 1972 would have been classified as "great advantage for White". After all, he had the two bishops. No one questioned the authority of two bishops until the modern players like Botvinnik, Tal, Smyslov, and Bronstein realized that chess is too dynamic to say things like "the bishop pair is always good".
Rules of the minor pieces

First, here are some rules of thumb regarding the minor pieces. They will not work in all situations, as discussed above, but they will provide a good general guide.
Rules of knights
1. Knights need advanced support points to be effective. A support point, or outpost, is a square supported by a pawn that no enemy pawn can attack, or if it can, it cannot attack it without incurring some weakness. Remember that the knight must affect the area of the board where the play is happening, otherwise it's useless! Here are some rules governing a knight's activity depending on the rank it sits on. A. Knights on the first or second rank are purely defensive and are usually on their way to a better square. B. Knights on the third rank are useful defenders and are ready to jump to the fifth. C. A knight on the fourth rank is equal to a bishop and can withdraw for defense or venture even further for attack. D. A knight on the fifth is a superb piece, constituting a powerful attacker and is often better than a bishop. E. A knight on the sixth is often cause for the opponent's resignation. It creates disharmony in the enemy camp and the Exchange is often sacrificed to get rid of it. (See Botvinnik--Flohr, Moscow 1936 for an example of such a knight) F. A knight on the seventh or eighth often diminishes in value, because it controls fewer squares than a knight on the sixth. 2. Knights thrive in closed positions. This is for two reasons: one, because there are many support points provided by central pawns, and two, their ability to police squares of both colors and jump over other pawns means they are relatively unaffected by the pawns. 3. The best blockader of a passed pawn is a knight. This is because knights can remain active while blocking pawns, due to their ability to jump over other pieces and pawns.
Chess Strategy/Minor pieces 4. Knights are usually superior to bishops in endings with pawns on one side of the board. This is because pawns on one side of the board make light of a bishop's long-range powers, while a knight does not need these long-range powers and can use its ability to jump on squares of both colors. 5. The way to play against knights is to take away their advanced support points. This means that, by taking away central squares from knights, you can turn them into useless slabs of meat.
35
Rules of bishops
The bad bishop is one that is blocked by its own pawns. The good bishop is one that is not blocked by its own pawns. These names are too static, however, either piece can be an active bishop, depending on the situation. Here are the laws governing bishops: 1. If you have a bad bishop you should correct it in one of the following ways: A. Trade it for an enemy piece of equal or greater value. This makes sense. If your bad bishop is doing nothing good for your army, you want to trade it off for a good piece of your opponent's. This means that you have not lost much, but your opponent has lost a lot! B. Make it good by moving the central pawns off its color square. Your bishop will no longer be bad if the pawns are no longer there. C. Make it active by getting it outside of the pawn chain. The bishop can still be bad but active, if it is outside of the pawn chain's cramping effect, it will become active. 2. Bishops are strongest in open positions. The long-range power of a bishop shows itself best when no pawns block its diagonals. In this way a bishop can sweep from one end to the board to another quite easily. 3. Bishops are better than knights in endings with pawns on both sides of the board. Again, the bishop shows its long-range powers best by supporting its own pawns to queen while stopping the enemy pawns at long distance. 4. Endings of bishops of opposite color are very easily drawn. This is because of the bishops inability to patrol squares of both colors. The defending side can be three pawns down and still hope to draw by arranging a blockade on his strong squares! 5. When your opponent has a bishop, you should place your pawns on the same color squares as the bishop. However, if you have a bishop yourself, then you should try to keep the pawns on different colored squares than your bishop, no matter if your opponent has a bishop or not. This rule was formulated by the third World Champion, Jose Capablanca. It makes sense--you should try to give your bishop activity and restrict your opponent's bishop using your pawns.
Good bishops vs. bad bishops

As said earlier, "bad" bishops cannot be pinned down to inactivity, and "good" bishops cannot be pinned down to activity. Of course, these are pretty good general rules. Alatortsev--Levenfish, Leningrad 1937 was a good example of this.
36
a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a
h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Alatortsev--Levenfish, Leningrad 1937 Position after White's 24th move White has a bad bishop. It is blocked by a long string of pawns from b3 to f3. However, this means that all of his diagonally-attacking pieces are on light squares, leaving his dark squares weak. By contrast, Black's pawns perfectly complement his bishop--they cover the dark squares while the bishop covers the light squares. 24...Kf7 25.Ke2 Rh5! 26.Rh1 Ke5 27.Kd3 It would be very embarrassing to allow the Black king to penetrate on the weak dark squares. This is a direct consequence of White's bad bishop--neither the bishop nor the pawns can cover his dark squares. 27...h6 28.h3? Weakening g3. The king now looks to the kingside to penetrate. 28...Rg5 29.Rh2 Rg3 Or the rook. 30.h4 Rg8 31.Ke2 g5! Black breaks through. Now the g-file is opened, and White loses material. 32.hxg5 hxg5 33.Kf2 g4 34.Rh5+ Kd4 The Black king invades. However, White accelerates the disintegration of his own position, but there is really nothing left to do. 35.Rd1+? Kc3 36.Rh7 gxf3 37.Bf1 37.Bxf3? walks into 37...Rxf3+ 38.Kxf3 Bg4+ and 39...Bxd1. 37...Kc2! 38.Rd3 Bh3! 39.Rxf3 Rxf3+ 40.Kxf3 Bxf1 41.Rxf7 Rf8 Up a piece, with a passed pawn on f4 and an active king, Black is winning easily. He won on move 49. Black's dominance of the dark squares allowed the king to penetrate into White's position decisively. However, despite what this game shows, bad bishops are not always bad. Bad bishops protect their pawns. Or, as in the following game, Botvinnik--Kan, Leningrad 1939, they can be excellent outposts.
Chess Strategy/Minor pieces Botvinnik--Kan, Leningrad 1939 Position after Black's 25th move White apparently had a bad bishop after 26.e4. However, the bad bishop on d5 exerts power in both directions. By contrast, the Black bishop on a6 is "much better", but it is much less active. White has a plan now of putting pressure on b6, followed by the exchange of the base on b6. Black's forces are not well-placed enough to combat this, and thus cannot regroup in time to protect the c-pawn. 26...Bc8 27.Qa4 Bd7 28.Qa7 Be8 29.Rb1 Rd6 Black has covered the b-pawn. However, once it's exchanged, Black cannot defend the c-pawn and will lose a pawn. 30.a4 Kh7 31.a5 bxa5 32.Qxa5 Notice that White did not play to win the b-pawn, just to exchange it. Why? The result is that the rest of the chain, on c5, becomes weak. 32...Ra6 33.Qxc5 Ra2 34.Qe3! White returns the queen in time to prevent Black's threats from materializing. Black was aiming at 34...Qg5 35.g4 Qd2, when nothing can prevent mate. 34...Qa6 35.Rb8 Qa4 36.Kh2 Ra3 37.Qc5 Ra2 38.Ra8 Now Black is forced to give up even more material to prolong the game. 38...Qxa8 39.Bxa8 Rxa8 40.Qxe5 Bc6 41.Qc7 Black resigned. Botvinnik used his mastery of bishops and chains to first win a pawn, and then a game. It turns out that the bad bishop on d5 was not so bad after all!
37
The bishop pair

The bishop, by itself, is still a powerful piece. However, its value is more than doubled when another bishop is added to it. Think about it this way: The main drawback of a bishop is that it can only move on half of the squares on the board. However, when two bishops are sweeping the board, nothing is safe from their malevolent eyes. The two bishops can usually outweigh other positional considerations, such as pawn structure. The following game is Botvinnik--Smyslov, Moscow 1948. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 The ever-popular Richter-Rauzer Variation. 6...e6 7.Be2 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.N4b5 a6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 Starting here, White has a plan of wrecking Black's pawn structure. This gives him a static advantage: it will last into the endgame. However, later he becomes so lost in this plan that he forgets about dynamic considerations. 11.Nd4 Kh8 12.Kh1 Rg8 A good open file for the rook. Black has good kingside chances because of his two bishop and open g-file. 13.f4 Bd7 14.Bf3 Rc8 So here Black has two bishops, but unfortunately they are not very active at the moment (this is characteristic of the Richter-Rauzer). However, Black's position is very solid. White's typical plan here would be to gain a support point on d5 with the moves f4-f5, pressuring e6. If the pawn moves, the d5 square is suddenly available to White's knights, while the bishops remain inactive. However, White begins to play for a superior pawn structure and forgets the effect this will have on the minor pieces. 15.Nxc6? bxc6! Black takes away d5 from the knight and begins to play for a central break. 16.Ne2 White intends to play 17.c4, putting the permanent kibbutz on ...d5. However, there came 16...d5!. White tried to get a better pawn structure with 17.f5?! This allows Black to open up the position even further for his bishops. 17...Qc7 18.c4 dxc4 19.Qd4 c5 20.Qxc4 Bd6 21.g3 Bb5 Now both bishops begin to activate. Soon they will dominate the entire board. 22.Qc2 exf5! Finishing the self-destruction of his own pawn formation. However, the e-file and long diagonal have opened up, and White now feels the full brunt of the bishop pair. 23.exf5 Rce8 24.Rf2 Re3 Penetrating down to the third rank. 25.Bg2 Qe7 26.Ng1 Bd3 The bishops, especially the one on d3 (remember, this is the one that was "blocked" by the c-pawn) slice into White's kingside. Two rooks, on the e-file and g-file, bear down at their targets. 27.Qd2 c4 28.Rf3 Re8 29.Rd1 Bc5 White's pieces are being eaten alive. Note that his pieces are too passive to be making use of the weak pawns on a6 and f6. 30.b3 Re1 31.bxc4 Bxc4 32.Bf1 Rxd1 33.Qxd1 Rd8 34.Qc2 Bd5 White can resign here. He is about to lose a lot of material. 35.Qc3 Bd4! Taking time to guard his pawn. 36.Qd3 Qe3! 37.Qxe3 Bxe3 38.Bg2 Bxf3 39.Bxf3 Rd2 40.Ne2 Rxa2, and White resigned. So here, although White had a clear structural advantage, he forgot to take into account the destructive power of two bishops. In fact, the activity of these two pieces was so great, it forced White to take up a passive, defensive position. With White tied up, Black could force the exchange of queens, win material, and then win the endgame.
38
Play against the bishop pair

When do the bishop pair suffer? In many cases. Closed positions, for example, block the activity of the bishops. Sometimes, if the knights are simply better-placed than the bishops, the knights will do better. Here's an early example.
Brinkman--Nimzowitsch, Denmark 1922 Position after White's 20th move This is the game Brinkman--Nimzowitsch, Denmark 1922. White has the bishop pair. However, since the position is closed, this is not an important factor. In fact, Black has all of the play in this position. He will play to create pawn blockades and conquer support points for the knights. With this in mind, Nimzowitsch played 20...b5! "Sacrifice for the blockade," he wrote. "Black gives up a pawn in order to create the possibility of exchanging the opponent's light-squared bishop." The idea is that after the light-squared bishop is exchanged, White will have no light-squared guardians, and be in danger. 21.Bxb5 Rab8 22.Be2 Nb6 23.Kd1? Better was to accept the sacrifice with 23.Bxh5 Nc4 24.Qc2 Nxa3! 25.Qd2 Nc4!, with a draw by repetition. Instead, White erroneously believes that his bishop pair will win the game for him. 23...Nc4 24.Bxc4 Rxc4 Now the strength of his other knight grows. The remaining bishop is very bad. 25.Rg5 Ng7 26.h5 Nf5 27.hxg6 fxg6 27.Rxf5 The knight was about equal to the rook, so White does not hesitate to take it off. 28...exf5 29.Bxa5 Rb3! Material is level, but White's light squares are critically weak. 30.Ke2 Qb7 31.Bb4 Qa6! and White resigns. The threat is a discovered check, and it is unstoppable. So it was Nimzowitsch, one of the greatest chess thinkers, who formulated the plan to beat the bishop pair. Do one of these three things: 1. Arrange a pawn blockade so as to limit the scope of the opponent's bishops. 2. Conquer support squares for the knights so you can make your knights at least equal to the bishops. 3. Exchange off one of the bishops (preferably the good one, if there is a bad one) so as to diminish the value of the remaining bishop.
39
Knights vs. bishops

This is usually one of the most interesting conflicts in chess. Both pieces are worth about three pawns, yet they are completely different from one another. Bishops are long-range artillery, while knights are slow hoppers. Knights can tour the whole board, but half the real estate is off-limits to a bishop. Bishops can "lose" moves in an endgame, but knights can jump over pieces. The list is endless.
When the knight is superior to the bishop

O'Kelly--Najdorf, Dubrovnik 1950 Position after White's 16th move White has a spatial advantage because of his binding pawns on c4 and e4. The bishop on g2 can always free itself with an e4-e5 advance, and he threatens to fork on c7. This would lead us to the conclusion that White is better. But that would be incorrect! It is Black's move now, and he needs to think of a plan--fast. Give up? I'll walk you through it. We realize that at least one of the knights must be eliminated. But which one? Our eyes are drawn to 16...Nxd5 and 16...Bxb5. After 16...Bxb5, the c-file has been opened up, so that factor must be taken into account. Also, it creates an imbalanced position--bishop versus knight. If the c5-knight can be driven away somehow, the pressure on c7 will become quite unbearable. Bearing this in mind, Black played 16...Nxd5! 17.exd5 17.cxd5 hangs the knight, and 17.Rxd5 loses the e-pawn after 17...Bc6. But now the bishop on g2 has been blocked out of the game permanently, because there is no freeing pawn advance. 17...Bxb5 18.cxd5 So far, Black has exchanged pieces (good for the cramped side) and given up a bishop for a knight. White has a half-open c-file. True, the knight on c5 plugs it up, but it can be driven away by the b-pawn or captured by the bishop. Black must eliminate both "public enemies". 18...a3! 19.Bd4? White has no hope for active play now, since he has a bad bishop and Black has a beautiful knight. Better was to sacrifice the Exchange for active play with 19.b4! Bxa1 20.Rxa1. True, Black is up the Exchange, but on the other hand, White has the bishop pair, more space, threats down the c-file, and weak dark squares to play with. So he has adequate compensation. 19...Bxd4 Public enemy #1 has been eliminated. 20.Rxd4 axb2 And next comes enemy #2. 21.Qxb2 b6! This move cements the knight on c5 (preventing any sacrifices of the Exchange for a pawn), fixes the pawn on b5 (thereby limiting the scope of the White bishop) and prevents White from getting counterplay with a possible b5-b6 break. 22.Rd2 Qf5 Black has secured a better minor piece and better pawn structure. He can now think about another plan. One thing to note is that Black does not have to proceed with speed. There is no chance that White's bishop will ever become good, and the White pawns will always be weak. Black's plan is to take control of the open e-file. 23.Re2 Nd3 24.Rxe8+ Rxe8 25.Qc2 Qe5! Seizing full control of the e-file and getting out of the pin. 26.Rd1 Nc5 27.h4 Qe2 Penetrating. 28.Qd2 Qxb5 Threatening
Chess Strategy/Minor pieces now to bring his rook down to the second. 29.Re1 Rxe1 30.Qxe1 Qb2 Without rooks Black's advantage is highlighted. White has no counterplay, and although he controls the e-file, it is meaningless because there are no penetration points. 31.Qe8+ Kg7 32.Qc8 Qxf2 33.Qxc7 immediately fails to 33...Nxe4, winning. 31.f4 Kf8 Preventing the queen from penetrating. 32.f5 Qe5 33.Qf1 Qxf5 34.Qxf5 gxf5 35.Bf3 Ne4 The heavy pieces are gone, so there is no longer any need to keep the c-file blocked. 36.Bxh5 Nc3 37.Bf3 Nxa2, White resigned. When looking at this game, the reader should realize that Black's minor piece advantage was permanent and lasting. Black built up a plan based on this, and the rewards were great. Also note that once Black won material, he did not start playing "lazy" moves.
40
When the bishop is superior to the knight

Of course, the opposite can happen. Just as often, the bishop is superior to the knight. The game above made it look as if bishops are easy creatures to contain. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just remember Botvinnik--Smyslov, and you'll correct your mistake.
Dolmatov--Smirin, Rostov-on-Don, 1993 Position after White's 22nd move Black has many weak points and an extra pawn, but most importantly White has a bishop for a knight. The long-range powers of a bishop manifest themselves most greatly in this type of position. By switching attacks between a7, c5, and e6, White will keep Black moving. Eventually something will crack: because of White's greater mobility, he can move faster than Black. 22...Nb5 23.Be3 Rc8 24.Ra6 Nd6 25.Qe5 Nf7 In desperation, Black sacrifices back a pawn to make the transition into some kind of tenable endgame. However, White's pressure does not let up. His bishop is simply too active. 26.Qxe6 Qxe6 27.Rxe6 a5 28.Bd2 Black's correct method of thinking is to exchange the pawns so that it's a more manageable two vs. two or two vs. one situation on the kingside. This follows the rule that knights are better in endgame situations with pawns on one side of the board. 28...Ra8 29.Rc6 a4 30.bxa4 Rxa4 31.Rxc5 So now White enjoys his positional advantage, plus the advantage of a pawn. 31...Nd6 32.Rc6 Nc4 33.Bg5 From g5 the bishop controls many important squares, but due to its long-range power it can still eye the queenside. 33...Kf7 34.Kf2 Ke8 39.Rc7 Nd6 36.Ke2 Rc4 37.Rxc4 Nxc4 38.Kd3 Ne5+ 39.Kd4 Nc6+ 40.Kc5 Kd7 41.Bf6! Limiting the mobility of Black's knight as much as possible. This is a favor that the knight cannot return. 41...Na7 42.Kd5 Nc8 43.Bg5 Nb6+ 44.Ke5 Nc4+ 45.Kf6 Na3 46.Kg7 Black resigns, because the kingside pawns will be swallowed up. So in this game, White was down a pawn--down a pawn, but still managed to win! This was in part due to Black's weak pawns, but mostly because of the activity of the White bishop. Leaping across the board in a single bound, the
Chess Strategy/Minor pieces slow-moving knight was no match for the bishop.
41
Knights and their support points

The last game we will see shows support points in action. In a normal Ruy Lopez, both sides fight to get their own advanced support points. The game is Kavalek--Karpov, Caracas 1970. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 The books say that "a knight on the rim is dim", but it plans to chase the bishop to c2, where it will be even dimmer. 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 This is known as the Chigorin Variation of the Ruy Lopez and is the blueprint beginning of tens of thousands of grandmaster games. Black retains a strong-point on e5 while keeping his position flexible. White has a variety of plans, but the one chosen by White in this game will be revealed later. 12.Nbd2 Note that this is not the final square for the knight: it is a stopping point. The knight usually goes to f1 and then to either e3 or g3. 12...Nc6 13.dxc5 dxc5 This idea was discovered by Fischer. White captures on c5 and leaves Black with two holes, on d5 and f5. White will play to occupy them with knights. 14.Nf1! Steering towards d5 and f5 by going to e3. 14...Be6 15.Ne3 Rad8 16.Qe2 c4! Black's move lays claim to d3. Now he plans to maneuver a knight there. He intends ...Nf6-d7-c5-d3. 17.Nf5 Here White has a knight on the fifth rank. Black can do one of three things, two of which are listed below. 1. He can chase it away with g7-g6. However, this is a weakening move, and Black's kingside dark squares are weak. Black's king is now a target. 2. He can take it with ...Bxe6. But, after 18.exf5 Rfe8 19.Ng5! h6 20.Ne4 Nxe4 21.Bxe4 White has activated his bishop on the long, light diagonal and enjoys a stable plus due to his bishop pair and spatial advantage. Or, he can choose the move Karpov made, 17...Rfe8, which refuses to panic. 18.N3h4 Another exception to the "a knight on the rim is dim" rule. White cements his control over f5. 18...Kh8 19.Nxe7 Qxe7 20.Qf3 Nd7 At last Black gets to execute his own plan. 21.Nf5 Qf8 22.Be3 Black's position is clearly inferior: he has less space. Still, his next move is a blunder, though a natural move. 22...Nc5? 23.Nxg7! A sharp blow. After 23...Kxg7 (23...Qxg7 hangs the knight to 24.Bxc5) 24.Bh6+! Kxh6 25.Qf6+ leads to mate. White eventually won. This is an example of the efforts both players. Both players tried to create an outpost for their knights. It also went to show how great knights could be once they landed on their dream squares.
Playing against the knights

Playing against the knights has been seen in all of the examples on this page. However, there are certain points to keep in mind: 1. Play to deny the opponent's knights support points. Kick them out of their advanced squares with pawns (pieces if possible), unless the pawn moves weaken your position. 2. Open the board for your bishop(s). Once this is done, the bishop will evidently be superior due to its long-range abilities.
References
Alburt, Lev and Palatnik, Semyon. The King in Jeopardy. New York, NY: Chess Information and Research Center 1999. Soltis, Andrew. Pawn Structure Chess. New York, NY: David McKay Company 1995. Capablanca, Jose Raul. Chess Fundamentals. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace, 1921. Silman, Jeremy. How to Reassess Your Chess. Los Angeles: Siles Press. Open lines
Article Sources and Contributors
42
Article Sources and Contributors

Chess Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2376082 Contributors: ABCD, Adam7davies, Adrignola, Az1568, B20180, Blueknight, Chi Sigma, Chocolatier, ComplexZeta, Cryptic, D00d, Darvian, DavidCary, Davie4125, Derbeth, Dolsson5, Donarreiskoffer, Dysprosia, Eden Thinker, Eibwen, GK GURU, Garrett, Ha98574, Hagindaz, Hehelol, History of texas, Jguk, Jlapointe, John Vandenberg, Jomegat, Kurniasan, Kwamikagami, Lord Mardicia, LukeMeyers, Mattb112885, Mike.lifeguard, Nielmo, Pi zero, Plaicy, Poiuyt Man, Raimondo, Rand8781023, Reece, Robert Horning, RobinH, SamE, Shalom Yechiel, Sigma 7, Siroxo, Sjakkalle, Soeb, SunCreator, Tempodivalse, ThreeE, Tprev, WarrenWilkinson, Wereon, What no2000, Whiteknight, Whoop whoop pull up, Xania, ZeroOne, 97 anonymous edits Chess Strategy Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2450506 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, Dallas1278, Davie4125, Mike.lifeguard, Sigma 7, SunCreator, Thenub314, 3 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/Development Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2368259 Contributors: 2607:F820:42:0:0:0:0:C, Adrignola, Anonymouse, Download, Sigma 7, SunCreator, Swift Eagle, 8 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/Mobility Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2475811 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, SunCreator, Swift Eagle, 3 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/The center Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2543918 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, Avicennasis, Kranix, Lukerik, Panic2k4, SunCreator, 11 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=1957949 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymous Dissident, Anonymouse, Recent Runes, SunCreator, 5 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/Weak and strong squares Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2168773 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, EdoDodo, Sirgorpster, SunCreator, 5 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/Pawn structure Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2549671 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, Recent Runes, SunCreator, Xania, 7 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/Queenside pawn majority Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2488667 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, SunCreator, 2 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/Open lines Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2511518 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, SunCreator, 4 anonymous edits Chess Strategy/Minor pieces Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=2307454 Contributors: Adrignola, Anonymouse, Kranix, SunCreator, 1 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
43
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

Image:ChessSet.jpg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:ChessSet.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: Alight, Andrew69., Anetode, BrokenSegue, Dbenbenn, Interpretix, Poke2001, Roberto Cruz, 2 anonymous edits File:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Commons-logo.svg License: logo Contributors: SVG version was created by User:Grunt and cleaned up by 3247, based on the earlier PNG version, created by Reidab. File:Wikinews-logo.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wikinews-logo.svg License: logo Contributors: Vectorized by Simon 01:05, 2 August 2006 (UTC) Updated by Time3000 17 April 2007 to use official Wikinews colours and appear correctly on dark backgrounds. Originally uploaded by Simon. File:Wikiquote-logo.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wikiquote-logo.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: -xfi-, Dbc334, Doodledoo, Elian, Guillom, Jeffq, Krinkle, Maderibeyza, Majorly, Nishkid64, RedCoat, Rei-artur, Rocket000, 11 anonymous edits File:Wiktionary-logo-en.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wiktionary-logo-en.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Vectorized by , based on original logo tossed together by Brion Vibber File:Chess tile rd.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_rd.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Dbenbenn File:Chess tile .svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Csium137 File:Chess tile qd.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_qd.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Dbenbenn File:Chess tile kd.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_kd.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Chorch File:Chess tile pd.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_pd.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Darklama File:Chess tile bd.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_bd.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Csium137, Glutnix, LuluBee File:Chess tile nd.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_nd.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Euku File:Chess tile pl.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_pl.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Darklama File:Chess tile ql.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_ql.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Dbenbenn File:Chess tile nl.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_nl.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Darklama File:Chess tile bl.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_bl.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:David Benbennick File:Chess tile rl.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_rl.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Dbenbenn File:Chess tile kl.svg Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chess_tile_kl.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Dbenbenn, User:bitplane
License
44
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Chess

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Chess

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Chess

Steinitz's Four Rules of Strategy

Using this Wikibook

What to do if your opponent has a lead in development

What to do with a lead in development

Grnfeld--Spielmann Shopron, 1934 Position after White's 12th move

Board's FEN notation:

Playing with a spatial advantage

The principle of two weaknesses

Keres--Capablanca Amsterdam 1938 Position after Black's 21st move

Board's FEN notation:

Antoshin--Ivkov Polanica Zdroj 1970 Position after Black's 17th move

Chess Strategy/Mobility could leave his position riddled with holes.

Chess Strategy/The center

The five schools

The Romantic School

The Classical School

The Hypermodern School

Chess Strategy/The center

The Modern School

The pawn center

Play against the pawn center

The pawn center as regards the attack

Chess Strategy/The center

When the center is stable

Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings

The castled king position

On attacking the king in general

Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings

The king in the center

Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings

The necessary preconditions for an attack

The pawn storm

Chess Strategy/The positions of the kings

Open lines in the attack against the king

Chess Strategy/Weak and strong squares

Chess Strategy/Weak and strong squares

Botvinnik--Flohr Moscow, 1936 Position after 32...Qd8-e7

Weak complexes of squares

Chess Strategy/Weak and strong squares

"Empty" square complexes

Chess Strategy/Pawn structure

Chess Strategy/Pawn structure

The different types of structure

Chess Strategy/Pawn structure

Other isolated pawns

Chess Strategy/Pawn structure

Hanging pawns and the isolated pawn couple

Chess Strategy/Pawn structure

Chess Strategy/Pawn structure lost the game in any case.

Chess Strategy/Queenside pawn majority

The queenside majority in the endgame

Pawn majorities in the middlegame

Majority vs. minority--The minority attack

Chess Strategy/Open lines

Chess Strategy/Open lines

Chess Strategy/Open lines

Open and half-open files

Pressure down a half-open file

Pressure down an open file

Penetration on an open file

Chess Strategy/Open lines

Open lines in the attack on the king

Chess Strategy/Open lines