22 Oct, 2006
Exchange sacrifice is, along with pawn sacrifice, one of the most common positional sacrifices. There are many classical examples, Petrosian and Simagin were using this motif quite often, but I want to start this topic with the game that had huge impact on my thinking process.
Garry Kasparov - Alexey Shirov
Horgen, 1994
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 b5 10.Nd5 Be7 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.c3 Bb7 13.Nc2 Nb8 14.a4 bxa4 15.Rxa4 Nd7 16.Rb4 Nc5
17. Rxb7!
I remember I thought this was print error in the newspaper. Exchange sacrifice will cause serious transformation. Two of the black’s most active pieces, Bb7 and Nc5, will be neutralized. Dark-squared bishop is staying out of game and white knights are dominating the board. White will have long-term positional advantage.
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15 Oct, 2006
Igor Bondarevsky - Alexey Suetin
USSR ch Moskow, 1950
It is well known that player with material advantage should trade pieces and simplify the position. In this complex, dynamic game, Bondarevsky has to carefully choose which pieces to trade and which to keep on the board. Playing 24. Nxb7 now would run into 24…Nd6! and white can choose: either give pawn back (c4, but then d5 becomes isolated) or after 25. Nxd6 cxd6 play with two extra pawns, but with great compensation for black. Opposite colored bishops are on board and black pieces are very active.
Conclusion is that black would love to trade the knights. That would give him nice chances for draw. Therefore, white leaves b7 alone and goes for more active square.
24. Ne6 Rf6
Black is somehow forced to retreat along f-file. 24…Rh4 25. Rg8 Rxh3 26. Nxc7 Nxc7 27. d6+! Kf7 28. dxc7 Rxg8 29. Rd8 with promotion.
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10 Oct, 2006
Anatoly Karpov - Vladimir Savon
USSR ch Moskow, 1973
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 c5 5. O-O g6 6. d3 Bg7 7. e4 O-O 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Rb1 Ne8 10. Be3 Nd4 11. Ne2 e5 12. b4 d6 13. bxc5 dxc5 14. Nexd4 cxd4 15. Bd2 Nc7 16. Ne1 Ne6 17. Bb4 Re8 18. f4 exf4 19. gxf4 Qc7 20. Qg4 Nc5 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Rb2 Rab8 23. Rbf2 Bc8 24. Qg3 Rb1 25. h4 h5 26. Nf3 Rxf1+ 27. Bxf1 Bh6 28. Nd2 Kh7 29. Kh2 Bg4
Black has pair of bishops and white has flexible pawn structure. How to continue?
30. e5
White is “cleaning” e4 square for his knight, opens long a8-h1 diagonal and creates supported outposts d6 and f6. 30. Nf3 was tricky, because if 30… Bf4, white has discovered check 31. Ng5+!
But black plays simple 30. Nf3 Bxf3 trading one of the white’s valuable attackers.
If now 30. e5 Bg7 31. Ne4, knight is storming forward with huge energy. White can then proceed, for example, with Ne4-Bg2-Ng5-Bd5 creating strong pressure on black’s king-side.
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8 Oct, 2006
Paul Vaitonis - Efim Geller
Saltsjobaden, 1952
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 O-O 5.Bg2 c5 6.d5 d6 7.e4 Na6 8.Nf3 Nc7 9.O-O a6 10.a4 Rb8 11.a5 b5 12.axb6 Rxb6 13.Re1 Rb4 14.e5 Ng4 15.exd6 exd6 16.Ra4 Rxa4 17.Nxa4 Bd7 18.b3 Bxa4 19.bxa4 Ne5 20.Nxe5 Bxe5 21.Bd2 Qf6 22.Qb3 Re8 23.Ba5 Bd4 24.Rxe8+ Nxe8 25.Qf3 Qg5 26.Qf4 Qxf4 27.gxf4
Let’s evaluate diagram. White has pair of bishops but all of his his king-side pawns are weak (isolated, double). Also, position has semi-closed character and that is bad news for white bishops.
27…f5!
Excellent move. Black is blocking weak f4 pawn and closing c8-h3 diagonal. It is usually good idea to block opponent’s weaknesses to prevent any advance that could possibly change the situation. But don’t forget, every rule has its exceptions - always have in mind given situation. The problem with f4 pawn is constant danger of double attack by bishop and knight. If that happens, for example Bc1 and Nd3 (Nh5), white won’t be able to defend it. On the other hand, black has no reason to be afraid of weakening e6 square and placing k-side pawns on light squares, because white bishop can’t attack them in decent period.
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7 Oct, 2006
Petar Popovic - Yuri Razuvaev
Novi Sad, 1982
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 Bd7 8.O-O Be7 9.Nb3 a6 10.g4 h6 11.Qe2 g5 12.h3 Ne5 13.f4 gxf4 14.Bxf4 Qc7 15.a4 Bc6 16.a5 Nfd7 17.Nd4 Ng6 18.Be3 Nde5 19.Nf3 Nxf3+ 20.Qxf3 Bg5 21.Bb6 Qe7 22.Rad1 Bf4 23.Ne2 Be5 24.Nd4 Nh4 25.Qf2 Rg8 26.Nxc6 bxc6 27.c3 Kf8 28.Be3 Rg6 29.Kh1 Rb8 30.Rg1 Nxg2 31.Rxg2 c5 32.h4 Qf6 33.Rf1 Qxf2 34.Rfxf2 Kg7 35.h5 Rf6 36.Rxf6 Bxf6 37.Bf4
Both sides have rooks, bishops and pawns, similar force as in Uhlmann-Lukin. Let’s evaluate the diagram. White has weak pawns a5, b2, and somehow e4, g4. His rook is on passive position defending those weak pawns. Black has better pawn chain and only two potential weak pawns a6 and h6. However, it’s almost impossible for white to attack them so we can say those pawns are not weak in short term. Black rook is beautifully placed on semi-open b-file pressing both a5 and b2 pawns.
Last move was 37.Bf4 and this is the only active white piece. Now d6 pawn is under attack, what to do? If e5, black is closing his bishop and creates new weaknesses d5 square and backward d6 pawn. Defending d6 with Rd8 or Be7 brings the pieces to passive squares. Since Bf4 is only active white piece and having in mind that any other move would lead to passivity, black brings rational decision to trade bishops.
37… Be5!
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6 Oct, 2006
Wolfgang Uhlmann - Andrei Lukin
Leningrad 1984
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qe3+ Nge7 6.Nd5 Ne5 7.Qc3 c6 8.Ne3 N7g6 9.Nf3 Nxf3+ 10.exf3 Be7 11.Qc2 O-O 12.Bd3 d5 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.O-O Be6 15.Rd1 Rc8 16.Qa4 Qb6 17.f4 Rfd8 18.f5 Bd7 19.Qb3 Nf4 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.Bf1 Bc6 22.Nc2 Ba4 23.b3 Rxc2 24.Bxf4 Be8 25.Bd3 Rcc8 26.Rac1 Bc6 27.Rc2 d4 28.f3 Bc5 29.Kf2 Re8 30.Re1 Rxe1 31.Kxe1 Bb4+ 32.Kf2 Bc3 33.Bd2 Bxd2 34.Rxd2 Kf8 35.f6 h6 36.fxg7+ Kxg7 37.a4 Rd8 38.Bc4 Kf6 39.Ke2 Re8+ 40.Kd3 Rd8 41.Re2 Rd6
This is good moment to evaluate the position and find the best plan for the incoming endgame. White is pawn ahead and all black pawns are weak being separated in 4 islands. But how to win? Black is covering all entry squares on e-file. Since White has material advantage, maybe it would be good idea to trade of some pieces. While considering trades, always have in mind higher levels of this endgame - rook, bishop or pawn endgames. Pawn endgame must be winning for white because he has extra pawn and potentional distant passed pawn (on b-file). However, before going to pawn endgame, we have to play rook or bishop endgame for awhile. Which of these two will give better chances to white? Rook endings, even with material advantage, are always somewhat double-edged. Opponent’s rook can give us big headaches once it becomes active. Bishop endgames are “safer” for stronger side because opponent has limited counter-activity options. Having in mind good position of white king, the above evaluation helps us to determinate correct plan - trade of rooks and transposition to bishop’s endgame. First, white wants to limit black king and bring his rook on the more active 5th rank (Re5).
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