Chess Strategy

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.

25. Bh5!

Having said that knight’s trade can only be on black’s wish list, white is searching for different ways. He wants to trade his unemployed bishop for potentionaly active Ne8. Unfortunately for black, he can’t really avoid this trade. 25…Nd6 26. c5 Nb5 27. Re1 Rf5 28. Be2 Ra5 29. Bg4

25…c6 26. Bxe8 Rxe8 27. Nc5 cxd5

Black can try to win pawn back 27…Ref8 28. Ne4 Rf4 29. d6 Kd8 but white has 30. Re1!

28. Rxd5 Rd8 29. Rxd8

Rather then taking central pawn with 29. Rxe5 Kf7 because black can use full potential of his rooks. Nc5 is clearly better then Bh6.

29…Kxd8 30. Nxa4 Rf3 31. Nc5 Kc7 32. h4 and white won in next couple of moves.