Perfect Your Chess - Sample
In yesterday’s post I recommended “Perfect Your Chess” by GM Andrei Volokitin and IM Vladimir Grabinsky. Here is one sample from the first chapter “Make a Move”. From the chapter intro: We set ourselves the task of choosing positions where it is sufficient to suggest only one move. Just as in a game, a player has to solve problems of various types, so here you will find a mix of quiet moves, zwischenzugs, winning moves, prophylactic moves, etc.
Black to move. Discuss the position in comments.
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willie brown said,
Wrote on October 3, 2007 @ 2:34 am
pawn to (f3) holds the position for white!otherwise (…bxn) by black would be decisive.if (pxb?)then (rxr+)cleans house!(qxb)loses to (…pf3)when whites kingside pawn structure will be fately damaged!
Goran Urosevic said,
Wrote on October 3, 2007 @ 3:38 am
Hello Willi,
Black is to move first
I like your ideas though 
armis said,
Wrote on October 4, 2007 @ 9:52 am
I thought I would gladly join this experiment. Here are my thoughts about the position. Let me know if I am right and at least on the right track.
I prefer black for a number of reasons:
1. Good control of the c file and pressure on the backward c pawn. The problem though is that white can get c4 in. So black might want to stop that
2. Black has the two bishops in a rather open position.
3. Black could destroy the white kingside with the pawn advance f4-f3.
The only things I don’t like about black’s position is the bishop on h5 which if not the pawn advance f4-f3 can end up misplaced and the pawn weakness on d6 but I think this is not much of a problem because black has an unoposed dark squared bishop. This makes white’s attack on the d6 point much harded to suceed.
White has a centralised knight and a pawn majority on the queenside so he’ll try to create a passed pawn on that part of the board at the same time trying to get right of the weakness on c3 by pushing c4.
Chess is mostly about creating weaknessess and exploiting them. So what comes to my mind is trying to attack the backward c pawn and break up white’s kingside with f4-f3 and make life harded for him. Thus white might want to stop f4-f3. So this is my little overview of the position. Now let’s have a quick look at one continuation
To my mind, 1. …f3 works straight away. This can hardly be called a pawn sacrifice because I think eventually black will win his pawn back with interest. Now if 2.Nxf3 then 2. …Rxc3 looks good for black since the queen is attacked, Bxf3 will destroy the white kingside and with opposite coloured bishops I think black will be on top. Not to mention the f6 bishop is on a terrific diagonal lined up with the a1 rook with a discovered attack once the rook moves from c3.
2.g3 is impossible because mate on g2 will quickly follow
After 2.gxf I think black can just play Be5 improving his unopossed bishop and creating dangerous threats on the kingside.
Thus I think that white should pay no attention to f3 and go on with his business.
Thanks for reading my rather lengthy explanations of my thought process. Let me know if I am right about my observations or not
Thanks a bunch
Goran Urosevic said,
Wrote on October 5, 2007 @ 1:34 am
Fantastic evaluation armis! Very well explained and longer than most of my posts
Let’s wait for observations from a few other readers (if any).
Bill Owens said,
Wrote on October 5, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
I’m not much of a chess player, but why not BxN @ d4? If QxB, then black advances his pawn to f3 and white seems to have a problem keeping the black Q at bay. Am I missing something?
Goran Urosevic said,
Wrote on October 5, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
Hi Bill, thank you for joining the discussion. On 1…Bxd4 2. Qxd4 f3, white can play 3.h3 (maybe even 3.Bd1!?) and keep the black queen away.
Bxd4 is certainly important part of black’s plans, but it would be better to keep it in reserve, for a more convenient moment. As someone mentioned “threat is stronger than execution”. Another important resource for black is timely d6-d5, which will be impossible with white queen on e4.
Loomis said,
Wrote on October 8, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
I like armis solution of 1. … f3 immediately. This move crossed my mind, but it looked difficult to calculate. I was attracted to the simpler Bg6 pinning the e4 pawn and threatening d5. For example, 1. … Bg6 2. f3 d5 and I think white is busted. A better try for white would be 1. … Bg6 2. Bd5 where black’s plan now is probably Be5, Kh8, and f5, which is likely to be too slow and allow Rc2 and Rac1. It still looks like white is tied down to his weak pawns and black has an edge, though it’s not as dangerous for white as 1. … f3.
Goran Urosevic said,
Wrote on October 9, 2007 @ 12:56 am
Good call Loomis, 1…f3 is the most energetic solution. Game was GM Volokitin - GM Beliavsky, here is the continuation with the comments of GM Volokitin and IM Grabinsky:
27…f3! =/+
Creating a second weakness. However, do not be in a hurry to finish this example, as this is only the prelude - the full story is still to come!
28.Bd1?!
(28.h3 fxg2 29.Kxg2 Be5)
28…d5
Black continues to press in all three areas of the board. 28…Rc4!? is another possibility
29.Bxf3 dxe4
Avoiding 29…Bxf3 30.Nxf3 Rxc3 31.Rxc3 Rxc3 32.Qxd5! Qxd5 33.exd5 Rxf3?? 34.Re1! +-
30.Qxe4 Qxd4!
(30…Bxd4 31.Bxh5)
31.Qxd4 Bxd4 32.Bxh5 Bxc3 33.Rab1 Bxb4 34.Rxc7 Rxc7
Black is a clear pawn up, although the game eventually ended in a draw.
Thank you everyone for participating in the discussion. New sample in on today.