Chess Strategy

Doubled Pawns after the Queens exchange, part 1

Mikhail Botvinnik - Nikolay Sorokin
URS-ch Moscow, 1931

White has better development, better pieces placement and doubled Rooks on the open d-file. Black has to take care of the e5 pawn, f7 can also be a target in the future, Bc8 is still undeveloped and Nb6 is not on the best square as c6 is natural for this Knight. All this tells us that White is better, but how to progress? Black is slightly passive, but he’s holding everything under control at the moment.

20.Qe3!!
Unexpected, and at first sight, paradoxical solution. Botvinnik is allowing doubled isolated pawns in the center, but he correctly determinated that Qc5 is holding Black’s position together. After the Queens’ exchange, pawn e5 will be hanging and a5 finally becomes a threat. Furthermore, Black will be having problems with Nb6 and how to stop breach over the d-file (d6 or d7).

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Happy Holidays to everyone who celebrate them

I have found quite a few games where one of the players is offering Queen’s exchange, even if it means significant damage in the pawn structure. This will be compensated with other pluses, usually in much better pieces’ placement and coordination. The article will be posted in three parts, full PGN file in the final post.

Mikhail Botvinnik - Max Euwe
Den Haag/Moscow, 1948

Botvinnik sacrificed a pawn to bring pieces to attacking positions. Queen and Bishops are on excellent places, White only has to open files for the Rooks. It has to be done quick though, because Black can play Nd5 next and completely neutralize the pressure.

20.f3!!
20.Bxf6? Qxf6 21.Qxe4 Bf5 Black catches on with the development.

20…Nd5
There is no time to take on f3 because 20…exf3 21.Bb1! with idea Bxh7+ is crushing 21…h6 (21…fxg2 22.Rxf6) 22.Rxf3 Nd5 23.Rg3!! Qxh4 24.Rxg7+ Kh8 25.Rh7+ Kg8 26.Rh8#;
20…Be6 was decent however, 21.fxe4! it is all about one tempo (21.Bb1 Nd5 22.Qxe4 f5 with next 23…Nc3 and equal play, Botvinnik) 21…Bxa2 22.Rxf6! (22.Bxf6? gxf6 23.Rf3 Be6 24.e5 Rfe8 25.exf6 Qf8 26.Rg3+ Kh8 27.Rg7 Bf5 and now Black is winning) 22…Kh8 (22…gxf6? 23.Bxf6; 22…Be6 23.Qg3 Qd7 24.Ref1!) 23.Qg3 with attack for White.

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Magnus Carlsen - Ivan Cheparinov
2007 World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk

I was annotating this game for Chessdom, and since there were some wonderful ideas in the unbalanced endgame, I decided to share them here.

If we strictly count the units, material is even, but in the actual games evaluation depends on many relative factors such are pieces’ coordination, king safety, passed pawns etc. Two important features for White are advanced pawn on g6 and ‘one extra piece’ on the board as Knight, Bishop and King can cooperate with great effect. Black, on the other hand, has possibility to create distant passed pawn on the queenside and his Rook is pressing on the weak “a” and “c” pawns.

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Dr. Anthony Saidy - Robert Fischer
New York ch-US, 1964

Without pawns on d4 and d5, White would even have a slightly better endgame. In this situation, Bishop is limited with its own pawn and one of White pieces will be tied for defence. Knight, on the other hand, can jump over the barriers. No one can claim for certain if Black is winning or position is a draw, but White is condemned to long, passive defence.

1…Nf8

White King can quickly reach the center, but then what? It can’t go any further or get involved in active operation, and Black can take his time to improve the Knight first. Ne6 will have an eye on d4 pawn, thus keeping one of the White pieces in passive position, and support future advance on the kingside.

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