King's Gambit

2006-06-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

Problem of the Day

White to play and win

2006-06-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

Problem of the Day

White to play and win

2006-06-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Problem of the Day

White to play and win

2006-06-25T00:22:00.000-07:00

Problem of the Day

Let's get things rolling again with an easy problem:

White to play and win

2006-06-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

I would like to apologize to the visitors of this blog about the complete lack of new content. Unfortunately I have recently dedicated most of my time to non-chessic activities, but of course there are always a couple of nice games being played here and there. Here is a not so serious correspondence tournament game:

N.N - Lassila, T. (A13 - English Opening)

1.Nf3 e6
2.c4 d5
3.cxd5 exd5

The first three moves set off the strategic landscape of the game. White will attempt to control the center while Black enjoys easy development of his bishops.

4.b3 Nf6
5.Bb2 Bd6
6.g3 O-O

White's double fianchetto is a natural idea for hobbyists of flank openings. The plan is to only occupy the center with pawns once the time is ripe.

7.Bg2 Nc6
8.O-O Re8

Black prepares to play down the semi-open e-file.

9.d3 Qe7
10.Re1 Bg4

I thought that this move might have been too committal. 10...Bf5 is an alternative.

11.h3 Bh5!?

Perhaps less risky was 11...Bf5.

12.a3 Ne5

White wastes a tempo so it's time to prepare for c7-c6.

13.Nbd2 c6

13.Nxe5 Bxe5 14.Bxe5 Qxe5 would make the White queen side look ridiculous.

Position after 13...c6

14.Nh4 Bg6

14.Nh4 looks strong on surface, because there are pseudo-threats like f2-f4-f5, but Qe3+ stops all attempts at trapping a piece with pawns. Black could have held on to his bishop with 14...Qe6.

15.Nxg6 Nxg6

The White bishops threaten to become a nuisance, but fortunately all the Black minors are nicely placed.

16.Nf3 Rad8
17.Qc2 Ne5

With ideas of pinning the knight with Qc3, but White should do something about the e-file battery.

18.Nd4 Bc7
19.Rac1 Bb6

The bishop has been reactivated from a square where it was potentially hanging.

20.b4 h6

Position after 21...h6

21.Nb3?? Bxf2+! 0-1

Omitting 21.e3 is a game ending blunder. White could not stomach 22.Kxf2 Neg4+! 23.hxg4 Nxg4+ 24.Kg1 Qe3+ 25.Kh1 Qxg3 leading to mate and therefore the only response would have been 22.Kf1 Nh5 etc.

2006-03-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2006-01-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2006-01-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Annotated Game

N.N - Lassila,T. (D10 - Slav Defense)

1.d4 c6
2.c4 d5
3.Nc3 Nf6

A little transpositional trick leads us to the Slav.

4.e3 g6

I usually play the Semi-Slav in such cases, but didn't want to risk all the complicated lines that lie there. In a few moves we transpose again, this time to the Grünfeld.

5.Bd2 Bg7
6.Nf3 O-O
7.Be2 dxc4

7.Qb3 is more usual here. The pawn capture is thematic and seemingly obvious, but could Black have departed from theory here? For example 7...e6 8.O-O Nbd7 9.Qc2 b6 10.cxd5 exd5 and White had some initiative but could only draw in Liebert-Hort, 1971. Gligoric tried 7...Ne4 8. O-O Nxd2 9. Qxd2 e6 10. cxd5 exd5 against Petrosian. The problem with playing e7-e6 and then exd5 is that White has insufficient positional compensation for the time spent fianchettoing the king's bishop. The bishop pair will be mostly useless here while the white knights proved to be exceptional when handled by Petrosian. Hort had earlier tried a variation on the idea against Reshevsky. Reshevsky-Hort, Los Angeles 1967 went: 7...Ne4 8.O-O Nxd2 9.Qxd2 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Nd7 11.Rfd1 Nb6. I still think it suffers from the same problems as the previous line by Gligoric.

8.Bxc4 Nbd7

Or 8...Bg4 9.h3 Bf5 with similar play as in the text.

9.O-O Nb6

Also tried has been 9...c5. Kortchnoi-Gheorghiu, Romania 1968 went: 10.Qe2 cxd4 11.exd4 Nb6 12.Bb3 Bg4 13.Rad1 e6 14.Bg5 Qd7 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Nbd5 17.Rfe1 Rac8 18.Bxf6 Nxf6 19.d5 exd5 20.Bxd5 Rb8 21.Bb3 Qc7 22.Nb5 Qb6 23.Nd6 Rbd8 24.Nxf7 Rxf7 25.Rxd8+ Qxd8 26.Qxb7 Qd7 27.Re7 1-0

10.Bb3 Bf5
11.Re1 Rc8!?

Black could try to stop e3-e4 with 11...Ne4. If 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Ne5 then simply 13...Bxe5 14. dxe5 c5 15. Rc1 Rc8 16. f3 Bd5 maintains equal chances despite the apparent weakness of the dark squares.

12.e4 Bg4
13.Be3 Kh8

It was probably also possible to play 13.h3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Qxd4 15.Rad1 with initiative. The text gives White a comfortable edge, too. The waiting king move accomplishes little besides unpinning the f-pawn, but there is not much Black can do here but struggle on. 13...e5 14.d5 cxd5 15.exd5 e4 16.Bxb6 Qxb6 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Rxe4 Bxf3 19.Qxf3 Bxb2 20.Rae1 is very unpleasant.

14.h3 Bxf3
15.Qxf3 Ne8

Trying everything to break the annoying pin on f7. After 16.e5 e6 Black would have a terrible position but would be able to lock out the menacing bishop on b3.

16.Rad1 f5?

Not good, but the alternatives are not tempting either. 16...Nd6 17.d5 cxd5 18.Nxd5 Nd7 19.Nc3 leaves the black king in hot water.

17.Bg5 h6

Weakening further. It's hard to recommend anything for Black here. The evaluation must be already +-.

Position after 17...h6

18.Be6!? hxg5

Simply 18.Bh4 and next move 19.Be6 would have sufficed to win. The sacrifice is beatiful and gives White tremendous play.

19.exf5 Rc7

Giving back material with 19...Nc7 20.Bxc8 Nxc8 is probably advisable to this. I did want to be a materialist for a while in the hopes of refuting White's attack. Turns out it's not quite so simple.

20.Qg4 Bf6?!

20...Bh6 21.fxg6 Kg7 and White has a big attack but no obvious way to get in. 22.Bf7 Nd6 23.Ne4 Nxf7 24.Nc5 Kxg6 25.Qe4+ Kf6 26.Qf3+ Kg6 27.Qe4+ leads to anti-climactic repetition.

21.h4! Ng7
22.hxg5 Nxe6
23.fxe6 Bg7

23.gxf6 Rxf6 24.fxe6 Kg7 25.Ne4 and Black can resign. This way should work as well.

Position after 23...Bg7

24.Re3 Qe8

Not much better is 24...Qd6 25. Rh3+ Kg8 26. Qh4 Qxe6 27. Qh7+ Kf7 28. Rf3+ Ke8 29. Qxg7 Rxf3 30. gxf3 +/-.

25.Qh4+ Kg8
26.Rh3 Rf5
27.Qh7+ Kf8

27.g4 Rf4 28.Ne2 and the rook runs out of squares.

28.Qh4 Nd5
29.Qh8+ Bxh8

Again 29.g4 or 29.Nxd5 would win outright. The combination wins as well, but is probably the hardest way to accomplish said task. The endgame could be analyzed separately, but I suspect Black is just dead lost here.

30.Rxh8+ Kg7
31.Rxe8 Rxg5
32.Ne4 Rf5
33.Nc5 Rf8
34.Rxf8 Kxf8
35.Rd3 Nf6
36.Rf3 Kg7
37.Kh2 b6

There aren't any good ways to defend the position, but now White wins by a forced series of moves.

38.Nd7 Nxd7
39.Rf7+ Kg8
40.Rxe7 Kf8
41.Rxd7 Rxd7
42.exd7 Ke7
43.Kg3 Kxd7
44.Kg4 1-0

2005-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2005-11-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

Annotated Game

Too often in correspondence games the opening is a dull affair of data mining and safe main lines. But sometimes one player deviates early and actively seeks complications and things can get hairy pretty quickly. Here's a mini-thriller in an interesting opening variation:

Lassila,T. - N.N (D73 - Neo-Grünfeld)

1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 g6
3.Nf3 Bg7
4.g3 d5

I'm not a big fan of the Grünfeld, but here it cannot be avoided.

5.cxd5 Nxd5
6.Bg2 Bf5!?

This is a novelty for all practical purposes. Black aims to prevent e2-e4 and aims at c2 at the same time.

7.O-O Nb4

Chekurov-Csonka, EU-ch U16 1993 went: 7...0-0 8.Re1 Bxb1?! (now 8...Nb4 might have been attempted) 9.Rxb1 c6 10.e4 Nb6 11.b3 e6 12.Bb2 N8d7 13.Qe2 Nf6 14.Rbd1 Qc7 15.Ne5 and White had an easy game (1-0 in 25 moves). Black's concept is interesting, but after 8.Ng5! Nc2 9.Bxb7 Nxa1 10.e4 he is unable to free the knight from a1 and will eventually go down a piece to lose. Therefore it is necessary to play 8...a5 9.Bxb7 Ra7 10.Be4 Bxe4 11.Nxe4 Qxd4 to maintain equal chances. But even so the black queen side pawns look bad and the knight on b4 is soon kicked back. As these lines would indicate, the position has turned quite sharp after just 7 moves. Instead of playing the strongest continuation I go on a queen sortie that looks interesting but gives Black equality.

8.Qa4+ N8c6

Position after 8...N8c6

8...N4c6? 9.d5! Qxd5 10.Ng5 Qc5 (or 10...Qd4) 11.Qb3 would be decisive. Here I spent time looking at 9.d5!? Qxd5 10.Ng5, but the complications are massive. For example: 10...Qc5 (10...Qd8 11. a3 Nc2 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. Qxc6+ Kf8 14. Qc4 e6 15. Ra2 is unclear. Perhaps better is 10...Qd6 11. Nc3 O-O 12. a3.) 11. a3 Nc2 12. b4 Qd6 (12...Qb6 leads to at least a draw for White after 13.Ra2 Nd4 14.e4 Bd7 15.Nc3 Nd8 16.Qd1 O-O 17.Nd5 Qd6 18.e5 Bxe5 19.Ne4 Qe6 20.Nc5 and the queen has no escape squares. Also 12...Qc4 13. Nd2 Qc3 14.Ra2 Nd4 15. Bb2 Qxd2 16. Bxd4 Qxd4 17. Bxc6+ Bd7 18. Bxd7+ Qxd7 19. Qxd7+ Kxd7 20. Nxf7 should favor White.) 13. Ra2 Nd4 and now after 14.e4 Bd7, it is hard to find a convincing continuation for White. Black will eventually play h7-h6 and be up a solid pawn.

9.Na3 O-O

Black has secured his king and still menaces c2. Probably equal position.

10.Bd2 a5
11.e3 Nd3

A mistake. Instead Black should have tried 11...Bd3 12.Rfd1 e6 with some pressure.

12.Nh4 Nxb2??

The pawn is of course a Greek Gift. After 12...Bd7 13.Qb3 Ndb4 he would have lived to fight another day.

13.Qb3 Nxd4

13...Nd3 14.Nxf5 is what ruins Black here. The pawn grab is a good try but doesn't get the bull off the ice, as Fritz would say.

14.exd4 Qxd4
15.Nxf5 Qxd2

Or 15...gxf5 16.Bg5 wins more material.

16.Nxg7 Kxg7
17.Rab1 1-0

17...Nd3 18. Rbd1 and curtains.

2005-10-28T02:07:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2005-10-28T01:29:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

N.N. - Lassila,T. (E32 - Nimzo-Indian, Classical)

1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Bb4
4.Qc2 O-O
5.a3 Bxc3+
6.Qxc3 b6
7.Bg5 Bb7
8.e3 d6
9.Nf3 Nbd7

More usual is 9.f3. Now Black gets some pressure on the f3-square.

10.Bd3 h6
11.Bh4 c5

Also possible was 11...e5 12. Bf5 (12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. O-O +/=) exd4 13. Qxd4 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Ne5 15. Qf4 +/=.

12.O-O Rc8

Interesting is 12. b4 cxd4 13. exd4 e5 14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Bf5.

13.Nd2 cxd4
14.exd4 d5

Using the pin to give White an IQP.

15.Qb4 e5

This is going too far. 15...dxc4 16. Nxc4 Ba6 17. Rfd1 Nd5 18. Bxd8 Nxb4 19. axb4 Bxc4 20. Bxc4 Rxc4 was better.

16.Bf5 exd4?

It was still possible to play 16...Rc7 17. cxd5 Bxd5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 +/=. Now White has good winning chances.

Position after 16...exd4

17.Bxf6! Nxf6

Black will avoid mate after 17...gxf6 18. Qb3 Rc7 19. Qg3+ Kh8 20. Qh4 Kg7 21. Qg4+ Kh8 22. Qxd4 Ne5 23. Qf4 Kg7 24. Qg3+ Ng6 25. cxd5, but will have a miserable position. I considered it better to give the exchange and try to gain counterplay in the center.

18.Bxc8 Qxc8
19.Rfc1 dxc4
20.Rxc4 Qg4

When down material, attack!

21.f3 Qe6
22.Rxd4 Nd5

The white queen is low on squares and the white rooks are uncoordinated.

Position after 22...Nd5

23.Qa4 Qe3+
24.Kh1 Bc6?

A critical position. Almost every piece is hanging at some point. It turns out that with 24...b5! 25. Qxa7 Nf4 26. Ra4! (26. Ne4 Bxe4 27. fxe4 Qf2 28. Rg1 Nh3 29. gxh3 Qf3+ 30. Rg2 Qf1+ =) 26...Qxd2 27. Rxf4 Qxf4 28. Qxb7 Black could still have good chances to draw. The remainder of the game is a cleanup operation despite the wild tactics that follow.

25.Qc4 b5

One move too late.

26.Qc5 Re8

Or Nf4 27. Rc4 Qxd2 28. Rc2 Qd5 29. Qxc6 Qxc6 30. Rxc6 +-. The rest is a pure attempt to swindle.

27.Qxc6 Qe1+
28.Nf1 1-0

How is one to defeat an opponent who refuses the offer of a free queen?

Position after 28.Nf1

2005-10-26T03:14:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

N.N. - Lassila,T. (B33 - Sicilian, Sveshnikov)

1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 e5
6.Ndb5 d6

The Sveshnikov is my current main defense against king's pawn openings. It has a deserved reputation for being theory intensive, but this is acceptable in correspondence games. It also has the quality of allowing Black to play for a win, albeit not without taking some risks. Still, playing for the win from the start is a refreshing change to all those openings where Black simply aims for equality. As any Sveshnikov player can tell you, the key move in playing for a win is the early push f7-f5. Here we enter a sideline early on.

7.Nd5 Nxd5
8.exd5 Nb8

In my opinion this retreat is stronger than the option 8...Ne7. For one, it avoids the well-known trap 8...Ne7 9. c4 a6? 10. Qa4! +-. If now 9. c4 a6 10. Qa4, then simply 9...Nd7 and White had only some advantage in Westerinen-Kramnik, Gausdal 1992: 11.c5 Rb8 (11...dxc5!? 12. d6 axb5 13. Qxa8 would be riskier) 12.Nxd6+ Bxd6 13.cxd6 0-0 14.Be3 Nf6 15.Ba7 Ra8 16.Bc5 b6 17.Ba3 Bb7 18.Rd1 b5 19.Qb3 Qb6 20.Be2 Bxd5 21.Qe3 Qb7 22.Bc5 Nd7 23.b4 f5 24.f3 Bxa2 25.0-0 Be6 26.f4 e4 27.Bd4 Rac8 28.Qg3 Nf6 29.Rd2 Rc6 30.Be5 Qf7 31.Rfd1 Rd8 32.Ra1 Rdc8 33.h3 Nd7 34.Bb2 Bc4 35.Bh5 Qf8 36.Re1 Nf6 37.d7 Rd8 38.Be8 Qxb4 39.Red1 Qe7 40.Be5 Bd3 41.Qg5 Re6 42.Qxf5 Nxe8 43.dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 44.Rc1 Qf7 45.Qg4 a5 46.Bb2 Rg6 47.Qh4 Qd5 48.Rc7 h6 49.g4 e3 50.Rg2 e2 51.Bc3 Qd6 52.Be5 Qxc7 53.Rxe2 Qc5+ 54.Rf2 Rge6 55.Qg3 Qc1+ 56.Kh2 Be4 0-1

9.Qf3 a6

This is a sideline that's not often seen. White usually continues 10.Qa3 and tries to work over the d-pawn, but I don't really see the point of this when a straightforward king attack is building up after 10.Nc3. I can't believe it's a novelty, but could not find any games where this obvious retreat had been played.

10.Nc3! Be7
11.Bd3 O-O

Castling into it? Certainly, but here we observe one of the basics of counterplay in the Sveshnikov. Due to the center pawns being locked, Black can play f7-f5 quite freely and use the d7 square to re-route his pieces into play on the kingside. What looks like a strong attack for White will quickly turn into an attack by Black should the operator of the white pieces not beware. I opted not to delay castling in favor of 11...Nd7 due to 12.Qg3 O-O 13.Bh6 Bf6 14.Ne4, when for example 14...Kh8 15. Nxf6 gxh6 16. Nxh7 Rg8 17. Qh3 is most unpleasant. But it turns out both 16...Re8! with idea 17...e4 as well as 14...Nc5 stymie the attack with good counterplay.

12.Qh5 g6

Or directly 12...f5. I was planning to play it on the next move in any case.

13.Qh6 f5

Position after 13...f5

14.g4!? f4

Better is 14...e4, when 15. gxf5 Bxf5 16. Bxe4 Bf6 gives Black a comfortable edge. White now has a perpetual should he want it, but not much more. I took a gamble and figured my opponent would rather press on with his "attack" than take the draw, which allowed me to gain some advantage.

15.f3 Bh4+

Foregoing the aforementioned line 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Qxg6+ =. Now the black bishops activate and start to control the kingside. The next point on the agenda is to drive away the white queen.

16.Ke2 Bg5

Or 16...Nd7 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Qxg6+ Kh8 19. Qh6+ Kg8 20. g5 Qxg5 21. Qxg5+ Bxg5 22. Rg1 Kf7 23. Rxg5 Rh8 =.

17.Qh3 Nd7
18.Ne4 Be7

18...Nc5 19. Nxc5 dxc5 20. c4 would leave the e-pawn weak.

19.b4 Nf6

Here I did consider 19...Nb6 20. c4 Qc7 21. Nd2, but decided the kingside was where the action should be.

20.Ng5 Kg7

Black is not impressed by 21. Ne6+ Bxe6 22. dxe6, since after 22...Nd5 he stands OK.

21.c4 h6

Again 22. Ne6+ Bxe6 23. dxe6 Nh7 would be good for Black.

22.Ne4 Nxg4!?

This sacrifice is probably not required to obtain an edge and is most likely objectively refutable. However, stopping the mass of pawns and a powerful pair of bishops is not much fun and in retrospect this move was correct in the sense that it caused my opponent so much trouble that he later succumbed under the pressure.

Position after 22...Nxg4

23.fxg4 h5
24.Nf2 Bh4

No good is 24...Qb6 25. Rb1 Qd4 (25...f3+ 26. Kf1 Qd4 27.Rg1 +-) 26. Bb2! hxg4 27.Bxd4 gxh3 28. Bb6 +/-.

25.Ba3? Bxf2?

A blunderful moment in the game. Immediately winning was 25...f3+ 26.Ke1 e4. White had to play 25. Qf3, when after 25...Bxf2 26. Qxf2 Bxg4+
27. Kf1 Bf5 28. Bxf5 Rxf5 29. Bd2 the position is unclear at best.

26.Kxf2 hxg4

Better is 26...Bxg4 27. Qg2 Qh4+ 28. Kg1 Bf5 29. Bxf5 Rxf5 -/+.

27.Qg2 Qh4+
28.Kg1 Bf5
29.Bxf5 gxf5

I did not recapture with the rook to improve my pawn structure. If White is to survive the pawns coming down the board, he must immediately play the break c4-c5.

30.c5 Rac8
31.Rc1 Rc7

White is ahead in material, but in a very difficult position. Perhaps he could have played 32. c6 f3 33. Qf2 Qe7 34. h3 with some counterplay.

Position after 31...Rc7

32.Rc4?? Qe1+

Winning on the spot.

33.Qf1 Qe3+
34.Qf2 Qxa3
35.c6 bxc6
36.Kg2 Qh3+
37.Kg1 Qe3
38.Qxe3 fxe3
39.Kf1 Rfc8 0-1

2005-10-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2005-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2005-09-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and mate in 3

2005-09-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

N.N. - Lassila, T. (A47 - Queen's Indian, London System)

1. d4 Nf6
2. Nf3 e6
3. Bf4 b6

White employs an opening scheme known as the London System. The openings aims to simple development and a quiet middlegame. Too formulaic for my tastes, but certainly respectable. Since a kingside fianchetto is not in White's plans, I choose a QID structure to put pressure on f3 and g2.

4. e3 Bb7
5. Nbd2 Be7

By developing the knight to d2, White sidesteps Bb4 so the bishop might as well stay close to home. If Black can prevent e3-e4 and throw in d7-d5 and c7-c5, he has equalized.

6. c3 O-O

The idea 6...Nh5!? is premature because after 7. Bg3 the knight has nothing better to do on h5 than to continue Nxg3, after which White gets in e3-e4 and starts opening up lines at the black king. He can even do O-O-O if he wants to.

7. Bd3 c5

Position after 7...c5

The same points are still valid for Nh5 since White has delayed castling.

8. Qc2 d5

Freeing the d7-square for the other knight. If 8...cxd4, then it's possible to answer 9. Nxd4! due to 9...Bxg2? 10. Rg1 Bb7 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. O-O-O and White has an attack. Black would thus have to live with a weak d-pawn or to consent to playing d7-d5 and close his precious diagonal with little active pawn play in the center.

9. dxc5 Bxc5
10. Bg5 h6

Playing for a little trick, forcing 10...h6. If White wants he can still go for the kingside attack with 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. O-O-O Nc6 13. Kb1 Rac8 14. h4, but the prospects are nothing special due to the lack of the dark-squared bishop. Black would rule the center.

11. Bh4 Nbd7

Black is ready to start counterplay, but to which side is White headed?

12. Nd4 a6
13. N4b3!? Be7

This is already a bit cheeky. White should choose a plan and start implementing it. The knight moves accomplish nothing.

14. Nd4 Ne5
15. Be2 Nc4

The point of 15...Nc4 is that 16. Nxc4 dxc4 17. Bxc4!? Qc7 20. Rg1 leaves White with a shattered pawn structure.

16. O-O Nxd2

White finally smells trouble and castles away, but does so at the cost of an exchange.

17. Qxd2 Ne4
18. Bxe7 Nxd2?!

18...Qxe7 19. Qc2 e5 would offer better chances.

19. Bxd8 Nxf1

Or 19...Rfxd8 20. Rfd1 Nc4 =.

20. Bxb6 Nd2

Position after 20...Nd2

White is now down in material, but in reality stands better. The bishop pair compensates well for the missing rook.

21. a4 Ne4

21. f3 Nc4 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Rd1 looks promising for White. Giving up the two bishops is risky however, and Black is not without chances.

22. f3 Nf6
23. a5 Nd7
24. Bc7 Rfc8
25. Bd6 g6 1/2-1/2

Neither player wants to risk it in a balanced position. White is perhaps slightly on top.

2005-09-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

Black to play and win

2005-09-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2005-08-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

101 Chess Principles

Included are short pieces of chess wisdom or practice that I've either picked up from somewhere or formulated myself. I've tried to avoid useless wittisisms and trite generalisations. Every single principle could be demonstrated by a position or an example; perhaps this is a project for the future.

General principles:

1. When winning, play the move that maintains your advantage by removing your opponents chances.

2. When losing, play the move that confuses things and makes it difficult to calculate the correct line.

3. If a piece will be lost no matter what, do not move it. Instead make your opponent waste time capturing it.

4. Every move of your opponent's has a purpose. Try to figure out what it is.

5. When your opponent is enjoying more tension than you are, try to exchange pieces or play countering manoeuvres on the opposite wing.

6. Passive defense gets you nowhere. Proper defense must include active attempts at seizing the initiative.

7. Once you see a refutation to a line, confirm that the refutation is sound and then stop considering that line. Never play a line hoping your opponent might not notice the refutation, unless you are lost in either case and only then can the desperado trick be attempted.

8. Make it a policy to always guess correctly what move your opponent will play next. If your opponent makes an unexpected move, stop and think. You might have missed something important. Or even better, he might have missed something important.

9. Once initiated, a plan should be carried out to completion and only aborted if your opponent has found a devastating counterstrike. A faulty plan is better than playing aimlessly.

10.Learn to play in different styles and pick the right style depending on your opponent.

11.Forced moves are easy to play and let your opponent breath. But having to pick between several moves of which only one is correct can be a devastating mental exercise if prolonged.

12.Nobody ever won a game by checking his opponent's king to death. Check need only be delivered once to end the game.

13.Chaos on the chessboard is to the advantage of the better player. Order on the chessboard is to the advantage of the player who has the better position. If your opponent is a better player with a better position, resign.

14.A piece that is out of play is as good as off the board.

15.When evaluating moves, never discard candidate moves off-hand. Consider them and only after justifying yourself why a certain move is bad, forget about it and don't consider it again.

16.Never play a move just because you got tired of thinking. If you are are not sure a certain move is safe, don't play it.

17.There is no honor in getting mated.

Opening:

18. Control the center, but don't necessarily occupy it.

19. Quickly bring out all your pieces, but only bring them out to the squares that they are most active on. If this requires delaying their development for a while then so be it.

20.Keep your queen away from the action until the center has stabilized and some minor pieces have been traded off. She is a strong defender as well as an attacker.

21.The weak squares are f2 and f7. Almost any move that threatens these squares is good opening principle.

22.Consider gambiting a pawn for activity when playing White against a weaker opponent.

23.Resist the temptation to play wild gambits as Black. They are almost always unsound.

24.Play moves that force your opponent to defend and restrict his development.

25.Know the general principles of any opening you play regularly. Don't play openings you haven't studied.

26.If White opens 1.d4, then most of Black's plans will center on when to play c7-c5.

27.Know the most common traps of the popular openings. Know all the traps of your favorite openings. Then never play any of the traps.

28.Declining a gambit you're not familiar with is usually recommended. At least you're rarely worse off than you were before the gambit was offered.

29.Moving the same piece twice is not a loss of tempo if it forces your opponent to undevelop, move a piece to an inferior square or to give the tempo back.

Middlegame:

30.Never lock the pawns on the diagonal of your fianchettoed bishop. Conversely, if your opponent has fianchettoed his bishop then aim to lock his pawn on the diagonal, blocking the bishop out.

31.Disconnected rooks are weak; connected rooks are good; doubled rooks on an open file are lethal.

32.If your opponent has no weaknesses, they must be created. Look for loose pieces, weak pawns and open files/diagonals.

33.Avoid the temptation to grab pawns if that opens a file or a diagonal for your opponent to attack.

34.The later you castle, the more potentially dangerous it can be. Consider not castling at all if the queens have come off the board or if your opponent has open lines towards your castled king.

35.Keep your queen mobile, don't block her lines with your own pieces. Failure to do so often means the queen gets shut out of play or worse, trapped.

36.Enemy pawns are the scourge of the advanced piece. To a pinned piece, they are poison.

37.An enemy rook on the same file as your king/queen spells trouble.

38.Trade away your opponents active pieces, leave the inactive pieces alone.

39.If you are ahead in material, the objective must be to win by converting to a won endgame or a mating attack. Not to win even more material at the risk of counterplay.

40.Pawns in front of a castled king must only move under dire circumstances.

41.A strong attack against the enemy king is worth about 2 pawns. A mating attack against the enemy king is worth a queen, both rooks and all the minor pieces you can afford to give and still deliver mate.

42.The queen can rarely move in safety. She is always subject to attack from other pieces and pawns.

43.Anyone who gets mated on the back-rank truly deserves it. This is the most elementary mating pattern and must be acknowledged at all times when calculating tactical variations.

44.If a pawn is attacked, instead of moving a piece to protect it consider moves that create a threat or win time. Foolish opponents will often capture the pawn and leave you with good chances.

45.Not all pieces belong on one side of the board. When attacking, use as many pieces as you can but leave one or two behind as defense.

46.An attack with three or more pieces usually succeeds; two pieces sometimes; one never.

47.Defense without help from pawns is almost never successful.

48.At the end of complicated lines, look for simple moves.

49.What doesn't work now might work later on. If there is tension in the position to your advantage, aim to maintain that tension.

Endgame:

50.In a rook and pawns endgame, keep your rook active at all times.

51.In endgames without queens, always centralize your king and make him active.

52.In endgames with queens, protect your king with your own pawns but beware of cheap mates.

53.Learn the concept of opposition in king and pawn endings.

54.If your opponent has passed pawns, try to create your own on the opposite side.

55.A king alone can never stop connected passed pawns.

56.Know the square-rule by heart.

57.Trade off weak pawns; place your strong pawns in chains.

58.A bishop and rook pawn against a lone king only win if the bishop is the same colour as the queening square.

59.The purpose of every endgame should be to promote a pawn or prevent the opponent from doing same.

60.Once the pawns are locked, both players must stay mindful of the possibility of stalemate at all times.

61.The king would be the best piece in the endgame if not for the unfortunate possibility of check and mate.

62.A lone rook stands no chance against a pair of bishops.

63.The three winning factors to rook-and-pawn endgame are: active rook, active king and good pawn structure.

64.Know the Lucena position by heart.

65.Study of the KBNvK endgame will teach you about piece coordination as well as mating patterns.

Tactics:

66.Many combinations start with pinning a piece.

67.Any sacrifice that makes the enemy king more vulnerable must be considered.

68.Never capture back blindly. There might be a strong zwischenzug to be played. Likewise, to recapture with the wrong piece can bring disaster.

69.The best moves are those that create two or three threats at the same time. A threat of mate combined with another threat is usually lethal.

70.Do not execute a threat while your opponent can counter it - wait for him to overlook something before springing the trap or force him to react defensively to your threat.

71.Beware of unprotected pieces.

72.Discovered attacks are the most devastating weapon on the chessboard. Learn to spot them.

73.Resolve pins quickly.

74.Learn to recognize and implement different kinds of mating patterns.

75.Pieces don't leave the board before they are captured - beware of "take back" moves winning material.

76.The best response to one of your pieces being attacked is often to attack an enemy piece in turn.

77.Pinned pieces neither attack nor defend anything.

78.Sacrifices are like playing slot machines. You put in a quarter and sometimes a fortune falls into your hands. A good sacrifice, even if it doesn't lead to mate, will usually allow you to regain the sacrificed material in a better position.

79.Pawn forks are the most overlooked and embarrassing tactic out there.

80.A sacrifice on f2, f7, h7 or h2 must never be overlooked.

81.Tactics that leave your opponent with multiple possible replies usually don't work. If you have two good moves, choose the one which leaves your opponent with fewer options.

Positional play:

82.Every pawn move must be carefully evaluated to see if it creates weak squares.

83.Always act to stop your opponent's pieces from arriving at outpost squares before they get there.

84.Knights run out of squares to go to easily. Use bishops and pawns to contain your opponent's knights.

85.A protected knight sitting in your opponent's king position is lethal. Not only is there a threat of forks, the mental effort of calculating the threats every move is highly depleting.

86.If you are missing one bishop, place your pawns on squares of the same color as the missing bishop.

87.If your opponent has no good moves, make sure he stays that way.

88.Weak pawns should be traded off.

89.If you have little space on one side, expand on the other side.

90.A pawn on the 6th or 7th rank is never to be taken lightly.

91.In the early middlegame, a pawn structure is only as good as the pawn breaks available in it.

Psychology:

92.If your position is worse, but you have found a good move, make the move and offer your opponent a draw. He might misjudge and accept.

93.If you believe the position is drawn and consider offering a draw, beware of the move before the draw offer. Letting your mind slip away from the game is a dangerous thing. The move might be a huge blunder.

94.If you are worse off, admit it to yourself. Having the right mindset is important in defending.

95.When you are attacking, calm down and take a critical look at your position. Your opponent still has resources left.

96.Learn to shut out everything else to help concentrate on analyzing.

97.Play all your moves with confidence. If you missed something, so will probably your opponent.

98.Don't be afraid to lose.

99.Irregular openings can be tried occasionally for shock value. The psychological edge is sometimes enough to compensate for theoretical weaknesses.

100.If you find yourself turned off by chess, take a moderately long break and concentrate on other things. You will find a fresh perspective.

101.If all else seems to fail, try the craziest move you can find. Not only will you have fun trying to hussle your opponent, you will gain a reputation for being a creative player.

2005-08-28T02:24:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

Lassila, T. - Marek, P. (B46 - Sicilian, Taimanov)

1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6

The Taimanov Variation - I've also played this defense, although with a different move order. It has a reputation for being "positional". Go figure. Nowadays I opt for sharper Sicilians, mainly because the Taimanov produces few losses but also few wins. Trying to get into a sharp Sicilian with White is usually not a problem, as we're about to see here.

6. Be3!? e6

Transposing into mainline Taimanov (1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Nf6). White could also have played 6. Nxc6 bxc6 (6...dxc6 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Bf4 Nd7 9. O-O-O Ke8 lets White have all the fun) 7. e5 Ng8 8. Bc4 e6 9. O-O with good chances. However, we will soon depart to far different play.

7. Qd2!? Be7

If Black plays 7...d6, then 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O enters a Scheveningen structure.

8. f3 O-O
9. g4 b5

The typical mutual pawn rush has begun. 9...Bb4 10. O-O-O Ne5 11. g5 Nh5 +/=.

10. g5 Ne8

Somewhat passive. 10...Nh5 11. Rg1 b4 12. Na4 Qa5 13. b3 Bb7 looks to provide more counterplay.

11. h4 f6?!

This pawn push weakens the king and practically forces the response g5-g6. Instead 11...Nxd4 12. Bxd4 d5 13. O-O-O b4 14. Na4 Qa5 15. Nb6 Rb8 16. Nxc8 Rxc8 17. Kb1 with equality.

12. g6 Ne5

Black doesn't like 12...hxg6 13. h5 with an attack. Also possible was 12. Nxc6 dxc6 13. Qxd8 Bxd8 14. O-O-O Be7 15. f4 with some initiative.

13. gxh7 Kxh7

The black king is temporarily safe as the h-file remains closed. However...

Position after 13...Kxh7

14. O-O-O Bb7

Or 14. Qg2 Nc4 15. Bxc4 bxc4 16. Rg1 Rb8 +/=. Now if 14...b4 then 15. Na4 Qa5 15. b3 and the attack continues. The position is already very difficult. I now had the idea to exploit the weakness of e6 and the rook on the d-file. 14. h5 b4 15. h6 g6 16. Na4 d5! doesn't seem to gain ground.

15. Qg2 Rc8?

Dropping material. Black could have tried 15...Qc7 16. h5 Bb4 17. h6 g6 18. f4 Nf7. Or 15...Bc5 16. h5 Qc7 (16...Bxd4 17. Rxd4 Nf7 18. Qg6+ Kg8 19. h6 is hopeless)17. h6 g6 18. Rg1 Rg8. Both appear to defend adequately for now.

16. Nxe6 Qa5
17. Nxf8+ Bxf8

Black hopes his coming attack will compensate for the hopeless material deficit. But White still has more active pieces and should logically parry the attack. This is the theme for the remainder of the game - Black attacks, White defends and threatens a constant counterattack.

Position after 17...Bxf8

18. f4? b4

Black could draw with 18...Rxc3! 19. bxc3 Qxc3 20. Bd4 Ba3+ 21. Kb1 Qb4+ 22. Ka1 Nd3! 23. c4 (23. cxd3 Qxd4+ 24. Kb1 Qb4+ 25. Ka1 =) Qxc4 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Bxd3 Qd4+ 26. Kb1 Qb4 =. Better is 18. h5 b4 19. h6 g6 20. Nb1 Qxa2 21. f4 +-, when 18...Rxc3? fails to 19. h6 g6 20. bxc3 Qxc3 21. Bd4 Ba3+ 22. Kb1 Qb4+ 23. Ka1 Nd3 24. c4! Qxc4 25. Bb2 +-.

19. Nd5 b3
20. axb3 Qa1+
21. Kd2 Qxb2

Black forges on, but the perpetual is not there any longer.

22. Rc1 Bxd5

Or 22...Ba3 23. Kd1 and Black must retreat the knight.

23. exd5 Ba3

23...Qc3+ 24. Ke2 would go nowhere.

Position after 23...Ba3

24. Bd3+!? Nxd3

24. Kd1 +-.

25. Qe4+ Kg8
26. Qxd3 Bb4+

A little trick that further slows down the attack. In addition to being down material with a dwindling attack, Black must now worry about his queen getting trapped. Black had to play 26...Qa2 27. Ra1 Bb4+ 28. Ke2 Qxc2+ 29. Qxc2 Rxc2+ 30. Kf3 Rc3 31. Rab1 and escape to a bad endgame.

27. Ke2 Rc3?

The final mistake, allowing the white queen to force resignation.

28. Qe4 1-0

2005-08-28T01:57:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2005-08-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

Black to play and win

2005-08-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

2005-08-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

Black to play and win

2005-08-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

N.N. - Lassila, T. (D00 - Queen's Pawn Game)

1. d4 d5
2. g3 Nf6
3. Nc3 Bf5
4. Nf3 c6

Withholding e7-e6 for a while longer.

5. Bd2 e6

White has opted for a less ambitious opening and now that the light-squared bishop is outside the pawn chain, it can be traded off.

6. Nh4 Be4!

Forcing the further compromise of the king side.

7. f3 Bg6
8. Nxg6 hxg6

The diagonal b8-h2 now becomes a sore spot.

9. Bg5 Bd6

Position after 9...Bd6

10. e4? Bxg3+!

10. f4 was necessary. Play then might go 10...Qb6 11. Bxf6 gxf6 (11...Qxb2!? 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Bxg7 Rh7 14. Be5 Qc3+ 15. Kf2 Bxe5 16. dxe5 Nc6 =) 12. Na4 Qa5+ 13. c3 Qc7 14. e3 Nd7 =/+.

The idea is 11. hxg3 Rxh1 12. e5 Qc7 13. exf6 Qxg3+ 14. Ke2 Na6 (or the amazing 14...Qxg5!? 15. fxg7 when Black wins in style after 15...Rh2+ 16. Bg2 Rxg2+ 17. Kd3 Qf5+ 18. Ke3 Qg5+ 19. Kd3 c5!! 20. g8=Q+ Ke7 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 and the mate threat finishes White off despite having two queens on the board!) 15. Nb5 Qxg5 16. fxg7 O-O-O 17. Nxa7+ Kb8 18. Nxc6+ bxc6 and wins.

11. Kd2 Qc7!?

Better was 11...dxe4 12. Kc1 exf3 13. Qxf3 Bh4 -/+. After 12. e5 Nfd7 Black is only up one pawn.

12. Be2? Bf4+

Another slip.

13. Bxf4 Qxf4+
14. Kd1 dxe4
15. fxe4 Nxe4
16. Nxe4 Qxe4
17. Kd2 Qxd4+

White is shedding pawns left and right.

18. Kc1 Qxd1+
19. Kxd1 Nd7

The end result: three passed connected pawns for Black. An easy win, provided the pawns can be made to roll. This turns out surprisingly difficult.

20. a4 Rh4
21. Ra3 Ke7
22. a5 Rd8
23. Kc1 Nf6

Position after 23...Nf6

So far nothing has been accomplished, except taking over the d-file.

24. Rb3 Ra4!?

Better is to just play 24...Rd7 protecting the pawn structure on the queen side.

25. Rxb7 Rd7
26. Rxd7 Nxd7

Or 26...Kxd7?! 27. Rd1+ Kc7 28. a6 disarms the trap on the back-rank.

27. Kb1 Rxa5
28. Rg1 Ra4
29. Rg3 Nc5
30. b3 Rh4
31. h3 Ne4
32. Rd3 Nf2

Winning the h-pawn but weakening the queen side. 32. Re3 f5 would set the pawns rolling.

33. Rc3 Rxh3
34. Rxc6 a5
35. Ra6 Re3

White is slowly catching up and getting his own connected passers to counter my four passers. The problem is, his seem equally fast. My knight is also temporarily misplaced.

36. Bb5 Re5

Position after 36...Re5

Simply pushing the pawns with 36...f5 would be sufficient, I start worrying too much about the White passers.

37. Rxa5 Kf6?

Blocking my own passed pawns!

38. c4 Ne4
39. Kc2 Nd6

The pin is but a mirage, and easily defeated.

40. b4 Nxb5
41. cxb5 Ke7

The minor pieces have been traded and the white passers doubled, but the rook endgame is extremely difficult. I've spent a lot of time trying to find out a solid winning line for Black, but could not come up with a convincing line against all White defenses. It seems the key is to play 41...Rd5, and then:

42. Kc3 Rd8 43. Kc4 (43. b6 e5 [not 43...Rb8? 44. Ra6 Ke5 45. Kc4 Kd6 46. b5 g5 47. b7+ Kc7 48. Kc5 Kxb7 49.Rb6+ and it's a draw as the black king can't go to d7 due to 49...Kc7/Kc8 50. Ra6 Kd7 51.Ra7+ Ke8 52. b6 g4 53. Kc6 g3 54. Kc7 g2 55. Ra1 Rd8 56. b7 Rd7+ 57. Kb6 Rd8 58.Rg1 f5 59. Rxg2 Kf7 60. Kc7 Re8 61. b8=Q Rxb8 62. Kxb8 and it's White who wins] 44. Rc5 e4 45. b7 e3 46. Rc4 g5 47. Re4 Rb8 48.Rxe3 Rxb7 49. Kc4 Kg6 50. b5 f5 51. Re6+ Kf7 52. Re2 f4 53. Kc5 f3 54. Rf2 g4 55. Kc6 Re7 56. b6 Re6+ 57. Kc7 Re2 58. Rf1 Rc2+ 59. Kd6 Rb2 60. Kc7 -+) 43...Rc8+ (Again not 43...Rb8? 44.Kc5 e5 45.b6 =) 44. Kd4 g5 45. b6 g4 46. b5 g5 47. Ra2 Kg6 48. Re2 g3 49. Rg2 f5 50. Rxg3 f4 51. Rb3 g4 52.Rc3 Rb8 53. Rc6 g3 54. Rxe6+ Kg5 55. Re5+ Kh4 56. Re7 f3 57. Rh7+ Kg4 58. Rg7+ Kh3 -+

As can readily be seen, this is one complicated rook endgame! The text move leads to a quick draw.

42. Ra7+ Kd6
43. Rxf7 Rxb5
44. Rxg7 Rxb4
45. Rxg6 Kd5

There is nothing to do here, the White king is ahead of the pawn and cannot be blocked off.

46. Rg3 e5
47. Kc3 Rc4+
48. Kd2 e4
49. Rb3 Kd4
50. Ra3 Rb4 1/2-1/2

2005-07-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

Solution to previous Problem Of The Day:

1. Bxg7! Bxd1 2. Bh6! and now 2...Bxc2 fails to 3. Qe5 f6 4. Qe6+.

2005-07-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

N.N. - Lassila, T. (E29 - Nimzo-Indian Defense, Sämisch Variation)

1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Bb4

Yes, it's another Nimzo!

4.Nf3 O-O
5.a3 Bxc3+
6.bxc3 c5

The best way to attack the pawn on d4, as 7. d5?! is not playable due to 7...d6 8. e3 e5 (or 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 e5) and White will suffer from a cramp due to the pawn structure in the center favoring Black. Play might continue 9. Be2 Bf5 10. O-O Ne4 and Black is better.

7.e3 Nc6

Now 8. d5 would be met by 8...Ne7 9. d6 Ng6 10. Bd3 (10. h4!?) Ne8 11. Ra2 f5 and White has more space but Black should be more solid in an endgame. The position is somewhat unclear.

8.Bd3 d6
9.O-O e5

Practically forcing the push d4-d5, as can be seen from what happens after the capture. After 10.d5 e4 (10...Ne7 11.Nd2 Bf5 12.e4 Bd7 13.f3 Ng6 14.g3 Ne8 15.Rb1 Rb8 16.Qe2 Qe7 17.Rf2 b6 18.Nf1 f5 and draw in 41 moves, Puc - Pachman, Ljubljana 1945) 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.Be2 exf3 13.Bxf3 d5 14.Qa4 Qb6 15.Rd1 Qa6 16.Qxa6 Bxa6 17.cxd5 cxd5 18.Bxd5 Nxd5 19.Rxd5 Rfd8 20.e4 Rxd5 a draw was agreed in Golubiatnikov - Pakhteev, Kimry 2004.

10.dxe5!? dxe5

The threat of e5-e4 now equalizes the game for Black.

11.Qc2 h6

Should White opt for 11. e4 himself, follows 11...Bg4 12. h3 Bh5 13. Qe2 Qe7 14. Rd1 Rad8 15. Be3 b6 and White's hopes of winning with his bishop pair are greatly diminished.

12.Re1 e4!

Note that Black could have played this one move earlier, but given that 12. e4 still goes nowhere it is useful to get in h7-h6. 12. Rd1 would have prevented this push, but allowed 12...Qe7 13. Nd2 Be6, Black is fine.

Position after 12...e4

13.Bxe4 Nxe4
14.Qxe4 Re8

Having removed the light-squared bishop from the board, Black will now activate his pieces towards the center with great efficiency while targeting the weak doubled c-pawns.

15.Qc2 Be6

Or 15. Qd5 Qf6! 16. h3 (threat 16...Bg4) 16...Rd8 17. Qxc5 Bxh3 18. e4 Bg4 19. Nh2 Be6 offers Black some chances.

16.Nd2 Na5
17.Qa4 Bd7

Simply 17...b6.

18.Qd1 b5!?

With an idea of opening the b-file for the rook and occupying b3 with the knight. The pawn deficit did not worry me, but White it turns out can also play actively here.

19.cxb5 Bxb5
20.Qh5 Qc7
21.e4 Bd3

The bishop is strong here, but less useful than I had assumed.

22.Ra2 Rab8
23.Qf3 c4

Position after 23...c4

24.Qg4 Kh8

This is a critical moment of the game. I analyzed 24...Nb3 25. Nxb3 Rxb3 26. Bxh6 f5 27. Qxf5 gxh6 28. Qg6+ Kf8 29. Qxh6+ and draw, but never considered 25...cxb3 26. Rd2 (26. Bxh6?? Qcx3 and Black wins) 26...Rbd8 and Black stands better. Of course breaking the pin is useful too, but White will now gain an attack on the long a1-h8 diagonal.

25.Rb2 Rxb2
26.Bxb2 Rb8!?

26...Qb7.

27.Bc1 Nb3
28.Nxb3 Rxb3

The other option 28...cxb3 29. Bb2 Re8 30. h3 seems to hold better. The problem I failed to appreciate was that White builds up an attack as soon as the back rank problem is dealt with.

29.Be3! f6

29...Rxc3?? 30. Bd4 is an obvious trick.

30.Bd4 Qb7

Threatening 31...Rb1.

31.h3 Rxa3

31. f3 Rb1 32. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 33. Kf2 Qf1+ 34. Kg3 also leads to nothing. Black grabs his pawn back but his attack has fizzled and now it's White who attacks.

32.e5 fxe5

32...f5? loses in rapid succession to 33. Qg6 f4 34. Qd6 Ra6 35. Qf8+ Kh7 36. e6 etc.

33.Rxe5 Ra1+

Or 33. Bxe5 Ra6 34. Bxg7+ Kh7 35. Bf8 Rg6 36. Re7+ Qxe7 37. Bxe7 Rxg4 38. hxg4 with a drawish endgame.

34.Kh2 Qc7

The pin holds Black together for now.

Position after 34...Qc7

35.Qg3 Kh7

A terrible blunder would have been 35. g3? Qb7!! 36. Rd5 Kh7! and Black wins. Having sidestepped this pothole White has clear sailing ahead of him.

36.f4 Rf1?

A fatal mistake. Required was 36...Rb1 to bring the rook to defense.

37.Qh4 1-0

There follows 37...Kg8 38. Re7 Qxf4+ 39. Qxf4 Rxf4 40. Rxg7+ Kf8 41. Rxa7 and Black will have no fun trying to save the endgame.

2005-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

Solution to previous Problem Of The Day:

1. Rxg7+ Kxg7 2. Bh6+ Kxh6 3. Qh4+ Kg7 4. Qh7# (Nunn - Short, Bruxelles 1986).

2005-07-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

Solution to previous Problem Of The Day:

1. Nxb5 axb5 2. Bxb5 Bd7 3. Rxd7 Kxd7 4. Ne5+ Kc7 5. Rc1 and White wins back a piece with a winning attack (Bogoljubov - Flohr, Bled 1931).

2005-07-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

Lassila, T. - N.N (E15 - Queen's Indian Defense)

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 b6

I have recently played a lot of Nimzo-Indian from both sides, but on this occasion wanted less complications since my opponent was well rehearsed in tactical play. Perhaps in hindsight this was a mistake, as I myself prefer slightly sharper positions and needlessly altered my play to suit my opponent.

4. g3 Bb7

More popular is 4...Ba6 and after 5. b3 d5 6. Bg2, the results have been mixed.

5. Bg2 Be7
6. Nc3 O-O

Only occupying c3 once the bishop has wasted a move.

7. Qc2 h6

Aimed at discouraging Ne4 rather than eyeing h7. Black could happily play 7...c5 here, as not successful was 8. d5!? exd5 9. Ng5 h6 10. Nh3 (10. Nxd5 Bxd5 11. cxd5 hxg5 12. d6 Nc6 13. dxe7 Qxe7 14. Bxg5 Qe6 =) 10...b5 11. Nf4 Nc6 12. cxd5 Nd4 in Kortschnoi-Stefansson, Reykjavik Open 2000 (0-1 in 46 moves).

Another attempt was 9...Na6 10. cxd5 h6 11. h4 d6 12. Nce4 g6 13. Nh3 and Black was fine in Dlugy-Kramnik, ICC 1999 (0-1 in 38 moves).

8.O-O Bb4
9.a3 Bxc3
10.Qxc3 d5

The immediate 10...Ne4 is not impressive, as 11. Qe3 d5 12. Nd2 puts the question to the knight.

11.Nd2 c5!

Or 11. Ne5 Ne4 12. Qc2 Nd7 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bf4 Rac8 15. Rfd1! (freeing f1 for the bishop) +/=.

12.dxc5 d4
13.Qd3 Bxg2
14.Kxg2 bxc5

Position after 14...bxc5

Black has managed to break White's pawn center and build up his own. Worse, I have no easy way of attacking his "weak" pawn at c5. 15. b4 Nbd7 16. bxc5?! Nxc5 17. Qc2 just helps Black. Another possibility was 12. e3 cxd4 13. exd4 Nc6 14. c5 bxc5 15. Qxc5 Rc8 16. Qb5. The IQP can be defended as Black lacks his dark-squared bishop, but White's pieces are dangerously out of play to open the position so suddenly.

15.Nb3 Nbd7
16.f3 Rb8

Since the bishops have been traded, f3 can now be considered, but the knight manoeuvre was a waste of time.

17.Nd2 Ne5
18.Qc2 Qb6
19.b4!? Rfc8

A small trick, but Black has the strong response 19...cxb4 20. axb4 Rfc8! winning a pawn (21. Qa2 Qxb4 22. Qxa7 Qb6 23. Qa2 Qc6 -/+).

20.b5 a6
21.a4 axb5
22.axb5 Ra8

By creating a passer it seems White has clawed his way back into the game. However, the weak white pawns spell doom.

23.Bb2 Rd8

The fact it took me 23 moves to move the queen's bishop speaks something about White's success in the opening.

24.Rxa8 Rxa8
25.Ra1 Rxa1
26.Bxa1 Qa5

Position after 26...Qa5

27.Qb2? Nfd7

Correct here was 27. Bb2. Now the black queen infiltrates rapidly.

28.Nb3 Qa7

The immediate 28...Qb4 29. Nd2 Qa4 is very strong here.

29.Qc1 Qa2
30.Qb2 Qxb2
31.Bxb2 Nxc4

The pawn goes and with it White's hopes of saving the game.

32.Bc1 e5

No hope is offered by 32. Bxd4 cxd4 33. Nxd4 Kf8 -+.

33.Kf2 f5
34.h4 Kf7
35.Ke1 Ke6 0-1

White can do absolutely nothing to stop the black king from simply walking over to pick up the b-pawn and then from supporting his pawns down the board.

2005-07-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

Solution to previous Problem Of The Day:

1. Nxf7! Rxf7 2. Qf5! with g5 coming (Alehine - Duras, 1913)

2005-07-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

White to play and win

Solution to previous Problem Of The Day:

1...c6 2. Ne3 (other knight moves lose similarly) Bxf3 3. gxf3 Qxd2! 4. Qxd2 Nf3+.

2005-06-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

For a lazy Sunday afternoon, here's something a bit less serious:

Lassila, T. - N.N (C34 - King's Gambit)

1. e4 e5
2. f4 exf4
3. Nf3 Nf6

I believe this is the first King's Gambit game I've annotated here, which seems odd given the name of the site. It's true I don't play it often (other than against computers). I do believe this opening should occasionally be dusted off by every chessplayer to feed their "inner beast". Despite the Schallop Defense being a less critical defense, a violent tactical encounter will soon develop. Pay special attention to the pins being effected - they play a crucial part in the game.

4. e5 Qe7

Pin #1. 4...Ng4 5. d4 g5 6. h4! Ne3 7. Bxe3 fxe3 8. Nxg5 and White has an easy game.

5. d4 Nd5
6. Nc3 Nxc3

The knight on d5 is too strong and must be traded. White remains a pawn down, but Black must devastate his own kingside to keep it.

7. bxc3 d6
8. Be2 dxe5

Otherwise 8. Bxf4!? dxe5 9. dxe5 Qa3 and the attack is falling apart rapidly.

9. Nxe5 c5?

A weak attempt. Much better was 9...Qh4+ 10. Kf1 Bd6.

10. Bxf4!? f6

Or 10. O-O with idea Re1 and Bb5. We will return to this attacking plan shortly.

11. Nf3 g5
12. Bc1 Bg4

Position after 12...Bg4

Pin #2. Getting the king to safety looks like a priority, but not very promising is 12...Bg7 13. O-O O-O 14. Bc4+ Kh8 15. Re1 Qd6 16. Ba3 Nd7 17. Nd2 +/-.

13. O-O cxd4?

Releasing the floodgates. From here on Black is lost.

14. Bb5+ Nc6

Pin #3. Or 14. Re1 Kd8 15. Qxd4+ Bd7 16. Bxg5 +-.

15. Re1 Be6

Pins #3 and #4.

16. Nxd4 O-O-O

Pin #5.

17. Bxc6 bxc6
18. Qe2! Bd7

Pin #6, also menacing a6.

19. Qa6+ Kb8
20. Rxe7 Bxe7
21. Rb1+ Kc7
22. Qxa7+ Kd6

Or 22. Rb7+ Kd6 23. Rxd7+ Rxd7 24. Qxc6+ Ke5 25. Qe6#.

23. Ba3+ 1-0

Ironically it ends, not with a pin, but with a skewer.

2005-06-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Annotated Game

Sometimes it is difficult to decide, which ones of your games to analyze in-depth. There is the lure of looking only at one's magnificient victories, and passing by those bitter defeats with a scoff and a passing thought of "how did I miss that one?" before moving on to the next game.

But what I think is really useful is looking at complicated games where both players made errors which were not completely obvious. The next game is like that, and despite managing to score the point in the end I can't claim it was very good play at all.

N.N - Lassila, T. (B22 - Sicilian, Alapin)

1. e4 c5
2. c3 Nf6

In my opinion the best attempt to get play against the Alapin. The knight can be harassed with e5 and sent on an Alekhine's Defense -type trip (3. e5 Nd5 4. c4 Nb6 5. d4) but the difference is that White has wasted one tempo on the move c3 so logically thinking his advantage should be less than in the Alekhine.

3. e5 Nd5
4. d4 cxd4

More usual is 4. Nf3.

5. cxd4 d6
6. Nf3 Nc6
7. Bc4 Nb6

7...Nc7!? 8. O-O d5 9. Bd3 g6 (9...Bg4 10. Nbd2 +/=) with idea of re-routing the knight through Ne6.

8. Bb3 d5

The idea is to weaken the white center pawns and prepare to invade c4 with a knight. The effect is that White starts running out of steam.

9. O-O Bg4

Forcing the reply Be3.

10. Be3 e6
11. Nbd2 Be7
12. a3 O-O

White has lost the thread somewhat and the black knights are looming, ready to jump to c4. Instead he might have tried 12. Rc1 O-O 13. Bc2 Nb4 14. Bb1 or maybe 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Rfc1.

13. Ba2 Na5
14. b4?! Nac4

Playing straight into Black's hand. Now dislodging the knight from c4 will be tough. Instead 14. Rc1 Rc8 15. Qe2 and it's not clear what the knight is doing on a5.

15. Nxc4 Nxc4

Or 15. Bb3 Rc8 (15...f5!? 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Qe2 Nxd2 18. Qxd2 Nc4 19. Qd3 b5 gives White some positional compensation as the pawn on e6 is weak) 16. Qe2 Nxd2 17. Bxd2 Nc4 18. Rfc1 b5 and Black is better.

16. Bb1 b5
17. h3 Bh5

Position after 17...Bh5

18. Qe1?! Bxf3

Better is 18. Qc2 (18. Qe2 a5 19. Qc2 and transposes) Bg6 19. Qb3 a5 =/+. After 18. Qe1, the white queen is hampering the development of the f-rook.

19. gxf3 Bh4

Here my idea is to take away the bishop pair from White as 20. Bc1?! f5! 21. f4 a5 is very good for Black. But instead White can happily offer to give away the bishop and instead try to forge an attack down the g-file. We are approaching a critical stage of the game.

20. Kh2 Nxe3

Maybe better was to keep the strong knight with 20...f6 21. f4 fxe5 22. fxe5 Rf3 23. Qe2 Nxe3 24. fxe3 Rxf1 25. Qxf1 Qg5 with winning chances.

21. Qxe3 a6

There are some tricks already for Black. For example 21...a5 22. Rg1 when 22...axb4? fails to 23. Qh6! g6 24. Bxg6 fxg6 25. Rxg6+ hxg6 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Rg1+ Bg5 29. Rxg5+ Qxg5 30. Qxg5+ and the White kingside pawns will roll.

22. Rg1 f5

This pawn push had to be played at the right time to free the f7-square for the rook.

23. Ba2 Rc1?

Overlooking 24. Qh6! Rf7 (24...g6?? 25. Rxg6+ hxg6 26. Qxg6+ etc.) 25. Qxe6 Bxf2 26. Rg2! (26. Rgd1 Rc4! 27. Bxc4 dxc4 with near equality) Bxd4 27. Re1 Rc4 28. Bxc4 dxc4 29. Qxa6 +/-. It is difficult to go from having a good position and active play to being the defender. Lucky for me, it is equally difficult to start attacking from what at first glance appears to be an inferior position.

24. Rac1?! Qe7

Finally waking up to the threat of Qh6.

25. Rc5 Kh8

Still dreaming of putting a rook on the g-file and playing g5. At this point the correct plan was to also double on the c-file and try to simplify into an endgame of some kind of advantage.

26. Rgc1 Rxc5
27. Rxc5 g5

27. dxc5 g5 28. c6 g4 29. c7 Rc8 30. fxg4 fxg4 31. hxg4 Rxc7 32. Rxc7 Qxc7 33. Kh3 Be7 34. Qh6 Qxe5 35. Bb1 Qg7 36. Qxe6 and a draw is reached.

28. Qe2 Rg8

28. Rc6 Qd7 29. Rxa6?! Qc8 30. Rd6 Qc2 31. Bb3 Qb2 -/+.

29. Qc2 g4!

The c-file has been lost, but the white king is in perilous waters.

30. fxg4 fxg4

Position after 30...fxg4

31. Rc7? g3+

White doesn't appreciate the gravity of the situation. He should have played 31. Rc8 Qg7 32. Rxg8+ Qxg8 33. hxg4 Qxg4 34. Bb1 Qg8 35. Kh3 to diffuse the attack with equality.

32. fxg3 Bxg3+

I calculated 32. Kh1 gxf2 33. Rxe7 g1=Q+ 34. Kh2 Bg3#, but of course almost anything wins here.

33. Kh1 Qh4

Or 33. Kg1 Bxe5+ 34. Kf1 Bxc7 -+.

34. Qg2 Bf2

The simple 34...Bxe5 was enough to win cleanly since there is no satisfactory defense to both Qf1# and Qe4#.

35. Qf3 Qe4?

Repeating the threat with 35...Bg3 was still enough to win. Suddenly White wins a pawn and is even better.

36. Qxe4 dxe4
37. Bxe6 Rd8

This is the wrong way to try to stop the pawns. Much better was 37...Rg1+ 38. Kh2 Rg5 +/=.

38. d5 Bd4

38. Bf5 e3 39. Kg2 Rxd4 40. e6 e2 41. Rxh7+ Kg8 42. Kxf2 Rf4+ 43. Kxe2 Rxf5 is a winning rook endgame for White. Despite all the blunders I am still fighting for the draw.

39. Bf5 e3?

Another chance for White. 40. Rxh7+ Kg8 41. Rh4 Bxe5 42. Be6+ Kg7 43. Re4 Bd6 44. Rxe3 is winning. Instead 39...Rxd5 40. Bxe4 Rxe5 41. Rxh7+ Kg8 42. Rh4 Bb2 43. Bb7 Bxa3 44. Bxa6 and Black should hold.

40. e6?! e2
41. Rc1 Rxd5
42. e7?? Re5

If you've lost count of how many times the advantage has shifted back and forth, I can't blaim you. With both players playing on the edge, we get a marvellous demonstration of the old axiom that the game is won by the player to commit the penultimate blunder. The finish is short and sweet. Black wins! After 42. Bg4 Re5 43. Re1 Kg7 44. Rxe2 Rxe2 45. Bxe2 Kf6 the result would have been a draw.

43. Rc8+ Kg7

Too late does White realize that his planned 44. e8=Q fails as Black queens with check and mates.

44. e8=N+ Kh6
45. Rc6+ Kg5
46. h4+ Kf4 0-1

Having run out of checks White resigned. It is not clear whether Black deserved to win like this after all the mistakes he made, but alas chess, like life itself, is seldom fair.

2005-06-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

Black to play and win

Solution to previous Problem Of The Day:

1...Qa6!! 2. cxb4 Qxc4+ 3. Bc3 Bxc3 4. Qxc3 Qxa2 5. Rd4 Qb1+ 6. Kd2 Rad8 is hopeless for White (Colburn - Blackburne, 1892).

2005-06-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Problem Of The Day

Black to play and win