Chess Middlegame Strategies
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CHESS MIDDLEGAME STRATEGIES Volume 1 by Ivan Sokolov www.thinkerspublishing.com Managing Editor Romain Edouard Assistant Editor Daniël Vanheirzeele Graphic Artist Philippe Tonnard Cover design Iwan Kerkhof Typesetting i-Press ‹www.i-press.pl› First edition 2017 by Th inkers Publishing Chess middlegame strategies. Volume 1 Copyright © 2017 Ivan Sokolov All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher. ISBN 978-94-9251-001-3 WD/2016/13730/6 All sales or enquiries should be directed to Th inkers Publishers, 9000 Gent, Belgium. e-mail: [email protected] website: www.thinkerspublishing.com TABLE OF CONTENTS KEY TO SYMBOLS 5 PREFACE 7 1. UNUSUAL ROOK LIFTS 9 2. BACKWARD KNIGHT MOVES 39 3. BACKWARD BISHOP MOVES 45 4. MINORITY VS MAJORITY 53 5. VOLUNTARY PAWN STRUCTURE DAMAGE 77 6. OPPOSITE-COLOURED BISHOPS 89 7. DEFENDING WITH LIMITED RESOURCES 115 8. VOLUNTARY KING RUN 135 9. MATERIAL IMBALANCE 149 EXERCISES 217 SOLUTIONS 225 KEY TO SYMBOLS ! a good move ?a weak move !! an excellent move ?? a blunder !? an interesing move ?! a dubious move only move =equality unclear position with compensation for the sacrifi ced material White stands slightly better Black stands slightly better White has a serious advantage Black has a serious advantage +- White has a decisive advantage -+ Black has a decisive advantage with an attack with initiative with counterplay with the idea of better is worse is Nnovelty +check #mate PREFACE Th e ‘work database’ collection for this book which I started about two years ago meant the initial plan was for just one volume on Chess Middlegame Strategies. However, the way my work and material built up and progressed, it soon be- came obvious that this ‘one volume’ would be approximately 500 pages long – so, the decision was taken to split the material into two volumes. Th e second volume is planned for the second half of 2017. In this fi rst volume I have annotated 37 games representing diff erent aspects (chapters) of ‘chess middlegame strategies’. Readers will see that the vast majority of the games selected belong to the works of ‘contemporary artists’. Notwithstanding the ‘traditional/golden classics selection’, I preferred to use the ‘contemporary learning examples’ feeling that: A) younger/middle genera- tion reader will more easily associate with them and B) they perfectly mirror the middlegame strategies used in modern top-class chess (i.e. today’s chess at the highest level). Opening play is in general not the subject of this book, although I did pay at- tention to opening ideas in the cases where I felt I had something useful to say on the subject (in the particular game selected). Th e aim of this book is to off er the reader a spectrum of middlegame ideas/ strategies, thereby inspiring and improving their practical tournament play. Besides this book’s ‘practical aim’, I hope that the reader will also gain purely aesthetic pleasure from playing over the games selected (and variations given). Enjoy! Ivan Sokolov December 4th 2016 1. UNUSUAL ROOK LIFTS Th e rook lift is a very common (most- SECOND EXAMPLE ly attacking) theme/manoeuvre dealt SALOV-KARPOV with in many books (including my own ‘Sacrifi ce & Initiative’ 2013). Th e aim of this example is to under- Th e most common purpose of a rook stand the extra possibilities/strategies lift is to bring the ‘heavy artillery’ to in hedgehog positions in which the a fl ank and exert pressure on the en- white knight is developed to d2 (in- emy there. stead of the more common c3 square). Th is knowledge can be used in simi- In this chapter, I deal with unusual lar positions in practical play. I un- rook lift (s) — anyhow I (based on my derstood the full scope of the con- knowledge/experience) have found cept only aft er deeply analysing the them ‘non-standard’. game mentioned. I have also included some general guidelines for the open- So, let me give some explanation ing line here. (one-by-one) as to why I chose them for this book. THIRD EXAMPLE TOPALOV-CORI FIRST EXAMPLE SEIRAWAN-KARPOV Topalov’s plan of attack in this game can be used by White in a closed Cat- An original ‘out-of-the-box’ idea by alan, KID attack (i.e. KIA as White), Seirawan in a very popular variation. French (as in this game). Th e rook lift Th e idea found no followers (only played by Topalov (non-standard in three games — all played by Yasser). such positions), combined with (on Th is should help the reader to also several occasions) a g5 piece sacri- think ‘out-of-the-box’ in similar po- fi ce — sacrifi cing a piece to open the sitions and can also be used as open- h-fi le route to the enemy king — is ing preparation (the idea is sound and very instructive! the opening line is topical). 10 CHESS MIDDLEGAME STRATEGIES FOURTH EXAMPLE 1 ALEKHINE-KMOCH ▷ Y. Seirawan ▶ A. Karpov ‘Chess from the last century’ ☺. In London, 1982 [D53] standard isolated pawn positions a rook lift is a ‘common thing’, while 1.f3 f6 2.c4 e6 3.c3 d5 4.d4 e7 a double rook lift is not. Using a dou- 5.g5 h6 6.h4 0–0 7.c1 b6 ble rook lift , Alekhine skilfully sus- Karpov goes for his favourite Bond- tains the pressure until his opponent arevsky/Makagovov (or also in many collapses. books called Tartakower) variation. 8.cxd5 xd5 9.xd5 exd5 10.xe7 xe7 11.g3 FIFTH EXAMPLE 8 TOMASHEVSKY- rsnl+ trk+ 7 zp zp wqpzp MCHEDLISHVILI 6 zp + + zp 5 + +p+ + 4 + zP + + I was walking around the boards at 3 + + +NzP the European Team Championships 2 in Reykjavik, saw this game, remem- PzP +PzP zP bered Alekhine-Kmoch, and almost 1 + tRQmKL+R instantly had a ‘dejà vu’ moment! abcdefgh A standard isolated pawn position, a double rook lift , skilful play by To- 11...e8 mashevsky. Th e other main move here is 11... a6 (at the top level Black has In both these games (fourth and fi ft h) also tried here some other bishop please notice that, contrary to ‘com- moves, such as 11...b7 and 11... mon knowledge’, the exchange of the f5) 12.e3 c5 There is a very in- light pieces did not help the side fi ght- structive game from Tigran Pet- ing against the isolated pawn, as the rosian I would like to show here: double rook lift provided the opposi- 13. xa6 (13.dxc5 was the theoreti- tion with extra attacking possibilities. cal subject in Korchnoi,V (2695)— Karpov,A (2700) Merano 1981) 13... I hope these fi ve examples prove use- xa6 14.0–0 c7 15.b3 ac8 16.e1 ful (to give you ideas) in similar posi- fd8 17.h4 e6 18.d3 f6 19.g2 tions in your practical play. cxd4 20.exd4 xc1 21.xc1 Because 1. UNUSUAL ROOK LIFTS 11 of his c-fi le control White has a small a pawn here and Black is doomed to advantage. Black wants to neutralize a passive defence. 27...a5 28.b5 d7 this by active play. 21...f4 Black uti- 29.f4 h5 (29...f8 30.c6 g6+ lises tactics. White’s rook is attacked, 31.g4 b8 32.h5 does not improve and if it moves Black will play ...g4 Black’s situation.) 30.e5! f8 (30... creating the threat of ...f4. Black’s xe5 31.xe5) 31.b7 f6 32.c6 queen on f4 ‘obviously’ cannot be g6+ 33.g3 d6 34.xb6 e6 taken as Black will recapture with 35. b8+ f8 36.a8 e1 37.d8 his knight and, owing to a simple h7 38.b6 b1 39.b7 d7 40. xa5 fork, White will ‘lose’ a pawn. 1–0 Petrosian,T (2640)—Portisch,L Here comes a moment of superb (2645) Palma de Mallorca 1974. judgement from Petrosian!! 12.c3!? 8 + tr +k+ 7 zp + +pzp 8 rsnl+r+k+ 6 zp +n+ zp 7 5 + +p+ + zp zp wqpzp 6 4 + zP wq zP zp + + zp 3 +P+Q+NzP 5 2 + +p+ + P+ + zPK+ 4 1 + tR + + + zP + + 3 abcdefgh + tR +NzP 2 22.gxf4!! Th e ninth World Cham- PzP +PzP zP pion allows Black to execute his idea! 1 + +QmKL+R In the resulting endgame White will abcdefgh have lasting pressure worth more A very unusual rook lift (for such than the sacrificed pawn. Simply a standard QGD position). White’s great judgement by Petrosian! 22... idea has a tactical element, combin- xf4+ 23.g3 xd3 24.c3 b4 ing the already existing c-fi le pres- 25.a3 a6 26.b4 b8 27.c7 sure with a timely e3 threat (aft er developing his queen to a4). With 8 sn tr +k+ 7 zp tR +pzp the e3 move White also breaks 6 zp + + zp Black e-fi le pressure. eTh drawback 5 + +p+ + of this 12. c3!? Idea? It costs time 4 zP zP + zP by delaying the white kingside’s de- 3 zP + +NmK velopment. It is interesting that this 2 + + zP + original idea from Yasser Seirawan 1 + + + + did not fi nd any followers (!). In abcdefgh my database all three games were Th e resulting position of White’s played by Yasser himself. 12.g2 is pawn sacrifi ce idea. Th e active rook a common move here, seen in many on c7 compensates for more than top games.