THE COUNTER ATTACK by Marius Ceteras

When one of the sides is attacking, the other side is usually forced to defense, parrying the opponent’s threats. But there are also situations in which an attack is answered with a counter- attack, which means that the attacked side also organizes an attack, which is even stronger, hindering his opponent to end successfully his own attack. Usually these situations are very spectacular, equivalent with a boxing game in which both players fight the guards down, staking everything to attack. The following game is very impressive due to the quick and unexpected sequence of the events. White started an attack that seemed to be winning, but Black has found resources to organize a spectacular counter-attack. The result? We will see…

Konstantinopolsky,Alexander C - Veltmander,Ioganess URS-ch Semifinals Tartu (3), 1950

1.Nf3 A very flexible move which lets white to opt for several openings: Queen’s Gambit, The English Opening, Reti Opening. The main condition for White is to know these Openings, so that passing from one to another not to affect him. Searching in our database, we have found that the oldest game that started with this move is the one between The Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and General Bertrand. This thing shouldn’t be a surprise because Napoleon preferred to use the cavalry at the beginning of a fight.

1...Nf6 2.c4 White proposes to enter the English Opening. An alternative is 2.d4 which leads to positions similar with those in which White plays 1.d4.

2...c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 4.d4 would have led by transposing to the Slav Defense. Through the move in the game, White tries to avoid the system of the Slav Defense based on 4…dxc4 followed by 5…Bf5.

4...Nbd7 Now 4...dxc4 permits the development by a single move of the bishop on f1 (usually Black waits until White plays Be2 or Bd3 and only then he takes on c4.), while 4…Bf5 permits the variant 5.cxd5 Nxd5 (5...cxd5 6.Qb3!) 6.d4 in which White gets a stronger pawn center; The main alternative is 4...e6

5.cxd5 5.d4 e6 leads to a main position from the Slav Defense

5...cxd5 6.d4 e6 7.Bd3 Bd6 8.0–0 0–0 After some normal developing moves, White has obtained a small advantage because the knight on c3 has a better position than the knight on d7. However this difference is minor, so White’s advantage is insignificant. 9.e4!? If White wants to fight for the initiative, entering a position with isolated pawn is the best idea. In this position, several plans were tried, for example based on the development of the bishop on d2, the queen on b3 and bringing a rook on the c-file, but White hasn’t obtained any advantage in the opening. Moreover, White had problems when he permitted Black to make an isolated pawn, for instance: 9.b3 e5! 10.Nb5 Bb8 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Bb2? Nxf3+ 13.gxf3

QUIZ

How does Black play after 13.Qxf3? Answer 13...Bg4! 14.Bxf6 Qd7!!–+)

13...Bh3 14.Re1 Ne4!! 15.f4 Qh4 with strong attack for Black in the game Polugaevsky- Kaidanov, 1993

9...dxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Bxe4 It has resulted a typical position with isolated pawn, in which the weakness of the pawn is compensated by the activity of the white pieces. It is interesting that this position can result from another opening, the Colle Opening: 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.c3 Nbd7 6.Nbd2 Nbd7 7.0–0 0–0 8.e4 cxd4 9.cxd4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Bxe4.

11...h6 The main variation is 11...Nf6 12.Bc2 b6 or 12...h6, as Capablanca played against Riumin, Moscow 1936.

12.Bc2 To form a battery Bc2+Qd3.

12...b6 Black develops the bishop in the h1-a8 diagonal to control the d5-square. As you have already seen in the games about the isolated pawn, the fight for the d5-square is very important in these positions.

13.Qd3 Nf6 14.Re1 Qc7 More logical seems to be 14...Bb7 15.Ne5 Rc8 16.Bf4 Bb4! 17.Re2 Qd5! and Black has successfully solved the opening problems in the game Smyslov-Romanishin, 1976 By the move in the game, Black wants to play 15…Ba6, because the bishop on c2 is attacked, but developing the queen on the open c-file is not a good idea because it will allow a white rook to occupy this file with tempo.

15.Bb3 Rd8 16.Bd2 Bb7 17.Rac1 Qb8 18.Bxh6!? Heavy clouds are over Black’s position. Benefiting from the unaesthetic position of the queen on b8 and the rook on a8, White tries to start a quick attack over Black’s position. The first step is to destroy the protection of the Black king. It is hard to believe that White could have prepared more this attack because Black was threatening to play Bb7-d5, followed by Qb8-b7 and Ra8-c8, case in which his position would have been better. QUIZ

Find the best move for Black 18...Ng4!! A sensational move by which Black ignores the White’s attack and starts the counter-attack. Black threatens both 19…Bxh2 and 19…Nxh6. Accepting the sacrifice would have lead to Black’s collapse after a second sacrifice having the same target: destroying the protection of the black king: 18...gxh6 19.Rxe6!! The following variations will convince you that the black king has no escape: 19...Kg7 The best continuation. (19...fxe6 20.Qg6+ Kh8 21.Qxf6+ Kg8 (21...Kh7 22.Bc2+ Kg8 23.Qg6+ Kf8 24.Qxh6+ Ke8 25.Qxe6+ Kf8 26.Qf6+ Ke8 27.Bg6+ Kd7 28.Qf5+ Ke7 29.Qf7#) 22.Bxe6+ Kh7 23.Bf5+ Kg8 24.Qg6+ Kf8 25.Qxh6+ Ke8 26.Re1++-) 20.Rxf6!! The black king is pulled out of his shelter. 20...Kxf6 21.Qh7! Interdicts the retreat of the king on g7 and threatens 22.Qxf7# and 22.Qxh6+. 21...Rf8 22.Qxh6+ Ke7 23.Re1+ Kd8 (23...Kd7 24.Ne5+ Kc7 (24...Bxe5 25.Ba4+! b5 26.Bxb5+ Ke7 (26...Kc7 27.Rc1+ Kd8 28.Qxf8#) 27.Rxe5++-) 25.Rc1+ Kd8 26.Qf6+ Be7 27.Nxf7+ Rxf7 28.Qxf7+-) 24.Qf6+ Kc8 25.Rc1+ Bc7 26.d5 Rd8 27.Qf5+ Rd7 28.Ne5+-; After 18...Bxf3 19.Qxf3 Bxh2+ 20.Kh1 gxh6 21.Rxe6!! White has a winning attack again, because of the exposed position of the black king: 21...fxe6 22.Qxf6 Qf4 (22...Re8 23.Bxe6+ Rxe6 24.Qxe6+ Kh7 25.Qf7+ Kh8 26.Qf6+ Kh7 27.Rc6 Qf4 28.Qg6+ Kh8 29.Qxh6+ Qxh6 30.Rxh6+ Kg7 31.Rxh2+-) 23.Bxe6+ Kh7 24.Bf5+ Kg8 25.Re1! Re8 26.Qg6+ Kf8 27.Be6! Rad8 28.Qg8+ Ke7 29.Bf7+!+- Of course, all these variations are impossible to be calculated when having limited time, but it is evident that White’s attack has big chances to succeed, after the black king’s protection is destroyed. Moreover, White doesn’t risk anything, having the possibility to force the draw by perpetual check in case when during the attack the opponent can defend himself. This is why the decision to start a counter-attack seems to be the most logical.

QUIZ

Find the best move for White 19.Ng5! White continues the offensive, ignoring the black attack on the h2-pawn. After 19.Rxe6 Bxh2+ 20.Kf1 Bf4! 21.Bxf4 Qxf4 22.Ree1 Bxf3 23.gxf3 Rxd4 the roles are exchanged, Black being the one who attacks.

QUIZ

How should White continue in this variation? Answer: 24.Bxf7+!! Any retreat is equivalent with the defeat, to it is White’s turn to counter attack. 24...Kh8 25.Rc4! Rxc4 26.Qxc4 Qxf3 27.Qd4! Nh2+ 28.Kg1 and White managed to maintain the balance

19...Bxh2+ The only move. Other moves lead to a quick collapse of the Black’s position, for example: 19...Nxh6? 20.Qh7+ Kf8 21.Qh8+ Ng8 22.Bxe6!+-; 19...Kf8? 20.Bxg7+! Kxg7 21.Qh7+ Kf6 22.Qxf7+! Pulling out the king is decisive: 22...Kxg5 23.Qg7+ Kh5 24.Qh7+ Nh6 (24...Kg5 25.h4+ Kf4 26.g3+ Kf3 27.Bd1#) 25.Bd1+ Kg5 26.Qg7+ Kf5 (26...Kf4 27.Qxh6+ Kf5 28.g4#) 27.Bc2+ Be4 28.Bxe4+ Kf4 29.g3#; 19...g6 20.Bxe6!+-

20.Kf1 White seems to have got out of the wood, being able to continue his attack. Black’s next move proves that the things are not like that.

QUIZ

How should Black continue? 20...Ba6!! A new sensational counter attack. Black sacrifices a bishop to gain a tempo necessary to bring the queen on the kingside! A passive defense wouldn’t have save Black: 20...Nxh6? 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Bxe6!! Qf4 (22...Ba6+ 23.Bc4+-) 23.Qh8+ Ng8 (23...Ke7 24.Qxg7! +-) 24.Nh7+ Ke7 25.Bd5+ Kd6 26.Bxb7 Rab8 27.Rc6+! (wins also 27.Bf3 but the move 27.Rc6+ is stronger) 27...Kd7 28.Nf8+!! Rxf8 29.Qh3+! f5 30.Qb3!! with decisive attack; 20...Kf8? 21.Bxg7+! (Possible is also 21.Nxf7 Nxh6 22.Nxd8 Qxd8 23.Bxe6±) 21...Kxg7 22.Qh7+ Kf6 23.Qxf7+ Kxg5 24.Qg7+ Kf4 (24...Kh5 25.Rc3!! Ba6+ 26.Re2 Bxe2+ 27.Kxe2+-; 24...Kh4 25.Rc3!!+-) 25.g3+! Bxg3 26.fxg3+ Kxg3 27.Rc3+ Kf4 28.Bxe6 with decisive attack; 20...Nf6? 21.Rxe6!! fxe6 22.Bxe6+ Kf8 23.Qg6 Ba6+ 24.Ke1+-

21.Qxa6 Qf4! The saving move! Due to the mate threat on f2, White’s attack is stopped. It is incredible how many things have happened in only 4 moves!

22.Qe2 Nxh6 23.Nh3 23.Nf3 Nf5 with the idea Nf5-h4

23...Qh4 24.Qe4 The position has calmed down, and after the queen exchange, the resulting endgame is equal, so the partners have agreed the draw. A game with a maximal intensity, in spite of the reduced number of moves. ½ - ½

CONCLUSIONS The counter attack weapon can often save you from situation apparently with no escape. In the case in which the opponent’s attack is going to be decisive, do your best to obtain counter play, turning in this way the game to a favorable direction for you.