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Hello everybody!! Hoi" a !odos! We arc" group of chess fans who arc producing new chess materiaL We have members from all around the world. belonging to different cuhures and speaking different languages. all of us joined by our common love for chessl We hope you will enjoy our work! Somos un grupo de fanaticos del ajcdrcz. que estamos tratando de producir nuevo ma!erial como este. deS<l rToliando difcrcntes proyccto, e ideas. Tcncmos miembros de diferentes panes del mundo. provcnientes de difercntcs cuhuras. hablando diferentes Icnguas. unidos por nuestra pa�i6n por el ajcdrczL Esperamos que disfrulcn de csta mUCSlI'a de nuestro trabajo!. (fyou arc intercstt'<l in joining us. Of send .my comments drop us an email at: caissaJovcrs@yahoo,com. Si 3lgui!!n eSlUviese interesado en unirsc 31 grupo nos pueden escribir 3: caissa_ [email protected]. Be,t regard,!! Caissa Lovers e a oU \) s1 et\\U Ss g c.\le UZZLES ••." P ¥ 4.. ,� '.' Everyman Publ,'shers pic www.everymanbooks.com First published in 2002 by Everyman Publishers pic, formerly Cadogan Books pic, Gloucester Mansions, 140A Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HD Copyright © 2002 Angus Dunnington The right of Angus Dunnington to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re­ trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 1 85744 264 4 Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 480, 246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480. All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Gloucester Mansions, 140A Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HD tel: 02075 397600 fax: 0207379 4060 email: [email protected] website: www.everymanbooks.com To Mia Simone. my beautiful daughter EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES (formerly Cadogan Chess) Chief advisor: Garry Kasparov Commissioning editor: Byron Jacobs Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton. Production by Book Production Services. Printed and bound in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press Ltd., Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Everyman Chess Popular puzzle books: 1 85744273 3 Multiple Choice Chess Graeme Buckley 1 857442962 It's Your Move Chris Ward 1 85744278 4 It's Your Move (Improvers) Chris Ward 1 85744259 8 Can you be a Tactical Genius? J ames Plaskett Popular opening books: 1 857442180 Unusual QG Declined Chris Ward 1 85744253 9 Alekhine's Defence Nigel Davies 1 857442564 Queen's Gambit Declined Matthew Sadler 1 85744232 6 French Classical Byron Jacobs 1 85744281 4 Modern Defence Speelman & McDonald 1 85744292 X Symmetrical English David Cummings 1 857442903 c3 Sicilian Joe Gallagher 1 85744242 3 Offbeat Spanish Glenn Flear 18574426 28 Classical Nimzo-Indian Bogdan Lalic 1857442911 Sicilian Grand Prix Attack James Plaskett 1 857442520 Dutch Stonewall Jacob Aagaard 1 85744257 1 Sicilian Kalashnikov Pinski & Aagaard 1 857442768 French Winawer Neil McDonald Books for players serious about improving their game: 1 857442261 Starting Out in Chess Byron Jacobs 1 85744231 8 Tips for Young Players Matthew Sadler 1 857442369 Improve Your Opening Play Chris Ward 1 85744241 5 Improve Your IY1iddlegame Play Andrew Kinsman 1 857442466 Improve Your Endgame Play Glenn Flear 1 85744223 7 Mastering the Opening Byron Jacobs 1 85744228 8 Mastering the Middlegame Angus Dunnington 1 85744233 4 Mastering the Endgame Glenn Flear 1 85744238 5 Simple Chess John Emms e a 0\1\l S1 en\\1 ss g cbe ERYMAN CHE PUZZLES ''''Ymm P"bb"'.� p'< www.every manbooks.com CONTENTS I Introduction 7 Test 1 9 Test 2 17 Test 3 25 Test 4 33 Test 5 41 Test 6 49 Test7 57 Test 8 65 Test 9 73 Test 10 81 Ask a Grandmaster 89 Solutions and Points 97 INTRODUCTION I The positional aspect of chess is ever-present. In every game at every level there are positional factors to be considered at every tum. There is no avoiding it. Yet so many times at tournaments and in chess clubs we hear someone say 'I'm a tactician', '1 like to play aggressively' or - the most common - 'All this posi­ tional stuff is too difficult for me' ... The irony is, of course, that positional as­ pects of the game are often easier to understand than most players believe. Given time we can all appreciate the significance of vulnerable squares, isolated pawns, 'bad' bishops or even the implications of a piece actually leaving the board, but can we be guaranteed to steer our way through complexities at all times? - no, nobody can. All these are features of the game that can - and should - be consid­ ered in any given situation. The context may change but the fundamental points remain the same. As in life there are golden rules and guidelines that remain fairly constant - it is how we deal with them that counts. Most chess players fail to differentiate between thinking and calculating - we all have our limitations when it comes to the rather mechanical process of calculating, but thinking is another issue entirely. This book is designed to make positional considerations come more naturally so that our thought processes 'go with the flow' from one game to another. 1 wouldn't suggest that positional play can be easy and automatic, but nor do I believe that it should be categorised as a difficult or obscure part of the game that is just a matter of taste. The more aware we become of the permanency of posi­ tional chess the easier the game is to play. The very nature of chess precludes those somewhat rigid approaches we have to other sports or pastimes that have well defined spheres of possibility and skill. There is no golf grip or tyre selection in chess - ultimately we are our own limi­ tation. We are the most finite factor in the amazingly rich equation that is chess. Indeed, being quite conscious of these limits we should approach the game in a 7 Can Yo u be a Positional Chess Genius ? more realistic manner. It makes no sense reading six books on the Sicilian Dragon when -let's face it - as soon as the game reaches a certain level of com­ plexity it has a mind of its own. It makes more sense to broaden your horizon by getting acquainted with real chess. And if you still insist on playing the Dragon, you'll get nowhere without an appreciation of the positional imperatives ... Each set of ten puzzles is intended to be of approximately similar difficulty and the total number of points available in each text is 15 0. As you progress through the tests you may see if your totals for the later ones are higher than those for the earlier positions, and thereby if your positional strength is developing. If you become completely stuck on a position you may ' Ask a Grandmaster' to obtain a hint as to the solution. However, this indulgence will not go unpenalised and will cost you points. Note that a number of the positions are from opening theory or are artifically constructed (i.e. not from real games) in order to illustrate a particular point. These positions obviously have no references in terms of players, date or venue. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I did writing it and, more impor­ tantly, I hope you will always enjoy playing chess, and thinking. As ever I am indebted to my wife, Mioto, for being as patient as any Belgian could be while I struggled (and failed) to finish this book on time. As indeed was Byron Jacobs, who was far more understanding and considerate than the rules of publishing dictate. However, since the recent arrival of our daughter, Mia Simone, the rules have changed, although it is how we deal with them that mat­ ters - and life is so much more enjoyable for positional players ... Angus Dunnington, Castleford, June 2002 8 Te st One Test 1: Puzzle 1 Maximum score: 5 Points o Liublinsky • Botvinnik Moscow Championship 1943 Black to Play Black has weak pawns on the queenside and White threatens to trade off the rooks. How did Botvinnik kill two birds with one stone? See page 89 to Ask A Grandmaster, which will cost you 2 points. Test 1: Puzzle 2 Maximum score: 5 Points o Hodgson • Speelman British Championship 1984 White to Play A typical case of 'over-protection' - White hopes to accentuate the weak­ ness of the backward e6-pawn by maintaining absolute control of the e5- square. How did he further improve his position? See page 89 to Ask A Grandmaster, which will cost you 2 points. 9 Can Yo u be a Positional Chess Genius ? Test 1: Puzzle 3 Maximum score: 5 Points o Shirov • Miladinovic Belgrade 1995 White to Play Black has scattered pawns but these are accompanied by the bishop pair. Time to clamp down? See page 89 to Ask A Grandmaster, which will cost you 2 points. Test 1: Puzzle 4 Maximum score: 5 Points o McDonald • Lukacs Budapest 1995 White to Play The knight is fine on c4 but there is a better outpost that would enable White to tie his opponent down a little before launching the minority at­ tack. How did White step up the pressure? See page 89 to Ask A Grandmaster, which will cost you 2 points. 10 Test One Test 1: Puzzle 5 Maximum score: 5 Points o M.Gurevich • Piket Antwerp 1998 Black to Play How did Black guarantee a level game by undermining his opponent's control of the dark squares? See page 89 to Ask A Grandmaster, which will cost you 2 points.

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