_~HE FIDELIT'0~ HESS ASTE Table of Contents

1. Let's Play ...... 3 (Provided by the U.S. Chess Federation. It's your official Introduction to the play of the game. If you already know how to play chess. you may wan t to skip this section.)

2 . A ...... 9 (Everyth ing you ever wanted to know. a nd more, about how the game came to be.)

3. World Champions and Their Play.... 12 (The inside story about the greatest "Wood Pushers' in the world - and the nuttiest.)

4 . Chess and Machines ...... 28 (Trace your chess-playin g computer's antecedents back to Maelzel' s Turk, a famous trick Inven ted in 1763.)

5 . Library of Classic Games ...... 33 (Here's a fascinating collection of 11 0 hard­ fo ught games as played by the greatest masters in h istory. The Ch essmaster 2 100 will replay th em for you on comman d.)

6 . Bralnteasers ...... 51 (Some instructive problems th at may teach you a few sneaky tricks.)

7 . Algebraic Notation ...... 53 (e4. Nxf3 ... what's it all about? Chess shorthand explained.) Copyright © 1988 The Software Toolworks. Printed In U.S.A. by Priority Software All Righ ts Reserved. Packaging. Santa Ana, California. 3 Let's Play Chess The Pieces Chess is a game for two players. one with White always moves first. and then the the "White" pieces and one with the players take turns movlng. Only one "Black" - no matter what colors your set piece may be moved at each turn (except actually uses. At the beginning of the for "." a special move that Is game. the pieces are set up as pictured explained later). The Is the only below. (See the following diagrams to piece that can jump over other pieces. Identify pieces.) All other pieces move only along These hints will help you to unblocked lines. You may not move a remember this setup: piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces. But you can 1. Opposing Ktngs and Queens go capture an enemy piece that stands on a directly opposite each other. square where one of your pieces can 2. The square in the lower right move. Simply remove the enemy piece corner is a light one ("light on from the board and put your own piece right"). in its place. 3. The While goes on a light square. the Black Queen on a dark The square ("Qu een on color"). The main goal of chess Is to ­ mate your opponent's King. The King is not actually captured and removed from the board like other pieces. But if the King is attacked ("checked") and threatened with capture. it must get out of check immediately. If there is no way to get out of check. the position is a . and the side that is checkmated loses.

The King Is the most Important piece. When he is trapped. his whole army loses. The King can move one square in any direction - for example. to any of the squares with dots In this diagram. (An exception is castling. which Is explained la ter.) The King may never move Into check - that Is. onto a square attacked by an opponent's piece. 4

The Queen The

•

•

The Queen is the most powerful piece. The Bishop can move any number of She can move any number of squares in squares diagonally if its path is not any direction - horizontal. vertical or blocked. diagonal - if her path is not blocked. She Note that this Bishop starts on a light can reach any of the squares with dots in square and can reach only other light this diagram. squares. At the beginning of the game. you have one "dark-square" Bishop and one "light-square" Bishop.

The The Knight

The Rook is the second most powerful The Knight's move is special. It hops piece. directly from its old square to its new The Rook can move any number of square. The Knight can Jump over other squares vertically or horizontally if its pieces between its old and new squares. path is not blocked. 5

You can think of the Knight's move as If a advances all the way to the an "L." It moves two squares opposite end of the board. It Is horizontally or vertically and then immediately "promoted" to another makes a right-angle tum for one more piece. usually a Queen. It may not square. The Knight always lands on a remain a pawn or become a King. square opposite In color from Its old Therefore. it is possible for each player to square. have more than one Queen or more than Any pieces "hopped over" are not two Rooks. . or on the captured by the Knight. The Knight can board at the same time. capture only when "landing" on the As soon as a pawn is "promoted" it has enemy piece. all the powers of Its new self (though It may not move agaln on that tum). For example. a pawn may become a Queen The Pawn that immediately "gives check" to the opponent's King.

Special Moves En Pa•• ant This French phrase is used for a special pawn capture. It means "in passing." and it occurs when one player moves a pawn two squares forward to try to avoid capture by the opponent's pawn. The capture is made exactly as if the player had moved the pawn only one square forward. The Pawn moves straight ahead (never backward). but it captures diagonally. It moves one square at a time, but on its t • first move it has the option of moving 11 • forward one or two squares. (This option was introduced to speed up the game.) In the diagram. the squares with dots indicate possible destinations for the pawns. The White pawn is on its anginal In the diagram above. the Black pawn square. so it may move ahead either one moves up two squares to the square or two squares. The Black pawn has with the dot. On Its tum. the White already moved. so it may move ahead pawn may capture the Black one on the only one square now. The squares on square marked with the *. If the White which these pawns may capture are player does not exercise this option indicated by an *. immediately - before playing some 6 other move - the Black pawn is safe check. Further. there m ay not be pieces from "" capture for the rest of either color between the King and the of the game. But new opportunities Rook involved in castling. arise with each other pawn in similar Castling is often a very important circumstances. move because it allows you to place your King in a safe location and also Castling allows the Rook to become more active. Each player may "castle" once during When the move is legal. each player a game if certain conditions are met. has the choice of castling Kingside or Castling is a special move that lets a Queenslde or not at all , no matter what player move two pieces at once - his the other player chooses. King and one Rook. In castling. the player moves his King two squares to its left or right toward one of his Rooks. At the same time. the Rook More About Check and involved goes to the square beside the Checkmate King and toward the center of the board Now that you know how the pieces (see illustrations below). move, you can understand more about check and checkmate. Your opponent I I ~ is trying to ch eckmate your King. and you must avoid this situation if poss ible. You may not move into check - for example. move into a direct line with your opponent's Rook if there are no ~ other pieces between th e Rook and your Kingslde Castling King. Otherwise. the Rook could Before After "capture" the King. which is not I allowed. If you are in check. there are three ways of getting out: 1. Capturing the attacking piece: 2. Placing one of your own pieces ~ between the attacker and your Queenside Castling King (unless the attacker is a Before After Knight): 3. Moving the King away from the In order to castle. neith er the King attack. nor the Rook involved may have moved If a checked player can do none of before. Also. the King may not castle these. he is checkmated and loses the out of check. into check. or through game. 7

If a King is not in check, but that • Don't try for a checkmate in the player can make no legal move, the first few moves - it probably won't position is called a and the work. game is scored as a . or tie. • Control the center. Pieces in the center have more mobility than pieces on the wing. (Look back at Some Hints to Get You the Knight diagram and see how the Started White Knight has more possible moves than the Black one.) Move Some pieces are more valuable than your center pawns early, but not the others, because they are able to control pawns on the side. more squares on the board. Obviously, • Move your Knights and Bishops for example. a Queen is more valuable early. than a pawn. The question of value Is important • Castle early. every time there is a possibility of • Every time your opponent moves. capturing or exchanging pieces. stop and look carefully. Did he Following is a guide to the value of the attack one of your pieces? Can you pieces other than the King: defend it or save it from capture? Did he make a move that allows you Pawn 1 point to capture something? Knight 3 points • Be alert. Your opponent has a plan Bishop 3 points too! Rook 5 points • Get all your pieces into good Queen 9 points positions and protect your King There are also some general before trying to attack. It takes prinCiples that will help you to win more than one piece to checkmate. games. After you practice for a few games, you will find that you are fo llowing these hints naturally, and Getting Better that you do not have to work at remembering them. These basic rules and pOinters are enough to get you started in chess. Now • Tty to capture more valuable pieces you are ready to find partners among than your opponent does. The the millions of chess lovers across the player with stronger pieces has country and around the world. better winning chances. Practice will make you better and better at the game and so will reading • Capture more valuable pieces with some of the countless books about less valuable ones. chess. You can probably find some of · these books at your local library or 8 bookstore. They will tell you a lot abou t various winning strategies. Another source for all your chess needs is the U.S. Chess Federation. a not-for-profit educational and in structiona l corporation an d the official organizing body for chess in the country. U.S. Chess publishes the monthly magazine , containing news, instruction, other articles about chess and a monthly list of tournaments that even beginners may play in. U.S. Chess also offers a national rating system, postal chess competitions and a mail-order department with a large selection of chess books and equipment.

For more information about U.S. Chess and how to Join, write to:

U,S, Chess Federation 186 Route 9W New Windsor, NY 12550 Telephone: (914) 562-8350 9

The invention of chess has been begins. the major pieces are located vaIiously ascribed to the Arabians. anywhere behind the pawns according to Babylonians. Castilians. Chinese. the tactical discretion of the indiv:idual Egyptians. Greeks. . Irish. . player. The actual moves are identical to Persians. Romans. Scythtans and Welsh. the original Hindu chess moves. The Specific individuals have sometimes been Chinese place their pieces on the credited - the Greeks claimed Aristotle intersections of the lines rather than on invented chess - but no invention stories the squares and add a celestial river, akin are reliable. We can make a few to no-man's land. between halves of the deductions. however. from what is board. Their version has only five known. pawns to a side, but adds two cannons The oldest name for chess is ahead of the Knights. and a counselor on chatauranga. a Hindu word referring to either side of the King. In China. the the four branches of the Indian army. King is called the general because a elephants. . and foot Chinese emperor was so insulted at soldiers, which were not in existence seeing a figure of himself in a lowly game after the birth of Christ. Therefore. chess that he had the players executed! In is at least 2.000 years old. Its exact age order to play the game without undue can't be determined With a ny degree of risk of life and limb. Chinese players accuracy. because it was originally played demoted the piece on the board - or so the with and references to "ski1led dice story goes. Interestingly. the Japanese players" as long as 5.000 years ago may or may not refer to early forms of chess. The ambiguity is due at least in part to the Indian ashtapada. the forerunner of the modem , It has been used for various games. most of which involved dice, The Hindus didn't stop with two-player chess. either, They even developed a four-handed version, with and Without dice. in which each player had eight pieces, The dice less four­ handed version is still played in . Indian rules varied greatly from place to place. and as the game spread eastward. its rules were altered to suit local tastes. The Burmese. for instance. start their game With the Kingside pawns on the third rank a nd the Queenside pawns on Children In Piraeus, Greece playing street chess at the fourth rank. Before any movement Chrtstmastlme. 10 allow captured pieces to change sides and By 1000 A.D .. Christianity was rejoin the game against their old army at established in , and the church any vacant place on the board. there immediately made a concerted and The Persians learned chatauranga from unsuccessful effort to stamp out chess the Indians. corrupting the name of playing. 16th century travelers to RUSSia chatrang. and codifying its rules. They reported that people of all classes played spread a consistent game to the rest of chess there. In the rest of , chess the world. a long with the idea that the playing was confined to the nobility until rules ought to be uniform. Since the the 18th century. When the Persians took up chess. there have been invaded Russia, they brought their own rule changes, but each change was form of chess with them. The Mongols adopted universally throughout the West. had gotten chess via the Eastern route, so Chess spread very rapidly in the Persian they had a number of their own Empire. The Persians never took to the vanations. As a result. in certain parts four-handed game. and looked down on of Russia, the modem rules did not take dice-chess. The latter did spread to hold until the 20th century. Europe via the Moslems, where it It is through the Moslems that perSisted until the 14th century. The Europeans learned chess and most chess Moslems most likely learned dice-chess nomenclature. The Persian chatrang was direct from the Hindus. rendered by the Moslems as . The Persian Empire fell to the Moslems The Spanish names axedrez or qjedrez tn the Seventh century, and chess became (ah-hey-dresl, and Portuguese xadrez very popular in the Moslem world. At (sha-dres). obviously derive from least, it did after their theologians shatranj. ~Chess" in English conforms decided that chess playing wasn't to the pattern throughout the rest of contrary to the teachings of Mohammed. Europe: it is the corruption of This decision took about one hundred seae. the ninth century rendering years and illustrates the cunous power a of the Persian , or King. The King simple game can have: four generations itself is always a direct translation of of chess players weren't quite sure that shah, and the pawn is invanably the they were in good standing with their equivalent of the baidaq, or foot religion because of a pastime. After the soldier. ~Rook" is a direct corruption of official dec1sion that there was no harm rukh, or chanot. Interestingly enough, in chess, the Moslems created a greatly rukh was misinterpreted by the Bengalis detailed literature about it. as the mea. or boat. As a Chess may have arrived tn Russia as result. in certain parts of the East and early as the Eighth century, about a Russia, this piece is in the shape of a hundred years before it reached Western boat. Our castle-shaped pieces come from Europe. That Eighth century the Farsi Indian pieces which represented traded with the Arabs is not in dispute, the tower carried by an elephant. The and people who traded with the Arabs Knight was originally Jaras in Arabic, around that time tended to learn chess. meaning . the usual shape of the 11 piece. In Europe. the name of the horse Meanwhile. Europeans were frustrated evolved to the name of Its rider. Knlght by the amount of ttme It took to complete In Engltsh. a game. and typically made some rule The Bishop evolved from the Arabic al­ changes designed to speed things up. In jll. or elephant. The Spanish sttll call shantraJ. the Bishop could Originally this piece a!fll. and the are close move only two squares diagonally. but he with a!flere. standard-bearer. In could leap over a piece blocking his pa th. England. the spUt at the top of the piece. The Queen, or counselor at the time, was intended to represent the elephant's easily the weakest ptece on the board, tusks. was probably mistaken for a moVing only one diagonal square per Blshop's miter. The French took the turn. When a pawn reached the eighth same split as a fool's hat. so in France. rank. It could only be promoted to the piece Is jou. or Jester. counselor. the lowest possible The present-day Queen. so called and the only way the former pawn could throughout the West. started as the remain in the game. counselor. or Jarz or flrz. The Spanish When the counselor became today's rendered this as flrz or aUJerza. and the Queen, an upsetting dilemma arose in the italians as jarzla or jercla. The French mind of the 15th century nobles: aside made that Into jlerce. jlerge and vierge from the mental gymnasttcs required by (virgin). which may be how the gender the pawn's sex-change. what If the change got started. player's original Queen were sttll on the Europe's Introductton to chess probably board? Would the King be a bigamist? came In the Ninth century. first In When people took their royalty seriously and Spain. From Italy It spread to this was a real problem. So for a while. a southern Germany and Swttzerland. pawn could be promoted to a Queen only From Spain tt went to France. The If the original had been captured. Later. EngUsh mayor may not have known of course, this solicttude on behalf of the chess before the Norman Conquest. royal marttal status was abandoned: the Early references are confusing due to the Queen was too powerful a piece to be lost tendency of the chroniclers of the pertod through fasttdlousness. The players. to refer to any and all games as "chess." however. did retain the optton of By the late . Europeans and promoting a pawn to any piece except a Moslems had started ttnkerlng with the King. rules. In the 13th century. we find the Given the offenSive might of the newly first known instance of the chessboard strengthened Bishops and Queens. with Its now-famtltar Ught and dark something had to be done to heLp the squares. 15th century Mohammedan defense. The King had become too easy to documents note that the Great Mogul capture. The answer was castling. At Timor played "Great Chess." a version first. the move allowed some fi extbtllty. which required a board measuring ten by A King could Jump two or three spaces, to eleven squares. g2 If he chose. This somewhat unsettled 12 state of affairs finally became the When William Stelnitz beat Adolf modem castling move. Anderssen in 1886. Steinitz deSignated At about this time, pawns were first himself "World Champion." Since before given the option of a two-square advance that time no one had thought of calltng for their initial move. So that this new himself that. Stelnltz can. with some move could not be used to evade an Justification, be called the first world obvious loss. the en passant capture was champion. However. most chess devised. With these rule changes. the authorities have traced the world modem game of chess emerged. and there championship back at least to Francois have been no other alterations since the Philidor. the French champion regarded 16th century. In 1748 as the leading authority on chess. Interestingly. in the 20th century. when Certainly one can follow a more-or-less Jose Capablanca was world champion, he unbroken line of champions back to proposed the addition of two new pieces. Philidor. but why not go back a little The chancellor would move like a Rook or further - a chain of Munofficial" a Knight at the player's option. and the champions can be traced back to the archbishop would move like a Bishop or beginnings of the game. Each of them Knight. These pieces would require two stood above his contemporaries. and in more pawns and a larger board. but oddly some way added to our common store of enough had the effect of cutting playing understanding. time in. half. Capablanca's suggestions There are a few breaks in the record. were never acted upon. but the first person to bestow upon himself the mantle of unquestioned World Champions and master of the game of chess was the 10th century Arab Grandee. al-Suli . Their Play The extensive Arab chess literature records four of the earliest known chess masters. AI-Adli. from the Byzantine Empire, was the first person reputed to be able to beat anyone he played. although Just before his death. the champion lost Jl\\\\\\\11 to a Persian known as al-Razi at the court of Caliph al-Mutawakkil in 847 A.D. II Al-Suli entered the picture about 60 years later In . He established , the first rating system for chess players. ., .. Grandee was the highest position. which - -, l al-Suli bestowed posthumously on al­ -" -- Adli and al-Razl. and which he claimed - - for himself. The next position was held World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov. by players able to beat a Grandee In two 13 out of ten games when given the With the development of the modem advantage of a pawn. Below that were game in the late 1400s, a new chess grades which were defined by the player's literature arose. The first chess author of ability to beat the Grandee with the whom we have a record is Luis Ramirez advantage of a Bishop. Knight and Rook, de Lucena. whose name has rather respectively. Players who needed better unfairly been attached to a dreadful odds than that were ranked "beneath opening' (I. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6) which he contempt." counseled against. In 1497, Lucena wrote AJ-Suli's writings on chess provide us Repiticion de Amores e Arte de Axedres. with some interesting insights as to what Lucena was far from a master; he appears champion-level play was like then. He to have confused the new rules with some noted. for instance. that a Grandee could of the old and had some Ideas on strategy calculate ten moves ahead. Modern chess worthy of a . Lucena masters, relying on positional play. no suggested that players position the board longer need to make such extenSive so their opponent's eyes were in the sun calculations. AI-Suli a lso felt the need to and try to arrange games after their point out to his readers that while they opponent had eaten a large meal and had position their men for attack In the first several drinks. 12 to 19 moves, they would do well to pay One of the first stron g European players attention to the disposition of their to emerge was the Spanish clergyman, opponent's forces and perhaps respond , after whom a still-popular accordingly. opening [J. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5) is AI-Sul!'s play and reputation were so named. His matches with Giovanni overpowering they were honored through Leonardo and Paoli Boi In 1574-75 six centuries of Arab chess literature. marked the first recorded serious chess One of his pupils, aI-Lajlaj, another competition. Grandee, was the first to note that the Lopez wrote a very influential book on fewer moves a player needs to complete chess play, Libra de la invencion Liberal y development of his pieces, the better off arte del Juega del Axedrez (Book oj the he is. Records from this period document Liberal Invention and Art oj Playing the first instances of blindfold play. Chess). He is known to have travelled Few games survive from this era, and extenSively, playing chess wherever he those that do are rather tedious. With the went. Hi s book remains valuable today. lesser attackin g power of the "Queen" and After Ruy Lopez, relatively few new "Bishop: games were rarely won by chess books appeared for about 170 years. checkmate; mOTe common was the old This era is sometimes known as the rule of win by "baring" - capture of a ll "Heroic Age" of chess, as the strongest the opposing pieces. The most interesting masters traveled about seeking the survivals from this era are problems and sponsorship of wealthy patrons. It is s tudies. Those involving Rooks and Knights, whose moves have not changed. lThe opening is the firsl few moves of the game. The are still worth a look. term also refers to a specific sequence of initial moves whose consequences have been studied. 14 difficult to document this period: the Languages to the English government, survi\1ng biographies of Leonardo and Stamma customarily played at Boi include a plethora of magical Slaughter's . and it was there charms. capture by pirates and that he lost a famous match to Francois­ poisonings by Jealous rivals. Andre Danican Philidor (I 726-95), a Leonardo. Boi and the next generation of down-and-out French musician. As a powerful Italian masters. Alessandro result of the notoriety he gained at Salvia. Giulio Polerto and Giacchino Slaughter's. Philidor became one of the Greco. had made a number of advances most influential players wh o ever lived. over Lopez's work. However. because they The scion of a musical family. Philidor played chess for money. they were showed an early interest in chess, but his understandably reluctant to give away serious involvement began in 1745, when their secrets by publishing books. What a concert tour with which he was we know of their games comes from the associated collapsed. leaving him private manuscripts they wTote and sold penniless in the Netherlands. For the to wealthy patrons. Their games featured next few years he supported himself fast attack and : gambits2 were playing and teaching, and in 1748 he the preferred opening. published his L 'analyse dujeu des Echecs. The culminating figure of this era was This book was something new in chess Gioacchlno Greco of Calabria (I 600- literature - an attempt to instruct the c . 1634). Greco's contribution to chess student in strategy and planning, in how literature lay in his inclusion of to think rather than what to think. complete games to illustrate his opening Unlike his predecessors', Philidor's variations. Although probably fictitious, illustrative games were selected not to his games were lively and entertaining dazzle, but to instruct. He felt that the and had much to do with the persistence greatest weakness of his contemporaries of his works: for the next century. chess was an ignorance of correct pawn play - books were often known generically as in his own phrase. "Les pions sont l'ame ~Ca l abrians." Greco's manuscripts were dujeu," ("The pawns are the soul of the written as notes for his studen t/patrons. game.") and without the master's instruction Another chess book, written in 1763 by made heavy sledding for the average the Italian master . player. but nothing better was to be found presented a view more concerned with until Philidor, mobility. and therefore a more modern Phillip Stamma, a Syri an, published approach. It too featured extensive notes his Essay sur le Jeu des Echecs in on the play. Philidor's style held sway in in 1737. and a revised English version. France and England. though , for a very The Noble Game oj Chess, in 1745, the mundane reason - he couldn't be beaten. first to feature a lgebraic notation. While Philidor's playing strength is difficult in as Interpreter of Oriental to Judge, for there is no contemporary yardstick with which to measure him: he 2 A 9ambil is an opening in which a pa wn or piece Is stood head and shoulders above the sacrificed in an attempt to gain an advantage. 15 players of his time. and it Is hard to find a pawn-and-two-moves advantage3 to a recorded game at even odds. His ab1l1ty anyone who played him and liked to brag to play two blindfold games simul· that he had n ever been beaten in an e\'en taneously caused astonishmen t at the game. While true as far as it goes. h is time. It seems clear that h e could h ave statement is misleading: When his pupil. achieved much more had he been Louis de la Bourdonnais. was finally a ble challenged. but few other figures in chess to beat him with the customary odds. history stood so fa r a h ead of their time. Deschapelles gave up the game ralher After a long and successful career both a~ tha n risk losing a t no odds. a chess master and a composer (some of The third in line of French champions. his operas are still occasionally de la Bourdonnais was one of those performed). Philidor's life ended on a natural chess players whose moves came dark note. After 1789. his former royal afler only seconds of lhoughl. He had lhe patronage proved a n embarrassment. a nd misfortune to have as his principle he died in exile in London In 1795. opponent Alexander McDonnell. a n The first of four consecutive French Irishma n . cha mpion of the British Is les. champions . Philidor's play created a nd a n agonizingly slow player. conSiderable interest in chess in France The 1834 malch belween de la and Engla nd. and the center of the chess Bourdonnais a nd McDonnell - really a world was undoubtedly the Cafe de la series of sLx matches encompassing 85 Regen ce In Paris. Philidor was succeeded games - was a milestone in chess in more by his pupil Legall de Kermeur. of whom ways than one: a fonnal encounter little is known. a nd h e by Al exandre between two masters of comparable Deschapelles, whose repute as a great strength. in which all the games were player is la rgely based on his own recorded. published and studied . (See assertion. Classic Games number I and 2.) The Descha pelles was a domineering a nd record indicates that de la Bourdonnais arrogant war hero whose play consisted was drh'en almost to distraction by the of nothing more tha n a sustained effort glacial pace of McDonnell's play. Neilher to checkmate his opponent's King. He man ga\'e a thought to defense: attack was interested neither in other lines of was everything in their games. The attack. nor in defense. Phrenology. a Frenchman clearly prQ\'ed his superi ­ pseudo-science in vogue a t the time. ority with an on'ra ll score of -15 wins. 27 attempted to explain all huma n behavior losses and 13 draws. by the shape of the head . Phrenologists From a moden1 perspecth'e. McDonnell believed tha t Deschapelles's high ly was a strong player typical of his time. a developed prowess at ch ess was due to fierce a ttacker who somewhat Q\'erya lued cranial saber wounds he had suffered in the . De la Bourdonnais. thou gh battle. For whatever reasons. Oescha pelles was overpowering. He gave 3sIrong players ('an handi('ap Ihelllsel\'es when pl ayjn ~ weaker OIlt"S. either by remO\' i n~ ont" or m ore of their ple-('es at tilt" oulSt"1. or by I.!hing: Iht" opponent olle or m ort~ frt"t" mo\'es. or bot)). 16

an equally gifted combinative player. had familiar today. and the one you will see a grasp of position play rather ahead of on screen in your Chessmaster 2100. He his time; he valued central pawns, fought founded the first successful chess for central squares, and understood play magazine in English, The Chessplayer's both with and against an isolated central Chronicle, in 1841. and wrote a chess pawn. concepts which were not to column for the Illustrated London News resurface until the time of Steinitz. from 1845 until his death. His books, After a long and successful career in The Chess Player's Handbook (1847) and France as a composer of operas. de la The Chess Player·s Companion (1849) were Bourdonnais moved back to England and the primary sources of instruction for a died there in 1840. He was buMed near generation of British and American McDonnell. who died in 1835. players. De la Bourdonnats's successor in And in 1851 he organized the first France was Pierre de Saint-Amant. the international : the last of the great French masters. Great Exhibition of London for chess McDonnell's was players. Each entrant had to pay his own (1810- 1874). In 1843. Staunton. who had way there and put up a five pound entry lost a first match to Saint-Amant by one fee, but there was a £183 purse for the game. won their second 11-6, with 4 winner. draws. Taking his cue from This landmark event bore little Deschapelles. Saint-Amant gave up chess resemblance to the round-robin after this loss. Staunton declared tournaments of today. Sixteen players himself champion, and although he later representing most of the nations of beat Daniel Hanwitz and Bernhard Europe. a t least 12 of whom were among Horwitz, two of Europe's strongest the best in the world. competed in a players, he also began the now-familiar series of knock-out matches. Of course, champion's practice of avoiding anyone this meant that two of the favorites appearing strong enough to beat him. might meet early on, one of the reasons Staunton was a dominating figure in why this system soon became obsolete. chess. both on and off the board. Though Staunton himself was unexpectedly generally considered the best player in knocked out in the third round by Adolf the world after his victory over Salnt­ Anderssen, a high school math teacher Amant, his claim to fame does not really from Breslau. (See Classic Games rest on his games; creatively. he was number 3 and 4 for examples of surely not the equal of de la Bourdonnais Anderssen's play.) He then suffered the before him or Morphy after. But as a ignominy of losing a playoff match for journalist. promoter and patron, he third place to his student. Elija h changed the image of chess from that of a Williams. In writing about his loss to parlor game to that of a serious sporting Anderssen, Staunton blamed the contest. His 1849 design for chess pieces demands of organizing the affair and has been in use ever since for matches poor health. thereby setting another and tournaments. It is the one most precedent. that of a champion blaming a 17 loss on anything but the supertor Staunton). He was challenged - and abilities of his opponent. Another of surpassed - only by the brtef Staunton's excuses, physical exhaustion, phenomenon of . did have at least a grain of truth In It. Morphy (1837-84) is Justly known as There was no time limit In effect then. "the prtde and sorrow of chess." He and some games In the exhibition lasted showed an early precocity for the game. longer than 10 hours. However. allegedly learning by watching his father Staunton's comments on anyone's play and uncle play. but his own were unsportsmanlike to say Morphy was raised in New Orleans the least. and he was not shy about (which had an active . thanks voicing his complaints In his vartous to . who populartzed press forums. For all his contrtbutlons the game in North Amertca. founded the to chess, Howard Staunt,on was not a very Philadelphia Chess Society and wrote an nice man. Influential essay Morals oj Chess in 1779). From the age of eight. Morphy played many games against the best players of New Orleans. and by the age of 13. he was clearly stronger than any of them. At age 13. Morphy played two games with the expatrtate Hungarian master. Johann Lowenthal. winning one game and drawing the second. Lowenthal wrote about the event. complimenting the youngster and predicting a great future in chess for him. Obtaining a law degree in 1857. Morphy found that he was not yet old enough to take the bar examination. Instead. he devoted himself to chess and walked away with the First American Chess Congress. held in New York. (See Classic Game number 5.) Morphy dominated his opponents for reasons they themselves did not fully understand. In calculating and combinative ability. he was at least the The Hungartan chess-playing Polgar sisters attract attention In tournaments around the world. equal of the best of his rivals. but he had something more as well: an instinctive In any event. after the London 1851 grasp of positional principles which tournament. was would not be elucidated for another generally acknowledged as the best player generation. Unlike his contemporaries. in the world (except perhaps by Morphy knew not only how to attack. but 18 when as well. Anderssen commented, fare from Breslau. While he waited for "There is no hope of catching Morphy in Ancterssen to arrive, Morphy received a a trap." Morphy's attacks were more letter from Staunton. Essentially an than traps. His style had a great effect on admission that he couldn't beat the many later players who would sometimes American. Staunton's letter was never ignore an easy advantage in favor of made public. In fact. in his columns Morphyesque maneuvering. (See Classic Staunton continued to claim that he was Game number 6 for another example of anxious to play Morphy, and that Morphy's style of play.) Morphy was avoiding him. When Shortly after Morphy won the New Anderssen arrived in Paris, Morphy beat York tournament (the only tournament, him 7-2, with I draw. Anderssen by the way, in which he ever competed), actually complimented Morphy's the New Orleans Chess Club offered to ab1l1ties. (Staunton's notes on the pay Howard Staunton's expenses to come match. played for no stakes, are to America if he would play Morphy in a incredibly boorish.) winner-take-all match with stakes of After a grand farewell banquet in $5,000 a side. Staunton was his usual London. which Staunton missed, Morphy insulting self in refusing the offer, citing returned to New Orleans. For a year he the amount of time a trip to the United wrote a chess column for a New York States would take, the exhaustion the trip newspaper, but aside from a few private would entail and his own recent lack of games with friends, he never played play. Not only did he decline for himself, serious chess again. He apparently felt he also turned down the club on behalf of that chess was not a suitable career for a all Europe. Stung by Staunton's professional man. But his legal practice belittling of his abilities, and especially failed - in pari because of his fame as a by an implication that he played chess chess player. in part because of outside professionally, Morphy sailed for events (his support of the union in the England. Civil War was not popular in Louisiana), Although Staunton kept saying he and in part because of his psychological looked forward to a match with Morphy, problems which, while exaggerated in in fact. he found excuse after excuse for popular literature. were certainly real. not playing him. Morphy played He gradually became a recluse and died of Lowenthal again, while in England, this a stroke in 1884. time beating him 9-3, with 2 ties. In the 1860s and 70s, chess gradually Morphy finally tired of waiting for assumed the form it has largely kept to Staunton and travelled to Paris. There. this day. Tournaments were held in a highly publicized match, he beat regularly, and the introduction of the Daniel Harrwltz, a great German ended the interminable champion who was very unpopular in ponderings of such players as WllIiams France. The public was delighted by and Paulsen. Morphy, who used the prize money from Because Morphy hadn't claimed the the Hanw1tz match to pay Anderssen's championship. Anderssen remained the 19 man to beat. The "romantic" players of combinations must arise from a this era played a wide- positional advantage. Thus. an featuring sacrifices. and Anderssen was insuffiCiently prepared combination4 particularly adept at spotting his must be unsound. and it should be opponent's weaknesses and then using a possible to win by defense as well as sacrifice to win. He successfully defended attack. Steinitz also developed the his championship two more times (his theory of strong and weak squares. From 1861 defense was the first to feature time these discoveIies came the beginning of limits on the moves). before losing to the scientific era of chess and the William Steinitz 8-6 in 1866. foundation of his 20-year reign. (See Steinitz. a native of living in Classic Games number 9 and 14 for London. lost no time in claiming to be examples of Steinitz's play.) the world champion. He emigrated to the Although he invariably took a high in 1883. and two years place when he competed. Steinitz played later founded International Chess in few tournaments until 1894. Unlike magazine. which lasted until 1891. In most of his successors. however. he his highly entertaining book. sought out and challenged his most Grandmasters oj Chess. Harold dangerous Iivals to matches. defeating Schonberg calls Steinitz "the most Blackburne. Chigorin and Gunsberg. In unpopular chess player who ever lived." 1886. playing Zukertort in 1886 "for the which is quite an accomplishment ." according considering Staunton's record. Steinitz to the match contract. Steinitz fell four richly deserved the deSCription. however. pOints behind before winning 10 games to In addition to writing excellent 5. with 5 draws. commentaries on games. Steinitz used By 1894. Steinitz was getting on a bit in his magazine to indulge in the most vile years. and with a new generation of mud-slinging imaginable against other players came a less exciting style of play. masters. readers who had the misfortune The strongest players had aSSimilated the to write to him and anyone else who Steinitz principles. and found it easiest managed to upset him. His repellent to win against a weaker opponent by disposition aside. Steinitz. who had waiting for a positional error - a begun playing in the romantic style. premature attack. surrender of the two made several important theoretical Bishops or creation of a pawn weakness. advances. for example. Among themselves. the top After a careful study of many games. masters played "correctly" and usually Steinitz concluded that combinations did drew. not arise from thin air - or. as his (1868-1941) took contemporaries might have said. from another path. He recognized that error the genius of the master. Trained was an integral part of the game and originally as an engineer. Steinitz played always to maintain the tension reasoned. as Morphy had instinctively known a generation before. that 4A is a series or interrelated moves aimed a t producing an advantage. 20 and place new problems before his Steinitz wanted a rematch at once, but opponent. He played a pa rticularly Lasker made him wait two years. When psychological game. often Ignonng the they met again in . Lasker won best objective move to make the one most decisively 10-2. with 5 draws. disturbing to his opponent. His attack Lasker was the first champion to featured incredible compli cations which demand what were regarded at the time most players found impossible to as astronomical stakes for a title match. comprehend. (For examples of Lasker's Again, he drew a lot of criticism. but he play, see Classic Games number 12, 16. usually held firm. Lasker did relent 20. and 27.) when he played Frank Marshall in 1907. Lasker. a native of Germany who had halving his demand for $2.000 when moved to the United States in 1890. Marshall was unable to raise it. Lasker finally defeated Steinitz in 1894. The won easily. beating Marshall 8-0. with 7 match was played In New York for $2.000 draws. a side. the winner being lhe first to take Lasker was a formidable player in 10 games. When Lasker won 10-5. with 4 tournaments. finishing below third place draws. there was not too much surprise at only once at the beginning and tw1ce at his defeat of a player 32 years his senior. the end of his career. His 78 percent

I S-year-old Bobby Fischer. then U.S. Chess Champion. plays chess with a polio patient at a charily beneOt. 21 score. spread over 30 years. was by far top player except Lasker. (See Classic the best tournament record of his time. Game number 23.) Defeating Marshall. Tarrasch and Capablanca tned for years to get a Janowski. he was held to a draw only by match with Lasker. and in 1921 Lasker the "drawing master" Carl Schlechter. knew he h ad to give in. Dreading the Lasker was continually criticized for humiliation of losing publicly. Lasker his infrequent title defenses. but in all considered resigning the championShip fairness. if the war years of 19 14-1918 in Capablanca's favor. but Capablanca are omItted. he did defend his title an had raised su ch high stakes that Lasker average of almost once every three years. couldn't tum him down. They played in the interval required by present-day . and after Capablanca had won 4 international rules. He might have games. lost none and drawn 10. Lasker played more often had he not resigned the match . In his notes. Lasker championed the unpopular opinion that reported that he had been fa tigu ed by the a chess master should be well paid for his climate. but was gracious enough to labors - an argument that continues admit that Capa bla nca proba bly could today. have beaten him no matter where they Lasker held the World Cha mpion ship played . for 27 years. By 1921. though still in Capabla nca had long deserved the love with chess and with the struggle. he ma tch; he had been unbeatable for years. seemed tired of the title. and at last lost a When he lost a game to Richa rd Reti of match to a player as unlike him as any Vienna in a New York tournament in could be . the invincible Cuban. Jose Raul 1924 it was the subject of a New York Capablanca [J 888- 1942). Times headline. An employee of the Capablanca was a prodigy in the Cuban foreign ministry. Capablanca had Morphy mold. He learned the game at the advantage of being assigned to a ny the age of four. and in 190 1 was strong city in which h e had to playa game. Like enough to defeat Cuban champion Juan Morphy. he was a fast and intuitive Corzo in a match. While attending player. fond of Simple. direct lines of university in New York. he often played attack. (See Classic Games number 24. at the Manhattan Chess Club. but his 27.30.47.49 and 55.) match against Frank Marshall in 1909 Capablanca symbolized the post­ was expected to be something of a Steinitz .. technical" era; he did little that mismatch . And so it proved. but in the was new. but he did everything extremely other direction. as the Cuban defeated well. Unlike his predecessor or his one of th e best players in the wo rld by a successor. he lacked the driving ambition score of 8 wins to 1. with 14 draws. In to create something new. or to 19 11. he entered his first international accomplish more than his natural gifts tournament in San Sebastian (to which could achieve so effortlessly. At his best. he was admitted only at Marshall's though. his games are as close to insistence). a nd finished a head of every perfection as any ever played. Capa's greatest tri umph was perhaps New York. 22

1927 (see Classic Game number 42), where arouse fevered arguments; it is safe to say he finished 3 112 points ahead of a field ;that neither was a man of small ego. including Alekhine. Nirnzovich. Vidmar. ~ Alekhine made his first title defense in Spielmann and Marshall. His greatest 1929 when he beat a RUSSian named disaster came only a few months later. Bogolyubov. knowing that Bogolyubov Like many champions, Capablanca was would be easy to beat. A rematch wtth accused of avoiding matches. and when Capablanca was announced. but the he finally did defend his crown in Buenos prospect of beating Bogolyubov again Aires against in proved to be too a lluring. and Alekhine 1927. the match took several months. trounced him in a rematch in 1934. In A1ekhine (1892-1946) was born in 1935. A1ekhine lost the championship Russia. but after the Revolution his unexpectedly to Dr. of the Czarist sympathies eventually resulted In Netherlands (see ClaSSic Game number his settling in France. From 1914 until 50) in a match for which he had not 1927. he was at the top of the "second prepared. and during which he reportedly tier" masters. behind Lasker and drank heavily. CapabJanca. but few observers gave him a Dr. Euwe. obviously unaware of how a serious chance to defeat the great Cuban. chess champion behaves, offered Certainly Capablanca did not. But Alekhine an immediate rematch. It took Alekhine was quite a different sort of place in 1937. and A1ekhine got the player than his rival. It was said that crown back. Equally unaware of how an "chess was the breath of life to him," and ex-champion behaves, Dr. Euwe failed to that he "would rather die than not Win." blame his loss on poor hea1th. (See He was a man of fulious energy who ClassiC Game number 52 for another constantly studied games. openings and Euwe game.) Discussion of a match wtth his opponents. In 1926. already known one of Alekhine's younger rivals - Fine. as a brilliant combinative player and Keres or Botvinnik - was halted by the attacker, he resolved to equal Capablanca second World War. at his own game of positional play and When A1ekhlne died In 1946. the World maneuveling. He succeeded and won the Championship was left vacant for the match 6--3. wtth 25 draws. first time since 1886. The International (For examples of Alekhine's play, see Chess Federation (usually known by Its Classic Games number 32. 33. 34. 37. 40. French acronym FIDE) had been founded 43. 45 and 46.) in 1924. but, ignored by successive world For the next eight years. Alekhine champions, had done little other than to dominated the tournament scene to a far organize the world team championships greater extent than any of his prede­ ("Olympiads"). Now. strengthened by a cessors, but he played few matches. His postwar influx of member nations. lesser livals were unable to raise an including the and its adequate stake, and it proved impossible satellites. FIDE proposed a six-player to negotiate a rematch wtth Capablanca. m atch tournament to select a new The question of who is to blame can still champion. 23

A game played with living chessmen is the finale to a chess tournament tn Ebersburg. Germany.

The event was finally held in Hague preparation. Alekhine indeed had and Moscow in 1948 between Mikhail studied constantly and prepared for each Botvtnnik. Vasslly Smyslov. . opponent. but few could match the Samuel Reschevsky and Max Euwe. inhuma n self-discipline of Botvinnik. had also been invited. but he On one occasion. he ordered his second to gave up the game around this time to blow smoke in his face during a training pursue a career in psychoanalysis. game to prepare for a tournament. On Botvinnik. who had been engaged in another. he had Flohr. one of his aides. negotiations for a match with Alekhine collect every example of an endgame with at the time of the latter's death. scored an a Rook plus pawns on the f and h mes5 overwhelming victory. finishing three versus Rook. a difficult ending that is pOints ahead of his nearest rival. sometimes drawn. "But Mischa: Flohr Along with his tactical gifts and strategic depth. what Botvinnik brought to the game was the concept of scientific 5See the explanation of algebraic notation on page 53. 24 objected, Mthose positions occur once in Botvinnlk was able to get his crown back nfty years!" In 1958. "No. no," replied Botvlnnlk. "there Is Throughout this period. the World no point In playing for the World Champion was. in Botvtnnik's phrase. Championship unless 1 understand that "first among equals." There were ending." (See Classic Games number 53. perhaps half a dozen players - Botvlnnlk. 55. 57. 59 and 62 for examples of Smyslov, Bronstein, Keres. Reschevsky - Botvlnnlk's play.) who could legitimately h ave held the Since Botvinnik's victory, save for one title. Bronstein's strength was in notable interruption. the Soviets have originality and imagination, while dominated international chess. Chess is Smyslov was an intuitive player officially encouraged and controlled by somewhat Similar to Capablanca: at his the government in the Soviet Union. At peak it seemed that his judgement was the Third All Union Congress In 1924. nearly Infallible. (For examples of chess was declared a political instru­ Smyslov's play. see Classic Games 64. 70. ment. and subsequent government 77 and 103.) programs sought to encourage chess play, and to discover and foster chess talent - programs which produced a great number of strong Soviet Grandmasters. Western players from Fine to Fischer have accused SOviet masters of colluding to insure the victory of one of their own in major tournaments. At the time of the 1948 Hague-Moscow tournament. FIDE set up a program of qualifying tournaments to produce a challenger for the World Championship every three years. Botvinnik's first challenger was . who in 1951 drew a hard-fought match. 1957 World Chess Champion Vassily Smyslov. permitting the champion to retain his A certain professional courtesy title. (See Classic Games number 61, 71, developed among the top players: win 75 and 76 for examples of Bronstein's with White. draw with Black. draw with play.) one another and beat the back-rankers. The result was the same in 1954 when Then Tal arrived on the scene, Botvinnik faced VassUy Smyslov. but In From 1958 to 1961. the Latvian. 1957 Smyslov not only again topped the MikhaU Tal (b. 1936) equaled and Candidates' cycle - a remarkable feat - surpassed his colleagues. but beat Botvinnik as well. At the time. He brought to the game a furiOUS energy. FIDE rules permitted an ex-champion to tremendous calculating ability and a demand a rematch after only one year. so willingness to take risks not seen Since 25

Alekhlne's heyday. His piratical style continued to play with success in and ebullient personality endeared him tournaments for another seven years. to the chess public far more than his In his first defense. Petrosian sat back reserved predecessors. Confounding the and allowed to make the experts, who had predicted a prolonged mistakes. The young and outgOing duel between Botvinnik and Smyslov Spassky, an aggressive and well-rounded until the older man at last succumbed. player. had scored a string of tournament Tal decisively won the Bled 1959 victories far more Impressive than Candidates' Tournament (See Classic Petrosian·s. But he made just enough Game number 70). In the process he mistakes for Petrosian to win 4-3. with administered a 4-0 drubbing to the 16- 17 draws. thus becoming the first year-old Bobby Fischer, who already felt that he should be Champion. The "magician from " went on to defeat Botvlnnlk In 1960, 12 112-8 112. Soviet chess authorities were quite upset by this tum of events. because Tal plays a very unorthodox game by Soviet standards. (See Classic Games number 81 and 110 for other examples of Tal's play.) The SOviets were able to relax the next year when Botvlnnlk. again taking advantage of his "divine right" to a rematch, prepared carefully and recaptured the title 12-8. Though a strong and dangerous Grandmaster even today, Tal was plagued in the next few years by h ealth problems, a nd never again succeeded in reaching the summit. Botvinnik's next chall enger was another countryman. . whose game conSisted mostly of waiting for his opponent to do something. (See Classic Games number 72, 79 and 83.) Botvtnntk must have done something wrong, for Petroslan beat him In 1963, winning 5-2, with 15 draws. By this time. FIDE had abandoned its one year rematch rule. and rather than wait three years to get another shot at the champi­ . _.... -..... - onship, Botvlnnlk retired from world championship competition . though he Barts Spassky. World Chess Champion 1969-72. 26

incumbent World Champion to win a Fischer was recognized as one of the match in 32 years. Spassky apparently strongest players in the world by many - learned something from experience, and ceriainly by himself, as he developed because in 1969 he beat Petrosian 6-4, a Messianic conviction that he would with 13 draws. (See Classic Games become World Champion. Though number 71. 82, 89 and 94 for examples of supremely objective in his approach to Spassky's play.) chess. his behavior otherwise did not This circulation of the title among endear him to his colleagues. It did, strong and approximately equa l however. create extensive publicity for Grandmasters might have continued chess. (See Classic Games number 69. indefinitely h ad it not been for Bobby and 74 for other examples of Fischer's Fischer. style of play.) Though he has not played since 1972, At the of 1967, he Fischer remains a controverSial figure in withdrew while leading, after a dispute the chess world. From the time of his with the organizers over the playing brilliant victory over at schedule. (Fischer had by that time the age of 13 (Classic Game number 65), joined a reHgious sect which forbade

Former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer (I.) enJoys a fl oating chess game against three-time U.S. Champion Larry Evans. 27 playing on its Sabba th.) He refused to But Fischer proposed a new set of compete In the U.S. Championship in match rules. and when FIDE declined to 1969. apparently excluding himself yet accept one of them. he resigned his title again from the cha mpionship cycle. But and withdrew from the chess world. negotiations by the U.S. Chess Federa tion Karpov became champion. [USCF) enabled him to play in the 1979 Fischer never played again. Interzonal in Palma de Majorca. His Throughout the 1970s, Ka rpov played time had come. frequently. Apparently he felt the sting After winning the Interzonal by 3 112 of being an ··accidental"· champion and points. he proceeded to sweep his sought to prove that he deserved the title. Candidates' Matches against M ark His play. while not overpowenng. was Taimanov and with just that much better tha n anyone else. unprecedented 6-0 scores. Fischer then [For other examples of Karpov·s play, see beat Tigran Petrosian. There remained Classic Games number 91. 100 and 105.) only Boris Spassky. HiS first title defense came in 1978 The off-the-board maneuvering against (see Classic surrounding the 1972 Spassky-Fischer match in Reykjavik filled the n ews media. For a long time it seemed that Fischer would not play for reasons which he considered matters of principle. though few objective observers agreed. But a last-minute offer by British industrialist. James Slater. raised the prize fund to an unprecedented (this word occurs often when discussing Fischer) $250.000. and Fischer a t last a rrived. When he finally sat down at the chessboard. the result was never in doubt. Despite a in the first game and a forfeit loss in the third. he won by a score of 12 112-8 112. [See Classic Game number 85.) For the first and last time since the death of Alekhine. someone outside the Soviet bloc was chess champion. In 1975. Ana toly Karpov unexpectedly rose to the top of the Candidates· cycle. defeating . Boris Spassky and Viktor Korchnoi. [See ClaSSic Game number 89.) Karpov thus won the right to World Champion Gary Kasparov (I .) and challenge Fischer for the title. former Champion . 28

Game number 93). who had by now circles. After some early erratic results. defected to the West. This naturaliy did Kasparov in the early 80s began to win not endear Korchnoi to the SOviet chess consistently. in a style reminiscent of establishment. Soviet players boycotted Tal and Alekhine. Kasparov took the tournaments in which he played. his world title in 1985. defeating Karpov by a family was not permitted to emigrate. score of 13-1 1. (See Classic Game number and the match with Karpov saw a degree 105 for Kasparov vs. Karpov and Classic of personal animosity unknown since Games number 97, 98 and 101 for Alekhine and Capablanca. Despite these Kasparov against other opponents.) handicaps, Korchnoi was only narrowly Karpov and Kasparov have played four defeated. Korchnoi was again the matches between 1984 and 1988. Their challenger in 1981 but this time Karpov overall score: Kasparov 60 1/2 - Karpov won easily With 6 Wins. 2 iosses and 10 59 112. The two stand well ahead of their draws. It was time for a new challenger. nearest rivals on the international rating (For another Korchnoi game. see Classic list at present, and it seems likely that Game number !O I.) they Wili meet again In 1990. The rising star now was Gary Kasparov. something of an outsider in Soviet chess Chess and Machines

~Even if we could teach a computer to play chess merely as well as a - to use Norbert Wiener's simtle - majority of the human race (no offense meant), we would be furnishing definite proof that a machine can solve problems of sufficient complexity to defy the reasoning ability of millions of people throughout their lives. ~ -. The Aduenture oj Chess,

In 1769. a Viennese expert in hydraulics and acoustics, Wolfgang von Kempelen, exhibited an interesting conjurer's trick to the Imperial Court of King Joseph II . It was a life-sized figure of a Turk seated behind a chessboard on top of a chest. The chest appeared to be filled With cogs and gears. which von Kempelen would demonstrate in the course of a game of chess against a World Champion Gary Kasparov plays a human challenger. The Turk would simultaneous match with New York schoolchildren. invariably win, and its entertainment 29 value was the same as any magic act: Polytechnic University. Leonardo Torres how did he do that? It was obvious to all y Quevedo had devised a pressure sensor that no machine could possibly play connected to a rudder which would keep chess. torpedoes at a constanl depth. Torres y After von Kempelen's death. the Turk Quevedo was impressed by the ~inte l ­ was bought by a Bavarian mUSician and IIgence" of the sensor in performing ils showman. Johann Maelzel. Maelzel had limited task. It functioned much more already built and exhibited mechanical effiCiently than any human could. and devices of his own: a mechanical Torres y Quevedo wondered if there might trumpet player. and the Panharmonicum. be more things a device might be "taught" which played a variety of orchestral to do. So, in 1890 he built a prototype instruments. (Beethoven composed pieces device which would play the chess ending specifically for both devices.) Maelzel of White King and Rook againsl a human took over the Turk and was successful far with the Black King. Not only did the beyond anything he could have imagined. device win. it also said "check" and making huge amounts of money. Never "mate." A fmal version was exhibited at claiming that lhe device itself actually the Paris World Fair in 1914. but the played chess. he made it part of the show World War prevented any further work. to demonstrate the impossibtlity of In 1939. the British Foreign Office hiding a human inside the Turk. established lhe Department of Even today we are not sure how the Communications at Bletchley. 50 miles Turk actually operated. We know there north of London. Their purpose was to was a man hidden inside the device. and build a device which would crack German that he used an arrangement of levers coded messages no matter how the called a pantograph to make the Turk's ingenious German encoding device ann move his pieces. but beyond that. we known as "Enigma" was set. In order to have only guesses. We will never know accomplish this task, lhe Foreign office for certain because the Turk was had to go beyond cryptanalysis experls, destroyed by a fire in 1854. so they also employed mathematicians, Anolher device. called Ajeeb and electronic engineers. linguistics. dressed as an Egyptian. was built in 1868 crossword puzzle buffs and chess players. and had a similar career. Ajeeb also beal The man most responsible for the all comers, and at one time the "inside success of the project was Alan Turing. a man" was the American master Harry prominent and eccentric mathematician Pillsbury. AJeeb. too. was destroyed in a and a chess buff. Earlier. Turning had fire, this one at Coney Island in 1929. proposed a theoretical computing However. in the late 19th century, machine which would simulate lhe something much more interesting and operation of any other machine. This more directly related to "Turing machine" became part of the was happening at the Escuela Technica foundation of modem computer theory. Superior de lngenieros de Carninos (The At Bletchley, Turing built a device to School of Road Works) at Spaln's decode Enigma messages. Known as ~the 30 bomb" or "Ultra." Turing's machine was interested In computer chess only worked so well that Allied leaders because most people felt that chess frequently had Gennan messages required "thought." If a computer could decrypted and translated before their be programmed to play chess. Shannon intended recipients got them. felt. that would hold great theoretical Turing's device was not a computer. implications for the future of computers, however. After the war, Turing got a Two of Shannon's proposals are still of large grant from the British government interest. He defined the two schools of to buIld a general purpose electronic chess programs. brute force (rapidly compu ter. Although he had established looking at all possible moves) vs: the mathematical concept for such a heuristic programming (choosing moves machine in 1936. buIlding a working based on some set of rules), Shannon model was not easy. Turing talked to favored brute force because that approach reporters about it in 1946. calling it an takes advantage of the computer's "automatic computing engin e, n and in the obvious strengths. He also suggested that same interview discussed the possibilities machines be programmed to learn of computer chess. He was quoted as directly from their mistakes. a saying "That is a question we may be refinement that in the main has thus far able to settle experimentally in about 100 eluded programmers. years time," In Los Alamos. New MexiCO in 1956. But Turing had worked out the Ulam and Stein actually programmed a formulas necessary for a chess program. computer to playa simplified version of and in 195 1 or 1952 he used it in an chess (a six by six square board. leaving actual game. Working his program from out the Bishops. limiting pawns to a one notes on paper. Turing played Alick square advance on opening and omitting Glennie. who was an admittedly weak castling). They wanted to know whether player . Glennie reporled that Turing had a computer could make reasonable moves trouble operating his own program solely on the basis of material gain and because it often chose moves that Turing Increased mobility. The computer played knew were wrong. The game took about itself first. revealing an inordinate fear two or three hours. and ended when of being In check. After a few improve­ Turlng's program lost its Queen. Turing ments. the program. MANIAC I, became was quoted as saying the program has the first computer program to win a game resigned "on the advice of his trainer." against a human - an unnamed volunteer In his spare time. Turing began program­ who had learned the game only a week ming the Manchester University before. Capable of 11 .000 operations per computer to play chess. but died before he second. MANIAC 1 used exhaustive search could complete his work, to look ahead four plies6 in 12 minutes In the United States. Dr. Claude E. per move. Shannon of Bell Labs described in March of 1949 how an electronic computer could be programmed to play chess. Shannon 6A ply Is a half move. Thus. a four ply search would examine all the computer's possible moves, all 3 1

In an article in the June 1958 Scientific chess." By December of that year. Dr. American. Alex Bernstein. a Dreyfus had lost a game to MAC HACK. mathematician and a very strong chess developed by Richard Greenblatt and player. and Michael Roberts described Donald Eastlake of M.l.T. MAC HACK how they. Timothy Arbuckle and M.A. was another breakthrough. able to defeat Belsky had programmed an IBM 704 to about 80 percent of non-tournament level play chess. Their program ran on 8.000 players. Greenblatt and Eastlake were punch cards. and required that its good programmers with a very fast opponent punch his moves into a card computer for the time. the PDP-6. Their and then feed it into a reader. The "plaUSible move generator," with 50 machine conducted a 4-ply search like criteria for a move, cut down on the the Alamos program. but also added two number of moves the machine had to new considerations. King defense and consider. And there was one other area control. Bernstein's program also important factor: most opponents used a ratio to consider material resigned too soon. Believing that MAC evaluation. which was an advance over HACK's strong opening and middle game the simple point system used previously. represented its ability. few humans got as Running at about 42.000 operations per far as MAC HACK's dreadful endgame. second. this program was able to playa By 1968. when MAC HACK VI was fair amateur game at the rate of a move demonstrated at the International every eight minutes. Federation of Information Processing The next year. Herbert Simon. Allen ([FIPS) meeting in . its rating Newell and Clifford Shaw of the Rand was 1500 El07. Corporation and the Carnegie Institute of After this. things began happening very Technology came up with a very complex qUickly. Between 1967 and 1970. eight program that could play at the medium new programs appeared in the United amateur level. It took about an hour per States alone. and in 1970. the first U.S. move, but because it represented such a Computer Chess Championship took huge leap in computer chess technology. place. CHESS 3.0. created by David Slate. it led Herbert Simon to predict that Larry Atkin and Keith Gorlen of within 10 years a computer would be the Northwestern University. swept the world chess champion. tournament. winning all three of its In 1965. Professor Hubert L. Dreyfus games. The CHESS program as version evaluated the play of MANIAC II ( an 3.5 in 1971 and 3.6 in 1972 also won all improved MANIAC which played on a of its games in the next two U.S. full eight by eight board), Bernstein's championships. The 1972 contest program for the IBM 704. and a program featured notes on the games by Samuel of his own, and announced. "Still no Reshevsky. a master player and ex-U.S. chess program can play even amateur champion. possible replies by the opponent. all the computer's 7The system developed by Arpad Elo aSSigns a responses to those. and all the opponent's responses. player a numertcal rating based on his (or its) record against other rated players. 32

In 1974. CHESS 4.0 appeared. a increased the stakes to $5.000. and in completely new version which marked a 1983. he was chall enged by the creators switch from selective search to full-width of CRAY BLITZ. the winner of the 1983 search. in keeping with Dr. Shannon's World Computer Chess Championship. predictions of the greater suitabiJity of Levy played CRAY BLITZ in April of the brute-force approach. Unfortunately. 1984. and although he did not lose a this was the version that lost the first game. Levy did compliment the World Computer Chess Championship in programmers by studying CRAY BLITZ's . It placed second to KAlSSA games in detail. from the Soviet Union. a program on CRAY BLITZ was also beaten as North which . the ex-World American Computer Champion in Champion, had worked. In all fairness, October of 1985 by HITECH. designed by it should be pOinted out that CHESS did Hans Berliner. Carl Ebeling and Murray not play KAJSSA in the tournament. and Campbell of Carnegie-Mellon University. in an unofficial game played after the Berliner designed a unique processor he event. the outcome was adjudicated a called the searcher which employs 64 draw after the 65th move. In the second chips. one for each square on the board. World Computer Championship held in Each chip examines the entire board for Toronto in 1977. CHESS 4.6 won in a moves and detennines the best one. The clean sweep. although again, it did not searcher then ranks the 64 choices, and meet KAlSSA during the match. This the game tree is searched as deep as 14 time. however. when they played plies based on the searcher's ranking. So afterwards. CHESS beat KAlSSA in 44 far. HITECH has had an easy time moves. playing computer opponents. In 1978. it was time to play the "Levy Earlier, we quoted from Edward challenge." Ten years earlier. the Lasker's The Adventure oJChess. Lasker International Master David Levy had bet slated that If a computer could play chess two computer scientists £500 that no merely as well as the vast majority of the computer chess program would be able to human race. "we would be furnishing beat him in ten years' time. When the definite proof that a machine can solve match came around. the bets had problems of sufficient complexity to defy increased to £1.250. and Levy played a the reasoning ability of millions of series of matches against CHESS 4.5. people throughout their lives." Your KAlSSA. MAC HACK VI and CHESS 4.7. Chessmaster 2100 far exceeds Lasker's Levy won every match. and only CHESS requirement. The creators of The 4.7 was able to score a point against him. Chessmaster 2100 gratefully acknowledge While disappointing to its programmers. the pioneering efforts of those its one win against Levy represented the programmers whose earlier chess first time a computer had won a game programs paved the way for the state-of· against an International Master. the-art program you now own. Omni Magazine then offered $4.000 to the first program to beat Levy. Levy 33 The Chessmaster's Library of Classic Games

1. De la Bourdonnals-McDonnell. King. and despite his seemingly adequate 21st Match Game. 1834 development a nd counterattacking A wild attacking game where both sides cha n ces. Black comes out a sh ort play for mate. This game has an in one of the finest combinations on incredible and amusing finish. record, justly known as the ·'Evergreen Game." 2 . McDonnell-De la Bourdonnais. 62nd Match Game. 1834 5 . Paulsen-Morphy. New York. 1857 In a sense. the McDonnell-de la Paul Morphy competed in only one Bourdonnais encounters marked the tournament in his short career. the First beginning of modern chess - a set match American Chess Congress in 1857. In the of serious games between recognized final round of the knock-out event. he champions. in which all the games were defeated German master Louis Paulsen by recorded and published . This was the a score of +5=2- 1. In this game he Frenchman's most famous win of the demonstrates both his better grasp of match (really a series of six matches. positional play - Black's control of the won by de la Bourdonnais +45= 13-271). in center fil es makes a marked contrast to which we have the unus ual spectacle of a White's fl ailing on the fl a nks - and his mass of pawns overcoming a Queen. combin a tive a bility, as h e finishes the game with a startling a nd brilliant Queen 3. Anderssen-Kleserltsky. London. sacrifice. 1851 Anderssen sacrifices a Bishop for a 6 . Morphy-A1l1es. Paris. 1858 handful of tempos2 and an attack on Morphy develops his pieces quickly and Black's Queen. Later he saCrifices both effectively while his opponenfs Rooks to continu e his assault on the development is hindered by his own Black King. Finally. Anderssen parts pieces. Morphy is rewarded fo r his better with his Queen for a pretty mate with his development by a beautiful attack. two Knights an d Bishop. Hence. the crowned with a and a "." pretty checkmate.

4. Anderssen-Dufresne. Berlin. 1853 7 . G.A. MacDonneJl-Boden. London. White sacrifices a piece to open the 1861 central fil es against the un castled Black Once dubbed the "Koh+Noor" of chess. this game is qUite typical of the period - a slashing attack appears out of nowhere. 1+45:13-27 Is shorthand for 47 wins. 13 draws a nd for defensive technique was little 27 losses. understood even by the best players. The 2 A tempo Is the effective loss (or gain) of a move by a player who arrives at a position or situation that he winner should not be confused with de la would nomla lly get to in fewer (or more) moves. 34

Bourdonnals's opponent, Alexander 12. Lasker-Bauer, , 1889 McDonnell. An early example of the double Bishop sacrtfice, the "chess mtll" theme, and the 8 . Matchego-Falkbeer. London, 1869 skill of the then-young Emanuel Lasker, In playing over these old games, It Is best who only five years later would challenge not to ask too many questtons about the Stelnltz for the world championship. defender's play - the gap In strength between master and amateur was often 13. Chlgorln-Pollock, New York, 1889 enormous. Instead, relax and enjoy the Though he demonstrated many Ideas well tragicomic pUght of the White King, as he ah ead of his ttme, Chigortn was best Is drtven across the board and mated known in his own era as a fierce with his pieces still at home. attacker. Here, he makes good use of one of his favortte weapons, the Evans 9 . Rosenthal-Stelnltz, Vienna, 1873 . Stelnltz began the era of "scientific" play, as his games and writings demonstrated 14, Stelnltz-von Bardeleben, that games were won or lost for objective Hastings, 1895 reasons. Here he provldes a (then Stelnltz takes advantage of his lead In startling) example of the proper use of development and his opponent's King two Bishops agalnst a Bishop and Knight. being stuck In the center by playing one of the most remarkable Rook sacrtfices 10. Zukertort-Blackburne, London, of all time. 1883 A striking combination by Zukertort, 15, Plllsbury-Tarrasch, Hastings, perhaps the last of the "old school" 1895 masters. After his defeat by Stelnltz In Pillsbury, a virtual unknown, comes to 1886, It became clear that Stelnltz's Hastings, England in 1895 and wins one positional theortes had brought a new of the strongest tournaments of all time. aspect to the game. Here, he shows that the Queen's Gambit Declined opening can lead to a strong 11. Blackbume-Llpschiitz, New York, attacking position. Note Ptllsbury's 1889 beautiful 44th and 45th moves. White allows his opponent to obtain two passed pawns on the Queenslde In 16, Pillsbury-Lasker, St. Petersburg, for posting a Rook on the 1896 seventh rank. The game was adjourned Lasker scores a brtlliant combinative at move 31, and not only Lipschutz, but vlctory over a rch-rival Ptllsbury. The the spectators - Including Stelnltz - were players castle on opposite wings, but certain that Black must win. The White loses time with his prematurely combination initiated by White's 32nd developed Queen - time which Black uses move brought a rude awakening. to make a truly profound Rook sacrtfice. 35

17. Tarrasch-Marco. Vienna. 1898 21. Schlechter-Marco. Monte Carlo. was the great 1904 explicator of Steinitz's theories. but the The post·Steinitz era was thought by dogmatic certainty with which he many to be a time of dull play in expounded them in th e end provoked the comparison to the previous century, Hypennodem reaction3 of the 1920s. culminating in Capablanca's prediction Tarrasch ignored those aspects of of a "draw death." But the greatest Steinitz uncongenial to his style (such as masters of the period were still able to defense of cramped positions). but in the rise above the uniformity of style and exploita tion of a space advantage and the produce such sprightly games as this. use of active pieces he had few peers. 22. Rotlewi-Rubinstein. Lodz. 1907 18. Pillsbury-Marco. Paris. 1900 In contrast to his great rival, Lasker, Harry Nelson Pillsbury's record is was a player of perhaps less well known than it should calmness and simplicity; at his best, his be; his illness and premature death in victOries seem as inevitable as the tide. 1906 deprived the world of the match Here, h e demonstrates the value of time. against Lasker he had long sought. Here. in a symmetrical position. White's first he scores another fine victory with the loss of tempo pennits Black equality; the Queen's Gambit. as Marco thinks to second invites a brilliant. devastating improve on the Pillsbury-Tarrasch game and logical attack. (Classic Game number 15). 23. Capablanca-Bernstein. San 19. Marshall-Burn. Paris. 1900 Sebastian. 1911 In his autobiography, Marshall, perhaps The young CapabJanca was admitted to tongu e in ch eek. attributes his victory in this event, intended to be limited to those this game to the fact that it didn't last who had taken at least two third prizes long enou gh for Bum to light his pipe. in international tournaments. only at the insistence of Frank Marshall, whom 20. Lasker-Napier. Cambridge Capa had beaten in a match two years Springs. 1904 before. The Cuban won the event Napier plays his best game of chess convincingly, losing only one game to against Lasker, but loses in this truly Rubinstein. Ossip BeITlstein had been remarkable game. one of the most vocal opponents of Capabla nca's admission to the tournament. and by ch ance they met in the first round.

24. Capablanca-Molina. Buenos Aires. 3nte Hypermodern movement was a group of 1911 masters who rebelled against the dogmatism of Tarrasch (wh o claimed that the center must be A famous example of th e Bish op saCrifice occupied by pawns) and demonstrated the power of at h7. The unusual feature of this game counterattack against an immobile center. 36 is that the sacrifice does not lead directly 28. Nlmzovlch-Tarrasch. St. to mate, but rather to a sustained Petersburg. 1914 initiative from which Black is unable to Tarrasch. a master of the use of active escape. pieces (see the description of Classic Game number 17). here gives us another 25. Ed. Lasker-Thomas. London. 1912 example of the double· Bishop sacrifice. The noted chess author Edward Lasker as in Lasker-Bauer (Classic Game number should not be confused with his distant 12). cousin Emanuel. The young German player visited a London chess club in 29. Splelmann-Flamberg. Mannhelm. 1912 and was invited to playa game with 1914 the club champion Sir George Thomas. Rudolph Spielmann was in many ways a The result was a brilliancy which has man out of his proper time. Dubbed "th e graced the anthologies ever since. last Knight of the King's Gambit:' he sought a return to the swashbuckling 26. Lewltzky-Marshall. Breslau. 1912 style of Morphy and Andersson. Though he was not quite the equal of Lasker or Capablanca. Frank Marshall 30. Capablanca-Marshall. New York. was for many years one of the top half­ 1918 dozen players in the world. and a Marshall launches a fierce counterattack formidable tournament competitor. His by means of a subtle opening novelty aggressive attitude, combinational flair (now known as the Marshall Gambit). but and imagination produced an amazing Capablanca's chess instinct enables him number of brilliant games like this one. to thread his way through the pitfalls. It is said that after the startling conclusion . the spectators showered the 31. Rubinstein-Vidmar. Berlin. 1918 board with gold coins. During the second and third decades of the century. dissatisfaction grew with the 27. Lasker-Capablanca. St. correct but colorless play of the post­ Petersburg. 1914 Steinitz era, in which masters scored At the end of the first half of this double· against opponents who had not round tournament, Capablanca stood a aSSimilated th e "new" principles of point and a half ahead of his nearest positional play. but generally drew with rivals, Lasker and Tarrasch. When he one another. One of the attempts to met Lasker again in the seventh of the enliven Black's play was the ten final rounds. even a draw would Gambit. a sharp which virtually assure the Cuban of first place. Vidmar here uses to score an upset of the But Lasker. ever the chess psychologist. mighty Rubinstein. adopted an opening in which Black may indeed try for the advantage, but cannot 32. Alekhlne-Sterk. Budapest. 1921 readily obtain a draw. The result was a Alekhine considered this game very great victory over a great opponent. characteristic of his style. Maneuvers on 37 the Queenside divert the Black pieces. 37. Griinfeld-Alekhlne, Carlsbad, setting the stage for a surprising mating 1923 attack with threats on both s ides of the Another superb Alekhine combina tion. board. as he outplays opening expert Grunfeld in the middlegame. 33. Alekhlne-Yates, London, 1921 An extreme example of the "weak square 38. Saemlsch-Nlmzovlch, , complex." Al ekhine so thoroughly 1923 dominates the dark squares that in the This game is known as the -Immortal end even his King can ma rch across the Zu gzwan g" Game" - as soon as his pawn board to complete the mating net. moves run out in th e fina l position. White will h ave to fall on his sword. 34. Bogolyubov-Alekhlne, Hastings, 1922 39. Retl-Bogolyubov, New York, 1924 A remarka ble game. in which Black Ema nuel Lasker won this great gradua lly takes control of the whole tourna ment. a point and a half a head of board. A recurring combinative theme is Capablanca. who in turn finished two the strength of an advanced . and a h alf pOints ahead of Alekhlne. But which may create mating threats or Richard Reti had the d istinction of sneak through to its Queening square. defeating Capablan ca - his first loss in nine years - and he won the first 35. Maroczy-Tartakower, Teplltz­ brilliancy prlze5 for this game against Schonau, 1922 Efim Bogolyubov. A marvelous intuitive sacrifice. When offering the Rook at move 17. Tarta­ 40.Retl-Alekhlne, Baden-Baden, 1925 kower's Judgement told him that White Reti was one of the leaders of the would h ave no way to secure his King or "Hypermodern" movement. Here Reti obtain a counterattack. so that Black obtains a fine strategic position from his would be able to bring up the reserves opening experiment. but is ensna red by at leis ure. Alekhine in a whirlwind of combinations6. 36. Rublnsteln-Hromadka, Mahrlsch­ Ostrau, 1923 Rubinstein's lucid play demonstrates the positional basis of the King's Gambit. as his diversion ary threats on the open [­ fIl e prove a prelude to the decisive 4zugzwang refers to a situation In which a player combinative blow against the Black King would be ali ri~ht If he could Mpass.M but any move on the other flank. he ma kes wili Tead to disaster. 5In most tournaments . a brilliancy prize is awarded for the most spectacular win. 6A combination is a series of interrelated moves aimed at producing an advantage. 38

41. P . Johner-Nimzovich. . 44. Flohr-Lustig. Prague. 1928 1926 In the 1930s. was the most Nirnzovich's maneuvers puzzled his successful tournament player after contemporaries. and this game is a case Alekhine. and in 1938 negotiations were in point (Qd7-I5-h7), The justification under way for a world championship lies in the importa nce of the Black pawn match, The events of the next few years - on e4 . which cramps the White position. the collapse of . where he It must be "overp rotected,~ and any pieces was virtually a national hero, and the engaged in such activity find themselves su spension of international chess for well -posted for later attack. nearly a decade - relegated him, like Rubinstein a generation before. to the 42, Capablanca-Splelmann. New York. realm of might-have-heens. Here, he 1927 systematically demolishes the Black New York. 1927 was Capablanca's King's position, sacrificing a piece for greatest triumph. and may have each pawn, and slaughters the denuded contributed to overconfidence in his monarch. This game was included by subsequent match with Alekhine - h e Hans Kmoch in his classic Pawn Power in won this quadruple round-robin by 2 1/2 Chess to illustrate the "sweeper-sealer." pOints, ahead of Alekhine. Nirnzovich. White's 23rd move simultaneou sly frees a Spielmann. Vidmar and Marshall. He square for his pieces and denies one to a lso received the first brilliancy prize for Black by forcing him to occupy it with a his victory over Spielmann, as he pawn, elegantly refutes Black's tactical defense at move 17. 45. Aiekhlne-Nlmzovlch. San Remo. 1930 43. Capablanca-Aiekhlne. 210t Match In the years fo ll owing his match with Game. Buenos Aires. 1927 Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine When Al exander Alekhine challenged dominated the international chess scene. Capablanca for the World Championship. He was not satisfied with winning a few observers gave him a serious chance tournament by a small margin, but to win. Capablanca had dominated some played every game with a fierce will to of the best players in the world at the win. San Remo, 1930 was one of his New York 1927 tournament. and he greatest triumphs, as he won by a margin rarely lost six games in a year, let a lone of 3 112 pOints and would not agree to in a single match. But Alekhine. of draws even in the final rounds. Here his whom his contemporaries said "Ch ess a rtful use of pins reduces Nimzovich. who was the breath of life to him," had finished second. to virtual in subjected both Capablanca's games and only 30 moves. his own to careful study, and he set out to surpass the Cuban in those aspects of the game in which he was strongest. maneuvering in simplified positions. 39

46.Stahlberg-Alekhlne. . instinct for proper placement of his i930 pieces is most clearly demonstrated in A brilliancy prize game. in which White's his mastery of the endgame. but in the seemingly well-founded maneuvers on middle game as well . he proves here the the Queenside are refuted by the opening maxim that combinations flow from a of a file near the White King. For the superior pos ition. serious student. it is notable that Black's combination centers on the apparently 50. Euwe-Alekhlne. 26th Match impregnable f3 pawn. at the intersection Game. 1935 of the forces on the f-file and a8-hl The "Pearl of Zandvoort" was diagonal. undoubtedly the most striking game of the 1935 World Championship Match. in 47. LllIenthal-Capablanca. Hastings. which Max Euwe unexpectedly took the 1934-35 title from Alekhine. When White A rare tactical oversight by Capablanca. sacrifices a piece for three central pawns. There is a (perhaps apocryphal) story Black must play for counterattack. but that Lilienthal played Capa in a his own King proves to be too exposed. as a boy. When he asked the great master for his 51. Flne-Grunfeld. Amsterdam. 1936 autograph. Capablanca refused. and Reuben Fine was one of the strongest Lilienthal vowed to beat him one day players in the world in the 1930s; his with a Queen saCrifice. best result was undoubtedly his tie for first with Paul Keres in the great AVRO 48. Glucksberg-Najdorf. Warsaw. 1935 tournament of 1938. in a field of the Polish-Argentinian Grandmaster Miguel eight best players in the world. Unfor­ NaJdorf has had a long and remarkable tunately. he gave up serious play after career. Never lacking in self-confidence. World War II to pursue a career in he declared in 1947 that he would soon psychoanalysis. Here he defeats opening become world champion. Though his theoretician Ernst Grunfeld at his own natural abiltty was perhaps the equal of game. refuting a system then considered that of any player in the world. he lacked favorable for Black. the discipline and perSistence required in the age of Botvinnik to reach the highest 52. Keres-Euwe. Zandvoort. 1936 level. In this game. sometimes called the Max Euwe held the World Championship "Polish Immortal," Black strips bare the for only a year - his good sportsmanship enemy King. finally sacrificing four in granting his rival so early a rematch pieces to drive it into a mating net. was widely admired at the time - and he has a lways been overshadowed by the 49. Alatortsev-Capablanca. Moscow. towering figures of Alekhine and 1935 Botvinnik. But at his peak he was a very At their best. Capablanca's games are strong player indeed. and his best games models of clarity and precision. His are models of logic and precision. Here. 40 he thoroughly outplays Paul Keres. whose opponent to capture an Irrelevant flank nervous attempt to break open the pawn. He caps his play with a brilllant position is calmly refuted. "diverting" sacrlflce at move 30.

53. Botvlnnlk-Tartakower. 56. Plecl-Endzellns. Buenos Aires. Nottingham. 1936 1939 Future World Champion Botvinnik wins A lesser-known masterpiece from the last a brilliancy prize game against the pre-war Olympiad. With a flurry of imaginative but erratic Tartakower. The sacrifices. White demonstrates that an attack beginning at move 20 is notable advantage in development remains of for the manner in which White closes the decisive importance even after the mating net with a series of "quiet" (non­ exchange of Queens. checking) moves. 57.Keres-Botvlnnlk. USSR Absolute 54. Keres-Hromadka. Prague. 1937 Championship. 1941 Hromadka pioneered the system of This event, a quadruple round-robin of defense now known as the Modem the six best Soviet players. was held only Benoni, though it did not achieve real once. and Botvinnik's triumph. 2 1/2 respectability until Tal took it up 20 paints ahead of Keres, would surely have years later. Here Keres demonstrates the established him as a prime challenger for danger of exchanging the Bg7 - even if the world championship had the war not Black wins material in the process, his suspended International chess activity. King position is not easy to defend. Here he scores a lightning victory over Keres. who puts too much faith in the 55. Botvlnnlk-Capablanca. AVRO. result of an earlier game. 1938 The AVRO tournament of 1938. sponsored 58. Reshevsky-Vasconcellos. Boston. by a Dutch radio network, was a double­ 1944 round affair among eight of the strongest By no means a typical game by players in the world. It was widely Reshevsky. a player noted for dour considered a tournament to chose the maneuvering and resourceful defense. next challenger for the world champi­ The explanation: Reshevsky had onship. though it is not clear that clinched first place in the U.S. Open with Alekhine would have agreed. and in any a round to spare. and was detennined to case the European war soon made the have fun in his last game. When Black question moot. The young masters Fine wastes time capturing the worthless b2 and Keres tied for first. well ahead of the pawn. White saCrifices a Knight to rip "old guard" AIekhine and Capablanca. open the center and the The most memorable game of the event defenseless Black King. was Botvinnik's victory over Capablanca. The "iron logician" systematically advances in the center. inviting his 41

59. Denk er-Botvlnnlk. USA-USSR the myriad tactical possibilities as Black Radio Matc h. 1945 and White attack on opposite wings. a nd The U.S. had dominated interna tiona l drives the Black King across the board team competition in the 1930s. and this with a relentless attack . postwar match was expected to be one­ sided. So it proved . but in the other 61. Zlta-Bronst eln, Prague-MOSCOW, direction. as the Soviet team won 15 112 - 194 6 4 1/2 . This was the first boa rd7 encounter The long-term impact of the post-war between the U.S. and Soviet cha mpions. Soviet masters lies in their explora tion of unba lanced positions - how much piece activity is worth a structura l weakness? This period saw a renaissance of the King's Indian Defen se, in which Black accepts a s pace disa d ­ vantage for tactical counterchances.

62. Stelne r-Botvlnnlk, Gronlngen, 1946 Another example of the Stonewall Variation of the Dutch Defense. long a favorite of Botvinnik's. It is notable how quickly White is reduced to complete passivity a fter adopting a n inferior pla n a t moves II a nd 12.

63. Keres-Talmanov, USSR Championship, 1951 In a critical last-round game. Keres selects an old -fashion ed opening setup in which Judgment and experience are more important than prepa ration , and h e converts his space advantage into a Former U. . . slashing attack on the poorly defended Black King.

60. Ge ller-E. Kogan. Ode s sa , 194 6 64. Ke res-Smyslov, Zuric h, 1953 Even at the beginning of his career . it This was a game of great sporting was evident that was a player importa nce. Keres desperately needed a of grea t potentia l. He correctly assesses win to retain any hope of overhauling the tournament leader Smyslov. White finds an aggreSSive a nd original means of 71n a team match , players a re paired In order of strength. The first board Is the game between the bringing both Rooks into the attack. but strongest player on each team. Black's careful defense a nd centra l 42

counterattack carry the day. Smyslov 68. Holmov-Keres, Tblllsl, 1959 went on to win the tournament and the When Black adopts a provocative defense right to challenge Botvinnlk for the that leaves his pieces scattered, White world c hampionship in 1954. essays a long-tenn piece sacrifice to confine the Black King to the central 65. D. Byrne-Fischer, New York, 1956 fil es. The game is particula rly Known as "the game of the century" until impressive because of several variations tha t title was usurped by a la ter Fischer In which White had to judge that his brttliancy. this game saw the 13-year-old initiative would persist even after the Bobby Fischer defeat one of the strongest exchange of Queens. American players with a startling Queen sacrifice that many players would not 69. Fischer-Benko, Bled, 1959 have considered. It was already clear A vintage Fischer brilliancy, as he makes that Fisch er was far a head of his the demolition of a top Grandmaster look contempora ries. and he would soon easy with a preCisely calculated Kingside overtake even the resilient Resh evsky. attack.

66. Tolush-Talmanov, Riga, 1958 70. Tal-Smyslov, Bled, 1959 Alexander Talus h was one of those Throughout the 1950s It seemed that the players who. though not quite of top duel between Botvinnik and Smyslov rank. produced a slew of brillia nt a nd would continue until the years took their original games in his career. In this toll on the older player. But then Tal game. the players a ttack on opposite arrived on the scene. and his wings. and it seems that Black's attack is imagina tion . da ring and calculating quite as strong as White's. But Talush ability brought him to the World nonchalantly sacrifices the ExchangeS to Championship in 1960. In this game eliminate Black's best attacking piece. from the 1959 Candidates' Tournament. and threads hts way through a maze of h e downs Smyslov with a sustained complications to take the win. initiative a nd a flurry of combinations.

67. Polugaevsky-Nezhmetdlnov, Sochl, 71. Spassky-Bronsteln, Leningrad, 1958 1960 Black drives the White King into a In one sense. the most fa mous game of mating net in th e center of the board all - the final position a ppeared on the with an amazing intuitive Queen demonstra tion board in the film From sacrifice. The game is far more Russia with Loue. Both Spassky and impressive than Similar examples from Bronstein are imaginative players a nd th e 19th century. for Whlte's defense Is by affi cionados of the King's Gambit. When no means weak. Black thinks to gain lime by attacking a Rook, White ignores it a nd la unches a B-rhe Exchange Is the trade of a Rook fo r a minor sparkling attack. In RUSSian. this game piece (a Knight or Bishop). The Rook Is more valuable (see p. 7J . 43 is known as the "B luebird ," but this 76. Bronstein-Larsen. Amsterdam, doesn't translate well. 1964 In the 1960s the SoViet chess hegemony 72. Petroslan-Unzlcker. Hamburg. was threatened first by Bobby Fischer 1960 and then by Danish Grandmaster Bent With his quiet positional style. Petrosian Larsen, Fischer's disputes with failed to excite the chess public as did the organizers over playing conditions kept chartsmatlc Tal. but at his best few could him out of world championship match his depth of conception. Here he competition for a decade. but Larsen paralyzes the Black position by produced a series of tournament victories controlling the only open fil e. then sets unmatched since Alekhine, including a off on a long King march to prepare the tie for first with Spassky. Smyslov and decisive breakthrough, Tal in the 1964 Interzonal. In this game. Bronstein adopts a very aggressive 73. Gufeld-Kavalek. Marlanske Lazne. continuation against the King's Indian 1962 Defense, but Larsen combines defense and A sharp opening leads to a remarkable counterattack to take the point. setting, with a Bishop and swarm of pawns overcoming two Rooks, 77. Geller-5myslov. 5th Match Game. USSR. 1965 74. R. Byrne-Fischer. U.S. The "Hypermodern" masters of the 1920s Championship. 1963·64 and 30s showed that a large pawn center Yet another "game of the century" by was not necessarily a source of strength, Fischer, who scored an unprecedented but could become an object of counter­ 11-0 In the 1963-64 U. S. Championship. attack, But new discoveries rarely refute Here he defeats Robert Byrne with a older experience - apples didn't stop combination of such profundity that at falling because of Einstein. Here Geller the very moment at which White shows the strength of the classical pawn resigned, both masters commenting on center. as he trades it for a winning the game for the spectators believed that Kingslde attack. he had a won position, 78. R. Byrne-Evans. U.S. 75. Bakulln-Bronsteln. Kiev. 1964 Championship. 1966 A good game by Bronstein. who cleverly DUling the 1960s Larry Evans was one of creates and then exploits weak squares the strongest U.S. players after Fischer. near the enemy King. Black caps his Evans was known as a "pawn-grabber" positional play with a ~diverting" for his (well justified) faith in his sacrifice at move 27, the prelude to a defensive abilities. Robert Byrne lures decisive Rook sacrifice, him into a prepared line of the of the "," a risky but resilient defense in which Black snatches a pawn at the cost of his development. 44

The result is one of the most brtllia nt drive toward the World Ch a mpions hip by games of the decade. defeating Tigran Petros Ian 3-1 on board two. while Larsen faced Spassky on board 79. Larsen-Petroslan. Santa Monica. one. Spassky's results as champion were 1966 certainly less impressive than as Larsen's MEvergreen Game" - he challenger. but here h e m eets Larsen's thoroughly outplays the World Ch a mpion opening extravagan ce with classical and caps his attack with a fine Qu een d evelopment. a nd scores a quick knock­ sacnflce. Though Larsen finis hed third out. in the Second Platigorsky Cup (behind Spassky and Fisch er). h e scored 2-0 83. Petrosian-Gligoric. Rovlnj-. against Petroslan and I- I against 1970 Fisch er . It is when both s ides play to win that the most exciting chess is produced. In this 80. Nikolich-Fischer. Vlnkovlcl. 1968 game. Gligonc offers a consistent and Another great game by Fischer. as h e sound piece sacrifice, which h owever adroitly stymies White·s Queen s ide play s hould have only ma inta ined the and sacrifices a piece to keep White's balance. Petrosian·s attempt to hold on King In a box. to everyth ing r esults in his Queen being exiled to hI. 81. Polugaevsky-Tal. USSR Championship. 1970 84. Stein-Lengyel. Moscow. 1971 The Bishop sacnfice on h7/h2 is a ra re Grandmaster was a strong bird these days. and rarer still In top­ and imaginative player. particularly level competition . but h ere we see former noted for h is skill in attack. His world champion Mikhail Ta l falling unexpected death in 1973 at the age of 39 victim to a refined version. The game depnved the world of many fine games demonstrates the Mtransformation of and a possible world ch ampionship advantages: as White trades space a nd contender . Here he d emonstrates the material for time. advancing his central power of the two Bishops . a nd the tactical pawns with a sacrifi ce to obtain a dangers lurking In a n a ppa rently simple winning attack. It also shows the level of position. prepa ra tion required of Grandmasters - Polugaevsky had examined the position 85. Fischer-Spassky. 6th Match a nsing at move 25 (!) In his pre­ Game. 1972 tournament analys is. Once the "sideshow" events h ad been put aside and he settled down to play chess. 82. Larsen-Spassky. USSR-Rest of the Fischer clearly demonstrated his World Match. 1970 s uperiority in his World Championship This lO-board match was won by the match with Bons Spassky. Many USSR team by the n a rrowest of margins. observers h ad s uggested tha t Fisch er·s 20 112-19 112 . Bobby Fischer began h is limited opening repertoire would prove 45 hiS undoing (he had rarely begun with descIibed at the time as an "orgy of any move but I. e4). but in this game h e sacrifices ... showed an equal mastery of Queenside play. 89. Karpov-Spassky. 9th Match Game. USSR. 1974 86. Bronsteln-Ljubojevlc. Petropolls. Who would be Fischer's first challenger? 1973 Most pundits chose Spassky. for though One of the most exciting games of the his record as Champion had not been too "interregnum" between Fischer's impressive. his dominant play In the retirement a nd the rise of Karpov. The mid-sixties h ad not been forgotten. But meeting of two courageous tactiCians in the second round of the Candidates' produces a fierce battle in which both Matches he faced the youthful Anatoly Kings are under attack. Karpov. who advanced to the finals with remarkably mature play. Here he gives a 87. N. WeIDsteln-DeFotis. Chicago. textbook example of exploiting a small 1973 positional advantage on the White side of The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian h as the Sicilian Defense. long been one of Black's most popular defenses. for it leads to double-edged 90. Portisch-Gligoric. Milan. 1975 positions In which Black can play for a The format of the Milan 1975 win as well as White. Fischer and tournament was an unusual one - a Browne. among others. demonstrated the round-robin a mong 12 of the world's top resources of the Black setup. But the players. followed by playoff match es White players were not idle. and among the top four finishers. Hungartan Inevitably Black began to take too ma ny Grandmaster won the Uberties. Here.White scores a crushing preliminary leg. but h e lost the final win against BlacKs overrefinement match to Karpov 3 112-2 112. In his game (I I.. .Rb8 and 12 ... Rg8). sacrificing Queen against Svetozar Gligorlc. Portlsch caps and Rook for a n attack that leads to a his strategic play with a series of finely winning endgame. calculated "" combinations. (See The Chessmaster's Problem 88. Browne-Zuckerman. New York. number 7.) 1973 Perhaps the most successful American 91. Geller-Karpov. USSR player of the post-Fisch er era. Walter Championship. 1976 Browne from 1974 to 1983 won or tied for Anatoly Karpov once suggested that first In the U.S. Cha mpionship no less Grandmasters could be divided into than six times. Here he shows the "maximalists " and "minimalists" - those advantages of the -isolated Queen's who try to find the best move in every Pawn" (open e-file, open diagonals for the position. and those who economize their Bishops. square on e5) in a game Ume and effort to achieve the best tournament standing. Efim Geller 46 belongs to the first group. One of the top saCrifice. White places many practical SoVIet Grandmasters since the early problems before his opponent. and with fifties. he h as produced many. many fine the clock ticking. Andersson Is unable to games. and here he outplays the World find the hidden path to the draw. Champion. concluding with a spectacular Queen sacrifice. 93. Korchnol-Polugaevlky. 7th Match Game. Evlan. 1977 92. LJuboJevlc-Andersson. WIJk aan Karpov's first challenger for the World Zee. 1976 Championship was Vlktor Korchno!. When two players of contrasting styles Korchnol played under many handicaps: meet. the result is a battie of Ideas which after his defection to the West tn 1976. can only enrich the game. LjubojeVlc Is SoVIet Grandmasters boycotted one of the most dangerous attacking tournaments In which h e competed. and players of the modern era. while Ulf it Is difficult for any master to stay In Andersson Is one of the most difficult top form without top-filght competition. players to defeat. With a sharp pawn Still. he came to the Candidates' Matches armed with many new Ideas and a fierce will to win and scored decisive VIctories over Tigran Petroslan. Lev Polugauvsky and Boris Spassky.

94. Spallky-Korchnol. 2nd Match Game. . 1977 The Wlnawer Variation of the French Defense leads to sharp. unbalanced positions reqUiring both strategiC judgement and precise calculation. Long a favorite of BotVInnlk. it Is also very well suited to Korchnors counter­ attacktng style. In this game from his final Candidates' Match with Boris Spassky. Black sacrifices a pawn for the Initiative. and the White King Is unable to find a safe haven on either side of the board.

95. Chrlstlansen-Selrawan. Berkeley. 1978 In the round-robins which predominate at the International level. every player may expect a reasonable prize. but in Grandmaster LaJos Portlsch. American "Swiss" tournaments (a large 47 number of players compete over a weekend. with equal scores being paired in each round). a last-round game may mean the difference between a substantial prize and a long walk home. In this game. Selrawan outplays his opponent strategically. but Christiansen launches a clever counterattack which leads to a King hun t and a very long discovered check9.

96. Adorjan-Ribll. 4th Match Game. Budapest. 1979 Hungarian Grandmaster Andras Adorjan shows a fine tactical flair in prosecuting his attack against the denuded Black King. The use of an advanced passed pawn to support mating th reats is not new. of course. but Adorjan adorns it Grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi (I .) and with several witty and original pOints. U.S . Champion Vasser Seirawan. 97. Kasparov- Butnoris, USSR, 1979 99. Alburt- Peters, U.S . Championsh ip, An early example of the future World 1981 Champion's promise. Many players. In this brilliancy prize game from the even very strong ones. would have 1981 U.S. Championship. Black's sharp rejected the White position after move 19. Exchange sacrifice produces a complex but Kasparov looks Just a little further. position with the struggle ranging all across the board, an example of Modem 98. Kasparov-Marjanovlc, Malta, 1980 Benoni at its best. The 17 -year-old Kasparov plays a Une first played by PolugayevskY in his 100. Selrawan-Karpov, London, 1982 match against Korchnoi. Marjanovic's A rare sUp by Karpov in the opening pieces congregate on the Queenside an d allows Seirawan to win a piece, and he Kaparov sends his to the Kingside. exploits his advantage preCisely and Marjanovic's Kingside pawns are no energetically. This was the first match for all of the pieces sent against tournament victory by an American over them. a reigning world champion since Dake defeated Alekhine at Pasadena 1932,

9A discovered check occurs when one piece attacks the opponenfs King because another piece. which blocked the attack. is moved out of the way. 48

101. Korchnol-Kasparov, 102. Hanken-BELLE, Pasadena, 1983 Olympiad, 1982 Man versus machine. as a human master A titanic struggle. Karpov chose not to faces the world computer champton at play in the match in which he would the 1983 U.S. Open. Hanken exploits the have to face his bitter enemy Korchnoi. computer's primary weakness. a lack of and so the first board encounter was positional judgement: it will grab between the fonner challenger and the material if it cannot see a bad next one. Kasparov chose a sharp and consequence within the number of moves risky piece sacrifice to stir up threats it looks ahead. while a human player against the White King. and even would see trouble on the horizon. Korchnofs great defensive sktll s proved Insufficient.

•

• KASPAROV KAK~ -

Cary Kasparov (I.) and Analoly Karpov. 49

103. Smyslov-Ribll, 5th Match Game, s lashing counterattack and a decisive London 1983 Victory for the challenger from . The old lion proves that he can still bite. as Vassily Smyslov. World Champion in 106. Ribll-Kouatly, Lucerne, 1985 1957. crushingly defeats favored The roma ntic of the 19th century Hungarian Grandmaster Zoltan Ribli. are rarely seen nowadays. but any Smyslov won the quarter-final opening can lead to exciting play in the Candidates' Match 6 112-4 1/2. avoiding hands of an imaginative player. Here modem theoretical variations a nd Hunga rian Grandmaster Zoltan RibU relying on classical positions in which uses a quiet fzanchetto opening 10 as the his greater experience gave him the edge. springboard for a Kings lde attack with several witty pOints. 104. Bellavsky-Nunn, Wijk aan Zee, 1985 107. Yusupov-Noguelras, Montpellier, Despite the vast a mount of theory that 1985 has accumulated on the King's Indian Even in a quiet Queen's Gambit. opening Defense over the last 40 years. it is still inaccuracies may meet with a drastic possible for a creative player to produce refutation. It is true that in closed an original game. is one of positions maneuvering may be more the new generation of Grandmasters who Important than rapid development - but have made England one of the world's you must be certain that the position will leading chess powers (silver medal in the remain closed. 1986 Olympiad. behind the Soviet Union). Beliavsky is one of the top 108. Rohde-B. Kogan, U.S. Soviet players after Kasparov and Championship, 1986 Karpov. A brilliancy prize game by one of the best young American players. White's control 105. Karpov-Kasparov, 24th Match of the center prevents the Black pieces Game. 1985 from gathering to exploit the weakened Once more a game in which the sporting position of the White King. and White factors outweighed the chesslc ones. makes use of the corollary of the doubled After 23 games. Kasparov led by a score pawnsll - an open fil e l2 - to prepare a of 12- 11. but a 12- 12 tie would allow sacrificial attack against the Black King. Karpov to retain the World Championship. and he had White in the last game. Kasparov remained true to himself. eschewing passive defense and l OA jlanchetloed (fixed) Bishop Is one that is placed once more adopting the double-edged on the square ort~ina lly occupied by the Knighfs Siciltan Defense. Karpov obtains an Pawn after It has been pus hed one square. I 1Doubl ed pawns are two pawns of one color on the attack sufficient for a draw. but his same me. They a rc usually a weakness. attempts to obtain more lead only to a 12An Is a file which Is not blocked by any pawns. It can provide a palh of attack for a Rook or Queen. 50

109. Short-Ljubojevic , Netherlands, 1988 Though his results have been uneven . young British Grandmaster is considered by many the West's best hope to regain the world championship. After a tiny inaccuracy. he is able to sacrifice two pieces to smoke out the Black King and drive it all the way to h2 before administering the coup de grace.

110. Seirawan-Tal , Brussels, 1988 In the early 80s Seirawan was closely associated with Ta l's nemesis Viktor Korchnoi. In this game. he chooses a solid opening well-calculated to put the aggreSSive Tal off his game. and improves his record against the former world champion to 4-0. 5 1 Brainteasers

These ten problems are designed to teach If the problem calls for White to move you tricks and techniques you can use to and win. then you must find the move for win. White that leads to an overwhelming If the problem calls for White to move advantage. such as the win of a piece. or a and mate in some number of moves. then passed pawn (one which can not be you must find the move for White that prevented from Queening). will force checkmate of Black In that The solutions to the problems begin on number of moves (or possibly less if page 54. Black errs.)

8 K~ ~"'!i.~ )K 8 K A*~ K 7 111 1 1 7 11'1 111 6 1 1 6 ~ 5 0 5 Al ft 4 .Q.. ft 4 ~ 3 4:l 3 4:l 4:l ft 2 ftftftft 1ft ft ft 2 ftftftft ft 1 § fQ. A,' § 1 § .Q..'itJ'it>.Q...§ abc d e f 9 h abc d e f 9 h 1. Legall's Legacy 2. White to move and mate in 2 moves. Black to move and mate in 4 moves.

8 7 1 6 1 5 4 3 3 2 2 ft it' 1 § abc d e f 9 h abc d e f 9 h 3 . Alekhlne-Reshevsky, Kerner! 1937 4 . Phllldor's Legacy. White to move and win. White to move and mate in 5. 52 .i. ... • •7 • 1 .:£:j 1 7 6 I ft 6 5 .t,l 1 5 ~ 1 4 1! ~ .i. 3 <£) 2 ftftft <$} .§E abc d e f 9 h abc d e f 9 h 15 . Saunlna-Chek hova. Sochl. 1980 6 . Wahls-Bjarnason. Malmo. 1985 White to move and win. White to move and mate in 7. • • Ii. 7 •1 7 '1 .i. 6 6 1 '1f 5 1 5 1 {J 1 4 4 -'t ft 3 ft 3 2 ft .i.

It be d e f 9 h abcdef gh 7. Interfe re nce 8 . Hect or- Talavera . Seville . 1986 White to move and win. White to move and mate In 5.

• 'II b it' 7 1 E! 7 1 .§ <£) 1 {1 6 .§.ru " 1 5 1 •.:£:j 5 4 t .:£:j 4 '#i' ft 1 3 ft 3 .ft 'it> 2 , ft -'t . •it' ab c defgh abcdefgh 9 . Problem by D. Densmore. 1916 10. - Troltzky. 1914 White to move and mate In 4. White to move and win. 53 Algebraic Notation Black moves a pawn (no piece letter) to d5. The solutions to the Brainteasers are The move 4 ... d5 means on move 4 Black written in algebraic notation. one of a moves a pawn to d5: the -... - tells you number of shorthands for writing down that White's move number 4 is not chess moves. Here's how to read it. shown. In all these examples. the move is clear The columns of the chessboard. called because there is only one piece of the type jiles, are lettered a through h. The rows, called for that can move to the called ranks, are numbered 1 through 8. destination square. But sometimes two like this: identical pieces can move to the same destination square. In that case. the '.41.t.'lr¢>.t.41 A correct piece is indicated by the rank or , 11111111 file the piece starts from. For example. , Nef5 means the Knight on the e file , moves to is. , If a capture is made. the letter x appears , before the square: Bxg6 means a Bishop ' ft.ft.ft. ft.ltft.ft. captures on square gB. {) ,Q:itI'it> .Q. {) !:l Other symbols are also used: ab c d e fgh Each square is referred to by its file 0{) Castles Kingside and rank. For example, the White King is 0-0-0 Castles Queenslde on e l . + Check Each piece is referred to by a letter: ++ Checkmate Q Promotes to Queen King K ep En passant Queen Q ! Good move Rook R !! Excell ent move Bishop B ? Poor move Knight N ?? Blunder !? Interesting move There is no symbol for a pawn; it is ?! Questionable move referred to by the absence of a piece letter. In the solutions to the Brainteasers. A move is described by the move bold type is used for the moves in the number. the piece moving and the square problem solution and light type for other it moves to. For example. from the possibilities being discussed. starting position in the diagram above, the moves 1. Nf3 d5 mean that on move 1 White moves a Knight (N) to (3, and then 54 Solutions to Brainteasers 5. Saunlna-Chekhova. Sochi. 1980 White to move and win. 1 LegaU's Legacy Though hidden by the presence of other White to move and mate in 2 moves. pieces, the pattern here is the same as This is the only surviving game of "Philidor's Legacy." 1. Rxe4 Qxe4 Philidor's pupil Legall de Kermeur. (Black can avoid immediate mate only by played at Paris c. 1750. Black blundered losing a full Rook. e.g. I. .. Qc6 2. Rh4 on his last move. capturing the Queen on Rxg7) 2 .Ng5 Qgs 3 .Qxh7+! Qxh7 d I. and now White mates with 1. Bxf7+ 4. Nxf7++. Ke7 2. Nd5++. S . Wahls-Bjarnason. Malmo. 1985 2. Deflection White to move and mate in 7,1 Black to move and mate in 4 moves A clearance sacrifice involves vacating The mating pattern should be familiar a square with gain of time, so that it can after problem number I. but here the Nf3 be occupied by another of the same color. guards the d4 square. So. 1. .. Qh4+! 2. Here White would like to combine the Nxh4 (or 2. g3 Qxg3+ 3. Ke2 Qf2+ 4. Kd3 action of hiS Queen and the Be3 for an Nb4++( 2 ... B£2+ 3. Ke2 Nd4+ 4. Kd3 attack on a7. and plays 1. Ra8+! Kxa8 Nc5++. 2 . Qal+ Kb8. Now 3. Nc6+ doesn't work - 3 ... Qxc6 4. Qa7+ Kc8 5. Qa8+ Kd7 3. Alekhine-Reshevsky. Kerner!. 1937 and the King escapes. So White uses the White to move and win. motif of attraction (see problem number 8): 3. Qa7+! Kxa7 4. NcS+ KaS (or A combination exploiting the weak 4 ... Ka8) 5. Ral+ and mates in two moves. back rank. After 1. Rxb8+! Kxb8 2. Qxe5+ there are three variations: 7 . Interference i) 2 ... Kc8 3. Qc7++. iI) 2 ... Ka8 3 .Ral+ Ra2 White to move and win. 4. Rxa2++. and iii) 2 ... fxe5 3. Rf8+ and mate in two moves. Interference involves placing a piece at the intersection of lines of action of two 4 . Philidor's Legacy. enemy pieces. If one of them captures. it White to move and mate in 5. will the action of the other. 1. Nf5 Bxf5 (Forced. as other moves This "" is often known either allow mate at h7/g7 or lose the as "Philidor's Legacy," though it was Queen for nothing. But now the Bf5 known to Lucena. 1. Qe6+ Kh8 2 . Nf7+ blocks the Black Queen's defense of the Kg8 (If it were not for the weak back rank. Black could play here 2 ... Rxf7) 3. NhS+ Kh8 4. Qg8+ Rxg8 5. Nf7++. 1 A c?~puter solution of this mate would require exammmg some 4,500 trillion board pOSitions. This would take a few thousand years, more or less. depending on the speed of your machine. If you solved this problem, you can not be replaced by a computer. 55

Rg5.J 2 . Qf6+ Kg8 3 . Qxg5+ Bg6 4. Qf6 i i) I...Qf1 2. Be2 and wins. a)2 ... Qxe2 3. Re8+ Qxe8 4. Rc2++ b)2 ... Rxe2 3. Rc2+ Rxe2 4. Re8++ 8. Hector- Talave ra , Seville 1986 iii) I...Qh7 2. Ne4 White to move a nd mate in 5. a) 2 .. .Qxe4 3. Re8+ Qxe8 4. Rc2++ The combination based on attraction b) 2 ... Rxe4 3. Rc2+ Rc4 4. Re8++ involves forcing a n enemy piece to occupy a bad square. on which it is iv) 1...Rf5 2. Ne5 subject to a . discovery or some other a) 2 ... Rfxe5 3. Re8+ Rxe8 4. Rc2++ combinational motif. Classic Game b) 2 ... Rexe5 3. Rc2+ Rc5 4. Re8++ number 25 (Ed. Lasker-Thomas) is a n extreme example. v) 1...d5 2. Ne6 This one is similar: 1. Qx h6+ Kxh6 a) 2 ... dxe6 3. Rc2++ 2. Ne6+ g5 3. Rf6+ Kh 5 4, Ng7+ Kh4 b) 2 ... Rxe6 3. Re8+ Rxe8 4 . Rc2++ 5. Bel++.

9. Problem by D. Densmore, 1916 10. Endgame Study. Troltzky. 1914 White to move and mate in 4. White to move a nd win. Composed problems a re a world qUite Endgame studies differ from problems apart from practical play: aesthetic in tha t they do not lead to a mate in a principles govern. as every piece mus t be specified number of moves, but to a needed. and ideally every variation winntng position by means of a forced should be thematically related to the maneuver . main idea. The theme of this study is Here the idea is a "Plachutta of the Black Queen by the two White interferen ce" - two Black pieces defend pieces. 1. Rb7 Qg8 We can quickly against two threats. their lines of action dismiss 1...Qxb7/c8/e8 2. Nd6+. Squares intersectfng on a critical square. By attacked by the Knight or Rook are sacrificing a piece on that square. White obviously out. leaving a8, f8 and g8. forces one of the Black defenders to l...Qf8 fails to 2. Ne5+ Kc5 3. Nd7+. and occupy it a nd "interfere" with the other. I...Qa8 to 2. Ne5+ Kc5 3. Rb8 Qxb8 After the key move. 1. Ra2. White 4. Nd7+. But the main line seems safe. threatens 2. Rc2++. Black has several 2 . Ne5+ Kc5 3. Rb8 Qh7 Again. defenses: 3 ... Qxb8 loses to 4. Nd7+. But now the Queen seems to be out of the box ... 4 . b4+ i) 1.. .Rf2 2. Be2 Kd6 5 . Rh8 and the Queen is tra pped - a) 2 ... Rfxe2 3. Re8+ Rxe8 4. Rc2++ 5 ... Qxh8 6 . Nf7+ wins. b) 2 ... Rexe2 3. Rc2+ Rxc2 4. Re8+ 56

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