Positional Attacks Joel Johnson Edited by: Patrick Hammond © Joel Johnson, January 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from Joel Johnson. Edited by: Patrick Hammond Cover Photography: Barry M. Evans Cover Design and Proofreading: Joel Johnson Game Searching: Joel Johnson, Richard J. Cowan, William Parker, Nick Desmarais Game Contributors: Brian Wall, Jack Young, Clyde Nakamura, James Rizzitano, Keith Hayward, Hal Terrie, Richard Cowan, Jesús Seoane, William Parker, Domingos Perego, Danielle Rice Linares Diagram and Linares Figurine fonts ©1993-2003 by Alpine Electronics, Steve Smith Alpine Electronics 703 Ivinson Ave. Laramie, WY 82070 Email: Alpine Chess Fonts ([email protected]) Website: http://www.partae.com/fonts/ Pressure Gauge graphic Image Copyright Araminta, 2012 Used under license from Shutterstock.com In Memoriam to my step dad and World War II Navy, Purple Heart Recipient, Theodore Kosiavelon, 12/22/1921 – 11/09/2012 CONTENTS Preface 7 Kudos 7 Brian Wall 8 Young Rising Stars 27 Daniil Dubov 27 Wei Yi 30 Section A – Pawn Roles 36 Pawn Structure 37 Ugliest Pawn Structure Ever? 38 Anchoring 41 Alien Pawn 48 Pawn Lever 63 Pawn Break 72 Center Pawn Mass 75 Isolated Pawn 94 Black Strategy 95 White Strategy 96 Eliminate the Isolated Pawn Weakness with d4-d5 96 Sacrifices on e6 & f7 , Often with f2-f4-f5 Played 99 Rook Lift Attack 104 Queenside Play 111 This Is Not Just A White Thing – Black Can Do It Too 111 Something Different 112 Backward Pawn 114 Doubled Pawns 123 Hanging Pawns 131 Strategy for Attacking Hanging Pawns 131 Strategy #1: Force a Pawn Advance 132 Strategy #2: Divide and Conquer 136 Failure to Control Hanging Pawns = An Attack 138 Minority Attack 140 White Strategy 140 Black Strategy 142 Attacking Pawn Chains 146 Pawn Chain Attack Strategy – Attack the Base 146 Pawn Chain Attack Strategy – Attack the Point 150 Pawn Chain Attack Strategy – Sacrifice a Piece 153 Section B – Positional Attack Concepts 158 Pawn Roll 159 Pawn Power 165 Passed Pawn 165 Create an Alien Pawn to Assist with Checkmate 167 Plug an Escape Route 167 Checkmating Pawn Storm 168 Slow Moving Pawn Storm 169 Pawns as a Battering Ram 169 Separate and Draw Forces Away from the Defense of the King 170 The White Passed Pawns Form a Mating Net Directly in Front of the Black King 171 Prevent a Pawn Pass to Force Open the h-file 172 An Amazing Pawn Game 173 Trades 174 Bad Bishop versus Good Knight 185 Exchange Sacrifice Reasons 189 Removing a Key Defender 190 Separation of Forces 190 Damaging a Pawn Structure 192 Weaken Squares 193 Prevent Castling 195 Create a Powerful Passed Pawn 195 Precise Value of the Pieces 196 Long-term Positional Pressure 198 Space 200 Place a Rook on a File 201 Piece Activity 202 King Exposure 210 John Grefe 213 Space Control 217 Fatal Weaknesses 223 Weakness – g8 Square 223 Weakness – f7 Square 223 Weakness – h7 Square 224 Weakness – h-File Square 225 Weakness – f7 & Back Rank 225 Weakness – Dark Squares 226 Weakness – Light Squares 228 Weakness – Squares Around The King 231 Weakness – Kingside Squares 233 Section C – Positional Attack Motifs 236 Positional Exchange Sacrifice 237 Localized Material Advantage 268 Overwhelming Force 295 Zugzwang/Bind 299 Positional Attacks 305 Beat Down Games 307 Player Spotlight: Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia 310 Player Spotlight: Alexey Korotylev of Russia 312 Opening Line – 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. 0-0 Nxd4 9. Nbd2 313 Player Spotlight: Garry Kasparov of Russia 323 Section D – Mixed Attack Motifs 327 Mixed Attack Motifs 328 Bxh6 Sacrifice 329 Bxh7 Sacrifice 335 Fishing Pole 341 H-File Mate 354 King Hunt 357 Lay Down Dacrifice 384 Nd5 Sacrifice 395 Nf5 Sacrifice 403 Opposite Side Castling 412 Pawn Storm 427 Separation of Forces 442 The Wedge 450 Bullet Chess 454 Aggressive Defense 463 Who Needs a Queen 483 Book News 498 Preface smooth, elegant, aggressive, and positional attacking maneuvers. You would think 1000 pages This book will also delve deeper (“Formation Attacks” and into planning and square “Formation Attack Strategies”) weaknesses, along with subtle would be enough to cover all pawn play. Each of these topics aspects of attacking and attack will be covered as they relate to games. However, I felt quite attacking. disappointed when I realized there would be no room left in Kudos the Formation Attack Strategies book to include the planned I would like to thank Patrick remaining chapters related to Hammond for his outstanding Positional Attacking. A few of the editing work on this book. In unpublished chapters were addition I want to thank Barry “Positional Attacks”, Evans for turning my cover ideas “Overwhelming Force”, and and designs into awesome pieces “Localized Material Advantage”. of artwork for all of my books. Thanks to both of you! Forever the optimist and still armed with loads of great In addition, Richard Cowan and material, I simply decided to write William Parker were extremely another book. helpful in finding new games for the book. Their contributions can The aim of Positional Attacks is to be found throughout the book. uncover the artistic side of Loads of games were passed attacking, one that is primarily along by Brian Wall, Jack Young, centered on the creation and Clyde Nakamura, Jesús Seoane, exploitation of weaknesses. Oh Domingos Perego, Hal Terrie, sure there will be tactics; after all, James Rizzitano, and Keith they cannot be avoided in chess - Hayward. Thanks to all of you and nor would we want to exclude to the many others who had a them. But there is nothing quite hand – no matter how small - in like witnessing chess masters creating this book. dissecting their opponents with Isolated Pawn The White Isolated d-Pawn has the following advantages and uuuuuuuu disadvantages: sDsdsdsd --------------------------------------- Dsdsdsds White Advantages sDsdsdsd --------------------------------------- DsDsdsds 1) The very definition of Isolated SDs)sDsd Pawn means that the DsdsDsDs possessor has either open or sdsDsdsd semi-open files to the immediate left and right of DsDsDsds the Isolated Pawn; llllllll The Isolated Pawn is a lonely 2) White has easy development creature with no real friends, as due to open diagonals and a both sides want to remove it from space advantage; the board. 3) The Isolated Pawn can For the purpose of this chapter, support and anchor White the discussion will primarily cover pieces on the e5 and c5 the White Isolated d-Pawn on d4 . squares; and Why? 4) Black has problems 1) It is by far the most common developing the light-squared isolated Pawn situation seen Bishop and his queenside. in chess; 2) Many openings can reach an isolated d-Pawn position; “The Isolated Pawn is a lonely creature with no real friends” 3) Most of the characteristics of the isolated d-Pawn also apply to other isolated Pawns; and 4) These positions are a launch pad for attacks. --------------------------------------- Isolated Pawn is weak and can White Disadvantages be targeted; and --------------------------------------- 3) Win the Isolated Pawn and the game. 1) Isolated Pawns can be weak because they cannot be protected --------------------------------------- by other Pawns; Simple Example 2) The square in front of the --------------------------------------- isolated pawn ( d5 ) may become a strong outpost for an opposing ---------- Game #999 ------------ piece, especially a Knight, because In the following game, the former there are no enemy Pawns that World Chess Champion was able can chase the piece away; and to follow the Black Strategy 3) Trading off pieces usually leads perfectly on his way to a win. to a disadvantage in the endgame as the Isolated Pawn loses its (W) Viktor Korchnoi attacking advantages but keeps its (B) Anatoly Karpov weaknesses. [D55] World Chess Championship, Merano, Italy, (Round 9), --------------------------------------- 10/24/1981 Black Strategy 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Be7 --------------------------------------- 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.Rc1 dxc4 8.e3 c5 The ideal game scenario for Black 9.Bxc4 cxd4 10.exd4 Nc6 11.0-0 Nh5 12.Bxe7 Nxe7 is: 13.Bb3 Nf6 14.Ne5 Bd7 15.Qe2 Rc8 16.Ne4 Nxe4 1) Control the square directly in 17.Qxe4 Bc6 18.Nxc6 Rxc6 front of the Isolated Pawn to 19.Rc3 Qd6 20.g3 Rd8 prevent liquidation of the 21.Rd1 Rb6 22.Qe1 Qd7 weakness; 23.Rcd3 Rd6 24.Qe4 Qc6 25.Qf4 Nd5 26.Qd2 Qb6 2) Trade off as many pieces as 27.Bxd5 Rxd5 28.Rb3 Qc6 29.Qc3 Qd7 30.f4 b6 31.Rb4 possible with the idea of b5 32.a4 bxa4 33.Qa3 a5 reaching an endgame that is 34.Rxa4 Qb5 35.Rd2 e5 bad for the opponent as the 36.fxe5 Rxe5 37.Qa1 Qe8 38.dxe5 Rxd2 39.Rxa5 Qc6 40.Ra8+ Kh7 41.Qb1+ g6 --------------------------------------- 42.Qf1 Qc5+ 43.Kh1 Qd5+ 0-1 Eliminate the Isolated --------------------------------------- Pawn Weakness White Strategy with d4-d5 --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- White has several attacking ideas In the following set of games, to confront the strategy White was able to eliminate the employed by Black. They are: Isolated Pawn weakness and win primarily because of more active 1) d4-d5 pawn break to pieces. eliminate the Isolated Pawn weakness and open up the ----------- Game #999 ----------- position to exploit Black’s slower development; A young Boris Spassky simply sacrifices the Isolated d-Pawn to 2) Weaken the squares around create intense pressure on the the Black King by attacking Black position. either the g7 or h7 square; (W) Boris Spassky and (B) Avtonomov 3) Utilize Rook lift(s) to add [D28] Leningrad, Russia, 1949 firepower to the attack on the 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 enemy King; and 4.e3 c5 5.Bxc4 e6 6.0-0 a6 7.Qe2 b5 8.Bb3 Nc6 9.Nc3 4) Weaken light squares to break cxd4 10.Rd1 Bb7 11.exd4 Nb4 12.d5 Nbxd5 13.Bg5 through to the enemy King: Be7 14.Bxf6! use piece sacrifices on e6, f7, or g6 and Pawn Breaks at f4- White proceeds to wreck the f5 or h4-h5 .