Lubomir Kavalek

International Chess Grandmaster

Magnus Carlsen: King Among Chess Kings

Huffington Post, June 27, 2010 09:08 PM

Imagine Usain Bolt, the fabulous Jamaican sprinter and world record-holder, running a 100 meter dash against some of the world's best contenders and winning by 20 meters. This is how the Norwegian chess superstar Magnus Carlsen dealt with the opposition at the elite Kings tournament in Medias, Romania, last week. Undefeated, with five wins and five draws, Carlsen left his nearest rivals two full points behind, scoring 7,5 points in 10 games. It was an amazing display of chess dominance.

Photo by Chessbase.com

Carlsen, 19, is the world's top-rated player and his new rating is projected at 2826, some 23 points above the second-placed Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Nobody, except Garry Kasparov, ever climbed that high. It could soon be lonely up there. Every time he plays, Magnus is expected to win, often by big margin.

Carlsen began the event in Medias slowly with three draws, but accelerated the pace with four consecutive wins, leaving the other players a mere spectators. They finished as follows: Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and Boris Gelfand of Israel, both 5,5 points; Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine, 4,5 points; Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, 4 points; Wang Yue of China, 3 points.

Appropriately, Carlsen honored the Kings tournament by playing the King's gambit for the first time in his life. The opening evolved over the years. The old romantic masters loved fireworks as presented, for example, in the analysis by the Italian master Gioacchino Greco (1600-1634). To some chess historians, Greco was the first chess professional. Others thought of him as the first chess hustler. Whatever you call him, Greco was a very talented player who made a living by teaching chess to wealthy patrons, including a few kings. In 1619 he wrote a manuscript on openings, consisting of games, probably fictitious, full of combinational fantasy and clarity. Here is Greco's take on the King's gambit.

Greco-N.N.
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+?! (Speedy assaults on the black King, with sacrifices like this one, flourished in Greco's time. Often not completely correct, they succeeded because they did not meet strong defense.) 5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ Ke6 (Greedy. Modern theory prefers to refute White's adventurous play with 6...Ke8 7.Qxg4 Nf6, but that is not much fun.) 7.Qxg4+ Kxe5 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 Bg7 10.Bxf4+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Bf6 12.e5 Bxg5 13.Qxg5+ Ke8 14.Qh5+ Ke7 15.0-0 (Black is clearly in trouble. His emperor has no clothes.) 15...Qe8

16.Qg5+ (White can shorten the outcome with 16.Qh4+! Ke6 17.d5+ Kxe5 [or 17...Kxd5 18.Nc3+ Ke6 19.Rf6+ Ke7 20.Nd5+ Kd8 21.Rf8+ Ne7 22.Qxe7 mate] 18.Nc3! Kd6 19.Qb4+ c5
20.Nb5+ Kxd5 21.Rad1+ Kc6 [or 21...Ke5 22.Qe1 mate] 22.Rd6 mate.) 16...Ke6 17.Rf6+ Nxf6 (After 17...Ke7 18.Rf4+ Ke6 19.d5+! Kxd5 20.Nc3+ Kc5 21.Rc4+! Kxc4 22.Qh4+ Kc5 23.b4+ white mates soon.) 18.Qxf6+ Kd5 19.Nc3+ Kxd4 (19...Kc4 prolongs the game by a move 20.Qf1+ Kxd4 21.Qf4+ etc.) 20.Qf4+ (20.Rd1+! speeds up the end 20...Kc4 21.Qf1+ Kb4 22.Qb5 mate; or 20...Kc5 21.Rd5+ Kb4 22.Qh4 mate.) 20...Kc5 21.b4+ Kc6 22.Qc4+ Kb6 23.Na4 mate.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

By contrast, Carlsen's treatment of the King's gambit was purely positional. It has been done before, for example, by Akiba Rubinstein and Richard Reti at the beginning of the last century. William Steinitz and Boris Spassky were the finest King's gambit connoisseurs among the world champions. It is possible that Magnus turned to the gambit to avoid the solid Petroff defense the Chinese GM Wang Yue employs regularly. In any case, it worked.

Carlsen -Wang Yue
1.e4 e5 2.f4 (The King's gambit is one way to avoid the dreaded Petroff defense 2.Nf3 Nf6.) 2...d5 (In 2004, when he was making his first steps toward stardom, Carlsen as Black played against GM Alexei Fedorov in Dubai 2...exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 d6 6.Nxg4 Nf6 7.Nxf6+ Qxf6 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.Bb5 Kd8 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.d3 Rg8 12.Qf3 Bh6 13.Qf2 Rb8 14.Ne2 Rxb2 15.Bxb2 Qxb2 16.0-0 Qxc2 17.Nxf4 Qxf2+ and the players agreed to a draw since the forced variation: 18.Rxf2 Bg7 19.Rc1 Bd4 20.Rxc6 Rg4 21.Nd5 Bb7 22.Rc4 Bxf2+ 23.Kxf2 Rxh4 24.Nxc7 Rh5 does not give much to either side.) 3.exd5 exf4 (A popular way to defuse the tension in the center.) 4.Nf3 Nf6 (In his new book Starting Out: Open Games, published by Everyman Chess, GM Glenn Flear brings back the move 6...Bd6. It was played in the famous game Boris Spassky-David Bronstein, Leningrad 1960, and the final few moves were reproduced in the James Bond movie "From Russia with Love." The game went 4... Bd6 5.Nc3 Ne7 6.d4 0-0 7.Bd3 Nd7?! 8.0-0 h6? 9.Ne4! Nxd5 10.c4 Ne3 11.Bxe3 fxe3 12.c5 Be7 13.Bc2! Re8 14.Qd3 e2? 15.Nd6!? Nf8?! 16.Nxf7! exf1Q+ 17.Rxf1 Bf5 [17...Kxf7 18.Ne5+ Kg8 19.Qh7+! Nxh7 20.Bb3+ Kh8 21.Ng6#] 18.Qxf5 Qd7 19.Qf4 Bf6 20.N3e5 Qe7 21.Bb3 Bxe5 22.Nxe5+ Kh7 23.Qe4+ and Black resigned since after 23... g6 24.Rxf8! wins. It was one of Spassky's finest achievements and a disaster for Black. For years nobody touched it, but Flear is convinced that after 4...Bd6 5.Nc3 Ne7 6.d4 0-0 7.Bd3 Ng6 8.0-0 c6; or after 4...Bd6 5.Bb5+ c6 6.dxc6 Nxc6 7.d4 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.c4 Bg4 Black has active piece play against White's center.) 5.Bc4!? (The Bishop move is now preferable to 5.Bb5+ or 5.Nc3.) 5...Nxd5 6.0-0 Be7 (Black can invite an interesting gambit with 6...Be6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.c4 Nb6 9.d4 Nxc4, but White seems to have good compensation for the pawn. The game Shulman-Onischuk, Kansas 2003, continued 10.Nc3 c6 [10...Na5 is not bad either.] 11.Bxf4 0-0 12.Qe2 b5 13.a4 Qb6 with roughly equal chances.)

7.Bxd5!? (Why would White give up this wonderful Bishop, which did great damage in many King's gambit games? The answer is: speed in development. White gets his pieces quickly into play, dominates the center and, in general, enjoys more space.) 7...Qxd5 8.Nc3 Qd8 (The Queen moves like a yo-yo, but it is the safest retreat. By protecting the pawn on c7, Black will have more time to develop his light pieces. Holding onto the pawn seems dangerous and definitely not the style of the Chinese grandmaster. It could get wild after 8...Qf5 9.d4 0-0 10.Ne5 g5 11.Nd5 with a possible piece sacrifice on f4.) 9.d4 0-0 10.Bxf4 Bf5 (Wang develops his Bishop and takes the square d3 from the white Queen. But 10...c6 11.Qd3 Na6 12.Rae1 Be6 is a good, playable alternative.) 11.Qe2!? (Carlsen connects the Rooks and Black has to be aware of a timely 12.Qb5. In the game Fedorov-Svidler, Smolensk 2000, Black was able to secure the light squares after 11.Qd2 c6 12.Kh1 Bb4 13.a3 Bxc3 14.Qxc3 Qd5 15.Qd2 Nd7 16.b3 b5 17.Rac1 Nb6. He later outplayed his opponent and won in 41 moves.) 11...Bd6?! (Exchanging pieces in a worse position is a common ploy of good defenders, but here it leads to more yo-yo moves by the black Queens and helps Carlsen to improve his position. Wang probably didn't like 11...c6 12.Rae1 Re8 13.Bg5 with White's edge.)

12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.Nb5! (Improving the "marriage" between the c-pawn and the white Knight. David Bronstein believed that the Knight behind the pawn is a good marriage and in front of the pawn - a bad one.) 13...Qd8 (The safest retreat. After 13...Qb6 14.Qe5 Bxc2 15.Nxc7 Nd7 16.Nxa8 White should win; and after 13...Qd7 14.Ne5 Qc8 15.Rxf5! Qxf5 16.Rf1 Qc8 17.Qc4 the attack is decisive.) 14.c4 a6 (Black doesn't want to engage his c-pawn too soon, but 14...c6!? 15.Nc3 Re8 16.Qd2 Nd7 is a better defensive set-up.) 15.Nc3 (Now the Knight is behind the pawn and Bronstein would be happy. White controls most squares in the center and can turn it into a space advantage.) 15...Nd7 16.Rad1 Bg6 17.Qf2 Re8 18.h3 Rc8 19.Rfe1 Rxe1+ 20.Rxe1 c6 (Preventing the unpleasant 21.Nd5.)

21.d5! (Crossing the equator, the line that splits the board in half horizontally, dividing both armies. Carlsen intends to advance the passed d-pawn as far as he can.) 21...Nf6 (Black should have exchanged the pawn immediately to keep more pieces in play. After 21...cxd5 White has to retake with the pawn 22.cxd5, since 22.Nxd5?! allows 22... Rxc4.) 22.Qd4 cxd5 23.Nxd5! (Threatening 24.Ne7+, White forces the knight exchange, eliminating one blocker.) 23...Nxd5 24.cxd5 Qd6 (The Queen is usually a poor blocker, but Black doesn't have anything else handy.) 25.Ne5 Re8 (The immediate 25...Rd8 was possible, but Black had a reason to lure the white Rook on e3. However, Wang should have clarified the position with 25...f6! 26.Nxg6 [26.Nc4? Qb4! loses.] 26...hxg6, for example 27.Re6 [Otherwise Black plays 27...Rd8.] 27...Rc1+ 28.Kf2 Rc2+ 29.Kf3 and now after either 29...Qd7; or even 29...Qh2 30.Qg4 Kf7! Black can equalize.) 26.Re3 Rd8 27.Nc4 Qf6 28.Re5!? (Carlsen decides to keep the Queens on the board. After 28.Qxf6 gxf6 the White Rook can't protect the d-pawn since the square d3 is taken and after 29.Re7 Bb1! 30.a3 [or30.a4] 30...b5 Black has good drawing chances.) 28...h6 (The computers want to play 28...b5 29.Na5 h6, but after 30.Nb7 Rb8 31.Nc5! Qd6 32.b4 the position looks better for White. With the help of tactical tricks Carlsen is now able to march his d-pawn forward.)

29.d6! (Did Black overlook this advance?) 29...Bf5 (After 29...b5 30.d7! bxc4 31.Re8+ Kh7 32.Qxf6 gxf6 33.Rxd8 wins.) 30.Nb6! Be6 (Black still can't touch the d-pawn: after 30...Qxd6 31.Re8+ wins outright and after 30...Rxd6 31.Nd5! Black has to surrender the Exchange since 31...Qg5 32.Rxf5! Qxf5 33.Ne7+ Kf8 34.Nxf5 loses a piece. Black could have considered to maneuver his Bishop to the diagonal h1-a8: 30...Bd3 31.d7 Bb5 32.a4 Qf1+ 33.Kh2 Bc6 with some hope to survive.) 31.d7! (Black is in a terrible squeeze and Carlsen has time to improve his pieces.) 31...Kh8 32.a4 g6 33.Qc3 Kg7 34.a5 h5 35.h4 Rxd7!? (This could be Black's best practical chance to avoid a slow death. After 35...Kg8 36.g3 Kg7 37.Rc5 Qxc3 38.Rxc3 Kf6 39.Rc7 White has excellent winning chances, for example 39...Ke7 40.Rxb7 Bxd7 41.Ra7+- Ke8 42.Rxa6 Bb5 43.Ra8 Rxa8 44.Nxa8 Kd7 45.Kf2 Kc6 46.Ke3 Bf1 47.Kd4 Kb5 48.Nc7+ Kxa5 49.Kc5 and the b-pawn runs to victory.) 36.Nxd7 Bxd7 37.Qd4 Bc6 38.b4 Bb5 39.Kh2 Ba4 40.Rd5 Bc6 41.Qxf6+ Kxf6 42.Rc5 Ke6 43.Kg3 f6 44.Kf2 Bd5 45.g3 g5? (Allowing a pretty breakthrough. Black should have waited, not allowing the white Rook to penetrate to the back rank. If the white King begins to cross to the square b6, Black can push his g-pawn, hoping to create a passed pawn on the kingside. It could be close.)

46.g4! hxg4 47.h5 Be4 48.Rc7! (Supporting the passed h-pawn and not allowing the black King to come closer.) 48...f5 49.h6 f4 50.h7 g3+ 51.Ke1 f3 52.h8Q f2+ 53.Ke2 Bd3+ 54.Ke3 (After 54...f1Q 55.Qe8+ Kf5 56.Rf7+ wins.) Black resigned.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

For Gambit Fans

Marco Saba has created the Encyclopedia of Gambits
The monumental work covers more than 700 gambits played in 450 years, since 1560, the date of Ruy Lopez book, till this year. The web site is in Italian and partly in English but can be followed easily. Many interesting statistics, lists of players, games and even evaluations are included. Some of the gambit names look funny, but it is worth a visit.

Carlsen wins Kings Tournament

Chess Vibes, 25 June 2010, By Peter Doggers

Magnus Carlsen finished the Kings Tournament in Bazna, Romania in style. The Norwegian beat Wang Yue with Black in the last round to finish with a 7.5/10 score, two points ahead of the rest of the field. Ponomariov and Radjabov defeated Nisipeanu and Gelfand respectively, also with the black pieces. For now the games, later more.

The fourth Kings Tournament takes place in Medias, Romania from June 14 till 25. Against it’s a 6-player, double round-robin, with two rest days. This year Carlsen, Gelfand, Nisipeanu, Ponomariov, Radjabov and Wang Yue play. The rate of play is 2 hours for the first 40 moves, one hour for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes plus an increment of 30 seconds per move.

The rounds start each day at 15.30 which is 14.30 CET and 08.30 EDT. They can run well into the evening, as we won’t see ultra-short draws in this tournament – no draw agreement by the players are allowed before move 30, except for cases of a triple-repetition, a perpetual or a theoretically drawn position.

The event is organized by Romgaz and the Chess Club Society “Elisabeta Polihroniade”. This year the tournament is officially part of the Grand Slam, substituting the cancelled MTel Masters. Venue is the brand new Romgaz Center in Medias (near Bazna), but the organizers are considering to move back to Hotel Complex Balnear Expro in Bazna, where everyone is staying.

ChessVibes will be at the tournament from start to finish, providing videos for the official website:

Videos

Source files: (for iPhone users and others)

Round 9 Round 8 Round 7 Interview Leontxo Garcia Round 6 Interview Andoni Madariaga Round 5 Interview Elisabete Polihroniade

Round 4 Radjabov Round 3 Interview Mayor of Medias Round 2 Round 1 Interview Tournament Director

Round 10 games

1. Nisipeanu,LD vs Ponomariov,R 0-1 4th Kings Tournament Rnd:10 Medias ROU 2010.06.252. Gelfand,B vs Radjabov,T 0-1 4th Kings Tournament Rnd:10 Medias ROU 2010.06.253. Wang Yue vs Carlsen,M 0-1 4th Kings Tournament Rnd:10 Medias ROU 2010.06.25

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abcdefgh

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Ne7 8. Nh4 c6 9. Bc4 d5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Bb3 a5 12. a3 Bxc3 13. bxc3 a4 14. Ba2 Ng6 15. Qh5 Kh8 16. Kh1 Rg8 17. d4 f5 18. Nxf5 Nf4 19. Qh6 Rg6 20. Qh4 Bxf5 21. Qxd8+ Rxd8 22. exf5 Rxg2 23. dxe5 Rdg8 0-1

Game viewer by ChessTempo

Kings Tournament 2010 | Schedule & results


Kings Tournament 2010 | Round 10 (Final) Standings

Links

• Official website
• Games in PGN via TWIC

Il segreto del successo di Kasparov

Introduzione (tratto da: Gli scacchi, la vita, di G. Kasparov, Mondadori 2007)

Il segreto del successo

Da enfant prodige degli scacchi in un paese che per gli scacchi va pazzo come l’Unione Sovietica, dovetti abituarmi molto presto ai discorsi in pubblico e alle interviste. Le domande che mi venivano rivolte allora, a parte alcune sugli hobby e le ragazze, riguardavano però solo la mia attività di scacchista. Ma il modo di intervistarmi cambiò radicalmente nel 1985 quando, a ventidue anni, diventai il più giovane campione del mondo di ogni tempo. Alla gente non interessavano più gli incontri e i tornei: tutta la curiosità era rivolta a quell’incredibile risultato e al modo in cui lo avevo raggiunto. Come ero riuscito a impegnarmi tanto? Quante mosse ero in grado di visualizzare in anticipo? A che cosa pensavo mentre giocavo? Avevo una memoria fotografica? Che cosa mangiavo? Che cosa facevo la sera, prima di andare a dormire? Insomma, qual era il segreto del mio successo?
Mi accorsi subito, però, che le risposte che davo non convincevano il mio pubblico. Riuscivo a impegnarmi in quel modo perché me lo aveva insegnato mia madre. La quantità di mosse che ero in grado di anticipare dipendeva dalla posizione.
Durante una partita cercavo di sfruttare la mia preparazione e di calcolare le possibili varianti. Avevo una memoria buona, ma non fotografica. In genere, prima delle partite mi concedevo un generoso spuntino a base di salmone affumicato, bistecca e acqua tonica (purtroppo, quando mi avvicinai alla quarantina, il mio allenatore mi impose di relegare questa «dieta» al passato). Ogni sera prima di andare a letto mi lavavo i denti. In effetti non si può dire che fossero dettagli entusiasmanti.
Sembrava che tutti si aspettassero da me un metodo preciso, una ricetta universale che garantisse sempre ottimi risultati. Agli scrittori famosi si chiede che tipo di carta e penna usino, come se gli strumenti impiegati potessero influenzare il loro modo di scrivere. Domande di questo genere non considerano che ognuno di noi è il prodotto unico di milioni di elementi e di trasformazioni che si sono susseguiti dalla formazione del suo DNA fino a oggi pomeriggio. Ciascuno di noi crea la formula irripetibile del proprio processo decisionale: il nostro obiettivo è identificarla, valutarne le modalità, trarne il meglio e possibilmente migliorarla.
Gli scacchi, la vita racconta come sono arrivato a definire la formula valida per me, da quando ero un ragazzino fino all’epoca attuale che mi offre il vantaggio di poter guardare indietro con il senno di poi. Lungo il cammino mi soffermerò su alcune persone che, in modo diretto o indiretto, mi hanno aiutato a crescere:
Aleksandr Alekhine, che fu il mio primo eroe e la più grande fonte di ispirazione della mia carriera, trova una sua collocazione accanto a Sir Winston Churchill, che ancora oggi, con i suoi discorsi e i suoi scritti, rappresenta per me un costante riferimento.

Spero che questi e altri esempi possano aiutare i lettori a diventare più consapevoli dei propri procedimenti decisionali e della possibilità di progredire ulteriormente.
Quando ci si valuta e si analizza come si è sfruttato il proprio potenziale bisogna farlo con molta onestà. Non esistono regole fisse: il mio libro non propone suggerimenti e trucchi, ma sviluppa temi come l’autoconsapevolezza e la sfida a se stessi e agli altri, fondamentali per poter prendere le decisioni migliori.
Ho pensato di scrivere su tali argomenti quando ho capito che, invece di inventarmi risposte intelligenti all’eterna domanda «Cosa ti passa per la testa?», mi sarebbe servito di più scoprirlo davvero. Ma i ritmi di un giocatore di scacchi professionista, rigorosamente scanditi da viaggi, partite e preparazione, non mi concedevano molto tempo per l’introspezione filosofica. Solo dopo essermi ritirato, nel marzo del 2005, ho trovato finalmente il tempo e la prospettiva giusta per analizzare le mie esperienze passate e cercare di impiegarle in modo utile.
Sarebbe stato un libro molto diverso se lo avessi finito prima del mio clamoroso passaggio dalla scacchiera alla politica. Innanzitutto, avevo bisogno di tempo per assimilare la lezione appresa durante i lunghi anni trascorsi nel mondo degli scacchi.
In secondo luogo, la mia nuova dimensione mi sta costringendo a capire chi sono e di che cosa sono capace. Non basta essere appassionati sostenitori della democrazia: per creare coalizioni e organizzare congressi devo applicare in un modo del tutto nuovo la mia visione strategica e le altre doti scacchistiche. Per venticinque anni ho vissuto al riparo di competenze saldamente acquisite: ora mi trovo a dover analizzare le mie capacità per costruirmi e ricostruirmi in vista delle nuove sfide.

Una carta geografica della mente

Il giorno del mio sesto compleanno mi aspettava al risveglio il più bel regalo che abbia mai ricevuto in vita mia. Vicino al letto c’era un mappamondo così grande che dovetti stropicciarmi gli occhi per essere sicuro che fosse vero. Gli atlanti e la geografia mi hanno sempre affascinato: la passione era iniziata quando mio padre mi aveva letto il libro di Stefan Zweig su Magellano e ascoltavo rapito le storie sui viaggi di Marco Polo, Colombo e, appunto, Magellano che lui mi raccontava.
Ripercorrere sul mappamondo i viaggi di quel grande esploratore divenne il mio gioco preferito.
In breve arrivai a conoscere le capitali di tutti i paesi del mondo, i loro abitanti e ogni dettaglio che avevo potuto scoprire. Le avventure della vita reale mi attraevano molto più di qualsiasi favola. Anche se mio padre non si era soffermato sulle terribili difficoltà che comportava la navigazione nel passato, intuivo che intraprendere un viaggio del genere per la prima volta doveva aver richiesto un coraggio straordinario.
Quelle storie infiammavano i miei sensi di spirito pionieristico, e così sognavo di avventurarmi per vie sconosciute, anche se allora ciò significava, al massimo, non percorrere la solita strada per tornare a casa. Dall’inizio alla fine della mia carriera di scacchista non ho mai smesso di cercare nuove sfide, tentando cose che nessuno aveva mai tentato prima.

Ormai il tempo dei grandi esploratori e degli imperatori famosi è passato, ma sono ancora rimasti alcuni preziosi territori da scoprire: possiamo esplorare i nostri confini e quelli della nostra vita, oltre ad aiutare gli altri a fare lo stesso, magari regalando a un bambino per il compleanno un mappamondo o il suo equivalente digitale.
È fondamentale possedere una carta geografica di se stessi: in questo libro cerco di indicare in modo approssimativo le tappe di osservazione e analisi necessarie per tracciarla. Non vorrei sembrare troppo radicale, ma il minimo comune denominatore non serve a niente: da ciò che è ovvio o identico per tutti non possono derivare né vantaggi né miglioramenti. Dobbiamo guardare più in alto e scavare più a fondo, andare al di là di ciò che è scontato e universale. In teoria, chiunque può imparare a giocare a scacchi in mezz’ora, e le regole sono uguali per uomini, donne e bambini:
ma solo quando ci spingiamo per la prima volta al di là di esse, oltre quel primo livello in cui siamo concentrati esclusivamente sulle mosse consentite, cominciamo a dar forma alla struttura che ci rende diversi da chiunque altro abbia mai mosso una pedina.
Tali modelli acquisiti e la logica che li regola si combinano con le nostre qualità intrinseche per creare un individuo unico nelle proprie modalità decisionali.
Esperienza e conoscenza si definiscono attraverso il prisma del talento, anch’esso manipolabile, modificabile e coltivabile: un insieme che è la fonte dell’intuizione, strumento assolutamente unico per ciascuno di noi. Così iniziamo a scorgere nelle nostre decisioni quello che definiamo lo «stile» di uno scacchista, cioè l’influenza della psicologia individuale e della struttura emotiva. Gli scacchi sono uno strumento ideale per esaminare queste influenze perché, per dare il meglio di noi stessi nel gioco, siamo obbligati ad analizzare le nostre decisioni e il processo che a esse ci conduce. Le persone che mi intervistavano, in realtà, non avevano bisogno di informazioni sulle mie abitudini di tutti i giorni, ma di un’altra cosa: di autoanalisi.
Dato che non si tratta di un software da scaricare e installare, lo stile personale non si può scegliere: possiamo solo individuare quello che sentiamo più adatto e poi, attraverso sfide e tentativi, sviluppare il nostro metodo personale. Quali sono i miei punti deboli? E quelli forti? Che tipo di sfide devo cercare di evitare e perché? Il metodo per raggiungere il successo è un segreto, in quanto può essere scoperto solo da ciascuno di noi, attraverso lo studio delle proprie decisioni personali: nessuno può insegnarci a migliorare i meccanismi decisionali, però possiamo imparare a farlo da soli.
In tutto questo c’è qualcosa che, a prima vista, sembra contraddittorio: bisogna diventare consapevoli dei propri processi decisionali perché questi, con la pratica, potenzieranno le nostre azioni intuitive, inconsce. È un procedimento non spontaneo ma necessario perché, in quanto adulti, abbiamo modelli di comportamento già formati, nel bene e nel male. Per correggere quelli negativi e rafforzare quelli positivi dobbiamo assumere un ruolo attivo nell’acquisire una maggiore consapevolezza di noi stessi.
Per cercare di aprire le porte a questa consapevolezza farò uso di aneddoti e analisi. La prima parte del libro valuta gli ingredienti fondamentali, le capacità essenziali e le doti che entrano in gioco nel processo decisionale: strategia, calcolo e preparazione sono gli elementi essenziali che dobbiamo comprendere e trovare in noi stessi. La seconda parte considera la fase della valutazione e dell’autoanalisi, studiando i metodi e i vantaggi del nostro modo di esaminarci: quali cambiamenti sono necessari e perché? La terza parte studia i sottili meccanismi attraverso i quali combiniamo tutti questi fattori per migliorare le nostre prestazioni: la psicologia e l’intuizione influenzano ogni aspetto delle nostre decisioni e dei loro risultati. È necessario sviluppare le nostre capacità per riuscire a contemplare il quadro d’insieme, affrontare le crisi e trarne insegnamento.
I momenti decisivi in cui, a un certo punto del nostro cammino, scegliamo una strada piuttosto che un’altra, consapevoli del fatto che non potremo tornare indietro, sono vere e proprie svolte. Dobbiamo vivere per quei momenti che determinano la nostra vita, imparare chi siamo e che cosa conta veramente per noi. Il «segreto», allora, consiste nell’andare incontro alle sfide invece di evitarle: è il solo modo per scoprire e sfruttare tutte le nostre risorse. Lo sviluppo del nostro modello personale ci consente di prendere decisioni migliori, di avere la fiducia sufficiente per dare ascolto al nostro istinto e sapere che, indipendentemente dal risultato, ne usciremo più forti.
E questo è l’unico segreto del successo che vale veramente per tutti.

Chess Puzzles: Even the Champions Get It Wrong

Lubomir Kavalek

International Chess Grandmaster

Posted: June 22, 2010 12:50 PM

BIO

In ice hockey, a two-goal lead is the worse to have. Two good shots and the game is tied. It is worse in chess: one small slip and you can not only turn a winning advantage into a draw -- you can lose the game. Nobody is immune to blunders, not even the champions.

It is a common theme in John Nunn's excellent new book Nunn's Chess Endings, Volume 1. The English grandmaster gives plenty of examples where the mighty falter during play or in their analysis and judgment. The endgame virtuoso, the late world champion Vasily Smyslov, comes to a wrong conclusion about his own game. The world championship candidate and one of the foremost chess endgame experts, Yuri Averbach, avoids a winning line because he wrongly thinks it only leads to a draw. The world champion Garry Kasparov walks the wrong way with his King and throws away all his previous hard work.

Averbach did not convert a two pawn advantage against the Slovakian IM Jan Sefc in the tournament in Dresden 1956. The Russian GM avoided a variation, leading to a position of our first puzzle.

John Nunn

White to play and win

The future looked bright for the 13-year-old Etienne Bacrot in 1995. His coach, GM Iossif Dorfman, even thought the French boy was born to dethrone Kasparov. At 27, Bacrot is one of the top French grandmasters, but never played a match for the world title. Kasparov won brilliantly against Bacrot in Sarajevo 2000 and was close to victory in Moscow 2004.

From Kasparov-Bacrot

How can White win?

(The solution to the puzzles will appear on Monday, June 28. Just revisit this column.)

John Nunn shows in his new book that magical twists and turns can be found in real games and does not include any endgame studies. He points out important ideas which occur often in practical play. As an excellent attacker in his prime, Nunn stresses the importance of precise play and tactics in the endgames. The first volume includes everything without the rooks. The all-rook volume two is scheduled to come out in the fall. Both volumes build on Nunn's previous book Understanding Chess Endgames, a wonderful presentation of 100 key endgame ideas. Nunn's trilogy is published by Gambit Publications and should be a perfect addition to the library of any tournament player.

75 linee di gambetto nella Scandinava

75 linee di gambetto nella Scandinava:
(trasposizioni incluse)

1.e4 d5 2.b3
1.e4 d5 2.b4
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 c6 3.Cf3 de4 4.Cg5
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 de4 3.Ce4 Dd5 4.Cc3 Da5 5.b4
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 de4 3.d3
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 de4 3.Ac4
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 de4 3.Ac4 Cf6 4.f3
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 de4 3.f3
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 e6 3.d4 Ab4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Aa5 6.b4
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 e5 3.d4 Cc6
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.d3 de4 4.Ag5
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.d4
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.d4 Ce4
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.ed5 c6
1.e4 d5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.e5 Cfd7 4.e6
1.e4 d5 2.d3 de4 3.Cc3
1.e4 d5 2.d3 de4 3.Cc3 Cf6 4.Ag5
1.e4 d5 2.d4
1.e4 d5 2.d4 Cc6 3.Cc3 de4 4.d5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 Cc6 3.Cc3 de4 4.d5 Ce5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 Cc6 3.Cc3 e5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 Cc6 3.Ae3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 c6 3.Cc3 de4 4.f3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 c6 3.f3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 c6 3.f3 de4 4.fe4 e5 5.Cf3 ed4 6.Ac4
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 Cc6 4.d5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 Cc6 4.d5 Ce5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 e6 4.f3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 e5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 Cf6 4.Ae3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 Cf6 4.Ag5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 Cf6 4.f3 c6 5.Ac4
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 Cf6 4.f3 e5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.Cc3 Cf6 4.f3 ef3 5.Df3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.d5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 de4 3.f3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Cc3 de4 4.f3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Cc3 Ab4 4.Ad2
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Cc3 Ab4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Aa5 6.b4
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Cd2 c5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Ae3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.e5 c5 4.Dg4 cd4 5.Cf3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Cf3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 e5
1.e4 d5 2.d4 Cf6 3.Cc3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 Cf6 3.Cc3 de4 4.f3 ef3 5.Df3
1.e4 d5 2.d4 g6 3.Cc3 Ag7
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 c6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 c6 3.Cc3 Cf6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 c6 3.dc6 e5
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Dd5 3.Cc3 Da5 4.b4
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Dd5 3.d4 Cc6 4.Cc3
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 e6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 e5
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 e5 3.f4 Ac5
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.Cc3 c6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.c4 c6 4.Cc3 cd5 5.d4 g6 6.cd5 Ag7
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.c4 c6 4.Cc3 cd5 5.d4 Cc6 6.Ag5 Db6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.c4 c6 4.d4 cd5 5.Cc3 Cc6 6.Ag5 Db6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.c4 c6 4.d4 cd5 5.Cc3 g6 6.cd5 Ag7
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.c4 e6
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.c4 g6 4.d4 b5
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.d4 c6 4.dc6 e5
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.d4 Ag4 4.f3 Af5 5.Ab5 Cbd7
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.d4 Ag4 4.Ab5 Cbd7 5.f3 Bf5
1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Cf6 3.d4 g6 4.c4 b5
1.e4 d5 2.e5 e6 3.d4 c5 4.Dg4 cd4 5.Cf3
1.e4 d5 2.e5 e6 3.Cf3 c5 4.b4
1.e4 d5 2.f3 c6 3.d4
1.e4 d5 2.f3 de4 3.Cc3
1.e4 d5 2.f3 Cf6 3.d4
1.e4 d5 2.f4
1.e4 d5 2.Cf3 c6 3.d4
1.e4 d5 2.Cf3 de4 3.Cg5

Carlsen - Wang: 1-0 Gambetto di Re

Carlsen - Wang: 1-0 Gambetto di Re (Abbazia defense, Modern variation)



[Event "4th Kings Tournament"]
[Site "Medias ROU"]
[Date "2010.06.17" ]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, M."]
[Black "Wang Yue"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C36"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2010.06.14" ]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 exf4 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bc4 Nxd5 6. O-O Be7 7. Bxd5 Qxd5
8. Nc3 Qd8 9. d4 O-O 10. Bxf4 Bf5 11. Qe2 Bd6 [novità] 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Nb5 Qd8 14. c4
a6 15. Nc3 Nd7 16. Rad1 Bg6 17. Qf2 Re8 18. h3 Rc8 19. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 20. Rxe1 c6
21. d5 Nf6 22. Qd4 cxd5 23. Nxd5 Nxd5 24. cxd5 Qd6 25. Ne5 Re8 26. Re3 Rd8 27.
Nc4 Qf6 28. Re5 h6 29. d6 Bf5 30. Nb6 Be6 31. d7 Kh8 32. a4 g6 33. Qc3 Kg7 34.
a5 h5 35. h4 Rxd7 36. Nxd7 Bxd7 37. Qd4 Bc6 38. b4 Bb5 39. Kh2 Ba4 40. Rd5 Bc6
41. Qxf6+ Kxf6 42. Rc5 Ke6 43. Kg3 f6 44. Kf2 Bd5 45. g3 g5 46. g4 hxg4 47. h5
Be4 48. Rc7 f5 49. h6 f4 50. h7 g3+ 51. Ke1 f3 52. h8=Q f2+ 53. Ke2 Bd3+ 54.
Ke3 1-0 [Dopo 54...f1=Q segue il matto in 11 mosse]

The Psychology of Gambit Chess Openings

The Psychology of Gambit Chess Openings by Clyde Nakamura

(Click here for a PGN file with the five games contained in this article.)

A gambit chess opening involves the sacrifice of one or more pawns, pieces or even a combination of pawns and pieces in the opening part of the game to obtain compensation in terms of better central control, better development of pieces or some other kind of advantage. Playing a gambit chess opening in a chess game requires a different mindset from playing a regular chess opening where no pawns or pieces are sacrificed early in the opening.

1. FEAR

In a gambit chess opening you will more likely be one or two pawns down after playing the gambit. You could even be a piece down such as in the Halloween Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nxe5). But a lot of players have this fear of being down by one pawn, two pawns or even a piece down in an opening. This fear stems from the endgame where you have this sinking feeling that you will eventually lose the game. As a gambit player you must have faith that your gambit chess opening will win despite being down. You must have faith in your opening preparation.

Fear of your opponent can have a paralyzing effect on you. If you fear your opponent then you are playing at a disadvantage. This could lead to an error over the board at some point in the game. Over the years I have found that emotions get in the way of the thinking process. I have played my best when my emotions are in check.

When I play my gambit openings I usually try for the big attack. I am willing to sacrifice my pawns or pieces for the attack on my opponents king. If you are down two pawns there really is no turning back. A gambit player may hold the endgame a pawn down but if you are down two pawns you will probably not hold the endgame to a draw. You really need to be thinking about winning the game in the opening or the middle game.

At a certain point in the game when you are losing, you need to not worry about losing. I was playing in a Table Tennis tournament and I was down in the third game by the score of 20 to 17 in a 2-games-out-of-3 match and was one point away from losing the match. We each had won one game and were now playing the third and deciding game of the match. I had realized I was now at the point of no return. My opponent needed only one point to win the match and I just said to myself that now I had nothing to lose and played the rest of the game without any fear of losing. I tied the score at 20 to 20 and went on to win that final game by 22 to 20 to win that match. This same mindset can also be applied to playing a chess game.

2. BE PREPARED

If you play a gambit chess opening you should have your lines well prepared before playing a tournament game. One of my Keoni-Hiva Gambit (1.e3 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 exf4 4. Nf3) lines has been analyzed to a forced draw in the middlegame.

Each gambit opening has a set of tactics and also a set of strategy associated with that opening. You should be very familiar with the tactics and strategy that are associated with that particular gambit chess opening.

There are some very standard combinations that you should know. The only way to know this is to study a book on combinations or to study the chess games of Masters and Grandmasters.

I strongly recommend that you develop and maintain a computer chess database of games and analysis on your gambit chess opening. This is so that you can find and make improvements in your particular gambit chess opening. You can obtain a free IBM computer chess database software program called Chessbase Lite from the www.chessbase.com web site. With this program you can maintain your chess database of games & analysis in either pgn or chessbase cbh format. The Chessbase Lite program (and Frit8 Deluxe, Chessbase8 and Chessbase9) has a feature that allows the user to create an opening book from games in a chess database.

The chess web site known as “The Week In Chess” comes out with a weekly update of chess games and chess news from around the world. The web site: www.chesslab.com has a 2 million game chess database which is regularly updated. You could set up your gambit opening position and extract the games that you need. However, you will need to convert the text download into pgn format. The following link is to a web site which has links to other chess web sites with free chess databases of games. This is Lars Balzar’s web site. You could also purchase a CD or book which covers the particular gambit chess opening that you play.

If you do not have a computer then you could keep your gambit chess opening lines on index cards.

3. SURPRISE FACTOR

Your opponent may not be prepared to play against a gambit chess opening. There are three possible outcomes when your opponent is surprised by a gambit chess opening. In an unfamiliar gambit opening position your opponent could spend a lot of time analyzing each move and be down on time whether it is a tournament game or a blitz game.

At the Hawaii International/US Masters tournament in 1998, I had surprised my opponent Arianne Caoli, an up and coming junior player, with the White side of the Deimer-Duhm Gambit (1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.e4). She was about 14 years old at that time but is now an International Master. She thought for 30 minutes on her third move. I used that extra time to do a deep think on a critical moment in the game.

More here:
http://www.chessville.com/UCO/CN/PsychologyofGambitChessOpenings.htm

Chess King's Mad Scramble

Lubomir Kavalek

International Chess Grandmaster

Posted: June 14, 2010 02:45 PM

Chess King's Mad Scramble

The chess game had all the elements of football. But instead of a helmet, the quarterback had a crown on his head and was not guarded by 300-pound massive NFL linemen, but by tiny pawns. The pass-rushers were fast and heavy: the queen and two rooks flushed the quarterback out of the pocket and the scramble began. He could have been knocked down early, but escaped, running beautifully between and around the opponent's men deep into their territory. It was a mad rush, leading to a winning touchdown. When chess imitates life, it may even resemble American football.

The spectacular game was played between the Russian GM Alexander Riazantsev, who coached the former world champion Anatoly Karpov, and GM Sergey Karjakin, a former Ukrainian prodigy who settled in Moscow and now plays for Russia. It was so complicated even the chess computers sometimes hesitated to suggest the best way. How could have two human beings navigate their way through this mess? But they did brilliantly and with vigor.

It was the most dramatic clash at the tournament honoring Karpov in the Russian town of Poikovsky. It finished Sunday and the victory in this game helped Karjakin to share first place with Victor Bologan of Moldova. Both grandmasters scored 7-4, but Karjakin won the trophy on a better tiebreak.

Riazantsev - Karjakin
Queen's Indian defense
Poikovsky 2010

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 (The Queen's Indian, attempting to control the center with the Bishop from the square b7, was first worked out by Aron Nimzovich in the 1920s.) 4.g3 (Akiba Rubinstein's answer. White foresees the clash of the light Bishops on the long diagonal h1-a8.) 4...Ba6 (Nimzovich's aggressive idea, shifting the battlefield: Black puts pressure on the pawn on c4 and along the diagonal a6-f1.) 5.Qc2 (Previously considered meek, but the Queen move caught fire after it was connected with a gambit play. The original game Gruenfeld - Nimzovich, Breslau 1925, went 5.Qa4 c6 6.Bg2?! b5, expanding on the queenside.) 5...Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.d5!? (A modern pawn sacrifice, giving White some pressure against Black's entangled pieces. After 7.0-0 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bxg2 9.Kxg2 Bc5 the light Bishops disappear and Black equalizes.) 7...exd5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.0-0 Be7

10.Qe4!? (A powerful pinning move, threatening to attack the knight on d5 with 10.Rd1, for example 10...0-0 11.Rd1 Na6 12.Rxd5 Nb4 13.Nc3 Bf6 14.a3 with White's advantage. The previously played 10.Rd1 can be matched by a tactical development 10...Nc6! as Karjakin played against Leko this year in Wijk aan Zee. The point is that 11.Rxd5? loses to 11...Nb4.) 10...Na6 (Planning to fortify the knight on d5 with 11...Nc7. Preventing a calamity along the h1-a8 diagonal with 10...Bc6 runs into 11.Ne5. White gains a bishop pair and has a strong pressure along the d-file. The weaker 10...Qc7 is met by 11.Nh4! Bc6 12.Nf5 g6 13.Nc3! gxf5 14.Nxd5 with White's advantage as in Sakaev - Ekstroem, Budva 2009.) 11.Nh4 g6 (Hoping to prevent 12.Nf5.)

12.Nf5! (Chess magic! The knight sacrifice gives the white Queen space along the fifth rank. In the game Svidler-Karjakin, Sochi 2008, White was pushed back after12.Qe5 f6 13.Qe4 Qc8 14.Rd1 Nac7 and the piece sacrifice 15.Nxg6?! hxg6 16.Qxg6+ Kd8 did not quite work. Karjakin won in 37 moves.) 12...gxf5 13.Qe5 0-0 (After 13...f6 14.Qxf5 White wins the piece back with dividends, threatening a picturesque mate 15.Qh5+ Kf8 16.Bh6+ Kg8 17.Qxd5+! Bxd5 18.Bxd5 mate.) 14.Qxf5 (Threatening to clobber the black King with 15.Be4, White is not in any hurry to regain the piece. After 14.Bxd5 Bf6 15.Qxf5 Bxd5 16.Qxd5 Nb4 17.Qb3 d5 Black has a strong center.) 14...Re8 15.Nc3 Nac7 (The tactical defense 15...Nxc3 16.Qg4+ Bg5 17.bxc3 h5?! does not work. After 18.Qxh5 black is in trouble, for example: 18...Bxg2 19.Bxg5 Re5 20.f4 Rxg5 21.fxg5 Bxf1 22.g6! Qf6 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Rxf1 and White wins; or 18...Bxc1 19.Bxb7 Qg5 20.Qf3 Rad8 21.Raxc1 with White's clear advantage.) 16.Be4 (Looking to create chaos around the black King. After 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.Bxd5 Nxd5 18.Qxd5 Bf6 Black's pieces are suddenly active and well placed.) 16...Bf6 17.Qxh7+! (White has to continue chasing the black King since after 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.Bxd5 Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Rxe2 Black is fine.) 17...Kf8 18.Bxd5 Bxd5 (Forced, since 18...Nxd5? leads to a splendid king's hunt: 19.Bh6+ Ke7 20.Qe4+! Kd6 21.Bf4+! Be5 [21...Nxf4? 22.Nb5 mate] 22.Nb5+! Kc6 23.Rfd1! Kxb5 24.a4+ Ka5 [24...Kc6 25.Bxe5! wins] 25.Qc4! Bc6 26.Rxd5, threatening 27.Bd2+ or 27.b4 mate.) 19.Nxd5 Nxd5 20.e4 (The black Knight doesn't have many good squares.)

20...Nc7! (Aiming to protect the black King from the square e6. White gets a mating attack after 20...Nb4 21.Bh6+ Ke7 22.e5! Bxe5 23.Bg5+ Bf6 24.Qh6!, for example 24...Bxg5 25.Rfe1+ Be3 26.Rxe3 mate; or 24...Nd5 25.Rad1! Bxg5 26.Rfe1+ Be3 27.Rxe3+ Nxe3 28.Qd6 mate.) 21.Bh6+ Ke7 22.e5! (Opening the e-file makes the black king uncomfortable.) 22...Bxe5 23.Qe4! (The only way to continue the assault. After 23.Bg5+ Bf6 24.Rfe1+ Ne6 25.Rxe6+! dxe6 26.Bxf6+ Kxf6 27.Qh6+ Ke7 28.Qh4+ Kf8 forces White to take a perpetual check.)
23...f6 (After 23...Kf6? White accelerates the attack with a beautiful deflection 24.Bg5+!, for example 24...Kxg5 25.f4+ Kh6 26.fxe5 and now white should win either after 26...d5 27.Qg4 Rxe5 28.Rxf7 Qg5 29.Qh3+ Qh5 30.Qd7 Qg6 31.Qxc7; or after 26... Qe7 27.Rf5 Kg7 28.Qg4+ Kf8 29.Raf1 Qe6 30.Qh5 and the attack breaks through.) 24.f4 d5 (Building a protective pawn wall. After 24...Rh8 25.Bg7 d5 26.Qe2 Kf7 27.fxe5 Kxg7 28.Qg4+ Kf7 29.Rxf6+ win.) 25.Qh7+ Kd6 26.fxe5+ fxe5 27.Rf7 Ne6 ( A picturesque position!)

(Is the line of the pawns in front of the black King powerful enough to endure White's assault or is it going to be as porous as the offensive line of last year's Washington Redskins, breaking on the first hard push?) 28.Qg6 (28.Qf5 or 28.Raf1 can be met by 28...Re7.) 28...Kc6 (Attempting to exchange Rooks with 28...Re7 runs into 29.Bg5! Rxf7! 30.Bxd8 Rg7 31.Bc7+ Rxc7 32.Rf1 and White has the edge.) 29.Raf1 d4 (Planning to help the defense by centralizing the Queen on the square d5. Running away with the King 29...Kb5 invites a mating attack after 30.a4+!, for example 30...Ka6 31.b4! Nd4 32.b5+ Ka5 33.Qd3 c4 34.Ra1! cxd3 35.Bd2 mate; or 30...Kxa4 31.Qd3 c4 32.b3+! Kb5 33.bxc4+ dxc4 34.Rb1+ Kc5 35.Qa3+ Kd5 36.Qf3+ Kd6 37.Be3!, threatening 38.Rd1+.) 30.R1f6! (The pin is a big problem for Black. It freezes the knight.) 30...Qd5 (Protecting the Knight, but allowing a tactical punch. After 30...Kd5 31.b3 b5 32.Qh7 Qc8 33.Rd7+ Kc6 34.Rff7 White wins.)

31.Rxa7! (The Rook is tabu and the black King is now being rushed from both sides.) 31...Rad8 (After 31...Rxa7 32.Qxe8+ Kd6 33.Bf8+ wins.) 32.a4!? (White has the desire to control as many squares as possible around the black King, but it seems that 32.Bf8!, threatening to complete the siege of the knight with 33.Be7, was much stronger. After 32...Rxf8 33.Rxe6+ Rd6 34.Rae7! White should win, for example 34...Rxe6 35.Rxe6+ Kd7 36.Rxb6 d3 37.Qg7+ Rf7 38.Qxf7+ Qxf7 39.Rb7+ Ke6 40.Rxf7 Kxf7 41.Kf2; or 34...Rfd8 35.Rxd6+ [35...Qxd6 36.Re6!] Rxd6 36.Qe8+ Rd7 37.Qc8+. The powerful 32.Qf7 also leads to victory.) 32...c4 (Black could have made it more difficult with 32...d3 33.Qf7 Qd4+ 34.Kg2 Kd6. Imagine the despair on White's face after 35.Qc7+ Kd5 36.Qb7+ Kc4 37.Qxb6 Qd5+ 38.Rf3 [38.Kg1? is even worse: 38...Rb8 39.Qa6+ Kb3 40.Qa5 Nf4!! 41.Rb6+ Ka2 and Black wins.] 38...e4 39.Qb5+ Kd4 40.Be3+ Ke5, seeing that the black King in the middle is safe. And who would guess that the innocent-looking King move 35.Kh3! seals the win.)

33.Qf7? (Chess is a confusing game. Why the same move that worked wonderfully on the previous turn suddenly doesn't cut it? Because White could have woven a mating net with 33.Bf8!, controlling the dark squares and threatening - to confuse you even more - 34.Qf7! and 35.Qc7 mate. Black does not have a good defense, for example 33...Rxf8 34.Rxe6+ Rd6 35.Qh7! [Not 35.Qg7? Rf1+! 36.Kxf1 Qf3+ 37.Kg1 Qd1+ 38.Kf2 Qd2+ 39.Kf3 Qd1+ with perpetual check.] 35...Qxe6 36.Qb7+ Kc5 37.Ra5+! Kb4 [37...bxa5 38.Qb5 mate] 38.Rb5+ Kxa4 39.Qa6 mate.) 33...Kc5! (Running for life! The scramble begins) 34.Bd2 (It seems that 34.Rc7+! is the right way to go, for example 34...Nxc7? 35.Qxc7+ Kb4 36.Qxb6+ Kxa4 37.Qa6+ Kb3 38.Qa3+ Kc2 39.Rf2+ Kb1 40.Rf1+ Kc2 41.Rc1 mate, but and after 34...Kb4! White has to find 35.Re7! with winning chances.) 34...c3 35.Rc7+?! (The simple capture 35.bxc3! is much better, for example 35...dxc3 36.Bxc3 Kc4 37.Be1 Qe4 38.Rc7+ Kb3 39.Rc3+ Kb2 40.Rf2+ Kb1 41.Rb2+! Kxb2 42.Qf2+ and White mates.) 35...Kb4 (The luck is slowly turning in Black's favor.) 36.bxc3+ (White could have tried to bring the Queen back with 36.Rxe6!? Rxe6 [36...Qxe6 37.Qf1!] 37.bxc3+ dxc3 38.Bxc3+ Kxa4 39.Qf2 with chances to equalize.)

36...Kb3?! (Can the black King find a better hiding place after 36...dxc3! 37.Bxc3+ Ka3? The bishop sacrifice 38.Bb2+! may lead to a draw, for example 38...Kxb2 39.Rf2+ Ka3 40.Rc1! Qe4 41.Ra2+!! Kxa2 42.Qf2+ Kb3 43.Qxb6+ Ka2 [43...Ka3 44.Ra1 mate.] 44.Qf2+ Kb3 45.Qb6+ with a perpetual check.) 37.c4! (Better seems 37.Qg6 d3 38.Rcf7, but the shocking 38...Nf4! opens up the white King and Black wins.) 37...Qd6 38.Rb7 (Too slow. White should have tried 38.Rxe6!?, for example 38...Rxe6 39.Qf1! Kc2 40.Rf7!, forcing a perpetual check after 40...Kxd2 41.Rf2+ Kc3 42.Qc1+ Kb4 43.Qb2+ Kxc4 [43...Kxa4 44.Rf1! wins] 44.Qb5+ Kc3 45.Qb2+ etc.; or 38...Qxe6 39.Qf3+ and Black has to be careful since after 39...Kb2?! 40.Qd1 Qg6 41.Bc1+ ! Ka1 [or 41...Kb1 42.Rc6! Qxc6 43.Qd2 and 44.Qb2 mate] 42.Rf7! Qb1 43.Rf2 and White wins.) 38...d3 39.a5 Qd4+ 40.Kf1 Qe4 (Stepping in with 40...Kc2 is more precise, for example 41.Rxb6 Kxd2 42.Qb7 Rb8; or 41.Rf2 Qe4! 42.Bh6+ d2 and Black wins.) 41.Kg1 (After 41.Rxb6+ Kc2 42.Rbxe6 Black wins with 42...Qh1+ 43.Kf2 Qxh2+ 44.Kf1 Rg8! 45.Rf3 Rdf8 46.Qxf8 Rxf8 47.Rxf8 Qh3+, picking up the Rook on e6.) 41...Kc2! (The King turns into a powerful attacker and decides the game.)

42.Rxb6 (It is too late for 42.Re7 Rxe7 43.Qxe7 Kxd2 44.Rxe6 Qd4+ 45.Kg2 Kc2 46.Qh7 Kc3; or for 42.Rf2 Rf8! 43.Bb4+ d2 44.Bxf8 Rxf8 winning.) 42...Kxd2 43.Rbxe6 Rxe6 44.Qxe6 Kc2 45.c5 Qd5! (A simple winning solution, preventing the white Queen from going to a2. The d-pawn just rolls down.) 46.Qg4 (Black wins either after 46.Qf5 e4 47.Qf1 d2; or after 46.Qxd5 Rxd5 47.a6 Rd7 stopping the white pawns and promoting his own.) 46...Qd4+ 47.Rf2+ d2 48.Qf3 e4 49.Qf7 Kc3 (White can't stop the touchdown 50...d1Q.) White resigned.

The game would make a great addition to Colin Crouch's new book "Modern Chess: move by move," published by Everyman Chess http://www.everymanchess.com/ last year. It is a well-written collection of 33 brilliant games, played by some of the best grandmasters in the world. It is another of Crouch's gem - 400 pages of great analysis and wonderful text. Recommended for tournament players.

For replaying the game:

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

3rd prize Shakhmatnaya kompozitsia 1998

EG No 11533
Reprinted with permission
Gherman Umnov
3rd prize Shakhmatnaya kompozitsia 1998



White: Kf7, Re7; pawns - e3, h7
Black: Kg2, Ra2, Bh8; pawns - a7, d5

l.Kg8 Bf6/i 2.Rf7/ii Be5 3.Rg7+ Kf3 4.h8Q Rh2 5.Rf7+ Ke4
6.Rf4+ Bxf4 7.Qd4+ Kf3 8.Qxf4+, winning the black Bishop and the 'game'.

i) 1...Ba1(Bc3) 2.Rg7+ Kh1 3.h8Q+ Rh2 4.Rg1+ and 5.QxB. Or
1...Kf3 2.Kxh8 Rg2 3.Re5 a5 4.Rxd5 a4 5.Ra5 Rg4 6.e4. So we
see why Black chooses f6 for his bishop. ii) 2.Rg7+? Kh1 3.h8Q+
Rh2 4.Rg1+ Kxg1 5.Qxf6 Rg2+, perpetual check.

"A chiselled study with light construction exhibiting
echo-sacrifices of the white Rook in both try and solution. If not on the grand
scale, nevertheless the taste is just right!"

A RECIPROCAL ZUGZWANG PARADOX

A RECIPROCAL ZUGZWANG PARADOX
Gherman Umnov, Podolsk
From EG No. 137 - (Vol.IX), July 2000


The outcome of any position of reciprocal zugzwang hangs on the turn to play. Most of the time study composers strive to carry this through by creating a try in which White, having the move, is in zugzwang, while in the actual solution the same position occurs but this time with Black having the move. Studies have been composed, and not a few of them, where the reciprocal zugzwang is dragged out for several moves, with Black every time lacking a neutral, in fact useful, move. Hm. Let's see if that is always so.
*****************************
U1 Gh. A. Umnov
Springaren, ix 1999



h6e6 0710.11 4/4 Draw
*****************************
U1: 1.Rxb7 Rh8+ 2.RH7 aRxh7+ 3.Bxh7, with:

- Kf7 4.h3! Kf6 5.h4 Kf7 6.h5 Kf6 stalemate, or

- Kf6 4.h4! Kf7 5.h5 Kf6 stalemate again.

In both lines in U1 we see after White's 4th a position of 'prolonged' reciprocal zugzwang.
Now put wP on a2 instead of h2, to create the schema U2, with Black to move.
*****************************
U2 (Gh. A. Umnov - matrix)



h6e6 0310.10 3/2 BTM, Draw
*****************************
U2: After 1...Kf7 we have 2.a4! Kf6 3.a5 Kf7 4.a6 Kf6 5.a7, and it's drawn, while after 1...Kf6 2.a3! and so on, also with a draw.
In U2 it is not so much wB that is paralysed as bR which is excluded from play, having no useful move. Obviously if Black had so much as a single neutral move of the rook without unpinning wB, then White would be winkled out of his draw.
But is this really so obvious?
*****************************
U3 Gh. A. Umnov first publication



h5f5 0310.10 3/2 Draw
*****************************
U3: White's choices are bare - he's under the cosh of mate on the move, and his bishop hangs. After either 1..Bc1 or 1.Bf8, Black will give check with his rook, pinning the bishop for ever. Then the white a-pawn will sooner or later become a sacrificial offering. However, in contrast to U2 all the pieces are one rank lower down the board, and this gives the rookm elbow-room for a temporising a move on top of bK's option to oscillate. So there's scarcely anything to choose between 1.Bc1 and 1.Bf8 - they are as bad as each other. Resign, then? Well, with nothing to lose, perhaps something will turn up. 1.Bc1? Rc7! Aha! Black is in no hurry with his check and bishop pin. He's playing cat and mouse, spinning out the agony.
2. Be3 Re7! Now there are two continuations for us to look at:
- 3.Bc1 Re1! 4.Bg5 Rg1! 5.Be7 (Bh4,Rg8;) Rg7! 6.Bf8 Rg8! 7.Bh6 Rg1! and Black wins, or
- 3.Bg5 Rg7! 4.Be3 (Bh6,Rg1;) Rg3! 5.Bf2 Rg2! 6.Be1 Rh2+! 7.Bh4 Rxa2 8.Bg3 Ra1 9.Kh6 Rh1+ 10.Kg7 Rg1, and again Black wins. [A pity that 4.Be3 Re7 transposes into the other line. AJR]
In this pair of try echo-variations Black forces wB to play to the g5 square so that it can be attacked to allow bR to cross the board's equator. But why should Black spurn the pin? Let's take a look at the other first move:
1.Bf8! with:

- Rh7+ 2.BK6 Rh8 (or Kf6;).
What now? 3.a3!! It's a paradox, but here's another position of reciprocal zugzwang: Rh7 (or Kf5;) 4.a4 Rh8 (or Kf6;) 5.a5 Rh7 (or Kf5;) 6.a6 Rh8 (or Kf6;) 7.a7, and this time the zugzwang can no longer be deferred, and it's decisive. Note 3.a4? Rh7 4.a5 Kf6 5.a6 Kf5 6.a7 Rxa7, and Black
wins.

- Rf7 2.Bh6 Rh7. What's this? It's Black's own king that's in the way of the rook's otherwise winning transfer to the southern hemisphere, whereas in the first line it's the white men that rule out the same manoeuvre. 3.a4! 3.a3? Kf6 4.a4 Kf5 5.a5 Kf6 6.a6 Kf5 7.a7 Rxa7 wins. Rh8 (Kf6) 4.a5 Rh7 (Kf5) 5.a6 Rh8 (Kf6) 6.a7, and it's the self-same zugzwang, with Black paying the drawing penalty.

The try 1.Bc1? loses for White because his pawn stays rooted to the subsequently vulnerable a2 square while Black threatens checkmate and harasses the white bishop. In the solution, on the other hand, White paradoxically draws precisely because his pawn is on a2, keeping the tempo-choice (of moving up one square or two) up his sleeve. Curiously, in the tries, whether Black allows the excelsior to run to completion or captures the pawn when it reaches a7 is largely irrelevant, but if he captures on the promotion square a fresh little study (U4) arises.
*****************************
U4 Gh. A. Umnov
first publication



e4h4 0130.01 2/3 Win
*****************************
U4: 1.Kf3! a2 2.Kf4. We have already met this position in U3, but with colours reversed. a1Q 3.Rxa1 Bg2 4.Ra5! Bf1/i 5.Rg5! Kh3 6.Rg3+ Kh2 (Kh4; Rg1) 7.Kf3 Bc4 8.Kf2
i) Bh1 5.Ra7 Kh3 6.Rh7+ Kg2 7.Rh8 Kg1 8.Kg3 and 9.Rf8.

It's a pity this study steps outside our theme, but U3 in contrast to U2 demonstrates once again that what is obvious is not always the whole truth. Which has to be the credo of every composer.
[See also EG135.11444.]

32 gambetti nella Difesa Olandese

32 gambetti nella Difesa Olandese (comprese trasposizioni):

Per ogni gambetto viene inserita la valutazione di FIRE 1.31 (3400 ELO, profondità 20)

1.d4 f5 2.Cc3 d5 3.e4 (- 0.54)

1.d4 f5 2.Cc3 d5 3.g4 fg4 4.e4 (- 0.51)

1.d4 f5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.e4 fe4 4.f3 (- 0.24)

1.d4 f5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.g4 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.c4 e6 3.e4 (- 0.40)

1.d4 f5 2.c4 Cf6 3.Cc3 e5 (+ 0.80)

1.d4 f5 2.Dd3 d6 3.g4 (- 0.18)

1.d4 f5 2.Dd3 d5 3.g4 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.Dd3 e6 3.g4 (+ 0.14)

1.d4 f5 2.Dd3 g6 3.g4 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 d6 (+ 0.46)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 e6 (+ 0.97)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 e6 3.c4 (- 0.40)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 e6 3.Cf3 (- 0.56)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 fe4 3.Cc3 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 fe4 3.Cc3 Cf6 4.f3 (- 0.24)

1.d4 f5 2.e4 fe4 3.f3 Cf6 4.Cc3 (- 0.24)

1.d4 f5 2.Cf3 e6 3.e4 (- 0.56)

1.d4 f5 2.Cf3 e5 (+ 1.35)

1.d4 f5 2.Cf3 g6 3.h3 d6 4.g4 (+ 0.17)

1.d4 f5 2.g3 g6 3.h4 Cf6 4.h5 Ch5 5.Th5 gh5 6.e4 (+ 0.61)

1.d4 f5 2.g3 Cf6 3.h4 g6 4.h5 Ch5 5.Th5 gh5 6.e4 (+ 0.61)

1.d4 f5 2.g4 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.g4 d6 3.Dd3 (- 0.18)

1.d4 f5 2.g4 d5 3.Dd3 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.g4 e6 3.Dd3 (+ 0.14)

1.d4 f5 2.g4 e5 (no games) (+ 0.30)

1.d4 f5 2.g4 fg4 3.e4 d5 4.Cc3 (- 0.51)

1.d4 f5 2.g4 Cf6 3.Cc3 (+ 0.00)

1.d4 f5 2.h3 d6 3.Cf3 g6 4.g4 (+ 0.17)

1.d4 f5 2.h3 Cf6 3.g4 (- 0.10)
.

Zuzwang reciproco: Donna contro 2 Cavalli

Zuzwang reciproco: Donna contro 2 Cavalli

[Nota bene: la frequenza dei finali D vs C+C è di 21 ogni 4.325.000 partite]

Nel caso del finale di Donna contro due cavalli, ci sono ben
229 casi di Zugzwang reciproco. Ne mostriamo due:



Il Bianco muove e patta; il Nero muove e perde.



Il Bianco muove e patta; il Nero muove e perde.

Ancora mutual Zugzwang: Donna contro 2 Alfieri

Ancora mutual Zugzwang: Donna contro 2 Alfieri

[Nota bene: la frequenza dei finali D vs A+A è di 7 ogni 4.325.000 partite]

Anche questo è l'unico caso di Zugzwang reciproco, come nel
precedente caso della Donna contro Alfiere e Cavallo
(ovviamente escludendo riflessioni e rotazioni,
altrimenti sono otto le posizioni).



Muove il B. e patta. Muove il N. e perde.

[FEN "8/8/8/8/5b1K/5b2/6k1/4Q3 w - -"]

1. Qa1 Bg3+ 2. Kg5 Kf2 3. Kf5 Kg2 4. Qc1 Bh2 5. Qa1 Bg3
6. Qc1 Bh2 7. Qa1 Bg3 *

[FEN "8/8/8/8/5b1K/5b2/6k1/4Q3 b - -"]

1... Bb8 2. Qd2+ Kf1 3. Qc1+ Ke2 4. Qb2+ Kd3 5. Qxb8 Bd5
6. Qf4 Kc3 7. Kg5 Kb3 8. Qd4 Bc4 9. Qc5 Bf1 10. Kf6 Bc4
11. Ke5 Kc3 12. Ke4 Kb3 13. Kd4 Bf1 14. Qc3+ Ka2 15. Qc2+
Ka3 16. Kc3 Bc4 17. Qb2+ Ka4 18. Qb4# *